Kataib Hezbollah Commander Charged in US for Plotting Attacks on American and Israeli Interests

United States federal authorities have charged Muhammad Baqir Saad Dawood Al-Saadi, a commander of the Iraqi militia Kataib Hezbollah, with directing and encouraging attacks against American and Israeli interests. According to a criminal complaint released on May 25, Al-Saadi is accused of plotting at least 18 terrorist attacks in Europe and Canada since late February, as well as planning assaults on Jewish sites in New York and Los Angeles. He is scheduled to appear in Manhattan federal court, though details regarding his detention and transfer to the U.S. remain undisclosed. The indictment highlights Al-Saadi’s role within Kataib Hezbollah, a group designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the U.S. government for acting as a proxy force for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The complaint notes his historical connections to former IRGC Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani and former Kataib Hezbollah leader Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandis, both killed in a 2020 U.S. strike. Officials assert that the group continues to take orders from Tehran to expand regional influence and target U.S. forces and diplomatic assets, despite its integration into Iraq's security structure.