After many months of keeping silent on the matter, Hamas announced the death of seven of the organization’s senior leaders, including longtime military commander Mohammed Diab Ibrahim al Masri, commonly known as Mohammad Deif. Read more →
Syria’s new leaders hosted a conference at which Hayat Tahrir al Sham (HTS) leader Ahmad al Sharaa (Abu Mohammad al Jolani) was appointed as the president of Syria for the transitional period. Additionally, a number of Syrian armed factions agreed to integrate into a unified army. Read more →
West Bank terrorist groups have issued statements, videos, and death notices following the start of a broad operation by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in the West Bank. Read more →
On January 27, Naim Qassem insisted Hezbollah had emerged from the fight with Israel victorious, despite painful and unprecedented setbacks, and was unwilling to concede the group’s domestic position. Qassem also expressed Hezbollah’s satisfaction with Lebanon’s post-war political direction and said his group had a productive and positive relationship with Lebanon’s new president and prime minister-designate. Read more →
Chaos in Syria deepens as a newly formed Iraqi militia vows to defend the Alawites from alleged Hayat Tahrir al Sham (HTS)-led atrocities and Alawite militias escalate attacks on HTS-affiliated groups in Western Syria, fueling a growing insurgency. Read more →
Pro-Iranian militias in Iraq, collectively part of the Hashd al Shaabi (Popular Mobilization Units), face increasing calls to place their arms under state control or lay them down entirely. The fall of the Assad regime, a new administration in Washington, and the Gaza ceasefire have put these groups under the spotlight in Iraqi politics. Read more →
Clashes in Syria have increased at the Tishrin Dam, a strategic site on the Euphrates River around 30 miles south of the Turkish border controlled by the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces. The Turkish-backed Syrian National Army, a collection of former Syrian rebel groups, has been seeking to take the dam since the fall of the Assad regime on December 8. Read more →
After mostly maintaining silence about the deaths of its members, Hamas has started to acknowledge their fate. Read more →
In its weekly Al Naba newsletter, the Islamic State made its most explicit call for jihad inside Sudan, referring to opposing sides of the country’s brutal civil war as infidels. Both the Islamic State and Al Qaeda have now called on Muslims in Sudan to take up arms for their respective organizations. Read more →
Israeli forces located and killed Muhammad Nazzal and Katiba Shalabi, both of whom were affiliated with Palestinian Islamic Jihad and wanted for the murder of three Israelis in the West Bank on January 6. Read more →
The Biden administration removed the Houthis from the list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations in 2021 and didn't re-list the group despite over 15 months of missile and drone attacks on US naval forces, international shipping, and Israel. The Trump administration ordered re-listing the Houthis after two days in office. Read more →
Bill is joined by show regular Edmund Fitton-Brown to discuss Edmund's latest analysis for FDD's Long War Journal: The role of Iraqi Shia militias as proxies in Iran’s Axis of Resistance. Read more →
West Bank terrorist groups are a persistent and evolving security challenge for Israel and the Palestinian Authority. These groups’ numbers, arsenals, and capabilities have expanded dramatically since an initial surge of terrorist activity in June 2021. Read more →
A ceasefire between Israel and Hamas began in Gaza on January 19. Hamas released three Israeli hostages on the same day, the first of 33 hostages expected to be freed during the first phase of the deal. Negotiations between Israel and Hamas will take place regarding subsequent phases of the agreement. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) began withdrawing troops from northern Gaza, including the 162nd Division. IDF Chief of the General Staff Herzi Halevi submitted his resignation, taking responsibility for the failures during the October 7 attack on Israel. Read more →
Bill is joined by his FDD colleagues David Daoud and Jon Schanzer — who literally wrote the book on conflict in Gaza — to discuss the ceasefire and hostage deal that has just been reached between Israel and Hamas. Read more →