The United States military’s Central Command (CENTCOM) said its forces conducted “self-defence” strikes on Iran’s Qeshm Island and “defeated multiple” Iranian missiles and drones, as civilian vessels and regional allies Kuwait and Bahrain came under attack.

Kuwait’s military said air defence systems intercepted incoming drones and missiles, while Bahrain’s Interior Ministry said warning sirens were activated.

Iran’s Tasnim new agency cited the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) confirming it launched retaliatory missile and drone attacks on US bases in the region, but did not name Kuwait or Bahrain, following the Qeshm strikes.

US President Donald Trump has hit back at reports that negotiations with Iran to end the war have stalled, saying that “conversations between us have been going on continuously”.

Israel continues its deadly bombing campaign in southern Lebanon a day after Trump said that Israel’s leader, Benjamin Netanyahu, had agreed to call off planned attacks on Beirut’s southern suburbs.

At least 3,468 people have been killed in Israeli attacks on Lebanon since March 2, with 10,577 injured, Lebanon’s Health Ministry reports.

US military says Iran attacks on Kuwait ‘failed to impact targets’

US Central Command (CENTCOM) has posted more information about the overnight tit-for-tat strikes with Iranian forces.

The command earlier said it launched “self defence” fire “in response to attempted attacks by Iran across the Middle East”.

“Iran launched several ballistic missiles toward regional neighbors; however, all failed to hit their intended targets. Two Iranian missiles fired at Kuwait fell short or broke apart enroute, and three missiles launched at Bahrain were immediately intercepted by US and Bahrain air defense forces,” CENTCOM said in a statement.

An additional wave of Iranian drones attempting to attack U.S. forces in Kuwait failed to impact intended targets tonight. U.S. Central Command air defenses successfully downed multiple drones and ensured no American personnel or assets were harmed.

— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) June 3, 2026

World Opinion + Agencies

L’article US hits Iran’s Qeshm, says Tehran targeted Kuwait, Bahrain.. Video est apparu en premier sur World Opinion | Alternative Média.

US President Donald Trump says he spoke to Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Hezbollah for the Lebanon ceasefire, adding that both sides agreed to stop their attacks.

Earlier, Netanyahu ordered Israeli attacks on the southern suburbs of Beirut.

Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters warned residents of northern Israel to leave the area if Israel carries out threats to expand attacks on Beirut and its southern suburbs.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says the ceasefire between Iran and the US “is unequivocally a ceasefire on all fronts, including in Lebanon. Its violation on one front is a violation of the ceasefire on all fronts”.

Iran has asked Pakistan to continue playing a diplomatic role in helping reduce regional tensions and support efforts to maintain the ceasefire in Lebanon, according to a statement issued from Islamabad.

Qatari source says officials working towards de-escalation in southern Lebanon

The US has informed Qatar that strikes threatened by Israel on Beirut’s southern suburbs have been cancelled following a call between Trump and Netanyahu, a Qatari diplomatic source has told Al Jazeera.

The official added that Qatar initiated contact with the US last Sunday to push for de-escalation in southern Lebanon, and since then, its officials have been engaged in mediation efforts to reinforce the ceasefire.

What is happening in the occupied West Bank?

The Israeli army and settlers have continued their attacks across the occupied West Bank.

Here is a round-up of what happened today, according to reports collected by the Wafa news agency:

Settlers carried out a series of attacks on agricultural land in the Nablus and Ramallah governorates, including setting fire to olive plantations and causing widespread damage through livestock grazing.

Settlers erected sheds and moved caravans onto previously bulldozed land in the town of Turmus Ayya, northeast of Ramallah, where olive trees had earlier been uprooted.

Israeli forces stormed the Kafr Aqab neighbourhood, north of occupied East Jerusalem, firing tear gas and stun grenades.

Israeli authorities issued a demolition order against a Palestinian’s home and commercial facility in the town of Jaba, north of Jerusalem. It houses two families of 13 people.

World Opinion + Agencies

L’article Trump says he spoke to Netanyahu, Hezbollah about Lebanon est apparu en premier sur World Opinion | Alternative Média.

Le Paris Saint-Germain est toujours le roi du football européen. Tenants du titre, les Parisiens se sont offert une deuxième Ligue des champions en battant Arsenal en finale (1-1, 4-3 aux tirs au but).

Paris reste sur le toit de l’Europe! Les hommes de Luis Enrique ont renversé Arsenal, nouveau champion d’Angleterre, pour décrocher la deuxième C1 de l’histoire du club.

THE BEST IN BUDAPEST! 🎉#UCLFinal pic.twitter.com/MAyMCXkL67

— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_inside) May 31, 2026

Tout est sous contrôle. 🏆✅ pic.twitter.com/ovOkSaM4jY

— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_inside) May 31, 2026

Tout n’avait pourtant pas commencé de la meilleure des manières pour les Parisiens. Kai Havertz, préféré à Viktor Gyökeres en pointe de l’attaque, avait ouvert le score après six minutes de jeu seulement, battant Matvei Safonov au premier poteau d’un tir puissant sous la barre.

Capitaines à bord. 🏆✈️@qatarairways pic.twitter.com/ObyY5bZBc8

— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_inside) May 31, 2026

Pour Arsenal, ce scénario avait d’abord tout du rêve. Depuis 2014 et la victoire du Real Madrid contre l’Atlético, l’équipe ayant ouvert le score en finale de la Ligue des champions s’était toujours imposée. Face à la solidité défensive des Londoniens, la mission parisienne s’annonçait donc particulièrement difficile.

Une nuit dans la légende ⭐️⭐️ pic.twitter.com/os0lfQqFJh

— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_inside) May 31, 2026

Eberechi Eze et Gabriel manquent le cadre

Mais après de longues minutes passées à défendre leur surface, les hommes de Mikel Arteta ont fini par craquer. Le jeune latéral droit Christhian Mosquera (21 ans), qui avait la lourde tâche de contenir Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, a concédé un pénalty obtenu par le Géorgien et transformé par Ousmane Dembélé (65e).

Aucune des deux équipes n’a ensuite su refaire la différence. Après des prolongations stériles, la séance de tirs au but a vu Eberechi Eze manquer complètement sa tentative et David Raya détourner celle de Nuno Mendes. C’est finalement lors de la dixième et dernière tentative que tout s’est joué, lorsque Gabriel a envoyé le ballon dans les tribunes, offrant au PSG un deuxième titre consécutif dans la compétition.

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L’article Paris Saint-Germain bat Arsenal aux tirs au but et remporte sa deuxième Ligue des champions de suite.. Vidéos est apparu en premier sur World Opinion | Alternative Média.

Huge numbers of Muslims prayed on Mount Arafat at the most important ritual of the Hajj pilgrimage, as a punishing desert sun sent temperatures soaring towards 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit).

From daybreak on Tuesday, thousands of white-robed worshippers recited Quranic verses on the 70-metre (230-foot) rocky hill near Mecca, where the Prophet Muhammad is believed to have delivered his final sermon.

Volunteers lined the route, handing out bottles of water, parasols and food packages to the tens of thousands of pilgrims making their way towards the mount.

“It is an indescribable feeling,” said Ahmoud Abou Elezz, a 35-year-old Egyptian engineer, as he approached Mount Arafat for the first time.

More than 1.5 million people have joined the Hajj this year, even as a war pitting the United States and Israel against Iran casts a long shadow across the Middle East.

During the fighting, Tehran retaliated with waves of drone and ballistic missile strikes, hitting major infrastructure and energy installations across the Gulf, including in Saudi Arabia.

More than 30,000 Iranians have made the journey, about a third of the 86,000 originally expected. Iran’s IRNA state news agency said the “wartime situation” explained the drop.

Despite the conflict, Saudi officials said over the weekend that more pilgrims have travelled from abroad this year than in 2024.

The Hajj, one of the five pillars of Islam, is obligatory at least once in a lifetime for all Muslims who are physically and financially able to perform it.

With temperatures reaching 44C (111F) in Mecca in recent days, Saudi authorities have urged pilgrims to drink plenty of water and protect themselves from the sun during the mostly outdoor rituals, which can stretch over five days or more.

Because men are prohibited from wearing hats, many carry umbrellas to shield themselves from the blistering heat.

After the day on Mount Arafat, pilgrims will spend the night in Muzdalifah, where they collect pebbles for the symbolic “stoning of the devil” ritual in Mina, set to begin on Wednesday.

The Hajj is said to trace the route of the Prophet Muhammad’s final pilgrimage about 1,400 years ago, and has long been a crucial source of legitimacy for the Al Saud dynasty, whose monarch bears the title “Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques” in Mecca and Medina.

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L’article Hajj pilgrims gather at Mount Arafat under scorching desert sun.. Video est apparu en premier sur World Opinion | Alternative Média.

Donald Trump a déclaré dimanche que les Etats-Unis n’entendaient pas « se précipiter » en vue de conclure un accord avec l’Iran, semblant tempérer l’espoir d’une finalisation rapide pour mettre fin à la guerre au Moyen-Orient.

Le secrétaire d’Etat américain Marco Rubio a déclaré un peu plus tôt qu’une annonce était possible dans la journée de dimanche concernant un accord avec l’Iran.

L’Iran et les Etats-Unis avaient évoqué dans la journée de samedi une percée dans les négociations pour mettre durablement fin à la guerre au Moyen-Orient, après des semaines de tensions et de consultations diplomatiques. Donald Trump avait confirmé à CBS News qu’un accord entre les Etats-Unis et l’Iran « se rapprochait grandement ».

Avant cela, le négociateur iranien avait promis une réponse « écrasante » si les Etats-Unis reprenaient leur guerre contre l’Iran. Selon des médias américains, Washington aurait envisagé de nouvelles frappes contre Téhéran.

Benjamin Netanyahu dit avoir reçu l’assurance que l’accord final avec l’Iran inclurait le dossier nucléaire

Le Premier ministre israélien Benjamin Netanyahu a affirmé dimanche être convenu avec Donald Trump que tout accord final avec l’Iran devait « éliminer entièrement la menace nucléaire ».

« Ma politique, comme celle du président Trump, reste inchangée: l’Iran n’obtiendra pas d’armes nucléaires », a déclaré Benjamin Netanyahu dans un communiqué, au lendemain d’une conversation téléphonique entre les deux hommes.

« Droit » d’Israël à se défendre

« Le président Trump et moi sommes convenus que tout accord final avec l’Iran devait éliminer entièrement la menace nucléaire. Cela signifie démanteler les installations d’enrichissement d’uranium de l’Iran et retirer de son territoire les matières nucléaires enrichies », a-t-il ajouté.

Benjamin Netanyahu a également affirmé que Donald Trump avait, lors de cet appel, réitéré « le droit » d’Israël à combattre au Liban, où l’armée israélienne vise le Hezbollah pro-iranien.

World Opinion + Agences

L’article Débats. Après des annonces d’accord imminent avec l’Iran, Donald Trump dit qu’il n’entend pas « se précipiter » est apparu en premier sur World Opinion | Alternative Média.

Pakistan’s powerful army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, has held “highly productive talks” with the Iranian leadership in Tehran, resulting in “encouraging progress towards a final understanding” between the United States and Iran, according to the Pakistani army.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has also said “some progress” had been made through the Pakistani mediation, adding that “there is ⁠a chance that, whether it’s ⁠later today, ⁠tomorrow, in a couple days, we may have something to ‌say”.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei says that Iran “decided to focus the negotiations on ending the war on all fronts, including Lebanon”, refusing to discuss its nuclear programme.

Israel continues to launch air strikes on southern Lebanon after killing at least 3,123 people since March 2, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.

Setareh Sadeqi, assistant professor at the University of Tehran, spoke to Al Jazeera about the seemingly encouraging signs emerging from Pakistan towards a final understanding between Iran and the United States.

“I think there is a clear message that there is a regional desire to come to an agreement and make it happen between the United States and Iran,” said Sadeqi.

But she cautioned the messaging from all sides remains “very contradictory”.

“We’re seeing both parties talking about being very close, but at the same time being far and that the military option is on the table and it could happen within even hours, if not days,” she added.

Earlier this week, US President Donald Trump said he was close to restarting the war before Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE urged him not to and to continue negotiations.

“The Pakistani officials are also saying that there are still points that need to be settled, and that means that it has actually not been finalised,” added Sadeqi.

World Opinion + Agencies

L’article Pakistan. Iran-US talks show progress but statements ‘very contradictory’.. Video est apparu en premier sur World Opinion | Alternative Média.

À seulement quelques jours de l’Aïd El-Kébir, les Marocains se ruent sur les marchés de bétail pour acheter le mouton destiné au sacrifice rituel. Mais comme dans d’autres pays du Maghreb, les habitants se plaignent de la hausse vertigineuse des prix, à tel point que le magazine “TelQuel” y consacre sa une.

Le magazine marocain TelQuel consacre la une de son édition du 15 mai à la fête de l’Aïd El-Kébir, célébrée le 27 mai. On y voit trois hommes en costume sombre au premier plan, entourés de moutons. Il s’agit en l’occurrence du chef du gouvernement, Aziz Akhannouch, et des deux ministres de l’Agriculture qui se sont succédé à ce poste. “Comment Akhannouch & Co ont tondu les Marocains”, titre l’hebdomadaire, qui dénonce un “scandale d’État” ayant permis à certains “opportunistes” de s’enrichir sur le dos des habitants.

En seulement quelques années, le prix de la viande de mouton est passé de 80 à 200 dirhams le kilo (de 7,50 euros à 18,50 euros). Si la pandémie de Covid-19, qui a fortement amoindri le cheptel, n’y est pas étrangère, le titre estime qu’une cascade de décisions politiques douteuses et les largesses de l’État ont fortement contribué à cette augmentation.

Depuis 2015, l’État a consacré quelque 13,1 milliards de dirhams (environ 1,2 milliard d’euros) d’argent public à diverses “subventions et exonérations au profit de 277 importateurs de bétail” : exonérations de droits de douane, de TVA sur les importations et même subventions directes pour chaque tête de bétail importée à hauteur de 500 dirhams (46 euros). Le but affiché était d’assurer l’approvisionnement en viande, à des prix abordables.

Problème, de nombreuses entreprises impliquées dans le commerce de bétail auraient profité de conflits d’intérêts et du manque de contrôle pour tirer profit de cette manne financière.

“Sur les 80 dossiers que TelQuel a vérifiés indépendamment du registre du commerce, plus de quatre sociétés sur dix ont été soit créées, soit reconfigurées dans leurs statuts entre l’automne 2022 et la fin 2024”, écrit l’hebdomadaire, laissant entendre que certaines entités avaient été créées uniquement dans le but de profiter du système mis en place par le gouvernement.

Grand acteur de cette politique en tant que ministre de l’Agriculture (2007-2021), puis chef du gouvernement, Aziz Akhannouch est pointé du doigt comme l’un des principaux responsables de ce fiasco. L’exécutif n’aurait pas d’idée claire de l’état du cheptel et n’a pas su enrayer la hausse des prix.

Il y a un an, le roi du Maroc, Mohammed VI, avait appelé de manière exceptionnelle à renoncer au sacrifice de l’Aïd face à la forte diminution du cheptel national.

Par Malik Ben Salem + courrierinternational.com

L’article Maroc : qui est responsable de la flambée des prix du mouton avant l’Aïd ? est apparu en premier sur World Opinion | Alternative Média.

People living close to the epicentre of an Ebola outbreak which has killed 131 people have told BBC News of their fear, as a World Health Organization (WHO) representative warned cases may be spreading faster than originally thought.

An Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has been declared a public health emergency of international concern, by the World Health Organization (WHO).

The latest outbreak is challenging because it involves a rare strain of Ebola for which there is no vaccine, and cases have been found in an area affected by conflict.

One man in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Ituri province, the epicentre of the outbreak, said infected people were dying « very fast », and added: « Ebola has tortured us. »

Officials said more than 513 cases were suspected in DR Congo as of Tuesday, while one person has died in neighbouring Uganda.

The WHO’s Dr Anne Ancia told the BBC that the more the agency investigates the outbreak, the clearer it becomes cases have spread to other areas.

Modelling by the London-based MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis released on Monday suggested there had been « substantial » under-detection, and that it could not rule out there had already been more than 1,000 cases.

The study suggested that the current outbreak is « larger than currently ascertained » and that its « true magnitude remains uncertain ».

A man who spoke to BBC News and identified himself as Bigboy said people are « really scared » and doing what they can to protect themselves.

He said locals are taking precautions such as washing hands with clean water, but added that he wished they could get access to other protective supplies such as face masks.

Another Ituri local, Alfred Giza, said people in the community are aware of the threat and waiting to receive face masks to protect themselves, but that he would not know what to do if a family member or friend contracted the disease.

The Red Cross warned that Ebola can escalate quickly if cases are not identified early, communities lack information and health systems are overwhelmed, adding that « we are seeing all those conditions » in the current outbreak.

On Tuesday, DR Congo President Félix Tshisekedi called for « calm » and urged Congolese citizens to remain vigilant, after holding a crisis meeting on Monday evening.

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who declared the outbreak an international emergency last week, said he was « deeply concerned about the scale and speed of the epidemic ».

It is feared the outbreak may have been ongoing for several weeks before it was first detected on 24 April.

There is no vaccine for the strain of Ebola virus fuelling the latest rise in cases, but the WHO is evaluating whether other drugs may provide protection.

Speaking to BBC Newsday, Ancia said DR Congo’s Ituri province was a « very unsecured area with lots of movement of population », making it difficult for the agency to investigate and help control the disease.

She continued: « The more we are investigating this outbreak, the more we realise that it has already disseminated at least a little bit across border and also in other provinces. »

The outbreak has spread to the province of South Kivu, where the population has been affected by a humanitarian crisis for many years, she added.

There has also been a case in eastern DR Congo’s biggest city, Goma, which has a population of around 850,000 people and under the control of Rwandan-backed rebels.

High levels of insecurity in several provinces mean people move around often, increasing the risk and spread of the virus, she said.

Several African countries are taking precautions by tightening border screenings and preparing health facilities. Neighbouring Rwanda has also closed its borders with DR Congo. Uganda has told people to avoid hugging and shaking hands.

An American citizen, believed to be missionary group doctor Peter Stafford, is being evacuated from DR Congo after developing symptoms over the weekend.

Germany’s health ministry told the BBC a US citizen was being taken to the country for treatment.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said it was working to evacuate at least six other Americans who were exposed.

WHO and other agencies are working with governments and communities to try to stop the spread of the virus, urging residents to follow preventative measures and report to the nearest health facility if they experience any symptoms.

What is Ebola and how does it spread?

Ebola is caused by a virus and initially causes symptoms similar to the flu, with fever, headache and tiredness.

As the disease progresses, vomiting and diarrhoea develop and it can lead to organ failure. Some, but not all, patients develop internal and external bleeding.

The virus spreads from one person to another by contact with infected bodily fluids such as blood or vomit.

The Bundibugyo strain fuelling this rise in cases is rare, and has previously only caused two outbreaks, when it killed about a third of those infected.

Between 2014 and 2016, more than 28,600 people were infected by Ebola in West Africa, the largest outbreak of the virus since its discovery in 1976.

It was caused by the Zaire strain, for which there is an approved vaccine.

The disease spread to a number of countries in West Africa and beyond, including Guinea, Sierra Leone, the US, UK and Italy, killing 11,325 people.

World Opinion + BBC News

L’article What is Ebola and why is stopping the latest outbreak so difficult? est apparu en premier sur World Opinion | Alternative Média.

La chanteuse DARA a offert samedi soir à la Bulgarie sa première victoire au concours Eurovision de la chanson, avec le titre « Bangaranga », un hymne à la fête et à l’émancipation. Israël arrive en deuxième position et la Roumanie en troisième. Eliminée lors de la 2ᵉ demi-finale jeudi, la Suisse n’y était pas.

La jeune femme bulgare de 27 ans l’a emporté avec 516 points devant le candidat d’Israël Noam Bettan, 343 points, lors d’une 70ᵉ édition marquée par un appel au boycott en raison de la présence d’Israël. C’est la première fois que la Bulgarie remporte le trophée. Sa première participation remonte à 2005.

Les deux grandes favorites, à savoir l’Australie et la Finlande, terminent respectivement à la 4ᵉ (287 points) et à la 6e place (279 points). L’Italie est en 5ᵉ position (281 points). La Française Monroe termine 11ᵉ avec 158 points. Le Royaume-Uni conclut le classement avec seulement 1 point récolté.

Titre issu du patois jamaïcain

« Je vous aime tant », a déclaré la chanteuse qui a interprété « Bangaranga », un titre issu du patois jamaïcain signifiant « rébellion », avec une énergie et un enthousiasme qui ont impressionné les jurés nationaux comme le public international de cette 70ᵉ édition qui s’est tenue à Vienne.

« Nous voulions offrir au public quelque chose de nouveau et de frais, quelque chose d’inattendu, capable de donner une nouvelle image de l’Eurovision », a-t-elle déclaré en conférence de presse.

« C’est la première fois que les jurys et le public choisissent le même vainqueur en presque dix, depuis Kiev 2017 », a souligné l’Eurovision.

Le Premier ministre bulgare Roumen Radev a félicité la jeune artiste « qui, grâce à son talent et à son professionnalisme, a su dépasser toutes les considérations complexes et les préjugés qui entourent le vote. » « La Bulgarie attend l’Europe et le monde pour l’Eurovision 2027 ! », a-t-il ajouté sur Facebook. Le pays n’avait pas pu participer ces trois dernières années pour des raisons financières.

La chanteuse bulgare a certainement pu compter sur le soutien de l’importante diaspora du pays de 6,5 millions d’habitants. Depuis l’ouverture des frontières en 1989, de nombreux Bulgares se sont établis à l’étranger. Ils sont près trois millions, selon le ministère des Affaires étrangères.

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L’article La Bulgarie remporte la 70ᵉ édition de l’Eurovision avec « Bangaranga ».. Vidéo est apparu en premier sur World Opinion | Alternative Média.

Hate speech against religious minorities in India rose last year. Experts say far-right RSS is doing ‘damage control’.

India’s Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the ideological fountainhead of the Hindu far right, says it is organising visits to the United States and other Western countries to bolster its public image globally and dispel claims it is involved in violence against religious minority groups in India.

The visits announced on Tuesday come amid international criticism regarding minority rights in India and a few months after a US federal agency published a report accusing the group of carrying out acts of violence against minorities for decades.

Here is more about the RSS, and what’s behind the visits to Western nations.

What is the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh?

The RSS is a right-wing Hindu volunteer organisation founded in 1925 by physician and Hindu nationalist Keshav Baliram Hedgewar in Nagpur, modern-day Maharashtra.

Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, sometimes called the Sangh for short, is Hindi for National Volunteer Organisation.

The RSS works across society, operating schools, hospitals, magazines and publishing houses, to advocate for the idea of Hindutva, a Hindu supremacist idea that aims to turn India from a constitutionally secular state into a Hindu one.

The RSS describes itself as a “Hindu-centric civilisational, cultural movement” that aims to “carry the nation to the pinnacle of glory”. It leads a network of more than 2,500 right-wing Hindu organisations called the Sangh Parivar, Hindi for RSS family.

“RSS is known as a fascist organisation because if you look at the writings of the first ideologues of RSS, they bring inspiration from Mussolini and Hitler,” Apoorvanand, a Hindi professor at the University of Delhi who writes literary and cultural criticism, told Al Jazeera.

BS Moonje, a Hindu Mahasabha party leader and mentor to Hedgewar, met Italian dictator Benito Mussolini in 1931, openly admired fascist youth and military organisations and saw them as a model for organising Hindu society.

MS Golwalkar, the second RSS chief, wrote a book in 1939 titled We, or Our Nationhood Defined, in which he cited Nazi Germany’s treatment of minorities as an example of preserving racial or national purity.

“You will find admiration towards the policies of Hitler. This is how they wanted to deal with the Muslims and Christians in India,” Apoorvanand, who goes by his first name, said.

“In the present times, their source of inspiration is Israel because Israel is also following the same policy towards Muslims and Christians – to eliminate them completely.”

The RSS has been banned in India several times, including in 1948 after a former member assassinated independence leader Mahatma Gandhi.

Does the RSS have ties to the government?

The RSS is often described as the ideological mothership of India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The BJP was formed in 1980 by former leaders of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh (BJS), including Hindu nationalist leader and poet Atal Bihari Vajpayee, after their split from the Janata Party coalition.

The BJP first came to power briefly in 1996 with Vajpayee as prime minister, but he resigned after 13 days when he failed to gain support for his government from a majority of members of parliament. He won again in 1998 and served as prime minister for 13 months before losing a no-confidence vote. Vajpayee later served a stable term from 1999 to 2004.

Current Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has been a member of the RSS since 1972, began his first term in 2014, marking the first time the BJP had won a single-party majority in the Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Indian Parliament. In June 2024, Modi was sworn in as India’s prime minister for a third term. Modi, 75, joined the BJP in 1987.

Are hate crimes against minorities on the rise in India?

In 2025, incidents of hate speech against minorities in India, including Muslims and Christians, rose by 13 percent, according to the India Hate Lab, a United States-based research group. The majority of these instances occurred in states and union territories governed by the BJP.

Since 2015, a number of Muslims in India have been lynched by mobs during disputes about herding cattle or over allegations of eating beef. They have also fallen victim to targeted attacks.

Besides hate crime against Indian Muslims, there has been a marked spike in hate crimes against Christians in India recently. According to the India Hate Lab report, hate speech events targeting Christians rose from 115 in 2024 to 162 in 2025, a 41 percent increase.

Christian churches and prayer meetings have also been subjected to attacks in India.

Many observers lay the blame for this rise at the feet of the BJP and the RSS, which deny that they are responsible.

“What we’re seeing is a disturbing escalation in hate crimes, violence, bulldozer demolitions, discriminatory laws and hate speech targeting minorities along with the state using its full might, including the SIR, to systematically disenfranchise minority communities,” Raqib Hameed Naik, founder and executive director of the US think tank, the Center for the Study of Organized Hate (CSOH), told Al Jazeera.

The SIR, or special intensive revision, is a revision of voter rolls that began last year. Critics of the exercise have said it has disproportionately removed Muslims and other minority communities from the rolls.

“What RSS General Secretary [Dattatreya] Hosabale has been saying, including denying any persecution of minorities, directly contradicts facts on the ground. It contradicts research and data from numerous international human rights organisations, including ours,” Naik said.

How is the RSS lobbying the West?

Hosabale said at a rare briefing with foreign media in New Delhi on Tuesday that he had been speaking to gatherings in the US, Germany and the United Kingdom to “dispel certain misgivings and misconceptions about the RSS”.

Speaking from the new 12-storey RSS office in New Delhi, Hosabale said the main allegations against the RSS were that the organisation was a “paramilitary organisation” that promotes “Hindu supremacist things” and “others have become second-class citizens”.

“The fact is entirely different,” he said.

Hosabale met with academics, policymakers and business leaders during his trips to the UK, US and Germany in April.

He spent six days in London and Rugby in central England, engaging with organisations including Chatham House, the Royal Institute of International Affairs and the International Centre for Sustainability in the City of London, according to the RSS website.

The website said a dinner with members of parliament was held that was attended by representatives of the Conservative Party, the Labour Party and the Liberal Democrats.

After this, he visited the US, where he engaged with the Indian American community in multiple cities over 10 days. Hosabale also conducted discussions with the Hudson Institute, a Washington, DC-based conservative think tank.

Apoorvanand told Al Jazeera that the Indian Hindu diaspora is becoming financially powerful in the US and other countries. Diaspora supporters of the RSS help fund the organisation.

“While enjoying all the rights in the country they’re in where they have citizenship, they want India as a Hindu country,” he said.

After the US trip in April, Hosabale went to Germany for two days, where he met with German policy institutions and the Indian community. These included the German Institute for International and Security Affairs, a Berlin-based foreign policy think tank advising the German government, and the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, a political foundation linked to Germany’s centre-right Christian Democratic Union party.

“It is a dream of the RSS to create a network of right-wing conservative organisations worldwide,” Apoorvanand said.

Hosabale said on Tuesday that RSS leaders would continue to visit Europe as well as Southeast Asia and other regions to raise awareness about the organisation.

Why is the RSS conducting this outreach?

The RSS visits followed the publication of a report by the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) in November. It said the RSS “has been involved in acts of extreme violence and intolerance against members of minority groups for decades”.

“RSS’s international outreach is essentially a knee-jerk reaction to the USCIRF recommendation to impose targeted sanctions against the organisation and its leaders for their role in the systematic persecution of minorities,” Naik told Al Jazeera.

The USCIRF is a bipartisan US federal body that tracks religious freedom worldwide and advises the president, the secretary of state and Congress on related policy.

“This recommendation came from a bipartisan body. That’s what makes it such a significant blow,” said Naik, who founded HindutvaWatch.org, a real-time database tracking hate crimes and human rights abuses in India.

Apoorvanand said several organisations within the European Union and the US have been investigating the state of minority rights in India.

If recommended sanctions against the RSS and its leaders are enacted, that could spell the collapse of its network, Naik added.

“It would make the RSS a pariah, including among diasporic Indians, some of whom have played a major role in funding and sustaining the organisation, especially before Modi came to power in 2014,” he said.

The RSS has “no option but to send their leaders to the US and other countries to do damage control and to push a counternarrative against the sanctions discourse that’s been gaining ground in policy circles,” he added.

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