This is the straight scoop about ISIS and ISIL.  ISIS stands for the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, which is its primary area of operation and the term used most.  ISIL stands for the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant, a geographic term that refers to large parts of the Middle-East including Egypt, Syria, Turkey, Lebanon, Palestine, Israel and Jordan where ISIS wants to establish its caliphate.   Obama habitually called this terror group ISIL, which gave it some credibility as an aspiring Islamic nation.