Eye on Extremism: July 20, 2026
Top Stories
Reuters: Houthis impose Saudi naval blockade, opening new front in US-Iran war
Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis said on Monday they were imposing a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia, a move that opens a new front against the United States in its war on Iran and widens the threat to global energy supplies and trade beyond the Gulf.
JNS: As anti-Jewish attitudes rise, more Americans reject link between Holocaust denial, per survey
More Americans say questioning the Holocaust is not antisemitic and express agreement with anti-Jewish stereotypes, according to a survey the Blue Square Alliance Against Hate released on Thursday. The poll of 7,053 U.S. adults, conducted from March 4 to April 3, found that 32% of respondents said they do not believe questioning the Holocaust is antisemitic, up from 26% in August 2025.
CEP Mentions
NZZ: Hamas is targeting the West – and was probably planning a second October 7th in Europe.
For terrorism expert Hans-Jakob Schindler of the Counter Extremism Project—an organization based in New York and Berlin—this account lacks credibility. The personal ties to Hamas's leadership are simply too close.
Upday: Hamas planned 'second October 7th' attack on Europe for 2025, German prosecutors reveal
Terrorism expert Hans-Jakob Schindler of the Counter Extremism Project finds Hamas's denial unconvincing due to close personal ties to Hamas leadership. Media reports suggest the man arrested in London is the son of high-ranking Hamas official Bassem Naim, who recently narrowly escaped an Israeli attack in Doha.
Hans-Jakob Schindler speaks on the legal framework for cyber activities of German intelligence services.
Kurz&Knapp Podcast: Iran, the power of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard, and a ban on the AfD? – Dr. Hans-Jakob Schindler
Hans-Jakob Schindler speaks on the war against Iran and the AfD.
Berliner Morgenpost: "No limits": The hardliners in Iran are opting for full confrontation.
"The so-called moderates like Ghalibaf, Araghchi, and Pezeshkian are currently sidelined, humiliated, and rendered powerless," Hans-Jakob Schindler, head of the Berlin-based think tank Counter Extremism Project, told our editorial team.
Analysis
Recent developments in Mali and Burkina Faso demonstrate that JNIM continues to adapt operationally while extending pressure toward the northern border regions of coastal West African states. Drawing on field experience and research in northern Côte d’Ivoire, this article argues that security presence and territorial control alone will not prevent extremist expansion.
One of the most important lessons in counterterrorism is that terrorist organizations reveal their intentions long before they act. They reveal them through the leaders they elevate, the institutions they rebuild, the capabilities they invest in, and the people they trust to shape the next generation. Those indicators often tell us far more about the future than any propaganda statement ever will.
United States
An incendiary device went off outside a federal building in Lower Manhattan Monday morning, and a suspect has been taken into custody, the FBI said. The FBI New York Joint Terrorism Task Force is investigating the incident.
Miami Herald: State Department report: Cuba foments far-left extremism, runs spy rings in the U.S.
The State Department is publishing a report Monday accusing Cuba of fomenting left-wing extremism in the United States and building a sophisticated espionage and influence network focused on penetrating and undermining U.S. interests.
Victims of Iranian-sponsored terrorism and their families are in Washington this week to urge President Trump to demand Iran pay restitution as part of any potential peace deal.
Secretary Marco Rubio’s call for global cooperation to combat far-left political terrorism could implicate Neville Roy Singham, a Marxist nonprofit financier who is currently facing a federal grand jury probe in New York. Singham, a 72-year-old American who sold his tech company for $785 million in 2017 and now lives in Shanghai, is known to fund pro-Chinese Communist Party groups that operate in the U.S. He has funneled $278 million into the broad network of nonprofits since 2017, according to a Fox News Digital investigation. These groups regularly organize and participate in anti-ICE, anti-Israel and pro-Iran demonstrations.
Salon: Her brother was convicted of terrorism over a protest he didn’t even attend
Earlier this year, Daniel Sanchez-Estrada was sentenced to 30 years in prison for moving a box of zines. He was charged with corruptly concealing a document or record, one of the nine people convicted in the prosecution following last year’s noise demonstration at the Prairieland Detention Center near Dallas in northern Texas. Unlike the others convicted in this case, Sanchez-Estrada was not at the protest and maintains he had no role in its planning.
CBS News: Baltimore Police investigating reported white supremacist note in Fells Point
Baltimore police are investigating a potential hate crime after a note from a white supremacist organization was reportedly found in Fells Point on Friday.
The New York City Police Department’s hate crimes task force is probing two incidents, each of which involved a “bag of oil” thrown at a synagogue in Queens, the NYPD told JNS. The department has reports on file for criminal mischief for the attack on “a synagogue located at 83-10 188 Street” at around 11:45 p.m. and on “a synagogue located at 86-25 Francis Lewis Boulevard” at around 11 p.m.
It’s a dire case of deja vu! A 96-year-old Auschwitz survivor said he now hides his Star of David chain because of spiraling antisemitism in the Big Apple as he gave Democrats a brutal history lesson about anti-Jewish hatred. Jerry Wartski said the Democratic Party and the liberal Democratic Socialists of America are being infiltrated by antisemites who are fueling an environment that has Jews feeling unsafe in the streets as if it were Europe during the rise of the Third Reich.
A New Jersey influencer with more than 30,000 Instagram followers was escorted from a council meeting after its mayor accused to attempting to continue anti-Semitic rhetoric with just one seemingly innocent word that he says is code.
Europe
Euronews: Terrorism is a 'persistent' threat, says Europol
Anna Sjöberg, head of the European Counter Terrorism Centre at Europol, says lone-actor attacks present a challenge because perpetrators are "radicalised online", creating a "lack of possibility for law enforcement to intervene in a timely manner".
France
JNS: Rescuers’ plaque vandalized before Paris Holocaust ceremony
A memorial plaque in Paris honoring Holocaust rescuers was vandalized ahead of the annual commemoration of the 1942 Vél d’Hiv roundup, French authorities said on Sunday. The plaque recognizes a couple, Arsène and Angèle Richard, and their daughter Marcelle, who, at the risk of their lives, hid a 13-year-old Jewish boy during the mass arrests, earning them the title of Righteous Among the Nations from Israel. The vandalism comes amid a sharp rise in antisemitic incidents across France.
Germany
DPA: Teen charged in Germany on suspicion of synagogue attack plot
German prosecutors charged a 15-year-old terrorism suspect on Monday in relation to an alleged pyrotechnic attack on a synagogue. Munich's General Prosecutor's Office charged the teenager with preparing a serious act of violence endangering the state, the intentional unauthorized handling of explosive materials, causing an explosion and causing grievous bodily harm, as well as other offences.
Italy
Milan, 16 years old, July 2025. Cantù, province of Como, January 2026, same age. Montepulciano, Tuscany, 15 years old, last May. Vimercate, Monza e Brianza, early June. Most recently, Villanterio, Pavia, 17 years old: yesterday. Another minor has been discovered frequenting jihadist chats, downloading material with instructions for making homemade weapons, and writing messages swearing she was ready to strike. This time it’s a girl, an Italian citizen.
Jerusalem Post: Anne Frank Holocaust mural in Milan defaced with antisemitic graffiti
A Holocaust mural of Anne Frank and Primo Levi in Milan, Italy, was vandalized with the words "Coloni Sionisti Nazisti" (Zionist Settler Nazis) on Thursday, Italian media said. The original artwork, created by artist aleXsandro Palombo for Holocaust Remembrance Day, depicted Anne Frank seated opposite Holocaust survivor and writer Primo Levi (known for the book Survival in Auschwitz), with an inscription above them in a starry sky that read "Memory is no longer enough."
Ynet: ‘New yellow badge’: outrage in Italy over online campaign to identify Jews, Israelis
An anonymous online form urging people in Italy to identify and report Jews and Israeli tourists has alarmed the country’s Jewish community, whose leaders described the initiative as “a real manhunt” and warned that it recalled the persecution of the 1930s.
Norway
The Local: Norway unveils memorial to victims of 2011 massacre
Norway unveiled on Sunday a memorial to the 77 victims of the twin attacks carried out nearly 15 years ago by a neo-Nazi extremist, the deadliest peacetime massacre in the country's history.
Middle East
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed to have struck and "destroyed" US military sites and equipment in Bahrain and Kuwait, the IRGC-run Fars News Agency claimed on Sunday.
Reuters: How a Houthi blockade in the Red Sea tightens Iran's grip on global energy supplies
Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis will impose a maritime blockade on Saudi Arabia, they said on Monday, further throttling a global energy market already greatly restricted by Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz. This is why it matters and what it means for the Iran war and the global energy crisis:
Afghanistan
Amu TV: UN official says Al Qaeda remains present in Afghanistan
Alexander Zuev, acting under-secretary-general of the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism, has said that Al Qaeda continues to maintain a presence in Afghanistan despite a decline in its operational activity. In an interview with Russia’s state-run TASS news agency, Zuev said Afghanistan remains home to several militant groups.
Afghanistan International: ISIS-K Wants Afghanistan As Base For Regional Expansion, Says Russian FM
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has warned that Islamic State Khorasan is the main threat to Central Asia, saying it seeks to use Afghanistan as a base for expansion and the creation of a caliphate. In a message to a meeting on strengthening efforts to prevent terrorists from obtaining weapons in Central Asia, Lavrov stressed the cross-border nature of terrorist threats.
Three days after Yaftal district was briefly seized, the Taliban made sweeping changes to district leadership, police commands and intelligence offices across several districts of Badakhshan.
The Taliban governor’s spokesman in Khost, Mustaghfir Gurbaz, has confirmed the killing of Nangyalai, a former member of the Khost Protection Force, saying he was killed over a “personal dispute”. Mustaghfir Gurbaz said the relevant authorities were continuing efforts to investigate the incident and identify those responsible. On Monday, 20 July, he described claims of a political motive in Nangyalai’s killing as “incorrect and baseless”.
Afghanistan International: Former Afghan Officer, Tribal Elder Killed In Separate Attacks
Local sources told Afghanistan International that a former intelligence officer was killed in Daikundi and a tribal elder was murdered in Ghazni’s Qarabagh district in separate incidents. According to the sources, Mohammad Ali Tofan, a former security forces member, was killed by unidentified gunmen on Thursday evening.
Afghanistan International: Taliban Destroys Nearly Seven Tons Of Smuggled Medicines In Helmand
Taliban officials in Helmand say they burned 6,882kg of smuggled medicines seized at the province’s customs facilities over the past three weeks and warned traders against importing contraband goods. The Helmand governor’s press office said on Sunday, 19 July, that the seized consignments included 5,722kg of medicines for human use and 1,160kg of agricultural medicines.
Gaza Strip/West Bank
Reuters: Hamas names Khalil Al-Hayya as new overall leader
Hamas has named Khalil Al-Hayya as its overall leader, according to a statement from the Palestinian militant group on Monday, in a move an analyst says could signal a tougher stance by the group towards disarmament calls. Hayya replaces Yahya Sinwar, who was killed in combat with Israeli forces in October 2024 as Hamas fought a full-scale, two-year war with Israel in the Gaza Strip.
Hamas has repeatedly attacked food distribution points in the Gaza Strip, hijacking aid and threatening locals, Palestinians told The Telegraph in a report published on Saturday.
Iran
Iran’s Science, Research, and Technology Ministry sent orders to the country’s academic institutions on how to suppress the September 2023 protests, which broke out on the anniversary of the regime’s murder of Mahsa Amini, according to documents newly released by the Amirkabir NewsLetter, a student-run media outlet.
Iranian authorities said Sunday they have executed a man convicted of killing a member of security forces during the 2022 nationwide protests that erupted after the death of a woman in custody of the country’s morality police.
Iraq
The Islamic State is quietly rebuilding as the United States prepares to complete its withdrawal from Iraq, raising fears the terror group could exploit a security vacuum, a regional security expert warned Sunday.
Iraqi News: Iraqi forces destroy six ISIS hideouts in Kirkuk
The Iraqi military announced on Monday that Iraqi security forces had identified and destroyed six suspected hideouts belonging to ISIS in the northern province of Kirkuk during an air operation. Iraq’s Joint Operations Command said in a statement that an airborne group of Special Forces carried out a rapid security operation early on Monday.
Israel
Israel’s Foreign Ministry has received 45 reports of antisemitic incidents against Israelis abroad since July 2025, the ministry revealed in its new “Map of Distress.” According to ministry officials, this is a record number of antisemitic incidents. It included physical assaults, fights, spitting, verbal abuse, denial of service, and expulsion from hotels, cafes and restaurants.
Lebanon
Naharnet: Aoun to reportedly discuss with Trump a proposal for addressing Hezbollah's arms
Talks between President Joseph Aoun and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio covered several topics, most notably the implementation of the framework agreement with Israel, providing full support to the Lebanese Army, and addressing the Lebanese government's program regarding investments, reconstruction, and the conferences required for this purpose, informed sources said.
Naharnet: Rubio says Lebanon must be run by legitimate government, 'not Hezbollah, not Iran'
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a press briefing that Lebanon must be run by a legitimate government, "not Hezbollah, not Iran". "You defeat and replace Hezbollah with a government that is strong enough to be the sole force of arms in the country, basically with the security of Lebanon in the hands of the Lebanese Armed Forces, and a government that’s able to provide prosperity for its citizens."
AFP: Blast kills Lebanese soldier in south, Israel blames Hezbollah
The Lebanese military has said that a soldier was killed "as a result of the explosion of a suspicious object in an army vehicle" in the southern town of Mansouri. Commenting on the incident, the Israeli military said that "the explosive device did not belong" to it, and suggested that Hezbollah had planted the device.
AFP: Hezbollah buries dozens of fighters in south Lebanon
Hezbollah has held a mass funeral for dozens of people, most of them fighters killed in the most recent fighting with Israel, in southern Lebanon's Majdal Selm. The Iran-backed group does not reveal the number of fighters it has lost in the latest war.
Syria
A new analysis from the Jamestown Foundation’s Terrorism Monitor examines how increased pressure on foreign jihadist groups in Syria could contribute to defections to Islamic State-linked networks and potentially reshape extremist activity across the region.
Mali
Reuters: Mali insurgents ambush army convoy, source says more than 50 killed
Militants linked to al Qaeda and a Tuareg-led separatist group ambushed a military convoy in northern Mali over the weekend, and a source close to the rebels said more than 50 soldiers and allied Russian fighters were killed and others taken hostage. The attack marked the latest in a series of escalating assaults by the two groups, which joined forces for nationwide attacks in April that killed the defence minister and hit the airport in the capital Bamako, and launched a second wave this month, opens new tab aimed at seizing the town of Anefis.
Australia
Australian Jewish News: Antisemitic incidents surged 22 per cent in 2025
The number of antisemitic incidents reported across Australia rose 22 per cent in 2025, marking the highest annual figure ever recorded by the Community Security Group, the Royal Commission into Antisemitism and Social Cohesion heard.
Australian Jewish News: Steinberg: QLD Jewry ‘shaken to its core’ by rising antisemitism
Jason Steinberg, president of the Queensland Jewish Board of Deputies, gave evidence to the Royal this afternoon, describing a “curve” of escalating hostility within the last three years that has culminated in physical attacks on members of Queensland’s Jewish community – including an alleged car-ramming incident at Brisbane’s largest synagogue on February 20 this year.
Australian Broadcasting Corporation: 'ISIS bride' Rayann El Houli granted bail by Melbourne court
A woman facing terror charges will be released on bail, after a magistrate ruled strict conditions could be put in place to lower risks to the community. Rayann El Houli, one of the so-called ISIS brides, travelled to Syria about a decade ago with her late husband and children and allegedly lived under Islamic State rule.
The former attorney general Mark Dreyfus has called on governments to consider banning protests outside synagogues and Jewish schools, invoking a high court decision allowing restrictions outside abortion clinics.
SBS News: Muslim leader welcomes govt's Islamophobia envoy response despite 'one glaring omission'
Prominent Muslim groups have welcomed the Australian government's response to key recommendations to tackle Islamophobia ten months after a key report was handed down. "While this response is welcome, much more remains to be done," The Alliance of Australian Muslims and the Australian National Imams Council (ANIC) have said.
Jerusalem Post: Australia synagogues forced to cancel services, divert funds to cover security costs
Australian synagogues have been forced to cancel services and divert funds in order to cover security costs, Jewish community representatives told the Royal Commission on Monday. The fifth Hearing Block, which began on Monday, focuses on Jewish security concerns.
JNS: Australian university head apologizes for failing to protect Jews
The head of Australian National University issued a formal apology on Thursday for the institution’s failure to protect the psychological safety of Jewish students and staff during aggressive pro-Palestinian encampments in 2024.
Technology
The Guardian: Experts warn of rise in sadistic online exploitation of vulnerable children
Cases of predators coercing children into producing sexual photos and videos of themselves have surged globally in the past year, a cruel phenomenon known as “sadistic online exploitation”, child safety experts and law enforcement officials warn.
A case filed in North Dakota federal court earlier this month mirrors one brought here last fall, accusing global cryptocurrency giant Binance of facilitating and laundering money that helped finance Hamas' terror attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
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