ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - Zoom News, a Kurdish satellite television channel funded by Lahur Sheikh Jangi, the imprisoned leader of the People’s Front opposition party, is preparing to resume broadcasting soon. It was forced off air following an August 22 military attack by Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) forces on Sheikh Jangi’s residence at the Lalezar Hotel in Sulaimani and faced sabotage after its closure.

Sources told The New Region that Zoom's resumption depends on certain conditions being met. While some cite severe financial and political challenges, both Zoom’s director and a local advocacy group reject this outlook. 

PUK-affiliated forces used tanks, armored vehicles, and drones to attack the Lalezar Hotel and nearby buildings. After four hours of clashes with Jangi’s supporters, the opposition leader and over 150 of his followers surrendered.

The Lalezar battle killed more than a dozen on Jangi’s side and saw the arrest of multiple others, with at least three PUK-affiliated fighters also dying in the immediate aftermath of the operation and at least 19 more being wounded, before ultimately leading to the arrest of the People’s Front leader and his brother Polat Sheikh Jangi.

Accounts of the casualties on Jangi's side, including those of his paramilitary Scorpion force, remain unclear, with some members of the group reportedly remaining unaccounted for.

The PUK accuses Jangi of causing instability in Sulaimani province and plotting to assassinate Bafel Talabani, PUK head, and his brother Qubad Talabani, deputy prime minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government. Jangi, a British national and Bafel’s cousin, now awaits trial in Kani Goma house, facing various charges, including murder and forming an illegal armed force.

PUK officials, under pressure from foreign diplomats and rights groups, agreed to return Zoom News' building and conditionally allow broadcasting. They demand that the channel not criticize the PUK or mention the August 22 offensive, which saw US-supplied military equipment used by the PUK against Jangi’s forces, a source close to the matter told The New Region on condition of anonymity.

“Submitting back the channel was according to the condition that it would not be used to oppose the PUK in the area, and it must not stimulate security-related issues, and it should not show support to Sheikh Jangi,” the source said.

The source stated that PUK officials allowed the director of the channel to attempt reopening it, primarily to defuse criticism over the shutdown, but noted that the channel lacks the $600,000 needed to operate each month.

The source said security forces damaged equipment worth nearly $50,000, requiring repairs. No sponsor has stepped forward due to the sensitive nature of the issue.

“No businessman in Sulaimani can sponsor Zoom without the approval of the PUK. The channel lacks funds and could only stay on air for a month or two,” the source clarified.

Hemn Mahmoud, director of Zoom, told The New Region, “We don’t have an agreement with PUK to resume broadcasting or not. Due to the August 22 incident, our channel was shut down, and a force was here, and they took some equipment. After the incident, we asked for the return of the equipment, as they are owned by the private sector, and it is not owned by a political party, and this channel is registered under my name, and as per this, we submitted our things.”

He said their decision to resume operations is independent and not shaped by political demands, including those of the PUK.

Mahmoud requested that local authorities protect his staff and refrain from pressuring the channel’s teams. He said not all equipment has been returned; some items are damaged or useless and need repair, so more time is needed before resuming broadcasts.

He admitted that Jangi had previously funded the channel and that they are now seeking new sponsors.

Asked whether the new sponsors mean a new working method for the channel, Mahmoud said, “Surely not,” arguing that if the channel were to be affiliated with a political party, then it would not need sponsors from the private sector.

When specifically asked whether they would support the People’s Front party if it resumed its work, he said they would maintain a similar distance from all the political sides.

A channel employee, speaking anonymously to The New Region, said that significant damage means resuming broadcasting will be time-consuming, and staff were not warned before the Lalezar Hotel attack. The employee stated that security forces entered the building, damaged multiple computers, and took five cameras, adding that continued pressure could result in staff departures. One former anchor has already moved to another Kurdish channel.

Rahman Gharib, organizer of the Metro Centre for Journalists' Rights and Advocacy and initiator of efforts to reopen the channel, told The New Region that “there are no conditions by PUK for the channel to resume working.”

He said that on August 25, he, Qubad Talabani, and Mahmoud met in Dabashan. During the meeting, Talabani promised to return the channel’s building and confiscated equipment to Mahmoud—and later fulfilled this promise.

Gharib stated that damages exceed $200,000, and compensation is unavailable. He stressed that Talabani had guaranteed freedom for the channel’s work, and Metro would monitor to prevent political interference.