Eye on Extremism: April 15, 2026
Top Stories
Military Times: Amid focus on Strait of Hormuz, experts sound warning on Yemen’s Houthis and Red Sea
The world’s attention is fixed on the Strait of Hormuz now that the U.S. Navy is blockading the crucial shipping channel at President Donald Trump’s behest. But some foreign policy experts warn that the strait is not the only potential choke point that Iran and its proxies could leverage.
Holocaust survivors from around the world joined thousands of people on Tuesday in the March of the Living, an annual event held at the site of the Auschwitz concentration camp in memory of the 6 million Jews killed by Nazi Germany during World War II. Revital Yakin Krakovsky, deputy chief executive of the International March of the Living organization, warned that antisemitism is alive today despite the lessons of the Holocaust.
CEP Mentions
Deutschlandfunk Radio: Shiite extremism: the networks of the Iranian regime in Germany
CEP Senior Director Hans-Jakob Schindler discusses the Iranian terrorism threat in Germany and Europe.
Analysis
Jewish Insider: Weakened Iran, shaken Hezbollah: A rare opening for Israel-Lebanon diplomacy
A popular “domino effect” meme circulates online every few months, linking slain Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar’s decision to launch the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks — the smallest domino — to a series of major geopolitical shifts across the Middle East. While both simplified and exaggerated, the meme underscores the dramatic reshaping of Middle Eastern power dynamics.
The Africa Center for Strategic Studies’ report, “The Widening Scope of Africa’s Militant Islamist Threat” (April 2026), shows that militant Islamist groups across Africa killed nearly 24,000 people in 2025—a 24 percent increase from the prior year—while generating 8,375 violent events, the highest number ever recorded on the continent. These numbers reflect a broad, sustained escalation across multiple operational environments simultaneously, driven by increasingly capable and organizationally sophisticated adversaries.
United States
Washington Post: DOJ moves to undo Jan. 6 rioters’ convictions for seditious conspiracy
Federal prosecutors are seeking to wipe out the seditious conspiracy convictions of 12 members of the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers who helped plan the Jan. 6, 2021, riots and led the charge into the U.S. Capitol, according to court documents filed Tuesday.
The U.S. military carried out a lethal strike on a suspected drug-trafficking vessel in the Eastern Pacific, killing four alleged narco-terrorists, according to U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM).
New York Times: Inside the Radical Zionist Group Linked to an N.Y.C. Assassination Plot
When law enforcement officials disrupted a plot to assassinate a Palestinian activist in New York last month, they said the man behind it belonged to a little-known group, a modern-day offshoot of the once-notorious extremist organization, the Jewish Defense League.
JNS: Hillsdale professor warns of Jew-hatred on the right
The promise of “Never again,” that the Holocaust won’t recur, won’t be realized by “guilting the world” but instead by “being strong, by having institutions, by having firearms, by knowing how to defend them.” That’s according to David Azerrad, assistant professor and research fellow at Hillsdale College’s school of government in Washington, D.C., who spoke to JNS on Tuesday, on Yom HaShoah, after delivering a lecture about Jew-hatred on the online Right on Monday night.
A Texas man accused of firebombing OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s home was held without bail Tuesday as his lawyer claimed he was in a mental health crisis. Daniel Moreno-Gama, 20, appeared in a San Francisco courtroom but did not enter a plea on multiple charges, including attempted murder. A judge granted a delay in his arraignment, and he is due back in court May 5.
Jewish Insider: New Yale Youth Poll finds younger voters hold decidedly more antisemitic beliefs
Younger voters are significantly more likely to hold antisemitic beliefs and critical views of Israel compared to older generations, according to a new survey. The Yale Youth Poll, an undergraduate-led research group based at Yale University, polled over 3,400 American voters, more than half of whom were under 35, between March 9-23.
Citing an “unprecedented and escalating threat environment facing religious communities and institutions” across the country, a coalition of Jewish groups, joined by organizations representing a range of other faiths, is urging Senate and House leaders to significantly expand funding for the Nonprofit Security Grant Program.
Fox 32 Chicago: Chicago City Council to weigh ban on officers' participation in ‘extremist activity’
The Chicago City Council is expected to consider an ordinance that would ban police officers from engaging in "extremist activity."
Canada
Terms like “Zionazi” recast Jews as Nazis, turning the Holocaust into a weapon against its victims. Nearby, messages such as “F* Zionism,” “End Israel,” “Stop Israel Cult Now,” and “Death to the IDF” appear in steady rotation, reinforcing the same message across the space.
Republic of Trinidad and Tobago
The Republic of Trinidad and Tobago designated Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Hezbollah, and Hamas as terrorist organizations in a decision published by the government's official Gazette on Monday.
Europe
Reuters: Proposed antisemitism laws in France and Italy stir free speech debate
French and Italian lawmakers are due to vote on new laws defining antisemitism, proposed in the wake of a surge in anti-Jewish incidents but which critics say could be used to censor criticism of Israel and chill protest movements. The French law, which is scheduled to be debated on Thursday, proposes to sanction "implicitly" justifying terrorism, calling for the destruction of a state recognised by France, and comparisons of Israel to the Nazis.
France
An Iranian national convicted in France on charges of inciting terrorism went back to Iran on Wednesday, one week after two French nationals detained in Tehran returned to France, according to Iranian state television. Mahdieh Esfandiari was sentenced by a Paris criminal court in February to one year in prison with an additional three-year suspended sentence, along with a permanent ban from French territory, over comments she made about the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023 attacks on Israel. She appealed the decision.
The Telegraph: Kanye West postpones French concert over anti-Semitism row
Kanye West has postponed a concert in Marseille amid calls to ban him from performing in France because of his anti-Semitic remarks. In recent years, West has made headlines for saying that he “loved the Nazis”, selling T-shirts emblazoned with swastikas as part of his branded merchandise, and releasing a track called Heil Hitler that was banned on major streaming platforms.
Germany
BBC: New search engine reveals if ancestors were in Nazi party
A new German online search engine is helping people to discover if their ancestors were members of the Nazi Party. Christian Rainer, from Austria, told the BBC he found the name of his grandfather "within a few seconds".
Netherlands
An exhibition in Amsterdam this week memorializing children killed in Gaza appeared to appropriate Holocaust imagery by using shoes to symbolize the Palestinian victims.
North Macedonia
Jerusalem Post: Synagogue targeted in first such arson attack in modern N. Macedonian history
A Skopje synagogue and Jewish community center was targeted in an attempted arson attack on Sunday morning, according to the local Jewish community and North Macedonian Interior Ministry, which community members described as the first such incident in the country's modern history.
Poland
Far-right Polish lawmaker Konrad Berkowicz sparked outrage Tuesday by calling Israel the “new Third Reich” and displaying an altered Israeli flag bearing a swastika during a speech in parliament. Israel slammed his actions as “antisemitic horror.”
Portugal
The man who allegedly threw a Molotov cocktail at the March for Life demonstration, on March 21st in Lisbon, was arrested on Tuesday and will be presented to a judge this Wednesday, April 15th. The information was given by the Observer, which says that the Judiciary Police expects him to be held in preventive detention.
Middle East
Jerusalem Post: 'We're on the same side': Israel, Lebanon envoys conclude historic peace talks
Israel’s Ambassador to the United States, Yechiel Leiter, met on Tuesday with Lebanon’s Ambassador to the United States, Nada Hamadeh, in what is being described as a historic meeting. "It was a crushing victory over Hezbollah," said Leiter. "We are on the same side, we and the Lebanese, that the evil of Hezbollah must be eradicated. We are united in this need. We talked about possibilities, a vision for the long term, about how Lebanon can prosper, and what the border could look like when crossed in a swimsuit to vacation on the beaches of both countries."
Jerusalem Post: Ceasefire between Israel, Lebanon to be announced tonight – report
A ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon will be announced tonight after peace talks and pressure from Iran, Lebanese outlet Al Mayadeen reported on Wednesday, citing a high-ranking Iranian security source.
Jerusalem Post: Arab voices cautiously back Israel-Lebanon talks, blast Hezbollah’s role in war
Journalists across the Arab world reacted Tuesday evening to the talks held in Washington between Israel and Lebanon, openly criticizing the Hezbollah terrorist organization and questioning its role in dragging the country into conflict. “It’s worth remembering who entered the war on October 8,” one commentator wrote.
Afghanistan
Afghanistan International: Taliban Detains 13 Ex-Military Personnel In Herat, Says Sources
Local sources in Herat say Taliban forces have detained 13 former members of Afghanistan’s previous security forces, with no explanation given for the arrests. At least four sources told Afghanistan International that the former soldiers were taken away by Taliban forces on Tuesday. Families of at least two of the detainees said they have no information about their whereabouts.
Gaza Strip/West Bank
Times of Israel: IDF says it shot terrorist trying to cross Gaza ceasefire line
The IDF says troops stationed in the northern Gaza Strip killed a Palestinian terror operative who crossed the ceasefire line today.
JNS: Abbas honors ‘pay-for-slay’ official on Yom Hashoah
Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas on Monday evening awarded a medal posthumously to the late overseer of the P.A.'s so-called “pay-for-slay” program, through which Ramallah provides stipends to terrorists imprisoned in Israel and to the families of dead terrorists.
Iran
IranWire: IRGC Says Foreign Nationals Arrested in Abadan
The Intelligence Organization of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced that it has arrested several foreign nationals in the city of Abadan. In a notice released on April 14 by the IRGC Vali-e-Asr Intelligence Department of Khuzestan, the reason for these arrests was cited as “illegal group entry from neighboring countries during a sensitive time period.”
Homeland Security Today: Iran Threatens to Target U.S. Tech Firms if War Continues to Escalate
If the U.S. continues to attack and kill Iran’s leaders, more than a dozen leading American technology firms could become targets for retaliation, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which is part of the Iranian Armed Forces, warned on Tuesday.
Iraq
Jerusalem Post: Iranian-backed drone attack kills Kurdish female member of opposition group
A drone attack, likely carried out by Iran or an Iranian-backed militia, killed a Kurdish woman in the Kurdistan Region of northern Iraq on Tuesday. According to the local Rudaw media, “a young female member of the Komala Toilers of Kurdistan, a Kurdish opposition group, has died from wounds she sustained in a drone attack earlier on Tuesday that targeted the group in the Kurdistan Region’s eastern Sulaimani province, a senior security official told Rudaw.”
Israel
Times of Israel: Nazareth woman charged with spying for Iran
A woman from the northern city of Nazareth was charged Wednesday with spying for Iran and filming sensitive sites, including the Haifa oil refinery, the police and Shin Bet announced. According to the statement, Shomua Abu Abed was detained in March, during the war with Iran that started February 28, and had been passing information to a foreign agent since October in exchange for hundreds of dollars in cryptocurrency.
AFP: Hezbollah targets north Israel and troops in south with rockets and attack drones
Israel's army said Hezbollah militants fired around 30 rockets into northern Israel early on Wednesday, just hours after Washington hosted the first direct talks between Israel and Lebanon in decades. The military detected "approximately 30 launches" towards Israel since the early hours, a spokesman told AFP.
JNS: One lightly wounded by Hezbollah rocket strike on Arab-Israeli city
One person sustained light wounds when a rocket fired by Iranian-backed Hezbollah terrorists in Lebanon hit the Arab-Israeli city of Tamra on Wednesday morning, medical officials said. The casualty, identified as a 61-year-old man, suffered shrapnel wounds and was evacuated for treatment at Haifa’s Rambam Health Care Campus, according to the Magen David Adom medical emergency response group.
JNS: Israeli education minister: Jewish state will fight antisemitism ‘both in Israel and beyond’
Israel will fight antisemitism wherever it rears its ugly head, because “we have a state, we have an army and are capable of standing against anyone who seeks to harm us,” Israeli Education Minister Yoav Kisch told JNS on Tuesday, speaking ahead of the International March of the Living in Poland. “We stand together with the entire Jewish world, and it’s clear to us that in the Diaspora and in the State of Israel alike, there is a difficult period with rising antisemitism and a lot of hatred toward Jews,” said Kisch. “Wherever this happens, both in Israel and beyond, we as Jews will fight it,” he vowed.
Lebanon
Times of Israel: One hurt as Hezbollah fires over 40 rockets at northern Israel
A man was lightly injured on Wednesday morning in one of several Hezbollah rocket barrages on northern Israel, in which the Iran-backed terror group fired over 40 rockets. Magen David Adom said the 61-year-old was hit by shrapnel near the city of Tamra.
Iran International: Hezbollah lawmaker says Lebanon ceasefire could come soon – Reuters
Iranian and regional efforts could lead to a ceasefire in Lebanon soon, Hezbollah lawmaker Ibrahim al-Moussawi told Reuters on Wednesday. “The Iranians are exercising high pressure against the Americans and they have put their conditions that the Americans should include Lebanon in the ceasefire. If they don't do it, they are going to continue their blockade of Hormuz. It's the economic card,” Moussawi said.
Naharnet: Fadlallah says Beirut's 'incompetent' authority now has blood on its hands
Hezbollah MP Hassan Fadlallah called Wednesday for a referendum, claiming that more than half of the Lebanese people are against the direct Lebanese-Israeli talks that took place Tuesday in Washington. Fadlallah lashed out at Lebanese authorities who "are giving free concessions" to Israel, saying they now "have blood on their hands".
Naharnet: Israel says detained 3 Hezbollah militants during Bint Jbeil clashes
The Israeli military has said that three Hezbollah militants were brought to Israel for questioning after surrendering during close-quarters combat in southern Lebanon. "Yesterday, IDF soldiers engaged in close-range combat with a Hezbollah terrorist cell in Bint Jbeil," the military said.
Yemen
Yemen Online: Yemen Ranked 25th Globally in 2026 Global Terrorism Index
Yemen has been ranked 25th out of 163 countries in the 2026 Global Terrorism Index, scoring 4.653 out of 10. The classification reflects the country’s ongoing security and military complexities since the outbreak of widespread conflict following the events of September 2014 and the subsequent war that began in March 2015.
Yemen Online: Houthi Security Apparatus Claims Foiling Recruitment Attempts Linked to Israel
Security agencies affiliated with Yemen’s Houthi movement claimed Tuesday they had thwarted alleged recruitment attempts said to be connected to Israel. According to statements released by Houthi-controlled media, the group’s security forces reported uncovering and disrupting activities they described as “foreign-linked recruitment operations.
Pakistan
Afghanistan International: Pakistan Urges Nuristan Elders To Deny TTP Safe Haven
Local elders in Nuristan and Nari district of Kunar say the Taliban played no role in a recent agreement with Pakistani forces in Chitral, which led to the reopening of key routes after weeks of closure. Following the agreement between elders from Nuristan and Pakistan’s Chitral, the route to Barg-e Matal and Kamdesh districts reopened after nearly two months. Sources said the deal was reached on Monday, April 13.
Japan
Rabbi Abraham Cooper, Associate Dean and Director of Global Social Action for the Simon Wiesenthal Center (SWC) and former Chair of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, condemned remarks made by commentator Toru Tamagawa on TV Asahi questioning whether Jared Kushner, a US Special Envoy for Peace, should be involved in negotiations with Iran because he is Jewish.
Australia
The Australian: Bondi inquiry locks in hearings
Public hearing dates have been set for the Bondi royal commission, which will hear evidence on experiences of antisemitism five months on from the terror massacre at Bondi Beach. The Antisemitism and Social Cohesion Royal Commission will hold its first block of public hearings from May 4 to 15, starting days after the release of its interim report on national security agencies and potential intelligence failings contributing to the mass shooting.
Technology
A new report reveals that Instagram failed to remove 93% of reported extremist and hateful content, tying the trend directly to Meta’s efforts to roll back content moderation last year. The changes lifted some speech restrictions, allowing incendiary content to remain on the platform, fueling what the Anti-Defamation League report calls a surge of antisemitism.
Stay up to date on our latest news.
Get the latest news on extremism and counter-extremism delivered to your inbox.