Yearly Archives: 2026

US and Israel strike more military targets, plus Iran’s leadership, repression units, and energy sites (March 17-18 updates)

| March 18, 2026

US and Israeli operations have continued to degrade Iran’s military capabilities while increasingly targeting the regime’s internal security apparatus. Strikes on Basij internal security and police units, alongside assassinations and reported morale issues, may be beginning to affect the regime’s ability to sustain repression efforts as US and Israeli attacks also expanded to targeting energy infrastructure.

Generation Jihad | Day 14 of the Iran War

| March 15, 2026

As US and Israeli strikes pound Iran’s military, and Tehran threatens shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, the conflict is entering a dangerous new phase. FDD’s Bradley Bowman joins Bill Roggio to break down what the strikes have achieved, and the harder question that remains: is the goal to weaken the regime … or bring it down?

Dozens of airstrikes target Iran-backed militias across Iraq

| March 13, 2026

The unclaimed airstrikes, likely conducted by the United States as part of US-Israeli operations against the Islamic Republic of Iran, have targeted several Tehran-allied militias in Iraq and reportedly caused significant casualties. The US has not commented on these operations, which include over 30 reported strikes on the groups, who continue to attack US forces in the region.

Israel shifts to hyperlocal targeting in Iran as regime military power degrades (March 11-13 updates)

| March 13, 2026

The Iran conflict has entered a new phase after US–Israeli strikes have destroyed key military infrastructure, killed thousands of regime personnel, and degraded Iran’s missile and drone launch rates. Israel has shifted toward hyperlocal targeting of repression units and regime figures inside Tehran, often aided by intelligence from Iranians on the ground. Simultaneously, the Tehran regime has publicly projected stability after Mojtaba Khamenei’s elevation to supreme leader, despite Khamenei’s continued absence from public view and some signs of internal strain.

IUMS logo

International Union of Muslim Scholars criticizes Iranian strikes on Arab states but says Israel is main threat to region

| March 13, 2026

A senior leader of the Qatar-based Muslim Brotherhood-aligned International Union of Muslim Scholars condemned Iran’s recent retaliatory strikes against Middle Eastern countries while also urging Muslims to unite against a broader ‘Zionist-American project.’ Despite criticizing Tehran, the group remains focused on Israel as the primary adversary of the Islamic world.

Purported Iran-backed group claims responsibility for attacks in Belgium and Greece

| March 12, 2026

A previously unknown organization called the Islamic Movement of the Companions of the Right claimed responsibility for an explosion that targeted a synagogue in Liège, Belgium, and another unconfirmed attack at an unknown location in Greece this week. It is unclear if the organization is authentic, but recent Iranian threats aimed at European countries over the war could indicate a connection to the Islamic Republic.

Iranian drones and missile barrages hit energy infrastructure, airports, and residential buildings in the Arab World (March 11-12 updates)

| March 12, 2026

Between March 11 and March 12, Iran and its allied militias continued launching drones and missiles across the Middle East, targeting energy infrastructure, airports, military bases, residential areas, diplomatic facilities, and maritime targets in Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, and Oman.

Israel Hezbollah and Lebanon Flags

Analysis: Lebanon war intensifies as IDF strikes harder and Hezbollah escalates attacks

| March 11, 2026

The renewed Lebanon war shows no sign of abating. Lebanon has yet to match its stern pronouncements on Hezbollah with equally tough enforcement, with the Lebanese military openly defying Beirut’s orders to disarm the group. Hezbollah has expressed its commitment to continue fighting in deed and word, including by pledging loyalty to Iran’s new supreme leader. Israel has responded by intensifying its operations as part of what it expects to be a long war against Hezbollah.

Generation Jihad | Day 12 of the Iran War

| March 11, 2026

After 12 days of war—and the death of Iran’s supreme leader—the Islamic Republic is under unprecedented pressure. Bill Roggio and Janatan Sayeh assess this initial phase of the war, the gap between Washington and Jerusalem’s goals, and the decisive question still looming over Tehran: will the Iranian people finish the job?

US condemns Iranian and militia attacks in Iraq amid unclaimed airstrikes on Tehran-backed militias

| March 11, 2026

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio condemned Iranian and Iranian-backed militia attacks in Iraq during a March 9 call with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al Sudani, as drone and missile strikes continued across the country. Many attacks have targeted the Kurdistan Region of northern Iraq, where US forces are based, as well as other US facilities and diplomatic sites. Unclaimed airstrikes have also targeted Iranian-backed militias across Iraq.

Israel intensifies strikes on repression sites, expands outreach to Iranians as regime repression deepens (March 8-10 updates)

| March 10, 2026

The joint US–Israeli campaign is striking Iran’s military and internal security infrastructure across the country while continuing to eliminate senior regime figures. Amid the pressure, the regime installed a new supreme leader, expanded regional attacks while denying responsibility, and intensified repression, as Israel increased outreach to the Iranian public.

Map of Cyprus with Akrotiri

Cypriot, Lebanese officials blame Hezbollah for drone attacks on UK base in Cyprus; IRGC responsibility also possible

| March 9, 2026

On March 1, a loitering munition struck the Royal Air Force (RAF) base in Akrotiri. Cypriot officials, followed by their Lebanese counterparts, accused Hezbollah of responsibility. The group’s leadership has threatened to target Cyprus in the past if it facilitated a war effort against the interests of the Iran-led Axis of Resistance. However, Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) agents operating from Lebanon could have also carried out the attack.

Rockets target US Embassy in Baghdad after Iraqi Shiite militia group issues threat over war in Lebanon

| March 8, 2026

The day before an attack on the US Embassy on March 7, the Coordination Committee of the Iraqi Resistance had issued a statement warning that continued strikes on Beirut’s Dahiyeh area would elicit attacks against embassies and oil companies in the region. The ultimatum follows repeated Israeli strikes against Hezbollah infrastructure and personnel in Beirut’s southern suburbs after Hezbollah entered the war on March 2.

Iran escalates attacks on Kurdistan Region of Iraq

| March 8, 2026

Iran and Iranian-backed militias have escalated drone and missile attacks on the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, striking sites in Erbil and Sulaimani Governorates and killing at least three people. Many of the attacks are targeting Kurdish Iranian opposition groups.

Australia bans Hizb ut Tahrir under new hate laws

| March 6, 2026

Australia designated Hizb ut Tahrir, a radical political party that calls for the establishment of a global caliphate, as a hate group, citing its violent history and rhetoric. The designation of the Islamist organization is a first under Australia’s new hate laws, which took effect on March 6.