Iraq

'Last plane to leave Tehran': Mossad's final Iran chief Eliezer Tsafrir dies at 92

Tsafrir, a veteran Mossad and Shin Bet official and Israel’s last station chief in Tehran before 1979, played a central role in Israel’s early regional intelligence efforts.

|ByALEX WINSTON
Eliezer "Geizi" Tzafrir, former Mossad chief for Iraqi Kurdistan and last before the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran, poses for a Maariv interview back in 2022.
U.S. soldiers attached to the Iowa National Guard sign GBU-31 munitions systems in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility Dec. 18, 2025 as the U.S. military launched large-scale strikes against dozens of Islamic State targets in Syria in retaliation for an attack on U.S. personnel.

CENTCOM says up to 7,000 ISIS detainees could be moved to Iraq from Syria

"Ultimately, up to 7,000 ISIS detainees could be transferred from Syria to Iraqi-controlled facilities," CENTCOM said.

|BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
A Kurdish internal security forces member stands guard with a weapon as Syrian Kurds attend a protest in solidarity with the people in the neighborhoods of Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh in Aleppo, in Hasakah, Syria January 7, 2026.

'October 7 moment for Kurds': Israel must assist Syria's Kurds amid attacks, analysts tell 'Post'

Over the last decade, the SDF worked with the US and defeated ISIS in Syria. However, now the SDF is facing major setbacks, and Kurds fear they may be massacred.

|BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
Kurdish Peshmerga fighters affiliated with PAK train on January 18, 2026 near Erbil, Iraq.

Iran escalates regional response to protests with strike on Kurdish forces - report

Video and photos from the site of the attack show the destruction of vehicles and other debris from the incident.

|BySETH J. FRANTZMAN

Will PKK withdrawing from Turkey after 40 years of conflict affect Iraq? - analysis

The Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) announces its pullback from Turkey, marking the end of a 40-year insurgency and shifting regional dynamics.

OCTOBER 26, 2025BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
A fighter with the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) stands guard during a disarmament process marking a significant step toward ending the decades-long conflict between Turkey and the outlawed group, in the Qandil mountains, Iraq, October 26, 2025.

Kurdish PKK announces withdrawal from Turkey as part of disarmament

The PKK said it will withdraw forces from Turkey as part of a disarmament process, urging Ankara to take legal steps toward Kurdish integration.

OCTOBER 26, 2025ByREUTERS
Fighters with the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) walk for a disarmament ceremony marking a significant step toward ending the decades-long conflict between Turkey and the outlawed group in the Qandil mountains, Iraq October 26, 2025.

Trump taps businessman as new Iraq envoy as US pushes disarmament of Iran-backed militias

Ano Abdoka, a Christian Iraqi politician who has played a key role in Kurdistan Region politics, said he hoped Savaya would work toward “protecting the rights of Iraq’s diverse communities."

OCTOBER 25, 2025BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
US President Donald Trump speaks to members of the media as he departs for Asia from the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, US, October 24, 2025.

US calls on Iraq to disarm militias, what’s at stake? - analysis

With heavy pressure from two opposing forces, it remains to be seen what Iraq’s response to Rubio’s call for disarmament will be.

OCTOBER 22, 2025BySETH J. FRANTZMAN, ESTHER DAVIS, LEO FEIERBERG BETTER
Iraq's Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani attends the 34th Arab League summit, in Baghdad, Iraq, May 17, 2025.

Why Tehran can't fight today’s battles with 20th-century myths - analysis

Figures like Kharrazi are trying to write the latest chapter of the Islamic Republic’s story using an old script.

OCTOBER 22, 2025ByALEX WINSTON
An Iranian woman holds up portraits Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (L), his predecessor Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, and her son, who was martyred in the Iran-Iraq war, during a demonstration in front of Tehran University in 2000.

Iraq launches probe after diplomat accused of taking towels from Jordan hotel

Iraqi diplomat accused of taking towels from Jordanian hotel, now she demands investigation and is receiving tribal support.

OCTOBER 20, 2025BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
A beach Towel is seen draped over a boat with the flag of Jordan (illustrative)

Safaa al-Mashhadani car bombing killing shakes upcoming elections in Iraq

Mashhadani was running as part of the Siyada or Sovereignty party, a Sunni party led by Parliament Speaker Mahmoud al-Mashhadani.

OCTOBER 16, 2025BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
Campaign posters for parliamentary candidates are displayed near a mosque, ahead of the upcoming parliamentary elections, in Baghdad, Iraq, October 8, 2025. Picture taken with a long exposure.

Sunni candidate killed ahead of Iraq’s November parliamentary elections

This is the most high-profile assassination of these elections and the most high-profile attack in Iraq in recent memory. 

OCTOBER 15, 2025BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
A man looks at the site where a car packed with explosives blew up yesterday, in Hayy al-Shurta, a Shi'ite district in Baghdad, Iraq February 17, 2017.

‘It’s different in medicine’: Iraq’s fake degree crisis puts patients in peril

Officials and experts say thousands of unqualified practitioners have entered hospitals and clinics, fueling medical errors and preventable deaths as enforcement lags.

OCTOBER 6, 2025ByHUDHAIFA EBRAHIM/THE MEDIA LINE
A hospital in Basra, Iraq, March 6, 2024.

Former Kataib Hezbollah hostage Elizabeth Tsurkov issues first statement since release

Tsurkov wrote in English, Arabic, and Hebrew on her X/Twitter account to thank those who helped secure her release.

OCTOBER 3, 2025ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
Israeli-Russian hostage Elizabeth Tsurkov over a backdrop of Iraqi and Israeli flags.