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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The following report is now a complimentary offering from MEMRI's Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor (JTTM). For JTTM subscription information, click here.
On October 8, 2023, the Telegram channel of the Hamas mouthpiece Al-Risalah posted an article according to which senior members of the Iran-led anti-U.S. and anti-Israel axis of resistance, among them senior officials from Hamas, Iran-backed Iraqi militias, and the Houthi Ansar Allah movement in Yemen, warned the U.S. against intervening in the fighting to help Israel and threatened that any such intervention would lead to the involvement of all the forces of the axis of resistance in the campaign and endanger all the U.S. interests in the region.
On October 8, 2023, several Telegram channels affiliated with jihadis and with Iran-backed militias in Iraq shared commentary following U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's show of force in support of Israel by sending multiple ships and aircraft closer to Israel. The outlets argued that any direct involvement of U.S. forces makes U.S. interests in the region a "legitimate target" for the Iran-led axis of resistance, and that the U.S. announcement is but an attempt to cheer the "defeated side."
On October 9, 2023, Hadi Al-Amiri, the head of the Badr Organization, an Iran-backed militia in Iraq, threatened to support Hamas militarily against Israel if the U.S. intervenes in the conflict.
On October 10, 2023, Iran-backed Iraqi Kata'ib Sayyid Al-Shuhada' published on its website excerpts of a yet-unaired interview given by the group's leader, to the Lebanese Al-Mayadeen TV channel in which he confirmed that his group shares a joint operations "room" with the Palestinian groups involved in the Hamas-led offensive against Israel.
On October 10, 2023, the website of Iraq's Hizbullah Brigades published a statement attributed to the group's secretary-general, "Al-Hajj" Abu Hussein Ahmed Al-Hamidawi, in which the leader praised Hamas's recent surprise assault in southern Israel, declaring that his group's readiness to intervene on behalf of Palestinians, and threatened to attack the U.S. should it become involved in the conflict.
The following report is now a complimentary offering from MEMRI's Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor (JTTM). For JTTM subscription information, click here.
On October 9, Al-Qaeda supporter Sandar Al-Ghafiqi published a two-page essay in the form of two posters celebrating the offensive for successfully "eliminating" the Jewish state, and hoping the attack would usher in a new era of jihad around the world.
On October 7, 2023, Hamas and other Gaza-based militant Palestinian factions launched Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, a surprise attack on Israel in the early morning of the Jewish holiday of Simchat Torah. As part of the attack, thousands of rockets were fired into Israel and mujahideen infiltrated Israeli towns and military bases near the Gaza strip, killing hundreds of civilians and soldiers and taking captives.
The following report is now a complimentary offering from MEMRI's Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor (JTTM). For JTTM subscription information, click here.
On October 9, Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) issued a three-page "Statement Regarding the Blessed Al-Aqsa Flood Operation." The Arabic-language statement encourages the Palestinian factions to continue the attack and calls on Muslims worldwide – especially those in countries bordering Israel – to support their jihad in any way possible.
On October 7, 2023, Al-Qaeda in the Indian subcontinent (AQIS,) issued a statement that was posted on Chirpwire, celebrating the Hamas attack on Israel.
On October 7, 2023, Hamas and other Gaza-based militant Palestinian factions launched Operation Al-Aqsa Flood (also called Al-Aqsa Storm), a surprise attack on Israel in the early morning of the Jewish holiday of Simchat Torah. As part of the attack, thousands of rockets were fired into Israel and mujahideen infiltrated Israeli towns and military bases near the Gaza strip, killing hundreds of civilians and soldiers and taking captives.
Soon after the October 7, 2023 surprise attack by Hamas on Israel, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (the ruling Afghan Taliban jihadi organization) issued a statement expressing "its support for the legitimate, historical, and legal right of the Palestinian people to have an independent state."
Within hours of the October 7, 2023 surprise attack by Hamas on Israel, Pakistani jihadi organization Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which describes itself as a branch of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (the ruling Afghan Taliban organization), issued a statement expressing joy and calling on Muslims worldwide to aid Palestinians according to their abilities.
The following report compiles initial statements on the conflict that were issued by Iran-backed militias across the Middle East, including Lebanese Hizbullah, the Iraqi Hizbullah Brigades, Ashab Al-Kahf, the Iran-backed Islamic Resistance Faction in Iraq, and the Ansar Allah Houthi Movement in Yemen.
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The following report is now a complimentary offering from MEMRI's Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor (JTTM). For JTTM subscription information, click here.
On October 9, 2023, several Arab media outlets, among them those affiliated with the Syrian opposition, reported on a heightened level of preparedness on the part of Hizbullah and the Iran-backed militias in Syria in the event that the fighting between Israel and the Palestinian factions in the Gaza Strip reaches the Syrian arena. It has also been reported that the same organizations are readying themselves for the possibility of an Israeli attack on Syrian territory and so are reinforcing their troops in the south of the country, especially in the Daraa and Quneitra governorates in southwest Syria, which are adjacent to the border with Israel.
On October 8, 2023, the West Bank-based Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, the military wing of the Palestinian Fatah movement, issued a series of statements inciting Palestinians to bear arms and clash with Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) across all confrontation lines with Israel.
On October 7, 2023, Hamas launched operation Al-Aqsa Flood, a surprise attack on Israel on the early morning of a major Jewish holiday. As part of the attack, the Gaza-based terrorist group fired thousands of rockets into Israel and dispatched fighters into Israeli towns near the Gaza strip.
On October 7, 2023, Abu Hamza, the spokesman for the Quds Companies, the armed wing of Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), announced that the group was taking part in the ongoing aggression and attacks within Israel During the fighting, PIJ released footage of its operatives storming army bases and Israeli towns and communities, provided a count of the Israeli casualties, and asserted that the Palestinian resistance factions had succeeded in "exposing the lie of the 'invincible [Israeli] army.'"
Over the past few days, a Gazan news agency shared on its Telegram account posts promoting fundraising campaign in support of Gaza in the aftermath of the Hamas attack on Israel. The posts promoted campaigns using money transfer apps, social media accounts and crypto wallets.
On October 11, 2023, a news agency which supports Palestinian militant groups published details on its Telegram channel for transferring donations to Gaza in the aftermath of the Hamas offensive on Israel, using the Tether (USDT) cryptocurrency.
On October 9, a news agency which supports Palestinian militant groups shared a poster in English by the president of a London-based company declaring that "emergency" donations are needed due to the "war on Gaza."
On October 5, 2023, the Islamic State (ISIS) released Issue 411 of Al-Naba', the group's weekly newsletter, which featured an editorial arguing that the "league of allies" which once gathered to fight ISIS in Syria is now fragmented thanks to ongoing infighting within the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), the rebel-jihadi conflict in the north, and the internal problems across Syrian regime territory.
WARNING-GRAPHIC: Islamic State (ISIS) Weekly Sheds New Light On Previously Claimed Attacks
On October 5, 2023, ISIS released issue 411 of its weekly newsletter, Al-Naba'. Among the articles in the newsletter are interviews with ISIS sources who provide new details on previously claimed attacks in Mozambique, Nigeria, the Philippines, and Iraq.
On October 2, 2023, a pro-Islamic State (ISIS) outlet which specializes in providing supporters with instructions on securing their identity and communications online, posted an article discussing the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in the field of cybersecurity.
On October 8, 2023, a prominent pro-Islamic State (ISIS) Telegram published a post quoting from an article in issue 22 of ISIS' weekly newsletter Al-Naba', stating that the obligation of jihad to "rescue Bayt Al-Maqdis [Jerusalem or Palestine] from the hands of the Jews" does not justify joining "apostate factions and parties."
On October 10, 2023, a pro-Islamic State (ISIS) media outlet published commentary by a prominent female ISIS supporter who wrote that the killing of Israelis should not serve as a cover to overlook Hamas's "apostasy" and its association with Iran, which aims to achieve political gains and to turn the Al-Aqsa Mosque into a "worthless bargaining chip." The ISIS supporter also called on Hamas members to "repent" and join the ranks of ISIS's caliphate.
On October 4, 2023, a pro-ISIS Telegram channel shared a post announcing the establishment of new pro-ISIS messaging groups on the Session messaging application, as well as a link to an existing group.
On October 10, 2023, Shahada News Agency, the official outlet of Al-Qaeda's affiliate in Somalia, Harakat Al-Shabab Al-Mujahideen (Al-Shabab) released a statement claiming that a U.S. aircraft struck positions in Bu'ale and Saacow in southern Somalia, killing and wounding civilians, including children, and destroying infrastructure.
Following the Hamas attack in Israel, several Salafi jihadi clerics and pro-Al-Qaeda ideologues continued to express support for the Gazan mujahideen, urging non-combatants to join the fight, adding that Israel's objective to eliminate Hamas will be difficult to achieve.
On October 10, the Department of Political Affairs (DPA) in the Syrian Salvation Government (SSG), a rebel governing body linked to Syrian jihadi group Hay'at Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS), released a "Statement of Support for the Palestinian People's Right to Regain its Land – 'Al-Aqsa Flood.'"
Syrian Salafi-jihadis online celebrated the "victory" of the Palestinian factions and called on jihadis in Syria and online to support them in any way possible. At the same time, Syrian jihadis lamented the close cooperation between Shi'ite Iran – a partner with Syria's Assad regime which they view as an anti-Islamic state – and Palestinian groups such as Hamas.
On October 11, 2023, Ibrahim Al-Amin, editor of the pro-Hizbullah Lebanese daily Al-Akhbar, published an article titled "The [Izz Al-Din] Al-Qassam Brigades Await A Ground Offensive – And Hizbullah Refuses To Change the Equation."
On October 7, 2023, Hamas launched operation Al-Aqsa Flood, a surprise attack on Israel on the early morning of a major Jewish holiday. As part of the attack, the Gaza-based terrorist group fired thousands of rockets into Israel and dispatched fighters into Israeli towns near the Gaza Strip. The following report compiles initial statements issued by leaders of Iran-backed militias in Iraq regarding the conflict.
On October 7, 2023, a Telegram channel affiliated with Iran-backed militias in Iraq posted a video message delivered by a fighter in the Iraqi government-funded Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), in which he expressed readiness to extend support to the Palestinian factions that are leading a massive attack on Israel.
On October 8, 2023, an Iran-backed militia in Bahrain announced its support for the Hamas attack against Israel, calling on the Bahraini people to take action to consolidate and activate popular resistance against "Zionists" in Bahrain, which houses the U.S. Naval Forces Central Command and United States Fifth Fleet.
On October 11, 2023, the Iran-backed Ashab Al-Kahf militia posted a statement on its Telegram channel which denounced the international community's response to the Hamas surprise attack on southern Israel that began on October 7. The statement also suggested that the group could attack the U.S. as part of its response in support of Hamas.
On October 10, 2023, Iraqi Shi'ite populist cleric Muqtada Al-Sadr expressed his support for the "people of Gaza," pledging to send them humanitarian aid through Syria or Egypt. The televised statement was his first since the beginning of the Hamas attack on Israel.
On October 7-8, 2023, a Telegram channel which supports Iran-backed militias in Iraq released several posters celebrating the Hamas offensive on Israel and asserting that Israel is approaching its end and will soon be eliminated.
New Iraqi Group Announces Itself In Statement, Video Showing Alleged Attack On Turkish Military Base
On October 4, 2023, a previously-unknown group released a statement announcing the start of an operation against the "Turkish occupation" of Iraq.
On October 7, 2023, the same day that operation Al-Aqsa Flood was launched, Muhammad Ali Al Houthi, a member of the Houthi Supreme Political Council, delivered remarks during a march in Sana'a in support of the operation.
On October 7, 2023, a senior political advisor and spokesperson for the Ansar Allah (Houthi) Movement, posted on X (formerly Twitter), announcing a "live space" – a live audio conversation – to be held on the platform at 2 pm EST.
On October 9, Houthi Supreme Political Council member Muhammad Ali Al-Houthi wrote a poster on X (formerly Twitter) discussing statements by the U.S. and UK expressing "unlimited support for the entity [i.e. Israel] with all necessary capabilities" and by Arab regimes calling for de-escalation, asserting that "the true equation is to prevent the use of Arab airspace and waters and the bases located inside [the Arab countries] from any participation [to assist] the entity […] This is the weakest form of faith to support Palestine, which the Arab regimes describe as the central cause."
The following report is now a complimentary offering from MEMRI's Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor (JTTM). For JTTM subscription information, click here.
On September 28, 2023, an Afghan Taliban channel on YouTube published a short video of a small boy who identifies himself as Mawlawi Mohammad Ahmad Hamid, the "general commander of the mujahideen" in the north, with a gun slung over his sholder and standing among Taliban commanders. He recites antisemitic and jihadi teachings. Mawlawi is a title meaning "Islamic religious scholar."
