Eye on Extremism: August 6, 2026
Top Stories
Reuters: Iran threatens to hit Gulf states if US launches new strikes
Iran has warned Gulf states that any new U.S. attack on its territory would trigger retaliation against critical energy infrastructure across the region, according to five sources, as Tehran seeks to raise the cost of military action by threatening Washington's closest regional allies.
I24 News: UAE, alongside Saudi Arabia and Turkey, accuse Israel of violating the Gaza ceasefire
In a statement, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Indonesia, Pakistan, Jordan & Egypt stated that Israel’s actions ‘undermine international and regional efforts to implement the second phase of the plan.’ They claim the violations included the targeting of healthcare facilities and continued civilian casualties.
CEP Mentions
Focus Online: Expert: Germany still has a lot to do in drone defense
Following the drone attack in Leipzig-Halle, the question of drone protection in Germany arises. Terrorism expert Hans-Jakob Schindler identifies three key challenges. He refers to the experiences of Ukraine.
Focus Online: Terror expert Schindler “Leipzig-Halle: Hub for potential aggressor Russia”
Terrorism expert Hans-Jakob Schindler believes Russia is behind the discovery of the drone at Leipzig-Halle Airport. He argues that two things in particular point to a state, and not a political group, being behind the attack.
The discovery of a drone at Leipzig/Halle Airport raises new security questions. Terrorism expert Hans-Jakob Schindler sees it as a new form of threat.
NTV TV: "The technology exists - just not in Germany"
Interior Minister Dobrindt is refraining from pointing fingers after the drone incident in Leipzig – "precisely because of the seriousness of the incident," explains terrorism expert Hans-Jakob Schindler. According to him, Germany has significant gaps in its drone defense. However, he maintains that there was no danger to the public.
NTV: Small drones, big danger - what's important now
The bomb-laden drone at Leipzig Airport represents a new level of threat, according to more than just the Federal Minister of the Interior. Terrorism expert Hans-Jakob Schindler pointed out on ntv that ordinary passengers were not directly at risk. The attack was aimed at creating a climate of fear.
NTV: Court convicts members of far-right terrorist group "Last Wave of Defense"
German authorities have arrested two suspected members of the far-right terrorist organization "Last Wave of Defense." Security expert Hans-Jakob Schindler explains the group and examines the phenomenon of increasingly younger perpetrators.
BILD: Jihadists mingled with the Ceuta onslaught
Among the tens of thousands of migrants who stormed the Spanish exclave of Ceuta a week ago, there are reportedly Islamists. According to reports, the jihadists exploited the chaos at the border with Morocco to enter Spain. Thousands of illegal migrants, mostly from West and East Africa, remain in Ceuta. Hans-Jakob Schindler, director of the anti-terror project "CEP," also told BILD: "The situation in sub-Saharan Africa is dramatic." He added that ISIS and al-Qaeda have once again gained significant influence in Africa. Furthermore, he stated: "Just because a refugee doesn't arrive as a terrorist doesn't mean they won't become one."
ZDF: Long prison sentences for "Last Wave of Defense"
CEP Senior Director Hans-Jakob Schindler on the court decision against a right-wing extremist terror group in Germany.
DW News: CEP Senior Director Hans-Jakob Schindler comments on the attack on Leipzig Airport (VIDEO)
Pro7/SAT1 Newstime: CEP Senior Director Hans-Jakob Schindler on the attack against Leipzig airport
Analysis
Wall Street Journal: Trump’s Days-Old Hamas Disarmament Deal Is Already in Danger
The Board of Peace, created by Trump to oversee Gaza’s postwar transition, laid out a 15-point plan Friday for the decommissioning of Hamas’s weapons and Israel’s withdrawal. But Israel and Hamas never saw eye to eye on the terms, and the gap has widened in the five days since the announcement.
United States
Five months into the U.S. war with Iran, Americans who expect the Middle East to slide toward chaos outnumber those who see the war bringing more stability by three to one, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll.
Jerusalem Post: US removes counterterrorism designation from IRGC-linked company
The US Treasury Department removed an Iraqi IRGC-linked airline from its Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) list of Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) on Wednesday. A Treasury Department official said that the removal of sanctions was not indicative of a shift in US policy towards Iran or the IRGC, or negotiations to end the conflict in the Middle East. The removal was part of the Office of Foreign Assets Control's process to reconsider sanctions after behavior changes.
Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed's campaign has collected more than $115,000 from individuals who work for or have held leadership roles with the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), which has been designated a terrorist organization by the United Arab Emirates and formally designated or labeled as such in Florida and Texas.
NorthJersey.com: NJ gets security funds as crimes against houses of worship spike
More than $42 million in federal funding is coming to New Jersey to help protect houses of worship and strengthen public safety as threats to religious institutions rise across the state. The funding can be used for upgrades such as surveillance cameras, reinforced doors and fencing, and security personnel at synagogues, churches, mosques, temples and religious schools.
United Kingdom
A record number of people have been referred to the government’s anti-terror programme, with a 39% rise over the last year, including a 20% rise in referrals for extreme rightwing ideology. A total of 10,293 referrals – up from 7,408 – were made to the Prevent programme in the year to September 2025, which is the highest number since records began 11 years ago.
BBC News: Ex neo-Nazi activist withdraws as Tory election candidate
A former neo-Nazi selected by the Conservatives to fight a council election next year has pulled out after a backlash against his candidacy. Joshua Bonehill-Paine was convicted of racially harassing Jewish former Labour MP Luciana Berger in 2016, while already serving a separate jail sentence for sharing antisemitic posts.
Germany
Reuters: Afghan national handed life sentence for deadly car attack on Munich union rally
A 25-year-old Afghan man who rammed his car into a union rally in Munich last year, killing two people, has been given a life sentence, a German court said on Thursday. According to prosecutors, the man, identified as Farhad N to protect his privacy, acted out of religious motivation in what he believed was a "response to the suffering of Muslims in predominantly Islamic countries."
Cyprus
JNS: Five Palestinians accused in Hamas terror plot to appear in Cyprus court
Five Palestinian men accused of operating a Hamas-linked cell and planning terrorist attacks against Israeli targets in Cyprus are due to appear in a Larnaca court on Thursday for a procedural hearing. The charges include terrorism, conspiracy to murder, participation in a criminal organization and money laundering.
Denmark
The Local: Denmark education minister says 'schools safe' after foiled terror attack
Denmark's education minister Magnus Heunicke has assured parents that schools in Denmark are safe after the third of the three boys arrested on Monday for planning a terror attack on a school in Jutland was placed in pre-trial detention.
Afghanistan
Military.com: Afghan Resistance Expands Nationwide Combat Operations Ahead of Taliban Anniversary
As Afghanistan nears the fifth anniversary of the Taliban’s return to power, the Afghanistan United Front (AUF) is expanding combat operations nationwide. Led by former Afghan National Army Lt. Gen. Sami Sadat, the AUF announced the start of combat operations under the name Operation Muharib, including releasing video evidence of recent attacks along the Kandahar–Spin Boldak highway in the Taliban’s southern heartland and three additional strikes in northern provinces in recent days.
Iraq
Iraq’s top political leadership has issued its strongest warning yet to Iran-backed armed groups, stating that failure to comply with the September 30 deadline for disarmament will result in terrorism charges.
Israel
Reuters: Israel strikes south Lebanon after soldiers killed, talks continue in Rome
Israel said two of its soldiers were killed in southern Lebanon on Wednesday while Lebanese authorities said Israeli retaliatory attacks killed at least one person, a flare-up in violence that coincided with the latest round of talks between the two countries.
Washington Post: Israel’s killing of journalist Amal Khalil was a war crime, rights group says
Human Rights Watch has determined that Israel committed war crimes when it killed journalist Amal Khalil and injured another journalist in an airstrike in southern Lebanon in April.
Jerusalem Post: Ashkelon couple indicted for allegedly spying for Iran
Tamerlan Amshukov, 26, and Alina Kushnirenko, 24, were indicted on Thursday for allegedly carrying out intelligence-gathering missions for Iranian agents in exchange for cryptocurrency.
The couple allegedly photographed sensitive sites, including Eilat Port and Mount Herzl, and surveilled the homes of security personnel.
Netherlands
NL Times: 18-year-old arrested in terrorism investigation after photographing military exercise
An 18-year-old man from Ede was arrested on suspicion of terrorism after photographing Dutch soldiers during a live military exercise, an investigation kept quiet by the Public Prosecution Service (OM) until today. Authorities are investigating whether the photographs were gathered as reconnaissance/scouting material to plan or facilitate an active terrorist attack against military personnel. A digital forensic sweep of the teenager's mobile phone uncovered jihadist propaganda and extremist materials, shifting the focus of the threat vector entirely toward radical Islamic extremism.
West Bank/Gaza Strip
New York Times: After Trump’s Board of Peace Made a Plan for Gaza, the Bombings Grew Worse
Soon after President Trump announced a new plan last week to deliver peace and security in Gaza, the Palestinian enclave instead experienced a spike in deadly Israeli bombings, which threatened to undermine hopes for long-awaited progress.
Jerusalem Post: Israeli settler indicted for reckless homicide in killing of Awdah Hathaleen
Yinon Eliya Levi was indicted on Thursday for reckless homicide in the killing of Palestinian activist Awdah Hathaleen during a confrontation in the South Hebron Hills village of Umm al-Khair last July.
Jerusalem Post: Palestinian homes set ablaze in West Bank village attack, suspects flee scene
A group of Israeli settlers reportedly set fire to several Palestinian residents’ homes in the village of Tuba in the West Bank on Wednesday, according to an IDF statement on the incident released on Thursday. Six Palestinians were wounded in the attack and several homes in the village were burned.
Times of Israel: IDF confirms ‘limited’ Qalandiya raid aimed at ‘thwarting terror’
Amid foreign media reports about an IDF raid of the Qalandiya refugee camp in the West Bank, an Israeli military source confirmed the “operation is intended to undermine and thwart the organizational capabilities of terror groups in the area, expand the security forces’ freedom of operation following numerous incidents of violence during recent entries into the area, and increase security in the sector.”
Iran
Iran International: Pezeshkian rejects tens of thousands killed in Iran protests
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian rejected reports that tens of thousands of people were killed in the January protest crackdown, accusing those publishing higher death tolls of misleading the public. In an interview published on Thursday, Pezeshkian acknowledged that thousands had been killed but rejected estimates putting the toll at 30,000 to 60,000.
Iran International: Iran arrests 30 on accusations of Mossad links, cites protest involvement
Iran’s intelligence ministry said on Thursday that 30 people had been arrested in southeastern Kerman province on accusations including links to Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency and gathering information on military and air defense sites.
Pakistan
Reuters: As Pakistan's army chief turns on hardline Islamist groups, blasphemy cases plummet
The country's Islamist groups have long been backed by the powerful military to keep the civilian government in check, and, occasionally, to stoke tensions with hostile nations, analysts say. But the groups have retreated to the shadows after a crackdown that four government and security sources said was overseen by army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir.
Syria
i24 News: Syria agrees to drastically reduce Russian oil imports amid US sanctions talks - report
Senior Syrian officials have told the US they are willing to significantly reduce Russian oil imports as they discuss Washington's removal of Syria from its list of state sponsors of terrorism.
The closure of Syria’s Al-Hol camp in February has resulted in heightened security and humanitarian concerns, senior UN officials told the Security Council on Wednesday.
The whereabouts of thousands of Daesh-linked individuals and members of their families who were held in the camp remain unclear, they said, warning that the militant group remains a serious risk to international peace and security.
Africa
A TruthNigeria investigation reveals a fully functioning extortion regime forcing Christian women to hide their faith, and where civilians must pay insurgents to move, farm, or survive.
Business Day: Troops pressures force terror family to surrender in Borno
Troops of Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK) have continued offensive operations, resulting in the voluntary surrender of 17 family members of Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad (JAS) in separate incidents in Borno State. According to a military official, the latest surrender is a direct result of the ongoing operational activities carried out by troops to dismantle terrorist enclaves, disrupt their communication and logistics lines, and deny them freedom of movement within the theatre of operations.
Recent confirmation from church authorities in South Kordofan has verified the targeted abduction and brutal killing of Pastor Adel Idris Jongool, marking a dangerous escalation in the systemic targeted violence carried out by Islamic extremist factions against Sudan’s minority Christian population.
African Insider: Two Ethiopian opposition members, lawyer, accused of ‘terror acts’
Ethiopia arrested two opposition members and a lawyer close to the party, accusing them of “intent to seize power by force,” and for planning “terror acts.” The arrests come during a growing crackdown on dissenting voices in the sprawling east African country, which recently re-elected Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed in a landslide win. The men, who appeared in court in the capital Addis Ababa on Wednesday, are also accused of links to the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) rebels and Eritrea, which has a strained relationship with Ethiopia.
Australia
Misogyny and its amplification through the "manosphere" may be a key driver of ideologically motivated extremism in young men and boys in Australia, the antisemitism royal commission has heard.
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