A remarkable shift in Syria towards dismantling the infrastructure of Captagon networks

A government source reported that Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi is preparing to visit Kuwait and Bahrain this week, as part of his series of visits to neighboring countries, after he had visited Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Syria, Turkey and Iran.

Based on political calculations and what is being circulated in Iraqi political corridors, Al-Zaidi’s visits to Saudi Arabia and Jordan were aimed at building confidence with the leadership of the two countries, especially after the series of attacks that the two countries were subjected to by armed militias in Iraq.

In this context, Al-Zaidi provided guarantees that such attacks would not be repeated in the future, especially since the arms control procedures are moving forward, despite some factions’ rejection of them, or their attempts to delay their implementation beyond the scheduled dates, which it is hoped will end by June 2027.

As for his visit to Turkey, it was aimed at discussing new files, most notably the passage of Iraqi oil through the Turkish port of Ceyhan, and the “development road project,” in addition to old files related to water.

While political circles await the upcoming visits to Kuwait and Bahrain, the most prominent information circulating indicates that the outstanding issues between Baghdad and Kuwait will be at the forefront of the discussions, while the minority issue will be one of the topics of Al-Zaidi’s visit to Bahrain. According to the sources.

The source pointed out that “the Prime Minister’s visit to Bahrain will focus on calm to ensure stable security in the region.” He added, "The visit that Al-Zaidi will conduct has discussed its topics with the leaders of the (coordination framework) earlier."

For his part, Professor of Political Science at Al-Mustansiriya University, Issam Al-Faili, said, “Al-Zaidi wants to establish a strategic relationship with the Arab countries mainly through economic interests, and he realizes the importance of Iraq to the Gulf countries, which will contribute in the future to its return to the Gulf system.”

In a related context, the Israeli newspaper “Maariv” revealed the Israeli army’s preparations for the possibility of occupying three major cities in southern Lebanon, namely Tire, Sidon and Nabatieh, in the event of the resumption of the war with Iran and Hezbollah’s intervention in the confrontation.

Dr. Riad Kahwaji, a researcher in security and defense affairs, stressed that the Israeli threats must be taken seriously, stressing the need for them to constitute an incentive for the Lebanese government to accelerate the pace of its work on the arms control issue.