Originally named the Red Eagle Brigade (
Arabic: كتائب النسر الأحمر,
romanized: Katā’ib al-Nasr al-Aḥmar), they were renamed in 2001 after
Abu Ali Mustafa, PFLP's leader, who was killed by Israel in August 2001. They were active with attacks on both military and civilian
Israeli targets during the
al-Aqsa Intifada.
The PFLP's Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades has carried out attacks on both civilians and military targets during the
Al-Aqsa Intifada. Some of these attacks are:
The killing of Meir Lixenberg, councilor and head of security in four settlements, who was shot while traveling in his car in the
West Bank on 27 August 2001.
The 17 October 2001 assassination of right-wing Israeli politician and Israeli Minister for Tourism
Rehavam Zeevi, the only Israeli politician to have been assassinated in the
Al-Aqsa Intifada.
A suicide bombing in a pizzeria in
Karnei Shomron in the West Bank, on 16 February 2002, killing three Israelis.
A suicide bombing in
Ariel on 7 March 2002, which left wounded but no fatalities.
A suicide bombing in a Netanya market in Israel, on 19 May 2002, killing three Israelis. This attack was also claimed by
Hamas, but the Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades have identified the perpetrator on their website as one of their members.[6]
A suicide bombing in the bus station at
Geha Junction in
Petah Tikva on 25 December 2003 which killed 4 Israelis.[7]
During the
2023 Israel–Hamas war, the Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades published videos of it storming Israeli watchtowers, and are actively participating in the conflict.[14][15]
The Brigades also produces its own weaponry alongside smuggling and importing it. These include IEDs, mortars,
RPGs, and rockets, alongside others. The
Samoud-1 (literally "resilience") is a relatively short range (8–12 km) rocket domestically produced by Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades in the
Gaza Strip.[17][18] RPGs used include domestically produced
Yasin RPGs, whether these were solely given to the PFLP by
Hamas, or if the PFLP can also produce Yasin RPGs is unclear.[19]
The
Sariya-1 240mm Mortar is also produced locally by the PFLP, alongside the mortar ammunition. The military doctrine and tactics of the Abu Ali Mustafa brigades preference mortars heavily, even more so than other armed groups. The brigades regularly publishes videos of them bombarding Israeli positions with mortars. In an interview given to the Los Angeles Times Abu Jamal, the spokesman of the brigades made the following statement:
The advantage of the mortar is that the enemy can never protect himself from it. This is not an exceptionally accurate weapon, but that is not important to us. Even if the mortar does not hit the target, we want to cause confusion and panic.[18]
Foreign support
The PFLP, and by extension the Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades, receive military and financial support by
Iran. This relationship probably began around 2013, and although the actual extent of this support is unclear, the PFLP and Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades have repeatedly declared themselves allies of Iran,
Syria and the
Axis of Resistance.[20][21]