Iran Claims Missile Launch Aimed at Iraqi Base Housing US Troops

Details

by AP -- Iran says it has launched “tens” of surface-to-surface missiles at Iraq’s Ain Assad air base housing U.S. troops over America’s killing of a top Iranian general. State TV described it early Wednesday as Tehran’s revenge operation over the killing of Revolutionary Guard Gen. Qassem Soleimani. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard then warned the U.S. and its regional allies against retaliating over the missile attack in Iraq. The Guard issued the warning via a statement carried by Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency. “We are warning all American allies, who gave their bases to its terrorist army, that any territory that is the starting point of aggressive acts against Iran will be targeted,” The Guard said. It also threatened Israel.

U.S. forces could not be immediately reached for comment. White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham said the White House is aware of the reports. "The president has been briefed and is monitoring the situation closely and consulting with his national security team," she said. Ain Assad air base is in Iraq’s western Anbar province. It was first used by American forces after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion that toppled dictator Saddam Hussein. It later saw American troops stationed there amid the fight against the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria. State TV said the operation’s name was “Martyr Soleimani.” It said the Guard’s aerospace division that controls Iran’s missile program launched the attack. Iran said it would release more information later. A stampede broke out Tuesday at the funeral for a top Iranian general slain in a U.S. airstrike, and at least 56 people were killed and more than 200 were injured as thousands thronged the procession, Iranian news reports said. As the crowds mourned Revolutionary Guard Gen. Qassem Soleimani, more angry calls rose from Iran to avenge his death, drastically raising tensions in the Middle East. The U.S. continued to reinforce its own positions in the region and warned of an unspecified threat to shipping from Iran in the region's waterways, crucial routes for global energy supplies. U.S. embassies and consulates from Asia to Africa and Europe issued security alerts for Americans. The U.S. Air Force launched a drill with 52 fighter jets in Utah, just days after President Donald Trump threatened to hit 52 sites in Iran.

Tuesday's deadly stampede took place in Soleimani's hometown of Kerman as his coffin was being borne through the city in southeastern Iran, said Pirhossein Koulivand, head of Iran’s emergency medical services. There was no information about what set off the crush in the packed streets, and online videos showed only its aftermath: people lying apparently lifeless, their faces covered by clothing, emergency crews performing CPR on the fallen, and onlookers wailing and crying out to God. “Unfortunately as a result of the stampede, some of our compatriots have been injured and some have been killed during the funeral processions," Koulivand said, and state TV quoted him as saying that 56 had died and 213 had been injured. Soleimani's burial was delayed, with no new time given, because of concerns about the huge crowd at the cemetery, the semi-official ISNA news agency said. A procession in Tehran on Monday drew over 1 million people in the Iranian capital, crowding both main avenues and side streets in Tehran. Such mass crowds can prove dangerous. A smaller stampede at the 1989 funeral for Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini killed at least eight people and injured hundreds. Hossein Salami, Soleimani's successor as leader of the Revolutionary Guard, addressed a crowd of supporters gathered at the coffin in a central square in Kernan. He vowed to avenge Soleimani, who was killed in a U.S. drone strike Friday near Baghdad's airport. “We tell our enemies that we will retaliate but if they take another action we will set ablaze the places that they like and are passionate about," Salami said. “Death to Israel!” the crowd shouted in response, referring to one of Iran's longtime regional foes.

Salami praised Soleimani's work, describing him as essential to backing Palestinian groups, Yemen's Houthi rebels and Shiite militias in Iraq and Syria. As a martyr, Soleimani represented an even greater threat to Iran's enemies, Salami said. Soleimani will ultimately be laid to rest between the graves of Enayatollah Talebizadeh and Mohammad Hossein Yousef Elahi, two former Guard comrades killed in Iran's 1980s war with Iraq. They died in Operation Dawn 8, in which Soleimani also took part. It was a 1986 amphibious assault that cut Iraq off from the Persian Gulf and led to the end of the war that killed 1 million. The funeral processions in major cities over three days have been an unprecedented honor for Soleimani, seen by Iranians as a national hero for his work leading the Guard’s expeditionary Quds Force. The U.S. blames him for killing U.S. troops in Iraq and accused him of plotting new attacks just before he was killed. Soleimani also led forces supporting Syrian President Bashar Assad in that country's civil war, and he also served as the point man for Iranian proxies in countries like Iraq, Lebanon and Yemen. Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Assad in Syria on Tuesday amid the tensions between Washington and Tehran. Soleimani's slaying already has led Tehran to abandon the remaining limits of its 2015 nuclear deal with world powers as his successor and others vow to take revenge. In Iraq, pro-Iranian factions in parliament have pushed to oust American troops from Iraqi soil following Soleimani's killing. Germany and Canada announced plans to move some of their soldiers in Iraq to neighboring countries. According to a report on Tuesday by the semi-official Tasnim news agency, Iran has worked up 13 sets of plans to avenge Soleimani's death. The report quoted Ali Shamkhani, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, as saying that even the weakest among them would be a “historic nightmare” for the U.S. He declined to elaborate, “If the U.S. troops do not leave our region voluntarily and upright, we will do something to carry their bodies horizontally out," Shamkhani said. The state-run IRNA news agency later published a statement from the Supreme National Security Council denying Shamkhani made the comment.

The U.S. Maritime Administration warned ships across the Mideast, citing the rising threats. “The Iranian response to this action, if any, is unknown, but there remains the possibility of Iranian action against U.S. maritime interests in the region,” it said. Oil tankers were targeted in mine attacks last year that the U.S. blamed on Iran. Tehran denied responsibility, although it did seize oil tankers around the crucial Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which 20% of the world’s crude oil travels. The U.S. Navy's Bahrain-based 5th Fleet said it would work with shippers in the region to minimize any possible threat. The 5th Fleet “has and will continue to provide advice to merchant shipping as appropriate regarding recommended security precautions in light of the heightened tensions and threats in the region,” 5th Fleet spokesman Cmdr. Joshua Frey told The Associated Press. Meanwhile, Iranian Gen. Alireza Tabgsiri, the chief of the Guard’s navy, issued his own warning. “Our message to the enemies is to leave the region," Tabgsiri said, according to ISNA. The Guard routinely has tense encounters with the U.S. Navy in the Persian Gulf. Separately, Iran summoned the British ambassador over comments by Prime Minister Boris Johnson and the British defense minister about Soleimani's killing, the semi-official Mehr news agency reported. Iran's parliament, meanwhile, has passed an urgent bill declaring the U.S. military's command at the Pentagon and those acting on its behalf in Soleimani's killing as “terrorists," subject to Iranian sanctions. The measure appears to be in response to a decision by Trump in April to declare the Revolutionary Guard a “terrorist organization.” The U.S. Defense Department used that terror designation to support the strike that killed Soleimani. The action by Iran’s parliament was done by a special procedure to speed it into law and also saw the lawmakers approve funding for the Quds Force with an additional 200 million euros, or about $224 million.

Also Tuesday, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said the U.S. had declined to issue him a visa to travel to New York for meetings at the United Nations. As the host of the U.N. headquarters, the U.S. is supposed to allow foreign officials to attend such meetings. “This is because they fear someone will go there and tell the truth to the American people,” Zarif said. "But they are mistaken. The world is not limited to New York. You can speak with American people from Tehran too and we will do that.” Asked about Zarif, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told journalists America would comply with its obligations under U.N. rules to grant visas. He then referred to the Iranian diplomat as “a propagandist of the first order.” A U.S. official who wasn't authorized to speak on the record said the application couldn't be processed in time for Zarif's travel although it wasn't clear if his request had been formally denied. A formal rejection would trigger legal technicalities that could affect future visa applications and could violate the host country agreement the U.S. has with the U.N. © Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Japan prosecutors obtain arrest warrant for wife of Carlos Ghosn

Details

by cnbc.com -- Japanese prosecutors have obtained an arrest warrant for the wife of fugitive ex-Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn. Her husband fled Japan in late December, using the bullet train and two private jets to travel to Lebanon. The former executive was first arrested in Japan in 2018 and charged with financial crimes while serving as the boss of Nissan. He denied any wrongdoing in January 2019 and has also claimed that Japan’s justice system is “rigged.” According to several media reports on Tuesday, investigators believe that n April last year his spouse Carole Ghosn may have made false statements about the case to a Tokyo court. A spokeswoman for Carole Ghosn told Reuters that the issuance of a warrant was “pathetic,” noting that Ms Ghosn had traveled to Japan last year to answer questions and had left without any charges at the time.

Carole Ghosn is an American passport holder and, unlike her husband, could potentially be made subject to an extradition request between Japan and the United States. The spokesperson added that the timing of the warrant is designed to undermine a press conference by the former Nissan boss which is due this week. “Last time Carlos Ghosn announced a press conference and got re-arrested. This time, the day before he is announced to speak out freely for the first time, they issued an arrest warrant for his wife Carole Ghosn,” the spokesperson said.

Read more ...

Defense Secy. Esper: No Decision Yet on Leaving Iraq

Details

by reuters --- Defense Secretary Mark Esper says the United States has made "no decision" about withdrawing troops from Iraq amid heightened tensions with neighboring Iran. Esper spoke to reporters Monday after a letter from a U.S. Army general circulated that seemed to suggest a withdrawal had been ordered in response to a vote by the Iraqi Parliament over the weekend. Esper says, “There's been no decision whatsover to leave Iraq.” Iraq's Parliament called on Sunday for U.S. and other foreign troops to leave as a backlash grows against the U.S. killing of a top Iranian general President Donald Trump threatened sanctions against Baghdad as a result, saying that if troops did leave, Baghdad would have to pay Washington for the cost of the air base there. “We have a very extraordinarily expensive air base that’s there. It cost billions of dollars to build, long before my time. We’re not leaving unless they pay us back for it," Trump told reporters on Air Force One. Trump said that if Iraq asked U.S. forces to leave and it was not done on a friendly basis, "we will charge them sanctions like they’ve never seen before ever. It’ll make Iranian sanctions look somewhat tame.” Reuters contributed to this report.

Lebanese designers rule the 2020 Golden Globes red carpet

Details

Lauren Graham, Rose Leslie and Annabelle Wallis wore gowns from Lebanese designers. AFP

DUBAI: The awards season kicked off Sunday night with the 77th Annual Golden Globes at Los Angeles’ Beverly Hilton Hotel. Hosted by Ricky Gervais, the ceremony awarded the year’s best and brightest in television and film, as decided by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Honored actors included Egyptian-American Ramy Youssef, who took home the award for Best Actor in a Comedy Series, making him the second consecutive actor of Arab descent to win the prestigious accolade.

But it wasn’t just Arab actors that got us talking; the elegant and glamorous dresses on the red carpet that were created by our region’s talent were worthy of their very own awards too. “Game of Thrones” actress Rose Leslie arrived on the red-carpet arm-in-arm with her co-star and real-life husband Kit Harrington wearing an emerald beaded long-sleeved evening gown with a sheer skirt from Lebanese couturier Elie Saab — whom she tasked with creating her wedding dress in 2018.

Read more ...

Nancy Ajram’s husband detained after burglar killing

Details

by thenational.ae -- The husband of Lebanese popstar Nancy Ajram, who was detained for shooting a burglar who died of 16 bullet wounds on Sunday, has been transferred to hospital. Celebrity dentist Dr Fadi Al Hashem surprised an alleged bugler, Syrian national Mohammed Hassan Al Moussa, 30, as he broke into his family home at around dawn in the Keserwan district, north of the capital Beirut, reported the state-run National News Agency. Security camera footage broadcast by local television network MTV allegedly shows Al Moussa, who is wearing a mask, threatening Dr Al Hashem with appears to be a gun. He told MTV that the burglar was carrying one of Ajram’s handbags and asking for money. Dr Al Hachem complied and gave him cash from his jacket, but Al Moussa then asked: “Where is the gold? Don’t make me hurt you. Call your wife.” Images show several other men arriving on the scene, who Dr Al Hashem says in the video are his security guards. In the meantime, he picked up a gun and later said that he “lost his mind” when he realised that Al Moussa had entered his young daughters’ bedroom. “I ran to him like a kamikaze. I wanted to cut him into pieces. Even if he shot me,” he told MTV.

The security footage cuts as the gun is fired. Al Moussa died at the scene and a judicial source told MTV that the cause was 16 gunshot wounds. MTV also reported that the gun Al Moussa had been carrying had been fake. It remains unclear whether the other men who were present also shot Al Moussa. “The guests were inside and before they turned on the alarm, he climbed over the fence and hid,” Ajram’s manager Jiji Lamara said of the intruder on Egyptian talk show Kul Youm. “Once the guests left he did what he did.”

Read more ...

Ex-Nissan Chairman Ghosn to Bartiromo: I have 'actual evidence' this was a coup to take me down

Details

by foxbusiness.com -- Following his escape from Japan, former Nissan Chairman Carlos Ghosn told FOX Business' Maria Bartiromo this weekend that he has "actual evidence" and documents that will prove that this was a coup to take him down. Ghosn told Bartiromo that at a press conference this week he plans to name names, including some people behind the Japanese government which he believes, are behind his 2018 arrest over financial misconduct allegations. Ghosn believes "they wanted to take him out" because he was going to merge with Nissan and Renault. But Ghosn said giving up his position as CEO put him in a "dangerous position" and he believes he should have left Japan, instead of being a support system for his successor Hiroto Sakawa.

Ghosn also told Bartiromo that he was "really unnerved and upset" that he failed to understand the unfairness of the Japanese judicial system and that the "straw that broke the camel's back" was the fact that he was unable to speak to his wife. Ghosn said he refused to sit in his apartment under surveillance when he would not get a fair trial but is willing to have his case heard in front of any court aside from Japan. Ghosn's wife told FOX Business in April that her husband was in poor health and enduring harsh conditions while being incarcerated.

by cnn -- Ghosn's public attacks will bruise 'brand Japan'

"Brand Japan is going to suffer a great deal," said Jeffrey Kingston, director of Asian Studies at Temple University Japan. "His case is certainly a major black eye for the Japanese judicial system." Ghosn is already using his newfound freedom to rail on the country's criminal court system, which boasts an incredibly high conviction rate, and which he claims had held him "hostage." He has promised to communicate "freely" with journalists about his plight. The former Nissan chief may be guilty of various financial crimes, Kingston said, "but that has all been over shadowed" by Ghosn's treatment and his arguments that the judicial system is rigged.

Read more ...