Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on July 13-14/2024
Lebanon security source says Israeli strike kills 2 civilians
Southern Lebanon: Two Deaths in Israeli Drone Attack
Southern Lebanon: Israeli Retaliation After Hezb Bombed Metulla
Israeli Drone Strikes Car in Nabatiyeh
Netanyahu Aborts British Offer for Border with Lebanon
American source: Israel is capable of destroying Beirut airport!
Macron: There are dangers facing Lebanon, and 1701 must be implemented in full
Geagea: “Opening the Southern Front Is a Sin, Not a Mistake”
Guesthouses: A Better Summer Than Expected
Massive Fire Erupts in Tripoli
Nasrallah: Our duty is to defend the people of Gaza... and we will win
"The Tashnag" warns: Bourj Hammoud has its own privacy, and the security services must deter the instigators of sectarian strife and strife.

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on July 13-14/2024
Trump removed from stage by Secret Service after loud noises startles former president, crowd
Shooting at Trump rally is being investigated as assassination attempt, AP sources say
Netanyahu Addresses Gaza Strike in First Press Conference Since March
UN chief urges funds for Palestinians, saying Israel forcing Gazans 'to move like human pinballs'
Israeli strike on Gaza targets, likely kills, Hamas leader Mohammad Deif
In strike in Gaza: IDF eliminates senior member of Hamas' Internal Security Force
Hamas military chief Deif has long been a target for Israel
At least 70 Palestinians reported killed in Israeli strike targeting Hamas military chief
Hamas says 71 killed in Israeli strike on Gaza humanitarian zone
An Israeli attack targeting the Hamas military commander kills at least 71 in southern Gaza
US, Israeli officials: Saudi-Israeli normalization not realistic until after US election
Hamas calls for independent Palestinian government in post-war Gaza
Argentina designates Hamas a terrorist group in show of support for Israel
GCC chief reiterates ‘firm and absolute’ support for Palestine
Houthis reject proposed UN-mediated economic talks with govt
Daesh kills four police in clashes in eastern Iraq
Syria says restoring ties with Ankara depends on Turkish troop withdrawal
Iran’s new president vows balance with all countries, warns US his country won’t be pressured
Iran’s Pezeshkian rejects US pressure, praises Russia, China

Titles For The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources on July 13-14/2024
Iran's Mirage: The 'Reformist' Trap/Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Gatestone Institute/July 13, 2024
The US held off sanctioning this Israeli army unit despite evidence of abuses. Now its forces are shaping the fight in Gaza/CNN’s International Investigations team/July 13, 2024
How Israel spins Gaza killings to avoid being held accountable/Ray Hanania/Arab News/July 13, 2024
Missed opportunities of NATO’s anniversary summit/Luke Coffey/Arab News/July 13, 2024
2040: The year Iran predicts Israel will be destroyed. Now is the time to prepare - opinion/MARK DUBOWITZ, JACOB NAGEL/Jerusalem Post/July 13/2024

Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on July 13-14/2024
Lebanon security source says Israeli strike kills 2 civilians
AFP/July 13, 2024
BEIRUT: A Lebanese security source said an Israeli air strike Saturday killed two civilians collecting water in south Lebanon, while the Israeli army said a raid in the area targeted two Hezbollah operatives. The security source, requesting anonymity as they were not authorized to speak to the media, said that “two civilians were filling up water from a roadside spring” in the Deir Mimas area when they were killed in an “Israeli air strike.”A source close to Hezbollah, also requesting anonymity, said one of the men was a member of the Shiite Muslim movement and the father of a fighter who had been killed, while the second man was a member of Hezbollah ally the Amal movement. The pair were “civilians, not fighters,” the source added. The Israeli army said in a statement that “soldiers identified two Hezbollah terrorists preparing to launch projectiles toward Israeli territory in the area of Deir Mimas in southern Lebanon.”“Shortly following the identification, the IAF (air force) struck the terrorists,” the statement added. Hezbollah has traded almost daily fire with Israeli forces in support of ally Hamas since the Palestinian militant group’s October 7 attack on Israel triggered war in the Gaza Strip. Lebanon’s National News Agency said an “enemy drone” killed two men on Saturday in the same area, identifying one of them as a local council member for the Amal movement in the nearby village of Kfar Kila. It said they were collecting water from the spring “to take it for livestock in Kfar Kila.”The Amal movement released a statement saying one of its members, born in 1964, was killed. In Lebanon, the cross-border violence since October has killed more than 500 people, mostly fighters but also including more than 90 civilians, according to an AFP tally. On the Israeli side, at least 29 people have been killed, the majority of them soldiers, according to the authorities. The violence, largely restricted to the border area, has raised fears of all-out conflict between the foes, which last went to war in the summer of 2006.

Southern Lebanon: Two Deaths in Israeli Drone Attack
This Is Beirut/July 13/2024
Two people were killed on Saturday by an Israeli drone attack on a car on the Khardali road in Ain El Qasab. It was later known that the car was carrying Kfarkila Municipality and ‘Amal’ Movement member, Moussa Suleiman, and the father of a deceased Hezbollah fighter, Mohammed Najib Halawi. Suleiman and Halawi were filling water from Ain El Qasab to transport to Kfarkila. The outskirts of Rmeish were targets for heavy Israeli machine gun fire from the Rahib and Hermon sites, which resulted in the damage of several houses, including that of the Rmeish Municipal Council President, Milad Al Alam. Warplanes flew at low altitude along the western and central sectors, in addition to Naqoora, Tayrharfa, and Tyre caza. For their part, Hezbollah claimed in a statement that they were “targeting a gathering of Israeli soldiers in the Mitat barracks with rocket weaponry and achieving accurate hits.”
Earlier, the Israeli Army announced that “9 buildings in Metulla were damaged by rocket shelling from Lebanon on Friday afternoon.” Israeli Army spokesperson Avichaee Adraee stated that “two suspicious aerial targets were intercepted while they were heading to Israeli territories from the east.” In a tweet on his X account, Adraee also affirmed that “last night, sirens were activated in an industrial area close to Eilat, and alarms were activated for fear of falling shrapnels resulting from aerial interception, and no injuries were reported.”

Southern Lebanon: Israeli Retaliation After Hezb Bombed Metulla
This Is Beirut/July 13/2024
After a tense night on the southern borders, the Israeli Army announced on Saturday that “9 buildings in Metulla were damaged by rocket shelling from Lebanon on Friday afternoon.”In this context, Israeli Army spokesperson, Avichaee Adraee, stated that “two suspicious aerial targets were intercepted while they were heading to Israeli territories from the east.”In a tweet on his X account, Adraee also affirmed that “last night, sirens were activated in an industrial area close to Eilat, and alarms were activated for fear of falling shrapnels resulting from aerial interception, and no injuries were reported.” Moreover, reconnaissance flights were reported above the Shebaa Farms and the Arqoub up to the heights of Mount Sheikh, while Israeli artillery hit the forests of Rashayya Fakhar, Kfar Hamam, and Habariya with incendiary shells. At around 10:00 PM, Israeli warplanes attacked the towns of Taybeh and Khiam, and a house in Khiam caught fire. For their part, Hezbollah mourned Mahdi Mohammed Khair el Din from Hermel. The pro-Iranian group had earlier mourned Ali Hassan Nahla from Kfartabnit in southern Lebanon. Yesterday afternoon, a motorcycle was targeted on Rashayya Al-Fakhar Souk El Khan Road. The motorcycle driver died in the hospital after suffering severe injuries. Earlier, Israeli warplanes breached the sound barrier in two waves in the airspaces of Metn and Keserwan. The powerful sound was heard over a number of Lebanese regions. A Lebanese Army Humvee vehicle was also subjected to Israeli machine gun fire from the village of Ghajar near Wazzani, and no injuries were reported.

Israeli Drone Strikes Car in Nabatiyeh
This Is Beirut/July 13/2024
A car was targeted on the road between the towns of Arnoun and Kfar Tibnit in the Nabatiyeh district. Reports indicate that three rockets were fired from two Israeli drones in the area. No injuries were reported according to preliminary information obtained by This Is Beirut.

Netanyahu Aborts British Offer for Border with Lebanon
This Is Beirut/July 13/2024
In an anticipatory move for the post-truce phase in Gaza, and the “Day After” plan for southern Lebanon, Britain tried to market an offer to Hezbollah and Israel under which it would erect advanced watchtowers along the Lebanese-Israeli border. The observation towers, which would be more sophisticated than those installed on the border with Syria, would help reinforce border security, establish calm and ensure stability in southern Lebanon and northern Israel, before work begins on the comprehensive implementation of UN Resolution 1701. According to political circles in the March 8 camp close to Hezbollah, the Britons proposed to direct the cameras to the Israeli depth as well as the opposite side, but Israel rejected the offer and stipulated that the cameras be directed into the Lebanese interior to monitor Hezbollah’s movements. Israel also affirmed that it would not stop taking measures that suit its security, including “the continuation of air sorties via its planes or drones to ensure monitoring of what Hezbollah is doing.”Thus, Israel prevented Lebanon from obtaining British security assistance, while insisting on the implementation of 1701 in its entirety and establishing a buffer zone south of the Litani, free of weapons and illegal militants. On the eve of renewing the mandate of the UN peacekeeping force in south Lebanon (UNIFIL), Israel is seeking to amend the resolution to place it under Chapter Seven of the UN charter, which provides for using force to apply it. However, no such amendment is possible, according to diplomatic circles. France, “the one holding the pen,” is determined to propose a routine renewal of the resolution without any modification, in light of the international situation and divisions among the five permanent members of the Security Council.

American source: Israel is capable of destroying Beirut airport!
Al Markazia/July 13/2024
An American source told Al Arabiya that “Washington refuses to hand over heavy bombs to Israel to prevent a war in Lebanon.” The American source pointed out that "Israel is capable of launching a massive attack on Lebanon." He continued: "Israel is capable of destroying Beirut Airport and buildings in its vicinity and the southern suburbs." The American source indicated that "American forces in the region are working on evacuation plans in the event of a war breaking out in Lebanon."

Macron: There are dangers facing Lebanon, and 1701 must be implemented in full
Al Markazia/July 13/2024
In the traditional speech he delivers at the Ministry of Defense on the eve of the military parade on the occasion of the July 14 anniversary, French President Emmanuel Macron announced that, with regard to linking Lebanon to Gaza, we do not apply the principle of double standards. He pointed out the dangers facing Lebanon, a friend of France, but we will not leave it, knowing that our soldiers are present in southern Lebanon as part of the UNIFIL forces. He stressed the necessity of ensuring Lebanon's security and implementing Resolution 1701 in full.

Geagea: “Opening the Southern Front Is a Sin, Not a Mistake”
This Is Beirut/July 13/2024
Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea stressed on Saturday that “Lebanon cannot wait for a settlement in Gaza,” asserting that “the government needs to take immediate and decisive measures regarding the southern front in implementing 1701.”
Speaking at an LF ceremony to hand out party membership cards at Maarab, he affirmed that “opening the southern front is a major sin, not a mistake.”
On the presidential file, Geagea declared his rejection of “what is rumored that electing the new president will be achieved in the 2026 parliament,” revealing that “the LF are working with all their power to ensure that this battle is not postponed till then.”
He called on ‘Central’ bloc MPs to “assume responsibilities and contribute to electing a new president immediately,” emphasizing that “this is the only way out of the current crisis.”On the other hand, Geagea reiterated that “no state can exist with an armed party outside the framework of the government,” stressing that “the Lebanese Army must be deployed in the south instead of Hezbollah to achieve national sovereignty and protect the border.” “We shouldn’t give up on the difficult situation that Lebanon is going through,” he concluded.

Guesthouses: A Better Summer Than Expected
Élie-Joe Kamel/This Is Beirut/July 13/2024
Guesthouses have been booming in Lebanon in recent years. They are highly sought-after, and the quality of what is being offered is continually improving. This Is Beirut invites you to discover four guesthouses located in various Lebanese regions, while interviewing experts to assess the season in light of the crises and repercussions of the ongoing conflict between Hezbollah and the Israeli army in South Lebanon. Ramzi Salman, President of the Union of Guest House Owners and owner of Bkerzay, points out that “the city of Tyre has been severely affected by the conflict in the South, and many guesthouse owners have gone out of business.” Salman adds, however, “In other Lebanese regions renowned for the quality of their guesthouses, such as Beirut, Batroun, Douma, the Chouf, etc., the season has been acceptable, although not as good as last year’s.”

Massive Fire Erupts in Tripoli
This Is Beirut/July 13/2024
A large fire broke out in a lot adjacent to the former Souk al-Ahad site in the Tripoli Quarantine area on Saturday.Civil defense members rushed to the scene to extinguish the blaze.

Nasrallah: Our duty is to defend the people of Gaza... and we will win
Al Markazia/July 13/2024
The Secretary-General of Hezbollah, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, confirmed that “the Israeli army committed a major massacre against displaced people in Al-Mawasi in Khan Yunis, and after that it justified that it wanted to target leaders. Is there more injustice and tyranny on earth than that?” Nasrallah said in his speech to the council. Al-Ashurai Central: “In front of the Palestinian issue, our responsibility is concern, psychological, heart and emotional sympathy, supplication, and expression of the political and media position and condemnation,” considering that “the advanced level of support is material support, that is, paying money, and whoever wants to provide money to reach Gaza, it is his responsibility to do so.. The highest level is fighting to push the enemy over time to stop its aggression against the Palestinian people, and this is our duty.” He continued: “We offered martyrs and took responsibility. God gave us the liberation of the land and fear and terror in the hearts of our enemies and gave us dignity, protection and victory,” stressing that “we are the ones who emerged from the July 2006 war with our heads held high despite the sacrifices. God willing, we will all emerge from the battle of the Al-Aqsa flood as proud and proud victors.” Nasrallah considered that “the weekly demonstrations carried out by the Yemeni people under the sun and in the cold constitute moral, psychological and emotional support.” Nasrallah announced that “the overwhelming majority of the wounded of the Islamic resistance have recovered and returned to the battle fronts.”

"The Tashnag" warns: Bourj Hammoud has its own privacy, and the security services must deter the instigators of sectarian strife and strife.
NNA/July 13/2024
The “Tashnag Party” announced in a statement that “an individual dispute occurred on Friday night, July 12, in the locality of Trad in the Bourj Hammoud area, where some members of a family, known for their past and habit of causing problems, attempted to storm a club.” Nicole Tuman, affiliated with the Tashnag Party in Mahalla, attacked the Armenian Orthodox Church of Our Lady, a few meters away from the Internal Security Forces police station. They also opened fire and chanted insults and slogans that incite sectarian tensions. He added: "However, the comrades at the center and the people of the area succeeded in repelling the attempts of intrusion and assault."
The statement continued: “The Tashnag Party in Lebanon draws everyone’s attention to the fact that the Bourj Hammoud region has its own specificity. Over the decades, the party has made the most precious sacrifices and has not spared efforts and blood in order to preserve that specificity and coexistence in it. Accordingly, the party addresses all those who did not They can understand this privacy, warning that such actions are completely unacceptable, and cannot be tolerated in any way.” The statement concluded: “We place the security and judicial agencies before their responsibilities, as attempts to incite sectarian strife cannot be overlooked in these sensitive circumstances, just as the people cannot tolerate dissent, armed demonstrations, and attacks on sanctities and sanctities indefinitely. Therefore, the security services must “Quickly resolve this dangerous phenomenon and bring the perpetrators to justice, in order to deter all instigators of strife and strife, and to restrain anyone who suspects security breaches and violations of safe areas.”

Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on July 13-14/2024
Trump removed from stage by Secret Service after loud noises startles former president, crowd
David Jackson, USA TODAY/July 13, 2024
Former President Donald Trump was rushed off stage after loud popping sounds rang out as he was speaking to supporters at Butler, Pa., near Pittsburgh. Trump was removed from the site by Secret Service, with his fist raised, after the noises.
Trump reached for his ear when the noises happened. He appeared to have blood on his ear and cheek as he left the stage. People began screaming as agents pushed Trump to the ground. Secret Service removed reporters from the site, calling it "an active crime scene." The crowd is currently being evacuated. President Joe Biden, who is in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, said, “No, when asked by reporters as he left church if he had been briefed by about the shooting at the Trump rally.

Shooting at Trump rally is being investigated as assassination attempt, AP sources say
JULIE CARR SMYTH, JILL COLVIN, COLLEEN LONG, MICHAEL BALSAMO, ERIC TUCKER and MICHELLE L. PRICE/BUTLER, Pa. (AP)/July 13, 2024
Donald Trump appeared to be the target of an assassination attempt as he spoke during a rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday, two law enforcement officials said. The former president, his ear covered in blood from what he said was a gunshot, was quickly pulled away by Secret Service agents and his campaign said he was “fine.”
A local prosecutor said the suspected gunman and at least one attendee are dead. The Secret Service said two spectators were critically injured. Posting on his Truth Social media site about two and a half hours after the shooting, Trump said a bullet “pierced the upper part of my right ear.” “I knew immediately that something was wrong in that I heard a whizzing sound, shots, and immediately felt the bullet ripping through the skin,” he said in the post. “Much bleeding took place, so I realized then what was happening.” The attack, by a shooter who law enforcement officials say was then killed by the Secret Service, was the most serious attempt to assassinate a president or presidential candidate since Ronald Reagan was shot in 1981. It comes amid a deeply polarized political atmosphere, just four months from the presidential elections and days before Trump is to be officially named the Republican nominee at his party’s convention. Trump's aides said late Saturday that the convention would proceed and Trump “looks forward to joining you all in Milwaukee.”
“President Trump thanks law enforcement and first responders for their quick action during this heinous act,” spokesman Steven Cheung said in a statement. “He is fine and is being checked out at a local medical facility. More details will follow.”The Secret Service said the suspected shooter fired from “an elevated position outside of the rally venue.” Trump is “safe and being evaluated,” the agency said. “There's no place in America for this type of violence,” President Joe Biden, who is running against Trump as the presumptive Democratic nominee, said in remarks. “It’s sick. It’s sick.”
Two officials spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity to discuss the ongoing investigation. They said the shooter was not an attendee at the rally and was killed by U.S. Secret Service agents. The officials said the shooter was engaged by members of the U.S. Secret Service counterassault team. The heavily armed tactical team travels everywhere with the president and major party nominees and is meant to confront any active threats while other agents focus on safeguarding and evacuating the person at the center of protection. Law enforcement recovered an AR-style rifle at the scene, according to a third person familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the ongoing investigation. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, whose department oversees the Secret Service, said officials were engaged with the Biden and Trump campaigns and “taking every possible measure to ensure their safety and security.”
A rally disrupted by gunfire
Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee, was showing off a chart of border crossing numbers during his last rally before the Republican National Convention opens Monday when the apparent shots began just after 6:10 p.m. It took two minutes from the moment of the first shot for Trump to be placed in a waiting SUV. As Trump was talking, a popping sound was heard, and the former president put his right hand up to his right ear, as people in the stands behind him appeared to be shocked.
As the first pop rang out, Trump said, “Oh,” and grabbed his ear as two more pops could be heard and he crouched down. More shots are heard then. Someone could be heard saying near the microphone at Trump’s lectern, “Get down, get down, get down, get down!” as agents tackled the former president. They piled atop him to shield him with their bodies, as is their training protocol, as other agents took up positions on stage to search for the threat. Screams were heard in the crowd of several thousand people. A woman is heard screaming louder than the rest. Afterward, voices were heard saying “shooter’s down” several times, before someone asks “are we good to move?” and “are we clear?” Then, someone ordered, “Let’s move.”
Trump could be heard on the video saying at least twice, “Let me get my shoes, let me get my shoes,” with another voice heard saying, “I’ve got you sir.” Trump got to his feet moments later and could be seen reaching with his right hand toward his face. There appeared to be blood on his face. He then pumped his fist in the air and appeared to mouth the word “Fight” twice his crowd of supporters, prompting loud cheers and then chants of “USA. USA. USA.”The crowd cheered as he got back up and pumped his fist. His motorcade left the venue moments later. Video showed Trump turning back to the crowd and raising a fist right before he was put into a vehicle.
Witnesses heard multiple gunshots and ducked for cover
Reporters covering the rally heard five or six shots ring out and many ducked for cover, hiding under tables. “Everybody went to their knees or their prone position, because we all knew, everyone becoming aware of the fact this was gunfire,” said Dave McCormick, the Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania, who was sitting to Trump's right on stage. As he saw Trump raise his fist, McCormick said, he looked over his shoulder and noticed someone had been hit while sitting in the bleachers behind the stage. Eventually, first responders were able to carry the injured person out of a large crowd so he could get medical care, McCormick said.
After the first two or three bangs, people in the crowd looked startled, but not panicked. An AP reporter at the scene reported the noise sounded like firecrackers at first or perhaps a car backfiring. But then there were more shots. Panic set in as people realized what was happening. Shouts of “Get down!” rang through the crowd.
When it was clear the situation had been contained and that Trump would not be returning to speak, attendees started filing out of the venue. One man in an electric wheelchair got stuck on the field when his chair’s battery died. Others tried to help him move. Police soon told the people remaining to leave the venue and U.S. Secret Service agents told reporters to get “out now. This is a live crime scene.”
Two firefighters from nearby Steubenville, Ohio, who were at the rally told the AP that they helped people who appeared injured and heard bullets hitting broadcast speakers.
“The bullets rattled around the grandstand, one hit the speaker tower and then chaos broke. We hit the ground and then the police converged into the grandstands, said Chris Takach. “The first thing I heard is a couple of cracks,” Dave Sullivan said.
Sullivan said he saw one of the speakers get hit and bullets rattling and, “we hit the deck.” He said once Secret Service and other authorities converged on Trump, he and Takach assisted two people who may have been shot in the grandstand and cleared a path to get them out of the way.
“Just a sad day for America,” Sullivan said.
“After we heard the shots got fired, then the hydraulic line was spraying all around, you could see the hydraulic fluid coming out of it. And then the speaker tower started to fall down,” Sullivan said. “Then we heard another shot that, you could hear, you knew something was, it was bullets. It wasn’t firecrackers.”
“They weren’t super loud shots,” he said.
“You could hear it landing, ammunition landing, on metal,” Takach added.
Then they took cover behind a farm tractor.
Sullivan said they were concerned for Trump and saw him stand up.
“He got up and he gave a motion he was OK,” Sullivan said, raising a fist as Trump had.Political violence again shakes America
The perils of campaigning took on a new urgency after the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy in California in 1968, and again in 1972 when Arthur Bremer shot and seriously hurt George Wallace, who was running as an independent on a campaign platform that has sometimes been compared to Trump’s. That led to increased protection of candidates, even as the threats persisted, notably against Jesse Jackson in 1988 and Barack Obama in 2008.
Presidents, particularly after the assassination of John F. Kennedy in 1963, have even greater layers of security. Trump is a rarity as both a former president and a current candidate. Biden was briefed on the incident, the White House said. He received an updated briefing from Kimberly Cheatle, the director of the United States Secretary Service, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, and White House homeland security adviser Liz Sherwood-Randall.
He told reporters after 8 p.m. that he hadn't been able to reach Trump yet but was briefed that the former president was “doing well.”
“I hope I get to speak to him tonight,” he said.
Trump's eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., posted a photo on X of Trump, his fist raised and his face bloody in front of an American flag, with the words: “He’ll never stop fighting to Save America.”
North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and Ohio Sen. JD Vance, the three men on Trump’s shortlist for vice president, all quickly sent out statements expressing concern for the former president, with Rubio sharing an image taken as Trump was escorted off stage with his fist in the air and a streak of blood on his face along with the words “God protected President Trump.” Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, said in a statement on X that he had been briefed on the situation and Pennsylvania state police were on hand at the rally site.“Violence targeted at any political party or political leader is absolutely unacceptable. It has no place in Pennsylvania or the United States,” he said.

Netanyahu Addresses Gaza Strike in First Press Conference Since March
This Is Beirut/July 13/2024
In a press conference held at the Defense Ministry headquarters in Tel Aviv, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the Hebrew state on Saturday evening, providing an update on the ongoing military campaign against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Netanyahu confirmed that Israeli airstrikes had targeted key Hamas military leaders, including senior commanders Mohammed Deif and Rafa Salama, in a series of attacks that killed dozens of people at the Al-Mawasi camp for war-displaced individuals. However, he stressed that while it was “not absolutely certain” that Deif had been killed, the Israeli military would continue to pursue all Hamas leaders until its objectives are met. Hamas leader Muhammad Deif was not killed in an Israeli attack on Khan Younis in southern Gaza, the group’s deputy leader Khalil Al-Hayya tells Al Jazeera TV. “We say to [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu that Muhammad Deif is listening to you right now and mocking your lies,” Al-Hayya says. The prime minister described Deif as an “arch-murderer” and the architect of the October 7 slaughter, which resulted in the deaths of many Israelis. He emphasized that the elimination of Hamas leaders is crucial to achieving Israel’s war goals, including destroying the militant group, freeing Israeli hostages, and removing any future threat from Gaza. Netanyahu also highlighted the significance of the strikes in sending a deterrent message to Iran, saying that Israel has been facing an existential threat since October 7 not only from Iran’s nuclear program but also from its efforts to build a “stranglehold” around Israel. He stated that victory against Hamas is a crucial condition for victory over the entire “Iranian axis of evil”. The prime minister reiterated his commitment to ending the war, but stressed that this would only be possible if certain conditions are met. These include Israel’s right to return to the battlefield until all objectives have been achieved, preventing weapons smuggling to Hamas through Egypt, maintaining control over the Philadelphi Corridor, and negotiating the release of as many captives as possible in the first round of talks. In a direct address to his critics, Netanyahu urged patience and understanding, saying that Israel must stand strong against Hamas and its backers. He praised the Israeli military for rebuffing international pressure to end the war prematurely and for their determination to achieve their objectives.

UN chief urges funds for Palestinians, saying Israel forcing Gazans 'to move like human pinballs'
Associated Press/July 13, 2024
The United Nations chief has appealed for funding for the beleaguered U.N. agency helping Palestinian refugees in Gaza and elsewhere in the Middle East, accusing Israel of issuing evacuation orders that force Palestinians "to move like human pinballs across a landscape of destruction and death." Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told a donor's conference that the agency, known as UNRWA, faces "a profound funding gap."UNRWA Commissioner General Philippe Lazzarini said at the start of the conference that the agency only had funds to operate through August. At the end, he told reporters that, while the total amount in pledges won't be known until next week, he is confident there will be enough new money in its $850 million annual budget to keep the agency running until the end of September. UNRWA's 30,000 staff provide education, primary health care and other development activities to about 6 million Palestinian refugees in Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria. In the coming months, Lazzarini said UNRWA will be seeking funds to keep its operations going through December — and for emergency appeals for $1.2 billion for the Gaza war and $460 million for the Syria crisis, both of which are only 20% funded. Without financial support to UNRWA, secretary-general Guterres said "Palestinian refugees will lose a critical lifeline and the last ray of hope for a better future." The U.N. chief reserved his harshest words for Israel's ongoing military offensive in Gaza, which has affected its entire Palestinian refugee population. "The extreme level of fighting and devastation is incomprehensible and inexcusable — and the level of chaos is affecting every Palestinian in Gaza and all those desperately trying to get aid to them. "Just when we thought it couldn't get any worse in Gaza — somehow, appallingly, civilians are being pushed into ever deeper circles of hell," the secretary-general said. Guterres said Israel's latest evacuation orders in Gaza City have come with more civilian suffering and bloodshed. Nothing justifies Hamas' Oct. 7 attacks in southern Israel, he said, and "nothing justifies the collective punishment of the Palestinian people." The Hamas attack allegedly killed some 1,200 people — mostly civilians — and led to the abduction of about 250 people. Since then, Israeli ground offensives and bombardments have killed more than 38,300 people in Gaza, according to the territory's Health Ministry. Guterres said UNRWA hasn't been spared: "195 UNRWA staff members have been killed, the highest staff death toll in U.N. history." For years, UNRWA has been underfunded, but this year was dire following Israeli allegations that 12 of the agency's 13,000 workers in Gaza participated in Hamas' Oct. 7 surprise attack that sparked the ongoing war in Gaza. UNRWA immediately suspended them. As a result of the allegations, 16 countries halted funding for UNRWA, amounting to about $450 million. Lazzarini told reporters that 14 donors have officially resumed funding and he believes "very soon" a 15th country — the United Kingdom — will come back. The 16th country is the United States, which had been the biggest donor to UNRWA. The U.S. Congress has prohibited any payments to the agency until March 25, 2025. Just before the conference opened, Slovenia Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon announced that 118 countries had signed a declaration of strong support for UNRWA, which Lazzarini welcomed. He said the United States was among the signatories, though it didn't attend the conference. "But it was a very good sign … which indicates that they are also providing the necessary political support to the agency," Lazzarini said.

Israeli strike on Gaza targets, likely kills, Hamas leader Mohammad Deif
By SAM HALPERN, DANIELLE GREYMAN-KENNARD/Jerusalem Post/July 13/2024
The IDF said that dozens of those killed in the strike on Deif were active Hamas terrorists. Mohammad Deif, the leader of the Izzadin al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas's military wing, was targeted in an airstrike in the Khan Yunis area of southern Gaza, Israel's Army Radio reported on Saturday. A senior source noted that there was a high likelihood that Deif was killed in the strike, but that confirmation was, as of yet, forthcoming, Israeli state broadcaster KAN reported. In a joint IDF and ISA activity, the IDF's Southern Command and the Israeli air force struck an area where two senior Hamas terrorists and additional terrorists were hiding among civilians, the IDF later reported. The location of the strike was an open area surrounded by trees, several buildings, and sheds. Israeli media reported that Rafa Salama, the commander of Hamas's Khan Yunis Brigade, was also a target of the Israeli strike. The Saudi news outlet, Al Hadath, later reported that Salama had been killed. It is unclear if Deif was hit in the strike, and his current status is unknown. Still, the IDF told Army Radio that lots of preparation had gone into the strike, that the strike itself was very precise, and that intelligence provided opened a window of opportunity mere hours beforehand. Army Radio correspondent Doron Kadosh reported that a security source noted that, as far as was known, no hostages were held at the scene of the strike. An additional two security sources reportedly stated that the attempted elimination of Deif occurred while the Hamas leader was above ground, as opposed to inside a tunnel. Army Radio added that Deif and Salama had been hiding in a building near tents of displaced persons in the area. Citing security officials, Army Radio stated that the IDF estimated there would likely be dozens killed as a result of the strike but carried out the attack nonetheless. Later, however, the Israeli outlet, citing an IDF assessment, reported that dozens of those killed in the strike were active Hamas terrorists who served as security for Deif and Salama. The prime minister's office released a short statement about the attempted elimination, confirming that "the prime minister gave a standing directive at the beginning of the war to eliminate senior Hamas officials. He was updated on all developments during the night and continues to receive regular updates. The prime minister will conduct a situational assessment today with all the security forces and the National Security Council to discuss the next developments and steps."
On Saturday evening, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave a press conference on the event, saying, "We still do not have confirmation that he was killed, but we have accurate information that tells us that no hostages were in the area of the strike."Earlier, a senior Hamas official said an Israeli Army Radio report that a strike on Gaza's Khan Younis on Saturday had targeted Hamas military chief Mohammed Deif was "nonsense.""All the martyrs are civilians, and what happened was a grave escalation of the war of genocide, backed by the American support and world silence," Abu Zuhri told Reuters, adding that the attack showed Israel was not interested in reaching a ceasefire agreement. In the wake of the strike, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi, and Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) head Ronen Bar convened an operational situation assessment, KAN reported.
Other reports indicated a heavy IDF assault on terrorists operating in southern Gaza commenced on Saturday morning. Over the last hours, the Israel Air Force dropped heavy bombs on terror targets in the Khan Yunis area as ground forces commenced tactical maneuvers in the area, Walla reported. Rotem Mai-Tal, the CEO of Asgard Systems, which develops military technology for defense industries, said that the aerial munitions used in the assassination were likely the advanced Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) bombs made in the USA, which were the bombs the US had been withholding a few months ago, Maariv reported. "These are sophisticated kits that convert standard aerial munitions into advanced bombs guided by a laser and/or GPS-guided advanced seeker head (JDAM) based on advanced sensing and artificial intelligence technology produced by the USA and Israel," Mai-Tal told Maariv.
Reports of civilian casualties
Some 71 people have been killed, and over 289 others were wounded in the strike, the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry later claimed. "The Israeli occupation army conducted a big massacre by bombarding the tent camps of the displaced in Khan Younis. The horrifying massacre killed and wounded more than 100 people, including members of the Civil Emergency Service," an earlier statement issued by the Hamas-run Gaza government media office said. A correspondent for the Hezbollah-affiliated Al-Mayadeen claimed that hospitals in the area were evacuating previously admitted patients to make room for fresh arrivals as a result of the IDF's activities. Jordan and Egypt's foreign ministries condemned the attack. Jordan claimed that "the tents of the displaced persons in Khan Yunis, an area that Israel had already classified as safe," were attacked, and called on "the international community to act to provide protection for Palestinians, hospitals, and aid organizations operating in Gaza."Egypt announced that it "strongly condemns the Israeli attack in the Al-Mawasi area, which resulted in the deaths and injuries of dozens of Palestinians. Egypt demands that Israel stop harming civilian lives."
Who is Mohammad Deif?
Deif was born Mohammad Masri in 1965 in the Khan Yunis Refugee Camp, a short distance from where Israel conducted a strike in an attempt to eliminate the senior Hamas figure. He later became known as Mohammed Deif after joining Hamas during the first Intifada in 1987. Hamas was not the first terror group that Deif became affiliated with, according to a 2014 article by the Washington Post. He was introduced to the Muslim Brotherhood as a teenager and reportedly deepened his connection with Islamist movements while studying at the Islamic University of Gaza. Jacob Eriksson, a specialist in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict at the University of York, told France24 that “Deif” translates to “guest” and refers to his constant travel—a tactic used to survive Israeli attacks. However, the Washington Post suggested in 2014 that he took his name from a character he played during a university production.
Only two years after joining the terror group, Deif was arrested but spent only 16 months in detention, a Hamas source told Reuters. Deif developed the group's network of terror tunnels and developed his bomb-making expertise. Hamas sources claimed he lost an eye and sustained serious wounds in one leg in previous assassination attempts. Having escaped numerous assassination attempts, Gazan fans dubbed him "the man with nine lives," a play on the common saying that cats have nine lives. Deif masterminded much of Hamas’s October 7 attack on southern Israel - allowing terrorists to murder 1200 people and abduct over 250 more. Omri Brinner, an Israel and Middle East analyst at the International Team for the Study of Security Verona told France24 that after October 7 “the most successful in the history of Palestinian resistance – [Deif’s] legacy will live forever. He can fail now, Israel can assassinate him now: his legacy will outlast him.” Deif has been considered an international terrorist by the US since 2015.
*Jerusalem Post Staff and Reuters contributed to this report.

In strike in Gaza: IDF eliminates senior member of Hamas' Internal Security Force
Based on IDF intelligence, IAF strikes and eliminates terrorist Hossam Mansour, who took a substantial part in preserving and perpetuating Hamas' terror activities throughout the Gaza Strip.
Israel National News/July 13, 2024
Based on IDF intelligence, the Israel Air Force (IAF) on Friday struck and eliminated the terrorist Hossam Mansour, a platoon commander in Hamas' Internal Security Forces. The IDF Spokesperson's Unit stated that Hossam was an operative of Hamas' Military Wing, previously held a significant role in the Internal Security Forces, and took a substantial part in preserving and perpetuating Hamas' terror activities throughout the Gaza Strip. Hossam was also one of the directors of the "Al-Khair" Foundation, which transfers funds to terror organizations, with the disguise of humanitarian activity, said the IDF.

Hamas military chief Deif has long been a target for Israel
Samia Nakhoul and Laila Bassam/DUBAI (Reuters)/July 13, 2024
Hamas' military leader Mohammed Deif, one of the masterminds behind what Israel termed its 9/11 moment, is an elusive figure who has rarely spoken and never appeared in public, and who has survived at least seven Israeli assassination attempts. Deif was the target of an Israeli strike on Saturday on the Gaza town of Khan Younis, the Israeli military said. It was unclear whether Deif was killed, a security official said. In the months since Israel launched its retaliatory campaign after the Hamas-led raid on southern Israel on Oct. 7, Deif is believed to have been directing military operations from the tunnels and backstreets of Gaza, alongside senior colleagues. Rising up the Hamas ranks over 30 years, Deif developed the group's network of tunnels and its bomb-making expertise. He has topped Israel's most wanted list for decades, held personally responsible for the deaths of dozens of Israelis in suicide bombings. He and two other Hamas leaders in Gaza formed a three-man military council that planned the Oct. 7 raid, in which 1,200 people were killed and more than 250 taken hostage, according to Israeli tallies, in the bloodiest attack in Israel's 75-year history. After the attack, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government vowed to kill the three: Yahya Sinwar, Hamas' leader in Gaza, Deif, head of the military wing, and Marwan Issa his deputy, who was reported killed by Israel in March. In an audio tape broadcast as Hamas fired thousands of rockets on Oct. 7, Deif named the raid "Al-Aqsa Flood", signalling the attack was payback for Israeli raids at Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa mosque. A source close to Hamas said Deif began planning the operation in May 2021, after a raid on Islam's third holiest site that enraged the Arab and Muslim world. "It was triggered by scenes and footage of Israel storming Al-Aqsa mosque during Ramadan, beating worshippers, attacking them, dragging elderly and young men out of the mosque," the source said. "All this fuelled and ignited the anger." At the time, Israel accused Palestinians of trying to incite violence in Jerusalem. Palestinians rejected the allegation. The compound sits atop the Old City plateau known to Muslims as al-Haram al-Sharif, or The Noble Sanctuary, and to Jews as Temple Mount. The storming of the mosque compound, long a flashpoint for violence over matters of sovereignty and religion in Jerusalem, helped set off 11 days of fighting that year between Israel and Hamas.
AL-AQSA RAGE
There are only three images of Deif: one in his 20s, another of him masked, and an image of his shadow, which was used when the audio tape was broadcast on Oct. 7. Deif, 58, rarely speaks and never appears in public. So when Hamas' TV channel announced he was about to speak that day, Palestinians knew something significant was afoot. "Today the rage of Al-Aqsa, the rage of our people and nation is exploding. Our mujahedeen (fighters), today is your day to make this criminal understand that his time has ended," Deif said in the recording. The United States and other Western nations designate Hamas - which is sworn to Israel's destruction - a terrorist organisation. The source close to Hamas said the decision to prepare the Oct. 7 attack was taken jointly by Deif, who led Hamas's armed wing, known as Al Qassam Brigades, and Sinwar, but it was clear Deif was the architect. "There are two brains, but there is one mastermind," the source said, adding that information about the operation was known only to a handful of Hamas leaders. An Israeli security source said Deif was directly involved in the planning and operational aspects of the attack. The plan as conceived by Deif involved a prolonged effort at deception. Israel was led to believe that Hamas, an ally of Israel's sworn foe Iran, was not interested in launching a conflict and was focusing instead on economic development in Gaza, where it took power in 2007. But while Israel began providing economic incentives to Gazan workers, the group's fighters were being trained and drilled, often in plain sight of the Israeli military, the source close to Hamas said. Speaking in a calm voice, Deif said in his recording that Hamas had repeatedly warned Israel to stop its crimes against Palestinians, to release prisoners and to halt its expropriation of Palestinian land.
"In light of the orgy of occupation and its denial of international laws and resolutions, and in light of American and western support and international silence, we've decided to put an end to all this," he said. In May the International Criminal Court's prosecutor said he had requested arrest warrants for Deif, Sinwar and another Hamas figure over the attack, and for Netanyahu and his defence chief over Israel's response. The Israeli prime minister says the operation aims to eliminate Hamas. Both Israel and Hamas dismissed the ICC accusations and said they objected to the way the announcement of the request on the same day appeared to equate them with each other - though they faced different charges. More than 38,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel's military response to the Oct. 7 raid, Gaza health officials say, and much of the enclave has been reduced to rubble.
DECADES IN HAMAS
Born as Mohammad Masri in 1965 in the Khan Younis Refugee Camp set up after the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, the militant leader became known as Mohammed Deif after joining Hamas during the first Intifada, or Palestinian uprising, which began in 1987. He was arrested by Israel in 1989 and spent about 16 months in detention, a Hamas source said. Deif has a degree in science from the Islamic University in Gaza, where he studied physics, chemistry and biology. He headed the university's entertainment committee and performed on stage in comedies. Hamas sources said Deif lost an eye and sustained serious injuries in one leg in one of Israel's past assassination attempts. His survival while running Hamas's armed wing meant he was viewed as a folk hero by some Palestinians. His wife, 7-month-old son, and 3-year-old daughter were killed by an Israeli airstrike in 2014.

At least 70 Palestinians reported killed in Israeli strike targeting Hamas military chief
Abeer Salman, Ibrahim Dahman, Niamh Kennedy, Benjamin Brown, Sophie Tanno and Jeremy Diamond, CNN/July 13, 2024
At least 71 Palestinians have been reported killed in an Israeli strike on a displacement camp in southern Gaza which Israel said targeted Hamas’ military chief, who was an alleged mastermind of the October 7 attacks. Footage from Al-Mawasi, which has been designated as a safe zone for Palestinians fleeing the fighting elsewhere, shows bodies in the street and destroyed tents. “I cannot describe to you the magnitude of the tragedy,” one resident told CNN. Mohammed Deif – the leader of Qassam Brigades, Hamas’ military wing – was the figure targeted, an Israeli security official told CNN.
The Israeli military said it was in the process of verifying whether Deif was killed in the strike, who was targeted alongside the head of the Khan Younis brigade, Rafe Salama. The strike left scenes of devastation in the area, where the Gaza Health Ministry reported at least 71 people killed and nearly 300 people injured. Locals and rescue teams were seen trying to unearth several people trapped. The Kuwait and Nasser Hospitals on the ground said they were struggling to cope with the high numbers of dead and injured civilians coming in, the ministry said. “I was sitting in the bathroom, and before I heard explosions from the strike, the bathroom flew off,” a young boy called Hammoud told a CNN stringer on the ground. “Then, the whole area became filled with smoke, and then the shells began to fall.”Hammoud’s young brother was killed in the strike whilst his sister is currently in hospital receiving treatment for her injuries, his family told CNN. Another resident named Aida Hamdi told CNN: “We suddenly heard missiles hitting. I was baking bread, I took my daughter and we started running outside. “I threw all the dough away, it was mixed with sand. We heard three hits, people around me were martyred, women, men, and children.”Hamas denied Israeli claims it had targeted Deif and Salama, calling the killings a “horrific massacre.” “The occupation’s claims of targeting leaders are false claims, and this is not the first time the occupation has claimed to target Palestinian leaders, only for its lies to be exposed later,” a statement read.
A shadowy figure
Israeli security and intelligence first received intelligence about a potential opportunity to strike Hamas’s top military commander in recent days, but a clear window of opportunity to strike Deif only crystallized in the last 24 hours, an Israeli official said. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, Israeli military chief of staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi and top Shin Bet officials held multiple discussions overnight to assess the viability of a strike before the green light was given, the official said. A key focus of the discussions was assessing Israeli intelligence indicating that there were no hostages in the area, the official added, as well as the effect that carrying out such a significant strike might have on ongoing ceasefire and hostage deal negotiations. Little is known about Deif. Thought to have been born in the 1960s, Deif is a bomb maker was behind a wave of suicide attacks in 1996 that killed 65 people in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv and other outrages intended to derail the peace process. His full name is Mohammed Diab Ibrahim al-Masri, but he became known as El Deif (the Guest), because, for decades, he stayed in different houses every night to avoid being tracked, and killed, by Israel. Deif has been the target of Israeli assassination attempts before. A 2014 Israel strike killed his wife, seven-month-old son and three-year-old daughter. In May, the International Criminal Court said it was seeking arrest warrants for Deif and other senior Hamas figures, saying they had “reasonable grounds” to believe they bore responsibility for the October 7 attacks, which saw around 1,200 Israelis killed. Israel’s campaign in Gaza - aimed at destroying Hamas and rescuing hostages still being held - has since then killed more than 38,000 people.

Hamas says 71 killed in Israeli strike on Gaza humanitarian zone
Rushdi Abualouf and Tom McArthur - BBC News/July 13, 2024
The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza says at least 71 Palestinians have been killed in an Israeli air strike on a designated humanitarian area, in an attack which Israel says targeted senior Hamas leaders. More than 289 people were injured, according to the health ministry's statement. Hamas says the strike hit the al-Mawasi area near Khan Younis, which the Israeli military has designated as a humanitarian zone, urging Palestinians to seek shelter there. An Israeli official said the strike targeted the head of Hamas's military wing, Mohammed Deif, in an "open area" where there were "only Hamas terrorists and no civilians". Rafa Salama, the Hamas commander for Khan Younis, was also targeted in the strike, the official said, calling the intelligence that led to the incident "accurate". But Hamas said the claim that their leaders were targets is "false", in a statement cited by the Reuters news agency.
"It is not the first time Israel claims to target Palestinian leaders, only to be proven false later," the statement said. Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will hold security talks through the day, his office said according to Reuters. An eyewitness in al-Mawasi told the BBC that the site of the strike looked like an "earthquake" had hit, and videos from the area show smouldering wreckage and bloodied casualties being loaded onto stretchers. People can be seen trying desperately to pick through the rubble of a large crater with their hands. A Hamas official, cited by Reuters, called the attack a “grave escalation” that showed Israel was not interested in reaching a ceasefire agreement. Footage from the nearby Kuwait field hospital showed scenes of chaos with patients being treated on the floor. Doctors at the Nasser medical complex in Khan Younis say that the hospital is "overwhelmed" and no longer able to function, according to Reuters. Mohammed Deif, the head of Hamas' military wing the al-Qassam Brigades, is a top target for Israel’s military. Deif has near-mythical status in Gaza after escaping capture and surviving several assassination attempts. He is believed to be one of the masterminds behind the 7 October Hamas attack, when about 1,200 Israelis and foreigners - mostly civilians - were killed and 251 others were taken back to Gaza as hostages. It led to the major Israeli military operation in Gaza which has killed more than 38,000 Palestinians, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
People look at the aftermath of an Israeli airstrike in Gaza. A burning car is visible to Who are the leaders of Hamas?

An Israeli attack targeting the Hamas military commander kills at least 71 in southern Gaza
KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip (AP)/July 13, 2024
Israel said it targeted Hamas’ shadowy military commander in a massive strike Saturday in the crowded southern Gaza Strip that killed at least 71 people, according to local health officials. Hamas immediately rejected the claim that Mohammed Deif was targeted. It was not immediately known whether Deif was among the dead. Israeli officials confirmed that he and a second Hamas commander, Rafa Salama, were the targets. A military official later said they were “still checking and verifying the result of the strike,” and did not deny it took place inside the Israeli-designated safe zone.
Deif is believed by many to be the chief architect of the Oct. 7 attack that killed some 1,200 people in southern Israel and triggered the Israel-Hamas war. Second only to Hamas’ top official in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, he has topped Israel’s most-wanted list for years and is believed to have escaped multiple Israeli assassination attempts in the past. If Deif has been killed, cease-fire talks could be derailed by what would be seen as a major Israeli victory in the nine-month war. “These false claims are merely a cover-up for the scale of the horrific massacre,” Hamas said in a statement in response to Israel.
The Gaza Health Ministry said at least 289 others were injured in the attack — one of the war’s deadliest — and that many dead and injured were taken to overwhelmed Nasser Hospital nearby. There, Associated Press journalists counted over 40 bodies. Witnesses described an attack that included several strikes. “A number of victims are still under the rubble and on the roads, and ambulance and civil defense crews are unable to reach them,” the Health Ministry said. The Israeli military asserted that “additional terrorists hid among civilians” and described the strike location as an area surrounded by trees, several buildings and sheds. Footage of the aftermath showed a huge crater, charred tents, burnt-out cars and household belongings scattered across the blackened earth. Victims were carried on the hoods and in the hatchbacks of cars, and on donkey carts and carpets.
Witnesses said the strike landed inside Muwasi, the Israeli-designated safe zone that stretches from northern Rafah to Khan Younis. The coastal strip is where hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians have fled to in search of safety, sheltering mostly in sweltering, makeshift tents and with little services.
“This was designated as a safe zone filled with people from the north,” said one displaced Palestinian man who did not give his name. “Children were all martyred here. We collected their pieces with our hands.” He estimated there were seven or eight missiles and asserted that first responders were targeted as well. At the hospital, a baby in a pink shirt, her face covered with sand, cried while receiving first aid. A small boy lay motionless at the other end of the bed, one shoe gone. Victims lay amid spattered blood on the floor, and bodies were wrapped in white plastic scrawled in marker with their names.
An Israeli official said the strike was carried out within a fenced area of Khan Younis that was run by Hamas but did not elaborate on the precise location, saying it was not a tent complex but an operational compound. The official described the strike as precise and said it was estimated that many of the casualties were “terrorists.”Deif has been in hiding for more than two decades and is believed to be paralyzed. One of the only known images of him is a 30-year-old ID photo released by Israel. Even in Gaza, only a handful of people would recognize him.
Meanwhile, U.S., Egyptian and Qatari mediators continue to push to narrow gaps between Israel and Hamas over a proposed deal for a three-phase cease-fire and hostage release plan in Gaza. The U.S.-backed proposal calls for an initial cease-fire with a limited hostage release and the withdrawal of Israeli troops from populated areas in Gaza. At the same time, the two sides will negotiate terms of the second phase, which is supposed to bring a full hostage release in return for a permanent cease-fire and complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. Israel launched its campaign in Gaza after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack in which militants stormed into southern Israel and abducted about 250 people. Since then, Israeli ground offensives and bombardments have killed more than 38,400 people in Gaza and wounded more than 88,000, according to the territory’s Health Ministry. The ministry does not distinguish between combatants and civilians in its count. More than 80% of Gaza’s 2.3 million people have been driven from their homes, and most are now crowded into squalid tent camps, facing widespread hunger.

US, Israeli officials: Saudi-Israeli normalization not realistic until after US election
Israel National News/July 13, 2024
American and Israeli officials familiar tell Ynet that normalization between Israel and Saudi Arabia is not a realistic possibility until after the US presidential elections in November. American and Israeli officials familiar with the talks for normalization between Israel and Saudi Arabia told Ynet that normalization “is no longer a realistic possibility until after the US presidential elections in November." Despite the optimism expressed by senior White House officials in recent months following the discussions they held with their Israeli counterparts, the talks for signing a historic agreement have effectively been frozen, according to Ynet. US President Joe Biden’s administration has clarified that such a deal would not be able to be implemented before the elections and without a ceasefire in Gaza. The government explained that Riyadh can’t justify normalizing relations with Israel to the Arab world while a war is ongoing in the Gaza Strip. The main disagreement between the two countries remains the same and concerns a principle recognition by Israel of a future independent Palestinian state, a demand that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly rejected. Saudi Arabia and Israel appeared to be on track towards normalization before Hamas’ October 7 attack against Israel and the war in Gaza which followed. hortly after the start of the war in Gaza, sources told Reuters that Saudi Arabia is putting the US-backed plans to normalize ties with Israel on ice. Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister later indicated that normalization with Israel requires both an end to the fighting in the Gaza Strip as well as the establishment of a Palestinian state, which Saudi officials have long insisted is a condition for normalization with Israel.

Hamas calls for independent Palestinian government in post-war Gaza
Agence France Presse/July 13, 2024
Hamas is suggesting during ceasefire negotiations that an independent government of non-partisan figures run post-war Gaza and the Israeli-occupied West Bank, a member of the Palestinian Islamist movement's political bureau said. "We proposed that a non-partisan national competency government manage Gaza and the West Bank after the war," Hossam Badran said in a statement about the ongoing negotiations between Israel and Hamas with mediation from Qatar, Egypt, and the United States. "The administration of Gaza after the war is a Palestinian internal matter without any external interference, and we will not discuss the day after the war in Gaza with any external parties," Badran added. A Hamas official told AFP the proposal for a non-partisan government was made "with the mediators."The government will "manage the affairs of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank in the initial phase after the war, paving the way for general elections" said the official, who did not want his name disclosed. Badran's remarks came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu demanded that Israel retain control of the Philadelphi corridor, Gaza territory along the border with Egypt. This condition conflicts with Hamas' position that Israel must withdraw from all Gaza territory after a ceasefire. Netanyahu said on Thursday that control of the Philadelphi corridor is part of efforts to prevent "weapons to be smuggled to Hamas from Egypt." The negotiations are occurring in Doha, Qatar and Cairo, Egypt with the aim of bringing about a ceasefire in Gaza as well as the return of hostages still held there by Hamas. The war began on October 7 with Hamas' unprecedented attack on southern Israel that allegedly resulted in the deaths of 1,195 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli figures. The Palestinian militants also seized 251 hostages, 116 of whom remain in Gaza, including 42 the Israeli army says are dead. Israel responded with a military offensive that has killed at least 38,345 people in Gaza, also mostly civilians, according to data from the health ministry in Gaza.

Argentina designates Hamas a terrorist group in show of support for Israel
AP/July 13, 2024
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina: Argentina designated Hamas a terrorist organization Friday and ordered a freeze on the financial assets of the Palestinian group, a largely symbolic move as President Javier Milei seeks to align Argentina strongly with the US and Israel. Announcing the decision, Milei’s office cited the militant Palestinian group’s cross-border attack on Israel last Oct. 7 that killed some 1,200 people and took 250 others hostage, in the deadliest assault in Israel’s 76-year history. The statement also mentioned Hamas’ close ties to Iran, which Argentina blames for two deadly militant attacks on Jewish sites in the country. The move comes just days before the 30th anniversary of one of those attacks, the 1994 bombing of a Jewish community center in Buenos Aires. It killed 85 people and wounded hundreds more in the worst such attack in Argentina’s modern history. The other attack on the Israeli Embassy in Buenos Aires, in 1992, killed more than 20 people. Argentina’s judiciary has accused members of Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group of carrying out the two attacks. Friday’s announcement professed Milei’s “unwavering commitment to recognizing terrorists for what they are,” adding that “it’s the first time that there is a political will to do so.”The US, European Union and several other countries long put a terrorist designation on Hamas, which ruled the Gaza Strip before its current war with Israel. Previous left-leaning Peronist governments in Argentina, home to the largest Jewish community in Latin America, have maintained friendly ties with Israel but also voiced support for Palestinian statehood. Since coming into office in December, Milei has set himself apart from even Israel’s closest allies in his vocal support for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. A huge swell in global pressure has left Israel deeply isolated over its military campaign in Gaza, which has killed more than 38,000 Palestinians, displaced over 80 percent of the territory’s people and triggered a humanitarian disaster. “Argentina must once again align itself with Western civilization,” Milei’s office said Friday. For his first state visit as president earlier this year, Milei flew to Jerusalem in a show of support for the Israeli government and promised to move his nation’s embassy to the contested capital — drawing praise from Netanyahu and ire from Hamas. Although raised a Roman Catholic, Milei says he has a deep spiritual connection with Judaism.

GCC chief reiterates ‘firm and absolute’ support for Palestine
ARAB NEWS/July 13, 2024
LONDON: The Gulf Cooperation Council remains “firm and absolute” in its support of the Palestinian people, its secretary-general said on Saturday. Jassem Mohamed Albudaiwi, who was speaking at an Arab Parliament plenary session in Cairo, said the GCC fully backs the Palestinians’ struggle to attain a state and their “legitimate rights.”Albudaiwi also praised the role of the Arab Parliament and its efforts to promote collective action, especially while the Arab world was facing “immense and painful challenges,” foremost among them the Palestine cause, which, he added would “always remain the central and primary Arab priority,” the Saudi Press Agency reported. This had been consistently reflected in the “clear and unwavering positions adopted by the GCC since its establishment,” he said. “The tragic situation under which the Palestinian people are suffering, represented in the continuing crimes and violations by the Israeli occupation forces in Gaza Strip and other Palestinian territories, is a deep wound in the heart of every Arab and Muslim,” he continued, adding that Israel’s actions were not only a violation of human rights and international laws, but also a “blatant challenge to all human values and principles.”The GCC has repeatedly called on the international community to adopt effective measures to ensure an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. It has also called for a de-escalation of violence against Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank, including Jerusalem and the holy Islamic sites, and a stop to settlement activities and land confiscation. Albudaiwi reiterated the GCC’s call for the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination and the establishment of an independent state within the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital, in accordance with the Arab Peace Initiative and “all relevant international resolutions.”
He said cooperation between the GCC, the Arab Parliament and other Arab institutions stemmed from a belief that “unity and solidarity among Arab states is the optimal path to achieve security, stability, and prosperity for the region.”

Houthis reject proposed UN-mediated economic talks with govt
SAEED AL-BATATI/Arab News/July 13/2024
AL-MUKALLA: Yemen’s Houthi militia on Saturday rejected a demand by UN Yemen Envoy Hans Grundberg to hold discussions with the Yemeni government to resolve knotty economic problems, especially the government’s punitive actions against Sanaa banks. In a post on X, Hussein Al-Ezzi, the militia’s deputy foreign minister, said that Grundberg was informed that the Houthis would only take part in talks with the Yemeni government about implementing the UN-brokered road map to end the war in Yemen, undermining his efforts to end the country’s deepening economic divisions.
“There will be no negotiations save in the context of addressing the implementation of the agreed-upon road map,” Al-Ezzi said. The UN Yemen envoy has asked the government and the Houthis to meet without preconditions to discuss financial issues and their effect on Yemen’s deteriorating humanitarian situation, his office said. “We believe a dialogue, in good faith and without preconditions, is the best possible way to address several important economic issues, including the banking sector issue, and come to solutions that prioritize the interests of the Yemeni people,” Mayy El-Sheikh, director of strategic communications and public information at Grundberg’s office, told Arab News. In a letter dated July 10, Grundberg urged the chairman of the Presidential Leadership Council, Rashad Al-Alimi, to halt the government’s most recent decision to revoke the licenses of six banks in Houthi-held Sanaa that refused to relocate their offices to the southern city of Aden, the interim capital of Yemen. Grundberg also encouraged the Yemeni government to engage in negotiations with the Houthis to resolve economic issues. The envoy, in his letter, expressed sympathy for the Yemeni government’s anger over the Houthi attacks on oil terminals, which resulted in the cessation of oil exports. But he also cautioned that the government’s punitive measures against the banks in Sanaa would worsen the living conditions of Yemenis and potentially reignite the war. The PLC agreed on Friday to suspend the revocation of six Sanaa bank licenses and to begin talks with the Houthis on the condition that the dialogue would focus on resuming oil exports, unifying currencies, and addressing the Houthis’ measures against banking and trading, including trade harassment and the militia’s ban on imports from government-controlled areas. The Houthis have prevented the circulation of banknotes printed by the Yemeni government, attacked oil terminals in government-controlled provinces, banned cooking gas imports from government-controlled Marib, and prohibited traders in areas they control from importing goods through Aden and other government ports, all in an effort to drive the Yemeni government into bankruptcy. The government responded by directing banks and state bodies to relocate their offices from Sanaa to Aden, withdrawing old banknotes that were commonly used in Houthi areas, restricting the issuing or receiving of international transfers to authorized banks, and most recently, revoking the licenses of six banks in Sanaa. Meanwhile, Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said on Friday evening that militia forces targeted the Chrysalis ship twice in the Red Sea and the Bab Al-Mandab Strait, using ballistic missiles and drones, for allegedly breaching the group’s prohibition on sailing to Israel. It is the latest in a series of claims by the Houthis concerning attacks on ships in the Red Sea and other vital maritime channels off Yemen. The militia has described the campaign as an act of solidarity with the Palestinian people. Also on Friday, US Central Command said that its forces had destroyed three drones in a Houthi-controlled part of Yemen.

Daesh kills four police in clashes in eastern Iraq
REUTERS/July 13, 2024
BAGHDAD: Four police officers were killed and at least three injured in clashes between Iraqi government forces and Daesh militants in Diyala province in eastern Iraq on Saturday, police and medical sources said. The clashes occurred while police and army forces conducted a search for militants taking shelter in farmland areas in the town of Khan Bani Saad in Diyala province, police sources said. Two police colonels said the clashes were ongoing and militants are using snipers to prevent police and soldiers from advancing. One of at least three police injured was in critical condition, police said. Iraq’s security situation has been relatively stable in recent years after the chaos of the 2003-US-led invasion and years of bloody sectarian conflict that followed. Baghdad is now looking to draw down the U.S-led international coalition that helped defeat Daesh and still remain in the country in an advisory role, saying local security forces can handle the threat themselves.

Syria says restoring ties with Ankara depends on Turkish troop withdrawal
AFP/July 13, 2024
DAMASCUS: Syria’s foreign ministry said Saturday a normalization of ties with neighboring Turkiye depended on Ankara withdrawing troops from its territory. The statement came days after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he might invite Syrian counterpart Bashar Assad to Turkiye to try and reconcile ties between the two countries that went sour after war broke out in Syria in 2011. And earlier on Saturday Erdogan went further when he announced the imminent end to the Turkish forces’ operation against Kurdish fighters in northern Iraq and Syria. Turkiye has launched successive offensives across the border in Syria to expel Kurdish forces from border areas in northern Syria, with pro-Turkish forces controlling two vast border areas of northern Syria. Erdogan supported early rebel efforts to topple Assad at the start of the war in 2011, but reversed course in recent years, with top officials from both countries meeting in Russian-mediated talks. Earlier this month Erdogan pointed to a possible meeting with Assad in Turkiye “at any moment.”“Now we have come to such a point that as soon as Bashar Assad takes a step toward improving relations with Turkiye, we will show him the same approach,” Erdogan said Sunday. The foreign ministry in Damascus, in its statement of Saturday, said that any bid to restore ties between Syria and Turkiye “must be built on clear foundations that ensure the desired results... foremost of which is the withdrawal of illegally present forces from the Syrian territory, and the fight against terrorist groups that threaten not only Syria’s security, but also the security of Turkiye.” Diplomatic ties between the two countries were severed at the start of the war in Syria, which erupted after a brutal crackdown on anti-government protests. It has spiralled into a devastating war involving foreign armies and militants, and killed more than half a million people.

Iran’s new president vows balance with all countries, warns US his country won’t be pressured
AP/July 13, 2024
TEHRAN: Iran’s newly elected president said his government will create “balance in relations with all countries” in line with national interests and the prerequisites for peace but stressed to the United States that his country “will not respond to pressure.”Masoud Pezeshkian penned “My Message To The New World” in the country’s state-owned Tehran Times late Friday, praising the latest presidential election that “demonstrated remarkable stability” and vowing to uphold “promises I made during my campaign.” Pezeshkian, a 69-year-old heart surgeon and longtime lawmaker, bested hard-liner former nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili to clinch July 5’s runoff election to replace President Ebrahim Raisi, who was killed in a helicopter crash in May. He said in his message his administration would “prioritize strengthening relations with our neighbors” and urged Arab countries to use “all diplomatic leverages” to push for a lasting ceasefire in the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip that started Oct.7. Iran has long supported the militant group Hamas, and Pezeshkian on Wednesday expressed his all-out support of “the Plastesinan resistance” in a message to the group’s chief Ismail Haniyeh.
Pezeshkian, in the letter Friday, hailed his country’s relations with Russia and China which “consistently stood by us during challenging times.” He said Moscow was “a valued strategic ally” and his government would expand bilateral cooperation. He also expressed willingness to “support initiatives aimed at” achieving peace between Russia and Ukraine in the ongoing war that entered its third year. The president also said he looked forward to furthering cooperation with Beijing and applauded it for brokering a deal to normalize relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia after seven years of diplomatic tensions.
Pezeshkian said he looks forward to engaging in constructive dialogue with European countries “based on principles of mutual respect” despite a relationship that has known “its ups and downs.”
In May 2018, the US unilaterally withdrew from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action — a nuclear agreement that also included Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany. Since then, Western powers have accused the Islamic Republic of expanding its nuclear program and enriching uranium to an unprecedented 60 percent level, near-weapons-grade levels. The US has issued severe, mainly economic, sanctions against Iran. Pezeshkian accused the European countries of reneging on commitments made, following the US withdrawal, to ensure “effective banking transactions, effective protection of companies from US sanctions, and the promotion of investments in Iran.” However, he added there were still many opportunities for collaboration between Iran and Europe. He then addressed the US, underscoring his country’s refusal to “respond to pressure,” adding that Iran “entered the JCPOA in 2015 in good faith and fully met our obligations.” Pezeshkian said the US backing out has inflicted “hundreds of billions of dollars in damage to our economy” and caused “untold suffering, death and destruction on the Iranian people — particularly during the Covid pandemic” due to sanctions. Pezeshkian said Western countries “not only missed a historic opportunity to reduce and manage tensions in the region and the world, but also seriously undermined the Non-Proliferation Treaty.” He emphasized that “Iran’s defense doctrine does not include nuclear weapons.”Iran has held indirect talks with President Joe Biden’s administration, though there’s been no clear movement toward constraining Tehran’s nuclear program for the lifting of economic sanctions. Pezeshkian also accused the US administration in his open letter of escalating “hostilities” by assassinating General Qassem Soleimani, the architect of Iran’s regional military activities, who was killed in a US drone strike in neighboring Iraq in 2020. Besides regional turmoil and tense relations over Iran’s nuclear program, Iran’s president faces many challenges locally. He must now convince an angry public — many under financial duress due to sanctions, stubbornly high inflation and unemployment — that he can make the changes promised while dealing with an administration still largely governed by hard-liners. Pezeshkian has aligned himself with other moderate and reformist figures since his Presidential campaign. His main advocate has been former Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, who reached the 2015 JCPOA. Pezeshkian appointed Zarif as the head of the Strategic Council for the transition period of the administration. The council, comprised of experts and advisers, will focus on assessing potential candidates for key cabinet positions and ensuring a seamless handover of leadership.

Iran’s Pezeshkian rejects US pressure, praises Russia, China
REUTERS/July 13, 2024
DUBAI: The United States should realize that Iran will not respond to pressure, President-elect Masoud Pezeshkian said in a statement published on Saturday, in which he also highlighted his country’s friendship with China and Russia. Pezeshkian, a relative moderate who beat a hard-line rival in elections, also reiterated that Iran does not seek nuclear weapons, adding that Tehran would expand ties with neighbors and engage with Europe. “The United States...needs to recognize the reality and understand, once and for all, that Iran does not — and will not — respond to pressure (and) that Iran’s defense doctrine does not include nuclear weapons,” Pezeshkian said in the statement, titled “My message to the new world” and published in the daily Tehran Times. Pezeshkian, a 69-year-old heart surgeon, has pledged to promote a pragmatic foreign policy, ease tensions over now-stalled negotiations with major powers to revive a 2015 nuclear pact and improve prospects for social liberalization and political pluralism. However many Iranians are skeptical about his ability to fulfil his campaign promises as Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, not the president, is the ultimate authority in the Islamic Republic.
“China and Russia have consistently stood by us during challenging times. We deeply value this friendship.“Russia is a valued strategic ally and neighbor to Iran and my administration will remain committed to expanding and enhancing our cooperation,” Pezeshkian said, adding that Tehran would actively support initiatives aimed at ending the conflict in Ukraine. “The Iranian people have entrusted me with a strong mandate to vigorously pursue constructive engagement on the international stage while insisting on our rights, our dignity and our deserved role in the region and the world.
“I extend an open invitation to those willing to join us in this historic endeavour,” Pezeshkian said.

The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources on July 13-14/2024
Iran's Mirage: The 'Reformist' Trap
Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Gatestone Institute/July 13, 2024
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2024/07/131821/
[A]ny Iranian politician must be prepared to impose the government's Islamist laws rigorously and crush any form of opposition to the Islamic Republic. The political landscape in Iran does not tolerate dissent or deviation from these core principles, ensuring that only those who conform entirely to the regime's ideology can navigate the tricky waters of the regime's politics.
In Iran, any individual who genuinely seeks to reform the system is likely to be swiftly eliminated, if not executed.
[The new Iranian president, Masoud] Pezeshkian, whom the Western mainstream media have laughably labeled a "reformist," is, in fact, a dedicated supporter of the regime's all-powerful militia, an officially designated terrorist organization, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The IRGC returned the compliment and supported Pezeshkian back.
The regime uses these so-called "reformists" or "moderates," with their seemingly friendly demeanor and calls for improved relations and "peace," to deceive the West. In reality, their sole objective is to have sanctions removed, generate more revenue, and ultimately strengthen the IRGC, the Supreme Leader, the regime's system, and its network of proxies and terror groups.
These political figures are strategically positioned to create a mirage: the illusion of potential reform to lure the West into a false sense of security while the central objectives of the regime remain unchanged -- and expansion-by-proxies and the nuclear weapons program forge ahead.
The unlawful JCPOA deal resulted in the lifting of sanctions and reintegrated Iran into the global financial system. Billions of dollars flowed into Iran's treasury. That influx of cash ultimately fortified the regime, the IRGC, and their operations, illustrating not only the Iranian regime's adeptness at manipulating starry-eyed Western officials to achieve its strategic goals, but worse: it exposed the gullibility of the US and the West who eagerly run into these staged mirages and traps.
The mainstream Western media outlets are overflowing with headlines praising Masoud Pezeshkian, the new, supposedly "reformist" president of Iran. The word "reformist" appears invariably alongside his name, thereby spotlighting an enormous lack of understanding regarding Iran's ruling mullahs and their theocratic establishment.
Pictured: Pezeshkian addresses a gathering of his supporters in Tehran, Iran, on July 3, 2024. (Photo by Hossein Beris/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)
The mainstream Western media outlets are overflowing with headlines praising Masoud Pezeshkian, the new, supposedly "reformist" president of Iran. The word "reformist" appears invariably alongside his name, thereby spotlighting an enormous lack of understanding regarding Iran's ruling mullahs and their theocratic establishment.
To be a politician in the Islamic Republic of Iran and survive, one must embrace and adhere to the fundamental revolutionary principles that underpin the regime. Political office entails demonstrating unwavering loyalty to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and fully endorsing the regime's intractable anti-Americanism and anti-Semitism without question. Moreover, any Iranian politician must be prepared to impose the government's Islamist laws rigorously and crush any form of opposition to the Islamic Republic. The political landscape in Iran does not tolerate dissent or deviation from these core principles, ensuring that only those who conform entirely to the regime's ideology can navigate the tricky waters of the regime's politics.
In Iran, any individual who genuinely seeks to reform the system is likely to be swiftly eliminated, if not executed. This harsh reality underscores the suicidal nature of attempting to challenge the status quo. Consequently, labeling the regime's politicians as "reformist" is not only misleading, but also an affront to the memory of the countless Iranians who have lost their lives in the struggle for genuine reform and systemic change. These brave individuals were brutally oppressed by the regime for their efforts to bring about a transformation away from a society of fear, making it imperative to recognize the difference between those who operate within the system and those who have sacrificed everything in the pursuit of true reform.
Pezeshkian, whom the Western mainstream media have laughably labeled a "reformist," is, in fact, a dedicated supporter of the regime's all-powerful militia, an officially designated terrorist organization, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The IRGC returned the compliment and supported Pezeshkian back.
Pezeshkian frequently wears an IRGC uniform in parliament, symbolizing his deep allegiance to this powerful military organization. "I would wear IRGC uniform again," he has said. "If the IRGC didn't exist, the nation would be divided."
Pezeshkian has publicly condemned the United States for designating the IRGC as a terrorist organization. As an insider who has been with the regime since its establishment nearly four decades ago, Pezeshkian's long-standing loyalty to the Islamic Republic is unquestionable. His approval by the extremely stringent, hardline Guardian Council to run for the presidency underscored his alignment with the core revolutionary principles that sustain the Islamic Republic.
This, unfortunately, is not the first time that the mainstream Western media have hastily labeled Iranian politicians as "moderates" or "reformists." The gullible Western media similarly portrayed President Hassan Rouhani as one during his term from 2013-2021. As historical evidence indicates, whenever a so-called "reformist" or "moderate" assumes the presidency, the political system of the ruling mullahs remains steadfastly unchanged.
The regime uses these so-called "reformists" or "moderates," with their seemingly friendly demeanor and calls for improved relations and "peace," to deceive the West. In reality, their sole objective is to have sanctions removed, generate more revenue, and ultimately strengthen the IRGC, the Supreme Leader, the regime's system, and its network of proxies and terror groups.
These political figures are strategically positioned to create a mirage: the illusion of potential reform to lure the West into a false sense of security while the central objectives of the regime remain unchanged -- and expansion-by-proxies and the nuclear weapons program forge ahead.
Iran's unlawful "nuclear deal," the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), centered on Iran's determination to have nuclear weapons and the ballistic missiles to deliver them. When, during the US President George W. Bush's administration, Iran's economy was severely crippled due to stringent sanctions, Iran's regime groomed Rouhani as a so-called "moderate" and allowed him to run for president.
The gullible Western media and the officials they protect – both of whom lied to perpetuate the "Russia Hoax" against US President Donald J. Trump, and lied to perpetuate the fraudulent letter from 51 former intelligence officials who claimed Hunter Biden's laptop had "the classic earmarks of a Russian information operation," and who lied to cover up US President Joe Biden's mental decline for four years – appear eager to play into the Iranian regime's hands by enthusiastically portraying Pezeshkian as a "moderate."
Rouhani's presidency revitalized the regime by securing funding from the Obama administration that doubtless helped finance a nuclear deal, that, after a few years, would enable Iran's regime to have as many nuclear weapons as it liked.
The unlawful JCPOA deal resulted in the lifting of sanctions and reintegrated Iran into the global financial system. Billions of dollars flowed into Iran's treasury. That influx of cash ultimately fortified the regime, the IRGC, and their operations, illustrating not only the Iranian regime's adeptness at manipulating starry-eyed Western officials to achieve its strategic goals, but worse: it exposed the gullibility of the US and the West who eagerly run into these staged mirages and traps.
*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 [email protected]
© 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 US held off sanctioning this Israeli army unit despite evidence of abuses. Now its forces are shaping the fight in Gaza
CNN’s International Investigations team/July 13, 2024
Former commanders of the Netzah Yehuda battalion, an Israeli military unit that has been accused by the United States of gross human rights violations against Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank prior to October 7, have been promoted to senior positions in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and are now active in training Israeli ground troops as well as running operations in Gaza, a CNN investigation has found.
Among CNN’s findings was rare whistleblower testimony from a former soldier of the unit who described a command that encouraged a culture of violence, an issue identified by US State Department investigations.
In April, the State Department said that it had determined five Israeli security units had committed gross violations of human rights prior to the outbreak of the war with Hamas in Gaza. The department said that four of the units had “effectively remediated,” or reformed themselves, in the wake of those violations, but that it was still deciding whether to restrict US military assistance to the remaining unit: The Netzah Yehuda battalion, originally created to accommodate ultra-Orthodox Jews in the military.
The news that the US might withhold assistance from the Israeli military unit triggered a furious response at the time from top Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who said: “If anyone thinks they can impose sanctions on a unit of the IDF, I will fight with all my strength.”
In a letter obtained by CNN, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told House Speaker Mike Johnson that the US was working with Israel “on identifying a path to effective remediation” for the Netzah Yehuda battalion. The letter did not name the unit, but current and former US officials confirmed to CNN that Blinken was referring to Netzah Yehuda, which has been accused of a string of abuses in the occupied West Bank over the last 10 years, including in the death of a 78-year-old Palestinian-American man in 2022.
Using facial recognition technology and other open-source techniques, CNN has found that three former commanders of the Netzah Yehuda battalion – who were in charge of the unit at the time of alleged abuses in the West Bank – have risen through the ranks of the IDF. CNN tracked these commanders by matching their faces to publicly available imagery over the years, ranging from photographs of military ceremonies to battlefield updates.
CNN has spoken with a former member of the unit, who detailed instances of cruel and excessively violent treatment of Palestinians in the occupied West Bank. The whistleblower said that commanders actively supported vigilante violence and that promoting them into senior IDF positions risked bringing the same culture to other parts of the military.
“A lot of us probably did not see Arabs, Palestinians in particular, as someone with rights – okay, like they’re really the occupier of some of the land and they need to be moved,” he said.
The former soldier, who asked not to be named due to fears about his security, told CNN that the unit was well known for carrying out what he described as the “collective punishment of Palestinians.” He gave an example of the battalion’s forces assaulting a Palestinian village, going door-to-door with stun grenades and gas grenades as retribution for some local children throwing rocks.
While he was in Netzah Yehuda, he said, the battalion’s commanders played a key role in perpetuating a culture of violence, both by standing by as it happened and promoting it. Responding to CNN’s request for comment on the allegations of abuse by Netzah Yehuda, the IDF said that the battalion “operates in a professional and ethical manner” and that its soldiers and commanders “act according to the orders and protocols expected of soldiers in the IDF.” The IDF added that it investigates “every exceptional incident,” and takes command and disciplinary measures against those involved when appropriate. It did not comment on the subsequent promotion of some commanders.
In the course of its month-long investigation, CNN spoke with several current and former US officials, who revealed the intense frustrations within the Biden administration at the perceived special treatment that Israel receives from the US when it comes to addressing human rights violations by its security forces. The former US officials said the fact that Netzah Yehuda’s former commanders have continued to be promoted through Israel’s military ranks was a worrying result of America’s inaction and could have devastating consequences.
The US determined that four of the five Israeli units under scrutiny were remediated on the basis that Israel had taken steps to “bring to justice” responsible service members, according to an internal memo sent by the State Department to Congress and obtained by CNN. Israeli military veterans from Breaking the Silence, an anti-occupation advocacy group, told CNN that the IDF often scapegoats junior soldiers or officers, arguing that abuses are the fault of a few bad apples rather than reflective of institutional problems stemming from longstanding military practices or government policies. That approach should not meet the bar for effective remediation, US officials said.
A State Department spokesperson told CNN that they do not discuss the circumstances of individual cases, but its experts had “concluded that several Israeli security force units were credibly implicated in gross violations of human rights (GVHRs),” and that for four of those, the Israeli government had “taken effective steps to bring those responsible to justice.”
“We continue to assess reports of GVHRs by Israeli security forces, in accordance with the law, and all US security assistance to Israel is provided consistent with domestic and international law,” the spokesperson added.
Current and former US officials also told CNN that the five Israeli units were not the only ones the State Department had been examining. The special State Department panel had reached unanimous consensus at a working level that three additional units had been guilty of abuses prior to October 7, the officials said. Only Blinken or the Deputy Secretary of State can make a final determination on whether units remain eligible to receive US military assistance and it is unclear if the matter has come before them. The findings by the expert panel would have been enough to disqualify a military unit from any other country, the officials said.
The incidents include the killing of Ahmad Jamil Fahd, who was allegedly shot by forces from the Israeli police counterterrorism unit, the Yamam, near Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank, in May 2021; the killing of a Bedouin man identified as Sanad Salaam al-Harbad, who was allegedly shot by the Israel Border Police in the southern Israeli city of Rahat in March 2022; and the alleged rape of a 15-year-old boy by an interrogator from the Israeli Internal Security Forces at the Russian Compound (Moscobiyya detention center) in Jerusalem in January 2021. One US official CNN spoke with said these were among “the most flagrant abuses looked into.”
CNN reached out to the Israel Border Police and Shin Bet, the country’s domestic security agency, for comment on the State Department’s findings.
Josh Paul, who as a former director in the State Department’s political-military affairs bureau spent more than 11 years working on US defense diplomacy, security and weapons assistance before resigning in October 2023 over the transfer of arms to Israel, told CNN that there was “not even the slightest basis” to suggest that the three further units identified to CNN — the Yamam, the Israel Border Police and Internal Security Forces connected to the Moscobiyya detention center — had done anything to reform.
Paul had previously referenced the Moscobiyya rape allegation in an interview with CNN’s Christiane Amanpour, adding that a charity had drawn it to the attention of a State Department vetting panel he was on. The allegation was believed to be credible and raised with Israel’s government, he said. “And do you know what happened the next day? The IDF went in to the (charity’s) offices and removed all their computers and declared them a terrorist entity,” he told Amanpour.
Two of the units have been linked to deadly incidents in the wake of October 7. The Yamam was involved in Israel’s hostage rescue operation in Nuseirat refugee camp, in northern Gaza, on June 8, which freed four Israelis and, according to local health authorities, killed more than 270 Palestinians and injured over 700. The IDF has disputed those numbers, claiming that casualties from the operation were “under 100.” CNN cannot independently verify the casualty figures given by either side. Meanwhile, the Israel Border Police shot and killed a 3-year-old Palestinian girl in the occupied West Bank in January and a 12-year-old Palestinian boy in occupied east Jerusalem in March.
The fact that the US has never imposed sanctions on any Israeli military unit shows “the lack of political will and moral courage to hold Israel accountable,” Paul added.
‘Culture of impunity’
The US is by far the biggest supplier of weapons to Israel, and its military assistance has helped shape Israel’s operations in Gaza. But it has increasingly come under international pressure over its support as the war drags on.
Nine months since Hamas militants killed around 1,200 Israelis and kidnapped more than 250 people, Israel’s assault on Gaza has killed more than 38,000 Palestinians, according to local health authorities. US President Joe Biden has called for the war to end, and laid out a US-backed Israeli ceasefire proposal, but his administration has continued to supply Israel with billions of dollars’ worth of weapons.
Paul told CNN that Israel’s prosecution of the war in Gaza would look far different if the US had enforced legislation known as the Leahy law. The 1997 law, named for former Sen. Patrick Leahy who authored the legislation, prohibits the US from providing assistance to any foreign security units that are credibly implicated in human rights violations.
“Had the US used the leverage that Leahy laws provide over the years to encourage the IDF to crack down on misbehavior and to snuff out its current culture of impunity, we would have seen at the very least a much stronger unit discipline (than what we see in Gaza right now) at a tactical level,” said Paul, who was a member of the Israel Leahy Vetting Forum – created in 2020 to identify Israeli units that should be barred from receiving US aid.
Under the Leahy law, in cases where an entire unit is designated to receive assistance, the State Department vets not only the unit but also its commander.
Charles Blaha, the former director of the State Department’s Office of Security and Human Rights, and also a former member of the Israel Leahy Vetting Forum, said that the panel pays “special attention” to commanders. “They set the tone for the units. When a commander from a tainted unit goes on to another unit, he can render the new unit ineligible for US assistance too,” said Blaha, who retired from the State Department last year.
‘Moral failure’
The Netzah Yehuda battalion was created by the Israeli military in 1999 for ultra-Orthodox Jews, to accommodate their more stringent religious practices, like the separation of men and women. Since it was established, the battalion has also attracted religious nationalists from the West Bank settler movement, according to those familiar with the unit. It forms part of the Kfir Brigade, the largest infantry brigade in the IDF.
One of the most shocking and widely reported incidents involving the Netzah Yehuda battalion was the death of a 78-year-old Palestinian-American man, who was detained in his home village of Jiljilya in the occupied West Bank in January 2022. Omar Assad was held gagged and with his hands tied for a period before being freed and left unresponsive by soldiers from the unit, according to an IDF investigation. An autopsy report determined that Assad had died from a heart attack after he was detained.
The IDF investigation concluded that the incident resulted from “a moral failure and poor decision-making on the part of the soldiers.” Following the initial probe, the IDF said that it would reprimand the commander of Netzah Yehuda – Lt. Col. Mati Shevach – and remove the platoon commander and company commander from their positions, barring them from commanding roles for two years. But no criminal charges were brought against the soldiers, because the military said there was no causal link found between Assad’s death and their conduct. The IDF referred CNN to its findings when questioned about Assad’s death.
Current and former US officials told CNN that the Assad case reflects a broader trend of the types of cases that the US examines. To date, the only incidents in which the US has implicated Israeli units in gross human rights violations were cases in which Israeli courts had already ruled. “The State Department has never made an independent determination of a gross violation of human rights by an Israeli unit. Ever,” Blaha said.
Speaking further about the special treatment that Israel gets from the US, he added: “Of course, we treat Israel differently and that really undermines our human rights advocacy in the rest of the world.”
Shevach, Netzah Yehuda’s commander at the time of Assad’s death, was promoted to the role of deputy commander of the Kfir Brigade, which oversees Netzah Yehuda, soon after his two-year stint in charge of the ultra-Orthodox battalion ended in August 2022. And now, Shevach is training soldiers who are about to enter combat, according to an IDF press release and media reports.
Shevach has been running drills for Israeli forces at the military’s Urban Warfare Training Center, a mock city in Tze’elim military base in the Negev desert, preparing them to go into Gaza. In an October interview with US broadcaster CBS at the center, Shevach explained how he was readying soldiers to fight Hamas, adding that “the major concern for most of the soldiers” was that at a certain point they would get “an order that the war ends, and we didn’t finish our mission.”
CNN put its findings on Shevach’s career trajectory to Blaha, who said that it “strongly suggests that the types of tactics, the types of abuses, the type of violations that the Netzah Yehuda have committed are going to metastasize to the new units because if that person is in charge of training, he is going to promulgate the same lack of ethos regarding human rights.”
CNN found that two other commanders who oversaw Netzah Yehuda – also known as the 97th Battalion of the Kfir Infantry Brigade – at the time of alleged abuses in the occupied West Bank were also promoted.
Lt. Col. Nitai Okashi oversaw the Netzah Yehuda battalion from 2018 to 2020. In January 2019, soldiers from his unit were captured on video beating and taunting a Palestinian father and son after their arrest in the occupied West Bank. Four were later convicted of aggravated abuse. Okashi, according to Israeli media reports, asked the judge for mercy, saying the soldiers had learned their lesson. In another incident, in October 2019, 14 soldiers from his unit were arrested, according to the Israeli military, after they were caught on video assaulting Bedouin men at a gas station in the West Bank.
Since leaving the battalion, Okashi has been promoted into a number of commanding roles in the IDF. He has operated in Gaza since the beginning of the war as the commander of the Jerusalem Brigade and taken reporters from international media, such as German magazine Der Spiegel and Britain’s Guardian newspaper on military embeds into the strip. The IDF announced a further promotion for Okashi in March.
Lt. Col. Uri Levy was in charge of Netzah Yehuda from 2014 to 2016. During that time, a Netzah Yehuda soldier was indicted for abuse under aggravated circumstances by a military court in Israel, after he allegedly administered electric shocks to Palestinian suspects in two separate incidents in October 2015. After leaving the unit, Levy was promoted to work in the Kfir Brigade.
Levy retired from the military in 2023 and now regularly appears on Israeli talk shows as a pundit. In April, when news broke that the US could be poised to sanction Netzah Yehuda, he told Israeli Channel 7: “Anyone looking to find some kind of flaw in an IDF unit like this can find it, and I suggest looking at the glass half full … the operational successes, the achievements, the hard work night after night.”
CNN reached out to the IDF for comment on the alleged abuses carried out by Netzah Yehuda over the past decade. In response, the IDF said: “It should be noted that in relation to the events that took place in 2015 and 2019 … the involved had been indicted and the military court had imposed prison sentences in both cases, along with additional punishments.”
Men forced to strip naked
In late 2022, Netzah Yehuda, which had been stationed in the occupied West Bank since its inception, was reassigned to the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights. The IDF said it was an extended operational deployment, but Blinken, in his letter to Speaker Johnson, wrote that it was an acknowledgement that the battalion had “engaged in conduct inconsistent with IDF rules.” Still, that track record has not stopped the IDF from deploying Netzah Yehuda soldiers to Gaza, where they have been fighting since the start of the war.
On April 16, under the leadership of then-commander Lt. Col. Shlomo Shiran, Netzah Yehuda was involved in an operation at the Mahdiyya Al-Shawwa school in Beit Hanoun, in northern Gaza, where thousands of displaced Palestinians were sheltering, according to eyewitnesses, local journalists and IDF statements. Eyewitnesses said that the soldiers surrounded the school, “fired excessively” on the complex and forced men to strip naked before detaining them. The IDF said intelligence indicated Hamas fighters were in the area.
A voice note allegedly recorded by Palestinians inside the school as the attack unfolded, obtained by CNN, captured panic as the civilians remained trapped inside and gunshots rang out. A video posted on social media showed a Palestinian man forced to strip naked in front of an IDF tank. The IDF did not respond to CNN’s request for comment on the incident.
In turning a blind eye and failing to take action against Netzah Yehuda and other units in the past, Paul said that the US has contributed to a continuing culture of impunity whose “effects we see in every outrageous TikTok video recorded and published by Israeli soldiers on the ground as they plunder, pillage, and mock their way across Gaza.”
That Netzah Yehuda has been allowed to fight in Gaza after having been pulled from the occupied West Bank in the wake of violent incidents is “ironic” and concerning, the whistleblower who served in the Netzah Yehuda told CNN. In the strip, he said: “They pretty much get a carte blanche, where they can do more or less whatever they want.”
In the rare interview, he told CNN that he has felt compelled to speak out about the mistreatment of Palestinians by the force after reflecting on his time as a soldier.
After he joined the unit at age 19, he recalled, he heard about soldiers being rewarded for killings. “If you kill a terrorist, you get two weeks off as a compensation … which is quite an attractive reward for someone that’s spending a lot of time in the military,” he said.
The IDF said in a statement to CNN that the claim soldiers are rewarded with early leave for killing terrorists was “false and baseless.”
“Soldiers are going to do what their commander is expecting them to do and follow orders. And so, if these commanders don’t put their foot down and punish them for their behavior, then they are in fact condoning their behavior,” the whistleblower said.
But, he added, “Most of the commanders couldn’t care less (about abuses), as long as it didn’t end up on video.”
Credits
Investigative Reporter: Katie Polglase
Investigative Producer & Writer: Pallabi Munsi
Investigative Producer: Benjamin Brown
Executive Producer: Barbara Arvanitidis
Senior Photojournalist: Alex Platt
Investigative Video Editor: Mark Baron
Senior Digital Video Producer: Augusta Anthony
Visual Editor: Alberto Mier
Photo Editor: Toby Hancock
OSINT Editor: Gianluca Mezzofiore
Features Editor: Laura Smith-Spark
Senior Investigations Editor: Eliza Mackintosh
Executive Editors: Dan Wright & Matt Wells
*Ami Kaufman and Jennifer Hansler contributed to this report.

How Israel spins Gaza killings to avoid being held accountable
Ray Hanania/Arab News/July 13, 2024
More than 38,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s nine-month military assault against the civilian population of the Gaza Strip. However, according to The Lancet medical journal, the number of fatalities is probably more like 186,000, shining a spotlight on how difficult it is to measure the carnage because of the restrictions Israel has placed on news reporting of the Gaza conflict. Israel only embeds journalists with its army in the Gaza Strip if they agree to allow its censors to review all reports and videos. Reporters who refuse are banned from entering the Strip. However, independent Gaza-based reporters, mainly from Arab media outlets, have been covering the Israeli carnage and many of them have paid the ultimate price for seeking to report the truth. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, 108 journalists have been killed in the war and many more wounded. It is the deadliest period for journalists in the history of the organization, which began documenting media deaths in 1992. Last week, one CNN reporter noted that his reports were not censored or reviewed by the Israeli military, although he only interviewed the Israeli spokesperson on what was happening in Gaza. Restricting and censoring news reporting in a conflict zone is the first step toward controlling the narrative.
Controlling the media and restricting and censoring news reporting in a conflict zone is the first step toward controlling the narrative. And Israel needs to ensure its spin is dominant because, while Hamas militants killed about 1,200 Israelis on Oct. 7, including some soldiers, the Israelis have killed about 30 times more Palestinians, including some Hamas militants.
Controlling the reporting gives Israel the ability to lie to the public about what it is doing and blur the reality of the carnage. For example, a majority of those killed by Israel are believed to be civilians. The UN estimated in May that 69 percent of the reported deaths were of women and children. But because Israel refuses to permit UN workers to monitor the killings first-hand, banning them from much of the Gaza Strip, the UN revised its estimate down to 52 percent a few days later.
Israeli pundits did not say what caused the revision but did stress that the number was exaggerated. In fact, The Times of Israel incorrectly stated that the UN “sharply revised” down the number of “identified” women and children killed. “The new figures … reduce by more than half the number of women and children that it previously said had been killed during the war, although other ‘unregistered’ deaths may be pending,” it reported. However, a reduction from 69 percent to 52 percent is not “more than half,” but what can only be considered a “slight” revision. Even if the figure is 52 percent, that still represents more than 19,000 women and children — that we know of.
That must be a “win” for Israeli propaganda and a consequence of controlling the reporting from the war zone that Israel continues to dominate.
But to ensure that American sympathies are not eroded by the adjusted 52 percent figure — after all, Hamas was only accused of killing a handful of children in the Oct. 7 assault and that raised a national storm of indignation and outrage that echoed through the halls of American politics — Israeli spokespeople continue to assert that the deaths are a consequence of Hamas’ actions. This aims to allow the Israeli soldiers who put these Palestinian women and children in their sniper scopes or target them with rockets and bombs to remain blame-free.
Israeli military spokesman Peter Lerner last month said: “Every civilian life lost in this war is a result of how Hamas has operated.” The Washington Post noted after reporting this quote: “Israeli officials routinely deny charges that they have deliberately targeted civilians and blame Hamas for operating in areas where civilians are put at risk.” I guess the word “routine” makes the Israeli assertions reportable.
If this were happening anywhere else in the world, the media would take an entirely different and more confrontational stand against the party responsible for the massacre of so many women and children.
Just look at the coverage of the Russian war against Ukraine. It is reported without pushback from Moscow that more than 8,000 civilians have been killed by the Russian assault just in territory controlled by Ukraine. Nearly every day, American media reports cite the number of Ukrainian civilians killed. In the last week, the Associated Press reported, without worrying about angering the censors, that 31 people were killed in a single Russian assault.
Blaming the Russians for civilian deaths strengthens the national outcry against Russia. Meanwhile, deflecting blame for the killing of Palestinians gives Israel the political cover to continue what it is doing without an American backlash.
Another win for Israel is how the media restricts its coverage of the issue of hostages. Hamas took hundreds of civilian and military hostages during its Oct. 7 attack. Their plight is given regular front-page coverage by the US news media.
If this were happening anywhere else in the world, the media would take an entirely different and more confrontational stand.
But Israel has held thousands of Palestinian civilians hostage over the years in so-called administrative detention, a system that allows the Israeli authorities to hold anyone they like without ever having to lay any charges. These hostages are incarcerated for infinitely renewable six-month periods without ever facing legal proceedings.
Many of the thousands of administratively detained Palestinians — men, women and children alike — constitute an obvious form of hostage-taking that is intended to subdue anti-Israel expressions by Palestinians. Support in the US for Ukraine is driven by an emotional indignation that is spun by the way the war and the deaths are presented. In the Israel-Palestine war, support for Israel is driven by the spinning of perceptions, which minimizes the moral outrage of it killing women and children.
How Israel and its American supporters conduct themselves has nothing to do with the rule of law, democracy, human rights, morality or even ethics. It is all about the ability to make yourself look good and moral, even while inflicting the most horrendous human suffering.
*Ray Hanania is an award-winning former Chicago City Hall political reporter and columnist. He can be reached on his personal website at www.Hanania.com. X: @RayHanania

Missed opportunities of NATO’s anniversary summit
Luke Coffey/Arab News/July 13, 2024
Unsurprisingly, Russia’s war on Ukraine — the greatest threat to Europe’s security since the Second World War — dominated much of last week’s 75th anniversary NATO summit in Washington, but other geopolitical challenges were addressed too.
On China, the alliance tried walking a tightrope. The summit’s final declaration said China “continues to pose systemic challenges to Euro-Atlantic security” and Beijing was a “decisive enabler” of Russia’s war against Ukraine. However, the alliance also said it remained “open to constructive engagement” with China. The declaration also included tough language about Iran and North Korea, especially their military support for Russia.
First the good news. After years of lagging behind, Europe is stepping up on defense spending. In 2014, when Russia annexed Ukraine’s Crimea peninsula, only three NATO members spent the required 2 percent of gross domestic product on defense. Ten years later, 23 out of 32 now do so.
The disappointing news was on Ukraine. Many were hoping that NATO would extend an invitation to Ukraine to join, but the US and Germany blocked it. The two headlines were that more air defense systems would be supplied to Kyiv and that F-16s were being transferred to the Ukrainian air force. Neither was noteworthy enough for a major NATO summit. In the final declaration, the alliance repeated from last year that “Ukraine’s future is in NATO” and said for the first time that Ukraine was on an “irreversible path” to join — but these words fall short of an invitation.
Finally, two outcomes with geopolitical significance deserve more attention. The first is the breakdown in relations between NATO and Georgia. For the first time since 2008, there was a complete omission of Georgia’s NATO aspirations in the summit declaration. Work should begin immediately to ensure that the 2025 summit delivers bolder and more creative outcomes.
The Georgian government has shifted away from aligning with Europe on major policy issues and has instead taken positions sympathetic to Russia: the best example is over Ukraine. That there was no mention of Georgia joining NATO is a major shift in policy, and undeniable proof that the Georgian government has derailed the country’s Euro-Atlantic path.
Another noteworthy issue is with relations between NATO and the MENA region. This year is not only the 75th anniversary of the formation of NATO, but also the 20th anniversary of the Istanbul Cooperation Initiative and the 30th anniversary of the Mediterranean Dialogue, which are the main platform for NATO's engagement with the MENA region. Any cooperation between NATO and MENA is positive. There are many overlapping security issues, including counterterrorism and the proliferation of Iranian drones and missiles.
At the summit, NATO that a Special Representative would be appointed to bolster the alliance’s engagement with the region, and a liaison office will be opened in Jordan. At the request of the Iraqi government, the alliance will also increase the size of its training mission there. It would be a good idea for NATO to explore the possibility of adding new members to both the Istanbul Cooperation Initiative and the Mediterranean Dialogue.
Overall, the summit gets a passing grade. It was not a disaster, but it accomplished the bare minimum. On Ukraine, the most pressing issue in the transatlantic community, the summit was a missed opportunity. The 75th anniversary of the alliance is a big deal, but NATO’s leaders failed to appreciate and recognize the historic times in which they are living. Instead of making history at the summit, all they did was celebrate it.
Next year NATO’s leaders meet again in the Netherlands. Work should begin immediately to ensure that the 2025 summit delivers bolder and more creative outcomes. The clock is already ticking.
*Luke Coffey is a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute. X: @LukeDCoffey.

2040: The year Iran predicts Israel will be destroyed. Now is the time to prepare - opinion
MARK DUBOWITZ, JACOB NAGEL/Jerusalem Post/July 13/2024
The Islamic Republic is developing a comprehensive strategy to bring about Israel’s elimination as a sovereign state.
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2024/07/131838/
The eminent Jewish writer, Nobel Prize laureate and Holocaust survivor Eli Wiesel famously said that "the greatest tragedy of the Jewish people is that they listened to the promises of their friends and not the threats of their enemies." The wisdom of that insight is illustrated every time we hear the supreme leader Ali Khamenei speaking of the terrible fate his regime has planned for the state of Israel. In a social media post in 2015, Khamenei told Israelis that their state would be destroyed by 2040. “God willing, there will be nothing of the Zionist regime in 25 years,” he wrote. As Wiesel would advise, we should take the supreme leader at his word, and understand that he will do everything possible to realize that genocidal goal, in cooperation with the forces that support him at home and abroad. The Islamic Republic is developing a comprehensive strategy to bring about Israel’s elimination as a sovereign state. In military terms, this is built around both conventional and nuclear capabilities. The regime has invested heavily in conventional weapons to attack Israel, as demonstrated by the unprecedented attack on the Jewish state on the night of April 13, when Tehran launched over 300 ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and drones. At the same time, the Islamic Republic has doggedly pursued its nuclear weapon ambitions, in the first place as a means of deterring Israel from defending itself against conventional attacks; and in the second place, to give it weapons of mass destruction to destroy Israel.
Iran turns up the heat on Israel
In parallel, Iran is turning the heat up on its “ring of fire” encircling Israel, combining military strategy with lawfare and propaganda efforts. Israel is being dragged into a regional war on several fronts, including Judea and Samaria and Gaza, where Iran’s proxy Hamas holds sway; Lebanon, where its most powerful ally Hezbollah continues to be the most powerful element in that shattered country; Yemen, where Houthi rebels backed by Tehran have declared their support for Hamas by all but shutting down commercial traffic through the Red Sea with missile attacks on civilian shipping; Iraq, where the Iranians have armed and trained Islamist militias; and Syria, where President Bashar al-Assad’s regime has emerged unchallenged from the civil war, thanks to the backing of Iran and Russia. In addition to these military fronts, Khamenei has launched a campaign of lawfare and diplomatic warfare, supporting attempts at the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice to demonize Israel, and providing financial and political support to the increasingly vocal pro-Hamas protest movements in the US. and throughout the West.In that sense, the “election,” or more precisely Khamenei’s selection, of Masoud Pezekshian as Iran’s new president through a ballot vetted and controlled by the supreme leader and his Guardian Council is something of a masterstroke. Pezekshian is depicted in large parts of the western media as a “moderate” and a “reformer,” which plays directly into Khamenei’s hands. Indeed, the supreme leader understands what many western politicians and commentators do not — that Pezekshian is a regime loyalist before anything else. What we are witnessing is another honeytrap like the one laid a decade ago, when President Hassan Rouhani and his Foreign Minister Javad Zarif, both wolves in sheep’s clothing, successfully negotiated a nuclear deal with sunset clauses that allowed for the rapid expansion and weaponization of their nuclear program after 2030. Western leaders pretended that this wouldn’t matter because the Islamic Republic would be moderate by then. Western leaders cannot make the same mistake again.
Yet they may well do so: Israelis cannot ignore the prospect that they will be forced to stand alone. If the West falters, attention will increasingly shift to the restive Iranian people, who have protested in the millions against the regime since 2009, and who will do so again once Pezekshian’s false credentials as a reformer become painfully apparent.The time has come for a new approach to the Islamic Republic. Monitoring the regime’s dangerous uranium enrichment activities is not enough. What is required is a comprehensive campaign built upon two pillars: preventing weaponization of the nuclear program and promoting counter-measures — among them sanctions targeting Iran’s banking system and energy sector, cyberwarfare, and providing maximum support (funds, weapons and intel) to the opposition in Iran and outside— that will weaken the regime to the point of collapse.
We recognize that there is no “silver bullet” and that some measures will work, while others won’t. Some covert activities have already proven their value. For example, the “Women, Life, Freedom” protests that exploded in 2022 following the murder by the regime’s morality police of a young Iranian woman, Mahsa Amini, for allegedly violating the misogynistic hijab law, were greatly assisted by the exposure of medical reports which showed that she died from regime beatings and not, as the regime claimed, because of ill health. History demonstrates that every time the US. poses a credible military threat, the Iranians changed their behavior.
President Reagan sank part of the Iranian navy and the regime stopped interfering with international shipping.
President Bush invaded Iraq and the regime suspended its nuclear enrichment. President Trump killed IRGC-Quds Force commander Qassem Suleimani and the regime stopped expanding its nuclear program until Joe Biden’s election and his abandonment of Trump’s maximum pressure campaign. Unfortunately, the Biden administration does not have a strategy for dealing with Iran, apart from the release of billions of dollars in oil assets, the feeble enforcement of sanctions, and a demonstrated fear of using American power. Khamenei feels confident about developing his nuclear weapons program and building conventional weapons systems with which to attack both Israel and the US. Israel too must change its stance. It must make clear that despite the IDF name, the Israel Defense Forces can — and will — go on the offensive. For years, Israel has been focused on preventing escalation, but that did not prevent the attack of April 13. When enemies fill they will not pay a painful price for aggression, their confidence is boosted, and a full-scale war becomes more likely. The strategy now needs to be turned on its head. By 2040, if not sooner, it is the Islamic Republic, and not Israel, that should be consigned to the ash heap of history. With intelligence and determination, that goal can become a reality.
**Brig. Gen. (res.) Jacob Nagel is a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) and a professor at the Technion. He served as National Security Advisor to Prime Minister Netanyahu and as acting head of the National Security Council. Mark Dubowitz is FDD’s chief executive and an expert on Iran’s nuclear program and sanctions. In 2019, he was sanctioned by Iran.
https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-810104