Attacks on businesses linked to US brands rattle Baghdad as anger over the war in Gaza surges

By ABDULRAHMAN ZEYAD and KAREEM CHEHAYEB
Associated Press

BAGHDAD (AP) — A flurry of recent attacks in Iraq, apparently orchestrated by supporters of Iran-backed, anti-American militias, reflect surging anger against the United States, Israel’s top ally, over the war in Gaza. Soon after the conflict erupted, Iran-backed militias launched dozens of attacks on bases housing U.S. troops in Iraq and eastern Syria. Those attacks stopped in February — but only after a series of retaliatory U.S. strikes following a drone hit on a base in Jordan that killed three American soldiers. Now, attacks against KFC and other U.S.-linked businesses and brands in late May and earlier this week, represent a change in tactics intended to maximize anti-U.S. sentiment over Washington’s ongoing support for Israel.