Australia attack proves ISIS, jihadist networks far from defeated

The terror attack in Australia renewed urgent warnings from intelligence officials and counterterrorism experts that global jihadist networks are intensifying their reach, even as Western governments continue to portray groups such as ISIS as weakened or in retreat.

Bill Roggio, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and one of the longest-standing followers of jihadist movements, said the Australian attack underlined persistent miscalculations in Western capitals.

“We have always been quick to declare terrorist organizations defeated and irrelevant, and that couldn’t be further from the truth,” Roggio told Fox News Digital.

Roggio, who is also editor-in-chief of The Long War Journal, said that despite the collapse of the regional “caliphate”, ISIS is far from disintegrating.

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“This attack in Australia is definitive proof that the Islamic State has not been defeated,” he said. “These groups are still able to recruit and brainwash people. They still have safe havens.”

He drew attention to the permanent presence of ISIS in Afghanistan. Roggio said, “I just read the UN report. According to the United Nations, there are 2 thousand ISIS fighters there.” “This isn’t what a defeated group looks like.”

Police are investigating the scene of a shooting at Bondi Beach in Sydney on December 15, 2025. (DAVID GREY/AFP via Getty Images)

Israeli officials say the threat emerging in Australia is part of a broader global pattern. Plots have been attempted or foiled in Europe, North America and elsewhere over the past year, they said, pointing to a growing resurgence of jihadists rather than isolated outbreaks of violence.

Corri Zoli, a research associate at Syracuse University’s Institute of Forensic and National Security Sciences, said Western governments cannot ignore the indicators.

“Governments are aware of a sharp increase in terrorist targeting of religious minorities, particularly the Jewish community and Israelis worldwide; intelligence agencies say this trend accelerated following the October 7, 2023 Hamas massacre in Israel, which killed more than 1,200 people,” Zoli said. he said.

Roggio acknowledges that the Israel-Hamas war has strengthened radicalization and emboldened extremists around the world.

“With Israel’s war against Hamas, people have been given new life to attack Jews around the world,” Roggio said. “This is one more reason to radicalize.”

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Intelligence officials told Fox News Digital that extremist actors across ideological lines are taking advantage of the conflict to inspire supporters, amplify propaganda and justify attacks in the West. Terrorist organizations have adapted quickly, they said, combining digital provocation with on-the-ground recruitment networks.

“Analysts at the West Point Counterterrorism Center warn that these networks are exploring openings in Europe, Australia, Canada and the United States, tapping into ideological ecosystems that can radicalize individuals far from traditional battlefields,” Zoli said. he said.

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A masked Islamic State terrorist poses while holding an ISIS flag in 2015. (Images from History/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

Zoli also noted that Australian officials acknowledged that the attacker’s family was on domestic intelligence’s radar. Zoli said his son “has been known to Australian authorities since 2019 for his extremism and his association with extremist imam Wissam Haddad, who has consistently violated Australia’s racial hatred laws at the Al Madina Call Center and is a leading figure in the Street Dawa Movement.” [He] “He also maintained close ties with Isaac Al Matari, who claimed to be an Australian ISIS commander and is currently in prison for rebellion and firearms offences.”

Roggio rejects the idea that individuals like the two should be viewed as “lone wolves.”

“I disagree with this ‘lone wolf’ terminology,” he said, arguing that extremist ecosystems continue to provide ideological motivation, guidance and validation even when attackers act alone.

A senior intelligence source put it even more clearly: “ISIS today, Iran tomorrow.”

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ISIS has been waging a recruitment and propaganda war on the Internet for a long time. (Reuters)

Roggio also emphasized that the threat is not limited to ISIS but includes an interconnected network of jihadist actors.

“This isn’t just the Islamic State. It’s Al Qaeda,” he said. “We were quick to declare that Al Qaeda had been defeated in Afghanistan. If you read the UN reports, they are still there. They are in bed with the Taliban.” “These groups are undefeated,” he added. “They just work differently.”

Morgan Murphy, national security expert and former Trump White House official and current U.S. Senate candidate in Alabama, told Fox News Digital: “With an unprecedented, unchecked, Islamist influx of struggling male immigrants into both Europe and the United States, the West now faces a threat from within. This internal risk undermines our global leadership and depletes resources that should be used to defend freedom abroad. This is a national security disaster created by the short-sighted policies of leaders like President Obama and Chancellor Angela Merkel, who welcomed would-be refugees without considering the long-term consequences for Western society.”

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A photo provided by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) showing an ISIS flag among the belongings of a Hamas terrorist. (Israeli Defense Forces)

“Just because we want to declare that the war on terror is over, doesn’t mean it’s over,” Roggio said. “We wanted to end our participation in these wars, but the enemy has the right to vote. That’s what we just saw in Australia.”