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Arab World

Two Kurdish Counterterrorism Agencies Deny Connection to Soleimani’s Assassination

Kurdish policemen look on towards banners supporting the referendum for independence of Kurdistan in Erbil, Iraq September 24, 2017. REUTERS/Alaa Al-Marjani
Kurdish policemen look on towards banners supporting the referendum for independence of Kurdistan in Erbil, Iraq September 24, 2017. REUTERS/Alaa Al-Marjani
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Two Kurdish Counterterrorism Agencies Deny Connection to Soleimani’s Assassination

Kurdish policemen look on towards banners supporting the referendum for independence of Kurdistan in Erbil, Iraq September 24, 2017. REUTERS/Alaa Al-Marjani
Kurdish policemen look on towards banners supporting the referendum for independence of Kurdistan in Erbil, Iraq September 24, 2017. REUTERS/Alaa Al-Marjani

The Kurdistan Region Directorate General of Counter Terrorism (CTD) denied on Sunday having any connection with the assassination of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani, following a report, published by Yahoo, pointing to the involvement of Kurdish officers in the operation.

The CTD noted that the CTG, which was mentioned in an investigative report published by Yahoo, was affiliated with the co-president of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, Lahur Sheikh Jangi, the nephew of the late party leader and former Iraqi president Jalal Talbani, adding that this body worked outside the legal contexts of the Kurdistan region.

In a statement, the CTD said that it had “no connection” with the CTG and was not aware of the operation.

The group, it added, “is affiliated with Lahur Sheikh Jangi and his brothers.”

The statement emphasized that PUK-affiliated forces “do not comply with the laws of the Kurdistan Region and its institutions.”

It also recommended the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) to “conduct a serious investigation” into the allegations.

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the Counter-Terrorism Group (CTG) of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan said, in a statement published on Sunday, that the report “indirectly alleges the participation of a number of Kurdish officers in the assassination of General Qassem Soleiman,” adding: “We categorically deny any knowledge or participation of counter-terrorism forces in this operation.”

It is noteworthy that the security services in the Kurdistan region are still divided between the two previous administrations (the yellow zone of the Kurdistan Democratic Party and the green zone of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan), despite the union of the two administrations after the fall of Saddam Hussein’s regime.

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Arab World

Iraqi Oil Ministry Says It Began Exporting Fuel Oil Via Syria

A worker performs checks at Türkiye's Mediterranean port of Ceyhan, February 19, 2014. REUTERS/Umit Bektas
A worker performs checks at Türkiye's Mediterranean port of Ceyhan, February 19, 2014. REUTERS/Umit Bektas
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Iraqi Oil Ministry Says It Began Exporting Fuel Oil Via Syria

A worker performs checks at Türkiye's Mediterranean port of Ceyhan, February 19, 2014. REUTERS/Umit Bektas
A worker performs checks at Türkiye's Mediterranean port of Ceyhan, February 19, 2014. REUTERS/Umit Bektas

Iraq's oil ministry said on Thursday it began exporting fuel oil via Syria after ‌disruptions ‌to the Strait ‌of ⁠Hormuz caused by the ⁠Iran war.

The oil will be trucked overland ⁠and export ‌operations ‌would gradually increase ‌to ‌boost the Iraqi economy, the ministry added.

Reuters reported ‌in an exclusive on Tuesday ⁠that ⁠the land route, which Iraq has not used for decades, became its best option.

Arab World

Israel Expands Warnings to Hezbollah-linked Money Changers

Lebanese security personnel at the site of an Israeli strike targeting senior military commander Youssef Hashem in the Jnah area on the outskirts of Beirut (Reuters). 
Lebanese security personnel at the site of an Israeli strike targeting senior military commander Youssef Hashem in the Jnah area on the outskirts of Beirut (Reuters). 
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Israel Expands Warnings to Hezbollah-linked Money Changers

Lebanese security personnel at the site of an Israeli strike targeting senior military commander Youssef Hashem in the Jnah area on the outskirts of Beirut (Reuters). 
Lebanese security personnel at the site of an Israeli strike targeting senior military commander Youssef Hashem in the Jnah area on the outskirts of Beirut (Reuters). 

The Israeli army said it has killed a senior Hezbollah commander, Youssef Ismail Hashem, in a naval strike, as it widened its warnings in Lebanon to include individuals it accuses of handling the group’s finances.

The military described Hashem as Hezbollah’s “southern front commander”, adding he had more than 40 years of experience and was one of Hezbollah’s “major pillars”.

A security source told AFP that Hashem, also known as Sayyed al-Sadeq, was responsible for Hezbollah’s military and security file in Iraq and was killed in a strike on the Jnah area of Beirut. Lebanon’s health ministry said the attack killed seven people.

The source noted that Hashem “was in a meeting with other party members inside a tent near several vehicles” at the time of the attack.

A source close to Hezbollah confirmed the killing, describing him as “the most senior official targeted since the start of the war”. Hezbollah also announced the death of one of its members, Mohammad Baqer al-Nabulsi, who was killed in the same strike.

US sanctions

Hashem has been under US sanctions since 2018 for working for or on behalf of Hezbollah, according to the US Treasury.

The Treasury noted that he oversaw Hezbollah’s operational activities in Iraq and was responsible for protecting the group’s interests there.

It added that he managed relations with armed groups in Iraq, including coordinating the deployment of fighters to Syria.

Senior figure

Hashem is the most senior military figure killed since the start of the war, succeeding Ali Karaki, who was assassinated in an Israeli strike that targeted former Hezbollah secretary-general Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut’s southern suburbs on Sept. 27, 2024.

Israel had previously targeted lower-ranking commanders, including Hassan Salameh, head of Hezbollah’s “Nasr Unit”, who was killed on March 10.

According to Israeli media, Hezbollah’s southern front is divided into three sectors — the Nasr, Aziz and Badr units — which operate independently, with Hashem overseeing all three.

Warnings broadened

Israel has expanded its warnings in Lebanon to include “money changers working in the service of Hezbollah”.

Israeli army spokesman Avichay Adraee said in a post on X that the military had targeted Hezbollah funding sources during the war, including the Al-Qard al-Hassan association and fuel networks.

“Another source that has been targeted is the network of money changers, which constitutes the main and most important financial source for this terrorist organization,” he added.

He named Mohammad Noureddine and Hussein Ibrahim as key money changers working for Hezbollah.

Addressing them directly, he said: “Due to your involvement in financing Hezbollah, the IDF warns you that continuing to fund Hezbollah puts you at risk.”

He also urged Lebanese citizens to avoid “any contact with Hezbollah money changers” and to “stay away from them” for their own safety.

Security zone plans

The intensified strikes come as Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said that “at the end of the operation, the Israeli army will establish a security zone inside Lebanon along a defensive line against anti-tank missiles”.

He added that Israel would maintain security control over the area up to the Litani River, about 30 kilometers from the border.

Lebanese Defense Minister Michel Menassa condemned the remarks, saying they “no longer constitute mere threats, but reflect a clear intention to impose a new occupation of Lebanese territory”.

Arab World

US Embassy in Baghdad Warns of Attacks in City over Next 24-48 Hours

A view of the US Embassy in Baghdad (archival - Reuters)
A view of the US Embassy in Baghdad (archival - Reuters)
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US Embassy in Baghdad Warns of Attacks in City over Next 24-48 Hours

A view of the US Embassy in Baghdad (archival - Reuters)
A view of the US Embassy in Baghdad (archival - Reuters)

The US embassy in Baghdad warned Thursday that pro-Iran armed groups in Iraq may attack the city in the coming one or two days.

"Iraqi terrorist militia groups aligned with Iran may intend to conduct attacks in central Baghdad in the next 24-48 hours," the embassy said in a statement on X, again urging Americans in the country to leave immediately.