Month: October 2024

Iranian Attack on Israel: “Strike and Strike Back”

What happened?
In early October 2024, Iran launched an attack against Israel, using about 180 Fateh ballistic missiles, which were launched from Iranian territory and targeted, according to Iranian sources, Mossad headquarters and three major air bases, including the Nevatim base in southern Israel, and Israeli troop concentrations around the Gaza Strip. This is Iran’s second direct attack against Israel since the outbreak of the war in the Gaza Strip.

Qasem Soleimani

Terror organization: Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)

Status: was an Iranian military officer who served in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). From 1998 until his assassination by the United States in 2020, he was the commander of the Quds Force, an IRGC division primarily responsible for extraterritorial and clandestine military operations, and played a key role in the Syrian Civil War through securing Russian intervention.

Rethinking Responses To Coups In West Africa – Analysis

ECOWAS should use its special summit on regional integration in 2025 to reconsider its approach to managing coups.

Recurrent coups since 2020 and the decision by Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger to withdraw from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) reveal the region’s deep governance and democracy challenges.

Militant Islamist Groups Advancing in Mali

The recent militant Islamist attack in Bamako is part of a broader push by violent extremist groups into southern Mali and reflective of the deteriorating security in Mali under military rule.

Investigating How Conflict and War Contribute to Methane Emissions

How can reporters learn from new tools about specific causes of methane leaks in conflict-affected areas? We have examined some of the recent conflict hotspots across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) — namely Syria, Iraq, Yemen, and Libya — to identify what the major sources of methane release are in the region, as well as to better understand how conflicts around the world could damage existing infrastructure and governance and lead to more emissions.

Experts react: Hassan Nasrallah is dead. What’s next for Hezbollah, Israel, and Iran?

His end may be just the beginning. On Saturday, Hezbollah confirmed that its leader, Hassan Nasrallah, was killed in an Israeli air strike on Friday in the Beirut suburb of Dahiyeh, the site of the group’s headquarters. Nasrallah had run Hezbollah for more than thirty years, orchestrating and inspiring its campaign against Israel. His death is an enormous blow to Hezbollah, and it follows two weeks of ramped-up Israeli air strikes and covert operations against both leadership and rank-and-file of the Iran-backed group. Where does the beleaguered terrorist group go from here? Will Iran launch its own retribution against Israel? Below, Atlantic Council experts answer these questions and more.

Letta: Europe is a ‘financial colony’ of the US

The Italian technocrat also warned that member states’ refusal to relinquish control of their domestic banking sectors risks exacerbating Europe’s financial subservience vis-à-vis the US.

The United States’ ownership of European citizens’ banking data and domination of global payment systems mean that the European Union is increasingly becoming a “financial colony” of the US, former Italian Prime Minister Enrico Letta said on Wednesday (2 October).

Ali Karaki

Terror organization: Hizballah

Status: “Considered to be the chief of staff of Hezbollah military force in the Southern front.”

Role: Ali Karaki, is a senior leader within Hizballah’s Jihad Council. He led Mu’awaniyeh 105 (Southern Command) and was responsible for military operations in southern Lebanon.

Karaki has been in Hezbollah since its establishment. Over time, he rose through the ranks and took part in the 2006 Lebanon War. Karaki later became a member of Hezbollah’s Jihad Council, which is Hezbollah’s supreme command and served as the commander of the Southern Front. Additionally, he held Guinean citizenship.