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Iraq PM Orders Probe Into Reported Clash in Basra

Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi
Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi
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Iraq PM Orders Probe Into Reported Clash in Basra

Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi
Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi

Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi on Thursday ordered an investigation committee to probe a reported clash between Iraqi security forces and an armed group in the southern city of Basra.

On Wednesday night, media outlets quoted commander of Basra Operations Maj. Gen. Akram Saddam as saying that there was an exchange of fire at the Presidential Palaces between a special security force and an armed faction.

Following the news, a statement of the Security Media Cell (SMC) said that the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, PM Mustafa al-Kadhimi, instructed dispatching an investigation committee to Basra governorate.

For its part, the Basra Operations Command denied media reports about a statement made by Saddam regarding the armed skirmishes. "We at the Basra Operations Command headquarters deny these media leaks," the leadership said in a statement.

It added that the Operations Commander has not made any statement to a media outlet.

Later on Thursday, Iraq’s Nina news agency said that Kadhimi dismissed Saddam, replacing him with Major General Ali Al-Majidi.

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Israeli Strike Near Damascus Kills Hezbollah Liaison with Syrian Army

An aerial view shows the Damascus-Aleppo International Highway and the city of Khan Sheikhoun after it was captured by Syrian opposition fighters in the Idlib countryside, Syria, 03 December 2024. (EPA)
An aerial view shows the Damascus-Aleppo International Highway and the city of Khan Sheikhoun after it was captured by Syrian opposition fighters in the Idlib countryside, Syria, 03 December 2024. (EPA)
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Israeli Strike Near Damascus Kills Hezbollah Liaison with Syrian Army

An aerial view shows the Damascus-Aleppo International Highway and the city of Khan Sheikhoun after it was captured by Syrian opposition fighters in the Idlib countryside, Syria, 03 December 2024. (EPA)
An aerial view shows the Damascus-Aleppo International Highway and the city of Khan Sheikhoun after it was captured by Syrian opposition fighters in the Idlib countryside, Syria, 03 December 2024. (EPA)

An Israeli airstrike on a car near Syria's capital Damascus on Tuesday killed Salman Jumaa, a senior Hezbollah figure responsible for liaising with the Syrian army, a Lebanese security source told Reuters.

Syria's state news agency had reported the strike on the airport road but did not offer details on casualties.

The Israeli military confirmed in a later statement taking out Jumaa in what it called an intelligence-based strike in Damascus, saying his killing "degrades both Hezbollah’s presence in Syria and Hezbollah’s ongoing force-building efforts".

Israel rarely acknowledges its strikes in Syria, where it has carried out a years-long air campaign against Iranian military assets and those of its allies, including Hezbollah.

In a rare announcement last month, it said it struck Hezbollah intelligence assets near Damascus.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Syrian President Bashar al-Assad last week that he was "playing with fire" by allowing Iran to transfer weapons to its allies via Syria.