English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For August 06/2020
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news

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Bible Quotations For today
Then a cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud there came a voice, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Mark 09/01-07/:”And he said to them, ‘Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see that the kingdom of God has come with power.’Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain apart, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no one on earth could bleach them. And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, who were talking with Jesus. Then Peter said to Jesus, ‘Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.’ He did not know what to say, for they were terrified. Then a cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud there came a voice, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!’

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on August 05-06/2021
Hezbollah the Terrorist organization is totally responsible for the Beirut Port Explosion, and justice will not be achieved before Lebanon is liberated from its occupation/Elias Bejjani/August 04/2021
MoPH: 1148 new coronavirus infections, five deaths
At Tripartite meeting, UNIFIL head urges parties to recommit to liaison and coordination mechanisms
Lebanese-Israeli front heats up with first strikes in years
Top UK Diplomat Says Port Probe Must 'Conclude Swiftly and Transparently'
Mikati meets Aoun, fears “great sin” would be committed if government formation not accelerated
Aoun Says Israel's 'First Airstrikes since 2006' Point to Hostile Intentions
Miqati Says Made 'Slow Progress' in Meeting with Aoun
World Bank President, IMF Director at Lebanon Support Conference stress need to initiate forensic audit and for Lebanon to undertake radical reforms
Jumblat Says Nations of Paris Conference Can Give Info on Nitrates Shipment
Zahran Says Kishli is 'Zuheir al-Siddiq 2' after Nitrates Remarks
Diab Requests Urgent Complaint to U.N. Security Council over Israel Attacks on Lebanon
Riad Salameh Quizzed Over Alleged Graft
Marking Aug. 4, Collard Says UK to Continue to Stand by Lebanese People
Solidarity initiative on August 4, 2021: Free Scholarships to the children of victims & disabled of Beirut Explosion
Lebanon thanks Russia for help in combating COVID-19 — health minister
Members of Independent Oversight Board of 3RF Issue Joint Communiqué
Lebanese Protest Impunity One Year on from Deadly Blast
Shattered By Blast, Landmark Beirut Museum Tries To Rebuild
On anniversary of Beirut blast, Macron delivers scathing attack on Lebanese politicians
The Man who outdid Pétain/Henri Curiel/The Watch Post/August 05/ 2021
In test for Israel’s new government, rockets from Lebanon fired into northern Israel/Shira Rubin/The Washington Post/August 05/2021
LIC Statement on the Anniversary of the Beirut Port Explosion

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on August 05-06/2021
Iran swears in new president Ebrahim Raisi amid regional tension
As he takes the oath of office, Raisi faces host of challenges
Israeli Defense Minister Threatens Iran with Military Action
Tanker Attack Victim Was Ex-British Soldier
British Navy Group: Hijackers Have Left Vessel Off UAE Coast
Taliban ‘martyrdom’ unit attacks Afghan defense minister’s home in Kabul
Al Qaeda group claims bus bombing in Damascus
Treasury Designates Turkey-Backed Syrian Jihadists Implicated in War Crimes
Chemical Watchdog Demands More Information from Syria
Palestinian Dad Expects No Justice for Son Killed by Troops
24 Chadian Troops Killed in Suspected Jihadist Attack

Titles For The Latest The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on August 05-06/2021
Biden Needs a Plan B for the Iran Talks/Elliott Abrama/National Review/August 05/2021
Biden Administration Should Stand With Israel Against Russia in Syria/John Hardie/Ryan Brobst//Policy Brief-FDD/August 05/2021
Hassan Rouhani's Iranian Presidency Has Been an Abject Failure/Con Coughlin/Gatestone Institute/August 05/2021
Why Iraqi leaders cannot do what Saied did/Ibrahim al-Zobeidi/The Arab Weekly/August 05/2021
As Turkey’s wildfires rage, conspiracy theories won’t help Erdogan/Henri J Barkey/The Arab Weekly/August 05/2021

The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on August 05-06/2021
Hezbollah the Terrorist organization is totally responsible for the Beirut Port Explosion, and justice will not be achieved before Lebanon is liberated from its occupation.
Elias Bejjani/August 04/2021
حزب الله الإرهابي هو المسؤول عن تفجير مرفأ بيروت، والعدالة لن تتحقق قبل تحرير لبنان من رجس احتلاله
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/101087/elias-bejjani-hezbollah-the-terrorist-organization-is-totally-responsible-for-the-beirut-port-explosion-and-justice-will-not-be-achieved-before-lebanon-is-liberated-from-its-occupation/
Prophet Isaiah 33/01: “Woe to you, destroyer, you who have not been destroyed! Woe to you, betrayer, you who have not been betrayed! When you stop destroying, you will be destroyed; when you stop betraying, you will be betrayed”.
In reality and practically, justice in Lebanon will remain a mirage and a dream while Lebanon is still occupied by the Iranian Hezbollah, and governed by a bunch of local puppets and Trojans.
Sadly, justice in our beloved occupied Lebanon is currently far from reach, and even impossible, whether in regards to the Beirut Port explosion horrible crime, or the assassinations of dozens of sovereigns, patriotic and free Lebanese figures.
Justice in the occupied Lebanon is currently ignored, muzzled, marginalized and down trodden, and will not be achieved in any way before the country is liberated from the occupation, domination, hegemony, barbarism and the Mafiosi of the Iranian terrorist organization, Hezbollah.
In this Trojan framework that Hezbollah is enforcing, all that is circulated in the media about judicial investigations into the Beirut Port Explosion crime in particular, revolves only around ignoring the real perpetrator, and on distracting the Lebanese people with names of political and security officials who are charged on mere negligence basis.
The occupier, Hezbollah who has been since 2005 in complete control of Beirut’s airport and port, brought the shipment of ammonium nitrate to Lebanon in full partnership and co-operation with the Syrian Criminal Assad Regime.
Hezbollah stored the ammonium nitrate in the Beirut Port, used it inside and outside Lebanon in terrorism explosions, and transported most of it to Syria, where Assad regime transformed it into bombing barrels of death and destruction.
Due to the fact that Hezbollah is an “assassination machine “and an Iranian terrorist organization that occupies and terrorizes the Lebanese, all the Lebanese security officials and politicians, including and foremost, the President, House Speaker, PM, ministers, MP’S and all high ranging government employees would not have dared to utter a word about the ammonium shipment, even if they were aware of it. This enforced silence would be either because of fear for their lives, or due to their treason affiliation with Hezbollah.
Meanwhile, the terrorist Hezbollah, and through its ruling puppets and officials in all positions continues viciously to distract the judicial investigation, and the peoples’ focus from the truth, that actually and plainly points towards its sole criminal role in exploding Beirut’s Port on August 04, 2020.
Hezbollah’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah has been openly and loudly threatening the Lebanese judiciary, and questioning its credibility, in a replicate to his evil role with the Special Tribunal For Lebanon (STL), that was investigating the assassination of the late PM, Rafik Al Hariri.
In summary, Hezbollah, which occupies Lebanon and controls its rulers, officials and political parties’ without even one exception, is fully accountable for the Beirut Port Explosion crime, and accordingly justice will not be fully achieved before the liberation of Lebanon, and before charging, arresting and before putting on all its leaders on trial.
And until the day of liberation comes, this Terrorist and criminal armed militia, will continue to systematically and viciously to devour our beloved Lebanon, The Land Of The Holy Cedars, piece by piece, intimidating its people and assassinating its patriotic leaders.

MoPH: 1148 new coronavirus infections, five deaths
NNA/August 05/2021
Lebanon has recorded 1148 new coronavirus cases and five deaths in the last 24 hours, as reported by the Ministry of Public Health on Thursday.

At Tripartite meeting, UNIFIL head urges parties to recommit to liaison and coordination mechanisms
NNA/August 05/2021
UNIFIL Head of Mission and Force Commander Major General Stefano Del Col today chaired a Tripartite meeting at a UN position in Ras Al Naqoura. In a press release by UNIFIL, it said: "In view of rockets launched from Lebanon and return fire of dozens of shells from Israel yesterday, and Israeli air strikes today, Major General D Col called on both sides to “use this tripartite forum for what it is worth – to explore ways to reinforce security and stability along the Blue Line.”“In this period of regional volatility, more than ever, UNIFIL’s liaison and coordination role must be respected by all sides,” he said. “In the most imperfect times, this mechanism has served you well and now is the time to recommit to it, not allow the spoilers to have the better of us.” Discussions focused on the situation along the Blue Line, air and ground violations, as well as other issues within the scope of UNIFIL’s mandate under UN Security Council Resolution 1701 and other relevant resolutions. However, the UNIFIL head specifically called the parties “to act with urgency” to de-escalate tensions and prevent breaches of the cessation of hostilities. He called for “full and timely” cooperation of the parties with UNIFIL to ensure successful conclusion of all ongoing investigations of recent incidents. Since the end of the 2006 war in south Lebanon, regular Tripartite meetings have been held under UNIFIL’s auspices as an essential conflict-management and confidence-building mechanism."-- UNIFIL

Lebanese-Israeli front heats up with first strikes in years
The Arab Weekly/August 05/2021
JERUSALEM--Israeli jets struck what its military said were rocket launch sites in Lebanon early on Thursday in response to two rockets fired towards Israel from Lebanese territory, in an escalation of cross-border hostilities amid heightened tensions with Iran.
The rockets launched from Lebanon on Wednesday struck open areas in northern Israel, causing brush fires along the hilly frontier. There was no claim of responsibility for the attack, which came from an area of south Lebanon under the sway of Iranian-backed Hezbollah guerrillas. Israel responded with several rounds of artillery fire on Wednesday before launching airstrikes early on Thursday, the military said. “(Military) fighter jets struck the launch sites and infrastructure used for terror in Lebanon from which the rockets were launched,” the military said in a statement. The military also struck an area that had seen rocket launches in the past, it added. Hezbollah’s Al-Manar TV said that Israeli warplanes had carried out two raids on the outskirts of the Lebanese town of Mahmudiya, about 12 kilometres (7.5 miles) from the Israeli border. There were no reports of casualties. Lebanese President Michel Aoun said Israel’s airstrikes were the first targeting Lebanese villages since 2006 and showed an escalation in its “aggressive intent” towards his country. Aoun also said in a tweet the strikes were a direct threat to the security and stability of southern Lebanon and violated UN Security Council resolutions. Speaking to Israel’s YNet TV, Defence Minister Benny Gantz said: “This was an attack meant to send a message … Clearly we could do much more and we hope we won’t arrive at that.”
Gantz said he believed a Palestinian faction had launched the rockets. Small Palestinian factions in Lebanon have fired sporadically on Israel in the past. The border has been mostly quiet since Israel fought a 2006 war against Hezbollah, which has advanced rockets. Israeli aircraft hit Hezbollah posts in the border area last summer. Israel says its aircraft last struck inside Lebanon in 2014, though Al-Manar TV reported one such strike in 2015. This week’s cross-border fire came after a suspected drone attack last Thursday on a tanker off the coast of Oman that Israel, the United States and Britain blamed on Iran. Two crew members, a Briton and a Romanian, were killed. Iran has denied any involvement. The United States and Britain said on Sunday they would work with their allies to respond to the attack. Israel says it is keeping the option open of acting alone if necessary.

Top UK Diplomat Says Port Probe Must 'Conclude Swiftly and Transparently'
Naharnet/August 05/2021
On the first anniversary of the Beirut explosion, British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab made an intervention at the French-hosted conference in support of the Lebanese people.  Below is the full text of Raab's speech:
"Your Excellencies, Ladies and gentlemen, One year ago, Beirut was devastated by one of the largest ever non-nuclear explosions. And today, we remember those who lost their lives, those who were injured, and those whose homes and livelihoods were destroyed. Now, from the outset, the British government called on Lebanon’s leaders to urgently and transparently investigate the blast and to hold to account those responsible. One year later, we are no closer to justice. The Lebanese people deserve better. Lebanon’s caretaker government must deliver on its promise. The investigation should conclude swiftly and transparently. There must be full accountability. And those responsible for any criminal wrongdoing should face justice. The international community stands with the people of Lebanon.
The UK was one of the biggest donors after the blast. We helped the Lebanese Red Cross expand its first responder network. We provided counselling and rehabilitation to over 1,500 people who suffered trauma or physical harm. And we supported the most vulnerable Lebanese and Syrian refugees with £20 million of funding to meet their basic needs in the aftermath of the blast. Surveys by the Royal Navy ensured the port was brought quickly back into action. Now, looking forward, we will continue to help the Lebanese Armed Forces and Internal Security Forces maintain their operational capability in order to counter terrorism and other forms of instability. We will continue to help the most vulnerable in order to meet their basic needs. And we will invest in Lebanon’s future, promoting governance reform and more inclusive politics. To truly address the root causes of Lebanon’s crisis, its leaders must act.
Of course, that includes the new PM-designate, Najib Mikati. Lebanon’s leaders must deliver transparency and accountability for the victims of that terrible blast. They must hold timely elections. But action cannot just wait for those elections to happen. The cost of delay would be itself a humanitarian crisis.
We need to see a capable government in place immediately, and essential reforms being properly implemented. The international community stands ready to assist if the Lebanese politicians follow this path. But if they fail, Lebanon’s friends must look at how we can tackle the corruption that has seen narrow vested interests placed above the needs of the people. And that’s our commitment. We stood with the Lebanese people a year ago. We continue to stand with them today as they strive for the future that they deserve.
Thank you."

Mikati meets Aoun, fears “great sin” would be committed if government formation not accelerated
NNA/August 05/2021
President of the Republic, General Michel Aoun, met Prime Minister-Designate, Najib Mikati, this afternoon at the Presidential Palace, and discussed with him the path of forming the new government.
Statement:
“Today’s meeting with His Excellency, the President, acquired utmost importance, especially after yesterday’s events. In our discussion, we addressed the need to take lessons from what has happened, in terms of the cries of all the Lebanese which were affected by the August 4th 2020 catastrophe, and who feel that there is no state which takes care of them, and they are left to their destiny.
The second issue which we discussed dealt with the conference of donor countries, at the thankful invitation of President Emmanuel Macron, with the attendance of 33 countries, 10 international organizations and representatives of civil society.
They said “We are on your side, and if you, as Lebanese, do not help each other, how do you ask us to help you?”. From this point of view, I began the meeting with His Excellency the President and assured him of the necessity of forming the government, and in fact we would be committing a great sin if we did not expedite the formation of the government.
The formation process continues, although progress is slow, but we persevere and insist on forming the government, because God Willing, it will bring good to Lebanon. We want the government to be a lever and not an additional point for frustration in Lebanon. I hope that the Lebanese will not become pessimistic, because a smile or a frown today changes their character. We all have to be optimistic because this country concerns us all. The current stage is very difficult, at both economic and financial levels. In addition, we have the parliamentary elections which is a very important deadline. I would like to tell everyone that I am open to all opinions, but there is no place for coups in Lebanon, rather there is an obligatory crossing through an obligatory constitutional stage to reach the elections, so that elections decide the future of Lebanon in a democratic manner.
We have no objections, but rather I can assure and adhere to the integrity of the upcoming elections”.
Questions & Answers:
Responding to a question about translating his apparent optimism into tangible steps regarding the distribution of ministries, PM Mikati replied “Any word I would say will increase obstacles. Therefore, I will not say anything to avoid gossip and put additional obstacles. There is no process of defiance of anyone, and no one is adhering to a specific ministry. In addition, no ministry is constitutionally linked to a sect, but I said in the last statement that we have no time to engage in side disputes. Let us leave all problems and head towards forming a government”.
In response to another question, PM Mikati said “Constitutionally, there is no deadline for the Prime Minister-Designate. However, out of my sense of patriotism, and my feeling of the necessity of forming the government, I said last time that I cannot give an open deadline for formation. If anyone but me is able to take this burden, please be so kind”.
“In today’s session, we took a positive step forward” Mikati added.
Responding to another question, the Premier-Designate said “I do not abide by a time limit or certain number of ministers of the government, but I seek to form a government and this is my goal. I accepted the assignment to form a government, and if I reach a dead end, I will announce that”.
About apologizing for failing to form the government, Mikati replied “I did not speak about apologizing. If I feel that I am at a dead end and I am unable to find a homogeneous team to rise, I will address the Lebanese and tell them that I apologize for accomplishing my task. Until now, I didn’t feel that I was at a dead end, so why should I talk about a problem which doesn’t exist?”.
In response to a question about the level of progress in discussions, PM Mikati replied: “Progress is equal to the level of understanding with His Excellency the President”.
Concerning the connection of his exit from Baabda every time to the rise in the Dollar rate, he said: “We are in the process of forming a government and not working on the stock exchange”. About the problem of searching in names for ministries, the Premier-Designate said: “We have become professionals in frustration. If there are good intentions then there will be no problem”. About his next meeting with President Aoun, he said: “Tomorrow, God willing”. In response to another question, he denied that the President of the Republic adheres to the finance or interior ministries.
Describing the difference between today and 2013, when he resigned due to developments surrounding his government, PM Mikati said “The current time is different from 2013, and the country needs someone who is able to keep pace with this stage to stop the spread of fire”.—Presidency Press Office

Aoun Says Israel's 'First Airstrikes since 2006' Point to Hostile Intentions
Naharnet/August 05/2021 
President Michel Aoun considered Thursday that “submitting a complaint to the United nations is a must,” after being briefed by the Army Commander Joseph Aoun about the results of the investigations regarding the rockets fired from Lebanon. He declared that “it’s the first time since 2016 that Israel targets Lebanese villages with its air force, which reveals Israel’s intentions to escalate its aggressions.” Aoun said that the latest attacks happened after “continuous threats against Lebanon and its sovereignty.”He stressed that the Israeli attacks are “a flagrant and dangerous violation against the Security Council Resolution 1701, and a direct threat to security and stability in the south."

Miqati Says Made 'Slow Progress' in Meeting with Aoun
Naharnet/August 05/2021
Prime Minister-designate Najib Miqati seemed to be upbeat Thursday after his fifth meeting with President Michel Aoun in Baabda. “The meeting was important… and we made progress today in the consultations, albeit a slow progress, but we are determined and keen on forming the government,” Miqati told reporters. Describing the meeting as a “positive step forward,” Miqati added that he has set a formation deadline for himself out of his “patriotic sense,” seeing as the constitution does not stipulate a deadline.
Asked about the reports that have suggested that he might resign soon, the PM-designate said: “I have accepted the designation in order to form (a government) and I have not mentioned anything about resignation.”“But should I face a dead end as to finding a harmonious team to achieve revival, I will speak to the Lebanese, but so far I have not encountered any problem,” Miqati added. Calling on the Lebanese to shun “despair,” the PM-designate said he will hold a sixth meeting with Aoun on Friday. A “highly informed source” had earlier told the Akhbar al-Yawm news agency that Miqati’s visit to Baabda on Thursday would likely be "the last." Paris will then “exert pressures on Aoun and MP Jebran Bassil and European sanctions will be imposed prior to Miqati’s resignation before the end of August,” the source added. “What’s more dangerous is that the club of ex-PMs will not offer Maronites any Sunni premier during Aoun’s tenure after Miqati’s resignation,” the source went on to say.

World Bank President, IMF Director at Lebanon Support Conference stress need to initiate forensic audit and for Lebanon to undertake radical reforms
NNA/August 05/2021
World Bank President, David Malpass, and International Monetary Fund Managing Director, Christalina Georgiev, asserted the importance of forensic audit in Central Bank and Electricite Du Liban accounts, and emphasized the need for Lebanon to undertake radical reforms, in multiple sectors. Stances of Malpass and Georgieva came in their speeches while participating in the Conference for Supporting Lebanon and the Lebanese in Paris. The Conference convened yesterday through video technology, through which 33 countries, 13 international organizational and 5 representatives of the Lebanese civil society participated.
President of the World Bank:
“We are here today to confront the worsening humanitarian crisis in Lebanon in support of the Lebanese people, who are of vital importance to the world. The Lebanese people, like all other peoples of the world, deserve access to food, water, medicine and sanitation.
There is an urgent need to form a government capable of reform, providing these basic services and putting an end to corruption. However, the continued flow of supplies into the country, even food and water supplies, is at risk, and the Lebanese Lira and the banking system are in a state of collapse. We describe this as a “Deliberate depression" given that previous governments and their supporters had done so much damage. Lebanon must find a way to form a government which upholds the principles of transparency, human rights and the rule of law that ensures accountability of all institutions. The Lebanese people need freedom, security and investment to continue to grow, and the government must renew its strong commitment to a transparent national currency that retains its value to stem the waves of inflation.
After the Beirut Port explosion, the World Bank Group, in cooperation with the UN and EU, quickly prepared a damage and needs assessment, and our experts worked day and night to respond to this emergency.
Lebanon has been one of the first beneficiaries of the World Bank’s global support for COVID-19 vaccinations, and now Lebanon urgently needs to get more of those vaccines. We urge the government to scale up vaccination campaigns. We are currently working to increase vaccination rates, including for refugees and other groups mostly in need.
We have been associated with the provision of large financing resources to the emergency project to support the social safety net in Lebanon, in order to provide emergency cash transfers and social services to the poor and needy groups. I call on the Lebanese authorities and the Central Bank to take immediate and necessary steps to start disbursing this cash assistance to the eligible beneficiaries.
Providing reliable and affordable electrical supply is essential to business, families, education and maintenance of water and sewage systems. Lebanon must take over the repair of the electricity network and halt losses.
In this regard, I cannot fail to add my voice to that of Mrs. Christalina in calling for an audit of Central Bank and EDL accounts. I also call on Lebanon’s neighboring countries, including Syria and its partners, to cooperate in transporting gas and electricity across the border. This could immediately save hundreds of millions of Dollars in benefits, while at the same time improving public services.
As of tomorrow, we will support small businesses which were affected by the Beirut Port explosion, through the recently approved Rebuilding Beirut Business for the Better (B5 project).
We are working with partners to rebuild the port of Beirut, and we are asking the government to speed up the ratification of the Lebanese port and port system, which lays the foundation for the organization and management of a new, more transparent port.
I look forward to working with all of you here today for a better future for Lebanon”.
IMF Managing Director:
“Since we met after the tragic Beirut Port explosion last August, parts of the city have been reconstructed and there was hope at the time that this tragedy would lead to the convergence of the will of all to carry out broad political, social and economic reforms.
Unfortunately, this did not happen. On the contrary, what we see is a sharp deterioration in the living conditions of the Lebanese people.
Many speakers highlighted the humanitarian crisis in Lebanon. So let me add one point about the economy. The economy has already shrunk by about a third since 2017—and is expected to contract further in 2021-2022. Unemployment has also reached a very high rate. Above all, the pandemic continues to take a heavy toll on the country.
President Macron, this is the context in which you have arranged for us to speak of those who have endured excessive neglect of their urgent humanitarian needs, and excessive delay in reforming the weakened economy.
Therefore, for us at the IMF, we see an urgent need to act today, and we attach great importance to transforming the Lebanese economy in the longer term.
On the urgent need for action, as you mentioned. I want to thank you personally for your leadership on the new allocation of SDRs. We now have the outcome of the 2 August vote in the Board of Governors on the issuance of new SDR allocations of 650 $1 billion to be distributed within two weeks according to membership quotas. For Lebanon, this is not a simple matter. Through this distribution, Lebanon will obtain Special Drawing Rights equivalent to $860 million at this difficult time to increase its depleted reserves and also to help meet the many urgent needs of the Lebanese people.
It is essential to use these SDRs responsibly and wisely. It is important everywhere, but very important in Lebanon given the critical juncture it is going through. These provisions are a valuable resource. It must be distributed to achieve the maximum benefit for the country and its people.
Of course, how to use the SDR is a sovereign decision, but it must be a sound one. The Lebanese people have a right to know what a distributed SDR will bring them. I call on international and local partners to work with us to help ensure transparency and accountability in the use of Lebanon’s new SDR allocation. But the SDR will not solve Lebanon’s longer-term structural and systemic problems. What do we need to solve it then? We need a government with the necessary powers to reform and revitalize the crippled Lebanese economy.
We know the areas in which to move. And we know what to do:
First, direct treatment of the core problem of weak governance, by strengthening the fight against corruption, improving the performance of state functions, especially the management of companies owned by them.
I would like to focus here on the energy sector as the most important area for action, in addition tocompleting the audit of Central Bank accounts,and the electricity supply company.
Second, implement a fiscal strategy which combines deep debt restructuring and reforms to restore Lebanon’s credibility, with attention to social spending as part of this strategy.
Third, a comprehensive restructuring of the financial sector, and recognition in advance of the losses of private banks and the Central Bank, but in a way which provides protection for small depositors.
Last but not least, we need a reliable monetary and exchange system, based on standardization of exchange rates. We have been available for dialogue with the Lebanese authorities over the past year, but I will be very frank with you, communication has been severely restricted due to the absence of a functioning government.  Therefore, I would like once again to urge Lebanon’s political leaders to come to consensus on a new government which has the will and power to implement reforms.
My final message to the wonderful Lebanese people is: We stand by your side, and look forward to a government which takes steps forward so that we can all join forces to extricate Lebanon from the recent tragedy”. -- Presidency Press Office

Jumblat Says Nations of Paris Conference Can Give Info on Nitrates Shipment
Naharnet/August 05/2021 
Leader of the Progressive Socialist Party Walid Jumblat tweeted on Thursday that “some have a selective memory,” claiming that he was “the first to call for an international investigation committee,” concerning the Beirut port explosion. He added that “the government has refused” his suggestion.He also said that the countries that participated Wednesday in the Paris conference for supporting Lebanon “can give sufficient information on the (nitrates) subject.”Jumblat assumed that the participating countries can provide information about “who has imported and used the nitrates,” unless “the game of nations” doesn’t allow it.

Zahran Says Kishli is 'Zuheir al-Siddiq 2' after Nitrates Remarks
Naharnet/August 05/2021 
Pro-Hizbullah journalist Salem Zahran on Thursday described a man who claimed to have transported ammonium nitrate shipments from Beirut port to south Lebanon as “Zuheir al-Siddiq 2,” in reference to a Syrian national described as a “false witness” during the international investigations into Rafik Hariri’s murder. “At the request of the public prosecution, the central investigations department has retrieved the transcript of what Imad Kishli said about his transportation of ammonium nitrate to the South, sending it to the investigative judge into the Beirut port crime Tarek al-Bitar for the legal measures to be taken,” Zahran said in a tweet.In an earlier tweet, Zahran had called for the interrogation of Kishli by the judiciary, describing him as “Zuheir al-Siddiq 2”. “Along with his testimony, he and the fabricators behind him must be encompassed by the judicial investigation into the Beirut port explosion,” Zahran added.
Kishli, a truck driver who says that he had worked for decades at the port before being wounded in the 2020 explosion, appeared Wednesday night in an interview on MTV. Asked whether he had witnessed a “suspicious movement” at the port, Kishli said: “Several times, not only once, the last of which was on August 4 (2020), and the movements started at 5am.”“The port was full of security agencies… ‘You can’t stop here, move forward, move backwards,’ (they were saying),” Kishli said, referring to the hours that preceded the blast. Asked whether he had ever transported material whose nature was not known to him, the man said: “Yes… it’s a long story.”He added that the last such trip that he made was around four years ago and that it was to south Lebanon. Pressed to say whether it was an ammonium nitrate consignment, Kishli said “God knows,” adding that he made two trips to the South and that the material was in a metallic container which he did not open. “I did not know that it might explode or be used for manufacturing,” Kishli went on to say. Beirut Bar Association chief Melhem Khalaf was present at the interview and the talk show’s host, Marcel Ghanem, said that Khalaf would help Kishli join a witness protection program.

Diab Requests Urgent Complaint to U.N. Security Council over Israel Attacks on Lebanon
Naharnet/August 05/2021 
Caretaker Prime Minister Hassan Diab asked Thursday caretaker Foreign Minister Zeina Akar to request the Representative of Lebanon to the United Nations Ambassador Amal Mudallali to submit “an urgent complaint to the United Nations Security Council regarding the Israeli aggression against Lebanon."He said in a statement that the Israeli enemy has waged an explicit aggression against the Lebanese sovereignty “with artillery first then with warplanes.”He added that “Israel has publicly admitted this flagrant violation,” adding that “no party has claimed responsibility” for the rockets fired from Lebanon and that the intentions and timing of rocket fire are “suspicious.”Diab stressed that this “dangerous aggression is a major threat to peace at Lebanon's southern border” and that “Israel has previously committed a series of violations against Lebanon” and “has used the Lebanese airspace to attack Syria." He called on the United Nations and the Security Council to “deter Israel from repeating violations against Lebanon,” and from “threatening the stability that has existed since 2006."

Riad Salameh Quizzed Over Alleged Graft
Agence France Presse/August 05/2021
A Lebanese judge on Thursday questioned central bank chief Riad Salameh over graft allegations as part of a probe into financial misconduct, a judicial source said. Salameh, one of world's longest-serving central bank governors, is facing a spate of allegations, including in Switzerland and France, over suspicions of money laundering and embezzlement. Lebanon opened a probe into his wealth in April, after Switzerland requested assistance for an investigation into more than $300 million which Salameh allegedly embezzled out of the central bank with the help of his brother.
Salameh has repeatedly denied the accusations. On Thursday, judge Jean Tannous questioned Salameh as part of Lebanon's own investigation into allegations of "embezzlement of public funds, fraud... money laundering, tax evasion, and illicit enrichment", the source said. The grilling lasted three and a quarter hours, the source said. The judge decided to "keep him under investigation until questioning is completed in further sessions," the source added, without giving a timeframe. Salameh, who rarely appears before the judiciary, did not have his attorney present on Thursday because of a strike organized by the Beirut Bar Association, the source said. In January, he was summoned by Lebanese judges to answer questions submitted by the Swiss attorney general. Critics at home have blamed Salameh's monetary policies for a financial crisis in Lebanon but there have been no serious calls for his removal from a ruling class accused of benefiting from his central bank schemes. After Switzerland opened its probe, France also launched a similar investigation into charges of aggravated money laundering in May. Lebanon is grappling with an economic crisis branded by the World Bank as one of the worst since the mid-19th century.

Marking Aug. 4, Collard Says UK to Continue to Stand by Lebanese People
Naharnet/August 05/2021 
British Ambassador to Lebanon Ian Collard has delivered a video message on the anniversary of August 4, 2020 catastrophic Beirut explosion. Below is the text of the full message:
"A year on from the horrifying port explosion that tore Beirut apart we continue to share the Lebanese people sense of devastation loss and quest for justice. We renew our continuing calls to the Lebanese leaders to ensure the successful conclusion of a fair and transparent investigation of last year's explosion and proper accountability. I'm certain this is the only means by which we can bring closure to the victims and their families and all of the people who continue to suffer. Justice should not be delayed. In my short time in Beirut I've heard stories of pain and anguish but also of hope as people continue to recover pulling their shattered homes and broken businesses back together. Today as I stand close to the port of Beirut I want to pay tribute to the heroism and selflessness of those who were in the front lines of the fourth of August 2020 from Lebanese and Palestinian civil defence, the red cross, the Lebanese army, Drs, nurses, volunteers, the unknown soldiers and firefighters and many more. In Beirut's hour of need the united kingdom was among the first international partners to respond to the blast and we will continue to stand by the people of Lebanon."

Solidarity initiative on August 4, 2021: Free Scholarships to the children of victims & disabled of Beirut Explosion
NNA/August 05/2021 
One year after the painful day of August 4 explosion that shook the Port of Beirut and its tragic repercussions on lives and the city, SOLIDARITYlaunched its new initiative, which will enable all the children of the victims and people severely injured with disability from the August 4 explosion to benefit from scholarships in schools and / or universities and to one family member if the victim does not have children. Mr. Charles G. Hage President of “Solidarity”, announced the initiative on the eve of the first anniversary, hoping that it would be a new contribution that would help “our people and our brothers and sisters” complete their educational path, especially thatBeirut was famous for its academic level over the years, and will remain so. Solidarity has rehabilitated the homes of hundreds of affected families to secure their return to their homes before last winter. The association was also able, with the will of the good people and its board members, to repair more than 900 homes in cooperation with MAN and "Dar Al-Handasa ". Solidarity also worked on its "Fighting Hunger and Poverty" in Lebanon program with a main objective to support families living below the poverty line providing them with food boxes all year round. Nearly 15,000 families in more than 750 towns and villages across the country benefited from this program. Solidarity was able to distribute 75,000 food boxes by the middle of this year. SOLIDARITY also stood by the Lebanese in their battle against COVID_19 by providing artificial respirators; Solidarity has distributed 50 ventilators to more than 12 hospitals in Lebanon, including the military hospital, in addition to 34 oxygen-generating devices, after a severe shortage emerged in the treatment of complications from the Corona virus. SOLIDRARITY continues to stand by the Lebanese people to overcome the tough times with the support of its partners: The Lebanese Maronite Order, The Maronite Foundation in the World and the Gilbert and Rose-Marie Chagoury Foundation and all the good people donating during these difficult circumstances.

Lebanon thanks Russia for help in combating COVID-19 — health minister
NNA/August 05/2021  
The Lebanese authorities expressed gratitude to Russia and President Vladimir Putin for assistance in combating the COVID-19 pandemic as well as dealing with the aftermath of the disaster in the port of Beirut, the republic’s Health Minister Hamad Hasan said at an online conference on Thursday.
"It is also necessary to express thanks for the official assistance that Russia and Vladimir Putin personally provided to our country both in terms of the explosion and COVID-19. The hospital that was built with Russia’s help also has been damaged during the blast," the Lebanese health minister noted. "Now, we are highly concerned that the number of [coronavirus] patients in our hospitals should not increase."The Lebanese government delegation is currently on an official visit to Russia. The Health Minister emphasized that the trip took place in a very challenging and serious period that Lebanon was going through. Hasan thanked the staff of the Russian embassy in Beirut, including Ambassador Alexander Rudakov, Lebanon’s diplomatic mission in Russia and all those who took part in organizing the current Lebanese delegation’s visit.
On February 5, 2021, the Lebanese Health Ministry approved the emergency use of the Russian Sputnik V jab. At the end of the same month, some 20 private firms were granted the right to negotiate with pharmaceutical companies that manufacture COVID-19 drugs. The first batch of the Russian jab was delivered to Beirut from the United Arab Emirates on March 25. Lebanon launched mass vaccination with Sputnik V on March 30.—TASS

Members of Independent Oversight Board of 3RF Issue Joint Communiqué
NNA/August 05/2021 
In the aftermath of the horrific Beirut Port Blast on August 4th, 2020, the international community has set up the Reform Recovery and Reconstruction framework (3RF) to help support the Lebanese. The World Bank, EU, and UN in coordination with the Government of Lebanon (GoL) and civil society representatives have developed a framework that remarkably includes heavy involvement from Civil Society organizations (CSOs) in the planning, implementation and oversight of relevant interventions1. The 3RF is also strategically based on a series of essential reforms that buttress sustainable recovery and condition the biggest share of funding. In this context, the second Consultative Group (CG) meeting took place on July 27th, four months after the first meeting, co-chaired by the GoL, Lebanese Civil Society representative, the EU, the World Bank and the UN. The Independent Oversight Board members have attended the meeting as observers. A year from the blast, the meeting is still held amidst total obscurity around the reasons and those responsible for this disaster. It is utterly regrettable that parliament and high ranking members of the administration have sought to obstruct the local investigation, impeding any significant development on the case. The meeting is also organized on the backdrop of a total paralysis of the political class. No government has been formed yet and the caretaker government seems to have relinquished its prerogatives to proceed with meaningful reforms, direly needed to alleviate the social and economic suffering of the Lebanese. The IOB underlines that little progress has been achieved at the level of LFF funded projects, due to long administrative procedures but also limited cooperation on behalf of the GoL. We note that the MoF has suspended the signature of a non-objection letter thereby blocking for five months a $7 million transfer from the World Bank to Kafalat, the entity tasked with activating a 25 MN USD flagship project meant to provide support for struggling businesses. The government is also causing a now months-long delay in the transfer of funds dedicated for environmental recovery (nearly 10 MN USD) due to its inability to select a waste disposal site and set up a dedicated coordination committee.
At the level of committed reforms, The IOB deplores the GoL’s retardment, particularly in relation to measures directly related to the roll-out of necessary social protection systems. These include fiscal reform to provide adequate space in the annual budget for social protection spending, securing financial sustainability for the NSSF, approving a national social protection strategy, developing a detailed housing recovery strategy, and providing strategic direction for the reform of price subsidies. Whilst the Lebanese parliament passed a modern public procurement law, it failed to impose the public disclosure of the ultimate beneficial ownership of potential subcontractors. The IOB also condemns the reluctance of parliament to enact a credible law on judicial independence. That in addition to a much needed financial recovery framework and a capital controls law that would mitigate the unfair distribution of systemic losses, today carried by the most vulnerable. The IOB highlights the need for greater inclusiveness and civil society engagement across the 3RF, and calls for CSO involvement in the disbursement of the upcoming SDR allocation to Lebanon. Greater transparency regarding the disbursement should be complemented with a process that allows civil society to weigh in and monitor use of funds. The IOB remains committed to independently review and validate the 3RF implementation process and calls for greater political buy-in on behalf of the GoL to operationalize the 3RF and conduct the necessary reforms to unlock much needed support to the Lebanese.

Lebanese Protest Impunity One Year on from Deadly Blast
Agence France Presse/August 05/2021
Thousands of grief-stricken Lebanese on Wednesday marked a year since a cataclysmic explosion ravaged Beirut, protesting impunity over the country's worst peacetime disaster at a time when its economy was already in tatters. Not far from a solemn remembrance service being held at the "ground zero" site of the blast, a group of protesters scuffled with riot police near the entrance to parliament, whose members have been accused of stalling a probe into the disaster. Police fired tear gas, water canons and rubber bullets at demonstrators lobbing stones, firecrackers and Molotov cocktails, in clashes which the Red Cross said left more than 50 injured. Mournful tunes rang out above central Beirut, as crowds walked towards the dockside, many brandishing posters demanding accountability over the disaster. On August 4, 2020, a stock of ammonium nitrate fertilizer haphazardly stored at the city's port exploded and left swathes of the Lebanese capital looking like a war zone. What went down as one of the largest non-nuclear blasts in history killed at least 214 people, levelled entire neighborhoods, irreparably scarred the nation's psyche and deepened the country's economic abyss.
At the clock struck 6:07 pm, the exact time of the blast, thousands observed a minute's silence on the empty highway running past the obliterated port, the ruins of its grain silos basking in the evening sunshine. Sandra Abras, 43, said she had come to pay respect to the victims after she was lucky to survive the explosion, but her home was ravaged in the blast. "We weren't able to return home for a month and a half... We fixed it with our own money," she said, adding she suffered strong headaches for months after the event. Lawyers, doctors and engineers also joined in to pay tribute to those who perished in the blast, whose shockwave was felt as far away as Cyprus. Port workers were buried under gutted grain silos in the explosion, commuters crushed to death and residents lacerated by supersonic shards of glass bled out in their homes. With public animosity running high against the political class, officials kept away from the remembrance service.
'My government killed my people'
At the march a year later, protesters clad in dark hooded robes paraded a mock guillotine.
"My 'government' killed my people, took our homes and turned our city to dust," one woman's sign read. Wafaa Karam, 37, mourned her brother, a nephew and a cousin, all firefighters killed last summer after they rushed to extinguish the fire that sparked the blast.
"We want the truth," she said. The country's already reviled political class has hidden behind its proclaimed immunity to avoid prosecution, stalling the lead investigating judge's work at every turn. Jeffry Chartouni, a worker at the port's grain silos, said he wanted justice for his seven colleagues killed. "The security officials, the government, the customs, of course they all knew," the 32-year-old said. Since the blast, the country has sunk deeper into economic crisis. With more than half the population now living under the poverty line, an international donor conference collected $370 million in urgent aid for Lebanon on Wednesday, exceeding a $350 million target. Former colonial power France pledged $118 million and the United States promised $100 million, at the latest conference to drum up humanitarian aid.
'Nitrate deputies'
Amnesty International has accused the Lebanese authorities of "shamelessly obstructing" justice, while Human Rights Watch accused them of "criminal negligence". On Monday, relatives of blast victims called on authorities to lift immunity within three days, warning they were willing to "break bones" in upcoming protests. According to foreign and Lebanese intelligence reports seen by AFP, hundreds of tons of fertilizer were carelessly stored in the same warehouse as tons of fireworks and rolls of detonating cord, among other dangerous materials. Lebanon's parliamentarians -- some of whom have been nicknamed the "nitrate deputies" on social media -- are ignoring intense international pressure and threats of sanctions. The political class has also yet to agree on a new cabinet to replace the one that resigned after the explosion, a key condition to unlock any financial assistance to the cash-strapped state. Lebanon's descent into chaos had already started before the port blast, with a bankrupt state trapping people's savings in banks and the national currency nose-diving on the black market.

Shattered By Blast, Landmark Beirut Museum Tries To Rebuild
Associated Press/August 05/2021
The artist meticulously cuts small pieces of yellow and red glass, then lays them in a pattern to recreate the stained-glass windows that were the trademark of Beirut's Sursock Museum, shattered in last year's port explosion. Conservators, hunched over with magnifying glasses, fill lines of paint loss caused by the explosion with their brushes and weave together tears thread by thread under microscope. Other workers delicately piece back together broken shards of ceramics. "It has been very hard to see my work of 30 years on the ground, back to being sand ... But it is important to rebuild the museum," said Maya Hussaini, the artist who worked on the stained-glass windows during a major renovation at the museum that finished in 2015 and is back rebuilding them now, "I had to go back to my archive to dig out my designs to bring it back to how it was," she said. Perched on the hills of the Ashrafieh neighborhood hundreds of meters from the Beirut Port, the 60-year-old Sursock was the beating heart of Beirut's creative scene. The country's only modern art museum, it boasts a collection of Lebanese art dating back to the late 1800s. It has long provided a rare public and free space for art, not even closing throughout Lebanon's 1975-1990 civil war. Restorers and artists have been working to revive that role after the museum was decimated by the Aug. 4, 2020 port explosion. The explosion ripped through the three-story building, unhinging the doors, wrecking everything down to the fourth underground level. Windows shattered, including the stained-glass windows of its façade. The art collection was badly hit. At least 57 of the 130 pieces on display were either broken or torn, including Dutch artist Kees Von Dongen's portrait of Nicolas Sursock, after whom the museum is named. The nearby 19th-century landmark Sursock Palace, one of the most storied buildings in the Lebanese capital, was also wrecked in the blast.
The massive explosion, which devastated Beirut, also caused a gaping wound to the thriving creative scene for which the Mediterranean city had been famous. Many of the independent, small art spaces are in the cosmopolitan districts hardest hit by the blast.
A number of galleries and private studios were destroyed. Some, already suffering from a growing economic crisis, have shut down for good. For the Sursock Museum, the blow was even harder because it had just finished in 2015 a nearly decade-long project of modernization and expansion.
"At the beginning we were overwhelmed with the reality and the extent of the damage." said Zeina Arida, the museum's director. For three months, teams cleaned dust and chemical particles off everything in the museum. Then came the art restoration. Everything was restored in Beirut, except for the Nicolas Sursock portrait and two other pieces, flown to Paris for specialized treatment. A year later, builders have installed windows, ceilings and doors and are now reinstalling dividers and lights. There was broad and swift support to bring the museum back to life.
The museum raised nearly 80% of the estimated $3 million restoration budget through the French and Italian governments, the International Alliance for the Protection of Heritage in Conflict Areas, UNESCO, private donors and local groups.
It was a major feat for a country grappling with the explosion, a financial crisis and coronavirus restrictions.
The economic crisis has been a major hurdle.
"It really has been two years that were very stressful, and the kind of challenges we are facing are evolving," said Arida. Before the blast, she had to reduce the museum's working days to save money as the economy fell apart.
Since late 2019, banks have limited depositors' access to dollar accounts and restricted withdrawals from national currency ones. So, the museum raised funds abroad to be able to secure supplies and basic material. Management still had to figure out how to secure funds domestically. Just like the rest of the country, the museum is struggling to secure fuel for its air conditioners, necessary for storage areas and restoration workshops. The museum aims to reopen in the spring of 2022, though the economic and security conditions remain unpredictable. In recent weeks, the museum has hosted concerts and dance shows in its garden. For many artists, like other struggling professionals, the explosion was the final straw, pushing them to leave for opportunities abroad. Arida said the exodus creates a new responsibility: the need for new programs and funds to retain those who stayed.
"We need to rebuild the whole sector. The museum without the other organizations, without... the surrounding heritage buildings would never be the same," she said.

On anniversary of Beirut blast, Macron delivers scathing attack on Lebanese politicians
The Arab Weekly/August 05/2021
“There will be no blank cheque for the Lebanese political system, ” Macron said.
Thousands of Lebanese gathered Wednesday to mark the first anniversary of the catastrophic Beirut port blast and protest the lack of progress in the investigation about the explosion that caused the death of more than 200 people.
As a memorial service got underway at the port, water cannon and tear gas were fired at protesters who threw stones towards security forces near parliament. Eight people were wounded, the Red Cross said. In a virtual conference to aid Lebanon, French President, echoed by other Western leaders, delivered a scathing attack on Lebanese politicians.
Emmanuel Macron criticised a “failing” Lebanese political class he blamed for their country’s economic turmoil. “Lebanese leaders seem to bet on a stalling strategy, which I regret and I think is a historic and moral failure,” Macron said in opening remarks as host of the international donors’ conference. “There will be no blank cheque for the Lebanese political system. Because it is they who, since the start of the crisis but also before that, are failing.”Macron has visited Beirut twice since the port blast, raised emergency aid and imposed travel bans on some senior Lebanese officials in his quest for a reform package.
He has also persuaded the European Union to agree on a sanctions framework that is ready to be used. Experts expect more sanctions ahead against Lebanese officials.
In Wednesday’s videoconference, Lebanese President Michel Aoun appealed for solidarity, saying the COVID-19 pandemic had caused drug shortages and exacerbated the plight of the Lebanese people. “Lebanon is currently going through the hardest times,” Aoun said. Addressing the messages of urgency from Macron and the international community on the need for a new government, he said: “Today we are in a new phase. I do hope that a government is formed, a government which is capable of implementing the required reforms.”
Lebanese politicians have only made the situation ”worse by placing their individual and political interests above the Lebanese people’s interests,” Macron criticized. “Lebanon definitely deserves better.”
US President Joe Biden offered nearly $100 million in the conference but he warned that, “no amount of outside assistance will ever be enough if Lebanon’s own leaders do not commit to the hard and necessary work of reforming the economy and combatting corruption. It’s essential. It has to stop now”.
Criticism of Lebanese politicians was also voiced by Germany. “Let me be frank: this crisis is mostly manmade. Lebanese political actors have not lived up to their responsibilities and to the legitimate expectations of the Lebanese people,” German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas told the conference.
The international conference raised some $370 million in aid to meet the country’s humanitarian needs.
The pledges, to be delivered over the next 12 months, go beyond the $357 million sought in the third global effort to show support for the Lebanese people, President Emmanuel Macron said at the virtual conference co-hosted by France and the United Nations.
France will provide 100 millions euros ($118.6 million) in the coming months, Macron said. Paris will also send 500,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines for the country.
The conference drew 33 states, some represented by heads of state or government, diplomats and 13 international organizations, plus five representatives of Lebanese civil society, according to a final statement from Macron’s office. Participants included Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi, King Abdullah II of Jordan and European Council President Charles Michel.
Experts say distrust of Lebanese politicians is likely to complicate the task of delivering the aid. Last year’s conference in the wake of the blast raised about $280 million, with the emergency aid being kept away from politicians and channelled through NGOs and aid groups. The new aid will be unconditional, Macron’s office said, but about $11 billion raised in 2018 remains locked away and conditional on a series of reforms
In Wednesday’s videoconference, Lebanese President Michel Aoun appealed for solidarity, saying the COVID-19 pandemic had caused drug shortages and exacerbated the plight of the Lebanese people.
“Lebanon is currently going through the hardest times,” Aoun said.
Development model overhaul
In a statement laying out the conference’s conclusions, participants said that Lebanon’s “development model needs to be overhauled to ensure the country gets back into a sustainable and people-centred development process.”
“Humanitarian assistance cannot be a long-term solution,” the conference concluded, noting that “structural economic and financial assistance will require profound changes expected from Lebanon’s leaders.”
The conference said a new government under Lebanon’s new Prime Minister-designate Najib Mikati must start by “swiftly launching, conducting and concluding negotiations in good faith with the International Monetary Fund,” as well as preparing ”transparent and impartial” elections for 2022 and repairing the damaged port.
One year since the disaster, caused by a huge quantity of ammonium nitrate kept at the port for years, no senior official has been held to account, infuriating many Lebanese as their country suffers financial collapse.
An investigation is stalling, with requests denied for immunity to be lifted from senior politicians and former officials. All those sought for questioning by the Lebanese investigators have denied any wrongdoing.
“Justice isn’t just the demand of the families of the victims but of all Lebanese,” Maronite Patriarch Bechara Boutros Al-Rai, Lebanon’s most senior Christian cleric, said during the memorial service. All immunities should be lifted, he added.
“We want to know who brought in the explosives … who allowed for their unloading and storage, who removed quantities of it and where it was sent,” he said.
Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister said on Wednesday the insistence of the Iran-backed Hezbollah group on imposing its will in Lebanon was a major reason for the country’s crisis.
Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud also said Riyadh was concerned that no tangible results had been reached in investigations into the Beirut port explosion that devastated swathes of the capital a year ago. He said any assistance to Lebanon would be linked to serious reforms there.
According to the UN, over half of Lebanese people now live in poverty, one in three Lebanese suffer from food insecurity and nearly four million people are at risk of not accessing safe water.

The Man who outdid Pétain
Henri Curiel/The Watch Post/August 05/ 2021
In the chronicles of military history, great generals have either died on battlefields or survived and entered the Pantheon of politics. At the time of the ancient Greek city-states King Leonidas of Sparta died at the Battle of Thermopylae. Four Roman emperors died on the battlefield —Gordian II (238), Philip the Arab (249), Decius in a war against the Goths, and Constantine II (340). During the American Civil War (1861-1865) a total of 124 generals died in combat. Not all great ones perished at the front. Others fought, won, and became legendary leaders. Cesar, Napoleon, Grant, Ike and de Gaulle, to name but a few. Pétain remains an odd case study. Nicknamed ‘The Lion of Verdun’ and credited with France’s victory in WWI. He survived the battlefield but went on to cause France’s most humiliating moment in living memory. His actions cannot be explained by pragmatism for saving France and the French people from the horrors of WWII. This is too convenient a justification for it to pass with impunity. In the final analysis, he signed an armistice with Hitler and collaborated with the Nazis. This rare feat from hero to zero, was supposed to be just that, a unique case in history, until a general arose from the Levant whose feats have outdone Pétain, by miles.
This tragedy comprises a solo character namely, Gen. Michel Aoun, an undistinguished, unsung officer of Lebanon’s army. He has no special military achievements or victories to his name and, reportedly never charged ahead of his men. He predictably survived the battlefield and mastered the art of haranguing the masses, promising them the Universe and beyond. So, in 1989-1990 he waged successive futile wars, one to ‘liberate’ Lebanon from Syria’s military occupation, and the other to ‘eradicate’ militia-rule from the Christian enclave thus, biting at his own tail. Both wars ended disastrously. Aoun’s last stand was a humiliating defeat that saw him abandoning his soldiers at the front -a dereliction of military duties worthy of court martialing- and his own family at home -an unspeakable deed of abandonment in distress.
Upon his return from exile in 2005 and driven by an insatiable appetite for power, Aoun did an about face. He bonded with the Assads of Syria and collaborated with the Mullahs of Iran. He signed an armistice with Hezbollah -the infamous Mar Mikhail Accord- just as Pétain did before him with the Nazis.
Pétain, one could argue, had the temerity of excluding a third of France from under direct Nazi rule. Aoun did not bother with such details, as he licensed Iran to carry an Anschluss of the entire country without firing a single bullet. Pétain was, without a doubt, a figurehead-collaborator but Aoun stooped to new lows. He became the ultimate legitimizer of Iran’s rule over Lebanon and its State institutions.
Pétain had the excuse -albeit deficient for a war hero- of averting a German blitzkrieg against France, whose losses in WWI surpassed 1.327 million soldiers. Aoun had no such enemy at the gates. So, to justify his ‘Deal with the Devil’ in return for attaining a nominal presidency, Aoun hastily espoused the rhetoric of resistance against Israel, which by-the-way, had exited Lebanon five years prior. Later, he condoned the myth of a potential ISIS attack against the Christian enclave, as a spillover from the Syrian civil war, without a shred of evidence of the advancing barbarous hordes. If such specious claims were not enough Aoun, a curmudgeonly old man, started a new combat for Christians’ rights. A war in effect, directed at his current opponents (Berri, Jumblatt, Hariri & Co.) who, incidentally, constitute the other flank of Iran’s backers in Lebanon. So once again, Aoun is biting at his own tail, in a futile battle whose end is foretold.
Exceeding Pétain who turned a blind eye to the enforcement of the Final Solution against French Jewish citizens and whose safety was in Vichy’s hands, Aoun washed his own from the ignominy of Beirut’s Port tragedy on August 4, 2020. A near-nuclear explosion that killed hundreds of Lebanese citizens, maimed thousands, and left a quarter of the city homeless and in tatters. Not a word of condemnation was voiced by Aoun against the probable causes, the would-be perpetrators, or the possible instigators of such blast. The records show that Aoun was previously notified by his own security services of the presence of highly inflammable and explosive materials in the Port area. After the blast, he joined efforts with the kleptomaniac ruling class to undermine judicial investigations and avoid the emergence of evidence that could implicate Hezbollah, or Syria, or both, at the expense of his own people.
When Aoun stated that should Lebanon’s dire circumstances remain as they are, the country could well be heading into hell, a specific quote sprung to mind: “He can finally stop fighting his own Demons, because they are on the same side now”.
Pétain died at 95. May the verb ‘outdid’ not be synonym with ‘outlived’.

In test for Israel’s new government, rockets from Lebanon fired into northern Israel
Shira Rubin/The Washington Post/August 05/2021
TEL AVIV — Sirens sent residents in northern Israel running for shelter Wednesday after three rockets were launched from southern Lebanon, drawing rounds of cross-border Israeli ­artillery fire and rare overnight strikes, escalating a ­regional security situation seen as a test for Israel's new government.
The relatively small-scale operation, in which two rockets landed in open fields near the northern Israeli city of Kiryat Shemona and another came down inside Lebanon, was carried out by Palestinian groups along Lebanon’s southern border, according to Israeli media. The munitions sparked blazes in both Lebanon and Israel, where extreme heat and strong winds recently have compounded the risk of wildfires. The incident unfolded on a day of national mourning in Lebanon to mark one year since a huge explosion obliterated Beirut’s port, a disaster that has come to symbolize the country’s crisis of corruption and negligence.Israel fired more than 100 shells into Lebanon, according to Israeli media reports. It also carried out its first acknowleged airstrikes over the border in eight years, targeting the sites from where the rockets were fired, the military said early Thursday.
The Palestinian groups have attempted similar cross-border attacks in recent months. They operate in an area tightly controlled by the militant group Hezbollah, which is backed by Iran. The incident comes days after Israeli, U.S. and British officials blamed Iran for a fatal drone strike against a partly Israeli- operated oil tanker off the coast of Oman in the Arabian Sea. Iranian officials have denied any involvement in the strike.
That attack marked the first major confrontation with Iran for Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, who took office in June following a 12-year stint by Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s longest- serving prime minister. Netanyahu is suspected of having launched a series of attacks targeting Iran, including explosions at the country’s main uranium-enrichment site and the killing of a prominent nuclear scientist. Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz and Foreign Minister Yair Lapid, who met Wednesday with ambassadors of U.N. Security Council countries, said they provided detailed intelligence information proving that Iran struck the oil tanker last week. They said Saeed Ara Jani, head of the drone section of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps, “is the man personally responsible for the terror attacks in the Gulf of Oman.”
Gantz said Amir Ali Hajizadeh, commander of the Revolutionary Guard’s air force, was behind dozens of attacks in the region involving drones and missiles. “Iran is responsible for dozens of terror attacks across the Middle East,” Gantz said in the meeting. He further charged that Iran “has violated all of the guidelines set in the [2015 Iran nuclear agreement] and is only around 10 weeks away from acquiring weapons-grade materials necessary for a nuclear weapon.” He added: “It is time for diplomatic, economic and even military deeds — otherwise the attacks will continue Iran denies that it seeks nuclear weapons and says it has breached the deal’s limits on uranium enrichment in response to the Trump administration’s withdrawal from the accord and reimposition of sanctions.
Since last week’s drone attack, Bennett has tried to rally international support against Iran. But he also said that Israel was prepared to “act alone” in defense of its national security.
Netanyahu has repeatedly said that Bennett, whose fragile coalition is made up of eight ideologically disparate parties, is too weak to handle what he called an existential threat posed by Iran. “The Iranians need to understand that it is impossible to sit placidly in Tehran and ignite the entire Middle East from there. That’s over,” Bennett said Tuesday.
*This report has been updated.

LIC Statement on the Anniversary of the Beirut Port Explosion
August 5, 2021
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: joanna@theresolute.group
Washington, D.C. - The Lebanese Information Center commemorated the one-year anniversary of the Beirut Port Explosion with grief and sober resolve. The blast was devastating enough on its own, claiming lives, devastating families, and speeding up the economic and structural deterioration of the country. A year later, the tragedy has been compounded by the blatant obstruction of efforts to bring those responsible to account.
“To the families who lost loved ones – many of them relatives, friends, or associates of members of our organization – we grieve with you,” said LIC President Dr. Joseph Gebeily. “We have heard your calls for the perpetrators to be held accountable, and we stand with you in working toward that end.”
To provide relief to affected citizens, the LIC significantly boosted its humanitarian efforts through its chapters, which make up the largest grassroots organization of Americans of Lebanese descent. In collaboration with Children of Mary Inc. (COM) and American citizens of Lebanese origin, the LIC raised nearly $2 million in cash and in-kind donations, which were donated directly to those hit hardest by Lebanon's economic crisis and the repercussions of the port blast.
The LIC also engaged the U.S. State Department, USAID, and Congress to push for increased humanitarian support to Lebanon in this difficult time. We were heartened by President Joe Biden's announcement this week of another $98 million in humanitarian assistance to Lebanon, in addition to the $560 million provided by the U.S. over the last two years.
“While we are a policy, advocacy, and education organization, we are first and foremost dedicated to the good of the Lebanese people. Coming to their aid has been a central tenet of our mission,” explained Gebeily. “We thank our generous members across the country. This level of aid would not have been possible without their commitment and sacrifices.”
While humanitarian support has brought temporary relief, what the victims of the port blast are truly demanding is justice. The LIC has therefore relentlessly urged the United Nations, the United States government, and international partners to work on establishing a transparent and independent investigation into the port blast.
“The victims, their families, and all Lebanese citizens deserve the truth. As the LIC, we will spare no effort to advocate for such a probe to ensure closure for the victims,” Gebeily promised.
The LIC calls on Americans and Lebanese to join hands in mourning for those impacted by the blast. “But we must not stop at grief,” says Gebeily. “We remain committed to working with our friends and allies to do the right thing by fighting corruption and extremism, and reversing the decline for the sake of Lebanon and the region.”###
*The Lebanese Information Center in the U.S. is the largest grassroots organization of Americans of Lebanese descent, committed to building a free, sovereign, and democratic Lebanon for the good of the Lebanese people and in the interest of the United States of America.

The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on August 05-06/2021
Iran swears in new president Ebrahim Raisi amid regional tension
The Associated Press/Published: 06 August ,2021
The protégé of Iran’s supreme leader, Ebrahim Raisi, was sworn in as the country’s new president during a ceremony in parliament on Thursday. The former judiciary chief known for his distrust of the West takes the reins at a tense time. Iran’s indirect talks with the US to salvage Tehran’s landmark 2015 nuclear deal have stalled, as Washington maintains crippling sanctions on the country and regional hostilities simmer. “The sanctions must be lifted,” Raisi said during his half-hour inauguration speech. “We will support any diplomatic plan that supports this goal.”Wearing the traditional black turban that identifies him in the Shiite tradition as a direct descendant of Islam’s Prophet Muhammad, Raisi recited the oath of office with his right hand on the Quran. In his address, Raisi stressed his embrace of diplomacy to lift US sanctions and mend rifts with neighbors, a subtle reference to rival Saudi Arabia. But he also signaled that Iran seeks to expand its power as a counterbalance to foes across the region. “Wherever there is oppression and crime in the world, in the heart of Europe, in the US, Africa, Yemen, Syria, Palestine ... we will stand by the people,” he said, referring to Iran-backed militias like Yemen’s Houthi rebels and Lebanon’s Hezbollah. His voice rose with emotion, eliciting a clamor of approval from the audience. “The message of the election was resistance against arrogant powers.”Raisi, who won a landslide victory in an election that saw the lowest voter turnout in the nation’s history, faces a mountain of problems — what he described on Thursday as “the highest level of hostilities by Iran’s enemies, unjust economic sanctions, widespread psychological warfare and the difficulties of the coronavirus pandemic.”
Amid ongoing sanctions, Iran is grappling with runaway inflation, diminishing revenues, rolling blackouts and water shortages that have sparked scattered protests. Barred from selling its oil abroad, Iran has seen its economy crumble and its currency crash, hitting ordinary citizens hardest.
Without offering any specific policies, Raisi pledged to resolve the country’s mounting economic crisis, improve the spiraling currency and “empower poor people.”
In Washington, State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters that the US would wait to see what approach the new government in Iran will take.
“Our message to President Raisi is the same as our message to his predecessors and that is very simple: the US will defend and advance our national security interests and those of our partners,” he said. “We hope that Iran seizes the opportunity now to advance diplomatic solutions.”
Former President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from Iran’s nuclear deal in 2018 has led Tehran to abandon over time every limitation the accord imposed on its nuclear enrichment. The country now enriches a small amount of uranium up to 63 percent, a short step from weapons-grade levels, compared to 3.67 percent under the deal. It also spins far-more advanced centrifuges and more of them than allowed under the accord, worrying nuclear nonproliferation experts, though Tehran insists its program is peaceful. Raisi, 60, a conservative cleric long cultivated by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has promised to engage with the US But he also has struck a hard-line stance, ruling out negotiations aimed at limiting Iranian missile development and support for regional militias — something the Biden administration wants to address.
The official proceedings in Tehran come just a week after a drone crashed into an oil tanker linked to an Israeli billionaire off the coast of Oman, killing two crew members. The US, Israel and the United Kingdom blamed Iran for the raid and vowed a collective response, with Israel’s defense minister on Thursday even warning the country is ready to strike Iran. Although Tehran denied involvement, the assault escalates a yearslong shadow war targeting commercial shipping in the Mideast and threatens to complicate efforts to revive the nuclear deal.
Thursday’s inauguration ceremony, scaled back because of the coronavirus pandemic ravaging the country, still drew leaders and dignitaries from around the world. The presidents of Iraq and Afghanistan flew in for the occasion, along with Enrique Mora, the European Union official who has coordinated the recent nuclear negotiations in Vienna. Senior officials from Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, Venezuela and South Korea also attended.

As he takes the oath of office, Raisi faces host of challenges
The Arab Weekly/August 05/2021
New President Ebrahim Raisi takes the oath of office before parliament Thursday, with Iran facing an economy battered by US sanctions, a grinding health crisis and thorny negotiations on its nuclear programme. The ultraconservative former judiciary chief officially began his four-year mandate on Tuesday when he was inaugurated by supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. As he assumes the duties of the office, he faces a host of challenges mostly caused by Iran’s domestic and foreign policies. He starts with dashed hopes that the country’s economy could recover with the lifting of US sanctions and return to the international deal about Iran’s nuclear peogramme. Considering Iran’s behaviour at the talks in Vienna, Washington is not in a rush to scrap the sanctions. After Donald Trump in 2018 withdrew the United States from the deal and launched or reimposed crippling sanctions as part of a sweeping “maximum pressure” campaign, Iran lost billions in crucial oil revenues and was locked out of the international financial system, with the damage later compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic. Raisi said Tuesday that the new government would seek to lift “oppressive” sanctions, but would “not tie the nation’s standard of living to the will of foreigners”. Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned that “fixing economic problems takes time and cannot be done overnight”. Iranian reformist economist Saeed Laylaz said Raisi’s key task would be to rebuild the livelihoods of the most disadvantaged Iranians. To do so, “he must first overcome the problem of inflation, which is his biggest challenge”, said Laylaz, who has acted as an adviser to several Iranian presidents. Thierry Coville, of the Institute of International and Strategic Relations in Paris, said that if sanctions are lifted there will be an “acceleration of growth and a fall in inflation.”
Foreign entanglements
Experts says Iran is more than ever in pursuit of two conflicting goals: continue its adventurism abroad while working to improve relations with neighbours and Western nations.If a compromise on the nuclear issue is reached, it “will probably not allow Western investors to return to the Iranian market in the short term,” said Clement Therme, a researcher at the European University Institute in Italy, saying a “diplomatic normalisation” between Tehran and Washington was needed for that. However, Khamenei is hostile to any rapprochement with the United States, which after decades of hostility is commonly labelled the “Great Satan” or the “Global Arrogance” in Iran. Raisi has said he wants to prioritise relations with countries geographically close to Iran.While tensions with the West will likely keep simmering, the process of diplomatic normalisation with Saudi Arabia, Iran’s great regional rival, should continue, according to several experts. “A rapprochement with Riyadh would be a major diplomatic success for Tehran,” said Therme.
Rising distrust
At home, Raisi’s Iran will be sitting on a tinder box of accumulated woes and increasing grievances among the population. It faces the Middle East’s deadliest COVID-19 outbreak, with more than four million cases and over 92,000 deaths according to official figures, which are widely acknowledged to underestimate the real toll. The country has fallen behind on its inoculation campaign, in part due to its leaders refusal to accept Western-made vaccines. Getting on top of the country’s health crisis and tackling its economic problems are linked, Laylaz said, adding that Raisi needs to “finish off the vaccination process” to help life get back to normal. Iran’s isolation and economic pain, as well as the bloody repression of two waves of protests, in the winter of 2017-2018 and in November 2019, have left their mark. Iranians were also dismayed by the January 2020 downing of a Ukrainian airliner by Iran’s military amid high tensions with the United States. The June election saw a record low turnout for a presidential poll, at just 48.8 percent.
Raisi said in his inauguration speech Tuesday that the erosion of people’s trust “has caused the most problems”. “The crisis of confidence is deep and widespread,” said reformist journalist Ahmad Zeidabadi. Actions to change that include, in his view, “lifting the blocking of certain social networks such as Telegram and Twitter (and) giving up being tough on women’s veils”. Ecological issues may be Iran’s forgotten priority, but they loom large in the country of 83 million threatened by climate change, water shortages, desertification and urban air pollution. Demonstrators took to the streets in the country’s oil-rich Khuzestan province last month to protest against water problems. “The environmental crisis in Iran is a reality,” Coville said, but so far “we have the impression that the government is not able to put in place a comprehensive policy”. “Water resources are depleted,” said Zeidabadi, who pointed to “destruction of natural resources” caused by unsustainable agricultural and industrial practices. Unfortunately, he added, “it only takes two rains for those in charge to completely forget about it”.

Israeli Defense Minister Threatens Iran with Military Action
Associated Press/August 05/2021
Israel's defense minister warned Thursday that his country is prepared to strike Iran, issuing the threat against the Islamic Republic after a fatal drone strike on a oil tanker at sea that his nation blamed on Tehran. The comments by Benny Gantz come as Israel meanwhile lobbies countries for action at the United Nations over last week's attack on the oil tanker Mercer Street that killed two people. The tanker, struck off Oman in the Arabian Sea, is managed by a firm owned by an Israeli billionaire. The U.S. and the United Kingdom similarly blamed Iran for the attack, but no country has offered evidence or intelligence to support their claims. Iran, which along with its regional militia allies has launched similar drone attacks, has denied being involved. Speaking to the news website Ynet, Gantz responded to whether Israel was prepared to attack Iran with a blunt "yes."
"We are at a point where we need to take military action against Iran," Gantz said. "The world needs to take action against Iran now."Iran did not immediately respond to Gantz's comments. However, in a letter Wednesday to the U.N. Security Council, its chargé d'affaires in New York described Israel as "the main source of instability and insecurity in the Middle East and beyond for more than seven decades.""This regime has a long dark record in attacking commercial navigation and civilian ships," Zahra Ershadi wrote. "In less than two years, this regime has attacked over 10 commercial vessels carrying oil and humanitarian goods destined to Syria." Ershadi's comments refer to an ongoing shadow war being waged on Mideast waterways since 2019 that has seen both Iranian and Western-linked ships attacked. Last week's attack killed the vessel's Romanian captain as well as a British crew member who worked for Ambrey, a maritime security firm. In a statement Thursday, Ambrey identified the victim as Adrian Underwood, a former soldier in the British Army who started at the firm as a maritime security officer in 2020 before becoming a team leader. "We continue to be in contact with Adrian's family to offer support at this sad and difficult time," said John Thompson, Ambrey's management director. The attacks began a year after then-President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew from Iran's nuclear deal with world powers, which saw Iran limit its enrichment of uranium in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions. President Joe Biden has said he's willing to rejoin the accord, but talks over salvaging the deal have stalled in Vienna.

Tanker Attack Victim Was Ex-British Soldier
Agence France Presse/August 05/2021
A British security guard who was killed in a suspected Iranian drone strike on an Israel-linked tanker was a former soldier in the British army, his employers said on Thursday. Maritime security firm Ambrey said Adrian Underwood was on board the M/T Mercer Street when it came under attack in the Indian Ocean off Oman last Thursday. A Romanian national was also killed."Adrian was a former soldier in the British Army with a distinguished record of service," Ambrey's managing director John Thompson said in a statement. "He came to work for Ambrey in 2020 and his qualities were quickly recognized as he was rapidly promoted from maritime security officer to team leader."The United States and Israel have both pointed the finger at Iran for being behind the attack on the tanker, which is managed by a prominent Israeli businessman in London. Security analysts have said the fatal attack -- strongly denied by Tehran -- has upped the stakes in the "shadow war" against vessels linked to Iran and Israel. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson called the attack "unacceptable and outrageous" and warned Iran of consequences. On Tuesday, Iran was again blamed for an alleged hijacking of an asphalt and bitumen tanker in the Gulf of Oman, prompting more denials from the Islamic republic.

British Navy Group: Hijackers Have Left Vessel Off UAE Coast
Associated Press/August 05/2021
The hijackers who captured a vessel off the United Arab Emirates in the Gulf of Oman left the ship Wednesday, the British navy reported, as radio traffic appeared to reveal a crew member onboard saying Iranian gunmen had stormed the asphalt tanker.
The incident — described by the British military's United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations the night before as a "potential hijack" — revived fears of an escalation in Mideast waters and ended with as much mystery as it began.
Hints of what unfolded on the Panama-flagged Asphalt Princess emerged with a maritime radio recording obtained by commodities pricing firm Argus Media and shared with The Associated Press. In the audio, a crew member can be heard telling the Emirati coast guard that five or six armed Iranians had boarded the tanker. "Iranian people are onboard with ammunition," the crew member says. "We are … now, drifting. We cannot tell you exact our ETA to (get to) Sohar," the port in Oman listed on the vessel's tracker as its destination. It was not clear whether the crew members, whom he identified as Indian and Indonesian, were in danger at the time of the recording. No one took responsibility for the brief seizure, which underscored mounting tensions as Iran and the United States seek a resolution to their standoff over Tehran's tattered 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.
In an apparent response, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh on Tuesday denied that Iran played any role. He described the recent maritime attacks in the Persian Gulf as "completely suspicious."
The rising tensions have played out in the waters of the Persian Gulf, where just last week a drone attack on an oil tanker linked to an Israeli billionaire off the coast of Oman killed two crew members. The West blamed Iran for the raid, which marked the first known fatal assault in the shadow war targeting vessels in Mideast waters. Iran denied involvement. Late on Tuesday, the intruders boarded the Asphalt Princess sailing off the coast of Fujairah, authorities said. The official news agency of Oman's military said it received reports that the Asphalt Princess had been hijacked and immediately dispatched Royal Air Force maritime patrol aircraft and naval vessels "to contribute to securing international waters."In the recorded radio traffic, when the Emirati coast guard asks the crew member what the Iranian gunmen were doing onboard, he says he "cannot understand the (Iranians)," his voice muffled, before trying to hand over the radio to someone else. The call then cuts off.
Speaking from Washington, State Department spokesman Ned Price said that American officials also "believe that these personnel were Iranian, but we're not in a position to confirm this at this time." Possible signs of trouble began to emerge that evening when six oil tankers off the coast of Fujairah announced around the same time via their Automatic Identification System trackers that they were "not under command," according to MarineTraffic.com. That typically means a vessel has lost power and can no longer steer.
Satellite-tracking data had showed the Asphalt Princess gradually heading toward Iranian waters off the port of Jask early Wednesday, according to MarineTraffic.com. Hours later, however, it stopped and changed course toward Oman, just before the British navy group declared the hijackers had departed and the vessel was "safe."
In an analysis, maritime intelligence firm Dryad Global described the seizure of the Asphalt Princess as the latest Iranian response to outside pressures, economic conflicts and other grievances. "Iran has consistently shown that in conducting this kind of operation, it is calculated in doing so, both by targeting vessels directly connected with ongoing disputes and (vessels) operating within the 'grey space' of legitimacy," which may be involved in illicit trade, Dryad Global said.
The owner of the Asphalt Princess, listed as Emirati free zone-based Glory International, could not be reached for comment.
The U.S. military's Mideast-based 5th Fleet and the British Defense Ministry also did not respond to requests for comment. The Emirati government did not acknowledge the incident.
The Gulf of Oman sits near the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which a fifth of all traded oil passes. Fujairah, on the UAE's eastern coast, is a main port in the region for ships to take on new oil cargo, pick up supplies or trade out crew. For the past two years, after then-President Donald Trump withdrew the U.S. from Iran's nuclear deal and imposed crushing sanctions, the waters off Fujairah have witnessed a series of explosions and hijackings. The U.S. Navy has blamed Iran for a series of limpet mine attacks on vessels that damaged tankers. In 2019, Iran's Revolutionary Guard detained a British-flagged tanker, the Stena Impero, near the Strait of Hormuz. Last year, an oil tanker sought by the U.S. for allegedly circumventing sanctions on Iran was hijacked off the Emirati coast and later ended up in Iran, though Tehran never acknowledged the incident. And in January, armed Iranian Revolutionary Guard troops stormed a South Korean tanker and forced the ship to change course and travel to Iran. While Iran claimed it detained the ship over pollution concerns, it appeared to link the seizure to negotiations over billions of dollars in Iranian assets frozen in South Korean banks. Last week's attack on the oil tanker Mercer Street off Oman, killing two, has drawn criticism from the U.S., the United Kingdom and Israel. Israel has launched a diplomatic effort at the United Nations over the attack. Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab on Wednesday about the attack. Blinken and Raab spoke about "ongoing efforts to forge a coordinated response to Iran's attack," according to the State Department. Raab stressed on Twitter the "need for Iran to stop its destabilizing behavior."

Taliban ‘martyrdom’ unit attacks Afghan defense minister’s home in Kabul
Thomas Joscelyn/FDD's Long War Journal/August 05/2021
Acting Defense Minister Bismillah Mohammadi meets with First Vice President Amrullah Saleh after the Taliban tried to killed him. Photo: Afghanistan’s Ministry of Defense.
The Taliban’s “martyrdom battalion” attacked the home of Afghanistan’s acting Defence Minister Bismillah Mohammadi in Kabul yesterday evening. Mohammadi survived the assassination attempt.
The Taliban quickly claimed responsibility for the operation, which reportedly left at least eight people dead and wounded more than 20 others. In a statement posted in several languages online, the group also threatened more attacks on Afghan officials in the near future. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani appointed Mohammadi to his current post in June as part of shakeup in the aftermath of the Taliban’s swift territorial advances earlier this year. The Taliban clearly wanted to eliminate Mohammadi in what would have been a blow to the Afghan military’s new leadership.
The jihadists’ reportedly used a car bomb to pave the way for several gunmen to assault Mohammadi’s home. According to TOLOnews, the attack “took place at around 8pm local time in Shirpoor area in Kabul’s District 10 where most of the high-ranking government officials house are located.” At least four Taliban operatives, and perhaps as many as seven, took part in the raid, according to Afghan security sources.
In its statement claiming responsibility, the Taliban said that Mohammadi’s residence was targeted by “several brave mujahideen of the Islamic Emirate’s Martyrdom Battalion, armed with light and heavy weapons, as well as a car bomb.” The group claimed that an “important meeting of the enemy” was being conducted at the defense minister’s residence “at the time of the attack.”
The Taliban portrays the “martyrdom attack” as the first in a series “of retaliatory operations against key figures and leaders of the Kabul administration,” claiming that they are ordering attacks on civilians and forcing them to flee their homes throughout the country. Referring to itself as the “Islamic Emirate,” the Taliban says it can no longer “remain indifferent” to the “crimes of the occupier and the domestic enemy” and will take action against them.
While the Taliban blames the Afghan government for the current wave of violence, the reality is that the jihadists have refused multiple entreaties for a ceasefire. The Taliban launched a massive offensive across the country on May 1 and is currently attempting to overrun several provincial capitals. While civilians have been killed in the Afghan government’s counteroffensive, most of the recent violence is directly attributable to the Taliban’s decision to fight for victory and eschew any real peace.
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has documented a spike in civilian casualties during the first six months of 2021, finding that “non-suicide” improvised explosive devices (IEDs) used by “Anti-Government Elements” were the “leading cause” of civilian deaths and injuries. Ground engagements fought between the Taliban and Afghan national security forces were the second leading cause, followed by “targeted killings by Anti-Government Elements.” Therefore, two of the top three causes of civilian casualties this year are tactics employed by the Taliban, its allies and other jihadists opposed to the Afghan government. And the ground engagements between the two sides are mainly the result the Taliban’s offensive.
General Bismillah Mohammadi is one of the main Afghan officials responsible for countering the jihadists’ campaign. Since May, most of the operations conducted by the Taliban and al Qaeda groups in Afghanistan have occurred outside of the Afghan capital. But the attack on Mohammadi’s residence demonstrates that the Taliban plans to expand its operations into the heart of Kabul once again.
The Haqqani Network, an integral Taliban subgroup that controls key leadership positions within the insurgency’s hierarchy and is closely allied with al Qaeda, has a strong facilitation network in Kabul. The Haqqanis could deploy more of its “martyrs” in the weeks to come, as it has been responsible for multiple large-scale attacks inside Kabul in the past.
The raid on Mohammadi’s house is similar to other inghimasi operations conducted by the Taliban and al Qaeda in the past. (The Islamic State, which is at odds with the Taliban and al Qaeda, utilizes inghimasi tactics as well.) In general, inghimasi attacks often rely on vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices (VBIEDs) to clear the way for a small team of gunmen who immerse themselves at an enemy location. These gunmen are typically willing to fight to the death. Such was the case at Mohammadi’s home.
Thomas Joscelyn is a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and the Senior Editor for FDD's Long War Journal.
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Al Qaeda group claims bus bombing in Damascus
Thomas Joscelyn/FDD's Long War Journal/August 05/2021
Hurras al Din (the “Guardians of Religion” organization, or HAD) has claimed responsibility for a bus explosion in Damascus. In a one-page statement posted on social media, the al Qaeda group says that an improvised explosive device targeted the bus, which was carrying members of the Syrian Republican Guard. Bashar al-Assad’s state-controlled media claims that the explosion was caused by a “short circuit.” Citing a “reporter,” the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) writes that the explosion “was a result of a short circuit that led to the explosion of the fuel tank of the bus.” SANA added that driver of the bus was killed and three others were wounded. Other sources, including jihadi social media accounts, claim that the casualty count was much higher, with upwards of 19 or more Syrian military personnel killed.
If HAD’s responsibility is confirmed, then it the attack is potentially significant. The jihadists have demonstrated little ability to strike inside the Syrian capital in recent years. Indeed, some pro-HAD accounts on social media have openly wondered if the reported bombing is a harbinger of more attacks behind enemy lines in the months to come. Pro-al Qaeda social media channels have also shared a video from the scene. A screen shot from the video can be seen above. The images appear to match those shared by SANA.
HAD grew out of the fierce disagreements within the jihadi scene in Idlib, Syria. The group, which is headed by al Qaeda veterans, split from the larger jihadi actor, Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which was formerly known as Al-Nusrah Front. HAD’s key leaders were once part of Al-Nusrah’s hierarchy.
HAD claims that the bombing in Damascus was revenge for the Assad regime’s actions in Daraa, a city in southwestern Syria. The group is clearly trying to expand al-Qaeda’s sphere of operations inside Syria once again. In January, HAD claimed responsibility for vehicle bombing at a Russian military base in Raqqa, killing or wounding at least several people.
*Thomas Joscelyn is a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and the Senior Editor for FDD's Long War Journal.

Treasury Designates Turkey-Backed Syrian Jihadists Implicated in War Crimes
David Adesnik/Aykan Erdemir/Policy Brief-FDD/August 05/2021
The U.S. Treasury Department designated Syrian militant group Ahrar al-Sharqiya last week, targeting a Turkish proxy for the first time since the war in Syria began. This designation reflects a new readiness to address human rights violations by Ankara’s proxies as well as continuing concern over Ankara’s open sympathy for religious extremists and permissive stance toward terror finance on Turkish soil.
The designation of Ahrar al-Sharqiya marks the sixth time in under three years that Treasury has targeted jihadists based in or otherwise linked to Turkey. On the same day, the department also imposed sanctions on Hasan al-Shaban, whom Treasury identified as a “Turkey-based al-Qa’ida financial facilitator.” Previous U.S. sanctions have targeted illicit financial networks linked to the Islamic State (IS), Hamas, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, and the Egyptian group Harakat Sawa’d Misr.
Treasury’s Office of Inspector General reported in January that IS often relies on “logistical hubs in Turkey” to transfer funds internationally, especially between Iraq and Syria. According to the inspector general, IS has “as much as $100 million available in cash reserves dispersed across the region.”
For a decade, Ankara’s Islamist government, led by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has turned a blind eye to various jihadist groups’ exploitation of Turkey’s porous border with Syria. Turkey is also the main sponsor of the Syrian National Army (SNA), which encompasses a wide array of armed groups, including numerous jihadists, opposed to the Damascus regime. Ahrar al-Sharqiya is also known as Brigade 123 of the SNA.
Founded in 2016, Ahrar al-Sharqiya apparently drew many of its members from the Islamist militant group Ahrar al-Sham. According to Treasury, Ahrar al-Sharqiya has also integrated members of IS, although the former has publicly expressed hostility toward the latter.
Ahrar al-Sharqiya has drawn attention since 2019 because of its role in high-profile atrocities. These include the murder of Syrian Kurdish politician Hevrin Khalaf during Ankara’s cross-border military operation in October 2019, which targeted Washington’s Syrian Kurdish partners in the anti-IS coalition. A BBC investigation indicates that Ahrar al-Sharqiya forces captured Khalaf alive, then subjected her to beatings and torture before executing her.
According to Treasury, “Ahrar al-Sharqiya has committed numerous crimes against civilians, particularly Syrian Kurds, including unlawful killings, abductions, torture, and seizures of private property.” The group also “constructed and controls a large prison complex outside of Aleppo where hundreds have been executed since 2018.” Other SNA brigades have committed similar abuses. Last year, the UN commission on human rights in Syria reported that SNA units “coerced residents, primarily of Kurdish origin, to flee their homes, through threats, extortion, murder, abduction, torture and detention.”
This designation of a Turkish proxy reflects the Biden administration’s firmer stance toward Ankara’s misconduct in Syria. Al-Monitor’s Amberin Zaman reports that “fierce resistance from officials in the Trump administration” delayed Ahrar al-Sharqiya’s designation until after former President Donald Trump left office in January. The State Department’s 2021 Trafficking in Persons Report released last month also indicated a greater readiness to confront Erdogan over human rights. The report called out Ankara for providing “tangible support” to the SNA’s Sultan Murad Division (Division 24), implicated in the unlawful recruitment of child soldiers. Turkey is the only NATO member the State Department has ever listed pursuant to the Child Soldier Prevention Act of 2008.
While the scale of the Syrian regime’s atrocities far exceeds those of other combatants, armed opposition groups have committed a substantial number of war crimes over an extended period. Accordingly, the United States should consider also imposing sanctions on the Sultan Murad Division as well as on the Hamza Brigade (Division 22 of the SNA) and the Suleiman Shah Brigade (Division 14, Brigade 142), which the United Nations has identified as perpetrators of war crimes. Given the SNA’s reliance on Turkish support, Treasury should also assess whether ultimate responsibility for such abuses lies in Ankara.
*David Adesnik is research director and a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD).
*Aykan Erdemir is a former member of the Turkish parliament and senior director of the Turkey Program at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD). They both contribute to FDD’s Center on Economic and Financial Power (CEFP). For more analysis from David, Aykan, the Turkey Program, and CEFP, please subscribe HERE. Follow David and Aykan on Twitter @adesnik and @aykan_erdemir. Follow FDD on Twitter @FDD and @FDD_CEFP. FDD is a Washington, DC-based, nonpartisan research institute focusing on national security and foreign policy.

Chemical Watchdog Demands More Information from Syria
Associated Press/August 05/2021
The international chemical weapons watchdog has demanded more information from Syria about the reported recent destruction of two chlorine cylinders that had been linked to a 2018 deadly attack on the Syrian town of Douma -- a demand echoed Wednesday by several members of the U.N. Security Council.
The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons said Syria's government sent a note to its secretariat July 9 reporting that the two cylinders were destroyed by a June 8 airstrike on a Syrian military facility which housed a former chemical weapons production facility. Syrian state media reported on June 8 that Israeli aircraft had attacked near the Syrian capital of Damascus and in the central province of Homs. The targets were not disclosed. The watchdog said that in November the cylinders had been stored and inspected "at another declared site approximately 60 kilometers (about 38 miles) from the location at which they were reportedly destroyed" and that Syria had been advised "it was not to open, move, or alter the containers or their contents in any way without seeking the prior written consent of the secretariat."
The agency said it never received notification the cylinders had been moved until it was informed of their destruction. It asked Syria on July 15 to provide "all relevant information regarding the movement of the two cylinders and any remains of their destruction."
The watchdog's report added that during the November check of the cylinders, inspectors were ordered to transport them to the organization's headquarters in The Hague, Netherlands, but Syrians officials would not allow them to be shipped out of the country.
The report, which the U.N. disarmament chief presented to the U.N. Security Council on Wednesday, also requested further information and documentation regarding the damage to the production facility on June 8.
Britain's U.N. ambassador, Barbara Woodward, told the council: "This incident represents not only the highly concerning failure by Syria to comply with important OPCW requests, but also unauthorized interference with evidence central to an ongoing high-profile investigation." Deputy French Ambassador Nathalie Broadhurst called the unauthorized movement and destruction of the two chlorine cylinders "of great concern."
Syrian Ambassador Bassam Sabbagh told the council that the Israeli attack on a previously declared chemical weapons production facility led to the destruction of many chambers, fuel, "and the two cylinders involved in the alleged Douma incident."
He criticized the OPCW report for failing to condemn the attack and focusing "only on the technical aspects." He accused the OPCW of "politicization" and becoming "a tool in the hands of some countries." Sabbagh said Syria refused to allow the cylinders to be moved out of the country because they are part of a criminal investigation and "are legal, physical evidence in relation to the alleged incident in which the terrorists used the chemical weapon and that led to the killing of innocent civilians."
The OPCW said in 2019 that its investigators found "reasonable grounds" that chlorine was used as a weapon in the attack on Douma on the outskirts of Damascus, which medical workers said killed more than 40 people and injured as many as 100.
At the time of the April 2018 attack, Douma was held by rebels but besieged by pro-government forces. The attack triggered missile strikes a week later on Syrian government targets by the United States, Britain and France, which blamed President Bashar Assad's government for the Douma incident.
Syria has denied it carried out the Douma attack. Russia's deputy U.N. ambassador, Dmitry Polyansky, whose country is a close ally of Syria, again accused the OPCW and its director of bias "to make the facts fit the conclusion of Damascus' guilt." He claimed there were "glaring manipulations in the Douma report." Polyansky called it "very strange" that the OPCW report focused on Syria moving the cylinders without any assessment of the airstrikes.
"Even if the Syrian party did move them within its own territory, which we understand Syria has full rights to do, does this mean the airstrike is justified, which is essentially an act of aggression against a sovereign state?," Polyansky asked.

Palestinian Dad Expects No Justice for Son Killed by Troops
Associated Press/August 05/2021
A week after the death of his eldest son, Moayed al-Alami sat on the sofa on his ground floor patio, protectively hugging and kissing two of his remaining children.
The Israeli military has opened an investigation into the killing of 12-year-old Mohammed al-Alami who was shot by Israeli soldiers as he rode in the family car. But that is no comfort to his father, who is devastated by his son's death and has little faith that he will see justice. "I have no confidence in the investigation until I see the soldiers in court," he said. The rear of Moayed's car is riddled with bullet holes and the back seats are still covered in bloodstains.
Mohammed was shot and killed by Israeli forces as he traveled with his father and two siblings in their hometown of Beit Ummar in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. His death sparked two days of violent clashes between Palestinian protesters and Israeli troops, resulting in the death of one protester.
Recounting the events of last week, al-Alami said he had just picked up some snacks for the children, using his car, when Mohammed asked to return to the store.
"Mohammed told me, 'father you have forgotten something.' I asked if it was necessary, and he said it was very necessary. So, I told him that we will go back and buy it,'' said al-Alami. Al-Alami said he turned the car around. Moments later, his white Renault was struck by gunfire from the rear, including at least three bullets that he said hit Mohammed. The boy was rushed to hospital and operated on for four hours before he died.
The Israeli military has said soldiers in the area called on the van to stop, and that the forces fired warning shots and only aimed at the vehicle's tires. Al-Alami said he never heard any warnings. Over 10 bullet holes riddled the vehicle.
The army also said that al-Alami's car resembled a vehicle driven by a group of men who were seen burying what turned out to be a dead baby earlier that day.
Al-Alami's brother — who witnessed the entire event from the balcony -- said the two events were not related and that earlier, another family had been burying a stillborn baby in a cemetery. "The three people who arrived earlier had come to bury a baby that had died in the womb," Ashraf Al-Alami said. After the three people had left, he said he began to worry when he saw soldiers arrive. He feared they would mistake the burial site as a crime scene and grow suspicious. That was when his brother's car approached.
The Israel human rights group B'Tselem this week released what it said was security-camera video of the shooting. In the video, al-Alami's van is seen approaching a dip in the road, with a group of Israeli soldiers standing further down a hill.
Al-Alami is seen doing a U-turn before being chased up the street by troops, who are heard shouting at him to stop, before opening fire. The actual shooting is not seen, but at least a dozen shots are heard. B'Tselem said the video shows the family posed no threat to the troops. The army has said that senior commanders and military police — which investigate suspected wrongdoing by troops— are involved in the probe.
But Moayed said that he did not expect the investigation to lead to anything. He said the military helped transfer the boy to the hospital after the shooting, but that he has not heard from investigators. And B'Tselem, a major human rights group, grew so frustrated with the military justice system that in 2016 it halted its longtime practice of assisting in investigations. It accuses the army of whitewashing wrongdoing and says soldiers are rarely punished.
In the first seven months of this year, Israeli fire has killed 11 Palestinian children in the West Bank, surpassing the total number of child killings in 2020, according to the advocacy group Defense for Children Palestine.
Israeli soldiers man a watchtower next to Beit Ummar in order to protect traffic going in and out of the nearby Israeli settlement of Karmei Zur. Mohammed's funeral the following day resulted in large clashes in which a 20-year-old Palestinian man was killed by Israeli army fire. His funeral was held on Friday, followed by more clashes. The mayor of Beit Ummar – who is also a member of the extended al-Alami family — said that most of Beit Ummar's 17,000 residents attended the boy's funeral.
''The soldiers did not allow us to bury our child in dignity,'' said Habis Al-Alami. ''To kill a boy with just bread in his hand. It is a crime, we just want to be treated as human beings.''

24 Chadian Troops Killed in Suspected Jihadist Attack
Agence France Presse/August 05/2021
Twenty-four Chadian soldiers were killed in an attack by suspected jihadists in the troubled Lake Chad region, a senior local official said Thursday. "Troops from a returning patrol were resting when they were attacked by Boko Haram" on Wednesday, the region's deputy prefect, Haki Djiddi, told AFP.
"Twenty-four troops were killed, several were wounded and others have scattered into the countryside." Army spokesman General Azem Bermandoa Agouna confirmed that an attack had taken place at Tchoukou Telia, an island 190 kilometers (118 miles) northwest of the capital N'Djamena, but refused to give any toll. Lake Chad is a vast area of water and marshland bordered by Niger, Nigeria and Cameroon as well as Chad. Jihadists from Boko Haram and a rival splinter group, the Islamic State West Africa Province, have been using the region for years as a haven from which to attack troops and civilians. The Chadian authorities tend to call the jihadists "Boko Haram" regardless of their affiliation. In March 2020, around 100 Chadian troops were killed in an overnight attack on the lake's Bohoma peninsula, prompting an offensive led by Chad's then president, Idriss Deby Itno. Deby was killed in April 2021 during fighting against rebels in northern Chad and was succeeded by his son, Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno, at the head of a military junta. Boko Haram launched a revolt in northern Nigeria in 2009 before extending its campaign into neighboring countries.According to U.N. figures, more than 36,000 people, most of them in Nigeria, have died and three million have fled their homes.

The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials published on August 05-06/2021
Biden Needs a Plan B for the Iran Talks
Elliott Abrama/National Review/August 05/2021
President Joe Biden speaks as Secretary of State Antony Blinken listens during a Cabinet meeting at the White House, July 20, 2021. (Jonathan Ernst/Reuters)
The JCPOA has been on life support since Biden came into office. The president should explain — to Americans and to Iran — what he plans to do when it is finally declared dead.
The Biden administration has a very clear policy toward Iran: Get back in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and then negotiate a “longer and stronger” agreement, one with longer sunsets and that covers Iran’s missile program and its support for terrorism.
Simple enough. What Biden, Sullivan, Blinken and company have never explained is what’s Plan B when that policy fails. And it will surely fail, as has become increasingly evident this summer.
When the administration began, it was already clear that a return to the JCPOA was not guaranteed. Privately, officials rated it as a 75–80 percent chance. And it was already clear that a “longer and stronger” agreement was extremely unlikely. Why, after all, should Iran agree to more concessions after the terms of the JCPOA required the United States to lift the most significant economic sanctions?
In the last few months, the chances of getting back to the JCPOA have fallen farther. The supreme leader’s going-away present to outgoing Iranian president Rouhani, in a speech the New York Times headlined as “Khamenei Adds to Doubts on Iran Nuclear Deal,” was to condemn “trust in the West.” And even if by offering some deeper, even more damaging U.S. concessions Biden lures Iran back to the JCPOA, the chances for a follow-on agreement are near zero.
Meanwhile, Iran has been moving forward rapidly toward nuclear weapons. It is enriching uranium to higher levels and preventing International Atomic Energy Agency inspections. The IAEA’s May 31 report on the “NPT Safeguards Agreement with the Islamic Republic of Iran” is a catalogue of unanswered questions. In polite language, Rafael Grossi, the IAEA director general, states that there are four locations where uranium particles have been found — and no answers from Iran. Instead there is obfuscation, delay, and violation of Iran’s legal obligations. “The lack of progress in clarifying the Agency’s questions concerning the correctness and completeness of Iran’s safeguards declarations seriously affects the ability of the Agency to provide assurance of the peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear programme,” Grossi states. Translated from diplo-speak, that means Iran is getting closer to a weapon and keeping us in the dark. Grossi himself was straightforward in an interview: “We found traces of uranium that has been subject to industrial processing in different places, which had not been declared by Iran. That is a big problem.” Indeed it is, especially when Iran is now enriching uranium to 60 percent — a grade needed only when preparing to build nuclear weapons.
Biden officials have admitted that this can’t go on forever. At some point Iran’s activities will have made the JCPOA and its sunsets a joke, by undertaking activities supposedly forbidden for years to come. Negotiations will resume in late August, with Iran’s new president, the sanctioned “hanging judge” Ebrahim Raisi, having taken over. If talks go nowhere in the summer and early fall, while Iran’s nuclear-weapons program progresses, at some point the United States will have to say the game is over. Certainly Israel will be saying so more and more loudly.
If a return to the JCPOA is out, what might Plan B look like? In truth there are several things the Biden administration can do — easily and logically. The problem is politics.
With Iran violating the JCPOA more and more aggressively despite Biden’s pleas, step one should be maintaining all the Trump-era sanctions, indefinitely. That is what the Trump administration planned to do: keep sanctions on until Iran understands that it must negotiate. The sanctions place Iran’s economy under enormous pressure; recently its foreign-currency reserves were down to $4 billion, less than half of Afghanistan’s. The “maximum pressure campaign,” which Trump began in 2018, did not fail; it did not have enough time. Biden can continue it and see if Iran acts differently. In any event, there is no defense for lifting any sanctions while Iran violates the JCPOA and continues to support terrorism throughout the Middle East — and even in the United States.
Remember snapback? This provision, built into the JCPOA in 2015, permitted any party that is a participant in the deal to “snap back” all the U.N. sanctions. Trump tried it, but every other country said the U.S. had withdrawn from the JCPOA and thereby lost the right to impose snapback. Then Biden returned to the agreement, and on February 18 he informed the U.N. that everything Trump had said to that body regarding the JCPOA was now rescinded. Biden’s job would be persuading France and the U.K. to go along in the Security Council, and persuading Germany to support the move. This should be far easier now, for two reasons. First, whatever the facts were in 2018 when Trump left the agreement, it has become crystal clear that Iran is in significant violation of it. Second, rejecting such a move by Biden would be difficult for the Europeans given all the efforts to patch up U.S.–European relations since January 20.
There is a third logical step as well: getting serious about Iranian military activity. If Iran is going to continue its recent behavior — building toward a nuclear weapon, leading Shiite militias in Iraq to attack Americans there, engaging in terrorist activities — the United States should respond more directly. President Biden should say what President Obama did about Iranian nukes: that “all elements of American power” will be used to prevent Iran from getting nuclear weapons. The United States should also begin better planning with Israel in view of the potential need, at some future date, to act against Iran’s nuclear program before it creates a weapon. As to terrorism, the president should tell Iran clearly now that if an American is killed by a Shiite militia in Iraq linked to and armed by Iran, the United States will respond against Iran — not against some proxy group in Iraq. And he should state clearly that an Iranian-backed terrorist attack in the United States will result in direct consequences for Iran itself.
But as noted, the problem is politics. How much support is there in the Democratic Party for any such steps — for any Plan B? The JCPOA has taken on sacred status, and Democrats have with rare exceptions bought into the line that it’s the JCPOA or war. Biden is boxed in by some of the rhetoric that he, Obama, and the Obama flacks such as Ben Rhodes used in 2015. While a small handful of Democrats may take a different view in public and a few more may silently recognize that the Obama–Biden policy is now dangerously out of date, the party will stick with the old line as long as Biden does. And so far, he has shown no willingness or ability to rethink the arguments made in 2015, when Obama said this at American University:
Congressional rejection of this deal leaves any U.S. administration that is absolutely committed to preventing Iran from getting a nuclear weapon with one option, another war in the Middle East. I say this not to be provocative; I am stating a fact. Without this deal, Iran will be in a position, however tough our rhetoric may be, to steadily advance its capabilities. Its breakout time, which is already fairly small, could shrink to near zero. The choice we face is ultimately between diplomacy or some form of war. Maybe not tomorrow, maybe not three months from now, but soon.
JCPOA or war — pretty simple formula. If Biden and the Democrats continue to actually believe that, they will make endless concessions to get back to the JCPOA or will declare the negotiations and the entire deal alive long after they are in fact dead.
A less biased press would now be asking about Plan B, and Republicans in Congress should certainly do so. Plan A has been on life support since Biden came into office. The president should now explain, to Americans and not least to Iran, what he plans to do when the JCPOA is finally declared dead.
*ELLIOTT ABRAMS was special representative for Iran in the Trump administration. He chairs the Vandenberg Coalition and is a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations.

Biden Administration Should Stand With Israel Against Russia in Syria
John Hardie/Ryan Brobst//Policy Brief-FDD/August 05/2021
In an unusual move, Rear Admiral Vadim Kulit, deputy head of Russia’s Reconciliation Center for Syria, last month claimed that Syrian regime forces used Russian-made air defense systems to counter several Israeli airstrikes. Moscow may be signaling its desire to curtail Israel’s operations in Syria.
From July 19 to 25, Israel conducted three airstrikes targeting Iranian or Hezbollah military sites in Syria, at least some of them located near Syrian regime facilities. After each mission, Kulit issued a statement claiming that Syrian forces using the Russian-made Buk-M2 medium-range air defense system — and, in one instance, the Pantsir-S point-defense system — destroyed most or all incoming Israeli missiles. Independent media reports, however, indicate Israel’s operations were successful.
Those operations are part of an ongoing Israeli campaign to prevent Tehran from transforming Syria into a military front against Israel and transferring game-changing precision-guided munition capabilities to Hezbollah. While Russia and Iran both back the Bashar al-Assad regime, they compete for influence within Syria, and Moscow does not support Tehran’s anti-Israel efforts. After intervening in Syria in 2015, Russia quietly acquiesced to Israel’s operations — but stressed they must not threaten Russian or Assad regime assets.
Since 2018, however, Israel has intensified its campaign, straining its understanding and deconfliction mechanism with Russia. Tensions peaked in 2018 when Syrian forces accidentally downed a Russian Ilyushin-20 while trying to attack Israeli aircraft. Nevertheless, Israel has only expanded its campaign’s pace and scope, striking deeper into Syria and targeting Iranian facilities interspersed among Syrian military sites. Moscow has pushed Israel to curtail its operations, to no avail.
While Russian media frequently report Israeli airstrikes, Russia’s military rarely does, typically doing so only when particularly concerned. As one senior Israeli security official suggested, Moscow may have intended Kulit’s unprecedented attribution of three successive Israeli strikes as a message signaling new “rules of the game” to limit Israel’s operations.
On May 31, Russia’s Defense Ministry for the first time published photos showing Syrian forces training on Russian-made Buk-M2E and S-75 air defense systems. This may indicate additional Russian support or simply Moscow’s desire to signal increased Syrian readiness. A Russian outlet affiliated with Russia’s military reported similar exercises on July 26.
On July 24, an unconfirmed Asharq Al-Awsat report cited a “well-informed Russian source” as saying Moscow’s “patience” with Israel has “run out.” Pointing to Syria’s purportedly successful recent intercepts, the source said Russia has shifted its approach to Israeli operations, bolstering Syria’s air defenses and having Russian advisors assist Syrian forces. The source claimed Moscow’s shift stems directly from Biden administration signals indicating displeasure with Israel’s operations, suggesting Moscow would not face stiff U.S. opposition if Russia seeks to curtail them.
Greater Russian involvement in Syrian air defense could increase the risk of miscalculation and escalation. Citing unnamed Israeli sources, Breaking Defense reported Israel plans to minimize risks to Israeli warplanes by relying mostly on long-range standoff weapons.
On July 28, Israel Hayom reported that a senior official close to Russia’s Defense Ministry said that as Israel prepared to swear in a new government in mid-June, Moscow decided to try to curtail Israel’s operations and may soon propose new rules for Israel. Pro-Assad Lebanese outlets claimed a senior Russian official said Russian-Israeli “coordination” had halted with the recent departure of former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who enjoyed a good working relationship with his Russian counterpart.
These reports should be treated with caution. It is unclear whether Syria’s air defense posture or Russian involvement therein have actually changed. Likewise, Jerusalem is reportedly unaware of any U.S. discomfort with Israel’s operations, and Israeli sources say the Russian-Israeli deconfliction mechanism remains intact. The reports citing Russian sources may reflect Russian efforts to undermine Israeli confidence.
Still, the Biden administration should eliminate any doubt by providing full diplomatic and intelligence support for Israel’s campaign, which serves both Israeli and U.S. interests. The administration should also affirm its support when Israel’s new prime minister visits Washington this month.
*John Hardie is research manager and a Russia research associate at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD).
*Ryan Brobst is a research analyst. Both contribute to FDD’s Center on Military and Political Power (CMPP), Israel Program, and Iran Program.
For more analysis from the authors, CMPP, and the Israel and Iran programs, please subscribe HERE. Follow FDD on Twitter @FDD and @FDD_CMPP and @FDD_Iran. FDD is a Washington, DC-based, nonpartisan research institute focusing on national security and foreign policy.

Hassan Rouhani's Iranian Presidency Has Been an Abject Failure
Con Coughlin/Gatestone Institute/August 05/2021
[W]ith the Iranian economy on its knees and the country facing further international isolation, Mr Rouhani finds himself leaving office with his reputation in tatters and the ruling Islamic regime facing a desperate battle for survival.
Mr Raisi's victory in Iran's indisputably rigged elections in June should be seen not so much as a victory for the country's ultra-conservative supporters of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei as a desperate attempt by regime hardliners to protect the Islamic revolution from mounting unrest.
So, far from being the president that transformed Iran's fortunes for the better, Mr Rouhani will forever be remembered as one of the most disastrous leaders in the country's history.
When Iranian President Hassan Rouhani leaves office today, he will do so in the knowledge that his eight-year term has been little more than an abject failure, both at home and abroad. Rouhani will forever be remembered as one of the most disastrous leaders in the Iran's history.
When Iranian President Hassan Rouhani leaves office today, Thursday, he will do so in the knowledge that his eight-year term has been little more than an abject failure, both at home and abroad.
Back in 2013, when the 72-year-old Mr Rouhani became Iran's seventh post-revolutionary president, his central campaign pledge was to improve the country's economic well-being. In addition he promised to adopt a more liberal approach to domestic policy while seeking to forge a more constructive engagement with the outside world.
Eight years later, with the Iranian economy on its knees and the country facing further international isolation, Mr Rouhani finds himself leaving office with his reputation in tatters and the ruling Islamic regime facing a desperate battle for survival.
Perhaps the greatest indictment of Mr Rouhani's years of catastrophic misrule is that he is to be replaced by Ebrahim Raisi, known universally by Iranians as the "Butcher of Tehran."
Mr Raisi's victory in Iran's indisputably rigged elections in June should be seen not so much as a victory for the country's ultra-conservative supporters of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei as a desperate attempt by regime hardliners to protect the Islamic revolution from mounting unrest.
It was for this reason that the Council of Guardians, the body controlled by Mr Khamenei that oversees Iran's elections, took great care to ensure that only a hand-picked number of regime hardliners were allowed to contest the elections, with not even long-standing regime loyalists, such as former parliamentary speaker Ali Larijani, being allowed to stand.
Mr Raisi's success in the election, where he was clearly portrayed as Mr Khamenei's preferred candidate, was primarily due to his uncompromising stint as a former chief justice, as well as his notorious role of overseeing the execution of thousands of political prisoners in the 1980s.
Consequently, under Mr Raisi's presidency, Iran is likely to adopt a far more hardline approach to the outside world, which does not bode well for US President Joe Biden's attempts to revive the controversial nuclear deal with Tehran.
In an indication of Iran's more aggressive approach, the US and Britain this week accused Iran of launching a drone attack against an Israeli-managed oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman last week, killing a British security guard and a Romanian crew member. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson denounced the incident as an "outrageous" attack on international shipping.
The fact that Mr Rouhani is standing down at a time of heightened tensions between Tehran and the West, together with the collapse of the Iranian economy, reflects the extent of his failure to fulfil any of his election promises as president.
First and foremost, Mr Rouhani's main objective after becoming president in August 2013 was to rebuild the country's economic prospects following years of decline, caused mainly by the economic sanctions imposed over the controversial policies pursued by his predecessor, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, concerning Iran's nuclear programme.
At the same time, Mr Rouhani portrayed himself a liberal who was committed to relaxing some of the regime's more burdensome requirements, such as the demand for all women to wear a veil. Yet, as Mr Rouhani prepares to leave office, it is now abundantly clear that he has failed at every level.
His much-vaunted reform agenda has achieved nothing. A movement opposed to obliging women to wear a veil in public spaces was rapidly crushed in 2018, while attempts to release leading reformers, such as former Iranian Prime Minister Mir Hossein Moussavi, from house arrest, came to nothing.
Moreover, far from overseeing an easing of Iran's repressive regime, Mr Rouhani has presided over a series of brutal crackdowns against anti-government protesters, which have resulted in hundreds of deaths and thousands of activists being jailed.
By far the greatest failure of the Rouhani era, though, has been his inability to revive the Iranian economy, an ambition that has been undermined by his government's attitude towards the controversial nuclear deal Tehran agreed with the Obama administration in 2015.
Under the terms of the deal, which saw punitive sanctions lifted in return for Iran freezing its nuclear enrichment activities, Iran was supposed to adopt a more constructive approach to its dealings with the outside world, and use the estimated $150 billion it received to rebuild the economy.
Instead, the Rouhani regime used the funds to finance its efforts to expand its malign influence in the Middle East, prompting former US President Donald Trump to withdraw from the deal and reimpose punitive sanctions against Tehran. Consequently Iran now faces its worst economic crisis in decades -- the value of the rial has halved in the past year and inflation is running at around 20 percent -- with the result that the regime is now under severe pressure.
So, far from being the president that transformed Iran's fortunes for the better, Mr Rouhani will forever be remembered as one of the most disastrous leaders in the country's history.
*Con Coughlin is the Telegraph's Defence and Foreign Affairs Editor and a Distinguished Senior Fellow at Gatestone Institute.
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Why Iraqi leaders cannot do what Saied did
Ibrahim al-Zobeidi/The Arab Weekly/August 05/2021
Iraqis were more ecstatic than anyone else, East or West, over the recent decisions of the Tunisian president, which they considered to be a new, decisive and successful move to save his country from radical Islamist parties, especially when such parties dominate the government and spread injustice, oppression, conspiracy, fraud and exploitation. Without exaggeration, the Iraqi people’s enthusiasm for Saied’s decisions was greater than that of the Tunisian people itself. They reacted as if the Tunisian president’s decisions were a victory over Iraq’s enemies, as if Tunisia was Iraq and as if President Kais Saied was the president of Iraq.
By examining Iraqis’ comments and tweets on social media and monitoring their statements on the Arab satellite channels which are not aligned with radical islamists, one notices that those who are optimistic about the near demise of Rached Ghannouchi’s movement have all exhorted Iraqi President Barham Salih and his friend the Prime Minister and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Mustafa al-Kadhimi to make their own move in Iraq to end the practice of quotas and wage war on corruption, injustice and crime.
Yes, the poverty, humiliation, chaos, oppression and fraud that the Tunisian people have experienced under the hegemony of the Ennahda movement have been great and unbearable. But the situation in Iraq is hundreds of times worse and more disastrous. It is not in fact matched by the situation of any other country. This may be one reason why Kadhimi and Salih are convinced that the exhortations being pressed on them are futile.
The corrupt in Tunisia are not armed with the latest weaponry and there is no powerful and rich state that backs them like Iran, which in ten years has managed to infiltrate all the joints of the military and civilian sinews of the state.
What happened in Tunisia could not be repeated in Iraq, with Salih or Kadhimi re-enacting the role of Kais Saied. Such an occurrence in Iraq is totally impossible, unless the ruling regime in Iran were to fall from within through a popular uprising as happened in 1979.
The differences between the Iraq of Salih and Kadhimi and the Tunisia of Kais Saied are too numerous to count. When a university professor who is a stranger to politics enters the presidential palace with a free and fair mandate from 72.53 percent of the electorate, it means that he has the right to speak on behalf of the Tunisian people and the whole world must listen to him.
He was not appointed by a parliament where three quarters of the deputies were able to win their seats through the help of an armed militia, a party quota system, foreign government funding or the blessing of a religious or tribal clan.
Another thing: Tunisia is not bordered by Iran, which occupies three-quarters of Iraqi territory, nor Turkey, which occupies the remaining quarter, while the United States, Qatar, ISIS roam around.
The Tunisian people are not divided along sectarian and ethnic lines.
Their history shows that the popular majority favours a constitution that separates religion from the state and is keener than ever on freedom of thought and belief. As for Iraq, there are millions of ignorant and neglected people who still believe that spit cures the corona virus. Tunisia did not see the clergy play a role beyond the mosque or the zawiya.
In Iraq, since the overthrow of the Saddam regime with the help of American tanks, it is the religious authority that decides who is entitled to run for elections and who wins. It is the one who drafts the constitution and the laws and it is the one who appoints one prime minister and dismisses another.
In Tunisia, a unified army still assumes the task of the defence of the homeland, is not polluted by politics, religious sectarianism and tribal and regionalist considerations. When Rached Ghannouchi spoke to the officer guarding the closed parliament gate and asked him to open it on the pretext that he had sworn an oath to protect the constitution, the soldier replied calmly and self-confidently, “We, too, took the oath, but to protect the homeland.”
In Iraq, there is an army whose high-ranking officers in their military uniforms self-flagellate on television screens.All things considered, does an Iraqi critic really have the right to demand from the president of Iraq and its prime minister what Alexander the Great, Hulagu or Tarzan could not deliver?

As Turkey’s wildfires rage, conspiracy theories won’t help Erdogan
Henri J Barkey/The Arab Weekly/August 05/2021
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government is in deep crisis, as forest fires in the southwest and south of Turkey rage out of control. Footages of fire consuming trees and threatening some of the most idyllic coastal towns have dominated social media. Government action in the face of this, however, has been incompetent. And for every example of such incompetence, there are heroic images of citizens fighting the fires with everything they have, often at great risk to themselves.
This has been a terrible year for forest fires in the Mediterranean. Greece, Italy and Cyprus along with Turkey have suffered intense heat, drought and other effects of climate change. Turkey has, however, been caught completely unprepared, despite all the signs that calamity was in the cards.
The Erdogan administration, it appears, has no fire-fighting air assets to speak of. Most of its planes have not been serviced and are unsafe. As one independent columnist, Fehim Tastekin, pointed out, Greece has mobilised 39 aerial tankers to fight fires. Turkey has none and is hoping that Russian and Spanish aircraft will come to help. This state of affairs has been compared to Erdogan’s 13-plane presidential fleet.
There is no question that this crisis and its mismanagement by Erdogan will take a tremendous toll on Turkish political stability and weaken the president’s hold. This, in turn, may force Erdogan to resort to desperate measures inside or outside the country in an effort to divert attention and rally people around him.
At the root of the problem is Turkey’s political system, which has become the sole province of one man and one man only. Erdogan transformed a parliamentary tradition into a centralised presidential system where he makes just about every decision. As Turkey has become more authoritarian under his tutelage, citizens have had to endure his wrath. Anyone who crosses him can find himself or herself detained, investigated and eventually sentenced to prison. Politicians, mayors, journalists, civil-society leaders and academics have all tasted his “justice.”
Underlying his rule is a system of sycophancy. He is surrounded by yes-men who tend to sing his praises no matter what the circumstances. The press, too, has come under tremendous economic pressure as Erdogan directs state and even private advertising only to those who back him. Often, daily newspapers appear with the same headlines.
As a result, Erdogan is cut off from independent and unbiased advice. He is increasingly prone to making mistakes, some large and others small, but all politically important. Among his big mistakes is the decision to purchase Russian S-400 anti-aircraft missiles, which has led to an irresolvable crisis with the United States. Faced with his party’s loss of the Istanbul mayoralty in municipal elections, he conjured up the existence of irregularities and had the election rerun, only to be humiliated as the citizens of Istanbul delivered his party, the AKP, an even bigger loss.
Even in the current wildfire crisis, commonsense seems to have taken leave. Erdogan was filmed entering Marmaris, one of the beleaguered cities, with a convoy of over a hundred cars, buses, police cars, ambulances and fire engines, creating a logistical nightmare and unnecessary traffic jam. Later, he threw packets of tea to Marmaris citizens, who by the way tend to be much better off than those in many other parts of the country. The image of Erdogan disbursing tea, as if it were a great humanitarian gesture, will forever be engraved in many Turks’ mind. Already, people are having a field day. Some have renamed his AKP as AKPartea.
Of course, when in trouble, Erdogan can always rely on conspiracy theories, for which Turkey has always been fertile ground. He has already, without any evidence, pointed to the PKK, the Kurdish insurgent group that is classified as a terrorist organization, as the source of the fires. This was a signal for his minions in the press to embellish the conspiracy to include Greece and Turkey’s main and mostly hapless, opposition party.
Conspiracies, in fact, are simply too alluring for many Turks. Even a columnist in an anti-Erdogan paper has suggested that the fires were a “trap” the US put in place in the aftermath of World War II, when it provided Turkey with aid through the Marshall Plan. Apparently, the US uprooted many olive and other similar trees, replacing them with poplars and pine trees that are exceedingly flammable. Adding more conspiracy to the mix, Erdogan’s communications chief, Fahrettin Altun, said that the large volume of protests on social media was part of a foreign plot to portray Turkey as weak and originated from a “single centre overseas.” While it is not clear where this “single centre” is located, in the past this has been a signal to mean the US.
But conspiracy theories won’t help Erdogan this time. Social media has already overwhelmed the government’s efforts at controlling the narrative. The devastation and the general lackadaisical attitude of some ministers, when compared with the efforts of ordinary citizens, and more importantly, the absence of any planning and preparation by the government, will severely undermine its future narrative and ability to set the agenda. Erdogan will only be going through the motion of governing; the emperor has no clothes, they burned along with forests and trees and homes.
Syndication Bureau  www.syndicationbureau.com.