The joint U.S. and Israeli operation “Epic Fury / Roaring Lion” (February 2026) signifies a definitive shift in modern warfare, moving Artificial Intelligence (AI) and cyber capabilities from elective support to core structural components of campaign design. This evolution suggests a new paradigm where computational
Abstract This report analyzes Iran’s information warfare during the December 2025 – January 2026 protests and its parallel influence efforts targeting Israel and the West. Facing widespread economic unrest, the regime used physical repression and a coordinated narrative campaign, labeling demonstrators as agents of the
The Cyber-Terrorism Desk at the International Institute for Counter-Terrorism (ICT), Reichman University, focuses on the intersection of terrorism and cyberspace. It provides analysis and insights into how terrorist organizations exploit digital platforms for influence, propaganda, recruitment, psychological warfare, fundraising, and cyber operations. The desk monitors
Download Abstract Since late 2023, the Handala Hack Team (HHT) has evolved into a sophisticated tool of Iranian-aligned psychological warfare, blending hacking with targeted influence operations to pressure Israel’s political ecosystem. The alleged “Bibi Gate” hacking campaign, claims of access to data from the phone
Download Abstract Research on extremism in gaming has often focused on the content of video games themselves. Much less attention has been given to the digital spaces that surround gaming, including livestreaming platforms, chat systems, and creator communities where audiences spend far more time than
Download Abstract This paper examines how Charlie Kirk became a target of online hostility long before his assassination, and how the killing was later interpreted across loosely moderated digital spaces. Drawing on posts from Reddit and 4chan, the study shows how Kirk was repeatedly mocked
Since October 7th, influence warfare has become a central arena in the confrontation between the Axis of Resistance and Israel. Alongside military operations, Iranian proxies have intensified their efforts to manipulate information against Israel and the West. This demonstrates their recognition that the psychological battlespace
Abstract This report examines how the online multiplayer server “Magic City” on Grand Theft Auto V (GTA5), operated by a Palestinian gaming community via the FiveM modding platform, functions as a digital environment that enables radicalization. Through game visual symbolism reflecting the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, players
Abstract Amid the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran, Hezbollah has remained militarily passive, relying on rhetoric and symbolic gestures over direct engagement. This calculated restraint underscores the organization’s strategic vulnerabilities—domestic opposition, operational setbacks, and deep reliance on Iranian support. The central question now is
Download FileDownload On Thursday, 12 JUNE 2025, Israel launched an operation targeting Iranian nuclear facilities and military assets. In response, Iran initiated missile and drone attacks against Israel, though with limited success compared to the scale and precision of the Israeli offensive. In response, Iran
Abstract This article examines Hezbollah’s coordinated media campaigns on Telegram between November 2024 and May 2025. It reveals how the organization shifted its messaging from declarations of military victory to themes of resilience, national unity, and civil legitimacy. Through analyzing hashtags, visual content, and rhetorical
November 27, 2024 – Morning in Lebanon: Citizens returning to a village in southern Lebanon gathered around a central square to burn an Israeli flag, creating a symbolic image that quickly defined the day and the narrative Hezbollah seeks to project: framing the withdrawal of
On November 22nd, Cyber Toufan al-Aksa hacker group released a press statement on their official Telegram channel, declaring they will halt their ongoing operations against Israel in cyberspace in light of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire. They expressed their intent to resume operations after the ceasefire, with
Anonymous Sudan, a pro-Islamic hacker group, has recently published a donation campaign on their Telegram channel, urging contributions through various digital currencies. It should be noted that there is no indication that large number of transactions were made to the group. Operating since January 2023,
On 07 OCTOBER 2023, Hamas, the Palestinian terrorist group based in the Gaza Strip, began a devastating and coordinated attack that shook Israel. Beginning at approximately 0630 (UTC+03), Hamas launched a massive rocket barrage targeting civilian areas while simultaneously Hamas terrorist operatives initiated infiltration operations,
The article examines the recent media jihad campaign “Supporting Ribat and Jihad” conducted by the Islamic State and its online supporters, focusing on the concept of media jihad and its significance in response to deplatforming efforts. The article also explores the Islamic State’s transition from
The article explores the benefits, challenges, and potential impact of ChatGPT, an advanced chatbot powered by artificial intelligence. It appears that at this stage, it can be said that large language models (LLMs) and artificial intelligence (AI) models like ChatGPT have achieved a dramatic technological
This paper aims to raise awareness among policymakers and security forces regarding the exploitation of social media platforms by far-right actors to denounce the indictment of former President Donald Trump. The study was conducted over a one-month monitoring period from 18 MARCH to 18 APRIL
Elon Musk’s purchase of Twitter, considered part of the Big-Tech ecosystem, heralds an alarming change regarding online disinformation. Statements about removing censorship and allowing free speech, accompanied by solid end-to-end encryption and weakening the enforcement of online content monitoring, are prominent warning signs for democracy
The following article describes Afaq’s role in Islamic State’s cyber defense arena over the years; the recent cyber-attack on the foundation; and the implications of the attack. Download
Cyberspace has become one of the main arenas for state warfare. It is also largely used by non-state actors or state sponsored actors, including criminal networks and terrorist organisations. In recent years, their operations in cyberspace have become a real challenge for global security. Throughout
Summary Throughout the latter quarter of 2021, online supporters of the Islamic State engaged in a campaign of incitement, calling on individuals to plan and execute individual-initiative (lone-wolf) attacks against western targets. While the campaign called for individual-initiative attacks in many western countries, supporters of
Summary: With the proliferation, spread, and impact of violent extremist and terrorist content on the Internet and social media, governments, and security agencies have increased their countermeasures online. In response, terrorists and violent extremists have similarly altered their behavior by changing tactics and migrating to
Executive Summary Throughout the period under review (April-June 2021), terror activity continued to permeate through the cyber arena. Jihadist terrorist groups continued their efforts spanning from operational to defensive and offensive actions. Terror groups have also been continuing the trend of using various social media
The first quarter of 2021 has shown a continuation of efforts by terrorist organizations to utilize cyber space for a variety of purposes. As such , January saw an escalation in the far right extremism movement with the inauguration of United States President Joe Biden.
This report covers the period of December 2012
This report covers the period of January 2013
This report covers the period of Fabruary-April 2013
This report covers the period of March-July 2013
This report covers the period of June-September 2013
This report covers the period of October-November 2013
This report covers the period of December 2013 – January 2014
This report covers the period of February – March 2014
This report covers the period of April – June 2014
This report covers the period of July – September 2014
This report covers the period of October – December 2014
This report covers the period of January – March 2015
This report covers the period of April – June 2015
This report covers the period of July – September 2015
Over recent decades we have witnessed several successful attacks and attempts by terrorist organizations to strike trains around the world. Most of these attacks were carried out in Asia and Europe where the rail infrastructure is a common means of transportation. An attack and/or successful
This report covers the period of October – December 2015.
This report covers the period of January – March 2016.
During the month of September 2016, members of Cyber Kahilafah began to promote and advertise the use of a technology called ZeroNet, which enables decentralized Web site hosting using a peer-to-peer (P2P) network. The obvious advantage of this technology, which was initially released in 2015,
Over the past year, there have been increasing calls warning of the possible danger of a successful cyber-attack by the Islamic State against the West. In the beginning of April 2016, Admiral Michael Rogers, Commander of the US Cyber Command, claimed that the IS could
The potential of cyberspace, including the Internet, was first recognized by terrorist organizations over a decade ago but in recent years there has been a significant increase in the scope of Internet use and in the level of sophistication with which it is used. At
The information gathered by our team over the last few months indicates that terrorist groups are fundraising to finance their activities by placing commercial advertising on Websites used by jihadist elements to store information and messages. Similar efforts were discovered back in 2006, in the
This report covers the period of April-June 2016
