The United States has intensified pressure on Iranian-backed militias in Iraq, offering multimillion-dollar rewards for information on additional key leaders linked to attacks on US personnel and facilities. The latest rewards target figures from three groups: Kataib Hezbollah, Kataib Sayyid al Shuhada, and Harakat Ansar Allah al Awfiya. Read more →
Across Mali, jihadis are seizing territory, encircling the capital, and pushing a fragile regime toward collapse. Backed by a sprawling network and in an effort years in the making, Al Qaeda’s Sahel affiliate has launched its most ambitious offensive yet—one that could redraw the map of West Africa. Bill Roggio and Caleb Weiss unpack what's going on. Read more →
The Iran-linked front group Ashab al Yamin claimed credit for a stabbing attack in London that wounded two Jewish men. The group has claimed more than a dozen attacks in Europe, most of them targeting Jewish institutions. Read more →
A Hamas operative who was killed during the recent war with Israel founded a Gaza-based charity that has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars online. The charity continues to solicit donations, including through a New York-headquartered platform. Read more →
Venezuelan Acting President Delcy Rodríguez Delcy Rodríguez said the country’s recent amnesty is ending as the NGO Foro Penal reports that 473 political prisoners remain in custody. In addition, Caracas is fast-tracking investment laws, opposition leader María Corina Machado plans to return to the country this year, and US Southern Command launched new a combat unit covering the Caribbean and Latin America. Read more →
After months of political deadlock, the Shiite parties that comprise Iraq’s largest parliamentary bloc named Ali al Zaidi as the country’s prime minister-designate. Zaidi, a businessman who has not previously held a government position or been publicly affiliated with a specific party, now has 30 days to form a government. Read more →
Kosovo has moved toward contributing forces for the International Stabilization Force (ISF) mission in Gaza, sending a military team to assess a future deployment area and coordinate with local and multinational officials. The security situation in Gaza remains tense despite a ceasefire, with uncertainty over Hamas’s disarmament. Read more →
Al Qaeda’s Group for Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM) and its allies in the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA) conducted a massive, widespread offensive in Mali, from Bamako to Kidal, on Saturday. Several cities fell under the complete or partial control of the militant alliance, while others, including Mali’s capital, remain under intense pressure. Read more →
As part of Moscow’s efforts to expand its Unmanned Systems Forces, a vocational training center affiliated with Russia’s main Shahed drone producer is recruiting for a new unmanned systems brigade. Its recruitment messaging highlights fulfilling mandatory military service requirements while earning the pay of enlisted troops serving under contract but without the associated danger. Read more →
The Houthis have reiterated support for Iran despite their limited involvement in the Islamic Republic’s recent war with Israel and the United States. The Yemeni terrorist group is also reportedly weighing a toll for the safe transit of ships in the Red Sea, a move it has implemented before. Read more →
Iran says it’s not in a rush to negotiate, but reality signals something else. Bill Roggio is joined by FDD Senior Fellow Miad Maleki — a former US Treasury sanctions architect — to break down why Tehran walked away from talks, what the Strait of Hormuz blockade is really doing, and why the regime may be under more pressure than at any point since 1979. Read more →
Syria says it disrupted a Hezbollah-linked plot and uncovered rockets near the Quneitra area of the Golan Heights. Officials also reported arrests tied to another terrorist cell, plus the seizure of 500,000 Captagon pills in a joint anti-smuggling operation with Iraq. At the United Nations, Syria pledged to continue counterterrorism operations, while criticizing Israeli actions in southern Syria. Read more →
Tehran has refused to take an official position after US President Donald Trump’s announcement of an extension of the US ceasefire with Iran, while conditioning further negotiations on the lifting of the US naval blockade. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps also threatened regional oil and digital infrastructure and attacked ships in the Strait of Hormuz. Read more →
Hamas has reportedly indicated a readiness to give up thousands of rifles belonging to its police and internal security forces. The weapons conceded would still fail to meet the total disarmament required by President Donald Trump's 20-point Gaza peace plan. The Israel Defense Forces also tracked five ceasefire violations between April 17 and 21. Read more →
Iraq faces mounting political pressure as Shiite parties in the Coordination Framework (CF) seek to select a new prime minister amid tensions between the US and Iran. On the evening of April 20, the CF delayed its decision to nominate a candidate for the office until April 22. The US has reportedly paused some coordination with Baghdad pending investigations into attacks on US interests, and Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force commander Esmail Qaani visited Iraq on April 19. Read more →