1. Sabereen threatens to launch cyberattacks against electricity grid of an unnamed country. In the past few days a newly established group, introduced as Sabereen’s cyberwarfare wing, has launched DDoS attacks against websites of organisations in Israel, Turkey & Saudi Arabia. 2. The organizations are the Israeli Kan News & Channel 9, the Israeli aviation authority, Presidency of Turkey, Turkish Anadolu agency, the Turkish defence company-Bayraktar, the Saudi ministry of energy (whose website is down right now) and the Saudi civil aviation authority.

#Breaking: The Iraqi muqawama managed to take down the website of Ben Gurion Airport and Bank Israel. Yesterday they took down the website of Kan TV and two other Israeli TV channels for a short period of time. The main group behind the attack is allegedly Sabereen News' newly launched cyberwarefare wing. This seems to be a cross militia effort and part of the deal to allow Sabereen News to resume its activities again.

1. The militias' intimidation campaign against independent candidates has backfired. Today members of the Independent Iraq Alliance who have won parliamentary seats visited Muqtada al-Sadr in Najaf. Basically they asked for his protection. Their speaker today was Hussein Arab. 2. He told Muqtada al-Sadr: “we came to a father, to a fatherly patronage”. In recent days reports were published about replacement of independent winners with candidates from the established parties.

1. Muqtada speech tonight contained 3 points that alarmed the muqawama. The most important one was when he mentioned them: "The arms must be controlled by the state only, and use of arms must be banned outside this scope, even if [it's used] by those who claim they are muqawama".

https://twitter.com/HamdiAMalik/status/1447659020513337346

2. The other one when he alluded to a possible good working relations with @USEmbBaghdad: "All embassies are welcome, as long as they don't interfere in the internal Iraqi affairs... and the formation of the government".

1. As expected the struggle over the appropriation of the brand Hashd is intensifying between the pro-Sistani forces (who call themselves Hashd al-Atabat (HA)) and the pro-Khamenei factions. The Shia holy cities and Shia rites are now at the center of this struggle. 2. During the Arbaeen pilgrimage, Maytham al-Zaidi, leader of Abbass Combat Division (ACD), the most important force in HA, took the podium in the Imam Hussein shrine in Karbala to promote HA. “This name [HA] which is used officially for the first time in the Arbaeen pilgrimage…

1. Sabereen news threatens to attack @UNIraq. The muqawama social media have been posting a barrage of messages about one official in the Baghdad office of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) whom they accuse of being a Mossad agent. 2. Then Sabereen news posted CCTV footage of an IED attack on a U.N. convoy around Mosul which happened on August 26, 2020. Sabereen added the logo and music of the facade group Saraya Awliya al-Dam which at the time claimed responsibility for the hit.

1. On Thursday, Sistani-affiliated Atabat Hashd (AH) held a conference in Karbala to launch their plans to provide security for the Arbaeen pilgrimage. This is another attempt to popularize and promote their brand & slogan: “The AH: the incubators of the fatwa & state builders”. 2. This is the first such conference, regarding the pilgrimages to further consolidate the formation of AH. It's also to increasingly set AH apart from the pro-Iran Hashd. Officers from ISF attended the conference. No one from the Iran-dominated Hashd commission was invited.

1. The Sadrists are stepping up their election campaign. A few days ago they launched their mobile app, al-Tayar on both android and IOS. The app provides a few services for supporters of the Sadrist movement. It gives them details of their constituency. 2. A GPS service to find the correct polling stations, name of the Sadrist candidate in their constituency, instructions on needed documents and how to vote, etc.

1. The death of Sayyed Mohammad Saeed al-Hakim has evoked animosity between the followers of Muqtada al-Sadr and the muqawama. Hakim is on record describing Muqtada al-Sadr “an unruly, lowborn child”. After Hakim passed some Sadr followers celebrated which angered the muqawama. 2. Ahmad al-Thawwaq, an influential muqawama social media character who is increasingly getting closer to Kataib Hezbollah tweeted: “two [characters/movements] are not going to be able to change two [people]....

1. In one of his muharram speeches, Hamid al-Yaseri, the leader of Sistani-affiliated Hashd brigade, Ansar al-Marjaiya delivered a stinging rebuke to Iran-backed militias (muqawama) in Iraq. He starts his speech by saying that “Imam Hussein is pure white truth, ​​devoid of… 2. ... falsity, deception, fraud and betrayal”. Yaseri is setting the scene for his attack on the muqawama. He goes on to emphasize on loyalty to one's homeland: Imam Hussien “taught us how to belong to [our] homelands, taught us the concept of love for your country…

1. The election war between Kataib Hezbollah and Asaib Ahl al-Haq is full on! Today Jawad al-Talibawi, the military spokesman for AAH attacked the KH commander and Hashd’s chief of staff, Abu Fadak al-Muhammadawi for appointing the son of Iraq’s defence minister… 2. ...Juma Inad as the commander of a regiment in Sunni Hashd. Talibawi said in a message: “tbeing the Hashd’s chief of staff and a successor for the martyr leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis bear you a bigger responsibility to take the right decisions and avoid…

1. Kataib Hezbollah’s senior leader, Hossein Mowanes has established his own party (Harakat Hoquq-the rights movement) and intends to run for elections. This is big news, as it’s the first time a KH leader runs for elections. This could potentially disperse votes of the muqawama. 2. The muqawama vote could be divided among Fath (Badr, AAH, Jund al-Imam, etc.), Maliki’s state of law and Mowanese’s the Rights Movement. Mowanes gave his first long TV interview a few days ago in which he made some interesting points.

1. The inclusion of Q al-Araji, Iraqi National Security Adviser & prominent Badr leader in the Iraq-U.S. strategic dialogue has revealed some v interesting dynamics within the muqawama. Known muqawama leaders attack PM Kadhimi and FM Hussein for not pushing for a U.S. withdrawal. 2. But muqawama figures who assume no official roles are less subtle and include Araji in their criticism in one way or another. Tamar Ali aka Ibn al-Skeit, an influential KH media figure, posted an image of a dialogue meeting with Araji sitting in a prominent place and said...

1. Does the Quds Force retain command & control over Iraqi Shia militias? This has turned to the million dollar question. We hear contradicting stories. Reuters quotes three militia sources and two Iraqi security sources saying that…reuters.com/world/middle-e… 2 ...Hossein Taeb, the IRGC intelligence chief met with Iraqi militia leaders and urged them "to step up attacks on U.S. targets”. Amwaj reports about the same meeting but quotes its own sources saying that the Shia“ factions do not "obey" Iran!
amwaj.media/article/exclus…

1. Muqawama groups stopped attacking U.S. interests after the anniversary of Soleimani/Muhandis. They have however stepped up their attacks against Iraqis. In the last 10 days there has been an attack almost every day. Last one a few hours ago against a liquor store in Baghdad. 2. The main group behind these hits is Ahlo al-Marouf (people of virtue). They are one of the newly created street vigilante groups. In this statement they claim responsibility for tonight’s attack. These hits jeopardize Iraqi citizens' human rights and undermine the Iraqi state.

1. Muqawama platforms are trying to create a public persona for Abu Fadak al-Mohammedawi (aka al-Fatemi) chief of Hashd staff and to present him as the rightful successor to Muhandis. Here the poem reads: “father of Hashd [fighters] left, but their khaal [uncle] is still here”. 2. But they have a hard time selling this notion. For starters, he seems to be afraid of talking in public. He hasn't talked publicly since assuming his role a year ago. He even failed to capitalize on the first anniversary of Muhandis/QS, only stood by & listened to Ameri.

1. Having seen their strategy’s success in silencing a senior advisor for the Iraqi PM, the muqawama threatens all government officials and news outlets via Sabreen news: “...next time any government official or any news outlet crosses the red lines, will be treated differently”.

https://twitter.com/Mikeknightsiraq/status/1346459835907383296

2. Rab’alla, Abu Jeddaha front, Special Units, Fatemiyoun squad and the Popular Committees are some of the muqawama thuggish vigilante groups transferring IR’s experience of Ansar Hezbollah to Iraq. With the presence of these groups freedom of speech in Iraq is meaningless.