One year into the Gaza war, the conflict has left deep political, security, and societal scars that reverberate across the Middle East and North Africa. The war, ignited by an unprecedented terrorist attack by Hamas on Israel on October 7, 2023, saw militants kill some 1,200 and take 251 hostages—97 of whom are still being
GET UP TO SPEED There’s a message in the missiles. Iran’s 180-missile barrage against Israel on Tuesday was largely ineffectual (though it did reportedly kill a Palestinian man in the West Bank) due to Israeli air defenses and US assistance. The assault was Tehran’s response to the assassination of top Hezbollah figures, including the group’s
Beep, beep, boom. Thousands were injured and dozens killed in Lebanon this week when beepers and walkie-talkies used by Hezbollah exploded in a coordinated manner on successive days. “We are opening a new phase in the war,” said Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, though Israel has not officially acknowledged that it was behind this operation. The
It’s a title fight. On Wednesday, the United States designated the Yemen-based Houthi rebels, also called Ansar Allah, as a specially designated global terrorist (SDGT) group. Recent attacks by the Iran-backed group on Red Sea shipping “fit the textbook definition of terrorism,” explained National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan. The Biden administration’s label, which follows US
JUST IN They’re seeing red. On Thursday, the United States and the United Kingdom carried out air and missile strikes in Yemen after weeks of attacks by the Houthis on shipping vessels in the Red Sea that had disrupted global commerce. Will these strikes deter the Iranian proxy group from further attacks? Will they embroil
With the conflict ignited by the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel still ablaze, it is difficult to predict what decisions the players will make tomorrow—let alone in a week or a month. That makes it challenging for other nations impacted by the conflict to craft their foreign policy. What we can know in these
