Other Terrorist Organizations

Spotlight on Terrorism and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (February 24-March 3, 2026)

IDF forces continued operations within the Yellow Line in the Gaza Strip to locate and destroy weapons and terrorist infrastructure. The forces eliminated terrorist operatives who attempted to approach the forces and attacked in response to violations of the ceasefire agreement; Hamas reportedly smuggled essential materials by sea, enabling it to manufacture dozens of rockets; Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) condemned the Israeli-American war against Iran and the elimination of Iranian leader Ali Khamenei, but said they would not intervene due to the consequences of the Gaza Strip War. According to reports, the Iranian-backed Palestinian terrorist organizations fear complete collapse because of the economic pressure on Tehran; Israel closed the crossings to the Gaza Strip because of the state of emergency inside the country, but stressed that there was sufficient humanitarian aid in the Strip. Sharp price increases of basic commodities were reported in the markets of Gaza; The Turkish IHH said a flotilla of more than 100 vessels carrying thousands of activists was expected to depart in April 2026 for the Gaza Strip to "break the siege," along with the dispatch of land convoys; A member of the American mediation team said the administration was preparing a proposal for the "gradual disarmament" of Hamas, adding that employees in the Hamas administration would be integrated into the new governing mechanisms under the Palestinian technocrat committee for the management of the Gaza Strip; The secretary of the PLO Executive Committee said he opposed disarming Hamas or designating it as a terrorist organization, calling the October 7, 2023 terrorist attack and massacre a "strategic mistake" [sic]. Read more...

The Resistance Axis Reacts to the Israel-US War against Iran and the Elimination of Ali Khamenei

On February 28, 2026, Israel and the United States launched a combined preemptive strike against Iran, attacking dozens of military, security and government targets across the country. Iran’s leader, Ali Khamenei, commanders of the army and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Khamenei's senior advisors and dozens of other officials were killed in the strikes; Iran confirmed the deaths of Khamenei and the others and announced the establishment of a temporary leadership council. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps launched Operation True Promise 4, launching missiles and UAVs at Israel and American bases and vessels across the Middle East; The resistance axis organizations in Lebanon, the Palestinian arena, Yemen, Iraq and Syria condemned the attack and claimed its objective was to support the vision of a "Greater Israel." They issued mourning notices for Khamenei’s death, stating his decades-long support for the "resistance" and said they would continue their activity against the "Zionist enemy"; On the night of March 1, 2026, Hezbollah fired rockets at northern Israel and claimed it was in response to the elimination of Khamenei, after the organization had previously threatened it would retaliate if Iran’s leader were attacked. Hezbollah intervened despite the fact that the Lebanese leadership had exerted pressure on it in an attempt to prevent the country from being dragged into external conflicts; Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) said they would not open a support front for Iran because of the damage done in the Gaza Strip War and the Houthis have not yet announced a renewal of attacks against Israel and against vessels in the Red Sea. Pro-Iranian militias in Iraq claimed responsibility for launching UAVs at American bases in the Kurdish region in the north of the country and Baghdad following strikes on militia bases which killed at least six operatives; In ITIC assessment, Hezbollah’s response was the result of Iranian pressure, despite the calls in Lebanon that it not respond. However, its commitment to Iran outweighed its loyalty to Lebanon and led to an extensive, forceful Israeli response. So far the Houthis have not responded but may join the fighting, although their considerations differ from those of Hezbollah. Read more...

Iran Efforts to Circumvent the Sanctions by Smuggling Oil

Iran’s security forces, especially the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, use the sale of oil to finance their activities and those of their proxy terrorist organizations in the Middle East; In September 2025, the UN Security Council activated the snapback mechanism, which reinstated the sanctions which had been lifted under the 2015 nuclear agreement because of Tehran’s failure to meet its international obligations following the Iran-Israel War and the strike on its nuclear facilities; In an attempt to circumvent American and international sanctions, Iran operates a complex network of intermediaries, front companies and a ghost fleet of oil tankers. At the center stands Sepehr Energy Jahan, which serves as a front company for Iran’s armed forces and has been under American sanctions since November 2023; A cyberattack on the company’s servers and a massive leak of internal documents provided evidence of how Sepehr Energy Jahan conducts its illegal activity, exposing a long list of participating front companies, oil tankers and business partners. The documents also show that China remains Iran’s primary oil consumer despite international sanctions; In ITIC assessment, until the mechanisms activating the snapback restrictions go into effect, Iran will advance covert sanction-evasion activity, within which Sepehr Energy Jahan and its CEO Majid Azami play a central role, while continuing its prohibited business relationship with governmental elements in China. Read more...

Spotlight on Iran and the Shiite Axis (February 11-18, 2026)

The secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council met in Qatar with a Hamas delegation and discussed developments in the Palestinian arena; Iran’s ambassador to Beirut held farewell meetings with senior Lebanese officials ahead of the conclusion of his mission in Lebanon. He stated that the suspension of direct flights between Iran and Lebanon harms Lebanon; Iran’s permanent representative to the UN again criticized Israel’s ongoing military activity in southern Syria; The Iranian foreign minister discussed regional developments and bilateral relations with his Iraqi counterpart; Reports indicate closer ties between the Houthis and Iran and al-Qaeda branches in Yemen and Somalia, including the smuggling of weapons and joint training. Read more...

Spotlight on Terrorism – January 2026

During January 2026, the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip remained in force, while counterterrorism operations continued in Judea and Samaria. The ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah continued, despite IDF attacks on Hezbollah targets; The ceasefire in the Gaza Strip that went into effect on October 10, 2025 continued. IDF forces attacked suspects who crossed the Yellow Line and eliminated terrorist operatives in response to ceasefire violations. The body of the last murdered Israeli hostage, held in the Gaza Strip since the October 7, 2023 terrorist attack and massacre, was returned, after which the transition to the second stage of the ceasefire agreement was announced. No rockets were launched into Israeli territory; Israel, Judea and Samaria: There was one terrorist attack, with no casualties. Israeli security forces continued counterterrorism operations throughout Judea and Samaria, during which wanted individuals and terrorist operatives who attacked IDF forces or planned attacks were eliminated and weapons were located; The IDF continued attacks on Hezbollah attempts to violate the understandings of the November 27, 2024 ceasefire and on the organization's reconstruction efforts. Nineteen Hezbollah terrorist operatives were eliminated; IDF forces continued to operate in southern Syria; The Houthis did not attack Israel or ocean-going vessels, in accordance with their plan not to attack once the Gaza Strip War ended. However, they threatened to resume attacks following alleged "Israeli violations" in the Gaza Strip and in Lebanon, and threatened to attack Israeli targets in Somaliland in the Horn of Africa; An attack on the Israeli embassy in Azerbaijan was prevented. Read more...

Spotlight on Terrorism: Hezbollah and Lebanon (February 2-9, 2026)

IDF forces attacked Hezbollah targets in south Lebanon and the Beqa'a Valley to enforce the November 2024 ceasefire agreement and to prevent Hezbollah's renewed military buildup. The IDF detained a senior operative from Hamas-affiliated al-Jama'a al-Islamiyya, the Muslim Brotherhood branch in Lebanon; Hezbollah's secretary general called the confrontation with Israel and the United States part of a regional campaign led by Iran, and argued that political pressure was being exerted to achieve gains which Israel had not achieved militarily; Lebanese Prime Minister visited the border villages in south Lebanon and received a sympathetic welcome; Israel reportedly told Lebanon that it would continue its attacks until Hezbollah had been completely disarmed, and would withdraw IDF forces from positions in south Lebanon only in exchange for a declaration ending the state of hostility between the two countries and the signing of a new security agreement. It was also reported that a secret meeting was held in the United States between senior officers from the Lebanese army and the IDF; Lebanese army Commander visited the United States to present the army's needs and its difficulties in completing missions, especially the state's monopoly on weapons; The Hezbollah leadership accepted Wafiq Safa's resignation as the head of the Liaison and Coordination Unit, an unprecedented step in the organization's security apparatus. He reportedly resigned following serious disputes at the upper echelons of the organization, alongside a reduction of powers and Safa's deviation from Lebanon's line; Tension continues between Hezbollah and the Lebanese government. Senior figures in Lebanon opposed a Hezbollah-Lebanon involvement if a confrontation with Iran developed. Read more...

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