U.S. President Donald Trump’s multi-country tour of the Middle East has received widespread attention, as his visits to Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have garnered more than $1 trillion in investments. Of note, Trump did not visit Israel during his trip, which brought criticism from pro-Israel camps within the U.S. government. […]| The Soufan Center
Global and regional officials anticipated that Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s visit to Washington last week, capped by a meeting with President Trump on February 4, would produce a clear roadmap toward a permanent end to the Israel-Hamas war, a release of all hostages, and a rebuilding of the devastated Gaza Strip. Toward the end of […]| The Soufan Center
President Trump and his foreign policy aides are divided over how to address Iran’s advancing nuclear program. The issue has become progressively more acute – for the United States and particularly for Israel, which identifies Iran’s nuclear program as an “existential threat” – as Iran assembles the fissile material and knowledge it would need to […]| The Soufan Center
Trump’s Special Envoy for the Middle East Steven Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met for the second time on Saturday at the Embassy of the Sultanate of Oman in Rome, Italy| The Soufan Center
As many experts expected, the January ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas unraveled last week as Israel undertook major airstrikes and began a ground offensive in the Gaza Strip. Hamas responded with a rocket volley against Israel, using its indigenous production capabilities still active in the enclave. Phase one of the ceasefire agreement had expired […]| The Soufan Center
Hamas and Israel continue to engage in halting, mediated talks to try to achieve an end to the Gaza conflict. On Saturday, a senior Hamas delegation including Muhammad Darwish, Khaled Meshaal, Khalil al-Hayya, Zaher Jabarin, and Nizar Awadallah held talks in Cairo on a proposed five-year truce and the release of all remaining Israeli hostages. […]| The Soufan Center
As several protracted conflicts rage on, threatening to proliferate into regional conflagrations, humanitarian aid workers have faced increased threats, including arbitrary detention, kidnapping, and attacks that result in injury and death. Senior UN officials highlighted these increased dangers for humanitarian workers during a recent UN Security Council meeting on the protection of civilians in armed […]| The Soufan Center
The recent escalation of tensions in the Middle East, careening toward a wider regional war, has led to severe humanitarian consequences in Lebanon, the Gaza Strip, and parts of Israel. The broader conflict has resulted in mass displacement and significant civilian casualties in several theatres, insufficient shelter, supply shortages, and widespread food insecurity, compounded at […]| The Soufan Center
As the humanitarian crisis in Gaza deepens, the U.S. military began dropping food over the Strip in a “combined humanitarian assistance airdrop” conducted by U.S. and Jordanian air forces over the weekend, according to a statement by the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM). The initial drop consisted of more than 38,000 meals along Gaza’s coastline, with […]| The Soufan Center
U.S. President Donald Trump met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday to discuss a possible peace deal for Ukraine, marking Putin’s first visit to the U.S. since 2007. Notably absent was Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, whose delegation was not invited to join the talks. Zelenskyy is scheduled to meet with President Trump […]| The Soufan Center
U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky were set to sign a landmark bilateral agreement related to Ukraine’s natural resource supplies, particularly Kyiv’s critical minerals reserves, but the deal collapsed last week during a shocking televised meeting at the White House. Since then, both leaders have expressed a willingness to move forward, with […]| The Soufan Center
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine three years ago estranged Moscow from the United States and its European allies, Iran has counted on an expanding strategic partnership with Russia to insulate it from U.S. pressure, further spread Iranian influence in the Middle East, and receive needed advanced conventional weaponry. However, recent developments are likely to drive […]| The Soufan Center
The Trump administration ordered airstrikes against a range of Houthi targets in Yemen over the weekend, following through on threats that came on the heels of redesignating the Houthis as a foreign terrorist organization (FTO). American fighter jets and warships participated in the assault, according to United States Central Command (US CENTCOM), with fighter planes […]| The Soufan Center
In its first days in office, the second Trump administration fulfilled widespread expectations that it would use economic sanctions as a key lever with which to effect outcomes and advance U.S. and allied interests. Outside the region, Trump restored Cuba to the list of state sponsors of terrorism, repeating an action he took late in […]| The Soufan Center
As Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu began his visit to Washington last week, including meeting with President Trump in the Oval Office on February 4, global experts expected the meeting to produce an unequivocal commitment by Trump to use––or support Israel’s use of––military action to destroy Iran’s nuclear program. President Trump and all of his […]| The Soufan Center
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited President Donald Trump at the White House yesterday, with the meeting focusing on a range of issues, including the Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal, what a “victory” over Hamas would look like, and the necessity of continuing to counter Iran, among other topics. Also on the agenda between Trump […]| The Soufan Center
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban declared victory in elections this week, laying claim to his fourth consecutive term leading the government. Orban is now the longest-serving leader of any country in the European Union (EU), concerning for many given his illiberal tendencies which frequently make him an outlier in the EU| The Soufan Center
Throughout his presidential campaign, U.S. President Donald Trump ran on a platform that included extricating the United States from “forever wars,” and avoiding getting bogged down in internecine conflicts where a narrowly defined U.S. national interest is unclear.| The Soufan Center
Even as the Trump administration is signaling a desire to pull back from conflict zones and other global hot spots, the first several weeks of the president’s second term have witnessed multiple kinetic strikes against the Islamic State-Somalia (IS-S) branch. The group boasts approximately 1,000 fighters and has more recently been successful in expanding its […]| The Soufan Center
Al-Shabaab’s 2025 Shabelle offensive has achieved significant territorial gains and racked up key operational successes in the Shabelle regions of Somalia since its initiation in February. The group’s advances have left Mogadishu scrambling for reinforcements, seeking international support from the United States, Türkiye, and the African Union to bolster its defenses. The current Somali threat […]| The Soufan Center
Somalia and Türkiye recently agreed to a ten-year defense deal that will see Ankara helping Mogadishu with security cooperation and building the capacity of its naval forces.| The Soufan Center
On June 19th the government of Somalia announced that 43 al-Shabaab fighters, including two high-level commanders, were killed in an airstrike by the Somali National Army (SNA) in the Lower Juba region.| The Soufan Center
With U.S President Donald Trump’s deadline for Moscow to reach a ceasefire deal with Kyiv originally set for today, the White House announced an imminent meeting between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. A top Kremlin aide stated that the meeting would take place “in the coming days,” and the scheduled sit-down appears to be […]| The Soufan Center
The sharp deterioration of the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip is forcing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to face choices he has been able to avoid in the nearly two years since the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel. In March, Netanyahu brushed aside a ceasefire to resume ground operations in Gaza in […]| The Soufan Center
Historically, women have played active roles in most terrorist movements, and narratives about women, gender and society permeate nearly all major terrorist ideologies| The Soufan Center
Federal prosecutors in New York City revealed earlier this week that a United States Army private, 22-year old Ethan Phelan Melzer, conspired to release classified information to a neo-Nazi group called Order of Nine Angles (O9A)| The Soufan Center
A recent study commissioned by the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany (Claims Conference) revealed an astonishing lack of awareness about the Holocaust among young adults in the United States| The Soufan Center
A newly released unclassified report by the Office of the Direction of National Intelligence (ODNI) details the extent of the domestic violent extremism (DVE) threat to the United States. The report defines DVEs as “US-based actors who conduct or threaten activities that are dangerous to human life in violation of the criminal laws of the United States or any state| The Soufan Center
For more than six months, Trump officials have sought to bring an end to the war in Gaza, anticipating that ending the conflict will open opportunities to broaden Middle East integration and shift the regional balance of power away from Iran and its constellation of non-state armed allies.| The Soufan Center
On July 20, al-Shabaab, al-Qaeda’s branch in East Africa, recaptured the towns of Sabiid and Anole, located roughly 40 kilometers southwest of Mogadishu in Somalia’s Lower Shabelle region| The Soufan Center
On Friday, the United States House of Representatives passed a final vote approving President Donald Trump’s proposal to cut $9 billion from public broadcasting and foreign aid. Among the foreign aid reductions were $800 million in refugee assistance, $496 million for natural disaster relief, and, most notably, $4.15 billion from programs aimed at strengthening economies […]| The Soufan Center
After an over two-month blockade, the first major influx of humanitarian aid entered the Gaza Strip late last week. Over 100 trucks carrying flour, baby food, and medical equipment had entered by last Thursday, according to the UN, and Israeli authorities have stated they have allowed 300 trucks total by last Friday. The aid reportedly […]| The Soufan Center
U.S., Israeli, and European concerns over Iran’s advancing nuclear program have brought the Iran file to a top position on the Trump administration’s national security agenda. Iran’s nuclear advances are testing Trump’s long-stated intent to avoid sparking a significant new regional war. Iran’s nuclear program is assessed by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) as […]| The Soufan Center
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House earlier this week, where the leaders discussed a range of issues, including Trump’s tariffs, negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program, and Türkiye-Israel relations, especially as tensions have escalated over each country’s role in a post-Assad Syria. It was Netanyahu’s second […]| The Soufan Center
Reinforcing the focus of his trip last week to Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on promoting U.S. business and economic relationships in the region, President Trump stressed his intent to forge a comprehensive nuclear agreement with Iran rather than use force against it. At his first stop in Saudi Arabia, Trump […]| The Soufan Center
As they did after the previous two rounds of talks that began April 12, U.S. and Iranian officials described Saturday’s direct and indirect discussions in Muscat, Oman, as positive and productive. U.S. Special Envoy for the Middle East Steven Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi again led the discussions. In contrast to the prior […]| The Soufan Center
In remarks before the Senate Homeland Security Committee in September 2020, FBI Director Christopher Wray described the tendency of some terrorists to be motivated by what he referred to as “a mishmash” or “salad bar” of ideologies, the most prominent feature of which are an attraction to violence| The Soufan Center