Syria

Spotlight on Global Jihad (July 16-22, 2020)

The ceasefire is being maintained in the Idlib region of northern Syria, apart from isolated incidents between the warring sides. This week, an outbreak of COVID-19 was reported in the Idlib region. The main terrorist attack in Syria was a car bomb explosion near the Syrian-Turkish border crossing. In the Iraq Province, low-intensity activity took place this week. In the Sinai Peninsula, a large-scale combined attack was carried out against an Egyptian army camp and checkpoint west of Bir al-Abd.
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Spotlight on Global Jihad (July 9-15, 2020)

The ceasefire is being maintained in the Idlib region of northern Syria, but there has been an increase in the number and severity of local incidents between the warring sides. In the Iraq Province, ISIS’s main area of activity, ISIS’s attacks continued, mainly the activation of IEDs against the Iraqi security forces and Shiite militias (the Popular Mobilization). This week, Nigeria was the most active of ISIS’s provinces in Africa and Asia.
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Kataeb Hezbollah: Profile of a Shiite-Iraqi militia handled by the Qods Force to promote Iranian interests in Iraq (Full Version)

Kataeb Hezbollah (“Hezbollah Brigades”) is a radical Shiite militia of a clearly anti-American nature with a Khomeinist ideology. It was established by the Qods Force of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) in 2007 in southern Iraq with the objective of fighting against the US army and ousting it from Iraq. It is the most prominent among the Shiite militias handled by Iran, prioritized in military and financial support from the IRGC’s Qods Force.
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Iran faces growing Challenges in Iraq but is determined to further Its vital interests

Iraq was and remains a particularly important arena for Iran’s regional policies and national security concerns. Iran shares its longest and most strategic border with Iraq, which Iran considers to be its “backyard.” Since the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003, Tehran has worked to ensure that its neighbor to the east maintains its territorial integrity, under Shia dominance, and under Iran’s sway. Iran sees its involvement in Iraq as a vital tool for preserving its influence in the country.
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Spotlight on Iran (June 28, 2020 – July 12, 2020)

The Iranian chief of staff of the armed forces and the Syrian minister of defense signed a comprehensive agreement concerning military cooperation between the two countries. The presidents of Iran, Russia and Turkey discussed the settlement of the war in Syria at a video-teleconferenced summit. Iran issued only a tepid response to the raid carried out on June 25th by the Iraq’s Counter Terrorism Service (CTS) on the compound of the Shia pro-Iranian militia, Kataeb Hezbollah, in Baghdad. The Supreme Leader of Iran, Ali Khamenai, sent a letter to the head of Hamas’ political bureau, Ismail Hanniyeh, in which he stressed Iran’s ongoing commitment to support the Palestinians.
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Spotlight on Global Jihad (July 2-8, 2020)

The ceasefire is being maintained in the Idlib region of northern Syria, but high-intensity local incidents continue between the warring sides. The Iraq Province continues to be the most active of ISIS’s provinces (mainly in the form of activating IEDs, launching rockets, and targeted killings). In the Sinai Peninsula, ISIS continued its intensive activity against the Egyptian army and the forces supporting it (activating IEDs, attacking a militia that supports the Egyptian army). In ISIS’s other provinces in Africa and Asia, “routine” military activity continues (Nigeria, Congo, Somalia, Pakistan, India and the Philippines).
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