Lebanon

Spotlight on Global Jihad (November 2 – 8, 2017, 2017)

The conquest of the regions controlled by the Islamic State has reached the last lap. Abu Kamal, ISIS's last stronghold, is currently under combined pressure from the Syrian army, the Shi'ite militias and Hezbollah operatives, and Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) advancing on the city from both sides of the Euphrates. The strategically significant events in Syria were overshadowed this week by potentially explosive local events in the northern Golan Heights.
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Spotlight on Global Jihad (24-30 August 2017)

This week Islamic State (ISIS) suffered two more setbacks, tagged onto a string of failures: SIS was forced to agree to a ceasefire with Hezbollah, under which it evacuated its operatives from the West Qalamoun mountains The city of Tal Afar, west of Mosul, fell within a week into the hands of the Iraqi forces and the “Popular Mobilization” (Shiite militias sponsored by Iran).
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Iran in the Post-Islamic State Era: Aims, Opportunities and Challenges

The “Islamic State” in Iraq and Syria is undergoing a process of disintegration and ISIS will return to its “natural state” of a jihadist terror organization, not a “state” with territorial borders. The defeats experienced by ISIS in Iraq and Syria, central among them the loss of Mosul, the battle in Raqqa and the advances of Syrian forces in Deir Ezzor, create new opportunities for Iran to increase its influence in Syria, Iraq and the entire Middle East.
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Spotlight on Global Jihad (August 17 – 23, 2017)

ISIS, which is facing growing pressure in Syria and Iraq, claimed responsibility for three terrorist attacks this week. It is unclear whether there is a connection between the attacks in these countries. On the ground, the pressure on ISIS continues.
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Spotlight on Global Jihad (August 3-9, 2017)

The Syrian forces continued to advance towards Deir ez-Zor. The SDF forces are encountering difficulties in Al-Raqqah. Iraq: Iraqi forces and Shiite militias are preparing to take over the ISIS enclave in Tal Afar, some 70 km west of Mosul. In view of the “success” (from ISIS’s perspective) of the attack on the Iraqi embassy in Kabul, ISIS called on its supporters to attack the embassies and diplomatic corps of the “infidel countries” around the world.
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Spotlight on Global Jihad (July 27 – August 2, 2017)

This week, there were no significant changes on the ground in Syria and Iraq. Syria – the campaign for the takeover of Al-Raqqah is still bogged down, in light of the persistent fighting by ISIS operatives. Iraq – the humanitarian situation in Mosul continues to be grave, and most of the residents who fled have
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