Iraq's Hezbollah Brigades invites Sunni leader Khalis al-Mutlaq to Jurf al-Sakhar

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Iraq's Hezbollah Brigades has formally invited Khalis Hancer, a leader of the Sunni Arab political coalition, to visit Jurf al-Sakhar in a bid to counter allegations linking the armed group to a killing in Baghdad's southern al-Dora district. The group issued a public statement denying any connection to the killing and invited Hancer to the area to assess the security situation firsthand. The call comes amid ongoing debate over responsibility for the incident, with conflicting accounts circulating in Iraqi public discourse. Hezbollah Brigades said it will maintain its deployment in the area following the dismissal of the allegations. The two sides also kept communication channels open, according to the statement. The invitation follows earlier exchanges over events in the Deir ez-Zor countryside, which prompted the latest round of discussions between the group and Sunni political figures.