In light of the escalating tensions between the United States and Iran, the Iraqi government is still in a state of alert as US President Donald Trump enters its final weeks of office, fearing a confrontation between the two countries on its soil.
Writers Louisa Lovelak and Mustafa Salim said - in a report published by the American newspaper "The Washington Post" - that Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kazemi is under pressure from American officials to escalate his government's campaign against the pro-Iran factions in Iraq, whose missiles have repeatedly targeted diplomatic and military sites. An American woman, at a time when Trump has promised a devastating response if any American is killed in any attacks attributed to Iran.
Iraqi fears are increasing in the final weeks of Trump's term and they hope it will pass in peace (Reuters)
Expected escalation
"The possibility of escalation is high, and I think the Iraqis hope that these two months pass peacefully," said Sajjad Jiyad, an expert on Iraqi affairs and a fellow at the Century Foundation.
Tensions escalated in the region after the assassination of Iranian nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh in Tehran on Friday, and Iranian officials accused Israel of being behind the assassination, raising suspicions that Iran or its proxies in the Middle East might retaliate by attacking Western targets.
On November 17, one of the militias fired missiles at the US embassy in the heavily fortified Green Zone in Baghdad, violating a truce that had been in effect for a month, but this attack did not result in any casualties among the Americans or the Iraqi security forces.
An armed group calling itself "The Companions of the Cave" claimed responsibility for this attack in response to a raid on one of its headquarters in Fallujah, and the arrest of 3 of its members.
The two writers explained that the raid that targeted Fallujah comes after several weeks of the United States stepping up its pressure on the Kazemi government to stop the pro-Iranian militias, which led to an escalation of tensions in Iraq.
For its part, the pro-Iranian Iraqi Hezbollah Brigades denied its involvement in the attack on the US embassy, noting that the truce is still in effect, which highlights the clear divisions between the militia ranks and the potential threats posed by the factions that may launch attacks without warning.
Earlier, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo threatened to close the US embassy in Baghdad unless the missile attacks carried out by the pro-Iranian factions were curbed.
US officials say that the embassy closure plan is still on the table, and instructions have been issued to its officials to prepare for various scenarios.
Days after Trump met his advisers to review possible measures against Iran, the Iranian Quds Force commander, Ismail Qaani, responsible for Tehran's special operations in Baghdad, visited Baghdad to warn militias and political factions of any escalation of attacks on American targets before Trump's term ends, stressing the need for restraint and waiting for the exit Trump once and for all.
A spokesman for Kataib Hezbollah stressed that restraint is the best course, especially as the Trump administration is about to withdraw some US forces from Iraq.
US officials have confirmed that the number of forces will drop from 3,000 to 2,500 by January 15, but it seems that maintaining calm conditions during this sensitive time is difficult, especially in light of the divisions within the factions' camp.
Khazali believes that the truce with the Americans ended due to failure to fulfill its conditions (Al-Jazeera)
The armistice ends
In response to Qaani's call, the leader of the Asaib Ahl al-Haq group, Qais Khazali, declared - in a TV interview - that "the Americans are occupying our country, not Iran. We will not listen to you anymore because our motives are 100% patriotic." .
These conditions are - according to Khazali - "not to keep any foreign military base in the country, and that Iraqi sovereignty be on land and sky, with the presence of an American technician determined by the Iraqi government."
The two writers indicated that the successive clashes between the United States, Iran and its allies on Iraqi lands resulted in the killing of Major General Qassem Soleimani, and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, deputy head of the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces, in a drone attack near Baghdad International Airport.
In response, Iran launched ballistic missiles at US military bases.
The United States responded by launching air strikes on a site it said was affiliated with the Hezbollah Brigades, after it was accused of being behind the missile attacks that killed two American and British soldiers at an Iraqi military base north of Baghdad.