Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on April 15-16/2024
Hezbollah praises Iran's attack on Israel
Hezbollah claims attack on Israeli troops who had crossed border
Mikati chairs broad ministerial meeting on latest developments
Mawlawi says there are 1.2 million unregistered Syrians in Lebanon
Syrian Migrants: Mawlawi Discusses Resolution Approach
Mikati: ‘Crimes Committed by Some Displaced Syrians Should Be Firmly Addressed
Tenenti: UN Vehicle Held in Southern Suburb Is Not UNIFIL’s
Dilemmas of Security/Charles Chartouni/This Is Beirut/April 15/2024
Iran Retaliates, Israel Tests Its Capabilities/Bassam Abou Zeid/This Is Beirut/April 15/2024
Egyptian Ambassador to Host Quintet Meetings With Parliamentary Blocs
Sethrida Geagea: Pascal’s Crime Is Political Until Proven Otherwise
The 191st day of the war.. The first Israeli infiltration falls into a “Hezbollah” ambush.
Hezbollah sites within the Israeli army's sights!
After they crossed the border, Hezbollah detonated explosive devices with soldiers from the Golani Brigade
Sectarian and national/Imad Moussa//Nedda Al-Watan/Google translation/April 16, 2024
The policy that returned the region to the era of fleets/Tony Francis/Nedda Al-Watan/Google translation/April 16, 2024
Objection and the problem of elections/Bassam Abu Zeid//Nedda Al-Watan/Google translatio/April 16, 2024
Iran's strategy is from patience to saving face/Asaad Bishara//Nedda Al-Watan/Google translation/April 16, 2024

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on April 15-16/2024
Hundreds of Israeli settlers attack Palestinian villages in the occupied West Bank after missing Israeli boy found dead
Analysis: Iran upends decades of shadow warfare in direct attack on Israel as tensions mount at home
Iran urges West to 'appreciate restraint' towards Israel
Israel will hit back at Iran, but timing uncertain, say analysts
Israeli Opposition Criticizes Netanyahu for ‘Loss of Deterrence’
Iran's attack on Israel could be bad for Russia's war in Ukraine
John Bolton Blasts Donald Trump’s Response To Iran’s Attack On Israel As ‘Delusional’
Sunak urges restraint after Iranian attack on Israel
Iran practiced blowing up an Israeli F-35 base with ballistic missiles just weeks before attacking the real thing
No end to death and suffering as Sudan conflict enters its second year

Titles For The Latest English LCCC  analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources on April 15-16/2024
Hamas Destroys Gaza, Now Trying to Claim That a 'Victory'/Bassam Tawil/Gatestone Institute./April 15, 2024
Iran Just Made a Big Mistake. Israel Shouldn’t Follow./Thomas L. Friedman/The New York Times/April 15/2024
The Truth about the Koran and America/Raymond Ibrahim/The Stream/April 15/2024
Jordan Explains Its Participation In Thwarting Iran's Attack On Israel: We Defended Our Borders And People, Oppose Any Iranian Attempt To Violate Our Sovereignty/MEMRI/April 15, 2024
Time to stop the manmade disaster in Sudan/Josep Borrell Fontelles and Janez Lenarcic/Arab News/April 15, 2024
Iran and Israel ... Questions and fiery messages/Ghassan Charbe/Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper/April 15, 2024

Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on April 15-16/2024
Hezbollah praises Iran's attack on Israel
Agence France Presse/April 15/2024
Hezbollah has congratulated Tehran on its attack on Israel, saying it "achieved" its military objectives. "Hezbollah presents its congratulations... to the leadership" of Iran and its people for the "unprecedented" attack on Israel, the powerful Lebanese group said in a statement. Hezbollah also praised Tehran's "brave and wise decision to respond firmly to the Zionist attack on the Iranian consulate in Damascus". The Islamic republic launched more than 300 drones and missiles towards Israel from late Saturday, Israel's military said. Tehran launched the attack in retaliation for a deadly air strike widely blamed on Israel that destroyed its consular section in Syria's capital on April 1. Hezbollah said Iran "achieved" its military objectives "despite the participation of the United States and its international allies... in responding to the stunning attack". Israel has launched hundreds of air strikes in Syria since civil war broke out 13 years ago, targeting Iran-backed forces including Hezbollah, a Damascus ally, as well as Syrian army positions and weapons depots. It rarely comments on individual strikes, and has not done so on the consulate attack. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a monitor of the country's civil conflict, said 16 people were killed in the Damascus strike, with Hezbollah saying one of its members was among the dead. Israel and Hezbollah have exchanged near-daily fire across Lebanon's southern border since Palestinian militant group Hamas carried out an unprecedented attack on southern Israel on October 7, triggering war in Gaza. Hezbollah says it is acting in support of Gazans and Hamas with its attacks, while the escalating hostilities have raised fears of all-out conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, which last went to war in 2006.

Hezbollah claims attack on Israeli troops who had crossed border
Naharnet/April 15/2024
Hezbollah detonated Monday several explosive devices, inflicting casualties among an Israeli infantry brigade as it crossed the Lebanese-Israeli border. The group said in a statement that it had planted the devices in the Tal Ismail area on the Lebanese side of the border and that it detonated the devices when a Golani Brigade force unit tried to cross the border. The statement added that Hezbollah was "carefully monitoring and anticipating the movements of the Israeli forces."The Israeli military confirmed that four soldiers were injured and said it was investigating the incident. It said the soldiers were wounded in an explosion during an operation on the northern border and that one of the soldiers was seriously injured.The army later said the soldiers were wounded on the Lebanese side of the frontier. It was the first time Hezbollah claimed such an attack in six months of near daily cross-border clashes with Israel since the Gaza war broke out. The incident came as tensions soared over Iran's missile and drone attacks from late Saturday on Israel in retaliation for a deadly strike on Tehran's consulate in Damascus. Israeli warplanes and artillery bombed Monday the southern border towns of Dhayra, al-Labbouneh, al-Naqoura, Kfarkela, Alma al-Shaab and Aita al-Shaab, some of them with white phosphorus bombs. Overnight, a strike on a house in Siddiqin had injured nine people, the National News Agency said. The violence flaring between Israel and Hezbollah has largely been contained to the border area. It has killed at least 364 people in Lebanon, mostly Hezbollah fighters but also including at least 70 civilians, according to an AFP tally. In Israel, the military says 10 soldiers and eight civilians have been killed since hostilities began. Tens of thousands of civilians have fled their homes on both sides of the border.

Mikati chairs broad ministerial meeting on latest developments
Naharnet/April 15/2024
Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati on Monday presided over a broad ministerial meeting that discussed the latest security and military developments in Lebanon and the region.Mikati had initially called for a Cabinet session before replacing it with a “consultative ministerial meeting.” The meeting was attended by the ministers of the Free Patriotic Movements who have been boycotting Cabinet sessions since the end of Michel Aoun’s term as president. “I wanted to hold this meeting to discuss the security situation in general, in the south in particular, in addition to the refugee file and the availability of goods in the country,” Mikati said at the beginning of the meeting. “We meet together to consult and think together of the criticality of the situation, security-wise and at the national level, and to discuss the steps that should be taken to immunize social stability,” the premier added. “Lebanon should have a unified stance in the face of the international community regarding the Syrian refugee issue,” Mikati said. Referring to the murder of Lebanese Forces official Pascal Sleiman and the tensions it created, the premier hailed the efforts of the army and security forces and the “seriousness of the investigations.”He also lauded “the calls for rationality and patience” by the political and religious leaders, calling on security agencies to “address the increase in the crimes that are being committed by some displaced Syrians.”“We ask the interior minister to be strict in enforcing Lebanese laws on all (Syrian) refugees and to be firm with any cases that violate these laws,” Mikati added. Moreover, Mikati said the domestic incidents “should not make us forget about the Israeli aggression in the south and the fall of martyrs.” “We have repeatedly said that we are not advocates of war, but we cannot remain silent over the Israeli attacks and we do not accept that our airspace be violated,” the PM added. “Israel is dragging the region to war and the international community should pay attention to this and put an end to this war,” Mikati urged.

Mawlawi says there are 1.2 million unregistered Syrians in Lebanon
Naharnet/April 15/2024
Caretaker Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi on Monday announced that there are 1.2 million unregistered Syrians in Lebanon. “Out of two million displaced Syrians, there are only 300,000 who have residency permits while 800,000 are registered and 1.2 million are unregistered,” Mawlawi said, during a consultative ministerial meeting at the Grand Serail. Mawlawi said Tuesday that the recent slaying of Lebanese Forces official Pascal Sleiman by what authorities say was a gang of Syrian nationals signals the need to restrict the number of refugees entering the country from neighboring Syria. The tiny Mediterranean country of over 6 million people, including refugees, hosts what the U.N. refugee agency says are nearly 785,000 U.N.-registered Syrian refugees, of which 90% rely on aid to survive. Lebanese officials estimate the actual number could be as high as 1.5 or 2 million.

Syrian Migrants: Mawlawi Discusses Resolution Approach
This Is Beirut/April 15/2024
Caretaker Minister of Interior Bassam Mawlawi discussed various aspects of dealing with the situation of Syrian migrants in Lebanon, as recommended at the ministerial consultation meeting held on Monday morning. In an interview with Al-Hurra, Mawlawi stressed that the solution to the problem lies in “enabling the safe return of Syrians to their country,” adding that “there has been no question of creating camps or moving Syrians from their current places of residence to the Lebanese-Syrian border.” Concerning the implementation of ministerial decrees concerning the Syrian presence, the minister explained that this approach is partly administrative and organizational, and partly security-related. Firstly, the aim is to ensure legal residency for Syrians who have not yet registered with the Lebanese authorities, notably General Security. Secondly, the security issue requires “the Lebanese state to ensure the follow-up and monitoring of Syrians registered with the authorities, given the significant number of crimes committed by Syrian nationals.”“Syrians make up 35% of inmates in Lebanese prisons,” he said. Asked about the possibility of repatriating them to Syria, Mawlawi replied, “This is a legal issue that requires a judicial study and decision.”Furthermore, the caretaker minister recalled that “Lebanon is not a country of asylum,” asserting that “Syrians entering Lebanon after 2019 are economic refugees who have moved because of economic difficulties.” “It is possible to repatriate them,” he continued, noting that “the Lebanese Army has so far repatriated around 29,000 Syrians.” “The number of Syrians with legal residence permits, issued by the General Security, is only 300,000, whereas there are around 2 million Syrians in Lebanon,” he argued. According to the Caretaker Minister for Displaced Persons, Issam Charafeddine, “the return convoys comprise modest numbers, yet we need more Syrians to return to their country.”Regarding the murder of Pascal Sleiman, coordinator of the Lebanese Forces in Jbeil, Mawlawi reiterated that “the Lebanese Army has released the preliminary results of the investigation, which is still ongoing.” He assured that he is “following it on a daily basis.”

Mikati: ‘Crimes Committed by Some Displaced Syrians Should Be Firmly Addressed
This Is Beirut/April 15/2024
Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati held a consultative meeting with ministers on Monday, devoted to addressing the security situation and the issue of Syrian displaced persons. At the beginning, Mikati pointed out that the meeting is an opportunity to address the security situation, notably in South Lebanon and the issue of displaced persons, following the kidnapping and killing of Lebanese Forces official Pascal Sleiman in Jbeil by a suspected Syrian car theft gang who then dumped his body in Syria. “We meet today to discuss the delicate security situation, and what steps must be taken to fortify social stability.” He stressed that “Lebanon should have a unified position before the international community on the issue of Syrian refugees and its impact on Lebanon in all its economic, social, security and sovereignty aspects,” Mikati said. “Last week, Lebanon witnessed security incidents, which would have become more widespread had it not been for the efforts of the army and security apparatuses, the seriousness of the investigations, the wisdom of the leaders and authorities, and calls for prudence and discretion, which is the only way to overcome crises,” he continued. In this context, Mikati emphasized, “With the proliferation of crimes committed by some Syrian refugees, the situation must be addressed firmly by the security apparatuses, and urgent measures must be taken to prevent the occurrence of any criminal act and any behaviors that are fundamentally unacceptable by the Syrian brothers who are legally present and forcibly displaced.” He asked the Minister of Interior to “strictly enforce Lebanese laws on all displaced persons and deal with cases that violate these laws.”In parallel, Minister of Interior Bassam Mawlawi revealed that “among two million displaced Syrians in Lebanon, only 300,000 have residencies, 800,000 are registered with the UN refugee agency, and 1.2 million are unregistered.” Regarding the situation in South Lebanon, Mikati said that Lebanon insists on placing “Israeli aggressions before the international community” through the submission of complaints to the UN Security Council. “We refuse the violations of our airspace and we cannot remain silent about Israeli aggressions. We are not advocates of war; however, these aggressions cannot be tolerated. Israel is dragging the region to war, and the international community must be aware of that and end this war,” he added.
The consultative meeting was attended by four ministers of the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) who have been boycotting cabinet sessions until a new president of the republic is elected to succeed Michel Aoun whose term ended one year and a half ago. Mikati had previously called for an emergency cabinet session, and later replaced it with a “consultative meeting,” which he said allows the participation of most ministers “to share their opinions under the present delicate circumstances,” according to a statement his office issued last night. The cabinet is expected to convene in a formal session on April 26, according to Minister of Information Ziad Makary.

Tenenti: UN Vehicle Held in Southern Suburb Is Not UNIFIL’s
This Is Beirut/April 15/2024
United Nations Interim Force In Lebanon (UNIFIL) spokesperson Andrea Tenenti denied media reports that some residents detained a UNIFIL vehicle in the Hay al-Sellom neighborhood in the Hezbollah-controlled southern suburb of Beirut “after it lost its way.” The vehicle does not belong to UNIFIL, Tenenti said, noting that “our cars have the UN logo written in black and not blue,” as shown in the photo that circulated in the media. “This could be a (UN) humanitarian agency vehicle,” he told This Is Beirut. UNIFIL vehicles have lost their way more than once, ending up in the southern suburb. In March, a similar incident occurred in Hay al-Sellom involving a car belonging to the peacekeeping force which was on a “routine logistical movement to Beirut.” The vehicle was stopped, and peacekeepers were detained by residents for a short while. UNIFIL reacted to the incident by emphasizing that “the freedom of UNIFIL’s movement is essential to the implementation of UN Resolution 1701.”

Dilemmas of Security
Charles Chartouni/This Is Beirut/April 15/2024
The dynamics of violence that were unleashed after the 7th of October in South Israel have mutated into a major strategic turnaround that questions the extant geopolitics in the Near East. The Hamas murderous undertaking turned out to be a major disaster, which led to the destruction of Gaza and its transformation into a graveyard. What’s dumbfounding is the moral callousness of Hamas, its strategic blindness, and political deafness. It is still acting as if nothing has happened and readying itself to a post-war role without raising any doubt about its accountability, representativeness, and the future of the humanitarian and urban wasteland it has deliberately created. The voices of the opposition of disgruntled Palestinians are not restricted to the Palestinian Authority and the PLO as their nemeses but have extended to the civil society at large, and to the young Palestinians who are fed up with the reign of terror that has prevailed throughout the 17 years of Hamas takeover. They were quite explicit when they expressed their utter rejection of whatever arguments articulated by Hamas to justify its criminal folly and exculpate its moral depravation, while brazenly overlooking the magnitude of the devastations they have brought upon the Gaza district and its civilians. Rather than acknowledging its responsibility, it asked Palestinians for forgiveness and promised to pursue the purported liberation, as if the disastrous outcomes were not enough to give way to an alternative course that spares the Palestinians of Gaza’s future tragedies.
The Israelis, on their side, however deeply split over the future course of the conflict, have altogether agreed on the need to remodel the strategic landscape, and cut down on all future attempts at their national security, at their different national borders, and namely at the interfaces with Gaza and the Lebanese Syrian crossroads. This leaves us with two major questions related to the future battles of Rafah and South Lebanon. The magnitude of the foreseeable humanitarian losses and the tragic plight of Gaza, the brunt of international pressure, and the security of the Israeli hostages are quite dissuasive considerations but cannot outweigh the strategic ones: the defeat of Hamas and the destruction of its operational platforms. Otherwise, the whole war undertaking is made redundant, relegated to irrelevance and the Israeli security laid bare. A humanitarian truce without a strategic and security purview will inevitably backlash, put at risk security, and prepare the ground for future violence. Therefore, the Israelis are adamant about the overriding primacy of strategic and security issues, whereas Hamas is still overplaying its hazardous course and downplaying the security and welfare of Gaza and its constituencies. The American mediation, while attentive to the Israeli security imperatives, has unrelentingly worked on addressing humanitarian issues in Gaza and the Israeli hostage’s liberation. Any approach that fails to connect the strategic and security issues to the humanitarian ones is doomed to fail; variables are not exchangeable. The specific riddle in this case is how the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) can achieve its legitimate military goals with the least damaging and lethal effects, or whether Hamas is likely to negotiate its surrender and spare Northern Gaza the tribulations and devastations of a new round in Rafah.
The Lebanese strategic scenery is identical to the Gaza military and political terrains, with major differences related to the territorial breadth and the complexity of the political tapestry. Otherwise, what unites them is that both are hostages to the Iranian subversion politics throughout the Near East. Hezbollah has succeeded in taking over power in Lebanon by dismantling constitutional statehood and transforming it into an appendage to its domination strategy while using its geo-strategic platforms as operational theatres. The Hezbollah modus operandi, far from being a novelty, recapitulates a whole legacy of sublated sovereignty and instrumentalization of Lebanese territories by the subversion politics of the Leftist-PLO coalition and its Cold War allies. The Hezbollah subversion strategy operates on the intersection between overlapping domination politics and their strategic continuums. Hezbollah mentors Hamas as a proxy and auxiliary to the Iranian imperial strategy, and they both follow the same script: the annihilation of their domestic nemeses through terrorism, as a prelude to the multidirectional subversion strategy. The symmetric subversion strategy is no coincidence, it is the outcome of an integrated vision that accounts for the ongoing conflict dynamics and their projected objectives. In both scenarios, we are moving from intermittent to systematic confrontation, let alone total war.
The destruction of the headquarters of the Iranian revolutionary guards in Damascus was the litmus test that demonstrated Iran’s military ineptitude, strategic miscalculations, and internalized fears. The dismal failure of the Iranian retaliation, the solidity of the strategic containment of the US-led alliance, and the fallacy of the Global South and its ideological whims have proven their inconsistency. This episode may be the turning point to upend the strategic equations, put an end to the open hostilities, break away from the Iranian domination strategy, and pave the way to the downfall of the discredited Islamic republic and the demise of its narrative and political incidence. Lebanese and Palestinians have no other chance to rebuild their political and moral autonomy unless the Iranian domination is defeated, and the region has no prospects of stability and peace unless the Iranian subversion strategy is eradicated. The de-radicalization of Sunni Islam which followed the defeat of ISIS and Al Qaida, and the spread of the systemic reforms paradigm in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates await the downfall of the Iranian regime to oversee the rise of a post-Islamist, democratic, and development-oriented Arab Middle East.
Aside from the wishful thinking and humanitarian longings of “conviction ethics” (Gesinnungsethik), the security stalemate is unlikely to endure and overlook the strategic hazards. Israelis, notwithstanding their ideological and political differences, are unanimous about upending the strategic equations putting at stake their security, and moving unto a new military and political dynamic. The contours of this new dynamic are still undefined and a source of major controversy amongst Israelis and within the Jewish diaspora. Israelis are urged to find common grounds through which they proceed with their negotiations with the Palestinians: their ideological differences over nationhood, strategic security, international agreements, and the future of their relationships with the Palestinians. The Palestinians, led by the overhauled Palestinian authority, are invited to regain their national and moral autonomy away from the pattern of alienating dependencies, and their only path is to reengage the dynamic of negotiations with Israel on the very basis of past agreements. This last episode of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict urges, on both sides, a deliberate move towards a conclusive peace treaty, based on mutual recognition, dual statehood, consensual strategic security, and economic cooperation. However critical truce agreements are at this stage, they still fall short of their ultimate goals without political enframing and strategic anchoring.

Iran Retaliates, Israel Tests Its Capabilities
Bassam Abou Zeid/This Is Beirut/April 15/2024
The Lebanese are just as divided regarding Iran’s retaliatory attack on Israel. While some see it as a sham, others perceive it as a victory. The latter viewpoint is echoed by many supporters of the Axis of Resistance. From a military standpoint, the arsenal used by the Iranians was extensive, amounting to 300 drones, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles. Nevertheless, reports indicate that only seven out of the 300 missiles that were launched successfully hit targets within Israel. This suggests that the attack failed to achieve all of its intended objectives and did not inflict significant damage on Israeli military infrastructure, especially its air force capabilities. The facts have pointed out that Israelis and their allies were well-informed—and ahead of time—of the scale of Iran’s retaliation. Therefore, they prepared adequately, especially given the fact that Israel, the United States and the United Kingdom have significant aerial leverage, allowing them to intercept the missiles and drones as they made their way from Iran, Iraq and Syria. In addition, the high aerial expertise facilitated precise monitoring and interception at the right timing and location. In this context, it is noteworthy to specify the travel time (from Iran to Israel) of the missiles: six hours for the drones, two hours for the cruise missiles, and 12 minutes for the ballistic missiles. Furthermore, this Iranian offensive served as a prime opportunity for Israel and its allies to assess their know-how in intercepting both drones and missiles. On the other hand, this attack was also an opportunity for Tehran to gauge its missile and drone capabilities and to evaluate the effectiveness of evading interception technologies. A military expert noted that the Iranians may have either failed in their attack tactics or intentionally avoided causing significant damage to Israel. Launching larger waves of drones and missiles would have likely triggered responses from Israeli and allied defense systems, which did not happen. The Israelis qualified the Iranian attack as a failure, while Iranians claimed that it achieved its objectives. Noticeably, this attack took place more than six months after the beginning of the Al-Aqsa Flood operation, a conflict in which Tehran avoided direct involvement and pushed its proxies to do the job. This implies that the Iranian attack wasn’t driven by support for Hamas, but rather by Tehran’s desire to overcome a lingering embarrassment: its failure to retaliate against Israeli strikes in Syria and Iran. To avoid becoming a model of indecisiveness and weakness, Tehran had to save face in the eyes of not only Israel but its allies.

Egyptian Ambassador to Host Quintet Meetings With Parliamentary Blocs
This Is Beirut/April 15/2024
As part of their mission to push the presidential election dossier forward, the ambassadors of the Quintet committee meetings, grouping the US, France, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Qatar, are set to resume on Tuesday, April 16 after a long vacation mid-April following Eid al-Fitr. The Egyptian Ambassador to Lebanon, Alaa Moussa, will host the ambassadors’ meetings with a number of parliamentary blocs on Tuesday starting noon. At the end of March, Moussa had referred to 3 stages in the Quintet’s initiative. The first, and most important, is communicating with the various blocs and obtaining their “commitment” to the presidential file, the second is holding consultations and deliberations between them, to be followed by the election of a head of state.

Sethrida Geagea: Pascal’s Crime Is Political Until Proven Otherwise
This Is Beirut/April 15/2024
In a recent meeting with Caretaker Minister of Interior and Municipalities Bassam Mawlawi, MP Sethrida Geagea highlighted pressing concerns surrounding the murder of Pascal Sleiman and the issue of Syrian displacement in Lebanon. Geagea emphasized that Pascal Sleiman’s crime is political until proven otherwise and the investigation has not yet been completed. She also stressed that the Syrian presence is creating a major issue in Lebanon, and our economy and the country can no longer bear their presence. Geagea said, “We discussed the murder of Pascal Sleiman and the issue of the displaced Syrians, and a large part of those Syrians are present in Lebanon illegally.” Drawing attention to the specific situation in Bcharre, Geagea noted that it has the lowest number of Syrian refugees in the district. She urged Minister Mawlawi to extend the decrees implemented in Bcharre to all mayors in order to facilitate the return of displaced Syrians to safe areas in their homeland.

The 191st day of the war.. The first Israeli infiltration falls into a “Hezbollah” ambush.
Hussein Saad/Janoubia/Google translation/April 15/2024
The burning southern front, for 191 days, including a truce, with the beginnings of the war of occupancy and support, last October, brought about two security developments that occurred in the western sector area, from the south, represented by an Israeli infiltration across the border and the targeting of a public road, which informed the people of Al-Dhahira of a military raid for the first time. I blocked the road for a while. These two events came within the context of the military and security war between Israel on the one hand and Hezbollah on the other, coinciding with Israel’s preparation for a maneuver tomorrow in the Central Galilee, and its military commanders confirming their response to the Iranian missile attack at dawn yesterday. Mutual preoccupation operations continue. With all types of air and ground weapons, the displacement and near-emptying of the villages of the front edge, on the Lebanese side of the border, and also in Israeli settlements and colonies, on the Palestinian side of the border, continues, at a time when it is observed, through security operations, that the occupation army is present in force. Right at the border, and this was confirmed today, when a group of its soldiers from the Golani Brigade entered the Tal Ismail area, southeast of the town of Alma al-Shaab, where Hezbollah detonated, as announced in an official statement, explosive devices in the infiltrating group, wounding four. Soldiers, one of whom was seriously injured, according to Israeli recognition. This point, which the soldiers infiltrated from the direction of the Hanita settlement, is separated from the Alma Shaab border by a paved road, and Hezbollah had previously ambushed, in the same area, an Israeli group that infiltrated the area, which is shaded by trees, in the year 2013, and it was recorded starting from October 8, two similar cases of infiltration, in the outskirts of the town of Rmeish in the Bint Jbeil district. The field also shows that, despite the fact that the front towns are devoid of residents and are almost limited to Hezbollah members, it is still moving directly at the border, and continuing careful monitoring operations, on the basis of which, the enemy’s new sites and concentrations, and the buildings in which the soldiers are sheltered, are being targeted. . Today's Israeli raids included Majdal Zoun, Hula, Mays al-Jabal and Siddiqin, while Hezbollah carried out attacks on Hanita, al-Radar, Ruwaisat al-Alam and Mitat.

Hezbollah sites within the Israeli army's sights!
Janoubia/Google translation/April 15/2024
The Israeli army published, on its account on the “X” platform on Monday, a video clip showing scenes during which it claimed that “Israeli warplanes bombed positions belonging to Hezbollah in the areas of Markaba and Majdal Zoun in southern Lebanon.”Earlier today, Al-Manar correspondent, Ali Shuaib, reported in a post on his account on the “X” platform, “Military aircraft launched two raids with five missiles targeting the eastern outskirts of the town of Houla in southern Lebanon.”He continued, “The warplanes launched an air strike with missiles targeting the town of Majdal Zoun in southern Lebanon.”
The National News Agency reported that Israeli warplanes raided a house on the outskirts of the town of Majdal Zoun in the western sector, and ambulance teams went to inspect the place.

After they crossed the border, Hezbollah detonated explosive devices with soldiers from the Golani Brigade
Janoubiia/Google translation/April 15/2024
Two raids were carried out targeting Alma Road, Point 44, and Al-Dhahira Alma, which led to the road being cut off from both sides for some time before civil defense teams from the Health Authority and Al-Resala Health Ambulance Society filled in the hole in coordination with the Lebanese Army and UNIFIL. Military aircraft carried out mock raids over the villages of Tire district and the sea coast. On the other hand, the Israeli army announced that “four soldiers from the Golani Brigade were injured, one of them in serious condition, as a result of an explosion on the northern border with Lebanon.” Israeli Army Radio said: The explosion that targeted Golani unit soldiers occurred inside Lebanese territory after Israeli forces attempted to operate dozens of meters away from the separation fence. Hezbollah announced that “after careful monitoring and anticipation of the movements of the enemy forces, the Mujahideen of the Islamic Resistance planted a number of explosive devices in the Tal Ismail area adjacent to the border with occupied Palestine inside Lebanese territory, and when a force belonging to the Golani Brigade crossed the border and reached the location of the devices, they were detonated by them, which “It led to its members being killed and wounded.” Shortly after midnight, military aircraft raided a house in the town of Siddiqin - Tyre District, leading to its complete destruction and causing severe material damage to dozens of surrounding homes. The raid also resulted in a number of moderate and minor injuries, who were transferred to Tire hospitals for treatment. In addition, the army fired flares over the border villages adjacent to the Blue Line, while reconnaissance aircraft continued to fly over the southern villages and towns.

Sectarian and national
Imad Moussa//Nedda Al-Watan/Google translation/April 16, 2024
For a supermarket in a mixed area to sell beer (with alcohol) is only planting a hateful sectarian weevil in conservative society. A supermarket established in the center of Keserwan should refrain from selling “Ghantos, Bou Raad” and “jumbon” except from the category of beef gumboon, and ban all “Jello” without the “Halal” label. It is a supermarket, with a strong patriotic spirit in its non-sectarian commercial behavior. Very short shorts, on the verge of rising temperatures, are a sectarian fashion in general in a sectarian society. Covering and modesty is generally a national behavior. With all appreciation for the individual's freedom to dress and wear. Separating men from women at sectarian festivals is a patriotic act. Calling for the separation of religion from the state is an ugly sectarian call. Demanding the implementation of expanded administrative decentralization stipulated in the Taif Agreement, divisive sectarian behavior is also hateful and malicious, and the sectarianism of societies with their mothers, fathers, and people, and the sectarianism of their ways of living, automatically paves the way for the abolition of sectarianism. It is a national irony that turbaned and bearded people in the Shura Councils satirize the sectarian approach prevailing in parties that do not have a trace of incense.
We are facing a complete reversal of concepts.
Place in front of you a picture of Hezbollah Central Council member Sheikh Nabil Qaouk next to the picture of the representative in the Strong Republic Bloc, Pierre Abu Assi, and try to infer from the differences which one is sectarian and which is national. If you are tired of the answer, here is the answer: Sheikh Nabil is the renouncer of sectarianism, number two, and the Jaafari Mufti Ahmed Qabalan is number one... a patriot, and whoever does not follow them as a patriotic duo is a sectarian. The ally of the Shiite duo is a national chapter. The other allies in the opposition are impure, sectarian, and hypocritical. The Islamic Resistance in Lebanon, as a regulator of our present and future, is a pioneer of secularism in the Arab East and a spearhead in calling for an optional civil law and preventing the marriage of minors and minors. Defending religious shrines in Syria, Iraq, Yemen, and Afghanistan is a patriotic act, and defending state institutions is the work of Satan. Speech at a partisan burial ceremony in Jbeil intensifies sectarian rhetoric, and the speeches of mourning council preachers in Bint Jbeil raise national cohesion to its highest levels. Electing the Speaker of the House of Representatives with 65 votes represents national fusion, and electing the President of the Republic with 65 votes is a sectarian and divisive act. One is materialistic and the other. Since the dawn of Greek philosophy, two main currents have been fighting in the world: the spiritual and ideal current and the materialist current. Since the dawn of independence and before independence, Lebanon has been struggling with two currents: a current that lies to itself and a current that lies to the people. This was before the birth of the “current” that lies to itself and to the people. With a high degree of professionalism.

The policy that returned the region to the era of fleets
Tony Francis/Nedda Al-Watan/Google translatio/April 16, 2024
Iran aspires to redraw the Arab Levant, or what it calls in its literature “the West Asian region.” It sought and seeks to change the face of this region as a central goal of its regional policy, and it has achieved major successes in Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon, where it has expanded its influence through agents and supporters and because of the rulers’ weakness and surrender.
The approach to expanding influence was going as Tehran wanted until the outbreak of the Hamas operation and the Gaza war that followed it. Iran tried to hide its responsibilities for the incitement, financing, or decision to attack the “Al-Aqsa Flood,” but its leaders could not tolerate silence for long. They said that the operation was a response to the assassination of Qassem Soleimani, and some of them went on to use it in the context of the battle against normalization and the Indian economic corridor through the Arabian Peninsula. Others asserted in strategic conclusions that the “flood” is what will push the Americans to permanently exit “West Asia,” the region dear to the heart. leader. But Iran's expectations and projects failed miserably. The “flood” led to a Western international mobilization to support Israel and forgive its massacres in Gaza. The Iranian movement of the Houthis in the Red Sea made this sea a lake for foreign fleets, American and European in particular, and the activity of these fleets extends to the Arabian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz... Finally, after forty years of strategic patience, Iran wanted to respond to Israel’s successive blows, in an effort to restore its prestige. The regime at home and its control over the arms in the region, so it launched missiles and drones at “enemy countries” only to discover that, despite its prior notification of the strike, it faced and continues to confront an entire West, which is fighting with Israel, and does not stand with it or support it only, and to become certain that its project to control the Levant and the Arab straits is without it. Difficulties that the Iranian entity cannot overcome. Iran's policy has returned the imperial fleets to the region, and has only succeeded in fragmenting existing states and making the Palestinians fuel in wars that Israel wants. Now, is it time to think with another mind?

Objection and the problem of elections
Bassam Abu Zeid//Nedda Al-Watan/Google translatio/April 16, 2024
The resistance team in Lebanon does not want to hold any elections, as the presidential elections are suspended, efforts are underway to disrupt the municipal elections, and perhaps the next parliamentary elections in 2026 are also being suspended.
In the presidential elections, there is talk of progress in the process of agreeing on a candidate between the “Shiite duo” and the “Free Patriotic Movement,” and according to information, the lines of communication are wide open between the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Nabih Berri, and the head of the “Free Patriotic Movement,” Representative Gebran Bassil, and on Despite the secrecy surrounding the details of these talks, some say that they have achieved progress in terms of the mutual political costs that will be paid as a result of agreeing on a person to be appointed president. In the municipal elections, the postponement also occurred by consensus between the objectors and the “Free Patriotic Movement” under the pretext of the ongoing war in the south, but it is certainly not a convincing argument. It is not permissible to postpone elections at the level of Lebanon because compelling circumstances prevent them from being held in a limited area, as an arrangement can be found for either voting outside these villages and towns, or postpone it there until the situation stabilizes. Here it must be said that whoever bears the banner of administrative and financial decentralization must fight for these elections and not agree to extend their mandate, and many of them may be at risk of dissolution and disruption. Disrupting democratic life in Lebanon has become one of the practices adopted by some Lebanese forces in order to impose what they want on the internal arena. Thus, the elections for the Presidency of the Republic were disrupted and are being disrupted, and thus the parliamentary elections were suspended and the House of Representatives was extended, and thus the municipal elections were postponed, and thus it took the formation of... Governments have long periods of disagreement over a position or name, and all forces that participated in any type of obstruction bear responsibility for what Lebanon is currently suffering from and responsibility for the prices that the Lebanese have paid and are paying in all fields. There is no way out of this spiral except the establishment of a state in which the constitution and the law are applied and in which one group does not gain power over another, and in which there is no circumstantial opposition that attacks the corrupt, the perpetrator and the destroyer of the country and quickly allys itself with him under pretexts that are not supported by reason or logic other than sharing the spoils and interests.

Iran's strategy is from patience to saving face
Asaad Bishara//Nedda Al-Watan/Google translatio/April 16, 2024
45 years after the start of the Islamic Revolution in Iran, the Khomeini Revolution did not record any direct contact with Israel. This is why history will record for Iran that it finally took the first step in responding, even in the manner of fireworks. Iran delayed responding to Israel for many years. The Israeli targeting began after the start of the Syrian revolution in 2001, and Tehran’s attempt to build a military structure in Syria was subjected to successive Israeli strikes. Israel also did not spare the targeting of the leaders of the Revolutionary Guard, many of whom were killed, while Iran was You always adhere to the formula of responding at the appropriate time and place, which means the response.
The red night, which filled the skies of Iraq and Jordan with primitive marches and ineffective missiles, represented an important transition for Iran from one location to another, in which it is correct to say that it approached or crossed the Israeli red lines, without this necessarily meaning that it crossed the American lines, which still prevent the move to A major confrontation in the region. During the war with Iraq, the Islamic Republic had previously cooperated secretly and closely with Israel, which supplied it with weapons and spare parts. Former British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw says that the mullahs’ cooperation with Israel in confronting Saddam Hussein reached the point of Israel providing Iran with information and aerial photos about Iraq’s nuclear reactor, and Iran carried out a failed raid on the reactor, which preceded the Israeli raid that killed it, which led to its elimination. On the former Iraqi president’s dream of a nuclear Iraq. After the Red Night, Iran moved from an area of strategic patience to an area where it seeks to preserve the face and prestige necessary for the regime to continue, after all the Israeli raids and strikes it received. This transition would not have taken place if Iran had not been certain of the American position that rejects expanding the scope of the war, a position that constitutes a cover for Tehran, which is buying more time, due to the impact of American pressure on Israel not to respond, and to be content with succeeding in thwarting the drones and missiles from reaching their targets. . Iran wanted to repeat the model of responding to Israel, by recalling its response to the assassination of Qassem Soleimani, knowing the vast difference between targeting an American base and targeting the Israeli depth, and knowing that Israel will not tolerate harming its ability to deter, as well as changing the rules of engagement that it has established over the past years. These bases allowed it freedom to operate in Syria, and after Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, it turned into an open space for raids in Lebanon, and into a possibility that is repeated every moment that may lead to a transition to a major war, the goals of which have become known and the ignition of which is only expected by timing.

Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on April 15-16/2024
Hundreds of Israeli settlers attack Palestinian villages in the occupied West Bank after missing Israeli boy found dead
Abeer Salman, Zeena Saifi and Eugenia Yosef, CNN/April 15/2024
Hundreds of Israeli settlers surrounded Palestinian villages and attacked residents across the occupied West Bank, eyewitnesses told CNN, after an Israeli boy who had gone missing from a settlement was found dead. The body of Binyamin Achimair, 14, was found in the area of Malachei Ha’Shalom, with the Israeli military saying he was killed in a “terrorist attack.”It is unclear yet what was the cause of death, and the IDF is yet to provide evidence that this was a “terrorist attack.” CNN has reached out for clarity. Soon after, videos obtained by CNN show settlers setting houses and cars ablaze in the village of Duma, southeast of Nablus. Footage shows heavy smoke engulfing the air, as settlers fire gunshots in the area. Eyewitnesses said settlers stormed people’s houses, resulting in clashes with Palestinians. In one video obtained by CNN from Duma, one man described the situation as a “street war.”Videos on social media show clashes between Palestinians and settlers in the villages of Deir Dibwan and Beitin, east of Ramallah. Palestinians are seen lobbing rocks at the settlers, and Israeli military vehicles firing tear gas to disperse the crowds. The latest attacks by settlers come a day after a large-scale attack in the village of Al-Mughayyir east of Ramallah, leaving one Palestinian man dead, amid the search for Achimair. About 25 others were also injured in the rampage, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Ramallah. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that authorities were searching for whoever killed Achimair, urging Israelis to not obstruct them. “The abominable murder of the boy Binyamin Achimair, may God avenge his blood, is a serious crime. I send my heartfelt condolences to his family,” the Israeli Prime Minister’s office (PMO) said in a statement. “IDF and Shin Bet forces are in an extensive pursuit of the despicable murderers and all those who cooperated with them,” it continued. The prime minister said Israeli security forces carry out “intense operational and intelligence activity” in the area and in Palestinian villages, urging the citizens of Israel to allow them to “do their work unhindered”. Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Saturday urged the public to avoid taking the law into their own hands. “I appeal to the public, let the security forces act quickly in the hunt for the terrorists - revenge actions will make it difficult for our fighters in their mission - the law must not be taken into one’s hands,” Gallant said in a post on X. Videos obtained by CNN show increased Israeli military presence at a checkpoint near the town of Sinjil, northeast of Ramallah. The Palestinian Red Crescent said in a statement Saturday that over a dozen Palestinians arrived at hospitals across the West Bank, most wounded by gunfire. Violence has been rising in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem since the October 7 attacks. The Palestinian Ministry of Health in Ramallah says at least 462 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces or in settler attacks.
CNN’s Lauren Izso and Chris Liakos contributed reporting.

Analysis: Iran upends decades of shadow warfare in direct attack on Israel as tensions mount at home
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP)/April 15, 2024
Iran's direct attack on Israel over the weekend upended decades of its shadowy warfare by proxy, something Tehran has used to manage international repercussions for its actions. But with both economic and political tensions at home boiling, the country's Shiite theocracy chose a new path as changes loom for the Islamic Republic. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei will mark his 85th birthday Friday, with no clear successor in sight and still serving as the final arbiter of every decision Iran makes. Coming to power in the wake of Iran’s devastating eight-year war with Iraq in the 1980s, Khamenei preached for years about “strategic patience” in confronting his government's main rivals, Israel and the United States, to avoid open combat. That saw Iran invest more deeply in regional militia forces to harass Israel — such as Hamas in the Gaza Strip or Lebanon's Hezbollah militia — and contain the U.S., like with the militias that planted devastating improvised explosives that killed American troops during the Iraq war. That's extended even into impoverished Yemen, where Iran's arming of the Houthi rebels empowered their takeover of the capital and checkmated a Saudi-led coalition still trapped in a yearslong war there.
That strategy changed Saturday. After days of warnings, Iran launched 170 bomb-carrying drones, more than 30 cruise missiles and more than 120 ballistic missiles toward Israel, according to an Israeli count. Those weapons included the same bomb-carrying drones Iran supplied to Russia for its grinding war on Ukraine. Despite Israel and the U.S. describing 99% of those projectiles being shot down, Iran has called the attack a success. Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian said Monday the attack was “to deter, punish and warn the Zionist regime.” Khamenei himself had called for Iran to “punish” Israel as well. The trigger for the attack came April 1, when a suspected Israeli strike hit a consular annex building by Iran's Embassy in Damascus, Syria, killing at least 12, including a top commander of Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard's expeditionary Quds Forces. However, for years, Iran and Israel have been targeting each other’s interests across the Middle East. Israel is suspected of assassinating Iranian nuclear scientists and sabotaging atomic sites in the Islamic Republic. In Syria, Israel has repeatedly bombed airports likely to interrupt Iranian weapons shipments, as well as killed other Guard officers. Meanwhile, Iran is suspected of carrying out a host of bombings and gun attacks targeting Jews and Israeli interests over the decades.
But the embassy attack struck a nerve with the Iranian government.
“Attacking our consulate is like attacking our soil," Khamenei said April 10.
It also comes amid a moment filled with uncertainty for Iran. As Khamenei grows older, power has become ever-more consolidated in the country. Hard-liners control every lever of power within both security services and political bodies, with none of the relative moderates who once shepherded Iran's nuclear deal with world powers into existence. That includes former President Hassan Rouhani, who led the effort. Authorities barred Rouhani earlier this year from running again to hold his seat on the Assembly of Experts, the 88-cleric body that will pick Iran's next supreme leader. The hard-liners' grip on power has seen voter turnout drop to its lowest level since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Their stranglehold also leaves them as the only political faction to blame as the public remains incensed by Iran's collapsing economy. The nuclear deal's demise, after former President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew America from the accord in 2018, has seen Iran's rial currency tumble. The rial now seesaws near record lows, trading Monday at 658,000 to the dollar — down from 32,000 at the time the agreement was reached nearly a decade ago.
Already, prosecutors in Tehran have begun a criminal investigation into the Jahan-e Sanaat newspaper and a journalist over a story on the possible economic impact of Iran's attack on Israel. The judiciary's Mizan news agency described the report as “disturbing the psychological security of society and making the country’s economic atmosphere turbulent."His case comes as other journalists and activists report being summoned by authorities, portending a new crackdown on any sign of dissent in the country. There are also signs that authorities appear to be preparing for a new push at enforcing the country's mandatory headscarf, or hijab, laws for women. "The Tehran police — as in all other provinces — will start to confront all lawbreaking with regard to the hijab,” said Tehran police chief Brig. Gen. Abbas Ali Mohammadian, according to the semiofficial ISNA news agency. Some women in Tehran still walk through the streets with their hair uncovered, a continued protest since the nationwide 2022 demonstrations over the death of Mahsa Amini, arrested by police for not wearing a hijab to their liking. United Nations investigators say Iran was responsible for Amini's death and violently put down largely peaceful protests in a monthslong security crackdown that killed more than 500 people and saw over 22,000 detained. A new push for hijab enforcement may reignite that anger, particularly in Tehran. Meanwhile, rumors persist that the government may soon raise the country's heavily subsidized gasoline prices. A price increase in 2019 grew into nationwide antigovernment protests that reportedly saw over 300 people killed and thousands arrested. Those tensions, coupled with hard-liners' grip on power and Khamenei's age, signal more changes loom for the country. And while Iran said of its attack Saturday that “the matter can be deemed concluded” even before missiles reached Israel, that doesn't mean there won't be further retaliation from the country.
*EDITOR’S NOTE — Jon Gambrell, the news director for the Gulf and Iran for The Associated Press, has reported from each of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, Iran and other locations across the Mideast and wider world since joining the AP in 2006.
Jon Gambrell, The Associated Press

Iran urges West to 'appreciate restraint' towards Israel
Agence France Presse/April 15/2024
Tehran on Monday called on Western nations to "appreciate Iran's restraint" towards Israel after it attacked its regional foe in response to a deadly strike on the Iranian consulate in Damascus. "Instead of making accusations against Iran, (Western) countries should blame themselves and answer to public opinion for the measures they have taken against the... war crimes committed by Israel" in its war on Gaza, said Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani. Kanani said Western countries "should appreciate Iran's restraint in recent months".

Israel will hit back at Iran, but timing uncertain, say analysts
Agence France Presse/April 15/2024
Israel is almost certain to retaliate at some stage against Iran's unprecedented drone and missile attack, but the question is how and when, say security analysts. World leaders have urged calm and the United States, Israel's top ally, called on Israel to refrain from a military response, at a time when the region is already in turmoil over the Gaza war. Several security experts told AFP they have little doubt that Israel will strike back sooner or later, but also pointed to the huge risks for Israel and its alliances, and the implications for the wider Middle East.
Here is what they said:
- Why would Israel retaliate? -
Israel and the Islamic Republic of Iran are arch foes which have been fighting a shadow war of assassinations, armed strikes and sabotage for years, often through allied and proxy forces. Late on Saturday, Iran launched a direct attack on Israel for the first time, firing a wave of hundreds of missiles and drones. Even though almost all of them were intercepted by Israel and its allies, the attack "rewrites the relationship" between the two, said security consultant Stephane Audrand. Iran said its attack came in response to a deadly April 1 air strike on Tehran's consulate building in the Syrian capital Damascus that was widely blamed on Israel. That attack killed seven Iranian Revolutionary Guards, including two senior generals, and prompted Iranian threats of retaliation. "Traditionally, Israel has a zero tolerance policy when its national soil is struck by another state," said Audrand. He said he believes Israeli realities dictate that its hawkish Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "cannot not react". Tamir Hayman, a former head of Israeli military intelligence who leads the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS), also argued that Israel is sure to hit back at some stage.
"An Israeli response will come, on Iranian soil," he predicted on social media platform X.
What would the target be? -
Sima Shine, a former Mossad agent who heads the INSS Iran programme, said that "if Israel retaliates, it will be done within the same framework: targeting military sites, not civilian areas, and probably not economic targets". Audrand said that, to limit the risk of further escalation, "the Israelis would need to confine themselves to strikes on conventional sites, on sites from which missiles were launched, on drone factories". Menahem Merhavy, an Iran specialist at the Truman Institute of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, said the Iranian attack seemed to have been calibrated to avoid "a significant and meaningful number of casualties on the Israeli side". Iran struck Israel "in a controlled manner", agreed Hasni Abidi of the Study and Research Centre for the Arab and Mediterranean World in Geneva. Abidi argued that Iran's particular aim was "to avoid suffering such a substantial response from Israel that would jeopardise their nuclear programme". The Iranian nuclear programme has been at the heart of tensions between Israel and Iran for many years, with Israel accusing Tehran of seeking to acquire nuclear weapons, a charge Tehran denies. Audrand pointed to the fact that Netanyahu, who has long voiced alarm that Iran is seeking to get the atomic bomb, heads a shaky government with far-right coalition partners.
He said that, with Netanyahu playing for his political survival, there is a "risk of escalation on the nuclear issue".
What are the risks? -
"If Israel responds very forcefully, we're likely to come to a situation of escalation that can widen," said Meir Litvak, director of the Alliance Center for Iranian Studies at Tel Aviv University. Merhavy argued that Israel's response must take into account the positions of its allies who came to help defend it by intercepting many of the projectiles. "The question is whether Israel will break the rules of the game, so to speak, by attacking openly on Iranian soil," Merhavy said. Like other observers, Litvak said the risk of a broader war largely depends on Israel's reaction. He said it was not in Israel's interest to trigger a regional war with Iran while it is fighting Hamas in the Gaza Strip, a move that would also antagonise US President Joe Biden's administration. He warned that the longer-term consequences for Israel would likely be disastrous. The role of Israel's allies -- including neighbouring Jordan, with which Israel has complex relations -- in thwarting the Iranian attack is as unprecedented as the drone and missile barrage itself. This showed that Israel is not alone -- but also that it cannot act entirely independently, said Shine, the former Mossad agent. "Israel cannot retaliate, I think, without consulting the Americans," she said. "It's not just about consulting, but about getting Washington's approval." Hayman predicted that Israel would retaliate on Iranian soil, but advised its leaders to wait and "let the other party agonise in uncertainty". "Time is on our side," he wrote on X. "We can think, plan, and act intelligently -- defensive success allows it."

Israeli Opposition Criticizes Netanyahu for ‘Loss of Deterrence’
This Is Beirut/April 15/2024
Israel’s opposition leader Yair Lapid on Monday accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government of leading to a “total loss of Israeli deterrence” in the wake of an unprecedented Iranian attack. In a scathing criticism, former premier Lapid also said that under Netanyahu, “Jewish terrorist violence” against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank was “out of control.” Netanyahu, who returned to power in late 2022 at the helm of a coalition with far-right parties, has brought “heaps of destruction from Beeri to Kiryat Shmona,” Lapid said, calling for early elections.
Lapid’s remarks came two days after Iran—which backs both Hamas and Hezbollah—launched more than 300 missiles and drones at Israel in retaliation for a deadly strike on the Iranian consulate in Damascus.
Israel, the United States and other allies intercepted nearly all launches in the late Saturday aerial attack—the first direct Iranian military action against arch foe Israel.
Netanyahu’s cabinet has weighed Israel’s response to the Iranian attack, but the Prime Minister has not made any public comments. In the West Bank, where violence has soared since the start of the Israel-Hamas war, Israeli settlers torched Palestinian homes and cars over the weekend, killing at least two people, after an Israeli teen was “murdered in a suspected terrorist attack,” according to the Israeli military.
Pointing to surging “terrorist” settler attacks, Lapid said, “If we don’t move this government, it will bring destruction upon us.”The government, which includes hardline settlers, has prioritized Jewish settlement expansion in the West Bank, occupied by Israel since 1967. Netanyahu has faced in recent months mass protests over the fate of hostages held in Gaza and pressure from a resurgent anti-government movement.

Iran's attack on Israel could be bad for Russia's war in Ukraine
Huileng Tan/Business Insider/April 15, 2024
Iran's attack on Israel could impact Russia's war in Ukraine. Iran is a key arms supplier and economic partner to Russia. A broader Middle East conflict could also boost China's regional influence at Russia's expense. Iran's attack on Israel on Saturday is bad not only for the Middle East but also for Russia's war in Ukraine as new fault lines emerge between Moscow and Tehran. Michelle Grisé, a senior policy researcher at RAND, an American think tank, described in a commentary how a broader conflict in the Middle East could impact Russia. The commentary was first published in The National Interest magazine on Thursday — days before Iran launched more than 300 drones and missiles at Israel on Saturday. Grisé's piece followed a strike on Iran's embassy in Damascus, Syria, on April 1. Israel didn't claim responsibility for the strike, but Iran held it accountable and vowed retaliation.
"Although it has been argued that Moscow benefits from chaos in the Middle East — diverting Western attention and resources from Ukraine — it stands to lose a great deal if the Israel-Hamas conflict escalates into a wider war," Grisé wrote.
Russia has been installing itself as a military and diplomatic player in the Middle East for years. Grisé wrote that Moscow had capitalized on instability in Syria and Libya to establish itself as a regional security guarantor, but an escalation of the conflict in the Middle East wouldn't have the same effect. She wrote that this was in part because of Moscow's preoccupation with its war in Ukraine. Russia's partnership with Iran has also deepened in the past two years as Russia's heavily sanctioned economy became increasingly isolated. Iran is now a critical military supplier to Russia. An Iranian "ghost fleet" has also been carrying Russian oil around the world since the war in Ukraine started, keeping Moscow's oil revenue flowing. But should Iran become embroiled in a wider conflict, it wouldn't be able to provide the same level of support to Russia. "A broader regional conflict, particularly if it involves direct conflict between Israel and Iran, would limit Iran's ability to continue serving as a military supplier to Russia," wrote Grisé. Furthermore, "Tehran may demand more support when Russia has limited capacity to provide it," she added.
The G7 nations are already considering additional sanctions against Iran following its attack on Israel — which could spill over to Russia. "We will reflect on additional sanctions against Iran in close cooperation with our partners, specifically on its drone and missile programs," Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission president, said in a statement on Sunday. A broader Middle East conflict could boost China's clout in the region at Moscow's expense. Even though Russia is preoccupied with the war in Ukraine, President Vladimir Putin has still managed to position himself as a potential power broker in the Middle East amid the Israel-Hamas war.
But Putin's plan could fall apart should the war spill over regionally, since Beijing is also jostling to play peacemaker. "Russia would be especially sensitive to Chinese attempts to encroach on its influence in the Middle East," Grisé wrote in her commentary. This is especially so since Beijing managed to deliver results in March last year, brokering a détente between Saudi Arabia and Iran, as Grisé noted. Since Russia's heavily sanctioned economy is already reliant on China, it would be even more exposed to Beijing's whims should Moscow not be able to hang onto any shred of global influence it still has.In a statement on Sunday, Russia's foreign ministry expressed "extreme concern" at what it called "yet another dangerous escalation" in the region. Calling for restraint, Russia's foreign ministry said it expected regional states "to resolve the existing problems through political and diplomatic means."

John Bolton Blasts Donald Trump’s Response To Iran’s Attack On Israel As ‘Delusional’
Marita Vlachou/HuffPost/April 15, 2024
John Bolton, a former national security adviser in Donald Trump’s administration who has since turned into one of the former president’s staunchest critics, on Sunday took issue with his former boss’ assessment that Iran wouldn’t have launched its attack on Israel if he was still in the White House. Early Sunday, Iran launched over 300 drones and missiles toward Israel, which the country said it managed to intercept with the help of its allies, including the U.S. and the U.K. The attack appeared to be in retaliation over the killings of two generals of Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard earlier this month by an airstrike that targeted the country’s consulate in Damascus, Syria, has been attributed to Israel. The incident resurfaced fears about a wider conflict erupting in the region as Israel continues its war against Hamas in Gaza. Trump, the presumptive presidential nominee of the Republican Party in November’s election, during a campaign rally over the weekend, suggested Tehran’s attack on Israel, came as a direct result of what he described as the United States’ “weakness,” claiming “it would not have happened if we were in office.” But Bolton said the former president is clueless about how to respond to international crises involving U.S. adversaries. “I just think Trump is delusional on this point,” Bolton told CNN’s “State of the Union.” “It’s a point that nobody can refute or confirm one way or the other. He doesn’t have any idea what to do in the Middle East in this situation. Remember when he threatened fire and fury against North Korea? Within a year he had fallen in love with Kim Jong Un. So he’s not qualified to be president.” Meanwhile, Bolton disagreed with how Joe Biden’s administration has managed the ongoing tensions. Washington has reportedly called on Israel to exercise restraint as it weighs a potential response, noting that the U.S. will not be drawn into offensive actions targeting Iran. “If Joe Biden, as some press reports have it, is urging the Israelis not to retaliate at all, he is an embarrassment to the United States,” Bolton said. “This is an American interest to make sure that Iran, which is the principal threat to international peace and security in the region, is at a minimum put in its place to spare Israel, to spare the Gulf Arabs, to spare us from the threat that they pose.”Asked by CNN’s Jake Tapper why he opposes a diplomatic solution to the current crisis between Israel and Iran, Bolton argued Tehran’s attack in itself demonstrates that deterrence has failed. “If Iran doesn’t feel the pain, I think it’s only going to get worse for Israel,” Bolton added. Meanwhile, Israeli war cabinet member Benny Gantz on Sunday said his country will exact a price from Iran at a time of its own choosing. “This event is not over,” Gantz said. “The strategic alliance and the regional cooperation system that we built and stood its significant test need to be strengthened precisely now.”

Sunak urges restraint after Iranian attack on Israel
PA Media: UK News/David Hughes, Sophie Wingate and Christopher McKeon, PA/April 15, 2024
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will urge Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu to show restraint in response to Iran’s missile and drone barrage amid concerns the Middle East crisis could spiral out of control. The Royal Air Force joined allies in defending Israel, with British jets shooting down a number of Iranian attack drones. Mr Netanyahu is considering how to respond to Tehran, with the US and UK urging calm. In a Commons statement, Mr Sunak said he would be speaking “shortly” to Mr Netanyahu “to express our solidarity with Israel in the face of this attack and to discuss how we can prevent further escalation”. “All sides must show restraint,” the Prime Minister said. But with Mr Netanyahu and his war cabinet still considering the response to the attack, it is unlikely that Mr Sunak will be able to speak to the Israeli premier on Monday. Iran launched about 350 drones and missiles at Israel on Saturday, but the majority were intercepted before they could reach their targets. The onslaught followed Israel’s targeting of an Iranian diplomatic compound in Syria earlier this month. Iran has been blamed for supporting Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon which have targeted Israel, along with the Houthi group in Yemen which has mounted attacks on Red Sea shipping. Mr Sunak told the Commons: “With this attack Iran has once again shown its true colours. They are intent on sowing chaos in their own back yard, on further destabilising the Middle East. “Our aim is to support stability and security because it is right for the region and because although the Middle East is thousands of miles away, it has a direct effect on our security and prosperity at home. “So, we’re working urgently with our allies to de-escalate the situation and prevent further bloodshed. We want to see calmer heads prevail and we’re directing all our diplomatic efforts to that end.”Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron earlier urged Israel to be “smart as well as tough” by not escalating the conflict with Iran. Israel should recognise Tehran’s attack at the weekend as an “almost total failure” and “think with head as well as heart” in its response, the Foreign Secretary said during a round of broadcast interviews. Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said there was “no doubt” the attack “has left the world a more dangerous place” and said Iran “must be wholly condemned by all”. He said “a full-scale conflict in the Middle East is in no-one’s interest” and “it is a path that can only lead to more bloodshed, more instability and the unleashing of forces that are beyond the ability of anyone to control”. In a rebuke to Israel, he said: “If diplomacy takes centre stage, and it must, then we also need to be clear diplomatic premises should not be targeted and attacked. That is a point of principle.”

Iran practiced blowing up an Israeli F-35 base with ballistic missiles just weeks before attacking the real thing
Jake Epstein/Business Insider/April 15, 2024
At least one ballistic missile hit an Israeli airbase during Iran's attack on Israel last weekend. There was minimal damage to the facility, which hosts F-35 fighter jets, according to the IDF. Weeks before the attack, Iran practiced hitting a mock Israeli airbase with ballistic missiles. Just weeks before Iran launched an unprecedented attack on Israel, it practiced blowing up an Israeli airbase housing F-35 fighter jets with ballistic missiles. Iran and its proxy militias attacked Israel on Saturday with more than 300 one-way attack drones, cruise missiles, and ballistic missiles. Nearly all the enemy threats were intercepted by Israeli and partner forces, including the US military, across the Middle East, marking a resounding air-defense success. A few of the 120 ballistic missiles that were launched did manage to bypass the air defenses, including Israel's sophisticated Arrow 2 and 3 systems, and cross into Israeli territory.
At least one munition impacted at the Nevatim Airbase, which hosts F-35 stealth fighters, causing minor damage to infrastructure near the base's runway, according to the Israel Defense Forces, which said the functionality of the base had not been affected. "Iran hoped to incapacitate the base and thus impair our aerial capabilities, but it failed," Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, an IDF spokesperson, said on Sunday, adding that "AF aircraft continue to take off and land from the base and depart for offensive and defensive missions." Iran made no secret of its intention to attack an Israeli F-35 base prior to Saturday's barrage. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in mid-February fired two extended-range ballistic missiles at a target that "mirrored the features and conditions" of Israel's Palmachim airbase, according to the semi-official Tasnim News Agency, which is affiliated with the IRGC.
The report claimed that Palmachim, which is just south of Tel Aviv, was selected as the simulated target because it's the main base housing Israel's F-35s and also because of prior remarks delivered by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from the airfield.
An Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) military personnel walks next to an Iranian Emad Surface-to-Surface missile in downtown Tehran during a rally commemorating the International Quds Day, also known as the Jerusalem day, on April 29, 2022. An Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) military personnel walks next to an Iranian Emad Surface-to-Surface missile in downtown Tehran during a rally commemorating the International Quds Day, also known as the Jerusalem day, on April 29, 2022.Photo by Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Iranian state media said that the mock airbase, which was built in the Iranian desert, was three times smaller than the actual size of the facility. It claimed that the IRGC "successfully" hit the mock targets with "Emad" and "Qadr" ballistic missiles that had modified structures and improved warheads. Both missiles are variants of Iran's Shahab-3 medium-range ballistic missile, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank. They were identified by open-source intelligence accounts on social media and missile experts as having played a role in Saturday's barrage. While Iran's mock strike on the Israeli airbase failed to translate during the actual attack last weekend, it has been presented domestically as a success, according to an expert report. "What was an abject military failure — and the first time that Israel's phenomenal air defenses have been proven at this scale — is being communicated in Iran as a success, and misinformation is being deliberately spread," Urban Coningham, a research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute think tank, said on Monday.
"Indeed, reports and images on social media have been circulating in both Farsi and Arabic which fabricate a version of events of Sunday morning in which the Israeli Air Force base is completely reduced to rubble," Coningham wrote in an analysis.
Videos and photos from Nevatim, however, reveal minimal damage to the airbase as fighter jets continue to conduct operations there. Saturday's massive barrage was historic, in that it marked the first-ever direct attack on Israel from Iranian soil. Prior to this, Tehran had facilitated military action against Israel through its robust network of proxy forces across the Middle East. The attack came less than two weeks after an Israeli strike on an Iranian diplomatic facility in Syria earlier this month killed several military officials, including two IRGC generals. Tehran vowed revenge, stirring fears across the region as it braced for a potential retaliation. Its response on Saturday was met with widespread international condemnation. Meanwhile, the Middle East continues to be on edge as it remains to be seen whether Israel will retaliate over the Iranian attack.

No end to death and suffering as Sudan conflict enters its second year
ROBERT BOCIAGA/Arab News/April 15, 2024
CAIRO, Egypt: Compared with other ongoing conflicts, Sudan’s crisis, now entering its second year, is a forgotten calamity, overshadowed by the more geopolitically significant wars in the Middle East and Ukraine. The power struggle between the Sudanese Armed Forces under Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces commanded by Mohammed Dagalo has more than just thrown Sudan into chaos. What began as a fight between two competing military factions during Ramadan last year has spawned one of the world’s largest humanitarian disasters.
Once brothers in battle who jointly toppled the country’s democratic transition, they ended up disagreeing over the integration of the RSF into the country’s military. Once fighting erupted in the capital Khartoum on April 15 last year, the battleground expanded all the way to Darfur and other vulnerable states. Attacks, airstrikes, artillery, and gunfire reverberated across several other territories, shattering Sudan’s already-tense peace. Sudan was reeling from overlapping crises when the conflict erupted. A year later, nearly 9 million out of Sudan’s 45 million population have been internally displaced, with a further 1.7 million seeking refuge abroad, according to the International Organization for Migration. More than half of the country is in dire need of humanitarian assistance as food shortages caused by the war threaten to unleash a famine. Many of these figures may be underestimations due to a communication blackout across Sudan. “From conflict fatigue to inherent biases, the Sudan conflict struggles to break through the noise of other global crises,” Dalia Abdelmoniem, Sudanese analyst, told Arab News, pointing out that media personnel are barred from entry, making the reliance on social media a double-edged sword that hinders comprehensive coverage and awareness. She said the effort to draw more international attention to Sudan’s crisis is hindered by its complexities, which results in the country’s potential for democratic renewal as well as its humanitarian needs getting a short shrift. Sudan’s dwindling economic importance in global terms is also a factor. UN estimates suggest a decline of more than one-third in economic activity during the initial weeks of the conflict, resulting in $9 billion in damage and another $40 billion in looted property and goods.
Gibril Ibrahim, Sudan’s finance minister, has said there was a 40 percent contraction in Sudan’s economy in 2023, with an additional 28 percent decline projected for 2024. State revenues plunged by 80 percent while international trade saw a 23 percent decline in 2023. In addition to the economic toll, over 60 percent of Sudan’s agricultural land lies unusable. Abdelmoniem also sheds light on the challenges faced by aid agencies operating in Sudan. From issues with travel permits and visas to the lack of security for aid convoys, “the road to providing assistance is fraught with obstacles.”There have been, however, important developments on the battlefields recently. In mid-February, Sudan’s war entered a new phase following a significant breakthrough by the army in central Omdurman, the nation’s largest city. This comes at the end of a 10-month siege on a military district known as the Corps of Engineers, signifying the SAF’s first major offensive success in the ongoing war. “The ability of the SAF to end the siege and establish contiguous supply lines … is certainly a major offensive success for the SAF and a morale and strategic setback for the RSF,” Ahmed Khair, a Sudanese analyst with Sudan Research and Consultancy Group, told Arab News. “Khartoum is at the center of this conflict and is where the forces of the RSF are largely concentrated; the ability of the SAF to make gains in Omdurman will most certainly weaken the RSF militarily and politically.”Both the SAF and the RSF have been accused of war crimes by international bodies. This internal strife has led to consequences not only in the geopolitical arena but also in the social fabric of Sudan. Experts and activists say that Sudan’s silent crisis demands the world’s attention, urging a reevaluation of the priorities that dictate global headlines. So far, the international community has only failed Sudan, providing just a fraction of the humanitarian help needed. This may force Sudanese individuals to migrate further north, choosing the perilous Mediterranean path, as analysts warn. And this is not the first time the Sudanese are fleeing.

Latest English LCCC  analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on April 15-16/2024
Hamas Destroys Gaza, Now Trying to Claim That a 'Victory'
Bassam Tawil/Gatestone Institute./April 15, 2024
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/20569/hamas-destroys-gaza-victory
The prospect of Hamas declaring or celebrating "victory" worries not only Israel, but many Arabs -- including Palestinians -- who want to see the terrorist group completely destroyed and removed from power, but are often afraid to speak out for fear of retaliation.
"The continuity of Hamas's rule in Gaza is an ultra mega major disaster for the Palestinian people's aspirations, cause, hope for the reconstruction of the battered coastal enclave, and prospects for a new path forward to bring about progress, reconciliation, coexistence & peace." — Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib, "Proud American from Gaza City; pro-Palestine, pro-peace, anti-Hamas", X, April 8, 2024.
Hamas, clearly buoyed by having the US on their side, has unsurprisingly hardened its position. It is now and is saying it wants Israel to make even more concessions.
Where is any US pressure on Hamas, Iran or Qatar?
"Yes, Hamas thanked the United States. When a terrorist group is thanking you, you're probably doing something wrong." — Joe Truzman, senior research analyst, X, April 9, 2024.
The Hamas terrorists have only been emboldened by the Biden administration's growing hostility towards Israel and its demand that Israel end the war, a move that would effectively be a surrender to Hamas.
"What victory are you talking about? Are you in your right mind? [Hamas has brought] complete devastation; thousands killed and displaced.... This is what the terrorist Hamas group, Iran's puppet, brought upon the people of Gaza. The leaders of Hamas defeated the people of Gaza and exterminated them without mercy." — Omar Shaybalras, X, April 9, 2024.
"Gaza has been destroyed, starved, slaughtered.... The people of Gaza are cursing Hamas, [Palestinian] Islamic Jihad, and Iran.... The members of Hamas's armed wing use children as human shields." — Osama al-Ali ,member of the Palestinian National Council, the PLO's parliament-in-exile, television interview, X, December 7, 2023.
"As long as [Hamas leaders Ismail] Haniyeh, [Yahya] Sinwar and [Khaled] Mashaal are alive, it is a victory for them, As for the destruction and the blood of the women and children of Gaza, it is a profitable enterprise as far as Hamas is concerned." — Abdallah Abou Aymen, April 9, 2024.
Unlike the Biden administration and anti-Israel protestors in the West, these observers understand that Hamas, Iran and Qatar are fully and solely responsible for the mass destruction and high casualties in the Gaza Strip.... We are already seeing calls for "Death to America" in America. A ceasefire would save Hamas, allow it to continue preparing for future massacres against Israelis, and enable Iran and Qatar to "export the Revolution" even more aggressively.
Above all, a US-bestowed, fake "victory" for Hamas would assure China, Russia and other predators that belligerency works and incentivize them to put the finishing touches on what many perceive as an "ultra mega major disaster" of a presidential legacy.
The Iran-backed Palestinian terrorist group Hamas is reportedly preparing to hold "victory" rallies if and when the war in the Gaza Strip ends. Many Arabs, however, have scoffed at Hamas's expected celebrations and accused the terrorist group and its patrons in Tehran of destroying the Gaza Strip.
The Iran-backed Palestinian terrorist group Hamas is reportedly preparing to hold "victory" rallies if and when the war in the Gaza Strip ends. Many Arabs, however, have scoffed at Hamas's expected celebrations and accused the terrorist group and its patrons in Tehran of destroying the Gaza Strip.
"A friend in the City of Rafah told me he saw large signs and banners being printed/prepared by Hamas to hold 'victory rallies' that the Islamist group plans on having when a ceasefire/hostage deal is announced, highlighting the withdrawal of IDF troops from Gaza as an achievement," said Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib, who describes himself as a "proud American from Gaza City; pro-Palestine, pro-peace, and anti-Hamas," who lost 31 family members in the Israel-Hamas war.
Alkhatib's remarks came in the aftermath of the withdrawal of IDF forces from the southern Gaza Strip. The move has been falsely read by Hamas and its supporters as an Israeli retreat and defeat, and a "victory" for the terrorist group. Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, have emphasized that the war to destroy Hamas's military capabilities and release the remaining 133 Israeli hostages held by Hamas inside the Gaza Strip will continue, notwithstanding the IDF pullout from the southern Gaza Strip.
The prospect of Hamas declaring or celebrating "victory" worries not only Israel, but many Arabs -- including Palestinians -- who want to see the terrorist group completely destroyed and removed from power, but are often afraid to speak out for fear of retaliation.
Alkhatib remarked in another post on X:
"The continuity of Hamas's rule in Gaza is an ultra mega major disaster for the Palestinian people's aspirations, cause, hope for the reconstruction of the battered coastal enclave, and prospects for a new path forward to bring about progress, reconciliation, coexistence & peace."
Upon hearing about Hamas's plans to celebrate "victory," some Arabs took to social media to voice their disgust with the terrorist group for bringing disaster and death on the two million Palestinian residents of the Gaza Strip. The reactions of the Arabs show that, unlike the Biden administration, they see any ceasefire in the Gaza Strip as a lifeline for Hamas.
The Biden administration has been pressing Israel to agree to a unilateral ceasefire and increase the amount of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip. Now that Israel has withdrawn its troops from the Gaza Strip and significantly increased the amount of humanitarian aid, Hamas, clearly buoyed by having the US on their side, has unsurprisingly hardened its position. It is now saying it wants Israel to make even more concessions.
Where is any US pressure on Hamas, Iran or Qatar?
It is no wonder, then, that Hamas has thanked the Biden administration for its efforts to end the war. According to senior research analyst Joe Truzman:
"An example of the effect the Biden administration is having on Israel's position: Yesterday, Hamas published a statement thanking the mediators involved in the ceasefire negotiations, including Qatar, Egypt and the United States.
"Yes, Hamas thanked the United States. When a terrorist group is thanking you, you're probably doing something wrong."
"There is no progress in the negotiations," asserted Taher al-Nunu, a senior Hamas official.
"Hamas has clear demands for a ceasefire, which include ending the Israeli aggression, allowing the return of displaced persons to Gaza City and the northern sector without restrictions, rebuilding the [Gaza Strip], and ending the siege."
Palestinian sources said the Egyptian and Qatari mediators presented a new proposal in the latest round of talks for a ceasefire in three stages. The first calls for the return of displaced Palestinians civilians to the northern Gaza Strip without specifying their numbers. The second and third stages call for permitting the entry of 500 aid trucks a day to all areas of the Gaza Strip and the release of 900 Palestinian terrorists held in Israeli prisons, in return for the Israeli hostages.
Hamas leaders hiding in the tunnels in the Gaza Strip or staying in luxurious villas and five-star hotels in Qatar are in no rush to strike a ceasefire deal: they see that the Biden administration is stepping up the pressure not on Hamas, but on Israel. The Hamas terrorists have only been emboldened by the Biden administration's growing hostility towards Israel and its demand that Israel end the war, a move that would effectively be a surrender to Hamas.
If the Biden administration, including the State Department, want to learn about the sentiments among Arabs towards Hamas, all they need to do is read the comments of these Arabs who are ridiculing the terrorist group for preparing to celebrate "victory."
"What victory are you talking about? Are you in your right mind?" commented social media user Omar Shaybalras.
"[Hamas has brought] complete devastation; thousands killed and displaced. The smell of death is everywhere. Hunger, epidemic and poverty. This is what the terrorist Hamas group, Iran's puppet, brought upon the people of Gaza. The leaders of Hamas defeated the people of Gaza and exterminated them without mercy."
Racha, another social media user, wrote on X:
"All of Gaza has been reduced to rubble. Can someone explain to me how Hamas considers itself victorious? Its entire territory is destroyed and its people are dead, physically and psychologically. What is important is that the leaders of Hamas will be fine underground! It will take 100 years to rebuild the Gaza Strip. Can someone explain to me where the victory is?!"
Osama al-Ali ,member of the Palestinian National Council, the PLO's parliament-in-exile, said in a TV interview:
"Gaza is finished. Gaza has been destroyed, starved, slaughtered. Those fools in the Arab world who are cheering Hamas and celebrating its so-called victory, are they able to fathom what has happened to Gaza? Have they seen the children of Gaza being pulled from under the rubble? The people of Gaza are cursing Hamas, [Palestinian] Islamic Jihad, and Iran. Where are the leaders of Hamas? Why are they hiding inside the tunnels located under the buildings? They built tunnels under buildings. The members of Hamas's armed wing use children as human shields. Children are being killed because the Hamas men are hiding under their houses."
Saleh, a social media user from Saudi Arabia, called for expelling the Hamas leaders from Qatar:
"Why are the leaders of Hamas in Qatar? What did the leaders of Hamas offer to the Palestinian people? They only destroyed the future of the people of Gaza. Massive destruction, killing and displacing the people of Gaza, destroying their homes and destroying all services. This is Hamas's project. In my opinion, expelling the Hamas leaders from Qatar is a national and Islamic duty."
Abdel Nader Eldeeb, another Arab social media pundit, said that whoever believes that Hamas won the war is insane:
"Whoever believes this must have an empty mind. Hamas was victorious after the destruction of more than 70% of Gaza, more than 40,000 martyrs, half of whom were children, and more than 100,000 wounded and missing."
Another Arab social media account called Asayel Lover, also noted that Hamas's purported victory has brought nothing but death and catastrophe to the people of the Gaza Strip:
"What a victory, when Gaza lost more than 30,000 martyrs from its people. What a victory, when Gaza has become rubble, and most of the ruins of homes were demolished on its inhabitants. What a victory, when Hamas caused the destruction of the entire infrastructure of Gaza and the cities, and what a victory, when the people of Gaza are besieged without food, water, medicine, or homes to shelter them. Is what happened to Gaza because of Hamas considered a victory?"
"As long as [Hamas leaders Ismail] Haniyeh, [Yahya] Sinwar and [Khaled] Mashaal are alive, it is a victory for them," wrote Abdallah Abou Aymen, another Arab social media activist.
"As for the destruction and the blood of the women and children of Gaza, it is a profitable enterprise as far as Hamas is concerned. [Hamas official Musa] Abu Marzouk has previously said it explicitly: the tunnels are where Hamas hides, and the residents of Gaza are the responsibility of the United Nations, which should protect them."
Saudi social media user Abdullah al-Tuwaili said:
"From hotels and tunnels they [Hamas leaders] declare: The destruction of Gaza: a victory for Hamas. The killing of the people of Gaza: a victory for Hamas. The displacement of the people of Gaza: a victory for Hamas. The only defeat for them is Hamas not ruling Gaza, but killing, displacement and destruction are secondary matters that they consider a victory for them!!"
Another Arab, Abdul Habib Othman, commented:
"Hamas is a terrorist organization that carries out the orders of its masters in Tehran. Hamas is the one who opened the gates of hell on Gaza and is the only one responsible for the destruction of Gaza. The tyrants of Hamas and their families are enjoying themselves in Qatar, Turkey, Tehran and Lebanon, while Gaza has been completely destroyed. Young children are dying of hunger. Israel is better than you [Hamas leaders]. The Israelis are people who produce and manufacture."
Unlike the Biden administration and anti-Israel protestors in the West, these observers understand that Hamas, Iran and Qatar are fully and solely responsible for the mass destruction and high casualties in the Gaza Strip. These observers also understand that a ceasefire would have grave repercussions for Israel, the Middle East and the entire West. We are already seeing calls for "Death to America" in America. A ceasefire would save Hamas, allow it to continue preparing for future massacres against Israelis, and enable Iran and Qatar to "export the Revolution" even more aggressively.
Most observers do not want to see Hamas celebrating some make-believe "victory." Failure to destroy Hamas's remaining military infrastructure would embolden the Iranian regime and its terror proxies and pose an existential threat not only to Israel, but also to other counties in the region already feeling squeezed by the octopus arms of Iran.
Above all, a US-bestowed, fake "victory" for Hamas would assure China, Russia and other predators that belligerency works and incentivize them to put the finishing touches on what many perceive (for instance here, here, here and here) as an "ultra mega major disaster" of a presidential legacy.
**Bassam Tawil is a Muslim Arab based in the Middle East. The work of Bassam Tawil is made possible through the generous donation of a donor who wished to remain anonymous. Gatestone is most grateful.
© 2024 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.

Iran Just Made a Big Mistake. Israel Shouldn’t Follow.
Thomas L. Friedman/The New York Times/April 15/2024
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/128876/thomas-l-friedman-the-new-york-times-iran-just-made-a-big-mistake-israel-shouldnt-follow-%d8%aa%d9%88%d9%85%d8%a7%d8%b3-%d8%a5%d9%84-%d9%81%d8%b1%d9%8a%d8%af%d9%85%d8%a7%d9%86-%d9%85%d9%86/
It would be easy to be dazzled by the way Israeli, American and other allied militaries shot down virtually every Iranian drone, cruise missile and ballistic missile launched at Israel on Saturday and conclude that Iran had made its point — retaliating for Israel’s allegedly killing a top Iranian commander operating against Israel from Syria — and now we can call it a day.
That would be a dangerous misreading of what just happened and a huge geopolitical mistake by the West and the world at large.
There now needs to be a massive, sustained, global initiative to isolate Iran — not only to deter it from trying such an adventure again but also to give reason to Israel not to automatically retaliate militarily. That would be a grievous error, too. Iran has a regional network, and Israel needs a regional alliance, along with the U.S., to deter it over the long run.
So there must be major diplomatic and economic consequences for Iran, with countries like China finally stepping up: When Tehran fired all those drones and missiles, it could not know that virtually all of them would be intercepted. Some were shot down over Jerusalem. A missile could have hit al-Aqsa Mosque, one of Islam’s holiest shrines. (You can see pictures online of Iranian rockets being intercepted in the skies right over the mosque.) Another could have hit the Israeli Parliament or a high-rise apartment house, causing massive casualties.
In other words, we are talking about an escalation without precedent in the long-running, tightly contained, shadow war between Iran and Israel that had almost exclusively been limited to targeted Israeli strikes against Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps units in Lebanon and Syria — where they have no business being in the first place — and Iran retaliating by having its Lebanese proxy militia, Hezbollah, fire rockets at Israel. We’ve also seen Iran smuggling arms and explosives from Syria into Jordan, Gaza and the West Bank to be used to kill Israelis and destabilize Jordan — and the Mossad assassinating a nuclear scientist inside Iran.
But Israel has never launched such a massive missile strike directly at Iran, and Iran had never done so to Israel, either, before this. Indeed, no country had attacked Israel directly since Saddam Hussein’s Iraq did with Scud missiles 33 years ago. Without a U.S.-led global initiative to impose sanctions on Iran and further isolate it on the world stage, Iran’s behavior would be tacitly normalized, in which case Israel will most likely retaliate in kind and we’re on our way to a major Middle East war and $250-a-barrel oil.
“The alternative to a wider full-scale regional war, which we don’t want and Israel doesn’t want, cannot be a return to the status quo ante,” Nader Mousavizadeh, the founder and C.E.O. of the geopolitical consulting firm Macro Advisory Partners and a senior adviser to Kofi Annan when he was the U.N. secretary general, told me. A global effort to isolate Iran, Mousavizadeh added, “is the best way to separate the regime from its people, reassure Israel and Israelis of their security and remove the need for further regional military escalation, which would be a gift to Iran and its proxies."
It is also the best way to ensure that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel does not drag the United States into a regional war to shore up his own crumbling political base.
It is impossible to exaggerate the political-military implications of what just happened. Shortly after the missile strike, President Ebrahim Raisi of Iran issued a statement declaring that the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps had “taught a lesson to the Zionist enemy.” It sure did, but it may not be the one Raisi thinks. Iran just unwittingly revealed to the whole world that Iran’s government is so penetrated by Western espionage agencies (because so many Iranians hate their own government) that President Biden was able to predict almost the exact hour of attack over a day in advance, and it showed the whole world that Israel and its Western allies have far superior antimissile capabilities than Iran has missile capabilities.
As the Haaretz veteran military correspondent Amos Harel wrote Sunday: We are talking about “an unprecedented achievement in the history of Israel’s wars — albeit with some help from friends — that largely takes away the main card held by Iran and the axis: drones and missiles. The impressive Arrow system interceptions have garnered most of the attention, but Israeli and American pilots downed hundreds of cruise missiles and drones.”
One has to assume that Iran and its proxies have to be both disappointed and unnerved by this turn of events. As Harel added: “The Iranian intention, as evaluated ahead of the attack, was to put on a display of its capabilities with an attack on military targets. An analysis of the areas in which warnings were sounded suggests the target could have been the Nevatim air base in southern Israel. It appears that the Iranians planned to destroy the base and the advanced F-35 fighter jets stationed there, which are the crown jewel of American aid to Israel. Iran failed completely.”
Instead, the Iranian attack may have been limited to badly wounding a 7-year-old Israeli Muslim Bedouin girl hit by falling shrapnel. And if that’s how effective Iran’s offense was, its leaders have to now be wondering how good its defenses are — if Israel now chooses to retaliate. Hezbollah has to be asking the same.
That may explain why Raisi, after his boast about teaching Israel a lesson, asked (pleaded?) that the U.S. and all other “supporters of the occupying regime … appreciate this responsible and proportionate action by the Islamic Republic of Iran” and not go on the offensive against Iran. Message to the world from Tehran: We were just sending a little warning shot, nothing to worry about here, let’s move on.
That is not only because Raisi is worried about his external front. Early this month, Haaretz reported that “Iranian soccer fans in Tehran’s Aryamehr Stadium were asked to observe a minute of silence in honor of the seven members of Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards, including top general Mohammad Reza Zahedi, who were killed in [the Israeli] airstrike on its consulate in Damascus. Instead, spectators began booing and blowing air horns in an apparent act of protest. In a video circulating on social media, fans can be seen loudly interrupting the moment of silence. … In one video that made the rounds on X, fans can be seen shouting, ‘Take that Palestinian flag and shove it up your ass!’” And this is not the first time it’s happened at football matches.
Many Iranians understand that the regime’s obsession with destroying the Jewish state is nothing but a costly way to divert the Iranian public’s attention from its murderous crackdown at home against its own people. As this soccer match story indicates, people are growing less afraid to say so in public — especially after the regime has killed an estimated 750 women, girls and men since a nationwide protest uprising started on Sept. 16, 2022, after the death of a young Kurdish woman, Mahsa Amini, in the custody of Iran’s morality police. Thousands more have been arrested.
One reason Iran supports the Hamas war and prefers that Israel remain stuck in Gaza and occupying the West Bank is that it keeps the world and many Americans focused on Israeli actions — rather than on the brutal crackdown against democracy protesters in Iran and on Iran’s imperialist influence in the region, where it uses proxies to control the politics of Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Yemen and uses those countries as military bases to attack Israel.
No one should think Iran is just a paper tiger. Tehran can still unleash thousands of shorter-range rockets against Israel through Hezbollah — and because some of these rockets have precision guidance, they could do significant damage to Israel’s infrastructure. Iran has bigger missiles in its arsenal, as well.
Still, what happened Saturday is ultimately a significant boost for what I call the Inclusion Network in the Middle East (more open, connected countries like Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Israel and the NATO allies) and a real setback for the Resistance Network (the closed and autocratic systems represented by Iran, Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis and Iran’s Shiite militias in Iraq) and Russia. The sound within Iran and the Resistance Network on Sunday morning is that sound you hear from your car’s GPS after a wrong turn: “Recalculating, recalculating, recalculating.”
*Thomas L. Friedman is the foreign affairs Opinion columnist. He joined the paper in 1981 and has won three Pulitzer Prizes. He is the author of seven books, including “From Beirut to Jerusalem,” which won the National Book Award. @tomfriedman • Facebook
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/14/opinion/israel-iran-attack.html

The Truth about the Koran and America
Raymond Ibrahim/The Stream/April 15/2024
“Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!” Thus fumed the Hebrew prophet millennia ago (Isaiah 5:20).
Of the many things that today conform to his lament — and they are increasingly legion — is the mainstream presentation of Islam. Consider, as just one example, the heart of Islam — the Koran — and how its introduction into the West has been utterly twisted as a way to “put darkness for light.”
From their first contact (or rather, collision) with Muslims, non-Muslims wanting to understand Muslims’ rationale for attacking them frequently turned to the Koran. But these days, you are more likely to hear that the book is as valuable to the underpinnings of American society as the Bible.
That, as I will demonstrate, is a grotesque lie.
A ‘Most Inept Little Book’
Beginning with John of Damascus (b. 675) — who said, “There are many other extraordinary and quite ridiculous things in this book which he [Muhammad] boasts were sent down to him from God” — till the modern era, non-Muslims, particularly Christians and Europeans, reached an unwavering consensus that the Koran, that “most pitiful and most inept little book of the Arab Muhammad,” not only promoted hate and violence, but was full of “ugly and vulgar filth,” including by depicting paradise as a “sexual brothel” for those who die waging jihad (to quote the eighth century’s Nicetas Byzantinos, who had and closely studied a copy of the Koran).
Even the first English translation of the Islamic holy book (based on a French translation) was produced at a time when the Muslims of North Africa — the Barbary pirates — were terrorizing virtually every corner of Europe, enslaving at least 1.25 million Europeans from as far away as Iceland. In this context, the translator of the first English-language Koran (1648), Alexander Ross, explained why Englishmen should bother reading it:
[In] viewing thine enemies in their full body, thou maist better prepare to encounter and, I hope, overcome them…. There have been continual wars, and will be still between us. It concerneth every Christian who makes conscience of his ways, to examine the cause and to look into the grounds of this war.
Then the age of political correctness came upon us — an age of unrestrained censorship and deception. U.S. President Barack Obama declared that “Islam has been woven into the fabric of our country since its founding.”
Jefferson’s Koran
As “proof” of this dubious claim, we were told that one of the earliest instances of the Koran’s introduction into America came under “progressive” circumstances. Speaking of being sworn into the House of Representatives on the same Koran that Thomas Jefferson owned, Keith Ellison exulted:
It demonstrates that from the very beginning of our country, we had people who were visionary, who were religiously tolerant, who believed that knowledge and wisdom could be gleaned from any number of sources, including the Qur’an.
Well over a decade later, in January 2019, Rashida Tlaib, another Muslim elected to the House of Representatives, said she too would be sworn in on the same Jefferson Koran. “It’s important to me because a lot of Americans have this kind of feeling that Islam is somehow foreign to American history,” she said. “Muslims were there at the beginning. … Some of our founding fathers knew more about Islam than some members of Congress now.”
Several academics agree with this view, including Denise Spellberg, author of Thomas Jefferson’s Qu’ran: Islam and the Founders. “By using Jefferson’s Quran,” she said of the aforementioned Muslim politicians, “they’re affirming the fact that Islam has a long history in the United States, and is in fact an American religion.”
How much of any of this is true? None.
Know Thine Enemy
For starters, Jefferson’s Koran — which contained the first English translation made directly from the original Arabic and which I saw while working in the Jefferson Building of the Library of Congress — was produced to understand and therefore better resist or fight the enemy. Its translator, George Sales, who noted “the calamities brought on so many nations by the conquests” of Islam, which further helped “occasion all the detestation with which the name of Mohammed is loaded,” further implored “Providence [which] has reserved the glory of [the Koran’s] overthrow.”
Even the Smithsonian, in an article meant to put a positive spin on it, concedes that “Jefferson bought this book while he was a young man studying law, and he may have read it in part to better understand Islam’s influence on some of the world’s legal systems.”
And he most certainly needed to do so, once North African Muslims began enslaving American sailors. In an effort to ransom them and establish peaceful relations, Jefferson and John Adams — then ambassadors to France and England respectively — met with Tripoli’s ambassador to Britain, Abdul Rahman Adja. Following this diplomatic exchange, the Americans laid out the source — that is, the Koran — of Barbary’s hitherto inexplicable animosity in a letter to Congress dated March 28, 1786:
We took the liberty to make some inquiries concerning the grounds of their [Barbary’s] pretentions to make war upon nations who had done them no injury, and observed that we considered all mankind as our friends who had done us no wrong, nor had given us any provocation. The ambassador answered us that it was founded on the laws of their Prophet, that it was written in their Koran, that all nations who should not have acknowledged their authority were sinners, that it was their right and duty to make war upon them wherever they could be found, and to make slaves of all they could take as prisoners, and that every Musselman who should be slain in battle was sure to go to Paradise.
Although America tried for years to buy peace — including by paying an annual tribute (jizya) which amounted to 16 percent of the federal budget — war was inevitable.
And so America had its very first war as a nation (the Barbary Wars [1801-1805; 1815-1816]) — and it was against jihadist-thinking Muslims.
An ‘Essence of Violence and Lust’
Even the editor’s note of the first American edition of the Koran (1806) makes clear that its publication was not for the “cultural enrichment” of Americans, but to inform them why they had been at war. “Thou wilt wonder,” the editor writes, “that such absurdities hath infected the better part of the world, and wilt avouch, that the knowledge of what is contained in this book, wilt render that law [sharia] contemptible.”
John Adams’s own son confirmed that a dismal view of the Koran was widespread in early American history. After his father’s diplomatic exchange with Abdul Rahman Adja, John Quincy Adams (1767-1848) closely studied the Koran and Muhammad and concluded that,
Adopting from the new Revelation of Jesus, the faith and hope of immortal life, and of future retribution, he [Muhammad] humbled it to the dust by adapting all the rewards and sanctions of his religion to the gratification of the sexual passion. He poisoned the sources of human felicity at the fountain, by degrading the condition of the female sex, and the allowance of polygamy; and he declared undistinguishing and exterminating war, as a part of his religion, against all the rest of mankind. The essence of his doctrine was violence and lust: to exalt the brutal over the spiritual part of human nature… Between these two religions, thus contrasted in their characters, a war of twelve hundred years has already raged. The war is yet flagrant
The facts are simple: from Islam’s birth to the current day, non-Muslims always turned to the Koran to understand why its adherents were so hostile to them. In so doing, they were simply making use of Sun Tzu’s ancient dictum: “know thy enemy.” And what they found in the Koran has always horrified and repulsed them.
That the entire Western “mainstream” is today committed to twisting this fact in a way that exalts Islam — presenting it as part of America’s “fabric” — is yet one more way that it “puts darkness for light.”

Jordan Explains Its Participation In Thwarting Iran's Attack On Israel: We Defended Our Borders And People, Oppose Any Iranian Attempt To Violate Our Sovereignty
MEMRI/April 15, 2024
Jordan's participation in the interception of the drones and missiles launched by Iran at Israel on April 14, 2024 sparked criticism from elements associated with the Iran-led resistance axis. They accused Jordan of collaborating with Israel and defending it, and some even called Jordan's King Abdullah a traitor.[1] The Jordanian establishment, for its part, explained its actions by underscoring its commitment to defending Jordan's borders and the security of its people and rejecting Iran's hegemonial ambitions at Jordan's expense. Jordan, it should be noted, has long been concerned about Iran's subversive activity on its soil, concerns that increased after the outbreak of the Gaza war.[2] The Iranian attack via Jordan's airspace was therefore perceived not only as an infringement of Jordan's sovereignty but also as an attempt by Iran to expand its regional influence into the kingdom.
Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Al-Safadi clarified that the country has a permanent policy of defending its airspace and that it would have thwarted a similar attack launched by Israel through its airspace. Government spokesperson Muhannad Al-Mubaidin explicitly condemned Iran, stating that the government refuses to let Jordan be used by a country that is trying to "promote regional agendas" at its expense.
The Jordanian press joined the efforts to repel the criticism. The state daily Al-Rai explained in an editorial that Jordan has a clear policy that leads it to repulse any threat to its citizens, and that the kingdom will not be an arena for score-settling by other countries. A columnist in the same daily attacked Iran, accusing it of deliberately using Jordan's airspace in order to destabilize the kingdom, when it could have used the airspace of Syria, where IRGC commander Mohammad Reza Zahedi – whose death Iran sought to avenge with the attack on Israel – was actually assassinated.
This report presents Jordan's attempts to repel the criticism it incurred for its role in intercepting Iran's drone and missile attack on Israel.
Jordanian Government: Jordan Has The Right To Manage Its Affairs According To Its Own Interests; We Will Not Help Iran To Promote Its Agendas In Jordanian Territory
At the conclusion of a cabinet meeting on April 14, 2024, the government of Jordan announced that "several flying objects that entered our airspace tonight were intercepted to prevent them from endangering the welfare of our citizens and populated areas." It emphasized that the Jordanian army and security forces would intercept "anything that endangers or undermines the safety and security of the homeland and the citizens or Jordan's honor, its airspace or its territory, by every possible means."[3]
In statements to the Al-Mamlaka TV channel, Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Al-Safadi said that missiles and drones have fallen in Jordan in the past and that there is "an ongoing policy to intercept anything that endangers Jordan, because our top priority is defending Jordan, the lives and property of its people and the country's security and stability." Explaining that, according to assessments, "there was imminent danger of drones or missiles falling in Jordan, and the Jordanian armed forces dealt with this danger in the appropriate manner," he stressed that Jordan would have done the same if the attack had come from Israel. "We will not permit anyone to jeopardize the security of Jordan and the Jordanians… This is a matter of principle and these are steps we have taken in the past. We took them yesterday and we will take in the future, whether the source of the threat is Israel, Iran or any [other] element."[4]
Muhannad Mubaidin, Jordan's government spokesman, criticized Iran more explicitly, saying that Jordan "refuses to be a conduit for any country that aspires to promote its ideologies and regional agendas on Jordanian territory." He added that "Iran has tried several times in the past to achieve its objectives in the region, but Jordan asserts its independence and its right to manage its own affairs in accordance with its national and regional interests."[5]
Jordanian social media activist and politician Madallah Al-Nawarseh, one of the founders of the Jordanian Eradaa political party, shared a post on his X account which read, "A Jordanian who loves his homeland should rejoice that Jordan has the ability to intercept Iranian drones and ballistic missiles. This means that we are a country that possesses significant military capabilities and is able to defend its borders and airspace from Iran and its proxies."[6]
Editorial In State Daily Al-Rai: Jordan Is Not An Arena For Settling Scores, Will Repel Any Threat To Its Security
The April 15, 2024 editorial of the state daily Al-Rai clarified that Jordan has a clear and consistent policy of thwarting any threat to the security of its people, and stressed that the kingdom refuses to be an arena for score-settling by foreign elements. It said: "…Jordan was clear from the start, conveying the following message to all sides in equal measure: Our airspace is not an arena for settling scores. There is plenty of historical evidence for this entrenched Jordanian principle, which is essentially based on the Jordanian principle of mutuality on the regional and international levels. This mutuality is part of a preexisting plan and has nothing to do with the targets and goals of any drones or missiles. Whoever thinks that Jordan can serve as a passive arena while forgoing its sovereignty and risking its security is unfamiliar with Jordan's rules of engagement on the political, security and military levels. These rules obligated Jordan's armed forces to prevent [the entry of] any drones and missiles that, according to radar alerts, could land on Jordanian soil or threaten population centers in Jordan.
"The clear objective was [to fulfill] the duty towards the homeland and the citizens, and the state and army did not take sides in any political game. Those who rushed to blame Jordan should have waited till morning and listened to the statements of the Iranian foreign minister, who translated the blow [delivered to Israel] into political achievements and then [expressed] an inclination to a ceasefire, while pointedly insisting that Iran had been careful not to hit economic interests or population centers in Israel. Even if the Jordanians resented some of the groundless commentary and statements [made against them], which were not based on any proof or knowledge, they know that they performed their duty in the correct and necessary manner and protected their citizens and interests.
"Jordan did not emerge in the region yesterday, and if there is any country that can present a coherent and unshakable narrative… it is Jordan. [Iran's] retaliation against Israel must not threaten Jordan's interests nor terrify and endanger its citizens, even if most if the missiles were not carrying warheads, as was revealed by the missiles that landed on Jordanian soil. Jordan is not a chessboard for this conflict and cannot be treated as empty space. Jordan is a deep-rooted country that has endured many trials and waged its wars at the right time based on an assessment of its national interests. It has an experienced and skilled army that can repel any danger threatening the country without paying any heed to the considerations of others and their overt or covert deals. "[7]
Al-Rai Columnist: Iran Operated In Jordan's Airspace As Part Of Its Plan To Destabilize This Country, When It Could Have Attacked From Syria
In his April 15, 2024 column in Al-Rai, Alaa Al-Qarala attacked Iran, accusing it of using Jordan's airspace in a bid to destabilize this country. He also pointed out that Iran could have used the airspace of Syria, which is allied with it and where the Iranian commanders whose death Iran was seeking to avenge were assassinated. He wrote: "The crooks and deluded people thought they could perform their farces, which highlighted their insolence and lies and proved that they are capable of nothing but talking and developing theories. [But] there are falcons in our skies and lions on our land that are ready and willing to defend our homeland on the ground and in the air. Where did those people, who allowed themselves to use [Jordan] to settle imaginary scores, come from?...
"Since its founding, Jordan has not let any party or country violate its sovereignty for any reason or use its land or airspace to carry out military action against anyone – and this in order to protect its sovereignty and the security of its people…
"Everyone understands and knows the scope of the pressures and the plots being hatched against us day and night by enemies who hide behind a screen of lies and deception [that conceals] their ambitions and destructive expansionist goals. Their aim is to destabilize Jordan and drag it and its people into the realms of hate, so that [this hate] will be used as a tool to settle scores between various elements. Our northern front, which is targeted on a daily basis by militias subordinate to a certain regional country [i.e., Iran], may be the best proof of the extent of the conspiracies against us.
"Nobody denies or ignores the ambitions of certain countries regarding Jordan and their desire to destabilize us and carry out their regional plots by having the militias in southern Syria smuggle drugs, weapons and other contraband [into Jordan]. After they failed to infiltrate our territory and gave up, they began thinking about dragging Jordan into their imaginary wars – which are [nothing but] talk – by using its airspace to settle sores and realize their expansionist agenda in the region… They do not use the airspace of a neighboring country with which they have a strategic alliance, namely Syria, although their consulate was bombed in that country's capital and although that is where they are attacked on a daily basis…"[8]
[1] Twitter.com/Mo_mh7, twitter.com/Rahmon83, twitter.com/BelaNezar, twitter.com/ALI_HASHIM_313A, t.me/jehad_ps, April 14, 2024.
[2] See MEMRI reports: Special Dispatch No. 11251, "Jordanian Regime Furious With Hamas, Muslim Brotherhood: They Are Acting To Foment Chaos In Kingdom In Service Of Iran," April 4, 2024; Inquiry & Analysis No. 1758 - Iran's Grand Plan: Bring Down The Jordanian Regime, Attack Israel From The East, And Thwart The Western-Sunni Normalization Project – And This Could Begin This Friday, Iran's Qods Day – April 3, 2024; Inquiry & Analysis Series No. 1746 - Jordan Increasingly Concerned About Iran Amid Activity Of Iran-Backed Militias On Its Northern Border – February 20, 2024.
[3] Petra.gov.jo, April 15, 2024.
[4] Almamlakatv.com, April 14, 2024.
[5] Alarab.co.uk, April 14, 2024.
[6] Twitter.com/madallh_skaren, April 14, 2024.
[7] Al-Rai (Jordan), April 15, 2024.
[8] Al-Rai (Jordan), April 14, 2024.

Time to stop the manmade disaster in Sudan
Josep Borrell Fontelles and Janez Lenarcic/Arab News/April 15, 2024
“The world’s worst, most complex and cruel crisis” is unfolding in Sudan without making it onto our prime-time news, says to UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. With nearly 9 million people displaced within the country — half of them children — and almost 2 million refugees abroad, Sudan is currently the largest displacement crisis in the world. And the worst is still to come: fighting has disrupted planting season in Sudan’s most fertile regions, and nearly 20 million people — almost half the population — are facing acute food insecurity in a country that used to be a major food producer. On April 15, Sudan’s war enters its second year. On this day, the EU with France and Germany will host a high-level conference in Paris to plead for additional humanitarian aid and call for an end to this conflict. It must be a wake-up call for Africa, Europe and the whole international community.
We know who is responsible for this disaster. With their joint military coup in October 2021, the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces hijacked the aspirations of the democratic Sudanese revolution.
Their alliance unravelled and descended into conflict between them on April 15, 2023. The two belligerents decided to wage war not only against each other, but also against Sudan and its people.
In Darfur, the genocidal atrocities against civilians based on their ethnicity that put Sudan in the headlines in 2003 have resumed. Throughout the country, aid is being deliberately withheld and humanitarian workers are being denied access.
Hundreds of thousands Sudanese have fled to neighboring countries, notably Chad and South Sudan, two states already facing their own humanitarian and food security crises. The suffering is entirely manmade and could be stopped today.
External sponsors, bringing in cash and weapons, fuel the fighting. Players like Iran are delivering arms, including drones, to the SAF. The UAE also have direct leverage on the RSF that they should use to end the war.
Russia plays both sides, hoping for access to strategic infrastructure and resources, including via mercenary private military companies, which are mainly after gold and minerals. As Sudan enters the second year of its most fateful war, we look to the region to take responsibility. Alongside our regional and international partners, we stand ready to help Sudan in its darkest hour.
The Red Sea is Europe’s most important maritime connection to Asia and the Pacific, and Sudan could become a revolving door for human trafficking, radical fighters, weapons and all kinds of illicit trade between the Sahel, North and Sub-Saharan Africa. Europe’s security is at stake. Before the war, during the victorious popular uprising against a brutal dictatorship, the many young activists, women’s rights defenders and community leaders have shown to the world their will and determination to build a democratic and peaceful Sudan. Ever since, the EU and its member states have stood firm in their view: the only side we take in this conflict is the side of civilians and the hope they have for their country.
We will continue to engage with the belligerents from a neutral position that puts peace and respect for civilian’s lives and rights front and centre. April 15 in Paris must become a joint rallying cry for peace. It has to be the on-ramp for more comprehensive, concerted and consequential action of Europe, Africa and the international community on Sudan.
Chief among the goals of today must, of course, be to avert the looming famine in Sudan and to support the countries and communities that have taken in people fleeing war. The available aid held up by the belligerents on political calculus must reach the people in need, wherever they are. Such war tactics violate international law and may amount to war crimes. We expect also the two leaders of the belligerent parties, Gen. Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan and Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, also known as Hemedti, to finally heed the calls to stop this carnage and come to the negotiating table. Failure to do so would have consequences. Our action on Sudan is not isolated: in Sudan as in Ukraine or elsewhere, democratic aspirations should not be fought through the barrel of a gun.
The Sudanese people have demanded no less since they took over the streets of Khartoum five years ago. This is why we are tirelessly calling for a ceasefire without delay, unfettered access of aid and the return to the path of a democratic transition in Sudan. We always favour African solutions to African problems. As Sudan enters the second year of its most fateful war, we look to the region to take responsibility. Alongside our regional and international partners, we stand ready to help Sudan in its darkest hour.
• Josep Borrell Fontelles is the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission. Janez Lenarcic is the European Commissioner for Crisis Management.

Iran and Israel ... Questions and fiery messages
Ghassan Charbe/Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper/April 15, 2024
The night of April 13-14, 2024, has taken up a distinguished position in the memory of the region. It has been a long time since newsrooms were so fervent to learn of the latest developments. Perhaps the night of March 19-20, 2003, when American rockets rained down on Baghdad to oust Saddam Hussein, comes close.
The events of the weekend were more exciting and dangerous because the outcome of the March 2003 night was a foregone conclusion: the American military machine was not going to launch a war it was going to lose.
The new night was exciting, dangerous and open to dire consequences. It exposed the fragility of the Middle East and how vulnerable it is to sliding into the abyss. It closed airspaces and airports. The people of the Middle East witnessed drones and rockets streak across the sky. On the other side, jets and rockets took off to take down the roaming drones and missiles and prevent them from reaching their targets. It was a long night that kept awake the leaders of nations and armies, and “generals” of armed factions and militias.
It was not the night of the “crushing blow” that has been whispered about in the command centers of the so-called resistance forces over the years. Its goal was to rain down rockets on Israel from Iran and countries where it holds sway. The attack did not lead to an all-out war or a major collapse. It was a reminder of Iran’s ability to set a precedent that it can launch a direct attack against Israeli territory.
You knew something major was taking place when the master of the White House cut short his vacation to meet with top officials
It was not the night of the major conflagration or crushing blow. But the night underscored that a major change has taken place to the rules of the old game. It has raised questions about the new “rules of engagement.” The truth is, the events of the night began to unfold before darkness fell. You knew something major was taking place when the master of the White House cut short his vacation to meet with top officials. The world sat up to watch and stayed up all night.
The current month started with a fiery message that paved the way for the new night. On that day, an adventurous player called Benjamin Netanyahu made a very dangerous decision. Seven important officers from Iran’s Revolutionary Guards were meeting in Damascus. He saw this as an unmissable opportunity. He was not deterred by the sovereignty of the Iranian consulate where they were meeting. He destroyed the consulate. It was a difficult decision that rivaled that of Donald Trump when he ordered the killing of Qassem Soleimani near Baghdad airport.
Netanyahu’s decision raised several questions. Had he grown tired of trading blows with proxies, so he decided to summon to the ring the boxer who was controlling them? Had he chosen to lure Iran out of the shadows and into a direct confrontation? Did he want to remind the West that the existential threat to Israel comes from the Revolutionary Guards of the supreme leader, not Yahya Sinwar and his tunnels? Did he choose to take the risk of igniting a major fire instead of preoccupying himself with rockets from Yemen, drones from Iraq and clashes with Lebanon? Had he set up an unavoidable trap for Iran?
It was going to be difficult for Iran to refrain from retaliating to the consulate attack. Netanyahu challenged its image before the internal Iranian scene and the region. On the other hand, Iran does not want to wage an open war with Israel because the US could not possibly remain on the sidelines if that were to happen. Iranian officials weighed up their options for about two weeks and the response was introducing to the equation Iran’s ability to directly attack Israel without sparking a war.
Politicians and military officials will spend a long time explaining the meaning of the messages that were delivered that night. Iran delivered a message to Israel and another to the US, saying it did not want to expand the war.
The night of rockets and drones showed that Israel enjoys firm Western protection against challenges that may target it. On the night of rockets and drones, the US delivered a clear message to Israel that it might criticize Netanyahu’s approach in Gaza, but that does not mean it will abandon Israel or be lenient with whoever targets its security. The US was not the only Western power that downed the Iranian rockets and drones. Britain and France were also involved that night.
The American message became a Western one. It set clear limits to any Iranian attempt to even think about dealing Israel a direct painful blow. The night of rockets and drones also delivered a military message that underscored the Western and Israeli technological superiority over Iran’s military technology. That sort of message must also give Hezbollah in Lebanon something to think about.
On the political and diplomatic levels, the night of rockets and drones showed that Israel enjoys firm Western protection against challenges that may target it, whether from Gaza or Tehran. It demonstrated that Israel’s security was not open to discussion in Western circles, no matter their reservations and disappointments regarding Netanyahu’s approach to Gaza, peace and the two-state solution.
The question raised after the consulate attack was clear. Should Iran retaliate and target Israeli territory? How and to what extent? The same questions were raised after the Iranian attack. Will Israel target Iranian territory? How and to what extent?
Washington backed Netanyahu unquestioningly in the wake of the Iranian attack, but it was quick to clarify that it does not support an Israeli response and would not take part in it should it happen. The wait will be loaded with questions.
Can Netanyahu sit back and not retaliate? What about the hawks in his government? Should he heed the American advice and what price might he extract from them? Will he ask for military and economic support so that he could run rampant in Rafah or will he ask that the two-state solution be downplayed as a mandatory step going forward? Will he ask that the balances and relationships in the region be reshaped? Will he ask for an approach that would bring an end to the confrontation, which is in its seventh month and has become a costly war of attrition, with reports saying the night of rockets and drones cost Israel about $1 billion? We must now wait and see what lessons the combatants will derive from the night of questions and fiery messages streaking across the skies of the Middle East.