Iraq Security Committee Wants PM to Have Clear Position on Foreign Forces

An Iraqi soldier stands guard near a US military air carrier at the Qayyarah Airfield West, Mosul (File photo: AFP)
An Iraqi soldier stands guard near a US military air carrier at the Qayyarah Airfield West, Mosul (File photo: AFP)
TT

Iraq Security Committee Wants PM to Have Clear Position on Foreign Forces

An Iraqi soldier stands guard near a US military air carrier at the Qayyarah Airfield West, Mosul (File photo: AFP)
An Iraqi soldier stands guard near a US military air carrier at the Qayyarah Airfield West, Mosul (File photo: AFP)

Iraq’s security and defense parliamentary committee will be discussing the presence of foreign forces in the country with Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi, before his upcoming meeting with US President Donald Trump in Washington.

MP Badr al-Ziyadi said the committee intends to hold a meeting with Kadhimi within the next two days.

He explained that the Prime Minister plans to discuss with US officials the withdrawal of US forces from Iraq.

Ziyadi, who is a member of the committee, pointed out that the parliament’s demand for the pullout of foreign forces from the country is binding and not subject to discussion or procrastination.

He added that the committee will hold any party trying to violate that decision accountable.

The Fatah bloc led by Hadi al-Amiri began pressuring the Iraqi government to file a lawsuit against the US over the killing of Iranian general Qassem Soleimani and the deputy head of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, earlier this year.

In a related development, unidentified gunmen attacked a convoy of trucks carrying US logistical equipment on Diwaniyah southern highway.

A security source said the gunmen were in two cars and forced three trucks to stop on the highway, asking the drivers to leave their vehicles before setting them on fire.

The source added that the trucks were carrying equipment for the US army and the international coalition forces, noting that the gunmen escaped before the security forces arrived at the scene to question the drivers.

Meanwhile, the Iraqi forces launched phase four of the “Iraqi Heroes” operation against terrorist organizations in Diyala governorate on the border with Iran, along with the government’s operation to control border crossings with Iran, under the direct supervision of the Prime Minister.

The Tribal Mobilization Forces also started pursuing ISIS terrorists in the western Anbar province, and the Media cell announced that the operation aims to comb several areas in the desert and prevent terrorists from infiltrating the cities.

In Nineveh, the Interior Ministry’s intelligence unit arrested an ISIS commander wanted in line with the provisions of Article 4 of the Anti-Terrorism Law.

The ministry issued a statement explaining that the detainee held an administrative post in ISIS and admitted during investigations that he is a member of the terrorist organization.



Hezbollah Chief Says It Reviewed Truce Proposal, Ceasefire in Israel’s Hands

 Lebanon's Hezbollah leader Sheikh Naim Qassem delivers a speech from an unknown location, November 20, 2024 in this still image from video. Reuters TV/Al-Manar TV via Reuters
Lebanon's Hezbollah leader Sheikh Naim Qassem delivers a speech from an unknown location, November 20, 2024 in this still image from video. Reuters TV/Al-Manar TV via Reuters
TT

Hezbollah Chief Says It Reviewed Truce Proposal, Ceasefire in Israel’s Hands

 Lebanon's Hezbollah leader Sheikh Naim Qassem delivers a speech from an unknown location, November 20, 2024 in this still image from video. Reuters TV/Al-Manar TV via Reuters
Lebanon's Hezbollah leader Sheikh Naim Qassem delivers a speech from an unknown location, November 20, 2024 in this still image from video. Reuters TV/Al-Manar TV via Reuters

Hezbollah chief Sheikh Naim Qassem said in a televised speech aired on Wednesday that his group had reviewed and given feedback on a US-drafted ceasefire proposal to end fighting with Israel, and that a halt to hostilities was now in Israel's hands.

Qassem made his comments in a pre-recorded address aired a few hours after US envoy Amos Hochstein said he would head to Israel to try to close a deal on a truce, after two days of meetings with Lebanese officials including two sit-downs with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, a Hezbollah ally.

Qassem said his Iran-backed group had seen the draft US deal and provided feedback.

"These comments were presented to the US envoy and they were discussed with him in detail," Qassem said. "The comments we presented show that we approve this track of indirect negotiations through Speaker Berri."

But he rejected the notion that Israel would be able to keep striking Hezbollah even after a truce is reached, saying that Israel should not be allowed to breach Lebanon's sovereignty.

Qassem said a deal now depended on Israel's response and the "seriousness" of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu - and that Hezbollah would keep negotiating and fighting at the same time.

Specifically, he said any strikes on central Beirut would be met with Hezbollah fire onto Tel Aviv. Hezbollah launched missiles at Tel Aviv on Monday, after deadly Israeli bombardments hit the heart of Beirut on both Sunday and Monday.

Israel's year-long battle with Hezbollah in Lebanon has killed more than 3,500 people, the vast majority of them in the last two months, and left much of the country's south, east and the southern suburbs of Beirut in ruins.

After a ceasefire takes effect, Hezbollah would help rebuild Lebanon alongside the Lebanese state and remain a player in Lebanon's political scene, Qassem said, with an "effective" role in electing a president. Political divides in Lebanon have kept the post vacant for more than two years.