Kurdish Fears of Iraqi Advance to Recapture Crossing with Turkey

Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz attends a meeting of the Saudi-Iraqi Bilateral Coordination Council with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi in Riyadh. (AFP)
Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz attends a meeting of the Saudi-Iraqi Bilateral Coordination Council with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi in Riyadh. (AFP)
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Kurdish Fears of Iraqi Advance to Recapture Crossing with Turkey

Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz attends a meeting of the Saudi-Iraqi Bilateral Coordination Council with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi in Riyadh. (AFP)
Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz attends a meeting of the Saudi-Iraqi Bilateral Coordination Council with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi in Riyadh. (AFP)

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson arrived in Baghdad on Monday evening in an unscheduled visit to meet with Iraqi President Fouad Massoud and Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi, and to call on Baghdad and Irbil to solve their disputes through dialogue.

Tillerson’s visit came hours after Abadi’s office rebuked him for his comments on the withdrawal of “Iran’s militias” from Iraq.

A statement issued by the Iraqi government presidency said that in his opening remarks at the meeting with Tillerson, Abadi said that “the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) is an official institution and is part of the Iraqi state institutions.”

The Iraqi prime minister added that the PMF fighters should be encouraged because they will be the hope of the country and region.

AFP quoted a source at the Iraqi government as saying that Tillerson and Abadi discussed the “government measures taken to restore the authority of the federal government in Kirkuk, in addition to the political and security situation.”

On Sunday, Abadi and Tillerson had attended a meeting between Saudi and Iraqi leaders in Riyadh aimed at promoting strategic ties between the two countries and countering Iran's regional influence.

Meanwhile, security sources in the Kurdistan Region pointed out to Iraqi military mobilization and the deployment of tanks and artillery near an area controlled by the Kurdish Peshmerga forces, warning that they are aimed at recapturing the Khabur border crossing between Kurdistan and Turkey.

Reuters quoted on Monday security sources as saying that Iraqi forces are deploying tanks and artillery near a Kurdish-held area of northern Iraq where a section of a Kurdish oil export pipeline is located, as well as land crossings to Turkey and Syria.

“The buildup is taking place northwest of Mosul,” an official from the Kurdistan Regional Government’s security council said.

An Iraqi government security advisor said taking control of the land crossings was part of measures planned by Baghdad, Reuters reported.

On Tuesday, Abadi is expected to visit Ankara. Turkey’s Anadolu Agency quoted a prime ministry official as saying the Iraqi prime minister will meet his Turkish counterpart Binali Yildirim at Cankaya Palace.

The premiers would likely discuss ways to enhance cooperation in order to contribute to regional peace, stability and safety, the official, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on talking to the media, told Anadolu Agency.



Egypt Says Israel-EU Agreement Has Not Increased Aid to Gaza

Egyptian Foreign Affairs Minister Badr Abdelatty arrives for a meeting of Palestinian and Israeli foreign ministers on the sidelines of the EU-Southern Neighborhood Ministerial Meeting at the EU Council in Brussels, Belgium, 14 July 2025. (EPA)
Egyptian Foreign Affairs Minister Badr Abdelatty arrives for a meeting of Palestinian and Israeli foreign ministers on the sidelines of the EU-Southern Neighborhood Ministerial Meeting at the EU Council in Brussels, Belgium, 14 July 2025. (EPA)
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Egypt Says Israel-EU Agreement Has Not Increased Aid to Gaza

Egyptian Foreign Affairs Minister Badr Abdelatty arrives for a meeting of Palestinian and Israeli foreign ministers on the sidelines of the EU-Southern Neighborhood Ministerial Meeting at the EU Council in Brussels, Belgium, 14 July 2025. (EPA)
Egyptian Foreign Affairs Minister Badr Abdelatty arrives for a meeting of Palestinian and Israeli foreign ministers on the sidelines of the EU-Southern Neighborhood Ministerial Meeting at the EU Council in Brussels, Belgium, 14 July 2025. (EPA)

Egypt's foreign minister said on Monday that the flow of aid into Gaza has not increased despite an agreement last week between Israel and the European Union that should have had that result.

"Nothing has changed (on the ground)," Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty told reporters ahead of the EU-Middle East meeting in Brussels on Monday.

The EU's top diplomat said on Thursday that the bloc and Israel agreed to improve Gaza's humanitarian situation, including increasing the number of aid trucks and opening crossing points and aid routes.

Asked what steps Israel has taken, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar referred to an understanding with the EU but did not provide details on implementation.

Asked if there were improvements after the agreement, Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi told reporters that the situation in Gaza remains "catastrophic".

"There is a real catastrophe happening in Gaza resulting from the continuation of the Israeli siege," he said.

Safadi said Israel allowed the entry of 40 to 50 trucks days ago from Jordan but that was "far from being sufficient" for the besieged enclave.

EU's foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said ahead of Monday's meeting that there have been some signs of progress on Gaza aid but not enough improvement on the ground.

Israel's continued military operations and blockade have left the entire population of 2.3 million people in Gaza facing acute food insecurity, with nearly half a million at risk of famine by the end of September, a joint United Nations report said last month.