The following are some of this week's reports from the MEMRI Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor (JTTM) Project, which translates and analyzes content from sources monitored around the clock, among them the most important jihadi websites and blogs. (To view these reports in full, you must be a paying member of the JTTM; for membership information, send an email to jttmsubs@memri.org with "Membership" in the subject line.)
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Syrian jihadi group Hay'at Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS), which leads the Military Operations Command whose offensive toppled the Assad regime and whose leader, Ahmad Al-Shar' aka Abu Muhammad Al-Joulani, is currently serving as "leader of the new administration" in Syria, had its beginnings in Al-Qaeda's former Syrian affiliate, Jabhat Al-Nusra (JN). In April 2013, Al-Joulani pledged allegiance to Al-Qaeda leader Ayman Al-Zawahiri.
In recent days, multiple Arab media outlets have published interviews with Ahmad Al-Shar' aka Abu Muhammad Al-Joulani, leader of Syrian jihadi group Hay'at Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS), after the Military Operations Command comprising his group and other jihadi and militant factions toppled the Assad regime on December 8, 2024.
An Al-Qaeda supporter published an article on Telegram discussing the recent developments in Syria, following the military campaign, led by Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS), that led to the fall of President Bashar Al-Assad's regime.
Over the past week, a Syria-based Egyptian jihadi preacher shared posts on his Telegram account celebrating the fall of President Bashar Al-Assad's regime, and describing the military campaign by Hayat-tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) against Assad as a divine conquest.
On December 8, 2024, a Telegram channel which publishes fatwas issued by the General Administration for Shari'a Guidance, affiliated with Syrian jihadi group Hay'at Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS), posted a fatwa in response to a Palestinian questioner from the West Bank.
On December 8, 2024, the Military Operations Command comprising Syrian jihadi group Hay'at Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) and other jihadi and militant factions captured Damascus and toppled the Assad regime.
On December 9, 2024, an affidavit in support of a criminal complaint was filed for a Pittsburgh-based, dual U.S.-Irish citizen.
A pro-Islamic State (ISIS) preacher based in Australia interviewed an Australian national who has lived in Syria since 2015 about recent developments in the country.
On December 15, 2024, the General Command of the Syrian militant factions, led by Syrian jihadi group Hay'at Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS), published a post on Telegram about a meeting between HTS leader Ahmad Al-Shar' aka Abu Muhammad Al-Joulani, described as the "leader of the new administration," and the United Nations (UN) Special Envoy for Syria, Geir Otto Pedersen.
On December 9, 2024, a Telegram channel which publishes fatwas issued by the General Administration for Shari'a Guidance, a body affiliated with Syrian jihadi group Hay'at Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS), posted a fatwa in response to a submitted question about the permissibility of "martyrdom-seeking operations."
On December 18, 2024, the editor-in-chief of Syria Television, posted a video and a photo on his X account showing a visit by Hay'at Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) leader Ahmad Al-Shara', formerly known as Abu Mohammad Al-Joulani, to his old neighborhood, called Al-Mazzeh, in Damascus.
On December 12, 2024, Travis Timmerman, 29, thought to be missing in Hungary, was found by Syrian residents wandering barefoot in a neighborhood just south of Damascus, according to news reports.
On December 13, 2024, the Department of Political Affairs (DPA) in the Syrian Salvation Government (SSG), linked to Syrian jihadi group Hay'at Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS), published four photos documenting the transfer of U.S. citizen Travis Pete Timmerman to U.S. military custody.
Between December 16-18, 2024, the General Command of the Syrian militant factions, led by Syrian jihadi group Hay'at Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS), posted several photosets on Telegram showing meetings of HTS leader Ahmad Al-Shar' aka Abu Muhammad Al-Joulani with a delegation from Germany and local groups, held in Damascus.
On December 16, 2024, the General Command of the Syrian militant factions, led by Syrian jihadi group Hay'at Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS), posted a photoset on Telegram from a meeting between HTS leader Ahmad Al-Shar' aka Abu Muhammad Al-Joulani and a UK Foreign Office delegation.
Hay'at Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS)-Backed Government Poster Announces Recruitment Drive In Idlib, Aleppo
On December 6, 2024, the interior minister in Hay'at Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS)-linked Syrian Salvation Government (SSG) announced a recruitment drive for the Public Security Department by joining the Police College "Individuals" course.
On December 12, 2024, the General Command of Hay'at Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS)-led Military Operations Command released the transcript of a letter sent by the King of Bahrain, Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, to HTS leader Ahmed Al-Shara', also known as Abu Mohammad Al-Joulani.
On December 19, 2024, Telegram channels supportive of Hay'at Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) published a photo showing HTS-led military forces receiving soldiers of the Al-Assad regime who had fled to Iraq.
On December 11, 2024, a Lebanese online newspaper quoted a "Palestinian official" requesting to remain anonymous who reported that representatives of Palestinian factions had met with the Military Operations Command, an operations room including Syrian jihadi group Hay'at Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) and other jihadi and militant factions, in the Yarmouk refugee camp in Damascus.
Recently, a Dari-language article in the Afghan press examined the role of Uyghur and other Central Asian jihadi fighters in the fighting against the Bashar Al-Assad regime in Syria, which resulted in the overthrow of the Shi'ite leader, by the forces aligned with Hay'at Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS).
In recent days, jihadi supporters on X have shared photos and a video purporting to show foreign fighters from Albania, Afghanistan and Chechnya who took part in the HTS-led offensive against the Assad regime, which led to its downfall.
On December 12, 2024, a Syria-based Saudi jihadi cleric published a video on his Telegram documenting his visit to the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus.
Leading anti-Iran jihadi organizations Ansar Al-Furqan and Ansar Al-Adl, two Sunni jihadi organizations fighting Iranian security forces, have welcomed the fall of Bashar Al-Assad regime in Syria, according to jihadi media accounts.
On December 17, 2024, the official media outlet of the Iranian Sunni jihadi group Jaysh Al-‘Adl released a video celebrating the fall of the Syrian Assad regime and congratulating the "mujahideen" in Syria on their success.
On December 18, 2024, pro-jihadi Telegram channels supporting Hay'at Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) reported that the "Khomeini Mosque" in Damascus had been renamed "Aisha," after the third and youngest wife of Prophet Muhammad. Shi'ites view Aisha unfavorably.
On December 19, 2024, Israel's military spokesman announced that Israeli warplanes had attacked Houthi military targets on Yemen's western coast and in the interior of the country.
On December 9, 2024, the U.S. imposed sanctions on the Yemeni Iran-backed Ansar Allah Movement (Houthis) National Committee for Prisoners' Affairs (HNCPA), its leader, and a Syrian ally, citing serious human rights abuses and support for oppressive regimes.
On December 10 and 13, 2024, Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi Ansar Allah movement (the Houthis) claimed responsibility for a drone and missile attack on three ''American supply ships'' and two ''American destroyers that escorted them'' in the Gulf of Aden.
On December 16, 2024, Houthi Ansar Allah Movement (the Houthis) Deputy Foreign Minister Hussein Al-Izzi wrote on his X account that, ''The defense of Israeli ships is the entire mission of the U.S. However, it has become accustomed to imposing the costs of its private missions on the whole world. Thus, it continues to lie and incessantly and shamelessly insist on linking its mission to the safeguarding of international shipping.''
Houthi Ansar Allah Movement Claims 'Hypersonic' Missile Attack On 'Military Target' In Jaffa, Israel
On December 16, 2024, Yahya Sare'e, the military spokesman of Yemen's Iran-backed Ansar Allah Movement (the Houthis), published a statement claiming that the group's "missile force" carried out an operation against a "military target" in the Israeli city Jaffa.
On December 17, 2024, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that on the previous day, its forces conducted a "precision airstrike against a key command and control facility operated by Iran-backed Houthis within Houthi-controlled territory in Sanaa, Yemen."
On December 16, 2024, Qatar-owned Al-Jazeera TV channel published a video on its website purportedly showing a deserted headquarters used by Iran-backed militias and Russia's PMC Wagner in Deir Al-Zour, in eastern Syria.
On December 16 and 17, 2024, senior Iran-backed Iraqi militia officials, published statements related to recent events in Syria and their implications for the situation in Iraq and the axis of resistance.
On December 17, 2024, an anti-Islamic State (ISIS) channel on an Al-Qaeda-operated server published a post discussing the possibility of ISIS in Syria exploiting instability in the country to free its detainees.
On December 12, 2024, the Islamic State (ISIS) released issue 473 of its weekly newsletter, Al-Naba'.
Between December 2 - 16, 2024, Islamic State (ISIS) Mozambique and Central Africa Provinces' operatives carried out 12 attacks against Christian targets in their respective areas of operation.
A key article in the current issue of an English-language monthly magazine published by a media outlet linked to the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP), which defines itself as a supporting entity for the Islamic State (ISIS), lists ten reasons why Muslims should join group.
The latest issue of the an English-language monthly magazine published by a media outlet linked to the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP), which defines itself as a supporting entity for the Islamic State (ISIS), has an interview of a French jihadi fighter, identified as Abu Khattab, radicalized in a prison in France.
On December 16, 2024, a pro-Islamic State (ISIS) Telegram channel shared two commentaries inciting ISIS supporters to form a counter force against Hay'at Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS), which led an operation resulting in the fall of Bashar Al-Assad's government.
A pro-Islamic State (ISIS) preacher issued a call for "collective action" while facing a legal dispute over alleged antisemitic remarks he made during a Friday sermon.
The Islamic State (ISIS) has recently begun to distribute its official media on a new messaging app, following a wave of ISIS account deletions on Telegram.
A user on an Islamic State (ISIS)-operated server requested a brochure about drones.
Al-Qaeda In The Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) Eulogizes Taliban Minister Killed In ISIS Attack In Kabul
Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) eulogized Taliban Refugee Minister Khalil Haqqani, who was killed in a suicide attack by the Islamic State on December 11, 2024.
On December 12, 2024, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced the signing of a "historic agreement" between Ethiopia and Somalia.
Al-Qaeda Affiliate Al-Shabab Claims Two Attacks In Kenya, Killing And Wounding Over 25 Soldiers
Over three days in December, 2024, Al-Qaeda’s affiliate in Somalia, Harakat Al-Shabab Al-Mujahideen (Al-Shabab), claimed two deadly attacks against Kenyan forces.
From December 9 to 16, 2024, the Al-Zallaqa Media Foundation, the media arm of Al-Qaeda's affiliate in the African Sahel, Jama'at Nusrat Al-Islam Wal-Muslimeen (the Group for Support of Islam and Muslims – GSIM), claimed, in nine statements, 11 attacks in Burkina Faso and Mali. In another statement, GSIM condemned Mali's "atrocities" against villagers, and published photos of the group's latest training camp.
On December 17, 2024, Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) claimed responsibility for a same-day drone bombardment against a site of United Arab Emirates (UAE)-backed forces between Al-Buqayrah and Al-Surrah, in the Mudiyah district of Yemen's Abyan governorate.
In an Urdu-language statement, the Pakistani jihadi organization Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) congratulated the people and mujahideen of Syria, especially Hay'at Tahrir Al-Sham, on their victory in Syria, and expressed hope that the suffering of oppressed Muslims in Pakistan would soon come to an end.
At a recent gathering of Islamic religious scholars, Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Hibbatullah Akhundzada, who has been on a drive to enforce strict shari'a in Afghanistan, accused the West of not accepting an independent Taliban-ruled Afghanistan and declared that his regime would not change course, according to an Afghan media report.
