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Kadhimi to the International Coalition: ISIS is Active in Western Iraq

Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi met with Centcom Commander, General Michael Kurilla. (Iraq News Agency)
Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi met with Centcom Commander, General Michael Kurilla. (Iraq News Agency)
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Kadhimi to the International Coalition: ISIS is Active in Western Iraq

Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi met with Centcom Commander, General Michael Kurilla. (Iraq News Agency)
Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi met with Centcom Commander, General Michael Kurilla. (Iraq News Agency)

Iraqi Prime Minister and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Mustafa Al-Kadhimi, called on the United States and the international coalition to assume a greater role in combating ISIS, which he said was still active in various regions in western Iraq.

His comments came during a meeting on Sunday with the new commander of the US Central Command (Centcom), General Michael Kurilla, in Baghdad.

A statement by the premier’s office said that the two officials discussed bilateral security and military cooperation, the ongoing war on terrorism, and the latest operations of the Iraqi armed forces against ISIS remnants.

In this regard, Kadhimi underlined the importance of maintaining the momentum in the war on terrorism and preventing ISIS cells from growing and thus jeopardizing the security of Iraqis and the region.

Kurilla, for his part, commended the combat skills of the Iraqi security forces and their capacity to implement their new field missions and exploit the full potential of the Iraqi air forces.

Meanwhile, Danish Defense Minister Morten Bodskov emphasized the “commitment” of the international coalition to support the Iraqi armed forces in their war against terrorism.

Bodskov met on Monday in Baghdad with his Iraqi counterpart, Juma Inad Saadoun, to discuss bilateral relations and joint cooperation in a number of military, technical and other fields.

A statement by the Iraqi Defense Ministry said that the Danish minister expressed his “appreciation for the sacrifices made by the Iraqis in their battles against terrorism and the challenges facing the country,” stressing “the commitment of the international coalition to support the Iraqi armed forces in their war against terrorism.”

In this context, Dr. Hussein Allawi, Adviser to the Prime Minister for Security Sector Reform, told Asharq Al-Awsat that Iraqi-international defense relations were remarkably improving under Kadhimi’s government, through bilateral and multilateral cooperation in the field of combating terrorism, exchange of information, and joint exercises.

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Arab World

Israel Says Will Continue to Strike Hezbollah 'Wherever Necessary'

People inspect the aftermath of a building destroyed in an Israeili airstrike in the Corniche el-Mazraa neighborhood of Beirut, Lebanon, 09 April 2026. EPA/WAEL HAMZEH
People inspect the aftermath of a building destroyed in an Israeili airstrike in the Corniche el-Mazraa neighborhood of Beirut, Lebanon, 09 April 2026. EPA/WAEL HAMZEH
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Israel Says Will Continue to Strike Hezbollah 'Wherever Necessary'

People inspect the aftermath of a building destroyed in an Israeili airstrike in the Corniche el-Mazraa neighborhood of Beirut, Lebanon, 09 April 2026. EPA/WAEL HAMZEH
People inspect the aftermath of a building destroyed in an Israeili airstrike in the Corniche el-Mazraa neighborhood of Beirut, Lebanon, 09 April 2026. EPA/WAEL HAMZEH

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday that Israel would keep hitting Hezbollah "wherever necessary,” the day after Israeli strikes pummeled Lebanon.

"We are continuing to strike Hezbollah with force, precision, and determination," Netanyahu said on his personal X account.

"Our message is clear: anyone who acts against Israeli civilians -- we will strike them. We will continue to hit Hezbollah wherever necessary, until we fully restore security to the residents of the north" of Israel, he added.

Israeli strikes hit busy commercial and residential areas in central Beirut without warning on Wednesday, hours after a ceasefire was announced in the US-Israeli war with Iran.

Lebanon said at least 203 people were killed and hundreds were wounded, making it the deadliest day in the latest Israel-Hezbollah war.

People walk among the debris of cars and a building destroyed in an Israeili airstrike in the Corniche el-Mazraa neighborhood of Beirut, Lebanon, 09 April 2026. EPA/WAEL HAMZEH

US President Donald Trump told PBS News Hour that Lebanon was not included in the deal because of Hezbollah. When asked about Israel’s latest strikes, he said, “That’s a separate skirmish.”

Israel had said the agreement does not extend to its war with the Iran-backed Hezbollah, although Iran and mediator Pakistan said it does.

There was no sign of Hezbollah launching strikes against Israel in the first couple of hours after the attacks.

In response to the attacks on Lebanon, Iran later Wednesday said it was again halting the movement of oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, the country's state-run media reported.

Lebanon's health minister said at least 1,000 people were wounded in the strikes.

Arab World

EU Says Strikes on Lebanon Endangering US-Iran Ceasefire

Smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike on a building in Beirut, Lebanon, on April 8, 2026. Hassan Ammar, AP
Smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike on a building in Beirut, Lebanon, on April 8, 2026. Hassan Ammar, AP
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EU Says Strikes on Lebanon Endangering US-Iran Ceasefire

Smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike on a building in Beirut, Lebanon, on April 8, 2026. Hassan Ammar, AP
Smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike on a building in Beirut, Lebanon, on April 8, 2026. Hassan Ammar, AP

The European Union on Thursday called on Israel to halt its strikes on Lebanon which it said were endangering the US-Iran ceasefire, AFP reported.

"Israeli actions are putting the US-Iran ceasefire under severe strain. The Iran truce should extend to Lebanon," the European Union's top diplomate Kaja Kallas said.

"Hezbollah dragged Lebanon into the war, but Israel's right to defend itself does not justify inflicting such massive destruction," she said.
"Israeli strikes killed hundreds last night, making it hard to argue that such heavy-handed actions fall within self-defence," she added.
"Hezbollah must disarm, as it agreed to do. The EU supports Lebanon's efforts to disarm" the Iran-backed group, Kallas added.

At least 182 people were killed in Lebanon on Wednesday when Israel intensified its attacks on the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group, which joined the war in support of Tehran, according to the Associated Press. First responders searched overnight for missing people still under the rubble after the strikes, which hit commercial and residential areas of Beirut.

Israel said Thursday it killed Ali Yusuf Harshi, an aide to Hezbollah leader Naim Kassem. Hezbollah did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has insisted that an end to the war in Lebanon was part of the ceasefire deal, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Trump said it was not.

A New York-based think tank warned the deal “hovers on the verge of collapse.”

“Even if Lebanon was formally outside the deal, the scale of Israel’s strikes was likely to be viewed as escalatory, nonetheless,” the Soufan Center wrote in an analysis. “Israel’s strikes can be understood both as an effort to drive a wedge between Iran and its proxies and as a response to being allegedly sidelined in the original ceasefire discussions.”

Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported Thursday that an Israeli strike overnight had killed at least seven people in southern Lebanon. The Israeli military did not immediately acknowledge the strike.

Arab World

Drone Strike Kills 12, Including Children, in Sudan's Darfur

08 April 2026, Chad, Aboutengye: Women and girls wait for water distribution at the Aboutengue refugee camp in eastern Chad near the border with Sudan. Photo: Eva Krafczyk/dpa
08 April 2026, Chad, Aboutengye: Women and girls wait for water distribution at the Aboutengue refugee camp in eastern Chad near the border with Sudan. Photo: Eva Krafczyk/dpa
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Drone Strike Kills 12, Including Children, in Sudan's Darfur

08 April 2026, Chad, Aboutengye: Women and girls wait for water distribution at the Aboutengue refugee camp in eastern Chad near the border with Sudan. Photo: Eva Krafczyk/dpa
08 April 2026, Chad, Aboutengye: Women and girls wait for water distribution at the Aboutengue refugee camp in eastern Chad near the border with Sudan. Photo: Eva Krafczyk/dpa

A drone strike on Kutum in Sudan's North Darfur state has killed 12 civilians, including six children, a medical source and local activists said Thursday.

A medical source told AFP that those brought to the town's hospital included 12 dead, among them six children, including three secondary school students. Sixteen others were injured, including women and children, and are receiving treatment.

The El-Fasher Resistance Committee, a pro-democracy group, said the strike on Wednesday hit the Al-Salama neighborhood near Al-Um Girls' School, blaming the Sudanese army, which has been at war with the Rapid Support Forces since April 2023.