Armed Militias and Extremist Groups

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

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

Syria's President Ahmed al-Sharaa held talks with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during a visit to Riyadh as the Houthis escalated their attacks on Saudi Arabia and warned international airlines against using Saudi airspace.

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.

Analysis

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

Israeli intelligence assessments indicate that Hamas remains active, with the group estimated to have about 30,000 armed fighters, roughly the same as its estimated strength before the attack.

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

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.

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

Saudi Arabia is providing significant air support to the Yemeni government offensive and held a meeting with senior Turkish and Pakistani officials amid the escalation.

A quadrilateral summit was held on Oct. 4, 2026, attended by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al‑Sisi, Eritrea President Isaias Afwerki, President of Somalia Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, and Chairman of the Transitional Sovereignty Council of Sudan Gen. Abdel Fattah al‑Burhan, in New El Alamein City, Egypt.

Egypt, Eritrea, Somalia and Sudan hold summit amid Ethiopia tensions

All four countries have increasingly tense relations with Ethiopia, driven by disputes over the Nile, Red Sea access and security.

Latest News

Israel bars UK Greens leader over Zionism-racism resolution: What to know

Green Party leader Zack Polanski delivers his speech during day one of the Green Party annual conference at Brighton Centre on Oct. 2, 2026, in Brighton, England.

Analysis

Russia’s double game in Yemen: Backing Saudi Arabia while courting Houthis

Amilcar Orfali/Getty Images

Anton Mardasov

By Anton Mardasov

Saudi Arabia accuses Houthis of drone attack in Medina

The Prophet Mohammed Mosque is lit during the sunset prayers in the holy Saudi city of Medina 11 January 2005. Saudi Arabia began receiving Muslim pilgrims early this month in preparation for the annual hajj (pilgrimage), scheduled to take place in the last two weeks of January. Islam's Prophet Mohammed is buried in Medina's landmark mosque, which is Islam's second holiest shrine. All Muslims are required to make the pilgrimage to the Muslim holy city of Mecca, one of the five pillars of Islam, at least onc

Syria denies meeting with Lebanon’s Hezbollah in Turkey: What to know

Mohmed Ali, left, and a alleged co-conspirator are seen at a gun store on Sept. 25, 2025, according to a criminal complaint. Part of this image has been obscured by the source.

Prosecutors charge two Michigan men in alleged ISIS-inspired plot: What to know

The two men charged, both under 21, allegedly bought firearms and more than 1,600 rounds of ammunition, practiced shooting at gun ranges and scouted potential targets before the FBI intervened.

pose for a family photo during a meeting of foreign ministers from Muslim countries to discuss the Gaza peace plan, in Istanbul, on Nov. 3, 2025.

Turkey's Fidan says Hamas 'ready' to cede Gaza control amid Trump’s ceasefire push

The message was conveyed to the Turkish side during talks between Ankara and the militant group, a source told Al-Monitor.

A bulldozer removes the wreckage of a vehicle targeted by an Israeli drone strike in the southern Lebanese village of Doueir near the city of Nabatieh, on Nov. 3, 2025.

Israel escalates Lebanon attacks amid US frustration over Hezbollah disarmament

Lebanon has been under growing pressure from the US to completely disarm Iran-backed Hezbollah, which emerged weakened from its war with Israel.

EBRAHIM HAMID/AFP via Getty Images

Sudan PM orders state of alert as atrocity claims mount in Darfur

The UN Security Council met Thursday to address reports of mass killings and alleged atrocities in el-Fasher following its capture by the Rapid Support Forces.

The Prime Minister was accompanied by his Chief-of-Staff, Tzachi Braverman, IDF Chief-of-Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir, ISA Director David Zini, his Military Secretary Maj.-Gen. Roman Gofman, the Head of IDF Coordination Command, Maj.-Gen. Yaki Dolf, and senior IDF officials.

Analysis

As CENTCOM sets up in southern Israel, fears grow of expanding US influence

CENTCOM's establishment of the Civil-Military Coordination Center in southern Israel has given Washington unprecedented control over Israeli actions in Gaza.

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

Camels roam next to wind turbines that will supply power to a desalination plant under construction in Dakhla in the disputed Western Sahara, mostly controlled by Morocco, on May 26, 2025.

Feature

Trump eyes Algeria-Morocco rift over Western Sahara in latest peace bid

With the world’s attention fixed on the Gaza ceasefire, the Trump administration has its sights set on another diplomatic deal: Western Sahara.

Elizabeth Hagedorn

By Elizabeth Hagedorn

In Washington, DC, reporting on diplomacy, regional politics, human rights

MEDITERRANIAN SEA - OCTOBER 2: In this handout provided by the U.S. Navy, The USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), and Italian Navy Offshore Patrol Vessel ITS Paolo Thaon di Revel (P430), flagship of Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group 2, operate in the Mediterranean Sea, Oct. 2, 2025. Gerald R. Ford, a first-in-class aircraft carrier and deployed flagship of Carrier Strike Group 12, is on a scheduled deployment in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations to support the warfighting effectiveness, lethality and re

Trump’s Venezuela standoff to leave Mideast without US aircraft carrier

The USS Ford’s departure will leave Washington without the Navy’s on-call mobile strike capability in the Middle East as the Trump administration shifts its pressure campaign to Latin America.

A Lebanese policeman walks past a portrait of Ibrahim Salameh, a Lebanese municipal employee who was killed during an Israeli army raid in the southern border village of Blida, displayed outside the municipality building on Oct. 30, 2025.

Aoun urges response after Israeli raid kills municipal worker in southern Lebanon

Israeli forces killed a municipal employee during an incursion into Lebanon, further escalating tensions in a country where fears of a renewed war have grown in recent weeks.

A woman walks past electoral billboards in central Baghdad on Oct. 19, 2025, ahead of parliamentary elections in Iraq on Nov. 11.

Iraq hit by wave of political violence weeks ahead of national election

Authorities work to step up security ahead of the upcoming vote, which could again be marked by low turnout amid widespread frustration with the political process.

Displaced Sudanese who fled el-Fasher after the city fell to the Rapid Support Forces rest near the the town of Tawila in war-torn Sudan's western Darfur region, on Oct. 28, 2025.

RSF’s el-Fasher takeover kills 2,300 in Sudan as UAE accused of aiding militia

Videos coming out of the captured North Darfur city show scenes of brutal violence and devastation, with hospitals turned into “slaughterhouses” and civilians executed in the streets.

A boy reacts sitting amid the rubble of a house destroyed in an Israeli strike in Nuseirat, in the central Gaza Strip, on Oct. 29, 2025.

Israel renews Gaza ceasefire after airstrikes kill over 100 Palestinians

After a night of aerial strikes in the Gaza Strip in retaliation for the killing of an Israeli soldier in Rafah, the Israeli military announced the resumption of the Gaza ceasefire.

Hamas militants carry a body retrieved from a tunnel in an area north of Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip, on Oct. 28, 2025.

Live Updates

Netanyahu orders 'powerful' strike in Gaza after Hamas attack in Rafah

Earlier in the day, Hamas militants fired anti-tank missiles at an Israeli military force that was conducting engineering work in the Rafah area, which remains under Israeli control.