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Report: US Special Envoy for Iraq Mark Savaya No Longer in the Post

US President Donald Trump and US Special Envoy to Iraq Mark Savaya. (X)
US President Donald Trump and US Special Envoy to Iraq Mark Savaya. (X)
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Report: US Special Envoy for Iraq Mark Savaya No Longer in the Post

US President Donald Trump and US Special Envoy to Iraq Mark Savaya. (X)
US President Donald Trump and US Special Envoy to Iraq Mark Savaya. (X)

Mark Savaya, named by US President Donald Trump as special envoy for Iraq in October, is no longer in that role, sources familiar with the move said.

The move comes amid growing tensions between Washington and Baghdad over Washington's push to curb Iranian influence in Iraqi politics.

Savaya, a Christian Iraqi-American entrepreneur, was among a handful of Arab Americans named to senior posts by Trump, who campaigned heavily during the 2024 presidential election to win the Arab and Muslim vote in Detroit and around the country.

It was not immediately clear what prompted Savaya's departure or ‌whether a replacement ‌would be appointed.

One of the sources pointed to Savaya's "mishandling" ‌of ⁠key situations, including ‌his failure to prevent the nomination of former Iraqi prime minister Nouri al-Maliki to be the country's next premier, a move Trump openly warned Baghdad against.

US ambassador to Türkiye and special envoy to Syria Tom Barrack, who traveled to Erbil earlier this week to meet with Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, is believed to be taking over the State Department's Iraq portfolio, according to the source and a senior Iraqi official.

A spokesperson for Barrack declined to comment.

The State Department referred ⁠queries to the White House, which declined to comment on Savaya's status or any replacement.

Reached by Reuters on Thursday, ‌Savaya denied any change in his role, saying that he ‍was still working on administrative procedures required ‍for him to officially assume the role, but a source familiar with the matter ‍said Savaya never became an employee of the State Department.

Savaya's X account, which was active until recently, has not been available since Thursday.

He did not respond to follow-up messages on Friday and Saturday asking him to clarify whether he was still in his appointed role and explain why his X account was taken down.

Savaya, who ran a cannabis business in Detroit and has close ties to Trump, was a surprising choice for envoy because ⁠he has no diplomatic experience. He has not traveled to Iraq officially since being named to the role, two of the sources said.

He was set to visit Iraq and hold meetings with senior officials last Friday, but abruptly canceled them, two Iraqi officials said.

The personnel move comes days after Trump warned Iraq that if it again chose Maliki as its prime minister, Washington would no longer help the major oil producer and close US ally. Maliki, accused by the US of stoking sectarian strife and allowing the rise of the ISIS group during his time in office, had been tapped for the role by Iraq's largest parliamentary bloc days earlier.

Trump's comments were the starkest example yet of his campaign to curb the influence of Iran-linked groups ‌in Iraq, which has long walked a tightrope between its two closest allies, Washington and Tehran.

 

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Arab World

Sudanese Army Repels Blue Nile Attack, Advances in Kordofan

Sudanese army troops take part in a military parade in Gedaref (AFP) 
Sudanese army troops take part in a military parade in Gedaref (AFP) 
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Sudanese Army Repels Blue Nile Attack, Advances in Kordofan

Sudanese army troops take part in a military parade in Gedaref (AFP) 
Sudanese army troops take part in a military parade in Gedaref (AFP) 

Fighting between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has spread from the Kordofan fronts to the Blue Nile region, where local authorities reported repelling an attack on Al-Kaili in Kurmuk locality, while the army announced it had retaken 11 areas in North Kordofan after battles with the RSF.

Authorities in Kurmuk reported that army forces prevented the RSF from entering Al-Kaili, adding that the attacking force had crossed from Ethiopian territory.

The army, for its part, said a preemptive attack south of the area killed a number of RSF fighters and destroyed nine combat vehicles.

The route taken by the attacking force and the casualties reported by the army could not be independently verified.

In North Kordofan, the army announced Thursday that it had retaken 11 areas west of El Obeid, including Kajmar, Sharshar, Al-Qulay’at and Awlad Hazmah, as well as the area surrounding Al-Mazrub.

Sudan’s official news agency SUNA reported the army’s announcement that it had “liberated several areas” in the state.

According to the military, its forces fought battles with the RSF and carried out sweeping operations in areas into which they had advanced. There was no independent confirmation, however, that the army controlled all the locations it listed.

The developments come amid escalating fighting on several fronts across Kordofan.

According to military sources, army forces and their allies had advanced around the city of Bara and moved toward Sodari in the northwestern part of North Kordofan, while other sources reported the recapture of Al-Farshaya in South Kordofan and Al-Mamsouka in West Kordofan.

Pro-army platforms reported fighting west of Bara and indicated that army forces had entered villages where RSF fighters had been stationed.

At the same time, reports emerged that eight people had been killed and others wounded in an attack in North Kordofan attributed to the RSF, although sufficient independent details about the circumstances were not available.

Sodari is militarily significant because of its location along routes linking North Kordofan with Darfur, making control of surrounding roads important for the movement of troops and supplies westward.

Fighting in recent months has altered the map of territorial control around Bara and along the Export Road linking Khartoum and El Obeid.

In South Kordofan, military operations have focused on routes linking Kadugli, Dilling and El Obeid.

Field sources indicated that the recapture of Al-Farshaya, if confirmed, could improve army movements along the Dilling axis. They also reported movements toward Al-Dibaybat, along roads leading to West Kordofan.

The army has expanded its area of control in North Kordofan in recent months following heavy fighting in which it regained control of Bara, Umm Sayala, Jabra al-Sheikh, Jireikh, Umm Qirfa and other areas, allowing it to reopen the Export Road linking Khartoum and El Obeid.

Arab World

Syria Arrests Five Former Officers over Assad-era Airstrikes

A man holds Syrian opposition flags as he celebrates after Syria's army command notified officers that President Bashar al-Assad's 24-year authoritarian rule has ended, in Aleppo, Syria December 8, 2024. REUTERS/Karam al-Masri
A man holds Syrian opposition flags as he celebrates after Syria's army command notified officers that President Bashar al-Assad's 24-year authoritarian rule has ended, in Aleppo, Syria December 8, 2024. REUTERS/Karam al-Masri
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Syria Arrests Five Former Officers over Assad-era Airstrikes

A man holds Syrian opposition flags as he celebrates after Syria's army command notified officers that President Bashar al-Assad's 24-year authoritarian rule has ended, in Aleppo, Syria December 8, 2024. REUTERS/Karam al-Masri
A man holds Syrian opposition flags as he celebrates after Syria's army command notified officers that President Bashar al-Assad's 24-year authoritarian rule has ended, in Aleppo, Syria December 8, 2024. REUTERS/Karam al-Masri

Syrian security forces said on Friday they had arrested five former air force officers accused of involvement in airstrikes on civilians during the rule of ousted President Bashar al-Assad.

Over more than 13 years of a civil war that claimed more than half a million lives, Syrian forces relentlessly shelled areas held by the opposition forces before Assad was toppled in December 2024 and the current government came to power.

The Internal Security Forces said in a statement that they carried out a series of operations that led to "the arrest of five senior Air Force officers and commanders from the former regime".

The force said investigations were ongoing ahead of the suspects' referral to the judiciary.

The detainees were involved "in planning, managing and carrying out aerial bombardment operations, and in using the air force, air bases and field command centers to conduct intensive combat airstrikes targeting populated areas", the statement said.

Since Assad was overthrown in December 2024, Syria's new authorities have arrested dozens of former security officials, while trials began in April.

Earlier this month Syrian authorities said they had arrested nine former pilots including three generals accused of taking part in lethal bombings of towns and villages under Assad's rule.

Syria sentenced Bashar al-Assad, his brother Maher al-Assad, and five other security officials to death in absentia in August for atrocities committed during the civil war.

The former president fled Syria as his government fell and is believed to be living in Russia.

Arab World

‘Mechanism’ Defuses Lebanese-Israeli Military Standoff

Lebanese soldiers deploy on the outskirts of Deir Mimas in southern Lebanon after Israeli forces advanced toward the town, positioned tanks, and threw stun grenades (AFP)
Lebanese soldiers deploy on the outskirts of Deir Mimas in southern Lebanon after Israeli forces advanced toward the town, positioned tanks, and threw stun grenades (AFP)
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‘Mechanism’ Defuses Lebanese-Israeli Military Standoff

Lebanese soldiers deploy on the outskirts of Deir Mimas in southern Lebanon after Israeli forces advanced toward the town, positioned tanks, and threw stun grenades (AFP)
Lebanese soldiers deploy on the outskirts of Deir Mimas in southern Lebanon after Israeli forces advanced toward the town, positioned tanks, and threw stun grenades (AFP)

Tensions flared between the Lebanese army and Israeli forces on the outskirts of the southern Lebanese town of Deir Mimas on Friday after an Israeli unit advanced toward a newly established army position and demanded that it be evacuated.

Contacts through the ceasefire monitoring “mechanism” helped contain the situation, and the Israeli force later withdrew to its position at Tall al-Nahhas. The Lebanese army maintained its deployment in the area and reinforced its presence along the main road in Burj al-Muluk.

The confrontation began when an Israeli force advanced toward the outskirts of Deir Mimas, reaching an intersection near a position recently established by the Lebanese army to support local residents and secure their movement in the area, particularly during the olive harvest.

According to information from the scene, the Israeli force ordered Lebanese soldiers to dismantle the position and leave the area before throwing stun grenades nearby in an attempt to drive them away. The incident prompted a military alert but no exchange of fire.

The Lebanese army initially sent reinforcements to the newly established position, as contacts were initiated through the relevant military channels to prevent the confrontation from escalating.

Dispute over position’s location

The Israeli military said the Lebanese position was located inside what it calls the “Yellow Line,” an Israeli designation for the area that Lebanon does not recognize as an official border or demarcation line.

The military coordination group for Lebanon, operating under the “mechanism,” intervened to address the dispute. Intensive contacts sought to prevent the confrontation from developing into a direct clash between the two armies.

The Lebanese army temporarily evacuated the contested position during efforts to resolve the standoff, allowing the Israeli force to move into the area for a limited period.

The Israeli troops withdrew about 90 minutes later from the position near the entrance to Deir Mimas and returned to their post at Tall al-Nahhas.

Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency said Israeli troops searched several homes in Deir Mimas during their presence in the area.

The Lebanese army, meanwhile, maintained its deployment, with units remaining stationed along the main road in Burj al-Muluk as they monitored Israeli movements and other developments along the route.

The confrontation was among the most significant recent incidents of direct contact between the Lebanese army and Israeli forces. It centered on a dispute over the location of an army position and occurred as discussions continued through the “mechanism” over conditions in southern Lebanon and the Lebanese army’s deployment there.

Israeli movements on several fronts

The tensions in Deir Mimas coincided with Israeli movements elsewhere in southern Lebanon. Israeli military vehicles advanced from the direction of the town of al-Tiri toward the outskirts of Hadatha, near Haris in the Bint Jbeil district.

Israeli artillery shelling also resumed on Friday morning against the towns of al-Mansouri and Majdal Zoun following heavy bombardment before and after midnight. Explosions were heard in the city of Tyre and several surrounding towns and villages.

Several shells struck Wadi al-Azziyeh, while artillery fire also hit Wadi Nahle on the outskirts of Shaqra.

Israeli forces fired illumination flares over the towns of Hadatha and Aita al-Jabal in the Bint Jbeil district overnight. Explosions were heard at dawn across large parts of southern Lebanon, reaching the city of Sidon and its surrounding areas.

The escalation comes as political and military contacts continue over the implementation of arrangements for southern Lebanon. Confrontations on the ground have repeatedly occurred at several locations amid continuing Israeli movements and military operations along the border region and inside a number of southern towns.