English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For August 16/2020
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
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Bible Quotations For today
God is light and in him there is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him while we are walking in darkness, we lie and do not do what is true
First Letter of John 01/01-10/:"We declare to you what was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the word of life this life was revealed, and we have seen it and testify to it, and declare to you the eternal life that was with the Father and was revealed to us we declare to you what we have seen and heard so that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. We are writing these things so that our joy may be complete. This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light and in him there is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him while we are walking in darkness, we lie and do not do what is true; but if we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us."

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on August 15-16/2021
N. Korea, Iran supported in building Hezbollah’s 45 kilometer tunnel: Report
Miqati Calls for 'Saving Lebanese', Vows to Work for Blast-Hit Akkar
Villa of Akkar Blast Site Owner Torched as Son Arrested
FPM Hits Back at Mustaqbal, Distances Itself from Akkar Blast Site
Aoun Voices 'Extreme Pain' over Akkar Blast, Chairs Defense Council Meeting
Hariri Says 'Akkar Massacre' Similar to Beirut Port Explosion
Army Deploys at Pumps as Salameh Firm on Ending Fuel Subsidies
Scores killed, injured in Lebanon fuel tank explosion
Lebanon fuel tank explosion kills 28, overwhelms hospitals
AUBMC Warns Power Cuts Endanger Its Patients
Timeline: Crisis-Hit Lebanon
As Lebanon crumbles, Hezbollah becomes even more emboldened/Anna Ahronheim/Jerusalem Post/August 15/2021

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on August 15-16/2021
Canada/Trudeau triggers snap election, sending Canadians to the polls on Sept. 20/Robert Fife/The Globel and mail/August 15/2021
Former US president Trump calls for Biden to resign over Taliban takeover of Kabul
Taliban take control of Kabul, storm presidential palace
UN security council to convene Monday, Afghan president fled 'to prevent bloodshed'
Russia Says Emergency U.N. Meeting on Afghanistan is Planned
Taliban Enter Kabul, Say They Don't Plan to Take it by Force
Afghan Warlords Give Up to the Taliban with Surprising Ease
Russia Says No Plan to Evacuate Kabul Embassy
Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says US should 'crush the Taliban' in Kabul using 'American air power'
Canada temporarily suspends operations at Embassy of Canada to Afghanistan
Israel Recalls Envoy as Poland Adopts Law on WWII Claims
Egypt’s Sisi and CIA director Burns discuss Mideast tensions, Afghanistan

Titles For The Latest The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on August 15-16/2021
Afghanistan debacle message for US allies, including Israel - analysis/Seth J. Frantzman/Jerusalem Post/August 15/2021
The US should have learned from IDF withdrawals - analysis/Anna Ahronheim/Jerusalem Post/August 15/2021
Palestinians warn: Israel, Hamas headed toward another war/Khaled Abu Toameh/Jerusalem Post/August 15/2021
Iran and Israel are on the brink of catastrophe/Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Arab News/August 15/2021

The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on August 15-16/2021
N. Korea, Iran supported in building Hezbollah’s 45 kilometer tunnel: Report
Al Arabiya English/August 15/2021
Hezbollah has built a 45 kilometer underground linking Lebanon’s south with inland Beqaa valley under a $13 million deal with a North Korean company specializing in the development of underground infrastructures under the supervision of an Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps officer, according to a report released by Alma research center. The report revealed that Hezbollah has constructed a 45-kilometer tunnel linking the area east to the coastal city of Saida with the southern mountainous regions of Jezzine and Rihan and the inland Beqaa valley. The 45 kilometer tunnel links the villages of Jensnaya, Wadi el Leymoun, Snaya, Zhalta, al-Roummaneh, Jabal Toura, Louaizeh, Sejoud, al-Zaghrine, Aaichiyeh, al-Qotrani, al-Sriri, Meidoun, and Machghara. “The ‘Land of the Tunnels’ was built with the assistance of a North Korean company specializing in the development of underground infrastructures, called the ‘Korea Mining Development Trading Corporation’ also known as KOMID,” the report added. The report added that the actual construction was carried out by Hezbollah’s Jihad Construction Foundation which is in fact a branch of the Iranian Jihad Construction which was founded in 1988. “The Jihad Construction Foundation used civilian companies to serve as cover for the construction of the ‘Land of the Tunnels’. One of the companies suspected of involvement in the construction and civilian cover-up is the ‘Bekaa Building and Contracting Company’, formerly known as the ‘Iranian Authority for the Reconstruction of Lebanon’,” the report added. The report also revealed that the tunnels allow the maneuvering of forces from place to place for the purpose of reinforcing defense positions or for carrying out an attack in a safe, protected, and invisible manner. In our assessment, motorcycles, ATVs and other small vehicles can also be transported through some of the tunnels. In 2004, a Japanese journalist named Takashi Arimoto reported on a meeting between Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and senior North Korean officials, during which he sought North Korean assistance for Hezbollah in the planning and construction of underground military installations, bunkers and tunnels. According to additional information that the research has found, the North Korean company KOMID signed a $13 million deal with Hezbollah for the supply of engineering materials for excavating tunnels, and in addition, for the transfer of North Korean engineering technology to Hezbollah’s “Jihad Construction Foundation”.

Miqati Calls for 'Saving Lebanese', Vows to Work for Blast-Hit Akkar
Naharnet/August 15/2021
Prime Minister-designate Najib Miqati on Sunday commented on the tragic explosion in the Akkar town of Tleil. “Akkar’s sad night has bloodied our hearts all over innocents who fell victim to the greed of those who exploited the fuel crisis to achieve illegitimate profits and deprive people of the least of their rights,” Miqati said in a written statement. “What happened pleads to the conscience of everyone to cooperate to save the Lebanese from the tragedies, catastrophes and negligence they are reeling from,” the PM-designate added. “We are determined to carry on with our strenuous work so that Akkar does not remain a prey to monopolizers and greedy people,” Miqati went on to say. A warehouse where fuel was illegally stored exploded in Tleil early Sunday, killing 20 people and burning dozens more in the latest tragedy to hit the country which is in the throes of a devastating economic and political crisis.
Tleil is about 4 kilometers from the Syrian border, but it was not immediately clear if the fuel was being prepared to be smuggled to Syria, where prices are much higher compared to those in Lebanon. A Lebanese military official said the explosion occurred after the army confiscated a warehouse in Tleil where about 60,000 liters of gasoline were stored and the order was given to distribute the fuel to residents of the area. Residents had gathered to acquire the scarce commodity, available only on the black market at exorbitant prices or not at all.

Villa of Akkar Blast Site Owner Torched as Son Arrested
Naharnet/August 15/2021
Angry residents on Sunday torched the villa of George al-Rashid, the owner of the site of the deadly blast in Akkar’s Tleil, while his son was arrested by the army. Army troops had initially prevented the protesters from storming the building. The demonstrators returned later in larger numbers and managed to overwhelm the soldiers. The protesters also torched trucks and cars that were parked outside the villa. In a statement, the army confirmed the arrest of Rashid’s son after unconfirmed media reports accused him of causing the blast through firing gunshots or throwing a lighter.
In remarks to MTV, Tleil mayor Joseph Mansour said Rashid, the owner of the cement and construction material site where the fuel blast happened, was not present in the town at the time of the blast. He added that “the fuel container in the warehouse belonged to a man from Wadi Khaled who has been detained for four months.”“The warehouse contained 18,000 liters of gasoline and reports that the warehouse was being used for smuggling to Syria are baseless,” Mansour went on to say. MP Asaad Dergham of the Strong Lebanon bloc meanwhile condemned “political exploitation,” noting that “the owner of the warehouse does not belong to the Free Patriotic Movement but rather to another political movement.” “We have nothing to do with him or with any of his family members … His political affiliation and commercial ties with some MPs from another bloc are well-known,” Dergham added.

FPM Hits Back at Mustaqbal, Distances Itself from Akkar Blast Site
Naharnet/August 15/2021
The Free Patriotic Movement on Sunday hit back at al-Mustaqbal Movement and said the owners of the blast-hit Akkar site and warehouse are close to Mustaqbal itself, adding that Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh is also responsible for the tragedy following his latest controversial decision to end fuel subsidies.“Since morning, al-Mustaqbal Movement has been taking advantage of the blood and launching a campaign to accuse the FPM of the incident, but what does not need an investigation is that the land owner is known for his closeness to al-Mustaqbal Movement and his public voting for one of its MPs, Tarek al-Merehbi,” the FPM said in a statement. “The owners of the underground tanks is also known and he has been detained for two months over smuggling and his relation with the two Mustaqbal MPs Walid al-Baarini and Mohammed Suleiman is well-known,” the FPM added.
“Instead of remaining silent and being ashamed, they are as usual trying to exploit the blood politically through pointing the finger at the President, the FPM and the leader and one of the MPs of the FPM, without any of them having any link whatsoever to the issue,” the Movement went on to say. Reminding al-Mustaqbal leader ex-PM Saad Hariri of his visit to Beirut port prior to the devastating August 2020 explosion, the FPM said Riad Salameh should resign because “he is the one who caused the fuel crisis” and because is responsible for “all the tragedies and pain that have happened and will happen in connection with this file.”“Fear God and stay away from sedition. Let us cry over our dead and close the wounds and learn that the policy of exploiting blood has only brought woes to you,” the FPM added.

Aoun Voices 'Extreme Pain' over Akkar Blast, Chairs Defense Council Meeting
Naharnet/August 15/2021
President Michel Aoun on Sunday expressed his "extreme pain" over the victims of the fuel explosion in the Akkar town of al-Tlail, asking the judiciary to "unveil the circumstances."Wishing a speedy recovery for the wounded, Aoun said the "tragedy" has "bloodied the hearts of all Lebanese."A statement issued by the Presidency said Aoun had overnight followed up on the developments following the horrific explosion, which killed at least 20 people and injured 80 others. "He ordered the mobilization of security forces and health authorities in the region to combat the blaze, work on transporting the injured to hospitals and medical centers, and offer them medical care at the expense of the Health Ministry," the statement said. The President also asked the relevant judicial authorities to "conduct the necessary investigations to unveil the circumstances that led to the explosion and to intensify search operations to confirm that there are no missing people." Later on Sunday, Aoun chaired an emergency meeting for the Higher Defense Council.

Hariri Says 'Akkar Massacre' Similar to Beirut Port Explosion
Agence France Presse/August 15/2021
Former prime minister Saad Hariri drew a link between the tragic Akkar and Beirut explosions in a statement shared on Twitter. "The Akkar massacre is not different from the port massacre," he said. "If this was a country that respects its people, its officials would resign, from the president to the very last person responsible for this neglect," he added. "Enough is enough. The lives of the Lebanese and their security is the top priority," Hariri stressed.

Army Deploys at Pumps as Salameh Firm on Ending Fuel Subsidies
Agence France Presse/August 15/2021
The army has seized fuel from gas stations to curb hoarding amid crippling shortages, as the central bank chief stood firm on his decision to scrap fuel subsidies. Lebanon is grappling with a financial crisis branded by the World Bank as one of the planet's worst since the 1850s. Foreign currency reserves are fast depleting, forcing the central bank to scale down funding for imports in an effort to shore up the little money Lebanon has left. The Lebanese pound has lost more than 90 percent of its value on the black market, and 78 percent of the population lives below the poverty line. On Wednesday Central Bank chief Riad Salameh said he would scrap fuel subsidies to ease pressure on fast-depleting foreign reserves. His decision sparked panic, with huge queues forming outside bakeries and petrol stations as Lebanese struggled to stock up. Salameh told a radio station Saturday he would not back down. "I will not review the removal of subsidies on fuel unless the use of compulsory reserves is legalized," by a parliamentary vote, he said. Fuel shortages have left many with just two hours of electricity a day, forcing the closure of businesses. Warning of "imminent disaster," the American University of Beirut Medical Center said it would be forced to cease operations within 48 hours. Without fuel, "forty adult patients and fifteen children living on respirators will die immediately," it said in a statement. "One hundred and eighty people suffering from renal failure will die poisoned after a few days... Hundreds of cancer patients, adults and children, will die in subsequent weeks."
Army deploys
Fuel importers blame the crisis on delays by the central bank in opening credit lines to fund imports. Salameh on Saturday accused importers and distributors of hoarding fuel to sell at higher prices on the black market, or across the border in Syria. With the situation rapidly deteriorating, the army raided gas stations on Saturday and seized fuel to distribute to desperate customers. A statement said the military had confiscated more than 78,000 liters of gasoline stored at two gas stations as well as 57,000 liters of diesel fuel from a third one. Internal Security Forces also said they had seized thousands of liters of petrol and diesel fuel stockpiled at one gas pump. Pictures and video footage posted by the army on its social media pages showed soldiers working pumps at gas stations and filling up car tanks. An AFP correspondent said troops were deployed at several gas stations north of Beirut, where hundreds of vehicles were trapped in long queues to fill up on petrol. Video footage posted online showed motorists cheering as the army raided gas stations. Later, many petrol stations across the country which had been closed claiming they had no fuel, reopened.
But some Lebanese remained bitter. "The army's decision is too late," said one motorist who had been waiting for hours in the scorching heat.
Political crisis
The central bank's funding of fuel and other basic commodity imports has contributed to foreign reserves falling by more than 50 percent from their pre-crisis level of more than $30 billion. Salameh said inaction by politicians had led Lebanon to breaking point. "Everybody was aware... they were aware in government, parliament and the president's office" that reserves were falling, he said. Salameh has headed the central bank since 1993 and is suspected by many Lebanese of helping facilitate large transfers of money abroad by the political elite during mass protests that began in October 2019. He is under judicial investigation in Lebanon, Switzerland and France over several cases, including diversion of public funds and illicit enrichment. At home, many blame him for capital controls in place since 2019 that have trapped dollar savings and denied even the poorest segment of the population full access to their deposits. Political wrangling over a new government has added to Lebanon's dire situation. The last cabinet resigned amid public outrage following last August's monster explosion at Beirut port that killed more than 200 people. International donors have pledged hundreds of millions of dollars in humanitarian aid to Lebanon.
But the aid is conditional on the formation of a new government prepared to spearhead reforms, and on the resumption of talks with the International Monetary Fund.

Scores killed, injured in Lebanon fuel tank explosion
The Arab Weekly/August 15/2021
The container of fuel had been confiscated by the army– part of an effort by the military to stop suppliers from hoarding.
BEIRUT--At least 20 people were killed and nearly 80 others injured when a fuel tank exploded in Lebanon’s northern region of Akkar, the Red Cross and state media said Sunday. The tragedy overwhelmed medical facilities and spurred a search for the missing, heaping new misery on a country already suffering from an economic crisis and severe fuel shortages that have crippled hospitals and caused long power cuts. “Our teams have transported 20 dead bodies … from the fuel tanker explosion in #AKKAR to hospitals in the area,” the Lebanese Red Cross said on Twitter.
It added that 79 other people were injured. The official National News Agency said that a container of fuel that the army had confiscated — part of an effort by the military to stop suppliers from hoarding — had exploded. It said the explosion took place following scuffles between “residents that gathered around the container to fill up gasoline” overnight. The agency added that the army had left the area before the fight and the explosion. Yassine Metlej, an employee at an Akkar hospital, said that the facility had received at least seven corpses and dozens of burns victims. “The corpses are so charred that we can’t identify them,” he said. “Some have lost their faces, others their arms.”He said the hospital had to turn away most of the wounded because it is not equipped to treat severe burns. Lebanon, hit by a financial crisis branded by the World Bank as one of the planet’s worst since the 1850s, has been grappling with soaring poverty, a plummeting currency and dire fuel shortages. The Lebanese army on Saturday said it seized thousands of litres of gasoline and diesel that distributors were stockpiling at stations across the country. Tleil is about 4 kilometres from the Syrian border, but it was not immediately clear if the fuel in the tanker was being prepared to be smuggled to Syria. where prices are much higher compared to those in Lebanon.
Tragedy
George Kettaneh of the Lebanese Red Cross told local media that first responders received reports of an explosion shortly before 2:00am (2300 GMT). He warned that the tragedy will pile pressure on the country’s only two burns centres, located in the northern city of Tripoli and the capital Beirut.
An employee at Akkar hospital who asked to be identified only as Mohammad said more than 30 wounded people had come to the facility following the explosion. “They all have burns,” he said, adding that many were turned away because the hospital is not equipped to treat such cases. Many patients were referred to Tripoli’s Al-Salam hospital, more than 25 kilometres away. The overcrowding at Al-Salam prompted many to flock to the Geitawi hospital in Beirut, which also struggled to keep up with the influx of patients suffering from burns. Caretaker Health Minister Hamad Hassan instructed hospitals across the country “to receive the wounded from the painful tragedy in Akkar’s al-Talil at the ministry’s expense and without reluctance.”
Search for missing
Hundreds of Akkar residents flocked to the blast site which was cordoned off by the army early Sunday morning, according to NNA.
Soldiers and rescuers were sweeping the area for missing people and survivors, NNA said. Lebanon’s President Michel Aoun called for an investigation into the circumstances that led to the blast. The Akkar explosion comes less than two weeks after Lebanon marked the first anniversary of a blast at Beirut port last summer that killed more than 200 people. On August 4, 2020, a haphazardly stored stock of ammonium nitrate fertiliser exploded and left swathes of the capital resembling a war zone. It was not clear what caused the Akkar blast. A nighttime video circulating online showed residents gathered at the site before the explosion, filling up gallons with fuel. Footage showed the charged remains of what appears to be part of a tanker that exploded. Lebanese soldiers, a Red Cross vehicle and other trucks could be seen in the area. The explosion comes as Lebanon faces a severe fuel shortage that has been blamed on smuggling, hoarding and the cash-strapped government’s inability to secure deliveries of imported fuel. The shortages have paralysed the country long dependent on private generators to light up their homes. Most of those generators have now turned off their engines because of the crippling diesel shortages. The American University Medical Center on Saturday warned it may be forced to shut down in less than 48 hours due to fuel shortages, which would threaten the lives of its critically ill patients. The fuel crisis deteriorated dramatically this week after the central bank decided to end subsidies for fuel products — a decision that will likely lead to price hikes of almost all commodities in Lebanon, already in the throes of soaring poverty and hyperinflation.

Lebanon fuel tank explosion kills 28, overwhelms hospitals
AFP/August 15, 2021
BEIRUT: A fuel tank blast in Lebanon early on Sunday killed 28 people and injured nearly 80, authorities and medics said, burning a crowd clamoring for petrol in the crisis-hit country. The tragedy in the remote north overwhelmed medical facilities and heaped new misery on a nation already beset by an economic crisis and severe fuel shortages that have crippled hospitals and caused long power cuts. It revived bitter memories of an enormous explosion at Beirut port last August that killed more than 200 people and destroyed swathes of the capital. An adviser to the health ministry said the death toll from the blast in Al-Tleil village in the Akkar region had climbed to 28. The Lebanese Red Cross said 79 others were injured. The military said a fuel tank that “had been confiscated by the army to distribute to citizens” exploded just before 2:00 am (2300 GMT). Soldiers were among the victims.
The army began raiding petrol stations Saturday to curb hoarding by suppliers following a central bank decision to scrap fuel subsidies. The official National News Agency (NNA) said the blast followed scuffles between “residents that gathered around the container to fill up gasoline” overnight.
Hospitals in Akkar, one of Lebanon’s poorest regions near the border with Syria, and in the northern port city of Tripoli said they had to turn away many injured because they were ill-equipped to treat severe burns. “The corpses are so charred that we can’t identify them,” said Yassine Metlej, an employee at an Akkar hospital.
“Some have lost their faces, others their arms,” Metlej told AFP. A security source told AFP DNA testing would start “soon” to identify victims.Health Minister Hamad Hassan said he was in contact with countries including Turkey, Kuwait and Jordan to evacuate serious cases abroad.
Ismail Al-Sheikh, 23, burned on his arms and legs, was driven by his sister Marwa to Beirut’s Geitawi hospital, some 80 kilometers (50 miles) away. “We were informed that the army was distributing gasoline... so people flocked to fill it in plastic containers... straight from the tank,” Marwa told AFP.
Some said a lighter sparked the blast, she said; other witnesses claimed shots were fired. The explosion was widely seen as a direct consequence of official negligence that had pushed the country deeper into free fall. “The dead are victims of a careless state,” Marwa told AFP.
Sawsan Abdullah burst into tears at Geitawi hospital when a doctor told her that her son, a soldier, was in a critical condition.
He had only been looking for petrol so he could go to his job in the army, she told AFP. “He’s my only son!” Abdullah yelled, falling to the floor. Lebanon, hit by a financial crisis the World Bank says is probably one of the planet’s worst since the 1850s, has been grappling with soaring poverty, a plummeting currency and dire fuel shortages. The central bank this week said it could not afford to fund fuel subsidies because of dwindling foreign reserves, and accused importers of hoarding fuel to sell at higher prices on the black market or in Syria. Fuel shortages have left many with just two hours of electricity a day.
The American University of Beirut Medical Center, Lebanon’s top private hospital, said it would close by Monday morning if it did not secure diesel to power generators, risking hundreds of lives. President Michel Aoun ordered a probe into the blast and chaired an emergency meeting of the defense council, his office said. The meeting agreed to provide hospitals with the diesel they desperately need to power generators, said a statement. The council also called on the government to task security forces with monitoring the storage and distribution of fuel to prevent further incidents.
Angry Akkar residents raided and torched a vacant house believed to belong to the owner of the plot where Sunday’s explosion took place, the NNA reported. The blast comes less than two weeks after Lebanon marked the first anniversary of the Beirut port explosion. Despite the economic crisis, political wrangling has delayed the formation of a new government after the last cabinet resigned in the wake of that blast. Vital international aid pledges remain contingent on a new government being formed to spearhead reforms, and on talks restarting with the International Monetary Fund.
Russia called for a “thorough investigation” into the blast and Jordan urged a “comprehensive plan” that would usher Lebanon into safety.

AUBMC Warns Power Cuts Endanger Its Patients
Associated Press/August 15/2021
A top medical center and one of Lebanon's oldest and most prestigious university hospitals has warned it may be forced to shut down in less than 48 hours due to fuel shortages, which would threaten the lives of its critically ill patients. In a stark warning, the American University of Beirut Medical Center, said 55 patients dependent on respirators, including 15 children, and more than 100 people with renal failure who are on dialysis would be immediately threatened. The somber statement underscored the severity of Lebanon's economic crisis, which has paralyzed the country. Fuel shortages have prompted many owners of large private generators to turn off the machines. Lebanon has for decades suffered electricity cuts, partly because of widespread corruption and mismanagement in the small Mediterranean nation of 6 million, including 1 million Syrian refugees. The situation deteriorated dramatically this week after the central bank decided to end subsidies for fuel products -- a decision that will likely lead to price hikes of almost all commodities in Lebanon, already in the throes of an unprecedented crisis, soaring poverty and hyperinflation. Over the past days, hundreds of businesses, including malls, restaurants and food deliveries, have shut down due to diesel and gasoline shortages. People wait for hours in long lines at petrol station to fill up their tanks. Some gas station owners have been refusing to sell, waiting to make gains when prices increase with the end of subsidies. On Saturday, Lebanese troops deployed to petrol stations, forcing the owners to sell fuel to customers. In its statement, the American University of Beirut Medical Center said it was "facing imminent disaster due to the threat of a forced shutdown" starting on Monday morning. "Forty adult patients and fifteen children living on respirators will die immediately," it said, adding that the lives of hundreds of cancer patients, both adults and children, would be in grave danger in subsequent months. The hospital blamed the government and officials, saying they were "fully responsible for this crisis and unfolding humanitarian catastrophe." The hospital appealed urgently to the Lebanese government, the United Nations and aid agencies to help supply the fuel before it is forced to shut down. Lebanese hospitals are also facing severe shortages of medicines and medical products amid the country's unprecedented economic and financial crisis.
People currently get an average of two hours of electricity a day from the notoriously corrupt state company that has cost state coffers more than $40 billion over the past three decades. Many private generators that fill the gap have had to stop due to diesel shortages. Several other private and public hospitals in Lebanon face similar shortages and have said they are running out of fuel and medical supplies. Dr. Firas Abiad, director general of Rafik Hariri University Hospital, which leads the country's coronavirus fight, tweeted on Saturday that in order to preserve fuel, only two of the center's seven generators are currently running. "The staff, working in most difficult conditions, continue to provide their services nonetheless," Abiad said.

Timeline: Crisis-Hit Lebanon
Agence France Presse/August 15/2021
Lebanon, where a fuel tank explosion killed at least 20 people Sunday, is mired in what the World Bank calls one of the world's worst economic crises since the 1850s.
Severe fuel shortages have crippled businesses and hospitals and caused power cuts that have plunged the country into darkness. The crisis has been exacerbated by politicians repeatedly wrangling over forming a government since the last one resigned in the wake of an enormous explosion at Beirut port in August 2020.
Here is a recap:
Dollar shortages
Anxiety over dollar shortages spikes on September 29, 2019 when hundreds of people take to the streets of central Beirut in protest against economic hardship. Among the worst hit are petrol station owners who need dollars to pay their suppliers. But media reports say banks and exchange offices are limiting dollar sales for fear of running out.
Last straw
Mass protests follow a government announcement on October 17 of a planned tax on voice calls made over messaging services such as WhatsApp. With the economy already in crisis, many see the tax as the last straw, with some demanding "the fall of the regime". The government of Saad Hariri scraps the tax the same day, but protests continue for weeks with demonstrators calling for the replacement of a ruling class accused of corruption. Hariri's government resigns in late October.
Eurobond default
Lebanon, with a debt burden equivalent to nearly 170 percent of its gross domestic product, announces in March 2020 that it will default on a $1.2-billion Eurobond. In April, following three nights of violent clashes, then-prime minister Hassan Diab says Lebanon will seek the International Monetary Fund's help after the government approves an economic rescue plan. But negotiations with the IMF quickly go off the rails.
Monster blast
A massive explosion on August 4, 2020 at Beirut port kills more than 200 people, injures at least 6,500, devastates swathes of the capital and leaves hundreds of thousands homeless. The government says the blast appears to have been caused by a fire that ignited tonnes of ammonium nitrate left unsecured in a warehouse for six years. Popular anger re-erupts, after being on hold because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Top officials are investigated over the explosion, but no politicians are arrested.
Political impasse
Diab announces the resignation of his government in August after just over seven months in office. Diplomat Mustafa Adib is named new premier but bows out after less than a month, and Hariri, already prime minister three times, is named as premier-designate in October.
One of worst crises
Authorities announce in February 2021 that bread prices will rise by around 20 percent. In June, the World Bank says Lebanon's economic collapse is likely to rank among the world's worst financial crises since the mid-19th century.
The Lebanese pound plunges to a new record low on the black market, and protesters try to storm central bank offices in the northern city of Tripoli and Sidon in the south. In early July two major power stations temporarily grind to a halt due to a lack of fuel, after the government hikes fuel prices by more than 30 percent in late June. Medicine importers announce in July that they have run out of key drugs. Hariri out, Miqati in After nine months of horse-trading, premier-designate Hariri steps aside on July 15, saying he is unable to form a government. Billionaire politician and twice former premier Najib Mikati is handed the task on July 26.
Fuel subsidies lifted
On August 11 the head of the central bank Riad Salameh says he is halting fuel subsidies to ease pressure on fast-depleting foreign currency reserves, sparking panic among citizens. Three days later the army deploys at gas stations and seizes thousands of liters of gasoline and diesel that distributors were hoarding. Early Sunday, at least 20 people are killed and nearly 80 injured when a fuel tank explodes in the north of the country.

As Lebanon crumbles, Hezbollah becomes even more emboldened
Anna Ahronheim/Jerusalem Post/August 15/2021
Lebanon is falling deeper into an economic and social black hole. While Hezbollah is not immune to that crisis, it is still able to play with fire and attack Israel.
It’s been a week since rocket-warning sirens alerted Israelis to the dangers of the collapse of Lebanon: a salvo of 20 rockets fired by an emboldened Hezbollah toward northern Israel.
Rocket-warning sirens were activated in northern Israeli communities along the Lebanese and Syrian borders, including Ein Kuniya, Neveh Ativ, and Snir, near the northern border with Lebanon and Syria.
The Iron Dome missile defense system intercepted 10 rockets, with six falling in open areas near Mount Dov on the Lebanese border. The others fell inside Lebanon.
The rocket fire was the sixth such event since May but by far the most serious and the first time that Hezbollah said that it had fired.
THE CRUMBLING of the Lebanese state was seen in the IDF as a restraining factor against the Shi’ite terrorist group, but that assessment given to reporters less than a month before the rocket fire has now been shaken.
In a speech, Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah warned Israel against thinking that the group is too preoccupied with Lebanon’s internal crisis. It still has its arsenal of 130,000-150,000 rockets and missiles aimed at Israel, ready to fire when the order is given.
Lebanon is falling deeper and deeper into an economic and social black hole, and while Hezbollah is not immune to that crisis, it is still able to play with fire and attack Israel.
But the country that it claims to defend is disintegrating, with months of severe fuel shortages prompting long lines at gas stations, families struggling to put food on the table, the country’s water system on the verge of collapse and essential medications running out.
Beirut, once dubbed “the Paris of the Middle East,” is plunged into darkness for hours as generators run out of power.
Though Lebanon has been without a government for over a year, the country’s ruling political elite escapes from all forms of accountability – be it for last year’s deadly Beirut Port blast or the situation of the country.
And with that chaos, Hezbollah has stepped in to fill the void.
The Iranian-backed group has immense political and military strength and is the de facto ruler of south Lebanon. But the group is also seen as one of the causes of the country’s devastating situation, and residents in south Lebanon are no longer silent about their anger toward Hezbollah.
As the cell that fired at Israel drove through the Druze village of Shwaya, Hasbaya district, residents were seen on camera stopping the truck and violently forcing the occupants into a car. One of them, later identified by the IDF as Ali Kajak, is heard saying that he does not belong to the Lebanese Shi’ite terrorist group.
And during his Sunday mass, Lebanon’s influential Maronite Catholic Patriarch Bechara Boutros Al-Rai urged Lebanon’s army to “confront Hezbollah for the sake of Lebanon.
“We call upon the Lebanese army, which is responsible with the international forces for the security of the south, to take control of the entire lands of the south... to prevent the launching of missiles from Lebanese territory, not for the sake of Israel’s safety, but, rather, for the safety of Lebanon,” he was quoted as saying by Lebanon’s National News Agency.
But the Lebanese Armed Forces is feeling the pressure from the economic collapse, and has even reduced its patrols in the south of the country in order to ration fuel. Though LAF has been seen by the IDF as a restraining force along the border, it is not immune to Hezbollah’s pressure.
Senior IDF officers have told The Jerusalem Post that while they don’t consider the LAF their enemy, there are certain elements that definitely collaborate with Hezbollah.
One clear example was the release of all four Hezbollah terrorists who had fired on Israel – including Kajak – along with the mobile rocket launcher and the truck they used. A Lebanese army official was quoted by L’Orient Today as saying that they had been released on the order of a judge.
The courts didn’t even wait a week.
Nasrallah said that the group acts to protect Lebanon, and that’s why it carried out the attack against Israel last week.
The other five rounds of rocket fire led to Israel retaliating by firing artillery shells toward the launch sites. Even when the IDF fired over 100 artillery shells after “unnamed Palestinian groups” fired three rockets toward the town of Kiryat Shmona, the group was able to sit back and take it.
But, when the Israel Air Force struck a road that had been used by the Palestinian groups, that was too much for Hezbollah.
Many of Hezbollah’s capabilities and much of its infrastructure are intertwined with the civilian infrastructure of Lebanon. And though Israel refrained from striking Lebanese infrastructure during the Second Lebanon War, Israeli officials have warned repeatedly that civilian infrastructure is now a legitimate target for IAF strikes.
“What happened days ago was very dangerous and a development that did not happen for 15 years,” Nasrallah said, referring to the airstrikes.
“It was necessary for the response to the Israeli airstrike to be quick, or else it would have lost its value,” he continued, adding that the rocket barrage “was aimed at consolidating the equation of deterrence.”
But that “equation of deterrence,” as seen by the IDF or Hezbollah, is more than fragile. And that’s why the IDF did not retaliate, at least not overtly, for the massive rocket salvo.
During situational assessments held by Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, Defense Minister Benny Gantz, IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Aviv Kohavi and other senior officials, it’s likely that harsh responses were considered.
But with the international community focused right now on Iran and the deadly attack against the Mercer Street that happened a week before the rocket fire, Israel understood that it had limited space to safely maneuver.
Iran remains Israel’s main focus, and it wants the international community to understand the threat Iran poses to the entire world as it continues to accelerate its nuclear program.
But it’s not only that. As Lebanon continues to crumble, Israel is finding itself in a much more volatile theater, where an escalation with one front – be it Hamas in the Gaza Strip or Syria or even the West Bank – will likely cause a flare-up on other fronts.
During a tour of the IDF’s Northern Command on Wednesday, Gantz warned that while Israel is willing to provide aid to its northern neighbor, with which it is still officially at war, it would not accept continued attacks along the border.
“The crisis in Lebanon is devastating. The State of Israel calls on the international community to aid Lebanon. We are also willing to provide assistance. However, we will not let the tragedy in Lebanon cross the border into Israel,” he said, adding: “We are well aware of Hezbollah’s attempts to exploit the situation at the expense of the safety and livelihoods of Lebanese citizens – under the direct influence of Iran.”
Both Israel and Hezbollah have publicly declared that they do not seek an escalation. Nevertheless, it takes only one rocket or one airstrike to destroy the 15 years of relative quiet along the border and send the region into a deadly war.

The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on August 15-16/2021
Canada/Trudeau triggers snap election, sending Canadians to the polls on Sept. 20
Robert Fife/The Globel and mail/August 15/2021
Justin Trudeau has triggered a long-expected snap election for September 20, seeking to regain a majority government on the strength of the Liberal government’s record in managing the COVID-19 pandemic and promising to guide the country through a recovery. Mr. Trudeau, accompanied by his family, visited newly minted Governor General Mary Simon at Rideau Hall Sunday morning to ask for the dissolution of the minority Parliament, a precursor to the start of a general election. In recent months, he has accused the opposition of obstruction and paralyzing Parliament.
“Canadians need to choose how to finish the fight against COVID-19 and build back better. From getting the job done on vaccines to having people’s backs all the way to and through the end of this crisis.”
Mr. Trudeau sought to justify the election even though the country is in the midst of a fourth wave of the pandemic and as many Canadians are on vacation. Mr. Trudeau had previously pledged to not call an election during the pandemic. “The government and indeed Parliament needs an opportunity to get a mandate from Canadians. To hear from Canadians on how to end this pandemic and how to build back better in really meaningful ways,” he said. “This is a moment when we will be making decisions – not just for the coming months – but for the coming decades and Canadians deserve their say.”Mr. Trudeau intends to use vaccinations as a wedge issue. He contrasted his decision to require anyone travelling on airlines or trains to be fully vaccinated and noted the Conservatives are not in favour of that approach. The election call comes less than two years after the previous federal election and more than two years before an election was required under fixed-election-date legislation. The Liberals lost their majority in the 2019 election, winning 157 seats to make up a relatively strong minority government. To form a majority government a party needs to win 170 seats and the Liberals believe the snap election is their best chance to win control of Parliament.
They concede an election now could be a gamble. Recent opinion polls suggest the party is not yet guaranteed a majority and the campaign and vote will take place during a fourth wave of COVID-19.
A senior Liberal source told the Globe and Mail that the party believes that the worst they can expect is another minority government under their banner. They hope to make up the difference by targeting the few seats they don’t hold in the Atlantic region, picking up seats from the Bloc Québécois in Quebec, and in the key battlegrounds of the Greater Toronto Area and B.C.’s Lower Mainland.
The source said the party plans to focus on the pandemic recovery and affordability issues, highlighting their housing policies and plans for $10-a day child care. The Globe granted the source confidentiality because they were not permitted to disclose internal party deliberations.
Support for the Liberals has fallen in recent weeks as it became apparent that Mr. Trudeau was determined to call an early election. A poll by Nanos Research, completed Friday, shows the Liberals with only 33.4 per cent support, a drop of 5.9 percentage points from four weeks ago when the party appeared headed for a majority government. “They are not in majority territory any more – and based on our internal seat projections – the hot election speculation has turned off enough voters for the Liberals to go from a majority to putting 40 Liberal [potential] wins at risk,” said Nik Nanos, the polling firm’s founder. The poll shows the Conservatives with 28.4 per cent support, up 4.8 percentage points from four weeks ago, and the NDP holding steady at 20.7 per cent. The Nanos survey of 1,000 Canadians is based on a four-week rolling average. The random poll, using land and cellphone lines, is considered accurate to within three percentage points, plus or minus, 19 times out of 20. Two of the most important issues facing voters involve responding to climate change and to the record debt amassed by the Liberal government to protect workers, businesses and the economy from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Liberals have spent billions on financial assistance to people and businesses. The official opposition Conservatives say the Trudeau government spending is excessive and will leave future generations mired by debt.
The Liberal confidence, low poll numbers, and pessimism from within the Conservative base has helped to set low expectations for Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole’s campaign, something his team is hoping to capitalize on, a senior source said. A similar low bar helped Mr. Trudeau in 2015, the source pointed out, noting the Liberals were polling in third place at the beginning of that campaign. The source, which the Globe is not naming because they were not permitted to disclose internal party deliberations, said the party’s research and polling ahead of the election shows Canadians want to see a clear plan for the country’s future and the pandemic recovery. The source said outlining that plan will be the party’s key focus during the campaign, underscored by the slogan “secure the future.” This election will be unlike any other in Canadian history, for it comes amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Many provinces still restrict the size of gatherings, and the parties have to respect those limits, even as the leaders crisscross the country. Many events will be held outdoors, and/or with physical distancing in place.
Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole accused the Liberals of calling an unnecessary election especially during the fourth wave of the pandemic. “We are finally at the point - thanks to the efforts of all Canadians who stayed home, got tested, got vaccinated – where we can see our loved ones and families again,” he said. “We shouldn’t be risking that for political games, for political gain.”
Mr. O’Toole said the Liberals have recklessly been spending billions of dollars and racking up a huge debt when they should be focused on fighting the pandemic and helping the economy recover.
“Hard press families [are] struggling to pay bills and worried about the cost of food, of heating and the Liberal party’s answer is to ask you to award them with another four years of majority for doing the bare minimum,” he said.
The Conservative leader said he supports vaccinations but also the wearing of masks and regular testing for people who do not want to get vaccinated. NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, who was campaigning in Quebec where the party has only one seat, said Canadians should not reward the Liberals with a majority for calling an election during the pandemic. “Why this selfish summer election? Well, it’s clear Justin Trudeau wants to grab power, wants a majority,” Mr. Singh said. He argued the NDP pushed for progressive policies during the last minority Parliament and can do so again if the Liberals are denied a majority. Bloc Quebecois Leader Yves-Francois Blanchett criticized for Mr. Trudeau for calling the election for his “personal ambition” of hoping to win a majority. “We are in a pandemic that will not end. Calling an election is very irresponsible,” he said. “If it is important for the Liberals to impose mandatory vaccines [on federal employees and air and rail travelers] then isn’t it dangerous to go into an election campaign?”

Former US president Trump calls for Biden to resign over Taliban takeover of Kabul
AFP/16 August ,2021
Former US president Donald Trump called for his successor Joe Biden to resign on Sunday over the swift takeover of Afghanistan by Taliban militants, as US troops withdrew from the country after nearly 20 years on the ground. “It is time for Joe Biden to resign in disgrace for what he has allowed to happen to Afghanistan,” Trump said in a statement, also blasting him over a surge in Covid-19 cases in the US and domestic immigration, economic and energy policies.  The Taliban have reconquered Afghanistan in a lightning surge 20 years after they were toppled by the US invasion. They took control of Kabul on Sunday, more than two weeks before the August 31 deadline set by Biden to complete the withdrawal of American troops from the country. It was under Trump that the US brokered a deal with the Taliban in Doha in 2020 that would have seen the US withdraw all its troops by May 2021, in exchange for various security guarantees from the militants. When Biden took power earlier this year, he pushed back the deadline for the withdrawal and set no conditions for it. Trump has repeatedly blasted Biden over the move, saying it would have been “a much different and much more successful withdrawal” if he were still president. “What Joe Biden has done with Afghanistan is legendary. It will go down as one of the greatest defeats in American history!” he said in another statement on Sunday. The Biden administration is quick to point out that Trump negotiated the Doha deal on the withdrawal and that a majority of the US public favors ending “forever wars.”Biden has faced heated criticism at home that the withdrawal was mismanaged, with the US racing to evacuate its sprawling embassy just a month after he played down fears the Afghan government would crumble quickly.

Taliban take control of Kabul, storm presidential palace
Sayed Salahuddin/Arab News/August 15/2021
KABUL: Taliban insurgents entered Kabul and regained control of Afghanistan on Sunday, 20 years after the US-led invasion that ousted them. In chaotic scenes reminiscent of the fall of Saigon in 1975 at the end of the Vietnam war, American diplomatic staff were airlifted by helicopter from the US Embassy in the fortified Wazir Akbar Khan district of the Afghan capital. As Taliban fighters took over the presidential palace, President Ashraf Ghani fled the country and was thought to be in Tajikistan. Afghans on social media branded him a “coward.”Ghani said he left to “prevent a flood of bloodshed” and that “countless patriots would be martyred and the city of Kabul would be destroyed” if he had stayed behind. "The Taliban have won with the judgement of their swords and guns, and are now responsible for the honor, property and self-preservation of their countrymen," he said in a Facebook post.
He did not say where he had travelled to, but leading Afghan media group Tolo news suggested he had gone to Tajikistan. Kabul’s streets were choked with cars and people trying to reach the airport. “Some people have left their keys in the car and have started walking to the airport,” one resident said .Hundreds of Afghans, some of them government ministers and government employees, along with civilians including many women and children, crowded into the terminal building at Kabul airport waiting for flights out. “The airport is out of control ... the Afghan government just sold us out,” one official in the building said. A NATO official said the alliance was helping to secure the airport and that a political agreement was “now more urgent than ever.” A Kabul hospital said it was treating more than 40 people wounded in clashes on the outskirts of the city, but the Taliban takeover appeared to be largely bloodless and there was no major fighting. The Taliban said it was waiting for the government to surrender peacefully. “Taliban fighters are on standby atall entrances to Kabul until a peaceful and satisfactory transfer of power is agreed,” spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said. The government’s acting interior minister, Abdul Sattar Mirzakawal, said power would be handed over to a transitional administration. “There won’t be an attack on the city, it is agreed that there will be a peaceful handover,” he said. Another Taliban spokesman, Suhail Shaheen, said a transfer of power was expected in days. “We assure the people, particularly in the city of Kabul, that their properties, their lives are safe,” he said. The speed of the Taliban advance in the past two weeks has stunned Western powers, as city after city fell to the insurgents with little resistance from Afghan government forces, trained and equipped by the US and others at a cost of billions of dollars.President Joe Biden has faced mounting criticism for adhering to his predecessor Donald Trump’s plan to end the US military mission in Afghanistan by Aug. 31. “An endless American presence in the middle of another country’s civil conflict was not acceptable to me,” Biden said.- With agencies

UN security council to convene Monday, Afghan president fled 'to prevent bloodshed'
Reuters/J. Post/August 15/2021
The Taliban said there will be no transitional government and demanded immediate control after Afghan president Asraf Ghani fled the country
The United Nations Security Council is set to convene Monday on Afghanistan after the country's president fled and the Taliban seizes control of Kabul. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson had also called NATO’s North Atlantic Council to meet on the burgeoning crisis that has captured the world's attention.
President Ashraf Ghani left Afghanistan after Taliban fighters entered the capital Kabul earlier on Sunday, capping their return to power two decades after being forced out by US-led forces. As they entered Kabul, the US embassy in Afghanistan reported that Kabul airport has been taking fire.
The president later posted on Facebook saying, "Today I came across a tough choice. I had to face the armed Taliban who want to enter the palace or leave the country I have dedicated my life to protecting and nurturing for the last 20 years. If left unchecked, countless patriots would be martyred and the city of Kabul would be devastated, resulting in a major humanitarian catastrophe in the 6-million-strong city. The Taliban had made it clear that they were ready to carry out a bloody attack on all of Kabul and the people of Kabul to oust me. In order to prevent a flood of bloodshed, I decided to leave." The government's acting interior minister, Abdul Sattar Mirzakawal, had said that power would be handed over to a transitional administration. Two Taliban officials told Reuters on Sunday there would be no transitional government in Afghanistan and that the group expects a complete handover of power.
Top Afghan peace official Abdullah Abdullah described Ashraf Ghani as Afghanistan's former president in a video message on Sunday. He blamed Ghani for the current situation in Afghanistan, hours after Taliban insurgents entered the capital Kabul. Taliban's Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar is preparing to arrive in Afghanistan, according to an official in Doha. Earlier, acting Interior Minister Abdul Sattar Mirzakwal said in a televised address that a peaceful transition would take place but no details have as yet been confirmed.
Ali Ahmad Jalali, a US-based academic and former Afghan interior minister, is likely to be named to head an interim administration in Kabul, three diplomatic sources said on Sunday as Taliban fighters gathered around the city. It was not immediately clear whether the Taliban had given their final agreement to Jalali's appointment but he was seen as a potentially acceptable compromise figure to oversee the transition of power, the sources said. President Ghani, who said on Saturday he was in urgent consultations with local leaders and international partners on the situation, held emergency talks with US special representative for Afghanistan reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad as well as top NATO officials. After its lightning advance on the capital, the insurgent group ordered its fighters to refrain from violence, allow safe passage to anyone seeking to leave and request women to head to protected areas, said a Taliban leader in Doha. Taliban fighters were also ordered to stand at all entry points of Kabul. Taliban fighters have completely encircled Kabul, according to a Taliban official. Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, as well as Afghan hospitals, will continue to function as usual, he stated.
"We don't want a single, innocent Afghan civilian to be injured or killed as we take charge," the official told Reuters. "But we have not declared a ceasefire," he added. The official called on Afghan forces to stop gunfire and allow a safe passage out of Kabul to all civilians and foreigners. He also noted Mujahideen have not killed or injured anyone in Kabul yet.
Taliban expects a peaceful transition of power in the next few days, a spokesperson said on Sunday, as the insurgents reached Afghanistan's capital Kabul with little resistance. "We assure the people, particularly in the city of Kabul, that their properties, their lives are safe," the spokesman said in an interview with the BBC. "Our leadership had instructed our forces to remain at the gates of Kabul, not to enter the city." The spokesperson has commented on several aspects of the future government, as they prepare for a peaceful transition of power. The spokesperson said that police and officials in Kabul have fled.
Taliban's policy on punishments, such as execution, stoning, and amputation will be up to courts, the spokesperson said. In addition, Afghan media will be allowed to criticize anyone, according to the spokesperson, who has also warned the media of "indulging in character assassination."On the future Taliban government's policy towards women, they stated Afghan women will be allowed to leave homes alone, as well as have access to education and work. In addition, Taliban "does not intend to take revenge on government and military personnel, and all those who have served the state will be forgiven," according to the spokesperson. Afghan civilians who want to leave the country due to fear were asked to remain in Afghanistan. "Foreigners in Kabul should leave if they wish to, or register their presence in the coming week with Taliban administrators," an official said.
An Afghanistan government delegation, including senior official Abdullah Abdullah, will travel to Qatar on Sunday to meet with representatives of the Taliban, an Afghanistan negotiator said. Fawzi Koofi, a member of the Kabul negotiating team, confirmed to Reuters the delegation would meet with the Taliban in the Gulf state.
A source familiar with the matter told Reuters the Afghan delegation and Taliban representatives would discuss a transition of power, adding that US officials would also be involved. A number of gunshots were heard around Kabul. according to the Afghan President's Office Twitter account, Afghanistan's security and defense forces currently have the situation under control. The Taliban has also ordered its fighters to enter the Afghan capital Kabul to prevent looting after local police deserted their posts, a spokesman for the militant group said on Sunday. The statement by Zabihullah Mujahid came shortly after a leading Afghan peace envoy said President Ashraf Ghani had left the country. However, Kabul Hospital said on Twitter that more than 40 people were wounded in clashes on the outskirts of Kabul on Sunday.
"Most (people brought to the hospital) came from fighting in the #Qarabagh area," it said, without giving any further details of the clashes. It made no reference to any fatalities. Earlier on Sunday, the insurgents captured the eastern city of Jalalabad without a fight, giving them control of one of the main highways into landlocked Afghanistan. They also took over the nearby Torkham border post with Pakistan, leaving Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul the only way out of Afghanistan that is still in government hands.

Russia Says Emergency U.N. Meeting on Afghanistan is Planned
Agence France Presse/August 15/2021
Russia is working with other countries to hold an emergency U.N. Security Council meeting on Afghanistan as the Taliban completes its military takeover of the country, foreign ministry official Zamir Kabulov told Russian news agencies.  "We are working on this," Kabulov said, adding that the meeting will take place.

Taliban Enter Kabul, Say They Don't Plan to Take it by Force
Associated Press/August 15/2021
Taliban fighters entered the outskirts of the Afghan capital on Sunday while panicked workers fled government offices and helicopters landed at the U.S. Embassy as the militants' further tightened their grip on the country. Three Afghan officials told The Associated Press that the Taliban were in the districts of Kalakan, Qarabagh and Paghman in the capital. The militants later pledged not to take the capital of Kabul "by force" as sporadic gunfire could be heard in the capital. "No one's life, property and dignity will be harmed and the lives of the citizens of Kabul will not be at risk," the Taliban said. In a nationwide offensive that has taken just over a week, the Taliban has defeated, co-opted or sent Afghan security forces fleeing from wide swaths of the country, even with some air support by the U.S. military. Rapid shuttle flights of Boeing CH-47 Chinook helicopters near the embassy began a few hours later after the militants seized the nearby city of Jalalabad. Diplomatic armored SUVs could be seen leaving the area around the post. The U.S. State Department did not immediately respond to questions about the movements. However, wisps of smoke could be seen near the embassy's roof as diplomats urgently destroyed sensitive documents, according to two American military officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the situation. Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters, which typically carry armed troops, later landed near the embassy as well. The Czech Republic also approved a plan to begin withdrawing their Afghan staff from their embassy after earlier taking their diplomats to Kabul International Airport. President Ashraf Ghani, who spoke to the nation Saturday for the first time since the offensive began, appears increasingly isolated as well. Warlords he negotiated with just days earlier have surrendered to the Taliban or fled, leaving Ghani without a military option. Ongoing negotiations in Qatar, the site of a Taliban office, also have failed to stop the insurgents' advance. Thousands of civilians now live in parks and open spaces in Kabul itself, fearing the future. Some ATMs stopped distributing cash as hundreds gathered in front of private banks, trying to withdraw their life savings. Gunfire erupted at several points, though the Afghan presidency sought to downplayed the shooting. "The defense and security forces along with the international forces working for the security of Kabul city and the situation is under control," the presidency said amid the chaos.

Afghan Warlords Give Up to the Taliban with Surprising Ease
Agence France Presse/August 15/2021
Afghanistan's warlords vowed defiantly to defend their strongholds from the Taliban and crush the insurgents. But, like the government's forces, they too gave up with surprising ease. As the insurgents swept through the north in a surprise offensive targeting Afghanistan's anti-Taliban bastion, President Ashraf Ghani called for a national mobilisation of militia forces. Despite Ghani's chequered history with the country's warlords, the beleaguered president was hoping they could help turn the tide. In the besieged northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif, Ghani was looking to longtime strongman Atta Mohammad Noor and ethnic Uzbek warlord Abdul Rashid Dostum. Both were known for their dogged defence against the Taliban in the 1990s, and had remained influential figures during the past two decades of war. In the days leading up to their defeat, the greying commanders appeared to be the fearsome figures from their younger years. "The Taliban never learn from the past," Dostum told reporters last week after flying back to Mazar-i-Sharif, while offering a not-so-subtle reference to the alleged massacre of the insurgents by his fighters in 2001. "The Taliban have come to the north several times but they were always trapped. It is not easy for them to get out."Noor took to social media to issue his own warnings, posting graphic pictures of Taliban killed by his troops while promising to fight to the death. "I prefer dying in dignity than dying in despair," wrote Noor on Twitter, alongside other defiant posts vowing to "defend the nation".In a video posted to Facebook on Saturday, Noor spoke calmly to camera dressed in military fatigues while rifle fire could be heard close by.
'Cowardly plot'
Ultimately, bravado did not beat back the insurgents. Late Saturday, both men's militias were routed after the Afghan military units they were supporting surrendered to the Taliban. Dostum and Noor fled across the nearby Uzbek border. Noor claimed they had been the victims of deep-seated betrayal, saying on Twitter their resistance came to an end "as a result of a big organized & cowardly plot."
He offered no other details.
Video posted on pro-Taliban social media accounts, meanwhile, showed a group of young Taliban fighters combing through Dostum's gaudy residence, digging through cabinets and testing out overstuffed furniture. Their rout came days after fellow strongman Ismail Khan was captured by Taliban fighters in the western city of Herat. Khan had in the lead-up to his defeat sounded like the same powerful figure who had ruled his fiefdom with such authority for decades that he earned the nickname "Lion of Herat". "We demand all the remaining security forces resist with courage," Khan said last month. But with a look of resignation, Khan was on Friday forced to pose for pictures with Taliban fighters and give an interview to an insurgent media outlet. After all the hefty promises and chest thumping, it was a humiliating end.

Russia Says No Plan to Evacuate Kabul Embassy
Agence France Presse/August 15/2021
Russia does not plan to evacuate its embassy in Kabul as Taliban fighters reached the outskirts of the Afghan capital in their blistering military takeover of the country, foreign ministry official Zamir Kabulov told Russian agencies Sunday. "No evacuation is planned," Kabulov said, adding that he was "in direct contact" with Moscow's ambassador in Kabul and that Russian embassy employees continued to work "calmly". According to the RIA Novosti agency, Kabulov also said that Russia was among a number of countries to receive assurances from the Taliban that their embassies would be safe. "We received these guarantees a while ago. It was not only about Russia," RIA Novosti quoted Kabulov as saying. The United States and other countries rushed to evacuate their citizens from the capital as Taliban fighters stood on the outskirts of Kabul on Sunday. The Taliban is on the brink of a complete military takeover of Afghanistan. The militant group's spokesman said the fighters had been ordered not to enter the city. Kabul residents reported seeing insurgents peacefully enter some of Kabul's outer suburbs.

Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says US should 'crush the Taliban' in Kabul using 'American air power'
Connor Perrett/Insider/August 15/2021
Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who served in the Trump administration, said in an interview Sunday that the US Military should intervene to take the Afghanistan capital city of Kabul back from Taliban control.
"They should go crush the Taliban who are surrounding Kabul, we can do it with American airpower," Pompeo said during an appearance on "Fox News Sunday." "We should put pressure on them, we should inflict cost and pain on them.""Every President confronts challenges," he said. "This President confronted a challenge in Afghanistan — he has utterly failed to protect the American people from this challenge."The Taliban took control of most of the country in just about one week despite the two decades the US and allies spent in the country attempting to bolster its government, as the Associated Press reported. Taliban insurgents reached the capital city of Kabul early Sunday and ordered the unconditional surrender of government officials. The Taliban took the Afghanistan city of Jalalabad without a fight overnight, which had been of the last major cities still under the control of the country's government. Afghan Interior Minister Abdul Sattar Mirzakwal said Sunday that the nation would have a "peaceful transfer of power" to a transitional government led by the Taliban, Insider previously reported. Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani fled the country earlier Sunday as Taliban insurgents moved into further parts of the country and the capital city, officials said, according to the AP. President Joe Biden meanwhile has held firm on his plan to withdraw the US Military from Afghanistan, bringing an end to the country's two-decade effort in the country. Biden on Saturday ordered an additional 5,000 troops to Afghanistan to facilitate the "orderly and safe drawdown of US personnel and other allied personnel and an orderly and safe evacuation of Afghans who helped our troops during our mission and those at special risk from the Taliban advance."  "One more year, or five more years, of US military presence would not have made a difference if the Afghan military cannot or will not hold its own country," Biden said in a statement Saturday. "And an endless American presence in the middle of another country's civil conflict was not acceptable to me."

Canada temporarily suspends operations at Embassy of Canada to Afghanistan
August 15, 2021 - Ottawa, Ontario - Global Affairs Canada
The Honourable Marc Garneau, Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Honourable Marco E. L. Mendicino, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, and the Honourable Harjit S. Sajjan, Minister of National Defence, today issued the following statement:
“The situation in Afghanistan is rapidly evolving and poses serious challenges to our ability to ensure the safety and security of our mission.
“After consulting with Canada’s Ambassador to Afghanistan, the decision was made to temporarily suspend our diplomatic operations in Kabul.
“As always, our priority in these situations is ensuring the safety and security of Canadian personnel. They are now safely on their way back to Canada.
“The Canadian embassy will resume its operations as soon as the security situation in Afghanistan allows us to guarantee appropriate service and adequate security for our staff.
“Our ongoing work to bring Afghans to safety in Canada under the Special Immigration Measures will continue and will remain a top priority. We will continue to work in close coordination on this commitment.
“The Government of Canada, including the Canadian Armed Forces, is working closely with allies, including the United States, to ensure processing capacity for the ongoing Special Immigration Measures program. Applications continue to be processed, including for those who can safely leave Afghanistan. They will be able to come to Canada as soon as their applications are approved. We are urgently bringing more Afghans to safety in Canada and will continue to support them through this crisis.
“The Afghan people have put their lives at great risk in the pursuit of democracy, human rights, education, health and security over the past 20 years.
“As we watch the situation unfold, our thoughts also turn to the sacrifices Canadians, including our armed forces, diplomats and other civilians, have made for the people of Afghanistan over so many years.
“Canada firmly condemns the escalating violence and calls for a permanent and comprehensive ceasefire. We call for an end to the injustices faced by Afghans, especially women, girls, and ethnic minorities, in areas controlled by the Taliban.
“Canada remains committed to Afghanistan and the Afghan people and we will continue to do all that we can to support them.
“Canadians should continue to avoid all travel to Afghanistan. Those currently in Afghanistan should leave immediately while commercial flights are available.”
Canadians in need of consular assistance in Afghanistan should contact Global Affairs Canada’s 24/7 Emergency Watch and Response Centre in Ottawa

Israel Recalls Envoy as Poland Adopts Law on WWII Claims
Agence France Presse/August 15/2021
Poland's president has approved a law that will severely restrict claims on properties seized after World War II, prompting Israel to recall its envoy to Poland and brand the law "anti-Semitic". The law sets a 30-year limit on legal challenges to property confiscations -- many of them relating to Poland's once thriving Jewish community. Since the confiscations mostly occurred during the Communist era in the aftermath of the war, the law will effectively block thousands of claims. President Andrzej Duda told Poland's PAP news agency he hoped the new rule would end an "era of legal chaos" and "reprivatization mafias." The government says it will bolster legal certainty in the property market but opponents say it is unjust to people with legitimate claims, including Holocaust survivors and their families. "Poland today approved... an immoral, anti-Semitic law," said Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid.
"This evening I instructed the charge d'affaires at our embassy in Warsaw to return immediately to Israel for consultations, for an indefinite period of time," he said. "The new Israeli ambassador to Poland, who was scheduled to depart to Warsaw, will remain in Israel for the time being," Lapid added. Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett slammed the law as "shameful" and said it showed "disgraceful contempt for the Holocaust's memory". "This is a grave measure that Israel cannot remain indifferent to," he said in a statement. Lapid said the foreign ministry would recommend that the Polish envoy to Israel, currently on vacation, "continue his vacation in his country". "He should use the time on his hands to explain to Poles the meaning of the Holocaust to Israelis," Lapid said. Poland's foreign ministry responded with a statement saying that Israel's move was "unfounded.""The steps taken by Israel are seriously damaging our relationship," it said, warning that it would take "appropriate political and diplomatic actions."
'Won't pay for Germany's crimes'
After parliament passed the law this week, Lapid and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken had asked Duda not to sign it. Blinken said he was "deeply concerned" and urged Poland to approve instead a comprehensive law to cover such property claims -- something other countries in Central and Eastern European have done.But Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki has said Poland "won't pay for Germany's crimes -- not one zloty, euro or dollar". Six million Poles, half of them Jewish, were killed during World War II in Poland. After the war, Communist authorities nationalised vast numbers of properties that had been left empty because their owners had been killed or fled. While the law covers both Jewish and non-Jewish claimants, campaigners say Jewish owners will be disproportionately affected because they were often late in lodging claims after the war. "Poland is, of course, not responsible for what Nazi Germany did during the Holocaust. However... Poland still benefits from this wrongfully acquired property," the World Jewish Restitution Organization (WJRO) said in a statement. "Property restitution is about more than money –- for many of Holocaust survivors and their families, a home is the last remaining physical connection to the lives they once led," the advocacy group said.

Egypt’s Sisi and CIA director Burns discuss Mideast tensions, Afghanistan
AFP/15 August ,2021
US Central Intelligence Agency chief William Burns met Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Sunday for talks on the situation in the Palestinian territories, Libya and Afghanistan, the president’s office said. The talks in Cairo covered “a number of regional issues of common interest especially tensions in the Middle East as well as Afghanistan, the Renaissance Dam (in Ethiopia) and the crisis in Libya”, Egypt’s western neighbor, it said in a statement, without giving details. Egypt, the second largest recipient of US aid in the world after Israel and a key regional ally, brokered a Gaza ceasefire in May after 11 days of strikes between Israel and Palestinian militants.

The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials published on August 15-16/2021
Afghanistan debacle message for US allies, including Israel - analysis
Seth J. Frantzman/Jerusalem Post/August 15/2021
We know what that shop looks like in places like Lebanon, it’s a bankrupt operation. The US needs to reassure allies that it will stick by the region in this difficult time.
The rapid fall of Afghanistan and the way in which US political and military officials, as well as experts from various think tanks, were shocked by the rapidity of the collapse is symbolic of a larger challenge facing the United States today.
After Afghanistan, the US will have to reassure allies and partners that it will remain somewhere in the world. As American officials speak about “forever wars” and wasting “treasure” around the world, there are concerns about what comes next.
This is particularly true in the Middle East, where America’s partners and allies wonder if the US only sees countries here as “interests.” The talk of the US taking a tougher line on Saudi Arabia and Egypt, two countries that once formed a pillar of US foreign policy, is leading to concerns.
US support for the Abraham Accords is also a key issue. The new US administration won’t even call the Israeli peace deals by their name, but it has put out messaging praising the normalization Israel now has with Gulf states and Morocco.
Concerns about the US role in Iraq and Syria are on people’s minds too. Will Afghanistan erode more confidence in Washington and its claims to still be committed to the region?
The US has a long track record of intervention in various countries over the last several decades. These conflicts, called “small wars” or “long wars,” tended to be a result of the end of the Cold War and 9/11.
That means the US practiced humanitarian intervention and nation-building and then transitioned to preempting Iraq from acquiring weapons of mass destruction and fighting a global war on terrorism. Much of this turned out to be a myth, as has been seen in Afghanistan.
Nations were not built. Wherever the US has intervened, the countries have generally become chaotic, poor, Hobbesian disasters.
From Iraq to Syria, from Afghanistan to Somalia, from Haiti to Panama, the US has sent forces to many places, and they have generally not improved afterward. That may not be due to US intervention; the interventions may have simply been a symptom of chaotic world order, the rise of extremism and ungoverned spaces.
For instance, the chaos in Libya today may not be the fault of the intervention. Neither can the chaos in Yemen be blamed on the US. But the US is a factor, and its apparent mismanagement, or its failed attempt to build local security forces, raises many questions. Where was the Afghan air force over the last month and a half?
US President Joe Biden in July said the Afghan army had 300,000 troops who were “as well equipped as any army in the world” and that it had an air force. But the air force was a handful of helicopters. In general, the US didn’t bequeath a real air force.
Images from Afghanistan’s provinces show poverty and neglect. Twenty years didn’t result in much, it seems. Americans are wondering where the billions of dollars went. They see this as another example of Washington being misled or misleading them. They want the money spent at home on infrastructure.
America is not only talking more about isolationism, a theme that runs throughout US history and gained traction under the Trump administration’s “Make America Great Again” slogan. American’s Left and Right tend to agree it’s time for the US to look inward and that foreign policy should focus narrowly on interests.
Is it in our interest? What are we doing, and why are we doing it? Those are questions being asked. As those questions are asked, the US appears to be jettisoning one after another of its partners, or at least putting them on notice that the clock is ticking. Show us that you’re in our interests or you’re done is the message.
This happened in Eastern Syria in 2018 and 2019. Driven partly by pro-Turkey elements in the US State Department who wanted to end US efforts in Syria in competition with US Central Command, the US policy ended up being a partial withdrawal.
Genocidal jihadists backed by Ankara invaded areas the US had help secure with the Syrian Democratic Forces. These SDF partners had helped liberate Raqqa from ISIS. But US officials called the partnership “temporary, tactical and transactional.”
Even today, it’s possible the US may leave Eastern Syria if it doesn’t see some unnamed progress. That puts the people on edge, as the people in Kabul were, wondering what comes next and hedging their bets.
The US calls this “interests,” but it’s unclear why handing an area to US adversaries is in US interests. The political capital of having people trust and rely on Washington is important, but it is being squandered.
In Iraq, the US faces the same problem. US friends and partners are evaporating or hedging their bets. In the Kurdistan Region, which came into being partly with US air support in the 1990s, there are a lot of concerns that the US won’t remain. Pro-Iranian militias have targeted Erbil, ISIS is still festering, and Turkey is bombing some areas.
Meanwhile, in the Gulf, the US is also facing concerns that it is not sufficiently supportive of the Abraham Accords. There appears to be some hedging now in Riyadh in regard to talks with Iran. Saudi Arabia is facing the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen. It may seek to find a deal.
Egypt may be shifting its outlook as well, seeking a greater role in Horn of Africa. Sudan may be patching things up with Turkey as it has wanted more support after it also agreed to relations with Israel. But it needs investment.
The US talks more these days of “near-peer” adversaries and a desire to confront Russia and China. However, many countries wonder what commitments the US has in return when it asks friends and partners to help it in this rivalry.
When the US refuses to even see countries as allies, but calls them “interests” and then asks them to help with confrontation with Russia and China, many countries wonder what happens when the US shifts policies, and the “interests” no longer align. These countries are asking themselves if it is in their “interest” to confront China or Russia or Iran.
This has ramifications for Israel because Israel views itself as a close ally of the US. The US-Israel relationship has also grown in recent years, and Israeli defense companies are now world leaders in technology, including artificial intelligence, drones, radar, optics, missiles, air defense and targeting pods.
Israeli companies partner with their US friends on a variety of projects. This is true now in how Rafael Advanced Defense Systems works with Raytheon, for instance. In July, Lockheed Martin and Israel Aerospace Industries said they had entered an MOU that will form part of a strategic agreement to work together on air defense. Elbit Systems supplies helmets for the F-35s. This is all very important.
On the surface, Israel-US relations are the best ever. There are more joint exercises than in the past. US officials frequently meet Israeli counterparts. This means the Afghanistan debacle doesn’t have immediate implications. In fact, a smaller US footprint and less US bases ostensibly means the US needs Israel more than in the past.
A stronger Israel is now not just in US interests; it plays a greater role in the region. This is true also because so much of the region is made up of weak or failing states or places occupied by Iranian proxies. Israel sits on the doorstep of Lebanon, which is as good as bankrupt, and on the border with Syria, where conflict continues.
The US has a base at Tanf near the Jordanian border, not far from Israel. While US bases in Qatar, Bahrain and the UAE are not in doubt, there are questions about how close the US is to Riyadh and Cairo these days. Meanwhile, Israel and the UAE are fostering close relations with Greece and India, countries the US is also working with.
The big question after Afghanistan is how the US will show that it is really committed to stability and security, whether that is off the coast of Taiwan or off the coast of Oman, where a ship was recently attacked by a drone.
Countries are testing US resolve. The US looks to be in a bind after the debacle in Kabul. How did 300,000 Afghan soldiers disappear? Was it a ghost army? And if it was, what does that say about US training of Iraqi forces and of the Palestinian security forces, the latter of which was done through the USSC, or what was once called “Dayton’s Army.”
If the Palestinian Authority faces challenges, will the Palestinian security forces be up to the task? And what becomes of Eastern Syria and the SDF, another key force the US helped support? This matters because enemies, such as Iran, want to move into any power vacuum in the region and set up shop.
We know what that shop looks like in places like Lebanon. It’s a bankrupt operation. The US needs to reassure allies that it will stick by the region in this difficult time.

The US should have learned from IDF withdrawals - analysis
Anna Ahronheim/Jerusalem Post/August 15/2021
The US's withdrawal from Afghanistan parallels Israel's disengagements from Gaza and Lebanon - In these scenarios, a weaker force achieved victory against a more powerful one through attrition.
Twenty years after September 11, the Taliban has blitzkrieged through Afghanistan over the last month, taking province after province as the United States was withdrawing its remaining troops.
The US and NATO invaded the impoverished mountainous country in 2001 to root out the extremist jihadist group that had sheltered al-Qaeda. But President Joe Biden announced in April that he planned to withdraw all 3,000 US service members in Afghanistan by September 11 at the latest. The deadline was moved up to August 31.
Numbering 350,000, Afghanistan’s army and police force were supposed to be powerful enough to take on and stop the Taliban. Biden himself had expressed his confidence in the military, telling reporters: “There’s going to be no circumstance where you’ll see people being lifted off the roof of an embassy of the United States from Afghanistan.”
Though the Afghan military had years of training and billions of dollars and weaponry injected into it – more than $83 billion since 2002, according to The Washington Post – the Afghani troops did not even put up a fight.
In less than a week, Taliban fighters conquered one province after another, and they took control of tons of US weaponry, including drones and even helicopters.
The Taliban of 2001 is not the Taliban of 2021. Thousands of American troops have left the Central Asian country since Biden first announced the withdrawal in April. But last week, he ordered that new troops be sent to help evacuate US personnel as the jihadist group conquered their way to Kabul.
To carry out the evacuation, 3,000 US troops will secure the airport, 1,000 will be sent to Qatar for technical and logistical support, while 3,500 to 4,000 will be positioned in Kuwait to deploy if needed.
It is not the first time that a military has left a country after occupying it, and it is not the first time for the US, which hasn’t forgotten the fall of Saigon in 1975. Even the pictures of the evacuation of the embassies are frighteningly similar.
Half a world away, Israel has had similar experiences in withdrawing from territory it controlled.
Though it hasn’t invaded and occupied a country thousands of kilometers away, Israel has had two military withdrawals from lands it occupied: Lebanon and the Gaza Strip. In both instances, the vacuum created allowed terrorist groups to cement their presence and balloon into what the IDF now calls terrorist armies.
From the time Israel took over Gaza in 1967 following the Six Day War until it disengaged in 2005, countless civilians and troops were killed in attacks by Palestinian terrorists.
Ordered by then-prime minister Ariel Sharon and carried out by Maj.-Gen. (ret.) Gershon Hacohen, the Gaza disengagement saw the evacuation of 8,500 Israeli civilians together with 21 Jewish communities.
Less than six months later, an election held across Gaza and the West Bank was won by Hamas, elevating the movement’s leader, Ismail Haniyeh, to the Palestinian Authority’s premiership.
The election caused a rift between Hamas and Fatah, which led to an eventual split between the two groups the following year. Hamas consolidated power in the Gaza Strip, and Israel and Egypt imposed a naval and land blockade that remains in place until today.
The disengagement not only bolstered support for Hamas, it gave the terrorist group free rein to bolster and strengthen its rocket arsenal to be able to threaten deep into Israel – and not just the settlements around the enclave.
Though Hamas fired its first rockets in 2001, the near free flow of weapons from the Sinai – including rocket-propelled grenades and sniper rifles – and Hamas’s newfound freedom to locally produce the rockets have accelerated to a rate not seen since the disengagement.
Israel has gone to war with Hamas and the various terrorist groups numerous times since the disengagement, and it has had countless rounds of violence that have led to the deaths of both soldiers and civilians.
The latest round in May saw more than 4,000 rockets and mortars fired into Israel that killed 11 civilians and one soldier.
That’s only Gaza.
Five years earlier, in 2001, the IDF withdrew from Southern Lebanon 18 years after troops crossed the border to root out Palestinian terrorists.
While the Israeli military withdrew from most of the country in 1985, it kept control of a 1,000-sq.-km. security buffer zone 20 km. deep to prevent terrorist attacks that had plagued the civilians of the North in the 1970s and ’80s.
But under intense public pressure, prime minister and defense minister Ehud Barak made the decision that Israel would withdraw from the security belt. Current Defense Minister Benny Gantz was the one who shut the gate after all troops crossed back into Israel.
Twenty-one years later, Hezbollah has grown into one of the most powerful terrorist armies in the world, with an arsenal of between 130,000 and 150,000 rockets and missiles aimed toward Israel. Its soldiers have fought in Syria and have trained militias in Iraq and Yemen. The group is also a central part of the Lebanese social and political framework, making it almost impossible to dislodge from Lebanon’s civilian infrastructure.
It is because of the aftermath of these two withdrawals that Israel is cautious about pulling out of the West Bank, where soldiers continue to have a strong presence to prevent terrorist attacks and safeguard Israelis who have made it their home.
Israel is well aware that should it leave, the PA would disintegrate and Hamas would grab control of the West Bank. The PA, though corrupt like the Afghan government, is still able to hold Hamas at bay. For now.
The IDF withdrawal from Lebanon and Gaza sent a message to terrorist groups that there was a way to beat the Israelis: not through military operations or by diplomacy, but by wearing them down until they withdrew.
And that’s exactly what the Taliban has done. It has worn out the great and powerful US military. Just like it did to the British and the Russians.

Palestinians warn: Israel, Hamas headed toward another war
Khaled Abu Toameh/Jerusalem Post/August 15/2021
Tensions and failed negotiations on Qatari aid are bringing Israel and Hamas closer toward another open conflict, according to Palestinian sources.
Israel and Hamas are headed toward another round of fighting, as international mediators appear to have failed to achieve a breakthrough on bringing Qatari aid money to the Gaza Strip and on the easing of Israeli restrictions, Palestinians warned on Sunday.
Israel’s failure to ease restrictions and facilitate the reconstruction of homes destroyed during the 11-day war with Hamas in May means that the countdown for another military confrontation has begun, the Palestinians said.
Several Palestinian factions are scheduled to hold a meeting on Monday in Gaza to discuss their next moves in the absence of a solution to the delivery of the Qatari grants to some 100,000 Palestinian families
The factions have rejected Israel’s demand to link the easing of restrictions to a prisoner exchange deal. Hamas has been holding the bodies of IDF soldiers Hadar Goldin and Oron Shaul since 2014. In addition, Hamas is holding two Israeli citizens who entered the Gaza Strip on their own in 2014 and 2015.
The Palestinian Authority insists that its Ramallah-based government should be the only party responsible for the delivery of the Qatari funds and the reconstruction work in the Gaza Strip.
Palestinian banks, however, have reportedly refused to transfer the money to Gaza for fear of being exposed to lawsuits for funding terrorism.
Sources close to Hamas said that the mediators recently discussed the possibility of transferring the aid money through the United Nations.
“The Palestinian factions are very close to reaching a decision to escalate the situation along the border with Israel,” the sources said, noting that Hamas was not opposed to the UN playing a role in the transfer of the Qatari funds or the reconstruction work.
The sources said that Hamas and other factions, including Palestinian Islamic Jihad, have informed Egyptian, Qatari and UN mediators that the situation in the Gaza Strip is on the brink of an explosion.
“The factions are holding intensive consultations to discuss ways of responding to the continued siege on the Gaza Strip,” the sources added.
Palestinian political analyst Hassan Abdo said that the ongoing Israeli “siege” and “procrastination,” and the failure of mediation efforts will drive the Palestinian factions to escalate the situation.
Abdo told the Palestinian news website Donia al-Watan that the economic crisis in the Gaza Strip has escalated since the Israel-Hamas war in May.
He said that the Gaza-based Palestinian factions possess several options to respond to the Israeli “intransigence.”
The options include addressing the mediators to increase the pressure on Israel, and resuming demonstrations along the Gaza-Israel border, Abdo said.
He predicted that the next round of fighting with Israel would be limited to the Gaza Strip, “unless there are developments in Jerusalem, which is a red line for a regional war.”
Palestinian political analyst Hussam al-Dajani said that the Palestinian factions have no choice but to respond “in light of the difficult humanitarian situation that could lead to a popular explosion. A military confrontation [with Israel] is not the goal of the factions. It aims to draw the world’s attention to the siege and the suffering of the residents of the Gaza Strip.”
Ahed Farawneh, a Palestinian expert on Israeli issues, told Donia al-Watan that “the difficult situation in the Gaza Strip indicates that matters are headed toward escalation because the occupation is evading easing its restrictions.”
Farawneh said he expected the Palestinian factions to decide on a “gradual escalation, such as resuming the ‘night confusion’ activities [along the border with Israel] and the launching of incendiary balloons and explosive devices.”
Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem said on Sunday that “the continuation of the siege will lead to an explosion at any time.”
The Palestinian factions will announce “a clear position” on this matter, said Qassem. “The real tension will occur in the region if the occupation continues to tighten the siege on the Gaza Strip,” he said. “The Palestinian resistance groups cannot stand idly by when they see this siege and collective punishment imposed on the Gaza Strip, and it is the right of our people to live in freedom and dignity. We cannot compromise on this issue.”
Qassem said that the Gaza-based factions are coordinating their moves and studying their next steps according to their reading of the situation.
“We will not allow the occupation to blackmail us in exchange for our just causes, such as reconstruction, aid entry, lifting the siege, and guaranteeing freedom of movement for people and goods,” the Hamas spokesman added.
The al-Nasser Salah al-Din Brigades of the Popular Resistance Committees, which consists of various terrorist groups in the Gaza Strip, warned that the Palestinian factions will not stand idly by “in light of the ongoing Israeli intransigence and arrogance.”
It said that the Palestinian factions “will not give the enemy more time” to comply with their demands. The group called on the mediators to immediately intervene to prevent an escalation, and force Israel to abide by the understandings reached in May.
The Palestinian al-Mezan Center for Human Rights warned on Sunday of renewed violence in the wake of the international community’s “continued inability to fulfill its obligations, especially its pledges to reconstruct the Gaza Strip and lift the siege imposed on it to ensure the stability of the political and security conditions and not to return to the square of violent conflict.”
The humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip constitutes a real trigger for renewed conflict, it cautioned.
The center accused Israel of pursuing a policy of collective punishment of the residents of the Gaza Strip after the war by keeping the border crossings closed.
“The occupation authorities continue to prevent the entry of most types of raw materials and goods necessary for the work of factories and industrial workshops, such as chemicals, wood, furniture products and cars, with the exception of some materials that are used in the manufacture of detergents and plastics, which contributes to an increase in the number of the unemployed and the poor,” the center said in a statement.
Last week, the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) announced that Israel will allow the entry of 1,000 merchants and 350 businessmen from Gaza into Israel. In addition, all Gazan goods can now enter Israel for the first time since the end of the May war, COGAT head Maj.-Gen, Ghassan Alian announced.
Raed Fattouh, head of the Palestinian Committee for the Entry of Goods, said that the Palestinians have not yet received a list of the goods and merchandise whose entry and export are permitted in and out of Gaza.
“With the continuation of the siege, the suffering of the victims of the military attacks during the last aggression on the Gaza Strip, who lost their homes, continues, as 8,500 residents whose homes were completely destroyed continue to be displaced,” according to the Palestinian human rights center. “In addition, about 250,000 residents whose homes were partially damaged are unable to repair their homes in light of the continuing ban on the entry of construction material into the Gaza Strip. The humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate in the Gaza Strip due to the blockade and the escalating Israeli violations.”

Iran and Israel are on the brink of catastrophe
Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Arab News/August 15/2021
It seems that the Iranian regime has provided Israel with the perfect excuse to take military action against Tehran. This opportunity came after the Islamic Republic was implicated in the drone strike on an oil tanker, owned by Israeli billionaire Eyal Ofer, off the coast of Oman. Two crew members, a Briton and a Romanian, died in the attack.
This has led to heated exchanges between Israeli and Iranian leaders that have reached dangerous levels. Israel’s Defense Minister, Benny Gantz, warned of an armed response and urged to international community to stand with Israel, saying: “We are at a point where we need to take military action against Iran. The world needs to take action against Iran now.”
Iranian leaders, meanwhile, have made no attempt to ease tensions. For Tehran, backing down in the face of Israeli threats is a sign of weakness. That is why the Islamic Republic immediately signaled that it is prepared to respond to any potential military action carried out by Israel.
Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh tweeted: “We state this clearly: Any foolish act against Iran will be met with a decisive response. Don’t test us.”
Chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Maj. Gen. Hossein Salami, warned in his address to naval forces on a visit to Iran’s southern coast: “Those who speak against us with a language of threats, including the Zionist regime’s prime minister and other officials of that regime, must be mindful of the dangerous consequences of their comments and exercise the necessary caution in their calculations.”
Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett indicated that his country might “act alone” against Tehran. Although Iran boasts that it could easily annihilate its rival, Israel’s overall military capacity is superior to Iran’s. The Israeli air force is one of the best in the world, partially due to the combat experience of its pilots. Israel’s technologically advanced fighter jets, such as the F-4 Phantom II, F-15, and F-35 Lightning II, are much superior to Iran’s aircraft, which were either bought from the US before the 1979 revolution or obtained from Russia. While Iran has recently obtained the Russian-made S-300 system, Israel relies on three sophisticated anti-missile responses: Iron Dome, the US-made Patriot defense system and Magic Wand. Israel is also thought to have about 80 nuclear warheads, which can be delivered through ballistic missiles, drones or combat aircraft.
The Iranian regime has been setting up weapons factories abroad, and manufacturing advanced ballistic missiles and weapons in foreign countries
But it is important to point out that in the event of war, Iran would probably deploy its proxies, Hezbollah and Hamas, to inflict damage on Israel. The IRGC has equipped Hezbollah with sophisticated missiles that are capable of striking Israel. Salami also famously told the state-run IRIB TV: “Today, more than ever, there is fertile ground for the annihilation, the wiping out and the collapse of the Zionist regime. In Lebanon alone, over 100,000 missiles are ready to be launched. If there is a will, if it serves our interests, and if the Zionist regime repeats its past mistakes due to its miscalculations, these missiles will strike at the heart of the Zionist regime. They will prepare the ground for its great collapse in the new era.”
Tehran can also employ its militia groups in Syria and Iraq to target Israel. The Iranian regime has been setting up weapons factories abroad, and manufacturing advanced ballistic missiles and weapons in foreign countries, including Syria. These include precision-guided missiles with advanced technology to strike specific targets. Iran’s foreign-based weapons factories give it an advantageous military capability for waging wars or striking other nations through third countries such as Syria.
In such a scenario, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Palestine would be dragged into the conflict. In addition, one should not exclude the possibility of the Iranian regime lashing out and wreaking havoc in the Gulf as well. Tehran has repeatedly threatened that it can shut down the Strait of Hormuz, used for almost a third of the world’s maritime oil trade. Former foreign minister Ali Akbar Salehi previously warned Iran’s Arab neighbors against putting themselves in a “dangerous position” by aligning themselves with the US.
Furthermore, a war between Iran and Israel would probably drag in the US since Washington would be forced to back its ally Israel militarily. This means that other global powers, such as Russia and China, would view support for the Iranian regime as critical in order to secure their influence in the region as well as prevent the balance of power in the Middle East tilting toward the US and its allies.
In a nutshell, as tensions between Israel and Iran escalate, it is important to point out that any war between the two would probably turn the region into a conflagration, dragging global powers into the conflict as well.
• Dr. Majid Rafizadeh is a Harvard-educated Iranian-American political scientist. Twitter: @Dr_Rafizadeh