The ceasefire between the US and Iran has largely held since April 8, and large-scale Iranian barrages targeting predominantly Arab states have ended. However, some attacks, particularly against Iraqi Kurdistan, have continued.
The Iran-linked front organization Ashab al Yamin claimed eight attacks on what it describes as “American and Zionist interests” in European countries in April. The most recent statements by the group took responsibility for targeting multiple locations in London, including the Israeli embassy.
Kinetic events and military actions continue in Gaza, including 14 violations of the fragile ceasefire by Palestinian terrorists, according to the Israeli military. The Israel Defense Forces has documented an uptick in planned attacks against Israeli soldiers in the enclave.
On April 16, Syrian President Ahmad al Sharaa met with Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) commander Mazloum Abdi in Damascus to discuss advancing the integration of the SDF into state institutions, following a January agreement. The talks come amid shifting control in eastern Syria, including government moves to secure key bases and border crossings after a US withdrawal.
Baghdad is shifting toward political stabilization and economic challenges during the fragile post-conflict phase that follows more than a month of US-Israeli strikes on Iran and Iranian-backed militia attacks in Iraq. After hundreds of militia attacks, including strikes on US and Kurdish targets, Iraq is moving forward with long-delayed political appointments, including choosing a new president.
Efforts described by Iran-backed Iraqi militias as humanitarian campaigns increasingly show signs of serving as a parallel financial pipeline that also fuels Iran’s current war effort and regional proxy network. Across Iraq, groups aligned with Tehran are mobilizing donation drives framed as a religious obligation and in wartime solidarity.
On April 8, Israel launched its most intense aerial blitz in Lebanon since the war with Hezbollah restarted. The strikes were particularly deadly in Beirut, where the Israeli military struck targets both in the suburb of Dahiyeh and, in a rare occurrence, the heart of the Lebanese capital. Israel alleges that Hezbollah operatives had moved northward out of the group’s Dahiyeh nerve center into the city.
Syria has sought to position itself as a diplomatic actor amid the regional conflict with Iran, maintaining relative stability while several neighboring states faced significant missile and drone attacks. Damascus has intensified high-level engagements with Turkey, the United States, and Ukraine, highlighting efforts to rebuild international ties following the fall of the Bashar al Assad regime.
Iran and its allied militias launched numerous drones and missiles against regional countries between April 2 and April 8, continuing attacks after a ceasefire between Iran and the United States was announced yesterday. Across this period, the attacks remained concentrated on the Gulf, Jordan, Iraq, and Iraqi Kurdistan, with repeated mass-interception events in the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar.
There are conflicting conditions demanded by the US and Iran for lasting peace, and Israeli and Iranian strikes continued after the ceasefire announcement. However, a cessation of hostilities and reopening of the Strait of Hormuz to international shipping appear to be agreed-upon items. Iranian leaders touted the ceasefire as a victory, while US officials said the objectives of destroying Iran’s military and nuclear capabilities were achieved.
Three attackers opened fire on police officers outside the Israeli consulate in Istanbul, Turkey earlier today. Turkish police killed one shooter and captured two others. The affiliation of the attackers is currently unknown, but the incident comes almost a week after the Islamic State called for attacks on Jews during the Passover holiday.
Iran’s increasing use of cluster munitions in ballistic missile attacks since late February has intensified damage across Israel, with dozens of impact sites reported in major cities in the first week of April. Four people were killed in Haifa in a missile attack on April 6. Meanwhile, Israel is escalating strikes on Iranian infrastructure targets and boosting production of Arrow interceptors as part of its multi-layered air defense.
US and Israeli operations inside Iran escalated over the past week. Actions included strikes on Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps missile and air defense sites, eliminations of senior military and intelligence officials, the recovery of a US F-15E crew downed over Iran, and attacks on Iranian infrastructure, ranging from petrochemical facilities to major industrial plants.
While the US-Israeli war with Iran has taken center stage, Israel’s Gaza front remained active, despite the US-brokered ceasefire that took effect on October 10 of last year. The Israeli military has documented 22 ceasefire violations by Hamas and other Palestinian terrorist groups since the war with Iran began on February 28.
A pilot of an F-15E Strike Eagle reportedly shot down over Iran was rescued on April 3, while the second crew member remains missing. The downing of an F-15E is the first American fighter jet to be shot down by Iran since major combat operations began in Iran on February 28.
Between March 28 and April 1, Iran and its allied militias continued launching drones, missiles, and rockets against regional countries—with less overall frequency but more accuracy. The attacks targeted energy infrastructure, airports, military facilities, ports, and residential areas.
The Iran-backed terror group Kataib Hezbollah, an Iraqi Shiite militia, kidnapped American journalist Shelly Kittleson in downtown Baghdad on March 31. The US government had previously warned Kittleson of a threat against her and the group’s desire to kill or abduct journalists.
Washington is considering ground operations as joint US-Israeli strikes impact Iran’s military and internal security forces, reportedly causing thousands of casualties. Simultaneously, Tehran has increased security recruitment efforts, deployed foreign proxy militias, and escalated executions and arrests of Iranian citizens while issuing threats over “sharing images or footage with foreign actors.”
Israel targeted and killed Ali Shuaib, an employee of the Hezbollah TV station Al Manar, and two others who worked for the pro-Hezbollah Al Mayadeen channel. The Israel Defense Forces claimed Shuaib was a Hezbollah Radwan Force operative using his journalistic credentials to monitor Israeli troop movements.
A drone attack targeted the residence of Kurdistan Region of Iraq President Nechirvan Barzani amid escalating strikes in Iraq on March 28, followed by a drone interception near the home of Masoud Barzani, leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), the following day. Iranian-backed militias and Iran have been blamed for attacks across Iraq, including more than 500 drone and missile strikes against the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Region since February 28.
The Houthis launched missile and drone attacks against Israel, the first direct military action since the beginning of the US and Israeli campaign against Iran that began on February 28. The Iran-backed Yemeni terrorist group threatened to continue and expand attacks until a series of conditions it issued are met.
Between March 24 and March 27, Iran and its allied militias continued launching drones and missiles against Arab countries. The attacks targeted energy infrastructure, airports, military facilities, ports, and residential areas in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Bahrain, Iraq, and Jordan.
Reports citing Western officials suggest that Russia has started supplying Iran with complete drones after Russia was previously suspected of only providing components to improve Iranian systems. The unmanned aerial systems are likely modified, Russian-made versions of the same Shahed-136 one-way attack drones that Tehran previously supplied to Moscow.
The US and Israel continued airstrikes as negotiations over the passage of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz hit an impasse and Iran ramped up efforts to repress its populace. The regime has expanded internal security checkpoints into a dispersed network across various cities and increased arrests targeting alleged collaborators and dissenters.
While attention has shifted to the conflicts in Iran and Lebanon, Gaza remains under a fragile ceasefire, with ongoing low-level clashes. High Representative for Gaza Nickolay Mladenov highlighted progress toward a disarmament framework tied to UN-backed plans. Despite this, Hamas continues to consolidate control in parts of the territory as Israel targets militants and terrorist infrastructure.
Turkish spy chief Ibrahim Kalin’s March 22 meeting with senior Hamas leaders in Istanbul highlights Turkey’s continued high-level engagement with the group, reinforcing Ankara’s role as a mediator in Gaza ceasefire negotiations while omitting any discussion of Hamas’s disarmament. The meeting reflects a broader pattern of Turkish support for the group, evidenced by recent US Treasury sanctions on Turkish charities linked to Hamas.
On March 18, Venezuelan acting President Delcy Rodríguez removed longtime Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López and installed Gustavo González López, followed by initiating a broad restructuring of the military’s top leadership. These moves unfolded alongside US-supported stabilization efforts and the passage of a February 20 amnesty law that has facilitated the release of dozens of political prisoners. Nevertheless, a UN fact-finding mission reported that the country’s repressive apparatus remains largely unchanged.
An Iranian ballistic missile exploded in Lebanese airspace shortly after Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Raggi declared Tehran’s ambassador-designate in the country “persona non grata.” Official silence, coupled with Lebanese reporting that the missile was targeting an American asset in Lebanon, led to speculation that Iran considered Raggi’s move significant and was retaliating for it. However, subsequent reporting and a Lebanese Armed Forces investigation revealed that the missile’s target was outside Lebanon.
On March 23, Ashab al Yamin, a group with ties to the Islamic Republic, took responsibility for attacks in Antwerp and in London. The incidents raise the total number of claimed attacks by the Iran-linked group against Jewish and Western sites to seven.
Six Peshmerga fighters were killed, and more than 20 were wounded in a missile strike north of Erbil on March 24, marking the deadliest attack on the Kurdistan Region since late February. The strike is part of a broader wave of drone and missile attacks by Iran and Iranian-backed militias targeting northern Iraq, US facilities, and Kurdish forces. In addition, rockets were fired toward Syria on March 23, and at least 15 members of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces were killed in a likely US airstrike in Iraq’s Anbar province.