Top Stories

The Telegraph: Helping Iranian group in UK to be punished with ‘full force of law’

People accused of helping the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) should face the “full weight of the law” under a planned crackdown, a government adviser has said. The Home Office will this week publish a report by Jonathan Hall, the Government’s independent adviser on terrorism law, setting out a new legal framework for how the IRGC could be proscribed. Mr Hall told the BBC the IRGC would not be treated like a terrorist group such as Hamas or al-Qaeda but would instead be covered by a new “proscription-like” designation to deter people from helping it. “I don’t think that the Terrorism Act is the right piece of legislation. I don’t think it’s about calling the IRGC, which is a formal part of the Iranian government, a terrorist group,” said Mr Hall. “But I’ve looked at whether you could create sort of an alternative prescription-like mechanism. It’s undoubtedly the case that the authorities do need even more tools to deal with this particular threat.”

 

Kurdistan24: EU to Lift All Economic Sanctions on Syria Following Assad’s Ouster: Diplomats

The European Union has agreed to lift all economic sanctions on Syria, a landmark move aimed at aiding the country’s recovery in the wake of President Bashar al-Assad’s removal from power, according to diplomats cited by AFP. Ambassadors from the EU’s 27 member states reached a preliminary agreement on Tuesday, which is expected to be formally announced by EU foreign ministers meeting later today in Brussels, the diplomats said.

CEP Mentions

KEPR: From horror to hope: Reflections from Dachau and Auschwitz

House 88 is the former residence of the Commandant of Auschwitz Rudolf Höss recently acquired by the Counter Extremism Project supported by The Fund to End Antisemitism, Extremism, and Hate. It has been converted from a house of horror to ARCHER – the Auschwitz Research Centre on Hate, Extremism and Radicalization. For years to come, ARCHER will fight antisemitism through research, policy development, and education.

Analysis

New York Times: Israel Wavers as Far Right and Military Disagree on Gaza Strategy

For months, Israel has tried to pressure Hamas by both threatening a major new ground offensive in Gaza and simultaneously cutting off aid to the territory. On Monday, Israel made a U-turn on aid, allowing a few trucks of food to enter Gaza. And despite escalating its rhetoric and its airstrikes on Gaza in recent days, the Israeli military had yet to begin the long-awaited major advance that would involve thousands of ground troops. The lack of strategic clarity reflects disagreements within its leadership about Israel’s national priorities.

 

Washington Institute: The Islamic State Attacks the New Syrian Government

For the first time since the fall of the Assad regime, the Islamic State successfully struck the new Syrian government, targeting a security post in the eastern town of Mayadin with a May 18 car bomb attack that left five dead. Intentionally or not, the strike coincided with several other significant developments in the Syria file—it came one day after government forces clashed with an IS cell in Aleppo (the first such sting operation since March), less than a week after President Trump met with President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Riyadh, and subsequent to a U.S. military drawdown in Syria that began in mid-April. Although the local IS presence is nowhere near as strong as it once was, the trend lines point to a persistent threat that cannot be ignored.

 

ICCT: In Their Eyes: How European Security Services Look at Terrorism and Counter-Terrorism

Different databases, initiatives and reports aim to capture the state of the terrorist threat to a given country or region. It is less often, however, that these products focus on counter-terrorism nor do they feature the views of frontline practitioners on terrorism. This ICCT report addresses the aforementioned gap. By combining practitioner perspectives gathered through an anonymous survey with detailed, structured narratives from more than 70 national security documents, the report captures both operational realities and strategic priorities of countering terrorism in the EU as of 2025. It draws upon newly gathered material and little known secondary sources from all of the EU Member States to offer an original insight into the secretive world of counter-terrorism. In short, it attempts to answer the following questions: how do counter-terrorism services assess the threat in Europe? What trends do they notice? What are their most pressing concerns? And how do they respond to the threat?

United States

Jerusalem Post: 'Evil will not triumph': Witkoff pledges action against Hamas, Iran, calls for unity

US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff said the Trump administration remains determined to see Hamas defeated, prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, and expand the Abraham Accords, at The Jerusalem Post Conference on Monday. He recalled that in January 2021, “President Trump left the Middle East transformed. Iran was reeling, its proxies starved of resources, and the Abraham Accords were a radiant promise of peace and prosperity.” Since October 7, however, the world has witnessed “Houthis, Hamas, and Hezbollah wage a cowardly, immoral war, hiding behind civilians and clutching hostages.” “This is not just a conflict; it is evil. And let me be clear, evil will not triumph,” Witkoff stated.

 

The Hill: What the end of the Houthi campaign means for US power

For all the doom and gloom, the operation has done some good. Fifty-two days of U.S. airstrikes delivered long-overdue “mowing of the grass” of Iran-provided missiles, drones, radars and air defenses in Yemen, plus the military industries and technicians needed to build and maintain them. The reality, however, is that all of this can be rebuilt, possibly within a year, unless Iran is prevented from rearming the Houthis by sea and via smuggling routes in eastern Yemen and Oman. The Houthis have a long track record of using such ceasefires to break the momentum of enemy efforts, recover, and then return to the offensive — overrunning domestic opponents, seeking to seize oil and gas sites in Yemen’s east, and demonstrating their ability to threaten international shipping — except, of course, ships from their partners in China and Russia.

 

Reuters: US terminates $60 million in Harvard grants over alleged antisemitism

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said on Monday that it was terminating $60 million in federal grants to Harvard University saying the Ivy League institution failed to address antisemitic harassment and ethnic discrimination on campus. U.S. President Donald Trump's administration has frozen or ended federal grants and contracts for the university worth nearly $3 billion in recent weeks.

 

Virginia Mercury: Youngkin signs executive order to combat antisemitism in Va. Schools

Gov. Glenn Youngkin directed state leaders to develop resources to track incidents of antisemitism and anti-religious bigotry at Virginia’s schools through an executive order announced Monday evening. Executive Order 48 expands on his administration’s efforts and work by the legislature to combat prejudice against Jewish students at all levels of Virginia’s education system.

 

Axios: Ohio saw more than 230 antisemitic incidents in 2024

Ohio saw more than 230 antisemitic incidents in 2024, a year when anti-Jewish activity reached its highest level recorded in nearly half a century, according to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL).

 

Jerusalem Post: US to target DEI policies at universities being investigated for antisemitism, discrimination

The United States announced on Monday the formation of a new unit that will crack down on federally funded universities that have diversity, equity, and inclusion policies using a civil anti-fraud law, the Justice Department said in a memo. The creation of the "Civil Rights Fraud Initiative" marks the latest escalation by the administration of President Donald Trump against colleges and universities that it has claimed are pushing antisemitic, anti-American, Marxist, and "radical left" ideologies.

 

Bloomberg: US Offers $10 Million for Tips on Hezbollah in Latin America

The US Department of State is offering a reward of up to $10 million for information on Hezbollah’s activities and connections in Latin America. The announcement published on Monday by the State Department’s Rewards for Justice program, was released in English, Spanish, Portuguese and Arabic. It seeks details on the financial networks of the US-designated foreign terrorist organization’s financial networks in the tri-border area of Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay. The reward aims to generate leads that could disrupt Hezbollah’s financial operations.

 

Washington Post: Fertility clinic bombing spotlights ‘nihilistic’ violent extremism wave

The FBI said the 25-year-old man suspected of detonating a bomb outside a Southern California fertility clinic that injured four people over the weekend was “nihilistic” — a term U.S. authorities are increasingly using to describe violence simply for the sake of it, or to hasten the demise of society.

European Union

Politico: France calls for greater checks on EU funding to fight antisemitism, Islamism

France is pushing for more scrutiny on how EU grants are allocated in an attempt to fight antisemitism, hate speech and the funding of entities “obviously hostile to our common values.” France’s Europe Minister Benjamin Haddad also said he would ask Brussels “to reinforce the checks” on EU funding so money doesn’t go to operators “linked to antisemitism or Islamism.”

Germany

ARD: After attack on five people - Suspected Bielefeld attacker arrested

In connection with the knife attack, there were several operations in Velbert and Heiligenhaus in the district of Mettmann on Monday. According to WDR information, the police arrested the 35-year-old Syrian in Heiligenhaus, where people were celebrating when a man unexpectedly stabbed them at around 4.30 a.m. on Sunday morning. He is said to have injured several people with a knife, according to the police. According to current information, at least five people between the ages of 22 and 27 were injured, four of them seriously. According to the police, the seriously injured are now recovering. Their lives are no longer in danger. According to WDR information, the perpetrator may have recently become radicalized and interested in the terrorist organization IS. The police have so far refused to comment on this. The WDR also has indications that the police are internally assessing the crime as an attack.

 

Deutsche Welle: Researchers: Extremism in Germany's military remains threat

Fewer than 1% German soldiers harbor "consistent right-wing-extremist attitudes," according to a new study conducted by the military's own Bundeswehr Center of Military History and Social Sciences (ZMSBw). The study found that only 0.4% of soldiers show right-wing-extremist attitudes. Among the military's civilian personnel, the proportion is 0.8%, much less than the 5.4% measured in the general German population, the authors said. The report did, however, find other problematic views among the soldiers: 6.4% have "consistent chauvinist attitudes," and 3.5% have "consistent xenophobic attitudes." In general, the study appears to be positive news, especially as the Bundeswehr has been dogged in recent years with well-documented stories of far-right networks and terrorist plots involving members of the military.

 

Politico: Germany reports surge in extreme-right crime

Extreme-right crime in Germany surged by nearly 50 percent as “politically motivated” offences reached a record high last year. “We will continue the fight against right-wing extremism,” Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said in Berlin on Tuesday after presenting an annual report on crimes motivated by political ideology.

 

Rudaw: Kurdish couple tried in Germany for ISIS links

The Bavarian Supreme Court held a trial for a Kurdish couple accused of the Islamic State (ISIS) links on Monday, more than a year after their detention for several charges, including crimes against Yazidis.

Greece

Ekathimerini: Police profile six far-right groups

A classified report on far-right extremism by the police’s Counterterrorism Division names six groupings as comprising the militant fringe of the extreme right and says that, although some of them have been implicated in violent attacks against ideological opponents, mainly anarchists, they have not, so far, committed acts of terrorism.

Poland

Reuters: Poland's far-right lays down demands to presidential hopefuls

Poland's two presidential hopefuls, who are seeking to broaden their appeal ahead of a June 1 run-off vote, received lists of demands on Tuesday from two far-right politicians who gained the support of more than a fifth of voters in Sunday's first round. Centrist frontrunner Rafal Trzaskowski and his nationalist opponent Karol Nawrocki would need to gain a chunk of the votes that went to far-right candidates to have a chance of victory. But the behaviour of these mainly young and anti-establishment voters is hard to predict.

Portugal

Deutsche Welle: Portugal: Far-right rise a warning for political center

Though Portugal's minority government won the recent snap election, the far-right Chega party's meteoric rise has made real waves. Now the country's centrist parties are under pressure to work better together.

 

AFP: Portugal's far-right party gains as premier holds on

Portugal's Prime Minister Luis Montenegro prepared Monday to lead a new minority government after the upstart far-right Chega party tied for second place in snap elections, posing a major challenge to his centre-right alliance. Nearly complete official results showed that Montenegro's Democratic Alliance (AD) had boosted its tally in the 230-seat parliament to 89 in the Sunday election, short of the 116 seats required for a majority.

United Kingdom

Reuters: Jailed UK anti-Islam activist 'Tommy Robinson' to be released next week

British anti-Islam activist Stephen Yaxley-Lennon on Tuesday won a bid to trim his 18-month sentence for contempt of court, meaning he will be released from jail within a week. Yaxley-Lennon, known as Tommy Robinson, was jailed in October after he admitted breaching an injunction banning him from repeating false allegations against a Syrian refugee, who had successfully sued him for libel.

 

Iran International: UK warns Iran poses 'unacceptable threat' to domestic security

British interior minister Yvette Cooper said Iran posed an "unacceptable threat" to the domestic security of the country after authorities charged three Iranian nationals under a national security law following a major counter-terrorism investigation. "Let me be clear, we will not tolerate growing state backed threats on UK soil. The Iranian regime poses an unacceptable threat to our domestic security which cannot continue," Cooper told parliament on Monday.

Afghanistan

Afghanistan International: Afghan Clerics Resist Taliban's Call To Support Strict Morality Enforcement

Senior clerics and influential religious figures in Afghanistan appear to be withholding support from the Taliban’s Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, despite direct appeals from the ministry’s leadership. During a recent visit to Herat province, Mohammad Khalid Hanafi, Minister for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, urged local clerics and community leaders to cooperate in the enforcement of the group's interpretation of Islamic law. He emphasised that without their assistance, the ministry would struggle to curb what it considers immoral behaviour.

 

Afghanistan International: Worshippers Chant 'Death To The Taliban' After Cleric's Attempted Arrest In Balkh

Maulawi Abdul Qahir, a prominent cleric in Balkh, delivered a fiery sermon on Friday, 16 May, at the Rawza Sharif Mosque, where he condemned the Taliban for promoting tribalism and ethnic discrimination. He warned that such practices would lead to the downfall of any Islamic system. According to local sources, Taliban forces attempted to arrest Maulawi Qahir following the sermon but were met with resistance from worshippers, who chanted "Death to the Taliban" inside the mosque.

 

Afghanistan International: Taliban Publicly Flog Five People In Ghazni Province

The Taliban have publicly flogged five individuals, including one woman, in Ghazni Province following rulings by primary courts in the Jaghori and Ab Band districts, the group’s Supreme Court announced on Sunday. Each of the accused received thirty-five lashes for offences of alcohol consumption and “illicit relationships”. In addition, all five were sentenced to custodial terms ranging from one to five years. Two defendants were handed prison terms of two years and six months alongside thirty-five lashes; one received five years’ imprisonment and thirty-nine lashes; and the remaining three were each sentenced to one year in prison with thirty-nine lashes.

Gaza Strip

Times of Israel: Senior Hamas official sparks outrage in Gaza after referring to war casualties as ‘material calculations’

A senior Hamas official has drawn widespread anger from Gaza residents after referring to the high death toll in the Strip as “material calculations.” In a recent interview, Qatar-based Hamas senior official Sami Abu Zuhri remarked that the number of births in Gaza — around 50,000 — exceeds the number of war casualties, which he claimed demonstrates that the losses do not reflect the broader picture of the conflict.

Iran

Kurdistan24: Iran’s Supreme Leader Doubts Nuclear Talks with U.S., Calls Washington’s Position “Utter Nonsense”

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Tuesday dismissed the likelihood of progress in nuclear negotiations with the United States, sharply criticizing Washington’s stance on Iran’s uranium enrichment rights and describing current diplomatic efforts as unlikely to yield results.

 

Iran International: IRGC paper threatens retaliation against US, EU if snapback sanctions return

Iran will retaliate with costly and damaging measures against any attempt by Europe to activate the snapback mechanism and reimpose UN sanctions, a hardline Iranian newspaper affiliated with the Revolutionary Guards warned on Tuesday. In a scathing editorial, Javan daily criticized the threat of snapback — a mechanism in the 2015 nuclear deal that allows the return of UN sanctions — as a “European stick for blackmail” and warned of punitive and high-cost actions against the economies of the United States and Europe.

 

Iran International: Iran's parliament condemns UK over potential IRGC terror listing

Iran’s parliament on Tuesday condemned a motion by over 550 British lawmakers calling to label the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) a terrorist group, warning of legal repercussions from Tehran. The statement, read aloud by parliamentary presidium member Ahmad Naderi during an open session, described the UK’s move as “reckless and hostile”.

Israel

Financial Times: Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel plans to take over all of Gaza

Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel planned to take over all of Gaza as the country escalated its offensive in the war-torn enclave, pounding the strip with air strikes and issuing an evacuation order for one of its largest cities. The Israeli military on Monday told all residents of the southern city of Khan Younis — the territory’s second-biggest before the war — to leave, demanding they move west to the so-called Al-Mawasi “humanitarian zone” ahead of what it called an “unprecedented attack” on the city. The aim of the expanded Israeli campaign was “to take over all of the territory of Gaza” in a bid to fully defeat Hamas, Netanyahu said in a video on Monday. Israel — which officially launched the new offensive over the weekend — has mobilised two additional infantry and armour divisions to the territory, taking the total number to five.

 

Jerusalem Post: Mohammed Sinwar still alive, senior Hamas official claims

The IDF's operation to assassinate Hamas leader Mohammed Sinwar failed, and he is still fighting against Israeli forces, senior Hamas official Osama Hamdan told the Islamic Republic-affiliated news source Tehran Times in a Monday report. “This is a false claim Israel makes to justify the bombing of a hospital. Our brothers in Gaza have assured us that Mohammad Sinwar is alive and still fighting the enemy firmly,” the source quoted Hamdan as saying. The report comes a day after Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz told the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee that there are rising indications that Mohammed Sinwar was killed.

 

Reuters: UN has clearance for 100 more aid trucks to enter Gaza, official says

The United Nations has received permission from Israel for about 100 more emergency aid trucks to enter Gaza, though the first supplies to have entered in weeks remained under Israeli control, a spokesperson said on Tuesday. International humanitarian experts have warned of looming famine in the Palestinian enclave of 2.3 million people and the growing outcry has pushed Israel to lift an 11-week total blockade on aid supplies.

 

Times of Israel: Qatar PM says ‘fundamental differences’ between sides have stalled Doha ceasefire talks

Qatar’s prime minister said Tuesday that ongoing ceasefire and hostage deal negotiations in Doha between Hamas and Israel have stalled over “fundamental differences” between the two sides, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is reportedly weighing recalling Israel’s delegation from the talks. Speaking at the Qatar Economic Forum, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani said that Israel’s expanded military offensive in Gaza had undermined peace efforts.

Jordan

Jerusalem Post: Jordanian textbooks bash peace, propagate antisemitism, study finds

A comprehensive new analysis of Jordan's educational materials has uncovered disturbing content that contradicts the kingdom's reputation as a “moderate” voice in the Middle East. The Institute for Monitoring Peace and Cultural Tolerance in School Education (IMPACT-se) released findings in May 2025 showing that Jordanian textbooks contain antisemitic messaging, glorification of violent jihad, and hostile rhetoric toward Jews and Israel—despite simultaneously claiming to promote tolerance and religious moderation.

Lebanon

Times of Israel: IDF says drone strike killed Hezbollah commander in southern Lebanon

The IDF confirms carrying out a drone strike in the Lebanese town of al-Mansouri, close to Tyre, today, killing a Hezbollah operative. According to the military, the operative was the commander of Hezbollah’s forces in al-Mansouri.

 

AFP: Lebanon has ‘more’ to do in disarming Hezbollah, US envoy says

Lebanon still has “more” to do in disarming Hezbollah following the war between the Iran-backed terror group and Israel, Deputy US Envoy for the Middle East Morgan Ortagus says. As part of a deal agreed to end 14 months of fighting last November, Hezbollah was to withdraw its fighters north of Lebanon’s Litani River, while Israel was to pull all its forces from south Lebanon.

 

Kurdistan24: Lebanese President Warns Hezbollah: “No Weapons Outside the State"

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has issued a forceful appeal for the consolidation of state authority across Lebanon, declaring that Hezbollah must come to terms with the principle of state sovereignty. “Hezbollah has the right to participate in politics,” Aoun said in a televised interview with Egypt's "ON TV," “but weapons must remain in the hands of the state.”

Qatar

Reuters: Qatar dismisses concerns over offer of aircraft to Trump

Qatar dismissed concerns about its offer to give U.S. President Donald Trump a Boeing (BA.N), opens new tab plane, saying it was not trying to buy influence, a day after a bill was introduced in the Senate to prevent a foreign aircraft operating as Air Force One. Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said on Tuesday that the offer was "a normal thing that happens between allies."

Syria

The National: Syria cracks down on ISIS as authorities seek closer US ties

Syrian security troops have commenced operations to “eradicate” ISIS from urban centres, an Interior Ministry official told The National on Sunday, a day after a counter-terrorism raid in Aleppo killed three ISIS members. A statement by the ministry said one security personnel and three ISIS members were killed in the operation in the eastern Jazmatiyeh district on Saturday. It led to the biggest clashes between the authorities and ISIS since Bashar Al Assad was removed last year. At least three ISIS members were arrested. Fighting against the extremist group is crucial for the current leadership to garner US support, especially after a breakthrough meeting last week between President Donald Trump and Syrian leader Ahmad Al Shara, who previously had ties to Al Qaeda. Mr Trump said the US would lift sanctions on Syria to help usher in stability under the new authorities in Damascus.

 

Stars and Stripes: Syria will need time to take over US role in detaining thousands of ISIS fighters, analysts say

U.S. troops in Syria are still tracking Islamic State terror cells while helping secure vast prisons full of militants, and it could be a while before the new government in Damascus is prepared to take over the job, analysts and former defense officials say.

 

Asharq al-Awsat: One SDF Fighter Killed in Attack by ISIS in Eastern Syria

The US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, a group led by Kurdish fighters, said on Monday that one of its fighters was killed and another injured in an attack by ISIS in Syria's eastern Deir Ezzor region.

Yemen

Reuters: Yemen's Houthis announce 'maritime blockade' on Israel's Haifa port

Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis announced on Monday what they called a "maritime blockade" on Israel's Haifa port in response to Israel's ongoing conflict in Gaza."All companies with ships present in or heading to this port are hereby notified that, as of the time of this announcement, the aforementioned port has been included in the list of targets," the group's spokesperson Yahya Saree said in a televised address. The Houthis have continued to fire missiles at Israel including on Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv in what they say is solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, although they have agreed to halt attacks on U.S. ships. The missiles launched by the group on Israel were mostly intercepted.

 

New Arab: Yemen's Sanaa airport hit by Israel reopens after Houthi repairs

Two Yemenia Airways planes departed from Sanaa International Airport in Yemen to the Jordanian capital, Amman, on Monday, marking the resumption of flights after Israeli airstrikes severely damaged the airport earlier this month, the country’s national carrier said. The flights followed the Houthis’ announcement that they had rapidly rebuilt the airport, drawing relief from stranded passengers but also scepticism over aviation safety concerns.

Pakistan

Associated Press: Thousands protest after a suspected drone strike kills 4 children in northwest Pakistan

A suspected drone strike killed four children and wounded five others in northwest Pakistan, prompting thousands of residents to stage a protest by placing the children’s bodies on a main road to demand justice, local elders said on Tuesday. It wasn’t immediately clear who was behind Monday’s attack in Mir Ali, which has been a stronghold of the Pakistani Taliban, and there was no comment from the army.

Australia

Ynet: Australian students turn back on Jewish peer during antisemitism talk

Dozens of students at the University of Sydney turned their backs on a Jewish peer during a student representative council (SRC) assembly last week, Australian Jewish News reported. The incident took place as Kovi Rose, a Jewish student, spoke about rising antisemitism on campus and condemned the Hamas terror group. In contrast, no protest was heard when a pro-Palestinian student launched a harsh verbal attack on Israel.