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West Bank Palestinians across Political Divides March in Solidarity with Gaza

This aerial view shows supporters of the Fatah and Hamas movements marching in a rally in solidarity with Gaza after the weekly Muslim Friday prayers in the city of Hebron in the occupied West Bank on October 13, 2023. (AFP)
This aerial view shows supporters of the Fatah and Hamas movements marching in a rally in solidarity with Gaza after the weekly Muslim Friday prayers in the city of Hebron in the occupied West Bank on October 13, 2023. (AFP)
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West Bank Palestinians across Political Divides March in Solidarity with Gaza

This aerial view shows supporters of the Fatah and Hamas movements marching in a rally in solidarity with Gaza after the weekly Muslim Friday prayers in the city of Hebron in the occupied West Bank on October 13, 2023. (AFP)
This aerial view shows supporters of the Fatah and Hamas movements marching in a rally in solidarity with Gaza after the weekly Muslim Friday prayers in the city of Hebron in the occupied West Bank on October 13, 2023. (AFP)

Israeli security forces killed nine Palestinians and wounded dozens in confrontations across the West Bank on Friday, the Palestinian health ministry said, after the Israeli military ordered almost half of Gaza's population to leave their homes.

The Hamas movement ruling Gaza and its West Bank rival Fatah called on Palestinians to march in solidarity with the blockaded enclave, which Israel has been heavily bombarding in retaliation for a Hamas attack in southern Israeli towns on Saturday.

More than 1,700 Palestinians at least 1,300 Israelis have been killed.

On Friday, Israel called for all civilians in the northern half of Gaza, more than 1 million people, to relocate south within 24 hours as it amassed tanks for an expected ground assault. The United Nations warned this could not happen "without devastating humanitarian consequences".

In a meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Jordan on Friday, Mahmoud Abbas, president of the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority (PA), said that the forced displacement of Palestinians in Gaza would constitute a repeat of 1948, when hundreds of thousands of Palestinians fled or were driven from what is now Israel. Most Gazans are the descendants of such refugees.

The escalation in Gaza has worsened violence that had already been surging for months in East Jerusalem and in the West Bank, where Israeli troops have killed at least 43 Palestinians during clashes since Saturday, according to Palestinian officials.

In Hebron, thousands of men and women took to the streets, waving the flags of both Hamas and Fatah. They carried signs that read "Stop the Gaza genocide" and "US capitalism is addicted to war."

In the northern city of Nablus, youths clashed with the Israeli military, flipping cars and setting tires and garbage cans on fire to block roads. By Friday afternoon, Palestinian fighters were still engaged in gunfights with Israeli soldiers in different areas of the Palestinian territory, where the Palestinian Authority exercises limited self-rule.

The Israeli military has said it is prepared for an escalation in the West Bank and its forces have been on high alert, carrying out arrests and thwarting possible attacks.

The Palestinian Prisoners Association said Israel arrested at least 60 people in the West Bank on Friday, among them Hamas leaders.

The Palestinian Authority wants an independent state in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza, areas Israel captured in a 1967 Middle East war. That prospect seems as far away as ever amid expanding Israeli settlements on Palestinian land, cutting communities from each other, and a freeze in US-sponsored negotiations.

Abbas has condemned violence against civilians and said the PA would pursue political action to achieve its goals. Statements by his Fatah party have said Palestinians had a right to resist Israel's decades-old occupation and confront Israel's military.

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Arab World

Syria Foils Weapons Smuggling Attempt Near Lebanese Border

A photo released by Syrian authorities shows weapons they said were intended to be smuggled across the border into Lebanon. (Rif Dimashq Media Directorate)
A photo released by Syrian authorities shows weapons they said were intended to be smuggled across the border into Lebanon. (Rif Dimashq Media Directorate)
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Syria Foils Weapons Smuggling Attempt Near Lebanese Border

A photo released by Syrian authorities shows weapons they said were intended to be smuggled across the border into Lebanon. (Rif Dimashq Media Directorate)
A photo released by Syrian authorities shows weapons they said were intended to be smuggled across the border into Lebanon. (Rif Dimashq Media Directorate)

Syrian authorities announced on Saturday the seizure of a shipment of weapons allegedly prepared for smuggling across the Syrian-Lebanese border, amid rising tensions along the frontier.

The Rif Dimashq Media Directorate said the weapons were confiscated in the al-Nabk area of the Qalamoun region, north of Damascus, but provided no details about the quantity or type of arms.

In a brief statement, the Internal Security Directorate said the shipment had been intended for smuggling into Lebanon.

Officials said the operation was part of ongoing efforts to combat organized crime and curb cross-border trafficking.

The seizure comes as concerns grow along the Syrian-Lebanese border following the Syrian army’s decision to reinforce its deployment along areas with both Lebanon and Iraq in a bid to tighten security and prevent the smuggling of weapons and narcotics.

Sources in Damascus told Asharq Al-Awsat that Syrian authorities are reviewing all options to address tensions with Hezbollah in border areas.

They said Damascus does not favor intervention, while emphasizing Syria’s support for Lebanon’s stability and the authority of the Lebanese state.

The sources added that Syria’s position remains aligned with that of Arab and regional countries supporting efforts to contain the current escalation.

Meanwhile, Hassan Abdul Ghani, spokesman for the Syrian Ministry of Defense, denied reports suggesting Syria intends to intervene militarily in Lebanon.

In an interview with a Lebanese television channel, he said the military buildup near the Lebanese border was a precautionary defensive measure rather than an offensive deployment.

Since the eruption of the US-Israel war on Iran and Israel intensified strikes against Hezbollah in Lebanon, Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa has reiterated Syria’s support for Lebanon’s stability and security, backing the Lebanese government’s efforts to restore sovereignty and strengthen state authority.

During a three-way phone call earlier this week with French President Emmanuel Macron and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, al-Sharaa stressed the importance of opening a new chapter in Syrian-Lebanese relations based on cooperation and coordination between the two countries, reported the Syrian state news agency SANA.

Israel had previously destroyed many Hezbollah positions and weapons depots in Syria before the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in 2024, including stockpiles in border areas of Homs and Damascus countryside.

Local sources say weapons were looted from former regime barracks and militia caches following the collapse of Assad’s rule.

While Syrian authorities continue campaigns to collect weapons and restrict them to state control, armed groups and criminal networks are reportedly picking up war remnants left behind in abandoned military sites.

The danger posed by such remnants has been underscored by recent incidents. Earlier this month, a missile left over from the former regime exploded in a metal workshop in the industrial zone of Sweida while it was being dismantled, killing five people and injuring three.

On Friday, two separate explosions linked to war remnants occurred in Homs and Aleppo. In Homs, more than 31 civilians were injured when a missile exploded inside an abandoned military barracks in the Abbasiya residential district.

In al-Atarib, in western Aleppo province, three civilians, including two children, were killed and eight others wounded when leftover munitions exploded inside a house.

Arab World

Al-Hamidawi: Iran’s Elusive Man in Iraq

A photo believed to be al-Hamidawi wearing a mask, sunglasses and a head covering during his only public appearance on Nov. 6, 2021.
A photo believed to be al-Hamidawi wearing a mask, sunglasses and a head covering during his only public appearance on Nov. 6, 2021.
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Al-Hamidawi: Iran’s Elusive Man in Iraq

A photo believed to be al-Hamidawi wearing a mask, sunglasses and a head covering during his only public appearance on Nov. 6, 2021.
A photo believed to be al-Hamidawi wearing a mask, sunglasses and a head covering during his only public appearance on Nov. 6, 2021.

Conflicting reports have emerged about the fate of Kataib Hezbollah leader Abu Hussein al-Hamidawi after a strike early Saturday targeted a house linked to the group in Baghdad’s Karrada district.

Some reports said al-Hamidawi was killed in the attack, while others suggested he survived. A video circulated online later appeared to show a man believed to be al-Hamidawi with a head injury.

The incident has again drawn attention to the figure often described as “Iran’s mysterious man in Iraq.”

Despite the influence of Kataib Hezbollah — founded by Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the former deputy head of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) who was killed in a US strike near Baghdad International Airport in January 2020 — the group’s leadership has long remained shrouded in secrecy.

Although the faction plays a key military role within the PMF and has been linked to attacks targeting US interests in Iraq, its senior figures rarely appear in public and operate under strict security protocols that limit information about them.

Shadowy figure

The name Ahmad Mohsen Faraj al-Hamidawi, better known by the nom de guerre Abu Hussein al-Hamidawi, has been associated with several major developments in Iraq in recent years. Yet reliable details about him remain scarce. Apart from widely circulated images of his father, Mohsen al-Hamidawi, the commander himself has largely remained absent from public view.

Available information indicates al-Hamidawi was born in Baghdad in 1971. His family is believed to originate from the southern province of Maysan, likely moving to the capital in the 1950s or 1960s.

Some reports suggest he comes from a family with influence inside Kataib Hezbollah.

His son, Zaid al-Hamidawi, is widely believed to run the “Abu Ali al-Askari” account on X, which releases statements attributed to the group. His brothers are also said to hold senior roles within the faction.

Sources close to PMF factions say al-Hamidawi maintains strict security measures. He rarely uses mobile phones or electronic devices directly and communicates through trusted aides, with knowledge of his movements restricted to a very small circle.

Despite the secrecy surrounding him, al-Hamidawi has long been described as a key Iranian-aligned figure in Iraq. His role in Kataib Hezbollah has also placed him under US sanctions.

In February 2020, the US State Department designated him a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) for leading the group, which Washington classified as a terrorist organization in 2009.

Kataib Hezbollah

Kataib Hezbollah and its leader have been accused by activists from Iraq’s 2019 protest movement of involvement in killings and assassinations of demonstrators.

The group is also widely believed to be responsible for multiple attacks targeting the US Embassy in Baghdad and locations hosting American forces across the country.

Some Shiite political circles regard it as the most powerful Iran-aligned armed faction in Iraq, closely linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps.

In November 2023, the US Treasury imposed additional sanctions on leaders of Iraqi armed factions and reaffirmed restrictions on al-Hamidawi as the head of Kataib Hezbollah.

Further sanctions followed in January 2024 targeting members of the group, including his brother Awqad al-Hamidawi, on accusations of providing logistical support and facilitating the group’s financial and operational activities.

Arab World

Iraq Warns of Strikes Near Prison Housing ISIS Detainees

An Iraqi army armored humvee vehicle is deployed near the banks of the Tigris River to protect the US Embassy fortified "Green Zone" in Baghdad, Saturday, March 14, 2026. (AP)
An Iraqi army armored humvee vehicle is deployed near the banks of the Tigris River to protect the US Embassy fortified "Green Zone" in Baghdad, Saturday, March 14, 2026. (AP)
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Iraq Warns of Strikes Near Prison Housing ISIS Detainees

An Iraqi army armored humvee vehicle is deployed near the banks of the Tigris River to protect the US Embassy fortified "Green Zone" in Baghdad, Saturday, March 14, 2026. (AP)
An Iraqi army armored humvee vehicle is deployed near the banks of the Tigris River to protect the US Embassy fortified "Green Zone" in Baghdad, Saturday, March 14, 2026. (AP)

Iraq warned on Sunday that drone attacks near Baghdad airport threatened the security of the nearby prison housing ISIS group suspects recently brought from Syria.

In February, the United States completed the transfer of 5,700 ISIS detainees from Syria to Iraq.

They have been held since in Baghdad's al-Karkh prison, once a US Army detention center known as Camp Cropper, which is part of Baghdad airport's complex.

Justice ministry spokesperson Ahmed Laibi said in a statement that "the areas surrounding Baghdad International Airport and the airport prison (Al-Karkh Central) have been subjected to repeated strikes".

Some strikes hit "near the facility, raising concerns regarding the impact on the security of a prison that houses high-risk terrorist inmates", Laibi added.

The most intense strikes took place Saturday, hitting "in very close proximity to the prison," he said.

Since the start of the Middle East war, Tehran-backed armed groups have been claiming daily drone and rocket attacks against US bases in Iraq.

Baghdad airport houses a US diplomatic facility and until recently also hosted troops from the US-led international coalition against exremists.

Laibi said while security measures were in place to "ensure stability", "the frequency of these attacks and the proximity of falling projectiles remain a cause for concern".

ISIS swept across Syria and Iraq in 2014, committing massacres. Backed by US-led forces, Iraq proclaimed the defeat of ISIS in the country in 2017, and the Kurdish-led Syrian forces ultimately beat back the group in Syria two years later.