Leader of Iraq’s Liwaa Ansar al-Marjaia Slams ‘Iran’s Agents’

Liwaa Ansar al-Marjaia leader, Hameed al-Yasiri.
Liwaa Ansar al-Marjaia leader, Hameed al-Yasiri.
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Leader of Iraq’s Liwaa Ansar al-Marjaia Slams ‘Iran’s Agents’

Liwaa Ansar al-Marjaia leader, Hameed al-Yasiri.
Liwaa Ansar al-Marjaia leader, Hameed al-Yasiri.

Leader of Liwaa Ansar al-Marjaia faction, Hameed al-Yasiri accused on Sunday Iraq’s Iran loyalists of committing “grand treason.”

Speaking at an Ashura commemoration in the southern city of al-Ramtha, he declared: “Those who are loyal to sides other than the nation are committing grand treason”

“This is great deception. This is what Imam al-Hussein taught us,” he added.

He did not specifically name any side, but was widely understood to be referring to pro-Iran factions.

“Those who take orders from beyond the borders… this is not the doctrine of Imam al-Hussein,” he continued.

Yasiri said he was aware of the danger he would face after making his divisive statements.

“I am aware that some sides are recording these words and sending them to their masters, who will in turn send them to their masters beyond the borders. Someone from the outside will decree my killing or yours on charges of doubting loyalties,” he remarked.

Yasiri’s remarks are unprecedented even though tensions between the various Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) in Iraq are common. The factions are divided between those loyal to the religious authority based in Najaf city and others loyal to Iran. Yasiri’s faction belongs to the former camp.

Qais Khazali, head of the pro-Iran Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq, dismissed Yasiri’s remarks as “trivial”

“It is shocking that such trivialities could be uttered by a cleric from an Imam al-Hussein platform in a city such as al-Ramtha, whose people are diligent and cultured,” he added.



Gazans Must Return Home, EU Plans to Tell Israel 

A Palestinian man and two girls stand a mid of the rubble of homes, destroyed by the Israeli army's air and ground offensive against Hamas in in Bureij refugee camp, central Gaza Strip, Monday, Feb. 17, 2025. (AP)
A Palestinian man and two girls stand a mid of the rubble of homes, destroyed by the Israeli army's air and ground offensive against Hamas in in Bureij refugee camp, central Gaza Strip, Monday, Feb. 17, 2025. (AP)
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Gazans Must Return Home, EU Plans to Tell Israel 

A Palestinian man and two girls stand a mid of the rubble of homes, destroyed by the Israeli army's air and ground offensive against Hamas in in Bureij refugee camp, central Gaza Strip, Monday, Feb. 17, 2025. (AP)
A Palestinian man and two girls stand a mid of the rubble of homes, destroyed by the Israeli army's air and ground offensive against Hamas in in Bureij refugee camp, central Gaza Strip, Monday, Feb. 17, 2025. (AP)

The EU plans to tell Israel next week that Palestinians uprooted from their Gaza homes should be ensured a dignified return and that Europe will contribute to rebuilding the shattered territory, according to a document seen by Reuters.

That echoes Arab positions but conflicts with President Donald Trump's stated aim for the US to take over the shattered coastal strip and rebuild it into a "Riviera of the Middle East" while Gazans emigrate to other nations.

The EU, which has been a major aid provider to Palestinians, is to outline its position to Israeli officials in talks in Brussels on February 24 as part of the EU-Israel Association Council, the first such session since 2022.

A document outlining the draft EU position emphasizes both Europe's commitment to Israel's security and its view that "displaced Gazans should be ensured a safe and dignified return to their homes in Gaza".

"The EU will actively contribute to a coordinated international effort to early recovery and reconstruction in Gaza," it said, also calling for full humanitarian access.

"The EU deeply deplores the unacceptable number of civilians, especially women and children, who have lost their lives, and the catastrophic humanitarian situation notably caused by the insufficient entry of aid into Gaza, in particular in the North."

Israel launched its assault on Gaza after fighters from the Palestinian group Hamas stormed southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking more than 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.

More than 48,000 people have been killed in Gaza, according to Palestinian health officials. Much of the enclave has been laid waste with most of its 2.3 million pre-war population displaced multiple times, humanitarian agencies say.

"The EU strongly opposes all actions that undermine the viability of the two-state solution," the document added, referring to its position that Palestinians should have an independent homeland alongside Israel.