Militia

‘We believe Hamas will not disarm,’ Israeli-backed militia figure in Gaza tells ‘Post’

Dismantling armed militias could discourage locals from working with Israel, says a Gaza resident. "People will think twice for fear of being abandoned."

|ByDANA BEN-SHIMON
Palestinian Hamas terrorists stand guard on the day of the handover of hostages held in Gaza since the deadly October 7 2023 attack, as part of a ceasefire and a hostages-prisoners swap deal between Hamas and Israel, in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, February 22, 2025.
Clergymen lead Christmas celebrations at the St. George's Syriac Orthodox Church in the old city of Damascus.

Christians arbitrarily detained in Syria denied Bible access, forced to observe Ramadan, CSI report

Members of the Christian community have been arbitrarily detained, with their families extorted for payments in exchange for their release, the Christian Solidarity International report claimed.

|ByDANIELLE GREYMAN-KENNARD
Iraqi Prime Minister-designate Ali al-Zaidi speaks during a parliamentary session to vote in a new government headed by Ali al-Zaidi as prime minister, at the parliament headquarters in Baghdad, Iraq, May 14, 2026.

Iraqi PM Zaidi condemns US-Saudi strikes on Iran-backed militias

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi's office denounced the strikes, stating that it is the Iraqi government’s responsibility to deal with security concerns originating within its borders.

|ByGOLDIE KATZ
A US military aircraft flies at an unknown location, during what U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) says are strikes on Iran, in this screengrab taken from a handout video released on July 20, 2026.

US-Saudi joint strikes on Iran-backed militias are a milestone in cooperation - analysis

US CENTCOM said that American forces and “the Saudi Arabian Armed Forces conducted precision strikes in Iraq, July 28, against Iran-aligned terrorists that the IRGC directed to attack US forces."

|BySETH J. FRANTZMAN

The Kurds' moment: Why Iran’s Kurdish opposition thinks history is turning in its favor

MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS: Kurdish groups in Iran and Iraq have faced incredible hardships. They have persevered. Now they sense that their moment has arrived.

MARCH 1, 2026BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
KURDISH GEN. Hussein Yazdanpanah, whom the writer first met almost a decade ago, has been fighting for Kurdish sovereignty for years.

Iranian-backed militias in Iraq struck by missiles, possibly of Israeli origin - report

Iraqi Shiite militias linked with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, including Kataib Hezbollah and other Popular Mobilization Forces groups, were targeted in Israeli strikes, local media claims.

FEBRUARY 28, 2026BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
Iraqi Shi'ite Muslim men from the Iranian-backed group Kataib Hezbollah wave the party's flags as they walk along a street painted in the colours of the Israeli flag during a parade marking the annual Quds Day, or Jerusalem Day, on the last Friday of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, in Baghdad

Pakistan arrests dozens amid fears of rising insurgent attacks after air strikes

Pakistan carried out air strikes on targets in Afghanistan over the weekend on what it said were militant targets responsible for a spate of recent suicide bombings on Pakistani soil.

FEBRUARY 25, 2026ByREUTERS
FILE PHOTO: Residents gather as machinery clears the debris of a damaged house, following the Pakistani air strikes, in Nangarhar, Afghanistan, February 22, 2026.

Iranian citizens' freedom may depend on cooperation with Israel, PJAK commander says

Peyman Vian, commander of Iranian-Kurdish PJAK, leader of the "most powerful" guerrilla force fighting the Islamic Regime, was interviewed by Israeli journalist Itai Anghel.

FEBRUARY 20, 2026ByLARA SUKSTER MOSHEYOF
Fighters from the Kurdistan Free Life Party (PJAK), an Iranian Kurdish opposition group, are pictured near the border with Iran in Iraq's Kurdistan Region, in the outskirts of Sulaimaniya, Iraq, June 21, 2025.

PA drafts constitution, omits Jewish ties to Jerusalem, calls for Sharia legal system

The draft constitution also called for the "right of return" for refugees, caring for families of "martyrs, prisoners, and exiles," and reaffirming the PLO's position as representing Palestinians.

FEBRUARY 13, 2026ByJAMES GENN
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas addresses the general Conference of Fatah Youth in Ramallah, with a backdrop including a portrait of Abbas and Yasser Arafat, November 27, 2025; illustrative.

Israeli-backed Palestinian militia says it killed two Hamas operatives in southern Gaza

The militia shared a photo that it said depicted one of the slain men.

JANUARY 7, 2026ByREUTERS
Several Hamas terrorists stand guard near a scene as Gazans gather to watch the release of Israeli hostage Agam Berger to a Red Cross team in Jabaliya on January 30, 2025.

Haibat al-Halbousi elected Iraq’s parliament speaker as new legislature convenes

Iraq continues to face challenges as it navigates between the Iranian influence on the country and a push by the US and others to roll back Iranian-backed militias.

DECEMBER 30, 2025BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
Adnan Faihan, nominated by the Coordination Framework for the position of first deputy speaker, speaks to the media on the day of the first session of the newly elected parliament, where members are set to be sworn in and begin the process of electing a speaker and two deputies, in Baghdad, Iraq Dec

Baghdad’s showdown with Iranian-backed militias could reshape Iraq’s future - analysis

Calls grow to disarm the militias in Iraq, but Kataib Hezbollah refuses to comply.

DECEMBER 21, 2025BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
A mourner attends the funeral of a commander from Iraq's Kataib Hezbollah armed group who was killed in what they called a "Zionist attack" in the Syrian capital Damascus on Friday, during a funeral in Baghdad, Iraq September 22, 2024.

Abu Shabab's death sparks wave of anti-Hamas militia recruitment

Last week, the man seen at the heart of efforts to establish anti-Hamas forces - Yasser Abu Shabab - was killed in southern Gaza's Rafah area.

DECEMBER 10, 2025ByREUTERS
[FILE PHOTO] HUNDREDS OF Gazans chant anti-Hamas slogans, calling for an end to the war with Israel, in Beit Lahiya, Gaza Strip, in 2025.

ICC sentences Darfur Janjaweed militia leader to 20 years

Ali Muhammad Ali Abd-Al-Rahman, also known as Ali Kushayb, was convicted in October on 27 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

DECEMBER 9, 2025ByREUTERS
Cyril Laucci, Lead Counsel for Ali Muhammad Ali Abd al-Rahman, a Sudanese national, waits to hear the verdict of the International Criminal Court, ICC, in The Hague, Netherlands, Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025.