Kataib Sarkhat al-Quds () is the successor organization to

Ashab al-Kahf The Seven Sleepers (; ), also known in Christendom as Seven Sleepers of Ephesus, and in Islam as Aṣḥāb al-Kahf (اصحاب الکهف, ''aṣḥāb al-kahf'', lit. Companions of the Cave), is a Late antiquity, late antique Christianity, ...

, a Iraqi Shia

paramilitary A paramilitary is a military that is not a part of a country's official or legitimate armed forces. The Oxford English Dictionary traces the use of the term "paramilitary" as far back as 1934. Overview Though a paramilitary is, by definiti ...

group part of the Iraqi

Popular Mobilization Forces The Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF; ), also known as the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), is an Iranian-backed paramilitary umbrella group that operates within Iraq. Although formally and legally part of the Iraqi Armed Forces and reportin ...

(PMF) and the

Islamic Resistance in Iraq The Islamic Resistance in Iraq (IRI; ) refers to an informal network of Iranian-backed Shia Islamist armed groups in Iraq. The name is used by members of the network when carrying out attacks against American forces or its allies in the region ...

(IRI).

History

On 19 August 2024,

announced that it had reformed as "Kataib Sarkhat al-Quds", claiming that the group was "confirming the truth that we affirmed in this battle since its inception in that our goals are not limited to the borders of Sykes-Picot, which were imposed by the colonizers on our Islamic world." Analysists claim that the group's refoundation was "an indication that Kataib Sarkhat al-Quds is trying to expand its operations beyond Iraq." On 27 August 2024, the group threatened to attack the Israeli Soreq Nuclear Research Center. On 16 September 2024, Kataib Sarkhat al-Quds threatened to attack an Israeli military industrial site near Tel Aviv. On 20 September 2024, the group announced it had "prepared to send hundreds or even thousands of militants to Lebanon to support Hezbollah against Israel," and had threatened to attack the

Israel Institute for Biological Research Israel Institute for Biological Research (IIBR) is an Israeli research and development laboratory. It is under the jurisdiction of the Prime Minister's Office that works in close cooperation with Israeli government agencies. IIBR has many public p ...

. On 13 October 2024, Kataib Sarkhat al-Quds released a video threatening to attack several electric power transmission systems within the

Middle East The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...

, including the

Port of Jebel Ali Port of Jebel Ali, also known as Mina Jebel Ali, is a deep port located in Jebel Ali, Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Jebel Ali is the world's ninth busiest port, the largest man-made harbour, and the biggest and by far the busiest port in the Midd ...

, Port of Mina Salman,

Jordan River Crossing The Jordan River Crossing (, ) or Sheikh Hussein Bridge is the northern international border crossing between Jordan and Israel. It is located between Irbid, in Jordan, and Beit She'an, in Israel. Access The Sheikh Hussein Bridge was opened in No ...

, two unspecified gas facilities in Saudi Arabia, and an

Aramco Saudi Aramco ( ') or Aramco (formerly Arabian-American Oil Company), officially the Saudi Arabian Oil Company, is a majority state-owned petroleum and natural gas company that is the national oil company of Saudi Arabia. , it is the fourth- lar ...

gas facility. On 15 March 2025, the group released a statement directed at

Houthi The Houthis, officially known as Ansar Allah, is a Zaydi Shia Islamist political and military organization that emerged from Yemen in the 1990s. It is predominantly made up of Zaydi Shias, with their namesake leadership being drawn largely ...

leader

Abdul-Malik al-Houthi Abdul-Malik Badr al-Din al-Houthi (born 22 May 1979) is a Yemeni politician and religious leader who is the second leader of the Houthis (Ansar Allah), an organization principally made up of Zaydi Shia Muslims, since 2004. His brothers, Yahi ...

, condemning the

March 2025 United States attacks in Yemen March is the third month of the year in both the Julian calendar, Julian and Gregorian calendars. Its length is 31 days. In the Northern Hemisphere, the Meteorology, meteorological beginning of Spring (season), spring occurs on the first day ...

, and declaring "full readiness to "respond to these crimes by targeting American interests in the region wherever they exist and using appropriate means to make them pay for their crimes against our people". In a video clip featuring the image of the former leader of the Lebanese Hezbollah group Sayyed

Hassan Nasrallah Hassan Nasrallah (, ; 31 August 196027 September 2024) was a Lebanese cleric and politician who served as the third secretary-general of Hezbollah, a Shia Islamist political party and militia, from 1992 until his assassination in 2024. Bor ...

Abbas Shield Martyrdom Forces Abbas Shield Martyrdom Forces () is an Iraqis, Iraqi Shia Islam, Shia Militant group. History The group was formed on 15 March 2025, calling on Iraqis and Iran and state-sponsored terrorism, Iranian-backed Popular Mobilization Forces members ...

, Ya Ali Popular Formations and the Kataib Sarkhat al-Quds have threatened to take action in Syria and against the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

{{Cite web , date=19 March 2025 , title=New Iraqi Armed Factions Threaten Attacks Upon US And Syria , url=https://musingsoniraq.blogspot.com/2025/03/new-iraqi-armed-factions-threaten.html , access-date=7 April 2025 , website=Musings on Iraq

References

Arab militant groups Jihadist groups in Iraq Islamism in Iraq Anti-American sentiment in Asia Shia Islamist groups Paramilitary organizations based in Iraq Anti-Western sentiment Organizations that oppose LGBTQ rights in Asia 2024 establishments in Iraq