Three Rockets Hit near Baghdad Green Zone

A security force deployed near the Green Zone after the fall of Katyusha rockets on Mansur district  (AFP)
A security force deployed near the Green Zone after the fall of Katyusha rockets on Mansur district (AFP)
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Three Rockets Hit near Baghdad Green Zone

A security force deployed near the Green Zone after the fall of Katyusha rockets on Mansur district  (AFP)
A security force deployed near the Green Zone after the fall of Katyusha rockets on Mansur district (AFP)

Three rockets on Sunday hit a Baghdad neighborhood near the high-security Green Zone where the US embassy is located without causing any casualties, an Iraqi security official said.

“Three Katyusha rockets fell in the Mansur district of Baghdad,” the source told AFP.

The rockets struck near a Red Crescent hospital, a bank, and the district’s water management department, the source added.

Similar attacks happened in the past months against the US forces and interests in Iraq.

The attacks were not claimed by any party; however, Washington attributes them to pro-Iranian Iraqi factions that demand the full withdrawal of the US forces from Iraq.

Since the beginning of 2021, more than 50 attacks targeted US interests in Iraq, including the US Embassy in Baghdad, Iraqi military bases, Baghdad International Airport, and Erbil International Airport.

The Iraqi authorities stated that the rocket launcher that targeted Mansur district was found in Al Shuala, west of Baghdad.

Some 2,500 US troops are still deployed in Iraq. They will officially limit themselves to an "advisory" role to the Iraqi security forces from 2022.

The Green Zone also houses Iraqi government buildings.



Palestinian Prime Minister Says Palestinian Authority Should Run Gaza in Future

Palestinian Prime Minister Muhammed Mustafa and Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide attend a meeting of the Global Alliance for the implementation of the two-State Solution at Oslo City Hall in Oslo, Norway, January 15, 2025. (Heiko Junge/NTB/via Reuters)
Palestinian Prime Minister Muhammed Mustafa and Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide attend a meeting of the Global Alliance for the implementation of the two-State Solution at Oslo City Hall in Oslo, Norway, January 15, 2025. (Heiko Junge/NTB/via Reuters)
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Palestinian Prime Minister Says Palestinian Authority Should Run Gaza in Future

Palestinian Prime Minister Muhammed Mustafa and Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide attend a meeting of the Global Alliance for the implementation of the two-State Solution at Oslo City Hall in Oslo, Norway, January 15, 2025. (Heiko Junge/NTB/via Reuters)
Palestinian Prime Minister Muhammed Mustafa and Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide attend a meeting of the Global Alliance for the implementation of the two-State Solution at Oslo City Hall in Oslo, Norway, January 15, 2025. (Heiko Junge/NTB/via Reuters)

Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa said it “will not be acceptable” for any entity other than the Palestinian Authority to run the Gaza Strip in the future.

Mustafa made the comments on Wednesday as he visited Norway, one of three European countries that formally recognized a Palestinian state in May.

Hamas seized power in Gaza in 2007, confining the Palestinian Authority’s limited self-rule to parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank. The US has called for a revitalized Palestinian Authority to govern both the West Bank and Gaza ahead of eventual statehood, which the Israeli government opposes.

“While we’re waiting for the ceasefire, it’s important to stress that it will not be acceptable for any entity to govern Gaza Strip but the legitimate Palestinian leadership and the government of the State of Palestine," Mustafa said.

He added that “any attempt to consolidate the separation between the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, or creating transitional entities, will be rejected.”

Mustafa stressed that “we should not leave Gaza to vacuum ... We are the government of Palestine, ready to hold our responsibilities in the Gaza Strip as we did before.”