Eye on Extremism: September 9, 2026
Top Stories
Iran spent decades building up armed groups on Israel’s frontiers that suffered major losses in the wars following Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack out of Gaza. Israel battered the Palestinian militants as well as Lebanon’s Hezbollah, which had been Iran’s most powerful ally. Regional officials and experts say Iran is now using the Iraqi militias and the Houthis to threaten Saudi Arabia and other American allies in the Gulf in order to drive up the costs of the war launched by the U.S. and Israel in February.
As the High Holy Days approach, rabbis in the United States say their congregations are deeply unsettled by antisemitic threats and aware of sharp divisions in their own communities. But many are also determined to embrace the coming days of celebration and reflection.
CEP Mentions
Tageblatt: Iran's XXL hardliners are mobilizing against Trump – with an offensive military strategy
CEP Senior Direct Hans-Jakob Schindler speaks on the current status of the Iranian regime.
Analysis
Twenty-five years ago, the September 11 attacks prompted the invention of new security architectures that shaped the war on terrorism. Sixteen think tank experts from fifteen countries reflect on the successes, failures, and missed opportunities in the fight against terrorism—a fight that is still ongoing.
Iran International: Iran’s weakened axis still bites as Houthis escalate against Saudi Arabia
The escalating battle between Saudi Arabia and the Iran-backed Houthis may be a test of what remains of Tehran’s Axis of Resistance after months of war and mounting pressure on Iran itself. But the fighting is also showing why a weakened axis can remain dangerous: it does not have to win territory to impose costs on Iran’s adversaries.
Newsweek: As a Favor for His Taliban Hosts, Osama bin Laden Had Their Rival Assassinated
September 9, 2001: Ahmad Shah Massoud, leader of the so-called Northern Alliance, was assassinated September 9 during a media interview in the Panshir Valley of northern Afghanistan. Two al-Qaeda suicide bombers posing as TV interviewers for Belgian television were taken to Massoud's camp. They were thoroughly searched and screened—but the bomb was hidden in their video camera. The Northern Alliance did not officially confirm Massoud's death until September 15.
United States
Americans now fear domestic extremists more than they do the possibility of foreign terror groups, according to a new survey. A Reuters/Ipsos poll found that, as the 25th anniversary of 9/11 approaches, the share of Americans who are concerned about the possibility of domestic terrorism outnumber those fearing an attack from a foreign group.
The Guardian: US airports to let some people without tickets pass through security
Some people without plane tickets will be allowed to pass through security at US airports and go to gates to see off family or friends, rolling back a rule that was introduced after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
JNS: NYC seeks help finding men suspected of two incidents it’s probing as anti-Jewish hate crimes
The New York City Police Department said on Tuesday night that it is asking the public to help it identify two men, whom it suspects of two incidents that its hate crime task force is investigating as suspected Jew-hatred.
CBS News: Man accused of shouting antisemitic, racial slurs at NYC synagogue to be arraigned
Larry Montes is scheduled to be arraigned in New York Supreme Court in Lower Manhattan, where he faces both federal and state hate crime charges.
CBS News: Chicago police seeking man accused of antisemitic attack on CTA Red Line train
Chicago police are asking for the public's help with identifying a man they said battered a passenger while making antisemitic remarks on a CTA Red Line train last month.
Islamophobic remarks made by a speaker during a national Jewish conference in Los Angeles have drawn condemnation from the city’s mayor. But national and local Jewish groups who organized and funded the program have largely remained silent.
Europe
AzerNews: Europe warns of teenagers drawn into online violence for fame
European law enforcement agencies have warned of a growing form of violent extremism among young internet users in which participants may have no clear political or religious ideology but are instead united by an interest in brutality, a desire to shock others and the pursuit of notoriety online.
Estonia
ERR News: Teens charged in hate fueled arson attacks on ethnic-owned Tallinn food businesses
A 16-year-old boy has been charged with multiple arson and assaults motivated by extremist views, with a 19-year-old also charged over a hammer attack. The 16-year-old is charged with systematically setting fire, with the use of accelerants, to cars and restaurants, reportedly owned by people of color, and causing over €82,000 in damages, the prosecutor's office said.
Germany
The Guardian: Merz accuses AfD of ‘ethnic cleansing’ policy and cancels call with Trump
Germany’s chancellor, Friedrich Merz, has accused the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) of seeking “ethnic cleansing” with its “remigration” drive, after the nativist party’s seismic weekend victory in a state election.
After Alternative for Germany’s big state-election win in eastern Germany on Sunday, the party is as close as it has ever been to actually governing. If it succeeds, it intends to launch one of the most ambitious far-right policy experiments in Europe this century.
New York Times: This Tiny Anti-Establishment Party May Put Germany’s Far Right in Power
It has no seats in the German Parliament. It is polling at less than 5 percent in national opinion surveys. In a state election on Sunday in Saxony-Anhalt, eastern Germany, it barely scraped into the statehouse. Yet the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance, a tiny anti-establishment party, suddenly wields outsized influence. Its handful of newly elected state lawmakers could give power to Germany’s far right for the first time since 1945.
Reuters: Holocaust survivor 'appalled' by prospect of far-right in power in German state
Eva Umlauf was two years old when she and her mother were freed from the Nazi death camp Auschwitz in January 1945. She says she is horrified to see that more than 80 years later, the far-right is once again on the rise in Germany.
Italy
The Record: Italian tech collective Autistici/Inventati shuts down after US terrorist designation
The Italian technology collective Autistici/Inventati (A/I) announced Sunday it will shut down operations after the U.S. government declared it a terrorist organization and imposed sanctions.
JNS: In Italy, hundreds protest bill to ban antisemitic rallies
Hundreds of people gathered on Wednesday in Rome for a demonstration against a bill that seeks to ban antisemitic rallies in Italy. The protesters oppose the bill’s use of a definition for antisemitism that includes certain types of anti-Israel statements. Several smaller protests against the bill were planned to occur in cities across Italy.
The Media Line: Hamas, Hezbollah Flags Reported at Rome Protest Over Antisemitism Bill
Flags associated with Hamas and Hezbollah, as well as an Iranian flag, were displayed Tuesday at a demonstration outside the Italian Parliament opposing proposed legislation that would adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition of antisemitism, Italian newspapers reported.
Slovenia
A court in Slovenia has sentenced an Iraqi asylum seeker to five years in prison for membership of Islamic State, in the first such case in the country involving an applicant for international protection. The Ljubljana District Court found the man guilty of being a member of the Islamic State (also known as ISIS) in Iraq in 2016, according to Eurojust, the EU agency for criminal justice co-operation.
United Kingdom
Advocacy groups and social media accounts have launched public witness appeals following reports that a Jewish schoolboy was beaten outside Belsize Park station in northwest London last Friday.
BBC: Age of those with extreme violence fascination ‘striking’
The young age of people referred to a counter-terrorism scheme due to their fascination with extreme violence is "striking", the public inquiry into the Southport knife attacks has heard.
Afghanistan
Some residents of Helmand Province say that the failure of Taliban courts to address people’s problems has led them to turn to tribal elders to resolve their legal disputes. The residents told The Hasht-e Subh Daily on Wednesday, September 9, that since the Taliban’s return to power, the failure of the group’s courts to address cases has led to an increase in complaints.
8AM Media: Reporters Without Borders Condemns Taliban Detention of Journalists in Khost
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has condemned the detention of 12 journalists by the Taliban’s Morality Police in Khost. The organization said in a statement published on its X page on Tuesday, September 8, that the journalists’ work equipment had been confiscated due to the Taliban’s ban on photographing living beings.
Balochistan Pulse: Badakhshan: New Front Against Afghan Taliban
Armed resistance against the Taliban has intensified in northern Afghanistan, with anti-Taliban groups launching coordinated attacks on military and administrative positions in Badakhshan province. The latest clashes point to one of the most significant increases in armed opposition since the Taliban returned to power in 2021.
KabulNow: Taliban Surround Office of Afghanistan’s Shia High Council in Kabul
Taliban forces have surrounded the office of Afghanistan’s “High Shia Council” in Kabul, local sources said on Tuesday. A source told local media that the office is located in the Karte Char area of Kabul. According to the source, Taliban forces surrounded the office at around 2 p.m. The reason for the move was not immediately clear.
Gaza Strip/West Bank
Hamas has been operating to reclaim its weaponry and reestablish military control over the Gaza Strip, despite the ongoing ceasefire and disarmament agreement, N12 News reported on Wednesday, citing IDF sources.
Al-Monitor: Majority of Palestinians lose trust in Hamas and Fatah, new poll finds
A new poll by a Palestinian research institute published on Tuesday found declining levels of support for both Fatah and Hamas among Palestinians, with more than half of respondents favoring peace negotiations to end the Israeli occupation, nearly three years after the Israeli war in the Gaza Strip began.
Iran
AFP: Iran Guards say war can end if US meets demands, Israel withdraws from Lebanon
Iran's Revolutionary Guards said on Wednesday that the war with the United States could end if Washington stopped threatening the Islamic republic and met Tehran's conditions, including regarding its nuclear program.
Shafaq News: IRGC: We can strike 20 targets for every three hit
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said Tuesday that it has developed the ability to respond to attacks by striking up to 20 targets for every two or three Iranian targets hit by an adversary.
IranWire: IRGC Claims Capture of Advanced U.S. Underwater Drone Near Hormuz
The “Dive-LD” Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV), produced by the American defense technology company Anduril Industries, was captured by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on Monday evening. Designed for reconnaissance, intelligence gathering, mine countermeasures, and seabed mapping, the drone is capable of diving to depths of 6,000 meters and conducting autonomous missions lasting up to 10 days.
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed on Wednesday it attacked two US vessels and eight oil tankers in the Persian Gulf in response to what it called a US attack on five Iranian tankers, Iranian state media reported, citing a statement from the group.
Iran International: IRGC says vessels entering designated Strait of Hormuz zone will face sanctions
Any vessel entering a designated restricted zone around the Strait of Hormuz, whose exact coordinates will be announced, will face sanctions and lose access to maritime, insurance and support services, IRGC spokesman Hossein Mohebbi said.
Iran International: All IRGC attempted attacks failed, CENTCOM says
US Central Command denied an IRGC assertion that Iranian forces had struck two US Navy destroyers operating in the Middle East, calling it “completely false.” “No US Navy warship has been struck; all IRGC attempted attacks failed,” CENTCOM said on Wednesday.
Reuters: Sunni Kurdish cleric killed in northwest Iran, Guards blame ‘separatists’
Sunni Kurdish cleric Mamosta Mohammad Nezhati was killed in northwestern Iran, the Revolutionary Guards said in a statement reported on Wednesday by the semi-official Mehr news agency. The statement accused what it called “Zionist-American Kurdish separatist groups” of carrying out the attack.
Iran International: War conditions curb mandatory hijab crackdown, Iranian official says
Iranian authorities are holding back from enforcing mandatory hijab as extensively as they would like because of “war conditions,” a senior official said Wednesday, even as pressure grows for tougher enforcement.
Iran International: Iran plans new university hijab directive as hardliners press for enforcement
Iran is preparing to issue a new compulsory hijab directive for universities, a senior official said Tuesday, as hardliners intensify pressure on women over mandatory veiling ahead of the anniversary of Mahsa Amini’s death in morality police custody.
Iraq
Reuters: Why is US ally Iraq unable to disarm Iran's militia allies?
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi could face a credibility crisis if Iran-backed Shi'ite militias fail to heed his call to hand over their weapons to the state. After a July meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House, Zaidi pledged to disarm the powerful groups by September 30, the same date scheduled for the withdrawal of the remaining U.S.-led international coalition forces from Iraq.
Israel
Since October 7, settler extremists have repeatedly harassed residents of Qusra, and in recent weeks even besieged two homes with the families, including young children, trapped inside.
Lebanon
Naharnet: Report: Hezbollah won’t give Netanyahu what he wants for elections
Hezbollah has conveyed to relevant parties that it will not grant Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “what he wants, at the timing he desires, merely to serve his electoral calculations,” a prominent political source said. “The military silence it is maintaining is not without reason,” the source told al-Joumhouria newspaper.
Naharnet: Aoun: Ending hostility with Israel means ending wars
President Joseph Aoun on Wednesday said that the loyalty of the Lebanese must be to their country, warning that “anyone who seeks external backing against a fellow citizen at home is bound to lose, because foreign powers will eventually abandon them.”
Naharnet: Geagea demands removal of ‘illegal arms’ from Nabatieh to secure ceasefire
Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea expressed deep concern Wednesday that Nabatieh could face the same fate as Ali al-Taher and Beaufort Castle in southern Lebanon, calling on state authorities to strictly enforce decisions outlawing Hezbollah’s military and security wings.
Naharnet: Shiites need guarantees to disarm, al-Khatib reportedly told Issa
The Head of the Higher Islamic Shiite Council, Sheikh Ali al-Khatib, told U.S. Ambassador Michel Issa that Lebanon’s Shiite community did not take up arms by choice, but out of necessity to confront Israeli occupation, Al-Liwaa newspaper reported Wednesday.
Syria
Reuters: At least 14 killed in explosion at weapons depot in Syria's Idlib, state TV says
At least 14 people were killed and 11 wounded on Wednesday in an explosion at a temporary site used to store weapons and remnants of war near the Syrian city of Sarmada in Idlib province, state television reported.
Africa
Africa Defense Forum: Islamic State Group Affiliates Connect in Sahel
More than 1,000 kilometers separate Islamic State group (IS) affiliates in the Lake Chad Basin and the Liptako-Gourma corner of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES). However, analysts say the two groups increasingly are able to work together because of porous borders and a lack of regional security cooperation.
France24: JNIM jihadists step up incursions into northern Benin
Al Qaeda affiliate JNIM has been intensifying its activities in Benin since 2022. The country serves as a transit corridor between the areas of operation of the group, which is well established in Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso. Two nature reserves have become logistical hubs for the jihadist fighters. Benin's army is striving to hold the line.
Nigeria
Africa Defense Forum: Islamic State Group Expands Into Rural Nigeria
For more than a decade, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) has waged an intense insurgency across the Lake Chad region, affecting communities in Chad, Cameroon, Niger and Nigeria. But the geographic nature of this threat is changing.
India
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has alleged in its chargesheet in the 2025 Red Fort blast case that members of the accused terror module accessed and circulated extremist literature, including the Lone Mujahid Pocket Book, also referred to as How to Become an Assassin.
Australia
The White Australia party is a “modern manifestation” of Adolf Hitler’s Nazi movement and would motivate hate crimes against sections of the country, the high court has heard.
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