ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani on Monday arrived in Riyadh to attend the Arab-Islamic summit on developments in Gaza and Lebanon. Last week, Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud extended an invitation to Sudani to attend the summit which is taking place amid simmering regional tensions. The invitation was extended by Saudi Arabia’s Ambassador to Iraq Abdulaziz al-Shammari during a meeting with Sudani. Sudani arrived in Riyadh early Monday to attend the summit. The summit, which begins on Monday, “will focus on the developments in Gaza and Lebanon and the ongoing Zionist aggression,” Sudani’s office said in a statement last week. The extraordinary summit aims to ensure support for the people of Gaza and Lebanon where Israel is fighting the pro-Iran Hamas and Hezbollah armed groups, respectively. Palestinian Hamas militants launched a large-scale incursion into southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing more than 1,170 people, according to Israeli figures. Israel responded with a massive ongoing offensive in Gaza, killing over 43,000 people, mostly civilians, according to the Palestinian health ministry. The deadly war has spilled over to neighboring Lebanon, where its Hezbollah movement has fired missiles and used explosive-laden drones to attack Israeli targets. Iraq is at the forefront of regional countries defending against Israeli attacks, and Baghdad has sent several rounds of aid to the Gaza Strip. Pro-Iran Iraqi militia groups have launched numerous rocket and drone attacks against Israel.
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