Eye on Extremism
October 8, 2024
Associated Press: Middle East Latest: Israel Says It Killed A Senior Hezbollah Commander As More Rockets Are Fired
“The Israeli military said Tuesday it killed a senior Hezbollah commander in a strike on Beirut while the militant group’s acting leader promised more fighting against Israeli troops in southern Lebanon and rocket fire into Israel. The military said the strike killed Suhail Husseini, who it said was responsible for overseeing logistics, budget and management of the group. There was no immediate comment from Hezbollah. Sheikh Naim Kassem, the acting leader of Hezbollah, said in a defiant televised statement that his group’s military capabilities are still intact. He said that Hezbollah has replaced all of its senior commanders after weeks of heavy Israeli airstrikes across large parts of Lebanon, including targeted strikes that killed much of its top command in a matter of days.”
Associated Press: France Tightens Steps To Prevent One Of Osama Bin Laden’s Sons From Returning
“France’s interior minister said Tuesday he has taken additional steps against any effort by one of the sons of al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden to return to France. Omar bin Laden had been living in France’s Normandy region but left the country in October 2023 after French authorities withdrew his residency papers and ordered him out, the Interior Ministry said. At the time, authorities also barred him from returning to France for two years, the ministry added. In a post Tuesday on the social media platform X, French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau said he imposed an additional ban to ensure that Omar bin Laden “will not be able to return to France for any reason whatsoever.” French daily Le Parisien reported that Omar bin Laden now lives in Qatar.”
CEP Mentions
Frankfurter Rundschau: Anti-Semites Are Said To Pay Biker Gangs For Attacks On Jews: “There Are Whole Networks Behind It”
“Berlin – The triangle on the wall of a house glows blood red. The message: Anyone who lives here is a potential target of the terrorist organization Hamas . The symbol is appearing more and more often in Germany, for example several times in June at the Humboldt University in Berlin. […] Israel has been at war since October 7 and the Hamas attack . And since then, anti-Semitic acts of violence have been on the rise in this country. Not only Jews, but "also people who are committed to protecting Jewish life are in danger," explains Alexander Ritzmann in an interview with IPPEN.MEDIA . He is a consultant at the Counter Extremism Project (CEP) in Berlin and has now published a guide for security authorities, among others. This guide is intended to help identify key figures in anti-Semitic movements. Because behind anti-Semitism lies a targeted agenda in which organized crime (OC) is also involved, says Ritzmann.”
Pakistan
Associated Press: A Pakistani Separatist Group Claims Bombing That Killed 2 Chinese Near Karachi Airport
“A Pakistani separatist group claimed responsibility for a late-night bombing that targeted a convoy with Chinese nationals outside the country’s largest airport, killing two workers from China and wounding eight people, officials and the insurgent group said Monday. The attack by the Baloch Liberation Army outside the airport in the southern port city of Karachi was the latest deadly assault on the Chinese in Pakistan and came a week before Islamabad is to host a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, a security grouping founded by China and Russia to counter Western alliances. The explosion, which the BLA said was the work of a suicide bomber, also raised questions about the ability of Pakistani forces to secure high-profile events or foreigners in the country. Among the wounded were also police officers who were escorting the Chinese convoy when the attack happened.”
Yemen
Reuters: Yemen's Houthis Say They Fired Two Missiles At Central Israel, Israel Says Missile Intercepted
“Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis said on Monday they fired two missiles at Jaffa, a city in central Israel, and Israel said it intercepted a missile aimed at the area from Yemen. The Israeli military said a surface-to-surface missile set off air raid sirens across central Israel, sending residents running for shelter. "Following the sirens that sounded in a number of areas in central Israel, the surface-to-surface missile fired from Yemen was successfully intercepted" by the Israeli Air Force, the military said in a statement. The statement did not say who fired the missile. The Houthis said one missile was a Palestine 2 and it "reached" its target. The group said the second was a Dhu al-Fiqar missile but did not describe its outcome. The Yemeni group said the operation "successfully achieved its objectives" and it targeted several drones at Jaffa and Eilat.”
Lebanon
Associated Press: Hezbollah Leader Says More Israelis Will Be Displaced As The Militants Extend Their Rocket Fire
“Hezbollah’s acting leader said Tuesday that even more Israelis will be displaced as the militant group extends its rocket fire deeper into Israel, in a defiant televised statement marking the anniversary of fighting that escalated into war last month. Sheikh Naim Kassem, the acting leader of Hezbollah, said its military capabilities are still intact and that it has replaced all of its senior commanders after weeks of heavy Israeli airstrikes across large parts of Lebanon, including targeted strikes that killed much of its top command in a matter of days. He also said Israeli forces have not been able to advance after launching a ground incursion into Lebanon last week. The Israeli military said a fourth division is now taking part in the incursion, which has expanded to the west, but operations still appear to be confined to a narrow strip along the border.”
Associated Press: Lebanese Worldwide Fear For Their Homeland And Loved Ones As Violence Escalates
“It was a year ago when Jomana Siddiqui visited Lebanon, where her father was born — and is now buried. She planned to return there soon; this time, she thought, she would take her two teenage daughters. Instead, Siddiqui, who lives in California, now worries about relatives there. As she watches from afar the violence and the recent escalation in Israel’s military campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon, Siddiqui thinks about the people she met during her visit, the kindness and generosity she encountered. She thinks about her father’s grave — when, or if, she will get to visit it again. Her voice cracks with emotions. It’s been gut-wrenching, she said."
Middle East
Voice Of America: Israel Announces Ground Operations In Southwestern Lebanon
“Israel’s military announced Tuesday it launched ground operations in southwestern Lebanon, marking an expansion of its incursion that Israeli officials have said is aimed at pushing Hezbollah militants back from the border. As with its initial ground operations in Lebanon that began September 30, the Israeli military described the new efforts as “limited, localized, targeted operations.” The ground campaign accompanies a widespread aerial offensive, which has included airstrikes on Lebanon’s capital, Beirut, as well as areas in southern and eastern Lebanon. The Israeli military said Tuesday one of those airstrikes killed a senior Hezbollah commander, Suhail Husseini, who was involved in the transfer of weapons from Iran to the Lebanon-based militant group. The strike came 10 days after an Israeli attack killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah amid a rapid widening of Israel’s military campaign in Lebanon.”
Reuters: Hamas Will Rise 'Like A Phoenix' From The Ashes, Leader-In-Exile Says
“Hamas leader-in-exile Khaled Meshaal said the Palestinian group would rise "like a phoenix" from the ashes despite heavy losses during a year of war with Israel, and that it continues to recruit fighters and manufacture weapons. One year after the Hamas attack that triggered the war, Meshaal framed the conflict with Israel as part of a broader narrative spanning 76 years, dating back to what Palestinians call the "Nakba" or "catastrophe," when many were displaced during the 1948 war that accompanied the creation of Israel. "Palestinian history is made of cycles," Meshaal, 68, a senior Hamas figure under overall leader Yahya Sinwar, told Reuters in an interview. "We go through phases where we lose martyrs (victims) and we lose part of our military capabilities, but then the Palestinian spirit rises again, like the phoenix, thanks to God."”
Somalia
Garowe Online: Somali Forces Kill 59 Al-Shabaab With Foreign Support - Ministry
“The Somali Ministry of Information has announced that operations involving Somali forces, local militia, and foreign military support resulted in the deaths of up to 59 Al-Shabaab militants in eastern Galgaduud and the Middle Shabelle regions. The operations, aimed at dismantling Al-Shabaab's strongholds, were part of a broader strategy to combat terrorism in Somalia. In one significant action near the Cowsweyne area of Galgaduud, 32 Al-Shabaab fighters, including several commanders, were killed. However, this success came at a cost, with four Somali National Army soldiers also losing their lives in the clash. Independent reports, however, paint a more complex picture of the conflict. While the government claims victories, sources on the ground suggest that the Somali army might have suffered significant losses near Cowsweyne, with over 20 soldiers and commanders reportedly killed by Al-Shabaab militants.”
France
Reuters: Son Of Osama Bin Laden Deported From France, Barred From Returning
“A son of Al Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden has been deported from France, where he lived for years painting landscapes in a Normandy village, and barred from returning after posting comments on social media deemed to have glorified terrorism. Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau said he had signed an order banning Omar Binladin from France, and that Binladin had previously been deported. He gave no details about the timing of the deportation or where Binladin had been sent. "Mr Binladin, who has lived in the Orne region for several years as the spouse of a British national, posted comments on his social networks in 2023 that glorified terrorism," Retailleau said on X. "The administrative ban ensures that Mr Binladin cannot return to France for any reason whatsoever." Binladin could not immediately be reached for comment.”
Europe
Reuters: Ukrainian Foreign Minister Denounces Russian ‘Terrorist’ Attacks On Shipping
“Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha on Monday denounced Russian missile attacks on two vessels in its southern ports as a "deliberate terrorist tactic". "In just two days, Russian ballistic attacks damaged two civilian cargo vessels in Odesa....," Sybiha wrote on X. "This is a deliberate terrorist tactic. We must join forces of all responsible states and organisations to...ensure freedom of navigation in the Black Sea and global food security."”
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