iraq

From Empire to Nation

In the Levant, Islam took root in the major Mediterranean coastal cities—Jaffa, Haifa, Acre, Sidon, Beirut, Tripoli, Tartus and Latakia. Surrounded by Christian and Jewish hill communities or overshadowed by dominant Christian mountain ranges, these urban populations never felt isolated. Instead, they saw themselves as fully integrated into the ...

Iraq Says Drones that Struck Military Radars Are Foreign-Made

Iraq said Friday that drones, which hit several military radar systems last month, were launched from within the country but manufactured abroad, without identifying the perpetrators. On June 24, the Iraqi government said that several small suicide drones targeted multiple Iraqi military sites and bases, including the radar systems at Camp Taji, ...

US Lets Staff Return to Iraq Weeks After Iran Strike

The United States said Thursday it would allow its diplomats to return to Iraq, nearly a month after they were ordered out as a precaution following US strikes on neighboring Iran. While the State Department did not explain its reasons, such shifts in staffing generally indicate Washington sees a lower risk of conflict. "Personnel who are ...

Iraq Shopping Mall Fire Kills at Least 60

A fire tore through a newly opened shopping mall in the eastern Iraqi city of Kut overnight, killing at least 61 people, authorities said Thursday as grief-stricken families searched for missing relatives. Officials said many people suffocated in bathrooms, while one person told AFP his five relatives died in an elevator. The blaze -- the latest ...

Drone Attacks Hit Three North Iraq Oil Fields: Kurds

Explosive-laden drones hit three oil fields in Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region on Wednesday, Kurdish authorities said, a day after a similar attack halted operations at a US-run field. Production in two fields operated by the Norwegian group DNO ASA has been temporarily suspended, the company said. In the past few weeks, Kurdistan has ...

Hezbollah Is a State within the State, Not Only “Heavy and Medium” Weapons

In policy, simplicity is valuable; naiveté is catastrophic. Lebanon has by now diluted UNSCR 1701 from dismantling Hezbollah’s militia, arms production, and illicit funding to merely surrendering “heavy and medium” weapons, or as U.S. Envoy Tom Barrack frames it: Hezbollah must hand over weapons that threaten Israel. Such oversimplification ...

Drone Attacks Target Iraq Airport and Oil Field

A drone packed with explosives was shot down near Erbil airport on Monday, with two more later hitting an oil field in Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region, Kurdish security forces said. "At 02:20 (1120 GMT) an explosive-laden drone was downed near Erbil International Airport, without causing casualties or damage," said the counterterrorism ...

The Unfinished Wars

The regional political scene is quite treacherous, as it conveys misleading signals regarding the outcomes of the ongoing wars in the greater Middle East. American diplomacy remains evasive regarding these wars and their prospects. This uncertainty complicates international relations and makes it challenging for global powers to formulate coherent ...

Drone Downed Near Iraq Airport Hosting US Troops: Kurd Forces

A drone packed with explosives was shot down Monday near Erbil airport, which hosts US troops from the international anti-jihadist coalition in Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region, Kurdish security forces said. "At 02:20 (1120 GMT) an explosive-laden drone was downed near Erbil International Airport, without causing casualties or damage," said the ...

Finance Minister Reveals Details of Lebanon’s Upcoming Visit to Iraq

Finance Minister Yassine Jaber revealed important details on Friday regarding the planned Lebanese ministerial visit to Baghdad. During a meeting with Iraq’s Chargé d’Affaires Mohammad Reda al-Husseini, Jaber revealed that the visit, originally scheduled for last month, had been postponed. The visit will address sensitive bilateral issues, ...

Rockets Fired at Iraq Airport, Wound Two: Security Sources

Two rockets struck the military section of Kirkuk airport in northern Iraq late on Monday, slightly wounding two security personnel, a senior security official told AFP. Another rocket hit a house in the city of Kirkuk, causing material damage. "Two Katyusha rockets fell in the military section of Kirkuk airport," slightly wounding two security ...