Rubio to Host Major Counterterrorism Summit With 60 Countries in Washington Focused on Leftist Extremism

Secretary of State Marco Rubio will host a counterterrorism summit in Washington on July 15, drawing ministers and senior officials from more than 60 countries across Europe, Asia and the Western Hemisphere 12. The State Department said the gathering will focus on a revised US counterterrorism strategy that elevates leftist extremist networks, including Antifa-affiliated groups, alongside efforts to boost intelligence sharing and law enforcement cooperation 13. A State Department official told Reuters the "counterterrorism operating system needs an update to deal with the reality of such threats," and spokesman Tommy Pigott described far-left political terrorism as "an old threat re-emerging with strong transnational links" 12. The Washington Post reported that some allied governments and current and former US officials have pushed back on the invitation, with one European diplomat stating "we don't have antifa" and Soufan Center director Colin Clarke calling the summit a "politicization of intelligence" that mixes "partisan politics with counterterrorism" 24. The summit follows a 2025 attack on an ICE facility in Texas that officials have cited as an example of the leftist extremist threat driving the policy shift 1.