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Iraq's Dhi Qar Governor Resigns Following Protests

Iraqi protesters during a sit-in in Dhi Qar, Iraq (AFP/Getty Images)
Iraqi protesters during a sit-in in Dhi Qar, Iraq (AFP/Getty Images)
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Iraq's Dhi Qar Governor Resigns Following Protests

Iraqi protesters during a sit-in in Dhi Qar, Iraq (AFP/Getty Images)
Iraqi protesters during a sit-in in Dhi Qar, Iraq (AFP/Getty Images)

Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Kadhimi approved the resignation of Dhi Qar Governor Ahmed al-Khafaji.

Khafaji resigned from his position amid a political and popular crisis in the governorate, where he has been criticized for his "mismanagement."

Protests erupted in al-Nasiriyah city in Dhi Qar on Wednesday. Security forces shot three protesters, a medical source told Agence France-Presse (AFP).

Dozens are protesting in the governorate, demanding better living and service conditions, and pushing for dropping the lawsuits against them related to their participation in the October 2019 demonstrations.

Khafaji's office stated in a press statement: "The governor submitted his resignation from the position to Prime Minister Mustafa Kadhimi, in the interest of the public interest, and to provide security and stability and preserve the interests of the citizens of this province."

The statement, carried by Iraqi National Agency (INA), indicated that the governor offered his sincere apologies to all the people of Dhi Qar for any shortcomings.

On Wednesday, the Security Media Cell of the Prime Minister's Office issued a statement indicating that the prime minister followed up with "great interest" the developments in Dhi Qar, including the injury of three protesters in Nasiriyah.

Kadhimi ordered authorities to take the necessary legal measures and open an urgent investigation into the incident.

The southern Iraqi governorates, especially Dhi Qar, Diwaniyah, and Najaf, have witnessed sporadic demonstrations during the past weeks, with dozens participating, demanding better job opportunities and living conditions.

Nasiriyah, located 350 km south of Baghdad, was the main stronghold of the protest movement in October 2019. It suffers from severe poverty, deteriorating infrastructure, and unemployment among the youth.

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Lebanon Security Source Says Hezbollah Official Targeted in Beirut Strike

Civil defense members work as Lebanese army soldiers stand guard at the site of an Israeli strike in Beirut's Basta neighbourhood, amid the ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, Lebanon November 23, 2024. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi
Civil defense members work as Lebanese army soldiers stand guard at the site of an Israeli strike in Beirut's Basta neighbourhood, amid the ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, Lebanon November 23, 2024. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi
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Lebanon Security Source Says Hezbollah Official Targeted in Beirut Strike

Civil defense members work as Lebanese army soldiers stand guard at the site of an Israeli strike in Beirut's Basta neighbourhood, amid the ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, Lebanon November 23, 2024. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi
Civil defense members work as Lebanese army soldiers stand guard at the site of an Israeli strike in Beirut's Basta neighbourhood, amid the ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, Lebanon November 23, 2024. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi

A Lebanese security source said the target of a deadly Israeli airstrike on central Beirut early Saturday was a senior Hezbollah official, adding it was unclear whether he was killed.

"The Israeli strike on Basta targeted a leading Hezbollah figure," the security official told AFP without naming the figure, requesting anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.

The early morning airstrike has killed at least 15 people and injured 63, according to authorities, and had brought down an eight-storey building nearby, in the second such attack on the working-class neighbourhood of Basta in as many months.

"The strike was so strong it felt like the building was about to fall on our heads," said Samir, 60, who lives with his family in a building facing the one that was hit.

"It felt like they had targeted my house," he said, asking to be identified by only his first name because of security concerns.

There had been no evacuation warning issued by the Israeli military for the Basta area.

After the strike, Samir fled his home in the middle of the night with his wife and two children, aged 14 and just three.

On Saturday morning, dumbstruck residents watched as an excavator cleared the wreckage of the razed building and rescue efforts continued, with nearby buildings also damaged in the attack, AFP journalists reported.

The densely packed district has welcomed people displaced from traditional Hezbollah bastions in Lebanon's east, south and southern Beirut, after Israel intensified its air campaign on September 23, later sending in ground troops.

"We saw two dead people on the ground... The children started crying and their mother cried even more," Samir told AFP, reporting minor damage to his home.

Since last Sunday, four deadly Israeli strikes have hit central Beirut, including one that killed Hezbollah spokesman Mohammed Afif.

Residents across the city and its outskirts awoke at 0400 (0200 GMT) on Saturday to loud explosions and the smell of gunpowder in the air.

"It was the first time I've woken up screaming in terror," said Salah, a 35-year-old father of two who lives in the same street as the building that was targeted.

"Words can't express the fear that gripped me," he said.

Saturday's strikes were the second time the Basta district had been targeted since war broke out, after deadly twin strikes early in October hit the area and the Nweiri neighbourhood.

Last month's attacks killed 22 people and had targeted Hezbollah security chief Wafiq Safa, who made it out alive, a source close to the group told AFP.

Salah said his wife and children had been in the northern city of Tripoli, about 70 kilometres away (45 miles), but that he had to stay in the capital because of work.

His family had been due to return this weekend because their school reopens on Monday, but now he has decided against it following the attack.

"I miss them. Every day they ask me: 'Dad, when are we coming home?'" he said.

Lebanon's health ministry says that more than 3,650 people have been killed since October 2023, after Hezbollah initiated exchanges of fire with Israel in solidarity with its Iran-backed ally Hamas over the Gaza war.

However, most of the deaths in Lebanon have been since September this year.

Despite the trauma caused by Saturday's strike, Samir said he and his family had no choice but to return home.

"Where else would I go?" he asked.

"All my relatives and siblings have been displaced from Beirut's southern suburbs and from the south."