Eye on Extremism: September 18, 2024

Associated Press: Hezbollah Is Hit By A Wave Of Exploding Pagers That Killed At Least 9 People And Injured Thousands

“Pagers used by hundreds of members of the militant group Hezbollah exploded near-simultaneously Tuesday in Lebanon and Syria, killing at least nine people, including an 8-year-old girl, and wounding several thousand, officials said. Hezbollah and the Lebanese government blamed Israel for what appeared to be a sophisticated remote attack. An American official said Israel briefed the United States on Tuesday after the conclusion of the operation, in which small amounts of explosives secreted in the pagers were detonated. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the information publicly.”

Associated Press: The UN Will Vote On A Palestinian Resolution Demanding Israel End Its Occupation

“The U.N. General Assembly will vote Wednesday on a Palestinian resolution demanding that Israel end its “unlawful presence” in Gaza and the occupied West Bank within a year, withdraw its military forces and evacuate all settlers. The resolution is being put to a vote in the 193-member assembly as Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza approaches its first anniversary and as violence in the West Bank reaches new highs. The war was triggered by Hamas attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7. Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian U.N. ambassador, opened the assembly meeting Tuesday by saying Palestinians face an “existential threat” and claiming Israel has held them “in shackles.” He demanded an end to Israel’s decades-long occupation and for Palestinians to be able to return home to live in peace and freedom.”

CEP Mentions

DW: Exploding Pagers 'Unlikely To Be An Accident'

“Lebanon's health minister says thousands have been injured after pagers used by the Hezbollah militia group exploded simultaneously. Hezbollah fighters and medics are among the wounded. Several deaths have also been reported. Hezbollah says it's investigating the cause of the blasts. Security expert Hans-Jakob Schindler told DW that it's "unlikely to be a production mistake or an accident.””

AFP: Territorial Expansion And Harassment: The Message Of The Jihadists In Bamako

“…Previously, the French anti-jihadist force Barkhane, the UN mission MINUSMA and European forces contained the threat in the North, Hans-Jakob Schindler, director of the think tank Counter-Extremism Project (CEP), explained to AFP. But Bamako asked them to leave the country and move closer to Moscow. Since then, Schindler notes, the Malian army has been ineffective, its Russian mercenary allies "have committed atrocities against the local population," and the JNIM is capitalizing on these dysfunctions by claiming in its propaganda that it is protecting the population, “creating uncertainty everywhere.”

United States

Reuters: US Senator Accuses Muslim Advocate Of Supporting Extremism In Hearing On Hate

“Republican U.S. Senator John Kennedy accused a leading Muslim civil rights advocate of supporting extremism during a Senate hearing on hate incidents in the U.S., drawing criticism from many rights groups. "You support Hamas, do you not?" Kennedy told Arab American Institute Executive Director Maya Berry, who replied by saying: "You’re asking the executive director of the Arab American Institute that question very much puts the focus on the issue of hate in our country."”

Yemen

Associated Press: US Military Acknowledges Yemen’s Houthi Rebels Shot Down 2 MQ-9 Reaper Drones

“Yemen’s Houthi rebels shot down two American MQ-9 Reaper drones in under a week, the United States military acknowledged Wednesday, further highlighting the regional spread of the Israel-Hamas war. As the one-year anniversary of the war approaches, Houthis continue a campaign to target ships traveling through the Red Sea as U.S.-led airstrikes pound their positions in Yemen. That’s imperiled a waterway that typically sees $1 trillion of trade pass through it, as well as crucial shipments of aid to war-torn Sudan and Yemen. The U.S. military said Houthis shot down the first Reaper on Sept. 10, and the second on Monday. Online video showed the downing and the flaming wreckage on the ground afterward in Yemen’s Dhamar province. General Atomics Reapers, which cost around $30 million apiece, can fly at altitudes up to 50,000 feet (15,240 meters) and have an endurance of up to 24 hours before needing to land.”

Lebanon

BBC: Hezbollah Blames Israel After Pager Explosions Kill Nine And Injure Thousands In Lebanon

“Nine people, including a child, have been killed after handheld pagers used by members of the armed group Hezbollah to communicate exploded across Lebanon, the country’s health minister says. Iran’s ambassador to Lebanon was among 2,800 other people who were wounded by the simultaneous blasts in Beirut and several other regions. Hezbollah, which is backed by Iran, said the pagers belonged “to employees of various Hezbollah units and institutions” and confirmed the deaths of eight fighters. The group blamed Israel for what it called “this criminal aggression” and vowed that it would get “just retribution”. The Israeli military declined to comment. Hours before the explosions, Israel’s security cabinet said stopping Hezbollah attacks on the north of the country to allow the safe return of displaced residents was an official war goal.”

Mali

Associated Press: Mali Troops Put Down A Deadly Militant Attack In The Capital

“Mali troops subdued the Islamic militants who attacked a military training camp and the airport in Mali’s capital Tuesday after gunbattles that killed some soldiers, authorities said. An al-Qaida-linked group claimed the attack. The militants tried to infiltrate the Faladie military police school in Bamako in a rare attack for the capital before government troops were able to “neutralize” the attackers, army Chief of Staff Oumar Diarra said on national TV, without elaborating. At least 15 suspects were arrested, a security official who was inside the training camp at the time of the attack told The Associated Press. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to talk to reporters. “This cowardly and perfidious attack led to some losses of life on the army’s side,” the army said in a statement read on national television in the evening, confirming that trainees at the military training camp were killed but not saying how many.”

Africa

Associated Press: 20 People Die In A Militia Attack In Restive Northeastern Congo

“A militia attack killed over a dozen villagers in northeastern Congo, local authorities said on Tuesday, the latest in a series of violent assaults targeting civilians. Eastern Congo has been torn by decadelong fighting between government forces and more than 120 armed groups, often involving bombs targeting civilians as the militias seek a share of the region’s gold and other resources. Violence in the region has worsened in recent months as security forces battle the militias.”

Daily Dose

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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