The Third Lebanon War between Israel and Hezbollah has begun. What’s next?

Since the heinous terrorist attack on October 7, 2023, Israel has waged a war against Hamas to ensure that this type of attack cannot happen again. To do so, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu set a goal of demilitarizing Hamas in Gaza and ensuring that it can no longer govern. Simultaneously, Iran’s largest terrorist proxy

The end of Libya’s false stability period

Libya’s three years of “unstable” stability appear to have reached their much-anticipated tipping point. In late August, the initial entente between Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah’s clan and Libyan Central Bank (CBL) Governor Saddik al-Kabir came to an end when armed forces, acting on Dbeibah’s orders, stormed the CBL headquarters. However, the governor managed to

Israel’s communications attacks push Hezbollah into an uncomfortable corner

Hostilities between Israel and Lebanese Hezbollah turned cinematic on September 17 when thousands of pagers used by Hezbollah operatives detonated simultaneously. Hezbollah announced that twelve of its operatives were killed. Thousands more were injured, with some left blinded or missing limbs. The next day, on September 18, Hezbollah suffered another humiliating blow. This time, the

Compromising with the Kremlin in Ukraine will only embolden Putin

If Donald Trump wins the United States presidential election in November, he has pledged to bring the war in Ukraine to a swift end by brokering an agreement between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Trump himself has yet to elaborate on the terms of any potential deal, but his vice presidential

Egypt is cozying up to Somalia to thwart Ethiopia

Tensions between Egypt and Ethiopia have escalated in recent days. Relations between the two African countries, already strained since 2011 due to Ethiopia’s construction and filling of the Great Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) on the Blue Nile—a project Egypt views as a major threat to its water and food security—have further deteriorated. The recent downturn

Testimony on Israel and the Middle East at a crossroads: How Tehran’s terror campaign threatens the US and our allies

Kirsten Fontenrose, nonresident senior fellow at the Scowcroft Middle East Security Initiative in the Atlantic Council’s Middle East Programs, testifies before the US House Committee on Foreign Affairs on how Tehran’s terror campaign threatens the US and allies. Below are her prepared remarks. Chairman Burchett, Ranking Member Phillips, and members of the Committee, thank you

Experts react: What’s behind the Hezbollah beeper and walkie-talkie explosions

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

Putin is becoming entangled in his own discredited red lines

Vladimir Putin attempted to draw yet another red line on September 12, warning Western leaders that any decision to let Ukraine use long-range weapons against targets inside Russia would mean that NATO countries are “at war” with Russia. Speaking to the Kremlin media, Putin said that allowing Ukrainian strikes on Russian territory using Western-produced missiles