“As Israel advances its invasion of southern Lebanon, its troops are finding
large troves of Russian weapons, confirming longstanding suspicions in Israel
that Hezbollah is enhancing its fighting capacity with the help of
sophisticated Russian arms. Some of the weapons, which include modern Kornet
antitank missiles manufactured as recently as 2020, were sent to southern
Lebanon in recent years from Russian stockpiles in neighboring Syria, according
to Syrian security officials and an Arab official. Russia has long provided
arms to Syria’s military, as well as controlling its own warehouses in the
country. Although Israeli military leaders knew Hezbollah possessed some
Russian-made arms, their inability to access parts of southern Lebanon since
fighting a war with Hezbollah in 2006 made it hard to know the full extent of
the militant group’s capabilities.”











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Eye on Extremism



November 19, 2024



The Wall Street Journal: Israel Finds Large Troves Of Russian Arms In
Hezbollah’s Hands
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“As Israel advances its invasion of southern Lebanon, its troops are finding
large troves of Russian weapons, confirming longstanding suspicions in Israel
that Hezbollah is enhancing its fighting capacity with the help of
sophisticated Russian arms. Some of the weapons, which include modern Kornet
antitank missiles manufactured as recently as 2020, were sent to southern
Lebanon in recent years from Russian stockpiles in neighboring Syria, according
to Syrian security officials and an Arab official. Russia has long provided
arms to Syria’s military, as well as controlling its own warehouses in the
country. Although Israeli military leaders knew Hezbollah possessed some
Russian-made arms, their inability to access parts of southern Lebanon since
fighting a war with Hezbollah in 2006 made it hard to know the full extent of
the militant group’s capabilities.”



Reuters: US Warns Turkey Against Hosting Hamas Leaders
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“The United States warned Turkey on Monday against hosting Hamas leadership,
saying Washington does not believe leaders of a terrorist organization should
be living comfortably. Asked about reports thatsome Hamas leaders had moved to
Turkey from Qatar, U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller did not
confirm the reports but said he was not in a position to dispute them. He said
Washington will make clear to Turkey's government that there can be no more
business as usual with Hamas. Miller added that some Hamas leaders are under
U.S. indictment and Washington believes they should be turned over to the
United States. "We don't believe the leaders of a vicious terrorist
organization should be living comfortably anywhere, and that certainly includes
in ... a major city of one of our key allies and partners," Miller told
reporters at a regular news briefing.”



CEP Mentions



The Jewish Press: Report: Iran Tried To Assassinate Its Prominent Canadian
Jewish Critic Irwin Cotler
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“... Cotler is an advisory board member of United Against Nuclear Iran and
the Counter Extremism Project. Cotler has been a target of Iran’s ire since
2008 when he launched a global campaign to have the Islamic Revolutionary Guard
Corps (IRGC) designated as a terrorist organization. Over the years, he has
also represented Iranian political prisoners and has been an outspoken advocate
for Israel. In June, under mounting pressure from opposition parties, Canada
joined the United States in formally declaring the IRGC a terrorist entity. The
move further strained relations between Ottawa and Tehran, which had already
deteriorated after Canada severed diplomatic ties with Iran over a decade ago.”



United States



The Hill: Biden Announces New Sanctions Against ‘Extremist’ Israeli Settlers
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“The Biden administration on Monday announced sanctions against what it
described as Israeli citizens and entities involved in the extremist settler
movement in the West Bank, part of U.S. efforts to curb escalating violence
targeting Palestinians in the territory. The sanctions fall under an executive
order President Biden issued in February to hold accountable violence carried
out by extremist Israeli settlers in the West Bank targeting Palestinians, and
the organizations supporting such violence. “We once again call on the
Government of Israel to take action and hold accountable those responsible for
or complicit in violence, forced displacement, and the dispossession of private
land,” State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement.”



Bloomberg: US Pushes For Israel-Hezbollah Truce With Envoy Visit To Beirut
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“One of Joe Biden’s main Middle East envoys landed in Beirut on Tuesday
morning, as the US steps up efforts to clinch a cease-fire between Lebanese
militant group Hezbollah and Israel. Amos Hochstein, who handles
Israel-Hezbollah affairs for the White House, will discuss a US-drafted
proposal to end the war between the two sides. He’s expected to meet Lebanon’s
Prime Minister Najib Mikati and the speaker of parliament, Nabih Berri, who
acts as an interlocutor between the West and Hezbollah, considered a terrorist
group by the US and many other countries. His visit comes after Lebanese
officials signaled they were broadly behind the plan, though they’ve said there
are still sticking points. In an interview with Al-Araby TV Monday, Mikati said
his government had reservations about certain points in the draft and he’d
discuss those with Hochstein.”



Syria



BBC: Turkish Strikes In Syria Cut Water To One Million People
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“Turkish air strikes in drought-struck north-east Syria have cut off access
to electricity and water for more than a million people, in what experts say
may be a violation of international law. Turkey carried out more than 100
attacks between October 2019 and January 2024 on oil fields, gas facilities and
power stations in the Kurdish-held Autonomous Administration of North and East
Syria (AANES), according to data collated by the BBC World Service. The attacks
have added to the humanitarian crisis in a region reeling from a years-long
civil war and four years of extreme drought exacerbated by climate change.
Water had already been scarce, but attacks on electricity infrastructure in
October last year shut off power to the region’s main water station, in Alouk,
and it has not been working since.”



Iran



Reuters: Iran Rejects European and British Sanctions On Its Shipping Lines As
‘Unjustified’
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"New EU and British sanctions are based on false claims of missile transfers
to Russia and are "unjustified", Iran Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil
Baghaei said on Tuesday. Brussels on Monday added the Islamic Republic of Iran
Shipping Lines (IRISL) and its director to its list of sanctions on Iran, which
it said were a consequence of Tehran's support of Russia in its war with
Ukraine. On the same day, Britain imposed sanctions against Iran's national
airline and shipping carrier, measures it said were taken in response to Iran's
transfer of ballistic missiles to Russia. "Iran considers the imposition of new
sanctions by the European Union and the United Kingdom against a number of
Iranian individuals and legal entities on the false claim of sending ballistic
missiles to Russia as an unjustified act that contradicts the norms of
international law," Baghaei said, according to the foreign ministry's Telegram
channel."



Afghanistan



CNN: ‘My Whole Body Was Praying For My Death’: LGBTQ Afghans Say They Face
Abuse In Detention As Taliban Crackdown Intensifies
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“It was the early hours of the morning when a guard entered Sohrab’s cell – a
small, dark room with a barred window and a blanket on the floor – in Kabul’s
sprawling Pul-e-Charkhi prison last August. The 19-year-old was escorted to
another room in the complex, where he heard a Taliban member order the prison
guards to leave and stop anyone else from entering. Panic set in, for Sohrab
knew what these words often preceded. He had experienced physical violence at
the hands of the Taliban before. “He grabbed me from behind, tore my clothes
apart and raped me,” Sohrab – whose name has been changed for security reasons
– told CNN in October. “For several days after that I had severe pain and
bleeding.””



Pakistan



Voice Of America: Militants Kill 8 Pakistani Soldiers, Abduct 7 Police Officers

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“Authorities in northwestern Pakistan reported Monday that militants ambushed
a military convoy near the border with Afghanistan and killed at least eight
soldiers. The attack occurred in Khyber, a volatile border district in the
province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, targeting soldiers returning to their base
after a counterinsurgency operation. The ambush left at least three soldiers
injured, one of whom is in “serious” condition, multiple security officials
said. They spoke anonymously to VOA because they were not authorized to discuss
the details with the media. The ensuing clashes reportedly also left several
assailants dead. The Pakistan military’s media wing did not immediately comment
on the deadly attack or the reported casualties that followed.”



Lebanon



Reuters: Lebanon, Hezbollah Agree To US Proposal For Ceasefire With Israel,
Lebanese Official Says
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“Lebanon and Hezbollah have agreed to a U.S. proposal for a ceasefire with
Israel with some comments on the content, a top Lebanese official told Reuters
on Monday, describing the effort as the most serious yet to end the fighting.
Ali Hassan Khalil, an aide to Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, said Lebanon had
delivered its written response to the U.S. ambassador in Lebanon on Monday, and
White House envoy Amos Hochstein was travelling to Beirut to continue talks.
There was no immediate comment from Israel. Hezbollah, a heavily armed movement
backed by Iran, endorsed its long-time ally Berri to negotiate over a
ceasefire. "Lebanon presented its comments on the paper in a positive
atmosphere," Khalil said, declining to give further details.”



Reuters: Hezbollah Media Head Killed In Israeli Strike On Beirut, Security
Sources Say
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“Lebanese armed group Hezbollah confirmed its media relations chief Mohammad
Afif was killed by an Israeli strike on a building in central Beirut on Sunday.
Israel has rarely hit senior Hezbollah personnel who do not have clear military
roles, and its air strikes have mostly targeted Beirut's southern suburbs where
the group has its heaviest presence. Israel's military, which earlier declined
to comment, issued a statement late on Sunday reporting it had "eliminated"
Afif. The Lebanese health ministry said the strike had killed one and injured
three. A second, separate strike later on Sunday hit Mar Elias street, another
central area rarely targeted by Israeli bombs, Hezbollah's Al-Manar TV
reported. The Lebanese health ministry said that strike killed at least two
people and wounded 22.”



Africa



The Guardian: Migrant Rights Advocate Held In Tunisia Under Anti-Terrorist
Investigation
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“Tunisian anti-terrorist investigators are handling the case of a leading
advocate for migrants who has been taken into custody, in what the head of a
rights group said was a troubling first for the country. Abdallah Said, a
Tunisian of Chadian origin, was questioned along with the secretary general and
treasurer of his association, Enfants de la Lune, said Romdhane Ben Amor, the
spokesperson for the Tunisian Forum for Social and Economic Rights. According
to La Presse newspaper, which is close to the Tunisian government, Said’s
association is suspected of receiving foreign funds “to assist sub-Saharan
migrants to enter illegally on to Tunisian soil”. Tunisia is one of the main
launching points for boats carrying people trying to cross the Mediterranean to
seek better lives in Europe.”



Europe



Reuters: Belarus Holds Police Drills Ahead Of January Presidential Election
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"Belarus will conduct police drills this week ahead of the country's January
presidential election to ensure that "manifestations of extremism and
terrorism" are prevented, the country's interior ministry said on Tuesday.
Belarus will hold the presidential vote on Jan. 26 in which President Alexander
Lukashenko, who has held the country in firm grip for the past 20 years, is not
expected to lose. "The goal (of the drills) ... is to prevent manifestations of
extremism and terrorism, the involvement of citizens in illegal actions, and
the suppression of violations of public order," the Belarusian interior
ministry said in a statement on its Telegram messaging channel. The training
from Nov. 19-22 will be conducted in the capital of Minsk and in major regional
towns and centres, the ministry said. The 70-year-old Lukashenko, who calls
himself the "last dictator in Europe" has been a staunch ally of Russian
President Vladimir Putin and Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, which has now
continued for 1,000 days."



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