"In Syria, the regime of President Bashar al-Assad collapsed. In Lebanon, Hezbollah was forced to lay down its arms under a United States-brokered ceasefire and now faces pressure to disarm. In Yemen, the Houthis were forced to stop disrupting maritime traffic through the Red Sea after massive bombardment of infrastructure and civilian areas by US forces. On Thursday, an Israeli attack killed their prime minister, Ahmed al-Rahawi, along with several other ministers. Iran's once-formidable deterrence has spectacularly shrunk."
"The Iraqi government faces increasing pressure from the US to rein in Iranian allies in the Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF), a formation of predominantly Shia paramilitary groups. While absorbing the PMF into the Iraqi army as the US demands may be a formidable and risky undertaking, if it is achieved, it could strengthen the Iraqi state and sovereignty. The PMF's short history embodies Iraq's broader predicament of struggling to achieve stability, security and sovereignty while balancing pressures from the US and Iran."
Washington is pressing Baghdad to dismantle or integrate pro‑Iranian Popular Mobilisation Forces. Iran's regional network suffered major setbacks in Syria, Lebanon and Yemen, shrinking its deterrence and influence. An Israeli strike killed Houthi prime minister Ahmed al‑Rahawi, further weakening Iran-linked actors. The PMF formed in 2014 to confront ISIL after the Iraqi army was disbanded in 2003 and the reconstituted force proved ineffective. The PMF halted ISIL's advance but many fighters were co-opted by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Absorbing the PMF into the Iraqi army would be risky yet could strengthen Iraqi security and sovereignty.
Read at www.aljazeera.com
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