Hundreds of cars and motorcycles reportedly took part in the biggest parade ever held in the town of Khan Younis in the Gaza Strip today in preparation for Hamas's 21st anniversary celebration tomorrow, according to the group's Palestinian Information Center (PIC) news. The Palestinian Ma’an News Network reports that Hamas has placed its supporters and […]
Syria's SANA News Agency reports that tomorrow Damascus will play host to an international conference on the Palestinian ‘right of return’. According to SANA, the conference will aim to the solidify the right of Palestinians to return to their homeland as a condition without exception, refusing any moves to nationalize Palestinian refugees in their host […]
After receiving the cabinet's approval this past weekend, the Iraqi parliament is expected to pass the long-debated security pact sometime over the next few days. Disagreement has centered on the concept of security vs. sovereignty, i.e. should security, which would be helped with an extended US military presence in Iraq, take precedence over an ‘unoccupied’ […]
After increased Syrian military activity along its border with Lebanon, and a string of bombings in recent months, the two countries have voiced their interest in increased security cooperation. In a meeting Monday, Lebanese Interior Minister Ziad Baroud agreed with his Syrian counterpart to form a joint-commission charged with improving cooperation on matters of terrorism […]
Today, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem accused the US of committing 'terrorist aggression’ when addressing the British media in London on this weekend's raid conducted by US forces in the Syrian border area of Abu Kamal. According to a US official, the raid successfully targeted the head of a network that was financing and smuggling […]
Hassan Nasrallah, Secretary General for Hezbollah, appeared on Al-Manar television today dismissing as propaganda recent media reports alleging Hezbollah received funding through drug gangs. In the interview, Nasrallah also denied rumors that have circulated on a number of websites claiming that he was poisoned. A segment from the interview can be viewed here. On Tuesday, […]
According to the Hamas-affiliated Palestinian Information Center (PIC), a spokesman for the group asserts that an Egyptian document outlining guidelines for internal Palestinian reconciliation “contains positive points that could be built upon.” He went on to say that Hamas will agree to the document once necessary changes and clarifications are made to it. Hamas's statement […]
Bintjbeil.org, a Hezbollah-affiliated website, has announced the formation of its own facebook group. The website is named after a town in south Lebanon (nicknamed City of the Resistance and Lady of the Galilee), which has been the site of key engagements between Hezbollah and the IDF over the past 20 years. While in a physical […]
The Lebanese Al-Akhbar daily recently featured an in depth report on the bombing in Tripoli (Lebanon) earlier this week. Part of the report included schematics (in a 1, 2, 3, sequence) on how the attack is thought to have been executed (see below). It shows how the bus carrying army personnel was immediately hit after […]
The jihadist al-Yaqeen media center recently distributed a report on internet forums questioning Syria's claim that last weeks bombing in Damascus was carried out by extremists, suggesting it may have been a 'staged incident’. In it's conclusion, it describes the Syrian regime has one that has long fabricated terrorist events in order to suppress Islamist […]
Today's car bombing in Damascus was the first of its kind in Syria since the 1980s. This circumstance, in conjunction with the recent deployment of Syrian troops to the country's border with Lebanon and the alleged involvement of an extremist group in the attack, may have some conspiracy theorists wondering if the incident will be […]
Amid the closure of several jihadist internet forums, it appears Al-Qaeda enthusiasts may be turning more to secondary online outlets to distribute major video releases and interact online. In a previous post last Friday, I mentioned how the As-Sahab media production house established a YouTube channel for the much awaited and delayed release of a […]
The deployment of a reported 10,000 Syrian troops near the country's border with northern Lebanon has many concerned, according to several Arab sources. As-Sharq al-Awsat stated that some Lebanese fear that it could be the sign of a Syrian incursion, with French and Turkish cover, to counter extremists originating from northern Lebanon. However, Lebanese Army […]
As Al-Qaeda's As-Sahab media planned on releasing a video commemorating the 7th anniversary of 9-11, the group's online media infrastructure appears to have come under a cyber-attack this past week, according to Will McCants's Jihadica blog. Several of the pro-Qaeda internet forums (i.e. Ekhlaas and Al-Firdaws) have been down for the past week, while the […]
According to the Sadrist-affiliated Al-Kufa News Agency, representatives from the Sadrist Bloc are calling for the vetting the Awakening Councils, a largely Sunni citizen patrol force, including former insurgents, who many believe have played a key role in combating Al-Qaeda's presence in Iraq. This NY Times piece provides an informative breakdown of the Awakening by […]