Armed Militias and Extremist Groups

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

Analysis

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

The Israeli leader revealed that he spoke with the Syrian president last year, but stalled talks and Israel's fortification of a security zone on Syrian land underscore his mistrust of Sharaa.

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

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

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

Qatar’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani’s visit to Beirut coincides with the Lebanese authorities’ ongoing efforts to curb Hezbollah’s influence in the country.

Fighters loyal to Yemen's exiled President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi pose for a picture near the presidential palace (unseen R) following clashes in Aden's Maashiq neighborhood on July 22, 2015.

Houthis strike Yemeni government’s presidential palace in Aden: What to know

Aden serves as the de facto capital of Yemen’s internationally recognized government, which was forced to relocate from Sanaa after the Houthis seized the capital in 2014.

People attend the funeral ceremony of Mahan Setareh, a member of the paramilitary Basij force who was killed in the recent Israeli attacks on June 26, 2025 in Tehran, Iran. A cease-fire between Israel and Iran has brought an end to 12 days of daily aerial attacks that started with Israel's strikes on Iranian military and nuclear sites on June 13. (Photo by Majid Saeedi/Getty Images)

Female commander in Iran's Basij units assassinated: What to know

Violence in the Sistan and Baluchistan province has become a regular occurrence, marked by clashes with armed groups and ambushes on Iranian security forces.

Latest News

Explainer

Aramco HQ attack exposes Saudi defense gaps, infrastructure vulnerabilities

Flames burn at a facility belonging to Saudi oil giant Aramco south of Riyadh

Iraq’s Zaidi, Saudi crown prince discuss security as Houthi attacks escalate

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi meets with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Oct. 14, 2026, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Former Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar sues Netanyahu for nearly $1M over Oct. 7 claims

Israel's Chief of the Mossad David Barnea (R) and Security Agency director Ronen Bar, attend a ceremony marking the Hebrew calendar anniversary of the Hamas attack on October 7 last year that sparked the ongoing war in Gaza, at the Mount Herzl military cemetery in Jerusalem on October 27, 2024. (Photo by GIL COHEN-MAGEN / POOL / AFP) (Photo by GIL COHEN-MAGEN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Trump floats asking Turkey to join fight against Houthis in Yemen

WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 28: U.S. President Donald Trump listens to a reporters question in the Oval Office at the White House on September 28, 2026 in Washington, DC. Trump announced plans that a new $15 billion steel plant will be built in eastern Iowa by Mesabi Metallics and is projected to be one of the largest in the United States. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

A plume of smoke rises during a reported airstrike by the Saudi-led coalition on the Houthi-controlled Yemeni capital, Sanaa, on Oct. 9, 2026.

Saudi-led coalition strikes Sanaa as Trump says Houthis act at Iran’s behest

The Saudi-led coalition urged civilians to evacuate an oil facility in Yemen’s capital ahead of a planned “precision operation.”

This picture shows the border wall between Iran and Afghanistan at the Milak border crossing near the town of Zabol, in the southeastern province of Sistan and Baluchistan bordering Afghanistan, on Dec. 17, 2025.

Iran’s IRGC says 5 killed in Baluchistan after dismantling ‘militant cell’: What to know

Iran’s IRGC announced a new operation against armed militants in the southeastern province of Sistan and Baluchistan, which is witnessing almost daily attacks and clashes.

A giant electoral poster for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party with the slogan "no surrender" is displayed on the facade of a building in Tel Aviv on Sept. 29, 2026

Exclusive

In bid to win over Saudi Arabia, Netanyahu may strike Yemen before elections

Attacks on Iran or its Yemeni proxy before the elections cannot be ruled out, but the Israeli prime minister appears more inclined to support Saudi Arabia against the Houthis in Yemen.

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

A security force member stands guard during a protest against Saudi intervention in Yemen, in Sanaa, on Oct. 9, 2026.

Iran offers Saudi-Yemen dialogue as fighting, Houthi attacks escalate

The Saudi-backed government in Yemen passed a draft law designating the Iran-backed Houthis as a terror group, as the US considers further action against the group over its attacks against Saudi Arabia.

Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) fighters arrive in the northern Iraqi city of Dohuk on May 14, 2013, after leaving Turkey as part of a peace drive with Ankara.

Explainer

PKK pulls out of Metina in northern Iraq amid Turkey peace process

The withdrawal comes as the peace process between Turkey and the militant group gains momentum alongside increasing security cooperation between Ankara and Baghdad.

Saudi-backed Yemeni government soldiers

Can Saudi Arabia rebuild Yemen’s fractured anti-Houthi coalition?

Demonstrators ride through a street while waving Syrian flags

Analysis

Why Syria and Iraq are taking different approaches to armed groups

In a break from past policies, the new governments in Damascus and Baghdad are clamping down on militant groups with the capacity or desire to harm regional partners.

Shelly Kittleson

By Shelly Kittleson

In Baghdad, reporting on Iraqi politics

Members of the Southern Giants Brigade sit in the back of military vehicles

Analysis

Who are Yemen's Southern Giants Brigades leading the fight against the Houthis?

The Giants Brigades have emerged as the Saudi-backed Yemeni government’s most formidable fighting force.

Giorgio Cafiero

By Giorgio Cafiero

Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces ride in the back of a military truck at the Jabal Han front west of the city of Taiz following fierce battles earlier in the day as Yemen's Houthis reportedly attempted to seize control of the main route between the inland city of Taiz and the coastal city of Aden, on Oct. 3, 2026.

Saudi envoy says allied Yemeni forces capture Bab el Mandeb strait from Houthis: What to know

A Houthi spokesperson rejected claims that Saudi-backed forces had retaken territory along the Bab el Mandeb Strait, as fighting escalated with new attacks on the Riyadh airport.

Supporters of the Houthi authorities hold their weapons during a protest against the Saudi intervention in Yemen and against Saudi Arabia's recent accusation that the Houthis fired at the holy city of Mecca, in Sanaa, on Sept. 18, 2026.

Analysis

US balances Houthi diplomacy with support for Saudi offensive

Renewed fighting in Yemen is forcing the United States to balance support for Saudi Arabia with efforts to preserve its truce with the Houthis.

Elizabeth Hagedorn

By Elizabeth Hagedorn

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

A Baluch Iranian man rides a bicycle in Zahedan, in the southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchistan bordering Afghanistan on Dec. 18, 2025, during a media tour organized by the Iranian government.

Iran’s Sistan and Baluchistan province witnesses uptick in attacks

Iranian authorities accuse foreign-backed armed groups of being behind a string of deadly attacks in the southeast, amid concerns about the resumption of war with the United States.

A US Boeing KC-135 air refueling tanker flies

US quietly aids Saudi Arabia’s Yemen campaign with intel, refueling

Pentagon aims to keep Yemen and Iran wars separate while shielding the flow of Gulf oil exports from attack as Riyadh bears the brunt of the Houthis' missile and drone barrages.