Key Points
- An Iraqi intelligence source says small IRGC-linked cells are built to obscure responsibility for attacks on neighboring states.
- The source says the PMF distanced itself from armed factions, and the smaller cells added another layer of deniability.
- Two Arab states told Baghdad they treat the PMF as the natural incubator for attacks on their facilities, the source said.
The latest:
Small cells tied directly to the IRGC give the Popular Mobilization Forces cover to disown hostile operations against neighboring states, an Iraqi intelligence source told +ontime, adding that Iraqi authorities know the cells exist and where they operate.
Details:
- Disassociation strategy: The source said the PMF, a government body with known headquarters, worked to present itself as separate from armed factions and their external operations.
- Smaller cells: According to the source, the model shifted toward smaller IRGC-linked groups designed to obscure responsibility for military operations against neighboring countries.
- Headquarters cover: Some cells use secret facilities inside the PMF structure without operational coordination with its official leadership, the source said.
- Arab position: Two Arab states told Baghdad they regard the PMF as an IRGC arm under Iraqi legal cover, the source said.
- Direct warning: According to the source, the two states warned that government flags over IRGC-linked sites would not shield them from strikes.
Background:
Information previously published by +ontime says the cells operate in small groups taking instructions directly from the IRGC, limiting the ability of the Iraqi government and PMF leadership to control or publicly own their operations.
Between the lines:
The source’s account describes a problem larger than any single faction: a structure operating under the PMF’s legal and institutional umbrella while acting through cells that are hard to tie to the official chain of command. That deniability may be losing value. The source said threatened states have already decided to hold the broader structure hosting the cells responsible for attacks, regardless of the declared command line. He also said officials avoid intervening because they fear an intra-Shiite confrontation, and that the Coordination Framework sent a delegation to Tehran to discuss the cells and the risk they pose to relations with neighbors.
What’s next
Watch how Prime Minister al-Zaidi’s government handles the cells and their facilities, the results of the Coordination Framework’s contacts in Tehran, and whether the postponed strike on Saudi Arabia becomes a durable halt to operations.
