US orders more diplomatic staff to leave Iraq, Lebanon
BAGHDAD: The United States has ordered staff from its diplomatic missions in Iraq and Lebanon to leave the countries, with the departures taking place as American strikes on Sunday targeted nuclear facilities in nearby Iran.
More diplomatic personnel left Iraq on Saturday and Sunday as part of ongoing efforts to 'streamline operations,' a US official told AFP.
The departures were a continuation of a process that started last week 'out of an abundance of caution and due to heightened regional tensions,' the official added.
In Lebanon, the US embassy said the State Department on Sunday had ordered staffers' family members and non-emergency US government personnel to leave the country.
A statement on the embassy website cited 'the volatile and unpredictable security situation in the region.'
Earlier in the day, Washington joined Israel's war against Iran, with US President Donald Trump announcing strikes on the Islamic republic's main nuclear sites.
After the strikes, an adviser to Iran's supreme leader warned that bases in the region used to launch US attacks 'will be considered legitimate targets.'
Fears were also growing over possible intervention by Iran-backed armed factions around the Middle East, who have threatened Washington's interests should it join Israel's campaign.
Israel has already fought a war in Lebanon with the Tehran-backed militant group Hezbollah, leaving it badly weakened before a ceasefire took hold in November.
On Sunday, Hezbollah said the US strikes revealed 'the true face of the United States of America as the largest threat to regional and international security and stability.'
The group has not previously expressed any intention to intervene militarily on Iran's side, but its chief Naim Qassem said last week that it would 'act as we see fit.'
Washington has a 'do not travel' advisory in place for Lebanon.
Iraq, meanwhile, has for years navigated a delicate balancing act between its allies Tehran and Washington, has also long been a fertile ground for proxy battles.
On Sunday, the Iraqi government expressed 'its deep concern and strong condemnation of the targeting of nuclear facilities' in Iran, spokesperson Basim Alawadi said.
'This military escalation constitutes a grave threat to peace and security in the Middle East and poses serious risks to regional stability,' he added.
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What do we know about US strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities?
DUBAI: Amid mounting speculation, the US launched air strikes on three of Iran's nuclear facilities on Saturday. The operation aimed to support Israel in its war against Iran — ongoing since June 13 — by crippling Tehran's uranium enrichment capacity, according to Asharq News. US President Donald Trump later announced that Iran's uranium-enrichment abilities had been eliminated, warning Tehran against any 'retaliatory response.' Tehran, however, described the damage as 'limited' and dismissed any indications of radiation leaks. The US strikes included 14 bunker-buster bombs, more than two dozen Tomahawk missiles and over 125 military aircraft, in an operation the top US general, General Dan Caine, said was named 'Operation Midnight.' Asharq News reported that the strikes targeted three critical nuclear facilities instrumental in Iran's nuclear fuel cycle: Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan nuclear complex. These sites span the entire fuel-enrichment chain — from raw uranium conversion, through enrichment, to the production of fuel and technical components for research reactors. • The first B-2 bomber was publicly displayed on Nov. 22, 1988, but its first flight was on July 17, 1989. • The combat effectiveness of the B-2 was proved in the Balkans, where it was responsible for destroying 33 percent of all Serbian targets in the first eight weeks. • In support of Operation Enduring Freedom, the B-2 flew one of its longest missions to date from Whiteman to Afghanistan and back. • The B-2 completed its first-ever combat deployment in Iraq, flying 22 sorties and releasing more than 1.5 million pounds of munitions. Fordo facility Location and structure: Fordo is 30 kilometers northeast of Qom, embedded within a mountain at an altitude of approximately 1,750 m, with over 80 meters of rock and volcanic shielding — making it one of Iran's most fortified sites. Technical role: It houses two underground halls that can hold about 3,000 IR-1 centrifuges, enriching uranium up to 60 percent — a level nearing weapons -grade. Strategic importance: It is a primary target in any military effort to prevent Iran from achieving nuclear military capability, due to its high capacity and protection. Natanz reactor Location and structure: Situated near Kashan in central Iran, partially buried under about 8 meters of earth with a 220meter-thick concrete roof, naturally shielded by surrounding mountainous terrain. Technical role: Contains primary and experimental plants with over 14,000 centrifuges (IR-1, IR-2m, IR-4, IR-6), making it Iran's main industrial enrichment hub. Strategic importance: Responsible for producing most of Iran's low-enriched uranium and plays a key role in centrifuge development. 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According to US officials, the bombers that carried out the Iran strikes flew for nearly 37 hours non-stop from its Missouri base, refueling in mid-air multiple times before striking in the early hours of Sunday. A B-2 bomber offers several key advantages, primarily due to its stealth capabilities and global reach. • A range over 11,000 km without refueling, capable of global reach from distant American bases. • Stealth abilities such as flying-wing design and radar-absorbing materials that allow it to evade air defenses. • It can carry both nuclear and conventional weapons, including the GBU‑57 bunker-buster bomb. Initial reports quoted by Asharq News indicated that Fordo was hit with the GBU‑57, the most powerful US conventional bunker buster, designed for deeply buried targets like Fordo, which lies 90 meters underground. Fox News reported six bunker-busting bombs were dropped on Fordo, alongside approximately 30 Tomahawk cruise missiles fired at Natanz and Isfahan. 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Arab News
4 hours ago
- Arab News
US orders more diplomatic staff to leave Iraq, Lebanon
BAGHDAD: The United States has ordered staff from its diplomatic missions in Iraq and Lebanon to leave the countries, with the departures taking place as American strikes on Sunday targeted nuclear facilities in nearby Iran. More diplomatic personnel left Iraq on Saturday and Sunday as part of ongoing efforts to 'streamline operations,' a US official told AFP. The departures were a continuation of a process that started last week 'out of an abundance of caution and due to heightened regional tensions,' the official added. In Lebanon, the US embassy said the State Department on Sunday had ordered staffers' family members and non-emergency US government personnel to leave the country. A statement on the embassy website cited 'the volatile and unpredictable security situation in the region.' Earlier in the day, Washington joined Israel's war against Iran, with US President Donald Trump announcing strikes on the Islamic republic's main nuclear sites. After the strikes, an adviser to Iran's supreme leader warned that bases in the region used to launch US attacks 'will be considered legitimate targets.' Fears were also growing over possible intervention by Iran-backed armed factions around the Middle East, who have threatened Washington's interests should it join Israel's campaign. Israel has already fought a war in Lebanon with the Tehran-backed militant group Hezbollah, leaving it badly weakened before a ceasefire took hold in November. On Sunday, Hezbollah said the US strikes revealed 'the true face of the United States of America as the largest threat to regional and international security and stability.' The group has not previously expressed any intention to intervene militarily on Iran's side, but its chief Naim Qassem said last week that it would 'act as we see fit.' Washington has a 'do not travel' advisory in place for Lebanon. Iraq, meanwhile, has for years navigated a delicate balancing act between its allies Tehran and Washington, has also long been a fertile ground for proxy battles. On Sunday, the Iraqi government expressed 'its deep concern and strong condemnation of the targeting of nuclear facilities' in Iran, spokesperson Basim Alawadi said. 'This military escalation constitutes a grave threat to peace and security in the Middle East and poses serious risks to regional stability,' he added.
Arab News
4 hours ago
- Arab News
Conflict provides no honor or glory, just remorse
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Who knows what the situation between Iran and Israel will bring? Civilians overall do not appear to choose to go to war — some support it, others do not. But it is those in government, the people in charge, that make the decision to go to fight. None of us chose to be born where we were — that is up to nature. If we are lucky, nature puts us in a country that feels like home and provides peace and security. But around the world, there are many places where people are not so fortunate. They may love their nationality, but do so in the face of oppressive dictatorships or neighbors determined to shift the boundaries. On more than one occasion, I have heard Westerners ask why people living under oppressive regimes appear to simply sit back and take it. It is easy to ask such questions when you live in a house with clean running water, a door that locks and a reliable power source; where you can speak freely and generally live without fear of retribution. These people asking for such courage are often the same people who get angry when their city's streets are blocked by a peaceful demonstration, where protesters are not confronted with a volley of live bullets. It would be reasonable to draw the conclusion that children who grow up in war zones, or under the rule of oppressive regimes, are more inclined to take up arms later in life — indeed there is evidence that shows this to be the case. But in 2016, I went to Lebanon to see the work being done to help educate Syrian schoolchildren who had fled their country with their parents after the civil war began. I spoke to several children about what they thought their futures held for them and not one of them said they wanted to take up arms and fight. There was no talk of revenge. They aspired to be doctors, teachers, engineers — the list was endless. Several of the children said they wanted to be able to return to Syria and help rebuild their country. I have not met many people who want to go to war. If we are lucky, nature puts us in a country that feels like home and provides peace and security. Peter Harrison There was a time when dying for your country was seen as honorable. Most now accept that they can help more when alive, rather than dead. In 2007, I was at the Kajaki hydroelectric plant in Afghanistan working for a regional newspaper from southwest Britain. A worker asked why I was there. I told him I was there as a newspaper journalist working as the defense reporter. He said that one after another, people from the West (generally), be they politicians or media, would arrive, take photos, ask him the same questions about how he felt about the Taliban and the International Security Assistance Force, and then leave. 'But nothing ever changes,' he said. Of course, he was right to say this. Did I seriously believe it would make any difference for me to report on what I saw was happening in his country? Of course not. Like every other, I would write my story, leave and work on the next one. In Afghanistan, there were many 'hearts and minds' projects aimed at creating a community. Market stall areas were created and police stations were painted pink to make them 'more inviting' — usually ideas cultivated by foreign nongovernmental organizations. Hundreds of thousands of people died in the Afghanistan war — military and civilians — and this man's country was eventually handed back to the Taliban, who brought back their highly restrictive form of rule. I have no clue what happened to him. My hope is that, rather than being seen as someone who might have collaborated with Western forces, he was seen as an essential worker at the power plant, providing electricity to all. History is littered with wars largely started as the result of one ideology or another, often under the claim of fighting terror or another force of evil — but most trace back to an ideology that favors the few. We live in a time where narcissism and gaslighting have never seemed more apparent, whether at home, in the workplace or among world leaders. It is not a new phenomenon, but social media and the acceptance of its unsolicited, often unverified, content has become an enabler of these people's toxicity. And while, on a personal level, this can seem miserable and debilitating at first, it is something most people eventually shake off. At a global level, it can prove to be deadly. The millions in Tehran being told to evacuate their homes do not want their neighborhoods to be flattened or their friends and family to be killed — no one wants that. When, in Gaza in 2023, Khaled Nabhan held the lifeless body of his three-year-old granddaughter Reem, he did not speak of revenge or anger, just anguish, the loss of his grandchildren in an Israeli attack and, more importantly, of love.
