Fighting Terrorism

IDF Announces Operational Control of the Ali al-Taher Ridge –Reactions in Lebanon and Iran

On September 3, 2026, the IDF announced that it had achieved operational control of the strategic Ali al-Taher Ridge in south Lebanon and cleared the tunnels used by Hezbollah; The Lebanese government reinforced the deployment of army forces in the city of al-Nabatieh, near the Ali al-Taher Ridge, in an effort to prevent Israeli activity in the area; Hezbollah did not officially respond to the IDF announcement, but senior organization figures claimed Israel was exaggerating the importance of the ridge. Commentary in the Lebanese media claimed the organization's silence resulted from Hezbollah's reluctance to undermine the "resistance" narrative and from its concern that transferring the Ali al-Taher Ridge to the Lebanese army would lead to demands to evacuate other Hezbollah sites north of the Litani River; Iranian conservative media outlets acknowledged the strategic importance of the ridge while attempting to downplay the significance of the event for Hezbollah; Hezbollah's political and media opponents criticized its rejection of the proposal to transfer its facility on the Ali al-Taher Ridge to the Lebanese army and challenged the organization's argument that it was capable of defending Lebanese territory. Local residents and business owners in al-Nabatieh, one of Hezbollah's strongholds in south Lebanon, signed a statement condemning Hezbollah for handing the area over to the "enemy." Read more...

Spotlight on Iran and the Shiite Axis (September 2-9, 2026)

A senior Hamas delegation visited Tehran and met with the Iranian Majles Speaker and Foreign Minister; Iranian reactions to the IDF’s takeover of the Ali al-Taher Ridge in Lebanon reflected recognition of the ridge’s strategic importance, alongside an attempt to downplay the significance of the event for Hezbollah; The Iraqi government has reportedly tightened restrictions on visits to Baghdad by senior Iranian security officials in response to the recent visits to the country by the Qods Force Commander. Read more...

Spotlight on Terrorism and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (September 1-8, 2026)

Terrorists opened fire at IDF forces and an IDF engineering vehicle hit an IED in the northern Gaza Strip. There were no Israeli casualties and the IDF responded with attacks on Hamas facilities. Terrorist operatives from Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) who approached IDF forces at the Yellow Line or were involved in planning terrorist attacks were eliminated; A Hamas spokesman warned that Israeli ministers' calls for encouraging emigration from the Gaza Strip were a "dangerous development"; There were two stabbings, one in the Old City of Jerusalem and the other at a farm in Samaria; an Israeli civilian was critically wounded. The Israeli security forces detained terrorist cells which were planning attacks and located a rocket in a village in northern Samaria. Two Israeli Arabs from the Galilee were accused of supporting ISIS. Read more...

Spotlight on Terrorism: Hezbollah and Lebanon (August 31-September 7, 2026)

Israel released five Lebanese prisoners to promote direct bilateral negotiations despite the continuing dispute over the framework agreement and the pilot zones; Direct negotiations with Israel and the Lebanese government's plan for a state monopoly on weapons have caused a rift between the Hezbollah leadership and the president's office and army command; The IDF gained operational control of the Ali al-Taher Ridge, and attacked Hezbollah infrastructure, including weapons depots, after explosive UAVs were launched at IDF forces; there were no Israeli casualties. In Lebanon, more than 20 people were reported killed in the attacks, including Hezbollah terrorist operatives; Hezbollah now relies on young operatives who were trained for command positions because of the elimination of veteran commanders; Senior Hezbollah figures said they were proud of the alliance with Iran and confident the Lebanese issue was Tehran's top priority in its negotiations with the United States. Read more...

Spotlight on Terrorism and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (August 25 – September 1, 2026)

IDF forces eliminated 20 Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad commanders and terrorists, including operatives involved in the atrocities of the October 7, 2023 terrorist invasion and massacre, and attacked Hamas infrastructure near civilian facilities. The head of Hamas general intelligence was reportedly detained in an operation by Israeli forces and militias in Gaza City, despite Hamas claims that the operation had not been successful; Following Israeli threats, the Board of Peace warned Hamas not to fly kites into Gaza border communities; Board of Peace representative Nikolay Mladenov said preparations for the deployment of the international stabilization force in the Gaza Strip had been completed and Turkey would not participate in it; Hamas forces continued their activity against the Israeli-supported militias; External Hamas figures will not be candidates in the elections for the movement leadership in the Gaza Strip; A terrorist operative who belonged to Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad was eliminated in an airstrike in Jenin; A Palestinian Authority delegation discussed Israel’s [allegedly] "illegal measures" with the foreign ministers of Egypt and Jordan. Read more...

Spotlight on Terrorism: Hezbollah and Lebanon (August 24-31, 2026)

A date has not yet been set for the eighth round of direct negotiations between Lebanon and Israel in Rome. President Aoun said Lebanon was determined to end the state of hostility between the two countries; A Lebanese source said the pilot zones had failed because Hezbollah "personnel" entered the areas before the army, military appointments had been made which served the organization and the Lebanese army had a Shi’ite majority; Hezbollah secretary general Na’im Qassem called the framework agreement "illegitimate," adding that his organization completely rejected the pilot zones and the verification mechanism; Hezbollah might agree to talks with the United States, but the American State Department said the organization was currently forbidden to do so by Iran; The IDF expanded its attacks on and around the Ali al-Taher Ridge and attacked Hezbollah weapons depots in response to the launch of explosive UAVs; Hezbollah’s opponents were angered by the director of Lebanese general security's approval of a six-month residency permit for the designated Iranian ambassador, who had been required to leave the country as early as March 2026. Read more...

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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.