The Islamic resistance in Iraq has escalated its attacks on Israeli territory over the last few days, with September seeing a peak in the number of interceptions, according to data published by the Alma Research Center.
The Islamic Resistance in Iraq is an umbrella group of Iranian-backed militias.
According to Alma, between November of last year and Wednesday of this week, the Islamic resistance in Iraq has taken responsibility for 167 attacks on Israel.
Alma noted that the IDF only reported intercepting 41 attacks, roughly a quarter (24%) of the total number of incidents.
Very few injuries
Alma's record reflected that some of the interceptions occurred in Israeli airspace, but almost none of the attacks resulted in injuries.
However, when analyzing the period from last November to this August, Alma observed that the percentage of Iraq-based attacks on Israel intercepted by the IDF fell to 18%, signaling a shift that began in September.
This month, the IDF reported intercepting 13 of the 18 attacks (72%) claimed by the Islamic resistance in Iraq.
The majority of these attacks reportedly occured between the 17th and Wednesday. Wednesday itself saw two such attacks.
Shortly after midnight on Wednesday, the IDF reported a drone that approached from the east crashed in the Arava area.
That evening, two more drones attempted to strike Israeli territory. The Israel Navy Sa'ar 5 Corvette intercepted one drone while the second drone struck Eilat.
Magen David Adom paramedics subsequently provided medical treatment to a 68-year-old man with minor injuries from glass shards. Another 28-year-old man sustained minor injuries to his hands.
As the Islamic resistance in Iraq has ramped up its attack on Israel amid rising Israel-Hezbollah tensions, “It’s plausible that the escalation of Iraqi attacks aims to provide Hezbollah with additional assistance and to exert Israel’s detection and warning systems,” Alma noted.
Seth J. Frantzman contributed to this report.