Eye on Extremism: March 9, 2026
Top Stories
US President Donald Trump told The Times of Israel on Sunday that a decision on when to end the war with Iran will be a “mutual” one that he’ll make together with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Trump also asserted in the brief telephone interview that the Islamic Republic would have destroyed Israel if he and Netanyahu had not been around. “Iran was going to destroy Israel and everything else around it… We’ve worked together. We’ve destroyed a country that wanted to destroy Israel.”
Reuters: Iran's choice of Mojtaba Khamenei appears to close path to swift end to war
Iran named Mojtaba Khamenei to succeed his slain father as supreme leader on Monday, signalling that hardliners remain firmly in charge and appearing to close off any path to a swift end to war in the Middle East. The prospect that the disruption to global energy supplies - already one of the most severe in history - could last longer than previously expected sent oil prices surging in record leaps and global stock markets into a nosedive.
CEP Mentions
Deutsche Welle: Is Iran a threat to security in Germany?
To assess the threat Iran might pose to Germany, DW spoke with extremism expert Hans‑Jakob Schindler, senior director of the Counter Extremism Project. "It's clear that the defense strategy of the Islamic regime in Iran really is hybrid warfare," Schindler said. "Therefore, the idea that they could also try to increase the economic and political costs of military confrontation globally by using terror attacks as they had a history in the past of doing is definitely something that is very clear."
[CEP Senior Director] Middle East expert Hans-Jakob Schindler analyzes the US and Israeli attacks on Iran. He emphasizes that President Peseshkian has no control over the military: “The Revolutionary Guards act independently,” says Hans-Jakob Schindler, Middle East expert, on WELT TV.
Bayerischer Rundfunk: Iranian sleeper cells: How great is the danger in Bavaria?
For security experts, the Hamburg case is part of a larger picture. Hans-Jakob Schindler from the transatlantic think tank “Counter Extremism Project” says that Iran has built up a network of organizations, individuals, and structures in Germany over many years. This has resulted in the creation of a veritable security architecture that will not simply disappear even after individual institutions have been banned.
Schweizer Radio und Fernsehen (SRF): Swiss IS prisoners transferred from Syria to Iraq
Counter Extremism Project (CEP) Senior Research Analyst Sofia Koller discusses the foreign terrorist fighter situation in Syria and Iraq. [At 06:29]
Analysis
Iran International: Mojtaba Khamenei: The shadow prince who became Iran’s supreme leader
Mojtaba Khamenei, long known as the discreet and powerful son of slain Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was announced early Monday as Iran’s new Supreme Leader at a time when the country is at war and Israel has openly vowed to target any successor to his father.
Jerusalem Post: Iran war leaves Yemen's Houthis 'between a rock and a hard place' – analysis
The Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen are between a “rock and a hard place,” the UAE-based Al-Ain media reported on Monday. The report says that during the war with Iran the Houthis continue to wait and see what will happen. They are “monitoring developments.” This puts them in a complex situation.
United States
Iran International: Hegseth says US could escalate Iran war with 2,000-lb bombs
"We're willing to go as far as we need to in order to be successful," Secretary of War Pete Hegseth told CBS News on the Iran war. “There’ll be a point where they’ll have no choice but to surrender.” Hegseth said "this is only just the beginning."
Iran International: Prince Pahlavi backs strikes on IRGC, urges military to join people
Prince Reza Pahlavi said the US and Israeli campaign targeting the Revolutionary Guards and the Islamic Republic’s “infrastructure of terror” has broad support among Iranians. In a post on X, he said the establishment is using civilians as “human shields,” calling it “a crime against humanity,” and added that the protection of civilians and Iran’s vital national infrastructure must remain a priority.
The Telegraph: FBI launches terrorism investigation into bombs thrown near Mamdani’s house
The FBI has launched a terrorism investigation into two improvised explosive devices (IEDs) ignited close to the official residence of Zohran Mamdani, the mayor of New York. The agency’s New York field office confirmed its joint terrorism task force was involved in the investigation into a pair of IEDs which were allegedly lit and thrown at anti-Muslim demonstrators by counter-protesters as both groups gathered near Gracie Mansion on Saturday.
Reuters: New York City police identify device outside Mamdani's home as explosive
New York City Police said on Sunday a device that was ignited and thrown during protests outside Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s home over the weekend was an explosive that could have caused serious injury or death. The device, a jar filled with nuts, bolts and screws and wrapped in black tape with a fuse, was thrown by a counterprotester on Saturday outside Gracie Mansion, but it extinguished itself before any explosion, according to a statement from New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch. Two people were in custody, Tisch said.
A pair of ISIS-trained extremists were charged with hurling an IED at Gracie Mansion during a rowdy weekend protest — allegedly packing the homemade bomb with “Mother of Satan,” a volatile explosive favored by international terrorists.
Fox News: 53 Dems vote against declaring Iran a state sponsor of terror
Dozens of Democrats have voted against a nonbinding resolution in the House that reaffirms Iran as the "largest state sponsor of terrorism." The resolution, put forward by Rep. Brian Mast, R-Fla., passed by a 372-53 vote on Thursday, with all those voting no being Democrats. Two Democrats also voted present
A gun-rights activist whose YouTube output includes videos admiring Nazi firearms will be the de facto Republican nominee for a closely watched West Texas congressional district after his primary opponent, an incumbent dogged by scandal, dropped his reelection bid Thursday. Brandon Herrera, known on YouTube as “The AK Guy,” pulled more votes in this week’s primary than Rep. Tony Gonzales. The two were slated for a runoff election in May before Gonzales, now facing a congressional ethics investigation and calls from House leadership to bow out of the race, admitted to having had an affair with a staffer who later died by suicide.
Florida GOP leaders, candidates and a university president are denouncing a group chat in which local Young Republican leaders made numerous antisemitic and racist remarks. Some are calling for its orchestrator to be removed from his leadership role in the local Republican Party. But a prominent Jewish Republican in Florida, Rep. Randy Fine, responded to a Jewish Telegraphic Agency request for comment without condemning the group chat.
Some of President Donald Trump’s onetime supporters on the right are increasingly angry over his decision to launch military strikes on Iran — perhaps none more so than influential pundit Tucker Carlson. But Carlson, who has a recent history of spreading anti-Israel and antisemitic conspiracy theories on his web show, has found a different target for his wrath: the Chabad-Lubavitch movement of Orthodox Judaism.
Ecuador
Fox News: US military carries out targeted strike on alleged narco-terrorist network in Ecuador
The U.S. military carried out a targeted strike Friday against a narco-terrorist network in Ecuador, U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) said. SOUTHCOM said the joint U.S.-Ecuadorian operation involved lethal kinetic action against suspected designated terrorist organizations in the country.
Belgium
Reuters: Belgian synagogue damaged in blast considered antisemitic act
An explosion hit a synagogue in the Belgian city of Liege early on Monday in what authorities said was an antisemitic attack that caused damage but no injuries. The explosion, which happened around 4 a.m. (0300 GMT), blew out the windows of the synagogue, as well as those of a building on the opposite side of the road, public broadcaster RTBF said.
Le Monde: Belgium vows to fight antisemitism after synagogue blast
Belgium's prime minister vowed to combat antisemitism on Monday, March 9, after a pre-dawn blast damaged a synagogue in eastern Belgium, with prosecutors in charge of organized crime and terrorism heading up the investigation. The explosion took place around 4 am local time in front of the synagogue, causing no injuries, police said.
France
Politico: Le Pen’s far right eyes local elections as launchpad for French presidential bid
It’s time for Marine Le Pen and Jordan Bardella to prove they can win big. The far-right National Rally is under pressure to score a decisive victory in municipal elections across France that begin on Sunday, as the contest is widely seen as test of the anti-immigration party’s electability ahead of the high-stakes presidential race next year.
Germany
Reuters: Germany's Merz says state election will not impact his coalition
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Sunday's election in the southern state of Baden-Wuerttemberg was a "bitter" result for his conservatives but would not affect the government in Berlin as he again ruled out cooperating with the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD). The preliminary official result of the vote saw the environmental Greens marginally ahead of Merz's Christian Democrats (CDU), leaving the two parties poised to continue the coalition that has run Baden-Wuerttemberg for the past decade.
Financial Times: How job cuts and the AfD fuelled Germany’s far-right ‘alternative union’
Growing far-right support is straining the relationship between the union and its members. About 38 per cent of workers voted for the AfD in the federal election at the start of 2025, according to exit polls, the highest share of any party. Activists increasingly came across workers who were “in such a different bubble that you can no longer reach them”, who shared positions with the AfD and who were “very much geared towards protest”, IG Metall president Christiane Benner told the FT.
Norway
Reuters: Norway police search for suspect after U.S. embassy explosion
Norwegian police are searching for a suspect seen on surveillance footage following an explosion during the weekend at the U.S. embassy in Oslo, investigators said on Monday. The early Sunday morning blast damaged one of the entrances to the embassy, sending thick smoke into the street but causing no injuries, in what police said may have been linked to the crisis in the Middle East.
AFP: Police probe terror as blast strikes US embassy in Oslo, causing no injuries
The US embassy in Oslo was hit by an explosion in the early hours of Sunday that caused no injuries and only “minor material damage,” police in the Norwegian capital said as they searched for the perpetrators. The cause of the blast, which occurred around 1 a.m. local time (0000 GMT) at the entrance to the embassy’s consular section, was not immediately known.
United Kingdom
Independent: New measures to tackle extremism at universities and in charity sector unveiled
A host of measures to tackle extremism at universities and in the charity sector have been unveiled in a push for “social cohesion” between communities in the UK. The government is launching a new action plan in an effort to highlight what people have “in common” and strengthen social ties in Britain.
The Guardian: Labour to set up new extremism whistleblowing service for university staff
The UK government will expand powers to tackle extremism by setting up a new whistleblowing route for university staff and giving the Charity Commission powers to shut down charities, as part of a new action plan to strengthen social cohesion.
The son of Iran’s slain supreme leader owns two luxury apartments in west London overlooking the Israeli embassy, raising fresh security concerns in the capital. Mojtaba Khamenei, widely tipped as a possible successor to his father Ali Khamenei, is reported to own the high-end Kensington properties through associates. The apartments, located on the sixth and seventh floors of a building close to Kensington Palace, are believed to be worth more than £50million.
The Telegraph: Gerry Adams wears bulletproof vest to IRA trial
Gerry Adams has arrived at the High Court in London wearing a bulletproof vest for the start of a civil court case brought against him by three IRA bomb victims. The former Sinn Fein president, 77, is accused of having been a leading member of the Provisional IRA at the time of three car bombings in London and Manchester between 1973 and 1996.
BBC: Antisemitic chants at school football game reported
Police are investigating reports of antisemitic chanting at a children's football match involving a Jewish school. The under-15 boys of London school JFS were playing in a national cup quarter-final at Thorpe St Andrew School, near Norwich, on Thursday.
Independent: Anti-Muslim hate definition will not restrict freedom of speech, vows Steve Reed
A new definition of anti-Muslim hate will not restrict freedom of speech, the Communities Secretary has pledged, as he also warned of the need for a “greater expectation” that people coming to the UK learn English.
Russia
Moscow Times: Samara Court Fines LGBTQ+ Activist $5,700 for ‘Extremism’
A court in Russia’s southwestern Samara region has fined the head of a small LGBTQ+ activist group 450,000 rubles ($5,700) on charges of “extremism.” Artyom Fokin, who heads the grassroots group Irida, was found guilty of both organizing the activities of an “extremist” organization and evading “foreign agent” duties, local media reported on Friday.
Middle East
Speaking exclusively to Sky's Yalda Hakim, Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al Thani called on Iran to stop attacks in the region and for a diplomatic solution to the conflict.
Iran International: Iran denies drone attacks on Azerbaijan, Turkey and Cyprus
Iran denied on Monday that its armed forces launched drones or missiles toward Azerbaijan, Turkey or Cyprus, as regional tensions spill beyond its borders. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said Iran’s defense actions “should in no way be interpreted as hostility toward any of the countries in the region,” adding that the armed forces’ general staff had “explicitly and officially announced that such launches were not carried out from inside Iran or by our military forces.”
Afghanistan
Iran International: Fatemiyoun Brigade pledges loyalty to Mojtaba Khamenei
The Fatemiyoun Brigade of Afghan fighters pledged loyalty to Mojtaba Khamenei after he was named Iran’s new supreme leader, following the death of his father Ali Khamenei in US-Israeli airstrikes. The Iran-backed militia said it viewed itself as “a sword in the hands of the new leader of the Islamic Revolution” and vowed to defend the foundations of the Islamic system against what it described as American and Israeli enemies.
Afghanistan International: Over 2,000 Publicly Flogged Under Taliban Rule, 291 Of Them Women
The Taliban have publicly flogged more than 2,000 people, including 291 women, on various charges since 2024, according to findings by Afghanistan International. The group has not subjected any of its own members to public corporal punishment.
Afghanistan International: Taliban Urges UN Security Council To Act Over Pakistani Attacks
The Taliban have called on the United Nations Security Council to take action to stop what they describe as Pakistani attacks on Afghanistan. Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban’s chief spokesperson, cited recent Pakistani strikes in several Afghan provinces, the expulsion and alleged mistreatment of Afghan migrants in Pakistan, and civilian casualties. He said the Security Council should fulfil its responsibility to help end the situation.
Gaza Strip/West Bank
Associated Press: 3 Palestinians killed in West Bank clash, bringing toll from week of violence to 6
Three Palestinians were killed in a violent clash with settlers in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on Sunday, bringing the number of Palestinians killed in recent days to six. The surge in violence comes as much of Israel and the world’s attention is focused on the regional war with Iran.
Iran
Reuters: Fraying loyalist base will challenge Iran's new leader - and Islamic Republic's survival
Iran's new supreme leader faces a massive external assault and growing internal anger at a time when the backing of the diehard ideologues who supported his predecessors is less clear than before. Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, who has deep influence inside Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps and their vast business networks, survived the U.S. and Israeli airstrikes on Iran in which his father Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed more than a week ago.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has rejected calls for a ceasefire in the Middle East, telling NBC News’ “Meet the Press” that his country needs “to continue fighting for the sake of our people.” The U.S. and Israel “are killing our people, they are killing girl students, you know, they are attacking hospitals,” he told moderator Kristen Welker.
Iran International: Khamenei’s Tehran bunker: 5 kilometers of tunnels under schools and clinics
Israeli military images of an underground tunnel complex attributed to Ali Khamenei appear to confirm long-circulating rumors of a network stretching several kilometers beneath central Tehran, under medical centers, schools, and residential neighborhoods.
Argentina has issued a new arrest warrant for an Iranian official in connection with the 1994 AMIA Jewish community center bombing in Buenos Aires, at the same time that the alleged mastermind was named the new head of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Ahmad Vahidi was appointed head of the IRGC on Sunday, a day after the unit’s previous leader was killed in the first wave of U.S.-Israeli strikes. Vahidi helmed the IRGC’s Quds Force paramilitary arm responsible for attacks abroad at the time of the AMIA bombing.
Iraq
Wall Street Journal: Iraq Becomes Battleground for U.S. Forces Once Again
The war in the Middle East is pushing the U.S. military back into combat in Iraq against an old foe—Iran-backed militia groups that two decades ago battled American troops on the streets of Baghdad. Iraqi militias have attempted dozens of small-scale drone and rocket attacks since the war began in a show of support for Tehran, including against a U.S. military base and consulate in northern Iraq and a State Department facility at the Baghdad International Airport. On Saturday, rockets targeted the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, which Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani called a “terrorist act” by “rogue groups.”
Israel
The IDF says it has intercepted dozens of Hezbollah drones and struck dozens of the terror group’s rocket and missile launchers in southern Lebanon in recent days.
Times of Israel: 1 dead, 2 seriously wounded as Iranian cluster bomb warhead hits central Israel
At least one person was killed and two others seriously wounded by an Iranian missile with a cluster warhead that was fired at central Israel on Monday, the seventh salvo of fire since midnight as Tehran kept up its attacks on Israel and Gulf nations.
Six people were injured, one of them seriously, at two impact sites in central Israel following an Iranian ballistic missile attack that apparently used a cluster warhead on Sunday afternoon, the sixth salvo of the day targeting Israel.
Times of Israel: IDF chief warns ‘no safe place’ for Iranian regime as fighting enters second week
Israel Defense Forces chief Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir warned on Sunday that there was “no safe place” for the Iranian regime to hide as Israel and the US continued to strike targets across Iran on the ninth day of their joint campaign against the Islamic Republic. Iran, in turn, kept up its attacks on Israel and the Gulf states, firing nine ballistic missile salvos at Israel throughout the day, setting off sirens across the country and repeatedly sending millions of people rushing to shelter.
Lebanon
The Israel Defense Forces said Monday that it had pushed deeper into southern Lebanon overnight as part of its “enhanced forward defense posture” after Hezbollah began attacking Israel a week ago, as the terror group fired multiple rocket barrages at civilian areas.
Reuters: Hezbollah reports Israeli raid in east Lebanon as war enters second week
Hezbollah said on Monday its fighters clashed with Israeli troops in eastern Lebanon during an Israeli airborne raid overnight, in what would be the second such operation in the area in recent days, as the war between Israel and the Iran-backed group entered a second week. A spokesperson for the Israeli military had no immediate comment when asked about the Hezbollah statement.
Reuters: Israel says it targeted Iranian commanders in Beirut as death toll nears 400
Israel's military said it hit Iranian commanders in the Lebanese capital early on Sunday, expanding the scope of its campaign to the heart of Beirut after days of strikes that have left nearly 400 people dead. The drone strike was the first within the city limits of Lebanon's capital since Israel-Hezbollah hostilities resumed last week, and came amid heavy bombardment on Beirut's southern suburbs and the country's south and east.
Naharnet: 3 Hezbollah members detained last week released on $20 bail each
The military court in Beirut ordered three Hezbollah members released on a $20 bail each, judicial officials said Monday. The Lebanese government last week declared Hezbollah’s military activities illegal and ordered the country’s security forces to detain those who were behind the strikes on Israel.
Saudi Arabia
Riyadh is increasingly angry over Iran’s aggression against Saudi Arabia and the Gulf. This comes amid increasing discussions and meetings between Gulf countries and the Arab League. According to Arab News in Saudi Arabia, Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs “said that if Iran presses ahead with its attacks, it would bear the heaviest diplomatic, economic, and strategic consequences, and be ‘the biggest loser.’”
Turkey
Iran International: Turkey says second Iranian ballistic missile shot down by NATO defenses
NATO air defenses in the eastern Mediterranean shot down a second ballistic missile fired from Iran that entered Turkish airspace, Turkey’s Defense Ministry said Monday. The ministry said debris from the intercepted missile fell in the southeastern province of Gaziantep and that no casualties were reported.
United Arab Emirates
Iran International: UAE says 12 ballistic missiles, 17 drones intercepted in latest attacks
The United Arab Emirates said its air defenses intercepted 12 ballistic missiles and 17 drones on Monday as part of ongoing Iranian attacks. The Ministry of Defence said 15 ballistic missiles were detected, with 12 destroyed and three falling into the sea. Of 18 UAVs detected, 17 were intercepted and one fell within the country’s territory.
Yemen
The Iran-backed Houthi terrorist movement has yet to enter the conflict on Iran's side but in recent days has been ratcheting up its rhetoric in support of Tehran, with its leader, Abdul Malik al-Houthi, declaring that it was prepared to enter the war against the U.S. and Israel if necessary.
Pakistan
Afghanistan International: Taliban Claims Dozens Of Cross-Border Attacks In Pakistan
The Taliban’s Defence Ministry spokesperson said Friday that the group’s forces carried out attacks on 28 locations in Pakistan along the border over the past 24 hours. Taliban's defence ministry spokesperson, Enayatullah Khwarizmi said the group's forces launched what he described as “offensive and assault operations” against Pakistani forces in border areas across seven provinces. This includes Kandahar, Nangarhar, Kunar, Khost, Paktia and Paktika provinces.
Benin
Reuters: Militants kill 15 soldiers in northern Benin attack, army says
Militants killed 15 soldiers and wounded five more at a military camp in northern Benin, an army spokesperson said on Friday, as violence spreads in the West African region. Fighters linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State have been rapidly increasing their attacks on the borderlands between Niger, Benin and Nigeria, turning remote transit corridors into active conflict zones.
Nigeria
Reuters: Nigerian army kills 45 in Katsina clash
At least 45 "bandits" were killed in a clash with Nigerian troops in the Danmusa area of Katsina state in northern Nigeria, according to a statement from the Katsina State Government on Saturday. The violence followed an attack by armed gangs of men from neighboring Zamfara state who rode into Alhazawa village in Musawa on March 5 and attempted to steal cattle, the statement said.
Singapore
Straits Times: How YouTube drew two youths in Singapore into extremism
As an 18-year-old, Khalid’s (not his real name) search for religious identity brought him to platforms like YouTube, where he was drawn to the sermons of charismatic, fundamentalist preachers such as Anwar Al-Awlaki and Feiz Mohammad. A polytechnic student who suddenly had his own laptop and “unlimited internet access”, he consumed copious amounts of jihadist propaganda online and even made contact with Al-Awlaki, a radical American-born cleric linked to Al-Qaeda.
Australia
Reuters: Lawyers for Bondi Beach shooting suspect Naveed Akram seek gag order to protect family
Lawyers for a man accused of carrying out a deadly shooting on Sydney's Bondi Beach sought a court order on Monday to stop media naming his family, saying their safety was at risk.
Police allege 24-year-old Naveed Akram opened fire on a Jewish Hanukkah celebration on December 14, killing 15, in Australia's worst mass shooting in decades.
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