Category Archives: Long War Journal

Hamas rocket launcher

Israel strikes Hamas vehicles, political leaders in Gaza

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) carried out strikes targeting more than 100 pickup trucks used by terrorist groups in Gaza. The IDF continued to extend operations in northern Gaza’s Beit Hanoun and Tel al Sultan in southern Gaza. Elements of four IDF divisions are now active in the new operation, which began on March 18.



F/A-18 Hornet

Key targets hit by ongoing US airstrikes against the Houthis

In the almost two weeks since the US began its large-scale operation against the Houthis, airstrikes have rocked Houthi-controlled northern Yemen. While the Yemeni terrorist group is trying to control information released about the damage, various sources have identified key governorates and important infrastructure hit by US strikes.



IDF troops southern Syria

Israel strikes gunmen in southern Syria; Damascus says civilians killed

The Israel Defense Forces carried out an airstrike in southern Syria on March 25, stating it acted after gunmen fired on Israeli forces operating in the area. Syrian state media claimed that four civilians were killed. It is the latest clash in Syria as Israel continues to try to demilitarize the southern part of the country, an effort that has included airstrikes and ground operations in recent weeks.


IRGC speedboats

Iran strengthens its military in the Persian Gulf

Amid rising tensions with the US, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has increased its military presence in the Persian Gulf. Over recent months, Iran has intensified exercises on islands located along a vital maritime corridor for global energy transit. Over one-fifth of the world’s oil passes through the Persian Gulf, making it a key geopolitical hotspot.



Logan International Airport

Analysis: A deported Brown University professor’s Hezbollah ties

Dr. Racha Alawieh, a Brown University physician in the US on a visa, was denied re-entry into the country after returning from Lebanon. A central question is whether Alawieh’s entry was blocked for her exercising First Amendment rights or whether her family’s close links to Hezbollah jeopardized her visa. If the latter justification survives judicial review, the precedent may give US authorities a tool to disrupt Hezbollah’s influence and illicit finance operations in the United States.


Ukraine Bradley

Ukraine’s Belgorod incursion makes limited gains

On the heels of its withdrawal from most of Russia’s Kursk region, Ukraine launched a cross-border incursion into neighboring Belgorod Oblast. The operation appears to be more limited in scale and objectives than Kyiv’s August 2024 Kursk offensive.


IDF troops enter Gaza

Israel steps up ground ops in Gaza, threatens Hamas it will take more areas

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) have expanded ground operations in Gaza after launching a new operation on March 18. Operation Strength and Sword initially included airstrikes targeting Hamas officials, but the operations expanded on March 19 to limited ground maneuvers that have seized areas in southern, central, and northern Gaza. The IDF says the effort is designed to pressure Hamas to release the 59 hostages still held by the group.


Abdul-Mahdi visits Yemen

Iraq’s former PM visits Houthis amid US strikes and Houthi attacks on ships, Israel

Former Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi traveled to Houthi-controlled Sanaa in Yemen on March 20, according to reports in Iranian and Yemeni media. His visit occurred as the US continued its campaign of airstrikes against the Iranian-backed Houthis. Sources Abdul-Mahdi was in Yemen to attend a conference in support of Palestinians, but other reports speculated that his visit may be linked to the US conflict with the Houthis and Iran’s historic backing of the group.



Houthis and Iran meeting

Iran reportedly urges the Houthis to de-escalate ‘tensions’

Iran reportedly urged the Houthis to de-escalate tensions in the Red Sea following President Donald Trump’s warning the US will hold Tehran accountable for its proxy’s destabilizing activities. Iranian calls for de-escalation, along with previous communications with other regional proxies, may signal a shift in the Islamic Republic’s proxy strategy.





US vessel fires at Houthis

US continues operations against the Houthis

The US has continued striking the Houthis in Yemen, hitting targets across territory controlled by the group, including military sites, infrastructure, and personnel. The Houthis have unsuccessfully attempted to target US naval assets in response.



Iran special forces

Iran’s ties to Western organized crime networks

Tehran’s ambitions extend beyond backing Shia and Sunni Islamist groups in the Middle East. On March 13, the US Treasury Department sanctioned Sweden’s Foxtrot gang for its ties to the Iranian regime, underscoring Tehran’s longstanding practice of cultivating criminal networks across Europe and the Americas to assassinate dissidents and target American, European, and Israeli interests.



Rifai airstrike

US strike in Iraq eliminates top Islamic State leader

On March 13, US Central Command carried out an airstrike that killed Abdallah Makki Muslih al Rifai, also known as Abu Khadijah. Rifai was a top leader in the Islamic State (IS) whose exact position is in dispute—likely the group’s effective second in command or caliph. His death marks another significant strike against IS after various leaders have been killed in the last three years.


Conflict in Syria Continues

Ahmad Sharawi joins Bill for an update on Syria’s ongoing conflict, including: the recent Alawite insurgency against the government led by Abu Muhammad al-Jawlani, the role of jihadist groups and involvement of the Syrian National Army and Syrian Democratic Forces, Israel’s position on minority protection in Syria, and the feasibility of military action in the region.


PIJ logo

Israel conducts strike targeting Palestinian Islamic Jihad in Damascus

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) attacked a building in Damascus, Syria, on Thursday, stating it was a Palestinian Islamic Jihad command and control center. The IDF said it conducted the strike due to concerns about planned attacks against Israeli territory. The Israeli military has increasingly carried out strikes in recent months against former and current Syrian regime assets and various groups, including Hamas.


Houthis

Houthis ramp up domestic attacks in Marib

Following the Houthis’ cessation of Red Sea attacks in January 2025, the group has engaged in more military activity against Yemen’s internationally recognized government. Houthi attacks in front-line provinces have reached levels not seen since before October 2023.


Hezbollah vs Israel flag

Israeli airstrikes target Hezbollah assets and personnel in south Lebanon

Israel conducted two sets of airstrikes in south Lebanon on March 11 that targeted Hezbollah operatives. The first targeted a senior Hezbollah aerial defense operative, whose fate remains unknown. The second set of strikes targeted Hezbollah members in south Lebanon. Hezbollah-affiliated media announced two of the group’s fighters were killed.


Abdi and Sharaa

Analysis: Why did Syria’s Kurds sign a deal with the new regime?

The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) signed an agreement with Syria’s interim government, integrating the SDF’s 100,000-strong, mostly Kurdish force into the new Syrian military. The deal likely represents a calculated risk by the SDF to curtail Turkish aggression, especially if the US withdraws from the country.


SDF in eastern Syria

After SDF-Damascus deal, a spotlight on US forces in Syria

US forces in eastern Syria continue to work closely with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the Syrian Free Army (SFA). However, the agreement between SDF commander Mazloum Abdi and Syrian President Ahmad al Sharaa to integrate eastern Syria into the country’s new governing institutions could affect the US role in Syria and the broader anti-Islamic State campaign.


Abol Korkor Iranian dissident

Iran cracks down on armed nationalist group

In a rare escalation, a group of armed men with nationalistic aspirations clashed with regime security forces in the southwestern city of Izeh. Livestreamed footage captures the final moments of four surrounded men, one of whom takes his own life rather than face arrest.


Zamir visits Syria border

Israeli defense chief assesses military readiness along Israel’s border with Syria

Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir, the new chief of the General Staff of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), visited Israel’s border with Syria on March 9. He traveled to IDF positions and met with commanders. It is his first visit to the border since assuming the role and part of a wider series of Israeli moves to bolster the border and warn the new government in Damascus to demilitarize southern Syria.