Qasem Soleimani

Greece's main opposition leader Alexis Tsipras on Friday condemned the killing by the United States of prominent Iranian general Qasem Soleimani during a meeting with Iranian Ambassador to Greece Ahmad Naderi.

At least eight fighters of the pro-Iranian paramilitary Hashd al-Shaabi have been killed in eastern Syria, the Observatory said.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that the planes targeted positions belonging to pro-Iranian militias in the Boukamal area, near the border with Iraq.

Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias will be traveling to Brussels on Friday to attend an emergency meeting of the European Union's Foreign Affairs Council, called to discuss the crisis with Iran and developments in Libya.

Nicosia said the Republic of Cyprus accepted a request from Washington regarding the arrival of an American Rapid Deployment Forces unit in case of an emergency, amid rising tension in the region following the US assassination of Iranian general Qassem Soleimani in Iraq last weel.

This is what Iran's Ambassador to the United Nations, Majid Takht Ravanchi said when asked whether the missile strikes Iran launched this week mark the end of retaliatory actions against the United States in response to the killing of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani.

Turkey's national flag carrier Turkish Airlines and Pegasus Airlines on Jan. 8 temporarily suspended its scheduled flights to Iraq and Iran.

Turkish Airlines said that due to tensions between Iran and the U.S., the flights to Iraq and Iran will halt until 9.00 p.m. local time (1800GMT) on Jan. 9.

The airlines' flights will not use the airspace of these two countries, it added.

The U.S. and Iran stepped back from the brink of possible war on Jan. 8 as President Donald Trump signaled he would not retaliate militarily for Iran's missile strikes on Iraqi bases housing U.S. troops. No one was harmed in the strikes, but U.S. forces in the region remained on high alert.

Slovenia, Croatia, Slovakia, Romania and Bulgaria are all withdrawing troops from Iraq following the recent flare-up of hostilities between the US and Iran.

First Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council's Committee on International Affairs Vladimir Jabbarov made this statement after an Iranian attack on military bases with US troops in Iraq.

Turkey's foreign minister will visit Iraq on Thursday to try to ease tensions after Iran launched missiles at US-led forces in response to the killing of a top Iranian commander, the foreign ministry said on Wednesday.