Two weeks before ISIS-K terrorists killed at least 140 people at a Moscow concert hall, the U.S. publicly warned that “extremists have imminent plans to target large gatherings in Moscow, to include concerts.” Did Russian officials brush off such warnings?

Here’s one reason why it’s possible: A terrorist attack inside Russia might actually advance the Kremlin’s interests. Nathan Sales, the State Department’s counterterrorism coordinator under President Trump, recently told The Washington Times that “adversaries will often use counterterrorism as a pretext for doing things to advance their own interests,” regardless of the truth.

Russian officials are blaming Ukraine for having a role in the ISIS-K attack, despite offering no evidence supporting those claims. Even Russia’s closest allies dispute the alleged connection between Kyiv and ISIS-K.

And the London-based investigative organization Dossier Center this week raised a host of new questions about Russia’s possible advance knowledge. The group said in a detailed report that “Russian intelligence services closely monitored” ISIS-K in the run-up to the March 22 attack on the Crocus City Hall venue in Moscow.

“A few days before the terrorist attack, members of the [Russian] Security Council received a warning that Tajik citizens could be used in terrorist attacks on Russian territory,” the Dossier Center said. Nine more people were detained in Tajikistan early Friday because of suspected contact with the ISIS-K gunmen. The Dossier Center report also raised questions about how long it took law enforcement to respond to the scene and why some of the suspects were able to flee “despite the abundance of CCTV cameras in Moscow and on nearby highways.”

Threat Status is tracking how Russia might take advantage of the attack, including by potentially cracking down on social media such as Telegram, which has been used extensively by pro-Ukraine outfits and by Russian critics of the Kremlin war effort.

In an interview published late Thursday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov criticized Telegram founder Pavel Durov and said the app “is increasingly becoming a tool in the hands of terrorists, being used for terrorist purposes.”

The Kremlin is making its presence felt elsewhere. Russia vetoed a United Nations resolution Thursday to reauthorize a program to monitor sanctions against North Korea’s nuclear program. It’s the latest sign of deepening ties between Moscow and Pyongyang, which have unnerved the U.S. and its regional allies. Military Correspondent Mike Glenn has all the details. Analysts say that the development at the U.N. could mean a “grim future” for sanctions enforcement in North Korea.

Friday also marked the one-year anniversary of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich’s detention in Russia on widely questioned espionage charges. In a statement, President Biden vowed to keep fighting for his release and blasted Moscow’s “attempts to use Americans as bargaining chips.”

One final note involving Russia: Hillary Clinton fears that the Russians could use an AI clone of her to meddle in the 2024 election. At an Aspen Institute event Thursday, the failed 2016 presidential candidate and former first lady said that Russia’s previous actions to demonize her eight years ago were “primitive” but that new leaps forward in technology could make things exponentially worse this time around. 

The Times’ Ryan Lovelace covered the warnings from Mrs. Clinton, in which she argued that AI-generated clones are possible because of the massive library of video and audio content available on her.

Israel targeted Hezbollah weapons depots early Friday near the northern city of Aleppo in Syria, according to watchdog groups and local reports. It’s the latest sign that Jerusalem will not slow down in its war against its enemies, including Gaza-based Hamas and Lebanon-based Hezbollah, which also has a presence in Syria.

Israel has plenty of other foes. On Thursday, the International Court of Justice in The Hague ordered Israel to immediately allow unhindered humanitarian aid throughout the Gaza Strip and to “ensure with immediate effect that its military does not commit acts which constitute a violation of any of the rights of the Palestinians in Gaza.” The court order, which Israel will surely ignore, is the latest development in an ongoing ICJ case brought by South Africa, which accuses Israel of committing genocide in its war with Hamas militants in Gaza.

Jerusalem pushed back hard late Thursday evening. Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Lior Haiat posted a lengthy statement on X and said that South Africa seeks to “exploit the ICJ in order to undermine Israel’s inherent right and obligation to defend its citizens.”

Of course, Israel is no stranger to clashes with the ICJ, the United Nations and other international organizations. The U.N. Security Council this week passed a resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza —  a measure that passed only after the U.S. abstained from the vote. Former Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker argues in a new piece for The Times that the vote is one reason why “the U.N. should just be called U.L. because they are useless.”

“Worse yet, they are dangerous as they give cover to the cold-blooded killers of Hamas,” he writes.

House Speaker Mike Johnson announced Thursday that the two articles of impeachment passed by the House against Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas will be delivered to the Senate on April 10, after Congress returns from Easter recess. Republicans say Mr. Mayorkas is derelict in his duty of securing the southern border. The impeachment seemingly has little future in the Democratic majority Senate, but it could help keep the historic wave of illegal immigration squarely in the political spotlight heading into the 2024 election season.