Armed Militias and Extremist Groups

Destroyed military vehicles reportedly belonging to Saudi-backed forces

Breaking | Last Updated: October 24, 2026, 9:39 am

US issues travel advisories across Middle East citing Houthi threat

A State Department spokesperson said the travel warnings were "not indicative" of new Houthi capabilities.

AFPTV / AFP via Getty Images

Aramco evacuates staff as Saudi Arabia braces for potential Houthi escalation: What to know

The repeated and escalating Houthi attacks against Saudi Arabia’s energy facilities and airports United States ordered the departure of non-essential government employees and their families from the kingdom, with oil giant Aramco reportedly evacuating its headquarters.

WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 25: U.S. ambassador to Turkey Thomas Barrack attends a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump and President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the Oval Office at the White House on September 25, 2025 in Washington, DC. Trump has signaled that the U.S. might lift a ban on F-35 sales to Turkey during Erdogan's first visit to the White House since 2019. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

US moving away from Middle East security guarantor role, Barrack says

The US envoy said that direct US military intervention on the ground against the Houthis would be "fruitless."

By Rosaleen Carroll

In Washington, DC, US, reporting on the Middle East

Yemenis line up to refill gas bottles at a refilling station in Taiz, on Oct. 19, 2026.

Yemen displacement tops 250K as Houthis tighten siege on Taiz: What to know

The Houthis are looking to completely seize Taiz city, with clashes escalating in other parts of the south as well.

Latest News

Feature

US aid runs dry as new fighting razes Yemen

Internally displaced Yemenis queue at a water tank dispenser

Elizabeth Hagedorn

By Elizabeth Hagedorn

In Washington, DC, reporting on diplomacy, regional politics, human rights

Lebanon uncovers new tunnel amid tensions with Hezbollah: What to know

tunnel

Analysis

'The problem and the solution': Netanyahu-Sharaa call exposes Israel's Syria dilemma

Israeli troops stand guard on the dividing line between the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights and Syrian, near Majdal Shams, July 16, 2025.

In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense

Qatar PM in Beirut as Lebanon seeks economic relief: What to know

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun met with Qatar’s Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani

Residents hang a poster bearing a portrait of Hezbollah's slain leader Hassan Nasrallah and the flag of the Iran-baked party on the rubble of a destroyed house in the southern border village of Adaisseh, following the Israeli army's withdrawal on Feb. 18, 2025.

Hezbollah rejects talks with Israel as attacks spark fear of renewed war

Hezbollah’s response to President Joseph Aoun’s call for talks with Israel have further deepened divisions in the country.

Sipan Hemo

Exclusive

SDF commander Hemo: Syria’s Kurds prepare for threat of war as Damascus talks falter

As US-brokered talks stall, Kurdish forces are preparing contingencies while continuing dialogue with Damascus to secure Syria’s future, SDF commander Sipan Hemo told Al-Monitor in an exclusive interview.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Former Director General of Lafarge Bruno Lafont (C) and French lawyer Jacqueline Laffont arrive on the opening day of the trial.

French cement giant Lafarge on trial for ‘funding terrorism’ in Syria: What to know

The French company is accused of funneling millions of dollars via its subsidiary Lafarge Cement Syria to jihadi groups and intermediaries to keep its cement plant operating in northern Syria.

A large picture of Naim Qassem (C), current leader of the Lebanese Shiite movement Hezbollah, is displayed near another of the group's slain longtime leader Hassan Nasrallah during a ceremony marking the first anniversary of Israel's assassination of Nasrallah and other group leaders, in the town of Deir Qanoun al-Nahr near Tyre in southern Lebanon on September 27, 2025. The Iran-backed group, weakened by a deadly war with Israel last year, has organised a series of commemorative events to mark Nasrallah's

Analysis

With Hezbollah rearming, Israel considers heavy hits in Lebanon

A diplomatic source told Al-Monitor that Washington is trying to avoid an all-out war in Lebanon but “maybe a significant attack [against Hezbollah] will do the trick."

In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense

Mohmed Ali, left, and a alleged co-conspirator are seen at a gun store on Sept. 25, 2025, according to a criminal complaint. Part of this image has been obscured by the source.

Prosecutors charge two Michigan men in alleged ISIS-inspired plot: What to know

The two men charged, both under 21, allegedly bought firearms and more than 1,600 rounds of ammunition, practiced shooting at gun ranges and scouted potential targets before the FBI intervened.

pose for a family photo during a meeting of foreign ministers from Muslim countries to discuss the Gaza peace plan, in Istanbul, on Nov. 3, 2025.

Turkey's Fidan says Hamas 'ready' to cede Gaza control amid Trump’s ceasefire push

The message was conveyed to the Turkish side during talks between Ankara and the militant group, a source told Al-Monitor.

A bulldozer removes the wreckage of a vehicle targeted by an Israeli drone strike in the southern Lebanese village of Doueir near the city of Nabatieh, on Nov. 3, 2025.

Israel escalates Lebanon attacks amid US frustration over Hezbollah disarmament

Lebanon has been under growing pressure from the US to completely disarm Iran-backed Hezbollah, which emerged weakened from its war with Israel.

EBRAHIM HAMID/AFP via Getty Images

Sudan PM orders state of alert as atrocity claims mount in Darfur

The UN Security Council met Thursday to address reports of mass killings and alleged atrocities in el-Fasher following its capture by the Rapid Support Forces.

The Prime Minister was accompanied by his Chief-of-Staff, Tzachi Braverman, IDF Chief-of-Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir, ISA Director David Zini, his Military Secretary Maj.-Gen. Roman Gofman, the Head of IDF Coordination Command, Maj.-Gen. Yaki Dolf, and senior IDF officials.

Analysis

As CENTCOM sets up in southern Israel, fears grow of expanding US influence

CENTCOM's establishment of the Civil-Military Coordination Center in southern Israel has given Washington unprecedented control over Israeli actions in Gaza.

In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense

Camels roam next to wind turbines that will supply power to a desalination plant under construction in Dakhla in the disputed Western Sahara, mostly controlled by Morocco, on May 26, 2025.

Feature

Trump eyes Algeria-Morocco rift over Western Sahara in latest peace bid

With the world’s attention fixed on the Gaza ceasefire, the Trump administration has its sights set on another diplomatic deal: Western Sahara.

Elizabeth Hagedorn

By Elizabeth Hagedorn

In Washington, DC, reporting on diplomacy, regional politics, human rights

MEDITERRANIAN SEA - OCTOBER 2: In this handout provided by the U.S. Navy, The USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), and Italian Navy Offshore Patrol Vessel ITS Paolo Thaon di Revel (P430), flagship of Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group 2, operate in the Mediterranean Sea, Oct. 2, 2025. Gerald R. Ford, a first-in-class aircraft carrier and deployed flagship of Carrier Strike Group 12, is on a scheduled deployment in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations to support the warfighting effectiveness, lethality and re

Trump’s Venezuela standoff to leave Mideast without US aircraft carrier

The USS Ford’s departure will leave Washington without the Navy’s on-call mobile strike capability in the Middle East as the Trump administration shifts its pressure campaign to Latin America.

A Lebanese policeman walks past a portrait of Ibrahim Salameh, a Lebanese municipal employee who was killed during an Israeli army raid in the southern border village of Blida, displayed outside the municipality building on Oct. 30, 2025.

Aoun urges response after Israeli raid kills municipal worker in southern Lebanon

Israeli forces killed a municipal employee during an incursion into Lebanon, further escalating tensions in a country where fears of a renewed war have grown in recent weeks.