Eye on Extremism: July 30, 2026
Top Stories
Reuters: Yemen's Houthis are attacking Saudi Arabia from Iraq, sources say
Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis attacked Saudi Arabia this week from Iraqi territory in coordination with Iraqi armed groups, according to assessments by Saudi Arabia and regional partners, reflecting growing coordination among Iran-aligned militias, two officials in the region said.
Amid significant progress in talks on a roadmap for Hamas’s disarmament, an Israeli official says that Israel objects to the terms of the document currently under discussion in Cairo and will not withdraw from Gaza until it’s fully demilitarized.
CEP Mentions
The Economist: The Berlin terror attack exposes deep failings in the state
“The question is whether the system needs reform, or whether its application was wrong,” says Hans-Jakob Schindler, an expert on terrorism at the Counter Extremism Project, an ngo. “But it certainly looks odd.”
WELT: "No smartphone, no social media, no Internet" - how our neighbors act against dangerous people
After the CSD attack in Berlin, many are calling for stricter measures to combat terrorism. In an interview, expert Hans-Jakob Schindler explains what Germany can learn from other EU countries, what the USA is doing better and why the financial industry should be the model for social media.
The study included two experts: Hans-Jakob Schindler from the German branch of the American think tank Counter Extremism Project admitted quite matter-of-factly that the Tiergarten court had made a mistake with the "probable" sentence for Ballout, but warned against hasty conclusions that deradicalization programs had fundamentally failed. According to Schindler, the case shows above all that "absolute security does not exist."
BBC: Police hunt suspect after car attack at Berlin Pride event
Hans-Jakob Schindler speaks to BBC World on the terror attack in Berlin.
Berliner Zeitung: CSD terror in Berlin: What punishment Abdul Ballout would have faced in Lebanon
It is a relatively small but dangerous group, explains Hans-Jakob Schindler of the Counter Extremism Project in an interview with this newspaper. Those who fail to make it into the so-called caliphate often direct their violence against targets in their own country.
Analysis
Iran International: Tehran tests a more confrontational strategy
Iran's ballistic missile strike on US forces in Jordan and its seizure of three oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz have dealt a fresh blow to efforts to preserve last month's Iran-US understanding.
United States
Atlanta Jewish Times: Lipstadt Warns Antisemitism Threatens American Democracy
Atlanta-based historian, Deborah Lipstadt, warned an international academic conference what she described as the “ferocious rise in antisemitism” is not just a threat to Jews, it is an attack on democracy, itself.
A court set up 30 years ago to expel immigrants accused of acts of terrorism from the country will hear its first case on Thursday morning: a request by the Justice Department to deport an Afghan woman living in Texas who prosecutors say is a supporter of the terrorist group Islamic State, or ISIS.
Associated Press: Man convicted in terrorism trial over the 2022 stabbing of author Salman Rushdie
A man was convicted Wednesday of federal terrorism charges in the 2022 stabbing of Salman Rushdie, the author who has faced a decades-old death threat over his novel “The Satanic Verses.” After just a couple of hours of deliberations, a jury found Hadi Matar guilty of all the charges against him, including engaging in an act of transnational terrorism.
MSNOW: Trump has been dismantling post-9/11 counterterrorism protections, Senate report says
The Trump administration has weakened America’s counterterrorism defenses by downsizing staff, politicizing intelligence, cutting grants and forcing federal agents to focus on immigration enforcement, according to a new report by Democratic lawmakers on the Senate Homeland Security Committee that was obtained by MS NOW.
Jewish Insider: Heritage Foundation under fire over new allegations of antisemitic culture
Nine months after the Heritage Foundation came under fire for defending Tucker Carlson’s friendly interview with a neo-Nazi, the conservative think tank is facing fresh scrutiny over accusations that it has enabled an extreme culture in which new hires feel free to question the Holocaust and to engage in historically revisionist debates about World War II, with no apparent internal policing from leadership.
A California law to prevent antisemitism in schools will be enforced after a federal judge dismissed a challenge from teachers and students who said it violated free speech. U.S. District Judge Noël Wise on Tuesday ruled against a lawsuit opposing Assembly Bill 715, which went into effect in January. The new law introduces measures to curb the “widespread surge in antisemitic discrimination, harassment, and bullying” faced by “Jewish and Israeli American pupils across California.”
Rutgers: Study Finds Strong Link Between Conspiracy Beliefs, Antisemitism and Anti-Israel Attitudes
New research from Rutgers University–Newark psychologist Kent Harber reveals a strong connection between conspiracy theories, antisemitic attitudes, and hostility toward Israel. Published in American Psychologist, the flagship publication of the American Psychological Association, the set of three studies draws from more than 1,000 adults surveyed across the United States.
Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., had a fiery exchange Wednesday with a reporter from the anti-Israel outlet Drop Site News, accusing the outlet of loving Iran and terrorist groups like Hamas and Hezbollah.
The Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office will receive a $750,000 funding boost for its Hate Crimes Bureau after borough officials raised concerns earlier this year that the unit lacked the resources needed to investigate and prosecute bias-motivated crimes.
Flyers with antisemitic messages and neo-Nazi imagery were found in the unincorporated Orange County community of Coto de Caza, Calif., Katrina Foley, vice chair of the county’s board of supervisors, stated on Tuesday.
Austin Chronicle: Day Trips: Walmart Massacre Memorials, El Paso
The Walmart Massacre in El Paso on August 3, 2019, will go down in history as one of the worst acts of senseless violence in Texas. The community’s response will be remembered for its sanctity and love.
PBS News: Journalist details weekend spent with far-right Proud Boys
The Proud Boys were founded a decade ago, but the far-right group gained notoriety for being heavily involved in the Jan. 6 attack at the Capitol. Jen Golbeck, a University of Maryland professor whose research focuses on social media and online extremism, spent a weekend with the Cape Fear chapter of the Proud Boys. She wrote about the experience in Esquire and joined Amna Nawaz to discuss more.
An Independence, Missouri, man with connections to a Nihilistic Violent Extremist (NVE) group has been charged in a criminal complaint for child sex crimes. Court documents filed in the Western District of Missouri charge 23-year-old Jordan A. Porter with receipt of child pornography over the internet and possession of child pornography.
Germany
Deutsche Welle: German Muslims are alarmed by Berlin Islamist terror attack
The terrorist attack that struck Berlin's Pride celebration, or Christopher Street Day (CSD), late on Saturday evening has heightened fears and concerns about further Islamist attacks. Until Sunday evening, when security forces confronted 21-year-old Abdul B. and fatally shot him, most media outlets and the politicians responsible referred to a "suspected perpetrator" and "alleged motives".
Norway
The Times: How Europe’s worst mass murderer inspires new generation of extremists
Fifteen years after Anders Breivik killed 77 people in Norway, the former Nato chief Jens Stoltenberg and a massacre survivor warn that it could happen again
Portugal
Daily Cartoonist: Cristina, Carrilho Targeted by Neo-Nazi Group
The names of two Portuguese cartoonists, Andre Carrilho and Cristina Sampaio, were found on a far-right neo-Nazi group’s list of future targets. The Movimento Armilar Lusitano (Lusitanian Armillary Movement) compiled the list of who they viewed as a threat due to their alignment with “immigration, anti-racism, anti-fascism, diversity, social inclusion, and minority rights.”
United Kingdom
Times of Israel: Reports of antisemitic discrimination in British soccer up 43%, watchdog says
Reports of antisemitic discrimination in British soccer rose 43% during the 2025-26 season, according to racism watchdog Kick It Out, amid a 25% increase in overall reports of discrimination in the sport.
A self-proclaimed neo-Nazi white supremacist who gave Nazi salutes, shouted ‘Heil Hitler’ and abused Jewish people on a far-right march through the centre of Bristol earlier this year has been fined by a judge in court today (Tuesday).
Russia
Moscow Times: Russia Adds Telegram Founder Pavel Durov to ‘Terrorist and Extremist’ List
Russia’s financial watchdog Rosfinmonitoring on Thursday added Telegram founder Pavel Durov to its list of “terrorists and extremists,” a day after the FSB security service issued a warrant for his arrest on charges of facilitating terrorist activities.
Journalists of Parni+, the largest Russian-language LGBTQ+ publication, have spoken out after fleeing the country since the website was labelled an “extremist organisation”.
Middle East
IranWire: CENTCOM Rejects IRGC Control Over Strait of Hormuz
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) rejected claims by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) regarding the routing of commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, emphasizing that the waterway is an international transit passage and that the IRGC has no authority to dictate ship navigation. CENTCOM also announced that, since early May, it has assisted in the passage of nearly 1,000 ships and the transit of 500 million barrels of crude oil through the strait.
Iran International: IRGC threatens countries aiding US, says Hormuz will remain closed
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards threatened countries assisting the United States with a “harsh response” unless they changed their conduct, according to a statement issued on Thursday.
Afghanistan
Afghanistan International: Taliban Leader Reshuffles 21 Officials Across Key Institutions
Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada has reshuffled 21 officials across the group’s judicial, financial, economic, security and religious institutions, according to Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid. Mujahid announced the appointments on Thursday, 30 July.
Atlas Press: ISIS-K Claims Responsibility for Assassination of Badakhshan Intelligence Chief
The ISIS-Khorasan branch has claimed responsibility for the killing of Zabihullah Amiri, head of intelligence and culture for the Taliban administration in Badakhshan province, highlighting the ongoing targeted attacks against officials in the administration. French news agency AFP, citing the monitoring group SITE, reported that ISIS-Khorasan issued a statement on Wednesday saying its members targeted Amiri on Tuesday along the road to Faizabad, the capital of Badakhshan, killing him and one of his guards.
Local sources in Badakhshan say the Taliban has detained seven residents of Yaftal-e Payeen aka Yaftali Sufla for allegedly cooperating with or knowing about the activities of the Sepah-e Mihan Front. Residents said the Taliban imposed strict security measures and began searching homes after regaining control of the district.
Kabul Now: Local Journalist Released After One Year of ‘Unlawful’ Taliban Detention, Watchdog Says
The Taliban released local journalist Bashir Hatif last week after he completed a one-year prison term for alleged propaganda against the group, the Afghanistan Journalists Center (AFJC) said on Wednesday. The AFJC, citing its sources, reported that Hatif was released from Bagram Prison on July 23 and has since reunited with his family in Kabul.
Kabul Tribune: Taliban Arrest Three Over Alleged Use of Starlink Satellite Internet in Khost
Taliban authorities have arrested three people in eastern Afghanistan’s Khost province for allegedly installing and operating Starlink satellite internet equipment, saying the service is banned under the group’s regulations.
Sources told Afghanistan International that the Taliban are preparing a large-scale operation in Badakhshan following increased opposition attacks, deploying more forces and senior commanders to the province. The rise in attacks and fresh opposition activity has prompted the Taliban to reinforce its military positions and prepare for a major operation in Badakhshan. Sources said the developments had alarmed Taliban officials and that the operation was expected to begin soon.
Gaza Strip/West Bank
Reuters: Gaza ceasefire talks see rare progress, sources say
Talks between mediators and Hamas leaders in Cairo to reach an end to the conflict in Gaza have seen rare progress towards full implementation of a U.S.-brokered Gaza peace plan, sources close to the effort said on Thursday. Meanwhile, Israeli strikes killed at least six Palestinians in Gaza on Thursday, including two children, medics said.
Times of Israel: Air Force bombs 4 Hamas weapons depots in Gaza, IDF says
The Israeli Air Force bombed another four Hamas weapon depots across the Gaza Strip overnight, the military announces. The IDF says the strikes destroyed sites where assault rifles, explosive devices, anti-tank missile launchers, and other equipment were stored by Hamas.
Times of Israel: 2 children reported killed in Gaza strikes; IDF said to target terror operatives
At least four people, including an 8-year-old girl and a 18-month old child, were killed in Israeli strikes in the Gaza Strip Thursday morning, according to Hamas-affiliated Palestinian media outlets in Gaza.
Times of Israel: Vetting of first 5,000 cadets for Gaza police force complete, says official
The vetting process has been completed for an initial group of some 5,000 Gazans slated to be trained for an emerging Palestinian police force under Washington’s 20-point plan for the Gaza Strip, an official from the US-backed Board of Peace said Tuesday.
Jordan
In a statement addressed to the Jordanian people, the IRGC said the attack was launched "in response to U.S. aggression" and described it as an effort to "help liberate Jordan from American occupation."
Iran
Kurdistan24: IRGC Says Strait of Hormuz Will Remain Closed While US Threats Continue
Iran reported civilian casualties following US strikes across three southern provinces, while the IRGC warned that the Strait of Hormuz would remain closed as long as US threats continue.
Israel
JTA: Stalwart Israel defender Bret Stephens calls out ‘Jewish terrorists’ in West Bank
Bret Stephens, the Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times columnist known as one of the paper’s most consistent defenders of Israel, used his Tuesday column to take direct aim at the country’s handling of settler violence in the West Bank — warning that unchecked attacks now pose a threat to Israel’s security and to Zionism itself.
Times of Israel: Katz orders end to administrative restraining order on detained settler extremist
Defense Minister Israel Katz on Tuesday said he instructed Israel’s security forces not to renew an administrative restraining order against a violent settler, detained for allegedly abusing a Palestinian, which aims to bar him from the West Bank.
Lebanon
Naharnet: Berri criticizes pilot zones, says army shouldn't be put to tests
Speaker Nabih Berri on Thursday hailed the Lebanese Army and said that it should not be “put to tests” in connection with the so-called pilot zones scheme in south Lebanon. In a statement marking Army Day, Berri said the army is the role model of unity, identity, belonging, sacrifice and loyalty, adding that it defends “the unified Lebanon that the Lebanese look for.”
Syria
Christians and other minority groups have been arbitrarily detained by the Syrian Transitional Government for reasons that “sometimes appear to be motivated in part by the detainees’ ethnic or religious identity,” according to a newly published report by Christian Solidarity International that was presented to the UN, which alleged that detainees are often forced to adopt Islamic practices and denied access to items connected to their own faith.
Turkey
Kurdistan24: Erdogan to Submit PKK Disarmament Bill to Parliament in Coming Days
The Turkish president said the proposed legislation will provide the legal framework for the PKK disarmament process while allowing resources previously spent on conflict to be redirected toward investment and public services.
Yemen
Yemen’s Houthi rebels declare that they were not behind a drone strike yesterday that hit a US-owned-and-operated gas storage ship in the Egyptian port of Damietta.
India
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has filed a chargesheet against three people, including a doctor, for their involvement in an ISIS-linked conspiracy to carry out mass poisoning in public spaces using a biological toxin. The accused — Hyderabad-based Dr Syed Ahmed Mohiuddin and co-accused Azad and Mohammad Suhel from Uttar Pradesh — have been chargesheeted before a special NIA court in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.
Pakistan
Associated Press: Raid on a Pakistani police post leaves 11 officers and 15 attackers dead
The death toll from an overnight deadly militant attack on a police post in northwestern Pakistan rose to 11 early Thursday, police and a government official said. Security forces killed 15 militants in an hourlong gunbattle after they targeted the Khazina police post in Hangu district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, which borders Afghanistan, police official Irfan Khan said.
Mali
Amnesty International called on Wednesday for a war crimes investigation into what it described as summary killings of at least 19 Malian soldiers by members of armed groups after an ambush on July 18. The attack occurred in northern Mali between the town of Anefis and the city of Gao, according to statements from Mali's armed forces, the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA), and the al Qaeda-linked group Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM).
Somalia
Reuters: Five Kenyan security officers killed in suspected al Shabaab attack near Somalia border
Five Kenyan security officers were killed in a clash with suspected al Shabaab militants in the county of Mandera near the Somali border, police said. The militant group has been battling for years to overthrow Somalia's central government and establish its rule in the Horn of Africa country, based on its own strict interpretation of Islamic sharia law.
Sudan
Fox News: Sudan's forgotten war leaves millions hungry as global attention remains elsewhere
As multiple international crises grip the world, from Iran to Russia’s war in Ukraine, Sudan quietly remains one of the largest humanitarian and displacement disasters in the world. Since the outbreak of hostilities in 2023, over 14 million people have been displaced and nearly 34 million people are in desperate need of humanitarian support, accounting for 10% of global needs, according to the International Rescue Committee.
Australia
Australia’s online safety watchdog has filed legal action against messaging app Telegram, saying the platform failed to remove extremist content including videos of white supremacist mass shootings in Buffalo, New York, and the New Zealand city of Christchurch as well as Islamic State group beheadings.
Technology
IranWire: X Bans IRGC-Linked Tasnim News Accounts
On Wednesday, July 29, the social media platform X suspended the Persian- and Arabic-language accounts of Tasnim News Agency, a media outlet affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Earlier, the messaging app Telegram had also shut down the IRGC’s official channel.
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