US officials acknowledged the interception of messages last week from al Qaeda emir Ayman al Zawahiri ordering al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula to attack Western interests as early as Aug. 4. The State Department added Rwanda, Burundi, Madagascar, and Mauritius to the list of countries where US diplomatic missions have been closed due to […]
Counterterrorism experts who have claimed that al Qaeda is defeated need to rethink their position.
The US has closed at least 25 diplomatic facilities in the Middle East and North Africa in response to a serious “specific and credible” al Qaeda threat; the closures of some facilities have been extended through Aug. 10. The precautions were taken after a recent message between senior al Qaeda leaders was intercepted. The White […]
The State Department said it would close a number of US embassies and consulates in the Middle East on Sunday, Aug. 4 as a precautionary measure due to an al Qaeda threat. In the first Secretary of State visit to Pakistan since 2011, John Kerry and Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif agreed to resume partnership […]
Authorities filed an indictment against a member of the anti-Zionist Neturei Karta sect who had offered to spy for Iran. Prime Minister Netanyahu praised the latest round of Iran sanctions passed by the US House of Representatives. The head of the IDF’s Northern Command said Hezbollah is better armed and trained than it was in […]
US officials believe that an Israeli strike in early July near the Syrian port city of Latakia failed to eliminate all of the targeted Russian anti-ship missiles.
Fatah’s Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades said it is “our belief that armed struggle is the only way to liberate Palestine.” Iran sent aid to Gazans for Ramadan through Palestinian Islamic Jihad. PA Caretaker Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah said he intends to continue with plans to resign in a few weeks. Palestinian officials visited Israel’s parliament […]
The leader of the Syrian National Coalition said the SNC will not engage in peace talks until “the Free Army and revolutionary forces” regain ground lost over the past eight months. Two al Qaeda affiliates, the Al Nusrah Front and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, are fighting along with allied groups simultaneously […]
The US killed a Saudi and two Yemeni al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula operatives in a drone strike in Shabwa province. A Saudi diplomat claimed that Iran is smuggling weapons to Shia Houthi rebels via the neighboring country of Oman.
Palestinian Islamic Jihad’s Ramadan Shallah denounced ongoing talks between Israeli and Palestinian officials in Washington. President Abbas said he is opposed to the establishment of a free trade zone between Gaza and Egypt, which Hamas has repeatedly requested. Human Rights Watch called on the Palestinian Authority to investigate recent actions by PA security forces during […]
While authorities search for Hezbollah operatives Meliad Farah and Hassan el Hajj Hassan, who are wanted in connection with the July 2012 Burgas terror attack, Farah may be actively using Facebook as recently as today.
Bulgarian authorities today revealed the names and photos of two Hezbollah operatives believed to have been part of the Burgas terror attack last July. The two men are thought to be living in southern Lebanon.
Al Qaeda in Iraq claimed credit for the suicide assaults on two prisons that freed more than 500 terrorist commanders and fighters. Security forces captured six al Qaeda fighters in Tikrit. Parliament’s foreign relations committee asked Iran to halt the flow of al Qaeda and “Iranian-backed militants” into Iraq.
The Popular Resistance Committees called on Hamas to stop arrests of ‘mujahideen’ in the Gaza Strip. Hamas officials recently met with Hezbollah and Iranian officials in Lebanon to discuss their relationships, which have frayed as a result of the Syrian civil war. Hamas’ Ismail Haniyeh called on the Egyptian media to end its incitement against […]
Israeli media reports suggest that the bomb used by Hezbollah in the Burgas terror attack matches the materials discovered by Israeli and Thai authorities in other terror plots in 2012.
Eleven people have died from polio in the Hiran region; 71 cases of the deadly disease have been reported in Somalia. Security forces arrested a suspected Shabaab fighter who is accused of planting an IED that killed five people in Kismayo.
European Union foreign ministers today reached a unanimous decision to designate the military wing of Hezbollah as a terrorist organization. In the past, the terror group has denied that Hezbollah has separate political and military wings.
“Gunmen” kidnapped an Iranian diplomat as he was driving his car in the capital of Sana’a. Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula fighters gunned down a member of the Popular Resistance Committees in Mudia in Abyan province.
Interior Minister Ibrahim said 11 security personnel have been killed in attacks in the Sinai since July 3. The US State Department could not confirm recent reports regarding Ramzi Mowafi’s presence and activities in the Sinai. President Mansour ordered work to resume on amending Egypt’s constitution. Foreign Minister Fahmy said Egypt has no intention to […]
Israeli authorities today filed an indictment against Wael Abu Reda, a Palestinian who has purportedly committed a plethora of security offenses during his time in a number of Palestinian terror groups, including Hamas’ al Aqsa Defenders.
Testimony to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and Trade, on al Qaeda, the nature of the group’s central command and its relationship with its affiliates, and the future challenges the West faces in battling the terror organization.
One year after the Burgas terror attack that killed five Israelis and one Bulgarian national, much is known about the Hezbollah attack, but a few questions remain.
Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula’s mufti confirmed that Said al Shihri, a former Guantanamo Bay detainee, was killed in a drone strike.
Zahar Rebuilds Ties Between Hamas and Iran
Satellite imagery of the recent purported Israeli strike in Latakia reveals that a number of storage warehouses were struck. At least one of the facilities appears to have been completely destroyed.
How European courts are dismantling sanctions on Iran
Prime Minister Netanyahu told his cabinet that “now, more than ever, it is important to stiffen the economic sanctions and present Iran with a credible military option.” Responding to reports of a recent Israeli strike in Syria, Netanyahu reiterated that Israel has red lines that it is determined to uphold. Muhammad Abed Al Jfar Nasser […]
Iraq’s foreign minister said that his country is unable to effectively halt Iranian arms transfers to Syria. The provincial government in Anbar rejected Iranian companies’ bids to build roads and schools.
The Parliament amended Turkey’s code to restrict the army’s power to defending against foreign threats, in place of a provision that had been used to justify military coups. Foreign Minister Davutoğlu and Iran’s foreign minister jointly called for a ceasefire in Syria during Ramadan. Davutoğlu also urged that all foreign fighters leave Syria, including Hezbollah. […]
US officials have confirmed that Israel recently carried out a strike against Yakhont missiles near Latakia, Syria on July 5. This is the fourth reported strike by Israel against Syria since the start of the uprising against Bashar al Assad.