Listeners:
Top listeners:
play_arrow

by Emmitt Barry, with reporting from Worthy News Jerusalem Bureau Staff
WASHINGTON (Worthy News) – The U.S. Department of State on Wednesday announced the designation of four Iran-backed militias as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs), escalating pressure on Tehran and its network of proxies across the Middle East.
The groups newly designated are Harakat al-Nujaba (HAN), Kata’ib Sayyid al-Shuhada (KSS), Harakat Ansar Allah al-Awfiya (HAAA), and Kata’ib al-Imam Ali (KIA). All four had previously been sanctioned as Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs).
The State Department said the designations are part of President Donald Trump’s National Security Presidential Memorandum-2, which mandates maximum pressure on Iran. The measures block property and assets under U.S. jurisdiction, prohibit Americans from conducting business with the groups, and expose foreign entities to secondary sanctions if they engage with them.
Militias Aligned with Tehran
Harakat al-Nujaba (HAN) – Founded in 2013, HAN openly pledged allegiance to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and is a key member of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a coalition of Tehran-backed militias. The group has publicly threatened U.S. bases and troops and maintains ties with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force (IRGC-QF), late commander Qasem Soleimani, and former Hizbullah leader Hassan Nasrallah.
Kata’ib Sayyid al-Shuhada (KSS) – Designated as an SDGT in 2023 alongside its leader Hashim Finyan Rahim al-Saraji, KSS has threatened U.S. and Coalition forces in Iraq and Syria. The group has received training, funding, and advanced weaponry from Iran.
Harakat Ansar Allah al-Awfiya (HAAA) – Blacklisted in 2024, HAAA and its commander Haydar Muzhir Ma’lak al-Sa’idi were linked to the deadly drone attack on Tower 22 in Jordan that killed three U.S. soldiers. The militia has vowed to continue targeting American interests in the region.
Kata’ib al-Imam Ali (KIA) – Designated as an SDGT in 2025, KIA has coordinated with other Iran-aligned militias in plotting attacks against U.S. military, diplomatic, and commercial facilities. Its leader, Shibl al-Zaydi, sanctioned in 2018, acted as a financial conduit between the IRGC-QF and armed factions in Iraq.
Part of a Wider Crackdown
The State Department noted that other Iran-backed militias, including Kata’ib Hizballah (KH) and Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq (AAH), had already been designated as FTOs in earlier years. Both have carried out deadly operations against U.S. forces and remain under heavy sanctions.
“Terrorist designations expose and isolate these groups, cutting them off from resources they need to carry out attacks,” the Department said in a statement. “The United States remains committed to countering Iran, the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism, and disrupting its proxies from conducting attacks against U.S. personnel and facilities.”
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
Russia has sent a sanctioned cargo ship to resupply its air base in Syria, signaling that Moscow intends to preserve one of its most important military footholds in the Middle East despite the fall of longtime ally Bashar al-Assad, according to U.S. officials and satellite images reviewed by The Wall Street Journal.
Israel moved another step closer to early elections after the coalition’s bill to dissolve the Knesset passed its first reading late Monday night by a vote of 106-0, with no lawmakers voting against the measure.
President Donald Trump said Monday that Israel and Hezbollah had agreed to halt attacks after a day of rising tensions in which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatened renewed strikes on Hezbollah’s Dahiyeh stronghold in Beirut if the Iranian-backed terror group continued firing on northern Israel.
A divided federal appeals court ruled Monday that the Trump administration’s policy restricting transgender military service is likely unconstitutional, delivering a legal setback to the Pentagon while leaving parts of the policy in place.
Authorities in Vietnam’s Gia Lai Province have detained two Montagnard Christians on accusations of “undermining national unity” in the latest case involving ethnic minority believers in the communist-run nation, Christians told Worthy News on Monday.
Hungary has plunged into an unprecedented constitutional and political crisis after President Tamás Sulyok refused to resign following the expiration of an ultimatum issued by Prime Minister Péter Magyar.
The U.S. Department of Justice is temporarily backing down from its plan to launch a $1.77 billion “anti-weaponization fund” after a federal judge issued a short-term restraining order.
The Psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs encapsulate the beauty, wisdom, and eternal truths found in the Bible, creating an immersive experience that resonates with believers and seekers alike.
Copyright The New Jerusalem Media.