“The number of antisemitic incidents in the U.S. rose sharply in the three
months after the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel, according to new data from the
Anti-Defamation League, which tracked a total of 3,283 anti-Jewish incidents
between Oct. 7 and Jan. 7 — a 360% increase compared to the same period in
2022. The preliminary data compiled by the ADL, first reported by NBC News,
shows there was an average of nearly 34 antisemitic incidents every day
following the Oct. 7 assault, putting 2023 on track to be the highest year for
antisemitic acts against Jewish people since the ADL began keeping track in the
late 1970s, according to the organization. The preliminary three-month tally
was higher than the total number of antisemitic incidents recorded in any full
year over the last decade, save for 2022, when the total number hit a high of
3,697. Todd Gutnick, a spokesman for the ADL, said the group will soon release
data covering the first nine months of last year.”











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Eye on Extremism



January 11, 2024



NBC: Antisemitic Incidents In The U.S. Jumped 360% After Oct. 7 Hamas Attack,
Advocacy Group Says
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“The number of antisemitic incidents in the U.S. rose sharply in the three
months after the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel, according to new data from the
Anti-Defamation League, which tracked a total of 3,283 anti-Jewish incidents
between Oct. 7 and Jan. 7 — a 360% increase compared to the same period in
2022. The preliminary data compiled by the ADL, first reported by NBC News,
shows there was an average of nearly 34 antisemitic incidents every day
following the Oct. 7 assault, putting 2023 on track to be the highest year for
antisemitic acts against Jewish people since the ADL began keeping track in the
late 1970s, according to the organization. The preliminary three-month tally
was higher than the total number of antisemitic incidents recorded in any full
year over the last decade, save for 2022, when the total number hit a high of
3,697. Todd Gutnick, a spokesman for the ADL, said the group will soon release
data covering the first nine months of last year.”



Washington Post: Somalia’s Militant Shabab Capture Downed U.N. Helicopter, At
Least 1 Dead
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"The al-Qaeda-linked Islamist insurgent group al-Shabab seized the crew of a
U.N. helicopter that made an emergency landing in Somalia on Wednesday, said
two people based in Mogadishu who work with international organizations.
Al-Shabab set the helicopter on fire and seized most crew members after the
aircraft was forced to make an emergency landing in the central Galguduud
region, a Western official told The Washington Post. A Mogadishu-based official
said four Europeans and five Africans were onboard. One crew member was
reportedly killed, two were unaccounted for and may have escaped, and the rest
were taken captive, he said. All four officials spoke on the condition of
anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation."

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CEP Mentions



DW News: Why Germany Is Resuming Arms Exports To Saudi Arabia
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"The German government has made a U-turn on arms exports. It wants to allow
the delivery of Iris-T missiles and Eurofighter fighter jets to Saudi Arabia.
It was Germany's conservative-led government under Chancellor Angela Merkel
that restricted German weapons exports to Saudi Arabia in October 2018. This
was in response to the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi
consulate in Istanbul and Saudi Arabia's involvement in the war in Yemen, where
an alliance of Arab states is fighting against the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels
under Saudi leadership. That war has triggered one of the worst humanitarian
crises in the world. Now, just over five years later, the government led by
Chancellor Olaf Scholz is reassessing its relations with the Saudi government.
Following the terror attack by the militant Islamist Hamas on Israel on October
7, Saudi Arabia has been making a significant contribution to Israel's
security, said Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Green Party) on January 7
during a visit to Jerusalem. "And this is helping to contain the danger of the
conflict spreading across the region."



Daily Express: Russia's Wagner Group Is Helping Islamist Terrorists, Shocking
Report Reveals
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"... The Counter Extremism Project’s Riza Kumar warned: “Wagner’s violent
activities are increasing ammunition for violent extremist groups in their
recruiting efforts across the Sahel. Whether or not Wagner establishes formal
ties with Burkina Faso and Niger, the PMC’s impact is being felt across the
region.“As violent extremist groups expand their geographical scope, they have
the potential to influence the communities on the border areas and potentially
persuade them to see Wagner as predatorial rather than protective.”



United States



Politico: American Intel Officials Warn Of Risk Of Hezbollah Attacking U.S.
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“U.S. officials assess that there’s a rising risk Lebanese Hezbollah militants
will strike Americans in the Middle East — and even potentially hit inside the
United States, four officials familiar with the intelligence told POLITICO. The
Iran-backed militant group would likely target U.S. personnel in the Middle
East first, the officials said. And U.S. intelligence agencies are gathering
data on Hezbollah that suggest it could be considering attacks on both U.S.
troops or diplomatic personnel overseas, two of the officials said. The chance
for an assault on U.S. soil is also growing as tensions in the region escalate,
the officials said.

“Hezbollah could draw on the capability they have … to put people [in] places
to do something,” one of the officials said, referring to a potential attack on
the U.S. “It is something to be worried about.” The official, like others in
this story, was granted anonymity to talk freely about sensitive intelligence.”



Voice Of America: Blinken, Sissi To Discuss Israel-Hamas War
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“U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is to meet Thursday with Egyptian
President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi amid efforts to contain the Israel-Hamas war in
the Gaza Strip and secure the release of remaining hostages held by militants
in Gaza. Egypt played a key role in mediating an earlier temporary cease-fire
during which Hamas released more than 100 hostages and Israel released 240
Palestinian prisoners. Retired General Kenneth "Frank" McKenzie, former
commander of U.S. Central Command, expressed pessimism during a webinar on
Wednesday. "I think it's going to be very hard to get the remaining hostages
back. ... They're the last thing Hamas has," he said. "I am not optimistic that
we're going to get a lot of these hostages back." Thursday’s talks in Cairo
come a day after Blinken met with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas
in the West Bank, and Abbas held subsequent talks with Sissi and Jordan’s King
Abdullah II.”



ABC: Biden Administration Faces Growing Pressure To Strike Back At
Iranian-Backed Houthis
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“Following weeks of warnings from U.S. officials to Houthi rebels that there
would be repercussions if their assaults on vessels in the Red Sea continued,
the Yemeni group launched its largest bombardment to date -- intensifying
pressure on the Biden administration to retaliate against the Iranian-backed
militia. U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said Tuesday that the Houthis fired off
a "complex attack" comprised of armed drones, anti-ship cruise missiles, and an
anti-ship ballistic missile on Tuesday night -- the 26th strike on the region's
commercial shipping routes since Nov. 19. The barrage was intercepted by
American and British warships and no injuries were reported, but the brazen
nature of the strike has cast doubt that words alone will be enough to contain
the threat posed by the Houthi fighters, which has already created significant
disruptions to commercial shipping in the region, according to CENTCOM. In a
bold statement issued on Wednesday, the Houthis declared that the group had
specifically targeted a U.S. ship.”



Iran



Forbes: How Iran Might Respond To Worst Terrorist Attack In Decades
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“Amid heightened Middle East tensions, Iran endured its deadliest terrorist
attack since the inception of the Islamic Republic on Jan. 3 and has vowed
revenge. But how exactly it will ultimately retaliate against the attack
claimed by the notorious Islamic State group remains to be seen. The heinous
twin-bombing terror attack in Iran’s southeast Kerman killed at least 91 people
attending a commemorative ceremony on the fourth anniversary of the
assassination of senior Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani in a U.S. drone
strike in Baghdad in 2020. Iranian officials instantly vowed revenge but
perversely blamed the United States and Israel. At the funeral for the victims,
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi chose to hail Hamas’ unprecedented Oct. 7
attack on Israel, saying this “operation will bring about the end of the
Zionist regime” and declaring Iran’s enemies see its power “and the whole world
knows its strengths and capabilities.” “Our forces will decide on the place and
time to take action,” he added.”



Reuters: Iran Says It Arrested 35 People In Relation To Deadly Kerman Attacks
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“Iranian authorities have arrested 35 people in relation to the Jan. 3 attacks
in the southeastern city of Kerman, the Intelligence Ministry said on Thursday,
according to the semi-official Tasnim news agency. The ministry said it had
identified one of the two suicide bombers as a national of Tajikistan, who
entered Iran illegally on Dec. 19. More information will be released at a later
date about the second suicide bomber, the ministry said, adding that the
arrests had been carried out in several Iranian provinces. The Islamic State
claimed responsibility on Jan. 4 for the attack that killed nearly 100 people
and wounded 284, at a memorial for top commander Qassem Soleimani.”



Associated Press: Iran Identifies Alleged Bomb-Maker Behind Last Week’s Is
Twin Suicide Attack That Killed Dozens
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“Iran’s intelligence ministry on Thursday identified a top suspect, described
as ringleader and bomb-maker, in the twin suicide bombings last week claimed by
the Islamic State group as the death toll from the attack rose to at least 94,
state media reported. The Jan. 3 attack, in which two suicide bombers targeted
a commemoration for an Iranian general slain in a 2020 U.S. drone strike in
Iraq, was the deadliest in Iran in decades as the wider Middle East remains on
edge. One bomber first detonated his explosives at the ceremony in Kerman,
about 820 kilometers (510 miles) southeast of the capital, Tehran, then another
attacked 20 minutes later as emergency workers and other people tried to help
the wounded from the first explosion. The official IRNA news agency carried a
statement by the intelligence ministry saying the main suspect who planned the
bombing was a Tajik national known by his alias Abdollah Tajiki. According to
IRNA, the suspect had entered the country in mid-December by crossing Iran’s
southeast border, and left two days before the attack, after making the bombs.”



Pakistan



Associated Press: Air Arabia Resumes Flights To Afghanistan After Halting Them
2 Years Ago As Taliban Captured Kabul
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“The Taliban government in Afghanistan on Wednesday confirmed the resumption
of Air Arabia flights to Kabul’s international airport, two years after service
stopped following the collapse of the Western-backed government. Afghanistan’s
Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation said the first Air Arabia flight
landed Wednesday. In a post on X, the ministry said there will be one daily
flight between Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, and Kabul. All international
airlines halted flights to Afghanistan after the Taliban seized power in August
2021 as U.S. and NATO forces departed after two decades of war. In May, the
Taliban signed a deal allowing an Emirati company to manage three airports in
Afghanistan. Under the agreement, Abu Dhabi-based GAAC Solutions would manage
the airports in Herat, Kabul and Kandahar. In November, flydubai resumed
flights to Kabul. Two Afghan airlines, Kam Air and Ariana Afghan Airlines,
operate from Kabul to destinations such as Dubai, Moscow, Islamabad and
Istanbul.”



Yemen



Reuters: UN Security Council Demands Houthis Stop Red Sea Attacks
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“The U.N. Security Council on Wednesday demanded Yemen's Houthis immediately
end attacks on ships in the Red Sea and cautioned against escalating tensions
while implicitly endorsing a U.S.-led task force that has been defending
vessels. The demand came in a Security Council resolution that also called on
the Houthis to release the Galaxy Leader, a Japanese-operated vehicle carrier
linked to an Israeli businessman that the group commandeered on Nov. 19, and
its 25-person crew. Eleven members voted for the measure demanding the Houthis
"immediately cease all attacks, which impede global commerce and navigational
rights and freedoms as well as regional peace." Four members, including
veto-wielding Russia and China, abstained. None voted against. The key
provision of the resolution, sponsored by the U.S. and Japan, noted the right
of U.N. member states, in accordance with international law, "to defend their
vessels from attack, including those that undermine navigational rights and
freedoms."



Middle East



New York Times: Hamas Says Hostages Won’t Go Home Alive As Long As Israeli
Forces Remain In Gaza
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“Israeli hostages held in the Gaza Strip “will not be returned alive” unless
Israeli forces leave, a Hamas spokesman said on Wednesday, highlighting the
predicament facing the Israeli government: It has vowed to free the hostages,
and to pursue the war and defeat Hamas. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is
under significant pressure to do whatever is required to get the remaining
hostages who are still alive — more than 100 of them, the government says —
home safely. Yet public opinion surveys show that most Israelis also support
his stated aim of eliminating Hamas, which led the deadly Oct. 7 assault on
Israel, as a military force. “We affirm that the enemy prisoners will not be
returned alive to their families,” Osama Hamdan, a Hamas spokesman, said at a
news conference in Beirut, Lebanon, unless Israel meets the conditions Hamas
has set, “the first of which is a comprehensive cessation of the aggression
against Gaza.”



Associated Press: Israeli Military Says It Found Traces Of Hostages In An
Underground Tunnel In Gaza
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“The Israeli military said Wednesday it has found evidence that hostages were
present in an underground tunnel in the Gaza Strip city of Khan Younis, which
has become the focus of Israel’s ground offensive. The military showed the
tunnel to journalists who were escorted into a neighborhood near the ruins of
destroyed homes and streets. A corrugated tin hut covered the tunnel’s entrance
in a residential yard. A makeshift ladder led to the narrow underground
pathway, about 2.5 meters (8 feet) below. The tunnel was hot and humid, with
walls lined with concrete and electrical wires. Farther inside was a bathroom,
where the military said it found evidence that hostages had been there,
including their DNA. “Hostages were held here in this tunnel system,” said Rear
Adm. Daniel Hagari, the army’s chief spokesman. Hagari offered no details on
what exactly was found in the tunnel, nor did he say when the hostages were
there or identify them. He did not say if they were known to be dead or alive.
In a later statement to the media, he said the captives were held in “difficult
conditions,” without elaborating.”



Associated Press: Tanker In Gulf Of Oman Boarded By Men In Military Uniforms
In Apparent Seizure In Mideast Waters
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“An oil tanker once at the center of a crisis between Iran and the United
States was boarded in the Gulf of Oman by “unauthorized” men in military
uniforms early on Thursday morning, an advisory group run by the British
military and a private security firm warned. Details remained unclear in what
was apparently the latest seizure of a vessel in the tense Middle East
waterways. However, suspicion immediately fell on Iran as the ship was once
known as the Suez Rajan and had been involved in a yearlong dispute that
ultimately saw the U.S. Justice Department seize 1 million barrels of Iranian
crude oil on it. The apparent seizure also comes after weeks of attacks by
Yemen’s Iranian-backed Houthi rebels on shipping in the Red Sea, including
their largest barrage ever of drones and missiles launched late Tuesday. That
has raised the risk of possible retaliatory strikes by U.S.-led forces now
patrolling the vital waterway, especially after a United Nations Security
Council vote on Wednesday condemning the Houthis and as American and British
officials warned of potential consequences over the attacks.”



Germany



Bloomberg: Germany On Alert After Extremist ‘Re-Migration’ Plot Uncovered
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“Germany’s interior minister warned of the growing threat from extremists
after reporters uncovered a meeting attended by members of the far-right AfD
party where a “re-migration” concept was discussed that echoed the policies of
the Nazis. The gathering, at which a close aide of AfD Co-leader Alice Weidel
and two members of the main opposition Christian Democrats were present, took
place at a hotel near Potsdam in November, according to a report published
Wednesday by Correctiv, an Essen-based media organization which seeks to
promote democracy. Discussions included a proposal outlined by an Austrian
right-wing extremist for mass deportations of asylum seekers, foreigners with
the right to reside in Germany and German citizens who haven’t “assimilated,”
Correctiv said, citing documents and information gathered by an undercover
reporter. A spokesman for Weidel said she had no knowledge of the meeting’s
content or guest list but confirmed that an aide, Roland Hartwig, had
participated. Carsten Linnemann, the CDU’s general secretary, said the party is
monitoring the situation “with great concern.”



South America



New York Times: Ecuadoreans Split On President’s Drastic New Measure To Combat
Drug Gangs
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“A sense of dread took hold in Ecuador on Wednesday, with the streets empty,
schools closed and many people afraid to leave their homes after the
disappearance of two gang leaders set off prison riots, police kidnappings and
the on-air storming of a TV station. Even for a country accustomed to violence,
the events that have rocked Ecuador this week were shocking. “I feel like the
world I knew before is gone,” said María Ortega, a schoolteacher in Guayaquil,
a sprawling coastal city. “You can know how things start, but not how they’ll
end.” It began with violence erupting in prisons across the South American
country as soldiers surged into a penal compound in Guayaquil, after the
disappearance of a powerful gang leader, Adolfo Macías, from his cell over the
weekend. Inmates at various prisons took prison guards captive, and dozens of
detainees escaped, including another prominent gang leader.”



Reuters: Ecuador TV Station Hostage Recounts 'Surreal' Armed Takeover
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“A Ecuadorean journalist who was held hostage by gunmen during the takeover of
a Guayaquil TV station and obliged to appear on camera at gunpoint told Reuters
on Wednesday the experience was "surreal." Gunmen stormed a studio at public
broadcaster TC on Tuesday afternoon, carrying long-range guns, grenades and
dynamite, part of a wave of violence that has prompted President Daniel Noboa
to name 22 gangs as terrorist organizations to be targeted by the military.
Images from the channel's live feed, which remained on air for about 20
minutes, shocked the country and made headlines around the world. Journalist
Jose Luis Calderon, 47, was in the studio as his colleagues led a broadcast
around 2 p.m. local time, when he heard yelling, shots and people running
outside in the hallway. "Our immediate reaction was to seek refuge in the
bathroom," he said. He hid with some colleagues and they called family members
and police, but were overheard by the gunmen.”



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