Terrorism

Policy Analysis on Terrorism

Destruction from the Israeli strike on Hamas targets at the Jabalia refugee camp, Gaza.

How Hamas Manipulates Gaza Fatality Numbers:

Examining the Male Undercount and Other Problems

International media and NGOs have repeated the group's figures without caveats, giving credence to suspicions of Israeli misconduct and fueling accusations of war crimes and even genocide.

Jan 25, 2024

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Gabriel Epstein

Maps & Graphics

Brief Analysis

Can Iraq's Militias Imitate Houthi Successes at Sea?

The senior terrorist figure Abu Ala al-Walai is seemingly answering Iran's call for a maritime blockade on Israel, but is this a real threat or just a desperate effort to claim strategic influence before the Gaza war ends?

Jan 24, 2024

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Hamdi Malik
Michael Knights

◆ Militia Spotlight

Articles & Testimony

For All That Changed, Hamas Is Still Hamas

Two decades after a landmark study on the group, it is clear that Hamas leaders never truly strayed from their core principle of prioritizing Israel’s destruction over the well-being of fellow Palestinians.

Jan 22, 2024

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Matthew Levitt

A Muhandis and Soleimani site in Baghdad

Maps & Graphics

Brief Analysis

Badr and Asaib Crack the Whip on Kataib al-Imam Ali in Basra

The group stepped on Badr's toes during a recent commemoration ceremony, giving a window into the local balance of power between Iran-backed militias.

Jan 11, 2024

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Ameer al-Kaabi
Michael Knights

◆ Militia Spotlight

Photo of a blast wall with a drone mural at al-Asad Air Base in Iraq.

Maps & Graphics

Brief Analysis

Kataib Hezbollah Reveals Plans for Expanded Regional Attacks

The militia's Abu Hussein wing continues to throw shade at other "resistance" groups and is now threatening U.S. bases in the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and even Saudi Arabia.

Jan 11, 2024

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Ameer al-Kaabi
Hamdi Malik
Michael Knights

◆ Militia Spotlight

A man carries Iranian and Palestinian flags at a pro-Hamas rally in Tehran in October 2023 - source: Reuters

Articles & Testimony

The “Axis of Resistance” Strategy in the Israel-Hamas War

Tehran has faced few consequences for the wartime actions of its proxies, so the United States and its allies should step up their sanctions and gray-zone operations against the regime.

Jan 9, 2024

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Ido Levy

Articles & Testimony

How to Keep Hamas From Bouncing Back

Decades ago, Saleh al-Arouri helped the group realize that external support networks were essential to recovering from serious setbacks, and this playbook lives on despite his death.

Jan 9, 2024

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Matthew Levitt

Iranian military leaders inspect drones.

Brief Analysis

Terrorist Bombings in Iran: Implications and Potential Responses

Although an Islamic State branch claimed the deadly blasts near a restive border zone, Tehran was quick to blame Israel and the United States, promising “severe retaliation” akin to what followed Qasem Soleimani’s death in 2020.

Jan 5, 2024

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Farzin Nadimi

Quds-2 cruise missile in Babil, Jan 3. 2024

Maps & Graphics

Brief Analysis

Iranian-Made Quds-2 Cruise Missile Photographed in Iraq

Recently used in Houthi attacks from Yemen, this missile family could give Iraqi militias the capacity to target sites in Israel if they choose to escalate their campaign of solidarity with Hamas.

Jan 5, 2024

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Alex Almeida
Michael Knights

◆ Militia Spotlight

Maps & Graphics

Brief Analysis

Who Are Nujaba and Why Did the U.S. Just Strike Them?

The group's cadres are the most reckless of Iran's terrorist proxies in Iraq and have been the proximate cause of almost all recent U.S. strikes.

Jan 4, 2024

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Michael Knights

◆ Militia Spotlight

Articles & Testimony

The End of the Hamas Military-Industrial Complex

Three months into the war, even the group’s own propaganda points to lackluster weapons production.

Jan 2, 2024

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Matthew Levitt

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

Articles & Testimony

How Hamas Built an Army

Although the group’s conventional military capabilities seemingly peaked on October 7, an underperforming army is still an army, so the IDF has little choice but to continue ground operations until it can shift to a counterterrorism-centered strategy.

Jan 2, 2024

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Ido Levy

March 14, 2023 protest by Christian locals over the Babiliyoun militia seizure of seven NPU soldiers

Maps & Graphics

Brief Analysis

Babiliyoun Movement Hijacks All Four Christian Minority Seats

A group led by U.S.-sanctioned figure Rayan al-Kildani escaped accountability from Iraqi Christian communities by abusing the courts and buying non-Christian votes.

Jan 2, 2024

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Yaqoub Beth-Addai

◆ Militia Spotlight

Brief Analysis

Growing Internal Tensions Between Hamas Leaders

Kept in the dark about key aspects of the October 7 attack, the group’s external leaders are now jockeying for position in postwar arrangements that they may not have enough power to shape.

Dec 21, 2023

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Ehud Yaari
Matthew Levitt

Maps & Graphics

Articles & Testimony

Profile: Aleppo Defenders Legion

An Aleppo-based militia umbrella group that serves as an auxiliary unit of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in north Syria.

Dec 21, 2023

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Ahmad Sharawi
Abdullah Hayek

◆ Militia Spotlight: Profiles

Brief Analysis

Key Takeaways from the Latest Country Reports on Terrorism

In its annual rundown of counterterrorism challenges and achievements, the State Department focused on jihadist exploitation of undergoverned spaces, Iran’s continued sponsorship of regional terrorist groups, and the threats posed by violent extremism.

Dec 20, 2023

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Camille Jablonski
Delaney Soliday
Ilana Winter

Police walk past the Palestinian Legislative Council in Ramallah

Brief Analysis

Why a West Bank Front Has Not Opened So Far

The older generation remains skeptical of what an intifada might achieve, but Israeli crackdowns and worsening economic conditions could still ignite younger Palestinians and undermine PA security cooperation.

Dec 13, 2023

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Neomi Neumann

Articles & Testimony

Addressing the Scourge of Anti-Semitism in Europe

A Hamas expert testifies on how the group, its sympathizers, and a motley array of other factions are taking advantage of the Gaza war to stoke anti-Semitic threats and attacks across the continent.

Dec 12, 2023

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Matthew Levitt

HaN killed fighters covered with their flag in the coffin, Nov 2023

Maps & Graphics

Brief Analysis

Overlap Between the Islamic Resistance in Iraq and the Popular Mobilization Forces

The "Islamic Resistance" brand mourned the loss of government-paid PMF personnel who were killed while preparing a terrorist attack on international advisors.

Dec 12, 2023

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Ameer al-Kaabi

◆ Militia Spotlight

Houthi drone aircraft on display in Yemen - source: Reuters

Maps & Graphics

Brief Analysis

Under Fire in the Bab al-Mandab: Houthi Military Capabilities and U.S. Response Options

The group is using a wide range of weapons and tactics to escalate its disruption of regional maritime security, establishing selective sea denial against Israeli vessels seeking passage through the strait and threatening U.S. warships that show up to protect them.

Dec 8, 2023

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Farzin Nadimi

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

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Terrorism

Policy Analysis on Terrorism

Jeanette and Eli Reinhard Program on Counterterrorism and Intelligence

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