• Members of the Kataib Hezbollah group gather ahead of the funeral of Iraqi militia commander Abu Mahdi Al Muhandis, who was killed in an air strike at Baghdad International Airport, Iraq, on January 4, 2020. Reuters / Thaier al-Sudani
    Members of the Kataib Hezbollah group gather ahead of the funeral of Iraqi militia commander Abu Mahdi Al Muhandis, who was killed in an air strike at Baghdad International Airport, Iraq, on January 4, 2020. Reuters / Thaier al-Sudani
  • Hashed Al Shaabi fighters launch missiles on the village of Salmani, south of Mosul, on October 30, 2016. AFP
    Hashed Al Shaabi fighters launch missiles on the village of Salmani, south of Mosul, on October 30, 2016. AFP
  • Iraqi Shiite members of the Asaib Ahl Al Haq group gather in Basra on December 12, 2015, to demand the withdrawal of Turkish forces from Iraq. AFP
    Iraqi Shiite members of the Asaib Ahl Al Haq group gather in Basra on December 12, 2015, to demand the withdrawal of Turkish forces from Iraq. AFP
  • Al Nujaba militias carry flags during an anti-Israel rally to mark Jerusalem Day in Baghdad on May 31, 2019. EPA-EFE / Murtaja Lateef
    Al Nujaba militias carry flags during an anti-Israel rally to mark Jerusalem Day in Baghdad on May 31, 2019. EPA-EFE / Murtaja Lateef
  • Hashed Al Shaabi fighters on the outskirts of Tal Afar, west of Mosul, prepare for the offensive retake of the western side of Mosul from Islamic State fighters on February 18, 2017. AFP
    Hashed Al Shaabi fighters on the outskirts of Tal Afar, west of Mosul, prepare for the offensive retake of the western side of Mosul from Islamic State fighters on February 18, 2017. AFP
  • A vast network of Iran-backed militias in operation in Iraq. AFP
    A vast network of Iran-backed militias in operation in Iraq. AFP
  • Hashed Al Shaabi fighters flash the victory gesture as they advance through the town of Tal Afar, west of Mosul, on August 26, 2017. AFP
    Hashed Al Shaabi fighters flash the victory gesture as they advance through the town of Tal Afar, west of Mosul, on August 26, 2017. AFP

Iran-backed militias display long-range drone power in regional escalation


Robert Tollast
  • English
  • Arabic

Iran-backed militias in Iraq have revealed a collection of long-range drones that could hit other countries in the region, including Israel.

On Sunday, video footage emerged of Iraqi groups in the Popular Mobilisation Forces, an umbrella organisation of militias, parading an array of apparently new unmanned aerial vehicles, or UAVs.

Most PMF groups are trained, advised and equipped by Iran, although they have formal status in Iraq's armed forces.

"What I found interesting is that they showed Sammad/UAV-X type drones. Depending on the version, these should have the ability to strike Israel from Iraq," said Fabian Hinz, an independent expert on drone and missile technology proliferation.

PMF groups have used drones since at least 2014, usually smaller ones, in the war against ISIS.

Normally these are used for reconnaissance but small UAVs fitted with explosive charges – so-called kamikaze drones – have been used in at least three attacks on US bases in Iraq this year.

Drones such as the Sammad, designed by Iran, used by the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen – and now paraded by the PMF, represent an entirely new threat, having a range in excess of 1,000 kilometres.

Iran has long been suspected of equipping new, secretive militia organisations in Iraq with long-range drones that have been used for attacks against non-military targets, including oil infrastructure, in Saudi Arabia.

Regional chaos

In January, an apparently new Iraqi group calling itself Alwiya Alwaad Al Haq, or the Righteous Pledge Battalion, said a drone attack was mounted against a target in Saudi Arabia “solely by Iraqi hands”.

PMF group Kataib Hezbollah, whose leadership works closely with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, called on other Iraqi militias to follow the same example.

Iraq security specialist Michael Knights at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy believes Kataib Hezbollah plays a central role in drone operations in Iraq.

The group was accused in May 2019 of launching a drone attack against Saudi oil installations.

Aside from these isolated operations, Iran’s supply of high-end drone technology to Iraqi groups has been limited, until now.

"Iraq's militias have been somewhat neglected in terms of tech. Lebanese Hezbollah and Houthis get pretty nice stuff, while the equipment the Iraqis receive seems to be held under dual key. I think that is changing. They need accuracy and Iran is finally releasing that," Mr Knights told The National.

  • A photo released by Iran's Revolutionary Guards in 2013 shows a newly made "Shahed 129" drone in Tehran. SEPAH NEWS via AFP)
    A photo released by Iran's Revolutionary Guards in 2013 shows a newly made "Shahed 129" drone in Tehran. SEPAH NEWS via AFP)
  • President Hassan Rouhani views a display of Iran's Mohajer 4 drone as part of Iran's defence capabilities exhibition inside the defence ministry building in Tehran on August 24, 2014. Iranian Presidency Website via AFP
    President Hassan Rouhani views a display of Iran's Mohajer 4 drone as part of Iran's defence capabilities exhibition inside the defence ministry building in Tehran on August 24, 2014. Iranian Presidency Website via AFP
  • Weapons supplied by Iran to the Houthi militias in Yemen were put on display at a press conference by the Saudi-led Arab coalition on Tuesday. Victor Besa / The National
    Weapons supplied by Iran to the Houthi militias in Yemen were put on display at a press conference by the Saudi-led Arab coalition on Tuesday. Victor Besa / The National
  • Iranian weapons that have been used in Yemen. A shot down drone on display. Victor Besa / The National
    Iranian weapons that have been used in Yemen. A shot down drone on display. Victor Besa / The National
  • Employes of Aramco oil company stand near a heavily damaged installation in Saudi Arabia's Khurais oil processing plant on September 20, 2019. AFP
    Employes of Aramco oil company stand near a heavily damaged installation in Saudi Arabia's Khurais oil processing plant on September 20, 2019. AFP
  • Damage at the Ain Al Asad military airbase housing US and other foreign troops in the western Iraqi province of Anbar after an Iranian missiles attack at the sprawling airbase. AFP
    Damage at the Ain Al Asad military airbase housing US and other foreign troops in the western Iraqi province of Anbar after an Iranian missiles attack at the sprawling airbase. AFP

The public presentation of Iran-made drone equipment by PMF groups could represent a regional shift in tactics for Iran.

“What we are seeing with the Iranian supported groups is that some are incredibly open about their equipment, including Hamas and the Houthis. Others so far have been incredibly secretive, including Hezbollah and PMF factions,” Mr Hinz said.

“And I think this slight shift with the Iraqi factions is indeed related to the threats they made during the Gaza war and the new narrative of a regional multifront war.”

On May 14 at the height of the conflict in Gaza, Iraqi militia group Ashab Ahl Kahf, thought by PMF expert Tamer Al Badawi to be linked to an established Iran-backed group called Asaib Ahl Al Haq, claimed to have fired missiles from Syria over the Golan Heights, against Israel.

The Israeli military acknowledged that there had been a rocket attack.

Asaib Ahl Al Haq leader Qais Khazali previously visited the Israel-Lebanon border with Hezbollah commanders in December 2017, promising to fight the Israelis.

Israel has attacked these groups in Syria, part of an air campaign to stop them moving drone and missile equipment, carrying out about 1,000 air strikes in the past three years.

If the groups choose to use Iraqi soil to attack Israel, it could represent a dangerous escalation, pulling Iraq into the zone of Israeli air operations.

If that happened, it would not be the first time Israel has been accused of striking Iraq in recent years.

In the summer of 2019, a number of large explosions rocked PMF ammunition dumps in Iraq, leading to rumours that Israel was already taking action against suspected Iranian weapons in PMF hands.

The New York Times quoted an unidentified US official saying that Israel had carried out the air strikes.

But other unidentified US officials said the explosions were probably the result of poorly stored ammunition in the blazing summer heat, a possibility given that groups not aligned to Iran also experienced ammunition explosions over the summer months, including the Kurdish Peshmerga.

Looming conflict

Political parties in Baghdad were not convinced.

Fatah, a coalition of parties linked to the PMF, called the alleged Israeli air strikes “a declaration of war on Iraq”.

The risk now is that if PMF groups decide to stockpile long-range drones, Israel will carry out regular air strikes.

Any Israeli decision to bomb Iraq would be based on security calculations rather than political considerations, Aurora Intel, an analysis company that closely monitors Israeli air operations in Syria, told The National.

The Iraqi government has struggled to take action against the PMF, with little leverage to protect Iraqi-Coalition bases, or activists that PMF groups stand accused of murdering.

“While we reserve the right to respond to these Zionist attacks, we hold the international coalition, particularly the United States, fully responsible for this aggression," a Fatah statement warned in 2019.

That was no idle threat, and could point to the next crisis.

By the end of 2019, a US contractor had been killed – leading to a major confrontation between the US and Iran, which included the death of Iranian commander Qassem Suleimani – at least 100 US soldiers suffering injuries in Iranian missile strikes and the accidental shooting down of a Ukrainian airliner, with the loss of 167 lives.

The biog

Favourite films: Casablanca and Lawrence of Arabia

Favourite books: Start with Why by Simon Sinek and Good to be Great by Jim Collins

Favourite dish: Grilled fish

Inspiration: Sheikh Zayed's visionary leadership taught me to embrace new challenges.

The Details

Article 15
Produced by: Carnival Cinemas, Zee Studios
Directed by: Anubhav Sinha
Starring: Ayushmann Khurrana, Kumud Mishra, Manoj Pahwa, Sayani Gupta, Zeeshan Ayyub
Our rating: 4/5 

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The bio

His favourite book - 1984 by George Orwell

His favourite quote - 'If you think education is expensive, try ignorance' by Derek Bok, Former President of Harvard

Favourite place to travel to - Peloponnese, Southern Greece

Favourite movie - The Last Emperor

Favourite personality from history - Alexander the Great

Role Model - My father, Yiannis Davos

 

 

Ant-Man and the Wasp

Director: Peyton Reed

Starring: Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Douglas

Three stars

Oscars in the UAE

The 90th Academy Awards will be aired in the UAE from 3.30am on Monday, March 5 on OSN, with the ceremony starting at 5am

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West Indies v India - Third ODI

India 251-4 (50 overs)
Dhoni (78*), Rahane (72), Jadhav (40)
Cummins (2-56), Bishoo (1-38)
West Indies 158 (38.1 overs)
Mohammed (40), Powell (30), Hope (24)
Ashwin (3-28), Yadav (3-41), Pandya (2-32)

India won by 93 runs

THE LOWDOWN

Photograph

Rating: 4/5

Produced by: Poetic License Motion Pictures; RSVP Movies

Director: Ritesh Batra

Cast: Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Sanya Malhotra, Farrukh Jaffar, Deepak Chauhan, Vijay Raaz

Company Profile

Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million

Company%20profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EHakbah%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2018%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENaif%20AbuSaida%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESaudi%20Arabia%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFinTech%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECurrent%20number%20of%20staff%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E22%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInitial%20investment%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%24200%2C000%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Epre-Series%20A%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EGlobal%20Ventures%20and%20Aditum%20Investment%20Management%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
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The years Ramadan fell in May

1987

1954

1921

1888

BIG SPENDERS

Premier League clubs spent £230 million (Dh1.15 billion) on January transfers, the second-highest total for the mid-season window, the Sports Business Group at Deloitte said in a report.

The biog

DOB: 25/12/92
Marital status: Single
Education: Post-graduate diploma in UAE Diplomacy and External Affairs at the Emirates Diplomatic Academy in Abu Dhabi
Hobbies: I love fencing, I used to fence at the MK Fencing Academy but I want to start again. I also love reading and writing
Lifelong goal: My dream is to be a state minister

It

Director: Andres Muschietti

Starring: Bill Skarsgard, Jaeden Lieberher, Sophia Lillis, Chosen Jacobs, Jeremy Ray Taylor

Three stars

Results:

CSIL 2-star 145cm One Round with Jump-Off

1.           Alice Debany Clero (USA) on Amareusa S 38.83 seconds

2.           Anikka Sande (NOR) For Cash 2 39.09

3.           Georgia Tame (GBR) Cash Up 39.42

4.           Nadia Taryam (UAE) Askaria 3 39.63

5.           Miriam Schneider (GER) Fidelius G 47.74

What is an FTO Designation?

FTO designations impose immigration restrictions on members of the organisation simply by virtue of their membership and triggers a criminal prohibition on knowingly providing material support or resources to the designated organisation as well as asset freezes. 

It is a crime for a person in the United States or subject to the jurisdiction of the United States to knowingly provide “material support or resources” to or receive military-type training from or on behalf of a designated FTO.

Representatives and members of a designated FTO, if they are aliens, are inadmissible to and, in certain circumstances removable from, the United States.

Except as authorised by the Secretary of the Treasury, any US financial institution that becomes aware that it has possession of or control over funds in which an FTO or its agent has an interest must retain possession of or control over the funds and report the funds to the Treasury Department.

Source: US Department of State

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BMW M5 specs

Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor

Power: 727hp

Torque: 1,000Nm

Transmission: 8-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh650,000

Company profile

Date started: December 24, 2018

Founders: Omer Gurel, chief executive and co-founder and Edebali Sener, co-founder and chief technology officer

Based: Dubai Media City

Number of employees: 42 (34 in Dubai and a tech team of eight in Ankara, Turkey)

Sector: ConsumerTech and FinTech

Cashflow: Almost $1 million a year

Funding: Series A funding of $2.5m with Series B plans for May 2020

Ferrari 12Cilindri specs

Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12

Power: 819hp

Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm

Price: From Dh1,700,000

Available: Now