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Iraqi PM Condemns Israeli Strikes on Lebanon
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani speaks during an interview with Reuters in Baghdad, Iraq, Jan. 9, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Thaier Al-Sudani
i24 News – Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani condemned Israel’s recent military strikes on Lebanon during a joint press conference on Sunday with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, marking Aoun’s first official visit to Baghdad since taking office.
Sudani denounced what he called the “repeated Israeli attacks against Lebanese sovereignty,” labeling them a “violation of international law.”
His remarks come amid ongoing Israeli airstrikes targeting Hezbollah operatives and infrastructure in Lebanon, as border tensions continue to simmer despite an existing ceasefire agreement.
The Iraqi prime minister called for the “full implementation” of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 war between Israel and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah.
The resolution stipulated that Hezbollah forces must withdraw north of the Litani River—roughly 30 kilometers from the Israeli border—and dismantle all military infrastructure south of that line. In return, Israel was to fully withdraw its troops from Lebanese territory, although it still maintains five strategic positions along the border.
President Aoun’s diplomatic visit to Iraq comes at a delicate time, as skirmishes and violations on the Israeli-Lebanese frontier raise concerns over the stability of the region. Despite the ceasefire in place since November 27, Israeli forces continue to conduct operations in what they claim are preemptive measures against Hezbollah threats.
Both leaders emphasized the need for regional stability and adherence to international agreements, urging all parties to deescalate and recommit to diplomatic solutions.
The meeting signals a strengthening of Baghdad-Beirut ties and reflects growing regional concern over the potential for renewed conflict in southern Lebanon.
The post Iraqi PM Condemns Israeli Strikes on Lebanon first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Kurdish-led SDF Say Five Members Killed During Attack by Islamic State in Syria
Islamic State slogans painted along the walls of the tunnel was used by Islamic State militants as an underground training camp in the hillside overlooking Mosul, Iraq, March 4, 2017. Photo: via Reuters Connect.
The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces said on Sunday that five of its members had been killed during an attack by Islamic State militants on a checkpoint in eastern Syria’s Deir el-Zor on July 31.
The SDF was the main fighting force allied to the United States in Syria during fighting that defeated Islamic State in 2019 after the group declared a caliphate across swathes of Syria and Iraq.
The Islamic State has been trying to stage a comeback in the Middle East, the West and Asia. Deir el-Zor city was captured by Islamic State in 2014, but the Syrian army retook it in 2017.
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Armed Groups Attack Security Force Personnel in Syria’s Sweida, Killing One, State TV Reports
People ride a motorcycle past a burned-out military vehicle, following deadly clashes between Druze fighters, Sunni Bedouin tribes, and government forces, in Syria’s predominantly Druze city of Sweida, Syria, July 25, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi
Armed groups attacked personnel from Syria’s internal security forces in Sweida, killing one member and wounding others, and fired shells at several villages in the violence-hit southern province, state-run Ekhbariya TV reported on Sunday.
The report cited a security source as saying the armed groups had violated the ceasefire agreed in the predominantly Druze region, where factional bloodshed killed hundreds of people last month.
Violence in Sweida erupted on July 13 between tribal fighters and Druze factions. Government forces were sent to quell the fighting, but the bloodshed worsened, and Israel carried out strikes on Syrian troops in the name of the Druze.
The Druze are a minority offshoot of Islam with followers in Syria, Lebanon and Israel. Sweida province is predominantly Druze but is also home to Sunni tribes, and the communities have had long-standing tensions over land and other resources.
A US-brokered truce ended the fighting, which had raged in Sweida city and surrounding towns for nearly a week. Syria said it would investigate the clashes, setting up a committee to investigate the attacks.
The Sweida bloodshed last month was a major test for interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, after a wave of sectarian violence in March that killed hundreds of Alawite citizens in the coastal region.
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Netanyahu Urges Red Cross to Aid Gaza Hostages
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a press conference, in Jerusalem, May 21, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun/Pool
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday he spoke with the International Red Cross’s regional head, Julien Lerisson, and requested his involvement in providing food and medical care to hostages held in Gaza.