“Iran on Tuesday vowed to respond to an airstrike widely attributed to Israel
that destroyed Iran’s Consulate in the Syrian capital of Damascus the previous
day and killed 12 people, including two Iranian generals and a member of the
Lebanese militant Hezbollah group. Four Syrian citizens were also killed in the
strike, a Syrian official said Tuesday, without providing any details about
them. Hezbollah, which has been a key ally of both Syrian President Bashar
Assad’s government and Iran, also pledged “punishment and revenge” on Israel.
Iran’s deputy U.N. ambassador Zahra Ershadi told a contentious emergency
meeting of the U.N. Security Council that some Iranians were injured, but “The
final and accurate death toll remains uncertain as the entire diplomatic
premises has been destroyed with individuals trapped under the rubble.” Israel,
which has repeatedly targeted Iranian officers in Syria and in Lebanon, did not
confirm Monday’s attack.””











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Eye on Extremism



April 3, 2024



Associated Press: Tehran Vows Response After Strike Blamed On Israel Destroyed
Iran’s Consulate In Syria And Killed 12
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“Iran on Tuesday vowed to respond to an airstrike widely attributed to Israel
that destroyed Iran’s Consulate in the Syrian capital of Damascus the previous
day and killed 12 people, including two Iranian generals and a member of the
Lebanese militant Hezbollah group. Four Syrian citizens were also killed in the
strike, a Syrian official said Tuesday, without providing any details about
them. Hezbollah, which has been a key ally of both Syrian President Bashar
Assad’s government and Iran, also pledged “punishment and revenge” on Israel.
Iran’s deputy U.N. ambassador Zahra Ershadi told a contentious emergency
meeting of the U.N. Security Council that some Iranians were injured, but “The
final and accurate death toll remains uncertain as the entire diplomatic
premises has been destroyed with individuals trapped under the rubble.” Israel,
which has repeatedly targeted Iranian officers in Syria and in Lebanon, did not
confirm Monday’s attack.””



Associated Press: With Famine Looming, Aid Group Halts Food Delivery In Gaza
After Israeli Strike Kills 7 Workers
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“Some of Israel’s closest allies, including the United States, on Tuesday
condemned the deaths of seven aid workers who were killed by airstrikes in Gaza
— a loss that prompted multiple charities to suspend food deliveries to
Palestinians on the brink of starvation. The deaths of the World Central
Kitchen workers threatened to set back efforts by the U.S. and other countries
to open a maritime corridor for aid from Cyprus to help ease the desperate
conditions in northern Gaza. President Joe Biden issued an unusually blunt
criticism of Israel by its closest ally, suggesting that the incident
demonstrated that Israel was not doing enough to protect civilians. “Israel has
not done enough to protect aid workers trying to deliver desperately needed
help to civilians,” he said, adding he was “outraged and heartbroken” by their
killings. “Incidents like yesterday’s simply should not happen,” he added. “The
United States has repeatedly urged Israel to deconflict their military
operations against Hamas with humanitarian operations, in order to avoid
civilian casualties.””




The CEP CounterPoint: Expert Analysis

* Violence-Oriented Right-Wing Extremist Actors in Russia: Foreign Fights –
Part 1
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* UNRWA and Extremism: Frequently Asked Questions
<[link removed]>
* Reciprocal Reactivity: The Lina E. Case and Left-v. Right-Wing
Transnational Extremist Networks
<[link removed]>
* ISIS Redux: The Central Syria Insurgency in February 2024
<[link removed]>
* CEP – KAS: Sahel Monitoring January 2024
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United States



CBS: Macomb County School Districts Pranked With Threat Of Terrorism
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“A fake bomb threat could lead to some very real jail time after schools in
Macomb County were put on high alert. "These threats are very serious, and if
you make these threats, we will find you," said Chesterfield Township Police
Chief Brian Bassett. Bassett is talking about recent emailed threats to several
school districts in Macomb County over the weekend. The threats were sent to
school officials in Clinton Township, Chesterfield Township, New Haven, Armada
and Anchor Bay. "Our primary focus was to ensure this was not a credible bomb
threat," Bassett said. Thankfully, the threats were not credible "Our
investigation revealed within the first 12 hours, we were comfortable that this
was not credible," Bassett said. As you can imagine, investigators raced to
figure it all out when the threats were made. Bassett said the threats appear
to be a case of doxing. The fake bomb threat was sent using a fake email in the
name of a former student of the district. The reason was to get revenge. It is
believed that a soured online relationship prompted the doxing.”



Syria



Voice Of America: Syrian Kurds Say US Presence Important To Regional Stability
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“Thirteen years after the start of Syria’s conflict, countless woes remain
for millions of Syrians. For people in the Kurdish-majority northeast, one
concern tops all else: whether neighboring Turkey will carry out another ground
invasion that could put an end to their semiautonomous region, carved out in
the wake of the civil war. “People here have been accustomed to shortages of
electricity and water, lack of basic services and bad infrastructure, but one
thing that they will never like is a Turkish military operation in their
region,” said Mahir Qerno, a senior editor at Arta FM, a local radio station
that broadcasts in Kurdish, Arabic and Syrian. Arta FM’s headquarters is in the
town of Amuda, about 2 kilometers (just over 1 mile) from the Turkish border.
Amuda is one of many Syrian border towns that have been under the control of
U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces.”



Iran



Reuters: Many Iranian Options To Retaliate Against Israel, But All Carry Risk
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“Iran faces a dilemma following an Israeli attack on its embassy in Syria:
how to retaliate without sparking a wider conflict that Middle East analysts
said Tehran doesn't appear to want. Monday's strike, which killed two Iranian
generals and five military advisers at Iran's embassy compound in Damascus,
comes as Israel accelerates a long-running campaign against Iran and the armed
groups it backs. Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has vowed
revenge. Tehran has options. It could unleash its proxies on U.S. forces, use
them to strike Israel directly or ramp up its nuclear program, which the United
States and its allies have long sought to rein in. Speaking on condition of
anonymity, U.S. officials said they were watching closely to see if, as in the
past, Iran-backed proxies would attack U.S. troops based in Iraq and Syria
after Monday's Israeli strike. Such Iranian attacks ceased in February after
Washington retaliated for the killing of three U.S. troops in Jordan with
dozens of air strikes on targets in Syria and Iraq linked to Iran's
Revolutionary Guard Corps and militias it backs.”



Lebanon



i24 News: IDF Determines Hezbollah Bomb Wounded UN Peacekeepers In Lebanon
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“Israel Defense Forces (IDF) disclosed on Wednesday morning its findings on
an explosion which wounded UN peacekeeping forces in Lebanon, determining it
was an explosive device planted by Hezbollah. Arabic language spokesperson for
the IDF, Lieutenant Colonel Avichay Adraee, released a statement with the
latest information available on the incident in Rmeish, which occurred last
Saturday, during which three United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL)
observers and a translator were wounded. Adraee described the cause of the
attack on the UNIFIL patrol, as "the detonation of an explosive device that had
been previously planted in this area by Hezbollah." The United Nations,
immediately on Saturday, announced that the wounded were evacuated for medical
treatment and the international agency would launch its own investigation.
According to initial reports from Lebanon, the attack was blamed on "an Israeli
strike" carried by drones. However, Adraee had quickly responded that the IDF
did not target any UNIFIL vehicles in the area.”



Qatar



JNS: Biden Must End Qatar’s Malign Role In Gaza Ceasefire Talks And Pier
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“After the success the Gulf state of Qatar achieved in helping restore the
Taliban to power in Afghanistan, Doha is now investing all its energy in
seeking to keep Hamas in power in Gaza. For more than a decade, the tiny Gulf
emirate has been using the massive profits it derives from its vast energy
resources to sponsor radical Islamist ideology that underpins terrorist
organisations such as Hamas. Qatar was an enthusiastic supporter of the
disastrous Muslim Brotherhood regime that briefly ruled Egypt a period mainly
memorable for the murderous attacks carried out against Christian communities
and Cairo’s diplomatic overtures to the Islamic Republic of Iran. Qatar has
also been an enthusiastic financial and military backer of radical Islamist
groups in Libya, Tunisia and Syria, where some of the groups backed by Doha
during the Syrian civil war were almost indistinguishable, in terms of their
brutality and ideology, from terror groups such as Al-Qaeda.”



Middle East



Associated Press: Palestinians Seek Full UN Membership Again, But US Is Almost
Certain To Block It For A Second Time
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“Supporters of the Palestinians’ request for full membership in the United
Nations asked the U.N. Security Council on Tuesday to revive their application
for admission submitted in 2011. But the United States is again almost certain
to block it. The supporters’ letter to the council president included the names
of 140 countries that have recognized a Palestinian state, including members of
the 22-nation Arab Group at the United Nations, the 57-nation Organization of
Islamic Cooperation, and the 120-member Nonaligned Movement. The Palestinians
are making a fresh bid for U.N. membership as the war between Israel and Hamas
that began on Oct. 7 nears its sixth month, and the unresolved decades-old
Palestinian-Israeli conflict remains in the spotlight after years on the back
burner. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas delivered the Palestinian
Authority’s application to become the 194th member of the United Nations to
then Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Sept. 23, 2011, before addressing world
leaders at the General Assembly.”



Bloomberg: Divided By Politics, Israelis Unite To Defy Global Isolation
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“As 100,000 protesters shouted outside for early elections, Israeli Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a press conference Sunday to defend his
conduct of the Gaza war. He was asked why the world is increasingly against
Israel. “The virus of antisemitism,” he replied. That’s why the state of Israel
was created, to provide physical security to Jews, he added. Of all the things
he said, that remark was probably the one that resonated most strongly with the
furious citizens outside. Israeli society may be deeply divided politically,
but it is increasingly unified in the belief that the country stands alone. Six
months after it was attacked by Hamas and then responded with the longest, most
destructive war since its creation, that poses new risks both for how Israel
conducts itself internationally and for how it views and reacts to external
events. “Even for left liberals, there is a sense of isolation and
frustration,” said Daniel Ben Simon, a former Labor Party lawmaker and author.
“The right will tell you this is the nature of being Jewish. But even people
who hate Netanyahu are feeling they can’t count on the world community. They
accuse anyone who does of being naive.””



i24 News: Ramming Attack Near Arab-Israeli Town: 4 Police Wounded, Terrorist
Eliminated
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“Israel Police stated overnight four officers were wounded following a car
ramming attack by an Arab-Israeli driver, near the Kokhav Ya'ir Junction in the
center of the country, the terrorist was shot and killed. The officers were
initially described as one in serious condition, and the rest in moderate and
light conditions. Beilinson Medical center later updated that the seriously
wounded had improved to a moderate condition. According to the police
statement, a 26-year-old resident of Tira had deliberately attempted to attack
the officers at a checkpoint deployed as part of activity against car thieves.
After driving into the police officers at the temporary checkpoint, the driver
kept going and reached the Eliyahu checkpoint where the terrorist got out of
the car in an attempt to stab the security guards. The terrorist was shot and
killed at the Eliyahu checkpoint. Following a preliminary investigation, it
emerged to be the same driver who carried out the two terror attacks.”



United Kingdom



Associated Press: Suspects In The Stabbing Of An Iranian Presenter Fled UK
After Attack, Counterterrorism Police Say
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“British counterterrorism police investigating the stabbing of a journalist
who works for a TV channel critical of the Iranian government said that three
suspects had fled the country within hours of the attack. Pouria Zeraati, a
presenter at London-based Iran International, was stabbed in the leg Friday
afternoon outside his home in London. Police said Zeraati, who has been
released from a hospital, was attacked by two men who fled in a car driven by a
third man. “We have established that after abandoning the vehicle, the suspects
traveled to Heathrow Airport and have left the U.K.,’’ Commander Dominic
Murphy, head of the Metropolitan Police Counter Terrorism Command, said in a
statement late Tuesday. “We are now working with international partners to
establish further details.’’ Police said that while the motivation for the
attack is still unclear, Zeraati’s occupation, together with recent threats to
U.K.-based Iranian journalists, triggered a counterterrorism investigation.
Iran International, a satellite news channel that broadcasts in Farsi, has
previously received threats due to its coverage of Iran.”



Russia



Voice Of America: Russia: Taliban Could Be Removed From Terror Blacklist
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“Russia said Tuesday that it is engaged in an “active dialogue” with
Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban and is working toward removing them from Moscow’s
list of terrorist organizations. "The fact is that this is our neighboring
country. In one form or another, we maintain communication with them,” Kremlin
spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, according to Russian news agency TASS.
“We have to resolve pressing issues, which also requires dialogue. In fact, we
are in contact with them just like everyone else,” Peskov stated. “They are
actually the ones who are in power in Afghanistan." He did not elaborate, but
his statement came just days after gunmen stormed a concert hall outside the
Russian capital and killed at least 144 people, making it the deadliest
terrorist attack in the country in two decades. Russian President Vladimir
Putin quickly tied the attack to Ukraine — claims the neighboring country and
the United States strongly rejected.”



The New York Items: U.S. Intelligence Warning To Moscow Named Specific Target
Of Attack
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“The U.S. warning to Russia ahead of a terrorist attack near Moscow was
highly specific: Crocus City Hall was a potential target of the Islamic State,
according to U.S. officials. The warning had the right venue but imprecise
timing, suggesting that the attack could come within days. Indeed, the public
warning by the United States Embassy on March 7 warned of potential terrorist
attacks in the next two days. Gunmen stormed the hall on March 22, killing 144
people, the deadliest attack in Russia in nearly 20 years. The Islamic State
claimed responsibility for the attack, and Russia charged four men from
Tajikistan, accusing them of carrying out the massacre. But President Vladimir
V. Putin and other top officials have continued to claim, without evidence,
that Ukraine could have played a role in the attack, a statement that American
officials have repeatedly said was baseless. The news that the U.S. warning
specified the precise target of the attack was reported earlier Tuesday by The
Washington Post.”



India



The Times Of India: Kerala: SDPI Support Puts Congress In A Spot; LDF, BJP
Allege Extremist Links
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"The "unconditional" support offered by Social Democratic Party of India
(SDPI) for UDF in Lok Sabha in state has put the Congress party in a spot, with
both BJP and LDF targeting it over taking support from extremist groups.
Congress is treading cautiously on the issue, sensing that BJP could highlight
it at the national level, especially since Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is
contesting in Wayanad. Also, the party doesn't want the announcement of support
of SDPI, which is widely viewed as the political arm of PFI, to alienate Hindu
and Christian votes. In the 2019 parliament elections, SDPI contested in 10
seats and won 80,111 votes. It had secured 19,106 votes in Malappuram and
18,124 votes in Ponnani, followed by 8,142 votes in Kannur, 5,749 votes in
Palakkad and 5,544 votes in Vadakara constituencies despite a huge minority
consolidation in favour of UDF. Its candidates had also won in 103 local body
wards/divisions in 2020. The significance of SDPI announcement rests on the
party securing over 10,000 votes in 14 parliament constituencies in state in
the 2014 election, securing a total of 2.7 lakh votes in state. It got 47,853
votes in Malappuram, 26,640 in Ponnani, 19,170 in Kannur and 15,058 in
Vadakara. UDF is not outrightly rejecting the SDPI support as these votes could
matter if there is a close fight.”



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