Eight Tajik nationals with ties to the Islamic State in Khorasan Province (ISKP) were recently arrested in major US cities after illegally crossing the Mexican border as early as 2023. The arrests underscore the resurgence of the ISKP after the US withdrawal from Afghanistan and may indicate terrorist groups are seeking to exploit America’s border crisis to stage attacks.
Jordanian authorities thwarted a major drug smuggling operation linked to Hezbollah and Iran-backed militias, seizing 9.5 million Captagon pills and 143 kilograms of hashish, highlighting regional security challenges and straining Jordan’s resources.
Hamza al Ghamdi is a legacy Al Qaeda leader who fought alongside Osama bin Laden against the Soviets, led bin Laden’s bodyguard, organized terror attacks in Tajikistan in the 1990s, and fought at the battle of Tora Bora. He is currently a member of Al Qaeda’s shura, or executive leadership council. Ghamdi is likely based in Afghanistan or Iran.
Bill and Joe discuss Israel’s slow news weekend which included a hostage rescue followed by a high-level war cabinet resignation. The floating Gaza pier and al Qaeda are also discussed (because Bill).
Hezbollah shot down a large Israeli Hermes 900 drone on June 10. The Iranian-backed terrorist group carried out numerous attacks across northern Israel, increasingly utilizing drones in its attacks. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant visited northern Israel to conduct an assessment on June 9, the same day that Benny Gantz resigned from Israel’s war cabinet.
Leveraging its stronghold in Afghanistan and networks across Central and South Asia, ISKP is surging as a formidable transnational actor, posing a threat from Asia to Europe. The Taliban’s self-portrayal as a counterforce to ISKP raises concerns about their true motives and the perpetuation of regional instability.
Israel rescued four hostages in a raid in Nuseirat in central Gaza. The operation began the morning of June 8 and targeted two buildings where Noa Argamani, Almog Meir Jan, Andrey Kozlov, and Shlomi Ziv were being held. The following day on June 9 Israel war cabinet minister Benny Gantz resigned from the cabinet and ended his party’s backing for the government.
Sayf al-Adl, who is thought to be al Qaeda’s current leader, calls on supporters around the world to migrate to Afghanistan to gain training, experience, and knowledge before undertaking attacks against so-called “Zionist” and Western targets around the world.
Bill and Behnam discuss a Tablet Magazine article “Israel is Succeeding in Gaza” and whether there are any possible “settle-for-less” military and political outcomes in Gaza that involve anything other than the total defeat of Hamas; an IDF soldier killed by Hamas terrorists attempting to infiltrate Israel from Gaza; Iran’s IRGC vowing revenge for an Israeli strike in Syria that allegedly killed an IRGC general; and Israel’s new normal of daily skirmishes with Hezbollah on its northern border.
Hamas terrorists attempted an attack on the border of Israel in the early hours of the morning on June 4. The IDF was alerted and responded to the presence of suspicious men near the border fence. The terrorists shot at the IDF soldiers, killing one. Three Hamas terrorists were eliminated. The attack showcases how Hamas continues to use tunnels to attempt infiltration attacks.
The Israel Defense Forces uncovered a tunnel that stretched for more than 1.2 miles with several branches near the Egyptian and the Rafah border crossings. At least 20 shafts were identified as entrances to the tunnel. In northern Israel, Hezbollah targeted Hufeish with drones. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant flew over Gaza and northern Israel in an F-15, surveying the multi-front conflict.
Recent photos shared on social media offer insights on a new Russian glide bomb that has seen growing use in Ukraine: the UMPB D-30SN.
Fires in northern Israel caused by Hezbollah attacks threatened Israeli communities and compelled Israeli leadership to consider how to stop Hezbollah’s escalation. “We are approaching the point where a decision will have to be made, and the IDF is prepared and very ready for this decision,” Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Herzi HaLevi said on June 4.
Over the past month, there has been an increase in attacks from Iraq against Israel by the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, consisting of multiple Iran-backed militias, amid claims of targeting significant Israeli locations and an escalation marked by advanced weaponry use, despite many claims lacking independent confirmation.
Bill is joined by FDD colleague and show regular David Daoud for an update on Israel’s other battle on its norther border with Hezbollah.
The botched U.S. withdrawal in 2021 left behind a Taliban-controlled Afghanistan with al-Qaeda running training camps using abandoned American military equipment. Terrorism confined by the borders of Afghanistan until history repeats itself and it isn’t. Luckily, a major resistance movement is taking shape in Afghanistan and attempting to organize against the Taliban.
To learn about three groups that have emerged at the forefront Bill is joined by Will Selber, retired Middle East Foreign Area Officer with multiple deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan.
They discuss who’s who in the resistance, which groups could be effective enough to take the fight to the Taliban (and which should sit it out), the work ahead and what they need for success — including unification.