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Iran-backed Iraqi militias on Monday announced the resumption of attacks on US forces in the region, hours after rockets were fired from Iraq at a US military base in Syria in the first such attack since early February.
A statement from the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella group of militias that stepped up attacks on US forces stationed in Iraq and Syria after Israel launched its war in Gaza in October, confirming the resumption of attacks was posted on a Telegram channel associated with Kataib Hezbollah, one of Iraq's most powerful armed groups.
It said the decision to resume attacks was made after little progress in talks on the withdrawal of US forces from Iraq during Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al Sudani's visit to Washington last week.
“What happened a short while ago is the beginning,” it said, referring to the launch of five rockets from the northern Iraqi town of Zummar towards a US military base in north-eastern Syria on Sunday night.
The US State Department confirmed the attack later on Monday.
”I will say we find it troubling that this militia group chose to resume its attacks against US personnel, just hours after Prime Minister Al Sudani of Iraq had completed a successful visit,“ State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said.
"It seems clear that Iran has no respect for Iraqi sovereignty."
A US defence official told The National a coalition fighter on Sunday destroyed a launcher in self-defence "after reports of a failed rocket attack near the coalition base at Rumalyn, Syria”.
“No US personnel were injured,” the official added.
Iraqi security forces are conducting a search for those responsible near the Syrian border in Nineveh province, the Iraqi Security Media Cell said in a statement posted on X.
Reuters also reported that at least one armed drone was launched at the Ain Al Asad air base that hosts US troops in the province of Anbar in western Iraq, citing an unnamed US official.
The Islamic Resistance in Iraq announced a halt to attacks on American forces after a drone killed three US military personnel and wounded dozens of others at an outpost in Jordan at the end of January. The last strike on US forces was on February 4, according to Pentagon officials.
The US holds Iran broadly responsible for arming and supporting the Iraqi militias and has singled out Kataib Hezbollah in assigning blame for the attacks on its troops.
Sources in Lebanon and Iraq told The National in March that the pause in operations was part of an unannounced truce involving Tehran and the Iraqi government.
While the Pentagon cautiously welcomed the drop-off in attacks, the US military has said it is ready to carry out more strikes against Iran-backed militias if they resume hostilities against its forces.
The US strikes against the militias on Iraqi territory have pushed the government in Baghdad to respond to long-standing calls for US forces to leave the country.
About 2,500 US troops are stationed in Iraq as part of an international coalition against ISIS.
On January 27, Iraq and the US held the first round of talks to end the coalition's mission, with Baghdad expecting discussions to lead to a timetable for reducing the coalition's presence and reach bilateral security agreements with partners.
Resuming the attacks on US forces comes at a time of high tension between Iran and Israel.
Israel carried out a military strike against Iranian territory on Friday, less than a week after Tehran's rocket and drone barrage retaliation for an Israeli attack on its Damascus embassy.
These are the latest escalations stoking fears of a regional war.
The US received notice of the Israeli strike but did not endorse the operation or play any part in it, NBC and CNN reported, quoting a number of sources and a US official.
What sanctions would be reimposed?
Under ‘snapback’, measures imposed on Iran by the UN Security Council in six resolutions would be restored, including:
- An arms embargo
- A ban on uranium enrichment and reprocessing
- A ban on launches and other activities with ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, as well as ballistic missile technology transfer and technical assistance
- A targeted global asset freeze and travel ban on Iranian individuals and entities
- Authorisation for countries to inspect Iran Air Cargo and Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines cargoes for banned goods
THREE
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Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Biog
Mr Kandhari is legally authorised to conduct marriages in the gurdwara
He has officiated weddings of Sikhs and people of different faiths from Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Russia, the US and Canada
Father of two sons, grandfather of six
Plays golf once a week
Enjoys trying new holiday destinations with his wife and family
Walks for an hour every morning
Completed a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Loyola College, Chennai, India
2019 is a milestone because he completes 50 years in business
Info
What: 11th edition of the Mubadala World Tennis Championship
When: December 27-29, 2018
Confirmed: men: Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Kevin Anderson, Dominic Thiem, Hyeon Chung, Karen Khachanov; women: Venus Williams
Tickets: www.ticketmaster.ae, Virgin megastores or call 800 86 823
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
MWTC
Tickets start from Dh100 for adults and are now on sale at www.ticketmaster.ae and Virgin Megastores across the UAE. Three-day and travel packages are also available at 20 per cent discount.
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The specs: 2018 Audi RS5
Price, base: Dh359,200
Engine: 2.9L twin-turbo V6
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 450hp at 5,700rpm
Torque: 600Nm at 1,900rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 8.7L / 100km
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SPEC%20SHEET
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The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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UAE
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Canada
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The Beach Bum
Director: Harmony Korine
Stars: Matthew McConaughey, Isla Fisher, Snoop Dogg
Two stars
Zayed Sustainability Prize
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League quarter-final, second leg (first-leg score)
Porto (0) v Liverpool (2), Wednesday, 11pm UAE
Match is on BeIN Sports
