Int’l Coalition Reaffirms Support for Iraq

The Iraqi army launches an operation to hunt down ISIS cells (AFP)
The Iraqi army launches an operation to hunt down ISIS cells (AFP)
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Int’l Coalition Reaffirms Support for Iraq

The Iraqi army launches an operation to hunt down ISIS cells (AFP)
The Iraqi army launches an operation to hunt down ISIS cells (AFP)

The US-led International Coalition against ISIS in Iraq and Syria has renewed its support for Iraq as US forces begin their gradual withdrawal from the Levantine country.

The fourth round of meetings of the Joint Technical Committee between Iraq and the US had kicked off in Baghdad on Friday with the Joint Operations Command of the Iraqi Army saying that a security agreement had been signed to reduce the combat units and military forces in each of the two bases of Ain al-Assad in western Iraq’s Anbar province, and Harir in the Kurdistan region near Erbil.

Meanwhile, the Coalition said Saturday it carried out raids targeting sites of the terrorist organization on the outskirts of Kifri district in the Sulaymaniyah province in northern Iraq.

“Coalition warplanes carried out three air strikes targeting terrorist hideouts in the Koh mountain range near Nogol district in Kifri district,” according to a security source who requested anonymity.

“French warplanes bombed a location where the terrorists were hiding, near the village of Qalan, according to intelligence information,” said the source.

Earlier Saturday, the Iraqi Ministry of Defense said in a statement that security forces had arrested an ISIS member in the Al-Mushahdah district, north of the capital Baghdad.

In a Twitter post, military spokesman, Col. Wayne Marotto, said the Coalition is committed to supporting both the Iraqi security forces and the Kurdish Peshmerga forces in their fight against ISIS and to ensure that the group “never resurges.”

It is noteworthy that the Coalition’s stand in solidarity with Iraq comes at a time that ISIS is waging several operations in different parts of the country, even in areas near the capital, Baghdad.

While the Iraqi government had concluded a truce with Iran-aligned armed factions to ensure they no longer target US troops in Iraq, the most important development remains Baghdad’s agreement with Washington to cut back the number of forces in Ain al-Assad in western Iraq’s Anbar province, and Harir in the Kurdistan region near Erbil.



Lebanon Bans Dealing with Hezbollah Financial Entity

A view shows Lebanon's Central Bank building in Beirut, Lebanon April 4, 2025. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir/File Photo
A view shows Lebanon's Central Bank building in Beirut, Lebanon April 4, 2025. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir/File Photo
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Lebanon Bans Dealing with Hezbollah Financial Entity

A view shows Lebanon's Central Bank building in Beirut, Lebanon April 4, 2025. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir/File Photo
A view shows Lebanon's Central Bank building in Beirut, Lebanon April 4, 2025. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir/File Photo

Lebanon's central bank has banned banks and brokerages from dealing with a Hezbollah-affiliated financial institution, according to a circular, a sign of the group's diminished sway over state affairs since its devastating war with Israel.

Keeping up military pressure on the Iran-backed group, Israel on Tuesday launched some of its heaviest airstrikes since a ceasefire in November, saying it hit training camps and weapons depots in east Lebanon. A security source in Lebanon said 12 people were killed, five of them Hezbollah fighters, Reuters reported.

Hezbollah has faced mounting pressures since the war, including financial ones.

In the circular, dated July 14 and reviewed by Reuters, Banque du Liban prohibited all licensed financial institutions in Lebanon from dealing directly or indirectly with unlicensed entities and listed Hezbollah's Al-Qard Al-Hassan as an example.

The US Department of Treasury imposed sanctions on Al-Qard Al-Hassan in 2007, saying Hezbollah used it as a cover to manage "financial activities and gain access to the international financial system".

Bolstered by its powerful arsenal, Hezbollah had long exercised decisive influence over Lebanese state affairs, but it was unable to impose its will in the formation of a post-war government in February.

Al-Qard Al-Hassan, founded in 1983, describes itself as a charitable organisation which provides loans to people according to Islamic principles that forbid interest. Israel struck some of its branches during its war with Hezbollah last year.

Operating as a not-for-profit organisation under a licence granted by the Lebanese government, it has more than 30 branches, mostly in southern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley.

SHADOW ECONOMY

A Lebanese official said the central bank move had been in the works for months, and reflected US pressure on Lebanon to take action against Hezbollah's financial wing.

Nassib Ghobril, chief economist at Byblos Bank, said Lebanese banks were already careful to avoid dealing with Al-Qard Al-Hassan because it is under US sanctions.

"The important point is that finally the authorities are addressing the shadow economy in Lebanon, which is the real problem," he said, adding that authorities had long failed to address its "toxic effects".

In June, the European Commission included Lebanon in an updated list of high-risk jurisdictions presenting strategic deficiencies in their national anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism.

Last year, global financial crime watchdog FATF placed Lebanon on its "grey list" of countries under special scrutiny.