Iran Threatens to Attack Opposition in Kurdistan's Iraq

A picture distributed by Fars Agency showing Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) launching an Iranian missile towards Kurdistan last September (AFP)
A picture distributed by Fars Agency showing Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) launching an Iranian missile towards Kurdistan last September (AFP)
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Iran Threatens to Attack Opposition in Kurdistan's Iraq

A picture distributed by Fars Agency showing Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) launching an Iranian missile towards Kurdistan last September (AFP)
A picture distributed by Fars Agency showing Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) launching an Iranian missile towards Kurdistan last September (AFP)

Iran's Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC)-Ground Force warned that its strikes against the terrorist groups in the Kurdistan region would resume if the Iraqi government failed to meet its commitment to disarm and evict the terrorists.

The Commander of the Ground Force, Brigadier General Mohammed Pakpour, said the Iraqi government has pledged to disarm terrorist groups and expel them.

Speaking in Iran's western city of Sanandaj, Pakpour warned: "We are waiting for the government of Iraq to honor its commitments and offer them an opportunity (to flush out the terrorists). Otherwise, the IRGC's attacks will continue if nothing happens."

Pakpour also said the security situation at the shared borders is "good and stable" throughout the country, especially in the border areas, and "we do not have any problems."

Last year, the IRGC bombed several sites in the Kurdistan region of Iraq after Tehran accused the Kurdish opposition parties of being behind the protests that erupted after the death of the young Kurdish woman, Mahsa Amini, last September.

Earlier, the Iraqi National Security Adviser, Qassem al-Araji, visited Erbil, where he discussed the security measures between Iraq and Iran.

The media office of the National Security Adviser said that Araij visited Erbil following the directives of Prime Minister Mohammad Shia al-Sudani, noting that the commander of the border forces presented the measures taken by the Ministry of the Interior to secure the Iraqi Iranian border.

The Minister of the Interior of the region, Rebar Ahmed, presented the procedures taken by his Ministry regarding the provisions of the security record between Iraq and Iran.

Last March, Baghdad and Tehran signed a security memorandum regarding protecting the shared borders and consolidating cooperation in several security fields.

In this context, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) leader, Mahmoud Khoshnaw, asserted that Iraq and Iran signed a comprehensive security agreement, including border control.

Khoshnaw told Asharq Al-Awsat that many obstacles remain to form joint brigades from the army and the Peshmerga forces, especially in the rugged ground zero, which contains anti-Iran armed groups.

He noted that the groups hostile to Iran do not fall within the region's authority, and it is well known that the Iraqi Iranian-Turkish border is difficult to control.

Khoshnaw added that there is no Iraqi presence in the ground zero areas, noting that armed organizations, whether anti-Iranian or anti-Turkey, are present in these areas, where attacks against the two countries are launched.

The deployment of the armed forces on the border is complex, and therefore it is preferable to resort to rational solutions to this crisis through discussions between the various parties, asserted the official.

Khoshnaw stressed that the Peshmerga forces have limited abilities, making it difficult for them to reach those areas, especially ground zero.

Meanwhile, a source told Asharq Al-Awsat that based on a series of meetings in Baghdad, Sulaymaniyah, and Erbil, officials are formulating a suggestion on dealing with the repeated Iranian attacks that violate Iraq's sovereignty.

He indicated that Araji presented a proposal to Prime Minister Prior before his visit to Tehran, containing a series of Iraqi commitments towards Iran, and in turn, Tehran should pledge not to launch any attacks.

The source noted that the idea has already been proposed, and discussions have begun to reach the final agreed draft through direct coordination between Tehran, Baghdad, and the Kurdistan region.

The document of the joint security agreement, which includes commitments to end Iranian opposition activity inside the region, has been completed with Iran's total commitment to the sovereignty of Iraq.

It also contained a road map to gradually disarm the forces within a time frame because the Iraqi constitution prevents Iraqi territory from being a corridor, headquarters, or starting point for groups that threaten neighboring countries.

According to the source, the proposals ended with the agreement signed in Baghdad between Araji and Iran's Supreme National Security Council secretary, Ali Shamkhani, in the presence of the Iraqi Prime Minister.



Yemeni Army Launches Surprise Attack on Houthis in Al-Mudaribah, Killing and Wounding Dozens

Members of Yemen's Southern Giants Brigades near the Bab Al-Mandab Strait (AP)
Members of Yemen's Southern Giants Brigades near the Bab Al-Mandab Strait (AP)
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Yemeni Army Launches Surprise Attack on Houthis in Al-Mudaribah, Killing and Wounding Dozens

Members of Yemen's Southern Giants Brigades near the Bab Al-Mandab Strait (AP)
Members of Yemen's Southern Giants Brigades near the Bab Al-Mandab Strait (AP)

Fighting escalated across several fronts in Yemen on Monday as the government-aligned Nation Shield Forces announced a large-scale offensive against Houthi positions in Lahj province, while government troops and local resistance fighters continued to repel attacks in Taiz, where the Houthis reportedly targeted civilians and an ambulance.

The Nation Shield Forces said units from the Third, Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Brigades of the First Division launched a major surprise assault on Houthi positions and fortifications along the Al-Muhawalah front in Al-Mudaribah and Ras Al-Arah district.

According to a statement issued by the forces, dozens of Houthi militants were killed or wounded in the attack, while others fled their positions, leaving the bodies of their dead scattered across ravines and valleys.

Government forces also announced that the Nation Shield Forces had seized control of the Kahbub front near the Bab Al-Mandab Strait and released footage they said showed their troops deployed across mountainous positions in the area.

The Fourth Military Region separately released footage of a strike against a Houthi military vehicle on the Al-Maqatirah front in Lahj province, saying it had been carrying field supplies and equipment.

In Taiz province, government forces said they were continuing to engage and repel Houthi attacks with support from the Popular Resistance, targeting the group's movements and firing positions along several fronts.

Military sources reported clashes across multiple areas of the province, while civilians were killed or wounded by Houthi fire in separate incidents.

Civilians Targeted in Taiz

Two civilians were killed and a third wounded on Sunday when Houthi fire struck an ambulance transporting an injured man along a main road in the Al-Awat area, west of Al-Shaqab in Sabr Al-Mawadim district, southeast of Taiz city, according to Yemen's official SABA news agency.

The attack killed the wounded man being transported and his father, while injuring a member of the ambulance crew.

The Joint Medical Emergency Committee in Taiz condemned the targeting of ambulances and medical personnel, saying preliminary information indicated that another ambulance had also come under fire in the same area.

The incident marked the third attack on ambulances in Taiz since the latest round of fighting began.

The committee warned that repeated attacks threatened rescue and medical evacuation operations and endangered the lives of civilians and wounded people.

It called on the United Nations, the international community and the International Committee of the Red Cross to intervene to protect medical personnel and ensure the safe passage of ambulances.

Nine other civilians, including two children and two women, were wounded in shelling, gunfire and sniper attacks across several areas, including Al-Najadah in Sabr Al-Mawadim district; Al-Matar Al-Qadeem, Al-Arous, Wadi Al-Bir and Qahmah in Mishra and Hadnan district; and Qahfat Al-Saram in the Al-Aqrood area, southeast of the province.

According to SABA, the injuries were caused by gunfire and artillery shrapnel.

A civilian vehicle also came under fire from a Houthi sniper in Al-Najadah village, leaving two women wounded by shrapnel.

Meanwhile, local sources in Taiz's Al-Shamayatayn district reported the arrival of around 30 members of the Houthis' female security units, known as the Zainabiyat, in Al-Turbah and several surrounding villages and population centers.

The movement raised concerns among residents that the group was preparing to carry out raids on homes.

Observers linked the deployments to ongoing fighting in the neighboring Al-Maqatirah and Al-Mudaribah districts of Lahj province, amid Houthi fears of coordination between government forces and their supporters and Popular Resistance members in districts recently seized by the group.

According to the sources, residents exchanged warnings about the presence of Houthi female security personnel and expressed concerns over their money and valuables, fearing that possession of certain items could be used as a security pretext for abuses against them.

Developments in Al-Jawf and Marib

Government forces announced battlefield advances in the Al-Huwaishiyan and Al-Duhaydhah mountain ranges in Al-Jawf province as military operations continued across the area.

Reports also indicated that airstrikes had targeted Houthi gatherings and military vehicles east of Al-Hazm city.

Artillery fire reportedly struck Houthi positions and vehicles on the northern front in Marib province, where clashes continued along several axes.

On Sunday evening, Yemen's armed forces announced that they had carried out 992 strikes under Operation Fajr Yemen, including 19 airstrikes, 29 drone sorties and 944 artillery and missile attacks.

The military said preliminary figures showed that 267 Houthi militants and commanders had been killed, wounded or forced to flee, while 97 military vehicles and pieces of combat equipment had been destroyed or damaged.

The statement did not specify the period over which all the operations had been conducted.

For his part, Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said areas under the group's control had been hit by 91 airstrikes over the preceding 24 hours.

He said the strikes targeted several provinces, including Saada, Taiz, Hajjah, Hodeidah, Al-Jawf and Lahj.

Meanwhile, the Coalition to Support Legitimacy in Yemen had announced the destruction of three ballistic missile launchers in Houthi-controlled areas.

According to the coalition, two launchers in Saada had been used in attacks on Riyadh, while a third in Sanaa had been used in an attempted attack on Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province.


Four Killed in Gaza after Sand Embankment Collapses on to Tents

A Palestinian child sits beside a pool of rainwater at a camp for displaced people in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip, Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
A Palestinian child sits beside a pool of rainwater at a camp for displaced people in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip, Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
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Four Killed in Gaza after Sand Embankment Collapses on to Tents

A Palestinian child sits beside a pool of rainwater at a camp for displaced people in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip, Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
A Palestinian child sits beside a pool of rainwater at a camp for displaced people in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip, Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Torrential rain in Gaza caused a sand embankment to collapse on to tents, killing a woman and three small children in an incident that highlighted the danger facing hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians as the rainy winter season sets in.

Medics said heavy rain late on Sunday washed away a rocky sand bank abutting a camp for displaced families south of Deir al-Balah, in central Gaza. A woman and two of her children, aged 8 and 6, were killed. A fourth child, aged 4, was also killed, and six others were injured.

Video verified by Reuters showed residents using hammers to break large sandy rocks and others removing sand with shovels searching for people trapped underneath using flashlights.

"What can one say about the situation in Gaza? Whoever did not die from bombs and missiles is dying from buildings collapsing on them, from the collapse of sand and mountains on them," said Amal Al-Zein, 35, a relative of the victims.

Sohaib Abu Darbali, a witness, said the collapse of the embankment sounded like an explosion.

"We found that three tents were covered completely after the mountain collapsed on top of them. People were under the rubble and we couldn't see them," he told Reuters.

'THE ONLY SOLUTION IS RECONSTRUCTION'

The vast majority of Gaza's 2 million population lives in tent encampments or the ruins of bombed-out buildings, with reconstruction yet to begin following Israel's two-year military assault, launched after the 2023 Hamas attacks on southern Israel.

For many of them, this is the fourth winter during which they will need to cope with flood water overtaking their tents and soaking their belongings when it rains.

Local authorities said at least 70,000 tents had been flooded in the first hours after heavy rain began on Saturday.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said humanitarian partners had received appeals from more than 26,000 households reporting damage to shelters or belongings following weekend rainstorms.

A US-brokered ceasefire last year called for the eventual reconstruction of Gaza, but little progress has been made. Negotiators have failed to agree on terms for Hamas to disarm or for Israel to withdraw its troops, which control about two-thirds of the territory and from which residents have been ordered to leave.

Mahmoud Basal, spokesman for Gaza's civil defence service, said people put up their tents next to sand banks believing they could protect them.

"Tents can't protect people, neither from rain nor of the heat, the only solution is reconstruction," Basal told Reuters.

Israel says no reconstruction can happen before Hamas is disarmed.


Al-Shaibani: Syrian-Jordanian Relations at Their Strongest in Decades

 Jordanian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ayman Safadi meets with Syrian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Asaad Al-Shaibani on the sidelines of the second session of the Jordan-Syria Higher Coordination Council, a body established to institutionalize strategic cooperation between the two nations. Photo: dpa
Jordanian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ayman Safadi meets with Syrian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Asaad Al-Shaibani on the sidelines of the second session of the Jordan-Syria Higher Coordination Council, a body established to institutionalize strategic cooperation between the two nations. Photo: dpa
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Al-Shaibani: Syrian-Jordanian Relations at Their Strongest in Decades

 Jordanian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ayman Safadi meets with Syrian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Asaad Al-Shaibani on the sidelines of the second session of the Jordan-Syria Higher Coordination Council, a body established to institutionalize strategic cooperation between the two nations. Photo: dpa
Jordanian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ayman Safadi meets with Syrian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Asaad Al-Shaibani on the sidelines of the second session of the Jordan-Syria Higher Coordination Council, a body established to institutionalize strategic cooperation between the two nations. Photo: dpa

Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said Syria's security and stability were vital to Jordan and a cornerstone of regional stability.

Speaking at a joint news conference in Damascus with his Syrian counterpart Asaad al-Shaibani, Safadi said Jordan was working with Syria to build a future for a free, secure and stable Syrian state.

"We mourn the civilian victims who lost their lives in the Daraa incident and extend our sincere condolences to their families. Syrian blood is just as precious as Jordanian blood," Safadi said.

He added that a joint security committee had met and agreed on mechanisms to coordinate counterterrorism efforts.

"We are proud of what we have achieved so far and will continue strengthening cooperation between Jordan and Syria," Safadi said, pointing to the signing of 11 agreements aimed at deepening integration between the two countries.

He also reiterated Jordan's condemnation of Israeli attacks on Syrian territory.

For his part, al-Shaibani described Syrian-Jordanian relations as being "at their strongest in decades," reaffirming Damascus' commitment to strengthening ties with Amman across various sectors.

"We have agreed with Jordan to rehabilitate the international highway linking our two countries at a cost of $47 million, as well as to expand the capacity and improve the efficiency of the Nassib border crossing," he said.

"A joint security and technical committee has been established to investigate the Daraa incident and determine the circumstances surrounding it. Efforts are underway to provide redress and compensation to the innocent victims of the strikes," al-Shaibani added.