Eye on Extremism
September 24, 2024
ABC News: Israel Hits 1,300 Targets In Expanded Lebanon Strike Campaign Against Hezbollah
“The Israeli military expanded its Lebanon campaign with hundreds of airstrikes on Monday, as the long-simmering border conflict with Hezbollah threatened to explode into a larger war. Dozens of Israeli warplanes struck more than 1,300 targets in southern Lebanon on Monday morning, according to the Israel Defense Forces. At least 492 people were killed and more than 1,600 wounded in the ongoing strikes, among them women, children and medical personnel, the Lebanon Ministry of Public Health said. Of those killed, 35 were children and 58 were women, the ministry said.”
Reuters: UN Rights Chief Calls For Diplomatic Efforts To Address Lebanon Crisis
“The U.N. human rights chief on Tuesday called on anyone with influence in the Middle East or elsewhere to seek to avert any further escalation in hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, voicing alarm at the sharp escalation. Israel's military said on Tuesday it struck dozens of Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon overnight, a day after it launched a wave of airstrikes against the Iran-backed group's sites on Lebanon's deadliest day in decades. Nearly 500 people have been killed, and tens of thousands have fled from areas of southern Lebanon. "UN High Commissioner Volker Türk calls on all States and actors with influence in the region and beyond to avert further escalation and do everything they can to ensure full respect for international law," Ravina Shamdasani, the spokesperson for Turk said at a Geneva press briefing.”
CEP Mentions
CapX: Britain Is Locked In A Low-Trust, High-Crime Spiral
“What should we do about our national crisis of confidence? In every sense, confidence and trust in our institutions and national infrastructure is tanking. Let me count the ways. Tomorrow, I plan to go to London from Exeter. I have low confidence that when I get to the station, my train will appear at all, let alone on time, in the right configuration or survive past Reading’s engineering twilight zone. Sadly, concerns about transport are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Britain’s crisis of public trust. Former Victims Commissioner Vera Baird had this to say in response to a dramatic fall in the number of arrests of suspected criminals in the last decade. These rates, she said, had halved because of a collapse in trust by citizens that reported crime would achieve anything. Even though the number of police officers is at a record high, that isn’t producing more arrests.”
United States
Associated Press: US Is Sending More Troops To The Middle East As Violence Rises Between Israel And Hezbollah
“The U.S. is sending a small number of additional troops to the Middle East in response to a sharp spike in violence between Israel and Hezbollah forces in Lebanon that has raised the risk of a greater regional war, the Pentagon said Monday. Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, Pentagon press secretary, would not say how many more forces would be deployed or what they would be tasked to do. The U.S. now has about 40,000 troops in the region. On Monday, the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman, two Navy destroyers and a cruiser set sail from Norfolk, Virginia, headed to the Sixth Fleet area in Europe on a regularly scheduled deployment. The ships’ departure opens up the possibility that the U.S. could keep both the Truman and the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, which is in the Arabian Gulf, in the region in case more violence breaks out.”
The Jerusalem Post: Former CIA Director: Israel Pager Attack 'A Form Of Terrorism'
"Former CIA director Leon Panetta called Israel's targeted pager attack on Hezbollah terrorists last week "a form of terrorism" in an interview on CBS on Sunday. When asked whether he thought Israel should be condemned for the operation, he said, "The nations of the world need to have a serious discussion about whether or not this is an area that everyone has to focus on because if they don't try to deal with it now."
Iran
Associated Press: Iran Was Behind Thousands Of Text Messages Calling For Revenge Over Quran Burnings, Sweden Says
“Swedish authorities accused Iran on Tuesday of being responsible for thousands of text messages that were sent to people in the Scandinavian country calling for revenge over the burnings of Islam’s holy book in 2023. According to officials in Stockholm, the cyberattack was carried out by Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, which hacked an SMS service and sent “some 15,000 text messages in Swedish” over the string of public burnings of the Quran that took place over several months in the summer of 2023. Senior prosecutor Mats Ljungqvist said a preliminary investigation by Sweden’s SAPO domestic security agency showed “it was the Iranian state via the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, IRGC, that carried out a data breach at a Swedish company that runs a major SMS service.” The Swedish company was not named. There was no immediate comment from Iranian authorities on the accusations from Sweden.”
Turkey
Reuters: Turkey Arrests Australian Woman For Alleged Links To PKK Militants
“Turkish authorities detained an Australian woman at Istanbul Airport last week for alleged links to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), a Turkish security source said on Tuesday. Cigdem Aslan was apprehended at the airport on Sept. 15 as she prepared to board a flight to Australia, the source said. Following her arrest, she appeared in an Istanbul court on Sept. 18 and was jailed pending trial for alleged "involvement in PKK propaganda in Australia and participation in events organized by groups aligned with the militant organization." Australia has said it is providing assistance to a woman in Turkey, but it did not provide any more details. The PKK designated a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States and the European Union, began a separatist insurgency against the Turkish state in 1984. It has since moderated its goals to seeking greater Kurdish rights and limited autonomy in mainly Kurdish southeast Turkey.”
Pakistan
Associated Press: Pakistan Appoints New Army General As Head Of Powerful Spy Agency
“A senior army general was tapped as Pakistan’s new spy chief, state-run media reported on Monday. The powerful Inter-Service Intelligence, though it officially reports to the prime minister, takes its directive from the military, which has ruled Pakistan for over three decades since its independence from British colonial rule in 1947. The agency has also been previously criticized for indulging in politics. Lt. Gen. Asim Malik was appointed days ahead of the retirement of Lt. Gen. Nadeem Anjum, the ISI Director-General. The new chief had held key positions in the military in southwestern Balochistan and the restive northwest bordering Afghanistan. Both provinces have witnessed a surge in militant attacks in recent years.”
Middle East
Associated Press: As Israel’s Fight With Hezbollah Heats Up, People Of Gaza Fear Being Forgotten
“As the escalating conflict between Israel and Hezbollah grabs global attention, Palestinians in Gaza wonder: What will become of their plight after nearly a year of devastating war? They are petrified that international concern has been diverted and that a dark possibility looms: abandonment. The families of Israeli hostages held in Gaza have the same worry. Nezar Zaqout, one of some 1.9 million Palestinians forced to flee their homes since the Israel-Hamas war broke out, said he fears the fighting across the Israel-Lebanon border will overtake interest in the abysmal living conditions in Gaza and efforts to negotiate a cease-fire. “We have become completely forgotten,” said Zaqout, who is living in Khan Younis after fleeing from Gaza City months ago. “There is no news about us in the media.” Palestinians fret that the miserable conditions in Gaza will become permanent.”
Reuters: Israel And Hezbollah Carry Out New Attacks Amid Fears Of Wider Conflict
“Israel struck Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon, and the Iran-backed group attacked military facilities in northern Israel on Tuesday, increasing fears of a full-blown conflict after Lebanon suffered its deadliest day in decades. Israel's military said it hit dozens of Hezbollah targets overnight, a day after carrying out airstrikes against the armed group, which Lebanese authorities said killed nearly 500 people and sent tens of thousands fleeing for safety. "In the last hour, warplanes bombed Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon, including missile launchers, military buildings, and buildings where weapons were stored," Israeli army spokesperson Avichay Adraee posted on X. Hezbollah said it targeted several Israeli military targets overnight, including an explosives factory 60 km (37 miles) into Israel, which it attacked with Fadi rockets around 4 a.m. (0100 GMT).”
Egypt
Bloomberg: Egypt Sends Somalia Military Aid As Territorial Feud Simmers
“Egypt said it sent military aid to Somalia, the latest show of support for the Horn of Africa nation that’s embroiled in a feud with neighboring Ethiopia over a breakaway territory. A shipment that recently arrived in the capital, Mogadishu, is part of backing “for the efforts of sisterly Somalia to achieve security and stability, combat terrorism,” and preserve its sovereignty and unity, Egypt’s Foreign Ministry said Monday in a brief statement. The North African nation didn’t elaborate on the assistance but said it would help build the Somali army’s capabilities and was part of Egypt’s obligations under a military-cooperation protocol signed in August. That pact came in the wake of a planned deal by landlocked Ethiopia to formally recognize Somaliland — which declared independence from Somalia three decades ago — in return for access to a port and a military base on the Gulf of Aden.”
The Counter Extremism Project depends on the generosity of its supporters. If you value what we do, please consider making a donation.
