The campaign of attacks by Yemen’s Houthi fighters on shipping in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden continues, despite renewed US and UK strikes on their positions, leading to fears about the long-term security of these strategically important waterways.
Turkey is notorious for harboring Hamas terrorists and affiliated entities, and it is unclear why the U.S. government does not take a tougher stance.
Following the October 7 terror attacks in Israel, carried out by Hamas, Ankara has increasingly come into focus, for the many ways in which it provides material support to the Gaza-based terror organization. Hamas’ senior, as well as rank and file members have found a second home inside the borders of a NATO ally, free to organize, spread their message, backed by the open political and diplomatic support of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Today, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) imposed a fourth round of sanctions on Hamas since the October 7 terrorist attack on Israel. Today’s action targets key officials who perpetuate Hamas’s violent agenda by representing the group’s interests abroad and managing its finances. OFAC closely coordinated with the United Kingdom to concurrently designate several key Hamas officials.
On February 22, 2024, the pro-Syrian Hay’at Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS), Al-‘Askari Media, published on Telegram a set of infographic posters titled “The Kamikaze – The Weapon That Will Change Future Wars.” The images inform the group’s fighters on how to avoid being targeted by “kamikaze” drones, also known as suicide drones.[1]
On February 25, 2024, the armed forces of the Yemeni Houthi Ansar Allah movement claimed responsibility for firing several “appropriate naval missiles” at the American ship the MV Torm Thor, and also for a drone attack on American warships in the Red Sea. This claim was made just three days after the group took responsibility for a series of drone and missile attacks on American and British vessels in the Red Sea, and on targets in Israel.[1]
Dozens of people were arrested inside Jordan, as the kingdom ramps up efforts to fight drug smuggling attempts mainly on the border with Syria.
Jordan’s security forces foiled several drug smuggling attempts across the kingdom in the past days, in the latest crackdown against the trade that has flourished in recent years.
Introduction
On the eve of the election in Iran for the Majlis, set for March 1, 2024, and the concurrent election for the Assembly of Experts, several reformist organizations have, as in years past, announced that they are boycotting both elections. The announcement comes despite the Iranian regime’s pressure on the public to turn out to vote.
Fatah Official Yasser Abu Sido said on a February 23, 2024 show on Sada Al-Balad TV (Egypt), that while he is not a “fan of Hitler,” the Holocaust was committed for “obvious reasons.” Abu Sido also said that “the Jews and global Zionism” planned to take control of Germany. He added that they started to bring Germany down in terms of the economy and moral values. Abu Sido continued to say that the Jews distorted the Torah.
Today, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is designating members of a smuggling network that helps fund Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force (IRGC-QF) and the Houthis in Yemen. Led by Iran-based Houthi financier Sa’id al-Jamal, this network generates tens of millions of dollars in revenue from the sale of commodities, like Iranian petroleum, a significant portion of which is then directed through a complex network of intermediaries and exchange houses in multiple countries to the Houthis in Yemen.
Latest Developments
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on February 28 called for mass turnout in Iran’s elections on March 1. Yet even government polling indicates that the majority of Iranians will boycott the contest for Iran’s 290-seat parliament, formally known as the Islamic Consultative Assembly, and 88-seat Assembly of Experts, a body tasked with selecting the country’s next supreme leader. This contest will mark the first nationwide elections since the anti-regime protests, known as the “Women, Life, Freedom” movement, that rocked the country from 2022 to 2023, which were triggered by the killing of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini for allegedly wearing her headscarf improperly.