Iraq’s Basra, Dhi Qar Witness Military Reinforcement to Contain Confrontations

The Iraqi Chief of Staff and his accompanying delegation met with security leaders in Dhi Qar on Tuesday (Al-Nasiriya News Network)
The Iraqi Chief of Staff and his accompanying delegation met with security leaders in Dhi Qar on Tuesday (Al-Nasiriya News Network)
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Iraq’s Basra, Dhi Qar Witness Military Reinforcement to Contain Confrontations

The Iraqi Chief of Staff and his accompanying delegation met with security leaders in Dhi Qar on Tuesday (Al-Nasiriya News Network)
The Iraqi Chief of Staff and his accompanying delegation met with security leaders in Dhi Qar on Tuesday (Al-Nasiriya News Network)

Heading a sizable military delegation from Baghdad, Chief of Staff of the Iraqi Army Abdel Emir Yarallah on Tuesday visited the southern provinces of Dhi Qar and Basra.

The visit comes a day after demonstrators lit a government building on fire in Dhi Qar’s central business district of Nasiriyah.

In Basra, local clans clashed with armed factions affiliated with the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF).

The violent confrontations, which erupted in the vicinity of the presidential palace complex in Basra, witnessed the use of mortars and medium weapons.

“The governorate was reinforced with security forces to consolidate security, pursue saboteurs and prevent any attempts to destabilize security and stability in Nasiriyah,” said Dhi Qar governor Muhammad Hadi upon the arrival of the military delegation.

Hadi revealed that at least 30 rioters were arrested and referred to the judiciary for punishment. The governor added that another 20 arrest warrants have been issued against those involved in vandalism in Nasiriyah.

While some are blaming Nasiriyah’s events on anti-corruption protesters, others argue that the Coordination Framework is behind what happened. The Coordination Framework has a desire for taking over the position of governor in Dhi Qar.

“The Coordination Framework believes that it is more deserving of the position of governor in Dhi Qar given it has secured a parliamentary majority after the withdrawal of the Sadrist bloc,” a local administration source told Asharq Al-Awsat.

According to the source, Coordination Framework lawmakers and representatives from the Emtidad Movement had convened on Monday to find a way to topple Hadi, who is a Sadrist, from his position.

“A group of masked protesters had attacked security forces with Molotov cocktails,” field sources based in Dhi Qar told Asharq Al-Awsat.

“Security forces responded to the attack with live ammunition to disband the amassing crowds,” sources added.



Egypt, Jordan and Others Call for a Halt to Israeli-Iranian Conflict 

A projectile crosses the sky above Jerusalem, 17 June 2025. (EPA)
A projectile crosses the sky above Jerusalem, 17 June 2025. (EPA)
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Egypt, Jordan and Others Call for a Halt to Israeli-Iranian Conflict 

A projectile crosses the sky above Jerusalem, 17 June 2025. (EPA)
A projectile crosses the sky above Jerusalem, 17 June 2025. (EPA)

Twenty countries denounced in a joint statement the escalating tensions in the Middle East caused by what they term Israel’s aggression against Iran and called for diplomacy and dialogue to restore stability in the region.

“There’s an imperative need to halt Israeli hostilities against Iran, which come during a time of increasing tension in the Middle East, and to work towards de-escalation, to achieve a comprehensive ceasefire and restoration of calm,” read the statement.

Foreign ministers of Algeria, Bahrain, Brunei, Chad, the Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, and Mauritania rejected finding resolution through military campaigns. Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Somalia, Sudan, Türkiye, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates also condemned the escalation.

They also highlighted the importance of clearing the region of nuclear and mass destruction weapons and called for refraining from targeting nuclear facilities and protecting maritime navigation in international waters.