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Erbil Requests a UN Envoy to Organize Relations with Iraq

The Kurdistan region wants a UN Envoy to Organize Relations between Erbil and Baghdad (Reuters)
The Kurdistan region wants a UN Envoy to Organize Relations between Erbil and Baghdad (Reuters)
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Erbil Requests a UN Envoy to Organize Relations with Iraq

The Kurdistan region wants a UN Envoy to Organize Relations between Erbil and Baghdad (Reuters)
The Kurdistan region wants a UN Envoy to Organize Relations between Erbil and Baghdad (Reuters)

The Presidency of the Kurdistan Region in Iraq announced that the Security Council approved a request submitted by Erbil to send a UN envoy to organize the relationship with Baghdad and find radical solutions for their differences.

The Presidency said in a statement that Council members expressed their support of a request by Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani, asking for the appointment of an official to facilitate dialogue between Erbil and Baghdad over outstanding issues.

The statement noted that the Security Council would issue next week a draft resolution to renew the work of the UN mission and discuss the issue in a special session.

The federal government in Baghdad did not comment on the request.

Relations between the two governments soured significantly in the energy file following the decision of the Federal Supreme Court regarding the unconstitutionality of the region's oil sector.

Head of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) in the Iraqi Parliament Vian Sabri confirmed that the Security Council countries agreed to the request to send a special envoy to regulate the relationship between the two parties.

Sabri told Asharq Al-Awsat that the goal is to reach an agreement and find radical solutions to the differences between the two governments under the Iraqi constitution.

She noted that regulating the relationship between the two governments has become a necessary matter, especially since there have been outstanding differences, namely the issue of oil and natural resources.

Erbil's request comes when the political process in Iraq is going through a phase of political impasse due to the inability of the winning electoral blocs to form a new Iraqi government.

The Kurdish parties' distribution between two Shiite alliances significantly weakened their position towards Baghdad. The two parties' differences are related to the constitution, especially Article 140 on Kirkuk and the disputed areas and Article 111 on oil.

However, the differences between the two main Kurdish parties, the KDP led by Massoud Barzani and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) headed by Bafel Talabani, over the Presidency damaged the unity of the Kurds regarding the unresolved issues.

PUK senior member Mahmoud Khoshnaw told Asharq Al-Awsat that the Patriotic Union wants constitutional solutions, especially after the Federal Court's decision.

Khoshnaw explained that the internal dialogue, albeit under external auspices, is critical to resolving differences, some of which have lasted for decades, stressing that it has become necessary to separate political and economic issues.

On Saturday, the Iraqi Oil Ministry said that the federal government aims to establish a new oil company in the Kurdistan region, seeking to enter into new service contracts with oil firms currently operating under the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).

On May 7, Oil Minister Ihsan Abdul-Jabbar said that the ministry would start implementing a February federal court ruling that declared the legal foundations of the Kurdistan region's oil and gas sector unconstitutional, Reuters reported.

Iraq then asked international oil and gas companies operating in the Kurdistan region to sign new contracts with the state-owned marketing company, SOMO, instead of the KRG.

The letters marked the first direct contact between the ministry and the oil companies operating in the Kurdistan region. The move follows years of attempts by the federal government to control the revenues of KRG, including local court rulings and threats of international arbitration.

The Ministry of Oil said it will pursue legal actions against companies that continue to operate under "unlawful production sharing contracts" and "do not engage in good faith negotiations to restructure their contracts."

Meanwhile, the UN Sec-Gen Special Representative for Iraq, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, presented a comprehensive briefing on the Iraqi situation before the UN Security Council.

Plasschaert said that Iraqis continue to wait for "a political class that will roll up its sleeves to make headway on the country's long list of outstanding domestic priorities."

"A sincere, collective, and urgent will to resolve political differences must now prevail – it must prevail for the country to move forward and meet its citizens' needs."

She warned that "Iraqi political inaction comes at a huge price. Not (in the short term) for those in power, but for those desperately trying to make ends meet daily."

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Arab World

Israeli Military Kills Four in Gaza and Expands Control Zone, Locals Say

Palestinians assess damage at the site of an Israeli airstrike in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, on June 7, 2026. (AFP)
Palestinians assess damage at the site of an Israeli airstrike in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, on June 7, 2026. (AFP)
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Israeli Military Kills Four in Gaza and Expands Control Zone, Locals Say

Palestinians assess damage at the site of an Israeli airstrike in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, on June 7, 2026. (AFP)
Palestinians assess damage at the site of an Israeli airstrike in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, on June 7, 2026. (AFP)

Israeli strikes killed four Palestinians, including a child, in the Gaza Strip on Monday, health officials there said, as Israel's military expanded the area under its control, according to residents.

The reports came as mediators in Cairo said they were pressing on with efforts to salvage a fragile US-brokered ceasefire deal that has ended major clashes but left many key points unresolved.

Medics said two people were killed when an Israeli strike hit near a tent encampment in the Mawasi area of Khan Younis in the south of the enclave.

In the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza, medics said two Palestinians, including an eight-year-old boy, were killed and others were wounded in an Israeli ‌airstrike that hit ‌near a group of people digging a well.

The Israeli military did ‌not ⁠immediately comment on ⁠the reports of the attacks or of its forces moving markers to expand the "Yellow Zone" under their control.

Israel and Hamas have repeatedly accused each other of violating the truce. Israeli strikes have killed more than 950 people since the truce, health officials say, while Israel says four soldiers were killed by fighters during the same period.

ISRAEL'S NETANYAHU ORDERED EXPANSION

Israeli troops still control more than 60% of Gaza's territory, where they have ordered residents out and destroyed remaining buildings.

Nearly the entire population of 2 ⁠million people now live in a tiny strip of land along the ‌coast, mainly in makeshift tents or damaged buildings, under ‌Hamas control.

The territory has been bombarded to ruins by Israel's two-year military assault that followed the 2023 Hamas ‌attack on southern Israel.

On Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reaffirmed that he had directed Israel's ‌military to expand its hold and take control of 70% of the enclave.

"We are not allowing them to arm themselves or harm us, and we are also eliminating their senior commanders," he said in a speech.

Witnesses in the southern Gaza areas said the Israeli forces have in the past few days expanded the "Yellow ‌Zone", in some areas in eastern Khan Younis and northern Rafah where new markers and concrete blocks have been placed.

They added that new ⁠markers bring forces closer ⁠to areas populated with tents and displacement centers.

In Bani Suhaila town, in eastern Khan Younis, some people say they could see the tanks from their tents.

MEDIATORS PRESS ON WITH TALKS

Three days into a new round of ceasefire talks in Cairo, leaders of Hamas and other Palestinian groups told mediators that Israel must end attacks to allow discussion on the second phase.

They demanded more flow of aid and goods into Gaza, and the retreat of Israeli forces to original October ceasefire lines.

A Hamas official told Reuters on Monday that Israel had so far refused to make commitments to mediators over any of the demands made by Hamas and the factions.

No agreement has been reached to implement a further US-backed plan for Israeli troops to withdraw, Hamas to disarm and Gaza to be rebuilt.

"Israel refuses to end attacks on civilians in Gaza, allow 600 trucks of aid and goods into Gaza as agreed and it continues to occupy more land every day," the official said.

Arab World

Salam: Israel Has Bombed Lebanon Nearly 3,500 Times During Ceasefire

FILE PHOTO: Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam speaks during a declaration press event held along with French President Emmanuel Macron (not pictured) following their meeting at the Elysee Presidential Palace in Paris, France, April 21, 2026. Ludovic Marin/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam speaks during a declaration press event held along with French President Emmanuel Macron (not pictured) following their meeting at the Elysee Presidential Palace in Paris, France, April 21, 2026. Ludovic Marin/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo
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Salam: Israel Has Bombed Lebanon Nearly 3,500 Times During Ceasefire

FILE PHOTO: Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam speaks during a declaration press event held along with French President Emmanuel Macron (not pictured) following their meeting at the Elysee Presidential Palace in Paris, France, April 21, 2026. Ludovic Marin/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam speaks during a declaration press event held along with French President Emmanuel Macron (not pictured) following their meeting at the Elysee Presidential Palace in Paris, France, April 21, 2026. Ludovic Marin/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo

Israel has carried out nearly 3,500 air strikes on Lebanon and hundreds of controlled explosions since the US announced a ceasefire for the country on April 16, Lebanon's Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said on Monday.

The US-brokered ceasefire came into effect just after midnight on April 17, with Israeli troops still positioned deep inside southern Lebanon.

In comments published by his office ⁠on X after ⁠a cabinet meeting, Salam said that from April 17 to June 7, Israel had carried out 3,491 air strikes, 407 controlled demolitions and six "razing" operations, or demolitions - which have left some entire villages in the southernmost strip of Lebanon entirely flattened.

Workers clean the debris following Israeli airstrikes that hit the previous day, near the archaeological site of the Roman hippodrome in the southern Lebanese city of Tyre on June 8, 2026. (Photo by KAWNAT HAJU / AFP) /

Salam said Lebanon was striving to uphold the ceasefire but that the latest escalation between Iran and Israel had caused additional waves of displacement, straining Lebanon's ability to host fleeing families.

Already, more than 1 million people - a fifth of Lebanon's population - have been displaced by Israel's strikes and evacuation warnings across Lebanon since the war erupted on March 2.

The latest conflict broke out when Hezbollah fired rockets on Israel in support of ⁠its ally ⁠Iran, which was being struck by Israel and the United States.

Hezbollah has continued firing at Israel and has rejected US-mediated talks between Lebanese and Israeli officials aimed at bolstering the ceasefire with a lasting agreement.

Arab World

Protests in Syria’s Jazira Region Over Deteriorating Living Conditions

Residents protest on the Hol-Hasakah road (Hasakah Observatory)
Residents protest on the Hol-Hasakah road (Hasakah Observatory)
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Protests in Syria’s Jazira Region Over Deteriorating Living Conditions

Residents protest on the Hol-Hasakah road (Hasakah Observatory)
Residents protest on the Hol-Hasakah road (Hasakah Observatory)

Protesters in the al-Hol area east of Hasakah province blocked the main route used by fuel tankers heading into other parts of Syria, demonstrating against worsening living conditions.

The move came amid calls for demonstrations in Hasakah, Qamishli, al-Shaddadi, al-Yarubiyah, Ras al-Ain, Tell Hamis, and Tell Brak — areas collectively known as Syria’s Jazira region — and opposition to the implementation of integration measures perceived as favoring the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) at the expense of other local communities.

Economic hardship has deepened in eastern Syria at a time when residents had hoped for relief following the January 29 agreement between the Syrian government and the SDF, which provides for the integration of the Autonomous Administration’s institutions into the structures of the Syrian state.

Although economic pressures are affecting all parts of Syria, they may be particularly severe in the country’s eastern region, especially in the aftermath of the Euphrates flooding disaster. Researcher Abdul Wahab Assi said that continued economic strain could prompt residents to reassess the government-SDF integration process, which they see as moving too slowly.

In his view, some residents may attribute part of the deterioration in living conditions to the broader instability resulting from the sluggish pace of integration — not because the process itself has directly caused services to decline, but because ongoing administrative and political uncertainty affects essential sectors such as bread supplies, fuel, electricity, employment opportunities, and development, particularly in agriculture.

Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, Assi added that the integration process may also have generated genuine concerns among segments of the population about the possible implementation of economic policies, whether related to customs duties, taxes, crop procurement, or agricultural support, that fail to take into account the region’s unique circumstances and already fragile economy. “Any such decision would have a direct impact on people’s livelihoods,” he stated.

Assi further noted that there is little evidence to suggest that all residents of eastern Syria view accelerated integration as an automatic solution to economic and development challenges. Rather, some groups remain wary that integration could lead to policies, which do not reflect the region’s specific needs.

On Sunday, residents of Umm Hujayrah, a town in the al-Hol countryside east of Hasakah, staged a protest during which they blocked several roads and prevented a convoy of fuel tankers from traveling into other parts of the country. Video footage circulated by local media showed the demonstration. According to the Hasakah Media Center, protesters called for improved public services, the delivery of basic necessities, and relief from mounting economic pressures.

Reports from Syria’s Jazira region indicate that a combination of factors has contributed to worsening living conditions, amid a widespread perception among many Arab residents that the integration process is being carried out primarily in the interests of the SDF rather than other communities.

Journalist Khalil Hussein, a native of the Jazira region, said this perception has been reinforced by rising prices resulting from newly imposed customs duties - previously minimal in the area - as well as higher fuel costs.

He argued that SDF-controlled areas have been less affected because oil fields in Hasakah remain under SDF control and much of the oil is directed to predominantly Kurdish areas. Oil leaving Qamishli, for example, is sent to Ain al-Arab (Kobani) rather than to places such as al-Shaddadi, raising questions about the benefits of integration.

Hussein told Asharq Al-Awsat that residents of these areas are no longer primarily concerned with who controls or administers their territories. Instead, their main concern is improving what he described as their harsh living conditions.

Meanwhile, activists in the Jazira region called for demonstrations across predominantly Arab areas in opposition to the integration process.

“What is taking place before our eyes today is not the integration of these militias into state institutions. Rather, it is the government itself being absorbed into their structure and an explicit handover of control over our lives to those who displaced us and killed our sons,” Activist Suhaib al-Yaarubi wrote on social media.

At the same time, residents of the southern countryside of al-Yarubiyah appealed to the Syrian government to intervene and secure drinking water supplies amid severe shortages and the failure of water tankers to reach areas that lack wells and water networks.

Local sources said that water shortages in rural Hasakah worsen during the summer as temperatures rise. Higher fuel prices have also driven up the cost of tanker-delivered drinking water.

Residents of southern and eastern rural Hasakah complain that their areas have been neglected.

According to journalist Khalil Hussein, years of SDF control have brought no significant development projects to these districts, while services such as hospitals, schools, and universities have been set up in cities including Hasakah and Qamishli.

He criticized the SDF’s treatment of predominantly Arab rural areas of Hasakah, saying they have been viewed largely as “a commercial market for the distribution of goods.”