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Iraqi Armed Factions End Truce with American Forces

Members of the Nujaba movement are seen at a rally in Baghdad in support of the people in Gaza on October 8. (AFP)
Members of the Nujaba movement are seen at a rally in Baghdad in support of the people in Gaza on October 8. (AFP)
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Iraqi Armed Factions End Truce with American Forces

Members of the Nujaba movement are seen at a rally in Baghdad in support of the people in Gaza on October 8. (AFP)
Members of the Nujaba movement are seen at a rally in Baghdad in support of the people in Gaza on October 8. (AFP)

The “Coordination of the Iraqi Resistance” announced the end of the deadline for the withdrawal of American troops from Iraq.

In a statement on Wednesday, it added that it will resolve this file “through all available means.”

It made its announcement hours after Lebanon’s Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah warned of a war without restraints against Israel and threatened to open a front on the Mediterranean.

Before his remarks, Asharq Al-Awsat had revealed that Iraqi factions were ready to fight in Lebanon should a wide-scale war erupt there and should Hezbollah agree to their involvement.

The Coordination of the Iraqi Resistance said it had held an extraordinary meeting to review the developments in the region and Iraq in order to inform the people of “what is going on around them.”

It stated that it reviewed the deadline granted by the Iraqi government to the US forces to pull out from the country four months ago.

The armed factions have been committed to a truce with the American troops and refrained from launching attacks against them in wake of the assassination of a leading member of the Nujaba movement in an American strike in Baghdad in January.

Various factions, such as the Nujaba and Hezbollah Brigades, had expressed their opposition to the truce.

The Coordination of the Iraqi Resistance underscored on Wednesday the need to forge ahead in “achieving the country’s sovereignty given the enemy’s stalling and intransigence that is aimed at maintaining its occupation and control over its security and economic decisions.”

The Coordination underlined its determination to end the American military deployment in Iraq.

“The Iraqi people and resistance, loyal politicians, tribal members and MPs are capable of ending this file by using all means at their disposal in order to restore security and stability and achieve complete sovereignty,” it stressed.

In wake of the announcement, activists close to the ruling pro-Iran Coordination Framework spoke of the return of resistance operations without specifying the target of these operations.

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Ankara: Assad Does Not Want Peace in Syria

Fidan addresses the Planning and Budget Committee of the Turkish Parliament (Turkish Foreign Ministry)
Fidan addresses the Planning and Budget Committee of the Turkish Parliament (Turkish Foreign Ministry)
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Ankara: Assad Does Not Want Peace in Syria

Fidan addresses the Planning and Budget Committee of the Turkish Parliament (Turkish Foreign Ministry)
Fidan addresses the Planning and Budget Committee of the Turkish Parliament (Turkish Foreign Ministry)

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has stated that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is unwilling to pursue peace in Syria and warned that Israel’s efforts to spread war across the Middle East are undermining the environment fostered by the Astana Process.

Fidan emphasized the importance of Russian and Iranian efforts within the framework of the Astana Process to maintain calm on the ground, pointing to ongoing consultations with the US regarding the Syrian crisis.

Speaking during a parliamentary session discussing the 2025 budget of the Foreign Ministry, Fidan reiterated Türkiye’s expectation that the dialogue proposed by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will be approached strategically by the Syrian government, with priority given to the interests of the Syrian people.

Regarding Erdogan’s invitation to Assad for a meeting to discuss the normalization of ties between Ankara and Damascus, Fidan remarked that the matter depends on political will, stressing that the Turkish president has demonstrated his readiness at the highest level.

Last week, Erdogan reiterated the possibility of a meeting with Assad, but Russia, which mediates the normalization talks between Ankara and Damascus, ruled out such a meeting or high-level engagements in the near future.

Russian Presidential Envoy to Syria Alexander Lavrentiev attributed the impasse to Türkiye’s refusal to meet Damascus’ demand for a withdrawal from northern Syria, accusing Ankara of acting as an “occupying state”.

Although Türkiye has not officially responded to Lavrentiev’s comments, which reflect a shift in Russia’s stance, Fidan stated in a televised interview last week that Russia remains “somewhat neutral” regarding the normalization process. He also urged the Syrian government to create conditions for the return of 10 million Syrian refugees.

Türkiye maintains that its military presence in northern Syria prevents the country’s division, blocks the establishment of a “terror corridor” along its southern border, and deters new waves of refugees from entering its territory.

Fidan outlined his country’s key objectives in Syria, which include eradicating terrorist groups (such as the Kurdistan Workers’ Party and the Syrian Democratic Forces), preserving Syria’s territorial unity, advancing the political process, and ensuring the safe and voluntary return of Syrian refugees.

Meanwhile, Turkish artillery targeted villages and positions controlled by the Manbij Military Council, affiliated with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), whose main component is the People’s Protection Units (YPG).

On Friday, fierce clashes erupted between the Syrian National Army factions and the SDF in western Tel Abyad, northern Raqqa. Simultaneously, Turkish artillery strikes reportedly killed two SDF members and injured others, with reports of captives and missing personnel.

In retaliation, the SDF shelled Turkish bases in the Ain Issa countryside. Turkish forces responded by deploying military reinforcements amid heightened alert at their bases in Raqqa’s countryside, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR).