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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On December 8, 2023, the official media outlet of an Al-Qaeda-aligned group based in Gaza, published a three-page statement in Arabic calling on Muslims in and outside Palestine to attack Jews and the interests of Israel and its allies worldwide in response to the war in Gaza.
On December 21, 2023, a pro-Al-Qaeda media group published a poster listing three categories of action: "Military Support," "Media Support," and "Support Through Prayer."
On Facebook, a New York City-based jihadi shared Facebook livestreams from various pro-Palestinian protests around New York City the past few weeks.
In recent days, a campaign of support for Michigan-based jihadi preacher Ahmad Musa Jibril has been launched on multiple social media platforms.
On December 15, 2023, a pro-Hamas hacking group claimed to have executed a cyber attack on SpaceX, a private aerospace manufacturer and space transportation company founded and owned by entrepreneur Elon Musk, in retaliation for Musk's support of Israel in the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.
On December 15, 2023, a pro-Idlib-based Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) outlet published a series of infographic posters on Telegram stating that: "Russia equipped the Lebanese Hizbullah with advanced air defense systems via the Wagner Group in coordination with the Syrian regime."
In a Pashtu-language booklet, the Islamic State Khurasan Province (ISKP) argues that Al-Aqsa Mosque as well as Jerusalem and its surrounding areas have a holy status according to Quranic teachings and, vowing to liberate Jerusalem, declares: "We are coming from Khurasan [i.e., Afghanistan]."
In a Pashtu-language book, the Islamic State's Khurasan Province (ISKP) says that in order to become members in the United Nations, which it calls "the international organization of unbelief," the Afghan Taliban will have to accept the UN Charter despite the principles reflected in it that contradict shari'a, such as gender equality and secularism.
On December 19, 2023, the Islamic State Central Africa Province (ISCAP) claimed that on December 15, its fighters ambushed Christians, on the road between Beni and Kasindi, in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and machine-gunned them, killing two, including a candidate for the "polytheist" elections.
Issue 421 of Al-Naba', the official weekly magazine of the Islamic State (ISIS), published on December 14, 2023, reported on the previous week's operations in Nigeria, Iraq, the Philippines, Mozambique, Syria, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
On December 14, 2023, the Islamic State (ISIS) released Issue 421 of its weekly newsletter, Al-Naba', featuring an editorial arguing that Muslim youth today face a doctrinal campaign aimed at swamping them in trivialities and heresy, and distancing them from the true rite of jihad.
Users Of Islamic State (ISIS)-Operated Server On Rocket Chat Planned A Terror Attack In France
On December 14, 2023, users of the Islamic State (ISIS)-operated server on Rocket Chat discussed means to conduct a terror attack in France.
An unofficial media outlet linked to the Islamic State East Asia Province (ISEAP) released several photo sets between December 9-17, 2023, allegedly showing ISEAP fighters training and carrying out an operation.
On December 21, 2023, a user of the Islamic State (ISIS)-operated Rocket.Chat server published a post criticizing a pro-ISIS media group and accusing it of violating official ISIS directives and promoting unsecure apps.
On December 15, 2023, the media arm of Al-Qaeda's affiliate in the Sahel published a statement claiming that on December 12, GSIM operatives attacked a barracks of the Malian army in the village of Farabougou, in Mali's Segou region.
Al-Shabab Claims Attacks Across Somalia In December
From December 5, 2023, to December 13, 2023, the Shahada news agency, the media outlet of Al-Qaeda's affiliate in Somalia, Harakat Al-Shabab Al-Mujahideen (Al-Shabab), published at least 14 statements claiming attacks on Somali security forces, foreign soldiers, and pro-government militia members across the country.
On December 13, 2023, a pro-Al-Qaeda cleric wrote on his Telegram channel, countering U.S. President Joe Biden's remarks that there are real concerns around the world that America is losing its moral center because of its support for Israel.
On December 18, 2023, an Egyptian-born pro-Al-Qaeda cleric, published a post on Telegram criticizing Hamas.
On December 15, 2023, the pro-Al-Qaeda Al-Nusra Foundation for Media Productions released a one-and-a-half-minute video titled "The Harvest of Hostility," detailing November's operations and their results claimed by "the soldiers of faith and monotheism" via 10 media outlets linked to Al-Qaeda.
U.S.-Designated Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham Financier Abandons Group, Citing Differences With Leadership
On December 14, a high-ranking official in Hay'at Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) announced in a statement that he shared on X (formerly Twitter), that he is longer member of the group.
On December 14, 2023, there was an official announcement by a high-ranking official in the Syria-based jihadi group Hay'at Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS), that he was no longer a member of the group.
On December 13, 2023, a Telegram channel that is an unofficial outlet supporting Syrian jihadi group Hay'at Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS), noted "semi-confirmed reports" that a former senior HTS religious official had been killed under torture.
On December 20, 2023, a Telegram channel supporting Idlib-based Hay'at Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) posters, generated with artificial intelligence, depicting tanks at the gate of the Aleppo Citadel.
Syrian Opposition Research Institute: Significant Presence Of Iran-Backed Forces In Southern Syria
On November 24, 2023, an Istanbul-based research institute affiliated with the Syrian opposition published a review of the presence in Syria of Russian, Hizbullah, and Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) forces.
On December 19, 2023, an English-language jihadi Telegram channel commented on the results of Egypt’s recent presidential election, in which incumbent Abdel Fattah El-Sisi won a third term with 89.6% of the vote, claiming it was a "sham," given that it is the Egyptian military that decides "who comes to power and who stays in power."
Gaza-Based 'Emergency Relief' Foundation Solicits Donations, On Telegram, In Cash, Cryptocurrency
A Telegram channel run by a Gazan journalist launched a fundraising campaign with the proceeds allocated to "help people in the Gaza Strip."
On December 17, 2023, a pro- Iran-backed militias Telegram channel, published an image showing a math test that was allegedly administered by Yemen's "Ministry of Education."
A pro-Hamas hacking group continues to take responsibility for cyber-attacks against Israeli companies and websites, most recently including Tefen Flow and Dosing Technologies Ltd., and Zoko Enterprises.
The following report is now a complimentary offering from MEMRI's Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor (JTTM). For JTTM subscription information, click here.
On December 16, 2023, a Telegram channel affiliated with Iran-backed militias in Iraq posted a 45-second-long video featuring snipers from Al-Majdoub Battalion of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), operating in Lebanon.
On December 20, 2023, Houthi Ansar Allah movement media reported on "an armed popular show of force" that was held on the same day in the city of 'Amran in western central Yemen.
On December 19, 2023, the Political Bureau of Yemen's Ansar Allah Houthi Movement issued a statement denouncing the formation of Operation Prosperity Guardian, a U.S. naval coalition tasked with safeguarding international shipping routes in the Red Sea.
On December 20, 2023, the leader of Yemen's Ansar Allah Houthi Movement, Abd Al-Malik Al-Houthi, delivered a televised address two days after the United States announced Operation Prosperity Guardian, a recently formed U.S. naval coalition tasked with safeguarding international shipping routes in the Red Sea from Houthi attacks.
On December 14, 2023, the Houthi Ansar Allah movement's armed forces claimed a drone attack on the Maersk Gibraltar container ship bound which, they said, was bound for the "Zionist entity."
On December 15 and 16, 2023, the Houthi Ansar Allah movement's armed forces claimed responsibility for the firing of a large number of drones at "sensitive targets" in the southern Israeli city of Eilat, and for the launch of "naval missiles" at two container ships in the Red Sea "that were en route to the Israeli entity."
Following mid-December reports in the media about the U.S. intention to announce the creation of a new maritime protection force dubbed Operation Prosperity Guardian, to confront the threats of the Houthi Ansar Allah movement to the safe passage of ships in the Red Sea, senior Houthi officials have referred to the coalition being formed against them as "the alliance of disgrace" and declared that it will not deter them in the future from fulfilling "the moral and humanitarian mission to stop the crimes of genocide in Gaza."
On December 17, 2023, a Saudi daily reported that Tehran has provided its proxy Ansar Allah Movement (the Houthis) with significant amounts of weapons and explosives since April 2022, and warned that these weapons would pose unprecedented challenges for vessel traffic in the Red Sea.
On December 17, 2023, the official outlet of Yemen's Iran-backed Ansar Allah Movement (the Houthis) posted a video on Telegram featuring an interview with Houthi spokesman Muhammad Abdulsalam, who is also the head of the National Delegation for the Peace Talks in Yemen.
On December 18, 2023, on his X account, the spokesman for the Houthi Ansar Allah movement armed forces, Brigadier-General Yahya Saree', claimed responsibility for the launch of two "naval drones" at two vessels in the Red Sea "with a connection to the Zionist entity" – the oil tanker motor vessel SWAN ATLANTIC and the bulk cargo ship M/V CLARA.
On December 18, 2023, the chairman of Lebanese Hizbullah's Executive Council delivered a speech at a memorial ceremony that was held in the city of Hermel in northeastern Lebanon in honor of two Hizbullah fighters who were killed "on the road to Jerusalem."
On December 19, 2023, a news website linked to the Lebanese Hizbullah published a report highlighting the military participation of the Syrian Social Nationalist Party (SSNP) in the ongoing operations in south Lebanon in support of Hamas's attack on Israel on October 7.
On December 14, 2023, a pro-Lebanese Hizbullah newspaper published an article celebrating recent attacks by Yemen's Iran-Backed Ansar Allah movement (Houthi) on commercial shipping vessels off the coast of Yemen.
On December 14, 2023, an Iraqi military spokesman announced the arrest of some of the perpetrators of the December 7, 2023, rocket attack that targeted the area around the U.S. embassy in Baghdad and the headquarters of the Iraqi National Security Service.
On December 16 and 17, 2023, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an Iran-backed joint operations group of Iraqi militias, claimed responsibility for three attacks on American bases in eastern Syria.
The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an Iran-backed joint operations group of Iraqi militias, claimed on December 13, 2023, an attack on two U.S.-operated bases in Syria, near the border with Jordan and Iraq.
Iran-Backed 'Islamic Resistance In Iraq' Claims Drone Attack On U.S. Base In Western Iraq
On December 14, 2023, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella organization consisting on several Iran-backed militias in Iraq claimed an attack on a base housing the U.S. forces in Anbar, Iraq.
On the night of December 11-12, 2023, a police station in the Daraban area of Dera Ismail Khan district in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province was attacked and 25 Pakistani army soldiers were killed.
