Daily Intel Brief
A new militant group emerges in the West Bank, a Chinese group is running an influence operation targeting the U.S. midterms, and two Chinese 'police stations' are uncovered in the Netherlands...
Counterterrorism
An armed group has emerged out of Nablus, in the northern occupied West Bank, in the past few months, and appears to be changing the face of Palestinian resistance. The Lions’ Den has gained notoriety for attacks against Israeli checkpoints, soldiers and settlements…
At least 13 people were killed and several others were injured when gunmen on Wednesday opened fire at a Shiite Muslim shrine in the southern Iranian city of Shiraz, state media reported. State TV, which put the death toll at 13, blamed the attack on “takfiris,” a term…
Military & Defense
Syrian and Russian troops conducted joint military drills in Syria involving ground and air forces, Syrian state media reported Wednesday. Russian and Syrian troops simulated attacking enemy positions under the cover of artillery shelling and airstrikes by warplanes…
Israeli airstrikes targeted sites in the vicinity of Damascus early Thursday, marking the third such strikes in a week, Syrian state media reported. The Syrian military said that Israeli missiles were fired at posts near Damascus around 12:30 a.m. and that its air defenses had…
Cybersecurity
The chemical industry is the next sector to take up President Biden’s 100-day cybersecurity sprint, the administration announced Wednesday, an effort designed to sharpen operators’ focus on the most significant risks from a digital attack such as gas leaks and other…
A new report from cybersecurity firm Mandiant says researchers recently observed a pro-China influence campaign targeting the U.S. midterm elections. The campaign launched by the group known as DRAGONBRIDGE, which Mandiant said is likely operating “in support…
Counterintelligence & Espionage
China has illegally opened at least two “police stations” in the Netherlands since 2018 in an attempt to pressure Chinese dissidents, RTL Nieuws and Follow the Money revealed Tuesday. The so-called overseas service stations offer diplomatic services to Chinese Dutch citizens…
A former U.S. military pilot and flight instructor who ran an aviation consultancy in China is in custody in Australia awaiting an extradition request from his homeland on an undisclosed charge, officials said Wednesday. Daniel Edmund Duggan, who says he is a former U.S…
Transnational Organized Crime
The ELN is involved in all manner of criminal economies along the Colombian-Venezuelan border, but its continuing role in facilitating cattle smuggling may be one of the most overlooked. Repeated operations carried out by Colombian authorities in 2022 have shown…
Hong Kong authorities have arrested two men for laundering funds worth HK$3.5 billion ($446 million) by reselling precious metals, one of the city's largest money-laundering cases, officials said Wednesday. The two were involved in a scheme selling around eight tonnes of…