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Conflicting Reports about US Drone Strike Target in Idlib

Civil defense firefighters near the remains of a car targeted by a US raid in Idlib countryside on Monday (Idlib News)
Civil defense firefighters near the remains of a car targeted by a US raid in Idlib countryside on Monday (Idlib News)
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Conflicting Reports about US Drone Strike Target in Idlib

Civil defense firefighters near the remains of a car targeted by a US raid in Idlib countryside on Monday (Idlib News)
Civil defense firefighters near the remains of a car targeted by a US raid in Idlib countryside on Monday (Idlib News)

A leader of a faction affiliated with al-Qaeda was killed in a US drone strike in Syria’s northwestern Idlib province on Monday, according to field activists and the US military, amid conflicting reports about the target.

The head of the Syrian opposition’s monitor, Abu Amin, said that the Monday US drone strike had targeted the Guardians of Religion Organization leader Abu Khalid Qudsaya while he was riding a civilian vehicle along the Idlib-Binnish road east of Idlib province.

Amin denied reports that the strike had killed another two leaders of the Guardians of Religion Organization.

He also pointed out that Qudsaya had previously survived a US air raid that targeted him around two years ago.

In a statement on Tuesday, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) spokeswoman Lieutenant Josie Lynne Lenny said: “US forces conducted a kinetic counter-terrorism strike near Idlib, Syria, today, on a senior al-Qaeda leader.”

“Initial indications are that we struck the individual we were aiming for, and there are no indications of civilian casualties as a result of the strike.”

In a Monday press conference, Pentagon Spokesman John Kirby announced that a drone strike hit a vehicle traveling in rebel-controlled northwestern Syria on Monday, killing a senior al-Qaeda leader.

Pentagon Spokesman John Kirby said the airstrike was conducted near Idlib, Syria and there are no initial indications of any civilian casualties.

The US has carried out attacks in Idlib before, targeting al-Qaeda militants and the leader of the Islamic State group, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who was hiding in the province after fleeing from eastern Syria.

Large parts of Idlib and neighboring Aleppo province remain in the hands of Syrian armed opposition, dominated by radical groups including the once al-Qaeda-linked Hayat Tahrir al-Sham.

More so, Al-Qaeda factions and the remnants of ISIS are subjected to repeated air raids by Russian warplanes within the Syrian Badia and northeastern Syria, and similar raids by the US-led International Coalition.

In October 2019, nine extremists were killed. Four of the fighters belonged to the Guardians of Religion Organization, which is the arm of Al-Qaeda in Syria. About a month later, 40 extremists were killed in US strikes near the city of Idlib.

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Sistani Warns Against Targeting Khamenei, Sadr Calls for Mass Protests

A man rides a motorcycle past a billboard depicting Iraq's top Shiite cleric, Ali al-Sistani, along a street in Baghdad on June 19, 2025. (Photo by AHMAD AL-RUBAYE / AFP)
A man rides a motorcycle past a billboard depicting Iraq's top Shiite cleric, Ali al-Sistani, along a street in Baghdad on June 19, 2025. (Photo by AHMAD AL-RUBAYE / AFP)
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Sistani Warns Against Targeting Khamenei, Sadr Calls for Mass Protests

A man rides a motorcycle past a billboard depicting Iraq's top Shiite cleric, Ali al-Sistani, along a street in Baghdad on June 19, 2025. (Photo by AHMAD AL-RUBAYE / AFP)
A man rides a motorcycle past a billboard depicting Iraq's top Shiite cleric, Ali al-Sistani, along a street in Baghdad on June 19, 2025. (Photo by AHMAD AL-RUBAYE / AFP)

As Iraq’s judiciary vowed legal action against anyone seeking to destabilize the country, major Iranian-backed Iraqi militias declared their readiness to take up arms should US President Donald Trump follow through on his repeated threats to target Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei.

Leaders of the prominent militias, including Harakat al-Nujaba and Kata'ib Hezbollah, issued warnings of retaliatory attacks against US interests in Iraq in response to escalating tensions.

Their threats came shortly after Iraq’s top Shiite cleric, Ali al-Sistani, cautioned against any attempts to strike Khamenei.

In a move seen as a preemptive effort to safeguard national stability, Iraq’s Supreme Judicial Council head, Judge Faiq Zidan, convened with security and media officials to discuss ways to strengthen the country’s internal cohesion.

This followed a meeting between Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani and Zidan aimed at addressing growing concerns over potential internal unrest.

Zidan stressed the priority of Iraq’s security and sovereignty during a high-level meeting, warning that anyone attempting to undermine these national interests would face severe legal consequences, according to a statement from the judiciary.

Zidan said: “Iraq’s security and sovereignty are a priority for society, and any attack on these will result in accountability for those trying to harm these national entitlements.”

He added that “propaganda suggesting internal unrest or destabilization will lead to deterrent legal penalties,” underscoring the need for national unity in the wake of the recent Israeli aggression in the region.

Separately, Sistani warned against any attempt to target Khamenei amid repeated US and Israeli threats.

In a statement from his office on Thursday, Sistani called on the international community and world nations to intervene to halt the escalation and find a peaceful resolution to the Iranian nuclear issue.

He condemned ongoing military aggression against Iran and any threats aimed at its highest religious and political leadership. “Such criminal actions, which violate religious and ethical standards as well as international laws and norms, risk severe consequences for the entire region,” Sistani said.

“It could lead to widespread chaos, exacerbating the suffering of peoples and harming the interests of all parties involved to an extreme degree.”

Following calls from the Shiite Coordination Framework for supporters to rally in solidarity with Iran, influential cleric and leader of the Sadrist Movement, Muqtada al-Sadr, urged peaceful, organized demonstrations after next Friday’s prayers.

Al-Sadr condemned what he described as “Zionist and American terrorism, colonial expansion, and hostility toward peoples and religions,” calling on Iraqis to unite in protest against these threats.

In a recent social media post, al-Sadr urged Iraqis to take part in “peaceful, organized protests” after Friday prayers next week, calling for demonstrations to be held simultaneously in every provincial capital.

Al-Sadr said the protests were motivated by “religious, ideological, and humanitarian concerns.”

He denounced what he described as massacres and aggression against Arab and Muslim countries, citing recent attacks on neighboring Iran, Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen, which he called “the main drivers of wars worldwide.”

Meanwhile, the Shiite Coordination Framework - a coalition of major Shiite parties excluding the Sadrist Movement, including the State of Law, Al-Fatah, Asaib Ahl al-Haq, Al-Nasr, and Al-Hikma blocs - failed to mobilize significant support in their recent call for rallies.

Only dozens reportedly attended those demonstrations, while all signs point to much larger turnouts for the Sadrist protests this coming Friday.

Observers note the protests reflect deep political and sectarian divides in Iraq, with the Sadrist base, which has largely boycotted parliamentary elections, holding significant influence despite lacking parliamentary majorities held by the Coordination Framework parties.