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Spotlight on Terrorism and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (June 10 – 17 , 2025)

IDF forces continued extensive aerial and ground attacks on targets belonging to Hamas and the other terrorist organizations operating in the Gaza Strip. Palestinian reports indicated a decrease in the intensity of the attacks and a withdrawal of forces from certain areas. Three IDF soldiers were killed in combat in the southern Gaza Strip; No progress has been made in the negotiations for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the release of the hostages. Hamas denied Iranian involvement in the negotiations. A senior Hamas figure said the Israel-Iran War might lead to a temporary ceasefire in the Strip; The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation continued distributing food packages, for the first time operating all four of its distribution points in one day while facing Hamas accusations of deliberate gunfire on civilians who had come to the distribution centers; Hamas security forces in the Gaza Strip continued taking action against members of the armed militia of Yasser Abu Shabab, which receives support from Israel. Documents were published revealing Hamas' method for exploiting humanitarian aid entering the Strip; The land convoy with 1,500 volunteers which set out from Tunisia to the Rafah Crossing was forced to turn back after authorities in eastern Libya blocked its path and Egyptian authorities expelled foreign activists. Activists in Malaysia announced their intention to send a thousand vessels to "break the siege" on the Gaza Strip; IDF forces killed a terrorist who carried out a shooting at a checkpoint near the settlement of Hermesh in western Samaria. Israeli security forces continued extensive counterterrorism activity in Judea and Samaria; The Two-State Solution conference planned to be held in New York under the sponsorship of France and Saudi Arabia was postponed because of the Israel-Iran War. 
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Oil Exports, an Important Component of Iran’s Funding for Terrorism

For over four decades Iran has been considered the world’s leading sponsor of terrorism, with the regime in Tehran using the Qods Force of the Revolutionary Guards to directly support a range of proxy organizations operating against the United States, Israel and pro-Western Arab states across the Middle East. According to estimates, Iran provides hundreds of millions of dollars annually in financial assistance to Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas in the Gaza Strip, the Houthis in Yemen and the Shi'ite militias in Iraq; The Iranian regime’s main source of revenue is its energy sector, which generates about half the country’s export income. Iran’s security bodies receive state allocations of oil which they are expected to sell themselves, and the profits from the sales are used to fund their own operations and those of affiliated terrorist organizations; The United States has imposed sanctions on Iran with the objective of restricting its ability to sell oil on international markets. In an effort to circumvent the sanctions, Iran operates a complex network of intermediaries, front companies, and “shadow fleet“ of tankers; With the formation of the Trump administration at the beginning of 2025, the United States renewed its “maximum pressure” policy on Iran, which had been in effect during Trump’s first term between 2018 and 2020. In recent months, the United States has worked to tighten the sanctions while exposing dozens of entities involved in Iran’s illegal oil trade; At the same time, Iranian opposition elements have exposed dozens of companies, individuals and financial entities involved in Iran’s sanction-evasion operations. The exposures reflect the extensive scope of Iran’s illegal activities and provide a broad foundation for expanding the campaign against Tehran’s attempts to evade American sanctions; The aim of this report is to shed light on how the Iranian security bodies use the illegal oil trade to finance support for terrorist organizations across the Middle East, as well as the entities assisting them. It can be assumed that a focused application of sanctions targeting Iran’s ability to export oil could yield two achievements, namely increasing economic pressure on Iran as part of the “maximum pressure” strategy and directly undermining the financing the support and military buildup of the terrorist organizations loyal to the Tehran regime.
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“Resistance Axis” Reactions to the Israel-Iran Military Conflict

On June 13, 2025, Israel launched a preemptive attack in Iran on dozens of military and security targets and sites of the nuclear program across Iran. More than 20 senior figures in the security leadership, military commanders and nuclear scientists were eliminated, including the commander of the armed forces and the commander of the Revolutionary Guards; Iran confirmed the deaths of the senior officials. Regime officials threatened that "the Zionist regime" would pay a "steep price," and the Revolutionary Guards launched Operation True Promise 3, attacking Israel with UAVs and ballistic missiles; Members of the "resistance axis" condemned Israel, accused it of "crossing red lines," and expressed solidarity with Iran;  According to reports, the Lebanese government conveyed a message to Hezbollah that it alone decided whether or not to go to war. A senior Hezbollah figure said the organization was satisfied with issuing a condemnation and did not plan to respond militarily against Israel; The Houthis claimed that they had attacked targets in Israel in coordination with the Iranians; The pro-Iranian militias in Iraq condemned Israel for violating Iraqi airspace during the attacks on Iran and threatened to take action against American interests if the United States joined the fighting alongside Israel. It was reported that the Iraqi prime minister conveyed messages to the militia leaders that he would act against them if they intervened in the war; Iran built the military capabilities of the Hezbollah-led "resistance axis" as a deterrent against Israel and as part of its response capabilities in the event of an attack on Iranian nuclear facilities. The responses of the organizations were limited to condemnations, indicating the "resistance axis" had been weakened by Israel during the fighting in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon since October 7, 2023. In ITIC assessment, in light of the strategic changes in the Middle East, Hezbollah is currently restrained and the Lebanese government has, for now, successfully imposed its will on the organization. The Shi'ite militias in Iraq are also reluctant to intervene because of pressure from the Iraqi government. Therefore, at this stage, the "resistance axis" organizations, except the Houthis, will most likely not join the fighting. However, active American involvement alongside Israel could lead to an active response by the "resistance axis," especially in Iraq.
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The Israeli protests against the judicial legislation as reflected in Hamas documents

The demonstrations and protest which began in Israel in January 2023 against the judicial legislation promoted by the Israeli government received systematic, extensive attention from the Palestinian media, with commentary on the implications for Israeli society and its military strength; Senior Hamas figures did not publicly comment on the protests in Israel, but Hamas documents brought back by the IDF during the Gaza Strip War showed they were monitoring the reports daily and referred to them in conversations among themselves and with their partners in the "resistance axis," especially in light of preparations for implementing the practical plan for the vision of "the destruction of Israel";  Among the documents were reports from Hamas intelligence departments which gave extensive coverage to the developments surrounding the government's proposed "judicial reform" and the protest, and the possible implications for the IDF’s functioning in light of the reservists' protest; From the documents it appears that Hamas intelligence personnel warned Yahya al-Sinwar, the head of the Hamas political bureau in the Gaza Strip, that given its internal events, Israel would respond with force to any "resistance" initiative, and therefore they recommended waiting and allowing the crisis in Israel to deepen. Nevertheless, al-Sinwar continued the preparations and ordered the execution of the October 7, 2023 terrorist attack and massacre while Israel's internal crisis was still ongoing, reinforcing assessments regarding Israel's response as presented in the Hamas intelligence documents.
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Spotlight on Iran and the Shiite Axis (June 4-11, 2025)

Iran’s Supreme Leader Khamenei reiterated his call for cooperation among Islamic countries in support of the Palestinians and resistance to Israel. In a statement on the occasion of the pilgrimage to Mecca, Khamenei called for taking advantage of the growing hostility in the world toward Israel to help the Palestinian people; Iran and the Houthis condemned the American veto of the Security Council resolution calling for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, as well as the IDF’s takeover of the ship Madleen, which was en route to Gaza' A delegation headed by the deputy secretary-general of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) visited Tehran and met with the Iranian foreign minister, the secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, and the IRGC commander. They all stressed Iran’s support for the Palestinians and the “Palestinian resistance.”; As part of his visit to Beirut, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met with Hezbollah secretary-general Naim Qassem. The minister noted that Tehran supports Hezbollah but stressed that the issue of disarming the organization is an internal Lebanese matter that should be regulated between the Lebanese government and the various forces in the country; Iran condemned the Israeli attacks on the Dahiyeh in Beirut and the Israeli attacks in Syria and called for international intervention to stop them; The Houthis claimed responsibility for three attacks using ballistic missiles and drones against Ben Gurion Airport. The IDF Spokesperson reported two cases of intercepting a ballistic missile launched from Yemen and the interception of a drone. The Israeli Navy carried out its first attack against the port of al-Hudaydah; It was reported that the Houthis are planning to attack Israel with new weapons, including missiles with “cluster warheads.”; The commander of the US Central Command said that IRGC operatives are still in Yemen and are helping the Houthis assemble weapons. Sources reported that the Houthis are also being assisted by China for their weapons buildup; The leader of a pro-Iranian Iraqi militia condemned the “silence of the world” in the face of “the crimes of Israel and the United States” and threatened that “patience has run out.”
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Spotlight on Iran and the Shiite Axis (May 28—June 4, 2025)

Iran’s Supreme Leader said that “the crimes of the Zionist regime in the Gaza Strip” arouse astonishment and warned that any Islamic government that supports the “Zionist regime” will be left with a mark of shame; The Iranian Supreme Leader’s advisor for international affairs met in Tehran with representatives of Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) and declared that his country is committed to continuing to support “the struggle of the Palestinian people until the liberation of Jerusalem.” The Iranian foreign minister visited Egypt and stressed the need to stop the Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip; The Iranian foreign minister met with senior Lebanese government officials in Beirut and stressed that his country respects Lebanon’s internal affairs and is not involved in them; The Houthis claimed responsibility for four ballistic missile attacks on Ben Gurion Airport and three drone attacks. The IDF Spokesperson reported four incidents of intercepting a ballistic missile launched from Yemen. The Houthis also warned companies operating within the “Zionist entity” to leave immediately. The Iranian foreign minister expressed support for continued Houthi activity against Israel but emphasized that they do not operate according to Tehran’s instructions. 
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