All Policy Analysis by Michael Knights

The Yemeni group has strengthened its capabilities and aggressiveness to the point where it may be less vulnerable to international pressure than its Iranian patron.

Qais al-Khazali, the leader of Asaib Ahl al-Haq (AAH), was strategically positioned in the front row, a place of significant honor in Muslim tradition, directly behind Khamenei.

The strange little militia Kataib al-Mustafa announced itself to great fanfare in Basra, and judging by its media reception, it has an important mystery backer.

A second major report on the political surveillance scandal was quickly muted, in part because it was highly critical of Iranian Qods Force commander Esmail Qaani.

Unconfirmed but detailed reporting on potential Iraqi terrorist cells in Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan should be a wake-up call to monitor Kataib Hezbollah's external operations more closely.

The Gulf states were right about the Houthi threat and the West was wrong, so another large-scale confrontation is inevitable.

A low-profile Iraqi militia that is deeply linked with Iran's Qods Force and plays important roles in storing advanced conventional weapons provided by Tehran and suppressing Iraqi moderates.

UN officials should not be holding events hosted by Iraqi militia figures responsible for the deaths of protesters and other gruesome offenses, yet that is precisely what is happening under a new militia "human rights" bureau.

The politicized corruption of the country’s best intelligence agency has exploded into a major eavesdropping scandal directed from the prime minister’s office, and Washington should adjust bilateral intelligence sharing accordingly.

As Militia Spotlight previewed, the tussle in Diyala shows that Badr's slow political descent is encouraging various militias and tribal elements to scramble for power.

The self-styled Iraqi "resistance" has hinted at a desire to end the tit-for-tat sequence of strikes with the United States and return to cost-free counter-Israel operations.

A mechanism for diverting Iraqi government oil to militias through non-operational factories was recently exposed, creating a panic shutdown of asphalt plants run by Iran-backed terrorists.

A senior missile specialist from Yemen was killed alongside Iraqi members of Kataib Hezbollah, underlining the government's cooperation with domestic and foreign terrorist groups.

Militia Spotlight presents a regularly updated tracker with the best-known information about drone, rocket, and missile attacks against U.S. and allied targets, which have intensified since the Gaza war broke out.

The strikes are not yet numerous enough to form a definitive pattern, but they probably reflect deep militia divisions over whether to renew anti-coalition attacks in earnest amid the Gaza war.

The fall (for now) of a senior Turkmen protege of Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis is a reminder that fortunes, favor, and factions are always shifting within the Iran-backed "resistance" scene.

In this chapter from the Jihadist Governance and Statecraft compilation, Michael Knights explores the scope and nature of jihadist governance in Iraq.

Since 2022, the court has become a channel for Iran-backed militias and terrorist groups to secure “made to order” legal rulings that can have decisive political “lawfare” effects in their favor.

The humanitarian consequences of Israel’s port attack are real but should not be overstated, particularly when the true culprits behind Yemen’s persistent fuel shortages and famine risks are Iran and the Houthis.

A student recruitment and indoctrination group tied to a PMF directorate, with a name that eulogizes a slain U.S.-designated terrorist.