Eye on Extremism: June 13, 2025
Top Stories
CNN: Israeli strikes kill some of Iran’s most powerful men, including military and nuclear leaders
Iran’s highest-ranking military officer, the head of its elite Revolutionary Guards Corps and its air force and a former national security chief have all been killed in Israel’s unprecedented Operation Rising Lion.
Wall Street Journal: The ‘Ghost of al-Qassam’ Becomes Hamas’s Third Leader in Seven Months
After more than 600 days of war and years of being steered by the brothers Yahya and Mohammed Sinwar, Hamas has a new leader in the Gaza Strip. The U.S.-designated terrorist group has handed control of its operations in the enclave to Ezzedin al-Haddad, an experienced fighter who helped plan the deadly Oct. 7, 2023, attacks, recruits the organization’s fighters and oversees the captivity of Israeli hostages, keeping photos of many on his phone, Arab and Israeli officials and a former hostage said. Haddad, the group’s third Gaza boss in seven months, takes over an operation sharply diminished by war with a vastly superior Israeli force. He didn’t have much competition for the post.
CEP Mentions
Welt: “We are in a very serious spiral of escalation”
Following the Israeli attack, Iran fired drones, but Iran is "weaker than ever," says Dr. Hans-Jakob Schindler, director of the Counter Extremism Project. What role does the United States play in the conflict? Gregor Schwung and Dr. Hans-Jakob Schindler analyze the situation.
Deutsche Welle: German Middle East policy under pressure
The German government's reaction was predictable, says Hans-Jakob Schindler, a Middle East expert with the international organization Counter Extremism Project. Germany plays only a secondary role in the Middle East conflict and is unable to actively mediate. "Certainly, one could offer to do so. But now the direct negotiations between the US and the Iranians are crucial," Schindler told DW. "The negotiating format of the past—Germany, France, Great Britain, and the US with the Iranians—is no longer part of this formula. Unfortunately, the Europeans are now more spectators than actors in this conflict."
Analysis
Jerusalem Post: Why Israel struck Iran on Friday morning
Just after dawn on Friday, Israel launched a targeted military strike deep into Iranian territory. The operation, long in the making, was triggered by a dramatic shift in Tehran’s nuclear program and the growing sense among Israel’s defense establishment that time had simply run out. Iran had crossed a critical threshold. Intelligence assessments showed the regime had enriched enough uranium to produce approximately 15 nuclear warheads and was actively conducting tests. The pace, the scope, and the intent had changed. What had once been described in abstract terms—potential, capability, intent—had now become operational reality.
GNET: Prompted to Harm: Analysing the Pirkkala School Stabbing and Its Digital Manifesto
On 20 May 2025, a stabbing incident occurred at a school in the town of Pirkkala, southern Finland, in which three female pupils, all under the age of 15, were injured. Prior to the attack, the perpetrator – a 16-year-old male student – sent a manifesto allegedly written with the aid of ChatGPT to a Finnish newspaper. The attack bears a disturbing resemblance to the all-too-frequent school shootings in the United States, but also a pattern of violent misogynist incidents seen in the UK, such as the 2024 Southport stabbings and the 2025 Bournemouth stabbings. The violent attack also echoes the pattern of extremist violence perpetuated by misogynistic incels (involuntary celibates), who have become a security concern over the last decade.
Reuters: How Iran's network of Middle East power faded
At previous moments of tension over decades of rivalry with Western foes, Iran was able to project power across the Middle East using a network of close allies that meant any strikes against it threatened to trigger a formidable response. Now, with talks deadlocked over its nuclear programme and U.S. President Donald Trump saying an Israeli strike on Iran "could very well happen," Tehran must face a fresh crisis with those capabilities greatly diminished. The United States killed the mastermind of Iran's regional network in 2020 and since the war in Gaza began 20 months ago, Israel has hammered Tehran's closest ally Hezbollah while rebels ousted its main regional partner, Syria's President Bashar al-Assad.
United States
Reuters: Trump tells Iran to do deal now after Israel blasts nuclear and military targets
Israel launched a barrage of strikes across Iran on Friday, saying it had attacked nuclear facilities and missile factories and killed a swathe of military commanders in what could be a prolonged operation to prevent Tehran building an atomic weapon. Though Washington said it had no part in the attack, U.S. President Donald Trump, Israel's main ally, suggested that Iran had brought the attack on itself by resisting a U.S. ultimatum in talks to restrict its nuclear programme.
Wall Street Journal: Trump to WSJ: U.S. Was Aware of Israel’s Plans to Attack Iran
President Trump told The Wall Street Journal that he and his team were aware of Israel’s plans to attack Iran. Asked what kind of heads-up the U.S. got ahead of the attack, Trump said in a brief phone interview on Friday morning, "Heads-up? It wasn’t a heads-up. It was, we know what's going on."
Jerusalem Post: US kills ISIS official in precise airstrike in Syria, CENTCOM says
The United States on Tuesday struck and killed Rakhim Boev, a Syrian-based ISIS official, CENTCOM announced in a post to X/Twitter on Thursday. The statement noted that Boev was involved in planning external operations threatening US citizens, partners, and civilians. The ISIS official was killed in a precise airstrike in the northwestern area of the country. CENTCOM stated that the airstrike was part of their "ongoing commitment, alongside regional partners, to disrupt and degrade efforts by terrorists to plan, organize, and conduct attacks against US forces and our allies."
NZZ: Far-right conservative Catholics in the US are experiencing a resurgence
U.S. Vice President JD Vance is the most prominent example of a Catholicism that is aligned with Trump's politics, which is growing in popularity. The movement was not always in harmony with Pope Francis, and some within it also view the new Pope Leo XIV with suspicion.
“Shoot a couple, the rest will go home,” said a meme circulating on Telegram channels of groups affiliated with the far-right Proud Boys. “You just have to impale a few of them…” another local chapter posted. One disseminated an online gun tutorial, illustrating optimal shooting techniques with the caption: “Riot season again!” Organizers in more than 2,000 cities are mobilizing for “No Kings” rallies Saturday in opposition to President Trump and his military parade in Washington. Among those watching closely: extremist organizations on social media.
On Wednesday, the Department of Homeland Security posted a striking graphic on its official X account. Uncle Sam, a symbol of American patriotism, is depicted nailing a poster to a wall that reads, “Help your country… and yourself.” Written underneath the poster is the sentence, “REPORT ALL FOREIGN INVADERS,” and the Immigration and Customs Enforcement hot line. The post — which DHS and the White House also posted to Instagram — prompted a flood of criticism, with some social media users comparing the post to authoritarian propaganda. On Thursday, at least two far-right X accounts claimed to have a hand in creating or disseminating the image before it was shared by DHS. A source within DHS told CNN the agency did not create the graphic.
Spectrum News 1: Report released after neo-Nazi rally investigation, no charges filed
No charges are being filed after a neo-Nazi hate group rally occurred above an Ohio highway earlier this year. The Hamilton County prosecutor, Connie Pillich, released the results of an investigation Thursday. The prosecutor started looking into this case, not just because it involved a Nazi hate group, but because no tickets nor arrests were made following what happened that day.
The US sharply criticized Iran on Thursday over its backing of the Houthis in Yemen, accusing Tehran of violating UN arms embargoes and enabling attacks against Arab nations and Israel. Speaking during a UN Security Council briefing on the situation in Yemen, the acting US ambassador, Dorothy Shea, said Iranian support is allowing the Houthis to threaten Israel, Gulf countries, and broader regional stability.
Axios: Kraft-funded group works to boost engagement in antisemitism fight
As antisemitic incidents escalate nationwide, the Foundation to Combat Antisemitism (FCAS), the nonprofit founded by Patriots owner Robert Kraft, is trying to reach Americans unaware of how bad the problem really is.
Fox 25: Norman man charged for planning ISIS attacks on OU and possessing child pornography
A Norman man is facing 45 years in federal prison after communicating with an undercover officer about plans for terror attacks. According to court documents, Landon Kyle Swinford made contact with an undercover law enforcement officer (UCE) on May 18, 2023, on a social media platform after he posted ISIS propaganda.
Colombia
Reuters: FARC guerrilla dissidents deny being behind senator's attack in Colombia
The main dissident faction of the former Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) guerrilla group denied any responsibility for the attack against Colombian Senator Miguel Uribe, in a statement on Friday. The government of President Gustavo Petro had said that FARC could have been involved in the attack against the senator and potential presidential candidate, who remains hospitalized in an intensive care unit after being shot in Bogota on Saturday.
European Union
Deutsche Welle: Far-right parties surge across Europe
While the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party continues to be isolated in the German political scene, similar populist parties are gaining momentum in other EU countries.
France
Le Monde: Brittany far-right figure tried for financial new crimes
Florent de Kersauson, a regional councilor for the far-right Rassemblement National party, appeared in court on embezzlement charges. He has already been convicted in other cases, and faces a potential ban on holding elected office.
The European Conservative: France Bans Violent Antifascist Group Backed by Far-Left MP
French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau has decided to dissolve the anti-fascist organisation La Jeune Garde, founded by far-left MP Raphaël Arnault, due to its repeated and explicit calls for political violence. The threat had been looming for several weeks, and the minister’s decision was made public on Thursday, June 12th, after approval by the Council of Ministers the previous day.
Germany
RND: BND chief warns of threat from Russia
The President of the German Federal Intelligence Service (BND), Bruno Kahl, warns against underestimating Russia's intentions with regard to the West and NATO. "We are very certain and have intelligence evidence that Ukraine is only one step on the road to the West," said Kahl in the podcast Table.Today. "There are people in Moscow who no longer believe that Article 5 of NATO works. And they would like to test it." This article is at the heart of collective defense and regulates the duty to provide assistance in the event of an attack. The aim of the Russian leadership is to extend its sphere of influence to the west. "They want to catapult Nato back to where it was at the end of the 1990s. They want to kick America out of Europe and they will use any means to achieve this," said Kahl. He warned: "You have to fight this at the outset." Deterrence is the "least bloody way" to prevent war.
Tagesspiegel: How young people are radicalized by computer games
According to the ministry, extremist groups, particularly right-wing extremists, Islamists and conspiracy ideologues, use online and gaming platforms to target young people at a low threshold and influence them ideologically. "The contact often takes place - unnoticed by parents or educational professionals - via voice chats, private groups or disguised content," the state ministry said. Certain gaming forums serve as safe havens for extremist actors, who can spread ideologies there unhindered. Anonymity and technical barriers make it difficult for the security authorities to intervene.
SWR: Radicalization in chat groups - Glorification of attacks
Investigators consider the "assassin fan scene" to include mainly young men, some of whom are still of criminal age. They organize themselves in right-wing extremist chat groups and forums to admire assassins and their acts of violence. In doing so, they attract attention with inhuman statements. According to the State Office for the Protection of the Constitution, this is a new development in the right-wing extremist scene. The actors are often very young and have a strong affinity for violence - there is therefore a risk that they will put their fantasies into practice. About a year ago, investigators came across a 14-year-old from Baden-Württemberg who is said to be an "assassin fan". He had expressed several killing fantasies in a chat group - they were directed against Jews and a teacher. The boy's room was searched and he is being investigated for disturbing the public peace by threatening criminal acts.
Spain
Politico: Sánchez corruption scandals are a godsend for Spanish far right
Corruption scandals rocking Spain’s governing Socialist Party spell trouble for Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez — but they’re being celebrated by the country’s far-right Vox party. The ultranationalist group, which campaigns on the principle that Spain’s democratic system is rotten, on Thursday said it was vindicated by news reports revealing that that organized crime investigators had evidence connecting the Socialist Party’s third-highest ranking member, Santos Cerdán, with taking kickbacks.
Reuters: Spanish PM's far-left ally wants 'reset' after corruption case
Spain's Labour Minister Yolanda Diaz, who leads the ruling coalition's far-left junior party Sumar, called for a "reset" of government on Friday after a corruption investigation forced out a close aide of the prime minister. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has apologised to Spaniards and promised an investigation of his Socialist Party but also resisted critics' calls for a snap election after Thursday's resignation of the party's number three Santos Cerdan.
United Kingdom
Reuters: Police attacked as Northern Irish violence spreads to another town
Rioters attacked police with petrol bombs, rocks and fireworks in the Northern Irish town of Portadown on Thursday, a Reuters witness said, as a fourth night of anti-immigrant violence moved to a different part of the British-run province. Violence first flared on Monday after two 14-year-old boys were arrested and appeared in court, accused of a serious sexual assault on a teenage girl in the town. The charges were read via a Romanian interpreter to the boys, whose lawyer told the court they denied the charge, the BBC reported.
Gaza Strip
Times of Israel: Hamas police says it killed 12 members of Gaza’s Israeli-backed Abu Shabab militia
Gaza’s Hamas-run police force said Thursday that it killed 12 members of the Israeli-backed Abu Shabab militia in Gaza, which said its fighters had killed five Hamas operatives but made no mention of its own casualties. It was not immediately possible to verify the competing claims or confirm the identities of those killed. According to Hamas, the Abu Shabab gunmen were killed early Wednesday by the Gaza police’s Sahm unit, which Hamas says was established to combat looting. The unit released video footage showing several dead men lying in the street, saying they were Abu Shabab fighters who had been detained and killed for collaborating with Israel. It was not possible to verify the images or the claims around them.
Reuters: Humanitarian workers killed in Gaza ambush blamed on Hamas; internet cut in territory
At least eight Palestinians who worked for the U.S-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation died in an ambush, the GHF said on Thursday, blaming Hamas militants for the killings that rocked the troubled food distribution operation. A bus carrying about two dozen GHF workers was raked with gunfire on Wednesday night as it headed to an aid centre in southern Gaza, the foundation said, adding that many of its staff were injured and some might have been kidnapped.
Reuters: United Nations overwhelmingly demands immediate Gaza ceasefire over US, Israel opposition
The United Nations General Assembly on Thursday overwhelmingly demanded an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire in the war in Gaza and aid access, after the United States vetoed a similar effort in the Security Council last week. The 193-member General Assembly adopted a resolution that also demands the release of hostages held in Gaza by Hamas, the return of Palestinian prisoners detained by Israel and the full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.
Iran
Israel attacked Iran early Friday with a barrage of airstrikes that took out top military officers and hit nuclear and missile sites, calling it just the beginning and raising the potential for an all-out war between the two bitter Middle East adversaries. It appeared to be the most significant attack Iran has faced since its 1980s war with Iraq.
Kurdistan24: Iranian President Vows Strong Response to Israeli Strikes
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian issued his first public response on Friday to the early-morning Israeli airstrikes that targeted key locations in Tehran, including the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) headquarters. In a nationally televised address, President Pezeshkian condemned the attacks and vowed retaliation. “We will respond to Israel in a way that makes it regret its foolish actions,” he stated firmly.
Iraq
Kurdistan24: PMF Cancels Annual Events Over Iran’s Losses in Israeli Strikes
Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) canceled all PMF Day events following the deaths of top Iranian commanders in Israeli strikes, signaling deep solidarity with Tehran and growing regional tension.
Israel
Jerusalem Post: Hezbollah's deadly drone threat: Growing capabilities, strategic shifts
Tal Barri, Head of the Research Department at the Alma Research Institute for Northern Security Challenges, recently spoke to Maariv about Hezbollah's expanding UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) capabilities, warning of significant changes influenced by Iran’s involvement and the lessons Hezbollah has drawn from the Ukraine-Russia War. In a comprehensive interview published Thursday, Barri highlighted the potential transformation of Hezbollah’s UAV unit. “Strengthening Hezbollah’s UAV fleet, particularly the suicide drones within it, is a key takeaway from the recent war,” Barri explained. “The shift from a potential strategic threat to an actual one is driven by the quantity, quality, and operational deployment of these UAVs. The Iranians have learned to deploy them in large numbers simultaneously, a departure from their previous use.”
Wall Street Journal: Israel Smuggled Explosive Drones Into Iran to Target Weapons
Long before Israel launched its attacks against Iran on Friday, agents from Israel’s spy agency the Mossad smuggled explosive drones and other guided weapons into Iran.
Associated Press: Israel’s attack on Iran was years in the making. How did they get here?
Israel’s massive strike on Iran on Friday morning came after decades of mutual hostility and a long-running shadow war of covert strikes and sabotage. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has long identified Iran as its greatest threat, citing the country’s nuclear program, its hostile rhetoric and support for anti-Israel militant groups across the region. Iran has championed the Palestinian cause and portrayed Israel as a malicious Western encroachment on the Middle East.
Reuters: Israel shuts global embassies after attack on Iran
Israel is shutting its embassies around the world and has urged citizens to stay alert and not display Jewish or Israeli symbols in public places, statements posted on embassy websites said on Friday after Israel launched large-scale attacks on Iran. The statements said Israel would not be providing consular services and urged citizens to cooperate with local security services if faced with hostile activity.
Lebanon
Naharnet: Berri says Israel 'assassinating peace efforts' as Salam slams attack on Iran
Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri on Friday condemned Israel’s massive attack on Iran’s nuclear and missile facilities and top military leaders and nuclear scientists, saying Israel’s hostile actions in the region “represent a cross-border threat to independent countries and to international security and stability.”
Naharnet: Qassem says Hezbollah supports any Iranian response against Israel
Hezbollah chief Sheikh Naim Qassem warned Friday that Israel’s massive attack on Iran “will have major repercussions on the region’s stability, seeing as it will not pass without a response and punishment.”
Naharnet: Hezbollah warns Israel Iran strikes 'threaten to ignite the region'
Hezbollah warned Friday that Israel's strikes on its main foreign backer Iran "threaten to ignite the region". The group, which fought a two-month war with Israel last year, condemned the "brutal Israeli aggression" against Iranian nuclear facilities and scientists and said Israel was "engaging in adventures that threaten to ignite the entire region".
Naharnet: Reports: Lebanon warns Hezbollah against joining Iran-Israel confrontation
The Lebanese Army has communicated with Hezbollah as part of “holding onto the Lebanese principles and refusing that Lebanon be dragged into any confrontation,” governmental sources told Al-Jadeed TV, after Israel launched a massive attack on Iran. “The government stressed that the decision of war and peace is exclusively in the hand of the Lebanese state,” the sources added.
Yemen
AP: Yemen’s al-Qaida branch leader threatens Trump, Musk and others
The leader of al-Qaida’s Yemen branch has threatened both U.S. President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk over the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip in his first video message since taking over the group last year. The half-hour video message by Saad bin Atef al-Awlaki, which spread online early Saturday via supporters of al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, also included calls for lone-wolf militants to assassinate leaders in Egypt, Jordan and the Gulf Arab states over the war, which has decimated Gaza.
Kurdistan24: Houthis, Hamas Condemn Israeli Strikes on Iran
Yemen's Ansar Allah movement, widely known as the Houthis, issued a strongly worded statement on Friday denouncing what it termed "Israel's brutal aggression" against the Islamic Republic of Iran, declaring full support for Tehran's right to retaliate "using all available means." The declaration comes in response to a series of Israeli airstrikes targeting Iranian military and nuclear facilities early Friday, a move that has intensified concerns of a broader Middle East conflict.
Arab News Japan: UN urges Security Council to pressure Houthis for peace and release of detainees
Top UN officials on Wednesday warned the Security Council that there is a risk the fragile situation in Yemen could rapidly deteriorate, as they called for both intensified diplomatic efforts and increased humanitarian funding to stave off further instability and ease human suffering.
Yemen Online: Houthi Leader Announces Launch of 11 Missiles and Drones at Israel Within a Week
Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, leader of the Houthi rebels, announced that his forces launched 11 ballistic and hypersonic missiles, along with drones, targeting Israeli sites over the past week, marking a new escalation in the group’s continued support for Gaza.
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