The Wall Street Journal: Arab States Race Turkey For Influence In New Syria
“Saudi Arabia and other Arab states are jockeying for influence with Syria’s Islamist government, hoping to gain an advantage on rivals in the strategically positioned country despite misgivings about the jihadist past of its new leaders. The kingdom, along with Jordan and Qatar, is rushing humanitarian aid and energy assistance to Syria’s war-weary population. The Arab states are betting that doing so could advance both narrow and strategic goals—from cutting the flow of drugs and radical fighters across Syria’s borders, to countering the influence of competitors such as Turkey and Iran. “Governments in the region are worried by the new rulers’ Islamist pedigree but also that their popularity could have a contagious effect among their own population,” said Fabrice Balanche, a Syria expert and professor at University Lyon 2 in France.”
USA Today: Recent Attacks Place New Focus On Connections Between Extremism And The U.S. Military
“Two recent attacks — one in New Orleans that killed 14 people and another in Las Vegas in which a man blew up his vehicle and took his own life — were both carried out by men with military backgrounds. The New Orleans attacker, who also injured at least 35 people when he plowed a truck into a New Year’s Eve party on storied Bourbon Street, was an Army veteran who served from 2006 to 2015, including a tour in Afghanistan. He was shot and killed during a gunfight with police. The Las Vegas bomber was an active-duty Green Beret. Both left messages indicating political motives. The attacks shine new light on the U.S. military’s long-discussed problem of extremist activity in the ranks and among veterans.”
Daily Kos: ‘The Base’: Neo-Nazi/White Nationalist Paramilitary Group Training For Race War
“... The Counter Extremism Project, pointed out that The Base is “influenced by the race war called for in the book Siege by neo-Nazi James Mason.” The group claims it trains it members for a ‘hypothetical time in the future when law & order breaks down to such an extreme degree … that the authorities are unable or unwilling to restore it’” (https://www.counterextremism.com/supremacy/base ). In its profile of The Base, the counter extremism website pointed out recent statements by Rinaldo Nazzaro on Telegram.”
NOLA: ISIS Touts Bourbon Street Attack In New Orleans, Citing Its Online Propaganda Network
“... A translation of ISIS’s Al-Naba newsletter provided by the Counter Extremism Project shows ISIS wrote a wide-ranging piece on the attack. The piece said Jabbar had been influenced by its discourse and propaganda, noting the costs of the attack were negligible. The group said that Jabbar used modern technology to monitor and film, but questioned why he didn’t turn on Meta glasses investigators say he was wearing at the time to broadcast the attack. "ISIS's al-Naba statement confirmed that the terrorist group's propaganda helped inspire the New Year's Eve attacker and noted the significance of his claim of allegiance to the organization,” said Joshua Fisher-Birch, researcher at the Counter Extremism Project.”
“A plea hearing to enable alleged 9/11 terror attack mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed to avoid the death penalty will not go forward Friday, after the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals decided Thursday to pause the proceedings to allow the court to receive full briefings and hear arguments in the case on an expedited basis. The court did not rule on whether Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has the power to reverse the plea agreements with Mohammed and other defendants, but instead said it needs more time to make that decision. The U.S. government had filed a motion earlier this week seeking to stop a military tribunal in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, from accepting the plea agreements offered to three men accused of planning the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, including Mohammed.”
The Guardian: Extremism In US Military Is ‘Sleeping Danger’ Says Author Of Pentagon Report
“The decorated combat veteran who led the Biden administration’s efforts to counter extremist activity in the US military has warned there could be further domestic attacks by individuals with current or past military ties if the Pentagon fails to take the threat seriously. Both of the deadly incidents on New Year’s Day were carried out by discharged or serving members of the armed forces. The driver of a pickup truck who killed 14 revellers in New Orleans was a veteran with 13 years service in the US army, while the man who blew up a Tesla Cybertruck outside the Las Vegas Trump hotel, killing himself, was an active-duty Green Beret.”
Associated Press: Conflict Between Turkey And Kurdish Groups Rises Around Key Dam In Northern Syria
“A key dam in northern Syria has become a flash point in the conflict between Kurdish forces and Turkish-backed armed groups, which has intensified in the weeks since the fall of former Syrian President Bashar Assad in a lightning offensive. Over a thousand protesters from Kurdish areas in northeast Syria gathered Wednesday afternoon at the Tishrin Dam on the Euphrates River in Aleppo province, a critical source of both water and electricity that has been at the center of clashes. Protesters called for an end to Turkish airstrikes, which they said are damaging vital infrastructure and endangering civilian lives. Turkish drones and warplanes remained in the air during the protest, and airstrikes targeted areas near the march route, according to participants and a war monitor.”
Associated Press: Iran Says Swiss National Held On Espionage Charges Kills Himself In Prison
“A Swiss national detained in Iran on espionage charges killed himself Thursday at a prison in rural Semnan province, state media reported. The report by the Iranian judiciary’s Mizan news agency did not identify the man, only saying the man had asked his cellmate to bring him food and then killed himself while he was alone. “Efforts to save him were unsuccessful,” Mizan quoted Mohammad Sadegh Akbari, the head of the province’s justice department, as saying. Semnan prison is some 180 kilometers (110 miles) east of Tehran, Iran’s capital. Pierre-Alain Eltschinger, a spokesman for the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, confirmed the death in an e-mail.”
“Iran is reeling from a cratering economy and stinging military setbacks across its sphere of influence in the Middle East. Its bad times are likely to get worse once President-elect Donald Trump returns to the White House with his policy of “maximum pressure” on Iran. Facing difficulties at home and abroad, Iran last week began an unusual two-month-long military drill. It includes testing air defenses near a key nuclear facility and preparing for exercises in waterways vital to the global oil trade. The military flexing seems aimed at projecting strength, but doubts about its power are high after the past year’s setbacks. The December overthrow of Syrian President Bashar Assad, who Iran supported for years with money and troops, was a major blow to its self-described “Axis of Resistance” across the region.”
Voice Of America: Militants Kidnap 16 Government Employees In Northwest Pakistan
“Police and security officials in northwestern Pakistan said Thursday that militants have abducted at least 16 government workers and set unclear demands for their release. The group of civilian hostages are employees of a mining project related to the state-run Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) in the militancy-hit Lakki Marwat district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The men were commuting to work on a minibus when they were ambushed and taken hostage at gunpoint, area police officer Mohammad Ijaz said. The kidnappers then set the vehicle on fire before fleeing with the captives. The outlawed Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP, reportedly took responsibility for the kidnapping and released a video featuring the kidnapped workers.”
Associated Press: Tanker Hit By Houthi Rebels That Threatened A Red Sea Oil Spill Has Been Salvaged
“An oil tanker that burned for weeks in the Red Sea after being attacked by Yemen’s Houthi rebels and threatening a massive oil spill has been salvaged, a security firm said Friday. The Sounion had been a disaster-in-waiting in the waterway, with 1 million barrels of crude oil aboard that had been struck and later sabotaged with explosives by the Iranian-backed Houthis as part of their campaign over the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip. It took months for salvagers to tow the vessel away, extinguish the fires and offload the remaining crude oil. “Over three challenging weeks, the fires were extinguished, cargo tanks patched and pressurised with inert gas, and the vessel declared safe,” said the private security firm Ambrey, which helped lead the response alongside a European naval force and salvagers.”
The New York Times: Lebanon Turns A Political Page As Hezbollah’s Hold Is Weakened
“For decades, Hezbollah’s grip on Lebanon was iron tight. With its vast arsenal, the militant group was more powerful than the country’s national military. It controlled or held sway over Lebanon’s most important government agencies as well as critical infrastructure, like its border with Syria and commercial port. Almost no major political decisions could be made without its backing, and no political party could seriously challenge any move it, or its patron Iran, made. But that longstanding status quo has now been shaken — a turnabout for Hezbollah that has opened a new political chapter in Lebanon. Fourteen months of fighting against Israel has left the once untouchable Shiite Muslim group battered. Rebels toppled its main ally in neighboring Syria, the dictator Bashar al-Assad.”
The Washington Post: Lebanese Parliament Elects Joseph Aoun President After 2-Year Deadlock
“Lebanon’s parliament voted Thursday to elect Gen. Joseph Aoun, commander of the Lebanese Armed Forces, as the country’s new president, ending a years-long leadership vacuum that hobbled the government, delayed key reforms and raised fears of a wider collapse as the nation faced numerous crises. Aoun, 60, was widely seen as the preferred candidate of the United States, which funds, trains and arms the Lebanese military and helped broker a ceasefire between Israel and the militant group Hezbollah in November. He received 99 out of 128 votes from across the political spectrum, including Hezbollah lawmakers and their rivals in parliament. As soon as it was clear he had enough votes, the chamber erupted into applause.”
“Israel’s army confirmed Friday that one of the bodies recovered from Gaza earlier this week was that of 23-year-old hostage Hamzah AlZayadni. His body was retrieved with that of his father, Yosef AlZayadni, who were taken together when Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel 15 months ago. His father was quickly identified, while his son’s remains were sent for verification. In recent weeks, Israel and Hamas have appeared to inch closer to an agreement for a ceasefire and the release of hostages. Palestinians and family members of hostages who were killed in captivity have been imploring the Israeli government and world leaders for a ceasefire deal.”
“Gaza’s Health Ministry said Thursday that more than 46,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Israel-Hamas war, with no end in sight to the 15-month conflict. The ministry said a total of 46,006 Palestinians have been killed and 109,378 wounded. It has said women and children make up more than half the fatalities, but does not say how many of the dead were fighters or civilians. The Israeli military says it has killed over 17,000 militants, without providing evidence. It blames Hamas for civilian deaths because it says militants operate in residential areas. Israel’s air and ground operations have driven hundreds of thousands of Palestinians into sprawling tent camps along the coast with limited access to food and other essentials.”
Reuters: Nigeria, China Deepen Ties With Pledge On Security, Finance And Economic Growth
“Nigeria and China plan to deepen cooperation in areas such as clean energy, defence and finance, with China pledging support for Nigeria's issuance of Panda bonds to fund infrastructure, the two countries' foreign ministers said on Thursday. Nigerian Foreign Minister Yusuf Tuggar and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi also outlined efforts to address regional security challenges. Wang was visiting Nigeria as part of a wider four-nation tour of Africa, an annual journey seen as aimed at advancing Beijing's already considerable influence on the continent. His visit to Nigeria follows recent high-level exchanges, including intergovernmental committee talks in Beijing last June and Nigerian President Bola Tinubu's state visit to China in September.”
BBC: Chad Foils Attempt To Destabilise Country - Minister
“Chad's government has said security forces had thwarted an alleged effort to destabilise the country on Wednesday night, after a group of people attacked the presidential palace in the capital, N'Djamena. "An attempt at destabilisation has been foiled. Nineteen people died and six were injured, including 18 assailants and one soldier," Foreign Minister Abderaman Koulamallah told state TV. He added that 24 individuals armed with knives, rather than guns, had attacked the guards around the presidential palace. Calm has now returned to N'Djamena. Earlier, sources close to the government had said clashes had occurred between security forces and "terrorist elements". But Koulamallah described the attack as a "disordered and incomprehensible attempt" carried out by people who were intoxicated.”
Politico: UK Rejects Trump Team’s Call To Repatriate ‘ISIS Bride’
“Shamima Begum, who left the U.K. to join ISIS while at school, will not be allowed to leave Syria and return to Britain, the government’s top diplomat confirmed Thursday — despite urging from Donald Trump’s incoming team. Foreign Secretary David Lammy was asked about Begum’s future after the U.S. president-elect’s pick for Senior Director for Counterterrorism Sebastian Gorka said the U.K. should repatriate British members of the Islamist terror group currently held in Syrian detention camps. “Any nation which wishes to be seen as a serious ally and friend of the most powerful nation in the world should act in a fashion that reflects that serious commitment,” Gorka told the Times newspaper, stressing that this applied “doubly so for the U.K.””
Associated Press: Italy’s Foreign Minister Heads To Syria To Encourage Post-Assad Transition
“Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said he will travel to Syria on Friday to encourage the country’s transition following the ouster of President Bashar Assad by Islamist insurgents, and said Europe should review its sanctions on Damascus now that the political situation has changed. Tajani presided over a meeting in Rome on Thursday of foreign ministry officials from five countries — Britain, France, Germany, Italy and the United States — after speaking earlier by telephone with his counterparts from Turkey and Saudi Arabia. The aim, he said, is to coordinate the various post-Assad initiatives, with Italy prepared to make proposals on private investments in health care for the Syrian population.”
“The Polish government adopted a resolution on Thursday vowing to ensure the free and safe participation of the highest representatives of Israel — including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — who choose to attend commemorations for the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau later this month. Netanyahu became an internationally wanted suspect last year after the International Criminal Court, the world’s top war crimes court, issued an arrest warrant for him and others in connection with the war in Gaza, accusing them of crimes against humanity.”
Extremists: Their Words. Their Actions.
Fact:
On October 7, 2023, Hamas invaded southern Israel where, in the space of eight hours, hundreds of armed terrorists perpetrated mass crimes of brutality, rape, and torture against men, women and children. In the biggest attack on Jewish life in a single day since the Holocaust, 1,200 were killed, and 251 were taken hostage into Gaza—where 101 remain. One year on, antisemitic incidents have increased by record numbers.
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