in Iraq
Voice of America
Iraq Takes Step to Close Down US-Led Coalition's Mission
BAGHDAD — The Iraqi government is forming a committee to prepare the closing down of the U.S.-led international coalition's mission in the country, Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani's office said Friday.
Sudani's statement came a day after a U.S. strike killed a militia leader in Baghdad, prompting anger among Iran-aligned groups that demanded the government end the presence of the coalition in Iraq.
"Government is setting the date for the start of the bilateral...
Categories: Iraq
Gaza Families Face Desperate Conditions
MUWASI, Gaza Strip — Stranded in a corner of southern Gaza, members of the Abu Jarad family are clinging to a strict survival routine.
They fled their comfortable three-bedroom home in northern Gaza after the Israel-Hamas war broke out nearly three months ago. The 10-person family now squeezes into a 16-square meter tent on a garbage-strewn sandy plot, part of a sprawling encampment of displaced Palestinians.
Every family member is assigned daily tasks, from collecting twigs to build a...
Categories: Iraq
Jordan Strikes Iran-linked Drug Dealers in Syria, Intelligence Sources Say
AMMAN, JORDAN — Jordan on Thursday launched airstrikes inside Syria against suspected warehouses and hideouts of Iranian-backed drug smugglers, Jordanian and regional intelligence sources said.
The army has stepped up a campaign against drug dealers after protracted clashes last month with dozens of infiltrators from Syria linked to pro-Iranian militias who crossed its border with weapons and explosives.
The sources told Reuters that jets bombed the suspected home of a leading drug dealer...
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Pentagon: At Least 25 Houthi Attacks in Red Sea in Recent Weeks
On Thursday, a Houthi drone boat laden with explosives blew up in the Red Sea as it attempted to attack ships traversing international waters. VOA Pentagon correspondent Carla Babb has more on how the U.S. and other nations are responding to these attacks.
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South Africa to Take Israel to Top UN Court on Genocide Claim in Gaza
white house — South Africa is taking the war in Gaza to a top global court, accusing Israel of genocide in a lengthy court filing that the International Court of Justice is preparing to hear next week.
Israel says the filing constitutes "blood libel," and the White House dimisses it as "meritless."
More than 22,000 Palestinians have perished since the start of Israel's offensive on Gaza, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health. U.S. officials have previously...
Categories: Iraq
Rights Groups: Israel Oppression in West Bank on Rise Since October 7
As the media focus on the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, rights groups say Israel has created an increasingly hostile environment for Palestinians in the West Bank by stepping up violence and arrests. In the territory’s Jenin refugee camp, reporter Henry Wilkins speaks to residents picking up the pieces after a sustained and aggressive incursion by the Israel Defense Forces.
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Amid Fears of a Wider War, Blinken Returns to Middle East
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is heading back to the Middle East late Thursday to visit multiple countries, including Israel, amid rising fears that the conflict is spreading. Tensions have surged between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah after a deputy Hamas leader was killed in Beirut on Tuesday. VOA's Senior Diplomatic Correspondent Cindy Saine reports.
Categories: Iraq
Houthis Show 'No Signs' of Heeding US Warnings
pentagon — Houthi militants appear to be ignoring U.S. warnings about their repeated attacks on ships in the Red Sea, launching a naval drone Thursday that came within "a couple of miles" of merchant ships and American combat vessels before detonating.
U.S. naval officials said the so-called unmanned surface vessel was launched from Houthi territory in Yemen and traveled about 50 miles into busy shipping lanes before exploding. They said it is unclear who or what the Houthis were...
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Freight Costs Rise as Houthi Attacks Disrupt Global Shipping
London — Freight costs from Asia to northern Europe have more than doubled in recent days as attacks by Houthi rebels on commercial vessels in the Red Sea force shipping companies to re-route cargo around the southern tip of Africa.
The Iranian-backed militants have staged at least 24 attacks on commercial vessels since mid-November, according to the International Maritime Organization. The group, which has been engaged in a civil war with Yemen’s internationally recognized government...
Categories: Iraq
Houthi Attacks Disrupt Global Shipping
Denmark's Maersk group said this week it would continue to pause all cargo shipments through the Red Sea following a weekend attack on one of its ships. Iranian-backed Houthi militants in Yemen have stepped up attacks on vessels in the Red Sea since November to show their support for Palestinian Islamist militant group Hamas fighting Israel in Gaza. Henry Ridgwell reports.
Categories: Iraq
US Hits Back at Iran-Backed Militia in Iraq
PENTAGON — The leader of an Iranian-backed militia tied to repeated attacks on U.S. forces in Iraq is dead, killed in what American officials are describing as a precision airstrike in the heart of Baghdad.
U.S. defense officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity in order to discuss details of the operation, said the midday strike targeted a vehicle outside the headquarters of the Harakat-al-Nujaba militia, killing Mushtaq Jawad Kazim al-Jawari and another militia...
Categories: Iraq
Israel Says Amphetamines Played Role in Brutality of Hamas’ October Attack
Hundreds of Hamas militants were killed or captured during their October 7 rampage in which they killed some 1,200 Israelis and kidnapped 240, sparking the war in Gaza. Israeli officials say many of them were found carrying pills of the amphetamine Captagon, a stimulant that can lower inhibitions and radically boost stamina. Linda Gradstein reports for VOA from Jerusalem. VOA footage by Ricki Rosen. Warning: This video contains graphic images that some may find disturbing. Viewer discretion...
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Hamas Says Israeli Airstrike Kills 14 in Gaza
Categories: Iraq
Killing of Hamas Leader Further Heightens Middle East Tensions
A day after a top Hamas leader was killed in an apparent Israeli drone strike in Beirut, U.S. officials say they are working to contain the spread of the Israel-Hamas conflict while continuing to urge Israel to safeguard Palestinian civilians. VOA's Senior Diplomatic Correspondent Cindy Saine has more from Washington.
Categories: Iraq
American Victims of Hamas Attack on Israel Plan to Sue North Korea
Tel Aviv/Washington, DC — Families of Americans killed and injured in Hamas’ October 7 terror attack in Israel are contemplating a lawsuit against North Korea for indirectly supplying the Palestinian militant group with weapons, according to an Israeli attorney representing the families.
Weapons that Hamas used in its surprise attack on Israel were provided by North Korea “knowingly and intentionally,” said Nitsana Darshan-Leitner, an Israeli attorney and human rights activist who spoke...
Categories: Iraq
Blinken Heads to Middle East As Risk of Broader Conflict Grows
State Department — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken heads to the Middle East late Thursday amid intense diplomatic efforts to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid to the war-ravaged Gaza Strip, amid increasing international pressure on Israel to reduce civilian casualties among Palestinians.
Blinken's fourth visit to the Middle East since October 7 comes as Israel's war with Hamas militants approaches its three-month mark. Hamas has been designated a terrorist...
Categories: Iraq
US Renews Protection for Former Secretary of State, Aide Over Iran Threats
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration has once again renewed taxpayer-funded protection for former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and one of his top aides, who have been the targets of persistent threats from Iran.
The State Department notified Congress late last month that the threats against Pompeo and Trump administration Iran envoy Brian Hook remain "serious and credible" and continue to warrant government-provided security details.
The notifications are dated December...
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