Paris attacks: UN backs 'all necessary measures' against Islamist State

The UN (United Nations) Security Council has unanimously adopted a resolution, which was proposed by France, to "redouble" action against the Islamic State (IS), following last week's deadly attacks in Paris.

A United Nations Security Council meeting chaired by US President Barack Obama

Besides taking “all necessary measures” in the fight against the IS, the UN Security Council called on member states to "eradicate the safe haven" IS and other militant groups had established over parts of Iraq and Syria. It also stressed that nations should "redouble and co-ordinate their efforts to prevent and suppress terrorist attacks".

War-torn Syria

IS has said it carried out the Paris attacks, in which 130 people died, the worst in Europe since the 2004 Madrid bombings. It also claimed deadly bombings in Lebanon this month, while an IS-linked group said it downed a Russian passenger plane in October. It is a notoriously violent Islamist group which controls large parts of Syria and Iraq, and regards non-believers as deserving of death.

What used to be an intermediate school in Iraq, damaged by terrorist groups

The UN’s decision came as the Belgian authorities raised the terror alert to its highest level in the capital, Brussels, warning of an "imminent threat". The city's metro system and other underground train lines have been closed until at least Sunday (November 22), and the public has been warned to avoid crowds, including shopping centres and concerts.

Belgium's metro or underground train system is closed

Belgium, and especially Brussels, has been at the centre of investigations into the militants behind the Paris attacks. One of those being sought, Salah Abdeslam, is believed to have gone back to Belgium.

Lovely architecture at the Grand Place, city centre of Brussels, Belgium

(All images - credit: Wikimedia Commons under Creative Commons licence)