Drones Target Iraq's Ain al-Asad Airbase, No Casualties, Damage

An Iraqi soldier patrols the border with Syria. (Reuters file photo)
An Iraqi soldier patrols the border with Syria. (Reuters file photo)
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Drones Target Iraq's Ain al-Asad Airbase, No Casualties, Damage

An Iraqi soldier patrols the border with Syria. (Reuters file photo)
An Iraqi soldier patrols the border with Syria. (Reuters file photo)

Two armed drones targeted Iraq’s Ain al-Asad airbase, which hosts US forces and other international forces in western Iraq, a security source and a government source told Reuters on Tuesday.
The attack in the early hours of Tuesday, did not cause casualties or damage, the sources said.
There has been an increase in attacks on US forces since the conflict in Israel broke out on Oct. 7 and Iraqi armed groups aligned with Iran threatened to target US interests with missiles and drones if Washington intervened to support Israel against Hamas in Gaza.
A group called the "Islamic resistance in Iraq" has endorsed Tuesday's attack.
On Monday, four Katyusha rockets were fired at Iraq's Ain al-Asad air base but it was not clear if the attacks caused damage or casualties.



France Declines to Comment on Algeria’s Anger over Recognition of Morocco’s Claim over Sahara

French President Emmanuel Macron and Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune. (AFP file)
French President Emmanuel Macron and Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune. (AFP file)
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France Declines to Comment on Algeria’s Anger over Recognition of Morocco’s Claim over Sahara

French President Emmanuel Macron and Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune. (AFP file)
French President Emmanuel Macron and Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune. (AFP file)

Paris declined to comment on Algeria’s “strong condemnation” of the French government’s decision to recognize Morocco’s claim over the Sahara.

The office of the French Foreign Ministry refused to respond to an AFP request for a comment on the Algeria’s stance.

It did say that further comments could impact the trip Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune is set to make to France in late September or early October.

The visit has been postponed on numerous occasions over disagreements between the two countries.

France had explicitly expressed its constant and clear support for the autonomy rule proposal over the Sahara during Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne’s visit to Morocco in February, reported AFP.

The position has helped improve ties between Rabat and Paris.

On Thursday, the Algerian Foreign Ministry expressed “great regret and strong denunciation" about the French government's decision to recognize an autonomy plan for the Western Sahara region "within Moroccan sovereignty”.

Algeria was informed of the decision by France in recent days, an Algerian foreign ministry statement added.

The ministry also said Algeria would draw all the consequences from the decision and hold the French government alone completely responsible.