Armed Militias and Extremist Groups

Ali al-Zaidi

Breaking | Last Updated: April 27, 2026, 3:43 pm

Iraq's Shiite alliance nominates Ali al-Zaidi as PM candidate: What to know

Ali al-Zaidi, who leads a bank accused of money laundering, received support from previous nominee Nouri al-Maliki and incumbent Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, though it remains unclear whether the Trump administration will approve of him.

Lebanese president Joseph Aoun (L) stands next to the parliament speaker Nabih Berri as he delivers a speech at the parliament building in Beirut Jan. 9, 2025.

'Treason is war for external interests': Lebanon’s Aoun hits back at Hezbollah

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun rejects Hezbollah’s criticism of talks with Israel, insisting negotiations are aimed at ending hostilities and saying “treason” is taking the country to war for external interests.

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.

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Analysis

Israel fears Trump angling for Lebanon deal to offset Iran missteps

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

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

Analysis

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

ATTA KENARE / AFP via Getty Images

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

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.

Iraqis drive past electoral billboards and placards of candidates for the upcoming parliamentary elections in Karrada district, Baghdad, Iraq, Sept. 19, 2021.

US welcomes conviction of Iranian, 4 Iraqis for killing American citizen

Stephen Troell, an aid worker in Baghdad, was killed in November when gunmen opened fire on his car.

Palestinian militants march during the funeral of Palestinians killed in clashes the previous day in the Israeli military operation in Jenin in the occupied West Bank on July 5, 2023.

What's behind rare intra-Palestinian clashes in West Bank

The rare clash between the Palestinian Authority and local Palestinians came amid increased Israeli security raids in the territory.

Arab Israelis demonstrate against organized crime and calling on the Israeli police to stop a wave of intra-communal violence, Umm al-Fahm, March 12, 2021.

Analysis

Does Israel’s government want to curb deadly crime wave in Arab sector?

Despite electoral promises, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has nothing to show in terms of stopping spiraling violence in Arab Israeli towns and villages.

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

Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of the Wagner mercenary group.

Wagner chief Prigozhin among passengers in fatal plane crash: Russian state media

Russia’s grey-zone influence in the Middle East and Africa enters uncharted territory amid reports of the Wagner chief’s death.

Russia / Mideast

View of the headquarters of Libya's Central Bank in Tripoli, Oct. 15, 2004.

Libya’s central bank reunifies after clashes in Tripoli

The reunification of the financial institution is a sign of progress and follows disputes over oil revenue distribution and violence in the capital, as Libya continues to grapple with the aftermath of the civil war.

A truck drives on a road as a plume of smoke rises from a building during a reported Russian airstrike on Syria.

Russian airstrikes target Hayat Tahrir al-Sham in Syria

The al-Qaeda offshoot is focused on defending its territory from Russian-backed Syrian government forces, but it has also clashed with the Islamic State recently.

JAAFAR ASHTIYEH/AFP via Getty Images

Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Fatah hold rare meeting in Gaza

The meeting in Gaza comes as the PA escalates its crackdown on Islamic Jihad in the West Bank.

Iranian security forces deploy following an armed attack at the Shah Cheragh mausoleum in the city of Shiraz on Oct. 26, 2022.

Iran claims Israel behind shrine attack, pledges revenge

The shooting renewed debates on Iran's intelligence failures in thwarting deadly attacks in contrast to the official assertion that the country is an "island of stability" in a volatile Middle East.

ANWAR AMRO/AFP via Getty Images

Lebanon’s Hezbollah makes show of force with tanks, armored vehicles as Israel tensions mount

Hezbollah is facing growing resentment inside Lebanon with several parties accusing the group of dragging the country into an unwanted war with Israel.

A member of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), made up of an alliance of Arab and Kurdish fighters, removes an Islamic State group flag in the town of Tabqa, about 55 kilometres (35 miles) west of Raqa city, on April 30, 2017.

Islamic State attack kills 26 Syrian soldiers, third in 2 weeks

The deadly attack, the group’s third this month, follows the death of another one of its leaders.

A vehicle displays the flags of Iran and the Lebanese Shiite movement Hezbollah as it moves in a funerary procession for a fallen fighter in Beirut's predominantly-Shiite Muslim southern suburb, on August 10, 2023 after he was killed the previous day amidst clashes between Hezbollah and residents of the Christian town of Kahale in Mount Lebanon. The Lebanese army said on August 10 that it had seized munitions from a Hezbollah truck that overturned near Beirut, leading to deadly clashes between Christian res

Breaking | Last Updated: August 10, 2023, 10:35 am

Lebanon: Shots fired at defense minister's car amid rising instability

The incident followed deadly clashes after a Hezbollah vehicle carrying ammunition overturned in a Christian village.

GEORGE OURFALIAN/AFP via Getty Images

Islamic State attack in Raqqa kills 10 Syrian soldiers, second in a week

IS militants attacked several positions and checkpoints of the Syrian government and allied fighters in the group’s former stronghold of Raqqa.