Armed Militias and Extremist Groups

French President Emmanuel Macron speaks to journalists as he arrives for an informal meeting of the European Council in Nicosia, Cyprus, April 24, 2026.

Why US, Israel are freezing France out of Lebanon talks

With talks between Israel and Lebanon being held in Washington, Paris still insists that it must be involved to balance possible American bias and to protect Beirut’s interests.

A young man stands in the entrance of tunnels that were used by the ISIS and the Assad's regime for fighting. Tadamon, Syria, February 7, 2025. (Photo by Raghed Waked / Middle East Images / Middle East Images via AFP) (Photo by RAGHED WAKED/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)

Syria arrests Amjad Youssef, Tadamoun massacre perpetrator: What to know

Amjad Youssef appeared on video, allegedly killing dozens of civilians in 2013; he is the latest member of the Assad regime to be captured by the new Syrian government.

US Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa (R) holds a signed "Make America Great Again" hat while (L-R) US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Lebanon Ambassador to the US Nada Hamadeh Moawad listen to US President Donald Trump speak during a meeting with Lebanon Ambassador to the US and Israel Ambassador to the US, at the White House in Washington, DC on April 23, 2026. US President Donald Trump met Lebanese and Israeli envoys at a new round of peace talks Thursday, with Beirut seeking a one-month extension of a

Analysis

Israel fears Trump angling for Lebanon deal to offset Iran missteps

Some Israelis worry the US president might force them to accept an unsatisfactory agreement driven by his inability to secure a tangible achievement in Iran.

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

ATTA KENARE / AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

Israel sees chance of US-Iran deal as almost 'non-existent,' readies for war

As US President Trump makes contradictory statements regarding his intentions toward Iran and the ongoing negotiations, Israel is preparing for the possibility of resuming military operations.

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

Latest News

Interview

Olmert: Only Israel-Lebanon deal can curb Hezbollah, occupation 'unviable'

Olmert

How Syria's border opening with Iraq redefines Turkey-Kurd balance

Members of Iraq's security forces stand guard on the the al-Rabia border crossing with Syria on April 20, 2026.

MBS hosts Sudan's Burhan in Jeddah as $1.5B Saudi-backed arms deal stalls

Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman meets with Sudanese army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan in Jeddah, on April 20, 2026.

Lebanon-Israel negotiations to continue even as Iran talks stall

Jewel SAMAD / AFP via Getty Images

Sudan

Second Sudan cease-fire goes into effect with nearly 300 killed

The international community has been calling on the military and rival forces to stop the fighting as the death toll rises.

US Treasury Department

UK sanctions Lebanon art dealer accused of financing Hezbollah

Already sanctioned by the United States back in 2019, Lebanese art dealer Nazem Said Ahmad was sanctioned by the British government on Tuesday.

Smoke billows above residential buildings in east Khartoum on April 16, 2023, as fighting in Sudan raged for a second day in battles between rival generals. - Violence erupted early on April 15 after weeks of deepening tensions between army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his deputy, Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, commander of the heavily-armed paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), with each accusing the other of starting the fight. (Photo by AFP) (Photo by -/AFP via Getty Images)

Sudan death toll nears 100 as civilians flee, power struggle continues

Several countries have called for restraint after rival forces engaged in bloody clashes in Sudan.

The Horn of Africa

A member of the Iraqi security forces stands by a destroyed vehicle that was carrying rockets amdist sacks of flour, in the district of al-Baghdadi in al-Anbar province on July 8, 2021. - Fourteen rockets were fired on July 7 at an air base hosting American troops in the western province of Anbar, causing minor injuries to two personnel, the coalition said. The rockets "landed on the base & perimeter" of the Ain al-Assad base, the coalition spokesman tweeted, adding that local homes and a mosque were also d

Iraqi militias escalate rhetoric against US, threatening more attacks

After a period of calm following the formation of the new government, angry rhetoric has been rising against the US embassy's social outreach to Iraqi groups and tribes.

The Palestinian Hamas movement's leader Ismail Haniyeh flashes the victory sign following a speech at a public rally during his visit to the southern Lebanese city of Saida, on June 26, 2022. (Photo by MAHMOUD ZAYYAT / AFP) (Photo by MAHMOUD ZAYYAT/AFP via Getty Images)

Lebanon’s Hezbollah hosts Hamas chief as rockets fly over Israel border

The delegation has reportedly discussed efforts to coordinate action against Israel.

US-made armoured vehicles bearing markings of the US Marine Corps are seen on a road north of Raqa in northern Syria on March 27, 2017. US-backed forces battled the Islamic State group around a key Syrian town, after the capture of an airbase brought them closer to besieging the jihadists in their stronghold Raqa.Operations are currently focused on the strategically important town of Tabqa on the Euphrates River, and the adjacent dam and military airport. / AFP PHOTO / DELIL SOULEIMAN (Photo credit should r

Second attack on US military in Syria following Pentagon’s airstrikes

The US military said it struck Iranian-affiliated targets in eastern Syria in response to an earlier drone attack.

A set of ammunition, ordnance and armoured vehicles, including projectiles, rockets, shells and mortars, are seen at a demining group headquarters in Hay al-Andalus on March 29, 2022 Tripoli, Libya. Russian backed Wagner Group, aligned with commander Khalifa Haftar in east, left behind hundreds of unmarked mines and booby-traps scattered amongst civilian areas in the suburbs around the Libyan capital.

Russia's Wagner activities expanding in Libya despite growing Western scrutiny

The Wagner Group has sought to use Libya as a forward base for its activities in the Sahel region, particularly Chad and Niger, while building spheres of influence with local communities and smuggling networks in the southern border regions of Libya.

Israeli armored military vehicles and humvees patrol along the border with Lebanon near the northern kibbutz of Bar'am, Israel, March 15, 2023.

Hezbollah, Hamas seek to exploit Israel's internal weakness to attack

The security incident last Monday near the border with Lebanon worries the IDF, as Hezbollah tries to exploit the ongoing crisis in Israel.

A man walks inside a liquor shop in Baghdad on February 23, 2023. (Photo by MURTAJA LATEEF/AFP via Getty Images)

'Iraq is not an Islamic country': Minorities protest Baghdad's alcohol ban as unconstitutional

The Iraqi government's renewed effort to prohibit alcohol is not only worrisome for Christian and Yazidi minorities, but also raises constitutionality questions.

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley speaks during a press briefing after a virtual Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting at the Pentagon on Nov. 16, 2022 in Arlington, Virginia.

Top US general Mark Milley makes surprise visit to Syria

Gen. Mark Milley's visit to US troops fighting the Islamic State came as Pentagon officials warn Russia's arms transfers to Iran will embolden the IRGC and its proxies in the Middle East.

Smoke rises during clashes between an extremist group and the Palestinian security forces in Ain al-Hilweh camp, near the southern coastal city of Sidon, Lebanon, April 8, 2017.

Clashes in Lebanon’s Palestinian refugee camp as security void looms

The UN recently warned that poverty and crime is on the rise in the camp due to the Lebanese economic crisis.

JAAFAR ASHTIYEH/AFP via Getty Images

Israel should 'wipe out' Palestinian village of Huwara, says far-right minister Smotrich

After inflammatory comments by far-right legislator Zvika Fogel last Monday, far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said he'd like to see the Palestinian village of Huwara "wiped out."