“Mourners in Iran and Lebanon commemorated slain militant leaders Thursday, as
they vowed retribution against common enemy Israel and signaled that the most
recent paroxysm of violence gripping the Middle East may be far from over.
Thousands of people, some waving Palestinian and Iranian flags, joined a
funeral procession in the Iranian capital for Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, who
was killed a day earlier in a murky attack in Tehran. In a Beirut suburb,
hundreds of fighters, supporters and dignitaries also gathered for the funeral
of Fuad Shukr, a senior Hezbollah commander Israel targeted in an airstrike
Tuesday night. Iranian officials have accused Israel of conducting the
operation that killed Haniyeh, who was the group’s top political operative, and
vowed revenge. Iran said Haniyeh, who was visiting Tehran for the inauguration
of its new president, was hit by a “projectile” on the fourth floor of the
building where he was staying in the northern part of the city.”











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Eye on Extremism



August 2, 2024



The Washington Post: Iran And Its Allies Mourn Militant Leaders, Vow Revenge
Against Israel
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“Mourners in Iran and Lebanon commemorated slain militant leaders Thursday, as
they vowed retribution against common enemy Israel and signaled that the most
recent paroxysm of violence gripping the Middle East may be far from over.
Thousands of people, some waving Palestinian and Iranian flags, joined a
funeral procession in the Iranian capital for Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, who
was killed a day earlier in a murky attack in Tehran. In a Beirut suburb,
hundreds of fighters, supporters and dignitaries also gathered for the funeral
of Fuad Shukr, a senior Hezbollah commander Israel targeted in an airstrike
Tuesday night. Iranian officials have accused Israel of conducting the
operation that killed Haniyeh, who was the group’s top political operative, and
vowed revenge. Iran said Haniyeh, who was visiting Tehran for the inauguration
of its new president, was hit by a “projectile” on the fourth floor of the
building where he was staying in the northern part of the city.”



The New York Times: As Misery Multiplies, Pakistanis Rise Up Against The
Ruling Elite
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“In almost every corner of Pakistan, anger at the ruling elite is nearing a
boiling point. Thousands have protested soaring electricity bills just outside
the capital, Islamabad. In a major port city in the southwest, dozens have
clashed with security officers over what they described as forced
disappearances of activists. In the northwest, protesters have admonished the
country’s generals for a recent surge in terrorist attacks. The demonstrations
over the past few weeks reflect frustration with Pakistan’s shaky,
five-month-old government and with its military, the country’s ultimate
authority. The unrest threatens to plunge Pakistan back into the depths of
political turmoil that has flared in recent years and that many had hoped would
subside after the February general election.”




Recent CEP Press Releases

* Extremist Content Online: Nordic Resistance Movement Telegram Channel Still
Has Advertisements Enabled Following State Department SDGT Listing
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* Counterpoint Brief: US Designates Nordic Resistance Movement As Specially
Designated Global Terrorist Organization
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* CEP Applauds U.S. Designation Of Nordic Resistance Movement As A Specially
Designated Terrorist Organization
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* Extremist Content Online: Extreme Right Telegram Channel Promote
Homophobia, Transphobia, And Violence In Response To LGBTQ Pride Month
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* Extremist Content Online: TikTok Post Glorifying Christchurch Attacker
Receives Over 35,000 Views, Account Links To Telegram Content Celebrating
Attacker
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CEP Mentions



The Spectator: Of Course Whole-Life Prisoners Should Be Banned From Marrying
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“Is there any point in rehabilitating prisoners sentenced to ‘whole life’
tariffs, who will die in custody? Today’s announcement banning such prisoners
from a fundamental human right – to get married – would suggest the state
thinks there isn’t. This act, contained in an innocuous statutory instrument is
a rare example of retribution in action. We don’t hear much about revenge in
our criminal justice discourse these days – that, after all, is the less pretty
descriptor for one of the three main aims of imprisonment. Society takes
revenge for harm done on the part of the individual because crime is a societal
hurt. This is the reason why such trials are styled as Rex or Regina vs the
alleged perpetrator. By convention, these are crimes against the King. There
are estimated to be around 70 prisoners serving a ‘whole life’ tariff in
England and Wales.”



Berliner Morgenpost: Tehran Threatens Retaliation: Can Iran Destroy Israel?
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“After the targeted killing of a Hezbollah commander in Beirut and the Hamas
foreign chief in Tehran, the world is holding its breath. Many are asking: How
will Iran retaliate ? And: Can Israel be defeated? […] Would Israel's missile
defense system "Iron Dome" withstand an attack from different fronts? "The
'Iron Dome' offers sufficient protection in the current situation, but in the
event of a broad confrontation with Hezbollah, the system would very likely be
overloaded," Hans-Jakob Schindler, senior director at the Berlin think tank
Counter Extremism Project, told our editorial team. "Hezbollah now has a
special type of drone that flies very fast and very low and cannot be
intercepted by Israeli air defenses." Hezbollah would be able to attack not
only the north of Israel, but also targets far to the south - possibly as far
as Tel Aviv, said Schindler.”



United States



The Washington Post: Deal With Accused 9/11 Plotters Offers Victims’ Families
Little Relief
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“Jim Smith wasn’t sure if he’d heard correctly when he got the call this week
from the Justice Department. A plea deal? The men charged with killing his wife
and nearly 3,000 others on Sept. 11, 2001 — how could they be afforded the
luxury, he thought, of any say in their fate? “We’ve been fighting for justice
for 23 years,” Smith said Thursday. “Only to have it end with a whimper.” The
case has dragged on for so long that the federal victim liaison he knew best
had retired. She’d called him anyway, wanting to tell him personally: Three
suspects at the Guantánamo Bay detention camp had agreed to plead guilty for
their roles in the deadliest terrorist attacks on American soil. Doing so rules
out the death penalty.”



Reuters: Biden Says Killing Of Hamas Leader Haniyeh Not Helpful For Ceasefire
Talks
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“U.S. President Joe Biden said on Thursday the killing of Palestinian
Islamist group Hamas' leader Ismail Haniyeh was not helpful for reaching a
ceasefire in Israel's war in Gaza. There has been an increased risk of an
escalation into a broader Middle East war after the assassination of Haniyeh in
Iran drew threats of retaliation against Israel. Hamas and Iran's Revolutionary
Guards confirmed the death of Haniyeh, who had participated in
internationally-brokered indirect talks on reaching a ceasefire in Gaza.
Anxious residents in Israeli-besieged Gaza feared that Haniyeh's killing on
Wednesday would prolong the war. Iran said the killing took place hours after
he attended a swearing-in ceremony for its new president. "It doesn't help,"
Biden told reporters late on Thursday, when asked if Haniyeh's assassination
ruined the chances for a ceasefire agreement.”



Associated Press: Israel-Hamas War Latest: A Cease-Fire Is Key To Ending The
Region’s Cycle Of Violence, Blinken Says
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“U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken appealed for “all parties” in the
Middle East to avoid escalatory actions that could plunge the region into
further conflict, and said Thursday that a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas
was the only way to begin to break the cycle of violence and suffering. The
remarks came as prayers were held by Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali
Khamenei and representatives of Palestinian militia groups for Hamas leader
Ismail Haniyeh and his bodyguard. Worry has spread that Wednesday’s shock
assassination risks escalating the fighting into an all-out regional war. No
one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, but suspicion quickly
fell on Israel, which has vowed to kill Haniyeh and other Hamas leaders over
the group’s Oct. 7 attack on Israel that sparked the war.”



Turkey



The Times Of Israel: Outcry As Turkish Embassy In Israel Lowers Flag In Honor
Of Haniyeh; Envoy Summoned
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The Turkish embassy in Tel Aviv lowered its flag to half mast on Friday in
honor of slain Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh, drawing swift backlash
from outraged Israeli officials. “Israel will not accept expressions of
participation in mourning for a murderer like Ismail Haniyeh,” said Foreign
Minister Israel Katz, who summoned the Turkish deputy ambassador for a
reprimand, in a statement published by his office. “If embassy representatives
want to mourn, let them go to Turkey and mourn together with their master
Erdogan, who embraces the terrorist organization Hamas and supports its
murderous acts,” Katz said. Turkey declared Friday as a day of mourning for
Haniyeh, who was killed on Wednesday in a blast for which Israel has neither
claimed nor denied responsibility."



Lebanon



Reuters: Hezbollah Vows 'Definite' Response To Israeli Killing Of Top Commander

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“Lebanon's powerful Iran-backed group Hezbollah vowed on Thursday a
"definite" response to Israel's killing of its top military commander, saying
the strike had crossed red lines and the decades-old rivalry between foes had
entered a new phase. "The resistance cannot but respond. This is definite,"
said Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, speaking in a televised address
to mark the funeral of the slain commander, attended by mourners clad in black
waving the group's yellow-and-green flag. "We are looking for a real response,
not a performative response, and for real opportunities. A studied response,"
Nasrallah said. An Israeli strike on Hezbollah's stronghold in the southern
suburb of Beirut on Tuesday killed Fuad Shukr, head of the group's military
operations, along with an Iranian military adviser and five civilians.”



Qatar



Reuters: Slain Hamas Leader Haniyeh's Funeral Held In Qatar, Israel Is Warned
Of Revenge
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“The funeral of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh took place in Qatar on Friday
following his assassination two days ago in Iran's capital Tehran - one in a
series of killings of senior figures in the Palestinian militant group as the
war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza rages. Mourners at the ceremony in a large
mosque just north of the capital Doha included Khaled Meshaal, who is tipped to
be the new Hamas leader. Other senior Hamas officials and Qatar's Emir Sheikh
Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani also attended. He will be buried in a cemetery in the
city of Lusail, north of Doha. Haniyeh's coffin, draped in the Palestinian
flag, was carried across the mosque past hundreds of people along with the
coffin of his bodyguard, who was killed in the same attack in Tehran on
Wednesday.”



Nigeria



Voice Of America: Bombing Kills At Least 19 In Nigeria’s Borno State
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“Officials in Nigeria’s Borno state say 19 people were killed and at least 20
injured when a bomb exploded in a popular tea house late Wednesday, the second
major attack in recent weeks. Security and government officials say the bombing
occurred at about 8pm local time in Kawuri village, about 50 kilometers from
the Borno state capital, Maiduguri, where the officials say the wounded were
taken for treatment. Officials said the bomb was planted and it was not a
suicide attack. No group claimed responsibility for the attack, but the Boko
Haram jihadist group and their rivals, Islamic State West Africa Province, are
both active in Borno. According to local media reports, Nigerian authorities
could implement movement restrictions, vehicle checks, or curfew measures on
short notice in response to the assault.”



Somalia



Garowe Online: ISIS Branch In Somalia Still A Major Threat, Analysts Say
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“The ISIS militants in Somalia are still in a position to cause upset and
probably ruin gains made in the fight against violent extremism, security
analysts contend, in the wake of sporadic attacks targeting innocent civilians
across the country. Two months ago, the US Africa Command triggered an
airstrike in Dhaadaar, Puntland, targeting Abdul Qadir Mumin, the leader of
ISIS. While Mumin is believed to have survived, the strike resulted in the
deaths of three other militants, illustrating the heightened concern among U.S.
officials about the group's rising role within the global Islamic State
network. According to security analysts, the militants are potentially well
equipped with the financial resources said to be 'stable'. The group has been
recruiting foreign fighters mostly from Ethiopia, a strategy used to expand its
territory beyond the borders.”



Mali



Bloomberg: Mali Rebels Say They Killed 131 Wagner, Army Soldiers In Clashes
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“A Malian rebel group said it killed scores of soldiers and foreign fighters
during battles with the West African nation’s Russian mercenary-backed army
last month. The Strategic Framework for the Defense of the People of Azawad, a
coalition of anti-government groups in northern Mali, said it killed 84
mercenaries from the Russian paramilitary Wagner Group and 47 Malian troops
over three days of fighting. The pro-Kremlin Africa Initiative said on Monday
that more than two dozen Wagner fighters and Malian soldiers were killed during
the fight, which would have been the heaviest loss for the group since it
deployed to Mali in 2021.”



Africa



Bloomberg: Islamic State In Mozambique More Active, Sophisticated, UN Warns
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“Islamic State-backed insurgents in Mozambique who’ve been operating near a
$20 billion liquefied natural gas project that TotalEnergies SE aims to resume
this year are becoming increasingly active and are employing more sophisticated
tactics, a United Nations report warned this week. Mozambique had pushed the
rebels back with the help of troops from a southern African bloc and Rwanda,
but there has been a resurgence in violence this year in the northeastern Cabo
Delgado province. The regional military mission completed a withdrawal last
month, raising the risk of even more conflict. “The situation in Cabo Delgado
Province is more fluid following a change in the security landscape,” the
Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team said in a report to the UN
Security Council. “There has been a spike in carefully orchestrated attacks.””



Technology



The Guardian: How TikTok Bots And AI Have Powered A Resurgence In UK Far-Right
Violence
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“Less than three hours after the stabbing attack on Monday that led to the
death of three children, an AI-generated image was shared on X by an account
called Europe Invasion. It depicted bearded men in traditional Muslim dress
outside the Houses of Parliament, one waving a knife, behind a crying child in
a union jack T-shirt. The tweet, which has since been viewed 900,000 times, was
captioned: “We must protect our children!” and shared by one of the most potent
accounts for misinformation about the Southport stabbings. AI technology has
been used in other ways, including an anti-immigration Facebook group that
illustrated a call to attend a rally in Middlesbrough by generating an image of
a large crowd at the town’s cenotaph.”



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