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Iraq PM Makes First Move against Iran's Militias

Iraqi demonstrators take part in an ongoing anti-government protest, in Baghdad, Iraq November 1, 2019. (Reuters)
Iraqi demonstrators take part in an ongoing anti-government protest, in Baghdad, Iraq November 1, 2019. (Reuters)
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Iraq PM Makes First Move against Iran's Militias

Iraqi demonstrators take part in an ongoing anti-government protest, in Baghdad, Iraq November 1, 2019. (Reuters)
Iraqi demonstrators take part in an ongoing anti-government protest, in Baghdad, Iraq November 1, 2019. (Reuters)

Iraqi security forces carried out on Monday the first raid under the tenure of new Prime Minister Mustapha al-Kadhimi, targeting the headquarters of a faction that is loyal to Iran in the southern city of Basra.

The office did not name the faction, but police in Basra said that they shut down the offices of the Thar Allah Islamic Party that has been blamed for opening fire at anti-government protesters, leaving many dead and injured.

Kadhimi's office said that the security forces arrested everyone inside the building and confiscated weapons and ammunition. The detainees will be referred to the judiciary to "receive justice."

Also on Monday, a large poster of slain Iranian Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani and Iraqi deputy head of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) Abu Mahdi al-Muhandes was removed from near Baghdad airport. The two figures were killed in a US drone strike near the facility in January.

The pro-Iran PMF had previously denied that the poster was removed, saying instead that it was blown away by a recent storm in Baghdad. It later put up a new poster, this time of Muhandes alone.

Later on Monday, Kadhimi vowed that he will crack down on everyone responsible for shedding the blood of the Iraqi people.

In a tweet, he said of the Basra unrest: "We had pledged that those responsible for shedding the blood of Iraqis will not rest easy and we are now fulfilling this pledge." He also defended peaceful protests.

Monday's raid was the first of its kind against any pro-Iran armed faction that is widely suspected of being behind years of assassination of journalists, activists and local rivals.

Head of the Thar Allah Islamic Party, Youssef al-Moussawi, commonly known as "Sayyed Youssef", is among the most notorious militants to take part in the armed conflicts that had taken place in Basra soon after the collapse of the Saddam Hussein regime in 2003.

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Arab World

Report: UN Chief Says He Is Cooperating with Trump’s Board of Peace on Gaza

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres looks on after a family picture during the EU Summit at the EU headquarters in Brussels, on March 19, 2026. (AFP)
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres looks on after a family picture during the EU Summit at the EU headquarters in Brussels, on March 19, 2026. (AFP)
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Report: UN Chief Says He Is Cooperating with Trump’s Board of Peace on Gaza

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres looks on after a family picture during the EU Summit at the EU headquarters in Brussels, on March 19, 2026. (AFP)
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres looks on after a family picture during the EU Summit at the EU headquarters in Brussels, on March 19, 2026. (AFP)

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres welcomed the aim of Donald Trump's Board of Peace to fund and deliver the basics of a Gaza reconstruction plan to rebuild Palestinian homes and infrastructure, Politico reported on Saturday.

“There is an objective there that ‌was defined, ‌approved by the Security Council, ‌and ⁠we are cooperating ⁠actively with structures created by the Board of Peace,” Guterres told the news outlet in an interview.

Guterres saw no need for the board beyond Gaza's reconstruction. “This ⁠is not the effective way ‌to address ‌the dramatic problems that we have now,” he said.

“We need to be ‌clear about international law, to be clear about the values of the Charter of the United Nations. That is ‌essential in any peace initiative.”

He also called for an end to ⁠Iran's ⁠closure of the Strait of Hormuz, suggesting the UN could help protect the waterway and be part of a plan to de-escalate attacks.

Guterres said he had not spoken with Trump since the start of the war, although he has spoken to others in the administration.

Arab World

Israel Says Targeting Hezbollah in Beirut as South Lebanon Struck

Debris cover the site of Hezbollah's Al-Manar TV headquarters after it was hit in an Israeli airstrike on Dahieh, a southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, March 3, 2026. (AP)
Debris cover the site of Hezbollah's Al-Manar TV headquarters after it was hit in an Israeli airstrike on Dahieh, a southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, March 3, 2026. (AP)
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Israel Says Targeting Hezbollah in Beirut as South Lebanon Struck

Debris cover the site of Hezbollah's Al-Manar TV headquarters after it was hit in an Israeli airstrike on Dahieh, a southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, March 3, 2026. (AP)
Debris cover the site of Hezbollah's Al-Manar TV headquarters after it was hit in an Israeli airstrike on Dahieh, a southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, March 3, 2026. (AP)

The Israeli military said it launched a wave of strikes on Beirut claiming to target the Iran-backed group Hezbollah early Saturday, while Lebanese state media reported strikes in the country's south.

Lebanon was pulled into the Middle East war when Hezbollah began firing rockets into Israel on March 2 to avenge the killing of Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei.

Israel has since launched strikes across Lebanon and sent ground troops into the country's south.

In a brief statement on Saturday, the Israeli military said its forces were "currently striking Hezbollah terrorist organization targets in Beirut".

A military spokesman earlier issued a warning to residents of Beirut's southern suburbs, a Hezbollah stronghold, to evacuate ahead of strikes.

Lebanon's official National News Agency (NNA) reported strikes on two neighborhoods in the area, without immediately saying what had been hit or whether there were any casualties.

In southern Lebanon, close to the border, the NNA said an Israeli airstrike hit a house in the town of Ghandouriyeh, killing at least one person and wounding two others.

The agency reported more strikes overnight and in the early morning on several areas of southern Lebanon, as well as an "extensive combing operation" carried out by Israeli troops in the area of Khiam town.

Hezbollah also said its fighters had targeted Israeli troops in six villages in southern Lebanon.

The group said it had also launched rockets across the border, where air raid sirens were activated, according to the Israeli military's Home Front Command.

The US ambassador to Lebanon, Michel Issa, gave his backing on Friday to a truce initiative proposed by Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, telling reporters that "matters are not resolved without talking".

He said, however, he believed Israel "has decided not to stop" striking Lebanon yet.

"That means Lebanon has to decide whether it can meet the Israelis in this case," the ambassador added.

Lebanon's health ministry says the war has killed more than 1,000 people in Lebanon and displaced more than one million more.

Two Israeli soldiers have been killed in southern Lebanon, according to the military.

Arab World

After Pressure, Iraqi Factions Stop Attacks on US Embassy

The US Embassy headquarters in Baghdad's fortified "Green Zone" is pictured on March 18, 2026. (AFP)
The US Embassy headquarters in Baghdad's fortified "Green Zone" is pictured on March 18, 2026. (AFP)
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After Pressure, Iraqi Factions Stop Attacks on US Embassy

The US Embassy headquarters in Baghdad's fortified "Green Zone" is pictured on March 18, 2026. (AFP)
The US Embassy headquarters in Baghdad's fortified "Green Zone" is pictured on March 18, 2026. (AFP)

Political parties in Iraq have carried out intense efforts over the past two days to contain the escalation in the country in wake of increased attacks on the US embassy in Baghdad by pro-Iran factions, sources told Asharq Al-Awsat.

The efforts aim to also prevent Iraq from sliding into a broader conflict that may threaten its internal stability amid the US-Israeli conflict on Iran.

Government and political leaderships have exerted direct and indirect pressure on the leaders of the armed factions to cease the rocket and drone attacks against the embassy, saying they may have consequences on national security.

The judiciary has also warned that it will hold perpetrators accountable.

Washington, for its part, has delivered "firm" messages through official channels that it would take escalatory measures should its diplomatic missions and interests in Iraq continue to be attacked.

NATO quits Iraq

Meanwhile, NATO withdrew all of its troops from an advisory mission in Iraq, the military alliance said on Friday, as the repercussions of the Iran war spread across the Middle East.

"I would like to thank the Republic of Iraq and all the Allies ‌who assisted ‌in the safe relocation ‌of ⁠NATO personnel from Iraq," ⁠US Air Force Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Europe, said in a statement.

The statement said the mission had relocated "all its personnel" from the Middle East to Europe. A ⁠NATO official, speaking on condition ‌of anonymity, said ‌that amounted to "several hundred" troops.

In recent ‌days, several countries including Poland, Spain and ‌Croatia have announced they have withdrawn troops from the Middle East, citing the conflict in Iran and the wider Gulf region.

NATO ‌said its mission would continue from a military headquarters in ⁠Naples, ⁠Italy. The mission does not have a combat role. It focuses on advising Iraqi security forces and helping them build up their capacities, according to NATO.

"I would also like to thank the dedicated men and women of NATO Mission Iraq, who continued their mission throughout this period. They are true professionals," Grynkewich said.

Undisclosed agreements

Signals on the ground point to undisclosed agreements being reached between Iraqi parties aimed at easing the escalation and ending attacks on the US embassy and the logistic support base at Baghdad airport.

Sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that separate meetings have been held in Baghdad’s Green Zone between Iraqi officials and representatives of the armed forces, and Iraqi officials with the US charge d’affaires, to discuss means to de-escalate the situation.

The Kataib Hezbollah announced a five-day truce on condition that attacks on its positions cease. It also called on Israel to stop its attacks on Beirut’s southern suburbs, that Washington commits to not attack residential areas in Iraq and that it reduces the number of its intelligence agents outside the embassy.

The sources said the US has not replied to the proposal.

On the ground, no drone buzzing or rocket fire was heard over Baghdad, a departure from previous days, meaning political efforts have somewhat succeeded in restoring calm. However, the US and Israel have continued to strike positions inside Iraq that are affiliated with the armed factions.

Western sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that Washington will continue to strike the Iran-backed factions in retaliation to their attacks in Iraq and to neutralize their threat.

Over 160 members of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) were killed and injured in US-Israeli strikes, revealed Hadi al-Ameri, Secretary-General of the Badr Organization.