How Will the Showdown Between al-Zaidi and Kataib Hezbollah End?
A two-week standoff between Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi and Kataib Hezbollah has erupted into a public war of accusations, complicating government efforts to bring the weapons of Iran-backed armed groups under state control. Tensions flared after leaked intelligence reports accused Kataib Hezbollah of smuggling thousands of barrels of oil extracted from Jurf al-Sakhar, south of Baghdad. The group has controlled the area for nearly a decade, barring successive governments from entering.
