Eye on Extremism
August 22, 2024
CNN: Bodies Of Six Israeli Hostages Retrieved From Gaza, Israel Says
“The bodies of six Israeli hostages have been retrieved from Gaza during an overnight military operation in Khan Younis, Israeli authorities said Tuesday, as the latest ceasefire negotiations continue. In a joint announcement, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and the Israeli Security Agency (ISA) named them as Yoram Metzger, Alexander Dancyg, Avraham Munder, Chaim Peri, Nadav Popplewell and Yagev Buchshtab. All but Munder had been announced dead in recent months by the Israeli military. Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said the IDF and ISA had entered Hamas tunnels in a “complex operation” to retrieve the bodies.”
Associated Press: Israel-Hamas War Latest: Israeli Strikes Kill At Least 16 In Gaza, Palestinian Officials Say
“Palestinian health officials say Israeli strikes have killed at least 16 people in the Gaza Strip. The Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital received the bodies, including the remains of a woman and three children, after strikes overnight and into Thursday. An Associated Press reporter at the hospital counted the bodies. A man held the body of a child wrapped in a white shroud as a woman next to him wept, saying: “My love, my soul.” The Israeli offensive launched in response to Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack has killed over 40,000 Palestinians in Gaza, according to the local Health Ministry, which does not say how many were militants or civilians. Hamas and other militants killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, in the Oct. 7 attack and abducted around 250. Around 110 hostages are still inside Gaza, a third of whom are believed to be dead.”
Associated Press: From Cybercrime To Terrorism, FBI Director Says America Faces Many Elevated Threats ‘All At Once’
“The country is facing heightened threats from many corners at a time when law enforcement agencies are struggling, FBI Director Christopher Wray said in an exclusive interview, adding that he is “hard pressed to think of a time in my career where so many different kinds of threats are all elevated at once.” Wray spoke Wednesday with The Associated Press while visiting the Minneapolis field office to talk about partnerships between law enforcement agencies and also with other entities. His remarks come as the FBI confronts heightened concerns over terrorism, both domestic and international, as well as Chinese espionage and intellectual property theft and foreign election interference. “I worry about the combination of that many threats being elevated at once, with the challenges facing the men and women in law enforcement more generally,” Wray said at the office in the suburb of Brooklyn Center.”
United States
Reuters: Biden Presses Netanyahu On Need To Reach Gaza Truce Deal
“U.S. President Joe Biden on Wednesday pressed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the urgency of sealing a deal for a truce in Gaza and the release of hostages, the White House said, but Israel and Hamas stuck firmly to their demands. The call between the leaders, in which Vice President Kamala Harris also took part, came after Palestinian health officials reported at least 50 Palestinians killed by Israeli airstrikes over a 24-hour period. Biden stressed to Netanyahu "the urgency of bringing the ceasefire and hostage release deal to closure and discussed upcoming talks in Cairo to remove any remaining obstacles," a White House statement said. U.S., Israeli, Egyptian and Qatari negotiators, who are expected to meet in Cairo this weekend, have for months struggled to bridge differences between Israel and Hamas. But Israel and Hamas on Wednesday held to their demands.”
Afghanistan
Associated Press: The UAE Accepts Credentials Of Taliban Ambassador In A Major Diplomatic Win For Afghanistan’s Rulers
“The United Arab Emirates on Wednesday accepted the credentials of the Taliban’s ambassador to the oil-rich Gulf Arab state, the biggest diplomatic coup for Afghanistan’s rulers who are not officially recognized as the country’s legitimate government. The development, the first Taliban ambassador since one was appointed to China last December, underscored the international divide over how to deal with the government now in Kabul. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Kabul confirmed the news about Badruddin Haqqani in a post on the social media platform X. The ministry did not respond to requests for information about Haqqani, who was previously the Taliban’s envoy to the UAE. Haqqani is not related to the Acting Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani, who in June met the UAE leader, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, but he is from his team.”
Pakistan
The Washington Post: Police Arrest Man In Pakistan Accused Of Fueling Riots In Britain
“Police in Pakistan have arrested a Lahore man accused of spreading disinformation about a deadly stabbing attack last month that spurred anti-immigrant riots across Britain. Farhan Asif, 32, is accused of sharing fake information that incited riots in the United Kingdom, Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency said Wednesday. He is accused of amplifying misinformation about the identity of the attacker who stabbed three children to death July 29 in an article on the website Channel3Now. Ten people were wounded in the stabbing attack on a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in the northern English city of Southport. In the hours after the attack, reports circulated online that claimed incorrectly that the attacker was a Muslim and an asylum seeker who had entered Britain illegally.”
Yemen
CBS: Ship Hit By Suspected Houthi Missiles In Red Sea, Leaving Vessel "Not Under Command," U.K. Military Says
“A commercial ship traveling through the Red Sea came under repeated attack Wednesday, leaving the vessel "not under command" in an assault suspected to have been carried out by Yemen's Houthi rebels, the British military said. There were few details about the attack, but it appeared to be the latest in the Houthis' monthslong campaign targeting commercial and military ships in what the group has said is a response to the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip. The attack saw men on small boats first open fire with small arms, the British military's United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center said. The ship also was hit by three projectiles, it added.”
Lebanon
Bloomberg: Lebanon’s Goal Of Being Top Tourist Destination Fade After Israel Airstrike
“Lebanon’s hopes of boosting a moribund economy with tourism revenue have been thwarted, after an Israeli airstrike on the capital Beirut and threat of all-out war triggered a series of travel bans and sent holidaymakers packing. Summer-season income from visitors — mostly from among Lebanon’s large diaspora — had been expected to surpass the $5 billion to $7 billion pumped in last year, according to Minister of Economy and Trade Amin Salam. But, he said in an interview, that all changed after the strike late last month, which has raised fears of a wider conflict on Lebanese soil between Israel and the Hezbollah militant group. The rocket attack in Beirut’s southern suburbs killed a senior commander of Hezbollah, which has been trading fire with the Jewish state since the Israel-Hamas war began in October. Israel said the commander, Fuad Shukr, was responsible for a strike on the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights that killed 12 youngsters playing football.”
BBC: Hezbollah Rockets Hit Golan Heights After Israel Strikes Deep In Lebanon
“Hezbollah has launched dozens of rockets at the occupied Golan Heights after Israeli aircraft struck deep inside Lebanon, as fears of an all-out war grow. The Israeli military said it hit Hezbollah weapons storage facilities in the Bekaa Valley overnight. The Lebanese health ministry said one person was killed and 30 others injured. In response, Hezbollah, which is backed by Iran, said it targeted Israeli military positions in the Golan with a rocket barrage. Israeli authorities said two homes were hit and one person was injured. Meanwhile, the Palestinian Fatah movement accused Israel of assassinating a senior member of its armed wing in Lebanon in an effort to ignite a regional conflict. The Israeli military said it had killed Khalil al-Makdah in a strike in the southern port city of Sidon because he was operating on behalf of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards and was involved in directing attacks in and smuggling weapons to the occupied West Bank.”
Middle East
Reuters: Eleven Killed In Israeli Strike On Gaza's Beit Lahiya, Palestinian News Agency Says
“At least 11 people were killed in an Israeli strike on a residential building in the northern Gaza town of Beit Lahiya in the early hours of Thursday, official Palestinian news agency Wafa said.”
Egypt
Associated Press: Key Mediator Egypt Expresses Skepticism About The Gaza Cease-Fire Proposal As More Details Emerge
“Key mediator Egypt expressed skepticism Wednesday about the proposal meant to bridge gaps in cease-fire talks between Israel and Hamas as more details emerged a day before negotiations were expected to resume in Cairo. The challenges around the so-called bridging proposal appeared to undermine the optimism for an imminent agreement that U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken carried into his latest Mideast visit this week. Diplomatic efforts have redoubled as fears grow of a wider regional war after the recent targeted killings of leaders of the militant Hamas and Hezbollah groups, both blamed on Israel, and threats of retaliation. President Joe Biden spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday, and stressed the urgency of reaching a cease-fire and hostage release deal, the White House said.”
Nigeria
Voice Of America: Nigeria Deploys Armed Rangers To Protect Farmers
“As attacks on farmers intensified across Nigeria, Fatima Bello from Sokoto abandoned dry season farming. The smallholder farmer of rice, millet and beans shared her experience of farming under constant threat. "During the dry season last year, I did not even plant anything because of this issue of insecurity," she said. "What I would have produced that I would have used for my family and also take to the market, other people are going to benefit from what I will sell. They will buy, but now it means if I don't produce anything, then it means I will not have been able to have something to use." Violent attacks, land levies and kidnappings have forced many farmers to abandon their lands, driving up food inflation. In response, the government declared a state of emergency on food security in 2023 and recently deployed 10,000 agro rangers across 19 states and the Federal Capital Territory.”
Somalia
Reuters: Somalia's Bomb Disposal Experts Face Down Fear To Save Lives
“Wearing a bulky protective suit and helmet, Mohamed Ahmed inches towards the truck where explosives wired to a mobile phone have been planted in Somalia's capital, Mogadishu. Fortunately for Ahmed, a police officer, this is a training exercise and the device is a dummy. Bombings using this technique, or suicide attacks with vehicles, are a common occurrence in Somalia, where insurgents linked to al Qaeda have been fighting the government since 2007. In one of the most recent attacks, fighters from the al Shabaab militant group used a car bomb to blow up a restaurant in the capital where soccer fans were watching the final of the Euro 2024 tournament on television, killing five people.”
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