Attachments
Key Takeaways:
- POLITICS: Iraq Rejects Israeli “Threats” Over Iran-Backed Militia Attacks – On November 19, Israeli press reports said that Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar sent a letter to the UN Security Council calling for “immediate action regarding the activity of the pro-Iranian militias in Iraq, whose territory is being used to attack Israel.” The Israeli diplomat argued that the Baghdad government was “responsible under international law to prevent the use of its territory as a base for attacks against other nations.” Sa’ar further warned that Israel was ready to take “all necessary measures to protect itself and its citizens” from Iran-backed Iraqi militias, which have been conducting regular drone and missile attacks on Israel for nearly a year. In response, Iraqi PM Mohammed al-Sudani told a cabinet meeting that Israel’s letter represents “a pretext for aggression against Iraq” and reflects Tel Aviv’s “ongoing efforts to expand the war in the region.” A meeting of Iraq’s Ministerial Council for National Security was convened on the same day to address the Israeli move. In a statement, the Council echoed Sudani’s points and said the Iraqi government has been taking “measures to stop the use of Iraqi soil to launch any attacks.” The statement noted that these efforts have resulted in “the seizure of weapons” and in “legal prosecutions.” The Council also decided on a number of diplomatic measures and security precautions in response to the Israeli letter, including raising the readiness of the air defenses and military units in western Iraq, and asking for U.S. intervention to “deter the threats and stop the war from spreading.” In other developments, on November 19, a delegation from the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) started meeting with other parties in the Kurdistan region to initiate negotiations for government formation following last month’s legislative elections. On November 21, PM Sudani received a phone call from Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss bilateral relations, the regional conflict, and coordination within OPEC+ regarding oil supply and prices. more…
- SECURITY: Militia Attacks On Israel Drop To Lowest Level Since Mid-September – Between November 16 – 21, the “Islamic Resistance in Iraq,” a front group for Iran-backed Iraqi militias, claimed that it conducted four new attacks with explosive drones against targets in various parts of Israel. This represent the lowest number of attacks reported in eight weeks. Compared to attack trends earlier in November, it represents a remarkable 69% and 81% drops from the previous week and the week before, when ISHM tracked 13 and 22 attack reports, respectively. The reduced attack pattern comes as concerns increase among Iraqi militias of an imminent Israeli strike after Tel Aviv sent a letter to the UN Security Council calling for action to stop attacks from Iraq and warning of consequences. In other developments, on November 16, Iraqi F-16 jets killed four ISIS militants in an airstrike that on their position in Kirkuk province. On November 17, an improvised explosive device struck a joint patrol of the Iraqi army and Kurdish Peshmerga troops in the Tuzkhormatu district of Salah ad-Din province, killing three troops and wounding another three. Two of the victims were identified as Peshmerga colonels assigned to the joint army-Peshmerga unit. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack. more…
- HUMANITARIAN & HUMAN RIGHTS: Thousands Of Sinjaris Receive First Compensation Payments – On November 18, local sources confirmed that people from Sinjar whose property was destroyed or lost during the ISIS occupation and subsequent military operations have finally begun receiving monetary compensation from the Iraqi government, ending years of waiting and bureaucratic delays, Human Rights Watch reported. The first disbursements, which were first approved by authorities in October, totaled IQD 99 billion (approximately $75 million). They will benefit 3,500 people from Sinjar and another 7,500 from elsewhere in the Ninewa province. An additional 11,500 compensation claims completed by people from Sinjar are still awaiting payment. In other developments, on November 20, the UNHCR reported that the number of Lebanese nationals who have arrived in Iraq after being displaced by fighting between Israel and Hezbollah has grown to more than 39,000. The figure represents an increase of nearly 4,000 new arrivals since last week. The displaced Lebanese are currently arriving at a steady rate averaging 500 per day. more…
- ECONOMY & CLIMATE: Oil Companies In Kurdistan Welcome Baghdad’s Cost Recovery Proposal; Iraq Launches Its First Census In Decades – On November 14, the Association of the Petroleum Industry of Kurdistan welcomed a recent proposal by the Iraqi government aimed at resolving a long-standing dispute over calculating the cost of oil production and transportation in the Kurdistan region. A spokesman for the group added that negotiations to resume oil exports via the Iraq-Turkey pipeline, halted since March 2023, were “moving in the right direction.” The source explained that the proposal to amend federal budget law provisions that deal with the production and transportation cost was “in line with” the position and demands of the oil companies. On November 20, Iraq launched a long-delayed nationwide population census designed to provide fresh data to guide government planning and spending. This is the first nationwide census in Iraq since 1987. To conduct the census, Iraq’s Planning Ministry mobilized some 120,000 census workers to survey 40 – 120 residences each over a two-day period. Authorities declared a curfew while the census is underway to improve the reliability of the count. Survey workers are counting people in their usual place of residence, meaning that those internally displaced will be counted in their places of displacement, instead of their districts of origin. The census will record people’s broad religious affiliations but not their ethnicities or sects. A spokesman for the Planning Ministry said the census was proceeding smoothly and that preliminary results could be ready within days. In other developments, on November 18, the Iraqi government decided to cancel funding for the controversial Makhoul Dam project, which faces strong opposition from environmental and cultural heritage activists due to the risks it poses to archeological sites and nearby communities. more…
Attention readers! ISHM will take a break next week for Thanksgiving, but it will be back the week after, with comprehensive coverage of the week we missed!
For more background on most of the institutions, key actors, political parties, and locations mentioned in our takeaways or in the stories that follow, see the ISHM Reference Guide.
POLITICS: Iraq Rejects Israeli “Threats” Over Iran-Backed Militia Attacks
On November 18, Turkish Trade Minister Omer Bolat met in Baghdad with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed al-Sudani to discuss bilateral cooperation in trade and investment and an upcoming meeting of the Iraq-Turkey economic committee, a statement by Sudani’s office said. Bolat also had talks with Iraq’s Transportation Minister, Abdul-Razaq al-Sadawi, to discuss plans for Iraq’s Development Road project. The visit by the Turkish minister, who is accompanied by a delegation of some 150 Turkish business executives, will also include a stop in Basra.
On November 19, a delegation from the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) began a round of meetings with other parties in the Kurdistan region to initiate negotiations for government formation following last month’s legislative elections, a senior KDP source told Kurdsitan24. The delegation’s agenda includes a meeting with the rival Patriotic Union of Kurdistan that could potentially take place next week, the source added.
On November 19, Israeli press reports said that Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar sent a letter to the United Nations Security Council calling for “immediate action regarding the activity of the pro-Iranian militias in Iraq, whose territory is being used to attack Israel.” The Israeli diplomat, in a post on X describing the letter, argued that the Baghdad government was “responsible under international law to prevent the use of its territory as a base for attacks against other nations.” Sa’ar further warned that Israel was ready to take “all necessary measures to protect itself and its citizens” from Iran-backed Iraqi militias, which have been conducting regular drone and missile attacks on Israel for nearly a year. In response, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed al-Sudani told a meeting of his cabinet that Israel’s letter to the Security Council represents “a pretext for aggression against Iraq” and reflects Tel Aviv’s “ongoing efforts to expand the war in the region.” Sudani, according to a statement by his office, asserted that decisions of war and peace are exclusively the state’s right. While emphasizing Iraq’s rejection of Israel’s perceived threats, the Iraqi leader reaffirmed that Iraq refuses to enter the war and is committed to ending the conflict and supporting humanitarian relief efforts for the Palestinian and Lebanese peoples. A meeting of Iraq’s Ministerial Council for National Security was convened on the same day to address the Israeli move. In a statement, the Council echoed Sudani’s earlier remarks, adding that the Iraqi government has been taking “measures to stop the use of Iraqi soil to launch any attacks.” The statement noted that these efforts have resulted in “the seizure of weapons that were ready to launch” and in “legal prosecutions against anyone involved in activities that threaten Iraq’s security.” The Council also decided on a number of diplomatic measures and precautions to take in response to the Israeli letter, including raising the readiness of the air defenses and military units in western Iraq, and asking for U.S. intervention to “deter the threats and stop the war from spreading.”
On November 21, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed al-Sudani received a phone call from Russian President Vladimir Putin in which they discussed bilateral relations and efforts to put a stop to the ongoing regional conflict and stop the war from spreading, a statement by Sudani’s office said. Sudani and Putin also talked about the need for coordination among the members of OPEC+ to maintain the stability of the oil and gas markets and sustain fair prices, the statement added.
Sources cited in this section include: Iraqi PM’s office, INA, ISHM archive, Kurdistan24, Times of Israel, Rudaw.
SECURITY: Militia Attacks On Israel Drop To Lowest Level Since Mid-September
On November 16, the “Islamic Resistance in Iraq,” a front group for Iran-backed Iraqi militias, claimed that it conducted two new attacks against unspecified targets near the Israeli port city of Eilat using explosive drones. Two days later, the group claimed that it conducted a third attack with explosive drones against a target in the same area. Then on Wednesday, November 19, the group said it launched explosive drones against an unspecified target in northern Israel. The four attack reports tracked this week represent the lowest number of attacks reported in eight weeks. Compared to attack trends in November, it represents a remarkable 69% and 81% drops in attacks from the previous week and the week before, when ISHM tracked 13 and 22 attack reports, respectively. The reduced attack pattern comes as concerns increase among Iraqi militias of an imminent Israeli strike after Tel Aviv sent a letter to the UN Security Council calling for action to stop attacks from Iraq and warning of consequences (see above section).
On November 16, Iraq’s Joint Operations Command (JOC) said that F-16 jets killed four ISIS militants in an airstrike that targeted their position in the Wadi Zghaytoun region in Kirkuk province.
On November 17, an improvised explosive device (IED) detonated striking a joint patrol of the Iraqi army and Kurdish Peshmerga troops in the Tuzkhormatu district of Salah ad-Din province, Iraq security sources said. The explosion, which occurred around the oil wells of the Pulkana region, killed three troops and wounded another three. Two of the victims were identified as Peshmerga colonels assigned to the joint army-Peshmerga unit. A media organization associated with ISIS said the terrorist group claimed responsibility for the attack.
On November 19, Iraq’s Interior Ministry said that one of its personnel was killed and another was wounded while security forces were responding to armed clashes sparked by a land dispute erupted between two clans in al-Karama subdistrict of Muthanna province. Security forces arrested 60 of those involved in the clashes and confiscated a variety of weapons, the ministry added.
Sources cited in this section include: Shafaq, NINA, Iraq Observer, ISHM archive, Ultra Iraq, INA, al-Hurra, Baghdad Today, al-Mada.
HUMANITARIAN & HUMAN RIGHTS: Thousands Of Sinjaris Receive First Compensation Payments
On November 18, local sources confirmed that people from Sinjar whose property was destroyed or lost during the ISIS occupation and subsequent military operations have finally begun receiving monetary compensation from the Iraqi government, ending years of waiting and bureaucratic delays, Human Rights Watch (HRW) reported. The first disbursements, which were first approved by authorities in October, totaled IQD 99 billion (approximately $75 million). They will benefit 3,500 people from Sinjar and another 7,500 from elsewhere in the Ninewa province, according to an official at the Sinjar compensation sub-office, who noted that an additional 11,500 compensation claims completed by people from Sinjar are still awaiting payment.
On November 20, the UNHCR reported that the number of Lebanese nationals who have arrived in Iraq after being displaced by fighting between Israel and Hezbollah has grown to more than 39,000. The figure represents an increase of about 4,000 new arrivals since last week. The displaced Lebanese are currently arriving at a steady rate averaging 500 per day, primarily through al-Qaim border crossing with Syria, followed by the Baghdad and Najaf airports. The cities of Karbala and Najaf are hosting a majority of the Lebanese refugees, estimated by Iraqi authorities to be a combined 80% of the total, while the remainder are spread among several provinces, including Babylon, Basra, Diyala, Diwaniyah, and Ninewa. Previous UNHCR reports indicated that the majority of the Lebanese arrivals (62%) were women and children, and that many are being hosted in residential buildings designated by local authorities, while some are also reportedly staying with friends and family.
Sources cited in this section include: HRW, ISHM archive, UNHCR.
ECONOMY & CLIMATE: Oil Companies In Kurdistan Welcome Baghdad’s Cost Recovery Proposal; Iraq Launches Its First Census In Decades
On November 14, the Association of the Petroleum Industry of Kurdistan (APIKUR) welcomed a recent proposal by the Iraqi government aimed at resolving a long-standing dispute over calculating the cost of oil production and transportation in the Kurdistan region, Kurdistan24 reported. A spokesman for the group meanwhile told Rudaw that negotiations to resume oil exports from the region via the Iraq-Turkey pipeline, which have been halted since March 2023, were “moving in the right direction.” The source explained that the Iraqi government’s proposal to amend the federal budget law provisions that deal with the production and transportation cost was “in line with” the position and demands of the oil companies. The proposal, if approved by parliament, requires the Kurdistan regional government (KRG) to immediately start delivering its oil to the federal government. In return, as an interim arrangement, the latter would compensate the KRG for production and transportation costs at the rate of $16 per barrel. The two sides would then have 60 days to jointly hire an international consultant to calculate “the fair cost of production and transportation for each field separately” to be the basis for future settlement of transactions.
On November 17, Iraq’s Finance Ministry signed a new loan agreement worth $380 million with Japan’s International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to finance continued major upgrades at one of the country’s major oil refineries in Basra. The loan, the sixth of its kind between Iraq and JICA, will fund a project that will allow the refinery to use Fluid Catalytic Cracking (FCC) technology to produce high-quality refined petroleum products, a government statement said. The upgrades will expand the production capacity for gasoline by 4.5 million liters per day and that of diesel by 6.5 million liters per day, in addition to 3.5 million liters per day of kerosene, according to the Oil Ministry’s deputy for refining affairs.
On November 17, water officials in Iraq’s southern Muthanna province decided to shut down all municipal water projects on al-Rumaitha river after a large oil slick was discovered on the waterway, which derives its water from the Euphrates. Officials have not determined the source of the oil, but recent heavy rainfall has caused oil slicks to appear and contaminate rivers and canals near areas of oil operations.
On November 18, Iraq’s Ministerial Council for Economy decided to cancel funding for the controversial Makhoul Dam project, a government statement said. At a meeting on Monday, the council hosted the Minister of Water Resources and the ministry’s technical deputy to discuss the project, which faces strong opposition from environmental and cultural heritage activists due to the risks it poses to archeological sites and nearby communities. After reviewing economic feasibility studies, technical reports, expert opinions, and geological studies, the council decided to remove the project from the investment budget, the government statement explained. The Council also urged the Ministry of Water Resources to consult a reputable global advisory firm to prepare a comprehensive evaluation of Iraq’s water resources and its existing dams.
On November 20, Iraq launched a long-delayed nationwide population census designed to provide fresh data to guide government planning and spending. This is the first nationwide census in Iraq since 1987. A subsequent census organized in 1997 did not cover the provinces of the Kurdistan region. To conduct the census, Iraq’s Planning Ministry has mobilized nearly 120,000 census workers who will each survey between 40 and 120 residences over a two-day period. Authorities declared a curfew while the census is underway to improve the reliability of the count. The population census is a highly sensitive issue, as its results are anticipated to significantly impact Iraq’s resource allocation, budget distribution, and future development strategies. Conducting the census in Iraq’s disputed territories, such as Kirkuk and parts of Ninewa and Diyala, where the federal government and the KRG have competing claims to control, has been a contentious issue. The census proceeded after the federal government made several last-minute adjustments to how the census is to be conducted in those territories in order to allay Kurdish concerns. Survey workers are instructed to count people in their usual place of residence, meaning that those internally displaced will be counted in their places of displacement, instead of their districts of origin. The census will record people’s broad religious affiliations but not their ethnicities or sects. A spokesman for the Planning Ministry said the census was proceeding smoothly and that preliminary results could be ready to be released within days.
On November 20, a report by Reuters said that Iraq’s fuel oil exports Iraq’s fuel oil exports in 2024 are on track to exceed a record volume of 18 million metric tons (380,000 barrels per day) by the end of the year, surpassing last year’s previous record by approximately four million tons. Industry sources attribute the projected growth in exports to a decline in domestic demand and rising output. Fuel production and exports were also boosted by the country’s 140,000-bpd Karbala refinery, which commenced operations for the first time in the second quarter of 2023, the sources added.
Sources cited in this section include: INA, Rudaw, Kurdistan24, ISHM archive, Baghdad Today, Save the Tigris, AP, Yahoo Finance.
Derived from firsthand accounts and Iraq-based Arabic and Kurdish news sources, the Iraq Security and Humanitarian Monitor is a free publication of the Enabling Peace in Iraq Center.