North Korean troops in Russia’s Kursk region have pulled back from the front lines following heavy losses, US and Ukrainian officials say, while Pyongyang is reportedly preparing to deploy more forces. North Korean troops have put the Ukrainian defense in Kursk under greater stress, but reinforcements will be necessary to sustain that pressure. Read more →
CENTCOM described Muhammad Salah al Zabir as “a senior operative in the terrorist organization Hurras al-Din.” The strike takes place less than two weeks after the Trump administration took office and may signal a change in policy toward Syria. Read more →
On January 29, Ahmed al Sharaa was declared the new president of Syria in the transitional government that came into power after the collapse of the Assad regime on December 8. This declaration led to congratulations from several Arab states in the region, and the Qatari emir arrived in Damascus on January 30, the first head of state to visit the new ruler. These developments are part of a broad diplomatic outreach by Sharaa and his new foreign minister. Read more →
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 →