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Iraq

‘A Person Can Be Killed Reporting,’ Says Gaza Journalist

Voice of America - Mon, 02/12/2024 - 16:18
Experts say the Israel-Hamas war is the most dangerous conflict for media in recent history. Journalists in Gaza say the high death toll makes every report they do vital, but as more die among their ranks and the war expands, their ability to deliver the news is rapidly decreasing. VOA’s Heather Murdock reports with Nedal Hamdouna and Amjed Tantesh in Rafah, Gaza. Camera: Ihab Abu Riyash
Categories: Iraq

Biden Says He Is Pushing for Six-Week Gaza Pause

Voice of America - Mon, 02/12/2024 - 11:33
WASHINGTON — U.S. President Joe Biden said on Monday that the United States was pushing for a six-week pause in the fighting between Israel and Hamas in Gaza as a steppingstone toward a longer cease-fire. Biden and Jordan's King Abdullah spoke after the two longtime allies held talks in the White House residence. Their discussions covered a daunting list of challenges, including a looming Israeli ground offensive in southern Gaza and the threat of a humanitarian calamity among...
Categories: Iraq

Vessel Reports Missile Attack off Yemen's Coast

Voice of America - Mon, 02/12/2024 - 10:37
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — A vessel reported coming under a missile attack off Yemen's southern coast on Monday while transiting the strategic Bab al-Mandeb strait, security agencies said. The incident occurred in an area where Houthi rebels have repeatedly targeted Red Sea shipping in recent months, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency said in a report. "The crew are reported safe and the vessel is proceeding to next port of call," UKMTO...
Categories: Iraq

India Says Qatar Freed Eight Ex-Navy Personnel

Voice of America - Mon, 02/12/2024 - 06:36
New Delhi — India's foreign ministry said Monday that Qatar had freed eight ex-navy personnel it had previously arrested and sentenced to death, reportedly for spying for Israel. The foreign ministry never gave details on the eight Indian nationals or their alleged crimes, and Qatar has not commented on the case or made the charges public. But Indian media have reported that the men,  among them former high-ranking and decorated officers, including captains who once commanded...
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Israeli Airstrikes Kill Dozens in Rafah

Voice of America - Mon, 02/12/2024 - 04:58
Categories: Iraq

Saudi Arabia Sends $250 Million to Prop Up Yemeni Government

Voice of America - Mon, 02/12/2024 - 02:30
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia — Saudi Arabia said Sunday it had disbursed $250 million in aid to the internationally recognized government in Yemen, which the Gulf kingdom has backed in a war against Houthi rebels. The money follows an initial payment of the same amount announced in August, when Riyadh committed to provide $1.2 billion to ease the government's budget deficit and pay civil servants salaries. "The second batch of the grant to support addressing the budget deficit for the...
Categories: Iraq

US Military Strikes More Missiles in Yemen

Voice of America - Mon, 02/12/2024 - 01:13
Washington — The U.S. military said Sunday it had struck more devices and missiles in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen that were prepared to launch against ships in the Red Sea. The strikes occurred Saturday between 4-5 p.m. (1300-1400 GMT) north of the city of Hodeida, the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said on social media.  American "forces successfully conducted self-defense strikes against two unmanned surface vessels (USV) and three mobile anti-ship cruise missiles (ASCM)......
Categories: Iraq

Rafah Ground Offensive a Must, Israel’s Netanyahu Says

Voice of America - Mon, 02/12/2024 - 00:01
Despite mounting criticism, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has defended his intention to launch a military ground operation in Rafah. That’s the border town currently sheltering more than a million Palestinians, who say they have nowhere else to go. VOA’s Veronica Balderas Iglesias has the story.
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Al-Shabab Claims Attack in Somali Capital That Kills 4 UAE Troops, Bahraini Officer

Voice of America - Sun, 02/11/2024 - 23:13
Dubai, UAE — The al-Qaida-linked militant group al-Shabab claimed an attack that killed four Emirati troops and a Bahraini military officer on a training mission at a military base in the Somali capital, authorities said Sunday. The attack Saturday targeted the troops at the General Gordon Military Base in Mogadishu. Details about the attack and whether it killed others remained scarce Sunday, although Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud offered his condolences to the UAE for the loss of...
Categories: Iraq

IMF Chief: Middle East Growth to Slow in 2024 on Oil Cuts, Gaza

Voice of America - Sun, 02/11/2024 - 16:07
Dubai, United Arab Emirates — The International Monetary Fund said on Sunday Middle East economies were lagging below growth projections due to oil production cuts and the Israel-Gaza conflict, even as the global economic outlook remained resilient. Despite uncertainties, "the global economy has been surprisingly resilient," IMF managing director Kristalina Georgieva told the Arab Fiscal Forum in Dubai, while warning of a potential wider impact on regional economies of continued...
Categories: Iraq

Iran Marks 45th Anniversary of Islamic Revolution

Voice of America - Sun, 02/11/2024 - 11:31
TEHRAN, Iran — Iran marked Sunday the 45th anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution amid tensions gripping the wider Middle East over Israel's continued war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Thousands of Iranians marched through major streets and squares decorated with flags, balloons and banners with revolutionary and religious slogans. In Tehran, crowds waved Iranian flags, chanted slogans, and carried placards with the traditional "Death to America" and "Death to...
Categories: Iraq

Iraq Has Complicated Relationship with Groups Clashing with US Forces

Voice of America - Sun, 02/11/2024 - 11:21
BEIRUT — A U.S. strike in Baghdad that killed a commander of the powerful Kataib Hezbollah paramilitary group this week highlighted the ambiguous status of the country's Iran-allied armed factions. Some operate simultaneously as a part of the official security forces and outside of state control. That has put the government of Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani in an increasingly delicate position as it attempts to balance between its relations with the United States and with...
Categories: Iraq

Iran Foreign Minister Says Iran, US Have Exchanged Messages in Recent Weeks

Voice of America - Sun, 02/11/2024 - 07:47
BEIRUT — Iran and the United States have exchanged messages throughout Israel's 4-month-old war on Hamas in Gaza, including about Lebanese armed group Hezbollah, the Iranian foreign minister said Saturday. "During this war and in the recent weeks, there was an exchange of messages between Iran and America," Hossein Amirabdollahian said through a translator at a news conference capping a daylong visit to Beirut. He said the United States had asked Tehran to request Hezbollah,...
Categories: Iraq