BAGHDAD — Iran's proxy forces have carried out almost daily attacks against US diplomatic and military facilities in Iraq, prompting American forces to conduct air strikes in Iraq. The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella organization of Shi'ite armed groups backed by Iran, joined hostilities when the United States and Israel began their current bombing campaign against Iran.

Since February 28, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq has carried out regular drone and rocket attacks on the US Embassy compound in Baghdad. A US diplomatic and logistics center near Baghdad International Airport that houses US troops has been repeatedly targeted. Pro-Iranian groups are suspected of firing drones toward a US military base and consulate complex in Irbil, the capital of Iraq's Kurdistan region.

"The chances of Iraq being pulled deeper into the Iran war are extremely high. That's partly a result of Tehran's influence, especially over the past two decades, where the regime has become in many ways inextricably linked with Iraqi militias," said Colin Clarke, Executive Director of the Soufan Center.

The United States has targeted Popular Mobilization Forces command centers and leaders in Iraq. On March 16, six Popular Mobilization Forces fighters were killed in air strikes in Anbar Province near the border with Syria. According to local media reports, a strike targeted the residence of Abu Ala al-Walai, the leader of Kataib Seyyed al-Shuhada, and six people died in that strike.

On March 16, Kataib Hizballah announced that Abu Ali al-Askari, a senior commander and spokesman for the group, was killed in Baghdad. On March 17, Kataib Hizballah issued a statement demanding that every "foreign soldier" leave Iraq.

On March 18, three Popular Mobilization Forces fighters were killed in a suspected US air strike on a command center in Anbar Province near the Syrian border. On March 19, two Popular Mobilization Forces fighters were killed in two separate air strikes near Mosul. The Popular Mobilization Forces blamed those air strikes on the United States and Israel.

"The main sponsor and supporter of those groups in Iraq -- the Iranian regime -- is in an existential war right now and it is a 'now or never' moment for them," said Farzin Nadimi, Iran defense specialist at the Washington Institute.

Iran has expanded the battlefield across the Middle East since the United States and Israel launched a bombing campaign against Iran. Iran has carried out waves of missile and drone strikes in Iraq's semiautonomous Kurdish region, and continues to fire drones and missiles at the region. The intensifying violence has threatened to destabilize Iraq.

The Islamic Resistance in Iraq has launched scores of attacks on US troops in Iraq and Syria since October 2023. Attacks by the Islamic Resistance in Iraq have prompted US air strikes that have resulted in fatalities. Around 2,000 US military personnel are stationed in Iraq.