The political council of Iraq’s al-Nujaba Islamic Resistance Movement has reiterated its support for Kata’ib Hezbollah and its secretary-general, Abu Hussein al-Hamidawi, warning that efforts to sow discord among resistance factions serve the “Zionist-American enemy.”
“In the current sensitive situation, certain parties are seeking to sow discord and division, an action that serves the Zionist-American enemy,” al-Nujaba’s political council said in a statement on Friday, carried by Iraqi media.
The statement said Hamidawi has made great sacrifices in defense of Iraq, its homeland and sacred sites, describing his record as “full of honor and pride” and stressing that the campaign targeting him is “unacceptable in any way.”
The campaign against Hamidawi, according to Iraqi sources, refers to a coordinated pressure offensive involving a leaked arrest warrant for his son on terrorism charges and a government push to strip armed factions of their economic assets and business contracts.
The council emphasized that Iraqi resistance factions remain united against injustice, arrogance, tyranny and political opportunism, and will not compromise with those responsible for the killing of children and innocent families in Palestine, Iraq, Iran and Yemen.
Al-Nujaba also vowed that the movement would not retreat from its principles, values and objectives.
The statement comes amid reports of growing tensions between Iraqi resistance factions and movements aligned with the government, following Baghdad’s push to establish a state monopoly over weapons.
The Iraqi prime minister instructed officials on August 11 to prepare a bill aimed at placing all weapons under state control. At Washington’s request, Prime Minister Zaidi has pledged to enforce the policy, with Baghdad setting a June 2027 deadline for resistance groups to surrender their arms.
However, Iraqi resistance factions have insisted that the state must first exercise full sovereignty over the country's airspace and territory before any disarmament plan is implemented, pointing to what they describe as daily violations by foreign parties, particularly the United States.
Kata’ib Hezbollah has repeatedly stressed that the weapons of Iraqi anti-terror resistance factions are a matter of faith, morality and principle, and that it will not surrender them under domestic or foreign pressure.
Some Iraqi resistance factions, including Saraya al-Salam, Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq and Kata’ib al-Imam Ali, have agreed to merge with the national armed forces. Kata’ib Hezbollah, however, has maintained its commitment to retaining its “resistance weapons” and strengthening its arsenal.
The latest statement by al-Nujaba came a day after Kata’ib Hezbollah security chief Abu Mujahid al-Assaf reaffirmed the group's commitment to armed resistance and vowed to defend Iran against any renewed attack.
Assaf said the faction would defend its allies in Yemen, Lebanon and Iran “until the last breath,” particularly in the event of renewed US-Israeli aggression against Tehran.
“The resistance's weapons are a matter of faith, morality and principle,” he said, stressing that Kata’ib Hezbollah would remain armed and make no concessions.
Assaf also demanded an investigation into the prime minister's finances, accusing Zaidi of amassing a fortune worth nearly 21 trillion dinars, or more than $13 billion, in less than a decade.
He called for transparency over the government's “One Million Plots of Land” project and the supply of food provisions to the Iraqi army.
He further called on Iraq's Integrity Commission to investigate crude oil contracts with the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), stating that Baghdad had been selling Iraqi crude to the Emirati company at a discount of $47 per barrel without proper documentation.
According to Assaf, US envoy Tom Barrack, the prime minister's brother Hassan al-Zaidi, Emirati official Tahnoon bin Zayed and Iraqi businessman Saad Waheeb were sharing $3.4 billion in monthly profits from the oil sales.
Assaf also said elements within Iraq's security agencies are passing intelligence to the United States, which he said is subsequently reaching Israel.
He further warned that the prime minister will be held accountable for attacks on the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), which he said have come under heavy US bombardment earlier this year.
Meanwhile, Abdul Qader al-Karbalaei, military deputy of the al-Nujaba movement, said last month that terms such as “disarmament,” “handover” and “restriction” had no place in the resistance's vocabulary.
He stressed that the group's “sacred weapons of the Resistance” would never be surrendered.
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