Iran Launches New Strikes on Kurdish Sites

A photo distributed by Fars News Agency shows an Iranian rocket launched towards Kurdistan last Thursday (AFP)
A photo distributed by Fars News Agency shows an Iranian rocket launched towards Kurdistan last Thursday (AFP)
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Iran Launches New Strikes on Kurdish Sites

A photo distributed by Fars News Agency shows an Iranian rocket launched towards Kurdistan last Thursday (AFP)
A photo distributed by Fars News Agency shows an Iranian rocket launched towards Kurdistan last Thursday (AFP)

Iran renewed bombing of sites in the Kurdistan region in northern Iraq, said an official from Komala Iranian-Kurdish opposition.

Atta Nasser said that the Iranian forces launched artillery fire and drone strikes on bases used by exiled Iranian group Komala in the Mount Halgurd area, near the Iranian border.

The strikes "destroyed some outposts, without causing casualties among our ranks," Nasser said.

On Thursday, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced they would continue their attacks in Iraqi Kurdistan against the Iranian-Kurdish opposition.

For more than a week, Iran has launched sporadic strikes in northern Iraq, the most violent of which was on Wednesday, with more than 70 missiles and drone strikes in the autonomous region, targeting Iranian-Kurdish opposition groups.

At least 14 people, including a pregnant woman, were killed in the attacks, and 50 others were injured, mostly civilians.

The IRGC said in a statement that it launched a series of operations targeting terrorists in Iraq with "precision missiles" and "suicide drones."

The attacks come as unrest continues across Iran over the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, a Kurdish woman.

Meanwhile, Iraqi President Barham Salih confirmed the Iranian bombing was a serious escalation and a violation of the country's sovereignty, security, stability, and safety of its citizens.

Salih met with National Security Advisor Qassim al-Araji to discuss the recent developments in politics and security-related matters in Iraq.

He also condemned the continued Turkish shelling of the Kurdish area, emphasizing that it is not sustainable or acceptable and has to be ceased immediately to prevent its ramifications.

The meeting reiterated the need to follow up on the security issues with high-level officials of neighboring countries, describing it as a "serious escalation."

They reiterated the need to promote dialogue and for Iraq and its neighbors to address the security challenges, noting that it should be based on shared security interests and in ways that would maintain Iraq's sovereignty and safeguard its citizens.

Earlier, Iraq summoned Iran's ambassador to hand over a worded note of protest to the Iranian government.

Iraq's note of protest said it "condemns this crime in continuous aggression by the Iranian forces against Iraq's sovereignty and territorial sanctity," the Foreign Ministry said.

The Foreign Ministry said the attack was a "dangerous development that threatens Iraq's security and sovereignty."

It is not yet clear whether Iraq will protest at the UN Security Council or will be satisfied with the position expressed by the protest letter.

However, linking the Iranian bombing with the continuation of Turkish shelling of Iraqi areas is a new Iraqi position in terms of dealing with both countries.



Trump to Travel to China Next Month, with US Trade Policy in Focus

US President Donald Trump arrives at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, US, February 19, 2026. (Reuters)
US President Donald Trump arrives at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, US, February 19, 2026. (Reuters)
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Trump to Travel to China Next Month, with US Trade Policy in Focus

US President Donald Trump arrives at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, US, February 19, 2026. (Reuters)
US President Donald Trump arrives at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, US, February 19, 2026. (Reuters)

US President Donald Trump will travel to China from March 31 to April 2 for a highly anticipated meeting between the world's two biggest economies, following the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Trump's sweeping tariffs against imported goods.

A White House official confirmed the trip on Friday, just before the highest US court struck down many of the tariffs Trump has used to manage sometimes-tense relations with China.

Trump is expected to visit Beijing and meet Chinese President Xi Jinping as part of a lavish, extended visit. Trump was last in China in 2017, ‌the most ‌recent trip by a US president.

A key topic had been whether ‌to ⁠extend a trade ⁠truce that kept both countries from further hiking tariffs. After Friday's ruling, however, it was not immediately clear whether - and under what legal authority - Trump would restore tariffs on imports from China.

TRUMP SEES TRADE IMBALANCE AS NATIONAL EMERGENCY

The administration has said the tariffs were necessary because of national emergencies related to trade imbalances and China's role in producing illicit fentanyl-related chemicals.

"That's going to be a wild one," Trump told foreign leaders visiting Washington on Thursday ⁠about the trip. "We have to put on the biggest display you've ‌ever had in the history of China."

The Chinese ‌embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Beijing has not ‌confirmed the trip.

The visit would be the leaders' first talks since February and their first ‌in-person visit since an October meeting in South Korea. At that October meeting, Trump agreed to trim tariffs on China in exchange for Beijing cracking down on the fentanyl trade, resuming US soybean purchases and keeping rare earth minerals flowing.

While the October meeting largely sidestepped the sensitive issue of ‌Taiwan, Xi raised US arms sales to the island in February.

Washington announced its largest-ever arms sales deal with Taiwan in December, ⁠including $11.1 billion in ⁠weapons that could ostensibly be used to defend against a Chinese attack. Taiwan expects more such sales.

China views Taiwan as its own territory, a position Taipei rejects. The United States has formal diplomatic ties with China, but it maintains unofficial ties with Taiwan and is the island's most important arms supplier. The United States is bound by law to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself.

Xi also said during the February call that he would consider further increasing soybean purchases, according to Trump.

Struggling US farmers are a major political constituency for Trump, and China is the top soybean consumer.

Although Trump has justified several hawkish policy steps from Canada to Greenland and Venezuela as necessary to thwart China, he has eased policy toward Beijing in the past several months in key areas, from tariffs to advanced computer chips and drones.


Diplomacy Is Still the Only Viable Path to Peace in Ukraine, UN Refugee Chief Barham Salih Says

UNCHR High Commissioner Barham Salih talks during an interview with The Associated Press in Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, Feb. 20, 2026. (AP)
UNCHR High Commissioner Barham Salih talks during an interview with The Associated Press in Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, Feb. 20, 2026. (AP)
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Diplomacy Is Still the Only Viable Path to Peace in Ukraine, UN Refugee Chief Barham Salih Says

UNCHR High Commissioner Barham Salih talks during an interview with The Associated Press in Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, Feb. 20, 2026. (AP)
UNCHR High Commissioner Barham Salih talks during an interview with The Associated Press in Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, Feb. 20, 2026. (AP)

There are many obstacles to a peace deal in Ukraine, but a diplomatic solution remains the only viable option, the newly appointed head of the UN refugee agency said Friday, warning that humanitarian operations are increasingly overstretched because of multiple global crises.

Barham Salih, Iraq’s former president who was elected UNHCR high commissioner in December, made his first visit to Ukraine since taking office.

After traveling to Ukraine’s front-line cities, including Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia, he met with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and discussed the latest in efforts to secure a peace deal. He also discussed the future of UNHCR operations as Ukraine endures Russian attacks on its energy grid during a harsh winter.

“You have to be hopeful, but I do understand the difficulties in the situation, and it’s clear, of course, there are many, many impediments along the way, but at the end of the day, there is no military solution. There needs to be peace, a durable and just peace so that people can go back to their lives,” he said, speaking to The Associated Press in an interview in Kyiv.

“Things are not necessarily easy, definitely not easy, but let’s redouble the effort to make sure that diplomacy has a chance and really bring about a durable and just peace to this war that has been going on for far too long,” he added.

Of the agency’s $470 million appeal for Ukraine, only $150 million has been pledged. The shortfall reflects deep cuts across the humanitarian sector, making it increasingly difficult to deliver aid across multiple crises.

There are 3.7 million Ukrainians displaced within the country and nearly 6 million Ukrainians outside the country who have become refugees in Europe and elsewhere, he said.

“This tells you the gap between what is needed and what is available,” he said. “My appeal to the international community is, really, this is not the moment to walk away, this is not a moment to look the other way round. These vulnerable populations need support. We should deliver this help to them.”

The UN agency in Ukraine predicts 10.8 million Ukrainians will require humanitarian assistance in 2026, according to a report from the agency. The most critical needs are concentrated along the war’s front lines in the eastern and southern parts of Ukraine, as well as in the northern border region. Intensified hostilities produce fresh waves of displacement.

The agency’s Ukraine appeal competes with large-scale conflicts in Sudan and Gaza. Since his appointment, Salih has spent only one week in his Geneva office, traveling to Kenya, Chad, Türkiye and Jordan before visiting Ukraine.

Drastic cuts to US humanitarian funding under President Donald Trump has accelerated the erosion of global humanitarian infrastructure and severely undermined the ability of organizations to deliver aid.

There are 117 million displaced people worldwide, including at least 42 million refugees, Salih said. Two-thirds face protracted displacement and remain dependent on humanitarian assistance.

Deciding where to prioritize given shrinking resources is “difficult” he said.

“It’s really very difficult to prioritize given the scale of the problem. I was in Kenya and I was in Chad recently and I was in Türkiye and in Jordan talking to refugees from Syria. And of course, now in Ukraine, these are all pressing issues, pressing requirements,” he said.

“We need to be there to help people, but also I have to say we really need to look at durable solutions too as well. It’s not a matter of sustaining dependency or humanitarian assistance,” he added.

In his meeting with Zelenskyy, Salih said they discussed the need to focus on the “recovery phase and sustainable solutions and self reliance as we go forward,” he said.


Israel Army Says on ‘Defensive Alert’ Regarding Iran but No Change to Public Guidelines

Israeli air defense system fires to intercept missiles during an Iranian attack over Tel Aviv, Israel, Thursday, June 19, 2025. (AP)
Israeli air defense system fires to intercept missiles during an Iranian attack over Tel Aviv, Israel, Thursday, June 19, 2025. (AP)
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Israel Army Says on ‘Defensive Alert’ Regarding Iran but No Change to Public Guidelines

Israeli air defense system fires to intercept missiles during an Iranian attack over Tel Aviv, Israel, Thursday, June 19, 2025. (AP)
Israeli air defense system fires to intercept missiles during an Iranian attack over Tel Aviv, Israel, Thursday, June 19, 2025. (AP)

The Israeli army said it was on "defensive alert" as the United States threatens potential military action against Iran, but insisted there were no changes in its guidelines for the public.

"We are closely monitoring regional developments and are aware of the public discourse concerning Iran. The (Israeli military) is on defensive alert," army spokesman Brigadier General Effie Defrin said in a video statement published Friday.

"Our eyes are wide open in all directions, and our finger is more than ever on the trigger in response to any change in the operational reality," he added, but emphasized "there is no change in the instructions".