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Iraq's Dhi Qar Governor Resigns Following Protests

Iraqi protesters during a sit-in in Dhi Qar, Iraq (AFP/Getty Images)
Iraqi protesters during a sit-in in Dhi Qar, Iraq (AFP/Getty Images)
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Iraq's Dhi Qar Governor Resigns Following Protests

Iraqi protesters during a sit-in in Dhi Qar, Iraq (AFP/Getty Images)
Iraqi protesters during a sit-in in Dhi Qar, Iraq (AFP/Getty Images)

Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Kadhimi approved the resignation of Dhi Qar Governor Ahmed al-Khafaji.

Khafaji resigned from his position amid a political and popular crisis in the governorate, where he has been criticized for his "mismanagement."

Protests erupted in al-Nasiriyah city in Dhi Qar on Wednesday. Security forces shot three protesters, a medical source told Agence France-Presse (AFP).

Dozens are protesting in the governorate, demanding better living and service conditions, and pushing for dropping the lawsuits against them related to their participation in the October 2019 demonstrations.

Khafaji's office stated in a press statement: "The governor submitted his resignation from the position to Prime Minister Mustafa Kadhimi, in the interest of the public interest, and to provide security and stability and preserve the interests of the citizens of this province."

The statement, carried by Iraqi National Agency (INA), indicated that the governor offered his sincere apologies to all the people of Dhi Qar for any shortcomings.

On Wednesday, the Security Media Cell of the Prime Minister's Office issued a statement indicating that the prime minister followed up with "great interest" the developments in Dhi Qar, including the injury of three protesters in Nasiriyah.

Kadhimi ordered authorities to take the necessary legal measures and open an urgent investigation into the incident.

The southern Iraqi governorates, especially Dhi Qar, Diwaniyah, and Najaf, have witnessed sporadic demonstrations during the past weeks, with dozens participating, demanding better job opportunities and living conditions.

Nasiriyah, located 350 km south of Baghdad, was the main stronghold of the protest movement in October 2019. It suffers from severe poverty, deteriorating infrastructure, and unemployment among the youth.

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Israel Says Rockets Fired from Syria for the First Time Since Bashar Assad’s Fall 

An Israeli military vehicle is seen near the border between the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights and Syria, May 4, 2025. (Reuters)
An Israeli military vehicle is seen near the border between the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights and Syria, May 4, 2025. (Reuters)
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Israel Says Rockets Fired from Syria for the First Time Since Bashar Assad’s Fall 

An Israeli military vehicle is seen near the border between the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights and Syria, May 4, 2025. (Reuters)
An Israeli military vehicle is seen near the border between the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights and Syria, May 4, 2025. (Reuters)

The Israeli army said two rockets were fired from Syria into open areas in the Israel-occupied Golan Heights on Tuesday, marking the first time a strike has been launched toward Israel from Syrian territory since the fall of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in December.

Syrian state media reported that Israel shelled the western countryside of Syria’s Daraa province after the rocket launch. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based war monitor, also reported Israeli airstrikes that caused “violent explosions” around the city of Quneitra and in the Daraa countryside.

A group calling itself the Mohammed Deif Brigades — named after a Hamas military leader killed by an Israeli strike in Gaza last year — claimed the attack in a post on Telegram. The group first surfaced on social media a few days before.

“Until now, it’s just a Telegram channel. It’s not known if it is a real group,” said Ahmed Aba Zeid, a Syrian researcher who has studied armed factions in southern Syria.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a statement that Israel considers “the Syrian president directly responsible for every threat and firing toward the State of Israel” and warned of a “full response” to come “as soon as possible.”

Israel has been suspicious of the former opposition fighters who formed the new Syrian government, led by President Ahmed al-Sharaa, and has launched hundreds of airstrikes on Syria and seized a UN-patrolled buffer zone on Syrian territory since Assad’s fall.

Syria’s foreign ministry said in a statement carried by the state-run TV channel that it has “not yet verified the accuracy” of the reports of strikes launched from Syria toward Israel.

“We affirm that Syria has not and will not pose a threat to any party in the region,” the statement said. It condemned the Israeli shelling, which it said had resulted in “significant human and material losses.”

The US, which has warmed to al-Sharaa's government and recently moved to lift some sanctions previously imposed on Syria, has pushed for Syria to normalize relations with Israel.

In a recent interview with the Jewish Journal, al-Sharaa said he wants to see a return to a 1974 ceasefire agreement between the two countries but stopped short of proposing immediate normalization, saying that “peace must be earned through mutual respect, not fear.”