Iraq seeks US investment in gas as new projects target energy independence

Iraqi Oil Minister Hayan Abdel-Ghani arrives at the 8th OPEC International Seminar in Vienna, Austria, on July 5, 2023. (AFP)
Iraqi Oil Minister Hayan Abdel-Ghani arrives at the 8th OPEC International Seminar in Vienna, Austria, on July 5, 2023. (AFP)
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Updated 01 September 2024
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Iraq seeks US investment in gas as new projects target energy independence

Iraqi Oil Minister Hayan Abdel-Ghani arrives at the 8th OPEC International Seminar in Vienna, Austria, on July 5, 2023. (AFP)
  • Abdel-Ghani also said Iraq will launch a new gas investment project by the end of the year at the Al-Faihaa oil field in southern Iraq

BAGHDAD: Iraq plans to offer 10 gas exploration blocks to US companies during an upcoming visit by Oil Minister Hayan Abdel-Ghani to the United States, he announced on Saturday.
The move is part of Baghdad’s efforts to attract US investment into its energy sector, following previous licensing rounds where Chinese firms secured the majority of available fields.
The 10 gas blocks, left unclaimed following six licensing, rounds, will be presented in a new bidding process, Iraqi state media said, and comes as Iraq seeks to bolster its domestic gas production.
Abdel-Ghani also said Iraq will launch a new gas investment project by the end of the year at the Al-Faihaa oil field in southern Iraq. The project, with a capacity of 125 million standard cubic feet (mscf), is a key component of Iraq’s strategy to enhance its energy infrastructure.
The latest initiative follows recent agreements to develop 13 oil and gas blocks, aimed at increasing Iraq’s crude and gas output to supply power plants, which currently rely heavily on Iranian gas imports.

 


Hezbollah source says contact ‘lost’ with top figure Safieddine

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Hezbollah source says contact ‘lost’ with top figure Safieddine

Hezbollah source says contact ‘lost’ with top figure Safieddine
“Contact with Sayyed Safieddine has been lost since the violent strikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs” early on Friday, the official told AFP
“We don’t know if he was at the targeted site, or who may have been there with him“

BEIRUT: A high-level Hezbollah source said on Saturday that contact with Hashem Safieddine, widely touted as potentially the group’s next leader, had been lost following Israeli strikes this week.
Responding to the AFP report, the group said in a statement that there were “no Hezbollah sources and our viewpoint is issued in official statements.” It did not confirm or deny whether contact with Safieddine was lost.
“Contact with Sayyed Safieddine has been lost since the violent strikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs” early on Friday, the official told AFP.
“We don’t know if he was at the targeted site, or who may have been there with him,” he added.
A second source close to Hezbollah also confirmed that communication had been cut off with Safieddine and that his whereabouts were unknown.
Hezbollah “is trying to reach the underground headquarters that were targeted, but every single time Israel starts striking again to impede rescue efforts,” he said.
Safieddine “was with Hezbollah’s head of intelligence,” known as Hajj Murtada, when the strikes took place, he said.
Both sources requested anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.
Early on Friday, a source close to Hezbollah said Israel had conducted 11 consecutive strikes on the group’s south Beirut stronghold, in one of the most powerful raids since Israel intensified its campaign of bombardment last week.
AFP footage showed giant balls of flame and thick smoke rising from the site that was attacked.
Israel’s military said it had hit “targets belonging to Hezbollah’s intelligence headquarters in Beirut.”
The attack came a week after the Israeli military said it killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in air strikes on the group’s headquarters in south Beirut.

Netanyahu says Israel army destroyed ‘large part’ of Hezbollah arsenal

Netanyahu says Israel army destroyed ‘large part’ of Hezbollah arsenal
Updated 05 October 2024
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Netanyahu says Israel army destroyed ‘large part’ of Hezbollah arsenal

Netanyahu says Israel army destroyed ‘large part’ of Hezbollah arsenal
  • “We destroyed a large part of the array of missiles and rockets that Hezbollah built over the years,” said Netanyahu

JERUSALEM: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday said the Israeli military had succeeded in destroying much of Hezbollah’s arsenal and altered the course of the war against the Iran-backed group.
“We destroyed a large part of the array of missiles and rockets that Hezbollah built over the years,” said Netanyahu in a televised address, adding: “We have changed the course of the war and the balance of the war.”
He also said ‘shame’ on Macron for urging halt to arms supply to Israel.


France to host Lebanon aid conference, Macron says

France to host Lebanon aid conference, Macron says
Updated 05 October 2024
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France to host Lebanon aid conference, Macron says

France to host Lebanon aid conference, Macron says
  • “We will hold in the next few weeks a conference to provide humanitarian aid,” Macron said

PARIS: France will host an international conference this month to help drum up humanitarian aid for Lebanon and strengthen security in the southern part of the country, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Saturday.
“We will hold in the next few weeks a conference to provide humanitarian aid, support the international community and support the Lebanese armed forces boost security, especially in southern Lebanon,” Macron said after a meeting of French speaking countries in Paris.
Israel has begun an intense bombing campaign in Lebanon and sent troops across the border in recent weeks after nearly a year of exchanging fire with Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah.
Fighting had previously been mostly limited to the Israel-Lebanon border area, taking place in parallel to Israel’s year-old war in Gaza against Palestinian group Hamas.


Lebanon crisis sparks risk of new wave of Syrian refugees into Turkiye

Lebanon crisis sparks risk of new wave of Syrian refugees into Turkiye
Updated 05 October 2024
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Lebanon crisis sparks risk of new wave of Syrian refugees into Turkiye

Lebanon crisis sparks risk of new wave of Syrian refugees into Turkiye
  • There is ‘great uncertainty’ about Turkiye’s options regarding migration management from Lebanon, analyst says 

ANKARA: A surge in the number of Syrian refugees fleeing violence in Lebanon and attempting to reach Turkish-controlled areas in northern Syria is raising concerns over how Turkiye will manage a new influx of refugees. 

Lebanon, which hosts more than 1.5 million Syrian and Palestinian refugees, is witnessing an exodus as security conditions worsen as a result of Israel’s bombing campaign.

Turkiye, which currently shelters around 3.1 million registered Syrian refugees, now faces pressure to accommodate more.

Ankara is also helping to evacuate foreign nationals from Lebanon via Turkiye, following requests from around 20 countries.

On Thursday, Deniz Yucel, spokesperson for the main opposition Republican Peoples’ Party (CHP), submitted a parliamentary question concerning the potential impact of the Israel-Lebanon war on Turkiye.

“There is growing concern that the ongoing conflict in our southeastern border could trigger a massive wave of migration,” he said in his address to Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya. “(This) would not only increase our population but also lead to a rise in unemployment, rent, and property prices while disrupting social order and demographic balance in a country already turned into the world’s refugee camp. The minister of interior must urgently inform the public about the possibility of a new migration wave.”  

Turkiye, Yucel continued, “is not anyone’s refugee camp. We will never allow the Turkish people to become alienated in their homeland. We will close the borders and save the country.”

Metin Corabatir, president of the Research Center on Asylum and Migration in Ankara, said that there is great uncertainty about the options ahead for Turkiye in terms of migration management from Lebanon.  

“A significant number of Lebanese and Syrian refugees are evacuating the country or are crossing into Syria,” he told Arab News. “If Lebanon becomes a battleground, there may be pressure on Turkiye.”

The Turkish government “is pursuing a policy to fight against irregular migration. If there is a new wave of migration, I don’t think Turkiye will opt for an open-border policy, because it will greatly affect domestic politics,” he added.

Some 77 percent of Turks favor closing borders to refugees — significantly more than the global average of 44 percent — according to the results of a recent survey by IPSOS and the UN refugee agency, UNHCR. 

According to Corabatir, if there is a large wave of migration, the Turkish government will be expected to cooperate with the international community to develop formulas based on international humanitarian law rather than accepting offers to once again transform Turkiye into a buffer against migration waves. 

“The absorption capacity of northern Syria has reached its full capacity for hosting more refugee flow. In that case, these people can transit through Syrian soil in a controlled manner and pass to other countries via Turkiye,” he said.

Turkiye, which has a 911 km-long border with Syria, became the country hosting the most refugees in the world in 2011 when the Syrian conflict began.

However, experts do not anticipate a similar influx through the border at present because, since then, Turkiye has imposed tight controls by building a security wall.

“Considering many European countries have already closed their doors to the migration flow, Turkiye will not be expected to operate an open-door policy like it did in the past. But it will cooperate in the conditional and controlled evacuation of refugees in case a large-scale humanitarian crisis erupts,” Corabatir said. 

According to Dr. Oytun Orhan, coordinator of Levant studies at ORSAM, an Ankara-based think tank, as tensions escalate in Lebanon and Syria a new wave of migration is likely to be triggered from the latter, where airstrikes targeting Hezbollah and Iran-backed militias are increasing.  

“This could further destabilize Syria, potentially prompting a fresh migration wave from the south to the north of the country. Turkiye’s primary advantage is managing the influx in designated safe zones,” he told Arab News. 

However, these areas are already overfilled. In Idlib alone, 3.5 million people reside, while other regions house another 1.5 million, most of whom have been internally displaced within Syria.

Dr. Orhan believes Syria’s rising instability, chaotic conditions, and the risk of a new migration wave may force Turkiye to strengthen its border defenses.  

“Expanding the safe zones is one potential outcome, but that remains a last resort,” he said. 

“A military operation to close off the remaining unsecured areas of the safe zone is the worst-case scenario, particularly if the conflict in Gaza or Lebanon spills into Syria. Should this happen, Turkiye is expected to take preventive measures to address any potential border-security risks.

It remains to be seen how this new flow of refugees will affect the slow but ongoing normalization process between Ankara and Damascus.”

In July, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he might invite Syrian leader Bashar Assad to Turkiye “at any moment” to restore relations to the level of the past.

That statement came after Assad said Damascus was open to “all initiatives” to restore Turkish-Syrian ties “as long as they are based on respecting the sovereignty of the Syrian state over all its territory and fighting all forms of terrorism.” 

For Dr. Orhan, there are two options ahead. “Initially, the spread of conflict into Syria might accelerate negotiations, as Damascus faces increased pressure and Iran’s influence in the region weakens,” he said, adding that Russia would likely back such peace efforts in case of further clashes and a migration surge.

“However, if Ankara is obliged to conduct any cross-border military action to secure its borders, it could disrupt normalization talks until tensions subside,” he added.


Ireland calls Israeli demand to move UN troops ‘outrageous’

Ireland calls Israeli demand to move UN troops ‘outrageous’
Updated 05 October 2024
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Ireland calls Israeli demand to move UN troops ‘outrageous’

Ireland calls Israeli demand to move UN troops ‘outrageous’
  • “It is outrageous that the Israeli Defense Forces have threatened this peacekeeping force,” President Michael Higgins said
  • “Indeed, Israel is demanding that the entire UNIFIL operating under UN mandates walk away“

DUBLIN: The president of Ireland on Saturday sharply criticized Israel’s demand that UN peacekeepers leave their positions in southern Lebanon.
“It is outrageous that the Israeli Defense Forces have threatened this peacekeeping force and sought to have them evacuate the villages they are defending,” President Michael Higgins said in a statement.
“Indeed, Israel is demanding that the entire UNIFIL (United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon) operating under UN mandates walk away.”
Ireland accounts for 347 of the 10,000 soldiers serving in the UNIFIL forces, which are charged with maintaining peace in the south of Lebanon.
Earlier Saturday, UNIFIL said it had rejected Israeli demands that it “relocate” some positions ahead of Israeli ground operations against Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.
Higgins called the demand “an insult to the most important global institution.”
Fighting between Hezbollah and Israel has intensified since the start of ground incursions by Israeli troops in southern Lebanon earlier this week.
Some 1,110 people have died in Lebanon and hundreds of thousands have fled their homes because of the fighting.