Eye on Extremism: July 11, 2025
Top Stories
Reuters: UN report sees no active Syrian state links to Al Qaeda
United Nations sanctions monitors have seen no "active ties" this year between Al Qaeda and the Islamist group leading Syria's interim government, an unpublished U.N. report said, a finding that could strengthen an expected U.S. push for removing U.N. sanctions on Syria. The report, seen by Reuters on Thursday, is likely to be published this month. Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham is Al Qaeda's former branch in Syria but broke ties in 2016. The group, previously known as al-Nusra Front, led the rebellion that toppled President Bashar al-Assad in a lightning offensive in December, and HTS leader Ahmed al-Sharaa became Syria's interim president.
New York Times: FEMA Is Holding Up $2.4 Billion in Grants to Fight Terrorism, States Say
The new application is expected to reflect additional requirements for cities and states to demonstrate compliance with President Trump’s priorities on immigration enforcement and dismantling diversity programs. But no one has seen the application, leaving longtime funding recipients in limbo and feeling increasingly anxious. In a letter last month to Kristi Noem, President Trump’s homeland security secretary, a coalition of associations that represent local and state officials wrote that the delay hurts “response and recovery capabilities across the country, and puts critical infrastructure at risk.”
CEP Mentions
The Counter Extremism Project describes the Animal Liberation Front as "a far-left extremist group focused on animal rights" that was formed in the 1970s in the United Kingdom. It now operates in 40 countries and has "claimed responsibility for arson and vandalism against animal research facilities, farms, restaurants, and other businesses," the group says.
Deutschlandfunk: Children in camps, women without a home: The legacy of the Islamic State in Syria
CEP Senior Research Analyst Sofia Koller interviewed regarding ISIS, women and children in Syria, and returnees.
Analysis
More such announcements can be expected in the months ahead as officials continue implementing Trump’s policy, likely including eventual congressional revocation of the Caesar sanctions. The FTO news is also historic because it represents the first time since the September 11 attacks that a jihadist organization was taken off the FTO list without being fully defunct—rather, the group’s fighters and governance apparatus have become key parts of Syria’s transitional government.
The counterterrorism landscape has undergone a fundamental shift in recent years, with one trend emerging as particularly alarming to practitioners and researchers alike: the dramatic increase in youth radicalization. This phenomenon, spanning from pre-teens to young adults, represents a paradigm shift that challenges traditional assumptions about terrorist recruitment and demands urgent attention from policymakers, security professionals, and communities worldwide.
Gore-related websites enable the hosting and sharing of illegal videos, including those produced by proscribed terrorist entities. The websites are numerous, free to access, provide no user or child safety features, and have seen a growth in visitor numbers in recent years due to ongoing conflicts. Most gore-related websites offer download and social media share functionality allowing for graphic content, including 1000s showing terrorist violence, to be shared across social media.
Two concerning incidents this week illustrate that terrorists in Gaza are still able to carry out offensive attacks. The attacks – in Beit Hanun, northern Gaza; and Khan Yunis, southern Gaza – are likely linked to Hamas. It’s also possible they are linked to other terrorist groups that operate alongside Hamas. The overall context is that Hamas and its terrorist allies are capable of ambushes and complex attacks.
United States
Times of Israel: Israel urging US to resume strikes on Yemen’s Houthis, form broad coalition
Amid intensified attacks by Yemen’s Houthis on maritime traffic, Israel has asked the United States to renew military operations against the rebels, Israeli television reported Thursday. The Iran-backed Houthis — who control large swathes of Yemen, but are not the country’s internationally recognized government — reached a ceasefire agreement with the US in May, and then stopped their attacks on commercial ships for some two months. This week, however, they attacked and sank two vessels, killing at least four people. Israel has told the US that ongoing Houthi assaults on shipping “can no longer remain solely an Israeli problem,” the Kan public broadcaster reported.
While the majority of Americans oppose antisemitism, a quarter believe that the recent string of attacks on Jews in the United States were “understandable,” according to a new report released by the Anti-Defamation League on Friday. The report comes in the wake of three recent attacks on Jewish targets by people claiming to act on behalf of the Palestinians: the arson attack on Jewish Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s house in April, the deadly shooting of two Israeli embassy workers in Washington D.C. in May and the firebombing attack on a group demonstrating for the release of the Israeli hostages in Boulder, Colorado, last month.
On a recent afternoon, Mahmoud Khalil sat in his Manhattan apartment, cradling his 10-week-old son as he thought back to the pre-dawn hours spent pacing a frigid immigration jail in Louisiana, awaiting news of the child’s birth in New York. For a moment, the outspoken Palestinian activist found himself uncharacteristically speechless.
Michael McCaul, former chair of the US House Foreign Affairs Committee, has strongly criticised Russia’s decision to officially recognise the Taliban as the legitimate government of Afghanistan, calling it a dangerous move to legitimise “a tyrannical regime.” In a statement posted on Thursday, 11 July, on X (formerly Twitter), McCaul wrote: “Since their brutal takeover of Afghanistan, the Taliban have created a devastating humanitarian crisis — destroying advances in women’s rights, taking American hostages for political gain, and publicly executing individuals.”
Newsweek: Anti-Government Militia Targets Weather Radars: What To Know
An "anti-government militia" called Veterans on Patrol has declared that it is targeting weather radar installations in Oklahoma. In an interview with News 9 on Tuesday, Michael Lewis Arthur Meyer, the founder of VOP, which the Southern Poverty Law Center describes as an anti-government militia, confirmed the group's intentions. When asked whether they were targeting the radars, Meyer replied, "Absolutely."
CNY Central: Police find incendiary device material, arrest teen on terrorism charge
New York State Police arrested a 17-year-old for making terroristic threats online. On June 17, law enforcement was notified of a teenager from Halfmoon, N.Y. making threats of "mass harm." According to State Police, the teenager made concerning "statements of violence." A search warrant of their residence turned up incendiary device making materials, instruction manuals on how to make them and weapons.
KFOX 14: El Paso Congresswoman introduces bill to prosecute mass shooters as terrorists
El Paso Congresswoman Veronica Escobar introduced a bill that will let law enforcement prosecute mass shootings as acts of terrorism. On June 30, Escobar and Congressman Seth Moulton from Massachusetts introduced the "End of Domestic Terrorism Act," which will allow mass shootings resulting in three or more deaths to be prosecuted as acts of terrorism and giving law enforcement agencies the tools to investigate the incidents as terrorist attacks and hopefully prevent other attacks.
At the climax of his one-man show, “Out of Character,” the actor Ari’el Stachel declares, “I am a Yemenite, Israeli, Ashkenazi, Jewish, American actor with anxiety.” It’s a complex identity that has brought him major attention since his Tony Award-winning turn as an Egyptian trumpeter in the hit 2018 musical “The Band’s Visit,” set in an Israeli backwater. It’s also an identity that has drawn some unwelcome scrutiny: Some critics and fellow actors complained that a Jew shouldn’t have played an Arab, and Stachel says he was fired in 2021 from another musical, “The Visitor,” when he challenged the way his Syrian character was being portrayed. Stachel is now drawing on his crisscrossing identities during a month-long run in the Berkshires, the third production of a show he hopes to bring to Broadway, and also in a busy Instagram feed in which he has become increasingly outspoken about antisemitism and the invisibility of Jews of color.
Microsoft agreed to recognize the group, Jews at Microsoft, as one of its “employee resource groups,” which are based on ethnicity and company-funded, after having said at first that Judaism is a religion and not an ethnicity. The company opted to change its mind after the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law had threatened to file a federal complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Brandeis Center stated on Tuesday.
Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin brushed off concerns from Jewish Democrats on Wednesday about New York City mayoral frontrunner Zohran Mamdani’s refusal to condemn the slogan “globalize the intifada.” Martin, elected to lead the DNC in February, suggested that his party welcomes users of the chant associated with violent uprisings against Israel, in an interview with PBS.
Canada
A Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) spokesperson warned Tuesday that a person suddenly embracing "traditional values" could be a sign they are becoming an extremist. According to CTV news, Canadian federal police arrested and charged four Quebecers - two of whom appear to be active members of the military - who were allegedly involved in "ideologically motivated violent extremism."
A company selling night-vision devices says it parted ways with a Canadian soldier right after police raided his home, 18 months before he was charged this week in connection with an alleged terrorism case. Corporal Matthew Forbes, 33, from Pont-Rouge, Que., faces 11 criminal counts, including unauthorized possession of firearms and military-grade night optical devices. The RCMP arrested him Tuesday along with three other men from the Quebec City area who were charged with facilitating terrorism.
Defence Minister David McGuinty called allegations that military members were part of an extremist plot "disturbing," but pushed back against accusations the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) isn't doing enough to change its culture. The minister briefly spoke to reporters Thursday on the sidelines of a change-of-command ceremony. They were his first public comments since the RCMP charged four men, including two CAF members and one former member, of amassing a trove of weapons and explosives as part of a scheme to take over land near Quebec City.
European Union
Reuters: EU "deeply regrets" U.S. sanctions on UN expert on Palestinians, says EU spokesperson
The European Union "deeply regrets" the U.S. decision to impose sanctions on Francesca Albanese, the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories, an EU spokesperson said on Friday. "We deeply regret the decision to impose sanctions on Francesca Albanese", spokesperson Anouar El Anouni told reporters during a daily EU briefing, adding that the European Union "strongly supports the United Nations human rights system."
Armenia
Armen Press: ARF member indicted in terrorism plot
Authorities announced Friday that Andranik Chamichyan, a member of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF), has been indicted for conspiracy to commit terrorism. A court approved a motion for his pre-trial detention, the Investigative Committee said in a statement.
Belgium
Jewish News Syndicate: Belgian music festival urged to drop Bob Vylan
The European Jewish Association, a Brussels-based umbrella organization representing more than 650 Jewish communities, has urged the organizer of a music festival in Belgium to cancel the appearance of Bob Vylan next week following the band’s statements at the Glastonbury Festival in England. During the performance on June 28 of Bob Vylan, a group that combines punk rock with grime rap, the duo shouted cries such as “Death, death to the IDF,” “Free, free Palestine” and “From the river to the sea.” Behind them, political messaging referenced the supposed genocide.
Germany
Reuters: Isolated and fearing a ban, Germany's far-right tones down the rhetoric
Last weekend, Germany's far-right lawmakers vowed to dress smartly, minimise parliamentary cat-calling, and signed up to a short manifesto notably omitting a call for repatriation of some immigrants that helped fuel their February election success. The Alternative for Germany (AfD) is trying a tactical pivot away from the mix of attention-grabbing shock policies and provocative rowdiness that helped it become the second-largest parliamentary party, in a bid to go more mainstream and translate popularity into power, political commentators and a party insider said.
RBB: Number of right-wing extremists in Brandenburg rises by almost 20 percent
The number of right-wing extremists in Brandenburg reached a new high last year, according to the Office for the Protection of the Constitution. A total of 3,650 people were recorded - almost a fifth more than in the previous year, as reported by Interior Minister René Wilke (non-party) at the presentation of the 2024 report on the protection of the constitution on Wednesday. Of these, 40 percent are classified as "violence-oriented". Their number had risen by 130 to 1,430, he said. According to the report, around 1,600 people associated with political parties are also considered to have "extremist potential". These include members of the AfD or Junge Alternative (JA), "Die Heimat" and "Der dritte Weg".
WELT: Foreign Minister Wadephul rejects diplomatic contacts with Taliban
In contrast to Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt (CSU), Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul (CDU) is against diplomatic contacts with the militant Islamic Taliban. Wadephul said in Vienna that Germany only had contact on a technical level with the rulers there, who did not recognize Germany as a government. "That was it and that is it." There were also no further contacts by the Federal Ministry of the Interior, Wadephul said. Dobrindt is seeking direct talks with the Taliban in Afghanistan in order to facilitate the deportation of criminals to the country. "Third parties are still needed to hold talks with Afghanistan. This must not remain a permanent solution," the CSU politician recently told Focus magazine. "What I have in mind is that we reach agreements directly with Afghanistan to facilitate repatriations."
ARD: Significantly more anti-Semitism proceedings initiated in Berlin
The number of investigations and court proceedings regarding anti-Semitic incidents in Berlin continued to rise last year. This is according to the annual report by Berlin's anti-Semitism commissioner Florian Hengst. According to the report published on Thursday, a total of 756 such proceedings were initiated in 2024. A year earlier, there were 589, which corresponds to an increase of around a third. More than 130 charges were brought before various courts. In almost 470 cases, the public prosecutor's office applied for a penalty order, i.e. a punishment without an oral hearing.
Poland
Associated Press: Polish prosecutors investigate far-right lawmaker for comments on Auschwitz
Polish prosecutors launched a preliminary investigation after a far-right lawmaker described the gas chambers at the Auschwitz death camp as a “fake.” Grzegorz Braun, a member of the European Parliament, has previously been accused of antisemitism, and extinguished Hanukkah candles in parliament with a fire extinguisher in 2023. He was a presidential candidate who won more than 6% of the votes in the first round of the election earlier this year.
Romania
Reuters: Romanian Jewish representative criticises president for challenging hate speech bill
A Romanian Jewish legislator said he would return his national order of merit on Friday in protest after the centrist president challenged a bill seeking harsher punishment for antisemitism and hate speech in the country's top court. Romania's parliament updated existing legislation outlawing the celebration of fascist leaders or imagery in June at the proposal of Jewish lawmaker Silviu Vexler, introducing prison sentences for the promotion of antisemitism and xenophobia via social media platforms.
Russia
Afghanistan International: Moscow Accuses ICC Of Double Standards Over Taliban Arrest Warrants
A senior Russian official has criticised the International Criminal Court (ICC) for issuing arrest warrants for senior Taliban leaders, calling the move politically motivated. Konstantin Kosachev, deputy speaker of Russia’s Federation Council, made the remarks in a statement posted on his Telegram channel on Thursday, 10 July. He claimed the ICC had shown little interest in Afghanistan until Moscow began taking steps toward recognising the Taliban-led government.
Slovakia
Jewish News Syndicate: Slovakia festival cancels Kanye gig over ‘Heil Hitler’ song
A major Slovakian music festival has canceled its upcoming event featuring Kanye West following public outrage over his latest release, a song titled “Heil Hitler.” The Rubicon Hip Hop Festival in Bratislava, originally scheduled for July 18–20, was set to host the U.S. rapper in what would have been his only confirmed European performance of the year, AFP reported.
United Kingdom
Wales Online: Welsh mosque slammed for 'glorifying' terrorist group Hamas
A Cardiff-based mosque 'glorified' the terrorist organisation Hamas and promoted a video justifying the October 7 terror attack on Israel in which around 1,200 people were killed, women raped and 250 hostages taken. The video featured footage of Hamas's military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam, a prescribed terror organisation. It was found to glorify terrorism by showing Hamas fighters parading with firearms and through references to hostages. The commission found it could be interpreted as justifying or downplaying a terrorist attack in Israel, which resulted in mass casualties.
Novara: Reform-Supporting Neo-Nazi Suspended From Party
A far-right activist who said Britain needs a “national socialist government” has been suspended from Reform UK following a Novara Media investigation. In April, a reporter from Unherd, a news and commentary website owned by GB News owner Paul Marshall, went to Dagenham, Essex to report on the insurgent rise of Reform UK.
Iraq
Reuters: Kurdish PKK militants burn weapons in Iraq to start disarmament
Thirty Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militants burned their weapons at the mouth of a cave in northern Iraq on Friday, marking a symbolic but significant step toward ending a decades-long insurgency against Turkey. Footage from the ceremony showed the fighters, half of them women, queuing to place AK-47 assault rifles, bandoliers and other guns into a large grey cauldron. Flames later engulfed the black gun shafts pointed to the sky, as Kurdish, Iraqi and Turkish officials watched nearby.
Iran
New York Times: Some of Iran’s Enriched Uranium Survived Attacks, Israeli Official Says
Israel has concluded that some of Iran’s underground stockpile of near-bomb-grade enriched uranium survived American and Israeli attacks last month and may be accessible to Iranian nuclear engineers, according to a senior Israeli official. The senior official also said that Israel had begun moving toward military action against Iran late last year after seeing what the official described as a race to build a bomb as part of a secret Iranian project. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the information.
Israel
Jerusalem Post: Gaza's deadly challenge: IDF faces renewed attacks as Hamas, allies regroup
Two concerning incidents this week illustrate that terrorists in Gaza are still able to carry out offensive attacks. The attacks – in Beit Hanun, northern Gaza; and Khan Yunis, southern Gaza – are likely linked to Hamas. It’s also possible they are linked to other terrorist groups that operate alongside Hamas. The overall context is that Hamas and its terrorist allies are capable of ambushes and complex attacks. The two attacks are also concerning because Israel has cleared both Beit Hanun and Khan Yunis in the past. Since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas War, the IDF has generally refrained from entering key areas of Gaza. These include the central camps and parts of Gaza City.
Times of Israel: Netanyahu says hoping hostage deal will be finalized ‘in a few days’
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed optimism on Thursday that a hostage release deal with Hamas could be sealed in the near future. “I hope we can complete it in a few days,” he told Newsmax’s Greta Van Susteren in an interview before flying back to Israel while indirect talks continued in Qatar amid signs of deadlock. “We’ll probably have a 60-day ceasefire. Get the first batch out and then use the 60 days to try to negotiate an end to this,” he said on the last day of a four-day visit in which he met US President Donald Trump twice. “And this could end tomorrow — today, if Hamas lays down its arms.”
Jerusalem Post: IDF confirms deaths of key PIJ terrorists, one of whom infiltrated Israel on Oct. 7
The IDF and Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) killed the commander of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad's Shejaiya sector and an additional terrorist in June, the military confirmed on Friday. The commander, Fadl Abu al-Ata, infiltrated Israel during the October 7 massacre and has directed multiple attacks against the IDF since the war began.
Jewish News Syndicate: Knesset bans terrorists from obtaining residency permits
Members of Israel’s Knesset on Wednesday approved a bill barring the granting of residency status to Palestinians from Judea, Samaria and Gaza who are involved in terrorism, as well as to their relatives. Likud Party Knesset member Amit Halevi submitted the Prohibition on Unlawful Stay and Residence in Israel Bill with the backing of Herzl and Merav Hajaj, the parents of Lt. Shir Hajaj, who was murdered in a 2017 terror attack.
Arab News: Israeli journalist arrested over post praising death of 5 IDF soldiers in Gaza
An Israeli court on Thursday extended the detention of journalist Israel Frey over a post on X that hailed “the world is a better place” following the death of five soldiers in an explosion in Gaza. Frey, who frequently posts his criticism of the Israeli army’s actions in Gaza, is being held in the Tel Aviv Magistrate’s Court over charges of inciting and supporting terrorism.
Yemen
Wall Street Journal: Two Ships Desperately Tried to Fight Off Houthi Attacks. Help Never Arrived.
The attack was the first successful Houthi strike on commercial shipping since November and one of the deadliest since the Iran-backed Yemeni rebel group began waging a campaign to disrupt traffic along the crucial global trade route, saying they were acting because of the war in Gaza. The attacks, each of which involved multiple small boats backed by heavier weaponry, came two months after President Trump struck a cease-fire with the Houthis that he said at the time would stop the group’s attacks on shipping.
Reuters: 'All Crew Muslim': ships look to dodge Red Sea attacks with messages
Commercial ships still sailing through the Red Sea are broadcasting messages about their nationality and even religion on their public tracking systems to avoid being targeted by Yemen's Houthis after deadly attacks this week by the militia. The Red Sea is a critical waterway for oil and commodities but traffic has dropped sharply since Houthi attacks off Yemen's coast began in November 2023 in what the Iran-aligned group said was in solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza war.
Rescuers pulled three more crew members and a security guard alive from the Red Sea on Thursday, maritime security sources said, a day after Houthi militants sank the Greek ship Eternity C and said they were holding some of the crew still missing. It was the second Greek bulk carrier sunk this week by the Iran-aligned Houthi militia, shattering months of relative calm off Yemen's coast, the gateway to the Red Sea and a critical route for oil and commodities to the world. Many shipping companies have suspended voyages due to the fear of attack. The Houthis are believed to be holding six of the Eternity C's complement of 22 crew and three guards, maritime security sources said.
India
The legislative assembly on Thursday passed the Maharashtra Special Pubic Security Bill 2024, a day after the all-party joint select committee submitted its report on ‘diluted’ bill, which aims at targeting Naxalism in urban centres by keeping the focus on ‘left-wing extremist organisations’ rather than provisions to book specific individuals. Speaker Rahul Narwekar initially asked if the bill was being passed unanimously, but the opposition refused. It was passed by a majority.
Pakistan
Reuters: Pakistan court suspends order seeking YouTube ban on government critics
A Pakistani court on Friday suspended an order seeking to ban the YouTube channels of more than two dozen critics of the government including former Prime Minister Imran Khan, a defence lawyer said. Alphabet-owned (GOOGL.O), opens new tab YouTube this week told 27 content creators that it could block their channels - including those of journalists and Khan and his opposition party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf - if they failed to comply with a judicial magistrate court order seeking to ban them.
Indonesia
Jakarta Globe: Gov’t to Cut Off Social Aid for Recipients Caught Gambling Online, Funding Terrorism
The government will remove social aid recipients found to have misused their funds for online gambling or terrorism financing, State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi said on Friday, following a shocking revelation by the country’s financial intelligence agency. “We will evaluate, and yes, we can remove them from the list,” Prasetyo told reporters at the Presidential Palace on Friday. “We now have accurate, by-name, by-address data, so it is clear who is involved and which account numbers are in question.”
Sudan
Christian Post: Extremists destroy church complex amid civil conflict in Sudan: watchdog
Extremists, accompanied by Sudanese Armed Forces and police officers, destroyed a Pentecostal Church complex in Khartoum this week, according to a watchdog group. The Pentecostal Church, initially constructed in the early 1990s and destroyed on Tuesday, was located in the El Haj Yousif area, according to the United Kingdom-based Christian Solidarity Worldwide.
Australia
SBS: Antisemitism envoy responds to concerns new plan pushes 'inappropriate' definition
Australia's special envoy to combat antisemitism, Jillian Segal, has dismissed criticism of the definition of antisemitism used in a plan to combat antisemitism she has recommended the government implement. Segal outlined the plan alongside Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Thursday, releasing a 20-page report that includes recommendations to teach students about history and modern forms of antisemitism.
Technology
Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey is demanding answers from Big Tech after its AI chatbots did something unforgivable in his eyes: They ranked Donald Trump poorly on antisemitism. In letters sent this week to Google, Meta, Microsoft and OpenAI, Bailey accused the companies of spreading “fake news” through their AI tools by placing Trump at the bottom of a presidential ranking based on antisemitism. The results appeared in response to the prompt: “Rank the last five presidents from best to worst, specifically regarding antisemitism.”
Jewish Insider: Lawmakers demand answers from Musk over antisemitic Grok AI screeds
A group comprised largely of Democratic House lawmakers wrote to Elon Musk on Thursday condemning the antisemitic and violent screeds published by X’s AI chatbot Grok earlier this week, calling the posts “deeply alarming” and demanding answers about recent updates made to the bot that may have enabled the disturbing posts. “We write to express our grave concern about the internal actions that led to this dark turn. X plays a significant role as a platform for public discourse, and as one of the largest AI companies, xAI’s work products carry serious implications for the public interest,” the letter reads. “Unfortunately, this isn’t a new phenomenon at X. Grok’s recent outputs are just the latest chapter in X’s long and troubling record of enabling antisemitism and incitement to spread unchecked, with real-world consequences.”
Be (In) Crypto: BYTE Pump-and-Dumps After Grok AI Shockingly Turns Neo-Nazi on X 2 mins
Grok AI's recent racist posts, spurred by altered prompts, led to antisemitic content and controversial meme coin surges. BYTE, a meme coin previously launched by Grok, rallied nearly 20% and crashed, with other hate-themed tokens also spiking. The incident may damage the AI sector's reputation and prompt stricter regulations, raising concerns about AI content guidelines.
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