Countries - The Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center

Spotlight on Global Jihad (May 12-18, 2022)

The downtrend in ISIS activity around the world continued for the second week in a row, following the end of its campaign of vengeance which began on April 17 and ended on May 2, 2022. The Sinai Peninsula: One noteworthy attack was carried out on May 11, 2022, when ISIS operatives attacked an Egyptian army checkpoint at the entrance to Rafah. Africa: ISIS claimed responsibility for its first attack in central Nigeria. Eight Togolese soldiers were killed and 13 others were wounded in an attack by armed men on the Togo-Burkina Faso border, in what appears to be the country's first terrorist attack by radical Islamists. Read more...

Iranian-Sponsored World Jerusalem Day A display of anti-Israeli anti-United States propaganda and calls for their destruction

World Jerusalem Day is marked on the last Friday of Ramadan a decision made by the Ayatollah Khomeini, leader of the Iranian Islamic Revolution, in 1979. Its objective is to show the support of Iran and the Muslim world for the Palestinian cause and the "liberation" of Jerusalem. The day is marked in Arab-Muslim countries and in the West as well. The events are platforms to slander Israel, call for its destruction and act defiantly toward the United States. This year Jerusalem Day events were held on April 29 with rallies and demonstrations, after a two-year coronavirus hiatus. Read more...

Spotlight on Iran (April 28, 2022 – May 12, 2022)

On May 8, the Syrian President, Bashar al-Assad, arrived for a visit to Tehran, during which he met with the supreme leader of Iran and the Iranian president. This is Assad’s second visit to Iran since the outbreak of the popular uprising and civil war in Syria in 2011. During the visit, Assad thanked the Iranian leadership for their support for Syria and praised Iran’s positions on regional issues, including the Palestinian cause. Read more...

Spotlight on Terrorism : Hezbollah, Lebanon and Syria (May 1 – 14, 2022)

Hezbollah's preparations for election day were the following: a particular effort was made to raise voter turnout. The first phase of the campaign concentrated on an appeal to the minds of the Lebanese, stressing Hezbollah's contribution to its supporters and to Lebanese in general in fields such as health, education and the economy. During the last two weeks of the campaign the focus was on the hearts of the Lebanese, creating a sense of impending danger and the need for closing ranks around the organization, encouraging voter turnout for the sake of the shaheeds, the wounded and the families of the shaheeds, and as an expression of personal loyalty to Hezbollah secretary general Hassan Nasrallah. Read more...

Spotlight on Global Jihad (May 5-11, 2022)

This week, there was a downtrend in ISIS activity around the globe in light of the end of its campaign of vengeance, which began on April 17, 2022, and ended on May 2, 2022. Syria: ISIS continued its attacks against the SDF (Kurdish) forces and the Syrian army. Iraq: There was a drop in the number of attacks in the wake of the end of the campaign of vengeance. Afghanistan: Operatives of ISIS's Khorasan Province fired rockets at a Tajikistan army headquarters near the Afghanistan-Tajikistan border. Africa: ISIS has announced a new province, the Mozambique Province. Speaking in a video marking the 11th anniversary of Osama bin Laden's death, Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri said that since the events of September 11, 2001, the United States has been in a decline and its weakness has made Ukraine easy prey for Russia. A new Al-Qaeda magazine has been issued in Sudan, encouraging readers to join its ranks. Read more...

The explosion of a weapons storehouse in the Burj al-Shemali refugee camp east of Tyre revealed the extent of Hamas’ military presence in Lebanon.

On the evening of December 10, 2021 there was an explosion in the Burj al-Shemali Palestinian refugee camp east of Tyre in south Lebanon. The media in Tyre reported it had taken place in a storeroom under a mosque, damaging the mosque and nearby structures. The Lebanese National News Agency reported the blast had killed and wounded several people (Lebanese National News Agency, December 10, 2021). Read more...

Tension on Israel’s Northern Border – Hezbollah fires rockets at Israel for the first time since the Second Lebanon War (2006)

On two separate occasions this past week rockets were fired from south Lebanon at Israel. On August 4, 2021, three rockets were fired at the region of Qiryat Shemonah, Israel's northernmost city. In response Israel fired artillery at the launch sites. The rocket fire this past week was the outcome of the increasing tension along the Israel-Lebanon border. Read more...

Spotlight on Global Jihad (April 27 – May 4, 2022)

This week, ISIS continued its intensive activity around the globe as part of its campaign of vengeance that began on April 17, 2022. Syria: ISIS continued its attacks against the Kurdish forces (SDF), the Syrian army, and the forces supporting it. Iraq: There was an increase in the number of attacks, most of which took the form of IED detonation and shooting. The Sinai Peninsula: Clashes continued between ISIS and Egyptian security forces. Israel: An indictment was filed against two brothers from the village of Muawiyah (in Wadi Ara) who pledged allegiance to ISIS and planned to join it. Afghanistan: ISIS claimed responsibility for three attacks. Read more...

Spotlight on Global Jihad (April 14-27, 2022)

Over the past two weeks, there has been a significant increase in the scope of ISIS’s activity in its various provinces around the globe. Syria: Despite the announcement of the campaign, activity continued at a relatively low level and was directed mainly against the Syrian army, the forces supporting it, and the Kurdish SDF. Iraq: There was a significant increase in the scope of ISIS's activity in Iraq, although most of the attacks were relatively minor. The Sinai Peninsula: There was an increase in ISIS's activity. At the same time, the Egyptian army and the local militias supporting it continued their counterterrorism activity. Counterterrorism in Israel: A Palestinian resident of Hebron, an ISIS supporter, was detained following the solving of a murder he committed three years ago of a couple in Jerusalem and another murder he committed about a month ago. In addition, the Israeli security forces detained several Arab-Israeli residents who are affiliated with ISIS. Read more...

Palestinian reactions to Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s visit to Turkey

turkey,israel,palestinian,palestinian authority,islamic jihad,israel,hamas,gaza strip,herzog,erdogan Read more...

Spotlight on Global Jihad (March 5-11, 2020)

On March 5, 2020, an agreement was signed in Moscow between Russia and Turkey, which is intended to end the fighting in the Idlib region. In the ITIC’s assessment, this is a shaky ceasefire (like its predecessors). In the Euphrates Valley, ISIS’s intensive attacks continued, mainly in the form of activating IEDs. In Iraq, ISIS’s activity consisted mainly of activating IEDs, sniper fire and targeted killings. With regard to noteworthy ISIS activity abroad, the Khorasan Province recently resumed its activity and carried out two showcase attacks in the capital Kabul Read more...

ISIS attacks a strategic facility in Sinai – Significance and possible implications

On the morning of May 7, 2022, a group of operatives of ISIS’s Sinai Province attacked a military post securing a water pumping facility in the northwestern Sinai Peninsula, about 26 km east of the Suez Canal. According to the Egyptian army spokesman, the Egyptian security forces thwarted an attack by Salafist-jihadi operatives directed at the facility. An officer and 16 soldiers were killed. Read more...

Senior ISIS Sinai Province Figure Surrenders Event and Implications

On the night of September 10, 2021, Muhammad Sa'ad Kamel al-Sa'idi, aka Abu Hamza al-Qadi ("the judge") surrendered to a tribal militia cooperating with the Egyptian army after promises that he and his family would not be harmed. Read more...

Wave of orchestrated ISIS terrorist retaliation attacks around the globe: overview and assessment

During four days, between April 8 and 11, 2019, the various ISIS provinces in Syria, Iraq and around the globe carried out a wave attacks in retaliation for the blow ISIS suffered in Syria. ISIS reported that eight of its provinces carried out more than 92 attacks in more than 80 areas. The attacks were accompanied by a media campaign and claims of responsibility entitled "Battle of vengeance for blessed [Province of] Sham" [Syria]. Read more...

Spotlight on Global Jihad (19-27 September 2017)

The Islamic State is disintegrating in Syria and Iraq. Its territorial areas of control Iraq are falling to the two anti-ISIS coalition forces one after another, although in some important strongholds ISIS operatives continue stubborn fighting. Read more...

ISIS spokesman releases an audiotape calling on the operatives to intensify their attacks, lashing out against Iran, Turkey and the leaders of the Arab states, and expressing support for the Palestinians but not for Hamas

ISIS Spokesman Abu Hamza al-Qurashi. The tape, which lasts about 38 minutes, is entitled “You are the sublime ones if you believe.” It mainly contains words of encouragement to ISIS’s fighters around the world, calls on them to intensify their activity and asks them to choose more substantial targets for their attacks (Telegram, June 22, 2021). Read more...

Analysis of the new statement of ISIS spokesman following the normalization agreements between Israel, the UAE and Bahrain

On October 18, 2020, ISIS’s Al-Furqan Media Foundation released an audiotape of the organization’s spokesman Abu Hamza Al-Qurashi. The title of the tape is a verse from the Quran – “So narrate to them stories of the past, so perhaps they will reflect ”. In the 32-minute tape, the spokesman calls for the overthrow of the “tyrannical” rulers in Arab countries, following the normalization agreements between Israel, the UAE and Bahrain. Read more...

Spotlight on Global Jihad (April 7-13, 2022)

Syria: This past week there was relatively little activity. ISIS operatives focused on the desert region, where they attacked positions of the militias supporting the Syrian regime. Iraq: ISIS operatives abducted a number of civilians and conducted economic terrorist activity. The Sinai Peninsula: Several civilians were abducted, and it can be assumed their abductors were ISIS operatives. Africa: ISIS's West Africa Province continued activities at a relatively high level of intensity. Afghanistan: ISIS operatives continued activities against Taliban forces, but at relatively low intensity. India: ISIS joined the protest against the government's law banning the hijab in government educational institutions. The battle for hearts and minds: The lead article in al-Nabā’, ISIS's weekly magazine, was devoted to criticism of the Muslim Brotherhood movement's positive position regarding the nascent Israeli-Turkish bilateral relations, and of Israeli President Isaac Herzog's visit to Turkey. Read more...

The British-based al-Hiwar TV provides a platform for Ibrahim al-Madhoun, a member of Hamas’ department of national relations, who operates from Turkey

On February 28, 2022, a conference was held of the "popular committee of the Palestinian dispersal" (which is affiliated with Hamas and represents the Palestinians abroad). Among the participants were Dr. Azzam al-Tamimi, a British subject from Hebron, who is director of London's al-Hiwar TV in Arabic. He exploited a stay in Turkey to broadcast a series of panel discussions from Istanbul. Ibrahim al-Madhoun, a member of Hamas' department of national relations, was a guest on several programs; al-Madhoun is close to Yahya al-Sinwar and has lived in Turkey since 2018. Al-Madhoun is known for his extremist positions, statements to media outlets and written work, all of which follow official Hamas propaganda, including the call for terrorist attacks against Israel. Read more...