Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi has told US ambassador Matthew Tueller that Baghdad is doing all it can to prevent "descent into open war" as tensions flare over the US killing of top Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani.

Speaking at a meeting with Tueller in the Iraqi capital on Monday, Abdul-Mahdi said his government's policy has "always been to have relations with all sides." He said Iraq wants to build its relations with other countries on "cooperation, mutual respect, and protection of foreign sovereignty," adding that a strong Iraqi government is in "everyone's interest" in the region.

The PM also "stressed the importance of mutual cooperation" on implementing foreign troop withdrawal, according to a statement released by his office.

The meeting comes after US President Donald Trump warned Iraq that it should brace for "very big" sanctions "like they've never seen before."

That warning followed the passing of a non-binding resolution in the Iraqi parliament on Sunday asking the government to expel foreign troops by canceling a request for military assistance from the US-led coalition. On Monday, Abdul-Mahdi said the US and Iraq must also work together to implement the withdrawal of foreign troops from the country.

Trump has claimed the US will not leave Iraq unless Baghdad "pays it back" for the "extraordinarily expensive" air base which it built there.

Asked about Trump's threat to impose sanctions on Iraq, Al-Muttalibi said Iraqis "have to be worried" and can't trust Trump's "good intentions." If the US does impose sanctions, Iraq will need to look for "more suitable partners" than those who "come to Iraq, kill Iraqi citizens, use Iraqi airspace and Iraq ground to kill Iraqi officials," he said.

Speaking about the Iraqi parliament's resolution asking the government to expel foreign forces, he warned that it's "very important for the Americans to pull out [of Iraq]" because "we don't want to be drawn into a war between Iran and America on Iraqi soil."

© The SakerIs the Chairman of the JCS freaking out? Answer? He should and he is!

US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday the US is prepared for any retaliation on the side of Iran and that Washington is ready to retaliate in return. He added that he wants to obey international law when it comes to striking cultural sites.

"If that's what the law is, I like to obey the law. But think of it. They kill our people. They blow up our people and then we have to be very gentle with their cultural institutions. But I'm OK with it. It's OK with me."

Iran has a baker's dozen potential "revenge scenarios" that it is considering against the US, Ali Shamkhani, secretary of Iran's powerful Supreme National Security Council, said Tuesday.

"The Americans should know that until now, 13 revenge scenarios have been discussed in the Council and even if there is a consensus on the weakest scenario, carrying it out can be a historic nightmare for the Americans," Iran's Fars News Agency cited Shamkhani as saying, according to Reuters.

While the Knesset speaker is about to rule on the fate of the immunity request, Israeli publicist and political analyst Avigdor Eskin argues that the investigation and the indictment against Netanyahu were biased from the start.

He refers to legal opinion by Harvard law professor Alan Dershowitz and a number of high profile American lawyers who earlier called upon Israeli Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit to drop charges against Netanyahu; denouncing them as "the weaponisation of criminal justice for political purposes".

According to the publicist, the Israeli prime minister remains a successful political heavyweight who deserves to receive immunity.

"The removal of Quds Force Commander Qasem Soleimani is perceived in Israel as the victory of Netanyahu, among other points", Eskin says. "His policy towards Iran is prevailing internationally. And his international experience is indispensable. Netanyahu is the best choice for secret talks to Arab leaders. He has improved the relations with the Arab world like no other Israeli leader. And his special relations both with President Trump and President Putin are vital for Israel now. He is leading Israel towards peace and prosperity".

The US-led coalition has announced it will put most of its operations on hold and focus on ensuring the security of its troops as tensions in the Middle East skyrocket after the death of Iran's top general at the hands of the US.

The coalition will from now on devote most of its efforts to protecting its troops and bases, a coalition spokesman told journalists, adding that most operations against militant groups have been put on hold. He added, however, that the coalition forces could still carry out some military operations and would act in self-defense should they come under attack.

Earlier, the US-led coalition also officially announced it is suspending all training operations in Iraq.

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The government of Iraq has asked Washington for clarification, after Baghdad received Arabic and English-language letters on troop withdrawal containing different messages.

Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi acknowledged receiving a letter from the US military containing an outline for the withdrawal of American troops from his country. However, the Iraqi leader said that the English and Arabic versions of the letter were not identical, and that he has requested clarification, Reuters reported on Tuesday.

One day earlier, a copy of a letter announcing the US withdrawal was circulated online, and confirmed as genuine by a US Army press spokesman. However, the Pentagon did not immediately confirm its authenticity, and Defense Secretary Mark Esper later stated that that the letter was a "poorly worded" draft copy leaked by mistake. Esper added that "there's been no decision to leave Iraq. Period."

"The US military intends to build a massive international high-performance airfield for B-52 strategic bombers in Ayn Al Asad airbase in the Al Baghdadi area of the Hit district in the west of the Anbar province," the source told the broadcaster.

He added that the present US forces had expanded infrastructure to build an airstrip for bombers.

Earlier in the day, Wall Street Journal reported Pentagon's plans to send B-52 bombers to the country, which remains outraged over the extrajudicial killing of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards' elite Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani by the US last week.

Senior US White House officials have begun drafting possible sanctions against Iraq, the Washington Post reported on Monday, citing officials who preferred to remain anonymous.

They reportedly told the newspaper that "the talks were preliminary" and no final decision had been made so far.

US President Donald Trump earlier said that if Iraq "does something Washington considers inappropriate" the United States is ready to respond with heavy economic penalties.

"If they do ask us to leave, if we don't do it in a very friendly basis. We will charge them sanctions like they've never seen before ever. It'll make Iranian sanctions look somewhat tame", the president said aboard Air Force One on Sunday, according to the New York Post.

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On January 6, units of the Libyan National Army (LNA) took control of the Gardabiya Airbase near the city of Sirte and entered Sirte itself.

© Google MapsGhardabiya Airbase is a dual-function airbase for the Libyan Air Force south of the city of Sirte.

According to reports from the ground, a part of Sirte(Misrata) militia loyal to the Government of National Accord (GNA) defected to the LNA. The rest of them retreated from a large part of the town or surrendered weapons.

The Libyan town of Sirte, home of the Ghadafi tribe was destroyed by NATO in 2011 using banned white phosphorus bombs and depleted uranium cluster bombs. After the destruction of Sirte, the terrorist mercenaries brought into Libya by the US/NATO/UN, took the town, stole everything that was left by going house to house and began using the city as their terrorist headquarters.

The legitimate Libyan people left behind in Sirte after NATO have suffered for the last 9+ years under the occupation of the terrorist mercenary militias. They controlled by force, roamed the streets with weapons and did not allow normal functions of the city to return.

Finally after almost 10 years of criminal occupation, the Libyan Peoples army (LNA) fully supported by all the great tribes of Libya has freed Sirte of the criminal occupation. The video below was taken in Sirte today as the people celebrate their freedom from terrorist occupation.

All over Libya, Libyans are celebrating because this is one of the FINAL steps required to take their country back from the GNA illegitimate regime of the Muslim Brotherhood in Tripoli. This regime was appointed by the UN without authority of the Libyan people and was sneaked into Libya by sea at night in 2015. Once they touched the ground in Tripoli the UN recognized them as the legitimate Libyan Government, giving them the authority to steal, control, arrest and basically destroy Libya. This UN puppet of the Muslim Brotherhood had a 2-year mandate that ran out almost 3 years ago. It holds it place only by force of terrorist mercenary militias supplied by Turkey and Qatar. Both of these countries are puppets of the Muslim Brotherhood.

Just a warning, much of what you will see reported in the lame-stream media is propaganda. They are using word-smithing in an attempt to portray that Sirte has been taken by some illegal rebel force. They have tagged the Libyan National Army with such terms as "rebel groups", "Haftar's groups", "gangs of the east" , "strongman Haftar" and other typical slurs. These are intentional misrepresentations and the continuing of the dirty game that has been played against the legitimate Libyan people since forever. The real criminals are running the illegitimate regime of the GNA in Tripoli (full of nepotism and theft) using their radical terrorists militias paying them with stolen Libyan money, never mind doing any governmental activities that would help the Libyan people.

The other point that you will see them address is that the terrorist militias occupying Sirte had rousted out all the ISIS forces that had been in Sirte in the past. This is true but won't they don't say is that the terrorist militias who fought ISIS were just as bad as ISIS and the only reason they fought ISIS was to maintain or regain their criminal control over Sirte.

The Libyan National Army is a REAL army it is not a group of rebels, it is made up of great Libyan patriots who are willing to give their lives to free their country of the terrorist disease that has infected it since 2011.

Today is a day of celebration for Libya, we stand with them and praise the good lord that he has given Libya back one of their most beloved cities.

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