English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For October 04/2024
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news

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Bible Quotations For today
Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whomsoever he wishes
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 05/17-23/:”Jesus answered them, ‘My Father is still working, and I also am working.’ For this reason the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him, because he was not only breaking the sabbath, but was also calling God his own Father, thereby making himself equal to God. Jesus said to them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, the Son can do nothing on his own, but only what he sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, the Son does likewise. The Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing; and he will show him greater works than these, so that you will be astonished. Indeed, just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whomsoever he wishes. The Father judges no one but has given all judgement to the Son,so that all may honour the Son just as they honour the Father. Anyone who does not honour the Son does not honour the Father who sent him.

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on October 03-04/2024
Elias Bejjani /Text & Video: The Heresy of the Devil's Advocates,& the Necessity of Banning the Mouthpieces of Iran's Axis from Media Platforms
Elias Bejjani/Text & Video: To hypocrite Politicians, Patriarch Al Raei, & Sovereignists: free yourselves from cowardice, Dhimmitude & submission. Demand that Lebanon be placed under full UN authority and control
Etienne Sakr – Abu Arz,: Between the Sacred Past and the Tainted Present
Israel extends evacuation warnings in Lebanon, signaling a wider offensive
Lebanese soldier killed, 4 paramedics wounded, in Israeli strike on south
Hezbollah fires rockets on Tiberias, new Israeli strikes hit south Beirut
Israel says strike kills 15 Hezbollah fighters in Bint Jbeil
Hezbollah says thwarts Israel bid to advance on southern border
37 killed in Israeli strikes on Lebanon in past 24 hours, health ministry says
UN peacekeepers in Lebanon stay put, despite Israel asking them to move
Israel attacks Lebanese army
Israeli strikes hit 2 Shiite towns in Keserwan, Aley
Seven rescuers killed in Israeli strike on health center in central Beirut
Israeli strike in Beirut kills 9 as troops battle Hezbollah in southern Lebanon
Why Iran relies on ballistic missiles to threaten its adversaries
EU ramps up Lebanon aid by 30 million euros
Another flight from Lebanon lands in UK amid spiralling Middle East conflict
Japan, Australia plan evacuations from Lebanon
Yemen’s government asks Yemenis to leave Lebanon as war intensifies
Civilians bear brunt in ‘catastrophic’ Lebanon conflict, UN official says
Lebanese must unite and take their country back
WHO Says 28 Health Workers Killed in Lebanon by Israeli Strikes over 24 hours
Lebanese FM: Nasrallah Agreed to Temporary Ceasefire Days Before Assassination
The impact of Israeli operations on Hezbollah’s organizational structure
Time to Cut the Cord in Lebanon

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on October 03-04/2024
Biden says ‘discussing’ possible Israeli strikes on Iran oil facilities
Iran's massive missile strike on Israel is just a fraction of what China could do
Israeli air strike kills 18 people in occupied West Bank
Three Hamas leaders killed months ago, IDF says
Security Council backs UN secretary-general after Israel bans him from entering country
Palestinian health ministry says 16 killed in Israeli strike on West Bank
Pro-Palestine protest in Sydney to proceed on Oct 6 after deal with police
G7 voices ‘deep concern’ over ‘deteriorating situation’ in Mideast
Yazidi woman, 21, freed from Gaza in US-led operation
A US Navy missile that just scored its first kill this year got another workout against Iranian weapons
Qatar’s Emir: What is happening in region is ‘collective genocide’
Libya to resume oil production after central bank dispute ends
Thousands flee gang killings in Haiti breadbasket town, media reports
Gulf states sought to reassure Iran of their neutrality in Iran-Israel conflict, sources say
Democratic senator worried Netanyahu trying to ‘influence’ US election

Titles For The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources on October 03-04/2024
Scandinavia Bans ‘Blasphemy’ (Guess for Which Religion’s Sake?)/Raymond Ibrahim/The Stream/October 03/2024
New NATO chief Rutte must hit the ground running/Luke Coffey/October 03, 2024
Establishing Military Neutrality and the Frank Conversation the Lebanese Need to Have/Hazem Saghieh/Asharq Al Awsat/October 03/ 2024

The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on October 03-04/2024
Elias Bejjani /Text & Video: The Heresy of the Devil's Advocates,& the Necessity of Banning the Mouthpieces of Iran's Axis from Media Platforms
Elias Bejjani /December 02/ 2024
"It is absolutely essential, especially now that Hezbollah—the terrorist arm of the Mullahs' regime—has been broken and defeated, its assassination machine dismantled, and its institutions laid bare for all to see. The party that specialized in drug trafficking, weapons smuggling, and money laundering has now been stripped of all illusions and hallucinations of power. It has become clear, beyond any doubt, that the Iranian Mullah regime is nothing more than a paper tiger, whose sole aim is to destabilize Arab nations, break apart their states, and seize control of their resources, using their own people against them. With the collapse of the deceptive myth of 'resistance and liberation,' it is now crucial that every mouthpiece and lackey of this Iranian terrorist axis be banned from appearing on Lebanese and Arab media outlets.
These despicable individuals, these lowlifes, have sold their tongues, dignity, and pens for thirty pieces of silver. They are a disgrace to every concept of intellect, culture, truth, human potential, knowledge, faith, rights, and dignity.
I urge readers to read Colonel Charbel Barakat's editorial, which sheds light on the catastrophic role of those who masquerade as analysts, flooding the media with false information and peddling paid propaganda for the inhumane and terrorist Mullahs Iranian axis. The article, available in both Arabic and English, on my site and published  yesterday. The link is below
In this context, it must also be noted that the role of the devil’s advocate, frequently played by Lebanese journalists—especially Christian ones—on radio and television during interviews, is a shameful, servile, and pathological phenomenon. This diseased media role is a leftover of the moral depravity and cultural terrorism of the Syrian occupation, which was further worsened under the criminal Iranian occupation through its Lebanese mercenaries known as Hezbollah.
In the free world, especially in the West, such a pathological media phenomenon does not exist. When anyone is invited to speak, they are given complete freedom to express their opinions without intimidation or interruption.
In conclusion, this servile media behavior is often embedded in the subconscious of many journalists and is practiced accordingly, except in cases where it is imposed on them by the owners of media outlets."

Elias Bejjani/Video: To hypocrite Politicians, Patriarch Al Raei, & Sovereignists: free yourselves from cowardice, Dhimmitude & submission. Demand that Lebanon be placed under full UN authority and control
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2D7VqT67i4&t=18s
Elias Bejjani/October 01/2024

Elias Bejjani/Text & Video: To hypocrite Politicians, Patriarch Al Raei, & Sovereignists: free yourselves from cowardice, Dhimmitude & submission. Demand that Lebanon be placed under full UN authority and control
Elias Bejjani/October 01/2024
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2024/10/135116/
To all the hypocrites, to the head of the Maronite Patriarchate who hides behind lukewarm positions, and to those who claim to be sovereignists: free yourselves from your cowardice and submission. Together, you must turn to the UN Security Council and demand that Lebanon be placed under full UN authority and control.  Hezbollah, the Iranian-armed terrorist proxy, is leading Lebanon towards utter destruction with its reckless rocket launches on Israel. Israel, who is defending itself, has eliminated the majority of Hezbollah's leadership, including the notorious Hassan Nasrallah. Yet, many Lebanese politicians, clerics, officials and political parties remain cowardly and shamefully passive. Their lukewarm stances against Hezbollah’s occupation of Lebanon are disgraceful. It’s time to wake up, join forces, and seek for UN international intervention.
 What are you waiting for? Act now! Break free from, Procrastination. Dhimmitude cowardice, and betrayal. Leave behind your narcissistic dens, tear apart your selfish power schemes, and fear God. Defend your people and your nation.
 Raise your voices across Lebanon and demand an immediate halt to the military actions of Hezbollah, this criminal and barbaric Iranian tool, alongside its jihadist thugs and hateful leftist groups. Demand an immediate cessation of Hezbollah’s attacks on Israel without any conditions. Call for the dismantling of Hezbollah and the arrest of its treacherous, deceitful leaders. Insist on the disarmament of Hezbollah before any elections or government formations can take place.  You opportunists and Iscariots are the ones who enabled Hezbollah’s rise in Lebanon and blessed its occupation. Repent and pat the penances, or resign and spare us your betrayal.  As for the leaders of Lebanon’s corrupt political parties, it’s time for you to shut up and awaken from your ignorance and inhumanity.  In conclusion, Lebanon is a failed, occupied and rogue state ruled by traitors and Judas-like figures. The UN Security Council must intervene immediately, place Lebanon under international guardianship, enforce international resolutions related to Lebanon by force, and prosecute corrupt leaders like Nabih Berri, Najib Mikati, and the disgraceful Abdullah Bou Habib.
 In conclusion, There will be no resurrection for Lebanon as long as Hezbollah is in full control and  puppets official govern it.

Etienne Sakr – Abu Arz,: Between the Sacred Past and the Tainted Present
Summarized and translated freely from Arabic by: Elias Bejjani, LCCC editor and publisher/October 03/2024
Etienne Saqr – Abu Arz, a patriotic Lebanese leader living in exile due to his staunch opposition to the Iranian-Hezbollah occupation, released the following statement on behalf of the "Guardians of the Cedars - Lebanese Nationalist Movement":
"Between the Sacred Past and the Tainted Present"
He began by saying, "Anyone familiar with Lebanon's history will recount how our ancestors lived alongside their monks in those harsh mountains, leading lives of asceticism, simplicity, devotion, and prayer. This closeness to heaven filled the air with the scent of sanctity and produced saints who inspired generations."
He added, "Despite scarce resources, rugged terrain, and limited space, our forefathers carved into the mountains, crushed the rocks, and cultivated magnificence. They transformed the barren highlands into blooming fields and hanging gardens."
He further emphasized, "History also tells us that the many wars our ancestors fought were always in self-defense and for survival. Invasion was never a trait of the Lebanese. When danger loomed large, some patriarchs would raise morale by stepping to the front lines, leading the knights into battle with their wooden crosses made from oak trees."
He proudly noted, "Thus, our mountains remained pure through the ages—impenetrable and unyielding to invaders—raising the banner of freedom, heroism, and human dignity."
He continued, "As their fame spread across the world, visitors and orientalists from Western lands came to witness the splendor of the country and its beauty. They admired the bravery of its people, their traditions, rituals, and love of hospitality, despite the scarcity. Upon reaching the Qannoubine Valley, they bowed before the sanctity of the site and the reverence of the holy places. Upon returning to their homelands, they wrote extensively about the Land of the Cedars, saying of the patriarchs, 'Their hearts are made of gold, and their croziers (staffs) are made of wood.'"
However, he lamented, "Today, we have changed, and time has changed with us. We abandoned the values and principles that built the greatness of this nation, and thus we began to decline and fall into the abyss."
He declared, "We fell the day we replaced sanctity with corruption, piety with immorality, simplicity with extravagance, and asceticism with the looting of illicit wealth. We traded greatness for arrogance, truth for deceit, and solidarity for fragmentation and division."
He added, "We descended the day we replaced righteous shepherds with corrupt ones, both temporal and spiritual."
He continued, "We hit rock bottom the day our temporal shepherds became immersed in the blood games of eliminating others to gain power and wealth."
In conclusion, he said, "And we reached the depths of misery the day our spiritual shepherds deviated from the path of Qannoubine, so that now their croziers (staffs) are made of gold and their hearts are made of wood."
#Labbayka_Lebanon

Israel extends evacuation warnings in Lebanon, signaling a wider offensive
Fadi Tawil And Jack Jeffery/BEIRUT (AP)/October 04/2024
The Israeli military on Thursday warned people to evacuate a city and other communities in southern Lebanon that are north of a U.N.-declared buffer zone, signaling that it may widen a ground operation launched earlier this week against the Hezbollah militant group.
Israel has told people to leave Nabatieh, a provincial capital, and other communities north of the Litani River, which formed the northern edge of the border zone established by the U.N. Security Council after the 2006 war in a resolution that both sides accuse the other of violating.
At least eight Israeli soldiers have been killed in clashes with Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, where Israel announced the start of what it says is a limited ground incursion earlier this week. The region was meanwhile bracing for Israeli retaliation following an Iranian ballistic missile attack.
Strikes kill and wound first responders
The Lebanese Red Cross said an Israeli strike wounded four of its paramedics and killed a Lebanese army soldier as they were evacuating wounded people from the south. It said the convoy near the village of Taybeh, which was accompanied by Lebanese troops, was targeted Thursday despite coordinating its movements with U.N. peacekeepers. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military. An Israeli airstrike on an apartment in central Beirut late Wednesday killed nine people, including seven Hezbollah-affiliated civilian first responders. Israel has been pounding areas of the country where the militant group has a strong presence since late September, but has rarely struck in the heart of the capital. There was no warning before the strike late Wednesday, which hit an apartment not far from the United Nations headquarters, the prime minister’s office and parliament. Hezbollah’s civil defense unit said seven of its members were killed. Lebanon's Health Ministry said a total of nine people were killed.
Residents reported a sulfur-like smell following strike in Beirut, and Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency accused Israel of using phosphorous bombs, without providing evidence. Human rights groups have in the past accused Israel of using white phosphorus incendiary shells on towns and villages in southern Lebanon. The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Hezbollah has an armed wing with tens of thousands of fighters but it also has a political movement and a network of charities staffed by civilians.
Israel says it killed senior Hamas leader in Gaza
The escalating violence in Lebanon has opened a second front in the war between Israel and Iran-backed militants that began nearly a year ago with Hamas’ surprise Oct. 7 attack from the Gaza Strip into Israel. The Israeli military said Thursday that it killed a senior Hamas leader in an airstrike in the Gaza Strip around three months ago. It said that a strike on an underground compound in northern Gaza killed Rawhi Mushtaha and two other Hamas commanders.
There was no immediate comment from Hamas. Mushtaha was a close associate of Yahya Sinwar, the top leader of Hamas who helped mastermind the Oct. 7 attack. Sinwar is believed to be alive and in hiding inside Gaza.
Fighting escalates in southern Lebanon
In recent weeks, Israelis strikes in Lebanon have killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and several of his top commanders. Hundreds more airstrikes across large parts of Lebanon since mid-September have killed at least 1,276 people, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry.
The Israeli military said Thursday that it had struck around 200 Hezbollah targets across Lebanon, including weapons storage facilities and observation posts. It said the strikes killed at least 15 Hezbollah fighters. There was no independent confirmation. Hundreds of thousands of people have fled their homes, as Israel has warned people to evacuate from around 50 villages and towns in the south, telling them to relocate to areas that are around 60 kilometers (36 miles) from the border and considerably farther north than the Litani River. Under U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the monthlong 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah, the militants were to withdraw north of the Litani, and Lebanon's armed forces were to patrol the border region along with U.N. peacekeepers. Israel says Hezbollah remained in the zone and built an extensive military infrastructure in towns and villages along the border, while Lebanon has accused Israel of violating other parts of the resolution. Israel says it is targeting Hezbollah after nearly a year of rocket attacks that began Oct. 8 and displaced some 60,000 Israelis from communities in the north. Israel has carried out retaliatory strikes over the past year that have displaced tens of thousands on the Lebanese side. The vast majority of recent strikes have been in areas where Hezbollah has a strong presence, including the southern suburbs of Beirut known as the Dahiyeh. But Israel has also carried out strikes in Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon, and a strike in central Beirut earlier this week killed three members of a leftist Palestinian militant group.
Fears of a wider war mount after Iranian missile attack
Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen said they had launched two drones at Tel Aviv overnight. The military said it identified two drones off the coast of the bustling metropolitan area, shooting one of them down while the other fell in the Mediterranean Sea. Hezbollah, Hamas and the Houthis are part of the Iran-led Axis of Resistance, which also includes armed groups in Syria and Iraq. They have launched attacks on Israel in solidarity with the Palestinians, drawing retaliation in a cycle that has repeatedly threatened to set off a wider war. The region once again appears on the brink of such a conflict after Iran’s missile attack on Tuesday, which it said was a response to the killing of Nasrallah, an Iranian Revolutionary Guard general who was with him, and Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of Hamas, who was killed in an explosion in Tehran in July that was widely blamed on Israel. Both Israel and the United States have said there will be severe consequences for the missile attack, which lightly wounded two people and killed a Palestinian in the occupied West Bank. The United States has rushed military assets to the region in support of Israel.

Lebanese soldier killed, 4 paramedics wounded, in Israeli strike on south
Agence France Presse/October 3, 2024
The Lebanese army said an Israeli strike killed one of its soldiers during a rescue operation with the Red Cross in southern Lebanon on Thursday. "A soldier was killed and another was wounded as a result of an aggression by the Israeli enemy during an evacuation and rescue operation with the Lebanese Red Cross in Taybeh village," the army said. The Lebanese Red Cross said four of its volunteers were wounded. It said the convoy near the village of Taybeh, which was accompanied by Lebanese troops, was targeted despite coordinating its movements with U.N. peacekeepers.

Hezbollah fires rockets on Tiberias, new Israeli strikes hit south Beirut
Agence France Presse/October 3, 2024
Hezbollah said it fired a barrage of rockets at the Israeli city of Tiberias on Thursday, while more than three Israeli air strikes hit south Beirut, following a night of intense bombardment.
Hezbollah said it "fired a salvo of rockets at the city of Tiberias," it said, in response to the Israeli bombardment of Lebanese "towns, villages and civilians". The strikes on Dahieh targeted Mouawad, al-Kafaat and al-Hadath.

Israel says strike kills 15 Hezbollah fighters in Bint Jbeil
Agence France Presse/October 3, 2024
The Israeli military said Thursday it conducted an air strike that killed 15 Hezbollah fighters in Lebanon. The air force "precisely struck the Bint Jbeil municipality building in which Hezbollah terrorists were operating, alongside large quantities of Hezbollah weapons stored in the building. As part of the strike, approximately 15 Hezbollah terrorists were eliminated," said the statement.

Nasrallah's son-in-law killed in Israeli raid in Damascus
Agence France Presse/October 3, 2024
The son-in-law of Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah - who was killed last week in a massive Israeli strike in south Beirut - was killed in an Israeli raid in Damascus Wednesday, an NGO said. "Hassan Jaafar Qassir, the son-in-law of Hassan Nasrallah, was among two Lebanese victims of the Israeli raid which targeted an apartment in a residential building in the Mazze district of Damascus," said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a claim a source close to Hezbollah confirmed to AFP. He is the brother of Ahmad Qassir who carried out a suicide attack in the southern port city of Tyre in 1982 that killed dozens of Israeli soldiers and of Mohammad Qassir who was killed in a strike on Jnah Tuesday. Mohammad Qassir was in charge of Hezbollah’s Unit 4400 that ships weapons from Iran to Lebanon and he supervised Hezbollah’s development of precision-guided missiles, the Israeli military said, adding that he also sent hundreds of millions of dollars to Hezbollah in recent years.

Very violent Israeli airstrikes rock Dahieh, reportedly targeting Safieddine
Agence France Presse//October 3, 2024
A source close to Hezbollah said Israel had conducted 11 consecutive strikes on the group's south Beirut stronghold late Thursday, in one of the most violent raids since Israel intensified its bombardment campaign last week. Three Israeli officials told U.S. news portal Axios that Hezbollah senior official Sayyed Hashem Safieddine was the target of the strike. AFP correspondents in the capital and beyond heard loud bangs that made car alarms go off and buildings shake."Israel struck the southern suburbs 11 consecutive times," the source said on the condition of anonymity. AFP footage showed giant balls of flame rising from the targeted site with thick smoke billowing and flares shooting out. Lebanon's official National News Agency (NNA) said "more than 10 consecutive strikes have been recorded so far, in one of the strongest raids on the southern suburbs of Beirut since the start of the Israeli war on Lebanon."
The strikes echoed to mountain regions outside Beirut, the NNA said. Earlier Thursday, Israeli army Arabic-language spokesperson Avichay Adraee had issued an "urgent warning" for residents of the south Beirut area of Bourj al-Barajneh to evacuate along with maps of the area.
"You are located near facilities and interests belonging to Hezbollah, and the IDF (Israeli army) will work against them in the near future," he had said in a statement on X. AFP correspondents saw smoke rising from the southern suburbs. Earlier in the evening, a source close to Hezbollah said another Israeli strike had targeted a warehouse next to Beirut airport, in the capital's south. "An Israeli air strike targeted a warehouse adjacent to the airport," the source told AFP, requesting anonymity to discuss sensitive matters. It was unclear what the warehouse contained. Earlier in the afternoon, the NNA had reported several "enemy raids". A source close to the group had told AFP that the earlier strikes had "targeted a building housing Hezbollah's media relations office", which had already been evacuated. This week, Israel announced that its troops had started "ground raids" into parts of southern Lebanon, after days of heavy bombardment of Hezbollah strongholds around the country. After nearly a year of low-intensity cross-border fighting, Israel has shifted the focus of its operation from Gaza to Lebanon, where heavy bombing has killed more than 1,000 people and forced hundreds of thousands to flee. Last week, Israel killed Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah in south Beirut, a densely populated area before residents fled Israel's intensifying bombardment.

Hezbollah says thwarts Israel bid to advance on southern border
Agence France Presse/October 3, 2024
Hezbollah said it fought off a bid by the Israeli army to advance at a border point in southern Lebanon on Thursday. Hezbollah "repelled with artillery fire an attempt by enemy Israeli forces to advance at Fatima's Gate", it said, a day after Israel said eight of its soldiers had been killed in south Lebanon. Hezbollah later said it denotated two explosives against an infantry Israeli unit as it tried to enter Lebanon from the southern border village of Maroun al-Ras. The group at dawn detonated the "explosive devices" as "an enemy Israeli infantry force carried out an infiltration attempt towards the town of Maroun al-Ras" in Lebanon near the border, Hezbollah said. A day after its military said it was conducting "targeted ground raids" in south Lebanon, Israel reported Wednesday the first death of a soldier in the Israel-Hezbollah war, a toll that later rose to eight dead. Hezbollah said Wednesday it forced Israeli soldiers to retreat, targeted an Israeli unit with explosives, and destroyed three Merkava tanks with rockets as they advanced on Maroun al-Ras village. The Israeli military said it staged two brief incursions into Lebanon, ordering residents to flee more than 20 areas. The military released footage that it said showed soldiers inside Lebanon, moving through villages and mountainous areas on foot, and announced it had deployed a second division to support the fighting.
Evacuation orders -
The Israeli military on Thursday told residents of 25 southern villages and towns including Nabatiyeh, a provincial capital, to evacuate, the latest in a series of calls to relocate issued by the army as it clashes with Hezbollah. "The IDF (Israeli army) does not intend to harm you, and for your own safety, you must evacuate your homes immediately and head north of the Awali River. Save your lives," said army spokesman Avichay Adraee on X. These villages and the town of Nabatieh are north of the Litani River, which formed the northern edge of the border zone established by the U.N. Security Council after the 2006 war.
Iran missile attack -
Hours after Israel announced the start of ground operations in Lebanon, Iran fired some 200 missiles including hypersonic weapons, sending frightened Israeli civilians into shelters.
Israel said it intercepted most of them. Two people were wounded by shrapnel and a school building was damaged. The Israeli military said several Iranian missiles struck inside air force bases without causing any casualties or damage. In Jericho in the occupied West Bank, a Palestinian was killed when "pieces of a rocket fell from the sky and hit him", the city's governor Hussein Hamayel said. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant warned that "those who attack the state of Israel, pay a heavy price." President Joe Biden said the U.S. was "fully supportive" of Israel, but ruled out supporting its ally with a strike on Iran's nuclear sites. Iran's armed forces chief of staff, Major General Mohammad Bagheri, threatened to fire "with bigger intensity" if Israel makes good on its pledge to retaliate. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian also warned of a "stronger" response, though he stressed Iran was "not looking for war". Iran's Revolutionary Guards said the missiles were fired in retaliation for Nasrallah's killing alongside its Quds Force commander Abbas Nilforoushan, as well as Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in a Tehran bombing in July.
Global alarm -
In Israel's commercial hub Tel Aviv, resident Liron Yori said he felt "very, very disappointed"."I see where the war's going and I don't feel comfortable with it," the 22-year-old told AFP. In central Beirut, people were weary and afraid, but some were defiant. Youssef Amir, displaced from southern Lebanon, said: "I have lost my home and relatives in this war, but all of that is a sacrifice for Lebanon". Iran's missile attack, its second on Israel in six months, triggered widespread global alarm, as well as a spike in world oil prices. U.N. chief Antonio Guterres condemned the Iranian attack on Israel, saying they "do nothing to support the cause of the Palestinian people". The G7 group of rich nations vowed to work together to reduce tensions in the region and said a diplomatic solution was "still possible". Hezbollah began low-intensity strikes on Israeli troops a day after Hamas staged its October 7 attack on Israel which triggered the Israeli war on Gaza. Israel's retaliatory military offensive has killed at least 41,689 people in Gaza, the majority of them civilians.

37 killed in Israeli strikes on Lebanon in past 24 hours, health ministry says
REUTERS/AP/October 04, 2024
BEIRUT: Thirty seven people were killed and 151 wounded in Israeli strikes on Lebanon in the past 24 hours, the Lebanese health ministry said in a statement early on Friday. Among the dead were nine residents of an apartment in the Lebanese capital, according to ministry. Israel has been pounding areas of the country where the Hezbollah militant group has a strong presence since late September, but has rarely struck in the heart of Beirut. There was no warning before the strike late Wednesday, which hit the building close to the United Nations headquarters, the prime minister’s office and parliament. Hezbollah’s civil defense unit said seven of its members were killed. Israel is also conducting a ground incursion into Lebanon against Hezbollah, while also conducting strikes in Gaza that killed dozens, including children. The Israeli military said nine soldiers have died in the conflict in southern Lebanon. Israel and Hezbollah have traded fire across the Lebanon border almost daily since the day after Hamas’ cross-border attack on Oct. 7, 2023, which killed 1,200 Israelis and took 250 others hostage. Israel declared war on the militant group in the Gaza Strip in response. More than 41,000 Palestinians have been killed in the territory, and just over half the dead have been women and children, according to local health officials. Nearly 2,000 people have been killed in Lebanon, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.

UN peacekeepers in Lebanon stay put, despite Israel asking them to move
REUTERS/October 04, 2024
UNITED NATIONS: United Nations peacekeepers in southern Lebanon remain in place — despite Israel asking them to move — and provide the only communications link between the countries’ militaries, the UN peacekeeping chief said on Thursday. “Peacekeepers continue to do their best to implement their Security Council mandate in obviously very difficult conditions,” UN peacekeeping chief Jean-Pierre Lacroix told reporters, adding that contingency plans were ready for both good and bad outcomes.
The mission, known as UNIFIL, is mandated by the Security Council to help the Lebanese army keep the area free of weapons and armed personnel other than those of the Lebanese state. That has sparked friction with Iran-backed Hezbollah, which effectively controls southern Lebanon.
The Israeli military asked UN peacekeepers earlier this week to prepare to relocate more than 5 km (3 miles) from the border between Israel and Lebanon — known as the Blue Line — “as soon as possible, in order to maintain your safety,” according to an excerpt from the message, seen by Reuters.“The peacekeepers are currently staying in their position, all of them,” Lacroix told reporters. “The parties have an obligation to respect the safety of and security of peacekeepers, and I want to insist on that.”Lacroix said UNIFIL was continuing to liaise with both countries, describing the mission as “the only channel of communication” between them. The mission was working to protect civilians and support the safe movement of civilians and delivery of humanitarian aid. The UN peacekeepers operate between the Litani River in the north and the Blue Line in the south. The mission has more than 10,000 troops from 50 countries and about 800 civilian staff, according to its website. Israel’s military told residents of more than 20 towns in south Lebanon to evacuate their homes immediately on Thursday as it pressed on with its cross-border incursion and struck Hezbollah targets in a suburb of Beirut.

Israel attacks Lebanese army
NAJIA HOUSSARI/Arab News/October 03, 2024
BEIRUT: Hezbollah said its fighters blocked an attempt by Israeli forces on Thursday to cross the border into Lebanon. It follows several incursion attempts by Israeli forces over the past two days.
Meanwhile a Lebanese army and Lebanese Red Cross convoy was hit by Israeli fire during an evacuation and rescue mission in the border town of Taybeh in the Marjeyoun district. One soldier was killed, and another was wounded along with four Red Cross workers. A security source told Arab News “the operation carried out by the army was coordinated in advance with (the UN Interim Force in Lebanon), which usually informs the Israeli side.”Lebanese army forces elsewhere were also fired upon. The army command said: “A soldier was martyred as Israel targeted a Lebanese army center in Bint Jbeil” and “personnel there responded to the sources of the fire.”
The confrontation between Hezbollah and the Israeli army followed clashes on Wednesday during which eight Israeli soldiers were killed as they crossed the border to target Hezbollah positions.
Hezbollah’s Al-Manar TV quoted a source from the group as saying its “fighters are targeting gatherings of enemy soldiers and advance lines with artillery shells and rockets along the front edge inside the occupied territories, achieving direct hits. These precision strikes have so far thwarted any progress by Israeli elite forces into Lebanese territory on multiple fronts in southern Lebanon using various types of weapons and explosives.”Hezbollah said its “fighters repelled an Israeli attempt to advance at the Fatima Gate in the morning, using artillery shells.” This apparently signaled a military recovery after Israeli strikes that culminated in the assassination of the group’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, a week ago. Meanwhile, the Israeli army intensified airstrikes on areas it believes to be Hezbollah strongholds and weapon-storage sites. Warplanes again targeted the neighborhoods of Jamous and Sfeir, and Moawad Street in Beirut’s southern suburbs, destroying a building used by Hezbollah’s media relations office. The army said it attacked “targets related to Hezbollah’s intelligence in Beirut.”The town of Maaysrah, in the Keserwan heights in Mount Lebanon, was once again hit by airstrikes, and for the first time the predominantly Shiite town of Kayfoun was also targeted, specifically the Aley district.
In a “precise strike” on Wednesday night, an Israeli drone hit a building used by Hezbollah’s Islamic Health Organization in the densely populated Bachoura area deep within Beirut, Israeli army spokesperson Avichay Adraee said. The area was said to be popular with Hezbollah supporters and contain many of the group’s social offices. The attack caused extensive damage to the residential building and surrounding area, including Sunni community graves nearby.
It emerged that the army used phosphorus bombs in the attack. The Ministry of Health said nine people were killed in the strike and 14 injured. It said DNA tests had to be used to identify victims. The Islamic Health Organization said seven of its paramedics were among the dead.
The Disaster Risk Management Unit in Tyre district reported that “municipalities have buried 20 victims of shelling, from border towns, in the city of Tyre as a temporary measure.”
Southern Lebanon, from which most people have fled to safer locations, remains exposed to Israeli shelling and airstrikes. Further north, the Baalbek-Hermel region has also been targeted as indirect Israeli threats extend to the Masnaa border crossing with Syria.
The Israeli army said on Thursday that “Hezbollah is using this border crossing to transport combat equipment into Lebanon.” Adraee, the army spokesperson, urged Lebanese officials to “conduct strict inspections of trucks crossing through civilian crossings and return any trucks and vehicles carrying combat equipment.”Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati asked army chief Gen. Joseph Aoun and the acting director general of general security, Maj. Gen. Elias Al-Baysari, to put tighter security measures in place on the border between Lebanon and Syria.
The Israeli army issued an urgent warning to the residents of dozens of towns in the Nabatieh and Al-Zahrani districts advising them to evacuate their homes quickly and move north of the Awali River. People were also displaced from Beirut’s southern suburbs toward the capital, and from western, central and northern Bekaa toward Tripoli and Akkar in northern Lebanon, causing overcrowding as growing numbers flock toward areas covering less than half of Lebanon’s total land area. The Lebanese Ministerial Emergency Committee said it “recorded about 134 airstrikes in the past two days, bringing the total number to 8,704. In the past 24 hours, 55 people were killed and 156 were wounded, bringing the total death toll to 1,928, with 9,290 injured, including hundreds of children and women, since Oct. 8, 2023.”
Minister of Health Firass Abiad said the death toll among medical and emergency crews caused by Israeli strikes has risen to 97. The Ministerial Emergency Committee said the number of people displaced from their homes “has risen to 1.2 million.” Between Sept. 23 and 30, the Lebanese General Security recorded 234,023 Syrians and 76,269 Lebanese crossing the border into Syria.
Meanwhile, Hezbollah continued to target military sites in northern Israel, including Ramim barracks, Misgav Am, Al-Raheb, and the settlements of Sasa, Al-Bassah and Kfar Giladi.
The Israeli army said it “observed the launching of around 40 rockets from Lebanon toward Western Galilee, intercepting some while others fell in the area.”
As political and diplomatic efforts to halt the war in Lebanon continued, the country’s representatives at the UN filed a formal complaint with Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the Security Council about incursions of Israeli forces into Lebanese territory.
They said: “Israel has violated the withdrawal line (the Blue Line) and disregarded the essence and purpose of Resolution 1701,” which was adopted by the Security Council in 2006 with the aim of ending the war that year between Israel and Hezbollah. They questioned “Israel’s repeated calls for the implementation of this resolution, which it has persistently violated since it was issued in 2006.” They reiterated Lebanon’s “full commitment to the implementation of all Security Council resolutions, especially Resolution 1701, and the extension of the state’s authority over all Lebanese territory within the internationally recognized borders.” Minister of Defense Maurice Sleem said: “The Lebanese state has agreed to a ceasefire and the international community must convince the enemy now.” Prime Minister Mikati, parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and Druze leader Walid Jumblatt met on Wednesday evening and affirmed “Lebanon’s commitment to the call issued by the UN General Assembly for an immediate ceasefire in Lebanon.”

Israeli strikes hit 2 Shiite towns in Keserwan, Aley
Naharnet/October 3, 2024
An Israeli strike on the town of al-Maaysra in Keserwan targeted the house of Sheikh Mahmoud Amr, the National News Agency said. Four people were injured in the strike according to NNA.
The town had been targeted by a deadly airstrike last month. Another Israeli airstrike meanwhile targeted the Aley town of Kayfoun for the first time since the beginning of the war.

Seven rescuers killed in Israeli strike on health center in central Beirut
Agence France Presse/October 3, 2024
Nine people were killed in an Israeli air raid on a Hezbollah rescue facility in the heart of Beirut late Wednesday, according to the Lebanese health ministry.
The airstrike in the residential Bashoura district targeted an apartment in a multi-story building that houses an office of the Islamic Health Organization, a group of civilian first responders affiliated to Hezbollah. It was the closest strike to the central downtown district of Beirut, where the United Nations and government offices are located. Seven paramedics were killed and several others were injured in the raid, the Islamic Health Organization said. The Health Ministry said a total of nine people were killed. AFP journalists in Beirut heard a loud explosion and reported some building had shaken. The strike destroyed a floor in the building. It was the second airstrike to hit central Beirut this week and the second to directly target the Islamic Health Organization in 24 hours. No Israeli warning was issued to the area before it was hit. Hezbollah has an armed wing with tens of thousands of fighters but it also has a political movement and a network of charities staffed by civilians. Israel has mostly concentrated its airstrikes in south and eastern Lebanon, as well as the southern suburbs of Beirut where Hezbollah has a strong presence, but its attacks have spanned the entire country and killed many civilians.
Banned phosphorous bombs -
Residents reported a sulfur-like smell following the attack, and Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency accused Israel of using internationally banned phosphorous bombs. Human rights groups have in the past accused Israel of using white phosphorus incendiary shells on towns and villages in conflict-hit southern Lebanon. The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the strike in central Beirut or the allegations it used phosphorous bombs.
Toll rises to 1,928 -
Beirut’s southern suburbs also saw heavy bombardment overnight. Israel launched three air raids on Beirut's southern suburbs just before midnight Wednesday. The explosions were audible kilometers away. Residents in multiple parts of densely-populated southern Beirut were told by the Israeli military to leave the area in the early hours of Thursday, in an order published on social media. The Lebanese health ministry said late Wednesday that 46 people were killed and 85 others injured by "enemy Israeli strikes" across the country over the past 24 hours.
Lebanon's disaster management agency said earlier that 1,928 people have been killed since Israel and Hezbollah began trading cross-border fire after the Gaza war erupted on October 7, 2023.

Israeli strike in Beirut kills 9 as troops battle Hezbollah in southern Lebanon
AGENCIES/October 03, 2024
BEIRUT/JERUSALEM: An Israeli airstrike on an apartment building in the Lebanese capital has killed nine people, according to Lebanon’s health ministry. Israel has been pounding areas of the country where the Hezbollah militant group has a strong presence since late September, but has rarely struck in the heart of Beirut. There was no warning before the strike late Wednesday, which hit the building close to the United Nations headquarters, the prime minister’s office and parliament. Hezbollah’s civil defense unit said seven of its members were killed.
HASHEM SAFIEDDINE
An Israeli strike on Beirut targeted senior Hezbollah official Hashem Safieddine, Axios reporter Barak Ravid said in a post on social media platform X early on Friday, citing an Israeli source. Safieddine is the man widely regarded as the heir of slain Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. Reuters could not confirm the information in the social media post and there was no immediate official statement from any side.
ISREAL IN GAZA, LEBANON
Israel is also conducting a ground incursion into Lebanon against Hezbollah, while also conducting strikes in Gaza that killed dozens, including children. The Israeli military said nine soldiers have died in the conflict in southern Lebanon. Israel and Hezbollah have traded fire across the Lebanon border almost daily since the day after Hamas’ cross-border attack on Oct. 7, 2023, which killed 1,200 Israelis and took 250 others hostage. Israel declared war on the militant group in the Gaza Strip in response. More than 41,000 Palestinians have been killed in the territory, and just over half the dead have been women and children, according to local health officials. Nearly 2,000 people have been killed in Lebanon, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.
IRAN’S WARNINGS
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, speaking in Doha, said Tehran would be ready to respond and warned against “silence” in the face of Israel’s “warmongering.”“Any type of military attack, terrorist act or crossing our red lines will be met with a decisive response by our armed forces,” he said. Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani called for serious ceasefire efforts to stop what he called Israel’s aggression.The Lebanese border front opened after Hezbollah fired missiles at Israel on Oct. 8 in support of Hamas in its war with Israel in Gaza. Iran’s other regional allies — Yemen’s Houthis and armed groups in Iraq — have also launched attacks in the region in support of Hamas. More than 300 of the more than 1 million Lebanese displaced have taken shelter in a Beirut nightclub, once known for hosting glitzy parties and where staff are now using their guest-list clipboards to register residents. “We’re trying to keep strong,” said Gaelle Irani, who was formerly in charge of guest relations. “It’s just overwhelming. So overwhelming and sad. But just as this was a place for people to come enjoy themselves, it’s now a place to shelter people and we are doing everything we can to help and be there for them.”

Why Iran relies on ballistic missiles to threaten its adversaries
Paul Iddon/Business Insider/October 3, 2024
Iran's missile strike against Israel was its largest yet, forcing Israelis to take shelter for almost an hour as missile impacts boomed near military bases and Tel Aviv. Iran's choice of weapon, the ground-fired ballistic missile, reflects the distance between the adversaries and the decline of its air force in the decades since the revolution. Iran fired an estimated 181 ballistic missiles at Israel on Tuesday. While most were intercepted by Israel's air defenses, with help from the US Navy, some impacted, causing minor damage. Iran used more ballistic missiles than the 120 it launched during its April barrage, its first direct attack on Israel. "Iran uses ballistic missiles as a replacement for aircraft and it has become increasingly sophisticated in using guiding systems to strike distant targets," Nicholas Heras, senior director of strategy and innovation at the New Lines Institute, told Business Insider. Iran and Israel are separated by roughly 800 miles and two countries, Jordan and Iraq. Ballistic missiles can traverse this distance in minutes and in a large attack, like Tuesday's, stretch Israel's cutting-edge air defenses. Iran has also shown a preference for firing ballistic missiles against less-defended targets closer to home.
"Iran's large-scale combat use of conventional ballistic missiles in, shall we say, quasi-peace time is unprecedented," Sebastien Roblin, a widely published military-aviation journalist, told BI.
Since 2017, Iran has also used its ballistic missiles against ISIS in Syria, following terrorist attacks in Iran and, on one occasion, alleged militant targets in Pakistan. In January 2020, it targeted an Iraqi airbase hosting US troops following the assassination of a top Iranian commander, leaving over 100 American troops with traumatic brain injuries. In January 2024, Tehran even used ballistic missiles to destroy a businessman's residence in neighboring Iraqi Kurdistan.
"Perhaps Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps would argue they are using missiles and drones in the way the US has used air strikes and Tomahawk cruise missiles against regional adversaries," Roblin said. "The US, of course, has a much greater ability to deliver accurate strikes than Iran does with its longer-range missiles."An Iranian man walks past a billboard with an illustration depicting its Tuesday missile attack on Israel. An Iranian man walks past a billboard with an illustration depicting its Tuesday missile attack on Israel. In Hebrew it reads, "Israel must be wiped from the face of the earth and this is the beginning of the story."AFP.Iran once had the most advanced fighter jets in the Middle East besides Israel, including the US-built F-14 Tomcat. After the Islamic revolution in 1979, Iran invested more heavily in ballistic missiles and drones and neglected the air force, which became outdated over the intervening decades; it still flies aircraft like the F-4 Phantom II and the F-14 that the US retired decades ago. Its recent order of Su-35 Flanker fighters from Russia, which remain undelivered, marks its first fighter aircraft acquisition in over 30 years and could bolster the country's beleaguered air defenses. Using ballistic missiles instead of fighter jets carries significantly less risk.
"An airplane crashed or shot down is a humiliating news story, particularly in peacetime — a shot down or missed missile isn't," Roblin said. "Iran's approach broadly has been to expose its jet fighters and bombers to as little risk as possible." Iran used more than one ballistic missile type on Tuesday. IRGC media claims that Iran launched its less accurate liquid-fueled Emads to engage Israel's interceptor missiles, possibly in an attempt to overwhelm those defenses so its more powerful missiles — like the Kheybar Shekan and Fattah solid-fueled missiles — could reach their targets. "Assuming that Iran utilized the Fattah series of ballistic missiles in the attack, it would be a strong and clear signal from Iran that it was willing and capable to use its more advanced capabilities to strike at Israel," New Lines Institute's Heras said. The Israeli military confirmed Wednesday that the missiles that damaged several air bases and 100 homes and that Iran used the most advanced missiles in its arsenal. Iran claims the Fattah-1 reportedly used in the attack is hypersonic. Israeli Air Force and intelligence officials have said there are no indications of hypersonic missiles in the strike, a class of the most advanced missiles that maneuver to evade air defenses after re-entering the atmosphere. The two strikes on Israel this year and the one against US troops in Iraq in 2020 were undoubtedly the most high-stakes attacks involving Iranian missiles. The latest one appears to have killed a Palestinian man in the West Bank, but no other fatalities have been reported in what Roblin said was a combination of luck, early warnings and effective air defenses. "This seemingly has encouraged Tehran to further wield missile attacks as a big stick, perhaps misestimating (or not caring) how close they came to triggering more destructive retribution."For the US, the missiles will undoubtedly represent a threat to their forces in the region. The troops attacked in Iraq in 2020 had no Patriot missile defenses on their base to protect them; a lesson likely heeded in subsequent years. The US was revealed to have a Patriot system deployed in Iraqi Kurdistan when it shot down at least one of the Iranian missiles heading toward Israel during the April attack. "Iran is becoming adept at 'tack driving' or accurately firing ballistic missiles against a variety of targets and this represents a clear threat to US forces housed in the Middle East," Heras said. "The reality is that Iran's ballistic missile capabilities are forcing the US military to devote a significant amount of surveillance assets to identify when Iran is in a posture to attack with ballistic missiles, and to shoot the missiles down."

EU ramps up Lebanon aid by 30 million euros
Agence France Presse/October 3, 2024
The European Union on Thursday said it was giving an extra 30 million euros ($33 million) of humanitarian aid to Lebanon as fighting raged between Israel and Hezbollah. "Today, we are stepping up our humanitarian aid to the people of Lebanon," said European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen. "Our new funding will ensure civilians receive much needed assistance during this very difficult time. "I am extremely concerned by the constant escalation of tensions in the Middle East. All parties must do their utmost to protect the lives of innocent civilians." The latest EU aid package comes on top of 10 million euros announced over the weekend, taking the bloc's humanitarian assistance for Lebanon to over 100 million euros this year. Israel has been carrying out a bombing campaign on Lebanon and has sent its troops across the border. The Israeli bombardments in Lebanon have claimed more than 1,900 lives and seen Hezbollah's long-time chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah killed in an air strike. The authorities in Lebanon say that the Israeli strikes have forced around a million people to flee their homes.

Another flight from Lebanon lands in UK amid spiralling Middle East conflict
David Hughes and William Warnes/PA Media: UK News/October 3, 2024
Another flight carrying Britons from Lebanon has arrived in the UK amid the spiralling Middle East conflict as G7 leaders urged regional players to act with “restraint”. The plane touched down in Birmingham on Thursday, a day after more than 150 British nationals and dependants left Beirut on the first Government-chartered flight as concerns mount over how long the capital’s airport can remain open. The Foreign Office said a “limited number” of additional flights had been chartered, including the one which set off on Thursday heading for Britain.
The Prime Minister’s advice to British nationals who are still in Lebanon: you must leave now. Lebanon’s Middle East Airlines is also continuing to operate its scheduled services from Beirut and Britons have been advised to get the first flight available out of the country.
It comes as G7 leaders renewed calls for a cessation of hostilities in the region, warning of a “dangerous cycle of attacks and retaliation” leading to “uncontrollable” escalation and bolstered their condemnation of Iran.
“We, the leaders of the G7, express deep concern over the deteriorating situation in the Middle East and condemn in the strongest terms Iran’s direct military attack against Israel, which constitutes a serious threat to regional stability,” a joint statement released on Thursday said.
“We unequivocally reiterate our commitment to the security of Israel. Iran’s seriously destabilising actions throughout the Middle East through terrorist proxies and armed groups — including the Houthis, Hezbollah, and Hamas — as well as Iran-aligned militia groups in Iraq, must stop.”
But it urged all regional players to act with “responsibility and restraint”, adding: “We encourage all parties to engage constructively to de-escalate the current tensions. International humanitarian law must be respected.”The leaders have discussed co-ordinated efforts to avoid escalation in the area and said they would “continue to be in close contact with all actors”.The UK is chartering more flights to help British nationals leave Lebanon. If you have registered your presence in Lebanon, you will be sent details on how to request a seat.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy said: “Recent events have demonstrated the volatility of the situation in Lebanon. “The safety of British nationals in Lebanon continues to be our number one priority. That’s why we are announcing additional chartered flights to help those who want to leave. “I urge all British nationals still in Lebanon to register with the FCDO (Foreign Office) and leave the country immediately.”At least nine people were killed in an Israeli airstrike on an apartment building in Beirut overnight into Thursday, including seven Hezbollah-affiliated civilian emergency workers. The World Health Organisation reported that 28 health workers were killed in the past day in Lebanon, with Lebanese health minister Firas Abiad warning that strikes on such workers violate international law. The ground offensive in southern Lebanon also continued, with fighting which left eight Israeli soldiers dead. Israel warned people to leave areas deeper into Lebanon, north of a UN-declared buffer zone, in a sign it will widen its incursion. There are concerns in Whitehall that further military activity by Israel could result in the closure of the airport, cutting off the most straightforward exit route for British nationals in Lebanon.
If that happens the only option could be a military-led evacuation co-ordinated from the British bases in Cyprus. Around 700 troops and Foreign Office and Home Office staff, including Border Force officers, have been deployed to Cyprus in case an emergency evacuation is needed.
The UK and allies continued to urge Israel and its adversaries to pull back from the brink of all-out war in the Middle East. Israel is still considering how to retaliate to Iran’s ballistic missile barrage earlier this week.

Japan, Australia plan evacuations from Lebanon
Associated Press/October 03, 2024
Japan on Thursday dispatched two Self Defense Force planes to prepare for a possible airlift of Japanese citizens from Lebanon. Two C-2 transport aircraft are expected to arrive in Jordan and Greece on Friday, Japan NHK national television reported. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi told reporters that there has been no report of injury involving the about 50 Japanese nationals in Lebanon. Japan dispatched SDF aircraft in October and November 2023 to evacuate more than 100 Japanese and South Korean citizens from Israel. Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong also said on Thursday her government had booked 500 seats on commercial aircraft for Australian citizens, permanent residents and their families to leave Lebanon on Saturday. The seats are available to 1,700 Australians and their families known to be in Lebanon on two flights from Beirut to Cyprus, Wong said. “What I would say to Australians who wish to leave, please take whatever option is available to you,” Wong told reporters in Geelong, Australia. “Please do not wait for your preferred route,” she added.Britain will also charter more flights to help citizens and dependents leave Lebanon.
Hundreds arrive in Turkey
Hundreds of people leaving Lebanon arrived in southern Turkey Thursday. A ship carrying over 300 passengers who boarded the vessel in the Lebanese city of Tripoli docked at a port in Mersin on the country’s Mediterranean coast, according to Turkish news agency IHA. IHA said the Med Lines ship transporting foreign nationals was the third to arrive at the Mersin port in recent days. The passengers then travel onward to their home countries, IHA reported.

Yemen’s government asks Yemenis to leave Lebanon as war intensifies
SAEED AL-BATATI/Arab NewsOctober 03, 2024
AL-MUKALLA: Yemen’s government has asked its citizens in Lebanon to leave as the war between Israel and the Lebanese Hezbollah escalates.
The Yemeni embassy in Lebanon’s capital, Beirut, has requested that Yemenis in Lebanon travel by land to the Lebanon-Syria border due to the lack of charter flights for air evacuation.
Yemenis who wish to leave Lebanon should first request a transit visit from the Syrian government, it said. The Yemeni embassy will arrange buses and other transport to take them by land from Lebanon to Syria and then to Jordan, where they will be transferred to Yemeni Sanaa or Aden airports on Yemenia Airways flights, according to the Yemeni embassy. This comes as Yemenis in Lebanon have urged their government to evacuate them immediately as Israel has increased its airstrikes on the Lebanese capital and other areas of the country, targeting Hezbollah locations. However, Yemenis reject the embassy’s proposal to evacuate them by land to Syria, saying that the Syria border crossing with Lebanon is congested with thousands of people fleeing the war and also prone to Israeli airstrikes. Mushtaq Anaam, a Yemeni national living in Beirut’s Cola, told Arab News that a recent Israeli airstrike struck 70 meters from where he lives and that he refused to travel from Lebanon to Syria by land after hearing an Israeli military spokesperson threaten to strike the Lebanon-Syria border, claiming it to be an entry point for weapons to Hezbollah. “I’d rather stay here than travel through Syria, which is a dangerous route that has been bombed repeatedly,” said Anaam, who is a postgraduate student in Lebanon. Anaam suggested that the Yemeni government work with the Lebanese authorities to allow Yemenia Airways planes to transport them or that they be evacuated by sea. “The situation here is dire, and the war is becoming more intense by the day,” he said. However, the Yemeni embassy in Beirut said that it was unable to secure a flight to evacuate Yemenis by air and that the only viable option was to travel by land through Syria. The Yemeni embassy in Beirut and Yemeni foreign ministry officials were unavailable on Thursday to respond to Arab News’ requests for comment. Meanwhile, Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea claimed on Thursday that their military forces launched a barrage of drones at “vital targets” in the Israeli capital in support of the Palestinian and Lebanese people, vowing to carry out more attacks on Israel until it ended its war in Palestine and Lebanon. The Israeli military said that it shot down a drone over the Mediterranean Gush Dan on Thursday morning, while another landed in an open area, but did not elaborate on the origins of the two drones. Israeli warplanes launched a series of airstrikes on Yemen’s western city of Hodeidah on Sunday, targeting ports, power plants and fuel tanks in response to a Houthi missile attack on Israel’s capital. Since November, the Houthis have attacked more than 100 commercial and naval ships in the Red Sea and other seas off Yemen, using drones, ballistic missiles and drone boats in a campaign that the Yemeni militia claims is in support of the Palestinian people.

Civilians bear brunt in ‘catastrophic’ Lebanon conflict, UN official says
REUTERS/October 03, 2024
BEIRUT: Civilians are bearing the brunt of a “truly catastrophic” situation in Lebanon, a senior UN official said, urging respect for the rules of war nearly two weeks since Israel launched a major offensive against the armed group Hezbollah. With around 1 million people in Lebanon impacted, Imran Riza, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator, said the pace of displacement since Sept. 23 had exceeded worst case scenarios, and too much damage was being done to civilian infrastructure. “What we saw from Sept. 23 on is truly catastrophic,” Riza said in an interview with Reuters on Thursday. He was referring to the day when Israel dramatically ramped up airstrikes in Lebanon, killing more than 500 people in a single day, according to Lebanese government figures. “The level of trauma, the level of fear among the population, has been extreme,” he said. Israel says its campaign against the heavily armed, Iran-backed Hezbollah aims to secure the return home of Israelis evacuated from areas near the Lebanese border as a result of nearly a year of Hezbollah fire into northern Israel. The Lebanese government says around 1.2 million people have been displaced by Israeli attacks on southern Lebanon, the Bekaa Valley, the southern suburbs of Beirut and other parts of the country. Some have been killed in Israeli strikes after having been displaced. “You’ve got people being displaced from one place to another, thinking they were going to a safe place, and then that being struck,” Riza said. Riza said 97 medical and emergency workers had been killed — the majority of them in the last 10 days. There has been too much damage to civilian infrastructure, and civilians have been “bearing the great brunt of what’s been going on,” he said. He noted that international humanitarian law requires that humanitarians be allowed to access people in need, and that civilian infrastructure and water systems be protected. “This is what we call for when we’re saying respect the rules of war in this,” he said. “Unfortunately, we are seeing a situation where we have to go back to everybody and advocate for these basics in terms of protecting civilians.”The conflict began a nearly a year ago when Hezbollah opened fire in solidarity with its Palestinian ally Hamas, at the start of the Gaza war. It marks the worst conflict since Hezbollah fought a 34-day war with Israel in 2006. Riza and Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati on Tuesday launched a $426 million appeal to mobilize resources for civilians affected by the conflict. Lebanon was already suffering myriad crises before this conflict began. As a result, Riza said Lebanon was less well placed to deal with conflict now than in 2006: “People don’t have buffers the way they had in 2006, on the other hand the institutions that are there to help them are much weaker.”

Lebanese must unite and take their country back
Khaled Abou Zahr/Arab News/October 03, 2024
Why is there a war in Lebanon today? Why is the country being destroyed yet again? Until when will it be dragged into destruction at every single turn of history? There is, for this round of destruction, just like the earlier ones, a single responsible party. It is Hezbollah. This terrorist organization and its unilateral decision to engage Israel. Before this intense increase in Israeli attacks, I had been quite vocal about the need to insulate Lebanon from what was happening in Gaza. I received a lot of criticism and disagreement from Lebanese so-called thought leaders when I stated that this was not Lebanon’s war. Today, the people are suffering and dying and these thought leaders are asking the world to help. Humanitarian help is a great act and all Lebanese should be grateful to the countries dispensing it. But it is time to stop international political and financial help until the Lebanese figure out their future. No longer should the Lebanese state act as a go-between with an armed militia. No longer should an international solution impose a broken future for the country. This should be the end of the suffering. And for this to happen, things need to be clear about what Lebanon is as a country.
Lebanon needs to regain control of every aspect of its decision-making and it needs to regain its sovereignty. I can no longer stand to see yet more destruction and suffering without anyone taking responsibility. This must stop now.
We cannot continue saying that we are hostages of Hezbollah and allow the militia to push the country into chaos and death. Following the killing of Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah’s official declaration was focused on freeing Jerusalem. Nothing about Lebanon. This confirms its will to continue dragging Lebanon into the cycle of war.
This is why it is time to decide. Is Lebanon Hezbollah? Every previous mediation has given an international pass and recognition to Hezbollah. It has allowed it to format the institutions to its liking. Even in mediation, it picks and chooses what to apply and what to disregard. The conditions of any agreement only bind the other political groups, never Hezbollah. It is quite clear, Hezbollah does not recognize the international order and does not recognize the Lebanese state.
This situation has contributed to all the ills we see in the country. More importantly, it has never solved anything. It just stops the bleeding for a few moments. Before this war, there was another war and another one before that. There was another financial and economic crisis and another one before that. There was an occupation and another one before that.
It is time to stop international political and financial help until the Lebanese figure out their future
The absence of a state has been set up or carved out to suit the needs of Hezbollah, not the Lebanese. Yet, through crises and wars, it has been institutionalized through international mediation. This is the time for change. This is why any international political mediation should be rejected until Lebanon decides its fate. Why was Hezbollah allowed to get away with not applying all the conditions of UN Security Council Resolution 1701? Why has it not given up its military arsenal?
We cannot allow this to continue. This time, pressure needs to be applied to Hezbollah during the negotiations. The nonexistent Lebanese state cannot act as a counterfire that will preserve Hezbollah’s status and military infrastructure. All infrastructure, from communications and airwaves to tunnels, should be controlled by the state, not a militia. Every decision on war or peace should be the decision of a state, not a militia. Hezbollah needs to deliver the weapons it holds. It should not be integrated into the army.
For all these reasons and for the future of Lebanon, no international mediation should interfere in the domestic political formulation. If Hezbollah does not yield to the will of the people, then its only choice will be to take over the country. And then we will all know, along with the international community, that Lebanon is Hezbollah. It can raise its yellow flag across the nation and bear the consequences.
To avoid this outcome, the people need to put maximum pressure on the existing institutions to end the status of Hezbollah. It is time for the Lebanese Armed Forces, which has been the recipient of international support, to show where it stands. If the Lebanese can save their country, the militia delivers its weapons to the army and we start working on a new political system, then and only then should international support be welcomed. Until that time, international mediation will be of no use as it will not change anything.
Despite what French diplomats have put forward in past initiatives, stating that Hezbollah is a dominant political force is wrong. It is not a dominant Lebanese political force, it is a militia and nothing else. Today, pushing ahead with mediation that allows for this misconception to be continued will be the cause of the next war or catastrophic crisis. It is best for French diplomacy to stay away rather than empower Hezbollah against what little is left of Lebanon’s sovereign institutions. It is not an easy task, but this is the time for the Lebanese to unite for their country and force the army to end Hezbollah’s status. The people need to apply enough pressure so that they can impose domestically what is needed for a ceasefire and the start of the true rebuilding of the country. It begins with a single army.
• Khaled Abou Zahr is the founder of SpaceQuest Ventures, CEO of EurabiaMedia, and editor of Al-Watan Al-Arabi.

WHO Says 28 Health Workers Killed in Lebanon by Israeli Strikes over 24 hours
Asharq Al Awsat/October 03/ 2024
The World Health Organization chief said on Thursday that 28 healthcare workers had been killed over the past 24 hours in Lebanon, where Israel has launched airstrikes. "Many (other) health workers are not reporting to duty and fled the areas where they work due to bombardments," Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told an online press briefing. "This is severely limiting the provision of mass trauma management and continuity of health services," he said, Reuters reported.The global health agency will not be able to deliver a large planned shipment of trauma and medical supplies to the country on Friday due to flight restrictions, he added.

Lebanese FM: Nasrallah Agreed to Temporary Ceasefire Days Before Assassination
Asharq Al Awsat/October 03/ 2024
Caretaker Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib has said that Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah had agreed to a 21-day ceasefire just days before he was assassinated by Israel. The temporary ceasefire was called for by US President Joe Biden, his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron and other allies during last week’s UN General Assembly. “He [Nasrallah] agreed, he agreed,” Habib told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour in an interview aired on Wednesday. “We agreed completely. Lebanon agreed to a ceasefire but consulting with Hezbollah. The (Lebanese Parliament) Speaker Mr. Nabih Berri consulted with Hezbollah and we informed the Americans and the French what happened. And they told us that Mr. (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu also agreed on the statement that was issued by both presidents (Biden and Macron.)” White House senior adviser Amos Hochstein was then set to go to Lebanon to negotiate the ceasefire, Habib continued. “They told us that Mr. Netanyahu agreed on this and so we also got the agreement of Hezbollah on that and you know what happened since then,” Habib continued. Nasrallah was killed in an Israeli airstrike on Friday in the southern suburbs of Beirut.

The impact of Israeli operations on Hezbollah’s organizational structure
David Daoud/Ahmad Sharawi/ FDD's Long War Journal /October 03/2024
Israel seems set on liquidating Hezbollah. Beginning with its assassination of the group’s chief of staff, Fuad Shukr, on July 30, the Israelis have been decimating Hezbollah’s senior leadership in rapid succession—culminating in the previously unimaginable assassination of Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah on September 27. The unceasing blows have put Hezbollah on its back foot, inflicting losses on the group that may not be easily replaced. Since June 2024, Israel has conducted a series of targeted strikes that have severely weakened the Hezbollah’s command structure, delivering a significant blow to the organization. What follows is a breakdown of the officials assassinated, those who remain, and the impact on the organization and its durability.
Assassinated political officials:
Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah’s secretary general, was killed in an airstrike on Dahiyeh on September 27. Nabil Qaouq, former deputy head of the Executive Council, was killed on September 28.
Assassinated military officials:
Ali Karaki, commander of Hezbollah’s Southern Unit, was killed in the same strike as Nasrallah on September 27. Mohammad Srour, commander of Hezbollah’s UAV unit, was killed on September 26. Ibrahim Qubaisi, commander of Hezbollah’s missile array, was killed in a strike on September 24. Ibrahim Aqil, senior operations commander and member of Hezbollah’s Jihad Council, was killed in an airstrike on September 20. Ahmad Wahbi, former leader of Hezbollah’s elite Radwan force, was killed on September 20. Fuad Shukr, chief of staff of Hezbollah, was killed in an airstrike on Dahiyeh on July 30. Mohammad Nasser, commander of Hezbollah’s Nassr Unit, was killed on July 3. Taleb Abdullah, commander of Hezbollah’s Aziz Unit, was killed on June 12. Mohammad Jaafar Qasir, commander of Unit 4400, tasked with transferring weapons from Iran to Hezbollah, was killed on October 1. Dhulfiqar Hennawi, commander of the Imam Hussein Division, responsible for combat engineer duties in the Aziz Unit and Hezbollah forces in the area of Aleppo, Syria, was killed on October 1. Hassan Khalil Yassin, head of a unit within Hezbollah’s intelligence apparatus tasked with identifying military and civilian targets inside Israel, particularly after October 8, worked closely with the UAV and Missile Units and was killed on September 28.
Ibrahim Hussein Jezzini, head of Hassan Nasrallah’s Security Unit, was killed with Nasrallah in an airstrike on Dahiyeh on September 27. Samir Tawfiq Dib, military Operations Advisor, a long-term confidante of Hassan Nasrallah, according to the IDF, was also killed on September 27.
Abdelamir Mohammad Sablini, head of Hezbollah’s force build-up, was also killed on September 27. Ali Ayoub, responsible for coordinating Hezbollah’s firepower, per the IDF, was also killed on September 27. Yet, while Hezbollah’s command structure has been significantly weakened because of these strikes, some key leaders remain at the helm on the military and political levels:
Remaining political officials:
Naim Qassem, deputy secretary-general of Hezbollah, is a philosopher/idealogue figure.
Mohammad Yazbek is head of Hezbollah’s Judicial Council.
Mohammad Raad is head of Hezbollah’s Parliamentary Council. The group’s entire parliamentary list remains intact, as well. Ibrahim al-Amine is head of Hezbollah’s Political Bureau. None of the Politburo’s sub-body heads have been assassinated. Critically, Mohammad Kawtharani, Hezbollah’s Iraq and Arab Affairs official, and Hassan Hoballah, in charge of Hezbollah’s relations with Palestinian groups, remain alive. Wafiq Safa is head of Hezbollah’s Security Committee and liaison to the Lebanese Government.
Abdallah Safieddine is Hezbollah’s liaison to Iran.
Remaining military/security officials:
Talal Hamyeh was appointed, along with Ali Karaki (later killed), as the most senior operational commanders to replace Ibrahim Aqil and Ahmad Wahbi, who were also killed. Hamyeh has served, and may still serve, as the commander of Unit 910, Hezbollah’s external operations unit responsible for planning terrorist attacks outside of Lebanon targeting Israelis and Americans, according to the US State Department.
Abu Ali Reda (Ali Reda Abbas), commander of the Badr Unit, one of Hezbollah’s regional units in the south, has been reported by Israeli sources to have succeeded Ibrahim Aqil as the new Radwan Force commander. He previously survived an assassination attempt in the 1990s, alongside Ibrahim Aqil.
Ali Musa Daqduq was appointed as the new deputy commander of the Radwan Unit. He previously served as the head of the “Golan File” unit, a Hezbollah cell formed near the Golan Heights in Syria to operate against Israel. Daqduq was convicted of involvement in the killing of five US soldiers in Karbala, Iraq, in 2007. Haytham Ali Tabatabaei, who previously led the Radwan Unit, has operated in Syria and Yemen and is reported to be Hezbollah’s most senior commander in Syria. He has worked alongside other pro-Iranian proxies in training and supplying arms to further their objectives. In 2016, the US Department of State designated Tabatabaei as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist pursuant to Executive Order 13224.
Mohammad Ataya is head of Hezbollah’s Unit 133, responsible for operations inside Israel, including the Palestinian Territories.
Mohammad Haydar, aka Abu Ali Haydar, is a former Lebanese parliamentarian (2005–2009), senior security advisor to former Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah, and responsible for Hezbollah’s forces in Syria and security-military affairs in south Lebanon.
Khudur Yousef Nader is commander of Unit 900 “Security Unit” and formerly responsible for Nasrallah’s personal security.
Munir Ali Naeem Shaito, aka Hajj Hashem, is Hezbollah’s commander of the southern front in Syria. He oversees military coordination between Hezbollah, Iran, and the Syrian regime, with a focus on the Golan Heights.
Hajj Khalil Harb is head of Hezbollah’s Unit 3800, which is responsible for recruitment and training of allied militias, primarily in Iraq and Yemen.
Political vacancies with unknown replacements:
Secretary-general: A replacement is unknown—see the “Impact” section below.
Jihad Council: Formerly headed by Hassan Nasrallah, a replacement is unknown— see the “Impact” section below.
Executive Council: Headed by Hashem Safieddine, whose fate is unconfirmed. Safieddine’s replacement, if he was killed or is alive and promoted to succeed Nasrallah, is unclear. However, the council’s deputy chairman, Ali Daamoush, and Safieddine’s assistant, Sultan Asaad, appear to be still alive.
Military vacancies with unknown replacements:
Aziz Unit: Responsible for Hezbollah’s operations in the eastern sector of south Lebanon south of the Litani River. In addition to Taleb Abdullah, the unit’s commander, possible deputies Ali Salim Soufan and Mohammad Hussein Sabra have also been killed. The next potential person in line, senior commander Hussein Qassem Hamid, has also been killed, leaving—at best—the fifth-in-line officer to take charge of the unit, whose name is unlikely to be publicly known until his eventual demise.
Nasr Unit: Responsible for Hezbollah’s operations in the western sector of south Lebanon south of the Litani River. As far as can be assessed, the deputy of deceased commander Mohammad Nasser remains alive and is most likely to be heading the unit.
Jalil Unit: The purpose of this unit is, theoretically, to invade wider areas of Israel’s upper Galilee, hence its name. It was deployed to Syria, from where it was pulled back to south Lebanon in May 2017. The status of the unit and its commanders is currently unknown. Given its purpose and functions, it is a possible sub-unit of the Radwan Unit.
Imam Hussein Division: Per the IDF, this division is Hezbollah’s “power development framework,” providing “significant operational capabilities to the organization.” It is comprised of fighters drawn from different Middle Eastern countries. Since October 8, the division reportedly transferred the center of its operations to Lebanon, coordinating closely with Hezbollah’s south Lebanon territorial units. It has taken an active part in the fighting and is also responsible for launching attacks at Israel from Lebanon, Syria, and Iraq—including rocket and loitering-munitions attacks. The deceased Hinawi’s unnamed direct deputy, who appears to have survived the assassination of his commander, is likely to assume his place.
Unit 910: Hezbollah’s External Operations Unit. Its last-known commander is Talal Hamiyeh, who has been promoted to the position of chief of staff. The current commander is unknown.
Missile Unit: Responsible for Hezbollah’s missile and rocket arsenal. Hussain Hani Izzeldine was killed alongside Qubaisi but does not appear to have been Qubaisi’s direct deputy. That individual remains unnamed and unknown and will likely succeed Qubaisi in heading the unit. Mohammad Ali Ismail, the commander of the Unit’s activities in south Lebanon, and his deputy, Hussain Ahmad Ismail, were killed as well.
UAV Unit: Responsible for Hezbollah’s arsenal of UAVs and loitering munitions. Mohammad Srour’s unnamed second-in-command appears to have survived Srour’s assassination and is likely heading the unit now. Ali Hussein Burji, the head of the unit’s operations in south Lebanon, was killed in January 2024.
The Impact
Israel’s spate of assassinations has certainly left Hezbollah disoriented. Nasrallah’s killing is arguably the most significant of those deaths on the group’s ability to function and perhaps also its longevity. His leadership provided Hezbollah with vision, allowing it to navigate some of its most difficult historical junctures. The cult of personality the party built up around Nasrallah was also a significant source of public support. Therefore, Hezbollah’s ability to regenerate after this conflict with Israel will be in question, or at least severely tested, without him at the helm.
As important, Israel’s assassinations have left significant gaps in Hezbollah’s chain of succession. Much will, therefore, depend on the survival of competent successors to commanders and leaders eliminated over the past 11 months, particularly the position of secretary-general. This makes the fate of Hashem Safieddine—Nasrallah’s maternal cousin and heir-apparent—especially crucial.
Safieddine has served as the head of Hezbollah’s Executive Council since 1998—a position held by Nasrallah before he ascended to secretary-general—and was one of its veteran members. Chairing the Executive Council, Safieddine oversaw all of Hezbollah’s daily operations, including managing its domestic and foreign investments, funds, and various charitable, social, and media bodies.
He established strong ties to Iranian leadership as a result of his studies in Qom, which were further strengthened by his son’s marriage to Zeinab Soleimani, daughter of Qassem Soleimani, and his brother’s position as Hezbollah’s top representative in Iran. Safieddine also assumed other critical leadership roles throughout his career in Hezbollah, including a position on the Jihad Council. This experience has given him a thorough understanding of the group’s military operations and infrastructure.
Safieddine would, therefore, be a competent successor to Nasrallah. Party officials close to Saffiedine described him to Asharq Al-Awsat as a “true leader, simultaneously firm and flexible” and open to hearing criticism from other organization members. They also described his personality as an “extension of sayyed Nasrallah’s,” and a perfect successor to the secretary general. Other associates have alleged that Safieddine is more extreme, hardline, and militant than Nasrallah.
Furthermore, his acceptance by the organization’s mass of supporters would be aided by his familial relationship to the deceased secretary-general, his physical resemblance to Nasrallah, and even their shared speech defect when pronouncing the letter “R,” which Hezbollah’s followers loved, even if he never matches his predecessor’s popularity.
Unverified reports indicate Safieddine was killed alongside Nasrallah. Hezbollah has refused to confirm his fate—including in a statement that sought to put an end to speculation about the succession process. His survival, however, would mean that Hezbollah has an opportunity to survive and regenerate, even if it never recovers the strength it had under Nasrallah.
**David Daoud is senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, where he focuses on Israel, Hezbollah, and Lebanon affairs. Ahmad Sharawi is a research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies focused on Iranian intervention in Arab affairs and the Levant.

Time to Cut the Cord in Lebanon
Bonnie Glick/ TownhallOctober 03/2024
Don’t pop the champagne corks yet. While there is certainly reason to cheer for the termination of the bloody terrorist leadership of Hezbollah in Lebanon, Israel’s military strikes in and around Beirut only addressed part of the problem. Israel’s approach, using airstrikes, beeper strikes, and walkie-talkie strikes, is nothing short of miraculous. But the disease that spreads from Lebanon is not solely driven by Hezbollah and its paymasters in Tehran.
Certainly Iran’s most recent launch of hundreds of missiles at Israel “in retaliation” for the successful hit on Hassan Nasrallah in his Beirut bunker is an important and highly escalatory move by Iran, but it also is not the whole picture in Lebanon.
Lebanon is driven by corruption that runs throughout the entirety of its elite government structures, military and civilian. For decades, government officials, skilled in the French art of the bon mot, have snookered America. Hezbollah is always the problem, far be it for the downtrodden Lebanese to address the cancer in their midst head on.
Now is the perfect moment to reevaluate US assistance to Lebanon, starting with military aid. The Biden-Harris administration’s move in 2021 to more than double American contributions to the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) to $236 million. In 2023, the Biden-Harris administration contributed additionally over $70 million to pay the salaries of members of the LAF in the form of direct cash transfers. If Americans knew that their hard-earned tax dollars were going to pay the salaries of a foreign army that is formally still at war with Israel, a treaty ally, they might have some concerns. With good reason.
Let’s start with who runs the Lebanese Army. The head of the LAF is a caretaker minister, retired General Maurice Sleem. No one is expressly accountable to the Prime Minister for the activities and expenditures of the LAF. By all counts, Sleem wields little influence within the government and has been all but absent from the public eye during Israel’s recent strikes on Beirut, including the one that took out Hezbollah’s terror prince Nasrallah. It’s hard to argue that funding the LAF, whose forces are trained by the U.S. is a good idea when they are using that training to target our treaty ally rather than Hezbollah. Indeed, this is possibly the worst use of taxpayer funding imaginable in the Arab world. Where is our return on this investment? What are we getting from Lebanon that warrants this massive expenditure of assistance? Why are American taxpayers paying salaries of the LAF? Why isn’t the LAF doing its job, part of which includes ridding the border area with Israel of Hezbollah terrorists? They were trained by us to do this job. We’re paying the wages to do this job. Yet, at most we’re getting nothing in return. More likely, we’re getting a well-funded and trained army in cahoots with Hezbollah terrorists.
Beyond the military, who runs Lebanon these days? Who makes sure the lights are on? Who makes sure the people are fed? Who makes sure that schools are open? Who makes sure the port is operating? The Prime Minister of Lebanon is a multi-billionaire who is also the richest man in the country, Najib Mikati. Even before Mikati took power as the caretaker Prime Minister, Lebanon has been a failed state, a country run by beggars which threatens that, in order not to spiral further out of control, the international community must continuously bail it out, all while its leaders become even wealthier. The task of looking inward at the root causes of economic devastation never comes up as a requirement. It is a rare donor or UN official who speaks the truth about Lebanese corruption. Caught in an unguarded interview at the World Economic Forum in Davos in 2020, it was clear that Dutch former Foreign Minister Sigrid Kaag was disgusted by her former Lebanese counterpart Gebran Bassil for his and his countrymen’s extraordinary levels of graft, corruption, and lack of transparency. Her description of Lebanon as “a country that has been stymied by top-level corruption across the board” barely scratches the surface of the reality in Lebanon.
In August 2020 when the port in Beirut infamously exploded, Lebanon’s Minister of Public Works was a member of Hezbollah. It’s no surprise, then, that Hezbollah promptly insisted that any investigation of the explosion be severely limited before one even began. This is how deeply infested Hezbollah terrorism was, and still is, into the daily life of Lebanese citizens.
Lebanon, four years after the port explosion, is worse off than it was even amidst the financial ruin and economic collapse in 2020. Yes, Hezbollah is to blame, but only in part. The world needs to recognize the reality in Lebanon and stop funding it. Corruption is endemic. Graft on a massive scale is the norm, not the exception. Lebanon’s population suffers from a government that, for all intents and purposes, does not exist and instead the country is run by a clan system of rival sectarian gangs. The only thing that unites the gangsters is a hatred of Israel.
It is time for Lebanon’s leaders’ white flags to come out. It is time for the Lebanese civilian population to demand accountability from these leaders. It is time for leaders in the U.S., France, the EU, the UK, the World Bank, the IMF, and the UN to stop making excuses for Lebanon and to start demanding a housecleaning. There is simply no reason for Beirut’s kleptocrats to change when they know there are bailouts coming. The time for bailouts must end. America is the most generous country in the history of the world, but American taxpayers deserve better than having their hard-earned tax dollars squandered on foreign ne’er-do-wells who are best friends with terrorists. We should end all direct budget support to Lebanon and should curtail any further assistance until Lebanon can demonstrate it is worthy of it.
*Bonnie Glick is the former Deputy Administrator and Chief Operating Officer of the U.S. Agency for International Development. She is a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.

The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on October 03-04/2024
Biden says ‘discussing’ possible Israeli strikes on Iran oil facilities
AFP/October 03, 2024
WASHINGTON: President Joe Biden said he was discussing possible Israeli strikes on Iranian oil facilities, in comments that sent oil prices spiking Thursday just a month before the US presidential election. Biden told reporters at the White House however that he was not expecting Israel to launch any retaliation for Tehran’s missile barrage on Israel before Thursday at least. When asked by a reporter if he supported Israel striking Iran’s oil facilities, Biden said “we’re discussing that. I think that would be a little... anyway.”Oil prices jumped five percent over concerns about the Middle East after Biden spoke. A rise in oil prices could be hugely damaging for Biden’s Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democrat confronts Republican former president Donald Trump in a November 5 election where the cost of living is a major issue. Biden said he did not expect any immediate action from Israel — even if Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has recently paid little heed to calls for restraint as he targets the Iran-allied Hezbollah militia in Lebanon. “First of all, we don’t ‘allow’ Israel, we advise Israel. And there is nothing going to happen today,” Biden told reporters when asked if he would allow Israel to retaliate against Iran.
Biden said on Wednesday that he would not back Israel attacking Iranian nuclear sites. Iran launched around 200 rockets in a direct missile attack on Israel on Tuesday, prompting Netanyahu to warn that Tehran would pay. Iran said it was in retaliation for the killing of Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah.
Hezbollah has been launching rockets at Israel since shortly after the October 7, 2023 attacks on Israel by Iran’s Palestinian ally Hamas, and Israel’s crushing retaliatory offensive in Gaza.

Iran's massive missile strike on Israel is just a fraction of what China could do
Chris Panella/Business Insider/October 3, 2024
China shows how it would attack Taiwan as tensions riseScroll back up to restore default view.
Iran launched a massive ballistic missile strike on Israel this week, what appears to be the largest ever. The attack represents just a fraction of the scale, devastation, and capabilities a China missile strike could have, experts said. China's missile force is the crown jewel of its military, and the US has long expressed concerns about it. Iran launched a major missile strike on Israel earlier this week likely intended to overwhelm the country's air defenses and inflict significant damage. The Iranian attack was massive, perhaps the largest ballistic missile strike in history, but it represents just a fraction of the scale and capabilities of what a Chinese missile attack could look like. Such an attack would thus be significantly more difficult to defeat. China's missile force is a point of concern for the US military, which views China as its "pacing challenge." The Department of Defense has been tracking a "dramatic expansion" of the People's Liberation Army's Rocket Force, the missile branch of China's military.
From 2021 to 2022, for example, China effectively doubled its stock of some ballistic missiles and launchers. The increase in China's stockpile of medium-range and intermediate-range ballistic missiles, in particular, represents a potential threat to US forces and allies across the Indo-Pacific region. Various military aircraft are parked on the Andersen Air Force base in Guam below a sunset and some clouds.
US lawmakers have expressed concerns that US assets in the Indo-Pacific region are vulnerable to a Chinese missile strike. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Bailee Ann Darbasie
In the event of a conflict, which military leaders do not see as imminent or inevitable but consider a growing possibility, American bases and assets positioned across the region could face bombardment on a level not seen before. Should China and the US go to war, possibly over a potential Chinese invasion or takeover of Taiwan or some other point of tension, the US could find itself under heavy fire involving China's vast arsenal of ballistic missiles.
Compared to what Iran just did to Israel, a Chinese missile strike would likely be far larger and more lethal, experts said. "Although Russia's missile activity in Ukraine is certainly a competitor, Iran has this year carried out what are quite probably the two largest missile attacks in a single day. Both were structured and complex attacks, designed to complicate the task of air defenders," Tom Karako, a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and the director of the Missile Defense Project there, told Business Insider.
"What China would do, however, could be an order of magnitude worse than anything we've seen so far in the Middle East."
A massive missile strike
An anti-missile system operates after Iran launched drones and missiles toward Israel.
Iran previously launched a missile strike on Israel in April, using ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and drones.Amir Cohen via Reuters
Iran's attack, launched Tuesday in two waves with some advance notice, included over 180 ballistic missiles. The strike was in response to Israel's killings of Hezbollah's leader Hassan Nasrallah last Friday and the Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh back in July.
Early evidence suggests the missiles were focused on military and government targets in Israel, including some located near or directly in the densely populated central area of the country.
US and Israeli officials said that the attack was ineffective and ultimately defeated. Air-defense platforms intercepted a majority of the missiles, though some were possibly allowed to pass through in areas where the impact wouldn't be overly detrimental. Some others may have failed or veered off-course, but that wasn't immediately clear. Verified videos online captured the attack and response. The US confirmed that American military assets in the area, including the USS Cole and USS Bulkeley destroyers operating in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, shot down Iranian missiles. British assets were also involved, helping support Israel's complex air-defense network.
The Institute for the Study of War noted that the latest Iranian attack appeared to better penetrate air defenses than the attack in April, suggesting that Iran has learned and changed its strike package to better achieve its aims. Still, the attack does not appear to have been particularly destructive. Israel reported no casualties and only limited damage in the aftermath but vowed to retaliate. The US had said before the attack that Iran would face severe consequences if it went through with it; it's unclear what that will look like.
The value of air defenses
The destroyer USS Bulkeley fires an interceptor to defend Israel from an Iranian ballistic missile attack on Tuesday. US assets, such as warships in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, intercepted Iranian missiles during Tuesday's attack.US Navy video/Screengrab
The ability of Israel's air defenses, along with assistance from the US and others, to apparently intercept a majority of the missiles highlights the value of air defenses.
That air-defense assets, from ground-based interceptors to aircraft to warships, were able to blunt such a massive missile attack speaks to the importance of these systems, which have more than proven their worth in other conflicts and would likely be needed in far greater numbers in a high-end future fight. Karako said that recent battles have been "remarkable demonstrations of both operational finesse and stunning technical capability of US and Israeli missile defenses. While no weapon system is perfect, these are some impressive engagement records." China would, however, present a greater challenge. The differences between Iran's attack and a potential Chinese missile strike are probably best understood through scale, sophistication, and intent.
A Chinese missile strike "could be a much larger scale with much more sophisticated sequencing and capabilities across a much larger area and potentially with far less warning," Thomas Shugart, an adjunct senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security think tank and former US naval officer, said.
A Chinese missile sits on a military truck on a road at night.
The Pentagon has tracked major expansions in China's missile force over the past few years.Liu Mingsong/Xinhua via Getty Images
China's rocket force maintains a much larger and likely more effective arsenal of ballistic missiles than Iran and a variety of missiles for conventional and nuclear engagements. More traditional ballistic missiles like the DF-21 and DF-26 could be used for strikes on American bases, as well as naval assets. China also has newer missiles like the DF-17 hypersonic missile that can complicate air defense by flying low and maneuvering along unpredictable flight paths.
Based on available open-source information about the Chinese missile force, the rocket force's capabilities are far more sophisticated and, therefore, likely more accurate than Iran's missiles. China also prioritizes surprise, another challenge.
And then there's targeting. "The kind of strike that China would launch might be spread over a much larger area" than Iran's attack on Israel, Shugart said, adding that a Chinese missile strike may also include larger salvos in more waves than Iran's, with the aim being to overwhelm and destroy enemy air defenses before engaging US military assets largely unopposed.
People watch a video about China's military advancements at the Military Museum in Beijing on March 3, 2024.
China's military has heavily invested in its rocket force as it races towards leader Xi Jingping's goal of military modernization.GREG BAKER/AFP via Getty Images
The US and its allies in the Western Pacific have a mix of air defenses in place, such as Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) batteries, Patriot batteries, and Aegis-equipped warships. And efforts are ongoing to boost those defenses. The US and Japan agreed to team up earlier this year to develop a missile defense system that can effectively intercept hypersonic weapons.
But more is likely needed considering the threat. A former commander of what was previously Pacific Command told BI earlier this year that one of the best ways to counter PLARF would be to make "robust" air and missile defenses a reality this decade.

Israeli air strike kills 18 people in occupied West Bank
BBC/October 3, 2024
At least 18 people have been killed in an Israeli air strike in the occupied West Bank city of Tulkarm, the Palestinian health ministry said late on Thursday. The Palestinian Authority-run news agency Wafa said the air strike had hit a cafe in the Tulkarm refugee camp where many civilians had been present. The Israeli military said the air force had conducted a strike in Tulkarm in a joint operation with its Shin Bet security service and had killed the head of Hamas in Tulkarm and "other significant terrorists". There has been a spike in violence in the West Bank since Hamas’s deadly attack on Israel on 7 October and the ensuing war in Gaza. Since then more than 700 Palestinians have been killed as Israeli forces have intensified their raids, saying they are trying to stem deadly Palestinian attacks on Israelis in the West Bank and Israel. The Israeli military has carried out dozens of air strikes in the occupied West Bank in the past year, but normally using drones or helicopters. One resident from the area told AFP news agency the Israeli had "hit a cafeteria in a three-story building." "There are many victims in the hospital," the resident added, saying the death toll would likely rise. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said the strike had killed Zahi Yaser Abd al-Razeq Oufi, who it said had attempted a car bombing last month and supplied weapons. Wafa quoted a local official as saying children and elderly people from several families had been killed in the strike. Tulkarm was one of the towns and Palestinian refugee camps targeted during a major Israeli military operation in August. Last month UN rights chief Volker Turk said major Israeli operations in the occupied West Bank were taking place "at a scale not witnessed in the last two decades". Over the past year more than 700 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in West Bank, the Palestinian health ministry says. Meanwhile at least 24 Israelis including members of the security forces have been killed by Palestinian attackers in the same period, according to Israeli officials.

Three Hamas leaders killed months ago, IDF says
BBC/October 3, 2024
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has announced that, three months ago, it killed three senior Hamas leaders in Gaza. Among them is Rawhi Mushtaha, identified by the IDF as the head of the Hamas government in Gaza, along with Sameh al-Siraj and Sami Oudeh, who were responsible for security in Hamas. The IDF said they were hiding in an underground compound in northern Gaza and were killed by air strikes. Israel said Hamas did not announce the deaths "in order to prevent loss of morale and functioning of its terror operatives". In a statement, the IDF said Rawhi Mushtaha was "one of Hamas's most senior operatives and had a direct impact on decisions relating to Hamas's force deployment". The deaths announced on Thursday add to the list of prominent Hamas leaders killed in the last year, since Hamas's unprecedented attack on Israel on 7 October and the ensuing war in Gaza. In August, the Israeli military said it shot dead Hamas's leader Wissam Khazem, during a major operation in the West Bank. Separately, Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed in an explosion in the Iranian capital, Tehran, in July. Iran blamed the incident on Israel, but Israeli officials did not claim it. The Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) later said that Iran's missile attack on Israel on Tuesday was retaliation for what it called the "violation of Iran’s sovereignty and the martyrdom” of Haniyeh.

Security Council backs UN secretary-general after Israel bans him from entering country
ARAB NEWS/October 04, 2024
NEW YORK CITY: The Security Council on Thursday affirmed its “full support” for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, and said any decision not to engage with him or his office was counterproductive. Israel on Wednesday banned Guterres from entering the country. Foreign Minister Israel Katz declared him to be persona non grata and an “anti-Israel secretary-general who lends support to terrorists,” citing as a reason what he described as the UN chief’s failure to condemn the Iranian missile attack against Israel on Tuesday. “Anyone who cannot unequivocally condemn Iran’s heinous attack on Israel, as nearly all the countries of the world have done, does not deserve to set foot on Israeli soil,” he said. “Israel will continue to defend its citizens and uphold its national dignity, with or without Antonio Guterres.”Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for Guterres, described Katz’s comments as political and “just one more attack on UN staff that we’ve seen from the government of Israel.” The concept of “persona non grata” does not apply to UN staff, he added. Addressing an emergency meeting of the Security Council on Wednesday, Guterres said he had condemned a similar attack against Israel by Iran in April and added: “As should have been obvious yesterday, in the context of the condemnation I expressed, I again strongly condemn yesterday’s massive missile attack by Iran on Israel. “These attacks, paradoxically, do not seem to support the cause of the Palestinian people or reduce their suffering.”Guterres also criticized Israel’s military operations in Gaza, describing them as “the most deadly and destructive military campaign in my years as secretary-general.”Switzerland holds the presidency of the Security Council this month. The country’s permanent representative to the UN, Pascale Baeriswyl, said on Thursday that members of the council stressed the need for all nations to “have a productive and effective relationship with the secretary-general and to refrain from any actions that undermine his work and that of his office.” She added: “The members of the Security Council further underscored that any decision not to engage with the UN secretary-general or the United Nations is counterproductive, especially in the context of escalating tensions in the Middle East.”

Palestinian health ministry says 16 killed in Israeli strike on West Bank
AFP/October 03, 2024
RAMALLAH: At least 16 people were killed in the West Bank refugee camp of Tulkarm, the Palestinian health ministry said late Thursday, following an Israeli air strike in the area. “Sixteen martyrs following the bombing of the Tulkarm camp by the occupation,” the Palestinian health ministry said on its Telegram account. The Israeli army confirmed the strike on the town in the northern West Bank, describing it as a joint operation carried out by the Shin Bet internal security service and the air force, according to a brief statement by the military. Reached by telephone, camp official Faisal Salama told AFP that the attack had been carried out by an F-16 fighter. A resident from the area said the Israeli plane had “hit a cafeteria in a three-story building.” “There are many victims in the hospital,” the resident added, saying the toll would likely rise. Violence in the West Bank has surged alongside the war in Gaza which began after Hamas attacked Israel on October 7. Since the Hamas attack, Israeli troops or settlers have killed at least 699 Palestinians in the West Bank, according to the Palestinian health ministry. At least 24 Israelis, including members of the security forces, have been killed in Palestinian militant attacks during the same period, Israeli officials say. Major Israeli operations in the West Bank are sometimes occurring “at a scale not witnessed in the last two decades,” United Nations human rights chief Volker Turk said last month. Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967, and its forces regularly make incursions into Palestinian communities, but the current raids as well as comments by Israeli officials mark an escalation, residents say.

Pro-Palestine protest in Sydney to proceed on Oct 6 after deal with police
Reuters/October 3, 2024
A pro-Palestine group will proceed with a protest rally in Sydney on Sunday after reaching an agreement with police who had asked a court to block planned protests on Oct. 6 and 7, citing safety concerns for the protesters and the wider community. Police said the Supreme Court of New South Wales state dismissed its petition by consent after organisers agreed to change the location and route of the protest on Sunday, and not display flags, portraits or symbols of prohibited organisations. The Palestine Action Group Sydney also withdrew its request to protest on Oct. 7, the first anniversary of Hamas staging the deadliest assault in Israel's history, which sparked Israel's war in Gaza. The group said it would instead hold a vigil in Sydney's city centre on Oct. 7, though it was not clear whether that was allowed by authorities. New South Wales police did not respond immediately to a request for comment. Police said in a statement they would work with organisers on Sunday to ensure the safety of the community. "Police will not hesitate to take appropriate action against anyone who commits a criminal offence," the statement added. Protests in Melbourne last weekend saw some participants displaying flags with the symbol of Hezbollah and photos of leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah who was killed in Israeli strikes, prompting authorities to launch an investigation. Hezbollah, a Lebanese militant group backed by Iran, is a "listed terrorist organisation" in Australia. Australia has seen a rise in antisemitic and Islamophobic incidents since the start of the Israel-Gaza war and passed laws last year that banned public displays of terror group symbols.

G7 voices ‘deep concern’ over ‘deteriorating situation’ in Mideast
AFP/October 03, 2024
LONDON: Leaders of the G7 countries on Thursday voiced concern over the “deteriorating situation” in the Middle East while warning against further “uncontrollable escalation” in the region. G7 leaders “express deep concern over the deteriorating situation in the Middle East and condemn in the strongest terms Iran’s direct military attack against Israel,” they said in a statement. They warned that the “dangerous cycle of attacks and retaliation risks fueling uncontrollable escalation... which is in no one’s interest.”The statement said G7 leaders had discussed “coordinated efforts and actions” to avoid further escalation of conflict in the region, without specifying details. “We also reiterate our call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the unconditional release of all hostages, a significant and sustained increase in the flow of humanitarian assistance, and an end to the conflict,” it said.

Yazidi woman, 21, freed from Gaza in US-led operation
REUTERS/October 03, 2024
She ‘was in good physical condition but was traumatized by dire humanitarian situation in Gaza’
A 21-year-old woman kidnapped by Daesh in Iraq more than a decade ago was freed from Gaza this week in an operation led by the US and involving Jordan and the Baghdad government, Iraqi and US officials said. The woman is a member of the ancient Yazidi religious minority mostly found in Iraq and Syria, which saw more than 5,000 members killed and thousands more kidnapped in a 2014 campaign that the UN has said constituted genocide. She was freed after more than four months of efforts that involved several attempts that failed due to the difficult security situation resulting from Israel’s offensive in Gaza, said Silwan Sinjaree, chief of staff of Iraq’s foreign minister. Officials did not provide details of how she was eventually freed, and Jordanian and US Embassy officials in Baghdad did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Reuters could not reach the woman directly for comment. A State Department spokesperson said the US on Oct. 1 “helped to safely evacuate from Gaza, a young Yezidi woman to be reunited with her family in Iraq.” The spokesperson said she was kidnapped from her home in Iraq, aged 11, and sold and trafficked to Gaza. Her captor was recently killed, allowing her to escape and seek repatriation, the spokesperson said. Sinjaree said she was in good physical condition but was traumatized by her time in captivity and by the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza.
She had since been reunited with family in northern Iraq, he added. More than 6,000 Yazidis were captured by Daesh from the native Sinjar region in Iraq in 2014, with many sold into sexual slavery or trained as child soldiers and taken across borders, including to Turkiye and Syria. Over the years, more than 3,500 have been rescued or freed, according to Iraqi authorities, with some 2,600 still missing. Many are feared dead but Yazidi activists say they believe hundreds are still alive

A US Navy missile that just scored its first kill this year got another workout against Iranian weapons
Jake Epstein/Business Insider/October 3, 2024
How the Iranian-backed Houthi militia compares to the US-led task force in the Red SeaScroll back up to restore default view. US Navy warships defending Israel from Iran's missile attack on Tuesday fired SM-3 interceptors. It marks the second known use of this interceptor in combat.
The SM-3 scored its first-ever kill while defending Israel in April from an Iranian bombardment. The US Navy warships that engaged a massive barrage of Iranian ballistic missiles in defense of Israel on Tuesday fired SM-3 interceptors, a weapon that scored its first-ever kill earlier this year. Two destroyers operating in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea fired around a dozen interceptors at the Iranian missiles, a number of which were shot down. A Navy official confirmed to Business Insider on Thursday that the destroyers fired the Standard Missile 3, or SM-3, during the battle. It is unclear how many were fired.
The SM-3, a weapon manufactured by RTX, is an element of the Navy's highly advanced Aegis Combat System. The interceptor uses a kinetic kill vehicle to hit and destroy ballistic missiles during the mid-course phase of flight. Unlike the Navy's other air defenses, it is capable of exo-atmospheric intercepts, meaning it can eliminate targets beyond Earth's atmosphere. The SM-3 had been tested dozens of times over the past two decades but never saw combat until April, when Navy warships used the interceptor to defend Israel from an unprecedented missile and drone attack launched by Iran. Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro later said that the sea service would need to obtain many more SM-3s to counter future threats in the Pacific, like China, which maintains an arsenal of formidable theater missiles. Tuesday's engagement now marks the second known use of the SM-3 in combat. USNI News first reported the interceptor's involvement on Wednesday. Iran fired more than 180 ballistic missiles at Israel in the massive barrage, which Tehran said was retaliation for last week's killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and the July assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh.
The Israeli military said a majority of the missiles were intercepted by Israel and a defensive coalition led by the US. The White House confirmed that American forces "coordinated closely" with Israel to defend the country from the attack. Capt. Bill Urban, a spokesperson for US Naval Forces Europe-Africa, said destroyers USS Cole and USS Bulkeley engaged Iranian missiles from the Eastern Mediterranean, adding that multiple missiles are believed to have been shot down. The US has repeatedly said it will defend Israel and protect its own forces in the region from any attack by Iran or its proxies. The Pentagon has naval assets positioned in the Eastern Mediterranean and around the Middle East — more than it did in April — for such scenarios. American airpower assets are also in the region, with more coming. The White House said Israel — with US support — managed to defeat the massive Iranian barrage, which did not appear to cause significant damage. Israeli officials have vowed to respond to the attack.

Qatar’s Emir: What is happening in region is ‘collective genocide’
REUTERS/October 03, 2024
DUBAI: Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani said on Thursday said the crisis in the Middle East is a “collective genocide” and that his country has always warned of Israel’s “impunity.”“It has become crystal clear that what is happening is genocide, in addition to turning the Gaza Strip into an area unfit for human habitation, in preparation for displacement,” he said during the Asia Cooperation Dialogue summit in Doha. The Qatari Emir also condemned Israeli air strikes and military operations “against the brotherly Lebanese Republic.”Israel strongly objects to accusations it is committing genocide in Gaza, where it launched an assault a year ago after Hamas militants attacked southern Israeli towns, killing 1,200 people and capturing more than 250 hostages. More than 41,500 Gazans have been killed during the Israeli assault, according to health authorities in the Hamas-run territory. This week, Israel launched a ground incursion in Lebanon against the Iran-backed Lebanese movement Hezbollah, which has been firing into Israel in what it says is solidarity with the Palestinians.

Libya to resume oil production after central bank dispute ends
REUTERS/October 04, 2024
CAIRO: Libya’s state-run oil company said Thursday it was restarting full oil production, almost two months after shutting down operations in two of its major fields amid a political crisis. The National Oil Corporation said in a statement that it would resume production at the Sharara and El-Feel oil fields, and export shipments from Es Sider, the country’s largest port. In August, the company declared “force majeure,” a legal maneuver that lets a company get out of its contracts because of extraordinary circumstances. As part of the review of the force majeure situation, NOC confirmed in its statement that it “can resume the operations of crude oil production and exporting operations to its customers.”The National Oil Corporation previously blamed the shutdown on the Fezzan Movement, a local protest group. It came as the country’s rival authorities were locked in a dispute over the governance of its Central Bank, which distributes the country’s oil revenues. In August, the UN warned that the country was poised to face even greater instability due to the dispute. But that was resolved in recent days, when the country’s parliament appointed a new governor to the bank. Libya produces more than 1.2 million barrels of oil per day, and Sharara is the country’s largest field, producing up to 300,000 barrels per day. It was exporting most of it. In September, exports averaged 460,000 bpd according to oil analytics firm Kpler. The oil-rich country has been in political turmoil since a NATO-backed uprising toppled and killed longtime dictator Muammar Qaddafi in 2011. Since then, Libya has been split between rival administrations in the east and the west, each backed by militias and foreign governments.
The latest dispute
NOC declared force majeure on Aug. 7 at Sharara oilfield — one of Libya’s largest production areas with a capacity of about 300,000 barrels per day — and on Elfeel oilfield on Sept.2. Sharara is located in southwestern Libya and operated by a joint venture of NOC with Spain’s Repsol, France’s TotalEnergies, Austria’s OMV, and Norway’s Equinor. Elfeel has a capacity of 70,000 barrels per day and is operated by Mellitah Oil and Gas, a joint venture between NOC and Italy’s Eni. Two engineers at the field told Reuters the oilfield resumed production but not with full capacity due to maintenance work. Earlier, three engineers said there were some “technical problems” at Elfeel. The government in Benghazi in the east said oil production and exports would resume normal operations, after the rival authorities agreed last month to appoint Issa as new central bank governor. Authorities in the second-largest city had closed oilfields and halted most of crude exports on Aug. 26 in protest against a move by the Presidential Council, which sits in Tripoli in the west, to replace veteran central bank chief Sadiq Al-Kabir. The head of the Presidential Council, Mohamed Al-Menfi, met with Issa on Wednesday and stressed “the need for the central bank governor to commit to the technical role of the bank, stay away from politics, and not surpass the legal jurisdictions of the board of directors.”The United Nations Support Mission in Libya UNSMIL welcomed in a statement NOC announcing the lifting of force majeure on oil production. The mission emphasized that “it is essential that revenues from this vital resource be channeled through the appropriate institutional framework, and ultimately to the Central Bank of Libya.”

Thousands flee gang killings in Haiti breadbasket town, media reports
Reuters/October 3, 2024
At least 11 people were killed and dozens injured in an overnight attack in a Haitian town led by the Gran Grif gang, local newspaper Le Nouvelliste reported on Thursday, as powerful armed gangs expand their influence from the capital. Thousands of residents left the town of Pont-Sonde, some 100 km (62 miles) north of the capital, to seek refuge in the coastal town of Saint-Marc, Le Nouvelliste said. Other media reported the death toll may be in the dozens. Haiti's national police told Reuters that several people had been killed and severely wounded in the attack, without giving any numbers. They later said agents from their UTAG anti-gang tactical unit had been dispatched to the area. "The police have been formally instructed to restore order and prevent all those sowing terror in the Artibonite department from causing harm," Haiti's Justice Ministry said in a statement. "These crimes will not go unpunished." Men belonging to the gang led by 36-year-old Luckson Elan, who was sanctioned by the United Nations last month, burned buildings and executed people in the streets, Le Nouvelliste said. A major rice producing town, Pont-Sonde is located in Haiti's breadbasket Artibonite department and built around a bridge at the crossroads of a road linking the capital with the northern region. Artibonite has seen some of the worst violence outside the capital, compounding a worsening hunger crisis that has seen half the population suffer from severe food insecurity and thousands in capital Port-au-Prince face famine-level hunger.
The capital's main port has also shut due to gang attacks. The number of people internally displaced by the conflict has meanwhile surged past 700,000, nearly doubling in six months despite the partial deployment of a U.N.-backed mission mandated to help under-resourced police restore order.
Neighboring Dominican Republic said on Wednesday it would step up migrant deportations to up to 10,000 per week, citing the slow and limited progress of the security mission, which Haiti's government first requested in 2022.

Gulf states sought to reassure Iran of their neutrality in Iran-Israel conflict, sources say
Maha El Dahan and Pesha Magid/Reuters/October 03/2024
Gulf Arab states sought to reassure Iran of their neutrality in the conflict between Tehran and Israel in meetings in Doha this week on the back of concerns that a wider escalation in violence could threaten their oil facilities, two sources told Reuters. Ministers from Gulf Arab states and Iran attending a meeting of Asian nations hosted by Qatar centred their conversations around de-escalation, the sources said. The Islamic Republic launched its largest ever assault on Israel on Tuesday in what it said was retaliation for Israel's assassination of senior Hamas and Hezbollah leaders and its operations in Gaza and Lebanon. Tehran said its attack was over, barring further provocation, but Israel has promised to hit back hard. U.S. news website Axios, citing Israeli officials, reported on Wednesday that Israel could target oil production facilities inside Iran as retaliation. Urgent de-escalation was at the top of the agenda for all discussions taking place at the moment, one of the sources said. The Qatari foreign ministry, the Iranian foreign ministry, the UAE foreign ministry, Kuwait's foreign ministry and the Saudi government communications office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Iran has not threatened to attack Gulf oil facilities but it has warned that if "Israel supporters" intervene directly their interests in the region would be targeted. "The Gulf states think it's unlikely that Iran will strike their oil facilities, but the Iranians are dropping hints they might from unofficial sources. It's a tool the Iranians have against the U.S. and the global economy," Ali Shihabi, a Saudi commentator close to the Royal Court, said. Top oil exporter Saudi Arabia has had a political rapprochement with Tehran in recent years, which has helped ease regional tensions, but relations remain difficult. Saudi Arabia has been wary of an Iranian strike on its oil facilities since a 2019 attack on its key refinery at Abqaiq briefly shut down more than 5% of global oil supply. Iran denied involvement. "The GCC message to the Iranians is, 'please de-escalate',” Shihabi said, referring to the Gulf Cooperation Council that is made up of the UAE, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar and Kuwait. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, speaking at the event in Doha, said Iran would be ready to respond and warned against "silence" in the face of Israel's "warmongering". "Any type of military attack, terrorist act or crossing our red lines will be met with a decisive response by our armed forces," he said.

Democratic senator worried Netanyahu trying to ‘influence’ US election
Alexander Bolton/The Hill/October 3, 2024
Democratic senator worried Netanyahu trying to ‘influence’ US electionScroll back up to restore default view. Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) says he’s worried Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may be trying to influence the U.S. presidential election by showing little interest in striking a peace deal with Hamas and instead escalating the threat of a broader war in the Middle East by aggressively confronting Hezbollah in Lebanon. Murphy acknowledged that the prospect of peace in Gaza before Election Day does not seem likely and that Netanyahu appears to have an eye on domestic U.S. politics as he wages a bombing campaign deep into Lebanon targeting Hezbollah. “I certainly worry that Prime Minister Netanyahu is watching the American election as he makes decisions about his military campaigns in the north and in Gaza,” Murphy told CNN’s Erin Burnett.
Netanyahu strikes defiant tone at UN
“I hope this is not true, but it is certainly a possibility that the Israeli government is not going to sign any diplomatic agreement prior to the American election as a means, potentially, to try to influence the result,” Murphy said, alluding to the deep divisions among the Democratic Party over the war in Gaza. Murphy said he hopes he is wrong in that assessment but stated that the evidence is pointing toward that conclusion. “I don’t think you have to be a hopeless cynic to read some of Israel’s actions, some of Prime Minister Netanyahu’s actions, as connected to the American election,” Murphy said. The lack of a peace deal in Gaza is a politically liability for President Biden and Vice President Harris most prominently in Michigan, which is home to a large population of Palestinian Americans and other people of Middle Eastern heritage.
Netanyahu says Iran ‘will pay’ for missile attack
More than 100,000 Michigan Democratic primary voters cast ballots for “uncommitted” in the February primary to express their concerns and opposition to Biden’s handling of the war in Gaza.
Biden received fewer votes than “uncommitted” in Dearborn and Hamtramck, where Arab Americans comprise a large part of the population. The escalation of fighting between Israeli forces and Hezbollah, which has drawn Iran closer into direct military conflict with Israel, has given former President Trump an opening to criticize Biden’s and Harris’s handling of foreign policy and national security. “I’ve been talking about World War III for a long time, and I don’t want to make predictions because the predictions always come true. But they are very close to global catastrophe,” Trump said at an event Tuesday. “We have a nonexistent president and a nonexistent vice president who should be in charge.”

The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources on October 03-04/2024
Scandinavia Bans ‘Blasphemy’ (Guess for Which Religion’s Sake?)
Raymond Ibrahim/The Stream/October 03/2024
One by one, Scandinavian nations are willingly forfeiting their freedoms to Islamic thuggery.
Though the reason behind their capitulation has not yet reached America, it may well do so soon.
According to a Swedish language report,
Practitioners of Islam differ from those of other religions in that they do not respect democratic freedoms and rights, and in many cases they do not hesitate to resort to violence and terror when they feel violated in their faith. The government has investigated and is now considering introducing Muslim blasphemy laws citing that this is required to ‘guarantee the security of the kingdom.’
Although amending Sweden’s constitution is difficult, the report says the government will instead try to “extend the public order law so that the police will be able to stop Koran burnings with reference to the security of the kingdom.”
Under this new adjustment, burning or desecrating the Koran will no longer be protected as a form of free expression — the way doing anything to the Bible is — but rather one that directly jeopardizes the security of Sweden (by those whom the government has brought in by the millions, and who do not respect Swedish law).
Similarly, according to the report, “police should be able to reject an application for a demonstration permit citing that there is a ‘tangible danger’ that reactions from Muslims in Sweden or abroad could threaten Sweden’s security.”
If, as seems very likely, these new legal adjustments take place, Sweden will have signaled to its millions of Muslims that terrorism, violence, and threats do work.
Deliberately Obfuscating the Issue
Swedish capitulation to Islam is in lockstep with its big Scandinavian brother, Denmark. As Al Jazeera gleefully reported back in 2023,
Denmark’s parliament has passed a bill that makes it illegal to burn copies of the Quran in public places… The bill, which prohibits ‘inappropriate treatment of writings with significant religious importance for a recognized religious community,’ was passed with 94 votes in favor and 77 opposed… In practical terms, it will be forbidden to burn, tear or otherwise defile holy texts publicly or in videos intended to be disseminated widely. Those who break the law risk a fine or up to two years in prison… The purpose of the law is to counter ‘the systematic mockery’ that, among other things, has contributed to intensifying the threat of [Islamic] terrorism in Denmark, the Ministry of Justice said.
It is interesting to note that the Danish bill (which is serving as the model for Sweden) does not single out Islam or the Koran by name, but rather seeks to protect from desecration “writings with significant religious importance for a recognized religious community.” By employing such generic wording that applies to and presumably protects every religious text and community — though everyone knows the law exists exclusively to protect the Muhammadan creed — the Scandinavians appear to have taken a play from the Islamic gamebook.
As it happens, the blasphemy laws of many Muslim nations do not officially protect Islam alone but extend to other religions. Egypt, for example, criminalizes the mockery of “heavenly” religions — namely Islam, Christianity, and Judaism — though the law is used almost exclusively to protect Islam. Muslim nations, and now Denmark and Sweden, pretend to protect all religions in order to appear neutral, not favoring this or that faith. Muslim nations also do it for their image: It’s better to appear to be interested in protecting the sanctity of all religions rather than as rabid fanatics who cannot tolerate criticism.
The Price of Appeasement
More importantly, in adopting what amounts to a “blasphemy” law, these Scandinavian nations are effectively declaring that they are not nations of principles, but rather ones willing to compromise their ethos to appease thugs. Remember, both of these nations once led the way in zealously defending free speech and expression. No more; now Scandinavian law is being dictated by non-Scandinavians.
What other native principles will need to be left by the wayside for the conquerors of Europe? As Inger Stojberg, leader of the anti-immigration Denmark Democrats party said in response to the “shariaizing” of Danish law: “History will judge us harshly for this and with good reason… What it all comes down to is whether a restriction on freedom of speech is determined by us or whether it is dictated from the outside [meaning the Muslim world and its globalist abettors].”
Supporters of these blasphemy laws insist that they have been promulgated for Scandinavia’s protection. Due to the burning of Korans in Denmark and Sweden, violence in and threats to Nordic nations have increased. Not only does this position ignore why Europeans are burning the Koran in the first place (because they abhor its violent teachings) and why Muslims are reacting with terrorism (because they uphold its violent teachings), but it is a fact that if the shoe was on the other foot, Scandinavia would not in any way, shape, or form capitulate its principles in the name of appeasement.
A Look Ahead
Imagine for a moment if an atheist or satanist burned a Bible in Denmark or Sweden (as many have), and throngs of Christians responded with violence and terrorism. Would Denmark and Sweden respond by banning the burning of the Bible, or would they pontificate about the importance of safeguarding freedom of expression, grandstand about how no religion can be singled out for preferential treatment, express zero tolerance, and arrest every last protesting or rioting Christian?
Some will say Christians do not react this way … but what if they did? Would Denmark and Sweden respond with appeasement or force? The answer should be as clear as day.
In retrospect, rather than ban the burning of the Koran, it seems that Scandinavia might have served itself better had it banned the Koran altogether.
What about America? Can the same types of bans come here?
It depends entirely on numbers: If and when America comes to host as many Muslims as Sweden and Denmark — meaning if and when Muslims are able to terrorize and intimidate Americans on a similar scale — U.S. politicians are very likely to adopt such sharia compliant bans, as they are every bit the unprincipled cowards on our shores that they are in Europe.
*Raymond Ibrahim, author of Defenders of the West and Sword and Scimitar, is the Distinguished Senior Shillman Fellow at the Gatestone Institute and the Judith Rosen Friedman Fellow at the Middle East Forum.

New NATO chief Rutte must hit the ground running
Luke Coffey/October 03, 2024
For the first time in more than a decade, NATO has a new secretary-general. Jens Stoltenberg from Norway this week stepped down and was replaced by Mark Rutte, the former prime minister of the Netherlands.
Rutte is an experienced statesman and has been a staunch defender of Ukraine. His home country, the Netherlands, also understands the consequences of Russian aggression. In July 2014, Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, departing from Amsterdam, was shot down over eastern Ukraine by a Russian air defense system. Of the 298 people killed, 193 were Dutch citizens. This tragedy has had a profound impact on the Netherlands.
However, despite Rutte’s credentials, his selection as secretary-general sparked some debate within NATO. Many in the alliance had hoped that the next secretary-general would be selected from one of NATO’s newer member states, particularly from Central or Eastern Europe. These regions are seen as more directly affected by recent geopolitical challenges and their inclusion in the leadership might have symbolized NATO’s new focus.
Moreover, at a time when burden-sharing and defense spending are pressing topics within the alliance, some critics found it unusual that the new secretary-general comes from a country that, until this year, failed to meet NATO’s minimum defense spending requirement of 2 percent of gross domestic product. This point of contention reflects the growing impatience within NATO regarding equitable contributions to collective defense.
Rutte certainly has big shoes to fill. During his decade-long tenure, Stoltenberg skillfully guided NATO through some of the most turbulent times in its history. When he assumed office in 2014, Russia had just invaded Ukraine for the first time, NATO had recently ended its combat operations in Afghanistan and only three of its member states were meeting the 2 percent of GDP defense spending requirement.
Many in the alliance had hoped the next secretary-general would be selected from one of NATO’s newer member states.
Under Stoltenberg’s leadership, NATO expanded by adding four new members and significantly increased its presence in Central and Eastern Europe, a move many thought impossible just a few years earlier. Defense spending within the alliance also grew consistently. Perhaps Stoltenberg’s most defining legacy is NATO’s response to Russia’s second invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, which saw the alliance rally in support of Kyiv, mobilizing military and humanitarian aid on an unprecedented scale.
Looking ahead, Rutte’s in-tray is already filled with pressing issues, with Ukraine at the very top. Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 has fundamentally altered the security landscape in Europe, marking the most significant shift in the continent’s security dynamics in more than 80 years. It has been a stark wake-up call for many across Europe, highlighting the need to take defense and security much more seriously. For NATO members in Central and Eastern Europe, Russia’s aggression represents an existential threat. Rutte himself has acknowledged that providing sustained support to Ukraine will likely be the most critical challenge of his tenure as secretary-general.
Another significant issue on Rutte’s plate is the question of burden-sharing in defense spending within NATO. This summer, 23 of NATO’s 32 members met the 2 percent of GDP target, a notable achievement compared to just a decade ago. Much of the increased spending comes from countries in Central and Eastern Europe that border Russia or feel most threatened by Moscow. However, more work remains to be done.
Large European economies such as Spain and Italy continue to maintain low levels of defense expenditure, well below the 2 percent benchmark. The same is true of Canada. If former President Donald Trump returns to the White House in 2025, there will likely be renewed and intensified pressure on European countries to further boost their defense budgets. During Trump’s first term, Stoltenberg was lauded for his ability to engage with the US president while simultaneously encouraging European allies to increase their military spending. It remains to be seen if Rutte will possess the same diplomatic skills and success in navigating this complex issue.
In addition to addressing defense spending, Rutte will need to expand NATO’s network of global relationships. The alliance has struggled to adapt to the newly emerging multipolar world that has replaced the bipolarity of the Cold War era. The deepening ties of Iran and North Korea with Russia, particularly in the context of the Ukraine war, exemplify how countries far from Europe can still significantly impact the security of the transatlantic community.
Rutte has acknowledged that providing sustained support to Ukraine will likely be the most critical challenge of his tenure.
China’s growing influence poses another challenge. Last year, NATO leaders declared China a “strategic enabler” of Russia’s war in Ukraine. As concerns over Beijing’s activities in Europe and the Indo-Pacific rise, NATO has stepped up its engagement with countries such as Australia, New Zealand, Japan and South Korea. It is likely that, under Rutte’s leadership, NATO will seek to further deepen its involvement in the Indo-Pacific.
Additionally, Rutte must focus on strengthening NATO’s relationships with the Middle East and North Africa. Iran’s increasingly aggressive behavior, combined with its provision of weapons to Moscow for use in Ukraine, highlights the importance of closer engagement between NATO and the MENA region. Enhanced cooperation with key regional actors should be a priority for Rutte.
All of this must be achieved against a complex political backdrop in the transatlantic community. Far-right parties, often sympathetic to or supportive of Russia’s worldview, have been gaining ground in countries such as Hungary and Slovakia. In Germany, far-right parties have seen success in recent local elections and there are growing concerns about the potential rise of far-right nationalist politicians in France. This trend presents a challenge for NATO.
Firstly, many of these far-right parties do not share the same commitment to NATO or to strong transatlantic relations as mainstream political groups. Secondly, NATO’s decision-making process requires unanimity, meaning any member state can block or stall important decisions. This has already created obstacles, particularly regarding NATO’s relationship with Ukraine.
As NATO celebrates its 75th anniversary, the alliance, which started with 12 members in 1949, has grown to 32 countries. Europe is facing its largest conflict since the Second World War and, with growing geopolitical uncertainty in both the Middle East and East Asia, the new secretary-general has no choice but to hit the ground running.
*Luke Coffey is a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute. X: @LukeDCoffey

Establishing Military Neutrality and the Frank Conversation the Lebanese Need to Have…
Hazem Saghieh/Asharq Al Awsat/October 03/ 2024
The Lebanese were perhaps turning the page on a chapter that began in 1982, following Israel’s invasion of the country and Hezbollah's emergence as an armed force.
This phase (42 years) of its brief history as an independent country (less than double that number) constituted the most violent existential threat to the survival of the Lebanese nation. However, the Lebanese are lying to themselves when they claim that the bitterness began with Hezbollah’s establishment and that with this chapter coming to an end, so will the reasons for their dispute over the meaning and nature of their political existence. We might arrive at a more accurate assessment if we see this party, its origins, and its role as having culminated our misfortunes rather than laying the foundations for them.
As is well known, Lebanon witnessed ferocious dispute in 1958 amid the rise of Nasserism, and it was then followed by even more ferocious clashes over the Palestinian resistance in 1975. Both episodes broke out before Hezbollah came into existence and the tragedies branched out of this existence, which could soon be crowned by the "limited" Israeli ground operation that might bring many surprises.
Common to all of these episodes is a refusal to see Lebanon as a country whose decisions are born of its people's conception of their interests. Instead, Lebanon is seen as an arena for conflicts that transcend it, ebbing and flowing to the rhythm of the struggle with Israel and the West. The proponents of the arena theory have always reflected the convergence of two streams of thought that dismiss the Lebanese nation-state; one is imperial and goes beyond the nation and its state, and the, other, communal and sectarian which is beneath the nation-state and less than it.
Adding to the bitterness, and making it more acute and noticeable, is that this theory is not innocent of blatantly and cynically exploiting the country. This exploitation was particularly flagrant under Hafez al-Assad, who firmly shut the Golan front and turned an armed Lebanon into a blood-soaked sponge that absorbed the contradictions of the Syrian regime. Then, with the Khomeinist regime’s emergence in Iran, Hezbollah equipped this theory with iron fangs. In the latest chapter of this abuse, we were threatened with droves of fighters from neighboring countries coming to "support us" (after similar droves had "supported" the Syrian people’s effort to ward off their "conspiracy" against themselves), the patent violation of sovereignty and entanglement of borders that this entails.
Egypt, which undoubtedly has the longest history and most firmly rooted traditions of statehood in the Arab world, offers an example that the Lebanese would do well to consider. Since 1978-79, some Egyptians have expressed their opposition to the Camp David Accords and the policies that sprung from them. However, no prominent voices in Egypt advocate canceling those accords if doing so would lead to a resumption of war. There are certainly no Egyptian forces willing to fight a civil war in order to annul them.
In the same sense, a stable Lebanon can continue to support the Palestinian people and their right to a state, criticize Israel's policies and tendencies, and offer whatever political, diplomatic, and media support it can to the Palestinians. However, plunging the country, time and again, into war or conflict for the sake of the Palestinian cause, or any cause described as one of "national liberation," is seen as a crime by many in Lebanon. Contrary to the claims of textbooks and ideological manuals, the Lebanese experience suggests nothing tears countries apart like what has been placed under the category of "national liberation." Moreover, the pretext of "Lebanon's Arab identity" has become extremely ineffective, especially since this Arabism they are championing has been abandoned and outdated since the 1980s. Glancing at the Arab countries today, or at the "Arab masses," one cannot fail to notice that those keen on war have become a species threatened with extinction. Even less coherent is the reasoning of those among Hezbollah's opponents who criticize it for “not resisting” Israel, while the immense calamity is that it is resisting while this resistance goes against the wishes and interests of most Lebanese citizens. Thus, the disaster does not stem from how it is resisting or the tools it is using to do so, resistance is itself the disaster amid the avoidance of political and diplomatic means. Lazy references to Vietnam and Algeria only add another layer of rust to the obsolescence.
Thus, ending the state of war, or its various states, cannot be complete or final without the abandonment of the arena theory and recognition of the fact that the nation must be militarily neutral in the face of external conflicts, thereby allowing us to go back to politics, retrieve our sovereignty, and allow the state and its democratic institutions to make decisions and maintain a monopoly on the means of violence. This is something that the Lebanese, across all sects, must candidly discuss to avoid finding themselves, sooner or later, faced with the same question and the same tragedy.
The current war has revealed, for the third time, that there are two irreconcilable forms of patriotism: one anchored in a particular homeland and another whose homeland is the cause or hostility to some enemy. It is healthy to avoid repressing these two notions or their contradiction through an artificial unity in a country that experience shows is still being founded and unfounded. If the two turn out to be irreconcilable, it would be better to announce the end of Lebanon and stop repeatedly spilling blood for slogans that have become destructive, tedious, hopeless, and vulnerable to exploitation by foreign powers. Those who wish to resist, over territory that is theirs alone, have the right to do so, even if they want to go as far as joyously dying as martyrs ‘on the path to Jerusalem.’ Those who do not wish to resist and decide to stay here with us, choosing instead to contribute to building a better country in a better world, have the right to do that as well.