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Tunisia’s Chahed Will Reportedly Replace Mechichi

FILE - Former Tunisian Prime Minister Youssef Chahed addresses the parliament on the country's anti-corruption fight on July 20, 2017, in Tunis. AFP
FILE - Former Tunisian Prime Minister Youssef Chahed addresses the parliament on the country's anti-corruption fight on July 20, 2017, in Tunis. AFP
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Tunisia’s Chahed Will Reportedly Replace Mechichi

FILE - Former Tunisian Prime Minister Youssef Chahed addresses the parliament on the country's anti-corruption fight on July 20, 2017, in Tunis. AFP
FILE - Former Tunisian Prime Minister Youssef Chahed addresses the parliament on the country's anti-corruption fight on July 20, 2017, in Tunis. AFP

Former Tunisian Prime Minister Youssef Chahed, head of the Long Live Tunisia movement, is a candidate to replace PM Hichem Mechichi, according to leaks made by some opposition parties.

Chahed will likely be named prime minister after the Islamist Ennahda Movement pressured Mechichi to implement a cabinet reshuffle, which President Kais Saeid strongly opposes.

Political sources agree that Chahed is supported by the President, and Ennahda does not mind naming him as PM, especially that it supported him in 2017 and 2018 following demands to oust him.

Political parties are considering several possible scenarios to solve the current crisis between the president, prime minister, and speaker.

Some are suggesting removing Mechichi from office, a demand supported by Saeid as a condition to launch political dialogue.

Leading Ennahda member Rafik Abdel Salam accused the president on Tuesday of willingly fabricating the political and constitutional crisis.

Abdel Salam warned that some people want to use the president as a tool to fight their battles by proxy and eliminate their opponents through coups and military trials.

Chahed has urged political parties to commit to a truce, especially since the government is not politically supported, and the parliament is ravaged by crises, noting that it will lead to solving the constitutional and political crisis.

In a related development, MP of the Democratic Bloc Hichem al-Ajbouni accused Ennahda of escalating the crisis with the President by supporting the prime minister, under the pretext of preserving government stability.

During a radio interview, Ajbouni said the PM yielded to the blackmail of Ennahda and its allies through recent appointments in the Ministry of Interior.

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Baghdad Urges Washington to Prevent ‘Imminent’ Israeli Strikes

Sudani visiting a market in Baghdad on Thursday (Government media)
Sudani visiting a market in Baghdad on Thursday (Government media)
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Baghdad Urges Washington to Prevent ‘Imminent’ Israeli Strikes

Sudani visiting a market in Baghdad on Thursday (Government media)
Sudani visiting a market in Baghdad on Thursday (Government media)

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani on Thursday called on major powers to “exert greater efforts to end the war in Palestine and Lebanon.” Meanwhile, an Iraqi government official urged the United States to “prevent any attacks on the country,” referring to potential Israeli strikes.
During a phone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Al-Sudani stressed the importance of ensuring the conflict does not escalate “to a level that threatens regional and global stability.”
The Iraqi prime minister’s appeal comes amid reports suggesting that Israel may launch strikes on Iraq in retaliation for attacks by Iraqi armed factions targeting Israeli positions.
The Iraqi government is striving to assert its exclusive authority over weapons and war-related decisions. However, armed factions affiliated with the Axis of Resistance openly claim responsibility for near-daily rocket attacks on Israel. This has provided Israel with a justification for potentially targeting Iraqi territory, especially after it filed a complaint with the UN Security Council against six Iraqi factions and held Baghdad responsible for the attacks.
These factions have also openly declared their involvement in the ongoing conflict with Israel in Lebanon and Gaza. The Iraqi government has been unable to take decisive action to halt the activities of these factions, which many believe could soon expose Iraq to an Israeli strike.
According to media reports, Washington has warned Baghdad that Israeli airstrikes on Iraq are “imminent” unless the Iraqi government curtails attacks by Iranian-backed factions on Israel. The Times of Israel cited sources indicating that the United States has “exhausted all means of pressure on Israel” and urged Iraq to act swiftly to prevent such attacks.
Despite repeated assurances from the Iraqi government—including its recent adoption of 12 measures by the National Security Council to counter Israeli threats and complaints—the situation remains tense. These measures include monitoring Iraq’s western borders, preventing factions from launching attacks, and maintaining Iraq’s neutrality in the ongoing conflict.
On Wednesday, Abu Hussein Al-Hamidawi, Secretary-General of Kata’ib Hezbollah, made a striking statement on the role of resistance factions in the war and their commitment to the Unity of Fronts doctrine frequently mentioned by Axis of Resistance groups.
In an interview published by the faction’s media arm, Al-Hamidawi said: “The continuity of the Unity of Fronts concept depends on what the Lebanese Hezbollah decides.”
Al-Hamidawi also emphasized that resistance factions are constantly coordinating internally and with external partners such as Hezbollah, the Houthis, and Palestinian resistance leaders.
“We aim to ensure that the Palestinian people are not left alone and that the Unity of Fronts remains intact,” he stated.
Fadi Al-Shammari, a political advisor to Sudani, reiterated that Israel’s threats “are not new,” citing the recent complaint filed by Israel with the UN Security Council as part of its pattern of issuing threats.
In media statements, Al-Shammari reaffirmed the Iraqi government’s long-standing position: “The decision of war and peace lies solely with the Iraqi government.”
He noted that the factions’ attacks are being launched from areas outside Iraq’s borders, specifically from Syria. However, he stressed that the Iraqi government is working through its security and military agencies to prevent Iraq from becoming a battlefield for external or internal parties.
Al-Shammari also called on the United States to fulfill its responsibilities under the Strategic Framework Agreement and security pact with Iraq, emphasizing the need to deter and respond to any external attacks that threaten Iraq’s internal security.