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Iraq
Erdogan: Turkey, Iran Agree on Need to Avoid Escalating Mideast Tensions
Ankara — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he and Iranian counterpart Ebrahim Raisi agreed at a meeting on Wednesday on the need to avoid steps that could further threaten Middle East stability three months into the Gaza war.
Turkey, which supports a two-state solution to the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict, has harshly criticized Israel for its attacks on Gaza, called for an immediate cease-fire, and backed legal steps for Israel to be tried for genocide.
Unlike its...
Categories: Iraq
Iran Says It Is Willing to Help Niger Overcome Sanctions
Tehran, Iran — Iran said Wednesday it is willing to help coup-hit Niger overcome international sanctions as Tehran seeks to reduce its isolation by bolstering ties with African countries.
Iran's first vice-president, Mohammad Mokhber, said his country condemns "the cruel sanctions that are imposed by the domination system," in a meeting with Niger's Prime Minister Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine.
"We will definitely share the experiences we have in this field with our...
Categories: Iraq
Iran Bans Ex-President Rouhani From Running for Elite Assembly
Dubai, United Arab Emirates — Iran's hardline watchdog body has banned former pragmatist President Hassan Rouhani from standing again in an election in March for the Assembly of Experts, which appoints and can dismiss the supreme leader, state media said Wednesday.
The 88-member assembly, founded in 1982, supervises the most powerful authority but has rarely intervened directly in policymaking.
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is 84, so the new assembly is expected to play a...
Categories: Iraq
US Military Says It Fended Off Another Houthi Missile Attack
Washington — Iran-backed Houthi militants launched new attacks Wednesday on merchant shipping in the Gulf of Aden, just hours after the United States carried out preemptive strikes to stave off what it said was an imminent attack on shipping lanes in the Red Sea.
U.S. Central Command, which overseas U.S. forces in the Middle East, said late Wednesday that a U.S. guided missile destroyer shot down two anti-ship ballistic missiles aimed at the M/V Maersk Detroit, a U.S.-owned and operated...
Categories: Iraq
Palestinians in Gaza Face Acute Risk of Famine, UN Agency Reports
GENEVA — United Nations agencies warn the Gaza Strip is slipping into an ever more disastrous situation as the Israel-Hamas war continues unabated and hundreds of thousands of people suffering from a chronic lack of food and water face an acute risk of famine.
"We have more than half a million people in Gaza facing catastrophic food insecurity levels. The risk of famine increases each day as the conflict limits the delivery of life-saving aid to people in need," said Abeer Etefa,...
Categories: Iraq
Attacks on Lebanon-Israel Border Prompt Warnings of Escalation
AMMAN, JORDAN — Continuing retaliatory attacks and targeted assassinations along the Lebanon-Israel border are prompting warnings of an escalation that could unleash a wider conflict in the region.
Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hezbollah militia said it targeted Israel’s northern army command Mount Meron base Tuesday, its second such attack on the post in recent days. Later Tuesday, Israeli warplanes fired missiles at Lebanon’s southern districts of Bint Jbeil, Nabatieh and Iqlim al-Tuffah,...
Categories: Iraq
U.S. Strikes 3 Iran-Linked Militia Sites in Iraq
The strikes were “in direct response” to a series of attacks by Iranian-sponsored militias against U.S. and coalition personnel in Iraq and Syria, the defense secretary said.
Categories: Iraq
More Middle East Strikes as Ukraine Defense Contact Group Holds First 2024 Meeting
The U.S. military says it struck three facilities Tuesday in western Iraq used by the Iranian-backed militant group Kataib Hezbollah. It’s the latest retaliatory strikes after militant groups have hit U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria more than 150 times since mid-October. There are growing concerns that the U.S. may soon be entangled in another war in the Middle East as it supports Israel in its fight against Hamas and its European partner, Ukraine, as it fights off Russian invaders. VOA...
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Nations Reaffirm Urgency of Two-State Solution for Israel and Palestine
united nations — Nations expressed support for a future independent Palestinian state at the United Nations on Tuesday, days after Israel's prime minister took a strong stance against the two-state solution.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the Security Council that any refusal to accept a two-state solution "by any party must be firmly rejected."
"What is the alternative?" Guterres asked. "How would a one-state solution look with such a large...
Categories: Iraq
Syrian Kurdish Journalist Missing 3 Months after Arrest in Iraqi Kurdistan
Qamishli, Syria & Sulaymaniyah, Iraqi Kurdistan — Nearly three months after his arrest at a Syria-Iraq border crossing, the whereabouts of a Syrian Kurdish journalist are unknown, and his family told VOA that they have not been able to reach him or get legal representation for him.
Sleman Mohammed Ahmed, an Arabic editor for RojNews, which is affiliated with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), was arrested by Kurdistan Regional Government security forces at the Semalka Border Crossing...
Categories: Iraq
US Strikes Back at Iran-Supported Militants in Iraq
pentagon — The United States hit Iranian-backed targets in Iraq and Yemen in a span of about two hours early Wednesday morning, striking a militant headquarters in Iraq and knocking out more missiles in Yemen that were ready to launch into international shipping lanes, according to the U.S. military.
U.S. military aircraft hit the Iranian-backed proxies in Iraq just after midnight local time in response to a series of attacks against U.S. and coalition forces in recent days.
U.S. officials...
Categories: Iraq
Ex-U.S. Soldier Who Killed Iraqi Civilian Charged with Attacking Police on Jan. 6
Edward Richmond Jr., 40, of Geismar, La., was convicted of manslaughter after he shot a cow herder in Iraq in 2004. He now faces felony assault charges in connection to the 2021 Capitol riot.
Categories: Iraq
Gaza War Provides Rare Common Ground for Iran, Turkey
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi is due to visit Turkey on January 24 for a summit with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, with the Israel-Hamas war topping the agenda. The two leaders have been vocal in their support for Hamas, but rivalries remain as Tehran and Ankara compete for influence in the Caucasus and Syria. Dorian Jones reports from Istanbul.
Categories: Iraq
West Bank Support for Hamas Rises Rapidly After October 7th
A Palestinian pollster says that support for Hamas in the West Bank has risen rapidly since October 7, from 12% to 44% in December. In this report from the Am'ari Refugee Camp in the West Bank, reporter Henry Wilkins speaks to Hamas supporters and experts about the steep rise.
Categories: Iraq
Families of Israeli Hostages Demand They Not Be Forgotten
Israeli officials say Hamas is still holding 136 Israelis who were taken hostage Oct. 7, the start of the war in Gaza. Families of some of those hostages are in the United States to raise awareness about an issue they fear has been fading since the collapse of a November cease-fire. VOA’s Natasha Mozgovaya has our story.
Categories: Iraq
As Gaza Crisis Intensifies, Israel Says Aid Distribution Problems on Gazan Side
The Palestinian Health Ministry says the death toll in Gaza has passed 25,000, while U.N. officials are warning of growing hunger and disease in the Gaza Strip. However, Israel says it is allowing food into Gaza and the problem is the distribution on the Gazan side. Linda Gradstein reports for VOA from Jerusalem. Camera: Ricki Rosen.
Categories: Iraq
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