“Pagers used by hundreds of members of the militant group Hezbollah exploded
near-simultaneously Tuesday in Lebanon and Syria, killing at least nine people,
including an 8-year-old girl, and wounding several thousand, officials said.
Hezbollah and the Lebanese government blamed Israel for what appeared to be a
sophisticated remote attack. An American official said Israel briefed the
United States on Tuesday after the conclusion of the operation, in which small
amounts of explosives secreted in the pagers were detonated. The person spoke
on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the
information publicly.”
<[link removed]>
<[link removed]>
Eye on Extremism
September 18, 2024
Associated Press: Hezbollah Is Hit By A Wave Of Exploding Pagers That Killed
At Least 9 People And Injured Thousands
<[link removed]>
“Pagers used by hundreds of members of the militant group Hezbollah exploded
near-simultaneously Tuesday in Lebanon and Syria, killing at least nine people,
including an 8-year-old girl, and wounding several thousand, officials said.
Hezbollah and the Lebanese government blamed Israel for what appeared to be a
sophisticated remote attack. An American official said Israel briefed the
United States on Tuesday after the conclusion of the operation, in which small
amounts of explosives secreted in the pagers were detonated. The person spoke
on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the
information publicly.”
Associated Press: The UN Will Vote On A Palestinian Resolution Demanding
Israel End Its Occupation
<[link removed]>
“The U.N. General Assembly will vote Wednesday on a Palestinian resolution
demanding that Israel end its “unlawful presence” in Gaza and the occupied West
Bank within a year, withdraw its military forces and evacuate all settlers. The
resolution is being put to a vote in the 193-member assembly as Israel’s war
against Hamas in Gaza approaches its first anniversary and as violence in the
West Bank reaches new highs. The war was triggered by Hamas attacks in southern
Israel on Oct. 7. Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian U.N. ambassador, opened the
assembly meeting Tuesday by saying Palestinians face an “existential threat”
and claiming Israel has held them “in shackles.” He demanded an end to Israel’s
decades-long occupation and for Palestinians to be able to return home to live
in peace and freedom.”
The CEP CounterPoint: Expert Analysis
* ISIS Redux: The Central Syria Insurgency in August 2024
<[link removed]>
* CounterPoint Brief: EU Arrests Members of Newly-Designated Terrorist Group
The Base
<[link removed]>
* CounterPoint Brief: U.S. and Iraqi Forces Target ISIS Leadership in Iraq
and Syria
<[link removed]>
* CEP-KAS: Sahel Monitoring May 2024
<[link removed]>
* Counterpoint Brief: ISIS Knife Attack in Solingen, Germany
<[link removed]>
CEP Mentions
DW: Exploding Pagers 'Unlikely To Be An Accident'
<[link removed]>
“Lebanon's health minister says thousands have been injured after pagers used
by the Hezbollah militia group exploded simultaneously. Hezbollah fighters and
medics are among the wounded. Several deaths have also been reported. Hezbollah
says it's investigating the cause of the blasts. Security expert Hans-Jakob
Schindler told DW that it's "unlikely to be a production mistake or an
accident.””
AFP: Territorial Expansion And Harassment: The Message Of The Jihadists In
Bamako
<[link removed]>
“…Previously, the French anti-jihadist force Barkhane, the UN mission MINUSMA
and European forces contained the threat in the North, Hans-Jakob Schindler,
director of the think tank Counter-Extremism Project (CEP), explained to AFP.
But Bamako asked them to leave the country and move closer to Moscow. Since
then, Schindler notes, the Malian army has been ineffective, its Russian
mercenary allies "have committed atrocities against the local population," and
the JNIM is capitalizing on these dysfunctions by claiming in its propaganda
that it is protecting the population, “creating uncertainty everywhere.”
United States
Reuters: US Senator Accuses Muslim Advocate Of Supporting Extremism In Hearing
On Hate
<[link removed]>
“Republican U.S. Senator John Kennedy accused a leading Muslim civil rights
advocate of supporting extremism during a Senate hearing on hate incidents in
the U.S., drawing criticism from many rights groups. "You support Hamas, do you
not?" Kennedy told Arab American Institute Executive Director Maya Berry, who
replied by saying: "You’re asking the executive director of the Arab American
Institute that question very much puts the focus on the issue of hate in our
country."”
Yemen
Associated Press: US Military Acknowledges Yemen’s Houthi Rebels Shot Down 2
MQ-9 Reaper Drones
<[link removed]>
“Yemen’s Houthi rebels shot down two American MQ-9 Reaper drones in under a
week, the United States military acknowledged Wednesday, further highlighting
the regional spread of the Israel-Hamas war. As the one-year anniversary of the
war approaches, Houthis continue a campaign to target ships traveling through
the Red Sea as U.S.-led airstrikes pound their positions in Yemen. That’s
imperiled a waterway that typically sees $1 trillion of trade pass through it,
as well as crucial shipments of aid to war-torn Sudan and Yemen. The U.S.
military said Houthis shot down the first Reaper on Sept. 10, and the second on
Monday. Online video showed the downing and the flaming wreckage on the ground
afterward in Yemen’s Dhamar province. General Atomics Reapers, which cost
around $30 million apiece, can fly at altitudes up to 50,000 feet (15,240
meters) and have an endurance of up to 24 hours before needing to land.”
Lebanon
BBC: Hezbollah Blames Israel After Pager Explosions Kill Nine And Injure
Thousands In Lebanon <[link removed]>
“Nine people, including a child, have been killed after handheld pagers used
by members of the armed group Hezbollah to communicate exploded across Lebanon,
the country’s health minister says. Iran’s ambassador to Lebanon was among
2,800 other people who were wounded by the simultaneous blasts in Beirut and
several other regions. Hezbollah, which is backed by Iran, said the pagers
belonged “to employees of various Hezbollah units and institutions” and
confirmed the deaths of eight fighters. The group blamed Israel for what it
called “this criminal aggression” and vowed that it would get “just
retribution”. The Israeli military declined to comment. Hours before the
explosions, Israel’s security cabinet said stopping Hezbollah attacks on the
north of the country to allow the safe return of displaced residents was an
official war goal.”
Mali
Associated Press: Mali Troops Put Down A Deadly Militant Attack In The Capital
<[link removed]>
“Mali troops subdued the Islamic militants who attacked a military training
camp and the airport in Mali’s capital Tuesday after gunbattles that killed
some soldiers, authorities said. An al-Qaida-linked group claimed the attack.
The militants tried to infiltrate the Faladie military police school in Bamako
in a rare attack for the capital before government troops were able to
“neutralize” the attackers, army Chief of Staff Oumar Diarra said on national
TV, without elaborating. At least 15 suspects were arrested, a security
official who was inside the training camp at the time of the attack told The
Associated Press. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t
authorized to talk to reporters. “This cowardly and perfidious attack led to
some losses of life on the army’s side,” the army said in a statement read on
national television in the evening, confirming that trainees at the military
training camp were killed but not saying how many.”
Africa
Associated Press: 20 People Die In A Militia Attack In Restive Northeastern
Congo
<[link removed]>
"A militia attack killed over a dozen villagers in northeastern Congo, local
authorities said on Tuesday, the latest in a series of violent assaults
targeting civilians. Eastern Congo has been torn by decadelong fighting between
government forces and more than 120 armed groups, often involving bombs
targeting civilians as the militias seek a share of the region’s gold and other
resources. Violence in the region has worsened in recent months as security
forces battle the militias."
The Counter Extremism Project depends on the generosity of its supporters. If
you value what we do, please consider making a donation.
DONATE NOW
<[link removed]>
Click here to unsubscribe.
<[link removed]>
