English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For December 26/2024
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news

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Bible Quotations For today
Mary’s Song
Luke 1:46-55/ And Mary said: “My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me— holy is his name. His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation. He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants forever, just as he promised our ancestors.”

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on December 25-26/2024
Text & Video: Christmas and the Holy Obligation to Honor Parents/Elias Bejjani/December 25, 2023
Barbaric Arson Attack on Ragheb Alama's School in Beirut Condemned/Elias Bejjani/December 24/2024
Text & Video: No Allies for Occupying Forces in Lebanon: Only Mercenaries, Iscariots, Trojan Horses, and Opportunists/Elias Bejjani – December 22, 2024
Israeli airstrike in Bekaa shakes ceasefire 29 days after it came into effect
Israeli Airstrike Deep Inside Lebanon, the First Since the Ceasefire
Syria, Lebanon Strengthen Ties in High-Level Diplomatic Call
Strategic Hezbollah Weapons Targeted in Taraya Strike; Large Explosion in Kfar Kila
Sayedat Al Jabal Delegation to Visit Syria: Its Message
Haaretz: Israeli Army Prepares to Stay in Southern Lebanon Beyond 60-Day Deadline
Israeli Army Threatens: We Will Strike Anytime, Anywhere
War Remnants Explosion Claims a Life in Rashidieh Camp
Two Firefighters Die Trying to Control a Blaze in Tripoli
Rai Advocates Lebanon's Neutrality on Christmas Day
Audi: For a President Who Will Lead Lebanon Out of 'the Darkness'
El-Hajj Hassan Calls for Action Against Smuggling of Agricultural Products
Assad in Syria and Lebanon: Quarter of a Century of Dictatorship and Destruction/Hazem Saghieh/Asharq Al-Awsat/December 25/2025

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on December 25-26/2024
Christians Celebrate Sombre Christmas Under Shadow of Wars
17 Killed in Tartus Clashes During Attempt to Arrest Former Officer
Syria Authorities Say Torched 1 Million Captagon Pills
Syria Rescuers, Activist Say Site Outside Damascus Believed to Be Mass Grave
Asma Assad ‘has 50/50 chance’ of surviving leukemia: Report
Erdogan Warns Kurdish Militia in Syria to Lay Down Arms
Houthis Claim Ballistic Missile Attack on Israel
Baby freezes to death overnight in Gaza as Israel and Hamas trade accusations of ceasefire delays
Hamas, Israel Trade Blame Over Gaza Truce Delay
IMF, Egypt Reach Deal Unlocking $1.2 Bn
Ukraine Reports Massive Christmas Day Attack by Russia
Russia Launches Massive Strike On Ukraine's Energy Network On Christmas Day

Titles For The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources on December 25-26/2024
Israel, Amos and the Philistines/Nils A. Haug/Gatestone Institute/December 25, 2024
The New Trumponomics: Reactors for Clean, Controlled Energy from Nuclear Fusion/
Lawrence Kadish/Gatestone Institute./December 25, 2024
A new Syria must face its challenges with openness, dialogue/Eyad Abu Shakra/Arab News/December 25, 2024
NATO needs to ‘shift to a wartime mindset/Yossi Mekelberg/Arab News/December 25, 2024
MENA’s transformative role in climate adaptation/Sara Al-Mulla/Arab News/December 25, 2024
Syria’s Achievement… Between the Necessary and the Sufficient/Eyad Abu Shakra/Arab News/December 25, 2024
Where Is Al-Sharaa (Farouk)?/Samir Atallah/Arab News/December 25, 2024

The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on December 24-25/2024
Elias Bejjani/Text & Video: Christmas and the Holy Obligation to Honor Parents
Elias Bejjani/December 25, 2023
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngwpiN7eGwU&t=47s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=siywseB77PM&t=323s
As we celebrate Christmas, the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ, which is a sacred symbol of humility, love, and sacrifice, we are called to reflect on the profound importance of honoring our parents. This sacred duty is intrinsically tied to honoring God, our Heavenly Father, who is the source of all life and love. True gratitude to parents must be expressed not merely through words, but through genuine and concrete deeds, embodying respect, acknowledgment of their sacrifices, and a heartfelt sense of pride and conviction.
Failing to fulfill the duty and holy obligation of gratitude to parents, especially during the holy season of Christmas and new year, amounts to blatant ingratitude, rebellion against divine order, and a fundamental erosion of moral values and self-respect. Such behavior dishonors the sanctity of the Lord Himself, who is a loving and forgiving Father.
Ingratitude towards parents is not just a social failing practice, but a profound spiritual sin. It is a deviance from faith and morality that leads to spiritual and relational decay. Tragically, this moral impairment has become alarmingly prevalent in our time, posing a direct challenge to the principles of faith, love, and sacrifice that underpin our religious traditions.
Biblical Foundation for Honoring Parents
The Holy Bible, the eternal moral compass for millions, consistently emphasizes the sanctity of the parent-child relationship. Honoring parents is enshrined as a divine commandment. In the Ten Commandments, the fifth commandment explicitly declares: “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you” (Exodus 20:12). This commandment is not merely a suggestion but a divine decree, elevating the respect for parents to the same level as reverence for God Himself.
Christian teachings highlight the immense sacrifices parents make for their children. By honoring these sacrifices, we align ourselves with the virtues of humility, love, and obedience to God. The Bible glorifies parental love and veneration, urging believers to embody these virtues in their daily lives.
Concerning Trends in Modern Times
It is deeply disheartening to witness a growing number of children who exhibit ingratitude towards their parents, particularly during times of need, illness, or old age. Such behavior starkly contrasts with the Biblical call for gratitude and reveals a troubling erosion of familial and moral values. While parents dedicate their lives to the well-being of their children, some children respond with indifference or even contempt. This ingratitude tears at the fabric of sacred family relationships and violates the divine principle of honoring parents.
Biblical Verses Highlighting Gratitude and Respect for Parents
The Scriptures are replete with verses that emphasize the duty to respect and honor parents:
Proverbs 23:22 : “Listen to your father, who gave you life, and do not despise your mother when she is old". This verse underscores the sanctity of parental life-giving roles and warns against neglecting them in their old age.
2 Timothy 3:2 : “People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy". Here the verse starkly warns against the growing prevalence of selfishness and ingratitude in society.
Luke 11:11-12 : “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion?” The Bible in this verse highlights the natural duty of parents to provide for their children and the unnatural betrayal of ingratitude.
Restoring Family Values
As family values erode under the pressures of modern society, a return to the foundational principles of faith and morality becomes imperative. The commandment to honor parents is not just a moral guideline, but a divine directive that fosters cohesive, compassionate, and spiritually grounded families. Gratitude towards parents reflects gratitude towards God and strengthens the bonds of love and respect within society.
While the phenomenon of ingratitude may appear widespread, it is not insurmountable. By recommitting ourselves to the virtues of faith, love, and sacrifice, we can reignite the spirit of gratitude and restore the sanctity of the parent-child relationship. The Bible’s teachings call us to recognize and appreciate the immeasurable sacrifices of our parents, equating the honor of earthly parents to the honor of our Heavenly Father.
A Call to Action
This Christmas, let us reaffirm our commitment to honoring our parents as an act of faith and obedience to God.
Let us demonstrate gratitude through tangible acts of love, support, and respect, ensuring that our parents feel cherished and valued. By doing so, we not only fulfill the fifth commandment, but also strengthen our relationship with God, who commands us to honor Him by honoring our parents. In doing so, we embody the true spirit of Christmas: humility, love, and sacrifice.

Barbaric Arson Attack on Ragheb Alama's School in Beirut Condemned
Elias Bejjani/December 24/2024
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2024/12/138303/
The heinous arson attack on the Saint George School, owned by renowned Lebanese singer Ragheb Alama, by thugs affiliated with Hezbollah, marks a new low in the ongoing campaign of violence and intimidation led by this jihadist Iranian-backed terrorist militia and its supporters. This criminal act reportedly stemmed from a leaked personal comment attributed to Mr. Alama, in which he expressed relief over the hypothetical demise of Hezbollah's leader, Hassan Nasrallah.
The deliberate targeting of a school—a symbol of education, hope, and progress—is an egregious act that transcends all boundaries of decency. It is a barbaric crime that endangers the lives of students and staff, undermines the core values of free speech, and tears at the fabric of coexistence in Lebanon. Resorting to violence to suppress dissenting voices is a hallmark of tyranny, oppression, and moral bankruptcy—traits Hezbollah continues to exhibit unabated.
Reports that Hezbollah-affiliated thugs also assaulted the school’s caretaker further underscore the criminality and lawlessness that have become synonymous with Hezbollah's modus operandi. This incident is not merely an attack on Ragheb Alama but a chilling message to all Lebanese citizens: dissent will be punished with violence and destruction.
While some have misguidedly called for legal action against Ragheb Alama over his private remarks, the real crime lies in the cowardly act of arson and assault against a place of learning. The Lebanese judiciary must act decisively to hold the perpetrators accountable, ensuring the safety and sanctity of all educational institutions. Failure to do so will embolden further acts of lawlessness.
It is both ironic and tragic that Hezbollah, which claims to "defend" Lebanon, permits and encourages its supporters to behave as vandals, leaving destruction in their wake. They flee battles in the south and retreat from Syria in disgrace, yet turn their venom on the Lebanese people, destroying the very institutions they claim to protect.
This incident starkly exposes the hypocrisy of a group that postures as a resistance movement while terrorizing its own people. The free and patriotic Lebanese—both at home and in the diaspora—stand united in solidarity with Ragheb Alama. We call on the Lebanese government and international organizations to intervene to protect freedom of expression, ensure justice is served, and safeguard Lebanon’s educational institutions from such barbarism.

Text & Video: No Allies for Occupying Forces in Lebanon: Only Mercenaries, Iscariots, Trojan Horses, and Opportunists
Elias Bejjani – December 22, 2024
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2024/12/138233/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSs80S8LAH8&t=606s
Modern Lebanese history is rife with examples embodying treachery, Trojan horse tactics, submissiveness, political opportunism, sectarian exploitation, and trading official positions at the expense of the nation’s interest, identity, sovereignty, independence, and the dignity and rights of its people. These chameleon-like figures, stripped of any sense of self-respect, values, honor, fear of God, or the Day of Judgment, have consistently exploited crises, occupations, and foreign interventions due to their ingratitude and moral bankruptcy. They have always been a poisoned and cancerous dagger in the hands of Palestinian, Syrian, and Iranian occupiers. They were never genuine allies to these forces or convinced by their projects, schemes, and policies. Rather, they were traitors, self-serving narcissists motivated by personal gains and temporary rewards.
Since the entry of Palestinian, Arabist, and leftist terrorist organizations into Lebanon, committing atrocities against the Lebanese and seeking to establish an alternative Palestinian homeland, whose memory still lingers among the Lebanese, to the occupation of Lebanon by the brutal and criminal Assad regime, and finally to Hezbollah's Iranian occupation, these forces never found genuine allies among the Lebanese. Instead, they relied on local tools: mercenaries and hypocrites adept at changing their stances, loyalties, and colors to suit political winds, driven solely by notions of personal profit and loss.
In this context, following the resounding defeat Hezbollah suffered at the hands of Israel and the death of most of its terrorist leaders, who have no connection to Lebanon, coupled with the collapse of Assad's criminal regime, the erosion of its influence in the region, and the exposure of its atrocities, prisons, and human slaughterhouses, these tools—politicians, clergymen, and political activists in Lebanon—began changing their stances blatantly. As we say colloquially, they “turned 180 degrees” and swapped their hats without shame or hesitation.
Examples of Hypocritical Chameleons
Walid Jumblatt is the undisputed master of chameleons in changing stances, alliances, and turnarounds. His record is unparalleled, making him the king of moments of abandonment and epiphany, sitting by riverbanks waiting for the corpses of his enemies to float by.
Meanwhile, Ex-Minister Wiam Wahhab is a living example of this hypocrisy. Wahhab, who was a loud, street-level mouthpiece and media thug for the Assad regime and Hezbollah, as well as the leading cheerleader for the defunct “resistance axis” in its hostility toward Israel, recently began adopting entirely contradictory positions. He called on Lebanese Shiites to recognize the state of Israel. Those familiar with this opportunist and deceptive demagogue were not surprised by his U-turn but had long anticipated it.
The Sunni minister Faisal Karami, filled with hatred, resentment, and stupidity, presents yet another example of political opportunism and duplicity. Until recently, he was praising the Assad regime and Hezbollah, but he has recently turned against the Syrian Assad regime, claiming that it had fought against his father, Omar Karami, and his uncle, Rashid Karami, for years. We remind this hypocrite and those of his ilk with their duplicitous culture that Hezbollah, in one of the cabinet formations, ceded a ministerial position allocated to the Shiite sect and gave it to Faisal Karami to infiltrate the Sunni community through its leaders. MP, Faisal, whose actions continue to be driven by hatred and ignorance, still accuses Dr. Samir Geagea of assassinating his uncle, Prime Minister Rashid Karami, despite his full knowledge and the clear evidence that the Assad regime is the true culprit behind that crime.
Sheikh Hassan Mrad is another example of this opportunistic culture. After praising and glorifying Hezbollah and its false resistance, he has now turned against his stances, justifying his reversal with flimsy and childish excuses. This is the same sheikh accused of forging his academic certificates, with his credibility amounting to zero.
Then there is Mr. Elie Ferzli, a man of the corrupt Assad regime, who is now, renouncing his pro-Assad past and claiming yesterday that his allegiance and support were for the Syrian state, not the regime.
However, the most despicable and vile of all opportunists and traitors who aligned themselves with Hezbollah and the Assad regime are Michel Aoun, his corrupt son-in-law Gebran Bassil, and their cohort of fraudsters, merchants, and opportunists. Aoun, Bassil, and their group have betrayed every stance, slogan, promise, and commitment since signing the 2006 Mar Mikhael Agreement. Bassil and his uncle, former President Michel Aoun, epitomize political opportunism, exploiting Hezbollah, the Assad regime, and the Iranian mullahs' system to achieve personal and political gains. Through this disgraceful alliance, they secured parliamentary and ministerial seats and influential positions in the Lebanese state. In return, they sold out sovereignty and independence, sacrificing Lebanon’s national interests on the altar of their personal ambitions. Today, after Hezbollah’s defeat and the Assad regime's collapse, they shamelessly and brazenly change their loyalties, denying their masters – Hezbollah, Iran, and the Assad regime.
The political hypocrisy of the Aoun-Bassil approach did not stop there. After Hezbollah's humiliating defeat against Israel and the loss of most of its terrorist leaders, Bassil has begun publicly distancing himself from his former ally, attempting to restore his tarnished image among the Lebanese people. Suddenly, he is once again raising the slogans of sovereignty and independence in a desperate attempt to regain the popular support he lost due to his submission to Hezbollah and his association with Iran’s expansionist project.
This blatant political flip-flopping, characteristic of Bassil and Aoun's chameleon-like nature, is a scandalous example of opportunism and hypocrisy. It demonstrates their readiness to change positions, colors, and even their skins to serve their interests, even at the expense of destroying the nation, undermining its principles, and enslaving and humiliating its citizens.
In conclusion,There are no allies for occupying forces in Lebanon, but only mercenaries, Iscariots, Trojan Horses, and Opportunists

Israeli airstrike in Bekaa shakes ceasefire 29 days after it came into effect
NAJIA HOUSSARI/Arabic/December 25, 2024
The Israeli army claimed that “an Israeli fighter jet attacked a terrorist cell in the Bekaa”
BEIRUT: For the first time since the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah came into effect on Nov. 27, Israel breached the agreement deep inside Lebanese territory.
In the early hours of Wednesday, an Israeli warplane struck the town of Taraya near Baalbek. A Lebanese security source said the airstrike occurred at 2:45 a.m., targeting a residence and an associated garage in the town of Taraya owned by a member of the Hamieh family. There were no casualties. The Israeli army claimed that “an Israeli fighter jet attacked a terrorist cell in the Bekaa.” Taraya is on the eastern slopes of the western Lebanese mountains, approximately 73 kilometers from the capital city of Beirut and 23 kilometers from the city of Baalbek. It was previously targeted by Israeli airstrikes during the extensive war on Lebanon — which lasted for 64 days — under the pretext of targeting sites and weapon depots belonging to Hezbollah.
Israel’s continued flouting of the terms of the ceasefire, which has been in effect for 29 days, were the focal point of a meeting held on Tuesday evening between caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati and representatives from the United States, France, and the UN Interim Force in Lebanon. The attendees included American Maj. Gen. Jasper Jeffers, France’s Gen. Guillaume Ponchin, the commander of the Southern Litani sector of the Lebanese Army, Brig. Gen. Edgar Lowndes, and UNIFIL Commander Maj. Gen. Aroldo Lazaro, along with the Lebanese army commander, Brig. Gen. Joseph Aoun. Mikati called on the committee to “stop the Israeli violations and the immediate withdrawal of Israeli forces from the border areas.”He also agreed with the attendees to hold successive meetings with the Lebanese army to discuss the issues raised.
Israeli reconnaissance planes resumed incursions into Lebanese airspace, flying at low altitude over southern Lebanon, Beirut and its southern suburbs, after ceasing operations for two days. On Wednesday, the Israeli army raised Israeli flags at a vacant Lebanese army post on Awida Hill. This site, a strategic location, is where the Lebanese army previously established a base. It is adjacent to the villages of Kfar Kila, Adaisseh, Deir Mimas and Taybeh and overlooks Israeli settlements in Galilee, including Kiryat Shmona and Hula Valley, extending to Tiberias and deep into the Golan Heights. Israeli raids on the border village of Taybeh killed two people on Monday. The Israeli forces that invaded several border villages in southern Lebanon demolished houses and bulldozed roads on the outskirts of Houla, adjacent to Mays Al-Jabal. Lebanese residents are still denied entry to the occupied area, which includes 62 villages. Israeli artillery shelling on Wednesday targeted Tayr Harfa, the outskirts of Majdal Zoun, and Maroun Al-Ras. Israeli forces also struck Jebbayn, firing bursts of machine-gun fire toward the town. Media reports in Beirut reported that “US envoy Amos Hochstein will visit Beirut at the beginning of next year to help implement the ceasefire agreement in Lebanon.” Israeli forces have dragged their heels in the withdrawal from invaded border areas, delaying the Lebanese army’s deployment in the cleared area. Fears grow that Israeli’s war against Lebanon may restart, because the committee overseeing the implementation of the ceasefire is unable to stop Israeli violations. The Israeli army is using the 60-day period in the ceasefire agreement for the complete withdrawal of its troops from invaded areas to destroy what is left of Hezbollah’s positions and weapon depots. Meanwhile, explosions were heard in the Anti-Lebanon mountains separating Lebanon and Syria, apparently caused by the Lebanese army detonating explosive remnants of Israeli operations against Bekaa.

Israeli Airstrike Deep Inside Lebanon, the First Since the Ceasefire
This is Beirut/December 25/2025
For the first time since the Israeli-Hezbollah ceasefire agreement took effect, Israeli warplanes struck deep into Lebanese territory, without causing casualties. The airstrike, which took place at around 2:30 AM on Wednesday, targeted a two-story house in the Taraya Plain in the Bekaa, west of Baalbeck.
It was the first such attack since the 60-day ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah went into effect on November 27, 2024. According to local news channel, MTV, “the raid was carried out in parallel with intensive drone flights over the targeted area up to the vicinity of Baalbeck city. It resulted in the complete destruction of the targeted warehouses.”

Syria, Lebanon Strengthen Ties in High-Level Diplomatic Call
This is Beirut/December 25/2025
Lebanon's Caretaker Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdallah Bou Habib expressed support for Syria's new government during a phone call on Wednesday with Syria's newly appointed Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani. According to the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA), Bou Habib congratulated the Syrian people on their recent achievements. In response, Shaibani highlighted the deep historical and fraternal ties between Syrians and Lebanese, emphasizing the need to preserve these relations for the mutual benefit of both nations. The two ministers agreed to strengthen collaboration and intensify efforts to promote regional stability and enhance security across the region.

Strategic Hezbollah Weapons Targeted in Taraya Strike; Large Explosion in Kfar Kila
Al-Markazia, December 25, 2024
A loud explosion was reported this evening in the eastern sector, where the Israeli army continues its demolition operations in the town of Kfar Kila. Earlier today, the Israeli army conducted a significant demolition operation in the same town.
Israeli soldiers also set fire to a house in the town of Maroun al-Ras this afternoon, in an ongoing violation of the ceasefire agreement. Simultaneously, they fired heavy and medium machine guns within the town’s neighborhoods, continuing sporadic shooting.
The Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported on Wednesday evening that an Israeli attack in the Taraya area of the Bekaa Valley in eastern Lebanon targeted Hezbollah’s strategic weapons. The newspaper stated that Hezbollah is attempting to restore its military capabilities after the recent war with Israel, despite the ceasefire agreement reached about a month ago. Reports indicated that Israeli warplanes conducted a deep strike in the Bekaa Valley for the first time since the ceasefire came into effect. According to these reports, the attack targeted Hezbollah’s weapon stockpiles as the group appears to be rearming and storing weapons in warehouses. Israeli warplanes struck a two-story house in the Taraya plains west of Baalbek at 3:00 a.m., prompting ambulances to rush to the scene. This marks the first airstrike in the Bekaa region since the ceasefire agreement came into force.

Sayedat Al Jabal Delegation to Visit Syria: Its Message
Al-Markazia, December 25, 2024
Al-Markazia has learned that a delegation from Sayedat Al Jabal group, comprising figures from various sects, regions, and societal segments, will visit Syria next Friday to congratulate the Syrian people on their freedom following the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime. The delegation plans to convey their congratulations through civic frameworks. They will attend a mass at the Maronite Cathedral in Damascus at 11 a.m., visit the Umari Mosque, and hold a meeting with the Grand Mufti of Damascus and the Director of Religious Endowments.Delegation sources told Al-Markazia that the visit aims to deliver a message of coexistence and respect for all sects, promoting the formula of shared living and ensuring unity. The group’s Secretary-General, Fares Soueid, reportedly contacted Maronite Patriarch Bechara Boutros al-Rai to inform him of the step and seek his blessing.

Haaretz: Israeli Army Prepares to Stay in Southern Lebanon Beyond 60-Day Deadline
Janoubia, December 25, 2024
Haaretz reported that the Israeli army is preparing to continue its deployment in southern Lebanon beyond the 60-day deadline specified in the ceasefire agreement with Hezbollah. The agreement stipulates that the Israeli army would complete its withdrawal from southern Lebanon within 60 days. The newspaper noted that the Israeli army does not plan to withdraw if the Lebanese army fails to uphold the agreement and establish full control over southern Lebanon. This development comes as the ceasefire agreement approaches its 30-day mark. The Israeli army released data on its operations in Lebanon, acknowledging violations of the agreement, which it claims were in response to Hezbollah’s breaches. The Israeli army reported killing 44 Lebanese individuals—allegedly Hezbollah members who violated the agreement—since the ceasefire took effect on November 27. It admitted to carrying out 25 attacks on Lebanese sites during this period and accused Hezbollah of committing 120 violations. Israeli forces continue to occupy border villages, preventing residents from returning and building military infrastructure across the area.

Israeli Army Threatens: We Will Strike Anytime, Anywhere
Janoubia, December 25, 2024
The Israeli army spokesperson, Avichay Adraee, shared a video on social media platform "X" today featuring Israeli Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi at an Air Force pilot graduation ceremony. Halevi declared, "Iran, its proxies, and the entire Middle East must know that anyone who attempts to destabilize and threaten Israel’s security will face a steadfast Israeli army ready to strike at any time and in any place."Israeli Army Radio quoted the Air Force commander, who affirmed that Israel would escalate attacks against the Houthis as needed, given the increasing confrontation with Ansar Allah (the Houthis). Israel's public broadcaster, Kan 11, reported on Tuesday evening that the army is considering launching a fourth attack on Yemen after conducting strikes last Thursday. Future plans include more violent operations targeting areas such as Hodeidah and Sana’a, with the Air Force and military intelligence preparing intensified targeting strategies. An Israeli official claimed that the Houthis have significantly escalated their attacks on Israel, launching three ballistic missiles over the past weekend independently of Iranian directives. The official emphasized the need to continue targeting the Houthis in response.Simultaneously, Israel’s Foreign Ministry instructed its European missions to advocate for designating the Houthis as a terrorist organization and urged the UN Security Council to convene an emergency session to condemn their attacks. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar stated that the Houthis pose a threat not only to Israel but also to the region and the world. He emphasized that labeling the group as a terrorist organization is a critical first step.On Saturday, the Israeli army failed to intercept a missile fired from Yemen, which landed in the Tel Aviv-Jaffa area, injuring approximately 20 people. The Houthis claimed responsibility for targeting Tel Aviv with a ballistic missile. The Israeli army reported intercepting another missile from Yemen before it entered Israeli airspace.Israel has conducted three airstrikes on Yemen in recent months, the latest on December 19, targeting energy infrastructure and ports in Sana’a and Hodeidah. The Houthis reported that the attack killed nine civilians.

War Remnants Explosion Claims a Life in Rashidieh Camp
This is Beirut/December 25/2025
A rocket explosion from war remnants in the Rashidieh camp for Palestinian refugees claimed the life of Ibrahim Qassem, also known as Ibrahim al-Hartouq, and injured two people, the National News Agency (NNA) reported on Wednesday. Emergency teams transported the injured to a hospital in Tyre, South Lebanon. Meanwhile, on the same day, the Israeli army detonated a large explosion in the town of Kfar Kila.

Two Firefighters Die Trying to Control a Blaze in Tripoli
This is Beirut/December 25/2025
The two firefighters, Abdallah Mouhtadi and Khalil Achkar, died while trying to bring a fire under control in a warehouse at Mina port in Tripoli, northern Lebanon. Two Civil Defense firefighters died on Wednesday morning while trying to control a fire in a warehouse inside a building in the port of Mina in Tripoli, northern Lebanon.The building collapsed on the two firefighters, Abdallah Mouhtadi and Khalil Achkar, who fell victim to the tragedy.

Rai Advocates Lebanon's Neutrality on Christmas Day
This is Beirut/December 25/2025
For Maronite Patriarch Bechara Rai, recent events in Lebanon and changes in Syria have reinforced his belief in the need to achieve Lebanon's neutrality. “The constitution of a neutral state will deter foreign ambitions, and Lebanon needs these measures to regain its independence and sovereignty,” said the Maronite patriarch on Wednesday from Bkerke during his Christmas homily. “Neutrality does not erect a wall between Lebanon, its neighbors, and the world, but rather modifies its role and activates it by making it a partner in finding solutions,” Rai stressed. On the other hand, the prelate expressed his “impatient” hope that a “qualified and unifying president” could be elected on January 9, 2025 during the parliamentary session scheduled for this purpose, after a vacuum at the head of the Lebanese state that has lasted since October 31, 2022. “We hope that a qualified president will create internal unity, activate state institutions and communicate with influential countries,” he said, adding, the president to be “will also have to implement decentralization and reforms.”

Audi: For a President Who Will Lead Lebanon Out of 'the Darkness'
This is Beirut/December 25/2025
The Greek Orthodox Metropolitan of Beirut, Bishop Elias Audi, led a Christmas mass sermon on Wednesday, focused on the need to elect “a president with whom the process of saving this country from decline will begin.”Audi also prayed for a president who will be a “shining star in the darkness of this country, lifting it from its stagnation, purifying its institutions from corruption, and working to establish the principles of justice and citizenship.”He added, “Many changes are taking place in the region, and Lebanon stands on the threshold of a new era during which we hope to rebuild institutions and restore economic and financial health. This requires a new mentality and a clear vision that addresses the deterioration of the state and the disintegration of its administrations. We need political awareness, wise decision-making, and efforts to rebuild the state away from compromises and sharing of positions.”
Audi further demanded “to faithfully implement the constitution and separate powers so that they do not overlap.” He pointed out that “only a just and effective judiciary is capable of holding accountability, punishing wrongdoers, lifting injustice, and fighting oppression, authoritarianism, and corruption.”Audi also expressed his hope that “everyone will learn from the lessons of the past and the present, and that they assume their duties without procrastination, and allow the army to fulfill its duties.”

El-Hajj Hassan Calls for Action Against Smuggling of Agricultural Products
This is Beirut/December 25/2025
Caretaker Minister of Agriculture Abbas el-Hajj Hassan sent letters to the Ministries of Defense, Interior and Municipalities, the Supreme Customs Council, the General Directorate of Customs, the Lebanese Army Command and the General Directorate of State Security, calling for action to combat the growing phenomenon of smuggling of agricultural products, including potatoes, fresh milk and others, which poses a direct threat to the local agricultural sector. He stressed that this smuggling has a negative impact on farmers, the stability of national markets and food security.
In his letter, he called for “tighter border controls and dissuasive sanctions against smugglers” and urged coordination between security agencies and ministries to control this phenomenon and protect local production. The caretaker Minister stressed that “the fight against smuggling requires concerted national efforts to ensure support for farmers and strengthen the national economy.” He reiterated his full commitment to protecting the agricultural sector and ensuring its stability.

Assad in Syria and Lebanon: Quarter of a Century of Dictatorship and Destruction
Hazem Saghieh/Asharq Al-Awsat/December 25/2025
The advent of the 21st Century brought with it historic developments. The most significant for Syria and Lebanon took place on June 10, 2000 with the death of Syrian President Hafez al-Assad. Many openly mourned his passing. Many having experienced firsthand the cruelty of the ruler. In secret however, they said: “This is the first time Assad does something useful.”Hafez was in effect the president of two countries. Weeks before his death, he met with US President Bill Clinton in Geneva to discuss resuming negotiations between Syria and Israel. On May 25, 2000, Israel withdrew from southern Lebanon in line with an electoral pledge made by Ehud Barak. The day was a calamity to Assad’s Lebanese and Syrian supporters, who saw in the withdrawal the end of their excuses to carry arms outside state control. So, they described the move as a “conspiracy” and suddenly, like a magician pulling a rabbit out of a hat, they cited Israel’s continued occupation of the long-forgotten Shebaa Farms. Israel had occupied the area from Syria in 1967. Calls for war mounted, demanding that Israel withdraw or suffer the consequences. Soon after, however, tensions eased, and Hezbollah declared the withdrawal a “liberation” achieved with the support of “Syria’s Assad”.
Training Bashar and Lebanese politicians
Syrians recalled the story of a peasant from Daraa who headed to Damascus to attend Hafez’s funeral. On his way, he saw a billboard that read: “The Assad (Arabic for lion) is immortal and does not die.” So the peasant turned back and returned home believing that the news of Hafez’s death were rumors spread by enemies. The peasant wasn’t completely wrong or so it would seem when Hafez’s son, Bashar, came to power to follow in his father’s footsteps. Despite the changes the new young ruler introduced to the country and his marriage to a “modern” British-born woman, the apple did not fall far from the tree, and he maintained his father’s iron-fisted grip on power. Bashar forged ahead along his father’s destructive path and where better to gain experience than in Syria’s favorite training ground: Lebanon.
In 1998, two years before he came to power and four years after his older brother Bassel’s death, Bashar was put in charge of the Syrian military presence in “brotherly” Lebanon, where 40,000 Syrian soldiers were deployed. As part of Bashar’s training, he documented his relations with Lebanese politicians, the majority of whom bowed their heads to the lowliest of Syrian officers. Three Lebanese figures stood out for Bashar. Two had his unabashed admiration and one was an abhorred thorn in his side:
Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah was the leader of the resistance party and enjoyed Bashar’s full support. He was viewed as the man of the 2000 liberation. He represented to Bashar everything that he could not achieve because he inherited power, while Nasrallah earned his way to the top. However, Hafez had the upper hand over Nasrallah when negotiating with Iran; the young inexperienced Bashar did not.
Bashar’s admiration of Nasrallah stemmed from what he could never achieve, while his admiration for Emile Lahoud stemmed from what was possible. The Lebanese army and naval commander was chosen by Damascus to be president in 1998. Lahoud, the commander of the very modest Lebanese navy, was as much a military man as Bashar, the ophthalmologist, was a doctor. With the very little time needed to run the navy, Lahoud spent his leisure hours oiling himself up to tan under the sun at the Bain Militaire resort in Beirut. In all likelihood, Bashar was drawn to Lahoud because of their shared weakness in articulating words and putting sentences together, following that up with weak laughter, leaving their statements utterly meaningless.
The thorn in Bashar’s side was wealthy businessman and former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, who lavished gifts on Syrian officers hoping for political leniency in return. This was not the type of wealthy man who Bashar was drawn to. Bashar looked up to the wealthy man whose sole ambition was to keep his riches from being seized. Articles spoke about how Hariri was the one who was building Syria’s relations with the world, and he was the one who proposed to Damascus that it follow the “Chinese model” whereby power remains in the hands of the rulers, while freedom is introduced to the markets. Bashar resented Hariri for this and his sentiment deepened because Hariri was a Sunni leader and Bashar was Alawite. The Sunnis make up the majority in Lebanon and Syria where Alawites are a minority.
Rumors abounded that Hariri not only wanted to be the leader of the Sunnis in Lebanon, but in Syria as well. No wonder Bashar was suspicious. Rumors also spread that Hariri sought regional peace whereby the Palestinians and Israeli would continue where they left off in Oslo in 1993. Perhaps what irked Bashar the most about Hariri was that he was a self-made man.
Regional tumult and crimes in Lebanon
The Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon removed the Syrian regime’s excuse for keeping its forces deployed in Lebanon. Hafez’s death encouraged people to speak out. The man of the moment was late Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir, who in September 2000 sponsored a Maronite call on Syria to pull out its troops. Sfeir forged ahead. In April 2001, he blessed the establishment of the Qornet Shewan gathering that marked the beginning of the emergence of an anti-Syria opposition.
The gathering brought together Christian politicians and helped extend bridges to Hariri and Druze leader Walid Jumblatt, both of whom were upset with Bashar and his employee in Lebanon, Lahoud. In the summer of 2001, Sfeir sponsored a major reconciliation between the Christians and the Druze. Both sects were seen as the backbone of Lebanon’s national identity.
On August 7, Christian society was rattled by student protests held by supporters of the Lebanese Forces and former army commander Michel Aoun, who was in exile at the time. The protesters were summarily rounded up and imprisoned in shocking scenes. Hundreds were detained without any legal justification and for simply demanding freedom and the withdrawal of Syrian troops. The region was in store for more tumult. In 2003, the US invaded Iraq and a year later Syria’s Kurds in Qamishli were encouraged to revolt against the regime. Bashar responded to the unrest by shipping terrorists to Iraq where they caused so much death and destruction. Washington soon began to mount its pressure on Bashar to ease meddling in Lebanon. Bashar responded with a bombshell in Beirut. He remained steadfast in extending Lahoud’s term in office in 2004 despite deep opposition in Lebanon. In September later that year, the UN Security Council issued resolution 1559 that calls for the withdrawal of all foreign forces from Lebanon and the dismantling of all militias. It was as clear as day that Bashar and Hezbollah were the main targets of the resolution.
Bashar and Nasrallah were determined to retaliate against the resolution and Jumblatt and Hariri were seen as the main targets. Jumblatt had joined the opposition, while Hariri, who openly opposed the extension of Lahoud’s term – in what was seen as a direct insult to Bashar – was suspected of having played a major role in the issuance of resolution 1559. And so, Beirut would be struck with disaster on February 14, 2005. Hariri was assassinated in major car bombing that would also claim the life of minister Bassil Fleihan and 21 people. A slew of crimes and assassinations would ensue against politicians and journalists who were vocal in their opposition to Bashar and Nasrallah. Lebanon would soon become divided into two camps: one known as “March 8”, named so after holding a large rally on that day in 2005 to “thank Syria’s Assad” for its role in Lebanon, and “March 14”, also named so after a rally on that day that dwarfed the first and that protested against Hariri’s killing and demanded the withdrawal of the Syrian forces. The forces would eventually withdraw from Lebanon on April 30, 2005. Nasrallah eagerly gifted the head of the Syrian security apparatus in Lebanon, Rustom Ghazaleh, the “rifle of resistance” because he wanted the Syrian troops to quit Lebanon with their heads held high, not weak and humiliated. Hariri’s “curse” would haunt Ghazaleh and his predecessor Ghazi Kanaan. Their mysterious fate would be added to countless others who died under the Assad rule.
Ghazaleh was named to his post in Lebanon in 2002. He followed in Kanaan’s bloody footsteps of killing and torture. They had set up base in the town of Anjar in the Bekaa and the Beau Rivage Hotel in Beirut, both of which became synonymous with the Syrian regime’s oppression. They also sponsored drug and weapons smuggling networks whose revenues they reaped, along with the regime and their allies in the “Axis of Resistance”. Ghazaleh was known for his utmost loyalty to the regime. Perhaps it was because he was a Sunni and needed to prove himself to his Alawite masters. Kanaan, a Alawite, didn’t need to go that far and years later would go on record and speak proudly of his friendship with Hariri. At any rate, with Syrian troops out of Lebanon, the regime feared that all of its plotting to kill Hariri would be revealed. So, Ghazaleh, the regime’s secret keeper and owner of the “rifle of the resistance” was killed in 2015. Kanaan was shot and killed in his office in 2005. He was shot with two or three bullets, but the regime famously preferred to call his death a suicide. A few years later, two of his brothers also committed “suicide” - also using two or three bullets.
Tying the brother to the sister
Throughout the hegemony of “sister” Syria over “brother” Lebanon, the latter was under the Baathist theory of “Lebanon’s Arabism”. Describing what the regime did to Arabism is an insult to the word. In reality, it required that Lebanon stand by Syria and non-Arab Iran, through thick and thin, against Egypt, Iraq and Arab Gulf and Maghreb. For the first time in Lebanon’s modern history, it had an official ideology that identified “friend” and “foe”, replacing freedom of expression that was a hallmark of Lebanon’s official stances. Hafez had also tightened the bond between Damascus and Beirut with the 1991 treaty of “Brotherhood, Cooperation, and Coordination” that tied Lebanon’s foreign policy to Syria’s. Damascus was also granted the final say in administrative and public appointments, especially security and military ones. It was allowed to name judges and ministers and outline media policies of various outlets.
This form of “Arabism” continued under Bashar, who at first attempted to display some openness towards Syria and Lebanon. He gave some breathing room for civil society activists in Syria and Lebanese banks opened branches in Syria. Bashar also approached Christian Lebanese parties that are traditionally opposed to the Assads.
War with Israel
Bashar’s relative “openness” led to the establishment of the “Beirut-Damascus Declaration” in May 2006. It was signed by hundreds of Syrian and Lebanon intellectuals and activists and called on the Syrian government to “correct” relations with Lebanon and respect its sovereignty and independence and end its series of political assassinations. The declaration marked the end of the openness. The Syrian signatories soon found themselves in jail or fired from their jobs. Syria’s withdrawal from Lebanon left Hezbollah and its allies isolated. They were also confronted with a national agenda championed by the March 14 movement. Syrian voices chimed in solidarity with the Lebanese people. Hezbollah and its allies therefore sensed the need to shift attention elsewhere. And as usual, what best way to do that than sparking a war with Israel? Hezbollah abducted two Israeli soldiers in July 2006, leading Israel to declare war on the party. Hezbollah would declare “divine victory” some 33 days later. Soon after, Iran-backed Hezbollah would assume in Lebanon the role once played by Ghazaleh. Iran’s role in Lebanon would become more pronounced, while Syria still held sway, albeit in back alleys, instead of the rooftops.
A deadly duality emerged: a popular and parliamentary majority represented by Fuad Siniora’s government on the one hand, and the “divine victory” camp whose weapons and alliances would prevent the establishment of any stable form of rule on the other. The camp obstructed the government functioning and crippled the entire capital with a sit-in in Downtown Beirut that extended for over a year. In May 2007, members of the so-called Fatah al-Islam group killed 27 Lebanese soldiers in their sleep. Clashes soon ensued in the Nahr al-Bared Palestinian refugee camp between the group and the army. Later, it would be revealed that the leader of the group, Shaker al-Absi, was working for Syrian intelligence. He had been imprisoned in Damascus and later released. He was tasked with sending terrorists to Iraq. After the Nahr al-Bared battle, he fled to Damascus and was later unsurprisingly killed in mysterious circumstances.
With Hezbollah and its allies holding sway in Lebanon, meeting constitutional deadlines became impossible. It took six months to elect Michel Suleiman president and that was only after Hezbollah and its allies turned their weapons against the Lebanese people in May 2008. The Doha conference was held to restore calm and end the political impasse and Suleiman was elected president. Even after the crisis was resolved, Hezbollah continued to obstruct political life when things did not go in its favor even though the 2009 parliamentary elections, just like the 2005 polls, handed the March 14 camp a majority.
Syrian revolution and Assad’s downfall
The Syrian revolution erupted in 2011 and people in Lebanon hoped that it would positively impact their country and sweep away the rot and corruption that had been eating away at it. Voices of solidarity rose with the Syrian people, this time calling for freedom and dignity, not Arabism and resistance. Thugs affiliated with Damascus loyalists and Hezbollah soon cracked down on people expressing solidarity. The northern city of Tripoli suffered the brunt of the crackdown. Its close proximity to Syria had always made it a prime target for the regime’s oppressive practices. In 2013, two mosques in the city were bombed, leaving 49 people dead and over 800 wounded. Unsurprisingly, the terrorist group that had claimed responsibility for the attack was actually affiliated with Damascus. In 2012, scandal shook Lebanon when former minister Michel Samaha was busted for smuggling explosives from Syria to Lebanon where he planned on carrying out bombings. Ali al-Mamlouk, Bashar’s security advisor, was the mastermind behind the plot. In 2019, as the sanctions tightened around the regime, it turned to Lebanon to ease the strain. The regime’s financial ties to Hezbollah were deepened during that phase, especially when it came to smuggling captagon. While Syria kept a low profile in Lebanon, Hezbollah’s role in Syria grew more prominent. It reached a glaring peak in 2013 when it intervened militarily in Syria to help the regime fight the opposition seeking its ouster.
On the official level, Lebanon had sought to distance itself from the conflict in Syria. The Baabda Declaration was issued in 2012, stressing that Lebanon would keep a distance from the unrest. All parties, including Hezbollah, had agreed to it. Iran, Hezbollah’s backer, had other plans and soon the party scrambled to the aid of its ally, sowing death and destruction in Syria. On August 4, 2020, Beirut was in store for yet another tragedy. Ammonium nitrate unsafely stored at the Beirut port mysteriously detonated, destroying swathes of the capital and killing over 200 people. The explosion was the third largest non-nuclear explosion in history. A lot was written about how associates of the Assad regime, who were complicit in shady deals and smuggling operations, had been storing the nitrate at the port. The claims gained ground when Hezbollah thwarted investigations into the explosion. The party had no problem dispatching its enforcer and security official Wafik Safa to threaten the judge in charge of the probe to shut it down. And so it was, and the investigations have been stalled for years.
Much can be said about the Syrian refugees who fled to Lebanon during their country’s conflict. Strong bonds were forged between them and the locals, but they also strained Lebanon’s already fragile economy, fueling resentment and racism against them.
The Syrian regime collapsed on December 8 and Bashar fled to Moscow. The Lebanese people shared the Syrian people’s delirium in seeing the downfall of their oppressor. However, Lebanon is not out of the woods yet. Members of the regime fled Syria to Lebanon and local authorities are demanded to arrest them, otherwise risk jeopardizing relations with the new rulers in Damascus. But everyone can safely say, that at the moment, the past 25 years of oppression, death and ruin at the hands of the regime are truly over.

The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on December 25-26/2024
Christians Celebrate Sombre Christmas Under Shadow of Wars
This is Beirut/December 25/2025
Christians across the world celebrated Christmas Wednesday, with the mood darkened by wars and a massive Christmas morning attack on Ukraine by Russia and a plane crash in Kazakhstan. With the war in Gaza also showing no signs of ending, Pope Francis was also expected to call for peace in the Middle East during his traditional "Urbi et Orbi" (to the city and the world) speech at midday in Rome. Francis used his Christmas Eve mass at the Vatican to urge Christians to think of "the wars, of the machine-gunned children, of the bombs on schools or hospitals" after another year of raging conflicts. But as he was speaking, Moscow launched scores of missiles and drones in an attempt to take out Ukraine's ravaged energy grid. "Putin deliberately chose Christmas to attack," President Zelensky said. "What could be more inhumane? More than 70 missiles, including ballistic missiles, and more than 100 attack drones. The target is our energy system".Ukraine has been celebrating Christmas on December 25 since 2017, having previously held the feast like many other Orthodox countries on January 7.
'We limited our joy'
An Azerbaijan Airlines passenger jet flying from the capital Baku to Grozny in Russia crashed on Wednesday in western Kazakhstan, officials said, with 25 survivors reported so far. The plane was carrying 67 people. In the biblical birthplace of Jesus, the Israeli-occupied West Bank city of Bethlehem, celebrations among its Palestinian population were muted. Since the war in Gaza began, Bethlehem has done away with its giant Christmas tree and the elaborate decorations that normally draw throngs of tourists, settling for just a few festive lights."This year we limited our joy," Bethlehem mayor Anton Salman told AFP. Prayers, including at the Church of the Nativity's famed midnight mass, were strictly of a religious nature. The Latin patriarch, Archbishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa, told a small crowd on Tuesday that he had just returned from Gaza, where he "saw everything destroyed, poverty, disaster". "But I also saw life -- they don't give up. So you should not give up either. Never." At Manger Square, in the heart of the Palestinian city, a group of scouts held a parade that broke the silence. "Our children want to play and laugh," read a sign carried by one of them. Other banners said "We want life, not death", and "Stop the Gaza genocide now!" Jerusalem resident Hisham Makhoul said spending Christmas in the holy city offered an "escape" from the Israel-Hamas war, which has raged for more than 14 months in the Gaza Strip. "What we're going through is very difficult and we can't completely forget about it," said Makhoul of the plight of Palestinians in the besieged territory.
Gaza and Syria
About 1,100 Christians live in Gaza, with hundreds gathering at a church there to pray for an end to the war. "This Christmas carries the stench of death and destruction," said George al-Sayegh, who for weeks has sought refuge in the 12th-century Greek Orthodox Church of Saint Porphyrius in Gaza City. In a message to Christians all over the world, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked them for supporting Israel's fight against the "forces of evil". Elsewhere in the Middle East, hundreds of people took to the streets in Christian areas of Damascus to protest the burning of a Christmas tree in a Syrian town, just over two weeks after Islamist-led rebels ousted president Bashar al-Assad. "If we're not allowed to live our Christian faith in our country, as we used to, then we don't belong here anymore," said a demonstrator who gave his name as George.
Santa tracker
In Germany, Christmas was also a grim affair for many families after a deadly attack at a market, prompting President Frank-Walter Steinmeier to issue a message of healing. "Hatred and violence must not have the final word," he said. In Buenos Aires, a Christmas solidarity dinner for the homeless fed around three thousand people at a time when more than half of Argentina's population is affected by poverty. In the United States, where the annual tradition of "tracking" Santa Claus swung into action, a US Air Force general said there was no need to worry that recent mystery drone sightings might affect deliveries. And in Paris, worshippers gathered at the Notre Dame cathedral for the first Christmas mass since its reopening following a devastating fire in 2019.
Clement Melki and Sebastien Duval, with AFP

17 Killed in Tartus Clashes During Attempt to Arrest Former Officer
Damascus: Asharq Al-Awsat/December 25/2025
Syria's new Interior Minister, Mohammad Abdul Rahman, announced that 14 members of the ministry were killed and ten others injured in rural Tartus Province. The ministry's official Facebook page quoted him saying that the casualties resulted from an ambush by "remnants" of the former regime, bringing the total death toll on both sides to 17. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that nine people were killed on Wednesday during clashes in Tartus Province (west) after security forces attempted to arrest a military officer who held positions during the ousted President Bashar al-Assad's regime, linked to Sednaya Prison. The Observatory stated that "six members of the General Security Forces" and "three armed individuals" were killed in Khirbet al-Mazza when they confronted security forces attempting to arrest the former officer. A senior official from Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) confirmed to Agence France-Presse that "there were some clashes between remnants of the ousted criminal regime and security forces in Tartus," without elaborating on the reasons. According to the official, who requested anonymity due to being unauthorized to speak to the media, a number of security personnel were killed. The Observatory, based in the United Kingdom and reliant on a vast network of sources within Syria, revealed that the wanted individual had served as the "Director of the Military Judiciary Administration and Head of the Field Court." He was described as "one of the criminals who issued death sentences and arbitrary rulings against thousands of prisoners" and "one of those responsible for the crimes committed at Sednaya Prison."It further reported that "violent clashes erupted between armed villagers from Khirbet al-Mazza in Tartus and the General Security Forces under the Military Operations Directorate after several residents resisted house searches in the village." According to the Observatory, "the wanted officer's brother and armed supporters of the officer expelled the patrol from the village and ambushed them near the area, targeting one of their vehicles. This resulted in the killing of six security personnel and the injury of others from the General Security Forces." It added that security forces subsequently surrounded Khirbet al-Mazza, arresting dozens of villagers and taking them to a security center.

Syria Authorities Say Torched 1 Million Captagon Pills
This is Beirut/December 25/2025
Syria's new authorities torched a large stockpile of drugs on Wednesday, two security officials told AFP, including one million pills of captagon, whose industrial-scale production flourished under ousted president Bashar al-Assad. Captagon is a banned amphetamine-like stimulant that became Syria's largest export during the country's more than 13-year civil war, effectively turning it into a narco state under Assad. "We found a large quantity of captagon, around one million pills," said a balaclava-wearing member of the security forces, who asked to be identified only by his first name, Osama, and whose khaki uniform bore a "public security" patch. An AFP journalist saw forces pour fuel over and set fire to a cache of cannabis, the painkiller tramadol, and around 50 bags of pink and yellow captagon pills in a security compound formerly belonging to Assad's forces in the capital's Kafr Sousa district.
Captagon has flooded the black market across the region in recent years, with oil-rich Saudi Arabia a major destination. "The security forces of the new government discovered a drug warehouse as they were inspecting the security quarter," said another member of the security forces, who identified himself as Hamza.Authorities destroyed the stocks of alcohol, cannabis, captagon and hashish in order to "protect Syrian society" and "cut off smuggling routes used by Assad family businesses", he added. Syria's new Islamist rulers have yet to spell out their policy on alcohol, which has long been widely available in the country.
Manufacturing sites
Since an Islamist-led rebel alliance toppled Assad on December 8 after a lightning offensive, Syria's new authorities have said massive quantities of captagon have been found in former government sites around the country, including security branches.
AFP journalists in Syria have seen fighters from Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) set fire to what they said were stashes of captagon found at facilities once operated by Assad's forces. Security force member Hamza confirmed Wednesday that "this is not the first initiative of its kind -- the security services, in a number of locations, have found other warehouses... and drug manufacturing sites and destroyed them in the appropriate manner". Maher al-Assad, a military commander and the brother of Bashar al-Assad, is widely accused of being the power behind the lucrative captagon trade.
Experts believe Syria's former leader used the threat of drug-fuelled unrest to put pressure on Arab governments. A Saudi delegation met Syria's new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa in Damascus on Sunday, a source close to the government told AFP, to discuss the "Syria situation and captagon". Jordan in recent years has also cracked down on the smuggling of weapons and drugs including captagon along its 375-kilometre (230-mile) border with Syria.

Syria Rescuers, Activist Say Site Outside Damascus Believed to Be Mass Grave
This is Beirut/December 25/2025
A key Syrian rescue group and an activist told AFP on Wednesday a burial site outside Damascus was likely a mass grave for detainees held under former president Bashar al-Assad and fighters killed in the civil war. In a vast walled area located near the Baghdad Bridge, some 35 kilometres (22 miles) from the capital, AFP journalists visiting the site saw a long row of graves more than one metre deep, mostly covered with cement slabs. Several of the slabs had been moved and inside, white bags could be seen stacked over each other with names and numbers written on them. One of the bags contained a human skull and bones. "We think this is a mass grave -- we found an open grave with seven bags filled with bones," said Abdel Rahman Mawas from the White Helmets rescue group, which visited the site several days earlier. He told AFP by telephone that the bags, six of which bore names, were "taken to a secure location", adding that "necessary procedures were begun for DNA testing". He said if additional graves had been exposed it meant other people may have been searching the site, warning people to "stay away from graves and let the relevant authorities handle them". The site, near the Adra industrial area northeast of the capital, is less than 20 kilometres from the Saydnaya prison. Diab Serriya, from the Association of Detainees and Missing Persons of Sednaya Prison, said the site was first identified in 2019 through "testimony of an intelligence personnel member who had deserted".
Satellite imagery suggests the site was in use from 2014, he said."Probably this grave contains detainees but also former regime or opposition fighters killed in battle," he told AFP by telephone.The notorious Saydnaya complex, the site of extrajudicial executions, torture and forced disappearances, epitomised the atrocities committed against Assad's opponents.Serriya said "the bags of bones were probably brought from other graves", adding that "the road to discovering who is buried here will be long". The doors of Syria's prisons were flung open after an Islamist-led rebel alliance ousted Assad this month, more than 13 years after his brutal repression of anti-government protests triggered a war that would kill more than 500,000 people. The fate of tens of thousands of prisoners and missing people remains one of the most harrowing legacies of the conflict. Mohammed Ali from the Adra municipal council denied residents were aware of the site, which is located near a Syrian army facility. "It was forbidden to approach it or take photos as it was a military zone," he told AFP.

Asma Assad ‘has 50/50 chance’ of surviving leukemia: Report
LONDON: Asma Assad is suffering from leukemia and has been given a “50/50” chance of survival by doctors, the Daily Telegraph reported on Wednesday. The British-born wife of ousted Syrian President Bashar Assad, whose family sought asylum in Moscow this month, is being kept in isolation to prevent infection. Her father Fawaz Akhras is in the Russian capital to care for her, and was described as “heartbroken” by sources in contact with the Assad family. In May, the Syrian presidency announced that the then-first lady had been diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia. It follows her previous battle with breast cancer, which she announced she was “completely” free from in 2019. The 49-year-old is believed to have arrived in Moscow for treatment before the Kremlin convinced her husband to flee Syria earlier this month. The news of her leukemia follows reports that she was unhappy in Moscow and seeking a divorce from her husband. The family have not commented on the reports and the Kremlin denied rumors of a divorce. Turkish journalists briefed by Russian diplomats were believed to be the source of the reports, the Telegraph reported. One source who has communicated with a family representative told the newspaper that “Asma is dying,” adding: “She can’t be in the same room with anyone (because of her condition).” Akhras, a London-based cardiologist, has cared for his daughter for almost half a year, initially in the UAE and now in Moscow.

Erdogan Warns Kurdish Militia in Syria to Lay Down Arms
This is Beirut/December 25/2025
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated on Wednesday that Kurdish militants in Syria must either surrender their weapons or “be buried,” amid ongoing hostilities between Turkey-backed Syrian fighters and Kurdish militants following the fall of Bashar al-Assad this month, according to a report on Reuters. Since Assad's departure, Ankara has consistently demanded the disbandment of the Kurdish YPG militia, asserting that the group has no place in Syria's future. The leadership change in Syria has weakened the position of the country's primary Kurdish factions. Erdogan addressed lawmakers from his ruling AK Party in Parliament, declaring, “The separatist murderers will either bid farewell to their weapons, or they will be buried in Syrian lands along with their weapons.” He added, “We will eradicate the terrorist organization that is trying to weave a wall of blood between us and our Kurdish siblings.” Turkey regards the Kurdish YPG militia, the primary component of the US-allied Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), as an extension of the banned Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which has led an insurgency against the Turkish state since 1984. Erdogan denied any organizational ties between Turkey and the PKK. He also announced that Turkey would soon open its consulate in Aleppo and anticipated increased border traffic next summer as some of the millions of Syrian migrants hosted in Turkey begin returning home.

Houthis Claim Ballistic Missile Attack on Israel
This is Beirut/December 25/2025
Yemen's Houthis said Wednesday that they had fired a ballistic missile and drones at Israel, days after an attack on Tel Aviv wounded 16 people. Israel's military said it intercepted the missile before it entered Israeli territory, but did not immediately comment on the drone attacks which the Houthis said hit their targets. "The UAV (drone) force of the Yemeni Armed Forces carried out two military operations" targeting Israel's commercial hub of Tel Aviv and the southern city of Ashkelon, a Houthi military statement said. The missile was also aimed at the Tel Aviv area, the Houthis said. The Israelis reported it was shot down before it entered Israeli territory. A Houthi military statement said the attack was carried out "using a hypersonic ballistic missile, type Palestine 2". The Iran-backed Houthis have repeatedly launched missiles at Israel in solidarity with the Palestinians since the war in Gaza erupted more than a year ago.Most have been intercepted, but on Saturday an attack that hit Tel Aviv wounded 16 people, prompting a warning from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. "We will act against the Houthis... with force, determination and sophistication," he said in a video statement on Sunday. In the missile attack on Wednesday, air raid sirens sounded over a wide swathe of central Israel as a precaution against falling debris. "A missile that was launched from Yemen was intercepted before crossing into Israeli territory," the military said in a statement. No injuries were reported, according to Israel's emergency medical services. On Tuesday, the Israeli army said it had intercepted a projectile fired from Yemen. In July, a Houthi drone attack on Tel Aviv killed an Israeli civilian, prompting retaliatory strikes on the Yemeni port of Hodeidah. The Houthis have also regularly targeted shipping in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, leading to retaliatory strikes by US and sometimes British forces.

Baby freezes to death overnight in Gaza as Israel and Hamas trade accusations of ceasefire delays
JERUSALEM: A baby girl froze to death overnight in Gaza, while Israel and Hamas accused each other of complicating ceasefire efforts that could wind down the 14-month war. The 3-week old baby was the third to die from the cold in Gaza’s tent camps in recent days, doctors said, deaths that underscore the squalid conditions, with hundreds of thousands of Palestinians crammed into often ramshackle tents after fleeing Israeli offensives. Israel’s bombardment and ground invasion of Gaza has killed over 45,000 Palestinians, more than half of them women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. The offensive has caused widespread destruction and displaced some 90 percent of Gaza’s 2.3 million people, often multiple times. Hundreds of thousands are packed into tent camps along the coast as the cold, wet winter sets in. Aid groups have struggled to deliver food and supplies and say there are shortages of blankets, warm clothing and firewood. Israel has increased the amount of aid it allows into the territory, reaching an average of 130 trucks a day so far this month, up from around 70 a day in October and November. Still, the amount remains well below than previous months and the United Nations says it is unable to distribute more than half the aid because Israeli forces deny permission to move within Gaza or because of rampant lawlessness and theft from trucks. The father of 3-week-old Sila, Mahmoud Al-Faseeh, wrapped her in a blanket to try and keep her warm in their tent in the Muwasi area outside the town of Khan Younis, but it wasn’t enough, he told The Associated Press. He said the tent was not sealed from the wind and the ground was cold, as temperatures on Tuesday night dropped to 9 degrees Celsius (48 degrees Fahrenheit.) Muwasi is a desolate area of dunes and farmland on Gaza’s Mediterranean coast.
“It was very cold overnight and as adults we couldn’t even take it. We couldn’t stay warm,” he said. Sila woke up crying three times overnight and in the morning they found her unresponsive, her body stiff.
“She was like wood,” said Al-Faseeh. They rushed her to a field hospital where doctors tried to revive her, but her lungs had already deteriorated. Images of Sila taken by the AP showed the little girl with purple lips, her pale skin blotchy.
Ahmed Al-Farra, director of the children’s ward at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, confirmed that the baby died of hypothermia. He said two other babies — one 3 days old, the other a month old — had been brought to the hospital over the past 48 hours after dying of hypothermia. Meanwhile, hopes for a ceasefire looked complicated Wednesday, with Israel and the militant Hamas group that runs Gaza trading accusations of delaying an agreement. In recent weeks, the two sides appeared to be inching toward a deal that would bring home dozens of hostages held by the militants in Gaza, but differences have emerged. Although Israel and Hamas have expressed optimism that progress was being made toward a deal, sticking points remain over the exchange of hostages for Palestinian prisoners and the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza, people involved in the talks say. On Wednesday, Hamas accused Israel of introducing new conditions related to the withdrawal from Gaza, the prisoners and the return of displaced people, which it said was delaying the deal. Israel’s government accused Hamas of reneging on understandings that have already been reached.” Still, both sides said discussions are ongoing. Israel’s negotiating team, which includes members from its intelligence agencies and the military, returned from Qatar on Tuesday evening for internal consultations, following a week of what it called “significant negotiations.”During its Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel, Hamas and other groups took about 250 people hostages and brought them to Gaza. A previous truce in November 2023 freed more than 100 hostages, while others have been rescued or their remains have been recovered over the past year. Israel says about 100 hostages remain in Gaza — at least a third whom it believes were killed during the Oct. 7 attack or died in captivity. Sporadic talks have taken place for a year, but in recent weeks there’s been a renewed push to reach a deal. President-elect Donald Trump, who takes office next month for his second term, has demanded the immediate release of Israeli hostages, saying on social media that if they’re not freed before he is sworn in, there will be “HELL TO PAY.” Families of the hostages are becoming increasingly angry, calling on the Israeli government for a ceasefire before Trump is sworn in. After Israel’s high-level negotiation team returned from Doha this week, hostage families called an emergency press conference in Tel Aviv, Israel, pleading for a ceasefire and a complete end to the war. Shir Siegel, the daughter of Israeli-American Keith Siegel, whose mother was released after more than 50 days in captivity, said every delay could endanger their lives. “There are moments when every second is fateful, and this is one of those moments,” she said. Families of the hostages marked the first night of Hannukah with a candle lighting ceremony in Tel Aviv as well as by the Western Wall in Jerusalem. The agreement would take effect in phases and include a halt in fighting, an exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners, and a surge in aid to the besieged Gaza, according to Egyptian, Hamas and American officials. The last phase would include the release of any remaining hostages, an end to the war and talks on reconstruction.

Hamas, Israel Trade Blame Over Gaza Truce Delay
This is Beirut/December 25/2025
Hamas and Israel traded accusations on Wednesday over delays in finalising a ceasefire and hostage release deal, after both had reported progress in the latest round of Gaza truce talks. Indirect negotiations mediated by Qatar, Egypt and the United States have taken place in Doha in recent days, rekindling hope for an agreement between the two warring parties that has so far proven elusive. On Wednesday, both sides accused the other of throwing up roadblocks, while Israeli President Isaac Herzog urged the country's leadership to move towards a deal. "The hostages are in clear and immediate danger", Herzog, whose role is largely symbolic, said at an event marking the start of the Jewish festival of Hanukkah. He called on "our leadership to act with all its power... to bring about a deal". Fighting meanwhile raged on in the Gaza Strip, were rescuers said Israeli strikes on Wednesday killed at least 20 people. Palestinian militant group Hamas, whose October 7, 2023 attack triggered the war, said in a statement that "the ceasefire and prisoner exchange negotiations are continuing... in a serious manner." But, it added, Israel "has set new conditions" which have "delayed reaching an agreement". Israel swiftly refuted the accusations, saying it was Hamas that was creating "new obstacles" to an agreement. Efforts to strike a deal in numerous rounds of indirect talks have repeatedly failed over key stumbling blocks.
'Don't wait'
Hamas said the latest Israeli demands concern troop withdrawal, the terms of the proposed ceasefire and the potential release of prisoners held in Israeli jails, as well as "the return of displaced people" to their homes in Gaza. It did not specify what the Israeli conditions were. A statement from the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hit back, saying that "Hamas is once again lying, reneging on understandings already reached, and continuing to create new obstacles in the negotiations."Just days ago, both sides had reported progress. Netanyahu on Monday told a parliament session that there had been "some progress" in the talks, two days after Hamas and other Palestinian groups said a ceasefire agreement was "closer than ever". In Israel, critics of Netanyahu including relatives of some of the dozens of hostages still in captivity in Gaza have accused him of stalling. On Wednesday, a group of family members of Gaza hostages urged Netanyahu to secure a deal to bring their loved ones homes. "It's time to bring them back, Netanyahu. It's up to you," said Sharon Sharabi, whose two brothers were abducted during the Hamas attack. One of them has died in captivity, according to the Israeli military. "It's about time, don't wait," said Sharabi, reading out a statement at Tel Aviv's Hostages Square. Israel and Hamas have agreed just one truce in more than 14 months of war. The late 2023 one-week pause saw 80 Israeli hostages freed in exchange for 240 Palestinians detained by Israel, with 25 other captives, mostly Thai farm workers, also released.
Strikes
A primary bone of contention in negotiations since then has been the establishment of a lasting ceasefire. Another unresolved issue has been Gaza's post-war governance, which remains highly contentious including within the divided Palestinian leadership.
Israel has repeatedly said it would not allow Hamas, which has ruled Gaza since 2007, to run the tiny coastal territory ever again. In an interview with The Wall Street Journal last week, Netanyahu said: "I'm not going to agree to end the war before we remove Hamas." Netanyahu has also said he would not agree to a complete withdrawal of troops from Gaza, and on Wednesday his defence minister, Israel Katz, said security matters in the Palestinian territory "will remain in the hands of the IDF", the Israeli military. On the ground, Gaza's civil defence agency said at least 20 people were killed in Israeli strikes on Wednesday. Four people including a child were killed in a strike that hit tents of displaced people in Gaza City, said civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal, adding that 25 others were wounded. The Israeli military earlier said its forces had targeted a militant in a strike on Gaza City.
Israel's military campaign, launched in response to Hamas's unprecedented attack, has killed at least 45,361 people in Gaza, a majority of them civilians, according to figures from the Hamas-run territory's health ministry that the UN considers reliable. The October 7 attack last year resulted in 1,208 deaths on the Israeli side, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures. Militants also seized 251 hostages, 96 of whom remain in Gaza including 34 the Israeli military says are dead.

IMF, Egypt Reach Deal Unlocking $1.2 Bn
This is Beirut/With AFP/December 25/2025
The International Monetary Fund said Tuesday that it has reached a deal with Egyptian authorities allowing the country access to about $1.2 billion. The funding access is subject to executive board approval. "The Egyptian authorities have continued to implement key policies to preserve macroeconomic stability, despite ongoing regional tensions that are causing a sharp decline in Suez Canal receipts," said Ivanna Vladkova Hollar, who led the IMF mission involved in discussions with Egyptian authorities. She added in a statement that "continued implementation of fiscal consolidation efforts will be necessary to preserve debt sustainability, and reduce large interest costs and gross domestic financing requirements." The deal comes as both sides reached staff-level agreement on the fourth review under the Extended Fund Facility arrangement, the fund said. Vladkova Hollar also noted that authorities' plans to streamline and simplify the tax system were commendable, but that "further reforms will be needed to enhance domestic revenue mobilization efforts." "A comprehensive reform package is needed to ensure that Egypt rebuilds fiscal buffers to reduce debt vulnerabilities, and generates additional space to increase social spending, especially in health, education and social protection," said Vladkova Hollar.The discussions culminating in the deal were held in person from November 6-20 and virtually afterwards.

Ukraine Reports Massive Christmas Day Attack by Russia
This is Beirut/December 25/2025
Russian missiles killed at least one person and damaged energy infrastructure across Ukraine, according to officials, who reported a massive Christmas attack. Air raid sirens rang out over Ukraine on Wednesday morning, while the air force reported Russian Kalibr cruise missiles had been launched from the Black Sea. Ukraine faces its toughest winter of the almost three-year war as Moscow steps up its aerial bombardment and its troops advance on the frontlines in the east. On Wednesday morning, the governor of Kherson region reported that one person had been killed three others injured over the last 24 hours. In Dnipropetrovsk region, where winter temperatures have hovered around the freezing point, the governor said Russia was taking aim at the power grid. "The enemy is trying to destroy the region's power system," Lysak wrote on Telegram. "Stay in a safe place until the air alert is lifted. Take care of yourself!" A search and rescue operation after strikes on Christmas Eve found a 43-year-old man had been killed and 17 others wounded, Dnipropetrovsk Governor Sergiy Lysak said. A "massive missile attack" also pummelled Ukraine's northeastern city of Kharkiv early Wednesday, according to Mayor Igor Terekhov.
"Kharkiv is under a massive missile attack. A series of explosions were heard in the city and there are still ballistic missiles heading towards the city," Terekhov wrote on Telegram. The regional governor counted seven Russian strikes and said at least three people were injured.
Scramble for upper hand
Since the start of the war in February 2022, Russia has severely damaged Ukraine's power grid by repeatedly bombing it, causing regular power cuts. Ukraine has regularly appealed to its allies for more robust air defence systems to thwart Russian attacks on the war-battered country's power system.
Last month, Washington cleared Ukraine to use long-range American missiles against military targets inside Russia, prompting fiery rhetoric and vows of retaliation from Moscow. In November, Russia launched almost 200 missiles and drones targeting Ukraine's energy grid, with President Volodymyr Zelensky alleging "cluster munitions" were fired in what he called a "despicable escalation" almost three years into the war. Both sides are scrambling to gain an upper hand ahead of Donald Trump being inaugurated as US president in January. The Republican has promised to bring a swift end to the conflict, without proposing any concrete terms for a ceasefire or peace deal. Moscow's army claims to have seized more than 190 Ukrainian settlements this year, with Kyiv struggling to hold the line in the face of manpower and ammunition shortages.
Russia's defence ministry said Wednesday its forces had shot down 59 Ukrainian drones overnight.

Russia Launches Massive Strike On Ukraine's Energy Network On Christmas Day
This is Beirut/December 25/2025
Russia launched more than 170 missiles and drones at Ukraine's energy system on Wednesday, an ‘inhumane’ attack that Kiev said killed one person and left hundreds of thousands of homes without electricity or heating on Christmas Day. Russian President Vladimir ‘Putin consciously chose Christmas for his attack. What could be more inhumane?’ his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky said on Telegram. ‘More than 50 missiles’ and a number of drones were shot down, but some strikes caused “power cuts in several regions”, he added. The strikes targeted six regions, leaving at least one dead and six injured and causing widespread heating cuts in near-zero temperatures, according to the Ukrainian authorities. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer denounced ‘Putin's bloody and brutal war machine’ which is targeting Ukraine ‘without respite, even at Christmas’.US President Joe Biden called the attack ‘outrageous’, stressing that its aim was ‘to cut off the Ukrainian people's access to heating and electricity during the winter and to jeopardise the security of their network’. The attack killed an employee of a thermal power station in the central-eastern town of Dnipro, according to Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiï Kouleba. The mayor of this large city reported heating problems in certain districts, and said that a hospital with around a hundred patients was going to be evacuated. In Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city in the north-east and a frequent target, the attack left six people injured and half a million homes without electricity, heating or tap water, according to the region's governor, Oleg Synegoubov. One of the cruise missiles, a Kh-59, fell in the courtyard of a private house in Kharkiv without exploding or causing any casualties, he added. Sappers are working on defusing it. The Ukrainian air force said it had detected 78 Russian missiles and 106 drones, claiming to have shot down 59 and 54 respectively. Since the start of its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Russia has regularly bombed its neighbour's electricity network, plunging civilians into darkness. On the Russian side, a Ukrainian strike killed four people and wounded several others on Wednesday in Lgov, a town in the Kursk border region, where Ukraine has been conducting an offensive since August, according to acting governor Alexander Khinchtein. The DTEK group, Ukraine's main private energy supplier, said that its thermal power stations had been targeted by this thirteenth massive attack on the energy system this year and reported ‘serious damage’ to their equipment. The national electricity company, Ukrenergo, announced supply restrictions across the country.

The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources on December 25-26/2024
Israel, Amos and the Philistines
Nils A. Haug/Gatestone Institute/December 25, 2024
Israel's enemies in Gaza today, like the Philistines of old, constitute a mortal threat to the nation, although that threat diminishes as Israel again succeeds in overcoming its enemies.
One hopes, with the astounding team of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President-elect Donald J. Trump, who successfully initiated the Abraham Accords, that jihads, pogroms and similar events will no longer take place, and that Israel will soon herald in a new dispensation of peace and redemption, as promised to Moses on Mt. Sinai, and live once again as "a kingdom of priests and a holy nation."
Hamas has been occupying Gaza, as did the Philistines. Both tribes had a similar agenda: eliminating all Israelites, the Israelis of today.
The Hebrew prophet Amos lived some 2,700 years ago, during the reign of King Jeroboam II of Israel. At the time, the Israelites' main enemies were the Philistines of Gaza, reputed to be the most menacing tribe in the region and dedicated to the destruction of Israel.
Amos predicted dire punishment for the Philistines, who had taken "captive whole communities and sold them to Edom." The Philistines had attacked the Israelites, enslaved and sold them to another of their enemies, the tribe of Edom. According to Amos, divine retribution was at hand. Certain passages of Amos's prophecy cite the punishment of Israel's Gazan enemies:
"Because she took captive whole communities
and sold them to Edom,
I will send fire on the walls of Gaza
that will consume her fortresses.
I will destroy the king of Ashdod
and the one who holds the scepter in Ashkelon.
I will turn my hand against Ekron,
till the last of the Philistines are dead."
The original tribe of Philistines were indeed eliminated from the area, never to appear again. However, their ideological successors of hate, Hamas -- the jihad Islamists of Gaza -- arose in recent times to attack Israel, and also "took captive whole communities."
Hamas has been occupying Gaza, as did the Philistines. Both tribes had a similar agenda: eliminating all Israelites, the Israelis of today. Apart from the issue of territorial claims was the conflict of religions. While the Philistines worshipped Dagon and Astarte, the Israelites served the God of their ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The question of the identity of the true God became starkly apparent when the Philistines captured Israel's sacred ark at the battle of Aphek, later placing it alongside their own god, Dagon. That night, their great idol fell on its face, broken in pieces.
Israel's enemies in Gaza today, like the Philistines of old, constitute a mortal threat to the nation, although that threat diminishes as Israel again succeeds in overcoming its enemies. The Philistines had a long history of battles with the Israelites -- including David's encounter with Goliath, and King Hezekiah's successful battles in which the Philistines were significantly defeated. Similarly, the warriors of modern day Israel have a long and intense history of conflict with Hamas's jihadist forces in Gaza. The conflict commenced with the first intifada in 1987, continued through many subsequent outbreaks of violence, and culminated in the horrendous atrocities of October 7, 2023.
While Amos admonished the Israelites for their lack of faithfulness to the Torah -- the first five books of the Old Testament: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy -- he prophesied the eventual destruction of their enemies. Furthermore, Amos prophesizes the eternal redemption of the Jewish people after a difficult period which the prophet Jeremiah described as the "the time of trouble for Jacob but he will be saved out of it." As did Amos, Jeremiah predicted, after this period of immense hardship, the restoration of Israel.
Israel -- while frequently undermined by the West's weak politicians -- has again been facing dire circumstances through multi-front lethal attacks by fundamentalist jihadist hordes determined to eliminate the only Jewish nation from this earth.
Renowned professor, Leon R. Kass in his work, The Beginning of Wisdom, writes that "the beginning of Genesis shows us not so much the past but what will always happen."
Jewish interpretive methods, relating to prophecy, operate in a manner that provides guidance for both the present and future, derived from lessons of the past. "We study history," notes R. G. Collingwood, "in order to see more clearly into the situation in which we are called upon to act."
It might be said that the Islamist assault upon peaceful Jewish residents of Hebron, nearly 100 years ago on the Sabbath day of August 24, 1929, stimulated the subsequent pogroms of modern times. The stalwart Hitler-supporter and Muslim leader of Jerusalem, Grand Mufti Haj Amin al-Husseini, incited the horrific bloodshed on the false allegation that the Jews were "plotting to destroy Al-Aqsa Mosque." The British police, mandated to keep the peace, refused to stop the madness until some 70 Jewish men, women, and children had been slaughtered.
The events of October 7, 2023, in Israel are similar. For instance, unfounded allegations of intended Jewish destruction or control of the Al-Aqsa Mosque preceded the jihadist attack. Many kibbutzniks, like the 1929 Jews of Hebron, lived under the same illusion, that they had peaceful relationships with the Palestinians, with whom they daily worked. Just as the British commander in Hebron charged Jews for the murderous events, saying, "You Jews are to blame for all of this," so too British jihad-supporters accused Jews, the victims, of responsibility for the October 7 events. At a rally in Manchester on October 8, 2023, the co-founder of Palestine Action, Richard Barnard, declared:
"When we hear the resistance, the Al-Aqsa flood [the Arabic name for the attacks on Israel of October 7, 2023], we must turn that flood into a tsunami of the whole world."
In France, shortly after October 7, French far-left parliamentarian, Daniele Obono, notwithstanding their gruesome murder of civilians from assorted nations, religions and ethnicities, described Hamas as a "resistance movement".
Columnist Kathleen Hayes comments in her discussion of the Hebron events that "the past is but a prologue of the future" -- in accordance with traditional views of prophetic events, as foretold by Amos, Zechariah, Jeremiah, Daniel and other biblical prophets during millennia gone.
One hopes, with the astounding team of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President-elect Donald J. Trump, who successfully initiated the Abraham Accords, that jihads, pogroms and similar events will no longer take place, and that Israel will soon herald in a new dispensation of peace and redemption, as promised to Moses on Mt. Sinai, and live once again as "a kingdom of priests and a holy nation."**Nils A. Haug is an author and columnist. A Lawyer by profession, he is member of the International Bar Association, the National Association of Scholars, the Academy of Philosophy and Letters. Retired from law, his particular field of interest is political theory and ethics interconnected with current events. He holds a Ph.D. in Apologetical Theology. Dr. Haug is author of 'Politics, Law, and Disorder in the Garden of Eden – the Quest for Identity'; and 'Enemies of the Innocent – Life, Truth, and Meaning in a Dark Age.' His work has been published by First Things Journal, The American Mind, Quadrant, Minding the Campus, Gatestone Institute, National Association of Scholars, The James Wilson Institute (Anchoring Truths), Document Danmark, Jewish Journal, and others.
© 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.

The New Trumponomics: Reactors for Clean, Controlled Energy from Nuclear Fusion
Lawrence Kadish/Gatestone Institute./December 25, 2024
As dreams of renewable green energy fade, along with electric car batteries that freeze in winter, explode in summer and cannot conveniently take you as far as you might want to go without a long refill that may or may not be available, and with windmills and solar panels that are dependent upon wind and sun when there might be much of either, the future keeps looking better and better for long-lasting, totally clean nuclear fusion energy – if and when it can be developed. Increasingly, people are starting to see nuclear fusion as the wave of the future for both affordable energy and "saving the planet" from being overrun by pollutants.
One small reactor in your car could enable it to travel for "a million kilometers" – quite different from trying to find a charging station while crossing a desert. The good news is that entrepreneurs such as Elon Musk and Sam Altman are already exploring how to capture this new magic fuel so that it can be put to use immediately. To that end, they are reportedly building small nuclear reactors in Nevada. The bad news is that Communist China is developing them, already using them to fuse atoms at unimaginably high temperatures inside a device called a tokamak. They have been working in fusion atoms for energy this way for years while continuing to open at least two "dirty" coal plants every week, evidently just make sure they have their bases covered while they perfect nuclear fusion for commercial use.
Trump would do well to focus when his term officially starts next month, on the future of his new Trumponomics: a US tokamak that is superior to China's, should be a Trump "Manhattan Project," financed, with allocations from the House of Representatives as either a public-private partnership between the government and the private sector, or as a private IPO, or both. The goal would be to come up with a tokamak nuclear reactor better than China's that can generate enormous sustainable electric energy and propulsion - and a resultant boom in American economic growth.
This project must be, along with modernizing the US military, among President Trump's first orders of business as soon as he assumes office.
Lawrence Kadish serves on the Board of Governors of Gatestone Institute.
© 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.

A new Syria must face its challenges with openness, dialogue
Eyad Abu Shakra/Arab News/December 25, 2024
It must be said that very few of us anticipated the developments in Syria that unfolded over a month ago. A 54-year chapter in the history of the country ended in less than two weeks — a massive achievement.
The ease and speed with which the Bashar Assad regime was brought down surprised even the most optimistic observers hoping to see this shift. However, since the temporary military leadership took control of Damascus, we have seen some offer predictable critique of various behaviors. I believe that with more consultation this criticism would have neither emerged nor been justified. I do not have in mind the criticism from vehement opponents who consistently showed their allegiance to the fallen regime despite its crimes nor the hypocrites who, as they say, greet the bride’s family and leave with the groom’s family. Rather, I am thinking of the anxious silence or apologetic criticism from forces that are keen on seeing this liberation succeed, just as they were hoping that the revolution would win in 2011. These forces, which represent most of the population — call them the silent majority or ordinary citizens — across class and sectarian lines, have an interest in seeing this change succeed. No one is as keen as they are on ensuring that the transitional phase proceeds with as little pain, complications, skepticism, and retribution as possible. Otherwise, the nation’s body could be left with deep wounds that are difficult to heal and prone to infection. The mistakes of the past few days have been relatively minor, and can thus be easily overlooked. Through trial and error, lessons can be drawn for the future. However, repeating these past errors in the coming days and weeks could turn them into harmful sins that could hinder the transition. I believe it would be useful to draw attention to some uncomfortable truths.
At the forefront of these is the fact that this liberation is now under intense local, regional, and international scrutiny. The local scrutiny is from within the country. While the fall of the Assad regime has certainly been welcomed, a broad segment of the population does not want to replace one dictatorship with another. This means that there is a need for consultation, openness, and dialogue rather than replicating the experience of the “Idlib government,” despite all the positives we saw there.
Then there is the regional scrutiny. Syria’s borders with two neighboring countries, Lebanon and Iraq, are clearly still regarded as unsafe by the interim Syrian leadership. This is clear from the escape of several major figures in the Assad regime to these countries, exploiting the de facto control of sectarian armed forces backed by a powerful regional sponsor.  Most of the population have an interest in seeing this change succeed. On the other hand, two other influential regional powers not only have a stake in what is happening, but also claim the right to protect their borders and ensure what they consider to be regional security. Indeed, as soon as the regime fell, the significant contribution made by Turkiye to victory in the north became evident. Meanwhile, in the south, the danger of Israel’s expansionist intentions became apparent as its army breached the ceasefire line in the Golan Heights, occupying the strategic peak of Mount Hermon and launching air raids on dozens of Syrian military targets. This situation speaks volumes about the extent of the Israeli leadership’s seeming confidence in the intentions of the Assad regime, throughout the reigns of both father and son, to secure its northern borders.
Another highly important truth concerns those who benefited from the Assad regime for a long time amid claims that they have indeed been removed or have fled. However, first it must be said that they have not disappeared or been crushed. And second, there are still external entities providing them with support.
Consequently, the longer it takes for the achievement of liberation to mature — with minimal complications — the more opportunities these remnants and their supporters will have to regroup, rebuild their forces, and reformulate their inciting and misleading rhetoric. This could potentially lead to a reversal of the current accomplishments. On the subject of international scrutiny, Western powers, and global organizations in which these powers wield significant influence, are watching developments closely. Logically, the historical change that ended the Assad family’s rule would not have proceeded as smoothly, given Russia and Iran’s military presence, without the consent of Western powers, primarily the US. They agreed to allow the end of what they saw as an anomaly in a sensitive region and the arrival of a new administration whose intentions remain obscure.
Washington, in particular, and its Western allies generally, have recognized that maintaining the status quo in the Middle East is no longer tenable. There appears to be a belief that there is a need for a new and different approach to political Islam, the aspirations and fears of minorities, and religious-based terrorism.
These Western allies also are not willing to tolerate any blackmail, including through a nuclear program. In addition, there is a need to address the Ukraine crisis more seriously, in particular containing Russia, which is on the agenda of rising far-right entities on both sides of the Atlantic.
In light of these considerations, the message from the US diplomatic mission’s meeting with Ahmad Al-Sharaa, leader of Syria’s Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham, in Damascus was clear. It told us a lot not only about Washington’s vision for the role of this new Syria in the Arab Levant region, but also about what type of Syrian administration would be internationally acceptable, from the US viewpoint. The new Syria cannot afford to make mistakes as it takes up two main challenges that concern its government and standing in the global economy. The first is hammering out an accord regarding its governing philosophy, especially in dealing with the nation’s diverse communities. The second is determining its economic and financial positions, which includes harnessing its human and natural resources, and gaining international trust. • Eyad Abu Shakra is managing editor of Asharq Al-Awsat, where this article was originally published.

NATO needs to ‘shift to a wartime mindset’
Yossi Mekelberg/Arab News/December 25, 2024
On the occasion of his first major speech as NATO chief, Mark Rutte, a former Dutch prime minister, did not mince his words, calling on members to “shift to a wartime mindset and turbo charge our defense production and defense spending.”
Cynics would probably say that this was a new secretary-general taking a “rather safe than sorry” approach, warning of existential dangers, or even soliciting bigger budgets. But this is no time for cynicism or looking for ulterior motives, but for recognizing that this was a genuine battle cry for Western countries in the face of military threats coming from different directions.
For too long, the West, members of whom comprise this international security organization, has been hanging on to the post-Cold War euphoria of its “total victory” over the Soviet bloc, in both military terms, and more significantly from an ideological-perceptual view. A combination of military superiority and value-based triumph has led Western countries to erroneously imagine that they are invincible. From the early days of the post-Cold War era in the 1990s, there have been profound military-security challenges, among them Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait, the wars in the Balkans, genocide in Rwanda, and many other flashpoints. Moreover, leading powers, mainly Russia and China, have gradually become disgruntled and begun to challenge a unipolar international system dominated by the US.
Despite mounting evidence to the contrary, NATO members preferred to believe that they could procrastinate on investing in defense to meet these growing global threats, and simply enjoy the dividends of peace by investing in their economies and improving their living standards and public services. But Rutte’s speech presented a strong case for ending the denial of danger, rightly reminding the organization’s member states that their paying no heed to Russian aggression against Georgia in 2008 and in the Crimea in 2014, and their refusal to accept the likelihood of Putin launching an all-out war on Ukraine, was signaling their weakness to Moscow, with disastrous consequences.NATO has also paid scant attention to Russia’s many years of aiding and abetting the Assad family’s brutality in Syria — a regime that has only recently collapsed, but which for nearly 14 years has been responsible for more than half a million deaths and immeasurable suffering for the rest of the population. The message is twofold. First, while Russia is spending 7 to 8 percent of its GDP on defense, which also amounts to a third of its budget, and as China is quickly catching up when it comes to its own defense expenditure, the average spend for NATO members in Europe and Canada is estimated at just 2 percent of their GDP, which is insufficient to meet future threats.
These figures are a significant increase on only a few years ago, mainly due to a moment of epiphany provided by the onset of Putin’s current war against Ukraine, but also to more than just a nudge from the US during the first Trump administration, an issue that was one of his articles of faith back then, and one that he is likely to pursue with even more zest in his second term. To be sure, these figures are somewhat deceptive in terms of military preparedness, as a large proportion of countries’ defense budgets tends to be allocated to pensions and other items that do not directly contribute to combat power.
The second challenge to NATO members is to accept that the world has entered a period of long-term instability, with increasing threats to Western values and ways of life. This situation requires an increase in military capabilities and preparedness that should be complemented with diplomacy in its widest sense, including investment in soft power. The challenge to NATO members is to accept that the world has entered a period of long-term instability.
Modern wars are increasingly becoming of the hybrid type, and although kinetic wars, as in Ukraine or the wars in Gaza and Lebanon, have proved to be still a large facet of warfare, it is cybersecurity and cyber-disinformation, the introduction of AI, migration, and regular and irregular forces, that all require close attention in terms of new skills and preparation. The cost of military platforms is also soaring exponentially, and with Western economies growing sluggishly, the diverting of resources to defense expenditure, whose benefits are not easy to measure and demonstrate, while public services are yearning for additional resources, has become a polarizing issue in many societies.
As NATO’s new secretary-general underlined in his remarks, the threat to Europe is no longer theoretical or abstract but now sits on its doorstep: “Hostile actions against Allied countries are real and accelerating. Malicious cyber-attacks on both sides of the Atlantic. Assassination attempts on British and German soil. Explosions at an ammunition warehouse in Czechia. The weaponization of migrants crossing illegally into Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, and Finland. Jamming to disrupt civil aviation in the Baltic region.”
Any delay in building capabilities to respond to these types of threats will only encourage Putin, and others, to undermine NATO’s member states.
As a result of the war in Ukraine, since February 2022 much of the focus has understandably been on Putin’s threat to Europe, but the challenges originating from China and Iran and this pair’s collaboration with Russia are also a major concern. With Donald Trump elected for a second term, tensions with Beijing are almost guaranteed to rise, but at the same time his return to the White House, considering his prickly relations with NATO in his first term, do not necessarily suggest easy relations with NATO. Trump sees the rest of NATO’s members as free-riders at the expense of the US, although this has changed considerably and most countries are now meeting the expectation of spending 2 percent of their GDP on defense. Still, after four years of ironclad commitment by the Biden administration to its NATO allies, it remains to be seen if a second-term Trump and his hawkish appointees to key foreign and defense posts will be more amenable to playing the leading role in NATO, including in terms of providing a nuclear umbrella.
NATO as a collective security instrument has come full circle since its formation in 1949, when the fault lines between the two rival US and Soviet blocs were very clear and demonstrated the need to defend Europe and the rest of the world from Soviet aggression. But in the aftermath of the fall of the Berlin Wall, NATO became a collective security mechanism in search of a purpose, and its members on more than one occasion disagreed on how to respond to crisis situations, and acted unilaterally instead of collectively. The war in Ukraine and the challenges emanating from China are contributing to the 21st century model of NATO as defender of the West and its values, and the decisions by Finland and Sweden to join the organization after decades of sitting on the fence have demonstrated a general fear of Russia. But this still leaves open the question of whether member states are capable of meeting all of the current challenges by developing a clear collective security vision supported by diplomacy and the allocation of adequate resources, as they were urged to do by the organization’s new secretary-general.
• Yossi Mekelberg is a professor of international relations and an associate fellow of the MENA Program at Chatham House.

MENA’s transformative role in climate adaptation
Sara Al-Mulla/Arab News/December 25, 2024
Climate change continues to be a firm fixture on the agendas of governments in the Middle East and North Africa due to the profound impact it has on the region’s economies, communities and ecosystems. Cities and areas across the MENA region are at the center of multifarious climate risks, highlighting the urgent need for ambitious adaptation and mitigation efforts.
Experts are sounding the alarm on the necessity of climate action plans to mitigate the effects of climate change on the region, where vulnerabilities are intensifying by the day. The MENA region is prone to extreme heat, with a World Bank study forecasting that temperatures will soar as high as 56 degrees Celsius if global temperatures rise by 4 C above pre-industrial levels. This would translate to summer heat in parts of Algeria, Saudi Arabia and Iraq intensifying by up to 8 C by 2100, highlighting the dire implications of inaction for one of the world’s hottest regions.
Furthermore, data derived from 2018 figures published by the Food and Agriculture Organization paints a gloomy outlook for water resources. The MENA region is currently the most water-stressed area globally, with about 60 percent of the population residing in areas experiencing severe water stress. According to projections made by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, an increase in temperature of up to 2 C could lead to devastating impacts, with freshwater availability in the region declining by between 15 percent and 45 percent. Consequently, this climate-driven water scarcity is projected to negatively impact the region’s gross domestic product growth, potentially causing a substantial decrease of 6 percent to 14 percent by 2050.
The MENA region is also facing heightened risks from rising sea levels. Nearly a quarter of the region’s coastal GDP and a fifth of its urban coastal areas are highly susceptible to these changes. By 2030, some 100 million residents could be exposed to coastal flooding, threatening critical infrastructure, including 43 major port cities.
Due to these multiple uncertainties, climate change is likely to weaken regional food systems and domestic agricultural productivity, thereby severely aggravating the food insecurity situation in the region and pivoting communities to increased reliance on food imports, which are frequently subject to price and supply fluctuations. The World Bank estimates that 132 million people will be flung into poverty due to severe climate events jeopardizing the lives and livelihoods of low-income communities.
Moreover, extreme weather events will pose significant public health risks, with an estimated 40 percent of lost working hours being due to heat stress by 2030. This will also exacerbate existing health burdens, leading to a number of heat-related illnesses and deaths, particularly among vulnerable populations. Furthermore, it is estimated that the rates of climate migration will increase substantially due to the effects of climate change.
Such perilous projections accentuate the urgency for regional governments to adopt sustainable climate adaptation strategies in order to mitigate the effects of climate change. That is why last year’s COP28 climate change conference was a pivotal milestone toward accelerating the progress toward a more sustainable future in the region. The UAE’s presidency of COP28 was instrumental in shaping the global climate agenda, culminating in the UAE Consensus, which outlines comprehensive agreements to tackle climate challenges, in addition to a set of declarations to advance climate actions globally. On the first day of COP28, a landmark agreement was made to activate the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage, for which $853 million has been pledged thus far. It aims to arrange funding solutions for developing countries that are vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change.
The key outcomes of COP28, through the UAE Consensus and across the Presidential Action Agenda, included the unprecedented and noteworthy decision to shift away from fossil fuels in energy systems, emphasizing the importance of doing so in a manner that is fair, systematic and inclusive of all affected communities. Additionally, an agreement was set to accelerate the global energy transition, reflected in tripling renewable energy capacity and doubling energy efficiency by 2030, while also significantly reducing non-carbon dioxide greenhouse gas emissions.
The Middle East Green Initiative, led by Saudi Arabia, is the largest afforestation program in the world.
Another milestone agreement was the launch of a global initiative to end deforestation by 2030. Additionally, emissions are targeted to peak by 2025 in alignment with the 1.5 C climate pathway, focusing on both sustainable development and poverty eradication. COP28 also sparked significant momentum toward advancing climate adaptation finance, going beyond the initial goal of doubling funding. Other declarations addressed the growing need to design and implement policies that maximize public health benefits from climate change mitigation and prevent dire health impacts, in addition to providing ample support to vulnerable agricultural producers impacted by climate change.
The MENA region has been making significant strides in the area of climate action, demonstrating its commitment to aligning the region’s contributions to the global climate agenda. At COP28, the UAE and the Gates Foundation announced a joint $200 million investment aimed at leveraging artificial intelligence and technology to tackle climate change’s impact on global food systems.
This funding supports several key initiatives, which harness the power of AI to enhance agricultural services for smallholder farmers in low- and middle-income countries, in addition to finding solutions to protect palm trees from pest threats and bolstering agricultural resilience through climate vulnerability diagnostics, mitigation-adaptation assessments and high-quality weather forecasting technologies.
At COP29 last month, the UAE announced the Mangrove Alliance for Climate Strategy, which is designed to accelerate global mangrove conservation efforts and emphasize the UAE’s commitment to restoring 100 million mangroves by 2030. In tandem, the UAE also unveiled the Global Energy Efficiency Alliance, with the goal of doubling global energy efficiency rates by 2030.
The Middle East Green Initiative, led by Saudi Arabia, is the largest afforestation program in the world and it aims to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions by expanding green spaces across the Kingdom and other MENA countries. Its ambitions include the planting of 50 billion trees across the region and restoration of 200 million hectares of degraded land.
In another pioneering example, the Saudi Electricity Company has partnered with King Abdullah University of Science and Technology to launch a groundbreaking research project at the Rabigh Power Plant. This initiative, overseen by the Ministry of Energy, focuses on testing innovative carbon capture technology that utilizes freezing techniques to capture carbon and treat various pollutants. The process achieves a carbon purity of up to 99 percent, marking a significant step forward in the country’s efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Meanwhile, Oman is taking significant strides toward becoming a global leader in green hydrogen production. It aims to scale up the production of green hydrogen, with investments projected to reach up to $140 billion by 2050, supporting a production capacity of 7.5 million to 8 million tonnes per year.
The National Climate Change Plan 2030 recently unveiled by the government of Qatar outlines more than 300 initiatives designed to bolster the country’s climate adaptation efforts. The strategy sets a target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent by 2030. It also focuses on restoring 30 percent of natural habitats affected by climate change, conserving 30 percent of land and coastal areas and protecting 17 species that are either endangered or endemic to the region.
Considering the many collective efforts expended by MENA countries, several critical aspects must be considered for continued progress. Monitoring and tracking the effectiveness of climate initiatives through big data is essential for evaluating commitments to meeting climate targets. Additionally, greater investment in green technologies and infrastructure, alongside strengthening cooperation with innovators from the private sector or research centers, will be key to unlocking many new solutions powered by emerging technologies.
Collaboration with subject matter experts can also provide the necessary expertise to address the many complex challenges facing the region, in addition to transferring skills to developing a sizable and competent green workforce. Regulations should also support climate action agendas with the aim of enforcing efficiency targets and mitigation measures. As the region faces some of the most severe impacts of climate change, the necessity for transformative climate policies has never been more pressing. The momentum seen since COP28 has been pivotal to securing a greener, more resilient future, but sustained efforts will be necessary to meet both regional and global climate targets.
• Sara Al-Mulla is an Emirati civil servant with an interest in human development policy and children’s literature. She can be contacted at www.amorelicious.com.

Syria’s Achievement… Between the Necessary and the Sufficient
Eyad Abu Shakra/Arab News/December 25, 2024
Going back to the Syrian issue, it must be said that few of us had anticipated the developments unfolding today a month ago. The chapter on 54 years has been closed in less than two weeks, a massive achievement in every sense of the word.
The ease with which the Assad regime was brought down and the speed of its collapse surprised even the most optimistic observers hoping to see this shift. However, since the temporary military leadership took control of Damascus, we have seen some here and there make predictable criticisms of various behaviors. I sincerely believe that with more consultation, these criticisms would have neither emerged nor been justified.
Here, I do not have in mind the criticisms from vehement opponents who had consistently shown their allegiance to the fallen regime despite all of its crimes, nor at the hypocrites who "greet the bride's family and leave with the groom's family." Rather, I am thinking of the anxious silence or apologetic criticism from forces that are keen on seeing this liberation succeed, just as they had been hoping that the revolution would win in 2011.
These forces, which represent the majority of the population- call them "the silent majority" or "the ordinary citizen"- across class and sectarian lines, have an interest in seeing this change succeed. No one is as keen as they are on ensuring that the "transitional phase" proceeds with as little pain, complications, skepticism, and retribution as possible. Otherwise, the nation’s body could be left with deep wounds that are difficult to heal and prone to infection.
The mistakes of the past few days were relatively minor, and they can thus be easily overlooked. They can be learned from in the future through "trial and error." However, repeating them in the coming days and weeks could turn these minor mistakes into harmful sins that could hinder the transition. I believe it would be useful to draw attention to some uncomfortable truths.
At the forefront of these truths is the fact that this liberation is now under tight "local,regional," and "international" scrutiny.
To begin with, there is the "local" scrutiny from within the country. While the fall of the Assad regime has certainly been welcomed, a broad segment of the population does not want to replace one dictatorship with another. This means that there is a need for consultation and boarding openness and dialogue rather than replicating the experience of the "Idlib government," despite all the positives we saw from there.
Then there is the "regional" scrutiny. Syria's borders with two neighboring countries, Lebanon and Iraq, are clearly still "unsafe" for the interim Syrian operations leadership. This is clear from the escape of several major figures in the Assad regime to these countries, exploiting the de facto control of sectarian armed forces backed by a powerful regional sponsor.
On the other hand, two other influential regional powers not only have a "stake" in what is happening, but they also claim the right to "protect" their borders and regional security. Indeed, as soon as the regime fell, the significant contribution of Türkiye to victory in the north became evident. Meanwhile, in the south, the danger of Israel's expansionist intentions became apparent as its army breached the "ceasefire line" in the Golan Heights, occupying the strategic peak of Mount Hermon and launching air raids on dozens of Syrian military targets. This situation speaks volumes about the extent of the Israeli leadership's "confidence" in the intentions of the Assad regime, throughout both the father's and son's reigns, to secure its northern borders!
Another highly important truth is that the remnants who benefited from the Assad regime for a long time have indeed been removed, distanced, or have fled... but: firstly, they have not disappeared or been crushed, and secondly, there are still external entities providing depth or support to these remnants. Consequently, the longer it takes for the achievement of liberation to mature—with minimal complications—the more opportunities these remnants and their supporters will have to regroup, rebuild their forces, and formulate their inciting and misleading rhetoric, potentially leading to a reversal of the achieved accomplishment.
Here, we reach the third level of scrutiny, "international" scrutiny. Western powers, and global organizations in which these Western powers wield significant influence, are watching developments closely. Logically, the historical change that ended more than half a century of Assad (father and son) rule would not have proceeded as smoothly, given Russia and Iran’s military presence, without the "consent" of Western powers, primarily the United States. They agreed to allow the end of what they saw as an "anomaly" in a sensitive region before the arrival of a new administration whose intentions remain obscure.
Washington, in particular, and its Western allies generally, have recognized that maintaining the status quo in the Middle East is no longer tenable given the following:
- The need for a new and different approach to political Islam, the aspirations and fears of minorities, and religious extremist terrorism.
- Blackmail, including through a nuclear program, cannot be tolerated.
- The need to address the Ukrainian crisis more seriously. That has reintroduced the question of "containing Russia," especially with the rise of the far-right on both sides of the Atlantic.In light of these considerations, the "messages" from the American diplomatic mission’s meeting with Ahmad al-Sharaa in Damascus were very clear. They told us a lot about Washington's vision not only for the role of this new Syria in the future of the Arab Levant region but also for what an "internationally acceptable" Syrian regime looks like.
This new Syria will face two challenges where they cannot afford to make mistakes: the first challenge is reaching an accord regarding the nature of the regime and its philosophy for dealing with its different communities, and the second challenge is the economic and financial role Syria has the potential to play, thanks to its human and natural resources and international trust.

Where Is Al-Sharaa (Farouk)?
Samir Atallah/Arab News/December 25, 2024
Last Ramadan, I had a conversation with my colleague Abdullah Al-Bandar on his show, "Mekhyal." The discussion revolved around my professional journey and the political figures I met along the way. My young host asked about my friendship with the former Syrian Vice President Farouk Al-Sharaa at length. I told him that he was one of the most successful politicians I had ever seen and that Bashar lost out when he removed him from the scene after Hafez Al-Assad's death. I also said that the book Al-Sharaa wrote about his years in the upper echelons of the Syrian government met very high professional standards.
Abdullah asked me if I still see Al-Sharaa. No, I said. For his sake, not mine. Indeed, where and who could I ask about him? In Syria, as in Soviet Russia and other similar regimes, a brilliant man can cease to exist overnight and become a "non-person."
I talked about how I first met Farouk, in Jakarta during the 1994 Non-Aligned Movement conference, at his initiative, and about how I later visited him in Damascus. I also discussed the warm reception he gave me.
After years of complete erasure, no one had expected Farouk Al-Sharaa to reappear. He had faded from the scene like all of the others who had fallen out of favor. People forget that history never ceases to bring surprises, and that despots make the decisions, not destiny. Ahmed Al-Sharaa emerged out of Syria's box of great surprises. Then the forgotten began to return. Farouk Al-Sharaa reappeared, laughing from behind the fallen iron curtain.
I re-watched the "Mekhyal" interview yesterday to ensure that I had not disavowed Farouk Al-Sharaa, who had been erased in the primitive media that refuses to leave the Stone Age, for fear that doing so would leave it shivering and crumbled. And indeed, it shivered and crumbled.
Farouk Al-Sharaa is now eighty-six. The future is behind him, and wisdom is ahead of him. The wise can offer much to those in power. Responsibilities of such magnitude require the vitality of a forty-year-old and the experiences of an eighty-year-old.
The return of Farouk Al-Sharaa sends many signals. But the developments unfolding in this new Syria are truly astonishing. It is as though we are watching a film reel moving swiftly and smoothly, with precise presentation and perfect detail.