“Hezbollah said on Tuesday it had launched a volley of rockets at an Israeli
aerial surveillance base in response to the Israeli military's deepest attack
yet into Lebanese territory. Israeli warplanes struck the Bekaa Valley on
Monday, killing at least two Hezbollah members in the military's furthest reach
into Lebanese territory since hostilities erupted with the Iran-backed group
last October, sources in Lebanon said. The Israeli army said it had struck
Hezbollah air defences in the area in response to the downing of an Israeli
drone, which Hezbollah said it had shot down with a surface-to-air missile
earlier on Monday. In retaliation for the Bekaa strikes, Hezbollah fired 60
rockets on Monday at an Israeli army station in the Israeli-occupied Golan
Heights. The group did not say how many rockets were fired on Tuesday morning
but said it was a "large volley". The attacks marked an intensification of the
worst violence between the heavily armed Hezbollah and Israel since their 2006
war, fuelling concerns about a potential escalation and a widening of Israel's
war in Gaza to other parts of the region.”











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Eye on Extremism



February 27, 2024



Reuters: Hezbollah Says Fired 'Large Volley Of Rockets' At Israeli
Surveillance Base
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“Hezbollah said on Tuesday it had launched a volley of rockets at an Israeli
aerial surveillance base in response to the Israeli military's deepest attack
yet into Lebanese territory. Israeli warplanes struck the Bekaa Valley on
Monday, killing at least two Hezbollah members in the military's furthest reach
into Lebanese territory since hostilities erupted with the Iran-backed group
last October, sources in Lebanon said. The Israeli army said it had struck
Hezbollah air defences in the area in response to the downing of an Israeli
drone, which Hezbollah said it had shot down with a surface-to-air missile
earlier on Monday. In retaliation for the Bekaa strikes, Hezbollah fired 60
rockets on Monday at an Israeli army station in the Israeli-occupied Golan
Heights. The group did not say how many rockets were fired on Tuesday morning
but said it was a "large volley". The attacks marked an intensification of the
worst violence between the heavily armed Hezbollah and Israel since their 2006
war, fuelling concerns about a potential escalation and a widening of Israel's
war in Gaza to other parts of the region.”



Bloomberg: US Says It Destroys Two Houthi Missiles, Four Drones In Yemen
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“US Central Command said its forces destroyed three seaborne drones, an
airborne drone and two cruise missiles in Yemen that were being prepared for
attacks in the Red Sea. The strikes on Monday marked the latest effort to avert
further assaults on commercial shipping in the vital waterway by the Houthis,
an Iran-backed militant group that controls much of the northwest of Yemen.”



Iran



Associated Press: Iran Has Further Increased Its Total Stockpile Of Uranium,
UN Nuclear Watchdog Report Says
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“Iran has further increased its total stockpile of uranium, according to a
report by the U.N. nuclear watchdog seen by The Associated Press on Monday, and
it continues to bar the agency’s most seasoned inspectors from monitoring its
nuclear program, The International Atomic Energy Agency also said in a second
confidential report, distributed to member states, that Tehran made no progress
in explaining the presence of manmade uranium particles found at two locations.
The IAEA estimated in its quarterly report that as of Feb. 10, Iran’s total
enriched uranium stockpile was at 5,525.5 kilograms (about 12,182 pounds), an
increase of 1,038.7 kilograms (2,289 pounds) since the last quarterly report in
November 2023. It also said that according to its assessment, Iran has an
estimated 121.5 kilograms (267.8 pounds) of uranium enriched up to 60% purity,
which represents a decrease of 6.8 kilograms (14.9 pounds) since the last
report in November 2023. The decrease is the result of Iran having diluted some
of its 60% enriched uranium in recent weeks with lower-grade material.”



New York Times: After U.S. Strikes, Iran’s Proxies Scale Back Attacks On
American Bases
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“Iran has made a concerted effort to rein in militias in Iraq and Syria after
the United States retaliated with a series of airstrikes for the killing of
three U.S. Army reservists this month. Initially, there were regional concerns
that the tit-for-tat violence would lead to an escalation of the Middle East
conflict. But since the Feb. 2 U.S. strikes, American officials say, there have
been no attacks by Iran-backed militias on American bases in Iraq and only two
minor ones in Syria. Before then, the U.S. military logged at least 170 attacks
against American troops in four months, Pentagon officials said. The relative
quiet reflects decisions by both sides and suggests that Iran does have some
level of control over the militias. The Biden administration has made clear
that Tehran would be held accountable for miscalculations and operations by
proxy forces, but it has avoided any direct attack on Iran. The U.S. response
“may be having some effect,” Gen. Kenneth F. McKenzie Jr., a retired head of
the Pentagon’s Central Command, said in an interview.”



Afghanistan



Associated Press: The Taliban Hold Another Public Execution As Thousands Watch
At A Stadium In Northern Afghanistan
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“The Taliban held a public execution on Monday of a man convicted of murder in
northern Afghanistan as thousands watched at a sports stadium, the third such
death sentence to be carried out in the past five days. The execution took
place in heavy snowfall in the city of Shibirghan, the capital of northern
Jawzjan province, where the brother of the murdered man shot the convict five
times with a rifle, according to a witness. Security around the stadium was
tight, said the witness, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not
authorized to talk to the media. It was also the fifth public execution since
the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in August 2021 as U.S. and NATO troops
were in the final weeks of their withdrawal from the country after two decades
of war. The Taliban, despite initial promises of a more moderate rule, began
carrying out severe punishments in public — executions, floggings and stonings
— shortly after coming to power. The punishments are similar to those during
their previous rule of Afghanistan in the late 1990s. Taliban government
officials were not immediately available for comment.”



Washington Post: Taliban Sets Sights On Making Afghanistan A Global Cricketing
Power
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“During the Taliban’s first stint in power in the 1990s, its disdain for many
sports meant that Kabul’s main stadium drew some of its biggest crowds on the
days it was used for public executions. But since seizing control in Kabul a
second time in 2021, the Taliban has turned to making Afghanistan into a global
cricketing power, with ambitious plans for a state-of-the-art cricket stadium
that could host international matches. The men’s national team was already on
the rise before the takeover but has continued to thrive under the new regime,
defying expectations and scoring stunning upsets in international play.
Privately funded cricket academies have seen a surge in the number of new
players. Cricket’s appeal to the Taliban may be partly rooted in the sport’s
long-standing popularity in ethnic Pashtun communities, where the Taliban has
traditionally drawn its strongest support. But as cricket’s reach expands
across ethnic lines, the regime may also view the sport as useful. “Cricket
brings the country together,” said Abdul Ghafar Farooq, a spokesman for the
Taliban’s Ministry of Vice and Virtue.”



Yemen



Atlantic Council: I’m A Yemeni Minister And I Believe The Houthi Designation
Is Not Enough
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“First, the US decision to revoke the designation sent the wrong signals to
the Houthis and was considered a green light to continue their escalation. At
the same time, Iran saw it as permission to exercise more influence and
dominance over the region. Nearly a month after the United States revoked the
designation in 2021, the Houthis escalated by launching a series of attacks
using ballistic missiles and drones manufactured in Iran against energy
facilities in several Saudi cities. More significantly, the Houthis continued
to commit crimes and violations against civilians in the areas under their
control, and hostilities extended to areas under government control. The group
thwarted the extension of the United Nations (UN) truce in 2022 and, at the
behest of Iran, it undermined de-escalation and peace efforts. The Houthis have
also breached United Nations Security Council resolutions related to the Yemeni
crisis. Taking advantage of the international community’s keenness to resolve
the crisis peacefully, the Houthis regrouped, mobilized their fighters to the
battle fronts, and accumulated weapons and military technology smuggled from
Iran.”



Middle East



Associated Press: Israel Is Ready To Pause Its War In Gaza During Ramadan If A
Hostage Deal Is Reached, Biden Says
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“Israel would be willing to pause its war on Hamas in Gaza during the upcoming
Muslim holy month of Ramadan if a deal is reached to release some of the
hostages held by the militants, U.S. President Joe Biden said. Negotiators from
the United States, Egypt and Qatar have been working to broker a cease-fire
deal that would see Hamas free some of the dozens of hostages it holds in
exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners and a six-week halt in
fighting. During the pause, talks would continue over the release of the
remaining hostages and additional Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. Israeli
officials said Biden’s comments on a late-night talk show filmed Monday came as
a surprise and were not made in coordination with the country’s leadership. A
Hamas official played down any sense of progress, saying the group wouldn’t
soften its demands. Negotiations were still underway Tuesday in Qatar. A senior
official from Egypt has said the draft deal includes the release of up to 40
women and older hostages in return for up to 300 Palestinian prisoners — mostly
women, minors and older people.”



Reuters: Exclusive: Hamas Studies Paris Truce Proposal Involving 40-Day Pause
And Hostage Exchange, Source Says
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“Palestinian Islamist group Hamas has received a draft proposal from Gaza
truce talks in Paris which includes a 40-day pause in all military operations
and the exchange of Palestinian prisoners for Israeli hostages at a ratio of 10
to one, a senior source close to the talks told Reuters on Tuesday. Under the
proposed ceasefire, hospitals and bakeries in Gaza would be repaired, 500 aid
trucks would enter into the strip each day and thousands of tents and caravans
would be delivered to house the displaced, the source said. The draft also
states Hamas would free 40 Israeli hostages including women, children under 19,
elderly over 50 and the sick, while Israeli would release around 400
Palestinian prisoners and will not re-arrest them, the source told Reuters. The
Gaza truce talks appear to be the most serious push in weeks to halt the
fighting in the battered Palestinian enclave and secure the release of Israeli
and foreign hostages. Mediators have ramped up efforts to secure a ceasefire in
Gaza, in the hope of heading off an Israeli assault on the Gaza city of Rafah
where more than a million displaced people are sheltering at the southern edge
of the enclave.”



United Kingdom



Reuters: UK Police Charge Three With Right-Wing Terrorism Offences
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“British police said on Tuesday they had charged three men with preparing an
act of terrorism after an investigation into suspected "Extreme Right Wing"
activity. The three men, one aged 33 and two aged 24, will appear in
Westminster Magistrates Court later on Tuesday, the police said in a statement.
The arrests were made at the men's home addresses on Feb. 20 as part of "a
pre-planned, intelligence led operation", the police added, and searches had
been carried out. Britain's Security Service (MI5) Director General Ken
McCallum warned in 2022, opens new tab that there had been a rise in far-right
extremists seeking firearms. The men's homes were located in West Yorkshire,
Derbyshire and Staffordshire, the police statement said. A 46-year old man from
Leicestershire, who was arrested as part of the investigation, had since been
released without charge.”



Germany



DW: Far-Left RAF Terror Suspect Daniela Klette Arrested
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“A German prosecutor's office on Tuesday said Daniela Klette, one of three
fugitive members of the far-left Red Army Faction (RAF) terror group, had been
arrested. German police had been searching for the trio, suspected of attempted
murder and a series of armed robberies after decades on the run.The public
prosecutor's office in the town of Verden in Lower Saxony said the 65-year-old
was caught in Berlin on Monday. "We have an arrest of Ms. Klette," said Koray
Freudenberg, senior public prosecutor, whose office is investigating Klette and
fellow suspects Ernst-Volker Staub and Burkhard Garweg. The three are said to
have tried to use a series of robberies between 1999 and 2016 to finance their
lives underground. After a television program recently profiled the case,
investigators in Lower Saxony — where many of the robberies took place — said
they had received 161 tips about the suspects' potential whereabouts.”



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