• Son of Hezbollah commander behind establishment of Iraqi militias reported killed in Israeli airstrike

    Three members of Lebanese Hezbollah, including a pro-Assad fighter have been killed by a reported Israeli airstrike in southern Syria. One of the Hezbollah members killed is Hassan Ali Daqduq, son of infamous Hebzollah commander Ali Musa Daqduq.

    Son of Hezbollah commander behind establishment of Iraqi militias reported killed in Israeli airstrike
  • U.S. designates Iraqi PMF chairman for human rights violations

    Falih al-Fayyadh, the Chairman of the Iran-backed Popular Mobilization Forces and the former National Security Advisor to the Iraq’s Prime Minister, was identified as a member of an “Islamic Revolutionary Guard Force Qods Force supported crisis cell” that supported attacks on protesters in 2019.

    U.S. designates Iraqi PMF chairman for human rights violations
  • Analysis: Soleimani’s last will and testament

    The slain Qassem Soleimani’s last will and testament provides key insight into his worldview and the legacy he sought.

    Analysis: Soleimani’s last will and testament
  • Air strike that targeted Soleimani and Muhandis also killed key aides

    The killing of Qassem Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis last week reportedly claimed the lives of eight lesser-known colleagues as well. The death of these aides indicates that those who serve designated terrorists may suffer the same fate as their superiors.

    Air strike that targeted Soleimani and Muhandis also killed key aides
  • Iran launches ‘ballistic missiles’ at U.S. bases in Iraq

    The U.S. Department of Defense confirmed the attack was “launched from Iran” and that it “targeted at least two Iraqi military bases hosting U.S. military & coalition personnel at Al-Assad & Irbil.” No casualties have been reported.

    Iran launches ‘ballistic missiles’ at U.S. bases in Iraq
  • Qods Force commander Soleimani’s carelessness put him in the U.S. military’s crosshairs

    Qods Force commander Qassem Soleimani became “complacent” while traveling to and from Iraq, and did not believe the U.S. would target him, U.S. military officials told FDD’s Long War Journal. The military was able to reliably track his movements at times.

    Qods Force commander Soleimani’s carelessness put him in the U.S. military’s crosshairs
  • Qassem Soleimani spotted near the Syrian border with Iraqi militias

    Major General Qassem Soleimani, the chief of the Guard Corps’ Qods Force, has been photographed allegedly with Iranian-backed Iraqi militias of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) in the northwestern countryside of Iraq near the Syrian border. The photo’s precise location and date are yet unconfirmed; however it surfaced on May 29.

    Qassem Soleimani spotted near the Syrian border with Iraqi militias
  • Qods Force commander to advance Tehran’s influence as ambassador to Iraq

    An Iranian general from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) this week began his new position as Tehran’s ambassador to Iraq. The selection of Brigadier General Iraj Masjedi, the senior adviser to the commander of the IRGC extraterritorial branch the Qods Force, highlights Tehran’s strategy to assert itself as the dominant foreign power in its western neighbor following the Mosul campaign. Since 2003 all Iranian ambassadors to Iraq have been Qods Force officers.

    Qods Force commander to advance Tehran’s influence as ambassador to Iraq
  • Abu Azrael spotted during PMF’s Mosul operation

    Iraqi Shiite militia strongman and Imam Ali Brigades commander, Abu Azrael, was spotted alongside the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) as they make their way through the western axis of Mosul toward Tal Afar. The PMF is attempting to prevent the Islamic State’s escape to Syria through Tal Afar, which is 33 miles west of Mosul. Abu Azrael gained fame on social media carrying an ax and sword, and mutilating the corpse of a suspected Islamic State “like shwarma” after he was burned alive. Abu Azrael was recently photographed with Abu Mahdi al Muhandis, the PMF operational commander who was designated by the US…

    Abu Azrael spotted during PMF’s Mosul operation
  • Qassem Soleimani to play “major role” in Mosul operations

    Qassem Soleimani will play a “major” role in upcoming operations to retake Mosul from the Islamic State, according to the spokesman of the Iraqi Population Mobilization Front.

    Qassem Soleimani to play “major role” in Mosul operations
  • Qods Force commander an official advisor to government, Iraq’s foreign minister says

    Foreign Minister Ibrahim Jafari defended Qassem Soleimani’s role in bolstering sectarian militias that have often acted outside of the law in Iraq as they battle the Islamic State.

    Qods Force commander an official advisor to government, Iraq’s foreign minister says