Unidentified Drones Destroy Iraqi Military Radar Systems

Iraq’s Taji military base (File Photo)
Iraq’s Taji military base (File Photo)
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Unidentified Drones Destroy Iraqi Military Radar Systems

Iraq’s Taji military base (File Photo)
Iraq’s Taji military base (File Photo)

Iraq’s Prime Minister and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, has ordered the formation of a committee to investigate a series of drone attacks targeting military radar systems at two separate bases, officials said.

The strikes hit a radar installation at the Taji military camp, north of Baghdad, and another at the Imam Ali airbase in the southern province of Dhi Qar. A third suspected drone attack reportedly struck a base near Baghdad International Airport, also housing radar systems, according to local media reports.

The incidents came shortly after US President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire between Israel and Iran, though it remained unclear whether the attacks were connected to the development.

Sudani said on Tuesday his government would not tolerate any act – internal or external – that threatens national security, vowing a firm and decisive response.

“We will not show leniency toward any aggression that harms the security of Iraq,” Sudani said during a cabinet meeting, according to state-run Iraqi News Agency (INA).

“Our response will be resolute and strong,” added Sudani.

He confirmed that Iraqi military bases were targeted in what he described as a “cowardly and treacherous” attack using explosive-laden suicide drones.

“Our armed forces and air defenses responded swiftly to other attempted attacks on different bases, successfully intercepting and downing the drones,” Sudani said, without elaborating on the origin of the attacks.

The prime minister also welcomed the recently announced ceasefire between Israel and Iran, calling it a “positive step,” and expressed hope that the truce would be “solid and lasting, not fragile.”

Sabah al-Numan, spokesperson for the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, also described the drone strikes as “cowardly and treacherous,” saying the attacks caused significant damage to radar infrastructure.

In a statement, al-Numan said a swarm of small, explosive-laden drones had struck the military installations in Taji and Dhi Qar. He confirmed there were no casualties.

Images circulating on social media showed flames engulfing the radar station at the Taji base.

“Our forces were able to thwart additional drone attacks targeting four other locations,” al-Numan added, noting that air defenses successfully downed the incoming UAVs before they reached their targets.

All of the sites targeted in the recent drone attacks were fully operated by Iraqi security forces, dismissing speculation of foreign involvement.

“All targeted locations are exclusively Iraqi military sites, overseen and operated by officers and personnel from our heroic security forces,” said al-Numan.

Following the coordinated attacks, Sudani ordered the creation of a high-level technical and intelligence committee to investigate the incidents, identify those responsible, and fully track the findings of the probe.

“These cowardly criminal acts will not go unpunished,” al-Numan said. “Our armed forces remain the unshakable shield of Iraq, defending its people, land, and sovereignty.”

Military sources revealed that the first drone strike destroyed a TPS-77 radar system at the Taji military base. A second attack targeted an AN/TPQ-36 counter-battery radar at the Imam Ali base.

Local media also reported, citing unverified sources, that a third drone targeted a US-made radar system at Victoria Base near Baghdad International Airport, which has previously hosted US troops. Authorities have yet to confirm this claim.

The strikes come amid heightened regional tensions following a US-brokered ceasefire announcement between Israel and Iran.

While no group has claimed responsibility for the attacks, the nature and precision of the strikes have raised concerns about a potential escalation.



Russia, Egypt Discuss Means to Secure Energy, Food Supplies

Russian President Vladimir Putin receives Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty in Moscow on Thursday. (Egyptian Foreign Ministry)
Russian President Vladimir Putin receives Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty in Moscow on Thursday. (Egyptian Foreign Ministry)
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Russia, Egypt Discuss Means to Secure Energy, Food Supplies

Russian President Vladimir Putin receives Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty in Moscow on Thursday. (Egyptian Foreign Ministry)
Russian President Vladimir Putin receives Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty in Moscow on Thursday. (Egyptian Foreign Ministry)

Egypt stressed on Thursday its keenness on developing its bilateral ties and strategic partnership with Russia, along with coordinating over regional and international affairs, most notably the impact of the war on Iran.

Russian President Vladimir Putin received in Moscow on Thursday Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, who handed him a message from President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi that tackled bilateral ties and the strategic partnership between their countries.

The FM had arrived in Moscow on Wednesday on a visit aimed at exploring means to develop bilateral cooperation and exchange views on several regional issues.

Experts said the visit aimed at “bolster balances in alliances and secure energy and food supplies.”

During his talks with Abdelatty, Putin hailed the depth of Egyptian-Russian ties and the fruitful cooperation in all fields.

He praised the role Sisi is playing in leading mediation to ease the escalation, support security and stability in the Middle East and prevent the conflict from expanding, said the Egyptian Foreign Ministry.

Abdelatty and Putin discussed the “intense diplomatic efforts aimed at de-escalation in the Middle East.” They also tackled the outcomes of the ministerial meeting that was held in Pakistan earlier this week that brought together the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Türkiye to discuss the conflict.

Calm and diplomacy are the best choices to avoid the expansion of the conflict, they stressed.

Sisi and Putin held telephone talks on Tuesday during which the former stressed the need for de-escalation in the Middle East.

Russia, with its international standing, can use its influence to end the war, he added.


UN Resumes Operations in Sudanese Capital after 3 Years of War

Officials are seen at the reopening ceremony in Khartoum. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Officials are seen at the reopening ceremony in Khartoum. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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UN Resumes Operations in Sudanese Capital after 3 Years of War

Officials are seen at the reopening ceremony in Khartoum. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Officials are seen at the reopening ceremony in Khartoum. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

The United Nations announced on Thursday that it was officially resuming operations in the Sudanese capital Khartoum after three years of war.

UN Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian and Development Coordinator in Sudan Denise Brown said the move was significant and allows UN agencies to reach all areas that were previously inaccessible.

Speaking at a press conference at the UN mission in central Khartoum, she added that the organization will continue its support to the state and individuals to end the war and reconstruct Sudan.

The UN quit Khartoum for Port Sudan shortly after the eruption of the war between the army and Rapid Support Forces in April 2023.

Sudanese Foreign Minister Mohi El-Din Salem said the UN’s return to Khartoum was an important message to internal partners that “we are working side by side to restore peace and stability in Sudan.”

“As we have reclaimed Khartoum from the rebel RSF, we will reclaim the regions of Darfur and Kordofan,” he told a press conference.

“We will work with the UN through the initiative proposed by Prime Minister Kamil Idris to the Security Council in December to end the war and restore peace and stability in Sudan,” he stressed.

Moreover, he said that Sudan was “open to all initiatives to reach sustainable peace,” while also rejecting any truce that allows the RSF to return to the Sudanese scene.

Sudan and the UN will work together to restore stability through intra-Sudanese dialogue, declared the FM. “Only the Sudanese people will decide the fate of their country.”


IOM Warns of 'Alarming' Risk of Long-term Mass Displacement in Lebanon

The rubble of a destroyed building, seen from inside a heavily damaged building, after an Israeli strike, amid escalating hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, as the US-Israeli conflict with Iran continues, in Tyre, Lebanon, April 2, 2026. REUTERS/Yara Nardi
The rubble of a destroyed building, seen from inside a heavily damaged building, after an Israeli strike, amid escalating hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, as the US-Israeli conflict with Iran continues, in Tyre, Lebanon, April 2, 2026. REUTERS/Yara Nardi
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IOM Warns of 'Alarming' Risk of Long-term Mass Displacement in Lebanon

The rubble of a destroyed building, seen from inside a heavily damaged building, after an Israeli strike, amid escalating hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, as the US-Israeli conflict with Iran continues, in Tyre, Lebanon, April 2, 2026. REUTERS/Yara Nardi
The rubble of a destroyed building, seen from inside a heavily damaged building, after an Israeli strike, amid escalating hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, as the US-Israeli conflict with Iran continues, in Tyre, Lebanon, April 2, 2026. REUTERS/Yara Nardi

International Organization for Migration chief Amy Pope told AFP on Thursday in Beirut that the prospects for prolonged mass displacement in Lebanon, where Israel and Hezbollah are at war, were "very alarming".

"I think those prospects are very alarming because you look right now at the level of destruction that's happening and... the further destruction that has been threatened," she said when asked about the possibility of prolonged mass displacement.

"There are parts of the south that are being completely flattened... even if the war ends tomorrow, that destruction remains and there needs to be a rebuilding," she said, noting that reconstruction would require funding, resources and peace.

"Unless we start to see those things come into place, that means that people will be displaced now for who knows how long," she added.

Lebanon says more than one million people have been displaced since the country was drawn into the Middle East war last month when the Tehran-backed Hezbollah launched rockets at Israel to avenge the US-Israeli attack that killed Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei.

Israel has responded with massive strikes across Lebanon and a ground invasion, and has issued sweeping evacuation warnings for swathes of south Lebanon and Beirut's densely populated southern suburbs.

Authorities say more than 136,000 people are staying in collective shelters including schools and stadiums, while some people are sleeping on the streets.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz has said his country's military would occupy a swathe of southern Lebanon even after the war ends, and that the return of hundreds of thousands of displaced Lebanese would be "completely prevented" until northern Israel's security was ensured.

- 'Shocking' -

Pope said the current displacement crisis was "far more severe" than during the previous hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel which a 2024 ceasefire sought to end.

She noted the high number of displaced people, shelters struggling to cope and the fact that some people had been unable to return home after being displaced during the previous round of fighting.

People outside Lebanon "absolutely do not understand the scale" of the displacement crisis, which is "coming at a time where resources for humanitarian response are more limited than ever", she said.

The UN has launched a flash humanitarian appeal for more than $300 million for Lebanon, including an IOM appeal for around $19 million, Pope said, "but very, very little of that has now come in".

"We're seeing some of the most basic life-saving support really be needed," she said, including shelter and blankets.

Pope also said a strike this week on Beirut's Jnah district damaged the IOM premises nearby, shattering windows and rendering the agency's health clinic for migrants "basically unusable".

Authorities said the strike killed seven people, while Israel said it killed a senior Hezbollah commander.

Israel has also carried out several strikes on locations near where displaced people have been sheltering or on hotels or apartments reportedly rented by displaced people.

Pope said such strikes were "shocking".

"If people can't find safety, they move. And if they can't find safety at home, they move across borders," she warned.