Marketing Terrorism

Spotlight on Terrorism and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (May 12-19, 2026)

IDF forces continued operating within the Yellow Line and in other areas in the Gaza Strip, eliminating terrorists who posed a threat, including those involved in the October 7, 2023 attack and massacre. Izz al-Din al-Haddad, who headed the Hamas military wing and was one of the planners of the October 7 attack, was eliminated in a strike in Gaza City, and reportedly, military intelligence chief Muhammad Oudeh was appointed to replace him; The Board of Peace announced the ceasefire continued despite the "violations," and called Hamas' refusal to disarm the main obstacle to advancing the process and beginning reconstruction of the Strip. Hamas and the other Palestinian terrorist organizations refused to disarm on the grounds that Israel had not met its commitments to the first stage of the agreement and called for the resignation of Mladenov, representative of the Board of Peace; Despite the demand that Hamas transfer governance of the Gaza Strip to the Palestinian technocrat committee, Hamas government ministries continue routine activity to ensure the movement's hold on the territories over which it has control; The Israeli Navy prevented the Global Resilience Flotilla from reaching the Gaza Strip and halted dozens of vessels which had departed from Turkey; Hamas announced that no candidate had won the first round of elections for the movement's leadership, and therefore another round would take place; UNRWA reportedly smuggled its archives from the Gaza Strip headquarters and east Jerusalem to Jordan; The eighth Fatah conference called for continuing "non-violent popular resistance" for the establishment of a Palestinian state which would include Judea and Samaria, the Gaza Strip and have east Jerusalem as its capital. Marwan al-Barghouti, who is serving life sentences in Israel for terrorist crimes, won the vote for the movement's central committee, and the son of the chairman of the Palestinian Authority was also elected. Palestinian elements called for closing ranks and formulating a unified Palestinian strategy to advance a broad political and popular struggle.
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Hezbollah Uses First Person View Drones Againt Israel

Rapid First Person View (FPV) drones, which are based on fiber optics and make precise strikes possible at distances of dozens of kilometers while overcoming electronic warfare capabilities, have become a cheap and accessible weapon on the battlefield in recent years, as was seen in the war in Ukraine; Hezbollah began limited use of FPV drones during the previous war against Israel (October 8, 2023-November 27, 2024). In the current war, which began on March 2, 2026, Hezbollah increased its use of explosive drones, and since the start of the ceasefire it has focused the attacks on IDF forces in south Lebanon; Hezbollah reportedly operates workshops in south Lebanon and the Beqa'a Valley to assemble the drones, which cost only hundreds of dollars. It was also claimed that last year the Lebanese army seized a shipment of 5,000 drones which were smuggled into Lebanon, but dozens of other shipments have reached the organization; Reports in media outlets affiliated with Hezbollah and the "resistance axis" noted the use of FPV drones as a game-changers in the war in south Lebanon, making it possible for the organization to wage an asymmetric war against Israel’s technological superiority, based on low cost, precision and flexibility; Hezbollah also exploits the drone attacks for propaganda, quoting reports and commentaries from Israeli media to strengthen the idea of a threat and make it seem as though Israel's technological superiority has been eroded; The use of fiber-optic FPV drones enables Hezbollah to increase pressure on IDF forces cheaply while increasing their propaganda value because they are difficult to intercept. In ITIC assessment, Hezbollah will continue using drones while improving their capabilities and integrating them into more complex combat arrays.
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Spotlight on Terrorism and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (April 14 – 28, 2026)

IDF forces continued operations to locate terrorist operatives and destroy weapons and terrorist infrastructure within the Yellow Line in the Gaza Strip. Operatives who violated the ceasefire and planned terrorist attacks were eliminated, including those involved in the October 7, 2023 attack and massacre; Direct talks were held between Hamas representatives and representatives of the American administration for the first time since the ceasefire. The Board of Peace high commissioner, Nikolai Mladenov, said an agreement could be reached for disarming Hamas, but warned that swift understandings were required to maintain momentum; Hamas rejected statements by the IDF and the American vice president regarding an increase in aid to the Strip, and alleged that Israel still restricted the entry of food, medicine and fuel; A slate affiliated with Fatah won the local elections in Deir al-Balah, the first time since 2006. Hamas police and hundreds of Hamas government officials were involved in organizing and securing the voting; Clashes took place between Hamas security forces and opposing militias; There were two stabbing attacks in Judea and Samaria; no casualties were reported. Israeli security forces located a cache of explosive devices in a school in the Hebron area; Settler terrorism continued in Judea and Samaria.
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Themes and Motifs in the Rhetoric of Na’im Qassem, Hezbollah Secretary General

Na'im Qassem was appointed secretary general of Hezbollah on October 29, 2024, when the organization was challenged by the elimination of the previous secretary general, Hassan Nasrallah, and much of the senior leadership, and the deaths and wounding of thousands of commanders and operatives in the hostilities against Israel; Since his appointment, on more than fifty occasions he has addressed Hezbollah's situation in speeches, declarations and open letters dealing with the struggle of the "resistance" against Israel and the complex relations between the organization and the institutions of the Lebanese state, especially the government decisions it; The rhetoric of Qassem's first speeches was defensive and intended primarily to underscore that the organization was recovering and rehabilitating itself after the blows it received and that it played a vital role in defending Lebanon. In the absence of tangible achievements and amid growing internal criticism, he established the narrative that the organization's survival was a victory. He also promoted a narrative of patience intended to justify Hezbollah's lack of offensive action despite Israeli "aggression"; Hezbollah's entry into the war in support of Iran on March 2, 2026 provided Qassem with an opportunity to justify ending the narrative of "patience," emphasize the connection with Iran and escalate his rhetoric against the Lebanese leadership because of the direct negotiations with Israel. However, after the ceasefire on April 16, 2026, he promoted claims of victory to send "moderate" messages about willingness for dialogue with the Lebanese government to distance it from the United States and Israel and to change its attitude toward the "resistance"; In ITIC assessment, the development of Qassem's rhetoric from defensive to militant reflects the organization's approach to Israel, apparently inspired or dictated by Iran, and corresponds to the complex situations and challenges he has faced since he became secretary general. However, even after he escalated his rhetoric against the Lebanese government and his sharp criticism of it, Qassem restrained himself to avoid an increase in the organization's internal isolation. Hezbollah's entry into the hostilities against Israel on March 2, 2026, under instructions from its Iranian patron, was accompanied by a sharpening of Qassem's rhetoric, focusing on his absolute opposition to any political arrangement with Israel which would affect the future of the organization.
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Spotlight on Terrorism – March 2026

During March 2026, fighting between Israel and Hezbollah resumed in the wake of the American-Israeli war against Iran, which began on February 28, 2026. The Houthis also renewed their attacks on Israel. The ceasefire in the Gaza Strip continued, while Hamas increased its governance in the areas under its control; Three terrorist attacks were carried out, killing one Israeli civilian, Israeli security forces continued extensive counterterrorism measures in Judea and Samaria.
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Spotlight on Terrorism – February 2026

During February 2026 the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip was maintained, while extensive counterterrorism activity continued in Judea and Samaria. The ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah remained in effect, despite IDF attacks on Hezbollah terrorist targets. On February 28, 2026, the United States and Israel attacked Iran; the organizations of the "resistance axis" did not attack Israel during the first day; The Gaza Strip: The ceasefire that went into effect on October 10, 2025 continued. IDF forces attacked suspicious individuals who crossed the Yellow Line and eliminated terrorist operatives in response to ceasefire violations, including Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) commanders and terrorists involved in the October 7, 2023 attack and massacre; Israel, Judea and Samaria: There were no terrorist attacks. Israeli security forces continued counterterrorism activity in Judea and Samaria, eliminating or detaining terrorist operatives; Lebanon: The IDF continued attacking Hezbollah terrorist targets to prevent the organization from violating the ceasefire understandings of November 27, 2024 and to keep it from reconstructing its military capabilities and replenishing its arsenal. two Hamas terrorist operatives were eliminated in the Ain al-Hilweh refugee camp and two Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) operatives were eliminated on the Lebanon-Syria border, and a senior figure in the al-Jama'a al-Islamiyya was detained; IDF forces continued to operate in southern Syria, and a weapons depot belonging to al-Jama'a al-Islamiyya was located; The Houthis have not attacked Israel or ships since the beginning of the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
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