Strike Blamed on US Kills Four Iran-backed Fighters in Iraq

Iraqi security forces stand guard during a funerary procession for a slain member of Iraq's Hashed al-Shaabi, or the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) -- an alliance of factions now integrated into the regular army that also includes powerful Iran-backed groups -- who was killed in a US-Israeli air strike in Mosul the previous evening, in Baghdad on March 8, 2026. (Photo by AHMAD AL-RUBAYE / AFP)
Iraqi security forces stand guard during a funerary procession for a slain member of Iraq's Hashed al-Shaabi, or the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) -- an alliance of factions now integrated into the regular army that also includes powerful Iran-backed groups -- who was killed in a US-Israeli air strike in Mosul the previous evening, in Baghdad on March 8, 2026. (Photo by AHMAD AL-RUBAYE / AFP)
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Strike Blamed on US Kills Four Iran-backed Fighters in Iraq

Iraqi security forces stand guard during a funerary procession for a slain member of Iraq's Hashed al-Shaabi, or the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) -- an alliance of factions now integrated into the regular army that also includes powerful Iran-backed groups -- who was killed in a US-Israeli air strike in Mosul the previous evening, in Baghdad on March 8, 2026. (Photo by AHMAD AL-RUBAYE / AFP)
Iraqi security forces stand guard during a funerary procession for a slain member of Iraq's Hashed al-Shaabi, or the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) -- an alliance of factions now integrated into the regular army that also includes powerful Iran-backed groups -- who was killed in a US-Israeli air strike in Mosul the previous evening, in Baghdad on March 8, 2026. (Photo by AHMAD AL-RUBAYE / AFP)

Four fighters from the Iran-backed Kataeb Imam Ali group were killed in northern Iraq on Tuesday in air strikes blamed on the US, the armed faction announced. 

The attacks followed the downing of a drone late Monday near the UAE embassy in the nearby city of Erbil, drawing condemnation from Arab countries. 

The Kataeb Imam Ali group said its fighters were killed in "American aggression" against one of their positions in the Debs district of Kirkuk province, said AFP. 

The bombing targeted a position belonging to the Hashed al-Shaabi, which is an alliance of factions now integrated into Iraq's regular army and includes powerful Iran-backed groups. 

The Iraqi government's security information cell confirmed that several Hashed fighters were killed in a "bombing" in Kirkuk, without attributing the strike to anyone. 

"It is a blatant attack on Iraq," it said. 

Since the start of the Middle East war, bases belonging to Hashed al-Shaabi, or the Popular Mobilization Forces, have been hit several times, with strikes targeting pro-Iran fighters. 

Iraq, long a proxy battleground between the US and Iran, had said it did not want to be dragged into the war, but it has not been spared. 

It was drawn in from the outset, with strikes blamed on the United States and Israel targeting Iran-backed groups, which have since claimed attacks on US bases in Iraq and the wider region. 

Drone and rocket attacks have targeted Baghdad International Airport, which houses a military base and a US diplomatic facility, as well as oil fields and facilities. 

On Monday night, two drones were downed near the military base, a security source told AFP. 

The northern autonomous Kurdistan region, of which Erbil is the capital, hosts US troops and has been a main target of drone attacks, but these have largely been intercepted. 

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said Tuesday that they had targeted a US base in the region. 

"The headquarters of the invading US army in Al-Harir Air Base in the Kurdistan region was targeted with five missiles," the Guards said in a statement. 

Late on Monday, Kurdish counter-terrorism forces said US-led coalition forces had "downed three explosive-laden drones over Erbil". 

One drone fell near the UAE consulate in the city, a statement added, with no casualties reported. 

The Kurdistan regional government condemned the attack as "unjustified". 

Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Jordan also criticized the targeting of the consulate. 

A Kurdish security source told AFP late Monday that the drone was likely aimed at the US consulate but did not reach its target and fell instead near the Emirati mission. 

 



Palestinians Say Israeli Settlers Kill Man in Raid on Village

A damaged car in the Wadi Al-Lubban Al-Shamali area, south of Nablus, 06 April 2026. Israeli settlers burned a house, two tents, and three vehicles, and assaulted Palestinians in the town of Al-Lubban Ash-Sharqiya earlier in the day. (EPA)
A damaged car in the Wadi Al-Lubban Al-Shamali area, south of Nablus, 06 April 2026. Israeli settlers burned a house, two tents, and three vehicles, and assaulted Palestinians in the town of Al-Lubban Ash-Sharqiya earlier in the day. (EPA)
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Palestinians Say Israeli Settlers Kill Man in Raid on Village

A damaged car in the Wadi Al-Lubban Al-Shamali area, south of Nablus, 06 April 2026. Israeli settlers burned a house, two tents, and three vehicles, and assaulted Palestinians in the town of Al-Lubban Ash-Sharqiya earlier in the day. (EPA)
A damaged car in the Wadi Al-Lubban Al-Shamali area, south of Nablus, 06 April 2026. Israeli settlers burned a house, two tents, and three vehicles, and assaulted Palestinians in the town of Al-Lubban Ash-Sharqiya earlier in the day. (EPA)

The Palestinian health ministry said Israeli settlers shot dead a Palestinian man in the West Bank on Saturday, in the latest deadly attack on the occupied territory.

Ali Majed Hamadneh, 23, died after settlers opened fire during a raid on the village of Deir Jarir, northeast of Ramallah, the ministry said.

"He was brought to the Palestine Medical Complex in a critical condition" and later succumbed to his wounds, the ministry said on Telegram.

Palestinian official news agency Wafa also reported the incident.

"Armed colonists, under the protection of Israeli forces, attacked Deir Jarir from its western entrance and opened fire toward residents in the area," Wafa reported.

There was no immediate response from the Israeli police or military.

Violence in the West Bank, which Israel has occupied since 1967, has risen sharply since the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel triggered the Gaza war.

There has also been a spike in deadly attacks by Israeli settlers in the West Bank since the start of the Iran war on February 28, Palestinian authorities and the United Nations have said.

Prior to Saturday's attack, at least six Palestinians were killed since then in settler attacks, according to an AFP tally based on Palestinian health ministry figures.

Settler assaults on Palestinians have persisted for years, often to the indifference of mainstream Israeli society.

But the recent surge has prompted criticism from influential rabbis, settler leaders, and even Israel's military chief Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir, who called the attacks "morally and ethically unacceptable".


Iraqi Parliament Elects Nizar Amedi as Country’s New President

 The entrance of the Iraqi parliament building during a parliamentary session in Baghdad, Iraq, April 11, 2026. (Reuters)
The entrance of the Iraqi parliament building during a parliamentary session in Baghdad, Iraq, April 11, 2026. (Reuters)
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Iraqi Parliament Elects Nizar Amedi as Country’s New President

 The entrance of the Iraqi parliament building during a parliamentary session in Baghdad, Iraq, April 11, 2026. (Reuters)
The entrance of the Iraqi parliament building during a parliamentary session in Baghdad, Iraq, April 11, 2026. (Reuters)

The Iraqi parliament on Saturday elected Kurdish politician Nizar Amedi as the country's new president, a largely ceremonial role, following a parliamentary election last November.

Amedi, 58, is a former environment minister and has headed the political office of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) in Baghdad since 2024.

Iraq is now ‌due to ‌choose a prime minister, ‌a closely-watched ⁠and sensitive pick.

US ⁠President Donald Trump threatened in January to withdraw Washington's support for Iraq, a major oil producer, if former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki was designated to form a cabinet.

The pro-Iran Coordination Framework coalition that holds a parliamentary majority has ‌nominated Iran-backed Maliki, alarming Washington, which along ‌with Israel waged a six-week war with ‌Iran until a ceasefire was announced on Tuesday.

Senior US and Iranian officials were meeting in Islamabad on Saturday in ‌the highest-level talks between Washington and Tehran in half a century ⁠in ⁠an effort to end the war.

In Iraq, which has long trodden a tightrope between Iran and the US, its closest allies, the prime minister wields significant power.

Under Iraq's sectarian power-sharing system, the prime minister must be a Shiite, the parliamentary speaker a Sunni, and the president a Kurd.


Syria Says Busts Hezbollah-Linked Cell Planning Attack on ‘Religious Figure’

This handout picture released by the official Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) on March 8, 2025, shows Syrian forces manning a checkpoint in the coastal city of Latakia. (SANA/AFP)
This handout picture released by the official Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) on March 8, 2025, shows Syrian forces manning a checkpoint in the coastal city of Latakia. (SANA/AFP)
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Syria Says Busts Hezbollah-Linked Cell Planning Attack on ‘Religious Figure’

This handout picture released by the official Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) on March 8, 2025, shows Syrian forces manning a checkpoint in the coastal city of Latakia. (SANA/AFP)
This handout picture released by the official Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) on March 8, 2025, shows Syrian forces manning a checkpoint in the coastal city of Latakia. (SANA/AFP)

Syria's interior ministry said Saturday that five people had been arrested over a plot to attack an unidentified religious figure in Damascus, alleging the cell was linked to the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah.

In a statement, the ministry said security forces observed a woman as she attempted to "plant an explosive device in front of the house of a religious figure" near a church in Damascus's Bab Touma area.

Security forces intervened and dismantled the device, arresting all five members of the cell, the statement said.

"Preliminary investigations revealed the cell's link to Lebanon's Hezbollah, and that its members received specialized military training abroad," the statement added.

Since March 2, Hezbollah has been battling Israel after drawing Lebanon into the Middle East war with rocket fire at Israel in support of its backer Iran.

The group played a key role in Syria's civil war, fighting alongside the forces of now ousted leader Bashar al-Assad.

Under Assad, Syria was part of Iran's "axis of resistance" against Israel and enabled the transfer of weapons and money from Iran to Hezbollah.

Syria's new authorities have rejected Iranian influence and are hostile to the Lebanese group and its sponsor.

In February, Syria said it had dismantled a cell responsible for recent attacks targeting Damascus's Mazzeh district, saying the weapons came from Hezbollah, which denied any involvement.