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US Troops to Leave Al-Shaddadi Base in Syria

US soldiers patrol the countryside of Rumaylan in Syria's northeastern Hasakeh province on June 7, 2023. (AFP) 
US soldiers patrol the countryside of Rumaylan in Syria's northeastern Hasakeh province on June 7, 2023. (AFP) 
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US Troops to Leave Al-Shaddadi Base in Syria

US soldiers patrol the countryside of Rumaylan in Syria's northeastern Hasakeh province on June 7, 2023. (AFP) 
US soldiers patrol the countryside of Rumaylan in Syria's northeastern Hasakeh province on June 7, 2023. (AFP) 

US troops at Al-Shaddadi base in Syria's northeastern Al-Hasakah province are preparing to withdraw completely in the coming hours.

“The US forces at the base are preparing for a complete withdrawal outside Syrian territories in the next 24 hours,” a source told Syria TV on Wednesday.

Earlier, the Hasaka Media Center reported that a truck convoy belonging to the international coalition entered from Iraq through the Yaarabiya crossing and headed to Al-Shaddadi base south of Al-Hasakah province.

Civilian sources in the area said the empty trucks were sent to load military equipment from the base.

Local eyewitnesses also reported that the international coalition is evacuating the Kharab al-Jir base, a key United States military installation located in northeastern Al-Hasakah.

Since Tuesday, the sources added, the sound of drones in Qamishli were heard. They said gunshots were also heard intermittently, signaling that international coalition forces were destroying some of their positions in the Kharab al-Jirb base.

Late last month, the Turkish Anadolu Agency said heightened military activity was seen at Al-Shaddadi air base, which is used by the US-led anti-ISIS coalition, according to local sources.

It said observers have reported the landing of a US cargo aircraft.

Syrian government forces entered the Kurdish-majority city of Qamishli on Tuesday as part of a deal agreed last week to gradually integrate the Kurds' forces and institutions into the state and began preparing to take over the airport.

Kurdish forces have ceded swathes of territory to advancing government troops in recent weeks following months of tension and sporadic clashes as Syria's new authorities have sought to impose their authority across the country.

“A convoy of internal security forces began entering the city of Qamishli,” the official SANA news agency said.

Sources explained that the Syrian security forces stopped at the entrance of the Qamishli airport in preparation to enter the facility, in addition to government buildings.

Few people were seen on the streets inside the city amid a curfew in place until Wednesday morning, with Kurdish security forces also lightly deployed.

 

 

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Arab World

Iraq to Probe Drone Attack on Kurdistan PM’s Office

Smoke billows after strikes near Erbil airport on July 24, 2026. (AFP)
Smoke billows after strikes near Erbil airport on July 24, 2026. (AFP)
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Iraq to Probe Drone Attack on Kurdistan PM’s Office

Smoke billows after strikes near Erbil airport on July 24, 2026. (AFP)
Smoke billows after strikes near Erbil airport on July 24, 2026. (AFP)

Iraq said on Monday it would launch an investigation into an overnight drone attack on the Iraqi Kurdistan prime minister's office, as Iran portrayed the incident as a ploy to undermine bilateral relations.

Kurdistan's authorities had earlier blamed the attack -- which also targeted the home of the autonomous region's intelligence chief -- on Tehran, saying the two drones had been launched from Iranian territory.

Since the start of the Middle East war, the Kurdistan region, which hosts US troops and foreign oil firms as well as rebels exiled from Iran, has been targeted with more than 1,000 attacks by Tehran and pro-Iran armed groups inside Iraq.

Drones have repeatedly been intercepted over Kurdistan's capital Erbil, while others have struck the rebels and US interests.

The office of Iraq's Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi said he had "directed the formation of an investigative committee tasked with identifying the sources and launching points of the attack that targeted the office of" Kurdistan's Prime Minister Masrour Barzani.

Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei condemned the attack, "describing it as a highly suspicious development that requires vigilance and careful attention", according to a statement carried by state news agency IRNA.

Iran's foreign ministry said its top diplomat Abbas Araghchi held a phone call with his Iraqi counterpart on Monday.

"Nothing justifies the reckless attack on PM Barzani's office. Kurdish friends should be vigilant against false-flag ploys to sow discord between neighbors," Araghchi said on X.

US President Donald Trump's special envoy to Iraq, Tom Barrack, said "we strongly condemn the attack on our friend and valued Kurdish partner" Barzani, adding that the aggression was "unacceptable and a direct threat to regional stability".

Separately, an explosion at a petroleum products depot in eastern Iraqi Kurdistan injured 18 people, Kurdish media outlet Rudaw reported, without specifying the cause of the blast.

Hirsh Salim, deputy director general of health in Sulaimaniyah governorate, told the outlet that there were no fatalities.

Under pressure from the United States, Iraq has given pro-Iran armed groups in the country until September 30 to disarm, coinciding with the end of the US-led anti-ISIS coalition's mission.

Iraq is home to several powerful Iran-backed armed factions, which have seen their political and financial clout increase over the years.

Many emerged in the wake of the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq and gained further power and prominence during the fight against the ISIS group from 2014 onwards.

They have long called for the withdrawal of American troops deployed within the coalition, and they have frequently hit bases hosting US troops.

While some armed groups announced they will cooperate to hand over weapons to the state, others remain adamant that the issue should not be discussed under US pressure.

- 'Dangerous escalation' -

Kurdish authorities said earlier on Monday that two Iranian drones had targeted Barzani's office and the home of the autonomous region's intelligence chief.

"Following an investigation by the Kurdistan Counter-Terrorism Unit, my personal office and the home of the head of the Security and Intelligence Agency were targeted by Iranian drone attacks earlier today," Barzani said in a post on X.

"This is a dangerous escalation and a direct threat to the security and stability of the Kurdistan region."

The regional Counter-Terrorism Directorate said there were no casualties in the attack.

"Two Hadid-110 type explosive-laden drones were launched from across the Iranian border toward the private office of the Kurdistan region prime minister and the residence of the Parastin Agency director," it said.

Tehran accuses the exiled Kurdish opposition groups of serving Western and Israeli interests, and continued to launch strikes against them even during a regional ceasefire announced in April, which eventually broke down.

The groups have mostly evacuated their bases and camps in Kurdistan since the war began.

Arab World

Houthis Fire 5 Ballistic Missiles at Bab el-Mandeb

Damage in the aftermath of Houthi strikes on the Red Sea port city of Mokha, Yemen, August 10, 2026 in this screengrab taken from a handout video. (Reuters/Handout)
Damage in the aftermath of Houthi strikes on the Red Sea port city of Mokha, Yemen, August 10, 2026 in this screengrab taken from a handout video. (Reuters/Handout)
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Houthis Fire 5 Ballistic Missiles at Bab el-Mandeb

Damage in the aftermath of Houthi strikes on the Red Sea port city of Mokha, Yemen, August 10, 2026 in this screengrab taken from a handout video. (Reuters/Handout)
Damage in the aftermath of Houthi strikes on the Red Sea port city of Mokha, Yemen, August 10, 2026 in this screengrab taken from a handout video. (Reuters/Handout)

The Iran-backed Houthi group fired on Monday five ballistic missiles at the Bab el-Mandeb Strait in the Red Sea, days after their attacks on Yemen’s Mokha all but left it destroyed, taking it out of service.

Legitimate government media said that the Houthis fired two ballistic missiles near the al-Hamza camp in the Ibb provinces and three east of Taiz city.

The Houthis also continued their attacks on Mokha city, in the Taiz province, using rockets and drones.

The government forces continued to counter the Houthi attacks on several fronts.

In Mokha, dozens of sailors staged a protest against the Houthi attacks, calling on the international community to intervene urgently to stop them.

They urged the need to provide effective protection to marine waterways and to workers in the marine sector.

Mokha Port head Abdul Malik Al-Sharabi said the Houthi attacks in recent days left four security forces and three port staff dead.

The militants fired over 25 missiles at the facility, leaving extensive damage throughout, including vessels, the pier, and vital infrastructure, he revealed.

Sailors stage a protest against Houthi attacks on Bab el-Mandeb and the Red Sea. (AP)

He warned of the humanitarian and economic repercussions of the halt in navigation at the port, saying that some 1,300 workers have lost their sources of income.

Meanwhile, in Taiz, government forces repelled Houthi advances north of the city.

A statement from the armed forces, said the troops clashed with the Houthis, leaving casualties in their ranks.

Houth artillery strikes on northwestern Taiz left material damage, said military sources. No casualties were reported. The national resistance retaliated to the attacks.

The Yemeni Network for Victims Associations documented the killing and injury of 18 civilians in Houthi ballistic missile and drone attacks on Taiz, Marib, Hodeidah and Dhale between August 4 and 15.

During a press conference, the association said the attacks targeted homes, displacement camps and civilian infrastructure.

It called on the United Nations, its Security Council and the international community to take measures to protect civilians and hold the perpetrators accountable.

It also called for an independent international probe into the violations related to the use of ballistic missiles and drones.

Arab World

Palestinian-American Returns to West Bank to Defend His Home Under Siege by Israeli Settlers

Palestinian-American Louis Ridi, who seeks access to his home in the Israeli-occupied West Bank that has been encircled by militant settlers for more than a week, embraces his mother at her home, in Qusra village, Israeli-occupied West Bank, August 17, 2026. (Reuters)
Palestinian-American Louis Ridi, who seeks access to his home in the Israeli-occupied West Bank that has been encircled by militant settlers for more than a week, embraces his mother at her home, in Qusra village, Israeli-occupied West Bank, August 17, 2026. (Reuters)
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Palestinian-American Returns to West Bank to Defend His Home Under Siege by Israeli Settlers

Palestinian-American Louis Ridi, who seeks access to his home in the Israeli-occupied West Bank that has been encircled by militant settlers for more than a week, embraces his mother at her home, in Qusra village, Israeli-occupied West Bank, August 17, 2026. (Reuters)
Palestinian-American Louis Ridi, who seeks access to his home in the Israeli-occupied West Bank that has been encircled by militant settlers for more than a week, embraces his mother at her home, in Qusra village, Israeli-occupied West Bank, August 17, 2026. (Reuters)

The Palestinian-American whose home in the occupied West Bank has been besieged by Israeli settlers for over a week arrived in the region Monday and said he planned to join other family members in defending the property.

The standoff, in the village of Qusra, has seen groups of settlers surround several Palestinian houses and prevent residents from leaving.

The United States has condemned the siege and the Israeli military has deployed troops it says are there to maintain order.

The siege of Palestinian homes by Israeli settlers comes as violence in the West Bank has soared in recent months. The settlers, emboldened by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing government, have ramped up attacks on Palestinian towns and villages, harassing residents and setting homes, mosques and fields ablaze.

As Loui Ridi, an Ohio-based owner of one of the houses, landed in Israel, settlers were still roaming near Qusra, according to video footage taken by his brother.

Qusai Abu Rida and his teenage son have stayed inside the home to protect it from the settlers.

“I’m terrified for my brother and his son and their safety," Ridi told reporters at Israel's main international airport. “And now I'm going to have to fear for my own safety.”

He said he would try to reach Qusra, which is about 10 miles (16 kilometers) southeast of Nablus, but was unsure if he would be able to enter. The Israeli army declared the part of Qusra where Ridi's home is located a closed military zone last week.

According to Palestinian health officials, Israeli soldiers and settlers have killed 87 Palestinians so far this year. Palestinians have killed three Israelis, including two who were killed in the West Bank village of Tell last month.