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Iraq: Activists Campaign to 'Save Basra', Health Ministry Denies Cholera Outbreaks

Iraqi protesters burn tires and block the road at the entrance to the city of Basra, Iraq July 12, 2018. (Reuters: Essam al-Sudani)
Iraqi protesters burn tires and block the road at the entrance to the city of Basra, Iraq July 12, 2018. (Reuters: Essam al-Sudani)
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Iraq: Activists Campaign to 'Save Basra', Health Ministry Denies Cholera Outbreaks

Iraqi protesters burn tires and block the road at the entrance to the city of Basra, Iraq July 12, 2018. (Reuters: Essam al-Sudani)
Iraqi protesters burn tires and block the road at the entrance to the city of Basra, Iraq July 12, 2018. (Reuters: Essam al-Sudani)

An online campaign launched by Iraqi activists and bloggers succeeded over the past few days in drawing attention to the water pollution crisis in the southern district of Basra.

Recent videos and photos went viral on social media showing dozens of poisoned patients in hospitals due to contamination of drinking water. This has prompted activists to launch "Save Basra" campaign which coincided with a wave of protests that have been taking place for weeks, expected to escalate after Adha Eid holiday into sit-ins and civil disobedience, activists informed Asharq Al-Awsat.

The Iraqi Health Ministry denied on Friday reports about purported spread of epidemics in Basra due to water contamination and said it had dispatched additional supplies of medicines to the province to cope with possible emergency.

The ministry also sent a team to review the reports and ensure that no communicable diseases' outbreak had taken place, Ministry Spokesman Saif al-Badr said.

The team had already confirmed that there is no sign of cholera outbreak, adding that the latest cases were "minor and moderate" and did not require hospitalization. However, Basra governor Asaad al-Eidani, strongly criticized the government, saying it did not respond to the demands of the people.

Basra Health Department confirmed that drinking water in over 70 percent of areas is polluted and unfit for human consumption.

Representative of High Religious Authority Ali al-Sistani dedicated Friday’s sermon to criticize the Iraqi government for failing to solve Basra's water problem.

"The human, patriotic and religious duties call on the authorities and relevant institutions to work together to put an end to the sufferings of the people of Basra," Abdul Mahdi Karbalai said.

The Representative called on the government to find a lasting solution for this water contamination problem.

Earlier in July, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi visited Basra accompanied by a large number of ministers, after several protests erupted in the city.

Abadi promised to meet all demands, however, Eidani complained in a statement that the city has been demanding in vain the federal government to transfer money to establish desalination stations.

Basra’s Human Rights Commission also warned that the conditions of the province are "dangerous" due to high salinity and increased pollution, accusing the federal government of not acting accordingly.

The Commission asked the government to declare Basra a “disaster area”.

Basra has the largest oil supply in Iraq, as oil experts indicate that it owns 15 out of 77 fields in the country, including 10 producing fields awaiting development. These fields can produce more than 65 billion barrels, about 59 percent of Iraq's oil reserves.

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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.”