Orientul Mijlociu

Counterterrorism operations in Iraq’s western desert have resulted in the killing of an Islamic State leader as regional tensions rise across the border ahead of a likely Turkish military operation in northern Syria.

Iraq has in recent weeks stepped up counterterrorism operations in its western desert and other areas amid risks of an imminent flare-up of conflict in eastern Syria, with potential repercussions in the regional fight against the Islamic State (IS).

Turkey’s handling of recent clashes between allied groups in Syria has called its intention into question, with some arguing that the jihadi outfit controlling Idlib has gained a foothold in Afrin by using a Turkish-linked group as a Trojan horse.

Taeb’s apparent dismissal comes after Israeli media outlets identified him as masterminding plots against Israeli citizens in Turkey.

Iran has replaced the head of the intelligence unit for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Hossein Taeb, the IRGC confirmed on Thursday.

Ahead of Biden’s visit, the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, in a clear message to the US administration and other Western powers, affirmed that any nuclear agreement or future negotiations with Iran must address the Iranians’ “destabilizing behavior in the region, their support for terrorist militias, and their missile program.”

Six Belgian women and their 16 children were repatriated, the largest Belgian airlift to bring back the families of ISIL fighters.

Belgium has flown back six Belgian women and their 16 children born to ISIL fighter fathers from a camp in northeastern Syria, according to officials.

Three fast-attack vessels belonging to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corp had an “unsafe and unprofessional” interaction with two ships from the US Navy as they made their way through the Strait of Hormuz.

About 800 Syrian refugees are returning to their country from Turkey each week, according to the Turkey representative for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). But Philippe Leclerc, speaking to Reuters from Istanbul, said that the conditions in Syria are not suitable for “a mass voluntary return movement these days.”

The death of an Iranian Defense Ministry engineer last month at Iran’s Parchin military complex, located about 30 kilometers, or 19 miles, southeast of Tehran was caused by “industrial sabotage,” an Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps commander told an Iranian media outlet.

Syrian President Bashar Assad accepted the credentials of Bahrain’s new ambassador to Damascus. Assad “exchanged discussions with him on a number of topics and issues of concern to the two brotherly countries, wishing him success in his mission,” according to the state news agency SANA. Waheed Mubarak Sayyar was appointed as Bahrain’s ambassador to Syria more than six months ago, but reportedly just took up his post more than a week ago when he was received in Damascus by Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad, who also attended Sunday’s ceremony.

Eleven soldiers and two civilians were killed in an attack on a bus in northern Syria on Monday, the Syrian military said in a statement. The bus was ambushed at 6:30 am local time while en route from the Ar Raqqah Governorate to the central province of Homs in an area called al-Jireh, said the statement. Three soldiers were wounded in the attack. The military did not say who perpetrated the attack, which called it an act of terrorism, nor has anyone claimed responsibility for it.