Rocket Attacks

Pope Francis, beginning the first trip by a pontiff to Iraq, made an impassioned call on Friday for an end to the militant violence and religious strife that has plagued the country for decades, saying peacemakers should finally be given a chance

Pope Francis left Rome on Friday to start a four-day trip to Iraq, his most risky foreign trip since his election in 2012 and the first visit by a pontiff to the country.

Pope Francis left Rome on Friday to start a four-day trip to Iraq, his most risky foreign trip since his election in 2012 and the first visit by a pontiff to the country.

Friday’s U.S. air strikes against Iran-backed militias in eastern Syria encourage terrorism in the region, Iran’s top security official, Ali Shamkhani, said on Saturday.

U.S. air strikes against Iran-backed militias in eastern Syria killed at least one fighter and wounded several others in what U.S. officials said was a calibrated response to rocket attacks against American personnel in Iraq.

Tens of thousands of Iraqis chanting anti-American slogans streamed to Baghdad’s central square on Sunday to mark the anniversary of the U.S. killing of top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani and Iraqi militia commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif urged U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday not to be “trapped” by an alleged Israeli plan to provoke a war through attacks on U.S. forces in Iraq.

Two Afghan policemen were killed when three separate “sticky bombs” exploded in Kabul, the latest violence to hit the Afghan capital in recent weeks.

Rebel forces from Ethiopia’s Tigray region claimed they shot down a military plane and retook a town from federal forces on Sunday, a day after Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed declared victory in the northern region.

Four rockets have struck inside a heavily fortified area in Baghdad housing foreign embassies including that of the United States, according to the Iraqi military, signalling an apparent end to a temporary halt in attacks by Iran-backed militias targeting Washington’s presence in the country.

The Israeli army tweeted that it “struck Hamas underground infrastructure and military posts in Gaza” on Sunday morning – using fighter jets, helicopters and tanks – and it “is conducting an ongoing situational assessment & remains prepared to operate against any terror activity”.