Armed Militias and Extremist Groups

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

Olmert

Interview

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

Former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told Al-Monitor that Israel will only be able to defang Hezbollah if it reaches an agreement with the Lebanese government.

Latest News

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

Analysis

As Lebanon-Israel talks loom, can Syria help in curbing Hezbollah?

Syrian soldiers stand in the snow in the country's mountainous Qalamoun region, near the border with Lebanon, during a patrol to secure the frontier and prevent smuggling operations on January 1, 2026. (Photo by Bakr ALkasem / AFP via Getty Images)

Danny Makki

In London, reporting on Syrian politics and culture

A Baloch militant (L) hands over his gun and surrenders to Baluchistan province Chief Minister Sardar Sanaullah Khan Zehri (R) in Quetta on April 21, 2017. Around 500 Baloch rebel militants on April 21 surrendered to Pakistan's government as Islamabad pursues its development agenda linked to the ambitious China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) in the southwest province. / AFP PHOTO / BANARAS KHAN (Photo credit should read BANARAS KHAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Across Baluchistan, who are the groups targeted by Iran, Pakistan?

The cross-border strikes have raised questions about the separatist groups operating in the border area between Iran and Pakistan.

GHULAM RASOOL/AFP via Getty Images

Pakistan conducts strikes inside Iran as China, Turkey call for restraint

The region is already at a boiling point as the Israel-Hamas war continues to reverberate across the Middle East, with attacks in Yemen, Syria, Iraq and Lebanon.

AKROTIRI, CYPRUS - JANUARY 12: In this handout image provided by the UK Ministry of Defence, an RAF Typhoon aircraft returns to berth following a strike mission on Yemen's Houthi rebels at RAF Akrotiri on January 12, 2024 in Akrotiri, Cyprus. On Thursday evening, four RAF Typhoons launched from RAF Akrotiri to conduct strikes against Yemen's Houthi rebels, who have been targeting merchant vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden with missiles and drones. According to British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, the s

Fourth round of US strikes in Yemen as Houthis vow retaliation

The US launched the strikes just hours after the Houthis hit a US-owned, Marshall Islands-flagged cargo vessel off Yemen's southern coast on Wednesday.

Pakistani and Iranian flags flutter on the closed Pakistan-Iran border in Taftan on February 25, 2020 as fears over the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus escalate following an outbreak in neighbouring Iran. - The Iranian outbreak where at least 15 people have already died -- the highest death toll in any country outside of China -- has aggravated already frayed nerves in neighbouring Afghanistan and Pakistan. (Photo by Banaras KHAN / AFP) (Photo by BANARAS KHAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Iran-Pakistan tensions simmer after strikes, IRGC officer killed in southeast

Iran is seeking to contain the damage to its relationship with Pakistan following a deadly Iranian military strike in Pakistani territory targeting a dissident group.

A meeting of Arab League foreign ministers in Cairo on May 7, 2023.

Alarmed over Ethiopia-Somaliland deal, Arab FMs rally behind Somalia, Egypt

Somalia denied entry to an Ethiopian flight heading to Somaliland, as a controversial deal signed between the latter and Ethiopia continues to be a source of concern in the region.

This picture taken from an Israeli position along the border with southern Lebanon shows smoke billowing above the Lebanese village of Adayseh during Israeli bombardment, Jan. 14, 2024.

War looms for Lebanon as border escalation intensifies

Cross-border exchanges between Israel and Hezbollah have been escalating in recent days amid fear of a full-blown war.

This picture taken from the Israeli border with the Gaza Strip shows smoke billowing over Gaza City following Israeli strikes on Jan. 1, 2024, amid the ongoing battles between Israel and the militant Hamas group.

Breaking | Last Updated: January 16, 2024, 10:31 am

Live Updates: Attacks in Red Sea, Israel as Gaza death toll passes 24,000

Gaza City was hit with more airstrikes on Monday as Gaza authorities say the death toll has passed 24,000.

An Iranian woman holds a portrait of Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei duringa demonstration against the Saudi-led coalitions Operation Decisive Storm against the Huthi rebels in Yemen, outside the Saudi embassy in Tehran on April 13, 2015. AFP PHOTO/ATTA KENARE (Photo credit should read ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images)

Will Iran manage to dodge ripple effects of Red Sea tensions?

The Islamic Republic has condemned the Western coalition strikes targeting its favored Houthi rebels in Yemen, yet it appears to have no appetite for an escalation that could threaten its very survival.

Antalyaspor's Israeli forward Jehezkel displayed a bandage on the Gaza war after scoring a goal

Day 100 of Hamas-Israel war blog: Sunday, Jan. 14

Demonstrators protesting Israel's bombardment of Gaza rallied in Washington during a global 'day of action' on January 13, 2024

Day 99 of Hamas-Israel war blog: Saturday, Jan. 13

A group of singers perform Somali nationalistic songs during a demonstration in support of Somalia's government following the port deal signed between Ethiopia and the breakaway region of Somaliland at Eng Yariisow Stadium in Mogadishu on January 3, 2024. Somalia vowed to defend its territory after a controversial Red Sea access deal between Ethiopia and the breakaway state of Somaliland that it branded as "aggression". (Photo by ABDISHUKRI HAYBE / AFP) (Photo by ABDISHUKRI HAYBE/AFP via Getty Images)

In fallout of Somaliland-Ethiopia deal, Turkey backs Somalia amid rivalries

Turkey's harsh reaction to the deal between Somaliland and Ethiopia reflects its close ties with Somalia, where it has a military base and commercial interests.

Iranian protesters burn an Israeli and a US flag during a demonstration in solidarity with the Palestinian people and Iran-backed Yemeni rebels following US and British forces strikes on Huthi rebel-held cities in Yemen, in front of the British embassy in Tehran on January 12, 2024 amid the ongoing battles between Israel and the militant Hamas group in Gaza. US and British forces struck rebel-held Yemen early on January 12, after weeks of disruptive attacks on Red Sea shipping by the Iran-backed Huthis who

With US strikes in Yemen, Biden gives Houthis the war they want

US strikes against Houthis will help the group portray itself as the defender of the Palestinians and rally support inside Yemen.