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Ad Hoc Studies

Speech given by Hezbollah secretary general Hassan Nasrallah and reactions in the Arab world

On November 3, 2023, Hezbollah secretary general Hassan Nasrallah delivered a speech entitled "Martyrs who died on the way to Jerusalem.” it was Nasrallah's first public appearance since the outbreak of Operation Iron Swords. The speech, which raised high expectations in the Arab world, claimed the war in Gaza was completely Palestinian. He threatened the United States and Israel and emphasized that "all options are open.”He claimed, straight-faced, that he had no advance knowledge of the Hamas attack, and that Hamas was winning, therefore by implication they did not need external aid. He noted Hezbollah's contribution to the war effort through its operatives’ attacks on northern Israel and was proud they were forcing Israel to keep a significant portion of the IDF forces in the northern arena because Israel was concerned about having to fight on another front. As for further aid in the future, Nasrallah was ambiguous, apparently to keep Israel tense while claiming that all options were on the table. Reactions to the speech in the Arab world were diverse, as reflected in the media and social networks. Some supported the speech and its messages, while others criticized him for not fulfilling their high expectations.
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The International Union of Muslim Scholars issued a fatwa calling for military Muslim support for the Gaza Strip

On October 31, 2023, the International Union of Muslim Scholars (IUMS), a radical Islamist organization based in Qatar, held a press conference to announce a fatwa entitled "The duty of Islamic governments regarding [the necessity to respond to] the Zionist invasion of Gaza." It called on the regimes and armies of the Muslim countries for urgent military intervention to save the residents of the Gaza Strip and provide material, religious, political and legal assistance. It was the second fatwa issued by the IUMS since the beginning of the war. On October 21, 2023. On October 7, 2023, the organization issued a message supporting Hamas’ barbaric terrorist attack. The IUMS was founded in 2004 by Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi, who directed it until 2018, and who for many years was considered one of the leading Sunni Muslim jurists..The most recent fatwa makes it clear that although Qatar, which has represented itself as actively mediating the issue of humanitarian relief for the Gaza Strip and the release of the kidnapped, in reality serves as a shelter for an extremist, militant Islamist organization which calls on Muslims for military-terrorist activity against Israel.
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Profile of Saleh al-Arouri, a Senior Hamas Terrorist

On the morning of October 31, 2023, in the village of ‘Arura (north of Ramallah), Israeli security forces demolished the home of Saleh al-Arouri, deputy chairman of Hamas' political bureau and in charge of the Hamas terrorist activity in Judea and Samaria. Palestinians rioted during the activity, throwing rocks and IEDs at the forces, who responded with riot control measures. Al-Arouri has not lived in the house for the past 15 years. After the Israeli forces left, residents came carrying Hamas flags to express their solidarity and see the destroyed house up close (QudsN Twitter account, October 31, 2023). Saleh al-Arouri is considered number two in Hamas. He serves as deputy chairman of Hamas' political bureau and is responsible for Hamas’ terrorist activity in Judea and Samaria. Al-Arouri is responsible for Hamas' military buildup, its entrenchment in Lebanon, and the strengthening of the movement's ties with Iran. He is known for his militant statements against Israel, in which he often called for the killing of IDF soldiers and settlers in Judea and Samaria. He is also known for encouraging the escalation of terrorist activity in Judea and Samaria. At the same time, he conducts political activity. Since 2018, al-Arouri has also been wanted by the American State Department. In recent years, al-Arouri has been staying regularly in Beirut, in the southern suburb (al-Dahiya), which serves as Hezbollah's stronghold. Since the beginning of the war in the Gaza Strip, al-Arouri has continued to be interviewed by the media, especially al-Manar TV and al-Jazeera. He stressed Hamas' determination to wage a prolonged war against Israel.
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The Houthis and Operation Iron Swords

Since the beginning of Operation Iron Swords, on four different occasions missiles and UAVs have been launched at Israel from the Red Sea area, all of which were intercepted before they reached Israel's airspace. The Houthi movement in Yemen claimed responsibility for the attacks. Since the war began, senior figures of the Houthi movement have been threatening that if Israel continued its actions against the Gaza Strip they would not hesitate to join the campaign alongside Hamas. The Houthi movement was established in Yemen in the early 1990s on a foundation of the country's Zaydi Shi'ite Muslims, who make up about 30% of the population. In 2004, the movement rebelled against the centralist government on the grounds that it had become too closely identified with the United States and Israel. By 2009 six rounds of fighting between the parties had taken place, at the end of which the Houthis established an autonomous region in north Yemen. They increased their power and areas of control, and in 2015 deposed the incumbent president. That led to the establishment of a coalition of Arab countries, led by Saudi Arabia and the UAE, whose goal was to defeat them and restore the previous regime. In response, the Houthis attacked Saudi Arabia and the UAE using advanced weapons provided by Iran, which has supported them over the years and included them in the "axis of resistance." The Houthi movement, thanks to assistance from Iran, has at its disposal an arsenal of missiles and UAVs that can attack both Israeli territory and Israeli vessels in the Red Sea and near the coast of Yemen. In ITIC assessment, the Houthi attacks on Israel were coordinated with Iran, since the Houthis are part of the "axis of resistance." Iran regards the use of pro-Iranian Shi'ite militia proxies in Iraq, Syria and Yemen as an escalation which on the one hand is an expression of the concept of "consolidating the arenas," especially in light of the Israeli ground attack, and which on the other hand
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Operation Iron Swords The development of Iranian-Hamas-Hezbollah cooperation

Since October 7, 2023, Israel has been waging war against the "axis of resistance," led by Iran and two of its proxies, Hamas and Hezbollah. Iran's support for Hamas and Hezbollah goes beyond the current war and previous rounds of conflict between Israel and the terrorist organizations in Gaza. It considers its network of proxies part of its military strength and deterrent capability. Controlling a network of armed terrorist organizations, which includes Hamas, the Islamic Jihad in Palestine (PIJ), and Hezbollah, allows Iran to act against its opponents, primarily but not exclusively Israel and the United States, with room for plausible deniability, reducing the risk of escalation to the point of direct military confrontation with its enemies.
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Palestinian-Arab perspective on the delay of the IDF ground maneuver in the Gaza Strip

The Palestinian and Arab media have given extensive coverage to the IDF's preparations for the next phase of the war in the Gaza Strip, i.e. the ground maneuver. The media follow the preparations, including the increased number and deployment along the Gaza Strip border. They also ask why the ground maneuver has not yet begun. Monitoring Hamas, Palestinian and Arab sources has revealed the following: Hamas shows great confidence in its military capabilities and its ability to prevent Israel from achieving its objectives in the war. It has identified the difficulty Israel is having in making decisions, hesitancy at the military and political levels and considerable embarrassment, difficulty in dealing with international pressure and the hostage situation along with concern of ground warfare against the skilled military operatives in the Gaza Strip, who are equipped with special weapons. The Palestinian media publish cartoons warning the IDF against a ground incursion into Gaza and even mocking it for its "cowardice." Various Palestinian sources disagree as to whether the IDF will actually carry out the ground maneuver because of the complexity of the operation and the expected number of casualties. The Arab media review a variety of reasons, including international reasons, for the delay in the ground maneuver.
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