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Selasa, 16 Januari 2024

US condemns Iran for 'reckless' missile strikes on northern Iraq - BBC

Damaged building in Irbil, northern Iraq, following overnight Iranian ballistic missile strikes (16 January 2024)

By George Wright & David Gritten

BBC News

The US has condemned Iran over ballistic missile strikes on Iraq's northern city of Irbil on Monday night, calling them "reckless and imprecise".

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said they struck what they claimed were an Israeli "spy headquarters" in Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdistan Region.

Four civilians were killed and six hurt in the attack, local authorities said.

Iraq recalled its ambassador from Tehran, condemning the strikes as a "blatant violation" of sovereignty.

There has been no comment from Israel.

The Revolutionary Guards also said they carried out missile strikes on "terrorist bases" in Syria in response to a recent suicide bombing in Iran claimed by the Islamic State (IS) group.

In a separate development on Tuesday morning, Kurdish counter-terrorism forces said they had shot three armed drones flying over Irbil's airport, where US and international forces are stationed, Reuters news agency reported.

There was no immediate claim, but an umbrella group of Iran-backed militias known as the Islamic Resistance in Iraq has said it was behind similar attacks.

The Iranian strikes come amid heightened tensions across the Middle East since the war in the Gaza Strip between Israel and the Iran-backed Palestinian group Hamas began on 7 October.

Iran has declared that it does not want to get involved in a wider conflict, but groups in its so-called "Axis of Resistance" have been carrying out attacks on Israel and its allies to show solidarity with the Palestinians.

Lebanon's Hezbollah movement has exchanged cross-border fire with Israeli forces; Shia militias have launched drones and missiles at US forces in Iraq and Syria; and Yemen's Houthi rebels have attacked ships in the Red Sea.

Israel has reportedly carried out strikes that killed a Hamas leader in Lebanon and a Revolutionary Guards commander in Syria, while the US has killed an Iraqi militia leader in an air strike in Iraq and bombed Houthi targets in Yemen.

First responders search through the rubble of a damaged building in Irbil, northern Iraq, following overnight Iranian ballistic missile strikes (16 January 2024)

The Kurdistan Region Security Council said multiple ballistic missiles launched by the Revolutionary Guards struck civilian-populated areas of Irbil around 23:30 local time (20:30 GMT) on Monday.

Local news outlet Rudaw reported that loud explosions shook the city and that several residential buildings on the road between Irbil and the north-eastern suburb of Pirmam were damaged heavily.

Peshraw Dizayee, a multimillionaire real estate magnate, was killed when a missile hit his home, the ruling Kurdistan Democratic Party said.

An 11-month-old baby was also among the dead, according to Rudaw.

The Revolutionary Guards said in a statement that the missile strikes were a "response to the recent evil acts of the Zionist regime in martyring [Revolutionary Guards] and resistance commanders".

The missiles "destroyed one of the main headquarters of Israel's spy agency Mossad in Iraq's Kurdistan Region", which had been used to "develop espionage operations and plan acts of terrorism", they claimed.

However, the Kurdistan Region Security Council said it categorically rejected "this unfounded pretext" and accused the Revolutionary Guards of frequently employing "baseless pretexts for assaulting Irbil" when it posed no threat.

The Kurdistan Region's Prime Minister, Masrour Barzani, condemned the "cowardly attack" and urged the federal government in Baghdad to "to take a principled position against the flagrant violation of Iraq's and the Kurdistan Region's sovereignty".

The Iraqi foreign ministry said the government "strongly denounced the Iranian aggression on Irbil" and would "take all legal measures against it", including filing a complaint to the UN Security Council. It also announced the formation of an investigative committee to "prove the falsity" of Iran's claims.

Later, the ministry recalled the Iraqi ambassador from Tehran for consultations and summoned Iran's charge d'affaires in Baghdad to protest.

"We will continue to assess the situation, but initial indications are that this was a reckless and imprecise set of strikes," Adrienne Watson, spokesperson for the White House National Security Council, said in a statement.

"The United States supports the sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity of Iraq," she said, adding that no US personnel or facilities were targeted.

The UN mission in Iraq said: "Attacks, by any side, violating Iraqi sovereignty and territorial integrity must stop. Security concerns must be addressed through dialogue, not strikes."

The Iranian foreign ministry said it respected the sovereignty and territorial integrity of other countries but was using its "legitimate and legal right to deter national security threats".

In 2022, the Revolutionary Guards carried out a similar missile attack on what it claimed was an Israeli "strategic centre" in Irbil following an air strike in Syria that killed two senior Iranian officers. Later in the year, they hit what they said were the bases of Iranian Kurdish opposition groups in the region.

The Revolutionary Guards also said they had targeted the positions of IS and other "terrorist groups" in Syria's opposition-controlled Idlib province on Monday night.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based monitoring group, said it was not clear where the missiles landed. Four explosions were heard south-east of the city of Aleppo, within areas controlled by Iran-backed militias, and one blast was heard near the city of Idlib, it added.

White Helmets first responders said a non-functioning medical clinic in the village of Taltita in Idlib province had been destroyed by explosions of unknown origin. Two people suffered minor injuries, they added.

The Revolutionary Guards said the strikes in Syria were in retaliation for this month's suicide bombing that targeted crowds marking the fourth anniversary of Iranian general Qasem Soleimani's assassination by the US.

That attack in Kerman in southern Iran killed at least 94 people.

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Josef Fritzl applies for release from prison into nursing home - The Guardian

Josef Fritzl, the Austrian man who raped and incarcerated his daughter in a purpose-built prison beneath his home for 24 years, is applying for release from jail, according to his lawyer.

Fritzl, 88, could be moved to a nursing home, if his lawyer, Astrid Wagner, is successful in her appeal on his behalf.

The electrical engineer was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2009 for the rape, incest and incarceration of his daughter, Elisabeth, and the seven children she had with him, one of whom was deemed by the court to have been killed by Fritzl, after he failed to get medical help for the child.

Wagner said that a recent psychiatric report on Fritzl ruled that he no longer posed a threat to society. A court could decide to move him to a normal prison. But Wagner said that Fritzl, who has dementia, should be allowed to spend his remaining days in a care home. She has said she has applied for his conditional discharge.

The case came to light in 2008, when Elisabeth Fritzl managed to communicate with the police that he was holding her captive. Then 42, she said he had been held underground for 24 years and that previous to that, he had abused her from the age of 11.

Fritzl lured her into the cellar, built in the style of a cold war bunker sometimes found in Austrian homes, when she was 18. He told his wife and family acquaintances that she had run away to join a cult.

His crimes were first revealed when a child of Elisabeth’s became critically ill and he took them to hospital, where authorities appealed for their mother to come forward. He released her from the prison to present herself to them and she managed to communicate to them her situation.

Fritzl is being held in a high security unit for mentally disturbed patients in Stein prison in Krems, north-east Austria, not far from his former home of Amstetten.

Under Austrian law, prisoners are potentially eligible for conditional release after 15 years – in Fritzl’s case this would be in 2023.

The Austrian media court psychiatrist Heidi Kastner, who in 2009 described Fritzl as “extremely psychologically abnormal” and “emotionally illiterate” has come to the conclusion in a 28-page report that he is no longer dangerous. She described him as suffering from dementia, physically frail and in need of a walking frame to move about.

Wagner, who has visited Fritzl in prison 40 times, and in 2022 wrote a book about him called The Abysses of Josef F, said, based on the report, she considered it legitimate to allow his release. “I would not be frightened of moving in with him in a flatshare arrangement, or to live alongside him in a care home. He no longer possesses a sex drive,” she said.

In an interview with the German tabloid Bild, she described how he spent his days watching television in his cell, sunning himself through the bars of his window, and exercising.

The regional court in Krems is expected to reach a decision in the coming weeks.

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Iran launches missile strikes in Iraq and Syria citing security threats - Al Jazeera English

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) launched ballistic missiles at what it claimed were Israeli “spy headquarters” in Iraq’s Kurdish region and hit targets allegedly linked to ISIL (ISIS) in northern Syria, saying it was defending its security and countering terrorism.

At least eight explosions were heard in Erbil, the capital of Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdish region, early on Tuesday. Four people were killed and six were wounded, according to the regional security council.

“Ballistic missiles were used to destroy espionage centres and gatherings of anti-Iranian terrorist groups in the region,” the IRGC said, according to state media.

The Iraqi government condemned what it called Iran’s “aggression” on Erbil that led to civilian casualties in residential areas, calling it a violation of the country’s sovereignty and the security of its people, according to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The government said it would consider various actions, including filing a complaint at the United Nations Security Council.

The IRGC claimed that it had targeted the headquarters of Israeli spy agency Mossad in Erbil, Iran’s IRNA news agency reported.

“We assure our nation that the Guards’ offensive operations will continue until avenging the last drops of martyrs’ blood,” it added.

Masrour Barzani, prime minister of the Kurdish region, condemned the attack on Erbil as a “crime against the Kurdish people”.

Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Nasser Kanaani said Tehran respected the sovereignty and territorial integrity of other countries, but was using its “legitimate and legal right to deter national security threats”.

Iraq recalled its ambassador from Tehran to discuss the attacks, which were condemned by the United States.

Erbil Governor Omed Khoshnaw called the assault “a terrorist attack, an inhumane act” and said “Erbil will not be scared or shaken”, according to Iraqi news outlet Rudaw.

Multimillionaire Kurdish businessman Peshraw Dizayee and several members of his family were among the civilian casualties, killed when at least one rocket crashed into their home.

Dizayee, who was close to the ruling Barzani clan, owned businesses behind major real estate projects in the Kurdish region.

‘Reckless’ move

US Department of State spokesperson Matthew Miller described the missile attacks as “reckless”, adding that they “undermine Iraq’s stability”.

We strongly condemn Iran’s attacks in Erbil and offer condolences to the families of the victims. We oppose Iran’s reckless missile strikes and support the Government of Iraq and the Kurdistan Regional Government’s efforts to meet the aspirations of the Iraqi people.

— Matthew Miller (@StateDeptSpox) January 16, 2024

“We support the Government of Iraq and the Kurdistan Regional Government’s efforts to meet the aspirations of the Iraqi people,” he posted on X, earlier known as Twitter.

Two US officials told the Reuters news agency that the attacks did not affect any of their facilities and there were no US casualties. A US defence official told The Associated Press news agency that the US has tracked the missiles, both in northern Iraq and northern Syria, and called them “imprecise”.

The attacks come amid heightened fears that Israel’s continued military offensive in the Gaza Strip could lead to a wider regional escalation.

Since the Gaza war began in October, US and allied forces have faced dozens of attacks in Iraq and Syria, which US President Joe Biden’s administration has blamed on Iran-affiliated armed groups.

Sina Azodi, an adjunct professor at George Washington University, said while the strikes are significant, they do not signal a new regional escalation.

“As long as the conflict in Gaza continues, we will see actions,” Azodi told Al Jazeera.

“My main concern is, one of these attacks, there could be casualties, US casualties, which would force the United States to respond and then it could escalate without anyone actually wanting war,” he added.

The IRGC also said it launched missile attacks against the “perpetrators of terrorist operations in the Islamic Republic, particularly ISIL”, in Syria, state media reported.

“The Guards identified and destroyed gathering places of their commanders and key elements with a series of ballistic missiles in response to the recent terrorist atrocities in Iran,” the statement said.

Earlier, ISIL claimed responsibility for the January 3 twin bombings in Iran’s southeastern city of Kerman, which killed nearly 100 people.

Erbil attack — A house damaged in Erbil following a missile attack by Iran, January 16, 2024 [Safin Hamid/AFP]

‘First time’

Al Jazeera’s Ali Hashem reported that “Iran has been trying, as much as possible, to distance itself from any kind of tension” in the region amid Israel’s war in Gaza, which has killed more than 24,000 Palestinians. About 1,140 people were also killed in Israel in the preceding Hamas attacks.

“This is the first time we’re seeing the Iranians going a step further,” said Hashem, describing the assaults as a “new escalation”.

Mohammad Marandi, a political analyst and university professor from Tehran, said everyone appears to be concerned about “an escalation” in the Middle East except for Israel and its ally US, which has refused to support a ceasefire in Gaza.

“I think the strikes the Iranians carried out are both to target Mossad offices and terrorist organisations, but also to send a message to Israelis and Americans that this escalation will hurt them more than anyone else,” he told Al Jazeera.

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Japan: Cathay Pacific and Korean Air planes clip each other at New Chitose Airport - leaving hole in wing - Sky News

Two planes have made contact at an airport in Japan, leaving one with damage to its wing.

A Korean Air Lines plane - carrying 289 passengers and crew members - clipped a Cathay Pacific Airways aircraft at New Chitose Airport on Japan's northern island of Hokkaido on Tuesday, a Korean Air official said.

The contact happened around 5.30pm local time, while the Korean Air plane was preparing for take-off, the airline official said.

There was no one on the Cathay Pacific Airways plane, which was stationary at the time of the crash, according to the Kyodo News agency.

No injuries were reported, Japanese broadcaster NTV said, while no fire or fuel leaks were detected, according to a spokesperson for the local fire department.

A Korean Air official said the incident happened when a towing car, which was pushing the Korean Air plane backwards ahead of departure, slipped due to snow on the ground.

This led the plane's left wing to clip the Cathay Pacific plane's right tail wing.

Korean Air Lines' initial assessment attributed the cause to a ground handler towing the plane in heavy
snow, the airline official said.

Representatives for the airport and Cathay Pacific Airways were not immediately available for comment when contacted by the news agency Reuters.

It comes amid a cold snap in the north of Japan, bringing with it snow and -7C (19F) temperatures.

Images broadcast by NTV show it was snowing at the airport at the time of the collision.

Earlier this month, five people in a coastguard plane died when it was struck by a Japan Airlines (JAL) flight as it prepared to land at Tokyo's Haneda Airport.

Airline passengers had to make an emergency exit due to a fire following that crash, which is currently the subject of an investigation.

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Trump overwhelmingly wins Iowa caucuses in first step toward Republican nomination - The Independent

Former president Donald Trump overwhelmingly won the Iowa caucuses on Monday evening in the first official contest of the Republican presidential primaries.

Mr Trump posted a double-digit victory in Iowa eight years after he lost the Iowa caucuses to Sen Ted Cruz of Texas. The former president far-outpaced his nearest competitors, Florida governor Ron DeSantis and former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley, who served as US ambassador to the United Nations in his administration.

Mr Trump had spent the better part of a year criticising Mr DeSantis even before his former protege entered the Republican presidential primary. The governor came a distant second in the first Republican contest to find a candidate to take on Joe Biden in November.

Businessman and “anti-woke” campaigner Vivek Ramaswamy suspended his campaign in the wake of the caucus results and announced that he was endorsing Mr Trump.

The former president hinted at his resounding victory against the runners-up. “I want to congratulate Ron and Nikki for having a good time together,” he said. “I think they both did very well. We don’t know what the outcome of second place is.”

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For their part, both Ms Haley and Mr DeSantis made the case for staying in the race. Despite failing to meet expectations, Ms Haley pledged she would stay in the race.

“Our campaign is the last best hope of stopping the Trump-Biden nightmare,” she said, saying that she will head to New Hampshire later in the evening. Ms Haley has already earned the endorsement of the state’s governor and some Democrats crossed over to caucus for Ms Haley. Despite this, she only earned third place in the caucuses.

Mr DeSantis, for his part, criticised the fact that media outlets declared Mr Trump the winner before the caucuses ended.

“They were just so excited about the fact that they were predicting that we wouldn't be able to get our ticket punched here out of Iowa,” Mr DeSantis told supporters. Mr DeSantis campaigned heavily in Iowa, visiting all 99 counties and earning the endorsement of Governor Kim Reynolds and evangelical kingmaker Bob Vander Plaats. Mr DeSantis said his silver medal performance earned him the right to advance.

“But I can tell you, because of your support, in spite of all of that they threw at us, everyone against us, we've got our ticket punched out of Iowa.”

The former president’s win gives him an on-ramp for another win in the New Hampshire primary, where he leads Ms Haley in all polls and his lead varies depending on which survey. Ms Haley has proven to be a competitive candidate in the Granite State, but Mr Trump’s dominance may be difficult to surmount.

In addition, the former president also leads in Ms Haley’s home state of South Carolina.

The former president’s victory came despite the fact that his campaign and the super PAC that supported him did not spend as much as those of Ms Haley or Mr DeSantis.

Mr Trump won the first-in-the-nation contest even after he refused to participate in any of the presidential debates and did not participate in the traditional retail politicking associated with the largely rural church-going state.

It also comes despite – or rather, because – of the fact that he faces four separate indictments: one related to his hush-money payments to adult film actress Stormy Daniels; one federal indictment for his handling of classified documents; a second federal indictment for his attempts to defraud the American people and overturn the 2020 presidential election results; and a fourth in Fulton County, Georgia for his attempts to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia.

None of these legal battles have deterred Republicans from supporting him, though. If anything, Mr Trump has whipped up supporters against the legal system, painting himself as a victim.

The victory also comes as Mr Trump uses increasingly authoritarian language, calling for his opponents to “ROT IN HELL” on Christmas, saying he would act as a dictator on “day one” of his administration and saying that immigrants are “poisoning the blood” of the United States.

The former president alluded to those same words in his victory speech.

“We're going to seal up the border because right now we have an invasion,” he said his supporters to cheers. “They're coming from all over. They're coming from countries that most people have never heard of. And they're coming from mental institutions and insane asylums, they're being emptied out into our country. And they're terrorists.”

Mr Trump also alluded to the travel ban that he enacted early in his administration that banned travel from majority Muslim countries.

The former president also said that he got along well with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Mr Trump added that Russia would have never invaded Ukraine had he been in office, ignoring the fact that he tried to have Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky find dirt on Mr Biden in exchange for arms meant for Ukraine to protect itself against Russia.

Mr Trump’s victory in Iowa will break Bob Dole’s record for a margin of victory of 13 points in 1996 and George W Bush’s 10.5-point victory in 2000. Both candidates went on to become the Republican nominee for president, a future that seems all but certain for Mr Trump despite dozens of criminal charges against him.

The former president also surpassed Democrat Walter Mondale’s margin of victory, winning 51 per cent of the vote with 95 per cent of all counties reporting on Monday evening.

The next contest will be on 23 January in New Hampshire.

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Senin, 15 Januari 2024

Iceland lava slowing down after day of destruction - BBC

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By Ruth Comerford

BBC News

Lava flows into the Icelandic town of Grindavik appeared to be slowing, authorities said Monday, after several houses were destroyed by fires.

A volcano on the Reykjanes peninsula erupted in the early hours of Sunday, spilling lava into the fishing town.

The entire population of the town was evacuated and no casualties have been reported.

Defences built after an eruption in December have partially contained the lava, but some have been breached.

The main road into the town has been cut off by the flow of lava.

The Icelandic Meteorological Office (IMO) said the barriers had been breached in some places, allowing lava to reach the town which then set houses and buildings on fire.

"Seeing your home burn down on live television is something you cannot easily handle," Unndpr Sigurthsson told the MBL news website. She said her family had left almost all their items when they were evacuated, leaving them only with clothes and essential items.

A volcano spews lava and smoke as it erupts in Reykjanes Peninsula

There was no indication of disruption to domestic or international flights following the eruption. The IMO's aviation colour code for the Reykjanes peninsula was orange on Monday morning, indicating an ongoing eruption with "no or minor ash emission".

Flights from nearby Keflavik Airport were operating as normal.

Addressing the nation in a live broadcast on Sunday evening, President Gudni Johannesson urged people to "stand together and have compassion for those who cannot be in their homes".

Volcanologist Evgenia Ilyinskaya told BBC Breakfast that the peninsula was likely entering a period of frequent eruptions, known as the New Reykjanes Fires.

Prof Ilyinskaya said eruptions could take place "every few months or once a year for several decades or several centuries."

The Reykjanes Fires were a series of intense volcanic activity on the peninsula in the 12th Century.

Strong earthquake tremors preceded the December eruption in the Svartsengi volcanic system. In the weeks since, walls were built around the volcano to direct molten rock away from Grindavik, home to some 4,000 people.

Prime Minister Katrin Jakobsdottir said the eruption was a "black day for all of Iceland," but added that "the sun will rise again".

"Together we will deal with this shock and whatever may come. Our thoughts and prayers are with you."

Lava spreads across the Reykjanes peninsula

The country's alert level has been raised to "emergency" - the highest of the three-level scale which signals there could be a threat of harm to people, communities, property or the environment.

Sunday's eruption is the fifth to have taken place along the Reykjanes peninsula since 2021.

Iceland sits over what's known as the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, the boundary between the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates - two of the largest on the planet. Iceland has 33 active volcano systems.

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By Ruth Comerford

BBC News

Houses have been set on fire in the Icelandic town of Grindavik after two volcanic fissures opened nearby.

A volcano on the Reykjanes peninsula erupted in the early hours of Sunday, spilling lava into the fishing town.

The eruption is proving to be "the worst case scenario" according to one expert, with the entire population of the town being evacuated.

Defences built after an eruption in December have partially contained the lava, but some have been breached.

The main road into the town has been cut off by the flow of lava.

Addressing the nation in a live broadcast on Sunday evening, Iceland's President Gudni Johannesson urged people to "stand together and have compassion for those who cannot be in their homes".

He said he hoped the situation would calm down, but that "anything can happen", the AFP news agency reported.

The Icelandic Meteorological Office (IMO) said the barriers had been breached in some places, allowing lava to reach the town which then set houses and buildings on fire.

Flights from nearby Keflavik Airport were operating as normal.

People who had returned to Grindavik, in south-west Iceland, after the previous eruption were forced to leave their homes once again.

Science journalist and volcanologist Robin Andrews said the ongoing eruption is an "extremely perilous and deleterious situation" now that lava has made its way into the town.

Speaking to the BBC, he pointed out that the outpour of lava from the two current fissures shows "no sign of slowing down".

"In terms of duration and severity of damage its impossible to map at this moment," he said.

He warned that the aftermath of the eruption could prove "fairly problematic" for people with pre-existing respiratory problems, because volcanic activity releases gasses such as sulphur dioxide, which is an irritant to the skin, eyes, nose and throat.

Prime Minister Katrín Jakobsdóttir said the government will be meeting on Monday to discuss housing measures for the evacuated residents.

"Today is a black day for Grindavik and today is a black day for all of Iceland, but the sun will rise again," she said.

"Together we will deal with this shock and whatever may come. Our thoughts and prayers are with you."

The country's alert level has been raised to "emergency" - the highest of the three-level scale which signals there could be a threat of harm to people, communities, property or the environment.

Sunday's eruption is the fifth to have taken place along the Reykjanes peninsula since 2021.

Selasa, 16 Januari 2024

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Senin, 15 Januari 2024

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