RSS
The FBI’s Counterterrorism Operations Against Iran’s Terrorist Sleeper Cells
John Bolton. Photo: Gage Skidmore via Wikimedia Commons.
JNS.org – The invisible but alarming threat of Iranian terrorist sleeper cells in the United States has become a major concern for the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Most notoriously, the Iranian regime has sought to target former President Donald Trump and individuals close to him, including former U.S. Special Representative for Iran Brian Hook, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, former National Security Advisor John Bolton and former CIA Director Gina Haspel.
The Iranian regime is ruthlessly seeking revenge for the Trump-ordered execution of terror kingpin and head of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps-Quds Force Qassem Soleimani. As a result, the FBI closely monitors charities, religious centers, schools and medical centers linked to Tehran.
The use of terror to get its way is par for the course for Iran. The regime’s Ministry of Intelligence (MOIS, in Persian VAJA) has a dark legacy of silencing opposition through assassination. Hundreds of victims have been killed both in Iran itself and abroad.
This long history of both thwarted plots and grim successes, especially against Israeli interests, is part of a broader strategy of Iranian intimidation that transcends national boundaries. The new effort to expand operations to American soil, however, is a significant escalation. The FBI’s shadow campaign against Iran’s covert terrorist units is essential to ensuring national security and safeguarding the homeland.
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi’s assertion that seeking revenge is a duty incumbent upon all Muslims suggests that Iran seeks to sponsor terrorist attacks while disavowing any direct involvement, part of a classic strategy of denial and obfuscation.
Iran’s military and clandestine intelligence operations in the Western hemisphere are a clear and present danger to the national security and interests of the U.S. The January 2024 assassination of three Americans, unquestionably by Iranian proxies, showed the Islamic Republic’s brazen willingness to strike at the heart of American life.
In response, the U.S. intelligence and counterterrorism communities must be vigilant. The multiplicity of threats, from cyber espionage to traditional surveillance, requires an adaptive and comprehensive approach to the problem. The FBI’s role in counteracting such threats, while daunting, is critical in preempting and neutralizing potential acts of terror and espionage on American soil. The FBI stands on the front lines of this clandestine war; it is America’s shield.
As tensions between the United States and Iran reach a boiling point, the menace of sleeper cells hangs like a Sword of Damocles over American domestic security. The solution to the problem is not simple. It demands a concerted effort from intelligence agencies, policymakers and international partners to dismantle these terror networks and prevent further escalation.
Until the destructive regime in Tehran undergoes a radical shift towards genuine peace and diplomacy, the U.S. and indeed the world must remain on high alert. The threat of domestic Iranian terror is not just a matter of national security but a stark reminder of the enduring struggle between the forces of terror and the ideals of freedom and peace.
The post The FBI’s Counterterrorism Operations Against Iran’s Terrorist Sleeper Cells first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
RSS
After False Dawns, Gazans Hope Trump Will Force End to Two-Year-Old War
Palestinians walk past a residential building destroyed in previous Israeli strikes, after Hamas agreed to release hostages and accept some other terms in a US plan to end the war, in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa
Exhausted Palestinians in Gaza clung to hopes on Saturday that US President Donald Trump would keep up pressure on Israel to end a two-year-old war that has killed tens of thousands and displaced the entire population of more than two million.
Hamas’ declaration that it was ready to hand over hostages and accept some terms of Trump’s plan to end the conflict while calling for more talks on several key issues was greeted with relief in the enclave, where most homes are now in ruins.
“It’s happy news, it saves those who are still alive,” said 32-year-old Saoud Qarneyta, reacting to Hamas’ response and Trump’s intervention. “This is enough. Houses have been damaged, everything has been damaged, what is left? Nothing.”
GAZAN RESIDENT HOPES ‘WE WILL BE DONE WITH WARS’
Ismail Zayda, 40, a father of three, displaced from a suburb in northern Gaza City where Israel launched a full-scale ground operation last month, said: “We want President Trump to keep pushing for an end to the war, if this chance is lost, it means that Gaza City will be destroyed by Israel and we might not survive.
“Enough, two years of bombardment, death and starvation. Enough,” he told Reuters on a social media chat.
“God willing this will be the last war. We will hopefully be done with the wars,” said 59-year-old Ali Ahmad, speaking in one of the tented camps where most Palestinians now live.
“We urge all sides not to backtrack. Every day of delay costs lives in Gaza, it is not just time wasted, lives get wasted too,” said Tamer Al-Burai, a Gaza City businessman displaced with members of his family in central Gaza Strip.
After two previous ceasefires — one near the start of the war and another earlier this year — lasted only a few weeks, he said; “I am very optimistic this time, maybe Trump’s seeking to be remembered as a man of peace, will bring us real peace this time.”
RESIDENT WORRIES THAT NETANYAHU WILL ‘SABOTAGE’ DEAL
Some voiced hopes of returning to their homes, but the Israeli military issued a fresh warning to Gazans on Saturday to stay out of Gaza City, describing it as a “dangerous combat zone.”
Gazans have faced previous false dawns during the past two years, when Trump and others declared at several points during on-off negotiations between Hamas, Israel and Arab and US mediators that a deal was close, only for war to rage on.
“Will it happen? Can we trust Trump? Maybe we trust Trump, but will Netanyahu abide this time? He has always sabotaged everything and continued the war. I hope he ends it now,” said Aya, 31, who was displaced with her family to Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.
She added: “Maybe there is a chance the war ends at October 7, two years after it began.”
RSS
Mass Rally in Rome on Fourth Day of Italy’s Pro-Palestinian Protests
A Pro-Palestinian demonstrator waves a Palestinian flag during a national protest for Gaza in Rome, Italy, October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Claudia Greco
Large crowds assembled in central Rome on Saturday for the fourth straight day of protests in Italy since Israel intercepted an international flotilla trying to deliver aid to Gaza, and detained its activists.
People holding banners and Palestinian flags, chanting “Free Palestine” and other slogans, filed past the Colosseum, taking part in a march that organizers hoped would attract at least 1 million people.
“I’m here with a lot of other friends because I think it is important for us all to mobilize individually,” Francesco Galtieri, a 65-year-old musician from Rome, said. “If we don’t all mobilize, then nothing will change.”
Since Israel started blocking the flotilla late on Wednesday, protests have sprung up across Europe and in other parts of the world, but in Italy they have been a daily occurrence, in multiple cities.
On Friday, unions called a general strike in support of the flotilla, with demonstrations across the country that attracted more than 2 million, according to organizers. The interior ministry estimated attendance at around 400,000.
Italy’s right-wing government has been critical of the protests, with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni suggesting that people would skip work for Gaza just as an excuse for a longer weekend break.
On Saturday, Meloni blamed protesters for insulting graffiti that appeared on a statue of the late Pope John Paul II outside Rome’s main train station, where Pro-Palestinian groups have been holding a protest picket.
“They say they are taking to the streets for peace, but then they insult the memory of a man who was a true defender and builder of peace. A shameful act committed by people blinded by ideology,” she said in a statement.
Israel launched its Gaza offensive after Hamas terrorists staged a cross border attack on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 people hostage.
RSS
Hamas Says It Agrees to Release All Israeli Hostages Under Trump Gaza Plan
Smoke rises during an Israeli military operation in Gaza City, as seen from the central Gaza Strip, October 2, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
Hamas said on Friday it had agreed to release all Israeli hostages, alive or dead, under the terms of US President Donald Trump’s Gaza proposal, and signaled readiness to immediately enter mediated negotiations to discuss the details.