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Fighting Terrorism

The Israel-Lebanon Ceasefire Agreement: Reactions and Insights

On April 16, 2026, the United States announced a ten-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon to advance direct bilateral talks for a peace agreement. The American administration said in a statement that Israel would retain its right to self-defense, but the United States "prohibited" Israel from attacking in Lebanon; IDF forces remained in south Lebanon and eliminated terrorists who posed a threat. Two IDF soldiers were killed in two incidents after the start of the ceasefire; and reiterated its usual demands: an end to the "aggression," the withdrawal of IDF forces to the border, the release of Lebanese held in Israel, the return of the displaced and the reconstruction of the country. Hezbollah claimed that Iranian pressure helped achieve the ceasefire and warned President Aoun and Prime Minister Salam not to continue direct negotiations with Israel; Lebanese President Aoun claimed the ceasefire showed that Lebanon would determine its own fate and ignored Iran when he thanked the countries that helped stop the fighting. Parliament Speaker Berri reiterated Iranian assistance in achieving the ceasefire and his opposition to direct negotiations; Thousands of displaced civilians returned to south Lebanon despite warnings from the IDF and the Lebanese army, while residents of the Dahiyeh al-Janoubia admitted they were still afraid to return to their homes for fear of renewed fighting; In ITIC assessment, Hezbollah will continue to represent the ceasefire as a Hezbollah-Iran achievement while attempting to challenge IDF forces maintaining the agreement to be able to accuse Israel of "violating the agreement." At the same time, Hezbollah can be expected to escalate internal criticism against the Lebanese leadership, which will raise the tension in Lebanon between Hezbollah's supporters and opponents. The Lebanese government will try to use the momentum to advance direct talks with Israel and implement the state’s monopoly on weapons, especially applying its sovereignty in south Lebanon to convince the United States to pressure Israel to withdraw to the border.
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Spotlight on Iran and the Shiite Axis (March 30—April 15, 2026)

Qods Force commander Esmail Qaani praised the involvement of the “Resistance Axis” in the campaign alongside Iran, noting that they waged a “heroic war”; Until the ceasefire in Iran on April 8, 2026, the Houthis claimed responsibility for four attacks against Israel using ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and drones. It was reported that three ballistic missiles were either intercepted or fell in open areas, and one drone was intercepted; The pro-Iranian militias in Iraq continued their attacks using rockets, missiles, and drones against US bases and facilities in Iraq, the Gulf states, and Jordan until the ceasefire. The militias announced that at least eighty commanders and operatives were killed in strikes attributed to the United States against Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) bases in Iraq during the campaign; Senior Iranian officials strongly condemned the IDF strikes in Lebanon following the ceasefire between Iran and the United States, claiming they violated the understandings reached with the United States. The IRGC and “Resistance Axis” militias warned that continued strikes would lead to a harsh response on their part; The Supreme Leader of Iran, Mojtaba Khamenei, sent a message to Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem, emphasizing Iran’s support for the “resistance against the Zionist and American enemy.” The Iranian Supreme Leader’s advisor warned the Lebanese Prime Minister that ignoring the role of the “resistance” would expose Lebanon to “irreversible security risks”.
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Spotlight on Terrorism and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (March 30 – April 14, 2026)

The IDF forces continued operations to locate terrorists and destroy weapons and infrastructure within the Yellow Line in the Gaza Strip. Terrorists who violated the ceasefire and planned terrorist attacks were eliminated, among them an al-Jazeera correspondent who belonged to Hamas' military wing and operatives involved in the October 7, 2023 terrorist attack and massacre. Hamas accused Israel of targeting police checkpoints and security forces; A Hamas delegation held meetings in Cairo with the mediators, the Palestinian terrorist organizations and the Board of Peace high commissioner, Nikolay Mladenov. Hamas opposed beginning disarmament before Israel met all its commitments in the first phase of the ceasefire agreement. Ahead of the talks in Egypt, Hamas held meetings in Turkey with President Erdogan and other officials; A dispute arose between Hamas and commissioner Mladenov over the number of aid trucks entering the Gaza Strip. The Hamas administration continues spreading propaganda claiming humanitarian distress; Hamas' security forces and armed militias receiving Israeli support clashed, and there were reports of clashes between operatives of militias opposed to Hamas; The organizers of the Global Resilience Flotilla announced the departure of a new international flotilla from the Port of Barcelona to the Gaza Strip; Incidents of Jewish terrorism against Palestinians in Judea and Samaria continue. A Palestinian was killed in clashes near an illegal outpost; The Palestinian Authority leadership welcomed the ceasefire between the United States and Iran, adding that any regional arrangement had to include the Palestinian issue.
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Spotlight on Terrorism: Hezbollah and Lebanon (March 29 – April 13, 2026)

The IDF forces continued military activity in Lebanon from the air and on the ground, eliminating terrorist commanders and operatives in Hezbollah and other terrorist organizations from the air, including the commander of Hezbollah's southern front. Six IDF soldiers were killed; During the past two weeks Hezbollah issued more than 660 claims of responsibility for attacking IDF forces in south Lebanon and civilian, military and security targets in Israel with rockets, missiles and UAVs. Hezbollah also claimed having launched a cruise missile at an Israeli navy vessel; it reportedly hit a British destroyer; Hezbollah secretary general claimed the capabilities of the "resistance" had surprised Israel, adding that they would continue fighting and would not return to the status quo ante of the current hostilities; Israel and Lebanon agreed to direct talks which will begin with a meeting of the ambassadors of the two countries in the United States under American oversight. Officials in the Lebanese administration demanded a ceasefire before the start of the formal negotiations; The Lebanese government's decision to implement the state's monopoly on weapons throughout Beirut and the announcement of direct negotiations with Israel exacerbated the tension with Hezbollah. The organization opposed talks with Israel and accused the government of acting against the "resistance" instead of fighting alongside it; Iran's leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, said the Islamic Republic would continue to support the "resistance," and his senior advisor warned the Lebanese government of "irreversible dangers" if it did not recognize Hezbollah's role; According to the Lebanese ministry of health, more than 2,000 people have been killed since the beginning of the hostilities on March 2, 2026, and more than one million people have been displaced; Syrian authorities announced that they had arrested a Hezbollah-affiliated cell which was planning to attack a rabbi in Damascus.
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Renewal of Hostilities and Negotiations with Israel Increase Tension between Hezbollah and the Lebanese Government

On March 2, 2026, Hezbollah’s renewal of the hostilities against Israel hardened the position of the Lebanese leadership, which accused Hezbollah of dragging the country into unwanted confrontations. The government took measures against Hezbollah and Iran, declaring Hezbollah’s military wing illegal, expelling the Iranian ambassador and all representatives of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps present in Lebanon, and implementing the state’s monopoly on weapons throughout Beirut; In an attempt to end the hostilities, Lebanese President Aoun presented an initiative for direct talks with Israel. Prime Minister Netanyahu signaled his approval and the talks are expected to be conducted by Israeli and Lebanese ambassadors under American mediation; Hezbollah accused the government of acting against the "resistance" instead of joining it to fight Israel and strongly opposed talks with Israel, which were described as "surrender." The organization warned of a "popular tsunami" against the government and demanded it apologize to the "resistance" and rescind the "negative orders." Hezbollah-affiliated media outlets accused the president and the prime minister of betrayal; Hezbollah and Amal jointly called on their supporters not to hold mass demonstrations in order to preserve civil peace, and Arab and European countries reportedly warned Parliament Speaker and Amal leader Nabih Berri that any attempt to storm the government or carry out a coup would be met with a harsh response; In ITIC assessment, Hezbollah's status in Lebanon is challenged by continued military pressure from Israel despite the ceasefire in the war in Iran and by the measures taken by the Lebanese regime to establish its governance throughout the country, including disarming the organization. The opening of direct negotiations between Israel and Lebanon is a severe blow to Hezbollah’s status, possibly leading the organization to undermine the government’s stability by having its ministers resign and shifting to protests in the streets. However, attacking political figures or attempting to take over state institutions could further isolate Hezbollah within Lebanon and drag the country into an internal conflict.
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Spotlight on Terrorism: Hezbollah and Lebanon (March 23 – 29, 2026)

IDF forces continued aerial attacks on Hezbollah terrorist targets across Lebanon and eliminated commanders and operatives in the organization, among them the veteran al-Manar correspondent Ali Shoeib, as well as operatives with ties to Iran. IDF forces also continued ground activity in south Lebanon, locating and destroying weapons, terrorist infrastructure and other assets which had been hidden in civilian structures. Two civilians and three IDF soldiers were killed; Hezbollah issued 397 claims of responsibility for attacks on civilian, military and security targets in Israel and on IDF forces in south Lebanon using rockets, missiles, and UAVs, with a record number of 96 claims in a single day. So far, 1,004 claims have been made since the beginning of the attacks. Sources in the organization admitted that at least 400 operatives had been killed since the beginning of the war. Hezbollah's offensive effort focuses primarily on attacking IDF forces in south Lebanon and attacking northern Israeli communities; Hezbollah secretary general, Na'im Qassem, and other senior figures in the organization called for national unity even as they continued to demand the cancellation of the decisions made against Hezbollah and opposed negotiations with Israel. The editor of Hezbollah-affiliated daily al-Akhbar called for the overthrow of the government; Lebanon's president, Joseph Aoun, continued to promote his initiative for direct talks with Israel, but without progress. An Egyptian delegation met with Hezbollah representatives and presented its own initiative, but according to the organization "now is the time for the battlefield"; The decision of the Lebanese foreign ministry to expel Iran's ambassador angered Hezbollah and Amal, which called on the Iranian diplomat to remain in Lebanon, while Hezbollah's opponents welcomed the move and demanded Iran pay for the damages of the war with Israel. An Iranian missile exploded north of Beirut shortly after the decision to expel the ambassador; The Lebanese ministry of health reported that about 1,200 people had been killed since the beginning of the war; Kuwait announced it had uncovered a Hezbollah terrorist network which planned assassinations and attacks on symbols of the state.
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Fighting Terrorism

One of the global challenges today is the war on terrorism. There are a variety of means and methods available to the war on terrorism, one of which is conventional military force. There are other approaches to the war on terrorism beyond the military, such as preventing financing, enforcing laws, using political and economic measures to cut organizations off from their supporters, and infiltrating counterterrorism agents into terrorist organizations in order to expose them. In addition, a political and PR struggle against the organizations and the countries sponsoring terrorism is also being waged.
There are a variety of entities involved in the war on terrorism, among them military, internal security, judicial and economic bodies. Many countries have established units especially to fight terrorism, whose duties include preventive counterterrorism measures and fighting in real time.

Science and technology can also help in the war on terrorism because the global terrorism environment is constantly changing and the terrorist organizations become more sophisticated as they exploit technical innovations to increase their threats. The cyber arena is becoming more and more prominent in fighting terrorism, both in defensive as well as offensive terms.

The Anti-Terrorism Law, 5776-2016, was passed in Israel. The purpose of the law is to provide the state authorities with the appropriate tools in the area of criminal and public law to cope with the terrorist threats faced by the State of Israel. The Anti-Terrorism Law stipulates serious penalties for terrorists and members of terrorist organizations. The law also stipulates penalties for persons expressing support for terrorism or affiliated with a terrorist organization.  The law regulates the issue of declaring an organization as a terrorist organization and the use of administrative detention. In addition to making the penalties for terrorist offenses more severe, the law replaces many regulations that were part of the Defense (Emergency) Regulations. The law was passed by the Knesset in June 2016, and entered into effect on November 1, 2016.