I’ve told my children many times: if you want to understand what’s happening in Europe today, study Europe between the two world wars. The rise of communism, Nazism and fascism. Political extremism, propaganda, growing divisions and the radicalisation of society. Look at Europe today. I believe we’re seeing disturbing parallels: the rise of Islamism, radical Marxism and neo-fascism. The ideologies aren’t identical, but the patterns of radicalisation, ideological hatred and political extremism are worth paying attention to. The big difference? Today, propaganda, disinformation and fake news can reach millions of people in the blink of an eye. Social media has given extremist movements a global megaphone. So I’m not surprised by what Al Jazeera has uncovered among elements of the British far right. But personally, I believe we’re looking at only one part of a much bigger problem. I want the same scrutiny applied to Iran-linked networks, the Muslim Brotherhood, Islamist institutions and violent far-left movements, including Antifa-linked groups. Extremism doesn’t become less dangerous just because it comes from a political camp that some people happen to sympathise with. And look at Sweden. We know Iran has used criminal networks here for violent operations, including plots involving killings. Sweden is a country of just over 10 million people. If Iran can use criminal networks in little Sweden to pursue its agenda, imagine what the regime may be doing on a global scale. Personally, I suspect what we see in Sweden is only the tip of the iceberg. We should investigate that possibility seriously rather than assume we already understand the full picture. This is what worries me about the world we live in. We often treat extremism and foreign interference as separate problems, confined to individual countries. They aren’t! What happens in Italy doesn’t stay in Italy. What happens in Syria or Yemen doesn’t stay in Syria or Yemen. We live in a globalised world where instability, radical ideologies and foreign interference can reach far beyond their point of origin! I believe we’re making a serious mistake if we fail to recognise these connections! Human history has a tendency to repeat itself. Not always in exactly the same way, but often through familiar patterns! Study the past. Recognise the warning signs. Because if we fail to understand how we got here, how can we possibly understand where we’re heading?

I'm waiting for confirmed reports on the elimination of senior Houthi terrorist leaders and key figures in Abdul-Malik al-Houthi’s inner circle. If confirmed, this could be a major blow to the leadership of Iran’s terrorist proxy in Yemen!

Kaja Kallas, @kajakallas just laid it out clearly in the European Parliament! Houthi attacks on Riyadh’s airport, residential areas, and targets in Yemen are textbook terrorism- indiscriminate strikes on civilians designed to sow fear and shift the balance of power. The EU stands with Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s legitimate government! She also stressed that the Houthis are financed, equipped and trained by Iran! This tracks with her record. Since Assad’s fall she has been one of the more consistent European voices pushing for a Syrian-led transition, sanctions relief, and engagement with the new authorities - while still insisting on inclusion, accountability, and protection of minorities. She has treated the Arab world as a region of real strategic interest rather than a permanent problem set. Her point on the Gulf is equally straightforward and correct: “The Gulf is where Europe’s best hopes are for diversifying trade supplies. Around a fifth of the EU’s trade already passes through the Red Sea. The security of the region is in our core interest.” Operation Aspides exists to protect European commercial shipping. The postponed EU-GCC summit was meant to deepen exactly this conversation. Europe’s interest in open sea lanes, diversified energy and trade routes, and a more stable Gulf is not abstract. It is concrete! Closer, more practical cooperation with the GCC, the wider Arab world, and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is not charity. It is basic strategic sense! The security of the Red Sea and the Gulf is European security! Saudi Arabia has repeatedly intercepted Houthi missiles and drones aimed at its cities and infrastructure, and it remains the indispensable partner for keeping those routes open. So I hope the EU now treat Riyadh accordingly - as a core ally,as we've seen already evidence of that they do.

The UK is deploying RAF Typhoon fighters to Saudi Arabia following escalating Houthi drone and missile strikes targeting Riyadh and coastal energy infrastructure! ​Authorized by PM Andy Burnham, the deployment is strictly defensive. Defence Secretary Wes Streeting confirmed the Typhoons "will not conduct offensive strikes against the Houthis."

Jonathan Urich, #Netanyahu’s closest media aide, has now admitted he worked to polish Qatar’s image in #Israel and the US- and kept doing so even after 7 October! He still refuses to resign. Netanyahu, who previously insisted his top strategist was clean, refuses to fire him! For years the story was that Urich only helped Qatar ahead of the 2022 World Cup. After the Hamas massacre he claimed the ties were cut. The police interrogations tell a different story. An indictment for collusion with a foreign power is expected! This is not a side issue. It sits inside a longer policy. Before 7 October, Netanyahu’s office worked closely with Qatar so Doha’s money would keep flowing to Hamas in Gaza! The calculation was explicit: fund the Islamists enough to keep them governing, weaken the Palestinian Authority, and lock in the split between Gaza and the West Bank. “Buying quiet” by strengthening the group that would later carry out the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust! When the war started and Qatar became toxic in Israel, Netanyahu publicly turned against it. Parts of his inner circle did not! Urich is one of them! He is also suspected of leaking classified Hamas documents to the German paper *Bild* on Netanyahu’s orders- material Israeli censors had blocked. The policy of using Qatari cash to manage Hamas was not invented by Qatar. It was enabled, approved, and sustained by Israeli decision-makers who believed they could control the outcome. They did not! If the people who helped shape and protect that arrangement face no real accountability, the next version of the same gamble becomes easier. The record is public. The consequences are known. The question is whether anyone in that circle will actually be held to it!

As US envoy Steve Witkoff meets Putin in St. Petersburg today- after constructive talks in Oslo with Zelenskyy and the leaders of Norway and Finland - Marco Rubio reminds us that people predicted this war would be over in 5 days. We’re now approaching 5 years! Ukraine is not easily defeated. Quite the opposite! Russia should be open to peace!

I don’t think the US has had a more open and honest presidential envoy in the Middle East than Ambassador Tom Barrack, @USAMBTurkiye. It’s refreshing! He’s brutally honest - for example, about the disaster of American policy in Iraq since 2003. He doesn’t try to dress things up as a utopia. Quite the opposite! The world is changing, and the West is correcting course. The US more than anyone. I personally believe for the better. On the Houthis he’s the same way: open about the fact that we’re still trying to figure it out, especially the consequences of the new formations and alliances taking shape. We need more of this!

Iraq has completely closed the Al-Sheeb border crossing with Iran. More crossings could follow as Baghdad moves to tighten its border controls with Tehran. ✅ Iraqi PM al-Zaidi met Crown Prince bin Salman in Riyadh on Oct 14, where he reaffirmed that Iraqi territory would not be used to launch attacks against KSA or other countries