The Afghan Taliban launched attacks across the border into Pakistan on Monday in response to Pakistani military airstrikes in eastern Afghanistan. The Pakistani military, which helped the Afghan Taliban seize control of the country, targeted members of the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan, which is sheltered and supported by the Afghan Taliban and is a a close ally of Al Qaeda.
Latest Developments
U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan confirmed on March 18 that Israeli forces killed Marwan Issa, deputy chief of Hamas military operations, in an airstrike last week. Issa, 59, constitutes one of the most senior Hamas figures killed during the more than five-month-old war in Gaza. Issa, also known as Abu al-Baraa, has acted as a liaison between Hamas military chief Mohammed Deif and Yahya Sinwar, the Palestinian terrorist group’s top leader in Gaza. Issa was also among the architects of the October 7 cross-border rampage by Hamas that triggered the Gaza war. The State Department added Issa to its list of Specially Designated Global Terrorists in 2019.
Highlights:
Established In: 2013;
Established By: Abu Ayyad al-Tunisi;
Also Known As: Supporters of Islamic Law in Tunisia;
Country Of Origin: Tunisia;
Leaders: Abu Ayyad al-Tunisi;
Key Members: Abu Ayyad al-Tunisi;
Operational Area: Tunisia;
Number Of Members: 10,000;
Involved In: Assassinations, Armed Attacks, Suicide Bomb Attacks;
General Info:
Ansar al-Sharia in Tunisia (“Supporters of Islamic Law in Tunisia”) is a radical Islamist group that operates in Tunisia. In 2013, the group was estimated to have roughly 10,000 members.
Fin février, les États membres de l’Union européenne se sont mis d’accord sur une treizième série de sanctions à l’encontre de la Russie, bien qu’ils soient de plus en plus critiqués pour l’incapacité des restrictions déjà en vigueur à mettre un terme à la guerre en Ukraine.
Executive Summary
The United States is losing the war against an enemy it has misunderstood for decades. Al Qaeda, the Islamic State of Iraq and al Sham (ISIS), and the Salafi-jihadi groups that threaten the United States are stronger, smarter, and more resilient than they were on September 11, 2001. Americans have confused tactical successes on the battlefield against ISIS and al Qaeda with progress in this war.
Iran has a well-documented history of allegations regarding the use of child soldiers, a practice
dating back to the Iran-Iraq War in 1980 and persisting thereafter. According to the International
Committee of the Red Cross, a significant portion, approximately 10%, of Iranian prisoners in Iraq
were minors.1 During the Iran-Iraq conflict, children as young as nine were coerced into assisting
in mine-clearing efforts, frequently restrained together by ropes to prevent escape.
Le 24 février 2022, Vladimir Poutine, président de la Fédération de Russie annonce le déclenchement et les objectifs d’une opération spéciale russe en Ukraine. Surprenante pour certains, attendue au point d’être annoncée par d’autres, cette opération conduite avec des effectifs très limités au départ, à un contre trois, obtient d’emblée des résultats spectaculaires sur un front initial très étendu de 2600 kms.
The Iranian presence in Syria has always been a source of concern at a regional level, for Arab countries on the one hand, and for Israel on the other. If the partial Arab severance of relations with al-Assad has pushed the issue of Iranian presence off the negotiation table, this does not reflect a resignation to Tehran’s influence in Damascus, contrary to the vision presented by the Syrian regime president, Bashar al-Assad, in March 2023 (before returning to the Arab League).
At the end of 2023, the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES), the political umbrella of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) that controls northeastern Syria, came out with an updated “social contract” to replace an old one that had faced criticism at home and abroad.
Abstract
This article examines a thwarted Hezbollah terror plot targeting Jewish sites in Brazil, orchestrated by two Brazilian nationals of Middle Eastern descent, facilitated by Hezbollah’s shift in strategy from using trained agents to employing local recruits via intermediaries. The narrative unfolds with the arrest of a Lebanese drug trafficker in the Tri-Border Area, revealing Hezbollah’s deep-rooted connections within the local Lebanese diaspora, exploited for both drug trafficking and terror financing. The involvement of local businessmen and the recruitment of Brazilian nationals underscore Hezbollah’s adaptation and the complexities of its operational tactics, contrasting with its traditional reliance on its External Security Organization. The investigation highlights Hezbollah’s leveraging of diaspora communities for establishing illicit finance networks, a strategic maneuver unveiled by the DEA’s decade-long investigation into Hezbollah’s criminal activities. The article delves into the backgrounds of the plot’s orchestrators, their ties to the diaspora, and their recruitment methods, painting a detailed picture of Hezbollah’s operational evolution and its implications for global security. The foiled plot serves as a stark reminder of the persistent threat posed by Hezbollah’s international network and the challenges of countering its multifaceted operations.