Israel launches heaviest wave of strikes in south Lebanon since ceasefire The Israeli escalation came just a day after the US military praised the Lebanese army’s progress in disarming Hezbollah. Lebanon
Analysis Netanyahu powerless as Trump advances Gaza plan with Arab, PA forces The second phase of the agreement with Hamas will force Israel to accept an international force composed of Arab soldiers and the involvement of the Palestinian Authority in the administration of the Gaza Strip. By Ben Caspit In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense
US CENTCOM hastens to rally international force to stabilize Gaza Washington and its allies are drafting a UN Security Council resolution for an international stabilization force for Gaza, but the belated push has allowed Hamas to emerge from the rubble to kill off would-be rivals — and risks Israel restarting the war. Israel
Analysis What will it take to disarm Hamas? Hamas could be open to a compromise that requires it to surrender “offensive” weapons only. By Elizabeth Hagedorn In Washington, DC, reporting on diplomacy, regional politics, human rights
What next for PMU in Iraq's Anbar province? The flags of a powerful Shiite fighting force still fly from the main bridge into the Iraqi border town of Qaim weeks after it was retaken from the Islamic State. Iraq
Battle may be brewing in Sinai between al-Qaeda, IS groups As Egypt continues efforts to suppress violence in the Sinai Peninsula, a small band of al-Qaeda followers is looking to grow and challenge both Egypt's army and Islamic State loyalists. Egypt
Proposed US sanctions on PMU put Iraq in tough spot Proposed sanctions against factions of the Shiite-dominated Popular Mobilization Units would place the Iraqi government squarely in the middle of a tug of war between Iran and the United States. Iraq
Militias crack down on social, cultural life in Libya A crack down on comic books and video games has pushed militias and civil society farther away from each other, prompting the youth to think about fleeing the country. Libya
The other Iranians fighting in Iraq While much focus was on Iranian fighters among the Iraqi forces that retook disputed areas in October, other Iranian fighters played a key role in the other side of the fight. Iraq
The road to rebuilding Raqqa The city of Raqqa, newly liberated from the Islamic State by the Kurdish-led and US-supported Syrian Democratic Forces, will now face the challenges of reconstruction and uprooting the jihadi threat once and for all. Iraq
Libya's rogue militias cut capital’s water supply A group of armed men cut off water supplies to the Libyan capital Tripoli, which indicates the fragility of resources in a country plagued by chaos. Libya
Iran unlikely to sit idle as US targets Hezbollah, PMU Tehran views US actions against Iran's friends in the region as nothing short of a plot to sabotage the republic's strength and restrict its area of influence. Iraq
Will Iraqi-Saudi rapprochement undermine Iran’s role in Iraq? With US support, Saudi Arabia and Iraq are getting close to each other to minimize Iran's influence in Iraq. Saudi Arabia
Iraq's Christians ponder future in wake of Kurdish independence vote Iraqi Christians are divided over whether their areas in northern Iraq should be a part of Kurdistan, the Iraqi central government or an entirely new autonomous area. Iraq
Are Russia, Iran outflanking the US in Iraq? Russia deftly manages potentially choppy ties with Iran, while the United States claims Iran "subverting Iraq." Iraq
Saudi Arabia’s call for international coalition against Hezbollah faces obstacles A Saudi politician called for the establishment of an international coalition to confront Lebanon’s Hezbollah, a suggestion that did not garner much support, namely in Europe. Saudi Arabia
