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Iraq Urges Trump to Strengthen Security Coordination

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani (Government Media)
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani (Government Media)
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Iraq Urges Trump to Strengthen Security Coordination

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani (Government Media)
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani (Government Media)

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani congratulated US President Donald Trump on returning to the White House, while the Shiite-led Coordination Framework ignored the occasion.

Instead, Coordination Framework officials focused on calls for a ceasefire in Gaza and domestic issues.

In his message on Tuesday, al-Sudani’s gesture seemed to clear the way for Iraq to move past the arrest warrant issued for Trump in 2021 over the 2020 killings of Qassem Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis.

The Iraqi judiciary stated at the time that the arrest warrant was based on Article 406 of the Iraqi Penal Code and that investigations into other individuals involved, whether Iraqi or foreign, would continue.

This week, Iraqi activists shared an image of the judicial decision, sparking debate on social media about the fate of the arrest warrant now that Trump has returned to the US presidency.

Some argued that the warrant would remain a point of embarrassment for those who pushed for its issuance.

Nevertheless, Sudani congratulated Trump, expressing Iraq's interest in strengthening ties with the US through the Strategic Framework Agreement, focusing on mutual interests.

He emphasized the importance of promoting regional and global stability, security, and development.

Sudani reiterated Iraq’s commitment to its strategic relationship with the US and expanding cooperation in security, economics, culture, technology, investment, and sustainable development, while respecting sovereignty and avoiding interference in domestic affairs.

President Abdul Latif Jamal Rashid also congratulated Trump on his re-election, affirming Iraq’s support for security and stability in the region and the world, and for enhancing bilateral relations to benefit both nations.

In contrast, the Coordination Framework refrained from mentioning Trump in its statement following a meeting held in Baghdad on Monday night into Tuesday, coinciding with the inauguration ceremony in Washington.

Instead, the coalition congratulated the Palestinian people on the Gaza ceasefire and urged the international community to ramp up efforts to rebuild war-torn areas, assist displaced people, and address the destruction of infrastructure, particularly hospitals and schools.

The Coordination Framework also highlighted consensus among the Iraqi parliament’s leadership, calling for support for provincial governors in fulfilling their duties.

While praising the government's successful foreign visits, Coordination Framework officials emphasized the importance of maintaining Iraq’s balanced foreign policy.

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Arab World

Lebanon Judge Calls in Two Hezbollah Officials over Explosives Shipment

FILED - 17 April 2026, Lebanon, Jiyeh: FILE PHOTO - A displaced Lebanese woman flashes the victory sign and displays Hezbollah and Iranian flags as they drive along the highway linking Beirut to southern Lebanon in the Jiyeh area. Photo: Marwan Naamani/dpa
FILED - 17 April 2026, Lebanon, Jiyeh: FILE PHOTO - A displaced Lebanese woman flashes the victory sign and displays Hezbollah and Iranian flags as they drive along the highway linking Beirut to southern Lebanon in the Jiyeh area. Photo: Marwan Naamani/dpa
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Lebanon Judge Calls in Two Hezbollah Officials over Explosives Shipment

FILED - 17 April 2026, Lebanon, Jiyeh: FILE PHOTO - A displaced Lebanese woman flashes the victory sign and displays Hezbollah and Iranian flags as they drive along the highway linking Beirut to southern Lebanon in the Jiyeh area. Photo: Marwan Naamani/dpa
FILED - 17 April 2026, Lebanon, Jiyeh: FILE PHOTO - A displaced Lebanese woman flashes the victory sign and displays Hezbollah and Iranian flags as they drive along the highway linking Beirut to southern Lebanon in the Jiyeh area. Photo: Marwan Naamani/dpa

A Lebanese judge on Tuesday ordered two Hezbollah officials to appear for questioning over their alleged involvement in a delivery of explosives seized by authorities this month, a judicial official told AFP.

Lebanese authorities had been carrying out investigations after arresting two suspected Hezbollah members accused of transporting half a tonne of explosives, which the Iran-backed group subsequently said were part of its "capabilities" to be used against Israel.

They were caught on October 8 at a security checkpoint in Dahr al-Baidar in Lebanon's east in a vehicle headed towards Beirut, with a source telling AFP that one was the son of a Hezbollah official and the other was also a group member.

The judicial official, requesting anonymity, told AFP that the judge on Tuesday ordered two Hezbollah officials to appear for questioning "after initial investigations... established their identities".

Security agencies are working to locate them and take them into custody, the official added.

Last week, Hezbollah lawmaker Hassan Fadlallah said the explosives belonged to the militant group, demanding the shipment be returned and calling for those arrested to be released, in a rare admission by the group.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio subsequently urged Lebanon not to return the explosives.

Lebanese authorities have announced the seizure of three large shipments of explosives this month alone.

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam has vowed that authorities "will deal with weapons outside the legal framework with the required firmness".

President Joseph Aoun on Saturday said the army and security forces were "implementing the government's decisions on extending the state's authority... and confiscating weapons and ammunition".

"Violators are referred to the judiciary, which carries out its duties fully in applying the law and the political authorities' decisions," he added.

Lebanese authorities last year committed to disarming Hezbollah after months of cross-border hostilities culminated in a 2024 war between the group and Israel.

But Hezbollah drew Lebanon into the Middle East war this year by attacking Israel, which responded with heavy strikes and a ground invasion.

In June, Lebanese and Israeli authorities signed a framework agreement which involves the disarmament of Hezbollah, a gradual Israeli withdrawal from territories it occupies, and the deployment of the Lebanese army to the area.

Hezbollah, the only militant group that refused to disarm after Lebanon's 1975-1990 civil war, has rejected surrendering its weapons and the direct negotiations with Israel.

Arab World

Shabwa Deputy Governor to Asharq Al-Awsat: Houthis Supplied Terrorist Groups with Drone Technology

Shabwa Deputy Governor Fahd Al-Khulaifi (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Shabwa Deputy Governor Fahd Al-Khulaifi (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Shabwa Deputy Governor to Asharq Al-Awsat: Houthis Supplied Terrorist Groups with Drone Technology

Shabwa Deputy Governor Fahd Al-Khulaifi (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Shabwa Deputy Governor Fahd Al-Khulaifi (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Fahd Al-Khulaifi, First Deputy Governor of Yemen's Shabwa province, warned that the Houthi group has supplied some terrorist organizations with drone technology as part of what he described as ongoing cooperation between the two sides.

His remarks came after a Houthi missile attack on Monday targeted the Martyr Ahmed Al-Sulaimani Training Center on the outskirts of Ataq, the capital of Shabwa province in southeastern Yemen.

Local authorities reported that the facility was struck by three ballistic missiles while newly recruited internal security personnel were undergoing training, leaving more than 70 people dead and over 200 wounded.

In exclusive remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, Al-Khulaifi said Houthi attacks would not break the resilience of Shabwa's residents but would instead strengthen their determination to confront the group.

He said local authorities possess information confirming cooperation between the Houthis and terrorist organizations, including Al-Qaeda and ISIS, noting that the Houthis had enabled some of these groups to acquire drone technology.

According to Al-Khulaifi, this cooperation is evident in attacks targeting security forces, the Shabwa Defense Forces and the Nation's Shield Forces as they pass through the province en route to other governorates.

Local authorities announced that those killed would be officially recognized as having died in the line of duty, with their salaries permanently allocated to their families. They also pledged to safeguard the rights and financial entitlements of the wounded and ensure payment without delay, while mobilizing the necessary resources to provide medical care.

Al-Khulaifi said the dead and wounded were newly recruited members of the province's police and security agencies.

He noted that Shabwa Governor Awad bin Al-Wazir had revealed that local authorities possess evidence of cooperation between the Houthis and other terrorist organizations.

Al-Khulaifi added that such coordination had intensified recently and was being monitored by security agencies.

He said the Houthis and terrorist organizations were carrying out direct attacks and planting explosive devices and booby traps along roads and at locations used by security forces and the Shabwa Defense Forces.

He added that their cooperation had expanded to include the use of drones after the Houthis provided some of these organizations with the necessary technology.

Al-Khulaifi stressed that such terrorist acts would not undermine the determination of Shabwa's residents to confront the Houthis.

He called on the Arab Coalition to support the front lines with advanced weapons capable of countering Houthi military capabilities, particularly drones, and to provide ground-based air defense systems to intercept ballistic missiles.

Shabwa's local authorities held the Iran-backed Houthi group fully responsible for the attack and the resulting casualties, describing the targeting of recruits during training as an extremely serious military escalation.

They also called for urgent measures to protect military and security facilities and their personnel.

Meanwhile, Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council Chairman Rashad al-Alimi was briefed on developments following the attack during a telephone call with Shabwa Governor Awad bin Al-Wazir.

Al-Alimi instructed the relevant authorities to provide necessary medical treatment to the wounded, care for the families of those killed, complete procedures to settle their entitlements and ensure payment of their salaries, and take the necessary measures to respond firmly to the sources of the attack.

He said the targeting of recruits reflected what he described as the Houthis' tendency to resort to attacks whenever they faced pressure or setbacks in plans backed by the Iranian regime.

Al-Alimi stressed that such attacks would not deter the state from fulfilling its responsibilities to protect citizens and restore national institutions.

He also vowed that the victims' deaths would not go unanswered, emphasizing that caring for their families and honoring their sacrifices was a national responsibility.

Arab World

Drone Strike in Disputed Sudan-South Sudan Area Kills Dozens, Minister Says

A person wounded in a drone strike on a market in the disputed Abyei region along the border between South Sudan and Sudan is carried to Ameth Bek hospital, October 20, 2026. (Reuters/Medecins Sans Frontieres/Handout)
A person wounded in a drone strike on a market in the disputed Abyei region along the border between South Sudan and Sudan is carried to Ameth Bek hospital, October 20, 2026. (Reuters/Medecins Sans Frontieres/Handout)
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Drone Strike in Disputed Sudan-South Sudan Area Kills Dozens, Minister Says

A person wounded in a drone strike on a market in the disputed Abyei region along the border between South Sudan and Sudan is carried to Ameth Bek hospital, October 20, 2026. (Reuters/Medecins Sans Frontieres/Handout)
A person wounded in a drone strike on a market in the disputed Abyei region along the border between South Sudan and Sudan is carried to Ameth Bek hospital, October 20, 2026. (Reuters/Medecins Sans Frontieres/Handout)

At least 73 people were killed when drones struck a market in the disputed Abyei region along the border of South Sudan and Sudan, the caretaker information minister for the jointly administered region said on Tuesday, accusing Sudan's army of carrying out the attack.

The minister did not provide evidence for his claim of who was responsible for Monday's attack.

Abyei is an oil-rich area that is jointly administered by South Sudan and Sudan, which have both staked claims to it. It experiences frequent bouts of ‌violence, with clashes ‌usually involving rival ethnic groups or armed militias.

"Around ‌73 ⁠people have been ⁠killed and 19 have been wounded ... a number of drones were shot yesterday by the Sudanese armed forces," Yohana Akol Ngor, the caretaker minister of information of the Abyei region, told Reuters on Tuesday.

Last year, at least six Bangladeshi peacekeepers were killed and eight wounded in a drone attack by separatist armed ⁠groups on a UN base in Abyei, Bangladesh's ‌armed forces said.

South Sudan's foreign ‌ministry said in a statement late Monday that drones struck a market ‌located north of Abyei town, but did not specify the ‌number of civilian casualties resulting from the attack.

The ministry said it had summoned the Sudanese ambassador to convey the government's "strong protest and deep concern regarding the attack and its implications for the security of civilians and ‌the stability of the Abyei Area."

The medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) said in a statement that ⁠it was ⁠treating more than 20 wounded people at the nearby Ameth Bek Hospital.

"So far we received over 20 patients, including several critical cases. Patients with burns were also admitted. We are providing surgical services and wound dressing, along with other emergency care," said Christian Lindauer, MSF medical activities manager at Ameth Bek Hospital.

Sudan has been gripped by war since April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. The conflict has devastated large parts of the country and created what the United Nations has described as the world's worst humanitarian crisis.