Terrorism

Policy Analysis on Terrorism

Photo of an oil facility in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.

Redefining and Strengthening the U.S.-Iraq Relationship Through Energy and Security

Iraq is more stable than it has been in decades but still faces enormous security and energy challenges, including the risk of spillover from Iran-Israel hostilities, dependence on unreliable Iranian gas amid untapped domestic opportunities, an untested Syrian government, and the unrelenting Islamic State threat.

Jun 27, 2025

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Noam Raydan
Devorah Margolin

Maps & Graphics

Brief Analysis

Qais al-Khazali Tries, Fails to Tone Down Militant Bluster

Khazali finally reacted to the Iran-Israel conflict to avoid further embarrassing his militant base, underlining the difficulties of being a surface politician and a closet terrorist.

Jun 26, 2025

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Hamdi Malik
Michael Knights

◆ Militia Spotlight

Syrian Christians demonstrate in Damascus following the suicide bombing of the Mar Elias church - source: Reuters

Brief Analysis

The Damascus Church Attack: Who Is Saraya Ansar al-Sunnah?

Although definitively identifying the group responsible for the bombing may take more time, authorities in Damascus and Washington already have more than enough information to beef up their security cooperation and reassure Syrian minorities that they won’t be targeted.

Jun 25, 2025

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Aaron Y. Zelin

Maps & Graphics

Brief Analysis

Iraqi Militias Show Cohesion and Restraint During Iran-Israel War

The self-styled "resistance" is probably being held in reserve in case the United States joins the war, with militias noticeably restraining themselves so far.

Jun 19, 2025

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Hamdi Malik
Michael Knights

◆ Militia Spotlight

Maps & Graphics

Brief Analysis

New Evidence of Real-World Attacks by Uli al-Baas

The group's name has been making the rounds for months, but videos and other actual evidence of its claimed attacks against Israel are only now beginning to emerge.

Jun 10, 2025

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Hamdi Malik

◆ Militia Spotlight

Articles & Testimony

Badr Organization: Iran’s Oldest Proxy in Iraq

An in-depth look at why Congress should follow through on calls to sanction the group, which has been closely tied to Iran-backed terrorism for decades.

June 2025

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Michael Knights
Crispin Smith

Articles & Testimony

U.S. Funding Cuts Risk Jeopardizing Counter-Islamic State Operations

The Trump administration claims it is prioritizing efforts to combat the organization, but funding cuts threaten to undermine vital operations.

Jun 4, 2025

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Devorah Margolin

Qais al-Khazali's declassified interrogation file

Maps & Graphics

Brief Analysis

Qais al-Khazali Praises His “Honorable” Role in Murder of Americans

The senior political and "resistance" figure is still trying to legitimize the cold-blooded murder of unarmed Americans in the 2007 Karbala raid.

Jun 5, 2025

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Michael Knights

◆ Militia Spotlight

Brief Analysis

Reducing the U.S. Presence in Syria Too Quickly Could Help the Islamic State

Besides testing Syria’s new authorities on a mission they are not yet ready to handle by themselves, Washington also has an unprecedented chance to curtail the group in areas that were difficult to reach under the old regime.

Jun 4, 2025

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Ido Levy

Harakat al-Abdal armored vehicles and flags

Maps & Graphics

Brief Analysis

Profile: Harakat al-Abdal

An inveterate opponent of the United States and Israel, the enigmatic Harakat al-Abdal may have become an entirely Qods Force-operated, Syria-based entity years ago, posing questions about where its fighters now reside and what became of its PMF status in Iraq.

Jun 2, 2025

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Sary Mumayiz
Michael Knights

◆ Militia Spotlight: Profiles

A United Nations peacepeeker scans the terrain in southern Lebanon - source: Untied Nations

Brief Analysis

UNIFIL’s Fork in the Road

The time for inertia is over—this summer, Security Council members will have a rare and urgent chance to break the spell of illusory “peacekeeping” and advance a model that actually helps keep the peace between Israel and Lebanon.

May 29, 2025

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Assaf Orion

An Islamic State fighter waves an ISIS flag while brandishing an automatic rifle in Raqaa, Syria - source: Reuters

Articles & Testimony

Everyday Life in the Islamic State’s Wilayat al-Raqqah

An in-depth study of how the Islamic State’s administrative apparatus and activities in its Syrian “capital” affected local residents, and how it sought to instrumentalize the populace in a quest to sustain its wider international state-building project for the long term.

May 2025

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Aaron Y. Zelin

Syria's acting president Sharaa greets U.S. President Trump in Riyadh in May 2025 - source: Reuters

Brief Analysis

Setting Expectations with Syria on Countering the Islamic State

After an encouraging Trump-Sharaa meeting, Washington and its partners must now facilitate the complex work of creating timelines and implementing new security arrangements to constrain the jihadist group.

May 27, 2025

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Devorah Margolin

An IDF display of weapons seized from a Hezbollah cache in southern Lebanon - source: Reuters

Brief Analysis

Disarming Palestinian Factions in Lebanon Means Disarming Hezbollah

Given their deep historical and present-day coordination, Beirut needs to change its mindset of treating these groups separately and formulate a unified strategy for disarming them all—and the sooner the better.

May 21, 2025

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Hanin Ghaddar
Ehud Yaari

A masked Hamas fighter brandishes a rifle in Gaza - source: Reuters

Brief Analysis

Deporting Hamas’s Top Brass: A Path to Ending the War in Gaza

Although Hamas is still unwilling to discuss full disarmament, granting safe passage to hundreds of commanders could have similar effects on the ground while enabling the parties to end the fighting and reach a viable “day after” agreement.

May 20, 2025

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Ehud Yaari

Brief Analysis

The Islamic State Attacks the New Syrian Government

Even before a high-profile new attack in the east, shifting trends in the number, nature, and location of plots showed why the United States isn’t quite ready to take a victory lap in the battle against IS in Syria.

May 19, 2025

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Aaron Y. Zelin

Maps & Graphics

Brief Analysis

Terrorist Wing of the Iraqi Government Opposes Sharaa Visit

Two of Prime Minister Sudani's partners in government—the terrorist groups Kataib Hezbollah and Asaib Ahl al-Haq—have stepped up their efforts to bar Syria's new president from a Baghdad summit.

May 15, 2025

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Ameer al-Kaabi
Michael Knights

◆ Militia Spotlight

Brief Analysis

Trump Meets Sharaa: Writing a New Chapter in U.S.-Syria Relations

The two leaders raised a wide array of crucial proposals, giving Secretary Rubio and the rest of the Trump team unprecedented room to set the terms for a mutually beneficial post-sanctions relationship.

May 14, 2025

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Aaron Y. Zelin

Brief Analysis

Will Israel’s New “Chariots” Plan Trample or Strengthen Hamas?

Israel sees its next operation in Gaza as a means to decisively damage Hamas’s military and governance capabilities while freeing the rest of the hostages, but the plan might also produce a lengthy occupation and expanded guerrilla warfare.

May 14, 2025

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Neomi Neumann

Maps & Graphics

Brief Analysis

Asaib Ahl al-Haq Accuses Faleh al-Fayyad of Turkish Collusion

The militia continues to battle with the PMF secretary-general, this time highlighting his alleged promotion of Turkish interests in the hope of undermining him.

May 8, 2025

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Ameer al-Kaabi
Hamdi Malik

◆ Militia Spotlight

Supported by the

Jeanette and Eli Reinhard Program on Counterterrorism and Intelligence

The Washington Institute's Jeanette and Eli Reinhard Program on Counterterrorism and Intelligence serves as Washington's premier center for the study of international terrorism.

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Featured experts

Matthew Levitt

Matthew Levitt is the Fromer-Wexler Senior Fellow and director of the Reinhard Program on Counterterrorism and Intelligence at The Washington Institute.

Devorah Margolin

Devorah Margolin is the Blumenstein-Rosenbloom Senior Fellow at The Washington Institute.

Aaron Y. Zelin

Aaron Y. Zelin is the Gloria and Ken Levy Senior Fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy where his research focuses on Sunni Arab jihadi groups in North Africa and Syria as well as the trend of foreign fighting and online jihadism.

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Terrorism

Policy Analysis on Terrorism

Jeanette and Eli Reinhard Program on Counterterrorism and Intelligence

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Regions & Countries

Issues

Terrorism

Policy Analysis on Terrorism

Jeanette and Eli Reinhard Program on Counterterrorism and Intelligence

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