By Steve Neavling
The Department of Homeland Security has identified several factors contributing to an elevated threat level in the U.S. as the country approaches 2025, according to its latest annual threat report.
Among these factors are the 2024 election cycle and the ongoing turmoil in the Middle East, The Hill reports.
The report comes just days before the one-year anniversary of the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel, which ignited a broader regional conflict.
“We are, of course, aware that that anniversary may add even more fuel to an already challenging and heightened threat environment,” a DHS official explained during a briefing with reporters.
The official emphasized the specific risks facing Jewish and Muslim communities, especially with the conflict extending into Lebanon and recent Iranian attacks on Israel.
“All of these factors contribute to a heightened threat environment, because at times, they are motivating factors that drive particular violent extremist groups to accelerate or plan to take action on a timeline that may not have been anticipated,” the official added.
While the assessment highlights new global developments, it also reflects ongoing domestic trends. The biggest threat inside the U.S. continues to come from lone actors or small groups, often influenced by both domestic and international events.
“The terrorism threat environment in the Homeland will remain high over the next year. We are particularly concerned about a confluence of factors this year, including violent extremist responses to domestic sociopolitical developments — especially the 2024 election cycle — and international events that domestic and foreign violent extremists likely will use to justify or encourage attacks,” the report stated.
DHS also pointed to China, Russia, and Iran as persistent adversaries, likely to target critical infrastructure and attempt to undermine U.S. elections.
These nations, the report notes, “will use a blend of subversive, undeclared, criminal, and coercive tactics to seek new opportunities to undermine confidence in US democratic institutions and domestic social cohesion.”
Of particular concern is China’s ongoing effort to position itself within U.S. networks, with the potential to carry out cyberattacks in the event of conflict with the U.S. “Most concerningly, we expect the PRC [People’s Republic of China] to continue its efforts to pre-position on US networks for potential cyber attacks in the event of a conflict with the United States,” the report warned.
