Iraqi militia official downplays impact of U.S strikes, says group does not ‘wish to escalate’
An Iraqi militia official on Saturday hinted at a desire to de-escalate tensions in the Middle East following retaliatory strikes launched by the United States against dozens of sites in Iraq and Syria used by Iranian-backed militias and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard.
Hussein al-Mosawi, spokesperson for Harakat al-Nujaba, one of the main Iranian-backed militias in Iraq, in an interview with The Associated Press in Baghdad condemned the U.S. strikes, saying Washington “must understand that every action elicits a reaction.” But he then struck a more conciliatory tone, saying that “we do not wish to escalate or widen regional tensions.”
Mossawi said the targeted sites in Iraq were mainly “devoid of fighters and military personnel at the time of the attack.” Suggesting there was not too much damage could allow him to justify the lack of a strong response.
Palestinian Foreign Ministry: fighting in Rafah exposes 1.5 million to ‘real danger’
The Palestinian Foreign Ministry has warned that attacks on Rafah would expose the lives of 1.5 million Palestinians living there to “great and real danger.”
In a statement was in response to those made by Israeli Defense Minister, Yoav Gallant on Thursday which said that the IDF would advancing operations from Khan Younis to Rafah, the city on the border with Egypt, where more than a million Gazans have sought refuge.
The Palestinian Foreign Ministry said it viewed Yoav’s comments with “great seriousness” and that Israel was continuing to “commit more crimes and massacres against civilians in all areas of the Gaza Strip.”
The ministry added that “humanitarian catastrophe” was expanding in the Gaza Strip alongside “massacres, murders, destruction and continuous forced displacement” despite warnings and demands placed on Israel by the U.N. and the international community.
U.S. shoots down drones off the…
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