“Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday that Israel needs to pursue
an “enduring strategic success” in Gaza after its tactical victories against
Hamas, urging it to seek a deal that would end the war and bring back dozens of
hostages. He spoke before traveling from Israel to Saudi Arabia on his 11th
visit to the region since the war began. Air raid sirens sounded in Tel Aviv
shortly before his departure as Israel intercepted two projectiles fired from
Lebanon — the latest in Israel’s war with Hezbollah — and a puff of smoke could
be seen in the sky from Blinken’s hotel. “Israel has achieved most of the
strategic objectives when it comes to Gaza,” Blinken told reporters before
boarding his plane. “Now is the time to turn those successes into an enduring
strategic success.” “There really are two things left to do: Get the hostages
home and bring the war to an end with an understanding of what will follow,” he
said.”











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Eye on Extremism



October 24, 2024



Associated Press: Blinken Urges Israel To Seek Enduring Deal, As Officials Say
A Limited Cease-Fire Has Been Discussed
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“Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday that Israel needs to pursue
an “enduring strategic success” in Gaza after its tactical victories against
Hamas, urging it to seek a deal that would end the war and bring back dozens of
hostages. He spoke before traveling from Israel to Saudi Arabia on his 11th
visit to the region since the war began. Air raid sirens sounded in Tel Aviv
shortly before his departure as Israel intercepted two projectiles fired from
Lebanon — the latest in Israel’s war with Hezbollah — and a puff of smoke could
be seen in the sky from Blinken’s hotel. “Israel has achieved most of the
strategic objectives when it comes to Gaza,” Blinken told reporters before
boarding his plane. “Now is the time to turn those successes into an enduring
strategic success.” “There really are two things left to do: Get the hostages
home and bring the war to an end with an understanding of what will follow,” he
said.”



The Washington Post: Turkey Says ‘Terrorist Attack’ On Aerospace Company
Leaves At Least 5 Dead, 22 Injured
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“Gun-wielding assailants on Wednesday attacked the headquarters of Turkish
Aerospace Industries, a large Turkish defense and aviation company near the
capital, Ankara, killing at least five people and injuring 22 in what Turkish
authorities called a “terrorist attack.” Two attackers, a man and a woman, were
also killed, Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya told reporters. Efforts to
identify the attackers were ongoing, he said. No group immediately claimed
responsibility. Yerlikaya said that the “style of the attack and the footage
that we have watched suggest that it was most likely carried out” by the
outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, which Turkey and the United States
designate as a terrorist group. Turkey’s Defense Ministry said later Wednesday
that it struck more than 30 Kurdish militant targets in Iraq and Syria, likely
in retaliation for the attack in Ankara, the Associated Press reported.”



CEP Mentions



The New York Times: Is Afghanistan’s Most-Wanted Militant Now Its Best Hope
For Change?
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“For the better part of two decades, one name above all others inspired fear
among ordinary Afghans: Sirajuddin Haqqani. To many, Mr. Haqqani was a
boogeyman, an angel of death with the power to determine who would live and who
would die during the U.S.-led war. He deployed his ranks of Taliban suicide
bombers, who rained carnage on American troops and Afghan civilians alike. […]
“It’s a dangerous idea, working with the Haqqanis,” said Hans-Jakob Schindler,
a former coordinator of the United Nations’ monitoring group on the Islamic
State, Al Qaeda and the Taliban. “You don’t know what side the Haqqanis will be
standing on on the day you deal with them — your side or their own or the side
of international terrorists.””



Aze.Media: French Neocolonialism: A Threat To The European Economy And Security

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“... According to the experts of the Counter Extremism Project (CEP) France
and Qatar’s relationship deepened in 2024 with a €10 billion investment
agreement, marking a strategic partnership. While the partnership boosts the
French economy, particularly in luxury, sports, and real estate sectors, it
raises concerns about Qatar’s influence on French policies. Qatar’s financial
ties to Islamist groups like Hamas complicate the partnership, especially amid
the ongoing Gaza conflict. Experts claim that Qatar’s growing leverage can
affect France’s foreign policy stance, particularly as protests and public
opinion in France grow increasingly pro-Gaza. “It is very likely that Qatar’s
influence in French politics extends further than soft power alone. France’s
current Minister of Culture, Rachida Dati, has recently been revealed to have
been in contact with Qatar’s labour minister, Ali bin Samikh al Marri, during
the period of the Qatargate corruption scandal when she was serving as an MEP.”



United States



Associated Press: Middle East Latest: Blinken In Doha To Discuss Gaza
Cease-Fire With Qatari Officials
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“U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was in Doha on Thursday to meet with
Qatari officials who have been key mediators for Hamas, as the U.S. struggles
to break the logjam of cease-fire negotiations between Israel and the militant
group. Blinken is on his 11th trip to the Middle East since the start of the
Israel-Hamas war. Meanwhile, the Lebanese military said Thursday an Israeli
strike killed three of its troops, including an officer, as they were
evacuating wounded people in southern Lebanon, and French President Emmanuel
Macron said his country will provide a 100 million-euro ($108 million) aid
package to support Lebanon. The Israel-Hamas war began after Hamas-led
militants on Oct. 7, 2023, blew holes in Israel’s security fence and stormed
in, killing some 1,200 people — mostly civilians — and abducting 250 others.
Israel’s offensive in Gaza has killed over 42,000 Palestinians, according to
local health authorities, who do not differentiate between militants and
civilians.”



Turkey



Reuters: Turkey hits PKK Targets In Northern Iraq, Syria After Deadly Attack
In Ankara
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“Turkey has hit outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) targets in northern
Iraq and northern Syria after a deadly attack on an aviation site in Ankara,
the Defence Ministry said on Wednesday. Perpetrators of the attack in Ankara
were highly likely PKK members, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said earlier.”



Pakistan



Associated Press: Pakistani Security Forces Kill 9 Militants In A Raid In The
Restive Northwest Near Afghanistan
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“Pakistani security forces killed nine insurgents in a shootout overnight in
a former stronghold of the Pakistani Taliban in the volatile northwestern
region that borders Afghanistan, the military said Thursday. Troops also seized
weapons and ammunition from the insurgents’ hideout after the shootout in
Bajur, a district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The military’s statement
provided no details about the slain militants, including their affiliation.
However, such operations often target the Pakistani Taliban, who are known as
Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan or TTP. Bajur was a base for the militants until many
were killed or forced out in multiple operations by security forces. The TTP
are a separate group but a close ally of the Afghan Taliban, who seized power
in neighboring Afghanistan in 2021. The Taliban takeover next door has
emboldened the Pakistani Taliban who have stepped up attacks on Pakistani
forces.”



Lebanon



Associated Press: Israeli Strikes Pound Lebanese Coastal City After Residents
Evacuate
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“Israeli jets struck multiple buildings in Lebanon’s southern coastal city of
Tyre on Wednesday, sending up large clouds of black smoke, while Hezbollah
confirmed that a top official widely expected to be the militant group’s next
leader had been killed in an Israeli strike. Lebanon’s state-run National News
Agency reported that an Israeli strike on the nearby town of Maarakeh killed
three people. There were no reports of casualties in Tyre, where the Israeli
military had issued evacuation warnings prior to the strikes. Hezbollah
meanwhile fired more rockets into Israel, including two that set off air raid
sirens in Tel Aviv before being intercepted. A cloud of smoke could be seen in
the sky from the hotel where U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was staying
on his latest visit to the region to try to renew cease-fire talks. On
Wednesday night, the Israeli military said another four “projectiles” crossed
from Lebanon into Israel, with two intercepted and one falling in open land.
There were no immediate reports of injuries, the military said.”



Middle East



Reuters: Israel Names Al Jazeera Reporters As Gaza Militants, Network Condemns
'Unfounded Allegations'
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“The Israeli military named on Wednesday six Palestinian Al Jazeera reporters
in Gaza it said were also members of the Hamas or Islamic Jihad militant
groups, an allegation which the Qatari network rejected as an attempt to
silence journalists. "Al Jazeera condemns Israeli accusations against its
journalists in Gaza and warns against (this) being a justification for
targeting them," the network said in a statement. The Israeli military
published documents which it said it had found in Gaza that proved the men had
a military affiliation to the groups. Reuters was not able to immediately
verify the authenticity of the documents. The Israeli military said the papers
included Hamas and Islamic Jihad lists of personnel details, salaries and
militant training courses, phone directories and injury reports. "These
documents serve as proof of the integration of Hamas terrorists within the
Qatari Al Jazeera media network," the military said.”



Reuters: Hezbollah Says In Statement It Has Killed 70 Israeli Soldiers
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“Hezbollah’s operations room said on Wednesday its fighters had killed more
than 70 Israeli troops in its clashes with Israeli forces, updating from a
statement last week saying 55 were killed. It did not say in what time frame
they were killed. Israel has said it has lost around 20 soldiers inside Lebanon
since its ground operations began, and around 30 more in Hezbollah attacks on
northern Israel.”



Somalia



Bloomberg: Somalia Wants Ethiopia Excluded From Force Battling Al-Shabaab
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“Somalia’s government asked the African Union and United Nations to exclude
Ethiopian soldiers from a revamped peacekeeping force fighting al-Qaeda-linked
insurgents. The request will strain already fraught relations between the two
countries. Ties deteriorated in January, when Ethiopia offered to recognize
Somaliland — a breakaway region in the north — as a sovereign state in return
for access to a port and a military base in a region that Somalia regards as
part of its territory. About 13,000 troops from Ethiopia and four other nations
are set to leave Somalia at the end of this year, before a reconstituted
mission is scheduled to take over next year. “Ethiopia’s recent unilateral
actions, including an illegal agreement with Somalia’s northern region, violate
our sovereignty and erode the trust essential for peacekeeping,” Somalia’s
Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.”



Reuters: Somalia Security Cameras Aim To Cut Al Shabaab Attacks But Militants
Fight Back
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“Thousands of security cameras have been installed across Somalia's capital
to monitor the movement of al Shabaab militants and reassure residents, but
they have also made business owners fearful of reprisal attacks. Rolled out
this year as part of a municipal government initiative, officials say CCTV
cameras have helped authorities keep track of militant activity in Mogadishu
and ensure that security forces are doing their jobs properly. The aim is to
stave off the bombings and shootings that have plagued the capital in Islamist
al Shabaab's nearly two decade-long fight to overthrow the government. But in a
city where militants have eyes and ears everywhere, some businesses who have
installed cameras have themselves come under attack. At least three people have
been killed and four wounded in assaults on such businesses since the start of
October in the Daynile and Hodan districts of Mogadishu, Mohamed Ahmed Diriye,
a deputy mayor, told Reuters.”



Southeast Asia



Bloomberg: Sri Lanka Boosts Security As US, Israel Warn Of Terrorist Attack
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“Sri Lanka beefed up security in tourism hot spots after the US and Israel
warned citizens to leave popular beach resort areas because of possible attacks
on visitors. The US Embassy in Sri Lanka told citizens on Wednesday to avoid
Arugam Bay, a surf resort in Sri Lanka’s southeast coast, after “credible
information warning of an attack targeting popular tourist locations.” Israel’s
National Security Council asked its citizens to immediately leave Arugam Bay
and the south and west coastal areas of Sri Lanka, adding that it has raised
the travel alert level for the South Asian island nation “due to credible
terrorism threats.” Sri Lanka’s acting inspector general of police Priyantha
Weerasooriya said intelligence had been received around Oct. 7, which was the
first anniversary of Hamas’ attack on Israel, of a threat to a “specific
nationality of tourists.””



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