Iraq PM Pledges to Blinken to Protect International Coalition Advisors

PM Sudani meets with heads of security agencies in Baghdad. (Government media)
PM Sudani meets with heads of security agencies in Baghdad. (Government media)
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Iraq PM Pledges to Blinken to Protect International Coalition Advisors

PM Sudani meets with heads of security agencies in Baghdad. (Government media)
PM Sudani meets with heads of security agencies in Baghdad. (Government media)

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani reiterated on Monday his country’s commitment to protecting advisors from the US-led International Coalition.

He made his remarks hours after reports said security forces had released suspects held in attacking the Ain al-Asad base that houses American troops and advisors.

Sudani received late on Monday a telephone call from US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who was set to visit the Middle East but delayed it over “uncertainty” in the region, according to Axios on Tuesday.

Sudani and Blinken discussed the heightened tensions in the region. A statement from the PM’s office said he “underlined Iraq’s initial position over the real reasons for the instability, which is [Israel’s] ongoing aggression against Gaza.”

He called on “major countries and United Nations agencies to assume their full responsibilities in putting a stop to the crimes being committed against the Palestinian people.”

He also called for violators of international law to be held accountable and tried for crimes against humanity. He demanded an end to “this terrible barbarity and an end to violations of the sovereignty of regional countries.”

Moreover, the PM underscored Iraq’s “commitment to preventing any action that may undermine stability or expose the International Coalition advisors to any danger.”

Sudani underlined the ongoing communication between Baghdad and Washington to end the mission of the coalition in Iraq and establish bilateral security relations that would bolster security and stability.

The State Department said Blinken and Sudani “discussed ongoing diplomatic efforts to advance stability in the region and the importance of preventing escalation.”

“Blinken reiterated the importance of Iraq’s responsibility to protect Coalition military advisors from attacks by Iran-aligned militias,” it added.

The officials “committed to continuing to consult one another on issues in the region and to advance the US-Iraq relationship.”

The region has been on edge in anticipation of an attack by Iran and Hezbollah in Lebanon against Israel in retaliation to the assassination of Hamas politburo chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran and top Hezbollah military commander Fuad Shukr in Beirut last month.

Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein has held direct contacts with American officials to avert an escalation and prevent Iraq from being dragged into the conflict after the so-called “Iraqi Resistance Coordination Committee” declared that it would retaliate to any American attack against Iran that uses Iraqi airspace.

Meanwhile, aide to Sudani, Dr. Hussein Allawi told Asharq Al-Awsat that the “strategic contacts between Iraq and the US demonstrate the deep relations between them when it comes to exchanging views on regional affairs.”

“Iraq believes that a ceasefire is key to ending the crisis in Gaza and restoring stability,” he added.

“Iraq is working on preventing itself from getting dragged into an open conflict in the Middle East,” he went on to say, stressing that it was committed to protecting diplomatic missions and International Coalition advisors.

Moreover, he stressed that Iraq is keen on developing its ties with Washington in economic, political, educational, technological, climate and renewable energy fields.

Separately, media reports said security forces released five suspects held over the attack on the Ain al-Asad base in the Anbar province.

Security officials from the Joint Operations Command did not respond to Asharq Al-Awsat requests for a comment.



Hamas to Stay out of Gaza Truce Talks but May Meet Mediators Afterwards

Smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike as internally displaced Palestinians sit next to their tents in Khan Younis camp, southern Gaza Strip, 13 August 2024. EPA/HAITHAM IMAD
Smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike as internally displaced Palestinians sit next to their tents in Khan Younis camp, southern Gaza Strip, 13 August 2024. EPA/HAITHAM IMAD
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Hamas to Stay out of Gaza Truce Talks but May Meet Mediators Afterwards

Smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike as internally displaced Palestinians sit next to their tents in Khan Younis camp, southern Gaza Strip, 13 August 2024. EPA/HAITHAM IMAD
Smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike as internally displaced Palestinians sit next to their tents in Khan Younis camp, southern Gaza Strip, 13 August 2024. EPA/HAITHAM IMAD

Hamas said on Wednesday it would not take part in a new round of Gaza ceasefire talks slated for Thursday in Qatar, but an official briefed on the talks said mediators expected to consult with the Palestinian group afterwards.

The US has said it expects indirect talks to go ahead as planned in Qatar's capital Doha on Thursday, and that a ceasefire agreement was still possible, while warning that progress was needed urgently to avert a wider war.

However, Axios reported that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has postponed a trip to the Middle East that had been expected to begin on Tuesday.

Three senior Iranian officials have said that only a ceasefire deal in Gaza would hold Iran back from direct retaliation against Israel for the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh on its soil last month.

"Israel will send the negotiations team on the agreed upon date, that's tomorrow August 15th, in order to finalize the details of the implementation of the framework agreement," government spokesperson David Mencer said in a briefing.

The delegation includes Israel's spy chief David Barnea, head of the domestic security service Ronen Bar and the military's hostages chief Nitzan Alon, a defense official said.

Hamas has voiced skepticism about the chances of the talks delivering real results, blaming Israel for stalling, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says that Hamas leader Yahya al-Sinwar has been the main obstacle to sealing a deal.

"Going to new negotiations allows the occupation to impose new conditions and employ the maze of negotiation to conduct more massacres," Senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri told Reuters.

Hamas' absence from the talks, however, does not eliminate the chances of progress since its chief negotiator Khalil al-Hayya is based in Doha and the group has open channels with Egypt and Qatar.

"Hamas is committed to the proposal presented to it on July 2, which is based on the UN Security Council resolution and the Biden speech and the movement is prepared to immediately begin discussion over a mechanism to implement it," said Abu Zuhri.

A source familiar with the matter said that Hamas wants the mediators to come back to them with a "serious response" from Israel. If that happens, the group says, it will meet with mediators after the Thursday session. An official briefed on the talks process said mediators expected to consult with Hamas.

LEBANON

Amos Hochstein, a senior adviser to US President Joe Biden, was in Lebanon to deter a separate escalation between Iran-backed Hezbollah and Israel, after the latter killed a senior Hezbollah commander in Beirut's southern suburbs last month.

Hochstein met parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, who heads the armed Amal movement, which is allied to Hezbollah and has also fired rockets on Israel and will meet Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati.

"There is no more time to waste and there's no more valid excuses from any party for any further delay," the US envoy told a news conference.

Mikati said earlier that talks with Arab and Western leaders had intensified due to the seriousness of the situation in Lebanon and the region.

In Gaza, residents of the southern city of Khan Younis said Israeli forces blew up homes in the east and intensified tank shelling on eastern areas of the city center.

Israel said it was responding to Hamas rocket fire towards Tel Aviv on Tuesday and had struck rocket launching pads and militants among 40 military targets over 24 hours, including in central Gaza, Khan Younis, and western Rafah in the south.

Armed wings of Hamas and Islamic Jihad said they had attacked Israeli forces in several areas, while Palestinian health officials said Israeli strikes had killed at least 27 people so far on Wednesday, mostly in the center and south.

Hamas also said its fighters were engaged in fierce clashes with Israeli forces in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, where Israel said it had killed a number of militants.

A ceasefire deal would aim to ensure the release of Israeli hostages held there in return for Palestinians jailed in Israel, but the two sides remain divided by sequencing and other issues.

A Hamas-led attack on Israeli communities around the Gaza Strip on Oct. 7 killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, with more than 250 taken hostage to Gaza, according to Israeli tallies.

In response, Israeli forces have razed much of Gaza, displaced most of the population, and killed around 40,000 people, most of them civilians, according to the Palestinian health ministry.

Israel has lost more than 300 soldiers and says around a third of the Palestinian fatalities in Gaza have been fighters.