Macron to Visit Baghdad Wednesday

 French president Emmanuel Macron (AFP)
French president Emmanuel Macron (AFP)
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Macron to Visit Baghdad Wednesday

 French president Emmanuel Macron (AFP)
French president Emmanuel Macron (AFP)

French President Emmanuel Macron will make his first official trip to Baghdad on Wednesday, government sources in Baghdad told AFP, to signal solidarity with the crisis-hit country.

Macron, who is currently visiting Lebanon, is the most senior foreign official to travel to Iraq since Prime Minister Mustafa Kadhimi ascended to power in May.

"He will meet the Iraqi prime minister and president and is hoping to hold talks with a range of political actors," an Iraqi government source told AFP.

Two other Iraqi officials confirmed the visit. Macron's office has yet to publicly confirm the trip.

The Iraqi sources said talks will focus on the country's "sovereignty" and stress need for Baghdad to carve out an independent path away from the tug-of-war between its two main allies, Washington and Tehran.

The message will echo that of France's top diplomat Jean-Yves Le Drian during a trip to Iraq in July, when he insisted Baghdad "should dissociate itself from regional tensions".

Iraq has been rocked by a series of crises this year, starting with a US drone strike in January that killed top Iranian general Qasem Soleimani and Iraqi commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis.

Iran retaliated with strikes against US troops in western Iraq, and Tehran-backed groups are suspected of launching volleys of rockets on US diplomatic, military and commercial interests in recent months.

As OPEC's second biggest crude producer, Iraq was also hit hard by the collapse in oil prices and the coronavirus pandemic has forced the country's fragile economy to sink even further.



5 Israeli Soldiers Charged with Assault on a Palestinian Detainee 

Israeli soldiers walk over the rubble of damaged buildings at Tulkarem refugee camp, in the West Bank city of Tulkarem, 19 February 2025. (EPA)
Israeli soldiers walk over the rubble of damaged buildings at Tulkarem refugee camp, in the West Bank city of Tulkarem, 19 February 2025. (EPA)
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5 Israeli Soldiers Charged with Assault on a Palestinian Detainee 

Israeli soldiers walk over the rubble of damaged buildings at Tulkarem refugee camp, in the West Bank city of Tulkarem, 19 February 2025. (EPA)
Israeli soldiers walk over the rubble of damaged buildings at Tulkarem refugee camp, in the West Bank city of Tulkarem, 19 February 2025. (EPA)

Israeli military prosecutors have charge five soldiers with assault over an attack on a Palestinian detainee in which they sodomized him with a knife.

The military said the July 5, 2024, attack in the Sde Teiman facility “caused severe physical injury to the detainee, including cracked ribs, a punctured lung and an inner rectal tear.”

It said the soldiers took the detainee to a separate area, blindfolded and handcuffed, before assaulting him. It said the evidence for the attack was “extensive” and included footage from a security camera.

The five were among nine Israeli reservists arrested last July over the attack. A defense lawyer at the time denied the allegations, saying the soldiers responded with force when the detainee attacked them.

Their arrest triggered angry protests by supporters demanding their release, including members of parliament and at least two government ministers. Hard-liners in Israel have called for harsh treatment of suspected Hamas fighters.