Barran Press
The Iranian semi-official news agency, Tasnim, reported on Sunday, August 4, 2024, that a leader of the Iran-backed Houthi group, internationally designated as a terrorist organization, was killed in a US airstrike south of the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, last Tuesday.
The agency, close to Iran's Revolutionary Guard, stated that the leader, "Hussein Abdullah Mustour al-Shebl," was killed in the airstrike that targeted facilities belonging to the Kata'ib Hezbollah militia, including a building used for developing and manufacturing drones in the town of Jurf al-Sakhr, south of Baghdad.
Tasnim reported that "al-Shebl" was killed in the recent US attack on Iraq while on a "mission outside Yemen," without providing further details.
The agency published a photo of "al-Shebl," nicknamed "Abu Jihad," in military uniform and with the rank of Brigadier General in the Houthi group. The group also has a political presence in Baghdad through a representative office supervised by a leader named "Abu Idris al-Sharfi," the group's representative in Iraq.
Last Tuesday, US warplanes launched multiple missiles at buildings in Jurf al-Sakhr, north of Babel Governorate and south of Baghdad. The attack resulted in the deaths and injuries of several members of the Kata'ib Hezbollah militia.
The militia, supported by Iran, announced in a statement that its headquarters in Jurf al-Sakhr were subjected to three airstrikes by US aircraft in the Sa'eedat area of Jurf al-Sakhr in Babel Governorate.
The militia confirmed the deaths of around 10 people, including militia leader Ahmed Najm Abdul Zahra, known as "Abu Hassan al-Maliki," and vowed to retaliate against the US attack without providing further details.
This is the first time that the presence of representatives of non-Iraqi militias and groups in Jurf al-Sakhr has been revealed. The area has been the subject of increasing political and legal controversy due to the displacement of approximately 200,000 Sunni Arab residents and the occupation of their areas by pro-Iranian factions, most notably Kata'ib Hezbollah, al-Nujaba, and Asaib Ahl al-Haq.
So far, there has been no comment from the Houthis or Iraqi authorities on the news.
Previous reports had revealed the expansion of the Houthi group within Iraq under the auspices of the Coordination Framework government militia, raising concerns about the country becoming a new launchpad for the group, away from its main base in northern Yemen, to strengthen its influence in the region, serving Iran's expansionist agenda.
Earlier reports had also mentioned the deaths of Houthi fighters in areas of Syria while participating in fighting alongside Iranian-backed armed militias against the Syrian opposition since 2013.