عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Arab World

Iran Strike Sparks Dispute with Iraq as Fears of Regional Upheaval Grow

A general view shows the destroyed home of Iraqi Kurdish businessman Peshraw Dizayee, who was killed along with other members of his family, in an overnight missile attack targeting the city of Erbil, northern Iraq, 16 January 2024. EPA/GAILAN HAJI
A general view shows the destroyed home of Iraqi Kurdish businessman Peshraw Dizayee, who was killed along with other members of his family, in an overnight missile attack targeting the city of Erbil, northern Iraq, 16 January 2024. EPA/GAILAN HAJI
TT
TT

Iran Strike Sparks Dispute with Iraq as Fears of Regional Upheaval Grow

A general view shows the destroyed home of Iraqi Kurdish businessman Peshraw Dizayee, who was killed along with other members of his family, in an overnight missile attack targeting the city of Erbil, northern Iraq, 16 January 2024. EPA/GAILAN HAJI
A general view shows the destroyed home of Iraqi Kurdish businessman Peshraw Dizayee, who was killed along with other members of his family, in an overnight missile attack targeting the city of Erbil, northern Iraq, 16 January 2024. EPA/GAILAN HAJI

An Iranian missile strike on targets in northern Iraq set off an unusual dispute between the neighboring allies on Tuesday, with Baghdad recalling its ambassador in protest and Tehran insisting the attack was intended to deter threats from Israeli spies.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards hit what they called an Israeli espionage center in Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdistan region, Iranian media reported late on Monday, while the elite force said they also struck in Syria against ISIS.

The strike appeared likely to deepen worries about worsening instability across the Middle East since the war between Israel and Hamas started on Oct. 7, with Iran's allies also entering the fray from Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Yemen.

There has also been concern that Iraq could again become a theatre for regional conflict after a series of US strikes on Iran-linked militant groups that are also part of Iraq's formal security forces. Those strikes came in response to dozens of attacks on US forces in the region carried out since Oct. 7.

The Guards said the late Monday attack, Iran's first direct military strike in the region linked to the Gaza war, was in response to Israeli "atrocities" against several of its commanders and those of Iranian-allied forces around the Middle East since the conflict started.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani said the attack was "clear aggression" against Iraq and a dangerous development that undermined the strong relationship between Tehran and Baghdad, state media reported.

He said Iraq reserved its right to take all legal and diplomatic measures granted to it by its sovereignty.

In protest, Iraq recalled its envoy from Tehran and summoned Iran's charge d'affaires in Baghdad.

The strike, on a residential area near the US consulate in Kurdistan's capital Erbil, was described by Iraqi Kurdish Prime Minister Masrour Barzani as a "crime against the Kurdish people" in which at least four civilians were killed and six injured.

Multimillionaire Kurdish businessman Peshraw Dizayee and several family members were among the dead, killed when at least one rocket crashed into their home, Iraqi security and medical sources said.

Iraq National Security Adviser Qasim al-Araji denied the house was an Israeli spy center.

"To respond to the claim that there is a Mossad headquarters we visited the place and toured every corner of this house, and everything indicates that it is a family house belonging to an Iraqi businessman from Erbil," he told reporters.

'Reckless'

Israeli government spokesperson Avi Hayman said he would not speculate, when asked at a press briefing about Iran's assertion that it struck a Mossad site.

"What I will say is Iran continues to use its proxies to attack Israel on multiple fronts. We condemn Iran's activities and we call on the international community to stand up in defiance of Iran and call for peace in the region," he said.

Defending the attack, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said Tehran respected the sovereignty and territorial integrity of other countries, but it was Iran's "legitimate right to deter national security threats".

In addition to the Erbil strike, the Guards said they fired ballistic missiles in Syria and destroyed "perpetrators of terrorist operations" in Iran, including ISIS.

ISIS claimed responsibility for two explosions in Iran this month that killed nearly 100 people and wounded scores at a memorial for top commander Qassem Soleimani.

France accused Iran of violating Iraq's sovereignty and Washington condemned the attacks as "reckless". US officials said no US facilities were hit and there were no US casualties.

Iran, which supports Hamas in its war with Israel, accuses the US of backing what it calls Israeli crimes in Gaza. The US has said it backs Israel in its campaign but has raised concerns about the number of Palestinian civilians killed.

Iran has in the past carried out strikes in Iraq's Kurdistan region, saying the area is used as a staging ground for Iranian separatist groups as well as agents of its arch-foe Israel.

Baghdad has tried to address Iranian concerns over separatist groups in the region, moving to relocate some members as part of a security agreement reached with Tehran in 2023. 

Most Viewed

 
 
Arab World

Israeli Strike on Lebanon's Bekaa Kills One Despite Truce

A young boy walks amid the rubble of a building destroyed in an Israeli strike in the southern Lebanese village of Kfar Sir on April 21, 2026. (Photo by Anwar AMRO / AFP)
A young boy walks amid the rubble of a building destroyed in an Israeli strike in the southern Lebanese village of Kfar Sir on April 21, 2026. (Photo by Anwar AMRO / AFP)
TT
TT

Israeli Strike on Lebanon's Bekaa Kills One Despite Truce

A young boy walks amid the rubble of a building destroyed in an Israeli strike in the southern Lebanese village of Kfar Sir on April 21, 2026. (Photo by Anwar AMRO / AFP)
A young boy walks amid the rubble of a building destroyed in an Israeli strike in the southern Lebanese village of Kfar Sir on April 21, 2026. (Photo by Anwar AMRO / AFP)

An Israeli drone strike on Lebanon's Bekaa region killed one person and injured two others on Wednesday, Lebanese state media reported, despite an ongoing truce between Israel Hezbollah.

"One person was killed and two others were wounded as a result of an attack carried out by an enemy drone at dawn on the outskirts of Al-Jabur in West Bekaa," the National News Agency (NNA) reported.

However, the Israeli military said it was unaware of the ‌strike.

Hezbollah on Tuesday said it had launched rockets and attack drones at a site in northern Israel in response to "blatant" Israeli ceasefire violations, which it said included "attacks on civilians and the destruction of their homes and villages.”

The Israeli military said that day that Hezbollah "launched several rockets" towards soldiers stationed in south Lebanon and that the military struck the launcher in response.

NNA on Wednesday reported Israeli artillery shelling and demolitions in southern towns Israel continues to occupy.

Israel conducted huge strikes across Lebanon and invaded the south after Hezbollah entered the Middle East war in support of its backer Iran on March 2.

Despite the truce which began on Friday, Israeli soldiers are still active in south Lebanon, with Defense Minister Israel Katz saying on Sunday that they would use "full force" if threatened.

Under the truce terms, Israel says it reserves the right to act against "planned, imminent or ongoing attacks.”

Israeli attacks on Lebanon have killed at least 2,454 people since the start of the war, a Lebanese government body said in its latest toll.

 

Arab World

Israel Destroys Infrastructure in Southern Lebanon to Prevent Residents’ Return

A nun inspects a Christian religious site hit by an Israeli strike in the southern Lebanese city of Nabatieh. (AFP)
A nun inspects a Christian religious site hit by an Israeli strike in the southern Lebanese city of Nabatieh. (AFP)
TT
TT

Israel Destroys Infrastructure in Southern Lebanon to Prevent Residents’ Return

A nun inspects a Christian religious site hit by an Israeli strike in the southern Lebanese city of Nabatieh. (AFP)
A nun inspects a Christian religious site hit by an Israeli strike in the southern Lebanese city of Nabatieh. (AFP)

Israel is escalating its campaign in southern Lebanon beyond direct military operations, pursuing what Lebanese officials describe as a systematic destruction of infrastructure, particularly in villages along the so-called “Yellow Line.”

Hospitals, schools, and water, electricity and telecommunications networks have been repeatedly targeted, alongside the destruction of bridges and roads, severing links between towns and isolating communities.

Lebanese ministerial sources noted that the approach is part of a policy of displacement. Residents have been repeatedly warned not to return to more than 80 villages, in what appears to be an effort to create an uninhabited buffer zone lacking basic services.

Air strikes have also hit areas outside occupied zones, including Wadi al-Hujeir, which was struck on Tuesday.

Israeli demolitions using explosives and bulldozers have not been limited to homes, but health and education facilities, seen by Lebanese officials as part of pressure on Hezbollah’s support base.

Israel considers civilian infrastructure in these areas a form of indirect support for the group and a potential platform where it can renew its activity.

Hospitals hit

From the first hours after hostilities erupted on March 2, triggering large-scale displacement, the Israeli army targeted hospitals and health centers in the south.

MP Bilal Abdullah, head of the parliamentary health committee, said Isarel had “intensified the destruction of health institutions and the medical system in southern villages.”

He told Asharq Al-Awsat that available data indicate “partial destruction of eight southern hospitals, all of which are now completely out of service,” listing them as the Tebnin Governmental Hospital, Sheikh Ragheb Harb Hospital, Salah Ghandour Hospital, Hiram Hospital, Jabal Amel Hospital, Hasbaya Governmental Hospital and Bint Jbeil Governmental Hospital.

He added that “the greatest damage has affected primary health centers,” noting that more than 100 ambulances had been destroyed and 121 doctors and paramedics killed in the hospitals and medical centers he listed.

Education sector targeted

The destruction of infrastructure is also aimed at deterring civilians from returning to the area for years to come, Lebanese officials say.

The education sector has been among the hardest hit. A source at the education ministry told Asharq Al-Awsat that targeting schools and institutes aims “to undermine the population’s ability to remain in their towns.”

Israel sees strikes on education as an effective way to empty villages of residents, forcing families to relocate in search of schooling alternatives for their children, the source stated.

The war has resulted in the total destruction of public schools in Dhayra, Bustan, Yarin and Tayr Harfa, as well as partial damage to Naqoura Intermediate School. In vocational and technical education, the Khiam and Qantara institutes have been completely destroyed, while institutes in Bint Jbeil, Aita al-Shaab, Tebnin, Toul, Nabatiyeh, Zrariyeh, Jbaa, Maarakeh, Abbasiyeh, Jouaiyya, Qana and Ansar have sustained partial damage.

The extent of structural damage means some of these institutions may be beyond repair, the source added.

According to education ministry statistics, schools in Nabatiyeh and its district have suffered the most damage: one school has been completely destroyed, 18 heavily damaged and seven left unharmed, while no information is currently available on 61 others.

Electricity and water

Damage to electricity and water infrastructure has also been severe. A source at the energy and water ministry told Asharq Al-Awsat it is not yet possible to compile a precise assessment of losses, but it confirmed damage to a number of power transformers and water facilities.

“The biggest problem lies in water networks,” the source remarked, noting that losses in the sector during the 2024 war exceeded $100 million. “The damage in this war surpasses that figure,” due to the destruction or disruption of pumping stations, treatment plants, reservoirs and supply networks.

Israel is pressing ahead with turning dozens of southern villages into a scorched zone, in what observers see as an attempt to extract political or security concessions from Lebanon. The higher the cost of destruction, the greater the pressure on the Lebanese state to seek arrangements to halt the war and limit its losses.

Arab World

Arab Foreign Ministers Condemn Hormuz Closure, Demand Iran Pay Reparations

The Arab League headquarters in Cairo (Asharq Al-Awsat)
The Arab League headquarters in Cairo (Asharq Al-Awsat)
TT
TT

Arab Foreign Ministers Condemn Hormuz Closure, Demand Iran Pay Reparations

The Arab League headquarters in Cairo (Asharq Al-Awsat)
The Arab League headquarters in Cairo (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Arab foreign ministers have condemned Iran's threats to close the Strait of Hormuz and disrupt international navigation, demanding, in a virtual meeting they held on Tuesday, that Tehran be compelled to compensate and make amends for the economic losses resulting from these threats.

The Secretary-General of the Arab League, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, affirmed that “Arab countries have not been, and will not be, hostages in the hands of Iran to settle scores.”

At the request of Bahrain, the Council of the League of Arab States, at the foreign ministers' level, held an extraordinary meeting on Tuesday to “discuss Iranian attacks against Arab countries, Iran's obligations under international law, and efforts made to end the crisis in the region.”

In a resolution, the ministers condemned Iranian threats to close the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, calling on the UN Security Council to assume its responsibility in maintaining regional and international peace and security and to ensure accountability for attacks deliberately targeting civilian facilities and infrastructure.

They reaffirmed that these deliberate attacks constitute a grave violation of the sovereignty of those states, undermine regional peace and security, and represent a flagrant breach of international law, including international humanitarian law and the UN Charter.

Moreover, the ministers noted that Iran has failed to comply with Resolution 2817 to immediately cease its attacks against Arab states, adding that its continued deliberate targeting of civilians and civilian objects constitutes a violation of international law.

Tuesday’s resolution also stressed that Iran bears full international responsibility for its unlawful and unjustified attacks against Arab states, and is obligated under international law to make full reparation for all resulting damage and losses, including restitution and compensation.

It called on relevant Arab and regional bodies, in coordination with affected countries, to consider establishing mechanisms to document violations, assess damages and losses, and pursue avenues for redress through diplomatic, legal, and other peaceful means.

The resolution stressed that any attempt by Iran to obstruct lawful maritime passage constitutes a threat to the security of sea lanes and global energy supplies, affirming the right of Arab states to defend their vessels and means of transport in accordance with international law.

The council said that any attempt by Iran to obstruct lawful transit and freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz would constitute an internationally unlawful act, adding that Iran would bear international responsibility and be obliged to provide full reparation for all resulting damage, injuries, and economic losses.

It reiterated that such actions threaten the stability of the Arabian Gulf region and its vital role in the global economy and energy supplies, as well as international peace and security.

The council also stressed its rejection and condemnation of Iran’s continued financing, arming, and mobilization of affiliated militias in several Arab countries in pursuit of its interests, describing this as a serious threat to the security and stability of those states and the region.

The Arab foreign ministers urged the Security Council to uphold its responsibility to safeguard regional and international peace and security, ensure accountability for deliberate attacks targeting civilian facilities and infrastructure, and work toward the full implementation of Resolution 2817, including requiring Iran to immediately halt all its attacks against Arab states and comply with its international obligations.

The council also affirmed the inherent right of affected Arab states to self-defense, individually or collectively, in accordance with Article 51 of the UN Charter, and to take all necessary measures to protect their sovereignty, security, and stability, stressing that the provisions of this resolution do not prejudice any rights or remedies available to states under international law.

The Secretary-General of the Arab League stated at Tuesday’s meeting that Iran has not complied with Security Council Resolution 2817 issued on March 11, calling for an immediate halt to aggression, nor has it acknowledged that its aggressions against Arab states in the Gulf, Jordan, and Iraq constituted a grave breach of international law, an unacceptable violation of state sovereignty, and a blatant disregard for all principles of good neighborliness.

Aboul Gheit demanded that Iran “immediately comply with the Security Council resolution and bear full responsibility for the damages and losses caused by these unlawful attacks, which necessitates compensation and reparation as stipulated by international law in such cases.”

He stated that “Iran's perceptions of controlling the Arabian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz are legally null and void, lack any argument or justification, and are rejected outright.”

He emphasized that 'freedom of navigation in international straits and waterways, including the Strait of Hormuz, is guaranteed by international law... and Iran cannot give itself the right to control the Strait of Hormuz, because it simply does not own it.”

He added that the Arab League “considers aggression against any Arab state, or the practice of threatening and terrorizing its civilian population, as aggression against all Arab states,” affirming that “everyone stands united in solidarity with the countries that have been subjected to sinful attacks.”

This marks the third time, since the outbreak of Iran's war on February 28, that the Arab League Council has convened at the ministerial level to discuss developments in the region.

The foreign ministers had previously condemned Tehran's attacks on Arab countries in an emergency virtual meeting on March 8, affirming their support for all measures taken by those countries, including the option of responding to the attacks.

Again, they reiterated their condemnation of the attacks at the 165th regular session meeting end of last month.