"The Israeli military pounded Beirut's southern suburbs with airstrikes on
Tuesday, mounting one of its heaviest daytime attacks yet on the
Hezbollah-controlled area, and struck the middle of the country where more than
20 people were killed. Smoke billowed over Beirut as around a dozen strikes hit
the southern suburbs starting in midmorning. After posting warnings to
civilians on social media, the Israeli military said it struck Hezbollah
targets in Beirut's Dahiyeh area and later said it dismantled most of the
group's weapons and missile facilities. Israel said it had taken steps to
reduce harm to civilians and repeated its standing accusation that Hezbollah
deliberately embeds itself into civilian areas to use residents as human
shields, a charge Hezbollah rejects. In northern Israel, two people were killed
in the city of Nahariya when a residential building was struck, Israeli police
said. Hezbollah later claimed responsibility for a drone attack that it said
was aimed at a military base east of Nahariya.”











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Eye on Extremism



November 13, 2024



Reuters: Israeli Strikes Pound Lebanon, Hezbollah Strikes Back
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"The Israeli military pounded Beirut's southern suburbs with airstrikes on
Tuesday, mounting one of its heaviest daytime attacks yet on the
Hezbollah-controlled area, and struck the middle of the country where more than
20 people were killed. Smoke billowed over Beirut as around a dozen strikes hit
the southern suburbs starting in midmorning. After posting warnings to
civilians on social media, the Israeli military said it struck Hezbollah
targets in Beirut's Dahiyeh area and later said it dismantled most of the
group's weapons and missile facilities. Israel said it had taken steps to
reduce harm to civilians and repeated its standing accusation that Hezbollah
deliberately embeds itself into civilian areas to use residents as human
shields, a charge Hezbollah rejects. In northern Israel, two people were killed
in the city of Nahariya when a residential building was struck, Israeli police
said. Hezbollah later claimed responsibility for a drone attack that it said
was aimed at a military base east of Nahariya.”



Bloomberg: India Takes Tentative Steps Toward Improving Ties With Taliban
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“India and the Taliban-led government in Afghanistan have taken the first
steps to ease strained relations since the group seized power three years ago
amid a chaotic withdrawal of the US forces. The highly conservative Islamic
establishment has asked New Delhi to resume development projects in the
poverty-stricken nation when it met with a top Indian diplomat in Kabul last
week, according to local officials in Afghanistan. The Taliban has also sent an
administrator to Mumbai to help Afghan citizens with consular services. India
closed its embassy in Kabul in August 2021 and has since then limited its
engagement with the country to providing occasional humanitarian aid. While a
handful of countries, including China, Pakistan and Russia, have accepted
Taliban diplomats, they don’t formally recognize the government, which has been
condemned internationally for human rights violations.”




The CEP CounterPoint: Expert Analysis

*
Antisemitism In Amsterdam: Even Soccer Fans Cannot Escape Double Standards
<[link removed]>

* ISIS Redux: The Central Syria Insurgency In September 2024
<[link removed]>
* One Year On: Remembering October 7 In London
<[link removed]>
* Al-Qaeda’s Brazen Attacks In Mali’s Capital Bamako
<[link removed]>
* ISIS Redux: The Central Syria Insurgency In August 2024
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CEP Mentions



Deutschlandfunk: How The "Islamic State" Works In Germany
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“... It is no coincidence that the men all come from Central Asia: the IS
offshoot ISPK is recruiting new supporters there. The abbreviation stands for
"Islamic State Khorasan Province". But why Afghanistan? The ISPK operates from
Afghanistan and claims the historical region of Khorasan, which stretches
across several Central Asian states. According to the international non-profit
organization Counter Extremism Project, the ISPK is a kind of showcase project
for the IS headquarters in Syria and Iraq. Most IS groups emerged from the
Al-Qaeda network, says Hans-Jakob Schindler of the Counter Extremism Project.
The ISPK, on the other hand, was founded by the IS headquarters in Syria. The
group also receives its money from there - in contrast to other IS offshoots,
which have to finance themselves, says Schindler.”



United States



Associated Press: Middle East Latest: US Won’t Halt Any Weapons To Israel Over
Gaza Humanitarian Aid Situation
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“Eight international aid groups said Tuesday that Israel has failed to meet
U.S. demands for greater humanitarian access to the war-ravaged Gaza Strip,
where hunger experts say the north may already be experiencing famine. However,
the Biden administration said Tuesday it won’t limit weapons transfers to
Israel because the U.S. says its key ally has made good but limited progress in
increasing the flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza. Last month, Washington told
Israel to boost aid to Gaza within 30 days, or else it could trigger U.S. laws
requiring it to scale back American military support as Israel wages war
against Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon. Israeli strikes killed at least
46 people in Gaza in the past 24 hours, and killed at least 33 people in
Lebanon, local health officials said Tuesday. Two people in northern Israel
also died from rockets fired from Lebanon.”



Reuters: US Warships Repelled Attack From Yemen's Houthis, Pentagon Says
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“U.S. warships shot down drones and missiles fired by Yemen's Houthis while
they were transiting the Bab al-Mandab Strait, the Pentagon said on Tuesday.
Earlier on Tuesday, the Houthis said they conducted two military operations
against U.S. naval vessels in the Red and Arabian seas which the group's
military spokesperson said lasted for eight hours. Pentagon spokesperson Air
Force Major General Patrick Ryder said that on Monday two U.S. warships were
attacked by at least eight drones, five anti-ship ballistic missiles and three
anti-ship cruise missiles. The warships brought down the projectiles and there
was no damage to the vessels. Ryder said he was not aware of any attacks
against the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln. Houthi spokesperson Yahya Sarea
had earlier said the first operation targeted a U.S. aircraft carrier in the
Arabian sea with a number of missiles and drones, while the second operation
launched missiles and drones at two U.S. destroyers in the Red Sea.”



Afghanistan



Voice Of America: Taliban Announce Scheduled Public Execution For Afghan
Murder Convict
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“Taliban authorities in eastern Afghanistan are scheduled to publicly execute
a convicted murderer on Wednesday, citing the Islamic concept of retributive
justice, or qisas. The early morning punishment will be carried out at a sports
stadium in Gardez, the capital of the Paktia province, according to a local
language official announcement Tuesday through the X social media platform. It
invited the public, religious scholars, and civilian and military officials to
attend the event, instructing them not to bring cameras or cell phones. If the
death penalty is implemented as scheduled, it will be the sixth public
execution of a murder convict in Afghanistan since the Taliban regained power
in August 2021 and implemented a criminal justice system based on their
interpretation of Islamic law, Sharia. The announcement did not specify how the
execution will be implemented.”



Middle East



Associated Press: Israeli Strikes Kill 46 People In The Gaza Strip And 33 In
Lebanon, Medics Say
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“Israeli airstrikes killed at least 46 people in the Gaza Strip in the past
day, including 11 at a makeshift cafeteria in an Israeli-declared humanitarian
zone, medics said. In Lebanon, warplanes struck Beirut’s southern suburbs and
killed 33 people elsewhere in the country on Tuesday. The latest bombardment
came as the United States said it would not reduce its military support for
Israel after a deadline passed for allowing more humanitarian aid into Gaza.
The State Department cited some progress, even as international aid groups said
Israel had failed to meet the U.S. demands. In Lebanon, large explosions shook
Beirut’s southern suburbs — an area known as Dahiyeh, where Hezbollah has a
significant presence — soon after the Israeli military issued evacuation
warnings for 11 houses there. There was no immediate word on casualties.”



Voice Of America: Hezbollah, Hamas Down But Not Out, US Says
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“Israel's war against Hezbollah and Hamas, while inflicting considerable
damage, has yet to strike a crippling blow to either of the Iran-backed terror
groups, according to a top U.S. counterterrorism official. The acting director
of the U.S. National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) said Tuesday that the
impact of Israeli intelligence operations, along with repeated military
airstrikes and ground offensives in Lebanon and Gaza, have severely diminished
the ability of both groups to launch new attacks on Israel. But he cautioned
that both groups remain resilient, and in the case of Hezbollah, retain
significant capabilities. "Before the conflict, they [Hezbollah] had built up
unprecedented numbers of rockets and missiles and other munitions," the NCTC's
Brett Holmgren told an audience in Washington, adding that the Lebanese group
was starting at a "very strong point."”



Africa



Voice Of America: Chad Says Boko Haram Fighters Fleeing To Neighboring States
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“The government of Chad said Tuesday that hundreds of Boko Haram fighters are
fleeing the central African state’s territory and crossing over into Cameroon,
Niger and Nigeria. State TV reports the fighters fled after clashes with
Chadian forces over the weekend that killed more than 100 Boko Haram fighters
as well as close to 20 Chadian soldiers. Chad state TV reports that assaults
have continued against Boko Haram strongholds after the central African state’s
military saw almost 20 soldiers killed and 32 others injured in a Saturday
battle with Boko Haram terrorists in the Lake Chad basin. A government
statement said about 100 Boko Haram fighters were killed and a dozen others
injured during the clashes, and that Boko Haram fighters are now fleeing to
Cameroon, Nigeria and Niger. Earlier this month, Chad's military launched an
operation aimed at dislodging Boko Haram terrorists from areas around Lake
Chad, according to the central African state’s president, General Mahamat
Idriss Deby.”



United Kingdom



BBC: Serving Police Officer Arrested On Suspicion Of Supporting Hamas
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“A serving police office in South West England has been arrested on suspicion
of supporting the Palestinian militant group Hamas. The officer, a constable
aged in his thirties, was arrested on Tuesday in Gloucestershire by
counterterrorism police, who said the suspected support "relates to activity
online". He has been taken to a police custody unit outside Gloucestershire.
Specialist officers from Counter Terrorism Policing South West (CTPSW) made the
arrest on a property in Gloucester, and also searched a vehicle and address in
the area, police said. Gloucestershire Police Assistant Chief Constable Arman
Mathieson said the searches aimed to find digital devices for analysis. “The
arrest of a serving officer on suspicion of such a serious offence will no
doubt cause our communities concern, as it does everyone who works for
Gloucestershire Police," he added.”



Southeast Asia



The Tribune: Encounter Breaks Out Between Security Forces, Militants In
Bandipore
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“A gunbattle between militants and security forces took place in North
Kashmir's Bandipore on Tuesday morning, said Army officials. This is eighth
such encounter in Kashmir Valley this month as security forces have intensified
anti-militancy operations. Based on intelligence inputs regarding presence of
terrorists, security forces launched a search operation in Nagmarg forest of
Bandipore district, they said. The forest area where the exchange of fire took
place is situated in the middle of north Kashmir’s Bandipore and Kupwara
districts and close to the Line of Control. Army’s Srinagar-based Chinar Corps
wrote on X that the forces had received inputs about the presence of militants
in the area. “On 12 November 24, based on specific intelligence input regarding
presence of terrorists, a joint operation launched by Army, police in general
area Nagmarg, Bandipore,” the Army wrote on X.”



The Times Of India: Security Forces Foil Potential IED Attack, Two
Ex-Militants Held
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“In a significant breakthrough ahead of Ulfa-I's protest day, security forces
intercepted an IED at Rangajan Tollgate in Golaghat district on Tuesday,
potentially averting a major security threat. The operation, conducted jointly
by Golaghat Police, Charaideo Police and 23 Assam Rifles, led to the arrest of
two former militants of All Adivasi National Liberation Army (AANLA). The
individuals, identified as Ajay Shyam (29) and Tiken Kurmi (27), were
apprehended while transporting the IED in an autorickshaw. "Based on specific
intelligence inputs about IEDs being transported from Dimapur to Sivsagar, we
launched a coordinated operation. The timing of this interception is crucial,
as intelligence suggests the explosive was intended for use during Ulfa-I's
protest day on Nov 28," said a senior police official involved in the
operation.”



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