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Assailants Burn Down Headquarters of Communist Party in Iraq’s Najaf

Supporters of the Iraqi Communist Party hold the communist symbol during a march in Baghdad (File photo: AFP)
Supporters of the Iraqi Communist Party hold the communist symbol during a march in Baghdad (File photo: AFP)
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Assailants Burn Down Headquarters of Communist Party in Iraq’s Najaf

Supporters of the Iraqi Communist Party hold the communist symbol during a march in Baghdad (File photo: AFP)
Supporters of the Iraqi Communist Party hold the communist symbol during a march in Baghdad (File photo: AFP)

Unidentified assailants attacked the headquarters of the Iraqi Communist Party in Najaf with Molotov cocktails, burning the offices despite causing no causalities.

The attack came amid speculation of escalating violence and political assassinations ahead of the parliamentary elections scheduled for next October.

A new wave of protests is also expected to erupt in the country over deteriorating economic conditions and services, and lack of job opportunities.

The party’s local administration issued a statement saying that its headquarters was attacked by Molotov cocktails at dawn Friday. It condemned the cowardly act while affirming that the party will continue to call for a change that rids the country of corrupt persons.

The statement called on the government to control illegitimate weapons and establish security as a necessary step to holding the elections, praising "the rapid response of the security forces in the governorate.”

It did not accuse a specific party of the attack, but activists close to the party linked between the attack and the upcoming commemoration of the first anniversary of the deadly clampdown on protesters in Najaf's Sadr Square.

A source believes the attack may have occurred after the Communist party announced an alliance with the civil society.

The source confirmed to Asharq Al-Awsat that the party will form alliances with civil society groups from the October movement in various governorates.

Despite its well-known secular orientations, the Communist party joined Saeroon alliance with the Sadrist movement during the 2018 parliamentary elections.

Only two candidates of the Communist party won in the polls. However, they resigned in October 2019, ending the party’s alliance with the movement.

Despite the lack of representation in Najaf, the Communist Party maintained a permanent presence there for years, especially that a large number of its leaders and founding members originate from the governorate.

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Arab World

Syria Arrests Assad-era Officer who Fled Austria after Conviction

A man walks past heavily-damaged and destroyed buildings in the Jobar suburb northeast of Damascus on August 12, 2026. (Photo by LOUAI BESHARA / AFP)
A man walks past heavily-damaged and destroyed buildings in the Jobar suburb northeast of Damascus on August 12, 2026. (Photo by LOUAI BESHARA / AFP)
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Syria Arrests Assad-era Officer who Fled Austria after Conviction

A man walks past heavily-damaged and destroyed buildings in the Jobar suburb northeast of Damascus on August 12, 2026. (Photo by LOUAI BESHARA / AFP)
A man walks past heavily-damaged and destroyed buildings in the Jobar suburb northeast of Damascus on August 12, 2026. (Photo by LOUAI BESHARA / AFP)

Syrian security forces have arrested a former Assad-era security officer who fled Austria after being sentenced to eight years in prison for abusing detainees and returned to his hometown in southern Syria, state news agency SANA said on Tuesday night.

Lieutenant Colonel Musab Abu Rukba was arrested in the city of Nawa in Daraa province by internal security forces in coordination ⁠with the counter-terrorism ⁠department, SANA said, citing the security forces.

Abu Rukba had been convicted by a Vienna court last month of bodily harm, aggravated coercion and sexual assault against detained opponents of former President Bashar al-Assad while he headed the police’s criminal investigations department in the northern city of Raqqa more than a ⁠decade ago.

He had pleaded not guilty.

Reuters reported on Friday that Abu Rukba had left Austria while challenging his eight-year sentence on appeal and arrived in Nawa in early August, where his family held a reception to celebrate his return.

SANA said on Tuesday that Abu Rukba had entered Syria illegally after fleeing Austria and that authorities had tracked him down in Nawa. He had been referred to the relevant authorities to complete legal procedures ahead of prosecution, it said.

It was ⁠not immediately ⁠clear what charges Abu Rukba could face in Syria or whether Austria had requested his arrest or extradition.

A spokesperson for the Austrian court that convicted him told Reuters at the time that Abu Rukba had not been considered a flight risk before his trial because he had lived in Austria since 2014 and was seeking asylum there with his family.

He was not held in custody during the trial or subjected to other restrictions, and his departure from Austria did not breach Austrian laws or court orders while the appeals process remained underway, the spokesperson said.

Arab World

Israel Says It Recovered Remains of Soldier Killed in Lebanon in 1982

Destruction is pictured in the village of Arnoun as seen from nearby Marjeyoun in southern Lebanon on August 11, 2026. (AFP)
Destruction is pictured in the village of Arnoun as seen from nearby Marjeyoun in southern Lebanon on August 11, 2026. (AFP)
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Israel Says It Recovered Remains of Soldier Killed in Lebanon in 1982

Destruction is pictured in the village of Arnoun as seen from nearby Marjeyoun in southern Lebanon on August 11, 2026. (AFP)
Destruction is pictured in the village of Arnoun as seen from nearby Marjeyoun in southern Lebanon on August 11, 2026. (AFP)

The Israeli military said on Tuesday it had repatriated the remains of Sgt First Class Yehuda Katz, a soldier killed in Lebanon 44 years ago, in a joint operation with the Mossad intelligence agency.

Katz was the last Israeli soldier declared missing in the Sultan Yacoub battle against Syrian forces in eastern Lebanon in 1982.

"His return to Israel was made possible through efforts based on accurate intelligence... that lasted more than four decades," the military said in a statement.

It is not clear where his body was found.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu commended the security forces and said that "for many years, I approved numerous clandestine operations to locate the missing soldiers of Sultan Yacoub. I promised their families that we would never stop working to bring them home."

In a separate statement, President Isaac Herzog said that "the circle that remained an open and bleeding wound from the Battle of Sultan Yacoub is finally closed," and that he had kept a photograph of Yehuda Katz hanging in his office as "a daily reminder of our sacred duty to bring our sons home and leave no one behind".

Katz's remains were brought to Israel and identified at an institute for the identification of fallen soldiers under the military rabbinate, the military said.

Three Israeli soldiers had been missing for decades after the Sultan Yacoub battle. In 2019, the military announced the repatriation of the remains of Sgt First Class Zachariah Baumel, while in May 2025 it said it had recovered the body of Sgt First Class Tzvika Feldman "in the heart of Syria".

Arab World

Lebanon Mulls Removing Restrictions Against 600,000 Syrians

Lebanese soldiers are seen at the Masnaa border crossing with Syria in wake of the collapse of the Syrian regime. (AP file)
Lebanese soldiers are seen at the Masnaa border crossing with Syria in wake of the collapse of the Syrian regime. (AP file)
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Lebanon Mulls Removing Restrictions Against 600,000 Syrians

Lebanese soldiers are seen at the Masnaa border crossing with Syria in wake of the collapse of the Syrian regime. (AP file)
Lebanese soldiers are seen at the Masnaa border crossing with Syria in wake of the collapse of the Syrian regime. (AP file)

Lebanese authorities began reviewing security restrictions against some 600,000 Syrians in the latest move that reflects Beirut’s desire to open a new chapter in relations with Damascus based on clear security and legal foundations.

The restrictions are among the thorniest issues in Lebanon and that emerged during the wave of Syrian displacement sparked by the civil war. The restrictions led to hundreds of thousands of Syrians being barred entry to Lebanon.

Addressing the issue would pave the way for Lebanese-Syrian relations that are based on security coordination and respect for the law.

Asharq Al-Awsat learned that Lebanon’s General Directorate of the General Security has kicked off the legal procedures to lift security restrictions against over 600,000 Syrians that barred their entry to Lebanon for years.

A prominent security source revealed that General Security chief Hassan Choucair has formed a committee that will study the file of Syrians who have security warrants against them that have prevented them from entering Lebanon.

The warrants are tied to residency or entry violations.

The source told Asharq Al-Awsat that authorities are now examining the file of every Syrian who has been barred entry to Lebanon over residency violations, such as entering Lebanon illegally or violating residency rules or exceeding the duration of their stay.

The source said the committee has already completed tens of thousands of files.

The General Security will issue a statement upon completion of the procedures. It will inform the Syrian authorities of its results.

The move is not limited to building trust between Beirut and Damascus, but it also aims to crack down on people smuggling across the Lebanese-Syrian border.

The latest procedures will allow Syrians to enter Lebanon with their identification papers or through travel agencies as long as they meet the necessary requirements.

Syrians wishing to work in Lebanon must obtain work and legal residency permits from the General Security.

“Lebanon welcomes anyone who wants to reside on its territory as long as they are doing so legally,” said the source.

“Syria is a sisterly country and organizing the movement of people in and out of both countries benefits them both,” he added.