English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For September 05/2022
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news

The Bulletin's Link on the lccc Site
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Bible Quotations For today
There will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who need no repentance
Luke/01/01-07: “All the tax-collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to him.And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, ‘This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them.’So he told them this parable: ‘Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it? When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders and rejoices. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbours, saying to them, “Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.” Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who need no repentance.”

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on September 04-05/2022
Al-Rahi says presidential void would be 'conspiracy' and 'treason'
Rahi: Presidential vaccum is a deliberate conspiracy against what the republic presidency represents & a betrayal of Lebanon
Rahi inaugurates St. Semaan church in Zgharta
Bishop Aoudi: We regrets that young people chant their souls as a sacrifice for leaders who do not suffer for human suffering: we suffer from irresponsibility and lack of pursuit of reform and accountability
Aoun receives call from Bou Saab informing him of Hochstein's visit end of upcoming week
Aoun salutes youth participating in maritime campaign
Geagea urges opposition to unite over 'salvation' and 'confrontation' president
"No matter what happens, we will not accept any change in Lebanon's facet, role, message or identity," underlines Geagea
UNIFIL denies conveying a message from the Israeli side: We call on the media to review us before publishing reports that increase tension
State Security agents suspected of torturing detainee to death arrested
Money transfer firms replace banks in crisis-hit Lebanon
Al-Murtada from Deir Dourit: Christian presence in Lebanon a blessing & source of wealth to be preserved by all
Marine boats set out from Tripoli towards Naqoura, in adherence to Lebanon's right to its waters, wealth resources
Rifi: I appeal to Italy to rescue 70 Lebanese migrants stranded off the Maltese, Italian coasts
Lebanon Maintains Silence on Border Demarcation Talks with Israel
Lebanon: Death of Syrian Detainee under Torture Disconcerts Security, Judicial Authorities

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on September 04-05/2022
Iran announces defense system against chemical, biological threats
US Adheres to Its Conditions, Keeps Door Open for Iran’s Return to Nuclear Deal
Iran’s Crackdown on Filmmakers Escalates
Congressmen Urge Biden to Reconsider Dangerous Iran Deal
Russia Tells Iran to Withdraw From Syrian Bases Struck by Israel
6 Israeli troops wounded in attack on bus in West Bank
Gantz nominates Maj.-Gen. Hertzi Halevi to be next IDF chief of staff
IDF soldier stabbed near Kiryat Arba, assailant killed
Hamas Executes 2 Palestinians for Helping Israel
Turkish Warship Docks at Haifa Port for 1st Time in 12 Years
Arab Sources In The Gulf And The Syrian Opposition: Iran Is Deepening Its Hold On Southern Syria, Deploying Afghan Fatemiyoun Brigade Forces Along Border With Jordan
US Forces Establish Third Military Base in Syria's Qamishli
Serious’ Indications of Possible Assassination Attempts in Baghdad, Other Iraqi Cities
UN Participates in Egypt’s International Cooperation Forum

Titles For The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on September 04-05/2022
ANALYSIS: What’s Behind the Reconciliation Between Turkey and Israel/Yochanan Visser/Israel Today/September 04/2022
'There We Will Strike Them': The Munich Massacre and Its Aftermath/Richard Kemp/Gatestone Institute/September 0/2022
Nuclear Blackmail and European Terror from Zaporizhzhia to Natanz/Raghida Dergham/The National/Published on September 04/2022
On Violated Syria/Tariq Al-Homayed/Asharq Al-Awsat/September 04/2022

The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on September 04-05/2022
Al-Rahi says presidential void would be 'conspiracy' and 'treason'
Naharnet/September 04/2022
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/111681/%d9%86%d8%b5-%d8%b9%d8%b8%d8%aa%d9%8a-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%a8%d8%b7%d8%b1%d9%8a%d8%b1%d9%83-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b1%d8%a7%d8%b9%d9%8a-%d9%88%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%85%d8%b7%d8%b1%d8%a7%d9%86-%d8%b9%d9%88%d8%af%d9%87/
Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi on Sunday warned that “a deliberate presidential vacuum” would be “a conspiracy against what the presidency position represents in the republic.”It would also be “treason against Lebanon,” the patriarch added in his Sunday Mass sermon. “The suggestion that there will be a presidential vacuum is rejected,” he stressed. Al-Rahi noted that “speaking of presidential vacuum is constitutionally limited to the president’s resignation or death or a force majeure, according to articles 73 and 74 of the constitution.”“Political forces should agree on a figure or two who enjoy the characteristics that have become well-known and repeated, and let parliament elect the new president within the constitutional timeframe that has started,” the patriarch urged.
Warning that “manipulation with the presidency is manipulation with the republic itself,” al-Rahi said: “Beware of opening this door.”“The Maronite patriarchate, which is directly concerned with this juncture and every juncture on which Lebanon’s fate hinges, calls on everyone to put an end to adventures and bargains” in this regard, the patriarch added.

Rahi: Presidential vaccum is a deliberate conspiracy against what the republic presidency represents & a betrayal of Lebanon
NNA/September 04/2022
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/111681/%d9%86%d8%b5-%d8%b9%d8%b8%d8%aa%d9%8a-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%a8%d8%b7%d8%b1%d9%8a%d8%b1%d9%83-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b1%d8%a7%d8%b9%d9%8a-%d9%88%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%85%d8%b7%d8%b1%d8%a7%d9%86-%d8%b9%d9%88%d8%af%d9%87/
Maronite Patriarch Mar Bechara Boutros Al-Rahi presided over Sunday Mass in Bkirki this morning, during which he rejected what was being circulated about the possibility of falling into presidential vacuum. During the sermon, Al-Rahi said that "the presidential vacuum is a deliberate conspiracy against what the presidency post represents in the republic," and rather a "betrayal of Lebanon."In this context, the Patriarch called on all parties to "stop their adventures and bargaining". Al-Rahi concluded: "In parallel with the issue of the election of the President of the Republic, we see the daily living situation in the country deteriorating frighteningly... Inflation has reached about 200%, which disrupts purchasing power no matter how much the wage rate is adjusted, and the unemployment rate has exceeded 40% of the labor force this year."

Rahi inaugurates St. Semaan church in Zgharta
NNA/September 04/2022
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/111681/%d9%86%d8%b5-%d8%b9%d8%b8%d8%aa%d9%8a-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%a8%d8%b7%d8%b1%d9%8a%d8%b1%d9%83-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b1%d8%a7%d8%b9%d9%8a-%d9%88%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%85%d8%b7%d8%b1%d8%a7%d9%86-%d8%b9%d9%88%d8%af%d9%87/
Maronite Patriarch Cardinal Mar Beshara Boutros Al-Rahi inaugurated the Church of Mar Semaan Al-Amoudi in the town of Arda in Zgharta district, in the presence of Caretaker Minister of Information Ziad al- Makary. At the inauguration ceremony, Rahi said that he is not afraid for Lebanon, as it rises and is born again, and like an eagle it renews its youth.

Bishop Aoudi: We regrets that young people chant their souls as a sacrifice for leaders who do not suffer for human suffering: we suffer from irresponsibility and lack of pursuit of reform and accountability
LCCC/September 04/2022
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/111681/%d9%86%d8%b5-%d8%b9%d8%b8%d8%aa%d9%8a-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%a8%d8%b7%d8%b1%d9%8a%d8%b1%d9%83-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b1%d8%a7%d8%b9%d9%8a-%d9%88%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%85%d8%b7%d8%b1%d8%a7%d9%86-%d8%b9%d9%88%d8%af%d9%87/
Bishop Aoudi stated today in his Sunday homely that "Many desire peace, but is there peace far from the Lord? Some say that working in God's field is difficult and requires selflessness, but they forgot the words of the Apostle Paul: "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" (Philippians 4:13). The Lord does not leave us alone in the struggle, and He says: “I will not leave you orphans” (John 14:18), but He waits for us to take the first step towards Him, with our full freedom, then we will see the sweetness of life with Christ and in Him. Spiritual fatherhood” so that no one struggles alone and loses his way instead of entering the heavenly kingdom. Therefore, there is no need to be afraid or ashamed of the sins that young people may commit knowingly or unknowingly, by word, deed or thought. They should not listen to the voice of Satan, who sows despair In their hearts, persuading them that they would not be saved.The apostles asked the Lord Jesus: “Who can then be saved?!” He answered them: “As for people, this is not possible, but with God all things are possible.” Young people should give a chance to the Lord’s work in their lives, without prejudice.
He added: We regret that young people trust earthly leaders more than they trust God the Creator. They trust leaders who did not manage the country well, did not master love and giving, and did not allow God to work in their hearts. Leaders exploit the people and the resources of the country instead of exploiting the talents given to them by the Lord and fruiting them to double their production and increase the country’s harvest. We suffer from irresponsibility, immorality and lack of faith. We suffer from not striving for the goodness that the young man asked for in today's gospel. We suffer from recklessness and lack of accountability, which leads, for example, some of the contractors and those responsible for them to overlook dark and booby-trapped roads and potholes, turning them into a trap that kidnaps young people, orphan children, and breaks the hearts of parents and brothers. We regret that young people chant their souls and blood for the sacrifice of leaders who do not suffer for human suffering, instead of placing their full trust in the Lord who shed his blood on the cross for their salvation. We regret that young people are migrating, instead of trying to save their homeland. The Bible tells us something beyond doubt, that God is “true” and that everyone is “a liar” (Romans 3:4). And he concluded his return: “Therefore, the Lord’s call for us on this blessed day is to leave everything and every enslaved person, both human and material, and to follow Him alone, the Truthful and Loving Human Being, and to link the righteous deeds that we do with the love that we learn from Him, transmitting it to Him. To everyone around us.

Aoun receives call from Bou Saab informing him of Hochstein's visit end of upcoming week
NNA/September 04/2022
President of the Republic, General Michel Aoun, received this afternoon a call from the Deputy Speaker of Parliament, MP Elias Bou Saab, informing him that he had contacted the American mediator on the issue of demarcating the southern maritime borders, Amos Hochstein, within the framework of the mission assigned to him by President Aoun, and was informed that Hochstein will visit Lebanon at the end of this upcoming week to continue discussions with the Lebanese side over the demarcation dossier. Bou Saab indicated that "most of the media reports recently published about Hochstein's mission are based on speculation and are not accurate."
He added that he heard from the American side that the efforts being made to reach a just agreement are top priority.

Aoun salutes youth participating in maritime campaign
NNA/September 04/2022
“From Tripoli to Naqoura, passing through our ports, we salute the youth of Lebanon participating in the maritime campaign and upholding Lebanon's full right to its waters, borders and wealth,” tweeted this morning President of the Republic, Michel Aoun.He added: “The unity of our position is the guarantor of our rights and wealth for our generations who are looking forward to embodying their aspirations for a homeland that they build on their dreams under the country’s flag.”

Geagea urges opposition to unite over 'salvation' and 'confrontation' president
Naharnet/September 04/2022
Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea on Sunday accused rival parties of "blocking the formation of a new government and preparing, as usual, to block the presidential election.""What's very certain is that this is not for proposing a certain reformist plan but rather to try and secure the election of Jebran Bassil or someone named by him as president," Geagea said at the annual mass commemorating the "martyrs of the Lebanese resistance."He added: "We will not accept a president from them. We rather want a president who can change everything that we have lived in this presidential term." "We want a confrontation president, not in the face of the Lebanese, but rather in the face of everyone who has ruined their lives," the LF leader went on to say. Addressing all change and opposition blocs and MPs by name, Geagea urged them to secure the election of a "salvation president.""We as the Strong Republic bloc -- LF, National Liberal Party and independents -- are the biggest bloc in parliament, and we enjoy the biggest Christian representation. Despite this, we're not clinging to anything, and we're rather ready to sacrifice everything, on the condition that all opposition parties unite over a salvation candidate," Geagea added.

"No matter what happens, we will not accept any change in Lebanon's facet, role, message or identity," underlines Geagea
NNA/September 04/2022
Lebanese Forces Party held a Mass service on Sunday dedicated to the fallen martyrs of the Lebanese resistance, led by Maronite Patriarch, Cardinal Bechara Boutros al-Rahi, in the courtyard of the Party's headquarters in Maarab. In his delivered word on the occasion, Party Chief Samir Geagea said: "We will not accept, no matter what happens, any change in Lebanon’s facet or role, message and identity, and we will not accept at all that our country remains alienated and isolated from its Arab environment or from the international community."He added: "We will confront any project that aims to drag the country to a place that does not resemble it, and has nothing to do with its past or history, nor the nature of its people, and threatens its existence and the future of its people..." Geagea stressed that any attempt to obliterate the history of Lebanon by any side, seeking to alter it to suit its ideology and theories, will totally be rejected. "Hands off the presidency, hands off the Lebanese, hands off Lebanon!" Geagea continued.He stressed, "Our people at the present time are counting the days, day after day, moment after moment, until the current covenant ends."On Lebanon's future president, Geagea said: "We want a president who is an actual representative of legitimacy, and who does not succumb to an illegitimate militia subject to a foreign state."“We want a president who defends our sovereignty, restores our dignity and the strategic decision of the state...His power is to reform our institutions and our economy, not disrupt them," he maintained. "The rescue operation will only be achieved by a confronting, rescue president, and here the responsibility rests entirely upon the Parliament that will elect a new president of the republic, knowing that the time has come to define responsibilities in a precise and clear manner, away from generalisations and evasion of responsibility," the LF Chief underscored.

UNIFIL denies conveying a message from the Israeli side: We call on the media to review us before publishing reports that increase tension
NNA/September 04/2022
The United Nations Interim Forces in Lebanon, "UNIFIL", commented in a statement on one of the media reports that claimed that UNIFIL conveyed a message from Israel that the Israeli army will shoot anyone approaching the Blue Line from the Lebanese side, stressing that "this report is incorrect and UNIFIL did not convey such a message.""UNIFIL would like to take this opportunity to underscore the important and critical role that the media plays in conveying factual information, and we invite them to review with us immediately before publishing reports that could increase tension in a volatile environment," the statement added.The statement declared that UNIFIL "continues to do its utmost to maintain stability in southern Lebanon, where its peacekeeping forces patrol and monitor the area of ​​operations day and night."

State Security agents suspected of torturing detainee to death arrested
AFP/NNA/September 04/2022
Lebanese authorities have arrested five State Security agents on suspicion of torturing to death a Syrian detainee, in the latest abuse allegation against the security services, a judicial source told AFP.The arrests came on the orders of the government's commissioner to the military court, Fadi Akiki, who had ordered an investigation into last month's death in custody, the source said. The young Syrian "died within three hours of his arrest after being subjected to severe torture and beatings that triggered a heart attack," the source said, adding that the detainee was pronounced dead on arrival in hospital. The State Security agents arrested Bashar Abdel Saud on August 31 and took him to an agency facility in Bint Jbeil in southern Lebanon for questioning with other detainees. The agents wanted to "obtain a confession from the deceased suspect that he was the leader of a cell" linked to the Islamic State group but he "persisted in denying the allegation," according to the source. In pictures seen by AFP, the body of the deceased was covered in cuts and bruises. The bodies of fellow detainees who survived their ordeal also bore signs of torture. The State Security agency, which has faced multiple allegations of torture in the past, said Abdel Saud's death had been referred to the "competent authorities."Lebanon passed a law banning the use of torture in September 2017, but in March last year human rights group Amnesty International published a report detailing the alleged use of torture against 26 Syrian refugees "arbitrarily detained on counter-terror charges." ---

Money transfer firms replace banks in crisis-hit Lebanon
Agence France Presse/September 04/2022
Like many people in crisis-hit Lebanon, Elias Skaff used to wait for hours to withdraw cash at the bank but now prefers money transfer companies as trust in lenders has evaporated. Anyone who relies on traditional banks to receive their money "will die 100 times before cashing it," said Skaff, 50, who has survived Lebanon's three-year-old economic downturn with the help of U.S. dollar payments from a relative abroad. Once the flagship of Lebanon's economy, the banking sector is now widely despised and avoided after banks barred depositors from accessing their savings, stopped offering loans, closed hundreds of branches and slashed thousands of jobs. Last month, a local man was widely cheered as a folk hero after he stormed a Beirut bank with a rifle and held employees and customers hostage for hours to demand some of his $200,000 in frozen savings to pay hospital bills for his sick father.
Increasingly, as Lebanon's deep crisis shows no sign of abating, money transfer agencies are filling the gap, also offering currency exchange, credit card and tax payment services and even setting up wedding gift registries. Skaff said he now receives his money via a Beirut branch of Western Union's Lebanese agent OMT, which says it operates more than 1,200 branches nationwide and handles 80 percent of money transfers outside the Lebanese banking sector. "We create services similar to those that banks provide at the request of our customers," said OMT spokesman Naji Abou Zeid.
Lebanon has been battered by its worst-ever economic crisis since the financial sector went into meltdown in 2019. The local currency has lost more than 90 percent of its value on the black market, as poverty and unemployment have soared. Angry protesters have often targeted banks, trashing their ATM machines with rocks and spray cans."We can't even withdraw a penny" from the bank, said 45-year-old Alaa Sheikhani, a customer standing in line at an OMT branch.
"How are we supposed to trust them with our money?"
Surviving on remittances -
Elie, 36, who recently got married, said he used Whish Money, a Lebanese money transfer firm, to set up his wedding gift registry, something he said saved wedding guests time, hassle and money in fees. "Rather than waiting for hours at the bank, which is often crowded, they can hand over the money to an agency," said the man who asked not to be fully named. "In terms of time saved and costs, it's incomparable."Whish Money's marketing director Dina Daher said the company is winning customers by charging "zero fees" on Lebanese pound transfers. Some companies are now even paying salaries through money transfer companies instead of banks. "When the crisis began, we were forced to pay salaries in cash, and it was a waste of time," because accountants had to count out large bundles of banknotes, said Rachelle Bou Nader, a human resources manager. But now her firm, sporting goods retailer Mike Sport, pays its employees through Whish, allowing them to "withdraw their salary easily, in instalments, and free of charge," said Bou Nader. Sami Nader, director of the Levant Institute for Strategic Affairs, said remittances from the Lebanese diaspora have become crucial to help families weather the crushing economic crisis. "Today, a young Lebanese employee living abroad won't hesitate to send $100 to his parents because this sum now makes a difference," he said. Lebanese banks have drastically increased fees on the few services they still offer -- including foreign currency transfers, now their only meaningful source of income -- said Nader, who added that this has further fueled the exodus to money transfer companies. About 250,000 residents of Lebanon received remittances in the first half of 2022, according to OMT, up eight percent from the same period last year.The World Bank has reported that Lebanon received $6.6 billion in remittances in 2021, one of the highest levels in the Middle East and North Africa.

Al-Murtada from Deir Dourit: Christian presence in Lebanon a blessing & source of wealth to be preserved by all
NNA/September 04/2022
Caretaker Minister of Culture, Judge Mohamed Wissam Al-Murtada, inaugurated the activities of the 5th Deir Dourit Summer Festival on Sunday, in the presence of a crowd of political, social, cultural and spiritual figures from the Chouf region. The opening of the festival was preceded by a Mass service held in the town's sports stadium, led by Maronite Archbishop of Sidon and Deir al-Qamar, Maroun Al-Ammar, who delivered a sermon highlighting the importance of "devotion and coexistence, goodness and cooperation among all..." In turn, the Caretaker Culture Minister reiterated the Archbishop's words on coexistence and cooperation. He emphasized the richness and importance of Christian existence in Lebanon, saying: "The Christian presence in Lebanon is a blessing and source of wealth, and we all, especially the Muslims, must work to preserve and safeguard it by preserving the Christian in his presence, dignity, faith and sanctities, and to block the road before the outsider who aims to sow division between us..." "The Christian presence and the diversity that exists in Lebanon is a blessing, and we must thank God for it and work to preserve and perpetuate it," Al-Murtada asserted.

Marine boats set out from Tripoli towards Naqoura, in adherence to Lebanon's right to its waters, wealth resources
NNA/September 04/2022
M sign of adhering to Lebanon's full right to its waters and wealth resources, under the slogan "Lebanon's oil for Lebanon."National Youth Leader in Triarine boats set out today from the city of Tripoli in the North passing through the regions of El Heri, Amchit, Jiyeh, Sidon and Tyre, far-reaching Al-Naqoura, accompanied by the army, in apoli, Lawyer Abdel Nasser Al-Masri, explained that “the campaign is a message to the enemy that the strong formula of the army, people and resistance is committed to extracting Lebanon's oil wealth," stressing on the need to exert pressure to prevent any obstacles standing in Lebanon's way to its economic recovery.

Rifi: I appeal to Italy to rescue 70 Lebanese migrants stranded off the Maltese, Italian coasts
NNA/September 04/2022
Deputy Ashraf Rifi tweeted today: "We appeal to Italy, the friendly country of Lebanon, to take the initiative to rescue 70 Lebanese migrants stuck in their primitive and broken boat off the Maltese and Italian coasts, after throwing themselves into sea fleeing Lebanon...We call on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Lebanese Embassy in Rome to make quick contacts to avoid a new tragedy."

Lebanon Maintains Silence on Border Demarcation Talks with Israel
Beirut - Thaer Abbas/Asharq Al Awsat/Sunday, 04 September, 2022
Lebanese officials maintained silence over the negotiations to demarcate the maritime borders with Israel, led by US mediator Amos Hochstein, amid recent indications on promising developments, especially with the direct intervention of President Joe Biden to advance the talks. A Lebanese source following the mediation asserted that the atmosphere surrounding the negotiations was completely different from the negative impression conveyed by the media, pointing in this regard to the issuance of recent statements on the matter, after a long period of silence.
First, a statement was issued by Deputy Speaker of Parliament MP Elias Bou Saab, followed by comments from the White House, and a phone communication between Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid on the eve of Hochstein’s meeting with Israeli officials, and finally, a clear statement from the US president.According to the Lebanese source, the global energy crisis and US interests [with Europe] make stability in the region very important to the US. These factors gave Lebanon an opportunity to reach a solution that is commensurate with its demands, and could finally constitute a solution to the country’s political, economic and financial crises. Bou Saab, who is in charge of communicating with Hochstein, told Asharq Al-Awsat that he hoped to obtain Israeli answers within the next two weeks, after the recent US impetus. The Lebanese deputy, who refused to go into details, explained that his country “is not overly pessimistic or optimistic about this issue, especially since things are not stagnant”, avoiding to give specific information about Lebanon’s demands and Israel’s proposals in this regard. Bou Saab, however, did not hide his contentment with the ability of the Lebanese side to prevent leaks that could harm the negotiation process. He noted that the purpose of maintaining silence was to avoid embarrassing the other side, which could feel compelled to retreat due to popular pressure. He said: “Last week, I sensed an escalation in the pace of communication by the US mediator. The work has never stopped, and secrecy is in the interest of negotiations; we are now waiting for an evaluation by Hochstein of his meetings with the Israelis, after which he will communicate with me."A source close to the White House pointed that Hochstein continued his “robust engagement to bring the maritime border discussions to a close.”
“We continue to narrow the gaps between the parties and believe a lasting compromise is possible. We welcome the consultative spirit of both parties to reach a resolution.” The source explained that Hochstein maintained daily communication with Israeli and Lebanese officials, including Bou Saab, adding that US Ambassador Dorothy Shea was also in touch with the Parliament speaker, the prime minister and their advisors. Resolving the maritime border dispute “is a key priority for the Biden Administration,” the source told Asharq Al-Awsat. “We firmly believe a deal has the potential to promote lasting stability and economic prosperity for both countries.”

Lebanon: Death of Syrian Detainee under Torture Disconcerts Security, Judicial Authorities

Beirut - Youssef Diab/Sunday, 04 September, 2022
The death of a Syrian young man under torture inside a state security prison in southern Lebanon sparked confusion at the security, judicial and political levels, and brought back to the fore the file of torture in pretrial detention centers. Lebanese sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that the arrested Syrian, Bashar Abdel-Saud, “died less than three hours after his arrest.” He was questioned on suspicion of leading a terrorist network working for ISIS. In view of the uproar caused by the death of the detainee, and following the spread of photos of the corpse showing traces of torture, the State Security body quickly issued a statement to alleviate the impact of the incident. “The General Directorate of State Security, which is always keen on credibility, objectivity and transparency, clarifies that as a result of the investigations it conducted with the members of the cell, they confessed information that led to the arrest of their (deceased) associate,” the statement said. It added: “During the interrogation, he admitted that he belonged to the terrorist organization (ISIS).” The directorate said that the death incident was referred to the “competent court”, under its supervision, and that the court was responsible for revealing the results of the investigations and issuing a legal ruling. Military Court’s Government Commissioner Judge Fadi Akiki examined on Friday the body of the Syrian detainee. In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, Akiki said that he ordered the detention of the officer who heads the State Security Office in Tibnin, where the incident took place, and four of the office’s personnel pending investigation. “The forensic doctor’s report proved that the Syrian detainee died as a result of the severe torture he was subjected to, the effects of which appeared on the body,” he noted. In a statement issued on Aug. 29, the State Security announced that it had “arrested a cell affiliated with ISIS operating between southern Lebanon and Beirut.” It added that the cell fought in Syria, and moved to Lebanon illegally.

The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on September 04-05/2022
Iran announces defense system against chemical, biological threats
Agence France Presse/September 04/2022
Iranian authorities have introduced defense systems in 51 cities to counter "biological, radiological and chemical threats," deputy defense minister Mehdi Farahi has announced. The defense ministry has "provided 51 cities in the country with the necessary installations and equipment for passive defense," Farahi was cited as saying on Saturday by Iribnews, the state broadcaster's website. He added that the ministry is "now able to identify the threats thanks to the infrastructure put in place to confront all sorts of biological, radiological and chemical threats."The announcement comes as Iran is engaged in negotiations to revive its 2015 nuclear deal with world powers that granted the Islamic republic much-needed sanctions relief in return for curbs on its nuclear program. As momentum builds to restore the deal, Israel has been waging a last-minute push to convince allies to halt talks. On August 28, Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid said instructions had been given to the army and the Mossad spy agency to "prepare for any scenario" in the event that the deal is passed. In March 2021, Iran's former defense minister Amir Hatami had said that the Islamic republic should be ready to defend itself against nuclear, chemical and biological attacks. "We must be ready to defend our nation against all threats and anything that the enemy could one day use as a tool for attack," he said at an event commemorating a 1987 chemical attack against Iranian Kurds by former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein. "These include (attacks using) chemical, nuclear and biological weapons," Hatami added, according to Fars news agency.During the Iran-Iraq war of the 1980s, Saddam's forces launched numerous chemical attacks on Iran, including the 1987 strike on the Kurdish town of Sardasht in northwestern Iran. The official toll was 119 dead and 1,518 wounded, but witnesses say thousands more were exposed to what experts say was mustard gas, dropped in canisters from planes.

US Adheres to Its Conditions, Keeps Door Open for Iran’s Return to Nuclear Deal
Washington - Elie Youssef/Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 4 September, 2022
The US Special Representative for Iran, Robert Malley, is scheduled to brief members of the House Foreign Relations Committee on Sept. 14 in a classified setting about the recent developments in the nuclear negotiations with Iran. US media said several developments could take place on the negotiations before the session, hinting that the recent complications after Tehran’s “unconstructive” response may not be a “final response.”The statements of US officials that the nuclear agreement is the best option to deal with Tehran indicate Washington’s intention to encourage Tehran to let go of its “unrealistic” conditions. Malley last briefed the Congress, along with White House Middle East coordinator Brett McGurk, on the status of the talks on Jun 15.
No concessions before the US elections
The Democratic Party has increased its pressure on the US administration to prevent further “concessions” to Tehran ahead of the midterm elections. Bipartisan lawmakers signed a letter to President Joe Biden calling for a return to Congress before signing any agreement with Iran. Last week, negotiators seemed to be making progress toward reviving the Iran nuclear deal after Iran appeared to drop several key demands. Tehran wanted to close the investigations of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) before it would agree to any deal. The US State Department reiterated that Washington is determined to complete investigations into the effects of uranium found in three previously undeclared Iranian nuclear sites. It rejected linking a revival of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal with the closure of investigations by the UN atomic watchdog. On Friday, the White House stressed there should not be any conditionality between re-implementing the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and investigations related to Iran's legal obligations under the Non-proliferation Treaty.
The ball is in Tehran's court
Observers believe the ball is now in Iran’s court, preparing to obtain significant concessions. Some believe that Tehran's threat to increase uranium enrichment to more than 93 percent are desperate attempts, given its knowledge that its possession of nuclear weapons will present significant obstacles from the West, Israel, neighboring countries, and even Russia. On Friday, Iran returned two captured US maritime drones after being confronted by US destroyers, but the unmanned vessels were missing their cameras. It wasn’t clear if the Iranians kept the cameras, the official added, or if they fell off when the Iranians hauled the drones out of the Red Sea and later put them back in the water. US officials have said that the cameras, radars, and other drone equipment are commercially available and aren’t classified technology. But retaining the cameras and inspecting the drones up close could give Iran a better idea of the system’s capabilities. The Navy has been deploying a network of advanced aerial and maritime sensors in the region, known as Task Force 59, designed to use artificial intelligence to monitor Iran’s activities at sea and potential threats. The US first began deploying maritime drones in October. The vessels are 23-feet-long, rely on wind and solar power, and are equipped with cameras, radars, and other sensors. Reuters reported that Iran state television earlier on Friday acknowledged the Iranian Navy released two US maritime drones in the Red Sea but accused the American unmanned vessels of jeopardizing naval safety. A US defense official suggested the Iranians sought to secretly seize the drones, pulling the sail drones entirely out of the water on Thursday and then covering them with tarps. He said Iran initially denied having US property before returning them on Friday to the US warships that converged on the scene.

Iran’s Crackdown on Filmmakers Escalates
Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 4 September, 2022
One year after ultraconservative President Ebrahim Raisi came to power, Iranian authorities are targeting the country's cinema. The July arrests of directors Jafar Panahi and Mohammad Rasoulof, both icons abroad, reflect the pressure that filmmakers and actors are facing. The Iranian film community has been asking "who will be next?" ever since Panahi and Rasoulof were arrested in July in Tehran. Panahi, who was sentenced to six years in prison in 2010 for "spreading anti-regime propaganda", is one of Iran’s most celebrated filmmakers. Most notably, he won the Golden Bear in Berlin for "Taxi Tehran" in 2015 and three years later, the screenplay prize at Cannes for "3 Faces". For his part, Rasoulof won the Golden Bear in 2020 for "There is no evil", and the prize in the "Un Certain Regard" category in Cannes for his feature "A Man of Integrity" in 2017. Both filmmakers are very well known and their arrests have been publicized abroad, but other directors have also been touched by the wave of repression that has hit Iranian cinema in recent months, AFP reported. "This wave of arrests did not start with Panahi and Rasoulof," says Asal Bagheri, a teacher-researcher at Cergy-Paris University and a specialist in Iranian cinema. A few days before the Cannes festival in May, a dozen documentary filmmakers were arrested, including Mina Keshavarz and Firouzeh Khosravani, two directors who are regularly invited to France and awarded prizes at international festivals.
Bagheri fears that "this is only the beginning", as other filmmakers have also been put under pressure. Majid Barzegar and Mohsen Amir-Yousefi, two documentary filmmakers, received a summons from the Iranian justice system at the end of August.
"We are entering a period of repression that is damaging to culture," says the Iranian film specialist. Not only has the film, which takes a no-holds-barred look at the ravages of Iran's economic crisis, been banned in the country, but its cast and crew have also been under duress. One of the lead actors, Navid Mohammadzadeh, has had several plays suspended. "In his film, Saeed Roostaee managed to play very intelligently with the red lines, but the film’s release at Cannes, at a time when the country has been going through a serious social crisis, has put the Iranian authorities on edge," says Bagheri. Beyond the film's political aspect, "certain behavior at Cannes displeased the authorities" adds the researcher. "In Iran, when a film is judged for its morality, this not only includes the film’s content but also everything that happens around it, including the attitude and statements of actors and directors in the media, especially abroad." A joyful Mohammadzadeh kissed his wife on the steps of Cannes in front of the cameras, for the whole world to see. The Iranian authorities saw this sign of affection as immoral, even though the two artists are married. Actress Taraneh Alidoosti, famous for her roles in several films by Asghar Farhadi, is another member of the cast of "Leila’s Brothers" whom authorities targeted. "Extremely popular in Iran, she is one of the leading figures of the #MeToo movement in the Iranian film industry and has a sharp tongue," says Bagheri.
The Cinema Organization of Iran, a body under the authority of the ministry of culture, announced on August 16 that, for the first time, a list of banned filmmakers would soon be made public. Although nothing has been decided yet, Alidoosti, whose name may be on the blacklist, has already addressed authorities in a letter posted on Instagram. The actress called the publication of such a list "unfortunate" and "illegal". Bans were previously imposed on a case-by-case basis, according to judicial convictions of the filmmakers, or, sometimes, unofficially. "But never before have the authorities talked about an official list. This marks a repressive turning point," says Bagheri. The arrival of Ebrahim Raisi, an ultraconservative cleric who was elected president in June 2021, has a lot to do with this. "The cultural community knew that repressive measures would increase once the ultraconservative government was in place. This is reminiscent of the darkest hours of the Mahmoud Ahmadinejad era (2005-2013), during which many documentary filmmakers were arrested." Relations between the authorities and Iranian filmmakers are also tense because the country is currently experiencing one of the worst economic crises in its history with high inflation. Iranians protested en masse in June, accusing the authorities of incompetence and corruption in the city of Abadan after a building collapsed. "Iranian society has become increasingly vocal and bold," says Bagheri. "But the work of this wave of directors, who constitute a form of 'social cinema', reflects society’s ills. They are simply a reflection of this anger."Filmmakers are now showing solidarity with the protesters. Some 100 leading Iranian figures, including Panahi, Rasoulof and many artists, signed a letter in June calling on the authorities to "put down their arms" in the face of the Abadan protests. This is one of the reasons the authorities give for the recent arrests. "Some people are still under pressure and being held accountable. They are being asked to publicly withdraw their support for the petition," says Bagheri. However, none of them have yet agreed to do so.

Congressmen Urge Biden to Reconsider Dangerous Iran Deal
Dmitriy Shapiro/Israel Today/September 04/2022
“Strengthened with an estimated one trillion dollars in sanctions relief over a decade, Iran would be an enormous danger to Americans and to our allies.”
(JNS) A bipartisan group of members of the US House of Representatives is calling for the Biden administration to consult Congress on a potential agreement to re-enter the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) with Iran, expressing concerns over reported sanctions relief and the role of Russia. Reps. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) and Andrew Garbarino (R-NY) spearheaded the effort this week, garnering 50 signatures from colleagues by Wednesday for a letter addressed to US President Joe Biden. The letter expressed the legislators’ concerns with reported provisions of an agreement. According to a news release, the House members were concerned with the weakening of effective terrorism-related sanctions on the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and allowing Russia to have a role in Iran’s nuclear capabilities. The letter listed the numerous terrorist organizations directly or indirectly supported by the IRGC in the Middle East involved in malign activities against the United States and its allies. The groups include Hezbollah, Hamas, Houthis in Yemen, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Shi’ite militias in Iraq who were responsible for the military bases of the United States and its allies in the region. “Strengthened with an estimated one trillion dollars in sanctions relief over a decade, Iran and the IRGC would be an enormous danger to Americans at home and abroad, and to our allies. Additionally, it has been reported that under this proposed deal, Russia will be the de facto judge of compliance and the keeper of Iran’s enriched uranium, without any oversight mechanisms by the United States or our European partners,” wrote the letter’s authors. While the letter commended the administration for refusing Iran’s demand to remove the IRGC from the list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations, the members believed the proposed sanctions relief in the deal would dilute the effectiveness of the sanctions against the organization. The letter also urged the administration to not permit Russia to be the recipient of Iran’s enriched uranium or give it the right to conduct nuclear work in Iran as Russia currently has a $10 billion contract with Iran to expand Iran’s nuclear infrastructure. “We should not let war criminal Vladimir Putin be the guarantor of the deal or the keeper of massive amounts of Iran’s enriched uranium,” the letter stated. “Iran supports the illegal war in Ukraine and has been supplying Russia with drones used to kill Ukrainians.”According to the letter, Iran has offered to help Russia evade sanctions, and both countries have recently collaborated with China to increase diplomatic, economic and defense cooperation. The letter asked Biden to provide Congress with the full text of any proposal to rejoin the deal but stopped short of calling for a vote from Congress in accordance with the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act of 2015, which prevents the president from suspending sanctions on Iran that were passed by Congress before it is given a chance to vote on the agreement. Concluded the letter: “We urge you not to return to any deal with Iran prior to releasing the full text of the agreement and any side agreements to Congress, to provide us with an in-depth briefing on the matter, and to consult with all key stakeholders.”

Russia Tells Iran to Withdraw From Syrian Bases Struck by Israel
JNS/ September 04/2022
Iranian militias manufacture and develop weapons at these sites, including short-range missiles.
(JNS) Russia has demanded that Iranian militias withdraw from military positions west of the Syrian province of Hama and from other positions in central and western Syria to prevent them from being targeted by Israel, Asharq al-Awsat reported on Friday. Three Russian officers and their Iranian counterparts made the demand at the Hama Military Airport in central Syria on Aug. 31, the London-based Arabic daily. “Russian officers informed the Iranian side of the need to evacuate Iranian military headquarters near the site of Regiment 49, which belongs to the Syrian regime forces,” a source told the news outlet. The Regiment 49 site is one of the top military sites in western Hama as it houses long-range, Russian-made S-200 missiles as well as other Russian-manufactured equipment, according to the report. “The Russian officers also demanded that the Iranians evacuate a second Iranian military site in the Hamidiya area, south of Tartus governorate on the Syrian coast,” the source added. Iranian militias manufacture and develop weapons at these sites, including short-range missiles, according to Asharq al-Awsat. The demand comes after Israel recently struck the Scientific Studies and Research Center (SSRC), a Syrian weapons installation, near the city of Maysaf in the country’s northwestern region on Aug. 25. According to Ynet, Masyaf has become the principal production facility for Syrian and Iranian precision missiles and rockets used by Hezbollah and other Shi’ite militias. Iranian missile and rocket components arrive regularly via the nearby Syrian seaport of Tartus and are stored in vast underground bunkers at this installation, according to the report.

6 Israeli troops wounded in attack on bus in West Bank
Agence France Presse/September 04/2022
Seven Israelis including six soldiers were wounded on Sunday in a shooting attack on an Israeli bus in the occupied West Bank, the Israeli army said.
The army said one of the soldiers was severely wounded while the others and the civilian were lightly hurt. "We saw two gunshot victims outside of the bus who were being treated by IDF (Israeli military) medics and other people who were at the scene," said paramedic Matti Carmi, from the Magen David Adom emergency medical services. Those shot in the northern West Bank incident were both conscious and were airlifted to Rambam hospital, in the Israeli city of Haifa. Three others were hit with glass fragments and subsequently transferred by road to another hospital in northern Israel, MDA said. A photograph published by a union representing bus drivers showed the vehicle's windscreen peppered with bullet holes. Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz said security forces "immediately went in pursuit and got their hands on suspects in the attack." Sunday's incident follows a shooting spree last month targeting an Israeli bus in occupied east Jerusalem. Eight people, including several American citizens, were wounded in that pre-dawn attack near the Old City of Jerusalem. Following an hours-long manhunt, police said a suspect had turned himself in. Israel has controlled east Jerusalem and the West Bank since the 1967 Six-Day War, when it seized the territories from Jordan.

Gantz nominates Maj.-Gen. Hertzi Halevi to be next IDF chief of staff
Anna Ahronheim/Jerusalem Post/September 04/2022
Maj.-Gen. Hertzi Halevi, long considered a front-runner for the job as head of the IDF, will replace current chief of staff Lt.-Gen. Aviv Kohavi in January.
Defense Minister Benny Gantz has nominated IDF Deputy Chief of Staff Maj.-Gen. Hertzi Halevi to replace Lt.-Gen. Aviv Kohavi and become the 23rd chief of staff.
Halevi was long seen as a front-runner to replace Kohavi, who is set to retire in January. “He is the most suitable officer in terms of the rich operational experience he has in a variety of areas, as well as in terms of his command abilities and his approach to various military issues, which he has demonstrated throughout his years of service,” Gantz said in a statement. “He is the most suitable officer in terms of the rich operational experience he has in a variety of areas, as well as in terms of his command abilities and his approach to various military issues, which he has demonstrated throughout his years of service.”
The decision was made following a thorough assessment process conducted over the period of several months, Gantz’s office said in a statement.
How did Israel choose the next IDF chief of staff?
The selection process, which is based on recommendations by the military advocate-general, consists of six stages. Gantz consulted with Kohavi, Prime Minister Yair Lapid and former senior officials, including prime ministers, defense ministers and chiefs of staff. Deciding between Halevi and Maj.-Gen. Eyal Zamir was “a choice between two worthy and good candidates,” Lapid said. “The choice of Maj.-Gen. Hertzi Halevi is worthy and natural,” he said. “Hertzi is an outstanding officer with a wealth of experience and skills. I am sure that he will lead the IDF to many significant achievements.” Kohavi “welcomed the selection of a highly talented and experienced officer,” the IDF said, adding that he congratulated Halevi on his appointment and wished him luck. In the coming week, Gantz will present Halevi’s name to the Senior Appointments Advisory Committee, which is headed by Supreme Court Justice Menachem Mazuz. Subject to its approval, Gantz will then bring the nomination to the government for approval. “It should be noted that the defense minister has a significant acquaintance over decades with the two final candidates for the appointment in a variety of positions,” Gantz’s office said.
Gantz spoke with Halevi and informed him of the decision.
Who is Hertzi Halevi, the next IDF chief of staff?
Halevi, 54, was drafted into the Paratroopers Brigade in 1985 and later served in the elite General Staff Reconnaissance Unit (Sayeret Matkal) before commanding it in 2001. He replaced Zamir as deputy chief of staff after serving as head of Military Intelligence and Southern Command.
Gantz also spoke with Zamir, who is currently a research fellow at the Washington Institute, and told him he considers him an “excellent and worthy candidate” and thanked him for his contribution to Israel’s security over his decades of service.
Zamir is a quality candidate for future positions in the defense establishment and would continue to contribute to the state, Gantz said. Kohavi also spoke with Zamir following the announcement. Zamir was a leading candidate to replace former chief of staff Lt.-Gen. (ret.) Gadi Eisenkot in 2018. Zamir spent most of his career in the Armored Corps and commanded the Seventh Armored Brigade and the 36th Armored Division (Ga’ash Division). He held a number of key positions in Ground Forces Command before serving as former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s chief military and intelligence adviser.

IDF soldier stabbed near Kiryat Arba, assailant killed
Jerusalem Post/September 04/2022
The terrorist approached an IDF military post and stabbed one of the soldiers that was standing guard. An IDF soldier was moderately injured in a stabbing attack near Kiryat Arba on Friday afternoon, according to the IDF Spokesperson Unit. The terrorist approached a military post where a number of soldiers were standing guard and stabbed one of them before being shot dead by a different soldier. “I didn’t hesitate, and I killed the terrorist,” said Corporal M. “As a medic, I gave life-saving medical attention to my team sergeant.” According to Palestinian media, the terrorist was 19-year-old Fadi Muhammed Ratas from the Dehaishe refugee camp near Bethlehem. United Hatzalah volunteer Ben Zion Cousin, who was the first respondent on the scene, reported that the injured soldier had been stabbed and injured in his upper body. “Together with medical personnel from the IDF, I treated the injured soldier,” he said. “I bandaged him and stabilized him at the scene before he was transported to the hospital. The assailant was neutralized by security forces at the scene.”"The assailant was neutralized by security forces at the scene." The soldier was taken to Hadassah-University Medical Center in Ein Kerem for further medical treatment and his family was notified. Highway 60 was closed to traffic following the incident. Lapid wishes the soldier a speedy recovery. “I wish a speedy recovery to the IDF soldier who was injured in the attack near Kiryat Arba,” said Prime Minister Yair Lapid. “I support the soldiers who acted fast to stop the terrorist. We will continue to fight anyone who tries to harm our citizens and our soldiers.” “I’m wishing a full recovery to the IDF soldier who was injured in the Kiryat Arba attack and want to praise the conduct of his friends who stopped the terrorist and prevented a worse attack,” said Defense Minister Benny Gantz. “IDF soldiers continue to be stationed at all times in the West Bank and around Israel in order to protect Israeli citizens from any threat – and we are all grateful.”

Hamas Executes 2 Palestinians for Helping Israel
Israel Today Staff /September 04/2022
The Palestinians signed deals obligating them to combat terror. But any Palestinian who does so is certain to be brutally punished.
The Palestinians have several signed peace agreements with Israel, all of which obligate them to cooperate with the Jewish state to combat terrorism and end the so-called “cycle of violence.”But should any Palestinian Arab dare to actually fulfill that obligation, he or she faces severe punishment, and likely death. That is especially true in the Gaza Strip, where at the weekend the coastal enclave’s Hamas overlords executed two Palestinians on charges of aiding Israel in its recent military campaign to eliminate the threat of Islamic Jihad rocket attacks. One man reportedly helped Israeli forces identify the launch pads Islamic Jihad was using to fire its rockets, while the second is accused of aiding Israel in the targeting of terrorist forces hiding among the civilian population. A decade of incessant Hamas and Islamic Jihad rocket fire on southern Israel has kept Gaza in a perpetual state of low-level war (punctuated by periodic major flare-ups), which has in turn resulted in ongoing destitution. Many Gazans are fed up. But their only recourse is almost certain to get them arrested, tortured and killed. Even though their actions were in line with the supposed spirit of the peace process. It should be remembered that Hamas and its violent, peace-rejecting ideology was actually voted into political power by the Palestinian electorate in 2006.

Turkish Warship Docks at Haifa Port for 1st Time in 12 Years
Ramallah - Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 4 September, 2022
A Turkish warship docked in Haifa port on Saturday for the first time in 12 years, as part of a NATO drill. According to a spokesperson for the port, the TCG Kemalreis, a Barbaros-class frigate, is expected to remain docked for several days alongside a US missile destroyer ship, the USS Forrest Sherman. No drills or other interactions are planned between the Israeli army and the Turkish ship, which is considered one of the most modern vessels in Türkiye’s navy. “The docking is part of Israel’s cooperation with and support of NATO,” an Israeli army statement read.
Israel and Türkiye decided in August to restore full diplomatic ties and would reappoint ambassadors, four years after they summoned each other’s envoy. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid have held a phone call expressing their satisfaction with the progress in ties and congratulating each other on the decision to appoint ambassadors. According to reports, Erdogan is also interested in appointing an ambassador before Israel's elections in November. This is partly because of his concern that if Benjamin Netanyahu returns to office, the normalization process could stall. In addition to that, flights between the two countries will resume soon.

Arab Sources In The Gulf And The Syrian Opposition: Iran Is Deepening Its Hold On Southern Syria, Deploying Afghan Fatemiyoun Brigade Forces Along Border With Jordan
MEMRI/September 04/2022
The following report is now a complimentary offering from MEMRI's Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor (JTTM). For JTTM subscription information, click here.
The Kuwaiti Al-Qabas daily and the Syrian opposition website Horan Free League recently published lengthy articles describing the "increasing tension in southern Syria,"[1] in light of Iran's moves to exploit Russia's preoccupation with the war in Ukraine, to entrench its control over Syria's Daraa Governorate by deploying forces of the militias it supports, headed by the Afghan Fatemiyoun Brigade, along the border with Jordan. The articles contend that the Iranian activity in southern Syria is intended to ensure that drugs can be easily smuggled into Jordan, and may also be in preparation for a military operation in the Daraa area, most likely against Syrian opposition elements.
It is noteworthy that in recent months senior Jordanian officials have claimed that there has been a steep increase in instances of drug smuggling from southern Syria to territory in the kingdom, including by means of drones.[2]
The following are excerpts from some of the reports about the Iranian entrenchment in southern Syria:
Iran Digs In Along the Syria-Jordan Border And Establishes New Bases in the South of the Country
On August 23, 2022, the Al-Qabas daily in Kuwait reported that the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) recently dispatched three units of the Afghan Fatemiyoun Brigade to Daraa City in southern Syria. Together, these units number 350 men, under the command of "a senior member of the Afghan militias named Hikmatullah Harati," and according to Al-Qabas they were sent to the region with the objective of deploying along the border with Jordan, under the supervision of "Iranian experts." The militiamen were reportedly sent after they were trained and equipped at military camps southeast of Tehran, where their training included instruction in the operation of short-range rockets and drones. Iranian officers and other IRGC members were also said to be in Daraa. The daily adds that relatives of the members of the Fatemiyoun Brigade were also relocated to Daraa.
Al-Qabas writes that the IRGC also established a new command center to direct operations in southern Syria, and that the center became active after the Fatemiyoun Brigade concluded the deployment of its units along the border with Jordan. At the same time, the new Malik Al-Ashtar base was set up in Daraa, to replace the small military outposts that Iran employed until recently. The paper maintains that the establishment of the new base indicates an Iranian intention to remain in the area for a lengthy period of time, with the aim of protecting Iran's interests and investments in the region.
On August 27, 2022, the Syrian opposition website Horan Free League referred to the Al-Qabas report regarding Iran's intention to establish a new base named Malik Al-Ashtar, and noted that the Fatemiyoun Brigades already has a base in the "Triangle of Death – Damascus-Daraa-Quneitra," which has existed since 2014, but that Iran is now working to establish another base, adjacent to the border with Jordan, possibly where an anti-aircraft base is currently located, near Daraa. The website suggests that this may be because the pro-Iranian militias took control of this base several months ago and banished all the locals who belonged to the Syrian security apparatuses.
Iran Kills Syrian Opponents of the Regime in Southern Syria and Works To Transform Daraa Governorate into its "Spearhead against Iran, the Gulf, and Saudi Arabia"
Horan Free League claims that another way in which Iran is attempting to boost its presence in southern Syria, is by killing opponents of the Syrian regime in the area. The website contends that recently Iran has boosted its "systematic policy" of assassinating senior officials of the Syrian opposition who oppose its presence in the area, citing the examples of Khaldoun Al-Zou'bi who was killed on August 25, and the sheikh Fadi Al-'Asmi who was murdered on August 16.[3] The killings have taken place concurrently with Iran's moves to attain control over the Daraa Governorate.
The website further states that according to updated information it possesses, the killings are expected to continue and in the future rather than being carried out by deliberately anonymous perpetrators, it will be clear who is behind them. This is said to be part of Iran's transition from a phase of clandestine activity to a new phase of open activity in the region.
Immediately following the establishment of the Iranian bases in Daraa Governorate, the article continues, Tehran is expected to act against Syrian opposition elements, relying mostly on foreign fighters and locals. In this context it recounts that in the final days of August 2022, Fatemiyoun forces began to organize in the suburbs of Daraa City, in advance of their move to the new base that has been established in the area. The article concludes with the assertion that, "The situation in Daraa is veering in a very dangerous direction" in light of Iran's intentions to acquire total control of Daraa Governorate and transform it into its "spearhead threatening Jordan, the Gulf [States], and Saudi Arabia."
The short video clip from June 2022 that was released with the Horan Free League article reviews the level of preparedness of the Iran-backed militias in southern Syria, among them: Hizbullah, Fatemiyoun Brigades, and the Iraqi Abu Al-Fadhl Al-'Abbas militia.[4] According to the video, these militias have secretly deployed along the Jordanian border in order to ensure smooth drug smuggling operations into the kingdom or in preparation for a military campaign in Daraa, which will most-likely target Syrian opposition elements in the area.
The above photograph depicts members of the Fatemiyoun Brigade in Syria (Source: Alqabas.com, August 23, 2022)
The reports referred to above corroborate others released recently by Syrian opposition elements which state that the IRGC and Hizbullah are working to entrench their hold on southern Syria and along the Syrian border with Jordan and with Israel.[5]
[1] August 23, 2022.
[2] See for example MEMRI JTTM Reports: While Jordan Reports Significant Hike In Drug Smuggling Into The Country Involving Iran-Backed Organizations, Syrian Opposition Websites Report Hizbullah Is Ramping Up Drug Production In The South, May 24, 2022; and Syrian Opposition Website: Iran-Backed Militias Use Drones To Smuggle Drugs, June 7, 2022.
[3] August 27, 2022.
[4] June 3, 2022.
[5] See for example MEMRI JTTM Reports: Syrian Opposition Website: Hizbullah Opens Course To Train Operatives For Deployment On The Border Between Syria, And Israel And Jordan, June 29, 2022; and Syrian Opposition Websites: Iran Is Establishing A Local Militia In Southern Syria, On The Border With Israel, May 10, 2022.

US Forces Establish Third Military Base in Syria's Qamishli
Damascus - London - Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 4 September, 2022
US forces established a third military base in Syria’s northeastern province of Hasakah on Saturday, a war monitor reported. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), the new military base was set up in Naqara village, three kilometers southwest of Qamishli city in Hasakah province. The two other bases are in Himo village, which is located nearly four kilometers northwest of Qamishli, and Tel Fares area, which is located nearly three kilometers to the southwest of Qamishli, adjacent to the end of the runway of Qamishli Airport. Separately, reliable SOHR sources in Deir Ezzor’s countryside reported that Iran-backed militias have been redeployed in the area, fearing possible attacks by international coalition reconnaissance drones on their positions. They confirmed that explosions that rocked al-Omar oil field base in Deir Ezzor’s countryside were caused by military drills by coalition forces in the base.

Serious’ Indications of Possible Assassination Attempts in Baghdad, Other Iraqi Cities
Baghdad - Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 4 September, 2022
Senior security officials have said there were "serious" indications of possible assassinations in Baghdad and other cities, against the backdrop of the ongoing political conflict between Muqtada Sadr's movement and the Coordination Framework. An Iraqi security source quoted Iraqi officers of the Interior Ministry and the National Security Service as saying that they expected assassination attempts against activists from the Sadr Movement and Tishreen Forces. Local media circulated a document issued by the Baghdad Operations Command that included information about the intention of armed groups to carry out assassinations. Although it was not possible to verify the authenticity of the text, the security source confirmed the presence of such a document. Iraqi activists fear the Iraqi government will not be able to deter the murder attempts. An activist from the Tishreen Movement said that the protest committees in Baghdad and other cities circulated security information about threats to activists, warning them against engaging in a plot to overthrow legitimacy, and working with the Sadrist movement. However, militants loyal to the Sadrist movement are still launching attacks on the headquarters of the Framework parties, and targeting the homes of leaders of the armed factions. A Sadrist official said they met with Tishreen officials, but did not agree on unifying any move except for agreeing on the same goals. The Sadrist movement is trying to pressure the Iraqi government to take quick measures to “dismantle” the armed factions in the Green Zone, and make structural changes in the leadership of the Popular Mobilization Authority (PMA). A Sadrist spokesman asked Prime Minister Mustafa Kadhimi to remove the head of the Popular Mobilization Forces, Faleh al-Fayyadh.

UN Participates in Egypt’s International Cooperation Forum
Cairo - Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 4 September, 2022
The United Nations Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed, will attend the second edition of the Egypt International Cooperation Forum, which is scheduled to be held on September 6 at the New Administrative Capital. Amina will depart to Cairo on September 5 to attend the two-day event, which will be held as part of the preparations to host the COP27 United Nations Climate Change Conference 2022 at the Red Sea resort of Sharm El-Sheikh in November, Egypt’s official news agency MENA reported. She will also meet with senior government officials involved in the COP27 process, the UN country team, as well as youth and civil society organizations, the UN spokesman’s office said. According to the Ministry of International Cooperation, the event will be held under the patronage of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.It is organized in cooperation with the ministries of foreign affairs and environment, as well as the UN Economic Commission for Africa. The Ministry said in a statement on Saturday that the Forum’s objectives are in line with the upcoming climate summit’s main goal to implement commitments and the pledges in all sectors of the climate change agenda, whether it’s in adaptation, mitigation or finance, loss and damage. The forum sets three main objectives, namely mobilizing resources and facilitating access to finance, financing the mitigation and adaptation agenda to climate change, and discussing national efforts and measures for Africa’s transformation into a Green Economy. Minister of International Cooperation Dr. Rania al-Mashat held talks on Saturday with Minister of Electricity and Renewable Energy Mohamed Shaker. Discussions touched on the projects included in the energy theme at the National Platform for Green Projects and Climate Action and the “Nowfi” program, as well as the steps taken so far in this regard. The program is the link between food, water projects and energy, and aims to mobilize concessional development finance, technical support, and investments by the private sector for a package of priority green development projects within the framework of Egypt’s 2050 Comprehensive National Climate Strategy. The two ministers discussed the continuous coordination with development partners, launching the program’s national platform with the participation of all multilateral and bilateral development partners, briefing them with the details of the projects, and engaging in discussions on cooperation proposals in each of the projects listed in the energy sector. They underlined the importance of energy within Nowfi, in light of Cairo’s vision and goal to transform the country into a regional energy hub by implementing key development projects in the renewable energy sector. Cairo also aims to expand the green hydrogen sector, implement legislative and structural reforms that attract foreign investment and soft development finances in this vital sector. The efforts made since 2014 and the launching of the Sustainable Energy Strategy have contributed to attracting soft development finances and private sector investments and implementing pioneering projects such as the Benban Solar Power Plant and other projects.

The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on September 04-05/2022
ANALYSIS: What’s Behind the Reconciliation Between Turkey and Israel
Yochanan Visser/Israel Today/September 04/2022
Has Turkish dictator Erdogan had a genuine change of heart toward Israel, or does he have ulterior motives?
After nearly 13 years, political relations between Israel and Turkey are finally normalizing and embassies will be reopened in both countries.
The relationship between Israel and Turkey deteriorated dramatically during and after the first war between Hamas and the Israeli army (IDF) in late 2008 and early 2009. At the time, Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan openly sided with Hamas, accusing Israel of committing war crimes and causing a riot during the March 2009 World Economic Forum in Davos, where Erdogan reiterated his harsh criticism of Israel and drew the ire of then-Israeli President Shimon Peres. After Erdogan finished his rant, a visibly emotional Peres replied and asked the Turkish leader what he would have done if rockets were fired at residential areas in Istanbul. Erdogan then demanded that the chairman of the forum give him the opportunity to respond to Peres, but was rebuffed because of the protocol, after which the Turkish leader stood up in furor and left the hall.
The Mavi Marmara crisis
A major crisis later erupted between Turkey and Israel after Israeli commandos boarded the Turkish vessel Mavi Marmara in international waters off the coast of Ashdod in southern Israel. The Turkish ship was part of an international flotilla assembled by the Turkish terrorist organization IHH and, according to the Turks, had “humanitarian goods” destined for Gaza onboard. During a visit to the IDF base in Tzrifin, after the ship was unloaded in the Israeli port city of Ashdod and the goods were transferred to the Tzrifin base, I was able to see for myself that there were no humanitarian goods on board.
The only humanitarian aid the Mavi Marmara was carrying was a large number of expired medicines. The IHH action was carried out with Erdogan’s permission and was intended as a clear provocation of Israel. When the United Nations published a report on the Mavi Marmara incident in 2011, declaring that the Israeli military blockade of Gaza was justified under international law, Erdogan expelled Israel’s ambassador and recalled the Turkish ambassador from Tel Aviv. The crisis continued until President Barack Obama more or less forced ex-Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to apologize to Turkey. That was in March 2013, when Obama finally paid a visit to Israel and the Netanyahu government later even paid compensation to the families of the nine killed IHH members, which was one of the Turkish conditions for reconciliation with Israel.
A new crisis in 2018
The new reconciliation did not last for long, however, and in 2018 Turkey again expelled the Israeli ambassador after Arabs staged violent demonstrations in Jerusalem, and Israeli security forces used force to contain those demonstrations. The Arab violence was openly encouraged by Turkey after the US administration of President Donald J. Trump announced that the United States embassy would be moved from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, and also recognized the entire city as the capital of Israel. The new diplomatic crisis eventually led to a general rift in Turkish-Israeli relations and caused Yossi Cohen, the then-head of Mossad (Israel’s secret service), to label Turkey a threat to peace in the Middle East.
Turkish aggression
Cohen’s remarks about Turkey had to do not only with the open hostility Erdogan showed towards Israel, but also with other aggressive actions Turkey carried out in the Middle East and against its neighbors Greece and Cyprus. For example, on orders from Erdogan, Turkey carried out two incursions into Syria that caused great misery among the Syrian Kurdish population and resulted in thousands of displaced civilians. These invasions were invariably justified by Erdogan with the false allegation that the Syrian Kurds were “terrorists” threatening Turkey. The aggressive Turkish actions in Syria, as well as in northern Iraq, where the Turkish army regularly attacks targets of the banned Turkish Kurdish movement PKK, eventually led the IDF to add Turkey to its list of threats to Israel. Turkish-Israeli relations had now reached an all-time low and the crisis appeared to be further exacerbated when the Arab Gulf states made peace with Israel in 2020, something Erdogan originally labeled as “treason” against the Palestinian Arabs. Israel and Turkey were fast friends and allies before Erdogan came to power and realigned his nation with Palestinian terror groups. Photo: Aaed Tayeh/Flash90
The turnaround in relations
The improvement in Turkey-Israel relations eventually began after the Bennett-Lapid government took office last June, but can be attributed almost entirely to Israel’s President Isaac Herzog, who visited Ankara last March and received a warm welcome, to the surprise of many in Israel. The Israeli president’s visit took place at the invitation of Erdogan, who had earlier called Herzog to congratulate him on his appointment as President of Israel. Since then, the Turkish leader moderated his anti-Israel rhetoric and even had his Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu pay a visit to the Jewish state on May 25th this year, marking the first time in 15 years that such a visit took place. At the same time, both Erdogan and Cavasoglu emphasized that the renewal of relations with Israel did not mean ending Turkey’s support for the Palestinian Arabs, while he visited the areas under the administration of the Palestinian Authority during his trip. At the time, Israel still reacted reluctantly to the sudden positive turn in relations with Turkey and seemed to condition normalization of relations on Ankara expelling Hamas terrorists, who were allowed to operate against Israel from Turkish territory.Apparently, the Jerusalem government has now decided that this issue can be better resolved after the new normalization in relations with Turkey takes effect following the upcoming Israeli election.
The why of Erdogan’s sudden turnaround
Now that diplomatic relations between Israel and Turkey have been restored, the question arises as to why Erdogan suddenly changed his attitude and sought conciliation with Israel. The answer to that question is that a mix of primarily economic interests and Turkey’s increasing isolation in the Middle East prompted Erdogan to shift his aversion to the Jewish state into a more conciliatory stance. For example, the dire state of the Turkish economy, which is now on the brink of complete collapse, has been a major reason for the Turkish leader to change his attitude towards Israel, which has become the region’s number one economic powerhouse. Turkey now needs Israel to launch new economic initiatives like the exploitation of gas in Turkey’s economic zones in the Mediterranean, as well as the construction of a gas pipeline to Europe. Turkey also needs income from Israeli tourism, which hit a snag during the political crisis and during the COVID-19 pandemic, and is interested in purchasing Israeli state-of-the-art technology and inventions that can give a push to the country’s ailing economy. Erdogan also saw that the so-called Abraham Accords between Israel and some Arab countries yielded enormous economic benefits for the parties involved and didn’t lead to a rift in the Arab world. So it’s mainly about interests and not about a sudden change of heart on the part of the Turkish dictator. It is a fact that in recent years Turkey, under Erdogan, has joined the group of countries that threaten world peace and especially stability in the Middle East. Turkey, a NATO member state, has recently strengthened ties with Russia and Iran, as well as with Libya, which is a hotbed of Islamists and has seen a revival of its civil war in recent weeks. Also, the fact that Turkey has not changed relations with Hamas shows that the new-found reconciliation with Israel is merely a cosmetic change.

'There We Will Strike Them': The Munich Massacre and Its Aftermath
Richard Kemp/Gatestone Institute/September 0/2022
Prime Minister Golda Meir — who had been a signatory to Israel's declaration of independence in 1948 — refused to bargain with [the terrorists], branding it blackmail. She later said: "We have learnt the bitter lesson. One may save a life immediately only to endanger more lives. Terrorism has to be wiped out."
Meanwhile Berlin offered safe passage and unlimited cash to the terrorists....
Libyan president Muammar Gadaffi had funded the attack at the behest of PLO leader Yasser Arafat, who subsequently denied any involvement and two years later was feted in a standing ovation at the United Nations General Assembly.
"We were not engaged in vengeance. What we did was to concretely prevent in the future. We acted against those who thought that they would continue to perpetrate acts of terror". — Mossad Chief Zvi Zamir, in an interview with Yossi Melman, (17 February 2006), Haaretz.
Too often Western nations, despite earlier rejection, condemnation and sometimes hostility, have eventually been obliged to follow the lead Israel was first forced to take to protect its people. American and European responses to jihadist attacks on their own territory, especially after 9/11, is an example of that. We are at present living through another example: the Iranian nuclear threat. Israeli leaders have repeatedly warned that Tehran's nuclear programme not only represents grave danger to their own country but to the entire region and to the world. As in its response to Munich, Israel is conducting a covert campaign to stop it, including by targeted assassinations. Meanwhile the US and European countries are appeasing the mullahs in Tehran, just as they did with Palestinian terrorists in the 1970s, and are on the verge of striking a deal that will pave the path to an Iranian nuclear capability. This time, ignoring Israeli warnings will have even more dire and far-reaching consequences.
In memory of: David Berger, Anton Fliegerbauer, Ze'ev Friedman, Yosef Gutfreund, Eliezer Halfin, Yosef Romano, Amitzur Shapira, Kehat Shorr, Mark Slavin, Andre Spitzer, Yakov Springer, Moshe Weinberg.
We are at present living through another example: the Iranian nuclear threat... This time, ignoring Israeli warnings will have even more dire and far-reaching consequences. Pictured: A burned-out German Army helicopter photographed on September 7, 1972 at Fürstenfeldbruck Air Base, after Palestinian terrorists blew it up with hand grenades the day before, murdering nine Israeli Olympic athletes whom they held hostage. (Photo by EPU/AFP via Getty Images)
Fifty years ago this week, 5th and 6th September 1972, the world watched in horror as Jews were again brutally murdered on German soil, at the Olympics in Munich. Eight Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) terrorists, using the cover name "Black September," tortured and murdered 11 Israeli athletes, emasculating one of them as he lay dying in front of his team-mates. They stormed the athletes' accommodation, killed two immediately and held the remainder hostage, demanding the release of 234 terrorist prisoners held by Israel. Prime Minister Golda Meir — who had been a signatory to Israel's declaration of independence in 1948 — refused to bargain with them, branding it blackmail. She later said: "We have learnt the bitter lesson. One may save a life immediately only to endanger more lives. Terrorism has to be wiped out."
Meanwhile Berlin offered safe passage and unlimited cash to the terrorists, which they turned down. In the chaos of a disastrously botched German attempt to ambush the killers at the Fürstenfeldbruck airbase near Munich on 6th September, with hand grenades and bullets the terrorists butchered the remaining nine athletes in the helicopters that brought them there, as well as a German policeman. All but three of the terrorists were killed in the firefight. The IDF special forces unit Sayeret Matkal (General Staff Reconnaissance Unit) had been poised to mount a rescue operation, but the German government refused to allow them into the country and hubristically rejected advice from the chiefs of Mossad and Shin Bet who had flown in.
They were forced to stand and watch as their fellow Israelis were slaughtered.
The terrorists were armed with weapons smuggled into Germany via diplomats from Libya, where they had been trained for their murderous mission. Libyan president Muammar Gadaffi had funded the attack at the behest of PLO leader Yasser Arafat, who subsequently denied any involvement and two years later was feted in a standing ovation at the United Nations General Assembly. Mahmoud Abbas, now president of the Palestinian Authority, was a key player in preparing the operation. As he flaunts himself on the world stage 50 years later, Abbas still refuses to express any remorse for the murders he helped bring about.
Even as the attack unfolded, Avery Brundage, chairman of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), insisted that the games must go on. While two Israelis lay dead and nine were held at gunpoint, the first athletics event of the day began on schedule, with German precision, at 8.15 am. Brundage only agreed to a suspension 12 hours after the assault began, and following a brief pause, the sports proceeded as though nothing had happened. "Incredibly, they're going on with it," the Los Angeles Times wrote at the time, "it's almost like having a dance at Dachau" (which was just a few miles away).
Addressing a memorial service the day after the murders, Brundage, who had successfully fought against a US boycott of the Nazi Berlin Olympics in 1936 over persecution of Jews, outrageously belittled the murder of the 11 Israelis. A request by the German chancellor to half-mast national flags at the games was rescinded after Arab countries refused to comply.
The chief of Mossad, Zvi Zamir, who witnessed the massacre, wrote:
"We watched the Israeli athletes, with their hands tied, flanked by the terrorists, and all in step they marched toward the helicopters. It was an appalling sight, especially to a Jew on German soil."
Violent action against the PLO followed swiftly. Two days after the massacre, on 8th September, Israeli warplanes bombed ten PLO bases in Syria and Lebanon, killing up to 200 terrorists and bringing down three Syrian jets that tried to intercept the strike force. This was followed by a ground operation, with IDF armour entering Lebanon and killing an estimated 45 PLO terrorists.
A resolution at the UN Security Council on 10th September calling on Israel to halt its military operations in Syria and Lebanon, while pointedly making no mention of the Munich massacre, was vetoed by the US against strong protests from the Soviet Union and China. The Soviet ambassador remarked that putting the Israeli raids on the same footing as the events in Munich "would be condoning the aggressive policy of the Israeli maniacs". Of course the Soviet Union itself had blood on its hands at Munich, having created the PLO and set it on the path to terrorism in Europe, funding and supporting attacks.
US ambassador to the UN, George W. Bush, said the resolution ignored realities and "looked to effect not cause". He went on to say its "silence on the disaster in Munich" invited more terrorism. Addressing the wider issue of Palestinian violence, he added: "We seek and support a world in which athletes need not fear assassins and passengers on planes need not fear hijacking".
Bush's words in New York were well received in Israel, but words were not enough for a traumatised nation that had just witnessed 11 coffins leaving Lod airport in a fleet of IDF command cars, and whose distress had been heightened by the decision to continue with the games, as though the massacre of Jews in Europe could again be simply brushed aside. It fell to Golda Meir to convert Bush's words into action: it was her people who were in the cross-hairs.
For that, the military raids in Syria and Lebanon were not sufficient. Dealing with the threat from countries in the Middle East was one thing, confronting terror in Europe something quite different. Before Munich, Israeli intelligence had repeatedly given European governments information about terrorist cells and attack plans in their countries. But as Meir told the Knesset foreign affairs committee: "We inform them of it once, twice, three times or five times, and nothing happens". [Quoted in Rise and Kill First, Ronen Bergman, 2018] European reluctance to act on intelligence and antagonise Palestinian terrorists and their Arab sponsors had permitted a wave of deadly attacks. In the previous three years, 16 people had been killed and wounded in seven terrorist assaults against Israeli and Jewish targets in West Germany alone.
Faced with inaction in Europe, the Mossad had previously proposed direct attacks against terrorists on the continent. Meir, committed to respecting the sovereignty of friendly countries, refused and authorised action only in Middle Eastern nations that were hostile to Israel. That all changed with Munich. Six days after the massacre she told the Knesset:
"At any place where a plot is being laid, where they are preparing people to murder Jews, Israelis — Jews anywhere — it is there we are committed to striking them". [Rise and Kill First, Ronen Bergman, 2018]
With those words, Meir launched one of the most successful counter terrorist operations the world has ever seen.
Despite this tough stance, before putting her decision to the cabinet, Meir had understandably agonised, both on moral and political grounds. She later said:
"There's no difference between one's killing and making decisions that will send others to kill. It's exactly the same thing, or even worse."
She was also concerned about the young Israelis she would be sending into the gravest physical and psychological danger. She knew that if a man can hunt, he can also be hunted. As she put it: "They sit right in the jaws of the enemy".
The Mossad had been preparing for such an operation since 1969 and immediately dispatched targeted killing teams, codenamed "Bayonet", into Europe. The first of several strikes came less than two months after Munich, on 16th October in Rome, when the PLO representative in Italy, Wael Zwaiter, a cousin of Yasser Arafat, was gunned down. Further killings followed in France, Cyprus, Greece and elsewhere. Executions were suspended after July 1973, when an innocent man, mistaken for a PLO terrorist, was killed in Lillehammer, Norway. They resumed in 1978 under Prime Minister Menachem Begin.
Beyond Europe, on 9th April 1973, Operation Spring of Youth, a joint IDF-Mossad raid in Beirut led by Ehud Barak (who later became prime minister), killed three senior PLO leaders and around 50 other terrorists. The next day, Walter Nowak, German ambassador in Beirut, condemned the assault. Scandalously, just six months after Munich, he had been meeting with one of the Black September leaders killed in the IDF raid, Abu Youssef, himself an organiser of the massacre, to offer the prospect of creating "a new basis of trust" between the PLO and the German government. This incident characterises the two approaches: as Germany was appeasing the terrorists, Israel was eliminating them.
The targeted killings ordered by Golda Meir were intended to stop terrorist attacks against Israelis being conducted in and from Europe and not, as is often supposed, in revenge for Munich — most of those killed were not directly connected to the Olympics massacre. Mossad Chief Zvi Zamir makes clear: "We were not engaged in vengeance". He goes on to explain: "What we did was to concretely prevent in the future. We acted against those who thought that they would continue to perpetrate acts of terror".
This was about pre-emption and disruption of terrorist attacks against Israeli citizens in countries where the national authorities had shown themselves unwilling to act. It was also about deterrence, making terrorists understand that the price of their actions would be high — preferably too high. That accounted for the dramatic way some of the attacks were conducted, including the use of explosives rather than more clinical means or incidents that could be passed off as accidents. The Mossad wanted the terrorists to have no doubt why their comrades were being killed and who was doing it. For political reasons, this had to be balanced against plausible deniability, a consistent principle of many Israeli counter-terrorist operations before and since. That went badly wrong at Lillehammer, where six Mossad operatives were arrested and put on trial.
The imperative for Israel's targeted killings was again confirmed less than two months after the Olympics, when a Lufthansa flight from Beirut to Frankfurt was hijacked by Palestinians demanding the release of the three terrorists who had survived in Munich. The German government immediately paid a $9 million ransom and released the men, who were flown via Zagreb to Libya, where they received a hero's welcome.
The last thing Berlin had wanted was to put these murderers on trial, with German intelligence warning of further acts of terrorism to force their release. This turn of events therefore was highly convenient and some experts, including the chief of Mossad at the time, have accused the German government of paying the PLO to stage the hijacking to give cover for release of the terrorists. That version was also confirmed in an interview with the self-confessed leader of the Munich massacre, Abu Daoud.
After they were freed, the head of the German foreign ministry wrote a memo to the chancellor's office saying: "We should be pleased that the whole thing has calmed down sufficiently." That reflected a prevalent attitude across Europe then and later. In 1977, French authorities arrested Abu Daoud, the terrorist leader. They asked whether Germany wanted him extradited but the Germans declined. The French government, worried about the potential for attacks on their own soil as a result of holding him, allowed Daoud to fly to Algeria a few days later in the face of strong protests from Israel and the US and praise from the Soviet Union. Until his death, he boasted about the massacre he had organised.
As well as fear of terrorism, the appeasement of Arab terrorists by European governments was motivated by worries that too close an alignment with Israel on security would harm their relations with Arab countries, jeopardising oil supply and export contracts.
American and European leaders were often critical of Israel's targeted killing policy, sometimes affecting intelligence sharing as well as diplomatic and trade relations, and with some accusing Israel of terrorist tactics. As Golda Meir pointed out:
"The person who threatens with a gun and the person who defends himself in order to ensure that the gun is not fired at him are not the same."
After Islamic terrorists started turning their guns on Western citizens, these "principled" objections necessarily dissolved, with America and its allies frequently forced to resort to a policy modelled on Israel's. The US and Britain used intelligence agencies, special forces, drones and airstrikes to carry out targeted killings of terrorists including in Yemen, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria. Two days after the 2015 terrorist attacks in Paris, French armed forces, supported by Britain, launched a wave of airstrikes against Islamic State bases in Syria, echoing Israel's attacks in Lebanon and Syria in the days after Munich.
Unsurprisingly, in this changed situation, whenever the Mossad provided European countries with intelligence about terrorist plans on their soil they did not have to be told "twice, three times or five times". With their own citizens now in the cross-hairs, they quickly took the action they failed to take in the 1970s when Israelis were the main target.
Too often Western nations, despite earlier rejection, condemnation and sometimes hostility, have eventually been obliged to follow the lead Israel was first forced to take to protect its people. American and European responses to jihadist attacks on their own territory, especially after 9/11, is an example of that.
We are at present living through another example: the Iranian nuclear threat. Israeli leaders have repeatedly warned that Tehran's nuclear programme not only represents grave danger to their own country but to the entire region and to the world. As in its response to Munich, Israel is conducting a covert campaign to stop it, including by targeted assassinations. Meanwhile the US and European countries are appeasing the mullahs in Tehran, just as they did with Palestinian terrorists in the 1970s, and are on the verge of striking a deal that will pave the path to an Iranian nuclear capability. This time, ignoring Israeli warnings will have even more dire and far-reaching consequences.
Israel's vigorous campaign after Munich was a success. It persuaded the Arab world that the Mossad could strike wherever and whenever it liked, instilling fear into the terrorists and forcing them to run and hide in places where they had previously operated with impunity, and some moderate Arab governments even pressured the PLO to halt their attacks. The offensive did not end all Arab terrorism in Europe against Israelis, and as with counter-terrorist activities everywhere, there were some seriously adverse consequences. But the Mossad's actions on the continent and Operation Spring of Youth in Beirut convinced PLO leader Yasser Arafat to order an end to Black September attacks on targets outside Israel by the end of 1973. As Meir said:
"We don't thrive on military acts. We do them because we have to, and thank God we are efficient".
Munich is sometimes thought of as Israel's 9/11. Fifty years on, the trauma of the 1972 massacre remains etched deep into the minds of every Israeli and of many beyond who had watched it unfold with heart-breaking anguish. No doubt the 11 Israelis who perished at Munich were uppermost in the minds of those brave men and women who played their individual parts in the campaign that aimed to prevent a repetition of the horrors the athletes had faced. In Golda Meir's words at the time:
"Perhaps the day will come when the stories of heroism and resourcefulness, sacrifice and devotion, of these warriors will be told in Israel, and generations will recount them to those who follow them with admiration and pride, as yet another chapter in the heritage of heroism of our nation".
In memory of:
David Berger
Anton Fliegerbauer
Ze'ev Friedman
Yosef Gutfreund
Eliezer Halfin
Yosef Romano
Amitzur Shapira
Kehat Shorr
Mark Slavin
Andre Spitzer
Yakov Springer
Moshe Weinberg
Colonel Richard Kemp is a former British Army Commander. He was also head of the international terrorism team in the U.K. Cabinet Office and is now a writer and speaker on international and military affairs. He is a Jack Roth Charitable Foundation Fellow at Gatestone Institute.
© 2022 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.

Nuclear Blackmail and European Terror from Zaporizhzhia to Natanz
Raghida Dergham/The National/Published on September 04/2022
From Iran to Ukraine via Kaliningrad and Transnistria, nuclear blackmail is eliciting terror in Europe, which is already holding its breath due to crisis in oil and gas supplies. Europe is caught between the prospect of an incomplete deal with Iran and a decreasing likelihood of any agreement with Russia on the eve of winter.In the Middle East, attention in the US and Europe to the recent escalation in Iraq lasted mere hours, focused almost exclusively on energy concerns and the implications for the nuclear negotiations, given the Iranian involvement in Iraq’s events. In Syria, there was also concern in the US and Europe for the fate of the nuclear deal with Iran, as Israel stepped up its attacks on IRGC targets, in Aleppo and Damascus, targeting alleged Iranian arms supplies to pro-Tehran militias. So, towards what trajectory do these developments point?
Starting with Russia’s war in Ukraine: there are signs NATO could intervene to prevent a nuclear disaster at the Zaporizhzhia reactor and curtail Russian forces in the battle for Kharkov, which NATO considers a dangerous inlet into the capital Kyiv.
There is no evidence that Russian President Putin is ready to accept compromises or mediations as discussed behind closed doors to stop the war. Clearly, Mr Putin is convinced of the possibility of military victory. While this is theoretically possible in the view of experts, winter could prove very difficult for Russian forces that will need resupplying. Making gains would be very costly at all levels.
According to experts, winter would favor Ukraine in the war with Russia, which would need additional forces if they were to take cities like Kharkiv. There are around 110,000 Russian troops in Ukraine alongside 35,000 separatist pro-Russian forces in Donbas and elsewhere, and 12,000 Wagner private military operatives. Russian casualties in 6 months of fighting in Ukraine have matched Soviet losses in Afghanistan in 10 years of fighting, which exceeded 15,000. Ukrainian losses are four times as much, according to estimates by experts.
Europe is looking for an exit from the Russian crisis and its growing costs to its economy and its escalating menace. Europe is feeling a nuclear terror that goes beyond Zaporizhzhia, just one of Ukraine’s 15 nuclear plants of varying complexity. Europe fears NATO may be forced to directly intervene in Ukraine, which could also lead to nuclear disaster. Europe could be damned if it intervenes and damned if it doesn’t, with implications in both cases for the European public opinion as well.
NATO’s clear pledge as endorsed by both the US and Europe is not to allow Russia to destroy Ukraine or end its existence as a sovereign nation. But the White House this week reiterated its position that no US troops would be deployed to Ukraine even to establish a demilitarized zone around Zaporizhzhia. The US continues to insist on not fighting a war using its own forces and to limit itself to funding and arming others’ forces. The European powers are following in the US footsteps, but they may not be able to sustain this position because ultimately, the Ukraine war is being fought on European soil.
Mr Putin persists in the belief that he will prevail militarily in the war and teach a lesson to the Baltic States and Poland. His visit to Kaliningrad this week amid rising tensions with the West is a sign of his confidence that Russia will not be defeated, as long as it has means to spread nuclear terror. Kaliningrad, located on the shores of the Baltic Sea between NATO members Poland and Latvia, is one of the largest Russian military hubs in existence. Meanwhile, Russian FM Sergei Lavrov issued a warning to Moldova regarding Transnistria and endangering the Russian peacekeeping force in the pro-Russian separatist region.
Russia’s posture in Syria, Iraq, and Lebanon is less escalatory, but is profoundly supportive of Iran and the IRGC’s activities there. These days, Moscow is trying to mediate between Iran and Israel, to reach an agreement to mutually refrain from escalating along Israel’s borders. These efforts seem to have failed so far in Syria but may have better odds in Lebanon.
Israel’s strikes against IRGC and its weapons shipments in Syria suggest it is seeking to dismember Iran’s original project of extending a land bridge to the Mediterranean via Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon then the borders of Israel. The Biden administration stopped monitoring this project, turning a blind eye to its expansion because of its full investment in ensuring the success of the nuclear deal with Iran, pursuant to the Malley Initiative of US envoy for Iran Robert Malley to revive the 2015 JCPOA.
Israel has carried out up to 22 strikes so far on pro-Iran militias in Syria, bearing in mind that the IRGC knows Russia has outsourced its mission in Syria to Iran, and thus has given itself and Hezbollah a free hand there. Iran’s recent attack on US positions in Syria risked killing American soldiers, a move that did not benefit Iran or the Biden administration, which found itself cornered. The developments in Iraq then put further pressure on the Biden administration, given Iran’s obvious fingerprints in Iraqi affairs and its support for the Popular Mobilization militias that undermine the project to build up the Iraqi state.
Iran’s behavior is posing challenges to the hopes held by President Biden and the Europeans that a nuclear deal with Iran would temper its regional behavior and curtail the ideology of its regime seeking to impose Iranian dominance over Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon.
Lebanon is anxiously watching the developments in Iraq and Syria, alarmed by the actions of the two key players Iran and Israel in them, especially after Israel launched direct military attacks on the IRGC and its proxies, led by Hezbollah. But if Israel has decided to destroy Iranian military shipments to and through Syria, is it sparing shipments of Iranian rockets to Hezbollah in Lebanon? This would be odd unless there is an agreement between Iran and Israel, stemming from the nuclear deal, to stand down Hezbollah along the Lebanese-Israeli border. Or is Israel preparing to stage similar attacks on Iranian assets in Lebanon, which are under the command of the IRGC and Hezbollah?
Unless the features and fate of the nuclear deal with Iran become clear, it will not be easy to read what Israel has in mind for Lebanon especially. The Syrian-Israeli front appears always under control despite Israel’s military strikes on Iranian positions in Syria. The Lebanese-Israeli front, in turn, has remained calm for years since UN Resolution 1701, with mostly rhetorical ‘resistance’. Hezbollah’s weapons have instead become a militia’s weapons aimed at undermining the national state. Perhaps there will be nothing new along the Lebanese and Syrian front with Israel, regardless of what happens to the nuclear deal with Iran, and perhaps all the threats and warnings are part of the equations of accord. We simply do not know.
What of the fate of the nuclear deal, amid US-Iranian talks and mutual comments, conditions, and red lines? We may find out the answer in a matter of days, according to reports.
The crux of the matter remains Iran’s nuclear blackmail. Either the Biden administration and the Europeans yield to Iran’s insistence on restricting the involvement of the IAEA, allowing Tehran to continue its nuclear program without serious restrictions, rewarding it with billions of dollars in sanctions relief, and enabling it to export its oil to the thirsty European markets. Or the nuclear deal fails, and Europe’s terror grows as it loses out on the oil and gas imports that are supposed to help offset the lost Russian energy supplies. Herein lies Iran’s nuclear and oil and gas blackmail.
Perhaps nothing at all will happen if the deal fails. Perhaps Iran and Israel will decide that a military confrontation will not be in their interests, and Iran continues its nuclear program without US and European funds to fuel it. Iran would then content itself with the US turning a bling eye to its sanctions-busing oil exports to China, and the Biden administration would content itself with continuing to talk with the Iranians, without imposing additional sanctions and entering a military confrontation.
This assessment may sound confusing, but that is because the situation is confusing. According to a friend who served in previous US administrations in Washington, two sources in the Biden administration he spoke to said opposing things: One said the deal will be ready in days, and another said there was no hope to revive the nuclear deal. What the friend himself said is noteworthy, namely that the continuation of the status quo without a culmination or total suspension of US-Iranian talks is an okay outcome.
This all suggests the compass is broken, amid a growing nuclear clamour and a countdown to the unknown.

On Violated Syria
Tariq Al-Homayed/Asharq Al-Awsat/September 04/2022
The number of Israeli attacks targeting Iran and its militias in Syria is difficult to count. There may be a strike between the time of writing and the day this article is published; beyond a doubt, however, that Israel is continuing and escalating its attacks, and there is no indication that it will stop soon. If anything, it seems it may go further.
I don’t believe that any other country in the world is being targeted the way that Israel is violating Syria’s territory- so clearly and amid radio silence suggesting that the international community welcomes these attacks.
Israel has been insisting that it is not concerned with the deal. Whether or not an agreement regarding Iran’s nuclear program is reached, Israel will continue to strike the head of the Iranian octopus and its tentacles in the region.
Israel has been doing this since what was falsely dubbed the Arab Spring. While the Syrian revolution is the most righteous and credible of those that broke in 2011, Israel is now escalating its attacks, targeting Iranian officials and ammunition depots, besides continuing to target Hezbollah leaders there and arms caches belonging to the party.
The escalation in these attacks does not embarrass the regime in Damascus alone, especially since the foreign ministry of the Assad regime has been calling on the Security Council to put an end to these attacks, a far-fetched prospect given that the Security Council did not protect the Syrian people from Assad’s crimes in the first place.
It is thus not only the Assad regime that finds itself in an awkward position but Iran itself as well. Indeed, it has been dealt painful Israeli blows targeting Tehran itself, from assassinating IRGC officials to conducting taped interrogations with them inside Iran.
Despite the party’s stale media and that of the Assad regime before it, both of which are trying to paint a misleading picture of fantasized victories, just as the nationalist and leftist Arab media used to promote the idea that “there can be no war without Syria,” which of courses has had its territorial integrity desecrated. Because of the embarrassing position the Assad regime, Iran, and Hezbollah are not in, their media outlets have been attacking Russia, blaming it for being lenient with Israel instead of raising skepticism about the lies on “resistance” that Iran’s aides have been echoing for decades.
On Friday, for instance, our newspaper quoted an anonymous source associated with the Assad regime as saying that the Russians had advised the Iranians to withdraw from their military base “to avoid Israeli air strikes and safeguard stability in western Syria.”
According to the same source, three Russian officers told their Iranian counterparts on Wednesday, at the Hama Military Airport, that they should not give the Israelis an excuse or pretext to keep launching airstrikes by maintaining a presence in this important area of Syria.
This leak makes it obvious that the Assad regime wants to imply that Russia is not fully committed to protecting it and is facilitating Israeli attacks on the country. The truth is that Russia itself is now embroiled in an open-ended battle not with the Ukrainians but with the West as a whole. It is only natural that it re-evaluate its positions and interests, even in Syria, from which Moscow is said to have withdrawn its S-300 missiles...
For these reasons, it seems that the Assad regime, Iran, and its groups in the region, particularly Hezbollah, are now extremely concerned with the awkward, embarrassing position Israel has put them in. All of this also means that the Israelis have no red lines in Syria, and each of its attacks serves as a reminder that their “resistance” is nothing but a lie.