“The Middle East braced for a potential flare-up in violence on Sunday after
Israeli authorities said a rocket from Lebanon struck a soccer field in the
Israeli-controlled Golan Heights, killing 12 children and teens in what the
military called the deadliest attack on civilians since Oct. 7. It raised fears
of a broader regional war between Israel and Hezbollah, which in a rare move
denied it was responsible. The White House National Security Council said it
was speaking with Israeli and Lebanese counterparts and working on a diplomatic
solution to “end all attacks once and for all” in the border area between
Israel and Lebanon. The Israeli military said it struck a number of targets
inside Lebanon overnight into Sunday, though their intensity was similar to
months of cross-border fighting between Israel and the Iranian-backed
Hezbollah. Hezbollah said it also carried out strikes. There were no immediate
reports of casualties.”











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Eye on Extremism



July 29, 2024



Associated Press: Israel Weighs Response To Hezbollah After A Rocket From
Lebanon Kills 12 Youths On A Soccer Field
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“The Middle East braced for a potential flare-up in violence on Sunday after
Israeli authorities said a rocket from Lebanon struck a soccer field in the
Israeli-controlled Golan Heights, killing 12 children and teens in what the
military called the deadliest attack on civilians since Oct. 7. It raised fears
of a broader regional war between Israel and Hezbollah, which in a rare move
denied it was responsible. The White House National Security Council said it
was speaking with Israeli and Lebanese counterparts and working on a diplomatic
solution to “end all attacks once and for all” in the border area between
Israel and Lebanon. The Israeli military said it struck a number of targets
inside Lebanon overnight into Sunday, though their intensity was similar to
months of cross-border fighting between Israel and the Iranian-backed
Hezbollah. Hezbollah said it also carried out strikes. There were no immediate
reports of casualties.”



CNN: Children And Teens Among 12 Dead In Golan Heights Attack That Israel
Blames On Hezbollah, Raising Fears Of Major Escalation
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“At least 12 people, including children, were killed when a rocket hit a
village in the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights Saturday, Israeli officials
said, in an attack that has raised fears of a major escalation in the
long-running conflict. Israel said it had identified “approximately 30
projectiles” crossing from Lebanon into Israeli territory in a barrage it
blamed on the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah and described as
the deadliest against it since October 7. Hezbollah has admitted targeting
other parts of the Golan Heights but “firmly denies” it was behind the deadly
strike. Overnight following the attack, Israeli warplanes conducted airstrikes
against Hezbollah targets “deep inside Lebanese territory and in southern
Lebanon,” according to a statement from the military on Sunday morning. The
Israel Defense Forces (IDF) hit a series of Hezbollah targets including weapons
caches and “terrorist infrastructure,” the statement said.”




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
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* 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



WE News: EU Designates Neo-Nazi Group “The Base” as Terrorist Outfit
Organization
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“...The Counter Extremism Project revealed that Nazzaro worked for the US
Department of Homeland Security from 2004 to 2006 and with US forces on
counterterrorism, holding top-secret clearance. He resigned from his US
national security role after adopting white nationalist views. Concerns have
been raised by CSIS about The Base potentially attracting radicalized members
from the US military and law enforcement. The Soufan Center, founded by a
former FBI agent, reported that Nazzaro has boasted of his support for Russian
President Vladimir Putin.”



Euractiv: EU Adds Neo-Nazi Group The Base To Its ‘Terrorist’ List
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“...The Counter Extremism Project, an association focused on extremist
groups, said Nazzaro worked for the US Department of Homeland Security between
2004 and 2006, and reportedly with US forces in the Middle East on
counterterrorism — a role that gave him top-secret clearance. Nazzaro resigned
his US national security position after developing his white nationalist
beliefs, the Counter Extremism Project said. The CSIS think tank said there
were concerns that “The Base poses a notable threat of attracting radicalised
members from the US military” and in law enforcement. Another think tank, the
Soufan Center, started by a former FBI agent, said Nazzaro reportedly boasted
of his support for Russian President Vladimir Putin.”



United States



The New York Post: 11-Year-Old ‘Juvenile Terrorist’ Arrested For Making 20
Bomb And Shooting Threats To Florida Schools
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“A disturbed Virginia tween with an interest in snuff films and animal
cruelty called in more than 20 violent threats to several Florida schools in
May — including one in which he said there were two bombs at an elementary
school, and he’d “shoot every police officer that responded,” authorities in
the Sunshine State said. The so-called “juvenile terrorist” — who hasn’t been
identified because he’s a minor — was arrested July 19 in Henrico County, Va.,
about two months after an alleged nine-day spree of phone calls that mostly
targeted a handful of schools in Flagler County, Fla. But the boy also made
similar calls to Virginia, Alabama, Alaska, Tennessee and Nebraska — as well as
the Maryland State House, Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly said in a Thursday
press conference, according to Axios Richmond. Staly said the boy is a
“juvenile terrorist” who now faces 29 felony counts and 14 misdemeanors for his
alleged crimes — which led to massive police responses, locked-down schools and
worried parents.”



Pakistan



Voice Of America: Pakistan Boosts Security Of Chinese Workers Amid Growing
Terrorism
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““We have never seen a Chinese reaction like this one,” says regional
security affairs analyst Ahmed Rashid, referring to Beijing’s persistent public
demand that Pakistan ensure the safety of Chinese nationals since a March 26
suicide attack killed five Chinese workers there. As Pakistan fights a
resurgent wave of terrorism that has killed hundreds of local civilians and
security personnel this year, officials insist they can keep a few thousand
Chinese nationals safe. A major ally of China, Pakistan has seen billions of
dollars in much-needed energy and infrastructure projects pour in through the
China-Pakistan Economic Corridor — the flagship project of Beijing’s global
Belt and Road infrastructure initiative. The project, popularly known as CPEC,
however, has suffered as Islamist militants and Baloch insurgents fighting the
Pakistani state target Chinese nationals and projects.”



Lebanon



Associated Press: Israel-Hamas War Latest: Israeli Strike Killed 2 People In
Southern Lebanon, Lebanese Media Say
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“Israeli strikes killed two people and injured three others in southern
Lebanon early Monday, Lebanon’s state-run news agency said. The report came as
Israel mulls its response to a rocket attack from Lebanon over the weekend that
killed 12 children and teenagers in a town in the Israel-controlled Golan
Heights. Monday’s strikes did not appear to be Israel’s response to the deadly
weekend attack but more routine fighting. Lebanese state media said a Monday
morning strike hit a motorcycle traveling close to the Lebanon-Israel border,
killing two riders and injuring a child. No more information about the dead or
injured was immediately available. Also Monday, two were injured in a separate
strike in southern Lebanon, Lebanese state media reported. Israeli military
officials said only that the military had struck Hezbollah operatives and
infrastructure but did not give more information."



Middle East



Reuters: At Least 30 Dead In Gaza School Airstrike, Israel Says Targeted
Militants
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“At least 30 Palestinians were killed in an Israeli airstrike on a school
housing displaced people in Gaza on Saturday, Palestinian health officials
said, an attack that Israel said targeted militants who were using the
compound. The Hamas-run government media office said 15 children and eight
women were among those killed in the strike in the central town of Deir
Al-Balah. More than 100 people were wounded, the media office and the Gaza
health ministry said. Israel's military said it had targeted militants
operating there and that it had taken steps to reduce the risk to civilians. At
Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir Al-Balah, ambulances rushed the wounded in for
treatment. Some people arrived on foot, their clothes stained with blood.
Reuters footage showed people returning to the site of the bombing to check on
their belongings, and fires burning in the area. Walls were blasted and debris
scattered in the schoolyard, where some cars were damaged.”



The Wall Street Journal: Israel Approves A Retaliatory Strike On Hezbollah
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“U.S. and Middle East diplomats on Sunday rushed to prevent an all-out war
between Israel and the powerful Lebanese militia, Hezbollah, as burials began
for the 12 children killed by a rocket fired from Lebanon. Israel and the U.S.
have accused the Iran-backed militia Hezbollah of carrying out Saturday’s
strike. Israel threatened a forceful response and its government met Sunday
hours after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu returned from his visit to
Washington. The Israeli military already struck several targets deep in Lebanon
on Sunday morning in immediate response to the attack. As many in Lebanon
braced for an Israeli strike, Lebanon’s Middle East Airlines delayed the return
of some of its flights Sunday evening. Hezbollah, a U.S.-designated terrorist
group that controls southern Lebanon, said it had nothing to do with the deaths
but claimed responsibility for a series of other attacks in the area on
Saturday, including launching a Falaq-1 rocket at an Israeli military site a
few miles from the strike scene.”



Reuters: Israeli forces battle Palestinian fighters in southern Gaza
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“Israeli troops backed by air strikes battled groups of Palestinian fighters
around Khan Younis city in the southern Gaza Strip on Sunday, as they continued
a week-long operation they said was meant to clear Islamist Hamas militants. A
week after ordering civilians to evacuate the area, tanks pushed into the towns
of Al-Karara, Al-Zanna, and Bani Suhaila, east of Khan Younis, where medics
said at least 34 Palestinians were killed by Israeli strikes. Residents
reported fierce fighting as thousands of Palestinians, many displaced multiple
times, headed to the overcrowded areas in Al-Mawasi southwest of Khan Younis,
and northwards to Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip. The days of fighting
in Khan Younis underscored the fierce resistance Israeli forces have
encountered almost 10 months after the Hamas-led attacks on Israel on Oct 7
that triggered Israel's campaign in Gaza.”



Nigeria



Reuters: At Least Seven Nigerian Soldiers Killed By Landmine
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“At least seven Nigerian soldiers were killed after a mine exploded on a
highway in Borno state, the hotbed of a Boko Haram militant insurgency, two
vigilante officers said on Friday. Nigeria faces a raft of security challenges
including a long-running Islamist insurgency in the northeast, separatist
violence in the southeast, rampant oil theft in the Niger Delta and kidnapping
for ransom by criminal gangs. Shaibu Musa, a local vigilante officer helping to
combat the insurgents, said a military vehicle was travelling along the road
linking the villages of Monguno and Baga on Thursday when the vehicle detonated
an improvised explosive device. The military did not immediately respond to
request for comment on the incident. Another security official, Isa Bukar, said
the explosion occurred on Thursday morning after soldiers on patrol triggered
the mine, which killed seven of them.”



Somalia



Garowe Online: Ex-Somali President Says Al-Shabaab Regrouped After Govt
Failure In War
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“Former President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed says the security situation in Somalia
has significantly deteriorated in the past two years, arguing that the
al-Shabaab militants have regrouped, exposing civilians to uncertainty. In a
press statement, the former leader who is credited for evicting the militants
from Mogadishu said the influx of illegal arms smuggled into Somalia in recent
months has exacerbated existing tensions and conflicts, particularly in regions
already grappling with the presence of extremist groups such as Al-Shabaab.
According to him, Al-Shabaab once thought to be on the retreat, has managed to
regroup and grow stronger, posing a significant threat to our security and
stability. The militants have been fighting to topple the fragile UN-backed
federal government of Somalia. Last week, Al-Shabaab suffered heavy losses in
Jubaland after an attempted raid at three military bases, in an incident that
left over 150 fighters dead.”



Africa



Voice Of America: 7 Security Forces, 5 Rangers Killed In Benin By Jihadi
Violence
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“At least seven members of Beninese security forces and five rangers working
with a conservation nonprofit have been killed in an attack by an armed group
in Benin's National Park W that is overrun by militants, according to the
conservation group. The attack Wednesday happened not far from the Mékrou River
in the 10,000-square-kilometer (3,800-square-miles) park which straddles the
borders with Burkina Faso and Niger, the African Parks group said in a
statement Saturday. Authorities in Benin have not yet spoken about the attack,
which is common with the government and the military. It is the latest in a
surge in violence in which jihadis from the conflict-battered Sahel region that
is south of the Sahara Desert have spread farther into West Africa, targeting
coastal states like Benin. It was not clear which jihadi group carried out the
attack in Park W, into which militants from troubled neighbors Burkina Faso and
Niger have recently moved, raising fears they could use its vast protected area
as a base for infiltrating other West African countries.”



France



NBC: Attack On Train System Highlights Broad Array Of Security Threats To
Paris Olympics
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“The coordinated arson attack on high-speed rail by suspected far-left
anarchists hours before the opening of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris shows
the broad array of sophisticated security threats faced by French law
enforcement officials.The potential threats to the event include a
Russian-backed sabotage campaign, an attack directed or inspired by a terrorist
group based in the Middle East, and a cyberattack that could disrupt
communications, according to multiple current and senior law enforcement
officials based in France, Europe and the U.S. So far, French officials have
not confirmed a motive or whether the group responsible for the attacks, which
targeted train signals in France’s rail system, was coordinated by a foreign
government. Before the rail attack, the French minister of the interior said
officials believed they had thwarted four specific and credible planned attacks
on the Olympics — including one possibly tied to Russia.”



India



Reuters: India's Modi Says Pakistan Using 'Terrorism, Proxy War' To Stay
Relevant
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“Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday that Pakistan was trying
to stay relevant through "terrorism" and "proxy war" but such a strategy would
never succeed. The nuclear-armed South Asian neighbours have uneasy relations
and India has, for decades, accused Pakistan of backing Islamist militants
fighting its rule in Kashmir, the Himalayan region both claim in full but rule
only in part. Modi spoke at an event to mark the 25th anniversary of India's
short military conflict with Pakistan in the Himalayan region of Kargil. The
arch rivals have also fought three wars, two of them over Kashmir. Modi said
Pakistan had been unsuccessful whenever it tried to further its plans but had
"not learned anything from its history". "I want to tell these patrons of
terrorism that their unholy plans will never be successful...Our brave (forces)
will squash terrorism, the enemy will be given a befitting reply," he said.
Pakistan has previously denied such accusations by India, saying it only
provides diplomatic and moral support to Kashmiris seeking self-determination
in the Muslim-majority region.”



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