Iraqi cabinet approves probe findings after Hezbollah, Houthis listed in official gazette

BAGHDAD — Iraq’s Cabinet on Tuesday approved the recommendations of an investigative committee formed over the publication in the official gazette that listed Lebanon’s Hezbollah and Yemen’s Houthis under a terror-financing freeze, endorsing administrative penalties that include the removal and reassignment of several officials.

According to Cabinet decisions, the government approved the committee’s recommendations related to the content published in Issue 4848 of al-Waqa’i al-Iraqiya, dated Nov. 17, 2025, concerning Decision No. 61 of 2025 issued by the Committee for Freezing Terrorists’ Assets. The recommendations included “administrative penalties that involved relieving a number of concerned officials of their duties and rotating others.”

The approval follows weeks of controversy after the appearance of Hezbollah and the Houthis in the gazette, which authorities later said resulted from publishing an unedited draft. Iraq’s Committee for Freezing Terrorists’ Assets subsequently issued a revised Decision No. 64 of 2025 after an extraordinary session on Dec. 7, clarifying that the two entries “were not covered by the provisions of the decision,” which applies only to entities linked to ISIS and al-Qaida. The revised order stated that the listings were deleted and that the correction “shall be implemented from the date of issuance and published in the official gazette.”

Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani had earlier ordered authorities to “conduct an urgent investigation, identify responsibility, and hold those who fell short accountable,” saying the published text “reflected positions that are not real” and that Iraq’s approval of a Malaysian request under U.N. counterterrorism measures was limited to entities tied to ISIS and al-Qaida.

The Central Bank’s Committee for Freezing Terrorists’ Assets said the inclusion of Hezbollah and the Houthis was “a mistake” caused by releasing an unedited draft before final review and confirmed the names “will be removed,” a step later completed through the revised decision.

Several institutions distanced themselves as the issue escalated. Iraq’s Presidency said it “denies having knowledge of or ratifying the decision,” noting that such committee decisions do not pass through the presidency for approval. The Communications Ministry said its representative on the committee “was not present at the last session” and did not participate in any vote.

Public reaction followed the publication, including a protest organized by Kataib Hezbollah outside the Iraq Media Network headquarters, denouncing the appearance of the names in the gazette, which is issued by the Ministry of Justice.