Author: M Barbu

Turkey’s Challenge to the Regional Status Quo Begins in the Eastern Mediterranean

On July 24, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan joined thousands of worshippers in the streets around the historic Hagia Sophia in Istanbul for a doubly symbolic moment. Surrounded by a swarm of politicians, soldiers, security forces and imams, the Turkish leader made his way into the giant, former Byzantine cathedral through doors once hammered open by conquering Ottoman soldiers in 1453. Inside, he read out the namaz, or Muslim prayer, formally turning the 1,500-year-old building back into a mosque.

Lebanon | Haniyeh from Ain Al-Hilwe: Today We Meet in Beirut, Tomorrow in Al-Quds

Head of the Political Bureau of Hamas Movement Ismail Haniyeh visited Ain Al-Hilwe Palestinian refugee camp in south Lebanon on Sunday and addressed crowds referring to his meeting with Hezbollah Secretary General Sayed Hasan Nasrallah in Beirut earlier saying “Today’s meeting is in Beirut and Ain Al-Hilwe, while tomorrow we will meet in Palestine and Al-Quds God willing.”

Special Analysises – Eye On ISIS In Libya

Western Response

On 27 August, the United States and United Nations co-chaired a meeting regarding the Berlin Process on Libya. During the meeting, the US welcomed calls by House of Representatives (HoR) Speaker Aqeela Saleh and Government of National Accord (GNA) head Fayez al-Serraj on 21 August for a ceasefire and the resumption of oil production. The US also reiterated its support for Libyan efforts to build on this momentum and ‘to achieve a peaceful political solution that preserves Libyan sovereignty.’ On 30 August, the head of the Arab League, Ahmed Aboul-Gheit, met with Acting Head of the UN Support Mission to Libya (UNSMIL) Stephanie Williams in Cairo to discuss the latest developments in Libya. At the meeting, the two parties agreed on the importance of building on the joint calls for a ceasefire and vowed to end all hostilities in Libya. They also called for presidential and parliamentary elections and the resumption of oil exports. On 29 August, Acting Head of UNSMIL, Williams, arrived in Cairo for a three-day visit to engage with various officials on the Libya crisis. On 30 August, Williams met with Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry to discuss efforts to advance political discussions centred on the ceasefire statements of 21 August. According to an official statement by the Egyptian Foreign Minister, the two ‘shared a vision’ on the way to reach a political settlement. On 28 August, Turkey announced that it would undertake military exercises, known as ‘gunnery exercises’, off the northwest coast of Cyprus from 29 August through to 11 September. This coincided with the extending of activities of a seismic vessel in the Mediterranean until 1 September. Within hours of Turkey’s announcement, Greece’s Parliament ratified a maritime accord with Egypt on maritime boundaries. On 26 August, Greece and Italy also finalised a similar agreement.

Other Jihadi Actors

On the morning of 1 September, a suspected failed suicide bombing occurred close to a Government of National Accord (GNA)-aligned checkpoint at the Doran al-Ghariyan roundabout, near Janzour in western Tripoli. Initial reports claim the bomber was traveling on a motorcycle at the time the explosion was set off. The target of the attack is believed to have been the checkpoint belonging to the Janzour Knights.

The Anti-ISIS coalition

On 28 August, Government of National Accord (GNA) Prime Minister and head of the Presidency Council (PC) Fayez al-Serraj announced that he was suspending Interior Minister Fathi Bashaagha and called for an investigation of Bashaagha’s handling of street protests. Serraj said the investigation of Bashaagha would occur within 72 hours; meanwhile, his duties would be assumed by a deputy minister, Khalid Mazen. Bashaagha responded in a statement by expressing readiness for an investigation but said it should be televised to ensure transparency. Serraj’s announcement coincided with a series of other decrees, including one granting the Zintani-dominated Joint Security Force the responsibility to secure Tripoli; one promoting Deputy Minister of Defence Saleh al-Din Namroush to Minister of Defence and one appointing Central Military Region Commander Mohammed Haddad as the new Chief of Staff (CoS).

Special Analysises

4 Member IS Wilayat Kavkaz Returning Foreign Fighter Cell Killed; Drone and other weapons seized in Dagestan, Russia

On 22 August, the Russian Air Force announced that it had destroyed Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) underground drone facility in Idlib, Syria. Organizations such as Islamic State, Jund al-Aqsa, Houthi Movement (Ansarallah) and HTS are among non-state actors who use weaponized drones. Mexican drug cartels have been experimenting with weaponized drones too but to date they have yet to do so successfully. Besides the organized groups who have been utilizing drones, of particular concern are the small cells and lone wolf reports of modifying commercially available drones for attacks. One recent example occurred on 29 July 2020, when Hisham Muhammad, modified the “release mechanism” of a commercial drone to plot attacks in the name of Islamic State in Manchester, England. As commercial drones become more advanced and the use of drones as delivery mechanisms for retail purchases become more commonplace, so the do the opportunities for malicious actors to transform them into weapons of terror.