“A senior White House official on Thursday said nuclear-armed Pakistan is
developing long-range ballistic missile capabilities that eventually could
allow it to strike targets well beyond South Asia, making it an "emerging
threat" to the United States. Deputy National Security Adviser Jon Finer's
surprise revelation underscored how far the once-close ties between Washington
and Islamabad have deteriorated since the 2021 U.S. troop withdrawal from
Afghanistan. It also raised questions about whether Pakistan has shifted the
objectives of nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs long intended to
counter those of India, with which it has fought three major wars since 1947.”











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Eye on Extremism



December 20, 2024



**NOTE: Eye on Extremism media monitoring will be suspended Monday, December
23rd through Wednesday, December 25th. It will resume Thursday, December 26th.**



Reuters: Pakistan's Missile Program Is 'Emerging Threat', Top US Official Says
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“A senior White House official on Thursday said nuclear-armed Pakistan is
developing long-range ballistic missile capabilities that eventually could
allow it to strike targets well beyond South Asia, making it an "emerging
threat" to the United States. Deputy National Security Adviser Jon Finer's
surprise revelation underscored how far the once-close ties between Washington
and Islamabad have deteriorated since the 2021 U.S. troop withdrawal from
Afghanistan. It also raised questions about whether Pakistan has shifted the
objectives of nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs long intended to
counter those of India, with which it has fought three major wars since 1947.”



Reuters: Israel's Netanyahu Eyes Iran After Triumphs Over Hamas, Hezbollah,
Syria
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“2025 will be a year of reckoning for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu and his country's arch foe Iran. The veteran Israeli leader is set to
cement his strategic goals: tightening his military control over Gaza,
thwarting Iran's nuclear ambitions and capitalising on the dismantling of
Tehran's allies -- Palestinian Hamas, Lebanon's Hezbollah and the removal of
Syrian president Bashar al-Assad. Assad's collapse, the elimination of the top
leaders of Hamas and Hezbollah and the destruction of their military structure
mark a succession of monumental wins for Netanyahu. Without Syria, the
alliances Tehran has nurtured for decades have unraveled. As Iran's influence
weakens, Israel is emerging as the dominant power in the region.”




Recent CEP Press Releases

*
Antisemitic Violence Instigated by Pro-Palestinian Protestors in Amsterdam
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*
Statement on the Death of Hamas Leader Yahya Sinwar
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*
One Year After October 7
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*
CEP Report: Civilian Counterterrorism Militias Take Action, Introduce New
Challenges To Combatting Violent Extremism In Africa
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*
Counter Extremism Project Statement Marking 9/11
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CEP Mentions



The Jerusalem Post: The Unique Brutality Of Yemen's Houthi Intelligence
Services - Exclusive <[link removed]>



“The Counter Extremism Project (CEP) on Thursday published a report delving
into the unique brutality of the Yemen Houthi intelligence services. The
report, which The Jerusalem Post exclusively obtaining a copy of the report
prior to its publication, names some of the top Yemen Houthis intelligence
officials which could also lead to new sanctions against some of those
individuals. Also, the report uncovers how the Yemen Houthis have “laundered”
some of their officialsinto their Foreign Ministry in order to continue to
sabotage and siphon off humanitarian aid after global powers started to notice
the intelligence ministry was undertaking such illegal activities.”



Express: UK Tells Syria's New Ruler That ISIS Must Not Be Allowed To Regain
Strength
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“Islamic State must not be allowed to rebuild in Syria, Britain has told the
Islamist rebels that overthrew Bashar al-Assad. Diplomats have held talks with
Hayat Tahrir al Sham (HTS) leader Ahmad al Sharaa in Damascus, despite the
group being proscribed as a terrorist organisation… Dr Hans-Jakob Schindler,
Senior Director at the Counter Extremism Project, said: “To fully assess the
emerging terrorism challenges emanating from the fall of the Assad regime and
the rise of HTS, it is important to understand that from a global Islamist
terrorist perspective, these events did not happen in a vacuum. “Islamist
terrorist sympathizers think that their forces were able to drive American and
international forces out of Afghanistan in 2021; expel the French, the United
Nations, and American and European forces out of West Africa since 2022; and
now defeat Russia and Iran in Syria.”



United States



Washington Examiner: Virginia College Student Arrested By FBI For Plotting
Terrorist Attack On Israeli Consulate
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“A Virginia college student was arrested by the FBI this week for allegedly
plotting a terrorist attack on the Israeli Consulate in New York City. Abdullah
Ezzeldin Taha Mohamed Hassan, an Egyptian national and 18-year-old student at
George Mason University in Virginia, was taken into custody on Tuesday by the
FBI Washington Field Office’s Joint Terrorism Task Force. He was busted for
telling his plans for the attack to an undercover FBI informant. He faces
federal charges on one count of “demonstrating how to manufacture an explosive
with intent to murder internationally protected persons,” according to reports.
He reportedly referred to the consulate as a “goldmine of targets” for such
violent terrorist attacks.”



The Washington Examiner: Pentagon Quietly Doubled Troop Presence In Syria
Prior To Assad’s Fall
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“The U.S. military more than doubled the number of troops it has in Syria to
fight ISIS prior to the collapse of the Assad regime earlier this month.
Pentagon officials have long said the United States had about 900 troops in the
country, the exact total fluctuating frequently due to the ending and beginning
of various deployments, though Maj. Gen. Patrick Ryder, the Pentagon’s
spokesman, told reporters on Thursday that the tally is actually around 2,000
troops. The increased number of troops arrived prior to Assad’s collapse and
were deployed to augment the “core” 900 troops, whose mission is specifically
to prevent the growth and reconstitution of ISIS, he said. The roughly 1,100
others are “temporary forces,” which Ryder said have been there for “months.””



Iraq



Reuters: Iraq Sends Nearly 2,000 Syrian Soldiers Back Home
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“Iraq sent back nearly 2,000 Syrian soldiers on Thursday to their homeland
after they had sought refuge in Iraq during the advance of rebel forces that
toppled President Bashar al-Assad earlier this month, according to an Iraqi
military statement. The Syrian soldiers were returned at their request and
entered via a border crossing between Iraq and Syria, it said. "In coordination
with some parties on the Syrian side, 1,905 Syrian officers and soldiers were
handed over in a legal manner to a protection force on the Syrian side at the
Al-Qaim border crossing," the statement said. Their weapons remained in the
possession of the Iraqi defence ministry and would be handed over to a new
Syrian government once formed, it added.”



Middle East



Associated Press: Israeli Airstrikes Hit Yemen’s Rebel-Held Capital And Port
City After Houthi Attack Targets Israel
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“A series of intense Israeli airstrikes shook Yemen’s rebel-held capital and
a port city early Thursday and killed at least nine people, officials said,
shortly after a Houthi missile targeted central Israel. Thursday’s strikes risk
further escalating conflict with the Iranian-backed Houthis, whose attacks on
the Red Sea corridor have drastically impacted global shipping. The rebels have
so far avoided the same level of intense military strikes that have targeted
Palestinian militant group Hamas and Lebanon’s Hezbollah, fellow members of
Tehran’s self-described “Axis of Resistance.” Israel’s military said that it
conducted two waves of strikes in a preplanned operation that began early
Thursday and involved 14 fighter jets.”



United Kingdom



BBC: Neo-Nazi With Home 'Armoury' Jailed For 10 Years
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“An extremist who amassed an "armoury" at his home and discussed launching an
attack on a local LGBT group has been jailed for 10 years. A court heard Alan
Edward, 55, from Falkirk who had nearly 28,000 followers on social media,
believed in white supremacy and openly expressed racist, homophobic and
anti-Semitic views. He denied all the offences, but a jury found him guilty of
charges under the Terrorism Act, racism, anti-semitism, holocaust denial and
breach of the peace. Edward will also be supervised for five years following
his release, and monitored for 30 years under the terms of the Terrorism Act.
Judge Fiona Tait told Edward: "The author of the risk assessment on you
assesses you at high risk of re-offending.”



Europe



Associated Press: Russian Bombardment Targets Kyiv After Ukraine Fires US-Made
Missiles Across The Border
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“A Russian ballistic missile attack on Ukraine’s capital Kyiv early Friday
killed at least one person and injured 12 others, officials said. Moscow
claimed it was in response to a Ukrainian strike on Russian soil using
American-made weapons. At least three loud blasts were heard in Kyiv shortly
before sunrise. Ukraine’s air force said it intercepted five Iskander
short-range ballistic missiles fired at the city. The attack knocked out
heating to 630 residential buildings, 16 medical facilities, and 30 schools and
kindergartens, the city administration said, and falling missile debris caused
damage and sparked fires in three districts. “We ask citizens to immediately
respond to reports of ballistic attack threats, because there is very little
time to find shelter,” the air force said.”



Southeast Asia



Associated Press: 5 Suspected Militants Killed In Kashmir Fighting, Indian
Military Says
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“Government forces in Indian-controlled Kashmir killed five suspected
militants in a gunbattle on Thursday, the Indian military said. Soldiers and
police launched a joint operation after receiving a tip that rebels were hiding
in a village in southern Kulgam district, the military said in a statement. The
militants opened “indiscriminate and heavy volumes of fire” at the raiding
troops, leading to a gunbattle, it said. Five militants were killed in the
fighting, the statement said, adding that two soldiers were also injured.
Troops continued to search the area. There was no independent confirmation of
the battle. India and Pakistan each administer a part of Kashmir, but both
claim the territory in its entirety.”



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