Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on May 30-31/2024
Elias Bejjani/Text & Video: The UN Undermines Its Values and Principles by Honoring Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi
Elias Bejjani/Texet & Video: Understanding the Risks of Hamas's Victory in Gaza
Israel yet to respond to French Lebanon proposals, French ministry says
Israeli defense minister visits border, vows to target Hezbollah despite casualties
Gallant warns Nasrallah: Lebanon will pay the price for reality you've created
Outcomes of Le Drian’s Visit to Lebanon
Le Drian leaves Beirut without making progress in the presidential file: AFP source
Israel has not yet responded to French Lebanon proposals, French ministry states
Macron Praised LAF Commander Joseph Aoun
Hochstein Underlines a Step-by-Step Lebanese-Israeli Border Agreement
Senior adviser Hochstein sees path to Israel-Lebanon land border agreement
Southern Front: Two Hezbollah’s Fighters killed in Hula
Israeli strike injures several in southern Lebanon's Houla
Israel-Hezbollah border skirmishes: Latest developments
Sami Gemayel: Hezbollah's performance is divisive, we won't liberate Lebanon unless we unite
Between Berri and Geagea, vacuum protracts and hope wanes
Mechanical inspection fees now accepted at money transfer companies in Lebanon
Electricity: Squabbles Between Salam and Fayad Over a Qatari Offer
Salam says Doha offer to build 3 power plants has been blocked
USAID celebrates 76 gifted students during graduation ceremony at AUB
Human Rights Groups Slam Lebanon Backtrack on ICC
Moawad Calls on Frangieh to Withdraw his Presidential Candidacy
Can Israel’s ‘security zone’ in Lebanon teach us about Gaza?
Seth J. Frantzman/The Jerusalem Post

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on May 30-31/2024
Guilty: Trump becomes first former US president convicted of felony crimes
UN tribute to Iran's late President Raisi marred by protests and European and US snubs
Iran’s supreme leader applauds US campus protests against Israel
Hamas willing to reach 'complete agreement' including hostages & prisoners exchange deal if Israel halts war: Statement
Israel could have used smaller weapons against Hamas to avoid deaths in Gaza tent fire, experts say
Israeli airstrike on Rafah kills 12 Palestinians, Gaza medics say
Aid for Gaza still leaving Cyprus by sea while landing pier fixed
Stockholm accuses Iran of using criminals in Sweden to target Israel or Jewish interests
Rafah battles intensify as Israel takes over Gaza-Egypt border strip
Israel sent messages to Tehran to avoid Iranian response to embassy attack — agency
US and Britain strike Houthi targets in Yemen after surge in shipping attacks
Ship attacked by Yemen's Houthi rebels was full of grain bound for Iran, the group's main benefactor
Houthi leader says 129 ships attacked during Red Sea campaign
Syrian President Bashar Assad visits Iran to express condolences over death of Raisi
Iran opens registration for the June presidential election after Raisi died in a helicopter crash
US calls Algeria's proposed UN resolution demanding Israel halt offensive in Rafah not helpful
Turkey signals new military intervention in Syria if Kurdish groups hold municipal election
Syria's main insurgent group blasts the US Embassy over its criticism of crackdown on protesters
US envoy condemns attacks on Western-linked brands in Baghdad
4 Pakistanis killed by Iranian border guards in remote southwestern region, Pakistani officials say
Russia not invited to Normandy landings anniversary celebrations on June 6: Elysee Palace
Saudi Arabia to sell 0.64% Aramco stake as kingdom pushes to diversify its economy

Titles For The Latest English LCCC  analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources on May 30-31/2024
Europe’s Hamasnik....The UN, the ICC, the ICJ, Norway, Spain, and Ireland – all now back the terrorists/Clifford D. May/The Washington Times/May 30/2024
Turkish Textbooks: Turning History on Its Head/ Uzay Bulut/Gatestone Institute/May 30, 2024
The Normalizing of Assad Has Been a Disaster/Charles Lister/Foreign Policy/ay 30/2024
Battle against drug and arms smugglers is critical to Jordan’s national security/Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Arab News/May 30, 2024
The implications of AI for regional security/Ehtesham Shahid/Arab News/May 30, 2024

Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on May 30-31/2024
Elias Bejjani/Text & Video: The UN Undermines Its Values and Principles by Honoring Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi
Elias Bejjani/May 30, 2024
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/130233/130233/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y23GL7V3llA&t=2s
It is sad, unfortunate, and infuriating that the United Nations is set to hold a memorial for the late Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi on Friday, May 31, 2024, who died on May 20, 2024, in a helicopter crash along with several high-ranking Iranian officials, including Foreign Minister Abdollahian.
In response to this scandalous act, numerous protests have erupted across many countries that respect human rights principles. Reports on these protests against the UN’s decision to honor Raisi highlight a wave of anger and resentment among the Iranian community and the international society.
Ebrahim Raisi, who is held accountable for crimes against humanity, including the 1988 massacre of political prisoners in Iran, should not be honored by the United Nations. Raisi was a member of the “Death Committee,” which sentenced thousands of Iranian political prisoners, including members of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI), to execution. This massacre, which resulted in the deaths of more than 30,000 people, is one of the most horrific crimes in the history of the Islamic Republic. Additionally, Raisi played a significant role in suppressing popular uprisings, committing murders, arbitrary arrests, and torturing protesters, especially women and girls.
Holding a memorial for Raisi, known as “the butcher,” by the United Nations raises several serious concerns, including:
1-Undermining the Credibility of the United Nations:
Honoring a person accused of crimes against humanity contradicts the principles and charter of the United Nations, which focus on human rights and justice. This action may undermine the credibility of the international organization and weaken global confidence in it.
2-Encouraging Impunity:
Honoring Raisi sends a negative message that crimes against humanity can go unpunished, encouraging other authoritarian leaders to continue violating human rights without fear of accountability.
3-Hurting Victims of the Regime:
Honoring Raisi is an insult to the victims and their families, reopening their psychological wounds. These victims suffer from the loss of their loved ones, and the honor appears to justify the crimes committed against them.
4-Encouraging Repression:
Honoring Raisi will embolden the Iranian regime to continue its repressive policies against dissidents and increase its campaigns of oppression and violence against protesters and human rights defenders in Iran.
5-Endorsing the Crimes of Iranian Proxies:
Honoring this criminal implies that the United Nations endorses the criminal activities of Iranian terrorist and fundamentalist proxies in Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Lebanon, and Gaza, as well as the terrorist acts committed by the Iranian regime in dozens of countries worldwide.
There is way, but to compare this condemned and unacceptable honoring celebration, to hypothetical honoring criminal figures such as Hitler, Mussolini, Saddam Hussein, Gaddafi and many others, who committed genocide and mass atrocities.
In conclusion, this unethical, illegal, and inhumane memorial celebration, which contradicts the laws and principles of the United Nations itself, undermines and weakens international efforts to promote human rights and achieve global justice for victims of terrorism, racism, and wars. Therefore, the United Nations must review its decision and take steps to cancel Raisi’s honoring event, reaffirming its commitment to human rights and justice principles.
**The author, Elias Bejjani, is a Lebanese expatriate activist
Author’s Email: Phoenicia@hotmail.com
Author’s Website: http://www.eliasbejjaninews.com

Elias Bejjani/Texet & Video: Understanding the Risks of Hamas's Victory in Gaza
Elias Bejjani/May 28, 2024
The ongoing conflict between the State of Israel and the terrorist organization Hamas has resulted in immense suffering for people in the Middle East. The devastating war has caused loss of innocent lives, and the destruction of homes and communities demands global sympathy for the victims on both sides. However, it is crucial for global and regional powers to understand the true nature and goals of Hamas and the risks associated with its continued dominance in Gaza.
Promoting wars and targeting innocent civilians, whether Palestinian or Israeli, is neither acceptable nor justified by any moral or humanitarian standards. The Palestinian people are suffering immensely due to unprecedented Israeli military actions, while Hamas leaders remain indifferent, hiding in tunnels and using civilians as human shields. This organization prioritizes its jihadist agenda against Israel over the lives of defenseless Palestinian civilians.
The loss of innocent Palestinian lives is tragic and must be condemned. Hamas bears full responsibility for the suffering of its people, and its actions provide justification for Israel's military response. While it is essential to condemn Israeli actions that harm civilians, it is equally important to recognize the dangers of a Hamas victory.
Allowing Hamas to win in Gaza would strengthen it militarily, promote violent ideologies, and keep the Palestinian people under its oppressive rule. A Hamas victory would destabilize moderate Arab countries and empower other jihadist and terrorist organizations, potentially exporting terrorism to Europe, America, and beyond.
To defeat Hamas and free the Palestinian people from its tyranny, the international community must address the root causes of the conflict. This involves isolating Hamas, dismantling its infrastructure, and supporting the establishment of peaceful, democratic self-rule in Gaza and the West Bank. A future Palestinian state should be one that is reconciled with Israel and the broader international community.
Arab countries, many of which classify Hamas as a terrorist organization, must take clear and decisive stances against it. Hamas is closely aligned with the Muslim Brotherhood and other extremist groups, as well as with the Iranian Mullahs' regime posing a significant threat to regional stability.
The free world must distinguish between legitimate self-defense and terrorism. Groups like Hamas, Hezbollah, Boko Haram, the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces, the Houthis in Yemen, and others, often supported by the Iranian regime, are enemies of peace. Equating their actions with legitimate self-defense undermines justice and destabilizes global security.
Sympathy for the Palestinian people, who are held hostage by Hamas, is necessary. However, the international community must not overlook the dangers posed by allowing terrorist organizations to prevail. Defeating Hamas is crucial for achieving peace in the Middle East and beyond. This peace can only be realized through dialogue, reconciliation, mutual respect, and the right of all peoples to self-determination.
In conclusion, supporting the people of Gaza in their quest for a future free of terrorism and the domination of Hamas is a humanitarian duty. The forces of peace and justice must triumph over hatred and violence to ensure a stable and secure world.

Israel yet to respond to French Lebanon proposals, French ministry says
REUTERS/May 30, 2024
PARIS: Israel has not given a response to France on Paris’ proposals to reduce tensions between Israel and Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hezbollah, France’s foreign ministry spokesperson said on Thursday. Israel and Hezbollah have been engaged in escalating daily cross-border strikes over the past months — in parallel with the war in Gaza — and their increasing range and sophistication has raised fears of a wider regional conflict. France has historical ties with Lebanon and has proposed written proposals to both sides that would see Hezbollah’s elite unit pull back 10 km (6 miles) from the Israeli border, while Israel would halt strikes in southern Lebanon. Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne went to both Lebanon and Israel in April to push France’s efforts, and Israel’s foreign minister was in Paris earlier this month. Lebanon’s foreign minister was in Paris for talks on Wednesday. “We have had a relatively positive response from the Lebanese, but I think we have not had any return from Israel at this point,” Christophe Lemoine told reporters in a daily briefing. The written proposal also looks at long-term border issues and had been discussed with partners including the United States, which has its own efforts to ease tensions and exerts the most influence on Israel. The Shiite Muslim Hezbollah has amassed a formidable arsenal since a 2006 war with Israel and since October thousands of people on both sides of the border have been displaced by the clashes.

Israeli defense minister visits border, vows to target Hezbollah despite casualties
LBCI/May 30/2024
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant toured the northern borders, where he announced that his country's army would continue targeting Hezbollah at the borders and deep in Lebanese territory. Gallant's stance coincided with the Israeli army announcing that more than 3650 officers and soldiers have been injured since October 7, with nearly half of them during the Gaza incursion.

Gallant warns Nasrallah: Lebanon will pay the price for reality you've created
Naharnet/May 30/2024
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant has warned that Hezbollah, with its incessant attacks on Israel, was pulling Lebanon into a “harsh reality” that would take its toll on the country’s residents. During a visit to the Israeli army’s Northern Command, Gallant also presented photos and alleged details about senior Hezbollah commanders that Israel has killed during eight months of cross-border clashes since October 8. Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan “Nasrallah is dragging Lebanon into a harsh reality,” Gallant said. “The ones who will pay the price are the residents of Lebanon and Hezbollah forces,” he added. The minister went on to taunt Nasrallah over Hezbollah’s denial that Israel was killing its senior commanders amid the border clashes. Standing in front of a large poster featuring what he said were nine Hezbollah commanders, Gallant identified each one by name and their alleged role within the Iran-backed group. The nine Hezbollah officers had a rank equivalent to “brigadier general” in conventional armies, according to a statement from the Israeli defense ministry. “I ask him – all these people aren’t yours?” Gallant said. “There are over 320 dead terrorists including senior terrorists. If you continue we will escalate,” Gallant warned Nasrallah. Last month Hezbollah denied Gallant’s claim that Israeli forces had killed half of the group’s commanders in southern Lebanon, saying only a handful were slain. Hezbollah has been exchanging near-daily fire with the Israeli army since the day after its Palestinian ally Hamas carried out an unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7. Hezbollah says it is doing so to support Gaza amid the war there. Hezbollah has named 322 members who have been killed by Israel during the ongoing skirmishes, mostly in Lebanon but some also in Syria. In Lebanon, another 62 operatives from other groups, a Lebanese soldier, and dozens of civilians have been killed. Israel has threatened to go to war against Hezbollah to restore security to the north of Israel, where tens of thousands of civilians are currently displaced.

Outcomes of Le Drian’s Visit to Lebanon
Natasha Metni Torbey/This Is Beirut/30 May 2024
It is no longer a secret that the visit of the French President’s special envoy to Lebanon, Jean-Yves Le Drian, “failed to achieve a major breakthrough on the presidential issue,” as confirmed by a Western diplomatic source to This Is Beirut.
However, this visit stands out from previous ones as it still prompted a slight shift in the stance of Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri. Previously advocating for national dialogue under his leadership, he currently supports “parliamentary consultations” before the presidential election. Today, it is reported that he has agreed to let Deputy Speaker of Parliament Elias Bou Saab moderate these informal discussions. Despite recent reports suggesting pressure exerted by the Quintet’s members (the US, France, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Qatar) for the election of a new president within the next two months, “There is still no clear roadmap to resolve the deadlock before the end of June,” as stated by the same source. This timeline was mentioned by Le Drian during his visit to Beirut. The French envoy warned against the disappearance of “political Lebanon” if officials failed to elect a new head of state by then. In other words, beyond this deadline, “The Lebanese dossier will no longer be a top priority for the international community, given the significant global changes being witnessed.”Hence the imperative “to separate the Lebanese presidential dossier from the ongoing conflict between Hamas and Israel, as well as from the confrontations in southern Lebanon between Hezbollah and the Hebrew State,” explains the interviewed diplomat, before adding, “We are now banking on a national resurgence from the different parties involved, who should step up and assume responsibility, though this seems highly improbable at the moment.”
Transitioning From Dialogue to Consultations
During his various meetings with political leaders, Le Drian “extensively discussed, in detail, the format of the consultation process that could potentially lead to an agreement among the Lebanese for the election of a president,” as reported by the same source. It should be recalled that after persistently advocating for dialogue as a prerequisite to proceed with the presidential election, Speaker Nabih Berri eventually embraced the concept of parliamentary consultations preceding the electoral rally. These consultations would involve successive rounds of discussions until the election of a new president, “regardless of the outcomes of such exchanges,” as clarified by the diplomat. When questioned about whether this change of terminology may change the facts, the answer was, “In practical terms, only the format changes, with consultations being less formal than a conference or national dialogue.” According to the diplomatic source, this signifies “a sort of dynamic engagement among the various actors involved in the presidential election, for which Le Drian has expressed readiness to serve as a mediator.”
Visit’s Accomplishments
In evaluating the success of Le Drian’s mission, the diplomat emphasizes that his visit was “within a specific framework, serving two main objectives: bolstering the Quintet’s dynamic and clarifying the latest developments surrounding the political deadlock and vacancy in the country’s highest office. This holds particular significance as the Lebanese dossier will be on the agenda of the upcoming international summit meeting scheduled for June 8, following the ceremony commemorating the 80th anniversary of the 1944 Normandy landings.” During this summit, US President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron “will undoubtedly discuss the situation in Lebanon,” according to the Western source. A new visit by Le Drian to Lebanon “has not been ruled out,” according to the same source. However, there are doubts about whether the recently concluded one will yield results before Lebanon completely disappears from the political chessboard.

Le Drian leaves Beirut without making progress in the presidential file: AFP source
AFP/May 30/2024
French envoy Jean-Yves Le Drian left Beirut on Thursday without his efforts succeeding in convincing political forces to agree on electing a president, while the country has been in a deadlock since the vacancy of the position a year and a half ago.
A French diplomatic source told Agence France-Presse that Le Drian, who met with major political forces in Lebanon, including Hezbollah, the most prominent political force in the country, "did not achieve any notable breakthrough" in the presidential issue.
The source, who preferred to remain anonymous, added that "each party is holding on to its positions," which led Le Drian to warn the officials he met that "the very political existence of Lebanon is at risk," as the divide in the country continues.
Since the end of former President Michel Aoun’s term at the end of October 2022, Parliament has failed 12 times to elect a president, as no party holds a clear majority in Parliament to secure the election of its candidate amidst a deepening political division between Hezbollah and its allies on one side and their opponents on the other. The escalation across the border between Hezbollah and Israel, ongoing since the start of the war in Gaza between the Israeli state and Hamas on October 7, intensifies the political division, while the country is already deeply mired in a prolonged economic crisis. During his meetings in Beirut, Le Drian warned of "the dangers of prolonging the crisis," amid the tense regional context. He stressed "the urgent need to elect a president without delay," according to the diplomatic source. The French envoy's visit to Beirut was part of "preparations for US President Joe Biden’s visit to France, during which the Lebanese issue might be discussed." Biden is scheduled to visit France on June 6 to mark the 80th anniversary of the Normandy landings. International efforts towards Lebanon, including those by Le Drian, have so far hit a dead end, while the presidential vacancy since 2022 exacerbates the unprecedented economic crisis. In a joint statement signed by their ambassadors in Lebanon on May 16, the five countries monitoring the Lebanese issue—Saudi Arabia, Egypt, France, the United States, and Qatar—called for "consultations, limited in scope and duration, between political blocs," stating that they are "necessary to end the current political deadlock."

Israel has not yet responded to French Lebanon proposals, French ministry states
Reuters/May 30/2024
Israel has not given a response to France on Paris' proposals to reduce tensions between Israel and Lebanon's Hezbollah, France's foreign ministry spokesperson said on Thursday. Israel and Hezbollah have been engaged in escalating daily cross-border strikes over the past months - in parallel with the war in Gaza - and their increasing range and sophistication has raised fears of a wider regional conflict. France has historical ties with Lebanon and has proposed written proposals to both sides that would see Hezbollah's elite unit pull back 10 km (6 miles) from the Israeli border, while Israel would halt strikes in southern Lebanon. Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne went to both Lebanon and Israel in April to push France's efforts, and Israel's foreign minister was in Paris earlier this month. Lebanon's foreign minister was in Paris for talks on Wednesday. "We have had a relatively positive response from the Lebanese, but I think we have not had any return from Israel at this point," Christophe Lemoine told reporters in a daily briefing. The written proposal also looks at long-term border issues and had been discussed with partners including the United States, which has its own efforts to ease tensions and exerts the most influence on Israel.

Macron Praised LAF Commander Joseph Aoun
This Is Beirut/30 May 2024
According to sources close to the Elysée Palace, during a meeting on April 19 with Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati and Army Commander-in-Chief General Joseph Aoun, French President Emmanuel Macron paid a tribute to the chief of the Lebanese armed forces. The same source relayed that Macron was pleased by Joseph Aoun’s briefing on the Lebanese security situation. In this regard, the Commander-in-Chief detailed the measures that have maintained stability across the country, noting that despite the conflict in southern Lebanon and Israel expanding its attacks to the region of Baalbeck, security remains under control. Joseph Aoun also emphasized that the Lebanese Army is steadfast in its efforts to prevent any potential trouble, particularly with over 50% of the country’s population being non-Lebanese, speaking about Syrian migrants. In this context, General Aoun highlighted that while occasional incidents arise between Lebanese people and Syrian migrants, they are promptly addressed and do not lead to enduring tensions.

Hochstein Underlines a Step-by-Step Lebanese-Israeli Border Agreement
This Is Beirut/31 May 2024
The US envoy for Lebanon, Amos Hochstein, on Thursday outlined a draft agreement on the Lebanese-Israeli land border, which he said, if implemented, would reduce tensions between the two countries and restore stability to Lebanon. It is a step-by-step agreement, which Mr. Hochstein outlined during a lecture he gave at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace on the subject of “Growing tensions between Hezbollah and Israel on the Lebanese-Israeli border”.“I don’t expect permanent peace between Hezbollah and Israel”, said Mr. Hochstein, before adding: “But if we can reach a set of agreements, remove some of the grounds for conflict and establish recognized borders for the first time between the two countries, we would have made substantial progress”, he added. Mr. Hochstein had played a fundamental role in the delimitation of the maritime borders between Israel and Lebanon at the end of 2022, after two years of negotiations. He said that a multi-stage Lebanese-Israeli agreement should initially enable the inhabitants of the northern regions of Israel and southern Lebanon to return home. Such a stage would, in his view, require a consolidation of the Lebanese army’s capacities, through the enlistment of soldiers, and the training and re-equipping of military forces. The second phase of the agreement, he said, would be economic, involving international aid and investment in Lebanon. Mr. Hochstein highlighted the electricity sector, pointing to a solution being considered to improve the distribution of electricity. He mentioned a project that would enable “electricity to be supplied 12 hours a day, but in the short term”, without however giving any further details. The final phase of the agreement, he said, would focus on resolving contentious issues at the Lebanese-Israeli land border. Such an agreement, he insisted, could contribute to restoring stability in Lebanon at both political and economic levels, “which will help reduce Iran’s influence in the country”.

Senior adviser Hochstein sees path to Israel-Lebanon land border agreement
Reuters/May 30/2024
A land border agreement between Israel and Lebanon implemented in phases could dampen the simmering and deadly conflict between the two countries, a senior adviser to President Joe Biden said on Thursday. Attacks between Israel and Hezbollah militants in Lebanon have led to worries of a deeper war across the Middle East. The two sides have been engaging in regular exchanges of missile fire and airstrikes since the start of the war in Gaza last October. "I'm not expecting peace, everlasting peace, between Hezbollah and Israel," Amos Hochstein, a senior adviser to Biden for energy and investment, said in an interview with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. "But if we can reach a set of understandings and ... take away some of the impetus for conflict and establish for the first time ever, a recognized border between the two, I think that will go a long way." Hochstein brokered an Israel-Lebanon maritime boundary agreement in late 2022, after two years of talks, that opened the way for both countries to develop natural gas and other resources in the region. Hochstein has been working on a demarcation of the land border between the two countries that could have a number of phases. The first would be to allow for people in northern communities in Israel to return to their homes and those in southern communities in Lebanon to return to their homes, Hochstein said. Part of that would require a strengthening of the Lebanese armed forces, including recruiting, training and equipping forces, Hochstein said without detailing how that would happen. The second phase would involve an economic package for Lebanon, "making sure that the international community demonstrates to the Lebanese people that we're invested in them." Lebanon's power grid, for example, only operates a few hours per day, at an enormous detriment to its economy. "We have a solution for that, we've put together a package that could create a solution that would take them to 12 hours of electricity in a ... short amount of time," Hochstein said. The last phase would be a land boundary agreement between Lebanon and Israel, he said. If politics and the economy are stabilized in Lebanon, it could help reduce Iran's influence there, he said. "The ability of outside forces of any consequence to influence Lebanon will diminish dramatically," Hochstein said.

Southern Front: Two Hezbollah’s Fighters killed in Hula
This Is Beirut/30 May 2024
A precarious calm prevailed on Thursday on the southern front, interrupted by Israeli raids on Hanin and Maroun al-Ras, as well as another on a supermarket in Hula, where two Hezbollah’s fighters were killed. Another person was wounded. Israel also bombed the outskirts of Alma al-Shaab and Naqoura. A loud explosion was also heard in Baalbeck. These were Israeli planes that had crossed the sound barrier. Israeli aircraft also crossed the sound barrier over the eastern and central sectors, as well as over Nabatieh and Iqlim al-Tuffah. Israeli reconnaissance aircraft also flew over the caza of Tyre. For its part, Hezbollah claimed responsibility for an attack on gatherings of Israeli soldiers in the area around Jal al-Alam and the Adather position. Five rockets were also fired at the Matat barracks in Israel. The explosion of an interceptor missile was also heard in the western sector.

Israeli strike injures several in southern Lebanon's Houla
LBCI/May 30/2024
On Thursday evening, the National News Agency reported that several people were injured after an Israeli strike hit a commercial store in Houla, a village in southern Lebanon. Civil Defense teams are working to evacuate them and clear the rubble, the agency added.

Israel-Hezbollah border skirmishes: Latest developments
Naharnet/May 30/2024
Hezbollah targeted Thursday a group of soldiers in Mount Adir in northern Israel, while the Israeli army raided the southern border town of Hanine. Hezbollah, a Hamas ally, has traded regular cross-border fire with Israel since the Palestinian militant group's October 7 attack on southern Israel which triggered war in the Gaza Strip. In recent weeks Hezbollah has stepped up its cross-border attacks, which it says are in support of Gazans and its ally Hamas, while Israel has struck deeper into Lebanese territory. The violence has killed at least 440 people in Lebanon, mostly militants but also including 84 civilians, according to an AFP tally. Israel says 14 soldiers and 11 civilians have been killed on its side of the border.

Sami Gemayel: Hezbollah's performance is divisive, we won't liberate Lebanon unless we unite
Naharnet/May 30/2024
Kataeb Party chief Sami Gemayel has said that Hezbollah is not willing to discuss the possibility of electing a “third” presidential candidate other than Suleiman Franjieh and Jihad Azour. “They are still clinging to Franjieh,” Gemayel said in an interview on Tele Liban. “Until now, Hezbollah is not willing to elect a president and meet us half way,” he added. “It’s about time everyone acknowledged that Lebanon is hijacked by Hezbollah, which is blocking reforms and dragging us into a war,” Gemayel went on to say. “Everyone must realize that we will not exit the vortex and Hezbollah’s domination without a confrontation, and this requires bringing the forces together. We should not resort to a sectarian approach to liberate the country, but rather to a patriotic one,” the Kataeb leader added. Describing Hezbollah’s performance as “divisive and leading to segregating the Lebanese,” Gemayel said “we won’t liberate Lebanon unless we unite.”

Between Berri and Geagea, vacuum protracts and hope wanes
Naharnet/May 30/2024
Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea said that Hezbollah and Amal are the ones who refused a third-man solution to the presidential crisis in Lebanon. French President's Special Envoy to Lebanon Jean-Yves Le Drian had arrived Tuesday in Lebanon in a bid to break the presidential deadlock in the crisis-hit country. He reportedly told his visitors that the presidential solution lies in choosing a third candidate and that the June 14 candidates, Jihad Azour and Suleiman Franjieh, must withdraw from the presidential race. On June 14, lawmakers failed for the 12th time to elect a president as candidates Azour and Franjieh both failed to get across the line in the 128-seat parliament. "The Axis of Resistance wants to know the identity of the president before the election session, and this is not possible," Geagea said Wednesday after meeting Le Drian. "They did not accept a third-man solution, while we did," he added.
The winner needs two-thirds majority, or 86 votes from the 128 members of parliament -- but Hezbollah and its allies have posted spoilt ballots to disrupt previous votes. Quorum has been lost before a second round of voting -- where the winner only requires 65 ballots -- has been able to go ahead. Hezbollah and its allies adopted a similar tactic in the last presidential vote, a move that left Lebanon without a president for more than two years, until Michel Aoun's 2016 win. Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri has called for a dialogue to break the impasse. He insisted that only dialogue would solve the presidential crisis, while the LF refused a dialogue chaired by Berri. The United States, France, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Qatar, have called for both consultations and a third-man solution. "We will not accept granting Speaker Berri powers that do not belong to him," Geagea said.

Mechanical inspection fees now accepted at money transfer companies in Lebanon
LBCI/May 30/2024
Mechanical inspection fees now accepted at money transfer companies in Lebanon
Lebanon's Traffic and Vehicles Management Authority announced that, starting today, Thursday, May 30, 2024, the annual traffic fees for mechanical inspections can now be paid at all money transfer company centers (OMT, Whish Money, Cash Plus, BOB Finance).

Electricity: Squabbles Between Salam and Fayad Over a Qatari Offer
This Is Beirut/30 May 2024
A Qatari bid for the construction of renewable energy power plants is causing acrimonious exchanges between the two ministries of Economy and Energy. The caretaker ministers of Economy and Energy, Amine Salam and Walid Fayad, respectively, engaged in a heated exchange on Thursday, holding separate press conferences two and a half hours apart to give their sides of the story. The two sides were at each other’s throats, each wanting to take credit for attracting such a project to Lebanon, all while providing contradictory information on the Qatari offer. For Salam, the construction of the power plants “won’t cost Lebanon a penny.” “It’s not free at all,” retorts Fayad. The caretaker Minister of Economy talks of three power plants, and his Energy colleague of just one. The Lebanese, for their part, remain in the dark, due to a project that has been blurred by this controversy. There’s “nothing definite,” Fayad told This Is Beirut, adding that he hopes “the project will come to fruition as soon as possible to provide the Lebanese with more electricity.” The minister said that Lebanon was indebted to Qatar and TotalEnergies for supporting it with “a unique investment offer consisting of a solar-powered power plant.” “We’re talking about one power plant, not 300 megawatts, and this consists of a partnership contract between the public and private sectors through a long-term commitment, not a gift as some people claim,” he said. He added that “the proposal to set up a plant to produce electricity from solar energy is not a gift, and its cost is not ‘zero’ as rumors have it,” noting that, furthermore, “the land on which it will be installed will still have to be chosen.” He gave these details at a press conference, during which he also responded to Salam.
Fayad wished for “no one to try to one-up the other,” stressing that he is “very interested in increasing the supply of electricity, particularly through solar energy.” Two hours earlier, during his press conference, Salam had asserted that he “is not engaged in a duel with anyone” but that it is his duty, as caretaker Minister of the Economy, to address this issue and that he has “the right to speak first about the energy sector and any sector that affects the Lebanese and the Lebanese economy, negatively or positively.” “Unfortunately, things are in most cases negative, mainly the energy issue, which today weighs down 30 or 40% of the Lebanese economy,” said Salam.
He recalled that on October 22, 2023, he had visited Qatar with an economic delegation and talked to the Qatari leadership about the power plants project. He pointed out that the contract, signed in January, provided for the creation of three power plants. “A letter was subsequently sent by Doha to Beirut, reporting a project to build three solar power plants with a capacity of 150 megawatts each, and requiring only three land plots from the Lebanese state.”According to him, “The offer is serious because the Qatari leaders want to help Lebanon.” “We only had to respond and give the technical details, and that’s not part of my job. We must not squander the opportunity offered by Qatar,” he warned. He added that this offer must be “placed within its investment framework that extends over a period of 25 years, during which Qatar supplies the equipment, builds the plant and operates it without Lebanon paying a single cent. That means that the cost is zero until the project is launched.”“For the past year and a half, we’ve been working to make this opportunity a reality, but some people are just insisting on the law and decrees that should be approved. This means that the same parties are standing in the way of this project (…). What matters to me is that the project gets through the government so that the power plants, each with a capacity of 150 megawatts, can be built within weeks or months.”He said that as soon as the contract was signed, Lebanon should have started looking for suitable land and responded positively to Doha, which it did not do. In an interview he gave a few days ago to a pan-Arab channel, the Minister had been more vehement, claiming that the Lebanese government “had replied seven months later to Doha to inform it that it had appointed a ‘contact point’ for a follow-up that had not taken place.”However, he cleared Walid Fayad, accusing the political parties and “the mafias of generator and fuel owners of blocking this project,” the former, he claimed, for reasons linked to clientelism and the latter for matters of private interest. In particular, he came across “the generator mafia” which, according to his figures, has 7,200 generators in Lebanon, “causing terrible pollution.”“The mafias are all concerned with disorder,” Salam argued, also stigmatizing the fact that the Lebanese pay the highest price in the world for electricity.

Salam says Doha offer to build 3 power plants has been blocked
Associated Press/May 30/2024
Lebanon's political class, fuel companies and private electricity providers blocked an offer by gas-rich Qatar to build three renewable energy power plants to ease the crisis-hit nation's decades-old electricity crisis, Lebanon's caretaker economy minister said Thursday. Lebanon's electricity crisis worsened after the country's historic economic meltdown began in October 2019. Power cuts often last for much of the day, leaving many reliant on expensive private generators that work on diesel and raise pollution levels. Although many people have installed solar power systems in their homes over the past three years, most use it only to fill in when the generator is off. Cost and space issues in urban areas have also limited solar use. Qatar offered in 2023 to build three power plants with a capacity of 450 megawatts — or about 25% of the small nation's needs — and since then, Doha didn't receive a response from Lebanon, caretaker Economy Minister Amin Salam said. Lebanon's energy minister, Walid Fayyad, responded in a news conference held shortly afterward that Qatar only offered to build one power plant with a capacity of 100 megawatts that would be a joint venture between the private and public sectors and not a gift as "some claim."Salam said that after Qatar got no response from Lebanon regarding their offer, Doha offered to start with a 100-megawatt plant. Lebanon's political class that has been running the country since the end of 1975-90 civil war is largely blamed for the widespread corruption and mismanagement that led to the country's worst economic crisis in its modern history. Five years after the crisis began, Lebanon's government hasn't implemented a staff-level agreement reached with the International Monetary Fund in 2022 and has resisted any reforms in electricity, among other sectors. People currently get an average of four hours of electricity a day from the state company, which has cost state coffers more than $40 billion over the past three decades because of its chronic budget shortfalls. "There is a country in darkness that we want to turn its lights on," Salam told reporters in Beirut, saying that during his last trip to Qatar in April, officials in the gas-rich nation asked him about the offer they put forward in January 2023. "The Qatari leadership is offering to help Lebanon, so we have to respond to that offer and give results," Salam said. Had the political leadership been serious in easing the electricity crisis, he said, they would have called for emergency government and parliamentary sessions to approve it. He blamed "cartels and Mafia" that include fuel companies and 7,200 private generators that are making huge profits because of the electricity crisis. "We don't want to breathe poison anymore. We are inhaling poison every day," Salam said. "Political bickering is blocking everything in the country," Salam said referring to lack of reforms as well as unsuccessful attempts to elect a president since the term of President Michel Aoun's term ended in October 2022.
Lebanon hasn't built a new power plant in decades. Multiple plans for new ones have run aground on politicians' factionalism and conflicting patronage interests. The country's few aging, heavy-fuel oil plants long ago became unable to meet demand.

USAID celebrates 76 gifted students during graduation ceremony at AUB
Naharnet/May 30/2024
U.S. Ambassador Lisa Johnson has attended the graduation from the American University of Beirut (AUB) of 76 scholars awarded U.S. government scholarships through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the U.S. embassy in Beirut said in a statement. "These academically gifted students represent a new generation of public and private sector leaders in Lebanon, many of whom might not otherwise be able to attend university amid Lebanon’s economic crisis," the statement said. "This is the latest milestone in the U.S. Embassy and AUB’s long-standing partnership in higher education and our shared commitment to empower Lebanon’s youth through USAID's Higher Education Scholarship program," the embassy said. Ambassador Johnson was joined by USAID Mission Director Julie Southfield, AUB President Fadlo Khuri, AUB faculty and staff, and the graduating scholars.
“Education is one of the most powerful tools for individual progress and a country’s growth and prosperity,” the Ambassador said. “This is why the United States, through USAID, launched the Higher Education Scholarship program – to increase access to education amid Lebanon’s ongoing challenges.”
During the event, students shared testimonials about the impact of the program on their lives and received Excellence Award certificates for their academic achievements and engagement in community service. President Khuri addressed the audience, saying, “The USAID Higher Education Scholarships Program at AUB has been a blessing for the community of young scholars, as well as for the American University of Beirut. This program enables us to admit the most talented students without succumbing to economic elitism, which can overshadow and stifle intellectual excellence."Since 2010, the United States has invested over $100 million to provide full undergraduate scholarships at AUB to students from all of Lebanon’s 26 districts, including refugees. These scholarships have enabled 760 students to pursue a high-quality education, the U.S. embassy said.
It added that in addition to the full scholarship program, USAID provided an additional $19.5 million in 2022 to support AUB’s financial aid program, targeting 1,950 students enrolled at AUB who have been adversely affected by the economic crisis.
USAID’s assistance require students to engage in volunteer work, training workshops, internships, and community service in their own communities to better cope with the challenges posed by the multiple crises in Lebanon.

Human Rights Groups Slam Lebanon Backtrack on ICC
This Is Beirut/30 May 2024
Human rights activists on Thursday criticized Beirut’s decision to stop asking the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate and prosecute alleged war crimes committed by Israel in Lebanon since the Israel-Hamas war erupted. “Our initial optimism about the Lebanese government’s decision has given way to deep disappointment,” said Amnesty International’s deputy regional director, Aya Majzoub. Beirut “says it wants justice for the targeting and killing of journalists, the attacks on medical facilities and other civilian infrastructure, yet it has shut the door on one of the few avenues for accountability,” she told AFP. On Tuesday, the Lebanese government decided to “modify” an April decision in which it said it would “submit a declaration to the registrar of the International (Criminal) Court to accept its jurisdiction in investigating and prosecuting all crimes committed on Lebanese soil since October 7.”
The government said it would instead file complaints to the United Nations. Those “crimes” included the killing of Reuters journalist Issam Abdallah in South Lebanon on October 13. Six other journalists from Reuters, Al Jazeera and AFP were wounded. One of them, AFP photographer Christina Assi, 28, later had a leg amputated. A Reuters probe found two Israeli tank rounds were used in the attack, in an investigation it carried out with the Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research (TNO), an independent research institute. The Lebanese government’s decisions made specific reference to the TNO findings. Human Rights Watch (HRW) has said the strikes were “apparently deliberate attacks on civilians, which is a war crime.” HRW’s Middle East and North Africa Director, Lama Fakih, said the government’s U-turn was “a really difficult pill to swallow.” It would have been a chance for victims “to have their day in court, to be able to see a path towards justice,” she told AFP.

Moawad Calls on Frangieh to Withdraw his Presidential Candidacy
This Is Beirut/30 May 2024
Michel Moawad, leader of the Independence Movement and Renewal Bloc (Tajaddod) MP, reiterated his stance in favor of “the election of a sovereigntist president who puts Lebanon and its interests first.” In an interview with LBCI on Wednesday evening, Moawad explained that Sleiman Frangieh’s alliance with Hezbollah and the pro-Iranian axis was “incompatible with his presidential candidacy.” He called on Frangieh to withdraw from the presidential race due to his anti-sovereignty stance, pointing out that the issue at stake was not personal.
In this respect, he added that “a minority is trying to impose its opinion on the majority” and reiterated the request for “open electoral sessions, in line with the Constitution.”
Moawad also spoke of the role of opposition forces, arguing that they should “close ranks to impose a more advantageous balance of power, as a way to put pressure on Hezbollah and elect a President of the Republic.”Regarding the Syrian migrant crisis in Lebanon, Moawad laid the blame on the government, calling on it to control the borders and deport illegal Syrians. As for the Parliament’s recommendations concerning the management of this file, Moawad pointed out that “Parliament did not have time” to study them in detail, and that the Speaker of the House, Nabih Berry, “quickly” approved the document. Regarding the war in South Lebanon, Moawad criticized Hezbollah’s unilateral decision to get involved, lamenting: “And the State has to foot the bill?”

Can Israel’s ‘security zone’ in Lebanon teach us about Gaza?
Seth J. Frantzman/The Jerusalem Post/published on May 27, 2024 |
What Israel is doing in Gaza is very different than Lebanon. However, there may be learning experiences that could help inform what Israel does next.
Today in Gaza, Israel is operating in several areas. In the south, the focus is on Rafah, the offensive of which began on May 7. In Jabalya in the north, the 98th division is also uprooting terrorist infrastructure. Meanwhile, in the Netzarim corridor, two brigades are securing an area south of Gaza City, a unique area in Gaza. It is the one area the IDF has continually operated in since October and an area that has consistently been cleared of terrorists; the IDF can operate here more easily because Hamas cannot return.
Some analysts have wondered if this might be a prelude to the management of the war with Hamas – similar to the way terror threats in the West Bank are confronted. It is also worth asking whether this area might become similar to the security zone Israel once ran in southern Lebanon from the 1980s to 2000. Saudi Arabia-based English daily Arab News asked this question back in December about Israel’s operations in Gaza, and the question is even more relevant now.
The Netzarim corridor is important because it splits northern from southern Gaza. It was captured in the early days of the ground maneuver in Gaza in late October-early November. The 36th Division secured the area first, and other units later rotated in and out. The Nahal brigade played a key role in this, followed by the 679th Yiftah Reserve Armored Brigade and 2nd Carmeli Reserve Infantry Brigade have been active there in the past few weeks.
As units rotate in and out, the corridor is changing. Roads and other improvements are taking place; terrorist infrastructure is being uprooted. On Monday, the IDF said that “the 679th Brigade Combat Team has been operating in the Gaza Strip for the past few weeks. Over the past week, the troops have been operating in the area of Sabra in the center of the Gaza Strip, aiming to destroy terrorist infrastructure, eliminate terrorists, and locate and destroy terror tunnels.” This important operation saw IDF engineers destroy an 800-meter tunnel that was 18 m. deep.
If lessons Netzarim and other aspects of Gaza could be gleaned from the Lebanon war, the question is what might they be? In 2022, the Israel Affairs journal sought answers to this, with a call for research papers noting that “the 15 years of fighting in the Security Zone were rarely mentioned within Israeli society, let alone in the academic sphere.
Only in recent years has the Israeli public become aware of this period after many soldiers who served in the Security Zone began sharing their memories through books and social media. The campaign to raise awareness of the period successfully ended when in March 2021, Israel officially recognized this period as one of warfare. This special issue aims to interdisciplinary bridge the gap in the academic discourse regarding the war in the Security Zone.”
Israel’s security zone in southern Lebanon
Israel controlled a piece of southern Lebanon that was designed to keep terrorists away from the border. The zone included up to 150,000 civilians in numerous villages, including Lebanese Christians, Muslims, and others. This is starkly different from Gaza, where there are some 2 million people.
Israel has eschewed operating among civilians in Gaza, ruling over them, or even being among them, with heavy forces. It calls on civilians to evacuate areas of Gaza before it operates. In this sense, is it hard to see how Netzarim or other areas become similar to Lebanon at all. In addition, in Lebanon, Israel had local allies in the South Lebanon Army, a paramilitary group with thousands of members. The IDF footprint in southern Lebanon was relatively light, with up to several thousand troops or less.
These major differences mean that currently, what Israel is doing in Gaza is very different from Lebanon. However, there may be learning experiences that could help inform what Jerusalem does next. So far, Israel is searching for a strategy. One issue that the IDF faces, if it remains in permanent locations in Gaza, will be that Hamas will seek to learn from this and target the forces. Hamas will also innovate and change its tactics, which the IDF is currently winning in.
It wins the battles, while Hamas seeks to win the long war. The question facing the planners in Netzarim and elsewhere is how to change that model.
In Southern Lebanon, when the IDF entered, the locals generally greeted Israel positively, and when it left in 2000 Hezbollah took over. Israel entered Gaza with Hamas in control; the goal should be to leave Gaza with Hamas no longer in control, not with it empowered.
**Seth Frantzman is the author of Drone Wars: Pioneers, Killing Machine, Artificial Intelligence and the Battle for the Future (Bombardier 2021) and an adjunct fellow at The Foundation for Defense of Democracies.

Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on May 30-31/2024
Guilty: Trump becomes first former US president convicted of felony crimes
AP/May 31, 2024
NEW YORK: Donald Trump became the first former president to be convicted of felony crimes Thursday as a New York jury found him guilty of falsifying business records in a scheme to illegally influence the 2016 election through hush money payments to a porn actor who said the two had sex.
Jurors deliberated for 9.5 hours over two days before convicting Trump of all 34 counts he faced. Trump sat stone-faced while the verdict was read as cheering from the street below — where supporters and detractors of the former president were gathered — could be heard in the hallway on courthouse’s 15th floor where the decision was revealed.
“This was a rigged, disgraceful trial,” Trump told reporters after leaving the courtroom. “The real verdict is going to be Nov. 5 by the people. They know what happened, and everyone knows what happened here.”
The verdict is a stunning legal reckoning for Trump and exposes him to potential prison time in the city where his manipulations of the tabloid press helped catapult him from a real estate tycoon to reality television star and ultimately president. As he seeks to reclaim the White House in this year’s election, the judgment presents voters with another test of their willingness to accept Trump’s boundary-breaking behavior.
Trump is expected to quickly appeal the verdict and will face an awkward dynamic as he returns to the campaign trail as a convicted felon. There are no campaign rallies on the calendar for now, though he’s expected to hold fundraisers next week. Judge Juan Merchan set sentencing for July 11, just days before the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, where Republican leaders who remained resolute in their support in the immediate aftermath of the verdict are expected to formally make him their nominee.
The falsifying business records charges carry up to four years behind bars, though prosecutors have not said whether they intend to seek imprisonment, and it is not clear whether the judge — who earlier in the trial warned of jail time for gag order violations — would impose that punishment even if asked. The conviction, and even imprisonment, will not bar Trump from continuing his pursuit of the White House.
Trump faces three other felony indictments, but the New York case may be the only one to reach a conclusion before the November election, adding to the significance of the outcome. Though the legal and historical implications of the verdict are readily apparent, the political consequences are less so given its potential to reinforce rather than reshape already-hardened opinions about Trump.
For another candidate in another time, a criminal conviction might doom a presidential run, but Trump’s political career has endured through two impeachments, allegations of sexual abuse, investigations into everything from potential ties to Russia to plotting to overturn an election, and personally salacious storylines including the emergence of a recording in which he boasted about grabbing women’s genitals.
In addition, the general allegations of the case have been known to voters for years and, while tawdry, are widely seen as less grievous than the allegations he faces in three other cases that charge him with subverting American democracy and mishandling national security secrets.
Even so, the verdict is likely to give President Joe Biden and fellow Democrats space to sharpen arguments that Trump is unfit for office, even as it provides fodder for the presumptive Republican nominee to advance his unsupported claims that he is victimized by a criminal justice system he insists is politically motivated against him. Trump maintained throughout the trial that he had done nothing wrong and that the case should never have been brought, railing against the proceedings from inside the courthouse — where he was joined by a parade of high-profile Republican allies — and racking up fines for violating a gag order with inflammatory out-of-court comments about witnesses.
Republicans showed no sign of loosening their embrace of the party leader, with House Speaker Mike Johnson releasing a statement lamenting what he called “a shameful day in American history.” He called the case “a purely political exercise, not a legal one.”
The first criminal trial of a former American president always presented a unique test of the court system, not only because of Trump’s prominence but also because of his relentless verbal attacks on the foundation of the case and its participants. But the verdict from the 12-person jury marked a repudiation of Trump’s efforts to undermine confidence in the proceedings or to potentially impress the panel with a show of GOP support.
The trial involved charges that Trump falsified business records to cover up hush money payments to Stormy Daniels, the porn actor who said she had sex with the married Trump in 2006.
The $130,000 payment was made by Trump’s former lawyer and personal fixer Michael Cohen to buy Daniels’ silence during the final weeks of the 2016 race in what prosecutors allege was an effort to interfere in the election. When Cohen was reimbursed, the payments were recorded as legal expenses, which prosecutors said was an unlawful attempt to mask the true purpose of the transaction. Trump’s lawyers contend they were legitimate payments for legal services.
Trump has denied the sexual encounter, and his lawyers argued during the trial that his celebrity status, particularly during the 2016 campaign, made him a target for extortion. They’ve said hush money deals to bury negative stories about Trump were motivated by personal considerations such as the impact on his family and brand as a businessman, not political ones. They also sought to undermine the credibility of Cohen, the star prosecution witness who pleaded guilty in 2018 to federal charges related to the payments, as driven by personal animus toward Trump as well as fame and money.
The trial featured more than four weeks of occasionally riveting testimony that revisited an already well-documented chapter from Trump’s past, when his 2016 campaign was threatened by the disclosure of an “Access Hollywood” recording that captured him talking about grabbing women sexually without their permission and the prospect of other stories about Trump and sex surfacing that would be harmful to his candidacy.
Trump himself did not testify, but jurors heard his voice through a secret recording of a conversation with Cohen in which he and the lawyer discussed a $150,000 hush money deal involving a Playboy model, Karen McDougal, who has said she had an affair with Trump: “What do we got to pay for this? One-fifty?” Trump was heard saying on the recording made by Cohen.
Daniels herself testified, offering at times a graphic recounting of the sexual encounter she says they had in a hotel suite during a Lake Tahoe golf tournament. The former publisher of the National Enquirer, David Pecker, testified about how he worked to keep stories harmful to the Trump campaign from becoming public at all, including by having his company buy McDougal’s story.
Jurors also heard from Keith Davidson, the lawyer who negotiated the hush money payments on behalf of Daniels and McDougal.
He detailed the tense negotiations to get both women compensated for their silence but also faced an aggressive round of questioning from a Trump attorney who noted that Davidson had helped broker similar hush money deals in cases involving other prominent figures.
But the most pivotal witness, by far, was Cohen, who spent days on the stand and gave jurors an insider’s view of the hush money scheme and what he said was Trump’s detailed knowledge of it.
“Just take care of it,” he quoted Trump as saying at one point.
He offered jurors the most direct link between Trump and the heart of the charges, recounting a meeting in which they and the then-chief financial officer of Trump Organization described a plan to have Cohen reimbursed in monthly installments for legal services.
And he emotionally described his dramatic break with Trump in 2018, when he decided to cooperate with prosecutors after a decade-long career as the then-president’s personal fixer.
“To keep the loyalty and to do the things that he had asked me to do, I violated my moral compass, and I suffered the penalty, as has my family,” Cohen told the jury.
The outcome provides a degree of vindication for Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who had characterized the case as being about election interference rather than hush money and defended it against criticism from legal experts who called it the weakest of the four prosecutions against Trump.
But it took on added importance not only because it proceeded to trial first but also because it could be the only one of the cases to reach a jury before the election.
The other three cases — local and federal charges in Atlanta and Washington that he conspired to undo the 2020 election, as well as a federal indictment in Florida charging him with illegally hoarding top-secret records — are bogged down by delays or appeals.

UN tribute to Iran's late President Raisi marred by protests and European and US snubs
Edith M. Lederer/The Associated Press/May 30, 2024 at 3:03
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. General Assembly’s tribute to Iran’s late President Ebrahim Raisi was snubbed by Western and East European nations on Thursday amid protests against honoring a leader who was reviled for his crackdown on opponents.
The assembly’s tribute was no surprise. It is a longstanding practice that the 193-member world body holds a plenary meeting to pay tribute to the memory of a sitting head of state who dies, where all U.N. regional groups send representatives to speak about their life and legacy. And there were some warm tributes to Raisi, especially from African nations. But what happened Thursday that was highly unusual was that only representatives from the African, Asian-Pacific, and Latin American and Caribbean regional groups spoke. There were no remarks from the West European or East European groups, or from the United States, which normally speaks last representing the host country.
“The United States will not attend today’s United Nations tribute event for President Raisi in any capacity,” Nate Evans, spokesperson for the U.S. Mission to the U.N. said. “Raisi was involved in numerous, horrific human rights abuses, including the extrajudicial killings of thousands of political prisoners in 1988. Some of the worst human rights abuses on record took place during his tenure.”“The U.N. should be standing with the people of Iran,” Evans said in a statement. While the tribute was taking place in the assembly chamber, more than 100 protesters held banners across the street from U.N. headquarters saying, “Shame on U.N. holding memorial for Raisi, Butcher of Tehran,” and chanting similar words. Before the assembly met, 45 current and former U.N. officials, experts, ambassadors and judges sent a joint letter to U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres protesting the tribute to an individual involved in mass atrocities. Raisi, 63, a powerful figure in Iran’s authoritarian Islamic government, was killed in a helicopter crash on May 20 along with the country’s foreign minister and six others. He had long been considered a potential successor for Iran’s supreme leader, 85-year-old Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in whose hands power ultimately rests, but was reviled by opponents, and sanctioned by the U.S., for his role in mass executions of political prisoners at the end of Iran’s long war with Iraq in the 1980s. Many also hold Raisi responsible for the death of Mahsa Amini, who died in police custody in September 2022 after being detained for allegedly violating Iran’s mandatory headscarf law. Amini’s death sparked mass protests against the country’s ruling theocracy, and a security crackdown that saw more than 500 people killed and over 22,000 detained.
On Thursday, General Assembly President Dennis Francis opened the meeting offering the world body's “deepest condolences to the government and people of Iran.”
Throughout his career, Francis said, “president Raisi held significant roles in Iranian society and government – and as president, led his country’s contribution to shape the tenets of our multilateral system and international cooperation.”Secretary-General Guterres then spoke, also offering condolences and said Raisi “led Iran at a challenging time for the country, the region and globally” – but skipping a tribute. Guterres assured the Iranian people the United Nations stands with them “and in the quest for peace, development and fundamental freedoms.”He was followed by Burundi’s Ambassador Zéphyrin Maniratanga who spoke on behalf of African nations and praised Raisi as a “distinguished leader who devoted his life to serving his nation and fostering international cooperation particularly with African countries.”“The late president Raisi was a visionary leader whose dedication to the principles of equity, brotherhood, solidarity and multilateralism was evident throughout his tenure,” he said, citing Iran's expanded trade, education and health services in Africa. Vanuatu diplomat Marjorie Wells, speaking for the Asia-Pacific group, then spoke, calling Raisi’s death a “heartbreaking loss,” saying he served the Iranian people “with great dedication and passion” and “worked tirelessly to promote growth, justice and progress.” Haiti’s U.N. Ambassador Antonio Rodrigue, speaking for the Latin America and Caribbean group, called Raisi’s death “a great loss” for Iran, recounting his career and saying “he dedicated his life to the service of his country."
The West and East European and the U.S. should have followed. Instead, Assembly president Francis then gave the floor to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the Nonaligned Movement which Iran belongs to for tributes that praised Raisi.
The final speaker from the Gulf Cooperation Council, which includes Iran’s rival Saudi Arabia, said Raisi served his country and sent condolences to the Iranian people and leadership saying: “We belong to Allah and to Him we shall return.”

Iran’s supreme leader applauds US campus protests against Israel
Filip Timotija/The Hill./Thu, May 30, 2024
Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei applauded U.S. campus pro-Palestine protesters, telling them they are “standing on the right side” of history and they’ve created a branch of the “Resistance Front” against the Jewish state.
Khamenei penned a letter expressing support for protests that have sprung up across the the U.S. on college campuses, praising the students for their “courageous defense of the Palestinian people.” “You have now formed a branch of the Resistance Front and have begun an honorable struggle in the face of your government’s ruthless pressure — a government which openly supports the usurper and brutal Zionist regime,” Khamenei said in the letter.
He called Israel an “apartheid Zionist regime” that is committing “genocide” in Gaza.
Iran sees Israel as an enemy state and has vehemently opposed the Jewish state’s bombardment of Gaza, which started following Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack that killed around 1,200 Israelis and resulted in 250 taken hostages. Since then, Israel’s military operation has killed more than 36,000 Palestinians, according to Gazan health authorities. Tehran has been accused internationally of relying on its proxies, like Hezbollah and Houthis in Yemen, to go after Israel. Tensions in the region escalated more after Iran’s embassy complex in Syria was attacked allegedly by Israel, killing senior officers of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The attack caused Iran to retaliate against Israel in mid-April with drones and more than 300 missiles. Khamenei, who has suppressed any dissent coming from the nation’s interior, has also said the “solidarity” some professors have shown to the protests is a “significant and consequential development.” “This can offer some measure of comfort in the face of your government’s police brutality and the pressures it is exerting on you,” he said in the letter. “I too am among those who empathize with you young people, and value your perseverance.”
The protests on college campuses in the U.S. kicked off at Columbia University, with the movement spreading to other institutions around the country and beyond. Students were protesting Israel’s military operation in Gaza and pressed schools to divest from organizations that are making a profit from the conflict in the Gaza Strip. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) reacted to Khamenei’s remarks on the social media platform X, saying that “When you’ve won the Ayatollah, you’ve lost America.”

Hamas willing to reach 'complete agreement' including hostages & prisoners exchange deal if Israel halts war: Statement
ReutersMay 30, 2024
Hamas said they informed ceasefire talks mediators that they are ready to reach a "complete agreement" including a comprehensive hostages/prisoners exchange deal if Israel "stops its war and aggression against people in Gaza," a statement from the group said on Thursday.

Israel could have used smaller weapons against Hamas to avoid deaths in Gaza tent fire, experts say
Tara Copp And Josef Federman/The Associated Press/May 30, 2024
Defense experts who have reviewed debris images from an Israeli airstrike that ignited a deadly fire in a camp for displaced Palestinians questioned why Israel did not use smaller, more precise weapons when so many civilians were nearby. They said the bombs used were likely U.S.-made. The strikes, targeting Hamas operatives, killed as many as 45 people sheltering in a temporary displacement camp near the southern Gaza city of Rafah on Sunday and have drawn international condemnation. Israel is investigating the attack but says the Hamas targets were 1.7 kilometers (1 mile) away from a declared humanitarian zone and that its review before the strike determined no expected harm to civilians. But displaced civilians were scattered throughout the area, and Israel had not ordered evacuations. So even if the tents that burned were not inside the marked humanitarian zone, the civilians there thought it was safe. Israel, which was attacked by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023, has not said where the burned tents were in relation to the compound it bombed on Sunday, but has released one satellite image showing there were some known civilian shelters located about 180 meters (600 feet) away. It emphasized that while there were no tents “in the immediate vicinity,” due to “unforeseen circumstances, a fire ignited tragically taking the lives of Gazan civilians nearby.”Footage released by the Israeli military appears to show people walking next to the targeted buildings before the blast. The footage also appears to show tents nearby.
Israel has not identified the bombs it used, but Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, an Israel Defense Forces spokesman, has emphasized that the country chose the smallest munition its jets could carry — with 17 kilograms (37 pounds) of explosive material each — and that an unintended secondary explosion may have caused the fire. Even the smallest jet-launched munition may be too big when civilians are near because of how they explode and can send fragments far, defense experts said. Images posted on social media from the tent camp on Monday and verified by The Associated Press showed a CAGE code, a unique identifier assigned to U.S. government suppliers, on pieces of the exploded weapons. Based on those images and satellite photos of the debris field, two defense experts said the bombs used were likely U.S.-made 250-pound (113-kilogram) GBU-39 small-diameter bombs.
Though they're smaller than many other weapons the U.S. has provided to Israel, these bombs can still create a wide swath of damage. The entire 250-pound shell and components are designed to spew fragments that can travel as far as 2,000 feet (600 meters). “You essentially have two bombs they use that the fragments can travel 600 meters in a densely packed area. So that just doesn’t check out if they’re trying to limit casualties,” said Trevor Ball, a former Army explosive ordnance demolition technician. Ball said the serial number on the pieces of the tail kit and the shell debris shown in the photographs identify the munitions as the 250-pound GBU-39. It’s unusual to describe a bomb by its explosive load — in this case, 37 pounds — instead of its total weight, according to Ball and Mark Cancian, a retired Marine Corps Reserves colonel and senior adviser to the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
The debris field in Gaza is indicative of the bombs possibly being set to detonate before impact, which would ensure their intended targets were killed but also risk unintended deaths, Ball and Cancian said. The images showed a small hole where shrapnel was found. The GBU-39's fuse settings can be adjusted to have the bomb explode on impact, which would create a crater at the site, or set for a delayed blast if the goal is to have it more deeply penetrate a target first. They can also be set to detonate in the air, right before impact, to ensure multiple targets are hit. But that setting also maximizes area damage, which could explain a secondary explosion even if weapons or other flammable materials were some distance away, Ball said.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters on Wednesday during a visit to Moldova that the U.S. is waiting for an investigation to show what weapons were used and how they were deployed. Even if that confirms Israel used a small-diameter weapon, "we also see that even limited, focused, targeted attacks — designed to deal with terrorists who have killed innocent civilians that are plotting to kill more — even those kinds of operations can have terrible, horrific, unintended consequences,” Blinken said. The defense experts said Israel had better options to turn to than the GBU-39 when civilians were nearby. The Israelis have previously deployed drones to launch weapons that are smaller and more precise, Cancian said. These precision airstrikes used over the years have caused little damage beyond the immediate target. Israel, for example, in this strike could have used a smaller anti-personnel weapon called the mini-Spike, which would not have created as wide an area of debris, if it was targeting specific Hamas leaders, Cancian said. The U.S. has withheld a shipment of even larger 2,000-pound (900-kilogram) bombs from Israel out of concern they would be used in Israel's Rafah operation, where more than 1 million Palestinians crowded after Israel bombed other parts of Gaza. Now, that same number of people have escaped Rafah and are scattered across makeshift tent camps and other areas. Sunday's strike shows that even the smaller 250-pound bombs the U.S. has continued to provide can be too large for use near densely packed refugee areas, Cancian said. White House national security spokesman John Kirby said Wednesday that the U.S. was still trying to gather information from Israel about the deadly Rafah strike. He declined to discuss the specific munitions used by Israel but said Israel’s public comments about the munitions used “certainly indicate a desire to be more deliberate and more precise in their targeting.”

Israeli airstrike on Rafah kills 12 Palestinians, Gaza medics say
REUTERS/May 30, 2024
JERUSALEM: Israeli forces killed at least 12 Palestinians in a dawn airstrike on Rafah in southern Gaza on Thursday and fighting raged in several other areas of the coastal enclave, Gaza medics said. Israel pressed on with its offensive on Rafah a day after saying its forces had taken control of a buffer zone along the nearby border between the Gaza Strip and Egypt, giving it effective authority over Gaza’s entire land frontier. It said the buffer zone’s capture had cut off a route used by the Palestinian Islamist militant group Hamas to smuggle arms into Gaza during more than seven months of war, which has laid waste to much of the territory and raised fears of famine. Gaza medical sources said the 12 Palestinians, whom it said were civilians, had been killed and an unspecified number of others wounded in an Israeli airstrike as they tried to recover the body of a civilian in the center of Rafah.
Another Palestinian civilian was killed in an airstrike on Al-Shati refugee camp west of Gaza City in the north of the densely populated enclave, the medics said. Israel reported clashes in southern, central and northern Gaza but did not immediately comment on the reported deaths in Rafah, where hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians took refuge earlier in the war. Israel has kept up raids on Rafah despite an order by the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the top UN court, to halt its attacks. Israeli forces say they are trying to root out Hamas fighters and rescue hostages being held there, and the ICJ also called for the release of hostages held in Gaza by Hamas. More than 36,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s air and land war in Gaza, with 53 of those killed in the past 24 hours, the Hamas-run enclave’s health ministry said. Israel launched its offensive after Hamas fighters crossed from Gaza into southern Israel on Oct. 7 last year, killed 1,200 people and abducted more than 250, according to Israeli tallies. The Israeli military said a soldier had been killed in fighting in northern Gaza, bringing to 292 Israel’s combat losses since its first Gaza ground incursion on Oct. 20.
TUNNELS, ARMS AND EXPLOSIVES
In an overnight call with US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant underlined the continuing importance of Israeli operations in the Rafah area “due to concrete information regarding hostages held there.”
“Minister Gallant detailed IDF activities in the Rafah area where 20 terror tunnels have been identified,” the Israeli Defense Ministry said in a statement on the overnight call.
The Israeli military also said in a statement that tunnels used by Hamas for smuggling and moving fighters underground had been discovered during the latest raids, as well as large amounts of arms and explosives.
The Israeli statements did not say where the smuggling tunnels ran from. An Israeli official said on May 15 there were 50 tunnels connecting Rafah to the Sinai in Egypt, and voiced concern that Hamas could use them to smuggle senior operatives or hostages into Egyptian territory. Egypt on Wednesday denied the existence of any such tunnels.
The United States, Israel’s closest ally, reiterated its opposition to a major ground offensive in Rafah on Tuesday but said it did not believe such an operation was under way. The US has, with Egypt and Qatar, been involved in efforts to mediate indirect talks between Israel and Hamas on arranging a ceasefire and the release of the remaining hostages. Those talks have stalled, with both sides blaming the other for the lack of progress. As the war drags on, malnutrition has become widespread in Gaza as aid deliveries have slowed to a trickle, and the United Nations has warned of incipient famine. Philippe Lazzarini, head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), also called for an end to what he said were Israeli attacks on UNRWA staff and buildings in Gaza. In article for the New York Times, he said Israeli officials were “delegitimizing UNRWA by effectively characterizing it as a terrorist organization,” and he described a “dangerous precedent of routine targeting of UN staff and premises.”
His comments followed allegations by Israel in January that 12 of UNRWA’s 13,000 staff in Gaza took part in the Oct. 7 attack on Israel. Israel did not immediately respond to his remarks. The Gaza war has also stoked violence in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, another territory where Palestinians seek statehood. Israel said two soldiers were killed in an overnight hit-and-run by a Palestinian motorist in the West Bank city of Nablus. There was no immediate claim of responsibility from Palestinian factions.

Aid for Gaza still leaving Cyprus by sea while landing pier fixed
REUTERS/May 30, 2024
NICOSIA: Humanitarian aid for Gaza is continuing to leave Cyprus by sea and will be held in floating storage off the coast of the enclave until a US-built military pier undergoes repairs, a Cypriot government official said on Thursday. Malnutrition is widespread in Gaza after almost eight months of war and the UN said on Wednesday the amount of aid entering the enclave had fallen by two-thirds since Israel began military operations in the enclave’s southern Rafah region this month. The US military announced earlier in the week that a purpose-built jetty it anchored off Gaza’s coast to receive aid by sea was being temporarily removed after part of the structure broke off, two weeks after it started operating. Cyprus government spokesperson Konstantinos Letymbiotis said the offloading of aid for the Palestinian enclave — devastated by Israel’s air and ground war against its ruling Hamas group — had slowed down but the sea corridor had not ceased operating. “The mechanism surrounding how the floating pier works allows for the possibility of floating storage off Gaza, with offloading to resume when conditions allow,” Letymbiotis said, blaming the problem on rough seas. The pier was announced by US President Joe Biden in March and involved the military assembling the floating structure off the Palestinian enclave’s Mediterranean coast. Estimated to cost $320 million for the first 90 days and involving about 1,000 US service members, it went into operation two weeks ago.
Aid from France was expected to depart for Gaza from Cyprus on Thursday, while 3,000 tons of US aid will leave early next week, Letymbiotis said.The United Arab Emirates, Britain, the US, Romania, Italy, the European Mechanism for Civil Protection, the World Food Programme and the International Organization for Migration have already donated aid destined for the pier, he said. Cyprus had also received interest from Japan and Singapore, as well as other EU member states. In Washington, a Pentagon spokesperson said a portion of the pier had separated and it would be towed to the Israeli port of Ashdod for repairs. Letymbiotis said the US had indicated that the problem would be fixed in coming days and that the pier could “possibly” resume operations by the middle of next week. Eleven ship-shuttles of aid have left Cyprus since the operation started, with enough already distributed in Gaza to “provide food to tens of thousands of non-combatants for a month,” Letymbiotis said. “The aim of offering humanitarian aid to 500,000 people a month is possible.”

Stockholm accuses Iran of using criminals in Sweden to target Israel or Jewish interests
COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP)/May 30, 2024
Sweden's domestic security agency on Thursday accused Iran of using established criminal networks in Sweden as a proxy to target Israeli or Jewish interests in the Scandinavian country. The accusations were raised at a news conference by Daniel Stenling, the head of the SAPO agency's counterespionage unit, following a series of events earlier this year. In late January, the Israeli Embassy in Stockholm was sealed off after what was then described as “a dangerous object” was found on the grounds of the diplomatic mission in an eastern Stockholm neighborhood. Swedish media said the object was a hand grenade.The embassy was not evacuated and the object was eventually destroyed. No arrests were made and authorities did not say what was found. On May 17, gunshots were heard near the Israeli Embassy in Stockholm and the area was cordoned off. No one was arrested. Stenling said, without offering specifics or evidence to back up his assertion, that the agency "can establish that criminal networks in Sweden are used as a proxy by Iran.” “It is very much about planning and attempts to carry out attacks against Israeli and Jewish interests, goals and activities in Sweden," he said and added that the agency sees "connections between criminal individuals in the criminal networks and individuals who are connected to the Iranian security services.” Justice Minister Gunnar Strömmer and Hampus Nygårds, deputy head of the Swedish police's National Operations Department, were also at the online news conference with Stenling. “We see this connection between the Iranian intelligence services, the security services and precisely criminals in the criminal networks in Sweden," Stenling said. “We see that connection and it also means that we need to work much more internationally to get to the crimes and be able to prevent them.”Stenling and the others made no mention of the recent incidents connected to the Israel Embassy and stopped short of naming any criminal groups or suspects. Sweden has grappled with gang violence for years and criminal gangs often recruit teenagers in socially disadvantaged immigrant neighborhoods to carry out hits. By May 15, police have recorded 85 shootings so far this year, including 12 fatal shootings. Last year, 53 people were killed and 109 were wounded in a total of 363 shootings. Two main gangs — the Foxtrot network headed by Rawa Majid, who lives in exile in Turkey, and its rival, Rumba — have for years been involved in deadly feuds. Ankara had rejected Sweden’s request to have Majid, a Swedish citizen, extradited because he also holds Turkish citizenship. Stenling said there was no reason to change the terror threat level in Sweden. Last year, it was heightened to “high,” the fourth of five levels, for the first time since 2016 as the security deteriorated after public burnings of Islam's holy book, the Quran, that triggered protests in the Muslim world.

Rafah battles intensify as Israel takes over Gaza-Egypt border strip
Associated Press/May 30, 2024
Israel's military said it has seized control of a strategic corridor along Gaza's border with Egypt to cut off smuggling tunnels as it tries to destroy the militant Hamas group in a war now in its eighth month. The capture of the Philadelphi Corridor could complicate Israel's relations with Egypt, which has complained about Israel's advance toward its border. Israel says the corridor is awash in tunnels that have funneled weapons and other goods for Hamas — despite a yearslong blockade imposed by Israel and Egypt. Israel also deepened its incursion into the southern Gaza city of Rafah, where hundreds of thousands have been seeking shelter from fighting, and where intensifying violence in recent days has killed dozens of Palestinians. The military said that a fifth brigade — up to several thousand soldiers — joined troops operating in the city on Tuesday.
Egypt says any increase in troops in the strategic border area would violate the countries' 1979 peace accord. It already has complained about Israel taking over the Rafah border crossing, the only crossing between Gaza and Egypt. "The Philadelphi Corridor served as the oxygen line of Hamas through which Hamas carried out weapons smuggling into Gaza on a regular basis," said Israel's military chief spokesperson, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari. An Israeli military official said Israel had notified Egypt of the takeover. Some 20 tunnels, including some previously unknown to Israel, were found, as well as 82 access points to the tunnels, said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with military regulations. It was not clear if the tunnels were currently in use.
The corridor is part of a larger demilitarized zone along the entire Israel-Egypt border. Under the peace accord, each side is allowed to deploy only a small number of troops or border guards in the zone, though those numbers can be modified by mutual agreement. At the time of the accord, Israeli troops controlled Gaza, until Israel withdrew its forces and settlers in 2005. Egypt's state-run Al-Qahera News TV reported there were "no communications with the Israeli side" on the allegations of finding tunnels on the border. Egypt has repeatedly expressed concerns that the Israeli offensive could push Palestinians across the border — a scenario Egypt says is unacceptable. The narrow corridor — about 100 meters (yards) wide in parts — runs the 14-kilometer (8.6-mile) length of the Gaza side of the border with Egypt and includes the Rafah crossing into Egypt. Hamas has had free rein of the border since its 2007 takeover of Gaza. Smuggling tunnels were dug under the Gaza-Egypt border to get around the Israeli-Egyptian blockade, imposed after Hamas took over. Some of the tunnels were large enough for vehicles. Hamas brought in weapons and supplies, and Gaza residents smuggled in commercial goods, from livestock to construction materials.
That changed over the past decade, as Egypt battled Islamic militants in Sinai. The Egyptian military cracked down on the tunnels and destroyed hundreds of them.
The Israeli military official said Israel has also taken "tactical control" of Tel al-Sultan, a neighborhood on Rafah's northwest edge. But he said the incursion into the city remains a "limited scope and scale operation."
White House national security spokesman John Kirby said seizure of the Philadelphi Corridor would be consistent with the "limited" ground operation Israeli officials briefed President Joe Biden's team on for the city of Rafah. "When they briefed us on their plans for Rafah it did include moving along that corridor and out of the city proper to put pressure on Hamas in the city," Kirby told reporters Wednesday. Meanwhile, deadly violence continued. The Gaza Health Ministry said an apparent Israeli strike killed two ambulance crew members on their way to evacuate casualties in Tel al-Sultan. Earlier Wednesday, a top Israeli official said the war was likely to last through the end of the year — a grim prediction for a conflict that has killed tens of thousands, deepened Israel's global isolation and brought the region to the brink of a wider conflagration. Israel's national security adviser, Tzachi Hanegbi, told Kan public radio he was "expecting another seven months of fighting" to destroy the military and governing capabilities of Hamas and the smaller Islamic Jihad militant group. The army has said from the start the "war will be long," he said. "They have designated 2024 as a year of war."Hanegbi's remarks raise questions about the future of Gaza and what role Israel will play in it. The United States, Israel's top ally, has demanded that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu decide on a postwar vision for the Palestinian territory. Netanyahu's defense minister and a top governing partner have warned he must take steps to ensure that Israel isn't bogged down in Gaza indefinitely. The war has already devastated Gaza's urban landscape, displaced most of its population and sparked a humanitarian catastrophe and widespread hunger. It has opened Israel up to international legal scrutiny, with world courts faulting it over its wartime conduct, sparked disagreements with the White House, and on Tuesday prompted three European nations to formally recognize a Palestinian state.
Israel says it must dismantle Hamas' last remaining battalions in Rafah and will seek indefinite security control over the Gaza Strip, even after the war ends. Still, it has yet to achieve its main goals of dismantling Hamas and returning scores of hostages captured in Hamas' Oct. 7 attack that triggered the war. Beyond Rafah, Israeli forces were still battling militants in parts of Gaza the military said it wrested control of months ago — potential signs of a low-level insurgency that could keep Israeli troops engaged in the territory. The fighting in Rafah has displaced 1 million people, the United Nations says, most of whom were already displaced from other parts of Gaza. Residents said fighting was underway in the city center and on the outskirts of Tel al-Sultan, the same neighborhood where an Israeli strike over the weekend ignited a fire that swept through an encampment for displaced people, killing dozens. Israel said it was investigating and the blaze may have been caused by a secondary explosion. A floating pier built by the U.S. to surge aid into the territory was damaged in bad weather, another setback to efforts to bring food to starving Palestinians. Gaza's land crossings are now entirely controlled by Israel.
The U.S. and other allies have warned against a full-fledged offensive in Rafah, with the Biden administration saying this would cross a "red line" and refusing to provide offensive arms for such an undertaking. But so far, it hasn't tried to stop Israel's advances.
Last week, the International Court of Justice ordered Israel to halt its Rafah offensive as part of South Africa's case accusing Israel of committing genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza, a charge Israel denies. The war began when militants burst into southern Israel on Oct. 7, killing some 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and taking around 250 hostages. More than 100 were released during a November cease-fire in exchange for Palestinians imprisoned by Israel.
Israel's offensive in response to the attack has killed at least 36,096 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between fighters and civilians. Israel says it has killed 15,000 militants.

Israel sent messages to Tehran to avoid Iranian response to embassy attack — agency
REUTERS/May 30, 2024
TEHRAN: Israel sent messages to Tehran via Egypt that it would “compromise” in Gaza to try to avert an Iranian response to an attack in April on Iran’s embassy compound in Syria, Iran’s Tasnim news agency quoted a senior commander of the Revolutionary Guards as saying. Tasnim, citing the head of the Guards’ Aerospace Force, Amirali Hajjizadeh, provided a detail what it said were efforts at the time by Israel to avert an escalation of hostilities after the Damascus attack. In the event, Iran launched explosive drones and fired missiles at Israel in its first direct attack on Israeli territory. This was in retaliation for what it said was an Israeli strike on its Damascus consulate, in which seven officers of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps were killed. Israel has not confirmed or denied it was responsible for the attack. Israeli officials have, however, described the site hit as a Revolutionary Guards office near the embassy rather than a part of the diplomatic mission. “Israel sent messages through Egypt’s foreign minister that it will compromise in the war in Gaza to avoid Iran’s retaliation,” Amirali Hajjizadeh said. Contacted by Reuters, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office did not immediately give a comment.
Israel launched the war on Hamas in Gaza after a deadly attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7 by the Palestinian Islamist group. Netanyahu has repeatedly said the aim is to eliminate Hamas, which is sworn to Israel’s destruction, and he has resisted calls from allies for restraint — for example in its current offensive in the southern Gaza city of Rafah. Egyptian officials were not immediately available for comment. Describing Iran’s action, which Israel has said caused only light damage, Hajjizadeh was quoted by Tasnim as saying: “We had to use a great number of missiles and drones to get through Israel’s Iron Dome, we used 20 percent of our military capability in the operation.” Israel’ military spokesperson, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, said at the time that Iran had launched dozens of ground-to-ground missiles at Israel, most of them intercepted outside Israeli borders by Israel and its allies. They included more than 10 cruise missiles, he said. The salvo of more than 200 drones and missiles caused light damage to one Israeli military facility, Hagari said. The embassy attack and Iranian response prompted deep concern around the world over a potential crisis amid already volatile regional tensions over the Gaza conflict

US and Britain strike Houthi targets in Yemen after surge in shipping attacks
AP/May 31, 2024
WASHINGTON: The US and Britain struck 13 Houthi targets in several locations in Yemen on Thursday in response to a recent surge in attacks by the Iran-backed militia group on ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, three US officials said. According to the officials, American and British fighter jets and US ships hit a wide range of underground facilities, missile launchers, command and control sites, a Houthi vessel and other facilities. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to provide early details of an ongoing military operation. Also struck by the US were eight uncrewed aerial vehicles in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen that were determined to be presenting a threat to American and coalition forces. The strikes come a day after a US MQ-9 Reaper drone went down in Yemen, and the Houthis released footage they said showed the aircraft being targeted with a surface-to-air missile in a desert region of Yemen’s central Marib province. It marked the third such downing this month alone. Also earlier this week, missile attacks twice damaged a Marshall Islands-flagged, Greek-owned ship in the Red Sea off the coast of Yemen, with a private security firm saying radio traffic suggested the vessel took on water after being struck. While no group claimed responsibility, suspicion fell on the Houthis. This is the fifth time that the US and British militaries have conducted a combined operation against the Houthis since Jan. 12. But the US also has been carrying out almost daily strikes to take out Houthi targets, including incoming missiles and drones aimed at ships, as well as weapons that were prepared to launch. The US F/A-18 fighter jets launched from the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier in the Red Sea, officials said. Other US warships in the region also participated. The Houthis in recent months have stepped up attacks on shipping in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, demanding that Israel end the war in Gaza, which has killed more than 36,000 Palestinians. The war began after Hamas-led militants attacked Israel on Oct. 7, killing about 1,200 people and taking some 250 hostage. The Houthis have launched more than 50 attacks on shipping, seized one vessel and sunk another since November, according to the US Maritime Administration. Shipping through the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden has declined because of the threat. US warships, meanwhile, took out a number of missile launchers and drones targeting vessels in the region over the past week. President Joe Biden and other senior leaders have repeatedly warned that the US won’t tolerate the Houthi attacks against commercial shipping. But the counterattacks haven’t appeared to diminish the Houthis’ campaign against shipping in the region.

Ship attacked by Yemen's Houthi rebels was full of grain bound for Iran, the group's main benefactor
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP)/Thu, May 30, 2024
A Greek-owned, Marshall Islands-flagged bulk carrier that came under attack by Yemen's Houthi rebels earlier this week had a cargo of grain bound for Iran, the group's main benefactor, authorities said Thursday. The attack on the Laax comes as the Houthis continue their attacks on shipping throughout the Red Sea corridor, part of a campaign they say aims at pressuring Israel and the West over the war in Gaza. However, as shipping through that artery has dropped during the months of attacks, the rebels have struck vessels associated with Iran, as well as Tehran's economic lifelines of China and Russia. Initially after the attack, the Laax had listed its destination as Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates. On Thursday, however, its listed destination instead appeared to be Bandar Khomeini, Iran. A statement released by French naval forces based in the UAE that patrol the Middle East also identified the vessel's grain shipment as being bound for Iran. It said that a team from Djibouti had inspected the damage caused by the attack, which it said involved both drones and missiles, and found no remaining dangerous explosives onboard the ship. Images released by the French navy showed damage both at the waterline of the vessel, as well as on its deck. Tuesday's attack saw five missiles hit the Laax during the hourslong assault, the private security firm LSS-SAPU told The Associated Press. LSS-SAPU, which earlier helped evacuate mariners from the Houthi-attacked Rubymar that later sunk, said there had been no prior warning by radio from the Houthis. LSS-SAPU had three armed security guards onboard the Laax at the time of the attack. Among the ship's crew were 13 Filipinos and one Ukrainian, the Philippine Department of Migrant Workers said in a statement. The Houthis in recent months have stepped up attacks on shipping in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, demanding that Israel end the war in Gaza, which has killed more than 36,000 Palestinians there. The war began after Hamas-led militants attacked Israel on Oct. 7, killing about 1,200 people and taking around 250 hostage.
The Houthis have launched more than 50 attacks on shipping, killed three sailors, seized one vessel and sunk another since November, according to the U.S. Maritime Administration. On Wednesday, another U.S. MQ-9 Reaper drone apparently crashed in Yemen, with the Houthis claiming they fired a surface-to-air missile at it. The U.S. Air Force didn't report any aircraft missing, leading to suspicion that the drone may have been piloted by the CIA. As many as three may have been lost this month alone.

Houthi leader says 129 ships attacked during Red Sea campaign
SAEED AL-BATATI/Arab News/May 30, 2024
AL-MUKALLA: The leader of Yemen’s Houthi militia, Abdul Malik Al-Houthi, said on Thursday that his forces had attacked 129 ships in international waters since the start of their campaign in November, claiming that his group has resisted political and economic pressure to cease targeting ships. “There are no political, economic, or other factors that might influence our activities,” he said in a televised speech. The militia has launched 27 ballistic missiles and drones in 12 operations against 10 ships in the Red Sea, Indian Ocean, and Mediterranean during the last seven days, Al-Houthi said, who disputed previous media reports that the militia had reduced its maritime strikes. “Our actions have not decreased, but there has been a decrease in navigation and ship movement on the American and British sides, as well as a near-complete absence of Israeli activity.”
The Houthi leader’s threat to continue attacking ships came as the US Central Command announced on Thursday morning (Yemen time) that its forces had destroyed a new wave of drones and missiles fired by the Houthis over the international seas off Yemen, as well as foiled Houthi missile launches by destroying launchers. The US military said it destroyed two missile launchers in a Houthi-controlled area of Yemen on Tuesday night. On the same day, the Houthis fired two anti-ship ballistic missiles over the Red Sea from areas under their control, and neither the US-led coalition nor foreign commercial ships were targeted. Two drones fired by the Houthis in Yemen over the Red Sea were intercepted by US forces before reaching their targets on Wednesday morning. “It was determined these missiles and systems presented an imminent threat to US, coalition forces, and merchant vessels in the region. These actions are taken to protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and more secure,” the US military said in a statement.
Hours before the US military statement, the Houthis claimed on Wednesday night to have shot down another US military MQ-9 Reaper drone over the central province of Marib, shortly after locals shared images and videos on social media of what appeared to be a downed Reaper drone in the province’s desert.
The drone was engaged in a “hostile mission” above Marib when a “locally made” surface-to-air missile struck it on Wednesday morning, the Houthis said. This is the sixth time the Yemeni militia has claimed to have shot down an MQ-9 Reaper drone since the start of their Red Sea operation and the third in May.
The Houthis’ Red Sea activities resulted in the loss of one commercial ship, the capture of another, and the targeting of scores more ships in international maritime channels and pushed shipping companies to forgo the Suez Canal via the Red Sea in favor of longer and more costly routes across Africa.
Meanwhile, the Aden-based central bank sanctioned six Yemeni banks on Thursday for failing to follow an earlier directive to relocate their activities from Houthi-controlled Sanaa to government-controlled Aden. The central bank ordered Yemeni banks and other financial institutions to stop doing business with Tadhamon Bank, Yemen Kuwait Bank, Shamil Bank of Yemen and Bahrain, Al-Amal Microfinance Bank, Al-Kuraimi Islamic Microfinance Bank, and International Bank of Yemen for dealing with the Houthis, which the Yemeni government and other countries consider terrorists, and not relocating their headquarters to Aden. The central bank also instructed Yemen’s public and financial institutions to deposit all banknote denominations issued before 2016 at the central bank and other commercial banks in government-controlled areas of Yemen within 60 days. The economic war between the Yemeni government and the Houthis has escalated since 2016 when the government shifted the central bank’s offices from Sanaa to Aden. The Houthis replied by ceasing to pay public workers in regions under their control, banning the circulation of banknotes printed by the Yemeni government in Aden, and targeting oil terminals in government-controlled Shabwa and Hadramout.

Syrian President Bashar Assad visits Iran to express condolences over death of Raisi
TEHRAN, Iran (AP)/May 30, 2024
Syrian President Bashar Assad met with Iran's supreme leader in the capital Tehran on Thursday and expressed his condolences over the death of President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash, state media reported Thursday. Assad met with Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and also expressed condolences over the death of Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian who was also killed in the helicopter crash earlier this month. Iran’s acting President Mohammad Mokhber was present in that meeting. Assad’s trip took place as Iran opened a five-day registration period Thursday for hopefuls wanting to run in the June 28 presidential election to replace the late Raisi. Iran has been the No. 1 regional supporter of Assad in that Arab nation’s lengthy civil war. Hundreds of Iranian forces have been killed in the war though Tehran has long said it has only a military advisory role in Syria. Assad’s trip also comes with the backdrop of the Israel-Hamas war roiling the region. Iran-backed Hamas led the Oct. 7 attack that started the conflict and the militant Hezbollah group in Lebanon, also supported by Tehran, has fired rockets at Israel. Last month, Iran launched an unprecedented drone-and-missile attack on Israel. Raisi, the country’s foreign minister and others were found dead at the site of a helicopter crash after an hourslong search through a foggy, mountainous region of the country’s northwest.

Iran opens registration for the June presidential election after Raisi died in a helicopter crash
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP)/May 30, 2024
Iran opened a five-day registration period Thursday for hopefuls wanting to run in the June 28 presidential election to replace the late Ebrahim Raisi, who was killed in a helicopter crash earlier this month with seven others. The election comes as Iran grapples with the aftermath of the May 19 crash, as well as heightened tensions between Tehran and the United States, and protests including those over the 2022 death of Mahsa Amini that have swept the country. While Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, 85, maintains final say over all matters of state, presidents in the past have bent the Islamic Republic of Iran toward greater interaction or increased hostility with the West. The five-day period will see those between the ages of 40 to 75 with at least a master's degree register as potential candidates. All candidates ultimately must be approved by Iran's 12-member Guardian Council, a panel of clerics and jurists ultimately overseen by Khamenei. That panel has never accepted a woman, for instance, nor anyone calling for radical change within the country's governance. Ahmad Vahidi, Iran's interior minister, opened the registration period. The Interior Ministry, in charge of the country's police, run Iranian elections with no substantial international observation. “These elections, like the parliamentary elections, will be held in complete safety and health, with good competition and wide participation of all dear people," Vahidi said. Raisi, a protege of Khamenei, won Iran’s 2021 presidential election after the Guardian Council disqualified all of the candidates with the best chance to potentially challenge him. That vote saw the lowest turnout in Iran's history for a presidential election. This year's parliamentary vote saw an even-lower turnout amid widespread boycott calls. That likely was a sign of voters' discontent with both a hard-line cleric sanctioned by the U.S. in part over his involvement in mass executions in 1988, and Iran's Shiite theocracy over four decades after its 1979 Islamic Revolution. Who will run — and potentially be accepted — remains in question. The country’s acting president, Mohammad Mokhber, a previously behind-the-scenes bureaucrat, could be a front-runner, because he's already been seen meeting with Khamenei. Also discussed as possible aspirants are former hard-line President Mohammad Ahmadinejad and former reformist President Mohammad Khatami — but whether they'd be allowed to run is another question. The five-day registration period will close on Tuesday. The Guardian Council is expected to issue its final list of candidates within 10 days afterwards. That will allow for a shortened two-week campaign before the vote in late June. The new president will take office while the country now enriches uranium at nearly weapons-grade levels and hampers international inspections. Iran has armed Russia in its war on Ukraine, as well as launched a drone and missile attack on Israel amid the war in Gaza. Tehran also has continued arming proxy groups in the Middle East, like Yemen’s Houthi rebels and Lebanon’s Hezbollah militia.
Meanwhile, Iran's economy has faced years of hardship over its collapsing rial currency. Widespread protests have swept the country, most recently over Amini's death following her arrest over allegedly not wearing her mandatory headscarf to the liking of authorities, A U.N. panel says the Iranian government is responsible for the “physical violence” that led to Amini's death. Raisi is just the second Iranian president to die in office. In 1981, a bomb blast killed President Mohammad Ali Rajai in the chaotic days after the Islamic Revolution.

US calls Algeria's proposed UN resolution demanding Israel halt offensive in Rafah not helpful
Edith M. Lederer/UNITED NATIONS (AP)/ May 30/ 2024
The United States said Wednesday a proposed U.N. Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire in Gaza and halt to Israel’s military operation in the southern city of Rafah “is not going to be helpful.”Algeria, the Arab representative on the council, circulated the draft resolution Tuesday evening to its 15 members after emergency council consultations on the escalating Israeli operation in Rafah. U.S. deputy ambassador Robert Wood told reporters ahead of Wednesday's monthly Mideast meeting that “another resolution is not necessarily going to change anything on the ground.”He said the U.S. is focused on getting an agreement on a temporary pause in the fighting and the release of some 125 hostages taken during Hamas’ Oct. 7 invasion of southern Israel, and then working on a long-term end to the seven-month war. Majed Bamya, the Palestinian deputy ambassador, told the council meeting that adopting the resolution would be an important step “to force Israel to halt its military offensive and to withdraw its occupation forces, and to ensure an immediate cease-fire.” Algeria’s U.N. Ambassador Amar Bendjama circulated the resolution as Israel pushed ahead with its military operation in Rafah, where over a million Palestinians had sought refuge from Israel's Gaza offensive. Most have now fled, but the U.N. says no place in Gaza is safe and humanitarian conditions are dire. The draft resolution demands compliance with previous council resolutions that call for the opening of all border crossings and humanitarian access to Gaza’s 2.3 million people who need food and other aid. The draft resolution, obtained Tuesday evening by The Associated Press, also demands that the cease-fire be respected by all parties and calls for the release of all hostages. Some diplomats said they hoped for a quick vote, even as early as Wednesday, but the U.S. opposition leaves the resolution's future in doubt. “It is our hope that it can be done as quickly as possible because life is in the balance,” Chinese Ambassador Fu Cong told reporters after Tuesday's meeting. The United States has vetoed multiple resolutions demanding a cease-fire in Gaza, although it abstained on a call for a temporary cessation during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. The draft also demands compliance with previous Security Council resolutions that call for the opening of all border crossings and humanitarian access to Gaza’s 2.3 million people who desperately need food and other aid. The proposed resolution says that “the catastrophic situation in the Gaza Strip constitutes a threat to regional and international peace and security.” It expresses grave concern at “famine spreading throughout the Gaza Strip” and the suffering of Palestinians who took refuge in Rafah. The resolution would demand that Israel "immediately halt its military offensive, and any other action in Rafah.” The draft condemns what it calls “the indiscriminate targeting of civilians, including women and children, and civilian infrastructure” and reiterates the council’s demand for all parties to comply with international law requiring the protection of civilians.

Turkey signals new military intervention in Syria if Kurdish groups hold municipal election
ANKARA, Turkey (AP)/May 30, 2024
Turkey will not hesitate to carry out a new offensive in northern Syria if Kurdish-led groups - which Ankara accuses of linked to outlawed Kurdish militants - go ahead with plans to hold local elections in the region, Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Thursday. A Kurdish-led autonomous administration that controls northern and eastern parts of Syria has announced plans to hold municipal elections on June 11. The vote to choose mayors will be held in the provinces of Hassakeh, Raqqa, Deir el-Zour and eastern part of Aleppo province. Turkey, which has launched military operations in Syria in the past, considers the move as a step by Syrian Kurdish militia toward the creation of an independent Kurdish entity across its border. It has described the planned polls as a threat to the territorial integrity of both Syria and Turkey. “We are closely following the aggressive actions by the terrorist organization against the territorial integrity of our country and of Syria under the pretext of an election,” Erdogan said after observing military exercises in western Turkey. “Turkey will never allow the separatist organization to establish (a terror state) just beyond its southern borders in the north of Syria and Iraq,” he said. Turkey considers the Kurdish militia group, known as the People’s Protection Units, or YPG, as a terrorist group linked to an outlawed Kurdish group that has led an insurgency against Turkey since 1984. That conflict with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, has killed tens of thousands of people.
The YPG however, makes up the backbone of the Syrian Democratic Forces, or SDF - a key U.S. ally in the fight against the Islamic State group. American support for the SDF has infuriated Ankara and remains a major source of contention in their relations.
Turkey has carried a series of military operations in Syria to drive out Syrian Kurdish militia away from its border since 2016, and controls a swath of territory in the north. Turkish leaders frequently speak of plans to establish a 30-kilometer (19-mile) deep safe zone along its border in Syria and Iraq, where the PKK has a foothold, to protect its borders. “We did what was needed in the past in the face of a fait accompli. We will not hesitate to act again if we encounter the same situation,” Erdogan said.

Syria's main insurgent group blasts the US Embassy over its criticism of crackdown on protesters
Ghaith Alsayed/IDLIB, Syria (AP)/May 30, 2024
The main insurgent group in rebel-held northwest Syria blasted the U.S. on Thursday over its criticism of a crackdown on protesters in areas outside government control. The group said Washington should instead respect protesters at American universities who have demonstrated against the war in Gaza. The statement by the U.S. Embassy in Damascus came after months of protests against Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, in Syria’s northwestern Idlib province by people opposed to the rule of the group that was once known as the Nusra Front, the Syria branch of al-Qaida. The group later changed its name several times and distanced itself from al-Qaida. Anti-HTS sentiments had been rising for months following a wave of arrests by the group of senior officials within the organization. Earlier this month, HTS members attacked protesters demanding the release of detainees with clubs and sharp objects outside a military court in Idlib city, injuring several people. Days later HTS fighters fired into the air and beat protesters with clubs, injuring some of them as protests intensified to demand the release of detainees and an end to the group’s rule. The rebel-held region is home to more than 4 million people, many of them displaced during the conflict that broke out in March 2011 and has so far killed half a million people. The conflict began with protests against President Bashar Assad’s government before turning into a deadly civil war that left large parts of the country in ruins. The U.S. Embassy in Damascus posted on the social media platform X on Wednesday that it supports “the rights of all Syrians to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, including in Idlib.” It added that “we deplore Hayat Tahrir al-Sham’s regime-style intimidation and brutality against peaceful protesters as they call for justice, security, & respect for human rights.” HTS responded in a statement saying that “liberated areas enjoy a safe environment for the expression of opinion” as long as they don’t aim to destabilize the region and spread chaos. It added that the U.S. Embassy should back the Syrian people aiming to achieve “freedom and dignity against a criminal regime.” “The rights of university students in the United States should be preserved and their demands in supporting the Palestinian people and Gaza should be respected,” HTS said in a statement.

US envoy condemns attacks on Western-linked brands in Baghdad
AFP/May 30, 2024
BAGHDAD: The US ambassador to Iraq denounced attacks Thursday targeting Western-linked brands in Baghdad this week, as anger grows across the Middle East over Israel’s war in Gaza. A stun bomb exploded at 1:20 am in front of a dealership of the US construction equipment company Caterpillar in the Jadriyah neighborhood of Baghdad, the Iraqi security forces said. Ten minutes later, a blast went off in front of the Cambridge Institute in nearby Palestine Street, which a resident identified as a likely Iraqi-owned language learning center. On Sunday, a makeshift bomb was thrown at a branch of the US fast-food chain KFC, causing minor damage. The next night, masked men broke into another branch, smashing glass. “We condemn recent violent attacks against US and international businesses,” the US ambassador to Baghdad, Alina Romanowski, said on social media platform X. She urged the Iraqi government to “conduct a thorough investigation, bring to justice those who are responsible, and prevent future attacks.”“These attacks endanger Iraqi lives and property, and could weaken Iraq’s ability to attract foreign investment,” the US diplomat added. The Iraqi security forces said Thursday’s attacks, whose motives remained unknown, did not cause any damage or injuries, adding they were a “desperate attempt to harm Iraq’s reputation.”After the KFC attacks, security forces said they had arrested several suspects. Since the war in Gaza started in October, a boycott movement spearheaded by pro-Palestinian activists has targeted major Western brands, such as Starbucks and McDonald’s.Iraq does not recognize Israel’s statehood, and all of its political parties support the Palestinian cause. Earlier this week, influential Iraqi cleric Moqtada Sadr renewed his calls to close the US embassy in Baghdad “through diplomatic means without bloodshed,” after an Israeli strike killed dozens of civilians in a camp in Gaza.

4 Pakistanis killed by Iranian border guards in remote southwestern region, Pakistani officials say
QUETTA, Pakistan (AP)/Thu, May 30, 2024
Iranian border guards opened fire at a vehicle carrying a group of Pakistanis, killing four people and wounding two others in a remote area in the southwest, Pakistani officials said Thursday. The incident happened near the border village of Mashkel in Baluchistan province on Wednesday, local police said. Government administrator Sahibzada Asfand said it was unclear why the Iranian forces opened fire. Local police say the bodies of the four men had been handed over to their families. There was no immediate comment from Tehran or Pakistan's Foreign Ministry.Security forces on both sides often arrest smugglers and insurgents who operate in the region. Pakistan in tit-for-tat strikes in January targeted alleged militant hideouts inside Iran, killing at least nine people in retaliation for a similar attack by Iran.

Russia not invited to Normandy landings anniversary celebrations on June 6: Elysee Palace
AFP May 30, 2024 
The Elysee Palace announced on Thursday that Russia has not been invited to attend the 80th anniversary celebrations of the Normandy landings on June 6, due to its "aggressive war" against Ukraine. The French presidency stated, "There will be no Russian delegation. The conditions were not met in light of Russia's aggressive war against Ukraine, which has escalated in recent weeks."

Saudi Arabia to sell 0.64% Aramco stake as kingdom pushes to diversify its economy
Reuters May 30, 2024
Saudi Arabia is selling a 0.64 percent stake in oil giant Aramco as the kingdom pushes ahead with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's plan to diversify the economy.
Saudi Arabia is offering 1.545 billion Aramco shares and the offering period will commence on June 2. The price range is expected to be between SAR 26.70 and SAR 29.00 per share, as per the statement on Thursday.
The offering is the culmination of a years-long effort to sell another chunk in one of the world's most valuable companies after its record-setting IPO in 2019.

Latest English LCCC  analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources on May 30-31/2024
Europe’s Hamasnik....The UN, the ICC, the ICJ, Norway, Spain, and Ireland – all now back the terrorists
Clifford D. May/The Washington Times/May 30/2024
The flag of the United Nations was flown at half-staff last week to honor the late Ebrahim Raisi, president of the Islamic Republic of Iran who perished in a helicopter crash. Known at home as the “Butcher of Tehran,” he was responsible for torturing and brutally executing thousands of Iranian political prisoners, minorities, and women. The regime he served supports Hamas, Hezbollah, Islamic Jihad, and the Houthi rebels of Yemen. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed his “sincere condolences” for Mr. Raisi. The U.N. Security Council, at the request of Russia, China, and Algeria, held a moment of silence for the neo-imperialist theocrat. America’s representative dutifully stood for the ceremony. Also last week: Norway, Spain, and Ireland announced they would recognize a Palestinian state. Hamas expressed its gratitude for this “historic turning point” brought about by the “brave resistance.”Coincidently, videos released last week showed Hamas’ “brave resistors” on Oct. 7 harassing bloodied female soldiers abducted moments earlier. They called them sabaya, meaning sex slaves. In another video, a young Gazan man recounts how he, a cousin, and his father raped a hostage. He nonchalantly recalled: “After we finished raping her, my father killed her.”
But wait, there’s more. On CNN last week, International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor Karim Asad Ahmad Khan announced that he will seek arrest warrants for Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister, and Yoav Gallant, Israel’s defense minister.
Mr. Khan said he’d also like warrants for several Hamas leaders. Sen. Tom Cotton observed: “Equating Israel’s democratically elected leaders with the perpetrators of the worst attack on Jews since WWII shows what a farce the International Criminal Court is.”He added: “Mr. Khan’s kangaroo court has no jurisdiction in Israel to pursue these anti-Semitic and politically motivated ‘charges.’ My colleagues and I look forward to making sure neither Khan, his associates nor their families will ever set foot again in the United States.”
Sen. Cotton understands – as Mr. Khan apparently does not – that under international law the ICC has jurisdiction only over signatories to a 1998 treaty known as the Rome Statute. Israel didn’t sign. Neither did the U.S.
Mr. Khan’s workaround is to declare that he is pursuing these warrants on behalf of “the State of Palestine.”Who governs that state? In Gaza, it’s been Hamas since 2007 – two years after the Israelis withdrew every last Jew and Jewish grave from the territory.
In the West Bank, it’s the Palestinian Authority which is so weak that it almost certainly would be overthrown by Hamas were it not for Israel’s quiet support. The only way for the PA to return to Gaza – from which it was expelled by Hamas in a civil war just after the Israeli departure – would be behind Israeli tanks.There’s a second reason Mr. Khan lacks authority. Under the Rome Statute, the ICC was set up as a court of last resort, empowered only to investigate nations “unwilling or unable genuinely” to prosecute wrongdoing on their own. But Israel does that well. (The same can be said of no other nation in the Middle East.)
With all this in mind, Mr. Cotton and 11 other U.S. Senators wrote to Mr. Khan warning that they “will not tolerate politicized attacks by the ICC on our allies. If you move forward with the measures indicated in the report, we will move to end all American support for the ICC, sanction your employees and associates, and bar you and your families from the United States.”
Mr. Khan fired back: “When individuals threaten to retaliate against the Court or Court personnel…such threats, even when not acted upon, may also constitute an offence against the administration of justice under Art. 70 of the Rome Statute.”
Were you under the impression that Americans are guaranteed freedom of speech? Mr. Khan begs to differ. Among those paying Mr. Khan’s salary and funding the lavish budget of the ICC bureaucracy in The Hague: Germany, Japan, France, Britain, Italy, and South Korea. Do you suppose that President Biden and his ambassadors could have an influence on those countries if they tried?
Another important international organization came out in support of Hamas and its patrons in Tehran last week. Nawaf Salam, the presiding judge of the International Court of Justice, also headquartered in The Hague, declared that “Israel must immediately halt its military offense” in Rafah “which may inflict on the Palestinian group in Gaza conditions of life that could bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part.”
Mr. Salam is from Lebanon, a state dominated by Hezbollah, Tehran’s most formidable proxy, which since immediately following the Oct. 7 attack has been firing hundreds of missiles into northern Israel, killing and wounding Israelis, and causing tens of thousands to abandon their homes.
Hamas leaders welcomed Mr. Salam’s ruling. Israeli officials responded by saying, in effect: “Thanks for the guidance. We’ll continue fighting Hamas terrorists in such a way as to not bring about the physical destruction of the Palestinian group in Gaza, in whole or in part – even as Hamas uses Palestinian civilians as human shields guaranteeing that civilians will be killed.”
These developments should serve as a reminder – not that you needed one – of what the U.N. and many other international organizations have become: clubs for tyrants, terrorists, and antisemites, their fellow travelers and assorted useful idiots, all of them emboldened by billions of dollars provided by America and its allies.
As for the current leaders of Norway, Spain, and Ireland, they are demonstrating the truth of the adage that ideas can’t be destroyed militarily. During World War II all three of these nations were neutral toward – or actively supportive of – the Nazis, whose big ideas included mass-murdering Jews.
The flag of the United Nations was flown at half-staff last week to honor the late Ebrahim Raisi, president of the Islamic Republic of Iran who perished in a helicopter crash. Known at home as the “Butcher of Tehran,” he was responsible for torturing and brutally executing thousands of Iranian political prisoners, minorities, and women. The regime he served supports Hamas, Hezbollah, Islamic Jihad, and the Houthi rebels of Yemen. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed his “sincere condolences” for Mr. Raisi. The U.N. Security Council, at the request of Russia, China, and Algeria, held a moment of silence for the neo-imperialist theocrat. America’s representative dutifully stood for the ceremony.
Also last week: Norway, Spain, and Ireland announced they would recognize a Palestinian state. Hamas expressed its gratitude for this “historic turning point” brought about by the “brave resistance.”Coincidently, videos released last week showed Hamas’ “brave resistors” on Oct. 7 harassing bloodied female soldiers abducted moments earlier. They called them sabaya, meaning sex slaves.
In another video, a young Gazan man recounts how he, a cousin, and his father raped a hostage. He nonchalantly recalled: “After we finished raping her, my father killed her.”
But wait, there’s more. On CNN last week, International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor Karim Asad Ahmad Khan announced that he will seek arrest warrants for Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister, and Yoav Gallant, Israel’s defense minister.
Mr. Khan said he’d also like warrants for several Hamas leaders. Sen. Tom Cotton observed: “Equating Israel’s democratically elected leaders with the perpetrators of the worst attack on Jews since WWII shows what a farce the International Criminal Court is.”He added: “Mr. Khan’s kangaroo court has no jurisdiction in Israel to pursue these anti-Semitic and politically motivated ‘charges.’ My colleagues and I look forward to making sure neither Khan, his associates nor their families will ever set foot again in the United States.”
Sen. Cotton understands – as Mr. Khan apparently does not – that under international law the ICC has jurisdiction only over signatories to a 1998 treaty known as the Rome Statute. Israel didn’t sign. Neither did the U.S.
Mr. Khan’s workaround is to declare that he is pursuing these warrants on behalf of “the State of Palestine.”
Who governs that state? In Gaza, it’s been Hamas since 2007 – two years after the Israelis withdrew every last Jew and Jewish grave from the territory.
In the West Bank, it’s the Palestinian Authority which is so weak that it almost certainly would be overthrown by Hamas were it not for Israel’s quiet support. The only way for the PA to return to Gaza – from which it was expelled by Hamas in a civil war just after the Israeli departure – would be behind Israeli tanks. There’s a second reason Mr. Khan lacks authority. Under the Rome Statute, the ICC was set up as a court of last resort, empowered only to investigate nations “unwilling or unable genuinely” to prosecute wrongdoing on their own. But Israel does that well. (The same can be said of no other nation in the Middle East.)
With all this in mind, Mr. Cotton and 11 other U.S. Senators wrote to Mr. Khan warning that they “will not tolerate politicized attacks by the ICC on our allies. If you move forward with the measures indicated in the report, we will move to end all American support for the ICC, sanction your employees and associates, and bar you and your families from the United States.”
Mr. Khan fired back: “When individuals threaten to retaliate against the Court or Court personnel…such threats, even when not acted upon, may also constitute an offence against the administration of justice under Art. 70 of the Rome Statute.”
Were you under the impression that Americans are guaranteed freedom of speech? Mr. Khan begs to differ.
Among those paying Mr. Khan’s salary and funding the lavish budget of the ICC bureaucracy in The Hague: Germany, Japan, France, Britain, Italy, and South Korea.
Do you suppose that President Biden and his ambassadors could have an influence on those countries if they tried?
Another important international organization came out in support of Hamas and its patrons in Tehran last week. Nawaf Salam, the presiding judge of the International Court of Justice, also headquartered in The Hague, declared that “Israel must immediately halt its military offense” in Rafah “which may inflict on the Palestinian group in Gaza conditions of life that could bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part.”
Mr. Salam is from Lebanon, a state dominated by Hezbollah, Tehran’s most formidable proxy, which since immediately following the Oct. 7 attack has been firing hundreds of missiles into northern Israel, killing and wounding Israelis, and causing tens of thousands to abandon their homes.
Hamas leaders welcomed Mr. Salam’s ruling. Israeli officials responded by saying, in effect: “Thanks for the guidance. We’ll continue fighting Hamas terrorists in such a way as to not bring about the physical destruction of the Palestinian group in Gaza, in whole or in part – even as Hamas uses Palestinian civilians as human shields guaranteeing that civilians will be killed.”
These developments should serve as a reminder – not that you needed one – of what the U.N. and many other international organizations have become: clubs for tyrants, terrorists, and antisemites, their fellow travelers and assorted useful idiots, all of them emboldened by billions of dollars provided by America and its allies.
As for the current leaders of Norway, Spain, and Ireland, they are demonstrating the truth of the adage that ideas can’t be destroyed militarily. During World War II all three of these nations were neutral toward – or actively supportive of – the Nazis, whose big ideas included mass-murdering Jews.
*Clifford D. May is founder and president of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) and a columnist for the Washington Times.

Turkish Textbooks: Turning History on Its Head
 Uzay Bulut/Gatestone Institute/May 30, 2024
Islamists in Turkey do not teach schoolchildren that Jews have been indigenous to Israel for nearly 4000 years -- since the Bronze Age -- and that the reestablishment of Israel in 1948 was actually an anti-colonialist step.
Meanwhile, Turkish government authorities have targeted their own indigenous peoples of Anatolia, namely the Pontic Greeks and Armenians. In the twentieth century, Ottoman Turkey largely exterminated these peoples through a genocide.
The government of Turkey, however, refers to the genocide as the "unfounded claims" of Greeks and Armenians. The titles in the Turkish history textbooks were previously called the "Pontus Issue" and the "Armenian Question". They are now changed to the "Unfounded Pontus Claims" and the "Unfounded Armenian Claims".
"[T]his is not a [country ruled by the] state of law..." — Eren Keskin, Lawyer, Co-Chairman Human Rights Association (IHD).
The Turkish government is also in denial about the history of the land of Turkey. Armenians, Greeks and Assyrians are indigenous peoples of the land, just as Jews are indigenous to Israel. Muslim Turks from Central Asia arrived in the Armenian highlands and Anatoli, which was the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire at the time, only during the 11th century. Through military invasions, Muslim Turks seized the towns and cities where indigenous Christians had lived for centuries. Ottoman Turks finally invaded Constantinople (today's Istanbul) in the fifteenth century, bringing the destruction of the Byzantine Empire. After that, abuses against Christian religious and cultural heritage became widespread.
The new Turkish textbooks also claim Greek and Cypriot waters in the Aegean Sea as belonging to Turkey. Through a doctrine that the government of Turkey calls "the Blue Homeland", they aim to seize Greek islands and maritime space in the Aegean and Mediterranean Seas.
Sadly, these textbooks will sow more hatred in Turkish children against Jews, Greeks, Christians, Armenians, Greek Cypriots and the State of Israel -- all based on misinformation, willful distortion, and historic revisionism.
Turkey's Islamist government under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is preparing to further indoctrinate Turkish schoolchildren in propaganda regarding Israel, Greeks, Armenians, Cyprus and other issues of history and geography. Pictured: Students participate in an event, held in an Istanbul primary school, for National Sovereignty and Children's Day, on April 23, 2024. (Photo by Ilker Eray/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)
Turkey's Islamist government under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is preparing to further indoctrinate Turkish schoolchildren in propaganda regarding Israel, Greeks, Armenians, Cyprus and other issues of history and geography.
New content, named "Turkey's Century Education Model", was added to this year's curriculum and only recently made available for public opinion by the Ministry of National Education.
Additions were made, among other studies, to the "History of the Revolution of Turkish Republic and Kemalism", and geography, regarding Israel, Greeks, Armenians, Cyprus and others.
Turkish history textbooks will include more content on "Palestine", Israel and Zionism. The misleading chapter on the subject matter, which already existed, has now been extended even further.
The topic, previously addressed as "the Problem of Zionism", in now, in an expanded version, "Zionist movements, the Palestine issue and the transformation of colonialism". The new generation of Turkey's children is now being indoctrinated to become increasingly anti-Israel.
Islamists in Turkey do not teach schoolchildren that Jews have been indigenous to Israel for nearly 4,000 years -- since the Bronze Age -- and that the reestablishment of Israel as an independent state in 1948 was actually an anti-colonialist step.
"Zion" literally means Jerusalem. Zionism is a movement or idea that supports the Jewish right to self-determination in their ancestral homeland, the territory that is now the State of Israel.
The truth that Turkish children need to know is explained by the American Jewish Committee (AJC):
"As Israel continues to defend itself against the terrorist group Hamas, a war of information is unfolding around the world. One of the slogans most commonly used claims Israel is a 'settler colonial enterprise.' By charging Israel with colonizing Palestinians, Hamas and its supporters are manipulating the cause of racial justice to advance their terrorist goals - all while hoping no one notices Israel has been the homeland of the Jewish people since the Bronze Age.
"The truth is that the Jewish people are indigenous to the land of Israel and first achieved self-determination there 3,000 years ago.
"The Romans expelled the majority of Jews in 70 C.E., but the Jewish people have always been present in the land of Israel. A portion of the Jewish population remained in Israel throughout the years, and those who lived in the Diaspora yearned to return to the Jewish homeland and the holy Jewish city of Jerusalem, both of which are mentioned multiple times in daily Jewish prayers. This historical and religious link for Jewish people to the land of Israel is indisputable—even the word 'Jew' comes from Judea, the ancient name for Israel.
"As Jews around the world faced increasing persecution at the end of the 19th and early 20th centuries, they began moving to what is now Israel in greater numbers. Since Israel's establishment shortly after the Holocaust, Jews have moved to Israel from all over the world, seeking a place to call home in which they can live freely and safely as Jews. At the same time, Jewish and Israeli leaders have consistently acknowledged the presence of Palestinian Arabs and have supported efforts to partition the land into Jewish and Arab states, from 1937 to the present day. The best-known attempt to divide the land came in the form of the 1947 UN Partition Plan, which was accepted by the local Jewish population but rejected by their Arab neighbors, who waged war to eliminate the Jewish state. More recently, successive Israeli prime ministers have offered to concede more than 90% of the West Bank and all of Gaza to create a Palestinian state alongside Israel. Palestinian leaders, however, have consistently rejected efforts at bringing about a two-state solution, as they did in 1947, and they continue to do so to this day.
"'Settler colonialism' refers to an attempt by an imperial power to replace the native population of a land with a new society of settlers. It cannot describe a reality in which a national group, acting on its behalf and not at the behest of an external power, returned to its historic homeland to achieve self-determination while simultaneously supporting the creation of a nation-state for another national group alongside the creation of their own state."
Meanwhile, Turkish government authorities have targeted their own indigenous peoples of Anatolia, namely the Pontic Greeks and Armenians. In the twentieth century, Ottoman Turkey largely exterminated these peoples through a genocide.
Serious scholars, however, agree that Ottoman Turkey committed a genocide against Christians, namely Armenians, Greeks and Assyrians. In 2007, the International Association of Genocide Scholars issued a resolution, which said, in part:
"It is the conviction of the International Association of Genocide Scholars that the Ottoman campaign against Christian minorities of the Empire between 1914 and 1923 constituted a genocide against Armenians, Assyrians, and Pontian and Anatolian Greeks."
According to Dr. Gregory H. Stanton, President of Genocide Watch, denial is the last stage of genocide:
"Denial is a continuation of a genocide because it is a continuing attempt to destroy the victim group psychologically and culturally, to deny its members even the memory of the murders of their relatives."
The government of Turkey has aggressively denied this genocide ever since its founding in 1923. Many Turkish citizens have been tried in courts for publicly recognizing the slaughter as a genocide. Two human rights advocates with Turkey's Human Rights Association (IHD) -- Co-Chairman and Lawyer Eren Keskin and member of the IHD Commission Against Racism and Discrimination Gulistan Yarkın -- were recently tried and acquitted of charges of "insulting the Turkish state and nation" for saying what was done to Armenians in 1915 was genocide, during a 2021 commemoration event for the 1915 Armenian Genocide.
Prior to the hearing, Keskin said:
"We did not insult anyone. We think that what happened before Turkey was founded was a genocide. I believe that the state [of Turkey] continues this idea [implements similar genocidal policies]. We think this should be discussed. We think this will liberate this geography of ours. It will contribute to the democratization of this country. No law prevents us from expressing this. Turkey was convicted on this issue.
"Normally, in [a country ruled by] the state of law, when this accusation comes before a prosecutor, he should say, 'There is an ECHR [European Court of Human Rights] decision, Turkey was convicted on this issue, I cannot open this case'. But this is not a [country ruled by the] state of law, anyway. I think 1915 was genocide. The Turkish state should also face this issue and compensate for the damages [done to the victims]. I do not accept the accusation [directed against me]."
The Turkish government is also in denial about the history of the land of Turkey. Armenians, Greeks and Assyrians are indigenous peoples of the land, just as Jews are indigenous to Israel. Muslim Turks from Central Asia arrived in the Armenian highlands and Anatoli, which was the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire at the time, only during the 11th century. Through military invasions, Muslim Turks seized the towns and cities where indigenous Christians had lived for centuries. Ottoman Turks finally invaded Constantinople (today's Istanbul) in the fifteenth century, bringing the destruction of the Byzantine Empire. After that, abuses against Christian religious and cultural heritage became widespread.
Hagia Sophia (Greek for "Holy Wisdom"), for instance, was built by Greeks in the 6th century as a church. Nearly 1,000 years later, Ottoman Turks converted the Hagia Sophia cathedral into a mosque, killing or enslaving the Christians inside. In 1930, the Turkish government converted Hagia Sophia to a museum, and in 2020, back into a mosque. This was the latest in a series of abuses against churches in Turkey and is part of a neo-Ottoman resurgence.
The new Turkish textbooks also claim Greek and Cypriot waters in the Aegean Sea as belonging to Turkey. Through a doctrine that the government of Turkey calls "the Blue Homeland", they aim to seize Greek islands and maritime space in the Aegean and Mediterranean Seas. This doctrine will be taught in geography classes at middle schools.
The Greek newspaper Kathimerini reports:
"The 'Blue Homeland' doctrine which envisages Turkish influence over large swaths of the Mediterranean and other seas at the expense of other countries in the region, including Greece, will be taught during the next school year, local media revealed.
"According to the Turkish Education Ministry's recommendations that were made public by the Turkiye and Takvim newspapers, the maps and the Blue Homeland doctrine, as well another regarding influence in the air, will be taught in secondary school geography classes.
"The recommendations state that 'the value of patriotism should be instilled as well as Turkey's justified struggle against demands that ignore its legal and geographical rights in the Sea of Islands [i.e. the Aegean Sea] and the Eastern Mediterranean'."
Turkey has threatened to invade Greek islands since at least 2018.
The draft curriculum, which includes suggestions for teachers, also addresses the history of Cyprus, which Turkey illegally invaded in 1974. It suggests that students prepare a report on the "injustices suffered by the Turks in Cyprus" to present at the United Nations.
Apparently, in Turkey, black is white and white is black. Turkey has illegally occupied 36% of the Republic of Cyprus since it invaded the island country through a brutal military campaign. Greek Cypriots were killed, raped, tortured, unlawfully arrested, forcibly "disappeared," and put in labor camps. Around 160,000 Greek Cypriots fled their homes to escape the advancing Turkish army. To this day, the occupying forces impede the return of the forcibly displaced to their homes and property. Their property and possessions were forcibly seized and distributed to illegal settlers from Turkey. The Christian and Jewish cultural and religious heritage of the occupied area has largely been destroyed. Yet, the new curriculum in Turkey seriously suggests that teachers instruct students to write papers about the alleged "injustices against Turks in Cyprus"?
Sadly, these textbooks will sow more hatred in Turkish children against Jews, Greeks, Christians, Armenians, Greek Cypriots and the State of Israel -- all based on misinformation, willful distortion, and historic revisionism.
Indoctrinating Turkish schoolchildren with these unjust biases -- children who will oversee Turkish education and politics in the future -- will only make Turkey even more aggressive in its foreign policy and more vicious to its minorities and dissenters at home.
*Uzay Bulut, a Turkish journalist, is a Distinguished Senior Fellow at Gatestone Institute.
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The Normalizing of Assad Has Been a Disaster
Charles Lister/Foreign Policy/ay 30/2024
Charles Lister, a senior fellow and director of the Syria and Counterterrorism and Extremism programs at the Middle East Institute.
Syria’s president was welcomed back into the fold a year ago—and everything since then has gotten worse.
One year ago, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was welcomed back into the Arab League with considerable fanfare, walking the purple carpet as he joined the summit being held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The decision to readmit Syria to the Arab League after 12 years of isolation was taken amid a major regional push to reengage Assad’s regime, to normalize its diplomatic and security status, and to convince it to help resolve some of the most problematic effects of Syria’s long-running crisis. In his official remarks at the summit in May 2023, Assad celebrated what he called a “historic opportunity … for peace in our region, development and prosperity instead of war and destruction.”
Almost exactly a year later, on May 16 this year, Assad was back at the table alongside Arab League members at a summit in Manama, Bahrain. But this time, he was only permitted to attend on the condition that he stayed silent throughout. The reason? The Arab state effort to bring Assad in from the cold and make his regime a responsible actor had completely backfired. Not only had it failed to convince Assad to make any concessions. Every single aspect of Syria’s crisis has worsened since Assad stepped onto Saudi soil last May.
Shortly before Syria’s readmission to the Arab League, the core Arab states most actively supportive of the normalization initiative met in Jordan alongside Syria’s foreign minister to lay the groundwork for an “Arab leadership role in efforts to resolve the Syrian crisis.” According to the resulting Amman Communique and a series of follow-up documents, the regional initiative identified five core priorities to be accomplished through the work of what came to be known as the Arab Liaison Committee (ALC): increase and expand humanitarian aid delivery; establish conditions necessary for large-scale refugee returns; end the production and export of illegal drugs from Syria; resume the work of the Constitutional Committee and achieve a political solution, in line with U.N. Security Council Resolution 2254; and establish an international security body to coordinate efforts to counter terrorism in Syria.
Since that time, the ALC has met several times, and regional bilateral engagements with Assad’s regime have continued—but work on all five issues has never gotten off the ground. The envisioned “step-for-step” process of reciprocal concessions never went further than the wave of high-profile visits with Assad in early 2023 and his return to the Arab League. When it comes to the political process, not only has there been no progress made, but the Constitutional Committee is now effectively dead, and Assad has repeatedly communicated to Arab states his refusal to engage in any future processes.
In the past year, aid access remains as restricted as ever, while the aid itself is falling to its lowest levels ever, amid huge cuts. Despite 90 percent of Syrians living under the poverty line, the World Food Program has already shuttered its entire effort in Syria, and the U.N. humanitarian response plan is currently just 6 percent funded. Meanwhile, refugees continue to refuse to return to a Syria still ruled by Assad, with U.N. polling indicating just 1 percent would consider a future return if current conditions persist. Feeling increasingly strained, Jordan, Lebanon, and Turkey have turned to differing levels of forceful deportations—violating international humanitarian law.
While deadly conflict continues in every corner of the country, the drugs trade—sponsored and protected by the regime—continues apace, exporting billions of dollars of the amphetamine captagon across the region, utilizing local, regional, and global smuggling routes by land and sea. In fact, the regime-facilitated drug smuggling industry has tripled its rate of smuggling activities on the Jordanian border in the last 12 months. To rub further salt in the wound, within 48 hours of Saudi Arabia’s May 26 appointment of an Ambassador to Syria, approximately $75 million of captagon manufactured by Assad regime actors was seized on Saudi soil, and a further $40 million worth in Iraq.
Not only has the regime’s drug trade continued, but it has diversified, to now include crystal meth and weapons, delivered by drones and sophisticated groups of heavily armed smugglers linked to the regime’s elite 4th Division and allied Iranian proxies. Having been most acutely concerned about the drugs threat, Jordan initially invested in a working relationship with Syrian regime intelligence, but it has now done a 180-degree shift and turned to shooting down drones, engaging in increasingly heavy and prolonged border clashes and conducting airstrikes deep inside regime-held areas of Syria.
With the sense of failure clear, regional states initially sought to engage the United States and European partners on paths forward on Syria, but any energy to do so soon fizzled after Hamas’s assault on Israel and the resulting Israeli campaign in Gaza. This year, previously scheduled ALC summits have been repeatedly postponed amid Syrian regime obstructionism and a refusal by the likes of Jordan to engage. That Jordan is putting up such a wall is unsurprising but also illustrative of the profound failure of the Arab initiative. Jordan’s King Abdullah II was arguably the central architect of the normalizing agenda, his government having presented a white paper on reengagement in 2021 and shopped it around intensively in Moscow, Washington, and elsewhere.
In the United States, interest in Syria policy has waned for years now, but the Biden administration did quietly encourage regional reengagement last year and has effectively blocked Congress from moving forward with the Assad Regime Anti-Normalization Act. Though it opposes normalization in theory, it has done little if anything to stop it, while its intervention in congressional legislation-making has sent concerning signals. As things stand, the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act is set to expire in December, and without it, governments and entities around the world would be free to engage and invest in Assad’s regime almost at will. That vacuum requires filling, swiftly. Ultimately, after more than 13 years, Syria’s crisis remains wholly unresolved, while conditions inside the country are worse than ever before—and continuing to deteriorate. The regional effort to get things moving forward failed spectacularly because it was driven by all the wrong assumptions. That is not to say that diplomacy is of no use, but it cannot work if the regime is awarded unconditionally from the outset. It also requires the collective effort, will, and serious investment of the entire international community. U.S. indifference cannot continue if Syria has any hope of escaping its current disaster.

Battle against drug and arms smugglers is critical to Jordan’s national security
Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Arab News/May 30, 2024
The escalating influx of arms and drugs into Jordan represents a pressing concern that cannot be ignored. This surge in smuggling activity demands immediate attention and effective countermeasures to safeguard the nation’s security and stability.
The proliferation of illicit goods not only poses a direct threat to internal security but also to the stability of the region, and it undermines Jordan’s economic prosperity and social cohesion. The trade in arms and drugs fuels criminal activities, breeds violence and destabilizes communities. Moreover, it erodes public trust in institutions and hampers efforts for sustainable development.
Addressing this critical threat therefore requires a proactive and coordinated response from both the regional and international communities, encompassing comprehensive strategies for border security and counterterrorism.
King Abdullah’s recent call for Arab states to address the alarming increase in drug and arms smuggling underscores the gravity of the situation.
“We should confront armed militant groups who commit crimes above the law, especially smuggling drugs and arms, which is what Jordan has been thwarting for years now,” he said. His assertion, made during a summit in Bahrain attended by key leaders from the region, highlights the urgent need to confront armed militant groups engaged in criminal activities that transcend borders.
The influx of drugs into Jordan represents a multifaceted challenge with significant socioeconomic and public-health implications
Jordan’s longstanding efforts to thwart such illicit activities demonstrate the nation’s commitment to safeguarding its citizens from external threats and upholding the rule of law. However, the scale and complexity of the challenge necessitate enhanced cooperation and collaboration among Arab states to effectively combat transnational crime networks.
By fostering partnerships and sharing intelligence, regional authorities can strengthen their collective capacity to disrupt smuggling operations, dismantle criminal syndicates and promote regional stability.
According to Jordanian officials, the smuggling operations are orchestrated by pro-Iranian militias entrenched in southern Syria, and Hezbollah in Lebanon. Syria, Iran and Hezbollah deny any involvement in smuggling. Nevertheless, the allegation underscores the complex geopolitical dynamics at play and the need for a coordinated regional response to tackle the root causes of the issue.
Jordan’s state news agency, Petra, recently reported that an attempt by “foreign-backed militants” to smuggle arms into the kingdom was foiled in March this year. While authorities in the country have managed to intercept numerous smuggling attempts, the fact that some weapons slip through undetected underscores the need for continuous vigilance and the enhancement of border-control measures.
The porous nature of borders in conflict-prone regions poses a persistent challenge that requires innovative solutions and sustained efforts. As a result, investment in advanced technologies, improved inter-agency coordination, and enhanced intelligence capabilities are also essential in efforts to effectively address the evolving threats posed by smuggling networks. Such illicit activities not only pose a direct threat to Jordan’s security but also exacerbate tensions in the region. Therefore, addressing the underlying forces and drivers behind smuggling, including political instability, sectarian conflicts and external interference, requires a holistic approach that addresses both the symptoms and root causes of the problem.
The smuggling of arms by these groups directly undermines Jordan’s internal security in several ways. It poses a grave threat to the safety, security and well-being of its citizens. Furthermore, such illicit activities fuel instability, breed violence and undermine the rule of law. In addition to the direct threat posed by arms smuggling, the influx of drugs into Jordan represents a multifaceted challenge with significant socioeconomic and public-health implications. The proliferation of illicit drugs not only provides a lucrative revenue stream for criminal organizations, it also perpetuates a cycle of addiction, crime and social degradation.
The availability of drugs fuels criminal activities, from drug trafficking to related crimes such as violence and organized crime, thereby undermining public safety and security. Moreover, the prevalence of drug addiction not only destabilizes communities but also places a heavy burden on healthcare systems, as addiction-related illnesses and overdoses strain resources and exacerbate existing public-health challenges.
Additionally, the social consequences of drug addiction, including broken families, lost productivity and stigmatization, further compound the socioeconomic challenges Jordanian society faces. The social consequences of drug addiction, including broken families, lost productivity and stigmatization, further compound the socioeconomic challenges Jordanian society faces. As a result, addressing the multifaceted challenges arising from drug and arms smuggling requires a range of actions, including enhanced border security, intelligence sharing, and regional and international cooperation.
Jordan can also strengthen its institutional capacities and collaborate with regional and international partners to effectively combat transnational crime networks operating in the region. Furthermore, cooperation with other Arab states is essential, as the threat posed by drug and arms smuggling extends beyond Jordan’s borders, imperiling the stability and security of the entire region. A unified approach involving collective action and shared intelligence is indispensable in efforts to mitigate the risks posed by criminal enterprises and safeguard the well-being of the people in the region.
By fostering regional cooperation and coordination, Arab states can enhance their collective resilience against the threats posed by drug and arms smuggling, promote peace and stability in the region, advance shared social, political and economic interests, and boost prosperity. The battle against drug and arms smuggling is an imperative for both Jordan’s national security and regional stability. This critical threat, compounded by the involvement of transnational criminal networks and geopolitical complexities, underscores the urgency of the need for a coordinated response.
The proactive efforts of Jordanian authorities, exemplified by the interception of smuggling attempts and calls for regional cooperation, demonstrate a firm commitment to safeguarding citizens. However, the persistence of smuggling activities, coupled with the interconnected nature of security threats, necessitates sustained vigilance, innovation and collaboration among regional and international authorities.
By strengthening border-security measures, enhancing intelligence capabilities and fostering greater regional cooperation, Jordan and its Arab neighbors can take action to effectively disrupt smuggling networks, dismantle criminal enterprises and mitigate the risks posed by such illicit activities.
**Majid Rafizadeh is a Harvard-educated Iranian American political scientist. X: @Dr_Rafizadeh

The implications of AI for regional security
Ehtesham Shahid/Arab News/May 30, 2024
If innovation strengthens national security, artificial intelligence magnifies it. Think of AI as the magnifying glass that takes the power of human ingenuity and focuses it into a laser beam of efficiency and precision. Across the Middle East, governments are waking up to this potential and integrating AI into their security frameworks with a sense of urgency and ambition. The exceptional ability of AI to quickly analyze vast amounts of data means it is a game-changer for intelligence gathering, threat detection and decision-making. It can sift through mountains of information, spotting patterns and anomalies humans might miss. This capability transforms the speed and accuracy of responses to security threats. But the impact of AI goes beyond mere data crunching; it is also about the automation of security operations, reducing the chances of human error, and increasing the efficiency of surveillance, cybersecurity and defense operations. AI-powered systems can predict potential threats by analyzing patterns and enabling proactive measures that can keep us safer. AI-powered systems can predict potential threats by analyzing patterns and enabling proactive measures that can keep us safer
Countries across the Middle East are betting big on AI to enhance security. The stakes are high. PWC estimates the potential financial contribution of AI to the region at a staggering $320 billion, with annual growth of these contributions expected to hit between 20 and 34 percent. “The Middle East is expected to accrue 2 percent of the total global benefits of AI in 2030,” it predicts.
Let us look at some of the key components of AI that are enhancing regional security. Take smart surveillance systems, for instance. These are not your run-of-the-mill cameras; AI-powered surveillance uses facial recognition, behavioral analysis and anomaly detection to monitor public spaces and critical infrastructure.
Imagine drones buzzing through the skies over borders, equipped with AI for real-time monitoring and threat detection. These are no longer ideas from science fiction, they are part of the new security reality. In terms of cybersecurity, AI systems are the new front-line soldiers. They can identify and respond to threats such as malware and phishing in real time, often before humans even notice a problem. Such systems are able to predict potential cyberattacks and vulnerabilities by analyzing data, allowing for preemptive strikes. Communications data, including social media, is another treasure trove for AI. It can sift through this data to gather intelligence and monitor for signs of radicalization or unrest.
AI-enabled autonomous systems redefine defense strategies, through the use of the technology in equipment such as unmanned combat vehicles and missile-defense systems. These platforms provide military and defense personnel with simulations, predictive models and real-time data analysis, turning strategy sessions into high-tech war games. Automated border control is another critical area. AI technologies can streamline verification of biometrics at checkpoints, enhancing security while easing the flow of people. They are also able monitor and detect unauthorized activities along borders and coastal regions, ensuring a watchful eye is always present.
AI promises to revolutionize counterterrorism operations in countries across the Middle East. It delivers the tools to analyze communications networks, financial transactions and patterns of movement to identify and disrupt terrorist activities.
AI also supports first-responders by providing them with real-time data and situational awareness during crises, turning chaos into coordinated responses.
American government and military contractor Booz Allen Hamilton summarizes the situation as “more data being collected in increasing variety and with greater speed every day,” suggesting that the total value of data is through the application of AI to support intelligence analysts. However, one must remember that overreliance on big data and AI can also lead to vulnerabilities. Technical failures, biases in algorithms, or malicious data manipulation can cause incorrect conclusions to be reached, resulting in flawed security measures.The story of AI in the Middle East is one of ambition, innovation and human potential.
This is not just about the technology. It is also about people: the engineers designing AI systems, the security personnel using them, and ordinary citizens living safer lives because of them. The story of AI in the Middle East is one of ambition, innovation and human potential. It is about the visionaries, engineers and citizens transforming their countries. Take the launch of the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority or the UAE’s Artificial Intelligence and Digital Wellbeing Council. These initiatives are committed to leveraging the power of AI for national security and defense, reflecting a broader regional strategy to address modern security challenges with advanced technology.
Of course, this rapid integration of AI raises concerns about privacy, ethics and potential misuse. These issues need careful regulation and appropriate oversight to ensure that AI is a force for good. In cities such as Singapore, known for its smart city initiatives, AI-powered surveillance is used extensively for traffic management, public safety and urban planning. The Middle East is following suit by ensuring security measures are effective and adaptable to emerging threats.
The integration of AI into the Gulf Cooperation Council’s regional security strategy is more than a technological upgrade, it’s a commitment to a safer, more stable future. The regional story of AI is not only about machines but about people, making it a narrative of human ingenuity and resilience aimed at creating a better, more secure world for everyone. Imagine a security officer patrolling a bustling market in one of the region’s many happening city centers. As he makes his way amid the crowd, he receives an alert on his AI-powered device about a suspicious individual whose behavior matches a potential threat pattern. Within minutes, his team intercepts the person, thereby preventing a possible incident. This illustrates the human aspect of AI: a tool that empowers individuals to act swiftly and decisively, making our cities safer.
**Ehtesham Shahid is an Indian editor and researcher in the UAE. X: @e2sham