Defense Minister Yisrael Katz admitted during a conversation with military reporters that the United States exerted serious pressure on "Israel," which is why we stopped striking Beirut. He acknowledged that this action led to linking the fronts between Lebanon and Iran.

The new Prime Minister, Ali al-Zaidi, launched a large-scale operation at around 4:00 a.m. yesterday targeting politicians and members of parliament accused of corruption. Security forces, including tanks, reportedly surrounded Baghdad's Green Zone before conducting raids on the homes of dozens of individuals on a pre-prepared arrest list.

The operation comes shortly after the arrest of Adnan Hamad Mahmoud al-Jumaili, an Iraqi oil official who served as the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Oil for Liquidation Affairs and President of the North Oil Company. Authorities reportedly seized more than $100 million in cash and over 70 real estate properties linked to him—an extraordinary amount of wealth for someone in his position.

According to Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, al-Jumaili allegedly attempted to offer him a $600 million bribe in exchange for closing the corruption case. The prime minister stated that the offer was rejected, and the investigation continued.
Reports claim that more than 40 prominent political figures have been arrested so far. Authorities allege that the suspects collectively stole well over $1 billion in public funds.

During the raids, some reportedly attempted to destroy evidence by burning cash or hiding it underground. In one widely circulated claim, a parliament member allegedly burned around $5 million before being arrested by Iraqi Counter Terrorism Service (ICTS).

- Several politicians reportedly attempted to flee to the Kurdistan Region through flights to Erbil. However, according to some reports, the Kurdistan Regional Government cooperated by sending them back to Baghdad, where they were arrested.

- The operation has also expanded beyond Baghdad. Special operations units have reportedly been deployed across multiple provinces to arrest governors and senior local officials, including the ex-governor of Wasit.

- The operation represents one of the largest anti-corruption crackdowns in modern Iraqi history and has resulted in the arrest of numerous officials accused of stealing vast sums of public money while much of the population continued to face economic hardship.

At the same time, note that while the anti-corruption campaign has received widespread public support, questions remain about the government's long-term intentions.

I personally speculate that Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi could use the operation to replace the arrested officials with allies of his own.

I also believe the crackdown may also be intended to build public support ahead of potential future actions against armed resistance factions in an effort to disarm them.

Regardless of the political motivations, the operation has already removed many officials who were widely deeply corrupt and responsible for the misuse of billions of dollars in public resources.