Militia

Iran plans to weaken Kurdish forces in Iraq to prevent disarmament of militias, mantain control

Iran will use the militias to do whatever is necessary to preserve its role in Iraq, while also aiming to weaken its Kurdish rivals in the country.

|BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
Iranian Shi'ite pilgrims walk along a road to enter Iraq through the Shalamcheh border crossing between Iran and Iraq to make their way to the holy city of Karbala to attend the Arbaeen pilgrimage, following US strikes on the Iranian side of the border crossing, in Basra, Iraq, July 23, 2026.
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi meets with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian in Tehran, Iran July 23, 2026.

Iraq’s PM seeks to disarm Iran-backed militias, but Tehran wants to meddle - analysis

Iran-backed militias in Iraq have roots stretching back to the 1980's and are the product of decades of Iranian policy aimed at cultivating armed proxies beyond its borders.

|BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
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.

‘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
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

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.

Abu Shabab militia chief shot in Gaza gunfight, dies in Israeli hospital

Yasser Abu Shabab, head of a Gazan militia that had reportedly been collaborating with Israel, was rushed to an Israeli hospital after being shot in an internal clan scuffle.

DECEMBER 4, 2025ByGOLDIE KATZ, AMICHAI STEIN
Yasser Abu Shabab, head of the anti-Hamas Abu Shabab militia in Gaza

New Gaza militia declares war on Hamas: 'Your dirty shoes are more honorable' - report

'Whoever says ‘no’ to Hamas is a hero. It’s those traitors that need to be dealt with,” Nasira said.

NOVEMBER 23, 2025BySAM HALPERN
Shawqi Abu Nasira addressing his militia men in Khan Yunis, Gaza. November, 2025.

‘We are the alternative’: Anti-Hamas Gaza militia tells BBC group is receiving international support

A Palestinian man described crossing the Yellow Line at night to avoid Hamas detection and feelings of security in the Israel-controlled territory.

NOVEMBER 21, 2025ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
Displaced Palestinians whose homes were destroyed by the Israeli army receive food parcels from the UN World Food Programme in Khan Yunis, in the southern Gaza Strip, November 8, 2025.

Iraqi PM-led coalition tops Iraq election with 46 seats, commission says

Prime Minister Sudani's bloc wins Iraq's election, but forming a new government may take months due to challenges in building a majority and balancing US-Iran influence.

NOVEMBER 18, 2025ByREUTERS
A man holds a flag of Iraq from a car with an election poster featuring current Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani, as supporters of the Reconstruction and Development Coalition celebrate after preliminary election results were announced in Baghdad, Iraq, November 12, 2025.

Syrian security forces arrested over participation in July's Sweida violence, cm'tee confirms

Syria committee into the investigation of July's violence issued a statement on Sunday, which also found there is no proof that "foreign fighters" participated in the Druze-Bedouin clashes.

NOVEMBER 17, 2025ByJAMES GENN
People hold a Druze flag, following deadly clashes between Druze fighters, Sunni Bedouin tribes and government forces, in Syria's predominantly Druze city of Sweida, Syria July 25, 2025.

US must keep Iraq central as Iran rebuilds its Ring of Fire - opinion

If Iran and its proxies are quiet, it is strategic, not surrender.

NOVEMBER 10, 2025ByERIC R. MANDEL
IRAQ’S PRIME MINISTER Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani (left) meets with Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian in Tehran earlier this year. Israeli officials warn that Iranian-controlled Iraqi militias are regaining strength, the writer notes.

Gaza militia leader says his group is one of four backed by Israel to take down Hamas - Sky News

Hossam al-Astal claimed that four militia groups fighting against Hamas were working as part of a coordinated effort on Project New Gaza.

OCTOBER 25, 2025ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
members of the Abu Shabab Popular Forces militia in the Gaza Strip.

Hamas influencer Saleh Aljafarawi, known as 'Mr. FAFO', killed in Gaza

According to Gazan reports, Aljafarawi — one of the most prominent pro-Hamas voices online in the Gaza Strip — was found shot in the head.

OCTOBER 12, 2025ByLIRAN HARONI
Saleh Aljafarawi.