On 18 occasions this week AlertsUSA subscribers have been notified via SMS messages to their mobile devices regarding safety and security matters.

Most important for this report, several of this week's alerts dealt with new advisories, warning messages and bulletins issued by different arms of the federal government concerning changes in the threat environment for the homeland, as well as U.S. citizens and interests abroad.

Beginning last Saturday, shortly after the release of our last weekly update, the Department of Homeland Security issued a new National Terrorism Advisory System Bulletin warning that following the January 2nd strike that killed Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corp and Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani, Iranian leadership and several affiliated violent extremist organizations publicly stated they intend to retaliate against the United States. While the Department of Homeland Security says they have no information indicating a specific, credible threat to the Homeland, Iran and its partners such as Hizballah (Hezbollah) have previously demonstrated the intent and capability to conduct operations in the United States.

Iran and its proxies and sympathizers have a history of leveraging cyber and physical tactics to pursue national interests, both regionally and here in the United States, such as:

• Disruptive and destructive cyber operations against strategic targets, including finance, energy, and telecommunications organizations, and an increased interest in industrial control systems and operational technology.
• Cyber-enabled espionage and intellectual property theft targeting a variety of industries and organizations to enable a better understanding of our strategic direction and policy-making.
• Disinformation campaigns promoting pro-Iranian narratives while pushing anti-U.S. sentiments.
• Improvised explosive devices (IEDs), which are a staple tactic of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), its Quds Force (focused on external, global operations), and proxy entities such as Hizballah.
• Attacks against U.S. citizens and interests abroad and similar attacks in the Homeland.
• Unmanned aircraft system (UAS) attacks against hardened and soft targets.

Similarly, on Wed of this week, the Dept of Homeland Security, FBI, and National Counterterrorism Center issued a joint intelligence bulletin to law enforcement warning Iran could, directly or through proxies and partners, carry out attacks in the homeland. As detailed in last week's issue of Threat Journal, numerous individuals have been arrested in recent years acting on behalf of either the Government of Iran or Hizballah who have conducted surveillance indicative of contingency planning for lethal attacks in the United States against facilities and individuals.

The Government of Iran also has a history of conducting assassinations and assassination attempts against individuals in the United States.

• In August 2018, the USGOV arrested two individuals for acting as agents of the Government of Iran by conducting covert surveillance of targeted individuals in New York, Washington, DC, and Chicago.
• In October 2011, Iranian nationals Manssor Arbabsiar and Gholam Shakuri were charged with a plot tied to the Iranian government to assassinate Saudi ambassador Adel al-Jubeir in the United States, as well as bomb the Saudi embassy and the Israeli embassy in Washington, D.C.
• The list of alleged and confirmed assassinations reported to have been conducted by the Islamic Republic of Iran or it's proxies also extends to incidents in Austria, France, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, and Turkey.

Also this week, US Embassies across Europe, Asia and the Middle East have issued security alerts warning of risks to US citizens abroad due to Middle East tensions (Example 1, Example 2). The common theme across these alerts is the need to maintain a low profile, as well as a high level of vigilance and security awareness.

AlertsUSA cautions readers that while events in the Middle East have taken dramatic turns in the last 24 hours (most notably with Iran admitting to the downing of Ukraine International Flight PS752), little has changed in the overall threat picture aside from a likely short-term decrease in the banging of war drums.

• Tensions still exist between Iran and the West.
• The IRGC Quds Force has a new commander and according to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the program/mission “will be unchanged from the time of his predecessor.”
• Iran-backed militia continue with calls for lone wolf attacks
• Iran still has extremely dangerous nuclear and ballistic missile programs
• Iran-backed Hizballah still has an extensive presence in this hemisphere
• Abdullah Araghi, a member of Iran's JCOS, vowed on Thursday there would be "harsher revenge" taken against the United States.

AlertsUSA continues to monitor the domestic and international threat environment around the clock and will immediately notify service subscribers, via SMS messages to their mobile devices, of new alerts, warnings and advisories or any developments which signal a change the overall threat picture for American citizens as events warrant.