Skip to main content
TWI logo The Washington Institute for Near East Policy
logo
wordmark
Homepage

Main navigation

  • Analysis
  • Experts
  • About
  • Support
  • Maps & Multimedia
Trending:
  • Military & Security
  • Proliferation
  • Israel
  • Iran
  • Lebanon
  • Syria

Regions & Countries

  • Egypt
  • Gulf States
  • Iran
  • Iraq
  • Israel
  • Jordan
  • Lebanon
  • Middle East
  • North Africa
  • Palestinians
  • Syria
  • Turkey

Issues

  • Arab & Islamic Politics
  • Arab-Israeli Relations
  • Democracy & Reform
  • Energy & Economics
  • Great Power Competition
  • Gulf & Energy Policy
  • Military & Security
  • Peace Process
  • Proliferation
  • Terrorism
  • U.S. Policy
TWI English
TWI Arabic: اللغة العربية Fikra Forum

Breadcrumb

  • Policy Analysis

Terrorism

Policy Analysis on Terrorism

Filter by:

Brief Analysis
Will Israel’s New “Chariots” Plan Trample or Strengthen Hamas?
Israel sees its next operation in Gaza as a means to decisively damage Hamas’s military and governance capabilities while freeing the rest of the hostages, but the plan might also produce a lengthy occupation and expanded guerrilla warfare.
May 14, 2025
◆
  • Neomi Neumann
Qais_AAH
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Asaib Ahl al-Haq Accuses Faleh al-Fayyad of Turkish Collusion
The militia continues to battle with the PMF secretary-general, this time highlighting his alleged promotion of Turkish interests in the hope of undermining him.
May 8, 2025
◆
  • Ameer al-Kaabi
  • Hamdi Malik
◆ Militia Spotlight
Iranian presidential candidate Masoud Pezeshkian poses in front of a poster of Iranian Supreme Leader Khamenei prior to Iran's 2024 presidential elections - source: Reuters
Brief Analysis
Pragmatists Open a Window in Tehran—But for How Long?
Regime officials and the Supreme Leader himself have signaled a willingness to make unprecedented concessions, but taking advantage of this opening will require careful U.S. messaging on counterterrorism, regional deterrence, and human rights.
May 7, 2025
◆
  • Hamdi Malik
Photo of an oil facility in Iraqi Kurdistan.
Articles & Testimony
Iraqi Oil and the Iran Threat Network
Terrorist organizations are exploiting Iraq’s energy sector to the tune of billions of dollars per year, raising the need for more intensive efforts to trace how revenues are routed into oil “voucher” programs and other diversion schemes.
April 2025
◆
  • Michael Knights
Photo of an Israeli soldier in the ruins of a kibbutz following the October 2023 Hamas attack.
Articles & Testimony
The Benefits of Disarming Hamas Are Clear. What About the Price?
Even if Washington were willing to support indefinite military occupation, escalating in Gaza would increase the risk to hostages, the strain on the IDF’s reserves, and the discord Israel has faced at home and abroad.
Apr 29, 2025
◆
  • David Makovsky
  • Simone Saidmehr
An Iranian soldier wearing an IRGC uniform salutes in front of an Iranin flag - source: Reuters
Articles & Testimony
Ending Iran’s Nuclear Weapons Program Is Not Enough
Tehran cannot enjoy the economic benefits it seeks while under sanction, but some sanctions will necessarily remain in place as long as it continues sponsoring terrorism, leaving negotiators with little choice but to address issues beyond the nuclear program.
Apr 25, 2025
◆
  • Matthew Levitt
KH_protest
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
The Return of Abu Ali al-Askari
In its first statement since October, a notorious Kataib Hezbollah Telegram account offered a deeper dive into how the "resistance" views a range of new developments in Iraq, Syria, and Iran.
Apr 24, 2025
◆
  • Crispin Smith
  • Michael Knights
◆ Militia Spotlight
Hezbollah fighters parade with flags in Lebanon in 2019 - source: Reuters
Articles & Testimony
There Is No Better Time to Disarm Hezbollah
With the group and its Iranian patrons at their weakest point in decades, Beirut has a real opportunity to restore its sovereignty, but waiting for another futile “national dialogue” may close that window.
Apr 23, 2025
◆
  • David Schenker
Sharaa_wanted
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Sudani's Invitation to Ahmed al-Sharaa Triggers Militia Backlash
Iraq's self-styled "resistance" had an allergic reaction to the idea of Syria's new president setting foot on Iraqi soil, putting Prime Minister Sudani at odds with some of his terrorist supporters.
Apr 23, 2025
◆
  • Ameer al-Kaabi
  • Hamdi Malik
◆ Militia Spotlight
A member of Jordan's Muslim Brotherhood speaks - source: Reuters
Brief Analysis
The Brotherhood May Have Pushed Jordan Too Far This Time
As revelations continue to unfold about the group’s involvement in militant plots, weapons smuggling, and coordination with foreign accomplices, Amman will likely feel obligated to crack down—the question is how much?
Apr 22, 2025
◆
  • Ghaith al-Omari
KH-Prayers
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Kataib Hezbollah Chief Urges Ongoing Caution with the United States
Abu Hussein has asked the group's fighters to keep showing restraint, seemingly reinforcing Iran's preference for calm as nuclear talks with Washington proceed.
Apr 22, 2025
◆
  • Crispin Smith
  • Hamdi Malik
◆ Militia Spotlight
Oscar-winning Palestinian Director Basel Adra checks a damaged car after Israeli settlers' attack in Susiya in the Israeli-occupied West Bank - source: Reuters
Brief Analysis
Settler Violence Is Turning the West Bank Into a Tinderbox
The West Bank has been a relatively minor front in Israel’s post-October 7 war, but if violence by far-right settlers continues to increase, the fallout could be substantial.
Apr 18, 2025
◆
  • Neomi Neumann
An Iraqi member of a Shia PMF militia
Brief Analysis
The Danger of Letting Iraq’s PMF Authority Law Pass
The Trump administration needs to quietly but firmly signal Baghdad that enshrining the militia umbrella group as a de facto “Iraqi IRGC” would pose an unacceptable threat to U.S. interests.
Apr 8, 2025
◆
  • Michael Knights
A UNIFIL peacekeeper on duty in Lebanon - source: United Nations
Brief Analysis
Lebanon-Syria Border Talks Can Restrain Hezbollah and Boost Security
By encouraging the new Saudi-mediated talks with Damascus, Washington and its partners can help secure Beirut’s sovereignty, contain Hezbollah smuggling, and stabilize Lebanon’s other border with Israel.
Apr 3, 2025
◆
  • Hanin Ghaddar
Fighters of Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), walk together near Baghouz, Deir Al Zor province - source: Reuters
Brief Analysis
Facilitating the New SDF Agreement Is Key to Stabilizing Syria
The Kurdish-led group has reached important understandings with the new leadership in Damascus, but finalizing and implementing them while resolving points of contention will require further help from the United States and its partners.
Apr 2, 2025
◆
  • Wladimir van Wilgenburg
A rebel fighter belonging to the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham gestures while riding a vehicle near Aleppo in November 2024 - source: Reuters
Articles & Testimony
The New Syrian Government’s Fight Against the Islamic State, Hezbollah, and Captagon
An in-depth look at how the new rulers tackled these counterterrorism issues in Idlib province for years prior to Assad’s fall, and what steps they are taking at the national level today.
March 2025
◆
  • Aaron Y. Zelin
Abdul-Mahdi_Sanaa
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Abdulmahdi in Yemen: An Emerging Militia Godfather
A former Iraqi prime minister is using his freedom from U.S. sanctions to act as an envoy between designated terrorist groups.
Mar 28, 2025
◆
  • Hamdi Malik
◆ Militia Spotlight
An Iraqi member of a Shia PMF militia
Brief Analysis
Iraq’s PMF Law Is No Substitute for Real Security Reform
The Trump administration should not be duped by the supposed “reforms” that militia leaders are considering in parliament, which threaten to turn the PMF into another Iranian “Revolutionary Guard” and keep U.S.-designated terrorists in key posts.
Mar 17, 2025
◆
  • Hamdi Malik
  • Michael Knights
Qais_Sulaimani
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
The Dual Face of Qais al-Khazali: Extremist at Heart, Politician by Necessity
Khazali presents himself as a mainstream political figure, but his internal narrative reveals unwavering loyalty to Iran's "axis of resistance" and a deeply entrenched extremist ideology opposed to the West.
Mar 17, 2025
◆
  • Hamdi Malik
◆ Militia Spotlight
The Syria Breakdown Series Title Card
Video
Articles & Testimony
Hope for al-Hol? The Syria Breakdown, Episode Six
Does Syria's transition away from Assad regime tyranny offer hope for closing detention camps, which have been home to thousands of internally displaced persons and Islamic State supporters?
Mar 13, 2025
◆
  • Devorah Margolin
◆ The Syria Breakdown

Pagination

  • Previous page ‹ Previous
  • First page « First
  • Page 1
  • Page 2
  • Current page 3
  • Page 4
  • Page 5
  • Page 6
  • Page 7
  • Page 8
  • Page 9
  • …
  • Last page Last »
  • Next page Next ›
Supported by the

Jeanette and Eli Reinhard Program on Counterterrorism and Intelligence

The Washington Institute's Jeanette and Eli Reinhard Program on Counterterrorism and Intelligence serves as Washington's premier center for the study of international terrorism.

Sign Up for Email Updates from The Washington Institute

Never miss a breaking event on U.S. policy interests in the Middle East. Customize your subscription to our expert analysis, op-eds, live events, and special reports.

Sign up

Featured experts

Matthew Levitt
Matthew Levitt
Matthew Levitt is the Fromer-Wexler Senior Fellow and director of the Reinhard Program on Counterterrorism and Intelligence at The Washington Institute.
Devorah Margolin
Devorah Margolin
Devorah Margolin is the Blumenstein-Rosenbloom Senior Fellow at The Washington Institute.
Aaron Zelin
Aaron Y. Zelin
Aaron Y. Zelin is the Gloria and Ken Levy Senior Fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy where his research focuses on Sunni Arab jihadi groups in North Africa and Syria as well as the trend of foreign fighting and online jihadism.
Background image with TWI branding
logo
wordmark
Homepage

1111 19th Street NW - Suite 500
Washington D.C. 20036
Tel: 202-452-0650
Fax: 202-223-5364

Footer contact links

  • Contact
  • Press Room
  • Subscribe

The Washington Institute seeks to advance a balanced and realistic understanding of American interests in the Middle East and to promote the policies that secure them.

The Institute is a 501(c)3 organization; all donations are tax-deductible.

Footer quick links

  • About TWI
  • Support the Institute
  • Alumni

Social media

  • The Washington Institute on Facebook facebook
  • The Washington Institute on X x
  • The Washington Institute on YouTube youtube
  • The Washington Institute on LinkedIn linkedin

© 2025 All rights reserved.

Footer

  • Employment
  • Privacy Policy
  • Rights & Permissions