Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba
Corporate brand
UnclaimedAn Iraqi Shi'ite paramilitary movement aligned with Iran and active in Iraq and, formerly, Syria.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba, commonly called the Nujaba Movement or HHN, is an Iraqi Shi'ite paramilitary organization established in 2013 by Akram al-Kaabi. It emerged from the milieu of Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq, which al-Kaabi had helped establish, although he has rejected the characterization that Nujaba was simply the result of a formal split. The movement was created during the Syrian Civil War and initially deployed fighters to support the government of Bashar al-Assad against Sunni Islamist armed groups. The organization is closely aligned with Iran and is generally described as part of the regional network known as the Axis of Resistance. It follows the political-religious outlook associated with Iran's Islamic Revolution and recognizes Iran's supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, as its supreme leader. Public reporting has described the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force as providing HHN with funding, weapons, training, and operational support, while Lebanese Hezbollah has also been identified as an important partner and source of assistance. The movement's declared strategic goals include removing United States and allied forces from Iraq, strengthening Iran-aligned political forces, and extending the influence of the resistance axis across the Middle East. HHN was among the earliest Iraqi paramilitary groups to send substantial numbers of fighters to Syria. It participated in operations around Aleppo, including the 2015 South Aleppo offensive and the operation that broke the siege of the Shi'ite towns of Nubl and al-Zahra in Idlib province. Its Syrian activity later included positions, headquarters, training facilities, and recruitment offices in areas such as Deir ez-Zor and Raqqa. A Syrian wing operated alongside forces associated with the Syrian Army's 4th Division. In Iraq, fighters have been reported in southern provinces and in Baghdad, Salah ad-Din, Diyala, and Nineveh. The organization is structured around several brigades, including the Ammar Ibn Yasir Brigade, the al-Hamd Brigade, the Imam Hassan al-Mujtaba Brigade, and the Golan Liberation Brigade. It also maintains a media presence through Alnujaba TV, a Baghdad-based television channel. Reports in 2014 linked the group to the use of an Iranian-made Yasir unmanned aerial vehicle, an unlicensed copy of the American ScanEagle, although the organization is primarily known for armed formations rather than commercial products or services. HHN has operated within Iraq's Popular Mobilization Forces framework, although its precise institutional relationship has varied in public reporting. It was also associated with the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a broader umbrella used by Iran-aligned Iraqi armed groups. From late 2023, that umbrella claimed attacks against United States-linked positions and Israeli targets amid the regional escalation connected to the Israel-Gaza war. In January 2024, a United States strike in Baghdad killed Mushtaq Talib al-Saeedi, known as Abu Taqwa, who was identified as a senior Nujaba operational commander. The United States had previously designated HHN and al-Kaabi as Specially Designated Global Terrorists in March 2019. The U.S. Department of State later designated the movement and its aliases as a Foreign Terrorist Organization on 18 September 2025, according to the cited reference material. Because HHN is an armed political-military organization rather than a conventional consumer or corporate brand, its public identity is expressed through military formations, ideological messaging, affiliated media, and participation in regional conflicts. Its current activities, command structure, and relationship with Iraq's formal security institutions remain difficult to verify independently and can change with developments in Iraq, Syria, and the wider Iran-Israel confrontation.
History
Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba was formed in 2013 under the leadership of Akram al-Kaabi, an Iraqi Shi'ite militant figure associated with the founding of Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq. The movement developed during the Syrian Civil War and was created to send Iraqi fighters to assist Bashar al-Assad's government against Sunni Islamist rebels. Al-Kaabi has disputed descriptions of HHN as the product of a straightforward organizational split from Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq, instead presenting its formation as a separate choice shaped by political and organizational disagreements. HHN became one of the first Iraqi paramilitary organizations to establish a sustained presence in Syria. Its recruitment and operational activity expanded notably in 2015. The movement took part in the South Aleppo offensive and in the campaign that lifted the siege of the Shi'ite towns of Nubl and al-Zahra. It subsequently maintained a Syrian branch and operated in areas including Deir ez-Zor and Raqqa, where reports described bases, training sites, headquarters, and offices recruiting local Syrian residents. The Syrian wing was associated with formations serving alongside the Syrian Army's 4th Division. The group has maintained close ideological and operational links with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force and with Lebanese Hezbollah. Its leadership endorses Iran's revolutionary ideology and treats Ali Khamenei as the movement's supreme religious and political authority. HHN has also shared commemorative and propaganda activity with Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq. Al-Kaabi has made statements indicating willingness to confront the Iraqi government or support allied armed groups abroad if instructed by Khamenei, illustrating the movement's transnational conception of its mission. In Iraq, HHN has been associated with the Popular Mobilization Forces, the state-linked umbrella created to coordinate armed groups during the campaign against the Islamic State. Public accounts differ over the extent and continuity of its formal PMF integration. From around 2020, the movement was also identified with the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella used by several Iran-aligned Iraqi groups. HHN forces have been reported in southern Iraq and in Baghdad, Salah ad-Din, Diyala, and Nineveh. The movement's military structure includes the Ammar Ibn Yasir, al-Hamd, Imam Hassan al-Mujtaba, and Golan Liberation brigades. The organization's battlefield role has been accompanied by a media and communications apparatus. Alnujaba TV operates from Baghdad and serves as a channel for the movement's public messaging. In December 2014, reporting linked HHN to the use of the Iranian Yasir unmanned aerial vehicle, an unlicensed Iranian copy of the U.S. ScanEagle. In April 2015, al-Kaabi stated that the movement had suffered 126 casualties, including 38 in Syria, although such figures are statements from the group's leadership rather than independently audited records. The movement became the subject of increasingly consequential international sanctions and military action. In March 2019, the United States designated HHN, its aliases and component parts, and Akram al-Kaabi as Specially Designated Global Terrorists. During the regional escalation that followed the October 2023 Israel-Gaza war, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq claimed attacks on U.S.-linked and Israeli targets. Five HHN members were reported killed in a U.S. strike near Kirkuk on 3 December 2023 while preparing a drone attack against U.S. forces. On 4 January 2024, another U.S. targeted strike in Baghdad killed Mushtaq Talib al-Saeedi, or Abu Taqwa, described as a senior regional operations commander. The U.S. Department of State later designated Harakat al-Nujaba as a Foreign Terrorist Organization on 18 September 2025, according to the supplied reference. Details of the group's current deployments, command succession, and institutional status within Iraq's security system remain subject to conflicting public reporting.
- 2025
U.S. Foreign Terrorist Organization designation
[1]According to the supplied reference material, the U.S. Department of State designated Harakat al-Nujaba and its aliases as a Foreign Terrorist Organization.
- 2024
Senior commander killed in Baghdad strike
[1]A U.S. targeted strike killed Mushtaq Talib al-Saeedi, also known as Abu Taqwa, who was identified as a senior HHN operational commander.
- 2023
Escalation of attacks involving the Islamic Resistance in Iraq
[1]The Islamic Resistance in Iraq claimed missile and other attacks against U.S.-linked and Israeli targets during the regional escalation.
- 2020
Association with the Islamic Resistance in Iraq
[1]HHN was identified as joining or operating through the Islamic Resistance in Iraq umbrella used by Iran-aligned Iraqi armed groups.
- 2019
U.S. SDGT designation
[1]The United States designated HHN and Akram al-Kaabi as Specially Designated Global Terrorists.
- 2015
Operations around South Aleppo and Nubl and al-Zahra
[1]HHN participated in the South Aleppo offensive and in the operation that broke the siege of the Shi'ite towns of Nubl and al-Zahra.
- 2014
Reported use of Yasir UAV
[1]Iranian media published photographs claiming that HHN used the Iranian-built Yasir unmanned aerial vehicle.
- 2013
Movement established
[1]Akram al-Kaabi established Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba during the Syrian Civil War, initially to support the Assad government against Sunni Islamist rebels.
Products and positioning
An Iran-aligned Iraqi Shi'ite paramilitary movement presenting itself as part of the resistance axis and as a force opposing United States and allied military presence in Iraq and the region.
Media outlet
Alnujaba TV
A Baghdad-based television channel associated with HHN. It functions as the movement's principal named media platform and supports its political, ideological, and military communications.
Paramilitary brigade
Ammar Ibn Yasir Brigade
One of the brigades associated with Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba. It is named after Ammar ibn Yasir, an early supporter of Ali in Islamic tradition. The brigade has also been identified in sanctions-related reporting.
Paramilitary brigade
al-Hamd Brigade
A brigade within the movement's reported military structure. Public reference material provides its name but does not establish a complete independent operational history or current deployment profile.
Paramilitary brigade
Imam Hassan al-Mujtaba Brigade
A named HHN brigade associated with the movement's Iraqi and regional military organization. Detailed public information about its current personnel and activities is limited.
Paramilitary brigade
Golan Liberation Brigade
A brigade named in connection with HHN's stated regional resistance agenda. Available material identifies it as part of the movement's structure but does not provide reliable details on its current strength or deployment.
Controversies
2025
Foreign Terrorist Organization designation
The U.S. Department of State designated Harakat al-Nujaba and its aliases as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, according to the supplied reference material.
2024
Killing of Abu Taqwa in Baghdad
A U.S. strike killed Mushtaq Talib al-Saeedi, an HHN operational commander, amid escalating attacks by Iran-aligned Iraqi groups.
2019
U.S. Specially Designated Global Terrorist designation
The United States designated HHN, its aliases and component parts, and Akram al-Kaabi as Specially Designated Global Terrorists, imposing blocking and transaction restrictions.
Marketing campaigns
- 2023Islamic Resistance in Iraq regional attack campaign
Iraq · Israel · Red Sea region
HHN was associated with the Islamic Resistance in Iraq umbrella during a campaign of claimed attacks against U.S.-linked positions and Israeli targets.
Outcome. The campaign contributed to heightened U.S.-Iranian proxy tensions and prompted U.S. military responses.
- 2015South Aleppo offensive
Syria
HHN participated in the Syrian government-aligned offensive in South Aleppo during the civil war.
Outcome. The offensive formed part of wider operations that strengthened government-aligned positions in the area.
- 2015Breaking the siege of Nubl and al-Zahra
Syria
The movement took part in the campaign to relieve the siege of the predominantly Shi'ite towns of Nubl and al-Zahra in Idlib province.
Outcome. The siege was broken by forces aligned with the Syrian government.
Brand decisions
2020
Participation in the Islamic Resistance in Iraq umbrellaStrategyBackground
Iran-aligned Iraqi groups increasingly used a common umbrella for regional attacks and messaging.
Action taken
HHN was identified with the Islamic Resistance in Iraq while retaining its own organizational identity.
Aftermath
The umbrella became associated with attacks on U.S.-linked positions and Israeli targets during the 2023-2024 regional escalation.
2013
Creation of a Syria-focused Iraqi armed formationStrategyBackground
The Syrian Civil War created an opportunity for Iraqi Iran-aligned militias to support Bashar al-Assad's government.
Action taken
Akram al-Kaabi established HHN and deployed fighters to Syria.
Aftermath
The movement developed a cross-border military role and later maintained forces and recruitment infrastructure in Syria.
Sources2 sources
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