Islamic State Khorasan Province

Established In: 2015;

Key Members: Hafiz Saeed Khan, Shahab al-Muhajir;

Operational Area: Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Pakistan, India;

Size: 1,000 (US estimate); 2,500-4,000 (UN report); 10,000 (Russian estimate);

Involved In: Bomb Attacks, Assasinations, Armed Attacks, Kidnapping;

Sanctions Add Pressure on the Axis of Resistance

The United States and its partners have imposed additional sanctions on Iran and its axis of resistance partners to try to deny them the resources to continue their ongoing campaign of armed attacks.

Sanctions imposed since mid-January have targeted Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Iranian allies in Yemen, Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon, and companies and persons helping these groups move money and weapons around the region.

Houthi Attacks Upend Beijing’s Regional Strategy

The Houthi attacks on Red Sea commercial shipping are adversely affecting China’s economy, causing China’s leaders to question the benefits of relations with Iran.

The Red Sea crisis has demonstrated that militant factions in the Middle East can undermine Beijing’s interests just as they can challenge the United States and its allies.

U.S. Strikes Aimed at Restoring Deterrence without Escalating Conflict with Iran

The United States’ opening salvo in response to the attack in Jordan that killed three U.S. troops last week included attacks against targets in Iraq, Syria, and Yemen.

The U.S. response is expected to be multi-tiered and unfold over weeks, targeting an array of groups that form part of Iran’s so-called “axis of resistance,” including militias in Iraq and Syria that operate under the umbrella of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq.

Syria Today – Three US Soldiers Killed On Syria Border

Three US troops have been killed and 25 injured in a drone attack on a US base, the US military said.

US Central Command (Centcom) said in a statement the casualties were caused by a drone attack at a base in northeast Jordan, near the Syria border. Jordan on the other hand, said the attack happened on Syrian territory.

First Bombing After Mousavi’s Death: Israel Targets Sayyida Zainab

The attack on Sayyida Zeinab occurred shortly after a Syrian passenger plane arrived from Baghdad at Damascus International Airport, according to Sawt al-Asima.

A site near the town of Sayyida Zeinab in Damascus countryside was reportedly targeted by Israeli shelling on Monday, January 29th. According to Sawt al-Asima sources, the attack focused on a farm close to the Rawda Hotel, less than one kilometre from where Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) General Reza Mousavi was killed in late December. The farm is allegedly used by IRGC for meetings with affiliated militia leaders and as temporary accommodation.

Will the Horn Explode?

The announcement made on New Year’s Day that Ethiopia has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Somaliland covering several areas may have created the first major geopolitical risk of the year 2024.