عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Arab World

Basij, Iraqi PMF Stage Joint Display in Shatt al-Arab

Wooden ships in proximity to Revolutionary Guard warship during naval exercises (Fars News Agency)
Wooden ships in proximity to Revolutionary Guard warship during naval exercises (Fars News Agency)
TT
TT

Basij, Iraqi PMF Stage Joint Display in Shatt al-Arab

Wooden ships in proximity to Revolutionary Guard warship during naval exercises (Fars News Agency)
Wooden ships in proximity to Revolutionary Guard warship during naval exercises (Fars News Agency)

The Iranian Basij Naval forces and the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) are gearing up for their first-ever joint maritime exercise in the waters of the Shatt al-Arab in Iraq.

This groundbreaking event, scheduled for Wednesday, was reported by the Iranian Tasnim News Agency, affiliated with the Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

Marking the fourth anniversary of the death of Qasem Soleimani, the Foreign Operations Commander of the IRGC, and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the PMF deputy head, Iran-backed factions have escalated tensions with unprecedented attacks against US forces in Iraq and Syria.

The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a coalition encompassing various Iraqi armed factions, issued four statements claiming responsibility for targeting bases housing US forces in Syria and Iraq.

The group asserted responsibility for conducting a kamikaze drone assault on Tuesday at the Al-Shaddadi base in Syria's northeastern Hasakah province, where US forces are deployed.

Earlier in the day, a rocket attack targeted the base.

Recent incidents have seen attacks utilizing kamikaze drones and ground-to-ground weapons on US military bases in the Al-Tanf region in southeastern Syria, the Malikiyya district near the Iraqi border, the town of Al-Shaddadi in Hasakah province, and in Deir ez-Zor province.

In a fervent display of remembrance, factions and groups affiliated with the PMF are commemorating the deaths of Soleimani and Muhandis with intense zeal this year.

Platforms associated with these entities are actively urging officials to participate in a central celebration.

Under this pressure, local governments in several Iraqi provinces, with the exception of the Kurdistan Region, have decided to suspend official operations in government institutions on Wednesday.

Most Viewed

 
 
Arab World

US Shifts $100 Million in Military Aid from Israel and Egypt to Lebanon to Bolster Ceasefire

Lebanese soldiers drive in Qana, after a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah took effect, southern Lebanon, November 27, 2024. (Reuters)
Lebanese soldiers drive in Qana, after a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah took effect, southern Lebanon, November 27, 2024. (Reuters)
TT
TT

US Shifts $100 Million in Military Aid from Israel and Egypt to Lebanon to Bolster Ceasefire

Lebanese soldiers drive in Qana, after a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah took effect, southern Lebanon, November 27, 2024. (Reuters)
Lebanese soldiers drive in Qana, after a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah took effect, southern Lebanon, November 27, 2024. (Reuters)

The Biden administration in its final days is shifting more than $100 million in military aid from Israel and Egypt to Lebanon as it tries to bolster a ceasefire agreement it helped mediate between Israel and Hezbollah.
In separate notices sent to Congress, the State Department said it was moving $95 million in military assistance intended for Egypt and $7.5 million for Israel toward supporting the Lebanese army and its government. The notices were dated Jan. 3 and obtained by The Associated Press on Tuesday.
Most of the money will go to the Lebanese Armed Forces, which have a critical role in standing up the ceasefire that was agreed to in November following an all-out war between Israel and Hezbollah that battered much of southern and eastern Lebanon for two months.
It is intended to help the LAF deploy in the south of the country and supplement the role of the UN peacekeeping mission patrolling the so-called Blue Line, which has separated Israel and Lebanon since the end of a monthlong Israel-Hezbollah war in 2006.
“Successful implementation (of the ceasefire) will require an empowered LAF, which will need robust assistance from the United States and other partners,” the State Department said in the notices, both of which used nearly identical language to explain the funding shifts.
Both Israel and Hezbollah agreed to pull their forces out of southern Lebanon before the end of January, with compliance to be overseen by the Lebanese army and UN peacekeepers.
“US security assistance to the LAF increases its capacity as the country’s only legitimate military force and defender of Lebanon’s territorial integrity, enables the LAF to prevent potential destabilization from ISIS and other terrorist groups, and enables the LAF to provide security both for the Lebanese people and for US personnel,” the State Department said.
Pro-Israel members of Congress and others have in the past complained about any diversion of US assistance to Israel, although it was not immediately clear if there would be objections to such a small amount of shifted money.
At the same time, some of those who have been forceful advocates of Israel and critics of US assistance to the Lebanese military have often complained that it has been infiltrated by Hezbollah. The notices rejected that claim.
“US support to the LAF reinforces the LAF as an important institutional counterweight to Hezbollah, which receives weapons, training, and financial support from Iran,” the State Department said. “The LAF continues to be an independent, non-sectarian institution in Lebanon, and is respected across all sectors.”
In a third notice, also sent to Congress on Jan. 3, the department said it was going to provide $15 million to Lebanon’s Internal Security Forces to ensure that they become the primary law enforcement entity in the country and assist the LAF in controlling areas in the south.
That money will primarily be used to rebuild police stations, improve radio communications and purchase vehicles, the notice said.
The third notice also informed lawmakers that the administration would provide $3.06 million to the Palestinian Authority police to support its operations in the West Bank and $2.5 million to Jordan's Public Security Directorate to support its response to public demonstrations.