Dozens Die As Blaze Hits Baghdad COVID Hospital
Anxious families searched for relatives in Baghdad after the death toll of a weekend fire at a hospital for coronavirus patients rose to at least 82.
Iraq
Iran, Egypt, Iraq and Saudi Arabia top 2020 global executioners list
Apart from China and despite a worldwide drop in death sentences, countries in the Middle East remained among the world’s leading executioners last year, Amnesty International said Wednesday.
ISIS execute Coptic Christian in Egypt
Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has published a video showing their execution of 62-year-old Coptic Christian Nabil Habshi, who was abducted by the terror group in Egypt in November last year, International Christian Concern reports. The video was published on April 17, and the family believes the killing took place in March or early this month.
Drone attack targets Iraqi base in Erbil that houses US troops: reports
An unmanned drone dropped explosives on a U.S.-led base near the Erbil airport in the Kurdistan region of northern Iraq on Wednesday night, according to reports.
IDF receives new spy plane it says will help gather intel in Iran, Yemen, Iraq
The Israel Defense Forces received the first of a series of new spy aircraft, dubbed the Oron, on Sunday that it said would improve its ability to gather intelligence and identify targets for attack in Iran, Iraq, Yemen and other far-flung areas in the Middle East.
US announces more than $596 million in new humanitarian aid for Syria
The United States will provide more than $596 million in new humanitarian aide to respond to the Syrian crisis, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Tuesday.
American fighter aircraft supported strikes against ISIS in Iraq
American aircraft supported strikes targeting ISIS in Iraq that left more than two dozen terrorists dead.
Christian Middle East Broadcaster Awarded
A Christian broadcaster that claims to reach 25 million people in the Middle East and North Africa — has received a prestigious award from National Religious Broadcasters (NRB), the world’s largest association of Christian communicators.
US designates African ISIS groups as foreign terrorists; freezes assets, prohibits business with them
The US State Department announced Wednesday it has designated two Islamic State (ISIS) affiliates in DR Congo and Mozambique as foreign terrorist organizations: it has frozen all US property and assets in their names, and has prohibited Americans from conducting business with them or providing material support to them, UPI reports.
Pope Prays For Iraq’s Persecuted Christians
Pope Francis has visited Iraq to reassure the nation’s dwindling Christian community of his prayers after years of Islamic attacks and persecution.
Israeli jets escort American B-52s during flyby, in show of force to Iran
Israeli F-15 fighter jets escorted two American B-52 bombers through Israeli airspace on Sunday in a new show of force by the United States against Iran — with an Israeli element — amid rising tensions in the region.
Middle East In Biblical City of Ur, Pope Urges Inter-Religious Tolerance, Fraternity
Pope Francis has addressed an interfaith gathering of Iraq’s religious and ethnic groups in Ur, said to be the birthplace of Abraham, the common patriarch for Jews, Christians and Muslims. He drove home the need for respect and unity, and he used the opportunity to condemn violent religious extremism.
Pope Prays Amid Ruins of Iraqi Churches Destroyed by IS
Pope Francis was in northern Iraq Sunday where he prayed in the ruins of churches destroyed by the Islamic state and celebrated an open-air Mass.
Airbase hosting U.S. troops targeted in rocket attack
American civilian contractor, who has not been named, died of a ‘cardiac episode’ Wednesday after a barrage of rockets hit an Iraqi airbase hosting US troops, the Washington Times reports. At least 10 rockets were reportedly fired on the Ain al-Asad military airbase at 7.20 local time; no US troops were injured.
Iran Continues to Take Over, Manipulate Endangered Christian Communities in Iraq
Pope Francis’ perilous pilgrimage to Iraq this week, due to start on Friday, may cast light on the painful plight of Christians in their ancestral homeland, yet the most significant threat facing the community is neither Sunni terrorists nor corrupt government persecutors, but the heavy hand of neighboring Iran and the proxy militias it funds and arms.
US military releases video showing Iran missile attacks on US troops at Al Asad airbase
On Monday, the U.S. Central Command released newly unclassified footage of Iranian missiles raining down on U.S. forces last year in retaliation for U.S. airstrikes that killed top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani.
Report: Israel ‘Very Pleased’ With US Strikes on Iranian Targets in Syria, Was Informed in Advance
Israeli officials were “very pleased” with US airstrikes against Iran-backed militias in eastern Syria Thursday, and were informed by the Biden Administration before the attack, Walla reported Friday.
Threat level raised for US troops in Iraq; American contractors put on high alert
The Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve has raised the threat level for US service members in Iraq, while US contractors at Balad Air Base were put on high alert fearing a response to US airstrikes in Syria, two sources familiar with the move tell Fox News.
US strikes Iran-backed fighters in Syria, in 1st military action under Biden
The United States launched airstrikes in Syria on Thursday, targeting facilities near the Iraqi border used by Iranian-backed militia groups. The Pentagon said the strikes were retaliation for a rocket attack in Iraq earlier this month that killed one civilian contractor and wounded a US service member and other coalition troops.
U.S. Says It Won’t ‘Lash Out’ After Blaming Iran For Rocket Attack On U.S. Embassy In Baghdad
A State Department spokesman has said the United States will hold Iran “responsible” for a rocket barrage on February 22 that targeted the U.S. Embassy in the Iraqi capital.