Middle Orient

Following Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr’s order, his followers have withdrawn completely from the Green Zone and evacuated the parliament building. At a press conference at noon in Baghdad, the leader of the Sadrist movement, Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, ordered his followers to withdraw from the Green Zone within 60 minutes. …

The situation in Baghdad has calmed somewhat after cleric Muqtada al-Sadr called on his supporters to pull back. Several regional countries have issued statements on the political violence in Iraq, expressing concern at the violence and urging calm. Last night supporters of influential Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr stormed the seat …

Faruk Fatih Ozer, who reportedly fled with $2 billion in investors’ assets, had an Interpol red notice. Faruk Fatih Ozer, a Turkish businessman wanted by the Turkish authorities over charges of staging a cryptocurrency scam, was arrested in Albania and is awaiting extradition to Turkey, the Turkish Interior Ministry announced …

Protesters respond to call by Shia leader Muqtada al-Sadr to leave Green Zone after clashes leave 30 people dead. Iraqi supporters of powerful Shia leader Moqtada Sadr have withdrawn from Baghdad’s high-security Green Zone after after deadly violence overnight rocked the Iraqi capital. Tuesday’s move came shortly after al-Sadr called …

Clashes between U.S. troops and Iran-backed militias in Syria this month have prompted new scrutiny of the Pentagon’s mission in Syria, as tit-for-tat strikes threaten to escalate tensions in the region. The U.S. decision to target facilities in eastern Syria on Tuesday — which officials say had been used to …

This is the sixth phase of the military campaign, dubbed Solid Will, according to Security Media Cell. The Iraqi forces launched a new sweeping operation against the remnants of ISIS in the remote areas between Kirkuk and Nineveh on early Saturday, according to the military’s media.

The recent summit hosted by Egypt between the leaders of five Arab countries may serve as a prelude to more joint action on security and economic development. Amid the ongoing Russian-Ukrainian war, a rise in global inflation rates, tension between China and Taiwan, as well the repercussions of the coronavirus …

Hamas has condemned Turkish-Israeli normalization, which raises questions on its impact on the good Turkey-Hamas relations and the residency of some of its leaders in its territory. The Palestinian Hamas movement has spoken out against the recent Israeli-Turkish rapprochement. In a tweet on Aug. 25, Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem said …

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi warned on Monday that any Israeli military strike on his country’s nuclear program would lead to the destruction of “the Zionist regime.” Raisi said Israel could not protect itself against Palestinian “resistance groups” and would not succeed in stopping Iran’s nuclear program. “Can they keep themselves …

Prominent Iraqi Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr tweeted on Monday that he has decided to withdraw fully from politics. “I’ve decided not to meddle in political affairs. I therefore announce now my definitive retirement,” he said in his tweet. The announcement comes a month after his followers started a sit at …