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Baghdad to Host Int’l Conference on Recovering Looted Funds

An aerial view of Baghdad, Iraq, Aug. 11, 2021. (Reuters)
An aerial view of Baghdad, Iraq, Aug. 11, 2021. (Reuters)
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Baghdad to Host Int’l Conference on Recovering Looted Funds

An aerial view of Baghdad, Iraq, Aug. 11, 2021. (Reuters)
An aerial view of Baghdad, Iraq, Aug. 11, 2021. (Reuters)

An international conference for the recovery of looted funds will be held in Baghdad on Wednesday, under the auspices of the Iraqi government and the participation of Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Abul Gheit.

The two-day conference will also be attended by a number of justice ministers, heads of judicial councils and supervisory bodies, as well as representatives of Arab organizations, and legal, academic and media figures.

The Iraqi Integrity Commission and the Ministry of Justice are organizing the conference, which will feature joint workshops and the presentation of research papers that address obstacles facing national regulatory authorities in recovering stolen assets and funds that have been transferred outside their countries of origin, according to a statement by the Commission.

The conference is expected to come out with a set of decisions, recommendations, results and initiatives that encourage the participating countries to promote cooperation and the exchange of legal assistance.

Iraq has been suffering for years from corruption and mismanagement, and often tops the list of the most corrupt countries in the index of international organizations, including Transparency International.

In May, President Barham Salih revealed that about USD 150 billion had been smuggled out of the country since 2003 through illicit means. Iraq is a member of the United Nations Convention against Corruption.

Mohammad Rahim Al-Rubaie, head of Al-Nahrain Network for Integrity and Transparency, underlined the importance of the conference.

“The interest of the Arab League and other international organizations is a need raised by the widespread popular demands to recover the looted funds after the wave that is now known as the Arab Spring,” Al-Rubaie told Asharq Al-Awsat.

He added that a report by Transparency International in 2019 found that the volume of corruption in Arab countries reached nearly USD 300 billion, or about 30 percent of the total corruption around the world.

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Arab World

Israeli Army Strikes South of Beirut as Hezbollah Launches Rockets at Israel

First responders and security forces work at the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted a vehicle the Lebanese town of Jiyyeh, south of Beirut, on April 15, 2026. (AFP)
First responders and security forces work at the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted a vehicle the Lebanese town of Jiyyeh, south of Beirut, on April 15, 2026. (AFP)
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Israeli Army Strikes South of Beirut as Hezbollah Launches Rockets at Israel

First responders and security forces work at the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted a vehicle the Lebanese town of Jiyyeh, south of Beirut, on April 15, 2026. (AFP)
First responders and security forces work at the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted a vehicle the Lebanese town of Jiyyeh, south of Beirut, on April 15, 2026. (AFP)

Two Israeli strikes on Wednesday hit vehicles south of Beirut, state media reported, while Hezbollah launched rockets at Israel, hours after Lebanon and Israel agreed to hold direct negotiations.

Israel is continuing its strikes on southern Lebanon in its war with Iran-backed Hezbollah, but has not targeted the Lebanese capital since a series of attacks across the country on April 8 that killed more than 350 people.

Lebanon's state-run National News Agency reported two separate Israeli strikes on two vehicles, one in the seafront town of Saadiyat and another on a coastal highway in neighboring Jiyyeh, around 20 kilometers (12 miles) south of Beirut and outside Hezbollah's traditional strongholds.

NNA also reported several other strikes across southern Lebanon.

The Israeli military meanwhile said it had detected "approximately 30 launches" by Hezbollah towards Israel since the early hours, a spokesman told AFP.

Hezbollah said it launched rockets at 10 northern Israeli areas.

The attacks come a day after Lebanon and Israel's ambassadors to the United States held their first direct talks in decades in Washington and agreed to hold further direct negotiations, with the Lebanese envoy calling for a ceasefire.

Hezbollah strongly rejected the talks.

Israeli attacks on Lebanon have killed more than 2,000 people and displaced more than a million since March 2, according to Lebanese authorities.

Arab World

Damascus to Take Over Prisons under SDF Control

People gather as prisoners from the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) arrive after being released under an agreement between the SDF and the Syrian government, in Hasakeh, Syria, April 11, 2026. (Reuters)
People gather as prisoners from the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) arrive after being released under an agreement between the SDF and the Syrian government, in Hasakeh, Syria, April 11, 2026. (Reuters)
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Damascus to Take Over Prisons under SDF Control

People gather as prisoners from the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) arrive after being released under an agreement between the SDF and the Syrian government, in Hasakeh, Syria, April 11, 2026. (Reuters)
People gather as prisoners from the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) arrive after being released under an agreement between the SDF and the Syrian government, in Hasakeh, Syria, April 11, 2026. (Reuters)

Syrian authorities are set to take control of prisons run by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a government official said, as part of efforts to resolve the detainee issue under an agreement reached on January 29.

Ahmad al-Hilali, spokesman for the presidential team overseeing implementation of the deal, said all SDF-run prisons would be handed over to the justice and interior ministries.

He noted that detainees held by the SDF are being released without conditions, with a new batch expected next week.

“The SDF is committed to the full release of detainees linked to the uprising,” Hilali said, adding that the Justice Ministry would review the cases of those accused of criminal offenses.

He revealed that about 1,500 detainees had already been released, while around 500 others would have their cases examined.

Hilali said the transfer of prisons, particularly in Hasakeh province, would ensure that no detentions remain outside state oversight. He described the issue as humanitarian and said the SDF is moving toward integration into state institutions.

The presidential team, headed by Brig. Gen. Ziad al-Ayesh, arrived on Saturday at the Melbiya Regiment base in the Hasakeh countryside to oversee the release of a third batch of detainees under the agreement. The process included releases by both sides.

On Monday, the SDF freed a fourth group of detainees, according to Hasakeh’s media directorate, in a move carried out under the supervision of the presidential team, Syria TV reported.

Hilali said the government is moving to take over management of SDF-run prisons to end what he described as unregulated and ad hoc releases in recent months.

In a separate development, Hilali said a convoy carrying 800 families displaced from the Afrin region set off from Hasakeh province on Wednesday toward their home areas.

He described it as the largest organized return so far, reflecting progress in preparing conditions and basic services for returns, and underscoring what he said was the state’s commitment to addressing displacement.

Arab World

International Airlines Resume Beirut Flights with US Assurances

Middle East Airlines aircraft sit on the tarmac at Beirut's Rafic Hariri airport on April 10, 2026. (AFP)
Middle East Airlines aircraft sit on the tarmac at Beirut's Rafic Hariri airport on April 10, 2026. (AFP)
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International Airlines Resume Beirut Flights with US Assurances

Middle East Airlines aircraft sit on the tarmac at Beirut's Rafic Hariri airport on April 10, 2026. (AFP)
Middle East Airlines aircraft sit on the tarmac at Beirut's Rafic Hariri airport on April 10, 2026. (AFP)

Beirut’s Rafic Hariri International Airport began recovering on Tuesday from the fallout of the Iran war, as international airlines resumed flights to the Lebanese capital after a roughly 40-day suspension caused by ongoing war, amid US pressure on Israel to spare the airport.

The airport schedule showed the arrival of a Qatar Airways aircraft and another operated by Iraq’s UR Airlines, for the first time since the outbreak of the war. The conflict had disrupted airport operations in Lebanon and several Arab countries and prompted European carriers to cancel services to Beirut.

Qatar Airways had previously announced it would operate one daily commercial flight to Beirut.

Mohammad Aziz, head of Lebanon’s Civil Aviation Authority, said the airport “was not closed; airlines themselves suspended flights to Beirut due to risks posed by military operations to aviation safety.”

Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, Aziz said he hoped all other carriers would soon resume flights, aiding the airport’s recovery. He added that airlines that halted services due to recent developments were likely to return.

A Qatar Airways plane carrying humanitarian aid landed in Beirut last Friday, before the airline resumed commercial flights on Tuesday alongside UR Airlines.

Their services join those of Lebanon’s national carrier, Middle East Airlines, which maintained operations throughout the war, as well as regular flights by Royal Jordanian and intermittent services by other carriers.

Aziz said no new guarantees or procedures had been introduced.

“The security assurances are the same ones the Lebanese state received through the United States to spare the airport any bombardment,” he said.

He added that agreements between the Civil Aviation Authority and airlines operating in Beirut remain in force. The airport stayed open, while canceled flights listed on schedules reflected airline decisions rather than any change in agreements.

Lebanon received assurances from the United States at the start of the war that Washington was pressing Israel not to target Beirut airport, the country’s only functioning airport.

Aziz said there had been no changes to takeoff and landing procedures, adding that security measures remain strict and in line with international safety standards to ensure the safety of passengers, facilities and flights.

Passenger traffic at Beirut airport has fallen by between 60 and 70 percent since the war began in late February, amid the closure of some regional airports and the suspension of European flights.

Aziz said traffic was “normal” in the sense that arrivals roughly matched departures. On Monday, 2,266 passengers departed Lebanon, compared with 2,241 arrivals, most traveling on Middle East Airlines.