Sources reported on Sunday that production had stopped in the Khor Mor gas field in Iraq, one of the largest fields in the Kurdistan region, after it was targeted in a drone attack.
Two sources in the Ministry of Electricity in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq said that the field’s production stopped after a drone targeted a liquefied petroleum gas storage tank, causing a fire that is still raging. Two security sources said that smoke was seen rising from the field. The two sources in the ministry stated that field workers were evacuated to safe places inside the facility following the attack.
The Iraqi Prime Minister and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Ali al-Zaidi, said that the initial assessment indicates that the attack did not result in human casualties. A joint statement issued by the Ministries of Natural Resources and Electricity in the Kurdistan Region described the attack as “terrorist,” stressing that the two ministries are working to reduce its repercussions to a minimum. No party claimed responsibility for the attack.
The field provides gas supplies needed to generate electricity in the region. The Ministry of Electricity in Iraqi Kurdistan said in a statement that the attack led to the loss of about 2.8 gigawatts of electricity generation capacity in the region.
Dana Gas, which participates in operating the field, had suspended the main production facilities in the field earlier in July due to credible security threats and regional tensions, before resuming production later in the same month.
Iraq was among the countries most affected by Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Traffic in the strait remains disrupted as ships continue to face attacks in the area. Baghdad is striving to achieve balance in its relations with neighboring Iran and the United States in the midst of the military escalation between the two countries.
However, Tehran has launched attacks against Iranian Kurdish opposition groups in northern Iraq, while Iranian-backed militants in Iraq launched attacks against its Gulf neighbors earlier in the conflict.
As part of the procedures for restructuring Syrian government institutions, Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa issued three presidential decrees appointing three assistants to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, all of them young, in contrast to the Syrian diplomatic tradition of selecting assistants to the minister from the category of veterans involved in diplomatic work, at a time when many diplomats who defected from the previous regime are still waiting for their status to be settled.
Behind the scenes of political circles in Damascus, there is controversy over the appointment of officials to high-ranking positions in sovereign ministries, amid unconfirmed news about government changes that include sovereign ministries and the transfer of positions of prominent officials.
Wael Alwan, researcher and executive director at the Jusoor Studies Center, told Asharq Al-Awsat: “There is talk about the possibility of Interior Minister Anas Khattab assuming the presidency of National Security, with Major General Abdul Qadir Al-Tahan succeeding him in the Ministry of Interior. There is also similar talk regarding the Ministry of Defense, but there is no accurate information until now,” denying his knowledge of the talk of Foreign Minister Asaad Al-Shaibani moving to another position.
An unprecedented measure
On Saturday, Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa issued three presidential decrees bearing the numbers 205, 206, and 207 for the year 2026, appointing three assistants to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, and distributing tasks among them on the files of consular affairs, international cooperation, and executive affairs.
The appointment of three assistants to the Minister of Foreign Affairs is an unprecedented measure in the history of Syrian diplomatic work, and an indication of the dismantling of the traditional administrative system that has existed in the country for many decades.
The administrative structure of the Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs usually includes only two assistants to the minister, mainly and permanently, between whom diplomatic, political, and administrative files are divided. In some exceptional periods, a third assistant was appointed, or advisors and advisors to the deputy ministers were relied upon for specialized tasks. However, the dominant feature over the decades was the institutionalization of the ministry with the presence of two assistants in addition to the position of “Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs.”
Alwan believed that the new appointments are practically a “restructuring,” and said: “The country’s new administration is not committed to what has been the norm, as it is completely separate from the previous regime.” Alwan pointed out that “the original is to select cadres within the internal institutional hierarchy, the functional hierarchy, or from long diplomatic experience; But in the case of a transitional government, the matter is different, as trust, in the sense of loyalty, takes precedence over competence. The researcher explained that this controversial trend often comes for “security reasons.”
As for seeking the help of experienced diplomats who defected from the previous regime, Alwan said, “This is possible, but it is not a requirement, with priority given to the element of trust and compatibility with the current approach.”
Young people with limited experience
As for those who were appointed, they are Muhammad Yaqoub Al-Omar (born in Idlib 1993), Assistant to the Minister of Foreign Affairs for Consular Affairs. He holds a Master’s degree in public policy from the University of Idlib, a Bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of the North, in addition to a degree in agricultural engineering from the University of Idlib, according to local media.
Qutaiba Ali Qadish (born in Damascus in 1988) was also appointed Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for International Cooperation Affairs. He holds a degree in law from Damascus University. He previously held the Directorate of International Cooperation and Directorate of Protocol at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates. He also served as Assistant Minister of Development and Humanitarian Affairs in the Syrian Salvation Government, and Director of the Humanitarian and Development Projects Directorate in it.
In addition to the appointment of Ubadah Khaled Diab, born in Damascus in 1996, as Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants for Executive Affairs.
Diab holds an Executive Master's degree in Development Policy from the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva, and a Bachelor's degree in Foreign Service, specializing in International Economics, from Georgetown University.
His previous experience includes heading the Office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs and managing the Ministry’s Strategic Planning Office, an expert in information management and labor market research at the Qatari Ministry of Labor, and a data specialist at the Humanitarian Data Center of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), according to what SANA reported.
Despite the Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ decision to return dissident diplomats to work and assign many of them to head missions and represent Syria in regional and international capitals, the files of a large number of them are still stuck in the corridors, awaiting the settlement of their status and the completion of administrative reviews.
The presidential appointments in the Syrian Foreign Ministry were accompanied by the decision of Foreign Minister Asaad Al-Shaibani to appoint broadcaster Muzna Mamdouh Al-Atrash, daughter of the city of Suwayda, as an advisor for peace affairs. While some saw this decision as giving momentum to the national reconciliation files, especially the Suwayda file, others criticized this appointment against the backdrop of the creation of an unclear position, namely “peace affairs,” in addition to Al-Atrash’s previous political positions, which supported Bashar al-Assad and the army’s practices through her work on state television.
The participation of the four Lebanese Forces Party ministers in the upcoming sessions of the Council of Ministers is subject to review and evaluation, in light of their decision to boycott the last session, and to withdraw from the session that preceded it, against the backdrop of disagreements related to the electricity files and the referral of the Dahr al-Baydar explosives case to the Judicial Council.
In this context, the electricity file highlights a fundamental factor in determining the nature of the “Forces’” dealing with the next stage. The Minister of Energy announced his retirement at the beginning of last October from attending Cabinet sessions. As a result of “the government’s failure to assume its responsibilities towards the energy sector and its failure to deal seriously with the proposals submitted to ensure the continuity of electricity.”
The Council of Ministers postponed the session that was scheduled to be held last Thursday and devoted to this file, pending the return of Energy Minister Joe Seddi from Qatar, where the details of the Qatari offer to provide electricity to Lebanon were discussed.
According to Asharq Al-Awsat information, a Qatari delegation is expected to visit Beirut early this week. To continue the technical, artistic and financial discussions, pending a “declaration of intent” signed at the level of ministers or the prime ministers of the Lebanese and Qatari governments, provided that the Council of Ministers sets a date for a new session devoted exclusively to discussing the electricity file and deciding on its various details.
The fate of the agreement with Qatar
Lebanese Forces sources indicate that “there are many technical details that must be discussed, as we are talking about a treaty between two countries and many paths observed in the electricity file, and therefore; “It is illogical to expect an agreement to be signed overnight.”
The sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that “Minister Seddi and the other (Forces) ministers will then participate in this session, as Seddi is the minister directly concerned with the file,” and that “the upcoming session is supposed to constitute a decisive step to determine the fate of the agreement with Qatar and the options presented regarding it.” Hence; Participation becomes necessary, waiting for the outcome of government discussions and decisions.”
The Lebanese Prime Minister, Nawaf Salam, announced in the middle of last month that an agreement was close to being reached with Qatar to rehabilitate and develop the infrastructure for electricity production in Lebanon, under a project that Doha will finance, implement and operate without the Lebanese treasury bearing any prior investment costs. This was during his meeting with the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Qatar, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani, who revealed “an understanding on a comprehensive framework for cooperation in the energy sector, which includes a large investment project and integrated solutions to the electricity crisis,” in addition to projects To link in the field of energy between Lebanon, Syria and Iraq.
Hezbollah explosives
The “forces” dissatisfaction with the government’s performance is not limited to the electricity file; Rather, it focuses primarily on referring the Dahr al-Baydar explosives file, which Hezbollah claimed, to the Judicial Council.
The Ministers of the Forces had decided to withdraw from one of the Council of Ministers sessions. In protest against the refusal to refer the file to the Judicial Council, before they boycotted the last session devoted to discussing the waste file without including the referral item on the agenda.
The Forces Party insists on referring this case to the Judicial Council as an issue affecting national security and state sovereignty, and “not just a case of seizing an explosives shipment.”
Forces sources explain that what they are demanding is “to place the referral to the Judicial Council on the agenda of any future session of the Council of Ministers, and a vote will be taken on the item.” Either the referral is completed, or the person who brought it down will bear responsibility before the people.”
Regarding whether they will continue to boycott the Cabinet sessions if the referral item is not included on the agenda, the sources say: “When is a regular session scheduled and the referral item is not on the agenda? Then we take the appropriate position.”
Last week, the Lebanese military judiciary began the prosecution phase in the case of the Hezbollah explosives truck, which was seized at the Dahr al-Baydar checkpoint about a month ago.
The first military investigative judge, Ghada Abu Alwan, interrogated the two detainees, Ali Al-Kurdi and Haitham Amhaz, who were driving the truck carrying the explosives, and issued two arrest warrants against them, while 11 other people from the “party” were charged, who are still in hiding.
The media recently circulated an “unannounced settlement” led by Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri. To contain the crisis of referring the Dahr al-Baydar explosives file to the Judicial Council, it is based on continuing judicial prosecutions against those involved, in exchange for avoiding referral to the Judicial Council, which Hezbollah completely rejects.
