BAGHDAD : Four Katyusha rockets landed in Baghdad’s heavily fortified Green Zone government area Wednesday, wounding four security officers, Iraqi state news reported.
The rockets landed as parliament voted to keep Speaker Mohammed Halbousi on the job, rejecting his resignation request. Halbousi was originally named a candidate for the post by parliamentarians backed by influential Shiite cleric Muqtada Al-Sadr. Al-Sadr’s 73 lawmakers resigned last June to protest the political deadlock.
The Iraqi military said earlier in a statement that one rocket landed near parliament, another near the parliament’s guesthouse, and a third at a junction near the Judicial Council. Two security officials told The Associated Press that the fourth rocket also landed near parliament. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief media.
The US has often accused Iranian-backed militia of firing rockets into the Green Zone.
The officer of caretaker Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi in a statement said security forces were pursuing the assailants who fired the rockets, and asked protesters to remain peaceful.
Earlier, supporters of Al-Sadr attempted to storm Baghdad’s Green Zone government area Wednesday as the Iraqi parliament held session on the resignation of its speaker.
AP journalists saw those supporting Al-Sadr waving flags as security forces gathered around them. They managed to break through a security barrier on a bridge leading to the heavily fortified zone but got no farther.
Al-Sadr’s bloc won the most votes in parliamentary elections last October but he has been unable to form a majority government. His followers stormed the parliament in late July to prevent their rivals from Iran-backed Shiite groups from forming a government.
With ensuing rallies, clashes with security forces, counter-rallies and a sit-in outside parliament, the government formation process has stalled.
Al-Sadr has been calling for the dissolution of parliament and early elections and has been in a power struggle with his Iran-backed rivals since the vote.
Iraq: 4 officers wounded in Baghdad Green Zone rocket fire
https://arab.news/c57mx
Iraq: 4 officers wounded in Baghdad Green Zone rocket fire
- One rocket landed near parliament, another near the parliament’s guesthouse, and a third at a junction near the Judicial Council
- The US has often accused Iranian-backed militia of firing rockets into the Green Zone
UN urges Security Council to pressure Houthis for peace and release of detainees
- With Yemen’s economy in free fall and millions in need amid a worsening humanitarian crisis, they say time is running out to turn ‘hope into progress’
- A year after dozens of UN and other humanitarian workers were arbitrarily arrested, the UN’s envoy for Yemen says: ‘Their continued imprisonment is shameful’
NEW YORK CITY: Top UN officials on Wednesday warned the Security Council that there is a risk the fragile situation in Yemen could rapidly deteriorate, as they called for both intensified diplomatic efforts and increased humanitarian funding to stave off further instability and ease human suffering.
With Yemen’s economy in free fall and millions in need, they said time is running out to turn “hope into progress.”
The UN’s special envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, and deputy emergency relief coordinator, Joyce Msuya, also highlighted the ongoing detention of UN workers and employees of nongovernmental organizations by the Houthis, a year after dozens were arbitrarily arrested.
“Their continued imprisonment is shameful,” said Grundberg. “I call again, in the strongest terms, for their immediate and unconditional release.”
Msuya echoed this condemnation, saying: “Twenty-three UN staff remain detained. I join the special envoy and the (UN) secretary-general in calling for their immediate release.”
The detentions, some dating back as far as 2021, have cast a long shadow over ongoing diplomatic efforts to reach a comprehensive peace agreement in Yemen, where multiple front lines remain active in the civil war and recent regional escalations have complicated a fragile status quo.
The Houthis, the official name for whom is Ansar Allah, have launched missile attacks on Israel in recent weeks, including one that targeted Ben Gurion Airport. Israel in turn struck Houthi-controlled infrastructure, including the destruction of a civilian aircraft at Sanaa International Airport. Grundberg warned that such escalations directly harm ordinary citizens.
“Yemenis living in Ansar Allah-controlled areas are unable to fly commercially from Sanaa Airport to seek medical treatment abroad, to travel for Hajj or visit their families,” he said.
He described the reopening of the airport in May 2022 as a key peace dividend of a now-lapsed truce agreement that year.
Meanwhile, the humanitarian crisis in Yemen continues to deepen. Msuya described a deteriorating health and food-security situation affecting millions.
“Over 17 million people, or nearly half of Yemen’s population, are acutely hungry,” she told council members.
“Malnutrition affects 1.3 million pregnant and breastfeeding women and 2.3 million children under 5. Without sustained humanitarian support, an estimated 6 million more people could end up in emergency levels of food insecurity.”
Despite the challenges, Msuya noted some progress has been made, including the reopening of a key route between Aden and Sanaa via Al-Dhalea, which had been closed for nearly seven years.
“This development … shows that Yemen is not on a fixed, downhill trajectory,” she said. “With trust and the right tools, there remains hope.”
Grundberg also pointed to this development as a positive sign.
“I commend, again, the local facilitators across the front lines who worked to make this happen,” he said. “Yemen’s economy is in dire need of positive and trust-building steps such as these.”
However, the path forward in the country remains uncertain. Grundberg reported increased tensions around Marib, and troop movements in several governorates, warning that “conditions can change rapidly and unpredictably.”
Both officials reiterated that a long-term solution will require a political settlement and increased support from regional authorities.
Grundberg said he has held talks with the Yemeni government, the Houthis, and regional authorities including Saudi Arabia, Iran and Oman, and noted that there is a shared view that only negotiation can end the conflict.
He urged council members to “use your powerful voices, your diplomatic channels and your influence, to exert maximum pressure” on the Houthis both in the pursuit of peace and to secure the release of detainees.
Msuya concluded her remarks with three direct appeals: “Take the lead of the Senior Officials Meeting in May and follow up with scaled-up, flexible funding; take real action to see that UN and other detained colleagues are released…; (and) maintain your unified support for efforts toward lasting peace.”
Jordanian authorities arrest three individuals attempting to enter country
- Jordan has consistently faced challenges related to illegal infiltration and smuggling, particularly of narcotics
- Jordan shares a border of 482 km with Israel and a border of 375 km with Syria
LONDON: Jordanian authorities announced that they thwarted an infiltration attempt on Thursday along the country’s extensive borders.
The Northern Military Zone, which is responsible for monitoring the borders with Syria and Israel, announced on Thursday that three individuals were detected attempting to cross the border illegally before being arrested. They have been handed over to the relevant authorities for further investigation.
The Jordanian Armed Forces announced its commitment to preventing all forms of infiltration and smuggling, ensuring the security and stability of the Kingdom, according to the Petra news agency.
Jordan shares a border of 482 km with Israel and a border of 375 km with Syria. The country has consistently faced challenges related to illegal infiltration and smuggling, particularly of narcotics, using both traditional methods and new techniques, such as drones.
Last week, the Northern Military Zone thwarted an infiltration attempt by four individuals who were attempting to illegally cross the border into Jordan from the north.
Egypt’s foreign minister discusses Iran nuclear negotiations, Gaza with US envoy
- Badr Abdelatty says US-Iran negotiations are an important opportunity to achieve calm in the region
- Oman to host sixth round of negotiations between Iran and the US on Sunday
LONDON: Badr Abdelatty, Egypt’s minister of foreign affairs, emphasized the need to persist in negotiations between the US and Iran over Tehran’s nuclear program during a phone call with Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff.
Abdelatty said the negotiations are an important opportunity to achieve calm, avoid escalation, and prevent the region from sliding into greater instability, WAM, the Emirates News Agency, reported.
Oman will host the sixth round of negotiations between Iran and the US on Sunday, Oman’s foreign minister said on Thursday.
Abdelatty and Witkoff, the US president’s special envoy for the Middle East, on Thursday addressed Egyptian and US efforts to reach a ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip. They discussed the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners, as well as the flow of humanitarian aid into the Palestinian coastal enclave, according to WAM.
The Egyptian foreign minister highlighted the need for a lasting resolution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict that meets the region’s aspirations for peace and stability.
France’s Macron praises Palestinian president’s ‘genuine willingness’ for peace
- Mahmoud Abbas’ commitment to elections and reforms welcomed
- Comments come ahead of 2-state conference in New York next week
LONDON: France’s President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday praised Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’ “concrete and unprecedented commitments” after receiving a letter from the latter ahead of the UN-backed Saudi-French conference on a two-state solution in Palestine.
In his letter on Monday, which was addressed to Macron and Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Abbas outlined the main steps to be taken to end the war on Gaza.
He called for the demilitarization of Hamas, the release of hostages, a ceasefire in Gaza and deployment of international forces to protect “the Palestinian people,” while reaffirming his commitment to reforms and elections.
Abbas also demanded an end to “the occupation and conflict once and for all” and halting settler activities.
In a post on X, Macron described the letter as “a decisive moment, praising the Palestinian leader for charting “a course toward a horizon of peace.”
I received a letter of hope, courage, and clarity.
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) June 12, 2025
The President of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, charts a course toward a horizon of peace.
A condemnation of terrorism, the release of hostages, the demilitarization of Hamas, an end to the war in Gaza,… pic.twitter.com/zQ2ZgEOQ5k
“Concrete and unprecedented commitments that demonstrate a genuine willingness to move forward,” said Macron.
France and Saudi Arabia will co-chair the high-level International Conference for the Peaceful Settlement of the Palestinian Question and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution in New York next week.
The conference at the UN’s headquarters aims to achieve concrete steps toward the two-state solution.
In his letter, Abbas stressed the Palestinian Authority’s commitment to presidential and general elections within a year across the Occupied Territories — including East Jerusalem — under international supervision.
“The Palestinian people are entitled to live in freedom and dignity in their homeland. Palestine and Israel are entitled to exist as states, in peace and security, in conformity with international law,” Abbas wrote in his letter.
Reaffirming his commitment to the two-state solution, he said: “We are ready to conclude within a clear and binding timeline, and with international support, supervision and guarantees, a peace agreement that ends the Israeli occupation and resolves all outstanding and final status issues.”
Iraq reports 19 Congo fever deaths already this year
- Congo fever is a viral disease which is transmitted to people either by tick bites or through contact with infected animal blood or tissues during or immediately after slaughter
Baghdad: Iraq said Thursday it has recorded 19 deaths from Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever already this year and urged farmers and abattoir workers to step up precautions when handling livestock.
A total of 123 cases have been recorded nationwide, health ministry spokesman Saif Al-Badr said in a statement, adding that 36 of them were reported in the poor southern province of Dhi Qar, which is heavily dependent on livestock farming.
Congo fever is a viral disease which is transmitted to people either by tick bites or through contact with infected animal blood or tissues during or immediately after slaughter, according to the World Health Organization.
It has a fatality rate of between 10 and 40 percent, and most cases have been reported in the livestock industry.
A previous surge in infections in Iraq in 2022 saw at least 27 deaths, compared with just six cases for the two decades from 1989 to 2009.
The WHO attributed that flare-up to a rise in the tick population resulting from the failure to carry out pesticide spraying campaigns in 2020 and 2021.
