Cairo, Egypt – In a recent analysis released today, Monday, December 29, 2025, the Al-Azhar Observatory for Combating Extremism revealed a radical and significant shift in the strategy of the ISIS terrorist organization. The organization now relies entirely on “digital decentralization” and ideological incitement to compensate for its battlefield defeats and loss of territorial control in Iraq and Syria.
Exploiting “lone wolves” as a propaganda tool
The Observatory, through its analysis of an editorial in Al-Naba, the group’s mouthpiece, explained that ISIS is attempting to build an “alternative symbolic presence” by claiming responsibility for random attacks, as recently occurred in Sydney. The Observatory noted that the group is promoting the crimes of individuals as organizational “achievements,” despite international authorities confirming the absence of any direct coordination. This reflects the group’s attempt to transform the lack of organizational link into a propaganda weapon under the guise of “lone wolves.”
Key shifts in the organization’s discourse, according to the Observatory’s analysis
Field weakness and virtual strength: The shift from a direct training and leadership strategy to a “digital jihad” based on propaganda and incitement.
The jihadist struggle for survival: launching verbal and accusatory attacks against other extremist factions to settle internal scores, reflecting a deep ideological dilemma.
Globalization of violence: An attempt to link disparate acts of violence and portray them as a “single world war” to broaden the scope of the cross-border threat.
Targeting migrants: Manipulating identity crises and feelings of alienation among some refugees and migrants in the West to turn them into fuel for bloody operations.
Warnings of “psychological impact”
Al-Azhar Observatory warned that this new discourse manipulates psychological and media influence to create a false sense of presence. It stressed that confronting this shift requires more than just “security solutions.” A comprehensive intellectual dismantling of extremist discourse is necessary, including addressing its psychological roots before ideas translate into criminal acts.
The observatory confirms that ISIS is currently undergoing a phase of “symbolic exploitation,” attempting to transform every individual crime into a part of its crumbling myth. This necessitates international vigilance to counter cyber and incitement threats emanating from the digital sphere.
