The Media Line

Details emerge on killing of father of 8-year-old Pakistani cricket player, Aina Wazir

Omar Wazir was a schoolteacher and also ran a travel agency. In a related incident, Aina Wazir's cameraman was kidnapped but later released.

|ByARSHAD MEHMOOD/THE MEDIA LINE
Pakistan's national flag.
Syrian army increases security measures in and around al-Hol camp, located south of Al-Hasakah, where families of Daesh members, most of them women and children, are being held, in Syria, on January 25, 2026.

Syria blames SDF withdrawal for chaos and escapes at al-Hol camp

The camp, located near the Iraqi border, had long housed relatives of suspected Islamic State (IS) members alongside civilians displaced by years of conflict.

|ByTHE MEDIA LINE STAFF
A vendor prepares trays of hot food at a street stall as Muslims prepare for the holy month of Ramadan in Damascus, Syria, February 18, 2026.

As Damascus prepares for Ramadan, its cannon call to prayer returns after 14 year haitus - feature

Ramadan in Damascus brings vibrant markets, traditional foods, Maghrib prayers, and the historic Ramadan cannon, creating a festive, nostalgic, and community-filled atmosphere.

|ByRIZIK ALABI/THE MEDIA LINE
A general view of Jerusalem's Old City shows the Western Wall, Judaism's holiest site, in the foreground as the Dome of the Rock, located on the compound known to Muslims as Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as Temple Mount, is seen in the background.

‘Enough is enough!’: Holy sites bill sparks religious power struggle - analysis

A bill amending the Law for the Protection of Holy Places passed a preliminary vote, boosting the Chief Rabbinate’s authority and reigniting debate over religion, state power, and Diaspora ties.

|ByGABRIEL COLODRO/THE MEDIA LINE

In post-Assad era, Hezbollah’s shrinks to cells, smugglers, and cheap rockets - analysis

The Iranian proxy group once helped sustain Assad’s war machine; now it stands accused of running deniable operations with cheap hardware.

FEBRUARY 26, 2026ByWASEEM ABU MAHADI/THE MEDIA LINE
Hezbollah and Syrian flags are seen fluttering in Fleita, Syria, 2017

Iranian opposition orgs. urge ICC probe into regime's alleged crimes against humanity

Legal analysts cited in Western coverage say the ICC faces jurisdictional challenges because Iran is not a member of the Rome Statute.

FEBRUARY 26, 2026ByTHE MEDIA LINE STAFF
Iranian Protesters gather around burning cars near a masque while blocking a street during a protest in Tehran, Iran, on January 8, 2026.

‘Signal of command and control’: New ISIS audio shows consolidation, not comeback, analysts say

Leadership messaging points to internal discipline and network survival rather than renewed territorial expansion.

FEBRUARY 25, 2026ByGIORGIA VALENTE/THE MEDIA LINE
Illustration of ISIS terrorists.

Iranians turn universities into battleground against Islamic regime

One protester told The Media Line: “Left or right, what is certain and inevitable is the inevitable destruction of the Islamic Republic.”

FEBRUARY 25, 2026ByOMID HABIBINIA/THE MEDIA LINE
Students supporting Reza Pahlavi chanted slogans in his favor across several universities. Furthermore, for the first time, they also chanted against the leftists, who are considered the primary rivals of the monarchists.

Video shows current Hamas Gaza chief in 2022 ‘war room’ managing dry run of Oct. 7 invasion

A 2022 video aired by Channel 13 captured Hamas leader Izz al-Din al-Haddad managing a simulated invasion. The footage showed the group practicing a sea raid and celebrating "total destruction."

FEBRUARY 24, 2026ByTHE MEDIA LINE STAFF
Izz al-Din al-Haddad, the commander of the northern Gaza brigade, and alleged replacement for Hamas military leader Mohammed Sinwar.

US sets Friday deadline for Iraq to form government free of Iran-linked Maliki or face sanctions

The US issued a Friday ultimatum to Baghdad: form a government without Iranian influence or face sanctions. Washington specifically targeted the nomination of Nouri al-Maliki for Prime Minister.

FEBRUARY 24, 2026ByTHE MEDIA LINE STAFF
Supporters of Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani’s Reconstruction and Development Coalition Party celebrate, after election results were announced in Baghdad last month. A week later, Sudani announced that his faction would join with the Coordination Framework, a political bloc with ties t

Authority in Board of Peace is structured around Trump, not its members, legal experts say

This institutional design may explain why several European governments have stayed out. The United Kingdom, France, and Germany have declined to participate. The Vatican has formally refused. 

FEBRUARY 24, 2026ByGIORGIA VALENTE/THE MEDIA LINE
World leaders gather during a charter announcement for US President Donald Trump's Board of Peace, in Davos, Switzerland, January 22, 2026

RSF paramilitary group claims forces have seized control of town on Sudan-Chad border

The RSF said in a message published on social media that its forces had seized the town, which had earlier been believed to be held by the Joint Forces aligned with the Sudanese army.

FEBRUARY 23, 2026ByTHE MEDIA LINE STAFF
MEMBERS OF the Sudanese army gather next to a destroyed military vehicles after a battle with Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in the capital Khartoum, Sudan March 25, 2025.

Syria announces major drug bust through coordination with Iraq against Captagon trafficking

A source in the Syrian Ministry of Interior told The Media Line that anti-narcotics units carried out what he described as a “high-quality” security operation in Homs province.

FEBRUARY 23, 2026ByRIZIK ALABI/THE MEDIA LINE
KURDISH INTERNAL security forces stand guard after seizing a quantity of captagon pills in Qamishli, Syria, March 25, 2025.

'This isn’t a token strike,' analysts say as US prepares for a major confrontation with Iran

US military buildup in the Middle East signals a possible strike on Iran’s regime, with analysts suggesting it could lead to regime collapse within weeks.

FEBRUARY 22, 2026ByGABRIEL COLODRO/THE MEDIA LINE
The world's largest aircraft carrier, the U.S. Navy nuclear-powered Ford-class aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) arrives in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, December 1, 2025.