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Heavy Gunfire Rocks Iraq’s Green Zone amid Violent Protests

A supporter of Iraqi Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr carries the Iraqi flag as he walks down a road blocked by burning tires during a demonstration in Iraq's southern city of Basra on August 29, 2022. (AFP)
A supporter of Iraqi Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr carries the Iraqi flag as he walks down a road blocked by burning tires during a demonstration in Iraq's southern city of Basra on August 29, 2022. (AFP)
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Heavy Gunfire Rocks Iraq’s Green Zone amid Violent Protests

A supporter of Iraqi Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr carries the Iraqi flag as he walks down a road blocked by burning tires during a demonstration in Iraq's southern city of Basra on August 29, 2022. (AFP)
A supporter of Iraqi Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr carries the Iraqi flag as he walks down a road blocked by burning tires during a demonstration in Iraq's southern city of Basra on August 29, 2022. (AFP)

Supporters of an influential Iraqi Shiite cleric fired rocket-propelled grenades and machine guns into Iraq's Green Zone and security forces returned fire Tuesday, a serious escalation of a monthslong political crisis gripping the nation.

The death toll rose to at least 30 people after two days of unrest, officials said.

After cleric Moqtada al-Sadr announced Monday he would resign from politics, his supporters stormed the Green Zone, once the stronghold of the US military that's now home to Iraqi government offices and foreign embassies. At least one country evacuated its embassy amid the chaos.

Iraq’s government has been deadlocked since Sadr’s party won the largest share of seats in October parliamentary elections but not enough to secure a majority government — unleashing months of infighting between different Shiite factions. Sadr refused to negotiate with his Iran-backed Shiite rivals, and his withdrawal Monday catapulted Iraq into political uncertainty and volatility with no clear path out.

Iran closed its borders to Iraq on Tuesday — a sign of Tehran’s concern that the chaos could spread, though streets beyond the capital's government quarter largely remained calm. The country's vital oil continued to flow, with global benchmark Brent crude trading slightly down at $103 a barrel.

A day after they stormed the Green Zone, supporters of Sadr could be seen on live television firing both heavy machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades into the heavily area through a section of pulled-down concrete walls. Security forces armed with machine guns inside the zone sporadically returned fire.

Some bystanders filmed the gunfight with their mobile phones, though most hid behind still-standing segments of wall, wincing when rounds cracked nearby. As Sadr's forces fired, a line of armored tanks stood on the other side of the barriers that surround the Green Zone, though they did not use their heavy guns.

At least one wounded man from Sadr's forces was taken away in a three-wheel rickshaw, the Iraqi Foreign Ministry visible in the background. Heavy black smoke at one point rose over the area, visible from kilometers (miles) away.

At least 30 people have been killed and over 400 wounded, two Iraqi medical officials said. The toll included both Sadr loyalists killed in protests the day before and clashes overnight. Those figures are expected to rise, said the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to release the information to journalists.

Shiites are fighting among themselves after the Americans largely withdrew from the nation, with Iranian-backed Shiites and Iraqi-nationalist Shiites jockeying for power, influence and state resources.

It’s an explosive rivalry in a country where many remain way of the Iranian government’s influence even though trade and ties remain strong between its peoples. Iraq and Iran fought a bloody war in the 1980s that saw a million people killed.

Sadr’s nationalist rhetoric and reform agenda resonates powerfully with his supporters, who largely hail from Iraq’s poorest sectors of society.

Sadr's announcement that he is leaving politics has implicitly given his supporters the freedom to act as they see fit.

Iranian state television cited unrest and a military-imposed curfew in Iraqi cities for the reason for the border closures. It urged Iranians avoid any travel to the neighboring country. The decision came as millions were preparing to visit Iraq for an annual pilgrimage to Shiite sites, and Tehran encouraged any Iranian pilgrims already in Iraq to avoid further travel between cities.

The Netherlands evacuated its embassy in the Green Zone, Foreign Affairs Minister Wopke Hoekstra tweeted early Tuesday.

“There are firefights around the embassy in Baghdad. Our staff are now working at the German embassy elsewhere in the city,” Hoekstra wrote.

On Monday, protesters loyal to Sadr pulled down the cement barriers outside the government palace with ropes and breached the palace gates. Many rushed into the lavish salons and marbled halls of the palace, a key meeting place for Iraqi heads of state and foreign dignitaries.

Iraq’s military announced a nationwide curfew, and the caretaker premier suspended Cabinet sessions in response to the violence.

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Arab World

War-Weary Hezbollah Supporters Press Group to Stay Out of New Conflict

Visual artist Lina Jouni searches through rubble for fragments of Israeli munitions that struck a house in the southern Lebanese town of Roumine (AP)
Visual artist Lina Jouni searches through rubble for fragments of Israeli munitions that struck a house in the southern Lebanese town of Roumine (AP)
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War-Weary Hezbollah Supporters Press Group to Stay Out of New Conflict

Visual artist Lina Jouni searches through rubble for fragments of Israeli munitions that struck a house in the southern Lebanese town of Roumine (AP)
Visual artist Lina Jouni searches through rubble for fragments of Israeli munitions that struck a house in the southern Lebanese town of Roumine (AP)

Fears of another devastating war with Israel are fueling discontent among Hezbollah’s supporters in Lebanon, amid concerns that the Iran-backed group could again enter a conflict in support of Tehran.

Hezbollah’s opponents say the growing frustration has become increasingly difficult to contain, particularly amid Israeli threats to strike Beirut’s southern suburbs and fears that up to one million Shiites could be displaced.

Anger has intensified since the latest war, which saw Israeli forces enter around 60 towns and villages in southern Lebanon and destroy another 20, preventing residents from returning and forcing many to rebuild their professional and educational lives elsewhere.

Hezbollah Rebuilds Military Capabilities

Despite the domestic pressure, Hezbollah has spent three months preparing for a possible resumption of hostilities with Israel after receiving cash funding from Iran, Reuters reported, citing Lebanese security officials familiar with its activities.

One security source and another close to Hezbollah told Reuters the group had received tens of millions of dollars from Tehran to strengthen its military capabilities.

Four sources familiar with its operations said Hezbollah was rebuilding command-and-control structures that had collapsed during major battles.

However, the group has yet to fully replenish its weapons stockpiles or restore its fighting forces, according to Reuters.

Hezbollah acknowledged this month that explosives seized by Lebanese authorities belonged to it and were intended for use against Israel. A Hezbollah official and a Lebanese security source told Reuters the explosives were specifically intended for explosive drones.

The group will also need to repair command-and-control capabilities after losses on key fronts, including the flashpoint town of Bint Jbeil and the strategic Ali al-Taher ridge, according to one of the Lebanese sources and three security officials.

They said Hezbollah's tactic of operating in small units and rationing the use of anti-tank rockets left some units isolated on those fronts, struggling to confront Israel's remotely operated systems including weaponized drones and armed remote-controlled vehicles.

Hezbollah has not explicitly said whether it would take part in the eruption of fresh hostilities, but its media office said it was wary of giving Israeli leaders any justification to escalate in Lebanon, particularly as the group was concerned about its constituents being displaced once more.

‘We Cannot Be Displaced Again’

Opposition to another war extends beyond Hezbollah’s political rivals to families and individuals within its own support base.

In Beirut’s southern suburbs, residents express growing frustration over the prospect of renewed fighting.

Some say the previous war failed to change the situation and instead deepened the crisis and expanded Israeli occupation. Others are exhausted by repeated displacement, fear and the prospect of returning to temporary shelters.

“We cannot be displaced again,” said Nada, 48, who spent three months with her children in a Beirut shelter during the last war.

Displacement Fears Shape Decisions

Sources familiar with Hezbollah’s internal discussions told Asharq Al-Awsat that the risk of Israeli retaliation had been central to the group’s deliberations over responding to Israeli attacks and demolition operations in southern Lebanon.

They said Hezbollah had considered the possibility of strikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs and towns deeper inside southern Lebanon.

According to the sources, the decision to delay retaliation reflected concern over the consequences of an Israeli response, rather than an inability to inflict damage.

Avoiding another wave of displacement now takes precedence in decisions involving military action, they added.

Hezbollah official Nawaf Mousawi, responsible for the group’s resources and borders portfolio, echoed that position in an interview with a local platform.

“At this stage, the resistance prefers to spare its people Israeli brutality,” he said.

New Rules of Engagement

Hezbollah’s opponents argue that the latest war has fundamentally altered deterrence and established new, undeclared rules of engagement.

Shiite sources opposed to Hezbollah told Asharq Al-Awsat that an attack on Israeli forces in occupied Lebanese territory could trigger heavy Israeli bombardment, forcing residents to flee southern Lebanon.

They said attacks on northern Israel or targets deeper inside the country could prompt strikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs.

According to the sources, efforts to spare Beirut from bombardment were linked not only to US-Iranian understandings but also to American pressure on Israel to avoid undermining direct US-sponsored negotiations between Lebanon and Israel.

They argued that pressure from Hezbollah’s own community had become a driving factor in its military decisions, particularly after the latest war and restrictions on Iranian financial transfers had alienated a significant portion of its supporters.

Widening Military Gap

The same opposition sources pointed to the growing military imbalance between Hezbollah and Israel.

They argued that Hezbollah had been unable to restore its former capabilities after the war, partly because of restrictions imposed by the Lebanese state.

Israel’s advantages in firepower and technology, they said, further undermined Hezbollah’s prospects of launching another conflict that could force an Israeli withdrawal from occupied Lebanese territory or halt Israeli operations against the group.

The sources maintained that Hezbollah’s political explanations for avoiding another war in support of Iran overlooked the military constraints now shaping its decisions.

Arab World

Israeli Military Says It Detained Egyptian Who Crossed into Its Territory

The border between Egypt and Israel. (Reuters file)
The border between Egypt and Israel. (Reuters file)
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Israeli Military Says It Detained Egyptian Who Crossed into Its Territory

The border between Egypt and Israel. (Reuters file)
The border between Egypt and Israel. (Reuters file)

The Israeli military said on Tuesday it apprehended an Egyptian civilian overnight after he crossed ‌a border fence ‌from Egyptian ‌territory ⁠into Israel near ⁠Nitzana.

He was transferred to security forces for further questioning, the military ⁠said, without providing ‌additional details.

Egypt and Israel ‌signed a peace treaty in 1979, but cultural and popular ties are limited and marked by distrust.

Arab World

Hezbollah’s Pledge to Stay Out of Iran War Met with Skepticism in Lebanon

Buildings destroyed by Israeli bombardment in Beirut’s southern suburbs, where a Hezbollah flag flies, on May 6, 2026. (EPA)
Buildings destroyed by Israeli bombardment in Beirut’s southern suburbs, where a Hezbollah flag flies, on May 6, 2026. (EPA)
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Hezbollah’s Pledge to Stay Out of Iran War Met with Skepticism in Lebanon

Buildings destroyed by Israeli bombardment in Beirut’s southern suburbs, where a Hezbollah flag flies, on May 6, 2026. (EPA)
Buildings destroyed by Israeli bombardment in Beirut’s southern suburbs, where a Hezbollah flag flies, on May 6, 2026. (EPA)

Hezbollah’s pledge to stay out of any new US or Israeli war against Iran has raised doubts in Lebanon over whether the Iran-backed group can resist Tehran’s influence or avoid dragging the country into another conflict.

The reported decision has revived memories of March 2026, when Hezbollah opened the Lebanese front despite earlier promises not to intervene, raising questions about whether domestic pressures or Iranian calculations will determine its next move.

On Monday, Hezbollah lawmaker Hassan Fadlallah insisted that the group’s military decisions were made independently.

“The resistance’s decision is a Lebanese decision taken by its leadership. No one, whether abroad or at home, dictates it,” he said.

Fadlallah maintained that this approach had remained unchanged under former Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and his successor, Naim Qassem.

He said the group’s position reflected its own assessment of the national interest and its commitment to defending southern Lebanon and liberating occupied territory.

“Iran has never asked us, either in the past or today, to support it against American-Israeli aggression,” he stressed.

Hezbollah MP Hassan Fadlallah. (Reuters)

Tehran’s influence

Ministerial sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that Fadlallah’s reference to the national interest was noteworthy but insufficient to dispel concerns.

They said Lebanon’s president had been indirectly informed that Hezbollah would not join Iran in another war, but warned that the position could change with developments on the battlefield.

They recalled a similar commitment that collapsed within 48 hours during the March conflict.

The sources argued that Hezbollah, which continues to reject government decisions, ultimately “remained subject to the calculations of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), with limited room to act against Tehran’s wishes.”

They also cited “reports of disagreements within the IRGC over a possible war, with some favoring confrontation and others opposing it, adding to uncertainty over the consequences for Lebanon.”

‘Tactical political maneuver’

The destruction, displacement and reconstruction costs of the previous war, particularly in Hezbollah’s support base, could weigh on the group’s calculations.

Another conflict could also deepen domestic divisions over who has the authority to decide on war and peace, amid government efforts to establish exclusive state control over weapons.

But Imad Salamey, a political science professor at the Lebanese American University, described Hezbollah’s position as a “tactical political maneuver.”

He told Asharq Al-Awsat: “Such statements often sought to contain domestic tensions, reassure the Lebanese public and ease pressure on the group without providing genuine guarantees about its military or political conduct.”

Salamey added that “Hezbollah was not bound by rules of engagement imposed by the Lebanese state or subject to an independent national authority overseeing its military decisions.”

“Nor were there legal or international mechanisms to ensure compliance with its commitments,” he noted.

A woman walks through her apartment, which was damaged by Israeli airstrikes in the southern Lebanese city of Tyre on June 17, 2026. (AP)

“The gap between Hezbollah’s promises in 2025 and its military actions in 2026 had reinforced doubts about their credibility,” he remarked.

“While domestic pressures could influence the timing and tone of Hezbollah’s political statements, its strategic decisions remained closely tied to Iran’s regional interests,” Salamey said.

Any decision to stay out of a conflict could therefore be reversed if Tehran’s calculations changed, potentially leaving Lebanon exposed to unilateral military decisions outside state institutions.

Pledge broken

Hezbollah had previously told Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri that it would not intervene in a US war against Iran. Berri subsequently relayed that position to Lebanese officials.

The group nevertheless fired six rockets toward Israel in March 2026.

Reuters reported at the time, citing sources, that Berri felt he had been deceived.

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam also said at the time that the government’s guarantees that Hezbollah would stay out of the conflict “did not last more than 48 hours.”