Tahrir Square rally
Protesters in Baghdad decry Israeli broadcaster’s depiction of Grand Ayatollah Ali Al-Sistani
BAGHDAD – Hundreds gathered in Baghdad’s Tahrir Square on Friday to protest Israel’s ongoing strikes on Gaza and Lebanon, as well as a recent Israeli media broadcast that depicted Iraq’s top Shia cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali Al-Sistani, with a target over his head.
Some protesters waved the flags of Lebanon, Palestine, Iraq, Iran, Hezbollah, and the Popular Mobilization Forces, while others held images of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed in an Israeli strike on Beirut’s southern suburbs on Sept. 27. The crowd chanted, “We are at your service, O Nasrallah.”
Leaders of Iran-aligned Iraqi militias addressed the crowd from a stage, including Abu Alaa Al-Walae, secretary-general of Kataib Sayyid Al-Shuhada. “After Nasrallah’s assassination, there will be no rules of engagement. Escalation will be met with escalation, destruction with destruction, and blood with blood,” he said.
Several Iraqi militias, part of the “Islamic Resistance in Iraq,” including Kataib Hezbollah, Kataib Sayyid Al-Shuhada, and Harakat Al-Nujaba, have claimed responsibility for drone attacks on Israel in recent months in response to the conflict in Gaza. The groups have called for more attacks as Israeli strikes on Hezbollah positions in Lebanon increase.
Since Nasrallah’s death, protests and symbolic funeral processions have been held across Iraq. Large banners with Nasrallah’s image and the slogan “Our victory is certain,” written in his handwriting, have appeared throughout Iraqi cities and became the central message of Friday’s demonstration.
Protesters also chanted, “Our lives are for you” and “We will cut off the hands of anyone who comes near you,” referring to Al-Sistani, after Israel’s Channel 14 aired an image showing him alongside other figures such as Hamas political leader Yahya Sinwar and Iranian Quds Force commander Ismail Qaani as potential assassination targets.
The broadcast sparked outrage on Iraqi social media, where Al-Sistani is highly revered by millions of Shia Muslims.
U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Alina Romanowski condemned any threat to al-Sistani in a post on X, formerly Twitter, on Thursday, stating, “Grand Ayatollah Sistani is a renowned and respected religious leader in the international community. He is a critical and influential voice in promoting a more peaceful region. We reject any suggestion of targeting Grand Ayatollah Sistani.”
During Friday’s protest, demonstrators stomped on U.S. and Israeli flags, as well as pictures of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu labeled “war criminal,” chanting, “No to America” and “No to Israel.”
In recent weeks, Iranian-aligned Iraqi militias have also targeted U.S. bases in Iraq and Syria in response to Washington’s support for Israel. The U.S. has retaliated with airstrikes on militia positions in both countries.
The U.S. maintains around 2,500 troops in Iraq and 900 in Syria as part of a coalition formed in 2014 to fight the Islamic State. Iraqi militias continue to demand the withdrawal of U.S. forces. Washington and Baghdad announced in September that the coalition’s military mission in Iraq would end within a year.
AFP