Reza Pahlavi is not a unifying figure, but remains a symbol of exclusion. A spent force, he is irrelevant to Iran’s future and unqualified to lead.
As Iran edges closer to possible collapse amid renewed nationwide protests – particularly in Awdanan, Malekshahi (Ilam), Kirmashan, and Luristan in Eastern Kurdistan – international conversations are turning to what might replace Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
He asserted that he had received “reliable reports” indicating the authorities were facing “a severe shortage of mercenaries to confront the millions of people in the streets.”
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian blamed the US and Israel for ordering “rioters” to create instability in Iran in a speech released Sunday.
As illegal Israeli settlements seize more land and violent settler attacks escalate, Palestine’s Christian community faces a quiet erasure
Beit Sahour – Overnight on 19 November 2025, Israeli settlers bulldozed the Ush al-Ghurab hilltop in the Palestinian town of Beit Sahour, just east of Bethlehem.
Basim Saleh Yassin, who’s deaf, was beaten viciously by Israelis after they attacked a plant nursery in the West Bank, amid an uptick in settler violence.
Dozens of masked men armed with sticks beat and injured a Palestinian in the Israeli-occupied West Bank when they attacked a plant nursery, according to people who saw the attack and video footage obtained by The Associated Press.
As protests grow across Iran, the Mossad posted an unusual Farsi message urging demonstrators to act, saying it is with them in the streets, amid rising economic pressure and public unrest.
On Monday, the Mossad used its Twitter account in Farsi to encourage Iranians to protest against the Iranian regime, telling them that it will join them during the demonstrations.
On 13 November 2025, my family and I were breathlessly awaiting the results of my sister Aya’s high school exams, or tawjihi.
We put up some decorations in an apartment we had rented after relocating from Gaza City to Deir al-Balah, central Gaza, in September. We bought sweets, so excited to celebrate after what we had endured through death, bloodshed and bleak memories.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has concluded his visit to the United States, returning home after reportedly securing yet another round of political backing from Donald Trump. As with previous encounters, the meeting provided Netanyahu with diplomatic cover and strategic reassurance, reinforcing Israel’s ability to sustain its military posture in Gaza and across the region with limited external constraint.
The Syrian Ministry of Finance has issued a decision imposing strict provisional seizure on the assets and establishments of prominent businessman Abdullah Nizam, along with a wide network of his partners and family members. The measure comes as part of ongoing investigations into money laundering and illicit enrichment, with the financial sums involved exceeding four hundred and seventy-five million US dollars.
Details of the Decision and the Scope of the Seizure
The Middle East region could transition in 2026 to peace and stability or, perhaps more likely, backslide into regional conflagration.
Conflicts in Gaza, Lebanon, Libya, Sudan, and Yemen, as well as political divisions in Yemen, Iraq, and Syria, are unlikely to fully resolve in 2026 and will require consistent attention from U.S., regional, and global diplomats.
The Trump team will struggle in 2026 to “pivot” from the Middle East to other regions, in part because the U.S. has become the broker, mediator, and guarantor of ceasefires in Lebanon and Gaza, and security cooperation between Israel and Syria.
The potential threat of additional military action by Israel and the U.S. against Iran will loom in 2026, but Iran might emerge as a bright spot for regional stability if expanding protests there unexpectedly oust the regime.
It is clear that the counterterrorism focus of the past two decades has become deprioritized in favor of great power competition, reflected in the dwindling resources for kinetic and non-kinetic counterterrorism and prevention efforts and shifting of personnel and bandwidth to other national security priorities.
In 2026, al-Qaeda (AQ) and Islamic State (IS), as well as their various global franchises and provinces respectively, will continue to exploit conflict zones and ungoverned spaces to expand their geographic scope and operational tempo.
In 2026, cartels and gangs targeted by the Trump administration after their Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) classification could seek to engage in horizontal escalation and commit attacks in the United States.
2026 could be the year when drone expertise migrates to a Western country, where terrorists seek to incorporate unmanned aerial systems into their operational planning, either for surveillance and reconnaissance or for an attack on a densely populated gathering or soft target.