English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For February 10/2022
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news

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http://eliasbejjaninews.com/aaaanewsfor2021/english.february10.22.htm

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Bible Quotations For today
When you have done all that you were ordered to do, say, “We are worthless slaves; we have done only what we ought to have done
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 17/05-10/:’The apostles said to the Lord, ‘Increase our faith!’The Lord replied, ‘If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, “Be uprooted and planted in the sea”, and it would obey you. ‘Who among you would say to your slave who has just come in from ploughing or tending sheep in the field, “Come here at once and take your place at the table”? Would you not rather say to him, “Prepare supper for me, put on your apron and serve me while I eat and drink; later you may eat and drink”?Do you thank the slave for doing what was commanded? So you also, when you have done all that you were ordered to do, say, “We are worthless slaves; we have done only what we ought to have done!” ’’

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on February 09-10/2022
Lebanon, The Maronities And Saint Maroun In His Annual Day/Elias Bejjani/February 09/2022
Corona - Health Ministry: 8,488 new Corona cases, 19 deaths
Patriarch Rahi: “We struggle so that Lebanon does not turn into an area for region's conflicts, a missile platform & a battle front”
President Aoun: “We are ready to study the points raised based on the desire to find solutions to this file”
Lebanon, Israel ‘narrowing gaps’ towards deal on maritime border: US diplomat
Berri reviews with Hochstein, Shea the outcome of indirect renegotiation efforts
Lebanese Army Commander: We abide by the decision of the political authority on the issue of maritime borders
Mikati, Hochstein convene
Ibrahim, Hochstein meet
U.S. Embassy Says Talks between Hochstein, Army Chief Fruitful
International probes offer Lebanese hope their elites might soon face day of reckoning
Nasrallah Slams U.S. Role and Parties that 'Receive Orders from Embassies'
Hezbollah leader denounces Kuwaiti proposals but backs Lebanon-Gulf dialogue and describes proposals brought forward as 'dictates'
Nasrallah: Iran Itself – Not Its Allies – Would Respond To An Israeli Strike; Israeli Airstrikes Cannot Eliminate Our Precision Missile Arsenal; The U.S. Tried To Contact Us, But We Denied Them
Nasrallah: Let whoever claims to want a state of sovereignty, liberty & independence, confront the destructive American influence
Former Leading Aounists to Wage Lebanon's Elections as Part of Opposition
Lebanon Gets German Query on Cenbank Governor Finances
Germany must implement its ban of Hezbollah terror activities/Benjamin Weinthal/Jewish News Syndicate/February 09/2022 |

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on February 09-10/2022
Israel targets sites in Syria 'in response to missile launch'
Syrian Missile Explodes over Israel after Raid from Lebanon's Airspace
Biden talks US support for Saudi Arabia, energy supplies in call with King Salman
Iran keeps threat alive beyond nuclear deal as it unveils long range missile
Iran's Khamenei Bars Sadr's Rivals in Iraq from Joining his Coalition
Iraqi parliament reopens registration for presidential candidacies amid impasse
New CENTCOM chief says Russian move in Ukraine could spill over into Syria
Ukraine Says European Push Helping Avert War
Blinken Lands in Australia ahead of Indo-Pacific Meeting
Sudanese envoy visits Israel as normalisation process survives upheaval
Egyptians welcome first-ever Christian pick as chief of supreme court
Tunisian FM meets G7 envoys over judicial council controversy
Fire, Explosion Hit Abu Dhabi in Reported Gas Cylinder Blast

Titles For The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on February 09-10/2022
Biden Admin and EU Silent on Iran's Rising Persecution of Religious Minorities/Majid Rafizadeh/Gatestone Institute/February 09/2022
Evidence Suggests ISIS Behind the Texas Synagogue Hostage Crisis/Raymond Ibrahim//February 09/2022
The search for an Iraqi president/Ibrahim al-Zobeidi/The Arab Weekly/February 09/2022

The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on February 09-10/2022
Lebanon, The Maronities And Saint Maroun In His Annual Day
Elias Bejjani/February 09/2022
(From 2013 Archives)
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/36434/elias-bejjani-lebanon-maronities-and-saint-maroun/
Fouad Afram Boustani, (1904- 1994), the Lebanese Maronite historian described the Maronite denomination as, a faith of intelligence, an identification of life, a solid belief in Catholicism, a love for others, an ongoing struggle for righteousness, a mentality of openness on the whole world, and on its different civilizations, and a vehicle for martyrdom. The Maronites established the state of Lebanon and made it an oasis for the persecuted in the middle East. They believed and practiced multiculturalism and pluralism. They created with the help of other minorities in the Middle East the unique nation of Lebanon.
The Maronites made Lebanon their homeland since the 4th century after converting its native inhabitants to Christianity. They were identified by it, and it was identified by them, they were and still are one entity. The Maronite people were always hopeful, faithful and strong believers in the Christian Catholic doctrine. They made victories of defeats, joy of sorrow and hope of despair. The Maronites successfully created with hard work and a great deal of faith and sacrifices, the Maronite nation by fulfilling its four basic pillars, a land, a people, a civilization and a politically independent entity. They constantly fight for what was theirs, and never ever surrendered to despair.
On the ninth of February for the past 1600 years, Maronites in Lebanon and all over the world have been celebrating the annual commemoration of St. Maroun, the founder of their Christian Catholic denomination.
Every year, on the ninth of February, more than ten million Maronites from all over the world celebrate St. Maroun’s day. On this day, they pay their respect to the great founder of the Maronite Church, Maroun the priest, the hermit, the father, the leader and the Saint. They remember what they have been exposed to, since the 4th century, both good and bad times. They reminisce through the past, examine the present and contemplate the future. They pray for peace, democracy and freedom in Lebanon, their homeland, and all over the world.
Who was this Saint, how did he establish his church, where did he live, and who are his people, the Maronites?
St. Maroun, according to the late great Lebanese philosopher and historian, Fouad Afram Al-Bustani, was raised in the city of Kouroch. This city is located northeast of Antioch (presently in Turkey), and to the northwest of Herapolos (Manbieg), the capital of the third Syria (Al-Furatia). Kouroch is still presently in existence in Turkey, it is located 15 kilometers to the northwest of Kalas city, and about 70 kilometers to the north of the Syrian city, Aleppo.
As stated by the historians, Father Boutrous Daou and Fouad Fram Bustani, Maroun chose a very high location at the Semaan Mountain (called in the past, Nabo Mountain, after the pagan god, Nabo). Geographically, the Semaan Mountain is located between Antioch and Aleppo. People had abandoned the mountain for years, and the area was completely deserted.
The ruins of a historic pagan temple that existed on the mountain attracted Maroun. Boustan stated that St. Maroun moved to this mountain and decided to follow the life of a hermit. He made the ruined temple his residence after excoriating it from devils, but used it only for masses and offerings of the holy Eucharist. He used to spend all his time in the open air, praying, fasting and depriving his body from all means of comfort. He became very famous in the whole area for his faith, holiness and power of curing. Thousands of believers came to him seeking help and advice.
St. Maroun, was an excellent knowledgeable preacher and a very stubborn believer in Christ and in Christianity. He was a mystic who started a new ascetic-spiritual method that attracted many people from all over the Antiochian Empire. He was a zealous missionary with a passion to spread the message of Christ by preaching it to others. He sought not only to cure the physical ailments that people suffered, but had a great quest for nurturing and healing the “lost souls” of both pagans and Christians of his time. Maroun’s holiness and countless miracles drew attention throughout the Antiochian Empire. St. John of Chrysostom sent him a letter around 405 AD expressing his great love and respect asking St. Maroun to pray for him.
St. Maroun’s way was deeply monastic with emphasis on the spiritual and ascetic aspects of living. For him, all was connected to God and God was connected to all. He did not separate the physical and spiritual world and actually used the physical world to deepen his faith and spiritual experience with God. St. Maroun embraced the quiet solitude of the Semaan Mountain life. He lived in the open air exposed to the forces of nature such as sun, rain, hail and snow. His extraordinary desire to come to know God’s presence in all things allowed him to transcend such forces, and discover an intimate union with God. He was able to free himself from the physical world by his passion and eagerness for prayer and enter into a mystical relationship of love with the creator.
St. Maroun attracted hundreds of monks and priests who came to live with him and become his disciples and loyal Christian followers. Maroun’s disciples preached the Bible in the Antiochan Empire (known at the present time as Syria), Lebanon, Turkey, Iraq, Jordan and Israel, They built hundreds of Churches and abbeys as well as schools and were known for their faith, devotion and perseverance.
At the age of seventy, in the year 410 AD, and after completing his holy mission, St. Maroun died peacefully while surrounded by his disciples and followers. His will was to be buried in the same grave with his beloved teacher, the great monk, Zabena, in the town of Kena, next to Kouroch city, where a temple was built in Zabena’s name. St. Maroun’s will was not fulfilled, because the residents of a nearby town were able to take his body and bury him in their town and build a huge church on his grave. This church was a shrine for Christians for hundreds of years, and its ruins are still apparent in that town.
After Maroun’s death, his disciples built a huge monastery in honor of his name, adjacent to the ornate spring, (Naher Al-Assi, located at the Syrian-Lebanese border). The monastery served for hundreds of years as a pillar for faith, education, martyrhood and holiness. It was destroyed at the beginning of the tenth century that witnessed the worst Christian persecution era. During the savage attack on the monastery more than 300 Maronite priests were killed. The surviving priests moved to the mountains of Lebanon where with the Marada people and the native Lebanese were successful in establishing the Maronite nation. They converted the Lebanese mountains to a fortress of faith and a symbol for martyrhood, endurance and perseverance.
Initially the Maronite movement reached Lebanon when St. Maroun’s first disciple Abraham of Cyrrhus, who was called the Apostle of Lebanon, realized that paganism was thriving in Lebanon, so he set out to convert the pagans to Christianity by introducing them to the way of St. Maroun. St. Maroun is considered to be the Father of the spiritual and monastic movement now called the Maronite Church. This movement had a profound influence on northern Syria, Lebanon, Cyprus and on many other countries all over the world where the Maronites currently live. The biggest Maronite community at the present time lives in Brazil. More than six million Lebanese descendents made Brazil their home after the massive emigration that took place from Lebanon in the beginning of this century.

Corona - Health Ministry: 8,488 new Corona cases, 19 deaths
NNA/February 09/2022
In its daily report on the COVID-19 developments, the Ministry of Public Health announced on Wednesday the registration of 8,488 new infections with the Coronavirus, which raised the cumulative number of confirmed cases to-date to 993,095. The report added that 19 deaths were recorded during the past 24 hours.

Patriarch Rahi: “We struggle so that Lebanon does not turn into an area for region's conflicts, a missile platform & a battle front”
NNA/February 09/2022
President of the Republic, General Michel Aoun, Speaker of Parliament, Nabih Berri, and Prime Minister, Najib Mikati, participated in the Divine Liturgy held at St. Maron Church in Gemmayzeh on the occasion of the feast of St. Maroun, patron saint of the Maronite community.
The Mass service was headed by Maronite Patriarch, Mar Bechara Boutros Al-Rahi, who was assisted by the Patron of the Beirut Archdiocese of the Maronites, Archbishop Boulos Abdel-Sater, Archbishop Khalil Alwan and a group of priests, in addition to a number of official, political and diplomatic individuals. Upon President Aoun's arrival in the church's outer courtyard, he was received by the President of the Maronite General Council, Eng. Michel Matta, who accompanied the President to the entrance to the church, where he was received by Patriarch Al-Rahi and the Maronite Archbishop of Beirut, Bishop Boulos Abdel-Sater, and Public Prosecutor Ignatius Al-Asmar.
President Aoun and the Patriarch went to the statue of Saint Maron and its relics, and lit two candles and prayed. Then, the President went to his seat, where applause and cheers rose for him, before he saluted Speaker Berri and PM Mikati.
Attendees:
The mass was attended by former Prime Ministers Fouad Siniora and Tammam Salam, Deputy Prime Minister Saade Al-Shami, former Deputy Prime Minister Ghassan Hasbani, Ministers of: Foreign Affairs and Emigrants Abdallah Bou Habib, Justice, Judge Henry Khoury, Defense, Brigadier General Maurice Selim, Tourism, Walid Nassar, Economy, Amin Salam, Displaced, Issam Sharaf El-Din, Finance, Youssef Khalil, Energy and Water, Walid Fayyad, Industry, George Bouchikian and Social Affairs, Hector El-Haggar. Also attending were several current and former representatives, the Papal Ambassador to Lebanon, Monsignor Joseph Spitri, a number of Arab and foreign ambassadors, a crowd of bishops and representatives of heads of Christian denominations also attended, President of the Constitutional Council, Judge Tannous Meshleb, and a number of council members, the Army Commander, General Joseph Aoun, the Central Inspection Head, Judge Georges Attia, the Director General of the Presidency of the Republic, Dr. Antoine Choucair, Director General of State Security, Major General Tony Saliba, Gendarmerie Commander, Brigadier Marwan Salilati, Director of Civil Defense, Brigadier General Raymond Khattar, Director General of Customs, Raymond Khoury, Head of the Lawyers Syndicate, Nader Kaspar, Chief Editors Syndicate, Joseph Al-Qusaifi, Head of Doctors Syndicate, Sharaf Abu Sharaf, and Pharmacists Syndicate Joe Salloum, Beirut Governor, Judge Marwan Abboud, Dean of the Consular Corps, Joseph Habis, President of the Maronite General Council Michel Matta, Dean of the Maronite Council, former Minister Wadih El-Khazen, President of the Maronite League, former MP Neematallah Abi Nasr and Vice President of the Association Ambassador Khalil Karam, head of the Maronite Diaspora Foundation, Engineer Charles Hajj, and political, party and social figures.
Speech of Archbishop of Beirut, Bishop Boulos Abdel-Sater:
“Thanks be to God who gave us to celebrate again the feast of Saint Maron, father of our Maronite community, in the presence of officials in our country, His Excellency the President of the Republic, the Speaker of Parliament and the Prime Minister, accompanied by deputies, ministers, heads of security services, general managers and ambassadors of friendly countries, in the midst of a believing people who adhere to their faith and their land.
It is a source of joy and pride for the Maronite Archdiocese of Beirut that His Beatitude our Father, the Patriarch, presides over this celebration and prays within the walls of this church for the intention of Lebanon and its capital, Beirut, and its people. Beirut, which resists death by its people's desire for life and their attachment to its neighborhoods and streets, even if the sacrifices are great. Beirut, which resists all hegemony by adhering to independence, sovereignty and free decision away from the interactions of regional and international axes. Beirut, which is resisting partition, is close to its people, who are in the majority from several regions of Lebanon, with each other and by their solidarity in distress and by sharing each other’s sorrows and joys. Beirut, which resists sectarian and partisan fanaticism by opening its people to the other, accepting his distinction, and respecting the freedom of his conscience, religion, tradition and culture.
Beirut, which resists injustice by standing by the weak, the oppressed, the marginalized, and the pursuit of the truth, especially the fact of the explosion of August 4, 2020, and by struggling with it until it obtains its right and attains the truth it seeks. Your Beatitude, Your Excellency, the President, and Your Excellencies, let us pray together for the intention of the resurrection of Beirut and Lebanon and work for it”.
Word of Patriarch Cardinal Mar Bechara Boutros Al-Rahi:
Mar Maroun's Day
“If a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it bears much fruit” (John 12:23).
Mr. President,
1. We thank you for accepting the invitation of our brother, Archbishop Boulos Abdel-Sater, Archbishop of Beirut, to participate in the feast mass of our father, Saint Maron, while preserving your good custom.
We also thank His Excellency the Speaker of Parliament, Mr. Nabih Berri, and His Excellency the Prime Minister, Mr. Najib Mikati, for accepting the invitation.
Your presence confers on the feast its religious and national dimensions, with its comprehensive pluralistic content of the components of the one Lebanese family. While we welcome your Excellency and the Prime Minister and Speaker, we also welcome the papal ambassador, metropolitans, ministers, representatives, ambassadors, officials and this faithful people.
It also pleases me to congratulate the Lebanese citizens in general, and all the sons of the Maronite nation in particular, in Lebanon and the countries of the East, and the diaspora of the feast of our father Saint Maron, who invites us to return to our spiritual and civilizational origins.
2. The grain of wheat, which Christ the Lord speaks of in today's Gospel, symbolizes the mystery of his death and resurrection, from which the Church and the new humanity were born. It is the "grain of wheat" par excellence. And Saint Maron lived and died on Mount Cyrus between the Great Antioch and Aleppo, through austerity, death and prayer, is a “grain of wheat” that yielded a ripe tree that is the Maronite Church.
There on the fortress of Kaluta in Mount Simeon he built a little hut, which he rarely used. God generously bestowed upon him the gift of healing, and he drew crowds to him from every direction. He cured all kinds of diseases with one medicine, which is prayer, and instructed and taught the way to ascend the ladder of virtues, so he was called "the teacher of Cyrus hermits and their father."
3. When we speak of Saint Maron, it comes naturally to talk about Maroniteness, not in its political appearance, but in its essence and origins.
Maroniteism is basically a Syriac Antiochian spiritual path, which began on the example of that monk Maron, who is dedicated to the philosophy of God's love through asceticism. Then it became a theological school based on the doctrine of the Council of Chalcedon (451), which states that the two natures are divine and human in the person of Christ. It is a Catholic belief that made the Maronites in permanent union with the see of Peter in Rome. Then it was embodied in a human society united by faith.
Finally, it was organized as a legal entity with the establishment of the Maronite Antioch Patriarchate at the end of the seventh century. This entity has remained independent for centuries from any civil authority (Father Michel al-Hayek: Maroniteness: a knot or a cause? pp. 27-29). The mother of the Maronites is Lebanon, not insofar as it is a land, a state, or a nationality, but rather, a land of freedom.
They made freedom their spiritual, social and political project, and it made them students in every stance, initiative and decision.
4. The Maronites followed Saint Maron from the beginning, not only for his faith, but especially for his values. Therefore, Maroniteness begins in us when we adhere to the virtues of benevolence, giving, love, steadfastness, dignity and strength. It ends in us when we are possessed by grudge, envy, hatred, revenge and the spirit of surrender.
History teaches us that the political and military downfall of all empires was preceded by the collapse of the ladder of values in their societies, the low level of their leaders, their entrenched differences, the spread of corruption, and the control of whims of interests.
On this religious and national occasion at the same time, we renew our faith in Lebanon and our adherence to it despite all the internal and external challenges. The challenge strengthens our steadfastness and urges us to draw lessons for the development and protection of our existence.
The Maronites did not choose "Greater Lebanon" by chance. Before him, they experienced in Lebanon and the Mashreq all kinds of regimes, kingdoms and sultanates. They lived through all conquests, religions and sects, in Mount Lebanon, with their Druze brothers in particular, they experimented with various forms of constitutional formulas, especially in the nineteenth century, so they knew the advantages and disadvantages of each formula.
And when they became in a position of influence in the choice of destiny in the year 1920, they chose with the other Lebanese components the Christian-Islamic partnership and belonging to the Arab environment.
5. They distinguished their homeland with cultural and religious pluralism, a parliamentary democratic system, public freedoms, a commitment to neutrality and peace, and the separation of religion from the state in a unique charter formula based on living together. They also distinguished their country with its liberal economy, prosperity, banking system, schools, universities, and hospital institutions, and its security, stability and openness.
We wanted it together to be a pioneering project in the East. So that the formula of coexistence in the internal environment goes beyond to coexistence with their Arab environment on the basis of mutual respect.
We wanted it to be a meeting place of civilizations and an oasis of their coexistence. But the weakness of the national immunity, which is attributed to the multiplicity of loyalties, distorted Lebanon's message. However, we struggle together so that Lebanon does not continue to become a place for the region's conflicts, a missile platform, and a battle front.
The state of Lebanon was not established to be the enemy of its brothers and friends, so let us not make it the enemy of itself. Recognizing Lebanon as a final homeland means recognition of three constants: the finality of the coexistence pact, the finality of the Christian role, and the finality of allegiance to Lebanon alone. By respecting this historical triangle, we will save Lebanon's unity and prove its neutrality.
6. Since their inception, the Maronites have sought to be an independent state in Lebanon and the East. Their limits are freedom and dignity, and their range is dialogue and interaction with civilizations. They took root in the East and extended their branches towards the world. Their logic is faith, reason and conscience, and their loyalty is to one nation, which is Lebanon.
They adapted to reality without submitting to it, and lived with others without melting into them. They avoided getting involved in conflicts, not because they are a minority in the East, but because they are messengers of peace.
7. On the occasion of this national and religious holiday at the same time, and in the presence of the respected leaders of the state, we look forward with the Lebanese people to five priorities:
1) Parliamentary and presidential elections are held on their constitutional dates. The Lebanese people, who are resident and in diaspora, yearn for change, are looking forward to these two demands to express their national will, so do not disappoint their hopes again.
2) Announcing the truth about the Beirut port explosion, after nearly two years. It has been called the explosion of the age, so it is not possible for the investigation to remain frozen and a victim of controversies and constitutional interpretations, as if someone fears the truth?
3) Accelerating the reform process and agreeing with the International Monetary Fund on a realistic and integrated plan that will save Lebanon from continuous collapse, and restore to it the elements of its economic, financial and developmental renaissance.
4) Completing the implementation of the Taif Accord and addressing the resulting gaps, while seeking to implement Security Council resolutions in order to achieve Lebanon's sovereignty over its entire territory. If the state's inability to do so continues, it is necessary to seek the assistance of the United Nations to convene an international conference to ensure the implementation of solutions and the safety of Lebanon.
5) Adopting the system of positive neutrality as a basis in our foreign relations, because it is the guarantee of Lebanon's unity, independence and sovereignty. The neutrality that we demand is already a structural element in the formation of Lebanon and is inherent in its geographical location and its peaceful heritage.
8. We pray to God that, through the intercession of Saint Maron, he protects our homeland and our Church so that we all remain faithful to our mission in this East. Praise be to God, now and forever, Amen”.
At the end, the Patriarch accompanied President Aoun, Speaker Berri and PM Mikati to the entrance to the church, where the crowd chanted the name of President Aoun and Lebanon.
Then, the President left to Baabda Palace. Presidency Information Office

President Aoun: “We are ready to study the points raised based on the desire to find solutions to this file”
NNA/February 09/2022
President of the Republic, General Michel Aoun, met the US mediator in the indirect negotiations to demarcate the maritime borders between Lebanon and Israel, Amos Hochstein, this afternoon at Baabda Palace. US Ambassador to Lebanon, Dorothy Shea, and the assistant team of Ambassador Hochstein also attended the meeting.On the Lebanese side, Foreign Minister, Abdullah Bou Habib, Energy Minister, Walid Fayyad, former Minister Salim Jreissati, Director General of the Presidency of the Republic, Dr. Antoine Choucair, and advisors Mr. Rafic Chelala and Osama Khashab attended.
During the meeting, Ambassador Hochstein briefed President Aoun on the results of the contacts he held in Israel on the issue of demarcating the southern maritime borders. Ambassador Hochstein also presented suggestions that will be studied based on the desire to reach solutions to this issue and communications with the US side will continue for this purpose. For his part, the President assured Ambassador Hochstein of Lebanon's readiness to discuss the points raised, which will be completed later.In addition, the role played by the United States to help overcome the obstacles facing the import of gas and electricity from Egypt, Jordan and Syria were tackled also. Presidency Information Office

Lebanon, Israel ‘narrowing gaps’ towards deal on maritime border: US diplomat
Joseph Haboush, Al Arabiya English/09 February ,2022
Lebanon and Israel are at a moment of “narrowing” gaps towards reaching a deal on their disputed maritime borders, a senior US diplomat said on Wednesday. “I think after 10 years of these discussions, it’s time for moving on to a deal. I came here in November. I was in Israel. And now we’re at a stage where I understand the parties’ positions, and I think that we’re at the moment of narrowing those gaps towards a deal,” the State Department’s senior advisor for global energy security, Amos Hochstein, said. At least three different US envoys, including Hochstein, have exerted significant diplomatic efforts to help resolve the maritime border dispute. In 2012, Frederic Hof, most notably, proposed dividing the disputed waters along what became the “Hof Line.” This would see Lebanon take 500 sq. km. out of the 842 sq. km. Waters claimed by both sides have potential natural gas reserves. Israel currently pumps gas from offshore fields, while Lebanon has not found commercial gas reserves after one round of drilling north of the capital Beirut. Hochstein tried to mediate while the State Department’s special envoy for international energy affairs from 2014-2017. But progress seems to have been made, building off former US diplomat David Schenker’s successful efforts to get Lebanese and Israeli officials in the same room for indirect talks. After a few rounds of talks at the end of 2020, the US stopped the discussions when Lebanon suddenly demanded an extra 1,430 square kilometers (550 sq. miles). Israel proceeded to put forth maximalist demands as well. Reports of a divide between Lebanese officials, specifically its president and parliament speaker, surfaced over the new demands. But Hochstein said he was confident that a unified position would be put forth by all parties. “I’m pretty optimistic, and I hope and trust... I am confident that there will be a unified position in Lebanon, that there’ll be a unified position in Israel, and that we’ll be able to move forward,” he said during an interview with Lebanese TV channel LBCI. The US diplomat met with Lebanon’s top officials on Wednesday after doing the same in Israel last week. He said negotiations were about compromise. “It’s about reaching a settlement where neither side gets 100 percent of what they want. “It’s the right time to move away from the distractions of external pressures that both sides face and stay focused on what this dispute is about,” he said, referring to the disputed border points of where each country’s waters begin and end. “There's no later anymore. This is the later. This is the last minute,” Hochstein said of the need to reach a deal.

Berri reviews with Hochstein, Shea the outcome of indirect renegotiation efforts
NNA/February 09/2022
House Speaker Nabih Berri received at Ain Al-Tineh this evening the US mediator in the indirect negotiations to demarcate the Lebanese maritime borders, Amos Hochstein, and his accompanying delegation, in the presence of US Ambassador to Lebanon Dorothy Shea, where talks centered on the results of the US envoy's efforts to resume the indirect negotiation process in accordance with the “Framework Agreement” and on the basis of adherence to Lebanese rights.

Lebanese Army Commander: We abide by the decision of the political authority on the issue of maritime borders
NNA/February 09/2022
The Commander of the Lebanese Army, General Joseph Aoun, affirmed that the military institution is with any decision taken by the political authority regarding the demarcation of the maritime borders. His stance was declared during a meeting with the head of the US delegation to the indirect negotiations to demarcate the maritime border, Amos Hochstein, in the presence of the US Ambassador to Beirut, Dorothy Shea, according to the German news agency. The US Energy Adviser Hochstein and a delegation arrived in Beirut on Tuesday to meet with a number of Lebanese officials and discuss the issue of demarcating Lebanon's maritime borders with Israel. At the beginning of October 2020, the Speaker of the Lebanese Parliament, Nabih Berri, announced a framework agreement to negotiate the demarcation of the border under the auspices of the United Nations and under its flag, and with the mediation of the United States, to resolve a dispute over the demarcation of Lebanon's exclusive economic zone. So far, five rounds of indirect negotiations have been conducted to demarcate the maritime borders between Lebanon and Israel, at the headquarters of the International Forces (UNIFIL) in the Ras Al-Naqoura area in southern Lebanon.

Mikati, Hochstein convene
NNA/February 09/2022
Prime Minister Najib Mikati received at his residence this afternoon the US mediator in the indirect negotiations to demarcate the Lebanese maritime borders, Amos Hochstein, in the presence of United States Ambassador to Lebanon, Dorothy Shea. Discussions during the meeting touched on Hochstein's new proposals, whereby PM Mikati said he would "consult with President Michel Aoun and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri to determine the Lebanese position in this regard."

Ibrahim, Hochstein meet
NNA/February 09/2022
Director General of Public Security, Major General Abbas Ibrahim, received in his office this morning a US delegation headed by the Senior Advisor for Global Energy Security, Amos Hochstein, in the presence of US Ambassador to Lebanon Dorothy Shea, with discussions reportedly focusing on the developments in the maritime border demarcation file.

U.S. Embassy Says Talks between Hochstein, Army Chief Fruitful
Naharnet/February 09/2022
"Where there's a will, there's a way," the U.S. embassy in Lebanon tweeted Wednesday, describing a meeting between U.S. Special Envoy Amos Hochstein and Army Commander Joseph Aoun as fruitful. U.S. Special Envoy and Coordinator for International Energy Affairs Amos Hochstein arrived in Lebanon Tuesday and met today, Wednesday, with Aoun. The embassy said that an agreement on maritime borders could create a much-needed opportunity for prosperity in Lebanon. Indirect negotiations, mediated by the U.S., had been stalled after a disagreement on a disputed area. As negotiations resume, Lebanon hopes that oil and gas discoveries in its territorial waters will help it overcome an unprecedented economic and financial crisis.

International probes offer Lebanese hope their elites might soon face day of reckoning
AFP/The Arab Weekly/February 09/2022
The investigations conducted by European countries into the financial assets of the Governor of Lebanese Central Bank, Riad Salameh, have given many Lebanese the hope that the time of reckoning for the Lebanese political and economic elites might come sooner than they thought.
Analysts say that probe into Salameh and other key Lebanese figures could shed light on the role played by long-suspected members of the elite in the country's worsening problems. Lebanese political analysts said that Germany's request for information on Salameh's finances is a clear message from the countries concerned by Lebanon’s crisis that they will no longer remain silent about corruption and will spare no effort to investigate the wealth of leading politicians. Donor countries, in particular, have a stake in knowing with whom they are dealing and in vetting the integrity of senior officials who will be entrusted with the management of international loans and various form of financial assistance. Analysts believe that the suspicions surrounding Salameh, which have yet to be fully investigated by the Lebanese judiciary, show that Lebanon needs to dismantle the corruption networks involving political, economic and sectarian interests, before talking about elections or reforms of any kind. Much evidence about such networks is available, but the country's judiciary dares not open the files on senior politicians and well-known parties, including Hezbollah, which are under a thick cloud of suspicion.
This leads many in Lebanon to believe that the solution lies in the international judiciary even if Western nations concerned with Lebanon, including the United States and France, tend to be accommodating of the political class despite its rejection of change and genuine reform.
Lebanon has received a letter from Germany asking for information relating to the finances of Lebanese central bank governor Salameh, a person familiar with the matter said on Tuesday. Lebanese Justice Minister Henry Khoury confirmed that he had received two German letters and had handed them to the public prosecutor. Germany is the fourth European country to seek information on Salameh's finances from the Beirut authorities.
Lebanese judicial sources told Reuters last week that French and Luxembourg authorities had asked for information relating to bank accounts and assets belonging to Salameh, Lebanon's central bank governor for nearly three decades. Salameh has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing. The Swiss attorney general's office said last year it had requested legal assistance from Lebanon in the context of an investigation into "aggravated money laundering" and possible embezzlement of more than $300 million under Salameh at the central bank. Lebanese judicial authorities have also opened an investigation into Salameh's finances. Commenting, last week, on the query from Luxembourg, Salameh said this was a "normal procedure" not a "legal suit". "If they had filed a legal suit they don't need help in the investigation," he said. Salameh's role at the central bank has come under close scrutiny since Lebanon's economic meltdown in 2019, which has seen the value of the currency collapse and swathes of the population pushed into poverty. But Salameh still enjoys significant political backing in Lebanon.
Prime Minister Najib Mikati said in December the central bank chief should remain in position for now. "One does not change their officers during a war," Mikati said, referring to the financial crisis. Lebanese experts say that Salameh knows the inside secrets of the business and political elites. As with the investigation into the Beirut blast, now completely halted due to threats from Hezbollah, most Lebanese do not expect much from the investigation led by Judge Ghada Aoun, who has been entrusted with Salameh's file. Lebanese analysts believe that international judicial attention to Salameh's case puts the political class under the spotlight and may push it to retreat. The Lebanese are betting on the upcoming elections, which may provide a rare opportunity to pressure the political class. Questions have emerged over the fate of the tripartite alliance between Hezbollah and both the Amal Movement and the Free Patriotic Movement. The traditional support base of the Free Patriotic Movement, in particular, is under threat of significantly shrinking as the trend in many Lebanese Christian communities is towards siding with the opposition. Lebanon experts say the November 2019 protests showed that the political class does not have any popular depth and that it controls the political scene through sectarian alliances, corrupt money and external support. Those protests succeeded in bringing down the government of Saad Hariri. With the approach of the parliamentary elections this May, opposition parties and independent candidates are trying to present a united front in order to challenge the dominant parties' rule. Independent candidate Paula Yacoubian told L'Orient Le Jour, she and others needed to enter parliament "to change the way things are done in Lebanese politics and prevent the establishment's politicians from hiding behind its usual sectarian slogans instead of suggesting actual policies to the people."This remains possible, especially if external pressures increase, particularly from the International Monetary Fund. Support by the IMF and other international institutions is seen as the key to getting Lebanon out of its economic quagmire and engaging far-reaching reform.

Nasrallah Slams U.S. Role and Parties that 'Receive Orders from Embassies'
Naharnet/February 09/2022
Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah has lashed out at what he called the “subversive” U.S. influence in Lebanon, while questioning the Lebanese identity of political parties which he said are “receiving orders from embassies.”Noting that “U.S. attempts to open communication channels with Hizbullah” through various parties “have not stopped” over the past years, Nasrallah charged in an interview on Iran’s al-Alam TV that “the American influence in Lebanon is subversive.”“The U.S. embassy in Awkar recruited Lebanese nationals to gather information for the Israelis,” he said.“The entire Lebanese banking system is subject to the decisions of the U.S. Treasury,” Nasrallah noted, adding that “delegations from the U.S. embassy are roaming the country and are interfering in the issue of elections.”Stressing that Hizbullah's decisions are Lebanese and do not come from Iran, Nasrallah added that “some parties which receive orders from embassies must be asked about their Lebanese identity.”“I ask all those accusing Hizbullah to tell us about a single act that Hizbullah did for the sake of Iran rather than for the sake of Lebanon,” he said, emphasizing that “Hizbullah belongs to this country and its history and social fabric.”As for the upcoming parliamentary elections, Hizbullah’s leader said that “no one can predict the elections' result from now.”“It is wrong to say that the elections will be a battle between those who are with the resistance and those who are against it,” he added, while noting that there are parties that are neutral regarding the question of resisting Israel. He however added that Hizbullah “wants the resistance's friends to be plenty in parliament.”Asked about the paper of demands that has been recently submitted to Lebanon by the Gulf countries, Nasrallah said “it would have been better to go to a dialogue between Lebanon and the Arab countries.”“This would have been appropriate and we support this,” he said. “The paper calls for handing over Hizbullah's arms in return for the bread of the Lebanese,” Nasrallah charged. Blasting Saudi Arabia and the UAE for “interfering in Lebanon's affairs and in the domestic affairs of all Arab countries,” Nasrallah added: “We (in Hizbullah) are not interfering in Saudi Arabia or the UAE. They are waging a war against the Yemeni people and we are supporting the Yemeni people.”Asked about the possibility of Israel carrying out a strike to destroy Hizbullah’s precision-guided missiles, Nasrallah ruled out such a scenario and said that the missiles “are not present in one place.”“This does not allow Israel to destroy them,” he added. He also noted that Israel would need an all-out war and not a military strike in order to destroy these missiles. “Is Israel ready to go to a real and full war?” he added. “Israel fears war and it is using the economic and financial issue to reach a handover of Hizbullah's weapons,” Nasrallah went on to say, noting that Israel is “still betting on the Lebanese domestic situation.”Hizbullah’s leader also reiterated that his group “does not seek war” and is not fond of it while stressing that it is “not afraid of it.” “We will not give up our national interests if threatened by war,” he added.

Hezbollah leader denounces Kuwaiti proposals but backs Lebanon-Gulf dialogue and describes proposals brought forward as 'dictates'
Ismaeel Naar/The National/February 09/ 2022
The head of Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group said on Tuesday he was against a list of proposals as part of Kuwait’s mediation aimed at repairing ties between Lebanon and Gulf Arab states. But Hassan Nasrallah said he was in support of dialogue efforts. He described the Kuwaiti list of proposals and conditions brought forward for Lebanon as “dictates”. The proposals have resulted in strained ties recently, largely over what they say is Hezbollah’s growing influence. “Lebanon is a sovereign country and should not be sent dictates,” Mr Nasrallah said in an interview on Iranian TV channel Al Alam.
The terms delivered to Beirut on January 22 included setting a time frame for implementing UN Security Council resolutions. They included Resolution 1559, adopted in 2004, which calls for the disarmament of non-state militias in Lebanon. The initiative’s conditions also included halting drug smuggling from Lebanon, non-interference in the internal affairs of Arab countries and curbing the involvement of the Iran-backed Hezbollah movement in other Arab countries, most importantly Yemen. Lebanon’s ties to the Arab Gulf and particularly Saudi Arabia, formerly a major donor to Beirut, hit rock bottom last year over what the Saudi foreign minister said was Hezbollah’s growing influence in the country. Relations had deteriorated for years, causing knock-on effects within Lebanon.Relations between Lebanon and Gulf states are at their lowest ebb in decades after comments by a minister last year caused a crisis. George Kordahi spoke critically of the Saudi-led coalition’s support for the Yemeni government in the war against Iran-backed Houthi rebels during a wave of attacks on the kingdom by the group. The comments by Mr Kordahi, who was then information minister, prompted Saudi Arabia to recall its ambassador from Beirut and ban all Lebanese imports, affecting hundreds of businesses and cutting off the flow of hundreds of millions in foreign currency to Lebanon. Several other Gulf countries followed. Hezbollah has a militia more powerful than Lebanon’s army and has backed pro-Iran allies in the region, including in Syria. The group and its allies also exercise major sway over Lebanese state policy.

Nasrallah: Iran Itself – Not Its Allies – Would Respond To An Israeli Strike; Israeli Airstrikes Cannot Eliminate Our Precision Missile Arsenal; The U.S. Tried To Contact Us, But We Denied Them
MEMRI/February 09/ 2022
Source: Al-Alam TV (Iran)
Hizbullah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah said in a February 8, 2022 interview on Al-Alam TV (Iran) said that if Israel attacks Iran, Iran would retaliate directly in a hard and violent fashion, and not through its "friends" in the region. He said that since such a "stupid act" would have severe consequences, it is implausible for Israel to strike Iran. In addition, Nasrallah said that Israel cannot simply bomb Hizbullah's arsenal of precision missiles because they are stored in several locations and because Hizbullah has taken security measures to prevent this. He elaborated that all-out war would be necessary for Israel to effectively target Hizbullah's arsenal of precision missiles. Later in the interview, Nasrallah said that the U.S. embassy in Beirut is the CIA's main station in the entire Middle East, and that the CIA recruits Lebanese citizens to gather intelligence for Israel. He said that even though the U.S. says it does not negotiate with terrorists, it has for decades attempted to establish a "channel of communications" with Hizbullah, but that Hizbullah has rejected its overtures. He also accused the U.S. of having created, run, and cooperated with several terrorist organizations, including ISIS and Al-Qaeda.
Hassan Nasrallah: "Iran is not kidding. The Iranian Leader [Khamenei] and the Iranian officials have said that Iran would retaliate. Some people think that if Israel bombs Iran, the Islamic Republic will rely on its friends in the region.
"If the Islamic Republic is bombed by the Israelis, it will retaliate directly, and this retaliation will be hard, violent, and powerful.
"This is something that the Israelis know full well. This is why most of the people in the security and military circles oppose going to a military operation of this kind. In any case, I believe it is not plausible that the Israeli enemy would do such a thing, and if it does, it would prove to be a stupid act with severe consequences.
"When [Israel] says that it wants to eliminate Hizbullah's precision missiles - does it know how many there are and where they are deployed? These missiles are not located in one single place - or even in two, three, or four - so that they can come and bomb them from the air, and that would be the end of it.
"The spread of the resistance's missile capabilities, the number of missiles, and the security measures that have been taken prevent them from carrying out such a thing. They are exaggerating when they talk about this to such an extent. When they say that they want to eliminate the accurate missiles of the resistance of Lebanon, it means that they will need a war. A military operation would not be enough.
"Is [Israel] ready to go to real, full-on war?
The U.S. Embassy in Lebanon is the CIA's main station in the region. Its [operations are] not limited to Lebanon. The [new] embassy they are building - they are not doing it just for Lebanon. They are building it for the entire region - Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Turkey, Cyprus, maybe even further... There is a huge embassy in Iraq and a big embassy is being built in Lebanon.
"The role of the embassy is not limited to Lebanon. The security impact, the recruitment to the CIA, and the informants who work for U.S. intelligence - all this is endless.
"The U.S. Embassy in Awkar recruits Lebanese citizens to gather military information needed by Israel, not by the CIA.
"The Americans consider themselves to be pragmatic and realistic. They have a problem. They say: 'We do not negotiate with terrorists.' Well, they cooperate with terrorists, not just negotiate with them. They create terrorist organizations, run them, and cooperate with them. Trump admitted this and accused Obama and [Hillary] Clinton of creating ISIS, and Clinton herself admitted to creating Al-Qaeda.
"This entire story about not negotiating with terrorist organizations is complete nonsense. Even though they classify us as a terrorist organization, they have been making overtures for years - before [the Israeli withdrawal] in 2000 and after that, as well as after 9/11, and before 2006 and after 2006 and recently as well.
"There is always an attempt to open a channel of communication. This is not something we have any reason to brag about. We also do not need to prove our reliability. They have resorted to several channels. They approached us through someone, and we said 'no,' so they turned through someone else, and we also said 'no,' and so on... There were four or five attempts."
Interviewer: "They used mediators..."
Nasrallah: "Yes, of course. We have many mutual friends in Lebanon."

Nasrallah: Let whoever claims to want a state of sovereignty, liberty & independence, confront the destructive American influence
NNA/February 09/ 2022
Hezbollah Secretary-General, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, stressed that “the Islamic Republic of Iran, which is the result of the popular Islamic revolution in it, constitutes a model in the Islamic world and the third world, and indeed in the world at large, for a state with full sovereignty; a state with real independence; a state with absolute freedom,” adding that “those who rule in Iran are actually the Iranian people, for it is the people who choose the leader, the president of the republic, deputies of Parliament, members of the Assembly of Experts, members of municipalities, and so on…”
Nasrallah asserted that “real popular sovereignty exists in Iran, and therefore it is a model presented today,” calling on all those who claim to want “a state of sovereignty, liberty and independence in Lebanon to confront America’s destructive influence.”
Speaking in an interview with “Al-Alam” TV Channel, Hezbollah's Secretary-General continued to emphasize that the regime in Iran is sovereign, free and independent, and does not accept submission. “It is not a tool of the United States of America and does not allow its wealth and bounties to be plundered,” he maintained, adding, that “the current American administration is very unlikely to resort to war, since any war talk is always to intimidate, threaten and pressure Iran.”
Referring to Hezbollah’s role and decision, Nasrallah stressed that “Hezbollah’s decision is Lebanese and primarily takes into account the interests of the homeland and the people,” adding that "the resistance is keen on possessing any weapon that would enable it to defend this country and this people against the Israelis."
Asked about the demarcation of the Lebanese borders, he said: "We are a resistance that does not interfere in the issue of border demarcation, because for us, there is no such thing as Israel, there is no such thing as borders with Israel, and therefore there is the Palestinian land…Naturally the Lebanese state wants to demarcate the borders, so let it do so, we don't interfere.”
Responding to a question on the many bets that Hezbollah will lose the majority with its allies in Parliament, Nasrallah deemed this as a huge exaggeration, stressing that no one can rush towards such speculations on the outcome of the parliamentary elections at this stage.
Commenting on former Prime Minister Saad Hariri's decision to refrain from running for the elections, Nasrallah disclosed that his Party, through some mutual friends, had contacted Hariri hoping that he would reconsider his decision, noting that it is “unfortunate” because “opportunities for cooperation existed and remain with the Future Movement."

Former Leading Aounists to Wage Lebanon's Elections as Part of Opposition
Beirut - Paula Astih/February 09/ 2022
A group of former leading members of Lebanese President Michel Aoun's Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) will wage the upcoming parliamentary elections as part of the opposition. The former Aounists will join the forces of "revolution and change" and the opposition, believing they have major chances in achieving a breakthrough in several districts against the ruling authority, which the FPM is a main part of. The FPM was founded by Aoun and is now headed by his son-in-law, former minister Gebran Bassil. Cracks within the FPM first started to emerge in 2013 and came to a head in 2015 before the election of the president of the movement. Bassil's opponents said at the time that pressure was exerted on would-be candidates to stand down and allow him to be elected, which is what happened. Rather than being elected in a democratic process, they believe Bassil was effectively "appointed" to his post.
Moreover, they have asserted that ever since he assumed his role, he has worked on eliminating his opponents, who are commonly known as "veterans and founders" of the FPM, and sought to give a more prominent role to influential businessmen, especially when it came to parliamentary elections and naming ministers to cabinet. Indeed, a large number of the ensuing lawmakers and ministers, who have been named in recent governments, are new members of the FPM and had up until recently been members of other parties. Since 2013, several of the founding members of the FPM have been sacked for violating the party's decisions. Others joined them by resigning in protest against FPM policies under Bassil. The "Aounist opposition" is now seeking to run in electoral districts in Baabda, Aley, al-Metn, Keserouan - Jbeil, al-Koura, Jezzine, Akkar and Zahle. Former Aounists will either run in the elections themselves or throw their support behind candidates. Among the nominees are Aoun's nephew, Naim Aoun, who is a founder of the FPM, as well as former leading members Ramzi Kanj, Tanious Hobeika, Toufik Salloum and Toni Abi Akl. Antoine Nasrallah has yet to decide whether he will run. They believe they will be waging an electoral battle to achieve real change in Lebanon. Naim Aoun told Asharq Al-Awsat that the former Aounists have been preparing for this year's elections since 2018, when the last polls were held. "We realized back then that the entire country was facing an existential threat and the ensuing developments proved our point and motivated us to press on with our plans," he stressed. He blamed the current political class for the crisis in Lebanon, while acknowledging that foreign meddling also played a part. "We are seeking to address the causes of the crisis, not its symptoms," he vowed. Kanj said the current battle is being waged against the political class. The FPM is partially responsible for Lebanon's collapse because it is part of the political class, he told Asharq Al-Awsat. He remarked that the movement recently started to shoulder the majority of the blame because it boasts the largest parliamentary bloc through its various alliances and because Michel Aoun is president."The problem in Lebanon is not technical, rather it is related to political will," he went on to say. Kanj explained that the problem is that numbers mean nothing in Lebanon where the ruling authority is comprised of minority groups that have united with each other. In other words, a bloc of 20 MPs or more is enough to achieve the desired change if it has the necessary foreign support, and most importantly, internal will. The situation in the country is no longer sustainable, he stressed. For his part, Nasrallah said the opponents of the FPM are counting on the votes of people who have grown disgruntled of its policies.They include people who did not vote in the last elections or voted for the FPM because there was no other alternative, he explained to Asharq Al-Awsat. The former Aounists will nominate people who adhere to the FPM's belief in "sovereignty and a strong state" that is not partnered with those who wield illegal weapons. "We will provide alternatives to those who no longer believe in the FPM leadership," he revealed. In 2018, former Aounists Bassam al-Hashem and Ziad Abas ran in the elections, but they both lost.

Lebanon Gets German Query on Cenbank Governor Finances
Asharq Al-Awsat/February 09/ 2022
Lebanon has received a letter from Germany asking for information relating to the finances of Lebanese Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh, a person familiar with the matter said on Tuesday. Lebanese Justice Minister Henry Khoury confirmed to Reuters that he had received two German letters and had handed them to the public prosecutor, without saying what was in them.
Germany would be the fourth European country to seek information on Salameh's finances from Beirut. The person, who declined to be named, also offered no further detail. Salameh did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Reuters. A spokesperson for Germany's justice ministry declined to comment, and the German embassy in Beirut referred Reuters to the German justice ministry. Lebanese judicial sources told Reuters last week that French and Luxembourg authorities had asked for information relating to bank accounts and assets belonging to Salameh, Lebanon's Central Bank governor for nearly three decades. Salameh has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing. The Swiss attorney general's office said last year it had requested legal assistance from Lebanon in the context of a investigation into "aggravated money laundering" and possible embezzlement of more than $300 million under Salameh at the Central Bank. Lebanese judicial authorities have also opened an inquiry into Salameh. Responding to a request for comment last week about the query from Luxembourg, Salameh told Reuters this was a "normal procedure" not a "legal suit". "If they had filed a legal suit they don't need help in the investigation," he said. Salameh's role at the Central Bank has come under close scrutiny since Lebanon's economic meltdown in 2019, which has seen the value of the currency collapse and swathes of the population pushed into poverty. He still enjoys significant political backing in Lebanon. Prime Minister Najib Mikati said in December Salameh should remain in position for now. "One does not change their officers during a war," Mikati said, referring to the financial crisis.

Germany must implement its ban of Hezbollah terror activities
Benjamin Weinthal/Jewish News Syndicate/February 09/2022 |
To great fanfare, Berlin announced in April 2020 that it outlawed all activities of the Lebanese terrorist movement Hezbollah within the territory of the Federal Republic. However, the ban remains a dead letter because Germany and its 16 states largely refuse to enforce it.
According to a 2021 intelligence report from the state of Lower Saxony’s domestic intelligence agency, the number of Hezbollah’s supporters and members in Germany rose from 1,050 in 2019 to 1,250 in 2020. Despite the ban, Germany has not arrested them. Note that a mere three Hezbollah operatives managed to blow up a tour bus in Bulgaria in 2012, resulting in the murder of five Israelis and their Bulgarian Muslim bus driver.
Hezbollah remains a deadly threat to Jews and Israelis in Europe.
Richard Grenell, the former U.S. ambassador to Germany who was largely responsible for impelling Berlin to pass its anti-Hezbollah ban, tweeted in June 2021: “It’s good the Germans moved last year to outlaw Hezbollah, despite the E.U.’s inaction. The German government now has more legal tools to shut Hezbollah down and arrest its supporters.”
The pressing question is: Will Germany and its constituent states use their new legal and counter-terrorism tools to crack down on Hezbollah’s activities?
Take the disturbing example of the southwestern state of Baden-Württemberg, where Hezbollah stored ammonium nitrate and currently has 75 active operatives, according to the state’s most recent intelligence report.
Hezbollah terrorists have used ammonium nitrate to plot bomb attacks in Argentina, Britain, Bulgaria, Cyprus and France, and the same explosive material destroyed the Beirut port in August 2020, killing 218 people, wounding more than 7,000 others, leaving an estimated 300,000 people homeless and causing more than $15 billion in property damage.
In September 2020, Timur Lutfullin, a parliamentary advisor for the Free Democratic Party in the Baden-Württemberg state government, contacted me and noted that he along with two politicians “prepared the initiative … regarding Hezbollah activities in Baden-Württemberg.”
The initiative came in the form of a questionnaire that sought answers from the state’s government about how Hezbollah was able to store explosive materials in Baden-Württemberg and what the state was doing to combat the terrorist organization.
Lutfullin added, “We would like to continue [with] the issue in the public [sphere] and to grow the pressure on our government.”
The sense of urgency about Hezbollah’s activities in Baden-Württemberg has intensified since it was revealed that Michael Blume, the state’s commissioner tasked with fighting anti-Semitism, has promoted via likes and retweets a Twitter account run by Axel Mylius, a reportedly German anti-Semite who a launched radical Islamist initiative in Berlin. Mylius is a former “great friend” (and likely still a supporter) of Hezbollah’s chief financial sponsor and ally—the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Documents show how Mylius, using the name “Omar Mylius,” celebrated the Islamic Republic’s anti-Semitic 1979 Islamic Revolution at a commemoration event held at Tehran’s embassy in Berlin. Mylius is deemed anti-Semitic by the Vienna-based think tank Mena-Watch.
Mylius’s Twitter account has compared Israelis Ambassador to the United Nations Gilad Erdan, Israeli Finance Minister Avigdor Lieberman and former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to fascists, clear examples of contemporary anti-Semitism. Blume did not object to the comparisons when sent press queries; he also went silent about the dangers posed by the terrorist entity Hezbollah in Baden-Württemberg.
All of this helps to explain why the prominent Jewish human-rights organization the Simon Wiesenthal Center included Blume on its “Top 10” list of the worst outbreaks of global anti-Semitism for 2021.
Blume, wrote Wiesenthal, “has continued since 2019 social-media activity where he ‘Liked’ a Facebook posting comparing Zionists to Nazis. He has since continued to ‘Like’ and retweet anti-Jewish, anti-Israel and conspiratorial Twitter accounts.”
Daniel S. Mariaschin, B’nai B’rith International CEO, said of Blume: “It is distressing that a public official entrusted with fighting anti-Semitism would ‘Like’ Facebook comparisons of Zionism to Nazism, not speak out against a bank that counts amongst its clients an organization dedicated to delegitimizing Israel, and not call for an end of relations between Freiburg and an Iranian regime that issues genocidal calls for Israel’s elimination.”
The city of Freiburg in Baden-Württemberg is helping to mainstream both Iran—the worst state-sponsor of terrorism and anti-Semitism, according to the U.S. government—and Iran’s proxy Hezbollah.
Mariaschin added that “this appears to be another example of the convenience of taking aim at Israel with no penalty. Contemporary anti-Semitism is very much about the campaign to demonize the Jewish state. Understanding that reality should very much be a requirement for holding a position intended to call out those who engage in this kind of blatant defamation.”
Michael Wolffsohn, a distinguished German-Jewish historian and commentator on modern anti-Semitism, told the Swiss daily NZZ that Blume promotes the cause of anti-Semites.
“Hence my simplified conclusion: Blume is a useful idiot of anti-Semites,” said Wolffsohn.
Henryk M. Broder, a best-selling author and a columnist for Die Welt, said Blume is not a classical anti-Semite, but he “relativizes anti-Semitism.” Broder has testified to a Bundestag panel on modern Jew-hatred in Germany.
Blume should be dismissed from his post because he continued to ignore the Hezbollah threat in his state. Equally disturbing, Baden-Württemberg’s Interior Minister Thomas Strobl and Gov. Winfried Kretschmann are enabling Blume’s attacks on Jews and Israel, and refusing to clamp down on Hezbollah.
Hans-Ulrich Rülke, a member of the state legislature in Baden-Württemberg from the Free Democratic Party, said “Strobl must finally act and prevent Hezbollah-affiliated organizations from inviting hate preachers to Baden-Württemberg and collecting money for terrorist purposes.”
Hezbollah’s activities are not limited to Baden-Württemberg. The terrorist organization’s members and network crisscross the Central European country. There are 180 Hezbollah members and supporters in the state of Lower Saxony, up 20 from 2019.
If Germany were at all serious about its prohibition of Hezbollah activities, Chancellor Olaf Scholz would order the arrest of all of the terrorist movement’s members and shut down its mosques and associations in the Federal Republic.
*Benjamin Weinthal is a research fellow for the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. Follow him on Twitter @BenWeinthal. FDD is a Washington, DC-based, nonpartisan research institute focusing on national security and foreign policy.

The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on February 09-10/2022
Israel targets sites in Syria 'in response to missile launch'
AFP/February 09/2022
Israel launched strikes against targets in Syria early Wednesday, hitting anti-aircraft batteries in response to a missile fired from Syria, the military said. Sirens were sounded in the northern Israeli Arab city of Umm Al-Fahm after the Syrian missile launch but it exploded in mid-air, the Israel Defence Forces Tweeted. “In response to the anti-aircraft missile launched from Syria earlier tonight, we just struck surface-to-air missile targets in Syria, including radar & anti-aircraft batteries,” the IDF said. Syrian state media said the country’s air defences had been activated against Israeli fire “in the vicinity of Damascus”. Citing a military source, it said Israeli aerial attacks began shortly before 1 am and were accompanied at 1:10 am by surface-to-surface missile strikes “from the direction of the occupied Golan”.“Our aerial defences confronted the enemy’s missiles and shot some of them down,” the Syrian news agency SANA said. SANA said one soldier was killed and five others wounded, “along with material damage”.Israel rarely comments on the air strikes it carries out in Syria but has said repeatedly it will not allow its arch-foe Iran to extend its footprint in the country. Since the civil war broke out in Syria in 2011, Israel has carried out hundreds of air strikes on Syrian territory, targeting government positions as well as allied Iran-backed forces and Hezbollah fighters.

Syrian Missile Explodes over Israel after Raid from Lebanon's Airspace
Associated Press/February 09/2022
A Syrian soldier was killed and five others were wounded in an Israeli attack near the capital Damascus, Syrian state media said. The Israeli military said it attacked targets in Syria shortly after an anti-aircraft missile was fired from the Arab country into northern Israel early Wednesday. Israel said the Syrian rocket exploded in the air and was not intercepted by Israeli air defenses, but it activated warning sirens in northern Israel. There were no reports of injuries or damage there. In a rare statement acknowledging attacks inside Syria, the Israeli army said it struck Syrian facilities used in targeting Israeli aircraft, including a radar and anti-aircraft batteries. Syrian official news agency SANA reported that Israel fired surface-to-surface missiles in the vicinity of the capital city Damascus and some of them were brought down by air defenses. It said a Syrian soldier was killed in the attack, which caused material damage, and five soldiers were wounded. Israel has made hundreds of strikes on targets inside government-controlled parts of Syria over the past decade of the civil war in the Arab country, but its government rarely acknowledges or discusses such operations. Israel has acknowledged, however, that it is targeting bases of Iran-allied groups, such as Hizbullah, which is fighting on the side of Syrian President Bashar Assad's forces in the country's civil strife.

Biden talks US support for Saudi Arabia, energy supplies in call with King Salman
Joseph Haboush, Al Arabiya English/10 February ,2022
The White House said Wednesday that President Joe Biden spoke with Saudi Arabia’s King Salman to discuss regional developments and issues of mutual concern, “including Iranian-enabled attacks by the Houthis against civilian targets in Saudi Arabia.”A statement from the White House said Biden underscored Washington’s commitment to supporting Saudi Arabia in the defense of its people and territory from Houthi attacks and “full support for UN-led efforts to end the war in Yemen.”“The President noted his commitment to ensuring that Iran can never obtain a nuclear weapon and briefed the King on ongoing multilateral talks to reestablish constraints on Iran’s nuclear program,” the White House said. “The two leaders discussed matters pertaining to the Middle East region and Europe and agreed that their teams would remain closely coordinated over the coming weeks and months,” according to the statement.
They also discussed global energy supplies. Biden and officials from his administration have unsuccessfully pressured Saudi Arabia and other OPEC+ members to increase their crude output to lower domestic oil prices. “Both leaders further reiterated the United States’ and Saudi Arabia’s commitment to ensuring the stability of global energy supplies,” the White House said. The state-run Saudi Press Agency (SPA) said the two leaders spoke of the need to strengthen cooperation for regional stability and to confront terrorism. For his part, King Salman stressed the importance of abiding by OPEC+ agreements and the need to maintain stability in the oil markets. King Salman also thanked Biden for standing with Saudi Arabia and “meeting its defensive needs, which will increase efforts to preserve security and stability in the Kingdom and the region.”King Salman “affirmed that the Kingdom is committed to deescalating tensions in the region and promoting dialogue,” the SPA reported.

Iran keeps threat alive beyond nuclear deal as it unveils long range missile
AFP/The Arab Weekly/February 09/2022
Iran unveiled a new missile with a range of 1,450 kilometres on Wednesday, the semi-official news agency Tasnim said, a day after the resumption of indirect talks in Vienna on salvaging Tehran's 2015 nuclear deal with world powers. Arab Gulf countries have always tried to draw the attention of the international community to the regional security threats posed by Iran's ballistic missile programme and its deployment of proxy militias, which should be part of any international deal with Iran. Iran has supplied its surrogate militias in Yemen, Iraq, Syria and Lebanon with sophisticated military technology. The new missile was displayed during a visit by top Iranian military leaders to the elite Revolutionary Guards' (IRGC) missile bases, Tasnim said. "The strategic weapon is a third-generation long-range missile developed by the IRGC that is propelled by solid fuel and is capable of penetrating missile shields with high manoeuvrability," Tasnim said. "The modified design of "Kheibarshekan" has reduced its weight by a third compared to similar missiles", it added, while the preparation time needed for its launch has been cut to one-sixth of what is normally required. Delegates at the talks in Vienna say they have made limited progress since they resumed in November. Western powers say little time remains before Iran's nuclear advances make the 2015 deal restricting them redundant. Iran's top security official, Ali Shamkhani, criticised the United States' approach on Wednesday. "Voices from the US government show there is no coherence in that country to make political decisions in the direction of advancing the Vienna talks," he tweeted.

Iran's Khamenei Bars Sadr's Rivals in Iraq from Joining his Coalition
Baghdad - Asharq Al-Awsat/Wednesday, 9 February, 2022
Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei has joined efforts to address the crisis between Iraq's Sadrist movement leader, cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, and the pro-Tehran Coordination Framework as they grapple to form a new government. Informed sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that Khamenei has forced the Coordination Framework to remain united, barring its members, specifically Hadi al-Ameri's Fatah alliance, from joining the rival Sadrist camp. It was revealed that late last month leaders of the Framework had drafted a letter asking Khamenei to allow members of the alliance to join Sadr's coalition in spite of the reservations against him. The letter was supposed to be sent by head of the State of Law coalition, led by former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, but the decision to send it was never taken. Maliki, however, "leaked it from behind their backs" because he knew that Khamenei's response would put an end to any chance of striking an alliance between the Sadrists and the Fatah alliance. The exchange of messages between the Framework and Khamenei reveals the extent of the role - or lack of it - played by Iran's Quds Forces commander Esmail Qaani in Iraq. Contrary to his slain predecessor, Qassem Soleimani, Qaani appears to be playing the role of messenger between Tehran, Baghdad, Erbil and Najaf. Soleimani, who was killed in a US drone strike near Baghdad airport in 2020, played a more influential role in Iraq than Qaani, and was largely able to keep Shiite parties united, in contrast to their current state of disarray.
Qaani met Sadr in Najaf on Tuesday in an effort to resolve the crisis. The Sadrist leader tweeted after the talks: "Neither east, nor west... a government of national majority," in what observers said was as a sign that Qaani had failed to make a breakthrough. Sadr, who emerged victorious in the October parliamentary elections, holds sway over the formation of the next Iraqi government.

Iraqi parliament reopens registration for presidential candidacies amid impasse
Reuters/Wednesday, 9 February, 2022
Iraq’s parliament announced Tuesday the reopening of registration for presidential candidates, only a day after it called off a session to vote in a new head of state. One of the two front runners, former long-time foreign minister Hoshyar Zebari, was “temporarily” suspended by a court, citing years-old corruption accusations after a complaint was filed against him. His eligibility for the post is being reviewed, with his party announcing it is sticking with his candidacy and that a verdict is expected within days. Iraq’s political timeline for electing a head of state and forming a government, in the wake of last year’s general election, has been derailed amid political infighting. Monday’s voting session was not held due to lack of a quorum after several key political blocs and parties announced boycotts, against the backdrop of competing claims to a parliamentary majority. The office of parliament speaker Mohamed al-Halbousi announced on Tuesday the “reopening of registration for candidates for the post of president of the republic from Wednesday, February 9 and for a period of three days”. But a date has yet to be announced for a new voting session in parliament. Only 58 MPs attended Monday’s session, well below the quorum of two-thirds of the 329-seat chamber. The largest political bloc led by Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, as well as the allied Sovereignty Coalition led by Halbousi and the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), from which Zebari hails, all announced boycotts ahead of the session. Legal expert Ali al-Tamimi denounced Tuesday’s announcement as “unconstitutional”, noting that the legal deadline set to elect a president “cannot be broken, except by a decision from the Federal Court or an amendment of the law”. Zebari was tipped as one of two frontrunners for the presidency, out of a total of 25. The other is incumbent president Barham Salih of the KDP’s rival party, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK). In response to his suspension, the head of the KDP’s parliamentary bloc, Vyan Sabri, told the state news agency INA on Tuesday: “Mr. Zebari is still our sole candidate.”

New CENTCOM chief says Russian move in Ukraine could spill over into Syria
AFP/Wednesday, 9 February, 2022
The Army general tapped to take over as top US commander in the Middle East warned senators Tuesday that if Russia invades Ukraine, as many fear, it could create broader instability in the Middle East, including Syria. But it was clear that Iran remains the key threat to US and allies in the region.
Lieutenant General Erik Kurilla also told the Senate Armed Services Committee that China is expanding its power and spending in the Central Command region, including in countries needed by the US to gather intelligence on extremist activities in Afghanistan.
“The United States faces a new era of strategic competition with China and Russia that is not confined to one geographical region and extends into the (Central Command) area of responsibility,” said Kurilla during the committee's hearing on his nomination. “As the United States rightfully prioritises competition with China, we must remain engaged in the Middle East and Central and South Asia.”Kurilla, a combat-hardened officer with extensive experience in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, got a friendly reception from the panel and was told he would probably be confirmed.
If he gets the job, Kurilla would take over as the Pentagon continues to try to shift its focus to the Indo-Pacific and counter a rising China and bolster defences against Russia in Europe. But Iran and Tehran-backed proxies have kept up a steady drumbeat of attacks on US and allied forces across the Middle East, often hindering plans to shift more troops out of the region.
Kurilla would replace Marine General Frank McKenzie, who is retiring after three years leading the command. McKenzie has overseen a tumultuous time in the region, with America’s chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan, the dismantling of the Islamic State (ISIS) extremist in Iraq and Syria and escalating threats from Iran and its proxies as they launch more attacks against Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and ships at sea. Kurilla, who is currently the commander of the 18th Airborne Corps, told the committee that after the hearing he was deploying to Germany as part of the US effort to reassure allies concerned about Russia's military build-up along Ukraine's borders. Asked about the potential for repercussions in the Middle East of a potential Russian invasion of Ukraine, Kurilla said he believes that it could spill over into Syria, where Russia already has a military base and troops. “If Russia does invade Ukraine they would not hesitate to be able to act as a spoiler in Syria as well,” said Kurilla, who previously served as a deputy at Central Command. He added that the US does not believe Russia wants to go to war with the United States. On China, Kurilla said 18 of the 21 countries in the Central Command region have signed strategic agreements with Beijing, which has increased its development in the Middle East. The US, he said, has to be able to counter China there. Senators quizzed Kurilla on efforts to monitor al-Qaida and Islamic State (ISIS) extremists in Afghanistan, now that there are no longer US forces in the country. He said efforts continue to work with surrounding nations to set up “over-the-horizon” capabilities. The US, which left Afghanistan at the end of August, has been struggling to negotiate with a number of countries in the region to allow overflights, basing or other intelligence gatherings from within their borders. Military leaders say it is difficult to monitor extremist groups from afar because doing so requires long drone flights that allow limited surveillance time. Asked about working with the Taliban, Kurilla said the US should take a pragmatic approach. He said the Taliban also views ISIS as an enemy, so that may be a potential area of agreement. He also said the US must find ways to deal with the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan and that may involve Taliban help with food deliveries. Kurilla graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1988 and has served multiple tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, commanding conventional and special operations forces. He commanded a Stryker battalion in Iraq in 2004 and was shot and wounded. She denounced the “malicious complaint” leading to his suspension, affirming that his case “will be decided in the next two days”.

Ukraine Says European Push Helping Avert War
Agence France Presse/February 09/2022
Ukraine said on Wednesday that a European diplomatic push aimed at averting a feared Russian invasion of the ex-Soviet state was working but that the situation remained tense. "The situation remains tense but under control. Diplomacy is continuing to lower tensions," Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told reporters after talks with his Spanish counterpart Jose Manuel Albares. "The way the greater European community responds to this crisis will determine the future of European security and of each individual European state."Kuleba's comments came after French President Emmanuel Macron engaged in a round of shuttle diplomacy between Moscow and Kyiv and then continuing his talks in Berlin. Macron said he secured a pledge from Russian President Vladimir Putin that the Kremlin "would not be the source of an escalation." But Washington warns that Russia's decision to mass more than 100,000 soldiers near Ukraine's borders meant that Putin was seriously mulling an invasion aimed at reversing Kyiv's pro-Western course. Ukraine has been trying to talk down the prospects of war because of the dire effect on the country's investment climate and public mood. But it has also pushed for tough preventative sanctions against Russia aimed at punishing it for its role in the eight-year conflict in Ukraine's separatist east. "Without exaggeration, Russia is trying to take revenge for the Soviet Union losing the Cold War, which is why today, we are talking about defending the entire security architecture of Europe," Kuleba said. "Ukraine's position is that in recent years, Russia has been gravely violating international law and the Minsk agreements" on settling the separatist conflict, he said."And for this, it should be punished with sanctions."

Blinken Lands in Australia ahead of Indo-Pacific Meeting
Associated Press/February 09/2022
Secretary of State Antony Blinken and key allies are "voting with their feet" by flying to Australia to focus on challenges in the Indo-Pacific region, Australia's foreign minister said Wednesday, as fears rise of a Russian invasion of Ukraine on the other side of the globe. Blinken landed in the Australian city of Melbourne on Wednesday ahead of a meeting with Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne as well as their Indian and Japanese counterparts who form the so-called "Quad." It will be the fourth such ministerial-level meeting of the bloc of Indo-Pacific democracies that was created to counter China, and Blinken's arrival makes him the most senior member of the Biden administration to set foot in Australia. The visit comes as tensions between Washington and Moscow continue to escalate over Ukraine. Payne said the gathering sends a message to Beijing that security in the Indo-Pacific remains an important challenge to Washington. The Quad ministers were "voting with their feet in terms of the priority that they accord to issues" important to the Indo-Pacific, said Payne, who will host the meeting Friday. Blinken's trip is designed to reinforce America's interests in Asia and its intent to push back against increasing Chinese assertiveness in the region. He will also visit Fiji and discuss pressing concerns about North Korea with his Japanese and South Korean counterparts in Hawaii. While China will top the Quad meeting agenda, U.S. officials say Ukraine and the relationship between Beijing and Moscow will also be a topic for discussion. With the Quad, Blinken is expected to highlight the benefits of Indo-Pacific nations aligning themselves with democracies and democratic values, officials said. "That part of that discussion will relate to the challenges that China poses to those values and to the rules-based order," said Daniel Kritenbrink, the top U.S. diplomat for Asia.
In Beijing, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian responded to a question about Blinken's visit with a lengthy attack on American democracy and a defense of China's contributions to the global order. "With its so-called democracy having collapsed long ago, the U.S. is forcing other countries to accept the standards of the American democracy, drawing lines with democratic values and piecing together cliques. That is a complete betrayal of democracy," Zhao told reporters at a daily briefing. Zhao said China "seeks peace and development, promotes cooperation, promotes the construction of an equal, open and inclusive security system in the Asia-Pacific region that does not target third countries." "We oppose forming exclusive cliques and setting up groups within groups, as well as creating confrontation between camps," he said. Blinken is also expected to address threats posed by a growing partnership between authoritarian Russia and China, particularly after the Sunday meeting in Beijing between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping at the opening of the Winter Olympics.
The U.S. had hoped that the Xi-Putin meeting would have demonstrated Chinese wariness about Russia's military buildup along Ukraine's borders. Instead, as China increasingly asserts its determination to reunite the island of Taiwan with the mainland, Xi was largely silent on the matter.
"That meeting should have provided China the opportunity to encourage Russia to pursue diplomacy and de-escalation in Ukraine. That is what the world expects from responsible powers," Kritenbrink said. If Russia invades Ukraine and "China looks the other way, it suggests that China is willing to tolerate or tacitly support Russia's efforts to coerce Ukraine even when they embarrass Beijing, harm European security, and risk global peace and economic stability."
U.S. officials have noted that Russia previously mounted military action against a former Soviet republic during a Beijing-hosted Olympics when it moved against Georgia during the 2008 Summer Games. The U.S. and its allies have spoken out forcefully about Chinese policies toward Taiwan, Tibet, Hong Kong, the western region of Xinjiang and the South China Sea. They accuse Beijing of rampant human rights abuses, repression of dissent and forcefully seizing territory that its smaller neighbors also claim. U.S. officials say they expect Blinken and others at the Quad meeting in Melbourne to reiterate concerns about China's actions, especially recent show-of-force demonstrations directed at Taiwan, which Beijing regards as a renegade province. On Monday, the Biden administration greenlit a $100 million arms sale to Taiwan that will support its U.S.-made missile defense systems. After a brief stop in Fiji, where he will be the first secretary of state to visit since 1985, Blinken will return to Washington via Hawaii, where he will hold North Korea-focused talks with the Japanese and South Korean foreign ministers. A series of recent North Korean missile tests have underscored the threat posed by the nuclear-armed nation, which has ignored multiple entreaties by the United States to return to the negotiating table. "Countering the threat posed by North Korea's nuclear and missile programs remains a top priority for the United States and I am confident the same can be said for our Japanese and South Korean partners," Kritenbrink said of the talks planned for Honolulu. "We have made clear many times that we remain prepared to engage in serious and sustained diplomacy without preconditions to achieve that end and to make tangible progress. We have reached out repeatedly to Pyongyang. However, to date, we have not received a substantive response," he said. China is North Korea's most important ally, and Zhao reiterated Beijing's call for the U.S. to lift its unilateral sanctions on Pyongyang and take the North's "legitimate security concerns" into consideration.

Sudanese envoy visits Israel as normalisation process survives upheaval
AFP/Wednesday, 9 February, 2022
A Sudanese envoy was in Israel on Wednesday in order to promote ties between the two countries, a source with close knowledge of the visit said. The presidential envoy arrived in Israel at the beginning of the week, the source told the Reuters news agency. There was no immediate confirmation from the Israeli and Sudanese governments. Sudan moved towards normalising ties with Israel in 2020. Envoys have travelled between Israel and Sudan since then, though no official pact has yet been signed. Sudan's military is seen to have led the move towards Israel while civilian groups have been more reluctant about it. The Sudanese military seized power in the country on October 25, ending a partnership with civilian political parties that began after the army toppled Omar al-Bashir as Sudan's ruler in 2019.
Two-way process
Normalisation has been a two-way process. While maintaining a low profile in Sudan, Israelis have kept up ties with Khartoum despite the turmoil in the East African Arab country. Sources in Khartoum said that Israel has even sought to mediate between Sudan's generals and civilians in a quest to preserve the normalisation process, which it fears could be jeopardised by the removal of the military from the reins of power. Sudanese protesters have been clamouring for the full transfer of power from the army to civilians since the October 25 military coup. The same sources said that the Israelis have, in coordination with Washington, entered into bilateral talks with the military rulers, who are not believed to object to normalisation with the Jewish state, unlike most Sudanese civilian politicians. The sources said Tel Aviv's emissaries have tried to persuade Sudanese Army chief, General Abdel-Fattah Al-Burhan, to make greater concessions to the civilian groups vying for power, so as to ensure a civilian-military partnership that would preserve the chances of a continued normalisation process with Israel. On January 19, the state Israeli Broadcasting Corporation said that an Israeli delegation arrived in the Sudanese capital. A Sudanese official told The Associated Press the Israeli party, which included officials from the Mossad spy agency, met General Abdel-Fattah Burhan, the head of the ruling Sovereign Council and other military officials.Sudan normalised ties with Israel in 2020 as part of a series of US-brokered deals between Israel and four Arab countries. This helped Sudan reintegrate into the international community after two decades of isolation under long-time ruler Bashir. The Sudanese-Israeli normalisation began after Burhan had a surprise meeting with the then Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu on February 3, 2020, in Uganda.

Egyptians welcome first-ever Christian pick as chief of supreme court
AP/Wednesday, 9 February, 2022
Egypt’s president on Wednesday swore in the first-ever Coptic Christian to head the country’s highest court. Boulos Fahmy is the 19th judge to preside over the Supreme Constitutional Court since it was established in 1969. President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi picked the 65-year-old Judge Fahmy from among the five oldest of the court's 15 sitting judges, as is prescribed by law. Fahmy succeeded Judge Saeed Marei, who retired for health reasons, according to Mohammed Bassal, a respected expert in Egypt’s judicial affairs and editorial manager of the Shorouk daily. Fahmy has headed the court’s General Secretariat since 2014. His appointment as chief judge has been welcomed by many in the Muslim majority country. Moushira Khattab, head of the government-appointed National Council for Human Rights, hailed the decision as “historic” and “a giant move” in the field of political and civil rights. However, Ishak Ibrahim, a prominent expert on Christian affairs in Egypt, said in a Facebook post that the move will have little impact on ending discrimination against Christians as they are vastly under-represented in Egypt's state institutions.“It will not have a significant impact on eliminating discrimination and ensuring the opportunity for all citizens with justice and equality,” he said. “We’ll be able to say there’s a significant improvement when we find the percentage (of Christians holding posts) has moved from around 2% to a percentage close to their numerical size,” he added. Christians, who make up almost ten percent of Egypt’s population of more than 102 million, have long complained of discrimination at the hands of the Muslim majority. Activists also say Copts are discriminated against and kept from high positions. Since taking office in 2014, most Christians have seen el-Sisi as their protector and ally in opposition to Islamists. He usually attends Orthodox Christmas Mass as a show of solidarity with Copts. He has also taken steps to empower Christians, including the appointment of the first-ever Coptic Christian woman as provincial governor in 2018. He also allowed the building of churches across the country after decades of restrictions.'

Tunisian FM meets G7 envoys over judicial council controversy
AFP/Wednesday, 9 February, 2022
Tunisian Foreign Minister Othman Jerandi received on Tuesday ambassadors to Tunisia from the G7 group and the representative of the Commission on Human Rights and explained that the president’s decision to dissolve the Supreme Judicial Council aims to reform the judiciary.
Tunisian President Kais Saied has faced strong international pressure from officials in the United Nations and G7 countries who warned his decision to dissolve the Council threatens the rule of law.
Speaking at the meeting with the G7 ambassadors, Jerandi said the decision to dissolve the Supreme Judicial Council fits with correcting the democratic process launched last July 25, in accordance with the provisions of Article 80 of the Constitution and Presidential Decree No. 117 dated September 22, 2021.Saied’s decision to dissolve the Council said Jerandi, "does not hide, in any way, a desire to interfere or control the judicial system. It is rather part of the reform of the judicial system to strengthen the independence of the judiciary and overcome the failures it has experienced.”
The foreign ministry said that Jerandi also noted that Saied’s move "aims at keeping the judiciary away from the politicisation which, in many cases, has hampered the course of justice and compromised trial in big cases such as the assassination of martyrs Chokri Belaid and Mohamed Brahmi."
Jerandi described the exceptional measures decreed by the president as "a temporary reorganisation of powers.”
He noted that the measures that affected the parliament, the National Anti-Corruption Commission and the Supreme Judicial Council "do not target the existence of institutions as such, but the way they were managed and their governance. “This has affected their credibility with the national and international public opinion, altered their effectiveness and harmed the image of Tunisia abroad," Jerandi said, adding that "the Supreme Judicial Council has been the subject of much criticism regarding its composition or its powers from many judges but also international partners, including the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.”The foreign minister also reiterated the “importance that Tunisia attaches to its relations with its partner countries and international organisations,” stressing that "the democratic process and respect for freedoms and human rights are irrevocable and irreversible choices in Tunisia."
Ambassadors to Tunisia from the G7 group of wealthy democracies voiced “deep concern” on Tuesday at the president’s move to dissolve the Supreme Judicial Council. They said, “a transparent, independent and efficient judiciary and the separation of powers are essential for a functioning democracy that serves its people.”Tunisia faces a crisis in public finances, with Tunisians already complaining of shortages of some goods and with the central bank governor warning of an economic collapse such as in Venezuela or Lebanon.
While Tunisia has started talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a rescue package seen as necessary to unlock other financial help, donors have urged the Tunisian president to adopt an inclusive approach to reforms.
Saied has promised to uphold the rights and freedoms Tunisians won in the 2011 revolution which triggered the Arab Spring and brought democracy.

Fire, Explosion Hit Abu Dhabi in Reported Gas Cylinder Blast
Associated Press/February 09/2022
A fire struck downtown Abu Dhabi early Wednesday, with authorities initially blaming a gas cylinder for an explosion caught on camera in social media. The blast struck Hamdan Street in the capital of the United Arab Emirates as it hosts the FIFA Club World Cup. Journalists from Brazil covering Sociedade Esportiva Palmeiras' win against Egypt's Al Ahly initially reported on the explosion. The state-run WAM news agency described the fire just after midnight as coming from "a gas cylinder explosion." Some footage showed what appeared to be a fireball on the roof of a building as emergency service vehicles could be seen on the street. The fireball quickly dissipated in the footage and appeared to cause no structural damage to the building. The images seen in videos corresponded to known features in Abu Dhabi. The WAM report said there were no injuries.
"The process of cooling and limiting the damage caused by the fire is underway," WAM said. The incident comes after Yemen's Houthi rebels have launched several attacks targeting Abu Dhabi, including a Jan. 17 attack that killed three people and wounded six. The U.S. Embassy in Abu Dhabi later warned Americans of "reports of a possible missile or drone strike having occurred over Abu Dhabi," without elaborating. However, the Houthis and their associated media did not immediately claim any attack.

The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on February 09-10/2022
Biden Admin and EU Silent on Iran's Rising Persecution of Religious Minorities
Majid Rafizadeh/Gatestone Institute/February 09/2022
In 2021, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi signed two alarming amendments to Articles 499 and 500 of its Penal Code, making it easier for the authorities to crack down on religious minorities. The amendments impose prison sentences and fines on whoever insults "divine religions or Islamic schools of thought recognized under the Constitutions with the intent to cause violence or tensions in the society," as well on whoever conducts "any deviant educational or proselytizing activity that contradicts or interferes with the sacred law of Islam."
Persecution of Christians in Iran has especially been on the rise. While Iranian leaders celebrate and publicize those who convert to Islam, those who convert to Christianity are severely punished.
Another religious minority that faces persecution in Iran is the Baha'i faith... [Others] include Zoroastrians, Sufi Muslims, Sunni Muslims and Yarsanis.
Meanwhile, the European powers are not only failing to hold the Iranian regime accountable, they are busy appeasing the ruling mullahs of Iran and doing business with them.
Since the Biden administration lifted the "maximum pressure" imposed by the previous administration, the ruling mullahs have only escalated their persecution of religious minorities. Instead of incessantly lecturing the world on human rights, the EU and the Biden administration would sound more credible if they would stop appeasing the human rights catastrophe that Iran's regime has become, and hold the ruling mullahs accountable.
Persecution of Christians and other religious minorities in Iran has especially been on the rise. In 2021, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi signed two alarming amendments to Articles 499 and 500 of its Penal Code, making it easier for the authorities to crack down on religious minorities. Pictured: Raisi delivers a speech in Tehran, on January 3, 2022.
While turning a blind eye to the Iranian regime's increasing persecution of religious minorities, the Biden administration and the European Union are focusing only on lifting the sanctions against the Islamic Republic. The move will help to revive the disastrous nuclear deal that will empower the ruling mullahs to race toward nuclear weapons breakout; strengthen Iran's internal militia, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and expand the country's proxy militias abroad: the Houthis in Yemen, and the designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in the Gaza Strip. That does not even include any plans Iran might have to expand its operations, which threaten America, in Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua.
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has filled his cabinet with members of the IRGC, a domestic militia that the US Department of State has listed as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, and that is key in cracking down on religious minorities in Iran.
In 2021, Raisi signed two alarming amendments to Articles 499 and 500 of Iran's Penal Code, making it easier for the authorities to crack down on religious minorities. The amendments impose prison sentences and fines on whoever insults "divine religions or Islamic schools of thought recognized under the Constitutions with the intent to cause violence or tensions in the society," as well on whoever conducts "any deviant educational or proselytizing activity that contradicts or interferes with the sacred law of Islam."
Persecution of Christians in Iran has especially been on the rise. While Iranian leaders celebrate and publicize those who convert to Islam, those who convert to Christianity are severely punished. As the latest report by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom points out, in Iran, Christians "faced intense religious persecution in 2021."
"As in previous years, Iran has targeted Christian converts from Islam in particular. These include USCIRF religious prisoner of conscience Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani, who was charged in 2016 with 'promoting Zionist Christianity.' Pastor Nadarkhani remains in prison on a ten-year sentence. Following her release from prison in February 2020, Christian convert and political activist Mary Mohammadi was re-arrested in January for improperly wearing her headscarf. In February, an appeals court in Bushehr sentenced three Christian converts to jail time for spreading 'propaganda' against Iran through promoting Christianity. At same month, Iran's Ministry of Intelligence summoned Christian convert Ebrahim Firouzi to the prosecutor's office in Sarbaz after he posted videos online detailing his persecution."
Another religious minority that faces persecution in Iran is the Baha'i faith. According to the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom:
"Conditions for Baha'is in Iran reflect an alarming deterioration in 2021. Throughout 2020 and into 2021, Iran escalated the publication and broadcast of anti-Baha'i propaganda through state media channels compared to previous years. In February 2021, Branch Two of the Hormozgan Court of Appeals upheld prison sentences against eight Baha'is on the grounds that their Baha'i identity makes them a prima facie threat to national security. Additionally, the court is forcing them to attend 'counseling sessions' run by a Shi'a religious institute regarding their religious beliefs. this treatment marks a new and concerning shift by Iran's government toward an explicit policy that Baha'is do not have rights in Iran on national security grounds, despite the baseless nature of the charges and the non-derogable [derogable in human rights law means whether a right may be suspended in certain circumstances] nature of religious freedom under international law."
Other minorities persecuted in Iran, according to the report, include Zoroastrians, Sufi Muslims, Sunni Muslims and Yarsanis.
Meanwhile, the European powers are not only failing to hold the Iranian regime accountable, they are busy appeasing the ruling mullahs of Iran and doing business with them. From January to July 2021, the EU's trade with Iran brought the regime roughly $3 billion. "Germany remained the top trading partner of Iran during the seven months under review, as the two countries exchanged €1.01 billion worth of goods," The Financial Tribune reports.
"Italy came next with €347.96 million worth of trade with Iran.... The Netherlands with €264.48 million (down 9.23%), Spain with €178.33 million (up 9.25%) and Belgium with €140.14 million (up 6.79%) were Iran's other major European trading partners. Estonia registered the highest growth of 709.52% in trade with Iran during the seven months under review. Malta with 471.77%, Romania with 284.86% and Croatia with 169.12% came next."
The Biden administration is also busy lifting sanctions on the Iranian regime, on several former Iranian officials and on several companies. In February 2021, the administration revoked the designation of Iran-backed Houthis as a Foreign Terrorist Organization. Then, in a blow to the religious minorities and advocates of human rights, the Biden administration announced that it is considering lifting sanctions against Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Since the Biden administration lifted the "maximum pressure" imposed by the previous administration, the ruling mullahs have only escalated their persecution of religious minorities. Instead of incessantly lecturing the world on human rights, the EU and the Biden administration would sound more credible if they would stop appeasing the human rights catastrophe that Iran's regime has become, and hold the ruling mullahs accountable.
*Dr. Majid Rafizadeh is a business strategist and advisor, Harvard-educated scholar, political scientist, board member of Harvard International Review, and president of the International American Council on the Middle East. He has authored several books on Islam and US foreign policy. He can be reached at Dr.Rafizadeh@Post.Harvard.Edu
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Evidence Suggests ISIS Behind the Texas Synagogue Hostage Crisis
Raymond Ibrahim//February 09/2022
Another piece of evidence has emerged to indicate that the Muslim man who recently stormed and held a Texas-based synagogue hostage was not just acting in accordance with jihadist ideology, but following an ISIS directive.
On Jan. 15, 2022, Malik Faisal Akram, a 44-year-old British Pakistani armed with a gun, took four people hostage at the Congregation Beth Israel synagogue in Colleyville, Texas, during Sabbath service. Akram repeatedly demanded the release of his “sister” (in Islam), Aafia Siddiqui, aka “Lady al-Qaeda,” another Pakistani national imprisoned for attempted murder and other terrorist-related activities. In the end, only Akram died in the standoff with police; all four hostages survived.
Instantly, however, and as almost always happens, the initial explanation—because we must never “jump to conclusions,” must never call it a duck, even if it looks, swims, and quacks like a duck—revolved around anything but the obvious. Thus, whether the FBI initially declared that “we’re continuing to work to find motive,” or whether Akram was presented as suffering from “mental health issues,” few in officialdom wanted to confirm that this was a jihadist operation directed against Jews, who are seen by not a few Muslims as one of Islam’s archenemies.
Since then, some evidence has emerged indicating that Akram did indeed hate the “f*cking Jews” and sought to kill them.
Missed, however, is the fact that, a few weeks before Akram stormed the synagogue, the Islamic State (ISIS) issued a directive calling on Muslims to do exactly what Akram did—and for the very same reason he cited.
On Dec. 20, 2021, the ISIS-operated Rocket.Chat communication platform did what it and other jihadist forums always do in the days and weeks leading up to Christmas: it sought to rile and incite Muslims to launch “lone wolf” attacks during the festive season, including by posting a drawing of a veiled jihadist brandishing a bloody knife in one hand while holding the severed head of Santa Claus in the other, with the following message:
With the advent of the so-called polytheistic celebrations that the unbelievers are experiencing these days, we send a message to our monotheist brothers in Europe, America, Australia, Canada, Russia, and other countries of unbelief and apostasy…. Attack the citizens of crusader coalition countries with your knives, run them over in the streets, detonate bombs on them, and spray them with bullets.
We have, of course, over the years seen numerous such lone wolf attacks, especially those consisting of Muslims randomly driving vehicles into people (Nice, France, 2016, with 86 people killed being only the most notorious) or going on stabbing sprees (London Bridge, with two killed, being only one of the most notorious). But the aforementioned Rocket.Chat communiques which appeared in December, 2021, had another message:
Imagine with me, brothers, if Muslim refugees in Crusader Europe took hostages while the pigs [Christians] celebrate their polytheistic holidays and forced the European crusaders to order their angry dogs to release our sisters from the Al-Hawl and Ain Issa camps or else they would cut off the pigs’ heads.
This suggested scenario almost perfectly conforms to both the stated motive and actions of Malik Faisal Akram, who, before holding a synagogue in Texas hostage, was investigated in Britain for his known “radical” links—links that almost certainly suggest he visited, and was influenced by, jihadist sites such as Rocket.Chat.
Akram did, however, make one minor alteration: he took hostage, not the “pigs” (one of Islam’s epithet for Christians) but rather their partners in the infamous “Crusader-Zionist” alliance, the “apes” (one of Islam’s epithet for Jews). He did so, not while Christians “celebrate their polytheistic holidays,” but rather while Jews, whom Islam also accuses of polytheism, worshipped on their holy day, the Sabbath. And he did it all in accordance with ISIS’s directive “to release our sisters,” with Lady al-Qaeda—whom Akram repeatedly referred to as a “sister”—being the posterchild of female Muslim terrorist prisoners.

The search for an Iraqi president
Ibrahim al-Zobeidi/The Arab Weekly/February 09/2022
Current Iraqi realities demonstrate that the country's political arena is devoid of a leader who can unite Iraqis across party lines and beyond selfish calculations. Realities also show that Moqtada al-Sadr is not the person who can fulfil the dreams of the few who voted for him. For those who have forgotten them, it is useful to recall the confessions of Qais Khazali, a dissident leader from the Sadrist movement, to US forces when they arrested him in 2007.
According to his interrogation file, of June 18, 2007, Khazali confirmed that his repeated visits to Iran in company with Sadr and later alone as Moqtada's envoy, were aimed at obtaining money, weapons and political support from Tehran. Khazali said that Sadr wanted him to be the channel of communication with Iran and to receive funding from Tehran while he, Sadr, maintained the appearance of independence from Iran. Further fleshing out this reality, recent electoral statistics have shown that the total number of those who voted for the Sadrist movement, the Coordination Framework groups, the Muhammad al-Halbousi bloc and Khamis al-Khanjar, and the party of Massoud Barzani, does not exceed ten percent of the overall population of Iraq.
This means that the number of those under the influence of the current political leaders does not exceed two million Iraqis at best, many of whom were driven by need, fear, or racial, sectarian or regional loyalties. The remaining 29 million Iraqis are just fence-sitting. They are simply watching while the battles for the winners and losers rage on. There is more than meets the eye in the political class and what it means for Iraqi society.
What the bloody uprisings have proven, since 2003, is that the Iraqi Shia popular constituencies, in particular, are unhappy with the pro-Iranian political class in power. They consider it a duty to resist that class, to work to bring it down and to get rid of its corruption. Within the Sunni community, there is obvious discomfort at the attitude of the opportunistic segment that has hijacked the Sunni will and monopolised the representation of the sect by force of arms, money, or with Iranian, American or Qatari protection.
The broad Sunni masses are still hoping for the day of deliverance from Iranian tutelage and also from the class of Sunni politicians who are no less dangerous to the sect than Iran and its occupation.
The Iraqi Kurdish society, too, is not very different from its Iraqi brothers, the Shia and the Sunnis, especially in its growing resentment of the ruling class, which has shown the Kurds that they are ruled by a corrupt authority that serves only its own interests and the interests of its external patrons.
It is common knowledge among Iraqis that most of those who elected Sadr, Masoud and Halbousi sold their votes for money, the desire for a job or prompted by parental or tribal loyalties. In spite of all that, one sees Sadr engaged in boastful and self-aggrandising behaviour, along with the other winners who are happy with the parliamentary seats they won in the absence of the Iraqi voters, who boycotted them all.
What is painful about the current political situation in Iraq are the misconceptions that our brothers in the Arab media and our friends in the American media, have about Iraq as they describe Sadr as a Shia stalwart who is hostile to Iran and consider Barzani to be a true voice of the Kurdish people and Halbousi as the only legitimate representative of the Sunnis of Iraq, while they are absolutely none of these things.
According to the latest news, Sadr apparently intended to appoint Hoshyar Zebari as president of the republic but realised that scandals around him were too outrageous to be played down. He concluded that voting for Zebari presented a problem. So he decided to boycott the presidential election session, advising his ally Barzani to nominate another less corrupt (or less conspicuously corrupt) candidate from his family.
Mishaan al-Jubouri, an MP from the Sovereignty Alliance allied to the Sadrist movement and the Kurdistan Democratic Party, volunteered a secret to Barzani's "Rudaw" TV network, saying, "The leader Moqtada proposed to the President of the Kurdistan Region, Nechirvan Barzani, to run for the office of Iraq's president."
This means that the president who could satisfy Moqtada Sadr is none other than Nechirvan Barzani who, like his cousin Masrour Barzani, believes that he is a (Kurdish) citizen who was forced to live in the Iraqi state.
It is not far-fetched to imagine President Nechirvan Barzani making the presidency of the Republic of Iraq a platform to promote the secession of his uncle Masoud's kingdom from the Kurdistan region and from Iraq.
On that day, the Iraqis will shed tears over Barham Salih, but by then it would be too late.