Erbil, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – Iraq’s powerful pro-Iran armed group Kataib Hezbollah on Thursday said it will halt attacks on the US Embassy in Baghdad for five days, in return for three conditions, warning of an escalation if they are not met.

 Secretary General Abu Hussein al-Hamidawi issued the order to cease the attacks temporarily, following an attack on the US Embassy building in Baghdad’s heavily-fortified Green Zone on Tuesday.

The conditions involve the cessation of the “displacement and bombing” of southern Beirut suburbs by the Israeli military, as well as bombings on purported residential areas in Baghdad.

The group, considered one of Iraq’s most powerful pro-Iran factions, also demanded that alleged “CIA operatives” be “withdrawn from their stations and confined to the embassy compound.”

“Should the enemy fail to comply, the response will be direct and focused, with an escalation of attacks after the five-day period,” it warned. 

In addition, it called on government officials and security forces to protect diplomatic missions and economic entities “as long as their countries remain committed to non-involvement in this war,” noting that the protection does not extend to US-Israeli entities, as they are considered espionage and war groups.”

The US Embassy in Baghdad, alongside the upscale Al Rasheed hotel in Baghdad housing a number of foreign nationals, was subject to a series of strikes on Tuesday, which prompted Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani to order a probe into the matter.

Iran-backed factions in Iraq have continuously claimed attacks on US interests in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, mainly focused on the US diplomatic missions and the airports housing a US-military presence as a part of the international coalition against the Islamic State (ISIS).

The groups, often falling within the umbrella of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq (IRI), including Kataib Hezbollah, have been officially incorporated into the Iraqi state security apparatus as part of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF).

The attacks have invited retaliatory American strikes on PMF positions across the country, killing dozens of fighters and wounding many more.

Most notably, the strikes have killed Abu Ali al-Askari, security chief and spokesperson of Kataib Hezbollah, according to a statement issued by the group on Monday, without providing information regarding the location and manner of the attack.