Iraq: Activists Campaign to 'Save Basra', Health Ministry Denies Cholera Outbreaks
Iraqi protesters burn tires and block the road at the entrance to the city of Basra, Iraq July 12, 2018. (Reuters: Essam al-Sudani)
An online campaign launched by Iraqi activists and bloggers succeeded over the past few days in drawing attention to the water pollution crisis in the southern district of Basra.
Recent videos and photos went viral on social media showing dozens of poisoned patients in hospitals due to contamination of drinking water. This has prompted activists to launch "Save Basra" campaign which coincided with a wave of protests that have been taking place for weeks, expected to escalate after Adha Eid holiday into sit-ins and civil disobedience, activists informed Asharq Al-Awsat.
The Iraqi Health Ministry denied on Friday reports about purported spread of epidemics in Basra due to water contamination and said it had dispatched additional supplies of medicines to the province to cope with possible emergency.
The ministry also sent a team to review the reports and ensure that no communicable diseases' outbreak had taken place, Ministry Spokesman Saif al-Badr said.
The team had already confirmed that there is no sign of cholera outbreak, adding that the latest cases were "minor and moderate" and did not require hospitalization. However, Basra governor Asaad al-Eidani, strongly criticized the government, saying it did not respond to the demands of the people.
Basra Health Department confirmed that drinking water in over 70 percent of areas is polluted and unfit for human consumption.
Representative of High Religious Authority Ali al-Sistani dedicated Friday’s sermon to criticize the Iraqi government for failing to solve Basra's water problem.
"The human, patriotic and religious duties call on the authorities and relevant institutions to work together to put an end to the sufferings of the people of Basra," Abdul Mahdi Karbalai said.
The Representative called on the government to find a lasting solution for this water contamination problem.
Earlier in July, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi visited Basra accompanied by a large number of ministers, after several protests erupted in the city.
Abadi promised to meet all demands, however, Eidani complained in a statement that the city has been demanding in vain the federal government to transfer money to establish desalination stations.
Basra’s Human Rights Commission also warned that the conditions of the province are "dangerous" due to high salinity and increased pollution, accusing the federal government of not acting accordingly.
The Commission asked the government to declare Basra a “disaster area”.
Basra has the largest oil supply in Iraq, as oil experts indicate that it owns 15 out of 77 fields in the country, including 10 producing fields awaiting development. These fields can produce more than 65 billion barrels, about 59 percent of Iraq's oil reserves.
Ali al-Taher Demolition Leaves Nabatieh Residents Wondering What Comes Nexthttps://english.aawsat.com/arab-world/5317257-ali-al-taher-demolition-leaves-nabatieh-residents-wondering-what-comes-next
Destroyed stones on the top of Ali al-Taher ridge, which Israeli forces captured after fighting with Hezbollah and where the Israeli military said it blew up a network of Hezbollah tunnels Thursday night near Nabatieh town, southern Lebanon, Friday, Sept. 11, 2026. (AP)
Ali al-Taher Demolition Leaves Nabatieh Residents Wondering What Comes Next
Destroyed stones on the top of Ali al-Taher ridge, which Israeli forces captured after fighting with Hezbollah and where the Israeli military said it blew up a network of Hezbollah tunnels Thursday night near Nabatieh town, southern Lebanon, Friday, Sept. 11, 2026. (AP)
Israel’s demolition of two tunnels extending two kilometers through Ali al-Taher ridge brought movement in south Lebanon’s Nabatieh city to a standstill and deepened fears over what comes next.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said Israel was ready to press ahead with its campaign and continue striking Hezbollah and other sites.
The Israeli military carried out a powerful explosion on Ali al-Taher ridge, on the outskirts of Nabatieh al-Fawqa, causing tremors and a loud blast that echoed strongly across Nabatieh and the surrounding area, according to Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency.
The US Geological Survey recorded a magnitude 4.1 seismic event in southern Lebanon. Lebanon’s National Center for Geophysics, which is affiliated with the National Council for Scientific Research, said ground waves were detected at 9:08 p.m. on Thursday by all its monitoring stations.
The center said the waves “resulted from the explosion carried out by the Israeli enemy in the Ali al-Taher area and could be compared to a magnitude 4.2 earthquake on the Richter scale.”
A difficult night
Residents of southern Lebanon endured “a difficult night.”
“The ground shook beneath us for about five seconds,” said one resident living 20 kilometers from Ali al-Taher.
“The sound of the explosions was faint, but the doors shook around us,” the resident told Asharq Al-Awsat. “It felt like an earthquake that ended after five seconds.”
A resident of the town of Marjeyoun said the ground “shook beneath us, and we saw the houses shaking,” underscoring the force of the blast, “before columns of flames rose into the air.”
“I began seeing the explosions. There were between seven and eight, with columns of flames rising to varying heights,” the resident told Asharq Al-Awsat.
“The sky glowed red. The scene was terrifying and frightening. The children panicked, and within minutes, dust began reaching us, covering the trees, cars and rooftops.”
A picture shows destroyed houses in the southern Lebanese village of Kfar Tebnit on September 11, 2026, following an Israeli demolition on the Ali al-Taher ridge. (AFP)
“The smell of gunpowder choked us, forcing us to close the windows again,” the resident said, adding that sunrise revealed a thick layer of dust covering the town.
Residents of Qlayaa and Marjeyoun said windows and doors were shattered by the blast in homes on the western edges of the two towns overlooking Ali al-Taher.
The tremors and sounds of the explosions carried over long distances. Residents living 20 kilometers from Ali al-Taher said they saw flashes and flames and felt the ground shake, although the sound was not loud. Residents of Marjeyoun, by contrast, reported hearing powerful explosions.
NNA said the Khardali road was completely blocked after the overnight blast caused rocks and stones to tumble onto the roadway.
Residents’ fears
Daylight revealed a changed landscape. The explosion and Israel’s threats to continue its bombardment and demolitions deepened residents’ fears as they wondered what would come next.
Local sources in Nabatieh said many residents who had returned to the city “left again for fear that the war would resume or the fighting would expand.”
People are asking about “the next phase,” which remains unclear even to the Lebanese state. Beirut is continuing contacts with the United States aimed at de-escalation and resuming negotiations through an eighth session with Israel expected to be held this month. The Lebanese presidency has not yet been informed of the date.
Residents fear the fighting could spread toward Nabatieh following the demolition of Ali al-Taher.
“No one can guarantee what will happen,” one resident said. “The Israeli statements are alarming.”
The Ali al-Taher hill is seen in the background overlooking destroyed houses in the southern village of Kfar Rumman, Lebanon, Friday, Sept. 4, 2026. (APi)
Fighters’ fate unknown
Hezbollah issued no official statement on the Ali al-Taher demolition, while the fate of its fighters suspected of having been inside the tunnels remained unknown.
An Israeli military official told AFP that some fighters who had been operating in the highlands had left the area, while others were eliminated by airstrikes and artillery fire.
The Israeli military said last week that it had taken control of the highlands, located north of the Litani River on the edge of the Israeli-occupied area in southern Lebanon.
Supporting returning residents
Meanwhile, the Lebanese government is seeking to help returning residents remain in areas where the fighting has subsided.
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam received a delegation from the municipality of Kfar Rumman, which borders Ali al-Taher and was subjected to continuous bombardment for three months. The delegation presented a series of demands related to residents’ return and the area’s recovery.
Salam said the Council for Development and Reconstruction would soon begin implementing projects in the area after completing the necessary preparatory procedures.
He said he was also following up with the Council of the South on projects concerning the town.
Salam asked the municipality to prepare a list of its most urgent priorities and needs and to survey families in need of help with shelter or prefabricated homes. Priority would be given to the neediest families with no alternative housing, given the limited resources and capabilities available.
Salam said the Israeli attacks on Kfar Rumman, which killed and wounded civilians, including children, were being documented by the National Committee for International Humanitarian Law, chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Tarek Mitri.
The delegation called for a stronger deployment of the Lebanese army, particularly along roads leading to Khardali and Dawhet Kfar Rumman, as well as a greater security presence in the town, especially by the Internal Security Forces.
Salam said efforts were continuing to reinforce the presence of the army and security forces to reassure residents and strengthen stability.
Houthis Seize Bab Al-Mandeb and Yemeni Islands in Southern Red Seahttps://english.aawsat.com/arab-world/5317238-houthis-seize-bab-al-mandeb-and-yemeni-islands-southern-red-sea
Houthi militants ride a motorbike during a mobilization campaign in Sanaa, Yemen, Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026. (AP)
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Houthis Seize Bab Al-Mandeb and Yemeni Islands in Southern Red Sea
Houthi militants ride a motorbike during a mobilization campaign in Sanaa, Yemen, Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026. (AP)
The Iran-backed Houthi group expanded on Friday its control on the western coast of Yemen, reaching wide areas of the Dhubab district, which directly overlooks the Bab al-Mandeb strait. Militants also captured Mayyun Island and the Hanish Islands archipelago and Zuqar Island in the Red Sea.
The developments raise the risks surrounding one of the most important strategic waterways in the world, a day after the Houthis seized Mokha city and its strategic port.
The Houthis seized control of wide areas in Dhubab, including the Bab al-Mandeb area, following heavy shelling against government forces, which were forced to retreat toward the southern outskirts of the district.
With the group's arrival in these areas, its deployment now extends over a wide coastal and island area directly connected to the waterway that separates the Red Sea from the Gulf of Aden.
The Houthis entered Mayyun Island, located in the heart of the Bab al-Mandeb strait, and deployed there without resistance, following the withdrawal of naval military forces from the island, according to field sources.
Warplanes launched raids on Houthi targets in the Mokha district, in an attempt to contain the progress achieved by the group during the past days.
The Yemeni government called for international support. In a statement Friday from a meeting the previous day, its National Defense Council said it was on the front line of defending freedom of navigation and condemned the Houthis’ renewed attacks on Saudi Arabia.
The council stressed that the battle is not about controlling individual positions or districts, but rather about restoring state institutions and its sovereignty, warning against turning the coasts and islands into platforms to threaten Yemen, the countries of the region, and international navigation.
The council said that Yemen, in its defense of Bab al-Mandeb, its coasts, islands, and territorial waters, is not defending itself only, but rather the freedom of navigation, maritime security, and the stability of world trade.
It called on the international community, especially the UN Security Council and countries overlooking the Red Sea, to bear their responsibilities to prevent turning Bab al-Mandeb and Yemeni coasts and islands into leverage for blackmail or platforms of threat to international navigation and trade.
Residents of Southern Lebanon Gather to Watch Israeli Drones Drop Explosives on their Villagehttps://english.aawsat.com/arab-world/5317193-residents-southern-lebanon-gather-watch-israeli-drones-drop-explosives-their
People from Mansouri record the smoke billowing from an Israeli-controlled detonation destroying their village, as seen from Hanniyeh village, southern Lebanon, Friday, Sept. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
Residents of Southern Lebanon Gather to Watch Israeli Drones Drop Explosives on their Village
People from Mansouri record the smoke billowing from an Israeli-controlled detonation destroying their village, as seen from Hanniyeh village, southern Lebanon, Friday, Sept. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
A group of men and children gathered Friday at a vantage point overlooking their village in southern Lebanon, watching from a distance as Israeli drones descended, carrying boxes laden with explosives to be dropped on houses.
It has become a daily ritual for residents of Mansouri, who fled the village weeks ago and now are watching its destruction from the neighboring village of Hanniyeh.
Active fighting between Israel and the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah has simmered down since they entered into a truce in June, but the Israeli military now occupies large swaths of southern Lebanon, where it regularly carries out controlled demolitions.
Massive clouds of smoke and dust rise periodically from Mansouri, as the men watching debate which neighbor's house has been destroyed this time and look for signs of their own. Early Friday, the Israeli military detonated the village's public school, Lebanese state media reported.
The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the demolitions.
Villagers decry the Lebanese government's lack of response. Some displaced residents blame the Lebanese government along with Israel, saying that authorities abandoned the village.
Ali Hussein Ghanem, a tobacco farmer from Mansouri, is staying with relatives in Hanniyeh along with his wife and children.
“This is something that should never happen,” he said, watching the smoke rise over his village from a distance. “Isn’t the state supposed to protect our town rather than hand it over to Israel?”
Wissam Khashabi, a beekeeper, also from Mansouri, agreed.
“We are seeing our land being destroyed,” he said. “We have lost our property, our orchards, and all our livelihoods. The state is not really doing anything.”
On Thursday, Israeli officials said they had blown up Hezbollah tunnel networks under the strategic Ali Taher ridge near the town of Nabatiyeh, in a different part of southern Lebanon. The force of the blasts caused the earth to shake in surrounding areas.
The Israeli military said the ridge contained extensive underground military infrastructure built by Hezbollah. It had been the site of clashes between Israeli forces and the militant group in recent weeks, before Israel announced it had taken “operational control” of it.
No political solution in sight Many residents of Mansouri fled when the latest Israel-Hezbollah war began in March, but returned after the truce in June — only to flee again when the Israeli military issued a call to evacuate the village last month and began striking it again.
Israel said at the time that it was responding to ceasefire violations by Hezbollah. But it’s not clear why it has been demolishing the village since then.
Some of the displaced were taken in by relatives, while others are staying in school shelters in the nearby city of Tyre. At the height of the war, some 1.2 million people were displaced in Lebanon. The ceasefire has allowed most of them to return home, but more than 300,000 remain displaced.
With negotiations between Israel and Lebanon — and between the US and Iran — stalled, there is no political solution in sight that would allow them to go home.
The latest conflict between Israel and Hezbollah began on March 2, when the militant group fired rockets across the border two days after Israel and the US launched a war on Iran.
The Lebanese government and Israel reached a framework agreement in June stating Israel will withdraw from Lebanon as Hezbollah is disarmed, but there has been little movement on implementing it.
Lebanese and Israeli officials are expected to meet for another round of talks in Rome later this month.
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