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Baghdad on Alert over Possible Attack on Airport, Green Zone

The Victory Arch, known as the Swords of Qadisiyah, in Baghdad's high-security Green Zone. (AFP)
The Victory Arch, known as the Swords of Qadisiyah, in Baghdad's high-security Green Zone. (AFP)
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Baghdad on Alert over Possible Attack on Airport, Green Zone

The Victory Arch, known as the Swords of Qadisiyah, in Baghdad's high-security Green Zone. (AFP)
The Victory Arch, known as the Swords of Qadisiyah, in Baghdad's high-security Green Zone. (AFP)

The Operations Command on Saturday revealed that outlawed armed factions were seeking to attack Baghdad's international airport and Green Zone.

The information was leaked in a secret cable overnight on Friday.

The military said the attack was likely to take place on Saturday night or Sunday.

The factions would resort to shooting or armed drones in the operation.

The military called for the deployment of intelligence agents and security patrols at the potential target locations.

The airport and Green Zone have been the favored targets of anti-US factions.

They have never claimed responsibility for past attacks, which have often targeted the US Embassy in the Green Zone and the vicinity of the international airport where they suspect American trainers and experts are present.

The attacks notably came to a halt after the Iraqi government announced in late 2021 that it had reached an agreement with the US over the withdrawal of its combat units from Iraq.

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Palestinian President Names Interim Successor If He Has to Leave Post

FILE PHOTO: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas addresses the 79th United Nations General Assembly at United Nations headquarters in New York, US, September 26, 2024. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas addresses the 79th United Nations General Assembly at United Nations headquarters in New York, US, September 26, 2024. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo
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Palestinian President Names Interim Successor If He Has to Leave Post

FILE PHOTO: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas addresses the 79th United Nations General Assembly at United Nations headquarters in New York, US, September 26, 2024. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas addresses the 79th United Nations General Assembly at United Nations headquarters in New York, US, September 26, 2024. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has named a temporary successor who would take over from him should he die or leave his post, addressing concerns of a possible power vacuum following his departure.
In a statement released late on Wednesday, Abbas said the chairman of the Palestinian National Council should serve as interim president for no more than 90 days, during which presidential elections should be held.
The current chairman of the Palestinians' top decision-making body is Rawhi Fattouh, 75, who also served briefly as a stop-gap leader following the death of Yasser Arafat in 2004.
Abbas, 89, has been Palestinian president since 2005 and has had regular health problems in recent years, prompting repeated speculation on who might replace him when he finally stands aside.
He does not have a deputy and a source told Reuters earlier this month that Saudi Arabia had pressed him to appoint one.
Wednesday's announcement clears up uncertainty over what should happen when he dies, but Fattouh was not named as his deputy, meaning there was still no visibility on who might replace Abbas in the long term.
Israel's Agriculture Minister Avi Dichter, a member of the inner security cabinet, told a group of foreign reporters this week that the Israeli army would take over the West Bank if someone from the militant group Hamas tried to become president.
Abbas was elected to a four-year term in 2005, but no presidential ballot has been held since.