Armed Militias and Extremist Groups

WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 07: U.S. President Donald Trump looks on as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a dinner in the Blue Room of the White House on July 07, 2025 in Washington, DC. Trump is hosting Netanyahu for a dinner as the two discuss a potential ceasefire agreement to end the fighting in Gaza. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Over 600 former Israeli security officials call on Trump to end Gaza war

Former Israeli security officials, including former heads of the Mossad, the Shin Bet internal security agency, the Israeli military, Israel police and ambassadors are pleading with Trump to pressure Netanyahu to end the war.

A screengrab depicting Joe Kent participating in a congressional debate on Oct. 14, 2024.

US Senate approves Joe Kent as US counterterrorism chief: What to know

Kent’s nomination raised alarm among Democrats due to his history of promoting right-wing conspiracy theories and recent efforts to pressure a senior intelligence official to revise an assessment that contradicted Trump administration narratives.

TOPSHOT - A person holds a sign with the Arabic slogan "we will not relinquish arms" as Lebanese Shiite Hezbollah supporters take part in a ceremony during the peak of Ashura, a 10-day period commemorating the seventh century killing of Prophet Mohammed's grandson Imam Hussein, in Beirut's southern suburbs on July 6, 2025. (Photo by ANWAR AMRO / AFP) (Photo by ANWAR AMRO/AFP via Getty Images)

Lebanon’s cabinet to discuss Hezbollah disarmament as US ups pressure

Lebanon is under growing US pressure to issue a formal decision on the disarmament of Hezbollah as soon as possible, with US Ambassador to Lebanon nominee Michel Issa, who is of Lebanese origin, saying the issue is a "necessity.”

Mazlum Kobane, commander-in-chief of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), speaks during the pan-Kurdish "Unity and Consensus" conference in Qamishli in northeastern Syria, on April 26, 2025.

Analysis

Emboldened by Suwayda fallout, Syria’s Kurds hold their ground with Damascus

The Suwayda crisis boosts Kurdish confidence and threatens Erdogan’s bid to secure Kurdish support for a third term.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Latest News

Cholera, hunger plague Sudan’s Darfur region amid RSF siege: What to know

Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

Amnesty: Syria's rulers must look into abductions of Alawite women and girls

EDITORS NOTE: Graphic content / Women march with pictures of victims of a recent wave of sectarian violence targeting Syria's Alawite minority in the west of the country along the Mediterranean sea coast, during a protest condemning the attacks in Syria's northeastern city of Qamishli on March 11, 2025. (Photo by Delil SOULEIMAN / AFP) (Photo by DELIL SOULEIMAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

US reengages Hifter as Trump pursues dual Libya strategy: What to know

Security forces stand guard as Libyans perform the morning prayer of Eid al-Fitr with a portrait of the military strongman of eastern Libya, Khalifa Hiftar, in the background in the port city of Benghazi on March 31, 2025.

By Rosaleen Carroll

In Washington, DC, US, reporting on the Middle East

US raid on Syria ISIS cell signals deepening coordination with Sharaa

BAKR ALKASEM/AFP via Getty Images

Protesters hold signs and photos of hostages held in the Gaza Strip by Hamas during a rally calling for a hostage deal, May 31, 2025 in Tel Aviv, Israel.

Israeli military recovers bodies of two Israeli-American hostages held in Gaza

Kibbutz Nir Oz announced that the bodies of Gadi Haggai and his wife, Judith Weinstein, were recovered overnight from Gaza in a military operation.

A fighter loyal to the army patrols a market area in Khartoum on March 24, 2025.

Sudan: 14 killed in camp shelling blamed on RSF as Darfur violence grows

An attack on the Abu Shouk displacement camp in El Fasher has killed 14 people amid ongoing assaults on civilians and humanitarian convoys.

Hossein Salami, commander-in-chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, delivers a speech during a funeral ceremony after a terrorist attack, on Jan. 5, 2024, in Kerman, Iran.

Iran says 13 ISIS affiliates arrested for planning suicide attacks

ISIS’ Khorasan branch has conducted numerous attacks against Iran in recent years, prompting authorities to pursue its members.

US special envoy for Syria, the ambassador to Turkey Thomas Barrack attends a flag-raising ceremony at the US ambassador's residence in Damascus on May 29, 2025 for the first time since 2011. Barrack's visit to Syria marks a new step in the rapprochement between the two countries following the fall of former president Bashar al-Assad. (Photo by Rami al SAYED / AFP) (Photo by RAMI AL SAYED/AFP via Getty Images)

US envoy Barrack in Israel after cross-border shelling with Syria: What to know

US envoy for Syria Tom Barrack met Wednesday with Israeli officials in an effort to de-escalate ongoing tensions with Syria and Turkey.

Kurdish Syrians demonstrate in the Syrian eastern city of Qamishli to demand the release of the jailed founder of the Kurdistan Workers Party, Abdullah Ocalan, in Turkey, on May 29, 2025.

Exclusive

Ankara’s direct talks with Syrian Kurds began last year in Europe, continue in Turkey

The talks are part of a sweeping effort to end Turkey’s decades-long war with the PKK and reshape Ankara’s relationship with Kurdish-led forces in Syria.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

COURTNEY BONNEAU/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images

Iran’s FM vows 'noninterference' in Lebanon during Beirut visit: What to know

The Iranian visit to Lebanon comes as talks of disarming the Iran-backed Hezbollah group is gaining momentum.

Armed and masked men attend the funeral of two militants from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine in Ain el-Hilweh refugee camp near Sidon on Nov. 1, 2024.

PLO officials in Lebanon as push to disarm Palestinian camps gains steam

The effort to disarm Palestinian armed groups in Lebanon’s refugee camps will require outside support, according to one expert, as pressure to disarm Hezbollah grows.

Syria's Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani and US special envoy for Syria Ambassador to Turkey Thomas Barrack (R).

US Syria envoy Barrack says troop drawdown to continue, support for Kurds to remain

Trump’s ambassador to Ankara told a Turkish TV news outlet that American troops will eventually draw down to a single base in Syria, but that Washington is unlikely to abandon the Kurdish-led forces.

Jared Szuba

In Washington, DC, reporting on defense, national security, military

SUNA

Analysis

Sudan’s new PM dissolves government but military control remains firm

In his first public address, Prime Minister Kamil Idris set ambitious goals to restore security by eliminating “rebellious militias,” though analysts warn the goal may be beyond his reach.

By Rosaleen Carroll

In Washington, DC, US, reporting on the Middle East

YOUSEF ALZANOUN/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images

Israel expands Gaza offensive as dozens reported killed at aid sites

Israel has announced an expanded Gaza military operation after accusing Hamas of rejecting the latest US ceasefire proposal.

Protests in the capital Tripoli on May 28, 2025.

Protests surge as Libyans demand PM Dbeibeh’s resignation: What to know

The latest protests were triggered by clashes between government-aligned militias in mid-May that left eight dead and deepened public frustration over militia control in Tripoli.

People watch as smoke billows following an Israeli strike in Jabalia, in the northern Gaza Strip on May 25, 2025.

Gaza ceasefire seen imminent as Witkoff finalizes Hamas-Israel deal

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told relatives of hostages held in Gaza that he accepts the recent proposal by American envoy Steve Witkoff, which is expected to secure the release of 10 abductees and establish a two-month ceasefire in Gaza.