Kadhimi Orders Removing Billboards of Key Iranian Political Figures

A picture circulated on social media showing the moment the banner was removed from the entrance to Adhamiya neighborhood.
A picture circulated on social media showing the moment the banner was removed from the entrance to Adhamiya neighborhood.
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Kadhimi Orders Removing Billboards of Key Iranian Political Figures

A picture circulated on social media showing the moment the banner was removed from the entrance to Adhamiya neighborhood.
A picture circulated on social media showing the moment the banner was removed from the entrance to Adhamiya neighborhood.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi has ordered removing a billboard featuring key Iranian political figures at the entrance of al-Adhamiya neighborhood in Baghdad.

Kadhimi contacted the neighborhood’s youth and activists on Wednesday in light of the tension caused by raising the advertising structures that held the photos of the late Leader of the Iranian revolution Ruhollah Khomeini, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, and former Head of Iran’s Quds Force Qassem Soleimani.

A source from the neighborhood told local media that the city’s activists received a call from the PM in which he informed them about his decision to ease tension.

Security forces accompanied by government vehicles removed the billboard that was placed near Imam Abu Hanifa al-Numan mosque and shrine.

A video circulated on social media showed youth celebrating the poster's removal.

The billboard sparked rage among residents of al-Adhamiya, an east-central Baghdad district that is home to an overwhelmingly Sunni majority population.

Baghdadis considered the incident an attempt by pro-Iranian groups to provoke people and stir up sectarian sentiments.

“Al-Adhamiya will not be insulted,” tweeted a member of the parliament’s Foreign Relations Committee Dhafer al-Ani, who is known for opposing Iran’s influence in Iraq.

The former journalist and editor-in-chief of Assabah newspaper, Falah al-Mishaal, called for forming an official technical body to give approvals for billboards and banners or for placing statues of historical and contemporary Iraqi figures that made a difference in Iraqi.

Pro-Iranian groups often hang posters and large banners for Iranian leaders, especially in Baghdad and central and southern provinces to establish Iranian hegemony in the country.

Notably, activists in the October 2019 protest movement burned pictures of Khomeini, Khamenei, and Soleimani in more than one area.

On November 3, 2019, activists in the Najaf governorate changed a street’s name from “Imam Khomeini Street” to “Martyrs of the October Revolution Street.”

They also set fire to Iran’s consulates in Najaf and Karbala cities.



Palestinian Authority Says Internet Down in Gaza After Attack on Fibre Optic Cable

Palestinians charge their mobile phones from a point powered by solar panels provided by Adel Shaheen, an owner of an electric appliances shop, as electricity remains cut during the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip October 19, 2023. REUTERS/Mohammed
Palestinians charge their mobile phones from a point powered by solar panels provided by Adel Shaheen, an owner of an electric appliances shop, as electricity remains cut during the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip October 19, 2023. REUTERS/Mohammed
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Palestinian Authority Says Internet Down in Gaza After Attack on Fibre Optic Cable

Palestinians charge their mobile phones from a point powered by solar panels provided by Adel Shaheen, an owner of an electric appliances shop, as electricity remains cut during the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip October 19, 2023. REUTERS/Mohammed
Palestinians charge their mobile phones from a point powered by solar panels provided by Adel Shaheen, an owner of an electric appliances shop, as electricity remains cut during the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip October 19, 2023. REUTERS/Mohammed

The Palestinian Authority said internet and fixed-line communication services were down in Gaza on Thursday following an attack on the territory's last fibre optic cable it blamed on Israel.

"All internet and fixed-line communication services in the Gaza Strip have been cut following the targeting of the last remaining main fibre optic line in Gaza," the PA's telecommunications ministry said in a statement, accusing Israel of attempting to cut Gaza off from the world, AFP reported.

"The southern and central Gaza Strip have now joined Gaza City and the northern part of the Strip in experiencing complete isolation for the second consecutive day," the ministry said in a statement.

It added that its maintenance and repair teams had been unable to safely access the sites where damage occurred to the fibre optic cable.

"The Israeli occupation continues to prevent technical teams from repairing the cables that were cut yesterday", it said, adding that Israeli authorities had prevented repairs to other telecommunication lines in Gaza "for weeks and months".

The Palestinian Red Crescent said the communication lines were "directly targeted by occupation forces".

It said the internet outage was hindering its emergency services by impeding communication with first responder teams in the field.

"The emergency operations room is also struggling to coordinate with other organisations to respond to humanitarian cases."

Maysa Monayer, spokeswoman for the Palestinian communication ministry, told AFP that "mobile calls are still available with very limited capacity" in Gaza for the time being.

Now in its 21st month, the war in Gaza has caused massive damage to infrastructure across the Palestinian territory, including water mains, power lines and roads.