The Jurf al-Naddaf incident exposed the Iraqi government’s struggle to bring Iran-backed militias under state control despite reported Iranian support for disarmament, raising concerns over state authority and possible foreign intervention.

For more than a decade, Yemen’s political landscape has grown accustomed to the Houthi movement’s cycle of threats and warnings—rhetoric often deployed as a tactical tool for political leverage or to deflect internal anger.

As Iraqi prime minister-designate Ali al-Zaidi pushes ahead with efforts to form a new government, the U.S. is simultaneously imposing sanctions on Iraqi figures and leaders of armed factions, while issuing repeated warnings against including such groups in the upcoming cabinet.

Despite being appointed prime minister, Ali al-Zaidi is not known for his prior involvement in direct politics or for holding government positions after the US-led invasion of Iraq.

Iraq’s entire Shia’ political spectrum has come out firmly against a proposed conscription law, rejecting legislation now moving through parliament that would reintroduce mandatory military service for young men.