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On April 18, 2022, Iran-backed Iraqi media outlets issued warnings on Telegram that Iraqi Shi'ite militias would carry out an attack against Israel in the coming days. In a Hebrew Telegram post, a media outlet affiliated with the Iran-backed Iraqi militias forecast an attack against Israel on April 20. "The special Iraqi force... threatens to carry out for the first-time high-quality operations within the Zionist entity [Israel], launched from Iraq, which will paralyze the enemy. Wait for 1:02 on Wednesday, April 20," the post warned, in broken Hebrew.
The Hebrew-language Telegram post warning about an attack against Israel, published on April 18, 2022.
Several hours later, the outlet replied to its post, sharing reports of rocket fire from Gaza into Israel. "The affair is not over yet," it commented.
Back-to-back Telegram posts discussing rocket fire from Gaza in relation to an earlier warning about an attack against Israel, published on April 20, 2022.
While it is unclear how reported rocket fire from Gaza related to forecasts of an Iraqi militia attack on Israel, other Iran-backed Iraqi media outlets likewise predicted an attack. On the same day, another Telegram channel affiliated with the Iran-backed Iraqi militias cryptically shared an English-language message reading "Wednesday 20 April 2022" – an apparent reference to the date of a forecast Iraqi attack against Israel, first predicted by the outlet.
The Telegram post mentioning the date of an alleged militia attack against Israel, published on April 20, 2022.
Notably, neither the outlets cited in this report nor other Iran-backed Iraqi media outlets expounded on which Iraqi militia would conduct the alleged attack, the method of attack that would be used, or the location within Israel that would be targeted.
Meanwhile, a video released by the Iran-backed Hamas' Izz Al-Din Al-Qassam Brigades showed two operatives firing one anti-aircraft missile targeting Israeli fighter jets attacking Gaza in the early morning hours of April 19, 2022. The video was celebrated by some Telegram channels affiliated with the Iraqi Shi'ite militias.
A Telegram post by Hamas showing operatives targeting Israeli fighter jets, published on April 19, 2022.
Iran-backed militia media posts celebrating Hamas' targeting of Israeli fighters jets, published on April 19, 2022.
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