The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor (JTTM) project published a new report on July 7 about Telegram channels affiliated with Iran-backed Iraqi militias publishing the first-ever footage of a wanted militia leader launching a cruise missile toward U.S. bases to “avenge Khamenei’s death.”
On July 6, 2026 – on the backdrop of the mass funeral processions taking place in commemoration of slain Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei – Telegram channels affiliated with Iran-backed militias in Iraq shared a purportedly previously-unpublished video showing Iran-backed Iraqi Al-Nujaba Movement militia leader Akram Al-Kaabi personally launching a Jamal-10 cruise missile towards a base belonging to “the American occupation” in order to “avenge the death of the martyred Imam [Khamenei].”
It should be noted that the Jamal-10 cruise missile was initially unveiled by the Islamic Resistance in Iraq in March 2026, and according to an Iranian Telegram channel specializing in military and security affairs, it is a variant of the long-range Arqab cruise missile, and has been used by the resistance factions since January 2024. It should also be noted that Al-Kaabi attended the Khamenei mourning ceremonies in Tehran, and has issued a statement addressing the Iraqi public saying that participating in the ceremonies is comparable in importance to actual combat against “the impure Zionists.”
