Eye on Extremism
December 26, 2024
Associated Press: At Least 2 Dead And 60 Hurt After A Car Drives Into A German Christmas Market In A Suspected Attack
“A car plowed into a busy outdoor Christmas market in the eastern German city of Magdeburg on Friday, killing at least two people and injuring at least 60 others in what authorities called a deliberate attack. The driver was arrested at the scene shortly after the car barreled into the market at around 7 p.m., when it was teeming with holiday shoppers looking forward to the weekend. Verified bystander footage distributed by the German news agency dpa showed the suspect’s arrest on a walkway in the middle of the road. A nearby police officer pointing a handgun at the man shouted at him as he lay prone. Other officers soon arrived to take the man into custody. The two people confirmed dead were an adult and a toddler, but officials said additional deaths couldn’t be ruled out because 15 people had been seriously injured.”
Reuters: Kurdish Militia In Syria Will Be Buried If They Do Not Lay Down Arms, Turkey's Erdogan Says
“Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday that Kurdish militants in Syria will either lay down their weapons or "be buried", amid hostilities between Turkey-backed Syrian fighters and the militants since the fall of Bashar al-Assad this month. Following Assad's departure, Ankara has repeatedly insisted that the Kurdish YPG militia must disband, asserting that the group has no place in Syria's future. The change in Syria's leadership has left the country's main Kurdish factions on the back foot. "The separatist murderers will either bid farewell to their weapons, or they will be buried in Syrian lands along with their weapons," Erdogan told lawmakers from his ruling AK Party in parliament. "We will eradicate the terrorist organisation that is trying to weave a wall of blood between us and our Kurdish siblings," he added.”
CEP Mentions
BBC News: Tributes Paid To Christmas Market Attack Victims At Magdeburg Cathedral
“… Hans-Jakob Schindler, senior director of the Counter Extremism Project, says the gap that allowed the attacker to access the market must be "explored and rectified". "No car should come close, let alone be on a Christmas market," he tells the BBC News channel. "There has to have been a gap that no one realised needed to be closed," Schindler adds. Reports suggest there was a tramline running alongside the market, meaning there was no barrier to allow the tram to pass, leaving a gap to access the markets, Schindler tells the programme. "This gap, and why it was there, and how the car got there, this needs to be explored and rectified," he says.”
The Times: Five Dead After Magdeburg Christmas Market Attack — As It Happened
“Olaf Scholz visited the city after 205 people were injured and five killed including a child, nine. Taleb al-Abdulmohsen has been named as the suspect… The gap that allowed the attacker to access the market, killing at least five and injuring more than 200, must be “explored and rectified”, an expert has said. Hans-Jakob Schindler, senior director of the Counter Extremism Project, told the BBC: “No car should come close, let alone be on a Christmas market. There has to have been a gap that no one realised needed to be closed.” Reports suggest that there was a tramline running alongside the market, meaning there was no barrier to allow the tram to pass which then left a gap to access the markets, Schindler said. “This gap, and why it was there, and how the car got there, this needs to be explored and rectified,” he added.”
DW News: Security Questions Over Christmas Market Attack In Magdeburg
“German security forces faced a series of difficult questions at Saturday's press conference in Magdeburg. Friday night's attack, in which Talib A.*, a 50-year-old Saudi man rammed a car into a crowd at a busy Christmas market in the Saxony-Anhalt capital, left five people dead and 200 more injured… Hans-Jakob Schindler of the Counter Extremism Project (CEP), an international non-profit policy advice organization, was not entirely satisfied with this explanation. But he acknowledged that the security plan in place — a combination of physical barriers, police officers on the ground, and security cameras — was a classic concept used for all major public events. "The most obvious and glaring thing is the physical barriers at Christmas markets: There should not be a gap in those physical barriers that let cars in that are not supposed to go in," he told DW. "Even if they were only left open temporarily, the perpetrator apparently knew of this, because he rented a car and drove to the Christmas market — so he was aware he would get through to the market with a car."”
NBC News: Europe's Far Right Taps Into Fears Over German Market Attack — Despite The Suspect's Islamophobic Views
“When a Saudi Arabian national was accused of ramming a car into a German Christmas market, members of the frequently anti-Muslim European far right said it proved their point. The deadly incident in Magdeburg was another example of Islamist terrorism, they said — and a result of the mass immigration they so vehemently oppose… There has been “zero” contrition from those on the right who sought to capitalize on the incident, said Hans-Jakob Schindler, the senior director of the Counter Extremism Project, a nonprofit international group focused on radical ideologies. Billionaire tech mogul Elon Musk, who has backed far-right figures in Europe, wrote on X that the “legacy media lies again” when news outlets, including NBC News, reported that officials described the suspect as Islamophobic. Other figures who were quick to interpret the attack have since kept quiet.”
DW News: German Foreign Policy: Crisis Mode To Continue In 2025
“It seems likely that Germany's biggest foreign policy challenge in 2025 will stem from the next US president, Donald Trump. He is expected to oppose much of what was prioritized by Chancellor Olaf Scholzand his recently ruptured center-left coalition government. "It is now clear that the old formula — that we can rely on the US to safeguard our security — no longer applies," Thorsten Benner, director of the Global Public Policy Institute (GPPI) in Berlin, told DW. "Trump is the new rule — and four years under Biden were the last twitches of the old transatlanticism." … "The balancing act was not perfect, but doing it any other way than it has been done so far would have been difficult," said Hans-Jakob Schindler, Middle East expert at the Counter Extremism Project (CEP). The entire European Union substantially reduced its involvement in the Middle East conflict many years ago, and Schindler notes that since October 7, the EU and Germany have had "hardly any weight in the talks, when it came to the decisions." "So it was really an American-Israeli dialogue, and the Europeans were — at most — spectators, offering comments from the sidelines," he told DW.”
Firstpost: Who Is The Saudi Doctor Behind The German Christmas Market Attack?
“A festive evening turned into a scene of horror on Friday, as a Christmas market in Magdeburg, Germany, became the target of a shocking vehicular attack. Amid the bustling and twinkling Christmas market, a black BMW SUV tore through protective barriers, careening 400 metres through the market. The devastating incident claimed two lives, including that of a child, and left nearly 70 people injured, 15 of whom remain in critical condition… However, Hans-Jakob Schindler, senior director of the Counter Extremism Project at the International Center for Counter-Terrorism (ICCT), urged caution in ruling out a wider network. “Obviously, everything is possible to do by yourself—you can rent a car by yourself, you can buy gas canisters by yourself, you can build an explosive device by yourself,” he explained. “But all these things in combination give the possibility of a wider support network, who were not in the car but helped the man prepare, and that is really important to determine,” Schindler told German media outlet DW.”
Daily Mail: Magdeburg Christmas Market Chaos: RECAP From Scene Of Incident In Germany After Car Drives Into Crowd Of People Killing 'At Least Two' And Injuring Nearly 70
“A car drove into a group of people at a Christmas market in the eastern German city of Magdeburg on Friday, leaving 'at least two' dead and nearly 70 people injured. Reports suggest the driver of the car, reported to be a dark BMW, was arrested following the crash which took place at 7:04pm today. Video footage too graphic to share appears to show the dark car careening into the dense crowd, leaving dozens of people lying on the floor. The Magdeburg Christmas market is located on the Old Market, directly next to Magdeburg Town Hall near the River Elbe, and was closed by organisers following the incident… Local authorities believe the suspect acted alone, however Hans-Jakob Schindler - a counter-terrorism expert has said it's too early to dismiss that the driver was working with others. The senior director of the Counter Extremism Project at the International Center for Counter-Terrorism (ICCT) believed reports of a 'suspicious bag' could indicate that the suspect had help.”
Channel 4: German Right-Wing Extremists Using Car Attack For Political Gain, Says Security Expert
“We’re joined from Berlin by Hans-Jakob Schindler, who is Senior Director of the Counter Extremism Project. Keme Nzerem: The suspect, Taleb A, he has a very unusual profile from what we are hearing. Have you ever come across somebody like this before who has perpetrated an act of such serious harm? Allegedly.Hans-Jakob Schindler: We did have cases where conspiracy theorists – and this is the category which he most fits into – had tried to perpetrate violent acts in Germany. There were attempts to abduct a federal minister last year. But this is a very odd and very specific combination of ideological narratives here, anti-Islamic hatred for Germany that protects him, hatred for the Saudis.”
NBC News: Europe's Far Right Taps Into Fears Over German Market Attack — Despite The Suspect's Islamophobic Views
“... There has been “zero” contrition from those on the right who sought to capitalize on the incident, said Hans-Jakob Schindler, the senior director of the Counter Extremism Project, a nonprofit international group focused on radical ideologies. Billionaire tech mogul Elon Musk, who has backed far-right figures in Europe, wrote on X that the “legacy media lies again” when news outlets, including NBC News, reported that officials described the suspect as Islamophobic. Other figures who were quick to interpret the attack have since kept quiet. “They despise our values,” Dutch anti-Islam leader Geert Wilders posted Friday on X. “This is our land, our freedom, our life. And we’ll defend it and never surrender.””
GBN: 'Must Be A Gap In Security!' Counter Extremism Expert Reacts To German Christmas Market Attack
“A counter-extremism expert has pointed to a significant security lapse that may have enabled Friday's deadly car-ramming attack at a German Christmas market. Hans-Jakob Schindler, Director of the Counter Extremism Project, told GB News: "There must have been a mistake or a gap in the security precautions."”
Daily Jang: Car Attack Leaves Two Dead In Germany Christmas Market
“... Hans-Jakob Schindler, a senior director at the Counter Extremism Project, while talking to Germany’s public broadcaster DW, said that the authorities might have called the Saudi doctor “a lone wolf” to not create any panic. He continued, “I think the announcement is giving the wrong impression.”. Schindler said that it is possible that the 50-year-old acted alone, but a possibility of a wider network who helped the man from afar cannot be dismissed. As the elections are near, this attack will most likely determine what it means for the future migration laws and policies in Germany.”
NDTV World: Video: The Moment When German Christmas Market Attack Suspect Was Arrested
“Dramatic footage has emerged capturing the moments when police arrested a suspect after a horrific car-ramming attack at a Christmas market in the German city of Magdeburg on Friday. The suspect, lying on the ground near a vehicle, was confronted by officers following the incident, which left two people dead, including a child, and 68 others injured. The footage, verified by the German news agency DPA, shows the suspect's arrest on a walkway in the middle of a road. In the video, the man is seen lying on the ground as a police officer, positioned just meters away with a handgun drawn, commands him to remain still. Moments later, more officers arrive at the scene, swiftly moving in to take the man into custody… According to a report in The Guardian, Hans-Jakob Schindler, a terrorist expert, told German media, "In the first instance it's a surprise that a vehicle of that size was able to drive onto a Christmas market in Germany."”
Sky News: Far-Right Misusing Attack For Electoral Gain - Despite Facts Of Case, Says Counter-Terror Expert
“A counter-terror expert has warned the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party is attempting to misuse the Christmas market attack for their own ends - despite reports the suspect supported them. Hans Jakob Schindler, senior director at the Counter Terrorism Project, said the party is trying to take advantage of the attack for electoral gain in February 2025. The AfD and other far-right European politicians have been quick to jump on reports the suspect was an immigrant. Yet he was allegedly an Islamophobe who voiced support on social media for the party - and for Elon Musk, who backed the AfD. "Populism and facts rarely gel in any country so obviously the right wing is trying to take advantage of this," said Schindler.”
Zeit Online: What We Know About The Attack In Magdeburg
“Early Friday evening, a person drove a car into a Christmas market in Magdeburg. The driver was arrested by the police after the incident. The Magdeburg public prosecutor's office is calling it an attack. However, a lot is still unclear. What we know about the incident at the Magdeburg Christmas market… That is still unclear. Hans-Jakob Schindler, extremism and terrorism expert from the Counter Extremism Project, told ZDF that he was surprised by the scale of the alleged attack in Magdeburg. There must have been a gap in the Christmas market's physical security concept. The entire area should have been cordoned off so that "nothing could get through," he said. "That should no longer be possible at all." Since the attack on the Christmas market at Berlin's Breitscheidplatz on December 19, 2016, many Christmas markets, especially in larger cities, have been secured with massive bollards or concrete blocks. At the time, an Islamist drove a truck loaded with around 25 tons of structural steel into a crowd. 13 people were killed. The perpetrator was initially able to escape and was later shot dead during a routine police check in northern Italy. The terrorist militia "Islamic State" claimed responsibility for the attack”
United States
The New York Times: In C.E.O. Murder Case, A Test Of New York’s Antiterrorism Laws
“Six days after Sept. 11, 2001, as New York City reeled from the worst terrorist attacks on United States soil, lawmakers in Albany passed sweeping antiterrorism laws. Since then, prosecutors have used them infrequently. But last week, the Manhattan district attorney’s office leveled a terrorism charge against Luigi Mangione, a 26-year-old man accused of killing a health insurance executive, classifying the crime not just as a murder but also as an attack on democracy. Prosecutors’ decision to characterize the killing of the UnitedHealthcare chief executive, Brian Thompson, as a political act will test the law. And it will have implications beyond the courtroom.”
Fox News: US Military Carries Out Airstrike In Syria, Killing 2 ISIS Operatives
“The U.S. military conducted an airstrike on Monday in Syria, where they killed a pair of ISIS operatives and destroyed a truckload of weapons, according to U.S. Central Command. A precision airstrike in the Dayr az Zawr Province, which was formerly controlled by the Syrian regime and Russians, killed two ISIS operatives and wounded another, CENTCOM said. The operatives were driving a truckload of weapons, which was destroyed, when they were targeted in the strike. "This airstrike is part of CENTCOM's ongoing commitment, along with partners in the region, to disrupt and degrade efforts by terrorists to plan, organize, and conduct attacks against civilians and military personnel from the U.S., our allies, and our partners throughout the region and beyond," CENTCOM said in a statement.”
Associated Press: US Drops $10m Terrorism Bounty Offered For Capture Of Syrian Rebel Leader Who Ousted Assad
“The Biden administration said Friday it has decided not to pursue a $10 million reward it had offered for the capture of a Syrian rebel leader whose forces led the ouster of President Bashar Assad earlier this month. The announcement followed a meeting in Damascus between the leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, Ahmad al-Sharaa, who was once aligned with al-Qaida, and the top U.S. diplomat for the Middle East, Barbara Leaf, who led the first U.S. diplomatic delegation into Syria since Assad’s ouster. HTS remains designated a foreign terrorist organization, and Leaf would not say if sanctions stemming from that designation would be eased. But, she told reporters that al-Sharaa had committed to renouncing terrorism and as a result the U.S. would no longer offer the reward.”
Syria
Voice Of America: Syrians Welcome New Rulers' Pledge Of Moderation But Are Concerned About Extremists In Their Midst
“With the militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) consolidating power in Syria following the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad, many Syrians fear the influence of extremist factions within the Islamist organization. HTS, a U.S.-designated terrorist group, emerged as the de facto ruler of Syria after Assad’s fall on December 8, following an 11-day rebel offensive. Formerly known as al-Nusra Front, the HTS was the main affiliate of al-Qaida in Syria until 2017, when it formally severed ties with the global terror group. Since seizing control of Damascus, HTS leader Ahmad al-Sharaa -- formerly known by his nom de guerre, Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, has adopted a more moderate stance, pledging to establish a state founded on tolerance and coexistence among the country’s diverse ethnic and religious groups.”
Voice Of America: New Syrian Authorities Say Armed Groups Will Dissolve
“Syria's new authorities said Tuesday that armed groups in the country agreed to dissolve and be integrated into the Defense Ministry. A statement said the decision followed a meeting between leaders of the armed groups and Ahmad al-Sharaa, who led the rebel advance that pushed longtime leader Bashar al-Assad from power. Sharaa has said the new authorities will "absolutely not allow there to be weapons in the country outside state control." That applies to Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, he said. The question of SDF's integration in the Syrian army "should be discussed directly," SDF spokesman Farhad Shami told AFP on Tuesday, adding that doing so would strengthen "the whole of Syria." His forces, he said, would prefer "dialogue with Damascus to resolve all questions."”
Turkey
Associated Press: The Warm Turkish Welcome For Refugees Is Ending And Syrians Are Worried
“Turkey gained renown as a haven for refugees by welcoming more than 3 million Syrians fleeing violence between forces from Bashar Assad ’s government and a patchwork of rebel groups. But the Syrian president’s ouster this month has led many in Turkey to argue that the refugees have no reason to stay, part of the global backlash against migration. Some Syrians are panicking about returning to a devastated nation. “There’s no work, electricity, or water. There is no leader. Who will it be? I have no idea,” said Mahmut Cabuli, who fled airstrikes by Syrian government forces and violence by rebel groups in his hometown Aleppo a decade ago. “I’m scared and don’t know what the authorities will do.” Cabuli spent several years in a refugee camp before he found a job at a textile factory in Gaziantep, a southern Turkish city near the Syrian border.”
Associated Press: Turkey And Russia Engage In Delicate Maneuvers Over Syria After Assad’s Downfall
“The rapid downfall of Syrian leader Bashar Assad has touched off a new round of delicate geopolitical maneuvering between Russia’s Vladimir Putin and Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan. With the dust still settling from the stunning events in Damascus, the outcome for now seems to be favoring Ankara, which backed the victorious rebels, while Moscow suffered a bruising blow to its international clout. “In the game of Czars vs. Sultans, this is Sultans 1 and Czars 0,” said Soner Cagaptay, director of the Turkish Research Program at the Washington Institute. “Far from being allies, Turkey and Russia are competitors. And in this case, Turkey has outsmarted Russia.” The Assad regime’s demise opens another chapter in the complex relationship between Putin and Erdogan, with wide-ranging implications not just for Syria but also for Ukraine and the two leaders’ ties with Washington.”
Associated Press: Kurdish-Led Forces Push Back Turkish-Backed Syrian Rebels In A Tense Offensive
“Kurdish-led fighters in Syria, known as the Syrian Democratic Forces, said Tuesday they have launched a counter-offensive against the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army to take back areas near Syria’s northern border with Turkey. The Kurdish-led SDF is Washington’s critical ally in Syria, targeting sleeper cells of the extremist Islamic State group scattered across the country’s east. Since the fall of the totalitarian rule of Bashar Assad earlier this month, clashes have intensified between the U.S.-backed group and the SNA, which captured the key city of Manbij and the areas surrounding it. The intense weekslong clashes come at a time when Syria, battered by over a decade of war and economic misery, negotiates its political future following half a century under the Assad dynasty’s rule.”
Afghanistan
The New York Times: Behind Afghanistan’s Fall, U.S.-Backed Militias Worse Than The Taliban
“The Taliban were inching closer, encroaching on land that had once seemed secure, the American officer warned. Four of his men had just been killed, and he needed Afghans willing to fight back. “Who will stand up?” the officer implored a crowd of 150 Afghan elders. The people in Kunduz Province were largely supportive of the Americans and opposed to the Taliban. But recruiting police officers was slow going and, by the summer of 2009, local officials and the American officer — a lieutenant colonel from the Georgia National Guard — landed on a risky approach: hiring private militias. A murmur of discontent passed through the crowd. “I don’t think this is a good idea,” an old man stood up and said, according to four people at the meeting. “We have seen this before. The militias will become a bigger problem than the Taliban.””
Associated Press: Afghanistan Welcomes Saudi Arabia’s Decision To Reopen Embassy In Kabul
“Afghanistan’s Foreign Ministry on Monday welcomed the reopening of Saudi Arabia’s Embassy in Kabul for the first time since the Taliban returned to power in 2021. On Sunday, the Saudi Embassy in Kabul said on X that it was resuming the mission’s activities “based on the government’s keenness to provide all services to the brotherly Afghan people.” A deputy spokesman for Afghanistan’s Foreign Ministry, Zia Ahmad Takal, said: “We welcome the reopening of the Saudi Arabian Embassy in Kabul and assure them that the ministry will cooperate in all matters and pay close attention to their safety.” Takal said authorities were optimistic that the embassy’s reopening would expand relations and cooperation between the two countries, while also addressing the problems and demands of Afghans living in Saudi Arabia in a timely manner.”
Pakistan
The New York Times: Terrorism Roars Back In Pakistan, 10 Years After A Campaign To End It
“Ten years have passed since Ajoon Khan’s son died in a ghastly attack by the Pakistani Taliban that killed about 150 people, mostly children, at a military-run school in Peshawar, in northwestern Pakistan. But the pain of loss is unrelenting — it grows only deeper with time. Mr. Khan, a lawyer, said he could never forget the parents sobbing and pleading outside the school gates, the soldiers storming the building, the children and the teachers fleeing in terror. “It has been nearly a decade, but it feels like nothing has changed,” said Mr. Khan, speaking last week, just before the Dec. 16 anniversary of the death of his son, Asfand, who had been in the 10th grade. “If you look at the security situation in the country, it feels that our children’s sacrifices were in vain.””
Associated Press: Taliban Say Pakistani Airstrikes Killed 46 People In Eastern Afghanistan, Mostly Women And Children
“Pakistan’s airstrikes on eastern Afghanistan killed 46 people, mostly women and children, a Taliban government official said Wednesday, raising fears of further straining relations between the two neighbors. Hamdullah Fitrat, the deputy spokesman for the Afghan government, said those killed in the strikes that targeted four locations in Barmal, a district in the province of Paktika, were refugees, adding that six others were also wounded. This comes a day after Pakistani security officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity in line with regulations, told The Associated Press that Tuesday’s operation was to dismantle a training facility and kill insurgents in Paktika. Earlier Wednesday, Mohammad Khurasani, the spokesman for the Pakistani Taliban or Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, claimed in a statement that 50 people, including 27 women and children, died in the strikes.”
Associated Press: Pakistani Taliban Claims Responsibility For A Deadly Military Checkpoint Attack In The Northwest
“The Pakistani Taliban on Saturday claimed responsibility for a deadly military checkpoint attack in the country’s northwest. The militant group said it killed 35 soldiers and injured 15 others in an early morning raid. It also claimed seizing equipment including a night vision device and weapons. It’s Pakistan Taliban’s latest assault on troops in the restive province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which borders Afghanistan. They made the claims in one of their WhatsApp chat groups. The army has yet to officially comment on the incident in South Waziristan, but a security official said militants used light and heavy weapons. He said they killed 16 soldiers and injured eight others. The official spoke anonymously because he was not authorized to talk to the media.”
Yemen
The Wall Street Journal: Israel’s Enemy In Yemen Proves Hard For U.S. To Deter
“Despite hundreds of American and allied strikes and the deployment of a U.S. Navy flotilla to the Red Sea, Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels have kept up a steady drumbeat of attacks on commercial shipping passing through the vital waterway and lobbing missiles at Israel. Other Iranian-backed groups, from Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon to the now-deposed regime of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad, have all stopped fighting, at least for now. Yet the Houthis, a U.S.-designated terrorist organization, continue to disrupt global trade, causing billions of dollars in losses and forcing shippers to reroute cargo or run a gantlet of missiles and drones. They say they won’t stop until Israel stops fighting in Gaza.”
Associated Press: Missile Fire From Yemen’s Houthi Rebels Sets Off Sirens In Central Israel For The Second Night
“A missile launched from Yemen triggered air raid sirens across central Israel early Wednesday, sending millions of residents looking for cover for the second night in a row. The military said the missile was intercepted before crossing into Israeli territory, but police reported shrapnel from the interception fell in several towns. There were no reports of injuries. It was the fourth time in a week that fire from Yemen’s Houthi rebels set off sirens in Israel. On Saturday, 1 6 people were injured when a missile hit a playground in Tel Aviv after Israel’s air defense system failed to intercept it. Earlier last week, Israeli jets struck Yemen’s rebel-held capital and a port city, killing nine. Israel said the strikes were in response to previous Houthi attacks.”
Lebanon
Reuters: Lebanon Hopes For Neighbourly Relations In First Message To New Syria Government
“Lebanon said on Thursday it was looking forward to having the best neighbourly relations with Syria, in its first official message to the new administration in Damascus. Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib passed the message to his Syrian counterpart, Asaad Hassan al-Shibani, in a phone call, the Lebanese Foreign Ministry said on X. Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah played a major part propping up Syria's ousted President Bashar al-Assad through years of war, before bringing its fighters back to Lebanon over the last year to fight in a bruising war with Israel - a redeployment which weakened Syrian government lines. Under Assad, Hezbollah used Syria to bring in weapons and other military equipment from Iran, through Iraq and Syria and into Lebanon.”
Associated Press: Prominent Lebanese Figure Meets Syrian Insurgent Who Led Assad’s Ouster, Seeking Better Relations
“A prominent Lebanese politician held talks on Sunday with the insurgent who led the overthrow of Syria’s President Bashar Assad, with both expressing hope for a new era in relations. Druze leader Walid Jumblatt is the most important politician from Lebanon to visit Syria since the Assad family’s 54-year rule ended two weeks ago. Jumblatt was a longtime critic of Syria’s involvement in Lebanon and blamed Assad’s father, former leader Hafez Assad, for the assassination of his own father. Ahmad al-Sharaa led the Sunni Islamist rebels who swept into Damascus this month. Now wearing a suit and tie, he has been meeting diplomats and others as Assad’s fall reshapes alliances and gives many long-stifled Syrians hope after more than 13 years of civil war and international sanctions.”
Middle East
Reuters: Israeli Defense Minister Claims Responsibility For First Time For Hamas Leader Haniyeh's Assassination
“Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz admitted on Monday for the first time publicly to Israel's killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Iran in July, further risking tensions between Tehran and its arch-enemy Israel in a region shaken by Israel's war in Gaza and the conflict in Lebanon. "These days, when the Houthi terrorist organization is firing missiles at Israel, I want to convey a clear message to them at the beginning of my remarks: We have defeated Hamas, we have defeated Hezbollah, we have blinded Iran's defense systems and damaged the production systems, we have toppled the Assad regime in Syria, we have dealt a severe blow to the axis of evil, and we will also deal a severe blow to the Houthi terrorist organization in Yemen, which remains the last to stand," Katz said.”
The New York Times: Israel Intercepts Houthi Missile And Threatens Militant Group’s Leaders
“The Houthi militia group in Yemen fired a missile at Israel on Tuesday, hours after Israel’s defense minister suggested that his government would seek to kill its leadership, highlighting the difficulty Israel faces in confronting the Iran-backed militants as they ramp up their assaults. Sirens wailed in Tel Aviv and other parts of central Israel early on Tuesday morning, and loud booms could be heard as far away as Jerusalem as the country’s aerial defenses repelled the attack. The Israeli military later said the missile had been successfully intercepted outside of its territory; there were no reports of casualties. The Houthis, who act as the de facto government in much of northern Yemen, have been firing on Israel in solidarity with their Palestinian allies since shortly after the Hamas-led attacks on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, that prompted the war in Gaza.”
Reuters: Israel Asks Diplomats To Seek Houthis' Listing As Terrorists
“Israel has instructed its diplomatic missions in Europe to try to get the Iran-backed Houthi rebel group in Yemen designated as a terrorist organisation. The Houthis have repeatedly fired drones and missiles towards Israel in what the group describes as acts of solidarity with Palestinians fighting Israeli forces in Gaza. The attacks have disrupted international shipping routes, forcing firms to re-route to longer and more expensive journeys that have in turn stoked fears over global inflation. "The Houthis pose a threat not only to Israel but also to the region and the entire world. The first and most basic thing to do is to designate them as a terrorist organization," Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar said in a statement.”
Africa
The New York Times: After Military Took Power, Terrorist Attacks Only Got Worse
“Attacks that killed dozens of civilians and soldiers in Niger this month have put a spotlight on the military’s failure to restore security in the West African nation, nearly 18 months after staging a coup. When the military seized power in July 2023, the generals claimed they were better suited to restore order to a country racked by the world’s deadliest jihadist insurgency. But Niger has since spiraled into further violence, with frequent attacks on military forces, the recent destruction of a village and the killing of more than 20 passengers on a bus. The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the attack on military forces. All three attacks took place in western Niger, where affiliates of the Islamic State and Al Qaeda are active.”
Reuters: Three Teachers Killed Near Kenya's Somalia Border In A Suspected Militant Attack - Police
“ Three teachers were killed in Kenya near the country's border with Somalia in a suspected attack by al Shabaab militants, a police report seen by Reuters said on Monday, in what would be the latest assault by the group since the new year. The militia also attacked a local police station and destroyed a telecommunications mast in the attack in the early hours of Monday in Garissa county, the report read.”
France
Reuters: France Extends Olympics Security Measures To Christmas Market. Rights Defenders Cry Foul
“The first time French police informed the Chechen refugee that he was prohibited from leaving the northeastern city of Strasbourg and must check in with them daily, he did not think it worth contesting the order. France was in the midst of a massive security operation for the summer Olympic Games, he explained, and he did not think authorities would listen to someone identified as a potential threat because of interactions with people identified as 'pro-Jihadist.' But when the Ministry of Interior extended the order in late August to help protect a famed Christmas market that was the target of a deadly attack in 2018, the refugee, known to friends as Khaled, appealed to the city's administrative court.”
Germany
Fox News: 5 Dead, Many Injured After Man Drives Into German Christmas Market In Suspected Terror Attack: Report
“A festive Christmas market in Eastern Germany erupted into chaos after a car was driven into a group of people in the city of Magdeburg on Friday in a suspected terrorist attack. Five people were reportedly killed and more than 200 were injured in the incident, according to reports. Officials continue to investigate the incident, according to a spokesperson for the local rescue service, as reported by AFP. Several of the injured are said to be in critical condition. U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller called the incident an "attack," writing in a social media post: "We are horrified by the attack today in Magdeburg, Germany. We send our condolences to those affected and stand by our friend and Ally Germany."”
Europe
Associated Press: Hungary’s Orbán Blames Immigration And EU For The Deadly Attack In Germany
“Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán on Saturday drew a direct link between immigration and an attack in Germany where a man drove into a Christmas market teeming with holiday shoppers, killing at least five people and injuring 200 others. During a rare appearance before independent media in Budapest, Orbán expressed his sympathy to the families of the victims of what he called the “terrorist act” on Friday night in the city of Magdeburg. But the long-serving Hungarian leader, one of the European Union’s most vocal critics, also implied that the 27-nation bloc’s migration policies were to blame. German authorities said the suspect, a 50-year-old Saudi doctor, is under investigation. He has lived in Germany since 2006, practicing medicine.”
Russia
Bloomberg: Russia Says Terrorist Attack Behind Army Cargo Ship Sinking, RIA Reports
“A Russian military cargo ship that sank in the Mediterranean Sea this week was the target of a terrorist attack, Russian state news service RIA Novosti reported, citing the owner of the vessel. The Ursa Major, the biggest cargo ship in the Russian military’s logistics fleet, suffered three explosions on its right side before sinking, according to Oboronlogistika, a company owned by the Russian Defense Ministry that transports military and civilian goods. The ship was lost on Dec. 23, with two crew members reported missing and 14 others rescued. The Ursa Major, which had a capacity of 1,200 tons and could fit 120 vehicles on its deck, was the biggest cargo vessel operated by Oboronloga.”
The Counter Extremism Project depends on the generosity of its supporters. If you value what we do, please consider making a donation.
