Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on July 14-15/2024
Former President Trump's heinous assassination attempt is strongly and firmly condemned/Elias Bejjani/July 14/2024
'Hezbollah controls Hamas in Lebanon': Expert says Hezbollah unlikely to respond to strike on Deif
Hezbollah fires rockets after Israeli strike on Lebanon
Halevy: We are preparing for the next stage in Lebanon
Video and photos - The Israeli army "raises readiness" on the northern front
“Full Hearts” explodes in the Madi neighborhood...a problem against the backdrop of a monument between “Amal” and “The Party” that eliminates “Abu Samra”!
“Ashurai conflict” in the suburb results in the death of a party official.. What is the relationship between the brigades?!
"Shiites Shiites" in Bourj Hammoud.. The "duo" disavows and the "thugs" take refuge in him!
"Al-Hunchak" condemns the events in Bourj Hammoud: We reject slogans that incite sectarian strife
Egypt's Ambassador Alaa Moussa to LBCI: A Gaza truce would reflect on Lebanon's presidential file
Cardinal Bechara Rai, Reiterates His Call to Elect a President
Beirut Metropolitan Elias Audi Calls for Implementation of the Constitution
Insecurity in Southern Suburb: Amal and Hezb Request Army Intervention
Army Intercepts Bus-Loads of Fresh Illegal Syrian Migrants
Lebanese Soldier Found Dead Near Beirut Port
Marjayoun Power Station Out of Service Following Israeli Bombing
The Martyrdom of Hussein at Kerbala and the Cult of Sacrifice/Fady Noun/This Is Beirut/July 14/2024
Lebanon condemns Israel's attack on Khan Yunis refugee camp
Makary at the launching of the “Rashaya Tourism Season”: We believe in Lebanon’s coexistence that supports humanitarian issues
Abu Faour: The will to live is stronger than the Israeli attacks
Fayyad sponsors launching of IPT's first report on sustainability, stresses importance of partnership between public, private sectors
Bushkian: Peculiarity of Bourj Hammoud is its coexistence, priority is for security & rule of law
AMCD Endorses Jasser and Hamadeh for AZ Congress.

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on July 14-15/2024
Trump: Why I Chanted 'Fight, Fight, Fight' after Shooting
Trump vows to press ahead after surviving assassination attempt
World leaders react to Trump rally shooting
Thomas Matthew Crooks identified as Trump shooter at Pennsylvania political rally
Here's what we know about Thomas Matthew Crooks, the suspected Trump rally shooter - explainer
Former Secret Service agent who took a bullet for Reagan said the Trump shooting was a failure 'plain and simple'
A shocking act that will reshape the presidential race
Rabbis and Christian leaders call for prayers after Trump shot at rally
Arab World Condemns Shooting Attack on Trump
Arab Americans react with shock at attempted assassination of former president Trump
IDF confirms Khan Yunis Brigade commander Rafa’a Salameh killed in targeted strike
After 10 months of war, the humanitarian situation in Gaza ‘is absolutely atrocious’
Hamas withdraws from Gaza truce talks after Israeli strike on camp, senior official says
Hamas says Gaza cease-fire talks haven't paused and claims military chief survived Israeli strike
At least 22 killed in strike on makeshift mosque in Gaza City camp, hospital official says
UK Foreign Secretary visits Israel and West Bank and calls for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza
Thousands of Islamists rally near the Pakistani capital to denounce Israeli strikes in Gaza
US, UK strike Houthi targets in Yemen’s northern Hajjah
Turkish-Syrian Rapprochement Dictated by Turkish Elections
Syria says soldier killed in Israeli strike on Damascus

Titles For The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources on July 14-15/2024
'Can words kill?': Trump shooting sends warning to Israel - analysis/Herb Keinon/Jerusalem Post/July 14/2024
Iran's "Moderate" President Is a Just Another Hardliner-in-Disguise to Glide in Its Nuclear Weapons Programme/Con Coughlin/Gatestone Institute/July 14, 2024
Stop Shouting and Focus!/Tariq Al-Homayed/Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper/July 14/2024
How the Starmer model might work for the UK/Daron Acemoglu/Arab News/July 14, 2024
US resolve remains strong despite election uncertainty/Dr. Amal Mudallali/Arab News/July 14, 2024
In the US, change must come through ballots, not bullets/Dalia Al-Aqidi/Arab News/July 14, 2024

Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on July 14-15/2024
Former President Trump's heinous assassination attempt is strongly and firmly condemned
Elias Bejjani/July 14/2024
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2024/07/131889/
"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God." (Matthew 05/09)
On behalf of all Lebanese in both Lebanon and the Diaspora who share our deeply rooted values of faith, peace, and freedom, we stand united in condemning the heinous attempt on the life of former President Donald J. Trump. This act of violence, aimed at one of the world's foremost advocates for peace, democracy, and the rule of law, is utterly deplorable. We are grateful to God for His divine protection over President Trump, who remains unharmed.
Psalm 91:11-12 reminds us, "For He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone." We thank the Lord for His mercy and the safety granted to President Trump during this perilous time.
Peace lovers all over the world cannot and will not tolerate acts of violence against their leaders. The perpetrators of this attack must be brought to justice swiftly and decisively. As we condemn this vile act, we must also reflect on the broader implications it has for global stability.
In addition to addressing domestic threats in the USA, we must turn our attention to the global stage, particularly the Middle East, and especially our beloved occupied Lebanon. The Middle East, has long been plagued by conflict and unrest, and it is our hope that under President Trump’s potential future leadership, significant strides toward lasting peace can be achieved.
We earnestly pray for peace in the Middle East in general, and in occupied Lebanon in particular, and believe that President Trump, with his proven track record of diplomacy, can play a crucial role in fostering harmony and stability in this volatile region.
The recent worldwide surge in violence highlights the urgent need for a return to law and order. We are confident that President Trump, once re-elected, will address all violence issues with the determination and leadership that we have come to expect from him.
Let us stand together in prayer and solidarity, thanking God for His protection and seeking His guidance as we navigate these challenging times.
"May His peace, which surpasses all understanding, guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:7).

'Hezbollah controls Hamas in Lebanon': Expert says Hezbollah unlikely to respond to strike on Deif
shaked Sadeh/Jerusalem Post/July 14/2024
'Despite the attempted assassination, Hezbollah will not operate in a more significant way than it is currently', says Prof. Amatzia Baram. Following the strike that targeted Mohammad Deif, University of Haifa Prof. Amatzia Baram estimated Hezbollah terrorists would not change their modus operandi in the North. "Despite the attempted assassination, Hezbollah will not operate in a more significant way than it is currently. It will continue with the usual method of operation - and will not increase the fire," he asserted. "In the past, we killed senior commanders in Gaza, and Hezbollah never responded to their assassinations." "Moreover, even when we eliminated seven Iranian generals in the Iranian consulate building in Damascus, including a senior member of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Quds Force, Mohammad Reza Zahedi, the response to the assassination was carried out by Iran alone – without Hezbollah's intervention," Baram added. "Despite the direct and close relationship between Hezbollah and the Iranians, the organization did not respond with more massive fire towards the Galilee – since there is a clear division of labor between the organizations," he explained. "Hezbollah usually reacts strongly following the elimination of a brigade commander or a front commander, but the organization's senior officials do not feel responsible for avenging the blood of a Palestinian commander – however senior he may be – and taking an unnecessary risk in starting an all-out war with Israel," stated Baram.
Possible involvement of Hamas's Lebanese branch. Although Hezbollah members apparently do not feel the need to retaliate, the Lebanese branch of Hamas may want to respond. "Even if it tries to retaliate – Hezbollah will limit Hamas in Lebanon, warn it against opening massive fire – since the responsibility for this area is ultimately Nasrallah's. "Hezbollah has absolute control and full supervision over everything that Hamas does in southern Lebanon, and I believe that now Hezbollah is supervising Hamas even more – in order to restrain it," he added. "Nasrallah is not ready for Hamas to bring Hezbollah into a full-scale war with Israel – they have had enough of the current war of attrition, so in my opinion, they will not expand the firing range," Baram said. Beyond that, Baram said that a sharp reaction with massive fire towards the North by Hamas's Lebanese branch or Hezbollah would be a confirmation of Deif's assassination, which is not in Hamas's interest. "As long as there is no official Hamas announcement that Muhammad Deif has been killed, no one will try to avenge his death. If Deif is indeed eliminated, Hamas has no interest at the moment in informing the public and confirming this news – since this would be a cachet for the IDF's success. "If Deif is indeed eliminated, of course, Sinwar will give an order to Hamas in Lebanon to act against Israel - but the one who actually supervises the organization in Lebanon is Hezbollah, which does not want to get involved in a full-scale war with Israel and will therefore make sure that Hamas does not go too far," Baram concluded.
https://www.jpost.com/israel-hamas-war/article-810196

Hezbollah fires rockets after Israeli strike on Lebanon
AFP/July 14, 2024
BEIRTU, Lebanon: Lebanon’s Hezbollah launched rockets at Israel on Saturday after an Israeli air strike that according to a Lebanese security source killed two civilians in the country’s south. The Israeli military, whose forces have been trading regular cross-border fire with Hezbollah since early October, said its raid had targeted two operatives from the Iran-backed group. The Shiite Muslim movement said it had retaliated by launching dozens of rockets at the border town of Kiryat Shmona, in Israel’s north. The Israeli military said four soldiers were wounded including one “severely,” after air defenses intercepted most of the “approximately 15 launches... identified crossing from Lebanon.”Israeli aircraft then “struck a Hezbollah field commander who was operating in the area of (Kfar) Tebnit in southern Lebanon,” the military added. Lebanon’s official National News Agency (NNA) reported multiple wounded in an Israeli drone strike on a vehicle near Kfar Tebnit.Hezbollah had already launched multiple attacks against Israeli military positions along the border on Saturday. The Lebanese 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 south Lebanon’s 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 group 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 said it had launched rockets “in response to the aggressions by the Israeli enemy against the villages... and civilians in the south.”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. The NNA 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.

Halevy: We are preparing for the next stage in Lebanon
Al Markazia/July 14/2024
Israeli Army Chief of Staff Herzi Halevy announced on Sunday that “the army is engaged in heavy fighting in the north.” Halevy added: “In addition to the increasing achievements in striking Hezbollah, we do not forget for a single moment the plight of the people of the north in the past nine months.” He stressed, “We grieve at every moment over the dead and wounded from Hezbollah attacks,” saying: “In recent days, I was in one of the settlements adjacent to the border, and it is certainly not the first time. “I saw the damage, met with the leadership of the place, and heard difficult things from them.” He continued: “We translate this difficulty into a determination to fight, and then into real solutions and the safe return of people to their homes.” Halevy concluded by stressing, “We are ready and preparing for the next stage in Lebanon.”

Video and photos - The Israeli army "raises readiness" on the northern front
Al Markazia/July 14/2024
Israeli army spokesman Avichai Adraee wrote in a post on his account on the “X” platform: “The Northern Command continues to prepare for combat in Lebanon - training for reserve forces.” Adraee added: "The Northern Command continues to raise the readiness and preparedness of the forces on the northern front, as the forces of the 5th Brigade conducted a general exercise last week during which they trained on the ability to move in rugged areas, advance on mountain axes, and activate means of fire and means of collecting information." He continued: "In addition, a surprise exercise took place this week for the forces of the 920th Reserve Battalion of the 769th Brigade, where the reserve forces strengthened their readiness for various combat scenarios in protecting the towns of the north and attacking the enemy."
https://twitter.com/i/status/1812469156068864130

“Full Hearts” explodes in the Madi neighborhood...a problem against the backdrop of a monument between “Amal” and “The Party” that eliminates “Abu Samra”!
Al Markazia/July 14/2024
A new episode of the series of violence between the “brothers,” “Amal” and “Hezbollah,” where hearts filled with blood exploded, spattering blood in the Madi neighborhood. In the details, as told to “Janoubiya” by sources from the region, the problems are not of today’s nature and are due to “al-hazaziyyat” and “imposing influence” in the overlapping neighborhoods in Beirut, especially the suburbs. As a result of the installation of “Ashura checkpoints” near councils, tents, and Husseiniyas, dozens of problems occur daily due to the complexity of people’s lives and the obstruction of traffic. From this standpoint, “the pomegranate grew” in the Madi neighborhood and complaints increased, but “Amal” refused to remove the barrier after people’s complaints. Last night, Hezbollah leader Abu Samra, head of the Madi neighborhood division in the southern suburb, was killed by members of the Amal Movement. The sources report that Abu Samra came to the scene of the incident to resolve the issues, but was exposed to direct bullets from a masked group of “Amal” and sustained a serious head injury, as a result of which he died in Bahman Hospital.
Statement of “Amal” and “The Party”
In light of the boiling of the street, the leadership of “Hezbollah” and the “Amal Movement” announced, “As a result of the individual problem that occurred in the Moawad area, Madi neighborhood, which developed into a shooting that resulted in the martyr Hajj Samir Qabbani being injured by mistake, the Lebanese army intervened.” It carried out a wide deployment, and launched an investigation to arrest those involved.The leadership of the Amal Movement and Hezbollah extend their condolences to the martyr’s family and stress the control of security through the official security forces and services.”

“Ashurai conflict” in the suburb results in the death of a party official.. What is the relationship between the brigades?!
Al Markazia/July 14/2024
https://janoubia.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/WhatsApp-Video-2024-07-14-at-12.32.54-PM.mp4
Hardly a day goes by during Ashura without a problem occurring here and there. At a time when all eyes were on Bourj Hammoud, major problems occurred that developed into shooting and casualties due to Hezbollah’s provocations against the people of the region, according to field sources for Janoubia. The southern suburb was faced with a dispute in the Moawad Council between the “Amal Movement” and the “Resistance Brigades”, then “Hezbollah” intervened, and the disputes developed into weapons clashes. Read also: “Dean” of field correspondents, Ahmed Muntash... a witness to the Israeli wars in the south for half a century! The problem led to the party’s contact in the Madi neighborhood, known as “Abu Samra,” being injured in the head, and he soon died in the hospital. According to the sources, the problem was directly caused by the entry of a group of “resistance brigades” into the Moawad Council and inciting a riot, which developed into a clash with sticks and stones between the council’s protection groups and the Madi neighborhood brigades, then developed into shooting and the killing of the area’s liaison after the party intervened alongside the brigades. As for the indirect reasons, according to the sources, they are limiting the expansionist ambitions of the “Amal Movement,” whose councils have begun to attract the “Hezbollah” crowd, which has disturbed the party and it has tried to stop this expansion. It is a suburb whose people lack security and stability in the shadow of protective heads, loose weapons, and lost youth

"Shiites Shiites" in Bourj Hammoud.. The "duo" disavows and the "thugs" take refuge in him!
Al Markazia/July 14/2024
Tension has been prevailing in Bourj Hammoud since Friday night. The area, which is mixed residentially and industrially, is also mixed sectarianly, which may threaten a catastrophe if there is no political intervention from the “duo” and security forces from the security forces.
An individual problem on Friday night turned into a battle in which more than one weapon was used, the worst of which was sectarianism, as a group of young men opened fire and hurled insults against members of the Armenian community and Christian sanctities, then attacked a church and a center of the Dashnak party in the region to the sound of chants of “Shiites, Shiites.” Young men from the Tashnag Party repelled the attack, as stated in a party statement issued hours later, noting that it was noteworthy in the statement that the church and the center were meters away from the Internal Security Forces police station. Yesterday, Saturday, a delegation from the Amal Movement and a party visited. They confirmed their denunciation of what happened, and that they had nothing to do with it, but the offices’ words were not translated into reality as no measures were taken to prevent the recurrence of such incidents. The evidence is that another individual problem occurred on Saturday night between a young man from the Armenian sect and young men from the sect. Shiite clashes erupted into gunfire and conflict, which led to casualties. Therefore, what is required of the “duo” is to take harsh measures against those who create problems, and especially against those who chanted “Shiites, Shiites,” which turned into a declaration of invasion, in addition to the insults that were launched against Christian sanctities. Otherwise, they agree to what is happening and look the other way. From spreading sectarian strife, which is feared to lead to deaths, along with the reactions that may result from that. It is not enough for Hezbollah and the Amal Movement to disavow, as long as thugs take refuge in them, attacking people and churches and insulting the saints... Source: MTV website

"Al-Hunchak" condemns the events in Bourj Hammoud: We reject slogans that incite sectarian strife
Al Markazia/July 14/2024
The Executive Committee of the “Hunchak” Party followed up on the security events that took place in the Bourj Hammoud area during the previous two days. It said in a statement: “We reject and condemn some individuals chanting slogans that incite sectarian strife that are not related to the living atmosphere in the region. We also feel suspicious about how incidents will develop.” From an individual to a mass riot, an attack on local party clubs, and an attempt to storm the Armenian Orthodox Church of the Virgin Mary, what happened a few meters from the headquarters of the Internal Security Forces indicates that those who tried to develop the problem do not care about the security forces or security in the region.” She called on the security and judicial services to "assume their responsibilities towards the people of Mahalla and preserve civil peace." She also called on the people of the region to "return to logic and wisdom so as not to be drawn into strife and security chaos."

Egypt's Ambassador Alaa Moussa to LBCI: A Gaza truce would reflect on Lebanon's presidential file
LBCI/July 11/2024
Egypt's Ambassador to Lebanon, Alaa Moussa, confirmed that the Quintet Committee is continuing its work, noting that the opposition's movement is important and can be leveraged for future progress. He emphasized that the goal is to maintain momentum in the presidential file until the necessary groundwork is laid to make a breakthrough. Ambassador Alaa Moussa affirmed, on LBCI's "Nharkom Said" TV show, that if a Gaza truce is reached, it will reflect on the presidential file, expressing hope that the negotiations will continue and not falter. He said: "The solution comes first from within and then from the outside, and the Quintet Committee believes that consensus among political blocs is the only way to reach a solution in the presidential file."He added: "The continuation of the [presidential] vacuum will have severe and difficult consequences that only Lebanon will bear."

Cardinal Bechara Rai, Reiterates His Call to Elect a President
This Is Beirut/July 14/2024
The head of the Maronite Church, Cardinal Bechara Rai, reiterated his call for leaders to “rush to elect a president.”During the Sunday Mass celebrated at the church of the patriarchal seat in Dimane, Rai stressed the need for Parliament to resume its “legislative role” and for the Council of Ministers to “fully recover its constitutional prerogatives.”According to him, these two institutions should once again “assume their responsibilities towards our poor people, deprived of their simplest fundamental rights” and “undertake the necessary reforms to revive the economy and curb emigration.”
Cardinal Rai also discussed the issue of contract teachers at the Lebanese University, announcing that he had contacted the Caretaker Minister of Education, Abbas Halabi. The latter reportedly stated that he was studying the requests for tenure, hoping to finalize them and submit them to the Council of Ministers soon. The patriarch also reported on his meetings with military and public sector retirees, saying he had heard their concerns and grievances.

Beirut Metropolitan Elias Audi Calls for Implementation of the Constitution
This Is Beirut/July 14/2024
Beirut Metropolitan Elias Audi stressed the importance of the Constitution, saying that “its respect is a duty and its application is obligatory.”In his Sunday sermon, Audi expressed the wish that the Constitution of Lebanon be respected by all, particularly by the MPs, “in order to relieve the people of psychological and material pressures” and offer them “a little stability.” He recalled that the country’s Constitution is the “supreme law that governs the functioning of authorities within the state,” serving as “a guide for every official, governor, parliamentarian, and anyone working in the service of the nation.“Just as the Fathers of the Church opposed heresies, Parliament must be the bulwark against any heresy that some might try to propagate or generalize,” he concluded.

Insecurity in Southern Suburb: Amal and Hezb Request Army Intervention
This Is Beirut/July 14/2024
The Amal Movement and Hezbollah claim that it is important to ensure security in Beirut’s southern suburb through “official security forces and apparatuses,” following the fatal shooting of Hezbollah member Samir Kabbani. In a joint statement issued on Sunday, both parties extended condolences to the family of Samir Kabbani, head of the Madi division within Hezbollah. Kabbani was killed during a dispute on Saturday night between Amal Movement members and a resident of the suburb’s Madi neighborhood from Al-Zayoun family. The altercation began when Amal members manning a checkpoint prevented the resident from entering his home, leading to a fistfight. Subsequently, an Amal member fired shots from a military pistol at local residents who intervened, demanding the removal of the checkpoint due to repeated entry denials. Upon the arrival of local residents, including Hezbollah member Kabbani, to defuse the tensions, they faced heavy gunfire from masked individuals believed to be affiliated with Amal. The incident resulted in multiple injuries, including Kabbani’s death. In response, the Lebanese army was deployed extensively to the scene, and an investigation has been initiated. The southern suburb, a Hezbollah stronghold where the party is largely in control of security, has been marred by growing security incidents and a proliferation of drug gangs.

Army Intercepts Bus-Loads of Fresh Illegal Syrian Migrants
Lebanese Soldier Found Dead Near Beirut Port
This Is Beirut/July 14/2024
A patrol from the Intelligence Directorate of the Lebanese Army in Al-Minya, in North Lebanon, intercepted on Sunday several buses transporting Syrian migrants who had entered Lebanese territory illegally, through the largely porous northern border.
An investigation has been initiated with the detainees under the supervision of the competent judiciary. More than two million Syrian migrants reside in Lebanon, the large majority illegally. Caretaker Minister of Interior Bassam Mawlawi said in recent declarations that only 600,000 Syrians have obtained legal residency permits, stressing that Lebanon rejects any attempt to settle them in return for financial rewards.

Marjayoun Power Station Out of Service Following Israeli Bombing
This Is Beirut/July 14/2024
After a relatively calm day, repeated fire exchanges renewed along the southern border on Sunday night. Israeli bombardments and airstrikes targeted Aita al-Shaab, Rachaya al-Foukhar, Kfar Hamam, Bani Hayan, Houla, and Blida.
Earlier, Lebanon’s electricity company, Electricité du Liban (EDL), announced that the power station in Marjayoun, in southern Lebanon, was targeted late Saturday night by Israeli artillery. In a statement released on Sunday, EDL stated that the station is out of service due to “serious damage to transformers, power cells, and high-voltage networks.” “The company is currently assessing the technical situation of the station to take appropriate measures,” the statement added. Additionally, flare bombs were launched at villages in the western and central sectors during the night. Reconnaissance aircraft were also present until this morning above the area. On its part, Hezbollah claimed on Sunday that it targeted a deployment of Israeli soldiers near the Hadb Yarine site. The pro-Iranian group also targeted the Rweissat al-Alam and Ramtha sites, as well as the headquarters of the 91st Division in Eilat. Additionally, members of the Mission for Medical Relief association, in cooperation with the Lebanese Civil Defense and the health authority, successfully extinguished a fire that broke out in the Hadb el-Boustan region due to artillery shelling and phosphorus bombs fired by the Israeli army. Meanwhile, the Arabic-speaking spokesperson for the Israeli army, Avichay Adraee, posted images on social media showing reserve soldiers training in preparation for a possible escalation on the border with Lebanon. “Forces from the 5th Brigade conducted an exercise last week in which they trained to maneuver in difficult terrain, advance along mountainous trails, and activate fire and intelligence-gathering capabilities,” the statement read. Adraee also declared that a “surprise exercise was held for the forces of the 920th Reserve Battalion, under the 769th Brigade.”

The Martyrdom of Hussein at Kerbala and the Cult of Sacrifice
Fady Noun/This Is Beirut/July 14/2024
On the night of July 16 to 17, Shiites observe Ashura (from the word “achra,” meaning ten), commemorating a pivotal event in their community’s history: the assassination of Imam Hussein, the Prophet’s grandson, in Kerbala, Iraq, in October 680 A.D. (Muharram 61 in the Islamic calendar). Imam Hussein was fleeing Damascus and the Caliph Yazid, with whom he was opposed in a succession dispute after the Prophet died in 632 in Medina, Saudi Arabia. For a Shiite, Kerbala, located a hundred kilometers southwest of Baghdad, holds eternal significance as the site of Hussein’s martyrdom. Tragic deaths marked Hussein’s life: his father, Ali, the Prophet’s son-in-law, was assassinated, as was his elder brother Hassan, the second Imam. The perpetrator was the Umayyad Caliph Muawiya, founder of the dynasty that ruled from Damascus over a vast territory from the Gulf to the shores of North Africa. Hussein, who had ascended as the third imam in the succession order, lived in the Umayyad capital and secretly harbored his resentment against Muawiya. However, when Muawiya died in 680 and was succeeded by his son Yazid, Hussein rebelled. Fearing execution, Hussein fled Damascus with 72 companions. Promised support in Kufa, south of Baghdad, he embarked on the journey via Kerbala, unaware of the impending trap. It was here that the Umayyad army moved to extinguish the resistance of the last male descendant of the Prophet. The battle proved overwhelmingly one-sided. Heads fell one by one into the sand as Hussein and his warriors were crushed. Every year on Ashura day, the Shiites march through this battlefield, which they hold as their fifth holiest site, following Mecca, Medina, Jerusalem, and Najaf, the center of Shiite political power in Iraq. Ashura spans ten days of commemoration, marked by gatherings where storytellers vividly recount the martyrdom of Hussein. In some countries, these recitals are performed as theatrical re-enactments. Purifying tears flow freely, devoid of shame. The commemoration culminates on the tenth day, with processions and public acts of self-flagellation. The most devout lash their backs and heads, with whips or sword blades, marching in crowds that resound their chests with resolute hand strikes (latm). A forty-day mourning period ensues, culminating with the remembrance of Arbain (40 in Arabic), the peak of the Kerbala pilgrimage.
The Schism Between Sunnis and Shiites
The Kerbala massacre solidified the schism between Shiites and Sunnis. Approximately 15-20% of Muslims identify as Shiites, while its main branch is marked by the veneration of the twelve Imams and the belief in the return of the final Imam, Al-Mahdi, who was “hidden” from human sight in 874 AD but is anticipated to reappear at the end of time. The Islamic revolution in Iran in 1979, which is intrinsically linked to Hezbollah’s ideology, injected new political impetus into Shiism with the establishment of the “Wilayat el-faqih” system.
This theocratical model, devised by Ayatollah Khomeini, grants the clergy supremacy over temporal political authority. However, this system lacks consensus across the Shiite world. In Lebanon, it faces opposition from the Amal movement, which regards Ayatollah Sistani in Iraq as its supreme religious authority.
Brainwashed
Driven by the Islamic Republic and funded by Iran, Hezbollah has developed its network of schools, aiming to extend its influence throughout the Shiite community. This effort leverages the Lebanese Constitution of 1926, which grants communities the right to establish their own educational institutions.
Hezbollah’s school network is a key instrument for the organization, enabling it to foster unity within the Shiite community by instilling its ideology in children from an early age, thus limiting opportunities for critical thinking. Within these schools, the principles of Wilayat el-faqih and the veneration of martyrdom are heavily promoted, reinforcing the movement’s authority and the sanctity of its “resistance.”Alongside its educational efforts, the pro-Iranian faction has established the Al-Mahdi Scouts. This organization includes teachings on jihad and the glorification of martyrdom, serving as a preliminary stage to military service and eventual militia enlistment. Since October 8, when Hezbollah initiated its support campaign for Gaza, members of the Shiite militia have been killed almost daily in the border conflict with Israel. Their families are assured that these sacrifices are meaningful, and their funerals are conducted with great solemnity. The fighters, regardless of age, are celebrated as if they have achieved the ultimate feat. Hezbollah’s Secretary General has called for the fallen fighters to be recognized as having sacrificed their lives “on the path to Jerusalem”, echoing the name given by Hamas to its “Flood of Al-Aqsa” operation. For the Islamic Republic of Iran and Hezbollah, there is a deep fixation on the Al-Aqsa Mosque, the third holiest site in Islam, which is currently under Israeli control. Hezbollah glorifies this religious duty of reclaiming the mosque through warfare, especially during Ashura. Since October 7, Hezbollah has “offered” over 364 “martyrs” for this cause, to the detriment of Lebanon.

Lebanon condemns Israel's attack on Khan Yunis refugee camp
LBCI/July 11/2024
Lebanon's Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned on Sunday "Israel's continued systematic aggression against unarmed Palestinian civilians and its deliberate targeting of Palestinian refugee shelters, the latest of which was the massacre committed in the refugee camp in Al-Mawasi, Khan Yunis."In a statement, the Ministry confirmed that this attack resulted in the death of approximately 90 unarmed women, elderly, and children, in addition to dozens of wounded. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also denounced "Israel's continued violations of the rules of international humanitarian law and its perpetration of genocide, in clear defiance of efforts to cease fire."The Ministry renewed its call to the international community to take immediate and effective action to put an end to "this unprecedented humanitarian disaster" in the Gaza Strip and to provide the necessary international protection for the Palestinian people.

Makary at the launching of the “Rashaya Tourism Season”: We believe in Lebanon’s coexistence that supports humanitarian issues
Abu Faour: The will to live is stronger than the Israeli attacks
NNA/July 11/2024
Caretaker Minister of Information, Ziad al-Makary, and member of the “Democratic Gathering” parliamentary bloc, MP Wael Abu Faour, patronized on Sunday the “Day of Media Professionals and Artists in Rashaya Al-Wadi,” at the invitation of the “Environmental Gathering Association" in the Rashaya District, in partnership with the Rashaya Municipality and the Union of Municipalities of Jabal Al-Sheikh, on the occasion of launching the Tourism Activities Committee's events for the year 2024. The day's functions began with a breakfast including Rashaya local products at the Association’s headquarters in New Rashaya. Later, the media professionals participating in the day's activities received souvenirs offered by the Association. Afterwards, the media delegation toured the archaeological market of Rashaya, and then moved to the "Church of Our Lady" in Rashaya, where they were received by the parish priest, Father Ibrahim Saad, and a crowd of parishioners. In a welcoming word, MP Abu Faour thanked the Minister of Information for honoring his hometown with this visit in response to the invitation of the Environmental Gathering Association in the Rashaya district.  He said: "Despite the tragedy and suffering that we are witnessing in Palestine and in southern Lebanon as a result of the Israeli attacks, the will to live, survive, continue and challenge remains stronger, because what we are doing today is an act of defiance so that the people of these regions remain in their land. We are in an area close to the south...and therefore the steadfastness of the people on this land is in itself resistance and a will to live, thrive and persist..."In turn, Minister Makary thanked MP Abu Faour, the Association and the Rashaya dignitaries for their warm welcome, saying: "I came from Ehden to Rashaya, and I felt like I was in my town because we resemble each other in many things despite the geographical distance, for we believe in one Lebanon, a free, independent Lebanon that supports humanitarian issues such as the Palestinian cause..."He added: "Coming to Rashaya in these circumstances is not a passing matter. On the contrary, it involves a return to the roots of history because independence started from here and Lebanon was founded from here, from the Rashaya prison, from a prison far from Rashaya about 100 kilometers....The Lebanese, in difficulties, are called to the roots deeply connected in the people of this region, its history, traditions and customs."Makary thanked the Association for its “efforts and work to declare Rashaya a model and green area similar to ancient Lebanon," and called on the youth to "visit Rashaya and its citadel to know that beautiful Lebanon was founded from this region." He also thanked the media professionals and artists, and encouraged them to "exert efforts to reflect a better image of Lebanon and the summer tourism season."Makary called on hundreds of thousands of expatriates, including Lebanese, Arabs and various tourists, to visit Lebanon. "This is the role of the positive media and we are all one family," he said, adding, "This day is historic in Lebanese media.”

Fayyad sponsors launching of IPT's first report on sustainability, stresses importance of partnership between public, private sectors
NNA/July 11/2024
IPT Group Holding SAL launched its first sustainability report for the year 2023, which was prepared in accordance with Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) standards and patronized by Caretaker Minister of Energy and Water Walid Fayyad, at the Ministry’s building on Sunday. The Executive Director of the Issa Foundation, Tony Issa, the Executive Director of IPT, Zakhia Issa, and company staff participated in the meeting. In a brief word on the occasion, Fayyad said: "We want a sustainable partnership between the private and public sector in order to highlight to the Lebanese and to the world models of success, in private or public institutions, as national champions who spread the values ​​and capabilities that distinguish Lebanon at the regional and global levels.” He praised the work carried out by IPT, “particularly the development of the annual sustainability report that sheds light on environmental, social, and public safety matters, which is very important and reflects positively on the entire Lebanese society.” Fayyad underlined the spirit of a true partnership relationship based on trust, facts, truth, and public interest, noting that "if the relationship is good with the private sector, that does not mean that it should be at the expense of people and public money and the state, but rather by finding a built balance based on trust, justice, respect, law, and honesty."

Bushkian: Peculiarity of Bourj Hammoud is its coexistence, priority is for security & rule of law
NNA/July 11/2024
Caretaker Minister of Industry, MP George Bushkian, denounced in a statement on Sunday the infringement on the people and religious, sports and social places in Bourj Hammoud, “the area that embraces all Lebanese groups.”
He explained that "the peculiarity of Bourj Hammoud, in the past and even today, lies in the coexistence between members of the sects, and this is the advantage of the Lebanese Armenians." However, this does not imply giving up on defending their rights and dignity and the priority they give to living in peace and security, under the authority of the law, Bushkian continued to explain. He, thus, called on members of the security forces to work to prevent the recurrence of such actions in the future.

AMCD Endorses Jasser and Hamadeh for AZ Congress
AMCD/July 11/2024
The American Mideast Coalition for Democracy is pleased to announce two endorsements in the upcoming Arizona primaries.
Dr. M. Zuhdi Jasser for AZ Congressional District 4.
Dr. Jasser is a member of AMCD’s advisory board and is the Founder and President of the American Islamic Forum for Democracy (AIFD) and is the author of A Battle for the Soul of Islam: An American Muslim Patriot’s Fight to Save His Faith (Simon & Schuster, June 2012). On March 20, 2012, Dr. Jasser was appointed by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) to the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) where he served as Commissioner and Vice-Chair until May 2016. Jasser is a first-generation American Muslim, whose parents fled the oppressive Baath regime of Syria in the mid-1960’s for American freedom. He is a devout Muslim with strong ties to the American Muslim community having helped lead mosques in Wisconsin, Arkansas, Virginia, and Arizona. Jasser earned his medical degree on a U.S. Navy scholarship at the Medical College of Wisconsin in 1992 and served 11 years as a medical officer in the U. S. Navy. His tours of duty included Medical Department Head aboard the U.S.S. El Paso which deployed to Somalia during Operation Restore Hope; Chief Resident at Bethesda Naval Hospital; and Staff Internist for the Office of the Attending Physician to the U. S. Congress. He is a recipient of the Meritorious Service Medal. Jasser is a respected physician currently in private practice in Phoenix, AZ specializing in internal medicine and nuclear cardiology. He is a past-President of the Arizona Medical Association. Jasser regularly briefs members of the House and Senate on the threat of Political Islam and testified before the United States House of Representatives Committee on Homeland Security on March 10, 2011 on “The Extent of Radicalization in the American Muslim Community and that Community’s Response”, and again on June 20, 2012 on “The American Muslim Response to Hearings on Radicalization within their Community”. Jasser testified before the United States House of Representatives, Committee on Foreign Affairs, Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations on “Anti-Semitism: A Growing Threat to All Faiths” on February 27, 2013, on December 10, 2013 on “Human Rights Abuses in Egypt”, on June 16, 2016 on “The Global Religious Freedom Crisis and Its Challenge to U.S. Foreign Policy” and on June 28 2016 to the Judiciary Subcommittee on Oversight, Agency Action,Federal Rights and Federal Courts on “Willful Blindness: Consequences of Agency Efforts To Deemphasize Radical Islam in Combating Terrorism” chaired by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX). On September 22, 2016, he testified before The House Committee on Homeland Security’s Subcommittee on Oversight and Management Efficiency “Identifying the Enemy: Radical Islamist Terror.” On July 11, 2018, Dr. Jasser testified before The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, Subcommittee on National Security on “The Muslim Brotherhood’s Global Threat.”
Abraham Hamadeh for AZ Congressional District 8
Mr. Hamadeh is the son of Syrian immigrants and became an intelligence officer in the U.S. Army Reserve and served a 14 month long deployment to Saudi Arabia. On behalf of the United States Army, Hamadeh negotiated military sales and managed the training for Saudi Arabia’s domestic security forces both in the Kingdom and in the United States. He implemented the first of its kind new enhanced security vetting in response to the 2019 Pensacola terrorist attack. His direct counterparts were generals, colonels, and lieutenant colonels in the Saudi forces as well as high ranking civilians in their respective ministries.
Hamadeh’s awards include the Meritorious Service Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Gold German Armed Forces Proficiency Badge, and Overseas Service Ribbon among others. Hamadeh is a board member of the Dean’s Council of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Arizona State University. Hamadeh previously served on the board of advisors of the Center for Political Thought and Leadership at ASU which established a curriculum that honors and studies America’s founding thinkers and documents. Hamadeh is a former prosecutor of the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office. He has appeared in court to prosecute criminals, uphold victims’ rights, and seek justice for the community. Hamadeh earned his undergraduate degree in Political Science from Arizona State University and earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Arizona College of Law. During his law studies, Hamadeh was awarded the Udall Fellowship by the Arizona Prosecuting Attorneys’ Advisory Council which placed him at the city, county, state, and federal prosecutor offices.

Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on July 14-15/2024
Trump: Why I Chanted 'Fight, Fight, Fight' after Shooting
Mary Ann Akers/The Daily Beast/Sun, July 14, 2024
Even amidst bloody chaos at his campaign rally on Saturday, Donald Trump felt it was necessary to urge his followers to “fight, fight, fight” as a way to remind them of the MAGA mission that propelled Trump to the White House in 2016 and may return him there in November. In an interview with CNBC’s Joe Kernan, co-host of Squawk Box, Trump on Sunday spoke for the first time about his iconic fist-pumping moment following the shooting rampage “He thought it was essential to get out the message at that moment to continue to fight to make America great,” Kernen posted on X after his interview. Kernen also revealed that Trump was lucky to have turned his head at just the right moment to avoid a more serious and potentially fatal blow. The conservative host, who is a personal friend of Trump, said the former president shared he is suffering from a “little problem with his right ear but was glad he turned his head at the last minute.”Anyone Else Feel Numb After the Failed Trump Rally Assassination? The Squawk Box host didn’t say whether he had gleaned any details from the former president on the exact nature of his injuries. Neither Trump nor medical professionals who treated him have released any information on what type of injuries the Republican Party leader sustained at the rally, where a 20-year-old gunman fired a gun in the direction of the president, killing one man in the crowd and seriously injuring two others. It remained unclear whether a bullet hit or grazed Trump, or what exactly caused his right ear to pool with blood and streak across his face. “He was in amazing spirits,” Kernen tweeted after he spoke by phone with the former president, who is scheduled to accept the GOP Party’s official nomination for president this week, just days after the shooting at his campaign rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday. Kernen was among a list of 54 celebrities who appeared on Trump’s personal contacts list that surfaced during his hush money trial in Manhattan. Kernen also said the president was “gratified by all the encouragement and support” he has received from officials in both parties.

Trump vows to press ahead after surviving assassination attempt
REUTERS/July 14, 2024
WASHINGTON: Donald Trump vowed on Sunday to push on to the Republican convention where his party will formally make him their presidential nominee after he survived an assassination attempt that further inflames an already bitter US political divide. It was unclear how a 20-year-old man carrying an AR-15-style rifle managed on Saturday to get close enough to shoot from a rooftop at Trump, who as a former president has lifetime protection by the US Secret Service, a unit of the federal Department of Homeland Security. Trump, 78, was holding a Saturday campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania — one of the states expected to be most competitive in the Nov. 5 election — when shots rang out, hitting his right ear and streaking his face with blood. His campaign said he was doing well and appeared to have suffered no major injury besides a wound on his upper right ear. The FBI identified Thomas Matthew Crooks of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, as the suspect in what it called an attempted assassination. He was a registered Republican, according to state voter records and had made a $15 donation to a Democratic political action committee at the age of 17.
Law enforcement officials told reporters they had yet to identify a motive for the attack. Both Republicans and Democrats will be looking for evidence of Crooks’ political affiliation as they seek to cast the rival party as representing extremism.
Trump and Democratic President Joe Biden are locked in a close election rematch, according to most opinion polls including those by Reuters/Ipsos.
Trump is due to receive his party’s formal nomination at the Republican National Convention, which kicks off in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on Monday. RNC Chairman Michael Whatley said on Fox News on Sunday that authorities are working together to safeguard the venue, where officials have spent months making security preparations. “In this moment, it is more important than ever that we stand United, and show our True Character as Americans, remaining Strong and Determined, and not allowing Evil to Win,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social media website on Sunday. “I truly love our Country, and love you all, and look forward to speaking to our Great Nation this week from Wisconsin.” The shooting whipsawed the discussion around the presidential campaign, which had recently focused on whether Biden, 81, should drop out following a disastrous June debate performance. The Biden campaign had been seeking to reset its message, depicting Trump as a danger to democracy for his continued false claims about election fraud but said on Saturday it was suspending its political advertising for now. Secret Service agents fatally shot the suspect, the agency said, after he opened fire from the roof of a building about 150 yards (140 m) from the stage where Trump was speaking. An AR-15-style semiautomatic rifle used in the shooting was recovered near his body, according to sources. The firearm was legally purchased by the suspect’s father, ABC and the Wall Street Journal reported, citing sources. Bomb-making materials were found in the suspect’s car, the Associated Press reported, citing sources.
VICTIM WAS SHELTERING FAMILY
Authorities identified a rally attendee who was shot and killed as Corey Comperatore, 50, of Sarver, Pennsylvania, who Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro told reporters was killed when he dove on top of his family to protect them from the hail of bullets.
“Corey was an avid supporter of the former president, and was so excited to be there last night with him in the community,” Shapiro said, adding, “Political disagreements can never, ever be addressed through violence.”Two other rally attendees were critically wounded, the Secret Service said. The Secret Service in a statement denied accusations by some Trump supporters that it had rejected campaign requests for additional security. “The assertion that a member of the former President’s security team requested additional security resources that the US Secret Service or the Department of Homeland Security rebuffed is absolutely false,” Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi said in a statement. “In fact, recently the US Secret Service added protective resources and capabilities to the former President’s security detail.”
NEIGHBORS STUNNED
Residents of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, where the alleged shooter lived, expressed shock at the news on Sunday. “It’s a little crazy to think that somebody that did an assassination attempt is that close, but it just kind of shows the political dynamic that we’re in right now with the craziness on each side,” said Wes Morgan, 42, who added that he rides bikes with his children on the street where the alleged shooter lived. “Bethel Park is a pretty blue-collar type of area. And to think that somebody was that close is a little insane.”While mass shootings at schools, nightclubs and other public places are a regular feature of American life, the attack was the first shooting of a US president or major party presidential candidate since the 1981 attempted assassination of Republican President Ronald Reagan. In 2011, Democratic then-Congresswoman Gabby Giffords was seriously wounded in an attack on a gathering of constituents in Arizona. Republican US Representative Steve Scalize was also badly wounded in a politically motivated 2017 attack on a group of Republican representatives practicing for a charity baseball game. Giffords later founded a leading gun control organization, Scalize has remained a stalwart defender of gun rights.
POLITICAL VIOLENCE
Americans fear rising political violence, recent Reuters/Ipsos polling shows, with two out of three respondents to a May survey saying they worried violence could follow the election. Trump supporters stormed the US Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, in an attempt to overturn his election defeat, fueled by his false claims that his loss was the result of widespread fraud. About 140 police officers were injured in the violence, four riot participants died that day, one police officer who responded died the following day and four responding officers later died by suicide. The shots appeared to come from outside the area secured by the Secret Service, the agency said. Hours after the attack, the Oversight Committee in the Republican-led US House of Representatives summoned Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle to testify at a hearing scheduled for July 22. Leading Republicans and Democrats quickly condemned the violence, as did foreign leaders. “There’s no place for this kind of violence in America. We must unite as one nation to condemn it,” Biden said in a statement. Some of Trump’s Republican allies said they believed the attack was politically motivated.
“It’s one side that is going after Donald Trump in a way to demonize him personally,” said Scalize, the No. 2 House Republican. “The left seems to have targeted Donald Trump as a person.”Trump began the year facing multiple legal worries, including four separate criminal prosecutions. He was found guilty in late May of trying to cover up hush money payments to a porn star. But the other three prosecutions he faces — including two for his attempts to overturn his defeat — have been ground to a halt by various factors, including a Supreme Court decision this month that found him to be partly immune to prosecution. Trump contends, without evidence, that all four prosecutions have been orchestrated by Biden to try to prevent him from returning to power.

World leaders react to Trump rally shooting
Agence France Presse/July 14, 2024
World leaders reacted with shock to the wounding of Donald Trump in an assassination attempt against the former U.S. president at an election rally.
Presidents and prime ministers globally spoke out against political violence and expressed their support for those affected by the shooting on Saturday, which killed one bystander and left two other spectators critically wounded.
Europe -
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said she was "deeply shocked" by the attack.
"Political violence has no place in a democracy," she said.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called the shooting "despicable" and said "such acts of violence threaten democracy."
In neighboring France, President Emmanuel Macron called the assassination a "tragedy for our democracies."
"France shares the shock and indignation of the American people," said Macron.
Russia called on the United States to "take stock" of its "policies of incitement to hatred," while using the assassination attempt to denounce Washington's military support for Ukraine.
"Perhaps it would be better to use this money to fund the American police and other services that are supposed to ensure law and order in the United States?" said foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said he was "appalled to learn about the shooting" and wished Trump a "speedy recovery."
"Such violence has no justification and no place anywhere in the world. Never should violence prevail," he said.
Americas -
Argentina's President Javier Milei blamed the "international left" after the assassination attempt.
"In panic of losing at the polls, they resort to terrorism to impose their backward and authoritarian agenda," said the populist president.
Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said the shooting "must be strongly condemned by all defenders of democracy and political dialogue."
Chilean President Gabriel Boric expressed his "unqualified condemnation" of the shooting.
"Violence is a threat to democracies and weakens our life together. We must all reject it," said Boric.
Colombia expressed its "solidarity with the United States at this difficult time."
"As a country that has suffered from violence, we reaffirm that it has no place in the political and electoral debate," the government said.
In Bolivia, President Luis Arce said "despite our deep ideological and political differences, violence, wherever it comes from, must always be rejected by everyone."
Asia Pacific -
China's Xi Jinping expressed his "compassion and sympathy" for Trump, with a foreign ministry spokesman saying Beijing was "closely following" the incident.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was "deeply concerned by the attack on my friend."
"Violence has no place in politics and democracies," said Modi.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida also spoke out against political attacks, saying "we must stand firm against any form of violence that challenges democracy."
Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te offered his "sincere condolences" to the shooting victims.
"Political violence of any form is never acceptable in our democracies," he said.
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos said it was "with great relief that we receive the news that former President Donald Trump is fine and well after the attempt to assassinate him."
"Together with all democracy loving peoples around the world, we condemn all forms of political violence. The voice of the people must always remain supreme," Marcos said.
Middle East -
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he and his wife Sara "were shocked by the apparent attack on President Trump."
"We pray for his safety and speedy recovery," Netanyahu said.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi described the shooting as a "treacherous incident."
Sisi wished the U.S. "election campaigns to continue in a peaceful and healthy atmosphere, free of any manifestations of terrorism, violence or hatred."

Thomas Matthew Crooks identified as Trump shooter at Pennsylvania political rally
Christopher Cann, Aysha Bagchi, Josh Meyer and Elizabeth Weise/USA TODAY/July 14, 2024
BETHEL PARK, Pennsylvania - The man who shot former President Donald Trump at a Pennsylvania political rally has been identified as Thomas Matthew Crooks.
"The FBI has identified Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, as the subject involved in the assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump on July 13, in Butler, Pennsylvania," the Bureau said in a statement. "This remains an active and ongoing investigation, and anyone with information that may assist with the investigation is encouraged to submit photos or videos online at FBI.gov/butler or call 1-800-CALL-FBI."Crooks was killed by law enforcement officials moments after he opened fire. More: Trump wounded in assassination attempt. Biden calls it 'sick': Here's what we know. In a chaotic scene "law enforcement, I believe, acted heroically, quickly identifying and neutralizing the threat as well as responding to assist the various victims," Lt. Col. George Bivens of the Pennsylvania State Police said at a news conference near midnight on Saturday. Crooks carried no identification and had to be identified using other techniques, Kevin Rojek, FBI special agent in charge, said at the late-night press conference in Butler, Pa. "We're looking at photographs right now and we're trying to run his DNA and get biometric confirmation," Rojek said. Fire and law enforcement officers block off roads near the home of Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, in Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, early in the morning of July 14, 2024. Crooks allegedly attempted to assassinate former President Donald Trump at a political rally on July 13 in Butler, Pennsylvania. One person was killed, and two were critically injured in the attack. Fire and law enforcement officers block off roads near the home of Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, in Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, early in the morning of July 14, 2024. Crooks allegedly attempted to assassinate former President Donald Trump at a political rally on July 13 in Butler, Pennsylvania. One person was killed, and two were critically injured in the attack. Around 1:30 a.m. Sunday, several law enforcement vehicles were stationed outside Crooks' residence listed on his voter registration record. The home sits along a winding suburban road in Bethel Park, about 42 miles south of Butler. Agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were on the scene and a bomb squad was at the residence and planned to enter the home. A member of the Allegheny County bomb squad told reporters he and several officers would be going into the house imminently around midnight. He did not say what they were looking for. Neighbors standing outside said they were in disbelief. Dan Maloney, 30, said he saw the shooter’s name on social media and looked it up to see that he lives down the road. “It’s insanity that anyone would do this,” he said, adding that he at one point had planned on attending the rally. John Wolf, who lives just down the road from Crooks, said he’s been in contact with several worried neighbors.
“People are scared,” Wolf, a local construction superintendent, said. The 50-year-old was “in shock” when his sister told him the shooter lived in his neighborhood. He was going to go to the rally but decided against it because of the heat. USA Today reached out to several of Crooks' family members but none responded immediately to requests for comment. Crooks was registered as a Republican and was in active voting status, according to the database service LexisNexis. He appears to have attended Bethel Park High School, graduating in 2022. Former president Trump ducked down and was quickly covered by security personnel after apparent shots rang out and the presumptive Republican presidential nominee put his hand to the side of his head. Soon after, Trump appeared to have blood on his ear and the side of his face as he was ushered off stage.
Several hours after the shooting, Trump expressed gratitude to the Secret Service agents who protected him as shots rang out. “I want to thank The United States Secret Service, and all of Law Enforcement, for their rapid response on the shooting that just took place in Butler, Pennsylvania," he wrote on Truth Social. "Most importantly, I want to extend my condolences to the family of the person at the Rally who was killed, and also to the family of another person that was badly injured." "I was shot with a bullet that 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. Much bleeding took place, so I realized then what was happening."

Here's what we know about Thomas Matthew Crooks, the suspected Trump rally shooter - explainer
Reuter/Jerusalem Post/July 14/2024
The FBI identified 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania as the suspect in Saturday's attempted assassination of former US President Donald Trump at a campaign rally. The suspect was shot and killed by the Secret Service seconds after he allegedly fired shots toward a stage where Trump and was speaking in Butler, Pennsylvania. The Wall Street Journal reported Sunday that Crooks had explosive devices in his car, which was parked near the Trump rally. An additional report by The New York Times noted that two explosive devices were found in his car, while a third explosive was believed to have been found at his residence. The FBI said it was working to determine a motive for the attack, in which one rally attendee died, and two other spectators were critically injured. Trump was shot in the ear. State voter records show that Crooks was a registered Republican. The upcoming Nov. 5 election would have been the first time Crooks had been old enough to vote in a presidential race. Crooks lived about an hour away from where the shooting took place in Butler. The Federal Aviation Administration said on Sunday that it closed the airspace over Bethel Park for "special security reasons." When Crooks was 17 he made a $15 donation to ActBlue, a political action committee that raises money for left-leaning and Democratic politicians, according to a 2021 Federal Election Commission filing. The donation was earmarked for the Progressive Turnout Project, a national group that rallies Democrats to vote. The groups did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. Crooks' father, Matthew Crooks, 53, told CNN that he was trying to figure out what happened and would wait until he spoke to law enforcement before speaking about his son.
Thomas Crooks's background
Thomas Crooks graduated in 2022 from Bethel Park High School, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. He received a $500 "star award" from the National Math and Science Initiative, according to the newspaper. A 2022 graduation ceremony video cited by the New York Times shows Crooks receiving his high school diploma to some applause. Video from that ceremony posted online shows Crooks with glasses in a black graduation gown and posing with a school official. Reuters could not immediately verify the authenticity of the video. Law enforcement officials said on Saturday that Crooks carried no identification to the site of the shooting and had to be identified using other methods. "We're looking at photographs right now and we're trying to run his DNA and get biometric confirmation," Kevin Rojek, FBI special agent in charge, said during a press briefing. USA Today reported that dozens of law enforcement vehicles were stationed outside a residence listed at the address on Crooks' voter registration record. Agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were on the scene and a bomb squad was at the residence, USA Today reported. The perimeter of the residence of the suspect was guarded on Sunday by yellow police caution tape. An Allegheny County Police vehicle was parked outside. “It’s insanity that anyone would do this,” Dan Maloney, a 30-year-old resident from the area was quoted as saying by USA Today. Reuters could not immediately identify social media accounts or other online postings by Crooks. Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, did not immediately respond to questions on whether the platforms had removed any accounts related to the suspect.
https://www.jpost.com/international/article-810259

Former Secret Service agent who took a bullet for Reagan said the Trump shooting was a failure 'plain and simple'
Matthew Loh,Cameron Manley/Business Insider/July 14, 2024
A failed assassination attempt on Donald Trump on Saturday left him with a bleeding ear. Former Secret Service agent Tim McCarthy compared the incident to the 1981 Reagan shooting. McCarthy said the Secret Service had failed to protect Trump despite its best efforts. A former Secret Service agent said that the assassination attempt on Donald Trump represented a "failure" for his security team. Tim McCarthy, who in 1981 defended then-President Ronald Reagan from a gunman, was giving his assessment of the Saturday shooting to Chicago-based outlet WGN-TV. "It's a failure. Plain and simple," McCarthy said. "When President Regan was shot, that was a failure too.""Any time a protectee is harmed, there's something that has to change," he added. "You have to critically look at what happened, why it happened, and how it can be prevented in the future."Despite this, he said the service had been doing "almost everything that is humanly possible" to prevent potential attacks, but that there "is no full-proof security anywhere in this world." Trump had been speaking at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania when the shooting took place. He was seen defiantly raising his fist with a bloodied ear before being ushered away from the scene by the Secret Service. In a post on Truth Social, Trump said that a bullet had "pierced the upper part" of his right ear. The FBI has since identified the shooter as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, who was killed at the rally. McCarthy, who reportedly retired from the Secret Service in 1993, said he did not have intimate details of Trump's security detail, but said it was likely "darn close" to what President Joe Biden receives. He said that for a president, security teams sweep the area and secure the building while obscuring the view using "different types of shielding" such as campaign events or banners. They would also rearrange the podium to block views from outside the secured area. "Now, in some cases, it's almost impossible to do that, but that's why the Secret Service has counter-sniper teams. You survey the buildings that would have an overview of where the protectee is going to be," he added.
In this instance, he said any counter-sniper team "obviously or possibly" did not see the shooter. As a last resort, agents shield the protectee from attack. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas said in a statement that the "DHS and the Secret Service are working with law enforcement partners to respond to and investigate the shooting." "We are engaged with President Biden, former President Trump, and their campaigns, and are taking every possible measure to ensure their safety and security." Whilst the assassination attempt may result in "less visibility out in the public for former president Trump," McCarthy doubted that the assassination attempt would deter him too much from his scheduled outings. The Secret Service is "probably gonna have to hold his horses to keep him from getting out into the public right away," he said. And Trump has already signaled his intentions to make his next public appearance. In a post on Truth Social, Trump thanked people for their "thoughts and prayers" following the attack, and said that he was looking forward "to speaking to our Great Nation this week from Wisconsin," where the Republican National Convention is set to take place.

A shocking act that will reshape the presidential race
Sarah Smith - North America Editor/BBC/July 14, 2024
Former US President Donald Trump is rushed off stage by secret service after an incident during a campaign rally at the Butler Farm Show Inc. in Butler, Pennsylvania, USA, 13 July 2024.
Mr Trump said a bullet pierced the "upper part" of his right ear [EPA]
The extraordinary images of a defiant Donald Trump pumping his fist in the air, with blood on his face, being rushed off the stage by the Secret Service are not just history-making – they may well alter the course of November's presidential election. This shocking act of political violence will inevitably have an effect on the campaign. US Secret Service agents shot dead the suspect at the scene. And law enforcement sources told the BBC's US partner CBS News that they are treating the attack as an assassination attempt. The picture - of a bleeding Mr Trump, fist in the air, being escorted away- was quickly posted on social media by his son Eric Trump with the caption: “This is the fighter America needs." President Joe Biden appeared on TV shortly after the shooting and said there was no place in America for political violence like this. He expressed concern for his Republican opponent and said he hoped to speak with him later tonight. Mr Biden’s election campaign paused all political statements and is working to take down its television ads as quickly as possible, clearly believing that it would be inappropriate to attack Donald Trump at this time and instead concentrating on condemning what’s happened. Politicians from across the political spectrum – people who agree on very little else – are coming together to say violence has no place in a democracy. Former Presidents Barack Obama, George W Bush, Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter were all quick to denounce the violence and said how relieved they were that Trump was not seriously hurt. But some of Mr Trump’s closest allies and supporters are already blaming Mr Biden for the violence, with one Republican congressman accusing the president of “inciting an assassination” in a post on X. Senator JD Vance, who is thought to be on the shortlist to become Trump’s vice-presidential candidate, said the rhetoric from the Biden campaign led directly to this incident. Other Republican politicians are saying similar things, which will almost certainly be condemned by their opponents as incendiary at a dangerous time in American politics. Already, we can see the battlelines being drawn in what may become a very ugly fight over a deeply shocking incident. And one that will reshape the election campaign.

Rabbis and Christian leaders call for prayers after Trump shot at rally
Jerusalem Post/July 14/2024
Many senior religious leaders in the Evangelical stream of Christianity have also asked their followers to pray for Trump. Following the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump on Saturday, religious leaders have united in calling for prayers for his recovery. Trump was shot in the right ear by an assailant on a nearby rooftop during a campaign rally, leading to his hospitalization. The attack resulted in one death and two critical injuries among the spectators. Israeli ultra-Orthodox Rabbi Yitzhak Batzri shared Psalms 130 and urged the public to spread the message of collective prayer. Batzri is a prominent Sephardic leader, the son of the esteemed kabbalist Rabbi David Batzri, known for his community work and religious teachings. “My friends, please pray for the recovery of the lover of Israel, US presidential candidate Donald Trump, son of Mary Anne MacLeod. May he have a speedy recovery. About an hour ago, an assassin shot him eight times, and he is currently hospitalized,” he wrote. In addition, American Rabbi Shmuley Boteach emphasized the importance of communal support, saying, “We should pray for Trump’s recovery and peace in our nation.” Boteach is an influential American Orthodox rabbi, author, and public speaker known for supporting Trump. Also, Rabbi David Wolpe, a senior rabbi of the Conservative Movement, wrote on X: “This is a frightening and precarious moment in American political life. We should all be grateful the assassination attempt failed and pray for former president Trump’s recovery and the resumption of a peaceful American election. Condolences to the families of those killed or injured.”
Evangelical leaders ask followers to pray
Many senior religious leaders in the Evangelical stream of Christianity have also asked their followers to pray for Trump: Evangelical Pastor John Hagee of Hagee Ministries, posted on Facebook: “As we pray for Donald Trump, so do we pray for America and the healing of our nation.”Hagee is the founder of Hagee Ministries and a senior pastor of Cornerstone Church in Dallas, Texas. He is renowned for his support of Israel and for evangelical outreach. He is a staunch supporter of the former president. Evangelical leader Rev. Jonnie Moore, added, “May God protect America and all of our leaders. Thank God President Trump survived this act of pure evil.” Moore is an author and human rights advocate recognized for his interfaith work and support of religious freedom. The FBI has taken over the investigation, with the Secret Service commended for their swift response in neutralizing the shooter.
https://www.jpost.com/international/article-810235

Arab World Condemns Shooting Attack on Trump
Asharq Al Awsat/14 July 2024
Following are reactions from Arab leaders to the shooting attack on Donald Trump at an election rally on Saturday in which the former US president was wounded in the ear:
"We are following with concern the treacherous incident faced by former US President and presidential candidate Donald Trump, and affirm Egypt's condemnation of the incident. I express my wishes for President Trump's speedy recovery and for the US election campaign to continue in a peaceful and healthy environment, devoid of any appearances of terrorism, violence or hatred."
The UAE on a government website
The UAE condemned the attack and expressed solidarity with Trump, his family, government and Americans.It affirmed its "strong condemnation of these extremist and criminal acts, and its permanent rejection of all forms of violence."
Bahrain's King Hamad Bin Isa Al Khalifa in a letter to Trump
He strongly condemned the assassination attempt and condemned any political violence that violates democratic customs and values, state news agency BNA reported.
He expressed relief Trump was fine and wished him a speedy recovery.

Arab Americans react with shock at attempted assassination of former president Trump
RAY HANANIA/Arab News/July 14, 2024
CHICAGO:Arab American leaders from the left and the right of American politics said they were in shock that former president Donald Trump was lightly injured in an apparent assassination attempt against him while he was speaking to a rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday night. Initial reports and live television showed Trump addressing the rally and he turned his head to the right as he was speaking when three loud gunshots were heard. Trump grabbed his right ear, which was bloodied, as he was brought to the ground and covered completely by four by Secret Service agents.
Trump raised his hand in the air as he was walked off the rally stage embraced by five Secret Service agents. Arab Americans reacted with anger and expressions of concern over the attempted assassination in which at least one person was thought to have been killed, as well as the suspected shooter, initial news reports stated. Many said it is the result of the hatred that has been directed at Trump by his foes, especially on social media like Facebook, and because of the continued polarization that has divided America politically and socially.“They tried everything from impeachments to indictments, and when everything failed, they tried to actually assassinate him,” Dr. Massad Boulos told Arab News minutes after the attempted assassination in Pennsylvania. “But this has just made him the 47th president of the USA. He’s been making calls from the hospital and he’s in a very positive spirit.”
Boulos’s son Michael is married to Tiffany Trump, one of the former president’s daughters. Boulos said that he was told by the president’s aides in the past that “former president Trump has been asking for a beefed-up security to be provided for weeks, but the Biden administration has refused.”
Yards away, a member of the audience was declared dead from the bullet as it passed the president. A second female audience member was seriously injured as the crowd began screaming. President Joe Biden issued a statement to say he is grateful that “he is doing well” and emphasized that “there is no place for political violence.” Biden said on national TV that he “reached out to Trump at the hospital.” Sources said the Biden campaign confirmed that it is pulling down campaign commercials that have been very critical of Trump. Bishara Bahbah, chairman of Arab Americans for Trump, blamed “the atmosphere of hatred against President Trump” that has been intensifying over the past several years.
“The Democrats have been demonizing him, making all kinds of horrible attacks against him and against his family. I am not saying they are behind this, but, at the same time, the hatred emanating from the Democratic Party and some of its leaders and members of Congress is making its way down to people like this person who tried to assassinate him,” Bahbah told Arab News. “I believe he will come out stronger now as a result and that the people will rally around him. We are grateful that he survived. Violence cannot be tolerated. We pray for him that he remains safe.”Arab Americans on the right and the left said they were “in shock at the violence” that was broadcast on live television.Jim Zogby, president of the Arab American Institute in Washington D.C., said: “There is a lot we don’t know. But, what we do know is that violent rhetoric can give rise to violent behavior. We need to take action and that violence is never the way to resolve political differences. Our gun-crazy culture is out of control.”Mohammed Jaber, a trustee on the suburban District 230 High School Board in Orland Park, said: “No human should fear for their life, whether it is a politician or a civilian. We can all agree to disagree, but everyone should be respected regardless of one’s view. It’s completely wrong what happened to Trump at this campaign rally.”Samir Khalil, president of the Arab American Democratic Club of Illinois, said: “It is truly sad that so many tragic events around the world and the leading democracy nation reach this level of tragic political violence. As a human being I am saddened by this violent behavior. We should expect more intervention from the free world to influence peace and harmony not wars and no more hate. May God bless humanity of the world and the great USA.”Mary Basta, mayor of the Chicago suburb of Bolingbrook, said: “I am deeply saddened by the senseless act of violence that occurred today. Prayers go out to the victims and their families during this incredibly difficult time. Such acts of violence are unacceptable and have no place in our society and do not reflect the sentiment of true democracy.”

IDF confirms Khan Yunis Brigade commander Rafa’a Salameh killed in targeted strike
Yonah Jeremy Bob/Jerusalem Post/July 14/2024
Salameh was by Deif's side, and according to the sources, his body was recovered and buried immediately.
Hamas Khan Yunis Brigade Commander Rafa’a Salameh was killed during a targeted strike by IDF fighter jets on Saturday in the al-Muwasi humanitarian area in southern Gaza, the IDF and Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) confirmed on Sunday after the Gaza terror group had confirmed the same. Salameh is the third of Hamas’s five brigade commanders for all of Gaza to be killed over the course of the war, with two still at large. The Hamas brigade commanders are the bedrock of the terror group’s field leadership much the same way that Israel has top commanders for its northern, central, and southern commands. In addition, Salameh was known as being particularly close to Gaza Chief Yahya Sinwar and to Hamas military chief Mohammed Deif, who was targeted in the same Saturday strike, but whose fate is still uncertain. Salameh was known to be one of the few intermediaries with Sinwar for hostage negotiations, giving his death a broader impact beyond military issues. More recently, Salameh was behind the Khan Yunis brigade trying to reconstitute itself as a rocket-firing threat against the southern portion of the Israeli-Gaza Corridor in order to try to undermine Jerusalem’s narrative that the war has subdued the Hamas rocket threat.
About Rafa'a Salameh
Salameh led much of the invasion plans from southern Gaza into the farthest south Israeli Gaza border towns for the October 7 massacre. He joined Hamas in the early 1990s and was eventually appointed in 2016 to the position of commander of Hamas's Khan Yunis Al Qarara Battalion under the command of Mohammed Sinwar, who later joined Hamas’s high command counsel. Salameh played a significant role in the abduction of IDF soldier Gilad Shalit, the IDF noted. During Operation Protective Edge in 2014, Salameh was in command of Hamas's combat support and defensive plans.
Besides being in charge of all rocket fire in the area, he was also in command of an operation during the 2021 Gaza conflict to launch a surprise attack on Israeli soldiers and villages via two attack tunnels from Khan Yunis. During that operation, the IDF managed to kill 18 terrorists who attempted to infiltrate Israeli territory, thwarting the mini-invasion scheme. Israel's security establishment overall believes that Deif was killed along with Salameh, but there is still no physical evidence. Moreover, Hamas has admitted Salameh’s death, but explicitly denied Deif’s. Last night, the deputy head of the Hamas political bureau, Khalil al-Hayya, told the Qatari state-funded broadcaster Al Jazeera that Deif had heard Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's victorious speech and laughed at it. According to the IDF, the attacked complex belonged to Salameh and was registered in his name.
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant met with air force personnel and complimented them on the attack and on the general qualitative advantage they give the IDF for operating within Gaza.

After 10 months of war, the humanitarian situation in Gaza ‘is absolutely atrocious’
Assiya HAMZA/Dawoud Abu Alkas, Reuters/July 14/2024
As the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza enters its 10th month, NGOs are once again sounding the alarm. The Palestinians, who have been displaced several times in the enclave on the Israeli army’s orders, are crammed into overcrowded areas where humanitarian aid can no longer get through. As the war between Israel and Hamas enters its tenth month, vast military operations are being carried out in Gaza, making the dire humanitarian situation in the enclave inexorably worse. The conflict has displaced over 80% of the territory’s 2.3 million people. In Gaza City where 300,000 to 350,000 people are crowded together, according to the UN, Israel has intensified military operations in various neighbourhoods and issued multiple evacuation orders. A leaflet seen by an AFP correspondent reads: "To all those present in Gaza City, the safe passages will allow you to pass quickly and without inspection from Gaza City to shelters in Deir Al-Balah and Al-Zawiya [in central Gaza]." "Gaza City will turn into a dangerous battlefield," continues the leaflet. Many residents refuse to comply with the evacuation orders. Testimonies are pouring in on social media. "We will die but we won't go south. We have endured starvation and bombs for nine months and we are ready to die as martyrs here," wrote Mohammad Ali, 30, in a text message to Reuters.
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Hamas withdraws from Gaza truce talks after Israeli strike on camp, senior official says
Bashar Taleb, AFP/July 14, 2024
Hamas has withdrawn from talks working towards a ceasefire in the Gaza war, according to a senior official from the Palestinian militant group, who said the group's political leader had told international mediators Qatar and Egypt working on a phased proposal since May that the group was halting negotiations over Israel's "continued obstruction" as well as "ongoing massacres against unarmed civilians". The talks' collapse comes a day after an Israeli airstrike on a humanitarian "safe zone", which Israel said targeted Hamas military leader Mohammed Deif, killed at least 92. Hamas officials also said on Sunday that Deif was still alive.A senior Hamas official told AFP Sunday that the Palestinian militant group has withdrawn from talks on a ceasefire in the Gaza war because of Israeli "massacres" and its attitude in negotiations. Another Hamas official said the group's military leader Mohammed Deif was "fine" and working despite Israel's air strike on a southern Gaza camp that it said targeted the wanted Hamas commander on Saturday.

Hamas says Gaza cease-fire talks haven't paused and claims military chief survived Israeli strike
Wafaa Shurafa And Melanie Lidman/MUWASI, Gaza Strip (AP/July 14, 2024
Hamas said Sunday that Gaza cease-fire talks continue and the group’s military commander is in good health, a day after the Israeli military targeted Mohammed Deif with a massive airstrike that local health officials said killed at least 90 people, including children. Deif’s condition remained uncertain after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Saturday night “there still isn’t absolute certainty” he was killed. Hamas representatives gave no evidence to back up their assertion about the health of a chief architect of the Oct. 7 attack that sparked the war. The Israeli military on Sunday announced that Rafa Salama, a Hamas commander it described as one of Deif's closest associates, had been killed in Saturday's strike. Salama commanded Hamas' Khan Younis brigade. The statement gave no update on Deif, who has long topped Israel's most-wanted list and has been in hiding for years. Hamas rejected the idea that mediated cease-fire discussions had been suspended after the strike. Spokesperson Jihad Taha said “there is no doubt that the horrific massacres will impact any efforts in the negotiations” but added that “efforts and endeavors of the mediators remain ongoing.” The killing of Deif would mark the highest profile assassination of any Hamas leader by Israel since the war began. It would be both a huge victory for Israel and a deep psychological blow for the militant group. Netanyahu said all of Hamas’ leaders are “marked for death" and asserted that killing them would move Hamas closer to accepting a cease-fire deal. Hamas political officials insisted that communication channels remained functional between the leadership inside and outside Gaza after the strike in the territory's south. Witnesses said it occurred in an area that Israel had designated as safe for hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians. Israel’s military would not confirm that. On Sunday, some survivors were angry that the attack targeting Deif occurred without warning in an area they had been told was safe. “Where are we supposed to go?” asked Mahmoud Abu Yaseen, who said he heard two strikes and clutched his children, then woke up in the hospital to find his son had died. The family had already been displaced five times since the war began, he said. A United Nations official described utter chaos at Nasser hospital where victims of Saturday’s strike were taken, many of them treated on bloodstained floors with few supplies available. “I witnessed some of the most horrific scenes I have seen in my nine months in Gaza,” Scott Anderson said in a statement. “I saw toddlers who are double amputees, children paralyzed and unable to receive treatment and others separated from their parents. I also saw mothers and fathers who were unsure if their children were alive.” He said restrictions on humanitarian aid to Gaza hamper efforts to provide needed medical and other care. At least 300 people were wounded in the strike, one of the deadliest in the nine-month war sparked by Hamas’ Oct. 7 assault on southern Israel that killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took more than 200 hostage.
More than 38,400 people in Gaza have been killed in Israeli ground offensives and bombardments since then, according to the territory’s Health Ministry. The ministry does not distinguish between combatants and civilians in its count.
On Sunday, an Israeli strike in Nuseirat in central Gaza killed at least 13 people at the gate of a school, according to Associated Press journalists at Al-Awda hospital. Israel's military in a statement said it struck “terrorists” operating in the area of a school run by the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees. Also on Sunday, police said a Palestinian resident of east Jerusalem carried out a car-ramming attack in central Israel that injured four Israelis, two of them seriously. Israeli border police at the scene shot dead the attacker after he hit people waiting at two bus stops along a busy road. Israel Commissioner Kobi Shabtai said such attacks were often “triggered” by events like Saturday’s airstrike in Gaza.

At least 22 killed in strike on makeshift mosque in Gaza City camp, hospital official says
Abeer Salman, Lauren Kent and Ibrahim Dahman, CNN/Sun, July 14, 2024
At least 22 people were killed in a strike Saturday that hit a makeshift mosque in a displacement camp in west Gaza City, according to an official at the hospital treating the casualties. The head of the emergency room of Al-Ahli Hospital, Dr. Amjad Elewa, told CNN that 20 men were killed in the strike on the field mosque in Al Shati camp, and two more men died on Sunday in the hospital from their injuries.
CNN has asked the Israel Defense Forces for comment.
The spokesman for Gaza’s Civil Defense Mahmoud Basal told CNN that the bombing happened “in the middle of the noon prayer.” He added that all the injuries are serious cases and required amputation operations. Video of the scene shows bodies lying on what appear to be mats laid out for prayer. Multiple dead and wounded people can be seen missing limbs. The UN Human Rights Office also commented on the incident in its daily briefing on Saturday, saying, “Around 1300 hours, the IDF reportedly struck a makeshift mosque inside Ash Al Shati’ Refugee Camp, west Gaza City. Reports indicate that because the IDF struck shortly after the noon prayer, many people were still inside or near the mosque.”“The IDF has not made any comments on the incident so far. There was no report of a prior warning for either of the attacks,” UN OHCHR said, also referring to 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.

UK Foreign Secretary visits Israel and West Bank and calls for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza
Melanie Lidman/TEL AVIV, Israel (AP)/July 14, 2024
The new British foreign secretary called for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza during a visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories on Sunday, his second international trip since Labour’s resounding victory in elections earlier this month. David Lammy said the ongoing war in Gaza is “intolerable” and stressed in meetings with Israeli and Palestinian leadership that Britain wants to assist with diplomatic efforts “securing a cease-fire deal and creating the space for a credible and irreversible pathway towards a two-state solution.” Lammy met Sunday in Jerusalem with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and in the West Bank city of Ramallah with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. He will meet with Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Monday. During his visit, Lammy will also meet with families of hostages currently being held in Gaza who have ties to the U.K. He called for the release of all hostages and a dramatic increase in the amount of humanitarian aid entering Gaza. Lammy demanded Israel halt settlement expansion in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and east Jerusalem, and said that the Palestinian Authority needs to be “reformed and empowered.”Both Lammy’s Labour Party and the previous Conservative government initially avoided calling for an immediate cease-fire in the war, using phrases like “humanitarian pause.” But the language has got stronger. Prime Minister Keir Starmer told Netanyahu last week there was a “clear and urgent need for a cease-fire.”Labour’s stance on the Gaza war cost it votes in this month’s U.K. election. Although the party won in a landslide, pro-Palestinian independents defeated Labour candidates in several seats with large Muslim populations. Lammy’s comments came the day after Israel said it had targeted Hamas’ shadowy military commander in a massive strike Saturday in the crowded southern Gaza Strip that killed at least 90 people, including children, according to local health officials. Top Hamas officials said on Sunday that the negotiations for a possible cease-fire deal had not been halted because of the attack. Hamas also denied that Hamas military chief Mohammed Deif, the target of the strike, was killed and said Israel’s “false claims are merely a cover-up for the scale of the horrific massacre.”Deif and Hamas’ top official in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, are believed by Israel to be the chief architects of the Oct. 7 attack that killed some 1,200 people in southern Israel and kidnapped 250, triggering the Israel-Hamas war. 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.

Thousands of Islamists rally near the Pakistani capital to denounce Israeli strikes in Gaza
ISLAMABAD (AP)/July 14/2024
Thousands of supporters of a Pakistani radical political party rallied near the capital, Islamabad, on Saturday, denouncing Israeli strikes in Gaza and urging the government to send more aid to the Palestinians. The protesters also demanded that Pakistan declare Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “a terrorist.” There was no immediate response from the government following the rally in the garrison city of Rawalpindi. Pakistan has no diplomatic relations with Israel. Pakistan has been calling for a cease-fire in the nine-month Israel-Hamas war, and in recent months has sent relief items for the Palestinians in Gaza. Saad Rizvi, head of the Islamist Tehreek-e-Labiak Pakistan party, which led the rally, said the sit-in at the protest would continue as long as its demands are not accepted by the government. Hundreds of police were deployed near the rally, which took place as militant attacks have surged in Pakistan.

US, UK strike Houthi targets in Yemen’s northern Hajjah
SAEED AL-BATATI/Arab News/July 14, 2024
AL-MUKALLA: US and UK forces on Sunday hit a Houthi target in an area of north Yemeni region, while an EU naval operation destroyed a Yemeni militia drone in the Gulf of Aden. Houthi-run Al-Masirah TV said on Sunday that the US and UK “aggression” struck Medi district in Hajjah province on Sunday, the latest round of strikes by the US and UK against the Houthis in retribution for the militia’s anti-ship operation. The Houthi TV station did not provide details on the targeted area or any human or property damage. This comes as the EU military operation in the Red Sea, known as Aspides, said on Sunday that its Greek warship Psara shot down a drone suspected to have been launched by the Houthis in the Gulf of Aden. The warship was repelling a barrage of Houthi explosive-laden drones aimed at a commercial ship escorted by the EU mission. “This operation aims to protect the lives of seafarers, ensure global trade, protect global common goods, uphold freedom of navigation, and contribute to regional peace and security,” the EU naval mission said on X. In response to Houthi attacks on ships, which began in November, the US formed a coalition marine task force in the Red Sea, designated the Houthis as a terrorist organization, and launched strikes on Houthi military locations and mobile drone and missile launchers in Hodeidah, Sanaa and other areas of Yemen controlled by the Houthis. The Houthis claim that their campaign against the ship is solely aimed at targeting Israel-bound ships and those linked to Israel to put pressure on Israel to halt its military operations in the Gaza Strip, as well as targeting US and UK ships after the two countries bombarded Yemeni territory under Houthi control. Meanwhile, Yemen’s army said its soldiers in the southern city of Taiz repelled a Houthi attack on Saturday, killing and injuring six Houthis, according to SABA, the official news agency. In an attempt to take control of more areas in the besieged city of Taiz, the Houthis attacked the army’s mountainous sites in the city’s northeast on Saturday, resulting in fighting that killed two Houthis and injured four more.
The army said the Houthis were compelled to cease their attack and flee after failing to make any military advances. Despite a considerable decline in hostilities throughout Yemen since the UN-brokered ceasefire went into effect in April 2022, scores of government troops have been killed or injured in Houthi strikes on positions in Dhale, Taiz, Marib and other disputed districts. Separately, one Yemeni soldier was killed and another was wounded on Saturday night while battling Al-Qaeda militants in a valley in the southern province of Abyan. According to media channels funded by the Southern Transitional Council, Al-Qaeda assaulted the council’s soldiers in Abyan’s Omaran Valley with drones and heavy machine guns, killing one soldier and injuring another. Since late 2022, more than 100 Yemeni soldiers have been killed in Al-Qaeda guerrilla raids as STC forces moved into the militia’s long-held hiding areas in rough and isolated valleys and mountains in Abyan and Shabwa.

Turkish-Syrian Rapprochement Dictated by Turkish Elections
This Is Beirut/July 14, 2024
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who is seeking to renew his presidential mandate, is facing the key challenge of resolving the protracted issue of Syrian refugees, which had an adverse effect on his Justice and Development Party, or AK party, at the last municipal elections. Erdogan’s party lost the mayorship of Istanbul, which is important for its symbolism, and his political circles dread the possibility of losing the presidency if the problem of war-displaced Syrians, whose number exceeds three million in Turkey, is not settled.  Erdogan hopes to send the Syrians back home, a matter that gained urgency following the confrontations that occurred between them and the Turks. Russian President Vladimir Putin has intervened to help expedite reconciliation between Erdogan and his Syrian counterpart, Bashar al-Assad, in order to facilitate work on repatriating the displaced Syrians before the Turkish presidential elections. However, before any rapprochement or a meeting may take place, Assad is supposed to take a number of decisions, including issuing a general amnesty and stopping the effects of arrest warrants against those who have fled Syria to escape mandatory military service. If such rapprochement occurs, it would have positive impact and repercussions on the situation in the region, especially with regard to a solution to Syrian presence in Lebanon.

Syria says soldier killed in Israeli strike on Damascus
Agence France Presse/July 14, 2024
A Syrian soldier was killed early on Sunday and three others injured in Israeli strikes on several positions in and around Damascus, Syrian state media said. The Israeli army, meanwhile, said it had targeted a Syrian military command center as well as targets and infrastructure belonging to the Syrian army and air defense in response to two drones launched towards Israel from Syrian territory. The statement was a rare acknowledgement by the Israeli military of action in Syria, where it has launched hundreds of strikes since the country's civil war erupted in 2011, which have mainly targeted army positions and Iran-backed fighters. "A soldier was killed and three others injured following an aerial aggression launched by the Israeli enemy after midnight" on Sunday, Syria's state news agency SANA reported. The strike "was launched from the occupied Syrian Golan Heights targeting several military positions in the southern region and a residential building in the Kafr Sousa district of Damascus," it added. It said that aerial defense systems had intercepted and downed a number of missiles "despite their intensity." The news agency published a photo showing a fire in what appeared to be a crater caused by the blast. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights meanwhile said a Syrian pro-government fighter had been killed and six others injured in Israeli strikes targeting a building in Kafr Sousa and a military headquarters south of Damascus. The building in Kafr Sousa, which hosted fighters from the so-called "axis of resistance" -- Iran-backed armed factions opposed to the U.S. and Israel -- was destroyed, according to the Britain-based Observatory, which relies on a network of sources in Syria. Local radio station Sham FM had reported "the explosion of a munitions depot following an Israeli attack that targeted a position near the capital." "The blasts were very strong and came in succession," a resident of the eastern Damascus neighborhood of Mezzeh told AFP, adding that this was followed by "the strong odour of gunpowder."The Israeli army meanwhile said that "two UAVs approached the area north of Eilat from Syrian territory and were successfully intercepted" on Saturday. "In response, overnight, the IDF (Israeli military) struck a Syrian military command center and infrastructure sites. Additionally, terror targets used by the Syrian military's Aerial Defense Unit were struck," it added.
"The Syrian regime is responsible for all terror activities occurring within its territory and will be held accountable for it," the Israeli army said. Israel's strikes on Syria had intensified since Palestinian militant group Hamas' October 7 attack on Israel sparked war in the Gaza Strip, before easing after an April 1 strike blamed on Israel hit the Iranian consular building in Damascus.Israel has repeatedly said it will not allow arch-foe Iran to expand its foothold in Syria.

The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources on July 14-15/2024
'Can words kill?': Trump shooting sends warning to Israel - analysis
Herb Keinon/Jerusalem Post/July 14/2024
What happened in Pennsylvania should be a cautionary tale for Israel: not only for Israel -- indeed for democracies all over the world where social media amplifies extreme rhetoric.
“Can words kill?” With prophetic timing, Channel 12 political correspondent Amit Segal asked this question in his Friday column in Yediot Ahronot.
The column was printed a day before the assassination attempt on former president and presumptive Republican Party presidential nominee Donald Trump. It dealt with the wild incitement in recent weeks against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and the forgiving attitude of this country’s elites when the incitement is against the Right, rather than coming from the Right.
In the eyes of the attorney general, state prosecutor, opposition, and most of the press in Israel, Segal asserted, “the story is not who is inciting, rather who is being incited against.” In their eyes, he argued, “opponents to Netanyahu are much more independent and intelligent than his supporters, and there is no danger that they will translate these words into physical harm.” For that reason, it doesn’t cause an uproar when protesters at anti-Netanyahu rallies routinely call the prime minister a traitor -- a word ostensibly removed from the public lexicon after the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin and the conventional wisdom that Yigal Amir killed Rabin as a result of the incitement against him, including labeling him a traitor.
Nor do people get that worked up when a reserve general calls Netanyahu a tyrant, or the daughter-in-law of one of the murdered hostages said that if the hostages are not freed “a noose” awaits Netanyahu and his “cursed family.” But, as the stunning events near Pittsburgh on Saturday indicated, people should get worked up -- very much so.
What happened in Pennsylvania should be a cautionary tale for Israel: not only for Israel -- indeed for democracies all over the world where the public is polarized and social media amplifies extreme rhetoric -- but most definitely also for Israel. A polarized political environment where heated words and wildly irresponsible comments are the norm is an environment that breeds political violence.
Thomas Matthew Crooks, the 20-year-old man who shot at Trump, is responsible for his action, but the present atmosphere in the US -- where one’s political opponents are not merely opponents but enemies of democracy, liberty, and “the people” -- is an inflammable one.
Because if an elected leader or someone who is aspiring for leadership is an enemy of the people, then what should his fate be? What should be done to enemies of the people?
In Israel, this type of language is now regularly employed. At one of the recent anti-Netanyahu protests, Guy Tzur, a maj-gen. In the reserves, said this: “Netanyahu is a traitor, he has turned into an enemy of the people and needs to be ousted as soon as possible.”
There are other ways to register opposition to the prime minister than through the use of this type of language.
Or, as Yolanda Yavor said at one of the protests, “If he [Netanyahu] is not a traitor, then who is. Then what is Treachery? Traitor!”
Then she added, “I want to calm down those who will try to incite against us, no one from among us will harm that traitor or his cursed family.”
Really? What makes her so sure? Demonization and delegitimization create an atmosphere where political violence is nourished and can flourish: the attempt on Trump’s life is just more proof of that.
Trump, who himself employs extreme polarizing rhetoric to delegitimize others, has been called a tyrant and dictator. If so, then would not the world be a better place were he not taken out? Words themselves do not kill, yet they create an environment that can be misconstrued as a justification for political murder.
The images of Trump being shot were stark and stunning. There is no possible context to justify it -- though there will be some who hate Trump so much that they will try to do so; try to say this did not happen in a vacuum, that he brought this on with his own polarizing, divisive and bullying rhetoric and style.
Condemnations of the attempted attack
World leaders of all political stripes quickly condemned the attempt on Trump’s life, including UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres who “unequivocally condemned” this act of political violence.
Why does Guterres' statement stand out? Because this is the same UN secretary-general who, following Hamas’s October 7 massacre, condemned it but then said, “it is important to also recognize the attacks by Hamas did not happen in a vacuum.” Guterres “contextualized” Hamas’s act. Thankfully, he did not apply the same approach to the attempt on Trump’s life.
The attempted assassination of a once and possibly future US president is an evil act. Full stop. So, too, the murder of 1,200 Israelis and the taking of 250 more hostages is an evil act. Full stop. The contextualization of evil, by trying to understand its roots or claiming it does not happen in a vacuum, is a dangerous feature of discourse today that can breed more evil.
What happened in the US on Saturday needs to trigger flashing red lights here as well.
Segal quoted Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid suggesting that incitement against attorney general Gali Baharav-Miara -- and there is incitement against her -- is worse than that against Netanyahu because she is not the most protected person in the country. This implies that incitement becomes more acceptable the better protected the target is -- an absurd and dangerous notion.
Saturday's events expose the absurdity of this equation. Despite being amply guarded by a Secret Service detail, Trump was shot in broad daylight. In an Israeli context, this incident underscores a crucial point: incitement can be deadly, regardless of the level of protection surrounding the intended target.
Saturday’s assassination attempt will undoubtedly prompt countries worldwide to re-evaluate their security measures and prevention strategies, drawing the necessary conclusions to prevent a similar incident in their own lands. Israel must be among them, especially given that the same “my political opponent is an enemy” toxicity that exists in the US exists here as well.
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-810304

Iran's "Moderate" President Is a Just Another Hardliner-in-Disguise to Glide in Its Nuclear Weapons Programme
Con Coughlin/Gatestone Institute/July 14, 2024
[Rafael Grossi, the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, the UN-sponsored body that is responsible for monitoring the mullahs' nuclear programme] also warned that it could take Iran just a month or so for the Iranians to assemble a nuclear warhead, given the progress they have made in recent months in their enrichment programme.
The acknowledgement by an internationally respected body such as the IAEA that Iran has now acquired sufficient material to build several nuclear warheads, which could be assembled within the space of a month, is a devastating indictment of the Biden administration's policy of appeasement towards Iran since US President Joe Biden took office.
Biden's refusal to hold Iran accountable for its actions has resulted in the Iranian regime receiving billions of dollars in added revenue because of Washington's decision not to enforce oil sanctions against Iran. As a result, the extra funds received by Iran have been used to fund the regime's terrorist networks across the globe, including Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
As a senior official with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps admitted to The Telegraph, in the wake of the election, that Pezeshkian had only been allowed to compete in the election to "legitimise the vote".
It is vital, therefore, that the Biden administration fully understands the cynicism shown by Iran's hardliners in seeking to legitimise their brutal regime before making any further overtures to the country's so-called moderate president.
In the uncompromising world of Iran's autocratic Islamic republic, there is no such thing as a moderate Iranian president -- a fact that Iran's long-suffering people know only too well. Before the Biden administration gets too carried away celebrating the election of Iran's so-called moderate president, it should understand that Masoud Pezeshkian's victory is nothing more than a ploy to distract world attention away from Iran's nuclear weapons programme.
Before the Biden administration gets too carried away celebrating the election of Iran's so-called moderate president, it should understand that Masoud Pezeshkian's victory is nothing more than a ploy to distract world attention away from Iran's nuclear weapons programme.
While Iranian voters have understandably been focused on electing a new president to replace hardliner Ebrahim Raisi, who was killed in a mysterious helicopter crash in May, the regime has been intensifying its efforts to acquire nuclear weapons.
Reports that Iran has now acquired sufficient quantities of enriched uranium to build nuclear warheads have been confirmed by Rafael Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the UN-sponsored body that is responsible for monitoring the mullahs' nuclear programme.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with London's Sunday Telegraph at the weekend, Grossi said of Iran's long-standing effort to enrich uranium to the level required to develop nuclear warheads, "They have enough material for a few warheads already."
He also warned that it could take Iran just a month or so to assemble a nuclear warhead, given the progress they have made in recent months in their enrichment programme.
"[T]hey could do it in a matter of perhaps a month or a bit more," he conceded, adding that, so far as he knows, the Iranians "do not have nuclear weapons at this point."
The acknowledgement by an internationally respected body such as the IAEA that Iran has now acquired sufficient material to build several nuclear warheads, which could be assembled within the space of a month, is a devastating indictment of the Biden administration's policy of appeasement towards Iran since US President Joe Biden took office.
Rather than confronting Iran over its constant acts of aggression, and Tehran's constant breaches of its commitments to the IAEA over its nuclear programme, Biden has instead concentrated his efforts on engaging with the Iranian regime in the vain hope of resurrecting the flawed JCPOA "nuclear deal" agreed on by the Obama administration back in 2015.
Biden's refusal to hold Iran accountable for its actions has resulted in the Iranian regime receiving billions of dollars in added revenue because of Washington's decision not to enforce oil sanctions against Iran. As a result, the extra funds received by Iran have been used to fund the regime's terrorist networks across the globe, including Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Moreover, rather viewing the IAEA's confirmation that Iran has now acquired sufficient nuclear material to produce nuclear weapons as a justification for taking a harder line towards Tehran, Pezeshkian's appointment as the country's next president will encourage the Biden administration to maintain its policy of appeasement towards Tehran.
For while Pezeshkian's election victory has been hailed by many world leaders as an indication the Iranian regime is seriously interested in reform, the reality is that the election of Iran's new president is nothing more than business-as-usual so far as the Iranian regime is concerned.
Far from being a moderate politician who is interested in reform, as Iran's apologists would like the world to believe, Pezeshkian's career both as a heart surgeon and, more recently, health minister has been defined by his unwavering loyalty to the country's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as well the Islamic Republic's hard-line policies.
As Pezeskhian himself remarked immediately after his victory was announced, "I believe in the Supreme Leader, I am totally following him," he said.
The brutal reality is that the whole notion that Iran has just elected a more moderate president is nothing more than a confidence trick perpetrated by the regime's hardliners who, after the intense pressure they have come under in recent months because of the brutal repression of anti-regime protesters, realised they needed to take drastic measures to justify the regime's legitimacy.
Giving the appearance, therefore, that the Iranian people have got their wish of electing a "moderate" leader will go some way -- or so they hope -- to alleviating the pressure on the regime, thereby allowing it to concentrate its energy on its real priorities, such as its efforts to acquire nuclear weapons.
One of the fundamental principles of Iran's Islamic constitution is, after all, that ultimate authority lies not with the president but with the country's Supreme Leader.
Such is the control exercised by the Khamenei's hardline supporters over the entire Iranian political system that all candidates -- Pezeshkian included -- must first be vetted by the Guardian Council, the custodians of the Islamic revolution who report directly to the Supreme Leader.
As a senior official with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps admitted to The Telegraph, in the wake of the election, that Pezeshkian had only been allowed to compete in the election to "legitimise the vote".
"No one in the Guardian Council or the office of the Supreme Leader did not expect that coming, he was just approved to boost turnout," one official said.
It is vital, therefore, that the Biden administration fully understands the cynicism shown by Iran's hardliners in seeking to legitimise their brutal regime before making any further overtures to the country's so-called moderate president.
In the uncompromising world of Iran's autocratic Islamic republic, there is no such thing as a moderate Iranian president -- a fact that Iran's long-suffering people know only too well.
**Con Coughlin is the Telegraph's Defence and Foreign Affairs Editor and a Distinguished Senior Fellow at Gatestone Institute.
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Stop Shouting and Focus!
Tariq Al-Homayed/Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper/July 14/2024
Anyone who follows social networks and watches some of the Arab media will notice an increase in “shouting,” “a party of insults,” and accusations of disloyalty, as well as an unprecedented decline in the language of dialogue. So why all this?
The story is clear, but it requires concentration and a cold reading of the events, from Washington to Tehran, from the southern suburb of Beirut to Gaza, from Sanaa to Damascus, passing through Ankara, and even Baghdad.
All the events that concern us now are in a real stage of labor, and will have many repercussions. We begin with Washington. Will President Biden maintain his presidential candidacy or will he withdraw? If he quits, who will succeed him?
What will happen to the Gaza truce if Biden withdraws, or if the Democrats suffer a split? Will Netanyahu respond to American pressure now, or will he wait for the next candidate, or for Biden’s fate, especially with the increasing lapses of the US president?
Biden himself, according to David Ignatius’s column in The Washington Post, may take advantage of the truce, if it occurs, to declare a political victory in achieving peace and withdraw from the presidential race. He may also use it as a starting point to cling to the candidacy.
What about the truce itself? The information published by the same writer, in his article, points to Israeli-Hamas indicators that both parties are ready to abandon Gaza: Israel withdraws, and Hamas no longer rules. This requires a “scenario” in which Hamas announces an illusionary victory.
The writer reports that the Lebanese government negotiated, through Nabih Berri, a “framework” for the aftermath of the Gaza truce, for Hezbollah to withdraw north from the border near the Litani. This needs some preparation by Hezbollah, to create a “scenario” that suggests the alleged victory as well!
All of this will preoccupy Iran, which is looking for a role in the negotiations, in addition to the consequences of losing two fronts through Hamas and Hezbollah, which means that Netanyahu will celebrate a political victory he planned, and will devote himself to the Iranian front, especially if Trump wins the elections. Therefore, Iran is now seeking to complete the silent negotiations with the United States in Oman. There are no US leaks, no clear Iranian talk about them, and the details of those negotiations are lost amid a torrent of “party of insults” and accusations of betrayal.
The Iran crisis does not end there. It must assess the repercussions of Houthi actions, especially after the decision of the Central Bank of Yemen, and the rhetorical escalation. This is a challenge to the Beijing agreement between Riyadh and Tehran. The saying, “A fool can throw a stone in a pond that 100 wise men cannot get,” applies perfectly to the Houthis.
Moreover, a “party of madness” is hitting the Muslim Brotherhood. They are the worst, as they do not hesitate to lie and falsify facts. The reason is their successive losses everywhere, mostly importantly in Türkiye, which has been a breeding ground for them, in all areas.
All of this is happening, while the real successful model lies in the Gulf countries that have chosen to launch reforms, build nations and strengthen their cohesion from within. Those are led by Saudi Arabia, the pioneer of this true revolution in the region.
Accordingly, the shouting and the party of insults escalate, in an attempt to create a narrative that allows some to claim non-existent and imaginary victories, in order to mislead the scene of great devastation left by the adventures.

How the Starmer model might work for the UK
Daron Acemoglu/Arab News/July 14, 2024
The Labour Party’s sweeping victory in the UK’s general election already holds lessons for center and center-left parties elsewhere. But whether it will matter in the long run depends on Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s ability to address his country’s economic woes, which is a very tall order.
To their credit, the Tories showed respect for democracy by accepting defeat, with Conservative Party leader Rishi Sunak graciously congratulating Starmer even before the vote count was final. With many Republicans already preparing to deny any electoral defeat for Donald Trump this November (further undercutting Americans’ already low level of trust in institutions), the British example reminds us that we must never normalize such behavior. The US media and civil society have a duty to call out antidemocratic behavior at every turn.
Starmer’s rapid rehabilitation of the Labour Party also holds valuable lessons. Upon taking the reins from Jeremy Corbyn in 2020, just after the party’s worst defeat since 1935, Starmer emphasized moderation and policies to improve the economy and public services. His victory shows that it is possible to win elections without extremism. He promised to make democracy work better for everyone.
This is a powerful message. My own recent research shows that people become much more pro-democratic when they see democracy functioning properly and delivering in terms of economic growth, stability, public services and low levels of inequality and corruption. The same basic formula has worked well for workers’ parties and social democrats elsewhere. The birth of the storied Nordic model can be traced to election victories by workers’ parties in Denmark, Sweden and Norway almost a century ago. These parties first moved away from hard-left ideas and rhetoric. Then, once in power, they delivered on the concrete improvements they had promised.
In Sweden’s case, social democracy was forged in the crucible of the Great Depression. The Workers’ Party — which had broken from its Marxist roots two decades earlier — campaigned on a platform of macroeconomic stability, more jobs and wage growth. After it delivered on these promises, it became the country’s main governing party.
The Norwegian Labour Party carved out a path even more like that of its British cousin in 2024. After running on a hard-left platform and losing more than 20 percent of its seats in the 1930 election, it underwent a rapid rehabilitation. In 1935, a fundamentally different Labour Party came to power by campaigning on school reform, welfare programs and jobs. Through its historic “Folk School Reform,” it raised the quality of education in less economically developed parts of the country, winning the lasting support of many voters. Social democracy has remained the dominant model in Norway ever since.
Transforming a party is difficult. For Starmer, it involved sidelining Corbyn and making clear that his brand of far-left extremism would no longer be on the agenda. Starmer endured many months of widespread criticism from the left, but he held firm.
Now comes an even bigger test. The import of Labour’s victory will ultimately depend on whether the party delivers, especially when it comes to reviving economic growth. Britain’s economic performance during the past 14 years of Tory rule has been rather disappointing. Per capita income growth has been slow and the country’s leaders have failed to address an obvious productivity problem: growth in output per hour worked compares poorly to that of the US, France and Germany.
The British right will face growing pressure to tilt further rightward and Labour will need to prepare for this shift.
Recognizing that a lack of public and private investment underlies the UK’s anemic productivity and employment performance, Labour has sound ideas for kickstarting a robust economic recovery. But to finance the public investments in healthcare, education, infrastructure and technology that Starmer has promised, the government will need to increase its tax revenues. Starmer therefore may need to walk back a separate promise not to increase taxes for working people.
If so, he should point out that no advanced economy can achieve sustained, dynamic growth without innovating. While countries such as Vietnam and China have been able to leverage mature technologies and low-cost labor, high-income economies lack this option. They must either innovate or fall behind the global technological frontier. Although specializing in financial services can provide a boost, the benefits are temporary. And as the British example shows, becoming a financial hub for money from Russian oligarchs and tax evaders brings a range of societal ills.
But innovation is easier said than done. Despite the previous government’s emphasis on artificial intelligence, Britain is lagging behind in the technology race and no amount of government emphasis will miraculously turn things around. Instead, the UK needs a coherent long-term strategy geared toward finding a niche in the broader innovation economy. Success will require more than just an old-style industrial policy of supporting specific companies or sectors.
There are also potential fault lines within Labour’s plans for making democracy work better. Responsive democratic governance means that no major public concern is ignored and the British electorate has again signaled that it is very concerned about immigration. One reason the Conservatives fared so poorly is that Nigel Farage’s populist, anti-immigration Reform UK party performed so well. In fact, if the Tories had captured most of Reform UK’s vote, they would have won the election.
As in the rest of Europe, the British right will face growing pressure to tilt further rightward and Labour and other centrist politicians will need to prepare for this shift. Election after election has shown that ignoring the population’s views on immigration is not a viable strategy. Labour must make the humanitarian case for allowing in refugees, while also promising greater transparency and control on immigration overall. Finding the right communication strategy and the right principles to guide its immigration policy will be one of the new government’s biggest challenges. As someone who formerly worked both as a human rights lawyer and as a chief prosecutor dealing with public order issues, Starmer may be uniquely qualified to succeed where others have failed.
• Daron Acemoglu, Institute Professor of Economics at MIT, is co-author (with Simon Johnson) of “Power and Progress: Our Thousand-Year Struggle Over Technology and Prosperity” (PublicAffairs, 2023).
©Project Syndicate

US resolve remains strong despite election uncertainty
Dr. Amal Mudallali/Arab News/July 14, 2024
During the NATO Summit celebrating the alliance’s 75th birthday in Washington last week, I attended the Munich Security Conference’s reception on the sidelines. Washington turned out for the conference in force, from American officials to members of Congress and think tank staffers. Foreign and defense ministers from Europe, foreign policy advisers and the leaders of global security and defense establishments all had one thing on their mind: the American election campaign and President Joe Biden’s disastrous debate performance.
The questions that occupied them were whether Biden would drop out of the race, whether former President Donald Trump would win the election and what would this mean for the future of NATO. The presence of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi made her the center of attention. Everyone wanted to ask her what would happen to the president amid reports that she was huddling with former President Barack Obama and discussing the future of Biden as a candidate for the Democratic Party.
The NATO Summit came in the middle of a historic presidential election campaign that is without precedent — even before Saturday’s assassination attempt on Trump. From the deep divisions in the country to the split in the president’s party, with calls on him to withdraw from the race only four months before the election, America’s political resilience is being tested like never before. These divisions are not only about who is fit to win the election and govern, they are also about America’s role in the world and its leadership of alliances like NATO.
The two candidates, President Biden and former President Trump, used the NATO Summit for their own political gains in the campaign. Biden described the alliance as the greatest “in the history of the world.” But during his press conference after the end of the summit, Biden, in defending his position to stay in the race despite the calls for him to drop out, including by members of his own party, said that none of the European allies told him: “Joe, don’t run. What I hear them say is, ‘you gotta win, you can’t have this guy (Trump) come forward, he’d be a disaster, he’d be a disaster.’”
The president’s critics jumped on this remark, saying this was unusual and a political mistake, predicting that it will be used against him by the Republican campaign. The president also said that his polling numbers were better in Israel than in the US, showing his disappointment in the polls that have recently shown him trailing Trump. Trump was not at the NATO Summit or in Washington, but his shadow loomed large over the summit and the participants. Everybody you talked to wanted to know if he would win the election because of his views on NATO and the Europeans’ experience with him during his presidency. The former president was campaigning in Florida when he commented on the summit in Washington. He said: “I didn’t know what the hell NATO was too much for. But it didn’t take me long to figure it out, like about two minutes. And the first thing I figured out was they were not paying. We were paying, we were paying almost fully for NATO. And I said, ‘That’s unfair.’”
He told the rally how he warned America’s NATO allies that they have to meet their military spending obligations otherwise he would not defend them. NATO members are required to contribute at least 2 percent of their gross domestic product to defense spending each year. To Trump’s credit, his strategy worked and the allies have started adhering to this required contribution. Biden attacked him last week as someone who does not understand the value of the alliance, taking the credit because the heads of state at the summit thanked the US and him personally for “all that NATO has achieved.” He compared this to his opponent, saying that, “meanwhile, my predecessor has made it clear he has no commitment to NATO. He made it clear he would feel no obligation to honor Article 5 (mutual defense). He already told (Russian President Vladimir) Putin, and I quote, ‘do whatever the hell you want.’”
Foreign policy experts are calling the period between this month and next January the most dangerous period internationally. While many European allies privately expressed concern about the prospect of Trump’s return to the White House and what would that mean for them and NATO, they were “frantically working” while in Washington to reach out to Trump’s political allies, according to CNN, to establish connections and gain access to his potential foreign policy officials. They were eager to learn how Trump would deal with them and the alliance.
During their stay in Washington, NATO heads of state and their defense and foreign policy officials saw a divided America and a politically weak president, abandoned by many in his party and attacked by the media. It was a stark contrast to the picture of strength that the alliance wanted to project on the 75th anniversary of its founding. Foreign policy experts are calling the period between this month and next January the most dangerous period internationally because the US and its global leadership is consumed with the election campaign. The calls for Biden to drop out — and the prospect of him dropping out at this late stage — are causing anxiety among allies who are already concerned because of the political weakness and unpredictability surrounding their ally and NATO leader.
There is also worry that, if Biden leaves the race, he will become weaker at home and abroad, with some even calling on the president to resign and saying it will be difficult for him to serve the rest of his term without harming American leadership around the world. What will happen to the Ukraine war? To the war in Gaza? And will Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu listen to an even weaker Biden when he did not listen to him nine months ago? In his press conference on Thursday night, after the end of the NATO Summit, Biden expressed frustration at his inability to convince the Israelis not to “make the same mistake America made” in Afghanistan. He also talked about the difficulty of implementing some of his proposals in Gaza, so can one imagine his power to affect things when he is a lame duck president?
In a US News and World Report article reprinted by the Council on Foreign Relations, Liana Flix wrote that Biden dropping out of the race “could also embolden adversaries to test the strength of America’s resolve. That could mean another round of Iranian-backed Houthi rebel attacks on global shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden; a Russian escalation in Ukraine; an expanded threat from North Korea’s nuclear arsenal and its arms trade with Russia; or Chinese provocations toward Taiwan or the Philippines.” She concluded that a weaker president “perceived as unable to do his job leaves the West without a steersman in dangerous times.”This is a pessimistic view of America’s resolve, even during a contested election campaign. America’s political divisions are real, as the failed attempt on Trump’s life demonstrates, but they still stop at the water’s edge. The campaign will be over in a few months, regardless of who wins, and the Americans, as the famous saying goes, “can always be trusted to do the right thing, once all other possibilities have been exhausted.”
• Dr. Amal Mudallali is a consultant on global issues, and former Lebanese ambassador to the UN.

In the US, change must come through ballots, not bullets
Dalia Al-Aqidi/Arab News/July 14, 2024
On Saturday, a profoundly sorrowful and dark chapter in the history of the US was written; a day that will be remembered with heavy hearts and grave reflection. The entire nation was left in a state of shock and disbelief as news spread of an unimaginable act of violence against one of its most prominent political figures.Former president and current Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump found himself the target of an assassination attempt at a Pennsylvania rally. This heinous act occurred mere days before he was set to officially accept the Republican nomination for a third time, an event eagerly anticipated by his supporters. The rally, meant to be a celebration of democracy and political engagement, was instead plunged into chaos and terror as a sudden barrage of gunfire erupted.
The sound of gunshots reverberated through the crowd, setting off a wave of panic and fear. Attendees screamed out of fear for their own lives and that of their leader. Amid this commotion, a bloodied Trump, struck by a bullet that grazed his ear, was quickly encircled by Secret Service agents.
In the immediate aftermath, Americans across the country were glued to their televisions, laptops and phone screens, anxiously seeking updates. The harrowing images of the former president on the ground, the terrified screams of the crowd and the relentless sound of gunfire played over and over, etching themselves into the collective memory of the nation. Each frame, each cry, each echo of violence was a chilling reminder of the fragility of the American democratic institutions and the real dangers that political leaders face.
This is not the country its citizens know and love — a nation founded on the principles of freedom, liberty and democracy. Such an atrocity is fundamentally incompatible with the core values they hold dear. The very essence of the republic is challenged when political violence rears its ugly head. It is imperative that no one, for even a moment, believes this is acceptable or justifiable.
In a statement on Truth Social, Trump articulated the collective disbelief and condemnation felt by many. “It is incredible that such an act can take place in our country,” he wrote. Trump further detailed the traumatic experience, stating: “I was shot with a bullet that pierced the upper part of my right ear,” before describing the immediate pain and shock as the bullet tore through his skin.
This assassination attempt brings back painful memories of past political violence in America, most notably the attempt on President Ronald Reagan’s life in 1981. It also recalls the tragic assassinations of President John F. Kennedy in 1963 and his brother, Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, in 1968. The echoes of history stretch further back to the assassinations of Presidents Abraham Lincoln in 1865, James Garfield in 1881 and William McKinley in 1901, as well as the attempt on Theodore Roosevelt’s life in 1912. These moments of national tragedy remind us of the profound impact that such violence has on the collective American psyche. Leaders from both sides of the political divide quickly sent their prayers and called for calm. President Joe Biden spoke with his opponent on the phone on Saturday night, just hours after the assassination attempt. This rare conversation between the two leaders underscored the gravity of the situation. Addressing reporters, Biden conveyed his deep concern and condemnation of the violent act. “I’ve been thoroughly briefed by all the agencies in the federal government as to the situation based on what we know now,” he said, emphasizing the seriousness with which the incident was being treated at the highest levels of government. “Look, there’s no place in America for this kind of violence. It’s sick. It’s sick,” he continued, his voice reflecting the nation’s shock and dismay. “It’s one of the reasons why we have to unite this country,” the Democratic president added, highlighting the urgent need for national solidarity and a united stand against political violence.
In the immediate aftermath of the shocking event, leaders from both sides of the political divide quickly sent their prayers and called for calm. This bipartisan show of support underscored the gravity of the situation and the shared belief in the sanctity of democratic processes. Democratic Party leaders, in particular, were swift and unequivocal in denouncing the heinous act, recognizing the broader implications for the nation’s stability and unity. The FBI has identified the now-deceased shooter as Thomas Matthew Crooks, a 20-year-old from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania. The motive behind his dreadful actions remains a mystery.Many pressing questions remain unanswered. What led Crooks to carry out this despicable act? Was he associated with any extremist organizations? Furthermore, why did the Secret Service fail to secure the event effectively? Attendees had raised alarms, so why did agents not take preventive measures instead of merely responding when the shots were fired? These questions point to critical concerns about security measures and the lapses that enabled this shocking event to occur.
At the end of this horrific day, we are left with the grim reality: one male Trump supporter has lost his life and two others remain critically injured. This chilling incident underscored a terrifying truth — a mere inch was all that stood between the nation and the brink of a possible civil war.
In a republic that stands as a beacon for the free world, change must be pursued through ballots, not bullets.
• Dalia Al-Aqidi is executive director at the American Center for Counter Extremism.