Iraq 

U.S. Military Positions Targeted On The Fourth Anniversary of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani’s Assassination 

Iran-backed militias in the ‘Islamic Resistance in Iraq’ attacked U.S. military positions in Iraq and Syria in the days leading up to the fourth anniversary on January 3 of Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani’s assassination by the U.S. On January 2 alone, there were eight claims of attacks by Iraqi militants on eight separate bases in Iraq and Syria. Erbil International Airport—the site of a one-way drone attack by Kataib Hezbollah on December 25 that severely injured an American soldier and wounded two others—was the most frequently targeted base during this time, with attacks on December 30, December 31, and January 2.  

U.S. Launches Drone Strike In Eastern Baghdad, Killing A Commander In The Popular Mobilization Force (PMF) From The Terrorist Group Harakat Al-Nujaba 

On January 4, the U.S. launched missiles from a drone—its sixth airstrike since October 26—at a vehicle belonging to Harakat Al-Nujaba in eastern Baghdad, killing four militants and wounding six others. According to a U.S. official speaking anonymously, the strikes targeted and killed a commander, whose identity was later revealed to be Mushtaq Talib al-Saidi, also known as “Abu Taqwa,” deputy head of operations for the PMF, an Iraqi state entity comprised of various Iran-backed militias and terrorist organizations, including Harakat Al-Nujaba, nominally under the command of Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Al-Sudani. However, the PMF militias often retain their loyalty to Tehran, rather than the prime minister. Sudani condemned the U.S. drone strike, describing it as an “unjustified attack on an Iraqi security entity.” 

Israel and the Palestinian Territories 

Hamas Forces Weakened From Fighting Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) In Gaza 

On December 30, Hamas-linked media reported that Abdel-Fattah Maali, the former deputy to Yahya Ayash, was killed in an Israeli air strike in the Gaza Strip. Maali was freed in a prisoner swap in 2011 and expelled to Gaza. Ayash was a senior Hamas operative known for building explosives and responsible for the deaths of over 90 Israelis before he was assassinated by Israel in 1996. Israel also eliminated the deputy chairman to Hamas’ politburo, Saleh Al-Arouri, in a precision drone strike in southern Beirut, Lebanon (discussed below). 

However, key leadership, including the leader of Hamas’ military wing, Mohammad Deif, his deputy, Marwan Issa, and the leader of Hamas in Gaza, Yayha Sinwar, are still alive—likely hiding somewhere in Gaza. Other leaders, like Khaled Meshaal and Ismael Haniyeh, are outside Gaza. These two individuals have been residing in Qatar with permission of the ruling Al-Thani family. 

The U.S. State Department’s Rewards for Justice program issued a release on January 5, identifying the location of several members of Hamas’ financial network and offering up to $10 million dollars for information leading to the disruption of the U.S.-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) Hamas’ financial mechanisms. Several of these operatives are based in Turkey; one in Sudan; and one’s location was not disclosed. 

IDF To Withdraw Some Troops From The Gaza Strip, Indicating Potential Shift To Lower Intensity Operations 

Israeli political and military officials have said they are prepared for and expect fighting in Gaza to continue throughout 2024. They have also reported significant progress on the ground toward Israel’s war aims of dismantling the Hamas terrorist group. According to Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, as of January 2, Israel had destroyed 12 Hamas battalions in northern Gaza, thereby severely degrading Hamas’s ability to conduct large scale operations, especially in the north. IDF spokesperson Doron Spielman has noted that around 8,000 of the terrorist groups’ initial 25,000 fighters have been killed.

Amid this progress, the IDF said it is preparing to withdraw five brigades from the Gaza Strip, potentially signaling a shift to a new phase of the war that will likely focus on smaller scale operations, targeted raids, capture missions, and assassinations. Such a shift would contrast with the first two phases of the war—the aerial and ground assaults—in terms of the intensity of the operations targeting Hamas and therefore carries the risk of allowing Hamas to partially reconstitute itself. 

Declassified American Intelligence Shows Hamas Used Al-Shifa Hospital As A Command Center Before It Was Raided By The IDF 

Prior to Israel’s raid on Al-Shifa hospital in mid-November 2023, the Hamas terrorist organization was using the complex to shelter commanders, direct operations, and hold some hostages, U.S. spy agencies concluded in a report that was declassified on January 2. Hamas fighters evacuated the premise, bringing the hostages with them, and destroyed documents and electronics before Israel’s operation.  

Israel Raids Foreign Exchange And Money Transfer Agencies In The West Bank, Seizing Millions Of Dollars Intended For Hamas 

The Shin Bet, Israel’s internal security agency, the IDF, and Israeli police raided West Bank foreign exchange and money transfer agencies based on intelligence gathered, in part, from a special cybercrime unit’s investigation into the illicit transfer of funds to Hamas. The unit’s role was to target cryptocurrencies. During the raids, which seized millions of dollars intended for Hamas, the IDF opened fire on armed militants at various locations. 

Lebanon and Hezbollah 

Deputy Chairman Of Hamas’ Politburo, Saleh Al-Arouri, Taken Out In Southern Beirut, a Hezbollah Stronghold  

On January 2, Lebanese state media reported that Israel conducted a drone strike in Dahieh, southern Beirut, targeting Hamas offices. Soon after the initial reports of the blast, Hezbollah-linked media reported that Saleh Al-Arouri, deputy chairman of Hamas’ politburo since he was elected to the post in October 2017, was among those killed in the strikes. The U.S. State Department had designated Arouri as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) in 2015 and offered a $5 million reward for information on the terrorist leader. 

Arouri was a founder of Hamas’ military wing, Izz Ad-Din Al-Qassam Brigades, the head of West Bank operations, a key figure in Hamas’ financial network, and a close interlocutor to Tehran. He also played a significant role in integrating Hamas within the ‘Axis of Resistance’ and furthering the groups’ coordination with Hezbollah and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Arouri had reportedly left from Turkey to Lebanon late last year. 

In addition to Arouri, Hamas said that two commanders in its military wing were also eliminated in the drone strike. Samir Findi, who is described in Israeli media as Hamas’ de facto military commander in Lebanon, as well as Azzam Al-Aqra were also neutralized in the precision strikes. IRGC-linked Tasnim News reported that on January 3, Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah gave a pre-planned speech to commemorate the death of Soleimani in which he vowed revenge for Israel’s precision strikes against Arouri in an area under Hezbollah’s control. Nasrallah repeated the same threat on January 5 in another public speech. 

Syria 

Israel Conducts Air Strikes in Syria Amid Reports Of Surging Iranian Arm Transfers Through Syria To Hezbollah 

On December 29, Ynet News reported Iran had begun accelerating its transfer of munitions to Hezbollah, including precision-guided missiles, surface-to-air missiles, and air defense systems, in preparation for the terrorist proxy group’s escalation vis-à-vis Israel. The transfers correspond with Israel increasing the frequency and potency of its air strikes in Syria. Last week, Israel took out Quds Force Unit 2250 Commander Razi Mousavi, who was in charge of logistics in Syria. 

Air strikes on December 30 in Abu Kamal, near the Syrian border crossing with Iraq, destroyed a militant convoy, outposts, and weapons and ammunition warehouses, hours after the ‘Islamic Resistance in Iraq’ claimed to attack a U.S. military position in Erbil, Iraq. The U.S. Department of Defense didn’t claim responsibility for the air strikes, which suggests they were probably carried out by Israel. The strikes killed four members of Lebanese Hezbollah.