Kataib Hezbollah

Iraq’s militia state: Shelly Kittleson’s kidnapping exposes who runs Baghdad

BEHIND THE LINES: Since October 2023, forces associated with the PMF – that is, affiliated with the government of Iraq – engaged in ongoing attacks against US personnel and positions.

|ByJONATHAN SPYER
US JOURNALIST Shelly Kittleson is pictured in Baghdad on March 31, shortly before she was abducted. Her disappearance has focused attention on the threat posed by Iran-backed militias and the deteriorating security environment in postwar Iraq.
US journalist Shelly Kittleson poses for a picture in Baghdad on March 31, 2026.

Iraq's Kataib Hezbollah to release abducted American journalist Shelly Kittleson

Middle East news site Al-Monitor said Kittleson was a US freelance journalist based in Rome who had covered several wars in the region and had contributed articles to the outlet.

|ByREUTERS
Members of the Hashd al-Shaabi gather in Basra, southern Iraq, to hold a memorial ceremony for Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, carrying Khamenei posters and Hashd al-Shaabi and Kataib Hezbollah flags while chanting slogans in support of Iran on March 08, 2026.

Iranian-backed militia in Iraq sends mixed messages about new attacks - analysis

Kataib Hezbollah said it might pause attacks on US targets in Iraq, but its strict and unlikely conditions suggest strikes could resume soon.

|BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
Smoke rises from a high-rise building following a drone attack in Kuwait City on March 8, 2026.

Fanning flames of war, Iran appears to activate Gulf terror cells as conflict expands - analysis

Iran may be turning to local groups and terrorist cells to fan the flames of war in the region.

|BySETH J. FRANTZMAN

Iran-backed militia threatens UAE, Kuwait in response to Israel-Hamas war

Iran-backed militias in Iraq, Syria, and Yemen have upped their threats against the US and Israel amid the ongoing war.

OCTOBER 24, 2023ByTZVI JOFFRE
Members of the 4th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron, board a C-17 Globemaster III to forward deploy to an undisclosed location in Southwest Asia in support of exercise Agile Lightning from Al Dhafra Air Base, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

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.