“Lebanon's Hezbollah said on Monday it had launched a squadron of drones
towards the headquarters of the Israeli military's Galilee formation in an
intensification of cross-border violence between the two adversaries. While
Hezbollah has previously launched drones at Israel during hostilities that
began in October, it marked the first time the Iran-backed group had announced
firing a squadron of them.”
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Eye on Extremism
June 4, 2024
Reuters: Lebanon's Hezbollah Fires Drone Squadron at Israel as Violence
Intensifies
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“Lebanon's Hezbollah said on Monday it had launched a squadron of drones
towards the headquarters of the Israeli military's Galilee formation in an
intensification of cross-border violence between the two adversaries. While
Hezbollah has previously launched drones at Israel during hostilities that
began in October, it marked the first time the Iran-backed group had announced
firing a squadron of them.”
Associated Press: Four More Israeli Hostages Declared Dead, and Palestinians
Seek to Join Genocide Case
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“Israel’s military confirmed the deaths of four more hostages held by Hamas —
including three men in their 80s who were seen in a Hamas video begging for
their release. Around 80 hostages captured on Oct. 7 are believed to still be
alive in Gaza, alongside the remains of 43 others. Monday’s announcement came
days after U.S. President Joe Biden announced that Israel has offered Hamas a
deal to release all the hostages in Gaza and potentially end the war. Biden
says the militant group is sufficiently depleted, however Israeli leaders say
destroying Hamas will require more military operations in Gaza, raising doubts
about the cease-fire efforts.”
United States
Associated Press: US Urges UN Security Council to Support Cease-Fire Plan in
Gaza Announced by President Biden
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“The United States urged the U.N. Security Council on Monday to support the
three-phase plan announced by President Joe Biden aimed at ending the nearly
eight-month war in Gaza, freeing all hostages and sending massive aid into the
devastated territory. U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said the United
States circulated a draft resolution to the 14 other council members to back
the proposal for ending the conflict that began with Hamas’ surprise attack in
southern Israel on Oct. 7 that killed some 1,200 people, mostly Israeli
civilians.”
Iraq
Reuters: Iran's Allies in Iraq are Firing at Israel. Could that Trigger a
Wider War?
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“Iran-backed Shi'ite armed groups in Iraq have ramped up rocket and missile
attacks on Israel in recent weeks, raising concerns in Washington and among
some Iranian allies of potential Israeli retaliation and regional escalation
should they draw blood. Though the attacks, often from hundreds of miles (kms)
away, are not seen by western officials and Israeli experts as posing the same
level of threat to Israel as point-blank strikes by Hamas and Hezbollah, they
have increased in number and sophistication.”
Middle East
Associated Press: Proposed Gaza Cease-Fire puts Netanyahu at a Crossroads that
could Shape his Legacy
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“The cease-fire proposal announced by President Joe Biden has placed Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at a crossroads, with either path likely to shape
the legacy of Israel’s longest-serving and deeply divisive leader. The proposal
offers the possibility of ending Israel’s war against Hamas, returning scores
of hostages held by the Islamic militant group, quieting the northern border
with Lebanon and potentially advancing a historic agreement to normalize ties
with Saudi Arabia.”
Nigeria
Reuters: Nigerian Strike Shuts Power Grid, Disrupts Airlines
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“Nigeria's main labour unions on Monday shut down the national grid and
disrupted flights across the country as they began an indefinite strike over
the government's failure to agree a new minimum wage. The strike began after
talks broke down between the government and the country's two biggest union
federations, the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress
(TUC), over increasing the minimum wage. It is the fourth since President Bola
Tinubu took office last year.”
Somalia
Voice Of America: Somalia Wants All Ethiopian Troops to Leave by December
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“Somalia expects all Ethiopian troops to leave the country by the end of 2024
as the African Union Transition Mission mandate expires in December, according
to Somali National Security Adviser Hussein Sheikh-Ali. During a recent talk
broadcast by a national media outlet, Ali said Ethiopian troops won’t be part
of the African Union forces being organized with international partners to
secure key installations in Somalia for one year from January 2025.”
United Kingdom
BBC: British Bank Accused of Helping to Fund Terrorists
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“A British bank that escaped prosecution for money laundering carried out
billions of dollars of transactions for funders of terrorist groups, US court
papers allege. Standard Chartered, one of the UK’s largest banks, avoided
prosecution by the US Department of Justice after Lord Cameron’s government
intervened on its behalf in 2012. New documents filed to a New York court claim
thousands of transactions worth more than $100bn were carried out by the bank
from 2008 to 2013 in breach of sanctions against Iran.”
Germany
Associated Press: German Authorities See Islamic Extremist Motive in Mannheim
Knife Attack
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“German authorities say they have uncovered evidence of an Islamic extremist
motive in last week’s knife attack in the southwestern city of Mannheim in
which a police officer was fatally injured. Justice Minister Marco Buschmann
wrote on the social media platform X late Monday that “there are now clear
indications of an Islamist motive” for the attack and federal prosecutors, who
are responsible for terrorism and national security cases, are taking over the
investigation.”
Politico: Murder of German Police Officer Inflames Migration Debate Ahead of
EU Election
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“The grisly killing of a police officer — captured on video by an onlooker and
shared widely on social media — has sparked a highly emotional debate in
Germany about migration and radical Islamism, just days ahead of the European
Parliament election. The officer, identified as Rouven L., 29, died Sunday
after being stabbed in the back of the head allegedly by a 25-year-old man from
Afghanistan, who arrived in Germany in 2014.”
Southeast Asia
The Times of India: NIA Charge Sheets 17 Hardcore ISIS Operatives in India
Involved in Radicalising Youth, Making IEDs
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“The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Monday chargesheeted 17 hardcore
agents of the proscribed global terrorist organisation ISIS for being part of a
conspiracy involving radicalisation of youth and fabrication of improvised
explosive devices, according to an official statement. The NIA had originally
chargesheeted three persons in March 2023 and filed its supplementary
chargesheet before the special court at Patiala House in New Delhi on Monday
against 17 others, of whom 15 are from Maharashtra and one each from
Uttarakhand and Haryana, it said.”
Technology
ABC: How Non-Violent Fundamentalism can Pave the Way for Violent Extremism:
From the Interpretation of Religious Texts to the Formation of Absolutist
Worldviews
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“The stabbings in both Sydney and Perth earlier this year sparked yet another
round of conversations around the relationship between violence and religion,
in general, and Islam, in particular. It is a relationship that has been
studied extensively by scholars, who have examined how certain interpretations
of sacred texts can lead to worldviews that justify religiously motivated
violence.”
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