US 'Outraged' by Baghdad Rocket Attack: Iran-Backed Militias Biggest Deterrent to Peace

The US expressed its outrage at Monday’s rocket attack in Baghdad that killed civilians. (AFP)
The US expressed its outrage at Monday’s rocket attack in Baghdad that killed civilians. (AFP)
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US 'Outraged' by Baghdad Rocket Attack: Iran-Backed Militias Biggest Deterrent to Peace

The US expressed its outrage at Monday’s rocket attack in Baghdad that killed civilians. (AFP)
The US expressed its outrage at Monday’s rocket attack in Baghdad that killed civilians. (AFP)

The United States Department of State expressed on Tuesday its “outrage” at Monday’s rocket attack in Baghdad that killed civilians, including a mother and her children.

“We express our condolences to the innocent Iraqi people and their families who were victims, once again, of these ruthless acts of violence,” it said in a statement.

“The Iraqi people deserve to live in safety and security, so we call on Iraqi officials to take immediate action to hold the perpetrators accountable,” it demanded.

“We have made the point before that the actions of lawless Iran-backed militias remain the single biggest deterrent to stability in Iraq,” it stressed.

“These militias pose an unacceptable danger to everyone in Iraq, from diplomatic officials and facilities to Iraqi activists and families,” it added.



Trump’s Middle East Envoy Says Progress Being Made on Israeli Hostages in Gaza

Smoke billows as buildings lie in ruin in the Gaza Strip, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, as seen from southern Israel, January 7, 2025. (Reuters)
Smoke billows as buildings lie in ruin in the Gaza Strip, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, as seen from southern Israel, January 7, 2025. (Reuters)
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Trump’s Middle East Envoy Says Progress Being Made on Israeli Hostages in Gaza

Smoke billows as buildings lie in ruin in the Gaza Strip, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, as seen from southern Israel, January 7, 2025. (Reuters)
Smoke billows as buildings lie in ruin in the Gaza Strip, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, as seen from southern Israel, January 7, 2025. (Reuters)

President-elect Donald Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff said on Tuesday he hopes to have good things to report about Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza by the time Trump is sworn in as president on Jan. 20.

Witkoff, at a press conference held by Trump in Palm Beach, Florida, said: "I'm really hopeful that by the inaugural we'll have some good things to announce on behalf of the President."

Republican Trump said of the Israeli hostages kidnapped by Hamas in the Oct. 7 2024 attack on Israel: "If the hostages are not back by the time I'm in office, all hell will break out in the Middle East, and it will not be good for Hamas, and it will not be good, frankly, for anyone."