Armed Militias and Extremist Groups

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.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lays a wreath during the state memorial ceremony for the third anniversary of the Oct. 7 attack, at Mount Herzl military cemetery, Jerusalem, Oct. 5, 2026.

Why Netanyahu still resists an independent probe 3 years after Oct. 7

Alongside official memorial ceremonies taking place across Israel on Monday, civil society groups are holding protests calling on Prime Minister Netanyahu to take responsibility for the Oct. 7 attacks.

Latest News

Explainer

From Amaliqa to Houthis, here are main armed groups fighting in Yemen

Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces walk along a dirt road

Syria’s Sharaa in Riyadh as Saudi airports come under Houthi attacks: What to know

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman meets Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Riyadh, Oct. 6, 2026.

Analysis

Three years after Oct. 7, Hamas’ grip on Gaza tests Netanyahu’s ‘total victory’

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during the state memorial ceremony for the third anniversary of Oct. 7 attack, at Mount Herzl military cemetery, Jerusalem, Oct. 5, 2026.

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

Yemen military announces retaking of Mokha from Houthis amid Red Sea offensive

Saudi-backed Yemen government soldiers gather near 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.

United Nations peacekeeping force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) soldiers stand along the border wall with Israel, in the Lebanese village of Adaiseh, on May 15, 2021.

UN seeks to diffuse tensions on Israel-Lebanon border

Hezbollah fired rockets into Israel in August, prompting retaliatory strikes by the Israeli military on Lebanon.

Sudan's Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok gives a press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron during the International Conference in support of Sudan at the temporary Grand Palais, Paris, May 17, 2021.

Sudan security forces resist calls for civilian control

Civilian leaders are pressuring military and security commanders to surrender their influence in politics and the economy, yet vested interests make them unlikely to oblige.

General McKenzie

CENTCOM commander acknowledges he did not try to stop Taliban from entering Kabul

“If someone actually made a decision, that would’ve been me,” Gen. Kenneth 'Frank' McKenzie told House lawmakers during a hearing today.

A picture taken on January 13, 2020, during a press tour organised by the US-led coalition fighting the remnants of the Islamic State group, shows a member the US forces walking past a drone in the Ain al-Asad airbase in the western Iraqi province of Anbar.

Are Iranian threats to escalate in Iraqi Kurdistan more hot air?

Iraqi fighters of the Hashed al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilisation units) stand next to a wall bearing the Islamic State (IS) group flag as they enter the city of al-Qaim, in Iraq's western Anbar province near the Syrian border as they fight against remnant pockets of Islamic State group jihadists on Nov. 3, 2017.

How an Islamic State suspect lived as a shopkeeper in Turkey

The Turkish judiciary’s weakness in dealing with Islamic State suspects comes under the spotlight after a bombshell report on how a Syrian man suspected of ordering the burning to death of two Turkish soldiers in 2016 walked free from court and lived as a shopkeeper in Turkey.

IBRAHIM ISHAQ/AFP via Getty Images

Sudan fends off military coup, government says

Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok said the plotters have been arrested.

This picture taken on Sept. 20, 2021 shows a view of vehicle destroyed by what is believed to be a drone strike, on the northeastern outskirts of Syria's rebel-held northwestern city of Idlib.

Pentagon says drone strike near Syria's Idlib targeted al-Qaeda official

CENTCOM fired a drone missile at at least one jihadi official near Idlib today in the first such strike in recent months.

Syrian Kurds carry flags and a portrait of Kurdistan Worker's Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Ocalan as they demonstrate on June 10, 2021, in the northeastern Syrian city of Qamishli, against the Turkish offensive on PKK areas in northern Iraq.

Turkey's latest attack on PKK militant in Iraqi Kurdistan meant as show of strength

In recent months, Turkish drones have picked off a string of mid-level commanders in Iraqi Kurdistan and northeast Syria.

Yemeni men and children watch the execution of nine men, convicted of involvement in the assassination of Huthi political leader Saleh al-Sammad three years ago, at a public square in the Yemeni capital Sanaa, on Sept. 18, 2021.

EU condemns Houthi execution of 9 Yemenis by firing squad

The European Union joined the United States and United Nations in condemning the trial and execution of nine Yemenis accused of involvement in the killing of a senior Houthi official.

A picture taken during a press tour organized by the US-led coalition fighting the remnants of the Islamic State shows US soldiers clearing rubble at Ain al-Asad military air base, Anbar province, Iraq, Jan. 13, 2020.

Iraqi Sunnis look to KRG for safety as militias concerns fester

As attacks believed to be by Iran-linked armed groups continue amid questions over how long US forces will retain a presence in Iraq, Sunni Arabs are again seeking safety in the Kurdistan Region of the country.

A relative of Mahmud al-Ardeh, one of six Palestinian prisoners who escaped from Israel's Gilboa prison, stands next to a banner showing him (L) and another prisoner, Raddad al-Ardeh, by his home in the village of Arabah, south of Jenin in the occupied West Bank on Sept. 8, 2021.

Jailbreak from Israeli prison shakes up Palestinian public

The escape of six Palestinians from a maximum security Israeli prison jolted observers.

WAKIL KOHSAR/AFP via Getty Images

US citizens on first Qatar Airways flight from Kabul since pullout

Qatar’s special envoy to Afghanistan said the Hamid Karzai International Airport is “fully up and running” and that another passenger flight will depart on Friday.