{"id":532,"date":"2026-01-26T10:56:26","date_gmt":"2026-01-26T10:56:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dailypremiumbulletin.com\/?p=532"},"modified":"2026-01-26T10:56:26","modified_gmt":"2026-01-26T10:56:26","slug":"iraqs-kataib-hezbollah-warns-of-total-war-if-iran-is-attacked","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dailypremiumbulletin.com\/?p=532","title":{"rendered":"Iraq\u2019s Kataib Hezbollah warns of \u2018total war\u2019 if Iran is attacked"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Iraq\u2019s Kataib Hezbollah warns of \u2018total war\u2019 if Iran is attacked<\/h1>\n

Abu Hussein al\u2011Hamidawi, leader of Iraqi armed group, says war against Iran will not be a \u2018walk in the park\u2019.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/header>\n

[File: Thaier Al-Sudani\/Reuters]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

<\/a>By <\/span>Al Jazeera Staff<\/a>Published On 26 Jan 2026<\/span>26 Jan 2026<\/span><\/p>\n

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Kataib Hezbollah, an Iraqi paramilitary group, has warned of a \u201ctotal war\u201d if Iran is attacked, signalling it would militarily support Tehran if conflict breaks out as the United States amasses military assets<\/a> in the region.<\/p>\n

The Iran-backed group\u2019s chief, Abu Hussein al\u2011Hamidawi, issued a fiery statement late on Sunday, calling on fighters to be prepared for war.<\/p>\n

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He said the \u201cforces of darkness\u201d are gathering to subjugate and destroy Iran, describing the country as the \u201cfortress and pride\u201d of Muslims.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe affirm to the enemies that war against the [Islamic] Republic will not be a walk in the park,\u201d al\u2011Hamidawi said.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut rather, you will taste the bitterest forms of death, and nothing will remain of you in our region.\u201d<\/p>\n

When Israel and the US attacked Iran in June last year, its regional allies \u2013 known as the \u201caxis of resistance\u201d, which includes Hezbollah in Lebanon and Iraqi armed groups \u2013 did not come to its aid.<\/p>\n

But al\u2011Hamidawi suggested that this time would be different, emphasising \u201cthe necessity of supporting it from the forces of the axis and assisting it in whatever way they can\u201d.<\/p>\n

Kataib Hezbollah is one of the largest groups within the Popular Mobilisation Forces<\/a> (PMF), founded in 2014 to stop lightning advances by ISIL (ISIS) at the time.<\/p>\n

In a phone call with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani on Sunday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio urged Baghdad<\/a> to keep a distance from Iran.<\/p>\n

Rubio said, \u201cIraq can fully realise its potential as a force for stability, prosperity and security in the Middle East\u201d as Baghdad\u00a0is expecting a return of Nouri al-Maliki as prime minister after more than 10 years. Al-Maliki first became prime minister in 2006 with the backing of the US. His ties with the US soured after he was accused of implementing sectarian policies that led to the rise of ISIL in Iraq.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThe secretary emphasised that a government controlled by Iran cannot successfully put Iraq\u2019s own interests first, keep Iraq out of regional conflicts or advance the mutually beneficial partnership between the United States and Iraq,\u201d Rubio said, according to State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott.<\/p>\n

Tensions between the US and Iran have been approaching a boiling point. Earlier this month, President Donald Trump called on Iranian antigovernment protesters to take over state institutions, telling them that<\/a> \u201chelp is on the way\u201d.<\/p>\n

Trump later softened his language, saying he would hold off attacking Iran after receiving assurances from Tehran that the country would halt the execution of dissidents.<\/p>\n

But the US administration has proceeded to send an aircraft carrier strike group to the Middle East, boosting its military presence in the Gulf.<\/p>\n

In recent days, several airlines have suspended flights across the region, including to Israel, due to the prospect of escalation.<\/p>\n

Tehran has pledged to defend itself against any attack.<\/p>\n

\u201cIran is doing everything it can diplomatically, but its armed forces will respond firmly to any violation of the country\u2019s sovereignty,\u201d Iran\u2019s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said on Monday.<\/p>\n

Trump warned on Friday that he is watching Iran \u201cvery closely\u201d, highlighting that the US military is sending a \u201cbig force\u201d towards the country.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd maybe we won\u2019t have to use it,\u201d the US president<\/a> said. \u201cWe have a lot of ships going that direction, just in case, we have a big flotilla going in that direction, and we\u2019ll see what happens.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Iraq\u2019s Kataib Hezbollah warns of \u2018total war\u2019 if Iran is attacked Abu Hussein al\u2011Hamidawi, leader of Iraqi armed group, says war against Iran will not be a \u2018walk in the park\u2019. [File: Thaier Al-Sudani\/Reuters] By Al Jazeera StaffPublished On 26 Jan 202626 Jan 2026 Save Kataib Hezbollah, an Iraqi paramilitary group, has warned of a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":533,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-532","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailypremiumbulletin.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/532","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailypremiumbulletin.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailypremiumbulletin.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailypremiumbulletin.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailypremiumbulletin.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=532"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailypremiumbulletin.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/532\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailypremiumbulletin.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/533"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailypremiumbulletin.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=532"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailypremiumbulletin.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=532"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailypremiumbulletin.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=532"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}