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Washington Tells Baghdad US Troops Withdrawal Comes at Cost

A convoy of US military vehicles after their withdrawal from northern Syria at the Iraqi-Syrian border crossing, Oct. 2019 (Reuters)
A convoy of US military vehicles after their withdrawal from northern Syria at the Iraqi-Syrian border crossing, Oct. 2019 (Reuters)
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Washington Tells Baghdad US Troops Withdrawal Comes at Cost

A convoy of US military vehicles after their withdrawal from northern Syria at the Iraqi-Syrian border crossing, Oct. 2019 (Reuters)
A convoy of US military vehicles after their withdrawal from northern Syria at the Iraqi-Syrian border crossing, Oct. 2019 (Reuters)

Reliable sources revealed to Asharq Al-Awsat the contents of a letter delivered by the US authorities to the Iraqi government, regarding arrangements for the withdrawal of international coalition forces.

The message included the withdrawal method and timetable, as well as obligations of the Iraqi side, stressing that if the withdrawal occurs, it will come at a price, and will not halt the deterrent attacks on pro-Iranian armed groups.

In a statement late on Wednesday, the Iraqi Foreign Ministry said that a "significant message” had been received from Washington, and that Prime Minister Mohammad Shiaa al-Sudani would study it carefully.

The sources explained to Asharq Al-Awsat that Washington does not object to transitioning to a new phase of bilateral relations, but withdrawing forces (by any means) will not put end to the deterrent attacks against armed groups loyal to Iran, as long as they continue to harm the security and stability of the region.

The letter also indicated that the expected technical negotiations to arrange the withdrawal will not be easy and fast, and will take the necessary time to ensure that all issues are settled.

According to the sources, “Washington encouraged Baghdad through the letter to understand and realize the consequences of the withdrawal, including the financial and economic obligations that bind the two countries.”

Also, all Iraqi oil revenues have been paid into an account controlled by the US Treasury since 2003, in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 1483, which was intended to help Iraq manage its resources in a transparent manner.

Following the US message to Baghdad, political forces have engaged in intense discussions to find the appropriate way to deal with “this sudden move.”

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Lebanon Military Says One Soldier Killed, 18 Hurt in Israeli Strike on Army Center

Lebanese army soldiers and people stand at the site of an Israeli strike in the town of Baaloul, in the western Bekaa Valley, Lebanon October 19, 2024. REUTERS/Maher Abou Taleb
Lebanese army soldiers and people stand at the site of an Israeli strike in the town of Baaloul, in the western Bekaa Valley, Lebanon October 19, 2024. REUTERS/Maher Abou Taleb
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Lebanon Military Says One Soldier Killed, 18 Hurt in Israeli Strike on Army Center

Lebanese army soldiers and people stand at the site of an Israeli strike in the town of Baaloul, in the western Bekaa Valley, Lebanon October 19, 2024. REUTERS/Maher Abou Taleb
Lebanese army soldiers and people stand at the site of an Israeli strike in the town of Baaloul, in the western Bekaa Valley, Lebanon October 19, 2024. REUTERS/Maher Abou Taleb

An Israeli strike on a Lebanese army center on Sunday killed one soldier and wounded 18 others, the Lebanese military said.

It was the latest in a series of Israeli strikes that have killed over 40 Lebanese troops, even as the military has largely kept to the sidelines in the war between Israel and Hezbollah.

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military, which has said previous strikes on Lebanese troops were accidental and that they are not a target of its campaign against Hezbollah.

Lebanon's caretaker prime minister, Najib Mikati, condemned it as an assault on US-led ceasefire efforts, calling it a “direct, bloody message rejecting all efforts and ongoing contacts” to end the war.

“(Israel is) again writing in Lebanese blood a brazen rejection of the solution that is being discussed,” a statement from his office read.

The strike occurred in southwestern Lebanon on the coastal road between Tyre and Naqoura, where there has been heavy fighting between Israel and Hezbollah.

Hezbollah began firing rockets, missiles and drones into Israel after Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack out of the Gaza Strip ignited the war there. Hezbollah has portrayed the attacks as an act of solidarity with the Palestinians and Hamas. Iran supports both armed groups.

Israel has launched retaliatory airstrikes since the rocket fire began, and in September the low-level conflict erupted into all-out war, as Israel launched waves of airstrikes across large parts of Lebanon and killed Hezbollah's top leader, Hassan Nasrallah, and several of his top commanders.

Israeli airstrikes early Saturday pounded central Beirut, killing at least 20 people and wounding 66, according to Lebanon's Health Ministry. Hezbollah has continued to fire regular barrages into Israel, forcing people to race for shelters and occasionally killing or wounding them.

Israeli attacks have killed more than 3,500 people in Lebanon, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry. The fighting has displaced about 1.2 million people, or a quarter of Lebanon’s population.

On the Israeli side, about 90 soldiers and nearly 50 civilians have been killed by bombardments in northern Israel and in battle following Israel's ground invasion in early October. Around 60,000 Israelis have been displaced from the country's north.

Hezbollah fired barrages of rockets into northern and central Israel on Sunday, some of which were intercepted.

Israel's Magen David Adom rescue service said it was treating two people in the central city of Petah Tikva, a 23-year-old man who was lightly wounded by a blast and a 70-year-old woman suffering from smoke inhalation from a car that caught fire. The first responders said they also treated two women in their 50s who were wounded in northern Israel.

It was unclear whether the injuries and damage were caused by the rockets or interceptors.

The Biden administration has spent months trying to broker a ceasefire, and US envoy Amos Hochstein was back in the region last week.

The emerging agreement would pave the way for the withdrawal of Hezbollah fighters and Israeli troops from southern Lebanon below the Litani River in accordance with the UN Security Council resolution that ended the 2006 war. Lebanese troops would patrol the area, with the presence of UN peacekeepers.