Iraqi, Jordanian, Syrian Military Officials Meet in Amman to Bolster Readiness

Iraqi Defense Ministry spokesman Yahya Rasool. (Government media)
Iraqi Defense Ministry spokesman Yahya Rasool. (Government media)
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Iraqi, Jordanian, Syrian Military Officials Meet in Amman to Bolster Readiness

Iraqi Defense Ministry spokesman Yahya Rasool. (Government media)
Iraqi Defense Ministry spokesman Yahya Rasool. (Government media)

Senior Iraqi, Jordanian and Syrian military officials agreed Tuesday to step up coordination, information-sharing and joint military readiness to address current and future security challenges in the region, said Iraq’s Defense Ministry.

Yahya Rasool, the ministry’s spokesman, said Iraqi Army Chief of Staff Gen. Abdul Amir Rashid Yarallah attended a high-level meeting in Amman with Jordan’s chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Syria’s chief of the General Staff. The Kurdistan Regional Government’s Peshmerga affairs minister and Peshmerga chief of staff also took part.

The talks focused on strengthening military ties and cooperation amid rapidly evolving regional developments and security challenges.

Participants discussed regional security, border protection and cross-border threats, stressed closer coordination and greater exchanges of information and expertise. They agreed on the need to strengthen joint capabilities and operational readiness.

The military leaders said that rapidly changing conditions in the region required coordinated efforts and continued communication among military and security institutions to protect borders, safeguard national sovereignty and confront threats effectively.

They underscored the importance of expanding existing military cooperation and sharing expertise to bolster defense capabilities, operational readiness and regional stability.

Rasool said the meeting reflected Iraq’s commitment to strengthening military ties with countries in the region and expanding coordination to address security challenges and protect borders.

On the sidelines of the meeting, Yarallah met the commander of US Central Command to discuss military cooperation and coordination, the latest regional security developments and ways to strengthen joint efforts in support of security and stability.



Lewis Hamilton in Egypt to Visit Gaza Humanitarian Aid Facilities

 British Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton, left, listens to Major General Khaled Megawer, governor of North Sinai, during his visit to Egypt's side of the Rafah crossing with Gaza Strip, in Rafah, Egypt, Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2026. (AP)
British Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton, left, listens to Major General Khaled Megawer, governor of North Sinai, during his visit to Egypt's side of the Rafah crossing with Gaza Strip, in Rafah, Egypt, Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2026. (AP)
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Lewis Hamilton in Egypt to Visit Gaza Humanitarian Aid Facilities

 British Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton, left, listens to Major General Khaled Megawer, governor of North Sinai, during his visit to Egypt's side of the Rafah crossing with Gaza Strip, in Rafah, Egypt, Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2026. (AP)
British Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton, left, listens to Major General Khaled Megawer, governor of North Sinai, during his visit to Egypt's side of the Rafah crossing with Gaza Strip, in Rafah, Egypt, Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2026. (AP)

Seven-time Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton arrived at Egypt’s Rafah on Tuesday to visit organizations sending humanitarian aid to the war-torn Gaza Strip.

Hamilton has spoken out about humanitarian crises and conflict zones in the region, calling for peace. He has frequently posted on social media about children killed in Israeli airstrikes in Gaza and called for a ceasefire. He has also addressed other conflicts.

“I think we need to make sure we’re pushing to free Congo, free Sudan, free Syria, free Palestine. I think there’s a lot of peace that I’m hoping we get to at some stage,” Hamilton said last month.

While a ceasefire agreement reached last year has halted major combat operations, aid going into Gaza continues to fall far short of the agreed-upon minimum of 600 trucks a day.

Israeli forces have continued to advance into Gaza, expanding their control from 53% of the territory to at least 60%, an independent commission of UN experts said last month.

Israeli airstrikes continue across Gaza, and Israeli fire along the advancing front has killed at least 196 Palestinians, including 18 women, 32 boys and 11 girls, the commission said.

Hamilton toured Egypt’s Rafah border crossing with Gaza before visiting logistics warehouses operated by the Egyptian Red Crescent, which facilitates aid entry into Gaza.

At the crossing, Hamilton greeted aid workers with “Al-Salamo Alaykom,” an Arabic greeting meaning “peace be upon you.” He shook hands and briefly spoke with workers and officials.

Khaled Megawer, the governor of North Sinai, where Rafah is located, said the visit aims to help Hamilton learn about Egypt’s efforts to send aid to Gaza.

The visit comes after Hamilton made his 400th race start on Sunday at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix at Interlagos.

Hamilton, the first Black driver to race in F1, made his debut with McLaren in 2007. He is only the second driver in F1 to start 400 races following his former teammate Fernando Alonso, who achieved the milestone in 2024.


Israeli Fire Kills Father and Son in Gaza, Medics Say

 Palestinians inspect tents buried under rocks and earth a day after a large sandstone slab collapsed at a displacement camp, killing at least five people, including four children, according to health officials, in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, Monday, Nov. 9, 2026. (AP)
Palestinians inspect tents buried under rocks and earth a day after a large sandstone slab collapsed at a displacement camp, killing at least five people, including four children, according to health officials, in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, Monday, Nov. 9, 2026. (AP)
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Israeli Fire Kills Father and Son in Gaza, Medics Say

 Palestinians inspect tents buried under rocks and earth a day after a large sandstone slab collapsed at a displacement camp, killing at least five people, including four children, according to health officials, in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, Monday, Nov. 9, 2026. (AP)
Palestinians inspect tents buried under rocks and earth a day after a large sandstone slab collapsed at a displacement camp, killing at least five people, including four children, according to health officials, in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, Monday, Nov. 9, 2026. (AP)

Israeli forces ‌killed at least three Palestinians, including a father and his 13-year-old son, in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, local health officials said.

Medics said Fadi Rajab and his son Abubakr were killed in an airstrike that hit the roof of a displacement shelter in the Zeitoun neighborhood in Gaza City, while a ‌third person ‌was killed by gunfire in Khan ‌Younis, ⁠in the south ⁠of the enclave.

The Israeli military did not immediately comment on either of the incidents.

A US-brokered ceasefire last year called for the eventual reconstruction of Gaza, but little progress has been made. Negotiators ⁠have failed to agree on ‌terms for ‌Hamas to disarm or for Israel to withdraw its ‌troops, which control about two-thirds of ‌the territory and from which residents have been ordered to leave.

Israel says Hamas is trying to regroup and refill its arsenal, while ‌Hamas says it is committed to the ceasefire agreement and accuses ⁠Israel ⁠of trying to undermine it.

At least 1,600 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza since the ceasefire agreement, according to the territory's health officials, while Israel says four soldiers have been killed.

Palestinian authorities say more than 74,000 people have been killed in Israel's assault on Gaza, launched after Hamas-led fighters killed about 1,200 people in southern Israel on October 7, 2023.


Iraq Reopens Border Crossing with Iran

Stranded Iranians and Iraqis wait at the Iraq-Iran border following the Iraqi government's decision to close the Shalamsheh border crossing in the southern Basra province on September 12, 2026. (AFP)
Stranded Iranians and Iraqis wait at the Iraq-Iran border following the Iraqi government's decision to close the Shalamsheh border crossing in the southern Basra province on September 12, 2026. (AFP)
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Iraq Reopens Border Crossing with Iran

Stranded Iranians and Iraqis wait at the Iraq-Iran border following the Iraqi government's decision to close the Shalamsheh border crossing in the southern Basra province on September 12, 2026. (AFP)
Stranded Iranians and Iraqis wait at the Iraq-Iran border following the Iraqi government's decision to close the Shalamsheh border crossing in the southern Basra province on September 12, 2026. (AFP)

Iraqi authorities reopened on Tuesday a border crossing with Iran after closing it last month amid mounting US pressure to isolate Tehran.

The Iraqi government closed the Al-Sheeb crossing in the Maysan province in October. Two political sources told AFP that the US was pressuring Baghdad to close most crossings with neighboring Iran.

The head of Iraq's border crossings authority Alaa al-Waeli told the state news agency (INA) that Al-Sheeb crossing would reopen Tuesday morning after the completion of the "necessary procedures" required to resume operations and "ensure the smooth movement of travelers and goods".

He added that authorities would temporarily close the Al-Mandali border crossing in Diyala province starting on Friday for "maintenance".

The closure of the Al-Sheeb crossing sparked tensions between the central government and local authorities in Maysan, with several protests erupting over the shutdown of a key route.

In September, Baghdad temporarily closed several crossings with Iran after authorities determined that an unclaimed drone attack on a Saudi pipeline originated from an area near Al-Sheeb.

Pro-Iran armed groups have supported Tehran during the Middle East war, claiming hundreds of attacks on US bases in Iraq and across the region.