Iraq ready to thwart any hostile plot after Assad’s fall: Hashd al-Sha’abi

The head of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), also known as Hashd al-Sha’abi, has stressed his country’s readiness to confront any hostile plot after the fall of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s government.

Iraq is “preparing for" any possible field developments, the chairman of Hashd al-Sha’abi, Falih al-Fayyadh, said in a statement on Friday.

He stressed that the Iraqi army, law enforcement forces and PMU fighters have made joint efforts to maintain security along the border with Syria and are on high alert.

“We were keen not to interfere [in the Syrian affairs], and, God willing, we will remain that way.”

However, he said, “We will spare no effort to deter anyone who dares to” violate Iraq’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Fayyadh noted that Iraq is now different from what it was 10 years ago when Takfiri terrorists began their campaign of terror in the country, with security forces being supported by the entire nation, and the Hashd al-Sha’abi popular forces becoming “a great power.”

Fayyadh stressed the importance of unity among the Iraqi people to confront any hostile plot, urging the nation to be aware of the dangers posed by terrorist groups to the country.

Israel orders troops to 'prepare to remain' throughout winter in Syria

The Israeli minister of military affairs says he has ordered the occupation forces to prepare to stay atop the Syrian side of the strategic Jabal al-Shaykh throughout the winter.

Elsewhere in his speech, Fayyadh stressed that Baghdad is seeking to find a solution "that contributes to the stability of Syria,” while the Israeli regime is trying to turn Syria into a “quasi-state, without the shield of its army.”

After armed groups, led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) militants, captured the Syrian capital, which led to the fall of President Bashar al-Assad’s government on Sunday, Israel swiftly moved in and seized the so-called buffer zone separating the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights from the Syrian land.

Israeli troops have advanced deeper into Syria, with the regime's warplanes conducting hundreds of aerial assaults on the country.

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