“An Israeli airstrike in southern Lebanon killed three paramedics from the
militant group Hezbollah on Monday, state media in Lebanon reported, hours
after a missile strike blamed on the militants killed at least one foreign
worker in northern Israel. The attacks took place as U.S. special envoy Amos
Hochstein was arriving in Beirut for meetings with Lebanese officials. The U.S.
envoy urged calm along Israel’s border with its northern neighbor, Lebanon, as
the ongoing war in Gaza sparks fears of a wider conflict in the Middle East.
Hochstein cautioned that even if a truce were to be reached between Israel and
Hamas in Gaza, it wouldn’t necessarily mean a cessation of hostilities along
Israel’s border with Lebanon. He also warned about the risks of an escalation
of tension between the two countries. Israel and the Lebanon-based Hezbollah
have traded fire across their border throughout the war. Hezbollah is a Hamas
ally. "Escalation of violence is in no one's interest, and there is no such
thing as a limited war," Hochstein told reporters after meeting Lebanon's
parliament speaker, Nabih Berri, who is close to Hezbollah.”











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Eye on Extremism



March 5, 2024



Voice Of America: Israel, Hezbollah Exchange Strikes On Israel-Lebanon Border;
4 Dead
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“An Israeli airstrike in southern Lebanon killed three paramedics from the
militant group Hezbollah on Monday, state media in Lebanon reported, hours
after a missile strike blamed on the militants killed at least one foreign
worker in northern Israel. The attacks took place as U.S. special envoy Amos
Hochstein was arriving in Beirut for meetings with Lebanese officials. The U.S.
envoy urged calm along Israel’s border with its northern neighbor, Lebanon, as
the ongoing war in Gaza sparks fears of a wider conflict in the Middle East.
Hochstein cautioned that even if a truce were to be reached between Israel and
Hamas in Gaza, it wouldn’t necessarily mean a cessation of hostilities along
Israel’s border with Lebanon. He also warned about the risks of an escalation
of tension between the two countries. Israel and the Lebanon-based Hezbollah
have traded fire across their border throughout the war. Hezbollah is a Hamas
ally. "Escalation of violence is in no one's interest, and there is no such
thing as a limited war," Hochstein told reporters after meeting Lebanon's
parliament speaker, Nabih Berri, who is close to Hezbollah.”



Reuters: Yemen's Houthis Hit Container Vessel In Gulf Of Aden With Missile, US
CENTCOM Says
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“One of two anti-ship ballistic missiles fired by Yemen's Houthis at the
container vessel M/V MSC SKY II in the Gulf of Aden hit the ship and caused
"damage", the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said on Tuesday. Initial reports
indicated no injuries and the Liberian-flagged, Swiss-owned container vessel
did not request assistance and continued on its way, CENTCOM said in a
statement.”



CEP Mentions



The National: Michael Gove Rewrites Definition Of Extremism After Decades-Long
Battle
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“... Prof Ian Acheson, senior adviser at the Counter Extremism Project, was
commissioned by Mr Gove seven years ago to look into Islamist extremism in
prisons."He has always been committed to tackling the threat posed by those who
advocate hateful ideas in the high-level posts he has held in government as
Secretary of State for Education, Justice and now at the department responsible
for communities," Prof Acheson told The National. "There is an urgent need to
strengthen the state’s faltering response to ideologies that can lead to
terrorism. It is no surprise to me that after the Hamas atrocity on October 7
and Israel’s response he was tasked by the Prime Minister to re-examine the
definitions and policies that guide the government’s response to hateful and
harmful discourse across the political and religious spectrum. "Gove will be
expected to come up with a robust yet proportionate approach that balances
shutting down extremists polluting our democratic values while preserving
legitimate freedom of expression."



BNN: Extremist Groups Utilize Digital Platforms For Recruitment And
Propaganda, Reports Counter Extremism Project
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“Last week, the Counter Extremism Project (CEP) highlighted the ongoing
efforts of extremist groups to harness the internet for spreading propaganda
and inciting violence. The neo-Nazi group The Base, alongside other white
supremacist entities, has been actively recruiting through platforms like
Telegram, while pro-ISIS groups distribute explosives manuals online.
Additionally, the rise of cryptocurrency as a funding mechanism for extremist
activities signals a new frontier in the digital facilitation of terrorism. The
Base, known for its accelerationist ideology, has recently called upon other
white supremacist groups to join forces. Through a Telegram post, they
emphasized the importance of cooperation to strengthen the movement, suggesting
that unity could be beneficial in times of societal collapse. This call for
solidarity reflects a broader trend of extremist groups leveraging social media
and encrypted messaging services to organize, recruit, and disseminate their
ideologies.”



International Business Times: Hotels, Heritage, And Hamas: Why The West Is
Shedding Its Reliance On Qatari Cash
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“... Consumers, led by the Counter Extremism Project (CEP), are boycotting
HBJ's portfolio of elite London hotels, including the Connaught and Claridge's.
Other five-star hotels backed by Qatari investors, including The Ritz London
and The Savoy, are also named by the campaign due to the state's links to
funding terror organisation Hamas. The CEP claims that 'Qatar's role in the
atrocities perpetrated by Hamas in Israel is indisputable.' It stated that
Ismail Haniyeh, the group's leader, 'planned and celebrated the Israeli
massacre from his office in Doha, is provided with five-star accommodation in
Qatar.' Notably, HBJ was prime minister of the emirate when the terror group
set up its headquarters there and has been seen publicly multiple times with
its leader. Haniyeh continues to direct Hamas' terror operations from his Doha
headquarters. In the sporting world, fans boycotted the FIFA World Cup and,
most recently, the Qatar Open, due to outrage over the human and labour rights
violations that make these flashy international tournaments possible.”



EUobserver: Rafah Invasion - A Red Line For EU On Israel?
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“... It's striking there's been no uncontrolled escalation [by Israelis'
enemies] in the past five months", said Edmund Fitton-Brown, the UK's former
ambassador to Yemen, who is now an adviser to the Counter Extremism Project, a
non-profit group based in Germany and the US. "There is some sense in which
Hamas foisted this crisis on everyone else and they have to calculate their own
interests in response," he said. The "crisis" began when Hamas attacked Israel
on 7 October, killing around 1,200 Israelis and kidnapping some 250 others. The
idea that a Rafah assault could lead to an Iran-US war was a "rather elaborate
scenario", Fitton-Brown said. "The Houthis have shown the most commitment in
solidarity, but their capacity to escalate beyond their current tactics are
limited," he added, referring to current Houthi attacks on merchant vessels in
the Red Sea. "But there are triggers that could cause the US to step up attacks
on Iranian assets, the outcome of which would be unpredictable", he also said.”
The Houthis have shown the most commitment in solidarity, but their capacity to
escalate beyond their current tactics are limited," he added, referring to
current Houthi attacks on merchant vessels in the Red Sea.”



Paudal: 'Left-Wing Extremist RAF Became An Organized Criminal Gang'
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“... That photo is a boost for the German police. Strict privacy laws make
detection very difficult, says German terrorism expert Hans-Jakob Schindler.
Only old images of the fugitives were known. “For example, the police are not
allowed to search the internet unless there is a specific accusation of terror
or an impending terrorist attack. They are also not allowed to use special
tools that require them to share images with other parties.”



Turkey



Associated Press: Turkey Detains 7 More People For Allegedly Selling
Information To Israel’s Spy Agency
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“Turkish police on Tuesday detained seven more people suspected of selling
information to the Israeli spy agency Mossad, authorities said, the latest in a
wave of such arrests in Turkey. The suspects were taken into custody during
simultaneous raids in Istanbul, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said on the
social media platform X, formerly Twitter. The raids were a joint operation
with Turkey’s National Intelligence Organization. The detained are suspected of
collecting data on individuals and companies in Turkey and selling it to the
Israeli intelligence agency, Yerlikaya said. “We will never allow espionage
activities to be carried out within the borders of our country.” It was not
immediately known if any charges have been raised and authorities provided no
additional information. Last month, seven other people, including private
detectives, were arrested on similar suspicions. And in early January, 34
people were also detained by Turkish police on suspicion of spying for Israel.”



Pakistan



Bloomberg: Pakistan Condemns India For Seizing Cargo In Renewed Tensions
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“Pakistan hit out at India for detaining cargo bound for the country that New
Delhi suspects was meant for Islamabad’s weapons program, a development that
could spark a fresh round of tensions between the South Asian rivals. Indian
media reported on the weekend that a shipment en route to Karachi in Pakistan
was seized by Indian customs officials on Jan. 23 at the port city of Mumbai.
The cargo originating from China contained equipment that could help Pakistan’s
nuclear and ballistic missile programs, Press Trust of India and others said. A
senior Indian government official, who asked not to be identified in order to
discuss the matter, confirmed that India seized the cargo containing advanced
computer numerical machines — technology that uses a computer program to
control mechanical tools. India suspected the equipment could be used for
Pakistan’s weapons manufacturing program, the person said.”



Yemen



Reuters: Ships Entering Yemeni Waters Must Obtain Permit, Houthi Minister Says
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“Ships will have to obtain a permit from Yemen's Houthi-controlled Maritime
Affairs Authority before entering Yemeni waters, Houthi Telecommunications
Minister Misfer Al-Numair said on Monday. Houthi militants have repeatedly
launched drones and missiles against international commercial shipping in the
Gulf of Aden since mid-November, saying they are acting in solidarity with
Palestinians against Israel's offensive in Gaza. The near-daily attacks have
forced firms into long and costly diversions around southern Africa, and stoked
fears that the Israel-Hamas war could destabilise the wider Middle East. The
United States and Britain have bombed Houthi targets in response. "(We) are
ready to assist requests for permits and identify ships with the Yemeni Navy,
and we confirm this is out of concern for their safety," Al Masirah TV, the
main television news outlet run by Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi movement,
reported Al-Numair as saying.”



Associated Press: 3 Red Sea Data Cables Cut As Houthis Launch More Attacks In
The Vital Waterway
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“Three cables under the Red Sea that provide global internet and
telecommunications have been cut as the waterway remains a target of Yemen’s
Houthi rebels, officials said Monday. Meanwhile, a Houthi missile attack set a
ship ablaze in the Gulf of Aden, but caused no injuries. What cut the lines
remains unclear. There has been concern about the cables being targeted in the
Houthi campaign, which the rebels describe as an effort to pressure Israel to
end its war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The Houthis have denied attacking the
lines, however. While global shipping has already been disrupted through the
Red Sea, a crucial route for cargo and energy shipments from Asia and the
Middle East to Europe, the sabotage of telecommunication lines could further
escalate the monthslong crisis. The cut lines include Asia-Africa-Europe 1, the
Europe India Gateway, Seacom and TGN-Gulf, Hong Kong-based HGC Global
Communications said. It described the cuts as affecting 25% of the traffic
flowing through the Red Sea. It described the Red Sea route as crucial for data
moving from Asia to Europe and said it had begun rerouting traffic.”



Middle East



Associated Press: Israel Escalates Its Criticism Of A UN Agency In Gaza. It
Says 450 Of Its Workers Are Militants
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“Israel ramped up its criticism of the embattled U.N. agency for Palestinian
refugees Monday, saying 450 of its employees were members of militant groups in
the Gaza Strip, though it provided no evidence to back up its accusation. Major
international funders have withheld hundreds of millions of dollars from the
agency, known as UNRWA, since Israel accused 12 of its employees of
participating in the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks on Israel that killed 1,200 people
and left about 250 others held hostage in Gaza, according to Israeli
authorities. Philippe Lazzarini, the head of the agency known as UNRWA, told a
press conference late Monday that he “has never been informed” or received any
evidence of Israel’s claims, and this is not the first. Every year, he said,
UNRWA provides Israel and the Palestinian Authority with a list of its staff
“and I never have received the slightest concern about the staff that we have
been employing.” The only allegation communicated to him verbally was about 12
UNRWA staffers alleged to have participated in the Oct. 7 attacks, he said, and
they appeared so serious that they were fired, and two U.N.-ordered
investigations are underway.”



Reuters: UN Team Says Rape, Gang Rape Likely Occurred During Hamas Attack On
Israel
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“A team of United Nations experts reported on Monday that there were
"reasonable grounds to believe" sexual violence, including rape and gang rape,
occurred at several locations during the Oct. 7 attack on Israel by Hamas
militants. The team - led by U.N. special envoy for sexual violence in conflict
Pramila Patten - visited Israel between Jan. 29 and Feb. 14 on a mission
intended to gather, analyze and verify information on sexual violence linked to
the Oct. 7 attacks. "Credible circumstantial information, which may be
indicative of some forms of sexual violence, including genital mutilation,
sexualized torture, or cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment, was also
gathered," read the 24-page U.N. report. Palestinian militant group Hamas has
repeatedly rejected accusations of sexual violence. Hamas fighters attacked
Israel on Oct. 7, killing around 1,200 people and seizing 253 hostages,
according to Israeli tallies. Israel's retaliation against Hamas in the Gaza
Strip has since killed around 30,000 Palestinians, health authorities in the
Hamas-run enclave say.”



Africa



Reuters: Tunisia Forces Seize Bomb Cache, Arrest Militants
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“Tunisian security forces have arrested two Islamist militants accused in last
week's bombing in Tunis and seized a cache of weapons and explosives they were
planning to use for more attacks, the interior ministry said. In a late Sunday
raid in Medenine in the south of the country, officials found Kalashnikov
rifles, a suicide bomb belt, explosive materials for making car bombs, grenades
and detonators, the statement said. Tunisia is under a state of emergency since
Tuesday when a suicide bomber killed 12 people aboard a bus carrying
presidential guards in the capital Tunis. Islamic State has claimed the
bombing, the third major militant attack in Tunisia this year following
assaults on a beach resort at Sousse and the Bardo museum in the capital, both
of which targeted foreign visitors. A Tunisian security source said the two men
arrested on Sunday night were brothers. Tuesday's attacker was a street seller
who lived near Ettadhamen, one of the poorer neighborhoods of Tunis.”



Europe



Politico: 4 Teens Arrested For Planning Terrorist Attack In Brussels
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“Three minors and an adult were arrested in Belgium on terrorism charges on
Sunday, the Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office said on Monday. Federal judicial
police from Liège, Brussels, Charleroi and Ghent conducted searches on Sunday
morning as part of ongoing investigations. Police seized phones and laptops but
found no weapons. An 18-year-old is accused of “participating in the activities
of a terrorist group and preparatory acts with the aim to commit a terrorist
attack,” the prosecutors announced in a press release. The minors, aged 15-17,
were questioned by a judge in Dendermonde, East Flanders, who reported concrete
plans to attack a concert hall in Brussels “within a few weeks.” The
prosecutor’s spokesperson could not confirm the name of the target to POLITICO,
but local media cited Le Botanique, a cultural center and music venue in the
center of Brussels where concerts attract hundreds of spectators. According to
Belgian media, the suspects belong to a jihadist movement; the spokesperson
declined to comment on that information.”



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