© The CradleAs the Iraqi Resistance continues to pressure the US to halt support for Israel's war on Gaza, Baghdad - and Moscow - align closer with their agenda to expel US troops from Iraq.
Surveillance devices on a local Baghdad thoroughfare captured on camera the assassination of an Iraqi Hezbollah Brigades leader, Abu Baqir al-Saadi, in a 7 February US missile attack. The images show a missile piercing the roof of his vehicle, then deviating to the right of Al-Baladiyat street, leaving a wake of flames in its incendiary path.
Against the backdrop of the widening, US-backed and armed Israeli war on Gaza,
the US airstrikes against Iraq and Syria were meant to deliver a strong message of deterrence to Iran's allies in the Axis of Resistance, who are targeting US military interests in West Asia in response to the carnage in Gaza.
But the strikes
have instead served mainly to embarrass the Iraqi government and its domestic allies, prompting a reevaluation of the country's relationship with Washington and reviving calls for an
end to the US military presence in Iraq.
Despite a steady stream of US threats and intimidation tactics employed to deter the Iraqi resistance since late last year,
these factions have incrementally increased and expanded their engagement in the region-wide war, driven by their
commitment to the Palestinian resistance and its liberation goals. The Iraqi groups have a specific goal: pressure Washington until it forces a Gaza truce - a strategic target that reflects the
unity of purpose among the resistance factions in Iraq and the region.
Comment: Looks like the deep breathing and conflict resolution courses didn't quite work as advertised!
Here's a clip of Sheldon Johnson on Rogan's podcast: