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Third person dies as protests continue in Baghdad

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Eight more protesters were injured, as police calls for the army to use restraint. (File/AFP)
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A police commander said that forces should be patient and protect the demonstrators. (File/AFP)
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Protesters clash with Iraqi riot police vehicles during a demonstration against state corruption and poor service in Baghdad. (AFP)
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Iraq security forces arrest a protester during a protest in Tahrir Square, in central Baghdad, Iraq, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2019. (AP)
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Protesters stand on a concrete arch connected to a burning building amidst clashes with Iraqi riot police during a demonstration against state corruption and poor services. (AFP)
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Demonstrators use their mobiles during a protest against government corruption amid dissatisfaction at lack of jobs and services in Baghdad. (Reuters)
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Protesters gather next to a burning building amidst clashes with Iraqi riot police during a demonstration against state corruption and poor services. (AFP)
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Riot police attempts to disperse crowds during a protest against government corruption amid dissatisfaction at lack of jobs and services at Tahrir square in Baghdad, Iraq October 1, 2019. (Reuters)
Updated 04 October 2019
SUADAD AL-SALHY
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Third person dies as protests continue in Baghdad

  • Tuesday’s rally began peacefully with more than 1,000 people marching into central Tahrir Square
  • Police started throwing stun grenades and tear gas to disperse the protesters
Updated 04 October 2019
SUADAD AL-SALHY

BAGHDAD: A third protester has died in the second day of protests in Iraq, from wounds, medics have confirmed.

The 55-year-old man was wounded in Tuesday's demonstration in Baghdad's iconic Tahrir Square, the sources said.

Security forces used live fire and tear gas to disperse demonstrators in renewed protests in Baghdad on Wednesday, a day after at least two Iraqis were killed and 200 wounded in clashes over unemployment, corruption and poor public services.

At least eight protesters were wounded in the Zafaraniya district of southeast Baghdad when police and the army opened fire and launched tear gas canisters to disperse dozens of protesters, police sources said.

Iraqi President Barham Salih said peaceful protesting is a constitutional right, Iraqi state news agency reported on Tuesday.




Security forces have been told civilians have the right to protest. (File/AFP)

Meanwhile, the Commander of Iraqi Federal Police Lieutenant General Raed Shaker Jawdat said police should be patient and protect the demonstrators.

The main demonstration in central Baghdad broke out on Tuesday, with other protests taking place in seven Shiite-dominated southern provinces. Police in the capital fired in the air as about 3,000 protesters tried to cross a bridge leading into the fortified Green Zone, chanting “People want to overthrow the regime.”

Security forces blocked roads and used stun grenades and water cannon to push back crowd, but protesters refused to leave. They set fire to the building used by an Iraqi army detachment, clashed with security forces and threw missiles at riot police and troops.

 

 

“Our youth is lost. There is no work, no services, no clear future, so why we should keep silent?” one protester, Mohammed, told Arab News.

“All the governments and political forces that came after 2003 stole our future, and now they are shooting at us just because we want to protest.”

There were also protests in the southern hub oil of Basra, where 15 people were arrested; friction in Dhi Qar province, where demonstrators tried to storm the provincial council; and unrest in Diwaniya, Najaf, Karbala, Babil and Maysan.

Firing by security forces near Tahrir Square in Baghdad forced the protesters into nearby alleyways. Mobile footage obtained by Arab News showed the demonstrators running along sideroads in central Baghdad, telling each other to take care as gunshots rang out in the background.

“The licensed place to demonstrate is Tahrir Square. Any demonstrator who moves just one meter out of it is violating the law, and will be forced back,” a senior police officer involved in securing the area told Arab News.

“The demonstrators burned a security checkpoint and attacked the security forces, and it is natural that our forces try to regain control of the situation.” 

Calls for protests in Baghdad have intensified since last week, when Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi fired the commander of the military counterterrorism squad, Lt. Gen. Abdulwahab Al-Saadi. Many Iraqis believe the decision was aimed at removing the leaders of the Iraqi army and official military institutions that led the fight against Daesh.




Security forces used water cannons and tear gas to disperse more than 1,000 protesters in central Baghdad on Tuesday. (File/AFP)

Observers and analysts said the dissatisfaction of most Iraqis was clear, but the publication of provocative videos suggesting a military coup had created tension between police and demonstrators. When security forces opened fire it was “the fastest reaction against demonstrators since 2003,” analyst Abdulwahid Tuama told Arab News. “This could have been avoided, but Abdul Mahdi appears to be provocative.”

An adviser to Abdul Mahdi claimed the US was behind the protests, to punish the prime minister for seeking economic ties with China. “Who promoted the demonstrations was the electronic army of the US embassy, through hundreds of web pages and mock accounts,” the adviser said. “Today’s demonstrations were a punishment for Abdul Mahdi, who dared to disobey America by going to China and opening the doors of investment to them.”

The adviser said US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo “warned Abdul Mahdi of the serious consequences he would face if he went to China. Revolutionizing the street to bring down the government is an attempt to punish him.”

Many Sunni politicians declared support for the protesters while most Shiite leaders remained silent. Howerful, the powerful Shiite cleric Muqtada Al-Sadr criticized “the excessive use of force,” and demanded an investigation.

The identity of the protest organizers is not clear, but video footage posted early on Tuesday showed Ahmed Al-Helou, an activist in Najaf, reciting what Iraqis call “Number One” — a reference to the first statement by insurgents after a military coup.

Helou, who described himself as a rebel, said in the video: “The revolution has begun ... enough demonstrations. They will not respond to your demands. Change will not happen at the hands of parties that have overthrown, killed, abandoned and stolen you.

“Previously, we did not have the alternative, but now we have … a government headed by Lt. Gen. Abdulwahab Al-Saadi was formed ... this is our last chance.”

Helou’s first video was followed by another one less than an hour later, in which he appeared next to the Iraqi flag with the national anthem playing in the background. He announces the composition of what he called the “National Salvation Government,” which included former ministers, judges, military leaders, academics and ambassadors, most of whom had lost their positions in the past two decades.

Shortly afterwards, most of those named on the list announced that they knew nothing about it and did not know who was responsible. Nevertheless, posters of Gen. Al-Saadi were distributed among protesters and pasted on minibuses in central Baghdad near Tahrir Square.

(With AFP and Reuters)

Topics: Iraq Protests police

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Israel assassinates Hezbollah media official

Updated 18 November 2024
NAJIA HOUSSARI
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Israel assassinates Hezbollah media official

  • Mohammed Afif killed in strike on Arab Socialist Ba’ath Party office in central Beirut, Lebanon 
  • Afif, founding member of Hezbollah, joined party in 1983, and has been media in-charge since 2014
Updated 18 November 2024
NAJIA HOUSSARI

BEIRUT: An Israeli strike on a building in central Beirut on Sunday killed Hezbollah’s media relations chief, Mohammad Afif.
It was later announced that Mahmoud Al-Sharqawi, who was assisting Afif, was also killed at the headquarters of the Arab Socialist Ba’ath Party in Ras Al-Nabaa, a neighborhood of Beirut.
This is the first time this area has been attacked since Israel began operations in the country.
It is densely populated with residents and displaced people from the south, and Beirut’s southern suburbs who have taken refuge there.
The strike also wounded three others, the Health Ministry said in a preliminary count.
Paramedics at the scene of the attack told Arab News about “seeing more blood under the rubble, which is being cleared to determine the fate of those who were inside the building.”
The targeted center has belonged to the Ba’ath Party for decades.
Its Secretary-General Ali Hijazi said he was not in the building at the time of the airstrike, and did not explain why Afif was holding a meeting in the Ba’ath Party building.
Information circulated at the site of the attack that a group from Hezbollah’s media relations department was in the building when it was targeted, raising fears that three people accompanying Afif and who are missing might also have been killed.

A Lebanese security source said Hezbollah spokesman Mohammed Afif was killed in an Israeli strike Sunday in central Beirut. (File/Reuters)

On Oct. 22 and Nov. 11, Afif held two press conferences in the open air in the southern suburb of Beirut to present Hezbollah’s positions on developments under the watchful eye of Israeli reconnaissance planes, which are constantly flying over the southern suburb.
Afif was a founding member of Hezbollah, joining the party in 1983, and has been in charge of its media since 2014.
He managed Hezbollah-affiliated media outlets such as Al-Manar TV, Al-Nour radio station, and Al-Ahed news website.
Several residents of the targeted area said they received calls warning them to evacuate their homes immediately beforehand.
A 50-year-old woman said: “I just left the house without taking anything with me. It is a real terror.”
The airstrike, which is suspected to have been launched by a drone, destroyed the upper floors of the five-story building, and damaged neighboring buildings on the narrow street.
Israeli army radio confirmed Mohammed Afif was the target of the strike.
It is the third time Beirut has been targeted since the Israeli military expanded its operations in Lebanon.
On Oct. 10, three airstrikes were directed at Wafiq Safa, the head of the liaison and coordination unit of Hezbollah, severely injuring him, as well as the destruction of two buildings in the neighborhoods of Basta and Nuwairi.
A week before, a Hezbollah ambulance center in Bachoura was attacked, leading to the deaths of six people and injuries to seven others.
On Sunday, residents of the Ain Al-Rummaneh area adjacent to the Chiyah district received evacuation warnings issued by Israeli army spokesperson Avichay Adraee via X, accompanied by maps indicating locations to be targeted on the outskirts of Ain Al-Rummaneh, Haret Hreik, and Hadath.
Israeli warplanes subsequently demolished tall residential and commercial buildings in the area.
Our Lady of Salvation Church in Hadath was severely damaged, as were the surroundings of Mar Mikhael Church.
This was followed by a second wave of raids on residential buildings in Burj Al-Barajneh and Bir Al-Abed, and a third wave targeted more than one location in Haret Hreik and Sfeir.
The Israeli spokesperson claimed that the airstrikes “targeted military command centers and other terrorist infrastructures belonging to Hezbollah in the southern suburbs.”
The claim came as Israeli attacks targeting southern Lebanon continued.
The residents of 15 towns deep in the south were asked to evacuate their houses immediately and move north of the Awali River.
The Lebanese military said an Israeli attack on Sunday killed two soldiers, accusing Israel of directly targeting their position in southern Lebanon.
“The Israeli enemy directly targeted an army center” in Al-Mari in the Hasbaya area, causing “the death of one of the soldiers and the wounding of three others, one of whom is in critical condition,” the army said in a statement.
A separate statement shortly afterward said “a second soldier” had died of his wounds.
The Lebanese Army has lost 36 soldiers to Israeli attacks in southern Lebanon over the past year.
Prime Minister Najib Mikati paid tribute to the “martyrs of the army who gave their lives.”
He said: “We must all cooperate so their sacrifices do not go in vain by working first to stop the Israeli aggression on Lebanon and enable the army to carry out all the tasks required of it, to extend the authority of the state alone over all Lebanese territories.”
Mikati said he was hopeful that the ongoing talks would result in a ceasefire.
Also on Sunday, Israeli strikes targeted a house in Chabriha, Sidon District, causing injuries, with raids hitting Tefahta and Aanquoun as well.
In another incident, a person was killed and three injured at dawn in an air raid on the town of Jdeidet Marjayoun.
On Saturday night, a family of seven, including three children, were killed when their house in Arabsalim was targeted.
The displaced Al-Hattab family had moved to the north but was not able to adapt to the conditions of displacement and decided to go back to their home in Arabsalim days before it was hit.
Hezbollah said its confrontations with the Israeli army continued at the borders, especially in Shama.

Suspected attack by Yemen’s Houthi militia targets ship in the Red Sea

Updated 18 November 2024
AP
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Suspected attack by Yemen’s Houthi militia targets ship in the Red Sea

  • A ship’s captain saw that “a missile splashed in close proximity to the vessel” as it traveled near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, UKMTO reports
  • Fortunately, the vessel and crew were not hit in the attack, which happened some 48 kilometers west of Yemen port city of Mocha
Updated 18 November 2024
AP

DUBAI: A suspected attack by Yemen’s Houthi rebels targeted a commercial ship late Sunday night traveling through the southern reaches of the Red Sea, though it caused no damage nor injuries, authorities said.
The attack comes as the rebels continue their monthslong assault targeting shipping through a waterway that typically sees $1 trillion in goods pass through it a year over the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza and Israel’s ground offensive in Lebanon.
A ship’s captain saw that “a missile splashed in close proximity to the vessel” as it traveled near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait connecting the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden, the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center said in an alert. The attack happened some 30 miles (48 kilometers) west of Yemen port city of Mocha.
“The vessel and crew are safe and proceeding to its next port of call,” the UKMTO added.

The Houthis did not immediately claim the attack. However, it can take the rebels hours or even days to acknowledge their assaults.
The Houthis have targeted more than 90 merchant vessels with missiles and drones since the war in Gaza started in October 2023. They seized one vessel and sank two in the campaign, which also killed four sailors. Other missiles and drones have either been intercepted by a US-led coalition in the Red Sea or failed to reach their targets, which have included Western military vessels as well.
The militia maintain that they target ships linked to Israel, the US or the UK to force an end to Israel’s campaign against Hamas in Gaza. However, many of the ships attacked have little or no connection to the conflict, including some bound for Iran.
The Houthis have shot down multiple American MQ-9 Reaper drones as well.
In the Houthi's last attack on Nov. 11, two US Navy warships targeted with multiple drones and missiles as they were traveling through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, but the attacks were not successful.

Topics: Houthi atrocities Houthi attacks Red Sea attacks

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Palestinian WAFA journalist Rasha Herzallah jailed for 6 months by Israeli court

Updated 18 November 2024
Arab News
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Palestinian WAFA journalist Rasha Herzallah jailed for 6 months by Israeli court

  • Detention extended 5 times before ‘incitement on social media’ charge was brought
Updated 18 November 2024
Arab News

LONDON: An Israeli military court sentenced Palestinian journalist Rasha Herzallah to six months in jail on Sunday and fined her 13,000 shekels ($3,300).

Herzallah, 39, was working for the official Palestine News and Information Agency (WAFA) at the time of her arrest last June, when she was summoned to an investigation at the Israeli Huwwara detention center north of the occupied West Bank. 

Her detention was extended five times before a charge of “incitement on social media” was brought to court at the Israeli Salem military base near Jenin. She is expected to be released from prison on Dec. 1.

Herzallah is the sister of Muhammad Herzallah, who died in November 2023 after being shot in the head by Israeli forces during a raid on Nablus city, WAFA reported. She is among 94 Palestinian journalists currently detained in Israeli jails.

WAFA reported that three other female journalists, Rola Hassanin, Bushra Al-Tawil and Amal Shujaiyah, a journalism student from Birzeit University, also remain in detention.

Topics: Palestine; Media; Occupation;

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Cultural experts urge UN to shield Lebanon’s heritage

Smoke rises from the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted the village of Qlayleh on Sunday. (AFP)
Updated 17 November 2024
AFP
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Cultural experts urge UN to shield Lebanon’s heritage

  • Lebanon’s cultural heritage at large is being endangered by recurrent assaults on ancient cities such as Baalbek, Tyre, and Anjar, all UNESCO world heritage sites, and other historic landmarks.
Updated 17 November 2024
AFP

BEIRUT: Hundreds of cultural professionals, including archeologists and academics, called on the UN to safeguard war-torn Lebanon’s heritage in a petition published on Sunday before a crucial UNESCO meeting.
Several Israeli strikes in recent weeks on Baalbek in the east and Tyre in the south hit close to ancient Roman ruins designated as UNESCO World Heritage sites.
The petition, signed by 300 prominent cultural figures, was sent to UNESCO chief Audrey Azoulay a day before a special session in Paris to consider listing Lebanese cultural sites under “enhanced protection.”
It urges UNESCO to protect Baalbek and other heritage sites by establishing “no-target zones” around them, deploying international observers, and enforcing measures from the 1954 Hague Convention on cultural heritage in conflict.
“Lebanon’s cultural heritage at large is being endangered by recurrent assaults on ancient cities such as Baalbek, Tyre, and Anjar, all UNESCO world heritage sites, as well as other historic landmarks,” says the petition.
It calls on influential states to push for an end to military action that destroys or damages sites, as well as adding protections or introducing sanctions.
Change Lebanon, the charity behind the petition, said signatories included museum curators, academics, archeologists, and writers in Britain, France, Italy, and the US.
Enhanced protection status gives heritage sites “high-level immunity from military attacks,” according to UNESCO.
“Criminal prosecutions and sanctions, conducted by the competent authorities, may apply in cases where individuals do not respect the enhanced protection granted to a cultural property,” it said.
In Baalbek, Israeli strikes on Nov. 6 hit near the city’s Roman temples, according to authorities, destroying a heritage house dating back to the French mandate and damaging the historic site.
The region’s governor said “a missile fell in the car park” of a 1,000-year-old temple, the closest strike since the start of the war.
The ruins host the prestigious Baalbek Festival each year, a landmark event founded in 1956 and now a fixture on the international cultural scene, featuring performances by music legends like Oum Kalthoum, Charles Aznavour and Ella Fitzgerald.

 

Topics: Battlefield Lebanon War on Gaza Palestine Gaza US Lebnon

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Lebanon says Israeli strike on central Beirut kills two

Lebanese emergency services battle a fire burns at site of Israeli strike that targeted a building in Beirut’s Mar Elias Street
Updated 17 November 2024
AFP
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Lebanon says Israeli strike on central Beirut kills two

  • “Israeli warplanes launched a strike on the Mar Elias area,” the official National News Agency said of a densely packed residential and shopping district
Updated 17 November 2024
AFP

BEIRUT: Lebanon said an Israeli strike on central Beirut’s Mar Elias district killed two people, the second such raid targeting the capital Sunday after an earlier strike killed a Hezbollah official.
Israel has been heavily bombing Beirut’s southern suburbs, a Hezbollah stronghold, since all-out war erupted on September 23, but attacks on central Beirut have been rarer.
“Israeli warplanes launched a strike on the Mar Elias area,” the official National News Agency said of a densely packed residential and shopping district that also houses people displaced by the conflict.
The health ministry said the strike killed two people and wounded 13, raising an earlier toll of one dead and nine wounded.
AFP journalists heard the sound of explosions and then sirens amid a strong acrid smell of burning. AFP images showed a blaze at the site that firefighters were trying to extinguish.
A Lebanese security source, requesting anonymity, told AFP that the strike hit an electronics store in Mar Elias, without providing further details.
The NNA said the strike “targeted a Jamaa Islamiya center,” referring to a Sunni Muslim group allied to Palestinian militant group Hamas and Lebanon’s Hezbollah.
But Jamaa Islamiya lawmaker Imad Hout told AFP that “no center or institution affiliated with the group is located in the area targeted by the strike, and no member of the group was targeted.”
Earlier Sunday, a Lebanese security source said Hezbollah spokesman Mohammed Afif was killed in a strike on central Beirut’s Ras Al-Nabaa district.
Previous strikes claimed by Israel on Beirut’s southern suburbs have killed senior Hezbollah officials, including its leader Hassan Nasrallah in late September.
In the wake of Sunday’s strikes, the education minister said schools and higher education institutions in the Beirut area would remain closed for two days.

Topics: Battlefield Lebanon Israel Beirut

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