Can Iraq PM rein in Kataib Hezbollah without triggering armed conflict?

Analysis

Shelly Kittleson

Nov 15, 2026

Iraq's Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi (C) looks on during the family photo during the 52nd session of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Council of Foreign Ministers in Baghdad on Oct. 17, 2026. — Ahmad Al-Rubaye / AFP via Getty Images

AMMAN — More than 40 days after the US-led coalition's withdrawal from Iraq, Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi’s government may be inching closer to armed conflict with Iran-backed factions in the country, including the one widely known as the most secretive and powerful: Kataib Hezbollah.

On Nov. 7, Zaidi ordered the cancellation of service contracts held by three companies at Mosul International Airport, citing their unspecified “links to armed groups.” He then directed that the contracts be offered to international companies.

The affected companies and their contracts, the Iraqi News Agency reported, are Sky Plus, for leasing counters; Sama al-Matar, for operating a parking lot; and Al-Faisal al-Shamikh, for taxi service.

Kataib Hezbollah (KH), one of the Iran-backed militias, and its political wing, Harakat Huqooq (the Rights Movement), responded with a media campaign seeking to discredit Zaidi with accusations about how he built his wealth and his alleged past support for Iran-based factions.