On 29 September, Al-Ahad TV (AAH — official) captioned programme guest Mohammed al-Yasiri as saying, in response to a statement by Kataib Hezbollah security official Abu Mujahid al-Assaf, that the prime minister represents Iraq and the Shia and that insulting him is unacceptable. Press reporting separately attributed to al-Assaf a warning that Kataib Hezbollah would work to bring down Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi’s government if restrictions on Iranian flights persisted. The caption establishes the guest’s objection, not an AAH leadership response or the full content of his broadcast remarks.
- Al-Ahad TVAAH — official30 Sept, 00:04
“Mohammed al-Yasiri gives his view of al-Assaf’s statement: the prime minister represents the Shia and Iraq, and insulting him is unacceptable.”
محمد الياسري يعطي رأيه ببيان العساف: رئيس الوزراء يمثل الشيعة والعراق والإساءة له مرفوضة
a fuller statement from programme guest Mohammed al-Yasiri, a response from Kataib Hezbollah, or an AAH leadership statement would distinguish a personal objection from a factional dispute; any of these moves this file.