Iraq, Kurds Say Country Not a Launchpad Against Neighborshttps://english.aawsat.com/arab-world/5248316-iraq-kurds-say-country-not-launchpad-against-neighbors
Iraq, Kurds Say Country Not a Launchpad Against Neighbors
Smoke rises after an explosion near Erbil International Airport in Erbil on March 6, 2026. (AFP)
TT
TT
Iraq, Kurds Say Country Not a Launchpad Against Neighbors
Smoke rises after an explosion near Erbil International Airport in Erbil on March 6, 2026. (AFP)
The Iraqi government and the autonomous Kurdistan region said Friday that Iraq must not be a launchpad for attacks against neighboring countries, following reports that militants might attempt to cross into Iran.
Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani and Kurdistan's regional president Nechirvan Barzani agreed in a phone call "that Iraqi territory must not be used as a launching point for attacks against neighboring countries", the premier's media office said.
Tehran threatened Friday to target "all the facilities" of Iraq's autonomous region if exiled Kurdish Iranian militants were allowed to enter Iran.
Smoke rises from the site of an Israeli strike that targeted the southern Lebanese village of Kfar Tibnit on May 21, 2026. (Photo by Abbas FAKIH / AFP)
Lebanon Civil Defense Says Israeli Strike Destroys its Nabatieh Facility
Smoke rises from the site of an Israeli strike that targeted the southern Lebanese village of Kfar Tibnit on May 21, 2026. (Photo by Abbas FAKIH / AFP)
Lebanon's civil defense agency said early on Sunday its regional facility in the southern city of Nabatieh had been destroyed by an Israeli strike.
The Directorate General of Civil Defense said the building had collapsed and a large number of vehicles and equipment had been damaged by a "direct hit in a hostile Israeli strike".
It added there were no reports of casualties among its personnel, who had been moved to another location before the incident, said AFP.
The civil defense agency condemned "this attack on a center dedicated to humanitarian and relief work", stressing that it was facing "growing risks and challenges" in carrying out its operations.
Israeli strikes in Lebanon have continued despite a truce that came into effect on April 17, with Israel saying it is targeting Iran-backed Hezbollah.
Lebanon's health ministry has recorded the deaths of 123 rescuers and health workers in Israeli strikes since the country was drawn into the wider regional war on March 2 when Hezbollah launched rockets at Israel in retaliation for the death of Iran's supreme leader in US-Israeli strikes.
Former Syrian Regime Officer Arrestedhttps://english.aawsat.com/arab-world/5276482-former-syrian-regime-officer-arrested
Syrian Ministry of Interior in Damascus (Official Website)
Syria's Interior Ministry announced on Saturday the arrest of a former officer in Bashar al-Assad's regime holding the rank of major general and accused of committing crimes and violations.
In a statement, the ministry said that "based on precise monitoring and surveillance operations, Internal Security Forces carried out a special security operation that resulted in the arrest of criminal Mohammed Mohsen Nayouf."
"The criminal held the rank of major general under the former regime and occupied several prominent military and leadership positions, including service in the Third Corps, command of the 18th Tank Division, chief of staff of the 11th Division in 2020, and commander of the 105th Republican Guard Brigade in 2016."
According to the statement, the detainee was referred to the relevant authorities to complete investigations and take the necessary legal measures before being referred to the judiciary.
Syrian military police deployed near the explosion site in Bab Sharqi, near the headquarters of the Syrian Defense Ministry in Damascus, Syria, May 19, 2026. EPA/MOHAMMEDALRIFAI
The Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) reported that the operation, carried out on Friday by the Salamiyah Security Directorate, which is affiliated with the Internal Security Command in Hama, comes "as part of the Interior Ministry's and relevant authorities' efforts to pursue and hold accountable those involved in crimes and violations committed against the Syrian people during the former regime, based on the principle of ending impunity, achieving transitional justice, and guaranteeing the rights of victims and their families."
Earlier on Friday, the Interior Ministry announced the arrest of Mohammed Imad Mahrez, one of the guards at Saydnaya prison during the former regime, making this the second such operation.
Hezbollah Says Message from Iran Shows it 'Will Not Give up' on Grouphttps://english.aawsat.com/arab-world/5276462-hezbollah-says-message-iran-shows-it-will-not-give-group
Displaced residents wave Hezbollah flags, including one bearing a picture of its leader, Naim Qassem, as they pass rubble of destroyed buildings in Dahiyeh, Beirut's southern suburbs, Lebanon, Friday, April 17, 2026, following a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
Hezbollah Says Message from Iran Shows it 'Will Not Give up' on Group
Displaced residents wave Hezbollah flags, including one bearing a picture of its leader, Naim Qassem, as they pass rubble of destroyed buildings in Dahiyeh, Beirut's southern suburbs, Lebanon, Friday, April 17, 2026, following a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
Hezbollah said Saturday that a message from Tehran showed that Iran would not abandon the Lebanese militant group and that the Islamic republic's latest proposal to end the US-Iran war included a ceasefire in Lebanon.
Iran-backed Hezbollah said in a statement that its chief Naim Qassem had received a message from Tehran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, which indicated that Iran "will not give up its support for movements demanding justice and freedom, foremost among them Hezbollah".
In Iran's latest proposal through Pakistani mediators aimed at achieving "a permanent and stable end to the war, the demand to include Lebanon in the ceasefire was emphasised", the statement added.
لم تشترك بعد
انشئ حساباً خاصاً بك لتحصل على أخبار مخصصة لك ولتتمتع بخاصية حفظ المقالات وتتلقى نشراتنا البريدية المتنوعة
