A senior U.S. military official said on Wednesday attacks by Iranian-backed groups on bases hosting U.S. forces in Iraq were gathering pace and becoming more sophisticated, pushing all sides closer to an uncontrollable escalation. His warning came two days after four Katyusha rockets struck a ...
A prominent civil society activist was shot dead late Sunday in Iraq's shrine city of Karbala while returning home from anti-government protests, a neighbor told AFP. Fahem al-Tai, 53, had been taking part in weeks of rallies denouncing Iraq's entrenched political elite as corrupt, inept ...
Fears of infiltrators rise as at least 13 protesters are stabbed in Baghdad square
At least 13 people were stabbed Thursday in Baghdad's Tahrir Square, the epicenter of Iraq's protest movement, security and medical officials said, stoking fears of infiltration by unknown groups among anti-government demonstrators. Parliament was scheduled to meet Thursday to amend laws governing compensation to include ...
Trump camp quietly releases Congress-approved Lebanon military aid
The Trump administration has quietly released more than $100 million in military assistance to Lebanon after months of unexplained delay that led some lawmakers to compare it to the aid for Ukraine at the center of the impeachment inquiry. The $105 million in Foreign Military ...
Iraq protesters burn down Iranian Consulate in Najaf as deadly unrest spreads
Anti-government protesters burned down an Iranian consulate building in southern Iraq on Wednesday, while six protesters were killed by security forces who fired live rounds amid ongoing violence in the country, Iraqi officials said Wednesday. Protesters torched the consulate in the holy city of Najaf ...
Lebanon government in 11th hour reform drive as protests swell
Lebanon's teetering government was expected Monday to approve a belated economic rescue plan as the nation prepared for a fifth day of mass protests against the ruling elite. A proposed tax on mobile messaging applications last week sparked a spontaneous, cross-sectarian mobilization that has brought ...
Two Iran-linked fighters killed in unclaimed drone attack in Iraq, paramilitary force says
Two paramilitary fighters were killed on Sunday in an unclaimed drone attack near Iraq's western border with Syria, the powerful Hashed al-Shaabi force said in a statement. The deaths come after a month of mysterious blasts at Hashed al-Shaabi arms depots and training camps that ...
Netanyahu hints at Israeli involvement in Iraq blasts targeting pro-Iran forces
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hinted on Thursday of possible Israeli involvement in attacks against Iranian-linked targets in Iraq. A series of blasts in the past few weeks have hit weapons depots and bases belonging to paramilitary groups in Iraq, many of them backed by ...
Criticism grows over mass beheading of Shiites in Saudi, some of whom were minors when charged
Saudi Arabia faced growing criticism Wednesday for its mass execution of a group comprised mostly of people from the kingdom's Shiite Muslim minority, some of whom the U.N. said were minors when charged. U.N. rights chief Michelle Bachelet condemned Riyadh's execution Tuesday of 37 Saudi ...
King restores citizenship of 551 convicted Bahrainis after global outcry
Bahrain's king Sunday ordered the citizenship of 551 Bahrainis to be restored, after his country was harshly criticized by the U.N. and rights groups for revoking people's nationalities. "His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa has issued an order, reinstating the citizenship of 551 ...
Roaring along Baghdad's highways, the "Iraq Bikers" are doing more than showing off their love of outsized motorcycles and black leather: They want their shared enthusiasm to help heal Iraq's deep sectarian rifts. Weaving in and out of traffic, only the lucky few ride Harley ...
Thousands of Shiites flee as Taliban attack Afghanistan's 'safe' districts
Thousands of members of Afghanistan's mainly Shiite Hazara ethnic minority have fled their homes in the central province of Ghazni as the Taliban have pressed into two previously safe districts, officials and witnesses said on Wednesday. In heavy fighting over recent days, hundreds of Taliban ...
