Periodical Studies

Spotlight on Global Jihad (December 23-29, 2021)

Afghanistan: ISIS continued its attacks against the Taliban forces and government institutions. The climax of its activity this week was the detonation. Syria: The downtrend in ISIS’s activity continued. Most of ISIS’s activity this week focused on the Deir ez-Zor-Al-Mayadeen region, targeting the Kurdish SDF forces. Iraq: This week, there was a significant decrease in ISIS’s activity. Africa: Most of ISIS’s activity this week focused on Nigeria, Congo and Mozambique. The battle for hearts and minds: This week’s lead article in ISIS’s Al-Naba’ weekly was devoted to a review of the legacy of ISIS’s leaders since ISIS’s inception, and their role as leaders of the Islamic nation in implementing Sharia and carrying out jihad against the “infidels.”
Read more...

News of Terrorism and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (December 22-28, 2021)

Terrorist attacks: This past week a vehicular ramming attack in northern Samaria and two shooting attacks, one near al-Bireh and the other near Nablus, targeted Israeli security forces. No casualties were reported. However, relative calm continues in the Gaza Strip, accompanied by threats from Hamas and the other terrorist organizations to gradually escalate the "struggle" against Israel because of Israel's [alleged] delaying tactics in easing the daily lives of the Gazans and in rebuilding the Gaza Strip. The PA, Hamas and the PIJ strongly condemned the remarks made by Knesset Member Mahmoud Abbas, who stated that Israel was a Jewish state and would remain as one. The coronavirus: There was a slight decrease in the number of active cases in Judea, Samaria and the Gaza Strip. In Judea and Samaria 35 Palestinians were found to have contracted the omicron variant; the first case of the variant was detected in the Gaza Strip.
Read more...

Spotlight on Iran (December 9, 2021 – December 23, 2021)

Syrian pro-opposition sources reported that Iran deployed new unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in the T-4 Air Base of the Syrian Army in eastern Homs and began operating them in reconnaissance missions as part of the campaign led by Iranian-backed forces in the Badia desert. The Iranian deputy president met with the Syrian ambassador to Tehran and discussed bilateral ties and developments in the region. The Iranian Ambassador to Yemen, Hasan Irloo, has died of COVID-19. The spokesman of the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the visit of the Israeli Prime Minister, Naftali Bennet, to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), declaring that the visit destabilizes the security of the region and is contrary to the interests of the Muslim world and Arab countries.
Read more...

Spotlight on Global Jihad (December 16-22, 2021)

This week, there was a slight decrease in the scope of ISIS’s activity compared to last week. Most of ISIS’s activity this week focused on Iraq. Afghanistan: ISIS continued its activity, targeting mainly Taliban members and Shiite residents. Syria: This week, there was a decrease in ISIS's activity. Iraq: This week, the epicenter of activity was in the Diyala Province. The Sinai Peninsula: Two ISIS commanders were killed in a joint operation by the Egyptian army and the Sinai Tribal Union in the Al-Ajraa region south of Rafah. The battle for hearts and minds: The editorial in this week's issue of ISIS’s Al-Naba’ weekly was devoted to the survival of the Islamic State, four years after the member countries of the Global Coalition to defeat ISIS announced that it had been eliminated.
Read more...

News of Terrorism and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (December 14-21, 2021)

Terrorist attacks: On December 16, 2021, Palestinians ambushed an Israeli vehicle near Homesh, north of Nablus, and shot at the driver and passengers, killing one and wounding two. The shooters fled the scene. In Judea and Samaria Palestinians continued throwing rocks and Molotov cocktails at Israeli vehicles driving on the roads. Hamas' military-terrorist wing carried out a military exercise in the Gaza Strip. In Judea, Samaria and the Gaza Strip there was an increase in the number of active cases of Covid-19. The PA reported six cases of the omicron variant and expects rise in infection.
Read more...

Spotlight on Global Jihad (December 8-14, 2021)

Afghanistan: ISIS continued its activity in Afghanistan this week. The activity targeted mainly Taliban forces and the Shiite population. Syria: The downtrend in ISIS’s activity continued. Most of the attacks this week targeted the Kurdish SDF forces in the Deir ez-Zor-Al-Mayadeen region. Seven Syrian soldiers and militiamen were killed in an attack against a post in the Al-Masrab Desert, northwest of Deir ez-Zor. Iraq: ISIS concentrated its activity against the Iraqi security forces, mainly in the Kirkuk and Diyala provinces. The battle for hearts and minds: The lead article in this week's issue of Al-Naba’ weekly was devoted to ISIS operatives’ revenge on infidels and those who deviate from the path of Islam. By way of example, the article describes ISIS’s activity against the Yazidis in Syria and the Shiites in Iraq. The author even quotes passages from the Quran which, in his opinion, legitimize this behavior on ISIS’s part.
Read more...