“Lebanon's Hezbollah said it carried out simultaneous attacks on Israeli
positions at the Lebanese border on Saturday, as residents of south Lebanon
reported some of the fiercest Israeli strikes yet during weeks of cross-border
clashes. The Israeli army said its warplanes had struck Hezbollah targets in
response to an earlier attack from Lebanese territory, and was accompanying the
air strikes with artillery and tank shelling. A Lebanese source familiar with
Hezbollah's attacks said the group had fired a powerful missile not yet used in
the fighting, saying it had hit an Israeli position across the border from the
villages of Ayta al-Shaab and Rmeich. Hezbollah has been exchanging fire with
Israeli forces across the Lebanese-Israeli frontier since its Palestinian ally
Hamas went to war with Israel on Oct. 7. It marks the worst fighting at the
frontier since a 2006 war, but has mostly been contained to the border area.
Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, in his first speech since the
Hamas-Israel war began, said on Friday escalation on the Lebanese front would
depend on events in Gaza and Israeli actions towards Lebanon. He also said the
attacks so far at the border "won't be all" Hezbollah does.”











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Eye on Extremism



November 6, 2023





Reuters: Israeli Jets Hit Lebanon As Hezbollah Fires More Powerful Missile
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“Lebanon's Hezbollah said it carried out simultaneous attacks on Israeli
positions at the Lebanese border on Saturday, as residents of south Lebanon
reported some of the fiercest Israeli strikes yet during weeks of cross-border
clashes. The Israeli army said its warplanes had struck Hezbollah targets in
response to an earlier attack from Lebanese territory, and was accompanying the
air strikes with artillery and tank shelling. A Lebanese source familiar with
Hezbollah's attacks said the group had fired a powerful missile not yet used in
the fighting, saying it had hit an Israeli position across the border from the
villages of Ayta al-Shaab and Rmeich. Hezbollah has been exchanging fire with
Israeli forces across the Lebanese-Israeli frontier since its Palestinian ally
Hamas went to war with Israel on Oct. 7. It marks the worst fighting at the
frontier since a 2006 war, but has mostly been contained to the border area.
Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, in his first speech since the
Hamas-Israel war began, said on Friday escalation on the Lebanese front would
depend on events in Gaza and Israeli actions towards Lebanon. He also said the
attacks so far at the border "won't be all" Hezbollah does.”



Voice Of America: Insurgents Kill 14 Soldiers In Southwestern Pakistan
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“Heavily armed insurgents ambushed a military convoy in Pakistan’s
southwestern Baluchistan province Friday, killing at least 14 soldiers. The
attack, one of the deadliest in recent years, occurred in the district of
Gwadar, where China runs a deep-water Arabian Sea port. The Pakistani
military’s media wing confirmed the incident, saying “perpetrators of this
heinous act will be hunted down and brought to justice.” It said that the
convoy came under attack while moving between the towns of Pasni and Ormara.
Pakistan’s caretaker prime minister, Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar, condemned “the
terrorist attack” and paid tribute to the 14 soldiers who lost their lives, his
office said. There were no immediate claims of responsibility, but suspicions
fell on ethnic Baluch militants, who routinely target security forces in the
area. They say they are fighting for the independence of the natural
resource-rich Baluchistan province. Friday’s attack came on the same day a bomb
explosion near a police patrol in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province
killed at least five people and wounded 20 others. No group took credit for the
deadly bombing in the city of Dera Ismail Khan, where militants linked to the
outlawed Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP, regularly carry out attacks against
police and military forces.”




CEP Expert Analysis

* The Houthis’ Use of Technology for Repression
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* CEP Calls For Account Freeze On Qatari Assets In The UK
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* The Houthis and U.S.-Designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations
<[link removed]>
* Afghanistan Terorism Report: July 2023
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* Afghanistan Terrorism Report: June 2023
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CEP Mentions



Yahoo News UK: Hezbollah: What Is It And Who Is Its Leader?
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“…Hezbollah is described by the Counter Extremism Project, an organisation
which works to combat extremist groups and ideologies, as an
“Iranian-sponsored, internationally sanctioned terrorist group with an
anti-Israel and anti-US agenda". It is based in Lebanon, "but has carried out
terrorist and criminal operations around the world.” It has claimed it has
100,000 fighters. Like its ally Hamas, it is deemed a terrorist organisation by
the UK government, which notes its commitment to "armed resistance to the state
of Israel".”



United States



Associated Press: US And Arab Partners Disagree On The Need For A Cease-Fire
As Israeli Airstrikes Kill More Civilians
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“The United States and Arab partners disagreed Saturday on the need for an
immediate cease-fire in the Gaza Strip as Israeli military strikes killed
civilians at a U.N. shelter and a hospital, and Israel said the besieged
enclave’s Hamas rulers were “encountering the full force” of its troops. Large
columns of smoke rose as Israel’s military said it had encircled Gaza City, the
initial target of its offensive to crush Hamas. Gaza’s Health Ministry has said
more than 9,400 Palestinians have been killed in the territory in nearly a
month of war, and that number is likely to rise as the assault continues.
“Anyone in Gaza City is risking their life,” Israel’s Minister of Defense Yoav
Gallant said. In the night from Saturday to Sunday, airstrikes hit the Maghazi
refugee camp in the central area of Gaza, and Palestinian health officials
reported multiple casualties. Maghazi is in the evacuation zone where Israel
had urged Palestinians to seek refuge. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken
met with Arab foreign ministers in Jordan on Saturday after talks in Israel
with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who insisted there could be no
temporary cease-fire until all hostages held by Hamas are released. Jordan’s
Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said Arab countries want an immediate cease-fire,
saying “the whole region is sinking in a sea of hatred that will define
generations to come.””



Iraq



Reuters: Blinken Visits Iraq In Bid To Prevent Gaza Spillover
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“U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken paid an unannounced visit to Iraq on
Sunday, as he tours the Middle East attempting to tamp down tensions after war
erupted between Israel and Palestinian militants Hamas last month. After an
earlier visit to the occupied West Bank, Blinken landed in Baghdad on Sunday
evening for his first visit to the country as the U.S. top diplomat and held
talks with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed al-Sudani. Washington wants to prevent
a wider regional conflict and has stepped up diplomacy with regional countries
whose populations have been angered by Israel's assault on Gaza. Blinken landed
at Baghdad’s international airport, donned a ballistic vest and traveled by
Black Hawk helicopter to the Green Zone, a remnant of the U.S. occupation of
Iraq after its 2003 invasion. At the U.S. ambassador’s residence he was briefed
on threats to U.S. facilities, before heading to the prime minister’s office.
He will travel to Turkey later on Sunday, where protests were already underway.
Iran-backed group Kataib Hezbollah issued a warning on Saturday night that the
expected Blinken visit would be met with "an unprecedented escalation."”



Turkey



Reuters: Pro-Palestinian Crowds Try To Storm Air Base Housing U.S. Troops In
Turkey
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“Turkish police used tear gas and water cannon as hundreds of people at a
pro-Palestinian rally on Sunday tried to storm an air base that houses U.S.
troops, hours before U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was due in Ankara
for talks on Gaza. Turkey, which has stepped up its criticism of Israel as the
humanitarian crisis in Gaza has worsened, supports a two-state solution while
hosting members of the Palestinian militant group Hamas. Since the Israel-Hamas
war started, protests have erupted across the country. Earlier this week, the
IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation, an Islamist Turkish aid agency, organised a
convoy to travel to the Incirlik air base in the Adana province in southern
Turkey to protest Israeli attacks on Gaza and U.S. support for Israel.
Incirlik, which has been used to support the international coalition fighting
Islamic State in Syria and Iraq, also houses U.S. troops. IHH's protest called
for Incirlik to be closed. Footage from the protests showed police firing tear
gas and using water cannons to disperse crowds waving Turkish and Palestinian
flags and chanting slogans. Protesters toppled barricades and clashed with
police in riot gear.”



Afghanistan



Associated Press: Taliban Appeal To Afghan Private Sector To Help Those
Fleeing Pakistan’s Mass Deportation Drive
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“The Taliban on Saturday appealed to Afghanistan’s private sector to help
people fleeing Pakistan’s mass deportation drive. Pakistan is arresting and
expelling all foreigners it says are in the country illegally, but the policy
mostly affects Afghans because they are the biggest group of undocumented
foreigners in the country. The Ministry of Commerce and Industry in Kabul urged
Afghanistan’s private sector to step forward and help. The Taliban made a
similar plea last month after devastating earthquakes killed thousands of
people and flattened entire villages in the west, asking Afghanistan’s “wealthy
compatriots” to help survivors and affected communities. Nobody from the
Taliban-led administration was available for comment Saturday. Afghans forcibly
expelled from Pakistan are facing the worst situation of their lives, with no
opportunities, the ministry said. “The ministry invites the private sector to
take action because of the profound humanitarian disaster caused by the forced
migration of hundreds of thousands of the poor and needy. It is the duty of
Islam and Afghans to stand up for their fellow countrymen.” Afghanistan is
overwhelmed by challenges, including years of drought, a beleaguered economy
and the aftermath of decades of war. Millions are already internally displaced,
raising concerns among the humanitarian community about the impoverished
country being unable to support or integrate those leaving Pakistan.”



Reuters: Afghanistan Opium Poppy Supply Plummets 95% After Taliban Ban, U.N.
Says
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“Opium poppy production in Afghanistan, previously the world's top supplier,
has plummeted since the Taliban administration banned the cultivation of
narcotics last year, a United Nations report said on Sunday. The U.N. Office on
Drugs and Crime (UNODC) said opium cultivation fell throughout the country to
just 10,800 hectares (26,700 acres) in 2023 from 233,000 hectares the previous
year, slashing supply by 95% to 333 tons. This was putting pressure on farmers
in the war-torn country, where most people depend on agriculture and the value
of poppy exports had at times outstripped the value of all formal exported
goods, UNODC said. The sharp decline could have major consequences for the
economy in a country where around two-thirds of the population are already in
need of humanitarian aid, the report said. "Over the coming months Afghanistan
is in dire need of strong investment in sustainable livelihoods to provide
Afghan farmers with opportunities away from opium," Ghada Waly, the executive
director of UNODC, said in a statement. "This presents a real opportunity to
build towards long-term results against the illicit opium market and the damage
it causes both locally and globally."”



Pakistan



Reuters: Militants Attack Air Force Base In Central Pakistan, Says Military
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“Nine Islamist militants attacked an air force training base in the central
Pakistani area of Mianwali on Saturday damaging three "non-operational"
aircraft, the military said, adding that all assailants had been killed by
security forces. Three militants were killed before they entered the base while
the others had been cornered before the clearance operation began, the military
said in a statement. It did not mention any casualties amongst security
personnel. The early Saturday attack startled residents living close by when
volleys of gunfire broke the morning silence. "I woke up at around 3 a.m. after
I heard massive gun shots which continued till around 7 a.m.," Zeeshan Niazi, a
resident of Mianwali, told Reuters. The military said nine militants had been
killed in the attack on the Pakistan Air Force Training Airbase Mianwali. An
earlier statement said that six militants were involved in the attack. "No
damage has been done to any of the Pakistan Air Force's functional operational
assets, while only some damage was done to three already phased out
non-operational aircraft during the attack," the military statement said. It
earlier said a fuel tanker had also been damaged in the attack. "Due to the
swift and effective response by the troops, (the attack) has been foiled and
thwarted, ensuring the safety and security of personnel and assets," the
statement said.”



Saudi Arabia



The Times Of Israel: Saudi Arabia Decries Minister’s ‘Extremist’ Suggestion
That Israel Nuke Gaza
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“The Saudi foreign ministry condemns the “extremist” suggestion by Heritage
Minister Avichai Eliyahu that Israel might drop a nuclear bomb on Gaza, saying
that it “shows to what extent extremism and brutality have penetrated the
Israeli government.” The fact that Eliyahu was only suspended and not
immediately fired, the Saudi statement continues, “reflects the Israeli
government’s disregard for all values of humanity, morality, religion and law.””



Lebanon



Associated Press: Lebanon’s Militant Hezbollah Leader Threatens Escalation
With Israel As Its War With Hamas Rages On
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“Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said Friday that his powerful militia is
already engaged in unprecedented fighting along the Lebanon-Israel border and
threatened a further escalation as Israel’s war with Hamas nears the one-month
mark. In televised remarks — his first since the Palestinian militants’ deadly
Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel — Nasrallah stopped short of announcing that
Hezbollah would fully enter the war, a move that would have devastating
consequences for both Lebanon and Israel. The United States, Israel’s strongest
backer, has warned Hezbollah and its patron Iran against entering the fray and
has sent warships to the Mediterranean, a move Nasrallah said “will not scare
us.” Hezbollah is prepared for all options, he declared, “and we can resort to
them at any time.” The fighting would “not be limited” to the scale seen so
far, he added. In recent weeks, Hezbollah has fired rockets across the border
daily, mainly hitting military targets in northern Israel, but it has a
substantial arsenal capable of hitting anywhere in Israel and thousands of
battle-hardened fighters. Nasrallah’s speech had been widely anticipated
throughout the region as an indication of whether the Israel-Hamas conflict
would spiral into a regional war.”



Reuters: Hezbollah Tells U.S. To Halt Israel's Gaza Attack To Prevent Regional
War
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“The leader of Lebanon's Hezbollah warned the United States on Friday that
preventing a regional conflict depended on stopping the Israeli attack on Gaza,
and said there was a possibility of fighting on the Lebanese front turning into
a full-fledged war. Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, in his first speech since the
Israel-Hamas war erupted on Oct. 7, also threatened Israel's main ally the
United States, hinting his Iran-backed group was ready to confront U.S.
warships in the Mediterranean. "You, the Americans, can stop the aggression
against Gaza because it is your aggression. Whoever wants to prevent a regional
war, and I am talking to the Americans, must quickly halt the aggression on
Gaza," Nasrallah said. Hezbollah has been exchanging fire with Israeli forces
at the Lebanese-Israeli frontier since Oct. 8, with more than 55 of its
fighters killed. But clashes have been largely contained to the border, and
Hezbollah has so far used a fraction of the arsenal with which Nasrallah has
long threatened Israel. Nasrallah said Hezbollah attacks so far at the border
"won't be all" it does, adding that escalation on that front would hinge on
events in Gaza and Israeli actions towards Lebanon.”



Middle East



Reuters: Israel Strikes Gaza Ambulance; Netanyahu Rejects Halt Without Hostage
Release
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“Israel struck an ambulance near a Gaza hospital on Friday in an attack the
military said targeted militants, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
rejected calls by Washington's top diplomat for a halt to fighting unless
hostages held by Hamas are freed. Warning Israel and the U.S. of a potential
regional war, the leader of Lebanon's Hezbollah said fighting on the
Israel-Lebanon frontier could escalate further and hinted his Iran-backed group
was ready to confront U.S. warships in the region. Israel has vowed to wipe out
Hamas, which rules the Palestinian Gaza Strip, after the militant group killed
1,400 people and took more than 240 others hostage in an Oct. 7 assault in
southern Israel. The Israeli military has struck Gaza from the air, imposed a
siege and launched a ground assault, stirring global alarm at humanitarian
conditions in the enclave. Food is scarce, medical services are collapsing and
Gaza health officials say more than 9,250 Palestinians have been killed. Ashraf
al-Qidra, spokesperson for the health ministry in Gaza, said 15 people were
killed and 60 wounded when Israel struck an ambulance that was part of a convoy
at Gaza's biggest hospital, al-Shifa.”



NBC: Israeli Settlers Drive A New Wave Of Anti-Palestinian Violence In The
Occupied West Bank
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“Half an hour before Eisa Jebril was killed, his mother, Samiha, was rolling
him stuffed grape leaves. It was a dish he loved, but one she would never make
for him again — the next time she saw him, he had been shot through the head,
her family said, by an Israeli settler dressed as a soldier. “I was there with
him. I carried him. He was dead on the spot,” his brother Murad, 35, told NBC
News on Wednesday in the living room of their neat hillside home in the
occupied West Bank. In one corner, his brother’s clothes are laid out into a
shrine, still caked in blood from his fatal shooting on Oct. 13. Eisa, 27, was
a trained engineer, and the memorial is dotted with artifacts from his life: a
well-used laptop, three copies of the Quran and the Palestinian flag he was
carrying when he was shot. Eisa’s killing, near their village of Tekoa, is part
of what the United Nations, human rights groups and locals say is a surge of
violence by extremist Israeli settlers and security forces against Palestinians
in the West Bank since Oct. 7. While international attention has been focused
on Hamas’ terror attack and Israel’s aerial and ground assault of Gaza,
watchdogs say the killings here have been encouraged and even aided by Israel’s
security forces and hard-right government — which has openly armed the settlers
with rifles and military gear while whipping up anti-Palestinian rhetoric.”



ABC: After Israel-Hamas War, The Palestinians Must Have New Political Future,
US Official Says
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“The U.S. believes the Middle East cannot return to the status quo and must
agree on a new future for the Palestinians in the wake of Hamas' Oct. 7 terror
attack, which led Israel to launch a war in the region, a top White House
official said on Sunday. "What I think we believe in strongly is that Gaza
cannot and should not be allowed to be a platform from which horrific terrorist
attacks can be conducted against Israel," Biden deputy national security
adviser Jon Finer said in an interview with ABC "This Week" anchor George
Stephanopoulos, referring to the Palestinian territory Hamas controls. "And so
to the extent that they are seeking to make that no longer possible, that is
both a very legitimate and, we believe, an achievable goal," Finer added.
"Beyond that, what comes on the day after [fighting ends], I think we've also
started to speak to: We cannot go back to a pre-Oct. 7 environment in Gaza
where [terrorists] can threaten Israel in that way," Finer said. That applies
both to supporting Israel in its current military operations and supporting a
political future for the Palestinians living in Gaza and the West Bank next to
Israel, Finer said. "That means resuming the urgent work of giving a political
horizon to the Palestinian people, which to President [Joe] Biden means a
two-state solution," Finer told Stephanopoulos.”



Mali



Reuters: UN Retreat From Mali In Disarray As Violence Surges
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“Before United Nations peacekeepers hurriedly abandoned their base in Kidal
in northern Mali on Tuesday, they made a costly call: with insurgents stationed
nearby, they destroyed sensitive equipment to avoid it falling into the wrong
hands, the U.N. said. Shortly after the last U.N. convoy rolled out, the ethnic
Tuareg rebels announced they had taken over the base. Photos posted on social
media on Wednesday appeared to show locals loading trucks with looted goods,
including tyres, cables and chairs. Mali's ruling military junta in June
ordered the decade-old UN mission, known as MINUSMA, to leave as its relations
soured with former international allies. MINUSMA has accelerated its departure
in recent weeks as northern Mali has been engulfed in fighting between the
rebels and government forces vying for control over areas it vacates. Chaos has
ensued. Bloody confrontations have surrounded at least two U.N. bases, and two
have also been looted, according to two sources with direct knowledge of the
withdrawal. At least a dozen peacekeepers have been injured by explosive
devices hit by U.N. convoys heading south, according to U.N. statements.”



United Kingdom



The Guardian: Revealed: Plan To Brand Anyone ‘Undermining’ UK As Extremist
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“Government officials have drawn up deeply controversial proposals to broaden
the definition of extremism to include anyone who “undermines” the country’s
institutions and its values, according to documents seen by the Observer. The
new definition, prepared by civil servants working for cabinet minister Michael
Gove, is fiercely opposed by a cohort of officials who fear legitimate groups
and individuals will be branded extremists. The proposals have provoked a
furious response from civil rights groups with some warning it risks
“criminalising dissent”, and would significantly suppress freedom of
expression. One Whitehall official said: “The concern is that this is a
crackdown on freedom of speech. The definition is too broad and will capture
legitimate organisations and individuals.” Gove’s Department for Levelling Up,
Housing and Communities started a review of non-violent extremism in spring
this year. A national cohesion and counter-extremism plan with the new
definition is expected to be launched shortly. Internal departmental documents
marked “official – sensitive” say the proposed definition could “frame a new,
unified response to extremism”.”



Reuters: Two Women Charged With UK Terrorism Offences After Pro-Palestinian
Protest
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“Two women have been charged with terrorism offences after allegedly
displaying pro-Hamas imagery at a London demonstration, police said on Friday,
as they warned about possible radicalisation as a result of the Israel-Gaza
conflict. There have been growing tensions in Britain and elsewhere since a
deadly Hamas attack on Israel last month and Israel's retaliation on Gaza, with
tens of thousands of protesters taking part in pro-Palestinian marches
demanding the British government call for a ceasefire. The women allegedly wore
stickers with images of paragliders at a protest in London Oct. 14. They were
charged under the Terrorism Act and are due to appear at London's Westminster
Magistrates' Court Nov. 10. Some Hamas fighters used paragliders in the attack
on Israel and Hamas is proscribed as a terrorist organisation in Britain. The
Crown Prosecution Service said the images "aroused reasonable suspicion that
they are supporters of a proscribed organisation, namely Hamas." Dominic
Murphy, head of the Metropolitan Police's Counter Terrorism Command, said the
public is concerned about "some people using the veil of legitimate protest to
carry out criminal or even terrorist activity."”



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