CEP Mentions
WKRN: ‘White Supremacist Ideology’ Tied To Man’s Plan To Attack Nashville Power Grid
“Federal agents took Skyler Philippi, 24, into custody moments before he allegedly planned to strike a Nashville power grid. According to the Department of Justice (DOJ), Philippi had a drone powered up and armed with explosives. An attack Attorney General Merrick B. Garland described as to “further his violent white supremacist ideology.” Critical infrastructure, including power grids, have been the target of several recent attacks involving white supremacists, according to the Counter Extremism Project. “It could have taken quite awhile to repair,” explained Joshua Fisher-Birch, a researcher with the Counter Extremism Project. “This has been promoted by different groups and sort of sub-movements within the accelerationists online environment and they’ve put out manuals and they’ve put out videos that encourage attacks on infrastructure.”
The Guardian: ‘Collapse Is How We Win’: US Far Right Aims To Make Gains On Election Division
“... While Russian disinformation and election denialism are seeding mistrust in the American electoral process, some far-right extremists are already heralding this divisive election season as an unbridled victory for their cause. To them, who wins or loses is less important than the effect: with already two assassination attempts on Donald Trump and both mainstream parties more at rhetorical war than ever before, they see signs of hope the US government is beginning to lose control of the country. For example, one popular Telegram account on the fringes of the far right gleefully asked followers in a survey what they think the outcome of the election could be. “Trump wins, civil war kicks off” was among the options, followed by “Kamala ‘wins,’ civil war kicks off”.”
Berliner Morgenpost: Expert Sees Terror Threat From Hezbollah For Germany
“The actions of the Israeli army in Lebanon against the terrorist organization Hezbollah have an impact not only on the Middle East region, but also on Germany, as terrorism expert Hans Jakob Schindler, Senior Director of the Counter Extremism Project (CEP) in Berlin and New York, explains to the Berliner Morgenpost. He also describes Germany's role for the Lebanese militia. First of all: Who is Hezbollah? The "Party of God" is a Shiite organization that is mainly active in Lebanon. Like the Palestinian Hamas, it is divided into a political and military arm. The focus of Hezbollah, which is classified as a terrorist organization in Germany, is the fight against Israel and the spread of the Islamist revolution in Iran, says Schindler. He previously worked for the German government and was an advisor on the topics of Islamic State, al-Qaeda and the Taliban - including at the United Nations Security Council.”
United States
Reuters: Pentagon Says It Will Work Closely With Israel's Next Defense Minister
“The Pentagon said on Tuesday that Yoav Gallant, whom Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fired as defense minister on Tuesday, has been a "trusted partner," and said it will continue to work closely with Israel's next defense minister. "America's commitment to Israel's security remains ironclad and the U.S. Department of Defense will continue to work closely with Israel’s next Minister of Defense," Pentagon spokesman Major General Patrick Ryder said in a statement.”
Syria
Reuters: Blast Heard In Syria's Homs, Syrian State Media Says
“An explosion was heard in Homs province in Syria, Syrian state media said on Tuesday, as a result of confronting and shooting down a hostile drone. It did not provide any further details about the damage caused by the drone. Earlier on Tuesday, an Israeli attack targeted an industrial zone and some residential buildings in the town of Qusayr in Homs, Syrian state TV reported.”
Iran
Associated Press: Iran’s Top Diplomat Says Tehran Would Respond To Israel’s Strike In A ‘Measured’ Way
“Iran’s foreign minister on Tuesday reiterated that his country does not seek an escalation in the Middle East but reserved the right to defend itself against Israel’s attack with a “measured and calculative” response. Iranian officials are increasingly threatening to launch yet another strike against Israel after its Oct. 26 attack on the Islamic Republic that targeted military bases and other locations and killed at least five people. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, speaking at a news conference during a visit to Pakistan, said that “unlike the Israeli regime, the Islamic Republic of Iran does not seek escalation.” “We reserve our inherent rights to legitimate defense under Article 51 of the United Nations Charter and we will certainly respond to the Israeli aggression in a proper time and in a proper manner in a very measured and very calculated manner,” he said.”
Afghanistan
Voice Of America: UN Finds Surge In Afghan Opium Poppy Cultivation Despite Taliban Ban
“The United Nations reported Wednesday that the cultivation of opium poppies in Afghanistan has increased by an estimated 19% in the second full year since the country's de facto Taliban authorities banned the crop, but cultivation remains far below pre-ban levels. The resurgence comes after a dramatic 95% decline in 2023 when the ban nearly wiped out poppy cultivation throughout much of the impoverished South Asian nation, which has long been the world’s leading supplier of the raw material for heroin, according to the report from the U.N. Office of Drugs and Crime, or UNODC. The Taliban outlawed the cultivation of narcotics nationwide in April 2022, months after sweeping back to power in Afghanistan, which led to a massive decline in opium poppy production. The U.N. survey, published Wednesday, noted the ban remains largely effective."
Lebanon
Associated Press: Red Cross Launches International Emergency Appeal Urging Donors To Provide Resources For Lebanon
“The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies on Tuesday launched an international emergency appeal asking donors to provide resources for Lebanon during the Israel-Hezbollah war. IFRC also called on all parties to protect paramedics in the conflict that has left thousands of people dead and wounded, many of them over the past six weeks. Jagan Chapagain, the secretary-general of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, told The Associated Press in Beirut that “needs are just growing so fast.” He met with officials and toured shelters housing people displaced by the conflict. The IFRC said its emergency appeal for 100 million Swiss Francs ($115.8 million) is aimed at helping Lebanon and the Lebanese Red Cross through the ongoing conflict.”
Associated Press: Middle East Latest: Rescue Workers Pull 30 Bodies From Apartments In Lebanon After Israeli Strike
“Lebanon’s Civil Defense service says they have pulled 30 bodies from the rubble of an apartment building that Israel struck the night before. Search efforts were ongoing Wednesday, and it was unclear how many survivors or bodies were still trapped under the rubble. The airstrike Tuesday night came without warning. There was no statement from the Israeli military on the strike, and it was not immediately clear what the intended target was. On Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dismissed Defense Minister Yoav Gallant in a surprise announcement that sparked protests across the country. Gallant’s replacement is Foreign Minister Israel Katz, a longtime Netanyahu loyalist and veteran Cabinet minister.”
Middle East
The Washington Post: Netanyahu Ally Accused Of Leaking Documents To Derail Hostage Deal
“A scandal over a leak of top-secret military documents, allegedly involving the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has rocked Israel’s political establishment in a wartime country still reeling from last year’s Hamas attacks. Israeli media has linked the leak to two articles that appeared in foreign outlets — Britain’s Jewish Chronicle and Germany’s Bild — in early September. Both articles, which were immediately called into question by Israel’s military, claimed to be based on internal Hamas documents that showed the Palestinian militant group had no intention of releasing the hostages it captured on Oct. 7. The stories were published days after six hostages were murdered by their captors in Gaza, according to the military, and demonstrations had intensified in Israel calling for the government to reach a cease-fire deal.”
Reuters: Israeli PM Netanyahu Fires Defence Minister Gallant, Citing Lack Of Trust
“Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fired defence minister Yoav Gallant on Tuesday, saying he had no trust in him over the management of Israel's ongoing military operations as the wars in Gaza and Lebanon grind on. Netanyahu appointed Foreign Minister Israel Katz, a close ally, to succeed Gallant, while Gideon Saar becomes the new foreign minister, Netanyahu's office said in a statement. Gallant and Netanyahu, both in the right-wing Likud party, have clashed for months over the objectives of Israel's 13-month-old war in Gaza against the militant group Hamas, and many had expected the prime minister to sack him sooner or later. But the timing was a surprise, and came as the United States was consumed by its presidential election.”
Europe
The Wall Street Journal: Russia Is Accused Of Terrorism In Alleged Incendiary-Device Plot
“Eastern European officials said Russia’s alleged plot to send incendiary devices by mail to Western countries including the U.S. marked an escalation in Moscow’s conflict with the West, presenting a challenge to governments trying to deter the Kremlin. Polish and other European officials said that agents suspected of working for the Russian military intelligence this summer posted a number of parcels packed with incendiary material from Lithuania to Britain, in a dry run to see if such packages could also be sent by aircraft to North America. The plot was foiled when two of those packages caught fire at DHL depots in the U.K. and Germany in July. The Kremlin denies any involvement.”
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