Security forces of the new Syrian transitional government in Damascus detained two Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) members, according to various media reports. The two arrested PIJ members are Khaled Khaled, who is in charge of the group’s operations in Syria, and Yasser al Zafari, who is described as heading PIJ’s organizational committee. Saraya al Quds, the military wing of PIJ, called for the men to be released.
One IDF soldier was killed and three soldiers wounded in northern Gaza, the IDF said on April 19. Israeli forces in northern and southern Gaza continue to dismantle terrorist infrastructure, and Hamas rejected an Israeli proposal for a hostage deal and demanded an end to the war. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel would not “surrender” to Hamas as part of a new hostage deal.
US troops stationed at Tanf Garrison in southern Syria continue to train and support the Syrian Free Army (SFA). As reports emerge that US forces could redeploy from parts of Syria while the Syrian government expands its control, the future of the Tanf Garrison is unclear. The US-backed SFA works with the new Syrian authorities and conducts de-mining and other security operations.
The transitional Syrian government and the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have come to an agreement regarding the strategic Tishrin Dam in central Syria. The dam has been the site of almost four months of clashes between the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army and the SDF. Under the new agreement, the Syrian government will take control of the site, and the SDF will withdraw to positions further east.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) continued establishing operational control of southern Gaza, sending more forces, including infantry and armor, into the territory during the first week and a half of April. The IDF announced that it eliminated the commander of Hamas’s Sheijaiya Battalion on April 10. Israeli media reported that only 25 percent of Hamas tunnels have been destroyed, and the group’s battalions continue to operate in Khan Younis and Rafah.
Kataib Hezbollah issued a statement on April 8 rejecting a Reuters report that said it was considering disarmament. Iraq has been under pressure to rein in Iranian-backed militias that are part of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), of which Kataib Hezbollah is a key member. A member of Iraq’s parliament said the PMF is essential for defending Iraq, and the organization’s units conducted several operations across the country, showcasing their presence.
On April 2, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel was shifting gears in Gaza and taking over more areas. “We are also doing something else: We are seizing the Morag Corridor. This will be […] an additional Philadelphi Corridor,” Netanyahu said. The Morag Corridor separates Khan Younis from Rafah in southern Gaza. The IDF also called on Gazans to evacuate Rafah in south Gaza and Shejaiya in northern Gaza.
Pro-Iranian militias from Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) took part in Quds Day events in Iraq. The events on March 28, part of an annual worldwide campaign backed by Iran to encourage protests against Israel, appeared to have a relatively low turnout and happened amid continuing controversy in Baghdad over parliamentary attempts to rein in or streamline the PMU.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) carried out strikes targeting more than 100 pickup trucks used by terrorist groups in Gaza. The IDF continued to extend operations in northern Gaza’s Beit Hanoun and Tel al Sultan in southern Gaza. Elements of four IDF divisions are now active in the new operation, which began on March 18.
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.
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.
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.
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.
US forces in eastern Syria continue to work closely with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the Syrian Free Army (SFA). However, the agreement between SDF commander Mazloum Abdi and Syrian President Ahmad al Sharaa to integrate eastern Syria into the country’s new governing institutions could affect the US role in Syria and the broader anti-Islamic State campaign.
Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir, the new chief of the General Staff of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), visited Israel’s border with Syria on March 9. He traveled to IDF positions and met with commanders. It is his first visit to the border since assuming the role and part of a wider series of Israeli moves to bolster the border and warn the new government in Damascus to demilitarize southern Syria.
On March 5, Iraqi National Security Advisor Qassem al Araji said that Baghdad is trying to locate kidnapped researcher Elizabeth Tsurkov, an Israeli and Russian citizen who was abducted in March 2023. Israeli officials have blamed Kataib Hezbollah for kidnapping Tsurkov, and her case has received increased attention in the last two months since the Trump administration entered office.
On February 27, Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Ocalan called for his group to disarm and end its conflict with Turkey. The US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in eastern Syria have welcomed this statement, which may provide an opportunity for Turkey to change its policy in Syria, affect US policy, and impact SDF relations with the new government in Damascus.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) carried out airstrikes in southern Syria on February 25 after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz said that southern Syria must be a demilitarized zone. Local reports said that the strikes hit several areas in Daraa province, not far from Israel’s Golan Heights.
On February 23, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel would not allow forces of the new Syrian army to enter areas south of Damascus. “We demand the full demilitarization of southern Syria,” he said. Individuals in southern Syria protested the statement and Syrian officials condemned Israeli incursions into the country.
Falih al Fayyadh, the head of Iraq’s largely pro-Iranian Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), traveled to Beirut for the funeral of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah on February 23. Other senior members of pro-Iranian militias in Iraq also attended the funeral, and several militia leaders put out statements. Hezbollah-affiliated media claimed approximately 200,000 Iraqis came to Lebanon for the event, though this number is unverified.
On February 20, Hamas released four caskets ostensibly carrying the remains of four Israeli hostages to the Red Cross, but one contained the body of a Palestinian woman. Israel has condemned this as a violation of the ceasefire that began in January. Separately, the IDF redeployed an experienced division that served in Gaza and carried out airstrikes against Hezbollah on the Syria-Lebanon border.
On February 18, Falih al Fayyadh, the chairman of Iraq’s largely pro-Iranian Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), visited Tehran and met with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. According to reports, Fayyadh also met with Ali Akbar Ahmadian, the head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council.
US assistance for camps in Syria that house Islamic State-linked families “cannot last forever,” acting US Ambassador to the UN Dorothy Shea told the UN on February 12. The spotlight on the camps comes as the Islamic State continues to pose a threat, and a new Syrian government attempts to assert control over the country.
The US-trained Syrian Free Army helped clear unexploded ordnance and provided support to local Syrians in continued operations in southern Syria. Based at Tanf near the Jordanian and Iraqi borders, the unit also met with the new Syrian government in Damascus. The Syrian Free Army grew out of the US-backed anti-Islamic State mission and has operated from Tanf for almost a decade in various forms.
The new Syrian government in Damascus sent a convoy of vehicles from the General Security Department to Afrin, a historically Kurdish city and district in northwest Syria. In 2018, Turkey launched a military operation into Afrin and backed the Syrian National Army (SNA) to run the district. The deployment by Damascus appears to represent a significant shift after five years of rule by the SNA.
On February 2, a drone targeted the Khor Mor gas field in the autonomous Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Dana Gas, which runs the facility, said that operations continued as normal, and there were no injuries. The same area has been attacked several times in recent years, including by an Iranian-type Shahed drone in April 2024. The US Embassy condemned the attack, and Iraq’s prime minister called for an investigation.
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.
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.
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.
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.