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Iraq Steers Clear of US Retaliation for Ain al-Asad Attack

A military trainer from the international coalition shakes hands with an Iraqi soldier in a training camp (CENTCOM file photo)
A military trainer from the international coalition shakes hands with an Iraqi soldier in a training camp (CENTCOM file photo)
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Iraq Steers Clear of US Retaliation for Ain al-Asad Attack

A military trainer from the international coalition shakes hands with an Iraqi soldier in a training camp (CENTCOM file photo)
A military trainer from the international coalition shakes hands with an Iraqi soldier in a training camp (CENTCOM file photo)

Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein stated that Iraq successfully used diplomatic channels to prevent a potential American response to the attack on the Ain al-Asad base, which hosts advisors from the US-led international coalition.

In an interview with Al-Hadath channel, Hussein confirmed that Baghdad had managed to stop Washington from retaliating against the attack on the base.

He also said that ongoing discussions between Baghdad and Washington regarding the withdrawal of coalition forces are influenced by regional circumstances, heightened tensions, and the possibility of conflict, which have significantly changed the status quo.

The Iraqi minister added: “We are taking both internal and external steps to avoid war. Pushing toward war is dangerous, and both the government and political parties are fully aware of this.”

He stressed that the government and parliament hold the authority over decisions of war and peace, reiterating Iraq’s commitment to safeguarding foreign advisors and diplomats.

The Iraqi military base, which hosts American advisors, was struck by two rockets launched by an unidentified group calling itself the “Revolutionaries.”

Security forces arrested individuals believed to be involved in the attack after seizing the rocket launch pad. However, within a week, the authorities announced their release, over what they said was insufficient evidence.

The United States announced that several American soldiers stationed at the base as part of the international coalition's mission in Iraq were injured.

On Thursday, the Iraqi Foreign Ministry stated that Baghdad had decided to postpone the announcement of the end of the international coalition’s mission due to the “recent developments.”

Iraqi media reported that the Iraqi Prime Minister had been preparing to announce the coalition’s withdrawal from the country. This was confirmed by former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki during a meeting with journalists in Baghdad, where he said: “The international coalition was scheduled to withdraw according to a timeline agreed upon by both parties, if not for the bombing that targeted the Ain al-Asad base.”

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Hezbollah Fires about 250 Rockets, Other Projectiles into Israel in Heaviest Barrage in Weeks

Members of the Israeli forces inspect a site following a rocket fired from Lebanon hit an area in Rinatya, outskirts of Tel Aviv, Israel, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024. (AP)
Members of the Israeli forces inspect a site following a rocket fired from Lebanon hit an area in Rinatya, outskirts of Tel Aviv, Israel, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024. (AP)
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Hezbollah Fires about 250 Rockets, Other Projectiles into Israel in Heaviest Barrage in Weeks

Members of the Israeli forces inspect a site following a rocket fired from Lebanon hit an area in Rinatya, outskirts of Tel Aviv, Israel, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024. (AP)
Members of the Israeli forces inspect a site following a rocket fired from Lebanon hit an area in Rinatya, outskirts of Tel Aviv, Israel, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024. (AP)

Hezbollah fired about 250 rockets and other projectiles into Israel on Sunday, wounding seven people in one of the group's heaviest barrages in months, in response to deadly Israeli strikes in Beirut while negotiators pressed on with ceasefire efforts to halt the all-out war.

Some of the rockets reached the Tel Aviv area in the heart of Israel.

Meanwhile, an Israeli strike on an army center killed a Lebanese soldier and wounded 18 others in the southwest between Tyre and Naqoura, Lebanon's military said.  

The Israeli military expressed regret, saying that the strike occurred in an area of combat against Hezbollah and that the military's operations are directed solely against the fighters.

Israeli strikes have killed over 40 Lebanese troops since the start of the war between Israel and Hezbollah, even as Lebanon's military has largely kept to the sidelines.

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

Hezbollah fires rockets after strikes on Beirut  

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 launched retaliatory airstrikes at Hezbollah, 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 top commanders.

The Israeli military said about 250 projectiles were fired Sunday, with some intercepted.

Israel’s Magen David Adom rescue service said it treated seven people, including a 60-year old man in severe condition from rocket fire on northern Israel, a 23-year-old man who was lightly wounded by a blast in the central city of Petah Tikva, near Tel Aviv, and a 70-year-old woman who suffered smoke inhalation from a car that caught fire there.  

In Haifa, a rocket hit a residential building that police said was in danger of collapsing.

The Palestine Red Crescent reported 13 injuries it said were caused by an interceptor missile that struck several homes in Tulkarem in the West Bank. It was unclear whether the injuries and damage elsewhere were caused by rockets or interceptors.

Sirens wailed again in central and northern Israel hours later.

Israeli airstrikes without warning on Saturday pounded central Beirut, killing at least 29 people and wounding 67, according to Lebanon's Health Ministry.

Smoke billowed above Beirut again Sunday with new strikes. Israel's military said it targeted Hezbollah command centers in the southern suburbs, known as Dahiyeh, where the group has a strong presence.

Israeli attacks have killed more than 3,700 people in Lebanon, according to the 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 bombardment 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.

EU envoy calls for pressure to reach a truce  

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

The European Union’s top diplomat called Sunday for more pressure on Israel and Hezbollah to reach a deal, saying one was "pending with a final agreement from the Israeli government.”

Josep Borrell spoke after meeting with Mikati and Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, a Hezbollah ally who has been mediating with the group.

Borrell said the EU is ready to allocate 200 million euros ($208 million) to assist the Lebanese military, which would deploy additional forces to the south.

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