Shafaq News/ On Wednesday, Muqtada al-Sadr, leader of the Sadrist movement, announced the cancellation of mass protests he had called for earlier to denounce the war in Gaza.
In a statement, al-Sadr said, "After the reckless and terrorist actions of the Zionists in Palestine and Lebanon, under the open support of the great evil America, and their failure to respond to international resolutions and humanitarian appeals, disregarding the voices of peoples rising against the systematic Zionist-American terrorism aiming to drag the whole region into a war of annihilation, I find it logical to cancel the upcoming million-man demonstrations."
He added, "Protests are no longer effective after all these Israeli aggressions against the people. Demonstrations are not on par with the gravity of the current events."
AL-SADR’S CALL
Earlier, al-Sadr had called for a million-man protest in Al-Tahrir Square in Baghdad to show solidarity with the Palestinian cause.
The call, delivered through the Imam of the Kufa Mosque, encouraged all Iraqis, "except the corrupt," to join the peaceful demonstration, scheduled for the first Friday after the 17th of Rabi' al-Awwal, in honor of the Prophet Muhammad's birth. Al-Sadr had urged participants to wear burial shrouds (kafan) to make their voices heard worldwide.
EXPLOSIONS IN LEBANON
In separate developments on Wednesday, Lebanon’s Ministry of Health reported that nine people had been killed and more than 300 injured in a new wave of explosions targeting wireless devices in various regions. The Public Health Emergency Operations Center confirmed, "Nine people have been martyred, and over 300 others injured," adding that ambulance operations were nearing completion.
On Tuesday, "pager" communication devices exploded in several Hezbollah strongholds, including Beirut’s southern suburbs, southern Lebanon, and the eastern Bekaa Valley, killing 12 people, including two children, and injuring nearly 2,800 others. Hezbollah accused Israel of responsibility for the attacks.
However Tel-Aviv did not claim the responsibility for the incident.