New Wave of Assassinations Targets Anti-Govt Activists in Iraq

A new wave of assassinations targeting political activists in Iraq has evoked the memory of the violence during the 2019 anti-government protests in the country. (AFP file photo)
A new wave of assassinations targeting political activists in Iraq has evoked the memory of the violence during the 2019 anti-government protests in the country. (AFP file photo)
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New Wave of Assassinations Targets Anti-Govt Activists in Iraq

A new wave of assassinations targeting political activists in Iraq has evoked the memory of the violence during the 2019 anti-government protests in the country. (AFP file photo)
A new wave of assassinations targeting political activists in Iraq has evoked the memory of the violence during the 2019 anti-government protests in the country. (AFP file photo)

A new wave of assassinations targeting political activists in Iraq has evoked the memory of the thousands killed, injured and kidnapped during the 2019 anti-government protests in the country.

With many predicting a fresh round of protests, Iraqi activists are accusing militiamen linked to the Sadrist movement of standing behind the latest violence.

On Monday, several protesters were attacked in the central city of Najaf, three activists were assassinated in the southern city of Nasiriyah and fierce clashes broke out between demonstrators and security forces in the Wasit governorate.

Ahmed al-Helo, an Iraqi activist from the central Babylon governorate, accused militants from Saraya Al Salam, the military wing of the Sadrist movement, of physically assaulting and beating him on Monday evening.

Circulated video footage showed al-Helo’s battered body as he was telling the story of how he was attacked by the hooligans.

In Najaf, gunmen kidnapped Iraqi poet and political activist Youssef Gibran, who is known for his harsh criticism of Iran and its proxy militias in Iraq. Activists also accused Sadrist followers of committing the kidnap.

The mother of the slain Iraqi activist Mohannad al-Qaisi, who was killed during the Najaf riots last year, published a recorded speech holding Moqtada al-Sadr, the cleric who leads the Sadrist movement, fully responsible for the deaths and abduction of activists.

“You ordered your followers to carry out the Najaf massacre last year,” she said, noting that many can testify to the cleric’s involvement in the violence.

Activist and blogger Ali al-Sonboli, also from Najaf, reported on raids, kidnappings and beatings targeting demonstrators who posted their opinions, especially those relating to the Najaf massacre, on social media.

He warned that the violence against activists is taking place under oversight from local authorities and police stations.

“The situation in Najaf is very worrying, amid the militias' domination of the security environment,” said Sonboli, adding that activists do not know who to turn to when it comes to deterring the violence of criminal militias.



Israel Says it Killed a Hezbollah Member in Drone Strike in South Lebanon

A picture taken from the southern Lebanese region of Marjayoun, shows the destruction in Khiam on November 28, 2024, a day after a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah took effect. (AFP)
A picture taken from the southern Lebanese region of Marjayoun, shows the destruction in Khiam on November 28, 2024, a day after a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah took effect. (AFP)
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Israel Says it Killed a Hezbollah Member in Drone Strike in South Lebanon

A picture taken from the southern Lebanese region of Marjayoun, shows the destruction in Khiam on November 28, 2024, a day after a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah took effect. (AFP)
A picture taken from the southern Lebanese region of Marjayoun, shows the destruction in Khiam on November 28, 2024, a day after a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah took effect. (AFP)

An Israeli drone strike hit a car in south Lebanon on Saturday, killing one person who the Israeli military said was a member of Hezbollah.

State-run National News Agency did not give further details about the strike in the village of Bourj el-Mlouk.

The airstrike was the latest in a wave of such attacks since a US-brokered ceasefire went into effect in late November ending the 14-month Israel-Hezbollah war.

The Israeli military said the Hezbollah member who was killed was active in the border village of Kfar Kila.

The strike came a day after Lebanon’s military court sentenced two people to prison terms for giving digital information to Israel.

Four judicial officials told The Associated Press Saturday that one of those sentenced received a 15-year prison term while the other was sentenced to 10 years in jail. A third was set free for lack of evidence against him, the officials said on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to share information with the media.

The officials said the two scanned the cellular telephones network in wide areas of Beirut and its southern suburbs that is home to Hezbollah’s headquarters using sophisticated equipment.

The officials said the two, who were detained last year, also supplied Israel with about 1,500 photographs from Beirut’s southern suburbs.