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Fighting Terrorism

Spotlight on Terrorism: Hezbollah Lebanon (December 22 – 30 ,2024)

The IDF continued thwarting Hezbollah's attempts to violate the ceasefire, attacking its terrorist operatives and destroying weapons and terrorist facilities in south Lebanon, and attacking sites used by Hezbollah to smuggle weapons along the Syria-Lebanon border. The IDF reported 44 Hezbollah operatives killed since the beginning of the ceasefire; Senior Hezbollah figures claimed they were committed to the ceasefire but accused the Lebanese government and those responsible for implementing the ceasefire of not addressing "Israeli violations." The editor of a Hezbollah-affiliated daily newspaper warned of a resumption of Hezbollah's "military actions"; The interim prime minister toured south Lebanon and met with members of the ceasefire oversight committee. He criticized the "Israeli violations," demanding the full withdrawal of IDF forces and the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701; According to reports, Hezbollah is appointing new leaders to replace secretary general Hassan Nasrallah and other senior figures. The organization continues its reconstruction efforts across Lebanon, but local residents complained they were not being compensated fairly; Nabih Berri, the speaker of the Lebanese Parliament, said he was determined to hold the session to elect a new president on January 9, 2025. A senior Hezbollah figure claimed that the organization did not want a president who would "seek to attack the resistance."
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Houthi-Israel-United States Escalation, December 2024

Since the beginning of December 2024, Yahya Saria, the Houthi military spokesperson, claimed responsibility for 21 UAV and ballistic missile attacks on Israel, six of which were carried out in cooperation with the Islamic Resistance in Iraq. It was the highest monthly number of attacks since the beginning of the Gaza Strip War. Some of the missiles and UAVs caused significant damage in Israel; On December 19, 2024, in response to the increase in attacks, the Israeli Air Force conducted a third strike on Houthi targets in Yemen, targeting areas in Sanaa, the capital, for the first time. Among the targets attacked were power stations and fuel and oil tanks, with reports of nine fatalities; The Houthis also escalated attacks on American military and civilian vessels in the Red Sea while decreasing attacks against non-American vessels. The United States carried out airstrikes against command and control facilities and underground missile storage sites; The Houthi leader and senior officials announced that despite Israeli and American strikes, they would continue attacking Israel as part of their "support for the Palestinians," and would not stop until the war in the Gaza Strip ended; In ITIC assessment, the Houthis plan to intensify their attacks on Israel, including by introducing new weapons, to position themselves as the leading active front of the "resistance axis" in light of the ceasefire in Lebanon and the halt of attacks by pro-Iranian militias in Iraq. Although the Houthis connect the continuation of their attacks to the war in the Gaza Strip, they will most likely find other pretexts to continue their violent activities in order to maintain their external and internal standing. However, international cooperation led by the United States, combining economic and military pressure, including targeted strikes on the Houthis' military capabilities, could dampen their ability to maintain their activities over time.
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Spotlight on the Israel-Palestinian Conflict (December 17 – 24 , 2024)

IDF forces continued operations in the northern (the Jebalya refugee camp and Beit Lahia), central and southern Gaza Strip, eliminating terrorist operatives hiding in civilian structures, including senior Hamas figures. An IDF officer and two IDF soldiers were killed in the northern Gaza Strip; Hamas and other "Palestinian faction" delegations held meetings in Egypt to advance an agreement on a ceasefire and exchange of "prisoners". Hamas reiterated its insistence on a full Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip at the end of the process and accused Israel of presenting new demands; Egyptian efforts continued to persuade Mahmoud Abbas to approve the establishment of a community support committee to manage the Gaza Strip. The Palestinian "factions" presented names of candidates to represent them on the committee; A new study cast doubt on the data provided by Hamas' ministry of health in Gaza regarding the number of fatalities since the beginning of the war. Israel, Judea and Samaria: Palestinians carried out two terrorist attacks. Israeli security forces continued counterterrorism operations in Judea and Samaria, eliminating a wanted Palestinian who was operating with Iranian funding; The Palestinian Authority (PA) security forces continued operations against "gunmen" in the Jenin refugee camp. Two security operatives were killed and the "gunmen" threatened to escalate the fighting.
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Summary of Terrorist Events, November 2024

During November 2024, fighting continued in the Gaza Strip, Judea and Samaria, and south Lebanon, as did attacks on Israel from pro-Iranian militias in Iraq and Yemen. On November 27 a ceasefire in the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah went into effect; Lebanon: The fighting between Israel and Hezbollah continued until the ceasefire went effect. Hezbollah claimed responsibility for 682 attacks on IDF forces maneuvering in south Lebanon and on military, security and civilian targets in Israel, extending as far as the Greater Tel Aviv area, compared to 806 attacks in the previous month. Hezbollah continued to conceal the names of senior figures and operatives killed, announcing only the deaths of the organization's spokesperson, Muhammad Afif, and four members of its media network; The Gaza Strip: Eleven rockets were launched at Israeli territory, compared to 28 rockets in the previous month. Targeted killings of senior and prominent terrorist operatives in Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) continued; Israel, Judea and Samaria: Four terrorist attacks were carried out in Judea and Samaria, with no fatalities, compared to nine attacks the previous month. Israeli security forces continued counterterrorism operations, focusing on northern Samaria. Terror operatives were eliminated in exchanges of fire and airstrikes, including commanders of terrorist organizations. A large shipment of Iranian weapons destined for terrorist operatives in Judea and Samaria was intercepted; Shi'ite militias: The Islamic Resistance in Iraq issued 69 claims of responsibility for attacks on 55 targets in Israeli territory, compared to 72 claims for 76 attacks the previous month. The Saraya Awliyaa al-Dam militia issued seven claims of responsibility for attacks on 11 targets in Israel, compared to 17 claims the previous month. On November 24 the militias ceased issuing claims of responsibility because of pressure from the Iraqi government and fear of an Israeli strike. Most of the launches by Iraqi militias lacked actual verification; some were intercepted, and others landed in Israeli territory without causing casualties. The Houthis claimed responsibility for five attacks on Israeli targets, compared to eight the previous month; Terrorist attacks on Israelis abroad: A Chabad emissary in the UAE was kidnapped and murdered. Three suspects, citizens of Uzbekistan, were arrested. 
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Spotlight on Terrorism: Hezbollah and Lebanon (December 16 – 22, 2024)

The IDF continued operations against Hezbollah's attempts to violate the ceasefire, targeting Hezbollah operatives and destroying weapons and terrorist facilities in south Lebanon. The Lebanese Army continued deploying in towns near the southern border and took control of positions vacated by Palestinian terrorist organizations in the Beqa'a area; Senior Hezbollah figures continued to accuse Israel of violating the ceasefire agreement while claiming the organization was committed to its implementation. However, they warned that Hezbollah might take action if Israel did not complete its withdrawal from south Lebanon without a response from the Lebanese government and army. Hezbollah expanded its compensation payments to homeowners whose properties were damaged in IDF strikes; Reports indicated that Hezbollah was unaware of the fate of more than a thousand operatives with whom contact was lost during the fighting. A Hezbollah member of the Lebanese Parliament stated that the funeral ceremony for Hassan Nasrallah and Hashem Safi al-Din was expected to be held in early 2025; Indictments were filed against three Israeli citizens for assisting Hezbollah during the war; The Lebanese minister of welfare noted that the arrival of approximately 100,000 displaced persons as a result of the revolution in Syria was complicating the Lebanese efforts to rebuild the country; Suleiman Frangieh, Hezbollah's preferred candidate for the Lebanese presidency, announced that he was continuing his candidacy ahead of the parliamentary session on January 9, 2025. However, Army Commander Joseph Aoun is considered the leading candidate for the position. 
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Captured documents reveal how Iran smuggles weapons via Syria and Jordan

For years, Iran, its Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps and Qods Force, have been operating a network smuggling weapons and funds to its proxies in the Middle East, primarily Hezbollah and Hamas. Until the overthrow of the Assad regime in early December 2024, Syria was the main smuggling route for arming Hezbollah with advanced precision weapons, many of which were used to attack Israel; Documents captured from Hamas during the war in the Gaza Strip expose Iran's aerial, maritime and overland routes to smuggle weapons to Syria, Lebanon, and Judea and Samaria. Some documents related to the arrest in Jordan of a smuggling network affiliated with Hamas and showed how Hamas and Iran transfer weapons to Judea and Samaria in hopes of igniting yet another front against Israel. They also related to Israeli and American methods to prevent arms smuggling; In recent years, Jordan has intensified its efforts to combat the smuggling of weapons and drugs by networks directed by Iran and its militias, from south Syria into Jordanian territory. Israel has also increased its efforts to prevent arms from being smuggled to Hezbollah, Judea and Samaria; The overthrow of the Assad regime undermined Iran's ability to transfer weapons through Syria, especially to Hezbollah, which is trying to recover from the blows inflicted by Israel. However, Iran's commitment to the "resistance" will most probably cause Tehran to seek alternative routes to replace the one through Syria and transfer weapons to its proxies for attacks on Israel.
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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.