“The U.S. military has unleashed large-scale retaliatory airstrikes against
multiple Houthi targets in Yemen following months of attacks by the
Iranian-backed militants on commercial shipping in the Red Sea, a U.S. official
said Thursday. The official said that the strikes involved a mix of fighter
jets and Tomahawk cruise missiles launched from Navy surface ships and a U.S.
Navy submarine, according to two U.S. officials. One of the officials
identified the submarine as the Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine USS
Florida, which was seen entering the Red Sea via the Suez Canal on Nov. 5, a
move publicized by U.S. Central Command. Another U.S. official confirmed that
the United Kingdom also was using its military assets to launch airstrikes
against Houthi targets. U.S. President Joe Biden, who had been under pressure
to respond, but hoping to avoid risking wider Middle East conflict, issued a
statement calling the move a "defensive action" after extensive warnings.”











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**NOTE: Eye on Extremism will be suspended on Monday, January 15, in
observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. It will resume Tuesday, January 16.**



Eye on Extremism



January 12, 2024



ABC: US, UK Launch Large-Scale Retaliatory Strikes Against Iran-Backed Houthi
Militants In Yemen
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“The U.S. military has unleashed large-scale retaliatory airstrikes against
multiple Houthi targets in Yemen following months of attacks by the
Iranian-backed militants on commercial shipping in the Red Sea, a U.S. official
said Thursday. The official said that the strikes involved a mix of fighter
jets and Tomahawk cruise missiles launched from Navy surface ships and a U.S.
Navy submarine, according to two U.S. officials. One of the officials
identified the submarine as the Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine USS
Florida, which was seen entering the Red Sea via the Suez Canal on Nov. 5, a
move publicized by U.S. Central Command. Another U.S. official confirmed that
the United Kingdom also was using its military assets to launch airstrikes
against Houthi targets. U.S. President Joe Biden, who had been under pressure
to respond, but hoping to avoid risking wider Middle East conflict, issued a
statement calling the move a "defensive action" after extensive warnings.”



Wall Street Journal: Iran Seizes Oil Tanker Linked to U.S. Sanctions Dispute
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“Armed, uniformed men boarded an oil tanker off the coast of Oman that has
been at the center of a dispute between Iran and the U.S. and changed its
course on Thursday, according to maritime intelligence firms, a further
escalation along Middle Eastern shipping routes. The United Kingdom Maritime
Trade Operations, an advisory group run by the U.K. military, said at least
four men wearing black military uniforms and black masks boarded the ship early
Thursday in waters between the coasts of Oman and Iran. UKMTO said the seized
ship was being diverted to Iranian waters.”




Recent CEP Press Releases

* CEP Online Roundtable: Responding To Blasphemy
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*
New CEP Report: The Wagner Group In The Central Sahel – Decolonization Or
Destabilization?
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*
CEP BRIEF: HAMAS LEADER SALEH AL-AROURI KILLED IN ALLEGED ISRAELI STRIKE IN
LEBANON
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*
MULTIPLE ARRESTS IN EUROPE HIGHLIGHT COMPLEX THREAT OF ISLAMIST TERRORISM
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*
Help Support CEP’s Influential Monitoring Of Afghanistan Since The Taliban
Takeover
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CEP Mentions



The Guardian: Neo-Nazis In The US No Longer See Backing Ukraine As A Worthy
Cause
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“... Joshua Fisher-Birch, an analyst of the extreme right for the Counter
Extremism Project, has kept tabs on rightwing extremists and their fascination
with Ukraine. “Chatter among the American online extreme right regarding travel
to Ukraine to fight against the Russian invasion has decreased in the last
year,” he said, pointing out that in some cases talk about venturing to the war
was “either never serious” or a blatant “attempt to raise money through
crowdfunding, or was abandoned due to the brutal reality of the conflict or no
longer seeing a goal for the American movement”. The threat of law enforcement
has also acted as a major deterrent to rightwing extremists trying to join the
Ukrainian war effort. “It’s also highly likely that efforts from both the US
and Ukrainian governments made travel for these individuals more difficult,” he
said. For European neo-Nazis, on the other hand, the conflict is on their
doorstep. Unchecked Russian imperialism is still regarded as very much a close
proximity threat by nationalist movements all over the continent. They see
Americans and English speakers within their movement as ignorant to the reality
of the Kremlin’s propaganda machine.”



The Messenger: Hamas’ Most Wanted: Who’s Dead, Who’s Alive and Who’s
Underground
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“... Hans-Jakob Schindler, director of the Counter Extremism Project, a policy
group based in Berlin and New York, believes Israel is aware that it cannot
eradicate Hamas. New recruits will grow into new leaders, Schindler told The
Messenger, and even without people like al-Arouri, plenty of money is still
available from various deep-pocketed sources to fund Palestinian extremists and
terrorists. “Hamas did its utmost to raise a generation or two of Palestinians
who hate Israel,” said Schindler. “What is happening now is exclusively buying
time.” Removing the leadership and the supply lines will give the Israeli
public a sense that they are safer, he said “but all of that is replaceable.”
“Ignore anyone who talks in terms of 'destroying' or 'dismantling; Hamas, or
'cutting off its head'," added Matthew Levitt, director of the Reinhard program
on counterterrorism & intelligence at The Washington Institute for Near East
Policy. “The goal here is to dismantle the Hamas governance project in Gaza and
its military/terrorist capability to inflict harm.”



United States



ABC: Fla. Man Allegedly Posted On Social Media That He Planned Racially
Motivated Mass Violence: DOJ
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“A 26-year-old Florida man with ties to the Aryan white supremacist movement
has been charged by federal prosecutors after he allegedly warned online "that
he was planning to conduct a racially or ... ethnically motivated mass casualty
event," according to court documents unsealed on Thursday. Alexander Lightner,
of Venice, Florida, is charged with interstate communication of threats. He is
accused of posting "several concerning" things on social media on Dec. 29, the
court documents state. "2024 there shall be saints u fuq," he allegedly wrote
in one post. "I'll delete this, but I say to you there is no surrender only
death. Only purpose. It's so over. It's so begun." The reference to "saints" is
"an individual who commits an act of violence in furtherance of white
supremacist and accelerationist goals," according to the Department of Justice.
On social media, Lightner allegedly also made reference to getting a
"highscore" which, according to the DOJ, is a reference to the death toll
amassed by an attacker who commits an act of mass violence.”



New York Times: Accused Islamic Extremist Pleads Guilty To Times Square Attack
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“A man who the authorities said carried out an attempt “in the name of jihad”
to kill three New York City police officers near Times Square during the 2022
New Year’s Eve celebration pleaded guilty to federal charges on Thursday. The
man, Trevor Bickford, who appeared in U.S. District Court in Manhattan wearing
the tan scrubs of a federal prisoner, pleaded guilty to three counts of
attempted murder of law enforcement officers and three counts of assault of law
enforcement officers. Reading from a short statement, Mr. Bickford, 20, told
the judge, P. Kevin Castel, that he had “attempted to kill three uniformed
N.Y.P.D. officers” while they were working on New Year’s Eve. “I know what I
did was wrong,” he told the court, “and I’m sorry.” By pleading guilty, Mr.
Bickford avoids a federal trial. His sentencing is scheduled for April 11; he
faces a maximum sentence of 120 years in prison for the charges.”



Voice Of Amercica: US Lawmakers Question Whether Aid Is Benefiting Taliban
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"U.S. officials overseeing assistance to Afghanistan told U.S. lawmakers
Thursday that aid is rigorously monitored to prevent financial benefits from
reaching the Taliban. "We remain extremely vigilant against attempts to divert
and interfere with assistance delivery. USAID takes its duty as a steward of
U.S. taxpayer dollars extremely seriously, and we hold implementing partners to
the highest standards," said Michael Schiffer, assistant administrator, Bureau
for Asia, U.S. Agency for International Development. Assurances from the U.S.
State Department and USAID came after the U.S. Special Inspector General for
Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) said in a January 8 letter that there were
still unanswered questions about $3.5 billion in funds controlled by the
Switzerland-based Afghan Fund. SIGAR told Congress that more than a year after
the Afghan Fund's creation it had not made any disbursements for its intended
purpose of benefiting the Afghan people.”



Syria



Reuters: Syria Extends Aid Deliveries Via Turkey For Six Months
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“The Syrian government has extended its approval for humanitarian aid to be
delivered to rebel-held parts of the country's northwest through a border
crossing with Turkey for another six months. The United Nations had been using
the Bab al-Hawa crossing from Turkey to deliver aid to millions in northwest
Syria since 2014 with authorization from the U.N. Security Council. That
expired in mid-2023 after the 15-member body failed to reach an agreement to
extend it, and the Syrian government then said the U.N. could continue using
the Bab al-Hawa crossing for another six months. In a diplomatic note seen by
Reuters and dated Thursday, Syria's mission to the United Nations said Damascus
would "extend its permission granted to the United Nations (UN) to use Bab
al-Hawa crossing to deliver humanitarian assistance to the North-West of Syria
for an additional period of six months until 13 July 2024". Damascus has also
allowed the U.N. to send aid through two other Turkish crossings after an
earthquake killed more than 50,000 people in Turkey and Syria last year.”



Turkey



Associated Press: Turkish Police Arrest 70 Suspects With Ties To The Islamic
State Group In Raids Across The Country
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“Turkish police detained 70 suspects with ties to the militant Islamic State
group in raids this week across the country, Turkey’s interior minister said
Thursday. Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya announced on social media that large
amounts of money, digital material and receipts for hawala banking transactions
were also discovered in the raids. Hawala is an informal money transfer system
that is traditionally used in some parts of the Muslim world. A video
accompanying Yerlikaya’s post showed vehicles sweeping out of police stations
and armed officers in military gear raiding addresses, followed by searches and
arrests. In late December, Turkish security forces detained 32 suspected IS
militants that the state-run Anadolu news agency said were allegedly planning
attacks on synagogues, churches and the Iraqi Embassy. A week earlier, police
rounded up 304 suspected IS militants in simultaneous raids across Turkey in
what appeared to be a security sweep leading up to the New Year festivities.”



Afghanistan



Voice Of America: UN Decries Taliban Crackdown On Women For Alleged Dress Code
Violations
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“The United Nations said Thursday it was deeply concerned about recent arrests
and detentions of women and girls by Afghanistan's Taliban authorities for
alleged non-compliance with Islamic dress code. The U.N. Assistance Mission in
Afghanistan (UNAMA) warned in a statement that the crackdown is "pushing women
into even greater isolation" and called for the immediate release of those
detained. The UNAMA says it has documented "a series of hijab decree
enforcement campaigns" in the capital, Kabul, and central Daykundi province,
where "large numbers of women and girls have been warned and detained." The
Taliban's Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice and
police have been carrying out the crackdown. The UNAMA said that it was
investigating claims of "ill-treatment of women" and allegations that payments
have been demanded in exchange for release. "Enforcement measures involving
physical violence are especially demeaning and dangerous for Afghan women and
girls," said Roza Otunbayeva, the head of the U.N. mission. "Detentions carry
an enormous stigma that puts Afghan women at even greater risk. They also
destroy public trust."



Lebanon



Reuters: Israeli Strike Kills Two Members Of Hezbollah-Linked Rescue Force In
Lebanon - Statement
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“An Israeli strike on a civil defence centre in southern Lebanon on Thursday
killed two rescuers and destroyed an ambulance, according to the rescue force,
which is affiliated with armed group Hezbollah. The civil defence operations
room at the Islamic Health Authority said that "direct Israeli bombardment on
an emergency centre in the town of Hanin" killed two male unit members. There
was no immediate comment from the Israeli military. It was the first time in
more than three months of cross-border shelling that an Israeli strike hits an
emergency centre. In other cases, rescuers and medics have been wounded in
Israeli bombardment as they tried to reach the site of a previous strike or
extract casualties. The deaths bring to 25 the number of civilians that have
been killed in Israeli shelling on southern Lebanon, including children and
journalists. At least 140 Hezbollah fighters have also been killed there, and
nine troops on the Israeli side of the border. Hezbollah also launched rockets
across the border at Israel on Thursday, as U.S. special envoy Amos Hochstein
met with Lebanese officials in Beirut in an attempt to cool tensions on the
disputed frontier between Lebanon and Israel.”



Middle East



BBC: Gaza Journalists’ Families Reject Israeli Military's ‘Terrorist’ Claims
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“The Qatar-based Al Jazeera news network, for whom one of the journalists
worked, also condemned what it called the "false and misleading attempts to
justify the killing of our colleagues". Hamza al-Dahdouh, an Al Jazeera
journalist and cameraman, and Mustafa Thuraya, a freelance videographer, died
after their car was hit in the southern city of Rafah on Sunday. A third
journalist was reportedly seriously injured. Al Jazeera said at the time that
it strongly condemned the "assassination" of the journalists "whilst they were
on their way to carry out their duty" during the war between Israel and Hamas.
It also accused Israel of "systematically targeting" Dahdouh's family. His
father, Wael, is the network's Gaza bureau chief and he has now lost five
members of his immediate family in Israeli strikes. In an initial statement
about Sunday's strike, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it "identified and
struck a terrorist who operated an aircraft that posed a threat to IDF troops."
"We are aware of the reports that during the strike, two other suspects who
were in the same vehicle as the terrorist were also hit," it added.”



Associated Press: Houthi Rebels Say US-Led Strikes In Yemen Killed 5 People
And Wounded 6, Raising Mideast Tensions
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“U.S.-led airstrikes on Yemen’s Houthi rebels in response to their attacks on
Red Sea shipping pulled the world’s focus Friday back on the yearslong war
raging there, even as tensions rise across a Middle East already torn by
Israel’s war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The strikes killed at least five
people and wounded six, the Houthis said, without elaborating on what was
targeted. As the bombing lit the predawn sky over multiple sites held by the
Iranian-backed rebels, Saudi Arabia quickly sought to distance itself from the
attacks as it seeks to maintain a delicate détente with Iran and a cease-fire
in the Yemen war from which it hopes to finally withdraw. The attack also
threatened to ignite a regional conflict over Israel’s war on Hamas, which the
Biden administration and its allies have been trying to calm for weeks.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Navy acknowledged an attack days earlier on a ship in the
far reaches of the Indian Ocean — an attack that may signal Iran’s willingness
to strike vessels as part of a wider maritime campaign over the Israel-Hamas
conflict. Tehran on Thursday separately seized another tanker involved in an
earlier crisis over America seizing oil targeted by international sanctions on
the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program.”



New York Times: Israel And Hamas Are In Talks To Deliver Medicine To Hostages
In Gaza
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“Qatar is engaged in high-level discussions with Hamas to deliver vital
prescription medicines to Israeli hostages in the Gaza Strip at the same time
it is making progress with Israel about allowing more medicine into the enclave
for Gazan civilians, officials said. More than 120 hostages have now been held
in Gaza for nearly 100 days and many suffer from health conditions that require
regular medical care, including cancer and diabetes. Their families have grown
increasingly concerned as the war enters its fourth month and as hostages
released in late November share harrowing accounts of their captivity. Family
members of the hostages raised the need for medicines during a meeting in Doha
with the prime minister of Qatar, Mohammed bin Adbdulrahman bin Jassim Al
Thani, according to Daniel Lifshitz, the grandson of one of the hostages. An
official familiar with the talks, who spoke on the condition of anonymity due
to their sensitivity, confirmed the meeting. He said that negotiators were
discussing the types of medications needed, how much was needed and how to
deliver them. Discussions were underway with international organizations that
could help deliver them, he added.”



Somalia



CNN: Somali Forces Are Continuing To Search For Passengers Of Captured UN
Helicopter
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“Somali national forces in the area where a UN helicopter was captured by
al-Shabaab fighters are continuing to search for passengers, Daud Aweis,
Somalia’s Minister of Information, Culture, and Tourism told CNN on Thursday.
Aweis said they had been searching for the passengers since Wednesday night.
“They are doing a search in a very practical way because they have to engage
the local people in the area to get information and gather intelligence to find
where they are and so they can be quickly rescued,” he said, adding that the
Somali government was still waiting for an update on the search. Eight people
were on board the helicopter when it was captured by al-Shabaab fighters in the
Galmugud region, including foreigners and one Somali citizen, Aweis said. He
was not able to confirm if anyone had died or escaped, saying that Somali
forces were searching for all eight people. The UN emergency assistance
helicopter made an emergency landing likely due to a mechanical issue in
Galmudug, which is controlled buy the al-Qaeda affiliated terror group,
according to the state-run Somali National News Agency (SONNA).”



Africa



Politico: Israel Accuses South Africa Of Being ‘Legal Arm Of Hamas’
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“Israel’s foreign ministry accused South Africa of being “the legal arm” of
the Palestinian militant group Hamas on Thursday, after Pretoria accused it of
genocide at the U.N.’s top court in The Hague. “Today we witnessed one of the
greatest shows of hypocrisy in history, compounded by a series of false and
baseless claims,” said Lior Haiat, spokesman for the Israeli Ministry of
Foreign Affairs, in a press release. “South Africa, which is functioning as the
legal arm of the Hamas terrorist organization, utterly distorted the reality in
Gaza following the October 7 massacre and completely ignored the fact that
Hamas terrorists infiltrated Israel, murdered, executed, massacred, raped and
abducted Israeli citizens, simply because they were Israelis, in an attempt to
carry out genocide,” he added. Israel issued the statement as the International
Court of Justice opened hearings on a case brought by South Africa against
Israel.”



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