Eye on Extremism: August 7, 2025
Top Stories
BBC: The secret system Hamas uses to pay government salaries
It remains unclear how Hamas has managed to continue funding salary payments given the destruction of much of its administrative and financial infrastructure. One senior Hamas employee, who served in high positions and is familiar with Hamas's financial operations, told the BBC that the group had stockpiled approximately $700m in cash and hundreds of millions of shekels in underground tunnels prior to the group's deadly 7 October 2023 attack in southern Israel, which sparked the devastating Israeli military campaign. These were allegedly overseen directly by Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and his brother Mohammed - both of whom have since been killed by Israeli forces.
New York Times: How a Pro-Palestinian Group Fell Foul of a Long Unused U.K. Terrorism Law
In June, activists from a group called Palestine Action broke into a Royal Air Force base, sprayed red paint into aircraft engines and damaged the planes with crowbars. Like the 2003 group, the protesters argued that their actions were a justified response to mass civilian harm — this time in Gaza. Both cases raised serious concerns about the security of Britain’s military bases. But a very different result ensued. While the protesters in 2003 were prosecuted under criminal laws against property damage, in June, Mr. Starmer’s government announced that Palestine Action would be added to its list of banned terrorist organizations, alongside groups including Al Qaeda, Hezbollah and Atomwaffen Division, a neo-Nazi group.
CEP Mentions
CICERO: "The fact that there was never an exit strategy is now taking its toll"
According to media reports, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu wants complete control over Gaza. In an interview, Middle East expert Hans-Jakob Schindler warns of the possible consequences - and criticizes: An exit strategy for the time after Hamas is completely lacking.
Analysis
Jerusalem Post: Can Lebanon disarm Hezbollah? – explainer
Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem rejected each clause in Barrack's roadmap, and when he spoke on Tuesday, dozens of motorcycles with men carrying Hezbollah flags drove around the group's stronghold in Beirut's southern suburbs - a show of its enduring strength. Hovering over any attempt to force Hezbollah to disarm is the specter of previous bouts of civil unrest, including the 2008 fighting, triggered by the government's attempt to shut down the group's military telecoms network - an important facility for the group, but still less central than its arms.
Newsweek: Syria's Islamist Regime Is Testing the West's Conscience—and Winning | Opinion
A sense of impending doom is growing among Syria's Christians, which comprise less than 10 percent of the country's population before the 2011 war. Despite promises Syrian President Ahmed Hussein al-Sharaa made to President Donald Trump about upholding justice for all and protecting Syria's minorities, they are now becoming targets. This chilling development hit home for me recently when my friend, a Christian doctor from Hama, a city north of Damascus, recently found himself in a tense encounter with a Syrian soldier. During a minor disagreement, the soldier snapped, "Shut up, infidel," invoking a moniker that has deadly implications.
United States
Reuters: US brings hate crime charges against suspect in killing of Israeli embassy staffers
The U.S. on Wednesday brought federal hate crime charges against the suspect accused of gunning down two Israeli embassy staffers outside a museum in Washington in May, alleging he targeted them because they were Israelis, court papers showed. The nine-count indictment returned against Elias Rodriguez, 31, accuses him of carrying out a hate crime resulting in death motivated by the "actual and perceived national origin of any person." Rodriguez also faces charges of first-degree murder and murder of a foreign official. The indictment also includes special findings that would make Rodriguez eligible for the death penalty if convicted.
Jerusalem Post: No peace in Gaza until Hamas is dismantled, Rubio says
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio asserted that Hamas cannot continue to exist or govern the Gaza Strip if peace in the region is the goal in an interview with Fox News on Wednesday evening. Rubio told Larry Kudlow on Fox Business Network that international media has not had any "real talk about how Hamas needs to be disarmed and disbanded." He went on to say that he believed that the Israeli government had three interrelated problems. Rubio went on to say that although the US was going to continue to closely monitor the humanitarian aid situation in Gaza, his priority was getting the hostages out and making sure Hamas would be disarmed.
Reuters: Trump: Important that Middle Eastern countries join Abraham Accords
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday it was important that Middle Eastern countries join the Abraham Accords, which aim to normalize diplomatic ties with Israel, saying it will ensure peace in the region. "Now that the nuclear arsenal being 'created' by Iran has been totally OBLITERATED, it is very important to me that all Middle Eastern Countries join the Abraham Accords," Trump wrote in a social media post.
Washington Post: Stanford newspaper sues Trump administration over student deportations
Stanford University’s student-run newspaper sued two senior Trump administration officials Wednesday to prevent the deportation of noncitizen students on the basis of their speech, taking aim at a federal law the administration has used to justify students’ arrests.
Washington Post: U.S. plans to ease human rights criticism of El Salvador, Israel, Russia
Leaked drafts of the State Department’s long-delayed annual human rights reports indicate that the Trump administration intends to dramatically scale back U.S. government criticism of certain foreign nations with extensive records of abuse.
Iran International: Trump calls Iran 'a very evil place,' says future will look different
President Donald Trump on Wednesday described Iran as “a very evil place” and said he believes the situation will look very different in the coming years, citing US efforts to cripple Tehran’s nuclear program to prevent wars across the Middle East. “Iran was the perpetrator of hate, a very evil place. And I think it’s going to be a lot different in the coming years,” Trump said in a press conference, pointing to what he called Iran’s role in spreading violence and instability across the region.
Police in Clayton, Missouri, are investigating after finding what they said was “antisemitic graffiti” alongside three cars that were set on fire in the St. Louis neighborhood. The street was graffitied with the phrase “Death to the IDF,” according to drone footage shared by a local news outlet that obscured a portion of the graffiti including the identity of the intended target.
A group reportedly exploring southern Missouri for expansion that received pushback from the community and leaders, now said it’s considering the St. Louis area. It’s a group called Return to the Land. This whites-only private membership association has recently created national headlines with its homestead settlement in Arkansas that describes itself as a place for people of European heritage to preserve traditions and culture. It doesn’t allow people of color or Jews.
Jewish Insider: CNN, Channel 12 anchors debut new book on antisemitism for middle schoolers
The rise of antisemitism has dominated breaking news headlines, films and books in recent years. But two leading journalists noticed a void — a lack of resources in how to address the subject matter with young readers. Concerned about what they observed, CNN anchor Bianna Golodryga and Yonit Levi, an anchor on Israel’s Channel 12, joined forces to write Don’t Feed the Lion, a new novel geared towards middle schoolers.
Canada
QCNA: Neo-Nazi sentenced to five years for threats against Jews
Quebec Court Judge Sylvain Lépine has sentenced Pascal Tribout, 38, of Saint-Joseph-du-Lac, near Oka, to five years in jail for making online threats against the Jewish community and using a 3D printer to illegally produce firearms. “These charges are serious,” Judge Lépine ruled last week. “His comments [about Jews] are unacceptable… the manufacture of these weapons is worrisome.”
CTV News: Windsor man found guilty of terrorism
A Windsor man has been found guilty of terrorism. Seth Bertrand, 22, was charged with a single count of participating in a terrorist group for applying to the National Socialist Order (NSO). Bertrand submitted an online application in February 2021, citing his background with the Air Cadets and skills as a mechanic.
France
Jerusalem Post: 'El Al genocide airline': Israel's national airline offices in Paris vandalized
El Al offices in Paris, France, were vandalized on Thursday in what the company called a “harsh anti-Israel incident,” with the doors and walls of the building being sprayed with signs saying: “El Al genocide airline.” The Israeli company decided to evacuate all its personnel from the French capital after the incident, with another foreign company providing services to customers at the terminal. Authorities were notified of the situation and opened an investigation. Transportation Minister Miri Regev commented on social media, “Today it's El Al, tomorrow it's Air France.”
Germany
Deutsche Welle: Bavarian police arrest far-right Reichsbürger suspects
Three people suspected of belonging to the far-right "Reichsbürger" group have been arrested, the Bavarian state criminal police in southern Germany said Thursday. Authorities accuse the suspects of being members of a terrorist organization that aimed to violently overthrow Germany's constitutional order. The General Prosecutor’s Office in Munich confirmed that German special police forces had taken three male suspects into custody early Thursday. The arrests followed 6 a.m. raids targeting six suspects — five men and one woman aged between 40 and 61 — in the German states of Bavaria, Saxony and Thuringia. Around 300 investigators searched four properties. These locations are believed to be linked to the group's past activities, including weapons training and planning meetings.
Deutsche Welle: Germany to extend border checks, increase deportations
German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt has said Germany will maintain its border controls beyond September and step up efforts to deport people who do not have permission to reside in the country. He told the podcast "Table Today" that people would also continue to be turned away at the border. The previously sporadic checks at Germany's borders were tightened by order of Dobrindt on May 8, shortly after the current conservative-led coalition government took office. The minister, who is a member of Bavaria's Christian Social Union (CSU), the sister party to Chancellor Friedrich Merz's Christian Democratic Union (CDU), also gave orders at the time that irregular migrants were to be rejected at the border even if they applied for asylum, something that many see as violating Germany's asylum laws.
Ynet: Germany sees alarming rise in antisemitic incidents in 2025
Germany recorded a sharp increase in antisemitic incidents in the first three months of 2025, with the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) reporting 1,047 cases, including 27 violent acts and 422 instances of incitement to hatred. The crimes ranged from property vandalism and verbal abuse to physical assaults, some life-threatening.
United Kingdom
UK Defense Journal: Man jailed for possessing terrorist manuals
A 21-year-old man living Bradford has been jailed for two years after admitting possession of terrorist documents, including instructions for making firearms, explosives and poisons. Ondrej Sidelka, of Elwyn Road, pleaded guilty to eight counts of possessing information likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism, under Section 58 of the Terrorism Act 2000. He was sentenced on 1 August 2025 at Leeds Crown Court. A further charge under the Terrorism Act 2006 was discontinued.
Afghanistan
Reuters: Returned and reeling: Afghans expelled from Iran struggle to start over
Aid agencies say accusations by Iranian authorities that Afghan nationals were spying for Israel triggered a surge in deportations, with the UN refugee agency UNHCR reporting nearly 700,000 Afghans expelled from Iran since the beginning of June. The two countries share a 920-km (550-mile) land border through a flat, arid landscape. The number of Afghans returning exploded after Israel and Iran fought a 12-day war in June. UNHCR estimates Iran deported an average of more than 30,000 Afghans each day during the war, up 15-fold from about 2,000 earlier.
Afghanistan International: Taliban Using Justice System To Oppress Women, Says UN Rapporteur
The Taliban have weaponised Afghanistan’s justice system to suppress women and girls, amounting to possible crimes against humanity, according to Richard Bennett, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Afghanistan. Speaking before the UN General Assembly on Wednesday, Bennett said that since seizing power, the Taliban have suspended the Afghan constitution and repealed all laws that previously protected the rights of women and girls. He noted that all judges from the former government, including 270 women, have been removed from their positions.
The Taliban’s Supreme Court has announced that 14 individuals including one woman were publicly flogged in Kabul and Zabul provinces on charges including alcohol and drug trafficking, theft, and so-called “illicit relationships.” In a statement issued Thursday, the court said the group’s drug control court in Kabul had sentenced seven individuals for trafficking and selling alcohol, hashish. The defendants received between 10 and 39 lashes, along with prison sentences ranging from one to three years.
Iran
Washington Post: How the Revolutionary Guard stealthily shapes Iran’s economy
One of the most successful companies to emerge from Iran’s decade-old start-up boom is a firm offering online classified ads similar to Craigslist that counts nearly half the country’s population as users. But when the company, Divar, decided it wanted to go public on the Tehran stock exchange, Iran’s powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps stepped in during the spring to block the move, objecting to the firm’s outspoken, independent-minded chairman, according to an internal letter he publicized last week.
Israel
New York Times: Netanyahu Weighs Expanding Gaza Military Operation Despite Warnings
Approval from the security cabinet for the expanded military action would be in defiance of many countries’ urging Israel to end the nearly two-year war in Gaza. In recent weeks, Israel has come under growing pressure from some longstanding allies to do more to address a hunger crisis in the enclave. Israeli officials have emphasized that Mr. Netanyahu has not made a final decision on whether to expand the military campaign. Some analysts have said that he is threatening to widen the offensive to compel Hamas to offer concessions in the cease-fire negotiations. Even if the security cabinet votes in favor of taking over the remainder of Gaza, it could take days or weeks before Israeli soldiers begin pushing deeper into the territory.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu clarifies his strategic vision for the war in Gaza in statements published by CNN-News18, an Indian English-language news outlet. Addressing international concerns, Netanyahu emphasizes that Israel “will not annex Gaza” and plans to transfer control of the territory to an unspecified “transitional governing body.”
The collapse of Hamas will not be accomplished through submission, but rather through strategic erosion and separation of the terrorist organization from the population it relies on, Moshe Fuzaylov, a senior researcher at the Misgav Institute for National Security and a former senior Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) official, said on Thursday. "The campaign in Gaza is at a crossroads," Fuzaylov said in an interview with Maariv, adding that "Hamas's complete defeat has not yet been achieved, and the West, with its dwindling support, is signaling to Israel to come down from the tree."
Lebanon
Reuters: Hezbollah says Lebanon cabinet decision to seek state monopoly on arms is 'grave sin'
Hezbollah said on Wednesday the Lebanese government was committing a "grave sin" by tasking the army with establishing a state monopoly on arms, sharpening a national divide over calls for the Shi'ite Muslim group to disarm. Despite unprecedented pressure from Washington and from its domestic rivals, the Iran-backed group has refused to fully relinquish its arsenal, which it retained after Lebanon's civil war ended in 1990 even as other militias disarmed. Now, the U.S. has demanded Lebanon's cabinet explicitly pledge to strip Hezbollah of its weapons - a move that risks reigniting tensions in Lebanon, a nation of multiple sects where Hezbollah retains significant support among Shi'ites.
Naharnet: UNIFIL says found tunnels containing weapons in south Lebanon
UNIFIL spokesperson Andrea Tenenti said on Thursday that peacekeepers "discovered a vast network of fortified tunnels in the vicinity of Tayr Harfa, Zibqin, and Naqura" in south Lebanon, including "several bunkers, artillery pieces, multiple rocket launchers, hundreds of shells and rockets, anti-tank mines, and other explosive devices."
Naharnet: Hezbollah bloc calls on govt. to 'correct the situation'
As Thursday's key cabinet meeting on the U.S. paper for Hezbollah's disarmament got underway, Hezbollah's parliamentary bloc called on the government to "correct the situation it has put itself and Lebanon in by slipping into accepting American demands that inevitably serve the interests of the Zionist enemy." Lebanon's cabinet convened again on Thursday to discuss the thorny task of disarming Hezbollah, a day after the Iran-backed group rejected the government's decision to take away its weapons.
Naharnet: Iranian official on Hezbollah disarmament: This dream will be buried
Brig. Gen. Iraj Masjedi, the assistant commander of Iran’s Quds Force for coordination affairs, said Thursday that “the project of removing Hezbollah’s arms in Lebanon is a failed scheme by America and the Zionist regime (Israel),” adding that “this dream will be buried with them.”
Naharnet: Cabinet meets again on Hezbollah disarmament
Lebanon's cabinet convened again Thursday to discuss the thorny task of disarming Hezbollah, a day after the Iran-backed group rejected the government's decision to take away its weapons. All the ministers of Hezbollah and the Amal Movement were attending the session, except for Finance Minister Yassine Jaber, who is still abroad.
AFP: What options for Hezbollah after govt's decision to disarm it?
The government has decided to task the army with setting a plan to disarm Hezbollah. AFP looks at how the government's decision may be implemented, and whether the Iran-backed militant group can still block it. - Why is the move important? - Tuesday's announcement was the first time a Lebanese government has announced it would disarm Hezbollah, the only armed faction that kept its weapons in the aftermath of the 1975-1990 civil war.
Syria
Reuters: Kurdish-led SDF not complying with Syria integration deal, Turkish source says
The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) is not acting in line with an accord it signed with Syria's government this year to join the country's state institutions, and the recent clashes between the group and government forces damages Syria's unity, a Turkish Defense Ministry source said on Thursday.
New York Times: After Weeks of Sectarian Clashes in Syria, an Uneasy Truce Takes Hold
The latest conflict began in mid-July with clashes between two local groups — the Bedouins and the Druse. During five days of intense fighting, the government made a short attempt to intervene. Its forces soon became embroiled in fighting the Druse militias, who are themselves divided but hold sway over much of Sweida Province. Israel then launched airstrikes and said it was acting in defense of the Druse, forcing the government to withdraw its troops from much of the province.
Eight months have passed since the collapse of the Assad regime and the dismantling of its military and security institutions, leaving behind a vast political and security vacuum across Syria. The power void has plunged the country into widespread instability, with mounting violence, targeted killings, and systematic violations documented by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR). Between December 8, 2024, and August 6, 2025, SOHR recorded the deaths of 9,889 individuals across Syria, including 7,449 civilians, among them 396 children and 541 women, reflecting the severe deterioration of public safety and the rising threat to the most vulnerable communities.
Turkey
Nordic Monitor: Hizb ut-Tahrir, backed by Turkish jihadist groups, challenges President Erdogan
Radical jihadist groups, emboldened under the increasingly permissive climate fostered by Turkey’s Islamist leadership, have turned their attention toward the presidential palace in Ankara, demanding decisive action against Israel. Hizb ut-Tahrir, a terrorist-designated pan-Islamist group that advocates for the re-establishment of a global Islamic caliphate, orchestrated a provocative rally in the Turkish capital on July 27. Organized through its front group Köklü Değişim (Radical Change), the protest drew together a nationwide network of jihadist factions to demonstrate outside President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s presidential complex and the headquarters of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).
Yemen
Safety4Sea: Houthis sanction 64 shipowners for trading with Israel
Under the Humanitarian Operations Coordination Center (HOCC), Yemen’s Houthis have announced sanctions against 64 shipowners whose vessels violated the naval blockade imposed on Israel. The move follows the declaration issued by the Yemeni Armed Forces on July 27, 2025, warning maritime operators against entering Israeli ports. According to the HOCC, the sanctioned vessels had previously received pre-penalty notices cautioning them about the risks of transiting to ports under the control of what it calls the “usurping Israeli entity.” Despite the warnings, the ships proceeded, prompting full sanctions not only on the violating vessels but also on the entire fleets owned by the respective companies.
Yemen has successfully tested and officially entered into service a new cruise missile called the "Sayyad." The missile has an 800km strike range and is designed to evade radar and hit moving targets with high accuracy, carrying a 200-300kg warhead. Its low-altitude flight makes it difficult to detect or intercept. The Sayyad missile can target ships in the Red Sea, Arabian Sea, and Indian Ocean, and its satellite guidance allows it to strike both sea and land targets. The Houthi navy claims the missile boosts their maritime deterrence against U.S., Israeli, and British forces.
Maritime Executive: Houthis Reveal Tracking of Shipping Between Israel, Egypt and Turkey
The Houthis continue their demand that all shipping be stopped into and out of Israel as part of their so-called blockade of Israeli ports. In their latest move, the militants revealed they are tracking individual ship movements, and they called out major companies, including Maersk and MSC, revealing they are using AIS data to track the movement of ships between Egypt, Turkey, and Israel.
India
Afghanistan International: India’s NSA Meets Russian Officials Amid Taliban Recognition Concerns
India’s National Security Advisor, Ajit Doval, is in Moscow this week for high-level talks with senior Russian officials. The discussions are expected to focus on Afghanistan and Russia’s recent recognition of the Taliban government. According to reports from The Hindu and Hindustan Times, Doval is likely to raise concerns over Moscow’s decision last month to formally recognise the Taliban administration, the first country to do so. The Indian government has yet to issue an official statement on the matter.
Congo
Reuters: M23 rebels killed 319 civilians in east Congo in July, UN rights chief says
Rwanda-backed M23 rebels killed at least 319 civilians, including 48 women and 19 children, last month in eastern Congo, Volker Turk, U.N. high commissioner for human rights, said on Wednesday, citing "first-hand accounts". The violence in the Rutshuru territory of North Kivu province produced "one of the largest documented death tolls in such attacks since the M23's resurgence in 2022," Turk said in a statement. Reuters first reported on the killings in late July, citing findings by the U.N. Joint Human Rights Office (UNJHRO) that put the death toll at 169 people. M23 leader Bertrand Bisimwa told Reuters at the time it would investigate, but also said the report could be a "smear campaign".
Sudan
Associated Press: Sudanese airstrike hits Darfur airport, killing 40 suspected mercenaries
A Sudanese airstrike hit an airport in the country’s Darfur region controlled by a notorious paramilitary group, destroying a suspected Emirati military aircraft and killing dozens of suspected mercenaries, Sudanese officials and a rebel adviser said Thursday. Wednesday’s strike on the Nyala airport killed at least 40 suspected mercenaries from Colombia and destroyed a shipment of arms and equipment that were sent by the United Arab Emirates to the Rapid Support Forces, or RSF, according to two Sudanese military officials and an adviser to a Darfur rebel leader allied with RSF.
Technology
The Handbasket: Substack’s extremist ecosystem is flourishing
Substack has once again revealed itself to be a Nazi bar. Last week, the newsletter platform got caught sending push alerts featuring antisemitic invective to users’ phones. One of those alerts was for an explicitly neo-Nazi blog, whose profile picture and banner are simply the flag of Nazi Germany. When asked for comment by Substacker Taylor Lorenz, a company spokesperson blamed an unspecified “serious error,” one that, “caused some people to receive push notifications they should never have received.”
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