“Lebanon’s militant Hezbollah group said that its fighters fired dozens of
rockets into northern Israel on Saturday, targeting a kibbutz for the first
time in nine months in retaliation for an Israeli drone strike earlier in the
day that wounded several people including children. Also Saturday, the militant
Palestinian group Hamas said it fired rockets from Lebanon toward an Israeli
army post in the northern Israeli village of Shomera in retaliation for the
“Zionists massacres” in the Gaza Strip. Hamas has carried out such attacks form
Lebanon over the past several months, but they have been rare. On Saturday
night, an Israeli airstrike on the southern coastal village of Adloun hit an
arms depot and it was followed by a series of explosions that hit nearby
villages with shrapnel, said state-run National News Agency, or NNA. The agency
said that three people were slightly wounded in the nearby village of Kharayeb
and hospitalized. The agency didn’t give further details about the arms depot,
but it was believed to belong to Hezbollah, which has a wide presence in the
area.”











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Eye on Extremism



July 22, 2024



Associated Press: Lebanon’s Hezbollah Fires Dozens Of Rockets At Israeli
Kibbutz After Drone Strike Wounds Civilians
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“Lebanon’s militant Hezbollah group said that its fighters fired dozens of
rockets into northern Israel on Saturday, targeting a kibbutz for the first
time in nine months in retaliation for an Israeli drone strike earlier in the
day that wounded several people including children. Also Saturday, the militant
Palestinian group Hamas said it fired rockets from Lebanon toward an Israeli
army post in the northern Israeli village of Shomera in retaliation for the
“Zionists massacres” in the Gaza Strip. Hamas has carried out such attacks form
Lebanon over the past several months, but they have been rare. On Saturday
night, an Israeli airstrike on the southern coastal village of Adloun hit an
arms depot and it was followed by a series of explosions that hit nearby
villages with shrapnel, said state-run National News Agency, or NNA. The agency
said that three people were slightly wounded in the nearby village of Kharayeb
and hospitalized. The agency didn’t give further details about the arms depot,
but it was believed to belong to Hezbollah, which has a wide presence in the
area.”



Associated Press: Pakistan Says It Arrested An Al-Qaida Leader Who Was A Close
Aide To Osama Bin Laden
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“Pakistan counterterrorism police have arrested an al-Qaida leader who was a
close aide to Osama bin Laden, the mastermind of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in
the United States, officials said Friday. Deputy inspector general of police
Usman Gondal identified the man as Amin ul Haq and said he was nabbed by the
Counter-Terrorism Department in Punjab province after a yearslong hunt. The
arrest foiled possible attacks being planned by Haq in the province, Gondal
said at a news conference in Lahore. Haq’s name is included in a U.N. sanctions
list of people linked to al-Qaida. An Afghan, he was accused of working as a
financer for al-Qaida and supplying arms to insurgents. Gondal said he was
arrested in a town near Jhelum city, but it was unclear exactly when the arrest
was made. After the Sept. 11 attacks, Pakistan arrested and turned over several
top al-Qaida officials to the U.S. They included bin Laden deputies Khalid
Shaikh Mohammed, Ramzi Binalshibh and Abu Zubaydah.”




CEP Expert Analysis

* Counterpoint Brief: US Designates Nordic Resistance Movement Specially
Designated Global Terrorist Organization
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* ISIS Redux: The Central Syria Insurgency in March 2024
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* CEP Report: Central Syria’s ISIS Insurgency In 2023
<[link removed]>
* CEP Statement Calling For U.S. Sanctions Against Qatar, DIMDEX Conference,
And Al Thani Royal Family
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* Extremist Content Online: The Base Calls For Members of Other White
Supremacist Groups to Join
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CEP Mentions



The Telegraph: Starmer Wants An ‘Activist State’ – The Risks Are Obvious
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“... But the UK’s prisons crisis goes back far further than that. The prisons
expert Ian Acheson says Sir Tony Blair was a misplaced enthusiast for “lock ’em
up” and policies have lurched from one failed initiative to another. Lord
Blunkett’s 2005 policy of indeterminate Imprisonment for Public Protection
sentences – abandoned in 2012 – is still affecting 2,800 prisoners even though
the former Home Secretary has himself said he regrets the way the policy was
implemented. “We were surprised by how the judges interpreted it,” he told me.
Twelve years on, and the problem of thousands of people languishing in jail
with no prospect of release (one person has served 12 years for stealing a
mobile phone) remains unresolved. Chris Grayling’s shambolic reorganisation of
the probation service in 2014 was so ill-thought through it was abandoned
again, still by the Tories. Theresa May’s “Prison Estate Transformation
Programme” of 2016 promised 10,000 new jail places by 2020. A National Audit
Office report of that year revealed it delivered 206.”



The Irish Times: ‘It’s Going To Be A Power Struggle’: The Irish Right-Wing
Extremists Preparing For Violence
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“Last month, a group of right-wing extremists, from Ireland, the US and
continental Europe gathered online for a three-hour discussion on how to stop
immigration into Ireland, by force or otherwise. These virtual meetings have
become an almost daily ritual for the disparate group. Sometimes the meetings
attract dozens of attendees but the conversation is usually dominated by a
handful of voices. One of those voices belongs to the organiser of the
meetings, a Tipperary man aged in his late 20s. During the meet on June 18th,
he had a dark warning for the others. […] This appeal to angry keyboard
warriors has yielded startling results worldwide. Extremism researchers have
been taken aback by the growth of the active club movement. According to a
recent report from the Counter Extremism Project, since its establishment in
2021, the network has grown to 104 known cells worldwide.”



United States



Fox News: Trump Shooter Thomas Crooks Was Likely ‘Acting Out A Fantasy’:
Extremism Expert
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“An expert in extremism and terrorism said that Thomas Matthew Crooks'
assassination attempt on former President Trump was likely not politically
motivated – instead, the 20-year-old was likely "acting out a fantasy," and
seeking a target that would bring him "attention and fame." Jytte Klausen, a
political science professor at Brandeis University, has studied terrorist
networks and violent extremism for two decades, putting together a methodology
for forensic biographies of perpetrators and radicalization trajectories. She
is currently writing a book called "How to Become a Terrorist" that dives into
incels, homegrown Islamists, neo-Nazis and other groups. "He wanted to become
somebody – he wanted to make a mark," Klausen posited about Crooks, who
unleashed the attack on Trump's campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on July
13. "He appears not to have been particularly politically motivated, I think,
based on what we know about his search history… there's no sense he wanted to
effect the election."”



Iraq



Bloomberg: Blackout-Hit Iraq Begins Importing Turkish Power With New Line
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“An electricity-transmission line between Turkey and Iraq that’s been planned
for 20 years began operating, potentially helping the oil-producing Arab nation
tackle grueling power outages. The 115-kilometer (71-mile) line connects to a
power station west of Mosul and will supply 300 megawatts to the northern
provinces of Nineveh, Salahuddin and Kirkuk, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia
Al-Sudani’s office said Sunday in a statement. The project, delayed since 2004,
is part of Iraq’s strategy to connect to neighboring grids and “integrate into
the regional energy system, allowing for diversity and exchange under various
peak load conditions,” it said. Even with its vast oil reserves, OPEC member
Iraq remains heavily reliant on electricity and gas imports to keep its grid
running, especially in summer when demand for cooling peaks. Neighboring Iran
is a major supplier. The government has repeatedly said it needs to diversify
its sources and has explored options with nearby countries.”



Pakistan



Voice Of America: Pakistan Demands Germany Prosecute Consulate Attackers
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“Pakistan has condemned Germany's "failure" to safeguard its consulate in
Frankfurt from being stormed and vandalized Saturday by dozens of protesters
reportedly carrying Afghanistan's national flag. In a Sunday statement issued
in Islamabad, the foreign ministry, without naming any specific nationality,
described the assailants as “a gang of extremists” and decried the security
breach of the consular mission, saying it endangered the lives of its staff.
“We are conveying our strong protest to the German government,” the ministry
said. It urged Germany to take "immediate measures to fulfill its
responsibility” under the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations to ensure the
security of the Pakistani diplomatic missions and staff in the country. Social
media video from Saturday’s incident shows scores of people holding the
tricolor Afghan national flag and jumping the fence to get into the consulate
building in Frankfurt, with one of them taking down Pakistan’s flag.”



Voice Of America: Pakistan Calls Israel's Netanyahu A 'Terrorist'
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“Under pressure from right wing protesters, Pakistan’s government declared
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a terrorist Friday, demanding the
leader be brought to justice for alleged war crimes against Palestinians. The
statement by Rana Sanaullah, adviser to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on
political and public affairs, was part of a deal with a religious political
party, Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan or TLP, to end its days-long sit-in on a key
road outside the capital. “Netanyahu is a terrorist and a perpetrator of war
crimes,” said Sanaullah, acceding to a key TLP demand. The adviser sat flanked
by TLP leaders and Minister for Information Attaullah Tarar at a press
conference in Islamabad. Thousands of TLP supporters rallied near the capital
last Saturday to condemn Israeli strikes in Gaza. They demanded the government
declare Netanyahu a terrorist, boycott Israeli products and send aid to
Palestinians.”



Yemen



Reuters: UKMTO Reports Two Attacks Northwest Of Yemen's Mokha, Minor Damage To
Vessel
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“The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said on Saturday it had
received a report of two attacks on a vessel 64 nautical miles (118.5 km)
northwest of Yemen's Mokha, causing slight damage. It said the captain of the
vessel reported attacks by an Uncrewed Aerial System, which exploded close to
the vessel and by an Uncrewed Surface Vessel, which also exploded nearby. A
maritime security source told Reuters that the vessel, which has been
identified as a Liberia-flagged container ship was attacked by a skiff and
drones. After the attack it kept maneuvering at maximum speed to escape as it
was waiting support from a warship. The captain has "subsequently reported
further UAS sightings," adding that "both the vessel and the crew are safe,"
UKMTO said. It earlier reported another attack that occurred 83 nautical miles
southeast of Yemen's Aden late on Friday, in which a Singapore-flagged vessel
was damaged by a Houthi strike. That incident was still under investigation,
UKMTO said.”



The New York Times: Houthis Launch Deadly Drone Strike On Tel Aviv, Evading
Israel’s Defenses
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“In a rare breach of Israel’s multilayered air-defense system, a drone fired
by the Houthi militia in Yemen slammed into an apartment building near the
United States Embassy branch office in Tel Aviv early Friday, killing at least
one person and wounding eight others. Pentagon officials expressed doubt that
the drone had specifically targeted the U.S. building, an attack that analysts
assessed had possibly been an attempt by the Houthis to strike anywhere they
could in Tel Aviv. The Houthis, an Iranian-backed militia that has been
attacking ships in the Red Sea, claimed responsibility for the strike on the
city of 450,000 people. The Israeli military’s chief spokesman, Rear Adm.
Daniel Hagari, said the country’s defense systems had apparently picked up the
presence of the drone but had failed to register it as a threat. No air-raid
sirens warned residents before the drone crashed into the building, causing an
explosion that jolted people from their sleep, shattered windows and left
shrapnel scattered on the streets.”



ABC: Yemen Houthis Damage Cargo Ship In Gulf Of Aden As It Steps Up Attacks,
Say They 'Will Not Stop' Unless Siege Of Palestinian People Is Lifted
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“Yemen's Houthi rebels have claimed to have hit and damaged a
Singapore-flagged container ship with two missiles, as they escalate attacks on
global shipping over Israel's war in Gaza. The overnight assault on the Lobivia
cargo ship came as the Iran-aligned Houthis also claimed responsibility for a
long-range aerial drone strike in central Tel Aviv, hours after an explosion
near the US consulate, that killed one man and wounded four others. Military
spokesman of Yemen's Houthi militants Yahya Sare'e in a television speech said
the group launched the Lobivia strikes on Friday local time, adding the assault
also included drones. "The naval, the missile, and the unmanned air forces of
the Yemeni Armed Forces, with the help of Allah Almighty, carried out a
specific and joint military operation in the Gulf of Aden, targeting the ship
(Lobivia) with a number of ballistic missiles and drones," they said. The
manager of Lobivia did not immediately comment.”



Lebanon



Reuters: Israel Strikes Hezbollah Ammunition Depot In South Lebanon, Sources
Say
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“Israeli strikes late on Saturday targeted a depot storing ammunition
belonging to Lebanese armed group Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, three security
sources told Reuters. The strikes on the town of Adloun, about 40 km (25 miles)
north of Lebanon's border with Israel, set off a string of loud explosions
heard by witnesses across the south of Lebanon. At least four civilians in
Adloun were wounded in the strikes, a medical source and a security source told
Reuters. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military. The strikes
on South Lebanon were on the same day that Israeli fighter jets struck Houthi
military targets in the area of Yemen's port city of Hodeidah, which Hezbollah
said will mark a "new and dangerous phase" in the region.

Israel launched the strikes on Yemen a day after a drone launched by the
Iranian-backed Houthis hit Israel's economic hub Tel Aviv. Israel and Hezbollah
have been trading fire since Hezbollah announced a "support front" with
Palestinians shortly after its ally Hamas attacked southern Israeli border
communities on Oct. 7, triggering Israel's military offensive in Gaza.”



Associated Press: Israel Shoots Down A Missile Fired From Yemen Hours After A
Deadly Israeli Strike On Houthi Rebels
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“The Israeli military said it intercepted a missile fired from Yemen early
Sunday, hours after Israeli warplanes struck several Houthi targets in the
Arabian Peninsula country. The Israeli airstrikes — in response to a deadly
Houthi drone strike on Tel Aviv — were the first time Israel is known to have
responded to repeated Houthi attacks throughout its nine-month war against
Hamas. The burst of violence between the distant enemies has threatened to open
a new front as Israel battles a series of Iranian proxies across the region.
The Israeli army late Saturday confirmed the airstrikes in the western Yemeni
port city of Hodeidah, a Houthi stronghold and crucial entry point for aid and
other supplies. It said the strikes, carried out by dozens of aircraft,
including U.S.-made F-15 and F-35 warplanes, were a response to hundreds of
Houthi attacks. The Health Ministry in Yemen said the Israeli strikes killed
six people and wounded 83 others, many with severe burns from a major fire.”



Middle East



Reuters: Fighting In Southern Gaza, Israeli Strikes Hit Central Areas
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“Israeli forces battled Palestinian fighters in the southern Gaza city of
Rafah on Sunday, striking areas in the centre of the coastal enclave where
thousands of Palestinians displaced from their homes have been seeking shelter.
Residents in Rafah, near the border with Egypt, said fierce battles, opens new
tab raged between Hamas-led fighters and Israeli forces, especially in the
centre and in western areas where tanks had advanced in the previous two days.
The armed wings of the Islamic Jihad and Hamas Islamist militant groups said
fighters confronted Israeli forces with anti-tank rockets and mortar bombs. The
Israeli military said its soldiers had killed a group of fighters who were
moving towards them, and destroyed ammunition, tunnel shafts and infrastructure
in Tel al-Sultan, in the eastern part of the city. A ceasefire effort led by
Qatar and Egypt and backed by the United States has so far failed because of
disagreements between the combatants, who blame each other for the impasse.”



Associated Press: Israel Orders Evacuation Of Part Of Gaza Humanitarian Zone
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“The Israeli military on Monday ordered the evacuation of part of an area in
the Gaza Strip it has designated a humanitarian zone. The military said it is
planning to begin an operation against Hamas militants who have embedded
themselves in the area and used it to launch rockets toward Israel. The area
includes the eastern part of the Muwasi humanitarian zone, which is located in
the southern Gaza Strip. Many Palestinians have been uprooted multiple times in
search of safety during Israeli’s punishing air and ground campaign. Earlier
this month, Israel said it estimates at least a million Palestinians are now in
the humanitarian zone it declared. The zone covers a stretch of about 14
kilometers (8.6 miles) along the Mediterranean. Much of that area is now
blanketed with tent camps that lack sanitation and medical facilities and have
limited access to aid, U.N. and humanitarian groups say. Families live in the
midst of mountains of trash and streams contaminated by sewage.”



Associated Press: Israel’s Netanyahu Walks Political Tightrope On Washington
Trip Following Biden’s Exit From Race
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“Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu left for Washington on Monday,
leaving behind a brutal war to make a politically precarious speech before the
U.S. Congress at a time of great uncertainty following Joe Biden’s withdrawal
from the presidential race. With efforts ongoing to bring about a cease-fire
between Israel and Hamas, rising concerns about the war spreading to Lebanon
and Yemen, and the U.S. in the midst of a dizzying election campaign,
Netanyahu’s speech has the potential to cause disarray on both sides of the
ocean. The risks only increased with Biden’s decision Sunday to drop out of the
race for president, especially since the choice of a replacement Democratic
nominee — and the potential next American leader — are still up in the air.
Before stepping on the plane, Netanyahu said he would emphasize the theme of
Israel’s bipartisanship in his speech and said Israel would remain America’s
key ally in the Middle East “regardless who the American people choose as their
next president.””



Somalia



Garowe Online: Soldiers Stage Mutiny In Somalia's Capital
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“A section of Somali National Army (SNA) soldiers staged a mutiny in a key
military base within Somalia’s capital Mogadishu, in the latest incident which
portrays cracks within the national force that is running the war against
al-Shabaab. According to reports, the officers staged a mutiny at Jaalle Siyaad
Military Academy within Mogadishu on Sunday, citing instructions from the
Ministry of Defense to bring their weapons to the frontlines. In a video, which
has since gone viral, the officers were seen making noise within the barracks
while firing randomly on air. They openly accused the Ministry of Defence of
what they called 'gross misconduct and incompetence'. The disgruntled soldiers
said they had been ordered to ask for weapons from their relatives and
respective clans before taking them to the frontlines. Until this morning, the
government and SNA leadership have yet to comment on the matter. Furthermore,
it is not yet clear whether the move is intended to reduce caches of weapons
often seized by insurgents after overrunning frontline bases in the country.”



France



Associated Press: With AI, Jets, And Police Squadrons, Paris Is Securing The
Olympics – And Worrying Critics
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“A year ago, the head of the Paris Olympics boldly declared that France’s
capital would be “ the safest place in the world " when the Games open this
Friday. Tony Estanguet’s confident forecast looks less far-fetched now with
squadrons of police patrolling Paris’ streets, fighter jets and soldiers primed
to scramble, and imposing metal-fence security barriers erected like an iron
curtain on both sides of the River Seine that will star in the opening show.
France’s vast police and military operation is in large part because the July
26-Aug. 11 Games face unprecedented security challenges. The city has
repeatedly suffered deadly extremist attacks and international tensions are
high because of the wars in Ukraine and Gaza.”



Germany



CNN: German Citizen Sentenced To Death In Belarus, Charged With Terrorism,
Mercenary Activities
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“A German citizen has been sentenced to death in Belarus after being charged
with terrorism and mercenary activities, according to a Belarusian human rights
group. The group Human Rights Center “Viasna” said the German national is a
29-year-old German Red Cross employee named Rico Krieger. According to his
LinkedIn profile, he worked as an emergency medical technician for the German
Red Cross and as an armed security officer for the US Embassy in Berlin.
Krieger was sentenced in the Minsk Regional Court on June 24, Viasna said on
its website on Friday. Krieger was charged under six articles of the Criminal
Code of Belarus, according to Viasna, including “mercenary activity,” “agent
activity,” an “act of terrorism,” the “creation of an extremist formation,”
“intentional disrepair of a vehicle or communication lines,” and “illegal
actions in relation to firearms, ammunition and explosives.” Viasna also
reported that Krieger was found guilty of “arranging an explosion in order to
influence decision-making by authorities, intimidate the population, [and]
destabilize public order.””



Southeast Asia



Associated Press: UAE Orders A Trial Of Bangladeshi Nationals Arrested For
Protesting Their Home Government
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“Authorities in the United Arab Emirates ordered an investigation and an
expedited trial of Bangladeshi nationals arrested for protesting against their
home government across the Gulf country, state media reported. The protests in
the UAE followed weeks of protests in Bangladesh by demonstrators protesting a
quota system that reserved up to 30% of government jobs for relatives of
veterans who fought in Bangladesh’s war of independence in 1971. The country’s
top court on Sunday scaled back on the controversial system, in a partial
victory for student protesters. The UAE’s attorney general’s office indicted
Saturday the Bangladeshis on several charges, including “gathering in a public
place and protesting against their home government with the intent to incite
unrest,” obstructing law enforcement, causing harm to others and damaging
property, according to the state-owned Emirates News Agency, WAM. “Based on the
preliminary investigation results, the Public Prosecution has ordered their
pretrial detention pending further investigations,” WAM reported.”



India



The New Indian Express: Gunfight In J&K’s Rajouri After Militants Attack VDC
Member’s House
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“A gunfight is going on between militants and army men after militants
attacked the house of Village Defence Committee (VDC) member in a remote
village in border district of Rajouri in Jammu and Kashmir on Monday.
Jammu-based defence spokesman said terrorists fired upon the house of a VDC
member at village Gunda in Rajouri at 3.10 am. He said immediately after the
militant attack, army men posted in the nearby camp rushed to the spot and
engaged militants in a gunfire. The gunfight was going on when reports last
poured in, the spokesman said. A soldier has been injured in the encounter and
he has been hospitalized. Additional troops have been rushed to the village to
lay siege and prevent militants, whose exact number is not known, from escaping
from the area. The government has revived Village Defence Committees (VDCs)
under the name of “Village Defence Groups) after the surge in militant violence
in the Jammu region. The VDG members are being trained by police and army men
in handling weapons.”



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