Iraqi PM declares end of war against ISIL terror group

Dec 10: Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has declared the end to the country's war against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) group.

"Our forces are in complete control of the Iraqi-Syrian border and I therefore announce the end of the war against Daesh," al-Abadi told a conference in Baghdad on Saturday, using the Arabic acronym for ISIL.

The announcement followed the recapture of Rawa, one of the last remaining ISIL-held towns, in November.

Since then, Iraqi forces had been fighting to retake the small pockets in the border area that were still under ISIL control.

Earlier on Saturday, senior military commander Lt General Abdul Ameer Rasheed Yarallah had announced the end of the fight against ISIL saying that "all Iraqi lands are liberated from terrorist Daesh gangs and our forces completely control the international Iraqi-Syrian borders".

Just six months ago, ISIL still controlled vast expanses of territory, including major cities, on both sides of the Iraq-Syria border.

The quick advance by ISIL in Iraq began in 2014.

The group captured important cities like Mosul, Ramadi and Fallujah.

But over the last year, ISIL has been driven out of much of Iraq and its self-declared capital Raqqa and Deir Az Zor in Syria.

In early November, Iraqi forces announced the recapture of al-Qaim, ISIL's last border stronghold in the country.

Saturday's announcement marks the end of the three-year war to drive ISIL out of Iraq.

Brett McGurk, US special envoy for the coalition against ISIL, congratulated Iraq on Twitter.

"We congratulate the prime minister and all the Iraqi people on this significant achievement, which many though impossible," McGurk said.

The Global Coalition, which as been supporting Iraqi forces in their fighter against ISIL, added that it will continue to "stand by them [Iraqis] as they set the conditions for a secure and prosperous future [in] Iraq".

Last month, al-Abadi said that the losses from the war against ISIL had cost $100bn.

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Israel launches new aggression on residential neighbourhood in Lebanon’s capital, many killed

News Network

November 24,2025

Israel has launched a new act of aggression on a residential neighborhood in Lebanon's capital, Beirut, killing and injuring about two dozen civilians.

The Israeli regime's military said in a statement that its forces carried out a so-called precise strike in a residential apartment in Dahiyeh in the southern suburbs of Beirut on Sunday.

The aggression targeted residential areas, killing at least five people and injuring more than 28 people, Lebanon's Health Ministry said.

Hezbollah announced the martyrdom of senior Hezbollah commander Haytham Ali Tabatabai and four resistance fighters.

Lebanese President Michel Aoun condemned the airstrike, calling it a clear demonstration of Tel Aviv’s disregard for repeated international calls to halt violations on Lebanese soil.

“Israel refuses to implement international resolutions and all efforts aimed at ending the escalation and restoring stability,” Aoun said, urging the international community to take action to prevent further aggression.

The Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement also condemned the attack, holding the international community accountable.

“The international community bears responsibility and continues to provide cover for these attacks as long as it does not restrain the occupiers,” said Ali Abu Shahin, a member of the group’s political bureau.

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office announced that the Israeli army carried out a strike “in the heart of Beirut."

Netanyahu reportedly approved the operation following recommendations from top Israeli security officials.

Two senior US officials commented on the Israeli strike.

The first official said that Israel did not notify Americans in advance about the attack. "We were informed immediately after the strike was carried out."

The second senior official said that the "US knew for several days that Israel was planning to escalate its strikes in Lebanon, but did not know in advance the timing, location, or target of the strike."

Speaking from the site of the Israeli strike, Lebanese MP Ali Ammar condemned the attack as part of a broader campaign of aggression that has targeted "all of Lebanon since the Washington-sponsored ceasefire."

He stated that "any attack on Lebanon is a violation of red lines; this aggression is part and parcel of the entity that targets Lebanon's dignity, sovereignty, and security of citizens."

Ammar went on to say the resistance is responding with "utmost wisdom, patience, and will confront the enemy at the appropriate time."

"Unfortunately, the enemy is emboldened to commit its aggression by voices within Lebanon that have turned themselves into tools that support its aggression," he added.

The Israeli attack on the southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital is the latest blatant violation of the ceasefire Israel signed with Hezbollah in November 2024, which was intended to end hostilities that had escalated into full-scale war.

An Israeli strike on the Ain al-Hilweh camp near Sidon in southern Lebanon late Tuesday killed at least 14 people. It wounded several others, including young students, according to the Lebanese health ministry.

The military claimed the attack targeted “a Hamas training compound” used to plan and carry out attacks against the regime -- a claim that has frequently been made without evidence.

Hamas rejected the allegations as “a blatant lie aimed at justifying the massacre,” stating it had “no military installations in the Palestinian camps in Lebanon” and that the targeted site was merely “an open sports field.”

According to Lebanese authorities, Israeli attacks have killed approximately 4,000 people and displaced more than 1.2 million residents across the country since October 2023.

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