Orientul Mijlociu

Iranian Supreme Leader Khamenei Threatens Iranian Military Intervention To ‘Defend’ Iraq: ‘If Anyone Tries To Violate Iraq’s Security, We Will Stand Tall And Defend It’

Iranian Supreme Leader Khamenei (right) with Iraqi Prime Minister Al-Sudani (Tasnimnews.com, Iran, November 29, 2022)

On November 29, 2022, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei met with Iraqi Prime Minister Muhammad Shia’ Al-Sudani, who was on his first visit to Tehran since assuming office. Al-Sudani was elected on October 27, 2022 by the pro-Iranian majority in the Iraqi parliament. In their meeting Khamenei instructed him on how to promote Iran’s interests, and warned, for the first time, that if Baghdad fails to impose its authority in Kurdistan – which, according to Tehran, is a source of terror against Iran, especially in the form of encouraging civil protests by Kurds within Iran – Iranian forces will “defend Iraq.” Khamenei added that ” Iraq’s security is Iran’s security, just as Iran’s security affects Iraq’s. He also called on Al-Sudani to “make maximum use of young and motivated Iraqi forces,” namely the Shi’ite militias established by Iran in Iraq, apparently as a counterweight to the public influence of Muqtada Al-Sadr, who has declared his opposition to the Iranian order promoted by Tehran in Iraq.

Latest Islamic State attack highlights security challenges facing Iraq

The Islamic State continues to carry out attacks in northern Iraq, creating serious security challenges for the country.

At least nine members of the Iraqi security forces were killed and three others were wounded on Sunday in a bomb attack targeting their convoy in the Kirkuk governorate of northern Iraq.

The Islamic State (IS) immediately claimed responsibility via its Telegram account. The attack took place near Safra, a village about 20 miles south of Kirkuk in the Kurdistan Region.

Syrian rebels kill IS caliph as attacks continue in Iraq, Syria

The Islamic State’s third caliph has been killed in southern Syria as Iraqis retain control of the organization amid concerns and confusion about identities, fighter whereabouts and security gaps.

The killing of the third ‘caliph’ of the Islamic State (IS) was announced over a month after it happened, in an area where few expected. He is the second top leader of the international terrorist organization to be killed this year.

44 espions collaborateurs du Mossad arrêtés par le MIT turc

Les suspects rassemblaient des informations sur des Palestiniens.

Les services turcs des renseignements ont démantelé dans la mi-décembre 2022 un réseau de 44 espions qui activent pour le Mossad israélien, a informé l’agence médiatique turque. Les suspects devaient récolter semble-t-il des informations sur des Palestiniens présents sur le territoire turc. Une opération conjointe de la police d’Istanbul et des services de renseignement du MIT (Millî İstihbarat Teşkilat) a mené à l’arrestation de 44 suspects travaillant pour le compte du Mossad. Ils sont accusés d’avoir espionné des individus, des institutions et des organisations palestiniennes présentes sur le territoire turc.

Bassam al-Kuwatli: “Syria Still Ruled by 20th Century Ideologies”

The Syrian Observer sits with Bassam al-Kuwatli, one of the co-founders of Ahrar, a liberal political party.

The Syrian opposition’s story after the revolution was a story of coalitions. A countless number of coalitions have been formed. No one claimed that they own a platform that leads them in the right direction for a future Syria. 

Seven Members of Assad’s Militia, Including Officers, Killed in Northern Syria

The fighters were killed in the past five days on the fronts of Hama, Idleb and Aleppo, according to Orient News.

Loyalists mourned several members of Assad’s militia, including officers, who were killed over the past few days on the northern Syrian fronts. The victims died during attacks carried out by local factions of the Al-Fatah al-Mubin Operations Room, which were perceived as a response to massacres carried out in camps in Idleb governorate.

9 Iraqi Policemen Killed In Suspected Islamic State Attack

Iraqi officials are blaming the Islamic State (IS) terror group for an attack Sunday that killed at least nine police officers in the northern province of Kirkuk.

A bomb struck a police vehicle on patrol in the southern part of Kirkuk, Iraqi state media reported. The explosion was quickly followed by firefight when gunmen, reportedly affiliated with IS, attacked the car.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but Iraqi security sources told local media that IS elements were likely behind it.

Yahya Rasool, a military spokesman for the Iraqi government said the country’s Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani has directed the head of the federal police to start an investigation into the attack.

Rakan Saeed al-Jubouri told the Iraqi News Agency the Sunday attack “will not go without punishment for the terrorist elements,” calling on improving the security of his province.

IS militants in recent weeks have been exploiting the volatile security situation in Kirkuk and nearby provinces, an Iraqi lawmaker said. 

“Many villagers in the area have left their homes and IS terrorists are now using those villages as hideouts,” Sheikh Wasfi al-Asi, a member of the Iraqi parliament who represents Kirkuk, told VOA, adding that “one solution to prevent such attacks is arming the local youth and embedding them within the Iraqi security forces.”

Despite its territorial defeat, IS remains active in several provinces of Iraqi’s north, particularly in areas that are considered “disputed” between the central government and the Kurdistan Regional Government.

On Wednesday, a military officer and two soldiers were killed after an improvised explosive device (IED) attack targeted their vehicle in an area north of the capital, Baghdad, local media reported. 

Military officials said the terror group’s movement also depends on the political environment in the country.

IS, which is a Sunni Muslim group, “had been deploying militants to Baghdad, hoping to take advantage of an anticipated political strife between Shiite groups,” said Muhammed Rustam, an officer with the Kurdish Peshmerga forces.

“But now that they know there won’t be any major political conflict among Shiites, we see them rebuild their presence and carry out more attacks in disputed areas,” he told VOA. 

US army steals new shipment of Syrian oil as Damascus works to protect wheat resources

Damascus says Washington and its Kurdish proxy militias are responsible for plundering 80 percent of Syria’s daily oil output, and are also working to damage the nation’s vast wheat fields

The US occupation army smuggled a new shipment of stolen Syrian oil from Hasakah governorate on 12 December, transferring a convoy of at least 37 tankers to Iraq via the illegal al-Mahmoudiya border crossing, according to local sources in the town of Yarubiyah who spoke with SANA.