Kataib Hezbollah

Iraq appears to delay militia disarmament as Iran-backed factions pressure Baghdad - analysis

Now Iraq appears to be backtracking on the deadline for placing militia weapons under state control.

|BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
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.
Canada's opposition Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre holds a town hall meeting in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, May 23, 2026.

Canadian politicians call to immediately list Kataib Hezbollah as a terrorist entity

The push follows a recent US legal filing detailing the actions of Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood al-Saadi, an alleged senior commander of Kataib Hezbollah and operative of Iran’s IRGC.

|ByALEX CARSON
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
An Iranian drone is displayed at the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Aerospace Force Museum in Tehran, Iran.

Why Iran and its militias have made Jordan a frontline in broader Mideast conflict - analysis

Iran’s growing missile and drone attacks on Jordan are turning the kingdom into a new frontline, testing whether Amman will continue to remain quiet or join a regional response.

|BySETH J. FRANTZMAN

Reports of airstrikes in Syria at sensitive time for Iran axis - analysis

Iran wants to create instability and a power vacuum in eastern Syria and then to fill the vacuum

OCTOBER 3, 2023BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad attend a joint press conference, in Tehran, Iran July 31, 2023.

Israeli Jewish woman remains kidnapped in Iraq as Iraqi PM at UNGA 

Elizabeth Tsurkov was kidnapped six months ago in Baghdad.

SEPTEMBER 21, 2023BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
Elizabeth Tsurkov was kidnapped in Iraq earlier this year by Iranian-backed terrorist group Kataib Hezbollah.