Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba

Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba
Arabic: حركة حزب الله النجباء‎‎ Participant in Iraq War Syrian Civil War
Flag of the movement
Active	2013 – present
Ideology	Shia Islamism (Vilayat-e Faqih)[1]
Leaders	Sheikh Akram al-Kaabi[2]
Area of operations	Iraq Syrian Civil War Aleppo East Ghouta, Damascus[3] Latakia[4] Al-Ghab Plain, Hama[5]
Part of	Popular Mobilization Forces[1][6]
Allies	Iraq  Syria  Iran Kata'ib Hezbollah Liwa Abu al-Fadhal al-Abbas Hezbollah
Opponents	Iraq War: Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant Multi-National Force – Iraq Syrian Civil War: Free Syrian Army Islamic Front al-Nusrah Front Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant
Battles and wars	Iraqi insurgency (2003–11) (as Asaib Ahl al-Haq) Iraqi Civil War (2014-present) Second Battle of Tikrit[7] Syrian Civil War Northwestern Syria offensive (October–November 2015) Latakia offensive (2015–2016) Aleppo offensive (October–December 2015) Northern Aleppo offensive (February 2016)

Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba (HHN; Arabic: حركة حزب الله النجباء‎‎ Ḥaraka Ḥizballāh an-Nujabā’, "Movement of the Party of God's Nobles") is an Iraqi Shi'ite paramilitary group.

History

HHN emerged from the Iraqi paramilitary Asaib Ahl al-Haq (AAH) in 2013 and is led by AAH co-founder Sheikh Akram al-Kaabi. al-Kaabi claims that, after a period of militant inactivity, the Syrian civil war motivated him to form the militia. He denies it emerged from a "split" with AAH, but that he chose not to unify with them due to disagreements.^[1] The two groups still share close affinity, often simultaneously commemorating martyrs.^[8] The group openly receives training, arms, and military advice from Iran.^[2] They have released a nasheed praising Iranian Quds Force commander Qasem Suleimani.^[2] They follow the Iranian government's ideology of Vilayat-e Faqih, and al-Kaabi has stated that he would overthrow the Iraqi government or fight alongside the Yemeni Houthis if ordered by Grand Ayatollah Khamenei.^[6]

The group was one of the first Iraqi paramilitaries to send fighters to Syria, doing so since their formation in 2013. They have had an increasing role in the country after a significant boost to recruitment efforts took place in 2015.^[8] They were a major participant in the 2015 South Aleppo offensive^[9] and the breaking of the siege of the Shia towns Nubl and Zahraa.^[10]

In December 2014, ABNA.ir published photos of Iranian-built Yasir UAV (an unlicensed copy of the American ScanEagle) claimed in use with Harakat Hizballah al-Nujaba.^[11]

In April 2015, al-Kaabi claimed the group had suffered 126 casualties, including 38 in Syria.^[2]

Divisions

The group is divided into three brigades:^[12][13]

• Liwa Ammar Ibn Yasir (Ammar Ibn Yasir Brigade)
• Liwa al-Hamad (Praise Brigade)
• Liwa al-Imam al-Hassan al-Mujtaba (Brigade of Imam Hassan the Chosen)

References