The new year is looking to be a tumultuous one for U.S. security, with ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and Israel, growing unrest in the Middle East and Indo-Pacific, and an upcoming presidential election that may stir domestic strife.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), in its Homeland Threat Assessment for 2024 released in September, predicted a slew of issues staring down the country.
Those include terrorism both foreign and domestic, adversaries targeting critical infrastructure, an aggressive China and an election cycle that “will be a key event for possible violence and foreign influence targeting our election infrastructure, processes, and personnel.”
Here are five major threats to U.S. security to watch closely in 2024.
Expansion of Israel-Hamas war
The fight between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip has shown no sign of slowing down since the Palestinian terrorist group first attacked the country Oct. 7, triggering a brutal Israeli air and ground campaign in retaliation.
Gaza’s health ministry estimates more than 22,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since Oct. 7 — more than two-thirds of them women and children. The human toll has enraged nearby Arab nations including Iran, Lebanon, and Houthis in Yemen — and upped pressure from the West to scale back the war.
The conflict several times has threatened to tip into a wider war that engulfs the Middle East, most recently with an attack on a Hamas…
