Whether such an operation would be carried out alone or alongside the United States remains unclear. What is clear, however, is that if Israel strikes these militias, it will once again be doing what regional governments either cannot—or will not—do themselves.

Iraq has spent years trying to free itself from the grip of pro-Iranian armed groups that undermine state authority, intimidate civilians, and drag the country into conflicts that serve Tehran’s interests rather than Baghdad’s. Despite periodic crackdowns and political promises, the Iraqi government has proven unable to dismantle these militias, many of which operate as a parallel power structure embedded deep within the country’s security and political systems.

Should Israel move against these forces, the immediate beneficiary would not be Israel and CENTCOM alone, but Iraq itself. Weakening or eliminating these militias would strike directly at Iran’s regional strategy—one that relies on proxies rather than conventional power. It would also mark yet another setback for Tehran following the heavy blows already dealt to Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, and Iranian positions in Syria.