US State Department said law, which imposes jail terms of up to 15 years for same-sex relations, ‘threatens those most at risk in Iraqi society’. UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron called law ‘dangerous’.

Attack by ‘outlaw elements’ in Iraq was the first major one against coalition forces in several weeks.

Saturday’s drone and missile launches, including some that overflew Iraqi airspace, have underscored the delicate relationship between Washington and Baghdad, not least because of Iranian proxy groups that operate in Iraq.

The US and Israel had been bracing for an attack for days after Iran vowed to retaliate for a suspected Israeli strike this month on an Iranian consular building in Syria that killed 12 people

Iran’s attack came in retaliation for an April 1 strike that levelled the five-storey consular annexe of the Iranian embassy in Damascus and killed seven Revolutionary Guards, two of them generals.

Iran launched explosive drones and fired missiles at Israel late on Saturday in its first direct attack on Israeli territory, a retaliatory strike that raised the threat of a wider regional conflict.

Islamic State, which harbours a virulent hatred for Iran’s dominant Shiite sect, also claimed responsibility for two explosions in Iran in January.

In 2018, Lieberman was hired by Chinese telecoms company ZTE as it tried to fend off US national security concerns. He died in New York after complications from a fall, his family said.

UK judges delayed decision on Assange’s last-ditch extradition appeal bid amid concerns he could face death penalty in US. Russia’s foreign ministry said UK’s judicial system was a ‘mockery’.

Julian Assange has been indicted on 17 espionage charges and one charge of computer misuse over his website’s publication of classified US documents 15 years ago.

In Iraq, the Kurds are a sizeable minority who have been persecuted and lost many of their historic documents.

Desert camping is becoming popular in Iraq as the country experiences a period of relative stability, and young men looking for a ‘safe’ adventure swap city life for serenity among the sand dunes.

The British royals are mourning the death of Thomas Kingston, husband to Lady Gabriella Kingston, after the 45-year-old was found dead this past weekend – here’s what we know about him

A peacekeeper in Iraq, a would-be basketball player in Canada – Son Suk-ku was a late bloomer. His acting career took off after Netflix’s Sense8, and he’s back on Netflix in A Killer Paradox.

The threat of a wider conflict could encourage nations in the region to expand their fighter jet forces but China has challenges in eroding US dominance.

US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin, who is fighting prostate cancer, transferred his duties to his deputy hours after he was taken to hospital for ‘an emergent bladder issue’.

Kataeb Hezbollah’s Abu Baqir al-Saadi is said to have been responsible for planning and taking part on attacks on US forces in the area.

But US national security adviser Jake Sullivan declined to be drawn on whether the US might attack sites inside Iran, something the US military has been very careful to avoid.

Iran’s warning appeared to signal Tehran’s growing unease over US strikes in recent days in Iraq, Syria and Yemen targeting militias backed by the Islamic Republic.

This is the second day of major US operations against Tehran-backed groups following an assault in Jordan that killed 3 American troops.

Dozens of people are said to have died, with Damascus saying the US is fuelling the conflict in a ‘very dangerous way’ and Baghdad warning of potential ‘disastrous’ consequences for security and stability.

New UN report says the threat from al-Qaeda, Islamic State and their affiliates remains high in key conflict zones – and that threat levels have risen in some regions including Europe.

Mediators presented Hamas with the first concrete proposal for an extended ceasefire, which the militants ‘received positively’ but have not responded to.

Three US soldiers were killed and dozens wounded after a drone hit a military outpost in Jordan, known as Tower 22, on Sunday. The location is just one of many bases the US has in the Middle East.

The Biden administration is weighing options to deter Iran and its proxies without sparking direct warfare with the Islamic Republic, according to US officials and experts.