Author: Mideast discourse

The Houthi rebel militia killed seven members of Yemen’s government forces and injured another eight in the country’s southwestern province of Taiz on Monday, a military source told Xinhua. “The Houthi rebels launched an attack against a government-controlled area in Taiz, sparking intense armed confrontations that continued for hours,” the source said on condition of anonymity. An officer of the government’s 117th infantry brigade was among the victims, the source confirmed, adding a number of Houthi attackers were also killed and wounded. There was no immediate comment from the Houthis regarding the confrontations despite the ongoing truce brokered by the…

The Turkish Ministry of Defense announced on Saturday that the Turkish army and an intelligence unit killed nine militants belonging to Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in two operations in northern Iraq. Turkey regularly launches air strikes in Iraq as part of its campaign against PKK militants based in the northern part of the country. “Our operations will continue until the last terrorist is eliminated,” the Turkish ministry said on Twitter, adding that the army targeted seven members of the PKK. On the other hand, Anadolu Agency mentioned in a separate report that the National Intelligence Organization eliminated two members of…

The Joint Operations Command-JOC announced today, Monday, imposing of a total curfew in the capital, Baghdad. JOC said in a statement received by the Iraqi News Agency (INA), that “it was decided to impose a complete curfew in the capital, Baghdad, including vehicles and citizens.” The statement added, Total curfew in Baghdad to begin from 15:30 local time this Monday.” Source: INA

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) on Sunday warned of “riots in the streets” if former US president Donald Trump is prosecuted for his handling of classified materials found when the FBI searched his Mar-a-Lago home. “If there’s a prosecution of Donald Trump for mishandling classified information, after the Clinton debacle… there’ll be riots in the streets,” Graham told former South Carolina congressman Trey Gowdy, who now hosts Fox News’ “Sunday Night in America”, The Hill reported. Trump shared a clip of the interview on Truth Social later Sunday evening. Gowdy was chairman of the House Select Committee on Benghazi, which probed…

Issuing a statement, the Leader of the Sadrist movement announced his withdrawal from the political arena in Iraq. Muqtada al-Sadr, who leads the Sadrist Movement, in a statement on Monday, stated that he would no longer engage in political activities. Al-Sadr’s decision comes as Ayatollah Kadhim Husayni al-Haeri announced that he is withdrawing from Mar’ja authority due to his old age. Announcing his decision to quit Mar’ja authority, al-Haeri indirectly addressed Muqtada al-Sadr and rebuked him, creating division among the Iraqi people. Ayatollah Kadhim Husayni al-Haeri also called on his followers to obey the guidelines of the Leader of the…

Issuing a statement, the Leader of the Sadrist movement announced his withdrawal from the political arena in Iraq. Muqtada al-Sadr, who leads the Sadrist Movement, in a statement on Monday, stated that he would no longer engage in political activities. Al-Sadr’s decision comes as Ayatollah Kadhim Husayni al-Haeri announced that he is withdrawing from Mar’ja authority due to his old age. Announcing his decision to quit Mar’ja authority, al-Haeri indirectly addressed Muqtada al-Sadr and rebuked him, creating division among the Iraqi people. Ayatollah Kadhim Husayni al-Haeri also called on his followers to obey the guidelines of the Leader of the…

One of them is in critical condition. Three Palestinian youths were wounded by Israeli live bullets during an Israeli raid on Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank. Confrontations were renewed after the IOF brutally stormed the refugee camp and fired live ammunition at civilians there. Three injured Palestinians, including one in critical condition, arrived at the Ibn Sina Specialized Hospital in Jenin, including an 18-year-old young man with a chest injury, a 20-year-old with a foot injury, and a 27-year-old with an abdomen injury, local medical sources reported. Furthermore, local sources reported that Israeli occupation forces (IOF) shot a Palestinian youth riding…

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova blasted US diplomats abroad for concentrating on efforts to spark new hotspots around the world. Commenting on US Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel’s interviews with a number of media outlets, Zakharova said the American diplomat had made it clear “what US envoys around the world have been busy with” and revealed the essence of instructions he and his counterparts had been receiving from the US Department of State. Promoting US-style “commercial diplomacy” is top on American diplomats’ agenda, wrote on her Telegram channel on Saturday. “This has to do with blatant political motivation and…

On August 28, the Afrin Liberation Forces (ALF) announced that its cells killed three Turkish soldiers and nine Syrian militants in a recent series of attacks in the northern countryside of Syria’s Aleppo. In a statement, the Kurdish guerilla group said that the operations took place near the Turkish-occupied towns of Sharran, Mare, Azaz and al-Bab between August 18 and 27. The group noted that seven Turkish soldiers and eight Syrian militants were also wounded as a result of the attacks. The ALF released footage documenting five different attacks on positions, vehicles and personnel of the Turkish military and its…

Citizens must be willing to pay the price for freedom, the bloc’s top diplomat insists The EU will encounter “major challenges” due to the sanctions it imposed on Russia over the conflict in Ukraine, the bloc’s top diplomat, Josep Borrell, has said. The issue was raised during Borrell’s interview with the Austrian newspaper Kronen Zeitung, with journalists pointing out that many people in their country are “skeptical” about the anti-Russia measures. The diplomat claimed that the sanctions are working, and that “Russia is in trouble.” “These are restrictive measures. We’ve limited Russia’s economic possibilities. As long as Russia’s economy is dependent on oil and gas, they’ll…