Iraqi Government Takes Security Measures to Protect Embassies in Baghdad

Iraqi security forces in Baghdad (File photo: Reuters)
Iraqi security forces in Baghdad (File photo: Reuters)
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Iraqi Government Takes Security Measures to Protect Embassies in Baghdad

Iraqi security forces in Baghdad (File photo: Reuters)
Iraqi security forces in Baghdad (File photo: Reuters)

Iraq's Joint Operations Command of the Defense Ministry directed the necessity of strengthening security measures at the foreign embassies in Baghdad, namely those of countries that expressed "negative positions" regarding the events in the Gaza Strip.

The Joint Operations instructed the Directorate of Police for the Protection of Embassies and Diplomats to boost the units and security measures near the Turkish Cultural Center in al-Weziriye, the Ukrainian and Bahraini embassies in al-Mansour area, and the French embassy on al-Saadoun Street near Kahramana Square.

Concerning the US and British embassies in the Green Zone, the joint operations instructed the command of the Special Division to take the necessary security measures.

Meanwhile, the Iraqi government announced Thursday that Prime Minister Muhammad Shia al-Sudani had directed a dispatch of humanitarian aid to the besieged Gaza Strip.

Iraq’s government spokesman Bassem al-Awadi said in a statement that, in coordination with the Egyptian authorities, Iraq decided to send medical and humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people.

Furthermore, the leader of the Sadr Movement, Muqtada al-Sadr, called for a million-man protest that brought together the Iraqi people from numerous governorates after Friday prayers against the occupation.

Also, Iraq's top Shi'ite cleric Ali al-Sistani called on the world to stand up to the "terrible brutality" happening in Gaza and prevent Israel from inflicting further harm on the Palestinian people.

Prominent Shiite leader Bashir al-Najafi urged the "honorable people of the world" to stand firmly with the Palestinian people, defending their natural rights to reclaim their usurped land.

In a statement released by his office, he emphasized that eradicating this "cancerous tumor" requires the collective efforts of honorable believers.

In addition, the Secretary-General of the Islamic Dawa Party in Iraq and former Prime Minister, Nouri al-Maliki, warned foreign countries against providing military aid to Israel because it would expand the scope of the war.

Maliki warned in a video message that any military assistance to Israelis represents an actual participation in the war against the Palestinian people.

He asserted that ISIS and Zionism are two sides of the same coin, saluting the Palestinian people in their battle against the Zionist entity.

Maliki said that the organized killing of Palestinians in Gaza by the Zionist military machine represents a continuation of the Zionist doctrine of brutal genocide.

The former official noted that this is a "disgrace on the foreheads of countries that say they defend rights and incite the Zionist entity to commit crimes."

"Where are the United Nations, the international system, where are human rights, and is there anything worse than what we are seeing today regarding support for the treacherous Zionist war machine?" wondered Maliki, referring to the Muslim and Arab countries supporting Palestinians and their rights.



Report: Syrian Ambassador to Moscow Requests Asylum in Russia

Syrian ambassador to the UN and head of the government delegation Bashar al-Jaafari gestures as he holds a press conference during the Syria peace talks in Geneva on January 31, 2016. (AFP)
Syrian ambassador to the UN and head of the government delegation Bashar al-Jaafari gestures as he holds a press conference during the Syria peace talks in Geneva on January 31, 2016. (AFP)
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Report: Syrian Ambassador to Moscow Requests Asylum in Russia

Syrian ambassador to the UN and head of the government delegation Bashar al-Jaafari gestures as he holds a press conference during the Syria peace talks in Geneva on January 31, 2016. (AFP)
Syrian ambassador to the UN and head of the government delegation Bashar al-Jaafari gestures as he holds a press conference during the Syria peace talks in Geneva on January 31, 2016. (AFP)

Syria's ambassador to Moscow has requested asylum in Russia, state news agency TASS reported on Monday, citing a source.

The Russian news outlet provided no further details on the reported request by Bashar Jaafari, who was appointed ambassador to Russia in 2022 after 15 years as Syria's permanent representative to the United Nations.

Reuters was not able to immediately contact Jaafari, 69. Syria's embassy in Moscow did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Russian President Vladimir Putin granted asylum to former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad when he fled to Moscow with his family after being toppled by a lightning opposition offensive at the end of last year.

Syria's foreign ministry last week recalled Jaafari to Damascus, state media reported, saying the move was part of a reorganization of the diplomatic corps after Assad's fall.

Jaafari had been one of the most well-known international representatives of the former regime. He had been vocal in his defense of the Syrian government during the country's 14-year civil war, including his denial it had carried out chemical weapons attacks.

Moscow has supported Damascus since the early days of the Cold War, recognizing its independence in 1944 as Syria sought to throw off French colonial rule.

Syria is also home to two important Russian military bases - the Hmeimim airbase in Latakia province and a naval facility at Tartous on the coast. Russia is seeking to retain control of these as it builds ties with the country's new leadership.