Eye on Extremism: August 29, 2025
Top Stories
Times of Israel: Israeli strike on Yemen said to kill Houthi prime minister, other top officials
The prime minister of the Iran-backed Houthi group in Yemen was reportedly killed during Israel’s airstrikes on Thursday in the capital city of Sanaa. Yemen’s Al-Jumhuriya channel and the Aden Al-Ghad newspaper reported that Houthi prime minister Ahmed al-Rahawi was killed in an Israeli attack on an apartment, with the latter reporting that several of his companions were killed as well. There was no immediate confirmation by Israel.
Reuters: Top pro-Kurdish lawmakers urge faster steps in Turkey's PKK peace plan
Senior Kurdish lawmakers in Turkey say a lasting peace with the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) requires legal protections for militants who disarm, direct talks with the group's jailed leader and an easing of a crackdown on the opposition. Turkey's parliament launched a commission earlier this month to oversee the disarmament of the outlawed PKK militant group after its jailed leader Abdullah Ocalan in February called for an end to its insurgency. The two sides are trying to resolve a four-decades conflict that has also spilled over into neighbouring Syria and Iraq.
CEP Mentions
nd: Right-wing influencer: Advertising for fascism
The youth organization of the NPD successor party Die Heimat, Junge Nationalisten (JN), for example, relies on decentralized "Tiktok divisions" in addition to numerous newly founded so-called Revolte local groups, as a digital report by the Else-Frenkel-Brunswik-Institut (EFBI) in Leipzig noted. These groups "pursue a sophisticated social media strategy by using youth-oriented aesthetics such as bomber jackets, sneakers, combat boots or fashwave looks and combining topics such as migration with identity and self-valorization offers", writes Alexander Ritzmann from the Counter Extremism Project (CEP).
OC Media: Three detained after anti-Azerbaijan protest in Saint Petersburg
Russian police briefly detained three members of the unregistered The Other Russia of E. V. Limonov after they held a protest near Azerbaijan’s consulate in Saint Petersburg. The Other Russia of E.V. Limonov is an unregistered party founded in 2010 by Eduard Limonov. According to the Counter Extremism Project, the party subscribes to National Bolshevism and promotes the occupation of territories inhabited by Russian speakers in post-Soviet countries. The group has also been sending fighters to fight against Ukraine since 2014.
Welt: “These sanctions must be re-implemented by all states in the world.”
Iran is trying to defend itself against possible upcoming UN sanctions. The move by Germany, France, and Great Britain to reinstate these sanctions within 30 days is illegal, according to Tehran. Iran expert [Counter Extremism Project Senior Director] Dr. Hans-Jakob Schindler assesses the situation.
Analysis
Iran and Israel are no longer openly at war, but their multi-decade conflict in the shadows has resumed. Iranian cyber-enabled influence operations targeting Israel continue unabated and have a high probability of continuing even after the Israel-Hamas war officially ends. As Israel continues to adapt to the threat, the United States should closely monitor the lessons Jerusalem learns and share those of its own hard-won experience. All democratic nations should consider changing their strategic posture by complementing stronger defensive measures with an aggressive stance toward their adversaries in the cyber domain. With the right changes, democracies can not only compete but also thrive in the gray zone.
Jerusalem Post: Houthis aren't Hezbollah or Hamas, Israel must defeat them with different means
Israel has struggled to stop Yemen’s Houthis because we have treated them like Hamas or Hezbollah, even though they are a fundamentally different adversary that is unusually hard to deter, as The Jerusalem Post’s Yonah Jeremy Bob has reported. Early in the war, senior Israeli and American officials described the Houthis as “the craziest Iranian proxy in the region” and warned they were “virtually not deterrable,” according to Bob. That judgment still stands. The Houthis are a guerrilla movement that spent years living in caves and deserts. Taking away creature comforts does not move them. As Bob noted, “Taking away some of their weapons, funds, and niceties is not going to reduce their standing lower than where they have been in the past.”
United States
US Senator Tom Cotton has asked the Internal Revenue Service to investigate the Palestine Youth Movement (PYM) over what he suggested were funding sources that violate the US tax code. Cotton shared the letter to his X/Twitter account last week, alongside a caption that read: “An organization that supports terrorists, breaks US law, and promotes antisemitism shouldn’t benefit from the US tax code.” The PYM is a youth activist organization that supports and participates in anti-Israel activities. In 2024, the Israeli government said that the PYM was closely associated with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), which is designated as a terrorist organization in the US. Moreover, it said that the PYM organizes events with Samidoun, which is similarly banned in America.
CNN: Federal judge rejects effort to dismiss lawsuit alleging Saudi Arabia helped 9/11 hijackers
A federal judge in New York on Thursday rejected an effort from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to dismiss a lawsuit from 9/11 terror attack survivors and victims’ families alleging that the country assisted the hijackers in the lead up to the deadliest attack on US soil in its history.
NBC 5: Vermont man facing terrorism charges following school bomb threat
A Northeast Kingdom man is in police custody after he claimed to have planted bombs at a local high school, sending multiple campuses into lockdown Thursday. According to the Newport Police Department, Cypher Aiken, 25, sent a text message saying that he planted bombs inside North Country Union High School (NCUHS).
New York Post: Notorious Anti-Israel Student Group Releases Terrorist-Style Recruitment Video
A notorious chapter of an anti-Israel student organization at George Mason University has re-emerged with a chilling recruitment video – just in time for students' return to campus this fall semester. On August 24th, the group’s Instagram account posted a shocking terrorist-style recruitment video reminiscent of something that would be put up by ISIS - ominously titled: “We’re back. With steadfastness and confrontation, SJP at Mason.”
My News LA: Judge Sentences South Bay White Supremacist to Federal Prison
A onetime member of a now-defunct Southern California white supremacist group was sentenced Thursday in downtown Los Angeles to three years and one month behind bars for inciting brawls at political rallies across the state eight years ago. Robert Boman, 32, of Torrance, was convicted in March in Los Angeles federal court of two counts: conspiracy to violate the anti-riot act and rioting, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Jewish educators and activists slammed the United Federation of Teachers leadership for failing to fight antisemitism in the New York City public school system — and for stabbing them in the back by endorsing Israel-bashing, boycott supporter Zohran Mamdani for mayor. One angry educator even urged teachers to stop paying union dues in protest — as others demanded the union retract its support for the socialist Democratic Party nominee.
Fox News: Rubio denies visas to Palestinian leaders for UN General Assembly, citing terror support
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has denied Palestinian leaders visas to attend next month’s United Nations General Assembly, citing longstanding U.S. law that prohibits recognition of Palestinian statehood and sanctions the Palestinian Authority for so-called "pay for slay" payments to terrorists.
Canada
Jewish News Syndicate: Fraying ties and rising Jew-hatred: Israel’s envoy to Ottawa speaks to JNS
Canada-Israel relations are at one of their lowest points ever, Israeli Ambassador to Canada Iddo Moed told JNS in an interview on Tuesday. On July 30, Canada announced its intention to recognize a Palestinian state during the 80th Session of the U.N. General Assembly in September, contingent on reforms by the Palestinian Authority.
Colombia
Reuters: Dozens of kidnapped Colombian soldiers released, says defense ministry
Nearly three-dozen soldiers who had been kidnapped by armed civilians in a jungle area of southeastern Colombia have been released, Defense Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Thursday. The soldiers were kidnapped on August 25 after clashes in a rural part of the El Retorno municipality left 11 guerrillas dead, including a commander of a dissident faction of the former FARC rebel group.
Americas: Colombia’s Terrorist Violence Aftermath
Since the assassination of right-wing senator and presidential hopeful Miguel Uribe in June, Colombia has endured a spiral of violent incidents that are deepening concerns about public security in a nation that for decades has battled armed groups and illegal organizations trying to subvert the public and political order. However, unlike the ideological wars that once engulfed the country, today’s violence is fragmented, unpredictable, and rooted in criminal governance — yet its impact on politics is just as destabilizing.
Austria
European Conservative: Sharp Rise in Islamist Offences Recorded in Austria
A new annual report from Austria’s Documentation Centre for Political Islam (DPI) shows a sharp rise in Islamist activity, both online and in public spaces. According to the report, extremists are becoming increasingly visible in everyday Austrian life, often adopting youth culture codes to attract young people.
Belgium
Jewish News Syndicate: Children filmed praising Palestinian terrorist leaders at Brussels rally
Israel’s ambassador to Belgium joined local politicians in condemning a protest in Brussels where two girls were filmed praising Hamas leaders in an Arabic-language song while sitting on the shoulders of keffiyeh-clad men.
Belga News Agency: Belgium confirms it has no plans to transfer terrorist prisoners to Iran
In response to concerns raised by the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), the Belgian ministries of Foreign Affairs and Justice have confirmed that the country has no intention of transferring terrorists to Iran.
Germany
BILD: Public search for Dresden stabber
The police and public prosecutor's office are now publicly searching for the Dresden stabber. The suspect, Ismail Alhaj Hussein (20), is on the run and is said to have slashed the face of a US citizen with a cutter knife on streetcar line 7. Knife victim John Rudat (20, model) was able to leave the hospital in Dresden in the meantime - with a 10 centimeter long scar, stitched with more than 30 stitches: the result of his civil courage. He didn't look away and stood protectively in front of a young woman on Sunday night when a Syrian man (21) attacked his girlfriend on line 7.
ARD: Car attack in Magdeburg: Expert opinion sees "inadequate security concept"
The security concept was inadequate and did not meet today's usual standards. The document prepared by the Federal Association for Event Security (bvvs), which is available to MDR Investigativ, states that a trip through the Christmas market could have been prevented with more consistent protective measures. The report was commissioned by Magdeburg City Council to investigate possible failings on the part of the city and organizers in terms of security and to formulate recommendations for future markets. An initial interim report was presented to a special committee of the city council last Friday in a non-public meeting.
Netherlands
EuroNews: Geert Wilders’ far-right party leads polls two months before Dutch vote
The far-right Party for Freedom of Geert Wilders, PVV, is leading in the latest opinion polls with two months to go to fresh parliamentary elections in the Netherlands. The snap elections were called for 29 October after the PVV left the coalition government in June over a disagreement about migration policy.
United Kingdom
Reuters: UK blocks Israeli officials from its biggest defence show
Britain has barred Israeli officials from its biggest defence trade show over its escalation of the war against Hamas in Gaza, its latest effort to pressure a historically close ally over the conflict. Prime Minister Keir Starmer's government said in July it would recognise a Palestinian state unless Israel took steps to relieve suffering in the enclave and met other conditions, enraging the Israeli government.
The Times: Cocaine is ‘cash cow’ funding terrorism, expert warns
Middle-class cocaine users in Britain have been warned that they are inadvertently funding terrorism through their drug habits. Mohammed Rahman, who is investigating links between organised crime and terrorism in the UK, said class A drugs represented the “big cash cow” that raised the necessary revenue for terrorists to plot mass-casualty attacks.
A father and his two children who were found guilty of racial hatred offences after performing neo-Nazi songs at a gig “did not mean for their lyrics to be taken literally”, a court has heard. Robert Talland, 59, organised a gig at the Corpus Christi Club in Leeds on September 21 2019 at which his son Stephen, 36, and his daughter Rosie, 33, performed songs that incited racial hatred.
Afghanistan
More than 23,000 fighters from international terrorist groups are active in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, posing a serious threat to regional and global security, Russia’s Security Council secretary said Monday. In an article for Rossiyskaya Gazeta, Sergei Shoigu wrote that Russian estimates indicate about 20 international militant groups are present in Afghanistan with a combined strength exceeding 23,000. He said the greatest concern is the Khorasan branch of ISIS, which Moscow believes operates training camps and support bases in the east, north and north-east of the country.
The Taliban governor of Panjshir has warned that foreign backing for opposition groups and their gatherings abroad could drag Afghanistan into civil war. Mohammad Agha Hakim made the remarks at a public meeting in Shutul district on Thursday. Without naming countries, he said Afghanistan’s “enemies” were attempting to unite Taliban opponents under different banners to push the country to its past. He urged citizens to support Taliban rule.
Afghanistan International: Taliban Defence Ministry Warns Pakistan Of Consequences After Airstrikes
The Taliban’s Defence Ministry has warned Pakistan of consequences following airstrikes in eastern Afghanistan that it said killed civilians, including women and children. In a statement issued late Thursday, the ministry condemned the strikes in Nangarhar and Khost provinces as “brutal and cruel,” saying they would only deepen divisions between the people of both countries and fuel animosity. It added that “such irresponsible attacks will have consequences.”
Egypt
Reuters: Egypt rounds up teenaged TikTokkers in crackdown on social media
Egyptian authorities have been rounding up teenaged TikTokkers with millions of followers, detaining dozens in recent weeks on accusations ranging from violating family values to laundering money. Police have announced dozens of arrests and prosecutors say they are investigating at least 10 cases of alleged unlawful financial gains. They have imposed travel bans and asset freezes and confiscated devices.
Gaza Strip
For the past three weeks, the Israel Defense Forces’ 7th Armored Brigade combat team has been fighting on the outskirts of Gaza City to defeat Hamas’s Zeitoun Battalion. If you wanted to be cynical, you could say that the troops should have an easy time of it — after all, they’ve done this before. This is the seventh time Israeli forces have attacked the neighborhood since the Palestinian terror group’s October 7, 2023, onslaught. If those previous efforts had been as successful as some claimed, Israeli troops wouldn’t need to keep coming back.
Reuters: Largest flotilla for Gaza hopes to pressure Israel to end blockade
Pro-Palestinian activists preparing to set sail from Spain on Sunday for Gaza in dozens of boats carrying aid have called on governments to pressure Israel to allow their flotilla - the largest to date - through the naval blockade. Swedish activist Greta Thunberg and Portuguese left-wing politician Mariana Mortagua were among hundreds of people from 44 countries due to depart from several ports to Gaza as part of the Global Sumud Flotilla. Sumud means "perseverance" in Arabic.
Associated Press: Israel declares Gaza’s largest city a combat zone as death toll surpasses 63,000
Israel declared Gaza’s largest city a dangerous combat zone and recovered the remains of two hostages on Friday as the army launched the “initial stages” of a planned offensive that has drawn international condemnation. As the military announced the resumption of fighting, health officials said the death toll in Gaza has risen to 63,025, with 59 new deaths reported by hospitals over the last 24 hours. Aid groups and a church sheltering people said they would stay in Gaza City, refusing to abandon the hungry and displaced who depend on them.
Iran
Reuters: Large rise in number of people executed in Iran, says UN
Iranian authorities have executed at least 841 people so far this year, marking a major increase, the United Nations human rights office said on Friday. One hundred people were executed in July, more than double the number of people executed in July of last year, according to the Office for the High Commissioner of Human Rights. They included women, Afghan nationals and ethnic minorities such as Baloch, Kurdish and Arab citizens. "The high number of executions indicates a systematic pattern of using death penalty as a tool of state intimidation and repression of any dissent," the chief spokesperson for the U.N., Ravina Shamdasani, told reporters in Geneva.
Reuters: Large rise in number of people executed in Iran, says UN
Iranian authorities have executed at least 841 people so far this year, marking a major increase, the United Nations human rights office said on Friday. One hundred people were executed in July, more than double the number of people executed in July of last year, according to the Office for the High Commissioner of Human Rights.
Iraq
Rudaw: Iraq leads global push to empty Syria’s al-Hol camp at New York conference
Iraq has sent out invitations to all countries that have nationals at northern Syria’s al-Hol camp to attend an international conference in New York next September in a bid to discuss mechanisms to empty and subsequently dismantle the notorious facility. Iraq has repeatedly expressed its serious concerns that al-Hol is a threat to its national security. Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein has sent out an invitation to “all countries with nationals in al-Hol camp,” Chargé d'Affaires at the Embassy of Iraq in Damascus, Yassin Sharif al-Hujaimi, told Rudaw on Wednesday.
ANHA: SDF dismantles ISIS cell in eastern Deir ez-Zor
“Last night, the commandos of the Deir ez-Zor Military Council dismantled a dangerous ISIS terrorist cell in the town of Dhiban, located in the eastern countryside of Deir ez-Zor,” the statement read. The statement added: “The operation followed precise surveillance and tracking by security forces, which led to the identification of the terrorists’ hideout. Our forces established a tight security cordon around the location, arrested two members of the cell, and seized their weapons and ammunition, including: 5 Kalashnikov rifles, 23 Kalashnikov magazines, 4 tactical vests, and 600 Kalashnikov rounds.”
Israel
Jerusalem Post: IDF recovers body of murdered hostage Ilan Weiss in Gaza
The IDF and Shin Bet have recovered and identified the body of hostage Ilan Weiss and the remains of an additional hostage whose name has not yet been released in the Gaza Strip, the military confirmed on Friday.
The Israel Air Force strike on Sanaa, Yemen, on Thursday was preceded by a ruse, according to IDF sources. Israel lulled the Houthi leaders into a false sense of security, making them think the Jewish state lacked credible intelligence on their location. The IDF's range of targets against the Houthis is expected to continue to grow as time goes on, just as it did against Hezbollah and Iran. Defense Minister Israel Katz hinted that Israel attempted to assassinate senior Houthi leaders and dubbed it a "strike on the firstborn." However, the security forces are still awaiting confirmation on the results of the strike.
IDF soldiers and Border Police officers confiscated around NIS 1.5 million in terrorist funds during a raid into the West Bank, the Israel Police confirmed Wednesday. The funds seized included US dollars, euros, Jordanian dinars, and other foreign currencies in addition to local new Israeli shekels.
The Haaretz daily publishes footage from a settler attack on the village of Qawawis earlier this week in which the assailants destroy the security camera used to film the crime. The report says three cameras were destroyed in total, along with nine solar panels used by the village in the South Hebron Hills, which has faced repeated settler attacks.
Lebanon
As more Palestinian refugee camps handed over caches of weapons to the Lebanese army this week, a Lebanese government official told The Associated Press that the disarmament effort could pave the way for granting Palestinian refugees in Lebanon more legal rights.
Naharnet: Graham says 'Plan B' should be disarming Hezbollah by force
Hardline Republican U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham has stressed that “it’s time for Hezbollah to go.” “They are trained by Iran, they are loyal to Iran, and we’re looking for military power in Lebanon to be loyal to the Lebanese people and a good partner to the region,” Graham, who is the Chair of the Senate Budget Committee, said at a press conference in Tel Aviv, after meeting officials in Lebanon and Israel.
AFP: PM Salam welcomes UN peacekeepers extension
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam welcomed a United Nations Security Council decision on Thursday to extend the mandate of the UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon.
Naharnet: UN sets 2027 exit for Lebanon peacekeepers after Israeli strikes
The Security Council has voted for U.N. peacekeepers to leave Lebanon in 2027, allowing only one final extension after pressure from Israel and its U.S. ally to end the nearly 50-year-old force.
Syria
Deutsche Welle: Syria's Druze, Kurds criticize exclusion from upcoming vote
Syria's upcoming parliamentary election will exclude three minority-dominated regions due to security concerns and absence of central control, Hassan al-Daghim, the spokesperson for the higher electoral commission based in Damascus, recently told Syria's national news agency SANA. Al-Daghim explained that elections in the Druze-majority province of Sweida, as well as in the Kurdish-dominated regions of Hassakeh and Raqqa, will be postponed until "circumstances allow." For the time being, he said, the election — scheduled to take place between September 15-20 — "can only be conducted in areas fully under government control."
Bangladesh
A Bangladeshi court on Friday sent 16 people, including several 1971 Liberation War veterans, to jail under the tough Anti-Terrorism Act, a day after a mob allegedly disrupted their scheduled public discussion in the capital.
India
The Hindu: Operation Sindoor a golden chapter in humanity's victory against terrorism: President
Describing Operation Sindoor as a "golden chapter" in humanity's fight against terrorism, President Droupadi Murmu on Friday (August 29, 2025) outlined the contribution of PSUs in building the indigenous Akashteer Air Defence Control and Reporting System, which played a crucial role in the military conflict between India and Pakistan.
Press Trust of India: Four militants arrested, arms, ammunition seized in Manipur
Security forces arrested four militants belonging to different proscribed outfits from Imphal West, Kakching and Imphal East districts, police said on Friday. One active cadre of the banned Kangleipak Communist Party (PWG) involved in extortion activities was arrested from Lamsang in Imphal West district on Thursday, the police said.
Myanmar
Myanmar’s military government designated the Karen National Union a terrorist organization Thursday, making illegal virtually any activities connected with the major ethnic rebel group, including contact by third parties.
Cameroon
News.Az: Boko Haram militants kidnap 5 children in Cameroon
Gunmen suspected to be militants of the terror group Boko Haram have abducted five children in Cameroon's Far North region, security sources said on Thursday. The children, aged between 7 and 19, were kidnapped on Tuesday while they were returning from farming on the slopes of Mount Kassa in Mora locality of the region, according to sources, News.Az reports, citing Xinhua.
Mali
AFP: Jihadists take control of strategic Mali town
Jihadists linked to al-Qaeda have taken over the strategic town of Farabougou in central Mali, a week after seizing the town's military camp, local sources told AFP Thursday. With the Sahel country struggling in the face of renewed jihadist violence, the capture of Farabougou is a symbolic development.
Nigeria
Daily Post: Boko Haram suspects ambush bus on Maiduguri–Banki road, five injured
Five passengers were injured on Thursday when suspected Boko Haram terrorists ambushed a commercial bus along the Maiduguri–Banki road.
Technology
NBC News: For hate groups, it's a lucrative era on the internet
Resurgent hate and extremist groups emboldened by tech companies’ relaxed moderation efforts are raking in cash across the internet, according to reports from research groups and experts. A July report from the Foundation to Combat Antisemitism (FCAS) found “hate not only spreading across the internet but becoming more profitable.” FCAS, a nonprofit organization started by New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, said monetization efforts that once existed on the edges of the internet could now be found in more mainstream spaces, including cryptocurrencies, crowdfunding, livestreaming and merchandising.
Jerusalem Post: CAM launches new ‘Report It’ app to document antisemitic incidents in real time
The Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM) has launched Report It, a powerful new digital tool enabling users to quickly and securely report antisemitic incidents in real time, turning individual reports into actionable steps to fight hate and protect Jewish communities worldwide.
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