Iraqi Forces Thwart Terrorist Plot in Nineveh

Members of Iraqi federal forces on the outskirts of Kirkuk, Iraq | Photo: Reuters
Members of Iraqi federal forces on the outskirts of Kirkuk, Iraq | Photo: Reuters
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Iraqi Forces Thwart Terrorist Plot in Nineveh

Members of Iraqi federal forces on the outskirts of Kirkuk, Iraq | Photo: Reuters
Members of Iraqi federal forces on the outskirts of Kirkuk, Iraq | Photo: Reuters

The Iraqi National Security announced Saturday it apprehended seven wanted militants plotting a terrorist attack in Nineveh, north of Iraq.

The terrorists were wanted by the judiciary under Article 4 on terrorism and were planning to form a cell to attack the governorate. They confessed to carrying out armed attacks against the Iraqi security forces during the liberation operations.

The Iraqi Ministry of Interior announced its new procedures to curb terrorist operations and handle intelligence information on terrorists.

The spokesman Saad Maan said that measures were tightened at checkpoints based on security or intelligence information.

Maan pointed out that the number of fixed checkpoints was reduced in the recent period, while mobile ones were being used at different times and places.

The security and defense parliamentary committee announced that it has allocated part of this year's budget to ensure the security of the Iraqi Syrian border.

A member of the committee, Abdul Khaliq al-Azzawi, said that securing the border is crucial for general security, especially as it faces great challenges in light of the increased activity of terrorist organizations in Syria that try to transfer their operations into Iraq.

Azzawi added that the committee supported a proposal to allocate a sum in the 2021 budget to finance the security plans for the Iraqi Syrian border, which would boost general security and reduce challenges, especially in the western regions.

Meanwhile, the Military Intelligence Directorate arrested four Syrians trying to infiltrate Zummar district in Nineveh.

The directorate issued a statement indicating that following accurate intel, it arrested four Syrians trying to illegally enter into the Iraqi territories.

Furthermore, the commander of Anbar Operations, Major General Nasser al-Ghanem, announced that a number of ISIS members had been killed, including the military official, during a security operation in al-Rutba desert.

Ghanem declared that the First Division of Anbar Operations Forces killed the ISIS operatives who were wearing explosive belts in Faydat al-Ghazlan area in the desert.

In Kirkuk, Iraqi forces also pursued ISIS elements, especially after the organization increased its operations in the governorate and nearby areas.

Spokesman of the Iraqi Armed Forces, Major General Yahya Rasoul, announced that the security forces had killed a number of ISIS terrorists in a clash in the Daquq district, in eastern Kirkuk governorate.

Rasoul announced that a unit of the 9th Armored Division combed Wadi al-Sham in Daquq, in pursuit of ISIS remnants, noting that the operation resulted in the killing of a number of terrorists, and the discovery of a number of explosives and booby-trapped vehicles.



Rescue Teams Search for Survivors in Building Collapse that Killed at Least 2 in Northern Lebanon

A Lebanese flag is pictured, in the aftermath of a massive explosion, in Beirut's damaged port area, Lebanon August 17, 2020. REUTERS/Hannah McKay
A Lebanese flag is pictured, in the aftermath of a massive explosion, in Beirut's damaged port area, Lebanon August 17, 2020. REUTERS/Hannah McKay
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Rescue Teams Search for Survivors in Building Collapse that Killed at Least 2 in Northern Lebanon

A Lebanese flag is pictured, in the aftermath of a massive explosion, in Beirut's damaged port area, Lebanon August 17, 2020. REUTERS/Hannah McKay
A Lebanese flag is pictured, in the aftermath of a massive explosion, in Beirut's damaged port area, Lebanon August 17, 2020. REUTERS/Hannah McKay

At least two people were killed and four rescued from the rubble of a multistory apartment building that collapsed Sunday in the city of Tripoli in northern Lebanon, state media reported.

Rescue teams were continuing to dig through the rubble. It was not immediately clear how many people were in the building when it fell.

The bodies pulled out were of a child and a woman, the state-run National News Agency reported.

Dozens of people crowded around the site of the crater left by the collapsed building, with some shooting in the air.

The building was in the neighborhood of Bab Tabbaneh, one of the poorest areas in Lebanon’s second largest city, where residents have long complained of government neglect and shoddy infrastructure. Building collapses are not uncommon in Tripoli due to poor building standards, according to The AP news.

Lebanon’s Health Ministry announced that those injured in the collapse would receive treatment at the state’s expense.

The national syndicate for property owners in a statement called the collapse the result of “blatant negligence and shortcomings of the Lebanese state toward the safety of citizens and their housing security,” and said it is “not an isolated incident.”

The syndicate called for the government to launch a comprehensive national survey of buildings at risk of collapse.


Israel to Take More West Bank Powers and Relax Settler Land Buys

A view of Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim, in the West Bank, Sunday, June 18, 2023. (AP)
A view of Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim, in the West Bank, Sunday, June 18, 2023. (AP)
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Israel to Take More West Bank Powers and Relax Settler Land Buys

A view of Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim, in the West Bank, Sunday, June 18, 2023. (AP)
A view of Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim, in the West Bank, Sunday, June 18, 2023. (AP)

Israel's security cabinet approved a series of steps on Sunday that would make it easier for settlers in the occupied West Bank to buy land while granting Israeli authorities more enforcement powers over Palestinians, Israeli media reported.

The West Bank is among the territories that the Palestinians seek for a future independent state. Much of it is under Israeli military control, with limited Palestinian self-rule in some areas run by the Western-backed Palestinian Authority (PA).

Citing statements by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Defense Minister Israel Katz, Israeli news sites Ynet and Haaretz said the measures included scrapping decades-old regulations that prevent Jewish private citizens buying land in the West Bank, The AP news reported.

They were also reported to include allowing Israeli authorities to administer some religious sites, and expand supervision and enforcement in areas under PA administration in matters of environmental hazards, water offences and damage to archaeological sites.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said the new measures were dangerous, illegal and tantamount to de-facto annexation.

The Israeli ministers did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The new measures come three days before Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to meet in Washington with US President Donald Trump.

Trump has ruled out Israeli annexation of the West Bank but his administration has not sought to curb Israel's accelerated settlement building, which the Palestinians say denies them a potential state by eating away at its territory.

Netanyahu, who is facing an election later this year, deems the establishment of any Palestinian state a security threat.

His ruling coalition includes many pro-settler members who want Israel to annex the West Bank, land captured in the 1967 Middle East war to which Israel cites biblical and historical ties.

The United Nations' highest court said in a non-binding advisory opinion in 2024 that Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories and settlements there is illegal and should be ended as soon as possible. Israel disputes this view.


Arab League Condemns Attack on Aid Convoys in Sudan

A general view shows the opening session of the meeting of Arab foreign ministers at the Arab League Headquarters (Reuters)
A general view shows the opening session of the meeting of Arab foreign ministers at the Arab League Headquarters (Reuters)
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Arab League Condemns Attack on Aid Convoys in Sudan

A general view shows the opening session of the meeting of Arab foreign ministers at the Arab League Headquarters (Reuters)
A general view shows the opening session of the meeting of Arab foreign ministers at the Arab League Headquarters (Reuters)

Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit strongly condemned the attack by the Rapid Support Forces on humanitarian aid convoys and relief workers in North Kordofan State, Sudan.

In a statement reported by SPA, secretary-general's spokesperson Jamal Rushdi quoted Aboul Gheit as saying the attack constitutes a war crime under international humanitarian law, which prohibits the deliberate targeting of civilians and depriving them of their means of survival.

Aboul Gheit stressed the need to hold those responsible accountable, end impunity, and ensure the full protection of civilians, humanitarian workers, and relief facilities in Sudan.