A Iraqi militia leader on Monday threatened to attack American soldiers in the region after the US struck five locations in Iraq and Syria that belong to the Iran-backed Kataib Hezbollah militia in what a senior official described as a "defensive action".
The Pentagon said the move was in response to a rocket attack that killed a US civilian contractor and wounded four soldiers in Kirkuk earlier this week.
At least 25 militia fighters were killed and 55 wounded after the US strikes, security and militia sources in Baghdad confirmed.
US special representative for Iran Brian Hook said the strikes were “defensive action” to protect its troops and said the targets included “command and control” locations for the group.
In a call with reporters on Monday, Mr Hook said the US was “working on a mission to restore deterrence in Iraq … lost under nuclear deal” that former US president Barack Obama reached with Iran in 2015 and that the current administration abandoned in 2018. He said US President Donald Trump “has shown great deal of restraint” in addressing continuous attacks by pro-Iran groups in Iraq. Mr Hook estimated there have been at least 11 attacks against joint US-Iraqi bases in the past month.
On specific targets for Monday's strikes, Mr Hook said “they included command and control location and weapons storage facilities” that Kataib Hezbollah used to “plot attacks against both US and Iraqis”. The US official stressed the deterrence , he said “the last thing US is looking for is kinetic action in Middle East”.
Another senior US official, Assistant Secretary for Near East David Schenker qualified the targets as “significant”, especially the ones on the Syria border.
“This was a serious response but in many ways proportionate,” Mr Schenker said. “We don’t want an escalation here, we want a de-escalation.”
Mr Schenker said the “Iranians continuously pushed the envelope" in escalating the attacks "until they finally and inevitably killed an American”.
“This was not a mistake,” he said of the death of the US contractor in Kirkuk.
"We will hold America accountable and will not stay silent on what has happened. The administration in Washington cannot possibly think that they control Iraq," said Abu Mahdi Al Muhandis, a senior member in Iraq’s Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF).
"The response to America will be harsh," he said.
The PMF is an umbrella grouping of paramilitary groups that was formally integrated into Iraq's armed forces during the fight against ISIS. Most of the militia in the group are backed by Iran.
Mr Al Muhandis, the former head and founder of Kataib Hezbollah, is one of Tehran's most powerful allies in Iraq.
His comments were echoed by the Iranian regime, which said the US had shown "support for terrorism" with its actions.
"With these attacks, America has shown ... its neglect for the independence and sovereignty of countries and it must accept consequences for its illegal act," government spokesman Abbas Mousavi said.
Speaking earlier, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that Washington may take "additional actions" in the region.
"We will not stand for the Islamic Republic of Iran to take actions that put American men and women in jeopardy," Mr Pompeo said after briefing US President Donald Trump on the strikes.
Mr Pompeo had previously blamed Iranian proxies in the country for an attack on a joint facility in Baghdad on December 9.
Populist Iraqi cleric, Moqtada Al Sadr, gave a warning on the consequences of dragging the country in to "an escalating conflict between the US and Iran".
"Government officials must take a serious stand to keep Iraq away from a savage war," Mr Al Sadr said. "I'm against Iraq becoming an area of conflict and tension."
Lebanon’s powerful Shiite group Hezbollah also condemned the strikes, calling them a "blatant attack on Iraqi sovereignty, security and stability".
The group, which is also backed by Iran, criticised the US for attacking groups in Iraq that assisted in defeating ISIS.
Iraq's semi-official Human Rights Commission called for "restraint" following the strikes on Iraq.
"Everyone should exercise restraint and not drag Iraq into another conflict. Diplomatic methods must be used to stop these violations and abuses," the commission said.
Iraq's Parliamentary speaker, Mohammed Al Halbousi, called on Iraqi parties to "exercise restraint and not to escalate violence".
Tension is highafter President Donald Trump's administration withdrew the US from a 2015 nuclear agreement between Iran and world powers.
Mr Trump said the deal was flawed and he sought a new one that would further curb Iran's nuclear programme, halt its ballistic missile work and end its support for proxies in the region.
Wicked: For Good
Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater
Rating: 4/5
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Teachers' pay - what you need to know
Pay varies significantly depending on the school, its rating and the curriculum. Here's a rough guide as of January 2021:
- top end schools tend to pay Dh16,000-17,000 a month - plus a monthly housing allowance of up to Dh6,000. These tend to be British curriculum schools rated 'outstanding' or 'very good', followed by American schools
- average salary across curriculums and skill levels is about Dh10,000, recruiters say
- it is becoming more common for schools to provide accommodation, sometimes in an apartment block with other teachers, rather than hand teachers a cash housing allowance
- some strong performing schools have cut back on salaries since the pandemic began, sometimes offering Dh16,000 including the housing allowance, which reflects the slump in rental costs, and sheer demand for jobs
- maths and science teachers are most in demand and some schools will pay up to Dh3,000 more than other teachers in recognition of their technical skills
- at the other end of the market, teachers in some Indian schools, where fees are lower and competition among applicants is intense, can be paid as low as Dh3,000 per month
- in Indian schools, it has also become common for teachers to share residential accommodation, living in a block with colleagues
The specs
Engine: 5.2-litre twin-turbo V12
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 715bhp
Torque: 900Nm
Price: Dh1,289,376
On sale: now
Who was Alfred Nobel?
The Nobel Prize was created by wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel.
- In his will he dictated that the bulk of his estate should be used to fund "prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind".
- Nobel is best known as the inventor of dynamite, but also wrote poetry and drama and could speak Russian, French, English and German by the age of 17. The five original prize categories reflect the interests closest to his heart.
- Nobel died in 1896 but it took until 1901, following a legal battle over his will, before the first prizes were awarded.
Cricket World Cup League 2
UAE squad
Rahul Chopra (captain), Aayan Afzal Khan, Ali Naseer, Aryansh Sharma, Basil Hameed, Dhruv Parashar, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Waseem, Omid Rahman, Rahul Bhatia, Tanish Suri, Vishnu Sukumaran, Vriitya Aravind
Fixtures
Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
Sunday, November 3 – UAE v Netherlands
Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
Saturday, November 9 – Netherlands v UAE
UAE%20v%20West%20Indies
%3Cp%3EFirst%20ODI%20-%20Sunday%2C%20June%204%20%0D%3Cbr%3ESecond%20ODI%20-%20Tuesday%2C%20June%206%20%0D%3Cbr%3EThird%20ODI%20-%20Friday%2C%20June%209%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EMatches%20at%20Sharjah%20Cricket%20Stadium.%20All%20games%20start%20at%204.30pm%0D%3Cbr%3E%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EUAE%20squad%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EMuhammad%20Waseem%20(captain)%2C%20Aayan%20Khan%2C%20Adithya%20Shetty%2C%20Ali%20Naseer%2C%20Ansh%20Tandon%2C%20Aryansh%20Sharma%2C%20Asif%20Khan%2C%20Basil%20Hameed%2C%20Ethan%20D%E2%80%99Souza%2C%20Fahad%20Nawaz%2C%20Jonathan%20Figy%2C%20Junaid%20Siddique%2C%20Karthik%20Meiyappan%2C%20Lovepreet%20Singh%2C%20Matiullah%2C%20Mohammed%20Faraazuddin%2C%20Muhammad%20Jawadullah%2C%20Rameez%20Shahzad%2C%20Rohan%20Mustafa%2C%20Sanchit%20Sharma%2C%20Vriitya%20Aravind%2C%20Zahoor%20Khan%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Manchester United v Liverpool
Premier League, kick off 7.30pm (UAE)
Grand Slam Los Angeles results
Men:
56kg – Jorge Nakamura
62kg – Joao Gabriel de Sousa
69kg – Gianni Grippo
77kg – Caio Soares
85kg – Manuel Ribamar
94kg – Gustavo Batista
110kg – Erberth Santos
Women:
49kg – Mayssa Bastos
55kg – Nathalie Ribeiro
62kg – Gabrielle McComb
70kg – Thamara Silva
90kg – Gabrieli Pessanha
CABINET%20OF%20CURIOSITIES%20EPISODE%201%3A%20LOT%2036
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EGuillermo%20del%20Toro%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Tim%20Blake%20Nelson%2C%20Sebastian%20Roche%2C%20Elpidia%20Carrillo%3Cbr%3ERating%3A%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Teaching in coronavirus times
Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha
Starring: Ajay Devgn, Tabu, Shantanu Maheshwari, Jimmy Shergill, Saiee Manjrekar
Director: Neeraj Pandey
Rating: 2.5/5
