Eye on Extremism: May 29, 2025
Top Stories
US Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff has presented Israel and Hamas with a modified version of his outline for a partial hostage release-ceasefire deal, a source told The Jerusalem Post on Thursday. According to the source, his modified proposal would include the release of 10 living hostages. The hostage release would take place in two rounds.
The New Arab: US could remove Syria from 'state sponsors of terror list' as EU eases sanctions
The US is looking to lift Syria's designation as a 'state sponsor of terrorism' as part of broader sanctions relief measures, The New Arab's Arabic-language sister site, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, reported on Thursday. An informed source told the website that the Trump administration has been discussing the matter in recent weeks, and that concrete steps are being taken. Syrian-American Council head Farouk Bilal also told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that Syria's removal from the list is being discussed, adding that a decision "will be made soon".
CEP Mentions
WTOP: The Hunt: Liverpool parade collision highlights glaring security failures
In this week’s episode of “The Hunt with WTOP National Security Correspondent J.J. Green, Dr. Hans Jakob Schindler, the senior director at the Counter Extremism Project, said the incident highlights glaring security failures.
CNN: Netanyahu says Israel killed elusive Hamas leader Mohammed Sinwar in recent Gaza strike
Sinwar was born in the Khan Younis refugee camp in 1975 and was first arrested for militant activities as a teenager. He became the leader of Hamas’ Khan Younis brigade and is said to have played a key role in the Hamas operation that captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit in 2006, according to the Counter Extremism Project, and in insisting on his brother’s release from an Israeli prison in return for Shalit’s freedom.
RealClearPolitics: Liberals Embrace Islamic Extremism in Canada
The globally renowned Counter Extremism Project has recently reported that “within the past few decades, several hundred Canadian civilians have been killed or injured in incidents related to violent extremism,” and that, in spite of the glib posturing and “apparent policy shifts in the Trudeau government, Canada has historically viewed violent Islamist extremism as one of the leading threats to its national security.”
Analysis
The new US Envoy to Syria, Tom Barrack, attended a flag-raising ceremony to inaugurate the US Ambassador’s residence in Damascus. The ceremony was important as it shows how the US and Syria are quickly working to increase relations after more than a decade during which there was no US ambassador in Damascus.
Genetic Literacy Project: AI and terrorism: How bioterrorists could easily fake an attack
While I am deeply concerned about the long-term existential threat of AI and synthetic biology to create new or modified pathogens, my extensive experience detecting and controlling outbreaks around the world makes me fear a more immediate threat: a rogue actor using existing AI tools to simulate a bioterrorism attack that would destabilize a region or the world.
Times of Israel: More organizations are fighting surging antisemitism. But how many do we need?
In a once-niche field of Jewish advocacy, a complicated mix of interest groups is now battling hatred, often with overlapping missions and contradictory messages.
Growing collaboration between al Shabaab and the Houthis is enabling both militant groups and contributing to heightened maritime and land-based threats on both sides of the Gulf of Aden.
The Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen have continued their ballistic missile attacks on Israel, attempting to keep up an almost-daily level of rocket fire at the Jewish state. The group has not been able to penetrate Israel’s air defenses since May 4, when one of their missiles fell near Ben-Gurion Airport. Nevertheless, they continue to boast of new accomplishments.
United States
NBC News: Trump administration emerges as a staunch defender of Germany's far-right AfD
President Donald Trump’s administration has emerged as a staunch defender of Alternative for Germany, a political party with Nazi echoes that has risen in popularity — and that German intelligence officials recently classified as a “proven right-wing extremist organization.”
Reuters: Trump bid to deport Columbia activist Khalil likely unconstitutional, judge says
The Trump administration's bid to deport Columbia University student and pro-Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil is likely unconstitutional, a U.S. judge said on Wednesday, finding that the little-used provision of immigration law invoked by the government was too vague. U.S. District Judge Michael Farbiarz's ruling marked the first time a federal judge has weighed in on the constitutionality of President Donald Trump's use of a law granting the U.S. secretary of state the power to seek the deportation of any non-citizen whose presence in the country is deemed adverse to U.S. foreign policy interests.
Fox News: Rabbi who was attacked outside Israeli Embassy slams DC's handling of antisemitism
Rabbi Shmuel Herzfeld went to the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C., on March 21, 2024, to pray for the safe return of the hostages. While he was there, Herzfeld was harassed by protesters who were accused of deafening him with megaphone sirens. The rabbi was then falsely accused of stalking and was later vindicated, with the accusers being ordered to pay for his $182,000 legal bills. Despite this, Herzfeld views the D.C. leadership’s response to antisemitism as "insufficient," especially in light of the murders of Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim.
Kansas City Star: Kansas City police let white nationalists go ‘unbothered,’ witness says
As the Patriot Front marched through Kansas City’s Crossroads neighborhood Saturday afternoon, Charlie Arbuckle jogged after them, determined to show them they were unwelcome near his home. The white nationalist group with around 150 people had wrapped up a rally at the National World War I Museum and Memorial, and began marching through the neighborhood back to a group of U-Haul trucks.
Neta Meltzer was still grieving last week’s shooting deaths of a Johnson County native and her boyfriend outside a Jewish museum in Washington, DC, when she heard about the white nationalist group marching in downtown Kansas City on Saturday. Three days after Sarah Milgrim and Yaron Lischinsky were killed as they left the Jewish Capital Museum, the news about scores of masked Patriot Front members descending on the downtown area was tough to stomach.
Public college students and faculty in Texas would be suspended or expelled for supporting “terrorist activities” if Senate Bill 2233 became law. For student visa-holders, being expelled would likely mean being kicked out of the country as well. It passed the Texas Senate last Tuesday, but appears to be dead for now: it passed the Senate and was referred to a committee in the House. The bill, which could be resurrected in the future, proposes a severe limit on speech. It targets state university students and employees with non-immigrant visas (like student and work visas), blocking them from “publicly endorsing or espousing terrorist activity related to an ongoing conflict.”
US President Donald Trump confirmed on Wednesday that he asked Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a call last week not to take military action against Iran that could disrupt Washington’s ongoing nuclear negotiations with the Islamic Republic. Trump’s statement came after The New York Times reported details from the call, while stating that US officials were concerned that Israel may seek to carry out strikes on Iran’s nuclear program without much warning, which would leave the Americans little time to attempt to pressure Netanyahu to change his mind.
Brazil
Reuters: Brazilian police arrest members of gang created to kill and spy on lawmakers, judges
Brazil's Federal Police said on Wednesday it arrested five people suspected of being involved in a gang that was formed to kill and spy on lawmakers and high-ranking judges. The gang was created by a military officer, as well as civilians, one source with knowledge of the investigation said.
France
Reuters: Macron navigates rocky path to recognising Palestinian state
French President Emmanuel Macron is leaning towards recognising a Palestinian state, but diplomats and experts say such a move may prove a premature and ineffective way to pressure Israel into moving towards a peace deal with the Palestinians.
Middle East Eye: French scholar acquitted of ‘apology for terrorism’ charges after Palestine tweets
Francois Burgat, a renowned French specialist on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and political Islam, was acquitted on Wednesday by the criminal court of Aix-en-Provence, in southeastern France, where he was prosecuted on charges of “apology for terrorism” for messages posted on social media. The prosecution accused the former research director at the National Centre for Scientific Research and former director of the French Institute for the Near East, now retired, of a series of controversial social media posts concerning Hamas and Israel’s war on Gaza.
Germany
The Jewish Chronicle: ‘Antisemitic hate is part of our daily lives’ says German student leader
The former head of Germany’s national Jewish student union has spoken out after receiving a chilling neo-Nazi hate letter, and warned that Jewish student leaders have become used to antisemitic abuse and that the far right is gaining ground across Germany.
Portugal
Reuters: Portugal's far-right Chega becomes main opposition party
Portugal's far-right, anti-establishment party Chega overtook the centre-left Socialists to become the main opposition party for the first time on Wednesday after the final tally of ballots from abroad in a May 18 snap parliamentary election. The centre-right Democratic Alliance of Prime Minister Luis Montenegro won 91 seats in the 230-seat single-chamber parliament, including two from out-of-country voting. While it garnered more seats than in 2024, it again fell short of a majority needed to end a long period of instability.
United Kingdom
The Guardian: Former ambassador calls on UK to advise citizens against travel to Egypt
The former British ambassador to Egypt, John Casson, has urged the UK to advise its citizens against travelling to Egypt, in response to Cairo’s refusal to release dual British Egyptian national Alaa Abd el-Fattah. A UN panel found on Wednesday that Fattah had been held arbitrarily in jail since 2019, but Egypt was refusing to give the UK consular access – let alone release him. His mother has been refusing food in protest at his detention.
BBC: Kneecap axed from TRNSMT festival over police concerns
Irish rap group Kneecap say they have been axed from the TRNSMT music festival in Glasgow over police concerns about safety. Police Scotland said last week that allowing the trio to perform at Glasgow Green on 11 July would require "a significant policing operation". It followed a member of the Irish language group being charged with a terror offence after allegedly displaying a flag in support of proscribed organisation Hezbollah at a London gig.
The Guardian: Prosecuting man for burning Qur’an ‘reintroducing blasphemy law’, UK court told
Prosecuting a man for burning the Qur’an is “tantamount to reintroducing a blasphemy law” in Great Britain, a trial has heard. Hamit Coskun, 50, shouted “fuck Islam”, “Islam is religion of terrorism” and “Qur’an is burning” as he held aloft the burning Islamic text outside the Turkish consulate in London on 13 February, Westminster magistrates court heard.
Afghanistan
Amu: Sources report border clash between Taliban, Pakistani forces in Helmand
Clashes broke out early Thursday between Taliban and Pakistani forces in the Barmalcha district of Afghanistan’s southern Helmand Province, local sources confirmed. The fighting, which began in the early morning hours, was ongoing as of now (around 11:30 am Kabul time). There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.
Amu: Taliban court sentences Ghazni radio chief to three months in prison
A Taliban court in Ghazni has sentenced Sulaiman Rahil, the editor-in-chief of Radio Khushhal in the province, to three months in prison, the Afghanistan Journalists Center (AFJC) said, condemning the act as part of a broader crackdown on independent media. The AFJC said that Rahil was convicted by the Taliban’s primary court in a closed-door hearing on May 22 on charges of “propaganda against the Taliban.”
Amu: After months of rift, Haqqani praises Taliban leader as ‘source of guidance’
After months of silence and amid reports of a growing rift within the Taliban’s ranks, Sirajuddin Haqqani, the Taliban’s interior minister, appeared at a public gathering in Kabul and delivered a message of allegiance to the Taliban’s reclusive supreme leader. Speaking at a seminar on administrative reform and capacity-building, Haqqani referred to Hibatullah Akhundzada as a “source of education and guidance,” emphasizing his central role in shaping the Taliban’s governance.
Afghanistan International: Taliban Publicly Flog 5 People In Kabul & Kunduz
The Taliban have publicly flogged five individuals in separate incidents in Kabul and Kunduz provinces, according to a statement issued by the group’s Supreme Court on Thursday. In the Qala-e-Zal district of Kunduz, two people including a woman were publicly flogged after being convicted of engaging in extramarital sexual relations. Meanwhile, in the capital, Kabul, three individuals were subjected to public floggings after being accused of selling alcoholic beverages and narcotics.
The Taliban have arrested another prominent cleric in Kabul, continuing a wave of detentions targeting religious scholars who have expressed dissent against the group’s leadership. On Sunday, Qari Sirajuddin, an imam at a mosque in Kabul and a close associate of detained scholar Mawlawi Abdul Qadir Qanit, was arrested in the Qala-e-Fathullah area of the capital. His family confirmed the arrest and said they have no information about his current whereabouts.
Gaza Strip
Reuters: Deadly break-in at UN warehouse as aid trickles into Gaza
A United Nations warehouse in war-torn Gaza was broken into by "hordes of hungry people" on Wednesday as aid trickles into the Palestinian enclave on the brink of famine and the United States readies new terms for a possible truce between Israel and Hamas.
Iran
Iran International: Supreme Leader denies systemic corruption in Iran
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei denied any systematic corruption in Iran in a speech on Wednesday amid days of union protests and after a harsh critique of Tehran by US President Donald Trump this month. “Some have tried to prove that corruption in the Islamic Republic is systemic. That is a lie,” Khamenei said. “Corruption is like a seven-headed dragon that won’t vanish easily, but the system itself is healthy.”
Iran International: Iran’s army chief says forces ‘fully prepared’ for more attacks on Israel
Iran’s top army commander warned on Monday that the military is fully prepared for more direct attacks on Israel as the two sides continue to exchange war-talk. “If they [Israel] are in a rush to receive another True Promise operation [aerial assault], we are fully ready to deliver an appropriate strike — and collect on what they already owe us,” Major General Abdolrahim Mousavi, Commander-in-Chief of Iran’s Army, said during a military ceremony using the code name of Iran’s direct attacks on Israel.
Iraq
With the world’s attention fixed on efforts to free Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, talks are quietly continuing to liberate an Israeli hostage held in Iraq by a different Iranian-backed militant group. A 38-year-old Middle East scholar from Israel was kidnapped in 2023 while doing research in Iraq, and officials from several countries say progress is being made to secure her release.
Naharnet: Iraq says Israel ready to free Hezbollah captives as part of Tsurkov deal
An Iraqi official speaking on condition of anonymity has told The Associated Press that the U.S. and Israel are not opposed to the release of Lebanese prisoners held in Israel as part of a deal for the release of Russian-Israeli researcher Elizabeth Tsurkov, who is held in Iraq by the Iran-backed Kataeb Hezbollah group. The 38-year-old Middle East researcher was kidnapped in 2023 while doing research in Iraq, and officials from several countries say progress is being made to secure her release.
Israel
Times of Israel: ‘600 days of failure’: Thousands join nationwide rallies urging hostages’ release
Thousands of Israelis attended nationwide demonstrations on Wednesday, marking 600 days since hostages were taken by Hamas terrorists during their onslaught of October 7, 2023, with families, freed captives and their supporters shedding light on the plight of those who remain held in the Gaza Strip.
U.S. President Donald Trump’s Mideast envoy expressed optimism this week about brokering an agreement to halt the Israel-Hamas war and return more of the hostages captured in the attack that ignited it. “I have some very good feelings about getting to a long-term resolution — a temporary ceasefire and a long-term resolution, a peaceful resolution of that conflict,” Steve Witkoff said in Washington on Wednesday, adding that a new U.S. proposal would soon be delivered to the warring parties.
Iran International: Israel says it hit Houthis' last plane as PM blames Iran
Israel launched airstrikes on key infrastructure of the Houthi militia in Yemen including what it said was the group’s “last remaining plane” and Sana’a Airport, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blamed Iran. "I have said more than once: The Houthis are only the symptom. The main driving force behind them is Iran, which is responsible for the aggression emanating from Yemen," he said on Wednesday.
Jerusalem Post: Shin Bet foils 85 Iranian cyber infiltration attempts on Israelis
The Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) has thwarted 85 attempted cyberattacks by Iranian operatives targeting Israeli civilians over recent months, security officials revealed on Thursday. The campaign, which appears to be escalating, has focused on gathering personal data to potentially support future physical attacks inside Israel.
The Nahal Brigade Combat Team, under the 162nd Division, located and destroyed rocket launchers, weapons stockpiles, booby-trapped structures, and observation posts during operations in the Gaza Strip, the IDF confirmed on Thursday.
Times of Israel: IDF razes West Bank home of Hamas terrorist behind botched 2024 Tel Aviv bombing
Overnight, the IDF demolished the home of a Hamas suicide bomber who carried out a botched attack in Tel Aviv last August. Jaafar Mona, from the West Bank city of Nablus, was killed by the explosive device he was carrying outside a synagogue in Tel Aviv on August 18, 2024, before he managed to carry out the intended attack. One passerby was also wounded by the blast.
Times of Israel: Baby of pregnant terror victim dies after fighting for his life for two weeks
The baby of Tzeela Gez, who was shot and killed in a Palestinian terror attack in the northern West Bank earlier this month, died in the hospital after doctors struggled to keep him alive for the past 15 days, the Samaria Regional Council and the hospital announced Thursday morning.
Lebanon
Jerusalem Post: IDF kills Hezbollah terrorist in southern Lebanon
An aircraft struck a Hezbollah terrorist in the Beaufort Ridge area of southern Lebanon, the IDF said on Thursday. "The terrorist was working to restore a site that had been used for managing Hezbollah’s offensive and defense systems. The site has been targeted multiple times by the IDF in recent weeks. Activity at this site constitutes a blatant violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon," the military stated.
Naharnet: Geagea says Hezbollah's Qassem seems to be 'on another planet'
Hezbollah leader Sheikh Naim Qassem seems "as if he's on another planet" to Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea who criticized Qassem's "unrealistic" statements, in an interview with LBCI on Wednesday night. Geagea said foreign countries will not help Lebanon or deal with the Lebanese state as long as Hezbollah is keeping its "illegal" arms. "There will be no reconstruction, no financial rescue — all of that is now suspended, frozen, and paralyzed, until Hezbollah disarms. No one will want to deal with the state in such a situation."
Naharnet: Hezbollah MPs lash out at Foreign Minister Rajji
A number of Hezbollah MPs have lashed out at Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji, who is close to the Lebanese Forces, over his latest remarks on Hezbollah and its weapons. “Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji’s remarks reflect the opinion of a political party, not the government. He used to fire bullets at people during the (civil) war, and now he is firing words,” MP Hassan Fadlallah said in an interview on al-Manar TV.
Naharnet: Salam: We don't want civil war but we're committed to extending state authority
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam has told the Wall Street Journal that the Lebanese government has achieved 80% of its objectives in taking control of country’s south. The November 2024 ceasefire ended more than a year of fighting, including some two months of open war, between Israel and Hezbollah.
Naharnet: Israel says Lebanese Army 'way more effective than expected' in disarming Hezbollah
An Israeli army official has said that the Lebanese Army has been “way more effective than expected” in removing Hezbollah’s arms, adding that the Israeli army is “pleased by this trend.” Lebanon’s army has dismantled most of Hezbollah’s posts and weapons stockpile in the country’s south, with the help of Israeli intelligence passed along by the U.S., and Israeli and American officials are said to be pleasantly surprised by the progress, the Wall Street Journal has reported.
Yemen
New York Times: Israeli Jets Strike Yemen’s Main Airport Again After Houthi Attacks
Israeli warplanes bombed the main international airport in Yemen again on Wednesday in retaliation for recent missile attacks by the Iran-backed Houthi militia. A devastating Israeli airstrike earlier this month on the same airport, which serves the capital, Sana, caused extensive damage, and flights were suspended for more than a week. The latest strike destroyed the last remaining aircraft at the airport used by the Houthi government, according to Israel Katz, the Israeli defense minister, and the airport’s director.
The Loadstar: Houthis claim Red Sea safe for box ships not calling at port of Haifa
Spokespersons for the Yemeni-based Houthi militia have told The Loadstar they will no longer target commercial vessels transiting the Red Sea. Last week, the group said they would target vessels entering Israel’s port of Haifa, but their statement was ambiguous on what this meant for ships using a waterway under threat of attack for the better part of 18 months.
Middle East Monitor: Yemen: Houthis threaten Israel with ‘hot summer’ after strikes on Sanaa airport
Yemen’s Houthi group yesterday reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the Gaza Strip, seemingly undeterred by Israeli air strikes that targeted Sanaa International Airport, Anadolu agency reported. It warned Tel Aviv of a “hot summer” in retaliation for the attack. The Houthi-run Al-Masirah TV said four Israeli air strikes targeted the airport’s runway and a plane from flag carrier Yemenia Airways.
India
The Economic Times: Operation Sindoor a befitting reply to terror attacks in India, says PM Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said Operation Sindoor was a befitting reply to those who unleashed terror in India, asserting that the country was united in the fight against terrorism. Addressing the 50th anniversary of Sikkim's statehood function, Modi said the Himalayan state is the "pride of the nation" and its people believe in democracy.
DMK MP Kanimozhi Karunanidhi, leading an all-party delegation to Greece, said India has made it clear that it will no longer distinguish between individual acts of terror and state-sponsored terrorism.’
Pakistan
Security forces acting on intelligence raided a militant hideout in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, triggering a shootout that left two police officers and four Pakistani Taliban fighters dead, police said Thursday. The rare overnight raid was carried out in the Rawalakot district, according to Abdul Jabbar, the police chief in Kashmir, which is split between Pakistan and India and claimed in full by both countries in its entirety.
Lashkar-e-Taiba commander and the alleged mastermind behind the Pahalgam attack, Saifullah Kasuri, was recently spotted at an anti-India rally in Pakistan's Lahore, India Today reported. The LeT commander was spotted at a rally organised by the Pakistan Markazi Muslim League (PMML). Along with Kasuri, son of LeT founder and UN-designated terrorist Hafiz Saeed, Talha Saeed, was also spotted at the rally, the report claimed.
Dawn: Four ‘militants’ gunned down in Balochistan
Four suspected militants from two banned separatist groups were killed on Wednesday in a gun battle with security forces in Balochistan’s Musakhail district, officials said. The clash occurred in the Rarasham area, where a special security team launched an operation following intelligence reports that militants were planning attacks in the region, according to security officials.
Africa
Reuters: Jihadist violence and coups test West Africa ECOWAS bloc at 50
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) faces growing threats of terrorism, climate change, military coups, and poverty, its most senior official said on Wednesday as leaders marked 50 years since the bloc's formation in Nigeria. Jihadist violence has surged this year in Nigeria and the Sahel region, including Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger - nations that have recently seceded from ECOWAS in protest over sanctions following military coups.
Reuters: US weighing future of military command in Africa, top general says
The United States is assessing the future of its military command for Africa, its top general for the continent said on Tuesday, and called on African governments to make their views on its possible elimination known in Washington. President Donald Trump's administration is considering merging AFRICOM, which became a distinct geographical command in 2008, with the U.S. command in Europe to cut bureaucracy, American media outlets reported in March.
Mozambique
Arab News: Militant attacks hit Mozambique as Total readies to resume gas project
A series of attacks in northern Mozambique this month point to a resurgence of violence by Daesh-linked militants as energy giant TotalEnergies prepares to resume a major gas project, analysts say. The group terrorized northern Mozambique for years before brazenly vowing in 2020 to turn the northern gas-rich Cabo Delgado province into a caliphate.
Namibia
Deutsche Welle: Namibia marks first Genocide Remembrance Day
Namibia held a national day of commemoration on Wednesday for the victims of what is often referred to as "Germany's forgotten genocide." The programme included a candlelight vigil and a speech by President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, along with a minute's silence in memory of the victims — the Herero and Nama peoples.
Niger
News Central: Niger Troops Killed in Terror Attack, Says Local Source
Several Nigerien soldiers have been killed in a terrorist assault in the country’s southwest, according to a local source speaking on Wednesday. AFP reports that the attack targeted a river brigade in the Falmey district of the Dosso region. While the source confirmed there were “several dead,” no exact number was provided.
Australia
A charge of using a Nazi symbol has been dropped against National Socialist Network leader Thomas Sewell. Mr Sewell, 31, was among 17 members of a group that was arrested after marching in Adelaide over the Australia Day long weekend.
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