Iraq

Iran temporarily closes Strait of Hormuz due to 'security precautions,' shipping safety

According to Fars, the IRGC Navy commander declared that, "The weapon that reaches the battlefield on the day of war is different from what is displayed in exercises."

|ByREUTERS, JERUSALEM POST STAFF
A boat approaches the St Kitt's and Nevis-flagged container ship Marsa Victory while crusing in the waters of the Strait of Hormuz off the coast of Khasab in Oman's northern Musandam peninsula on June 25, 2025.
A woman and child walk in the the al-Hol camp in Syria's northeastern Al-Hasakah Governorate on July 28, 2024, as Syrian families of suspected Islamic State fighters prepare to return to their homes in the countryside of Deir Ezzor.

Thirty-four Australians released from a camp holding families of suspected ISIS terrorists in Syria

Hukmiya Mohamed, a co-director of Roj camp, told Reuters that the 34 Australians had been released to their families, who had come to Syria for the release.

|ByREUTERS
Women and children seen inside al-Hol camp, amongst them some 6,200 women and children from around 40 nationalities, and including relatives of suspected Islamic State jihadists in the desert region of Hasakah province on January 25, 2026 in Al Hasakah, Syria.

Moving suspected ISIS prisoners to Iraq shows Washington doesn’t fully trust Damascus, expert says

Professor Eytan Gilboa warned that Tehran may pressure Iraq to allow the country to become a ground to challenge the Sharaa regime.

|ByDANIELLE GREYMAN-KENNARD
Nechirvan Barzani, President of Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan Region, gives a joint press conference with France's Foreign Minister in Arbil, the regional capital, on February 5, 2026.

Iraq's Kurds emerge as Middle East's key diplomatic players at Munich Security Council - analysis

The KRG has helped smooth the transition in eastern Syria by working with Damascus and the Syrian Democratic Forces, also hosting US forces and other anti-ISIS coalition forces.

|BySETH J. FRANTZMAN

Follow the flow: Inside Iranian narco-trafficking in Iraqi Kurdistan - explainer

In recent years, the Sulaymaniyah governorate in eastern Iraqi Kurdistan has become a hub for Iranian narco trafficking.

JANUARY 25, 2026ByOBSIDIAN RESEARCH BUREAU
Kurdish internal security forces stand guard after seizing a quantity of captagon pills in Qamishli, Syria, March 25, 2025.

Iranian-backed militias exploit Syria-SDF clashes to entrench role in Iraq - analysis

The Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), which are mostly made up of Iranian-backed militias, have now deployed to the border. 

JANUARY 24, 2026BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
Members of the Popular Mobilization Forces drive along the border with Syria in the Tarfawi area of northwestern Iraq on January 22, 2026.

Iran says two Islamic State‑linked men executed for 2023 bus bombing

The Iranian judiciary said the attack killed a toddler and injured several others on a bus traveling from Tehran to Ilam, a province in the west that borders Iraq.

JANUARY 24, 2026ByREUTERS, JERUSALEM POST STAFF
A member loyal to the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) waves an ISIL flag in Raqqa June 29, 2014.

US threatens to starve Iraq of its oil dollars over Iranian influence, sources say

The warning is the starkest example yet of US President Donald Trump's campaign to curb Iran-linked groups' influence in Iraq.

JANUARY 24, 2026ByREUTERS
A drone view shows the Zubair Oil Field in Basra, Iraq, January 16, 2025.

US to complete transfer of Islamic State detainees from Syria to Iraq in coming days, official says

The US military is transferring up to 7,000 ISIS detainees from Syrian prisons to Iraq, focusing on high-risk fighters amid growing security concerns following recent prison escapes.

JANUARY 23, 2026ByREUTERS
Children and women, relatives of suspected Islamic State jihadists, walk inside Al-Hol camp in the desert region of Syria's northeastern Hasakeh province on January 21, 2026; illustrative.

Iraq says it will begin legal proceedings against ISIS prisoners transferred from Syria

More than 10,000 members of the ultra-hardline terror group have been held for years in about a dozen prisons and detention camps guarded by the SDF in Syria's northeast.

JANUARY 22, 2026ByREUTERS
A Syrian national flag flutters next to the Islamic State's slogan at a roundabout where executions were carried out by ISIS militants in the city of Palmyra, in Homs Governorate, Syria April 1, 2016.

'Last plane to leave Tehran': Mossad's final Iran chief Eliezer Tsafrir dies at 92

Tsafrir, a veteran Mossad and Shin Bet official and Israel’s last station chief in Tehran before 1979, played a central role in Israel’s early regional intelligence efforts.

JANUARY 22, 2026ByALEX WINSTON
Eliezer "Geizi" Tzafrir, former Mossad chief for Iraqi Kurdistan and last before the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran, poses for a Maariv interview back in 2022.

CENTCOM says up to 7,000 ISIS detainees could be moved to Iraq from Syria

"Ultimately, up to 7,000 ISIS detainees could be transferred from Syria to Iraqi-controlled facilities," CENTCOM said.

JANUARY 21, 2026BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
U.S. soldiers attached to the Iowa National Guard sign GBU-31 munitions systems in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility Dec. 18, 2025 as the U.S. military launched large-scale strikes against dozens of Islamic State targets in Syria in retaliation for an attack on U.S. personnel.

'October 7 moment for Kurds': Israel must assist Syria's Kurds amid attacks, analysts tell 'Post'

Over the last decade, the SDF worked with the US and defeated ISIS in Syria. However, now the SDF is facing major setbacks, and Kurds fear they may be massacred.

JANUARY 21, 2026BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
A Kurdish internal security forces member stands guard with a weapon as Syrian Kurds attend a protest in solidarity with the people in the neighborhoods of Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh in Aleppo, in Hasakah, Syria January 7, 2026.

Iran escalates regional response to protests with strike on Kurdish forces - report

Video and photos from the site of the attack show the destruction of vehicles and other debris from the incident.

JANUARY 21, 2026BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
Kurdish Peshmerga fighters affiliated with PAK train on January 18, 2026 near Erbil, Iraq.