English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For August 02/2020
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
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Bible Quotations For today
You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be
Luke 12/13-21:”Someone in the crowd said to him, ‘Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.’But he said to him, ‘Friend, who set me to be a judge or arbitrator over you?’And he said to them, ‘Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.’ Then he told them a parable: ‘The land of a rich man produced abundantly. And he thought to himself, “What should I do, for I have no place to store my crops?” Then he said, “I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.” But God said to him, “You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?” So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich towards God.”

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on August 01-02/2021
Health Ministry: 1147 new Corona cases, 3 deaths
Army Chief to Soldiers: You are the hope of our people
President Aoun regrets bloody events in Khaldeh, asks army to take immediate measures to restore stability in the region
5 Dead as Clashes Erupt in Khalde during Ali Chebli's Funeral
Three killed in ambush during a Hezbollah’s militant funeral south of Beirut
Hizbullah-Linked Man Killed in Vendetta Shooting at Wedding
Political Parties React to Deadly Khalde Clashes
Hezbollah on Khaldeh’s security events: We demand the army and security forces to arrest the killers, in preparation for bringing them to trial
Diab follows up on security incidents in Khaldeh, emphasizes need to resist sedition
Mikati follows-up on Khaldeh security incidents with Army Chief, calls on citizens to exercise self-restraint, stay away from strife, fighting
Lebanon’s army raids huge Captagon amphetamine manufacturing plant in Bekaa valley
Al-Rahi Lashes Out at Politicians who 'Want Everything'
Rahi: The country cannot tolerate procrastination & maneuvering, a rescue government is urgently needed so do not delay
Rahi visits Akkar, Beit Jaafar today
Govt. Formation Optimism Drops as Miqati Accused of Copying Hariri
Albania Repatriates Women, Children from Syria via Lebanon
Arrival of second shipment of Qatari food aid to the Army
Moucharafieh, Rushdie discuss recommendations of Lebanon’s Crisis Response Plan: Our goal is to support the most vulnerable groups through ERP, LCRP plans
Forest fire breaks out in Deir al-Qamar & Kfar Qatra, citizens appeal to those concerned to intervene
A Year since the Port Blast in Numbers
Timeline: Crisis-Hit Lebanon
A Year after the Mushroom Cloud, Lebanon Still Bleeds
Beirut blast one year on: Wife of killed firefighter still waits for answers, justice

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on August 01-02/2021
US blames Iran for attack on Israeli tanker off Oman, vows ‘appropriate response’
Iran Rejects Israel's 'Baseless Accusations' over Ship Attack
Israeli PM Makes Veiled Threat after Accusing Iran of Ship Attack
US is planning new sanctions on Iran to tackle drones, guided missiles manufacturing
Top US diplomat, Israeli counterpart discuss ‘next steps’ after ship attack
IRGC generals urge Iranian parliament to pass a bill limiting Instagram
Nigeria files terrorism charges against Shia group leader Ibrahim Zakzaky
Syria’s army steps up offensive in restive southern city of Daraa
Egypt Army Says 89 Insurgents Killed in Restive Sinai
Israeli PM Slams Swastikas Daubed on Synagogues
U.S. to Help Probe Lethal Attack on Israeli-Managed Tanker
Three missiles hit Kandahar airport in southern Afghanista

Titles For The Latest The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on August 01-02/2021
Ibrahim Raisi, the Itinerary of a Mass Murderer/Charles Elias Chartouni/August 01/2021
Turkey: Arbitrary Arrests, Kidnappings, Torture in Prison/Uzay Bulut/Gatestone Institute/August 01/2021

The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on August 01-02/2021
Health Ministry: 1147 new Corona cases, 3 deaths
NNA/August 01/2021
In its daily report on the Coronavirus developments, the Ministry of Public Health announced today the registration of 1147 new Corona infections, which raised the cumulative number of confirmed cases to-date to 562,527. It added that 3 deaths were also recorded during the past 24 hours.

Army Chief to Soldiers: You are the hope of our people
NNA/August 01/2021
Lebanese Army Command published via "Twitter" today a tweet by its Commander, General Joseph Aoun, addressing the soldiers on Army Day, in which he said: "I have known you as heroes, whose determination and morale are never undermined by challenges and hardships…You are the hope of our people in these difficult circumstances, and you are the salvation of this country."

President Aoun regrets bloody events in Khaldeh, asks army to take immediate measures to restore stability in the region
NNA/August 01/2021
President of the Republic, General Michel Aoun, followed up on the security events which took place in Khaldeh this afternoon, which led to the deaths and injuries of citizens.
The President asked the army command to take immediate measures to restore calm to the area, arrest shooters, withdraw gunmen, and ensure the safe movement of citizens on the international road. President Aoun also considered that the current circumstances do not allow any security breach or practices that fuel the required sedition and all parties must cooperate to achieve this goal.”Presidency Press Office

5 Dead as Clashes Erupt in Khalde during Ali Chebli's Funeral
Naharnet/August 01/2021
Deadly armed clashes erupted Sunday in the coastal Khalde area south of Beirut during the funeral of a Hizbullah-linked man who was killed overnight in a vendetta shooting. The clashes left at least five people including three Hizbullah members dead, a Lebanese security source told AFP. Several people were also wounded in the exchange of fire. The National News Agency said machineguns and RPG rockets were used heavily in the clashes, sparking panic among residents. Media reports said three Hizbullah members were killed and several others were wounded when a convoy carrying Chebli’s coffin came under gunfire near his Khalde home. MTV said shots were fired at the mourners convoy from several buildings in an apparent "ambush." Media reports meanwhile said that the areas around Khalde were witnessing movements by Hizbullah members carrying machineguns.
The army later said that it reinforced its presence in Khalde, warning that troops would "open fire at any gunman who may be spotted in the area. MTV for its part reports that a "political agreement" was reached on "leaving things to the army." Chebli, an official of the Hizbullah-linked Resistance Brigades, was shot dead overnight at a wedding in Jiye by a member of Khalde's Arab tribes. The shooter, who was swiftly arrested, is the brother of a 15-year-old teen who was killed in Khalde's clashes a year ago.

Three killed in ambush during a Hezbollah’s militant funeral south of Beirut
Rawad Taha, Al Arabiya English/01 August ,2021
Three people were killed in an ambush on mourners during a Hezbollah militant’s funeral in a town south of Beirut on Sunday afternoon, a senior source in Lebanon’s Hezbollah told Reuters. Heavy shooting took place in the town of Khaldeh during the funeral of militant Ali Shibli who was killed on Saturday night during a wedding by an Arab tribesman. Lebanese media said that the shooting on Saturday night was an act of revenge. The Arab tribes of Khaldeh issued a statement on Saturday explaining the incident and confirming that it was a “revenge case.”The tribes, to which the perpetrator belongs to, issued a statement saying: “We are the Arab clans in Lebanon. It is in the traditions of our Arabs to take the rebellion if there is no reconciliation between the two quarrels, and what happened today with the killing of Ali Shibli is nothing but revenge.”“Therefore, we wish the family of the murdered Ali Shibli to consider the killing an eye for an eye, and not to exceed that, and that we are all keen to preserve civil peace, the right of neighborhood and national participation,” the statement added. The Lebanese army has reinforced its presence in the south of Beirut to control the situation and stop the clashes in the area, local media reported.

Hizbullah-Linked Man Killed in Vendetta Shooting at Wedding
Naharnet/August 01/2021
An official of the Hizbullah-linked Resistance Brigades was killed overnight at a wedding in the Jiye area. Videos of the deadly shooting have since gone viral on social networking websites. The footage shows Ahmed Zaher Ghosn, a brother of a 15-year-old teen killed in the 2020 Khalde clashes, arguing at the wedding with Ali Chebli, the Hizbullah-linked man. Ghosn then fires several shots at Chebli from a pistol before fleeing the scene. The slain man was the owner of the Chebli Center in Khalde, where armed clashes had erupted in August 2020 between supporters of Hizbullah and members of the area's Arab tribes who support Sunni cleric Sheikh Omar Ghosn. Security forces arrested the wedding shooter shortly after the incident according to media reports. The family of the slain teen meanwhile issued a statement saying it had been calling for Chebli’s arrest for the past year because it believes that “no authority should be above that of the Lebanese state and the rule of law.”Decrying the perceived political protection that Chebli enjoyed, the family said it was however shocked by the vendetta killing, noting that the family as well as the Arab tribes reject what happened. “Unfortunately, the brother of the martyr Hassan Ghosn rebelled for his dignity and took justice into his own hands, eliminating himself before eliminating Ali Chebli,” the family added. “Despite its deep wound that was caused by the loss of its son, the martyr Hassan, the Ghosn family however rejects the manner in which Ali Chebli’s life ended, putting itself at the disposal of the Lebanese judiciary,” it said. The 2020 clashes had been reportedly linked to a dispute over a Ashoura banner.

Political Parties React to Deadly Khalde Clashes
Naharnet/August 01/2021
President Michel Aoun followed up Sunday on the “tragic security incidents” in the area of Khalde, asking the army to take instant measures to restore calm, the Presidency said. Aoun also called on the army to “arrest the shooters, withdraw the gunmen (from the streets) and secure citizens’ movement on the international highway,” the Presidency added in a statement. The President considered that “the current circumstances do not allow for any security violation or practices that inflame sedition,” calling on all parties to “cooperate” to help in stifling discord, the statement said. Caretaker Prime Minister Hassan Diab for his part held a series of phone calls and stressed the need to foil “sedition schemes.” Diab’s calls involved ex-PM Saad Hariri, caretaker Defense Minister Zeina Akar, caretaker Interior Minister Mohammed Fahmi, Army chief General Joseph Aoun and Hizbullah, the Premiership said. PM-designate Najib Miqati meanwhile called the army chief, who reassured him that “the army will reinforce its presence in the area to control the situation.”Miqati also called on the area’s residents to “show awareness and restraint in order to preserve lives and not be be dragged into sedition and meaningless fighting.”
Hizbullah for its part decried what it called a “premeditated ambush” that targeted Ali Chebli’s mourners, urging the army and security forces to “intervene in a decisive way to impose security and work quickly on arresting the criminal killers in order to put them on trial.”
Al-Mustaqbal Movement for its part said it held a series of contacts, especially with the leaders of Khalde’s Arab tribes, with the aim of “pacification” and preventing any sectarian strife. Speaking to al-Jadeed TV, Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat said he was ready to seek a reconciliation between the parties in cooperation with Speajer Nabih Berri, ex-PM Hariri and Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Latif Daryan. Noting that he does not think that the clashes will lead to sectarian strife, Jumblat called for arresting the shooters immediately and for reaching a reconciliation, because “the road of the South is everyone’s road.”

Hezbollah on Khaldeh’s security events: We demand the army and security forces to arrest the killers, in preparation for bringing them to trial
NNA/August 01/2021
In an issued statement by Hezbollah's Media Relations Department this evening, it indicated that "following the funeral ceremony of martyr Ali Shibli in the southern town of Kounin, and as the funeral procession arrived at the family's home in the area of Khaldeh, the mourners were subjected to a planned ambush and heavy gunfire from the gunmen in the area, which led to the death of two mourners and the fall of a number of injured.”
In this context, the statement said that the Hezbollah leadership calls on the army and security forces to intervene decisively to impose security and to work quickly to arrest the criminal killers, in preparation for bringing them to trial.

Diab follows up on security incidents in Khaldeh, emphasizes need to resist sedition
NNA/August 01/2021
Caretaker Prime Minister, Hassan Diab, followed up on security incidents in Khaldeh area, stressing the need to resist sedition and tampering with security stability.
In this regard, Premier Diab touched base with Prime Minister Saad Hariri, Defense Minister Zeina Akar, Interior Minister Mohamed Fahmy, Army Commander General Joseph Aoun, and Hezbollah, stressing that all measures shall be taken to prevent sedition and impose security.----Premiership Press Office

Mikati follows-up on Khaldeh security incidents with Army Chief, calls on citizens to exercise self-restraint, stay away from strife, fighting
NNA/August 01/2021
Prime Minister-designate Najib Mikati followed up this evening on the events taking place in Khaldeh, which left a number of dead and wounded. In this connection, he made a call to Army Chief, General Joseph Aoun, who confirmed that "the army will boost its presence in the area to control the situation."Meanwhile, Mikati called on the people of the region to "be aware and practice self-restraint in order to prevent bloodshed and not be drawn into strife and useless fighting."

Lebanon’s army raids huge Captagon amphetamine manufacturing plant in Bekaa valley
Rawad Taha, Al Arabiya English/02 August ,2021
The Lebanese army has raided a large Captagon amphetamine-manufacturing plant in the Bekaa valley on Saturday, Lebanon’s national news agency reported. The force has seized several drug-manufacturing machines and was able to arrest 31 persons working in the plant. Lebanese officials have previously pledged to do more to combat drug smuggling out of the country after Saudi Arabia ordered a ban on all produce imports from Beirut following an increase in drug smuggling from Beirut. A statement issued by the Army Command said that a force from the army, supported by a patrol from the Intelligence Directorate, carried out raids in the town of Hor Ta’la in Lebanon’s Bekaa valley. The statement released by the army said that a soldier was wounded, and a wanted man was killed during the raid on the sites. “The raid led to the killing of a wanted man with several arrest warrants, including the robbery kidnapping of citizens, car theft, drug promotion and use, and shooting,” the statement added. Captagon is used by fighters at war because of the effects it can have to fight tiredness. It is an amphetamine that has widely been made and exported illegally from Lebanon.

Al-Rahi Lashes Out at Politicians who 'Want Everything'
Naharnet/August 01/2021
Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi on Sunday urged the formation of a new government “in agreement between the PM-designate and the President” and according to “the pact of equal and balanced partnership.”“It is unacceptable for the premiership post to remain vacant and the Presidency in the final phase of its tenure should not remain without a government,” al-Rahi said in his Sunday Mass sermon. “If there is an intention and a will, the government can be formed within 24 hours, but rulers do not fulfill what the people desire,” the patriarch lamented. He added: “It seems that the formation process is still colliding with another type of immunities, which are the immunities of hegemony, politicians’ influence and the immunities of parties, blocs, interests, share-splitting and foreign allegiances.” “What’s laughable yet lamentable is that everyone declared yesterday that they do not want anything and here they are today demanding everything. How can they say that they want a government of nonpartisan technicians, specialists and independents while seeking to pick the portfolios and name the ministers by themselves?” al-Rahi asked. He also warned that the country cannot withstand further “deviousness and maneuvering,” calling for the formation of a salvation government without any delay.

Rahi: The country cannot tolerate procrastination & maneuvering, a rescue government is urgently needed so do not delay
NNA/August 01/2021
Maronite Patriarch, Cardinal Bechara Boutros al-Rahi, considered that the country's dire situation cannot afford any further procrastination or maneuvering, stressing that a rescue government is urgently needed to address the prevailing crises and calling on officials not to delay the cabinet formation any longer. Al-Rahi’s words came during his religious sermon as he presided over Sunday Mass service at the Summer Patriarchal Seat in Al-Diman this morning. Marking the occasion of Army Day, the Patriarch congratulated the heroic soldiers on their day, confirming his confidence in the military institution which has proven its capability in facing challenges. Al-Rahi emphasized that the Lebanese army defends the sovereignty of Lebanon and its independence, and protects the people against discord, suspicious plots and terrorism. Also, on the eve of the Beirut Port explosion’s first year commemoration, the Patriarch affirmed that the truth and course of justice are awaited, noting that the judiciary must act with courage, away from fear and intimidation. He asserted that the process of the investigation must not be hampered by political barriers or immunities, so that the truth can be unveiled. "As we want the truth, we also want a government which is established by mutual agreement between the Prime Minister-designate and the President of the Republic in accordance with the content and spirit of the constitution, the charter of equal and balanced partnership, and national conscience,” al-Rahi reiterated.
“We are not in a race against time, but rather against collapse and international sanctions. If there is an intention and a will, the government will be formed within twenty-four hours. However, not everything that the people desire is actually realized by the rulers…But we do not despair, since the will of the people remains the strongest and the voice of God is able to penetrate the conscience of officials, no matter how hard,” the Patiarch underlined.

Rahi visits Akkar, Beit Jaafar today
NNA/August 01/2021
Maronite Patriarch, Cardinal Bechara Boutros al-Rahi, will visit this afternoon the areas that were ravaged by the fires in Akkar and Beit Jaafar, accompanied by Maronite Archdiocese Bishop of Tripoli Youssef Soueif and the parish priests.
According to the program prepared for the visit, a reception and prayer will be held at the Archdiocese Center in the town of Qobayat, followed by a visit to the town of Andakt and the Monastery of Mar Elias in Wadi Oudin. They will then move to the entrance to al-Qatlaba in Qobayat, where the fire started, and from there to al-Marjan, where the Patriarch will inspect the damaged houses, and will then move to al-Ruwaimah locality in Beit Jaafar., The visit will be concluded by a stop-over in the town of Kfartoun in the Jabal Akroum region, where condolences will be paid to the family of the young victim, Amin Melhem.

Govt. Formation Optimism Drops as Miqati Accused of Copying Hariri
Naharnet/August 01/2021
The initial optimism about a quick formation of the new government has waned and successive preconditions and obstacles have emerged, informed sources have said.
“Free Patriotic Movement chief MP Jebran Bassil has returned to the blackmail approach that he used with ex-PM Saad Hariri, and the President is insisting on the interior and justice portfolios and the naming of the two Christian ministers,” the sources told the PSP’s al-Anbaa news portal in remarks published Sunday. “A length governmental crisis will begin if the fourth meeting (on Monday) between (President Michel) Aoun and (PM-designate Najib) Miqati passes without positive indications pointing to a tangible progress,” the sources added. Strong Lebanon bloc sources meanwhile told al-Anbaa that “the PM-designate’s attempt to use the same approach that was followed by Hariri might prolong the formation process,” calling on Miqati to “show flexibility and leave behind the obstacle of the former premiers, because the government’s formation requires a different approach and advanced ideas.” Asked about Bassil’s threat to withhold confidence from the new government, the sources said the bloc “rejects any government that does not meet the FPM’s demands, including reforms, the forensic audit and addressing the collapsed economy.” Al-Mustaqbal bloc MP Assem Araji for his part said that “things are still going round in circles and the interior and justice obstacle has returned to the forefront,” adding that he is not optimistic that the new cabinet would be formed anytime soon.

Albania Repatriates Women, Children from Syria via Lebanon
Associated Press/August 01/2021
Albania is repatriating five Albanian women and 14 children from Syria's troubled Al Hol camp who were related to Albanians who joined Islamist extremist groups fighting in Syria and Iraq, the country's prime minister said. Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama and Interior Minister Bledi Cuci were in Beirut meeting with Lebanese General Security chief Maj. Gen. Abass Ibrahim, who has played a key role in the repatriating efforts, together with intelligence services from other countries. "The good news is the 14 children and five women (have been taken out) from the hell camp," said Rama. "I am here to take the children and women and turn them back to our homeland tomorrow." Rama said that Albania's Interior Ministry and other intelligence institutions are closely cooperating with Lebanese authorities and countries on the repatriation. He did not specify if the women's husbands were alive or dead or if any of the women will face terrorism charges upon their return. "Up to the last Albanian, we shall do our utmost to turn them back to their homeland," he said. This is the third effort repatriating Albanians from the fighting territories in Syria. In October last year, five Albanians were repatriated and an Albanian child was repatriated a year earlier. A few hundred Albanian men joined the Islamic State and other groups fighting in Syria and Iraq in the early 2010s. Many were killed, and their wives and children are stuck in Syrian camps. Relatives in Albania say about 30 other Albanian children and women are in the Syrian camps. But Rama doubted that could be the exact number, "because the information is updated daily."

Arrival of second shipment of Qatari food aid to the Army
NNA/August 01/2021
The Embassy of the State of Qatar in Beirut announced, in a statement on Sunday, “the arrival of an Emiri Air Force plane of the Qatari Armed Forces to Rafic Hariri International Airport today, August 1, 2021, loaded with 70 tons of food, denoting the second shipment of food aid provided by the State of Qatar to the army in the sisterly Lebanese Republic, in the presence of a representative of the Qatari embassy in Beirut, Second Secretary Ahmed Al-Obaidly, and a representative of the Army Command, Brigadier General Joseph Ghantous.”
“This donation comes within the framework of Qatar's announcement of its support to the Lebanese army with monthly food supplies for a year,” the statement added.

Moucharafieh, Rushdie discuss recommendations of Lebanon’s Crisis Response Plan: Our goal is to support the most vulnerable groups through ERP, LCRP plans
NNA/August 01/2021
Caretaker Social Affairs and Tourism Minister, Ramzi Moucharafieh, and United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator in Lebanon, Najat Rushdie, chaired today the meeting of the Steering Committee of the Lebanon Crisis Response Plan (LCRP), with discussions focusing on the recommendations of the strategic review of this plan to ensure the best humanitarian protection for the displaced Syrians. The meeting took place at the Ministry of Social Affairs, via video conferencing, in the presence of representatives of the ministries concerned with the response plan, representatives of the European Union, embassies of donor countries, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the United Nations Development Program and "UNICEF", the World Food Program and the Lebanon Humanitarian INGO Forum (LHIF). In his opening word, Moucharafieh outlined the aspects of support that took place within the framework of Lebanon's plan to respond to the Syrian displacement crisis, noting that today’s meeting is devoted to hearing the recommendations of the consultants within the LCRP, as a prelude to setting an action plan for the upcoming year 2022. He also pointed out that the situation of the most vulnerable groups in Lebanon continues to deteriorate month after month, and that the results achieved by the partners within the framework of the LCRP could not compensate for the deterioration of the economic situation, but simply contributed to alleviating its effects. Moucharafieh stressed the "importance of maintaining support for both the displaced and the host communities, as social tensions continue to rise," hoping that "the recommendations of the LCRP review will serve to move the Steering Committee’s work forward." He also announced the call for "a Steering Committee meeting to plan for the future response next September, to include these recommendations in the response plan for 2022.” Meanwhile, Moucharafieh renewed his gratitude to all partners for their active participation - and to donors for their continuous support during this difficult time in Lebanon, especially the World Bank, which announced that the $246 million loan has become effective, to help the most vulnerable families cope with the stifling economic crisis prevailing in Lebanon. He also reminded the international community that "a sustainable solution remains with the return of displaced Syrians in safety and dignity to Syria."
In turn, Rushdie said, “We meet to agree on how to work together to better support the most vulnerable groups, by increasing the value of transfers of cash assistance to the targeted groups within the Lebanon plan to respond to the Syrian crisis, so that these families can remain steadfast."
She added: “As we begin to discuss the foundations of the response plan for 2022, the sectors of health, water, basic assistance, food security and shelter are still suffering from funding gaps.”While valuing the strong donor support for the LCRP program over the years, Rushdie demanded that "this support continues at a faster pace, and that emphasis be made on building local capacities", reiterating the "humanitarian principles that should govern the return of refugees." Rushdie also announced that on August 4, the United Nations will launch an “Emergency Response Plan” over the course of a year, to respond to the needs of the most vulnerable Lebanese and migrant workers who have been mostly affected by the current crisis, as a complement to the framework of the Lebanon Crisis Response Plan, which was established in 2017 to address the repercussions of the Syrian displacement crisis on Lebanon. She explained that "the ERP is a humanitarian and exceptional response plan to alleviate the suffering of the targeted population, and aims to reduce tension within and between the displaced and the host communities."

Forest fire breaks out in Deir al-Qamar & Kfar Qatra, citizens appeal to those concerned to intervene
NNA/August 01/2021
Chouf - A huge fire broke out today in the forested area between the towns of Deir El Qamar and Kfar Qatra in the Chouf region. The people in both towns appealed to the concerned officials to intervene immediately to limit the expansion of the fire, due to fears of approaching homes and inhabited areas.

A Year since the Port Blast in Numbers
AFP, UN, Beirut governor, USGS, NNA/August 01/2021
Lebanon on Wednesday marks a year since a fire at Beirut's port led to the country's worst peacetime disaster and precipitated its decline.
The August 4, 2020 blast and its aftermath in numbers:
214: people killed
6,500: people injured
300,000: people left homeless immediately after the explosion
70,000: people who lost their jobs due to the blast
73,000: damaged apartments
9,200: damaged buildings
163: damaged schools and educational centers
106: damaged health care facilities, including six hospitals and 20 clinics
2,750: tons of ammonium nitrate initially stored at the port
6: years it was stored in the warehouse that blew up
3.3 to 4.5: estimated magnitude of equivalent earthquake
200: kilometers to Cyprus, where a shock wave was felt
5: days the government said it would take for initial findings
0: people sentenced over the blast
6: days after blast the government resigned
359: days Lebanon has been without a government since
(Sources: AFP, UN, Beirut governor, USGS, NNA)

Timeline: Crisis-Hit Lebanon
Agence France Presse/August 01/2021
Mired in what the World Bank calls one of the worst economic crises since the mid-19th century, Lebanon has designated a new premier to try to break its political deadlock.
As billionaire politician Najib Miqati seeks to form a long-awaited government amid protests accusing him of corruption and cronyism, here is a recap of the country's escalating crisis:
Dollar shortages
Anxiety at the lack of availability of dollars emerges on September 29, 2019 when hundreds of people take to the streets of central Beirut in protest against economic hardship.
Among the worst hit are petrol station owners who need dollars to pay their suppliers. But media reports say banks and exchange offices are limiting dollar sales for fear of running out.
Last straw
Mass protests follow a government announcement on October 17 of a planned tax on voice calls made over messaging services such as WhatsApp. With the economy already in crisis, many see the tax as the last straw, with some demanding "the fall of the regime".
The government of Saad Hariri scraps the tax the same day. But protests continue over the ensuing weeks, culminating in huge demonstrations calling for the overhaul of a ruling class in place for decades and accused of corruption. Hariri's government resigns in late October.
Eurobond default
Lebanon, with a debt burden equivalent to nearly 170 percent of its gross domestic product, announces in March 2020 that it will default on its entire debt of a $1.2-billion Eurobond.
In April, after three nights of violent clashes, then-prime minister Hassan Diab says Lebanon will seek International Monetary Fund help after the government approves an economic rescue plan.
But negotiations with the IMF quickly go off the rails.
Catastrophic explosion -
A massive explosion on August 4 at the Beirut port devastates entire neighborhoods of the capital, kills more than 200 people, injures at least 6,500 and leaves hundreds of thousands homeless. The government says the blast appears to have been caused by a fire that ignited tons of ammonium nitrate left unsecured in a warehouse for six years.
Popular anger erupts, after being on hold because of the pandemic.
Top officials are investigated over the explosion, but no politician is arrested.
Political impasse
Diab announces the resignation of his government in August after just over seven months in office. Diplomat Mustafa Adib is named new premier but bows out after less than a month, and Hariri, already prime minister three times, is named in October.
One of worst crises
Authorities announce in February 2021 that bread prices will rise by around a fifth.
In June, the World Bank says Lebanon's economic collapse is likely to rank among the world's worst financial crises since the mid-19th century. Later that month, protesters try to storm central bank offices in the northern city of Tripoli and Sidon in the south, after the Lebanese pound plunges to a new record low on the black market. Days later the government hikes fuel prices by more than 30 percent. Medicine importers say in July they have run out of key drugs, and warn of more shortages.
Hariri out again, Miqati in again
After nine months of horse-trading, Hariri steps aside on July 15, saying he is unable to form a government. Miqati, Lebanon's richest man and already twice prime minister, is designated again on July 26, sparking both protests and skepticism.

A Year after the Mushroom Cloud, Lebanon Still Bleeds
Agence France Presse/August 01/2021
On August 4, 2020, a fire at the Beirut port ignited one of the largest non-nuclear explosions in history. It disfigured the city, took more than 200 lives and shattered Lebanon's psyche. The blast was felt as far away as Cyprus, and the destruction is hard to fathom. But if one thing can outweigh what happened to Lebanon that day, it is what hasn't happened since. Not one culprit has been put on trial, jailed or even identified. Families of the victims have received no visit, apology or explanation from those at the top. The reforms demanded by donors who flew to the wounded country's rescue are a dead letter, and a new government promised last September has yet to materialize. With a tailspinning economy, a health sector ravaged by Covid-19 and a future stunted by an intensifying brain drain, Lebanon was already well on its way to collapse before last August 4. Yet the cataclysmic blast that shocked the world and sowed the kind of devastation caused by wars and natural disasters did not mark the end of the free fall. "We thought that was rock bottom. How could it get worse?" Rima Rantisi, a lecturer at the American University of Beirut, remembers of the immediate aftermath. Shortly after 6:00 pm on that ill-fated Tuesday, hundreds of tons of poorly stored ammonium nitrate caught fire and caused what has been described as one of the largest ever non-nuclear explosions. Footage of the fireball erupting above the port and the white blast mushroom soaring skywards and tearing through the city drew inevitable comparisons with Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
'Criminals and murderers'
Whatever may have sparked the initial fire, it was the chain of irresponsibility and corruption that had allowed such hazardous material to be stored so near the city center for six years that drew the public's fury. "What became clear to me then, and which I have to remind myself of every day, is that the people who run the country are criminals and murderers -- period," says Rantisi. The blast killed 214 people, wounded thousands and made tens of thousands homeless, at least temporarily. "After the explosion, we understood this completely: As long as they are in power, nothing will get better," Rantisi says. Musician Julia Sabra says she and her boyfriend are "still terrified of any sound" after moving back into their renovated home. Another survivor, Shady Rizk, plans to emigrate. "The trauma, it rips you up inside," he says. "It's like internal crying." The Lebanese have had little reprieve over the past two years.
In early 2020, coronavirus lockdowns snuffed out the last flickers of a protest movement that had kindled the ardent hope that Lebanon's days of hereditary barons were numbered.
As financial disaster loomed, those in the know spirited their money abroad. The rest proved powerless against a crisis that stripped the Lebanese pound of 90 percent of its value and trapped depositors' dollars in banks. "Before the blast, the economic collapse had started, as had the health crisis," says Karlen Hitti Karam. Her husband, brother and cousin were firefighters killed in the port inferno. "The same people caused all of this. We lost everything. Our lives stopped on August 4, 2020." On Wednesday, families of victims are organizing a religious service at the port to mark the anniversary, while activists are planning anti-government demonstrations.
Ravaged cultural heritage
The public was enraged by the lack of justice, and even foreign diplomats made no secret of their disgust. The first judge tasked with investigating the blast summoned former ministers for interrogation and was removed as a result. His successor's attempt to do the same was met with fresh stalling tactics by parliamentarians last month. Volunteer work and foreign funding have allowed for some renovation, but the worst-hit areas, which include some of Beirut's cultural hotspots and heritage jewels, are a shadow of their former selves. Among the buildings directly exposed to the blast was the state electricity company headquarters, its gutted shell now facing the ruins of the port -- in complete darkness. After defaulting on its debt last year, Lebanon can barely provide citizens with two hours of electricity a day, and cannot afford the fuel to power generators. Some who donated money to help blast victims a year ago now find themselves recipients of food and cash handouts. "We're in a loop. Every day we wake up to something worse than the day before," says Rantisi. Health officials who turned off air conditioning in wards weeks ago despite the sweltering summer heat warn that life-saving equipment will soon follow.
Once known as the "Switzerland of the Middle East", Lebanon now has all the trappings of a failed state. Those old enough to know often argue that the current crisis is tougher than the 1975-1990 civil war. Power cuts don't spare the international airport, where most arrivals these days are Iraqi tourists for whom Lebanon is suddenly affordable, or exiles returning with suitcases full of medicines. Completely unlit at night and devoid of traffic lights, the roads during the day are still clogged with endless and chaotic queues at petrol stations.
"Everyone I know is having problems sleeping, is really struggling on a day-to-day basis, holding on to whatever they have left," says Rantisi.
Waiting for dominoes
Bernard Hage, best known by his moniker "Art of Boo", has chronicled Lebanon's shocking decline in hundreds of cartoons collected in a recently released book. "Imagine a poorly equipped psychiatric hospital managed by madmen..." begins the back cover blurb. "I really see it now as a dystopia, it's the only word I have to describe Lebanon... It's your worst nightmare and you have no control over it," says Hage. Humor is the last bastion against insanity for the young cartoonist, who argues that a 2019 protest banner introducing the Lebanese as "the happiest depressed people you'll ever meet" is more relevant than ever. Lebanon is rudderless, penniless and sleepless, but for both Rantisi and Hage, not completely hopeless. The solidarity that sprouted in the explosion's aftermath shows that the spirit of the 2019 uprising is still at work. Candidates close to the protest movement have swept aside traditional parties in recent trade union elections, generating new expectations of legislative polls slated for next year. "People will find hope in the small wins," says Rantisi. The anger over the state's responsibility for the blast and the victims' determination to ensure justice is served are also intact a year later. Hage pins his hopes on local and international pressure combining for the investigation to put at least one member of Lebanon's untouchables behind bars. "If this port explosion is capable of taking just one of them down, it could be the start of a series," he believes. "I think it will be the first domino that will cause the rest of the system to fall. This is the crack in the wall. This topic, I think it's our only chance."

Beirut blast one year on: Wife of killed firefighter still waits for answers, justice
Vanessa Ghanem, Al Arabiya English/01 August ,2021
One year on, Karlen Hitti-Karam still remembers August 4, 2020, as if it were yesterday. She recalls every moment, every detail. She recounts how her late husband, Charbel, kissed her on the forehead in the morning before leaving for work, not knowing that this was the last kiss. Karlen’s suffering was not solely limited to the loss of her 37-year-old husband, Charbel Karam. Karlen also lost her 26-year-old brother Najib Hitti and her 22-year-old cousin Charbel Hitti in the deadly blast. The three men were firefighters at the Beirut fire department. They were on shift on the day of the explosion and died while trying to extinguish a fire that broke out before the port exploded. “At 6:00 p.m. sharp, my husband video-called us. He was on his way to respond to what they assumed was a blaze in a warehouse at the Beirut port along with my brother, cousin, and other fire brigade first responders,” Karlen told Al Arabiya English. “He excitedly wanted to tell our little girls that he was going to put out a fire.”And then, the explosion happened. A tremendous blast, fueled by about 2,750 tons of highly volatile ammonium nitrate, utterly wiped out much of the port and rolled across the city.
Instantly, Karlen – who lives in the mountain village of Qartaba, north of the capital, rushed to Beirut, jumping from one hospital to another.
“Glass and rubble on the floor, bloody people everywhere, a total destruction … that’s how the hospitals looked like,” she said. “But what was more painful was that no one knew anything about them; we couldn’t find them anywhere.”
On August 12, Najib and Charbel Hitti were confirmed dead, while Charbel Karam’s remains were found on August 15.The Beirut explosion killed at least 200 people, injured more than 6,000, left 300,000 effectively homeless, and severely damaged buildings, critical health infrastructure, and medical supplies across the capital. It was one of the largest non-nuclear explosions ever recorded. Many blame the blast on decades of negligence, mismanagement, and corruption by the government and the ruling elite at large.
Repeated promises of reforms by Lebanon’s political class never materialized. This class, which has run the country since the end of the civil war in 1990, includes some former warlords who have been held liable for bringing Lebanon to an endemic collapse.
“I haven’t gotten over it yet”
Karlen’s husband, brother, and cousin grew up together as close relatives and friends and got jobs together as firefighters. Karlen used to consider them as her support system. “We are indeed preparing for the first anniversary of the Beirut explosion, but for me, August 4, 2020, hasn’t ended yet. I refuse to believe that I lost the three of them that way,” she exclaimed. Karlen has two daughters, Angelina, who is 3 years 9 months old, and Katerina, who is almost 2. “Katerina does neither know her father nor her uncle. Angelina, however, keeps on asking me about them. ‘When will they come back?’ she asks,” Karlen said. “I shall remain strong to raise, protect, and back my daughters up. And I will not rest until I find out the truth, until every person behind this horrendous crime is brought to account.”
According to Karlen, the truth suffers but never dies.
“Justice should and will be served, even if takes decades. We’re not just a few people demanding this. All the Lebanese want to know the truth. They want to know who destroyed their city and killed their loved ones,” she noted, adding that if she ever feels that she will be left without answers, she shall leave the country behind with her little ones. “My girls are still very young now. What will I tell them when they grow up and learn what happened? If justice won’t be done, how will I explain to them that their father, uncle, and cousin were killed in a despicable explosion, and no one was punished for this act of cruelty? I cannot let them live in a country that fosters the culture of impunity; I’d better take them and leave.”
“Immunity shall be lifted”
Karlen urged the Lebanese authorities to immediately lift the immunities granted to officials. “Let justice take its course. Any person summoned for questioning should appear before the judge regardless of their position or role,” she stressed. “Those who are refusing to do so are forcing us to raise question marks over their involvement.” In July, Judge Tarek Bitar, who became the lead investigator into the blast after his predecessor was removed in February, announced his intention to pursue senior politicians and former and current security chiefs in the case and requested permission for their prosecution.
According to local media, dozens of Lebanese MPs signed a petition to try the officials at the Supreme Council, a judicial body concerned with dealing with matters of impeachment, meaning that Bitar will not be able to charge them. Families and relatives of the victims have since then launched the hashtag #NitrateMPs to shame these parliamentarians, considering their move an obliteration of an already stalled investigation.
“We have faith in Judge Bitar. He’s our last glimmer of hope. We can see that he’s doing his best to prosecute the country’s big shots – who either had direct or indirect involvement in what happened – and we hope that he will succeed,” Karlen concluded.

The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on August 01-02/2021
US blames Iran for attack on Israeli tanker off Oman, vows ‘appropriate response’
AFP/01 August ,2021
The US on Sunday blamed Iran for a deadly attack on an Israeli tanker off Oman and vowed an “appropriate response” was forthcoming. The MT Mercer Street tanker was struck Thursday in the northern Indian Ocean, killing two crew members, in what the US said was a drone-style attack. “Upon review of the available information, we are confident that Iran conducted this attack,” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement, adding that the attack was carried out using a drone. “We are working with our partners to consider our next steps and consulting with governments inside the region and beyond on an appropriate response, which will be forthcoming,” Blinken added. Britain also said Sunday it believes Iran deliberately carried out the attack in “a clear violation of international law.” Earlier Sunday, Iran denied involvement in the attack, with foreign ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh saying Israel “must stop such baseless accusations.”“Iran will not hesitate for a moment to defend its... interests and national security,” he told a news conference.

Iran Rejects Israel's 'Baseless Accusations' over Ship Attack
Agence France Presse/August 01/2021
Iran's foreign ministry on Sunday rejected "baseless accusations" after Israel blamed its arch-foe for a deadly attack on an oil tanker off the coast of Oman. "The Zionist regime ... must stop such baseless accusations -- and it is not their first time to direct such accusations at Iran," ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh told reporters in a televised press conference.

Israeli PM Makes Veiled Threat after Accusing Iran of Ship Attack
Associated Press/August 01/2021
Israel's prime minister Sunday directly blamed Iran for a drone attack on an oil tanker off the coast of Oman that killed two people, making a veiled threat to retaliate as Tehran denied being involved in the assault. The comments by Premier Naftali Bennett and Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh come after the strike Thursday night on the oil tanker Mercer Street. The attack marked the first-known fatal attack after years of assaults on commercial shipping in the region linked to tensions with Iran over its tattered nuclear deal.
While no one has claimed responsibility for the attack, Iran and its militia allies have used so-called "suicide" drones in attacks previously. "The Iranians who attacked with unmanned aircraft the Mercer Street intended to harm an Israeli target," Bennett said at the start of Israel's weekly Cabinet meeting. "Instead, their piratical act caused the deaths of a British citizen and a Romanian citizen." He warned: "We know, at any rate, know how to convey the message to Iran in our own way." On Sunday, Khatibzadeh described the allegation Iran carried out the attack as "baseless" during his last news conference as the Foreign Ministry's spokesman. "It's not the first time that the Zionist regime occupying Jerusalem has made such empty accusations against the Islamic Republic of Iran," Khatibzadeh said. "Wherever this regime has gone, it has taken instability, terror and violence with it."
He added: "Whoever sows the wind shall reap the whirlwind." Khatibzadeh spoke around an hour after Iran's outgoing president acknowledged that his government at times "did not tell part of the truth" to the public during his term. The American nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan and the guided missile destroyer USS Mitscher were escorting the Mercer Street as it headed to a safe port, the U.S. Navy's Mideast-based 5th Fleet said in a statement early Saturday. It said Navy explosive experts believe a drone attacked the vessel.
The drone attack blasted a hole through the top of the oil tanker's bridge, where the captain and crew command the vessel, a U.S. official said. The official spoke on condition of anonymity as an investigation into the attack still was ongoing. The Mercer Street is managed by London-based Zodiac Maritime, part of Israeli billionaire Eyal Ofer's Zodiac Group. The firm said the attack killed two crew members, one from the United Kingdom and the other from Romania. It did not name them, nor did it describe what happened in the assault. It said it believed no other crew members on board were harmed.
British maritime security firm Ambrey said the attack on the Mercer Street had killed one of its team members on board the vessel. From Jerusalem, Bennett offered condolences to both the United Kingdom and Romania for the killing of their citizens. He said Israeli intelligence had evidence linking Iran to the attack, but did not offer it. "Iran is the one who carried out the attack against the ship," he said. "Iran's aggressive behavior is dangerous not only for Israel, but harms global interests in the freedom of navigation and international trade." Bennett took over as premier in June after a coalition deal unseated Israel's long-serving Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Netanyahu is suspected of launching a series of attacks targeting Iran, including explosions at the country's main enrichment site and the killing of a prominent military nuclear scientist. However, Bennett as well has made hawkish comments in the past about needing to attack "the head of the octopus" in Tehran as opposed to the Iran-backed groups in the region like Hizbullah in Lebanon. The attack on the Mercer Street marks the first during his time as prime minister and analysts suggest he could seek a major attack in retaliation. "Israel may wish to deliver a resounding blow; that's the spirit of political sources' comments in Jerusalem," wrote Amos Harel, a longtime military analyst for the Israeli newspaper Haaretz. "This blow will be aimed at ending things without a tit-for-tat that could escalate. But as usual, events also depend on the other side."

US is planning new sanctions on Iran to tackle drones, guided missiles manufacturing
Rawad Taha, Al Arabiya English/01 August ,2021
The US is planning a new sanctions campaign against Iran’s evolving capabilities for precision strikes using drones and guided missiles, US officials told The Wall Street Journal. The US officials reported that there is a growing concern over the threat these weapons represent to American and allied interests. Iran and its proxies in the Middle East have been often using explosive-drones and guided missiles in attacks against US bases in Iraq and Syria. The Iran-backed Houthi militia has regularly used the same technologies to attack the southern region of Saudi Arabia. The Wall Street Journal added that security officials say that those evolving capabilities pose a more immediate danger to Middle East stability than Iran’s nuclear-enrichment and ballistic-missile programs. The US has sanctioned some of Iran’s missile programs in past years, but officials said that targeting Iran’s procurement networks, such as the providers of parts used to build the drones and precision-guided missiles, could more effectively disrupt those activities. “It’s part of a comprehensive approach so we’re dealing with all aspects of the Iranian threat,” a senior US official told the Wall Street Journal. The Wall Street Journal added that top military and diplomatic officials say they have seen a major increase in the use of guided missiles and drones against US forces and allies.

Top US diplomat, Israeli counterpart discuss ‘next steps’ after ship attack
Joseph Haboush, Al Arabiya English/August 01/2021
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke to his Israeli counterpart on Saturday night to discuss the recent drone attack on the Israeli-managed ship. “Secretary Blinken and FM Lapid discussed the attack on the Mercer Street, a commercial ship which was peacefully transiting through the north Arabian Sea,” State Department Spokesman Ned Price said in a statement. “They agreed to work with the United Kingdom, Romania, and other international partners to investigate the facts, provide support, and consider the appropriate next steps,” Price added. On Friday, Lapid accused Iran of being behind the attack, which the US said was carried out using a drone strike. But the Pentagon refused to cast blame as it awaits further investigations. Reuters quoted US and European sources familiar with intelligence reporting as saying that Tehran was the leading suspect in the attack on the petroleum products tanker. An Israeli-managed petroleum products tanker off the coast of Oman was attacked early Friday. Two crew members on board were killed in the attack. Members from the US Navy’s 5th Fleet responded to a distress call from the ship, a Pentagon official told Al Arabiya. The aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan other US ships accompanied the attacked ship.

IRGC generals urge Iranian parliament to pass a bill limiting Instagram
Rawad Taha, Al Arabiya English/01 August ,2021
Generals in Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have urged parliament to pass the Legislation to Protect Cyberspace Users’ Rights, a proposed bill which aims to limit the use of Instagram and other social media networks in the country, Iran International reported. Parliament member Abbas Moradi said the bill aims to make Iranian users of Instagram emigrate to a new domestic platform. Instagram is the only major social network not blocked in Iran. Moradi admitted that there is no domestic platform like Instagram at the moment, but he has promised the launch of what he released as “Instagram Plus” which he said would be “safe.”Moradi aimed that the bandwidth currently used by Instagram users will gradually be reduced in proportion to extent of its substitution by the domestic version. Iranians have collected 800,000 online signatures against the proposed law which further restricts access to the internet. An IRGC general has said that it is in the interest of those who complain “to engage in debauchery on cyberspace.”IRGC Brigadier-General Mohammad-Reza Naghdi urged members of parliament to end the “shameful situation” of “the hegemony of foreigners on Iranian cyberspace.”The legislation would require foreign-owned social networking and messaging corporations to appoint an Iranian representative, agree to comply with Iranian laws and regulations and officially register subscribers, and provide this information to the authorities if requested. This could result in further steps to completely ban major social media platforms such as Twitter and Instagram unavailable in Iran. Except for Instagram all other major Western platforms are already blocked. Protests against the regime in Iran have been going on since mid-July and social media is a major factor both in mobilizing the people and also informing the world about the events and government crackdow.

Nigeria files terrorism charges against Shia group leader Ibrahim Zakzaky
AFP/01 August ,2021
Nigeria has filed fresh terrorism charges against a Shia Muslim cleric, a prosecution lawyer said Sunday, days after he was acquitted of murder following almost six years in detention. A court in the northern city of Kaduna discharged Ibrahim Zakzaky and his wife on Wednesday because of a lack of evidence in a case involving the killing of a soldier in deadly clashes between their followers and troops in December 2015. Zakzaky has repeatedly called for an Iranian-style Islamic revolution in Nigeria – where the Muslim population is predominantly Sunni – putting him at loggerheads with the secular authorities. Dari Bayero, prosecution lawyer for Kaduna state government, said terrorism charges were filed against Zakzaky at another court two days before his release. “On July 26, we filed new charges against Sheikh Ibrahim Zakzaky before the federal high court here in Kaduna,” Bayero told AFP. He said the charges involved “terrorism and treasonable offences” and attempts were made to serve the cleric with court papers while he was in detention but he refused to accept them. Bayero said the court was now on holiday and the prosecution would have to wait until September before trying again. Zakzaky, his wife Zeenah Ibrahim and 200 followers of their Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) were arrested in the 2015 crackdown in the northern city of Zaria in which hundreds were killed. A court in 2016 ordered the couple to be released, but the authorities ignored the ruling. Most of the 200 sect members have since been released. In the past six years, IMN supporters have staged regular protests in the capital Abuja calling for the release of their leader.

Syria’s army steps up offensive in restive southern city of Daraa
Reuters/01 August ,2021
Syrian troops stepped up shelling of an opposition enclave in the southern city of Daraa in a bid to assert control over an area that has defied state authority since it was retaken three years ago, witnesses, the army and residents said. An army assault on the old quarter of Daraa suffered a blow on Thursday when opposition fighters mounted a counter-offensive across the province, capturing dozens of troops. The army has since sent hundreds of elite troops, dozens of tanks and armored vehicles to storm the enclave where peaceful protests against Assad family rule began in 2011 and were met by deadly force before spreading across the country. The fighters disrupted traffic along the Damascus-Daraa highway leading to the border with Jordan, which closed the crossing point on Sunday. The Syrian army, aided by Russian air power and Iranian militias, retook control of the province that borders Jordan and Israel’s Golan Heights in 2018. Russian-brokered deals at the time forced opposition fighters to hand over heavy weapons but kept the army from entering many towns including the old quarter of the provincial capital known as Daraa al Balaad. The Syrian army on Sunday blamed what it called terrorists for foiling several rounds of negotiations with opposition figures since last week to allow the army to set up checkpoints in the enclave. The opposition insist the agreement allowed only civilian control, local officials say. “The regime wants to end what they see as a living symbol of the revolt against it. If they silence it by returning the army they will subjugate the whole Hauran region,” Abu Jehad al-Horani, an opposition official, told Reuters from inside the enclave. Damascus-based relief bodies said at least 2,000 families fled their homes since the fighting began on Thursday.

Egypt Army Says 89 Insurgents Killed in Restive Sinai
Agence France Presse/August 01/2021
Egypt's military said Sunday it has killed 89 suspected insurgents in operations in North Sinai, a region where an affiliate of the Islamic State group has been active for nearly a decade.
"Amid ongoing efforts in pursuing and defeating terrorist elements... during the previous period, the armed forces... carried out operations that killed 89 dangerous takfiris... in northern Sinai," the army spokesperson said. His statement, using the term "takfiri" to refer to extremist Islamist militants, did not specify a timeframe for the operations, but said the army had suffered eight casualties. The army also said it destroyed 404 improvised explosive devices (IEDs), four explosive belts and 13 tunnels used by militants to infiltrate Egyptian territory. Gruesome pictures of some of the slain suspected militants were published with the statement, along with a trove of confiscated weapons. Egyptian forces have for years fought an insurgency in the Sinai Peninsula, led mainly by the local branch of the Islamic State group. Attacks have multiplied since the army's 2013 ouster of Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood. Since February 2018, the authorities have been conducting a nationwide operation against Islamist militants, mainly focused on North Sinai and the country's Western Desert. Around 1060 suspected militants and dozens of security personnel have been killed in the Sinai, according to official figures. No independently-sourced death toll is available as North Sinai is off-limits to journalists.

Israeli PM Slams Swastikas Daubed on Synagogues
Agence France Presse/August 01/2021
Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett on Sunday denounced the painting of swastikas on a synagogue near Tel Aviv, calling it a "grave act of hatred". Police said they had opened an investigation into the "suspected spraying of swastikas on the walls of two synagogues in the city of Bnei Brak" on the outskirts of Tel Aviv. "The vandalism at a synagogue in Bnei Brak is a very grave act of hatred and incitement," Bennett said. "The police will deal with the criminals to the fullest extent of the law," he added. Rabbi Asher Landau of the Young Israel synagogue told AFP that members of the congregation found swastikas sprayed on two doors of the place of worship on Saturday morning. Condoms, he said, were fitted on the handles of the doors. "It's a terrible feeling. A feeling of grief," Landau said. Landau said that many members of the congregation, including himself, are Holocaust survivors or their descendants. He said photos of Shira Banki, a teenage girl murdered in 2015 by an ultra-Orthodox Jewish assailant during a Jerusalem Pride parade, were scattered on the ground. Swastikas and pictures of Banki were also found at another synagogue in the neighborhood, he added. Bnei Brak is home to a large ultra-Orthodox community. Lawmaker Israel Eichler of the ultra-Orthodox United Torah Judaism party said the defacement was a result of "incitement" against the community, according to the Kikar Hashabbat religious Jewish news site.

U.S. to Help Probe Lethal Attack on Israeli-Managed Tanker
Agence France Presse/August 01/2021
The United States will help investigate a deadly attack on an oil tanker managed by a prominent Israeli billionaire, the State Department said. The MT Mercer Street was struck Thursday off the coast of Oman in an incident Israel has blamed on arch-foe Iran.
Two crew members were killed in what the U.S. military and the vessel's operator said appeared to be a drone strike, with U.S. naval forces coming to the aid of the ship in the attack's aftermath. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with his Israeli counterpart Yair Lapid and both men agreed to work with other allies "to investigate the facts, provide support, and consider the appropriate next steps," according to a State Department statement. Vessel operator Zodiac Maritime, owned by Israeli billionaire Eyal Ofer, said a British security guard and a Romanian crew member were killed in the attack.
On Friday, Lapid said he had ordered the nation's diplomats to push for U.N. action against "Iranian terrorism". "I've instructed the embassies in Washington, London and the U.N. to work with their interlocutors in government and the relevant delegations in the U.N. headquarters in New York," Lapid said on Twitter. Analysts said the attack bore all the hallmarks of tit-for-tat exchanges in the "shadow war" between the two Middle Eastern powerhouses, in which vessels linked to each nation have been targeted in waters around the Gulf.

Three missiles hit Kandahar airport in southern Afghanista
NNA/August 01/2021
Three missiles fell on Kandahar airport during the night, an official told AFP today, at a time when battles have been taking place between Taliban and Afghan forces for several weeks in the vicinity of the city in southern Afghanistan.
"Last night three missiles were fired at the airport and two of them hit the runway, and as a result all flights to and from the airport were canceled," said a Civil Aviation official in Kabul.

The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials published on August 01-02/2021
شارل الياس شرتوني/الرئيس الإيراني، إبراهيم رئيسي وخط سير قاتل جماعي
Ibrahim Raisi, the Itinerary of a Mass Murderer
Charles Elias Chartouni/August 01/2021
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/101052/%d8%b4%d8%a7%d8%b1%d9%84-%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%8a%d8%a7%d8%b3-%d8%b4%d8%b1%d8%aa%d9%88%d9%86%d9%8a-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b1%d8%a6%d9%8a%d8%b3-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%a5%d9%8a%d8%b1%d8%a7%d9%86%d9%8a%d8%8c-%d8%a5%d8%a8/
War is the remedy [they] have chosen, let us give them what they
want”, William Sherman (1820-1891).
“Raisi, you are not the President,you are the murderer of our children”
Mothers of the executed political prisoners.
The trial of Hamid Noury, 59, a former Iranian judiciary official, who was arrested upon his arrival to Sweden on the basis of his involvement in the execution of political prisoners ordered by the newly elect-President of Iran, Ibrahim Raisi. This trial conducted under the legal status of a universal jurisdiction, whereby atrocities committed anywhere in the world can be tried in all nations courts.
This particular trial has opened the gate for a broader indictment process which unveils the central role of Ibrahim Raisi in the conviction and assassination of 5000 political prisoners in 1988. The sounded alarms of Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch were not dissuasive enough to prevent the executions, or deal with their legal, moral and political consequences.
The very election of a mass murderer to the Iranian presidency testifies to the regime’s unwillingness and inability to change it’s course and abide by the norms of international civility. The criminal nature of the Islamic regime, far from being a hidden feature, is displayed and strives to gain on normalization and formal accreditation by the international community.
The ongoing negotiations with Iran are inherently flawed since they deliberately tend to overlook the normative framing mandated by international negotiations, and the legal, moral and political conditionalities attached to normalization and the due integration of the international community. The ostentatious delinquency of Iranian foreign policy betrays its ideological extremism, subversive objectives, and open disregard for international law and the tacit understandings of the contemporary World order.
The equivocations of this regime which advocates political murder and instrumentalize it as policy tool within and outside Iran, invalidate its attempt at joining the rest of the international community and faked simulations towards a normalized membership, let alone peaceful intentions. One wonders how this amount of moral, intellectual and political inconsistencies can be overlooked while negotiating a demilitarization scenario and trying to create a congenial environment for negotiations, conflict resolution, confidence building, and setting the infrastructure for a consensual political order in the larger Middle East.
The malevolence of this religious autocracy, derives from its totalitarian purview, the survival imperatives and vested interests of its ruling class, and its inevitable imperial drive and political designs. The purported realpolitik of the Iranian regime is a paramount fallacy that needs to be deconstructed and dealt with on the basis of a systematic containment policy and ultimate total war scenarios.

Turkey: Arbitrary Arrests, Kidnappings, Torture in Prison
Uzay Bulut/Gatestone Institute/August 01/2021
"Because my surgery was delayed while I was in prison, my left upper tooth, left palate, cheekbone and lymph nodes were removed. The bottom of my left chin is now empty. 20 cms of bone was taken from my leg and placed on my face... According to the latest MRI I had, the tumor has spread to the back of my eye." — Ayşe Özdoğan, whose so-called crime is to have worked at a dormitory affiliated with the Gülen movement. She was sentenced to nine years and four months in prison for being "a member of a terrorist organization".
[T]orture and ill-treatment, as well as a lack of medical care for sick prisoners, are widespread in Turkish jails.... Those rooms are arranged in such a way that there are no security cameras there and no torture detection can be made.
After the prisoners filed a criminal complaint about being beaten, a disciplinary investigation was launched against the prisoners for insulting the officer and insulting the president rather than opening an investigation against the perpetrators
Meanwhile, those who advocate for the rights of the victims are arrested.
In February, the US State Department announced that President Joe Biden is committed to a foreign policy "that is centered on the defense of democracy and the protection of human rights." Given the horrifying scale of destruction of human rights of citizens of Turkey, is it not the time for the US government finally to make human rights a priority in its dealings there?
Torture and ill-treatment, as well as a lack of medical care for sick prisoners, are widespread in Turkish jails. Meanwhile, those who advocate for the rights of the victims are arrested. Given the horrifying scale of destruction of human rights of citizens of Turkey, is it not the time for the US government finally to make human rights a priority in its dealings there?
Turkey's government continues the systematic targeting and persecution of those perceived as "enemies" of the government.
Ayşe Özdoğan, suffering from stage-4 maxillary sinus cancer and one of the tens of thousands of Turkey's victims, was convicted of being a supporter of a movement led by Fethullah Gülen, a Muslim cleric self-exiled to Pennsylvania. The government of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan calls Gülen's movement a "terrorist organization" and accuses it of carrying out an attempted coup d'état in 2016.
According to the court ruling, Özdoğan's so-called crime is to have worked at a dormitory affiliated with the Gülen movement. She was sentenced to nine years and four months in prison for being "a member of a terrorist organization". Her husband, a teacher, was dismissed from his job and imprisoned for the same alleged crime. Their 8-year-old son suffers from a congenital heart defect.
Özdoğan was arrested and imprisoned two weeks after being diagnosed with cancer in April 2019. As she could not pursue a required second cancer treatment surgery, the disease has spread to her brain. Although she was eventually released because of her son's heart condition, she is now massively disabled.
Turkey's Court of Cassation has approved her prison sentence, which means she will be imprisoned again soon. Ever since her release, she has been struggling on Twitter to make her voice heard. She is seeking support from the public and justice from state authorities. On June 14, she wrote on Twitter:
"Because my surgery was delayed while I was in prison, my left upper tooth, left palate, cheekbone and lymph nodes were removed. The bottom of my left chin is now empty. 20 cms of bone was taken from my leg and placed on my face. These surgeries have affected my whole body. I now have hearing, vision and speech loss.
"I'm having trouble walking. Since my tear ducts have been removed, my tears never stop; they flow constantly. Since platinum has been placed under my eye, inflammation occurs in that area, which can also be seen from the outside. According to the latest MRI I had, the tumor has spread to the back of my eye."
Sending Özdoğan to prison while her body is crumbling due to cancer means giving her a slow and painful death sentence. More so because torture and ill-treatment, as well as a lack of medical care for sick prisoners, are widespread in Turkish jails.
A human rights advocate group called "The Hunger Strikes Monitoring and Follow-up Coordination" -- which includes organizations such as Diyarbakır Medical Chamber, the Human Rights Foundation of Turkey, Human Rights Association, Lawyers Association for Freedom, Association for Solidarity with and Aid for the Families of Prisoners and the Union of Health and Social Services Workers -- visited prisons in Diyarbakır, Elazığ, Urfa, Bayburt, Erzincan, Malatya and Maraş and reported on the violations of rights in April, May and June 2021.
According to the report, political prisoners are often subject to torture, assaults, insults, threats, and other forms of ill-treatment in those prisons. Some of the abuses include:
A prisoner in Diyarbakır T Type Prison stated that he was repeatedly tortured in torture chambers, also known as aquarium rooms, sponge rooms or soft rooms. Those rooms are arranged in such a way that there are no security cameras there and no torture detection can be made. He stated that his left thumb was broken after the torture he was subjected to while his hands were cuffed behind his back on May 3, 2021. He stated that he was subjected to a nude search while he was being transferred from Espiye Prison. The report adds that there are many cases of torture in this prison, but the prisoners are generally reluctant to announce it, and they are made to feel desperate by being told that even if they file a criminal complaint to the prison administration and staff, they will not get any results.
In the prison of Elazığ, when the battered prisoners said that they wanted to go to the prison infirmary, they were made to wait for at least three days. When they finally had access to the prison doctor, they were not given a report of the assault. After the prisoners filed a criminal complaint about being beaten, a disciplinary investigation was launched against the prisoners for insulting the officer and insulting the president rather than opening an investigation against the perpetrators.
In Malatya, the prisoners said they were forcibly frisked while naked. When they did not accept being frisked naked, they were battered and received disciplinary punishments. They stated that the items they brought from the prisons they were transferred from were not given to them by prison authorities. There were suicide cases and deaths in some wards. Some prisoners said their release was prevented due to the arbitrary punishments they received, such as being put in solitary cells for not accepting unlawful practices (including forced standing.)
Sick prisoners are not transferred to hospitals in most cases. They are not treated properly and their applications to the prison administration to seek help are unanswered.
The prisoners who are transferred to hospital are brought before a doctor in double handcuffs, and the doctors do not show any negative reaction to this ill-treatment. If prisoners object to the situation, they are removed from the medical room without being examined and a report is drawn up which states that the prisoners, of their own few will, do not want to be examined.
There are many prisoners with chronic diseases who do not receive proper medical treatment. Bayram Demirhan, for instance, had a loss of function in both kidneys, vision loss of 95 % in one eye and 20% in the other. Yet, he has not been medically treated. According to the report, in another case, a Kurdish prisoner from northeastern Syria named Izeddin Reşo was tortured with electricity, which exploded his hands and feet. Afterwards, he suffered severe psychological problems.
Meanwhile, those who advocate for the rights of the victims are arrested. The opposition Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) lawmaker, Ömer Faruk Gergerlioğlu, for instance, was sentenced to two years and six months in prison for "making propaganda for a terrorist organization" in his social media posts. His parliamentary immunity was stripped on March 17. Gergerlioğlu started a "Justice Watch" in the Parliament that day. On March 21, he was forcibly removed from the Parliament by police and taken into custody. Gergerlioğlu was later released and continued his "Justice Watch" within his own house. On April 2, his house was raided by police, who imprisoned him.
Gergerlioğlu is an outspoken voice of victims of torture, arbitrary arrests, unlawful dismissals, and other rights abuses in Turkey. On July 5, police intervened with tear gas in the "Justice Watch" that the HDP had initiated in front of Ankara Sincan Prison demanding the release of Gergerlioğlu. Five people, including Gergerlioğlu's son, Salih Gergerlioğlu, were detained by the police. The detainees were battered by police during arrest. Salih was released the same day; his father was released on July 7.
Also punished for speaking out against rights abuses was Sinan Aygül, Editor-in-Chief of the newspaper "Bitlis News". A lawsuit was filed against him for "violating the confidentiality of the investigation" after he covered a child abuse case that took place in the city of Bitlis in 2019.
The court board, citing the lawsuits filed earlier based on the news Aygül had made, sentenced him to 10 months in prison. They claimed that "There was no positive opinion in our court that he would not commit a crime again, considering the criminal personality traits of the accused and his insistence on committing a crime..." The Court of Appeal upheld the ruling by reducing the 10-month prison sentence to five months.
Aygül surrendered to the Tatvan prison to serve his prison sentence on June 30. The man who had committed the crime, however, was sentenced to five years in prison and then released.
Aygül made a statement to the press in front of the prison:
"The prison sentence I have received is not very important for me, but the punishment of a news article that reveals sexual abuse against children takes us to a completely different point. Let's not allow the restriction of freedom of the press, and the legitimization of harassment and rape in this way."
Such unlawful imprisonments and arbitrary arrests have become systematic in Turkey to the point that Turkey now ranks 107th out of 128 countries in the World Justice Project's Rule of Law Index 2020.
Meanwhile, those who are outside of Turkey are not safe from the government's arbitrary acts. On July 5, President Erdoğan announced that the Turkish intelligence agency had "brought to justice" educator Orhan İnandı, who disappeared in Kyrgyzstan this past May. İnandı, a dual citizen of both countries, who had worked as a school principal in Kyrgyzstan for 26 years, is not the first target of an abduction by the Turkish government. Many other cases of the kidnappings of dissidents have taken place in African, Balkan and southeast Asian countries.
In February, the US State Department announced that President Joe Biden is committed to a foreign policy "that is centered on the defense of democracy and the protection of human rights." Given the horrifying scale of destruction of human rights of citizens of Turkey, is it not the time for the US government finally to make human rights a priority in its dealings there?
*Uzay Bulut, a Turkish journalist, is a Distinguished Senior Fellow at the Gatestone Institute.
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