Since October 18, 2023, all major Iran-backed Iraqi militias have been operating under a new umbrella organization called “The Islamic Resistance in Iraq.” The IRI claims it has attacked Israel over 250 times this passing year, with its main choice of weapon being loitering munitions, more specifically, the Iranian Shahed-101. In early 2024, documentation of a new version of the Shahed-101 was posted on the official IRI Telegram channel. Another visibly wider variant of the Shahed-101 was later unveiled on the same Telegram channel.
Like many other pro-Iran militias, the Iraqi militias have also developed somewhat independent production capabilities with the backing of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, meaning they are able to modify and / or produce multiple versions of the original Iranian UAVs tailored to suit their needs. These new loitering munitions could possibly carry a heavier warhead, have an enlarged flight range, or perform better in jamming resistance, depending on their final structure.
The widespread deployment of both standard Iranian and locally produced or modified munitions across the Middle East has been evidenced throughout the ongoing fighting between Israel and Iran’s many proxies in the area. As time passes, we are seeing more and more Iranian munitions and technology appearing in the hands of a wide variety of local militias, such as the IRI.
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