“Israeli forces have found 800 shafts leading to Hamas' vast subterranean
network of tunnels and bunkers since a Gaza ground operation began on Oct 27,
and have destroyed more than half of them, the military said on Sunday. The
Palestinian Islamist group said before the now eight-week-old war in the Gaza
Strip that it had hundreds of kilometres of tunnels - a network comparable in
size to the New York subway system - to protect and serve as operational bases.
That has made them prime targets for Israeli air strikes with penetrating
munitions and army engineers using mapping robots and exploding gel that can be
poured into the passages. "The tunnel shafts were located in civilian areas,
many of which were near or inside civilian buildings and structures, such as
schools, kindergartens, mosques and playgrounds," the military said in a
statement on Sunday. The statement, summarising anti-tunnel operations so far,
followed near-daily accounts to the media by troops who said they uncovered
access shafts in civilian sites. The war's civilian toll has increasingly
worried world powers. Washington urged Israel to use caution on Saturday. Of
some 800 shafts discovered, the military said, 500 had been destroyed using a
variety of operational methods, including by "detonation and by sealing off".
It added that "many miles" of main tunnel routes had also been destroyed.”











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Eye on Extremism



December 4, 2023



Reuters: Israel Says It Uncovered 800 Shafts To Hamas Tunnels Below Gaza
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“Israeli forces have found 800 shafts leading to Hamas' vast subterranean
network of tunnels and bunkers since a Gaza ground operation began on Oct 27,
and have destroyed more than half of them, the military said on Sunday. The
Palestinian Islamist group said before the now eight-week-old war in the Gaza
Strip that it had hundreds of kilometres of tunnels - a network comparable in
size to the New York subway system - to protect and serve as operational bases.
That has made them prime targets for Israeli air strikes with penetrating
munitions and army engineers using mapping robots and exploding gel that can be
poured into the passages. "The tunnel shafts were located in civilian areas,
many of which were near or inside civilian buildings and structures, such as
schools, kindergartens, mosques and playgrounds," the military said in a
statement on Sunday. The statement, summarising anti-tunnel operations so far,
followed near-daily accounts to the media by troops who said they uncovered
access shafts in civilian sites. The war's civilian toll has increasingly
worried world powers. Washington urged Israel to use caution on Saturday. Of
some 800 shafts discovered, the military said, 500 had been destroyed using a
variety of operational methods, including by "detonation and by sealing off".
It added that "many miles" of main tunnel routes had also been destroyed.”



Reuters: Knifeman Kills German Tourist, Wounds Others Near France's Eiffel
Tower
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"A man armed with a knife and a hammer killed a German tourist and left two
people, including a British man, wounded near the Eiffel Tower in Paris late on
Saturday in what President Emmanuel Macron called "a terrorist attack". A
26-year-old suspect, a French national arrested after the attack, had pledged
allegiance to Islamic State in a video recorded beforehand, anti-terrorism
Prosecutor Jean-Francois Ricard said on Sunday. The suspect had told police he
was angry about the situation in Gaza and the fact that "so many Muslims are
dying in Afghanistan and in Palestine," Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said.
The German tourist suffered fatal injuries when he was attacked on the Quai de
Grenelle, a few feet from the Eiffel Tower, authorities said. The attacker was
chased by police and assaulted two other people, including the British man,
with a hammer, officials added. European security officials have warned of a
growing risk of attacks by Islamist militants amid the Israel-Hamas war, with
the biggest threat likely from "lone wolf" assailants who are hard to track. An
investigation was underway into murder and attempted murder in connection with
a terrorist organisation, prosecutor Ricard told a news conference. Three other
people from the suspect's family or entourage were in police custody, he added.”




CEP Expert Analysis

* The Houthis: Terrorizing Women and Journalists
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* Houthis Targeting Of Religious Minorities
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* The Houthis And U.S.-Designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations
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* 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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CEP Mentions



DW News: How Do Israel And Hamas Actually Communicate?
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“The truce between Hamas and Israel ended after seven days. In that time,
Hamas and other militants in Gaza released more than 100 hostages, mostly
Israelis, while Israel released some 240 Palestinian prisoners. Extensions of
the truce were negotiated with international help. Hamas is classified by
multiple countries as a terrorist organization. Interview with CEP Senior
Director Hans-Jakob Schindler.”



Vice News: Meet The 'Entrepreneur Of Hate' Behind The Rise Of Canadian
Neo-Nazi Fight Clubs
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“...Alexander Ritzmann, a senior advisor of the Counter-Extremism Project,
has been a leading expert on Active Clubs and their international spread. He
told VICE News that in the United States, the Active Clubs appear to be
building “a militia that looks like a combat sports network.” "There's lots of
evidence suggesting that this is actually a shadow militia that is training and
preparing for a Day X scenario. One that is undefined at the moment—it could be
something like January 6, it could be something else,” said Ritzmann. “So it is
very relevant when some of the leadership has a past of being members in
outward, violent organizations.””



Iran



Reuters: Iran Says Two Revolutionary Guards Killed In Israeli Attack In Syria
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“Two Iranian Revolutionary Guards members who served as military advisers in
Syria have been killed in an Israeli attack, Iranian state media reported on
Saturday, in the first reported Iranian casualties during the ongoing war in
Gaza. A Revolutionary Guards statement did not give details of the attack.
Syria earlier said its air defences repelled an Israeli rocket attack against
targets in the vicinity of Damascus early on Saturday.”



Iraq



Associated Press: 11 Civilians Are Killed In An Attack By Gunmen In Iraq’s
Eastern Diyala Province
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“A group armed with explosives and guns killed 11 people in eastern Iraq,
security officials said Friday. The attack took place Thursday night in the
area of Muqdadiyah in Diyala province. A roadside bomb exploded and gunmen then
opened fire on rescuers and bystanders at the scene, two security officials
said. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to
speak to the media. The victims were all civilians, the officials said. The
gunmen fled and no group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.
Diyala province has seen periodic attacks by Islamic State cells and sporadic
violence due to sectarian tensions between Shiites and Sunnis, as well as
fighting between rival militias and their tribal and political allies
struggling over influence and lucrative racketeering networks. The province,
which borders both Iran and Iraq’s autonomous Kurdish region, is a prime
conduit for smuggling. The Iraqi military’s joint operations command said in a
statement that it would form a committee to investigate the attack. Lt. Gen.
Qais al-Muhammadawi, deputy commander of the joint operations, traveled to
Diyala on Friday to attend a funeral for the victims and and “determine the
circumstances of the incident,” the statement said. The provincial governor of
Diyala, Muthanna al-Tamimi, vowed in a statement to “pursue the perpetrators of
the terrorist attack.”



Reuters: Suspected U.S. Strike In Iraq Kills Five Militia Members, Sources Say
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“A U.S. air strike killed five Iraqi militants near the northern city of
Kirkuk as they prepared to launch explosive projectiles at U.S. forces in the
country, three Iraqi security sources said, identifying them as members of an
Iran-backed militia. A U.S. military official confirmed a "self-defense strike
on an imminent threat" that targeted a drone staging site near Kirkuk on Sunday
afternoon. A statement by the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella group
representing several Iraqi armed factions with close ties to Tehran, said five
of its members had been killed, and vowed retaliation against U.S. forces. The
group had claimed several attacks against U.S. forces throughout Sunday.
Earlier Sunday, the U.S. military official said U.S. and international forces
were attacked with multiple rockets at the Rumalyn Landing Zone in northeastern
Syria, but there were no casualties or damage to infrastructure. Iraqi armed
groups have claimed more than 70 such attacks against U.S. forces since Oct. 17
over Washington's backing of Israel in its bombardment of Gaza. The attacks
paused during the recent Israel-Hamas ceasefire but have since resumed. The
U.S. in November launched two series of strikes in Iraq against what it said
were Iran-aligned armed groups who had engaged in attacks against their forces.
Those strikes killed at least 10 militants who were identified both as members
of shadowy militia Kataeb Hezbollah and of Iraq's Popular Mobilisation Forces,
an official security institution composed mainly of Shi'ite Muslim armed
groups.”



Yemen



ABC: 3 Commercial Ships Attacked In Red Sea; Houthis Claim Responsibility,
Citing Israel-Hamas War
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“Three commercial ships came under attack in the international waters of the
Red Sea on Sunday, U.S. military officials said -- as Houthi militants claimed
responsibility for the latest incursion in the Middle East, where tensions have
been high since the Israel-Hamas war began. "These attacks represent a direct
threat to international commerce and maritime security," U.S. Central Command
said in a statement. "They have jeopardized the lives of international crews
representing multiple countries around the world." A major shipping lane runs
through the sea, between Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. Since Hamas' Oct. 7
terror attack on Israel sparked the war, there have been a number of missile
attacks from Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen on ships in the Red Sea, the
Pentagon has said. Officials on Sunday laid blame with Iran. "We ... have every
reason to believe that these attacks, while launched by the Houthis in Yemen,
are fully enabled by Iran. The United States will consider all appropriate
responses in full coordination with its international allies and partners,"
CENTCOM said. U.S. forces have been repeatedly attacked by Iran-backed proxies
in Iraq and Syria since the Israel-Hamas war began, according to the Pentagon,
and American forces have carried out multiple retaliatory strikes as a result.
The three commercial ships, or merchant vessels, were identified in Sunday's
statement as the Unity Explorer, which is U.K.-owned but flagged (or
registered) in the Bahamas; the Number 9, which is flagged in Panama and owned
and operated in Bermuda and the U.K.; and the Sophie II, which is also
registered in Panama.”



Lebanon



Associated Press: Hezbollah And Israeli Troops Exchange Fire Along The Border
As 2 People Are Killed In Lebanon
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“Lebanon’s militant Hezbollah group attacked several Israeli army posts along
the two countries’ border and Israel shelled a village in southern Lebanon on
Friday, killing two Lebanese citizens, officials said. It was the first time
Hezbollah launched attacks on Israeli troops along the Lebanon-Israel border
since the start of a seven-day truce between Israel and the Palestinian
militant group Hamas, an ally of Hezbollah. That cease-fire collapsed on
Friday, plunging the Israel-Hamas conflict back into open combat. Israel’s
military said it hit the sources of the fire directed at the military. Lebanese
security officials, meanwhile, said a woman and her son died when Israeli
shells hit their home in the southern village of Houla. The officials spoke on
condition of anonymity in line with regulations. Lebanon’s state news agency
identified the woman and her son as Nasifa Mazraani and Mohammed Mazraani.
Hezbollah later announced that Mohammed Mazraani was a fighter with the group.
The woman’s death raised to at least 15 the number of civilians killed by
Israeli strikes in Lebanon over the past eight weeks. The Iran-backed Hezbollah
meanwhile, said it carried out four attacks on Israeli border posts. The Shiite
militant group has been attacking Israeli posts since a day after the
unprecedented Oct. 7 Hamas incursion into southern Israel that killed about
1,200 people, mostly civilians, and set off the latest Israeli-Hamas war.”



Middle East



Bloomberg: Israel Risks ‘Strategic Defeat’ If It Doesn’t Protect Civilians,
Austin Says
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“US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Israel risked “strategic defeat” in
its war with Hamas if it fails to heed warnings about the mounting civilian
death toll. “I have personally pushed Israeli leaders to avoid civilian
casualties, and to shun irresponsible rhetoric, and to prevent violence by
settlers in the West Bank,” Austin said in a speech to the Reagan National
Defense Forum in Simi Valley, California, on Saturday. Austin’s comments come
as top US officials have grown increasingly vocal in their warnings to Israel
about the death toll in the Gaza Strip. Those warnings, previously confined to
closed-door meetings, have been thrust into the open by mounting pressure from
Israel’s Arab neighbors, human-rights activists and opinion at home — including
the left of President Joe Biden’s Democratic Party. While Austin and other US
leaders have vowed to continue supporting Israel, they worry that American
support could become untenable if civilian casualties continue to mount. During
a trip to Israel this week, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that the
punishing campaign unleashed on northern Gaza shouldn’t be repeated as Israeli
forces move south after the end of a multiday cease-fire with Hamas. In
California, Austin turned to personal combat experience to make his case.”



Somalia



Reuters: UN Security Council Lifts Arms Embargo On Somalia Government
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“The United Nations Security Council unanimously voted on Friday to remove
the final restrictions on weapons deliveries to Somalia's government and its
security forces, more than 30 years after an arms embargo was first imposed on
the country. The council put the embargo on Somalia in 1992 to cut the flow of
weapons to feuding warlords, who had ousted dictator Mohamed Siad Barre and
plunged the Horn of Africa country into civil war. The 15-member body adopted
two British-drafted resolutions: one to remove the full arms embargo on Somalia
and another to reimpose an arms embargo on al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab
militants. The resolution lifting the arms embargo spells out "for the
avoidance of doubt, that there is no arms embargo on the Government of the
Federal Republic of Somalia." It also expresses concern about the number of
safe ammunition storage facilities in Somalia, and encourages the construction,
refurbishment and use of safe ammunition depots across Somalia. It urges other
countries to help. "The lifting of the arms embargo enables us to confront
security threats," said Somalia's U.N. Ambassador Abukar Dahir Osman. "It also
allows us to bolster the capacity of the Somali security forces by accessing
lethal arms and equipment to adequately safeguard our citizens and our nation."
Al Shabaab has been waging a brutal insurgency against the Somali government
since 2006 to try to establish its own rule based on a strict interpretation of
Islamic Sharia law.”



Europe



Associated Press: Police Raid Moscow Gay Bars After A Supreme Court Ruling
Labeled LGBTQ+ Movement ‘Extremist’
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“Russian security forces raided gay clubs and bars across Moscow Friday
night, less than 48 hours after the country’s top court banned what it called
the “global LGBTQ+ movement” as an extremist organization. Police searched
venues across the Russian capital, including a nightclub, a male sauna, and a
bar that hosted LGBTQ+ parties, under the pretext of a drug raid, local media
reported. Eyewitnesses told journalists that clubgoers’ documents were checked
and photographed by the security services. They also said that managers had
been able to warn patrons before police arrived. The raids follow a decision by
Russia’s Supreme Court to label the country’s LGBTQ+ “movement” as an extremist
organization. The ruling, which was made in response to a lawsuit filed by the
Justice Ministry, is the latest step in a decadelong crackdown on LGBTQ+ rights
under President Vladimir Putin, who has emphasized “traditional family values”
during his 24 years in power. Activists have noted the lawsuit was lodged
against a movement that is not an official entity, and that under its broad and
vague definition authorities could crack down on any individuals or groups
deemed to be part of it. Several LGBTQ+ venues have already closed following
the decision, including St. Petersburg’s gay club Central Station. It wrote on
social media Friday that the owner would no longer allow the bar to operate
with the law in effect.”



Southeast Asia



Associated Press: Philippine Troops Kill 11 Islamic Militants In One Of
Bloodiest Anti-Insurgency Offensives This Year
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“Philippine troops, backed by airstrikes and artillery fire, killed 11
suspected Islamic militants near a hinterland village in the country’s south,
authorities said Saturday, in one of the military’s bloodiest anti-insurgency
offensives this year. The military launched the offensive Friday after
receiving intelligence about the whereabouts of suspected leaders and armed
followers of the Dawla Islamiyah and the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters,
or the BIFF, groups near the village of Tuwayan in southern Datu Hofer town in
Maguindanao province, military officials said. Army Maj. Saber Balogan, a
regional military official, said government forces recovered 11 bodies of
suspected militants after more than three hours of fighting. Troops also
recovered Seven M16 and M14 assault rifles, rocket-propelled grenades and five
homemade bombs from the scene, he said, adding that there were no military
casualties. The Associated Press saw a confidential initial government report
about the military operation, which stated that two Philippine air force
fighter planes dropped eight 500-pound bombs in the hinterland areas where the
militants were spotted. Two military helicopters further targeted the
militants. Army troops were deployed after to the battle scene, military
officials said. This came after 13 armed militants belonging to the Dawla
Islamiyah surrendered with their firearms to the military in the south, Maj.
Gen. Alex Rillera, a regional military commander said.”



Reuters: Philippine Military Says Manhunt Underway For Bombing Suspects
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“A "massive" manhunt is underway for the attackers who bombed a Catholic Mass
that killed four people in the southern Philippines, a senior military officer
said on Monday, vowing to do everything possible to bring the perpetrators to
justice. Police are looking into at least two suspects they believe were behind
the blast, which Islamic State militants claimed. "As we speak, there's an
ongoing massive operation to hunt these terrorist groups or suspected
perpetrators of the bombing," William Gonzales, Western Mindanao Command chief,
told reporters after a security meeting in Marawi city. The bomb went off on
Sunday during a service at a university gymnasium in Marawi, a city left in
ruins in 2017 by a five-month military campaign to end an occupation by Islamic
State loyalists that had triggered alarm across Asia. "(We have persons) of
interest, but the investigation is still ongoing. In order not to preempt the
investigation, we will not divulge the names," regional police chief Allan
Nobleza told GMA News, adding that one of the suspects was linked to a local
militant group. The United States condemned the "horrific terrorist attack" and
said it stood with Filipinos in rejecting violence, joining a chorus of support
from countries including Japan, Australia, Britain, China and Canada.”



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