Over 260 people have been killed by Israeli strikes inside Lebanon since October 8. Hezbollah retaliations have forced hundreds of thousands of Israeli settlers to vacate from northern Israel

Muqtada al-Sadr, whose party emerged as the largest party in last year’s parliamentary elections in Iraq, initially condemned the attack but later issued a statement asking for investigation into Iranian claims of Israeli bases in the country

The fifth elections since the 2003 US-led invasion of the country saw the lowest voter turnout (41%), amid growing discontent with the political system due to widespread corruption, inefficiency and government apathy

The elections are taking place one year ahead of schedule following popular protests that broke out in October 2019 against the failure of successive governments to address the rising economic and political problems in the country

The Iraqi parliament has already passed a resolution asking the government to initiate the process of withdrawal of foreign troops from the country, following the assassination of Qassem Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis on January 3