Armed Militias and Extremist Groups

WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 25: U.S. ambassador to Turkey Thomas Barrack attends a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump and President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the Oval Office at the White House on September 25, 2025 in Washington, DC. Trump has signaled that the U.S. might lift a ban on F-35 sales to Turkey during Erdogan's first visit to the White House since 2019. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

US moving away from Middle East security guarantor role, Barrack says

The US envoy said that direct US military intervention on the ground against the Houthis would be "fruitless."

By Rosaleen Carroll

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

Yemenis line up to refill gas bottles at a refilling station in Taiz, on Oct. 19, 2026.

Yemen displacement tops 250K as Houthis tighten siege on Taiz: What to know

The Houthis are looking to completely seize Taiz city, with clashes escalating in other parts of the south as well.

Internally displaced Yemenis queue at a water tank dispenser

Feature

US aid runs dry as new fighting razes Yemen

Sweeping funding cuts and the Houthis' targeting of aid workers have hobbled relief efforts in war-torn Yemen.

Elizabeth Hagedorn

By Elizabeth Hagedorn

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

tunnel

Lebanon uncovers new tunnel amid tensions with Hezbollah: What to know

A tunnel was discovered near Beirut as tensions between Lebanese authorities and Hezbollah have been running high over the seizure of weapons shipments destined for the Iran-backed group.

Latest News

Analysis

'The problem and the solution': Netanyahu-Sharaa call exposes Israel's Syria dilemma

Israeli troops stand guard on the dividing line between the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights and Syrian, near Majdal Shams, July 16, 2025.

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

Qatar PM in Beirut as Lebanon seeks economic relief: What to know

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun met with Qatar’s Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani

Houthis strike Yemeni government’s presidential palace in Aden: What to know

Fighters loyal to Yemen's exiled President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi pose for a picture near the presidential palace (unseen R) following clashes in Aden's Maashiq neighborhood on July 22, 2015.

Female commander in Iran's Basij units assassinated: What to know

People attend the funeral ceremony of Mahan Setareh, a member of the paramilitary Basij force who was killed in the recent Israeli attacks on June 26, 2025 in Tehran, Iran. A cease-fire between Israel and Iran has brought an end to 12 days of daily aerial attacks that started with Israel's strikes on Iranian military and nuclear sites on June 13. (Photo by Majid Saeedi/Getty Images)

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (R) meets with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa at the Lotte New York Palace Hotel on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly meeting in New York City on Sept. 22, 2025.

In UN spotlight, Syria’s Sharaa meets Rubio in New York

Ahmed al-Sharaa is set to become the first Syrian president since 1967 to address the annual United Nations summit.

French President Emmanuel Macron (R) meets with Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas on the sidelines of the 79th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on September 25, 2024. (Photo by Ludovic MARIN / AFP) (Photo by LUDOVIC MARIN/AFP via Getty Images)

Interview

Macron aide warns Israel: All options on table as France readies for Palestine recognition

French President Emmanuel Macron’s special adviser, Ofer Bronchtein, told Al-Monitor that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his associates are mounting a smear campaign against the French president.

Ofer Bronchtein

Ofer Bronchtein

Special adviser to the French president

People lift national flags and placards during a rally called for by Sudan's Popular Front for Liberation and Justice in Port Sudan on April 24, 2025, to denounce the siege imposed by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on El-Fasher city and express support for its residents.

Sudan: RSF drone strike kills 75 in Darfur displacement camp

The strike hit a mosque at Abu Shouk camp on the outskirts of el-Fasher during morning prayers, killing dozens and underscoring the rising civilian toll as RSF and army battles escalate in Darfur.

Israeli troops patrol the border fence with Syria near the Druze village of Majdal Shams in the Israel-annexed Golan Heights, July 23, 2025.

Analysis

Seeking leeway on Gaza, Netanyahu backs Trump’s Syria pact push

The US is working intensively to arrange a historic meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and Syrian President Sharaa on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly meeting in New York.

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

Supporters of Lebanon's Hezbollah group take part in a gathering in Beirut on Sept. 17, 2025.

Analysis

A year after Israel's pager attack, can battered Hezbollah rebound in Lebanon?

The double explosion of wireless devices that struck across Lebanon simultaneously last September left Hezbollah shocked and seemingly unable to regain the standing it once enjoyed.

Beatrice Farhat

Adam Lucente

By Beatrice Farhat , Adam Lucente

Ghazi Hamad is seen in this screengrab from an interview with Al Jazeera on Sept. 17. 2025.

Hamas leader gives first TV interview since Israel’s Doha attack: What to know

Ghazi Hamad is the first member of the Palestinian group who was present when Israel bombed their compound to appear in public.

Turkish Presidential spokesperson Ibrahim Kalin gives a press conference following talks with Sweden and Finland over their bids to join NATO at the Presidential Complex in Ankara, on May 25, 2022.

Turkey’s spy chief in Damascus as Israel, Syria weigh new security map

Ibrahim Kalin’s visit comes as Israel presses Syria on a buffer zone plan and Turkey frets over Kurdish autonomy.

MENAHEM KAHANA/AFP via Getty Images

Israeli stocks tumble as military launches Gaza City offensive

According to an Israeli military spokesperson, two divisions of 13,000-20,000 troops each are stationed on the outskirts of Gaza City and more soldiers will be deployed to the region in the coming days.

Interim Syrian President Ahmad Al-Sharaa appears in the Citadel of Aleppo in Syria, on May 27, 2025.

Syria holds first post‑Assad parliamentary vote: What to know

Syria’s first post-Assad parliamentary elections — with seats chosen by local committees rather than a public vote — spark backlash as the government postpones voting in Druze- and Kurdish-majority regions.

A woman washes her hands at the entrance of a cholera isolation center at the refugee camps of western Sudan, in Tawila in Darfur, on Aug. 12, 2025.

Cholera kills 25 in two days in Sudan's Darfur amid deepening war

The town of Tawila has been the hardest hit in Darfur, with 58 new cholera cases reported on Sunday alone.

ANWAR AMRO/AFP via Getty Images

Lebanese government holds talks with Hamas as group balks at disarmament plan

Hamas has not agreed to give up its weapons in Lebanon, though the military has received a number of weapons from other Palestinian factions in recent weeks.

Adam Lucente

By Adam Lucente

In New York City, reporting on regional news, militancy, climate change

CENTCOM

Top US general discusses SDF integration with Sharaa in Damascus

The CENTCOM commander's involvement adds heft to US diplomatic requests as lawmakers float future defense ties between Washington and Damascus.