'Double Standards': Why Are Iraqis Angry About Hosting Hezbollah Refugees?

As Israeli aggression intensified in southern and eastern Lebanon, as well as Beirut's southern suburbs, the Iraqi authorities swiftly opened the country's doors to those fleeing the war, most of whom are supporters of Hezbollah, whose leadership, including its chief Hassan Nasrallah, has been targeted by assassinations.

On October 2, 2024, the Iraqi Ministry of Interior announced that nearly 5,000 Lebanese refugees had entered Iraq within 10 days, following the pager device explosions on September 18, 2024, and the subsequent Israeli heavy bombardment, which caused an estimated internal displacement of nearly one million people by October 1.

Government Mobilization

Officially, the Iraqi government, on September 26, called for the mobilization of all efforts to provide aid to the Lebanese people in response to the escalating Israeli aggression and to facilitate the entry of refugees into Iraq, ensuring they are provided with all necessary comforts.

According to Haider Majid, spokesperson for the General Secretariat of the Council of Ministers, Iraq was the first to offer support to its “brotherly Lebanese people” in the face of the flagrant assaults by the Israeli Occupation on their country.

In a statement to Shafaq News Agency on September 27, Majid said that “the Iraqi government, under the direction of the Prime Minister, has mobilized all government efforts to send aid to Lebanon.”

He also noted that a call by the religious authority, represented by Ali al-Sistani, to assist the Lebanese people, led to a nationwide grassroots mobilization, with the Husayniyya, Abbasid, and Kadhimiya shrines, along with other religious organizations, opening offices across the provinces to collect donations.

Majid confirmed that the government instructed relevant authorities to exempt Lebanese citizens residing in Iraq from any overdue fees and penalties for overstaying their visas and directed all land and air border crossings to facilitate their entry into the country.

Similarly, Iraq’s Minister of Labor and Social Affairs, Ahmed al-Asadi, announced on September 26 that “all doors will be opened to Lebanese workers in Iraq.”

The Ministry of Migration and Displaced also announced on September 25 its readiness to receive displaced Lebanese families, providing essential supplies, humanitarian aid, and urgent assistance to them.

Meanwhile, the spokesperson for the Iraqi Red Crescent, Ghassan Thuwaini, confirmed that four reception centers had been set up at the al-Qa’im border crossing with Syria, stating that “these centers include rest areas, four mobile hospitals, and 20 ambulances.”

In a press statement on September 27, Thuwaini explained that the reception centers consist of tents, each can host around 300 people, providing immediate services for one or two days, after which refugees will be transferred to Iraqi provinces.

Footage shared by Iraqi media outlets and social media accounts on September 26 showed dozens of Lebanese families arriving at al-Najaf airport, some of them draped in Hezbollah flags. Activists noted that these were the families of Hezbollah leaders rather than other Lebanese refugees.

Double Standards

The Iraqi government's treatment of Hezbollah families has faced widespread criticism from Iraqi figures, who have called it a clear double standard—favoring foreign arrivals over Iraqi citizens. Some even accused the government of showing preferential treatment to those coming from outside the country.

Harith al-Shammari, an Iraqi political analyst, said, “The Iraqi government's actions are nothing more than political showmanship, still operating far from the patriotism it claims.”

Al-Shammari told Al-Estiklal that “while al-Asadi opens up job opportunities for the Lebanese, millions of Iraqis protest daily in search of work. Thousands of families can't even find a loaf of bread, making this pure hypocrisy and exploitation of the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs’ resources for well-known objectives at the expense of the locals.”

“Why wasn’t there the same enthusiasm and engagement when people from Iraq’s western regions fled to Baghdad during the battles against ISIS in 2014?”

“Why didn't they receive Syrian refugees in the same way, instead forcing them out under the pretext of expired residency, despite Syria welcoming millions of Iraqis during the sectarian war from 2006 to 2008? Meanwhile, Lebanon, ruled by Hezbollah, only admitted those coming for tourism, requiring them to carry at least $2,000,” he added.

“We stand with the Lebanese people in their fight against Zionist brutality, but the rhetoric coming from official and religious Shia figures suggests that this hospitality serves other purposes, possibly to further Hezbollah's presence in Iraq.”

Suspicious Infiltration

On July 25, 2024, a crisis erupted over the disappearance of around 50,000 Pakistanis in Iraq, the majority of whom were Shia, after arriving for religious tourism (visiting Shia shrines) or for work in various sectors.

The issue of Pakistani infiltration brought to light the broader discussion of foreign penetration in Iraq along sectarian lines, which has been met with deliberate leniency by Iraqi authorities, particularly concerning Iranians and Lebanese Shia affiliated with or close to Hezbollah.

In a report published by Al-Estiklal on August 5, Iraqi researcher Bahaa al-Din al-Barzanji confirmed that “the influx of Shia into Iraq, especially Pakistanis, Iranians, Afghans, and Lebanese, has increased recently, with significant facilitation from Iraqi authorities.”

“Hezbollah operates in various sectors in Iraq, particularly in restaurants, energy, contracting, construction materials supply, as well as banking and hotels,” he said.

“Hezbollah functions on various fronts in Iraq, not through prominent figures but as investors, especially in Baghdad and other central and southern provinces, including Nineveh. Their Arab nationality makes them more challenging to identify, obscuring their sectarian affiliations.”

The Iraqi researcher added that “Iraq serves as a major economic outlet for Hezbollah, with some investors holding European nationalities but of Lebanese origin, forming large networks with ties to Iran or Hezbollah.”

There are over 410 Lebanese companies operating in Iraq across various sectors, including education, construction, and tourism, such as restaurants and hotels.

In the Kurdistan region, there are more than 500 companies, particularly in Erbil and Sulaymaniyah, according to the Lebanese ambassador, as reported by Agence France-Presse (AFP) in April 2022.

The Lebanese community in Iraq numbers around 282,000 residents, based on official statistics from Iraq’s Central Bureau of Statistics, affiliated with the Ministry of Planning, in 2022.

The number of Iranians who hold Iraqi citizenship is unknown, but activists on social media claim that their population has exceeded five million from 2005 to 2024, with the Iraqi government providing them with salaries, benefits, and retirement pensions.

On March 30, 2024, Iraq’s al-Rafidain channel reported, citing unnamed parliamentary sources, that “parties and militias loyal to Iran are pushing for the passage of a naturalization law in Iraq, which would allow residents of just one year to obtain Iraqi citizenship.”

This would transform Iraq into a sectarian environment by granting citizenship to hundreds of thousands of Iranians, Pakistanis, and Afghans for sectarian reasons, threatening the country’s demographic composition and serving the interests of both Iran and the U.S., erasing its Arab identity, according to the channel.