The Islamic State extremist group is using drones to drop bombs and explosives on the residents of the liberated areas in Mosul, the Telegragh reported.

The Telegraph report stated that the self-proclaimed Islamic State group previously used drones for surveillance purpose, including local-made large fixed wing craft.

“Until recently though there was little evidence they had developed their use further but a series of recent strikes has now confirmed that they have developed the capability to drop 40 millimeter grenades,” the report explained.

Civilians are an easy target for these attacks, especially in the recently liberated areas in Mosul, where eight persons were wounded due one of these attacks last week.

One of the wounded, Hussein, 14 year-old boy, said, “I was shopping with my family when a small plane belonging to the Islamic State dropped a grenade on us.”

Another wounded man also said that he saw the drone drop explosives, while Iraqi Special Forces medic Colonel Khalil Jawad said that this is the first time he has heard of the Islamic State dropping explosives from a drone.

The landmark nuclear deal between Iran and world powers “will not be renegotiated,” Iran’s deputy foreign minister said, ahead of the first anniversary of the agreement’s implementation, like reported by rferl.org .

Abbas Araghchi told reporters in Tehran that “the new U.S. administration cannot abandon the deal,” saying international laws required Washington to implement the agreement.

During his election campaign, U.S. President-elect Donald Trump said he could “tear up” or renegotiate the deal, which curtailed Iran’s atomic programs in exchange for lifting crippling sanctions.

Trump called the accord “the worst deal ever negotiated,” saying it gives away too much to Iran.

Araghchi reiterated an earlier warning by Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who said, “If they tear it up, we will burn it.”

Araghch said there would be no further discussions with U.S. officials over the deal.

“Our nuclear negotiations with the Americans are finalized and we have no other political talks with them,” Araghchi said, adding: “In our view, everything is over.”

Islamic State’s supreme leader has stripped group commanders in eastern Mosul of leadership due to dramatic losses to Iraqi government forces over the past two weeks, a local source has reported to iraqinews.com .

A source told Alsumaria News that Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi withdrew the “emir” designation from all leaders of the extremist group in the eastern part of the city due to “delinquency and escaping” at battlefields in face of advancing Iraqi government troops.

“Baghdad has proscribed the occupation of any leading position by emirs in the eastern section, and to instead deploy them to the frontlines as regular fighters as a sort of punishment,” said the source, who asked not to be identified.

Iraqi government forces, backed by a aircraft and advisers from a US-led military coalition, launched two weeks ago the second phase of a major campaign that started in October to retake Mosul from IS militants. Since then, reports have been recurrent about divisions, infighting and accusations of treason among the group’s leaderships.

Iraqi military and police commanders have said recently they became in control over 90 percent of the eastern region of Mosul, and hope to move onwards to the west, where IS still maintains outstanding strongholds, and where Baghdadi is widely believed to shelter.

On Saturday, Iraqi troops have retaken the Mosul University campus, the most remarkable IS stronghold in eastern Mosul.

Russia plans to improve and expand its naval and air bases in Syria, Interfax news agency reported on Sunday, citing an unnamed source, as Moscow cements its presence in the Middle Eastern country, its only overseas military deployment.

The source told Interfax that Russia will start repairing a second runway at Hmeimin air base near Latakia, while the Tartus naval base will be upgraded in order to handle bigger ships such as cruisers.

President Vladimir Putin has announced a partial withdrawal of Russian forces from Syria, where they have been helping forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad. But Moscow wants to retain a permanent presence both in Hmeimin and Tartus.

The source also told Interfax that Russia will still deploy S-300 surface-to-air defence systems and Bastion coastal missile launchers in Tartus.

At least 26 Yemeni fighters died in fresh clashes and an air strike as government forces advanced against Shiite Houthi rebels near a key shipping strait, medics and officials said to arabnews.com.

A week-long assault by government forces and their allies aims to expel the Iran-backed Houthis from Dhubab region, close to the Bab Al-Mandab strait linking the Red Sea and Indian Ocean.

Twelve bodies of Houthi insurgents were taken early Saturday to a hospital in rebel-held Hodeida, a medical official said, adding that the facility received 23 others wounded.

He said the casualties were from clashes on Friday night in Dhubab.
An overnight air strike by a pro-government Arab coalition on a rebel assembly in Zaydiya, in Hodeida province, left another nine Houthis dead, a security official said.

The Red Sea port city of Hodeida lies some 200 kilometers (125 miles) north of Dhubab.
A medical official at a hospital in the southern city of Aden said five pro-government fighters were killed in overnight clashes around Dhubab and 14 others wounded.

Forces loyal to President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi and allied fighters from the Popular Resistance have entered the town of Dhubab and seized its local government headquarters.

Popular Resistance commander Abdelrahman Al-Muharami said the loyalists had also recaptured large parts of Al-Omeri military base in mountains overlooking the coast.
“There are still some rebel pockets” in the base, he said.

The government and its allies in the Saudi-led coalition recaptured Bab Al-Mandab strait in October 2015, pushing the rebels further north.
But the rebels still control nearly all of Yemen’s Red Sea coast to the north, posing what the coalition says is a threat to international shipping.

Yemen’s conflict has killed more than 7,400 people and wounded nearly 40,000 since it escalated with the coalition intervention in March 2015 after the Houthis seized large swathes of the country, according to the United Nations.

In another bid to reassert government authority, Prime Minister Ahmed bin Dagher said Saturday that his administration will start transferring salaries to state employees in rebel-held areas.
Public sector employees in rebel-controlled areas have struggled since Hadi moved the central bank from Sanaa to the temporary capital of Aden in June, after accusing the insurgents of running down Yemen’s foreign reserves.

Dagher said government employees “across all provinces” will receive their salaries at post offices and exchange outlets, state news agency Saba reported.

Ten members of the Islamic State group were either killed or wounded due to an internal clash in the eastern side of Mosul, a source told Alsumaria on Saturday.

The source said, “Dozens of the Islamic State’s members crossed the Tigris River toward the western side of Mosul, to escape from the government forces.”

“The leaders of the Islamic State in the western bank of the Tigris River accused the fleeing members of being cowards, while the fleeing members accused the leaders of treason,” the source explained. “The mutual accusations lead to clashes that last for half an hour, leaving ten casualties of the group,” the source added.

Security forces managed in the few last hours to liberate a number of areas, while the majority of the Islamic State’s leaders flee outside the city of Mosul, along with their families.

Iraqi Counter-Terrorism Forces liberated the University of Mosul and raised Iraqi flag over its buildings, like reported by iraqinews.com on Saturday.

The source said, “Forces from the Counter-Terrorism Service managed, today, to fully liberate the University of Mosul in eastern Mosul, as well as raising Iraqi flag over its buildings, after inflicting heavy losses on the enemy.”

Yesterday, We Are Coming, Nineveh Operations Command announced storming into the University of Mosul, and recapturing some of its buildings.

Commander of Operations, Lt. Gn. Abdel Amir Yarallah said that elite Counter-Terrorism Forces liberated the Technical Institute, Technical University and the internal departments of the University of Mosul, and raised Iraqi flag over the buildings.

Iraqi joint security forces, backed by Army Aviation and US-led international coalition, continue the battle to liberate Mosul, which was launched after the announcement of General Commander of Armed Forces Haider al-Abadi in October 17, 2016, to retake the city from the Islamic State’s grip.

President Barack Obama extended the United States’ national emergency against Iran, the Press Secretary Office of White House announced according to trend.az .

In a letter to the speaker of the House of Representatives and the president of the Senate, on Jan. 13, Obama said the national emergency with respect to Iran that was declared on March 15, 1995, will continue in effect beyond March 15, 2017.

The US president underlined that certain actions and policies of the Iranian government are contrary to the interests of the United States in the region and continue to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States.

The National Emergencies Act requires the US president to extend a national emergency within 90 days of its anniversary date, before it is automatically terminated.

A few days ago, Al Qaeda leader Ayman Al Zawahiri posted a recorded message on the organization’s electronic sites in response to the criticism of ISIL and as an attempt to inject his views on the current debate between Jihad-Salafi leaders, particularly in Syria, Jordan and Iraq, reported mebriefing.com .

Zawahiri focused on trying to refute the claims that the Syrian opposition is targeted because of the presence of Al Qaeda on the ground and that the organization should leave Syria in order to reach a peaceful settlement to the war there.

But who was he talking to?

He did not mention any particular groups or names other than when he attacked ISIL leader Abu Bakr Al Baghdadi, calling him a different and belittling name. However, listening carefully to his message leaves no doubt that what he had in mind was to announce his support to one faction in Nusra (Jabhat Fatah Al Sham-JFS) and respond to critics from ISIL at the same time.

The message came in a moment when the two organizations, ISIL and Nusra, are moving towards a head-on collision in Syria. ISIL is focusing on surviving by pulling a large chunk of Al Qaeda followers away and recruiting them in Syria, Iraq and Jordan. Due to the fact that foot soldiers follow popular sheikhs, the focus for ISIL is bring those sheikhs to its views.

Furthermore, ISIL believes that the situation in Syria will eventually evolve into a continuation of the jihad, and that part of Al Qaeda followers will be faced with the choice of accepting to deal with the negation track or carrying on the fight. Those who will want to continue their jihad will find ISIL waiting for them with open arms. Apparently, and before it comes under criticism when it loses all its territories, ISIL seems to have intensified its theological attacks on Zawahiri, as we understand from his message.

In fact, Zawahiri is one of a trio that defines the message. He sees that Nusra is about to step farer from Al Qaeda in order to participate in the political process. He knows that some of Nusra sheikhs are preparing to legitimize the step while others are preparing to leave Nusra and return to Al Qaeda. And he follows ISIL attempts to use Nusra cracks to attract as many as possible of its followers to ISIL.

Zawahiri was clearly on the defensive, an indication that ISIL’s theological interpretations of war and peace in Syria is gaining ground when the organization is actually losing territories. But this picture is not only related to the present debate among the influential sheiks, it is also important for the future. The current claims that Al Qaeda has deviated from true jihad will impact the course of events in the future both in Syria in general and inside Nusra in particular.

As the situation on the ground in Syria evolves to new grounds, Nusra is faced with a changing set of pressures. On the one hand, suffering civilians in opposition territories are demanding that it shows a clear sign of distancing itself from Al Qaeda. Even other opposition groups demand that Nusra either dissolves itself or publicly prove it has nothing to do with Zawahiri in order to reduce the enmity of Russia and the US to the opposition in general.

On the other hand, the radicals inside Nusra are calling all members to stick with Al Qaeda. Zawahiri seemed to address that point when he focused in his message on what he claimed to be the US readiness to kill all those who resist its control. He cited the Japanese, the Germans, the Vietnamese and the Iraqis. He then said “It is not because of being Al Qaeda that we are bombed. It is because we resist the Americans. All those who refuse subjugation will be bombed regardless if they are Al Qaeda or not.”

The organizational block that shapes Nusra theological discourse is called Al Manaheja. The word is driven from the Arabic word Al Manhaj, which in itself means the methodology, but in this context, it means the right methodology. The most prominent sheikhs in this school of thought were divided when the Idea of severing ties with Al Qaeda was raised some ten months ago. Some agreed to sever the ties, provided that this happens only superficially. Others refused the idea in principle.

Those who refused to leave Al Qaeda, even only in appearance, were led by people like Sami Al Uraidy (aka Abu Mahmoud Al Shami), Belal Khuraisat (Abu Khadijah) and Iyad Al Tubassy (Abu Jlaibeb). All the three come from Jordan. The fourth hardliner, Ahmed Al Khalif Ismael (Abu Jundel), was killed in a road accident (presumably by ISIL) last August, just a few days after his friends decided to oppose Nusra’s decision to leave Al Qaeda. Tubassy was the leader of Nusra’s groups in Dara and Khuraisat was the leader of its groups in eastern Ghota.

Among those, Uraidy is the principle theoretician of Nusra. He took the place of Abu Maria Al Qahtani (Maysara Jabouri-Iraqi) after the leader of Nusra, Abu Mohamed Al Julani, relieved Qahtani of his post in July 2014 following the defeat of Nusra at the hands of ISIL in eastern Syria.

Al Uraidi (born 1973 in Jordan) received a doctorate degree in Hadith (the utterances of the Prophet). He is a “realist” in the sense that he emphasizes the need to avoid alienating the surrounding population and the importance of working with other opposition groups. Yet, he refuses any political solution in Syria so long as the objective is building a “national state” or a democratic system. For him, democracy and nationalism are intrinsically contradictory to the essence of Islam as he understands it. The only acceptable regime for Uraidi is that which is based on sharia and implements it in all aspects of its governance. If this is not reached, then the continuation of Jihad is a religious obligation. He chose to voluntarily freeze his activities within Nusra upon its approval of severing relations with Al Qaeda.

Now, Uraidi is considering a move back to Al Qaeda. In fact, most of the “Jordanian wing” of Nusra, which is quite powerful, is looking at this option. The reason is related to the new grounds onto which the Syrian crisis is stepping. For if there would be peace talks, they will be centered on shaping the new state as specified in the Turkish-Russian agreement — that is to say, a secular national state. As Al Qaeda refuses that in principle, the superficial adhesion to the organization, in his and Zawahiri’s view, is heading for a serious test. The choice is becoming clear: It is either supporting the national state, hence contradicting Al Qaeda, or refusing it and leaving Nusra. The leader of Nusra, Al Julani, seems ready to accept the diplomatic process. His opponents think this will mount to shaking a pillar of jihad. They believe that the moves of Nusra indicate that it is going further from Jihad. After reluctantly accepting severing ties with Al Qaeda superficially, it is now heading to severing ties with jihad, as Zawahiri explained it in his message.

We do not know what is the stand of Abu Mohamed Al Maqdesi, the notorious Jordanian Sheikh who has considerable influence within the Jordanian wing of Nusra. But there is little doubt that he refuses a secular nationstate. However, we know that Assad emphasized the need to talk about the constitution of the new Syria as a first step before talking about his personal future. He knows that diplomatic talks, in this case, will never reach the second step.

With the intensive pressure we see now, Nusra will certainly split. One part will go back to Al Qaeda and the other will merge with existing organizations, like Ahrar Al Sham, or form their own. Those who left or intend to leave prefer to win first the theological debate centered on issues, like avoiding to amass international adversaries, winning the minds of the civilians and gaining religious legitimacy for talking to the enemies. This is why Al Zawahiri sent his open message to remind all that the objective of avoiding the coordination of all enemies does not justify abandoning the true principles of jihad as he understands it.

But those who are still members in Nusra, though with the intention to leave if the group participates in the talks, do not want to leave before doing all they can to convince the other members that these talks, based on the principle of building a secular nation state, is un-Islamic. If they fail, they will leave Nusra and form another group, potentially under the leadership of Uraidi and with most of the “Al Manaheja”.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards look set to entrench their power and shift the country to more hardline, isolationist policies for years to come following the death of influential powerbroker Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, like reported by reuters.com.

Former president Rafsanjani long had a contentious relationship with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which is both the strongest military force in Iran and also has vast economic interests worth billions of dollars.

With a presidential election in May and a question mark over the health of Iran’s most powerful figure, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, analysts say the Guards will soon have opportunities to tighten their grip on the levers of power.

Rafsanjani, who died on Sunday aged 82, had criticised the Guards’ expanding economic interests, which range from oil and gas to telecommunications and construction, their role in the crackdown on protests after disputed 2009 presidential elections and the country’s missile programme which the Guards oversee.

Rafsanjani was a high-profile member of the Assembly of Experts that selects the Supreme Leader. Though he favoured an easing of security restrictions on Iranians at home, opening up to the West politically and economically, he was a respected go-between who could balance the influence of hardliners.

During mourning ceremonies this week, senior Revolutionary Guards commanders appeared on state TV to praise Rafsanjani, a companion of the Islamic Republic’s founder Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini and one of the pillars of the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

But analysts say many are quietly celebrating the departure of one of their biggest domestic critics.

“They’re going to be very happy,” said Ali Ansari, director of the Institute of Iranian Studies at the University of St Andrews. “They’re shedding a lot of crocodile tears.”

ABSOLUTELY PIVOTAL

With Rafsanjani out of the picture the Guards can play a crucial role in determining who becomes the next Supreme Leader by steering Assembly members toward a candidate more sympathetic to their interests, analysts say.

“All of the candidates you hear about who could replace Khamenei are much more hardline and have more radical views,” said Mehdi Khalaji, a former seminarian from Qom who is a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.

The hardline camp in Iran has defined itself by a deep distrust of Western governments and rigid opposition to internal political reform, whereas Rafsanjani was the leading force behind moderate President Hassan Rouhani’s election win.

The 2015 nuclear agreement between Iran and Western powers was also anathema to hardliners and they have often used the deal, and the economic openings it offered Western companies, to criticise Rouhani’s government.

The question of who could replace Khamenei, 77, was first raised in earnest when he was hospitalised in 2014.

State TV showed Khamenei, who became the Islamic Republic’s second Supreme Leader in 1989, in a hospital bed with a string of officials visiting. Analysts said this was done to help the public recognise that a change at the top was inevitable.

In the event of Khamenei’s death, the Assembly of Experts’ 88 members will hold a closed-door session to push for the candidate of their choice before a final vote is taken. Analysts expect the Revolutionary Guards to play a significant role.

“They’ll be absolutely pivotal,” said Ansari.

PIECES IN PLACE

The Revolutionary Guards first secured an economic foothold after the Iran-Iraq war of the 1980s when Iran’s clerical rulers allowed them to invest in leading Iranian industries.

Their economic influence, authority and wealth grew after former guardsman Mahmoud Ahmadinejad became president in 2005 and has increased since, leading some analysts to say the next Supreme Leader is unlikely to wield the same power as Khamenei.

“They have been putting all the pieces in place for a very forceful show of force if Khamenei passes away,” said Abbas Milani, director of the Iranian Studies programme at Stanford University.

“They’re seizing every day one more lever of intelligence power, financial power, police power. Clearly they’re putting their forces in play,” Milani said.

While there is no clear single candidate for the role of Supreme Leader, there are a handful of top contenders.

One possible candidate is Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi, 68, a former head of the judiciary who is now deputy head of the Assembly of Experts.

Shahroudi is favoured by Khamenei, experts say, and, crucially, is thought to have the backing of the Revolutionary Guards.

Another candidate is Ayatollah Sadeq Amoli Larijani, the 55-year-old current head of the judiciary who has twice been appointed to the position by Khamenei.

Larijani comes from a family of political heavyweights – one brother, Ali, is parliament speaker and another has served in government – but Sadeq is not regarded as a senior cleric and is unlikely to muster much support among the old guard.

A third possible candidate is Mohammad-Taqi Mesbah-Yazdi, a hardline stalwart who has tussled with reformists for years. Mesbah-Yazdi did not get enough votes to keep his seat in the Assembly last year and, at 82, his age will likely be an issue if he is being considered for the top position in the country.

Some analysts say, however, that given the increasing power of the Revolutionary Guards it is perhaps less significant who actually becomes the next Supreme Leader.

“The individual is no longer important,” said Khalaji at the Washington Institute. “When I get asked who’s going to replace Khamenei, I say it’s the Revolutionary Guards.”