Eye on Extremism: July 16, 2026
Top Stories
Reuters: Iran tells Houthis to close Red Sea gateway if US hits power network, sources say
Iran has asked Yemen’s Houthi movement to stand ready to close the Red Sea oil route if the United States strikes Iranian power infrastructure, three sources told Reuters on Thursday, posing a potent new threat to global energy supplies.
Jewish Insider: Blue Square Alliance finds increasing apathy towards antisemitism
Most Americans say they are concerned about antisemitism in the country, yet more than half are unaware of recent major attacks targeting Jews, such as last December’s Bondi Beach terror attack in Sydney, Australia, a new survey from Robert Kraft’s Blue Square Alliance Against Hate found. Underscoring this lack of awareness, the number of Americans who identify as allies of the Jewish community continued to shrink, according to the anti-hate group’s semiannual survey on U.S. antisemitism.
Analysis
Syria has busted a new smuggling operation that was attempting to move weapons to Hezbollah. This bust comes at a key time, as Hezbollah is under some pressure by Israel, the US, and Lebanon as the US hopes for progress on trilateral talks.
Deutsche Welle: What's behind the Iran regime's 'revenge propaganda'?
Calls for revenge over the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei are growing louder in Iran. Through increasingly harsh rhetoric, the leadership is seeking to mobilize supporters at home while warning opponents abroad.
United States
IranWire: Trump: We Will Destroy the IRGC as We Did ISIS
Highlighting ongoing US military operations against the Islamic Republic, US President Donald Trump declared that Washington will eliminate the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) “in the same manner that we defeated ISIS.” Speaking to Fox News on Wednesday ahead of the annual “Defense and Innovation” summit in Pennsylvania, Trump stated that the Islamic Republic’s threats against his life do not concern him and that his primary focus remains on weakening and destroying the IRGC.
Time: Trump Says He May Try to ‘Wipe Out’ Iran’s Revolutionary Guards
President Donald Trump did not rule out the possibility of seeking to “wipe out” Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) after renewed clashes between Washington and Tehran, which are struggling to return to peace negotiations.
New York Times: Suspect in Utah Stabbing Wanted to Kill Muslims, Court Filing Says
A suspect arrested in connection with the stabbing of a Muslim worker at a mall near Salt Lake City on Monday told the police that he was trying to kill the man because of the victim’s religion, according to a court filing.
KSL News Radio: Valley Fair Mall employee stabbed by man allegedly targeting Muslims
A 48-year-old man arrested for allegedly stabbing another man multiple times at Valley Fair Mall on Monday claims he targeted the victim because of his faith, according to police. Peter Michael Larsen was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail for investigation of attempted murder and being a restricted person in possession of a weapon.
Religion News Service: After mall stabbing, Utah faith leaders warn against anti-Muslim rhetoric
Two days after a man allegedly stabbed a Muslim worker in a Utah mall at least 15 times, religious groups are warning of the effects of escalating anti-Muslim rhetoric. “The hate crime is so abhorrent because it does not only affect the victim. It affects the whole Muslim community,” said Imam Shuaib Din, who leads the Utah Islamic Center in West Jordan, Utah.
JTA: ADL and JCPA diverge over teachers union, exposing a divide over how to fight antisemitism
Two leading Jewish civil rights groups stepped up after Jewish teachers reported antisemitic harassment last year at the National Education Association’s annual convention, only to devolve into disagreement ahead of this year’s convention. The unusual public dispute between the Jewish Council of Public Affairs and the Anti-Defamation League brought to the fore a simmering tension over how to fight antisemitism within schools and unions. Should Jewish groups promote collaboration with the institutions on solutions — or prioritize confronting them over their failings?
Canada
CBC: Montreal police arrest 2 suspects in connection with antisemitic attacks
Two 20-year-old men were arrested in Montreal in relation to recent attacks on members of the Jewish community. Montreal police say the attacks occurred on July 3, in Montreal's Outremont borough.
Argentina
The AMIA bombing was an attack “against humanity as a whole,” Argentina Ambassador Shimon Axel Wahnish said at a ceremony commemorating 32 years since the attack against the Jewish community center in Argentina on Thursday.
Brazil
Reuters: Brazil charges 22 with laundering $20 million for gangs, probes possible al Qaeda link
Prosecutors and police in Rio de Janeiro on Wednesday said they charged 22 people with laundering $20 million for two Brazilian gangs designated by the U.S. as terrorist groups. Rio de Janeiro civil police said in a statement the gangs are the Comando Vermelho (CV) and Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC) and alleged an indirect link between the money-laundering operation and a financing structure tied to Islamist group al Qaeda.
European Union
Jerusalem Post: Half of terrorist attacks in Europe last year were Islamist, EU report confirms
Iranian actors, Iranian proxy groups, and criminal networks linked to the Islamic Republic were connected to multiple of the 45 terrorist attacks recorded across 21 EU member states last year, according to the European Union Terrorism Situation and Trend Report (EU TE-SAT) 2026, published earlier this week.
Germany
Deutsche Welle: Germany may make it illegal to deny Israel's right to exist
According to the Bundesrat's proposal, "anyone who publicly, or at a public assembly, denies the State of Israel's right to exist or calls for its destruction" would be subject to criminal penalties. However, the offense would be punishable only where the conduct in question is capable of encouraging antisemitic acts of violence or other forms of discriminatory treatment.
Deutsche Welle: Germany: Gender switch neo-Nazi sent to men's prison
German neo-Nazi Marla Svenja Liebich was transferred to a men's prison on Thursday, despite being legally registered as a woman. Liebich changed the legal gender entry from male to female and adopted the first names Marla Svenja in 2025. Critics described the move as a provocation and an abuse of Germany's self-determination law.
Spain
The National: Spain reports highest number of arrests for Islamist extremism in EU
Spain has recorded the highest number of arrests for terrorism offences linked to Islamist extremism in the EU, figures show. Data released by Europol, the bloc’s law enforcement agency, shows that in 2025, 100 people were arrested in the country on Islamist-related terrorism charges.
United Kingdom
Reuters: UK hackers jailed for London transport cyberattack which cost nearly $40 million
Two British hackers behind a 2024 cyberattack on London's public transport body which cost £29 million ($39.16 million) to fix were each sentenced on Thursday to 5-1/2 years in jail. Thalha Jubair, 20, and Owen Flowers, 18, pleaded guilty last month to hacking Transport for London (TfL), which had been blamed on hacking collective "Scattered Spider".
Reuters: British 14-year-old pleads not guilty over alleged plot to attack mosques
A British 14-year-old on Thursday denied plotting a terrorist attack on two mosques in south London, which prosecutors say was motivated by extreme right-wing ideology set out in a "manifesto" which said he was inspired by Adolf Hitler. The teenager appeared at London's Westminster Magistrates' Court and pleaded not guilty to the preparation of terrorist acts relating to the alleged plot.
Iran International: Wave of Iran plots drove UK action against IRGC, terror law tsar says
Britain's decision to create a new legal framework targeting Iran's Revolutionary Guards was driven less by political pressure than by the scale of alleged Iranian activity on British soil, according to Jonathan Hall, the UK government's independent reviewer of terrorism laws.
The Guardian: MI5 lied about relations with neo-Nazi informant, watchdog says
MI5 has been reprimanded by a watchdog for lying about its relationship with a neo-Nazi informant, who had exploited his role with the spy agency to violently threaten his girlfriend. The Investigatory Powers Commissioner’s Office (Ipco) criticised MI5’s handling of a man known only as agent X, and said some of its officers had initially misled the courts and the regulator about his true status.
Middle East
Associated Press: Lebanon and Israel move toward implementing withdrawal agreement, US officials say
After two days of U.S.-mediated talks in Rome, Lebanon and Israel took steps toward implementing “pilot zones” in southern Lebanon where Israeli forces would withdraw and turn over control to the Lebanese army, the U.S. State Department said Wednesday. The latest Israel-Hezbollah war began when the Lebanese militant group fired rockets into Israel days after Israel and the U.S. launched their war on Iran on Feb. 28.
Afghanistan
Taliban Vice and Virtue Minister Khalid Hanafi say the group will not retreat from enforcing Sharia because of negative publicity and claims human rights in Afghanistan are protected under “Islamic principles”. Hanafi made the remarks during a visit to western provinces, where he met religious scholars, tribal elders and local officials.
Afghanistan International: Taliban Justice Minister Appears To Target Haqqani In Dress Code Remark
Taliban Justice Minister Abdul Hakim Sharaei has said some cabinet ministers would quickly start wearing ties if Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada were no longer in power, informed sources said. Sources told Afghanistan International that Sharaei made the remarks during a training workshop for military personnel in Kandahar. He said some ministers did not visit wounded or sick “mujahideen” but found time to meet and check on cricket stars.
Gaza Strip/Times of Israel
Times of Israel: Hamas said to demand increased financial, diplomatic support from Iran
A delegation of top Hamas officials recently presented Tehran with a list of demands for increased diplomatic and financial support, according to a report Tuesday, as the ruling Gaza terror group seeks to strengthen its position amid an ongoing push by mediators to demilitarize the Palestinian enclave in accordance with a US-backed peace plan.
Jewish Insider: Board of Peace officials lobby Capitol Hill for peacekeeping funds
Three senior U.S. officials connected to the Board of Peace, the Trump-led body created to resolve the conflict in Gaza, have been meeting with congressional offices this week to request $200 million for a peacekeeping force, according to two people with knowledge of the meetings. The meetings mark the first time that Board of Peace representatives have approached Congress with a funding request.
Iran
Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) says that it targeted a gathering of US soldiers at Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait early Thursday morning, according to Iranian state media. Iranian state media also reported that the IRGC targeted Kuwait's early-warning radar systems at the air base in a dual missile and drone attack.
IranWire: Iran Condemns UK’s Ban on IRGC, Calls Move ‘Hostile’
The Army and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic have issued two separate statements condemning the British government’s decision to place the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on its list of proscribed organisations. The public relations department of the Islamic Republic Army issued a statement describing the move as a sign of the UK government’s “double standards.” Referencing what it called “London’s history of colonialism and support for terrorism,” the Army designated the IRGC as the “world’s largest anti-terrorism organisation.” The Army also emphasised its “empathy, alignment, and cooperation” with the IRGC in confronting what it termed “foreign threats.”
Iraq
Kurdistan24: Security Threats Force Temporary Shutdown of Khor Mor Gas Facilities
Dana Gas announced on Thursday that it has temporarily suspended operations at all major production facilities in the Khor Mor gas field due to what it described as credible security threats and the deteriorating regional security situation.
Kurdistan24: Drone Hits Ship Near Iraq's Basra Port as U.S.-Iran Conflict Spreads Across Gulf
A drone struck a cargo ship off Iraq's southern port of Basra on Thursday as the United States and Iran exchanged another round of military strikes across the Gulf, widening a regional conflict centered on the strategic Strait of Hormuz.
Israel
An analysis by The Times of Israel has found that, despite the ceasefire, the IDF has in the past few months stepped up a large-scale retribution campaign with the avowed aim of hunting down and eliminating every single terrorist who took part in the October 7 massacre.
Lebanon
Jerusalem Post: Most Lebanese say Hezbollah’s weapons harm national security, survey finds – poll
Hezbollah’s continued armed presence is harming Lebanon’s security, 51% of Lebanese participants answered in a YouGov survey published last month by the Council for a Secure America.
Syria
SANA: Syrian Interior Ministry details ISIS plot behind 2025 Mar Elias church bombing
Syria’s Interior Ministry said on Wednesday that the (ISIS) terrorist group carried out the June 2025 bombing of Mar Elias Church in Damascus as part of a broader strategy to undermine social cohesion and incite public opinion against Syria’s new government, adding that security forces had also foiled a parallel plot targeting the Sayyida Zainab shrine.
Times of Israel: Syria says it foiled attempt to smuggle advanced arms to Hezbollah from Iraq
Syrian authorities on Thursday said they had foiled an attempt to smuggle a large shipment of advanced weapons and missiles over the border from Iraq, destined for the Hezbollah terror group in Lebanon.
Yemen
Yemen Online: Houthis Announce Full Restoration of Sana’a Airport After Airstrikes
Yemen’s Houthi movement announced Wednesday evening that Sana’a International Airport has been fully restored and returned to service, just two days after it was hit by airstrikes. Mohammed Qahim, Minister of Transport and Public Works in the Houthi-run government, said: “Sana’a International Airport has resumed full aviation operations following the completion of repairs to damage caused by recent air raids.”
Pakistan
Reuters: Pakistan worries about being drawn into US-Iran conflict after Houthis attack Saudi Arabia
Attacks on Saudi Arabia by Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis this week have frustrated Pakistan and threaten to draw Islamabad into the conflict, complicating any future role it may have as a mediator between the United States and Iran.
Diya TV: Pakistan says 88 militants were killed in Balochistan operation
Pakistan’s security forces have killed 88 suspected terrorists during the ongoing Operation Shaban in Balochistan, according to state-run Pakistan Television. Officials said the latest operation marked another step in the country’s campaign against militant groups operating in the province.
Militants ambushed a security convoy and hours later a suicide bomber struck a police station in twin attacks in northwest Pakistan Wednesday that officials said left least three police officers dead and 20 wounded, in the latest sign that violence is escalating in the region bordering Afghanistan.
Australia
Jerusalem Post: Australian antisemitism passed the point of no return, warns Jewish leader
Australian antisemitism "has passed the point of no return," former President of the Australian Jewish Association (AJA), Dr. David Adler, told The Jerusalem Post on Thursday. Adler recently relocated to Israel, citing the surge in antisemitism in Australia.
The Australian: ANU’s ‘confidential’ ruling on Nazi salutes
The ANU expects to take eight months to adopt a three-paragraph definition of antisemitism, after apologising to staff and students for how it handled the country’s longest-running protest encampment.
Jewish Independent: Government to back away from withholding uni funding over antisemitism
The Federal Government is planning to back away from a proposal to withhold funding from universities that fail to act effectively against antisemitism. Instead, it is expected to include a provision to fine universities under new legislation expected to come into effect next year.
Stay up to date on our latest news.
Get the latest news on extremism and counter-extremism delivered to your inbox.