Sammy Westfall

Washington, D.C.

Assistant Editor on the Foreign desk

Education: Yale University, BA in history and political science

Sammy Westfall is an assistant editor on The Washington Post's Foreign desk. She started at The Post as a Bradlee reporting fellow on the Foreign desk and has previously reported for Vice, the Philippine Daily Inquirer and the Toledo Blade. She also served as the editor in chief of the Yale Daily News, her college newspaper.
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Latest from Sammy Westfall

    What is UNIFIL, the U.N. peacekeeping force in Lebanon?

    The U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon has been patrolling the Israel-Lebanon border for more than 45 years.

    October 14, 2024
    A checkpoint near Qleia staffed by members of the U.N. peacekeeping force in Lebanon on Sept. 10. (Myriam Boulos/Magnum Photos for The Washington Post)

    Uncertainty looms over Israel’s expected Iran strike; rescuers dig through debris in central Beirut

    Israeli strikes on Beirut were the deadliest on Lebanon’s capitol since Oct. 8, 2023, when Hezbollah began its current barrage of rocket attacks on northern Israel.

    October 11, 2024

    22 killed in deadliest strike in central Beirut since start of war

    Israeli strikes hit central Beirut on Thursday night in an attack local health officials said killed 22 people and injured 117.

    October 10, 2024
    People carry a body amid the rubble of buildings hit by an Israeli airstrike in central Beirut on Thursday.

    North Gaza hospitals ordered to evacuate; U.S. backs Israel’s ground offensive in Lebanon

    The Biden administration has dropped its support for an immediate cease-fire in Lebanon and is openly supporting Israel’s ground offensive, a State Department spokesman said.

    October 9, 2024

    How many hostages are still in Gaza since Hamas attack on Israel? What to know.

    Israel estimates some 117 hostages held by Hamas have been released or freed; 63 are believed still to be alive in Gaza. Here’s what we know.

    October 9, 2024
    Thai nationals who were released after being taken hostage by Hamas leave the Shamir Medical Center in Ramla, Israel, on their way to be flown back to Thailand.

    Israel sends more ground troops to Lebanon; strike on Syrian capital kills 7, injures 11

    Israel said it mobilized its first reserve division to operate in southwestern Lebanon. Hezbollah officials pledged to keep fighting.

    October 8, 2024

    Israeli strikes continue on anniversary of Oct. 7 Hamas attacks

    Fighting between Israel and Hezbollah did not abate as the region faced the grim anniversary of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks, which triggered the war in Gaza.

    October 7, 2024

    Incumbent wins Tunisian election, a victory critics say he engineered

    Tunisian President Kais Saied won reelection Sunday, with low turnout. But the country’s years-long democratic experiment may be coming to an end.

    October 7, 2024
    President Kais Saied with his supporters in 2022.

    Iran’s leader gives defiant address; Israeli strike hits key road at border

    Israeli strikes cut off a key border crossing between Lebanon and Syria.

    October 4, 2024

    A timeline of conflict on the Israel-Lebanon border

    For decades, Israel has seen Hezbollah as a major threat. But through rounds of conflict and war, it has not won a decisive victory.

    October 1, 2024