Iraqis Fear Unrest if Parliament Fails to Elect President on Saturday

A general view of the Iraqi parliament during a meeting in the capital Baghdad. (AFP)
A general view of the Iraqi parliament during a meeting in the capital Baghdad. (AFP)
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Iraqis Fear Unrest if Parliament Fails to Elect President on Saturday

A general view of the Iraqi parliament during a meeting in the capital Baghdad. (AFP)
A general view of the Iraqi parliament during a meeting in the capital Baghdad. (AFP)

Tensions have spiked in Iraq on the eve of a parliamentary session dedicated to elect a new president.

Concerns have mounted that the failure to elect a president for a second time could lead to violence in a country that is sharply divided between rival camps, namely the Shiite Sadrist movement, headed by cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, and the Shiite pro-Iran Coordination Framework.

In a bid to ease the tensions, the Sadrist movement, Kurdish Democratic Party and Sunni Sovereignty alliance announced the formation of the "Nation's Salvation" alliance.

Former Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi, a member of the Framework, congratulated Sadr, KDP chief Masoud Barzani and parliament Speaker Mohammed al-Halbousi on the formation of the alliance.

Other members of the Framework adopted a different tone. The media was flooded with warnings and threats by the remaining members of the Framework and its armed factions against the alliance should it go ahead with the election on Saturday and the nomination of its candidate, the Kurdistan Region’s Interior Minister Reber Ahmed.

No sooner was the Salvation alliance announced, that the Framework dismissed its ability in securing the needed quorum of two-thirds of lawmakers to hold the elections.

Head of the Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq Qais Khazali insisted that the Framework had the "blocking third" power in parliament that could obstruct its decisions.

Abou Ali al-Askari, a figure close to the Kataeb Hizballah, launched a scathing attack against Halbousi, whom he described as a "clown". He warned him against approving the "separatist" candidate, a reference to Ahmed.

In a tweet on Thursday, he called on the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) and "resistance" factions in western Iraq to "redeploy accordingly to confront the threats."

The members of the Framework believe the Salvation alliance to be a new "gimmick" in Iraqi politics aimed at marginalizing Shiites, who make up the majority of the population, and depriving them of naming the prime minister, the country's top executive post.

Former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki criticized the Salvation alliance. He said the norm in Iraq was for the president to be Kurdish, parliament speaker to be Sunni and the premier Shiite. The prime minister would be named by the largest parliamentary bloc.

This time around, however, "our partners formed alliances with the Kurds and Sunnis," he noted.

Sadr and his supporters believe that such an alliance will help rid the country of sectarian squabbling over power and state positions.



Israeli Commandos Kidnap Hezbollah ‘Naval Official’ in Lebanon’s Batroun

Amhaz's ID card at the Maritime Sciences and Technology Institute. (Telegram)
Amhaz's ID card at the Maritime Sciences and Technology Institute. (Telegram)
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Israeli Commandos Kidnap Hezbollah ‘Naval Official’ in Lebanon’s Batroun

Amhaz's ID card at the Maritime Sciences and Technology Institute. (Telegram)
Amhaz's ID card at the Maritime Sciences and Technology Institute. (Telegram)

Israeli marine commandos kidnapped a Lebanese citizen in a landing operation in the Batroun region north of Beirut, a Lebanese security source told Asharq Al-Awsat on Saturday.

The source said the operation took place at dawn on Friday and targeted Imad Fadel Amhaz, a Hezbollah member. The source did not confirm or deny whether he was an official in the Iran-backed party’s naval unit.

The source said the area where the operation happened had witnessed Israeli activity with Lebanese authorities suspecting that it was a meeting point for Israelis and their agents in Lebanon before the eruption of the war.

Speaking to Lebanon's Al-Jadeed TV, caretaker Minister of Public Works and Transport Ali Hamie declined to go into details or answer questions about whether it was thought to be an Israeli operation.

Three Lebanese judicial officials told AP an investigation is looking into the man is linked to Hezbollah or working for an Israeli spy agency and an Israeli force came to rescue him.

The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity as they were unauthorized to share details about the incident or the ongoing investigation.

Israel’s military said it was looking into local media reports that said its forces captured a senior member of Hezbollah’s naval force during the operation. Israel has carried out in the past commando operations deep inside Lebanon to kidnap or kill Hezbollah and Palestinian officials.

Hamie told Al-Jadeed the man was a captain of civilian ships. He graduated in 2022 and in late September joined the Batroun's Maritime Sciences and Technology Institute for additional courses. Hamie said that the man lived roughly 300 meters (980 feet) from the institute.

Hamie's remarks came shortly after two Lebanese journalists posted a video on social media showing what appeared to be about 20 armed men taking away a man from in front a house, his face covered with his shirt.

Kandice Ardiel, a spokesperson for the UN peacekeeping force deployed in south Lebanon, denied allegations by some local journalists who said that the peacekeepers helped the landing force in the operation. The UN mission, known as UNIFIL, has a maritime force that monitors the coast.

"Disinformation and false rumors are irresponsible and put peacekeepers at risk,” Ardiel said.