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On January 2, 2025, several Iran-backed militias groups and militia leaders in Iraq issued statements commemorating the fifth anniversary of the death of General Qasem Soleimani, commander of the Qods Force in Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandis, the deputy leader of the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU). Both were killed in a U.S. strike on January 3, 2020.
The Iraqi PMU organized a ceremony marking the fifth anniversary of the 2020 U.S. assassination of General Qasem Soleimani and Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandis, which was attended by senior government officials Iraqi militia leaders and commanders. The event, the invitation reads, would be held at the "scene of the treacherous crime" at Baghdad International Airport.[1]
Leader Al-Fayyadh: The PMU Is A "De Facto" Official Force That Defends Iraq And Its Physical Borders
On January 5, 2025, Iraqi PMU leader Falih Al-Fayyadh delivered a speech at the memorial ceremony stressing that the PMU is a "de facto" official force, which, in coordination with official security forces, defends Iraq and its physical borders. He asserted that this is the truth, and that those who say otherwise are "far from the truth."
Fayyad thanked the brethren in the resistance in Iran and in Lebanon for the many sacrifices they have made, saying: "We have capabilities that we have not declared, and we are working shoulder-to-shoulder with the armed forces in defending the homeland."
He continued: "We pledge allegiance to the martyred commanders Hajj Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandis and Iraq's guest Hajj Qasem Soleimani, who gave of his spirit, his heart, and his thought for the sake of the PMU." He added: "The presence of non-Iraqis has given the PMU a human value."[2]
Sayyed Al-Shuhada Brigades Militia Leader: The U.S, Israel, Western, And Arab Allies "Have Not Succeeded In Defeating The Resistance Movements"
During the January 2 ceremony at Baghdad Airport, Abu Alaa Al-Wala'i, leader of the Iran-backed Iraqi Sayyed Al-Shuhada Brigades militia, declared that the resistance axis "stands face to face against all projects of the forces of evil, and behind it stand all the nations that thirst for honor, independence, and greatness."
In a post published on his official channel on Telegram, the militia leader argued that nobody would deny the Shi'ite majority in Iraq the right to run the government in cooperation with the country's other decision-making members.
On the war in Gaza, Al-Wala'i said that after 420 days of the "Al-Aqsa Flood," the Zionist-American camp of evil, and its partners in the Western forces and the defeated Arab regimes, "have not succeeded in defeating the resistance movements." He continued:
"The weapon of resistance is the weapon of honor which has defended the prestige of our countries and their very existence, and which continues to keep the oppressors awake and foil their expansionist schemes, which aim to seize control of the region with injustice and hostility."[3]
In a related statement released on January 2, Al-Wala'i claimed that living in the time of Soleimani and Al-Muhandis was a great honor for the entire nation, and an even greater honor for those who were part of their "jihad against the oppressors."
The figures of Soleimani and Al-Muhandis, he added, remind millions of people that "the blood will once again defeat the sword, and bring forth generations of resistance fighters."[4]
Lebanese Hizbullah Leader: "The Leadership Of The Resistance Is The One That Decides When To Resist, How, And Which Weapons And Methods To Use"
Marking the "martyrdom" of Soleimani and Al-Muhandis, Hizbullah Secretary-General Sheikh Na'im Qassem delivered a televised speech praising and enumerating the achievements of both leaders.
He also boasted that Hizbullah had inflicted heavy losses on Israel, and prevented it from infiltrating deep into Lebanon's territory: "The resistance is strong, deterrent, and effective," he declared.
"The leadership of the resistance is the one that decides when to resist, how, and which weapons and methods to use…There is no timeline that limits the activities of the resistance, not [during] the [current ceasefire] agreement, and not with the end of a 60-day extension," he further declared.
Moreover, he argued that the United States, Britain, France, and the other superpowers "watch the daily massacres in Gaza from the side," adding that what happened in Syria could have happened in Lebanon.
Qassem also predicted that in the future, the Syrian people will also play a role in the conflict with Israel, and he praised Yemen for "defending Gaza against the Israeli enemy, the United States, and Britain."[5]
Iraqi Hizbullah Brigades: "America Does Not Know That Resistance Is Not A Body To Be Killed, Nor A Voice To Be Strangled"
On January 3, Kaf, a Telegram channel linked to Iraqi militias, shared a statement released by Iraqi Hizbullah Brigades militia, which reads in part: "America's treachery towards the leaders and mujahideen in Iraq and the region is continuing, imagining that this will weaken the spirit of resistance and discourage the mujahideen from continuing on the path of truth and supporting the oppressed, because it does not know that resistance is not a body to be killed, nor a voice to be strangled."
The militia called on the Iraqi government to take the necessary measures against any party that "dares to insult the status of the martyrs, or detract from their sacrifices, in order to preserve the sanctity of the blood that protected the land and the holy sites."[6]
Badr Corps Leader Al-Ameri: The Nation Of Soleimani, Al-Muhandis, Nasrallah, Safieddine, Haniyeh, and Al-Sinwar Is "Invincible"
On the same occasion, Hadi Al-Ameri, head of the Iran-backed Badr Corps and chief of the Iraqi parliamentary Fatah Alliance, issued a statement praising the "martyrdom" of Soleimani and Al-Muhandis as leaders who "defeated" terrorism as well as the forces of tyranny, injustice, and arrogance.
He continued: "The nation that gave birth to the beacons of martyrdom, Soleimani, Al-Muhandis, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Hashem Safieddine, Ismail Haniyeh, and Yahya Al-Sinwar, is still steadfast in the battlefield…It is an invincible nation that will never die."[7]
Iraqi Sarkhat Al-Quds Brigades Threaten U.S., Israel: "All Your Bases And Dens Of Spies Are Targets For Us And Are In Range Of Our Fire"
On January 2, the Iran-backed Iraqi Sarkhat Al-Quds Brigades militia (formerly known as Ashab Al-Kahf) posted a message on its Telegram channel commemorating Soleimani and Al-Muhandis, as well as a remembrance of its senior leader, Abu Taqwa Al-Sa'idi, who was killed in a 2024 U.S. drone strike.
The militia asserted that it would adhere to the path of resistance, until either victory or martyrdom. The militia threatens the U.S., Israel, and "collaborators," writing that "all your bases and dens of spies are targets for us and are in range of our fire."
The militia also vowed to continue to support Palestinians in Gaza, just as the "brothers" in Yemen's Houthi Ansar Allah movement are doing.[8]
Al-Nujaba Movement Military Deputy Commander Mourns Abu Taqwa: "The Enemy Will Regret The Day It Assassinated You"
Eulogizing Abu-Taqwa, the military deputy commander of the Iran-backed Iraqi Al-Nujaba Movement militia, 'Abd Al-Qader Al-Karbala'i, shared a post on his X account vowing to avenge him: "The enemy will regret the day it assassinated you," adding that "the missiles and drones will continue to humiliate Israel and the American enemy."[9]
[1] Telegram, January 2, 2025.
[2] Telegram, January 5, 2025.
[3] Telegram, January 4, 2025.
[4] Telegram, January 2, 2025.
[5] January 4, 2025.
[6] Telegram, January 3, 2025.
[7] Telegram, January 3, 2025.
[8] Telegram, January 2, 2025.
[9] X, January 4, 2025.
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