US completes Iraq withdrawal as Iran influence looms
The US is finishing its final troop pullout from Iraq, with the Iraqi PM planning a celebration for September 30.
US completes Iraq withdrawal as Iran influence looms — The United States is completing the final withdrawal of its forces from Iraq, after more than two decades of fighting.[^1] The Iraqi Prime Minister stated in an interview with Reuters that on September 30 they will celebrate turning the dark page in Iraq's history and the failure of the occupation to impose its will on their country.[^1] No fewer than 4,500 American soldiers were killed during the campaign.[^1] Experts warn that the move grants Tehran and pro-Iranian militias greater freedom of action.[^1] The withdrawal, which concludes a presence that began with the 2003 invasion, leaves a vacuum that Iran has long sought to fill. The question is whether the Iraqi state can assert sovereignty against the militias that have become entrenched. The strategic shift is stark: America's departure from Iraq comes as its rivalry with Iran intensifies across the region. The Strait of Hormuz remains a flashpoint, with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps recently calling Trump "a big liar" and declaring "the Strait of Hormuz is not open."[^2] The US withdrawal may be final, but the struggle for Iraq's future is just entering a new phase. Netanyahu sues journalists as campaign ethics fray — This evening, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu filed defamation lawsuits against several senior journalists and media outlets, totaling nearly 3 million shekels.[^1] The suits arrive with 30 days remaining until the 2026 elections, and they follow a pattern of legal action against press critics. A Likud statement denied reports that the Emirates and Egypt had denied certain claims, calling them "an absolute lie."[^1] Separately, an investigation traced anonymous social media pages, established on October 8, 2023, to Moshe Radman, a senior figure in the Kaplan protest movement, through his company MR D. Labs.[^2] The registered operator is Lilach Beit On, a senior figure in the Brothers in Arms organization. The pages' activity ceased in 2025 after failing to advance an election campaign. The c14 investigation and the Ynet coverage of the broader "betrayal campaign" frame the pages as part of a concerted effort to taint an en