US President Joe Biden said today (Thursday) that US forces eliminated ISIS leader Abu Ibrahim al-Hashmi in northern Syria last night. Biden said the operation, which took place in the Idlib province bordering Turkey, was successful, and that all American forces returned safely. The White House said Biden would make a statement at 4:30 p.m. (Israel time).

"Thanks to the capabilities and courage of our forces, we have removed from the battlefield Abu Ibrahim al-Hashmi al-Qurashi - the leader of ISIS. All Americans have returned safely from the operation," Biden said in a statement. An American source said that the ISIS leader, who was appointed the successor of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi after his assassination in 2019, blew himself up during the operation, which resulted in the deaths of his family members. Al-Baghdadi also used an explosive belt to prevent US forces from capturing him alive.

Syria's civil defense body, the opposition's rescue organization, said at least 13 people were killed, including six children, in shelling and clashes that erupted after the raid on the town of Atma near the Turkish border. Idlib is the last stronghold of the opposition in Syria, and is home to a large number of organizations, including those associated with global jihad.