The war in Gaza has been going on for 15 months and the terrorist organizations are struggling to maintain their control. An Israeli senior official explained on Tuesday that Hamas is frustrated with the situation and is seeking achievements elsewhere.
Israel is increasingly concerned about attempts by Hamas and Islamic Jihad to carry out terrorist attacks against Israeli and Jewish targets abroad. Alongside this threat, Israel is also seeing an increase in terrorism in the West Bank, directed and financed by Iran, which is smuggling large quantities of weapons into the West Bank through Jordan.
Meanwhile, Israel is following with concern the "establishment" of Hamas and Islamic Jihad members in Syria, who are taking advantage of the chaos created following the rebel-led coup and the fall of the Assad regime. Currently, there are approximately 2,000 Hamas members and approximately 7,000 Islamic Jihad members. Amid international criticism of the IDF's presence in the buffer zone between the countries, Israel fears that terrorist organizations will try to carry out terrorist attacks in the Golan Heights.
The senior official explained that Israel does not have direct communication with the new Syrian leaders, but there is a backchannel for sending messages. In Israel, people are unimpressed by rebel leader Al-Julani's "moderate messages," saying they are focused on stabilizing the country. Do not be fooled. After they stabilize Syria, they will look at Israel.
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Swedish police near the Israeli embassy in Stockholm
(Photo: TT News Agency/Anders Wiklund/via REUTERS)
A global terrorist effort, without leaders
While Israel fights Hamas in Gaza, several terror attacks against Israeli targets have been thwarted. The terrorist organizations, which draw inspiration from Iran, seek to harm Israeli and Jewish individuals, embassies and other Jewish assets.
In January 2024, the Mossad and the Shin Bet revealed the identities of Hamas operatives in several European countries, following an arrest operation that took place a month earlier. On December 14, 2023, security and enforcement authorities in Denmark and Germany announced the arrest of suspects throughout Europe, who have since been prosecuted. The suspects were working for Hamas to attack Israeli, Jewish and Western targets. It was also reported at the time that the Mossad and Shin Bet had thwarted a Hamas attack in Denmark.
A joint statement by the Prime Minister's Office, the Mossad, and the Shin Bet in January 2024 stated that a comprehensive picture of Hamas' terrorist activity has been revealed, including details about Hamas infrastructure, operatives and targets. It was also revealed that Hamas had purchased drones and activated criminal organizations in Europe to attack Israelis and Jews.
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Hamas draws inspiration from the terrorist attacks carried out by the Iranian regime, and similar to the IGRC, it strives to hit Israeli, Jewish and Western targets at all costs. However, Israel and its allies foiled dozens of attacks during and before the war, as well as those in Brazil, Greece, Cyprus, Africa and several others which have yet to be revealed.