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US Asks Iraq to Play Role in Calming Situation in Gaza

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani receives Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian on Saturday. (dpa)
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani receives Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian on Saturday. (dpa)
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US Asks Iraq to Play Role in Calming Situation in Gaza

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani receives Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian on Saturday. (dpa)
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani receives Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian on Saturday. (dpa)

US President Joe Biden spoke on Monday with Iraq's Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani and discussed ongoing efforts to prevent an expansion of the Gaza conflict

The telephone call came about ten days after the al-Aqsa Flood operation launched by al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas' military wing.

A White House statement said the two leaders discussed the importance of addressing the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza in coordination with the UN and regional partners.

Biden and Sudani also affirmed the importance of the bilateral partnership between Iraq and the United States as outlined in their Strategic Framework Agreement.

They committed to regular coordination between their teams to advance shared objectives and preserve regional stability over the coming weeks.

Biden, according to a responsible Iraqi official source, urged Sudani to play a role in calming the tensions surrounding the Gaza crisis that is open to all possibilities.

The Iraqi source told Asharq Al-Awsat that Biden was the one who initiated the contact with the PM, and he also asked Sudani to make exceptional efforts to contain the conflict to prevent it from turning into a wide-scale war.

The source added that the US President stressed the importance of Iraq playing this role at this sensitive stage.

Sudani's media office said the call asserted the importance of mobilizing efforts and joint work to support stability in the region, saying they discussed measures to boost the bilateral relationship between Iraq and the US.

The two sides stressed the importance of containing the conflict and preventing the expansion of the war that targets civilians and threatens regional and international peace and stability.

Sudani asserted that Iraq has maintained its unyielding stance in supporting the Palestinian cause, calling the recent escalation of violence the "natural result" of Israel's crimes and violations against Palestinian people that has been met by "international silence" for years.

According to a statement from his office, the PM also highlighted the need to open humanitarian corridors to deliver aid to the civilians in Gaza.

Last month, Biden sent an official invitation to Sudani to visit the US at the end of this year.

Political observers in Iraq had previously doubted the White House could extend an invitation to Sudani to visit Washington.

However, Biden's invitation to Sudani, conveyed to him in New York by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and the phone call regarding the Gaza events brought the issue of the Strategic Framework Agreement between Iraq and the US back to the forefront.

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Arab World

Houthi Charges of Espionage: A Tool to Intimidate, Control the Population

Houthis demonstrate in the center of the capital Sanaa against American and British strikes on their positions. (AP)
Houthis demonstrate in the center of the capital Sanaa against American and British strikes on their positions. (AP)
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Houthi Charges of Espionage: A Tool to Intimidate, Control the Population

Houthis demonstrate in the center of the capital Sanaa against American and British strikes on their positions. (AP)
Houthis demonstrate in the center of the capital Sanaa against American and British strikes on their positions. (AP)

The Houthi militia has recently released several individuals it had abducted for celebrating Yemen’s September Revolution. However, over the past few days, it has detained hundreds of residents in its stronghold of Saada, accusing them of espionage.

The campaign coincides with the airing of alleged confessions from a purported spy cell and the abduction of a former employee of the US Embassy in Yemen.

Local sources in Saada province, approximately 242 kilometers north of Sanaa, report that the Houthis have launched a widespread campaign of arrests targeting civilians. These individuals have been taken from their homes, workplaces, and businesses under allegations of collaborating with Western nations and Israel. Families of those detained have been warned to remain silent and refrain from discussing the arrests with the media or on social media platforms.

According to the sources, more than 300 individuals, including dozens of women, have been abducted across various districts in Saada. The arrests have also targeted relatives and associates of Othman Mujalli, a member of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council, who hails from the region.

The sources suggest that the Houthis are detaining women as hostages to pressure their relatives, who may either be out of the militia’s reach or living outside Houthi-controlled areas. They also appear to be using the women to coerce confessions from male relatives. Last month, the Houthis accused Hamid Mujalli, Othman Mujalli’s brother, of engaging in espionage for Arab and Western nations for nearly two decades.

In a separate incident, the Houthis abducted a former employee of the US Embassy in Sanaa from his home on Monday without providing any explanation for their actions.

Release of Detainees

The Houthis recently released Sheikh Amin Rajeh, a tribal leader from Ibb province, after detaining him for four months. Several other individuals were also freed, none of whom had been formally charged during their detention. Rajeh, a member of the General People’s Congress Party, was one of many political activists, students, workers, and public employees abducted in September for celebrating Yemen’s September 26, 1962, revolution.

One of the released individuals, a shop owner, told Asharq Al-Awsat that he was unaware of the reason for his detention. He had been abducted in November, two months after the Houthis initiated a crackdown on those commemorating the revolution.

Alleged Spy Cell

Houthi-controlled media recently broadcast confessions from what they claimed was a newly uncovered spy cell. The group linked the cell to its broader narrative of “promised conquest and sacred jihad” against the West and Israel.

According to Houthi security officials, the alleged spy cell was working to compile a “target database,” monitor sites linked to missile forces and drones, and track specific military and security locations. They also claimed the cell had been observing the residences and movements of Houthi leaders.

In response, the Houthis issued warnings to residents, forbidding them from discussing or sharing information about militia-controlled sites, facilities, or the whereabouts of their leaders.

The Houthis’ actions reflect mounting concerns over potential strikes targeting their senior leadership, similar to the recent attacks on Hezbollah figures in Lebanon. Those fears come amid ongoing tensions with Israel, the United States, and the United Kingdom, following the Houthis’ assaults on international shipping lanes in the Red Sea and missile attacks on Israel.