Manchester Synagogue Attack Exposes Gaps in Counter-Terrorism and Prevention
The terrorist attack on the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue, on October 2, 2025 was an intensely intimidating experience of violence and vulnerability on one of the most sacred days of the Jewish season. When the worshippers were all at Yom Kippur, an attacker organized an attack after driving a crowd then stabbing people with […]
Counter-Terrorism Laws and Human Rights: Striking the Balance in the Middle East
By 2025, state policy in the Middle East is still destined to be affected by terrorism. Although ISIS suffered a territorial loss, the operational and ideological scope is obvious, and the number of active fighters in Syria and Iraq is 1,500-3,000. The overall security environment is unstable with extremist groups, domestic rebels, and foreign combatants […]
Drones, AI, and Cyber-Jihad: The Future of Terrorism in the Middle East
With the introduction of unmanned aerial systems, Middle Eastern terrorism has been completely transformed with regard to its operational environment. No longer are drones limited to the state militaries and non-state actors are fast learning to use these instruments in more strategic and disruptive natures. During the 12 months since October 7, 2024, the Middle […]
From Al-Qaeda to ISIS: How Terrorist Ideologies Evolve in the Middle East?
Ideological development of Middle Eastern terrorism dates back to the very worldview of Al-Qaeda. Al-Qaeda was founded in the late 1980s and became the most prominent terrorist group in the 1990s, making global jihad the VIP of its activities. With Osama bin Laden and successively Ayman al-Zawahiri in command, the organization made its adversaries the […]
Quadripartite Calls on Kabul: Are Regional Powers Effectively Addressing Terrorism?
A new sense of urgency in terms of the threat matrix posed by Afghanistan was signalled by the 2025 meeting of the Quadripartite of foreign ministers of China, Iran, Pakistan, and Russia at the 80th United Nations General Assembly. The meeting, which was held in New York, handed more weight to a mounting convergence on […]
Unpacking the Roots: Why Terrorism Soars in the Middle East?
One of the most urgent and complicated global security challenges of the 21st century is the prevalence of terrorism in the Middle East. Since continuous ideological divisions lead to collapse of states and the involvement of foreign powers, the situation in this region is a good breeding ground for extremists. The Global Terrorism Index (GTI) […]
Building resilience: Bahrain’s new strategy for financial integrity and counter-terror goals
Bahrain has also implemented an overall policy to improve the integrity of the financial system, address illegitimate financing, and establish economic resilience in the long term. The 2025-2027 plan is a reflection of coordinated institutional vision, which bridges financial transparency and national security and economic growth. Political Backing And Strategic Framing Revealed by the Interior […]
Elite But Controversial: 50 Years of YAMAM and Israel’s Counter-Terror Legacy
Israel’s YAMAM counter-terrorism unit was established in 1974 to address gaps in police and military capabilities for hostage rescues and urban operations. Formed after a series of terror attacks, it provided rapid-response capacity for complex, high-stakes events, marking a significant evolution in Israel’s national security architecture. Since its foundation, YAMAM was modelled as a highly […]
Iran’s covert reach: Unfolding risks of sleeper cells for US homeland security
US homeland security strategy is undergoing renewed scrutiny amid escalating tensions with Iran, particularly in 2025. Intelligence assessments warn of sleeper cells covert operatives or sympathizers embedded within the United States as growing vectors of risk. The Iranian government, facing pressure from sanctions and regional isolation, is accused of expanding its asymmetric playbook to include […]
The war on Arab sovereignty: How counter-terrorism became regional domination?
Twenty years following the initiation of the US-led war on terror, what started out as a global campaign against extremist threats has been transformed into a wide-ranging network that is eroding Arab sovereignty. The initial requirement of eliminating the terrorist networks has evolved into sophisticated versions of geopolitical administration that tend to marginalize local governance […]