Iraqi Pre-Emptive Strikes Hit Syria

A US F-16 fighter jet is seen during an official ceremony to receive four of three aircraft from the US, July 20, 2015. Reuters
A US F-16 fighter jet is seen during an official ceremony to receive four of three aircraft from the US, July 20, 2015. Reuters
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Iraqi Pre-Emptive Strikes Hit Syria

A US F-16 fighter jet is seen during an official ceremony to receive four of three aircraft from the US, July 20, 2015. Reuters
A US F-16 fighter jet is seen during an official ceremony to receive four of three aircraft from the US, July 20, 2015. Reuters

Iraqi warplanes attacked on Thursday positions in Syria as officials from Iraq, Russia, Iran and the Bashar Assad regime were meeting in Baghdad.

The pre-emptive attacks came ahead of a US plan to withdraw from Syrian areas east of the Euphrates River.

"Our heroic air force carried out deadly air strikes against ISIS sites in Syria on Thursday near the border with Iraq," said a statement issued by the office of the Iraqi Prime Minister.

It added that the attacks aim to counter dangers posed by militants to Iraqi territories and is proof of the improved military capabilities of the armed forces in fighting terror.

PM Haider al-Abadi had stated earlier that Iraq would take all necessary measures against ISIS if their militants threaten the security of his country.

Iraqi warplanes have previously attacked ISIS positions inside Syrian territories. However, it is the first time that such attacks coincide with a meeting of military and security officials from Iraq, Iran, Russia and Syria in Baghdad to coordinate their efforts in “fighting terrorism,” according to Iraqi sources.

Meanwhile, it is still unknown whether international chemical weapons inspectors had entered the location of a suspected poison gas attack in the Syrian town of Douma.

The inspectors had delayed their entry after gunfire at the site during a visit by a UN security team last Tuesday.

On Thursday, the US State Department accused Russian and Syrian regime officials of denying an investigative team access to the alleged chemical weapons attack sites as they sanitize them and remove incriminating evidence.

At the political level, Ankara said Thursday that the next round of the intra-Syrian talks would be held between May 14 and 15 in Astana.

UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura will be visiting Moscow on Friday to discuss means for improving efforts to hold a new round of Syrian talks in Geneva.



Palestinians in Jenin Observe a General Strike

A Palestinian police officer attempts to disperse demonstrators during a protest against clashes between Palestinian security forces and militants in the northern occupied West Bank city of Jenin on December 21, 2024. (Photo by Jaafar ASHTIYEH / AFP)
A Palestinian police officer attempts to disperse demonstrators during a protest against clashes between Palestinian security forces and militants in the northern occupied West Bank city of Jenin on December 21, 2024. (Photo by Jaafar ASHTIYEH / AFP)
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Palestinians in Jenin Observe a General Strike

A Palestinian police officer attempts to disperse demonstrators during a protest against clashes between Palestinian security forces and militants in the northern occupied West Bank city of Jenin on December 21, 2024. (Photo by Jaafar ASHTIYEH / AFP)
A Palestinian police officer attempts to disperse demonstrators during a protest against clashes between Palestinian security forces and militants in the northern occupied West Bank city of Jenin on December 21, 2024. (Photo by Jaafar ASHTIYEH / AFP)

Palestinians in the volatile northern West Bank town of Jenin are observing a general strike called by militant groups to protest a rare crackdown by Palestinian security forces.
An Associated Press reporter in Jenin heard gunfire and explosions, apparently from clashes between militants and Palestinian security forces. It was not immediately clear if anyone was killed or wounded. There was no sign of Israeli troops in the area.
Shops were closed in the city on Monday, the day after militants killed a member of the Palestinian security forces and wounded two others.
Militant groups called for a general strike across the territory, accusing the security forces of trying to disarm them in support of Israel’s half-century occupation of the territory.
The Western-backed Palestinian Authority is internationally recognized but deeply unpopular among Palestinians, in part because it cooperates with Israel on security matters. Israel accuses the authority of incitement and of failing to act against armed groups.
The Palestinian Authority blamed Sunday’s attack on “outlaws.” It says it is committed to maintaining law and order but will not police the occupation.
The Palestinian Authority exercises limited authority in population centers in the West Bank. Israel captured the territory in the 1967 Mideast War, and the Palestinians want it to form the main part of their future state.
Israel’s current government is opposed to Palestinian statehood and says it will maintain open-ended security control over the territory. Violence has soared in the West Bank following Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 attack out of Gaza, which ignited the war there.