English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For July 27/2020
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
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Bible Quotations For today
The Parable of the Sower/But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.
Luke08/04-15/And when much people were gathered together, and were come to him out of every city, he spake by a parable: A sower went out to sow his seed: and as he sowed, some fell by the way side; and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it. And some fell upon a rock; and as soon as it was sprung up, it withered away, because it lacked moisture. And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprang up with it, and choked it. And other fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bare fruit an hundredfold. And when he had said these things, he cried, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. And his disciples asked him, saying, What might this parable be? And he said, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand. Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away. And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection. But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on July 26-27/2021
Health Ministry: 341 new Corona cases, 2 deaths
Lebanese billionaire Najib Mikati picked as new PM-designate
Aoun Says New Govt. Will be 'Salvation Govt.'
Najib Miqati: Billionaire and Veteran Premier
France Urges 'Competent' Government in Lebanon
Berri Says FPM-LF Abstention Doesn’t Affect National Pact
Mikati from Baabda: I need the trust and confidence of every Lebanese
Amid deep crises, Hezbollah-backed billionaire tapped as Lebanese PM-designate
No magic wand:’ Lebanon’s new PM-designate urges unity
Reports: Miqati Held Phone Talks with Aoun, Meeting with Bassil
Miqati Denies Holding Talks on Ministerial Portfolios
Nehme Asks Importers, Businesses to Lower Prices amid Major Lira Surge
Aoun Renews Support for French Initiative, Condemns Israeli Violations
Hezbollah’s notorious Unit 133 is back in business/Yaakov Lappin/JNS/July 26/2021
Will Lebanon Fall into the Hands of Iran?/Khaled Abu Toameh/Jerusalem Post/July 26/2021A Long Goodbye/Michael Young/Carnegie/July 26/2021

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on July 25-26/2021
Iranians march in Tehran amid water protests
Iran protests spread to Tehran with chants against supreme leader
France: Iran risks compromising chance for nuclear deal if it does not negotiate
Qatar FM Visits Iran Just Days after U.S. Trip
Tunisian president ousts Islamist-backed government, freezes parliament
Islamist Ennahda supporters attempt to storm Tunisian parliament
Clashes in Tunisia after President Ousts PM amid Covid Protests
U.N. Warns of 'Unprecedented' Afghan Civilian Deaths from Taliban Offensives
Russia Blocks 49 Navalny-Linked Websites
Israel hits Gaza with airstrikes after balloon fires
US officially announces end date for ‘combat mission’ in Iraq

Titles For The Latest The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on July 26-27/2021
Iran, the Islamic mystification,Terrorism and the Decaying Dictatorship/
Charles Elias Chartouni/July 26/2021
Palestinians threaten to resume Gaza-Israel border protests/Khaled Abu Toameh/Jerusalem Post/July 26/2021
Dbeibah-Haftar competition over Libyan south intensifies/Habib Lassoued/The Arab Weekly/July 26/2021
Time for ‘International Treaty to Ban Political Use of Religion’/Salam Sarhan/The Arab Weekly/July 26/2021

The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on July 26-27/2021
Health Ministry: 341 new Corona cases, 2 deaths
NNA/26 July 2021
In its daily report, the Ministry of Public Health announced on Monday the registration of 341 new Coronavirus infections, thus raising the cumulative number of confirmed cases to-date to 555,643.
It added that two deaths were also recorded during the past 24 hours.

Lebanese billionaire Najib Mikati picked as new PM-designate
France 24/26 July 2021
Leading Lebanese businessman Najib Mikati secured enough votes in parliamentary consultations on Monday to be designated the next prime minister, raising hopes for an urgently needed viable government to tackle a crippling financial crisis. Mikati said on Monday he would work to form a government and implement a French plan to save the country from its crippling financial crisis. "I don't have a magic wand and can't perform miracles ... but I have studied the situation for a while and have international guarantees," Mikati said after he won a majority of votes in parliamentary consultations to be nominated.
France's plan includes a government of specialists capable of initiating enough reforms to attract foreign aid. Mikati, who has been prime minister twice before and unlike many Lebanese leaders does not hail from a political bloc or dynasty, received 72 votes out of a total of 118 members of parliament. Like the previous nominee, Saad al-Hariri, he now faces major challenges in navigating Lebanon's sectarian, power-sharing structure to secure agreement on a cabinet equipped to address the country's financial meltdown. While Lebanon has been run by a caretaker administration for nearly a year, since a huge blast devastated large parts of Beirut, its currency has collapsed, jobs have vanished and banks have frozen accounts. The economic freefall is Lebanon's worst crisis since the 1975-90 civil war. Hezbollah, the heavily armed Shiite Islamist movement that the United States deems a terrorist group, nominated Mikati in Monday's consultations and most of the main parliamentary blocs endorsed the choice. "Today, with signs that hint at the possibility of forming a government ..., that's why we named Mikati, to give an extra boost to facilitate forming a government," Muhammad Raad, the leader of Hezbollah's parliamentary bloc, told reporters.Among Mikati's endorsers was Hariri, who abandoned his effort to form a new government last week after nearly 10 months of failing to agree its composition with Aoun.

Aoun Says New Govt. Will be 'Salvation Govt.'
Naharnet/26 July 2021
President Michel Aoun expressed on Monday his hope for “a new government to be formed as soon as possible to proceed with the required reforms in order to save the economic situation in the country."Aoun added that “the new government will complete in the coming period necessary reforms that Lebanon has already started.”The president also affirmed that "the forthcoming government will be a salvation government.”The tasks of the new government will include, according to Aoun, “supervising the parliamentary elections” and helping the Lebanese “to get out of the crises” that Lebanon is facing.

Najib Miqati: Billionaire and Veteran Premier
Agence France Presse/26 July 2021
Najib Miqati, a billionaire businessman and Lebanon's latest premier-designate, is a political veteran viewed by some as emblematic of the crony politics that steered the country towards collapse. The parliamentarian and two-time premier who was picked to form a new cabinet on Monday after months of stalled negotiations, returns to power amid a financial crisis branded by the World Bank as one of the world's worst since the mid-19th century. The 65-year-old Sunni Muslim who hails from Tripoli, a northern city and one of Lebanon's poorest, was accused by a state prosecutor in 2019 of illicit enrichment -- a charge he denies. In Tripoli, which emerged as a hub for a 2019 protest movement demanding the removal of politicians deemed inept and corrupt, Miqati was a favorite target for demonstrators who ripped his portraits off walls and even attacked his home.
Miqati is considered to be Lebanon's richest man and one of the wealthiest in the Middle East, with a net worth of $2.7 billion according to Forbes.
Along with his brother and business partner Taha, the magnate owns the M1 Group, an international investment holding group with shares in South Africa's telecom MTN Group and French fashion line Faconnable, and has interests in real estate, oil and gas and other industries. Earlier this month, Miqati's M1 Group purchased one of the largest mobile phone operators in Myanmar, with critics accusing the company of having ties to the military junta. At home, some see Miqati as a symbol of a politico-business elite that enshrined a system of clientelism and cronyism in the country's politics.
He first emerged as prime minister in 2005, when he headed a three-month interim government formed in the wake of the murder of former premier Rafik Hariri. In 2011, he came back at the helm of a government dominated by Hizbullah and its allies, which had to deal with the spillover effects of the Syrian war next door. Critics branded Miqati, who was known to have good relations with Damascus, as a Hizbullah puppet -- an image he repeatedly tried to dispel. In 2013, he resigned amid deep polarization between the country's political camps over the conflict in Syria and as infighting in his own government led to a paralyzing political impasse. Born on November 24, 1955, Miqati is a graduate of the American University of Beirut's business school and also studied at the prestigious universities of INSEAD and Harvard. Along with his brother Taha, he founded his business empire in 1982, selling satellite phones at the height of Lebanon's 1975-1990 civil war. The business duo then expanded into Africa, where they built cellphone towers in Ghana, Liberia and Benin, among other countries. Miqati first entered Lebanese politics in 1998 when he was appointed minister for transport and public works, a post he held until 2004, under three consecutive cabinets. He first landed himself a seat in parliament in 2000, and was voted back in the last legislative elections in 2018.

France Urges 'Competent' Government in Lebanon
Agence France Presse/26 July 2021
France on Monday urged the formation of a "competent and capable" government in Lebanon to carry out reforms after a year of political deadlock, shortly after Najib Miqati was named as the country's new PM-designate. The foreign ministry said it was "urgent" to form such a government and implement reforms "essential to the recovery of the country," calling on "all Lebanese leaders to act in this direction as quickly as possible."

Berri Says FPM-LF Abstention Doesn’t Affect National Pact
Naharnet/26 July 2021
Speaker Nabih Berri described the atmosphere of Najib Miqati’s expected designation as “positive” in light of “the announced positions of the blocs,” according to media sources. He told ASharq al-Awsat newspaper, in remarks published Monday, that the refusal of the Free Patriotic Movement bloc and the Lebanese Forces bloc to vote for Miqati can’t be classified as disrespect for the 1943 National Pact -- an unwritten Christian-Muslim power-sharing agreement. He considered that the National Pact is not reflected in the “designation” of the PM, but rather in the government “formation.”
“The terms of the National Pact must be taken into consideration during the formation process," Berri clarified. He indicated that “approximately 20 Christian deputies not belonging to the two blocs (FPM and LF) may vote in favor of Miqati.”
Berri stressed that “now is the time to work on forming a government that will lead the country in these difficult circumstances,” considering that “President Aoun expressed positivity regarding Miqati.” “No one can question the president's Christianity,” the parliament speaker added, downplaying the impact of the FPM’s abstention.

Mikati from Baabda: I need the trust and confidence of every Lebanese
NNA/26 July 2021
President of the Republic, General Michel Aoun, finished the binding parliamentary consultations, today at 4:15pm. Consultations led to the designation of Premier, Najib Mikati, to form the next government, by a majority of 72 MP votes, while Ambassador, Nawwaf Salam took one vote, 42 MPs did refrained from naming, and 3 MPs were absent. The President informed Parliament Speaker, Nabih Berri, about the results of consultations, and PM Mikati was summoned to the Baabda Palace for assigning him to form the new government. After being informed of the results, Speaker Berri, considered that “What counts is government-formation”. For his side, the Premier-Designate asserted his knowledge that “This step is difficult, but I am reassured. I have been studying the issue for a while, and if I hadn’t been sure about external guarantees, and convinced that it was time for someone to be at the forefront in limiting the fire, I wouldn’t have done that”.“I am sure that in cooperation with His Excellency, the President, we will be able to form the required government. A government which one of its first tasks is to implement the French initiative, which is the interest of Lebanon and the Lebanese economy and reviving it. I took it upon myself not to respond to what is being circulated in the media and social media. Good speech is brief speech” PM Mikati said.
“Strong Republic” bloc:
President Aoun met the “Strong Republic” bloc.
On behalf of the bloc, MP George Adwan said: “I will repeat before you the literal words I said to His Excellency the President. We, as the Strong Republic bloc, will not name anyone to be tasked with forming the government. Because we consider that we must be honest with people and with ourselves. With the presence of this ruling and controlling majority, we will not be able to do any work for the country and for the people. This majority had an opportunity after October 17 to change its practices and behavior, and it did not change, neither through its practice, nor its behavior, nor its mentality, starting from the government of Prime Minister Diab and assigning Mustafa Adib and then Prime Minister Hariri.
Nothing has changed, people are in one place and rulers are in another, and they differ over the quotas and what they will have, while they are ignorant of all the people’s concerns. We as the Strong Republic bloc will not in any way cover this system and this majority, and we will strive every day to relieve people of it as quickly as possible.
From here, when we demand early elections, some say maybe because you want to get more representatives. This is not true. But in order for people to bear the responsibility for change, people cannot, after all the humiliation they have gone through, not bear the responsibility of getting rid of this majority. We are with the people and by their side, and we will not cover anyone, so we will not charge anyone and will not participate in this government, and we will remain in the opposition. I strive every day to be able to bring the election date closer, and let the people prepare for the formation of the authority and get rid of this majority, because with this majority there is no hope for the country or the people”.
Questions & Answers:
In response to a question, he said, “MP Cesar Maalouf gave us a mandate that we handed over to His Excellency the President. He is traveling and requested that his position be the same as ours, and we have conveyed it to His Excellency the President, which is a request that his vote be counted among the bloc’s votes”.
Adwan explained in response to another question that: “Whoever we may name, the problem is not naming or assigning a prime minister, but rather the system that will control the composition and the head of government, so whoever we can name, in light of this majority and this system, nothing will change. They themselves, and their practices are the same, their mentality and their behavior are also the same”.
Question: But you were with this majority in one government?
Answer: “Yes, when we were hoping for this majority, but we saw their practices inside and outside the government, our concern was to finish them off and rid the people of them”.
MP Demerjian:
Then, President Aoun received MP Eddy Demerjian.
Demerjian said “I have named Prime Minister Najib Mikati, and I wish him success in his mission to bring the country to a safe shore. The constitution and the law are enough to protect Lebanon”.
MP Saad:
President Aoun met with MP Osama Saad.
MP Saad said “All decision-making centers in the state bear responsibility for the catastrophic conditions that Lebanon has reached. This is what I told the President of the Republic. Today is another assignment after another failure that has been imposed on the Lebanese people for nine months.
Today is another worn out patch on the worn-out dress of the political class. A new attempt by the ruling system to reproduce itself. There is no new and no lingering hopes. What I see is catastrophe and hell, hunger and insane prices, children on empty stomachs, no medicine, no fuel, humiliation lines, black markets and smuggling, electricity resting in the darkness. The tragedies did not come from abroad, they are the results of the policies, choices and corruption of the power system, yet we did not hear from them an apology that we do not want at all, nor did we hear from them an acknowledgment of responsibility. Those who were like that, they should be excluded from public life and not handed over the necks of the people and the fate of the country. The law should also bring thieves and corrupt criminals to prisons and not let them be released and have fun.
Lebanon is on the brink of total chaos, the system says either me or chaos, but the answer of the Lebanese is clear: No to chaos. What the Lebanese want is a decent life, justice, stability and security. There is no trust in them even if they rule”.
MP Daher:
President Aoun met MP Michel Daher.
MP Daher said “In the face of the suffering that we see today, and the humiliation that people are experiencing, whether it is in front of the doors of hospitals, fuel stations, or in terms of medicine. Today we do not have a state, and PM Mikati is presented to us to head the government, and this is best options we currently have.
We do not want to work with populism, people do not care about politics, they want to secure medicine, gasoline and education for their children. The US Dollar rate today recorded a decrease in its price to 15 thousand pounds due to the assignment process, but if a government is not formed, the dollar will rise to 30 and 40 thousand pounds at the end of the month. We have to make concessions to each other, as the country is not reconciled in this populist and electoral way, I feel today that we are not in consultations, rather we are in a wrestling and boxing arena to score points. I, as a deputy, bear my responsibility, for what is before me is Najib Mikati, and I accept reality, and if the President appoints Mikati and forms an effective rescue government according to the French initiative, I have the honor to give him the confidence, otherwise I will withhold it. Even if the government does not gain confidence, it remains better than the current government, which does not practice the minimum level of business conduct. I named PM Mikati according to this principle. I do not engage in elections or populism in this matter, and I do not score points on anyone, but I bear my responsibility towards the people and towards the country”.
MP Makhzoumi:
President Aoun met MP Fouad Makhzoumi.
Makhzoumi said “I named Ambassador Nawwaf Salam, as we named him last time. Today we support a free man, completely independent and away from the system of corruption that we see. And if we want change, I blame my colleagues who came and put a white paper. If we want change, we have to do it through the alternative, not the white paper.
Why did I call Nawwaf Salam? Because whoever is being proposed is against everything that is proposed internationally, and is based on 3 things: an independent and free government, not affiliated with the same system, and it has 3 roles: First, achieving the independence of the judiciary. We have seen how those who will be in charge are the ones who signed the petition that refuses to lift the immunities. If we want to achieve the independence of the judiciary, should we start by not lifting the immunities of those who are responsible for the explosion, which is the biggest crime that took place in Beirut.
Second, the people themselves have achieved what is called a Bank Party in the House of Representatives, which has prevented the process of moving forward with the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. They are the ones who sabotaged the issue of capital control in the first place, and prevented the forensic audit process. Some representatives said that there is no need for forensic auditing.
We will not be satisfied and will not ask the international community, and our people will not be satisfied with such supervision that happened in the previous elections, because I am one of the people who were elected and the prime minister and the interior minister were against me. We must have real officials who are far from making any "hustle" in the elections. From this standpoint, I named Ambassador Nawwaf Salam because I consider it better than all this system that we take out of the door and enter through the window”.
Questions & Answers:
In response to a question about whether Premier Mikati does not have these characteristics, he said: “Of course not, and that is why I did not name him. I am the son of Beirut and an MP of Beirut, and I am interested to know what happened in the biggest crime against Beirut. What did this government do and what stood with our people? Will the governor of the Central Bank be held accountable, and who will dare to say that the financial engineering he carried out did not benefit from it? Will he be able to change the subsidy process? These are the citizens’ questions. I do not see any hope in this matter”.
In response to another question, he said: “Do I represent people or not? I won the votes of the Sunnis. If we have to build the country, we must realize that those whose money was stolen are Sunnis, Shiites, Druze and Christians, and when economic destruction occurred, the Muslim and Christian were destroyed. So we do not talk anymore about separation. After that, who is this group that decided to have the divine center in order to decide who has the right and who is not? I am not presenting myself as a candidate, and absolutely I do not want that, because I refuse to be a partner in this system. We want to represent our people, and talk about the truth of where we arrived and who brought us here. We will continue to laugh at ourselves and the people.
Did you hear me say that I am a candidate for prime minister? People are free to speak whatever they want. I do not want to be a partner in this corrupt system that rules the country”.
MP Roukoz:
President Aoun received MP Shamel Roukoz.
MP Roukoz said “I did not name anyone because I consider that the political system that has worked since past periods until today, has brought the country to what it is today at the social, political, economic and financial levels. This system cannot advance the country. There is a need for a government of independent specialists who are qualified, experienced and aware, who can work through a government reform program that simulates the conditions of the International Monetary Fund and donor countries to properly save the country.
In order for this government to be able to work, it needs exceptional powers. As a member of Parliament, I am aware of the amount of time required to pass each reform law, and how it arrives in one name and is approved in another. From here, I believe that the exceptional powers of a government guarantee the confidence of the political and international communities and the Lebanese people, is the future solution to this issue, knowing that this government arrives seven months before the parliamentary elections, and its role will be to prepare for the elections through the struggle of the titles set by the system since time until today, namely: the rights of the Sunni community, protection of the resistance, and Christian rights.
Therefore, I did not name anyone, and I hope that the next stage of writing to include independent specialists will be outside the current framework, which I consider to be a failure in advance”.
Questions & Answers:
Question: Did you say this to the President of the Republic, and since when have you not seen him?
Answer: “Yes, I said this to the President of the Republic. As for the second part of the question, it is not a series to be discussed every time, as I see it on occasions and these are family matters while I am talking about politics”.
Question: This position brings you closer to other MPs?
Answer: “This is my position for a long time. In the three times of assignment, I took the same decision in terms of demanding a government of specialists and exceptional powers from the Parliament, because I consider that the obstruction that will occur will be a large percentage in the Parliament in preparation for the parliamentary elections”.
Question: Didn’t you find any character to name?
Answer: “I do not want to choose someone for only choosing, and if there is no opportunity for him to head the government, I will not name anyone to burn his name”.
MP Talozian:
President Aoun met MP, Jean Talozian.
MP Talozian said “In light of the circumstances the country is going through, we are facing two choices: Either we want a government or we don’t. However, we have no choice today but to have a government, and that has been for more than nine months. We need an effective government, capable of confronting problems, stopping the collapse, and implementing some reforms through action, not through words. The first step in the process of forming a government, despite the difficulties that may face this formation, we should not stop at them and we must continue the attempt of naming the prime minister.
Today, there is only one serious Sunni figure proposed to take over this task, which in all conditions will be very difficult, and it has the majority of representatives of the Sunni community. I named PM Najib Mikati to form the government. And I say to those who want a government of achievements and to stop the collapse, and to address the various living issues and address the electricity crisis, to hold parliamentary elections on time, or a little earlier, if they have an alternative solution other than talking, please suggest it”.
MP Al-Sayed:
The President received MP, Jamil Al-Sayed.
MP Al-Sayed said: “I was honored to meet His Excellency the President about assigning a new prime minister, and before I say my position, the country is in dire and necessary need for the formation of a government and this is a settled matter. The presence of a government in this fateful and tragic current situation, is a national necessity at all levels, but is it required to establish a government “however?” The answer is definitely no. In relation to the social, administrative, political, constitutional, financial and other tragedies, the country is in real need of an effective, serious government that is able to bear the burden. I have no personal dispute with PM Mikati, but if we decide to choose a new prime minister, we must give him a chance, we hold him accountable or imagine how he used to carry out his duties before and stop at whether he deserves to be named or not. Prime Minister Mikati assumed duties (in 2005, 2011, and now). It seems that he is replacing a lost Premier, and we do not want that because we want a genuine prime minister.
Unfortunately for the Hariri family, when they fail to do something, Prime Minister Najib Mikati appears. Consequently, I realize that governments of this type are considered as transitional only to reach the parliamentary elections. MP Mikati will be named by others, and congratulations for him.
I think that we are going towards clear failure, because the structure will be the same until the elections, unless the countries that promise support if a government is formed, will provide some means and funds through the government so that the Lebanese people will remain alive until the elections are scheduled. Thus, the government will be transitional while preserving the status quo with all its disadvantages. I even said after the president called me yesterday with all decency, and told him not to name him, and he is a good friend on a personal level, but on the level assigned to manage people’s lives, as it is another issue. So I apologized to him.
Questions & Answers:
In response to a question about the age of the next government, he replied that the government is destined to remain for the elections, and there are no circumstances or time for another government at this time, and even if it does not gain confidence, a caretaker government will remain and run the elections, or the current resigned government will remain.
In response to another question about not naming an alternative he said “I considered that in light of the consensus of the political forces concerned with naming PM Mikati, any naming of an alternative by me would be a joke, because it is useless, and even if I appreciate the person I will name, there is no point in doing so in light of the consensus that will assign PM Mikati”.
And he said in response to another question, that "There are no external messages in what we are doing today”.
MP Al-Samad:
President Aoun met MP Jihad Al-Samad.
MP Al-Samad said “Because of my absolute conviction that the obligatory path to confront the fading of the state and the collapse of the people’s standard of living and facing the challenges of the stage is the formation of a national salvation government that enjoys popular acceptance and people’s trust. It did not lead to formation, it became an absolute necessity. Therefore, in line with my basic conviction of the importance of a credible executive authority that communicates with the international community and lending institutions, I decided to name PM Mikati as the most acceptable at this stage”.
“Development & Liberation” bloc:
President Aoun received the Development and Liberation Bloc.
MP Anwar Al-Khalil said: “Speaker Nabih Berri, head of the Development and Liberation Bloc, has always been persistent in launching initiatives for a long time in order to facilitate the way to form a government because it is the sure key to starting the reform process and stopping the catastrophic collapse that has destroyed all the country’s economic, financial and social capabilities, as well as to alleviate the living crisis faced by the people, which is at the core of government work, as the voice of the people must be heard and a quick response to their pain and needs.
Therefore, Speaker Berri and his bloc did not hesitate to support every positive step in line with reaching from this point of view, and because time no longer allows for procrastination or delays, our bloc named PM Najib Mikati, to be the designated president, asking him to succeed in a quick formation and wishing His Excellency the President to be helpful, in agreement with the PM-designate, to restore confidence to the Lebanese, Arab and international community, and then we will be able to extend a hand for financial support with international bodies, and God is the Grantor of success”.
“Strong Lebanon” bloc:
The President of the Republic met “Strong Lebanon” bloc.
MP Gebran Bassil said “In light of the failure of MP Faisal Karami to run for PM, for the reasons that he speaks of, and in light of the failure to continue to name the former Ambassador, Nawwaf Salam, who we had a real direction to follow, and we were We are waiting for some blocs to proceed with it, but the matter has stopped and its elements have not been completed. With the only serious candidate remaining, Prime Minister Najib Mikati, we decided not to name anyone, because we have a previous experience that is not encouraging and we look forward to the reform mission that is disproportionate in this context.
We wish the designated President all success, and that our opinion will be corrected in the performance that we will see, and there will be a rapid formation of the government. We will certainly be supportive and helpful in the rescue and reform mission required of the future government. It is important to stop at a point that is repeated every time, and it is related to the process of the birth of the government. We agree on the stages: assignment, composition and trust, that is, choosing the person of the designated president and forming the government, and on the basis of its program, giving confidence. Three stages, but one process. The right of the deputies and the President of the Republic to have sufficient time, at most one month, before holding the parliamentary consultations, so that they can at least agree on setting a general agreement framework on the formation of the government and its program, even if they erred or did not agree that the mistake would not cost the country 9 or many months. The specified time is a maximum of one month to correct the error or disagreement. It is not permissible for us to remain on this intransigence by not correcting a simple one in the constitution in order to regularize our political life and correct the constitutional mechanisms that govern the formation of the government.
We hope to learn from the experiences, so they will not be repeated, and God willing, the formation will be as quick as nomination, and we will see a government soon, and we will talk more on Wednesday”.
Armenian MP bloc:
The President met the Armenian MPs bloc.
After the meeting, MP Hagop Pakradounian, said: “In a few minutes, PM Mikati will be assigned to form a government based on the votes of the parliamentary majority.
We wish him success and call for the formation of a government away from big proposals that might hinder its formation with the passage of time.
We need a rescue government in every sense of the word, not just a government of elections, but especially a government of reforms, cracking down on corruption, returning looted funds, forensic audit, and moving forward to achieve justice on the issue of the port explosion. A government that relieves people from the social tragedy of living, a government that brings citizens out of humiliation.
With all our respect and appreciation for PM Najib Mikati, we decided not to name anyone, before we know the general perception about getting out of the impasse and the extent to which this perception meets the aspirations of the revolting people who are meant to be brought to their knees”.
Questions & Answers:
In response to a question, he explained that the decision is the Armenian Bloc of Representatives and the Tashnag Party, was always positive. PM Mikati obtained the majority, but we will see the government, its conception, its ministerial statement and its correct representation, and then we will talk about giving confidence.
Asked about the fact that the bloc’s position weakens the Christian cover for PM Mikati Pakradounian said “Last time, we strengthened the Christian cover”.
Assignment Statement:
Afterwards, President Aoun met again with Speaker Berri and briefed him on the results of the binding parliamentary consultations.
Subsequently, the Director-General of the Presidency of the Republic, Dr. Antoine Choucair, read out the assignment statement:
“The General Directorate of the Presidency of the Republic issued the following statement: Pursuant to the provisions of Clause 2/ of Article 53 of the Constitution relating to the nomination of the designated Prime Minister, and since Mr. PM Designated Saad al-Din al-Hariri had apologized on July 15, 2021 for his assignment to form a government.
The President of the Republic conducted the binding parliamentary consultations today, Monday, July 26, 2021, and after he consulted with the Speaker of Parliament and formally informed him of its results, he summoned the PM designate at 5:00pm this afternoon, PM Najib Mikati, to assign him to form a government.
Questions & Answers:
In response to a question, Dr. Choucair clarified that PM Mikati received 72 votes, Nawwaf Salam one vote, 42 deputies didn’t name, and 3 were absent.
Tripartite Meeting:
At five o'clock, Prime Minister-designate Najib Mikati arrived at Baabda Palace, to join President Aoun’s meeting with Speaker Berri.
Speaker Berri:
Before leaving Baabda Palace, Speaker Berri told reporters “What counts is forming the government”.
PM Mikati:
After meeting the President, PM Mikati made the following statement:
“His Excellency the President informed me of the results of the binding parliamentary consultations and my assignment to form the new government. I thanked His Excellency and the Speaker and all MPs, those who named me and those who didn’t. I hope that we all cooperate to find the right solutions.
It is necessary for me to constitutionally obtain the confidence of the MPs, but in fact I look forward to the confidence of the people, the confidence of every man and woman, every young man and woman, because I do not have a magic stick and I cannot do wonders. We are in a very difficult situation, and one of the journalists asked me, why am I sad?
Of course, the task is difficult, but I will succeed if we all join efforts and hands together, away from the useless accusations, and whoever has any solution, please do so.
Today, I took this step, and I was familiar with the situation, so I say “Yes, we were on the verge of collapse, and we were in front of a fire that spread daily and almost reached everyone’s homes. So I took on this mission, relying on God, taking the decision to start steps and try to stop the expansion of this fire. As for putting this fire out, we must all cooperate, and we must be together.
I know that this step is difficult, but I am reassured, and I have been studying the issue for a while. If I hadn’t had the required external guarantees, and I was convinced that it was time for someone to be at the forefront of those working to limit this fire, I wouldn’t have done so.
God willing, and with the love of everyone, and all Lebanese men and women, I call that we be together, and the important thing is that we continue, and I am sure that in cooperation with His Excellency the President - and I just spoke to him - we will be able to form the required government, and one of its first tasks is to implement the French initiative, which is in the interest of Lebanon and the Lebanese economy and its revival.
It remains for me to say that a lot is said in the media and through social media, but I took it upon myself not to respond, and the best of words is what is brief and guides well”. ---Presidency Press Office

Amid deep crises, Hezbollah-backed billionaire tapped as Lebanese PM-designate
The Times Of Israel/July 26/2021
Facing unprecedented financial meltdown, lawmakers vote to appoint former premier Najib Mikati to position vacated by Saad Hariri after he failed to form a government
BEIRUT , Lebanon — Lebanese lawmakers voted Monday to designate billionaire businessman Najib Mikati as prime minister, tasked with forming a government and ending a year-long political impasse that has aggravated the country’s financial crisis.
Mikati, a two-time premier who was last in power in 2014, clinched a clear majority of 72 votes from lawmakers who sat for consultations with President Michel Aoun on Monday. One of the richest men in Lebanon, Mikati became a favorite for the post after he was endorsed by most of Lebanon’s political parties and also the powerful, Iran-backed militant Hezbollah group. Mikati was also endorsed by former Sunni prime ministers including Hariri, who abandoned efforts to form a government after failing to agree with Aoun on the Cabinet’s makeup. The political deadlock, driven by a power struggle between Aoun and Hariri over constitutional rights and powers of the president and prime minister, has worsened a crippling economic and financial crisis. It is not clear whether Mikati — widely considered an extension of the political class that brought the country to bankruptcy — would be able to break the year-long impasse over the formation of a new government. He faces Christian opposition, including from Aoun’s own political party, now led by his son-in-law Gebran Bassil. Lebanon’s economic and financial crisis began in late 2019 and has steadily worsened since then. Poverty has soared in the past several months as the situation spirals out of control, with dire shortages of medicines, fuel and electricity. The currency has lost around 90% of its value to the dollar, driving hyperinflation.Mikati’s designation would be the third so far since the current caretaker government headed by Hassan Diab resigned in the wake of the massive explosion at Beirut’s port last August. Since then, Diab’s Cabinet has acted only in a caretaker capacity, compounding Lebanon’s paralysis further. The first to try to form a government was Lebanon’s former ambassador to Germany, Mustafa Adib, who resigned last September, nearly a month after being designated prime minister. Saad Hariri was appointed next and stepped down last week after 10 months. Any new government faces the monumental task of undertaking desperately needed reforms as well as resuming talks with the International Monetary Fund for a rescue package. The international community has refused to help Lebanon financially before wide reforms are implemented to fight widespread corruption and mismanagement. The investigation into the August 4 port explosion — triggered by the detonation of hundreds of thousands of tons of improperly stored ammonium nitrate — has exacerbated tensions in the small nation amid accusations of political meddling in the judiciary’s work. More than 200 people were killed and thousands injured in the blast, which defaced parts of the city. Mikati, a Sunni billionaire from the northern city of Tripoli, served as prime minister in 2005 and from 2011 to 2013, when he resigned at the height of the Syrian war after a two-year stint in a government dominated by Hezbollah and its allies. He founded the telecommunications company Investcom with his brother Taha in the 1980s and sold it in 2006 to South Africa’s MTN Group for $5.5 billion.
Mikati is supported by France, the former colonial power in Lebanon, and also the United States.

No magic wand:’ Lebanon’s new PM-designate urges unity
BEIRUT (AP)l/July 26/2021
Lebanon’s newly appointed Prime Minister-designate Najib Mikati on Monday urged unity to begin recovery from a devastating economic and financial meltdown roiling the country. He said he will strive to form a new government but the situation is too dire to overcome with the usual fractious politics.
Mikati spoke to reporters shortly after he was appointed to the post by President Michel Aoun, after Saad Hariri earlier this month gave up his monthslong attempts to form a Cabinet. “Alone, I don’t have a magic wand and cannot achieve miracles,” Mikati said. “We are in very difficult situation ... it is a difficult mission that can only succeed if we all work together.” It is not clear whether Mikati — widely considered to be part of the political class that brought the country to bankruptcy — would be able to break the year-long impasse over the formation of a new government.
A new Cabinet faces the monumental task of undertaking critically needed reforms as well as resuming talks with the International Monetary Fund for a rescue package. The new Cabinet is also expected to oversee general elections scheduled for next year.
One of the richest men in Lebanon, Mikati became a favorite for the post after he was endorsed by most of Lebanon's political parties, including the powerful Iran-backed militant Hezbollah group and the other major Shiite party, Amal, led by Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri. Mikati was also endorsed by former Sunni prime ministers including Hariri, who abandoned efforts to form a government after failing to agree with Aoun on the Cabinet's makeup. The political deadlock, driven by a power struggle between Aoun and Hariri over the powers of the president and prime minister, has worsened a crippling economic and financial crisis. Mikati faces Christian opposition, including from Aoun’s own bloc, now led by his son-in-law Gebran Bassil. Bassil, who heads the largest Christian bloc in parliament, did not name anyone as a candidate for prime minister during Monday's binding consultations between the president and members of parliament. He said he is ready to work with Mikati to facilitate formation of a new Cabinet. Lebanon's economic and financial crisis began in late 2019 and has steadily worsened since then. Poverty has soared in the past several months as the situation spirals out of control, with dire shortages of medicines, fuel and electricity. The currency has lost around 90% of its value to the dollar, driving hyperinflation. Mikati's designation would be the third so far since the current caretaker government headed by Hassan Diab resigned in the wake of the massive explosion at Beirut's port last August. Since then, Diab's Cabinet has acted only in a caretaker capacity, compounding Lebanon's paralysis further. The first to try to form a government was Lebanon’s former ambassador to Germany, Mustafa Adib, who resigned last September, nearly a month after being designated prime minister. Hariri was appointed next and stepped down after 10 months.“We were on the verge of collapse, but when you see there's a fire in front of you and you see it spreading every day ... I decided, after relying on God, to take this step and try to limit the fire's spread,” the tall, soft-spoken Mikati said. International calls have mounted for Lebanese leaders to form a new government, but the international community has refused to help Lebanon financially before wide reforms are implemented to fight widespread corruption and mismanagement. The investigation into the Aug. 4 port explosion — triggered by the detonation of hundreds of thousands of tons of improperly stored ammonium nitrate — has exacerbated tensions in the small nation amid accusations of political meddling in the judiciary's work. More than 200 people were killed and thousands injured in the blast, which defaced parts of the city. Mikati, a Sunni billionaire from the northern city of Tripoli, served as prime minister in 2005 and from 2011 to 2013, when he resigned at the height of the Syrian war after a two-year stint in a government dominated by Hezbollah and its allies. He founded the telecommunications company Investcom with his brother Taha in the 1980s and sold it in 2006 to South Africa’s MTN Group for $5.5 billion. Corruption charges were brought against him by a judge in 2019 in a case involving accusations of illicit gains related to subsidized housing loans — charges that he dismissed as politically motivated. The case never went to trial. Mikati is supported by France, the former colonial power in Lebanon, and also the United States. On Monday, he said among his priorities would be implementation of a French initiative, which includes a roadmap and a timetable for reforms.France’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement that forming a government able to put “indispensable reforms” in place is urgent. “France calls on all Lebanese leaders to act on this as quickly as possible," ministry spokesperson Agnes Von der Muhll said.France plans to hold a second international conference to raise funds for the Lebanese people on Aug. 4. Mikati said he has been studying the situation for a while and received the “necessary guarantees” from the international community, “otherwise I wouldn't have taken this step.”*Associated Press writer Elaine Ganley in Paris contributed to this report.

Reports: Miqati Held Phone Talks with Aoun, Meeting with Bassil
Naharnet/July 26/2021
Ex-PM Najib Miqati, who is poised to become PM-designate on Monday, held phone talks Saturday with President Michel Aoun, thanking him for the positive gesture toward him in his latest interview with al-Joumhouria newspaper, media reports said.“Miqati consulted with Aoun over some remarks that accompanied some stances, hoping the atmosphere will be appropriate for cooperation in the coming period, seeing as the circumstances do not allow for what marred the phase of (Saad) Hariri’s designation,” highly informed sources told al-Joumhouria in remarks published Monday. The Nidaa al-Watan daily meanwhile quoted credible sources as saying that Miqati held a meeting with Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil upon his return to Beirut. “They held a cordial dinner on Saturday and the atmosphere was encouraging,” the sources said. “Talks tackled a host of key points on which there can be an agreement. The short-term agreement was however limited to passing the designation juncture before discussing (the government’s) formation at a later stage,” the sources added. Bassil, meanwhile, told the FPM’s MPs and media outlets “not to attack Miqati’s designation,” according to Nidaa al-Watan.

Miqati Denies Holding Talks on Ministerial Portfolios
Naharnet/July 26/2021
Poised to become the country’s PM-designate later in the day, ex-PM Najib Miqati on Monday denied reports claiming that, over the past days, he had held deliberations over the portfolios of the upcoming government. “Some media outlets have circulated reports about deliberations and consultations that were held over the past days, some of which reached the extent of claiming that the issue of ministerial portfolios had been raised, specifically the interior portfolio,” Miqati’s press office said in a statement. “We would like to clarify that what is being circulated in this regard is totally baseless, especially that ex-PM Najib Miqati rejects to discuss anything related to the government’s formation before the end of the parliamentary consultations and the issuance of the designation statement,” the office added.

Nehme Asks Importers, Businesses to Lower Prices amid Major Lira Surge
Naharnet/July 26/2021
Caretaker Economy Minister Raoul Nehme on Monday called on importers and businesses to lower the prices of commodities following the Lebanese lira’s major improvement against the U.S. dollar over the past hours. In a statement, Nehme warned importers and businesses to “lower the prices quickly and notably before tomorrow morning at the latest amid the major drop in the exchange rate and out of sympathy with citizens.”“Their continued manipulation of prices or fraud will subject them to the harshest penalties, which might reach the extent of asking the judiciary to shut them down,” Nehme cautioned. The U.S. dollar was trading for around LBP 16,500 on the black market at around 1:00 pm Monday, a major drop from a rate of LBP 23,000 that had followed Saad Hariri’s resignation as PM-designate last week. The lira surged after it emerged that key political forces had agreed on the nomination of ex-PM Najib Miqati to lead the new government.

Aoun Renews Support for French Initiative, Condemns Israeli Violations
Naharnet/July 26/2021
President Michel Aoun on Monday reiterated his support for the French initiative that was launched by President Emmanuel Macron in the wake of the catastrophic Beirut port explosion. “We thank President Macron for the support, especially after the Beirut port blast and the conference that will be held on August 4,” Aoun told a delegation from the French senate.Separately, Aoun said during a Baabda meeting with U.N. Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix that “Lebanon is hoping for the extension of the mandate of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) without any modification of its size and missions.”Aoun also lauded the cooperation between the Lebanese Army and UNIFIL and reiterated his condemnation of “the aerial Israeli violations, especially the latest ones that accompanied the raids that the Israeli warplanes carried out against Syrian territory.”

Hezbollah’s notorious Unit 133 is back in business
Yaakov Lappin/JNS/July 26/2021
The recent interception of a weapons-smuggling attempt along the Lebanese-Israeli border is a sign of a larger development: Hezbollah’s unit in charge of orchestrating terrorism in Israel is expanding under new leadership.
(July 22, 2021 / JNS) Earlier this month, the Israel Defense Force and Israel Police announced that they had thwarted a significant weapons-smuggling attempt from Lebanon into Israel. A total of 43 firearms worth millions of shekels were confiscated near the area of the village of Ghajar on July 9, said security forces, after IDF observation troops spotted smuggling bags.
In its statement, the IDF said it is “examining the possibility that the smuggling attempt was carried out with the help of the Hezbollah terror organization, and is investigating, along with the Israeli Police, the perpetrators of the weapon-smuggling attempt.”
The IDF is indeed investigating the involvement of a senior Hezbollah operative, called Haj Khalil Harb, who is notorious for his experience in trafficking narcotics and weapons along the Blue Line separating Israel and Lebanon.
Harb has served as a security advisor to the Secretary-General of Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, and served as a commander for significant units of the Hezbollah. He has also been linked to another trafficking run in June, in which 15 guns and dozens of kilograms of drugs were confiscated.
These developments point to a more significant occurrence—the expanded activities of a dangerous Hezbollah unit, known as 133, which is dedicated to orchestrating terror attacks inside Israel and the West Bank, according to Maj. (res.) Tal Beeri, director of the research department at the Alma research center, which sheds light on security threats to Israel emanating from Syria and Lebanon.
According to Beeri, a former IDF intelligence officer, Harb may have been appointed in recent months to assist Unit 133 and possibly to lead it. The development comes as no coincidence since he is the former commander of the unit’s predecessor, Unit 1800, which was formed in the 1990s and disbanded after the 2006 Second Lebanon War.
“Like its predecessor unit of Unit 1800, Unit 133 is responsible for attacks against Israel, and its expertise is forging connections with Palestinians and Arab Israelis, and setting up terrorist infrastructure,” Beeri told JNS. The unit also seeks to activate terror cells in Jordan and Egypt in order to act against Israeli interests there—and also against Jordan and Egypt, too, since they are at peace with Israel and cooperate with it.
Hezbollah’s Unit 1800 was behind the deadly March 2002 shooting attack by two Palestinian terrorists on Israeli civilian vehicles near Kibbutz Metzuba that killed six people. The terrorists were shot dead by the IDF.
Cooperation with crime families
In order to realize its objectives, Hezbollah’s Unit 133 like its predecessor cooperates closely with Southern Lebanese crime families; Beeri said there are five central such families who act as “bridging platforms from the crime world to elements inside of the State of Israel.”
The families have experience in trafficking drugs and weapons into Israel, and Hezbollah hitched a ride on their abilities to build terror infrastructure.
After the Second Lebanon War, Hezbollah disbanded Unit 1800 and set up Unit 133 in its place with the same role, but an expanded area of responsibility that stretched to Eastern Europe and Turkey, noted Beeri.
At that time, Harb stepped down from his role of commanding Unit 1800, according to Beeri, and Unit 133 received a new commander named Muhammad Ataya.
Harb then helped set up a unit called 2800, which supported Shi’ite organizations in Yemen and Iraq, and later changed its name to Unit 3800.
“He then vanished from public sight. Today, in his 60s, he has amassed a lot of experience in working with crime families in Southern Lebanon,” for the purpose of setting up terror cells in Israel and the territories,” said Beeri, which is why Hezbollah’s senior leadership decided to recall him back in recent months to Unit 133.
“We believe that he returned because the Hezbollah leadership was dissatisfied with the current performance of Unit 133,” said Beeri. “He was called back to duty.”
The result is the recent uptick in cross-border smuggling efforts in recent months. It is likely that Israel thwarted several additional efforts as well.
“A new wind is blowing through the border area,” said Beeri.
On the Israeli side of operations, according to Hezbollah’s planning, criminal elements receive the “packages” and either use them directly for missions given to them or pass them on to third parties that Hezbollah recruited, he added.
“The arms can be used for terrorist activities. The drugs are substitute payments. The criminals sell the drugs and take the money. In exchange, they act as bridging elements,” explained Beeri. “This is the mechanism.”

Will Lebanon Fall into the Hands of Iran?
Khaled Abu Toameh/Jerusalem Post/July 26/2021
There is growing concern among the Lebanese and other Arabs that Iran is planning to exploit the severe political, economic and financial crisis in Lebanon to complete its takeover of the country.
Iran already has a political and military presence in Lebanon through its terrorist proxy, Hezbollah. The current crisis, however, is likely to facilitate Iran's mission of adding Lebanon to the list of countries it already occupies: Syria, Iraq and Yemen.
"Iran is already very dangerous without a nuclear bomb. The region is witnessing a state of chaos and agitation by fundamentalist forces, which threaten all Arab countries without exception." — Mishary Dhayidi, Saudi writer, Al-Arabiya, July 21, 2021
The Arabs appear clearly worried about the perceived apathy of the US and other Western powers towards Iran's scheme to extend its control to Lebanon. They seem particularly alarmed that Lebanon will meet the same fate as Iraq, Syria and Yemen.... thanks to Iran's continuous efforts to export terrorism and the "Islamic Revolution" to the Arab countries.
[T]he mullahs in Tehran are doubly dangerous: they aspire not only to develop nuclear weapons, but also to occupy Arab states.
There is growing concern among the Lebanese and other Arabs that Iran is planning to exploit the severe political, economic and financial crisis in Lebanon to complete its takeover of the country. Iran already has a political and military presence in Lebanon through its terrorist proxy, Hezbollah. Pictured: Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei meets with Hassan Nasrallah, head of Hezbollah. (Image source: khamenei.ir)
There is growing concern among the Lebanese and other Arabs that Iran is planning to exploit the severe political, economic and financial crisis in Lebanon to complete its takeover of the country.
Iran already has a political and military presence in Lebanon through its terrorist proxy, Hezbollah. The current crisis, however, is likely to facilitate Iran's mission of adding Lebanon to the list of countries it already occupies: Syria, Iraq and Yemen.
For several weeks now, the hashtag "# Lebanon is Collapsing" has been trending on various social media platforms, including Twitter. Many Lebanese and Arabs are using this hashtag to describe the dire economic and financial situation in Lebanon and warn of Iran's ongoing meddling in the internal affairs of the country. They seem to fear that that Iran's mullahs are about to instigate instability and chaos in Lebanon as they have done in Iraq, Yemen and Syria.
"The Lebanese people are dying," commented Lebanese social media user Marianne Mouzaya. "No medicine, no hospitals, no electricity, no water, and an almost non-existent purchasing power."
"Lebanese people feel despair about this situation, and they do not believe that anything good will happen soon," according to Ferhat Tutkal, an international affairs graduate student at the Lebanese American University. "The country suffers from a brain drain, and qualified people leave Lebanon for developed countries that offer a better life. Mass migration is also possible in the future if the crisis continues as it has. Such a situation may affect the balances in the region and cause other problems."
Egyptian writer Ali Masoud believes that the Lebanese have finally realized that Iran and its Hezbollah proxy terrorist group are leading Lebanon toward "humiliation, starvation and an unknown future."
Iraqi political analyst and columnist Farouk Yusef pointed out that "Lebanon today is in its worst phase. For many, there is no Lebanon. A large part of the international community is no longer able to deal with Lebanon as an independent, sovereign state. It is an Iranian protectorate. But Hezbollah sarcastically calls on the world to save Lebanon."
Yusef scoffed at the appeal of some Lebanese leaders to Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states to rescue Lebanon and said that the request for help should instead be directed to Iran, which is directly responsible for the country's crisis.
"Lebanon will remain deprived of the means of life because Iran, which has tightened its control over the country, is determined to drive it toward annihilation," Yusef wrote. He said that if the Lebanese were aware that Hezbollah was using Lebanon as a launching pad to attack Israel and that they would end up without electricity, water or medicine, they would have preferred that Israel remain in their country.
Roger Edde, a Lebanese lawyer and president of the Lebanese Peace Party, warned that Lebanon will remain a "failed state" as long as it is "occupied" by Iran.
"There is no glimmer of hope in the horizon unless the Security Council declares Lebanon a failed state that is occupied by Iran and its tools," Edde stated.
Echoing the same sentiment, Lebanese social media user Rita Ballan accused Hezbollah of working to "perpetuate the [Iranian] occupation." According to Ballan, Iran and Hezbollah have taken Lebanon back to the stone age, and the Lebanese are now suffering from "isolation, deprivation and humiliation."
Abdel Wahab Badrakhan, a prominent writer and political analyst who previously served as deputy editor of the London-based newspaper Al-Hayat, said that Lebanon has "entered the stage of grave imminent danger, not only because the comprehensive collapse continues politically, economically and socially, but especially because the features of the Iranian takeover of the country are becoming clear and confirmed."
Badrakhan too believes that Iran and its Lebanese supporters have chosen "to prolong the financial-economic crisis to facilitate the handover of Lebanon to Iran."
The international community, he noted, has failed to realize that that Lebanon is about to fall into the hands of Iran.
Saudi writer Mishary Dhayidi holds Iran responsible for the unrest and instability in a number of Arab countries, including Lebanon. "What is happening in Iraq and Lebanon and the decline in public services and infrastructure -- electricity, fuel, food, medicine, security, and the dominance of the militias over the state, is because of the Iranian Khomeinist regime," he wrote.
He warned that the Biden administration needs to take note that the threat of Iran obtaining nuclear weapons was not the only problem.
"Iran is already very dangerous without a nuclear bomb," he argued. "The region is witnessing a state of chaos and agitation by fundamentalist forces, which threaten all Arab countries without exception."
Lebanese journalist Khairallah Khairallah said that Iran is using Lebanon, Yemen, Syria and Iraq as "regional cards" to pressure the Biden administration to return to the 2005 Iran nuclear deal and lift the sanctions imposed on the Islamic Republic by former US President Donald Trump's administration.
"Iran believes that it has its pressure cards and that the US administration should yield to it," Khairallah cautioned. "The question remains how the international community will deal with the Lebanese situation."
When Khairallah and other Arabs talk about the international community, they are specifically referring to the Biden administration.
The Arabs appear clearly worried about the perceived apathy of the US and other Western powers towards Iran's scheme to extend its control to Lebanon. They seem particularly alarmed that Lebanon will meet the same fate as Iraq, Syria and Yemen -- countries that have been riven by years of civil war thanks to Iran's continuous efforts to export terrorism and the "Islamic Revolution" to the Arab countries.
Judging from the remarks of many Arab political analysts and columnists, the message they are sending to the Biden administration is that the mullahs in Tehran are doubly dangerous: they aspire not only to develop nuclear weapons, but also to occupy Arab states.
*Khaled Abu Toameh is an award-winning journalist based in Jerusalem.
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A Long Goodbye
Michael Young/Carnegie/July 26/2021
Few things embody Lebanon’s breakdown more than the death last week of two of its most radiant intellectuals.
The death of Fares Sassine and Jabbour Douaihy, within hours of each other, encapsulated as much Lebanon’s tragic path today as hope for the country’s future revival. Sassine, formerly a professor of philosophy at the Lebanese University, and Douaihy, one of the country’s most accomplished novelists and previously a Lebanese University literature professor, were close friends, and their departure has left Lebanon considerably poorer. The only consolation, minor as it may be, is that neither knew the other had passed away.
I first met Fares in 1993 when I was preparing an issue of the Beirut Review, the publication I edited then for the Lebanese Center for Policy Studies, for the 50th anniversary of Lebanon’s Independence. I had a list of authors ready, but a friend told me that one Fares Sassine also wanted to contribute an article. Soon thereafter, he came to my office to give me his text. What I saw was a short man with thick glasses and a gap between his front teeth who rather quickly betrayed the crystalline perfection of his mind. He handed me an article in counterpoint that went against a certain national smugness in the way the Lebanese imagined their country. It was brilliant, innovative, unexpected—a left uppercut when you were preparing for a right jab.
Over the years we would become close friends, but I always looked at Fares with an entirely warranted sense of inferiority. I was hardly alone. I would discover that this man in constant mental ebullition could reach far and wide, with luminous observations on everything from literature, to Lebanese history, to classical music, to Hollywood Westerns. Interacting with him meant learning, and in the 28 years that I knew Fares I took in far more than I merited. As long as people like him were in Lebanon, I believed, there was hope for the country.
It was a bit later that I met Jabbour, perhaps in 1996 or 1997. At the time I was a contributor to L’Orient-Express, the monthly magazine published by Lebanon’s French-language daily L’Orient-Le Jour. As I entered the office one afternoon I saw a tall man holding a small cigar, chatting with one of the staff. He exuded style and I found myself drawn to this captivating, breezy apparition. We began talking and, as with Fares, the conversation only really ended now.
Through Jabbour, I would discover the realities of the northern Lebanese world from which he originated—the town of Zghorta, whose population migrates every summer to the mountain village of Ehden. Only weeks ago his wife had informed us that a truck had moved their belongings up for the summer. It was difficult to forget that image of an annual nomadic exodus, with Jabbour as serene clan leader pointing the way. He had chronicled well his self-contained mountain society, riven by family rivalries, but also characterized by a deep sense of solidarity and an exclusive local identity. Outsiders were welcomed with impossible generosity, but it was also never less than clear that they remained outsiders.
Jabbour would write about Zghorta in what was perhaps his most famous novel, Matar Huzayran (June Rain). In it he described one of the defining events of post-Independence Lebanese history—the vendetta between the Douaihy family and the Franjieh and Mouawwad families in 1957, leading to a massacre in the church of Meziara. Ironically, those who had encouraged Jabbour to write the story were Samir Franjieh and Michel Mouawwad. The book was a masterpiece, its final scene (which I won’t describe, you’ll just have to read it) one of the most outstanding set pieces ever illustrating the enigmatic nature of Lebanese society.
Jabbour and Fares would later ask my wife and I to organize a trip to Sicily for our families, and in May 2018 we set off together. It was my fault, I suppose, for having told Jabbour that I wanted to take him to the island so he could discover for himself the Italian version of Zghorta. We soon learned that Jabbour preferred to sit at a café near the hotel and write. He may have been touring Italy’s Zghorta, but he never wandered far from the original on that trip, unlike Fares, whose cerebral landscape sought boundless release, even as he too retained a profound attachment to his hometown of Zahleh in the Beqaa Valley.
In their younger days Jabbour and Fares, both Maronite Christians, had been politically on the left. They would subsequently become convinced “Lebanonists,” proponents of an independent and sovereign multisectarian country based on religious coexistence. This transformation, reflecting that of a significant number of their contemporaries, particularly those like them from Lebanon’s periphery, never erased what they had once been. The two did not metamorphose into narrow Christian nationalists. Their progress was accompanied by recognition of Lebanon’s paradoxes, one blending critical knowledge of its social and political precariousness with a desire to parry whatever threatened it existentially. That their demise paralleled Lebanon’s is what makes their passing so poignant. As Lebanon has crumbled economically, as its sovereignty has remained illusory, the country’s defeat has also been partly theirs.
More personally, what I found most appealing in these two friends was that they were dazzling intellectual epicureans, not activists. Certainly, Fares was one of those who had pushed for civil marriage in Lebanon, while Jabbour was part of a program to train young writers—worthy efforts with measurable results. But the dominant strain in both men was a sensual enjoyment of ideas, as part of their broader appreciation of life and its pleasures. To be with them was to drink from that cup, so satisfying and so rare in today’s Lebanon.
The cup has now been broken, and we will have to weather Lebanon’s disintegration without both men. But we may also have to weather it for them, because Fares and Jabbour showed us the enthralling possibilities of our country, the excellence that it can yet produce. In the face of the criminals who have spent decades destroying Lebanon, and now have very nearly succeeded, we can take solace in the memory of those who wouldn’t be fooled, for whom the embrace of truth remained our shield against the great lies thrown at us daily.
Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.

The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on July 26-27/2021
Iranians march in Tehran amid water protests
The Arab Weekly/July 26/2021
TEHRAN —Dozens of Iranians marched down a major street in Tehran on Monday, online videos show, amid ongoing protests over water shortages in southwestern Iran. The demonstrators are seen in the videos marching down Jomhuri Islami Avenue, or “Islamic Republic Avenue” in Farsi and calling on police to support them. Men on motorbikes and those in cars behind them honk their horns in time with their shouts. The demonstrators later dispersed peacefully. Security forces have maintained a heavier-than-normal presence recently in the Iranian capital. The semi-official Fars news agency later reported the demonstrations, but blamed them on a power outage at a nearby shopping centre on the avenue known for its electronic shops. Fars published a video online that shows police on motorcycles and on foot, at one point talking to the crowd. While the protests were peaceful, several demonstrators shouted: “Death to the Dictator!”That phrase can lead to the demonstrator being arrested and prosecuted in the Islamic Republic, where the civilian government is overseen by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. At least four people have been killed amid days of protests over the water shortage affecting Iran’s Khuzestan province, an oil-rich, restive area of the country. Activists say the death toll is higher. Iran has faced rolling blackouts for weeks now, in part over what authorities describe as a severe drought. Precipitation had decreased by almost 50% in the last year, leaving dams with dwindling water supplies. The protests in Khuzestan come as Iran struggles through repeated surges of infections in the coronavirus pandemic and as thousands of workers in its oil industry have launched strikes for better wages and conditions. Iran’s economy also has struggled under US sanctions since then-President Donald Trump’s 2018 decision to unilaterally withdraw America from Tehran’s nuclear deal with world powers, crashing the value of the Islamic Republic’s currency, the rial.

Iran protests spread to Tehran with chants against supreme leader
Yaghoub Fazeli, Al Arabiya English/26 July ,2021
Protests sparked by a water crisis in Iran spread to the capital Tehran on Monday, videos shared online showed, with demonstrators chanting slogans against the country’s theocratic rulers. “The clerics must get lost,” chanted protesters in one video, referring to Iran’s clerical rulers. Another video showed protesters chanting “death to the dictator,” a chant used regularly in anti-government demonstrations in Iran against the country’s highest authority, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. The protesters also expressed their disapproval of Iran’s foreign policies, chanting in one video “neither Gaza nor Lebanon, I sacrifice my life for Iran” in reference to Tehran’s support for Palestinian group Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon. Protests sparked by a water crisis have been taking place in Iran since July 15. The protests were initially concentrated in Arab majority areas in the oil-rich southwestern Khuzestan province, which is home to ethnic Arabs who have long complained of discrimination in Iran. But the demonstrations have since spread to more cities in Khuzestan, as well as to other parts of the country. On Saturday, protesters took the streets in Tabriz, the provincial capital of the northwestern East Azerbaijan province, to express support for protesters in Khuzestan, according to activists and footage circulating on social media. Protests in solidarity with Khuzestan had also broken out late on Thursday in the neighboring western province of Lorestan. Demonstrators in Lorestan’s city of Aligudarz chanted slogans against Khamenei, a video shared on social media showed. Iran has so far confirmed the death of five people, including a police officer, in violence connected to the protests. Iranian officials have blamed unknown “rioters” for the deaths. Activists reject the official narrative and maintain the deaths were caused by security forces opening fire on protesters. Iranian officials, who typically use the term “rioters” to refer to protesters, have blamed them for the deaths in the past.
HRANA said on Saturday that it had been able to identify 10 killed and 102 detained in connection with the protests in Khuzestan. Amnesty International said on Friday security forces had killed at least eight protesters and bystanders in Khuzestan since protests erupted in the province on July 15.
In his first comments on the protests, Khamenei said on Friday protesters cannot be blamed and called on officials to deal with the water shortages. The water crisis has devastated agriculture and livestock farming which are the source of livelihood for many in Khuzestan, particularly in its Arab majority regions.
Authorities have blamed the water shortages on a severe drought, but protesters in Khuzestan say government corruption and mismanagement, as well as “discriminatory” policies aimed at changing the region’s demography, are to blame. The rallies come as thousands of workers in Iran’s key energy sector have launched strikes for better wages and working conditions.Iran’s economy has been hit hard since 2018 when former US President Donald Trump withdrew Washington from the 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers and reimposed sweeping sanctions on the country. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the country’s economic problems.

France: Iran risks compromising chance for nuclear deal if it does not negotiate
Reuters/Published: 26 July ,2021
France’s foreign ministry said on Monday that Iran was endangering the chance of concluding an accord with world powers over reviving its 2015 nuclear deal if it did not return to the negotiating table soon. “If it continues on this path, not only will it continue to delay when an agreement to lift sanctions can be reached, but it risks jeopardizing the very possibility of concluding the Vienna talks and restoring the JCPOA,” or Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, foreign ministry spokeswoman Agnes von der Muhll told reporters in a daily briefing. Meanwhile, Iran’s support for militias in the region should be included in ongoing talks in Vienna and the meetings should not be limited to only reviving the nuclear deal, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Secretary-General Nayef bin Falah al-Hajraf said at a virtual Gulf Research Meeting on Saturday.
Iran has been engaged in negotiations with major powers on reviving its 2015 nuclear deal in Vienna since April. Talks have been temporarily paused until Iranian President-elect Ebrahim Raisi takes office in August.

Qatar FM Visits Iran Just Days after U.S. Trip
Agence France Presse/July 26/2021
Qatar's foreign minister Sheikh Mohammad bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani arrived in Tehran Sunday in an unannounced visit and met top officials, days after visiting Washington, the state news agency reported. IRNA said that Al-Thani, who is also Qatar's Deputy Prime Minister, met president-elect Ebrahim Raisi and the two discussed bilateral relations. "Tehran puts special emphasis on relations with Doha," Raisi said, noting that his administration's priority in foreign policy will be relations with neighbors. "Be certain that Iran wishes well for its neighbors," he added.
Qatar's top diplomat earlier met Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif for talks focusing on the "latest bilateral developments and important regional and international issues", Iran's foreign ministry said in a statement. Al-Thani's visit comes after he met U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Washington on Thursday.During that meeting, the two reviewed "bilateral cooperation and regional developments, particularly in Afghanistan, Iran, Syria and Palestine", according to the foreign ministry in Doha. The Qatari diplomat also emphasized the "need for an open and transparent dialogue between GCC countries and Iran, to achieve stability in the region." Since April, Tehran has been engaged in talks with world powers in Vienna over reviving a 2015 nuclear accord, with Washington taking part indirectly in the negotiations. The talks aim to return the US to the deal it withdrew from in 2018 under former president Donald Trump by lifting the sanctions reimposed on Tehran, and to have Tehran return to full compliance with nuclear commitments it has gradually retreated from in retaliation for sanctions. Iran has confirmed that the talks will not resume until the ultraconservative Raisi takes office in August. Al-Thani had also previously expressed Qatar's readiness to broker talks between Iran and its Arab neighbors in the Gulf, including Saudi Arabia. Raisi has said there are "no obstacles" to restoring ties with Saudi Arabia, a U.S. ally and the Islamic republic's arch-rival in the Middle East. Tehran and Riyadh have been engaged in talks hosted by Baghdad since April with the aim of improving relations. Ties between the regional rivals were cut in 2016 after Iranian protesters attacked Saudi diplomatic missions after a revered Shiite cleric was executed in the kingdom.

Tunisian president ousts Islamist-backed government, freezes parliament
The Arab Weekly/July 26/2021
Crowds cheer Saied’s move while Islamist Ennahda decries it as “coup”.
TUNIS--Tunisia’s president dismissed the government and froze parliament on Sunday, prompting cheering crowds to take to the streets in support of his move while Islamist opponents called it “a coup” against the constitution.
President Kais Saied said he would assume executive authority with the assistance of a new prime minister, in the sharpest crisis yet to face Tunisia’s democratic transition since the 2011 uprising. Clearly relived by the president’s decisions, crowds of people quickly flooded the capital and other cities, cheering and honking car horns. Saied said he had also suspended the legal immunity of parliament members and that he was taking control of the general prosecutor’s office. He warned against any armed response to his actions. “Whoever shoots a bullet, the armed forces will respond with bullets,” said Saied, who has support from a wide array of Tunisians.Although there are still questions about the extent of support for Saied’s moves against a fragile government, largely seen as inept, and a fractious parliament embroiled in sterile disputes, the population seemed to clearly welcome Saied’s actions.
Hours after the statement, military vehicles surrounded the parliament building as people nearby cheered and sang the national anthem. Years of paralysis, corruption, declining state services and growing unemployment had already soured many Tunisians on their political system before the COVID-19 pandemic hammered the economy last year and coronavirus infection rates shot up this summer. Increasingly, the population pinned the blame for the country’s woes on Ennahda which gradually saw its support base shrink.
Protests, called by social media activists but not backed by any of the big political parties, took place on Sunday with much of the anger focused on the Ennahda party.
In a statement late on Sunday, Saied invoked article 80 of the constitution to dismiss the prime minister and decree a freeze of the parliament for a period of 30 days. The constitution provides for opponents of the measures to appeal to the constitutional court past the 30 days. However, the court required by the 2014 constitution to adjudicate such disputes between Tunisia’s branches of state has never been established after years of wrangling over which judges to include, allowing rival interpretations of law. The move came after a day of protests against the government and the biggest party in parliament, the Islamist Ennahda, following a spike in COVID-19 cases and growing anger over chronic political dysfunction and economic malaise. Successive governments failed to deliver sound governance or prosperity. Parliament Speaker Rached Ghannouchi, the head of Ennahda, which has played a leading role in successive coalition governments, decried the moves as a “coup” and an “assault on democracy”.In the early hours of Monday, Ghannouchi arrived at the parliament where he said he would call a session in defiance of Saied, but the army stationed outside the building stopped the 80-year-old former political exile from entering. “I am against gathering all powers in the hands of one person,” he said outside the parliament building. Dozens of Ennahda supporters faced off against Saied supporters near the parliament building, exchanging insults as the police held them apart, televised pictures afterwards showed.
Saied, a political independent who swept to office after campaigning as the scourge of a corrupt, incompetent elite, rejected accusations that he had conducted a coup. He framed his move as a popular response to the economic and political paralysis that have mired Tunisia for years. Heart of Tunisia and Karama parties who are allies of the Islamists in parliament, joined Ennahda in accusing Saied of a coup. The president and the parliament were both elected in separate popular votes in 2019, while Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi took office last summer, replacing another short-lived government. The president has been enmeshed in political disputes with Mechichi for a year, as the country grapples with an economic crisis, a looming fiscal crunch and a flailing response to the pandemic. Under the constitution, the president has direct responsibility only for foreign affairs and the military, but after a government debacle with walk-in vaccination centres last week, he told the army to take charge of the pandemic response. Tunisia’s soaring infection and death rates have added to public anger at the government as the country’s political parties bickered. Meanwhile, Mechichi was attempting to negotiate a new loan with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) that was seen as crucial to averting a looming fiscal crisis as Tunisia struggles to finance its budget deficit and coming debt repayments. Disputes over the economic reforms, seen as needed to secure the loan but which could hurt ordinary Tunisians by ending subsidies or cutting public sector jobs, had already brought the government close to collapse. The country faces the spectre of needing to request the rescheduling of its debt before international creditors.

Islamist Ennahda supporters attempt to storm Tunisian parliament
Ismaeel Naar, Al Arabiya English/26 July ,2021
Protesters from the Islamist Ennahda movement in Tunisia tried again on Monday evening to storm the main parliament building after dozens of them gathered in front of the site’s outer gate. Security personnel present at the site were able to repel the attempt without skirmishes or confrontations between the protesters and the security forces, witnesses said. The storming attempt comes hours after the Tunisian Parliament Speaker Rached Ghannouchi left the vicinity of the Tunisian parliament after being prevented from entering. He had stayed inside his vehicle for several hours before leaving the site. Ghannouchi had staged a sit-in in front of the parliament surrounded by the Tunisian army, while skirmishes erupted between Ennahda supporters and Tunisian citizens. The Islamist party leader attempted to enter parliament, but the army prevented him from doing so. Supporters of the Ennahda party attempted to attack Al Arabiya and Al Hadath correspondents in front of the Tunisian parliament, while the Tunisian Ennahda movement called on its supporters to head to the parliament's headquarters. In a declaration late on Sunday, Tunisian President Kais Saied invoked emergency powers under the constitution's Article 18 to dismiss Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi and suspend parliament for 30 days, saying he would govern alongside a new premier. He rejected accusations of a coup.

Clashes in Tunisia after President Ousts PM amid Covid Protests
Agence France Presse/July 26/2021
Street clashes erupted on Monday outside Tunisia's army-barricaded parliament, a day after President Kais Saied ousted the prime minister and suspended the legislature, plunging the young democracy into a constitutional crisis. Saied sacked Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi and ordered parliament closed for 30 days, a move the biggest political party Ennahdha decried as a "coup", following a day of angry street protests against the government's handling of the Covid pandemic. Soldiers from early Monday blockaded the assembly in Tunis while, outside, the president's supporters hurled volleys and stones at backers of Ennahdha, whose leader staged a sit-in to protest being barred entry. Saied's dramatic move -- a decade on from Tunisia's 2011 revolution, often held up as the Arab Spring's sole success story -- comes even though the constitution enshrines a parliamentary democracy and largely limits presidential powers to security and diplomacy. It "is a coup d'etat against the revolution and against the constitution," Ennahdha, which was the biggest party in Tunisia's ruling coalition, charged in a Facebook post, warning that its members "will defend the revolution". The crisis follows prolonged deadlock between the president, the premier and Ennahdha chief Rached Ghannouchi, which has crippled the Covid response as deaths have surged to one of the world's highest per capita rates. "I have taken the necessary decisions to save Tunisia, the state and the Tunisian people," Saied declared in a statement on Sunday, a day that had seen angry Covid street protests in multiple cities. The president's announcement sparked jubilant rallies by his supporters. Large crowds took to the streets of the capital late Sunday to celebrate and wave the national flag, as car horns sounded through the night and fireworks lit up the sky. "Finally some good decisions!" said one Tunis protester, Maher, celebrating in defiance of a coronavirus curfew. Others held up signs with a simple message to the sacked government: "Game Over".
'Most delicate moments'
Before the president's announcement, thousands had marched in several cities protesting against Ennahdha, criticizing the largest party in Tunisia's fractious government for failures in tackling the pandemic. A senior Ennahdha official, speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity, alleged that the protests before the president's announcement, and the subsequent celebrations, had all been choreographed by Saied. "We are also capable of organizing large demonstrations to show the number of Tunisians who are opposed to these decisions," this official said. Since Saied was elected president in 2019, he has been locked in a showdown with Mechichi and Ghannouchi, who is also house speaker. The rivalry has blocked ministerial appointments and diverted resources from tackling Tunisia's many economic and social problems. "We are navigating the most delicate moments in the history of Tunisia," Saied said Sunday. He said the constitution did not allow for the dissolution of parliament, but did allow him to suspend it, citing Article 80 which permits it in case of "imminent danger." In a later Facebook post, he clarified that the suspension would be for 30 days. Saied said he would take over executive power "with the help" of a government, whose new chief will be appointed by the president himself. He also said that parliamentary immunity would be lifted for deputies.
'Birth of a dictator'
In the 10 years since the revolution which toppled dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, Tunisia has had nine governments, some of which have lasted only a few months, hindering the reforms necessary to revamp its struggling economy and poor public services. Tunisia has recently been overwhelmed by Covid-19 cases which have raised the death toll to more than 18,000. Last week, Mechichi fired his health minister over his handling of the pandemic as cases skyrocketed -- the latest in a string of health ministers to be sacked. In Sunday's Covid protests, hundreds rallied in front of parliament, shouting slogans against Ennahdha and premier Mechichi. Demonstrations were also reported in the towns of Gafsa, Kairouan, Monastir, Sousse and Tozeur. Several protesters were arrested and a journalist was injured when people hurled stones and police fired tear gas canisters, an AFP reporter said.
"The people want the dissolution of parliament," the crowd had chanted. After Saied's announcement, many Tunisians expressed relief. Nahla, brandishing a Tunisian flag, was jubilant and told AFP: "These are courageous decisions -- Saied is unblocking Tunisia. This is the president we love!"
But one man, aged in his forties, watched on without enthusiasm and said: "These fools are celebrating the birth of a new dictator."

U.N. Warns of 'Unprecedented' Afghan Civilian Deaths from Taliban Offensives
Agence France Presse/July 26/2021
The United Nations warned Monday that Afghanistan could see the highest number of civilian deaths in more than a decade if the Taliban's offensives across the country are not halted. Violence has surged since early May when the insurgents cranked up operations to coincide with a final withdrawal of U.S.-led foreign forces. In a report released Monday documenting civilian casualties for the first half of 2021, the U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said it expected figures to touch their highest single-year levels since the mission began reporting over a decade ago.It also warned that Afghan troops and pro-government forces were responsible for a quarter of all civilian casualties. "Unprecedented numbers of Afghan civilians will perish and be maimed this year if the increasing violence is not stemmed," UNAMA head Deborah Lyons said in a statement released with the report.
"I implore the Taliban and Afghan leaders to take heed to the conflict's grim and chilling trajectory and its devastating impact on civilians." During the first half of 2021, some 1,659 civilians were killed and another 3,254 wounded, the UNAMA report said -- a 47 percent increase on the same period last year. The rise in civilian casualties was particularly sharp in May and June -- the initial period of the Taliban's current offensives -- with 783 civilians killed and 1,609 wounded, it added. "Particularly shocking and of deep concern is that women, boys and girls made up of close to half of all civilian casualties," the report said. UNAMA blamed anti-government elements for 64 percent of civilian casualties -- including some 40 percent caused by the Taliban and nearly nine percent by the jihadist Islamic State group.
Taliban rejects U.N. report -
About 16 percent of casualties were caused by "undetermined" anti-government elements. But Afghan troops and pro-government forces were responsible for 25 percent, the report added. UNAMA said about 11 percent of casualties were caused by "crossfire" and the responsible parties could not be determined. The Taliban's ongoing assault has seen the insurgents capture half of Afghanistan's districts and border crossings, as well as encircling several provincial capitals. The fighting is largely in the rugged countryside, where government forces and insurgents clash daily. The Taliban rejected the U.N. report. "In the past six months, the Mujahideen of the IE (Islamic Emirate) have not deliberately killed civilians anywhere or carried out attacks that could have resulted in civilian casualties," the Taliban said in a statement. The release of the report comes as fighting continued across Afghanistan, with the Pakistan military saying Monday that at least 46 members of the Afghan security forces had fled across the border into Pakistan to seek shelter. But a spokesman for the Afghan security forces said those claims were "untrue". Last week, Human Rights Watch said there was "growing evidence" that the Taliban were committing atrocities against civilians in areas they had captured -- including in Spin Boldak, the town near the border with Pakistan they took earlier this month. Afghan security forces spokesman Ajmal Omar Shinwari said about 400 people had been "taken out of their houses" in Spin Boldak by the Taliban in recent days, and that 100 of them had been killed. He did not offer details on the fate of the remaining 300. UNAMA meanwhile also noted a resurgence of sectarian attacks against the country's Shiite Hazara community, resulting in 143 deaths.

Russia Blocks 49 Navalny-Linked Websites
Agence France Presse/July 26/2021
Russia's media regulator Roskomnadzor has blocked 49 websites linked to jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, his key ally said Monday. "By the decision of the prosecutor general's office, 49 websites were blocked simultaneously," Navalny aide Leonid Volkov said on his Telegram channel.

Israel hits Gaza with airstrikes after balloon fires
The Arab Weekly/July 26/2021
JERUSALEM--Israel launched airstrikes on Gaza Sunday after incendiary balloons from the Palestinian enclave caused fires in the Jewish state, with no reported injuries on either side. The Israeli strikes targeted an open area in northern Gaza and a militant training site belonging to the strip’s Hamas Islamist rulers in southern Khan Yunis, Palestinian security sources said. The strikes came after Israel cut by half the fishing zone off the blockaded coastal territory, a common response following projectile attacks by armed groups in Gaza. Israel’s army had no immediate comment on the strikes. But the military branch responsible for civil affairs in the Palestinian territories (COGAT) said the fishing zone had been reduced from 12 nautical miles to six. “The decision was made following the continued launching of incendiary balloons from the Gaza Strip towards Israel, which constitutes a violation of Israeli sovereignty,” it said in a statement. Hamas was “responsible for all activities within the Gaza Strip and all actions originating in the Gaza Strip directed towards the state of Israel,” COGAT said. “It will therefore bear the consequences for the violence committed against the citizens of the state of Israel.” Earlier Sunday, Israeli firefighters said they extinguished brush blazes at three spots in the Eshkol region near the border, blaming “incendiary balloons” as the cause. Photos and video posted on social media showed activists linked to Gaza’s ruling Hamas militant group sending the balloons into Israel. On one of them was written the message: “Time is running out.” The Islamic militant group is upset that Israel has done little to ease a crippling blockade on the territory since the fighting ended and over delays in indirect negotiations with Israel to resume Qatari financial aid to Gaza. The balloons are basic devices intended to set fire to farmland surrounding the Israeli-blockaded Palestinian enclave. On July 12, Israel announced it was re-expanding the fishing zone off Gaza and allowing additional imports into the Palestinian territory but warned the measure could be reversed in response to fresh unrest. An 11-day conflict in May saw Israel launch hundreds of airstrikes on Gaza and Hamas fire thousands of rockets at Israel. Prior to the May conflict, the Gaza fishing zone was 15 nautical miles, but Israel reduced it during the warfare. There has been sporadic unrest since a ceasefire ended the conflict, with incendiary balloons launched from Gaza and Israeli reprisal airstrikes targeting facilities belonging to Hamas. No casualties have been reported. The last time balloons from Gaza caused a fire in Israel was early this month.

US officially announces end date for ‘combat mission’ in Iraq
Joseph Haboush, Al Arabiya English/26 July ,2021
The United States officially announced a shift in its mission in Iraq Monday during a meeting between President Joe Biden and Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi. After multiple rounds of Strategic Dialogue and the uptick of attacks against US forces by Iran-backed militias, Washington set an end date for what is called its “combat mission” in Iraq. Before meeting Kadhimi at the White House, Biden said that the role of US forces in Iraq would shift to advising and training. “I think things are going well. Our role in Iraq will be … to continue to train, to assist, to help and to deal with ISIS as it arises,” Biden said. “But we’re not going to be, by the end of the year, in a combat zone,” he added. The announcement itself is expected to see little change in the US posture inside of Iraq and the number of troops it has on the ground. US forces are present inside the country at the invitation of the Iraqi government, which requested help in combatting ISIS in 2014. Separately, Biden said 500,000 coronavirus vaccine jabs would be sent to Iraq in the next couple of weeks. He also said he was looking forward to the elections in Iraq, which are set to take place in October.

The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials published on July 26-27/2021
Iran, the Islamic mystification,Terrorism and the Decaying Dictatorship
Charles Elias Chartouni/July 26/2021
شارل الياس شرتوني/ إيران: التضليل الإسلامي والإرهاب والديكتاتورية المتحللة
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/100913/charles-elias-chartouni-iran-the-islamic-mystificationterrorism-and-the-decaying-dictatorship-%d8%b4%d8%a7%d8%b1%d9%84-%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%8a%d8%a7%d8%b3-%d8%b4%d8%b1%d8%aa%d9%88%d9%86%d9%8a-%d8%a5/
“ If Hitler invaded Hell I would make at least a favourable reference
to the Devil in the House of Commons” (Winston Churchill)
“ Raisi, you are not the President, you are the killer of our children”
Mothers of the youths executed by Ibrahim Raisi
The whole plot of the Iranian Islamic narrative is plummeting, and the regime ends up cumulating its equivocations while pursuing purportedly a normalization strategy at the international level. The dysfunctional governance(Electricity and oil shortages, water and medicine shortages, the dismal records of anti-Covid vaccinations 2/100, ethno-regional segregation-the case of Khouzistan…), the bloody political repression highlighted by the election of a henchman for President, as a prelude to his succession to the jurisconsult Khamenei, and the perpetuation of a well seated tradition of political terror, are quite ominous. The denouncing statement of political dissident Masih Alinejad highlights the state of growing estrangement towards Islamic Totalitarianism and State terrorism, the intertwining coordinates of the Iranian regime. While negotiating with the US the new nuclear deal, the Iranian regime was preparing the kidnapping of Masih Alinejad, from New York City, in league with the Venezuelan regime, and persists in its denial insofar as the execution of the carefully planned operation.
Cynicism, mendacity and duplicity of this dictatorship are systemic features which define the very nature of this regime, and the scope of its internal governance and international relationships. The foiled kidnapping, the ongoing repression, and the deteriorating life conditions inside Iran are heavily impacting the international negotiations and questioning their relevance. The framing of the negotiation process cannot overlook the inconsistencies of the Iranian posturing inside and outside the country, the heightened influence of the extremist aisles of the regime (the election of the mass murderer cleric, the resumption of the terror campaign, the pursuit of regional expansionism and militarization of security issues). It’s a typical scenario of paradoxical communication, whereby the conflicting signals are self defeating and convey the deliberate prevarication of an imperial dictatorship biding for time. Masih Alinejad and Iranian dissidents, by and large, were right pointing out repeatedly the need to deal with this regime on the basis of an integrated political agenda, which combines strategic and Human Rights issues and sets aside the disjunction schemes.
The cautionary tale of WWII and its aftermath should serve as a guide when dealing with Totalitarianism: Drawing on the communist technology of power, The Islamic revolution in Iran elicits the same reservation when it comes to dealing with it: “Trying to maintain good relations with a Communist is like wooing a crocodile. You don’t know whether to tickle it under the chin or beat it over the head. When it opens its mouth, you cannot tell whether it is trying to smile or preparing to eat you up”*, Totalitarian regimes are to be annihilated without soul searching.
*Winston Churchill

Palestinians threaten to resume Gaza-Israel border protests
Khaled Abu Toameh/Jerusalem Post/July 26/2021
Hamas has said that Naftali Bennett's government lacks political experience.
Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad have threatened to resume weekly protests near the Gaza-Israel border if there is no progress in talks to improve the economic and humanitarian situation in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip.
The threat was relayed to Israel through Egypt, Qatar and other mediators, according to Palestinian sources who said the groups were “running out of patience” because of a lack of progress in efforts to ease restrictions imposed on the Gaza Strip.
The 2018-2019 Gaza border protests, dubbed by Palestinian organizers as the “Great March of Return,” were a series of weekly demonstrations during which Palestinians clashed with soldiers.
The demonstrators demanded that the descendants of Palestinian refugees be allowed to return to their former villages and cities in Israel. They also protested against the restrictions imposed on the Gaza Strip.The Palestinian groups have decided “to step up pressure along the borders of the Gaza Strip” after a period of relative calm during Eid al-Adha (Feast of the Sacrifice), the Hezbollah-affiliated newspaper Al-Akhbar reported.
The planned escalation aims to push forward the ongoing discussions on the issues related to the Gaza Strip, particularly the humanitarian and economic situation, the report said.
Over the past two days, incendiary balloons have been launched from the Gaza Strip into Israel as part of the move to escalate tensions along the border, and Palestinian terrorist groups are heading in the coming days toward a gradual escalation with Israel, which will start with launching balloons carrying explosive devices, Palestinian sources told Al-Akhbar.
The factions are eyeing the possibility of “activating new pressure tools, including the resumption of the Great March of Return,” they said.
Israel’s new government is practicing a policy of “arm-twisting” by limiting the entry of various goods into the Gaza Strip, including construction materials, said Rami Abu al-Rish, a senior official at the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Economy.
The Egyptians recently resumed talks with Hamas leaders with the aim of achieving a prisoner-exchange agreement with Israel and moving forward with the reconstruction of buildings that were damaged or destroyed in Gaza’s 11-day military confrontation with Israel in May.
“The renewed contacts coincide with the return of the Egyptian engineering delegation to the Gaza Strip to resume operations to remove the rubble of the destroyed buildings,” a Palestinian source said.
The removal of the rubble will be completed within a month, paving the way for reconstruction, according to Hamas officials.
The Israeli restrictions on admitting construction materials into Gaza and the absence of an agreement on a mechanism for delivering Qatari funds are likely to hinder the start of the second phase of reconstruction, the sources said.
On Monday, Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) officials continued to issue threats against Israel.
More pressure on the Gaza Strip would lead to an explosion, Hamas spokesman Abd al-Latif al-Qanou said.
“Our people will not be patient for too long over the lack of reconstruction and the reluctance to take measures to break the siege,” he said.
The continuation of restrictions on the Gaza Strip would lead to an escalation, PIJ leader Khader Habib said.
Israel “will suffer the repercussions because it prevents the entry of necessary supplies, and mediators should exert pressure on Israel to fulfill its responsibilities,” he said.
The lack of progress was due to the new Israeli government’s “lack of political experience” and “internal differences,” senior Hamas official Hussam Badran was quoted as saying on Monday.
The change of Israeli governments does not concern Hamas, he said, adding that “whenever we feel that there is some kind of hesitation and obstruction of negotiations to install the ceasefire and lift the siege on Gaza, we will resort, in agreement with the factions, to various tools to pressure the occupation.”
Regarding efforts to rebuild the Gaza Strip, experience has shown that some countries do not follow through on their commitments to help the Palestinians, Badran said.
“Hamas will not allow any country to use its donation to rebuild the Gaza Strip to put pressure on the Palestinian resistance groups,” he said.

Dbeibah-Haftar competition over Libyan south intensifies
Habib Lassoued/The Arab Weekly/July 26/2021
TUNIS--The race between the Libyan government and the Libyan National Army (LNA) leadership for the control of the Libyan south has intensified after the region became the focus of regional and international attention.
This attention has increased during the past few months, in the light of the region’s perceived importance in ensuring the security and stability of Libya, as well as that of the Sahel and Saharan countries, along with its impact on the international fight against terrorism and human trafficking.
On Sunday, Libyan Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah arrived in Sebha, the capital of the Fezzan, the third historical region of the country, along with Tripoli and Cyrenaica, to hold his first cabinet meeting in the city.
Dbeibah said during the gathering that the problems from which the region suffered were “the result of years of war and division,” and stressed that the government’s presence in Sebha “is evidence of our determination to move forward to help the south.”The LNA command headed by Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar had anticipated the Dbeibah visit by dispatching a delegation of senior officers to the Fezzan region.
The LNA media office said the delegation included members of the joint military committee led by the Chief of General Staff Lieutenant-General Abdel Razek al-Nadouri. Its agenda included a review of the working conditions in all military camps and barracks in southern Libya.
Sources close to the LNA command said that the senior officers wanted to tour LNA positions in the region to check on the forces there and determine their logistical needs. This, they said, was especially important after the launch of operations there last month against the Islamic State (ISIS) in reaction to the extremist group’s attack on a Sebha police post. Their tour covered southern cities, most notably Sebha, Ubari and Ghat and included meetings with field commanders, notables, tribal dignitaries and local officials, as well as security leaders who are helping coordinate the war on terrorism.
The visits were intended as a demonstration by Haftar of his control over the entire border area, including the common borders with Algeria, Niger and Chad. Observers believe that it was also intended to signal the LNA’s active role in the area to Dbeibah’s Government of National Unity and the Presidency Council. Terrorist groups and gangs that are active in smuggling networks in Fezzan have become a source of concern for the international community, especially African and European countries.
ISIS had published pictures that it claimed were of some of its armed members in the south of Libya during the first day of Eid al-Adha.
Dbeibah insisted that “there will be no war in Libya after today in Sebha or anywhere else,” pledging to complete a security plan to combat crime and terrorism in the south and in all cities of Libya so as to ensure adequate conditions for the holding of the elections scheduled December 24. Dbeibah was trying to convince people in the south that his government is intent on addressing their problems, including the fuel and health crises.
Over the past few years, the south has been marginalised by the central authorities in the capital Tripoli and this marginalisation intensified after the LNA established its formal presence there. This presence raised the possibility that the tribes of the region had concluded an agreement with Haftar, while some did not rule out that they were accommodated with promises of positions for their children and money.
Observers believe that the government has tried to marginalise the role of the LNA’s influence in Sebha.

Time for ‘International Treaty to Ban Political Use of Religion’
Salam Sarhan/The Arab Weekly/July 26/2021
When I called for an ‘International Treaty to Ban the Political Use of Religion’ in an article published in The Independent on 31 January 2019, I did not know what to expect or how to navigate that proposal in this minefield, though I was very confident that the enacting of this treaty is inevitable.
The support was overwhelming, but mostly not for the right reasons. It was heavily mixed with the old common calls to separate religion and politics. The first impression of many of the current leading members of the initiative; it would be a daunting mission to push for an international treaty for this explosive issue.
But, within a few minutes of discussion with those influential people, 9 out of any 10 were seeing that our new approach is plausible and has nothing to do with the controversial calls to separate religion and politics.
For example, David Swanson, the American renowned writer, observed in an article that the biggest hurdle is having “the words ‘religion’ and ‘ban’ in the title, even though it actually bans the banning of religion". Swanson became a leading supporter and member of the Advisory Council of BPUR International, the NGO registered in the United Kingdom to lead this campaign.
We built considerable support before holding the first board meeting on 15 July 2020 and within 11 months of dedication, the NGO has managed to make phenomenal progress worldwide, including formal engagements with hundreds of legislators, officials, governments and heads of states, despite the restrictions of the pandemic. As for the individual supporters it is hard to mention some and not others, because all are significantly prominent and influential. But if we have to do that, we have to start with our chair of the board, the global business leader Naguib Sawiris, who is the sole patron until today. The long lists include former Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, former president of the Arab League Amr Moussa, former Italian foreign minister Giulio Terzi, former Egyptian foreign minister Nabil Fahmy, Noam Chomsky, Ephraim Isaac and many others in our different teams.
This global initiative is not as simple as it might look. It is the result of decades of reflection on some of the most intractable conflicts and religious standoffs that have destroyed many countries and affected the lives of billions in every corner of the planet, especially my country, Iraq. The root causes are almost entirely attributable to the abusive mixing of religion and politics.
All previous attempts to navigate this minefield have disastrous blind spots. They very often do more damage than good by overlooking the ammunition they give to the extremists and the rogue adversaries.
Too many initiatives have wasted massive resources fighting the wrong battles. We need to understand that separating religion and politics is not only irrelevant, but also impossible and will always play into the hands of the extremists. Furthermore, there is no long term solution on any national stage. It has to be on the global stage because any confrontation with any specific religion is doomed to make things worse.
Now we have a globally supported proposed treaty, drafted by leading legislators, officials and top United Nations’ experts. It represents a new approach to introduce clear, simple and indisputable rules to ban: all political uses of religion that undermine human equality; all religious discrimination in rights and duties; all religious exclusion; and all restrictions to freedom of religion and belief. These rules are global without any reference to any religion, belief or any country.
These fundamental justice rules would comprehensively apply to all violations and bypass any clashes with peoples’ deeply engraved religious beliefs. We believe this non-confrontational approach, which is grounded in the utmost respect for all religions, would build a unique global consensus to help the international community deal with current and future conflicts. It would certainly empower many governments to defend justice values, social peace and the rule of law.
No responsible government can refuse such fundamental fair rules. Even perpetrators would lose any argument. It should easily secure governmental signatories in line with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and become a fundamental United Nation treaty.
BPUR International has built a rapidly growing support worldwide. It has leading Legislative Sponsors in tens of countries worldwide. They are working to build parliamentary support to seek the formal adoption of the initiative by their governments. More than 10 countries are in an advanced stage to consider formal adoption. Vast groups of legislative sponsors and supporters in Italy, Bangladesh and San Marino have already appealed to their government to adopt our proposed treaty on the international stage, while many other groups of legislators are preparing to do the same, especially in Morocco, Austria and Pakistan. There are also different levels of engagements with legislators and officials in more than 30 other countries, including in United Kingdom, Switzerland, Tunisia, Nigeria, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ecuador, Armenia, Belgium, Spain, Norway, Germany, France, Iraq, South Sudan, Albania, Central African, Burkina Faso, Sierra Leone, North Macedonia and Ivory Coast, as well as rapidly growing support among members of the European Parliament.
The proposed treaty would be an indispensable tool to refute any claim by extremists that they are defending their religion and remove a key recruitment tool by which the naïve and vulnerable are attracted to terrorism. We must not forget that the current murky situation is also allowing vicious political and economic interests to manipulate religious teachings to serve distasteful agendas. This would usher in a new era with universal rules that would make the international community speak with one voice against religious violations of human rights, without the usual hesitation, when it comes to these sensitive matters. The political pressures never made any difference in the last few decades because there are no clear international rules. Eliminating religious repression and discrimination would certainly make a massive difference to the lives of billions and serve all international humanitarian objectives by eliminating the root causes of many intractable conflicts and a long list of abuses of human rights. It would subsequently enhance stability and open the doors for sustainable development.
The treaty would also help tackle other social economic problems such as poverty on a global scale, including all developed countries by alleviating the pressures of global tension, mass immigration and improving the social integration of religious minorities in those countries.