Iraqi, Turkish Leaders Discuss Israel's Regional Escalation

A handout photo made available by the Turkish Presidential Press Office shows Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) and Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani (L) shaking hands during their meeting at the Presidential Vahdettin Mansion in Istanbul, Türkiye, 01 November 2024. (EPA/TUrkish Presidential Press Office Handout)
A handout photo made available by the Turkish Presidential Press Office shows Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) and Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani (L) shaking hands during their meeting at the Presidential Vahdettin Mansion in Istanbul, Türkiye, 01 November 2024. (EPA/TUrkish Presidential Press Office Handout)
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Iraqi, Turkish Leaders Discuss Israel's Regional Escalation

A handout photo made available by the Turkish Presidential Press Office shows Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) and Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani (L) shaking hands during their meeting at the Presidential Vahdettin Mansion in Istanbul, Türkiye, 01 November 2024. (EPA/TUrkish Presidential Press Office Handout)
A handout photo made available by the Turkish Presidential Press Office shows Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) and Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani (L) shaking hands during their meeting at the Presidential Vahdettin Mansion in Istanbul, Türkiye, 01 November 2024. (EPA/TUrkish Presidential Press Office Handout)

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani discussed ways to strengthen ties between Türkiye and Iraq, focusing on cooperation in combating terrorism and addressing regional issues.

Al-Sudani made an unannounced visit to Türkiye on Friday, where he was welcomed by Erdogan at the Vahdettin Mansion in Istanbul.

The two leaders talked about various aspects of their relationship, including water resources, energy collaboration, the Development Road project, and joint efforts to enhance border security and combat the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).

Al-Sudani’s visit comes after a meeting with Erdogan on September 25 during the UN General Assembly in New York.

The timing is crucial, following a terrorist attack on the Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) in Ankara on October 23 and amid heightened tensions in the region due to increased Israeli military actions.

Diplomatic sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that Erdogan and Al-Sudani focused their discussions on boosting cooperation between Türkiye and Iraq to combat terrorism, especially targeting the PKK, which Türkiye considers a terrorist group and is banned in Iraq.

Additionally, sources informed Asharq Al-Awsat that Erdogan and Al-Sudani discussed Israel’s expansion of attacks from Gaza into Lebanon and Syria, stressing the risks to regional stability and the need for cooperation to achieve a ceasefire and prevent further escalation.

They also addressed efforts to normalize relations between Türkiye and Syria, with Baghdad playing a role in resuming talks and facilitating a meeting between Erdogan and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, which Ankara supports.



Israel Says it Eliminated Commander in Hezbollah's Radwan Force

People take part in the funeral procession of Ibrahim Aqil, the head of Hezbollah's elite Radwan Force, in Beirut's southern suburbs on September 22, 2024. (Photo by AFP)
People take part in the funeral procession of Ibrahim Aqil, the head of Hezbollah's elite Radwan Force, in Beirut's southern suburbs on September 22, 2024. (Photo by AFP)
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Israel Says it Eliminated Commander in Hezbollah's Radwan Force

People take part in the funeral procession of Ibrahim Aqil, the head of Hezbollah's elite Radwan Force, in Beirut's southern suburbs on September 22, 2024. (Photo by AFP)
People take part in the funeral procession of Ibrahim Aqil, the head of Hezbollah's elite Radwan Force, in Beirut's southern suburbs on September 22, 2024. (Photo by AFP)

The Israeli military eliminated the commander in the Hezbollah Radwan force's anti-tank missile unit Riad Rida Ghazzawi in the al-Sultaniyah village in southern Lebanon, it said in a statement on Monday.
Late in September, Israel killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah with an air strike in Beirut’s southern suburbs, in the biggest blow to Hezbollah in decades.
Despite growing pressure from the United States and others in the international community for a cease-fire in Gaza and Lebanon, intensified Israeli strikes against the Hezbollah militant group are expanding beyond Lebanon’s border areas. Israel is also fighting a seemingly endless war against Hamas in northern Gaza.
Since the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah erupted last year, at least 2,900 people have been killed and more than 13,150 wounded in Lebanon, the Health Ministry reports. Health authorities say that a quarter of those killed were women and children.