Kataib Hezbollah leader warns Iraqi government against deviating from 'people's will'

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Kataib Hezbollah Secretary-General Abu Hussein al-Hamedavi issued a warning addressed to Iraq's government and political forces, calling on them to bow to the will of the people. In a written statement, Hamedavi said the group was founded by Iran's late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and has continued along that line. Hamedavi described the large turnout at a recent funeral as evidence of public support and a kind of referendum, without elaborating on whose funeral was held. He urged Iraqi political leaders not to serve the projects of major powers and not to deviate from that course. The statement warned that if the government strays from its path, the people will speak up, adding that once that point is reached, "the time for regret will have passed." No immediate response from the Iraqi government was reported.