Eye on Extremism: September 16, 2026
Top Stories
Reuters: Saudis pound Yemen, Houthis fire at Saudi, as Middle East war spreads
Saudi warplanes pounded Yemen and Houthi fighters launched drones and missiles at Saudi cities, the Iran-backed movement said on Wednesday, after a lightning advance that has extended Tehran's reach in the Middle East war.
Antisemitic conspiracy theorists utilized the lead-up to the 25th anniversary of 9/11 to disseminate a broader web of unrelated libels targeting Jewish people, according to a study released by the Antisemitism Research Center of the Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM).
CEP Mentions
Tagesspiegel: “The BND is not incapable”
Chancellor Merz considers the German intelligence services to be just as good as the CIA, Mossad, MI5, and MI6. Security expert Hans-Jakob Schindler agrees in principle, but sees gaps in their capabilities.
Pro7 Newstime: 16 September 2026
Security expert Hans-Jakob Schindler analyzes the 10-point security reform package of the German government in reaction to the terror attack against the CSD parade in Berlin,
Analysis
On International Day of Democracy, assessments by major international organisations show that Afghanistan under Taliban rule ranks at the bottom of global democracy tables after a historic collapse in political and civil rights.
United States
Reuters: US officials met Iran-backed Houthis in Oman over the weekend, sources say
U.S. officials met representatives of Yemen's Houthis in Oman over the weekend, five sources familiar with the matter said, days after the Iran-backed militia seized a strategic stretch of the Red Sea coast in a sweeping offensive that routed Saudi-backed forces.
JNS: NYC Council, healthcare groups hold their first meeting on Jew-hatred in medicine
Julie Menin, the first Jewish speaker of the New York City Council, and several members of the council met with representatives of more than a dozen healthcare organizations from across the city last week to talk about Jew-hatred in medicine.
Courthouse News Service: Meta back in court over white supremacist mass shooting in Buffalo
New York’s high court on Tuesday held lengthy oral arguments to determine whether or not social media companies like Meta should be liable for Payton Gendron’s 2022 mass shooting at a supermarket in Buffalo, New York, that killed 10.
CBS News: Pennsylvania man accused of planning attack in support of ISIS appears in federal court
The Pennsylvania man arrested by the FBI and accused of planning an attack in support of ISIS made an appearance in federal court and waived his preliminary hearing Wednesday.
Comedian Bill Maher spent the first night of Rosh Hashanah taking aim at Macklemore and other anti-Israel celebrities, arguing that calling the war in Gaza a genocide is fueling a global rise in antisemitism.
NBC: Following mosque attack, San Diego City Council adopts definition of Islamophobia
Months after two terrorists killed three men at a San Diego mosque, the City Council Tuesday unanimously adopted a working definition of Islamophobia with the intention of taking a moral stance against hate.
EdSource: Federal court revives antisemitism lawsuit involving Los Angeles Unified ethnic studies
A group of Jewish parents and teachers are celebrating a recent court ruling that will allow them to refile a lawsuit against the United Teachers Los Angeles union and creators of the controversial “liberated” ethnic studies curriculum that some Los Angeles Unified teachers use.
Times of Israel: NYC man who attacked Israeli in hate crime after Oct. 7 sentenced to 90 days
An assailant convicted of an antisemitic hate crime for attacking an Israeli in New York City after the October 7, 2023, invasion of Israel was sentenced on Tuesday to 90 days in jail.
New York Daily News: Defendant smiles, flashes peace sign at sentencing for antisemitic attack
A man who pleaded guilty to attacking an Israeli tourist in Times Square smiled and flashed a peace symbol to photographers at his sentencing Tuesday. When Judge Althea Drysdale asked Yehia Amin why he was smiling, the defendant replied through an interpreter that he wanted to look good for the cameras.
A 54-year-old Pullman man faces several potential charges, including a hate crime for allegedly yelling anti-Islamic statements and harassing people at the Pullman Islamic Center.
Arizona Republic: Popular Phoenix band removes member after antisemitic 9/11 rant
The percussionist for a popular cumbia fusion band from Phoenix shared an Instagram post on Friday, Sept. 11, showing a photoshopped image of former President George W. Bush with a Star of David tattoo on his forehead, wearing what appears to be a Jewish prayer shawl and yarmulke with the Twin Towers and an airplane as the backdrop.
The Pratt Institute, a private art college in Brooklyn, disciplined a student who harassed a Jewish professor at the school after “consistent complaints” from the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law, the center said on Tuesday.
JNS: Florida university students ask court to block suspensions over racist, antisemitic group chat
Four Florida International University students disciplined over racist and antisemitic messages in a private group chat asked a federal court on Tuesday to halt their suspensions and other sanctions while their First Amendment lawsuit proceeds.
Federal agents say Jonathan Kramer met up with a man in a Walmart parking lot in Gibsonia and bought a rifle from him. From there, the FBI says he was planning a mass shooting in the name of ISIS. “He armed himself to carry out a mass attack against the American people and was doing so right here in the suburbs of Pittsburgh,” FBI Special Agent in Charge Richard Evanchec said.
Canada
Toronto mayoral candidates traded sharp criticisms during the city’s first televised debate hosted on Monday by the Daily Bread Food Bank, with challenger Chris Alexander directly confronting incumbent Mayor Olivia Chow over her record on public safety and her handling of rising antisemitism.
Ynet: Air Canada removes senior crew member over alleged antisemitic posts
Air Canada removed in-flight service director Blair Boudreau from duty after allegations of antisemitic and violent social media posts, as the airline separately moved up the return of nonstop Toronto-Tel Aviv service to Nov. 30
Belgium
Daily Sabah: Belgium mosque hit by anti-Islam graffiti twice in 10 days
A mosque in Belgium was targeted with anti-Islam graffiti for the second time in just 10 days, highlighting renewed concerns over attacks targeting Muslim communities in the country, local broadcaster VRT reported Tuesday.
Germany
Reuters: Merz’s fate in the balance as second eastern German state goes to the polls
Germany's struggling Chancellor Friedrich Merz will be relying on the popular centre-left state premier in the eastern region of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania to keep out the far right in an election on Sunday which may decide his political survival.
Deutsche Welle: German Chancellor Merz reels as far-right AfD makes gains
The Alternative for Germany’s Saxony-Anhalt win dealt Chancellor Friedrich Merz a major blow. DW looks at what it means ahead of two more state elections.
New York Times: Migrants Fear Discrimination After Far Right Surge in German State
After polls closed in a German state election this month, dozens of local pro-migrant activists gathered anxiously for dinner to see how big a win the anti-immigrant far right would secure.
Netherlands
NL Times: Prosecutors recommend over 17 years jail for alleged former ISIS leader
Prosecutors have recommended 17 and a half years in prison for 41-year-old Ayham A. From Arkel, Zuid-Holland, for his alleged prominent role in the terrorist organization Islamic State (ISIS) in his native Syria.
United Kingdom
Reuters: UK police charge man with religiously aggravated criminal damage against Muslim venues
British police said on Wednesday that they had charged a 21-year-old man with racially and religiously aggravated criminal damage against Muslim organisations and venues in London.
BBC: New hate crime reporting hubs in mosques will ‘remove barriers’
“As a community, we’ve just been told over the years, you've got to be better. You are guests in this country; you won't be treated equally,” said Faisal Mahmood, a community leader from Peterborough, on growing up as a Muslim in the UK.
At least five Reform UK councillors have been members of a Facebook group linked to the far-right group involved in the blockades of Dover and Portsmouth by masked men, according to anti-fascist campaigners.
Jerusalem Post: London Jews warn of security crisis after antisemitic arson attacks
Jewish security leaders praised London Fire Brigade (LFB) for its response to the spate of antisemitic arson attacks across the city this year, while warning that the attacks exposed a broader security crisis facing British Jews.
Middle East
Times of Israel: ‘Red line’: Houthis accused of targeting Mecca for first time in current flare-up
The Saudi-led coalition battling Yemen’s Houthis accused the rebels on Wednesday of targeting Islam’s holy city Mecca, sparking outrage across the Muslim world and deepening the conflict roiling the region.
Reuters: Houthi blitz leaves Saudi Arabia exposed, Iran emboldened
The Houthi capture of ground overlooking the Bab el-Mandeb Strait has dealt Saudi Arabia its gravest setback in Yemen in years, exposing intelligence failures, the collapse of Yemeni allies and the limits of U.S. protection.
AFP: Saudi Arabia vows to respond ‘firmly’ to Houthi attacks
Saudi Arabia vowed on Tuesday to respond “firmly” to attacks by Yemen’s Houthis, after the Iran-backed fighters wounded 13 people in the kingdom in an assault using ballistic missiles and drones.
Afghanistan
Afghanistan International: Two explosions occur near two Taliban religious schools in Badakhshan
Local sources say two explosions have occurred within an hour of each other in the capital of Badakhshan, Faizabad. The first was near a Taliban religious seminary, and the second was caused by a mine planted in a generator inside a seminary in Chahoshdara, Yaftal Bala.
Afghanistan International: Anti-Taliban Groups Claim 88 Attacks Across 21 Provinces, Says UN
A new UN report on Afghanistan points to increased anti-Taliban attacks, continued clashes with Pakistan, ongoing human rights violations and a worsening economic situation.
Afghanistan International: UN Security Council To Review Situation In Afghanistan
The UN Security Council will meet on Wednesday to review the situation in Afghanistan. Georgette Gagnon, acting head of UNAMA, is expected to brief council members on the latest developments in the country.
AmuTV: UN: Security incidents in Afghanistan rise 11% as risks mount
The United Nations recorded 2,947 security incidents in Afghanistan from May through July, an 11% increase from the same period last year, as armed opposition attacks increased and tensions along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border remained volatile, according to a new report by UN Secretary-General António Guterres.
Afghanistan International: Dozens Of Terrorist Groups Operate In Afghanistan, Says Pakistan Army
Pakistan’s military spokesperson says dozens of terrorist groups operating in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan are training, arming and planning cross-border attacks.
8AM Media: United Front Claims Killing Taliban Fighter in Kandahar
The United Front of Afghanistan has claimed that it killed a Taliban police fighter in Kandahar city. The group said early Wednesday, September 16, on its X account that the Taliban fighter was killed in a targeted operation.
8AM Media: Pakistan Army Spokesperson: Afghanistan Has Become a Base for Dozens of Terrorist Groups
Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, spokesperson for the Pakistan Army, has said that dozens of terrorist groups are operating in Afghanistan and using territory under Taliban control. Chaudhry said in an interview with Al Arabiya on Wednesday, September 16, that the Taliban have made territory under their control available to these groups for recruitment, training, arming, and directing various terrorist attacks inside Pakistan and across the region.
Gaza Strip/West Bank
Jerusalem Post: Daughter of former Gaza hostage confronts UN over UNRWA funding despite Hamas ties
Neta Heiman Mina, whose elderly mother, Ditza Heiman, was taken hostage by Hamas terrorists on October 7, 2023, and held prisoner in Gaza for nearly two months, spoke at the 63rd Session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland, on Tuesday. She spoke on a panel on human rights education, confronting the UN over its continued funding of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) despite its ongoing ties to Hamas.
Times of Israel: IDF says Hamas Rafah Brigade chief, other terror commanders killed in Gaza strikes
The military announced on Tuesday that several Hamas commanders and a Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist who invaded Israel on October 7, 2023, were killed in recent strikes in the Gaza Strip.
Gaza terrorists joked about the October 2023 invasion of Israel as the attack was taking place, according to contemporaneous phone calls released in a US federal investigation on Tuesday that gave an inside view of terrorists’ immediate reaction to the Hamas attack and their preparations to join the invasion.
CoinDesk: Hamas’ military wing told donors to avoid Binance. Use Bybit, OKX and others instead
Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, told potential donors that it would prefer if they didn’t use Binance to transfer funds to the militant group’s wallet, according to documents released by the U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ).
Iran
Iranian security forces fanned out across several western cities on Wednesday as shopkeepers shut down businesses to mark the fourth anniversary of the death of Mahsa Amini, according to videos and messages sent to Iran International.
Lebanon
AFP: Aoun wants Israel security deal, Hezbollah disarmament without confrontation
President Joseph Aoun told AFP that Lebanon wants a new force, from Europe or elsewhere, to avoid a security “vacuum” in the south when U.N. peacekeepers leave at the end of the year.
Naharnet: Hezbollah MPs, rivals clash in parliament over Israel
The second day of a general parliamentary debate session witnessed renewed verbal clashes between lawmakers from Hezbollah and political rivals. “Go check what the Israelis said about Ali al-Taher. Shame on you,” MP Ihab Hamadeh of Hezbollah told his political foes, prompting MP Waddah Sadek to say, “Go check who brought the Israelis into the country!”
Yemen
Reuters: Houthi Red Sea offensive elevates enigmatic Yemeni commander’s standing
Abdul Malik al-Houthi, an elusive figure who commands a battle-hardened force, scored his biggest military victory in years when his Iran-aligned Houthi militant group swept through Yemen's Red Sea coastline and tightened their grip on a vital shipping waterway, rattling oil superpower Saudi Arabia.
Reuters: Alarmed Yemenis flee south as Houthis keep up attacks
After a drone strike sent shrapnel flying into his wife's chest, killing her, Muhammad Aiyash and his three children fled with no belongings to a new makeshift camp for the displaced in the southern Yemeni city of Aden.
Naharnet: Why Yemen’s Houthis have only grown stronger through years of war
At various times over the last decade, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, the United States, Britain and Israel have carried out punishing air raids on Yemen's Houthi rebels — only to see them grow even stronger. Now, as the Iran-backed Houthis advance on a key maritime chokepoint and strike Saudi oil facilities, rattling world markets, there is little that can be done to stop them that hasn’t been tried before.
Arab News: Hezbollah must be convinced to prioritize Lebanon and not Iran, says Elias Bou Saab
Hezbollah must prioritize Lebanon’s interests over those of Iran for progress to be made on disarming the group and advancing negotiations with Israel, deputy speaker in the Lebanese Parliament, Elias Bou Saab, said on Wednesday, as negotiations remain frozen amid the wider US war on Iran.
India
The Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) arrested a 19-year-old man from Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, in connection with an alleged module linked to the ideology of Al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS), officials said on Wednesday.
Jerusalem Post: Houthis downed Saudi F-15 fighter jet over Marib, Yemen, terror group spox. claims
Yemen's Houthis claimed to have downed an F-15 fighter jet belonging to the Royal Saudi Air Force over Yemen's Marib Governorate, the terror group's military spokesperson Yahya Saree claimed on Wednesday.
Africa
BeninWebTV: Sahel: jihadist violence could exceed 3,000 incidents in 2026
Violence involving jihadist groups in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger could surpass 3,000 incidents in 2026 if the current pace continues, marking an unprecedented level in at least a decade. ACLED has already recorded 2,145 events this year, according to data from the organization reported on Wednesday, September 16.
Africa Defense Forum: JNIM Expansion Across Malian Border Threatens Guinea
The discovery and dismantling of a terrorist cell linked to the al-Qaida-affiliated Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) was surprising news in Guinea in March. Weeks later, the government announced the creation of an interagency Special Operations Command to prevent and counter the spread of terrorism.
Mali
Hundreds of thousands of Malians have been forced to flee their homes over the past decade amid the conflict between government forces and allied armed groups and various non-state armed groups, with many seeking refuge in neighbouring Mauritania.
South Africa
Daily Maverick: Violence without a ‘why’ — a shocking online terror network reaches South Africa
Last week marked 25 years since the 9/11 attacks in the US, an anniversary steeped in the usual solemnity, and a nation’s grief still being processed a generation later. Alongside that remembrance, the anniversary is also a moment to ask what terrorism actually looks like today. The honest answer is that the threat landscape has changed compared to 2001, and South Africa is no longer watching from a safe distance.
Australia
Former spy boss Dennis Richardson has criticised the media’s handling of “blatant antisemitism” in Australia after the October 7 Hamas attacks on Israel and has called for an “open discussion” about extremist Islamists without targeting the broader Australian Muslim community.
A middle-aged man accused of a “disgusting” Islamophobic attack on a 13-year-old girl has berated a judge after he was denied bail. Omar Yassine made an eventful court appearance on Wednesday after being held by police overnight for allegedly verbally abusing the Muslim schoolgirl on a Sydney bus.
New Zealand
Less than two months ahead of the New Zealand general elections, a PFLP-linked party running entirely on a pro-Palestine platform is raising questions about the normalization of Israel and Jew hate in the southwestern Pacific nation.
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