Countries - The Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center

Spotlight on Terrorism: Hezbollah, Lebanon and Syria (May 19 – June 1, 2023)

Hezbollah celebrated its annual "Resistance and Liberation Day," held to mark the IDF's living south Lebanon in 2000. Hezbollah secretary general, Hasan Nasrallah, gave a speech boasting of the organization's military capabilities, stressing the concept of the "unity of the arenas" and threatening Israel with a battle on multiple fronts. Hezbollah held two military exercises in south Lebanon to demonstrate its capabilities. In the larger, more widely media-covered exercise, operatives using live ammunition simulated taking control of an IDF post or Israeli community and abducting IDF soldiers, and displayed the organization's weapon Lebanese opposition sources criticized Hezbollah for holding the exercise. American sources reported Hezbollah operatives were undergoing training for an attack on American soldiers in Syria. Read more...

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." Read more...

Iran, the “Resistance Front” and the New World Order: Summary of a conference held at the Iran Supreme National Defense University (Dr. Raz Zimmt)

On May 10 and 11, 2023, the International Conference on New World Order Geometry was held at the Supreme National Defense University (SNDU) in Tehran. The SNDU is a senior military-academic institution subordinate to the general staff of the Iranian armed forces dedicated to doctoral-level work on military doctrine, applied defense sciences and management. Speeches given at the conference by officials and high-ranking figures from Iran and the "resistance axis". The main themes of the speeches were as follows: The world, which turned from bipolar to unipolar has now become multipolar as the United States has lost its hegemonic status. Israel is also experiencing a decline due to increasing pressure from the "resistance front" and the country's current critical internal crisis. The Muslim world must recognize its strength and demonstrate greater solidarity to become a significant force within the new world order. The "resistance axis" and the Palestinians are growing stronger, and the regional balance of power is shifting in favor of Iran and its allies. Iran has the potential to play a central role in the new world order due to its capabilities, resources and geographical location. Read more...

Spotlight on Global Jihad (May 25-31, 2023)

This week, there was a decline in ISIS’s activity around the world. The hotspot of the organization’s activity was in Africa. In Syria ISIS killed four fighters of the forces supporting the Syrian army in the desert area in two different attacks. A Russian colonel was killed by HTS artillery fire on the outskirts of Latakia. In Nigeria: ISIS continued its activity against the Nigerian army in the northeast of the country, albeit on a smaller scale than in recent weeks. In Congo: ISIS continued its activity against Christian residents near the Ugandan border. The editorial of ISIS’s weekly Al-Naba stresses that Syria's return to the Arab League is not surprising “since he is no different from the other tyrants in that organization.” The writer calls on Muslims in Syria to adhere to the path of jihad and not to rely on “the Arab dictators” to rescue them. Read more...

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. Read more...

Hezbollah holds a military display in south Lebanon and threatens Israel

On May 21, 2023, Hezbollah held a military exercise in south Lebanon using live fire, which was well-covered by the media. The organization displayed its capabilities, reiterated its intention to obliterate the State of Israel and promoted the "unity of the arenas" narrative. Hezbollah operatives simulated breaking through Israel's border, taking control of an Israeli post or community and abducting soldiers. Weapons such as multiple-barrel rocket launchers mounted on armored vehicles, quadcopters and machine guns were displayed, but no missiles or UAVs. In ITIC assessment, Hezbollah tried to send a message that it would not lay down its arms or abandon its role as "Lebanon's defender," and promote the "unity of the arenas" narrative to the region in general and its "resistance axis" collaborators in particular. Read more...

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. Read more...

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. Read more...

The Nujaba Movement – the Movement of the Noble Ones: One of the dominant pro-Iranian militias in Iraq

The Nujaba Movement (or the Movement of the Noble Ones, is an Iraqi Shiite pro-Iranian militia established in 2013 by Sheikh Akram Abbas al-Kaabi and the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps’ Qods Force. It is one of the largest militias in the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF).The Nujaba Movement numbers 8,000-10,000 operatives organized in three brigades, two based in Iraq and one in Syria. Regarding Israel, it should be noted that the militia is part of the Axis of Resistance led by Iran, and its goal is to act to “liberate” the Golan Heights and destroy the State of Israel. 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 24 – May 3, 2023)

This week, ISIS carried out relatively low-scale activity around the world. The focus of the activity was on Africa.A US-led Global Coalition force, supported by the Kurdish SDF forces, detained a senior ISIS commander north of Al-Raqqah. The US Army reported an airstrike against a senior Al-Qaeda operative in northwestern Syria. In Nigeria: ISIS continued its activity against Nigerian army targets and against local residents in the northeast of the country. In Congo ISIS continued its activity against Christian residents in the northeast of the country. At least seven residents were killed. Three people, two of them Jews and a Tunisian security guard, were killed in an attack carried out at the entrance to a synagogue on the island of Djerba in Tunisia . So far, no organization has claimed responsibility for the attack, but it may have been an Islamic-motivated attack. The editorial of ISIS’s Al-Naba weekly stressed ISIS’s weakness in the Arab region alongside its expansion on the African continent, noting that Africans have replaced the Arabs as successors of the path of jihad. Read more...

Spotlight on Global Jihad (April 24 – May 3, 2023)

ISIS’s activity around the world this week took place on a medium-low scale. The focus of its activity was on Africa. Al-Qaeda’s activity in Mali continued to be high. Turkish President announced that ISIS leader Abu al-Hussein al-Husseini al-Qurashi had been killed in northwestern Syria as part of an operation by Turkey’s National Intelligence Organization. The information has not been confirmed by other sources and has not been addressed by ISIS at this time. In the Deir ez-Zor-al-Mayadeen region, several attacks were carried out against the Kurdish SDF forces. In Nigeria: ISIS continued its intensive activity in northeastern Nigeria, mainly against Nigerian army targets. Al-Qaeda’s central leadership called on Muslims around the world to help its operatives to achieve “true independence from Jewish-Crusader control.” Read more...