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Iraq's Coordination Framework Has Limited Options in Disarming Factions 

Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani speaks at his political block campaign rally before the parliamentary elections in Mosul, Iraq, Oct. 18, 2025. (AP)
Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani speaks at his political block campaign rally before the parliamentary elections in Mosul, Iraq, Oct. 18, 2025. (AP)
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Iraq's Coordination Framework Has Limited Options in Disarming Factions 

Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani speaks at his political block campaign rally before the parliamentary elections in Mosul, Iraq, Oct. 18, 2025. (AP)
Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani speaks at his political block campaign rally before the parliamentary elections in Mosul, Iraq, Oct. 18, 2025. (AP)

Tensions between Baghdad and Washington have been growing more strained in recent days, particularly after the telephone talks between Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who urged Iraq to disarm Iran-backed militias.

US President Donald Trump also sprung a surprise with the appointment of Iraqi-American businessman Mark Savaya as his special envoy to Iraq.

During their telephone call earlier this week, Rubio “highlighted the urgency in disarming Iran-backed militias that undermine Iraq’s sovereignty, threaten the lives and businesses of Americans and Iraqis, and pilfer Iraqi resources for Iran,” said the State Department.

“The Secretary reiterated the US commitment to working closely with Iraqi partners to advance our shared interests: safeguarding Iraqi sovereignty, bolstering regional stability, and strengthening our economic ties,” it added.

The talks have put the ruling Iran-backed Coordination Framework coalition in Iraq in a tight spot. Sources from the coalition said it met on Wednesday night to discuss the latest American position on Iraq. Rubio’s disarmament call sparked outrage in the coalition, which brings together Iraq’s most prominent Iran-backed Shiite political forces.

The meeting tackled the telephone call, as well as the framework agreement on the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq, said an informed source, according to local media. It also discussed security pledges between Baghdad and Washington.

These developments took place as debate is growing in Iraq about the future of relations with US, especially in wake of Savaya’s appointment, which observers interpreted as a shift in Washington’s policy towards Baghdad after years of “inaction”.

The Coordination Framework did not issue a statement after the meeting, but informed sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that its leaders have very limited options at their disposal when it comes to disarming the militias. Calculations related to the November 11 parliamentary elections have also taken precedence over this issue.

Iraq’s highest Shiite authority Ali al-Sistani had in June called for state monopoly over arms, warning that the circumstances that have prevailed in wake of the Iran-Israel war are “very dangerous”.

‘Conspiracies’

Former Prime Minister and head of the State of Law Coalition of the Coordination Framework Nouri al-Maliki, meanwhile, warned of “conspiracies against the political process in Iraq.”

Speaking at an electoral gathering in Karbala, he described the upcoming polls as a “national and constitutional duty that must not be obstructed.”

“Parliament is the spirit of the state through which democracy is built and governments are formed,” he added.

He spoke of “threats targeting its national unity and elections,” saying they were part of a “broader plot targeting the Iraqi state and its democratic system.”

Former MP Haider al-Mulla told Asharq Al-Awsat that Hamas’s October 2023 attack against Israel marked a turning point in the region, as well as the “phase of relations between Shiite powers and the US and the beginning of a new phase between Washington and some Sunni forces in the region.”

He predicted that “these changes will be capped with changes in Syria and collapse of the Iranian axis,” noting that Trump’s appointment of a new envoy is evidence of the new phase.

Iraq will feel the negative and positive repercussions of the changes in Syria and Iran, he remarked, stressing that the disarmament of militias is now “inevitable after the reasons for carrying weapons no longer exist.”

Media professor Ghaleb al-Daami told Asharq Al-Awsat that the latest American statements have put the Iraqi government “on the spot”, especially since its stances appear to be different than Washington’s.

“The problem doesn’t lie with the government itself, but with its ties to the Coordination Framework, whose options are becoming more limited. The US is no longer willing to give it room to maneuver,” he said.

Politician Abbas Abboud said relations between Baghdad and Washington are “facing their greatest test since 2003.”

Savaya’s appointment is a sign that the American administration “is no longer on side with the parties that were handling communication” with Iraq, he noted.

The Coordination Framework, for its part, does not have a united stance towards Washington in that it does not want to spark a crisis with it, while at the same time, it cannot abandon its regional commitments.

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Arab World

Tunisia Flood Death Toll Rises to Five

 A man removes water from his flooded home in La Goulette, near the Tunisian capital Tunis. AFP 
 A man removes water from his flooded home in La Goulette, near the Tunisian capital Tunis. AFP 
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Tunisia Flood Death Toll Rises to Five

 A man removes water from his flooded home in La Goulette, near the Tunisian capital Tunis. AFP 
 A man removes water from his flooded home in La Goulette, near the Tunisian capital Tunis. AFP 

Authorities in Tunisia said flooding caused by three days of exceptional rainfall has killed five people, causing property damage in several provinces and leaving schools and businesses shut and transportation disrupted after parts of the country experienced their heaviest rainfall in years.

The death toll rose to five, Khalil Mechri, a civil defense spokesman told AFP. “Two people swept away by floodwaters, while a woman drowned in her home,” he said.

Mechri said since the flooding started, the emergency services pumped water from 466 inundated homes and have rescued 350 people trapped by floodwaters.

Tunisian media said four fishermen were missing on Wednesday. A fifth was rescued in Teboulba, south of Monastir, while authorities are searching for the remaining crew.

Mechri said while the bad weather was now less intense, “the level of alert remains high.”

President Kais Saied visited several affected areas on Tuesday, including Moknine and Teboulba, local media said.

Footage and videos widely circulated on social media showed significant flooding to homes and roads, with cars stranded in water, particularly in the capital, Tunis.

Authorities suspended classes on Wednesday in public and private schools and universities in 15 of the country's 24 governorates because of the weather. Transportation was also disrupted in several areas.

Abderazak Rahal, head of forecasting at the National Institute of Meteorology (INM), told AFP some Tunisian regions had not seen so much rain since 1950.

“We have recorded exceptional amounts of rainfall for the month of January,” Rahal said, with the regions of Monastir, Nabeul and greater Tunis the hardest hit.

The latest rainfall has proved record-breaking, but Tunisian streets often flood after heavy downpours, largely because of the state of the country's infrastructure.

Drainage and stormwater networks are often old and poorly maintained, particularly in rapidly expanding urban areas, with waste sometimes clogging the system.

Rapid urbanization of some areas has also led to less rainwater being absorbed into the ground, increasing runoff.

The dramatic deluge comes as Tunisia grapples with a seven-year drought, worsened by climate change and marked by a sharp decline in water reserves in dams nationwide.

In neighboring Algeria, several regions have also been hit by massive downpours and floods.

Algerian civil defense authorities said they had recovered the body of a man in his sixties who died in flooding in the northwestern province of Relizane.

Arab World

Lebanon: Israel Launches New Phase of Escalation in the South

Lebanese residents flee after an Israeli air strike on the town of Qennarit in the South on Wednesday (AP). 
Lebanese residents flee after an Israeli air strike on the town of Qennarit in the South on Wednesday (AP). 
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Lebanon: Israel Launches New Phase of Escalation in the South

Lebanese residents flee after an Israeli air strike on the town of Qennarit in the South on Wednesday (AP). 
Lebanese residents flee after an Israeli air strike on the town of Qennarit in the South on Wednesday (AP). 

Israel has intensified its military campaign in areas north of the Litani River in South Lebanon over the past two weeks, carrying out air strikes at least twice a week—well above the tempo seen before the start of the year.

The intensified moves have been accompanied by near-daily surveillance and pursuit operations, signaling a sharper escalation as the Lebanese army prepares to launch the second phase of its plan to place weapons under state control north of the Litani.

After heavy strikes on Monday targeting areas north of the river, the Israeli army issued evacuation warnings on Wednesday afternoon for residents of five towns in southern Lebanon. The alerts came hours after Israeli strikes that killed two people, whom Israel said were Hezbollah members.

Local sources monitoring the developments told Asharq Al-Awsat that Israeli air raids now occur every two to three days — at least twice weekly — double the frequency recorded last year.

Previously, strikes were largely confined to areas south of the Litani and its banks at a rate of about once a week, often on Thursdays. The current campaign includes strikes on valleys and village outskirts, alongside repeated evacuation warnings in several towns north of the river. The warnings increasingly target large buildings and entire neighborhoods, with heavy munitions causing widespread damage to property and surrounding areas.

On Wednesday afternoon, the Israeli army issued evacuation orders in two phases for five villages north of the Litani, triggering the displacement of hundreds of residents. Israeli army Arabic-language spokesperson Avichay Adraee said the military would strike Hezbollah infrastructure to counter what he described as attempts to rebuild its activities in the region.

He identified targets in Jarjoua and Kfar Kila in Nabatieh district and Qennarit in Sidon district, about 40 kilometers from the border, and urged residents to evacuate immediately. After strikes destroyed the targeted buildings and damaged nearby structures, further evacuation orders were issued for Ansar and Zrariyeh, around 30 kilometers from the Israeli border.

The Lebanese army is expected next month to submit a plan to the government outlining mechanisms for disarming Hezbollah north of the Litani, following its announcement that it had dismantled the group’s weapons in border areas south of the river.

Earlier in January, the army said it had completed the first phase of the plan, aimed at placing weapons exclusively under state control, and asserted that it had established operational control over areas south of the Litani — roughly 30 kilometers from the Israeli border — except for territories still under Israeli occupation.

Israel has questioned the adequacy of these measures, describing them as insufficient. Under the ceasefire agreement, Israel was expected to withdraw from South Lebanon but has maintained its presence at five strategic positions, which Lebanon continues to demand it vacate.

Arab World

Lebanese Army Affirms Commitment to Protect Borders with Syria

Lebanese Army Commander General Rodolphe Haykal holds a meeting of the High Supervision Committee on the Border Protection Assistance Program in the presence of British, US and Canadian Ambassadors to Lebanon (Lebanese Army Directorate of Orientation) 
Lebanese Army Commander General Rodolphe Haykal holds a meeting of the High Supervision Committee on the Border Protection Assistance Program in the presence of British, US and Canadian Ambassadors to Lebanon (Lebanese Army Directorate of Orientation) 
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Lebanese Army Affirms Commitment to Protect Borders with Syria

Lebanese Army Commander General Rodolphe Haykal holds a meeting of the High Supervision Committee on the Border Protection Assistance Program in the presence of British, US and Canadian Ambassadors to Lebanon (Lebanese Army Directorate of Orientation) 
Lebanese Army Commander General Rodolphe Haykal holds a meeting of the High Supervision Committee on the Border Protection Assistance Program in the presence of British, US and Canadian Ambassadors to Lebanon (Lebanese Army Directorate of Orientation) 

The Lebanese Army on Wednesday reaffirmed its commitment to protect the border with Syria, stressing that achieving this goal successfully “requires qualitative military support.”

The announcement came in parallel with preparations to hold a fundraising conference in support of the country’s army, scheduled to be held in Paris on March 5.

The Lebanese Army is deployed along its northern and eastern border with Syria, where its forces work on implementing security measures and combat smuggling.

Other tasks include deployment on the southern border with Israel, implementing the Lebanese government’s plan to dismantle all armed militias, as well as protecting internal stability and combating drug smuggling.

In this regard, a meeting of the Higher Supervisory Committee on the Assistance Program for Land Borders Protection was held in Yarzeh, in the presence of Lebanese Army Commander General Rodolphe Haykal, British Ambassador to Lebanon Hamish Cowell, US Ambassador, Michel Issa, Canadian Ambassador Gregory Galligan, and members of the joint working team.

In a statement, the Lebanese Army Command said the meeting highlighted the implemented phases of the program and the necessary steps to support the LAF units tasked with protecting Lebanon’s eastern and northern borders and combat smuggling and illegal activities.

The British embassy said in a statement that the ambassadors underlined the LAF’s pivotal role in maintaining security and stability during a period of significant challenge.

They stressed the need to support the military institutions to further strengthen Lebanon’s security, stability, and territorial integrity.

“The Committee convened to review progress and challenges in securing Lebanon’s eastern and northern borders, and reaffirmed support for the LAF’s (Lebanese Army’s) efforts to reinforce state authority at this critical time,” the British embassy said.

For his part, General Haykal said, “We are committed to protect the borders and we have made many efforts and sacrifices to this end.”

However, he added, “achieving this goal successfully requires qualitative military support, given the size of challenges on the northern and eastern borders.”

Haykal hailed the US, British, and Canadian authorities for their continuous support to the army, which plays a fundamental role in enhancing the capabilities of military units and enabling them to carry out their missions amid the current challenges.