Esmail Qaani, the head of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force, arrived in Iraq on May 14 and met with Iraqi National Security Advisor Qasim al Araji. Qaani discussed a security agreement in which Iraq has vowed to crack down on Iranian dissident groups within Iraq. In addition, Iraq’s prime minister and foreign minister said weapons in Iraq should be in the hands of the state. Read more →
The Houthis have started rebuilding efforts after significant US and Israeli airstrikes. The terrorist group is extorting the citizens of northern Yemen to fund the reconstruction of damaged infrastructure. Read more →
US President Donald Trump met with Syrian interim president Ahmad al Sharaa, a US and UN-designated terrorist and the former leader of Al Qaeda’s branch in Syria, and committed to removing US sanctions on Syria. Read more →
Israel continued operations in Lebanon between April 28 and May 11, 2025. These activities included targeted killings and the destruction of a Hezbollah PGM storage facility in Beirut’s southern suburbs. Read more →
On May 12, Hamas released Edan Alexander, one of 59 hostages still held in Gaza and the last living American hostage. The release came as US President Donald Trump headed to the Middle East for meetings in Saudi Arabia, the IDF is gearing up for an expanded offensive in Gaza, and US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee announced a new US-led humanitarian aid initiative for the territory. Read more →
Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem called on his group’s followers to vote in strength in the upcoming municipal elections in Lebanon. He also demanded that the Lebanese government end Israel's operations in the country and rebuild areas damaged in the recent Hezbollah-Israel war. Read more →
The Ukrainian military has recently unveiled several new army corps as part of an ongoing effort to replace problematic temporary command bodies with permanent corps built around its best brigades and commanders. Executing this reform during a war will not be easy, but it could pay dividends for Ukraine if implemented properly. Read more →
Abdul Rauf Azhar is said to have been killed in a strike on the Jaish-e-Mohammad compound in the Pakistani city of Bahawalpur. Azhar is listed by the US government as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist. Jaish-e-Mohammad has been implicated in numerous terror attacks in the region, including the kidnapping, murder, and beheading of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl. Read more →
On May 4, Israel’s Security Cabinet approved a new military offensive and plan for operations in Gaza. The multi-stage plan envisions the Israel Defense Forces taking control of Gaza, clearing it of Hamas, and remaining in portions of the territory long-term while the civilian population is evacuated to southern Gaza. Read more →
The US and the Houthis entered a ceasefire brokered by Oman on May 6 in which each side agreed not to target the other. However, American and Houthi leaders have made contradictory statements about the circumstances of the ceasefire, each trying to portray it as a sign of the other’s weakness. Israel is not part of the agreement. Read more →
India targeted nine terrorist training camps at six different locations in Pakistan overnight. Afterward, the two countries exchanged artillery fire along the disputed Line of Control. While the risk of nuclear escalation is real, the two countries have stood down after similar incidents in the past. Read more →
On May 5, the Israeli military launched airstrikes against Houthi targets in Yemen, including the Hudaydah port and a cement factory used for military infrastructure, in response to a ballistic missile attack that injured six people near Ben Gurion Airport. The strikes come amid escalating Houthi attacks on Israeli territory and maritime vessels, as well as ongoing US-led operations targeting Houthi military assets across Yemen. Read more →
Israel conducted several airstrikes in Syria between April 30 and May 3 after sectarian clashes erupted in the country. “The IDF has carried out a warning operation and struck elements of an extremist group that was preparing to continue attacks on the Druze population,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz said on April 30. The IDF followed up with more strikes in Syria aimed at warning Damascus against harming members of the Druze minority, while others targeted military sites. Read more →
Reports are emerging that numerous Iraqi militias are integrating into the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), a state institution Iraqi leaders see as a way to ward off pressure from Washington to bring all weapons under the government’s control. However, the PMF is a hotbed for Iranian influence and will only further entrench the Tehran regime in Iraq. Read more →
Sectarian tensions are flaring again in Syria after a series of clashes first erupted in the Damascus suburb of Jaramana, a diverse area home to Druze, Christian, and Muslim communities. Reports indicate that 14 people were killed in fights between armed groups in the town, while at least 16 others were killed in Ashrafiyet Sahnaya. Read more →