Eye on Extremism: July 14, 2026
Top Stories
Reuters: Houthis fire missiles at Saudi Arabia, breaking years of calm
Yemen's Houthi movement fired missiles at Saudi Arabia after accusing the kingdom of bombing an airport under their control on Monday, breaking a four-year truce in the conflict between the kingdom and the Iran-aligned group.
The U.S. launched strikes on Iran early Tuesday, hours after President Donald Trump vowed to reinstate an American blockade of Iranian ports and charge ships for safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz. Iran responded with attacks on Middle East allies of the U.S.
CEP Mentions
The Telegraph: US ‘whites-only’ towns spread to Wales
Joshua Fisher-Birch, researcher at the Counter Extremism Project in New York, said it would be a mistake to view any white, ethnonationalist group as being focused on the local, instead of the national or global.
BR24: Rape of Yazidi children: Verdict in the Munich IS trial
Hans-Jakob Schindler of the transatlantic think tank Counter Extremism Project views the verdict as a success for the German justice system. He says it was possible to sentence a particularly brutal IS terrorist to life imprisonment for his crimes related to the Yazidi slave trade. In an interview with Bavarian Broadcasting (BR), Schindler emphasizes that the defendant showed no remorse and has not demonstrated any awareness of wrongdoing to this day.
Analysis
Jerusalem Post: Was the Mossad's Ahmadinejad operation a failure, or did Trump kill it? – analysis
The New York Times publication on Monday of meticulously detailed Mossad plans to recruit, pick up, and prepare former Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to take over the Islamic Republic from the current regime raised a new question: Was the Ahmadinejad plan a success or a failure?
Jerusalem Post: Israel heads to Rome seeking proof Lebanon's army can keep Hezbollah out – analysis
Israel and Lebanon will open another round of direct talks in Rome on Tuesday, at the US Embassy and with American mediation, in an effort to move the political understandings reached in Washington to the implementation stage, first and foremost the pilot project in southern Lebanon.
United States
ABC News: Rubio expands plans for high-level meeting focused on 'far-left terrorism'
Secretary of State Marco Rubio is preparing to host delegations from more than 70 countries this week for a gathering focused on addressing what the Trump administration describes as the overlooked threat posed by "the resurgence of transnational far-left terrorism," according to a State Department official and internal documents reviewed exclusively by ABC News.
NBC News: Supreme Court justices ask Congress for additional security funding
Supreme Court justices are testifying before Congress for the first time in seven years on Tuesday, seeking additional funds to combat a rise in security threats. Liberal Justice Elena Kagan and conservative Justice Amy Coney Barrett are appearing at back-to-back hearings in the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government and the Senate’s version of that committee.
Fox News: Rebecca Grant on US military response to Iran's Revolutionary Guards
Rebecca Grant, Lexington Institute Vice President, explains the U.S. military's decisive actions against Iran's Revolutionary Guards in the Strait of Hormuz. She details the IRGC's decentralized operational style and how U.S. Central Command has struck approximately 400 targets.
Fox News: Trump administration probes UNRWA over alleged employment of 1,500 terrorists
A controversial United Nations agency is being investigated by U.S. officials for alleged ties to terrorism. The U.N. Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), the U.N. organization for Palestinian refugees, has more than 1,500 employees being probed for links to terrorism.
The Free Press: How Wikipedia Turned a World Cup Controversy Into an Antisemitic Conspiracy Theory
The referee of the Argentina-Egypt match isn’t Jewish. But when his Wikipedia page was changed to say that he is, an even bigger set of lies about Israel and Jews raced across the internet.
A Houston man is federally charged with threatening to kill employees of Georgia-based Flock Safety who are Jewish, according to U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. According to Hertzberg, 31-year-old Nicholas Hadley allegedly left a message in the voicemail inbox of Flock Safety on April 24.
The president of PEN America resigned over the weekend in protest of a report on boycotts targeting Jewish and Israeli authors, part of yet another round of internal division over Israel at the literary free-speech institution.
JNS: San Jose State graduate student charged in antisemitic bomb-hoax threats
A San Jose State University graduate student was arrested on a federal charge of allegedly making bomb threats targeting Jews and others on campus. Ziheng “Tony” Fang, 30, of San Jose, Calif., made an initial appearance in federal court after being charged with false information and hoaxes. Prosecutors allege that on Nov. 5, 2025, he posted a message warning of a mass bombing and displaying multiple Nazi swastikas in a men’s bathroom at the public school.
Hollywood Reporter: Hunter Biden, Nick Fuentes Interview Nearly Turns Physical, Report Says
An unlikely meeting between Hunter Biden and far-right internet personality Nick Fuentes for an independent web channel reportedly veered into an argument that nearly led to a physical altercation at a Philadelphia hotel over the weekend.
The Texan: Texas 'Nihilistic Violent Extremist' Group Member Sentenced to 40 Years in Prison
A Texas member of a Nihilistic Violent ِExtremist (NVE) group, as described by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), was sentenced last week to 40 years in prison after pleading guilty to charges involving racketeering and child sexual exploitation.
France
France 24: French city of Nice marks 10th anniversary of terrorist attack
France marks the 10-year anniversary of the 2016 Nice Bastille Day truck attack. The attacker, Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel, drove his truck into a crowd along the “promenade des Anglais" who had gathered to watch fireworks - killing 86 people. While Bouhlel was killed by police on the same night, eight people are accused of helping him with the attack. Their trial will begin on Monday in a special terrorism court in Paris. Catherine Viette takes a look back at the events of that night.
Germany
Reuters: Schools become battleground as Germany's far-right AfD eyes regional election
A woodwork teacher in the eastern German state of Saxony-Anhalt has triggered a dispute over political expression in the classroom ahead of a regional election in two months that could produce radical changes in schools if the far-right AfD wins.
Sweden
A Jewish physician in Sweden has come forward with allegations that he was subjected to antisemitic harassment by a colleague at a Stockholm health center before his consulting contract was ended — an account the healthcare company disputes — intensifying concern over antisemitism and political activism within the country’s healthcare system.
United Kingdom
BBC: Teacher banned over Ukrainians 'Nazi' slur
A teacher who made derogatory comments about Ukrainians as well as gay and transgender people during a history lesson has been banned from the profession. William Garwood was working as a supply teacher at St Mary's Menston Catholic Voluntary Academy when he described Ukrainians as "Nazis" and "evil", a professional misconduct panel was told.
BBC: Ann Widdecombe suspect not known to Prevent as counter terrorism police take over investigation
Counter terrorism police are now leading the investigation into the death of Ann Widdecombe after "new information and evidence" came to light, officers have said. A 28-year-old white British man from Rotherham, South Yorkshire, originally arrested on suspicion of murder on Saturday, has now been re-arrested on suspicion of commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism.
The Telegraph: Hezbollah support going unpunished in Britain, say Tories
Support for Hezbollah is going unpunished, the Tories have claimed after police ruled out charging a radical Islamist cleric who has allegedly praised members of the terrorist group.
Russia
Reuters: Russia accuses Ukraine of terrorism in Sea of Azov as Kyiv opens new front in war
Russia on Tuesday accused Ukraine of terrorism over its escalating attacks on shipping in the Sea of Azov, a route that handles about a quarter of its grain exports. Ukrainian drones hit 11 Russian vessels in the Sea of Azov overnight, Kyiv's drone forces commander said.
Middle East
Reuters: Lebanon, Israel hold US-brokered talks in Rome to implement framework deal
Lebanon and Israel resumed talks on Tuesday in the Italian capital, with Beirut hoping for progress towards securing an Israeli withdrawal from south Lebanon under a U.S.-brokered deal, although expectations for swift progress were low.
Naharnet: What did Lebanon and Israel discuss in Rome talks?
Lebanese Presidency sources said Tuesday that the Rome talks between Lebanon and Israel were discussing the issue of the so-called pilot zones in order to issue a decision regarding them. “Israel has demanded clarification on how the Lebanese Army's deployment and control will be achieved,” the sources told Al-Arabiya television.
Afghanistan
Afghanistan International: Pakistan's Attacks Have Not Gone Unanswered, Says Taliban Army Chief
Taliban army chief Fasihuddin Fitrat said Pakistani attacks on Afghan territory were unacceptable and insisted that none had gone unanswered. He accused Pakistan of bombing civilian homes under the pretext of targeting militants.
Afghanistan International: Taliban Army Chief Seeks To Bring Dissident Commander To Kabul
Sources in Badakhshan told Afghanistan International that Taliban army chief Fasihuddin Fitrat is trying to persuade dissident commander Juma Khan Fateh to travel to Kabul for further talks with the group’s leadership.
Taliban Minister Khalid Hanafi said during a visit to Herat that the group had detained people accused of promoting improper hijab, creating unrest and spreading negative propaganda against the Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice.
Gaza Strip/West Bank
Times of Israel: EU launches $1 billion aid initiative for Gaza, urges disarmament of Hamas
The EU said Monday that European donors had put some $1 billion on the table to help initial recovery efforts in the war-torn Gaza Strip, devastated by the Israel-Hamas war.
Iran
Associated Press: Iran executes 2 Islamic State members convicted of armed rebellion
Two members of the Islamic State group were executed after they were convicted of armed rebellion against the Islamic Republic, Iranian state television reported Tuesday.
The Iranian regime-backed "Explosive Media" Lego AI-generated propaganda channel published a video claiming that the regime was behind the death of US senator Lindsey Graham on Sunday.
Iran's Foreign Ministry on Tuesday condemned Britain's decision to designate the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terror group and security threat, calling the move "unjustified" and "irresponsible."
Iran International: January protesters trapped in 'hell' of Greater Tehran prison, inmates say
January protesters held in Greater Tehran Penitentiary are being kept in severely overcrowded and unsanitary conditions without adequate medical care, clean drinking water or sufficient food, according to multiple inmates and eyewitnesses who spoke to Iran International.
Israel
Jerusalem Post: Netanyahu: Hezbollah left with a fraction of prewar missile arsenal
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the Negev Conference in Dimona on Tuesday, saying Hezbollah now has only 7% to 8% of the missiles it possessed at the start of the war.
Despite the ongoing construction of a new border security fence between Israel and Jordan, local residents are fearful that a Jordanian attack could face little in the way of defenses, N12 News reported on Tuesday.
Fox News: Inside Israel's mission to train civilians to stop the next Oct 7-like terror attack
"Fire, fire, fire!" shouts a member of Kibbutz Bror Hayil’s local security squad, pointing his weapon at a fellow participant acting as a terrorist. The kibbutz is located adjacent to the Gaza border, from where thousands of Hamas-led Palestinians invaded Israel and massacred some 1,200 people on Oct. 7, 2023.
Lebanon
Defense Post: Lebanon Detains Islamic State Commander
Lebanese authorities said Monday they had detained a Syrian commander from the Islamic State group, as Damascus investigates an IS-linked cell accused of bombings during a visit by France’s President Emmanuel Macron.
Jerusalem Post: Lebanese activists face judicial persecution in Lebanon after criticizing Hezbollah
Mahmoud Shuaib, a Shi'ite critic of Hezbollah from southern Lebanon, and Dr. Alfred Riachi, secretary-general of the Permanent Federal Congress, are both now facing legal action from the Lebanese judiciary after Hezbollah-affiliated lawyers filed complaints over comments they made that were deemed critical of the terror group and supportive of normalization with Israel, according to public statements made by the pair and Lebanese media reports on the case.
Yemen
Yemen Online: 2 Soldiers Killed in al‑Qaeda Attack on Security Headquarters in Yemen’s Abyan
Yemeni soldiers were killed Tuesday in a terrorist attack carried out by al‑Qaeda militants targeting the National Security headquarters in the city of Lawdar, southern Abyan province.
Nigeria
Reuters: Gunmen kill at least 18 people in Nigeria's Benue state, residents say
Gunmen killed at least 18 people in Nigeria's northern Benue state in a weekend attack, residents and local officials said, triggering a march by angry locals who blocked roads in protest at the violence.
Australia
A Jewish professor has told the royal commission into antisemitism the University of Melbourne needs to show it doesn’t “tolerate misbehaviour” after the expulsion of two pro-Palestine student activists who occupied his office was overturned.
Australian Broadcasting Corporation: Unis dismissing antisemitism complaints Royal Commission hears
At the Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion, universities have been criticised further for their handling of complaints of antisemitism. A University of Melbourne academic gave evidence of a confrontation with masked protesters and a death threat scrawled onto a campus noticeboard.
Jewish Independent: Humanitarian organisations fail on antisemitism: new research
More than half of Jewish professionals working in secular humanitarian organisations say they have experienced or witnessed anti-Jewish bias and almost three-quarters said organisations' responses were ineffective. The figures come from a survey of more than 70 Jewish and non-Jewish professionals within the humanitarian, development, and environmental organisations from Non-Governmental Organisation (NGOs), including Amnesty International, Doctors Without Borders (Médecins Sans Frontières/MSF), Greenpeace, Human Rights Watch, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Mercy Corps, Plan International, Save the Children, and UNICEF.
Australian Jewish News: ZFA survey: 64 per cent of Jewish students experienced campus antisemitism
Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council Director of Special Projects Dr Bren Carlill provided evidence to the Royal Commission on Tuesday. It was noted that Carlill is not Jewish but has worked with the Australian Jewish community on and off since 2006 and was previously Director of Public Affairs at the Zionist Federation of Australia (ZFA).
Stay up to date on our latest news.
Get the latest news on extremism and counter-extremism delivered to your inbox.