“Hamas confirmed Friday that its leader, Yahya Sinwar, was killed by Israeli
forces in Gaza and reiterated its stance that hostages the militant group took
from Israel a year ago will not be released until there is a cease-fire in Gaza
and a withdrawal of Israeli troops. The group’s staunch position pushed back
against a statement by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin a day earlier that his
country’s military will keep fighting until the hostages are released and will
remain in Gaza to prevent a severely weakened Hamas from rearming. The
conflicting stands signal continued deep resistance on both sides to ending the
war, even as President Joe Biden and other world leaders press the case that
Sinwar’s death is a turning point that should be used to unlock stalled
cease-fire negotiations. The standoff comes as Israel’s war with Lebanon’s
Hezbollah — a Hamas ally backed by Iran — has intensified in recent weeks.
Hezbollah said Friday it planned to launch a new phase of fighting by sending
more guided missiles and exploding drones into Israel.”











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Eye on Extremism



October 21, 2024



Associated Press: Israel And Hamas Signal Resistance To Ending Gaza War After
Sinwar’s Death
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“Hamas confirmed Friday that its leader, Yahya Sinwar, was killed by Israeli
forces in Gaza and reiterated its stance that hostages the militant group took
from Israel a year ago will not be released until there is a cease-fire in Gaza
and a withdrawal of Israeli troops. The group’s staunch position pushed back
against a statement by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin a day earlier that his
country’s military will keep fighting until the hostages are released and will
remain in Gaza to prevent a severely weakened Hamas from rearming. The
conflicting stands signal continued deep resistance on both sides to ending the
war, even as President Joe Biden and other world leaders press the case that
Sinwar’s death is a turning point that should be used to unlock stalled
cease-fire negotiations. The standoff comes as Israel’s war with Lebanon’s
Hezbollah — a Hamas ally backed by Iran — has intensified in recent weeks.
Hezbollah said Friday it planned to launch a new phase of fighting by sending
more guided missiles and exploding drones into Israel.”



Associated Press: Clashes Break Out At Protests Over Arrested Activists In
Southern Iraq
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“Hundreds of protesters gathered Friday in the Iraqi city of Nasiriyah
demanding the release of activists arrested over earlier demonstrations, with
clashes breaking out between protesters and security forces. The city in the
southern province of Dhi Qar has frequently been a flashpoint of
anti-government discontent. The renewed protests come five years after the
outbreak of mass anti-government protests in the Iraqi capital and southern
provinces calling for reforms. Protesters Friday called for the release of a
group of detained activists who had participated in the October 2019
demonstrations as well as in more recent protests, saying that the legal cases
against them were “retaliatory.” They called for the local police chief to step
down. The gathering was attended by a number of Iraqi legislators who support
the protest movement. Security forces tried to disperse the protesters using
smoke bombs, and all roads leading to Al-Haboubi Square were blocked with
barbed wire.”




CEP Expert Analysis

*
ISIS Redux: The Central Syria Insurgency In September 2024
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*
CEP Report: Civilian Counterterrorism Militias Take Action, Introduce New
Challenges to Combatting Violent Extremism in Africa
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*
CEP Policy Brief: Identifying and Disrupting Key Antisemitic Actors
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*
Extremist Content Online: Extreme Right Celebrates Anti-Muslim Immigration
Riots on Telegram and X
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*
Counterpoint Brief: US Designates Nordic Resistance Movement Specially
Designated Global Terrorist Organization
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CEP Mentions



FOCUS: Sinwar’s Death Offers Netanyahu A Great Opportunity – But The Window Of
Opportunity Is Small
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“The death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar could have a decisive influence on the
conflict in the Gaza Strip - but only for a short time. Terrorism expert
Hans-Jakob Schindler examines the consequences and opportunities that now arise
for Israel and the region. The Israeli government has now confirmed that DNA
analysis has confirmed the death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in the Gaza
Strip. Sinwar had only taken over leadership of the entire organization in
August following the death of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran at the end
of July. With this military operation, Israel succeeded in eliminating the
entire top leadership of Hamas in the Gaza Strip.”



The Washington Free Beacon: An Assault Rifle, An UNRWA Passport, And $11K In
Cash: What Sinwar's Possessions Say About His Pre-Death Movements
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“When Israeli forces examined Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar's body after killing
him in a surprise ground operation on Thursday, they discovered several curious
items, including grenades, an assault rifle, nearly $11,000 in cash, and a
passport belonging to an employee of the United Nations Relief and Works
Agency. Those items, experts told the Washington Free Beacon, suggest Sinwar
may have been attempting to flee the embattled Gaza Strip when Israeli forces
stumbled upon him inside a house in the territory's Rafah neighborhood, Hamas's
stronghold along the border with Egypt. While it is unclear exactly what Sinwar
was up to in that home, the documents in his possession hint at an escape plan.”



Iraq



Associated Press: Iraq Moves To Revoke Saudi Broadcaster’s License After
Report Angered Militia Supporters
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“Iraq’s commission governing media announced Saturday that it would take
steps to revoke the license of a Saudi television station to operate in the
country. That came hours after dozens of supporters of Iraqi militias stormed
and looted the office of the broadcaster, MBC, in Baghdad in protest over a
report that described a number of Iranian-linked militant figures — including a
prominent Iraqi militia leader — as “terrorists.” The report on “terrorists”
who had been killed this century mentioned former al-Qaida leader Osama bin
Laden alongside a roster of Iran-backed figures. They included Hamas leaders
Ismail Haniyeh and Yahya Sinwar, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, Iranian
Gen. Qassem Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, a veteran Iraqi militant who
was the deputy commander of the Popular Mobilization Forces, an umbrella group
of mostly Shiite paramilitaries and founder of the Kataeb Hezbollah, or
Hezbollah Brigades.”



Afghanistan



NBC: ISIS-K Threat Grows As It Targets Disaffected Muslims With Sophisticated
Propaganda
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“The Islamic State affiliate in Afghanistan has ramped up its recruitment
efforts in the past year, American officials and analysts say, rolling out a
sophisticated propaganda campaign designed to persuade disaffected Muslims to
carry out terrorist plots in the U.S. and other Western countries. The recent
arrest of an Afghan accused of plotting an Election Day attack in the U.S., as
well as recent plots in France, Sweden and elsewhere, highlight the growing
threat posed by ISIS-K, officials and counterterrorism experts say. Seeking to
rally support and recruit from a range of Muslim diaspora communities in Europe
and the U.S., the group has churned out a high volume of videos and articles in
more than a dozen languages, including Dari and Pashto, the two primary
languages spoken in Afghanistan.”



Lebanon



Reuters: US Envoy To Hold Ceasefire Talks In Lebanon; Israel Targets
Hezbollah's Finances
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“U.S. envoy Amos Hochstein held talks with Lebanese officials in Beirut on
Monday on conditions for a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah after Israel
struck branches across Lebanon of a financial institution linked to the group.
Diplomacy has failed to cool down Israel's raging conflicts with its two most
dangerous and heavily armed regional militia foes - Hezbollah in Lebanon and
Hamas in the Palestinian Gaza Strip - which are grinding into a second year.
Washington is hoping for a new push for peace in the Middle East following
Israel's killing last week of Yahya Sinwar, leader of Hamas and architect of
the attacks on Israeli towns last year that precipitated Israel's assault on
the Gaza Strip. U.S. officials are seeking to broker a truce in Lebanon, where
Israel launched a ground campaign over the past month. It has killed most of
the senior leadership of Hezbollah, an Iran-backed movement which says it is
fighting Israel on behalf of the Palestinians.”



Middle East



Reuters: Gaza Health Ministry Says 87 Killed In Northern Gaza Airstrike
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“A total of 87 people were killed or missing under the rubble after an
Israeli attack on Saturday on northern Gaza's town of Beit Lahiya, with more
than 40 wounded, the Palestinian enclave's health ministry said on Sunday. The
Israeli military has said it was investigating reports of the incident, which
left one of the highest casualty tolls in months. Earlier, it said a total of
73 reported by the Hamas media office appeared exaggerated given the nature of
the munitions used in the strike, which it said hit a Hamas target. Gaza's
health ministry said rescue operations were being hindered by communications
problems and by the Israeli military operation still going on around the area,
close to the border line with Israel, the ministry said. "Victims are still
under the rubble and on the road and ambulance teams and civil emergency can't
reach them," it said in a statement.”



Associated Press: Middle East Latest: Israel Apologizes For Strike That Killed
3 Lebanese Soldiers
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“The Israeli military apologized Monday for a strike that killed three
Lebanese soldiers in southern Lebanon, saying it is not battling the country’s
military and its troops believed they were targeting a vehicle belonging to the
Hezbollah militant group. Israeli strikes meanwhile hit nearly a dozen branches
of a Hezbollah-run financial institution that Israel says is used to fund
attacks but where many ordinary people keep their savings. Last week, Hezbollah
said it is entering a new phase in its fight against invading Israeli troops,
as the region reckoned with the killing of top Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in a
battle with Israeli forces in Gaza. Sinwar was a chief architect of the attack
on southern Israel that precipitated the latest escalating conflicts in the
Middle East. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has pledged to
annihilate Hamas and recover dozens of hostages held by the group.”



Somalia



Voice Of America: Somalia Military Strikes Major Blow To Al-Shabab, Kills 30
Militants
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“Somalia's Information Ministry said Saturday the country's military is
targeting al-Shabab militants in the Galmudug region of central Somalia and is
making progress in eroding the group's operational effectiveness. In a
coordinated military operation, the Somali National Army, or SNA, supported by
Galmudug State forces and pro-government local clan militias, killed 30
al-Shabab militants and injured dozens more, according to a government
statement released Saturday. "The Somali National Army killed 30 al-Shabab
militants and injured 40 others after conducting an operation at the Qeycad
location in the southern Mudug region for the past 48 hours," the statement
reads. Somali authorities say the operation was conducted after the army
received intelligence regarding al-Shabab militants' maneuvers in the region.”



Germany



Associated Press: German Authorities Arrest Libyan Man Suspected Of Planning
Attack On Israeli Embassy
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“German authorities said Sunday that they have arrested a Libyan national
with suspected ties to the extremist Islamic State group who was allegedly
planning a firearms attack on the Israeli Embassy. Police and other security
forces detained the man on Saturday evening in Bernau, a town just outside of
Berlin, and searched his home there, the Federal Prosecutor’s Office said in a
statement. The prosecutor’s office said the suspect was a Libyan national whom
they identified only as Omar A. “He intended to carry out a high-profile attack
with firearms on the Israeli Embassy in Berlin,” the statement said. In his
planning, the statement added, “the accused exchanged information with a member
of IS in a messenger chat.” Security forces also searched the home of another
person who is considered a witness and not a suspect, the prosecutor’s
statement said.”



Southeast Asia



Reuters: Militants Kill Seven, Including Six Migrant Workers, In India's
Kashmir
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“At least six migrant workers and a doctor were shot dead in India's Kashmir
region on Sunday night when militants opened fire near a tunnel construction
site, officials said, days after a new government was formed in the territory.
An opposition alliance took power in the region this month after winning the
first polls in a decade, and the first since its special status was revoked and
it was split into two federally administered territories - Jammu and Kashmir,
and Ladakh. The victims of Sunday's attack were involved in the construction of
tunnels meant to provide all-weather connectivity to the militarily strategic
Ladakh region, which shares a border with China and Pakistan. "At least two
armed militants barged into the mess of the private construction company and
fired at workers who were dining," said a senior police officer who did not
want to be named. Six workers and a doctor working for the company were killed
and five other people were injured in the attack, he said.”



Technology



The Guardian: ‘You Are Next’: Online Posts Show Islamic State Interest In
Attacks On US Ahead Of Election
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“After the FBI arrested an Afghan man in Oklahoma planning an election day
shooting on behalf of the Islamic State, the terrorist organization re-entered
what has become one of the most chaotic news cycles leading up to a November
vote. Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi, 27, of Oklahoma City admitted to investigators he
and a co-conspirator expected to die as IS martyrs as they opened fire on
crowds on election day, according to charging documents. Warnings about
IS-sponsored or -inspired attacks in the west have intensified in recent weeks.
In a statement on the Tawhedi case, the US attorney general, Merrick Garland,
remarked there was a continuing need to “combat the ongoing threat that [IS]
and its supporters pose to America’s national security”. Ken McCallum, the head
of MI5, the UK’s domestic intelligence service, described how his agency had
“one hell of a job” managing the threat of the resurgent terrorist
organization.”



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