Periodical Studies

Spotlight on Terrorism and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (May 24-30, 2023)

This past week there were four terrorist attacks: a shooting attack in Hermesh in which an Israeli civilian was killed; two shooting attacks, one in Gan Ner and the other in Mevo Dotan,; and a Palestinian armed with a knife infiltrated the settlement of Teneh Omarim south of Hebron. Israeli security forces continued counterterrorism activities, focusing on Nablus, Jenin, Jericho and Hebron. The Gaza Strip remained relatively calm. Mohammed al-Emadi, chairman of Qatar's National Committee for the Reconstruction of Gaza, visited Gaza and left without announcing when the monthly funds would be distributed. Hamas claimed there were technical problems. Palestinian Authority (PA) Prime Minister Muhammad Shtayyeh visited Egypt Hamas' Islamic Bloc won its second straight victory in Birzeit University student council elections.
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Spotlight on Global Jihad (May 18-24, 2023)

The moderate increase in ISIS’s activity around the world continued this week. The hotspot of activity was in Africa. In Syria: ISIS carried out several attacks against the Syrian army and the forces supporting it in the desert region. In Lebanon A senior Al-Qaeda operative who was responsible for establishing the organization’s cells in Lebanon was detained northeast of Tripoli. A senior ISIS operative was detained in the Sidon area. In Nigeria ISIS continued its high-intensity activity against the Nigerian army in the northeast of the country. The main incident was the detonation of a car bomb.
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Spotlight on Iran (May 11-23, 2023)

The Syrian minister of oil and mineral resources arrived in Tehran for a visit and met with his Iranian counterpart to discuss implementing the agreement for energy cooperation A Syrian news channel reported an uptick in measures to secure the transfer of weapons from Iran to Syria. It also reported the arrival of IRGC military instructors to provide training for pro-Iranian militia fighters in eastern Syria. In the wake of Operation Shield and Arrow in the Gaza Strip, the Iranian foreign minister spoke with the head of Hamas' political bureau and the secretary-general PIJ, Esmail Ghaani, commander of the IRGC's Qods Force, sent a communiqué to the Palestinians and the Palestinian organizations, praising them for their "victory" in the most recent round of fighting in Gaza Referring to the Flag March held on Israel's Jerusalem Day, Iran condemned the "repeated desecration of al-Aqsa mosque."
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Spotlight on Terrorism and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (May 17-23, 2023)

This past week Palestinian terrorists carried out three attacks: two shooting attacks without casualties and one vehicular ramming attack in Hawwara in which an IDF soldier was injured. Israeli security forces continued counterterrorism activities, focusing on Nablus, Jenin and Hebron. Three Palestinians were killed in an exchange of fire with the forces. The Flag March held on Israel's Jerusalem Day passed without exceptional incident. Palestinians launched a media campaign calling for Palestinian flags to be waved and hung on houses. The visit of Israeli minister of national security Itamar Ben-Gvir to the Temple Mount was widely condemned. The Gaza Strip has been relatively quiet. Efforts are being made to estimate the damage. The Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), which regards the operation as a Palestinian success story, held rallies in the Gaza Strip, Jenin, Lebanon and Syria to commemorate its shaheeds.
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Spotlight on Terrorism: Hezbollah, Lebanon and Syria (May 5-18, 2023)

Hezbollah plans to hold a live-fire military exercise near the Israeli border on May 21, 2023. On May 12, 2023, Hezbollah secretary general Hassan Nasrallah gave a speech in which he represented the most recent round of fighting in the Gaza Strip as an achievement for the resistance axis. He also warned that any targeted killing in the future would not go without a response. The Lebanese minister of energy announced that in September 2023 the TotalEnergies and ENI oil and natural gas-drilling companies would begin drilling in Block 9 off the coast of Lebanon. Reservations are increasing in Lebanon regarding the candidacy of Suleiman Frangieh for president; he is close to Hezbollah and the Syrian regime.
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Spotlight on Global Jihad (May 11-17, 2023)

This week, ISIS’s activity around the world has moderately increased. The hotspots of activity were in Syria, Iraq, and Africa. Syria: In Damascus, ISIS operatives detonated an IED against a police car. Three policemen were killed. Iraq: ISIS carried out four attacks this week, killing six members of the Iraqi security forces. Nigeria: ISIS continued its intensive activity against targets of the Nigerian army and the forces of the African Coalition (MNJTF). Democratic Republic of the Congo: ISIS continued its activity against Christian residents near the border with Uganda. Burkina Faso: Militants, apparently Al-Qaeda or ISIS operatives, killed at least 33 civilians and set their property on fire. Somalia: Al-Qaeda-affiliated Al-Shabaab executed dozens of ISIS operatives detained by it.
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