How Islamists Fared in 2019

Across the Middle East, Islamist movements faced major setbacks or struggled to retain their positions in 2019. Among jihadis, the Islamic State lost its territorial caliphate in March. Its leader, Abu Bakr al Baghdadi, died during a U.S. military raid in October. The losses hampered the Islamic State’s ability to recruit new followers locally and globally, although it still had between 14,000 and 18,000 fighters in Iraq and Syria in December, according to U.S. intelligence estimates. The Islamic State waged an insurgency in both countries as it plotted a comeback. It named a new leader, Abu Ibrahim al Hashimi al Qurashi, who received pledges of loyalty from affiliates and supporters from 14 countries in the Middle East, Asia and Africa.

Among peaceful Islamist parties, Tunisia’s Ennahda Party stepped deeper into politics. In September, Ennahda ran a candidate in the presidential election for the first time. But Abdelfattah Mourou came in third place with 13 percent of the vote and did not reach the threshold for the runoff. Ennahda fared better in parliamentary elections in October. Ennahda won more seats--52 out of 217--than any other party, but it won 17 fewer seats than it had in the 2014 election. As in the past, it had to reach out to secular parties to try to form a government.

Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood remained outlawed and underground. In June, former President Mohammed Morsi –Egypt’s first democratically elected president, who was ousted in a 2013 military coup and tried for espionage, inciting deadly violence– died in prison; he was on death row. In September, a court sentenced the group’s supreme guide, Mohammed Badie, and ten other leaders to life in prison on charges of spying for foreign powers. 

Algeria’s Islamists failed to capitalize on mass demonstrations against President Abdelaziz Bouteflika and the country’s political elite. They joined the protests so late that demonstrators viewed their participation as opportunistic and insincere. Bouteflika resigned in April. The country’s largest Islamist party, the Movement of Society for Peace, did not field a candidate in the December presidential elections.

Among Shiites, Lebanon’s Hezbollah faced a serious political challenge at home even as its militia wing deepened its involvement in regional conflicts, especially in Syria. In October, protesters in Beirut demanded the resignation of the government, including Hezbollah politicians and its allies. Shiite protesters, in a rare rebuke to Hezbollah, defied calls by its leader Hassan Nasrallah to abstain from the demonstrations. Prime Minister Saad Hariri’s resignation in October threw the country into a political crisis. 

The following is a rundown of key events in 2019, organized by country. 

Algeria

President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, who had ruled the country for 20 years, announced his decision to run for a fifth term on February 10. He rescinded his candidacy and later resigned from office after widespread protests. After his resignation on April 2, demonstrators demanded the ouster of his entire inner circle, referred to as “Le Pouvoir” (the Power). The political opposition, including a coalition of Islamist parties, boycotted presidential elections planned for July 4. They claimed that the existing framework and institutions would not produce legitimate elections results. 

Parliamentary Speaker Mouad Bouchareb stepped down in July. Lawmakers then elected Slimane Chenine – the leader of a coalition of small Islamist parties – as the new speaker. He was the first opposition figure to hold the position, but it was only a nominal gain. The National Liberation Front (FLN), which has ruled Algeria since 1962, appeared to support Chenine to appease demonstrators.

Algeria held presidential elections on December 12. But the country’s largest Islamist party, the Movement of Society for Peace, did not field a candidate. Algerians elected Abdelmadjid Tebboune as the country’s new president. Tebboune, a former prime minister in the Bouteflika regime, was seen as the military’s preferred candidate. Thousands of demonstrators gathered in Algiers to protest the election results, which they called a farce and a return to the old system.

Jan. 2: The government closed its southern border with Mali and Niger to all Syrian refugees over security concerns that militants were entering the country. Officials said that more than 100 Syrians had attempted to enter the country using fake Sudanese passports with the help of militant groups. Algeria reportedly deported 50 Syrian and Palestinians to Niger the previous week.   

Jan. 18: The government announced that presidential elections would be held on April 18. The FLN did not say whether President Abdelaziz Bouteflika would run for a fifth term.   

Feb. 10: President Bouteflika officially confirmed that he would run for a fifth term after uncertainty due to his failing health. “In response to all pleas and calls ... I declare today my candidacy for the presidential elections,” he told state media.  

Mar. 11: President Bouteflika rescinded his candidacy for re-election after weeks of protests against his 20-year rule. He cited his age and failing health as factors in the decision. The government also said that the election, scheduled for April, would be postponed to later in the year. Bouteflika announced that an “inclusive and independent” national conference would be held to draft a new constitution and set the date for elections. Prime Minister Ahmed Ouyahia also announced his resignation.   

Mar. 14: Newly-appointed Prime Minister Noureddine Bedoui said that he would form an interim government that included protestors from opposition groups. He announced the creation of an independent commission to oversee the upcoming presidential election. But opposition parties, including the Islamist coalition, refused to hold talks with the prime minister. Abderrazak Makri, an opposition leader from the Muslim Brotherhood–aligned Movement of Society for Peace, demanded that all Bouteflika regime officials step down.   

April 2: President Bouteflika announced his formal resignation from the presidency after 20 years in power. He had previously said that he would not run for a fifth term but would remain in power until the upcoming elections. Demonstrations continued after Council of the Nation speaker ‘Abdelkader Bensalah, a politician in Bouteflika’s inner circle, was announced as the interim president.   

April 10: Interim President ‘Abdelkader Bensalah set the date of the country’s presidential elections as July 4. Army chief of staff General Ahmed Gaïd Salah said that the government would prosecute members of former President Bouteflika’s inner circle for corruption—a major demand of protesters.   

April 13: More than 100 magistrates in charge of overseeing the July 4 presidential elections announced the decision to boycott the elections in solidarity with protesters. They said that legitimate elections would not be held under the framework imposed by the Bouteflika regime.   

June 2: The Constitutional Council cancelled elections planned for July 4 due to a lack of candidates. The announcement was viewed as a victory for the opposition, including Islamist parties, who had boycotted elections under the existing framework and institutions.   

July 11: The country’s parliament elected Slimane Chenine, the leader of an Islamist coalition including Movement of National Construction party, Ennhada and Adala, as the body’s next speaker. Chenine was a writer and journalist who had actively participated in the protests that ousted former President Bouteflika on April 2.   

Sept. 30: The country’s largest Islamist party, the Movement of Society for Peace, announced that it would not nominate a candidate in presidential elections scheduled for December 12. The decision was made following a vote by party’s Shura Council. The party would decide later whether to support a consensus candidate for the opposition.   

Nov. 17: The campaign period for December presidential elections began with five candidates on the ballot. Ali Benflis and Abdelmadjid Tebboune, two former prime ministers, were considered favorites in the race. Many Islamists supported former tourism minister and moderate Islamist Abdelkader Bengrina. Demonstrators gathered in Algiers for a 39th consecutive week to protest the elections.   

Nov. 20: The military detained eight people attempting to join Islamist militant groups in the Sahel region. The men were arrested in Ghardaia and Relizane provinces, according to the defense ministry.   

Dec. 12: Abdelmadjid Tebboune, a former prime minister in the Bouteflika regime, was elected president. He was the preferred candidate of the military establishment. The official voting turnout was a record low of around 40 percent, but analysts suggested the figures were much lower. Demonstrators took to the streets to protest the results. “We didn’t vote,” they chanted. Opponents said that Tebboune represented part of the old system, referred to as “le pouvoir,” which had governed Algeria since independence from France in 1962.  

Egypt

The Muslim Brotherhood remained underground and imprisoned. Former President Mohamed Morsi died during a court hearing on June 17. The Islamist was ousted by the military in 2013. His supporters blamed his death on poor prison conditions and the lack of access to proper healthcare. Mohammed Badie, the Brotherhood’s supreme guide, and 10 other Brotherhood officials were sentenced to life in prison on September 9. Their cases were part of a crackdown on senior figures.

The government continued to battle an insurgency in the Sinai Peninsula. Security forces conducted periodic operations against militant groups, including an ISIS affiliate, in central and north Sinai. Islamist militants conducted several attacks on civilians and security forces, including a bombing in central Cairo that killed more than 20 people. The Hasm Movement, an Islamist extremist organization, claimed responsibility for the attack. 

Jan. 22: Fifty-nine militants and seven security personnel were killed in clashes in Sinai, according to the military. The figures reportedly covered several operations, and the government did not specify their dates.  

Feb. 17: An ISIS attack on an army checkpoint in Sinai killed 15 soldiers. The military said it killed seven suspected ISIS members in the clash.

Feb. 20: Egypt executed nine men for their role in the assassination of the country’s top prosecutor, Hisham Barakat. The men convicted of the 2015 bombing were all suspected Muslim Brotherhood members.    

March 11: The military announced that it had killed 46 militants in security operations in northern Sinai. Security forces arrested an additional 100 suspects and confiscated 200 explosive devices.  

June 5: ISIS militants killed eight police officers during an attack on a checkpoint in northern Sinai. Five militants were also killed in the gun fight.   

June 17: Former President Morsi died after collapsing in a Cairo courtroom. Morsi, Egypt’s first democratically elected president, was ousted by the military in 2013 and later arrested on charges of terrorism, espionage, and breaking out of prison. State television said he died of a heart attack.

June 26: ISIS militants killed seven police officers in northern Sinai. The perpetrators reportedly used more than 10 four-wheel vehicles in coordinated attacks at four different sites. Four militants were killed in the clashes.  

July 18: An ISIS suicide bomber killed at least two people in the North Sinai region. The bomber was killed before reaching a checkpoint, but his explosive belt detonated. Two security sources also reported that ISIS had kidnapped and beheaded four men in the North Sinai town of Bir al Abd. The group claimed responsibility for the attack and claimed the men were spies for the Egyptian military.   

Aug. 4: A car bomb in central Cairo killed more than 20 people and injured 48. The Interior Ministry identified the perpetrator as Abdel Rahman Khaled Mahmoud Abdel Rahman, a fugitive member of the Hasm militant group. The car he was driving was packed with explosives and blew up in traffic outside of a hospital. On August 8, security forces said that they had killed 17 suspected Hasm militants during raids in Helwan, Cairo and Fayoum Province.   

Aug. 20: Security forces killed 11 suspected militants during a raid of a safe house in el Arish, the capital of North Sinai Province. The Interior Ministry said the militants used the hideout to carry out “hostile operations.”  

Sept. 9: A court sentenced Mohammed Badie, the Supreme Guide of Muslim Brotherhood, and 10 other Muslim Brotherhood officials to life in prison on charges of spying for foreign powers. Most of the men sentenced were officials in the administration of late President Morsi.  

Sept. 14: At least three soldiers and three militants were killed during a shootout at the Mahajr checkpoint in the coastal city of el Arish. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.   

Sept. 27: Islamic State militants ambushed soldiers in Bir al Abed in North Sinai. Security officials said that seven soldiers and one civilian were killed in the attack, but ISIS’s Amaq news agency claimed 15 soldiers had been killed.   

Sept. 29: Security forces killed 15 militants during a raid on a farm in el Arish in North Sinai. The military said that the armed group was “planning hostile acts targeting military and police forces ... in order to destabilize national security.” Officials said that a stash of weapons and explosives was found in the farm, including suicide belts and rifles.   

Nov. 4: The military reported that security forces had killed 83 suspected militants in central and North Sinai since September 28. It added that 61 suspects had been arrested and 376 explosive devices were confiscated. One officer and two soldiers died or were wounded during the operations, according to the military.   

Nov. 17: Security officials said that a roadside bomb killed three and wounded four security force members in North Sinai Province. Their armored vehicle was struck during a patrol in the town of Sheikh Zuweid.  

Jordan

The monarchy made a rare effort to engage with Jordan’s Islamist opposition. In April, King Abdullah met with Islamist politicians from the al Islah bloc, the country’s largest opposition group, for the first time in more than seven years. The two sides discussed Jerusalem, the Trump administration’s Middle East peace plan and the legitimacy of the Muslim Brotherhood. The king described the meeting as “historic and positive.”

Authorities broke up several ISIS sleeper cells that were plotting attacks in the kingdom. On November 12, security officials announced that they had uncovered an ISIS plot to attack American and Israeli diplomats and U.S. troops stationed at a base in the country’s south. The government continued to conduct security operations on the Jordan’s border with Syria to prevent extremists from slipping into the country.

Feb. 10: A court sentenced two brothers to death for their role in the 2016 Karak castle attack by ISIS that killed ten people. The two men were originally sentenced to life in prison on charges of “terrorist acts,” illegal possession of arms and producing explosives. “The actions of the defendants caused chaos, panic and horror among Jordanians and foreign tourists and threatened the country’s security and stability,” said the judiciary.   

April 16: King Abdullah met with members of the al Islah Islamist bloc, the country’s largest opposition group, for the first time in more than seven years. He described the meetings as “historic and positive.” He looked forward to “a new phase in relations between the group and the palace.” They discussed Jerusalem, the Trump administration’s Middle East peace plan and the legitimacy of the Muslim Brotherhood.   

May 29: A court ruled that the original Jordanian Muslim Brotherhood, which was established in 1946, had been officially defunct under law since June 16, 1953. The ruling established that the group’s self-proclaimed successor, the Muslim Brotherhood Group Society, had no legal status and could not access the dissolved brotherhood movable assets.   

June 21: Hundreds of Islamists, led by the Islamic Action Front, gathered in Amman to protest the Trump administration’s Israeli-Palestinian peace plan. The protesters demanded that the Jordanian government boycott a conference the following week in Bahrain where President Trump would present his proposal. “No to normalization with Israel... down, down with the Bahrain conference,” they chanted.   

Oct. 19: U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi met with King Abdullah in Amman to discuss efforts to counter ISIS in the Middle East. “With the deepening crisis in Syria after Turkey’s incursion, our delegation has engaged in vital discussions about the impact to regional stability, increased flow of refugees, and the dangerous opening that has been provided to ISIS, Iran and Russia,” Pelosi said.  

Oct. 21: Security forces broke up an ISIS cell that was planning attacks in the kingdom. Five members of the cell were arrested after raids on their homes in July. The group was allegedly plotting to attack guards stationed outside the home of a former Jordanian prime minister. They were found with a cache of weapons and drugs.   

Nov. 6: A man wielding a machete attacked eight people inside the ancient Roman city of Jerash. One police officer and a Swiss tourist were in serious condition after the stabbings. The perpetrator, who lived in a nearby Palestinian refugee camp, was arrested at the scene, but his motive remained unknown.   

Nov. 12: Jordanian intelligence officials announced that they had foiled an ISIS plot earlier in 2019 targeting American and Israel diplomats and U.S. troops stationed at a base in the country’s south. The suspects reportedly planned to ram vehicles into their targets and attack them with firearms and knives. All the suspects had been arrested in July.   

Lebanon

In January, Hezbollah and Sunni politicians cooperated to form a new government after nine months of deadlock. The new government was led by Sunni politician Saad Hariri, who had been prime minister since 2016. Hezbollah gained control of important ministries, including the Ministry of Health, which had one of the country’s largest budgets. Hezbollah’s opponents feared that the group would use the ministries’ funds for their own benefit. 

Britain and the United States tried to counter Hezbollah’s growing influence in Lebanon. On March 1, Britain designated Hezbollah as a terrorist organization due to the group’s destabilizing influence in the Middle East. In April, the United States announced it would offer a reward of up to $10 million for information on Hezbollah’s financing. On July 9, the United States designated three senior Hezbollah officials for providing support to terrorist groups in the region. 

In October, Lebanese people took to the streets in major cities to protest government corruption and austerity measures. They demanded the resignation of the government, including Hezbollah politicians and its allies. The demonstrations continued for weeks. On October 29, Prime Minister Hariri announced his resignation. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah opposed government resignations. Hariri’s departure left a political vacuum amid growing economic concerns. But Lebanon’s ruling parties failed to find an alternative candidate to replace Hariri. 

Jan. 31: Hezbollah and Sunni lawmakers agreed to form a new government after a nine-month deadlock. The new government would be led by Sunni politician, Saad Hariri, who had been prime minister since 2016. As part of the agreement, Hezbollah gained control of important ministries, including the Ministry of Health which has one of the country’s largest budgets.  

Feb. 4: Nasrallah assured the country that Hezbollah would not use Health Ministry funds for its own benefit. Hezbollah chose Jamil Jabak, a doctor who was not a member of the group, as health minister.  

March 1: Britain designated Hezbollah as a terrorist organization due to the group’s destabilizing influence in the Middle East. Hezbollah condemned the decision. “Hezbollah sees in this decision servile obedience to the U.S. administration, revealing that the British government is but a mere a follower in service of its American master,” the group said in a statement.  

March 22: U.S. Secretary of State denounced Hezbollah’s growing power. “Lebanon faces a choice; bravely move forward as an independent and proud nation or allow the dark ambitions of Iran and Hezbollah to dictate your future,” Pompeo said during a visit to Beirut.  

April 22: The U.S. State Department announced  a reward of up to $10 million for any information on Hezbollah’s financing.  

June 4: An ISIS militant killed four security personnel in Tripoli. The gunman fired at a bank, a police station and an army vehicle before blowing himself up.  

July 9: The United States designated three senior Hezbollah officials for providing support to “terrorist organizations.” The U.S. Treasury said it added Amin Sherri and Muhammad Hasan Ra'ad, members of Lebanon’s parliament and Wafiq Safa, head of Hezbollah’s Liaison and Coordination Unit. 

Aug. 25: One Israeli drone crashed and another exploded near the Hezbollah media office in Beirut. Lebanese President Michel Aoun called it an act of war. "The time when Israeli aircraft come and bombard parts of Lebanon is over,” warned Nasrallah. On the following day, an Israeli drone reportedly struck a militia base in the Bekaa Valley operated by the Iranian-backed Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command. The Israeli military declined to comment on either incident.  

Sept. 1: Israeli military officials said they fired into southern Lebanon after Hezbollah shot anti-tank missiles at an army base and vehicles in Israel. No casualties were reported.    

Sept. 9: Hezbollah said it downed an Israeli drone conducting surveillance in southern Lebanon near the town of Ramyah. Israel confirmed one of its drones “fell inside southern Lebanon during routine operations.” 

Oct. 19: Hassan Nasrallah said Hezbollah did not want the government to resign amidst massive anti-government protests over new taxes and corruption. In a televised speech, Nasrallah called for a new agenda and “new spirit” but said government resignations would be “a waste of time.” 

Oct. 29: Prime Minister Saad Hariri announced his resignation after two weeks of anti-government protests over austerity measures and corruption. “To all my political peers, our responsibility today is how to protect Lebanon and to uplift the economy,” Hariri said. “Today, there is a serious opportunity and we should not waste it.” Hariri’s resignation left a political vacuum amidst deteriorating economic conditions. 

Nov. 19: Protestors stopped parliament from convening over controversial laws that would provide amnesty to past government corruption. Demonstrators barricaded roads leading to government buildings in Beirut and clashed with riot police who tried to break up the crowds. The meeting had already been postponed due to protests the week before.

Dec. 13: Nasrallah emphasized that the new government must bring together all sides, including President Michel Aoun's Free Patriotic Movement (FPM)—the country’s largest Christian coalition. “The consultations are supposed to take place on Monday and we hope that whoever receives most votes will be designated to form a government,” Nasrallah said. “But the formation will be no easy feat.”

Dec. 16: The nomination of the country’s next prime minister was postponed after Christian parties refused to support the candidacy of Saad Hariri, who had resigned from the position on October 29. Hariri’s office said that the parliamentary hearing was suspended "in order to avoid adding constitutional and national problems to the great social, economic and financial crisis facing our country.”

Dec. 17: The Lebanese military clashed with supporters of Hezbollah and Amal, who tried to storm a square in Beirut. The Shiites gathered to protest a video by a Lebanese Sunni expatriate that had insulted Shiite leaders in the country. The protestors chanted "Shia, Shia" and threw stones and fireworks at security forces.  

Libya

On April 3, the Libyan National Army (LNA), led by eastern strongman General Khalifa Haftar, launched an assault on Islamist militias aligned with the U.N.-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) in Tripoli. The fighting reached at stalemate at the southern edge of the capital. A national conference, scheduled to begin on April 14, was cancelled. The offensive followed a January campaign by the LNA in the Libya’s southern Fezzan region to “assure security for inhabitants in the southwest from terrorists.” 

The fighting allowed ISIS to regroup in the country’s south. In response, the United States conducted three separate drone strikes in September on ISIS training camps in southern Libya. At least 37 militants were killed in the strikes, the first on ISIS in Libya since November 2018.   

Jan. 16: Libyan National Army forces launched an offensive across southern Libya to “purge” extremists and criminal gangs and “assure security for inhabitants in the southwest from terrorists.” 

April 3-present: General Haftar and his self-styled LNA launched an assault to take control of Tripoli from the U.N.-backed GNA. The LNA quickly took control of towns on the outskirts of Tripoli, but GNA-aligned militias mobilized forces from Tripoli and Misrata to hold Haftar’s forces back at the southern edge of the capital. As of early June, the fighting had killed 510 people and displaced 75,000. The National Conference, scheduled to begin on April 14, was cancelled. 

May 4: ISIS militants killed nine people in an attack on an LNA training camp in the southern city of Sabha. 

May 18: ISIS gunmen killed three guards at the Zella oilfield in southwest Libya. They kidnapped four other people. National Oil Corporation Chairman Mustafa Sanalla said continued instability could cause a 95 percent reduction in oil production. 

July 11: Two car bombs killed four people and wounded 33 at a funeral for an LNA commander in Benghazi. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.  

July 17: Britain extradited Hashem Abedi, the brother of a suicide bomber who killed 22 people in an attack at a concert in Manchester, in 2017. Abedi was charged with murder, attempted murder and conspiracy to cause an explosion. Authorities said he accompanied his brother, Salman, to Libya in April 2017 to receive training from ISIS before the attack.  

Sept. 19: The United States conducted a drone strike on ISIS targets in southern Libya. The Pentagon’s Africa Command said the attack killed eight ISIS militants in a compound in Murzuq, Libya. It was the first U.S. airstrike on ISIS in Libya since November 2018.   

Sept. 25: The U.S. military said it launched a second airstrike in a week on ISIS militants near the town of Murzuq in southern Libya. The attack reportedly killed 11 militants.  

Sept. 27: The United States carried out its third attack since September 19 on ISIS targets in Libya’s southern desert. The Pentagon said the attack killed 17 militants conducting training operations in southwest Libya. The airstrike targeted Malik Khazmi, an ISIS recruiter from Bani Walid who had helped the terrorist organization regroup in the area.  

Oct. 17: Gunmen reportedly stormed two seafront cafes in Tripoli to enforce strict Islamic laws regarding interactions between unmarried men and women. Women unaccompanied by a male relative were harassed and banished from the cafés. The identify or group affiliation of the Islamists was unknown.  

Nov. 16: ISIS’s “Wilayat Barqa"  branch in Libya pledged allegiance to ISIS leader Abu Ibrahim al Hashemi al Qurayshi after the death of Abu Bakr al Baghdadi in October. The group’s media outlets posted photos of 32 militants offering their support to the new leader.  

Dec. 15: Fayez al Sarrah, the prime minister of Libya’s GNA, met with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan. Erdogan said that his country would provide the GNA with “whatever support necessary,” including troops and military equipment. He added that General Khalifa Haftar of the LNA “is not a legitimate leader...and is representative of an illegal structure.”

Dec. 16: The Turkish parliament approved a military agreement to send the GNA support for its police and military. If requested by Tripoli, Turkey could deploy “a quick reaction force” that would include vehicles, equipment and weapons for use in army, navy and air operations. The deal also included an intelligence sharing provision.  

Morocco

In October, senior Progress and Socialism Party (PPS) members announced their decision to leave the governing coalition, led by the Islamist Party of Justice and Development (PJD), and join the opposition. Analysts said that the reshuffle would allow the PJD to more easily distribute cabinet positions to other parties in a manner the king would approve.  

Security forces uncovered several ISIS sleeper cells plotting attacks in the countryside. On July 18, a court sentenced three men to death for the murder of two Scandinavian hikers in December. A fourth militant was sentenced to life in prison. They had all pledged allegiance to the Islamic State.  

Jan. 23:  The Central Bureau of Judicial Investigation arrested 13 individuals accused of belonging to a cell linked to ISIS. Security officials said the group was plotting attacks across the country. Authorities seized electronic devices, knives, and masks along with documents pledging allegiance to the Islamic State.  

Jan. 11: Lawmaker Amina Maelainine of the PJD party acknowledged that she had removed her hijab while on a trip to Paris in December.  Pictures of her without the traditional veil caused controversy amongst the party’s hardline followers. “Having suffered all these attacks and having seen the robust means deployed to harm my reputation, I am more than ever convinced that the path to militancy must be followed with determination and commitment. The battle should be fought in Morocco or abroad, with or without a veil, for the sake of democracy, freedom, justice, and human rights,” Maelainine said.  

Mar. 30: Pope Francis visited Morocco to broaden the interreligious dialogue between Muslims and Christians. He met with the country’s Muslim leaders and called on Moroccans to "oppose fanaticism” and “live as brothers.” He told Catholics in the country that “conversion is not your mission.”  

April 24: Moroccan security forces arrested six extremists connected to the Islamic States in the coastal town of Sale. The men, aged between 22 and 28, were allegedly “supporters” of the terrorist group and were found with electronic devices, bladed weapons, and “extremist” documents.  

July 18: An anti-terrorism court sentenced Abdelsamad al Joud, Younes Ouziad and Rashid Afati to death for the murder of two Scandinavian hikers in December. A fourth convict, Abderrahmane Khayali, was sentenced to life in prison. The men had all pledged allegiance to the Islamic State.  

Oct. 4: Senior Progress and Socialism Party (PPS) members announced the decision to leave the governing coalition, led by the PJD, and join the opposition. Analysts said that the reshuffle would allow the PJD to more easily distribute cabinet positions to other parties in a manner the king approves.  

Oct. 25: The Central Bureau of Judicial Investigation arrested six suspects with ties to ISIS during raids on two extremist cells in Dar Bouazza and Chefchaouenon. The militants were reportedly plotting attacks in Casablanca and Ouazzane. Security forces seized knives, guns, ammunition, and explosive materials during the operation.  

Palestinian Territories

Fatah loyalist Mohammed Shtayyeh was appointed the new prime minister of the Palestinian Authority on March 10. He replaced the more politically independent Rami Hamdallah, whose government was backed by Hamas and other opposition groups. The new Fatah-dominated government was viewed as a further blow to unity efforts.

On October 7, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas directed the Central Elections Commission to begin preparations for parliamentary elections. He asked the head of the Central Elections Commission, Hanna Naser, to “immediately” start alerting Palestinian factions. Abbas added that presidential elections would follow six months later.  

Clashes between Israel and militant groups in Gaza from May 3 to May 5 led to the deaths of at least 22 Palestinians and four Israelis. It was worst spat of violence since 2014. A cease-fire agreement between Israel and Hamas and Islamic Jihad was finally reached on May 6. The deal, brokered by the Egypt, Qatar and the United Nations, included Israeli assurances to improve economic conditions in the Gaza Strip, according to Arab news reports. Isolated skirmishes between Hamas and Israel continued through the end of the year. 

March 10-April 13: Fatah loyalist Mohammed Shtayyeh was appointed the new prime minister of the Palestinian Authority. Shtayyeh, sworn in on April 13, replaced the more politically independent Rami Hamdallah; whose government formation enjoyed the backing of Hamas and other factions at a time of greater optimism for Palestinian reconciliation talks. The new Fatah-dominated government was construed as a further blow to unity efforts. 

May 3-5: Clashes between Israel and militant groups in Gaza led to the deaths of at least 22 Palestinians and four Israelis in the worst violence between the two sides since 2014. The outbreak of violence began when a sniper wounded two Israeli soldiers on the border. Israeli targeted several commanders of Hamas and Islamic Jihad, and the Gaza groups fired about 600 rockets into Israel.  

May 6: Hamas and Islamic Jihad said that they had reached a cease-fire with Israel after discussions brokered by the Egypt, Qatar and the United Nations. The Israeli military indirectly confirmed the news by lifting restrictions on citizens living near the Gaza border. The agreement included measures to improve economic conditions in the Gaza Strip, according to Arab news reports.  

May 29: Human Right Watch accused both the Palestinian Authority and Hamas of arbitrarily arresting peaceful critics and opponents. The Palestinian Authority arrested more than 1,600 for peaceful expression, while Hamas detained 1,000 people during March 2019 protests alone, according to the watchdog.  

June 13: Israel bombed a target in the Gaza Strip after two rockets were launched toward it. The Israeli military said that it struck “underground infrastructure” in a Hamas compound. It was the first flare-up between the two sides since a cease-fire on May 6.  

June 20: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh said that Israel had failed to ease restrictions at border crossings—one of the key agreements of a May 6 cease-fire. During a press conference, Haniyeh also accused Israel of committing “naval piracy” by firing at and arresting Palestinian fisherman in the Mediterranean Sea.  

June 25: The Palestinian Authority boycotted a conference in Bahrain to launch the Trump administration’s Middle East peace plan. Palestinian officials said that the plan focused on economic issues rather than political disputes at the heart of the conflict. “We will inform Bahrain that we will not take part in such a conference,” said Palestinian Authority advisor Nabil Shaath. “We will not sell our country based on an economic project.” 

July 11: Israeli soldiers accidently killed a Hamas man attempting to stop Palestinians from approaching the Israeli border. The IDF said soldiers had misidentified the man as an armed terrorist. Hamas vowed to respond to the “criminal act.” 

Aug. 4: Israeli security forces killed four Palestinian militants who attempted to cross the border with assault rifles, anti-tank missiles and other grenades. A Hamas spokesman said the militants were not linked to the organization and had engaged in “an individual act.”  

Aug. 26: The IDF bombed Hamas targets in the Gaza strip after three rockets were fired into Israel, according to the Israeli military. Hamas denied that the group had carried out the attacks.  

Israeli authorities also announced a 50 percent cut in fuel supplies to the Gaza Strip’s main power station.  

Aug. 27: Two suicide bombers killed three police officers at Hamas police checkpoints in Gaza City. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, but officials believed the two attackers were linked to the Islamic State or Israel. On August 29, Hamas said that it had arrested ten suspects, who were current and former members of rival militant group Islamic Jihad.  

Sept. 7: Israeli planes attacked Hamas targets in Gaza after five rocket attacks on Israeli the night before. Hamas reportedly fired the rockets after two Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces during clashes on the border.   

Oct. 7: Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas directed the Central Elections Commission to begin preparations for parliamentary elections. He asked the head of the Central Elections Commission, Hanna Naser, to “immediately” start alerting Palestinian factions and said presidential elections would be held six months later.  

Oct. 23: Islamic Jihad said that it would never partake in parliamentary and presidential elections. Nafeth Azzam, a member of the group’s political bureau, held that elections would not help end the Palestinian’s plight. “They [elections] will deepen the tragedy and division,” he said. 

Nov. 12: Israel killed senior Islamic Jihad commander, Baha Abu al Ata, and his wife in a strike on their house in the Gaza Strip. Four other members of Islamic Jihad's armed wing, the Quds Brigade, were also killed in the attack. “The response to this crime will have no limits ... the occupation will be the one responsible for this aggression,” Islamic Jihad said in a statement. The group responded by firing hundreds of rockets into Israel, some reaching as far as Tel Aviv.  

Syria

U.S.-backed forces declared victory over the Islamic State after more than four years of bloody fighting. On March 23, U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) captured Bahgouz in eastern Syria, ISIS’s last holdout in Iraq and Syria. “We announce today the destruction of the so-called Islamic State organization and the end of its ground control in its last pocket in Baghouz,” declared SDF Commander Mazloum Kobani. 

The U.S. coalition continued airstrikes on militants after announcing the defeat of ISIS. An August 30 attack on an al Qaeda facility north of Idlib left more than 40 dead. 

On October 6, President Donald Trump announced a surprise decision to pull U.S. troops out of the country, which paved the way for a Turkish military offensive against the predominantly Kurdish SDF in northeastern Syria. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan launched the operation on October 9 to “prevent the creation of a terror corridor across our southern border and to bring peace to the area.” The operation intended to expel SDF out of the border region and create a “safe zone” stretching 20 miles into Syria, where Turkey would resettle Syrian refugees. On October 17, Turkey agreed to a ceasefire with the Syrian Kurds and suspended the operation. Turkey would maintain a broad military presence in northern Syria as part of the agreement. 

On October 27, Trump announced that ISIS leader Abu Bakr al Baghdadi died during a nighttime raid on a safe house in Syria’s northwestern Idlib Province. A tip from a former Islamic State member to Iraq’s intelligence service ultimately led to the discovery of Baghdadi’s compound. Baghdadi reportedly fled into a dead-end tunnel and detonated a suicide vest with U.S. forces in close pursuit. 

Feb. 16: President Trump called on European allies to repatriate their citizens who joined ISIS and put them on trial. European governments were reluctant to take back fighters and their families. Approximately 800 foreign ISIS fighters and 4,000 of their family members were reportedly held in SDF custody as of early 2019. 

Feb. 22: U.S. officials stated that 400 U.S. troops would remain in Syria to prevent the resurgence of ISIS, reversing President Trump’s initial signal that all U.S. forces in the country would withdraw. 

Mar. 23: SDF forces captured Baghouz, a village in eastern Syria. “We announce today the destruction of the so-called Islamic State organization and the end of its ground control in its last pocket in Baghouz,” declared SDF Commander Mazloum Kobani. More than 20,000 civilians fled Baghouz during the coalition-led campaign, which began on February 1.  

Apr. 28: Assad regime and Russian forces intensified airstrikes on rebel-held northwest Syria, which began on March 13. HTS controlled the majority of Idlib province before the assault began. The offensive broke the de-escalation zone deal that Turkey and Russia agreed on in September 2018. Approximately 270,000 civilians were displaced, and 25 hospitals and health centers were rendered useless after pointed targeting, according to the United Nations. 

May 27: Prime Minister Netanyahu acknowledged that the Israeli air force destroyed a Syrian air defense battery near the Golan Heights.   

June 30: Israel targeted an IRGC headquarters in southern Damascus and Hezbollah ammunition sites, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The strikes reportedly killed nine military personnel and six civilians.    

July 25: Israeli missiles reportedly killed six Iranians and three pro-Assad fighters in southern Syria, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The targets included military positions and intelligence facilities in Daraa and Quneitra.    

Aug. 2: The 13th round of Astana peace talks concluded. The members of the group praised the successful release of detainees by the Syrian government and opposition groups on July 31. Iran, Russia and Turkey reaffirmed their support for a Syrian-led and U.N.-facilitated peace process.  

Aug. 24: Prime Minister Netanyahu acknowledged an Israeli airstrike in Syria against drone capabilities of the IRGC Qods Force and Shiite militias. The strike killed at least two Hezbollah operatives, according to the group’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah.    

Aug. 30: U.S. forces attacked an al Qaeda facility north of Idlib. More than 40 militants were reportedly killed. “This operation targeted AQ-S leaders responsible for attacks threatening U.S. citizens, our partners, and innocent civilians,” Lt. Col. Earl Brown, Central Command Chief of Media Operations, said in a statement. 

Aug. 31: The Syrian regime implemented a unilateral cease-fire in the northwest after heavy air strikes by Syrian and Russian forces. More than 450 civilians were killed in the fighting since April. 

Sept. 9: Local activists reported airstrikes against Iranian-backed militias on the Syrian side of the Iraq-Syria border near Abu Kamal. The attacks reportedly killed 18 pro-Iranian fighters. No country claimed responsibility.  

Sept. 16: The presidents of Iran, Russia and Turkey met in Ankara to discuss the path forward on Syria. They agreed to form a committee to rewrite Syria’s constitution. Putin said the committee would include pro-government, opposition and independent members. Rouhani said he hoped Syria would hold elections in 2020 or 2021. The three leaders also agreed to de-escalate the situation in Idlib.  

Oct. 6: President Donald Trump announced the decision to pull American troops out of Syria, paving the way for a Turkish military incursion against U.S.-backed Kurdish forces. Trump said that it was time to let others “figure the situation out.” He later said that the United States would keep 900 troops on the ground in Kurdish-held northern Syria to secure the oil fields from extremist groups.   

Oct. 9: Turkish military forces launched an offensive into northeastern Syria to "prevent the creation of a terror corridor across our southern border and to bring peace to the area,” according to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The operation intended to expel the SDF, considered a terrorist group by Turkey due to its ties with the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). Turkey sought to create a buffer or “safe zone" stretching 20 miles into Syria. The Turkish military reported that it had hit 181 “terrorist positions” in the initial phase of the operation. 

Oct. 17: Turkey and Syrian Kurdish forces agreed to a five-day cease-fire, brokered by U.S. Vice President Mike Pence during a visit to Ankara. As part of the deal, Turkey would suspend its incursion into northern Syria and allow Kurdish fighters to withdraw from the border region. On October 23, President Trump lifted sanctions on Turkey and called the cease-fire “permanent.”

Oct. 27: President Trump announced the death of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al Baghdadi. He died during a U.S.-led nighttime raid in Syria’s northwestern Idlib Province. A tip from a former Islamic State member ultimately led to the discovery of Baghdadi’s compound, where he was hiding out with family members and terrorist associates.

Nov. 12-20: Israeli forces conducted four airstrikes on Iranian targets in Syria, according to Russia’s Foreign Ministry. Moscow said that the IDF had used Jordanian airspace to carry out of the attacks. The airstrikes targeted the headquarters of Iran’s Qods Force in Damascus, the home of Islamic Jihad's deputy leader Akram al Ajouri in Damascus, and several Syrian anti-aircraft batteries that had launched missiles at Israeli fighter jets. 

Nov. 16: A car bomb killed 18 people at a bus station in the northern town of al Bab. Two bomb-laden vehicles were used in the blast at the busy terminal. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.  

Dec. 2: Local activists reported a government airstrike on a market in the rebel-held town of Maaret al Numan in northern Syria. The attack allegedly killed at least nine people, including eight children. 

Dec. 17: Russia and Syrian regime airstrikes killed 24 civilians in Idlib province. The attacks occurred in the towns of Talmenes, Badama and Maasaran. Idlib was the last province still under the control of rebels.

Tunisia

Tunisia held both parliamentary and presidential elections in 2019. On October 6, Ennahda won 52 of 217 seats in parliamentary elections, more than any other political party, but 17 fewer seats than it won in the 2014 elections. Ennahda chose Habib Jemli, a former junior minister, as the country’s next prime minister. But the fragmented election results made it difficult for him to form a governing coalition. Jemli failed to convince the major parties, Achaab and Attayar, to join the coalition. He then began negotiations with Heart of Tunisia, a liberal secular party, to form a government. Ennahda had initially rejected sharing power with Heart of Tunisia in November due to “suspicions of corruption against some of its leaders.”  

On October 13, Kais Saied, a former professor viewed as a political outsider, defeated Nabil Karoui, a businessman previously jailed on charges of money laundering, to become Tunisia’s second democratically elected president. He won 72.71 percent of the vote. Ennahda’s candidate failed to make it to the runoff, so the party had supported Saied. Saied did not describe himself as an Islamist, but he  vowed to include politicians from both sides of the political spectrum in his cabinet.  

Jan. 3: Two militants blew themselves up in the southern city of Jilma after security forces stormed their safehouse. The two dead were members of an extremist cell called the Brigade of Jihad and Unity. 

Feb. 9: Seven people were sentenced to life in prison for their roles in the 2015 attacks on the National Bardo Museum and a beach resort in Sousse. ISIS had claimed responsibility for the attacks that killed more than 60 people. 

March 6: The Electoral Commission announced that the country would hold  parliamentary elections on October 6 and the presidential election on November 10 (later changed to November 17). 

March 19: Security forces killed three ISIS militants in the Saloum mountains near the Algerian border. The counterterrorism operation was launched after ISIS posted pictures of armed militants in the mountains days earlier. 

April 6: President Essebsi announced that he would not seek reelection in the presidential election scheduled for November. Essebsi, who won the country’s first free elections in 2014, said it was time to “open the door to the youth.” 

June 25: Consecutive suicide bombings in downtown Tunis killed a police officer and injured eight people. The Islamic State claimed responsibility two days later.  

July 8: Ennahda named party vice president Abdelfattah Mourou as its candidate in the September presidential elections. He was Ennahda’s first candidate for president since the 2011 revolution. Mourou, a lawyer, had distanced himself from Ennahda’s more hardline Islamist positions and enjoyed good relations with the party’s opponents. “If I am elected I will be president of all Tunisians, not president for Ennahda supporters,” he declared.  

July 20: Ennahda leader Rachid Ghannouchi, announced he would run in the October parliamentary elections. “The decision to present Ghannouchi at the top of the party’s electoral list in Tunis, is to have leaders of parties play a more important role at this crucial stage in the history of the democratic transition in Tunisia,” Ennahda said in a statement.  

July 25: Essebsi, Tunisia’s first democratically elected president, died at the age of 92. He came out of retirement in 2011 to serve as interim prime minister after the ouster of Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali, who ruled the country for 23 years. Essebsi founded the secular political party, Nidaa Tounes, which led a movement against Islamist parties in Tunisia’s government.  

Sept. 15: Tunisia held its second democratic presidential election since the 2011 revolution. In an unexpected result, all the major-party candidates were eliminated, including Ennahda’s Abdelfattah Mourou. He received only 13 percent of the vote. Kais Saied, a little-known law professor and independent, claimed 18.4 percent of the vote, and Nabil Karoui, a businessman and jailed on charges of money laundering, won 15.6 percent of the vote. A runoff between Saied and Karoui was scheduled for October 13.   

Sept. 19: Ben Ali, the former autocratic ruler of Tunisia, died in exile in Saudi Arabia at the age of 83. He was ousted during the Arab Spring revolts of 2011. After he fled the country, a Tunisian court sentenced him to 35 years in prison and a $66 million fine during a trial in absentia.  

Oct. 6: Ennahda won 52 of 217 seats in parliamentary elections, more than any other political party. But it won 17 fewer seats than in the 2014 parliamentary elections. The fragmented results made it difficult for Ennahda to form a governing coalition.    

Oct. 13: Kais Saied, a former professor, defeated Nabil Karoui to become Tunisia’s second democratically-elected president. He won 72.71 percent of the vote. He was sworn in on October 23. Ennahda had supported Saied, who did not describe himself as an Islamist. He said that he had advisors from both sides of the political spectrum.  

Nov. 13: Parliament elected Ennahda leader Rachid Ghannouchi as its speaker. Ghannouchi won 123 votes of a possible 217 in the deeply fragmented house. The Heart of Tunisia party, a rival of Ennahda, agreed to support Ghannouchi after negotiations. The two parties appeared likely to form a coalition government after the agreement.  

Nov. 15: Ennahda chose Habib Jemli, a former junior minister in the first democratically elected government, as the country’s next prime minister. Jemli, 60, vowed to consider all political parties when forming his governing coalition. “Efficiency and integrity will be the basis for choosing the members of the government, whatever their affiliations without exclusion to any party,” Jemli said.  

Dec. 6: After weeks of negotiations, the Achaab and Attayar parties refused to join the governing coalition of Ennahda’s prime minister-designate Habib Jemli. The decision came after Jemli announced that political independents would be appointed to key ministry positions instead of members of major parties in the coalition. Jemli turned to negotiations with the liberal secular party Heart of Tunisia after Ennahda had initially rejected sharing power with the party in November due to “suspicions of corruption against some of its leaders.”