Iraq Launches Operation against ISIS West of Baghdad

An Iraqi army helicopter and military vehicles are seen in the desert west of Baghdad. (Joint Operations Command)
An Iraqi army helicopter and military vehicles are seen in the desert west of Baghdad. (Joint Operations Command)
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Iraq Launches Operation against ISIS West of Baghdad

An Iraqi army helicopter and military vehicles are seen in the desert west of Baghdad. (Joint Operations Command)
An Iraqi army helicopter and military vehicles are seen in the desert west of Baghdad. (Joint Operations Command)

Iraq’s Joint Operations Command announced on Sunday the launch of a major operation to crack down on ISIS in the al-Anbar desert west of Baghdad.

In a statement, the Joint Operations command media center said the operation will include units from the al-Jazira, Anbar and Karbala provinces.

Forces from the Defense and Interior Ministries, Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) and anti-terrorism agency will take part in the mission.

The statement added that the operation was being carried out based on intelligence information about terrorism activity in the desert region.

The security units have prepared their plans, which are aimed at defeating the remnants of the ISIS terrorist group and destroying their hideouts, it stressed.

PMF operations commander in the Anbar province Qassem Mosleh said the operation is the largest to be carried out by Iraqi forces in the western desert.

It aims to defeat terrorist plots in Anbar, bolster security and stability and pursue terrorist ISIS remnants, he continued in a statement.

He confirmed intelligence reports that spoke of ISIS activity aimed at undermining security in Anbar.



US Defers Removal of Some Lebanese, Citing Israel-Hezbollah Tensions

Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)
Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)
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US Defers Removal of Some Lebanese, Citing Israel-Hezbollah Tensions

Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)
Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)

The United States is deferring the removal of certain Lebanese citizens from the country, President Joe Biden said on Friday, citing humanitarian conditions in southern Lebanon amid tensions between Israel and Hezbollah.

The deferred designation, which lasts 18 months, allows Lebanese citizens to remain in the country with the right to work, according to a memorandum Biden sent to the Department of Homeland Security.

"Humanitarian conditions in southern Lebanon have significantly deteriorated due to tensions between Hezbollah and Israel," Biden said in the memo.

"While I remain focused on de-escalating the situation and improving humanitarian conditions, many civilians remain in danger; therefore, I am directing the deferral of removal of certain Lebanese nationals who are present in the United States."

Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah have been trading fire since Hezbollah announced a "support front" with Palestinians shortly after its ally Hamas attacked southern Israeli border communities on Oct. 7, triggering Israel's military assault in Gaza.

The fighting in Lebanon has killed more than 100 civilians and more than 300 Hezbollah fighters, according to a Reuters tally, and led to levels of destruction in Lebanese border towns and villages not seen since the 2006 Israel-Lebanon war.

On the Israeli side, 10 Israeli civilians, a foreign agricultural worker and 20 Israeli soldiers have been killed. Tens of thousands have been evacuated from both sides of the border.