Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on August 26-27/2023
Child Naya Hanna, the victim of stray bullets died after 23 days of hospitalization
Elias Bejjani/August 26/2023
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/121653/121653/
Innocent child, Naya Hanna, who was hit by a stray bullet while in her school playground, passed away today after 23 days hospitalization.
Naya is a victim of chaos, uncontrolled weapons, and occupation that destroyed Lebanon, dismantled its institutions, embarked chaos on its borders, generalized-legitimized terrorism, criminality, and all the practices of rogues, thieves, murderers, and demons.
We pray for Nay's dwelling in paradise of eternity in the holy heavenly dwellings alongside the righteous and saints, where there is eternal joy, comfort and peace.
We pray that the Lord, Our Heavenly Father, will grant patience and solace to her bereaved parents, her family, and the people of her town.

Lebanon's UNIFIL renewal challenges in New York
LBCI/August 26/2023
New York is witnessing intense diplomatic meetings involving Lebanese and international officials ahead of the renewal decision for UNIFIL forces on August 31st.
From the statements of Caretaker Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib in New York, it is evident that these negotiations are challenging.
Bou Habib reminded that the annual renewal of the international force in the south occurs upon the request of the Lebanese government.
He emphasized Lebanon's refusal to legitimize the transfer of UNIFIL's mandate from Chapter 6, as stated in Resolution 1701 issued in 2006, which calls for resolving the conflict through peaceful means, to Chapter 7 of the United Nations Charter, which permits the enforcement of the resolution through the use of force.
What is the difference between Chapter 7 and Chapter 6?
When a country threatens international peace and security, the Security Council can intervene, placing it under either Chapter 6 or Chapter 7.
Furthermore, Chapter 6 implies resolving disputes through peaceful means. In this case, the Security Council can propose measures to the conflicting parties to prevent the escalation of the conflict, such as negotiations, mediation, arbitration, or resorting to international courts.
Are we currently under Chapter 6?
In international law, Lebanon is slightly above Chapter 6 since the deployment of international forces due to the delicate situation in southern Lebanon. However, we have not yet reached Chapter 7, which involves more escalated measures.
What does placing countries under Chapter 7 mean?
When the Security Council sees that the adopted measures are ineffective and the situation has reached a certain level of danger, it can escalate the measures by two degrees.
This can range from imposing sanctions, including economic sanctions and cutting diplomatic ties, to the use of military force on the ground. This means initiating a monitoring mission that could potentially escalate to military intervention to halt the conflict between the parties. But this scenario is currently distant from Lebanon since we are not in a state of military conflict with Israel.
Does placing a state under Chapter 7 automatically lead to such measures?
Not automatically, but it serves as a warning to the state that if it does not comply with the required measures, such actions can be taken with a decision from the United Nations Security Council, which is binding for any state signatory to the UN Charter. Moreover, Lebanon, being a signatory, can only express its opinion because when there are international forces, the decision is no longer solely in the hands of local authorities. To clarify, the decision can be stopped only by one of the five permanent members of the Security Council exercising its veto power: the United States, France, United Kingdom, China, or Russia. In conclusion, matters have not yet reached this point.
The negotiations led by the Lebanese team are complex, but there's a possibility that they might achieve their demands.

Air traffic controllers at Beirut airport to go on strike over staffing shortages
Naharnet/August 26/2023
Air traffic controllers at the Rafik Hariri International Airport announced on Thursday they would go on strike next month over severe staffing shortages, partially closing the Beirut hub. The announcement by the team of 13 air traffic controllers follows a report last week by the European Union’s aviation safety watchdog that raised concerns after inspecting the airport, just south of the Lebanese capital. The airport is supposed to have a staff of 87 air traffic controllers, the controllers said. Lebanon’s has been in the grip of a devastating economic crisis since late 2019 after decades of corruption and mismanagement. Public sector and state institutions have steadily deteriorated as the cash-strapped government struggles to provide adequate funding. The Beirut airport has faced power cuts and equipment shortages for months during the busy tourism season. Over 4 million people flew into Lebanon since the beginning of the year. The strike would begin Sept. 5 and the controllers would not work overnight, between 8 p.m. and 7 a.m. The European Union Aviation Safety Agency and International Civil Aviation Organization said in a report carried by Lebanese media last week that its inspection of Beirut's airport earlier this summer detailed multiple safety concerns, including a severe shortage of air traffic controllers.The controllers said in their statement that the government has ignored their repeated proposals to resolve the issue, including bringing in experts from abroad to help, and dismissed their safety concerns. They said that they work roughly 300 hours a month, and “most of us are above 50 years old.”Government officials have not responded to the announcement. The country's General Directorate of Civil Aviation last week said that the airport staff shortage is part of a global issue impacted by the coronavirus pandemic restrictions. It said authorities were training new staff with ICAO's support.

Lebanon arrests '2 Russians' who tried to spy on Hezbollah for Israel
Naharnet/August 26/2023
General Security acting Director-General Maj. Gen. Elias Bayssari has announced the arrest of two individuals at Beirut’s airport who are suspected of having ties to Israel. Bayssari added that the two men had been tasked with carrying out security operations in Lebanon and that they have since been referred to the military judiciary. Security sources meanwhile told Asharq al-Awsat newspaper that the two suspects are “non-Jew Russians.”“Their mission was to monitor and try to infiltrate sensitive Hezbollah sites,” the sources said.

Dr. Mohammad Al-Abyad to LBCI: Some Lebanese laboratories provide inaccurate results on compliance of goods with health standards
LBCI/August 26/2023
Dr. Mohammad Al-Abyad, Associate Professor and Director of Environmental, Agriculture, and Food Laboratories at the American University of Beirut, revealed that some Lebanese laboratories provide inaccurate results regarding the compliance of goods with health standards. He emphasized during LBCI’s Nharkom Said TV show that the necessity of establishing a National Food Safety Authority to serve as the main reference, consolidating authorities within it, amidst the widespread corruption. He explained that when selling a product, it should be clearly labeled whether it is an original product or a processed food item. The latter means that it is made from components that are not necessarily the same as the original and is not manufactured in the same way, lacking the nutritional value of the natural product. He clarified that adulterated oils found in some food products have a negative impact on health, particularly in the long term for children.

Dr. Hussein Hassan to LBCI: Carcinogenic pesticides affect respiratory, reproductive, and glandular systems
LBCI/August 26/2023
Professor and researcher in food safety at the American University of Beirut, Dr. Hussein Hassan, emphasized the necessity of forming the National Food Safety Authority that consolidates the efforts of various ministries, instead of overlapping authorities.
He emphasized that carcinogenic pesticides affect the respiratory, reproductive, and glandular systems, among others. All of this is connected to the quantity and duration of exposure to carcinogenic pesticides, which, as mentioned by former Minister Wael Abou Faour, may include components that are prohibited abroad. He provided some advice for citizens, including washing food with a cup of water and a spoon of salt, which can remove about 80% of pesticide residues. However, around 15% remains absorbed by the fruit, which is concerning. Here, the importance of boosting immunity, following a Mediterranean diet, returning to local produce, reducing processed foods, getting sufficient sleep, and engaging in physical activity is stressed, as a strong immune system helps mitigate harm.

Abou Faour to LBCI: Carcinogenic Agricultural Pesticides Infiltrated the Country via Smuggling
LBCI/August 26/2023
After former minister Wael Bou Faour brought up the issue of carcinogenic agricultural pesticides being used in Lebanon and the smuggling mafia behind it, Bou Faour announced that he had filed a report and received a promise from the prosecutor of the judiciary that action would be taken. He added during LBCI’s Nharkom Said TV show that there is “so far no news of any action, but we might see it in the coming days.”He indicated that after raising the issue, he received information about other companies, saying: 'I refrained from disclosing names to give the judiciary and security agencies time to act.' He also explained how these pesticides enter the country, stating that 'there is a portion that enters through smuggling, and here I question the role of customs, especially since the big names are known and they are currently trying to hide the goods. Therefore, there is a need for the authorities to expedite their actions. Another portion enters through the Port of Beirut, and soon we will open the file of neglect at the port.' He pointed out that he raised the issue because he took on this matter when he assumed the Ministry of Health, and there are ongoing special investigations. He described what is happening as organized crime. “All Lebanese food is unsafe, just like water. There is no oversight or testing. Even medicines are feared,” he added. Bou Faour emphasized the need to withdraw these substances as a preliminary step, especially in the absence of the Food Safety Authority that we need as a reference, despite the appointment of its president without its existence. According to his information, some were involved in introducing insecticides as agricultural pesticides and some of them had the Ministry of Health's approval label on their packaging through manipulation. They receive approval even though some deceive the Ministry of Health. “How can hundreds of tons of insecticides enter beyond the needs of the Lebanese state without catching the attention of those concerned?” he asked. He also noted that the danger of solid waste on health is greater than the danger of sewage, and recently, there has been no inspection of any industrial plant to verify the operation of purification stations. In the political aspect, Bou Faour believed that there was no serious movement, considering that the French message had been exaggerated. “What's the difference between sending a message or holding meetings here?” he asked. He pointed out that there are serious names on the table, and that they must make good choices, “especially since waiting for external initiatives will not yield results."

Abou Haydar to LBCI: We will combat food waste
LBCI/August 26/2023
Director-General of the Ministry of Economy and Trade, Mohammed Abou Haydar, explained that efforts will be made to reduce and combat food waste, as there is approximately 35% wastage, while the percentage of those who do not have access to their basic needs exceeds 70%. During LBCI’s Nharkom Said TV show, he further elaborated that in times of crisis and with the increase in exchange rates, the issue of waste has intensified at the expense of people's well-being. He mentioned that the Ministry of Economy is taking action through its inspections to issue violations. Abou Haydar also noted that around 12 factories have been recently closed, along with approximately 18 water production facilities, and around 7 butcheries and more.

Defense Minister offers condolences to Martyr Captain Saab's family: Army is destined to bid farewell to one martyr after another in order to protect...
NNA/August 26/2023
Caretaker National Defense Minister Maurice Selim visited the citiy of Choueifat this afternoon, offering condolences to the family of Army Martyr, Captain Richard Saab, who was killed in the military helicopter crash a few days ago in the area of Hammana.
Minister Selim considered that the grief of the martyr pilot's family is that of all the Lebanese who were afflicted by this tragic accident, noting that the investigation is continuing to find out the reasons that led to the crash of the helicopter. "If it is the army’s destiny to always bid farewell to one martyr after another in order to protect Lebanon, its sovereignty and security, then the families of these martyrs have the right to be proud that they presented at the altar of the homeland heroes who were loyal to the oath they took and never backed down despite the challenges and difficult circumstances that the military and security institutions are going through, foremost of which being the nation's army," Selim underscored.

Pharaon: Ashrafieh is about to slide into the hell of imaginary, Donquixote battles
NNA/August 26/2023
Former MP and Minister Michel Pharaon wrote today on the “X” platform: "Ashrafieh would be close to slipping into the hell of imaginary and Donquixote battles, were it not for the civilization of its people and institutions...Are there attempts to lose the compass from not paying attention to the citizens' basic, pressing development, daily-living and banking concerns, to the presidential file, the port file, and penal dossiers known to officials?"

Agriculture Minister: We are working to close all pharmacies selling illegal, toxic medicines
NNA/August 26/2023
Caretaker Minister of Agriculture, Abbas Haj Hassan, indicated in an interview with Al-Hurra Channel that “the Ministry of Agriculture has been working for four years on a project with the FAO organization to keep pace with combating illegal medicines, continuously conducting tours accompanied by the General Directorate of State Security and the concerned judiciary to close all unlicensed agricultural pharmacies located in many areas that sell spoiled and toxic medicines."He emphasized that his ministry is working in full capacity and with great efforts to address this issue, and has written to all security forces and leaders, including the army command, to tighten and control the borders with regard to smuggling vegetables and fruits into Lebanon. Hajj Hassan also revealed that "the ministry's teams carried out an inspection today in various Lebanese regions, with the support of state security and the concerned judiciary, whereby a number of non-Lebanese agricultural products were seized to protect the Lebanese products."

Makary patronizes "110 Years of Zgharta Press Exhibition" in Ehden: The homeland is not built with stones and people only, but with freedom as well
NNA/August 26/2023
Caretaker Minister of Information, Ziad Al-Makary, patronized today the "110 Years of Zgharta Press" Exhibition held in Ehden at the invitation of the Ehdenian Youth Association, within the activities of “Beirut, Capital of Arab Media 2023”, which was attended by several political officials and prominent dignitaries from the region. In his word on the occasion, Makary expressed joy to be amongst the people of his town, thanking the President of the Youth Association Roy Areiji “for the beautiful initiative that introduces Lebanon to the significant history of the Zgharta region and the creativity of its people."“This exhibition will show everyone how pioneering the people of Zgharta were and still are, and that the people of this region are amongst those who built the history of this land, and this homeland,” Makary went on, considering that “the homeland is not built with stones and people only, but also with liberties.” He added, “The newspapers displayed here are nothing but evidence that Zgharta, despite all the circumstances, yielded people who enjoyed freedom of speech and had their own newspapers and publications."“This region is an integral part of Lebanon, its history, culture and heritage," Makary continued, hoping that "this exhibition will be a new window for the young women and men of Zgharta, Ehden, the North and Lebanon in general, so that they can see this great legacy that we possess and must preserve by further developing it."“When Beirut was declared the capital of the Arab media, it was not in vain, for Lebanon possesses a legacy that does not exist in all of our Arab surroundings. We built a free press and a free media, and we want to continue with them, especially since media men and women are supported by a mountain of culture and freedom and a great history that nothing can erase,” the Information Minister underscored. Finally, the President of the Youth Association and its members presented Minister Makary with an honorary shield, following which they all toured various parts of the exhibition which will last until tomorrow evening.

Jumblat: We must sit with Nasrallah for Lebanon's future
Naharnet/August 26/2023
Former Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat has lamented that “no one today wants a settlement” in the country. “But it is the thing we need the most. A settlement for the sake of the country and not for the sake of any party in this or that camp,” Jumblat added, in an interview with al-Akhbar newspaper published Friday. “I don’t understand the justifications of some Christian parties who are rejecting dialogue. There is no alternative to sitting around a dialogue table. We sit and talk and see what happens afterwards,” Jumblat added. “It is true that Hezbollah has nominated Suleiman Franjieh and is clinging to him, but it is possible to reach a middle-ground solution with it if we sit and talk, instead of prior rejection which amplifies the crisis instead of resolving it,” the Druze leader went on to say.
He added that it is possible to negotiate with Hezbollah over “another candidate.”“We must sit with (Hezbollah chief) Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, not only for electing a president but also for the sake of Lebanon’s future,” Jumblat urged. ---

On Beirut’s Hamra Street, culture fades while poverty and begging prevail
Najia Houssari/Arab News/August 26, 2023
BEIRUT: Five stalls selling newspapers and books on the sidewalks of Beirut’s Hamra Street are all that remain of a series of similar stalls that had defined this historic commercial street for decades. Lebanon’s years-long economic crisis has brought chaos, destitution, and begging to Hamra Street, once frequented by renowned international artists during its golden years. It used to host the latest global films in its cinemas, and its cafés buzzed with discussions that covered topics ranging from Beirut to Vietnam. As stall owner Naim Mohammed Saleh put it: “The street’s identity has changed. Its inhabitants have deserted it, and its visitors have vanished.”He paused briefly to sell a newspaper to a man in his sixties. “These are the ones who read print newspapers: the generation of the Fifties and Sixties,” he continued. “But the youth? No. They have moved on to the screens of their phones, flipping through websites, with all the news at their fingertips. As for the books I arrange daily next to this café — my corner since I decided in 1978 to follow in my father’s footsteps — no one buys them.” Saleh, who comes from the southern town of Tebnine, moved to Beirut with his relatives — as so many young people from the villages in the south did — in the 1960s, seeking a better life in the city.He and his brothers used to help their father distribute newspapers in residential buildings along Hamra Street. When he got married in the 1970s, Saleh took a corner on the street adjacent to Café de Paris and continued as a vendor, earning money to educate his children at the American University of Beirut. He himself had attended the Lebanese University, gaining a degree in business administration.
Saleh said: “The most famous street in Lebanon, the Arab world, and the entire globe, Hamra Street was frequented by tourists, politicians, artists, and intellectuals from every corner. Presidents Amine Gemayel and Bashir Gemayel practiced law in Amine Sinno’s law firm here and engaged in discussions at the Horse Shoe Café that lasted for hours. During the premiere of “Gone with the Wind,” the audience stayed in the cinema until 2:15 a.m., leaving utterly amazed. They were dressed in clothes from the most prestigious fashion houses, purchased from this very street. Fayrouz showcased her plays here, as did Adel Imam, and Dalida performed her songs right here. People walked shoulder-to-shoulder; such was the bustling nature of the street.” With the outbreak of civil war in 1975, Hamra Street was associated with the struggle for the Palestinian cause and other Arab issues. A trace of intellectual and sectarian diversity endured. “As the shelling intensified, the street emptied of its patrons, but with each cease-fire it returned to its crowded state. Those who left the commercial center in Downtown Beirut, which had turned into the frontline, shifted to Hamra Street,” Saleh explained.
He noted that “more than one book printed in Beirut and sold at our stands caused upheavals, from books about the Gulf War to (Egyptian spy) Raafat Al-Haggan’s book, and even the books of (Algerian writer) Ahlam Mosteghanemi and (celebrity chef) Chef Ramzi’s cookbook.”
He continued: “On the day when the German chief investigator Detlev Mehlis published his report on the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafic Hariri, I sold around 4,000 copies of the newspaper in less than an hour. Today, if I sell 10 copies of a print newspaper in a day, it’s an achievement.”
Hamra Street survived the civil war but not the major transformations that came after. Most of its theaters closed down — only Al-Madina survived. The cinemas gradually disappeared, followed by the bookshops. Cafés turned into fast-food restaurants.
“During the COVID-19 pandemic, most of my sales were crossword magazines and magazines for children,” Saleh said. “With the economic collapse in 2019, people’s concerns have been reduced to securing food, shelter, paying for their children’s schooling, and ensuring a stable electricity supply. The street entered a phase of darkness and emptiness. Tourists today are groups of Iraqis accompanying their relatives for operations at the American University Hospital, and Syrians. We miss Gulf tourists, especially Saudis, who were avid readers. This is not (true of) Iraqis or even Iranians. When they come to Beirut and Hamra Street, you can tell their interest in books is close to zero.”
According to Saleh, “Before the economic crisis, I used to sell between 40 and 50 books per month. Now, the price of a book is no less than one million Lebanese pounds — equivalent to $10 — which makes Lebanese reluctant to buy books. Today, I only sell two books per month.”The whole street is no longer the upmarket, thriving commercial hub it used to be, Saleh explained. “The shoes displayed in shop windows are now of Asian make, whereas they used to be Italian and French. Many signs can be spotted on storefronts announcing ongoing clearance sales on clothing. They have been there since the beginning of the crisis, and the clearance hasn’t ended yet,” he said. “The phenomenon of begging and homelessness is what visitors to Hamra Street complain about most. Stores that used to open until 7 p.m. now close before 4 p.m. because the evening crowd is different from the daytime crowd. Before noon, employees, doctors, patients, university students, and those who work in banks or institutions that have survived in Hamra, visit,” he continued. In some buildings, though, offices of civil associations thrive. “It’s true that they infuse some life into the street, but their work is limited to assisting those in need, nothing more,” Saleh said. “And that doesn’t restore Hamra Street to its past glory and splendor.”

Assafir founding editor Talal Salman dies at 85 after long illness
Associated Press/August 26/2023
Journalist Talal Salman, who founded one of Lebanon's largest Arabic-language independent newspapers, died Friday after a long illness, the state-run National News Agency said. He was 85. An Arab nationalist whose role model was late Egyptian President Gamal Abdul-Nasser, Salman devoted much of his writing to the Palestinian cause and calls for Arab unity. Salman worked for several publications before founding the daily Assafir in March 1974. The newspaper, which quickly became one of the country's largest, identified itself as "Lebanon's newspaper in the Arab World and the Arab World's newspaper in Lebanon" and published under the slogan "Voice of the Voiceless."Prominent journalists and writers from Lebanon and the region wrote for Assafir and Salman was editor-in-chief until the paper closed down on Dec. 31, 2016, because of financial difficulties. After the newspaper ceased publication, Salman continued to write on a website that carried his name. An early contributor to Assafir was the late Palestinian cartoonist Naji al-Ali, who created a character known as Handala that became a symbol of Palestinian identity. Readers also anticipated the editorials in which Salman analyzed the latest developments in Lebanon, the Middle East and the world. In 1984, at the height of Lebanon's 15-year civil war, Salman survived an assassination attempt in front of his Beirut apartment. There were earlier attempts to blow up his house and Assafir's printing offices.
Born in 1938 in the northeastern town of Shmustar in Lebanon's fertile Bekaa Valley, Salman later moved to Beirut and lived there much of his life. He is survived by his wife, Afaf al-Asaad, daughters Hanadi and Rabia, and sons Ahmad and Ali. Salman also had several grandchildren.

Talal Salman's legacy: Advocacy, journalism, and the ambassadorship of words
LBCI/August 26/2023
A writer and political critic donning the attire of a journalist... This was Talal Salman, the 'ambassador of words.' He was the one who championed the causes of his region and its deprived people, carrying the burdens of Palestine and the Arab nation.
He sat with local and Arab leaders, supported the oppressed, accompanied the freedom fighters, and stood by the revolutionaries. He held several positions: Editor, editorial secretary, and editor-in-chief, before realizing his dream of founding "Assafir" newspaper. He intended it to be a voice for the voiceless and a platform for Arab issues. Over 67 years of his 85 years, he remained passionate about journalism, poetry, and literature. Even in his political articles, he was a literary figure, navigating a path fraught with danger, from imprisonment to threats of death, attempted assassination, and bombings on multiple occasions. Yet, the son of Shmastar persisted in writing and staying in Beirut amid the war and even during the Israeli siege, refusing to raise the white flag. He earned multiple local and Arab awards and honors, repeatedly stating that the greatest prize for a journalist is a successful relationship with the reader. The town of Shmastar bid farewell to its 'ambassador' who departed. He accompanied journalists, being a mentor to them. Even after he decided to close Assafir, he kept his office open, welcoming his colleagues in seeking challenges. Talal Salman is absent, and the path of Assafir remains a journey for every journalist aspiring to carry the burdens, issues, and aspirations of the people in Lebanon and the Arab homeland.

Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on August 26-27/2023
Pope calls for "Awakening": Misinformation is the first sin of the Press
NNA/August 26/2023
Pope Francis, on Saturday, denounced "disinformation" and false news as "the first of the sins of the press" in its attempt to guide public opinion, according to "Agence France-Presse". He said during a ceremony in the Vatican to present a media award in the presence of Italian journalists: "Misleading is the first of the sins, or let's say the mistakes of the press." He added, in a statement issued by the Vatican, that "disinformation is one of the sins of the press, which are four: misleading, when the journalist does not report or misleads, and the insult used sometimes, and defamation that differs from insult but destroys, and the fourth is the fondness for scandals."He continued, "I hope to give space to the voices of peace, to those involved in ending the conflict in Ukraine and elsewhere."The 86-year-old Argentine Pope is scheduled to visit Mongolia next week.

US envoy meets family of Iranian-German imprisoned in Iran
Reuters/August 26, 2023
WASHINGTON: A US envoy for Iran met on Friday with the family of Iranian-German national Jamshid Sharmahd, who was sentenced to death in February in Iran after being convicted of heading a pro-monarchist group accused of a deadly 2008 bombing. Deputy Special Envoy Abram Paley posted a picture of himself with Sharmahd’s son Shayan and daughter Gazelle on the social media site X, formerly known as Twitter. “I welcomed the opportunity to meet with Jamshid Sharmahd’s family today. He should have never been detained in Iran, and we hope to see the day he is reunited with his loved ones,” Paley wrote. Responding to the post, Gazelle Sharmahd said she had told Paley she needed “actions” and that her father must be part of whatever is agreed to free US nationals. “We will continue to urge the Biden Administration to work with stakeholders to #LeaveNoOneBehind or stop negotiations with my dad’s kidnappers,” Sharmahd said on X. Jamshid Sharmahd, who also has US residency, was arrested in 2020. Iran’s intelligence ministry at the time described him as “the ringleader of the terrorist Tondar group, who directed armed and terrorist acts in Iran from America.” Based in Los Angeles, the little-known Kingdom Assembly of Iran, or Tondar, says it seeks to restore the Iranian monarchy that was overthrown by the 1979 Islamic revolution. It runs pro-Iranian opposition radio and television stations abroad.

The latest on the protests of Syria's Suwayda
LBCI/August 26, 2023
So, what is happening in Suwayda?
In form, these are protest movements against the deteriorating economic conditions, especially following the Syrian government's decision on August 16th to remove subsidies on fuel, leading to a price increase of over 150 percent. This comes amid an economic crisis suffocating Syrians for more than 12 years of devastating conflict, compounded by economic sanctions imposed on Syria by Washington since 2020. A protester said, "We demand improved living conditions, and our demands are legitimate." However, in content, the demands go beyond livelihood; they are also political. Some call for the regime's overthrow, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. More significantly, the demonstrators are demanding the implementation of UN resolutions specific to the Syrian resolution, including Resolution 2254 from 2015, which concerns a ceasefire and achieving a political settlement for the situation. What's striking is that Suwayda, which is experiencing ongoing movements, is unique compared to other Syrian regions under the control of the Syrian regime. Moreover, Suwayda is the stronghold of the Druze minority in Syria, constituting three percent of the population. It has remained an exception throughout the years of conflict, with its inhabitants managing to distance themselves from its repercussions. They haven't taken up arms against the regime or engaged in opposition, with only a few exceptions. Thousands of young people have also evaded compulsory conscription, opting to bear arms solely to defend their areas. At the same time, Damascus has disregarded them, according to Agence France Presse. However, the economic impact of the conflict on this governorate occasionally sparks protests against the living conditions. As these protests continue, the question arises: Will their duration extend, and will their scope expand to other cities, including Daraa, which has recently witnessed similar movements?

Anti-government protests take hold in southern Syria
Agence France Presse/August 26, 2023
Rare protests against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government show no sign of abating with demonstrations reported in a string of towns in Daraa and Sweida provinces. The protests began late last week after the government ended fuel subsidies, dealing a heavy blow to Syrians reeling from years of war and economic crisis. In the Daraa province town of Bosra al-Sham, dozens of people demonstrated, openly calling for an end to Assad's rule, an AFP correspondent said. "We have come to the streets in Bosra al-Sham to confirm our continuation of the Syrian revolution and the demands that brought us here in 2011," activist Ahmad Mekdad said on the sidelines of the protest. Daraa province was the cradle of the 2011 uprising, which Assad bloodily suppressed, triggering more than a decade of civil war which has killed more than half a million people and driven millions more from their homes. Demonstrators held placards reading: "Leave! We want to live," and: "Silence today means the tyrant continues." "We will not go back on our demands for freedom, dignity and a united Syria," Mekdad told AFP. Activists from the Daraa Martyrs Documentation Office said similar protests were also held in at least eight other places in the province. Daraa returned to government control in 2018 under a Russia-brokered deal with rebel fighters. It has since been wracked by insecurity, violence and dire living conditions. Britain-based monitoring group, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, reported protests in multiple Daraa province towns on Friday.
'Syria is ours' -
In neighbouring Sweida, hundreds of people rallied in the provincial capital in the biggest demonstration since the protests began last week, the Observatory said. Demonstrators revived slogans from the Arab Spring protests of 2011, including: "The people want the fall of the regime", and: "Syria is ours and not the Assad family's", footage posted by the Suwayda24 news outlet showed. Sweida is the heartland of Syria's Druze minority and has been spared the worst of the violence between Assad's Alawite-led government and mainly Sunni Muslim rebels. In exchange for tacit support of the government, the Druze obtained exemptions from military service outside Sweida, and Syrian security services have a limited presence in the province. Sweida has seen sporadic demonstrations over living conditions in the past. In December, one protester and a policeman were killed when security forces broke up a demonstration in the provincial capital.

An attack by Al-Qaeda-allied group in northwest Syria kills, wounds dozens of troops, activists say
AP/August 26, 2023
BEIRUT: Insurgents in northwest Syria attacked an army position Saturday killing and wounding more than 30 troops, opposition activists said. The attack came days after Russian and Syrian warplanes carried out several airstrikes on the last major rebel stronghold in the northwestern province of Idlib and parts of Aleppo killing several insurgents. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitor, said the Ansar Al-Tawhid group, which is allied with Al-Qaeda, carried out the attack with its members first detonating a massive bomb and then storming the position manned by government troops. The Observatory said the attack killed 11 soldiers and wounded 20 others. Other activist collectives, including Amjad News, also reported the attack saying it killed and wounded dozens of soldiers without giving a breakdown. There was no immediate comment from the Syrian government or state media. A truce reached between Russia and Turkiye in March 2020 that ended a Russian-backed government offensive on Idlib province has been repeatedly violated resulting in scores of people getting killed and wounded. Russia has been a main backer of Syrian President Bashar Assad and joined the war in September 2015 helping tip the balance of power in his favor. Turkiye is a main backer of the armed opposition. Syria’s 12-year conflict that started with anti-government protests then morphed into a civil war killed half a million people and displaced half the country’s pre-war population of 23 million. More than 5 million Syrians are now refugees, most in neighboring countries.

Syria condemns the statements of French and US Foreign Ministry, which include false accusations against it about using chemical weapons in 2013
NNA/August 26, 2023
Damascus, SANA - Syria condemned the statements of the French Foreign Ministry and the spokesperson of the US National Security Council, which included false accusations about the use of chemical weapons in 2013 and other fabricated and forged incidents.“What the French and American foreign ministries said in the two statements is inseparable from the previous campaign of misinformation and lies, which confirms the participation of the two countries and other countries in orchestrating this heinous crime, within the framework of their full partnership in the direct and indirect terrorist attacks on Syria,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates said. -

Russia's military ties with Iran will withstand geopolitical pressure -RIA
Reuters/August 26, 2023
Russia's military cooperation with Iran will not succumb to geopolitical pressure, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said, following reports that Washington has asked Teheran to stop selling drones to Moscow. "There are no changes, and cooperation with Iran will continue," Ryabkov said, according to a report on Saturday from Russian state news agency RIA. "We are independent states and do not succumb to the dictates of the United States and its satellites." The U.S. is pressing Iran to stop selling the armed drones, which Russia is using in the war in Ukraine, the Financial Times reported earlier this month, citing an Iranian official and another person familiar with the talks. Russia began using the Iranian-made Shahed drones to attack deep inside Ukraine last year. The so-called kamikaze unmanned drones do not need a runway to launch and explode on impact. Iran has acknowledged sending drones to Russia but said in the past they were sent before Russia's February 2022 invasion in Ukraine. Moscow has denied its forces used Iranian drones in Ukraine. A White House official said in June that Iran had transferred several hundred drones to Russia since August 2022.

President Rayeesi Calls for Broadening of Iran-Brazil Cooperation
FARS NEWS AGENCY/August 26, 2023
Iranian President Seyed Ebrahim Rayeesi voiced pleasure in the reelection of Lula da Silva as Brazilian president, and underlined abundant capacities for the further expansion of cooperation between Iran and Brazil. He made the remarks in a meeting with Brazilian President Lula da Silva on the sidelines of the 15th BRICS Summit in South Africa. He expressed his satisfaction with the reelection of da Silva as the Brazilian president. Referring to the admission of the American officials regarding the scandalous failure of the policy of maximum pressure against Iran, the Iranian president said, "Despite the cruel sanctions, Iran's advances in science and technology are impressive." The Brazilian president, for his part, congratulated Iran on joining the BRICS, and stated, "There are many opportunities in the fields of scientific exchanges, technology, academic experiences, as well as cultural issues to develop cooperation and relations between the two countries."He described sanctions as a criminal weapon against nations that target the people of the sanctions country. President da Silva described the current structure of the United Nations as incapable of preventing the encroachment of powers against the rights of nations, and emphasized that the current structures need to be redesigned, and said, "BRICS should be able to build a new economic logic and order in the world." Earlier on Thursday, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that the BRICS member states agreed to admit Iran, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Argentina, Egypt and Ethiopia as new members. The six newcomers will become full-fledged members starting January 2024. The club currently consists of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. The administration of President Seyed Ebrahim Rayeesi has since taking office been trying to tap into the potential of the regional, economic, political and security alliances, which can further secure Iran’s national interest within the framework of multilateralism. BRICS countries currently account for 40% of the world’s population and almost a third of the global economy. The group touts itself as an alternative to Western-dominated international institutions, stressing that its approach better reflects the emerging multipolar world. As Western influence dwindled, its leaders leveraged tools under their control, such as the dollar, to protect its hegemonic position, BRICS members state. Participants of the summit expressed confidence that the organization’s influence will continue to grow.

Iran court orders US to pay $330 mn for ‘planning coup’
AFP/August 26, 2023
TEHRAN: A court in Tehran has ordered the US government to pay $330 million in damages for “planning a coup” against the newly established Islamic republic in 1980, the judiciary said Saturday. A year after the 1979 Islamic revolution that toppled the US-backed shah, a group of mostly army officers tried to overthrow the new government. State news agency IRNA said the “insurgents” were led by Saeed Mahdiyoun, a former Iranian air force commander, and had their headquarters in Nojeh, an air base in the western Hamedan province. Several people were killed in clashes between the coup plotters and government forces, and scores of others were arrested. “Their objective was to seize control of military bases across the country and target strategic centers and residences of the revolution’s leaders. However, their efforts were thwarted,” IRNA said. Last year, relatives of those killed in the coup filed a legal petition with Iran’s International Court demanding damages, the judiciary’s Mizan Online website said. They specifically accused the United States of “planning and executing” the coup, Mizan said. The court ruled in their favor, ordering “the American government to pay the plaintiffs 30 million dollars in material and moral damages, and 300 million dollars in punitive damages,” it added. Tehran and Washington have had no diplomatic relations since the aftermath of the 1979 revolution. In 1953, the British and US intelligence services orchestrated the overthrow of prime minister Mohammad Mossadegh who had nationalized Iran’s lucrative oil industry. In 2016, the US Supreme Court ordered that Iranian assets frozen in the United States should be paid to victims of attacks Washington has blamed on Tehran, including the 1983 bombing of a US Marine barracks in Beirut and a 1996 blast in Saudi Arabia. In March this year, the International Court of Justice ruled that Washington’s freezing of funds belonging to several Iranian individuals and companies was “manifestly unreasonable.”But it ruled it had no jurisdiction to unblock nearly $2 billion in Iranian central bank assets frozen by the United States. Tehran, which denies all responsibility for the attacks blamed on it by the United States, says that a series of US court judgments have awarded victims a total of $56 billion in damages.

Russia says two drones downed as Ukrainian shells wound four
Agence France Presse/August 26, 2023
Russia said Saturday that its air defenses shot down one drone approaching Moscow and another in a border region while Ukrainian shelling wounded four in a border town. Russia and the Moscow-annexed Crimean peninsula have been hit by a wave of drone attacks in recent days as Kyiv warns it will carry the conflict back to Russia. The Russian defence ministry said one drone was destroyed approaching Moscow at around 03:00 Moscow time (0000 GMT) and another close to the border in Belgorod region at 09:00 (0600 GMT). Moscow, which was rarely attacked during the early stages of the conflict, is now being targeted by almost daily drone strikes. "Tonight, air defence forces destroyed a drone on approach to Moscow in the Istrinskii district," the capital's mayor Sergei Sobyanin wrote on Telegram. "Preliminarily, there were no casualties or damage. Emergency services are working on the site," he added. The drone attacks came as the governor of Russia's Belgorod region said Kyiv shelled the town of Urazovo, about 10 kilometres (six miles) from the Ukrainian border, injuring four people. Russian regions bordering Ukraine have regularly reported indiscriminate shelling by Kyiv's armed forces and occasional cross-border incursions. "The Ukrainian armed forces shelled the town of Urazovo in Valuysky municipal district with Grad shells," governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said on social media. He said Ukraine used "cluster munitions" in the attack, and that residential homes and an agricultural shop were hit. "According to preliminary data, there are 4 victims -- three men and one woman. All of them have shrapnel wounds," he added.

Kyiv says three air force pilots killed in ‘terrible’ mid-air crash
AFP/August 26, 2023
KYIV: Ukraine said Saturday that three of its air force pilots including a renowned fighter jet pilot with the call-sign “Juice” were killed in a mid-air collision on Friday. The crash marks a major upset for Kyiv, which has been looking to secure advanced F-16 jets to strengthen its Soviet-era air force and push ahead with its counteroffensive. “We express our condolences to the families of the victims. This is a painful and irreparable loss for all of us,” Ukraine’s air force said, calling the crash “terrible.” The crash took place in Ukraine’s northern Zhytomyr region and involved two L-39 combat training aircraft, it said, adding an investigation was underway. Air force spokesperson Yuriy Ignat said one of the pilots killed — Andrii Pilshchykov — who went by the call-sign “Juice,” was a young officer with “mega knowledge and mega talent.” “Major Andrii Pilshchykov devoted his short but very bright life to combat aviation, he dreamed of F-16s in the Ukrainian sky,” he said in a tribute shared on social media. “You were more than a friend. Rest in peace, you have done so much for us,” he added.

Russia's Wagner mercenaries face uncertainty after leader's death
Associated Press/August 26, 2023
The Wagner Group's presence extends from the ancient battlegrounds of Syria to the deserts of sub-Saharan Africa, projecting the Kremlin's global influence with mercenaries accused of using brutal force and profiting on mineral riches they seized. But that was under Yevgeny Prigozhin, who in what could have been his final video released earlier this week appeared in military fatigues and held an assault rifle from an unidentified dry and dusty plain as he boasted that Wagner is "making Russia even greater on all continents and Africa even more free." On Wednesday, a private jet carrying Prigozhin and his top lieutenants of the mercenary group crashed northwest of Moscow, two months after he led an armed rebellion that challenged the authority of President Vladimir Putin. There is wide speculation that Prigozhin, who is presumed dead, was targeted for his uprising, although the Kremlin has denied involvement. That crash has raised questions about the future of the Wagner Group. In African countries where Wagner provided security against groups like al-Qaida and the Islamic State, officials and commentators predict Russia will likely maintain its presence, placing the forces under new leadership. Others, however, say Prigozhin built deep, personal connections that Moscow could find challenging to replace quickly.
Africa is vitally important to Russia — economically and politically.
This summer, Wagner helped secure a national referendum in the Central African Republic that cemented presidential power; it is a key partner for Mali's army in battling armed rebels; and it contacted the military junta in Niger that wants its services following a coup. Expanding ties and undercutting Western influence in Africa is a top priority as the Kremlin seeks new allies amid its war in Ukraine, where Wagner forces also helped win a key battle. Africa's 54 nations are the largest voting bloc at the U.N., and Moscow has actively worked to rally their support for its invasion. Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the U.S. ambassador to the U.N., said Friday that Wagner's forces "are destabilizing, and we've encouraged countries in Africa to condemn their presence as well as their actions."On Thursday, the Republican Front in the Central African Republic, allied with the ruling party, reiterated its support for Russia and Wagner, saying they were "determined to fight alongside the African people as they struggle for self-determination." Wagner forces have served as personal bodyguards for President Faustin Archange Touadera, protecting the capital of Bangui from rebel threats and helping secure a July 30 constitutional referendum that could extend his power indefinitely. Central African activist and blogger Christian Aime Ndotah said the country's cooperation with Russia would be unaffected by new leadership with Wagner, which has been "well-established" there for years. But some in the Central African Republic denounce the mercenaries, and the U.N. peacekeeping mission there criticized them in 2021 for human rights abuses.
"A state's security is its sovereignty. You can't entrust the security of a state to a group of mercenaries," said Jean Serge Bokassa, former public security minister. Nathalia Dukhan, senior investigator at The Sentry, predicted the Kremlin will try to bring Africa closer into its orbit. "Wagner has been a successful tool for Russia to expand its influence efficiently and brutally," she said. "In the midst of all the turmoil between Putin and Prigozhin, the Wagner operation in Central Africa only deepened, with increased direct involvement by the Russian government."High-ranking Wagner operatives have built relationships in Mali and the Central African Republic and understand the terrain, said Lou Osborn of All Eyes on Wagner, a project focusing on the group. "They have a good reputation, which they can sell to another Russian contender. It wouldn't be surprising if a new organization took them over," Osborn said, noting that Russian military contractors in Ukraine, such as Redut and Convoy, have recently expressed a desire to do business in Africa. Redut was created by the Russian Defense Ministry, which has sought to put Wagner under its control. Following the June mutiny, Putin said the mercenaries could sign contracts with the ministry and keep serving under one of the group's top commanders, Andrei Troshev. It wasn't clear how many troops accepted, but media reports put the number at a few thousand. The Kremlin still could face challenges in keeping the strong presence in Africa that Prigozhin helped establish. Former Putin speechwriter Abbas Gallyamov argued Prigozhin may have been allowed to continue his post-activities because Russian authorities had to find people who would take over his work. "Time was needed to create the new channels, new mechanisms of control over those projects," he said. "And it's not a fact that they have been successful in that. It's possible that they have failed and the Kremlin may lose some of those projects."Britain's Defense Ministry said Prigozhin's demise "would almost certainly have a deeply destabilizing effect on the Wagner Group.""His personal attributes of hyper-activity, exceptional audacity, a drive for results and extreme brutality permeated Wagner and are unlikely to be matched by any successor," it said. On Friday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov refused to comment on Wagner's future. For Prigozhin, who created Wagner in 2014, its missions weren't simply about advancing Russia's global clout. His contractors in Syria, Libya, Sudan and elsewhere tapped the mineral and energy wealth of those countries to enrich himself. Central African Republic lawmaker and opposition leader Martin Ziguélé said Wagner was active in gold mining, timber and other industries — without paying taxes.
"We can only conclude that it's plundering," he said.
Prigozhin reached a deal with Putin after the rebellion that saw Wagner mercenaries move to Belarus in exchange for amnesty, and the mercenary boss spoke repeatedly since then about expanding his activities in Africa. He was seen courting African officials at a recent summit in St. Petersburg. He quickly welcomed last month's military coup that toppled Niger President Mohamed Bazoum. The junta reached out to Wagner, but the group's response was unclear and there's no visible presence of Russian mercenaries there — other than crowds waving Russian and Wagner flags at protests. While U.S. officials didn't confirm that Russia or Wagner had any role in the coup, there are fears the Kremlin could exploit it to weaken Western positions in West Africa, where the mercenaries are active in Mali and have a suspected presence in Burkina Faso. Niger's residents say Prigozhin's presumed death won't stop Russia from trying to expand its influence. "Our belief is that Russia wants to get a base here and to be popular. It's obvious they want to be here," Niamey tailor Baraou Souleimanin told The Associated Press. Since the coup, he said he's sewn more than 150 Russian flags in a month. "We pray that Allah strengthens the relationship with (Wagner) to continue the deal. If the relationship is good and strong, it's possible they'll continue with the deal even after his death," he said Thursday. In neighboring Mali, a military junta that seized power in 2020 expelled French troops, diplomats, and media, and ordered an end to a decade-long U.N. peacekeeping mission. Though not officially recognized by Malian authorities, Wagner forces have been known to operate in the rural north, where rebel and extremist groups have eroded state power and tormented communities. Human Rights Watch says Mali's army, together with suspected Wagner mercenaries, committed summary executions, looting, forced disappearances and other abuses. "What we have experienced through Wagner is the massacre of our people," said Ali Nouhoum Diallo, former president of the national assembly. Timbuktu resident Youba Khalifa said Wagner's presence in Mali wouldn't change after Prigozhin because "they're going to replace him with another leader." Although Prigozhin had told his troops in Belarus their new mission would be in Africa, several thousand of them trained the Belarusian army near the Polish border, prompting Warsaw to bolster forces there. There were signs, however, the mercenaries were preparing to pull back to Russia. Belarusian Hajun, a group monitoring Russian troops in Belarus, said Thursday that satellite images showed more than a third of the tents at a Wagner camp had been dismantled, a sign of a possible exodus. Still, President Alexander Lukashenko insists his country will host about 10,000 troops. That draws strong objections from the Belarusian opposition, which demands their withdrawal. "Prigozhin's death should put an end to Wagner's presence in Belarus, which will reduce the threat for our country and its neighbors," exiled opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya told AP.

Putin orders Wagner fighters to sign oath of allegiance after Prigozhin’s demise
Reuters/August 26, 2023
MOSCOW: President Vladimir Putin has ordered Wagner fighters to sign an oath of allegiance to the Russian state after a deadly plane crash believed to have killed Yevgeny Prigozhin, the volatile chief of the mercenary group.
Putin signed the decree bringing in the change with immediate effect on Friday after the Kremlin said that Western suggestions that Prigozhin had been killed on its orders were an “absolute lie.” The Kremlin declined to definitively confirm his death, citing the need to wait for test results. Russia’s aviation authority has said that Prigozhin was on board a private jet which crashed on Wednesday evening northwest of Moscow with no survivors exactly two months after he led a failed mutiny against army chiefs. President Vladimir Putin sent his condolences to the families of those killed in the crash on Thursday and spoke of Prigozhin in the past tense. He cited “preliminary information” as indicating that Prigozhin and his top Wagner associates had all been killed and, while praising Prigozhin, said he had also made some “serious mistakes.” Putin’s introduction of a mandatory oath for employees of Wagner and other private military contractors was a clear move to bring such groups under tighter state control. The decree, published on the Kremlin website, obliges anyone carrying out work on behalf of the military or supporting what Moscow calls its “special military operation” in Ukraine to swear a formal oath of allegiance to Russia. Described in the decree as a step to forge the spiritual and moral foundations of the defense of Russia, the wording of the oath includes a line in which those who take it promise to strictly follow the orders of commanders and senior leaders. Western politicians and commentators have suggested, without presenting evidence, that Putin ordered Prigozhin to be killed to punish him for launching the June 23-34 mutiny against the army’s leadership which also represented the biggest challenge to Putin’s own rule since he came to power in 1999. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday that the accusation and many others like it were false. “There is now a great deal of speculation surrounding this plane crash and the tragic deaths of the plane’s passengers, including Yevgeny Prigozhin. Of course, in the West, all this speculation is presented from a well-known angle,” Peskov told reporters. “All of this is an absolute lie, and here, when covering this issue, it is necessary to base yourself on facts. There are not many facts yet. They need to be established in the course of investigative actions,” he said.
’WAIT FOR TEST RESULTS’
Russian investigators have opened a probe into what happened, but have not yet said what they suspect caused the plane to suddenly fall from the sky. Nor have they officially confirmed the identities of the 10 bodies recovered from the wreckage. Asked if the Kremlin had received official confirmation of Prigozhin’s death, Peskov said on Friday: “If you listened carefully to the Russian president’s statement, he said that all the necessary tests, including genetic tests, will now be carried out. The official results — as soon as they are ready to be published, will be published.” Peskov, who said Putin had not met Prigozhin recently, also said it was unclear how long the tests and investigative work would take. It was therefore impossible to start talking about whether Putin would attend Prigozhin’s funeral, Peskov said in answer to a question on the subject. “There are no dates for the funeral yet, it is impossible to talk about it at all. The only thing I can say is that the president has a rather busy schedule at the moment.” Nigel Gould-Davies, a former British ambassador to Belarus who is now a senior fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), said the funeral would be significant. “If Putin wishes to emphasize that Prigozhin died as a traitor, he will ignore it,” said Gould-Davies. “(While) Prigozhin’s supporters may use it as an opportunity to eulogize him and his critique of the Kremlin’s conduct of the war — and could strengthen the hostility of a core of Wagner loyalists toward the Kremlin,” he said. British military intelligence said on Friday there was not yet definitive proof that Prigozhin had been onboard but that it was “highly likely” he was dead. The Pentagon has said its own initial assessment is that Prigozhin was killed. Russia’s Baza news outlet, which has good sources among law enforcement agencies, has reported that investigators are focusing on a theory that one or two bombs may have been planted on board the plane. Asked about the future of the Wagner Group, which has a series of lucrative contracts across Africa and a contingent in Belarus training the army there but now appears leaderless, Kremlin spokesman Peskov was concise. “I can’t tell you anything now, I don’t know,” he said.

Shelling kills civilians in Ukraine’s northeast as fears grow of a second Russian takeover
AP/August 26, 2023
KYIV: Russian forces struck a cafe in a key front-line area in northeastern Ukraine Saturday, killing two civilians and wounding a third, regional officials said. The shelling near the city of Kupiansk came as UK officials said that Russia may try to retake the area, which was captured by Kyiv in a lightning counteroffensive last September after more than six months of Russian occupation. Fierce fighting there earlier this month prompted mandatory evacuations and fears of a second Russian takeover. Russian shells on Saturday morning struck the cafe in Podoly, an eastern suburb of Kupiansk, regional governor Oleh Syniehubov said in a Telegram post. He added that rescue teams were working at the site. UK military intelligence on Saturday assessed that Russia may “increase the intensity of its offensive efforts” around Kupiansk and nearby Lyman in an attempt to take pressure off its forces near Bakhmut and in the Zaporizhzhia region, where a Ukrainian counteroffensive has reportedly made gradual gains. Earlier this month, Ukrainian authorities ordered a mandatory evacuation of nearly 12,000 civilians from 37 towns and villages around Kupiansk, citing a concerted effort by Russian troops to punch through the front line.
After the Russian occupiers left Kupiansk last year, Ukrainian authorities said they found torture chambers and mass graves in the region.
Ukrainian officials have so far reported limited advances in Kyiv’s large-scale counteroffensive launched in early June, including in the southern Zaporizhzhia region and on the outskirts of Bakhmut, the eastern city that became the site of the war’s longest and bloodiest battle before falling to Moscow in May.
A Washington-based think tank said late Friday that Ukrainian forces were pushing forward in Zaporizhzhia after taking the village of Robotyne earlier this week. The Institute for the Study of War in its latest assessment cited pro-Kremlin military bloggers expressing concern over a lack of reinforcements and troop locations in the area, while the Ukrainian General Staff that same day claimed unspecified successes south and southeast of Robotyne.
On Saturday morning, the Ukrainian regional administration of Zaporizhzhia reported that Russian shelling the previous day of Mala Tokmachka, one of the villages near which Kyiv’s troops were reportedly advancing, killed one resident and wounded another.
Also on Saturday, a new drone attack on Moscow forced an early-morning temporary shutdown of all three major airports serving the city, Russian state media reported. Officials blamed Ukraine for what appeared to be the latest of near-daily strikes on the Russian capital and the surrounding region.
Kyiv has since early this year sought to take the 18-month-war into the heart of Russia, also saying recently that it was behind strikes on Russian military assets far behind the front lines. Russia’s defense ministry and Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said that a drone was shot down over the Istra district of the Moscow region, some 50 kilometers (30 miles) west of Red Square. Sobyanin said in a Telegram post that there were no immediate reports of any casualties or damage. According to Russia’s state Tass agency, the Sheremetevo, Domodedovo and Vnukovo airports all suspended flights for over an hour early on Saturday. Russian Telegram channels on Saturday posted videos, some of them apparently from home security cameras, of what they claimed was Russian air defense downing the drone. One video shows a car parked outside what appears to be suburban home, its alarm beginning to blare seconds after two loud blasts sound in the distance. Russia’s defense ministry that same day blamed Ukraine for the attack. As of Saturday morning, Ukrainian authorities had not said whether Kyiv had any involvement.
Russia and Ukraine traded multiple drone attacks earlier this week, with Kyiv apparently targeting Moscow and the Kremlin’s forces launching another bombardment of Ukrainian grain storage depots in what have recently become signature tactics. Also this week, Kyiv claimed it had destroyed a key Russian S-400 surface-to-air missile defense system in occupied Crimea. Ukrainian media also claimed that Ukrainian saboteurs coordinated by Kyiv’s military intelligence services carried out a pair of recent drone attacks that destroyed and damaged bomber aircraft at air bases deep inside Russia. Later on Saturday, Russia’s defense ministry said in a separate statement that another drone was brought down as it approached the Russian city of Belgorod, some 45 kilometers (27 miles) from the Ukrainian border. It did not mention any casualties or damage. Belgorod regional Gov. Vyacheslav Gladkov accused Ukrainian forces of shelling a border village using cluster munitions, wounding six civilians. Gladkov did not provide visual evidence for the use of the controversial and widely banned weapons, which contain dozens of small bomblets that scatter shrapnel over a wide area. Kyiv last month began receiving cluster bombs from the US, but has pledged to use them only to dislodge groups of enemy soldiers. Ukrainian officials have regularly accused Moscow of firing cluster munitions at residential areas, while Russian regional authorities have reported on Ukrainian cross-border attacks in which civilians were hurt. Ukraine’s air force, meanwhile, reported early on Saturday that two Iranian-made “Shahed” drones fired by Russian troops were shot down during the night over the country’s northeast. In Ukraine’s front-line Kherson region in the south, local Gov. Oleksandr Prokudin reported that an 83-year-old woman died in the hospital after suffering burn wounds as Russian forces overnight shelled the riverside village of Olhivka. Also on Saturday, the Kherson regional administration reported that Russian shelling damaged a hospital in the province’s namesake capital, blowing out doors and windows but causing no casualties.

A Palestinian dies a month after being shot during an Israeli raid in the West Bank
AP/August 26, 2023
JENIN, West Bank: The Palestinian news agency reported Saturday that a 20-year-old died of wounds a month after being shot during an Israeli army raid in the occupied West Bank. The WAFA news agency said Ezzedin Kanan, from the town of Jaba near Jenin, was shot in the head on July 3 during one of the most intense Israeli military operations in the West Bank since an armed Palestinian uprising against Israel’s open-ended occupation ended two decades ago. An offshoot of the secular nationalist Fatah party, the Al Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigade, claimed Kanan as one of its “fiercest fighters” and pledged to avenge his loss. Armed and masked militants flanked the mourning procession for Kanan as his body, wrapped in a Palestinian flag and adorned with a headband from the group, was carried through his home village of Jaba. Kanan’s death brings the total to 14 killed in the raid, which lasted two days and included airstrikes, hundreds of ground troops and bulldozers that were used to raze roads and buildings. The army claimed to have inflicted heavy damage on militant groups in the Jenin refugee camp and that it had confiscated thousands of weapons, bomb-making materials and caches of money during the raid. Since early 2022, Israel has been carrying out near daily raids in the West Bank in response to a series of deadly Palestinian attacks. It says the raids are meant to crack down on Palestinians militants and said they are necessary because the Palestinian Authority is too weak. The ongoing violence in the West Bank has surged to levels unseen in nearly two decades, with more than 170 Palestinians killed by Israeli fire since the start of 2023, according to a tally by The Associated Press. The Palestinians say such violence is the inevitable result of 56 years of occupation and the absence of any political process with Israel. They also point to increased West Bank settlement construction and violence by extremist settlers. The United Nations Mideast envoy told the UN Security Council on Tuesday that the upswing in violence is being fueled by growing despair about the future, with the Palestinians still seeking an independent state. “The lack of progress toward a political horizon that addressed the core issues driving the conflict has left a dangerous and volatile vacuum, filled by extremists on all sides,” Tor Wennesland said.

US condemns conflict-related sexual violence in Sudan
Reuters/August 26, 2023
The United States on Friday condemned pervasive conflict-related sexual violence in Sudan, which the State Department said that credible sources including victims have attributed to Paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and their allied militias. “The numerous reports of rape, gang rape and other forms of gender-based violence against women and girls in West Darfur and other areas are deeply disturbing. These acts of brutality contribute to an emerging pattern of targeted ethnic violence,” the department said in a statement. “In particular, we are gravely concerned about the situation in and around Nyala, South Darfur where tens of thousands of civilians are trapped as fighting escalates between the RSF and Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF),” it added. The US called on the RSF and SAF to immediately halt the fighting and allow safe passage for all civilians out of the city, the department said.

Niger orders troops to go on ‘maximum alert’
Reuters/August 26, 2023
NIAMEY: The junta in Niger has ordered its armed forces to go on highest alert, citing an increased threat of attack, according to an internal document issued by its defense chief on Friday that a security source in the country confirmed was authentic. The document, which was shared widely online on Saturday, said the order to be on maximum alert would allow forces to respond adequately in case of any attack and “avoid a general surprise.”“Threats of aggression to the national territory are increasingly being felt,” it said. The main West African bloc ECOWAS has been trying to negotiate with the leaders of the July 26 coup, but has said it is ready to deploy troops to restore constitutional order if diplomatic efforts fail. On Friday, the bloc downplayed this threat and said it was “determined to bend backwards to accommodate diplomatic efforts,” although an intervention remained one of the options the table. “For the avoidance of doubt, let me state unequivocally that ECOWAS has neither declared war on the people of Niger, nor is there a plan, as it is being purported, to invade the country, ECOWAS Commission President Omar Alieu Touray told reporters.The bloc’s decision earlier in August to activate a so-called standby force for a possible intervention has raised fears of an escalation that could further destabilize the insurgency-torn Sahel region.

Niger junta expels French ambassador
Reuters/August 26, 2023
Niger's junta, which seized power in a coup on July 26, said on Friday it had ordered French ambassador Sylvain Itte to leave the country within 48 hours, as relations between the West African country and its former colonial ruler deteriorated further. Like recent coups in neighbouring Burkina Faso and Mali, the military takeover in Niger came amid a growing wave of anti-French sentiment, with some locals accusing the European country of interfering in their affairs. In a statement, the junta-appointed foreign ministry said the decision to expel the ambassador was a response to actions taken by the French government that were "contrary to the interests of Niger." It said these included the envoy's refusal to respond to an invitation to meet Niger's new foreign minister. The French foreign ministry did not immediately reply to a request for comment. Official-seeming statements were shared widely online on Friday that appeared to show Niger ordering the U.S. ambassador and German ambassador to leave the country in similar terms to the statement about the French envoy. The U.S. State Department on Friday said Niger had informed it this had not been issued by its foreign ministry. "No such request has been made to the U.S. government," it said. A source in the junta and a Nigerien security source said only the French ambassador had been asked to leave. The coup has pushed Niger's long-standing relationship with France to breaking-point and this latest move raises further doubts about the future of joint military efforts to fight an Islamist insurgency in the conflict-torn Sahel region. France has called for President Mohamed Bazoum to be returned to office following his ouster and has said it would support efforts by West African regional bloc ECOWAS to overturn the coup. It has also not officially recognised a decision by the junta in early August to revoke a raft of military agreements with France, saying these had been signed with Niger's "legitimate authorities." The deterioration in Niger-France relations echoes post-coup developments in Mali and Burkina Faso, which have booted out French forces and severed long-standing ties. Niger has strategic significance as one of the world's biggest producers of uranium and as a base for French, U.S. and other foreign troops that are helping to fight Islamist militant groups in the region.

Daesh almost doubled the territory they control in Mali in under a year – UN experts
AP/August 26, 2023
UNITED NATIONS: Daesh extremists have almost doubled the territory they control in Mali in less than a year, and their Al-Qaeda-linked rivals are capitalizing on the deadlock and perceived weakness of armed groups that signed a 2015 peace agreement, United Nations experts said in a new report.
The stalled implementation of the peace deal and sustained attacks on communities have offered the Daesh group and Al-Qaeda affiliates a chance “to re-enact the 2012 scenario,” they said.
That’s when a military coup took place in March and rebels in the north formed an Islamic state two months later. The extremist rebels were forced from power in the north with the help of a French-led military operation, but they moved from the arid north to more populated central Mali in 2015 and remain active. The panel of experts said in the report that the impasse in implementing the agreement — especially the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration of combatants into society — is empowering Al-Qaeda-linked Jama’a Nusrat ul-Islam wa Al-Muslimin known as JNIM to vie for leadership in northern Mali. Sustained violence and attacks mostly by Daesh fighters in the Greater Sahara have also made the signatories to the peace deal “appear to be weak and unreliable security providers” for communities targeted by the extremists, the experts said.
JNIM is taking advantage of this weakening “and is now positioning itself as the sole actor capable of protecting populations against Islamic State in the Greater Sahara,” they said. The panel added that Mali’s military rulers are watching the confrontation between the Daesh group and Al-Qaeda affiliates from a distance. The experts cited some sources as saying the government believes that over time the confrontation in the north will benefit Malian authorities, but other sources believe time favors the terrorists “whose military capacities and community penetration grow each day.”
In June, Mali’s junta ordered the UN peacekeeping force and its 15,000 international troops to leave after a decade of working on stemming the jihadi insurgency The Security Council terminated the mission’s mandate on June 30. The panel said the armed groups that signed the 2015 agreement expressed concern that the peace deal could potentially fall apart without UN mediation, “thereby exposing the northern regions to the risk of another uprising.” The UN force, or MINUSMA, “played a crucial role” in facilitating talks between the parties, monitoring and reporting on the implementation of the agreement, and investigating alleged violations, the panel said. The 104-page report painted a grim picture of other turmoil and abuses in the country. The panel said terrorist groups, armed groups that signed the 2015 agreement, and transnational organized crime rings are competing for control over trade and trafficking routes transiting through the northern regions of Gao and Kidal. “Mali remains a hotspot for drug trafficking in West Africa and between coastal countries in the Gulf of Guinea and North Africa, in both directions,” the experts said, adding that many of the main drug dealers are reported to be based in the capital Bamako.
The panel said it remains particularly concerned with persistent conflict-related sexual violence in the eastern Menaka and central Mopti regions, “especially those involving the foreign security partners of the Malian Armed Force” – the Wagner Group. “The panel believes that violence against women, and other forms of grave abuses of human rights and international humanitarian law are being used, specifically by the foreign security partners, to spread terror among populations,” the report said.

Seven shot in Boston at Caribbean festival
LBCI/August 26/2023
Seven individuals were shot during a Caribbean festival in Boston, according to the police.
The police clarified that the shooting occurred around 8:00 AM, noting that the seven injured individuals were "transported to local hospitals, and their injuries are not life-threatening."

Latest English LCCC  analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on August 26-27/2023
Question: “Do faith in God and science contradict?”
GotQuestions.org/August 26/2023
Answer: Science is defined as “the observation, identification, description, experimental investigation, and theoretical explanation of phenomena.” Science is a method that mankind can use to gain a greater understanding of the natural universe. It is a search for knowledge through observation. Advances in science demonstrate the reach of human logic and imagination. However, a Christian’s belief in science should never be like our belief in God. A Christian can have faith in God and respect for science, as long as we remember which is perfect and which is not.
Our belief in God is a belief of faith. We have faith in His Son for salvation, faith in His Word for instruction, and faith in His Holy Spirit for guidance. Our faith in God should be absolute, since when we put our faith in God, we depend on a perfect, omnipotent, omniscient Creator. Our belief in science should be intellectual and nothing more. We can count on science to do many great things, but we can also count on science to make mistakes. If we put faith in science, we depend on imperfect, sinful, limited, mortal men. Science throughout history has been wrong about many things, such as the shape of the earth, powered flight, vaccines, blood transfusions, and even reproduction. God is never wrong.
Truth is nothing to fear, so there is no reason for a Christian to fear good science. Learning more about the way God constructed our universe helps all of mankind appreciate the wonder of creation. Expanding our knowledge helps us to combat disease, ignorance, and misunderstanding. However, there is danger when scientists hold their faith in human logic above faith in our Creator. These persons are no different from anyone devoted to a religion; they have chosen faith in man and will find facts to defend that faith.
Still, the most rational scientists, even those who refuse to believe in God, admit to a lack of completeness in our understanding of the universe. They will admit that neither God nor the Bible can be proved or disproved by science, just as many of their favorite theories ultimately cannot be proved or disproved. Science is meant to be a truly neutral discipline, seeking only the truth, not furtherance of an agenda.
Much of science supports the existence and work of God. Psalm 19:1 says, “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands.” As modern science discovers more about the universe, we find more evidence of creation. The amazing complexity and replication of DNA, the intricate and interlocking laws of physics, and the absolute harmony of conditions and chemistry here on earth all serve to support the message of the Bible. A Christian should embrace science that seeks the truth, but reject the “priests of science” who put human knowledge above God.

Iran's Religious Influence Spreading throughout the United States
Majid Rafizadeh/ Gatestone Institute/August 26, 2023
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/121635/121635/
The Iranian regime is advancing its ideology and increasing its influence in Shia mosques throughout the United States, while the Biden administration is sitting idly by, presumably still seeking to return to a disastrous nuclear deal, lift sanctions against Iran, and fund the regime to launch more terrorist attacks, further repress its own citizens, and pave the way for it legally to obtain an unlimited supply of nuclear weapons.
"In four separate cases, recent reports have illustrated the Iranian regime's influence on multiple Shi'a mosques and religious institutions in the United States. This is unacceptable." — Letter from nine US House Representatives to Attorney General Merrick Garland and Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines, June 28, 2023.
"This appears to be part of a network of regime-sponsored mosques acting as agents for a foreign adversary. The radical ideology being promoted by this regime preaches hatred not only towards Jews, Christians, and Westerners but also to Sunni Muslims and fellow Shi'a Muslims who do not accept the regime's ideology." — Letter from 9 US House Representatives to Attorney General Merrick Garland and Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines, June 28, 2023.
We are fortunate enough in the US to have freedom of religion enshrined in the First Amendment to the Constitution.
All the same, Americans might like to be aware that there are clergy in the US whose goal it is to take the beliefs you now hold away from you and replace them with their own?
The Iranian regime is advancing its ideology and increasing its influence in Shia mosques throughout the United States, while the Biden administration is sitting idly by.
The Iranian regime is advancing its ideology and increasing its influence in Shia mosques throughout the United States, while the Biden administration is sitting idly by, presumably still seeking to return to a disastrous nuclear deal, lift sanctions against Iran, and fund the regime to launch more terrorist attacks, further repress its own citizens, and pave the way for it legally to obtain an unlimited supply of nuclear weapons.
Nine US House Representatives recently sounded an alarm about the growing influence of Iran's regime in "American religious institutions". The Congressmen sent a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland and Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines warning about Iran's influence in at least four US mosques and centers in the United States:
"We write to you concerning the pressing issue of foreign influence in American religious institutions by the Islamic Republic of Iran, a theocratic, state sponsor of terrorism that has the blood of hundreds of Americans on its hands. In four separate cases, recent reports have illustrated the Iranian regime's influence on multiple Shi'a mosques and religious institutions in the United States. This is unacceptable."
The first institution is the Islamic Education Center (IEC), a mosque just a few miles from Washington D.C. in Potomac, Maryland. The IEC, it was disclosed in May, is "part of a network of mosques controlled by the Alavi Foundation."
"This is a large foundation that has been in litigation for years because of allegations it operates on behalf of the Iranian regime, a state sponsor of terrorism. Bahram Abolfazi Nahidian, an IEC member, was instrumental in securing funds from the Alavi Foundation and was 'acknowledged by all as the most prominent supporter in this country of Khomeini.' After the article discussing these facts was published, members of the Iranian diaspora provided an image of young children at the mosque apparently singing next to a shrine of Ayatollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Disturbingly, the Maryland legislature has even provided public funds to the IEC! ...
"Another institution with the same name, the Islamic Education Center (IEC) in Houston, had dozens of young children perform an anthem titled, 'Salam Farmande,' ('Hello Commander'), a new propaganda song that has been widely promoted by the Iranian regime inside Iran to commemorate the 33rd anniversary of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini's death...
"But there are more reasons to suspect that both IEC Houston is serving the Iranian regime directly.
"Perhaps most obviously is the fact that Maulana Ghulam Hurr Shabbiri was the lead Imam of IEC for ten years, from 2005-2015. According to the website of Maulana Shabbiri's current employer, he was 'directly appointed by the office of the Supreme Leader,' to his post at IEC. Additionally, the building that is used by IEC, was the target of civil forfeiture by the U.S. Attorney of the Southern District of New York, as their property is owned by the aforementioned Alavi Foundation...
"The Islamic House of Wisdom (IHW), an Iranian-led Shi'a mosque in Dearborn Heights, Michigan, also shows similar signs of being under the direction of the Iranian regime. The Imam of IHW, Mohammad Ali Elahi, served as the head of 'political ideology' for the Iranian Navy in the 1980s, according to a publicly available Central Intelligence Agency report. He personally claims to be 'friends' with three former Iranian Presidents, and since moving to the US, he has had seemingly non-stop contact with senior regime officials. In March 2017, he met with former Iranian President Mohammad Khatami, who he called a friend of 'almost 30 years.' According to investigative journalists, IHW has been a significant purveyor of extremist propaganda, in line with the Iranian regime's views.
"The Manassas Mosque in Manassas, Virginia, is just as troubling. A recent video of inside the Mosque showed it is adorned with pictures of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) 'martyrs' who were killed in Syria, a life-sized cutout of Khomeini, as well as Iranian flags and slogans. In 2019, it openly celebrated the 40th Anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran. It also received about $200,000 from the Alavi Foundation, based on publicly available information, and has been the direct recipient of expensive relics from the Iranian regime."
According to Rep. Doug Lamborn, who spearheaded the letter:
"The Iranian regime's attempts to spread malign influence in the United States in multiple Shi'a mosques and cultural centers across the country has been happening for years. These state-sponsored mosques preach hatred toward anyone who disagrees with the Iranian regime and go as far as to praise the ayatollah's repressive reign through songs and shrines. It is imperative that the U.S. government understand and respond to the threat posed by state-sponsored terrorism wherever it appears, whether in the Middle East or at home."
A core ideology in Iran's constitution is to export the regime's radical doctrines beyond its borders until all nations are ruled under its Shia Islamist system of governance. To advance that goal in Western nations, the regime uses undercover agents. As the letter indicates:
"This appears to be part of a network of regime-sponsored mosques acting as agents for a foreign adversary. The radical ideology being promoted by this regime preaches hatred not only towards Jews, Christians, and Westerners but also to Sunni Muslims and fellow Shi'a Muslims who do not accept the regime's ideology."
We are fortunate enough in the US to have freedom of religion enshrined in the First Amendment to the Constitution:
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."
All the same, Americans might like to be aware that there are clergy in the US whose goal it is to take the beliefs you now hold away from you and replace them with their own?
*Dr. Majid Rafizadeh is a business strategist and advisor, Harvard-educated scholar, political scientist, board member of Harvard International Review, and president of the International American Council on the Middle East. He has authored several books on Islam and US foreign policy. He can be reached at Dr.Rafizadeh@Post.Harvard.Edu
© 2023 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.
*Pictured: The Islamic Education Center in Potomac, Maryland, which, according to a recent letter from nine US House Representatives, "was revealed to be part of a network of mosques controlled by the Alavi Foundation... that has been in litigation for years because of allegations it operates on behalf of the Iranian regime." (Photo by STF/AFP via Getty Images)

How the war could make Ukraine a defense powerhouse
Luke Coffey/Arab News/August 26/2023
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year fundamentally changed the geopolitical landscape of Europe in ways not seen in almost 80 years.
Europeans are now spending more on defense than they have in recent memory. Neutral and militarily non-aligned countries are joining NATO. After decades of dependency, Europe has shifted its energy reliance away from Russia in a manner previously thought impossible.
Unsurprisingly, one of the greatest geopolitical changes in Europe is with Ukraine. Since the revolution in 2014, there has been no doubt that Ukraine’s destiny is inside the European family and outside Moscow’s orbit. Even so, progress for Ukraine’s membership of institutions such as NATO and the EU has moved at a snail’s pace. Over the past 18 months this has changed. Paradoxically, thanks to Russia’s invasion last year which was meant to keep Kyiv away from Europe, Ukraine has never been closer to joining its institutions. Ukraine is now an official candidate country to join the EU and has started to make the necessary legal, government, and economic reforms required to join. Although Ukraine didn’t receive an invitation to join NATO during the recent summit, the alliance made it very clear that Ukraine will some day be a member.
While the issue of Ukrainian EU and NATO membership features prominently in headlines and the debate about the future of Europe, there are two other important steps being taken to bring Ukraine closer to the Euro-Atlantic community in a way that would have been impossible to imagine just a few years ago.
First is the commitment to provide Ukraine with F-16 fighter jets. Yes, Ukraine has received a lot of Western equipment and training in recent years, but the F-16 takes the relationship to a new level. The UK was the first country to say it would train Ukrainians on the F-16 before the summer. Last week the White House finally gave the green light and Denmark and the Netherlands promised to donate up to 61 F-16s to Ukraine. Norway will also supply the jets to Ukraine.
The importance of Ukraine receiving F-16s goes beyond the tactical advantages they bring to the battlefield. There is also an important strategic element. Supplying Ukraine with such a sophisticated aircraftdemonstrates a long-term commitment by the West to Ukraine’s security. Its arrival will mark a fundamental shift away from Ukraine’s reliance on Soviet-era and Russian designed fighter jets. Due to the length of training that is required operate the F-16, and the scale of the financial investment needed to help Ukraine do so, the entry of the F-16 into Ukraine’s arsenal anchors the country to the West in a way not otherwise possible.
Before Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014, Ukraine routinely ranked among the world’s top five defense exporting countries. Second, plans by European defense companies to start producing munitions and equipment in Ukraine also demonstrate a long-term commitment to Ukraine’s security. Again, this is something that would have been unthinkable before 2022. Eight months after Sweden provided 50 of its CV90 armored vehicles to Ukraine, the two reached an agreement last week to “strengthen cooperation in production, operation, training and servicing of the CV90.” President Volodymyr Zelensky said this would lead to the production of CV90 in Ukraine. German defense company Rheinmetall started negotiations with Kyiv this year for the establishment of a factory in Ukraine that could produce up to 400 tanks a year. Already, the Turkish drone-maker Baykar’s first turbofan-powered unmanned aircraft, Kizilelma, is outfitted with Ukrainian produced engines. This summer, construction of a new Baykar factory began in Ukraine. Once finished it will produce world-class Bayraktar TB2 drones. Ukraine is also working with European countries to manufacture NATO standard 155mm and 120mm artillery rounds, different from the Soviet-era Russian standard 152mm and 122mm caliber.
The production of European armaments inside Ukraine will not only help it on the battlefield now, but will also make Kyiv well placed to be a defense exporter in the future. A robust Ukrainian defense industry could have positive implications for regions outside Europe, including the Middle East.
Ukraine already has a track record of defense exports. Before Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014, itroutinely ranked among the world’s top five defense exporting countries. In recent years Saudi Arabia was Ukraine’s second-largest export market and Qatar was the seventh. In a postwar scenario, it is likely that Ukraine will become one of the world’s top weapons exporters again.
In the past 18 months, rapid breakthroughs in “combat tested” defense innovation are likely to make Ukraine’s domestically manufactured weapons highly sought after around the world. This is especially true when it comes to technological breakthroughs in unmanned seaborne drones, which have been successful targeting the Kerch bridge and Russian warships in the Black Sea. Ukraine’s domestically produced anti-ship missile, responsible for the sinking of the Moskva last year, will be appealing for countries wanting to increase their coastal defense at a relatively low cost. This is particularly true with some Gulf states.
Also, many countries that already purchase Russian manufactured military hardware are quickly learning how ineffective it is on the 21st century battlefield. These countries are likely to be reassessing their reliance on Russian hardware and will develop a plan to diversify away from it. In this context, there is no doubt that Ukrainian defense goods will become an increasingly attractive alternative. As Ukraine integrates into Euro-Atlantic community, defense cooperation with the US and European countries will help it along the way. But the impact of this defense cooperation will be felt beyond Europe. The Middle East is no exception.
*Luke Coffey is a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute. Twitter: @LukeDCoffey

Turkiye, Iraq seek new dynamism in their relationship
Sinem Cengiz/Arab News/August 26/2023
The last week has seen a busy diplomatic to-and-fro between Ankara and Baghdad, with an exchange of ministerial visits that hints at crucial messages on the future of Turkish-Iraqi relations. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, the former spy chief, visited Baghdad and Irbil for the first time since assuming the post. Meanwhile, Iraqi Oil Minister Hayan Abdel-Ghani was in Ankara for a two-day visit to discuss several issues that shape the bilateral relationship.
Historically, Turkish-Iraqi relations have seen their fair share of ups and downs due to several unresolved issues. For Turkiye, when it comes to relations with Iraq, three key factors shape its approach: the Kurdistan Regional Government, the terrorism of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, known as the PKK, and Iranian influence. There are also three key factors for Iraq: transboundary water problems, the oil export issue and Ankara’s economic support for the country’s reconstruction. For years, these issues combined with each other, turning the Turkish-Iraqi relationship into a huge mess.
Will Fidan’s visit pave the way for a new Turkish policy toward Iraq that could lead Ankara to compartmentalize the issues with Iraq in a way that could benefit the interests of both sides? Most likely yes, but this seems mostly due to the adoption of a new approach, in which an economic agenda, rather than politics, is the driving force for bilateral relations.
Fidan’s visit to Irbil indicates the Turkish desire for a balanced policy between the KRG and Iraq. Ankara aims to pursue a delicate balancing act between Baghdad and Irbil. However, this policy was severely tested when Iraq was dragged into civil war, terrorism and political conflict in the post-2003 era, especially with the country’s unstable political life, with a string of prime ministers having taken office since the US invasion, while Turkiye’s approach has been led by the same leadership.
Historically, Turkish-Iraqi relations have seen their fair share of ups and downs due to several unresolved issues.
The fluctuation in Turkish-Iraqi ties led Ankara to pursue a policy that capitalized on the rivalry between Baghdad and Irbil, including cultivating closer political and trade relations with the latter. However, since the failed Kurdish independence referendum that was held in 2017, Turkiye has adopted a new approach in dealing with both Irbil and Baghdad. This has been based on a more equal approach, rather than favoring one side over the other.
The PKK issue has been a challenging one in Turkiye’s relations with both the KRG and Iraq. In terms of the KRG, Ankara seeks to cultivate ties with two main political entities: the dominant Kurdistan Democratic Party and the rival Patriotic Union of Kurdistan. The KDP, which maintains close political and economic ties with Ankara, is at odds with the PKK due to ideological and political differences. The PUK, which does not enjoy the same ties with Ankara, maintains close relations with Iran and is suspiciously perceived by Turkiye due to its alleged affiliations with the PKK. Ankara is now trying to approach the PUK and it expects the PKK issue to be addressed in the same way the KDP does.
Turkiye’s military operations and its military base in Iraq have long tested its relations with Baghdad. However, in recent years, Baghdad has avoided feuds with Ankara to preserve relations, especially those from an economic standpoint. During his Baghdad trip, Fidan asked Iraq to designate the PKK as a terrorist organization.
As a former spy chief, Fidan was one of the key architects of Turkiye’s Iraq policy and he has contacts with Kurdish political actors inside the country. His appointment as foreign minister may lead to a significant paradigm shift in Turkiye’s Iraq policy, in which diplomatic initiatives could be integrated with security and economic objectives.
There are also other factors that are vying for a greater Turkish role in Iraq. Geopolitically, Iraq is important not only to Turks but also to the Iranians, making the country a centerpiece of their rivalry as they jockey for regional influence. This Turkish-Iranian rivalry also shapes the Iraqi political scene, which plays an important role in Turkish calculations.
There is a new approach, in which an economic agenda, rather than politics, is the driving force for bilateral relations.
From the Iraqi perspective, trade and energy factors are powerful variables informing the country’s approach to Turkiye. The dispute over shared water from the Euphrates and Tigris rivers is a long-standing one, causing occasional tensions between Ankara and Baghdad. During Fidan’s visit, Iraq and Turkiye agreed to establish a permanent joint committee to resolve water-related issues. This is a perfect way to make the water issue an area for cooperation, rather than contention.
Second is the oil issue. The Iraqi oil minister was in Turkiye for talks on the possibility of resuming the KRG’s oil exports through Turkiye’s Ceyhan port, which has been on hold for nearly five months. However, the two sides failed to agree on the resumption of oil exports.
The other topic is Turkiye’s support for Iraq’s reconstruction. At the beginning of 2018, Turkiye was eager to commit a $5 billion loan to support reconstruction in Iraq. Baghdad hopes to receive Ankara’s support for the massive Development Road, also known as the Dry Canal project — a highway and rail line from the southern Iraqi city of Basra to Turkiye, which is an important area of Turkish-Iraqi cooperation.
Fidan’s trip was expected to prepare the ground for a visit by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a date for which has not yet been set. The visit indicates that Turkiye is likely to prioritize economic relations above all else, such as it has done with other regional countries, and this will lay the groundwork for cooperation in other areas with time. Handling each contentious issue, such as the PKK, water or oil, in a different file will also enable Turkiye and Iraq to achieve a new dynamism in their relationship.
**Sinem Cengiz is a Turkish political analyst who specializes in Turkiye’s relations with the Middle East. Twitter: @SinemCngz