(New York, N.Y.) — The Counter Extremism Project (CEP) reports on the methods used by extremists and terrorist groups on the Internet to spread propaganda and incite violence. Online ISIS supporters and propagandists responded to the U.S. and Israeli war with Iran by celebrating the weakening of the Iranian regime. At the same time, administrators of extreme right Telegram channels and chat users promoted antisemitic conspiracy theories and spread anti-Muslim and anti-Iranian content.
An editorial in ISIS’s Al-Naba newsletter, released on February 26, condemned al-Qaeda for its leaders’ relationship with Iran, accusing them of abandoning their principles in exchange for shelter. A pro-ISIS online propaganda group and the ISIS-K-linked online propaganda group Al-Azaim Media requested donations via the privacy cryptocurrency Monero. In a TikTok search on February 25, CEP researchers located 20 accounts that posted ISIS or pro-ISIS propaganda. Only one account had been removed by March 2. On February 23, ISIS online supporters noted that while TikTok presented privacy risks, it was still a powerful tool for spreading the terrorist group’s content.
On February 24, the main Telegram channel for the white supremacist under-18 Youth Club movement posted a roundup of propaganda activity and events for its first year of existence. On the X platform, a video posted by a white supremacist Active Club-affiliated account received over 750,000 views within six days. A Pennsylvania chapter of the Active Club movement announced its participation in an upcoming “forest fights” competition. And on the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, a Russian neo-Nazi Telegram channel with more than 1,700 subscribers uploaded a video celebrating the murders of Ukrainians.
Online ISIS Supporters and Extreme Right Propagandists Respond to U.S. and Israeli War With Iran
Following the beginning of U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran on February 28, a pro-ISIS Telegram channel urged its followers to “rejoice in the good news,” claiming that the terrorist group was the ultimate beneficiary of the conflict. The channel claimed that Iran had attacked air bases in Kuwait and Qatar that the U.S. had used to launch unmanned aerial vehicles against ISIS fighters in the region, noting with satisfaction that “every Western military base targeted in the region” was a victory, as well as “every airstrike on Iran.” Pro-ISIS Telegram channels also celebrated the killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, with one channel stating their hope that the Iranian government would be further weakened and more leaders killed. Users on a pro-ISIS series of chatrooms on the RocketChat platform noted that the Iranian military response to the U.S. and Israel was not particularly lethal, and wanted the Iranian government and military to be destroyed, in the hope that this would give ISIS Khorasan Province an advantage in the region.
Over a dozen extreme right Telegram channels condemned the U.S. and Israeli attack on Iran. Channel administrators invoked the Zionist Occupied Government (ZOG) conspiracy theory, accusing Jews of secretly running the U.S. government, with one channel dedicated to neo-Nazism and national security issues blaming the conflict on “international Jewry.” Several channels and users also posted anti-Muslim or anti-Iranian content, including a member of a Telegram chat connected to a neo-Nazi podcast, which advocated for “total Persian death.” Multiple other users in the chat and other channel administrators noted their dismay that Iran was not more successful in targeting Israel or U.S. military forces.
Al-Naba Editorial Condemns Al-Qaeda for Its Relationship with Iran
ISIS, via the Al-Naba editorial in issue 536, released on February 26, condemned al-Qaeda for its relationship with Iran. The editorial noted that al-Qaeda leadership is focused on politics and has endorsed alliances for the sake of longevity, but claimed that in return for a haven in Iran, al-Qaeda leaders had to submit to “indoctrination.” The author stated that Iran does not impose Shiitism on all of their proxies, but sees an advantage in allowing groups like al-Qaeda to keep their religious character. The editorial noted that even so, al-Qaeda statements from the group’s central leadership align with Iranian policies, most notably, a February 3 statement from al-Qaeda condemning regional U.S. military activity and calling for attacks on U.S. and Israeli forces and allies.
The editorial was released two days before the U.S. and Israeli attacks against Iran on February 28. The editorial also comes after ISIS claimed to have killed 41 members of al-Qaeda in two attacks in Burkina Faso on February 11 and February 14.
Pro-ISIS Propaganda Groups Request Monero Donations
On February 24, in a post on RocketChat, the pro-ISIS online propaganda group al-Hatf Media requested donations via the privacy cryptocurrency Monero. The RocketChat channel was created on January 29, 2026, and produces pro-ISIS content in English and Urdu, including posters and videos, primarily ISIS nasheed videos with subtitles.
On February 25 and 26, the ISIS-K-linked online propaganda group Al-Azaim Media posted donation requests via the privacy-focused cryptocurrency Monero on Element and RocketChat. The post on multiple channels, including English, Pashto, Russian, and Tajik, recommended donating if one could not fight, and suggested donating in secret. The Monero address shared on Element and RocketChat was the same wallet that appeared in Al-Azaim Media’s Voice of Khorasan web magazine, released on January 31.
ISIS-K linked Al-Azaim Media Monero request on RocketChat. Screenshot taken on February 26.
ISIS and Pro-ISIS Propaganda, Including a Recent Spokesperson’s Speech, Located on TikTok
In a TikTok search on February 25, CEP researchers identified 20 accounts that posted ISIS and pro-ISIS propaganda. Accounts posted clips from ISIS propaganda videos, pages from the terrorist group’s Al-Naba newsletter, ISIS and pro-ISIS propaganda posters, and Nashir and Amaq claims of responsibility for attacks. One account, with over 2,700 followers, posted the entire 35-minute speech by ISIS’s spokesperson Abu Hudhayfah Al-Ansari, released on February 21, 2026. The video had over 3,800 views on TikTok within 3 days of posting. Ten accounts included imagery advertising the speech. Four accounts claimed to be connected to ISIS or pro-ISIS propaganda groups, including two accounts for an ISIS Kurdish language propaganda group.
Other accounts posted content specifically related to violence, including a poster urging attacks on Syrian transitional government vehicles and instructions for making an incendiary device. Another account with over 500 followers posted a still image from a notoriously gory 2016 propaganda video.
The 20 accounts averaged 1,095 followers, ranging from 72 to 3,270. CEP researchers reported the 20 accounts to TikTok on February 26 for violating the platform’s policies. As of March 2, 19 accounts were still online.
On February 23, pro-ISIS users on the RocketChat platform warned that TikTok should be used only with a VPN and that users should be aware of privacy issues when using the app. Still, they noted that despite the risk, “TikTok remains one of the most effective ways to spread the message… and share news of the mujahideen with the general… public.” The same poster noted that TikTok posts could receive “tens or even hundreds of thousands” of views.
ISIS spokesperson Abu Hudhayfah Al-Ansari’s February 21 speech, “The Right Course Has Become Clear from the Wrong,” on TikTok. Screenshot taken on February 26. The account that posted the video was still online as of March 2.
Roundup of Claimed ISIS Attacks
Between February 22 and 28, ISIS claimed credit for 14 attacks. Four attacks occurred in Syria; four in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, three in Mozambique, two in Nigeria, and one in Niger. The attacks in Syria came after ISIS’s spokesperson, Abu Hudhayfah Al-Ansari, called for renewed fighting in Syria on February 21, targeting the transitional government led by Ahmed al-Sharaa. In an Amaq statement dated February 24, claiming responsibility for an attack in Raqqa targeting Syrian transitional government “internal security” forces, ISIS’s propaganda group noted that recent attacks in Syria occurred after the ISIS spokesperson “called for making fighting the regime a priority and mobilizing all efforts towards that goal.”
February 24 ISIS Amaq claim of responsibility for an attack targeting Syrian government soldiers in Raqqa.
Main Youth Club Account Posts First Anniversary Activity Roundup
On February 24, the main Telegram channel for the white supremacist under-18 Youth Club movement posted a roundup of propaganda activity, events, and competitions for 2025 and early 2026, encompassing the movement’s first year of existence. The post claimed that individual clubs had received over 200,000 social media impressions and had participated in over 900 instances of spreading propaganda through posters, flyers, or stickers. The post noted the movement’s transnational nature, with clubs in Great Britain, Northern Ireland, and Australia. Also, it stated that two Youth Clubs had participated in official Active Club events, the annual Frontier tournament, and a 2026 Pennsylvania event.
On February 12, a central Youth Club Telegram channel placed the movement within the Active Club “3.0” concept, noting the approval of the white supremacist Active Club movement and its founder, Robert Rundo.
A photo of an anti-Latino, anti-Black, antisemitic, and anti-Muslim propaganda poster uploaded to Telegram on February 25 by a Texas Youth Club chapter. Screenshot taken on February 26.
Video Posted by Active Club Affiliated Account on X Receives over 750,000 Views
A video posted on X by an account belonging to the white supremacist Active Club movement received over 750,000 views on the platform within six days. The video shows a flare-lit extreme right demonstration, allegedly in front of an antifascist bar in France, “calling out revenge” for Quentin Deranque, a student and far-right activist who was recently beaten to death, allegedly by far-left activists in Lyon. Active Club social media accounts have posted extensively about Deranque’s killing. The X account has a blue check mark, indicating that it is subscribed to X Premium and thus meets “eligibility criteria.”
Commemorating killings or calling for the release of imprisoned allies, especially during periods of increased media attention, is a strategy used by extreme right groups to increase their propaganda reach, recruit, and make alliances.
In addition to the large number of views, the post was liked over 2,600 times and shared by almost 550 accounts. The number of impressions on the February 26 post far exceeds the typical view count for videos uploaded by the account, which typically hover between 1,500 and 3,500.
Active Club affiliated post on X with over 768,000 views. Screenshot taken on February 26.
Pennsylvania Active Club Announces Participation in Forest Fights Competition
On February 25, the main Pennsylvania chapter of the Active Club movement announced its participation in forest fights, a team mixed martial arts (MMA) event featuring two teams of seven. An affiliated Instagram account noted the fight rules, such as no time limit, and the fight ending when one team remains standing, mandating the use of mouthguards and 4 oz gloves, and others. The Instagram account also noted the participation of an Appalachian team, including at least one member of another Active Club chapter.
Forest fights originated as a form of organized fighting among soccer hooligan firms in Europe in the 1990s, and have spread throughout Europe and beyond in the 2010s.
Russian Neo-Nazi Telegram Channel Celebrates Deaths of Ukrainians on Fourth Anniversary of Invasion
On February 24, the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, a neo-Nazi Telegram channel with over 1,700 subscribers posted a video celebrating the deaths of Ukrainians. The channel administrator, who has previously made posts supporting neo-Nazism, the Russian armed forces, and the Oklahoma City Bomber, Timothy McVeigh, noted that they were looking forward to eventually compiling a list of all Ukrainians killed in the war. The channel has frequently posted gory photos of combat casualties.