Eye on Extremism: June 5, 2026
Top Stories
Reuters: Iran declares support for Hezbollah with wider peace deal in doubt
Iran has reaffirmed support for its Lebanese ally Hezbollah and demanded that Israel withdraw from southern Lebanon, underscoring complications facing an interim deal to end the broader conflict between the U.S. and Iran.
NDTV: From The Sahara's Sands, A New And Dangerous Order Is Taking Shape Fast
The Malian Defence Minister has been assassinated, separatists have 'partnered' with Al Qaeda-linked groups, and a military junta, backed by Russian forces, is working overtime to douse the fires.
CEP Mentions
New York Sun: Overdue Reckoning for Western Nationals Who Abandoned Home for Caliphate
“The repatriation debate should take on a much greater sense of urgency, not only in Australia but in all countries that still have citizens and other individuals with a relationship to their home country,” Senior Director of the Counter Extremism Project, Hans-Jakob Schindler, tells the Sun.
Analysis
The Soufan Group: Assessing The European Terrorist Threat Landscape
The terrorist threat landscape in Europe has noticeably evolved since the height of mass casualty external operations by Salafi-jihadi groups like al-Qaeda and Islamic State (IS). Increasingly, Europe faces a pattern of smaller-scale attacks on soft targets, such as sporting events, concerts, and other public spaces across the continent.
Jewish Insider: Have Graham Platner’s scandals finally caught up with him?
The New York Times’ detailed exposé about Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner’s history of toxic, alcohol-laden and occasionally physically threatening relationships with three former girlfriends landed Thursday afternoon — with Platner’s campaign hoping to limit the fallout amid signs his campaign is losing support.
United States
The United States imposed sanctions Thursday on Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel, his wife and three other individuals, in the latest move by the Trump administration to pressure the island’s leadership that drew immediate condemnation from Havana.
Reuters: US terrorist label for Brazil gangs risks higher business costs
The U.S. designation of Brazil's biggest criminal groups as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs) starting Friday is likely to increase the risks and costs of doing business in a country where gangs have had years to penetrate the formal economy.
Reuters: U.S. terror label for Brazilian gangs risks derailing police cooperation, say sources
The U.S. designation of Brazil's Comando Vermelho (CV) and Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC) as foreign terrorist organizations, effective Friday, could disrupt cooperation against drug and arms trafficking, Brazilian sources said. Daily intelligence sharing and joint operations could be halted as a result of the move, according to two officials in Sao Paulo state, the PCC's stronghold, who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity.
Fox News: Pete Hegseth warns narco-terrorists as US backs Bolivia's government amid coup warnings
War Secretary Pete Hegseth on Thursday said the United States remains committed to helping defend Bolivia's fragile government amid ongoing warnings of a coup d’état. In a post on X, Hegseth said the War Department and the Americas Counter Cartel Coalition (A3C), a recently established multinational military and political alliance, reject all attempts to overthrow the government of Rodrigo Paz Pereira a mere six months into his term.
Jewish Insider: House rejects Tlaib’s Lebanon war powers effort
The House rejected a war powers resolution by Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) on Thursday that aimed to block U.S. support for Israeli operations against Hezbollah in Lebanon, after House Democratic leaders publicly came out against the effort.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani came under fire Thursday for failing to denounce the disgusting antisemitic attack of a Big Apple nurse on the subway — which came as the city saw a shocking 70% spike in anti-Jewish crimes. Hizzoner was ripped by religious advocates and some fellow local pols for his silence after a 23-year-old Jewish woman was assaulted Sunday on a C train by a raging sicko who shouted “Jews are eating kids” at her and ripped out a chunk of her hair.
Jerusalem Post: 'Go back where you belong': New Haven man slaps kippa off Jewish man's head
A group of Jewish men were harassed in Connecticut on Tuesday, according to the New Haven Police Department, in an unprovoked altercation in which a man accused them of committing genocide and knocked off one of their kippas.
A Wisconsin student group is set to feature the writing of a deceased Palestinian terrorist at political education events held at a public library, according to a promotion published by Students for Justice in Palestine Madison on Thursday.
According to a former teacher and two parents, Frederick County Public Schools has an antisemitism problem. Longtime teacher Leslie Williamson, who is Jewish, said she quit her post at New Market Middle School in 2025 after nine years entirely because of antisemitic actions in the community, and the school and school district’s disinterest in stopping it.
After claiming that his recent show at Istanbul’s Atatürk Olympic Stadium on May 30 was the biggest performance in the venue’s history, Ye is once again facing booking backlash for his many past antisemitic statements.
A Nevada man accused of making repeated threats against a St. George business, including threats of violence and use of racial slurs, has been arrested and is awaiting extradition to Utah. Ramchand Rattan, 44, of Las Vegas, was taken into custody on May 26 and is being held at the Clark County Detention Center in Nevada. He faces one second-degree felony charge of making a terroristic threat involving a hoax weapon of mass destruction, along with a misdemeanor count of communications harassment.
Canada
Global News: Muslim group seeks action on Islamophobia 5 years after Ontario family murdered
Nearly five years after a gruesome slaying in Ontario, a national Muslim group is urging Ottawa to follow through on past recommendations to fight Islamophobia.
France
Le Monde: How French courts became Europe's toughest on women returning from IS
For France's judges and prosecutors specializing in anti-terrorism, 2026 will be the year of women. After five years devoted to cases involving the main jihadist attacks carried out by men on French soil – from the Charlie Hebdo shooting on January 7, 2015, to the murder of teacher Samuel Paty on October 16, 2020, and the deadly November 13, 2015 attacks – the Paris special criminal court is now devoting most of its hearings this year to the female "returnees" from the Islamic State group (IS): women who traveled to Syria to join the group before returning to France.
Italy
Italian anti-terrorism police have arrested Zakaria Ben Haddi, a 21-year-old Islamist of Moroccan origin, for glorifying and promoting Islamic State terrorism against Christians. Ben Haddi said he was “ready to do like Modena,” referring to the car-ramming attack carried out by Salim El Koudri, a 31-year-old Moroccan Italian who mowed down seven pedestrians in Modena on May 16. El Koudri earlier called Italians “f*****g Christian bastards,” saying he would “burn Jesus Christ on the cross.”
United Kingdom
Independent: Antisemitic and Islamophobic hate crimes surge across London, police data shows
Antisemitic hate crimes recorded in May by the Metropolitan Police in London jumped by 72 per cent month-on-month, while Islamophobic hate crime was up by a third, figures show. Some 255 antisemitic hate crimes were logged by the force in May, up from 148 in April.
Reuters: UK man linked to Manchester synagogue attacker admits terrorism offence
A British man on Friday pleaded guilty to helping the perpetrator of a deadly attack on a Manchester synagogue in October to carry out earlier reconnaissance on a UK defence site. Mohammad Asim Bashir, 31, appeared at London's Old Bailey court and admitted driving Jihad Al-Shamie to the UKDefence Academy in Oxfordshire, central England in August 2025.
The Telegraph: One in four undergrads believes Hamas’s actions on Oct 7 ‘are defensible’
More than a quarter of undergraduates believe the October 7 Hamas attacks were “defensible”, according to a survey. The findings suggested that students were more likely to believe the atrocities were justifiable than the public, the Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI) said. There are claims that anti-Semitism has become “normalised” on university campuses since the Hamas-led terror attacks in 2023, in which 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage.
Jerusalem Post: Two visibly Jewish men find ‘Free Palestine’ message on London hotel room TV
The British hotel chain Travelodge is investigating how “Free Palestine” messages appeared on the TV screens in the rooms of two visibly Jewish men. On Wednesday, a visibly Jewish man found “Free Palestine” on the TV in his Travelodge room in London Manor House.
BBC: Dad of jailed neo-Nazi teenager says she was failed
The father of a neo-Nazi teenager who was jailed for trying to behead a Kurdish barber with an axe has accused the police and mental health services of failing his daughter. Alina Burns, 19, was sentenced to a minimum of 15 years and six months in prison last month for attempting to murder Mohammed Mahmoodi in a terrorism-motivated attack.
Afghanistan
Afghanistan International: Taliban & Pakistani Delegations Hold Talks In Uzbekistan
Reliable sources told Afghanistan International on Thursday that Taliban and Pakistani representatives held an informal meeting in the Uzbek border city of Termez at the request and with the mediation of the Uzbek government. The meeting comes amid growing Pakistani criticism of what Islamabad describes as the Taliban’s failure to curb Pakistani militants based in Afghanistan, with officials warning that Pakistan’s patience over the attacks is running out.
Afghanistan International: Blast Rocks Area Near Taliban Official’s Residence In Kabul
Local sources told Afghanistan International that an explosion occurred around midday on Friday, June 5, in Kabul’s 11th police district, near a boys’ school and the residence of a senior Taliban official. According to the sources, the blast took place outside Seyed al-Naseri Boys’ School and close to the home of Mawlawi Qudratullah Amini, the Taliban’s deputy governor for Kabul.
Gaza Strip/West Bank
Jerusalem Post: Hamas using power vacuum to regain control of Gaza, security establishment fears
Security officials have warned that Hamas is exploiting the governance vacuum in Gaza to re-establish its power, while the IDF is preoccupied with the northern front in Lebanon, Walla learned on Friday.
Middle East Eye: Iran's foreign minister holds call with Hamas leader Hayya
Hamas said in a statement that its leader, halil al-Hayya, received a phone call from Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, where they discussed the war on Iran and the latest developments in Gaza. During the call, Hayya praised Iranian negotiators as well as expressing gratitude for Tehran's support of the Palestinian people.
Palestinian media outlets report that settlers attacked the village of Idhna in the southern West Bank, beating a resident, and set fire to Palestinian-owned fields in the area in the southern West Bank.
The IDF says it struck and killed a Palestinian terror operative in the northern Gaza Strip yesterday who planned attacks on soldiers.
The Israeli Air Force and Israeli Navy carried out strikes in the Gaza Strip overnight into Thursday, killing top commanders in Hamas’s general security mechanism, the military announced.
JNS: Israel kills four top terrorists in Hamas security apparatus
Israel killed senior members of Hamas’s General Security Apparatus in the northern Gaza Strip on Thursday, the Israel Defense Forces and the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) said in a joint statement.
Iran
Reuters: Iran says it fired warning missiles and drones at US warships in Gulf of Oman
Iran's navy said on Friday it had fired warning missiles and drones at U.S. warships in the Gulf of Oman, accusing the U.S. Navy of harassing maritime traffic and seizing commercial vessels and oil tankers, Iranian state media reported.
Israel
The Israel Defense Forces said Friday that a strike in Lebanon last week had killed Hezbollah’s chief engineer, as a report said some government ministers were unhappy with the ceasefire announced this week and had unsuccessfully demanded a cabinet vote on it.
Times of Israel: Stabbing attack thwarted in north, hours after IDF kills Palestinian firebomber
An attempted stabbing attack was thwarted early Friday outside a police station in the Western Galilee and the suspect was arrested, the Israel Police said, hours after Israeli troops shot and killed a Palestinian hurling firebombs on a major highway in the West Bank.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu led a meeting of the Security Cabinet on Thursday, discussing Israel's plans for military operations against Hezbollah in Lebanon. Netanyahu told those present that there is "no agreement at the moment, and therefore I am not bringing it [to the Security Cabinet] for approval, because Hezbollah has opposed [an agreement]."
Lebanon
Naharnet: Aoun to Qassem: 'Lebanese people are not yours'
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun told CNN on Friday that the Lebanese people are fed up with the war with Israel. He said Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem does not represent the Lebanese people. "These people are not yours," Aoun told Qassem, as he accused Iran of using Lebanon as a "bargaining chip" in its conflict with the U.S. and Israel.
Naharnet: Berri: Hezbollah to withdraw from south Litani if full truce reached, Israel pulls back
Parliament Speaker and Hezbollah ally Nabih Berri said Friday that the Iran-backed group would withdraw from the area south of Lebanon's Litani River if Israel pulls out and a comprehensive ceasefire is reached.
Naharnet: Trump claims Hezbollah didn't reject deal, asked US to stop war
U.S. President Donald Trump told journalists in a press conference that he thinks "progress is made" in the Lebanese-Israeli conflict. "It would be really nice if Lebanon could have some peace," Trump said. "Lebanon has been under attack for so many years and always like an underdog, and it would be really nice if it could end," he added. Trump said Hezbollah "didn't reject" the U.S.-brokered peace plan and that "they called us and said: how about stopping the war."
Times of Israel: Lebanese president: Iran using Lebanon as ‘bargaining chip’ in negotiations with US
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun tells CNN that Iran is using Lebanon as a “bargaining chip” in its negotiations with the United States.
An IDF officer was killed in a Hezbollah anti-tank guided missile attack in southern Lebanon on Thursday, as the Iran-backed terror group rejected a ceasefire plan agreed to by the Lebanese and Israeli governments in US-mediated talks.
Naharnet: Lebanon sentences activists in absentia for inciting Israeli attacks
Lebanon's judiciary has charged two anti-Hezbollah activists in absentia with inciting Israeli attacks against the Iran-backed group and sentenced them to 15 years in prison, a judicial official told AFP on Friday. It is the harshest sentence yet against activists expressing support for Israel, which has officially been at war with Lebanon for decades.
Mali
Reuters: Mali offers millions for information on attackers
The Malian government said Thursday it was offering financial rewards for information on the whereabouts of suspected militants wanted for their role in attacks targeting the nation's people and assets.
RFI: Mali junta puts €3m bounty on Sahel al-Qaeda leader Ag Ghali
Ghaly, leader of the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM) – the biggest jihadist force battling many of the Sahel states – is the region's most wanted man. On 25 April, JNIM joined forces with Tuareg rebels to launch the largest attacks against the Malian junta in more than a decade. Several people were killed in the attacks, including Defence Minister Sadio Camara. In a statement read on national television on Thursday, the military-run security ministry offered a bounty of 2 billion CFA francs for information leading to the "capture or neutralisation" of Ghaly.
Nigeria
Reuters: 'We want our children back': Nigeria's kidnapping nightmare spreads south
It was mid-morning when Aduke Balogun noticed a masked man in military fatigues walking towards her children's school. Minutes later, gunfire erupted, more gunmen appeared and residents fled. In the chaos, her six-year-old daughter Feranmi managed to escape but another daughter, eight-year-old Kausarat, was not so lucky - one of more than 30 students and a teacher seized and spirited into the bush near Yawota, a town in southwest Nigeria's Oyo state.
Australia
A 13-year-old Queensland boy charged over allegedly preparing to carry out an attack at a local school had disappeared from the state's education system prior to being arrested by police. The boy was expected to appear in the Hervey Bay Children's Court today, but this could not be facilitated in person or via video link.
An Australian woman charged with enslavement crimes linked to the Islamic State in Syria has not renounced her allegiance to the extremist group, federal prosecutors argued in a Melbourne courtroom on Friday, aggressively pushing back against her application to be released on bail.
The Times: Australian Isis bride ‘helped her father keep sex slave’
An Australian woman accused of marrying Islamic State fighters in Syria allegedly lived with a teenager who was bought for $10,000 and then repeatedly assaulted and raped.
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