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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By: MEMRI JTTM
Since October 7, 2023, when Hamas launched an attack on Israel, much has been made about Hamas and its supporters' exploitation of social media to further their violent aims. Indeed, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and X, formerly Twitter, have banned accounts linked to Hamas, as well as removed hundreds – if not thousands – of posts expressing support for the group.
On November 6, 2023, the online Rai Al-Youm daily, reported that 'Izz Al-Din Al-Qassam Brigades, the Hamas military wing, and Saraya Al-Quds, the military wing of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), had requested that Hizbullah grant them greater freedom of operation and more independence in their operations against Israel from South Lebanon.
EXCLUSIVE: Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades In Hebron Threatens Suicide Attacks Across Israel
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As the war led by Hamas and the Palestinian factions against Israel in the Gaza Strip continues, following the October 7, 2023 merciless attack by Hamas on Israeli army bases and communities, the spokesman of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades in Hebron announced his group's intention to join the fight against Israel and perpetrate suicide attacks on its territory.
The following report is now a complimentary offering from MEMRI's Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor (JTTM). For JTTM subscription information, click here.
On November 6, 2023, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) issued a press release in Arabic, calling for the Palestinian Authority (PA) leadership to boycott visits by American officials and sever all ties with the U.S., declaring the country an enemy which must be targeted, just like Israel.
On November 2, 2023, a former Iraqi intelligence officer who headed the department in charge of gathering intelligence on the U.S. during the Baath regime posted a secret Iraqi government document detailing the preparations being made for a possible outbreak of war in the region.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken landed in Baghdad on November 5, 2023, and was expected to meet with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shayya' Al-Sudani, and with his Iraqi counterpart Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein. They will likely discuss the regional implications of the war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, and the escalation in attacks on American bases in Iraq and in Syria by Iran-backed Iraqi militias.
On November 5, 2023, the U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken paid a short visit to Baghdad in which he met with the Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammad Shia' Al-Sudani. In a post on X (formerly known as Twitter), the U.S. top diplomat explained that during his visit he "urged" the Iraqi officials "to hold accountable those responsible for attacks on U.S. personnel in Iraq, and discussed our work to deliver humanitarian assistance to civilians in Gaza."
On November 2, 2023, a user of the Islamic State (ISIS)-operated Rocket.Chat server, urged jihadis in Europe to kill Jews wherever they find them, behead them, and target their children.
On November 5, 2023, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reported that a joint IDF and Border Police force killed a terrorist named Nabil Halabiyah after exchanging fire with him in the West Bank village of Abu Dis, a suburb of East Jerusalem. The IDF added that Halabiyah was an Islamic State (ISIS) operative who had spent time in prison for terrorist activity. Soon after his release in July 2023, he recruited a terror cell, acquired a weapon, and perpetrated a shooting targeting IDF forces.
The following report is now a complimentary offering from MEMRI's Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor (JTTM). For JTTM subscription information, click here.
On November 6, 2023, the Telegram channel of Invite to Islam, a radical Islamist group based in Birmingham in the UK, which has promoted the Islamic State (ISIS), advertised a fundraising campaign called "Ambulance for Gaza Appeal." The Telegram post solicits funds purportedly to buy ambulances, claiming they will be driven from Manchester to Gaza via Europe, "loaded with medical supplies."
On November 2, 2023, the Islamic State (ISIS) published Issue 415 of its weekly newsletter, Al-Naba', which included an editorial titled, "Muslims and Logic of Power."
On November 4, 2023, the A'maq News Agency, an official media outlet of the Islamic State (ISIS), claimed a "violent attack" by ISIS fighters on the night of November 3 against a shared position of the Iraqi army and Tribal Mobilization Units (TMU), also known as the Tribal PMU (Popular Mobilization Units), west of Kubaysah, Al-Anbar governorate.
Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) Claims Deadly Blast Which Killed Shi'ites Near Kabul
On November 7, 2023, 'Amaq News Agency, the mouthpiece of the Islamic State (ISIS), published a report claiming an explosive attack, on that date, by the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) against Shi'ite civilians in Kabul.
The following report is now a complimentary offering from MEMRI's Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor (JTTM). For JTTM subscription information, click here.
On November 3, 2023, Al-Sahab, the media arm of Al-Qaeda Central Command, released an article addressing Islamic scholars and urging them to issue a ruling (fatwa) to incite Muslims to join the fighting against Israel, following that country's military incursion in Gaza.
On November 7, 2023, an Al-Qaeda supporter published a post calling on Palestinians in the West Bank to break into houses of Israeli settlers and steal their weapons.
From November 2 to November 4, 2023, a pro-Al-Qaeda user and propagandist posted a three-part series of posters on pro-Al-Qaeda social media sites.
On November 1, 2023, an Al-Qaeda associate and writerpublished an article praising the Hamas attack against Israel on October 7. He also commended the people of Gaza for the way they are coping with the war.
On November 6, 2023, a jihadi magazine released its fourth issue on its Telegram channel. The latest issue is devoted to the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas and other Palestinian factions in the Gaza Strip.
On November 6, 2023, " a jihadi magazinereleased its fourth issue on its Telegram channel, featuring articles authored by prominent jihadi clerics and ideologues who expressed support of the October 7 Hamas attack against Israel.
Al-Qaeda Affiliate GSIM Highlights Attacks On Forces From Mali, U.N., Russia, and Niger
On November 4 and 5, 2023, Al-Zallaqa, 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), issued four statements claiming attacks in northern Mali and Niger.
On November 6, a user published a poster on the Al-Qaeda-operated Rocket.Chat server titled, "Ruling on Martyrdom-Seeking [suicide] Operations," with text quoting Sheikh Abu 'Ammar Al-Hadrami, a deceased Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) cleric.
On November 6, 2023, a jihadi magazine released its fourth issue on its Telegram channel. The publication's content is fully devoted to the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas (and other Palestinian factions in the Gaza Strip). The magazine featured a dozen articles authored by prominent jihadi clerics and ideologues voicing support for Hamas and condemning Western support for Israel.
On November 6, 2023, a jihadi magazine released its fourth issue on its Telegram channel. The issue was devoted to the war that was being waged at the time between Israel and other Palestinian factions in the Gaza Strip, and included an article written by a Palestinian cleric and resident of the Gaza Strip who is also a member of the Hamas-affiliated Association of Palestinian Scholars.
On November 9, 2023, a Syrian pro-rebel journalist who formerly worked as an Al-Jazeera reporter posted a one-minute 22-second video clip showing the Istanbul-based Council of Palestinian Scholars receiving a sum of cash in various currencies, in addition to gold and other valuables, amounting to $350,000 USD.
The following report is now a complimentary offering from MEMRI's Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor (JTTM). For JTTM subscription information, click here.
On November 3, 2023, Syria-based Egyptian jihadi cleric Yahya Abu Al-Fath Al-Farghali warned Sunni Muslims not to be deceived by the upcoming November 3 speech of the Lebanese Hizbullah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah regarding his group's position on the ongoing Hamas-Israel war.
On November 6, 2023, a jihadi magazine released its fourth issue on its Telegram channel, featuring articles authored by prominent jihadi clerics and ideologues who expressed support for the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel.
The following report is now a complimentary offering from MEMRI's Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor (JTTM). For JTTM subscription information, click here.
On November 7, 2023, the Syrian opposition website Euphrates Post published a report claiming that a military delegation of the Iraqi Hizbullah Brigades militia, Al-Nujaba Movement militia, and Sayyid Al-Shuhada Brigades Militias, including senior commanders, had arrived in Al-Bukamal, on the Iraqi border in eastern Syria's Deir Al-Zour governorate.
On November 7, 2023, a website which covers the Deir Al-Zour region in northeastern Syria, reported that Iran-backed militias had smuggled weapons from Iraq to northeastern Syria, disguised as humanitarian aid for the residents of the Gaza Strip.
On November 7, 2023, a website which supports the Syrian opposition and covers the Deir Al-Zour region in northeastern Syria reported that according to "special sources," Iran-backed militias are growing cannabis in the Deir Al-Zour governorate.
On November 2, 2023, a Syrian opposition-affiliated website reported that Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) prevented dozens of farmers from traveling to their fields in the desert of eastern Deir Al-Zour governorate, particularly the Al-Mayadin and Al-'Asharah areas, to plant wheat crops, claiming the fields are located in a closed military zone.
On November 2, 2023, a Syrian opposition outlet reported that Syrian forces arrested security and military personnel from the country's southwestern Quneitra Governorate, who have refused to cooperate with Iran-backed militias. The arrests came as Iran and its allies reinforce Quneitra amid the Hamas-Israel war, possibly in preparation to open a Syrian front against Israel.
On October 31, 2023, Syrian opposition websites reported that during the previous days senior elements in the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and its Qods Force had travelled from Iraq to northeast Syria. Their aim was to take part, alongside Hizbullah and the other Iran-backed militias, in directing and supervising the military operations against the bases where U.S. forces and forces from the Global Coalition to Defeat the Islamic State (ISIS) are stationed, east of the Euphrates River.
On November 5, 2023, a Syrian opposition website quoted "well-informed sources" stating that on November 4, reinforcement forces belonging to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) arrived in Al-Bukamal, southeast of Deir Al-Zour, from Iraq.
On November 3, 2023, the Secretary General of Lebanese Hizbullah, Hassan Nasrallah, delivered his first speech since the October 7 Hamas assault against Israel. Nasrallah extended his support to Hamas's attack, codenamed "Al-Aqsa Flood," asserting that Hamas has proved it is the legitimate representative of the Palestinian people. He denied any involvement by Iran or its proxies in planning or implementing the Hamas attack.
On November 4 and 5, 2023, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella group of Iran-backed militias, claimed responsibility for rocket and drone attacks on three American military bases in Iraq and in Syria.
During the first week of November 2023, Syrian opposition-affiliated media sources released a series of reports which stated that during that period the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) had secretly moved weapons and dozens of operatives from Iraq to Syria. Some of them – including experts in the operation of drones – were reportedly sent to the south of the country, near the border with Israel.
On November 6, 2023, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella group of Iran-backed militias, issued a statement in which it claimed six attacks on four U.S. military bases in Iraq and Syria.
On November 5, 2023, a new group calling itself "The Islamic Resistance – Majmua't Al- Zafireen [The Victorious Group]" claimed that on November 4, its operatives fired four mortars towards several targets at the Ayn Al-Assad base in Iraq, where U.S. forces are being stationed, adding that the operatives retreated unharmed.
On November 6, 2023, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella group of Iran-backed militias, posted a statement on its Telegram channel claiming that "as a response to the crimes of the Zionist occupation of its aggression against Gaza under American guidance," the "Islamic Resistance in Iraq" had launched, for the first time, a medium-range rocket dubbed the "Al-Aqsa 1," firing it towards American bases in Iraq and Syria. The channel attached a photo of the missile.
On October 29, 2023, a London-based Saudi weekly published an Arabic-language article titled "Iran's Militias In Syria: Names, Numbers, Deployment," which was released in an English version on November 4 as "A Complete Guide to Iranian-Backed Militias in Syria."
Since the beginning of the war between Hamas and Israel after Hamas launched Operation Al-Aqsa Flood and invaded southern Israel on October 7, 2023, Iran-backed militias in Iraq and Syria have escalated their attacks against U.S. bases in these countries.
Iran-Backed 'Islamic Resistance In Iraq' Claims Attack Against Israeli Target In Eilat
On November 3, 2023, Telegram channels linked to Iran-backed militias shared a statement issued by the "Islamic Resistance In Iraq," an Iran-backed joint operations group including Iraqi militias. The statement claimed responsibility for an attack against a target in Eilat, Israel's southernmost city on the Red Sea.
Iran-Backed 'Islamic Resistance In Iraq' Claims Four New Attacks On American Bases In Iraq And Syria
On November 7, 2023, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella group of Iran-backed militias, claimed responsibility for four rocket and drone attacks on American military bases in Iraq and in Syria.
On November 9, 2023, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella group of Iran-backed militias, issued a statement claiming that its forces targeted the Harir base of the "American occupation," located in Iraqi Kurdistan, with two drones, alleging that they "directly hit their targets."
In a statement issued today (November 3, 2023), the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella organization of several Iran-back Shi'ite militias, warns that next week it will launch a "new phase" of its attacks on the U.S. forces in Iraq and the region.
Iran-Backed 'Islamic Resistance In Iraq' Claims Attack Against Israeli Target On Dead Sea Coastline
On November 2, 2023, Telegram channels linked to Iran-backed militias shared a statement issued by the "Islamic Resistance In Iraq," an Iran-backed joint operations room consisting of Iraqi militias. The statement claimed responsibility for an attack against a "vital Israeli target" on the Dead Sea coastline.
On November 8, 2023, Al-Zafireen Group, an Iran-backed Iraqi faction operating under the umbrella of the "Islamic Resistance in Iraq," claimed responsibility for firing mortars at Al-Harir airbase, where U.S. forces in Erbil, Iraq, are housed.
In a November 2, 2023 statement, Iraq's Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) announced that it had placed its forces on maximum alert, following a "large meeting" held by its headquarters, attended by its commander, 'Abd Al-'Aziz (Abu Fadak) Al-Muhammadawi, by its brigade commanders, operations room commanders and other top brass.
On November 7, 2023, an Iran-backed group of Iraqi hackers claimed to have hacked three Israeli websites, relating their operation to the ongoing fighting between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
On November 8, 2023, the Armed Forces affiliated with Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis Ansar Allah Movement issued a statement claiming the air defense forces of Yemen downed a U.S. MQ-9 Reaper over Yemen's regional waters, using "appropriate weapons."
Iran-Backed Houthi Ansar Allah Movement Claims Drone Attacks On Israeli Targets 'Including Airports'
On November 6, 2023, Yemen's Iran-backed Ansar Allah Movement (the Houthis) claimed responsibility for drone attacks against Israeli targets. In a statement published on its website, the group said it had launched "a fleet of drones during the past hours on various sensitive targets of the Israeli enemy in the occupied territories," adding that the operation disrupted activities in the targeted bases and airports for several hours.
On Snapchat, Users Share Pro-Hamas Content And Videos Celebrating Iran's Proxies
The following report is now a complimentary offering from MEMRI's Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor (JTTM). For JTTM subscription information, click here.
Content celebrating Hamas's assault against Israel on October 7 is circulating widely on different social media platforms, including Snapchat, an American multimedia instant messaging app and service developed by Snap Inc., headquartered in Santa Monica, California.
In the aftermath of Hamas's surprise assault on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, and Israel's ensuing military response to the attack, jihadis as well as media outlets affiliated with Iran-backed militias in the region continue to publish posts condemning the Israeli response and inciting Muslims to engage in violent retaliation against Israel and its Western backers.
Since the start of Hamas's Operation Al-Aqsa Flood on October 7, 2023, social and traditional media supportive of Iran and its supporters in the region have increased their verbal attacks and threats on Israel. The threats often take the form of posters criticizing Israel and glorifying attacks against Israeli officials.
