Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on July 21-22/2024
Hezbollah fires rockets and drones at northern Israel
South Lebanon: Two Fighters Killed in Hula
Israeli attack on Lebanese Army outpost injures two soldiers
Israeli military confirms targeting Hezbollah ammunition depots in southern Lebanon
Hezbollah rocket strikes school in northern kibbutz, IAF strikes terror targets
IDF should target civilian infrastructure in Lebanon to pressure Nasrallah, MidEast expert says
Hezbollah says Israel's Yemen strikes herald 'new, dangerous phase'
Al-Sudani meets Mikati: Iraq's positions on Lebanon stem from commitment and brotherhood that unite the two peoples
Rai: Lebanon, a Land of Holiness, Not Wars
Patriarch Estephanos Doueihi (1/2)/Amine Jules Iskandar/This Is Beirut/July 21/2024
Lebanese photojournalist, wounded in Israeli strike, carries Olympic torch to honor journalists
Jumblatt after his meeting with Berri: No matter how dark the clouds, we will not lose hope
Geagea says resistance axis delaying presidential elections awaiting course of regional events
Mikati meets with Iraqi President, hails ties linking both brotherly countries
“Christians want federalism”/Rabei Al-Ali/July 21, 2024
Full Transcript: Trump's Coordinator of Arab Relations Discusses Plan to Win Arab

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on July 21-22/2024
Kamala Harris vows to 'earn and win' nomination
5,000 UAVs could be fired at central Israel, and the IAF is not remotely prepared
Israel's latest airstrikes in Gaza kill at least 15 including children
Israel shoots down a missile fired from Yemen hours after a deadly Israeli strike on Houthi rebels
Israeli military to offer polio vaccination to soldiers in Gaza
Details emerge: What to know about the Israeli attack on Yemen's Hodeida
Israel's Netanyahu walks political tightrope on Washington trip following Biden's exit from race
Defiant Netanyahu to face US Congress amid Gaza tensions
Houthi leader vows to attack Israel cities in retaliation for Hodeidah airstrikes
Sudan, Iran trade ambassadors after eight-year rupture
Europe turns to conscription as threat of wider war with Russia grows

Titles For The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources on July 21-22/2024
Operation 'Outstretched Arm' demonstrates Israel's F-35's stealth striking capabilities/Udi Etzion/Jerusalem Post/July 21/2024
Iran has something to fear: Israeli strike on Yemen shows IAF can reach Tehran - analysis/Amir Bohbot/Jerusalem Post/July 21/2024
The Secret Service Must Be Revamped/Alan M. Dershowitz/Gatestone Institute./July 21, 2024
Dismantling Hamas from within': IDF uncovers trove of Hamas secrets/Amir Bohbot/Jerusalem Post/July 21/2024
European Union Is Funding Iranian Aggression/Majid Rafizadeh/Gatestone Institute/July 20, 2024
How Iran’s leaders view US presidential election/Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Arab News/July 21, 2024
A Shift… Or ‘Kill and There Will Be Peace’/Tariq Al-Homayed/Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper/July 21/2024

Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on July 21-22/2024
Hezbollah fires rockets and drones at northern Israel
Agence France Presse/July 21/2024
Hezbollah said it fired Katyusha rockets and drones at Israel on Sunday after strikes which the Israeli army said targeted Hezbollah weapons storage facilities. Hezbollah has traded near-daily cross-border fire with Israeli forces in support of Hamas since the Palestinian group's October 7 attack on southern Israel triggered war in the Gaza Strip. Six people were wounded in the overnight Israeli strike, according to the official Lebanese National News Agency. In retaliation, Hezbollah said in separate statements that on Sunday it targeted two Israeli military positions in northern Israel with Katyusha rockets and drones. An earlier statement by the group had said its fighters also struck the Dafna area with Katyusha rockets "in response to the Israeli enemy's attacks that targeted civilians in the town of Adloun, injuring several of them."Israel's military had said its air force "struck two Hezbollah weapons storage facilities in southern Lebanon, containing rockets and additional weaponry" overnight Saturday to Sunday. Hezbollah on Sunday also said that three of its fighters had been killed in southern Lebanon. The Lebanese Army also reported that two of its soldiers were wounded "moderately" on Sunday when Israeli fire hit a watchtower in the south of the country. The violence since October has killed at least 518 people in Lebanon, according to an AFP tally. Most of the dead have been fighters, but they have included at least 104 civilians. On the Israeli side, 18 soldiers and 13 civilians have been killed, according to Israeli authorities.

South Lebanon: Two Fighters Killed in Hula
This Is Beirut/July 21/2024
Late Sunday morning, the precarious calm that had prevailed in the south was shattered by an Israeli strike against a house in the locality of Hula. This air raid resulted in the death of two Hezbollah fighters, according to information obtained by This is Beirut. The attack was preceded by artillery fire targeting the locality and its outskirts, which also caused a fire in the targeted area. Ambulances were dispatched to the scene. A shell from a Merkava tank targeted a Lebanese Army position on the outskirts of the town of Alma al-Shaab, resulting in light injuries to two soldiers. On Sunday afternoon, an Israeli drone carried out a strike using a guided missile, targeting open ground in the al-Mahafer area in the locality of Aitaroun. Fire crews worked to bring the blaze under control. Artillery fire also targeted the village of Maroun al-Ras. Earlier, on the Israeli side, alarm sirens were heard in Avivim and Baram and in towns in the Upper Galilee after rocket fire from Lebanon was detected.
Hezbollah ammunition and weapons warehouse targeted in Adloun
Saturday night, violence had escalated on the southern front, where an Israeli raid 30 kilometers from the border with Israel targeted, according to various sources, an ammunition depot belonging to Hezbollah in the Abu al-Assouad area of Adloun. This provoked fires and explosions that lasted for several hours during the night of Saturday to Sunday, while missiles and shrapnel flew, causing material damage in neighboring villages, notably in al-Loubia, Tabliya and al-Kharayeb. Two houses were directly damaged and rocket fragments fell at the eastern entrance to Ansariya. Preliminary reports suggested that two strikes were carried out on what is believed to be a house in one of the area’s coastal orchards. According to the latest reports, the Adloun raid left 6 people injured. Fire trucks and ambulances were immediately dispatched to the target area, and the six wounded were transferred to the hospital. Simultaneously, the Lebanese Army closed the Sidon-Tyre freeway to traffic in both directions, diverting traffic to secondary roads. The highway was not reopened until Sunday morning. On Sunday morning, Israeli army spokesman Avichay Adraee confirmed the attack on his X account, saying, “Last night, warplanes attacked two weapons depots in the South Lebanon region, containing rocket projectiles and other weapons.”Another raid was also carried out on the outskirts of al-Chahabiya. And yet another Israeli air strike targeted the al-Kasarah region, between al-Majadel and al-Chahabiya, but caused no casualties.
Hezbollah retaliation
For its part, Hezbollah issued a series of statements in which it announced on Sunday that “in retaliation” for the night strike against the locality of Adloun “which targeted civilians and wounded a number of them,” the party had targeted the Dafna settlement and the Sammaka and Ramtha positions in the Kfarchouba hills. In turn, Hezbollah issued a statement following the Israeli raid on the Houthi-controlled Yemeni port of Hodeida, which left 6 dead and 87 wounded. The strike came on the heels of a deadly drone attack orchestrated by the group on Tel Aviv. Hezbollah stressed that this “marks the beginning of a new phase of confrontation whose dangerousness is of the utmost importance for the entire region.”The party also announced the death of three of its fighters, Mustafa Hassan Fawaz, Yassin Hussein and Ahmad Ali Moussa.

Israeli attack on Lebanese Army outpost injures two soldiers
LBCI/July 21/2024
The Lebanese Army's Guidance Directorate confirmed on Sunday that an Israeli attack targeted a military watchtower on the outskirts of the town of Alma al-Shaab, saying that "it is part of the repeated aggressions against Lebanon by the Israeli enemy."
In an official statement, the Directorate reported that two soldiers sustained moderate injuries and were transported to a hospital for treatment.

Israeli military confirms targeting Hezbollah ammunition depots in southern Lebanon
LBCI/July 21/2024
The Israeli military confirmed it conducted airstrikes at midnight between Saturday and Sunday, targeting Hezbollah ammunition depots in southern Lebanon. This confirmation follows reports from Lebanese official media about an Israeli airstrike hitting an ammunition depot in the region. In a statement, the Israeli army said, "During the past night, warplanes struck two weapons depots in the southern Lebanon area, containing rockets and other means."

Hezbollah rocket strikes school in northern kibbutz, IAF strikes terror targets
Jerusalem Post/July 21/2024
Other buildings were hit in the kibbutz while in Kfar Szold a hit was detected in an agricultural area. No injuries were reported in all incidents, the council said. A projectile that crossed into Israeli territory hit a school in Kibbutz Dafna in northern Israel, the Upper Galilee Regional Council said on Sunday, adding that damage was reported to the building. Other buildings were hit in the kibbutz, while in Kfar Szold, a hit was detected in an agricultural area. No injuries were reported in all incidents, the council said. Earlier, the military stated that the Israel Air Force struck two Hezbollah weapons storage facilities in southern Lebanon. In the facilities were rockets and other ordnance.
Direct hit in Kibbutz Dafna
Later, the military said troops had detected earlier a Hezbollah terror cell operating in the Houla area in southern Lebanon. An Israel Air Force aircraft subsequently struck the terrorists. In parallel, on Sunday, multiple rocket alerts sounded in northern Israel.

IDF should target civilian infrastructure in Lebanon to pressure Nasrallah, MidEast expert says
Jerusalem Post/July 21/2024
Professor Uzi Rabi discussed Hezbollah's psychological warfare, Israel’s response strategy, and the impact of limitations on Israeli actions. Professor Uzi Rabi, Director of the Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern Studies at Tel Aviv University spoke recently on 103FM radio to discuss Hezbollah's Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah's recent statements. "This is psychological warfare... Iran, and certainly Hezbollah, could be praised because they made significant achievements according to their goals. Let's remind ourselves that from Nasrallah's and Iran's points of view, their achievements are effective in terms of IDF exhaustion and displaced Israelis. These are measures that touch the Zionist spirit."
Rabi continued, "Iran and Hezbollah retreating North is out of the question because doing so would nullify their achievements. The question is, what does Israel do now? We must respond to Hezbollah in some way. Hezbollah calls itself the 'defender of Lebanon,' so Israel will have to [make it clear that the opposite is true]. Our response must effectively impact civilian infrastructure. We will reunite Nasrallah with the citizens of Lebanon." Behind Israel's response to Hezbollah's attacks. "Sinwar is not interested in the suffering experienced by the people of Gaza. Nasrallah will have a very big problem if Lebanese civilian issues are piled up in front of him. In my opinion, the real problem that binds Israel's hands is the United States, a great friend that supplies armaments, but they also have their own motives. Therefore, Israel has to abide by numerous limitations. "Nasrallah understands that he has brought Israel to a place where the public doubts the government in a meaningful way. Israel will not be able to allow the people of the North to return home until they reach strict security structures in the area." Rabi concluded, "Israel is at a crossroads, and it has a difficult problem, but I would expect its leaders to think outside the box. When 200 missiles were fired at us, the IDF should have retaliated with a brutal blow to the infrastructure in Lebanon."

Hezbollah says Israel's Yemen strikes herald 'new, dangerous phase'
Agence France Presse/July 21/2024
Hezbollah said Saturday's strikes by Israel on its Yemeni allies, the Houthi rebels, marked a dangerous turn nine months into the Gaza war. "The foolish step taken by the Zionist enemy heralds a new, dangerous phase of a very important confrontation across the entire region," the Iran-backed group said in a statement.

Al-Sudani meets Mikati: Iraq's positions on Lebanon stem from commitment and brotherhood that unite the two peoples
LBCI/July 21/2024
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' Al-Sudani affirmed that Iraq's positions on Lebanon stem from the commitment and brotherhood that unite the two fraternal peoples, as well as from Iraq's responsible regional and international role regarding developments in the region. He emphasized the need to stop the aggression against Lebanon and Palestine and to exert efforts to prevent the conflict from expanding regionally and causing more innocent victims and martyrs. Al-Sudani received Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati and his accompanying delegation, who arrived in Baghdad at the beginning of an official visit.
The official reception ceremony took place at the government palace, featuring an honor guard review and the playing of the Lebanese and Iraqi national anthems. Al-Sudani and Mikati held a bilateral meeting to discuss the relations between the two countries and ways to develop them, including enhancing economic partnership and the bilateral agreement on supplying Iraqi oil to Lebanon. They also discussed the regional situation and the latest political and security developments. Additionally, they emphasized the ongoing efforts of government agencies in both countries to resolve the issue of delays in the equivalency of degrees for Iraqi students, which stemmed from periods of health and economic crises that hindered the functioning of public administrations in Lebanon. Mikati expressed his appreciation for Al-Sudani's efforts and the steps taken by the Iraqi government to support economic relations with Lebanon, reiterating his invitation for his Iraqi counterpart to visit Lebanon.  He also valued the Iraqi efforts in supporting regional and international rapprochement and stability. He affirmed the continued implementation of economic and trade exchange agreements, the enhancement of partnerships between the public and private sectors in both countries and the exploration of potential projects, including the establishment of Iraqi industrial cities in Lebanon and diversifying areas of mutual investment opportunities. Mikati also affirmed his government's efforts to enhance cooperation and security coordination with Iraq in combating terrorism and pursuing drug trafficking. He emphasized the importance of completing bilateral preparations for the convening of the Joint Economic Committee between the two countries at the end of next September.

Rai: Lebanon, a Land of Holiness, Not Wars
This Is Beirut/July 21/2024
Maronite Patriarch Bechara Rai asserted, “Lebanon is a land of holiness, unity, and fraternity among its citizens, not a land of wars, conflicts, killings, destruction, and displacement.” The patriarch urged the Lebanese to strive to protect and preserve this land of holiness and prayer. In his weekly homily, delivered on Sunday in Annaya, following the celebration of Saint Charbel’s feast day, he called on the Lebanese to be inspired by the virtues that Saint Charbel embodied throughout his life, emphasizing the need for humility in their actions. He also stated that “Lebanon cannot continue without a President of the Republic. All concerned must set aside their personal interests, entrenched opinions, and rigid stances, and unite to elect a president, showing mercy to the nation, its people, and its constitutional institutions.”Furthermore, the patriarch expressed his wish for Lebanon to be delivered from the war raging on its southern front, praying for a just and comprehensive peace in Lebanon and Gaza. Patriarch Rai concluded his homily by hoping that the spirit of Saint Charbel would impact the attitudes and wills of the Lebanese, guiding them to unite for the good of Lebanon, from which the well-being of each and every citizen would emanate.

Patriarch Estephanos Doueihi (1/2)
Amine Jules Iskandar/This Is Beirut/July 21/2024 
Estephanos Doueihi, the fifty-seventh Maronite patriarch to hold the seat of Antioch since its founder Saint John Maron, was a distinguished epigraphist, archaeologist, musicologist, and philologist. As a reformer of the Church and guardian of its heritage in the 17th century, he earned the title of Father of History and Preeminent Patriarch, alongside the holy founder of the 7th century. A thousand years after Saint John Maron, a distinguished patriarch will reaffirm the concept of Lebanon by consolidating in historical writing what the first patriarch had established in the national territory. While one left Antioch for Mount Lebanon, where he was laid to rest in Kphar-Haï in 707, the other left Rome for this sacred mountain and was buried in 1704 at Saint Marina of Qannoubin. Estephanos Doueihi was the 57th Maronite patriarch to occupy the seat of Antioch since its founder Saint John Maron. He was born in Ehden on August 2, 1630, on the feast day of Saint Stephen’s, and hence bears his name in the Syriac form. His father, Mikhael, passed away three years later, and his mother, Mariam, enrolled him in the village school to learn Syriac, as he recounted in his autobiography. Later on, at the age of eleven, Patriarch Georges Amira picked him to travel to Rome, where he stayed from 1641 to 1655.
From College to Patriarchate
In Rome, where he was known as the great Edenensis, he refused tempting offers that had enticed his fellow Maronite scholars like Ecchellensis, Sciadresis, Hesronita, Sionita, the Assemanis, and numerous others. Many offers, such as university chairs and positions as curators of the largest Western libraries, were highly prestigious and lucrative. Instead, Estephan Doueihi insisted on returning to Mount Lebanon, feeling entrusted with a mission appointed by divine Providence. Before setting sail, he deepened his research in European libraries, and transcribed documents related to the Maronites, the Levant, and Mesopotamia. Upon his return to Mount Lebanon, Patriarch John of Saphra ordained him a priest on March 25, 1656. On July 8, 1668, George of Bsebeel consecrated him as the Maronite Bishop of Cyprus, and on May 5, 1670, he was elected patriarch of Antioch. Henceforth, he became known in the West as Stephanus Petrus Edenensis Patriarcha Antiochenus Maronitarium (Patriarch of Antioch of the Maronites.). Few patriarchs have been as fiercely contested as Estephanos Doueihi. He fled the tyranny of the Turks and their vassals, the Hamadehs, in northern Lebanon, seeking refuge in Kesrouan, where he encountered resistance from his own people, within the clergy and feudal system, including a powerful member of the Khazen family. Some bishops opposed all of his reform proposals and contested his election, delaying the pallium from Rome until 1673. This situation led him to leave the increasingly hostile region of Kesrouan and relocate further south to Majdel-Meouch. There, he sought refuge among the Maanid princes, and at times was revered as a saint by the Druze community. He extensively spoke of the customs of the Druze and the welcome they gave to Christians. He wrote: “In the land of Prince Fakhreddine, the Christians’ stood prouder. They started riding saddled horses, donning headscarves… carrying rifles. During Estephanos Doueihi’s tenure, churches were built in Bickfaya, Arbenié, Bchéelé, Kphar-Zayna, and Kphar-Helta. Missionaries came from the West and settled among us.”
A Multilingual Patriarch
Doueihi who was trilingual, wrote flawless Syriac and Italian, and adequate Arabic, despite some syntactical errors revealing his thought process in the first two languages. Furthermore, he wrote –to a lesser extent– in Latin and was well-versed in Greek and French. However, when addressing the French consuls in Aleppo, François Picquet and François Baron, he chose to speak in Italian. Estephanos Doueihi was also a language teacher. He taught Syriac in Geïta, and Syriac, Arabic, and Italian in Aleppo. At Mar-Shalita (Saint Artemius) in Gosta, he drafted letters in French to highlight the need for Western protection.
Between 1653 and 1658, and again during his second mission from 1662 to 1668, in Aleppo, where the Maronite community was Arabic-speaking, he preached and wrote in Arabic. He refined his Arabic skills and used garshouné (Arabic written in Syriac script) to pen several of his works, including historical texts.
Arabic in a Foreign Language
Despite using Arabic in the garshouné form, he incorporated liturgical texts in Syriac without providing translations, as he valued the sacredness, richness, and virtues of Syriac. However, this scholar was also wary of the challenges of translation and the distortions it might bring about.
Estephanos Doueihi’s Arabic often came across as a foreign language. This is precisely reflected in the term garshouné, meaning “foreigner”, and it was used to describe Arabic language. Doueihi’s texts were deeply infused with Syriac expressions adapted into Arabic, typical of the Lebanese dialect. He occasionally made grammatical errors and rarely used the distinctive dual form of the Arabic language. Guided by the influence of Aleppo and, more importantly, by the support of the Vatican, he contributed to the use of the Arabic language in his Church. He initially saw an opportunity for openness and universality but soon recognized the risk of cultural assimilation for his people. He then issued a warning sign by composing rhyming verses in garshouné: “Al syriani serr li, al ‘arabi ‘ar bi” (Syriac is a mystery within me, Arabic is a disgrace to me). This implied that openness to another culture should not come at the expense of one’s ancestral and identity-defining language, the very one he referred to as “la nostra lingua siriaca” (our Syriac language). In the “Candelabra of the Holy Mysteries” from manuscript 111 of Kreim, on page 146, Estephan Doueihi states that the Maronite Mass must be conducted in Syriac, with a specific focus on the words of the Eucharistic consecration.
‘The Candelabra of the Holy Mysteries’
The writings of this eminent patriarch highlights his vast knowledge and versatility. His most important contribution to Maronite heritage is The Candelabra of the Holy Mysteries, a comprehensive liturgical and theological work with an encyclopedic scope. It summarizes Maronite identity in all its aspects: artistic, iconographic, architectural, musical, liturgical, theological, and literary. To write the history and preserve the heritage of his people, he referred to sources gathered from European libraries, the writings of Bishop Gabriel Barcleius, and his own research across the villages and monasteries of Lebanon, where he discovered manuscripts rich with information both in the text and in the margins. Among these, he specifically mentions the book of Hasho from Maad, those from Bcheeleh and Hadshit, and a Shhimto from Mar-Aboun of Hegoula. Estephanos Doueihi was an epigraphist, archaeologist, musicologist, and philologist. As a reformer of the Church and guardian of its heritage, he earned the title of Father of History and Preeminent Patriarch, alongside the holy founder Saint John Maron.

Lebanese photojournalist, wounded in Israeli strike, carries Olympic torch to honor journalists
AFP/July 21, 2024
VINCENNES, France: A Lebanese photojournalist who was severely wounded during an Israeli strike on south Lebanon carried Sunday the Olympic torch in Paris to honor journalists wounded and killed in the field. The torch relay, which started in May, is part of celebrations in which about 10,000 people from various walks of life were chosen to carry the flame across France before the Games opening ceremony on July 26. Christina Assi, of Agence France-Presse, was among six journalists struck by Israeli shelling on Oct. 13 2023 while reporting on fire exchange along the border between Israeli troops and members of Lebanon’s militant Hezbollah group. The attack killed Reuters videographer Issam Abdallah. Assi was severely wounded and had part of her right leg amputated. AFP videographer Dylan Collins, also wounded in the Israeli attack, pushed Assi’s wheelchair as she carried the torch across the suburb of Vincennes Sunday. Their colleagues from the press agency and hundreds of spectators cheered them on. “I wish Issam was here to see this. And I wish what happened today was not because we were struck by two rockets,” Assi told The Associated Press, struggling to hold back her tears. “I wish I could have honored journalists this way while walking and in my best health.”AFP, Reuters and Al Jazeera accused Israel of targeting their journalists who maintained they were positioned far from where the clashes with vehicles clearly marked as press, while international human rights organizations, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, said the attack was a deliberate attack on civilians and should be investigated as a war crime.“This is a chance to continue talking about justice, and the targeted attack on Oct. 13 that needs to be investigated as a war crime,” said Collins. The Israeli military at the time said that the incident was under review, maintaining that it didn’t target journalists. While holding the torch, Assi said participating in the relay “is to send a message that journalists should be protected and be able to work without fearing that they could die at any moment.”
In late November 2023, Rabih Al-Maamari and Farah Omar of the pan-Arab television network Al-Mayadeen were also killed in an apparent Israeli drone strike in southern Lebanon while covering the conflict.
Assi doesn’t believe there will be retribution for the events of that fateful October day but hopes her participation in the Olympic torch relay can bring attention to the importance of protecting journalists. “For me, justice comes the day I can stand up again, hold my camera, and get back to work,” she said. The watchdog group Committee to Protect Journalists, in a preliminary count, said at least 108 journalists have been killed since the start of the Israel-Hamas war on Oct. 7, the majority in the Gaza Strip. The war was triggered by the Palestinian militant group Hamas’ sudden attack on southern Israel, killing some 1,200 people and abducting 250 others. Israel says Hamas is still holding about 120 hostages — about a third of them thought to be dead. Israel retaliated with an offensive that has killed more than 38,000 people in Gaza, according to the territory’s Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between combatants and civilians. Hezbollah militants have traded near-daily strikes with the Israeli military along their border over the past nine months.

Jumblatt after his meeting with Berri: No matter how dark the clouds, we will not lose hope
NNA/July 21, 2024
Speaker of the House, Nabih Berri, received this evening at Ain al-Tineh Palace former MP Walid Jumblatt, with talks touching on the general situation, political developments related to the presidential dossier and Israel’s continued aggression against south Lebanon and the Gaza Strip.Following the meeting, Jumblatt said: “No matter how huge the problems and no matter how dark the clouds are sometimes, we will not lose hope in continuing with any endeavor or effort to stop the war in the south and achieve the presidential entitlement.”He added: "These are the endeavors that Speaker Berri is undertaking, and for my part and in my own way I am doing some of them...This is the direction and there is nothing else at the moment."

Geagea says resistance axis delaying presidential elections awaiting course of regional events
NNA/July 21, 2024
Lebanese Forces Party Chief, Samir Geagea, believed that “Lebanon’s glory was achieved by the patriarch and his predecessors, and was not given to them by anyone.”On the presential dossier, he stressed that “the axis of resistance, out of preconception and determination, is disrupting the presidential elections for two reasons: the first is its inability to secure a majority for its candidate, and the second is waiting for the course of events in the region to know how to act internally, given that Lebanon is ranked 17th on their list of priorities...""Everything that happens in the region is of most importance to them, and Lebanon comes after that," he said. Geagea continued to point out: "Our goal is not the victory of one party over another, but rather the victory of right...Therefore, we do not accept in any way that our rights be taken away or wasted, and we reject any party seizing the rights of others."
He added: “We do not want to gain victory over anyone, but at the same time we will not accept that any party uses an illegal weapon in its possession, believing that with this weapon it can overwhelm us or force us to take positions we do not want to take. No, these days are over....with no return!"Geagea’s words came during the dinner banquet held yesterday by the head of the Union of Municipalities of the Bsharri District, Elie Makhlouf, at his Bekaa Kafra home in honor of Maronite Patriarch, Cardinal Bechara Boutros al-Rahi, on the occasion of Saint Charbel’s Day, in the presence of MP Strida Geagea, former MP Joseph Ishak, and senior officials and dignitaries from the region.

Mikati meets with Iraqi President, hails ties linking both brotherly countries
NNA/July 21, 2024
President of the Iraqi Republic, Abdul Latif Jamal Rashid, received this afternoon Prime Minister Najib Mikati at Baghdad Palace, in the presence of the Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Oil, Hayan Abdul Ghani, and the Lebanese ministerial delegation accompanying PM Mikati. Discussions during the meeting touched on Arab and international developments and ways to strengthen friendly relations and joint cooperation in the interest of the two brotherly peoples. The Iraqi President considered that "today the world is witnessing rapid changes and events that require finding a formula of cooperation and common understanding between all countries of the region to confront these challenges." He touched on "the security stability and the process of construction and reconstruction that Iraq is witnessing," explaining that "the principled constants push towards strengthening its relations with brotherly and friendly countries," adding that the past period has witnessed many positive developments in this field. In turn, PM Mikati appreciated "the position of the Iraqi President during the recent summit in Bahrain in support of Lebanon," explaining that "what links the two brotherly countries is more than what links Lebanon to any other country." He added that his visit to Iraq "comes within the framework of strengthening those relations and expanding the horizons of joint cooperation." Mikati extended an official invitation to the Iraqi President to visit Lebanon.

“Christians want federalism”
Rabei Al-Ali/July 21, 2024 
You look stupid and tell you that Christians want federalism.
It's the least, you idiot, to demand federalism.
Because I replace them by demanding complete separation.
From the age of 43 to this day, we have been playing the role of the victim and in reality we are the executioners...
1- We forced the Palestinians and ruled them in the country, and we gained power over the Lebanese like us.
The group did not demand, for a moment, anything but Lebanon.
2- We were strengthened by Abdel Nasser and now we want unity and we want to abolish the state.
We saw nothing from them except bias toward the state and Lebanon.
2- We returned and brought the Syrians back, and we also gained strength from them, abused them, imprisoned them, and exiled them.
The group never once demanded anything but Lebanon.
3- We cooperated with the Syrian to the utmost, and we benefited from his presence, and he struck us with his sword, and we came back and became against him, and the group embraced us in their embrace and forgot all of our history as long as we returned to Lebanon.
4- We brought the Iranians in the name of religion, and we also ruled the country, and we made them make religious choices that were against their thinking.
We also only saw them talking about the state and Lebanon.
5- We will open a war front for them and destroy the country when it suits Iran.
They are prohibited from objecting or discussing.
6- We brought in ISIS and Al-Nusra and embraced them to create a Sunni-Shiite balance, while they were watching the conflicts of our hatred that were 1,400 years old.
7- We installed loudspeakers for them in half of their areas, and we began to want them to hear the Friday sermon and the morning call to prayer at 4 a.m. forcefully and at the loudest volume while they were sitting in their homes.
8- We went and sat with Al-Shaghouri and sold them and the presidency for the price he paid, and we came back and accused them of treason and treachery, and we took the role of the victim and the oppressed.
We actually sold and received the price, but the party was behind Aoun in this position.
9- We want to accuse them of treason, treachery, and treachery, and we have not abandoned treason, treachery, and treachery, nor have we done them, except from the mercy of my Lord.
10- We want to call them infidels, we want to hit their belief to the core, and we want to call them their Lord, according to our taste and as we want.
(For example, my name is Rabie, and a designer comes up to me and calls me Badie, and I am supposed to shut up and thank him.)
11- The last thing we can do is play football in Jounieh. We don’t have to grudge and hate the 1,400-year-old stadium that the group has arranged and arranged.
My brother, the best of them is simply the group that accepts to live with us.
The problem is with us and within us, because in our lives we do not consider the country our country, we consider it a farm and we are eating it.

Full Transcript: Trump's Coordinator of Arab Relations Discusses Plan to Win Arab
LBCI/July 21/2024
LBCI interviewed Dr. Massad Boulos, the coordinator of Arab relations for Former US President Trump's campaign.
In the interview, Boulos discussed the Republican strategy to appeal to Arab voters, Trump's approach to Middle East peace, and how the campaign is addressing perceptions of racism against the former president.
Read the full transcript below.
Q1: LBCI’s Bassam Abou Zeid:
It is known that the Republican Party has devised a strategy to convince Arab voters to vote for Trump. However, most Arab voters support the Palestinian cause and oppose Israel, while President Trump supports Israel, as evidenced at the Republican Convention. How will you convince these voters?
A1: Dr. Massad Boulos:
There’s no doubt, as you mentioned, that the number of Muslims, not just Arab voters, in the United States is about 4.5 million, with nearly half being Arab. Our campaign is focused on the Arab and Muslim vote in the swing states. There are about six swing states, and the number might increase as President Trump has aggressively targeted new states, including Virginia, New Hampshire, and New Mexico.
Regarding convincing Arab and Muslim voters, the tragic situation in Gaza is, of course, a top priority for Arab and Muslim voters today. Firstly, it's unrealistic to expect any American president or presidential candidate to have no ties or priorities towards Israel. The United States has historically been an ally of Israel, and no current or future president can oppose Israel. However, there is a significant difference in how presidents handle these issues. President Trump, during his four years in office, was the only president in modern U.S. history who did not start any wars; he ended wars and withdrew American troops, especially from the Middle East and other regions like Afghanistan. In contrast, with President Biden, we saw the Ukraine-Russia war and the Gaza conflict, which he has been unable to cease. On May 31st, during the current conflict, Israeli forces entered Rafah, and President Biden has yet to achieve a ceasefire.
Q2: LBCI’s Bassam Abou Zeid:
So, you believe President Trump is capable of achieving peace, while Biden is not?
A2:Dr. Massad Boulos:
Exactly. President Trump believes that the Gaza war shouldn't have happened in the first place. If he were in office, this war, nor the Ukraine-Russia war, would have occurred. Starting November 6th, the day after the election, he will strive to end the Gaza conflict immediately. He is a man of peace and has shown this during his four years, achieving four peace agreements in the Middle East, a feat not seen since Camp David. These included four significant Arab countries, and a fifth, Saudi Arabia, was close to an agreement just weeks before the end of his term. His administration’s primary focus was on the two-state solution, which is crucial for Arab and Muslim American voters, and President Trump has already taken steps in this direction.
Q3: LBCI’s Bassam Abou Zeid:
What about economic policies for these Arab voters?
A3 :Dr. Massad Boulos:
Undoubtedly, these voters are American citizens, so domestic issues are also very important to them. The natural alignment for Arab and Muslim voters in the U.S. is with the Republican Party, not just economically but also socially. The Democratic Party, in recent years, has been moving towards extreme leftist values, especially those concerning social and family values, which are crucial for Arab and Muslim communities. We are seeing a migration from the Democratic Party to the Republican Party, regardless of who the Republican candidate is, with President Trump being a significant figure in this shift. Besides economic matters, illegal immigration at the Mexican border is also a critical issue for these voters.
Q4: LBCI’s Bassam Abou Zeid:
Some Arabs and Muslims view President Trump as racist. How do you plan to change this perception?
A4 :Dr. Massad Boulos:
The left-leaning media in the United States, which is most of the media, has waged a smear campaign against President Trump since 2015, lasting nearly nine or ten years. Those who know President Trump and have seen his actions during and after his presidency understand that he is very open-minded, especially towards Arabs and Muslims. He has strong relationships and friendships with many Arabs and Muslims, both in the U.S. and the Gulf region. His family has investments in the Gulf, and he maintains constant communication with many Arabs and Muslims.
Even regarding Palestine, he has often stated that he has a friendship and mutual respect with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. Just yesterday, President Abbas received a letter from President Trump expressing his well-wishes following an assassination attempt that occurred a week ago. I delivered this message to him, and he responded very positively, showing great optimism for the future and indicating that everything will be fine. In summary, the message reached President Abbas.
Q5 LBCI’s Bassam Abou Zeid:
Finally, if President Trump returns to the White House, how will he handle Iran, particularly the nuclear issue?
A5:Dr. Massad Boulos
President Trump stated at the Republican Convention that in the last months of his term in 2020, Iran was ready to negotiate, with intermediaries from Oman and Qatar working on the matter. He believes in negotiations and peaceful solutions to all problems, with his doctrine of “peace through strength.” He shows his willingness to use force if necessary but hopes never to do so, aiming for peaceful and amicable solutions that unite rather than divide.

Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on July 21-22/2024
Kamala Harris vows to 'earn and win' nomination
Yahoo News Staff/July 21, 2024
The president announced his decision in an open letter shared to social media Sunday. President Biden announced Sunday that he was pulling out of the 2024 race following a weeks-long pressure campaign from fellow Democrats that began in earnest following his much-criticized debate performance in late June. “I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down," Biden said in a statement posted to X. He added that he plans to address the nation later this week, but made clear that he intends to finish out the last three months of his term in office. In a separate post following the announcement, Biden wrote that he is endorsing his vice president, Kamala Harris, to be the Democratic nominee for president. "Democrats — it’s time to come together and beat Trump," he wrote. "Let’s do this."Biden’s exit from the presidential race comes less than a month before the Democrats are scheduled to hold their nominating convention in Chicago starting on Aug. 19. It also raises questions about who will replace him at the top of the ticket, how that person will be picked and whether that person has a better shot at defeating former President Donald Trump than the 81-year-old current president.
Kamala Harris: 'My intention is to earn and win this nomination'
Vice President Kamala Harris acknowledged President Joe Biden’s “extraordinary leadership” in a new statement. Calling his choice to step down from the presidential race a “selfless and patriotic act,” Harris also sent a clear message to voters following her presidential endorsement from Biden and other Democratic leaders. “I am honored to have the President’s endorsement and my intention is to earn and win this nomination,” she added. “Over the past year, I have traveled across the country, talking with Americans about the clear choice in this momentous election. And that is what I will continue to do in the days and weeks ahead. I will do everything in my power to unite the Democratic party — and unite our nation — to defeat Donald Trump and his extreme Project 2025 agenda.” She concluded, “We have 107 days until Election Day. Together, we will fight. And together, we will win.”

5,000 UAVs could be fired at central Israel, and the IAF is not remotely prepared - analysis
Amir Bohbot/Jerusalem Post/July 21/2024
As Israel approaches the end of an intense year that has compromised the IDF's ability to engage in a large-scale, multi-arena war of higher intensity.
The Israel Air Force (IAF) failed once again on Thursday night to protect the State of Israel. According to the IDF, this failure was due to human error. The findings indicate that while the UAV was detected, it was not classified as a threat, no alarm was raised and no attempt was made to intercept it. The IAF's response to Thursday's incident raises considerable doubts about the UAV’s size and launch location. This is a serious event in many respects. However, what the public may not fully understand is that the axis of evil is waging a war of attrition against the State of Israel. This axis, led by Iran, includes Shia militias in Iraq and Syria, the Houthis in Yemen, and Hezbollah in Lebanon. They aim to erode the power of the IDF through drone attacks and missile barrages. Any damage to the Israeli home front is considered a victory for them. It is important to recognize the looming threat of a major war. Experts estimate it could involve around 5,000 UAVs and missiles of various types targeting the Gush Dan region from different regions in the Middle East. Realistic assessments of Israel's capabilities
For more than nine months, the IDF, and particularly the IAF, have been on high alert. We are approaching the end of an intense year that has compromised the IDF's ability to engage in a large-scale, multi-arena war of higher intensity.
There are significant gaps between the threats and the solutions. A simple question reveals this: For what threats has the IAF been built for in the last decade? The Russia-Ukraine war offers many insights and lessons that must be implemented quickly. Not all solutions come from procurement and new weapons developments. For example, in the past, Major General Tal Russo opposed the fence on the Egyptian border, saying, "Every shekel I have, I prefer to invest in offense rather than defense." The next threat is already here: UAV drones of various types. The emerging threat of drone swarms, capable of mass attacks on large areas, poses a huge challenge to modern Western armies. So far, I have not heard that the IDF's multi-year plan, which has been delayed for a long time, places sufficient emphasis on these threats. The IDF of 2024 will struggle to break old concepts and build new strategies. It is crucial to develop strength to face future threats and to move past outdated ones.  This is one reason why I believe the war in the Gaza Strip should continue until the power of Hamas is eroded. The fighting should create a new security reality, focused on returning the hostages and preventing the need to divide our forces across multiple fronts. Concentrating our efforts in one area will allow us to strike more powerfully.

Israel's latest airstrikes in Gaza kill at least 15 including children
Wafaa Shurafa/DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP)/July 21, 2024
Israeli airstrikes killed at least 15 people including women and children overnight in Gaza, according to hospital officials and a body count by an Associated Press journalist on Sunday. The latest strikes occurred as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu prepared to leave Monday for the United States, where he is expected to meet with President Joe Biden and address Congress to make his case for the nine-month war against Hamas while cease-fire negotiations continue. The already precarious humanitarian conditions inside besieged Gaza have worsened with the discovery of the polio virus as water and sanitation services have suffered for the territory’s population of 2.3 million, most of it displaced. Traces of the virus were found in sewage samples in Gaza. The World Health Organization has said no one has been treated for symptoms caused by infection. Israel’s military said solders would be vaccinated, and it would work with organizations to bring in vaccines for Palestinians. Israel’s latest airstrikes were in the Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza, where nine people including two children were killed, and the southern city of Khan Younis, where at least six people were killed including two girls. Men and women wept and embraced the small bodies in white shrouds. “Unknown body of five-month baby” was written on one. Smoke also rose from the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, but there was no immediate word on casualties. The war in Gaza has killed more than 38,900 people, according to the territory’s Health Ministry, which doesn’t distinguish between combatants and civilians in its count. The war began with an assault by Hamas militants on southern Israel on Oct. 7 that killed 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and took about 250 hostage. About 120 remain held, about a third of them believed to be dead, according to Israeli authorities. Netanyahu has vowed to wipe out Hamas’ military and governing capabilities and secure the return of the remaining hostages. Families of hostages and thousands of other Israelis have rallied in weekly demonstrations urging the prime minister to reach a cease-fire deal that would bring loved ones home. Mediators Egypt, Qatar and the United States continue to push Israel and Hamas toward a phased deal that would stop the fighting and free the hostages. Concerns about a wider regional conflict continue. Israel on Saturday struck the port of Hodeida in Yemen in the first known Israeli strikes there since the war in Gaza began. The strikes, in response to a deadly Houthi drone strike in Tel Aviv, threatened to open a new front as Israel battles Iranian proxies in the region including Hezbollah in neighboring Lebanon. On Sunday, the Israeli military said it intercepted a missile fired from Yemen as the Houthis vowed “impactful strikes.”

Israel shoots down a missile fired from Yemen hours after a deadly Israeli strike on Houthi rebels
Josef Federman And Michael Wakin/JERUSALEM (AP)/ July 21, 2024
The Israeli military said it intercepted a missile fired from Yemen early Sunday, hours after Israeli warplanes struck several Houthi targets in the Arabian Peninsula country. The Israeli airstrikes — in response to a deadly Houthi drone strike on Tel Aviv — were the first time Israel is known to have responded to repeated Houthi attacks throughout its nine-month war against Hamas. The burst of violence between the distant enemies has threatened to open a new front as Israel battles a series of Iranian proxies across the region. The Israeli army late Saturday confirmed the airstrikes in the western Yemeni port city of Hodeidah, a Houthi stronghold and crucial entry point for aid and other supplies. It said the strikes, carried out by dozens of aircraft, including U.S.-made F-15 and F-35 warplanes, were a response to hundreds of Houthi attacks.
The Health Ministry in Yemen said the Israeli strikes killed six people and wounded 83 others, many with severe burns from a major fire. Another three people were missing, the ministry said in a statement shared by the Houthi-run al-Masirah TV.
Houthi spokesman Mohammed Abdulsalam posted on X that the “blatant Israeli aggression” targeted fuel storage facilities and the province’s power station. ”The Israeli enemy picked those targets specifically as part of their targeting of the Yemeni economy,” said Abdul-Malek al-Houthi, leader of the rebels.
The Israeli military said that the surface-to-surface missile fired Sunday was intercepted before reaching Israeli territory. Israel, along with the U.S., the U.K. and other Western allies with forces in the region, have intercepted almost all of the Houthi missiles and drones. But early Friday, a Houthi drone penetrated Israel’s air defenses and crashed into Tel Aviv, Israel’s commercial and cultural capital, killing one person. An Israeli air force official said Sunday that human error accidentally classified the drone as a non-threat as Israel was simultaneously tracking other drones launched from Yemen and approaching Israel from the east. The Israeli military said Saturday's strike on Hodeidah, about 1,700 kilometers (more than 1,000 miles) from Israel, was among the most complicated and longest-distance operations by its air force. It said it hit the port because the area is used to deliver Iranian arms to Yemen. Israel’s defense minister, Yoav Gallant, vowed to carry out similar strikes “in any place where it may be required.”
The Houthis are among several Iranian-backed groups to have attacked Israel in solidarity with Hamas since the Oct. 7 attack by the Palestinian militant group triggered the ongoing Israeli offensive in Gaza. In addition to fighting Hamas, the Israeli military has been engaged in daily clashes with the Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon. These clashes have raised concerns that the fighting could spill over into a full-blown war with Lebanon and beyond. Yemen has been engulfed in civil war since 2014, when the Houthis seized much of the north and forced the internationally recognized government to flee from Sanaa. A Saudi-led coalition intervened in support of government forces, and in time the conflict turned into a proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran. The war has killed more than 150,000 people, including fighters and civilians, and created one of the world’s worst humanitarian disasters.
The Houthis said Israel's attacks will only make Yemen’s people and armed forces more determined to support Gaza. “There will be impactful strikes,” Mohamed Ali al-Houthi of the Supreme Political Council in Yemen wrote on X.
“All of this won’t stop the Yemeni people or the Yemeni leadership, military and missile forces in targeting the Israeli entities,” said Moatasem Abdel Salah, a Sanaa resident. Since January, U.S. and U.K. forces have been striking targets in Yemen, in response to the Houthis’ attacks on commercial shipping that the rebels have described as retaliation for Israel’s actions in the war in Gaza. However, many of the ships targeted weren’t linked to Israel. On Sunday, officials said that the Houthis repeatedly targeted a Liberia-flagged container vessel transiting the Red Sea, the latest assault by the group on the crucial maritime trade route. The captain of the ship reported attacks from three small Houthi vessels, an uncrewed Houthi aerial vehicle and missile fire off the coast of Mocha, Yemen, resulting in “minor damage” to the ship, the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center said. The Joint Maritime Information Center, a coalition overseen by the U.S. Navy, identified the ship as the Pumba and reported “all crew on board safe.” Early Sunday, the Houthis claimed responsibility for the attack on the Pumba. Analysts and Western intelligence services have long accused Iran of arming the Houthis, a claim Tehran denies. The joint force airstrikes so far have done little to deter them. The Houthis have long-range ballistic missiles, smaller cruise missiles and “suicide drones,” all capable of reaching southern Israel, according to weapons experts. The Houthis are open about their arsenal, regularly parading new missiles through the streets of Sanaa.

Israeli military to offer polio vaccination to soldiers in Gaza
Reuters/Sun, July 21, 2024
Israel's military said on Sunday it will start offering the polio vaccine to soldiers serving in the Gaza Strip after remnants of the contagious polio virus were found in test samples in areas of the coastal enclave. The military also said that with the cooperation of international groups enough vaccines had been brought in to cover more than a million of Gaza's 2.3 million population. Soldiers will be vaccinated during routine troop turnover, though it is not mandatory, the military said. Much of Gaza's health infrastructure has been destroyed during Israel's nine-month old military offensive, which was sparked by Hamas' Oct. 7 assault on southern Israel. Public health officials and aid groups have warned that without proper health services the population is particularly vulnerable to disease outbreaks.

Details emerge: What to know about the Israeli attack on Yemen's Hodeida
LBCI/July 21, 2024
Between 3:00 and 3:30 PM on Saturday, more than 12 Israeli warplanes, including F-15s and F-35s, took off from Nevatim Airbase in southern Israel, heading for Yemen. Accompanying them was a modified Boeing 707, tasked with providing mid-air refueling for the fighter jets, as the distance between Israel and Hodeida exceeds 1,800 kilometers. According to a map published by Yedioth Ahronoth, the squadron flew over the Red Sea, targeting ten sites, including oil storage facilities and a power station. These targets had been selected months in advance, with refueling drills conducted in Greece over the past month and a half. While the last fighter jet returned to Israel by 8:30 PM, fires raged in Hodeida's port, resulting in six fatalities and over 80 injuries. Israel claimed sole responsibility for the operation, stating it had informed the United States, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia beforehand. Despite media reports suggesting US and Saudi involvement, the White House National Security Council told NewsNation that Washington did not participate in or coordinate the Israeli strike. Similarly, the Saudi Defense Ministry denied any involvement or permission to use its airspace. A tweet showing an Italian refueling aircraft near Hodeida prompted a response from Italy's Defense Minister, clarifying that the plane was on a cargo mission unrelated to the airstrike. As the extent of the damage in Hodeida remains unclear, the Houthis vowed to continue their operations against Tel Aviv, which claims to have recorded approximately 220 Houthi attacks since late October.

Israel's Netanyahu walks political tightrope on Washington trip following Biden's exit from race
Tia Goldenberg And Aamer Madhani/JERUSALEM (AP) /July 21, 2024
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu heads to Washington on Monday, leaving behind a brutal war to make a politically precarious speech before Congress at a time of great uncertainty following Joe Biden’s withdrawal from the presidential race. With efforts ongoing to bring about a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas, rising concerns about the war spreading to Lebanon and Yemen, and the U.S. in the midst of a dizzying election campaign, Netanyahu’s speech has the potential to cause disarray on both sides of the ocean. The risks only increased with Biden’s decision Sunday to drop out of the race for president, especially since the choice of a replacement Democratic nominee — and the potential next American leader — are still up in the air. A person familiar with Biden's schedule confirmed Sunday that the president will host Netanyahu at the White House. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly, said the exact timing of the meeting has not been established because Biden is recovering from COVID-19.
Netanyahu is scheduled to address Congress on Wednesday. He is also expected to meet with Vice President Kamala Harris, who is seeking the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination. An official in Netanyahu’s office confirmed that the Israeli leader was set to travel to Washington on Monday. The official also spoke on condition of anonymity pending a formal announcement. Netanyahu will deliver his congressional address with an eye on several audiences: his ultranationalist governing partners, the key to his political survival; the Biden administration, which Netanyahu counts on for diplomatic and military support; and Donald Trump’s Republican Party, which could offer Netanyahu a reset in relations if he is reelected in November. His words risk angering any one of those constituencies, which the Israeli leader cannot afford if he hopes to hold on to his tenuous grip on power. “There are a few land mines and pitfalls on this trip,” Eytan Gilboa, an expert on U.S.-Israel relations at Israel’s Bar-Ilan University, said before Biden's withdrawal. “He is thought of as a political wizard who knows how to escape from traps. I am not sure he still knows how to do that.”It is Netanyahu’s fourth speech to Congress — more than any other world leader. During his address, his far-right governing partners will want to hear his resolve to continue the war and topple Hamas.
The Biden administration will look for progress toward the latest U.S.-backed cease-fire proposal and details on a postwar vision. Republicans hope Netanyahu besmirches Biden and bolsters the GOP’s hoped-for perception as Israel’s stalwart supporter. Upon receiving the invitation, Netanyahu said he would “present the truth about our just war against those who seek to destroy us.” The war, which was sparked by Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel, has tested Israel’s ties with its top ally as never before. The Biden administration has stood staunchly beside Israel. But it has grown increasingly alarmed about the conduct of the Israeli military, the continued difficulties of getting humanitarian aid into Gaza, especially after the short-lived U.S. military pier off Gaza coast, as well as Israel’s lack of postwar plans and the harm to civilians in Gaza. Similar concerns will likely persist if Americans elect a new Democratic president. Biden earlier this year froze the delivery of certain bombs over fears they would be used in Israel’s incursion into the southern Gaza city of Rafah, which at the time sheltered more than half of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million. The U.S. abstained from a United Nations Security Council vote in March that called for a cease-fire and the release of hostages but did not link the two. Netanyahu called the decision a “retreat” from a “principled position” by Israel’s ally. Biden has had to walk a fine line of his own. He has faced harsh criticism from progressive Democrats and many Arab Americans. Even Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, the highest-ranking elected U.S. Jewish official, lambasted Netanyahu in March for his handling of the war. Some Democrats will likely demonstrate their anger toward Biden and Netanyahu by skipping Wednesday’s speech. Netanyahu is also likely to be hounded by pro-Palestinian activists during his trip.
The last time Netanyahu spoke to Congress in 2015 was at the invitation of the Republican Party. The trip drove Israeli-American politics deep into the partisan divide as Netanyahu railed against then-President Barack Obama’s Iran nuclear deal. Netanyahu has not shied away from making Israel a partisan issue. With his nationalist conservative ideology, he has been perceived as throwing his support behind Republican candidates in the past, rankling Democrats and Israelis who want to keep the U.S.-Israel relationship bipartisan. It's unclear if he will meet Trump. If there is a meeting, it could expose Netanyahu to accusations that he is once again taking sides. But if he doesn’t meet with Trump, the former president could feel slighted. The speech also offers Netanyahu opportunity. He will be able to show Israelis that despite the tensions with the Biden administration, U.S. support for him remains ironclad. “He wants the Israeli public to believe that he is very much still very welcome in the United States. And this shows that the American people are with him,” said David Makovsky, director of the program on Arab-Israel Relations at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. For critics of Netanyahu, that embrace is unacceptable and grants legitimacy to a deeply polarizing leader whose public support has plummeted. Netanyahu faces widespread protests and calls to resign over the failures of Oct. 7 and his handling of the war. In a letter to Congress, 500 Israeli writers, scholars and public figures expressed their dismay over the invitation to Netanyahu, saying he will use the platform to advance misguided policies that align with his far-right governing partners. “His only interest is preserving his own power,” they wrote. “Does the United States Congress wish to support such a model of cynical and manipulative leadership in these times?”Israeli media reported that Netanyahu will be joined by rescued hostage Noa Argamani and her father. But for many of the families of hostages held in Gaza, the trip is an affront. “This is not the time for trips,” Ayelet Levy Shachar, whose daughter Naama was kidnapped on Oct. 7, told reporters.
“Netanyahu: First a deal, then you can travel.”
*Tia Goldenberg And Aamer Madhani, The Associated Press

Defiant Netanyahu to face US Congress amid Gaza tensions
Naharnet/July 21, 2024
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is to deliver a landmark speech to the U.S. Congress this week as he fights off intense pressure to cut a Gaza war ceasefire deal with Hamas. Israel's longest-serving premier will on Wednesday become the first foreign leader to address a joint meeting of the two chambers four times -- pulling ahead of Britain's Winston Churchill on three. But analysts say the Gaza war since the October 7 Hamas attacks has created worrying tensions between Israel and the United States, its main military and diplomatic backer. Netanyauhu's office announced that he will meet U.S. President Joe Biden on Tuesday. Washington fears a backlash from the mounting civilian toll in the Gaza Strip, while protests in Israel by families of hostages taken by Hamas are also causing headaches for Netanyahu. Biden and some Israeli ministers say a deal negotiated through Qatar, Egyptian and U.S. mediators is possible. A plan outlined in May proposed a six-week ceasefire when some Israeli hostages would be swapped for Palestinians held in Israeli prisons. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Friday that negotiators were "inside the 10 yard line and driving toward the goal line."Hamas has accused Netanyahu of seeking to block a deal however and Blinken said he wants to "bring the agreement over the finish line" when Netanyahu is in Washington.
Double pressure
Israel has intensified its attacks on Gaza in recent weeks and Netanyahu has insisted that only piling on military pressure can free the hostages and beat Hamas. "This double pressure is not delaying the deal -– it is advancing it," Netanyahu told troops in Gaza on Thursday. The October 7 attack on Israel allegedly resulted in the deaths of 1,195 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli figures. Hamas militants also seized 251 hostages, 116 of whom are still in Gaza, including 42 the Israeli military says are dead. Israel's retaliatory campaign has killed at least 38,919 people in Gaza, also mostly civilians, according to data from the health ministry in the territory. Publicly, Biden has voiced strong support for Israel. But he expressed concern over an offensive on the southern city of Rafah in May and for a while suspended deliveries of heavy bombs to Israel. Supplies of 2,000-pound bombs remain embargoed. "Never before has the atmosphere been so fraught," said Council on Foreign Relations Middle East specialist Steven Cook. "There is clearly tension in the relationship, especially between the White House and the Israeli prime minister," Cook said in a commentary.
'Political rhetoric' -
While US Republicans pressed to invite Netanyahu to address Congress, he has lost support among Democrats. One Jewish senator, Democrat Brian Schatz of Hawaii, announced he would boycott Wednesday's speech, saying he would not listen to "political rhetoric that will do nothing to bring peace in the region."Netanyahu said after being invited to Congress again that he would "present the truth about our just war against those who seek to destroy us."Cook said that Netanyahu has two aims for his Washington trip. First, to show that he has not "undermined" Israel's relations with the United States. Netanyahu also "will endeavor to shift the conversation away from the conflict in Gaza toward the threat that Iran and its proxies pose" to Israel and the United States, Cook added. Much attention will be focused on whether Netanyahu meets with Donald Trump or a figure close to the Republican presidential candidate. Despite the tensions, the United States has defended Israeli interests while taking a key role in mediation efforts, and the military relationship remains strong, according to officials. Washington's support could prove crucial as Israel faces increasing international criticism over the growing humanitarian toll from nearly 300 days of war. The International Criminal Court's prosecutor in May asked judges to issue arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. Warrants for three Hamas leaders have also been requested. The Republican majority in the House of Representatives has called for sanctions against the ICC.The International Court of Justice found Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories illegal on Friday, and in February called for the country to prevent any acts of genocide in its Gaza offensive.

Houthi leader vows to attack Israel cities in retaliation for Hodeidah airstrikes
SAEED AL-BATATI/Arab News/July 21, 2024
AL-MUKALLA: The leader of Yemen’s Houthi militia, Abdul Malik Al-Houthi, on Sunday pledged to carry out further attacks on Israel in response to the latest wave of Israeli airstrikes on the western city of Hodeidah. In a televised speech, Al-Houthi announced the commencement of the fifth phase of the militia’s attacks on Israel, which would include directly hitting it with more “advanced” weaponry capable of evading Israeli air defenses. “The (Israeli) enemy’s strike on Yemen will not benefit them in any way, nor will it serve as a deterrent. Neither will it prevent us from moving forward with the fifth stage of escalation in support of Gaza,” he said. On Saturday, Israeli warplanes targeted a variety of areas in Houthi-held Hodeidah for the first time, including the city’s dock, a power plant, and gasoline storage facilities. The Israelis say that the airstrikes are in reaction to a Houthi drone attack in Tel Aviv on Friday, which killed one person and injured at least 10 others. The Houthis say that their drone strike on Tel Aviv and attacks on shipping in the Red Sea are part of an ongoing effort to push Israel to cease its war in Gaza. In his statement, the Houthi leader said that the drone that struck Tel Aviv, as well as other weapons, were manufactured by his forces in Yemen, denying Israeli claims that Iran provided them. “The drone is Yemeni-made and launched by Yemeni forces, rather than being constructed or launched from other nations, as some claim,” Al-Houthi said. As firemen struggled to manage a massive fire at Hodeidah port on Sunday, the Houthis said that six people were killed, three remain missing, and more than 80 were injured in Israeli airstrikes that also damaged tanks and a crane at the port. Houthi media posted a video of black smoke pouring from damaged oil tanks at Hodeidah port, while the Yemeni militia was said to have extinguished another fire at a power station fuel storage facility. Residents in Houthi-held Sanaa and other Yemeni cities reported huge lines of vehicles and motorcycles outside oil stations after the bombings, despite the Houthi Ministry of Oil’s strong oil supply stockpiles.This comes after Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said on Sunday that their forces launched a number of ballistic missiles against “important targets” in the Israeli port city of Eilat, in reaction to what he dubbed “American-British-Israeli aggression.”He also claimed to have attacked the “American” Pumba ship in the Red Sea with ballistic missiles and drones. According to the Joint Maritime Information Center, the Pumba, a cargo ship flying the Liberian flag, sustained minor damage after being assaulted by a drone, manned boats, a drone boat, and missiles roughly 64 nautical miles north-west of Yemen on Saturday. At the same time, Yemen’s internationally recognized government and other Yemeni parties criticized the Israeli attacks on Hodeidah and also accused the Houthis of acting in the interests of the Iranian regime by attacking ships. The Yemeni government warned that Israeli attacks on Hodeidah will aggravate Yemen’s already dire humanitarian situation, accusing Israel of breaking international law and conventions. In a statement carried by the official news agency, the Yemeni government voiced its support for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state while warning Israel and Iran not to use Yemen as a battleground.  “Yemen holds the Zionist regime fully responsible for any repercussions resulting from its air strikes, including the deepening of the humanitarian crisis in Yemen, which has been exacerbated by Houthi terrorist attacks on international shipping,” the Yemeni government said.

Sudan, Iran trade ambassadors after eight-year rupture
AFP/July 21, 2024
PORT SUDAN: Sudan’s de facto leader, army chief Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, received on Sunday an Iranian ambassador and sent his own to Tehran, the government said, cementing a rapprochement after an eight-year rupture. Sudan and Iran agreed last October to resume diplomatic relations, as the army-aligned government scrambled for allies during its war with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The Sudanese government, loyal to the army in its 15-month fight against the RSF, announced in a statement that Burhan had received Tehran’s new ambassador Hassan Shah Hosseini in Port Sudan. The Red Sea city has become Sudan’s de facto seat of government since Khartoum became wracked by fighting. This is “the beginning of a new phase in the course of bilateral relations between the two countries,” foreign ministry undersecretary Hussein Al-Amin said as Burhan sent off Sudan’s new ambassador to Iran, Abdelaziz Hassan Saleh. Sudan broke off relations with Iran in 2016 in a show of solidarity with Saudi Arabia, after the kingdom’s embassy in Tehran was attacked following the Saudi execution of a prominent Shiite cleric. Several Saudi allies in the region also cut ties with Iran at the time. In March 2023, however, Riyadh and Tehran announced the restoration of their relations following an agreement brokered by China. Iran has since moved to cement or restore relations with neighboring Arab countries. Since Sudan’s war began in April 2023 a number of foreign powers have supported rival forces. In December Sudan expelled diplomats from the United Arab Emirates on allegations that the Gulf state was funnelling weapons to the RSF. The UAE has denied taking sides in the conflict. Egypt and Turkiye have backed the army. The United States in February voiced concern at reported arms shipments by Washington’s foe Iran to Sudan’s military. Around that time, the army recovered some territory after months of defeats at the hands of the RSF. Sudan has also recently drawn closer to Russia, which experts say has reconsidered its previous relationship with the RSF, with which it had links through the mercenary Wagner group.
Sudan under former strongman Omar Al-Bashir, who was toppled in 2019, developed close relations with Iran’s clerical state. The war in Sudan has killed tens of thousands of people, with some estimates placing the death toll as high as 150,000, according to the US envoy to Sudan, Tom Perriello. It has also created the world’s worst displacement crisis — with more than 11 million uprooted, according to the United Nations — and brought the country to the brink of famine.

Europe turns to conscription as threat of wider war with Russia grows
Radina Gigova, CNN/July 21, 2024
Before Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, many, including Kyiv, were skeptical that a major war could return to Europe. More than two years on, another shift once unthinkable is underway on conscription. Several European nations have reintroduced or expanded compulsory military service amid Moscow’s mounting threat, part of a range of policies aimed at boosting defenses that are likely to be scaled up even further. “We are coming to the realization that we may have to adjust the way we mobilize for war and adjust the way we produce military equipment and we recruit and train personnel,” said Robert Hamilton, head of Eurasia research at the Foreign Policy Research Institute, who served as a US Army officer for 30 years.
“It is tragically true that here we are, in 2024, and we are grappling with the questions of how to mobilize millions of people to be thrown into a meatgrinder of a war potentially, but this is where Russia has put us,” he said. The risks for a larger war in Europe have been rising after Russian President Vladimir Putin “finally resorted to open conflict” in Ukraine, pursuing his aim to “recreate the Soviet empire,” said Gen. Wesley Clark (Ret.), who served as NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe.
“So we’ve now got a war in Europe that we never thought we would see again,” said Clark, who led NATO forces during the Kosovo War. “Whether this is a new Cold War or an emerging hot war is unclear,” he continued, but “it’s a very imminent warning to NATO that we’ve got to rebuild our defenses.”
Those efforts include conscription, he says.
Return of conscription underscores new reality
A number of European countries halted mandatory conscription after the end of the Cold War, but several nations – particularly in Scandinavia and the Baltics – have reintroduced it in recent years, largely because of the Russian threat. Failure to enlist can result in fines or even jail time in some countries. Latvia is the latest to implement conscription. Compulsory military service was reintroduced on January 1 this year, after being abolished in 2006. Male citizens will be put up for the draft within 12 months of reaching the age of 18, or graduation for those still in the education system.
“At first there was a lot of pushback,” said Arturs Pīlācis, a 20-year-old student. He’s yet to go up for the draft but voluntarily went on a month-long military course.
But ultimately, “the need for a state defence service was clear,” he said. “There wasn’t really an option where we can stand by and think things will go on as they were before because of the unprovoked aggression in Ukraine.”In April, Norway presented an ambitious long-term plan that will nearly double the country’s defense budget and add more than 20,000 conscripted soldiers, employees, and reservists to the armed forces.
“We need a defense that is fit for purpose in the emerging security environment,” Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said. Conscription in Norway is mandatory and in 2015 it became the first member of the NATO defensive alliance to conscript both men and women on equal terms. Economics student Jens Bartnes, 26, completed his military training at the age of 19. “I am happy I did it, I learned a lot from that year that I wouldn’t learn otherwise – about myself, about my physical and mental limits and abilities I suppose, but also about teamwork. It’s a whole different way of life,” he said. “I am willing to fight for my country if need be, because I believe in the values that the Norwegian society is built on and I believe those values of inclusion and equality and democracy are worth fighting for,” Bartnes added. Max Henrik Arvidson, 25, was conscripted into the Norwegian military for one year between 2019 and 2020. Like Bartnes, he sees military service as an essential duty.“I know the only way we can stand against more Russian aggression is by keep supplying Ukraine with weapons and aid, while standing strong together with NATO as a whole and the European Union.”
‘Big mental shift’
Debates about conscription have also been taking place in other European countries that currently don’t require it. In the UK, the Conservatives floated the idea of military service in their ill-fated election campaign. But perhaps the most surprising transformation is underway in Germany, which since the end of World War II has had an aversion to militarization. In another first since the Cold War, Germany this year updated its plan should conflict erupt in Europe, and Defense Minister Boris Pistorius presented a proposal in June for a new voluntary military service. “We must be ready for war by 2029,” he said. “We are seeing the debate now raging. And that’s the first step,” said Sean Monaghan, a visiting fellow in the Europe, Russia, and Eurasia Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. “This doesn’t happen overnight, it’s a big mental shift.”Not everyone is ready to answer the call. In Lithuania, for instance, opinions about military service among students vary, said Paulius Vaitiekus, president of Lithuania’s National Students’ Union.
Since the country reintroduced compulsory military service in 2015 due to a “changed geopolitical situation,” about 3,500 to 4,000 Lithuanians between the ages of 18 and 26 are enlisted each year for a period of nine months. Vaitiekus said students have launched initiatives to send supplies to the Ukrainian frontlines. There was “a shift in the mindset of the youth towards being more active, although not necessarily through conscripting,” he added. With conscription remaining an unpopular topic in some countries, NATO is struggling to meet its new goal of having 300,000 personnel ready to be activated within one month and another half a million available within six months, Monaghan said. “While NATO has stated it has already met that goal, the EU has said its members would struggle. NATO relies on American forces to meet its target. European allies need to find new ways to generate personnel. Something has to give here,” he said. Another problem is that that target would only allow NATO to fight a relatively short conflict of up to six months, Monaghan added.
One of NATO’s newest members, Finland, has the capacity to activate more than 900,000 reservists, with 280,000 military personnel being ready to respond immediately if needed. However, during peacetime, the Finnish Defence Forces employs only about 13,000 people, including civilian staff. “Finland is a good example” as its reserve force can be integrated into a very small active force, said Hamilton, of the Foreign Policy Research Institute. Historically, he explained, Finland was “wedged” between NATO and the Soviet Union, aligned with neither, so needed to be able to defend itself alone. Norway and Sweden, NATO’s newest member, have similar models, both maintaining significant numbers of reservists, though not as many as Finland. Sweden, where conscription is now also gender-neutral, called up around 7,000 individuals in 2024. The number will rise to 8,000 in 2025, according to the Swedish Armed Forces. Since the start of the war in Ukraine, “what we see is that both knowledge and the attitude have changed,” she said.
“Sweden has had conscription since 1901 so it’s really part of our culture in a way,” said Marinette Nyh Radebo, communications manager at the agency that helps test recruits and reports to the Ministry of Defense. “When the conscription was activated again, in the beginning, we said that conscription is good for your CV, for applying for a new job for example,” Radebo said. “But today our communication is more like, this is a duty that you have to do for Sweden.”
Is NATO ready for war?
The NATO alliance has been revising its strategy and boosting capabilities over the past decade in response to the growing threat from Moscow. Russia’s full-scale assault on Ukraine in 2022, which followed its support for pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine and illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014, inevitably prompted allies to reassess whether they were ready for war and strengthen their defenses.
“Since 2014, NATO has undergone the most significant transformation in our collective defense in a generation,” NATO spokesperson Farah Dakhlallah told CNN. “We have put in place the most comprehensive defense plans since the Cold War, with currently more than 500,000 troops at high readiness.”
But there are calls for allies to increase their capabilities further and faster.
While NATO allies “are definitely ready to fight tonight,” there is still a question of whether they are ready for a protracted war such as that in Ukraine, Monaghan said, pointing out there is still work to be done in a number of areas. Those include industrial capacity, defense spending and societal resilience – where the question of conscription would come in.The way military personnel are recruited and trained is a decision for individual nations, Dakhlallah said, adding: “Around a third of NATO members have some form of compulsory military service.”
“Some allies are weighing up conscription. However as an alliance we do not prescribe mandatory military service,” Dakhlallah said. “The important thing is that allies continue to have capable armed forces to protect our territory and our populations.”
In addition to the fighting in Ukraine, Russia has also launched a hybrid war across Europe, experts say, involving attacks on infrastructure, cyberattacks, disinformation, sabotage, election interference and the weaponization of migration.
“That has only become more aggressive,” Monaghan said. “All of which is to say NATO allies face a very different geopolitical situation than they did over the last couple of decades.”The situation could be further complicated by the US presidential election in November. Things will look very different if former President Donald Trump – who has said he would encourage Russia to do “whatever the hell they want” to any NATO country that doesn’t meet the bloc’s defense spending guidelines – returns to the White House.“I think there is a very good understanding among the military leaders of NATO that they must cooperate, and there is a desire to do that,” Clark said. This year saw World War II veterans gather for D-Day commemorations, some possibly for the last time. Their descendants may now have to take on the kind of responsibility that it was hoped would not be needed again.
“I think young people in Europe and the US will come to realize that this generation, like the generation that fought WWII, it didn’t ask to be the ‘Greatest Generation,’ but the circumstances thrust that burden on them,” Clark said. “In democracies, we don’t like to prepare for war, we don’t want to think about these things,” he said. However, “I think people will respond to the circumstances that they see.”

The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources on July 21-22/2024
Operation 'Outstretched Arm' demonstrates Israel's F-35's stealth striking capabilities
Udi Etzion/Jerusalem Post/July 21/2024
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2024/07/132314/
Almost 30 years after Operation "Wooden Leg," Israel’s Air Force used advanced F-35s in a similar long-range attack on Yemen.
Almost 30 years ago, the air force carried out Operation "Wooden Leg" to attack the PLO headquarters in Tunis, a distance of 2,200 kilometers from Israel, the most extended attack the force had carried out until then.
A group of eight F-15 aircraft was assisted by two aerial refueling planes to cover the distance, and professionals around the world were impressed by Israel's ability to attack with fighter jets at ranges commonly used by bombers - which Israel does not have.
The attack on the Houthi targets in Yemen is very reminiscent of that operation, with an almost identical range but with different aircraft. In 2024, the air force operates a squadron of F-15I Ra'am aircraft, which is more advanced and better suited for long-range attack missions than the F-15s used in the Tunis attack. According to reports, this time, the air force used the newer F-35 aircraft, known as Adir, in the air force - and it led the attack. The 100 F-16I Sufa aircraft operated by the air force are even more advanced than the Ra'am, which arrived here 26 years ago. Likely, the Ra'am and Sufa aircraft were also integrated into the operation, even if only for refueler protection.
Unlike the F-15 and the F-16, the F-35 is a single-engine aircraft with a single pilot rather than a pilot and navigator crew who can assist in operating advanced attack munitions. However, it has several significant advantages in long-range attacks. The first of these advantages is stealth, the fact that radars find it very difficult to detect due to their structure and the materials it is coated with, which absorb most of their electromagnetic waves. An attacking F-35 will be detected much later than an F-15 or F-16, usually too late to respond. This is also important in the attack on Yemen, as the Houthis have already demonstrated that they possess anti-aircraft missile systems and have already shot down American UAVs.
Israel already purchased 50 aircraft from Lockheed Martin
The aircraft also has electronic warfare systems, including Israeli ones that the air force insisted on integrating into the purchased aircraft. These systems are designed to protect the plane when it carries weapons and fuel tanks under its wings, making it not completely stealthy. The second advantage is the aircraft's array of sensors. Israel has already purchased 50 aircraft from the manufacturer Lockheed Martin, most of which have been delivered and is in the process of acquiring a third squadron. The list includes advanced radar, optical, and thermal sensors, the ability to intercept radar transmissions, and especially the capability to fuse this information to cross-reference it.
This allows it to locate targets, identify the safest flight path with minimal chances of detection and interception, and share its information with other aircraft and rear command centers. The F-35 is not just an attack aircraft; it has capabilities that, until recently, required a series of surveillance and intelligence-gathering aircraft to achieve.
The third feature is its carrying capacity: 8.1 tons of bombs and missiles, including about 1.4 tons in two internal weapon bays for stealth mode flight, with the rest on external hardpoints on the wings. This is a lot for a single-engine fighter of this size and not much less than the twin-engine F-15I (11 tons). The F-35 can carry a variety of intelligent bombs that it can release from dozens to sometimes hundreds of kilometers from the target, so a single quartet of Adir aircraft can attack dozens of targets.
The fourth feature is its range: the F-35A model operated by the air force can fly about 1,150 kilometers each way, about 150 kilometers less than the approximately 1,300 kilometers of the F-15 and the F-16 Sufa. All three can be refueled in the air by the Israeli air force's older refueling aircraft, or they can use long-range missiles and bombs, as was done in the attack on the Iranian radar attributed to Israel after the missile and drone attack on April 14.
Either way, eight years after the first F-35s landed at Nevatim Airbase, Israel's first stealth aircraft marks an important milestone.

Iran has something to fear: Israeli strike on Yemen shows IAF can reach Tehran - analysis
Amir Bohbot/Jerusalem Post/July 21/2024
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2024/07/132321/
If the Air Force attacks the port of Hodeidah in Yemen, at a range of 1,700 km, it can certainly attack targets in Tehran, at a range of 1,500 km.
In the months since the beginning of the war, the Houthis from Yemen have launched hundreds of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and missiles of various types towards Israel. Still, there was something unusual about the drone that hit Tel Aviv, killing an Israeli citizen and wounding others.
The Israel Air Force identified it in the final stage of entering the Mediterranean Sea but did not classify it as a threat to the Israeli home front. It is possible that the control system thought it was a civilian aircraft or an Egyptian or American UAV and, therefore, did not rush to shoot it down.
In the flight and attack, which lasted for many hours, the Houthis proved not only their ability but also their creativity. At this point, the security establishment probably felt that the Houthies had stepped up with Iran's encouragement.
According to Walla! Netanyahu asked for response options already on Friday. On Saturday, he held consultations with the heads of the security establishment. When he realized there were recommendations for a measured response, he recommended an aggressive response. Due to the risk, he decided to convene the security cabinet, which approved the broad attack.
The IDF has maintained ambiguity regarding the number of aircraft participating in the attack. Still, the fact that the fighter jets reached a range of 1,700 km is enough to demonstrate air power.
IDF gathered intelligence on the Houthis prior to war
The IDF had been preparing for the attack for several months, but a short time passed from the moment of the decision to the execution, a fact that indicates the high preparedness of the air force and the Intelligence.
According to Walla, long before the war, the IDF had the Houthis in Yemen aware of its intentions and began gathering intelligence on arms shipments, terrorist infrastructure, and hostile activity in the region, which repeatedly endangered Israel's vessels. When the US first attacked terrorist targets in Yemen, it was based, among other things, on Israeli intelligence. Even on Saturday, the precise Israeli intelligence helped build the intelligence picture and the accuracy of the targets. The air force was activated as part of the operation, and it received the name "Outstretched Arm" for the IDF's extreme capabilities in attacking targets within a range of 1,700 km.
Fighter planes that fly at such a range are required to receive refueling, control, intelligence, and a high level of readiness of Unit 669. They are also surrounded by the navy in case rescue from enemy territory is needed. The ability to synchronize all the forces' units received a high score in the operation.
The ability to synchronize all the forces' units received a high score in the operation.
The name of the operation sends a message to all of Israel's enemies, led by Iran, who should now perform a simple calculation. If the air force attacks the port of Hodeidah in Yemen, at a range of 1,700 km, it can certainly attack targets in Tehran, at a range of 1,500 km.
Now, it remains to be seen what effect the attack in Yemen will achieve - will it restrain the Houthis, or will it lead to an expansion of the attacks, which until now have been stopped not only by the IDF but also by the coalition forces, led by the US. The IDF raised the level of vigilance and alertness, fearing additional threats in the region, including from Yemen.

The Secret Service Must Be Revamped
Alan M. Dershowitz/Gatestone Institute./July 21, 2024
It is not as if this attack could not have been anticipated and planned for.... One would think that the Secret Service would have learned from their failure [during the assassination of President John F. Kennedy] in Dallas. They did not.
The Secret Service should be devoted exclusively to preventing and responding to attacks on its protectees. It must get out of the unrelated business of investigating currency counterfeiting and other crimes.
This assassination attempt may well be an outgrowth of the increasing acceptance of violence by extremists on all parts of the political spectrum.... it is certainly possible that [would-be assassin, Thomas Matthew Crooks] may have been influenced by the current rhetoric justifying violence as an appropriate response to perceived injustice.
Our universities are turning out students who engage in violence and are only rarely punished for it. Some faculty members are teaching that noble ends justify ignoble means. The result has been physical attacks on fellow students based on political, ideological and religious disagreements. It is only a short step from physically attacking those with whose policies you disagree, to shooting at political candidates who support such policies.
[P]olitical, educational, religious and other leaders must denounce violence advocated and practiced by those on their side of the political divide. It is easy to denounce violence by one's opponents. It is far more difficult, but more important, to denounce violence by one's allies.
We are not doing enough.
Secret Service director Kimberly Cheatle says she will not resign, despite the failure of her agents to secure the rooftop from where the shots were fired at former President Donald Trump, and despite her refusal to come clean about the causes of the failure. Pictured: Trump is taken off a rally stage by Secret Service agents after he was shot in the ear by a would-be assassin in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, 2024. (Photo by Rebecca Droke/AFP via Getty Images)
Now that the Republican convention ended without incidents, we must get back to considering the implications of the near-assassination of former President and current presidential candidate Donald Trump two days before the convention began. Secret Service director Kimberly Cheatle says she will not resign, despite the failure of her agents to secure the rooftop from where the shots were fired at Trump, and despite her refusal to come clean about the causes of the failure.
The Secret Service is being praised for protecting Donald Trump from an assassin. This praise is justified if one focuses on the bravery of the agents who risked their lives to shield Trump from the immediate threat posed by the shooter after he fired the initial shots, but that well-deserved praise must be accompanied by constructive criticism for the failure to prevent the shooting in the first place. The would-be assassin, Thomas Matthew Crooks, came within an inch of succeeding. An armed person should never have been allowed to be at a location from which he could take aim at a presidential candidate.
It is not as if this attack could not have been anticipated and planned for. It is quite similar to the shooting of then President John F. Kennedy from the sixth floor of the Texas School Book Depository in Dallas. The major difference is that Lee Harvey Oswald shot at a difficult moving target, whereas Crooks shot at an easier stationary target. In both cases, there was a failure to secure an obviously dangerous location. One would think that the Secret Service would have learned from their failure in Dallas. They did not.
There must be changes in the protective procedures employed by the Secret Service, especially at large outdoor rallies. Everyone admitted to the venue is vetted for weapons, but apparently there is insufficient protection against potential snipers shooting from outside the actual venue. This failing must be remedied before the next rally. The Secret Service should be devoted exclusively to preventing and responding to attacks on its protectees. It must get out of the unrelated business of investigating currency counterfeiting and other crimes.
This assassination attempt may well be an outgrowth of the increasing acceptance of violence by extremists on all parts of the political spectrum. We do not yet know the specific motivation of Crooks, but it is certainly possible that he may have been influenced by the current rhetoric justifying violence as an appropriate response to perceived injustice. We do know that in addition to possessing a rifle legally purchased by his father, he also had explosives in his car and home. He was determined to murder Trump, though for what reasons we do not yet know. Although there is no direct evidence of his motive, politically-inspired violence is increasingly common, especially among the younger generation of activists.
Our universities are turning out students who engage in violence and are only rarely punished for it. Some faculty members are teaching that noble ends justify ignoble means. The result has been physical attacks on fellow students based on political, ideological and religious disagreements. It is only a short step from physically attacking those with whose policies you disagree, to shooting at political candidates who support such policies.
An atmosphere of violence has become pervasive and is likely to increase as a result of this nearly successful assassination attempt and the growing divisions over the coming election.
The Secret Service must learn from its mistakes and must redouble its efforts to protect candidates from what are likely to be increasing dangers over the next four months and beyond. In its press conference, the Secret Service said it was not changing any plans regarding the Republican convention. Nor did it permit any questions regarding the failures that led to the attack.
Even more important, political, educational, religious and other leaders must denounce violence advocated and practiced by those on their side of the political divide. It is easy to denounce violence by one's opponents. It is far more difficult, but more important, to denounce violence by one's allies.
Social media is filled with extremist left-wing praise for Crooks and regrets that he missed. Had he succeeded, there would likely be blood on the streets. This is an even more dangerous time than back in the 1960s, when three major assassinations occurred. We must do everything in our collective power to prevent a recurrence of the near-assassination and tragedy that occurred in Pennsylvania. We are not doing enough.
*Alan M. Dershowitz is the Felix Frankfurter Professor of Law, Emeritus at Harvard Law School, and the author most recently of War Against the Jews: How to End Hamas Barbarism, and Get Trump: The Threat to Civil Liberties, Due Process, and Our Constitutional Rule of Law. He is the Jack Roth Charitable Foundation Fellow at Gatestone Institute, and is also the host of "The Dershow" podcast.
© 2024 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.

Dismantling Hamas from within': IDF uncovers trove of Hamas secrets
Amir Bohbot/Jerusalem Post/July 21/2024
IDF and Shin Bet uncover extensive Hamas intelligence, revealing lists of suspected LGBTQ+ individuals, brutal tactics, global operations, and systematic terror tactics.
The IDF and Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) have uncovered a treasure trove of Hamas intelligence, consisting of stacks of documents, files, and computers, including guidelines on what to do if someone is suspected of being part of the LGBTQ community and a phrasebook of Hebrew words to help terrorists communicate in Hebrew, which included phrases such as "Take off your clothes."
Among the findings were operational tables, equipment lists, classified maps, and instructions on what to do if captured, leading to the conclusion that Hamas's military wing has transformed into a professional army right under the nose of Israeli intelligence.
"The amount of intelligence accumulated so far in the hands of Shin Bet and Military Intelligence allows us to dismantle Hamas from within," said a senior security official exposed to the heaps of documents. Over the years, the IDF and Shin Bet have pointed out that Hamas has transformed its military wing into an army.
However, as intelligence analysts delved into the gathered materials, they discovered the extent of this transformation and the level of professionalism reached by the terrorist organization. The intelligence included Excel tables showing the readiness levels of special units, companies, battalions, and brigades, including the scope of training, weapons, and ammunition.
It also included documentation of orders in the various units and the review of equipment lists for each fighter, protocols of meetings, discussions, and the decision-making process at senior and junior levels. Security officials stated that the level of order and organization was a significant surprise for the intelligence community.
"Hundreds and thousands of interrogations of terrorists and senior leaders would not have yielded such intimate intelligence on their methods of order and organization in such a short period," said a military official exposed to the intelligence material.
The order and organization enforced by Hamas was based on a "rulebook" that was not accessible to everyone and was maintained by the senior command, which issued directives and operations across the Gaza Strip.
For example, during the ground maneuver, official documents of the terrorist organization were found, including procedures and investigations of those suspected of being part of the LGBTQ community. Procedures of Hamas for those in the LGBTQ community
The official documents of Hamas's "rulebook" reveal brutal behavior against anyone suspected of belonging to the LGBTQ community.
Additionally, documentation of interrogations and testimonies about aggressive questioning focused solely on sexual preferences and orientations was found, indicating that those suspected of being part of the LGBTQ community faced a single fate – death. Documents were also recovered that held detailed plans by Hamas on how to operate worldwide in regions such as Europe, Jordan, Egypt, the US that were far from the eyes of foreign intelligence organizations and under the radar of the media.
The documents revealed that Hamas developed a plan tailored to the population in each country. Another document detailed a plan to ignite unrest in the West Bank and undermine the Palestinian Authority (PA) by infiltrating its security mechanisms and encouraging internal rebellion to overthrow and take control of the PA gradually.
The IDF Intelligence Division gathered various equipment, such as weapons from Russia, North Korea, Iran, Egypt, Libya, and others, to trace not only their usage but also to learn about procurement and assistance routes.
Among the items found were over 150 pickup trucks and more than 350 Chinese motorcycles smuggled through tunnels under the Philadelphi Route, which were used by over 4,000 terrorists from 75 infiltration points to attack Western Negev settlements and military outposts on October 7.
Educating with antisemitism
Literature from the Hamas education system was also found. Among the items discovered were approximately 1,500 antisemitic books, indicating a systematic process of instilling hatred and promoting terrorism against Israel from the first day of education in the Hamas system.
Items included children's books teaching how to murder Jews by running them over or stabbing them, a book by senior Hamas official Mahmoud al-Zahar titled The End of the Jews, and other literature that places all responsibility for wars in the Middle East on Israel, advocating for the murder of all Jews.
Additionally, booklet about senior terrorists were found, as well as special documentation from Hamas summer camps funded by foreign donations and photos of babies on home sofas alongside shrapnel grenades and mortar shells.
Another procedure the Military Intelligence carried out was linking Hamas's plans to the documents and weapons found in Israeli territory after October 7 and in Palestinian territory during the ground operation.
The military equipment supported the operational idea of prolonged presence in Israeli territory, which included medical equipment, weapons for amputating limbs using Kalashnikov rifles with bayonets or machetes, special forces rifles (Russian Kalashnikovs), and other rifles for the rest of the forces.
Documents found on the bodies of the terrorists included Israeli work permits, as well as maps of settlements and IDF bases, marking important points such as the locations of senior officials' offices, armories, clinics, and more.
The most prominent map was of the Tel Nof Airbase, detailing the locations of squadrons, commanders' offices, and kibbutzim such as Nahal Oz and Be'eri.
It included the locations of dining halls where the terrorists initially planned to concentrate most of the hostages before transferring them to Gaza.
One of the terrorists tore the map of Be'eri into small pieces, but an observant soldier noticed it and passed the pieces to intelligence personnel, who then reassembled it.
The accuracy of the information on the bases and settlements, including the lifestyle within them, indicated Hamas's systematic and high-level intelligence gathering.
Some documents also revealed the corruption within Hamas, showing how they not only accumulated assets but also used them. United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) apartments were registered in the name of Hamas military leader Mohammed Deif's wife.Apartments of Mohammed Sinwar, Hamas head Yahya Sinwar's brother, were found to be received from UNRWA and then rented to Palestinians, according to rental contracts in possession of Military Intelligence. Documentation of Hamas operatives working for UNRWA was also found.
"After consolidating all Hamas infrastructure in the Gaza Strip, based on what we saw in maps and documents and what was actually discovered, it is clear that Gaza was constructed as one large military base, including the use of kindergartens, schools, clinics, hospitals, and mosques," said a source who reviewed Hamas documents. The source added, "They intended to infiltrate a large number of IDF bases, including Air Force bases."
On the bodies of terrorists with name tags, photos, and numbers, a "phrasebook" was found that allowed them to communicate in Hebrew with civilians and soldiers during the raid. It included phrases like: "Take off your clothes," "Strip," "Take off your pants," "Children here and women there."
Military sources indicated that Hamas systematically integrated religious justification for their brutal acts into all their books, pamphlets, speeches, and notebooks, using Quranic verses and fatwas (religious rulings), including decisions on mutilating bodies and amputations. Furthermore, documents and interrogations revealed that battalion commanders in the military wing received religious authorization to write fatwas under the title of sheikh to justify their actions against the Israeli population and soldiers, showing the terrorists there was no contradiction between the orders and Islam.
This can explain why Hamas killed anyone in their path during the October 7 raid, including Bedouins who were labeled by Hamas as "collaborators" and Thai workers labeled as "infidels."In the clothing of the commander of the raid on Sderot, a handwritten note was found in which he stated that according to the Quran, their souls would ascend to heaven and, in exchange for their sadistic actions against soldiers and civilians, including torture, they would be welcomed into paradise.
There were also terrorists found with pocket notebooks influenced by Abdullah Azzam, one of the founders of the Al-Qaeda terrorist organization, who declared that killing purifies the soul.
To sow fear that will remain in Israeli memory
Another systematic effort revealed during the analysis of intelligence gathered from both the Palestinian and Israeli territories included the work of combat collection and documentation.
This was found to be intended not only for military intelligence gathering and operational accuracy but also to instill terror, create a psychological imprint of fear on the Israeli side, undermine public trust in the army and state institutions, and create a sense of chaos and insecurity. Techniques included smearing bloodstains using blood-soaked hands on the walls of hostages' and victims' homes, and leaving notes and graffiti to threaten that they would "return next year."
The effort for collection and documentation was divided between routine and war times, which explains why all the Nukhba fighters entered with GoPro cameras on their heads. "Hamas wanted the atrocities and the spread of fear to remain in Israeli memory. If it's not clear, on October 7 and for weeks afterward, Israeli citizens feared that terrorists would come to their homes because they saw the videos.
The purpose of documenting the videos was to create a psychological impact. They invested a lot of learning, practice, and effort into this," a security source explained to Walla. It is also important to highlight that the effort for preemptive intelligence gathering included a systematic process of military doctrine, training, and acquisition of advanced equipment similar to elite units in the US Army and the IDF (they make equipment comparisons in documents revealed to the Walla system), as seen in the years leading up to the war.
The booklet includes activities such as ambushes, covert observations, overt operations visible to the enemy (IDF), and documentation activities during the raid into Israel. While Israel underestimated Hamas' intentions and the quality of its military wing compared to the quality of Hezbollah fighters, Hamas organized itself as a professional army.This is how a Hamas operational photographer should act
In addition to incorporating these into the instructional booklets, Hamas operational documentation photos were found, capturing the activities of forces, military infrastructure, and classified assets on masts, posts, tanks, APCs, and jeeps, which the IDF has classified as "top secret."
During the training phase for the photographers, two key points were emphasized: the selection of the operational photographer - "must be precise, tactically disciplined, patient, not hasty, able to keep secrets about his role, avoid gossip, and ensure his details and missions are unknown, making it easier for him to move around without raising suspicion."
Another condition for the operational photographer's mission, highlighted in the booklet, was that "it is advisable to prepare in advance press cards belonging to a real or fictitious media organization, provided it is not clearly affiliated with any group considered hostile to the enemy. Remember that your military uniform may incriminate you, so keep that in mind. Stay calm and act as if you are about to undergo a long period of captivity, as this will help you maintain psychological cohesion and reduce feelings of frustration or false hope, which is one of the quickest ways to weaken your resolve."
According to the documents, the leadership of Hamas's military wing defined the act of "photography" as a central and strategic task, as important as training for war, with the goal of influencing the enemy and generating propaganda for the Palestinian public and supporters of Hamas resistance.
This included electronic warfare, computer network operations, psychological operations, military deception, and operational security.
Their training involves photographing scenarios that simulate the atmosphere of battles and military operations, including sounds of gunfire and explosions, in both open areas and built-up environments.

European Union Is Funding Iranian Aggression
Majid Rafizadeh/Gatestone Institute/July 20, 2024
The continued funding of Iran's regime by the EU is crucial in bolstering Iran's ability to attack its neighbors and US troops in the region, both directly and through its proxies -- Hamas, Hezbollah, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and the Houthis -- and to accelerate enriching uranium to complete its nuclear weapons program. The regime's actions appear part of a broader strategy aimed at ultimately annihilating not only Israel but also oil-rich Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. While the EU loves to portray itself as a front-runner in human rights, often lecturing the world about those values and global security, its actions -- all mercenary, all the time -- tell a very different story. The continued funding of Iran's regime by the European Union is crucial in bolstering Iran's ability to attack its neighbors and US troops in the region, both directly and through its proxies -- Hamas, Hezbollah, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and the Houthis -- and to accelerate enriching uranium to complete its nuclear weapons program. The Iranian regime, largely thanks to the backing of a powerful ally, the European Union, has managed to sustain and even increase its revenue streams. The continued funding of Iran's regime by the EU is crucial in bolstering Iran's ability to attack its neighbors and US troops in the region, both directly and through its proxies -- Hamas, Hezbollah, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and the Houthis -- and to accelerate enriching uranium to complete its nuclear weapons program. Support from the EU has enabled Iran to continue its regional and international militaristic endeavors without the looming threat of financial insolvency.
The EU continues to engage, shamelessly it seems, in business transactions with Iran, which simply uses the revenues to further its expansionist ambitions, such as launching an aggressive war against Israel and firing on US troops in the region more than 170 times just since October, close off maritime shipping in the area, and bring its nuclear weapons program to near completion. The regime's actions appear part of a broader strategy aimed at ultimately annihilating not only Israel but also oil-rich Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. This ongoing relationship raises serious ethical and political questions about the EU's stance on global security and its commitment to standing against a regime that threaten peace and stability in the region.
Iran's regime, since the onset of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, has also extended significant support to Russia, both diplomatically and militarily. Iran has also consistently voted against United Nations resolutions condemning Russia's actions, and has actively contributed to the Russian military effort by supplying weapons, including advanced attack drones such as the Shahed 131 and Shahed 136. Iran's unwavering support for Russia underscores its broader geopolitical strategy and its alignment with other authoritarian nations that desire to disrupt the existing international order.
Some countries within the EU have actually increased their trade with Iran. There has been a substantial growth of imports from Iran by several EU member states. Iran's state-controlled outlet Mehr News even boasted regarding January's trade figures:
"Greece's imports from Iran tripled and reached €2.3 million. Dutch imports from Iran have also almost doubled, from €3.5 million in January 2023 to €6.8 million in January this year. Romania's imports from Iran also increased by 47 percent to €3.4 million, and Italy's imports by two percent to €12.2 million."
Iran's top trading partner in Europe continues to be Germany, followed closely by Italy and the Netherlands as the second and third-biggest European trade partners of the Iranian regime.
To maintain its trade relations with Iran, the EU has apparently thought nothing of offering condolences for the death of President Ebrahim Raisi, a mass murderer, known as the "Butcher of Tehran." He was a key figure on the "Death Committee" in Iran, responsible for the execution of tens of thousands of people, including pregnant women and children. This gesture by the EU, ostensibly to avoid disrupting its trade with Iran, once again underscores a willingness to overlook human rights violations for economic gains.
By continuing to do business with Iran, European countries knowingly fuel Russia's attacks on Ukraine, and even potentially on themselves, as Russia extends its aggressive ambitions across the continent.
Europe's trade relationships with Iran also provide the regime with the financial means to further its hostile actions against its neighbors, arm its proxies, further the regime's legitimacy on the international stage; intensify its repression of domestic dissent, and complete its nuclear weapons.
Instead of engaging in business with a country ruled by a predatory and rogue regime, the EU would do itself and everyone else an existential favor: instead of financing Iran's regime and its military, to curb Iran's destabilizing activities. The EU should immediately halt all trade with Iran, designate the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization, and sever diplomatic ties with Iran. While the EU loves to portray itself as a front-runner in human rights, often lecturing the world about those values and global security, its actions -- all mercenary, all the time -- tell a very different story.
*Dr. Majid Rafizadeh is a business strategist and advisor, Harvard-educated scholar, political scientist, board member of Harvard International Review, and president of the International American Council on the Middle East. He has authored several books on Islam and US Foreign Policy. He can be reached at Dr.Rafizadeh@Post.Harvard.Edu
© 2024 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.

How Iran’s leaders view US presidential election
Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Arab News/July 21, 2024
Iran’s leaders are closely monitoring the US presidential election campaign due to its significant implications for their country. The outcome of the election is expected to have a direct impact on Iran’s political and economic landscape. As a result, recent presidential debates and political discussions within Iran have increasingly centered on the US elections, with particular emphasis on the potential of Donald Trump securing another term in office. This heightened focus reflects the considerable interest in how the election result might influence US-Iranian relations and broader geopolitical dynamics.
The leaders in Tehran generally prefer it when Democrats win US elections due to the range of favorable policies and diplomatic approaches typically associated with the Democratic Party. Historically, Democratic administrations have shown a greater inclination toward negotiating and engaging in dialogue with Iran, rather than adopting a confrontational stance. This diplomatic engagement often includes a more lenient approach toward sanctions, which can alleviate some of the economic pressures faced by Iran. Such policies can create a more favorable environment for Iran’s economy and international relations.
This perspective was highlighted last month by Javad Zarif, the former Iranian foreign minister, during a televised discussion focused on international relations. Zarif made this observation in response to claims from the conservative side, which asserted that it was under President Ebrahim Raisi’s leadership that Iran managed to effectively market its crude oil, notwithstanding the restrictive US sanctions. As Zarif put it: “When Biden came to power, he adopted the policy of loosening the screws (of enforcing Iran sanctions). Let Mr. Trump return to power, and then see what your (conservative) friends will do.”
For example, in the first quarter of 2024, Iranian oil exports saw a dramatic increase, reaching 1.82 million barrels per day — a level not seen since October 2018, shortly before the Trump administration reintroduced sanctions on Iran’s oil sector. This rise in export volumes blatantly challenges the sanctions regime. The continued growth in exports has significant consequences for Iran’s financial situation, as oil revenues traditionally make up nearly 80 percent of the country’s total income.
Moreover, Democrats have been more open to reentering or renegotiating agreements that aim to address the Iran nuclear program. For instance, the Obama administration’s negotiation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action was a significant step in this direction, providing Iran with sanctions relief in exchange for curbs on its nuclear activities. A Democratic administration might be more inclined to revive or modify such agreements, offering Iran a path to greater international legitimacy and economic benefits.
In contrast, Republican administrations have been known for their hard-line policies, including Trump’s withdrawal from the JCPOA and the reimposition of severe sanctions. This approach increases the economic strain on Iran and heightens tensions. Therefore, Iranian leaders often view a potential Democratic victory as more advantageous, as it could lead to reduced sanctions, increased opportunities for negotiation and a less restrictive approach toward Iran’s nuclear ambitions, ultimately benefiting its strategic and economic interests.
For instance, during President Trump’s tenure, the situation was starkly different to today. By the time Trump left the White House, the Iranian government was facing severe political and financial difficulties. Tehran’s economy was nearing collapse, with inflation and unemployment reaching unprecedented levels. The regime struggled to pay its employees. The economic conditions in Iran became so dire that some officials even warned of a potential revolt and the possible collapse of the regime.
By the time Trump left the White House, the Iranian government was facing severe political and financial difficulties.
In addition, Iran was in survival mode and desperately needed cash to maintain its power, as oil exports dwindled under the Trump administration. Before Trump reimposed sanctions on Tehran and implemented the “maximum pressure” policy, Iran was exporting more than 2 million barrels of oil daily. However, by the end of Trump's first term, Iran’s oil exports had plummeted to about 70,000 barrels a day. Additionally, Iran’s currency, the rial, significantly depreciated in value, further exacerbating the regime’s financial struggles.
Under the Trump administration, sanctions exerted substantial pressure on the Iranian government, forcing its leaders to cut funding to militias, allies and terror groups. Militants reportedly did not receive their salaries or benefits, making it challenging for them to continue fighting on behalf of Tehran. As one Iranian-backed militia fighter in Syria told The New York Times at the time: “The golden days are gone and will never return. Iran does not have enough money to give us.”
Without Iran’s financial and military support, many militia and terror groups would struggle to survive. This point has been openly acknowledged by Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, who stated in 2016: “We are open about the fact that Hezbollah’s budget, its income, its expenses, everything it eats and drinks, its weapons and rockets, are from Iran. As long as Iran has money, we have money ... Just as we receive the rockets that we use to threaten Israel, we are receiving our money. No law will prevent us from receiving it.”
In conclusion, Iran’s leaders favor the election of a Democratic president due to the historical tendencies of the party’s administrations to engage diplomatically and offer more lenient policies toward Iran. From their perspective, the potential for renewed negotiations, eased sanctions and a less restrictive approach to Iran’s nuclear program represents a much better scenario for Tehran’s economic and strategic interests.
This is in stark contrast to the more robust stance typically associated with Republican administrations, particularly that of Trump, whose presidency was marked by America’s withdrawal from the JCPOA and the imposition of severe sanctions. Therefore, a Democratic victory is seen by the Iranian leaders as offering a more favorable environment compared to the challenges posed by a potential return to power of Trump.
• Dr. Majid Rafizadeh is a Harvard-educated Iranian American political scientist.
X: @Dr_Rafizadeh

A Shift… Or ‘Kill and There Will Be Peace’
Tariq Al-Homayed/Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper/July 21/2024
The scene before us is extremely fluid. From Washington to Gaza, and from Tehran to Ukraine, we find signs that, unless everyone wakes up to the gravity of these ongoing shifts, a dangerous moment of madness is imminent.
Take the divisions in the United States and the Democratic Party, for example. Chaos has prevailed within President Biden's party amid bickering over replacing him. Indeed, the party has excelled at sowing chaos since Barack Obama emerged as a political force, with the leaks and shifting positions we now see under Biden becoming commonplace.
For the Republicans, it is clear that Trump is very much back. The difference between yesterday’s Trump and today’s version is that now, he knows what he wants and has defined his objectives. Indeed, this is evident from the man he chose as his vice president. Trump will be fiercer, whether in peace or war, as he would be a one-term president if he wins.
All of this is happening in Washington at a time when its allies in the Ukraine war are dazed and confused, first among them the president of Ukraine, who has spoken with Trump over the phone. Here, one might ask: what about our region, that is what concerns us? They are right.
I believe that the fluidity of positions in our region is even more dangerous. The region’s trajectory could eventually compel a reluctant international community to intervene. However, this intervention would come too late, especially given the current escalation, which “some” in the West do not clearly understand, as demonstrated by the constant reversals of US and Western stances on the Houthis, which is the simplest and clearest issue.
At the time of writing, we are seeing reports of an Israeli strike on Hodeidah, in response to a drone attack on a building in Tel Aviv that killed an Israeli, which the Houthis claimed responsibility for. This raises the question: Does the Israeli strike signal a new stance, or are they following the Yemeni adage "kill and then peace will prevail"?
This adage is being applied in the context of Iranian and American efforts to calm things. Israel has exercised its right to deter, while the Houthis have settled for a "media dance," which is all they want!
I have repeatedly used the term "fluidity" because the state of play in our region is easy to understand. However, Washington and the West refuse to fully acknowledge and grasp it, as they want to ensure stability and peace without taking the steps required to do so.
The state of play in our region is clear because Hezbollah is a militia whose primary victims are the people of Lebanon and Syria. Hamas is a political clown show, as is obvious from the fact that the Palestinian territories have become limited to part of the West Bank after its attack on October 7 has brought Israeli occupation back to most of the territory.
As for the Houthis, they have shown us nothing more than “posturing.” They have no political thought, no systematic approach one can engage with, no commitments, and no thought to repercussions, whether in Yemen or the region, the consequences of their actions for maritime trade. The Muslim Brotherhood manufactures nothing but failure. All of the above are components of the other side of terrorism, which has not been crushed.
To ensure regional stability, terrorism, in all its forms and sects, must be eradicated.
Today, Hezbollah occupies Lebanon and parts of Syria, and it is active in Iraq and Yemen. It presents the same scene as Sunni terrorism, which has been defeated. Therefore, it is time to eliminate all terrorism, regardless of the source. After that, Israel must be held accountable through a peace process.
Any other course of action would engender more wars and destruction.