Jihad fatwa issued in Iraq as resistance groups strike US, Israeli targets 

A prominent Iraqi cleric has called for jihadist operations against Americans and Israelis in Iraq and around the world, as Iraqi resistance groups launched 27 attacks in the past day and warned that any nation participating in the US-Israeli aggression will become a legitimate target.

Ayatollah Jawad al-Khalisi issued the call for jihadist operations against American and Israeli forces in Iraq and globally, stating that those killed in such actions would be granted martyrdom.

As the call came, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq announced that it had carried out 27 drone and missile operations against enemy positions in Iraq and the region over the past 24 hours.

The resistance also reported drone strikes against a significant target in Jordan and said it had previously struck several bases belonging to American forces inside Iraq.

In a strongly worded statement, the Islamic Resistance warned that any participation in the American-Israeli aggression against the region would make participants legitimate targets for its forces.

"The criminal Zionist-American enemy continues to mobilize its allies against the free people of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the region, and in doing so, begs some European countries to participate in this unjust war," the statement said.

"Anyone from these countries who participates in this battle will be considered an enemy of the people and our sanctities, and their forces and interests in Iraq and the region will be targeted as punishment for participating in this aggression."

The warning was echoed by Abdulqadir al-Karbalai, military deputy of the Nujaba movement, who issued a similar statement Thursday night warning European nations against intervention.

"Everyone should know; whoever under any title seeks to intervene in Iraqi soil and expand the scope of the conflict - whether NATO, or countries such as France, Germany, Britain and others - it will mean that all their interests in Iraq and the region will be legitimate targets for the Islamic Resistance in Iraq," al-Karbalai said.

The developments come as Iraq lodged a formal protest with the international coalition over an unauthorized heliborne deployment of US forces in Najaf province that resulted in the death of an Iraqi fighter.

Lieutenant General Qais al-Muhammadawi, deputy commander of Iraq's Joint Operations Command, told reporters Thursday that after receiving information about individuals in the deserts of Najaf along the borders with Karbala, Iraqi forces deployed three regiments from the Karbala Operations Command to investigate.

"The force came under heavy aerial fire, and the incident resulted in the death of one fighter and the injury of two others," he said.

The force was reinforced with two regiments from the Counter-Terrorism Service to search the area but found nothing, he added.

Al-Muhammadawi stressed there was no agreement or approval for any foreign force to be present in that location, noting that one force was supporting another force attempting to conduct reconnaissance or install equipment.

He described the heliborne deployment as a "treacherous and cowardly act carried out by a force that entered the area without coordination or approval."

He emphasized that al-Hashd al-Sha’abi is part of Iraq's security system and operates under the orders of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.

"A protest note has been submitted to the International Coalition requesting clarification," he said.
The US and Israel launched a fresh round of aerial aggression against Iran on Saturday, some eight months after they carried out unprovoked attacks on the country.

Iran has retaliated with barrages of missiles and drone attacks on Israeli-occupied territories and US bases in regional countries.

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