Associated Press: 5 Missiles Land Near Ship In The Red Sea In Likely The Latest Attack By Yemen’s Houthi Rebels

“A ship traveling through the Red Sea came under repeated missile fire Friday in a likely attack launched by Yemen’s Houthi rebels, authorities said, the latest targeting the crucial maritime route. Five missiles landed near the vessel as it traveled off the coast of the rebel-held port city of Hodeida in Yemen, the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center said. The missiles landed near the vessel, but caused no damage, the UKTMO added. The Houthis did not immediately claim the attack. However, it can take them hours or even days before they acknowledge an assault. The rebels have targeted more than 60 vessels by firing missiles and drones in their campaign that has killed a total of four sailors. They seized one vessel and sank two since November.”

Associated Press: Israel Readies Troops For A Potential Escalation In Lebanon

“Israel’s prime minister and president toured northern Israel’s border and met with military commanders there on Wednesday, amid escalating tensions with Hezbollah forces in Lebanon and mounting concerns from world leaders that a wider war could break out. Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister, posted a video on social media during his visit of him saying that Israeli forces were “determined and committed to the mission of achieving victory, and no less.” The tours by Israeli officials along the border with Lebanon came as Israel’s defense minister, Yoav Gallant, concluded four days of meetings in Washington with senior Biden administration officials, who repeatedly stressed the need for a diplomatic solution to tensions with Hezbollah. The Iran-backed militia has been targeting Israel since the Oct. 7 Hamas-led attack set off a war with Hamas in Gaza. Tensions have flared in recent weeks.”

CEP Mentions

Express: Nigel Farage Sensationally Claims Britain 'Helped Create ISIS' By Intervening In Major War

“Nigel Farage has claimed Britain “helped create ISIS” by intervening in the Libyan civil war. The Reform UK leader said former prime minister David Cameron’s decision “to go to war” was “total madness”. A bloody civil war – following the death of tyrant Muammar Gaddafi – led to anarchy in Libya, allowing the smuggling of militants, weapons and migrants across the Mediterranean Sea. […] The Counter Extremism Project said the number of attacks is rising in Nigeria, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger and Cameroon. Jihadists have even abducted and executed suspected Wagner-group spies in Mali. The Russian mercenary group is carrying out different activities across several African countries, including gathering information and protecting regimes.”

United States

Voice Of America: New Migration Patterns Could Fuel IS Plans For US, Some Officials Contend

“Recent changes in global migration patterns and smuggling routes have created an opening for terror groups like the Islamic State to set their sights on the U.S. southern border. For years, top U.S. counterterrorism officials have pushed back against critics who sounded alarms about would-be terrorists streaming across the U.S. border with Mexico. But changes within the past year have increased the likelihood of such a reality. "What we face today is a greater vulnerability to the possibility that terrorist organizations might use that pathway to get individuals into the United States," according to Nick Rasmussen, the counterterrorism coordinator for the Department of Homeland Security, or DHS. "The diversity of the migrant population arriving at our borders — this is not in any way, shape or form a problem of the Western Hemisphere," Rasmussen told a conference Thursday in Omaha, Nebraska.”

Afghanistan

Voice Of America: Afghan Farmers Grow Poppies Despite Taliban’s Ban

“Opium poppy cultivation in Afghanistan was down sharply last year, according to the United Nations and private sources, but the plants are being grown in most provinces despite a ban imposed by the Taliban. Some areas grow more than others. According to sources inside Afghanistan and on Taliban-run social media accounts, farmers in about 29 provinces have been growing poppies since spring. The largest amounts are grown in Badakhshan, Helmand, Herat and Nangarhar provinces. Poppies, which farmers process to make opium, are being grown in the open and hidden behind property walls. Taliban forces conducted thousands of operations to destroy the plant, as was announced on the X social media platform by the Ministry of Interior Counter Narcotics. It listed 29 provinces where they conducted eradication efforts.”

Lebanon

Politico: US Intel Indicates War Between Israel And Hezbollah Inching Closer

“A large-scale confrontation between Israel and Hezbollah is likely to break out in the next several weeks if Jerusalem and Hamas fail to reach a cease-fire deal in Gaza, U.S. intelligence indicates. U.S. officials are trying to convince both sides to deescalate — a task that would be significantly easier with a cease-fire in place in Gaza. But that agreement is in tense negotiations and U.S. officials are not confident Israel and Hamas will agree to the deal on the table in the near future. Meanwhile, the Israel Defense Forces and Hezbollah have drafted battle plans and are in the process of trying to procure additional weapons, according to two senior U.S. officials briefed on the intelligence. Both sides have publicly said they do not want to go to war, but senior Biden officials increasingly believe that intense fighting is likely to break out despite efforts to try and prevent it.”

Middle East

Reuters: Israeli Forces Push Deeper Into Southern And Northern Gaza

“Israeli forces deepened their incursion into two northern and southern areas of the Gaza Strip on Friday, and Palestinian health officials said tank shelling in Rafah killed at least 11 people. Residents and Hamas media said tanks advanced further west into the Shakoush neighbourhood of Rafah, forcing thousands of displaced people there to leave their tent camps and head northward to the nearby Khan Younis. The Israeli military did not immediately comment. Since May 7, tanks have advanced in several districts of Rafah, and forces remained in control of the entire border line with Egypt and the Rafah crossing, the only gateway for most of Gaza's 2.3 million people with the outside world.One resident, who spoke to Reuters via a chat app, said some bulldozers in the Shakoush area were piling up sand for Israeli tanks to station behind.”

Associated Press: Israel Lets 19 Kids Leave Gaza Who Are Sick Or Wounded, First Medical Evacuation In Nearly 2 Months

“Israeli authorities say 68 people — 19 sick or wounded children plus their companions — have been allowed out of the Gaza Strip and into Egypt in the first medical evacuation since early May, when the territory’s sole travel crossing was shut down after Israel captured it. The nearly nine-month Israel-Hamas war has devastated Gaza’s health sector and forced most of its hospitals to shut down. Health officials say thousands of people need medical treatment abroad, including hundreds of urgent cases. The Israeli military body responsible for Palestinian civilian affairs, known by its acronym COGAT, said Thursday that the evacuation was carried out in coordination with officials from the United States, Egypt and the international community. The children and their companions left Gaza via the Kerem Shalom cargo crossing, and the patients were to travel to Egypt and farther abroad for medical treatment.”

Somalia

Garowe Online: Al-Shabaab Leaders Killed In Somalia

“At least seven Al-Shabaab militants were killed in central regions of the country following operations carried out by the Somali National Army (SNA), officials said, noting the contributions from the local forces who also joined the crackdown. The seven militants were killed in Ali-Adhole within El-Dheer District, a region which the militants have tried hard to take months after losing it to the national army. The army has been camping in the region for months, maintaining law and order. During the operation conducted early Wednesday, the national forces also destroyed the militant’s base in the area and recovered various weapons. Galmadug was one of the states where the first operations phase against Al-Shabaab was mooted. Joint operations against Al-Shabaab have achieved the common strategic goals, with Al-Shabab losing critical frontlines in the struggle. Local communities have also been joining security officers in the fight against Al-Shabaab.”

Europe

Voice of America: Busy With Ukraine War, Russia Ignoring Growing Islamist Terror Threat, Experts Say

“While the world has been focused on Russia’s two-year war in Ukraine, Sunday's attacks in Dagestan, a majority-Muslim republic in Russia’s North Caucasus region, were just the latest reminder of Moscow’s long-running conflict with radical Islamists. Gunmen in Dagestan’s two largest cities — the regional capital, Makhachkala, and Derbent — targeted a police post, two Orthodox churches and a synagogue, killing 21 people, including an Orthodox priest and 16 police officers. Dozens more were injured. According to Dagestan’s regional head, Sergei Melikov, five attackers were killed. While there has been no direct claim of responsibility for the attack, the South-Central Asian regional branch of the Islamic State jihadist group welcomed the attack as a response to its call for such strikes.”

Australia

The Guardian: Albanese Says ‘No Place For Extremism In Australia’ After Teen Allegedly Enters MP’s Office With ‘Intention To Kill’

“Anthony Albanese has declared “there’s no place for extremism in Australia” after a 19-year-old man was charged with planning a terrorist attack after he allegedly entered a New South Wales Labor MP’s office carrying “knives and tactical equipment”. The prime minister was on Friday asked about a document allegedly written by Jordan Patten who was arrested on Wednesday. A Sydney magistrate on Thursday said police would allege Patten had intended to kill Newcastle MP Tim Crakanthorp “due to his position in the Labor party”. The prime minister said the teenager should “face the full force of the law”. Investigators have confirmed that Patten circulated a 200-page document to media outlets and public figures. In the document, allegedly written by Patten and seen by Guardian Australia, there is a reference to a desire to kill Labor MPs, prompting comment from the prime minister. Patten also details grievances against the political party.”