US Ends Iraq Mission, UAE Condemns Al Aqsa Breach, and Morocco Names First Female Prime Minister

Welcome to this edition of Trending Middle East. The US is withdrawing its final troops from Iraq, officially concluding its anti-ISIS mission, Operation Inherent Resolve, following 12 years of operations. In response, Baghdad intends to transition toward bilateral security co-operation with Washington.

Meanwhile, the UAE has strongly condemned the storming of the Al Aqsa Mosque compound by Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who was joined by hundreds of settlers. In political developments, Morocco has appointed Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri to serve as the nation's first female prime minister.

In infrastructure news, Dubai’s Etihad Rail passenger service has successfully completed its historic inaugural journey to Abu Dhabi, with the first train departing from Al Yalayis Station on Wednesday morning. Additionally, an Iranian court has dismissed an appeal by singer Parastoo Ahmadi, upholding a sentence of 74 lashes along with work and travel bans following her conviction over an online concert where she performed without a headscarf and sang solo.

Trending Middle East is produced with AI assistance, utilizing original reporting from The National that is carefully curated and edited by human professionals.