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Turkish Strikes Kill 5 Civilians in Northern Iraq

Turkish soldiers walk to provide a combat operation in the mountains in the southeastern Turkish province of Sirnak, bordering Iraq, November 6, 2007. REUTERS/Denis Sinyakov
Turkish soldiers walk to provide a combat operation in the mountains in the southeastern Turkish province of Sirnak, bordering Iraq, November 6, 2007. REUTERS/Denis Sinyakov
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Turkish Strikes Kill 5 Civilians in Northern Iraq

Turkish soldiers walk to provide a combat operation in the mountains in the southeastern Turkish province of Sirnak, bordering Iraq, November 6, 2007. REUTERS/Denis Sinyakov
Turkish soldiers walk to provide a combat operation in the mountains in the southeastern Turkish province of Sirnak, bordering Iraq, November 6, 2007. REUTERS/Denis Sinyakov

The civilian death toll of Turkish air raids in northern Iraq rose to five on Friday, local officials said, as Ankara kept up a cross-border offensive against Turkish Kurdish rebels.

Despite official protests from Baghdad, Turkey on Wednesday launched operation "Claw-Tiger" by land and air into the mountainous terrain of northern Iraq where the rebel Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) has rear bases.

Three civilians were killed Friday when a Turkish air strike hit their cars, said Ouarchine Mayi, mayor of Chiladzi in Dohuk province, which neighbors Syria and Turkey.

Another local mayor, Serbast Sabri, said the body of a fourth civilian was also found, two days after he had gone missing.

A shepherd was killed early Thursday morning when Turkish air raids hit the Bradost district, an official from northern Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region, Ihsan Chalabi, told AFP.

Turkish special forces have landed by helicopter in Iraqi Kurdistan to flush out PKK guerrillas from hideouts in the region's remote mountains.

Turkey has sporadically bombed PKK bases in the region, but its dramatic escalation has prompted scores of families in the area to flee, according to local activists.

Neither the PKK, which Ankara brands a "terrorist" organization because of its decades-long insurgency against the Turkish state, nor the Turkish military has so far reported casualties in their ranks.

Iraq's foreign ministry has summoned Turkish ambassador Fatih Yildiz twice this week, demanding Ankara withdraw its special forces and halt the bombing campaign.

But Yildiz has been defiant, telling Iraqi authorities that if Baghdad did not take action against the rebels, Ankara would continue to "fight the PKK wherever it is".

Iraq even summoned Iran's envoy in response to cross-border shelling of Kurdish areas of northern Iraq. Iran, which has its own Kurdish minority, has also been fighting Kurdish rebels who use Iraq as a base.

Saudi Arabia has also condemned the Turkish operations inside northern Iraq.

But there has been no direct comment from Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein, who is himself a Kurd and is close to top officials in the autonomous Kurdish region.

The Iraqi Kurdish regional government considers the PKK a rival group but has been unable to uproot it from its mountain hideouts.

It has, however, tolerated the presence of around 10 Turkish military bases inside its territory for the past 25 years.

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Arab World

Israeli Fire Kills Four People, Including Three Children, in Gaza, Medics Say

A destroyed vehicle is seen on a street following an Israeli military strike in Gaza City, Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026. (AP)
A destroyed vehicle is seen on a street following an Israeli military strike in Gaza City, Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026. (AP)
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Israeli Fire Kills Four People, Including Three Children, in Gaza, Medics Say

A destroyed vehicle is seen on a street following an Israeli military strike in Gaza City, Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026. (AP)
A destroyed vehicle is seen on a street following an Israeli military strike in Gaza City, Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026. (AP)

Israeli gunfire and ‌airstrikes killed at least four people, including three children, in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, health officials said.

Witnesses said Israeli warplanes fired at least 12 missiles near the Katiba area in the west of Gaza City, an area crowded with displaced families.

At least three people — two children and a woman — were killed and several others wounded in the unusually heavy bombardment, medics said. Two vehicles were hit and reduced to twisted ‌wreckage.

In a statement ‌on Tuesday, the Israeli military ‌said ⁠it struck several targets ⁠in the Gaza Strip in order to remove threats to Israeli security forces.

Ismail Al-Thawabta, director of the Hamas-run Gaza government media office, said an Israeli special force had attempted to carry out an operation in Gaza City but was discovered during the mission.

He said ⁠Israel then launched heavy airstrikes involving ‌more than 10 warplanes, killing ‌and wounding several people.

In a separate incident, medics said a ‌girl, Israa Al-Hissi, was killed and two other ‌people were wounded when Israeli forces operating east of Deir al-Balah in central Gaza opened fire on the area.

A US-backed ceasefire that took effect in October 2025 halted the large-scale ‌fighting that had devastated the enclave, but it has not ended Israeli strikes. ⁠The military ⁠says such operations are intended to prevent attacks by Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups.

Hamas accuses Israel of repeatedly violating the ceasefire and undermining efforts to advance a broader plan by US President Donald Trump to end the war. The plan includes further Israeli troop withdrawals from Gaza and the disarmament of Hamas.

More than 1,300 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since the ceasefire came into force last October, according to Gaza health officials. The Israeli military says four Israeli soldiers have been killed during the same period.

Arab World

Lebanon’s Berri Rejects ‘Buffer Zones,’ Warns Against Negotiating ‘Under Fire’

People check debris of a destroyed house that was hit on Thursday in an Israeli airstrike in Arab Salim village, southern Lebanon, Friday, Aug. 28, 2026. (AP)
People check debris of a destroyed house that was hit on Thursday in an Israeli airstrike in Arab Salim village, southern Lebanon, Friday, Aug. 28, 2026. (AP)
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Lebanon’s Berri Rejects ‘Buffer Zones,’ Warns Against Negotiating ‘Under Fire’

People check debris of a destroyed house that was hit on Thursday in an Israeli airstrike in Arab Salim village, southern Lebanon, Friday, Aug. 28, 2026. (AP)
People check debris of a destroyed house that was hit on Thursday in an Israeli airstrike in Arab Salim village, southern Lebanon, Friday, Aug. 28, 2026. (AP)

Lebanese parliament Speaker Nabih Berri rejected the establishment of any “buffer zones or security belts” in South Lebanon, stressing that the state bears responsibility for protecting and defending the area and rebuilding what has been destroyed by Israeli attacks.

He also renewed his opposition to direct negotiations with Israel “under fire,” arguing that previous rounds of talks had produced no results.

In a speech marking the 48th anniversary of the disappearance of Imam Moussa al-Sadr, Berri declared that “civil peace, national unity and the Lebanese Army are red lines that must not be crossed or undermined,” reaffirming his commitment to the army’s authority in the South, alongside UN peacekeeping forces.

He rejected attempts to cast doubt on the army’s role and called for it to be provided with all necessary support.

“The South is an integral part of Lebanon, and responsibility for protecting and defending it alongside its people, and for rebuilding what Israeli aggression has destroyed, rests with the state,” Berri declared. “We will not accept buffer zones or security belts in the South.”

Turning to negotiations with Israel, he reiterated his warning against direct talks while hostilities continue.

“We warned against direct negotiations with Israel under fire, while the rounds of negotiations have yielded no results,” he noted.

He also renewed his opposition to the “framework agreement” between Lebanon and Israel, declaring: “We had exercised our democratic right to reject the agreement, and we maintain that position.”

He said that the current stage, given “existential risks facing South Lebanon and the country as a whole, does not give anyone the right to act on any sovereign issue under any designation, whether a framework agreement or secret articles.”

Berri also stressed his opposition to relinquishing Lebanon’s right to prosecute Israel over “crimes of genocide” committed against South Lebanon.

He argued that the war with Israel “requires a national approach removed from any regional, partisan, sectarian or confessional considerations,” warning against attempts to push Lebanon toward internal divisions.

“What Israel seeks is not Hezbollah, its weapons, the Amal Movement or the Shiite community. Israel wants strife,” he asserted, adding that “Lebanon represents the antithesis of Israel’s racism.”

He urged the Lebanese to avoid internal conflict, saying: “Do not lose Lebanon to internal wars, divisions, or fatal political or security missteps.”

On domestic affairs, Berri reaffirmed his commitment to the Taif Agreement, maintaining that “all partition and federalism projects are incompatible with this accord.”

His remarks come amid growing domestic political debate over sovereign and security issues and the future of South Lebanon, as Israeli attacks continue and the negotiating track remains deadlocked.

On regional developments, Berri expressed “support for all Arab and Pakistani efforts to end tensions and establish stability in the Gulf region.”

He also paid tribute to “all brotherly and friendly countries that have stood and continue to stand by Lebanon.”

Arab World

Iraq PM Rejects Proposal to Maintain Coalition Troops Beyond Sept. 30 Deadline

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi. (INA)
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi. (INA)
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Iraq PM Rejects Proposal to Maintain Coalition Troops Beyond Sept. 30 Deadline

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi. (INA)
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi. (INA)

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi has rejected a proposal to keep some international anti-ISIS coalition forces in Iraq beyond the September 30 deadline for their withdrawal, announced government spokesman Haider al-Aboudi.

He also stressed that Baghdad was closely monitoring regional developments but would not become part of the conflict.

Speaking at a news conference Monday, al-Aboudi confirmed that the withdrawal of coalition forces and the handover of their positions to Iraqi forces were proceeding as planned.

“The government is looking ahead to September 30, which represents an important milestone for the sovereignty of the Iraqi state and people,” he told Iraq's state news agency INA, adding that the date would mark “the complete end of the international coalition mission’s presence on Iraqi territory.”

On efforts to bring all weapons under state control, al-Aboudi stressed that the government was moving ahead with measures to regulate arms and unify decision-making, describing the issue as a top priority and a cornerstone of national sovereignty.

He noted that the Iraqi Constitution grants the armed forces exclusive authority over arms and prohibits the formation of armed groups outside the official security establishment.

Talks with armed factions were progressing positively and within the designated timetable, he added, indicating that the issue would be resolved before September 30.

Government decisions were based on national interests, he said.

Al-Aboudi announced that al-Zaidi would visit Paris and Berlin in the first half of September at the invitation of European officials, with security among the issues on the agenda.

Turning to the economy, the spokesman outlined the government’s strategy to diversify revenue sources and secure essential requirements. Iraqi exports were proceeding normally at more than 2 million barrels per day, he added.

The cabinet is expected to vote on the 2027 budget in September.

The government is continuing its campaign against corruption, pursuing suspects and seeking to cut off its sources, al-Aboudi underlined. He pointed to the value of recovered funds as evidence of unprecedented progress.