1. Home
  2. Publications
  3. Ad Hoc Studies

Ad Hoc Studies

New video of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi for the first time since 2014

On April 29, 2019, ISIS released a video showing the organization’s leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. The video is up-to-date and mentions events that took place recently (such as the terrorist attacks in Sri Lanka, the terrorist attack in Saudi Arabia, and the elections in Israel). This is the first video that Al-Baghdadi has appeared in since June 2014, when he announced at a mosque in Mosul the establishment of the Islamic Caliphate State.
Read more...

Another round of escalation in the Gaza Strip, more intensive and severe than the previous ones

On May 4, 2019, another round of escalation from the Gaza Strip began, the eighth since the return marches began on March 30, 2018. It has not yet ended. It began when Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) snipers attacked IDF soldiers under the cover of the return march on May 3, 2019. The IDF responded by attacking two Hamas targets, killing two of its terrorist operatives. The following day a massive barrage of rocket and mortar fire began attacking the Israeli communities near the Gaza Strip, and it expanded to attack Israeli civilian targets at a range of more than 40 kilometers (25 miles) from the Gaza Strip. The attack included the southern Israeli cities of Ashqelon, Ashdod, Qiryat Gat, Qiryat Malachi and Beersheba.
Read more...

Hezbollah’s Foundation for the Wounded: purpose, modus operandi and funding methods

Hezbollah maintains in Lebanon an extensive network of social foundations engaged in health, education, welfare, and media. The main goal of these foundations is to provide support for Hezbollah’s military infrastructure, to spread its ideology (mainly among youth) and strengthen Hezbollah’s image among the Shiite sect in particular and Lebanese society in general.
Read more...

The Terrorist Attack in Sri Lanka: Overview and Significance (Full Version)

On the morning of April 21, 2019, eight Sri Lankan suicide bombers, handled and supported by ISIS, carried out a series of simultaneous suicide bombing attacks in three cities and seven locations in Sri Lanka. Most of the attacks were carried out in Colombo, the capital, where there were attacks on a church and three luxury hotels.
Read more...

Hossein Salami The New Commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps

On April 21, 2019, the Supreme Leader of Iran, Ali Khamenei, appointed Hossein Salami to the position of the new Commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC); Salami is the eighth commander of the force. Salami, who served as the Deputy Commander of the IRGC over the past decade, replaced Mohammad-Ali Jafari, who served at the IRGC Commander since September 2007. Upon retirement from his position, Jafari was appointed to head the cultural-social command, Baqiatollah al-A'zam, which is charged with “soft power warfare” led by the IRGC, intended to counter perceived Western efforts to promote “cultural penetration” of Iran.
Read more...

Dr. Muhammad Shtayyeh’s New PA Government (Initial Examination, April 18, 2019)

On April 13, 2019, the new Palestinian government was sworn in, headed by Prime Minister Dr. Muhammad Shtayyeh. So far 20 ministers have been appointed, but more may be added (ministers of internal affairs and of the waqf – the Muslim endowment) have not yet been appointed, possibly because of internal conflicts). It is a government of technocrats who lack deep roots in in the Palestinian public. Dr. Shtayyeh, the prime minister, is an economist and a member of Fatah's Central Committee.
Read more...

Previous years bulletins

2024202320222021202020192018201720132012201120102009