Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on February 24-25/2024
Lessons Learned from the Bleeding Woman's Miracle That Applies to Our Everyday Lives/Elias Bejjani/February 25/2024
Israel is “ready” for war.. What about “Hezbollah”?!
Violent Israeli bombing on southern Lebanon... and Hezbollah responds
The Israeli army claims to attack Al-Radwan's headquarters in Bara'shit!
Israeli threats continue, as do attacks on the south
Escalation on the South Lebanon front...a second Israeli raid on the town of Blida
The party bombs Kiryat Shmona, and Israel targets the Radwan Force
Warning strike: Lebanon's municipal employees demand equality
US Embassy in Beirut delivers seven vessels to Lebanese Army
Israel-Hezbollah clashes: Latest developments
Israeli officials hope that Gaza deal will lead to agreement in the north/Lior Ben Ari, Itamar Eichner, Yoav /Ynetnews/February 24, 2024

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on February 24-25/2024
Netanyahu sets stage for Rafah operation amid Israel's hostage deal concessions
Israeli cabinet to vote on Gaza deal outline after major progress in Paris talks
UN experts urge ‘immediate’ stop of arms transfers to Israel
Strikes kill dozens in Gaza as Israel, Hamas seek ceasefire deal
Dead horses, scraps, leaves: Gaza’s hungry get desperate
UN experts urge ‘immediate’ stop of arms transfers to Israel
US downs three Houthi drones, strikes anti-ship missiles
US warns of environmental disaster from cargo ship hit by Houthi rebels
Five killed in Syria’s Homs after being targeted by ‘terrorist group’ -state media
Canadian Prime Minister accuses Putin of Navalny assassination
Zelenskyy: Ukraine and Canada sign a bilateral security agreement

Titles For The Latest English LCCC  analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources on February 24-25/2024
The EU's Complicity in Financing the Iranian Regime/Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Gatestone Institute/February 24, 2024
What does the future hold for gas delivery deal between Russia, Europe and Ukraine?/Maria Maalouf/Arab News/February 24, 2024
Two years after Ukraine war, pessimism grows among Europeans/Andrew Hammond/Arab News/February 24, 2024
Munich conference confirmed where the world stands and it was not good news/Yossi Mekelberg/Arab News/February 24, 2024

Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on February 24-25/2024
Lessons Learned from the Bleeding Woman's Miracle That Applies to Our Everyday Lives
Elias Bejjani/February 25/2024
"When Jesus turned and saw her, he said, 'Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well.' And the woman was healed at that moment." (Matthew 9:22)
In our modern times, where we've distanced ourselves from the teachings of the Holy Gospel, who among us doesn't bleed because of deviations from values, honest relationships, derailed practices, shallow faith, and lack of hope?
Yes, we've drifted away, immersing ourselves in a consumer society that traps us mercilessly in selfishness, afflicting us with the deadly disease of ego. Our lives, actions, words, and relationships are often structured by this deceitful ego.
This deadly selfishness dismantles family bonds, erases love from our hearts, and leads us away from the righteous path of salvation offered by Jesus Christ through his sacrifice on the cross.
We've lost sight of Jesus's warning: "What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?"
Due to our lack of faith, we've fallen into the traps of Satan, blindly pursuing material possessions, power, and authority. With each sin, we bleed, succumbing further to greed and desires.
We bleed when we fail to resist evil, neglect love, forgiveness, good deeds, prayer, and spreading the word of the Lord.
Let us heed the lesson of the bleeding woman, finding healing through faith and repentance. May we turn away from selfishness and towards the path of love, forgiveness, and righteousness, as taught by Jesus Christ.
We bleed in our minds, souls, and hearts when we drift away from faith and succumb to temptations.
We bleed when we recklessly indulge in the fleeting pleasures of this earthly world.
We bleed when we fail to hold a reverent fear of God in our relationships with one another, our children, and our families.
We bleed when we distance ourselves from the essence of love, which is God, manifested in its purest form through self-sacrifice for others.
We bleed when we allow the lusts of greed, envy, and gluttony to dictate our lives.
We bleed when we prioritize the possessions of this earthly world over worshiping God and adhering to His teachings.
We bleed when we disregard the sacrifices of martyrs and disrespect those who laid down their lives for the sake of our nation, unwaveringly upholding the truth.
We bleed because we pledge allegiance to leaders and politicians who barter away our fate and the sustenance of our nation.
We bleed because we have accepted the status of being mere slaves and sheep, resigning ourselves to living in the shadows.
After all these deviations, should we wonder why our beloved country Lebanon has become a battleground for others, and why we've lost our independence and sovereignty?
There is no salvation for us, no end to our bleeding, except through repentance, prayer, fasting, and the performance of penance.
The Lord is forgiving, merciful, and loving. He is always ready to help us cease our bleeding if we seek Him with piety, faith, and hope, as the bleeding woman did.
The Lord redeemed us through His only Son, freeing us from the yoke of the original sin, and guiding us to the path of salvation.
However, He has left us with a two choices: to follow the path that leads to the heavenly mansions He has prepared for us in His kingdom, where there is no pain, suffering, and hatred, or to stray and deviate from this path, succumbing to the ways of evil that lead to hell—a place of weeping, gnashing of teeth, eternal fire, and the undying worm. On this Sunday, let us draw lessons from the faith of the bleeding woman, strengthening our trust in God, His power, His love, and the grace of forgiveness He offers to those who earnestly seek it and repent, as expressed in Psalm 103:3, "who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases."Let us fervently pray for the salvation of our beloved country Lebanon, for the cessation of the hemorrhage that afflicts its institutions, and for its leaders to turn to the paths of faith, justice, and truth.

Israel is “ready” for war.. What about “Hezbollah”?!
Janoubia/February 24, 2024
Hezbollah's momentum declined in the face of the violent Israeli strikes, which pursue its elite fighters and target them in any area they are present, which indicates that Israel has a large information and targets bank. Diplomatic sources accompanying “Janoubiya” warned that “Israel is ready more than ever, and is seeking to launch a wide-scale war on Lebanon, especially since the Israeli ground has become prepared for waging it, but the war government is waiting for American cover to begin it.” She pointed out that “Israel deliberately fires on cemeteries, mourners, and mosques, and targets infrastructure and economic facilities, to drag the party to respond outside the rules of engagement drawn up by the field reality, since October 8, so that the justifications for the widespread aggression become present.”The sources stopped at “the confusion affecting the field leadership of Hezbollah, which is moving with extreme caution, for fear of exposing its military structure more and more, after Israel proved that it is penetrating its military and security system in some way.” The sources confirmed that “what increases the party’s confusion is the wavering and withdrawn Iranian position regarding its arms in the region, in addition to the large financial burden imposed on “Hezbollah” as a result of the occupying war, so what if it turns into a widespread one, in order to compensate for those affected in the absence of a sponsor? “The official establishment of reconstruction and war, and this may lead to the alienation of the environment that incubates it, and the transfer of this incubator to another place.” She pointed out that “the party has no intention of using any new qualitative weapon, and will be content with what it has used to date in terms of missiles and drones, taking advantage of the psychological warfare it is practicing against the enemy, which is no longer of much benefit, after the strong strikes that followed every threat from the Secretary-General.” The party of Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah.”

Violent Israeli bombing on southern Lebanon... and Hezbollah responds
Janoubia/February 24, 2024
Israeli warplanes carried out air strikes targeting the town of Al-Dahira, the vicinity of Jabal Balat in the western sector, and the town of Baraashit with missiles. Israeli artillery shelling also targeted the town of Rab Thilin. It was reported that the Israeli aircraft destroyed a house in the town of “Barashit.” It was learned that a number of houses were damaged, and ambulance teams were working to conduct a survey of the targeted area. Ambulances were seen transporting a number of injured people to hospitals in the area. It was later reported that all of the wounded had minor injuries due to shattered glass. Neighboring houses in the target location. In this context, Israeli army spokesman Avichai Adraee wrote in a post on his account on the “X” platform, “During the daylight hours today, an IDF drone spotted a group of elements entering a Hezbollah military building in the area of the village of Blida in southern Lebanon. A short time ago, a fighter plane bombed the building in which the elements were spotted.” He added, “During the past hours, warplanes bombed other military buildings used by the terrorist Hezbollah in the area of ​​the villages of Rab al-Taltain, Aita al-Shaab, and Blida.” Several sites in southern Lebanon were also bombed with artillery fire to remove a potential threat that might emanate from them.” He continued, “During the daylight hours today, a number of shelling operations were also monitored towards the areas of Arab Al-Aramsha, Hanita, and Har Dov (Mount Ross), where the IDF bombed the sources of firing inside Lebanese territory.”
Hezbollah responds
The Islamic Resistance, Hezbollah, issued a statement saying: “In support of our steadfast Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip and in support of their brave and honorable resistance, and in response to the Israeli attacks on villages and civilian homes, especially the town of Blida.” He added, “The Mujahideen of the Islamic Resistance targeted, at 5:00 in the afternoon, on Saturday, February 24, 2024, a building in which Israeli army soldiers were stationed in the Al-Malikiyah colony with appropriate weapons, and they directly hit it.”

The Israeli army claims to attack Al-Radwan's headquarters in Bara'shit!
Janoubia/February 24, 2024
This evening, Israeli aircraft targeted a building in the town of Baraashit, south of Lebanon, and while casualties were reported in the raid, Israeli army spokesman Avichai Adraee wrote in a post on his account on the “X” platform: “For the second time in a few hours - a cell of operatives was detected from the air and attacked inside.” Warehouse of combat means; The Defense Army attacked an operational command headquarters belonging to the Radwan Force, rocket launchers, and infrastructure belonging to Hezbollah. He added, “Earlier today (Saturday), the Defense Army forces were monitored by the operatives’ cell march entering a warehouse to store weapons belonging to Hezbollah.” In the area of the village of Matmora. Within a short period, fighter planes raided the warehouse in which the cell was spotted. After the attack, large secondary explosions occurred, indicating the presence of weapons inside the building.” Hezbollah responds. The Islamic Resistance, Hezbollah, issued a statement in which it said: In support of our steadfast Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip and in support of their brave and honorable resistance, and in response to the enemy’s attacks on villages and civilian homes, especially in the town of Baraashit. He added, “The Islamic Resistance Mujahideen targeted at 9:00 pm on Saturday, February 24, 2024, the headquarters of the Beit Hillal Battalion, affiliated with the 769th Eastern Regional Brigade, with Katyusha rockets,” in Kiryat Shmona.

Israeli threats continue, as do attacks on the south
Al-Modon/February 24, 2024
In light of the continued escalation and confrontations in the south, Israeli positions are repeated regarding threats to Lebanon, the latest of which is what was said by the Minister in the Israeli war government, Benny Gantz. During his tour on the northern front, that is, on the border with Lebanon, Gantz said, “The war on the northern front will not end until the Israeli residents near the Lebanese border return to their homes.” He pointed out, in a statement on social media, "We are working militarily and politically. Hezbollah has already been expelled from the border, and we are preparing for the day when we will issue the order when we need to expand our activities."
Escalation south
In this context, the escalation continues in the south between Hezbollah and Israel, and the region witnesses intermittent flights of Israeli drones, reaching the skies of Western Bekaa and Jabal Safi in Iqlim al-Tuffah. Israeli raids also returned to affect more than one southern region, village, and town. The northern outskirts were exposed to Al-Shaab and Aita. Al-Shaab, opposite the towns of Al-Qozah and Beit Lev, was subjected to an Israeli raid. Israeli Army Radio reported, “Two missiles fell in the Admit settlement in Western Galilee.” Simultaneously, Hezbollah announced, in a statement, “in support of our steadfast Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip, and in support of their valiant resistance.” And Al-Sharifa, the Mujahideen of the Islamic Resistance targeted, at 9:00 a.m. today, Saturday, 02/24/2024, a gathering of Israeli enemy soldiers on Cobra Hill with two “Burkan” missiles, and they directly hit it.” And at 1:30 a.m. At dawn today, Israeli warplanes launched a raid between the towns of Beit Lev and Ramia, in the western sector, and yesterday evening, the sound of a strong explosion was heard in more than one area in the south, Iqlim al-Tuffah, and Iqlim al-Kharroub, likely resulting from an Israeli breach of the sound barrier.

Escalation on the South Lebanon front...a second Israeli raid on the town of Blida
The Israeli army confirmed that it bombed a Hezbollah observation point in the Aita al-Shaab area, while Israeli artillery opened fire to “eliminate threats” in the Hanin and Marwahin areas.
Al Arabiya.net/February 24, 2024
Al Arabiya correspondent reported a second Israeli raid on the town of Blida in southern Lebanon, while the Israeli army said today, Saturday, that its warplanes bombed firing sites and infrastructure belonging to the Hezbollah group in the Jabal Balat area in southern Lebanon. The Israeli army said: “We bombed gunmen inside a Hezbollah military compound in the Blida area in southern Lebanon.” The army added in a statement that it also bombed a Hezbollah observation point in the Aita al-Shaab area, while Israeli artillery fired its fire to “eliminate threats” in the Hanin and Marwahin areas in southern Lebanese territory. Earlier today, the Israeli army announced the sounding of sirens in the town of Admit in northern Israel. , without immediately providing other details. For its part, Lebanese media reported, on Friday evening, that Israel launched three air strikes on the outskirts of the town of Ramieh and the Mount Balat hill in southern Lebanon. It was reported that a huge explosion could be heard in the vicinity of Sidon in southern Lebanon. Since the day after the unprecedented attack launched by Hamas on Israel on October 7, the Lebanese border has witnessed an escalation between Hezbollah and Israel. Southern Lebanon and northern Israel witnessed a major escalation on February 14, with Israel launching a series of air strikes on several towns, killing at least ten civilians, in addition to wounding five Hezbollah members, including a military official. Since the start of the escalation, 276 people have been killed in Lebanon, including 191 Hezbollah members and 44 civilians. In Israel, the army counted the deaths of ten soldiers and six civilians.

The party bombs Kiryat Shmona, and Israel targets the Radwan Force
Al-Modon/February 24, 2024
Hezbollah intensified its military operations towards Israeli army positions. In the evening, the party targeted the Kiryat Shmona settlement with about 20 missiles, causing injuries in a number of homes. It also targeted the headquarters of the “Beit Hillal” Battalion of the 769th Eastern Regional Brigade with Katyusha rockets. It also targeted the Zar’it barracks, the Al-Malikiyah site, the Ramim and Zibdin barracks, and the Ruwaisat Al-Alam site.
Israel: Attacking Al-Ridwan Force
In the evening, the Israeli army announced that it had targeted the operations headquarters of Hezbollah’s Radwan Force in Baraashit, southern Lebanon, inside a Hezbollah warehouse in the Matmoura area. Israeli army spokesman Avichai Adraee wrote in a post on his account on the “X” platform: “For the second time within a few hours - the operatives’ cell was detected from the air and attacked inside a weapons warehouse; the IDF attacked an operational command headquarters belonging to the Radwan Force, rocket launchers and structures.” Hezbollah infrastructure. He added, "Earlier today (Saturday), the IDF forces monitored by means of a drone the operatives' cell entering a warehouse storing weapons belonging to Hezbollah in the area of the village of Matmoura. Within a short period, fighter jets raided the warehouse in which the cell was spotted. After the attack “Large secondary explosions occurred, indicating the presence of weapons inside the building.” Adraee also announced in another post: “During the daylight hours today, a drone belonging to the Defense Army spotted a group of members entering a Hezbollah military building in the area of the village of Blida in southern Lebanon. A fighter plane bombed the building in which the members were spotted.” He added, "During the past hours, warplanes bombed other military buildings used by Hezbollah in the area of the villages of Rab Talatin, Aita al-Shaab, and Blida. Several sites in southern Lebanon were also bombed with artillery fire to remove a potential threat that might emanate from them." He continued, "During the daylight hours today, a number of shelling operations were also monitored towards the areas of Arab Al-Aramsha, Hanita, and Har Dov (Mount Ross), where the IDF bombed the sources of firing inside Lebanese territory." Since the afternoon, the Israeli warplanes launched air strikes with missiles targeting the town of Aita al-Shaab, the vicinity of the town of Blida and the town of Rab Thaleen. The bombing also targeted the outskirts of the towns of Kfar Shuba, Halta, and Kharraj Rashaya al-Fakhar - the Dhahr region. In addition, an enemy raid targeted a house in the town of Al-Dhahira in the western sector. Clouds of smoke rose and ambulances headed to the targeted location. Information indicated that two women were slightly injured. On the other hand, a raid targeted the town of Baraashit, where 6 civilians were slightly injured as a result of flying shrapnel.
Serious negotiations?
In turn, Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper reported, “Israeli officials hope that the agreement in Gaza will lead to an agreement on the northern front with Lebanon,” explaining that “there is a consensus in Israel that the deal in Gaza could also affect the northern border, leading to Negotiations between Lebanon and Israel. She claimed, as she put it, that “in Israel, there is hope that Hezbollah, in light of the calm, will give Lebanon the green light to enter into serious negotiations in order to reach a diplomatic arrangement, through the American envoy Amos Hockstein, which will allow Lebanon to enter into serious negotiations.” In order to reach a settlement." In this context, General Aharon Zeevi Farkash, former head of the Military Intelligence Division “Aman” in the Israeli army, said today, Saturday, that there is no escape from military action against Hezbollah. On Saturday evening, Israeli Radio Reshet Bet quoted General Zeevi Farkash as saying that military action against Hezbollah is inevitable with the aim of permanently removing the threat facing the settlers of northern Israel. General Farkash stressed that the Israeli army is forced to take military action to ensure the retreat of Hezbollah's "Radwan" force to the line that was determined at the end of the Second Lebanon War, in the year 2006, which was stated in UN Resolution No. 1701.

Warning strike: Lebanon's municipal employees demand equality
LBCI/February 25/2024
Municipal employees and their unions in Lebanon have called for a general warning strike on Monday, February 26, 2024, in all municipalities and their unions. This coincides with a protest at 10:00 AM in front of municipal buildings and their unions to send a message to the Lebanese government to treat municipal and union employees fairly and equate them with other public administration employees. In a statement, the employees said, "We apologize to all citizens because we are forced to stop work and services related to citizens on Monday, despite ourselves, to resume work on Tuesday morning." "However, if we are not treated fairly and an appropriate fair decree is not issued, we will resort to an open strike in the municipalities and suspend work completely until our demands are met," the statement added.

US Embassy in Beirut delivers seven vessels to Lebanese Army
LBCI/February 25/2024
Amidst a gathering of military personnel, US Ambassador Lisa Johnson participated on Friday in a ceremony marking the delivery of seven vessels to the Lebanese Army. This ceremony, held at the Naval Forces Command headquarters in Beirut, signifies a robust collaboration between the United States and Lebanon in fortifying maritime security and combatting illicit activities along the coast. The event showcased the handover of three ships and four fast boats, valued at over $25 million, provided by the United States. Present at the ceremony were General Joseph Aoun, Army Commander, alongside Ambassador Johnson and a delegation of military attaches.  The collaboration between Lebanon and the United States extends beyond the transfer of these vessels. Since 2023, the US has contributed $130 million in foreign military financing assistance to enhance the readiness and capabilities of the Lebanese Armed Forces, according to the US Embassy on X. In addition, the US Embassy in Beirut expressed profound gratitude for the Lebanese Army's unwavering "commitment to stability, countering transnational crime, supporting civil authorities, and fulfillment of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701."

Israel-Hezbollah clashes: Latest developments
Naharnet/February 25/2024
Hezbollah on Saturday said it fired two heavy-caliber Burkan rockets at a gathering of Israeli troops on the Cobra Hill in northern Israel, achieving a “direct hit.”It later said that it targeted a group of Israeli soldiers in the vicinity of the Dhayra military post, also achieving a "direct hit."Israeli warplanes meanwhile targeted a house in the southern border town of Blida and ambulances were scrambling to the site, TV networks said.Israeli artillery shelling also hit the southern border town of Kfarkela. Israeli army spokesman Avichay Adraee meanwhile said that Israeli warplanes had overnight struck Hezbollah “launchpads and infrastructure” in the Blat mountain area. “An observation post belonging to the organization was also targeted in the Aita al-Shaab area, as the IDF (Israeli army) shelled targets in the Hanine and Marwahine areas to eliminate possible threats,” Adraee added. Since October, at least 276 people have been killed on the Lebanese side of the border, most of them Hezbollah fighters but also including 44 civilians. On the Israeli side, 10 soldiers and six civilians have been killed, according to the Israeli army. The fighting has also displaced tens of thousands of residents on both sides of the border and Israel has repeatedly warned that it might use bigger force against Hezbollah to secure its residents' return. Health ministry condemns Israeli strike that killed 2 medics in Blida. The health ministry condemned Friday the "direct" attack on a civilian health center, after two paramedics affiliated with Hezbollah and one of the group's fighters were killed in an Israeli strike on the southern border town of Blida. The ministry called on the international community to hold Israel to account for its "dangerous violations". The Israeli army had struck Hezbollah's civil defense center in Blida, amid near-daily cross-border fire between the arch foes since the Israeli war on Gaza broke out on October 7. The Hezbollah-affiliated Islamic Health Committee said two of its paramedics were killed in a "direct" Israeli attack on a civil defense centre in Blida, while Hezbollah also announced the death of one of its fighters. The Islamic Health Committee said the attack caused "the destruction of the health centre as well as a number of ambulances". In retaliation, Hezbollah said it launched a drone attack on northern Israel on Friday, after also announcing rocket fire the night before. Since October, at least 276 people have been killed on the Lebanese side, most of them Hezbollah fighters but also including 44 civilians, according to an AFP tally. On the Israeli side, 10 soldiers and six civilians have been killed, according to the Israeli army.Last month, Hezbollah said an Israeli strike killed two affiliated medics in south Lebanon's Hanin, calling it a "blatant attack".
Telling the Diaries From Lebanon story is a 'necessity', says filmmaker Myriam El Hajj
James Mottram/The National/February 24, 2024
Sitting in a Berlin hotel, Lebanese filmmaker Myriam El Hajj is speaking potently about her new film, Diaries From Lebanon. Showing this week at the Berlin International Film Festival, the documentary chronicles her native land through the perspectives of three different characters, making it a vital account of a country in crisis. “It’s a film that talks about what the country went through,” she says. “I think it’s very important for people to reflect on the last few years.”Beginning in 2018, the film actively documents Lebanese life, where change and positivity gave way to political and social chaos, notably after the devastating explosion in 2020 that rocked Beirut. El Hajj chooses her protagonists carefully. Joumana Haddad is an activist running for election in 2018. Georges Moufarej is a one-legged former commander who claims he has incriminating names and dates when it comes to the Civil War. Perla Joe Maalouli is a visual artist fuelled by anger at the government corruption she sees around her. “It is a political film,” says Beirut-born El Hajj. “It’s very subjective and one of my points of view is that the past is still very present. And this is why Georges is in the film. I didn't choose him by mistake.”The director sees Diaries From Lebanon as an extension of her 2015 debut feature Treve. “My first film talked about the past and about the civil war. So there was a link between my first film and this one and this is something that moved me a lot because my parents were very involved in the civil war. So the character of Georges, for example, embodies the past that is very present and doesn’t allow the future to evolve. Joumana and Perla are the future.”
While Maalouli is a rabble-rouser ready to take to the streets in demonstrations, Haddad is more about working for change legally, through the system. “The first time I really met Joumana was during the elections,” recalls El Hajj. “I saw her and I saw something shining. She was walking with her kids in the street and I was like ‘Yes, this woman has something to say if she’s in the parliament. I would like her to represent me.’“So I started filming her but I didn’t know that she would win, and actually she won and it was a surprise. We wanted to believe … it was like a dream.” The authorities denied her victory, claiming she had lost, a contentious decision that led to protests on the street.
Unsurprisingly, El Hajj is delighted to be bringing the film to Berlin, a place in one of the world’s most celebrated film festivals giving legitimacy to the movie back home. “We had a lot of Lebanese people in the theatre during the first screening,” she said. “It helps the film and it protects the film, actually, when you come back to your country after a big festival like the Berlin.” Certainly, it will be harder to censor or bury the film in Lebanon after the exposure of an international premiere. While El Hajj points out that she was free to make the film in Lebanon without any interference – she simply took to the streets with her camera, filming more than 300 hours' worth of footage – she is unsure if and when it will be shown. “Today maybe we cannot show it, but maybe in two years we will,” she says. “I thought that maybe it will not go out today in Lebanon but for the future it’s important for it to stay in the conversation.”
Naturally, the film takes on a new dimension at the point of the explosion, which threw El Hajj into crisis. “The characters were losing a lot of things, their lives were changing … my life as well. So it was a lot about ups and downs actually. I stopped filming after the explosion.”
Aside from the economic implications – her producers’ offices, for example, were destroyed – she also felt weighed down by philosophical concerns. “We were wondering, why do we do cinema? We really questioned this. What do we change by doing this film?”Then El Hajj reunited with Haddad, who herself was psychologically broken by the blast. “So I started shooting with her. And I felt that I'm not alone any more. The characters are calling me and we are doing the film together. It became a collective film. And I couldn't stop any more. There was a necessity to tell the story.”Could she conceive of extending this project? Further Diaries From Lebanon, perhaps? She’s not against the idea. “We're not talking any more about Lebanon [in the news] but the country is stagnating and the fallout doesn't stop. We're still in the same crisis, or even bigger. So yes, of course this is something that will continue, in the form of a diary or [other] characters … I don't know. But I am not done.”Diaries From Lebanon plays at the Berlin Film Festival on Saturday, February 24 and Sunday, February 25

Israeli officials hope that Gaza deal will lead to agreement in the north
Lior Ben Ari, Itamar Eichner, Yoav Zitun/Ynetnews/February 24, 2024
As negotiations with Hamas are underway, Israeli officials hope that deal with Hamas will lead to a diplomatic agreement with Lebanon; meanwhile, IDF attacks Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon on Saturday.
The Israeli delegation returned to Israel on Saturday from their efforts to secure another hostage deal at the summit in Paris. There is an understanding in Israel that a deal in Gaza could also affect the northern border, leading to negotiations between Lebanon and Israel. Consequently, the U.S. froze its mediation between the two countries. The IDF attacked Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon on Saturday night. In Israel, there is hope that under calm, Hezbollah will give Lebanon the green light to engage in serious negotiations for a diplomatic arrangement, facilitated by the Special Envoy of the President of the United States, Joe Biden, Amos Hochstein, which will allow the return of residents to their homes and push Hezbollah ten kilometers from the border. The London-based Arabic "Asharq Al-Awsat," newspaper reported on Friday that Lebanon hopes that the ceasefire in Gaza during Ramadan will lead to renewed mediation between Israel and Lebanon, and "pave the way for the implementation of Resolution 1701."
According to the report, the Special Envoy of the President of the United States, Amos Hochstein, stopped communicating with the Lebanese government and froze his mediation until a ceasefire agreement is reached in Gaza. Sources told the newspaper that the government expects the Paris summit to lead to a calm in Gaza, which will expand to Lebanon and allow Hochstein to renew mediation. The sources reported that Hezbollah is still consistent in not wanting to escalate the conflict, "even though Israel is tempting it to do so and crossing lines." A source told the newspaper that "Israel has been attacking several towns in the south of the country for some time, destroying them to evacuate the residents."Meanwhile, the Israeli delegation returned to the country from the summit in Paris. As part of the summit, Mossad chief David Barnea held separate talks with CIA Director William Burns, Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed al-Thani, and Egyptian Intelligence Chief Abbas Kamel. In Israel, there is a hint of "cautious optimism" that the negotiations will succeed before Ramadan. The Americans are eager to finalize the deal before the Ramadan holiday begins in two weeks. Officials in Israel emphasized that Israel is entering a complex and difficult negotiation process with a murderous terrorist organization. According to various reports, the Gaza terrorist organization has not backed down from its demand that the agreement include an IDF withdrawal - something Israel refuses. Meanwhile, an IDF spokesperson reported that on Friday night, fighter jets attacked Hezbollah positions and terror infrastructure in southern Lebanon. The Hezbollah-affiliated Lebanese "Al-Mayadeen," network reported on Saturday on attacks in Odaisseh, Harfouch, and Maachouq in southern Lebanon.

Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on February 24-25/2024
Netanyahu sets stage for Rafah operation amid Israel's hostage deal concessions
Itamar Eichner|/Ynetnews/February 24, 2024
Following reports of cautious optimism among Israeli officials about a potential hostage deal framework, the War Cabinet is set to meet Saturday night to discuss and update members on the negotiation outline's principles as ground incursion into Rafah still looms. On Saturday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, "We are working to achieve another outline for the release of our captives, as well as eliminating Hamas in Rafah. Therefore, I sent a delegation to Paris and will discuss tonight the next steps in the negotiations." Netanyahu stressed that Israel intends to operate in order to dismantle the remaining military capabilities of Hamas in the southern Gaza Strip city, which hosts over a million Palestinians displaced by fighting elsewhere in the seaside enclave. "At the beginning of the week, the Cabinet will approve the operational plan for Rafah, including the evacuation of the civilian population from there. Only a combination of military pressure and effective negotiations will bring about the release of our captives, the elimination of Hamas, and the achievement of all war goals," he said. The Cabinet is expected to authorize Mossad Director David Barnea to progress negotiations with mediators, planning his departure for upcoming meetings. The locations of these meetings remain undecided. The proposed outline's initial phase will reportedly focus on humanitarian releases, including 35 to 40 children, women, the elderly (over 60) and the sick (young patients included). Israel is pressing for the inclusion of female soldiers in the humanitarian phase. In return, Israel will agree to a cease-fire lasting several weeks, without committing to end the war. Mediators aim to leverage this cease-fire for broader negotiations, intending to extend the current proposed truce. They hope to finalize the details within two weeks to implement the deal before Ramadan starts on March 10. During negotiations, discussions will include IDF withdrawal lines and demands for allowing civilians to return from southern to northern Gaza. Israel is expected to show flexibility, possibly permitting the return of women and children to the north. As in the previous hostage deal, Hamas insists on Israel halting drone and aircraft operations over Gaza during the cease-fire.

Israeli cabinet to vote on Gaza deal outline after major progress in Paris talks
Naharnet/February 24, 2024
Potential headway in reaching a deal for the release of Israeli captives in return for Palestinian prisoners has been made after Hamas dropped some of its "more harsh demands" and outlined possibilities for a hostage deal that they could work with, Israeli media reports said on Saturday. According to reports, Hamas officials have told Arab media sources that they are willing to be flexible on the following three parameters: the length of a ceasefire, how many Palestinian prisoners will be released, and the condition of a complete Israeli army withdrawal from the Gaza strip. The reports state that Hamas gave up on its original demand of 1,500 Palestinian prisoners for 40 Israeli captives. Hamas also allegedly gave up on a full withdrawal of the Israeli army from the Gaza Strip but still insisted on a withdrawal from central cities and the removal of military barriers so displaced Gazans could return to their homes. Different Israeli media sources have claimed different numbers of hostages agreed upon in an alleged agreement, with Channel 13 mentioning 35-40 Israeli hostages in exchange for 200-300 Palestinian prisoners and six weeks of a temporary ceasefire. Earlier on Saturday, Israeli sources told the "Walla" news portal that they can "work with" the new Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal outline, but also added that "progress was made in Paris, but further steps are to be taken before a deal can be reached."Israel's war cabinet is expected to digitally convene to approve the new outline for a hostage and ceasefire deal and a vote will be held over the telephone at 9:00 p.m. local time, according to additional reports by Israeli media. These reports come following a series of talks in Paris between an Israeli delegation including Mossad chief David Barnea, Shin Bet head Ronen Bar, the Israeli army's hostages' affairs coordinator Nitzan Alon, and Head of the Israeli army Strategic Affairs Division Oren Seter, and Hamas officials, as well as mediation by actors such as CIA chief William Burns, Egyptian Intelligence Chief Abbas Kamel, and Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed Al-Thani.

UN experts urge ‘immediate’ stop of arms transfers to Israel
Arab News/February 24, 2024
GENEVA: Any transfer of weapons or ammunition to Israel that would be used in Gaza is likely to violate international humanitarian law and must cease immediately, UN experts warned on Friday. “All states must ‘ensure respect’ for international humanitarian law by parties to an armed conflict, as required by 1949 Geneva Conventions and customary international law,” a media statement quoted the experts as saying. “States must accordingly refrain from transferring any weapon or ammunition — or parts for them — if it is expected, given the facts or past patterns of behavior, that they would be used to violate international law.” According to the experts, such transfers are prohibited even if the exporting state does not intend the arms to be used in violation of the law — or does not know with certainty that they would be used in such a way — as long as there is a clear risk. Meanwhile, the UN experts welcomed the decision of a Dutch appeals court on Feb. 12 ordering the Netherlands to halt the export of F-35 fighter jet parts to Israel. The court found that there was a “clear risk” that the parts would be used to commit or facilitate serious violations of international humanitarian law, as “there are many indications that Israel has violated the humanitarian law of war in a not insignificant number of cases.”Israel has repeatedly failed to comply with international law, said the experts. They noted that states party to the Arms Trade Treaty have additional treaty obligations to deny arms exports if they “know” that the arms “would” be used to commit international crimes, or if there is an “overriding risk” that the arms transferred “could” be used to commit serious violations of international humanitarian law. EU member states are further bound by the bloc’s arms export control laws. “The need for an arms embargo on Israel is heightened by the International Court of Justice’s ruling on Jan. 26, 2024, that there is a plausible risk of genocide in Gaza and the continuing serious harm to civilians since then,” the experts said. The Genocide Convention of 1948 requires states parties to employ all means reasonably available to them to prevent genocide in another state as far as possible. “This necessitates halting arms exports in the present circumstances,” the experts added. They further welcomed the suspension of arms transfers to Israel by Belgium, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands and the Japanese company Itochu Corp. The EU also recently discouraged arms exports to Israel. Moreover, the experts urged other states to immediately halt arms transfers to Israel, including export licenses and military aid. The US and Germany are by far the largest arms exporters and shipments have increased since the attack by Hamas on Israel on Oct. 7. Other military exporters include France, the UK, Canada and Australia. The experts further noted that arms transfers to Hamas and other armed groups are also prohibited by international law, given their grave violations of international humanitarian law during the October attack, including hostage-taking and subsequent indiscriminate rocket fire. The duty to “ensure respect” for humanitarian law applies “in all circumstances”, including when Israel claims it is countering terrorism. Military intelligence must also not be shared where there is a clear risk that it would be used to violate international humanitarian law. “State officials involved in arms exports may be individually criminally liable for aiding and abetting any war crimes, crimes against humanity or acts of genocide,” the experts said.

Strikes kill dozens in Gaza as Israel, Hamas seek ceasefire deal
AFP/February 24, 2024
GAZA STRIP, Palestinian Territories: Dozens of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip have been killed in the latest Israeli strikes, the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry said Saturday, after Israel’s spy chief joined talks in Paris seeking to unblock negotiations on a truce. The talks come after a plan for a post-war Gaza unveiled by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu drew criticism from key ally the United States, and was rejected by Hamas and the Palestinian Authority in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. The talks also come alongside deepening fears for Gaza’s civilians desperate for food. The United Nations’ main aid body for Palestinians, UNRWA, said Gazans were “in extreme peril while the world watches.”Hamas said on Saturday that Israeli forces had launched more than 70 strikes on civilian homes in Gazan cities including Deir Al-Balah, Khan Yunis and Rafah over the previous 24 hours. The health ministry said at least 92 people were killed. Israel’s military said it was “intensifying the operations” in western Khan Yunis using tanks, close-range fire and aircraft. “The soldiers raided the residence of a senior military intelligence operative” in the area and destroyed a tunnel shaft, a military statement said. Hamas, the Palestinian Islamist movement that has ruled Gaza since 2007, said fighting was raging in the northern Gaza district of Zeitun. In nearby Jabalia refugee camp, tempers are rising and on Friday dozens of people held an impromptu protest. “We didn’t die from air strikes but we are dying from hunger,” said a sign held by one child. In the camp, bedraggled children waited expectantly, holding plastic containers and battered cooking pots for what little food is available. Residents have taken to eating scavenged scraps of rotten corn, animal fodder unfit for human consumption and even leaves.
Gaza’s health ministry said a two-month-old baby identified as Mahmud Fatuh had died of “malnutrition.”
“The risk of famine is projected to increase as long as the government of Israel continues to impede the entry of aid into Gaza,” as well as access to water, health and other services, the charity Save the Children said. Israel has defended its efforts to deliver aid into Gaza, saying that 13,000 trucks carrying aid have entered Gaza since the start of the war. The UN humanitarian agency OCHA said in a report on Friday that in Rafah, near the Egyptian border, people are reportedly stopping aid trucks to take food, a measure of their desperation. The war began after Hamas’s unprecedented October 7 attack, which resulted in the deaths of about 1,160 people in Israel, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of official figures. Hamas militants also took hostages, 130 of whom remain in Gaza, including 30 presumed dead, according to Israel. Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed at least 29,606 people, mostly women and children, according to the latest tally released on Saturday by Gaza’s health ministry. With war still raging after more than four months, Netanyahu on Thursday unveiled a plan for post-war Gaza that sees civil affairs being run by Palestinian officials without links to Hamas.
The plan says that, even after the conflict, Israel’s army would have “indefinite freedom” to operate throughout Gaza to prevent any resurgence of terror activity, according to the proposals. It also says Israel will move ahead with a plan, already underway, to establish a security buffer zone inside Gaza along the territory’s border. A senior Hamas official, Osama Hamdan, said Netanyahu “is presenting ideas which he knows fully well will never succeed.” The plan also drew criticism from the United States. “The Palestinian people should have a voice and a vote... through a revitalized Palestinian Authority,” which currently has partial administrative control in the West Bank, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said. He added that the United States did not “believe in a reduction of the size of Gaza.”An Israeli delegation led by Mossad intelligence agency chief David Barnea traveled to Paris for a fresh push toward a deal to return the remaining hostages. The United States, Egypt and Qatar have all been deeply involved in past negotiations aimed at securing a truce and prisoner-hostage exchanges.
Pressure has mounted on Netanyahu’s government to negotiate a ceasefire and secure the release of the hostages. A group representing their families planned what it billed as a “huge rally” to demand swifter action, coinciding with the Paris talks on Saturday night. “We keep telling you: bring them back to us! And no matter how,” Avivit Yablonka, 45, whose sister Hanan Yablonka was captured on October 7, said at a traditional Shabbat dinner for hostage families in Tel Aviv.
White House envoy Brett McGurk held talks this week with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant in Tel Aviv, after speaking to other mediators in Cairo who had met Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh. A Hamas source said the new plan proposes a six-week pause in the conflict and the release of between 200 and 300 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for 35 to 40 hostages being held by Hamas. Barnea and his US counterpart from the CIA helped broker a week-long truce in November that saw the release of 80 Israeli hostages in exchange for 240 Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails. The war has led to repeated attacks on shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden by Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen who say they are acting in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.Rubymar, a British-registered cargo ship abandoned in the Gulf of Aden after one such attack, is taking on water and has left a huge oil slick.

Dead horses, scraps, leaves: Gaza’s hungry get desperate
AFP/February 24, 2024
GAZA STRIP: At the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza, Abu Gibril was so desperate for food to feed his family that he slaughtered two of his horses. “We had no other choice but to slaughter the horses to feed the children. Hunger is killing us,” he said. Jabalia was the biggest camp in the Palestinian territories before the war, which began after Hamas fighters attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, leaving some 1,160 dead, based on Israeli figures. Gibril, 60, fled there from nearby Beit Hanun when the conflict erupted. Home for him and his family is now a tent near what was a UN-run school. Contaminated water, power cuts and overcrowding were already a problem in the densely populated camp, which was set up in 1948 and covers just 1.4 square kilometers. Now food is running out, with aid agencies unable to get in to the area because of the bombing — and the frenzied looting of the few trucks that try to get through. The World Food Programme this week said its teams reported “unprecedented levels of desperation” while the UN warned that 2.2 million people were on the brink of famine. On Friday, the Health Ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said a two-month-old baby died of malnutrition in hospital in Gaza City, 7 km away from Jabalia. In the camp, bedraggled children wait expectantly, holding plastic containers and battered cooking pots for what little food is available. With supplies dwindling, costs are rising. A kilo of rice, for example, has shot up from seven shekels ($1.90) to 55 shekels, complains one man.
“We the grown-ups can still make it but these children who are four and five years old, what did they do wrong to sleep hungry and wake up hungry?” he said angrily. The UN children’s agency UNICEF has warned that the alarming lack of food, surging malnutrition and disease could lead to an “explosion” in child deaths in Gaza. One in six children aged under two in Gaza was acutely malnourished, it estimated on Feb. 19. Residents have taken to eating scavenged scraps of rotten corn, animal fodder unfit for human consumption and even leaves to try to stave off the growing hunger pangs. “There is no food, no wheat, no drinking water,” said one woman.
“We have started begging neighbors for money. We don’t have one shekel at home. We knock on doors and no one is giving us money.”Tempers are rising in Jabalia about the lack of food and the consequences. On Friday, an impromptu protest was held involving dozens of people. One child held up a sign reading: “We didn’t die from air strikes but we are dying from hunger.”Another held aloft a placard warning “Famine eats away at our flesh,” while protesters chanted “No to starvation. No to genocide. No to blockade.”In Beit Hanun, Gibril used two horses to harvest a parcel of land. But the conflict destroyed that, along with his house, leaving him with nothing. Over the weeks and months, Israel’s relentless bombardment has left Gaza largely a place of shattered concrete and lives. Gibril kept the radical decision to slaughter his horses to himself, boiling the meat with rice, and giving it to his unwitting family and neighbors. Despite the necessity, he said he was still wary of their reaction. “No one knows they were in fact eating a horse.”In another development, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has reaffirmed Washington’s opposition to any reoccupation of the Gaza Strip by Israel as well as any reduction of the Palestinian territory’s size. Blinken’s remarks were in response to a plan for post-war Gaza put forward by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in which his country’s army would have “indefinite freedom” to operate throughout the Gaza Strip once Hamas is defeated. “Gaza ... cannot be a platform for terrorism. There should be no Israeli reoccupation of Gaza. The size of Gaza territory should not be reduced,” Blinken said in Buenos Aires, after attending a G20 meeting of foreign ministers in Brazil. Israel’s far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called for a “firm security response ... and colonization” by building thousands of new housing units in settlements like Maale Adumim and across the West Bank. Blinken said that “new settlements are counterproductive to reaching enduring peace, and also inconsistent with international law.”“Our administration maintains firm opposition to settlement expansion. In our judgment, this only weakens, it doesn’t strengthen, Israel’s security.”

UN experts urge ‘immediate’ stop of arms transfers to Israel
ARAB NEWS/February 23, 2024
GENEVA: Any transfer of weapons or ammunition to Israel that would be used in Gaza is likely to violate international humanitarian law and must cease immediately, UN experts warned on Friday. “All states must ‘ensure respect’ for international humanitarian law by parties to an armed conflict, as required by 1949 Geneva Conventions and customary international law,” a media statement quoted the experts as saying. “States must accordingly refrain from transferring any weapon or ammunition — or parts for them — if it is expected, given the facts or past patterns of behavior, that they would be used to violate international law.”According to the experts, such transfers are prohibited even if the exporting state does not intend the arms to be used in violation of the law — or does not know with certainty that they would be used in such a way — as long as there is a clear risk.
Meanwhile, the UN experts welcomed the decision of a Dutch appeals court on Feb. 12 ordering the Netherlands to halt the export of F-35 fighter jet parts to Israel. The court found that there was a “clear risk” that the parts would be used to commit or facilitate serious violations of international humanitarian law, as “there are many indications that Israel has violated the humanitarian law of war in a not insignificant number of cases.” Israel has repeatedly failed to comply with international law, said the experts.They noted that states party to the Arms Trade Treaty have additional treaty obligations to deny arms exports if they “know” that the arms “would” be used to commit international crimes, or if there is an “overriding risk” that the arms transferred “could” be used to commit serious violations of international humanitarian law. EU member states are further bound by the bloc’s arms export control laws. “The need for an arms embargo on Israel is heightened by the International Court of Justice’s ruling on Jan. 26, 2024, that there is a plausible risk of genocide in Gaza and the continuing serious harm to civilians since then,” the experts said. The Genocide Convention of 1948 requires states parties to employ all means reasonably available to them to prevent genocide in another state as far as possible. “This necessitates halting arms exports in the present circumstances,” the experts added. They further welcomed the suspension of arms transfers to Israel by Belgium, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands and the Japanese company Itochu Corp.
The EU also recently discouraged arms exports to Israel. Moreover, the experts urged other states to immediately halt arms transfers to Israel, including export licenses and military aid. The US and Germany are by far the largest arms exporters and shipments have increased since the attack by Hamas on Israel on Oct. 7. Other military exporters include France, the UK, Canada and Australia. The experts further noted that arms transfers to Hamas and other armed groups are also prohibited by international law, given their grave violations of international humanitarian law during the October attack, including hostage-taking and subsequent indiscriminate rocket fire. The duty to “ensure respect” for humanitarian law applies “in all circumstances”, including when Israel claims it is countering terrorism. Military intelligence must also not be shared where there is a clear risk that it would be used to violate international humanitarian law.
“State officials involved in arms exports may be individually criminally liable for aiding and abetting any war crimes, crimes against humanity or acts of genocide,” the experts said.

US downs three Houthi drones, strikes anti-ship missiles
AFP/February 24, 2024
Washington: American forces shot down three attack drones near commercial ships in the Red Sea Friday and destroyed seven anti-ship cruise missiles positioned on land, the US military said. Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis have been targeting shipping for months and their attacks have persisted despite repeated American and British strikes aimed at degrading the rebels’ ability to threaten a vital global trade route. Early on Friday, US forces “shot down three Houthi one-way attack (drones) near several commercial ships operating in the Red Sea. There was no damage to any ships,” the Central Command (CENTCOM) said on social media. In a statement later in the day, CENTCOM said US forces destroyed “seven Iranian-backed Houthi mobile anti-ship cruise missiles that were prepared to launch toward the Red Sea.”It said those strikes , carried out between 12:30 p.m. and 7:15 p.m. Sanaa time, were made in self-defense. “CENTCOM forces identified these missiles in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen and determined that they presented an imminent threat to merchant vessels and to the US Navy ships in the region,” it said in a statement. The day prior, American forces struck four Houthi drones as well as two anti-ship cruise missiles, CENTCOM said, adding that the weapons “were prepared to launch from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen toward the Red Sea.”The Houthis began attacking Red Sea shipping in November, saying they were hitting Israel-linked vessels in support of Palestinians in Gaza, which has been ravaged by the Israel-Hamas war. US and UK forces responded with strikes against the Houthis, who have since declared American and British interests to be legitimate targets as well. Anger over Israel’s devastating campaign in Gaza — which began after an unprecedented Hamas attack on October 7 — has grown across the Middle East, stoking violence involving Iran-backed groups in Lebanon, Iraq, Syria and Yemen.

US warns of environmental disaster from cargo ship hit by Houthi rebels
Agence France Presse/February 24, 2024
A cargo ship abandoned in the Gulf of Aden after an attack by Yemeni rebels is taking on water and has left a huge oil slick, in an environmental disaster that U.S. Central Command said Friday could get worse. Rubymar, a Belize-flagged, British-registered and Lebanese-operated cargo ship carrying combustible fertilizer, was damaged in a Sunday missile strike claimed by the Iran-backed Houthi rebels. Its crew was evacuated to Djibouti after one missile hit the side of the ship, causing water to enter the engine room and its stern to sag, said its operator, the Blue Fleet Group.A second missile hit the vessel's deck without causing major damage, Blue Fleet CEO Roy Khoury told AFP. CENTCOM said the ship is anchored but slowly taking on water and has left an 18 mile oil slick. "The M/V Rubymar was transporting over 41,000 tons of fertilizer when it was attacked, which could spill into the Red Sea and worsen this environmental disaster," it said in a post on X, formerly Twitter. The ship's operator said Thursday the ship could be towed to Djibouti this week. Khoury said the ship was still afloat and shared an image captured on Wednesday that showed its stern low in the water. When asked about the possibility of it sinking, Khoury had said there was "no risk for now, but always a possibility." The attack on the Rubymar represents the most significant damage yet to be inflicted on a commercial ship since the Houthis started firing on vessels in November -- a campaign they say is in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza during the Israel-Hamas war. The Houthi attacks have prompted some shipping companies to detour around southern Africa to avoid the Red Sea, which normally carries about 12 percent of global maritime trade. The U.N. Conference on Trade and Development warned late last month that the volume of commercial traffic passing through the Suez Canal had fallen more than 40 percent in the previous two months.

Five killed in Syria’s Homs after being targeted by ‘terrorist group’ -state media
REUTERS/February 24, 2024
CAIRO: Five civilians were killed in Syria’s Homs countryside after being targeted by a “terrorist group,” the Syrian state news agency SANA said on Friday, citing a police source. The victims had been gathering truffles when they were attacked, SANA reported.

Canadian Prime Minister accuses Putin of Navalny assassination
LBCI/February 24, 2024
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau seemingly accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of assassinating his political opponent, Alexei Navalny. Trudeau made the statement during a press conference in Kyiv alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and several Western supporters of Kyiv. He stated, "Putin claims to be strong, but powerful leaders do not assassinate their opponents," about Navalny's death in prison last week.

Zelenskyy: Ukraine and Canada sign a bilateral security agreement
AFP/February 24, 2024
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced on Saturday that they had signed a bilateral security agreement on the second anniversary of the start of the Russian invasion, coinciding with a similar agreement reached between Kyiv and Rome. As he visits Ukraine, a statement from Trudeau's office noted that "this new and historic security agreement" includes providing financial and military assistance to Kyiv to the tune of $2.2 billion in the year 2024.

Latest English LCCC  analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on February 24-25/2024
The EU's Complicity in Financing the Iranian Regime
Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Gatestone Institute/February 24, 2024
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/127330/127330/
Behind these seemingly benign economic [trade] transactions... lies a troubling reality: the funds generated from Europe's trade with Iran are being funneled into activities that are now prolonging violence and conflict, and posing a direct threat to European, Middle Eastern and North American security interests.... Since 2012, the Iranian regime has allocated more than $13 billion to support its network of proxies.
Iran's involvement in Russia's invasion of Ukraine, further underscores the malign use of funds derived from international trade. Iran has been supplying Russia with "hundreds of Iranian drones" via a direct route on the Caspian Sea, and, according to reports, "hundreds of ballistic missiles."
"Russian President Vladimir Putin plans to double the number of his country's troops stationed along its border with the Baltic states and Finland as part of Moscow's preparations for a potential military conflict with NATO within the next decade, Estonia's Foreign Intelligence Service said Tuesday." — USA Today, February 13, 2024.
It is a must that the EU takes decisive action to cut off the flow of funds to Iran and hold its regime accountable for its support of terrorism and international aggression. Only through robust and coordinated efforts can the EU effectively counter the Iranian regime's malign activities and safeguard the stability and security of the Middle East, Europe and the Free World.
Trade between Iran and the European Union (EU) has flourished over the years; this economic and diplomatic partnership is a large art of what has been fueling the Ayatollahs' support for terrorist groups and undermining regional stability. In recent years, the extent of their trade has reached significant levels, with billions of euros exchanged in goods and services. Behind these seemingly benign economic
transactions, however, lies a troubling reality: the funds generated from Europe's trade with Iran are being funneled into activities that are now prolonging violence and conflict across the Middle East and beyond.
According to Iran's Tasnim News, trade between Iran and EU member states has been on the rise:
"The Statistical Office of the European Union, Eurostat, in its latest report, said the monthly trade between Iran and the European Union registered a 24 percent growth.
"Iran and the member states of the European Union exchanged more than €450 million worth of products in November 2023, showing a 24-percent growth compared to Noevmber 2022.
"The 27 EU member states exported about €3.5 billion worth of non-oil products to Iran in the 11 months of 2023 (January to November).
"Eurostat put the total value of the trade exchanges between Iran and 27 member states of the European Union from January to November 2023 at €4.214 billion, showing a 12 percent decline compared to the same period a year earlier...
"The value of the EU imports from Iran between January and November 2023 reached €730 million, registering a 25 percent decline compared to the previous year's corresponding period."
The Iranian regime has consistently used revenue generated from international trade to support, train and arm various terrorist groups, including Hamas, Hezbollah, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and the Houthis. Since 2012, the Iranian regime has allocated more than $13 billion to support its network of proxies. According to estimates from the US State Department, Iran provides approximately $100 million annually to Palestinian terror groups, including Hamas. Additionally, an estimated $700 million per year is funneled to Hezbollah.
These groups have been responsible for countless acts of violence and terrorism across the Middle East, threatening the stability of the region and posing a direct threat to European, Middle Eastern and North American security interests.
Iran's involvement in Russia's invasion of Ukraine further underscores the malign use of funds derived from international trade. Iran has been supplying Russia with "hundreds of Iranian drones" via a direct route on the Caspian Sea, and, according to reports, "hundreds of ballistic missiles."
According to USA Today:
"Russian President Vladimir Putin plans to double the number of his country's troops stationed along its border with the Baltic states and Finland as part of Moscow's preparations for a potential military conflict with NATO within the next decade, Estonia's Foreign Intelligence Service said Tuesday."
The head of Estonia's intelligence service recently said:
"Russia has chosen a path which is a long-term confrontation ... and the Kremlin is probably anticipating a possible conflict with NATO within the next decade or so."
The EU's trade with Iran not only serves as a source of funding for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), it also plays a pivotal role in empowering the Iranian regime to suppress its own people, opposition groups, and advocates for democracy with an even greater force. The substantial financial resources generated through trade enable the IRGC to expand its repressive apparatus, including its surveillance capabilities, crackdowns on dissent, and support for paramilitary groups.
This financial lifeline not only perpetuates the regime's grip on power but also exacerbates the suffering of Iranians striving for freedom and democracy. As the regime strengthens its oppressive tactics with the aid of trade revenue, the prospects for meaningful political change and human rights advancements in Iran are further diminished, highlighting the detrimental impact of economic engagement with authoritarian regimes.
There is, however, a clear path forward for the EU to counter the Iranian regime's destabilizing activities and protect its own interests. First, the EU must immediately cease all trade with Iran, cutting off a crucial source of funding for terrorism and regional instability.
Second, diplomatic ties with Iran should be severed, and all Iranian diplomats should be expelled from EU member states. Draconian sanctions targeting Iran's oil and gas industries, as well as its military institutions, must be enforced to cripple the regime's ability to finance terrorist activities and its support for rogue regimes such as China and Russia.
Furthermore, in light of Iran's support for Russia's aggression in Ukraine, European leaders must send a clear and unequivocal message that military action against Iran's military sites and critical infrastructure, including oil and gas facilities, is on the table. Such a measure is necessary to demonstrate the EU's resolve in confronting state-sponsored terrorism and protecting global peace and security.
In conclusion, the EU's continued trade with Iran not only undermines its own security interests but also perpetuates violence and instability in the Middle East and beyond. It is a must that the EU takes decisive action to cut off the flow of funds to Iran and hold its regime accountable for its support of terrorism and international aggression. Only through robust and coordinated efforts can the EU effectively counter the Iranian regime's malign activities and safeguard the stability and security of the Middle East, Europe and the Free World.
Dr. Majid Rafizadeh is a business strategist and advisor, Harvard-educated scholar, political scientist, board member of Harvard International Review, and president of the International American Council on the Middle East. He has authored several books on Islam and US Foreign Policy. He can be reached at Dr.Rafizadeh@Post.Harvard.Edu
© 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.
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/20417/eu-financing-iran

What does the future hold for gas delivery deal between Russia, Europe and Ukraine?
Maria Maalouf/Arab News/February 24, 2024
At the end of this year, an agreement that allows Russia to sell gas to Europe and deliver it via Ukraine will expire, since it was signed in 2019 for a term of five years.
There has been a great deal of political speculation about whether, given the war between Russia and Ukraine, such a critical economic and political accord will be renewed or not. It would certainly be to the advantage of the three parties to the deal to renew it because each stands to gain from it economically, politically, and strategically.
In essence, this gas agreement is Russia’s only economic pact with Europe, now and for the near future. Ukraine has rejected any prospect of extending the agreement. Russia has confirmed several times that no negotiations are taking place to renew the deal. This precarious situation raises questions about a final economic boycott of Russian gas and oil by Europe.
Currently, and despite the sanctions imposed on Moscow as a result of the war in Ukraine, Russia still exports about 14 billion cubic meters of gas to Europe each year. One delivery mechanism for this is the TurkStream pipeline, which extends through its Balkan Stream pipeline under the waters of the Black Sea and delivers gas from Turkey to Bulgaria, Serbia, and Hungary. A second pipeline runs through Ukraine to Slovakia.
The biggest European countries that are still buying Russian gas are Slovakia, Hungary, Austria, and Italy. The price of Russian gas is slightly lower than supplies from other countries, so they have continued to buy it to save on energy spending. However, all of these countries have signed up to the REPowerEU plan, an agreement that aims to end Europe’s heavy reliance on Russian gas by 2027.
Russia will lose a great deal of revenue if its deliveries of gas via Ukraine are cut off. Such deliveries are managed by Gazprom, the Russian government’s state-owned gas and oil company, which can threaten European clients with financial penalties because most contracts run through 2040.
According to Gazprom’s Chief Financial Officer Famil Sadygov, gas revenues in 2023 from domestic and foreign markets stood at about $48 billion. If Gazprom loses between $7 billion and $8 billion a year in export revenues for the 14 billion cubic meters of gas that goes to Europe, it would be a substantial financial blow.
The technical aspects of transporting gas through Ukraine are significant. For example, one of the benefits to Russia is that European companies pay for the gas they receive through Gazprombank, a Russian financial institution that remains immune from Western sanctions.
The best strategic option for Ukraine is not to let its massive gas supply infrastructure sit idle. On the other hand, Russian pipelines cross the border and pass through Ukrainian metering stations that send the gas on to the European recipients. Ukraine can easily close these stations and shut off the pipeline. However, Kyiv might need to continue transferring Russian gas through its territory. The war with Russia will eventually end. Ukraine can establish a Russian economic dependency on her because its land is where Russia needs to earn hard currency.
Ukrainian authorities might also be hesitant about blocking the flow of Russian gas through their territory because Moscow might retaliate by escalating its war in the country as punishment for Ukraine taking action that hurts the Russian economy. Russia could also increase the pressure on the West by attempting to broker agreements among the OPEC+ group of oil-producing nations that are harmful to the industrial economies of the US, Canada, and Europe. If OPEC+ lowers oil production levels, for example, prices will go up, which could trigger a recession in Western economies.
The best strategic option for Ukraine is not to let its massive gas supply infrastructure sit idle. The rebuilding of the country when the war ends will increase its energy demands. Ukraine might want to boycott Russian gas deliveries but the reality is that the price of that gas is lower than that of European gas. Therefore, Kyiv will have a financial decision to make.
Ukraine might even be forced to buy Russian gas itself, if the political circumstances force it to do so. There are no European or US plans to explore for oil in Ukraine. Even if they do and find oil and gas quickly in the country, it would take a long time for them to be marketable. Most of the oil refineries and gas depots in Ukraine have been destroyed by Russia during the war.
US President Joe Biden has not commented on this matter. Robert Fico, the prime minister of Slovakia, has suggested that European oil and gas companies, and not Ukraine, could sign their own gas deals with Gazprom. Ukraine’s role in this case would be as a mere conduit, allowing gas to flow through its territory en route to its final destinations in a few European countries. Therefore, any potential gas agreement of this nature would be between Europe and Russia, not between Russia and Ukraine. Another option is that Europe might try to buy gas from Russia, delivered via Ukraine, but in smaller quantities. Ukraine will lose $800 million in transmission payments if the gas deal is not renewed. Meanwhile, there might still be demand in Europe for Russian oil. European nations are not united on how best to deal with Moscow. Perhaps a small country, such as Slovakia, could be successful in ensuring good economic relations between Russia, Ukraine, and Europe by continuing the supply of gas from Russia to Europe despite the war.
• Maria Maalouf is a Lebanese journalist, broadcaster, publisher, and writer. X: @bilarakib

Two years after Ukraine war, pessimism grows among Europeans
Andrew Hammond/Arab News/February 24, 2024
Two years on from Russia’s invasion in February 2022, European public opinion has generally remained solidly behind Ukraine. However, a recent key report found only 10 percent of Europeans still believe Kyiv can “win” its battle against Moscow. The study, by the European Council on Foreign Relations, makes the astute observation that Russian President Vladimir Putin is hoping war fatigue in Europe, and the wider West, will clear the way for his victory in Ukraine. The research draws on the results of a poll carried out in January this year in 12 European countries: Austria, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, and Sweden. The headline finding was that Europeans are not only increasingly pessimistic about Ukraine’s chances of winning the war but most believe it will end in a negotiated settlement, rather than Kyiv fully achieving its aims. Indeed, twice as many Europeans now believe Russia will “win” the conflict, compared with those who think Ukraine will emerge victorious.
The level of confidence in Ukraine’s chances of victory is lowest in nations such as Hungary, which in Prime Minister Victor Orban has Europe’s most pro-Moscow leader, and Greece. More than 30 percent of the population in both these nations believe a Russian victory is more likely. In all of the nations surveyed, only in two, Poland and Portugal, did people believe a Ukrainian victory was more likely than a Russian one.
A plurality of people in Europe, 37 percent on average, think the war will most likely end in a negotiated settlement of some kind. However, there is not (yet) any widespread shift toward outright appeasement of Putin. Indeed, public opinion in three of the countries surveyed — Poland, Portugal, and Sweden — still favors support for Ukraine’s efforts to take back all of its territory.
Against this public opinion backdrop, 2024 will be a very difficult year for Europe if the war continues. With no obvious end to the conflict in clear sight, the resolve of the West is likely to be tested further.
For now, European political leaders still stand shoulder-to-shoulder, more or less, behind Ukraine. For example, new sanctions against Russia were recently agreed by the EU and its other European partners, including the UK.
Certainly, Hungary has been outspoken regarding its concerns about European actions against Russia. But as long as US support for Ukraine remains intact, which is itself a source of growing uncertainty as November’s presidential and congressional elections draw closer, internal European divisions might not come to the boil anytime soon. This does not mean that behind the public statements of unified European support for Ukraine there are not significant divisions. These schisms were highlighted last year in a previous European Council on Foreign Relations poll, which found that while Europeans felt great solidarity with Ukraine, they were less united in their thoughts about the longer-term goals.
With no obvious end to the conflict in clear sight, the resolve of the West is likely to be tested further. The core differences at that time were between a “Peace” camp, amounting to about one-third of those polled, that wanted the war to end as quickly as possible, and a “Justice” camp, about a quarter of those polled, who believed the more pressing goal was to punish Russia.
In all larger EU member states, apart from Poland, there were more proponents of peace than justice. This might still be true today and the fact that Poland was an outlier might partially explain why Poles have higher-than-average confidence among Europeans that Ukraine will ultimately win against Russia.
The preference for peace last year was strongest in Italy, and is now growing in other nations such as Austria, Greece, Hungary, and Romania. People in these places are worried, increasingly, about the cost of sanctions and/or the threat of military escalation. Given these public opinion dynamics, the resilience of European democracies will, to a significant degree, depend on the capacity of governments to sustain public support for policies on Ukraine that might cause more economic pain to much of the populace. This at a time when much of the European economy is either on the verge of recession or experiencing low growth. The challenge is significant here because previous European Council on Foreign Relations surveys revealed a sizable, and potentially expanding, gap between the stated positions of some European governments and the public mood in those countries, including Italy. A great divide is looming between those who want to end the war as quickly as possible, and those who want to carry on fighting until Russia has been defeated, if indeed that is possible.
These European fissures over Ukraine have been camouflaged quite successfully so far. However, this might become tougher this year if the war continues apace and the economic pain caused by the crisis bites even harder.
One way that European leaders can help navigate this potential pitfall, according to the latest European Council on Foreign Relations study, is by making a more persuasive case for maintaining support for Ukraine. This will require some adjustment of political vocabulary, two years into the war, to help define what would constitute a realistic “durable peace.”
To be clear about this, some Europeans view any form of a settlement as peace. Others perceive the only meaningful peace to be one in which Ukraine’s pre-2022, or even pre-2014, borders are reinstated.
The challenge, therefore, lies in building a stronger European, and wider Western, consensus around what being in favor of “peace” actually means, in practice.
As Europe and the US move deeper into what will be a big election year for both, political leaders would benefit from finding a vocabulary that lands better with public opinion in their efforts to maintain popular support for Ukraine.
In this sense, the best way to limit war fatigue would be to build and own the idea of what a successful, sustainable peace deal actually looks like.
• Andrew Hammond is an associate at LSE IDEAS at the London School of Economics.

Munich conference confirmed where the world stands and it was not good news
Yossi Mekelberg/Arab News/February 24, 2024
The annual Munich Security Conference, which took place last weekend, was dominated by strong undercurrents of uncertainty about the fragile state of global security. Rising geopolitical tensions and mounting economic uncertainties mean the world is less safe than it has been in a long time. Moreover, the tragic news of the sudden death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny in prison, on the very day this biggest annual global security conference commenced, was a stark reminder of the dark forces destabilizing our security, from the personal right up to the international level.
In this case the culprit is Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has for years been inflicting extreme aggression against neighboring countries and his own people alike. The inspiring spirit of Navalny, who fought so courageously for a better future for the Russian people, and of his wife, Yulia Navalnaya, who attended the conference when the terrible news of her husband’s death started to filter through, made it all too clear that we are at the dawn, if not the midst, of what might develop into the most unpredictable and insecure era in recent history. If anyone needed a reminder that the post-Cold War world order, with its obvious dividends of win-win international politics, is well and truly over, it was expressed loudly and clearly throughout the conference. Assessing the success or failure of the 2024 event has more to do with whether or not our expectations about the tangible outcomes that could be achieved over one weekend are realistic or not.
Beyond a record attendance by the main stakeholders in the world of security — including about 50 heads of state and government and more than 100 ministers, in addition to hundreds of representatives of think tanks, nongovernmental organizations, and leading businesses — it is the free flow of views on the complex security challenges the world is facing, and precisely identifying the participants’ priorities, that ensure such a gathering is invaluable. For a start, the conference’s annual report acknowledged that the world stands at a perilous moment in which states increasingly define their successes in terms relative to those of others, and in which lose-lose dynamics “are already unfolding in many policy fields and engulfing various regions.” This, unfortunately, has superseded the more hopeful days when fighting over limited resources was replaced by cooperation over increasing the availability of such resources for everyone’s benefit. Additionally, the vision of a world order that is rules-based, through adherence to the UN Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, characterized by a commonality of values, interests, and the peaceful resolution of disputes to prevent war and conflict, now seems rather far-fetched. The world is facing a new turning point, of greater military competition and, with it, increased military expenditure.
Over the years a number of catastrophic developments have shattered the trust between many international actors, and increased the fears and suspicions that have created a more pessimistic environment of uncollaborative and frictional world affairs. A survey conducted by the conference’s researchers revealed that more people in major economies now expect their countries to become less secure and less wealthy, than think the opposite. And who can blame them? First, we were hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, which caught societies unprepared and exposed many governments as being less than capable of responding to a crisis of this scale. This was followed by the naked aggression of Russia in its invasion of Ukraine, which led to damaging increases in the cost of living and raised fears about Putin’s possible intentions to expand into other former Soviet states.
More recently, the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza has cost many thousands of civilians their lives as a result of their failed governments and an international community that has proved to be useless in preventing such wars from happening in the first place, or stopping them from dragging on with devastating consequences.
While conflicts such as those in Ukraine and Gaza attract the most attention because of their ferocity, others fester elsewhere. Fears of a similar escalation of violence in the Indo-Pacific — where the West is deeply suspicious of China’s quest for hegemony through increasing militarization in the region, accompanied by economic and diplomatic policies in an effort to lure East Asia into its exclusive sphere of influence — are a major cause for concern. So is the political instability in the Sahel region, where the spread of religious extremism is threatening to reverse efforts to advance social-political developments and reduce the capacity to combat terrorism and manage migration.
All of this is hardly an environment conducive to optimism about a more stable and predictable world. But the Munich Security Conference did not only address the more traditional security threats, such as countries jockeying for hegemony, competing for resources or aggressively expanding their borders. It also highlighted examples of the threats arising from climate change, the development of artificial intelligence, and the growing sense of malaise in societies, for a variety of reasons, that threatens their stability and thereby makes conflicts between neighbors more likely.
Furthermore, while not officially on the agenda, the possibility of a second Trump presidency lent a further degree of trepidation to the discussions. His outburst only a week earlier that he would encourage Russia to do “whatever the hell they want” to any NATO member country that fails to meet the alliance’s defense spending guidelines, which to all intents and purposes represented an abandonment of the core NATO commitment to collective defense, was perceived by other members of the alliance as an outburst based on sheer ignorance and madness. As a matter of fact, the recognition among many NATO members that they will have to increase their defense spending to meet the target of 2 percent of their gross domestic product, a benchmark set long before Trump decided to make it his hill to die on regarding US relations with the alliance, is already becoming a reality and this has more to do with the behavior of Putin than Trump. Eighteen of the 31 members of NATO have already hit the target.
The very idea that the volatile Trump, known for his bullying tactics toward fellow member states, might occupy the White House in January next year instills real fear among America’s NATO allies. After all, Trump is not one to follow the Munich rule of “engage and interact with each other; don’t lecture or ignore one another.”If there was a clear message from the delegates in Munich, it was about the magnitude of the challenges the world is facing, the sources of such threats to stability, and what should be the guiding principles to at least attempt to mitigate them. The world is facing a new “Zeitenwende,” or turning point, of greater military competition and, with it, increased military expenditure, which places an additional burden on already strained economies.
It is up to like-minded countries that prefer collaboration and cooperation to conflict and friction to translate this into operational and implementable strategies where they have failed so far.
• Yossi Mekelberg is a professor of international relations and an associate fellow of the Middle East and North Africa Program at international affairs think tank Chatham House. X: @YMekelberg