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CTC Sentinel 6(4) APRIL 2013 . VOL 6 . ISSUE 4 Contents Hizb Allah Resurrected: FEATURE ARTICLE 1 Hizb Allah Resurrected: The Party of The Party of God’s Return to God’s Return to Tradecraft By Matthew Levitt Tradecraft REPORTS By Matthew Levitt 6 The Sinaloa Federation’s International Presence By Samuel Logan 10 Boko Haram: Reversals and Retrenchment By David Cook 13 The Salafist Temptation: The Radicalization of Tunisia’s Post- Revolution Youth By Anne Wolf 16 Rethinking Counterinsurgency in Somalia By William Reno 19 France: A New Hard Line on Kidnappings? By Anne Giudicelli 22 Recent Highlights in Terrorist Activity 24 CTC Sentinel Staff & Contacts Lebanese Hizb Allah militants visit the grave of former military chief Imad Mughniyyeh. - Anwar Amro/AFP/Getty Images uring the past few years, This article traces Hizb Allah’s recent Lebanese Hizb Allah’s spike in operational activity since global operations increased 2008, highlighting the group’s efforts markedly, but until recently to rejuvenate the capabilities of its IJO. Dits efforts yielded few successes. In July Many of these details derive from the 2012, however, Hizb Allah operatives author’s extensive conversations with bombed a busload of Israeli tourists in Israeli security officials in Tel Aviv, Burgas, Bulgaria, killing five Israelis which were then vetted and confirmed About the CTC Sentinel and a Bulgarian bus driver.1 Yet what in conversations with American and The Combating Terrorism Center is an may prove no less significant than this European security, intelligence and independent educational and research operational success was another plot military officials. institution based in the Department of Social foiled in Cyprus just two weeks earlier. Sciences at the United States Military Academy, The Cyprus plot provided the clearest The article also provides a detailed case West Point. The CTC Sentinel harnesses window yet on the rejuvenation of Hizb study of Hossam Yaacoub—the convicted the Center’s global network of scholars and Allah’s tradecraft and the capabilities of Hizb Allah operative now serving time practitioners to understand and confront the group’s international terrorist wing, in a Cypriot prison for his role in a plot contemporary threats posed by terrorism and the Islamic Jihad Organization (IJO). targeting Israeli tourists—to show how other forms of political violence. Hizb Allah has resurrected its terrorist capabilities. Drawn from the police depositions of interviews with Yaacoub The views expressed in this report are those of 1 “Israelis Killed in Bulgaria Bus Terror Attack, Minister the authors and not of the U.S. Military Academy, after his arrest, the case provides unique Says,” CNN, July 18, 2012; John Kerry, “Bulgarian An- the Department of the Army, or any other agency insights into how Hizb Allah recruits of the U.S. Government. nouncement on Hizballah’s Role in Burgas Attack,” U.S. and trains new operatives. Department of State, February 5, 2013. 1 APRIL 2013 . VOL 6. ISSUE 4 The article finds that while Hizb Allah’s foiled in Egypt and Turkey too, as well more on the much larger concern of decision to stay out of the crosshairs of as attempts to kidnap Israelis in Europe combating threats to its nascent nuclear the war on terrorism after 9/11 caused and Africa.6 program.11 Malfunctioning components its global terrorist capabilities to ruined Iranian centrifuges,12 Islamic decline, the group has since rebuilt its Nevertheless, however committed Hizb Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) IJO networks. Allah was to carrying out such attacks, officers defected,13 and then a bomb the IJO was not up to the task. Hizb killed Iranian physics professor Masoud Operation Radwan Reveals Degraded Skills Allah’s leaders had actively pared down Ali Mohammadi outside his Tehran In February 2008, a Damascus car bomb the IJO’s global network of operatives home in January 2010.14 killed Hizb Allah’s military chief, Imad following the 9/11 attacks in an effort Mughniyyeh. At his funeral, Hizb Allah to stay out of the crosshairs of the war According to Israeli intelligence Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah on terrorism. Moreover, the “strategic officials, Iranian leaders reached two promised to retaliate with an “open partnership” it had shared with Iran for conclusions after Mohammadi’s death: war” against Israel. The Israelis took the past decade appears to have focused 1) Hizb Allah’s IJO had to revitalize its the warning seriously, but Nasrallah on funding, training, and arming Hizb operational capabilities, not only to may not have realized how ill-prepared Allah’s increasingly effective standing avenge Mughniyyeh’s death, but also Hizb Allah was to follow through on the militia, not on its cadre of international to play a role in Iran’s “shadow war” threat. terrorists. Therefore, Hizb Allah not only with the West; and 2) the IRGC would lacked the resources and capabilities to no longer rely solely on Hizb Allah to Israeli officials quickly took preventive execute a successful operation abroad, carry out terrorist attacks abroad.15 action—from issuing specific travel but it could also not rely on Mughniyyeh These officials claimed it would now warnings to covert disruptive measures— to plan and direct operations.7 deploy Qods Force operatives to do so against what they deemed the most likely on their own, not just as logisticians scenarios. Israeli officials did not have to New Tasking from Tehran: Target Israeli supporting Hizb Allah hit men.16 Even wait long for Hizb Allah to act. Yet when Tourists more than the loss of its scientists, the IJO—then under the command of A foiled attack in Turkey in September Tehran sought to address its damaged Mughniyyeh’s brother-in-law, Mustafa 2009 was a watershed event for Hizb prestige—the image of an Iran so Badreddine, and Talal Hamiyeh— Allah’s operational planners and weak that it could not even protect first set out to avenge Mughniyyeh’s their Iranian sponsors.8 Despite the its own scientists at home.17 For its death, Operation Radwan (named for increased logistical support Qods Force part, Israeli officials contended that Mughniyyeh, who was also known as operatives provided for that plot, Hizb the Qods Force instructed Hizb Allah to Hajj Radwan) experienced a series of Allah operatives still failed to execute prepare a campaign of terrorist attacks setbacks.2 the attack successfully.9 Israeli officials targeting Israeli tourists worldwide.18 claimed that Hizb Allah and the Qods Even as it decided to operate in countries Force blamed each other for the two Under Nasrallah’s instructions, with comparatively lax security rather years of failed operations, culminating Badreddine and Hamiyeh “undertook than vigilant Western states, Hizb in the botched attack in Turkey and a massive operational reevaluation Allah’s efforts to exact revenge for then another failed plot in Jordan in in January 2010, which led to big Mughniyyeh’s death failed repeatedly. January 2010.10 Meanwhile, by late 2009 changes within the IJO over a period In places such as Azerbaijan, Egypt, Israeli officials contended that Iran’s of a little over six months,” in the and Turkey—and even with significant interest in Hizb Allah’s operational words of one Israeli official.19 During support from Qods Force3 agents—Hizb prowess focused less on local issues this period, IJO operations were put Allah suffered a series of failures, starting like avenging Mughniyyeh’s death and on hold and major personnel changes with the May 2008 fiasco in Baku, when a made.20 New operatives were recruited number of actions, including the planned Tracks of a Resur gent Iran-Hezbollah Threat,” Foreign bombing of the U.S. and Israeli embassies, Policy, July 30, 2012. 11 Personal interview, Israeli counterterrorism official, were disrupted.4 The event led to the 6 Personal interview, Israeli counterterrorism official, Tel Aviv, Israel, September 13, 2012. quiet release of Qods Force personnel, but Tel Aviv, Israel, September 13, 2012; Daniel Edelson, 12 “Stuxnet: Targeting Iran’s Nuclear Programme,” Inter- the public prosecution of two Hizb Allah “Hezbol lah Plans Attacks on Israeli Targets in Turkey,” national Institute for Strategic Studies, February 2012. operatives.5 Operations were soon Ynetnews.com, October 20, 2009; Rotella, “Before Dead- 13 Laura Rozen, “Where is Ali-Reza Asgari?” Politico, ly Bulgaria Bombing, Tracks of a Resur gent Iran-Hezbol- December 31, 2010. 2 Personal interview, Israeli counterterrorism official, lah Threat”; “Hezbollah Denies Egypt Accusations,” al- 14 Alan Cowell, “Blast Kills Physics Professor in Teh- Tel Aviv, Israel, March 17, 2008. Jazira, April 11, 2009; Amos Harel, “Hezbollah Planning ran,” New York Times, January 12, 2010. 3 The Qods Force is the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Attack on Israelis in West Africa,” Haaretz, August 4, 15 Personal interviews, Israeli intelligence officials, Tel Corps’ (IRGC) special unit responsible for extraterrito- 2008. Aviv, Israel, September 13, 2012. rial operations. Like the IRGC, the Qods Force is under 7 Ibid. 16 Ibid. the direct control of the Iranian government. 8 Edelson. 17 Ibid. 4 Sebastian Rotella, “Azerbaijan Seen as New Front in 9 Ibid. 18 Ibid.; Rotella, “Before Deadly Bulgaria Bombing, Mideast Conflict,”Los Angeles Times, May 30, 2009; Lada 10 Personal interview, Israeli counterterrorism official, Tracks of a Resur gent Iran-Hezbollah Threat.” Yevgrashina, “Lebanese Militants Jailed in Baku Over Tel Aviv, Israel, September 13, 2012; Barak Ravid, “IDF 19 Personal interviews, Israeli intelligence
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