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Syria says it thwarted Hezbollah plot; Israel likely target
On September 29, Syria’s Internal Security Forces (ISF) announced that the agency, in coordination with the General Intelligence Directorate, had “thwarted a sabotage plot in the Yarmouk Basin in Daraa” and arrested a three-member cell affiliated with Hezbollah.
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US forces complete departure from Iraq as anti-Islamic State mission in Iraq ends
US and other anti-Islamic State coalition forces completed their withdrawal from Iraq on September 30, ending Operation Inherent Resolve as Baghdad marked what it called a restoration of Iraqi sovereignty. The departure comes amid concerns about Iran-backed militias, air-defense gaps in the Kurdistan Region, and the future of US-Iraq security cooperation.
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Anti-Taliban resistance claims attacks across Afghanistan in September
Anti-Taliban resistance groups claimed to have conducted 37 targeted operations across Afghanistan in September, including assassinations, assaults in Taliban strongholds in the south, and fighting over outposts in the northeast.
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Operation Enduring Failure: 25 years after the US invasion of Afghanistan
Was the US invasion of Afghanistan launched in October 2001 to kill or capture Al Qaeda’s leaders and oust the Taliban from power a success or a failure? Generation Jihad host Bill Roggio talks with terrorism expert Thomas Joscelyn about the failures of Operation Enduring Freedom and how they cascaded into the terrorism threats we…
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Board of Peace unveils Gaza recovery plan, Israel reports 18 ceasefire violations Sept. 15–29
The US-backed Board of Peace announced a $2.45 billion plan to rebuild Gaza over six months, but disagreements over Hamas’s disarmament and an Israeli withdrawal continue to obstruct its implementation. A day later, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke before the United Nations General Assembly. Meanwhile, Israeli forces continued operations against Hamas members working to…
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Fighting between Pakistan and the Taliban persists into second week
The latest round of conflict between Pakistan and the Taliban continued this past week, including airstrikes, cross-border attacks, targeted operations, and a car bombing. The renewed direct clashes that began on September 18 ended a nearly three-month lull in fighting between the former allies.
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Iraq agrees to Turkish base deal as militia disarmament timeline debated
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al Zaidi has outlined a plan to disarm Iran-backed militias by June 2027 as Baghdad prepares for the withdrawal of US forces. The proposed disarmament timeline coincides with an agreement for Turkey to gradually hand over its Bashiqa-Zilkan military base to Iraq, part of wider efforts to bring armed groups and…
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Islamic State suspects extradited or arrested in Lebanon, Canada, Australia, and the US
Over the past 72 hours, authorities in four countries announced arrests, charges, and an extradition involving alleged Islamic State activity, including an assassination plot, a chemical attack, propaganda distribution, and financing travel to Syria.
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Kurdistan Region of Iraq announces Peshmerga unification
The Kurdistan Regional Government announced the completion of a years-long process to unify the Peshmerga armed forces under the Ministry of Peshmerga Affairs, ending longstanding divisions between units linked to the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK). The move comes amid the departure of US forces, pressure to disarm Iran-backed…
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Houthis fight for key Yemeni highlands, continue striking Saudi Arabia
The Houthis and the Yemeni Armed Forces, along with allied militias, have continued fighting on multiple fronts across the country, with the Houthis particularly focused on the highlands inland from their recent coastal advance. The Houthis have also maintained their attacks on Saudi Arabia, prompting Riyadh to renew its request for US airstrikes, which President…
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Pakistan conducts airstrikes in eastern Afghanistan in retaliation for terrorist attacks
The Pakistani Air Force conducted airstrikes in eastern Afghanistan reportedly targeting terrorist training centers in response to a recent complex suicide attack in western Pakistan. The Taliban denied involvement in the attack and promised an “appropriate response” to Pakistan’s airstrikes.
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Yazidi armed group YBS to disarm, integrate into Iraqi security forces
The Sinjar Resistance Units (YBS), a Yazidi armed group with links to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), has agreed to disarm and integrate eligible members into Iraq’s security forces as Baghdad seeks to stabilize Sinjar and facilitate the return of displaced Yazidis. The agreement comes amid broader efforts to disarm Iranian-backed militias in Iraq and parallels integration processes involving the Syrian Democratic Forces in Syria.
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Is Hezbollah finished, or just adapting?
Generation Jihad guest host David Daoud, an FDD senior fellow focused on Lebanon and Hezbollah, talks with Lina Khatib, an associate fellow in Chatham House’s Middle East and North Africa Programme, about her July trip in southern Lebanon, why the 2006 war never put the LAF in charge of the border, and whether Beirut can take Hezbollah’s weapons now that the group is weaker and Assad is gone.
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How Hezbollah reframed the battle for Ali al Taher as Israel advanced
As Israeli forces pushed from the outskirts of Ali al Taher Ridge into its underground network, Hezbollah repeatedly revised what counted as a success for the group—from denying Israeli entry to portraying the loss of the position as an attritional achievement.
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Syria’s military is rebuilding, but foreign influence may slow security progress
Syria’s post-Assad military is rebuilding rapidly, but its structure and foreign dependencies could limit Damascus’s ability to advance US security interests. If security cooperation from Turkey and Russia comes with strings attached, it may jeopardize Syria’s potential as a future partner against the Islamic State and Hezbollah.
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LAF-Hezbollah coordination and the limits of Lebanon’s disarmament effort
Israel reportedly assesses that the Lebanese military is coordinating with Hezbollah in pilot zones intended to disarm non-state groups. The broader claim is supported by years of evidence, and the record since 2024 shows what coordination has produced: negotiated access, handovers, and seizures without Hezbollah’s genuine disarmament.
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Iraq continues investigating attack on Saudi Arabia from Iraqi territory
Iraq is investigating September 11 drone strikes on Saudi Arabia’s East-West Crude Oil Pipeline after confirming the attack originated from its territory. The incident comes as Baghdad faces pressure over militia activity and continued Iranian strikes on Kurdish Iranian opposition groups based in northern Iraq.
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FBI arrests Pennsylvania man accused of plotting Islamic State-inspired attack
Federal authorities arrested Jonathan Hunter Kramer in Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania, on September 12 after he allegedly acquired a semiautomatic rifle and ammunition while preparing to conduct an attack inspired by the Islamic State.
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Israeli elections stall Board of Peace plans, IDF reports 14 Gaza ceasefire violations Sept. 4–15
United States officials have expressed frustration with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for resisting parts of their Gaza strategy. The US-backed Board of Peace, tasked with overseeing Gaza’s political transition, has seen Netanyahu stall several initiatives as he campaigns in a closely contested election. Meanwhile, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reported 14 ceasefire violations in Gaza between September 4 and 15.
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Houthis take Yemen’s Red Sea coast and key Bab al Mandeb islands
After launching a significant campaign against forces of the internationally recognized government of Yemen on August 6, the Houthis seized the entirety of Yemen’s Red Sea coast and a strategic island in the Bab al Mandeb Strait by September 11. A counteroperation by the Yemeni Armed Forces is contesting key territory along the strait.
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Saudi Arabia closes its East-West pipeline after attacks from Iraq
Riyadh announced the closure of its East-West Crude Oil Pipeline following drone attacks emanating from Iraq. The pipeline served as a critical oil export alternative to the Persian Gulf after the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
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IDF destroys Hezbollah underground command complex at Ali al Taher, withdraws from ridge
The IDF says it destroyed more than two kilometers of Hezbollah underground infrastructure beneath Ali al Taher Ridge in southern Lebanon and identified the facility as a central command complex for Hezbollah’s Badr Unit. Israeli Army Radio reported that troops subsequently withdrew from the ridge and redeployed toward Beaufort, and Israel says it will retain control of Ali al Taher through surveillance and firepower.
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Board of Peace focuses on International Stabilization Force for Gaza
The Board of Peace continues efforts to assemble the International Stabilization Force for Gaza, securing commitments from Kosovo and Albania as preparations advance to implement the US-backed peace plan. While progress on the ground remains tied to Hamas’s disarmament and Israel’s political timetable, international planning for Gaza’s future governance and security continues to move forward.
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Lebanese Army details pilot zone arms seizures, claims operational control
The Lebanese Armed Forces said its operations in three southern Lebanon pilot areas have produced “operational control.” The military’s first detailed official accounting of arms seizures there shows that roughly 86 percent of its 1,818-item weapons-and-ammunition tally consists of “light ammunition.”
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The truth about America’s munitions crisis
What is the true nature of America’s munitions crisis? What are the consequences of the current challenges? How did we get into this position? And what must we do to build the defense industrial base production capacity and munitions arsenals that the US needs? Generation Jihad guest host Bradley Bowman is joined by Colonel (Ret.) Mark Cancian, a senior adviser with the Defense and Security Department at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, to discuss the true state of America’s defense industrial base and arsenal.
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Former US ambassador Khalilzad visits Kabul, attends Taliban oil deal signing
Former US Ambassador to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad met with senior Taliban officials and attended the signing of a major oil and gas agreement with a Saudi company, despite the US State Department insisting that he was acting solely “in a personal capacity.” Whatever his intentions, Khalilzad gave the Taliban something it has sought since returning to power: an appearance of American validation.
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Lebanese Army intensifies Nabatieh deployment as report says mission excludes Hezbollah disarmament
The Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) is intensifying its presence in Nabatieh in southern Lebanon while reinforcing nearby Zawtar al Gharbiyeh, one of the pilot zones of the June 26 Trilateral Framework Between the United States of America, the State of Israel, and the Republic of Lebanon. Lebanese reporting says the Nabatieh mission is intended to contain escalation rather than disarm Hezbollah, even though the framework makes the LAF responsible for implementing a process centered on the verified disarmament and dismantlement of non-state military infrastructure.
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Islamic state plots disrupted and operatives arrested in 4 countries
Authorities in Kuwait, Israel, Turkey, and France disrupted suspected Islamic State plots or arrested the organization’s sympathizers over the past month. The incidents demonstrate the jihadist group’s continued ability to recruit and radicalize individuals despite more than a decade of sustained counterterrorism pressure.
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Iran continues attacks on Kurdish opposition group in northern Iraq
Iran has maintained its campaign against Kurdish Iranian opposition groups in the Kurdistan Region of northern Iraq, carrying out another drone strike on September 2 amid a US military withdrawal. The latest attack underscores the growing security challenges facing the Kurdistan Region as Iran intensifies pressure on Kurdish dissidents, and Iraq has yet to disarm Iran-backed militias.
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Israel claims control of Ali al Taher after weeks of Hezbollah attacks and failed handover efforts
The IDF says it cleared Hezbollah fighters from underground infrastructure in south Lebanon’s Ali al Taher Ridge and achieved operational control above and below ground. Hezbollah denied losing the strategic position. The battle exposed the limits of Lebanese government efforts to secure the site through negotiation and prompted an Iranian threat of direct retaliation.
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IDF captures Hamas security chief, reports 29 Gaza ceasefire violations Aug. 19–Sept. 3
Israeli special operations forces captured a senior Hamas security official in a September 1 operation in the Katiba area of western Gaza City. The raid came as the US-backed Board of Peace’s stabilization plan and Hamas disarmament agreement, which had prompted Israel to scale back strikes in response to reported ceasefire violations, appeared to falter.
