Iraq’s Nujaba: Suspension of Attacks against US Forces Is ‘Calm before the Storm’

A poster of Mushtaq Taleb al-Saidi, who was killed in a US strike in Baghdad in January. (dpa)
A poster of Mushtaq Taleb al-Saidi, who was killed in a US strike in Baghdad in January. (dpa)
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Iraq’s Nujaba: Suspension of Attacks against US Forces Is ‘Calm before the Storm’

A poster of Mushtaq Taleb al-Saidi, who was killed in a US strike in Baghdad in January. (dpa)
A poster of Mushtaq Taleb al-Saidi, who was killed in a US strike in Baghdad in January. (dpa)

Secretary-General of the Iran-aligned Nujaba movement in Iraq Akram al-Kaabi said on Sunday that the halt of military operations against American bases in the country was the “calm before the storm”.

In a message on the advent of the middle of the hijri month of Shaban, he stressed that the current calm “was only a temporary tactic aimed at redeployment and mobilization.”

“It is the calm before the storm,” he warned.

Moreover, he alleged that certain sides, which he did not name, “have provided the American forces with information about the resistance and their positions.”

“This demanded a redeployment of our forces and a change in battles tactics,” he went on to say.

He pledged that “more surprises” are in store.

“We are keen on protecting the Popular Mobilization Forces from American attacks,” stated Kaabi.

Commenting on the Baghdad government’s negotiations with American forces over their withdrawal from Iraq, he said the “Islamic Resistance” did not reject the talks, but “we assert that the American occupier is a liar, treacherous and arrogant.”

He added that it would be “delusional” to believe that the US would “yield and withdraw from Iraq through negotiations.”

In January, a US strike in Baghdad killed Mushtaq Taleb al-Saidi, a leading member of the Nujaba who was involved in planning and carrying out attacks against American personnel in Iraq and Syria.



US Defers Removal of Some Lebanese, Citing Israel-Hezbollah Tensions

Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)
Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)
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US Defers Removal of Some Lebanese, Citing Israel-Hezbollah Tensions

Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)
Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)

The United States is deferring the removal of certain Lebanese citizens from the country, President Joe Biden said on Friday, citing humanitarian conditions in southern Lebanon amid tensions between Israel and Hezbollah.

The deferred designation, which lasts 18 months, allows Lebanese citizens to remain in the country with the right to work, according to a memorandum Biden sent to the Department of Homeland Security.

"Humanitarian conditions in southern Lebanon have significantly deteriorated due to tensions between Hezbollah and Israel," Biden said in the memo.

"While I remain focused on de-escalating the situation and improving humanitarian conditions, many civilians remain in danger; therefore, I am directing the deferral of removal of certain Lebanese nationals who are present in the United States."

Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah have been trading fire since Hezbollah announced a "support front" with Palestinians shortly after its ally Hamas attacked southern Israeli border communities on Oct. 7, triggering Israel's military assault in Gaza.

The fighting in Lebanon has killed more than 100 civilians and more than 300 Hezbollah fighters, according to a Reuters tally, and led to levels of destruction in Lebanese border towns and villages not seen since the 2006 Israel-Lebanon war.

On the Israeli side, 10 Israeli civilians, a foreign agricultural worker and 20 Israeli soldiers have been killed. Tens of thousands have been evacuated from both sides of the border.