“Iran fired a barrage of ballistic missiles at Israel on Tuesday evening in a
major attack with little advance warning, sending Israelis scrambling for
shelter as the security cabinet convened in a bunker and the United States
readied forces to come to Israel’s defense. Israel’s air defense systems
identified about 180 missiles fired from Iran, according to the Israel Defense
Forces. U.S. officials put the number at nearly 200, as both militaries worked
to shoot down the incoming projectiles, White House national security adviser
Jake Sullivan said. “This evening, Iran made a big mistake — and it will pay
for it,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at the start of the security
cabinet meeting. “The regime in Tehran does not understand our determination to
defend ourselves and to exact a price from our enemies.””











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Eye on Extremism



October 2, 2024



The Washington Post: Iran Hits Israel With Ballistic Missiles; Netanyahu Vows
To Strike Back
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“Iran fired a barrage of ballistic missiles at Israel on Tuesday evening in a
major attack with little advance warning, sending Israelis scrambling for
shelter as the security cabinet convened in a bunker and the United States
readied forces to come to Israel’s defense. Israel’s air defense systems
identified about 180 missiles fired from Iran, according to the Israel Defense
Forces. U.S. officials put the number at nearly 200, as both militaries worked
to shoot down the incoming projectiles, White House national security adviser
Jake Sullivan said. “This evening, Iran made a big mistake — and it will pay
for it,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at the start of the security
cabinet meeting. “The regime in Tehran does not understand our determination to
defend ourselves and to exact a price from our enemies.””



Reuters: Israel Reinforces Military Presence In Lebanon, Vows Retaliation For
Iran Attack
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“The Israeli military said on Wednesday that regular infantry and armoured
units were joining its ground operations in Lebanon, stepping up pressure on
foe Hezbollah, as it prepared to retaliate against Iranian missile strikes.
Already battling Hamas in Gaza, Israel is beefing up its presence in south
Lebanon in its conflict with Hezbollah a day after it was attacked by Iran,
raising fears the oil-producing Middle East could be engulfed in a wider
conflict. Iran said on Wednesday the attack - its biggest assault on Israel -
was over barring further provocation, but Israel and the United States promised
to hit back. The violence continued on the Israeli-Lebanese border on
Wednesday. Israel's addition of infantry and armoured troops from the 36th
Division, including the Golani Brigade, the 188th Armoured Brigade and 6th
Infantry Brigade, suggests that the operation may move beyond limited commando
raids.”




The CEP CounterPoint: Expert Analysis

* Counterpoint Brief: EU Arrests Members of Newly-Designed Terrorist Group
The Base
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* Counterpoint Brief: ISIS Knife Attack in Solingen, Germany
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* Counterpoint Brief: Hamas Names Yahya Sinwar as New Leader
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* Counterpoint Brief: Implications of Hezbollah Attack on Majdal Shams
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* Reactions to Trump Assassination Attempt From Extreme Right Telegram
Channels
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CEP Mentions



Tagesspiegel: Iran’s Attack On Israel: Is A Major War In The Middle East Now
Looming?
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“Iran had long been saying it would happen, and on Tuesday the regime in
Tehran got serious. Less than a day after Israel began its ground offensive in
Lebanon, the Islamic Republic said it fired 200 rockets towards Israel. Sirens
blared across the country, and according to Israeli forces, 180 rockets were
intercepted. […] However, Hans-Jakob Schindler, senior director of the
international Counter Extremism Project and head of the office in Berlin, does
not believe that an escalation is inevitable. "We are currently in a serious
spiral of escalation, but one that can be ended at any time by one of the sides
- Israel, Iran, Hezbollah, Hamas," Schindler told the Tagesspiegel. The picture
in the region is complicated: some states sympathize with the Palestinians,
some have problems with the militias supported by Tehran or are more or less
neutral towards the situation.”



DW News: Iran Attacks Israel: All-Out War In The Middle East? | Ask DW Live Q&A
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“After Iran has responded with ballistic missile attacks on Israel's ground
offensive into Lebanon, Ask DW answers your questions. We'll be joined in the
studio by DW's Middle East analyst Shani Rozanes and by security expert and
senior director of the Counter-Extremism Project Hans-Jacob Schindler as well
as journalist Karim El-Gawhary from Beirut.”



DW News: The Day With Phil Gayle: Iran Missile Attack
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“Israel vows to retaliate after Iran fires a barrage of ballistic missiles
towards Israeli cities. Iran says its latest attack was in response to the
killing of Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah last week and Hamas leader Ismail
Haniyeh in late July. The US has condemned the attack as a major escalation.”



United States



Associated Press: After Pressing An Israel-Hezbollah Cease-Fire, The Biden
Administration Shifts Its Message
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“The Biden administration says there is a significant difference between
Israeli actions that have expanded its war against the Iranian-backed militant
groups Hamas and Hezbollah and Iran’s retaliatory missile attack against
Israel, which it condemned as escalatory. In carefully calibrated remarks,
officials across the administration are defending the surge in attacks by
Israel against Hezbollah leaders in Lebanon, while still pressing for peace and
vowing retribution after Iran fired about 200 ballistic missiles at Israel on
Tuesday. President Joe Biden praised the U.S. and Israel militaries for
defeating the barrage and warned, “Make no mistake, the United States is fully,
fully supportive of Israel.” Secretary of State Antony Blinken called the
Iranian missile attack “totally unacceptable, and the entire world should
condemn it.””



Syria



Reuters: Israel Strikes Three Anti-Aircraft Radar Stations In Southern Syria,
Sources Say
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“Israel has struck at least three anti-aircraft radar stations in southern
Syria, including one stationed in a military airfield, two Syrian military
sources told Reuters on Tuesday. The drone strikes hit two radar stations west
of the city of Sweida, including one stationed in an airbase in the area.
Another hit a radar station in the adjoining Daraa province. They are part of
the Syrian army’s air defences in the southern region, one of the sources
added. Israel said commando and paratroop units launched raids into Lebanon on
Tuesday as part of a "limited" ground incursion, while Iran-backed Hezbollah
said it had fired a barrage of missiles into Israel, including at its spy
agency near Tel Aviv.”



Afghanistan



Associated Press: US Special Envoy For Taliban-Ruled Afghanistan Moved To
Different Role
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“The United States has reassigned its special representative for Afghanistan,
leaving vacant a key position in its efforts to engage with the Taliban-ruled
country. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced the decision Tuesday
to reassign Tom West, while emphasizing that Washington's commitment to the
South Asian nation "remains an enduring priority." Blinken said West would
serve in a new role as the acting head of the Office of Sanctions Coordination
at the U.S. State Department and commended him for working "tirelessly to
ensure [that] both our national interests and the welfare of the Afghan people
guided our policy in Afghanistan." West was appointed as the special
representative to Afghanistan in October 2021, two months after the Taliban
regained power and all U.S.-led NATO troops withdrew from the country, ending
20 years of involvement in the war.”



Yemen



Associated Press: Yemen’s Houthi Rebels Are Looking To Gain From Continuing
Conflict In The Middle East
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“In the days since Israel intensified its campaign against Hezbollah in
Lebanon, including the strike that killed the militant group’s leader Hassan
Nasrallah, Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels have been quick to show they are
an important player in the complex conflicts convulsing the Middle East. In a
brazen attack on Saturday, the Houthis fired a ballistic missile at Israel’s
main airport as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was arriving back from New
York, where he had addressed the United Nations. On Monday, they threatened
“escalating military operations” to target Israel after apparently shooting
down a U.S. military drone flying over Yemen. And on Tuesday, an
explosive-loaded drone crashed into one ship in the Red Sea as a missile
exploded against another, the British military and private security officials
said, the latest in the Houthis’ assaults on commercial shipping in the key
waterway.”



Lebanon



Associated Press: Under Fire And Using Old Equipment, Lebanon’s Rescuers
Struggle To Respond To Israeli Offensive
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“When Israel bombed buildings outside the southern Lebanese city of Sidon,
Mohamed Arkadan and his team rushed to an emergency unlike anything they had
ever seen. About a dozen apartments had collapsed onto the hillside they once
overlooked, burying more than 100 people. Even after 17 years with the civil
defense forces of one of the world’s most war-torn nations, Arkadan was shocked
at the destruction. By Monday afternoon — about 24 hours after the bombing —
his team had pulled more than 40 bodies, including children’s, from the rubble,
along with 60 survivors. The children’s bodies broke his heart, said Arkadan,
38, but his team of over 30 first responders’ inability to help further pained
him more. Firetrucks and ambulances haven’t been replaced in years. Rescue
tools and equipment are in short supply. His team has to buy their uniforms out
of pocket.”



Middle East



BBC: Seven Killed In Shooting And Knife Attack In Tel Aviv
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“Seven people have been killed in a shooting and knife attack in Tel Aviv,
police in Israel have confirmed. Several others were injured - some seriously -
when a gunman opened fire at members of the public in the Jaffa area. The
deadly attack began in a rail carriage and continued on the platform, local
police said in a statement. Footage posted on social media showed motionless
bodies strewn on the street. Police said the gunman and another attacker armed
with a knife were "neutralised" by members of the public, and described the
motive as "terror". The identities of the perpetrators have not been released.
Some Israeli media outlets earlier reported the death toll as eight, though it
is unclear if this included the attackers. The shooting occurred shortly before
an Iranian missile attack against Israel began.”



Reuters: Hamas Praises 'Heroic' Missile Attacks Launched By Iran
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“Hamas praised on Tuesday what it called Iran's "heroic" missile attacks
avenging the deaths of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, Hezbollah leader Sayyed
Hassan Nasrallah, and Iranian Brigadier General Abbas Nilforoushan. "We
congratulate the heroic rocket launch carried out by the Islamic Revolutionary
Guard Corps in Iran, on large areas of our occupied territories, in response to
the occupation's continuing crimes against the peoples of the region, and in
retaliation for the blood of our nation’s heroic martyrs," the group said. Iran
fired a salvo of ballistic missiles at Israel on Tuesday in retaliation for
Israel's campaign against Tehran's Hezbollah allies in Lebanon, and Israel
vowed a "painful response" against its enemy.Iran had vowed to retaliate
following Israeli strikes that killed the top leadership of its ally Hezbollah
in Lebanon, including that group's leader Hassan Nasrallah, a towering figure
in Iran's network of fighters across the region.”



Associated Press: Palestinian Officials Say 51 Killed In Israeli Strikes On
Southern Gaza
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“Israel launched ground operations and carried out airstrikes in a hard-hit
city in southern Gaza overnight, killing at least 51 people, including women
and children, Palestinian medical officials said Wednesday. Israel has
continued to strike what it says are militant targets across Gaza nearly a year
after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack ignited the war in the Palestinian territory, and
even as attention has shifted to Lebanon and Iran. Israel has launched ground
operations against Hezbollah in Lebanon, and Tehran fired a barrage of
ballistic missiles on Israel late Tuesday. Separately, Hezbollah said its
fighters clashed with Israeli troops in the Lebanese border town of Odaisseh,
forcing the troops to retreat. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli
military or independent confirmation of the fighting, which would mark the
first ground combat since Israeli troops crossed the border this week.”



Somalia



Bloomberg: Islamic State Doubles Its Presence In Somalia, Us Military Says
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“Islamic State in Somalia, the global terrorist group’s affiliate in the Horn
of Africa nation, has doubled its presence in the country this year, the chief
of the US Africa Command said. “I am concerned about the northern part of
Somalia and ISIS growing in numbers,” Africom Commander Michael Langley said on
Voice of America, warning about the possibility of Islamic State increasing its
foreign-fighter presence in Somalia. Abdulkadir Mumin, the leader of
IS-Somalia, split from Islamist-militant group al-Shabaab — which is linked to
al-Qaeda — to form the group nine years ago and was the target of a US
airstrike in May, according to the International Crisis Group. Asked whether
Mumin is now the global leader of IS, Langley said the US considers those
reports “credible.” “ISIS professes that — sometimes you’ve got to take that
seriously,” he said.”



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