Eye on Extremism: March 19, 2026
Top Stories
Iran Wire: IRGC: We Will Attack Saudi, Qatari, and UAE Oil Facilities
Hours after an attack on the South Pars refinery facilities in Asaluyeh, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) issued an urgent warning on March 18 calling for the evacuation of oil and gas facilities across Persian Gulf countries. The warning specifically named energy sites in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates, saying these locations could be targeted in the coming hours. The IRGC called on citizens, residents, and employees to “immediately leave these areas and move to a safe distance without any delay.”
NPR: As overseas terrorists regroup, is the Iran war increasing danger in the U.S.?
During the Senate Select Committee's annual worldwide threat assessment hearing on Wednesday, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard described how tactics of foreign Islamist terrorist groups have shifted since the peak of ISIS and al-Qaida activity a decade ago. "Increasingly we are seeing less indicators of large-scale organized, complex threats or attacks," Gabbard said, "and instead [have seen] efforts focused on individuals either who have been radicalized by Islamist propaganda and may not have ever had contact with ISIS or al-Qaida, for example; and others who have had contact, of which we are able to have more indications of."
CEP Mentions
Jüdische Allgemeine: "Part of the Iranian military strategy"
The Jewish community is being shaken by a worldwide series of terrorist attacks. Expert Hans-Jakob Schindler explains what this has to do with the hybrid warfare of the Iranian mullah regime.
NTV: Europe's rejection of Trump “is risky”
U.S. President Trump is asking for help in securing the Strait of Hormuz, calling on NATO, among others, to step up. But many countries feel sidelined by Washington and are refusing. Europe, however, should have used the situation to strike a “deal in Trump’s style,” says Iran expert [CEP Senior Director] Hans-Jakob Schindler.
CEP Senior Director Dr. Hans-Jakob Schindler speaks about Russian low-level agents in Germany.
Analysis
Times of Israel: Despite FBI warning, Iran likely can’t strike US homeland with military drones
Last week, reports surfaced that the FBI had issued a warning about potential Iranian drone attacks on California. Federal and state officials downplayed the threat, saying there were no indications of an imminent attack.
The Telegraph: The Islamists are winning
Whatever they may claim, the truth is that our elites, from politics to policing, are pursuing a policy of spineless appeasement towards Islamist extremists – because they’re utterly petrified of what will happen if they don’t.
Iran International: How could the war with Iran end?
US president Donald Trump suggested this week that the war with Iran could end soon, but few can say with confidence how it will. Wars rarely end on political will alone, and this conflict is constrained by a dense web of strategic, economic and security pressures that neither side can easily escape.
Every major escalation in the Middle East sends shock waves far beyond the region. In the United States, those shock waves arrive not as distant tremors but as catalysts for domestic radicalization and violence, particularly against Jewish communities. The data is unambiguous.
United States
It was no surprise when Joe Kent showed up on Tucker Carlson’s podcast a day after quitting his counterterrorism job in President Donald Trump’s administration. Here was a top official who resigned to protest the war with Iran turning to right-wing media’s leading critic of the conflict.
The Guardian: Efforts to shut down pro-Palestinian speech face series of setbacks in court
Few debates from the last few years have been more contentious than whether criticism of Israel and Zionism is antisemitic, threatens Jewish people or violates their civil rights. Allegations of antisemitism have cost people jobs, provided pretexts for censorship and fueled an unprecedented crackdown on protest over Israel and shows of support for Palestinian rights, especially at universities.
Lone wolf attackers inspired by extremist ideologies pose the most likely terrorist threat to the U.S. homeland, according to the 2026 Annual Threat Assessment of the U.S. Intelligence Community. The 34-page document was released by Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Tulsi Gabbard Wednesday. She testified at a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on worldwide threats alongside other key military and Trump administration officials.
Jewish News Syndicate: California GOP memo warns of ‘America First’ extremist faction
A Feb. 19 internal memo that the California Republican Party gave recently to the Free Press warns of a “radical and divisive iteration of ‘America First’ ideology,” which is gaining influence within party ranks and fueling controversy ahead of a planned March 29 Republican event, with which the party is not affiliated, in West Hollywood.
Jewish Insider: In Carlson interview, Joe Kent doubles down on Israel conspiracy theories
Joe Kent, who resigned earlier this week from his role as director of the National Counterterrorism Center over his opposition to the war in Iran, offered a litany of baseless accusations about Israel while defending the Iranian regime in an appearance on Tucker Carlson’s program on Wednesday.
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Violent extremism in youths is rising. Can we do more than just react?
Locally and nationally, youth involvement in nihilistic violent extremism has accelerated since the COVID pandemic, data shows. The phrase describes a form of violence driven by a "nothing matters" point of view, essentially violence and destruction for its own sake.
Another group for young Republicans is in hot water over revelations that its members have engaged in antisemitic activity. The University of Florida disbanded its College Republicans chapter over the weekend following social media posts in which two members reportedly made Nazi salutes, among other actions. In response, the group sued the university, accusing administrators of violating its First Amendment rights.
Canada
B’nai Brith Canada is calling on Quebec City to act on antisemitism, which “is appearing in classrooms, on campuses, online, in the media, and in our streets. It has advanced from hateful rhetoric and vandalism to violent criminal acts,” noted the organization in its brief to the province’s 2026 budget consultations.
France
Politico: French far right’s success in Champagne boosts presidential dream
In rural Champagne, the National Rally is finding the momentum and enthusiasm it needs to believe that it can win the French presidency in 2027. The first round of local elections on Sunday delivered mixed results for the far-right party, highlighting how a decisive breakthrough still eludes Marine Le Pen, Jordan Bardella and their allies in France’s biggest cities.
Germany
New York Times: In Some Areas of Germany, the Far Right Is Part of the Fabric
At the height of an election campaign in the German state of Baden-Württemberg last month, candidates from the area’s main political parties gathered for a televised debate. One of them came from a far-right party, the Alternative for Germany, or AfD.
United Kingdom
The Telegraph: Iranian immigrants ‘spied on Israeli embassy’, court told
Two Iranian immigrants have been accused of spying on the Israeli embassy and Britain’s oldest synagogue, a court has heard. Nematollah Shahsavani, 40, and Alireza Farasati, 22, allegedly assisted Iran’s intelligence service between July 9 and Aug 15 last year.
A Guardian column that seemed to rationalize the targeting of a popular Israeli-founded bakery has ignited controversy in the British Jewish community. The March 14 piece in the British daily, by sports and culture writer Jonathan Liew, came days after the newly opened north London branch of Gail’s was repeatedly vandalized, with its windows smashed and red paint and pro‑Palestinian slogans daubed on its doors.
Afghanistan
Afghanistan International: Bombs & Aircraft Cannot Defeat Us, Says Taliban Leader
The Taliban say their leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada, attended Eid al-Fitr prayers at Kandahar’s Eidgah Mosque on Thursday and delivered a speech. According to an audio recording released by the Taliban, Akhundzada, without naming Pakistan, said: If someone bombs us or targets us with artillery, you should not change your belief and faith.
Afghanistan International: Seek Peaceful Resolution With Pakistan, Says Taliban PM
Taliban Prime Minister Mullah Hasan Akhund says he supports dialogue and peaceful solutions to resolve issues with Pakistan. In an Eid al-Fitr message, he said the Taliban administration seeks to resolve problems with all sides through dialogue.
Afghanistan International: Taliban Cut Telecom Networks In Kandahar During Leader’s Speech
Sources told Afghanistan International that the Taliban temporarily shut down telecommunications networks across Kandahar on Thursday during the presence of their leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada, at the Eidgah Mosque. A Taliban spokesperson said the group’s leader performed Eid al-Fitr prayers and delivered a speech at the mosque.
The Taliban’s interior minister, Sirajuddin Haqqani, said the group is “not weak” and capable of confronting Pakistan but does not want the situation to escalate. Speaking Wednesday at the funeral of victims of a Pakistani airstrike on a drug rehabilitation centre in Kabul, Haqqani said the Taliban had the capacity to respond but sought to avoid further crisis.
Annalena Baerbock, president of the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly, opened her address to the United Nations Human Rights Council by focusing on the situation of women in Afghanistan, describing it as what some call gender apartheid.
Gaza Strip/West Bank
Reuters: Israel reopens key Gaza crossing amid new truce push
Israel reopened the Rafah crossing with Egypt on Thursday after nearly three weeks to allow some wounded Palestinians to leave for treatment, after Gaza medics said Israeli strikes had killed four people in the enclave.
Jewish Insider: USAID inspector general’s office investigating U.N. staff for Hamas ties
The deputy inspector general of the U.S. Agency for International Development, Adam Kaplan, said on Tuesday that his office will investigate U.N. staff for ties to Hamas, noting that previous vetting requirements by the aid agency exempted employees of the international body.
The Israel Defense Forces carried out airstrikes on a Hamas site in the northern Gaza Strip overnight Tuesday after preparations for launching attacks on Israeli territory were identified, the military said on Wednesday. Additionally, during the night, Navy forces targeted several vessels off the coast of Gaza that were being used for terrorist activities by Hamas and Islamic Jihad, according to the IDF.
Extremist settler activists from the illegal settlement outpost of Kol Mevaser attacked the West Bank Palestinian village of Mukhmas Wednesday morning, after security forces demolished several structures at the wildcat hilltop settlement.
Iran
AFP: Iran’s IRGC warns it will destroy Gulf energy industry if its own attacked again
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps warns that it will destroy the oil and gas industry of its Gulf neighbors, which it considers American interests, if its own energy sector is harmed again.
Jerusalem Post: IAF destroys IRGC helicopter at airport, targets Basij operatives in western Iran
The Israel Air Force struck and destroyed an MI-17 helicopter belonging to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) at the Sanandaj Airport in Hamadan, Iran, overnight, the military said on Thursday morning. The IAF continues to expand its air superiority across western Iran as it degrades the IRGC's air force capabilities, according to the IDF.
Jerusalem Post: Iran revives ‘Zionist sorcery’ claims in propaganda against Israel
Iranian state-aligned media and senior regime figures have again invoked supernatural and conspiratorial language in describing the conflict with Israel, with recent and past material referring to a “war of occult sciences”, “Zionist sorcery,” jinn, and Jewish talismans. The theme has also surfaced in Iranian claims that Israel used “occult and supernatural spirits” during the 12-day war.
Iraq
Jerusalem Post: Kataib Hezbollah signals temporary pause in Iraq attacks amid strict conditions
On March 18, the powerful Iranian-backed militias Kataib Hezbollah said it might cease its attacks in Iraq if certain conditions are met. It has asked Israel to stop operations in Beirut and created other conditions that make it seem unlikely it will comply with its own pause in attacks.
Reuters: US striking Iran-aligned militia in Iraq, top US general says
The United States has carried out strikes against Iran-aligned militia groups in Iraq, the top U.S. general said on Thursday. "AH-64s have been striking against Iranian-aligned militia groups to make sure that we suppress any threat in Iraq against U.S. forces or U.S. interests," General Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters.
Kurdistan24: Macron Urges Iraq to Curb Armed Groups, Says They “Have Blood on Their Hands”
French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday called on Iraqi authorities to restrain armed groups from targeting diplomatic missions, while also urging an immediate moratorium on strikes against energy infrastructure, as regional tensions continue to escalate.
The US Embassy in Baghdad issued an urgent security alert on Wednesday, warning American citizens to leave Iraq immediately amid escalating security risks and widespread attacks targeting US interests.
Kurdistan24: Explosions Hit PMF Positions in Kirkuk, Injuring Three
The Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) announced on Wednesday that two of its positions in Kirkuk province were targeted in what it described as a “US-Israeli attack,” leaving three personnel injured.
Israel
A foreign worker was killed in central Israel on Wednesday night and four Palestinian women were killed in the southern West Bank as the country faced multiple barrages of ballistic missiles from Iran. Missile sirens sounded in Israel six times between midnight and 8 a.m., with the country’s north suffering the brunt of the attacks.
Times of Israel: Bennett condemns attacks by ‘violent gangs’ of Jewish extremists in the West Bank
Former prime minister Naftali Bennett condemns settler violence against Palestinians, saying that “we did not establish a Jewish state so that violent gangs could operate within it.” “I strongly condemn any manifestation of nationalist violence by Jewish extremists in Judea and Samaria,” Bennett says in a statement, arguing that “the vast majority of [settlers] abhor violence and crime” and that it is supporters of the settlement movement, like him, who “must denounce the rioters and eradicate all violence from within ourselves.”
Kuwait
AFP: Kuwait says 10 Hezbollah operatives nabbed for alleged plot to attack ‘vital installations’
Kuwait arrested 10 militants affiliated with the Iran-backed Lebanese Hezbollah terror group on Wednesday, who were accused of plotting terrorist actions against vital infrastructure, the interior ministry said. This was the second Hezbollah-affiliated cell to be arrested in Kuwait this week, as the Gulf faced daily Iranian attacks during the Middle East war, which has seen Tehran-backed groups including Hezbollah join the conflict.
Lebanon
Israeli airstrikes on Lebanon on Wednesday killed at least 14 people and wounded dozens, according to Lebanon’s health ministry, as the Israel Defense Forces said it struck Hezbollah targets in response to the Iran-backed terror group’s rocket barrage on northern Israel overnight.
The IDF issued an urgent evacuation order to residents of Lebanon living south of the Zahrani River on Thursday afternoon, amid Israeli strikes targeting Hezbollah terrorists operating in the area. Additionally on Thursday, the IDF said it had killed more than 20 Hezbollah terrorists and destroyed dozens of the terror group's sites during military operations in southern Lebanon over the past 24 hours.
Naharnet: Geagea rules out civil war, says only army will clash with Hezbollah
Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea accused Hezbollah on Thursday of trying to drag its opponents, including the LF, into a civil war. "Noone will clash with them except the army and the security forces," he told MTV in an interview.
Naharnet: Bassil: Hezbollah must realize that its military situation has ended
Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil said Hezbollah "must realize that its military situation is has ended," but added that it would be "a mistake for anyone to think they can eliminate Hezbollah's political wing." As for the threats made by the party's deputy political council head, Mahmoud Qmati, Bassil said: "He is condemning himself because he is participating in the government and granted it a vote of confidence. Any threat to the Lebanese people, especially from someone who bears arms, is unacceptable."
Naharnet: Hezbollah repels incursion attempts, strikes Israel from north to south
Hezbollah said on Thursday its fighters were battling Israeli forces in south Lebanon, as a military source on the ground said Israeli troops were slowly advancing while "systematically destroying" border towns.
AFP: Hezbollah condemns 'cowardly' killing of Iranian security chief Larijani
Lebanese militant group Hezbollah condemned Wednesday Israel's killing of Iranian national security chief Ali Larijani, calling it "cowardly".
Africa
Jihadist violence rose sharply in Nigeria and Democratic Republic of Congo last year, even as global deaths from terrorism dropped to their lowest level in a decade, according to a new report. Nigeria recorded the largest increase in terrorism deaths globally in 2025, with fatalities rising by 46% from 513 in 2024 to 750, placing it fourth in the Global Terrorism Index, behind Pakistan, Burkina Faso and Niger.
Nigeria
Reuters: At least 80 insurgents killed as Nigerian troops repel base assault, military says
Nigerian troops backed by air support repelled a coordinated assault by Islamist insurgents on a military base in the northeastern state of Borno, killing at least 80 fighters including senior commanders, the army said on Wednesday. Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) fighters have intensified attacks on military bases in recent weeks in Borno, the epicentre of Nigeria's 17-year Islamist insurgency.
Nigeria suicide bombings killed at least 23 people and wounded more than 100 others in Maiduguri, officials said Tuesday, as a Christian nonprofit leader warned the violence highlights ongoing religious persecution.
Technology
The Telegraph: Children radicalised ‘within weeks’ by online extremism
Online gaming platforms are radicalising young people “within weeks” and fuelling lone-wolf attacks, a study has claimed. The Global Terrorism Index found that online gaming and social media provided an ideal recruiting ground for terrorists, because algorithms sped up access to extremist content and normalised violence.
As artificial-intelligence systems increasingly mediate daily life, a growing number of ethicists and policymakers are confronting an unsettling idea: that certain technologies may not merely mislead or frustrate users but psychologically coerce them in ways that can be defined as terrorism.
Stay up to date on our latest news.
Get the latest news on extremism and counter-extremism delivered to your inbox.