Eye on Extremism: June 4, 2026
Top Stories
Reuters: Hezbollah rejects ceasefire plan declared in Washington
Hezbollah rejected a ceasefire plan agreed by the Lebanese and Israeli governments in U.S.-mediated talks, as Israel kept up strikes in southern Lebanon on Thursday and said it wouldn't be withdrawing from the south. The United States announced on Wednesday that Lebanon and Israel had agreed to implement a ceasefire contingent on Iran-backed Hezbollah ceasing fire and evacuating its fighters from areas of southern Lebanon near the border.
Military Times: Experts warn terrorism threat is rising in Africa as US pulls back
From the Horn to the Sahel, a jihadist front is gaining ground across Africa, the Center for Strategic and International Studies warned in its annual risk analysis. The “Global Terrorism Threat Assessment 2026″ identifies terrorism on the continent as “the greatest uncertainty,” citing the rising capabilities of al-Qaida and Islamic State affiliates.
CEP Mentions
WELT TV: "It is Hezbollah that keeps driving this country into conflict with Israel."
Middle East expert Hans-Jakob Schindler comments on current developments in the Middle East. There appears to be progress in the dialogue between Israel and Lebanon – but Hezbollah remains the decisive factor.
Times of Israel: The Muslim Brotherhood’s Sponsor: Qatar’s Quiet Conquest of the West
The Counter Extremism Project described him as one of the chief ideologues of the global Muslim Brotherhood movement. His presence in Doha signaled a clear policy: shelter, legitimize, and amplify Brotherhood voices while courting the West as a “moderate” partner.
Metro: Auschwitz-Birkenau conference will help fight anti-Semitism and anti-Gypsyism
The conference will take place at the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum and at the ARCHER – Auschwitz Research Center on Hate, Extremism, and Radicalization. The center itself is located in House 88, the former villa of Auschwitz concentration camp commandant Rudolf Höss, which the Counter Extremism Project has transformed into an international center for research and education on extremism. ARCHER combines academic research, educational activities, public debate and the arts and focuses on understanding the processes that lead to the normalization of extremist attitudes in society.
Analysis
ISS: JNIM’s blockade tactics threaten West Africa’s trade corridors
Recent terror attacks across Mali have intensified JNIM’s blockades of vital transport routes connecting port cities to Sahelian capitals.
Foreign Policy: Why Is Trump Targeting Brazilian Gangs?
The United States’ May 28 announcement that it would designate Brazil’s two biggest criminal gangs—the First Capital Command and the Red Command—as terrorist organizations was hardly a surprise. After all, the Trump administration had already done the same for more than 10 groups across Latin America, including in Colombia, Haiti, and Mexico. The White House said the designation is part of an effort aimed at “keeping illicit drugs off our streets and disrupting the revenue streams funding violent narco-terrorists.”
United States
The U.S. military carried out a lethal strike Wednesday on a vessel it said was involved in drug trafficking in the Eastern Pacific, killing two men it described as "narco-terrorists," according to U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM).
Antisemitic hate crimes surged in New York City in the month of May 2026, with a total of 41 confirmed incidents, the New York Police Department (NYPD) announced Wednesday. This marked a 71% increase from the same month in 2025. It also meant that hate crimes targeting Jews made up 60% of all hate crimes in the city last month.
Jerusalem Post: National SJP paper details plan to confront Zionism and US academic institutions
National Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) is seeking to usurp university institutions in order to weaken the United States of America, according to an official political program published on Wednesday, as they saw themselves engaged in a class war against what they saw as pillars of economic and social support for the existing political system.
Newsweek: Source Behind Patriot Front Exposé Faces Retribution: Researchers
The informant in a white supremacist group who leaked internal documents to a national newspaper likely faces an act of retaliation if ultimately identified, researchers told Newsweek. Internal documents exclusively obtained by USA Today revealed Wednesday that Patriot Front, a white nationalist hate group formed in 2017 following the deadly "Unite the Right" rally in Virginia, has more than 540 members across every state except Hawaii as of early 2026.
Michael Macko, the son of a man killed in the 1993 World Trade Center (WTC) bombing, said he is disappointed after an acquaintance of a convicted terrorist involved in his father’s death won a New Jersey House primary. Democrat U.S. House candidate Adam Hisham Hamawy has faced scrutiny over his ties to Sheikh Omar Abdel-Rahman, who was convicted of inciting the WTC bombing that killed six people and injured thousands in 1993.
A California gubernatorial candidate whose antisemitic conspiracy theories earned furious backlash after they were published in a state voting guide still managed to score more than a thousand votes in his long-shot campaign. Don J. Grundmann — who has peddled conspiracies claiming that Israel killed Charlie Kirk and perpetrated the 9/11 attacks — had tallied 1,350 votes as of Wednesday afternoon, with 55% of the votes counted, according to the Associated Press.
Fox News: The growing list of controversies threatening Democrat Graham Platner's Maine Senate bid
Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner has emerged as one of the party's fastest-rising political figures, drawing national attention for his populist message and outsider image. But as his profile has grown, so has scrutiny of his past conduct, with controversies ranging from sexually explicit messages and offensive social media posts to a Nazi-linked tattoo and campaign staff upheaval.
A New York University student is facing hate crime charges for allegedly raising a flag depicting a Star of David, two swastikas and the letters “NYU” over a university building during commencement last month.
The Hill: Columbia professors who backed Gaza protests file antisemitism claim
Jewish Columbia University professors on Tuesday filed a claim with the university about antisemitism they faced while supporting protests in support of the Palestinians in Gaza during the Israel-Hamas war.
CBS News: Video shows woman attacked on NYC subway train in apparent antisemitic hate crime
A New York woman captured on video the moment she says she was assaulted on the C train in Manhattan last weekend. The incident comes on the heels of new data that shows the number of hate crimes in New York City are up nearly 9% compared to the same time last year.
Canada
CBC: No arrests as white nationalist group stages demonstration in Bedford
Police in Halifax say a white nationalist group known as the Second Sons was behind a short-lived demonstration on the weekend. No arrests were made Saturday but the provincial politician who represents the area says there is no place for hatred and racism in the rapidly growing community around Larry Uteck Boulevard known for its cultural and religious diversity.
Germany
Deutsche Welle: Germany sees record number of discrimination claims in 2025
In 2025, more people than ever before turned to Germany's Federal Anti-Discrimination Agency for advice. Ferda Ataman, the independent federal commissioner for anti-discrimination, believes these people need better legal protections and more support services.
Jerusalem Post: 'No Jews in our hotel': Israeli family denied access to Bavarian hotel
An Israeli family who attempted to book a room at a hotel in Bavaria, Germany, received a message through Booking.com saying, "Sorry, there are no Jews allowed in our hotel."
Deutsche Welle: German hotel apologizes for 'no Jews allowed' message
A hotel in the southern German state of Bavaria came under heavy criticism for a message refusing a reservation to an Israeli guest that included a message reminiscent of the Nazi era. The case came to light when Israel's consul general to southern Germany, Talya Lador, posted the rejection message on X.
Netherlands
JNS: Dutch court rejects bid to bar Kanye West from entering country
A Dutch judge on Wednesday dismissed a Jewish group’s petition to bar the entry into the country of the rapper Kanye West, also known as Ye, who was allowed in even before the ruling was issued.
United Kingdom
The Guardian: Leftwing US commentator calls decision to ban him from UK ‘Kafkaesque’
A leftwing US political commentator has described the UK government’s decision to ban him from entering the country as “haunting and hilarious” and “Kafkaesque”. Cenk Uygur, the founder and a host on Young Turks, a well-established progressive media outlet, was banned earlier this week from entering the UK to attend a speaking engagement alongside Hasan Piker, a Twitch streamer who has become a popular figure on the US political left.
Times of Israel: Barred from UK, Cenk Uygur and Hasan Piker to address Oxford Union remotely
Progressive US political commentator Cenk Uygur and leftist streamer Hasan Piker will address the Oxford Union on Saturday by livestream, after the UK banned them from entering the country.
The Times: Oxford Union president defiant after outcry over October 7 comments
The president of the Oxford Union has “no plan to resign” after leaked messages revealed that she described the Hamas attacks of October 7 as “proportional” and suggested that resistance movements labelled terrorist organisations were often later celebrated as “heroes”.
JNS: Britain’s NHS to curb political symbols after antisemitism review
The National Health Service in England will curb political symbols on staff uniforms and require antisemitism training for health leaders after a government-ordered review found Jewish staff and patients face “routine ostracism” and abuse.
Middle East
Reuters: Israel, Lebanon agree to implement ceasefire, boosting hopes for Iran deal
Israel and Lebanon agreed to implement a ceasefire to end hostilities, the Trump administration said on Wednesday, in a boost to hopes for a broader deal to end the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran. Tehran, which had conditioned any deal with the U.S. in part on an end to fighting between Israel and Lebanon, earlier struck Kuwait, damaging its airport and injuring dozens while the U.S. military carried out strikes near the Strait of Hormuz.
Reuters: Lebanese President says ceasefire may come into effect within a day of parties' approval
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun told local outlets on Thursday that a U.S.-brokered ceasefire agreed the previous evening between Lebanon and Israel could come into force within 24 hours of all concerned parties approving it.
Associated Press: What to know about latest ceasefire deal between Israel and Lebanon
Israel and Lebanon have agreed to renew their shaky ceasefire, with an aim to continue talks later this month for a comprehensive peace deal. The U.S.-brokered agreement, announced in a joint statement by the U.S., Israel and Lebanon Wednesday, comes after Israeli forces made their deepest incursion into Lebanon in more than a quarter century.
Afghanistan
Afghanistan International: Taliban Officials Sexually Abused Boys In Detention, Says UN Rapporteur
The UN special rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan says his office has verified cases of sexual violence allegedly committed by Taliban officials, primarily in detention centres. Victims interviewed included women and girls, as well as men and boys.
Afghanistan International: Two Men Killed By Taliban Forces Displayed In Herat
The Taliban displayed the bloodied bodies of two men in the city of Herat after killing them in Injil district, saying they died during a confrontation with security forces while allegedly attempting an armed robbery.
Iran
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced on Wednesday that it had carried out a series of naval and aerial attacks against U.S. forces and a commercial vessel in the Gulf region, describing the operations as retaliation for recent American strikes against Iranian interests near the Strait of Hormuz.
Esmail Qaani, the head of the Quds Force within the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), has put out a statement that appears to seek to pressure the Israel-Lebanon ceasefire deal. The deal was agreed in Washington overnight. Now, Qaani and Iran appear concerned. He demanded that Israel withdraw from Lebanon.
Reuters: Iran's Khamenei warns against divisions after 'enemy's defeat on battlefield'
Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said in a message on Thursday that Iran's enemies, having been defeated on the battlefield, were now seeking to undermine public resilience and sow internal divisions.
Israel
ABC News: Israel maintains 'freedom of action' in Lebanon, Katz says
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Thursday that Israeli attacks on Hezbollah will continue in southern Lebanon and that displaced Lebanese residents will not be allowed to return, despite Wednesday's agreement to implement a ceasefire in Lebanon.
JNS: Israeli deputy FM: UNRWA is a terrorist organization
Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel, who was a co-sponsor of the Oct. 28, 2024, legislation banning UNRWA from operating within pre-1967 Israel (including Jerusalem) and severing all official ties with it, told JNS that UNRWA is not a humanitarian agency, but rather a terrorist organization wearing a humanitarian mask.
Times of Israel: Hamas operative indicted for allegedly holding Oron Shaul’s body in fridge in Gaza
Hamas operative Ibrahim Hilu was charged Thursday in Israeli court for holding the body of slain soldier Staff Sgt. Oron Shaul in the Gaza Strip for over a decade on behalf of the terror group.
Kuwait
Afghanistan International: Afghan Embassy In Kuwait Handed Over To Taliban, Says Sources
Sources told Afghanistan International that Afghanistan’s embassy in Kuwait was handed over to a Taliban diplomat this week, replacing the ambassador appointed by the former Afghan government.
Lebanon
Naharnet: Qassem says Hezbollah demands 'comprehensive' ceasefire, complete Israeli withdrawal
Hezbollah on Thursday rejected the latest ceasefire agreement reached between Israel and the Lebanese government, demanding a complete Israeli withdrawal. Hezbollah leader Sheikh Naim Qassem, in a written statement read on TV, said the agreement's demand that Hezbollah fighters leave southern Lebanon under fire would mean "surrender, defeat and achieving the enemy's goals."
AFP: Salam says army to start deploying in 'pilot zones' in south
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said on Thursday that the army would begin deploying in "pilot zones" in the country's south, a day after Israel and Lebanon agreed in Washington to implement a ceasefire. "The next step is practical and tangible: the deployment of the Lebanese army in pilot zones as a first phase," Salam said, according to remarks read out by Information Minister Paul Morcos after a cabinet meeting, adding that "this does not prejudice our right to a full (Israeli) withdrawal, but brings us closer to it."
New York Times: Hezbollah’s Fiber-Optic Drones Expose Cracks in Israeli Defenses
An explosive drone snaked between the hills of southern Lebanon before striking an Israeli armored personnel carrier. Two days later, another slammed into a tank. Three days after that, a third pounded into a missile-defense system.
Reuters: UNIFIL says one peacekeeper killed, two wounded in shelling in south Lebanon
A U.N. peacekeeper in Lebanon died on Thursday from wounds sustained whenmortar shells hit his position near Marjayoun in southeastern Lebanon late the previous night, the U.N. peacekeeping mission UNIFIL said. UNIFIL, which did not say where the shells originated, said two other peacekeepers were wounded and that it had opened an investigation into the incident.
The IDF on Thursday morning disclosed that recently the personal command vehicle of the IDF Northern Command Chief Maj. Gen. Rafi Milo was struck by a Hezbollah drone while he was visiting sub-commanders in southern Lebanon.
Nigeria
Reuters: Gunmen abduct seven students in northwest Nigeria, police say
Gunmen have abducted at least seven students of a polytechnic in Zamfara State in northwest Nigeria, police said on Thursday, the latest incident highlighting insecurity in the region.
South Africa
Reuters: African migrants flee into the mountains as South Africa's xenophobic violence surges
Four days ago, Mozambican immigrant Lado Amido answered a knock at his door in the South African town of Kleinmond. Outside, an angry crowd told him foreigners such as him had to leave. They went door-to-door delivering the same message. Amido fled and spent two nights in the mountains. Now he is sheltering in a local town hall, like other immigrants from Malawi and Mozambique across South Africa's Western Cape province, forced to hide from anti-immigrant mobs in several coastal towns.
Australia
The Guardian: Neo-Nazi group White Australia loses bid for temporary immunity from hate laws
Neo-Nazi group White Australia has lost its bid for temporary immunity from anti-hate laws passed after the Bondi terror attack which it says will render it “extinct”. The organisation, which has been seeking to register as a political party, had asked the high court to temporarily block its designation as a prohibited hate group.
Neo-Nazis who loudly booed during an Anzac Day dawn service in Melbourne have been found guilty of offensive behaviour and ordered to pay fines. The group disrupted proceedings at the Shrine of Remembrance in 2025 when Indigenous elder Mark Brown took to the stage to conduct a Welcome to Country.
Technology
Times of Israel: Study: Instagram pushes ‘mainstream’ wellness users toward antisemitic content
Instagram’s recommendation algorithm can easily direct users from mainstream self-improvement content to virulent antisemitic material and Nazi propaganda, according to a study published yesterday by the Combat Antisemitism Movement’s Antisemitism Research Center (ARC).
Stay up to date on our latest news.
Get the latest news on extremism and counter-extremism delivered to your inbox.