American military and intelligence officials have detected signs that Iran-backed militias are preparing to attack US bases in Iraq, and possibly Syria, in retaliation for the US strikes on nuclear sites in Iran, The New York Times reported on Sunday.
A US official quoted in the report said that so far, the groups have held off, and Iraqi officials are working hard to dissuade them from taking action.
The Iranian-backed militias in Iraq and Syria have claimed responsibility for numerous attacks on US and Israeli targets since the start of the Gaza conflict in October of 2023.
Those attacks led the US to warn Iraq in November that Israel is no longer willing to ignore the daily launches towards it from Iraqi territory.
In late December, the Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar reported that it had received confirmation from a leader of one of the Iraqi militias that the militias have agreed to stop their offensive against Israel.
In April, however, Britain’s Times newspaper reported that, for the first time, Iran has equipped its proxy forces in Iraq with long-range surface-to-surface missiles.