Eye on Extremism
November 12, 2024
Reuters: Iran Says It Will Pursue 'Its Interest' When Asked About Possibility Of Trump Talks
“Iran will pursue whatever secures its interest, government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani said on Tuesday, when asked if there could be direct talks with the Trump administration. "Whatever secures the country's interest and values of the revolution will be pursued by the government," Mohajerani told a journalist, according to the Iranian Student News Agency. There have been no reports that Donald Trump or his team are planning any such talks as he prepares to return to the U.S. presidency. Trump unilaterally pulled the U.S. out of Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers during his last term of office in 2018 and re-applied sanctions which severely impacted the Iranian economy. "The maximum pressure campaign of Trump has failed, even if people have been burdened by it. What is important will be actions and not words, but we recommend Trump to take into account the failure of his past policies," Mohajerani added.”
Reuters: At Least 40 Killed As Israel Pounds Lebanon, Lebanese Officials Say
“Israeli airstrikes on Lebanon over the last day have killed at least 40 people including several children, Lebanese authorities said on Saturday, after heavy Israeli bombardment pounded the southern suburbs of the capital Beirut overnight. At least seven people were killed in the coastal city of Tyre late on Friday, Lebanon's health ministry said. The Israeli military has previously ordered swathes of the city to evacuate but there were no orders published by the Israeli military spokesperson on social media platform X before Friday's strikes. The ministry said two children were among the dead. Rescue operations were ongoing and other body parts retrieved in the aftermath of the attack would undergo DNA testing to identify them, the ministry added. Strikes in nearby towns on Saturday killed 13 people, including seven medics from rescue groups affiliated to Hezbollah and its ally Amal, the health ministry said.”
CEP Mentions
Sueddeutsche Zeitung: “I Would Rather Call It Human Trafficking”
“... The people who have been in prison so far cannot therefore be described as prisoners or detainees. "They are hostages of the regime," says Schindler, who now heads the Counter Extremism Project, a think tank that focuses on terrorism. Ultimately, the Iranians are not interested in giving the German detainees a fair trial, but rather in convicting them on flimsy evidence in order to use them as political bargaining chips. This was also the case with Helmut Hofer. "The Iranians' idea was to exchange him for the terrorist Darabi and his accomplices," says Schindler. Kazem Darabi was the mastermind behind the Mykonos attack in Berlin, in which four Kurdish politicians in exile were killed. He was sentenced to life imprisonment. Germany did not allow itself to be blackmailed by Iran.”
The Mirror: ‘White Supremacist Ideology’ Tied To Man’s 'Planned Drone Attack' On Nashville's Power Grid
“... The US Department of Justice accused 24-year-old Skyler Philippi of rigging a drone with explosives to “further his violent white supremacist ideology," according to Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. The attack would have followed a string of recent incidents involving white supremacists' targeting critical infrastructure, including power grids, 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: Terrorist Groups Embrace Chance Of Weakened US Hegemony Under Trump
“... “In addition to strongly supporting proposed mass deportations, some extreme right groups are hoping that likely cuts to federal law enforcement and intelligence agencies and changing priorities will mean that attention will no longer be focused on them,” said Joshua Fisher-Birch, a terrorism analyst at the Counter Extremism Project. “They are anticipating having breathing room and some are hopeful about the future.” One Telegram post from within the far-right ecosystem of that app, spoke for the imprisoned white nationalist leader Rob Rundo and his support for the election of Trump. “He may not be the cure for all our issues at hand,” said the post claiming to speak for Rundo, “but it could be the difference between freedom and incarceration for many young nationalists.””
United States
ABC News: US Bombs 'Numerous' Houthi Weapon Storage Sites In Yemen, Official Says
“American airstrikes targeted Houthi facilities in Yemen on Saturday night, a U.S. defense official confirmed to ABC News. Forces directed by U.S. Central Command "conducted multiple airstrikes on numerous Iran-backed Houthi weapons storage facilities within Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen," the official said. "The targets contained various advanced conventional weapons used to target military and civilian vessels navigating international waters throughout the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden," the official said, adding that further details on the strikes would be provided "soon." The U.S. -- along with the U.K. -- first launched airstrikes against Houthi targets in Yemen in January 2024, following several months of drone and missile attacks on shipping in the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden and Arabian Sea.”
Reuters: US Carried Out Strikes Against Iranian Linked Targets In Syria
“The U.S. military said on Monday it had carried out strikes against nine targets associated with Iranian groups in Syria. In a statement, the U.S. military said the strikes were against two locations in Syria and a response to several attacks on U.S. personnel in Syria in the past 24 hours. The U.S. has occasionally carried out strikes against targets linked to Iran in both Iraq and Syria. In February, the U.S. launched airstrikes in Iraq and Syria against more than 85 targets linked to Iran's Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) and militias it backs, in retaliation for a deadly attack on U.S. troops. "These strikes will degrade the Iranian backed groups' ability to plan and launch future attacks on U.S. and Coalition forces," the U.S. military said after the most recent strikes. The U.S. has 900 troops in Syria, and 2,500 more in neighboring Iraq, on a mission to advise and assist local forces trying to prevent a resurgence of Islamic State, which in 2014 seized large swathes of both countries but was later defeated.”
Syria
Voice Of America: Israeli Raids On Syria Kill 4 Militants, War Monitor Says
“Four pro-Iran fighters were among five people killed in overnight Israeli strikes in north and northwest Syria, a war monitor said on Saturday. "Four Syrian pro-Iran fighters were killed in Israeli air strikes on the scientific research center and warehouses near Safira east of Aleppo," the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. The Britain-based monitor said two other raids further west targeting Saraqeb in Idlib province killed a fifth person. Israeli authorities rarely comment on such strikes but have repeatedly said they will not allow archenemy Iran to expand its presence in Syria. The Observatory said the strikes targeted two headquarters of Syrian regime forces frequented by members of the Iran-backed Hezbollah group. Late Saturday, the Observatory reported "two Israeli strikes" targeting a Syrian army radar position in the southern province of Suweida, without immediately giving further details.”
Iran
Voice Of America: Iran Accuses Germany Of Defending 'Terrorist' After Death Of Dual National
“Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi accused Germany of defending a "terrorist" after the death in Iran of Jamshid Sharmahd, a dual national sentenced to execution, which triggered condemnation from Berlin. Iran on October 28 announced the execution of Sharmahd, 69, but eight days later the judiciary spokesperson said Sharmahd had died before the "imminent" execution could be carried out, implying natural causes. After the initial execution announcement, Berlin recalled its ambassador to Iran and closed three Iranian consulates in Germany. That in turn triggered what Iran called a "strong protest" to the German charge d'affaires, who was summoned. "I regret that this is straining German-Iranian relations, and I wish I could have prevented it," Araghchi said in an interview published Friday by the German weekly Der Spiegel.”
Associated Press: Militant Attack On Pakistani Border Leaves 5 Iranian Security Forces Dead, State Media Says
“A militant attack near the Pakistani border with Iran left five Iranian forces dead, the state-run IRNA news agency reported Sunday. The report said the dead were ethnic Baluch members of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard’s volunteer Basij force and were killed in Saravan city in Sistan and Baluchistan province. Saravan is some 1,400 kilometers (870 miles) southeast of the capital Tehran. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. Earlier in the day, state TV reported that Revolutionary Guard forces killed three terrorists and arrested nine others in a military operation. The report did not specify which group the suspects belonged to. Last month, unknown gunmen killed four people, including the chief of the Revolutionary Guard in the province.”
Turkey
Reuters: Five Killed In Turkish Drone Strikes On PKK Members In Northern Iraq
“Turkish drone strikes killed five members of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in northern Iraq, Iraqi Kurdistan's counter-terrorism service and security sources said on Sunday. The first Turkish strike targeted a vehicle in a mountain area near Iraq's northern province Dohuk late on Saturday, killing three, including one person identified by the Iraqi Kurdistan's counter-terrorism service statement as a "senior PKK official", the statement added. Another drone strike on Sunday targeted a vehicle, killing two fighters from the Sinjar Resistance Units (YBS), a militia affiliated with the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), two security sources and a local official in the district of Sinjar told Reuters. Turkey regularly carries out airstrikes on PKK militants in northern Iraq and has dozens of outposts in the Iraqi territory. The PKK launched an insurgency against Ankara in 1984 with the initial aim of creating an independent Kurdish state.”
Afghanistan
Associated Press: Afghanistan Attends U.N. Climate Talks For First Time Since Taliban Return To Power
“For the first time since the Taliban returned to power in 2021, Afghanistan on Monday sent a delegation to the United Nations climate talks in a bid to garner help in dealing with global warming. Matuil Haq Khalis, who’s head of the country’s environment protection agency, told The Associated Press that Afghanistan needs international support to deal with extreme weather like erratic rainfall, prolonged droughts and flash floods. “All the countries must join hands and tackle the problem of climate change,” said Khalis, speaking through a translator at the talks, taking place this year in Baku, Azerbaijan. Afghanistan has been hard hit by climate change, with a recent assessment by climate experts ranking it the sixth most climate vulnerable country in the world. In March, northern Afghanistan experienced heavy rains resulting in flash floods, killing over 300 people.”
Yemen
Voice Of America: Houthis Fire Missile Toward Israeli Base
“An intercepted missile fired from Yemen sparked blazes near Jerusalem Monday, and later the Houthi rebels said they carried out a successful attack on central Israel. The Iran-backed militant group said it executed a "military operation targeting the Nahal Sorek military base" southeast of Jaffa, and that the "hit was accurate and led to a fire." Meanwhile, the main television news outlet operated by the Houthis said U.S. and British forces carried out a series of airstrikes targeting the Amran and Saada governorates in Yemen. The Israeli military told Agence France-Presse a projectile from Yemen was intercepted in the Bet Shemesh area west of Jerusalem, and debris from that interception caused fires. In a statement to the AFP, it said: "Following the sirens that sounded in the Shfelat Yehuda, Yehuda, and Lakhish areas of central Israel, the IAF (Israeli Air Force) intercepted one projectile that approached Israel from the direction of Yemen.”
Associated Press: Soldier With Yemen’s Exiled Government Opens Fire, Killing 2 Saudi Troops And Wounding Another
“A soldier for Yemen’s exiled government opened fire on Saudi troops as they exercised in eastern Yemen, killing two of them and wounding another in a rare insider attack during the kingdom’s nearly decadelong war there, officials said Saturday. The assault in eastern Hadramawt province comes as a yearslong cease-fire between Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s Houthi rebels largely has held despite the militants’ ongoing attacks against shipping in the Red Sea corridor. While the Houthis did not claim the attack, at least one Houthi official praised it as being “the beginning and an indication of a harsh future awaiting the invaders.” Meanwhile, U.S. warplanes carried out new strikes targeting Houthi positions that lasted into early Sunday morning, the American military said. he strikes come after the militants likely shot down yet-another American reconnaissance drone over the country.”
Reuters: US, Britain Launch Raids On Yemeni Capital Sanaa, Elsewhere, Al Masirah TV Says
“The United States and Britain launched raids on the Yemeni capital Sanaa, the Amran governorate and other areas, Al Masirah TV, the main television news outlet run by the Houthi movement, reported on Sunday. Houthi media and residents said about nine raids had targeted the Sanaa, its suburbs and Amran governorate. Iran-aligned Houthi militants have launched attacks on international shipping near Yemen since November last year, in solidarity with the Palestinians in Israel's war with Hamas. The attacks have drawn U.S. and British retaliatory strikes and disrupted global trade as ship owners reroute vessels away from the Red Sea and Suez Canal to sail the longer route around the southern tip of Africa.”
Lebanon
Associated Press: Middle East Latest: Israeli Minister Reports Some Progress Toward Cease-Fire But Hezbollah Unaware
“Israel’s new foreign minister said Monday that there has been “certain progress” in efforts to end the fighting with Lebanon’s Hezbollah. But a spokesman for the militant group said it had not received any official proposal and was prepared to wage a long war if needed. The Biden administration has spent months trying to broker a cease-fire, and there were reports that U.S. envoy Amos Hochstein might return to the region in the coming days. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said any agreement would have to include enforcement mechanisms to prevent Hezbollah from reconstituting its military infrastructure near the border. “There is certain progress on the issue. We are working with the Americans,” he told reporters. Hezbollah began firing into Israel on Oct. 8, 2023, in solidarity with Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Since the conflict erupted, more than 3,200 people have been killed and more than 14,000 wounded in Lebanon, the Health Ministry reported.”
Qatar
Associated Press: Qatar Suspends Its Mediation Efforts On Gaza And The Hamas Office There May Have To Leave
“Qatar has suspended its key mediation efforts between Hamas and Israel, it said Saturday, after growing frustration with the lack of progress on a cease-fire deal for Gaza. It wasn’t immediately clear whether the remaining Hamas leadership hosted by Qatar must leave, or where it would go. Hamas has good relations with Iran and Turkey, and some of its leaders are now in Lebanon. However, Qatar is highly likely to return to mediation efforts if both sides show “serious political willingness” to reach a deal, according to an official with Egypt, the other key mediator. Qatar told Israel and Hamas it can’t continue to mediate “as long as there is a refusal to negotiate a deal in good faith” and “as a consequence, the Hamas political office no longer serves its purpose” in Qatar, a diplomatic source briefed on the matter said. Qatar told Hamas it will have to leave if it isn’t ready to engage in serious negotiations, the source said.”
Middle East
Associated Press: Aid Groups Say Israel Misses US Deadline To Boost Humanitarian Help For Gaza
“Israel has failed to meet U.S. demands to allow greater humanitarian access to the Gaza Strip, where conditions are worse than at any point in the 13-month-old war, international aid organizations said Tuesday. The Biden administration last month called on Israel to “surge” more food and other emergency aid into Gaza, giving it a 30-day deadline that was expiring Tuesday. It warned that failure to comply could trigger U.S. laws requiring it to scale back military support as Israel wages offensives against Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon. Israel has announced a series of steps toward improving the situation. But U.S. officials recently signaled that Israel still isn’t doing enough, though they haven’t said if they will take any action against it. Israel’s new foreign minister, Gideon Saar, appeared to downplay the deadline, telling reporters on Monday that he was confident “the issue would be solved.””
Associated Press: Middle East Latest: Israeli Defense Minister Officially Steps Down
“Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant officially stepped down Friday in a ceremony that replaced him with Israel Katz, the former foreign minister, just three days after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fired Gallant, sparking protests. Many in Israel view Gallant as the sole moderate voice in a far-right government, and see his removal as a sign that Netanyahu has lost interest in returning hostages still held in Gaza. Katz currently serves as foreign minister and is a longtime Netanyahu loyalist and veteran Cabinet minister. Also Friday, the Israeli military body handling aid to Gaza said it was preparing to open a new aid crossing into Gaza, without specifying when. The Israeli military says it will allow 300 truckloads of humanitarian aid supplied by the United Arab Emirates to enter the Gaza Strip in the coming days.”
Associated Press: Israel’s Military Is Building Along Un-Patrolled Demilitarized Zone In Syria, Satellite Images Show
“Israel has begun a construction project along the so-called Alpha Line that separates the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights from Syria, apparently laying asphalt for a road right along the frontier, satellite photos analyzed by The Associated Press show. Israeli troops have entered the demilitarized zone during the work, the United Nations confirmed to the AP, a violation of the cease-fire rules governing the area. The work, which earlier satellite photos show began in earnest in late September, follows the completion by the Israeli military of new roadways and what appears to be a buffer zone along the Gaza Strip’s frontier with Israel. The Israel military also has begun demolishing villages in Lebanon, where United Nations peacekeepers have come under fire. So far, there has been no major violence along the Alpha Line, which delineates the demilitarized zone between Syria and Israeli-occupied territory that U.N. peacekeepers have patrolled since 1974.”
Africa
Reuters: Fifteen Chad Soldiers Killed In Operation Against Boko Haram, Army Says
“At least 15 Chadian soldiers were killed and 32 others wounded in clashes between the army and Boko Haram fighters on Saturday, the army's spokesman said, adding that 96 Boko Haram members were also killed. General Issakh Acheikh on Sunday did not say where the operation took place or provide any details on the circumstances. He said on national television that the army also wounded 11 Boko Haram members, and seized arms and equipment. "The army assures the population that the situation is under control and that actions to track down residual elements continue as part of Operation Haskanite," Acheikh said, referring to a military operation launched to dislodge Boko Haram militants from Lake Chad. The region has been attacked repeatedly by insurgencies including Islamic State in West Africa and Boko Haram, which erupted in northeast Nigeria in 2009 and spread to the west of Chad.”
Associated Press: Morocco Limits Preaching About War In The Middle East That Invokes Jihad
“Politicians and activists in Morocco are questioning limitations imposed on preachers regarding what they may say about war in the Middle East during sermons. During a meeting at the country’s parliament this week, socialist lawmaker Nabila Mounib bemoaned the way that imams were curtailed in how they can speak about the plight of Palestinians and call for religious struggle to support their cause. “No imam can speak about the Palestinian issue,” Mounib claimed on Tuesday. “Today no one is demanding jihad for our brothers in Palestine.” In Morocco, imams are employed by the state and their sermons cannot be overtly political. Regardless of the extent to which they have focused on the Israel-Hamas war, Morocco’s Ministry of Islamic Affairs has said that such subject matter is permitted. Yet activists are still worried about de facto limits placed on preaching about Palestinians.”
United Kingdom
Reuters: Former UK Soldier Accused Of Helping Iran Pleads Guilty To Prison Escape
"A British soldier accused of passing sensitive information to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps pleaded guilty on Monday to escaping from prison while awaiting trial. Daniel Abed Khalife is on trial at London's Woolwich Crown Court, accused of collecting sensitive information between May 2019 and January 2022. Khalife, who is no longer a member of the British armed forces, also denies leaving a fake bomb on a desk and absconding from his barracks in 2023. Prosecutors had also alleged Khalife escaped from London's Wandsworth prison in September 2023 by tying himself to the bottom of a delivery van, sparking a brief nationwide manhunt. The 23-year-old had originally pleaded not guilty to escaping from lawful custody, but changed his plea to guilty on Monday after having given evidence for several days earlier this month.”
BBC: Conspiracy Theorist Jailed For Terrorism Offences
“An anti-vaccination conspiracy theorist who encouraged violence against Prof Sir Chris Whitty on social media has been sentenced to five years in prison. Patrick Ruane, 55, from Paddington, west London, was convicted of two charges of encouraging terrorism on social media in 2021, following a trial at the Old Bailey. Ruane believed in conspiracy theories about the government having a "hidden agenda" to the coronavirus epidemic which he shared with thousands of users in Telegram groups, the trial heard. His posts referred to "serious violence" including the use of explosives such as Semtex as well as criminal damage and the disruption of electronic communication systems, said the prosecution. Ruane had suggested "whacking" the Chief Medical Officer for England, Prof Sir Chris Whitty, and referred to executing politicians.”
China
Reuters: China To Continue Support For Pakistan's Counter-Terrorism Efforts
“China will continue to support Pakistan in counter-terrorism operations, a foreign ministry spokesperson said on Monday, after two Chinese nationals were wounded in a shooting in the country's commercial hub Karachi last week. China and Pakistan have the determination and ability to thwart all attempts to undermine China-Pakistan relations and make terrorists pay the price, spokesperson Lin Jian told a regular news conference in Beijing.”
Southeast Asia
The Economic Times: Manipur: Curfew Imposed In Jiribam District Following Encounter That Killed 11 Militants
“The Manipur government on Monday night imposed an indefinite curfew across the entire Jiribam district, effective immediately. This measure has been implemented to prevent potential disturbances and ensure the maintenance of law and order. With the move, assembly and movement of more than five people outside their residence has been prohibited. Further, carrying firearms, stones, weapons, sharp edged objects of any kind would be an offence. For events like marriage and funeral, a written permission is required from Superintendent of Police, Jiribam district. As many as 11 suspected militants were killed in an encounter with CRPF in Jiribam area of Manipur on Monday. A security personnel was also critically injured in the gunfight, said officials.”
Technology
The Times Of India: Pakistan On Social Media Overdrive To Revive Terrorism In Kashmir
“An exponential rise in social media activity over the past month by Pakistan and PoK-based terrorist handles, aimed at glamourising terrorism and secessionism in J&K, as well as threatening anti-India posts, is being viewed by Indian security agencies as "a fresh bid by Pakistan-backed terror outfits to revive local terror recruitment in J&K", according to intelligence sources. An analysis by the agencies here of anti-India activities across "identified" Pakistan and PoK-based terror-linked accounts on platforms like Facebook, X, Telegram, Dark Web etc, revealed over 2,000 'posts of concern' in the past one month alone (Oct-Nov), as against 89 during the corresponding period of 2023. This translates to a more than 22-fold rise.”
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