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 October 31, 2023, Brigadier-General Yahya Sare'e, the spokesman for the Houthi Ansar Allah movement armed forces, claimed responsibility for the launch of rockets and drones on the same day at "the Zionist enemy entity," in response to "the tyrannical American-Israeli aggression against the Gaza Strip," and to assist the Palestinian people.
On November 1, 2023, Al-'Ilam Al-Harbi Al-Yemeni (the Yemeni War Media), which is run by Yemen's Iran-backed Ansar Allah Movement (the Houthis), published videos that it claimed showed the launch of munitions directed at Israel on October 31.
On the evening of November 1, 2023, Brigadier General Yahya Sare'e, the spokesman of the armed forces affiliated with Yemen's Iran-backed Ansar Allah Movement (the Houthis), issued a statement claiming that the "Yemeni Armed Forces" had launched a "large barrage of drones" in the preceding hours against "several targets deep inside the Zionist entity in occupied Palestine," further alleging that the drones had "arrived at their targets, by Allah's grace."
Following Hamas's surprise attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, and Israel's subsequent military reaction, Hamas's military wing Izz al-Din Al-Qassam Brigades issued a statement on October 28, claiming responsibility for firing rockets at Israel's Shimon Peres Negev Nuclear Research Center, also known as the Dimona reactor.
The Tala'i' Al-Ansar Foundation, an unofficial media outlet supporting the Islamic State (ISIS), released two brief videos celebrating the October 16, 2023 Brussels shooting, which killed two Swedes and seriously injured another, and calling on supporters to perpetrate similar "lone wolf" attacks.
On October 26, 2023, users of the Islamic State (ISIS)-operated Rocket Chat server published posts discussing, in English, carrying out lone-wolf attacks on synagogues in countries such as India, Spain, Morocco, and Tunisia.
On October 26, 2023, the Islamic State (ISIS) published Issue 414 of its weekly newsletter Al-Naba', which included an editorial titled "Enrage the Unbelievers," calling on Muslims to embrace the killing of non-Muslims and attacking their riches and interests as an "act of worship" and a means to torment them.
On October 27, 2023, the A'maq News Agency, an official media outlet of the Islamic State (ISIS), released a statement reporting that on October 26, fighters from the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) detonated an explosives-rigged briefcase in a hall where a group of Shi'ites had gathered in the Dasht-e-Barchi neighborhood in the western part of Afghanistan's capital, Kabul.
In recent weeks, the Islamic State (ISIS) affiliates in Africa – the Islamic State Central Africa Province (ISCAP), the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), and the Islamic State Mozambique Province (ISMP) – have escalated their assaults against Christian civilians, attacking their villages, torching their houses, and killing residents, some by beheading.
On October 23, 2023, a media outlet linked with the Islamic State's Khurasan Province (ISKP) published a Pashtu-language article, arguing that the state of Israel will start disappearing after attacks against its allies like U.S. and Europe, and apostate Arab countries, and urged "Muslims everywhere to join in this practical plan to fight the Jewish state and free Muslims from the evil of the Jews."
On October 29, 2023, the Shahada News Agency, the media arm of Al-Qaeda's affiliate in Somalia, Harakat Al-Shabab Al-Mujahideen (Al-Shabab), reported that Al-Shabab fighters carried out a naval ambush against a boat belonging to government militias, on the Indian Ocean coast in the Dhanane area, between Mogadishu and the city of Merca, in Lower Shabelle province.
On October 28, 2023, Al-Kataib, the media arm of Al-Qaeda's affiliate in Somalia, Al-Shabab, released a video in English titled: "They Attained No Good."
The Al-Zallaqa Media Foundation, the media arm of Al-Qaeda's affiliate in the Sahel, Jama'at Nusrat Al-Islam Wal-Muslimeen (the Group for Support of Islam and Muslims – GSIM), released three statements reporting on the recent activity of the group in Burkina Faso and Mali against the Burkinabe army, Malian army, and the Russian Wagner Private Military Company (PMC), along with photos documenting the claims.
On October 29, 2023, the Al-Zallaqa Media Foundation, the media arm of Al-Qaeda's affiliate in the Sahel, Jama'at Nusrat Al-Islam Wal-Muslimeen (the Group for Support of Islam and Muslims – GSIM), released four statements reporting recent activity of the group in Mali, against the Malian army, the Russian Wagner Private Military Company (PMC), and United Nations (UN) peacekeeping forces, along with several photos. This report contains the statements with the associated photos.
On October 25, 2023, a Telegram channel affiliated with Sudanese national Waleed Al-Haj, a former Guantanamo prisoner, posted a video clip from 1935 featuring Nazi leader Adolf Hitler.
On October 29, 2023, Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) published a one-hour Arabic-language video titled: "Questions and Answers Regarding Operation Al-Aqsa Flood."
Pro-Al-Qaeda Telegram Channel Solicits Cryptocurrency Donations For 'Operational Cell' In Gaza
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On October 30, 2023, the pro-Al-Qaeda Al-Minbar Telegram bot published a poster calling for donations to "proud Gaza" by investing in the "steadfastness stock," adding that the cost of one share is ten dollars. The poster mentions that donations can be made using digital currencies only.
On October 31, 2023, Al-Sahab, the media arm of Al-Qaeda Central Command, released an article discussing the Israeli escalation in Gaza following the Hamas assault on Israel on October 7.
On October 30, 2023, the Al-Sahab Foundation, the official media outlet of Al-Qaeda's Central Command, published an 11-page essay in Arabic titled "This is Gaza, Which Has Robbed Sleep from the Zionist-Crusader West," written by Salem Al-Sharif.
In an Urdu-language statement, Ustad Mahmood, emir of Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS), urges mujahideen across the world to join the jihad in the form of qital ("fighting to kill") to liberate Al-Aqsa Mosque from Israel.
'Abd Al-Rahim 'Atoun aka Abu 'Abdallah Al-Shami, chief religious official of Syrian jihadi group Hay'at Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS), published a post on his personal Telegram channel asserting that because the U.S. failed in Iraq and Afghanistan, it can teach Israel nothing, and that the Palestinian mujahideen will humiliate Israel, which he called "America's student and foster child.
On October 30, 2023, Hay'at Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS), an Islamist political and armed organization that backs the Syrian Salvation Government in Idlib, announced through its Ministry of Endowment and Guidance an "interactive symposium" as part of the "Gaza And Idlib -- One Wound" campaign.
Issue No. 54 of the monthly magazine Balagh, published by a group of independent jihadi clerics in Syria's Idlib region, was released on October 25, 2023.
On October 25, 2023, the pro-Syrian opposition Euphrates Post published an article, detailing the recent deployment of Afghan and Pakistani members of Iran-backed militias to eastern Syria.
On November 1, 2023, Al-Kandiq, a news website linked to the Lebanese Hizbullah, published an article discussing the October 31 Yemen's Ansar Allah (Houthis) claimed attack on Israel.
On October 26, 2023, a Hizbullah-affiliated Lebanese daily, Al-Akhbar, published a report claiming that Washington is pressuring the Iraqi government to contain Iran-backed militias in Iraq from attacking U.S. military bases in Iraq and Syria as part of their support of Hamas’s war against Israel.
German Companies Hosting Sanctioned Hizbullah Al-Manar TV-Website
The English and Arabic website for Lebanese Hizbullah-owned-and-operated Al-Manar television uses a Lebanese registrar for its domain name and hosts files for its servers in Germany, according to a WhoIs domain lookup of AlManar.com.lb.
On October 27, 2023, the Syrian pro-opposition Damascus Voice news outlet reported, quoting "exclusive sources," that earlier that morning, a shipment of precision weapons arrived from Tehran at the Al-Shu'ayrat Airbase in Syria's Homs governorate on a civilian aircraft linked to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
On November 1, 2023, the Kuwaiti Al-Jarida daily published an extensive review of recent events in the Middle East, against the backdrop of the expanding conflict between Israel and the Palestinian and pro-Iranian factions in the region.
On October 30, 2023, the Syrian opposition-affiliated Eye of Euphrates website released an "exclusive" report which it claimed reveals the perpetrators of the attacks launched in late October against bases where U.S. forces and members of the Global Coalition to Defeat the Islamic State (ISIS) are stationed, east of the Euphrates River and in the Syrian Desert in the east of the country.
Iran's IRGC-Affiliated Telegram Channel Defies Biden's Warning, Threatens U.S. Forces
On October 30, 2023, a Telegram channel affiliated with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) posted a video that appeared to mock warnings from U.S. President Joseph Biden to Iran and its proxies in the region, cautioning them not to intervene in the Hamas-Israel war.
On October 31, 2023, Hamas' military wing, the 'Izz al-Din Al-Qassam Brigades, released two short videos showing the brigade's use of the Al-'Asef torpedo.
On October 29, 2023, the information bureau of Qais Al-Khazali, secretary-general of the Iran-backed Iraqi militia Asa'ib Ahl Al-Haq, published photos of a meeting between the Iraqi militia leader and a Hamas delegation, held at Al-Khazali's office in Baghdad.
On October 26, 2023, the chief security commander of the Iran-backed Hizbullah Brigades in Iraq posted a statement on his Telegram channel in which he declared that his organization, "is prepared for a war of attrition that will last for years, against the enemy," and added that "the escalation against the enemy will be gradual, will expand, and will include more powerful blows."
On October 30, 2023, the Farsi-language Telegram channel "Al-Nujaba Islamic Resistance," which is affiliated with the Iraqi Al-Nujaba Movement militia, posted a 47-second video threatening attacks against U.S. personnel and vowing to expel American troops from Iraq.
On November 1, 2023, the secretary-general of the Iran-backed Iraqi Shi'ite Al-Nujaba Movement militia released a statement calling to "militarily liberate Iraq," essentially declaring war against U.S. forces in Iraq.
On November 1, 2023, the secretary-general of the Iran-backed Iraqi Shi'ite Al-Nujaba Movement militia, published an official statement on his X (formerly Twitter) account, asserting that the "Iraqi Islamic resistance" has decided to "militarily liberate Iraq," essentially declaring war against U.S. forces in Iraq.
On October 28, 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.
Iran-Backed Islamic Resistance In Iraq Claims Drone Attack Against U.S. Al-Tanf Base In Syria
On November 1, 2023, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an Iran-backed umbrella organization consisting of several Iraqi militias, claimed that its fighters launched two drones against the Al-Tanf base belonging to "the American occupier," in southeastern Syria, reportedly resulting in direct hits.
Iran-Backed 'Islamic Resistance In Iraq' Claims Drone Attack Against U.S. Forces In Western Iraq
In an October 31, 2023 statement posted on Telegram, the "Islamic Resistance in Iraq," an Iran-backed joint operations room comprising Iraqi militias, claimed responsibility for a drone attack on U.S. military base in western Iraq, writing: "The mujahideen of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq targeted the U.S. occupation base in 'Ain Al-Assad' western Iraq with two drones which hit their targets directly."
Iran-Backed 'Islamic Resistance In Iraq' Claims Drone Attack On U.S. Base In Anbar
On October 27, 2023, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella organization consisting of several Iraqi militias, claimed a drone attack against a U.S. base in Anbar province, western Iraq.
Iran-Backed 'Islamic Resistance In Iraq' Claims Rocket Attack On U.S. Base In Syria
On October 26, 2023, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella organization consisting of several Iraqi militias, claimed a rocket attack against a U.S. base in Syria.
Iran-Backed 'Islamic Resistance In Iraq' Claims Drone Attack On U.S. Base In Erbil, Iraq
On October 26, 2023, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella organization consisting of several Iraqi militias, claimed a drone attack against a U.S. base in northern Iraq.
On October 29 and October 30, 2023, Telegram channels linked to Iran shared statements from the "Islamic Resistance in Iraq," an Iran-backed joint operations room consisting of Iraqi militias.
On October 27, 2023, Iraqi Shi'ite populist cleric Muqtada Al-Sadr called on the Iraqi government and the parliament to close the U.S. embassy in support of the people in Gaza and in condemnation of the American support to Israel.
Cyber Cell Affiliated With Iran-Backed Militias In Iraq Claims Attacks On Israeli Websites
On October 30, 2023, the Telegram channel NEO Cyber, which supports the Iran-backed Shi'ite militias in Iraq, summarized cyberattacks against Israel claimed by the group since October 12.
On October 23, 2023, the Iran-backed Iraqi Shi'ite Al-Nujaba Movement published an official one-page Arabic-language statement, criticizing a same-day statement by the Iraqi government's press office, condemning the repeated attacks against U.S. barracks in Iraq, and describing military bases containing U.S. forces in Iraq as "Iraqi barracks hosting headquarters of advisors to the international coalition [against the Islamic State (ISIS)], who came to Iraq on an official invitation from the government."
On October 31, 2023, Iran-backed Yemen's Ansar Allah (Houthis) claimed responsibility for a series of missile and drone attacks on Israel.
Posters On Iran-Backed Channels Incite Further Violence Against Israel, Promise To Sink U.S. Vessels
Following Hamas's surprise assault on Israel on October 7, 2023, Telegram channels supportive of, and affiliated with, Iran-backed militias in Iraq have been distributing graphics, posters, images, and other media glorifying the attack on Israel, justifying the attack, and threatening further escalation.
Appearing on October 24, 2023, issue 214 of the Al-Somood monthly magazine, released in Arabic by the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (the Afghan Taliban), focuses on the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas, launched by the militant Palestinian group in an October 7 surprise attack against the Jewish state.
