Eye on Extremism: July 1, 2026
Top Stories
Reuters: Iran warns of immediate response to any threat, cites US commitment to restrain Israel
Iran will deliver an immediate and powerful response to any threat against its people or leadership, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said in an X post on Wednesday. "POTUS has committed the U.S. to muzzling its pets in Tel Aviv. If they ignore their master, Iran will school them," Araqchi said.
JWire: Antisemitism surged on X after Musk takeover, inquiry told
Elon Musk’s takeover of X weakened the platform’s response to antisemitism and allowed previously banned users to return, an online hate expert has told the Royal Commission into Antisemitism and Social Cohesion. Online Hate Prevention Institute CEO Dr Andre Oboler said about 80 per cent of Twitter’s trust and safety staff were dismissed after Musk bought the company in 2022 and shifted it towards what he described as an “absolute free speech” approach. The platform was later renamed X.
Analysis
Iran International: Mojtaba Khamenei’s key word for Iran’s future: a people given a mission
Since becoming Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei has repeatedly used ba’sat, a term rooted in divine mission, to cast Iranians not just as citizens but as a force tasked with carrying forward the Islamic Republic’s project at home and beyond.
An increasing number of clashes have been taking place between a Kurdish opposition group in Iran and elements of the Iranian regime over the past three days.
United States
A New York woman accused of leading a radical extremist group and posing with hand grenades in front of a Hamas flag has been arrested after allegedly funneling tens of thousands of dollars to a Palestinian terrorist organization. Catherine Beth Washburn, 37, of Irondequoit, a suburb of Rochester, is charged with attempting to provide material support to the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization. If convicted, she faces up to 20 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.
The U.S. House of Representatives has passed H.R. 7128, the TRIA Program Reauthorization Act of 2026, by a vote of 373-15, according to a press release. Sponsored by Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance Chairman Mike Flood (NE-01), this bipartisan bill reauthorizes the Terrorism Risk Insurance Program, ensuring continued stability in the marketplace, protecting American businesses, and providing certainty for insurers against acts of terrorism.
CNN: Rep. Dan Goldman: Antisemitism is 'becoming normalized' in the US
Rep. Dan Goldman sits down with Jake Tapper.
A grassroots parental rights organization was barred from attending a state fair in Alaska after being accused of being a "hate group" by a local activist citing a controversial left-leaning watchdog organization. Moms for Liberty, a prominent national conservative group known for challenging public school library books and curricula they deem inappropriate for minors, was denied an application to set up a one-day booth at the Tanana Valley State Fair in Fairbanks—Alaska’s oldest state fair.
JTA: Survey: Jews in smaller communities feel less heard when raising concerns about antisemitism
Jews living in smaller communities are less likely than those in large communities to feel their concerns about antisemitism are taken seriously by law enforcement and would-be allies, a new survey from the Jewish Federations of North America has found.
Jewish Insider: ‘No place’ for Brooklyn Dem leader’s antisemitism, NYC Council speaker says
New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin — the first Jewish person to hold her role — slammed a newly elected Brooklyn Democrat’s promotion of antisemitic conspiracy theories, but declined to call her commentary disqualifying. Jewish Insider reported on Friday that Carmella Charrington, elected in Tuesday’s far-left wave to the unpaid but important party position of district leader with help from politicians in the Democratic Socialists of America, last November shared an antisemitic video endorsing industrialist Henry Ford’s infamous antisemitic pamphlet series The International Jew.
JTA: Hitler appears in the baby photos section of a New Jersey middle school yearbook
Adolf Hitler cropped up in the student baby photos section of a New Jersey middle school yearbook, prompting condemnation from school officials and local Jewish leaders. In a letter sent last Thursday to the school community, East Brook Middle School Principal Ryan Aupperlee said that the school in Paramus had launched an investigation into the incident in “coordination with law enforcement.”
Fox 7 News: Some Maryland Democrats worry about potential antisemitism in their own party
Israel has become a divisive topic not just between Republicans and Democrats but also within the Democratic Party. And it's happening close to home. One local Montgomery County representative is calling out Senator Chris Van Hollen, characterizing some recent comments as antisemitic.
NJ.com: Teachers in this N.J. school district walked out of a controversial training. Here’s why.
The New Jersey chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, known as CAIR-NJ, sent a letter to Montclair school officials that outlined several critiques of the training. The presentation allegedly suggested the district follow a 2019 Trump administration executive order that said government agencies should use the definition of antisemitism drafted by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance.
Washington Times: Chinese national pleads guilty to cocaine smuggling, CJNG terror support
Wenshen Xu, a 52-year-old Honduras-based Chinese national, pleaded guilty to conspiring to import cocaine into the United States, conspiring to launder money derived from drug trafficking, and providing material support to a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization — the Cártel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG) — according to the Justice Department.
KSNV: Henderson suspect faces terrorism threat charge after casino garage standoff
A domestic dispute in Henderson escalated into a heavily armed standoff after a caller reported her ex-spouse had stolen her car and was making threats that included “suicide by cop” and a potential mass shooting, police said. On Saturday, June 27, Henderson police and 911 received calls at 9:38 a.m. reporting that the caller’s ex-spouse, Allison Howlette, had taken the caller’s vehicle and that it was loaded with firearms.
Statesman Journal: Oregon Court of Appeals hears arguments against anti-terrorist center
The Oregon Court of Appeals heard oral arguments on June 30 in a lawsuit challenging the Oregon Department of Justice's authority to operate its anti-terrorist program. Lawyers for two environmental justice organizations, 350 Eugene and Rogue Climate, and four longtime social justice activists are challenging a Marion County Court ruling upholding the legality of the state’s anti-terrorist intelligence program. The lawsuit against the Oregon Department of Justice was first filed in 2021 for its operation of the Oregon TITAN Fusion Center, a state and federal intelligence hub.
Canada
CBC: Saskatoon man pleads guilty to inciting hatred via antisemitic posts online
A Saskatoon man has pleaded guilty to publicly inciting hatred against Jewish people. Brandon Taylor Moore entered the plea on Monday in Saskatoon provincial court. The 45-year-old was charged in December after police investigated complaints about antisemitic comments online.
Canadian Heritage Minister Marc Miller apologized for the Canadian Museum for Human Rights not referring to Hamas as a terrorist organization in its new Nakba exhibition. The plaque, titled “Under Occupation,” reads, “Following the Hamas attack that killed about 1,200 people on October 7, 2023.” It does not use the words “Jews” [to refer to the people killed] or “terrorists” [to refer to Hamas].
JTA: Canadian Museum for Human Rights opens ‘Nakba’ exhibit amid pushback from Jewish leaders
After weeks of backlash from Jewish groups and leaders, the Canadian Museum for Human Rights this weekend opened its exhibit on the Nakba, the narrative of Palestinian defeat and displacement upon Israel’s founding. The Winnipeg, Manitoba, exhibit is called “Palestine Uprooted: Nakba Past and Present” and features photography, poetry and everyday objects that document the experience of Palestinian-Canadians impacted by the Nakba. Palestinians use the term, meaning “catastrophe,” to describe their mass displacement upon Israel’s establishment.
France
Le Monde: Mélenchon accused of glorifying terrorism after remarks about October 7
Several French-Israeli victims of Hamas's October 7, 2023, terrorist attacks against Israeli civilians and soldiers near the Gaza Strip and in southern Israel filed a complaint for "glorifying terrorism" against Jean-Luc Mélenchon, leader of the radical left-wing La France Insoumise (LFI) party, on Monday, June 29. The complaint against the presidential candidate and his party was filed via Paris-based lawyer Nathanaël Majster.
Greece
Reuters: Five wounded in firebombings of homes linked to Greek governing party
Attackers firebombed three residential buildings linked to Greece's governing party in the northern city of Thessaloniki before dawn on Wednesday, wounding five people including a candidate for parliament, police said.
Germany
Reuters: German prosecutors arrest man accused of ordering killings during Rwanda genocide
German prosecutors arrested a German-Rwandan national on suspicion of being an accomplice to genocide and 25 counts of murder during the 1994 genocide against the Tutsis in Rwanda, they said in a statement on Wednesday.
El Pais: German intelligence services consider the far right a danger to democracy
Far-right extremism remains the “greatest threat” to the liberal democratic order in Germany, according to the latest report from the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV), the country’s domestic intelligence service.
Netherlands
NL Times: Counterterrorism agency warns of growing Iran-related, online extremist terror threats
The likelihood of an attack related to the Iran war has increased, the National Coordinator for Security and Counterterrorism (NCTV) said in its latest semi-annual threat assessment. The agency warns that the threat may stem from Iranian security services, as well as from groups, organisations, or individuals associated with or sympathetic to Iran.
Dutch News: Terror attack threats remain high, security services warn
The threat of terrorist attacks in the Netherlands remains “substantial”, ranked at level four out of five, counter-terrorism agency NCTV said in its half-yearly assessment on Tuesday. Level four means there is a realistic chance an attack will take place.
NL Times: Dutch police arrest minor in alleged nihilist extremist terror plot
Dutch police have arrested a minor suspected of planning a terrorist offense linked to nihilist violent extremism, authorities said. The National Coordinator for Counterterrorism and Security (NCTV) also warned in a separate report of a growing threat from the same type of extremism, RTL reports.
United Kingdom
Jewish News: Government urged to close media loophole after antisemitism aired by UK based channel
The government is facing renewed questions about the ability of extremist media organisations to operate in the UK, after a London based Arabic-language TV Channel ran an interview in which an individual claimed that “on Jewish Passover they have to get a gentile child – a non-Jewish child – and knead the matzah they eat in the morning with his blood.”
Middle East
New York Times: Trump Suggestion of a Syrian Crackdown on Hezbollah Confounds Many in Mideast
During peace talks, President Trump repeatedly floated the idea that Syria could help subdue Hezbollah in Lebanon. The proposal revived bitter memories.
Afghanistan
Afghanistan International: Iran-Taliban Relations On Constructive Path, Says Iranian Envoy
Iran’s ambassador to Kabul, Alireza Bikdeli, said relations between Iran and the Taliban administration are moving in a constructive direction. He said the trend would strengthen bilateral and regional cooperation.
Iran
IranWire: IRGC Warns Kamal Kharrazi’s Family After Poisoning Claims Surface
According to information obtained by IranWire, following recent remarks by Sadegh Kharrazi, the nephew of Kamal Kharrazi, alleging that the former Iranian foreign minister was poisoned while in the hospital, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Intelligence Organization issued a strict warning to the Kharrazi family to refrain from repeating this “rumor.”
Fox News: Wave of attacks on Iran's IRGC raises questions about renewed Kurdish insurgency
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is facing a new round of violence in the country’s Kurdish-majority west, raising questions about whether a long-simmering Kurdish insurgency is entering a more active phase as fragile talks between Iran and Washington continue, experts say.
Middle East Eye: IRGC says it killed six separatists in northwestern Iran
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps says it foiled a cell of separatists attempting to enter the country's northwest to carry out "acts of sabotage and terrorism". The IRGC said it launched the operation after learning that the group had entered Iran's northwestern border areas, according to a statement cited by the semi-official Tasnim news agency. All six members of the separatist cell were ambushed and killed, it said.
Iran International: IRGC moves to seize historic Protestant church in Tehran
Iranian authorities have stepped up pressure on one of the country’s few surviving Protestant churches, threatening to confiscate its valuable central Tehran compound and evict residents, in what church leaders describe as the latest assault on Christian worship sites.
Israel
Times of Israel: Netanyahu: The pursuit of ‘total victory’ against Iran and its proxies ‘never ends’
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asserted on Tuesday that his pursuit of “total victory” against Iran and its proxies “never ends,” as he touted what he said have been Israel’s military gains over the past three years, while insisting that there was more work left to do.
Defense Minister Israel Katz has issued sanctions against 37 cryptocurrency wallets associated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, his office announced on Wednesday. These funds, totaling approximately NIS 24 million, were used to fund various Iranian terror proxies, including Hezbollah. Further investigation uncovered the fact that tens of millions of dollars were funneled to terror organizations through these crypto wallets over the past several years.
A suspected terrorist attempted to stab an Israel Police officer in Lod, central Israel, on Wednesday morning, police confirmed. According to the police, during routine operations in the city, officers spotted the suspect holding a knife and called for him to stop.
Lebanon
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told troops in the southern Lebanon security zone on Tuesday that the military would remain in the area for the foreseeable future, crediting the soldiers’ work for the recent agreement between Israel, Lebanon, and the US that demands Hezbollah’s disarmament to enable an Israeli withdrawal.
Naharnet: US and GCC sanction Hezbollah 'financial institutions and senior officials'
The member states of the Terrorist Financing Targeting Center (TFTC) on Tuesday announced joint designations targeting "multiple key components of Hezbollah’s financial infrastructure, including five entities and 16 individuals," the U.S. Treasury said.
Syria
Reuters: Syria's Sharaa appoints lawmakers, paving way for new parliament to convene
Syrian authorities announced the names of 70 lawmakers on Wednesday appointed to a transitional parliament by President Ahmed al-Sharaa, paving the way to convene the body next week more than eight months after the process of forming it began.
Yemen
Reuters: Small boats with armed people approach vessels off Yemen, UKMTO says
A vessel reported being approached by multiple small craft with several people on board bearing small arms, 76 nautical miles south of the Yemeni port of Balhaf on Wednesday, United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said. The crew was reported to be safe, UKMTO added.
Pakistan
Afghanistan International: Pakistan Confirms Taliban Drone Incursion Into Its Territory
Pakistan’s military said the Afghan Taliban launched four rudimentary drones into Balochistan on Tuesday. It claimed the move was part of the Taliban’s support for armed militants operating from territory under its control. In a statement issued late on Tuesday, the Pakistani military said the four drones entered Balochistan’s airspace from Afghanistan on Tuesday evening. It said the country’s air defence network detected the drones immediately and successfully intercepted and destroyed them.
Afghanistan International: 265 Afghan Nationals Were Involved In Terror Attacks, Says Pakistan
Pakistani security sources say 265 Afghan nationals were involved in suicide bombings and other terrorist attacks in Pakistan between 2022 and 2025. Documents obtained by Afghanistan International link them to attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Nigeria
Reuters: Mass school kidnappings in Nigeria in recent years
At least 36 children and a staff member are missing after being kidnapped by gunmen from a school in Nigeria's northeast, the third such mass school abduction since May in Africa's most populous country. Here are some of the worst of recent years:
Somalia
Hiiraan Online: Puntland forces capture Yemeni ISIS fighter in Bari mountains
Puntland security forces have captured a foreign ISIS fighter in the Calmiskaad mountains of Bari region, officials said Wednesday. Gen. Mahmoud Jama Faadhigo, spokesman for Operation Calmiskaad, said the man was captured in the Af-cas area after allegedly leaving an ISIS base in Shakaala.
South Africa
Reuters: Over 900 arrested during South African anti-migrant protests
South African police arrested more than 900 people during nationwide anti-migrant protests on Tuesday that were mostly peaceful but at times turned violent, with shops looted, police said on Wednesday.
Philippines
Inquirer: Suspected ‘groomer’ of Tacloban school shooters tagged in Senate hearing
The two minor suspects, alias Nash and Rod, in the Tacloban school shooting may have been influenced by an “adult groomer,” Sen. Risa Hontiveros said on Wednesday. Hontiveros revealed the potential link during the Senate panel on women, children, family relations, and gender equality hearing on the fatal shooting incident.
Australia
An online hate prevention charity which monitors and reports antisemitic content says trillionaire Elon Musk is partly to blame for anti-Jewish hatred on social media platform X. Formerly called Twitter, the platform has not responded to repeated requests for engagement by the Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion.
The Australian: Antisemitism royal commission swamped with submissions
The antisemitism royal commission faces a daily workload from public evidence equal to the eight most recent royal commissions combined, underscoring the herculean task former High Court justice Virginia Bell must achieve by the first anniversary of the Bondi Beach massacre. Analysis by The Australian shows the Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion must analyse at least 59 public submissions a day to fully consider the body of evidence by its December 14 deadline.
Technology
The National: AI models provide assistance to terror attacks
The largest AI models are being used to facilitate deadly terrorist attacks, online monitors have found. Tech Against Terrorism conducted a series of tests on 27 leading AI systems to demonstrate how robust they were at denying information that could be used to kill.
Arab News: Saudi envoy calls for stronger global cooperation against terrorist misuse of AI
Saudi Arabia’s permanent representative to the UN on Tuesday called for strengthened international cooperation, expertise exchange and investment in capacity building to prevent terrorist groups from exploiting new and emerging technologies.
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