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Between February 28 and March 1, 2026, following the beginning of the joint U.S.-Israel strikes against Iran in which Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was killed, the Iran-backed “resistance axis” movements in Iraq and Yemen described the war as “fateful” and even as the “day of judgment.” They called for it to be turned into the “new [Battle of] Karbala” and threatened to cause the earth beneath to feet of the U.S. and Israel to “quake,” as well as to drag them into a long war of attrition that would lead to the end of the American presence in the region. In addition, they called on the “members of the resistance in Palestine, Lebanon, and Syria” to infiltrate Israel and “settle the score with the murderers and criminals” who have targeted Islam’s “sacraments.” Below are the militias’ statements.
On February 28, Houthi leader Abd Al-Malik Badr Al-Din Al-Houthi delivered a 10-minute-long televised speech in which he said the “U.S.-Israel aggression” against Iran is part of “the Zionist efforts to enable the Zionist Israeli enemy to seize control of the region, under the banner of ‘changing the face of the Middle East.’” He called on the Islamic world to show solidarity with Iran and its people and to stand alongside them “with all types of cooperation and solidarity.” He expressed the Houthis’ full solidarity with Iran, said that they stand by it, and said that they will take action “in all [fields] of activities.” He also called on the Yemeni people to take to the streets of Sanaa and all other provinces in a mass protest on March 1.
On the same day, the Iraqi Hizbullah Brigades shared on its Telegram channel a statement saying that “the criminal Trump” is fighting on behalf of the “front of falsehood” along with “the sons of Zion, the offspring of apes and pigs” against “the front of truth of the Islamic nation.” It said that this is “a fateful war in which there is no room for neutrality” and called for dragging the enemy into “a long war of attrition” at the end of which there will remain no “American presence” in the region, and particularly not in Iraq, adding: “This is the day of judgement.” In addition, it called on the members of the resistance in Palestine, Lebanon, and Syria to “take vengeance against the murderers, these criminals, and to settle the score with those who have defiled the sacraments [of Islam] and spilled pure blood.” Moreover, it called on them to “infiltrate the territory of the [Israeli] entity, for the blood of the martyrs that has saturated your soil is calling upon you to take vengeance.”
On the following day, the Brigades’ Secretary-General Abu Husayn Al-Hamidawi shared on the same channel a short statement congratulating “our imam Khamenei” for having died as he did.
Also on February 28, Al-Nujaba Movement militia leader Akram Al-Kaabi shared on his Telegram channel a statement saying that “Trump’s arrogance and the fact that he has gone too far will not go without judgment, and he will be humiliated to dust as punishment for his actions.” He wrote that Trump has become a “toy” in the hands of the “child murderer” Netanyahu and has handed the fate of U.S. troops in the region to the latter’s “impulses and foolish acts.” He also threatened: “We will not stand idly by in the face of the injustice and the aggression. We will cause the earth beneath your feet to quake.”
On February 28, the Iraqi Faylaq Al-Wa’ad Al-Sadeq militia shared on its Telegram channel an official statement saying that the U.S.-Israel attack against Iran is a suicidal act and the “beginning of the end of their temporary presence in the region.” It declared that the group is at “full readiness and general mobilization” of all its mujahideen and military and security forces, with the goal of deploying them into “the heart of the American and Zionist interests everywhere.” It added: “An attack against the cradle of the revolution is an attack against every free man and resistance member. We will not stand idly by. Our missiles and drones are already itching to fulfill their religious and moral duty in response to this arrogance.”
On March 1, the Sayyed Al-Shuhada militia shared on its Telegram channel a statement of condolences to “the nations of the Islamic resistance” over the death of Khamenei, adding that “this great crime carried out by the Zionist-American alliance of targeting the steward of the Muslims will not go without just vengeance.” It called on the mujahideen to prepare for a long war to defend Islam and take vengeance against Khamenei’s “murderers.” It added: “Turn this into the new [Battle of] Karbala, until victory or martyrdom.”[6]
