Iranian-backed militias could be planning to carry out imminent attacks on civilian targets with American ties in Iraq, according to a new warning from the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad.
“U.S. citizens should leave Iraq now,” the Thursday warning reads, adding that terrorist militias “have targeted Americans for kidnapping,” which is what happened to American journalist Shelly Kittleson earlier this week.
“They may intend to target U.S. citizens, businesses, universities, diplomatic facilities, energy infrastructure, hotels, airports, and other locations perceived to be associated with the United States, as well as Iraqi institutions and civilian targets,” it continues, adding that they “may intend to conduct attacks in central Baghdad in the next 24-48 hours.”
Iranian-backed militias in Iraq, such as Kataib Hezbollah, have fired drones and rockets at U.S. forces in the region amid the joint U.S.-Israeli war against Iran, which has now gone on for more than a month.
“U.S. forces have taken action in response to attacks from Iran-backed Iraqi militia groups against American forces and personnel since the start of Operation Epic Fury,” Capt. Tim Hawkins, a spokesman for U.S. Central Command, told the Washington Examiner earlier this month. “We will not hesitate to protect our people.”
Hawkins declined to provide new insights on U.S. operations in Iraq against the militias on Thursday but said his earlier comments still stand.
Kataib Hezbollah is the only member of Iran’s “Axis of Resistance” to attack U.S. forces since the war against Iran began, though Lebanese Hezbollah and the Yemen-based Houthi rebels have both carried out attacks targeting Israel. Israel and Hezbollah are engaged in an active conflict, while the Houthis only resumed their attacks on Israel last weekend but threatened to get more involved.
On Tuesday, the Iraqi militia kidnapped Kittleson off the streets in Baghdad. Dylan Johnson, the assistant secretary of state for global public affairs, said shortly thereafter that the State Department had previously warned her about threats against her. One person believed to be involved in her kidnapping was captured by Iraqi law enforcement, he added.
Members of the militia reportedly contacted Iraqi government officials demanding the release of detained comrades in exchange for Kittleson’s release, according to the New York Times.
In March 2023, the group kidnapped Israeli-Russian dual national Elizabeth Tsurkov, who was a Princeton University doctoral student. The group held her hostage for more than two years, and she detailed the torture she was forced to endure during captivity. Her 903 days of captivity ended in September 2025.
US TROOPS ARE FIGHTING IRANIAN-BACKED MILITIAS IN IRAQ IN ADDITION TO IRAN
For months after Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, attack in southern Israel, Kataib Hezbollah, which is one of the main groups that make up the Popular Mobilization Forces, carried out more than 150 similar attacks targeting U.S. bases in Iraq and Syria.
One attack targeting a U.S. base in Jordan called Tower 22 killed three American service members, which prompted heavy U.S. retaliation.
