While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, Feb 8
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People inspect a vehicle, after what security sources said was a deadly drone strike, in Baghdad, Iraq.
PHOTO: REUTERS
US strike kills Kataib Hezbollah commander in Baghdad
A commander from Kataib Hezbollah, an Iran-backed armed group in Iraq that the Pentagon has blamed for attacking its troops, was killed in a US strike on Feb 7, the US military said.
“(US) forces conducted a unilateral strike in Iraq in response to the attacks on US service members, killing a Kataib Hezbollah commander responsible for directly planning and participating in attacks on US forces in the region,” a statement from the military said. It did not name the commander.
It added that there were no indications of civilian casualties.
Two security sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the commander was Abu Baqir al-Saadi, killed in a drone strike on a vehicle in eastern Baghdad.
Ukraine calls for ‘urgent’ military help after Russian strikes
Ukraine urged the West on Feb 7 to speed up and increase deliveries of artillery shells after a new Russian missile attack on Kyiv and other regions killed four in the capital and wounded more than 40.
Securing the shells has been a priority for Kyiv, which is burning through its reserves as Russia throws more manpower and resources at the frontlines almost two years into its invasion.
Ukraine’s commander-in-chief Valery Zaluzhny said Russia used drones, cruise, ballistic and anti-aircraft missiles in the barrage. He said Russia fired 20 drones and 44 missiles in the morning attack – with Ukraine shooting down 15 drones and 29 missiles.
Israel’s Netanyahu rejects Gaza ceasefire offer
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Feb 7 rejected a proposal for a Gaza war truce by Hamas, saying victory was within reach and only total defeat of the movement that rules the blockaded strip would ensure Israel’s security.
The Israeli premier was speaking a day after Hamas said it had delivered its response to a proposed ceasefire deal for Gaza drawn up by US and Israeli spy chiefs and delivered to Hamas last week by Qatari and Egyptian mediators.
Hamas’ response offered a ceasefire in Gaza for four-and-a-half months, during which all hostages would be released, Israel would withdraw its forces from the Gaza Strip and an agreement would be reached on an end to the war.
UN chief says world in ‘age of chaos’
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned on Feb 7 that the world is entering “an age of chaos” with a deeply divided United Nations Security Council unable to address critical issues such as the Israel-Hamas war.
With the war in Gaza entering its fifth month on Feb 7, Mr Guterres warned that if the Israeli armed forces press on into the southern city of Rafah, it will “exponentially increase what is already a humanitarian nightmare with untold regional consequences.”
Israeli forces, in their campaign to destroy Hamas after its unprecedented attack on Oct 7, have relentlessly bombed the Gaza Strip and carried out a ground invasion, displacing over a million people southward.
‘Best yet to come’: Qatar set up Asian Cup final with Jordan
Goal-scorer Akram Afif said “the best is yet to come” after hosts and holders Qatar squeezed into an Asian Cup final against Jordan with a dramatic 3-2 win over Iran on Feb 7.
Almoez Ali struck in the 82nd minute in Doha to send Qatar into their second consecutive final, further exorcising the demons of their first-round exit at the 2022 World Cup.
Qatar lost all three of their World Cup games on home soil just over a year ago, the worst record of any host in the competition’s history. But that was all a distant memory as they celebrated in front of over 40,000 fans after a breathless semi-final at Al Thumama Stadium.
