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

JACQUELYN MARTIN/AFP via Getty Images

Back in Israel, Blinken tries to reach a deal on opening Gaza's Rafah crossing

On a second visit in four days, Secretary of State Antony Blinken met in Israel with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog.

EYAD BABA/AFP via Getty Images

Day 10 of Hamas-Israel war blog: Monday, Oct.

Ten days into the fighting between Israel and Hamas, nearly 1 million are now displaced in Gaza as rocket barrages continue in the direction of Israel and the Israeli bombardment intensifies on the enclave.

French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna (C) and Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen (R) visit the damaged Barzilai Medical Center in the city of Ashkelon on October 15, 2023, amid the ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas. Hamas launched a large-scale attack on Israel on October 7 which killed at least 1300 people, sparking a retaliatory bombing campaign that has killed more than 1900 in the Gaza Strip ahead of a potential Israeli ground invasion of the territory. (Photo b

France's top diplomat discusses hostages in Israel, ahead of Lebanon visit

French Minister Catherine Colonna met today in Israel with her counterpart Eli Cohen and with families of French-Israelis missing and kidnapped by Hamas before next traveling to Lebanon.

A picture taken from the southern Israeli side of the border with the Gaza Strip on Oct. 15, 2023.

Day 9 of Hamas-Israel war blog: Sunday, Oct. 15

Nine days into the fighting between Israel and Hamas, nearly 1 million are now displaced in Gaza as rocket barrages continue in the direction of Israel and the Israeli bombardment intensifies on the enclave.

Israel army

Israel’s intelligence blunder on Gaza: Misreading Hamas abilities, intentions

Whether a result of hubris or something more mundane, Israel severely underestimated Hamas’s operational capabilities and intentions, believing that the group was content to sit on the sidelines, even as other groups like Palestine Islamic Jihad (PIJ) were on the attack.

Colin P. Clarke

By Colin P. Clarke

In Pittsburgh, US, reporting on counterterrorism, militancy

Israel has pounded northern Gaza since Hamas's deadly incursion a week ago

Day 8 of Hamas-Israel war blog: Saturday, Oct. 14

Eight days into the fighting between Israel and Hamas, nearly 1 million are now displaced in Gaza as rocket barrages continue in the direction of Israel and the Israeli bombardment intensifies on the enclave.

People inspect the damage to their home after Israeli strikes in the Rafah camp in southern Gaza

Day 7 of Hamas-Israel war blog: Friday, Oct. 13

As the clock ticks down for residents to evacuate north Gaza before a ground invasion, protests are rocking the Arab world and border clashes broken out between the Israeli military and the Lebanese Armed Forces.

Palestinian citizens inspect the damage to their homes caused by Israeli airstrikes on Oct. 13, 2023, in Gaza City.

Day 6 of Hamas-Israel war blog: Thursday, Oct. 12

On day six of the war, Israel gave the United Nations a deadline to evacuate residents in northern Gaza ahead of a ground invasion.

Israel's army has hammered Hamas with thousands of strikes since Hamas gunmen killed 1,200 Israelis, mostly civilians, and took about 150 hostages

Day 5 of Hamas-Israel war blog: Wednesday, Oct. 11

On day five of the war, Gaza's humanitarian crisis deepens while Israel readies for a ground incursion against Hamas.

sraeli soldiers take positions near the Israeli military base of Har Dov on Mount Hermon, a strategic and fortified outpost at the crossroads between Israel, Lebanon, and Syria, on October 10, 2023. Israeli strikes on Lebanon killed three Hezbollah members on October 10 amid surging tensions after Palestinian militants tried to infiltrate Israel from Lebanon, in an escalation on Israel's northern border two days after Hamas militants launched an unprecedented attack on the country's southern flank from the

Explainer: As Lebanon-Israel border heats up, 3 armed groups stand out

Several Palestinian militants are active in southern Lebanon, a stronghold of the Iran-backed Hezbollah movement.

Tehran

Khamenei cheers Hamas' 'epic' attacks on Israel, but denies Iran role

While taking "pride in Palestinian youths" for their attacks on Israel, the Iranian leader shielded Tehran from mounting accusations that it was behind the deadly operations.

Explosions illuminate the sky during Israeli strikes on Gaza City on October 10, 2023. Israel said it recaptured Gaza border areas from Hamas as the war's death toll passed 3,000 on October 10, the fourth day of gruelling fighting since the Islamists launched a surprise attack. (Photo by MAHMUD HAMS / AFP) (Photo by MAHMUD HAMS/AFP via Getty Images)

Day 4 of Hamas-Israel war blog: Tuesday, Oct. 10