Syria church bombing raises fears ISIS will exploit Iran-Israel war to gain ground As the Iran-Israel war draws in global powers, security vacuums in Syria may be allowing ISIS to reemerge. Syria
Analysis With latest video, Yemen's AQAP seeks relevance, taps into regional outrage The first video address by Yemeni al-Qaeda leader Saad al-Awlaki follows a decline in clashes between the group and the Iran-backed Houthis in what one expert dubbed a "collaborative arrangement." By Adam Lucente In New York City, reporting on regional news, militancy, climate change
Turkey detains dozens of ISIS suspects in raids tied to Syria-based network A nationwide sweep targeted the group's financial and propaganda networks as Ankara steps up efforts to counter the jihadi extremist group in Syria. Turkey
Iran executes 9 'ISIS militants' amid surge in jihadist extremism: What to know While Iran has long claimed full eradication of the Islamic State through a campaign waged by late general Qasem Soleimani, the country has been grappling with a deadly resurgence of the militant group in recent years. Iran
Interview US believes Syria’s Sharaa at risk of assassination, Trump envoy says Tom Barrack US special envoy for Syria
US Syria envoy Barrack says troop drawdown to continue, support for Kurds to remain By Jared Szuba In Washington, DC, reporting on defense, national security, military
Iran readjusts its Syria strategy amid Russia’s changing role Having achieved military victory in the key southwestern region of Syria, Iran is actively maneuvering to redefine its approach to securing its aims in the war-torn country. Israel
Terrorist attack on Erbil government building raises concern in Iraqi Kurdistan An attack on an Erbil government building highlights homegrown terror networks and reveals dangerous security fissures in Iraq's Kurdistan Region. Iraq
Renewal of anti-terror law threatens human rights in Iraqi Kurdistan The Iraqi Kurdistan parliament has extended an austere law put in place to combat the Islamic State, raising serious concerns about human rights abuses and trials behind closed doors. Iraq
Iraq struggles to provide war orphans with identities The living victims of the war in Iraq against the Islamic State include children whose parents were killed or can't be identified. Iraq
IS remains a threat in Iraqi desert, tribal villages Popular Mobilization Units are conducting regular patrols in the Iraqi desert to prevent activity by Islamic State sleeper cells. Iraq
Islamic State awakens sleeper cells in Iraq's Kirkuk The Islamic State is gradually rekindling its terrorist activities in Iraq through sleeper cells in Kirkuk province, where security is already stretched thin by political unrest. Iraq
IS killings and kidnappings in central Iraq raise questions The desert area west of Salahuddin and other depopulated areas have faced a spate of kidnappings and killings claimed by the Islamic State. Iraq
Armed opposition infighting triggers uptick in IS attacks in northern Syria The Islamic State escalated its attacks in northern Syria, taking advantage of the infighting between the Syrian armed factions controlling the areas there. Syria
Islamic State fighters buried without identification in Iraq A year after Mosul was liberated from the Islamic State, the bodies of the group’s fighters are finally being recovered from the rubble of their last stronghold in the city. Iraq
Police not apologizing over death of Israeli Bedouin New reports indicate that a police doctor failed to treat an Israeli Bedouin wounded during an evacuation of his village last year, yet no one has approached his widow to apologize. Israel
Iran faces new threat as Kurdish jihadis join IS in Afghanistan The rise of the Islamic State's branch in Afghanistan poses a new challenge for the Islamic Republic, as it is becoming a magnet for Iranian Kurdish recruits. Iraqi-Kurdistan
Forces in Iraq's Anbar unite for cross-border anti-IS operation As the second phase of the operation to retake the last major pocket of territory held by the Islamic State across the border continues, local Iraqi forces in the western Anbar city of Qaim are wary but hopeful that some of their disappeared may soon be found. Iraq
