The threat posed by the Islamic State group around the world has grown steadily since mid-2025 and become more complex as the jihadist organization adapts to stay alive, the United Nations says.
Islamic State and groups associated with it are growing in West Africa and the Sahel region while continuing to stage attacks in Iraq and Syria, Alexandre Zouev, an official with the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism, tells the Security Council.
“In Afghanistan, IS in Khorasan continues to pose one of the most serious threats to the region and beyond,” he says.
Zouev says a shooting rampage against a Jewish Hanukkah event at a beach in Australia in December that left 15 people dead was inspired by IS ideology.
Late last month, the group claimed responsibility for a rare attack on the main airport in Niger. This confirmed its rising power in the Sahel. Days earlier, it claimed an attack on a Chinese restaurant in Kabul that left seven people dead.
We can't do this work alone.
The war with Iran has been draining for all of us in Israel. But when I heard about a high casualty incident – ballistic missile impacts in Arad and Dimona that left nearly 200 people wounded – I drank a cup of coffee, packed a bag, and headed south.
There, I spoke with Shilgit, the head of an after-school program for underprivileged youth. Standing outside her destroyed center, Shilgit said it was a miracle that no children were hurt and spoke about the community coming together in the hours since.
As a Times of Israel reporter, I’m committed to telling stories of resilience like Shilgit’s. But my colleagues and I can't do this alone. If you value work like this, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to keep real human reporting like this going.
— Stav Levaton, military reporter
Yes, I'll join
Yes, I'll join
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You're a dedicated reader
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Join Our Community
Join Our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
From the Liveblog of
Thursday, February 5, 2026
