Armed Militias and Extremist Groups

Ben Gurion International Airport is seen mostly empty after flights were canceled following Israel's early morning attack on Iran on June 13, 2025, in Tel Aviv, Israel.

Iran's barrages hit at least 10 Israeli cities, towns: What to know

Iran’s latest wave of strikes on Israel reflects an escalation in strategy since its 2024 strikes, targeting urban centers and involving a broader range of missiles and drones.

Stacks of Iraqi dinars are seen at currency exchange shop in Baghdad on February 14, 2023. - Iraq nudged up the value of its local currency against the dollar in an effort to stabilise the dinar after tougher foreign transfer regulations sent its value fluctuating. The government adopted a new official exchange rate, fixing it at 1,300 dinars to the US dollar instead of 1,470, the prime minister's office said. (Photo by Murtaja LATEEF / AFP) (Photo by MURTAJA LATEEF/AFP via Getty Images)

As dinar drops, Iraq says embassies safe in light of US-Iran tension

The Iraqi dinar fell slightly on Thursday, as the country responds to the latest round of potential escalation between the United States and Iran.

Peacekeepers of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) ride in armoured vehicles during a patrol along the border with Israel by the village of Kfar Kila in south Lebanon on June 4, 2025. (Photo by AFP) (Photo by -/AFP via Getty Images)

With UNIFIL under attack, Lebanon says 500 arms depots dismantled

Lebanon's prime minister said over 500 arms depots have been removed by the army in the south since the Israel-Hezbollah war ended. His statements coincided with President Joseph Aoun's visit to Jordan, his latest regional stop aimed to revive Arab-Lebanese ties.

The US Central Command Commander General Michael Kurilla speaks at the 18th IISS Manama Dialogue in Bahrain's capital on Nov. 19, 2022.

US general says Israeli strike on Iran would risk troops in region

Outgoing CENTCOM Gen. Michael 'Erik' Kurilla said he has provided a broad range of military options to the Trump White House should diplomacy fail to rein in Tehran's nuclear enrichment.

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Interview

US believes Syria’s Sharaa at risk of assassination, Trump envoy says

US special envoy for Syria Tom Barrack meets Syrian President Ahmed Sharaa in Damascus, on May 29, 2025.

Tom Barrack

Tom Barrack

US special envoy for Syria

Analysis

How the US drawdown in Syria is expected to play out

US soldiers patrol in Syria's northeastern city Qamishli, in the Hasakeh province, mostly controlled by Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), on Jan. 9, 2025.

Jared Szuba

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

Syria’s top Islamic body issues decree against honor killings: What to know

A large Syrian flag flutters above Tishreen Park in Damascus, on June 4, 2025.

Analysis

‘A wild gamble’: Will Israel's arming of Gaza militia backfire?

Israeli tanks are positioned along the border with the Gaza Strip, on June 5, 2025, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas.

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

Iraqi children gather at a playground in the old city of Mosul on June 30, 2023 during the Muslim feast of Eid al-Adha. (Photo by Zaid AL-OBEIDI / AFP) (Photo by ZAID AL-OBEIDI/AFP via Getty Images)

Iraq's Mosul rises from Islamic State ashes to rebuild minarets, museum

As Mosul makes a slow revival from the remnants of war, a host of challenges remain, including corrupt officials and institutional weaknesses in Iraq.

A US soldier guides the MQ-9 Reaper drone as it lands at Subic Bay Freeport Zone on April 23, 2023, as part of the US-Philippines joint military exercise 'Balikatan'. (Photo by JAM STA ROSA / AFP) (Photo by JAM STA ROSA/AFP via Getty Images)

Russian fighter jets harass US drones over Syria twice in 24 hours

A Russian Su-35 forced two French Rafales to take evasive maneuvers over the Iraq-Syria border on Thursday as the Pentagon warned of increasing harassment.

An Israeli soldier uses a binoculars during a patrol in the town of Ghajar in the annexed Golan Heights bordering Lebanon on July 6, 2023. The Israeli army said it was conducting strikes on southern Lebanon after a mortar launched from its northern neighbour exploded in the border area between the two foes. The latest military action was launched three months after the two countries saw their worst cross-border fire in years. (Photo by jalaa marey / AFP) (Photo by JALAA MAREY/AFP via Getty Images)

Israel strikes targets in Lebanon after rocket fire from border

The cross-border escalation follows weeks of tensions building up in a contested area on the Lebanese-Israeli border.

An undated image of Tsurkov.

Breaking | Last Updated: July 5, 2023, 7:02 pm

Elizabeth Tsurkov, Israeli-Russian researcher, kidnapped in Iraq

In the first public confirmation of the March abduction, the Israeli prime minister said today that the researcher is alive.

Members of the Lebanese Army deploy as families await news of their relatives at the entrance of the port in the northern city of Tripoli, on the morning of January 1, 2023, following a rescue operation by the navy of a sinking migrant boat in Mediterranean waters, off the Lebanon's northern coast. - Two migrants died and another 200 were rescued when their boat sank off Lebanon's northern coast, from where increasing numbers make the risky journey to flee a collapsed economy. An AFP correspondent in the im

In Lebanon's north, armed clashes renew fears of sectarian strife

The incidents come as the country reels under a devastating economic crisis.

This picture shows a defaced mural to the glory of Russia's mercenary group Wagner reading "Wagner Group."

Libya factions reassess Wagner's operations in light of mutiny in Russia

The Wagner issue could significantly impact the conflict in Libya and lead to further instability in the country.

ROMAN ROMOKHOV/AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

US sanctions on UAE Wagner Group affiliate could impact Libya operation

A brief mutiny in Russia last weekend by the Wagner Group has shifted the spotlight back on the mercenary organization.

In Bristol, reporting on regional business, climate change, AI, tech

People look at a tank near a circus building in the city of Rostov-on-Don, on June 24, 2023.

Pentagon watching closely Wagner’s Mideast posture as questions surround its future

In an excerpt from this week's Security Briefing, Pentagon correspondent Jared Szuba looks at what's next for Wagner's forces in the Middle East and North Africa following the private military company's short-lived mutiny in Russia.

Members of the Wagner group sit atop a tank in a street in the city of Rostov-on-Don, on June 24, 2023.

Wagner base in eastern Libya hit by ‘unknown’ drone strike

The strike comes as Russia steps up its campaign against the Wagner group in the countries where it is active following last week’s failed mutiny against President Vladimir Putin.

Muslim worshippers take pictures of each other after attending the Eid al-Adha morning prayers at Doha's Education City Stadium, which hosted matches during Qatar's 2022 FIFA World Cup, on the first day of the Muslim holiday on June 28, 2023. Eid al-Adha, or Feast of Sacrifice, marks the end of the hajj pilgrimage to Mecca. (Photo by KARIM JAAFAR / AFP) (Photo by KARIM JAAFAR/AFP via Getty Images)

Qatar seen most peaceful in Middle East as Israel dips, Turkey ties Iran: GPI

The Global Peace Index placed Turkey as the least peaceful country in Europe ranking, and tied with Iran as the 147th most peaceful country globally.

Men hold a sign showing the face of Ahmed Mutawasilian, a fighter in Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) who was kidnapped and killed in Lebanon in 1981, as they stand upon a podium showing a picture of a burning Israeli flag defaced with footprints during a rally marking Al-Quds Day (Jerusalem), a commemorative day held annually on the last Friday of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan by an initiative started by late Iranian revolutionary leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, in Tehran on April

Israel: seizure of millions of dollars in crypto linked to Iran IRGC, Hezbollah

The news follows Hamas announcing it will not use Bitcoin anymore and more government scrutiny of cryptocurrency transactions, including by the United States.

This picture taken on July 21, 2022 shows a view of sacks of confiscated captagon pills, presented at the judicial police headquarters in the city of Zahle in Lebanon's central Bekaa valley. - A decade of appalling civil war has left Syria fragmented and in ruins but one thing crosses every frontline: the drug fenethylline, commercially known as captagon. The stimulant -- once notorious for its association with Islamic State fighters -- has spawned an illegal $10-billion industry that not only props up the

Lebanon seizes Captagon shipment bound for central Africa, Gulf

Lebanon's latest bust comes as US sanctions and other measures work to counter trafficking in the country.