English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For November 30/2024
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news

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https://eliasbejjaninews.com/aaaanewsfor2024/english.November 30.24.htm

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Bible Quotations For today
Jesus Chooses 4 of his Disciples, Peter & Andrew his brother, & James Son Of Zebedee & His Bother, John
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 04/18-25: “As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the lake for they were fishermen. And he said to them, ‘Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.’ Immediately they left their nets and followed him. As he went from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John, in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed him. Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing every disease and every sickness among the people. So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought to him all the sick, those who were afflicted with various diseases and pains, demoniacs, epileptics, and paralytics, and he cured them. And great crowds followed him from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and from beyond the Jordan.”

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on November 29-30/2024
Their concepts and standards of victories are both pitiful and heartbreaking/Elias Bejjani/November 28/2024
Hezbollah is a criminal, terrorist, corrupt, and sectarian organization—an enemy of Lebanon, humanity, and civilization/Elias Bejjani/November 26/2024
Elias Bejjani/Video & Text: A Critique of the Flawed and Sinful Ceasefire Between Israel and the Terrorist Hezbollah/Elias Bejjani/November 27/ 2024
Video Link: An interview with writer and director Youssef Y. El-Khoury/
Israel Carries Out Several Attacks in Southern Lebanon
Israeli Military Says Lebanese Residents are Prohibited to Move South to Several Villages
Israel's violations: Mikati calls Hochstein, army complains to UNIFIL
Qassem declares 'great victory', vows cooperation with army in implementing ceasefire
Israeli army says hit Hezbollah rocket launcher in south Lebanon
Chances of war resuming in Lebanon are 50%, some Israeli officials believe
Macron urges instant end to all acts that violate Lebanon ceasefire
Geagea urges Hezbollah to honor commitments, says army must dismantle military bases
Instead of withdrawing, Israeli troops in south Lebanon advance under truce deal
Thousands of displaced Lebanese return from Syria as ceasefire holds
Day 3 of ceasefire: Israel's violations
Khalil: We no longer want to be an arena, but rather a strong state
Family returns to Baalbek to find a crater where their 50-year-old home once stood
Displaced families return home but find piles of rubble
Army chief Joseph Aoun, a man with a tough mission
Truce deal brings more questions than answers for Lebanon
Israeli strikes kill dozens in Gaza, Egypt to host Hamas leaders for ceasefire talks
Israel criticized for ‘provocative actions’ in Lebanon despite ceasefire agreement

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on November 29-30/2024
Syria Jihadists breach Aleppo in shock offensive
Opposition Forces Breach Syria’s Second-Largest City Aleppo, Fighters and a War Monitor Say
Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs, Syrian Counterpart Discuss Regional Developments
Militants, allies enter Syria’s second city Aleppo in lightning assault
Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund takes a stake in Audi’s future F1 team
Israel PM again Warns Iran after Top Diplomat Talks of Revising Nuclear Doctrine
Hamas Claims Attack on Israeli Bus in West Bank That Wounded 8 People, Including 4 Soldiers
Gaza in anarchy, says UN
Women and Children Scavenge for Food in Gaza, UN Official Says
France on the back foot in Africa after Chadian snub
Ireland votes in closely fought general election
Social media companies, UNICEF slam Australia’s under-16 ban
Canada sues Google over alleged anticompetitive practices in online ads

Titles For The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources on November 29-30/2024
The northern front cease-fire: Weighing the pros and cons/Amir Avivi/Ynetnews/November 28/2024
Cracks in the New 'Axis of Evil': China, Russia, North Korea, Iran/Lawrence A. Franklin/Gatestone Institute/November 29, 2024
What will Musk’s newfound influence mean for the space race?/Dr. Amal Mudallali/Arab News/November 29, 2024
War in Gaza allows Netanyahu to sidestep a two-state solution/Daoud Kuttab/Arab News/November 29, 2024
Why this Israel-Lebanon Agreement is Different?/Abdulrahman Al-Rashed/Asharq Al-Awsat/November 29/2024
Tehran and Costly Syria/Amir Taheri/Asharq Al-Awsat/November 29/2024
On ‘Rejectionism’ and ‘Anti- Rejectionism’/Hazem Saghieh/Asharq Al-Awsat/November 29/2024

The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on November 29-30/2024
Their concepts and standards of victories are both pitiful and heartbreaking
Elias Bejjani/November 28/2024
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2024/11/137354/
What victory are they talking about? And what victory are they celebrating?
These individuals, according to all scientific and human standards, are afflicted with denial, delusions, and hallucinations. They are in desperate need of psychological and mental treatment, as well as intensive and long-term rehabilitation.

Hezbollah is a criminal, terrorist, corrupt, and sectarian organization—an enemy of Lebanon, humanity, and civilization
Elias Bejjani/November 26/2024
To save Lebanon from the catastrophes caused by the merchants of hypocrisy, deceit, and the fraudulent resistance narrative, Hezbollah must be brought to justice. This Iranian-backed jihadist group must be disarmed, stripped of its ability to operate politically, socially, religiously, and militarily on Lebanese soil, and firmly designated as a criminal and terrorist organization worldwide.

Elias Bejjani/Video & Text: A Critique of the Flawed and Sinful Ceasefire Between Israel and the Terrorist Hezbollah
Elias Bejjani/November 27/ 2024
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2024/11/137307/
The ceasefire agreement between Lebanon and Hezbollah prioritizes Israel's security while neglecting Lebanon's.
The ceasefire agreement brokered between Israel and the terrorist Hezbollah, under the auspices of the United States and other international actors, is not a minor lapse or a momentary oversight. It is a catastrophic and unforgivable failure that ignores the existential threat posed by this jihadist militia, which operates as a proxy for Iran's mullah regime. Hezbollah's mission is to dismantle Lebanon, transform it into a subservient Iranian satellite, and impose a sectarian, regressive order while simultaneously undermining regional peace and stability. Globally, it serves Tehran’s ambitions, conducting terrorist operations in pursuit of the mullahs’ dreams of hegemony and a revived Persian empire.
By ceasing its military campaign prematurely, Israel squandered a golden opportunity to eradicate this Iranian proxy. This failure is particularly glaring given the unprecedented regional and international support available to achieve such a decisive outcome. For decades, Hezbollah has devastated Lebanon, jeopardized its sovereignty, and threatened stability across the Middle East. Israel’s retreat before completing the mission will likely have dire consequences that extend far beyond Lebanon’s borders.
Since the Syrian occupation ended in 2005, Hezbollah has transformed Lebanon into an Iranian outpost—a warehouse for arms, a battlefield for Tehran’s wars, and a hub for global terrorism. It thrives on illicit activities, including arms smuggling, drug trafficking, money laundering, and assassinations, all executed with impunity. Under Hezbollah’s dominion, Lebanon has become a failed state, its government, parliament, judiciary, and even religious authorities reduced to tools of its occupation.
For nearly two decades, Lebanon’s population has endured unimaginable suffering: economic collapse, political paralysis, judicial corruption, theft of bank deposits, and a reign of terror marked by assassinations and coercion. The Lebanese people are now hostages in their own country, their fate manipulated by Hezbollah’s whims and Tehran’s directives.
The current ceasefire does nothing to resolve these core issues. Instead, it delays the inevitable resurgence of violence. The only viable solution lies in decisive international action, including the invocation of Chapter VII of the UN Charter to declare Lebanon a failed and rogue state. The United Nations must assume temporary governance, enforce UN resolutions, The Armistice, Accord, 1559, 1680, and 1701, and take comprehensive measures to disarm and dismantle all militias—starting with Hezbollah. Restoring the Lebanese Army as the sole military authority and empowering the Lebanese people to rebuild their nation free from the grip of Iranian occupation are essential steps to reclaim sovereignty.
Hezbollah’s continued existence poses a direct threat not only to Lebanon’s future but also to Israel’s security and the stability of the entire region. Allowing this terrorist organization to survive in any capacity guarantees that Lebanon will remain an Iranian proxy, a battleground for Tehran’s ambitions, and a platform for global terrorism.
We warn the international community: Hezbollah and its Iranian masters cannot be trusted to honor any agreements. Hezbollah epitomizes evil—corrupt, sectarian, and fundamentally opposed to peace, humanity, and civilization. Turning a blind eye to its crimes under the guise of a ceasefire is a betrayal of Lebanon, Israel, and the Middle East at large.
In conclusion, half-measures are no longer an option. The international community must abandon the illusion of temporary solutions and confront the root of the problem. Only decisive action—disarming Hezbollah and restoring Lebanon’s sovereignty—can secure lasting peace and stability in the region. Anything less is a grave disservice to Lebanon, Israel, and the world.

Video Link: An interview with writer and director Youssef Y. El-Khoury/An analysis based on sovereignty and independence background without appeasement or submissiveness, focusing on the current situation following the adoption of the ceasefire agreement.
November 29/2024
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2024/11/137411/
The interview discussed the foundations of Resolution 1701 and its associated agreements, including the Armistice Agreement, Resolutions 1559, 1701, and 1680, which constitute the basis for the current ceasefire signed by Israel and Lebanon. Importantly, this resolution encompasses all of Lebanon, not just the South, contrary to what Hezbollah propagates with its manipulative, arrogant, and denialist rhetoric.
Key Highlights from the Interview
(summarized and edited freely by Elias Bejjani):
*There is no provision in the Lebanese Constitution that declares Israel an enemy.
*Israel is not an enemy according to the Taif Agreement, which stipulates returning to the Armistice Agreement.
*As a Lebanese, the Palestinian cause is not my priority—Lebanon comes first.
*When Israel occupied part of South Lebanon, it only occupied the land. The South Lebanese Army (SLA) remained sovereign and legitimate, making decisions independently. In contrast, the Palestinian, Syrian, and Iranian occupations who seized both the land and decision-making powers. Today, under Hezbollah’s occupation, the state’s sovereignty, governance, and decision-making are entirely hijacked—an indisputable reality.
*The current Lebanese Parliament, elected under occupation, is not fit to elect a president for Lebanon.
*Hezbollah must not be allowed to participate in the presidential election.
*In any war, there must be a winner and a loser. In Lebanon, Hezbollah must either retreat to Iran or accept defeat, surrender its weapons, and submit to state authority.
*The May 17 Accord—which Lebanon was prevented from implementing—was a million times better than the current ceasefire agreement.
*Article 18 of Resolution 1701 calls for preparing for peace between Lebanon and Israel, and the Taif Agreement emphasizes a return to the Armistice Accord.
*If Lebanon had implemented the May 17 Accord, it would today be one of the world’s most advanced nations in terms of progress, peace, economy, and security, and a pioneer in regional peace. It would be on the same innovative wavelength as Elon Musk.
*The so-called “Lebanese sovereignty,” which Hezbollah, Amal Movement, and their “resistance” allies have consistently violated, has been in jeopardy since the rejection of the May 17 Accord..
*The names proposed and circulated for the presidency post by Nabih Berri and other corrupt politicians are pre-packaged and unacceptable. The Maronite community has numerous capable figures, but these names are not among them.
*Lebanon remains an occupied country, so any president elected under this occupation will be a hostage, similar to those who assumed the presidency during the previous Syrian, Iranian, and Palestinian occupations.
*Military leadership as presidents, as seen with Fouad Chehab, Émile Lahoud, and Michel Aoun, has failed. Commander Joseph Aoun should take this into consideration.
*There is no distinction between Amal Movement and Hezbollah. Together, this Shiite duo has become tyrannical, oppressive, and arrogant, violating the Constitution and categorizing citizens as either “resistance fighters” or “traitors.”
*Let us not forget that in 2006, Fouad Saniora’s government, with its political components, prevented Resolution 1701 from being placed under Chapter VII.
*Saniora’s government handed over the responsibilities of aid distribution after the 2006 war to Hezbollah and Amal Movement, subjecting beneficiaries to their control. The state should have undertaken this role.
*I do not trust what is published in Lebanon regarding the ceasefire agreement or its terms. Nothing of the sort has been published in Israel, nor has it been mentioned by Avichay Adraee. I want to know the details of the text signed by PM, Netanyahu.
*Israel, its parties, and its people, including Netanyahu, only accepted the ceasefire agreement under pressure. The U.S. administration threatened to pass a UN resolution against Israel’s interests, and Israel faced ammunition shortages due to a halt in American supplies.
*In his war against Hezbollah, Netanyahu isolated it entirely from Gaza, weakened its capabilities, and internationalized the issue. Ultimately, Hezbollah will have no choice, but either retreat to Iran or face defeat. Netanyahu received $680 million directly from the Biden administration as part of the ceasefire agreement.
*The majority of Lebanese oppose the current ceasefire because they were hoping for an end to Hezbollah’s Iranian occupation.
*Israel has achieved its priorities on its northern borders by creating a fire-based buffer zone, protecting its North. Israel does not concern itself with Lebanon’s internal situation, as it is the responsibility of the Lebanese to reclaim their sovereignty.
*Hezbollah’s so-called resistance has been exposed as a farce. Resolution 1701 applies to all of Lebanon, not just the South.
*The Christian role in the Abraham Accords, if implemented, is confirmed as part of its tri-faith foundation (Islamic, Jewish, Christian). Lebanese Christians will form a cornerstone of this Christian role. The Holy Spirit remains with Lebanon and its free citizens.
*I do not trust the officials in Bkerki, as their statements and positions indicate alignment with Hezbollah’s occupation and hegemony.
*Our sovereign brother, Charles Chartouni, left Lebanon legally with a stamped passport. He was preparing to travel to the U.S. for academic work. However, all security insiders had warned Charles that he would have been detained last Tuesday if he had attended his interrogation session. The double standards in justice must end—and they will.

Sheikh Qassem: Hezbollah’s Victory Surpasses That in 2006, Resistance is Ready to Prevent Israeli Enemy from Weakening Lebanon
Al-Manar English Website/November 29/2024
Hezbollah Secretary General Sheikh Naim Qassem addressed on Friday the nation two days after the ceasefire took into effect and ended a two-month Zionist war on Lebanon, stressing that we are witnessing a major victory.
Sheikh Qassem stressed that Hezbollah achieved a victory that is greater than that reached in 2006 despite all the sacrifices made and the Western support to the Israeli enemy, adding that we emerged triumphant because we prevented the enemy from eradicating the Resistance. When we launched the support front, we reiterated that we do not seek war but are ready for it if imposed by the “Israeli” enemy, Sheikh Qassem said. His eminence added that the occupation built its plans 64 days ago based on eradicating Hezbollah, letting the northern settlers to return home, and establishing a new Middle East, adding that “Israel” anticipated achieving its objectives in a short time after targeting our leadership system and the capabilities we possessed. Sheikh Qassem indicated that Hezbollah managed to remain steadfast on the frontlines and began striking the enemy’s internal front, placing “Israel” in a significant defensive position, noting that, during this war, the number of displaced in “Israel” has grown from 70,000 to hundreds of thousands. According to Hezbollah leader, the Resistance has proven its readiness, with the plans set by His Eminence Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah being effective and accounting for all developments.
“The occupation bet on internal discord with the hosts, but this gamble failed due to cooperation among sects and factions. The legendary and sacrificial [Martyrdom-Seeking] steadfastness of the fighters astonished the world, terrified the Israeli army, and sowed despair among the enemy.”
“We declare that, as a result of the “The Formidable in Might” battle, we are witnessing a great victory because we prevented the enemy from destroying Hezbollah, weakening the Resistance, and forced the enemy to justify itself to its public,” Sheikh Qassem said.
“The Resistance has endured and will continue; this victory belongs to everyone who contributed to it, whether through bullets, martyrdom, wounds, prayers, words, or support. This victory is for every honorable and free individual who supported the Resistance and condemned the Israeli aggression.”
Hezbollah leader affirmed, “Defeat surrounds the enemy from all sides. A ceasefire and cessation of aggression have been agreed upon. This agreement is not a treaty or a new accord requiring signatures from states; rather, it is a set of procedural implementations of Resolution 1701, focusing on the area south of the Litani River.” Sheikh Qassem stressed that the coordination between the Resistance and the Lebanese Army will be of the highest level to ensure the implementation of this agreement, adding that no one should bet on any disagreement between us and the army; this agreement falls under the framework of Lebanese sovereignty. “We thank Allah for our victory, and we express gratitude and pride in the Resistance fighters on the ground who humiliated the enemy and confronted it with legendary resilience. We extend our thanks to our great martyrs who paved the way for strength and dignity—every one of our martyrs is great because they transcended this world and rejected humiliation.”Hezbollah leader underscored that the central focus of the agreement today is south of the Litani River, affirming the withdrawal of the “Israeli army” from all areas it has occupied. His eminence voiced gratitude to the Master of the Nation’s Martyrs for being the spark of victory and paving this path, alongside your companion, Sayyed Hashem Safieddine, saluting the wounded, civil defense teams, and heartfelt respect and thanks to our people—the most honorable and purest.
We honor your sacrifices and the martyrdom of your loved ones in the field of honor, and we deeply appreciate the displaced and those whose homes were destroyed, his eminence said.
Sheikh Qassem also thanked the steadfast and resistant political negotiator, Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri, Prime Minister Najib Mikati for his efforts, the leadership of the army and security forces, and the honorable media. His eminence expressed gratitude to the Islamic Republic of Iran and its leader, Imam Khamenei, for his guidance, support, and adherence to the path of Imam Khomeini, as well as to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the martyr Hajj Qassem Soleimani, who laid the foundations and contributed significantly, and to the compassionate Iranian people. “We will work with our people to rebuild and restore, focusing in this phase on dignified shelter. We will also cooperate with the state, all organizations, and countries willing to assist Lebanon in making it even more beautiful than before.”Our national efforts will involve collaboration and dialogue with political forces that believe the homeland belongs to everyone, according to Sheikh Qassem who added, “We will prioritize completing constitutional institutions, particularly ensuring the timely election of a president.”

Israel Carries Out Several Attacks in Southern Lebanon
Asharq Al-Awsat/November 29/2024
The Israeli army carried out several attacks in southern Lebanon on Friday, the third day of the ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel, Lebanon’s state media said. Artillery bombardment struck the villages of Markaba, Talusa and Khiyam while four Israeli tanks moved into the western part of Khiam, the report said, adding that an Israeli tank fired at a house in Nabatiyeh province. Local media also reported that the Israeli army fired on civilians in the nearby village of Bint Jbeil. No casualties were immediately reported and The Associated Press was not immediately able to verify the claims.
Israel’s military said it struck an area in southern Lebanon where it detected movement of a Hezbollah rocket launcher on Friday. In the statement on the airstrike, the military said it would “actively enforce violations of the ceasefire agreement.”There was no immediate comment from the Lebanese army, which has accused Israel of breaking the ceasefire several times since it came into effect.

Israeli Military Says Lebanese Residents are Prohibited to Move South to Several Villages
Asharq Al Awsat/November 29/2024
Lebanese residents are prohibited from moving south to a line of villages and their surroundings until further notice, Israeli military spokesperson Avichay Adraee said on X on Friday. Israel said it opened fire on Thursday towards what it called "suspects" with vehicles arriving at several areas in the southern zone, saying it was a breach of the truce with Iran-backed armed group Hezbollah, which came into effect on Wednesday. Hezbollah lawmaker Hassan Fadlallah in turn accused Israel of violating the deal. "The Israeli enemy is attacking those returning to the border villages," Fadlallah told reporters, adding "there are violations today by Israel, even in this form". The Israeli military also said on Thursday the air force struck a facility used by Hezbollah to store mid-range rockets in southern Lebanon, the first such attack since the ceasefire took effect on Wednesday morning. In his recent post, Adraee called on Lebanese residents to not return to more than 60 southern villages, saying anyone who moves south of the specified line "puts themselves in danger".The Lebanese army earlier accused Israel of violating the ceasefire several times on Wednesday and Thursday. The exchange of accusations highlighted the fragility of the ceasefire, which was brokered by the United States and France to end the conflict, fought in parallel with the Gaza war. The truce lasts for 60 days in the hope of reaching a permanent cessation of hostilities.

Israel's violations: Mikati calls Hochstein, army complains to UNIFIL
Naharnet/November 29/2024
Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati communicated with U.S. mediator Amos Hochstein on Thursday to “discuss the developments and emphasize Lebanon’s stance,” in the wake of Israel’s numerous violations of the ceasefire agreement, Al-Akhbar newspaper reported on Friday. The Lebanese Army meanwhile communicated with the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) over the violations, the daily said. Army Commander General Joseph Aoun later met at his office in Yarze with U.S. army Major General Jasper Jeffers, who will head the five-party committee for monitoring the Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire. Aoun and Jeffers discussed the general situations and the coordination mechanism among the relevant parties in south Lebanon. The five-party committee comprises the U.S., France, Lebanon, Israel and UNIFIL.

Qassem declares 'great victory', vows cooperation with army in implementing ceasefire
Naharnet/November 29/2024
Hezbollah chief Sheikh Naim Qassem on Friday declared a "great victory" against Israel in his first speech since a ceasefire went into effect in Lebanon. "I have decided to declare... officially and clearly that we are facing a great victory that surpasses that of July 2006," Qassem said, adding: "We won because we prevented the enemy from destroying Hezbollah... (and) from annihilating or weakening the resistance." "Israel's losses were huge in terms of displacement and casualties and it reached a dead end due to resistance," Qassem added in a televised speech, boasting that "the resistance's resilience astonished the world." "The resistance continued and it shall remain," he said. Qassem also vowed to coordinate at a "high level" with the Lebanese Army to implement the terms of the ceasefire with Israel that began two days earlier. "The coordination between the resistance and the Lebanese Army will be at a high level to implement the commitments of the agreement," Qassem said, adding that "no one is betting on problems or disagreements" with the army. "Hezbollah will work to preserve national unity and enhance Lebanon's defensive capabilities," he added. As for Hezbollah's support for the Palestinians, Qassem said that it will continue in "various forms.""Our support for Palestine will continue in the appropriate ways," he added. Turning to the domestic situation, Qassem said: "Together with our people, we will continue the reconstruction process to provide decent housing."
"We want to return Lebanon to be more beautiful than it was," he said. Qassem also said that Hezbollah will "cooperate with and talk to all forces that want to build a unified Lebanon within the framework of the Taif Agreement," while vowing to contribute to the speedy election of a new president.

Israeli army says hit Hezbollah rocket launcher in south Lebanon
Agence France Presse/November 29/2024
The Israeli army said Friday it had struck a Hezbollah rocket launcher in southern Lebanon after detecting militant activity in the area two days after the start of a ceasefire. "A short while ago, terrorist activity and movement of a Hezbollah portable rocket launcher were identified in southern Lebanon. The threat was thwarted in an (Israeli Air Force) strike", the army said in a statement that featured a video of the air strike on a slowly moving truck. The strike followed several Israeli military attacks in southern Lebanon earlier in the day, which were reported by the Lebanese state media, and an Israeli drone strike on a Hezbollah weapons depot on Thursday. There was no immediate comment from the Lebanese army, which has accused Israel of breaking the ceasefire several times since it came into effect. Earlier in the day, Israeli gunfire wounded two people in Bint Jbeil and opened fire at a funeral in the southern border town of Khiam. The Israeli army also shelled the outskirts of Markaba and Tallousah, and troops advanced in southern border villages to zones where they were not present prior to the truce, bulldozing, blocking roads and uprooting olive trees in Khiam, Markaba and Kfarkila.

Chances of war resuming in Lebanon are 50%, some Israeli officials believe
Naharnet/November 29/2024
Some in Israel’s security establishment are estimating the chances of a resumption of the war against Hezbollah in Lebanon at 50%, according to Israel’s Ynet news portal.
The report says this is one of the reasons the Israeli government is yet to call on the tens of thousands of displaced residents of the north to return to their homes. “The more the rules and their enforcement are clear from the get-go, the better they will hold up later,” the news outlet quotes an unnamed Israeli officer as saying.

Macron urges instant end to all acts that violate Lebanon ceasefire
Naharnet/November 29/2024
French President Emmanuel Macron has called for an “immediate” halt to “all actions that violate” the ceasefire that has been in effect in Lebanon since Wednesday, the Elysee Palace said on Friday. During two phone calls Thursday with Speaker Nabih Berri and caretaker PM Najib Mikati, Macron called on all parties to fully implement this ceasefire, stressing that “all actions that violate this full implementation must immediately stop,” the Elysee added.

Geagea urges Hezbollah to honor commitments, says army must dismantle military bases
Naharnet/November 29/2024
Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea on Friday accused Hezbolah of committing “a major crime against the Lebanese in general and the residents of the Bekaa, the south and Beirut’s southern suburbs in particular.” “We could have done without the killing of more than 4,000 Lebanese, displacement and destruction, and despite all these disasters, Hezbollah’s MPs are still talking about a victory, in a bizarre approach that has nothing to do with reality,” Geagea said at a press conference that followed an emergency meeting for the LF-led Strong Republic bloc. “The latest war was in the service of another cause at the expense of Lebanon. Who tasked Hezbollah with declaring the ‘assistance war’? The vast majority of the Lebanese was against that war and did not agree to turning Lebanon into an arena for the conflicts of others,” the LF leader added. Noting that the so-called army-people-resistance equation “does not exist as per the ceasefire agreement signed between Hezbollah and Israel,” Geagea accused the Iran-backed group of “trying to cheat in every way possible, as if no one has died.” “Hezbollah agreed to the ceasefire decision and it must be honest with itself and must honor its commitments. The decision should be implemented through sitting with the Lebanese Army command and starting to dismantle military infrastructure across Lebanon, as stipulated in the agreement,” the LF leader urged. Stressing that “the era of failing to implement agreements and pledges has ended,” Geagea called on the government, parliament and Hezbollah to “shoulder their responsibilities and work on what has been agreed on in a manner that serves Lebanon’s interest and secures its stability.”“According to the agreement, weapons must be in the army’s hands,” the LF leader said. He added: “Let no one think that it is possible to return to the period before October 7, 2023. It is impossible to return to how we were. If you don’t want a state, tell us so that we know what to do. Lebanon cannot remain like this, without clarity or responsibility by everyone.”

Instead of withdrawing, Israeli troops in south Lebanon advance under truce deal
Naharnet/November 29/2024
On the third day of a ceasefire that ended more than 13 months of war in Lebanon, Israeli troops advanced in southern border villages to zones where they were not present prior to the truce. Four Israeli tanks and two bulldozers entered neighborhoods of Khiam, as troops also advanced towards Markaba's town square. Hezbollah's al-Manar TV said troops had failed to enter the western neighborhoods of Khiam and Markaba's town square in two months of ground confrontations with Hezbollah. Israeli forces "are now occupying" the western neighborhoods of Khiam, the TV channel reported. It added that troops were bulldozing, blocking roads and uprooting olive trees in Markaba and Kfarkila. "Israeli army forces also advanced today to the square of the town of Markaba, which they were unable to enter during the days of confrontations, bulldozing and cutting off roads," al-Manar said. During the 60-day first phase of the ceasefire deal, based on Security Council Resolution 1701, Hezbollah and Israeli forces are to withdraw from south Lebanon, and the Lebanese military is to step in. The pace of the withdrawal and the scheduled return of Lebanese civilians to their homes would depend on whether the deal is implemented and enforced by all sides, an Israeli security official said. "We need to see the mechanism is working," he said. "It’s a gradual agreement. It’s a gradual withdrawal."The Lebanese army accused Israel of breaking the ceasefire several times by conducting strikes on Lebanon with "various weapons" and continuing to patrol and surveil Lebanese skies with warplanes and drones. Lebanese authorities reported scattered incidents of Israeli mortar attacks, strikes and shots that wounded civilians trying to return home in south Lebanon.

Thousands of displaced Lebanese return from Syria as ceasefire holds
Associated Press/November 29/2024
Thousands of people made the crossing back into Lebanon from Syria on the second and third days of a ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel, after nearly 14 months of fighting.
At the Jousieh border crossing in the Qusair area of Syria's Homs province, on Lebanon's northeastern border, bumper-to-bumper cars lined up on Thursday waiting to be cleared for crossing. All four lanes were taken up by cars making their way into Lebanon, while those waiting to cross into Syria had to use an offroad. Of the six border crossings between Lebanon and Syria, two remain functional after Israeli airstrikes forced the others shut. The two countries share a border 375 kilometers long. Over 600,000 people fleeing Lebanon poured into Syria in the past year, most of them after the war between Israel and Hezbollah escalated in mid-September. The cross-border flow was a striking reversal in fortunes given that Lebanon is still hosting more than 1 million Syrian refugees who fled the war in their country that began in 2011. As the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah took hold early Wednesday, thousands of people began their return to Lebanon. Families packed into vehicles with suitcases, mattresses and blankets, while children clutched backpacks, some wrapped in blankets, as they made their way back to Lebanon Thursday. The mood was mixed with relief and sorrow as many returnees faced the grim reality of returning to their homes that might be destroyed."We have been in Syria since Sept. 23, we had to leave our jobs, our homes and our loved ones because of the war," said Hasan Fliti, a 54-year-old dairy shop owner who is returning to Lebanon with his wife and two children. "I am happy that there is a ceasefire and there is no more destruction. You are not afraid anymore of the airstrikes to hit." On the first day of the ceasefire, more than 2,000 people crossed into Lebanon, a Syrian security official at the Jousieh border told The Associated Press. On Thursday, more than 4,000 crossed back into Lebanon and the number continues to rise. The hall at the border was filled with families waiting to get their passports or IDs stamped. Some smoked, others sat on their luggage, waiting for clearance as the flow of returnees steadily increased.
Among them was 37-year-old Wafa Wehbe, who had sought refuge with her family in Syria for more than a month. "My house is gone, but it is an indescribable feeling to go back," she said. "There's a tragic sensation for the martyrs who had to die. The children are mourning."
Wehbe's home in Khiam, located in an area still under Israeli control, was destroyed, but she said she will now stay at her sister's. "I am also going back to mourn our martyrs. They died fighting at the frontlines." Ghinwa Arzouni, who had sought refuge in Homs from southern Lebanon, said the journey home is both a relief and a challenge. "We're excited to go back, but I am afraid of the trip, it's a long way back," she said. "Our house in the south is okay, it might have broken glass but will have to get there first to inspect for ourselves. We hope to return to Syria as tourists and not displaced."

Day 3 of ceasefire: Israel's violations
Associated Press//November 29/2024
The Israeli army carried out several attacks in southern Lebanon on Friday, on the third day of a ceasefire that ended more than 13 months of war in Lebanon. Artillery bombardment struck the villages of Markaba, Tallousa and Khiyam while four Israeli tanks moved into the western part of Khiyam and the town square of Markaba. The Israeli army also fired on civilians in the nearby village of Bint Jbeil, wounding two people, opened fire at a funeral in the southern border town of Khiam, and shelled a house in Nabatiyeh. Four Israeli tanks and two bulldozers entered Friday neighborhoods of Khiam, where troops were not present prior to the truce, local media outlets said. Hezbollah's al-Manar TV said troops had failed to enter the western neighborhoods of Khiam and Markaba's town square in two months of ground confrontations with Hezbollah.
Israeli forces "are now occupying" the western neighborhoods of Khiam and Markaba's town square, the TV channel reported. It said the Israeli army was bulldozing, blocking roads and uprooting olive trees in Khiam, Markaba and Kfarkila. The Lebanese army accused Israel of breaking the ceasefire several times on Thursday by conducting strikes on Lebanon with "various weapons" and continuing to patrol and surveil Lebanese skies with warplanes and drones. The army said it was "following up on these violations in coordination with the relevant authorities," without elaborating. Israel on Thursday carried out its first airstrike on Lebanon since the truce took effect, saying it targeted the militant group's activity at a rocket storage facility in southern Lebanon.
Lebanese authorities reported scattered incidents of Israeli mortar attacks, strikes and shots fired that wounded two civilians trying to return to Markaba, a village close to the border that has been a scene of intense fighting over the past 14 months. The Israeli military described them as suspects who violated the terms of the truce. The bursts of violence — with no reports of serious casualties — reflected the uneasy nature of the ceasefire that otherwise appeared to hold Friday as Lebanese troops began to deploy in parts of southern Lebanon, the eastern Bekaa Valley and the southern suburbs of Beirut.
The Lebanese military said it was setting up temporary checkpoints and detonating unexploded ordnance in hopes of helping displaced civilians return to their homes.
Some 1.2 million people were displaced in Lebanon during the country's deadliest war in decades. Thousands of residents, their cars stacked high with mattresses and full of belongings, began to make the odyssey back to their war-ravaged towns on Wednesday.
But their movements remain constrained. The Lebanese and Israeli militaries have ordered civilians displaced from border communities to steer clear of areas where Israeli troops are still in position. On Thursday, the Israeli military said its troops opened fire at "several suspects" who arrived in their vehicles to certain parts of southern Lebanon in violation of the truce. The statement did not give further details. Lebanon's state-run National News Agency also reported Israeli tank fire hitting some villages and farms in the south, causing no casualties. Col. Avichay Adraee, an Arabic language spokesman for the Israeli military, announced that a nighttime curfew for Lebanese residents south of the Litani River remained in effect, banning movement from 5 p.m. Thursday until 7 a.m. Friday.
Hezbollah has not issued any public statements on the Israeli ceasefire violations but Hezbollah lawmaker Hassan Fadlallah acknowledged the incidents. When asked by reporters how Hezbollah would respond, he was cautious.
"We don't want to rush things," he said, adding that Hezbollah "has the right to self-defense."
The truce between Israel and Hezbollah, brokered by the United States and France, calls for an initial two-month ceasefire in which the militants are to withdraw north of the Litani River and Israeli forces are to return to their side of the border. Under the terms of the agreement, Lebanese troops will gradually deploy further the south as Israeli troops pull out. The buffer zone would be patrolled by U.N. peacekeepers and Lebanese troops, which have not been a party to the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah. Lebanon's military on Thursday shared photos showing troops clearing roads of destroyed vehicles, crushed houses and unexploded bombs. For many Lebanese, the pause in fighting brought relief — but also heartache. Displaced families returned home to sift through the bombed-out ruins of their shops and apartments.
Drone footage of Qana in southern Lebanon, taken Thursday, shows ghostly, battered neighborhoods with smashed homes and giant craters gouged into the ground — the scale of destruction chilling in a town that has become synonymous with the killing of civilians in past wars. Israel says it plans to withdraw its forces, but only as it ensures Hezbollah observes the agreement. "Any deviation from this agreement will be enforced with fire," said Lt. Gen. Herzl Halevi, the Israeli military's chief of staff. "We are now moving toward new phase, where the same determination that brought us to this agreement will be applied in enforcement."Of the 50,000 people who fled northern Israeli border communities because of constant Hezbollah attacks, Halevi said that ensuring their swift return was "our duty to them, and our duty to ourselves."A rare quiet, compared to recent months, fell over the border towns. But with the towns largely deserted and residents relocated, Halevi's remarks signaled the military was not encouraging Israelis to return just yet. In Menara, an Israeli community on the border with views into Lebanon, around three quarters of homes are damaged, some with collapsed roofs and burnt-out interiors. A few residents could be seen gathering their belongings there on Thursday before leaving again. Despite the smattering of attacks, the clearest sign of the truce Friday was a reduction in the overall level of violence in Lebanon since the conflict began. More than 3,760 people were killed by Israeli fire in Lebanon during the conflict, many of them civilians, according to Lebanese health officials. The fighting killed more than 70 people in Israel — over half of them civilians — as well as dozens of Israeli soldiers fighting in southern Lebanon.

Khalil: We no longer want to be an arena, but rather a strong state
Naharnet/November 29/2024
Speaker Nabih Berri’s political aide MP Ali Hassan Khalil has said that Israel has failed to achieve victory in its war on Lebanon, although the country “lost a lot of leaders, icons, martyrs and infrastructure.”“Israel can kill but it cannot triumph,” Khalil added, in an interview on Lebanon’s MTV. “The army is the pillar of Resolution 1701’s implementation and we all emphasize the need to support it,” the MP went on to say. Furthermore, he said that Resolution 1701 “was not properly implemented and what’s being implemented now is what we had demanded 18 years ago, whereas the Israelis kept occupying 15 border points and the Ghajar village while carrying out maritime and aerial violations.”“We no longer want to be an arena, but rather a strong state, and the residents of the villages must listen to the army’s directives regarding return to the southern villages while the government must record the violations that the Israeli enemy is making,” Khalil added. “We all will be in the service of the Lebanese Army to enable it to fully perform its role in the south and we have given all powers to the Lebanese Army without any reservations,” Berri’s aide said.He also clarified that according to the ceasefire agreement, Israel “has no right to open fire or carry out airstrikes under any excuse.”“Everything that they are saying has nothing to do with the agreement, and today (Thursday) their carried out very large violations, which confirms that they’re in a crisis,” Khalil added.

Family returns to Baalbek to find a crater where their 50-year-old home once stood
Associated Press/November 29/2024
In eastern Lebanon's city of Baalbek, the Jawhari family gathered around a gaping crater where their home once stood, tears streaming as they tried to make sense of the destruction.
"It is heart-breaking. A heartache that there is no way we will ever recover from," said Lina Jawhari, her voice breaking as she hugged relatives who came to support the family. "Our world turned upside down in a second." The home, which was a gathering place for generations, was reduced to rubble by an Israeli airstrike on Nov. 1, leaving behind shattered memories and twisted fragments of a once-vibrant life. The family, like thousands of Lebanese, were returning to check on their properties after the U.S.-mediated ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah went into effect early Wednesday. Intense Israeli airstrikes over the past two months leveled entire neighborhoods in eastern and southern Lebanon, as well as the southern suburbs of Beirut, which are predominantly Shiite areas of Lebanon where Hezbollah has a strong base of support. Nearly 1.2 million people have been displaced. The airstrikes have left a massive trail of destruction across the country. A photo of the Jawhari family's home — taken on a phone by Louay Mustafa, Lina's nephew — is a visual reminder of what had been. As the family sifted through the rubble, each fragment recovered called them to gather around it.
A worn letter sparked a collective cheer, while a photo of their late father triggered sobs. Reda Jawhari had built the house for his family and was a craftsman who left behind a legacy of metalwork. The sisters cried and hoped to find a piece of the mosque-church structure built by their father. Minutes later, they lifted a mangled piece of metal from the debris. They clung to it, determined to preserve a piece of his legacy. "Different generations were raised with love... Our life was music, dance, dabke (traditional dance). This is what the house is made up of. And suddenly, they destroyed our world. Our world turned upside down in a second. It is inconceivable. It is inconceivable," Lina said. Despite their determination, the pain of losing their home and the memories tied to it remains raw. Rouba Jawhari, one of four sisters, had one regret. "We are sad that we did not take my mom and dad's photos with us. If only we took the photos," she said, clutching an ID card and a bag of photos and letters recovered from the rubble. "It didn't cross our mind. We thought it's two weeks and we will be back." The airstrike that obliterated the Jawhari home came without warning, striking at 1:30 p.m. on what was otherwise an ordinary Friday.
Their neighbor, Ali Wehbe, also lost his home. He had stepped out for food a few minutes before the missile hit and rushed back to find his brother searching for him under the rubble.
"Every brick holds a memory," he said, gesturing to what remained of his library. "Under every book you would find a story."

Displaced families return home but find piles of rubble
Associated Press/Agence France Presse/November 29/2024
A truce between Israel and Hezbollah, brokered by the United States and France, called for an initial two-month ceasefire in which the militants are to withdraw north of the Litani River and Israeli forces are to return to their side of the border.
For many Lebanese, the pause in fighting brought relief — but also heartache. Displaced families returned home to sift through the bombed-out ruins of their shops and apartments.
Drone footage of Qana in southern Lebanon, taken Thursday, shows ghostly, battered neighborhoods with smashed homes and giant craters gouged into the ground — the scale of destruction chilling in a town that has become synonymous with the killing of civilians in past wars. During Israel's 2006 war with Hezbollah, an Israeli strike on a residential building killed 27 civilians, a third of them children, according to U.N. figures. During its 1996 offensive, Israeli artillery shelling on a United Nations compound housing hundreds of displaced people in Qana killed at least 100 civilians and wounded scores more people.
"We are a town of martyrs," said Aref AbouKhalil, a 29-year-old taxi driver who checked on his ruined family home in Qana on Thursday. Those who lost family and friends in the Israeli bombardment of Qana over the past year, he said, felt the grief of 2006 and 1996 all over again. "They're determined to destroy us, they keep trying, and now the town is destroyed," he said of Israeli strikes. "But we'll build it again."
In the same village near the port city of Tyre, Abu Ahmad Salameh stood in what was left of several buildings that belonged to his family. He was able to pull two carpets from under the rubble. "All this damage can be rebuilt. This is our land and we will stay here no matter what," Salameh said. "It is painful to see the destruction. These are the homes of my parents, grandparents, daughter and my house." He said that when the area was struck about two weeks ago, Hezbollah fighters found a safe full of jewelry and cash in the rubble of his house, and returned it to his family. In the nearby village of Hanawei, Mariam Kourani, 56, walked through the rubble of what used to be her house and restaurant, watching as her son-in-law picked up some of his young daughter's clothes and toys from the ruins.
During their 37 years of marriage, Kourani and her husband ran a butcher shop in southern Lebanon, started a business selling serving containers and opened a small restaurant.
An Israeli airstrike in late September destroyed it all. "This was my house, my dreams and my hard work," she said, holding back tears. She pointed to one of the serving containers she used to sell, and estimated her family’s total losses at $120,000. Kourani is among the tens of thousands of residents who have started streaming back into southern Lebanon to check on their homes after the U.S.-mediated ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah went into effect early Wednesday. Intense Israeli airstrikes over the past two months leveled entire neighborhoods in eastern and southern Lebanon, and in the southern suburbs of Beirut, which are predominantly Shiite areas of Lebanon where Hezbollah has a strong base of support. Nearly 1.2 million people have been displaced. Like Kourani, many are returning home to find that their homes are gone.
The World Bank said earlier this month that housing has been the hardest hit sector with almost 100,000 units partially or fully damaged during the 14-month war, which intensified in late September. It estimated the damage at $3.2 billion. Who will pay for the reconstruction is unclear. Iran has offered to help, but it’s under Western sanctions and its economy has suffered. Kourani said Hezbollah members have told her those who lost a house during the war will be given a place to stay until their homes are rebuilt. After spending thousands of dollars in rent for the two months the family was displaced in the village of Qarnayel in Mount Lebanon, Kourani said her priority is to fix their butcher shop across the street so they can start earning money. "We are starting from below zero," she said.
A history of loss -
Ali Saleh lost his home in 2006, during the 34-day war between Israel and Hezbollah. He was able to rebuild when the gulf nation of Qatar funded the reconstruction of several areas in southern Lebanon. On Wednesday, Saleh drove to his hometown near the border with Israel, only to find that it had happened again: his two-story home was destroyed.
"All the memories are gone," he said, as he smoked a cigarette. The 59-year-old man drove back with his wife and three of his six children hoping to find a place to stay close to his hometown of Aita al-Shaab, a village that witnessed some of the most intense fighting.
"It is a disaster-stricken village," he said. In the ancient city of Baalbek in eastern Lebanon, 34-year-old Souad al-Outa walked around what was left of her home, shocked. She knew her neighborhood had been badly hit like many other parts of this city, a designated UNESCO World Heritage site famous for its ancient Roman ruins. She was not prepared for the devastation she saw when she went back on Thursday. A strike earlier this month killed multiple people in the street nearby, she said, including several of her husband's relatives. "I feel like my heart has come out of its place," she said as she looked around what used to be her children’s bedroom.
"We had a beautiful life here."
- Homes can be rebuilt -
Back in Hanouiyeh, Kourani said the family left their home in the early afternoon on Sept. 23, the day the war intensified, and moved in with relatives a few miles away. Shortly after they got there, they received a call saying that their house had been destroyed. As the Israeli airstrikes increased, they fled north to Qarnayel, where they rented an apartment for 1,000 a month in addition to $250 for electricity and water. Once the ceasefire went into effect, she drove back home with her husband, son and her daughter’s family. They spent the night with relatives. Despite everything, Kourani said she is embarrassed to speak about her material losses at a time when thousands of people have been killed, including friends and relatives and Hezbollah fighters among them. "Israel has filled our land with blood. Our big loss is our men," she said.

Army chief Joseph Aoun, a man with a tough mission
Agence France Presse/November 29/2024
Army chief Joseph Aoun, who is being touted as a possible candidate for the presidency, is a man with a tough mission following an Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire that relies heavily on his troops deploying in the south. Aoun, 60, was set to retire last January after heading the army since 2017, but has had his mandate extended twice -- the last time on Thursday. The army, widely respected and a rare source of unity in a country riven by sectarian and political divides, has held together despite periodic social strife, the latest war and a crushing five-year economic crisis. A fragile ceasefire took effect on Wednesday, ending more than a year of war between Israel and Hezbollah that has killed thousands in Lebanon and caused mass displacements on both sides of the border. Under its terms, the Lebanese army and United Nations peacekeepers are to become the only armed presence in south Lebanon, where Hezbollah enjoys strong support and had been launching attacks on Israeli troops for months, and fighting them on the ground since late September. The move averted a military power vacuum as the army, which boasts about 80,000 Lebanese servicemen, seeks to bolster its deployment in south Lebanon as part of the nascent truce. But it will be a difficult task in an area long seen as Hezbollah territory, and risks upsetting the country's already delicate social balance as tensions run high over the war's course and devastation.
'Integrity'
Aoun "has a reputation of personal integrity", said Karim Bitar, an international relations expert at Beirut's Saint-Joseph University. The army chief came into prominence after leading the army in a battle to drive out the Islamic State group from a mountainous area along the Syrian border. "Within the Lebanese army, he is perceived as someone who is dedicated... who has the national interest at heart, and who has been trying to consolidate this institution, which is the last non-sectarian institution still on its feet in the country," he told AFP. Aoun has good relations with groups across the political spectrum, including with Hezbollah, as well as with various foreign countries. Mohanad Hage Ali from the Carnegie Middle East Center noted that "being the head of U.S.-backed Lebanese Armed Forces, Joseph Aoun has ties to the United States"."While he maintained relations with everyone, Hezbollah-affiliated media often criticized him" for his U.S. ties, he told AFP. Washington is the main financial backer of Lebanon's army, which also receives support from other countries including Qatar. An international conference in Paris last month raised $200 million to support the armed forces. The military has been hit hard by Lebanon's economic crisis, and at one point in 2020 said it had scrapped meat from the meals offered to on-duty soldiers due to rising food prices. Aoun has also been floated by several politicians, parties and local media as a potential candidate for Lebanon's presidency, vacant for more than two years amid deadlock between allies of Hezbollah and its opponents, who accuse the group of seeking to impose its preferred candidate. Aoun has not commented on the reports and largely refrains from making media statements. A Western diplomat told AFP that "everyone has recognized Aoun's track record at the head of the army".
"But the question is, can he transform himself into a politician?" said the diplomat, requesting anonymity to discuss politically sensitive matters. Bitar said that "many, even those who respect him are opposed to his election as president, because he comes from the army mostly", noting a number of Lebanon's heads of state, including recently, were former army chiefs. Most "left a bittersweet taste", Bitar said, noting any election of Aoun could also perpetuate the idea that the army chief "systematically becomes president".
This could end up weakening the military as it creates "an unhealthy relationship between political power and the army, which is supposed to remain neutral", he added.
Hage Ali said that the idea of Aoun's "candidacy for the presidency did not receive much enthusiasm from the major figures in the political class, even those who are opposed to Hezbollah". Aoun, who speaks Arabic, French and English, hails from Lebanon's Christian community and has two children. He is not related to the previous Lebanese president Michel Aoun -- also a former army chief -- although the two served together in the military.

Truce deal brings more questions than answers for Lebanon
Associated Press/November 29/2024
Hours after a U.S.-brokered ceasefire to end Israel's war on Lebanon went into effect, Lebanon woke up to the sound of celebratory gunfire instead of Israeli airstrikes and drones buzzing overhead. It was a rare moment of respite for Lebanon, as bombs stopped falling after a year of war. Thousands of displaced people joyfully drove back to their towns and villages in southern and eastern Lebanon. But the realization of what lies ahead quickly sank in. Town after town in the south and east as well as parts of Beirut have been destroyed, entire border villages leveled to the ground, and thousands of buildings damaged. The World Bank estimates losses amounting to some $8.5 billion. For the tiny and broken Mediterranean country, which has dealt with compounded calamities for over half a decade, the ceasefire deal has brought more questions than answers. Among them, who will foot the bill for rebuilding? Will Hezbollah fully remove its fighters and arsenals from the south, relocating north of the Litani River — and how will the Lebanese army ensure that it does so? And will Israel ultimately accept the militants being pushed back, battered but not destroyed? Meanwhile, Lebanon's political paralysis between groups allied and opposed to Hezbollah has only worsened during the war — raising the possibility of instability that could rattle the ceasefire. Anger has grown among some over what they see as Hezbollah's decision to provoke a disastrous war with Israel.
Temporary calm or a step toward long-term security?
During the 60-day first phase of the ceasefire deal, based on Security Council Resolution 1701, Hezbollah and Israeli forces are to withdraw from south Lebanon, and the Lebanese military is to step in. The Lebanese troops are to ensure that Hezbollah dismantles its facilities and military positions and that it doesn't try to rebuild. That's a major point of tension, potentially putting the army in a dangerous confrontation with the more powerful militant group. The army, largely funded by the United States and other Western governments, is a rare point of unity in Lebanon's tense sectarian power-balancing political system.
Hassan Fadlallah, a Hezbollah lawmaker, told reporters Thursday that the group will cooperate with the army to implement the ceasefire. But he also said the military doesn't have the capability to defend Lebanon against Israel — a role Hezbollah has long claimed. He said the group would continue in that role. "Can anyone say if Israel attacks, we watch?" Fadlallah said. "When Israel attacks our country, we will fight and resist. This is our right."
Mike Azar, a Lebanese commentator, said the army is "in an impossible position."
"To suggest that it can disarm or dismantle Hezbollah's infrastructure is, frankly, absurd," he said in an online post. A Lebanese military official told The Associated Press that troops' deployment will be gradual into areas of the south, including those from which Israeli troops withdraw. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because of not being cleared to speak to the media.
The U.S. and France will also be involved in a monitoring mechanism to make sure Resolution 1701 is implemented. Its viability is really being put to the test — "if there really is going to be that commitment" by all sides, said Salman Shaikh, who served as political adviser to the U.N. special envoy for Lebanon during the 2006 war, when the resolution was passed. He now runs The Shaikh Group, a mediation and conflict resolution organization.
Critics of the deal fear the pressure is far greater on Lebanon, and Israel has more space to attack Hezbollah — which it has vowed to do if it believes Hezbollah isn't abiding by its terms. With U.S. support, Israel has given itself "almost total freedom to determine when it needs or wants to attack Lebanon again for whatever reason," said Matt Duss, executive vice president of The Center for International Policy, a Washington-based think tank.
Cash-strapped Lebanon needs support for its military and battered country.
Lebanon since late 2019 has been mired in a crippling financial crisis that pushed millions into poverty, destroyed its banking system, and limited the country to just a few hours of state electricity daily. The Lebanese military has suffered as well, with troops quitting or working second jobs to pay the bills. Yet, the aim of the agreement is for Lebanon to recruit more and deploy an additional 10,000 troops south of the Litani River. Without significant funding, this would be impossible — especially with the huge rebuilding costs Lebanon now faces.
The international community in a donor conference in Paris last month pledged $1 billion dollars for Lebanon, including $800 million for humanitarian assistance and $200 million to support the army. But aid groups say none of that funding has materialized yet.
Mercy Corps says Lebanon's gross domestic product shrunk by 6.4% — some $1.15 billion — just in the last two months of the war. The organization is scrambling to secure housing and services for displaced people ahead of the winter. "The worst civilian impacts could still be ahead," Laila Al Amine, Mercy Corps' Lebanon country director, said in a statement. A looming question is who will foot the bill. Iran has offered to help, but it's cash-strapped and under Western sanctions. Oil-rich Gulf Arab states, who helped rebuild after the 2006 war, are weary of Lebanon's political class and not inclined to step in.
Growing tensions over Hezbollah at home
Even before the war, Hezbollah and its arsenal were a point of contention in Lebanon. Its allies say Hezbollah's militants are crucial in protecting Lebanon, while critics say its weaponry violates state sovereignty and is used to pressure political opponents. They have long demanded Hezbollah be disarmed. Senior parliamentarian Alain Aoun said Lebanon has a long list of urgent matters to address, including electing a president after over two years of vacuum, securing reconstruction funding and resolving a host of neglected economic issues.
"There are a number of challenges awaiting us," Aoun told the AP. Hezbollah's opponents were also angered over its decision to unilaterally start firing rockets into northern Israel on Oct. 8, 2023. The group said it was acting in solidarity with its ally Hamas in the Gaza Strip and vowed not to stop until a ceasefire there was reached. Critics say it dragged Lebanon into war and brought Israel's destructive bombardment. Even some of its allies expressed frustration. Lawmaker Jebran Bassil, who heads a party that for years was Hezbollah's main Christian ally in government, said in a video posted on X that Hezbollah "should be at the service of the state," not the other way around. Hezbollah's top ally Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, who spearheaded negotiation efforts, has long pushed for Hezbollah to decouple its campaign against Israel from the war in Gaza. Now he is calling for parliament to vote for a president in January in order to ease Lebanon's political gridlock — a move that could put Hezbollah's political power to the test. This is where international funding and political support would also be crucial, says Shaikh. The international community, he said, needs "to help the Lebanese sort out their issues, which still persist and which are not exclusively just to do with the Israeli actions against them."

Israeli strikes kill dozens in Gaza, Egypt to host Hamas leaders for ceasefire talks
Reuters/November 29/2024
CAIRO: Israeli military strikes killed at least 40 Palestinians overnight and on Friday in the Gaza Strip, medics said, as efforts to revive Gaza ceasefire talks received a boost with officials from the Palestinian group Hamas headed to Cairo for a new round of talks.
Medics said they had recovered 19 bodies of Palestinians killed in northern areas of Nuseirat, one of the enclave’s eight long-standing refugee camps. Later on Friday, an Israeli air strike killed at least 10 Palestinians in a house in Beit Lahiya in northern Gaza, medics said. Others were killed in the northern and southern areas of the Gaza Strip, medics added. There was no fresh statement by the Israeli military on Friday, but on Thursday it said its forces were continuing to “strike terror targets as part of the operational activity in the Gaza Strip.”Israeli tanks had entered northern and western areas of Nuseirat on Thursday. They withdrew from northern areas on Friday but remained active in western parts of the camp. The Palestinian Civil Emergency Service said teams were unable to respond to distress calls from residents trapped in their homes. Dozens of Palestinians returned on Friday to areas where the army had retreated to check on damage to their homes. Medics and relatives covered up dead bodies, including of women, that lay on the road with blankets or white shrouds and carried them away on stretchers.
“Forgive me, my wife, forgive me, my Ibtissam, forgive me, my dear,” one grief-stricken man moaned through tears beside her corpse, laid out on a stretcher on the ground.
Medics said an Israeli drone on Friday had killed Ahmed Al-Kahlout, head of the Intensive Care Unit at Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahiya, on the northern edge of the Gaza Strip, where the army has been operating since early October.
Contacted by Reuters, the Israeli military said it was unaware of a strike occurring in this location or timeframe. Kamal Adwan Hospital is one of three medical facilities on the northern edge of the Gaza Strip that barely function now due to shortages of medical, fuel, and food supplies. Most of its medical staff have been detained or expelled by the Israeli army, health officials say. The Palestinian civil emergency service, Hamas and the Palestinian official news agency WAFA put the number of Palestinians killed in two Israeli strikes in Beit Lahiya in the past 24 hours at 70. There was no immediate confirmation of the figure by the local health ministry. In the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and accused Israel of “using the weapon of starvation against the people (in northern Gaza) to displace them from their land and homes.”
The Israeli army said forces operating in Beit Lahiya, Beit Hanoun and Jabalia since Oct. 5 aimed to prevent Hamas militants from regrouping and waging attacks from those areas. Residents said the army was depopulating the towns of Beit Lahiya and Beit Hanoun as well as the Jabalia refugee camp.
CEASEFIRE EFFORT TO RESUME
Late on Friday, two Hamas officials told Reuters a Hamas delegation would arrive in Cairo on Saturday for talks with Egyptian officials. The visit comes days after the US said it would begin new efforts with Qatar, Egypt, and Turkiye to revive Gaza ceasefire talks.
Months of efforts to negotiate a ceasefire in Gaza have yielded scant progress, and negotiations are now on hold. A ceasefire in the parallel conflict between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah, an ally of Hamas, took effect before dawn on Wednesday, bringing a halt to hostilities that had escalated sharply in recent months and had overshadowed the Gaza conflict. Announcing the Lebanon accord on Tuesday, US President Joe Biden said he would now renew his push for a ceasefire agreement in Gaza and he urged Israel and Hamas to seize the moment. Israel’s campaign in Gaza has killed nearly 44,300 people and displaced nearly all the enclave’s population at least once, Gaza officials say. Vast swathes of the territory are in ruins. The Hamas-led militants who attacked southern Israeli communities 13 months ago, triggering the war, killed some 1,200 people and captured more than 250 hostages, Israel has said.

Israel criticized for ‘provocative actions’ in Lebanon despite ceasefire agreement
NAJIA HOUSSARI/Arab News/November 29, 2024
BEIRUT: Israel was criticized on Friday for provocative actions in Lebanon, despite the ceasefire agreement currently in force. The Israeli military said Lebanese residents were prohibited from moving south to a line of villages and their surroundings until further notice.
The army continued its operations in the border area it had advanced into and where it is still present, continuing actions which included uprooting olive trees, damaging structures, and even firing on mourners at a funeral. On the third day of the ceasefire, security reports — primarily from the Iran-backed Hezbollah — highlighted what were described as “provocative Israeli violations.”
FASTFACT
Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem pledged on Friday to coordinate closely with the Lebanese army to implement a ceasefire deal with Israel.
The US general tasked with leading the ceasefire monitoring committee and its members began meetings in Beirut on Friday with the commander of the Lebanese Armed Forces Gen. Joseph Aoun to discuss the implementation of the agreement.
Meanwhile, Al-Manar TV reported that Israeli forces “advanced into the town square of Markaba … and began bulldozing operations and blocking roads.”
The Israeli army also opened fire on residents in Khiam, who said that they had obtained permission from the Lebanese military, in coordination with the UN Interim Force in Lebanon, to enter the town for a funeral. Footage captured by the mourners, who numbered no more than five or six, showed two of them injured in their legs by Israeli gunfire.
The mourners said that they left a woman’s body on the ground after an artillery shell struck nearby. The incident forced them to flee. They also reported that the Israeli army seized the vehicles they had traveled in.Israelis fired machine guns toward Aitaroun and demolished a playground in Kfarkela. The army claimed on Thursday that the areas it had moved into in southern Lebanon were not included in the ceasefire agreement. The deal, which was approved by both Lebanon and Israel on Tuesday, went into effect on Wednesday morning. The Israeli army called on the Lebanese “not to cross into a line of towns specified by name to enter the border area, extending from Shebaa through Habbariyeh, Arnoun, Yohmor, Qantara, Shaqra, Baraashit, Yater, and Mansouri,” as anyone crossing these towns would endanger themselves. The Israeli army said that it had 60 days to accomplish a “complete withdrawal from these areas” under the agreement. The Israeli army has advanced into settlements extending 3 km from the border, an area which includes about 20 villages and Bint Jbeil. Israeli forces have also prohibited Lebanese residents in the restricted area from moving around between 5 p.m. and 7 a.m. Eyewitnesses spoke of attacks on “olive groves in Kfarkela, where bulldozers are uprooting olive trees near the Al-Abbara area.”
Meanwhile, four Israeli tanks ventured into the western neighborhood of the town of Khiam. An artillery shell fell on the town and the Israeli army conducted occasional sweeping operations with machine guns. Israeli artillery shelling also targeted the outskirts of the towns of Markaba and Tallousa in the Marjayoun district while Israeli drones continued to fly over the western and central sectors. The Lebanese army, which continues to deploy in the areas south of the Litani River and away from the Israeli incursion, blocked the roads leading to the restricted area.
Samir Geagea, head of the Lebanese Forces Party, said that “Hezbollah’s war in support of Gaza destroyed both Gaza and Lebanon,” and criticized the “unity of battlefields that Hezbollah called for.” He was speaking after a meeting held by the Lebanese Forces’ parliamentary bloc and executive body. Geagea added: “Hezbollah usurped the Lebanese people by starting this war and took Lebanon to war while the majority of the people were against it.
“Hezbollah committed a great crime against the Lebanese people. We could have avoided the martyrdom of 4,000 people and all the displacement and destruction.
“(But) despite all these disasters, Hezbollah MPs are still claiming victory, which is a strange and completely unrealistic logic.” Geagea said that the ceasefire approved by Hezbollah “is the biggest proof of the illegitimacy of the party’s weapons,” and called on Hezbollah to “meet with the army command and develop a plan to dismantle its military presence north of the Litani River. Meanwhile, the municipality of Mays Al-Jabal has warned residents returning to their town of the presence of “landmines, explosives and unexploded shells.”
It confirmed that it “is following up with the Lebanese army and relevant authorities to facilitate the safe return of people on time.”The municipality warned that “entering the town at present is dangerous as the enemy is firing and launching artillery shells into the town’s neighborhoods and streets to target any civilian movement in the area.”It added: “Due to the presence of landmines, explosives, and unexploded shells in homes and neighborhoods, and given that some houses are still rigged with explosives and might detonate at any moment, as well as the town’s streets being blocked with rubble and obstacles, we urge you and rely on your awareness to refrain from heading to our town at this time, and await further instructions.”The Israeli army published a summary and data on Friday about the military operations carried out in the last two months against Hezbollah on the northern front.
It added that “orders preventing the return of residents to open areas north of Western Galilee and Upper Galilee remain in effect."The Israeli army claimed that more than 12,500 targets were attacked, including more than 1,600 military headquarters and more than 1,000 ammunition depots. The Israeli operations included “more than 14,000 flight hours for fighter jets and about 11,000 targets for attacks.”The army’s statement claimed that “more than 1,500 offensive infrastructures, about 160 military headquarters, and about 150 ammunition depots were destroyed in the operation against the Radwan Force. “About 2,500 high-ranking fighters were eliminated, causing significant damage to Hezbollah’s force.” The Israeli army added that it estimated that Hezbollah had less than 30 percent of the drones it had possessed on the eve of the conflict.

The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on November 29-30/2024
Syria Jihadists breach Aleppo in shock offensive
Associated Press/November 29, 2024
Insurgents breached Syria's second-largest city Aleppo after blowing up two car bombs on Friday and were clashing with government forces on the city's western edge, according to a Syria war monitor and fighters. It was the first time the city has been attacked by opposition forces since 2016, when they were ousted from Aleppo's eastern neighborhoods following a grueling military campaign in which Syrian government forces were backed by Russia, Iran and its allied groups. Witnesses in Aleppo city said residents have been fleeing neighborhoods on the western edge of the city because of missiles and exchanges of fire. The government did not comment on insurgents breaching city limits.
Syria's Armed Forces said in a statement Friday it has been clashing with insurgents in the countryside around Aleppo and Idlib, destroying several of their drones and heavy weapons. It vowed to repel the attack and accused the insurgents of spreading false information about their advances. Thousands of insurgents have been advancing toward Aleppo city since a shock offensive they launched on Wednesday, seizing several towns and villages along the way. The offensive came as Iran-linked groups, who had backed Syrian government forces since 2015, have been preoccupied with their own battle at home.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a war monitor, said the insurgents blew up two car bombs at the city's western edge on Friday. An insurgent commander issued a recorded message posted on social media calling on the city's residents to cooperate with the advancing forces. Turkey state-run Anadolu Agency reported that the opposition insurgents entered Aleppo city center Friday. It said the insurgents "broke through the defense lines of the regime forces along the Hamdaniyya, New Aleppo, and Zahra axis on the outskirts of the city."It added the insurgents now control approximately 70 locations in Aleppo and Idlib provinces. Syria's state media reported earlier Friday that projectiles from insurgents landed in the student accommodations at Aleppo's university in the city center, killing four people, including two students. Public transportation to the city had also been diverted from the main highway linking Aleppo to the capital Damascus to avoid clashes, the report said.
Fighters also advanced on the town of Saraqab, in northwestern Idlib province, a strategic area that would secure supply lines to Aleppo.
This week's advances were one of the largest by opposition factions, led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, and comes after weeks of low simmering violence. It is most intense fighting in northwestern Syria since 2020, when government forces seized areas previously controlled by opposition fighters. Syria's Armed Forces said the insurgents are violating a 2019 agreement that de-escalated fighting in the area, which has been the last remaining opposition stronghold for years. The war monitor Observatory said dozens of fighters from both sides have been killed in the battles that started Wednesday. The insurgents have seized control of more than 50 villages in their advance, which seem to have caught the government forces unprepared. Hezbollah, the lead group in an Iran-linked alliance that has backed Syria's government, has been locked in a war with Israel that escalated since September. A cease-fire was announced Wednesday, the day the Syrian opposition factions announced their offensive. Israel has also escalated its attacks against Hezbollah and Iran-linked targets in Syria during the last 70 days. "Hezbollah was the main force in the government's control of the city," said Rami Abdurrahman, head of the Observatory.
The insurgents reported earlier Friday that fighters had wrested control of the Scientific Research Center neighborhood, about 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) from the western outskirts of Aleppo city. Government-linked media denied the insurgents have seized it. The Associated Press was not able to immediately verify the claims. Insurgents posted videos online showing they were using drones in their advance, a new weapon they had not had previously in the earlier stages of their confrontation with government forces. It was not clear to what extent the drones were used on the battleground. Turkey's Anadolu Agency, reporting from Idlib, said insurgents attacked a military airbase southeast of Aleppo city with drones early Friday, destroying a helicopter. It said the opposition groups seized heavy weapons, depots and military vehicles belonging to the government forces during their advance.
Aid groups said the fighting has displaced thousands of families, and forced some services to be suspended. The opposition fighters said their offensive will allow the return of thousands of displaced people who were forced to flee government bombardment in recent weeks.
The 2016 battle for Aleppo was a turning point in the war between Syrian government forces and rebel fighters since the 2011 protests against Bashar Assad's rule turned into an all-out war. Russia and Iran and its allied groups had helped Syrian government forces reclaim control of all of Aleppo that year, after a grueling military campaign and a siege that lasted for weeks. Turkey has been a main backer of an array of opposition forces and its troops have established military presence in parts of northwestern Syria. Separately and largely in the east of Syria, the United States has supported Syrian Kurdish forces fighting Islamic State militants.

Opposition Forces Breach Syria’s Second-Largest City Aleppo, Fighters and a War Monitor Say
Asharq Al Awsat/November 29, 2024
Opposition fighters breached Syria’s second-largest city Aleppo after blowing up two car bombs on Friday and were clashing with government forces on the city's western edge, according to a Syria war monitor and combatants. It was the first time the city has been attacked by opposition forces since 2016, when they were ousted from Aleppo's eastern neighborhoods following a grueling military campaign in which Syrian government forces were backed by Russia, Iran and its allied groups. Witnesses in Aleppo city said residents have been fleeing neighborhoods on the western edge of the city because of missiles and exchanges of fire. The government did not comment on the fighters breaching city limits. Syria's Armed Forces said in a statement Friday it has been clashing with fighters in the countryside around Aleppo and Idlib, destroying several of their drones and heavy weapons. It vowed to repel the attack and accused the fighters of spreading false information about their advances. Thousands of fighters have been advancing toward Aleppo city since a shock offensive they launched on Wednesday, seizing several towns and villages along the way.
The offensive came as Iran-linked groups, who had backed Syrian government forces since 2015, have been preoccupied with their own battle at home. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a war monitor, said the fighters blew up two car bombs at the city’s western edge on Friday. An opposition faction commander issued a recorded message posted on social media calling on the city's residents to cooperate with the advancing forces. Türkiye state-run Anadolu Agency reported that the opposition forces entered Aleppo city center Friday. It said the fighters “broke through the defense lines of the regime forces along the Hamdaniyya, New Aleppo, and Zahra axis on the outskirts of the city.”
It added the fighters now control approximately 70 locations in Aleppo and Idlib provinces.
Syria’s state media reported earlier Friday that projectiles from fighters landed in the student accommodations at Aleppo's university in the city center, killing four people, including two students. Public transportation to the city had also been diverted from the main highway linking Aleppo to the capital Damascus to avoid clashes, the report said. Fighters also advanced on the town of Saraqab, in northwestern Idlib province, a strategic area that would secure supply lines to Aleppo. This week's advances were one of the largest by opposition factions, led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, and comes after weeks of low simmering violence. It is most intense fighting in northwestern Syria since 2020, when government forces seized areas previously controlled by opposition fighters.
Syria’s Armed Forces said the fighters are violating a 2019 agreement that de-escalated fighting in the area, which has been the last remaining opposition stronghold for years.
The war monitor Observatory said dozens of fighters from both sides have been killed in the battles that started Wednesday. The opposition fighters have seized control of more than 50 villages in their advance, which seem to have caught the government forces unprepared.
Hezbollah, the lead group in an Iran-linked alliance that has backed Syria's government, has been locked in a war with Israel that escalated since September. A ceasefire was announced Wednesday, the day the Syrian opposition factions announced their offensive. Israel has also escalated its attacks against Hezbollah and Iran-linked targets in Syria during the last 70 days. “Hezbollah was the main force in the government’s control of the city,” said Rami Abdurrahman, head of the Observatory. The factions reported earlier Friday that fighters had wrested control of the Scientific Research Center neighborhood, about 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) from the western outskirts of Aleppo city. Government-linked media denied the fighters have seized it. The Associated Press was not able to immediately verify the claims.
Fighters posted videos online showing they were using drones in their advance, a new weapon they had not had previously in the earlier stages of their confrontation with government forces. It was not clear to what extent the drones were used on the battleground. The Anadolu Agency, reporting from Idlib, said the fighters attacked a military airbase southeast of Aleppo city with drones early Friday, destroying a helicopter. It said the opposition groups seized heavy weapons, depots and military vehicles belonging to the government forces during their advance. Aid groups said the fighting has displaced thousands of families, and forced some services to be suspended. The opposition fighters said their offensive will allow the return of thousands of displaced people who were forced to flee government bombardment in recent weeks.The 2016 battle for Aleppo was a turning point in the war between Syrian government forces and opposition fighters since the 2011 protests against Bashar Assad’s rule turned into an all-out war. Russia and Iran and its allied groups had helped Syrian government forces reclaim control of all of Aleppo that year, after a grueling military campaign and a siege that lasted for weeks.Türkiye has been a main backer of an array of opposition forces and its troops have established military presence in parts of northwestern Syria. Separately and largely in the east of Syria, the United States has supported Syrian Kurdish forces fighting ISIS militants.

Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs, Syrian Counterpart Discuss Regional Developments
Asharq Al Awsat/November 29/2024
Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah received a phone call on Friday from Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates of the Syrian Arab Republic Bassam Sabbagh. The two sides discussed the latest developments in the region and the efforts regarding them.

Militants, allies enter Syria’s second city Aleppo in lightning assault
AFP/November 29/2024
ALEPPO: Militants and their Turkish-backed allies reached Syria’s second city of Aleppo Friday, as they pressed a lightning offensive against forces of the Iranian and Russian-backed government. The fighting is some of the deadliest in years, with 255 people killed, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Most of the dead have been combatants but the toll also includes 24 civilians, most killed in Russian air strikes. The offensive began on Wednesday, the same day that a fragile ceasefire took effect in neighboring Lebanon between Israel and Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah. By Friday, the militants and their allies had wrested control of more than 50 towns and villages in the north, according to the Britain-based Observatory, in the government’s biggest loss of territory in years. They then entered western districts of Aleppo, a city of some two million people that was Syria’s pre-war manufacturing hub. “Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) and allied factions... were able to enter the outskirts of the Al-Hamdaniya and New Aleppo neighborhoods... after carrying out twin suicide attacks with two booby-trapped cars,” the war monitor said. HTS, an Islamist alliance led by Al-Qaeda’s former Syria branch, shelled a student residence in the city, killing four civilians, state media reported. Syrian and Russian warplanes launched intense air strikes on the rebel enclave around Idlib, where the militants are based, carrying out 23 raids, according to the Observatory. Army reinforcements have arrived in Aleppo, a Syrian security official told AFP, requesting anonymity to discuss sensitive matters. An army statement said troops had repelled the assault on the city and retaken some positions.The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said “more than 14,000 people — nearly half are children — have been displaced” by the violence. Aleppo resident Sarmad, 51, told AFP he could hear “the sounds of missiles and artillery shelling around the clock.”“We’re scared that war will break out and we’ll be displaced from our homes again,” he said. Nasser Hamdo, 36, who works in a pastry shop, said he had been glued to the news since hostilities began. On Thursday, the militants and their allies cut the highway linking Aleppo to the capital Damascus, some 300 kilometers (185 miles) south, the Observatory said.
“We’re worried that roads getting blocked could cause fuel prices to soar and prevent goods from reaching the city,” Hamdo said. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Friday described the situation in Aleppo as “an infringement on the sovereignty of Syria.”
He expressed support for “the government of Syria to quickly restore order in this district.” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi pledged “continued support for the government, nation and army of Syria,” in a phone call with his Syrian counterpart Bassam Al-Sabbagh, according to a statement. The Idlib area has been subject to a Turkish- and Russian-brokered truce since 2020. The ceasefire has been repeatedly violated but had largely held.
An AFP correspondent in the rebel enclave saw militants advancing in tanks as intense exchanges of fire took place in an area just seven kilometers (a little over four miles) from Aleppo. AFP images showed abandoned army tanks and other military vehicles.
The correspondent said the militants and their Turkiye-backed allies took orders from a joint operations command. Analyst Nick Heras, of the New Lines Institute for Strategy and Policy, said the fighters were “trying to preempt the possibility of a Syrian military campaign in the region of Aleppo.”According to Heras, the Syrian government and its key backer Russia had been preparing for such a campaign. Russia intervened in Syria in 2015, turning the tide of the civil war which broke out four years earlier in favor of the government, whose forces at the time had lost control of most of country.
Other interests are also at stake. As well as Russia, Syrian President Bashar Assad has been propped up by Iran and allied militant groups, including Lebanon’s Hezbollah. Iran-backed militias have a heavy presence in the Aleppo region after providing crucial ground support to the army in its recapture of rebel-held areas of the city in 2016. Heras said anti-government forces are “in a better position to take and seize villages than Russian-backed Syrian government forces, while the Iranians are focused on Lebanon.” Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman said government forces “were totally unprepared” for the attack. “It is strange to see regime forces being dealt such big blows despite Russian air cover and early signs that HTS was going to launch this operation,” Abdel Rahman said.
“Were they depending on Hezbollah, which is now busy in Lebanon?”

Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund takes a stake in Audi’s future F1 team
AFP/November 29/2024
KARBALA: Rami, a Syrian worker in Iraq, spends his 16-hour shifts at a restaurant fearing arrest as authorities crack down on undocumented migrants in the country better known for its own exodus. He is one of hundreds of thousands of foreigners working without permits in Iraq, which, after emerging from decades of conflict, has become an unexpected destination for many seeking opportunities. “I’ve been able to avoid the security forces and checkpoints,” said the 27-year-old, who has lived in Iraq for seven years and asked that AFP use a pseudonym to protect his identity. Between 10 in the morning and 2 a.m. the next day, he toils at a shawarma shop in the holy city of Karbala, where millions of pilgrims congregate every year. “My greatest fear is to be expelled back to Syria, where I’d have to do military service,” he said.
BACKGROUND
Authorities are trying to regulate the number of foreign workers as the country seeks to diversify from the dominant hydrocarbons sector. The Labor Ministry says the influx is mainly from Syria, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, also citing 40,000 registered immigrant workers. Now, the authorities are trying to regulate the number of foreign workers as the country seeks to diversify from the currently dominant hydrocarbons sector. Many, like Rami, work in the service industry in Iraq. One Baghdad restaurant owner admitted that he has to play cat and mouse with the authorities during inspections, asking some employees to make themselves scarce. He said that not all those who work for him are registered because of the costly fees involved. Some of the undocumented workers in Iraq first came as pilgrims. In July, Labour Minister Ahmed Assadi said his services investigated information that “50,000 Pakistani visitors” stayed on “to work illegally.”Despite threats of expulsion because of the scale of the issue, the authorities, at the end of November, launched a scheme for “Syrian, Bangladeshi, and Pakistani workers” to regularize their employment by applying online before Dec. 25.
The ministry says it will take legal action against anyone who brings in or employs undocumented foreign workers. Rami has decided to play safe, even though “I want” to acquire legal employment status. “But I’m afraid,” he said. “I’m waiting to see what my friends do, and then I’ll do the same.”Current Iraqi law caps the number of foreign workers a company can employ at 50 percent, but the authorities now want to lower this to 30 percent. “Today we only allow qualified workers for jobs requiring skills” that are not currently available, Labor Ministry spokesman Nijm Al-Aqabi said.
It’s a sensitive issue — for the past two decades, even a foreign workforce has dominated the robust oil sector. But now the authorities are seeking to favor Iraqis. “There are large companies contracted to the government” which have been asked to limit “foreign worker numbers to 30 percent,” said Aqabi.
“This is in the interests of the domestic labor market,” he said, as 1.6 million Iraqis are unemployed. He recognized that each household has the right to employ a foreign domestic worker, claiming this was work Iraqis did not want to do. One agency launched in 2021 that brings in domestic workers from Niger, Ghana, and Ethiopia confirms the high demand.“Before, we used to bring in 40 women, but now it’s around 100” a year, said an employee at the agency. The employee said it was a trend picked up from rich countries in the Gulf.
“The situation in Iraq is getting better, and with higher salaries, Iraqi homeowners are looking for comfort.”A domestic worker earns about $230 a month, but the authorities have quintupled the registration fee, with a work permit now costing more than $800.
In the summer, Human Rights Watch denounced what it called a campaign of arbitrary arrests and expulsions targeting Syrians, even those with the necessary paperwork. HRW said that raids targeted both homes and workplaces. Ahmed — another pseudonym — is a 31-year-old Syrian who has been undocumented in Iraq for the past year and a half. He began as a cook in Baghdad and later moved to Karbala. “Life is hard here — we don’t have any rights,” he said. “We come in illegally, and the security forces are after us.”His wife did not accompany him. She stayed in Syria. “I’d go back if I could,” said Ahmed. “But life there is very difficult. There’s no work.”

Israel PM again Warns Iran after Top Diplomat Talks of Revising Nuclear Doctrine
Asharq Al Awsat/November 29/2024
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that Israel would do "everything" to stop Iran acquiring a nuclear weapon after Iran's top diplomat warned it could end its ban on developing one if Western sanctions are reimposed. The renewed war of words between the Middle East foes came as Iran prepares to hold key nuclear talks with European governments on Friday which have been overshadowed by their joining with Washington to have Tehran censured by the UN atomic watchdog. "I will do everything to prevent it from becoming a nuclear (power), I will use all the resources that can be used," Netanyahu told Israeli broadcaster Channel 14 in an interview. Israel is the region's sole, if undeclared, nuclear-armed state. It has long made preventing any rival from matching it its top defense priority. Netanyahu said Tuesday that the ceasefire that went into effect in Lebanon the following day would allow Israel to focus on Iran. He did not elaborate on what action he envisaged. Iran launched two missile barrages at Israel over the past year in retaliation for the killing of leaders from Hamas and Hezbollah, as well as an Iranian general.Israel responded both times with limited attacks on Iran, most recently bombing several military sites on October 26. Last week's chiding at the International Atomic Energy Agency prompted a defiant response from Tehran, but its officials have since signalled willingness to engage with others ahead of the return of US president-elect Donald Trump, whose last administration pursued a policy of "maximum pressure" against Iran.
Current doctrine 'insufficient' -
Iran insists on its right to nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, but according to the IAEA, it is the only non-nuclear-weapon state enriching uranium to 60 percent. In an interview with The Guardian newspaper, published on the eve of Iran's talks with Britain, France and Germany, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned that frustration in Tehran over unmet commitments, such as lifting sanctions, was fuelling debate over whether the country should alter its nuclear policy. "We have no intention to go further than 60 percent for the time being, and this is our determination right now," he told the British daily.
But, he added, "there is this debate going on in Iran, and mostly among the elites... whether we should change our nuclear doctrine" as so far it has proven to be "insufficient in practice".
A 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and major powers aimed to give Iran relief from crippling Western sanctions in exchange for limiting its nuclear program to prevent it from developing a weapons capability. Tehran has consistently denied any such ambition. Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has the final authority in Iran's decision-making, has issued a religious decree, or fatwa, prohibiting atomic weapons. Tehran's willingness to sit down with the three European governments so soon after the censure comes just weeks before Trump is set to return to the White House. During his first term, Trump focused on reimposing heavy sanctions on Iran following his administration's unilateral withdrawal from the 2015 deal three years after it was agreed. In retaliation for the US withdrawal, Tehran reduced its compliance with the deal, raising its uranium enrichment levels to 60 percent -- closer to the 90 percent required for a nuclear bomb.
'Frank exchange'
Under the 2015 accord -- which will expire in October 2025 -- Iran's enrichment was capped at 3.67 percent. Iranian diplomat Majid Takht-Ravanchi, who serves as the political deputy to Araghchi, is scheduled to represent Iran in Friday's talks. On Thursday he and deputy foreign minister for legal and international affairs Kazem Gharibabadi met with Enrique Mora, deputy secretary general of the European Union's foreign affairs arm. Mora said on X that they held a "frank exchange... on Iran's military support to Russia that has to stop, the nuclear issue that needs a diplomatic solution, regional tensions (important to avoid further escalation from all sides) and human rights". Last week, the 35-nation board of governors of the IAEA adopted a resolution proposed by Britain, France, Germany and the United States condemning Iran for its lack of cooperation on nuclear issues. Iran described the move as "politically motivated" and in response announced the launch of "new advanced centrifuges" designed to increase its stockpile of enriched uranium. For Tehran, the goal of the talks on Friday is to avoid a "double disaster" scenario, in which it would face renewed pressures from both Trump and European governments, according to political analyst Mostafa Shirmohammadi. He noted that Iran's support among European governments had been eroded by allegations it offered military assistance for Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Iran has denied these accusations and hopes to mend relations with Europe, while also maintaining a firm stance.

Hamas Claims Attack on Israeli Bus in West Bank That Wounded 8 People, Including 4 Soldiers
Asharq Al Awsat/November 29/2024
Hamas claimed responsibility for a shooting attack on an Israeli bus in the occupied West Bank on Friday that wounded eight people, including four soldiers. It was the latest violence to scar the territory as tensions run high 14 months into the Israel-Hamas war.
The attacker, who Hamas identified in a statement as Samer Hussein, 46, was killed by Israeli troops shortly after opening fire toward the bus at a junction near the Israeli settlement of Ariel. The military said four soldiers were lightly wounded. Paramedics said three people were critically wounded.Attacks by Palestinian fighters on Israelis in the volatile territory have grown more common since the start of the Israel-Hamas war, as Palestinian deaths have also spiked. Israeli fire has killed 796 Palestinians since Oct. 7, 2023, mostly in military raids on Palestinian cities and towns. Attacks by settlers on Palestinians and their property have also increased.

Gaza in anarchy, says UN
Arab News/November 29/2024
GENEVA: The Gaza Strip has descended into anarchy, with hunger soaring, looting rampant and rising numbers of rapes in shelters as public order falls apart, the United Nations said on Friday. Palestinians are suffering “on a scale that has to be seen to be truly grasped,” Ajith Sunghay, head of the UN Human Rights Office in the Palestinian territories, said after concluding his latest visit to the devastated Palestinian territory. “This time I was particularly alarmed by the prevalence of hunger,” Sunghay told a media briefing in Geneva, via video-link from Amman. “The breakdown of public order and safety is exacerbating the situation with rampant looting and fighting over scarce resources. “The anarchy in Gaza we warned about months ago is here,” he said, calling the situation entirely predictable, foreseeable and preventable.Sunghay said young women, many displaced multiple times, had stressed the lack of any safe spaces or privacy in their makeshift tents. “Others said that cases of gender-based violence and rape, abuse of children and other violence within the community has increased in shelters as a consequence of the war and the breakdown of law enforcement and public order,” he said. Sunghay described the situation in Gaza City as “horrendous,” with thousands of displaced people sheltering in “inhumane conditions with severe food shortages and terrible sanitary conditions.” He recounted seeing, for the first time, dozens of women and children in the beseiged enclave now scavenging in giant landfills.
The level of destruction in Gaza “just gets worse and worse,” he added. “The common plea by everyone I met was for this to stop. To bring this to an end. Enough.”He said the UN was being blocked from taking any aid to the 70,000 people still thought to be living in northern Gaza, due to “repeated impediments or rejections of humanitarian convoys by the Israeli authorities.”“It is so obvious that massive humanitarian aid needs to come in — and it is not.”UN Human Rights Office spokesman Jeremy Laurence called for an immediate ceasefire. “The killing must end,” he said. “The hostages must be released immediately and unconditionally. Those arbitrarily detained must be released,” he added. “And every effort must be made to urgently provide the full quantities of food, medicine and other vital assistance desperately needed in Gaza.”Fighters from Palestinian group Hamas launched an attack in Israel on October 7, 2023, that resulted in the deaths of 1,207 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures. Israel’s retaliatory military offensive has killed 44,363 people in Gaza, according to figures from the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry that the UN considers reliable.

Women and Children Scavenge for Food in Gaza, UN Official Says
Asharq Al Awsat/November 29/2024
Large groups of women and children are scavenging for food among mounds of trash in parts of the Gaza Strip, a UN official said on Friday following a visit to the Palestinian enclave. Ajith Sunghay, head of the UN Human Rights office for the Occupied Palestinian Territories, expressed concern about the levels of hunger, even in areas of central Gaza where aid agencies have teams on the ground. "I was particularly alarmed by the prevalence of hunger," Sunghay told a Geneva press briefing via video link from Jordan. "Acquiring basic necessities has become a daily, dreadful struggle for survival."Sunghay said the UN had been unable to take any aid to northern Gaza, where he said an estimated 70,000 people remain following "repeated impediments or rejections of humanitarian convoys by the Israeli authorities". Sunghay visited camps for people recently displaced from parts of northern Gaza. They were living in horrendous conditions with severe food shortages and poor sanitation, he said. "It is so obvious that massive humanitarian aid needs to come in – and it is not. It is so important the Israeli authorities make this happen," he said. He did not specify the last time UN agencies had sent aid to northern Gaza.
US WARNING
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin set out steps last month for Israel to carry out in 30 days to address the situation in Gaza, warning that failure to do so may have consequences on US military aid to Israel. The State Department said on Nov. 12 that President Joe Biden's administration had concluded that Israel was not currently impeding assistance to Gaza and therefore was not violating US law. The Israeli army, which began its offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip after the group's attack on southern Israeli communities in October 2023, said its operating in northern Gaza since Oct. 5 were trying to prevent militants regrouping and waging attacks from those areas. Israel's government body that oversees aid, Cogat, says it facilitates the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza, and accuses UN agencies of not distributing it efficiently. Looting has also depleted aid supplies within the Gaza Strip, with nearly 100 food aid trucks raided on Nov. 16. "The women I met had all either lost family members, were separated from their families, had relatives buried under rubble, or were themselves injured or sick," Sunghay said of his stay in the Gaza Strip. "Breaking down in front of me, they desperately pleaded for a ceasefire."

France on the back foot in Africa after Chadian snub
Arab News/November 29/2024
NAIROBI/GENEVA: A French plan to significantly reduce its military presence in West and central Africa risks backfiring and further diminishing the former colonial power’s influence in the region at a time when Russia is gaining ground. A French envoy to President Emmanuel Macron this week handed in a report with proposals on how France could reduce its military presence in Chad, Gabon and Ivory Coast, where it has deployed troops for decades.
Details of the report have not been made public but two sources said the plan is to cut the number of troops to 600 from around 2,200 now. The sources said Chad would keep the largest contingent with 300 French troops, down from 1,000. However, in a surprise move that caught French officials on the hop, the government of Chad — a key Western ally in the fight against Islamic militants in the region — on Thursday abruptly ended its defense cooperation pact with France. That could lead to French troops leaving the central African country altogether. “For France it is the start of the end of their security engagement in central and Western Africa,” said Ulf Laessing, director of the Sahel Programme at the Konrad Adenauer Foundation in Mali. “Chad was the aircraft carrier of the French army, its logistical headquarters. If Chad doesn’t exist, the French army will have a huge problem to keep running its other operations.”
In a further blow to France, Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye told French state TV on Thursday it was inappropriate for French troops to maintain a presence in his country, where 350 French soldiers are currently based. France has already pulled its soldiers out from Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, following military coups in those West African countries and spreading anti-French sentiment. Paris is also shifting more attention to Europe with the war in Ukraine and increasing budgetary constraints, diplomats said.
The review envisions the remaining French soldiers in the region focusing on training, intelligence exchange and responding to requests from countries for help, depending on their needs, the sources said. Chad’s move to end the cooperation deal had not been discussed with Paris and shocked the French, according to the two sources and other officials. France, which wants to keep a presence in Chad in part because of its work to help ease one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises unfolding now in neighboring Sudan, responded only 24 hours after Chad made its announcement.
“France takes note and intends to continue the dialogue to implement these orientations,” the foreign ministry said in a statement.
One of the two sources, a French official with knowledge of Chadian affairs, said Chad’s government appeared to have seen the French decision to more than halve its military presence there as a snub. Chad also felt the French would no longer be in a position to guarantee the security of the military regime led by President Mahamat Idriss Deby, this source said. Macron had backed Deby despite criticism since Deby seized power following the death of his father, who ruled Chad for 30 years until he was killed in 2021 during an incursion by rebels. Deby won an election held this year. In its statement on Thursday evening, released hours after the French foreign minister had visited the Sudanese border in eastern Chad with his counterpart, Chad’s foreign ministry said N’djamena wanted to fully assert its sovereignty after more than six decades of independence from France. It said the decision should in no way undermine the friendly relations between the two countries. Earlier this year, a small contingent of US special forces left Chad amid a review of US cooperation with the country. The French drawdown, coupled with a US pullback from Africa, contrasts with the increasing influence of Russia and other countries, including Turkiye and the United Arab Emirates, on the continent. Russian mercenaries are helping prop up the military governments of Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso, and are also fighting alongside them against Islamist militants. However, French officials and other sources played down Russia’s ability to take advantage of the French setback in Chad, at least in the short term. The French source familiar with Chadian affairs noted that Russia and Chad back rival factions in Sudan’s war. Russia also has major military commitments in Syria and the war in Ukraine.

Ireland votes in closely fought general election
AFP/November 29/2024
DUBLIN: Voting got under way in Ireland Friday in a general election with the two center-right coalition partners neck-and-neck with opposition party Sinn Fein, following a campaign marked by rancour over housing and cost-of-living crises. Polls opened at 0700 GMT and will close at 2200 GMT as voters choose new members of the 174-seat lower chamber of parliament, the Dail. Final opinion polling put the three main parties — center-right Fine Gael and Fianna Fail, and the leftist-nationalist Sinn Fein — each on around 20 percent. Counting is not due to start until Saturday morning, with partial results expected throughout the day. A final result, however, may not be clear for days as EU member Ireland’s proportional representation system sees votes of eliminated candidates redistributed during multiple rounds of counting. Prime Minister Simon Harris was among the first to vote, in his constituency of Delgany, south of Dublin. The Fine Gael leader, who became Ireland’s youngest-ever taoiseach (prime minister) when he took over in April, held a solid lead entering the campaign. But the party lost ground, in particular after Harris was seen in a viral clip appearing rude and dismissive to a care worker on the campaign trail.
“I’ve enjoyed putting forward my policy vision as a new leader, as a new Taoiseach,” Harris, 38, told reporters after voting. “Now I’m looking forward to the people having their say.” Some in his constituency did not share his optimism. IT worker Kevin Barry, 41, said he was unsure about voting “as all the options seem so terrible.”He cited the housing crisis, in which a shortage is driving up rents. While leaning toward the governing coalition, Barry told AFP: “I am not really happy with them as they are responsible for the mess that we are in, particularly with regard to housing.” For Peta Scott, 54, a health care worker and mother of four, housing woes meant it was “a challenge” for her children to stay in Ireland. At the last general election in 2020, Sinn Fein — the former political wing of the paramilitary Irish Republican Army — won the popular vote but could not find willing coalition partners.
That led to weeks of horsetrading, ending up with Fine Gael, which has been in power since 2011, agreeing a deal with Fianna Fail, led by the experienced Micheal Martin, 64.The role of prime minister rotated between the two party leaders. The smaller Green Party made up the governing coalition. Harris has had to defend the government’s patchy record on tackling a worsening housing crisis and fend off accusations of profligate public spending. A giveaway budget last month was also aimed at appeasing voters fretting about sky-high housing and childcare costs.
Both center-right parties stress their pro-business credentials and say returning them to power would ensure stability, particularly with turmoil abroad and the risk of external shocks. Ireland’s economy depends on foreign direct investment and lavish corporate tax returns from mainly US tech and pharma giants.
But threats from incoming US president Donald Trump to slap tariffs on imports and repatriate corporate tax of US firms from countries such as Ireland have caused concern for economic stability. Mary Lou McDonald’s Sinn Fein has seen a dip in support because of its progressive stance on social issues and migration policy, as immigration became a key election issue. But it has rallied on the back of a campaign heavily focused on housing policy and claims it is the only alternative to the Fine Gael and Fianna Fail, who have swapped power since Irish independence from Britain in 1921. After voting in her central Dublin constituency, McDonald called Friday “a historic day where we can elect a new government for change.”Asked if voting for Sinn Fein was a vote for a united Ireland, including British-ruled Northern Ireland, she replied: “Of course it is.” “We are united Irelanders. We have an ambitious plan for a new Ireland.” Retiree William McCarthy voted for the party but was unconvinced they would win.

Social media companies, UNICEF slam Australia’s under-16 ban
AFP/November 29/ 2024
MELBOURNE: Social media giants on Friday hit out at a landmark Australian law banning them from signing up under-16s, describing it as a rush job littered with “many unanswered questions.”The UN children’s charity UNICEF Australia joined the fray, warning the law was no “silver bullet” against online harm and could push kids into “covert and unregulated” spaces online. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the legislation may not be implemented perfectly — much like existing age restrictions on alcohol — but it was “the right thing to do.”The crackdown on sites like Facebook, Instagram and X, approved by parliament late Thursday, will lead to “better outcomes and less harm for young Australians,” he told reporters.Platforms have a “social responsibility” to make children’s safety a priority, the prime minister said. “We’ve got your back, is our message to Australian parents.”
Social media firms that fail to comply with the law face fines of up to Aus$50 million ($32.5 million). TikTok said Friday it was “disappointed” in the law, accusing the government of ignoring mental health, online safety and youth experts who had opposed the ban.
“It’s entirely likely the ban could see young people pushed to darker corners of the Internet where no community guidelines, safety tools, or protections exist,” a TikTok spokesperson said. Tech companies said that despite the law’s perceived shortcomings, they would engage with the government on shaping how it could be implemented in the next 12 months.
The legislation offers almost no details on how the rules will be enforced — prompting concern among experts that it will simply be a symbolic, unenforceable piece of legislation. Meta — owner of Facebook and Instagram — called for consultation on the rules to ensure a “technically feasible outcome that does not place an onerous burden on parents and teens.”But the company added it was concerned “about the process, which rushed the legislation through while failing to properly consider the evidence, what industry already does to ensure age-appropriate experiences, and the voices of young people.”
A Snapchat spokesperson said the company had raised “serious concerns” about the law and that “many unanswered questions” remained about how it would work.But the company said it would engage closely with government to develop an approach balancing “privacy, safety and practicality.”
“As always, Snap will comply with any applicable laws and regulations in Australia,” it said. UNICEF Australia policy chief Katie Maskiell said young people need to be protected online but also need to be included in the digital world. “This ban risks pushing children into increasingly covert and unregulated online spaces as well as preventing them from accessing aspects of the online world essential to their wellbeing,” she said. One of the biggest issues will be privacy — what age-verification information is used, how it is collected and by whom. Social media companies remain adamant that age-verification should be the job of app stores, but the government believes tech platforms should be responsible.Exemptions will likely be granted to some companies, such as WhatsApp and YouTube, which teenagers may need to use for recreation, school work or other reasons.The legislation will be closely monitored by other countries, with many weighing whether to implement similar bans. Lawmakers from Spain to Florida have proposed social media bans for young teens, although none of the measures have been implemented yet. China has restricted access for minors since 2021, with under-14s not allowed to spend more than 40 minutes a day on Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok. Online gaming time for children is also limited in China.

Canada sues Google over alleged anticompetitive practices in online ads
AP/November 29/2024
TORONTO: Canada’s antitrust watchdog said Thursday it is suing Google over alleged anticompetitive conduct in the tech giant’s online advertising business and wants the company to sell off two of its ad tech services and pay a penalty. The Competition Bureau said that such action is necessary because an investigation into Google found that the company “unlawfully” tied together its ad tech tools to maintain its dominant market position. The matter is now headed for the Competition Tribunal, a quasi-judicial body that hears cases brought forward by the competition commissioner about non-compliance with the Competition Act. The bureau is asking the tribunal to order Google to sell its publisher ad server, DoubleClick for Publishers, and its ad exchange, AdX. It estimates Google holds a market share of 90 percent in publisher ad servers, 70 percent in advertiser networks, 60 percent in demand-side platforms and 50 percent in ad exchanges. This dominance, the bureau said, has discouraged competition from rivals, inhibited innovation, inflated advertising costs and reduced publisher revenues. “Google has abused its dominant position in online advertising in Canada by engaging in conduct that locks market participants into using its own ad tech tools, excluding competitors, and distorting the competitive process,” Matthew Boswell, Commissioner of Competition, said in a statement. Google, however, maintains the online advertising market is a highly competitive sector. Dan Taylor, Google’s vice president of global ads, said in a statement that the bureau’s complaint “ignores the intense competition where ad buyers and sellers have plenty of choice.”The statement added that Google intends to defend itself against the allegation. US regulators want a federal judge to break up Google to prevent the company from continuing to squash competition through its dominant search engine after a court found it had maintained an abusive monopoly over the past decade. The proposed breakup, floated in a 23-page document filed this month by the US Department of Justice, calls for sweeping punishments that would include a sale of Google’s industry-leading Chrome web browser and impose restrictions to prevent Android from favoring its own search engine.

The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources on November 29-30/2024
The northern front cease-fire: Weighing the pros and cons
Amir Avivi/Ynetnews/November 28/2024
Analysis: Israel must create conditions that permanently prevent Hezbollah from regaining the capacity to threaten our communities and citizens
The Israeli public often tends to form strong opinions on issues without fully understanding the details, and the anticipated cease-fire in the north is no exception. The public discourse is filled with voices expressing harsh criticism and even anger toward the proposed 60-day cease-fire along the northern border.
In fact, residents of northern Israel are expected to stage demonstrations against the emerging agreement. Many feel a sense of déjà vu, recalling the events of 2006, and fear that Hezbollah will soon reestablish its presence along our border. There is a widespread sentiment that we are missing a historic opportunity to permanently resolve the persistent threat posed by the Shiite forces at the northern border.
Their concerns are valid and demand a thoughtful, comprehensive response — not hasty decisions made before gaining a clear understanding of the situation on the ground, the specifics of the agreement, and the implications and opportunities the new circumstances may present.
First, we must explore the difference between Gaza and Lebanon. In Gaza, Israel's political and military echelons assigned the war a clear objective: eliminating Hamas as a governmental and military force. That objective requires conquering territory in the Gaza Strip, as is in fact being done.
In the north, however, it is unrealistic to expect the IDF to completely dismantle Hezbollah without taking and holding territory—territory that would encompass all of Lebanon.
Consequently, a different objective has been set for the northern front: enabling Israelis living near the border to return safely to their homes.
It is clear to any observer of the conflict that Israel has dealt significant blows to Hezbollah and retains the capacity to further pressure the organization that has entrenched itself in Lebanon. At this juncture, several key options are available:
The first option involves mobilizing Lebanese elements, in coordination with the international community, to disband Hezbollah as a military organization. This effort would align with the objectives of UN Resolution 1559 or, at the very least, lead to the dismantling of Hezbollah’s infrastructure in southern Lebanon.
Regardless of the approach taken, Israel’s freedom of action must be safeguarded to ensure Hezbollah cannot regain its strength in the future. This is a fundamental condition for any agreement. Our security must remain firmly under our control.
In any scenario where Lebanon is unable to prevent a Hezbollah resurgence, the response must be decisive IDF action to thwart any attempt to rebuild the organization’s strength. Hezbollah must be unable to recover, even beyond the Litani River.
Two alternative strategies could involve Lebanese elements in dismantling Hezbollah: the carrot and the stick. Personally, I favor the stick — an approach in which the Lebanese state's infrastructure is targeted first, sending a clear message that Israel does not differentiate between Lebanon and Hezbollah.
Lebanon should face a significant penalty, one that would compel other factions to actively work toward Hezbollah’s dissolution in order to avoid the heavy price Israel would impose on them.
Contrary to many opinions, including my own, the Israeli government chose the carrot approach. The message sent to all Lebanese factions is that the war is aimed solely at Hezbollah, not at them. Israel is offering dialogue to collaborate on dismantling Hezbollah and is committed to weakening the group to the point where other forces can take action. Whether the carrot strategy will prove effective remains to be seen — only time will tell. Stick to the chosen strategy
Another advantage of this strategy is that it gradually builds broader international legitimacy for Israeli military action. Since adopting the carrot approach, Israel has maintained a dialogue with various Lebanese factions. Therefore, any abrupt shift in strategy, particularly initiating attacks on infrastructure, would undermine our efforts and yield little benefit.
The chosen strategy must be upheld to ensure consistency, demonstrating steadfastness in its execution.
Israel’s approach to managing developments envisions any cease-fire as temporary, pending Trump’s return to the White House. Rather than signaling permanence, it will offer flexibility for future decision-making. At this stage, the onus will be on Lebanon and the international community to demonstrate their commitment by dismantling Hezbollah’s infrastructure in southern Lebanon within 60 days.
This process will be crucial in creating the conditions for the safe return of our northern residents to their homes, while also delivering a severe humiliation to Hezbollah. Such humiliation is not only important for our sense of pride, but more importantly, because the culture in our region views the ability to publicly flaunt a victory as a sign of strength and credible deterrence.
Another key consideration is the successful conclusion of the IDF's ground operation and the subsequent redeployment of forces to the Gaza theater. It is crucial to remember that hostages are still being held there, and the mission to dismantle Hamas remains unfinished. Strategically, stabilizing one front makes sense in order to prepare for a broader offensive that will decisively end the fighting in the second front once and for all.
In this context, it is important to recognize that the primary focus of the attack must shift to the Iranian front, with efforts directed at convincing the Trump administration to take military action against the Ayatollahs' regime.
This necessity arises from the critical need to dismantle the Iranian nuclear program and eliminate the Iranian threat entirely—an existential danger that demands the overthrow of the Shiite axis. Consequently, the defeat of Hezbollah is inextricably linked to Tehran.
In conclusion, we must uphold the principle that makes our sacrifices meaningful: maintaining control over our own security. It is imperative to create conditions that permanently prevent Hezbollah from regaining the capacity to threaten our communities and citizens.
*Brig. Gen. (res.) Amir Avivi is the founder of Israel’s Defense and Security Forum (IDSF).
https://www.ynetnews.com/article/h1atlw871l#autoplay

Cracks in the New 'Axis of Evil': China, Russia, North Korea, Iran
Lawrence A. Franklin/Gatestone Institute/November 29, 2024
The Russia-North Korea-China relationship is not an equilateral triangle but an evolving alliance with conflicting interests, and reportedly beginning to show signs of fracture and lack of trust.
One report suggests that, ultimately, North Korea may dispatch 100,000 troops to Russia.
China nevertheless views Russia as principally a source of oil and raw materials. The Kremlin might hope to rejuvenate itself by re-asserting its failing primacy in Central Asia amidst the independent post-Soviet countries.
The increased military-to-military links between North Korea and Russia also have regional ramifications, and China appears to have indicated to Moscow that the once heralded Sino-Russian "No Limits Alliance" may have some limits, after all. Pictured: Russian President Vladimir Putin shakes hands with North Korea's "Supreme Leader" Kim Jong Un after signing the Russia-North Korea Defense Treaty, in Pyongyang, on June 19, 2024. (Photo by Kristina Kormilitsyna/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)
The Russia-North Korea-China relationship is not an equilateral triangle but an evolving alliance with conflicting interests, and reportedly beginning to show signs of fracture and lack of trust.
Now that North Korean troops have joined Russian forces in fighting a democratic country, Ukraine, the global ramifications of this East-West coalitional warfare have darkened. An alliance of aggressive dictatorships are directly confronting the free West.
Western intelligence agencies have reported that North Korea has deployed about 3,000 troops in the Kursk region of Russia, now occupied by Ukraine. North Korea has reportedly dispatched an additional 7,000 troops to Russia.
The deployment of these North Korean troops is supposedly justified by Moscow and Pyongyang through the joint Russia-North Korea Defense Treaty, signed on June 19, 2024 and ratified this month, stipulating that each signatory will come to the military assistance of the other if under attack by a third country.
The increased military-to-military links between North Korea and Russia also have regional ramifications, and China appears to have indicated to Moscow that the once heralded Sino-Russian "No Limits Alliance" may have some limits, after all.
Chinese President Xi Jinping apparently counseled Russian President Vladimir Putin not to visit North Korea immediately before or after visiting China. Xi's reported concern was that he did not want North Korea's "Supreme Leader" Kim Jong Un to be able to exploit such visits, thus gaining prestige or legitimacy as a great power.
Xi might also want to keep tight reins on any unpredictable moves by Kim that could destabilize the Korean Peninsula is ways that might counter Chinese interests.
Xi is possibly also concerned that a Russia short of cash could give North Korea advanced weapons and perhaps even nuclear technology, especially if Kim specifically requests them. China has not yet provided Russia's war effort against Ukraine with weapons systems, but Beijing could already be chafing at the knowledge that Pyongyang has delivered ballistic missiles to Moscow.
Russia, however, might view its enhanced defense links with North Korea as a gain. The Russian military, since its invasion of Ukraine, has reportedly sustained about 600,000 killed and wounded. The arrival of North Korean troops may have helped the Kremlin's leadership postpone announcing another mobilization of Russian recruits for its war effort. One report suggests that, ultimately, North Korea may dispatch 100,000 troops to Russia.
Moscow has already welcomed tens of thousands of North Korean laborers to work on construction projects. Another report indicates that Russia prefers North Koreans to Central Asian Muslim workers and is planning to import 500,000 North Korean laborers.
Historic relations between Russia and China have been fraught with conflict, particularly during the 19th century. Russia still controls hundreds of thousands of square miles of former Chinese territory. These lands were taken by Czarist Russia from China's Ching Dynasty primarily in the 1800s, as a consequence of what the Chinese call "Unequal Treaties."
China, underscoring its continuing territorial claims against Russia, recently published new maps featuring the Chinese names of cities in eastern Russia. Many farmers from China have already migrated to Russian Far East territories.
Moreover, there are vast stretches of lands in Russian Siberia that are virtually unoccupied, near a teeming Chinese population of 90 million on the other side of the border, in China's northern provinces.
Putin, as the owner of the largest nuclear weapons stockpile on the planet, may also be less than enchanted by the projected image of Russia as a junior partner anywhere.
China nevertheless views Russia as principally a source of oil and raw materials. The Kremlin might hope to rejuvenate itself by re-asserting its failing primacy in Central Asia amidst the independent post-Soviet countries.
These tensions among this Eurasian alliance of North Korea, Russia and China provide an opportunity for the incoming administration in the United States.
*Dr. Lawrence A. Franklin was the Iran Desk Officer for Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld. He also served on active duty with the U.S. Army and as a Colonel in the Air Force Reserve.
© 2024 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.

What will Musk’s newfound influence mean for the space race?
Dr. Amal Mudallali/Arab News/November 29, 2024
The second term of President Donald Trump is expected to bring a sea change to space, ushering in a new and robust era for the “final frontier,” to quote Captain James T. Kirk of “Star Trek.” Trump had an impressive space record in his first term, but his second will be nothing short of transformational if one is to believe what space experts close to his universe are saying. The word these people use when speaking about Trump’s upcoming space policy is “disruptive.” They do not mean it in a negative way, they use it to stress its transformational nature. They believe that the Trump administration will have a different style, a new emphasis and different priorities in space. But it will be transactional.
Trump will not be alone in driving this policy. He has a new partner, the leader in space, Elon Musk, who campaigned hard for him and is now expected to reap the benefits of his efforts. Trump announced in his victory speech that “a star is born, Elon.” It was obvious from his effusive praise of Musk’s space credentials that the SpaceX founder and CEO would have an oversized role and impact on the second Trump administration, especially when it comes to space.
Trump and Musk see eye to eye on space and Trump attended the launch of the SpaceX Spaceship in October. Musk wants to go to Mars and Trump, as long ago as 2019, said that NASA should abandon its Moon quest because “we did that 50 years ago.” He added: “They should be focused on the much bigger things we are doing, including Mars.”
The SpaceX founder and CEO will have an oversized role and impact on the second Trump administration
The space community is in two minds about this new partnership between two of the most powerful men on Earth. One camp is excited about the future of space with Musk. These people see a new cosmic renaissance and a better chance to beat China in space thanks to the energized, faster and bolder vision that Musk will bring with him. The other is predicting a wild ride and calling on people to buckle up. These people are wary of Musk’s influence and the conflict of interest they say he will bring to government and space policy. They feel that competing with SpaceX will become a big issue during the second Trump administration, with Musk potentially able to rig the process in favor of his companies, meaning space policy will lack its former stability.
I was surprised during a space conference run by the Beyond Earth Institute this month that, whatever the topic, the Musk phenomenon was front and center, raising the question: “How do you do the presidential transition with this phenomenon?”
Lori Garver, a former deputy administrator of NASA who has known Musk for a long time, predicted change that “will not be like anything we have seen before.” Musk is expected to have “more impact than anyone in the past on the presidential transition and on NASA.” Musk will lead the planned Department of Government Efficiency and the budget of NASA will not be exempt from cuts, she said. Others agreed and raised the red flag of conflict of interest for Musk, complaining that he could make changes that will benefit his company and his agenda in space.
Neel Patel wrote an article in The New York Times that was entitled “Will Musk be the death of NASA?” She wrote: “Were NASA programs to be cut, there would be fewer opportunities to award more money to a wider group of SpaceX competitors. Slashing spending might also force the agency to hand off more of its operations” to SpaceX.
But Dr. Scott Pace, director of the Space Policy Institute at George Washington University, disagreed while speaking at the Beyond Earth Institute event, saying that Musk is mission-driven and his missions to Mars are about the mission, “not a matter of making money.” He saw “tectonic plates moving a little bit, and you can imagine new structures could be done” with Musk there. The biggest change people expect to see is a push to expand the role, budget and mandate of the Space Force
The biggest change people expect to see in Trump’s space policy is a push to expand the role, budget and mandate of the Space Force, from the current defensive strategy to a more “offensive” one with a stronger deterrence, as Project 2025 calls for. This is according to SpaceNews. The future of the National Space Council, which is usually headed by the country’s vice president, is also unclear. Will J.D. Vance strengthen the council or let the National Security Council usurp its role?
China is the biggest challenge to the US in space and this rivalry drives American space policy. There are those who believe that the government should partner with SpaceX and move faster to win the competition with China — a jab at NASA and the delays to its Artemis moon mission. The international community is concerned about the future of space cooperation under Trump, but Pace said he sees “international engagement as central and an important part of the Trump administration,” because it is part of a larger national interest.
The fears surrounding Musk’s influence during this transition are real. There is a worry that he will populate the administration with his people, that he will do away with regulations, that he will disregard any national or international rules on the management of space, that Trump will give him a free hand to reach the stars. All of this might be true. But what is also true is that he can almost guarantee American superiority in space — and this is the only thing that matters for Trump.
**Dr. Amal Mudallali is a visiting research scholar at Princeton University and former Lebanese ambassador to the UN.

War in Gaza allows Netanyahu to sidestep a two-state solution
Daoud Kuttab/Arab News/November 29, 2024
A common thread appears to unite most analysts on the reason the Lebanon-Israeli ceasefire agreement is not necessarily a prelude to a similar deal in Gaza. The point of consensus is that Israel’s prime minister has set a goal of annihilating Hamas in Gaza, while no such aim was set in the conflict with Hezbollah combatants in Lebanon. While, on the surface, this view holds some truth, the problem is much deeper and wider than the issue of Hamas and Gaza. After all, most Israeli and international military experts have argued that while you can militarily weaken a resistance movement such as Hamas, you cannot annihilate what in the end is an ideology rather than a set of military adversaries. In fact, the departing Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant has said that Hamas cannot be totally defeated, and that this is a goal that is difficult, if not impossible, to militarily accomplish. However, a longer-term problem that is less talked about might be the real reason behind the absence of any serious effort to end the Israeli war on Gaza. What might have begun as a campaign to restore a depleted deterrence has become a revenge war — one that has a political goal, but no clear sign of ending.
The Israeli prime minister has set a goal of annihilating Hamas
The political goal can be clearly seen in the refusal of the Israeli government to engage with the Palestinian leadership headed by President Mahmoud Abbas regarding the “day after” in Gaza. The Israeli government, which agreed to the conditions set by the 1993 Oslo Accord, has long forgotten about that agreement, with its military repeatedly entering areas legally under the security responsibility of the Ramallah-based government.
Ironically, while Israel has refused to engage with Abbas on the future facing Gaza, it continues to benefit from the Palestinian leader’s security crackdown on militants in the West Bank. Palestinian leaders say the clampdown is for the higher interest of the Palestinian people, ensuring that the West Bank is not engulfed in violence wreaked by Israeli military and settlers using Oct. 7 as an excuse. Nevertheless, and regardless of the security cooperation that Israel enjoys from Abbas, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu understands that any further legitimacy given to the Palestinian leader will force Israel to comply with global demands for negotiations to implement a two-state solution. This rejection of the right of self-determination for the Palestinian people is not, as some would argue, the result of pressure from the Israeli leader’s far-right coalition partners, but is clearly Netanyahu’s personal ideology. So long as there is war and hostages in Gaza, his government can justify its endless military strikes without having to make a single political concession to Palestinians.
Israel benefits from the Palestinian leader’s security crackdown
However, once the war is over, there is no way that denying Palestinians a political future can be justified. In fact, any junior political or strategic analyst could argue that a ceasefire without a political roadmap is tantamount to a short-lived cessation of violence at best. US President Joe Biden’s comment to Abbas in Bethlehem in July 2022 that the time “is not ripe to restart Palestinian-Israeli talks” is often referred to as the one statement that further discouraged Palestinians regarding their political future, and may have been part of the frustration that brought about the cross-border Hamas attack one year later.
Public and private discussions over the past 14 months have centered on the need to end the war on Gaza with a hostage release and a durable ceasefire coupled with a parallel process of rebuilding the enclave and working to offer all Palestinians a political horizon, including an independent Palestinian state.
This goal, which the world agrees to as part of the two-state solution, is what encourages the Israeli prime minister to keep the war in Gaza going for as long as politically possible. It might also explain why Netanyahu favored Donald Trump over Kamala Harris, knowing that he can avoid a two-state solution with him, but would have a harder time had Harris become leader.
**Daoud Kuttab is an award-winning Palestinian journalist and former Ferris Professor of Journalism at Princeton University. X: @daoudkuttab

Why this Israel-Lebanon Agreement is Different?
Abdulrahman Al-Rashed/Asharq Al-Awsat/November 29/2024
It is true that the recent ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon is a replica of agreements made over the past forty years, all of which failed to prevent subsequent wars. However, this war and this agreement differ from previous ones, and we might witness its implementations starting next year. In my opinion, this will change the concept of conflict through Lebanon.
The important question: What is new and different about this agreement?
It is not about Iranian concessions or weakening Hezbollah, as most assessments speculate. Instead, the changed factor this time is Israel itself.
The October 7 attack last year changed Israel’s deterrence concept to preventing the presence of potential threats in its immediate geographical vicinity. Israel considered that attack an existential threat, prompting a reconsideration of border coexistence with hostile groups. For this reason, it decided to eliminate Hamas, weaken Hezbollah’s power, and prevent both organizations from threatening the existence of the Jewish state.
The characteristics of the current war – its size, type, and the statements of strategic leaders – indicate that Israel has changed its policy from “mowing the grass” to “uprooting it.” Previously, it allowed Hezbollah and Hamas to grow their capabilities and then waged wars to destroy them. This cycle of confrontations would end with temporary truce agreements. In this confrontation, Israel has made significant progress toward its goals. Hamas has practically ended and may only return as a civilian entity if it returns at all. In eight weeks, Israel has eliminated Hezbollah’s leadership and much of its arsenal. However, the group still stands, albeit limping on one leg, and will seek to rebuild its destroyed capabilities and replace its decimated cadres, as it has done in past wars.
What is new is that Israel states its determination to uproot Hezbollah, and the agreement does not prevent it from doing so. It authorizes Israel to intervene and operate in Lebanon’s airspace. It includes explicit conditions for monitoring border crossings, preventing rearmament, and obliging the Lebanese government to dismantle what remains of Hezbollah’s factories and weapons depots. Furthermore, the group, through the Lebanese government, agreed to have the Americans oversee the implementation of these commitments.
This agreement is different in that it will enable the targeting of Iranian funding operations and rearmament efforts and will justify pursuits across the Iranian corridor through Syria and Iraq. Israel’s argument is that the Lebanese state, which was previously tasked with these responsibilities, is too weak to uproot Hezbollah, a group deeply rooted and spread across the country both militarily and as civilians. Hezbollah is present in the army, security forces, municipal councils, banks, the airport, the government, and parliament. We remember how Hezbollah forced Lebanese factions to amend the Taif Agreement by inventing the blocking third mechanism in its favor, making one-third more important than two-thirds. This gave Hezbollah the final say in choosing the president, prime minister, and army chief.
Can Israel truly eliminate Hezbollah’s capabilities amid a regional conflict that also involves major powers indirectly? Israel has proven to be a devastating regional military power capable of waging and winning long and multiple wars. It previously dismantled the Palestine Liberation Organization in Lebanon, diminished Syria’s influence there, and this time surprised Hezbollah and its supporting forces with its decisive superiority. It will be difficult for Hezbollah to return as a regional player threatening Israel under the current balance of power. However, the path to stripping Hezbollah of its power is not only through disarming it but also through dismantling its influence, which will require additional rounds of confrontation.

Tehran and Costly Syria
Amir Taheri/Asharq Al-Awsat/November 29/2024
Will cataclysms caused by wars in Gaza and Lebanon lead to a review of Iran’s military presence in the Levant? Judging by the buzz in Tehran political circles, echoed in the official media, the answer may be yes.Four factors may have pushed a review higher on the agenda.
First, feeling more secure in his albeit reduced status after over a decade of war, Syria’s still “legal” President Bashar al-Assad hopes to mobilize international support for a gradual rebuilding of the ungoverned land as nation-state. In that he seems to enjoy the support not only of Russia but also a majority of Arab League plus the European Union. To achieve that goal he needs to extend his writ beyond Damascus and a few other “islands of stability” across Syria. That requires a planned withdrawal of foreign forces, Turkish, American, Russian and Iranian, each of which have carved a fiefdom with support from local Arab, Kurdish and Turcoman communities. Because the largest number of foreign forces in Syria are under Iranian control, Al-Assad sees their departure as a priority.
According to sources in Tehran, the Syrian leader gingerly raised the issue in 2022, after consulting Russia, but hit an Iranian brick wall. His argument was that Syria needed to start reconstruction, an undertaking that requires an estimated $1 trillion in investments over a decade. The late Iranian General, Qassem Soleimani, often promised to rebuild Syria.
Iranian estimates suggest Soleimani spent over $20 billon in Syria. Things began to change when President Donald Trump in his first presidential term launched his “maximum pressure” policy to aggravate Tehran’s liquidity problem.
The return of the Obama faction to power in Washington under Joe Biden stopped the “maximum pressure” and enabled Tehran to maintain its hugely costly presence in the Levant.
Trump’s return is the second factor that has raised the issue of Iranian withdrawal from the Levant starting with Syria. This is why Assad dwelt on it in recent meetings with high emissaries from Iranian “Supreme Guide” Ali Khamenei. One meeting was with the new Iranian Defense Minister, Brigadier Aziz Nasirzadeh, who, though not in charge of Iran-controlled forces in Syria, could relay Assad’s message to the military in Tehran.
The second was with Ali Ardeshir Larijani, a former high official who had been pushed out in the cold but was brought back to relay a message that, because he has no official position, wouldn’t commit the new administration of President Massud Pezeshkian, thus making later pirouettes possible. According to analysts in Tehran, both Iranian emissaries listened to Assad with “sympathetic ears”.The specter of Trump loomed in the room. The Tehran leadership hopes to play its usual game of one-step-backwards-two steps forward by making a deal with Trump which would require at least a lowering of the Iranian military presence in the Levant. But if that can’t be done and “maximum pressure” is back, Tehran would simply not have the cash to maintain a high military profile. In any case, Syria has become too costly a mistress to keep.
The third factor is the consequence of the October 7 attack on Israel by Hamas and Israel’s unexpectedly forceful response. Tehran’s indirect war with Israel started in the 1980s with Lebanon as the first battlefield. In 2014, after Iran-controlled units attacked Israel via the Golan Heights, Syria was added as a battlefield. The fourth factor is the collapse of Soleimani’s strategy of “war from a distance” through proxies in a glacis in foreign lands. Israel and Iran have tested each other’s threshold of pain with direct attacks but without taking off their gloves. The “Supreme Guide” now knows he might have to fight his own war at a time that according to experts his war machine isn’t ready for direct duel with the “Zionist foe” and his “Great Satan” ally under Trump. If I understand the mood in Tehran, the leadership is already contemplating a review of using Syria as a glacis.
In fact, some withdrawal started before October 7. Between 2021 and 2023, an estimated 3,000 Iranian “military advisors” were brought home. At the same time the Abufazlal-Abbas unit of Iraqi mercenaries was merged with al-Nujaba and re-deployed in Iraq. Tehran also held talks with Islamabad to organize the return of Pakistanis in Zaynbioun Division.
Even if it leaves Syria, Iran is determined to keep a presence in Lebanon through Hezbollah. France and some other EU members dream of an accommodation with Tehran over Lebanon. In a new paper, The European Council on Foreign Relations claims that “pushing Iran out” could be counter-productive without saying why. Tehran hopes to cajole Europeans to its side by promising to leave Syria to placate Trump in the hope of being allowed to keep a presence in Lebanon.

On ‘Rejectionism’ and ‘Anti- Rejectionism’!
Hazem Saghieh/Asharq Al-Awsat/November 29/2024
We have been seeing a new term for a few years now, especially since Al-Aqsa Flood: "anti-Rejectionism;" it suggests that the thoughts and actions of the two opposing sides are governed by the same logic. Those who use this term are implying that their stance represents a synthesis of the two that places them "above" both of them, or that they reframe the two stances and stick the two sides of the binary together before presenting their position as a middle ground "between" the two.
This "neither this nor that" argument is probably always easy to make. However, its veneer of wisdom reflects little more than a failure to carve a pave to politics, much like when the opinion of an elder known for his wisdom is sought and it is then left to others, engaged and influential figures, to take this wise opinion in and turn it into reality.
Worse than that, the "rejectionism and anti- rejectionism" theory grants the first foundational and original status or renders it the primary thesis, while positioning the second as the response, the antithesis.
In truth, such framing collapses if we consider the existence of states and nations to be the foundational and original given, or at least, that in the modern era, every national community ought to see it that way. This premise and the order of priorities it assumes form the basis of stances on everything outside the national state's borders. Since the era of the military and security regimes born of Arab nationalist ideologies- the predecessors of the Axis of Resistance that currently embodies the politics of resistance- the domestic views and stances of those who take this approach to politics have been determined by their positions on what lies outside the nation state's borders. Existing states thus appear to be mere temporary administrative arrangements, while legitimacy is derived from an ideological (Arab or Islamic) "nation" that does not exist in reality. Accordingly, regimes that avoid conflict with Israel could deserve to be overthrown, and those that do fight Israel are worthy of praise. "No voice can rise above the sound of battle" in our struggle against the Jewish state. Since 1979, this criterion for judging patriotism has fed on another: enthusiasm for Iranian influence in one’s country so long as it fights Israel.
The fact is that before the current war- rather, before many other "fateful" and "nationalistic" wars- Hezbollah's politics had been broadly denounced, and the Levant’s repressive military regimes even more so. This condemnation did not arise solely from the poor domestic policies of these actors, but also from the fact that these policies prioritized transnational considerations (whether this was genuine or mendacious is beside the point) to the greatest extent possible. We cannot separate one from the other, as they are both part of a single conceptual and political system. If the proponents of "neither this nor that" justify their position with the claim that Hezbollah and its allies are not actually fighting Israel, then their argument seems untenable today; the party does fight Israel, and that is precisely the problem, as this fight is the other side of the coin to our own suffering. This obliges us to adopt a straightforward stance on the principle of "fighting Israel" and to see it as a priority and a litmus test.
In other words, ethical, humanist, and cultural commitment to Palestinian rights and the Palestinian state is one thing, and charging towards a war, with absolutely no regard for the will of the people in a particular country, is another. Similarly, condemning the brutality of Israel’s continuous war crimes in the strongest terms does not require summoning this brutality to the country in order to be "patriotic." This distinction makes one’s position on the "support war" as such- as a principle, not on the details of how it is practiced- a litmus test: approval cannot be underpinned by a patriotic and sovereignist position, but it fits perfectly into a nationalist, religious, or populist (as these terms are commonly understood) worldview.
The "neither this nor that" theory seems to combine an interpretation of the world in which transnational nationalism, and perhaps religion, continue to play a significant role, with aspirations centered around patriotism, justice, and freedom. But when reality reveals the contradictions between the two priorities, it becomes increasingly evident by the day that reconciling them is impossible and the "neither this nor that" theory starts to sound like a sermon hurling condemnations at both sides left and right.
For instance, with Hezbollah weakened due to Israel’s strikes, should the Lebanese state avoid taking action to fill the void left by this weakness because doing so would be "betting on Israel”? Should the state taking control of the airport, the port, and other facilities be rejected because doing so was facilitated by the realities created by Israel’s actions during the war? What about the principle of disarming Hezbollah, and disarming any party, regardless of whether it is fighting Israel or not?
Faced with these kinds of practical questions, the difference between "rejectionism" and "anti- rejectionism" becomes clear, as does their irreconcilability. They cannot be “synthesized” from above either, nor can one stand in some middle ground between them. Recent developments, the blood and destruction we have seen, provide a well of evidence.