Israel conducted a series of operations in Lebanon between March 18 and March 23, targeting Hezbollah personnel and assets. On Saturday, in response to rocket fire from Lebanon, Israel launched its most expansive series of attacks in Lebanon since the November 27 ceasefire went into effect. Read more →
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. Read more →
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. Read more →
Open-source information indicates that media figure Dr. Fadel Naim, widely quoted by prominent international news outlets on casualties and the impacts of the war in Gaza, has close familial ties to Hamas, including being the brother of longtime Hamas leader Basem Naim. Read more →
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. Read more →
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. Read more →
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. Read more →
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. Read more →
On January 29, Syria's new leadership announced the dissolution of the Assad regime's Syrian Arab Army, followed by appointing militia leaders from the civil war to key military positions. FDD’s Long War Journal has identified and profiled several of these figures. Read more →
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. Read more →
Israel conducted several military operations in Lebanon between March 13 and 17, 2025. The operations targeted Hezbollah activity, operatives, and infrastructure. Hezbollah announced the deaths of five of its fighters last week without directly specifying the cause. Read more →
On March 16, the Syria-Lebanon border witnessed intense clashes between the new Syrian government and Lebanese Shiite tribesmen and Hezbollah affiliates. Read more →
After negotiations to extend the first phase of a ceasefire deadlocked, Israel conducted airstrikes against terrorist groups in the Gaza Strip. Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and the Popular Resistance Committees acknowledged the deaths of several leaders. Read more →
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. Read more →
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) conducted airstrikes in southern Syria on the evening of March 17, targeting military command centers and “sites containing weapons and military vehicles belonging to the old Syrian Regime.” The operations are part of a widening Israeli campaign to demilitarize southern Syria. Read more →