Iraqi Armed Factions End Truce with American Forces

Members of the Nujaba movement are seen at a rally in Baghdad in support of the people in Gaza on October 8. (AFP)
Members of the Nujaba movement are seen at a rally in Baghdad in support of the people in Gaza on October 8. (AFP)
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Iraqi Armed Factions End Truce with American Forces

Members of the Nujaba movement are seen at a rally in Baghdad in support of the people in Gaza on October 8. (AFP)
Members of the Nujaba movement are seen at a rally in Baghdad in support of the people in Gaza on October 8. (AFP)

The “Coordination of the Iraqi Resistance” announced the end of the deadline for the withdrawal of American troops from Iraq.

In a statement on Wednesday, it added that it will resolve this file “through all available means.”

It made its announcement hours after Lebanon’s Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah warned of a war without restraints against Israel and threatened to open a front on the Mediterranean.

Before his remarks, Asharq Al-Awsat had revealed that Iraqi factions were ready to fight in Lebanon should a wide-scale war erupt there and should Hezbollah agree to their involvement.

The Coordination of the Iraqi Resistance said it had held an extraordinary meeting to review the developments in the region and Iraq in order to inform the people of “what is going on around them.”

It stated that it reviewed the deadline granted by the Iraqi government to the US forces to pull out from the country four months ago.

The armed factions have been committed to a truce with the American troops and refrained from launching attacks against them in wake of the assassination of a leading member of the Nujaba movement in an American strike in Baghdad in January.

Various factions, such as the Nujaba and Hezbollah Brigades, had expressed their opposition to the truce.

The Coordination of the Iraqi Resistance underscored on Wednesday the need to forge ahead in “achieving the country’s sovereignty given the enemy’s stalling and intransigence that is aimed at maintaining its occupation and control over its security and economic decisions.”

The Coordination underlined its determination to end the American military deployment in Iraq.

“The Iraqi people and resistance, loyal politicians, tribal members and MPs are capable of ending this file by using all means at their disposal in order to restore security and stability and achieve complete sovereignty,” it stressed.

In wake of the announcement, activists close to the ruling pro-Iran Coordination Framework spoke of the return of resistance operations without specifying the target of these operations.



Lebanon Sentences Activists in Absentia for inciting Israeli Attacks

A UN convoy in southern Lebanon, near the Israel-Lebanon border, as seen from northern Israel, June 2, 2026. REUTERS/Shir Torem
A UN convoy in southern Lebanon, near the Israel-Lebanon border, as seen from northern Israel, June 2, 2026. REUTERS/Shir Torem
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Lebanon Sentences Activists in Absentia for inciting Israeli Attacks

A UN convoy in southern Lebanon, near the Israel-Lebanon border, as seen from northern Israel, June 2, 2026. REUTERS/Shir Torem
A UN convoy in southern Lebanon, near the Israel-Lebanon border, as seen from northern Israel, June 2, 2026. REUTERS/Shir Torem

Lebanon's judiciary has charged two anti-Hezbollah activists in absentia with inciting Israeli attacks against the Iran-backed group and sentenced them to 15 years in prison, a judicial official told AFP on Friday.

It is the harshest sentence yet against activists expressing support for Israel, which has officially been at war with Lebanon for decades.

The official, who requested anonymity, said the two individuals, Ahmed Yassine and Joumana Gebara, both living outside Lebanon, were charged with "collaborating with Israel and inciting it to continue its military operations against Hezbollah in Lebanon" by the military tribunal in a trial that began in November 2024.

Yassine, a Paris-based university professor, is accused of "inciting the Israeli army to bomb the historic Baalbek Citadel by disseminating information claiming that the citadel housed Hezbollah weapons depots".

Yassine also has a YouTube channel where he shares political commentary to more than 140,000 subscribers.

Gebara is accused of "praising Israeli army spokesman Avichay Adraee and thanking him for the bombings of Lebanon, as well as calling for normalization with Israel" during the previous Israel-Hezbollah war in 2024, the official said.

Lebanon has no formal ties with Israel, and any contact is punishable by imprisonment.

It has previously arrested people accused of spying for Israel.

Lebanon was drawn into the wider Middle East war when Hezbollah attacked Israel on March 2 to avenge the February 28 killing of Iran's supreme leader.

More than 3,500 people have been killed in Israeli strikes since then, according to Lebanese authorities.


Lebanese President, PM Say Iran Using Lebanon as Bargaining Chip in US Talks

Smoke rises following Israeli bombardment in southern Lebanon close to the Beaufort Castle as seen from a position across the border in the Upper Galilee, in northern Israel on June 4, 2026. (Photo by Jalaa MAREY / AFP)
Smoke rises following Israeli bombardment in southern Lebanon close to the Beaufort Castle as seen from a position across the border in the Upper Galilee, in northern Israel on June 4, 2026. (Photo by Jalaa MAREY / AFP)
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Lebanese President, PM Say Iran Using Lebanon as Bargaining Chip in US Talks

Smoke rises following Israeli bombardment in southern Lebanon close to the Beaufort Castle as seen from a position across the border in the Upper Galilee, in northern Israel on June 4, 2026. (Photo by Jalaa MAREY / AFP)
Smoke rises following Israeli bombardment in southern Lebanon close to the Beaufort Castle as seen from a position across the border in the Upper Galilee, in northern Israel on June 4, 2026. (Photo by Jalaa MAREY / AFP)

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun told CNN that Iran was using Lebanon as a bargaining chip in its negotiations with the United States.

Aoun has repeatedly sought to distance Lebanon from regional conflicts and has said decisions concerning the country's sovereignty and security must be made by the Lebanese state alone.

For his part, Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam on Friday also urged Iran to stop treating his country as a "bargaining chip" in its negotiations with Washington on the Middle East conflict.

"If I may address a word to Iran, it is this: have mercy on our south, stop treating it and its people as merely a bargaining chip to improve the terms of your negotiations," Salam told a press conference for a UN aid appeal for Lebanon.


Berri Backs Hezbollah Withdrawal South of Litani if Israel Pulls Back

Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri (National News Agency)
Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri (National News Agency)
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Berri Backs Hezbollah Withdrawal South of Litani if Israel Pulls Back

Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri (National News Agency)
Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri (National News Agency)

After controversy surrounding the Lebanon-Israel ceasefire agreement announced following US-sponsored talks in Washington on Wednesday, Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri on Friday clarified his position, saying he supports Hezbollah's withdrawal from south of the Litani River in parallel with an Israeli withdrawal from the areas it occupied, while describing the remaining provisions as “unfair”.

Speaking during a meeting with Lebanese Army Commander General Rodolphe Haykal, Berri said: “Instead of this hybrid agreement, we could have viewed the beginning of the text positively had it provided for an unconditional ceasefire on land, at sea and in the air, without the destruction of existing structures. But it was booby-trapped by the addition of a complete cessation of fire by Hezbollah, as well as the withdrawal of all its members from south of the Litani.”

He added: “To be brief, I approve the following: The ceasefire shall be understood as complete and comprehensive, without conditions, on land, at sea and in the air, and without bulldozing or destroying existing structures.

Hezbollah's withdrawal from south of the Litani in parallel with the Israeli withdrawal from the areas it occupied. The rest of the text is unfair and not worth mentioning.”

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said on Thursday that implementation of the ceasefire could begin within 24 hours of final approval.

He said that once responses are received from all relevant domestic parties, particularly Hezbollah, Lebanon's position will be conveyed to the United States.

He stressed that “the agreement that has been reached is the last opportunity; otherwise, each side must bear its responsibilities.”