Egypt Says Backs Iraqi Efforts in Development, Enhancing Security

Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly meet with Iraqi Speaker Mohamed Al-Halbousi (Iraqi Government Facebook page)
Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly meet with Iraqi Speaker Mohamed Al-Halbousi (Iraqi Government Facebook page)
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Egypt Says Backs Iraqi Efforts in Development, Enhancing Security

Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly meet with Iraqi Speaker Mohamed Al-Halbousi (Iraqi Government Facebook page)
Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly meet with Iraqi Speaker Mohamed Al-Halbousi (Iraqi Government Facebook page)

Egypt has announced that it supports all efforts exerted by the Iraqi government to achieve development, and enhance security and stability.

Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly made the remarks during talks with Iraqi Parliament Speaker Mohamed Al-Halbousi in Cairo on Thursday.

The meeting was attended by Egyptian Minister for Parliamentary Council Affairs Alaa El-Din Fouad and Iraqi Ambassador to Cairo Ahmed Nayyef Al-Delimi as well as a number of Iraqi lawmakers.

The meeting discussed developing bilateral relations between the two countries and expanding cooperation in all fields.

The Egyptian PM praised the relations binding Egypt and Iraq, based on mutual respect, and highlighted that his visit to Baghdad last year led to agreements on a number of joint development projects.

Egyptian Government spokesman Ambassador Nader Saad said Halbousi hailed the Egyptian leadership’s backing for Iraq at regional and international forums.

The Iraqi speaker also asserted the importance of exchanging visits between the two countries' officials in the coming period, noting that the Iraqi parliament will support the implementation of a number of joint projects.

“The Iraqi parliament is keen to support cooperation and seek to achieve economic integration between the two countries,” Halbousi said.



Coalition Bases in Northeast Syria on High Alert Amid Fears of Militia Attacks

US Bradley armored vehicles on patrol along the main road connecting Qamishli in the east to Tel Tamr in the west, in Syria’s Hasakah province.
US Bradley armored vehicles on patrol along the main road connecting Qamishli in the east to Tel Tamr in the west, in Syria’s Hasakah province.
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Coalition Bases in Northeast Syria on High Alert Amid Fears of Militia Attacks

US Bradley armored vehicles on patrol along the main road connecting Qamishli in the east to Tel Tamr in the west, in Syria’s Hasakah province.
US Bradley armored vehicles on patrol along the main road connecting Qamishli in the east to Tel Tamr in the west, in Syria’s Hasakah province.

US-led coalition forces in northeastern Syria were placed on high alert Friday following Israel’s military strikes against Iran, amid concerns that Iranian-backed militias in Iraq may retaliate with cross-border attacks.

Military sources reported that coalition bases in al-Hasakah province raised their alert level. Coalition aircraft conducted aerial patrols over the bases and along the Syrian-Iraqi border, anticipating potential attacks from factions aligned with Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

The precautionary measures come on the heels of Israel’s “Operation Rising Lion,” which targeted senior IRGC figures in Tehran in what Israeli officials described as a preemptive strike. In response, the Iraqi militia Kata’ib Sayyid al-Shuhada warned it could dispatch dozens of suicide bombers to strike US interests if the conflict escalates.

Witnesses in northeastern Syria reported heavy aerial activity over al-Malikiyah and toward the Simelka-Faysh Khabur border crossing with Iraq’s Kurdistan Region early Friday. Troop movements were also observed within coalition bases.

According to local sources, over 100 trucks crossed from Iraq into Syria Thursday night via the al-Waleed border crossing. The convoy reportedly delivered military equipment, vehicles, weapons, fuel, and supplies to coalition bases in Kharab al-Jir, the Rmelan oil field, Kasrak (on the Qamishli-Tel Tamr road), and al-Shaddadi in southern Hasakah.

The heightened readiness follows a recent US decision to reduce its military presence in Syria, including the closure of three coalition facilities in Deir Ezzor province, among them the al-Omar oil field and the Conoco gas plant.

Despite the drawdown, sources say the coalition continues to receive weekly resupply shipments from its bases in Iraqi Kurdistan, maintaining its operations against ISIS cells and sustaining patrols in the region.

Meanwhile, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) carried out a joint operation with coalition forces targeting a suspected ISIS sleeper cell in the town of al-Mansoura, west of Raqqa. Three suspects were arrested, including two senior figures allegedly involved in bomb-making operations. A full curfew was imposed on the area during the raid.

The SDF confirmed it seized weapons, explosive devices, and documents, and vowed to continue its counterterrorism efforts in partnership with the international coalition.