Qods Force commander Qassem Soliemani and Popular Mobilization Forces deputy Abu Mahdi al Muhandis were terror and insurgency masterminds who were revered in Iran, Iraq, Syria, and beyond for their support of the Iranian-backed Shia militias and terrorist groups that have destabilized several countries in the Middle East.
Two statements, which were released by al Qaeda’s general command and al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, were addressed to Shabaab yesterday in a coordinated messaging campaign.
Yemen’s Houthis claim that the operation is the largest in nearly four years of conflict with Saudi Arabia and its allies.
The confirmed drone strike campaign so far from Houthi-controlled territory in Yemen represents another worrying development in the region.
Since Aug. 24, Yemen’s Houthi insurgents have claimed a series of attacks inside Saudi territory.
The confirmed drone strikes near the Saudi borders with the UAE is a worrying development in the conflict.
Since 2015, the Houthi insurgency in Yemen has claimed dozens of attacks on ships in the Red Sea. FDD’s Long War Journal has mapped these strikes.
Houthi sources stated Ibrahim al Houthi was killed by the Saudi-led coalition, while Saudi sources state he was killed by a rival faction.
Beginning last year, the Houthis have launched dozens of drone strikes inside Saudi Arabia and Yemen. FDD’s Long War Journal has mapped these strikes.
Since 2015, the Houthi insurgents in Yemen have launched a myriad of ballistic missiles into Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and at various sites across Yemen. FDD’s Long War Journal has mapped these missile launches.
Al Jazeera released a documentary alleging that Bahrain and al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula work together. Today, the al Qaeda branch denied this accusation in a letter to the editor.
The Houthi’s fundraising campaign ended earlier this week. Today, the Houthi-ran Sam FM radio station reported that the group raised over $100,000 for Lebanese Hezbollah.
Houthis continue to target Saudi facilities with cruise missiles and suicide drones. These strikes come during increased tensions between the United States and Iran.
The Houthi insurgents claimed hitting a southern Saudi airport with a cruise missile, as well as drone strikes.
Both photos and videos clearly show Yemeni people donating money to support Hezbollah, despite the current hardships plaguing Yemen.
The fundraising campaign comes on the heels of increased US sanctions against Lebanese Hezbollah.
The confirmed use of armed drones to target major oil pipelines deep within Saudi Arabia represents a major increase in the Houthis capabilities.
While strikes against al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula have waned over the past year, they have not halted all together. AQAP remains a significant threat.
Counterterrorism operations against AQAP have significantly tapered off in 2018 after a massive increase in 2017. The strike that killed Jamal-al Badawi is the first in Yemen since mid-September 2018.
CENTCOM confirms that Jamal al-Badawi, an al Qaeda veteran who has been wanted for his role in the USS Cole Bombing, was targeted in an airstrike earlier this month. Press reports indicated that Badawi perished, but CENTCOM says his status is still being investigated.
The United States has conducted 36 strikes in Yemen in 2018, roughly a quarter of last year’s record high of 131 strikes.
The US State Department announced today that it is offering rewards for information on two senior AQAP leaders: Qasim al-Raymi and Khalid al-Batarfi. Both men attended al Qaeda’s training camps in pre-9/11 Afghanistan before assuming leadership roles in Yemen.
Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula has released a new video that includes the testimony of several “spies” who have allegedly helped the Saudis and Americans hunt down the group’s members. There are reasons to be skeptical of AQAP’s claims, but the organization is clearly concerned that spies will do more damage to its hierarchy.
The United States has conducted a total of 34 strikes in Yemen in 2018, all of which targeted Al Qaeda barring one strike against the Islamic State in Jan. 2018. However the military is not likely to top last year’s high.
Hezbollah media sources released a photo of a meeting between its Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah and Houthi leadership.
The death of Ibrahim al Asiri, one of the most dangerous and wanted men in the world, has yet to be confirmed. If he is confirmed to have been killed, his death will likely have minimal impact on AQAP as he has shared his expertise for well over a decade.
An Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander confirmed for the first time that the Yemeni Ansar Allah (Houthis) struck targets following the IRGC’s order. The IRGC spokesman scrambled to deny the statements.
In 2017, LWJ reported unprecedented levels of airstrikes in Somalia and Yemen. Thus far in 2018, the United States has sustained its high strike tempo in Somalia and improved transparency on its air campaign in Yemen. Strikes in Pakistan have leveled off, however press restrictions make tracking operations there difficult. In Libya, the U.S. has targeted jihadists sparingly.
The Secretary-General of Kata’ib Sayyid al Shuhada, an Iranian-backed Iraqi militia, said he is a “soldier” of Abdel Malek al Houthi, the leader of Yemen’s Houthi movement.
The Houthi rebels showed off new ballistic missile technology in a new missile launch directed at an airport in southern Saudi Arabia.