Video showing a Hezbollah Brigades convoy heading to Fallujah

A YouTube account linked to Kata’ib Hezbollah (KH or Hezbollah Brigades), a US-designated terrorist organization and Iranian proxy, has uploaded a video showing a large convoy of its rocket launcher systems being sent to the front lines near Iraqi city of Fallujah.

The Hezbollah Brigades has been involved in several operations within Anbar province in western Iraq. Last April, a month before the Islamic State took over the provincial capital of Ramadi, KH sent its troops to take part in operations near the city. One video showed Hezbollah Brigade artillery units launching rockets against Islamic State forces in the Sijariyah district in eastern Ramadi. The city fell to the Islamic State last May and was recaptured in late December.

KH fighters have also been involved in operations near the town of Karmah, just east of Baghdad. (See LWJ report, Hezbollah Brigades deploys fighters to Ramadi and Threat Matrix report, Hezbollah Brigades flaunts US equipment in Anbar operation.)

Harakat al Nujaba, another Iranian proxy that operates in both Iraq and Syria, has said it is clearing a road in eastern Anbar province in preparation for an upcoming offensive to retake Fallujah from the Islamic State. The leader of Harakat Nujaba, Akram al Kabi – a US-designated terrorist – said his “special forces” are ready to assist Iraqi forces to recapture the city.

Harakat al Nujaba and other Iranian-backed Shiite militias will likely engage in the fighting for Fallujah, despite US military commanders’ insistence that “extremist elements” have not participated in operations where the US military is providing support. The US routinely conducts airstrikes and supports Iraqi forces operating in the Fallujah corridor. These militias, which operate under the aegis of Iraqi-government supported Popular Mobilization Force and remain hostile to the US, have been involved in multiple offensives that have been supported by the US, including Baiji, Tikrit, Amerli, and Jurf al Shakr. (See LWJ report, Iran-backed militia prepares ‘special forces’ for Fallujah offensive.)

Caleb Weiss is a contributor to FDD's Long War Journal.

Are you a dedicated reader of FDD's Long War Journal? Has our research benefitted you or your team over the years? Support our independent reporting and analysis today by considering a one-time or monthly donation. Thanks for reading! You can make a tax-deductible donation here.