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QAMISHLI, syria/" class="auto-internal-link">syria (North Press) – Iraq’s Committee for Freezing Terrorists’ Assets declared on Thursday that it is retracting a latest decision to freeze the assets of Hezbollah and the Houthi movement, following public confusion over their inclusion. The Committee stated the original listing was published prematurely and will be removed in a corrected gazette. Earlier today, the official Iraqi gazette published a decree from the “Office for Combating Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing” that classified Hezbollah and the Houthi movement among “terrorist entities,” ordering the freeze of both movable and immovable assets linked to them.
But a statement from the central bank and the freezing committee later clarified that their mandate — as approved under 2025 counter-terrorism directives — applies strictly to entities affiliated with Islamic State (isis) and al‑Qaeda. The inclusion of Hezbollah and the Houthi movement, they stated, stemmed from the premature publication of the list before its final revision. Consequently, they committed to amending the record in the next issue of the official gazette.
The initial decision sparked reactions from political and community leaders aligned with the affected parties, expressing concern over the sudden classification and its potential consequences. Within hours, Iraqi syrian-authorities-announce-seizure-of-anti-aircraft-missiles-in-deir-ez-zor/" class="smart-internal-link" title="📰 Syrian authorities announce seizure of anti-aircraft missiles in Deir ez-Zor">authorities moved to defuse tensions by clarifying the decision and promising the retraction. Notably, the incident highlights the complexity facing Baghdad as it balances compliance with international and regional pressures on terrorism financing — while also managing domestic political sensitivities tied to groups with deep-rooted socio-political influence.
The committee’s swift reversal underscores the need for precise verification before publishing such sensitive decisions. In fact, by Atoun Jan