English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For October 15/2024
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news

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Bible Quotations For today
Parable Of The The Widow & The judge who neither feared God nor had respect for people 
Luke 18/01-08: "Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart. He said, ‘In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor had respect for people. In that city there was a widow who kept coming to him and saying, "Grant me justice against my opponent." For a while he refused; but later he said to himself, "Though I have no fear of God and no respect for anyone, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will grant her justice, so that she may not wear me out by continually coming." ’And the Lord said, ‘Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long in helping them? I tell you, he will quickly grant justice to them. And yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?’"

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on October 14-15/2024
Elias Bejjani/Text & Video: The Epic Failure of Maarab Conference No. 2—Maronite Misery Defined by Geagea and Aoun
Elias Bejjani/Lebanese Christian Leadership: Subservient, Neutered, and Ignorant of Gratitude
Elias Bejjani/Text & Video: Honoring the Martyrs of October 13, 1990: Michel Aoun’s Betrayal of Their Sacrifice and Lebanon, as He Succumbs to the Illusions of Power and Wealth
UN Security Council voices 'strong concern' for UN peacekeepers after Israeli attacks
Netanyahu emphasizes Israel will continue striking Hezbollah across Lebanon, including Beirut
Israel Kills at Least 21 in Strike on Christian Town in North Lebanon
EU chief Borrell demands quicker condemnations to Israeli 'attacks' on UNIFIL
What types of deadly drones is Hezbollah using against Israel? - explainer
UNIFIL is ineffective and fails to fulfill its peacekeeping mission - opinion
Lebanon’s Politicians Should Be Careful/Tariq Al-Homayed/Asharq Al-Awsat/October 14/2024
‘Did We Make Lebanon Carry More than it Can Handle?/Ghassan Charbel/Asharq Al-Awsat/October 14/2024

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on October 14-15/2024
Dozens of pro-Palestinian protesters arrested outside New York Stock Exchange
Iranian spy cell busted: Shin Bet arrests two Israelis in assassination plot
After attack on central Israel, could a drone war escalate?
IDF names four fallen soldiers killed in Hezbollah attack on Golani Brigade base
Iran denies involvement in Hamas October 7 attack amid revelations of collaboration - analysis
China tells Israel, Iran it's worried about escalating regional violence
IDF, Shin Bet kill Hamas terrorist behind October 7 paraglider infiltrations
UK sanctions Iranian military figures following attack on Israel
EU targets top Iran officials and airlines, accusing them of supplying drones and missiles to Russia
UN refugee chief urges states to drop border controls even as displacement crises worsen
Israeli Forces Shoot Dead 2 Palestinians in West Bank
Netanyahu Agrees to Limit Strike on Iran, Washington Post Reports
Oil Extends Losses on Report Israel Won’t Target Iranian Crude
Irish FM Says Israel Is Trying to Stop the World from Seeing What Its Troops Are Doing

Titles For The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources on October 14-15/2024
OP-EDWhere Are We Now?/Charles Chartouni/This Is Beirut/October 14/2024
Prayers for Our Country...How Jews brought blessings for their government into their religious services/Jenna Weissman/The Tablet/October 14/2024
What is New York’s New ‘Abortion’ Amendment Hiding?/Maud Maron//The Tablet/October 14/2024
Persian fear: Iran nervous as Israel prepares retaliation for missile attack - editorial/Jerusalem Post/October 14/2024
President Biden Can Still Save the World in His Remaining Time in Office/Alan M. Dershowitz/Gatestone Institute/October 14, 2024
The Martyrs of Cordoba: Taking ‘Blame the Victim’ to Another Level/Raymond Ibrahim/The Stream/October 14, 2024
How Do We Build Immunity Against Israel?/Hazem Saghieh/Asharq Al-Awsat/October 14/2024
Al-Aqsa Flood: Militias Drown as the State Returns/Sam Menassa/Asharq Al-Awsat/October 14/2024
Selective English Tweets For October 14/2024

The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on October 14-15/2024
Elias Bejjani/Text & Video:  The Epic Failure of Maarab Conference No. 2—Maronite Misery Defined by Geagea and Aoun
Elias Bejjani, October 14, 2024
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2024/10/135690/
Let’s cut to the chase: the second Maarab Conference held last Saturday was a colossal failure, just like the first. It was a disgrace to the alienated Christian leadership, disconnected from the realities unfolding in Lebanon and across the Middle East. The sole purpose of the conference was not to address the concerns of Lebanon, its people, or the Christian presence under Iranian occupation. Nor did it focus on the ongoing war between Hezbollah and Israel, or the disasters plaguing the nation. What Geagea sought, and will never achieve, is the fulfillment of his grandiose delusion of being the "one and only Christian leader." This delusion has blinded him for years, and because of it, untold catastrophes have befallen the Christians. Let us not forget that he seized the leadership of the Lebanese Forces Party (LF) through violence, without ever being elected to that position.
It is evident that this so-called conference achieved nothing but exposing Geagea's illusions. There will be no presidency, no first lady, and it’s time to wake up from these delusional daydreams. His obsessive hallucinations will likely lead him to call for a third Maarab Conference soon, driven by the same baseless fantasy of being the "sole Christian leader." Those who fail to learn from their mistakes are doomed to repeat them.
On the other side, Aoun, his son-in-law, and their opportunistic herd held prayers for the martyrs of October 13, 1990—the very martyrs they betrayed. It was Aoun and his cronies who jumped over their blood, forming alliances with those who killed them. Aoun and his son-in-law and their herd of puppets, just like Geagea, live in a distorted reality and stuck in a 1990 déjà vu, as if they were still in the presidential palace.
A Brief on Samir Geagea’s Failures
Geagea lacks any vision, and in every pivotal moment, his decisions have been blind and destructive for the Christians. Some examples include: the execution of two men he falsely accused of trying to assassinate him, his participation in the killing of Tony Frangieh, his surrender of the Lebanese Forces’ weapons, his drowning in the Taif Agreement, his idiotic alliance of mutual personal interest with Aoun, his election of Aoun for presidency, and his failure to flee during the Syrian occupation and stupidly go willingly to prison  (even Christ fled multiple times). He even extended condolences in Qardaha over Basil al-Assad’s death, abandoned the South Lebanon Army members, and showed cowardice in defending them. His hypocrisy knows no bounds, claiming Hezbollah’s martyrs are like those of the Lebanese Forces, while also falsely stating that Hezbollah liberated the South when he knows Israel withdrew by internal decision. His shameless flattery of Hezbollah's MPs, calling them Lebanese representatives of the Shiites, while in reality, Hezbollah holds the Shiite population hostage and imposes its MPs by force. He opposed the Orthodox electoral law and sidelined every intellectual in his circle. All this, coupled with his narcissistic delusion of being the "sole Christian leader," leads to a total lack of leadership and vision.
In conclusion, All Maronites' Failures, Disasters, and Downfalls since 1986 are the Direct Products of Aoun & Geagea's Narcissistic and Blind Agendas"

Lebanese Christian Leadership: Subservient, Neutered, and Ignorant of Gratitude
Elias Bejjani / October 13, 2024
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2024/10/135609/
Nothing has destroyed Arab societies, their nations, and Lebanon more than the ignorant and foolish phrase: "No voice is louder than the voice of battle."
This unfortunate and self-destructive slogan has for years concealed the deep existential problems eating away at the Lebanese state, allowing Hezbollah, the armed, sectarian, and terrorist Iranian armed proxy to expand, take control of the country, and turn it into a military base for Iranian arms, a battlefield for its wars, and a launch pad for its destructive expansionist evil project. Hezbollah was left free to roam under the "mafia-militia" equation (the mafia covering corruption, the militia covering weapons and occupation), creating a culture of fear, submission, surrender, and Dhimmitude. It suppressed, through force, assassinations, and fabricated judicial cases, any attempt to confront its terror that has been choking Lebanon and its people for more than 40 years.
In the midst of this ongoing war between Hezbollah and Israel that is burning and destroying our homeland and displacing our people, we must speak honestly and loudly, without fear: Hezbollah is not just a threat to Lebanon; it is a plague that has infiltrated every corner of the Lebanese societies, oppressing our people, particularly Christians, and assassinating Lebanese leaders who stand against it.
Whether we like Israel or not, it is currently the only force capable of facing this enormous challenge, dismantling Hezbollah's leadership, and breaking its terrorist network. No other power in the world has the military capability or strategic interest to accomplish this mission. Yet, many Lebanese Christian leaders, driven by Dhimmitude and foolishness, continue to show vile ingratitude, attacking Israel with empty rhetoric, labeling it  "enemy" "barbaric" and "criminal." etc
These leaders, whether secular or religious, are betraying their own people by failing to recognize the importance of what Israel is doing to liberate Lebanon from Hezbollah’s occupation and threat.
This is not just about regional politics; it is a matter of Lebanon’s survival and existence, especially for the Christians, whom Hezbollah has systematically targeted for decades in an effort to uproot them. Hezbollah's terrorism, arrogance, and depravity have turned Christians into second-class citizens in their own country, forced to live under the threat of violence, coerced into submission, and stripped of their political power in governance.
In 1982, when Bachir Gemayel was assassinated, we, as Christians and Lebanese in general, lost our greatest chance to reclaim Lebanon from the forces that sought its destruction. Now, 42 years later, we are at another critical crossroads in our history.
Instead of seizing this opportunity and aligning with the only force—Israel—that can destroy Hezbollah, Lebanese Christian leaders are once again proving themselves to be neutered and subservient, unable to break free from the mentality and culture of Dhimmitude that has enslaved them. These leaders, in their foolishness, continue to appease Hezbollah, standing idly by while Israel does the hard work of dismantling a terrorist organization that has brought nothing but pain and destruction to Lebanon and its people.
This is not just cowardice; it is a betrayal of the Lebanese people, especially Christians, who deserve to live freely, like other Lebanese, in a sovereign and independent nation.
If these Christian leaders had any dignity or vision, they would stop their pointless and foolish attacks on Israel and start showing gratitude for what is being done to free Lebanon from the grip of the Iranian militia.
History will not forgive those who, at the moment of Hezbollah's fall, chose cowardice over courage, and ingratitude over the duty to acknowledge the favor.
The chance to reclaim Lebanon from the jaws of Iran and its terrorist proxy, Hezbollah, is now. Israel is offering us this final opportunity. Let us not repeat the mistake we made in 1982; this may be our last chance to restore our homeland and live in peace.

Elias Bejjani/Text & Video: Honoring the Martyrs of October 13, 1990: Michel Aoun’s Betrayal of Their Sacrifice and Lebanon, as He Succumbs to the Illusions of Power and Wealth
Elias Bejjani / October 13, 2024
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2024/10/112651/
For our fallen heroes who sacrificed themselves at the altar of Lebanon on October 13, 1990, we offer our prayers and renew our pledge to live with our heads held high, so that Lebanon remains a homeland of dignity and pride, a beacon of truth, the cradle of civility, and a melting pot of culture and civilizations.
From our deeply rooted history, we know without a shred of doubt that patriotic and faithful Lebanese, with God on their side, wielding truth as their weapon and faith as their fortress, shall never be defeated.
On October 13, 1990, the barbaric Syrian Army, along with treacherous local mercenaries, launched a savage attack, occupying the Lebanese presidential palace and invading the last remaining free regions of Lebanon. Hundreds of Lebanese soldiers and innocent civilians were brutally murdered, their bodies mutilated. Tens of soldiers, officers, clergymen, politicians, and citizens were kidnapped, while a puppet regime, fully controlled by Syria's intelligence headquarters in Damascus, was installed.
Though the Syrian Army was forced to withdraw in 2005 following UNSC Resolution 1559, Lebanon has since been occupied by the Iranian proxy, Hezbollah. This terrorist militia has crippled Lebanon, turning it into an Iranian battleground and impeding the Lebanese people from reclaiming their independence, freedom, and sovereignty. Hezbollah’s crimes, wars, and terror have dismantled Lebanon's institutions, public and private alike, while entrenching the country in poverty and chaos.
We must never forget that on October 13, 1990, the Lebanese presidential palace in Baabda and the free regions were desecrated by Syrian Baathist gangs, mafias, militias, and mercenaries. Our valiant army soldiers were tortured and butchered in Bsous, Aley, Kahale, and other bastions of resistance. Lebanon's most precious possession, its freedom, was raped in broad daylight while the world, including the Arab nations, watched in silence.
The memory of the massacre fills us with sorrow for those we lost and for the many who fled to distant corners of the world. Entire lifetimes of work were erased overnight; villages and towns were destroyed, factories closed, fields dried up, and children lost their innocence. Yet we, the patriotic and faithful Lebanese, remain resilient. Despite the pain and sacrifice, we are more determined than ever to reclaim our freedom and bring to justice those who have betrayed our nation since 1976.
The lessons of October 13, 1990, are numerous and glorious. The free Lebanese—civilians, military personnel, ordinary citizens, and leaders alike—stood tall, resisting the invaders with valor and courage. They wrote epics of resistance in their own blood, refusing to sign agreements of surrender or bow to oppression. They spoke out against the shame of capitulation, ensuring that their legacy will be remembered by future generations.
Today, as we commemorate the Syrian invasion of Lebanon’s free regions, we pray for the souls of those who fell in battle, for those still unjustly imprisoned in Syria’s dungeons, for the safe return of our refugees from Israel, and for peace to return to our homeland. We also pray for the repentance of Lebanon’s leaders, who, for personal gain, have betrayed their people, abandoned their convictions, and sided with the Axis of Evil (Syria and Iran) through their alliance with Hezbollah.
Despite the Syrian military’s withdrawal in 2005, old and new Syrian-made Lebanese puppets continue to manipulate public opinion, taking advantage of economic hardships and the absence of law and order. Thanks to Iranian petro dollars, their consciences are numb, their pockets filled. Among them is General Michel Aoun, who, after returning from exile in 2005, transformed from a staunch advocate for Lebanon's freedom into an ally of Syria and Iran, shamelessly parroting the Axis of Evil’s agenda.
General Aoun, like the rest of the pro-Syrian-Iranian politicians, cares only for his position, family, and personal interests. To the patriotic Lebanese, Aoun and his ilk are nothing but tools of destruction, perpetuating Lebanon's instability, thwarting the return of peace, and undermining international efforts, particularly UNSC Resolutions 1559 and 1701. These traitorous leaders are hired by foreign powers to keep Lebanon, the land of the Holy Cedars, an arena for proxy wars, a breeding ground for hatred, terrorism, and fundamentalism.
Our martyrs, both living and dead, must be rolling in their graves as they witness leaders like Michel Aoun betray everything they once stood for. Aoun has reversed all his principles, aligning himself with the very forces that invaded free Lebanon on October 13, 1990. He has selectively forgotten who he is and abandoned the cause he once championed. As we commemorate this year, we honor the memory of the hundreds who sacrificed their lives for Lebanon’s freedom, dignity, and identity. We raise our prayers for the souls of the martyrs and for the safe return of our prisoners still held in Syrian dungeons. We seek consolation for their families, hoping their sacrifices were not in vain, despite the shameful betrayal of leaders and politicians who have joined the killers they once fought against.
What saddens us most is the continued suffering of our refugees in Israel, whose plight remains unresolved due to the servitude of Lebanese leaders. Instead of taking responsibility, these leaders have betrayed the cause of Lebanon, labeling our heroic southern refugees as criminals to appease their alliances with extremists. These refugees are the true Lebanese patriots, who did nothing wrong but simply fought for 30 years to defend their land, their homes, and their dignity against the onslaught of Syria, fundamentalist militias, and even renegade factions of the Lebanese Army.
God bless the souls of our martyrs. Long live Lebanon

UN Security Council voices 'strong concern' for UN peacekeepers after Israeli attacks
Edith M. Lederer/The Associated Press/October 14, 2024
The U.N. Security Council expressed “strong concern” Monday as Israel has fired on and wounded U.N. peacekeepers in southern Lebanon during intensified fighting, reiterating its support for their role in supporting security in the region. It's the first statement by the U.N.’s most powerful body since Israel's attacks on the positions of the peacekeeping force known as UNIFIL began last week, drawing international condemnation. U.N. peacekeeping chief Jean-Marie Lacroix told reporters that Secretary-General António Guterres confirmed Monday that peacekeepers will remain in all their positions even as Israel has urged the peacekeepers to move 5 kilometers (3 miles) north during its ground invasion in Lebanon. Israel has been escalating its campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon across a U.N.-drawn boundary between the two countries. The sides have been clashing since the Iranian-backed militant group started firing rockets a year ago in solidarity with its ally Hamas in Gaza. Hamas' deadly attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, launched the war. The Security Council statement, issued after emergency closed consultations on Lebanon, did not name either Israel, Lebanon or Hezbollah. Read by Swiss U.N. Ambassador Pascale Baeriswyl, the council's current president, it urges all parties “to respect the safety and security of UNIFIL personnel and U.N. premises.”The 15-member Security Council has been deeply divided over the war in Gaza, with the United States defending its ally Israel as support for the Palestinians has grown among members and casualties have escalated. The Biden administration has become more critical of civilian deaths as well as the recent attacks on UNIFIL.
US. deputy ambassador Robert Wood told reporters that “it’s good that the council can speak with one voice on what’s on the minds of all people around the world right now — and it’s the situation in Lebanon.”The council's statement sends a message to the Lebanese people “that the council cares, that the council is watching this issue and that the council today spoke with one voice,” Wood said.Council members also expressed “deep concern” at civilian casualties and suffering, the destruction of civilian infrastructure and the rising number of internally displaced people. More than 1,400 people in Lebanon, including civilians, medics and Hezbollah fighters, have been killed and 1.2 million displaced in the past month. Around 60 Israelis have been killed in Hezbollah strikes in the past year. Israel says it wants to drive the militant group away from the border so some 60,000 displaced Israelis can return to their homes.
The Security Council statement called on all parties to abide by international humanitarian law, which requires the protection of civilians. Council members also called for the full implementation of Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war “and recognized the need for further practical measures to achieve that outcome.”That resolution calls for the Lebanese army to deploy throughout the south and for all armed groups, including Hezbollah, to be disarmed — neither of which has happened in the past 18 years. Lacroix, the undersecretary-general for peace operations, told reporters after his closed briefing to the Security Council that five UNIFIL peacekeepers have been injured in recent days and that the U.N. has protested to Israel. Israel has indicated “investigations will be carried out regarding some of these incidents ... and we will see what comes out of this,” he said. Israeli Army spokesman Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani asserted Sunday that Israel has tried to maintain constant contact with UNIFIL and that any instance of U.N. forces being harmed will be investigated at “the highest level.”Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called for UNIFIL to heed Israel’s warnings to evacuate, accusing them of “providing a human shield” to Hezbollah. “We regret the injury to the UNIFIL soldiers, and we are doing everything in our power to prevent this injury. But the simple and obvious way to ensure this is simply to get them out of the danger zone,” he said Sunday in a video addressed to the U.N. secretary-general, who has been banned from entering Israel. Lacroix on Monday stressed that all parties have a responsibility to ensure the safety and security of the peacekeepers. He also said it’s important that the peacekeepers stay in their positions “because we all hope there will be a return to the negotiation table, and that there will be finally a real effort to full implementation of resolution 1701.”
Edith M. Lederer, The Associated Press

Netanyahu emphasizes Israel will continue striking Hezbollah across Lebanon, including Beirut
Jerusalem Post/October 14/2024
"I want to make it clear: we will continue to hit Hezbollah mercilessly in all parts of Lebanon - also in Beirut," Netanyahu stated. The IDF will continue to strike Hezbollah in Beirut and anywhere in Lebanon, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said amid reports that Israel had ceded to a US request to constrain aerial attacks in Lebanon's capital. "I want to make it clear: we will continue to hit Hezbollah mercilessly in all parts of Lebanon - also in Beirut," Netanyahu stated. Such strikes will take place "according to operational considerations. We have proven this in the past period, and we will continue to prove it in the coming days as well," Netanyahu stated. His statement followed two briefings from senior Israeli sources that dismissed multiple media reports about a US request that Israel stop attacking Hezbollah targets in Beirut. Their words echoed those that Netanyahu uttered during a visit Monday to the Golani base near Binyamina that suffered a Hezbollah drone attack on Sunday in which 63 soldiers were injured and four killed. A source familiar with the issue told The Jerusalem Post, however, that the United States was unhappy with the IDF strikes in Beirut, even though it supported Israel's right to defend itself against Hezbollah. International community urges protection for UN peacekeepers. Defense sources said that there was an effort to reduce activity in Beirut. KAN news reported that a directive not to strike in Beirut came directly from the Prime Minister's Office on Friday after an IDF strike against the capital Thursday. The two airstrikes killed 22 people and wounded 117, Lebanese health authorities said. The IDF has not operated aerially in Beirut since then. According to KAN, any strikes in Beirut need the approval of the Prime MMinister'sOffice. Netanyahu, on Monday night, held security consultations in the Defense Ministry. US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin spoke with Defense Minster Yoav Gallant on Sunday night, the third such conversation since Thursday. Gallant stressed the"need to pivot from military operations in Lebanon to a diplomatic pathway," the Pentagon said.
Austin also" reinforced the importance of Israel taking all necessary measures to ensure the safety and security of United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) forces and Lebanese Armed Forces," the Pentagon stated. Gallant, according to his office," highlighted the severity of the attack and the forceful response that would be taken against Hezbollah." He also reiterated the measures Israel has taken to coordinate with UNIFIL and avoid harming its troops. The United States and the international community have been outraged over IDF strikes, which have hit UNIFIL compounds, injuring some of the peacekeepers. Italy, Britain, France, and Germany issued a joint statement on Monday in support of UNIFIL. In a joint statement, the four nations reaffirmed" "the essential stabilizing role" played by UNIFIL in southern Lebanon, adding that Israel and other parties had to ensure the safety of the peacekeepers at all times. The UNIFIL mission, which includes hundreds of European soldiers, has said it has repeatedly come under attack from the Israeli military in recent days. Israel has called on the UN to move peacekeeping troops out of the area as it targets Hezbollah forces. The UN has insisted that the peacekeepers must remain at their posts.
Reuters contributed to this report.

Israel Kills at Least 21 in Strike on Christian Town in North Lebanon
Asharq Al-Awsat/October 14/2024
Israel expanded its targets in its war with Hezbollah fighters in Lebanon on Monday, killing at least 21 people in an airstrike in the north, health officials said, while millions of Israelis took shelter from projectiles fired back across the border. So far the main focus of Israel's military operations in Lebanon has been in the south, the Bekaa Valley in the east and the suburbs of Beirut. The strike in the Christian-majority town of Aitou hit a house that had been rented to displaced families, the town's mayor Joseph Trad told Reuters. In addition to the deaths, eight people were injured, the Lebanese health ministry said. Local television aired footage of the aftermath of the attack in Aitou, showing rescue workers searching through piles of rubble and medics lifting a victim, wrapped in white shroud, into an ambulance. Burned vehicles and trees were strewn across the site of the strike, and thick smoke rose into the air. Israel ordered residents of 25 villages in southern Lebanon to evacuate to areas north of the Awali River, which flows some 60 km (35 miles) north of the Israeli frontier. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, visiting the military base in central Israel where four soldiers were killed on Sunday by a Hezbollah drone strike, said Israel would continue to attack the Iran-backed movement "without mercy, everywhere in Lebanon – including Beirut". At the Masnaa border crossing with Syria, Jalal Ferhat, his wife and five children were among those offloading belongings from buses, hoping to leave Lebanon.
"There are strikes in our neighborhood and destruction, and they (Israeli forces) hit near my house," said Ferhat, 40, from Baalbek, a Hezbollah stronghold in eastern Lebanon. "I have children, you can't just stay where you are. We tried going to another place...we had to leave again." In central Israel, residents rushed to shelters as sirens sounded. The military said three projectiles that had crossed from Lebanon had been intercepted. No injuries were reported. The conflict between Israel and Hezbollah resumed a year ago when the armed group began firing rockets at Israel in support of Palestinian militants Hamas at the start of the Gaza war, and has escalated sharply in recent weeks. Israeli strikes have killed at least 2,309 people in Lebanon over the last year, the Lebanese government said in its daily update. The majority have been killed since late September when Israel expanded its military campaign. The toll does not distinguish between civilians and combatants.Israel says its operations in Lebanon are aimed at securing the return of tens of thousands of people displaced from their homes in northern Israel.
ISRAEL AT ODDS WITH UN PEACEKEEPERS
The Israeli military said it had killed Muhammad Kamel Naim, commander of the anti-tank missile unit of Hezbollah's elite Radwan Force, in a strike in the Nabatieh area of south Lebanon. Hezbollah did not immediately comment. The operations come amid tensions between Israel and the UN peacekeeping force UNIFIL in south Lebanon, as Israel keeps pushing forces through the area in an attempt to wipe out Hezbollah and its military infrastructure while it also battles Hamas in Gaza. The UN said Israeli tanks had burst into its base on Sunday, the latest allegations of Israeli violations against peacekeeping forces. Israel disputed the UN account and Netanyahu said UNIFIL were providing "human shields" for Hezbollah, an allegation Hezbollah denies. Meanwhile, the entire Middle East remains on high alert for Israel to retaliate against Iran for an Oct. 1 barrage of missiles launched in response to Israel's assaults on Lebanon.
The Pentagon said on Sunday it would send US troops to Israel along with an advanced US anti-missile system. On Monday, the US embassy in Lebanon strongly encouraged its citizens to leave "now", warning that additional flights laid on by the government to help US citizens leave since Sept. 27 would not continue indefinitely. The Israeli military took foreign journalists into southern Lebanon on Sunday and showed them a Hezbollah tunnel shaft that was less than 200 meters away (650 feet) from a UNIFIL position, as well as weapon stashes that the troops found.
"We are actually standing in a military base of Hezbollah very close to the UN," Brigadier General Yiftach Norkin said, pointing to the shaft's trapdoor in an area covered by undergrowth and overlooked by a UN observation post. Since announcing its ground operation near the border, the Israeli military says that it has destroyed dozens of Hezbollah tunnel shafts, rocket launchers and command posts. UNIFIL has said previous Israeli attacks limited its monitoring abilities and UN sources say they fear any violations of international law in the conflict will be impossible to monitor.
European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said EU member states had taken too long to condemn Israel's attacks on UNIFIL soldiers, describing them as "completely unacceptable".
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez urged EU members to respond to a request by Madrid and Ireland to suspend the bloc's free trade agreement with Israel over its attacks in Lebanon and Gaza. EU countries, led by Italy, France and Spain, have thousands of troops in the 10,000-strong peacekeeping mission.

EU chief Borrell demands quicker condemnations to Israeli 'attacks' on UNIFIL
Reuters/October 14/2024
"We should be against Israeli attacks against UNIFIL. Our soldiers are there, many soldiers are there," said Borrell, speaking at an EU ministerial meeting in Luxembourg. The European Union condemns all attacks against United Nations missions, the union's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said in a response to targeting of the UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon, known as UNIFIL, by the Israel Defence Forces. "Such attacks against UN peacekeepers constitute a grave violation of international law and are totally unacceptable. These attacks must stop immediately," Borrell said in a statement on behalf of the EU published Sunday night. "The EU condemns all attacks against UN missions," Borrell said.
Demanding condemnations of Israel
The European Union's member states have taken too long to condemn Israel's attacks on UNIFIL soldiers in Lebanon, the European Union's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Monday, describing the attacks as "completely unacceptable." "We should be against Israeli attacks against UNIFIL. Our soldiers are there, many soldiers are there," added Borrell, speaking at an EU ministerial meeting in Luxembourg. EU countries, led by Italy, France and Spain, have thousands of troops in the 10,000-strong peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon, which has said it has repeatedly come under attack from Israeli forces in recent days. Israel has called on the United Nations to move the troops out of the combat zone

What types of deadly drones is Hezbollah using against Israel? - explainer
Jerusalem Post/October 14/2024
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-824520
As drone attacks become more deadly, it’s worth asking what is known about the types of drones that Hezbollah and Iranian proxies are using in their attacks.
In its deadliest drone attack in 12 months, a Hezbollah unmanned aerial vehicle killed four soldiers on a training base near Binyamina. The attack also critically wounded seven others and injured dozens more. In recent months, drone attacks against Israel have become more deadly and more serious. For instance, in July, a Houthi UAV struck Tel Aviv. A drone attack targeting the Golan in early October claimed the lives of two soldiers and wounded 24 others. In addition, Hezbollah launched two drones targeting Herzliya during Yom Kippur, with one striking a building.
As the UAV attacks become more deadly, it’s worth asking: what is known about the types of drones that Hezbollah and Iranian proxies are using in their attacks? Estimates suggest that Hezbollah possesses over 2,000 drones of various types and continues to acquire and build them.
It has carried out several hundred UAV attacks on Israel since October 2023. Most of these involve kamikaze drones that are basically made up of a long tube-like fuselage and a warhead at the front of the tube, with a propeller at the back. Hezbollah drones appear to have a range that can reach Tel Aviv.
Observation drones
Hezbollah has deployed various types of UAVs to conduct surveillance. While the full range of Hezbollah’s UAVs remains unknown, it is likely that the terrorist group utilizes commercial quadcopter drones in addition to other small drones capable of filming video and gathering intelligence. It has used these to fly over IDF bases in the Galilee and the Golan, and Hezbollah has twice released footage taken from its surveillance drones.
Kamikaze drones
The concept of using a drone as a kamikaze weapon is relatively new. Initially, Iran and Hezbollah used drones for surveillance. When they sought to put munitions on the UAVs, just as the US put missiles on the Predator drone, they ran into challenges. It’s difficult to navigate a drone with a munition where you need a man-in-the-loop to drop the bomb or launch the missile from the UAV. It usually means having some kind of communications link, like satellites and other technology that Hezbollah does not have access to. That would limit Hezbollah to line-of-sight control of its drones if it tried to put weapons on them. The simple solution for Iran and Hezbollah was to simply turn the drone into a weapon, similar to a cruise missile. These types of UAVs are called “loitering munitions.” This is because they are “munitions,” but unlike a cruise missile, they can fly in a pattern and “loiter” over a target. Hezbollah drones don’t necessarily have all these capabilities. They are unlikely to be able to fly in circles and “loiter” because it is not likely that there is a person guiding them. More likely, they are pre-programmed with a flight path and destination. Hezbollah collects intelligence on sites it wants to attack and then launches UAVs with a flight path to attack the site. The drone is on a one-way mission and if it doesn’t hit its target, it will hit something nearby. It must be shot down before impact.
The Houthis and Iraqi militias that are backed by Iran have all acquired various types of these one-way attack drones. The Iraqi militias have used drones to target US forces, including a CIA hanger in Erbil and also US soldiers in Jordan.
Mirsad-1 and Mirsad-2
The Mirsad family of UAVs is based on Iranian drone types called the Ababil and Mohajer. The Ababil and Mohajer both are part of larger families of Iranian drones. Hezbollah acquired these types of drones decades ago and then refined them for their own use. Photos of the Mirsad generally show it with a long tube-like fuselage and longer wings at the back, compared to shorter wings at the front.
Depending on the type being used, the Mirsad may carry up to 40 kg. of munitions and has a range of some 120 km. This would have given it the capability to carry out the attack on October 13. The Mirsad-1 type of UAV is based on the Ababil-T, which was developed in Iran. The Mirsad-2, which Hezbollah has used, looks more like a small airplane with a double-tail section and is modeled on the Mohajer-4 Iranian drone. Ababil
Hezbollah has also used Iranian UAV types, such as the Ababil. It has sometimes repackaged them or changed them to create local models. The Ababil itself has gone through many changes as the Iranians modernized it. One version is six meters long with longer wings in the back, shorter wings in the front, and a propeller at the end of the fuselage and is launched from the back of a truck.
The Ababil-T version of this drone appears to be the export version that later became the Hezbollah Mirsad and also the Houthi Qasef-1 drone. This means that once Iran happened upon this model of the Ababil, it realized it could be easily built by its proxies.
The Ababil-T has a similar range and munition payload as the Mirsad that Hezbollah likely copied from it, meaning it has a 40 kg. munition payload and range of between 100 and 120 km., as well as a flight speed of up to 370 kph. The Alma Research and Education Center says this UAV is the main one in Hezbollah’s arsenal.
Shahed
The main Iranian export model of kamikaze drones today is the Shahed-136. This drone weighs around 200 kg. and has up to a 50 kg. warhead. It has a wingspan of 2.5 meters and is around 3.5 meters long. It has a significant range, estimated to exceed 2,000 km. The Shahed-136 was first spotted in Yemen in January 2021. It was also exported to Russia for use against Ukraine in the war that began in 2022. As such, the Shahed-136 became the workhorse of Iran and its proxies in spreading terror. The Shahed can be moved around in a shipping container and is easy to launch. It has a design similar to a large flying V with a delta-wing shape and is equipped with an engine at the back and a warhead at the front. The relatively simple design and ease of transport make it ideal for groups such as Hezbollah.
Evidence from drone attacks on Israel
It is not always easy to figure out what type of UAV was used in an attack by Hezbollah or other Iranian proxies. Sometimes images of the drone can be seen prior to the strike. For instance, the Houthi drone that struck Tel Aviv in July was caught on video flying over the water. It looked like a small plane with what seemed to be a long wing and a loud propeller at the back. The Houthis published a video of this UAV, which seems to show a drone several meters long with a wing like an airplane and then a tail that has two small stabilizers that are at angles to the aircraft rather than sticking out horizontally. This kind of tail section is similar to the US Reaper and other drones. A similar tail section was seen on a video of a drone flying over Herzliya on Yom Kippur. This means that the design types of many of these drones have become similar among the Iranian proxies. By contrast, the UAV that struck Arab el-Aramsha in April was also caught on video and looks like an Iranian Ababil-T with a large tail and smaller wings in the front.
Karrar and other types of Hezbollah drones
According to reports at the Alma Center, the terrorist group Hezbollah has likely acquired other drones as part of its 2,000-drone arsenal. “We estimate that Hezbollah most likely has additional advanced UAV models, such as the ‘Mohajer,’ ‘Shahed,’ and ‘Samed’ (KAS-04), ‘Karrar,’ and ‘Saegheh’ types.”
According to Israel Hayom, “the Karrar is an Iranian-made drone based on the American jet-powered Striker drone. The Karrar is a kind of “poor man’s fighter jet” because it combines suicide attack capabilities, bomb dropping, and even air-to-air missile launches against aircraft. Its range is relatively long, and Hezbollah apparently attempted to use it during the Syrian civil war.” A study by CNN also said that Hezbollah likely has the Quds Yasir type of drone with a 200 km. range. This strange-looking aircraft basically consists of one large wing that is several meters long with a short fuselage.
CNN also says that Hezbollah has the Shahed-129, which may have a 2,000 km. range. Originally, the Iranians developed this UAV as a copy of the Israeli Hermes 450, which is the workhorse of the Israeli drone fleet. Later models show this drone also has a V-shaped stabilizer at the tail and looks similar to a US Predator or other similar types of drones that basically resemble small airplanes.

UNIFIL is ineffective and fails to fulfill its peacekeeping mission - opinion
Neville Teller/Jerusalem Post/October 14/2024
Having failed notably over decades to fulfill its peacekeeping mission, UNIFIL now has units scattered across a battlefield and has turned into a liability.  ‘The force has repeatedly failed its mission and squandered its credibility” – that is the uncompromising verdict on UNIFIL in the Washington Institute for Near East Policy’s paper of August 24, 2024.The supreme irony of the situation lies in the very title of the body – the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon. Never was an organization less interim than UNIFIL. Today, 46 years after it was established by the UN Security Council, it is still in place. Originally a 4,500-strong peacekeeping mission, it now comprises some 10,000 troops drawn from 50 countries. And, irony upon irony, the one thing the interim force has failed to do throughout its 46 years is keep the peace. A glance at the map of Lebanon shows the Litani River running north to south down the country, and then taking a sharp right-hand turn toward the Mediterranean. The territory lying between the river and the Lebanon-Israel border to its south, varying in width between six and 28 km., is where the numerous UNIFIL bases are located. Expelled from Jordan in 1970, the PLO under Yasser Arafat settled in Lebanon. It took control of the southern region, turned it into a militarized zone, and used it as a base for attacking Israel.  On March 11, 1978, a PLO group landed by sea near Tel Aviv and hijacked a bus on the Coastal Highway. They then went on a shooting rampage, killing 38 Israeli civilians, including 13 children, and wounding over 70 others. Three days later, Israel invaded Lebanon in an effort to push the PLO back over the Litani and away from its northern border. In response, the UN Security Council (UNSC) called on Israel to withdraw and set up UNIFIL. Its remit was to confirm Israel’s withdrawal, restore peace and security, and assist Lebanon’s government regain effective authority in the south – a rather difficult aspiration, since Lebanon was then three years into its long-running civil war, a power struggle between Shi’ite and Sunni Muslims, Christians, and Palestinians.
Following the arrival of UNIFIL, Israel withdrew from most of the territory it had occupied. It left its Christian militia allies, the South Lebanon Army (SLA), in control of a strip of territory well south of the Litani River, in which they established a “security zone.” They maintained this until Israel’s full withdrawal from Lebanon in 2000.
UNIFIL 'incapable of exercising any control'
Despite the presence of UNIFIL, which seemed incapable of exercising any sort of control, the PLO quickly reestablished itself south of the Litani, and continued launching cross-border attacks and rocket fire into northern Israel. In response, Israel conducted air raids and artillery strikes on Palestinian positions. Then, on June 3, 1982, in the center of London, a breakaway Palestinian terrorist group attempted to assassinate the Israeli ambassador to the UK, Shlomo Argov. He was critically injured and was in a coma for three months. The incident was sufficient to trigger a large-scale military operation against the PLO, undertaken in coordination with Lebanese Christian militias.

Lebanon’s Politicians Should Be Careful
Tariq Al-Homayed/Asharq Al-Awsat/October 14/2024
Accusations of betrayal and a barrage of insults have been hurled at anyone who cautioned Hamas, specifically Yahya Sinwar, since the war in Gaza began following the events of October 7th. Today, everyone is aware that we have lost our chance to salvage what could have been salvaged.
Today, the fear that Lebanon could face the same fate. No missed opportunity to save Lebanon, as a state and a political entity, is likely to present itself again in the future. The offers Lebanon rejects today will be difficult to obtain tomorrow, and delays will bring only destruction to Lebanon and the Lebanese.
This is not hyperbole, nor is it fear mongering. It is a warning. Despite their gravity, the developments currently unfolding in Lebanon are liable to aggravate, and we have not even seen half of what had been expected. This is not speculation but a measured, cold read on reality.
This reading is based on what Netanyahu has done and is doing in Gaza, and now in Lebanon, specifically against Hezbollah, as well as what Netanyahu has done and is doing in Iran. Moreover, the international community approves of this; it is not incapacitated, as some claim.
The events of October 7th, as many now realize, albeit late on, were Israel’s 9/11. That attack in 2001 sparked two wars and brought down two regimes. This seems to be the conclusion that the West, specifically Washington, has reached.
Today, everyone in the West believes that Netanyahu has managed, for example, to eliminate most of Washington’s high-value Hezbollah targets. These painful blows could crush Tehran’s proxies in Lebanon and Syria, a goal that the West had been unable to achieve.
Everyone sees an opportunity today to restore Lebanon, allowing it to become a state with real institutions. There would be no harm in Hezbollah choosing to turn into a political party, but Lebanon should become a state that has a monopoly on arms, and it should make decisions of war and peace, not an Iranian proxy. As for Washington, it “has settled on an altogether different approach: let the unfolding conflict in Lebanon play out," according to a report by Reuters published yesterday. "US officials have dropped their calls for a ceasefire, arguing that circumstances have changed,” the report adds.
US State Department Spokesman Matthew Miller said "We do support Israel launching these incursions to degrade Hezbollah's infrastructure so ultimately we can get a diplomatic resolution," at a press conference yesterday.
Thus, the worst is inevitably yet to come, and Israel will continue to destroy Hezbollah’s infrastructure. A ground incursion, regardless of its scale, is forthcoming. It could become fiercer if we see an escalation in Lebanon or Iran, which is anxiously awaiting Israel’s response.
All this is happening at a time when Syria today is far weaker than it had been in 2006. Iran is now clashing with Israel directly, and it is more concerned with safeguarding its interests than its influence in Lebanon, while the US is committed to protecting Israel against any Iranian attack.
Accordingly, Lebanese politicians must recognize the severity of this imminent threat and understand that the proposals they reject today will not be on the table tomorrow. My final and most important message is addressed to Mr. Nabih Berri: he has a historical duty to seize the opportunity now, build a Lebanese state, and ensure that future generations of Lebanese do not look back on this period and say: "let it be remembered but not repeated."

‘Did We Make Lebanon Carry More than it Can Handle?’
Ghassan Charbel/Asharq Al-Awsat/October 14/2024
In Tunis, Yasser Arafat used to gratefully look back on what he had presented to the Palestinian cause. Mohsen Ibrahim, the secretary-general of the Communist Action Organization in Lebanon, used to encourage him to reminisce about his time in Beirut.
One day, Arafat asked: “Did we make Lebanon carry more than it can handle?” to which Mohsen replied: “If only you had asked that question several years ago.” Several years later, Mohsen would ask the same question.
I have known Mohsen for over three decades. One day, he told me: “Leave editorial work and its problems behind. I am a journalist too. I know what it’s like. Go, seek out what is more important. Form a small team to write the story of Beirut and its transformations. This is a city that changes rapidly according to the balances of power, its location and features.”
“It seems destined to face an unknown fate,” he added, while refraining from saying anything more than that. We talked for a long time. He said Beirut occasionally embraces major causes that a small country, with such a diverse and fragile composition and sensitive location, cannot embrace. The absence of a capable Lebanese state that can manage this embrace will lead the country to implode because of the major cause it has taken in or the cause itself will explode, taking the country along with it.
We used to rejoice at the Palestinian factions’ ability to worry Israel from the southern Lebanon front. The result was that Israel invaded the South. The justness of the Palestinian cause prevented us from sensing the danger of Beirut becoming a capital of the cause in a country that borders Israel and within reach of its military machine, he added.
Beirut is in a very tough situation. The capital is on the verge of becoming the capital of the Iranian project in the region. This is the greatest coup the region is witnessing. After intervening in the Syrian conflict, Hezbollah became a regional player, with roles in Iraq and Yemen. Add to that the major and fundamental changes that the party has introduced in its environment. The changes are so deep that they infringe on its understanding of its role and relationship to the Lebanese entity and its regional location, he continued.
Mohsen did not hide his fear that this “role would implode in Lebanon or explode if Iran were to escalate its position towards Israel, by firing more rockets and deepen its presence” in Palestine through the Islamic Jihad and Hamas.
Fuad Butros, Lebanon’s former foreign minister, is another man whose views I enjoy listening to given his experience. He believes that the state is the best protector of the Lebanese people. Anyone banking on anything besides the state will be disappointed. The most dangerous thing that can happen in Lebanon is for a group or a sect to be lured into turning to foreign powers to consolidate their position in the country.
Lebanon has a fragile composition that does not tolerate violent coups. The alliance of a local group with an international or regional forces is too much for Lebanon to tolerate. The weakest party often becomes a pawn in a project that is greater than it and in which it has no say in, noted Butros.
Unfortunately, Lebanese groups have at various instances fallen into this temptation. “The Sunnis and Maronites had both fallen for it. I sincerely hope that our Shiite brothers don’t become too embroiled in forcefully changing Lebanon’s role and features, and its internal and foreign relations. Such change could lead to Lebanon’s implosion and perhaps even nullify the reasons for its existence in its current form,” he remarked.
I asked him what he’s most worried about. He replied that it was the rabid policies that ignore the fragility of the Lebanese structure and how several politicians refuse to see the real balance of power in the region and world. They believe that they can impose new realities through force while ignoring the heavy prices that will be paid.
I recalled Mohsen and Butros’ remarks as I watched the broad Israeli assault against Lebanon. The scenes from Lebanon are painful. The daily Israeli orders to some residents to evacuate their villages and homes are a stark reminder of the horrific scenes recurring in Gaza. The extent of the assassinations is unprecedented and so is the destruction. World powers are watching the massacre and making do with efforts to keep Beirut airport open in order to receive aid and visitors. The most dangerous aspect of the current war is that it is greater than Lebanon, even if its playing field is terrifying. No serious efforts are being exerted to stop the war. It is as if the warring parties have chosen to forge ahead to the very end. This is extremely dangerous in a country where a fifth of the population is displaced.
Added to the severity of the situation is the countdown to Israel’s expected retaliation against Iran. Lebanon cannot handle Israel dealing with it as the preferred choice for war against Iran when it opts against a direct confrontation with it.
It is evident that the majority of the Lebanese people oppose a destructive war in support of Gaza. Several have said, openly and in private, that the war is beyond what Lebanon can handle. It is also evident that the Israeli machine of destruction enjoys American support to deplete Hezbollah’s capabilities and take the southern front out of the military equation through the implementation of Security Council resolution 1701.
This is the most dangerous period in Lebanon’s modern history. Taking the South out of the equation will not be easy for Hezbollah, which had launched the “support front” with Gaza in wake of Yahya al-Sinwar's Al-Aqsa Flood Operation. It is not easy for Iran either. Now is not the time for accountability and pinning blame. It is time to save Lebanon before it is too late. Can Lebanon come up with a formula that persuades the US and West to seriously pursue a ceasefire? Can it come up with a formula that would pave the way for allowing the state to be the guarantor for ending the war and tending to the wounded Lebanese by embracing everyone without exception? There can be no other choice than rebuilding the state and its role. Turning to open war is rife with dangers and horrors. What use is it for the Lebanese to win all medals, but lose Lebanon?

.The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on October 14-15/2024
Dozens of pro-Palestinian protesters arrested outside New York Stock Exchange
The Associated Press/October 14, 2024
About 200 demonstrators protesting Israel's war in Gaza were arrested in a sit-in outside the New York Stock Exchange on Monday, police said. The protesters chanted “Let Gaza live!" and ”Up up with liberation, down down with occupation!" in front of the stock exchange's landmark building in lower Manhattan. “The reason we’re here is to demand that the U.S. government stop sending bombs to Israel and stop profiting off of Israel’s genocide against Palestinians in Gaza,” said Beth Miller, political director of Jewish Voice for Peace, the group that organized the demonstration. “Because what’s been happening for the last year is that Israel is using U.S. bombs to massacre communities in Gaza while simultaneously weapons manufacturers on Wall Street are seeing their stock prices skyrocket.”A handful of counterprotesters waved Israeli flags and tried to shout down the pro-Palestinian chants. None of the pro-Palestinian protesters got inside the exchange, but at least 200 made it inside a security fence on Broad Street, where they sat down and waited to be taken into custody. A spokesperson for the exchange declined to comment on the protest.
Police arrested the protesters one by one, cuffing their hands behind their backs with plastic ties and leading them to vans. Some demonstrators went limp and were carried by three or four officers. A police spokesperson said there were about 200 arrests. She did not have details on the charges they faced. The protest happened a week after the world marked the anniversary of Hamas' surprise Oct. 7 attack on Israel and the start of Israel's retaliatory campaign in Gaza, which has since spread to Lebanon and beyond. The Lebanese Red Cross said an Israeli airstrike hit an apartment building in northern Lebanon on Monday, killing at least 21 people.There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military and it was not clear what the target was. Karen Matthews, The Associated Press

Iranian spy cell busted: Shin Bet arrests two Israelis in assassination plot
Jerusalem Post/October 14/2024
Vladislav was reportedly asked to sabotage communication infrastructure and ATMs and to ignite forests. The Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) and the Lahav 433 unit of the Israel Police exposed an Iranian intelligence cell operating to recruit and activate Israeli citizens and arrested two residents of Ramat Gan suspected of planning to carry out an assassination attack on Iran’s behalf, Israeli media reported on Monday. One of the individuals, Vladislav Victorson, a man in his 30s, had reportedly communicated in Hebrew via social media with an individual named “Mari Hossi” since last August. Under the direction of this Iranian agent, Victorson carried out various tasks, including spray-painting graffiti, hanging posters, planting money, and setting cars on fire in the Yarkon Park area of Tel Aviv, according to Israeli media. Vladislav received over $5,000 for completing tasks
Later, Victorson was reportedly asked to sabotage communication infrastructure and ATMs and to start forest fires. Some of these tasks were documented, and he received over $5,000 for their execution. According to the investigation’s findings, Victorson agreed to carry out an assassination of an Israeli figure and throw a grenade at a house. In pursuit of this, he reportedly sought to obtain weapons, including a sniper rifle, pistols, and hand grenades.Victorson enlisted two other people, including his girlfriend, Anna Bernstein, 18, of Ramat Gan, to assist in his missions, according to the Shin Bet.

After attack on central Israel, could a drone war escalate?
Jerusalem Post/October 14/2024
While single drones are occasionally launched, more frequently—particularly from Lebanon—they are fired in salvos, increasing their effectiveness and overwhelming defense systems. A drone attack in the Binyamina area of central Israel Sunday night killed four soldiers, according to reports from the Magen David Adom and United Hatzalah emergency response services. For more stories from The Media Line go to themedialine.org
This follows an attack on Friday night, which was Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, when a drone launched from Lebanon struck a retirement home in Herzliya, also in central Israel. Although no casualties were reported, the attack caused extensive damage to the home, nearby buildings, and vehicles. Since the onset of the conflict between Israel and Iranian proxy groups in the region, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have been deployed to target Israel, putting its multilayered defense systems to the test. Drone war
“This is the world’s first drone war,” Brig. Gen. (ret.) Zvika Haimovich, commander of the Israeli Air Force Air Defense Command from 2015 to 2018, told The Media Line. “All of the regional players recognized the potential and the complex challenges that Israel faces in dealing with them. We will see this challenge continue.”Data from the Institute of National Security Studies (INSS) at Tel Aviv University shows that since the conflict began a year ago, 180 drones have been launched by Houthi rebels, 150 by Shia militias in Iraq, and 170 by Iran. Most of these drones have been intercepted, many before entering Israeli airspace. The number of drones launched by Hezbollah in Lebanon is believed to be significantly higher, though the exact figure has not been disclosed by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). According to the Alma Research and Education Center, which specializes in terrorism studies, there have been 556 incidents involving Hezbollah drones targeting Israel, with at least 1,500 drones involved. The Israeli military also employs UAVs in offensive operations across the region. According to the London-based Royal United Services Institute, Israel is one of the largest drone operators in the Middle East. It has accounted for over 60% of global UAV exports in the past three decades. Dr. Yehoshua Kalisky, a senior researcher at INSS, explained that UAVs are typically small, offering several advantages to their operators. Many drones used by Israel’s adversaries are produced in Iran, the primary supporter of these proxies, or in factories in Syria overseen by Iranian engineers. Israel has reportedly struck drone production sites in Syria.
“They are cheap to manufacture and easy to operate,” Kalisky told The Media Line. “Their small radar signature makes them difficult to detect, and they can easily maneuver to evade interception. Their slow flight speed also makes them challenging for Israeli fighter jets to intercept.”
While single drones are occasionally launched, more frequently—particularly from Lebanon—they are fired in salvos, increasing their effectiveness and overwhelming defense systems. Middle East conflict
Hamas, the Gaza-based terrorist organization, used drones in its surprise offensive against southern Israel on October 7 of last year. This attack ignited the current multifront war in the Middle East.
Videos on social media showed numerous Hamas operatives launching drones into Israeli territory, with some drones targeting Israeli military tanks and detonating explosives.
The use of drones by terrorist organizations has helped narrow the gap between them and conventional militaries, adding a significant new threat to their arsenals. “They can stay in the air for a long time in order to carry out offensive, intelligence, or other missions that pose no danger to their operators,” he added. “UAVs have the ability to communicate with their ground operators.”
Alongside UAV attacks, Israel has faced heavy rocket fire. According to data released by the IDF on the first anniversary of the war, 13,200 rockets have been launched from Gaza since last October, with an additional 12,400 fired from Lebanon.
“The drone threat is not more significant or more lethal than missiles,” said Haimovich. “But there is a matter of how such an attack is perceived as an infiltration of the territory with an aircraft. It sounds much more significant and troublesome than a rocket or missile.”
Footage of the drone launched toward central Israel over the weekend spread on social media, prompting alarmed citizens to rush to bomb shelters. Israeli radars detected the UAV, triggering sirens and sending civilians to safety.
“The main challenge is the interception, not the detection,” Haimovich explained. “This is due to several levels of asymmetry.”
Haimovich noted that Hezbollah’s main advantage is Lebanon's geography and topography, with its higher, mountainous terrain just a few kilometers from the Israeli border. There is also asymmetry in the weapons systems and technology employed by both sides.
F-35 fighter jets are deployed to counter drones, some of which are purchased on eBay or AliExpress before being modified for warfare.
“This asymmetry is part of the challenge,” Haimovich said. “State-of-the-art systems are faced with threats that are far less sophisticated. But this is the mission, and it must be dealt with.”
In recent decades, Iran has developed the Mohajer UAV, whose 10th generation was unveiled last year. It can carry up to 300 kilograms of cargo, giving it significant firepower. Yemen’s Houthi rebels are believed to possess the Samad 3, a long-range drone with a 1,800-kilometer range, though it is highly inaccurate. In July, a Houthi drone that was not intercepted struck a building in Tel Aviv, killing one civilian and injuring ten others.
“Israel is dealing with the threat by using its air defense systems—fighter jets and helicopters and the Iron Dome system,” said Kalisky. “In the future, it will use radar-guided anti-aircraft artillery or a laser system developed in Israel.”
Israel’s defense technology firm Rafael recently unveiled the Iron Beam system, which, according to its website, is the first laser-based system designed to intercept UAVs “quickly and effectively … with almost zero cost per interception” and cause “minimal collateral damage. " Israeli media reports suggest it is nearly operational and expected to greatly simplify drone interceptions.
“There has definitely been a success so far, especially in thwarting drones that are launched from afar,” Kalisky said. “The UAVs from Lebanon come from a shorter distance, so when they are intercepted, it is usually already within Israeli territory, which can cause secondary damage from debris of the drone and the interceptor.”
Ukraine's use of drones
For over two years, Ukraine and Russia have faced a similar threat, with frequent and often deadly drone attacks on both sides.
The use of drones and UAVs in military operations is not new. While UAVs have been used in warfare since the 1970s, their first widespread deployment occurred in the Russo-Ukrainian War. Russia continues to receive Iranian-made drones.
Throughout the war, Ukraine’s air force has improved its drone interception capabilities, using electronic warfare, shoulder-fired air defense systems, and other publicly disclosed methods.
“The Ukrainians use slow piston-driven planes to intercept UAVs and to overcome their low radar signature, they use simple voice amplifiers and cellular applications to recognize the drone sound from a distance,” said Kalisky. “Ukraine’s large territory compared to that of Israel means there is a large margin of error. Israel does not have the privilege to miss an interception, and this is not an easy task.”
Israeli media have quoted Ukrainian sources claiming that Ukraine offered Israel the knowledge it gained in its war with Russia. The offer was reportedly declined, as Israel appears to prefer relying on its own solutions.
“Ukraine has developed acoustic sensor systems which help to detect drones,” said Haimovich. Drones emit a distinct humming sound, which becomes more noticeable near the ground, resembling the sound of a swarm of bees, adding to their psychological impact. “Israel’s systems and air force are more advanced, larger, and more skilled than Ukraine’s.”
In April, Israel faced a massive ballistic missile and drone attack from Iran, during which 170 drones were launched simultaneously. With support from a regional alliance led by the US, most of the drones and missiles were intercepted. One child was seriously injured, but no major damage was reported.
As the war continues, drone attacks are expected to persist, with both sides advancing their tactics, potentially fueling another arms race in the Middle East.

IDF names four fallen soldiers killed in Hezbollah attack on Golani Brigade base
Jerusalem Post/October 14/2024
IDF names Sgt. Omri Tamari, Sgt. Yosef Hieb, Sgt. Yoav Agmon, and Sgt. Alon Amitay as the soldiers killed during Hezbollah's attack. The IDF named Sergeant Omri Tamari, Sergeant Yosef Hieb, Sergeant Yoav Agmon, and Sergeant Amitay Alon on Monday morning as the four soldiers killed during Hezbollah's Sunday evening drone attack on a Golani Brigade training base near Binyamina. Sergeant Tamari came from Mazkeret Batya. Sergeant Hieb came from Tuba-Zanghariya. Sergeant Agmon came from Binyamina Giv'at Ada. Finally, Sergeant Alon came from Ramot Naftali. All four soldiers were 19 years old and in infantry training when they were killed at the base, the military stated.
Soldiers wounded in Gaza
In addition to the four soldiers killed in the Lebanese terror organization's attack, the IDF reported a soldier in the 8101st Battalion of the 3rd Brigade and a soldier in the 46th Battalion of the 401st Brigade were severely wounded during combat in southern Gaza on Sunday.
A total of 67 people were wounded in the drone attack on Sunday, and in addition to the four soldiers killed, seven others were critically wounded. Another five were seriously wounded, and 14 were moderately wounded. The Jerusalem Post reported on Sunday that the drone was launched from Lebanon and used a rocket barrage to cover its approach. The drone that struck the base was one of two launched by Hezbollah. The other was shot down over the sea. Sirens were not activated during the incident, which the military investigated. Army Radio later reported that the drone went undetected. The following morning, the military reported that after the Sunday attack, IDF Chief of Staff Lieutenant-General Herzi Halevi visited the Golani Brigade training base. “We are at war, and an attack on a training base on the home front is difficult, and the results are painful," Halevi said during the visit. "You operated well to treat and evacuate the wounded and injured. Embrace the bereaved families, accompany the wounded, and strengthen the commanders and soldiers." The chief of staff added that the military would continue to prepare for and face the challenges ahead. "The Golani Brigade recorded many achievements in the war and dealt resolutely with difficult situations—continue on the path of this legacy,” Halevi said. Defense Minister Yoav Gallant also visited the base, according to KAN News, "We are engaged in developing solutions that will help deal with the threat of UAVs," Gallant reportedly told personnel at the scene.
*Yonah Jeremy Bob contributed to this report.

Iran denies involvement in Hamas October 7 attack amid revelations of collaboration - analysis
Jerusalem Post/October 14/2024
Documents from Gaza reveal Hamas's collaboration with Hezbollah and Iran for the October 7 attack, prompting Iran to deny involvement.
Recently released documents found in Khan Yunis in January have detailed how Hamas reached out to Hezbollah and Iran as part of its plans for the October 7 attack, as revealed by The New York Times and The Washington Post. Since October 7, Iran has sought to pretend it didn’t know what was coming. Even before the documents were released, its claims were not bolstered by its reactions to the massacre. Iran encouraged Hezbollah to initiate aerial attacks on October 8, and it enlisted the Houthis to attack Israel and shipping routes in the Red Sea. It also mobilized militias in Iraq and Syria to attack US forces and Israel. However, Tehran is concerned the documents will serve as more concrete evidence that it was involved, so it is trying to push back. The Iranian mission to the UN issued a statement this week “dismissing allegations linking the Hamas-led al-Aqsa Storm Operation to the Islamic Republic, saying any such claims have no credibility and are based on fabricated documents.” Iran also wants to ensure that the picture painted of Qatar – an Iranian ally – is that it did not know either, even though it hosts Hamas leaders.
Iran dismisses claims of Hamas request for $500 million
“While Doha-based Hamas officials have themselves stated that they, too, had no prior knowledge of the operation and that all the planning, decision-making, and directing were solely executed by Hamas’s military wing based in Gaza, any claim attempting to link it to Iran or Hezbollah – either partially or wholly – is devoid of credence and comes from fabricated documents,” the Iranians said over the weekend. Tehran is distressed by the reports and wants to appear to be acting against them. IRNA reported that the country’s UN mission released a statement in response to “an alleged Israeli document showing a Hamas request for $500 million from Iran, which the newspaper said it did not receive any response from Tehran.”Iran is trying to pretend these factual reports are “Zionist lies,” but it is making so much noise because it is afraid that more evidence will emerge. The proof is that Iran doesn’t usually issue these kinds of statements. The fact that Iran is moving quickly to contain the fallout shows that it knows it has a potential problem on its hands. “We consider Israel a criminal, anti-human, and lying regime, and we do not give any credit to its delusions,” the Iranian mission said.

China tells Israel, Iran it's worried about escalating regional violence
Jerusalem Post/October 14/2024
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told Wang Yi that his country didn’t want to see the already existing regional conflict expand, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry. Updated: OCTOBER 14, 2024 21:38 China told both Israel and Iran that it was deeply worried about another direct exchange of fire between them as the IDF prepared for a retaliatory strike against the Islamic Republic. “China is highly concerned about the tension between Israel and Iran,” Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told his Israeli counterpart, Israel Katz, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry. “We believe that further war and chaos in the region are not in the interests of any party. We hope that all parties will act prudently to avoid the situation falling into a vicious cycle,” Wang Yi said. The international community, including China, has been worried about the possibility of an all-out war between Israel and Iran. “We will continue to play a constructive role in promoting the cooling of the situation and restoring regional peace,” Wang Yi said. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told Wang Yi that his country didn’t want to see the already existing regional conflict expand, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry.
Weighing the options
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held security consultations in the Defense Ministry on Monday night, in which it was expected that Iran could be one of the topics. Israel is weighing the scope of a retaliatory attack for Iran’s ballistic missile strike against the Jewish state on October 1. In preparation for a possible Iranian counterstrike, the Pentagon this week dispatched an anti-ballistic missile system called Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system (THAAD) and a 100-member crew. The US has sought a constrained Israeli response but has prepared to help defend Israel against any Iranian response. In a post on X, Katz said he emphasized to Wang Yi that “Israel will respond [to] the Iranian attack” earlier this month. “Iran is the primary source for undermining stability in the Middle East. Iran constitutes a threat, both through its proxies and directly, to the stability of the Middle East and to the stability of the entire world,” explained. “Iran attacked Israel with more than 180 ballistic missiles. No country could ignore such an attack,” he stressed.

IDF, Shin Bet kill Hamas terrorist behind October 7 paraglider infiltrations
Jerusalem Post/October 14/2024
Before assuming his leadership role, Abu-Daqa served as Hamas’s head of UAV operations until Operation Guardian of the Walls in May 2021.
The IDF and Shin Bet have eliminated the head of Hamas’s aerial operations, Samer Abu Daqqa, the IDF announced on Monday. Abu-Daqqa was a key figure behind the paragliders and drones used to infiltrate Israeli territory on October 7. In September 2024, Israeli Air Force fighter jets, guided by Military Intelligence and the Shin Bet, targeted and killed Abu Daqqa. He had taken over the role after the previous leader was eliminated in October 2023. Abu Daqqa was responsible for multiple aerial terror attacks, including launching drones toward Israel and IDF soldiers. He was pivotal in developing Hamas’s aerial capabilities and orchestrated the use of paragliders and unmanned aircraft during the deadly attack on October 7. Before assuming his leadership role, Abu Daqqa served as Hamas’s head of UAV operations until Operation Guardian of the Walls in May 2021. He also oversaw weapons manufacturing in Hamas’s production unit, contributing significantly to projects aimed at enhancing Hamas’s aerial capabilities in Gaza. In July, the IDF struck a Hamas facility in Rafah, which stored the paragliders used on October 7.
Brutal Hamas massacre
The October 7 massacre was a brutal series of terrorist attacks along the Gaza border, when Hamas terrorists, under the cover of a barrage of rocket fire, infiltrated several Israeli towns, cities, and IDF bases. The resulting attacks stretched as far east as Ofakim in the Negev and resulted in at least 1,200 people murdered and hundreds taken hostage by Hamas back to Gaza. “The Zionists have a long history of spreading lies, fake documents, and psychological operations of deception. Ever since al-Aqsa Storm Operation, which was followed by the Israeli genocidal war on Gaza, Iran has, time and again, said that it had no prior knowledge of the operation and called it a fully Palestinian operation.”

UK sanctions Iranian military figures following attack on Israel
REUTERS/OCTOBER 14, 2024
The sanctions target senior figures in Iran's army, air force, and organizations linked to Iran's ballistic and cruise missile development.
Israeli strike on hospital tent camp kills 4 and ignites a fire that burns dozens
Wafaa Shurafa And Samy Magdy/DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP)/October 14, 2024
 An Israeli airstrike on a hospital courtyard in the Gaza Strip early Monday killed at least four people and triggered a fire that swept through a tent camp for people displaced by the war, leaving more than two dozen with severe burns, according to Palestinian medics. The Israeli military said it targeted militants hiding out among civilians, without providing evidence. In recent months it has repeatedly struck crowded shelters and tent camps, alleging that Hamas fighters were using them as staging grounds for attacks. The Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in the central city of Deir al-Balah was already struggling to treat a large number of wounded from an earlier strike on a school-turned-shelter that killed at least 20 people when the early morning airstrike hit and fire engulfed many of the tents. Several secondary explosions could be heard after the initial strike, but it was not immediately clear if they were caused by weapons or fuel tanks. Associated Press footage showed children among the wounded. A man sobbed as he carried a toddler with a bandaged head in his arms. Another small child with a bandaged leg was given a blood transfusion on the floor of the packed hospital. Hospital records showed that four people were killed and 40 wounded. Twenty-five people were transferred to the Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza after suffering severe burns, according to the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital. Israel is still carrying out near-daily strikes across the Gaza Strip more than a year into the war, and has been waging a major ground assault in the north, where it says militants have regrouped. The war began when Hamas attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, while Palestinian militants abducted around 250 hostages. Around 100 are still being held inside Gaza, a third of whom are believed to be dead. Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed over 42,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which does not say how many were fighters but says women and children make up more than half the fatalities. Around 90% of Gaza's population of 2.3 million people have been displaced by the war, often multiple times, and large areas of the coastal territory have been completely destroyed. Israel has ordered the entire remaining population of the northern third of Gaza, estimated at around 400,000 people, to evacuate to the south and has not allowed any food to enter the north since the start of the month. Hundreds of thousands of people from the north heeded Israeli evacuation orders at the start of the war and have not been allowed to return. That has raised fears among Palestinians that Israel intends to implement a plan devised by former generals in which it would order all civilians out of northern Gaza and label anyone remaining there a combatant — a surrender-or-starve strategy that rights groups say would violate international law. The plan has been presented to the Israeli government, but it's unclear whether it has been adopted. The military says it has not received such orders.
Israeli rights groups on Monday called on the international community to prevent Israel from carrying out the plan, saying there are “alarming signs” that Israel is beginning to implement it. The statement, signed by B'Tselem, Gisha, Yesh Din and Physicians for Human Rights-Israel, warned that states “have an obligation to prevent the crimes of starvation and forcible transfer."With no end in sight to the war in Gaza, Israel is also waging an air and ground war in southern Lebanon against the Hezbollah militant group, an ally of Hamas that has been firing rockets into northern Israel for more than a year. Israel has also threatened to strike Iran in retaliation for a ballistic missile attack, raising the prospect of an all-out regionwide war.
A Hezbollah aerial attack on an army base in northern Israel killed four soldiers — all of them 19 years old — and severely wounded seven others Sunday, the military said, in the deadliest strike by the militant group since Israel launched its ground invasion of Lebanon nearly two weeks ago. Hezbollah called the attack near Binyamina city retaliation for Israeli strikes on Beirut on Thursday that killed 22 people. It said it targeted Israel’s elite Golani brigade, launching dozens of missiles to occupy Israeli air defense systems during the assault by drones. Israel’s national rescue service said the attack wounded 61. It’s rare for so many people to be wounded by drones or missiles, most of which are intercepted by Israel's multitiered air defenses or fall in open areas.

EU targets top Iran officials and airlines, accusing them of supplying drones and missiles to Russia
The Canadian Press/October 14, 2024
The European Union on Monday imposed sanctions on Iran’s deputy defense minister, senior members of its paramilitary Revolutionary Guard and three airlines over allegations that they supplied drones, missiles and other equipment to Russia for use in its war against Ukraine. Deputy Defense Minister Seyed Hamzeh Ghalandari is one of seven senior officials now banned from traveling in Europe and whose assets in the bloc were frozen. The EU said he “is involved in the development of Iran’s (drone) and missile program,” given his high-level defense role. Iran Air, Mahan Air and Saha Airlines had their assets frozen. The EU said their planes were “used repeatedly to transfer Iranian-made unmanned aerial vehicles and related technologies to Russia, which have been used in Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine.” EU foreign ministers endorsed the sanctions at a meeting in Luxembourg. In March, the bloc had warned that “were Iran to transfer ballistic missiles and related technology to Russia for use against Ukraine, the EU would be prepared to respond swiftly, including with new and significant restrictive measures.”
EU member countries, with the exception of Hungary, have been supplying weapons and ammunition as well as economic and other support to Ukraine worth some 118 billion euros ($129 billion) since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.

UN refugee chief urges states to drop border controls even as displacement crises worsen
Emma Farge/GENEVA (Reuters) /October 14, 2024
GENEVA (Reuters) - The head of the U.N. refugee agency warned on Monday that displacement crises in Lebanon and Sudan could worsen, but said tighter border measures were not the solution, calling them ineffective and sometimes unlawful. Addressing more than 100 diplomats and ministers in Geneva at UNHCR's annual meeting, Filippo Grandi said an unprecedented 123 million people are now displaced around the world by conflicts, persecution, poverty and climate change. "You might then ask: what can be done? For a start, do not focus only on your borders," he said, urging leaders instead to look at the reasons people are fleeing their homes. "We must seek to address the root causes of displacement, and work toward solutions," he said. "I beg you all that we continue to work — together and with humility — to seize every opportunity to find solutions for refugees".Without naming countries, Grandi said initiatives to outsource, externalise or even suspend asylum schemes were in breach of international law, and he offered countries help in finding fair, fast and lawful asylum schemes.
Western governments are under growing domestic pressure to get tougher on asylum seekers and Grandi has previously criticised a plan by the former British government to transfer them to Rwanda. In the same speech he warned that in Lebanon, where more than one million people have fled their homes due to a growing conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, the situation could worsen further. "Surely, if airstrikes continue, many more will be displaced and some will also decide to move on to other countries." He called for a drastic increase in support for refugees in Sudan's civil war, saying lack of resources was already driving them across the Mediterranean Sea and even across the Channel to Britain. "In this lethal equation, something has got to give. Otherwise, nobody should be surprised if displacement keeps growing, in numbers but also in geographic spread," he said. The UNHCR response to the crisis that aims to help a portion of the more than 11 million people displaced inside Sudan or in neighbouring countries is less than 1/3 funded, Grandi said. The number of displaced people around the world has more than doubled in the past decade. Grandi, set to serve as high commissioner until Dec. 2025, said the agency's funding for this year had recently improved due to U.S. support but remained "well below the needs".

Israeli Forces Shoot Dead 2 Palestinians in West Bank
Asharq Al-Awsat/October 14/2024
Israeli forces shot dead two Palestinians in the northern West Bank city of Jenin, the Palestinian Health Ministry said. Commenting on the incident, the Israeli army official said its troops exchanged fire with armed militants during a “counterterrorism” operation Wednesday in the Jenin area, killing one of the gunmen. According to Wafa, the official Palestinian news agency, one of the slain men was 17 years old. Four others were injured by Israeli fire during the raid, it said. Violence has flared in the West Bank since the Israel-Hamas war erupted 12 months ago. According to Palestinian Health Ministry data, over 750 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire in the territory since the war began. The northern West Bank, including Jenin and Tulkarem, has seen some of the worst violence.

Netanyahu Agrees to Limit Strike on Iran, Washington Post Reports
Bloomberg October 14, 2024
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has agreed to limit his country’s retaliation against Iran over the missile attack on Oct. 1 to military targets, according to a report in the Washington Post. Netanyahu has told the Biden administration that he would strike those types of targets rather than Iran’s oil infrastructure or nuclear installations, the Post reported, citing two officials familiar with the matter whom it didn’t identify. The newspaper cited one of the officials as saying the retaliation for the Iranian missile barrage on Israel would be calibrated to avoid the perception that Israel was interfering in next month’s US election. Such a decision would be a relief for President Joe Biden, whose administration has urged Israel not to strike Iranian nuclear or energy sites for fear of escalating the conflict in the Middle East. Oil dropped at the start of trading after the report was published. The White House on Monday evening referred questions on Netanyahu’s intentions to Israeli officials. West Texas Intermediate futures fell 2.9% to $71.70 a barrel, after losing 2.3% on Monday. In a move that may have been aimed at persuading Israel not to strike at Iran’s oil sector, the US Treasury Department last week sanctioned 17 ships and 10 entities that it said were tied to the “ghost fleet” of tankers maintaining the shipment of Iranian oil and petrochemicals, including to refineries in China.

Oil Extends Losses on Report Israel Won’t Target Iranian Crude
Bloomberg October 14, 2024
Oil fell for a third session after a report that Israel may avoid targeting Iran’s crude infrastructure eased concerns over a major supply disruption. Brent futures dropped almost 3% to near $75 after losing 2% on Monday, while West Texas Intermediate slid to below $72 a barrel. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the Biden administration he is willing to strike military rather than oil or nuclear facilities in Iran, the Washington Post reported, citing two officials familiar with the matter. Crude prices have been on a roller coaster in recent weeks as traders tracked an escalating conflict in the Middle East — home to about a third of global supply — after Israel vowed significant retaliation to an Oct. 1 missile barrage from Iran. That had offset concerns about slowing growth in key markets including China. “A scaled-back strike on Iran by Israel reduces supply risks and thus the need for a geopolitical risk premium,” said Dominic Schnider, head of global foreign-exchange and commodities at UBS Global Wealth Management. “It also brings old demand concerns to the fore.” Futures declined on Monday after China’s highly anticipated Finance Ministry briefing over the weekend lacked specific new incentives to boost consumption in the world’s biggest crude importer. Adding to the gloom, OPEC joined a chorus of others projecting weakening demand growth, trimming its forecasts for this year and next for a third consecutive month.

Irish FM Says Israel Is Trying to Stop the World from Seeing What Its Troops Are Doing
Asharq Al-Awsat/October 14/2024
Irish Foreign Minister Micheál Martin is accusing Israel of trying to prevent the world from seeing what its troops are doing in Lebanon and Gaza, and of working to undermine the United Nations.
Asked what Israel’s aim might be in demanding that UNIFIL peacekeepers leave their bases after a series of attacks, Martin said: “Essentially to drive the eyes and ears out of south Lebanon and to give itself free rein.” “We cannot have an undermining and a chipping away of the status or the credibility or structures of the United Nations and particularly its peacekeeping forces,” Martin said in Luxembourg, where EU foreign ministers are meeting. “We see what’s happening in northern Gaza, for example, in terms of the necessity of eyes and ears on the ground. The world has really no full picture of what’s happening in Gaza,” he told reporters. Martin added that “Israel is essentially now undermining (not only) the United Nations and the United Nations peacekeeping force, but the very rules based international order, and it needs to step back.” He called on his EU counterparts “to stand up now on the side of what’s right and proper and moral in terms of humanity.”

The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources on October 13-14/2024
OP-EDWhere Are We Now?
Charles Chartouni/This Is Beirut/October 14/2024
Israel is engaged on multiple fronts, extending between Lebanon, Gaza, the West Bank, and the auxiliary theaters of operation in Syria, Iraq, and Yemen. The frontlines correspond to the coordinates that define the operational realms of the “unified battlegrounds” set by the Iranian regime. None of the evoked political issues—the recovery of Lebanese territories and the Liberation of Palestine—seem to warrant these fallacies. The political and military irrelevance of these undertakings is quite obvious and damning; their intentional criminality and immorality, the proxy nature of these conflicts, the politics of human shields and intentional victimization, the utter disregard for civilian security, and their many instrumentalizations are salient and necessitate no further evidence.
The battlelines are explicit, and the existing power configuration has to change. The miscalculated moves of Iran and its surrogates have yielded a new military and political power dynamic, which upended the strategic bolts set by the Iranian regime and its regional panhandles. The defeat of Hamas and Hezbollah is the inevitable prelude to a new political dynamic at both the regional and international levels. This new dynamic is unavoidably geared towards the destruction of the Iranian regime's power drive and curbing its influence. The annihilation of its proxies is inevitable if we are to contain its deleterious impact, put the region on a new political and strategic track, and prevent its transformation once again into a wasteland where bloody dictatorships, Islamic dystopias, and organized criminality compete, coalesce, and operate to preempt competing scenarios based on negotiated conflict resolution, democratization, and developmental priorities.
There are no more illusions to nurture regarding the existing political dynamics and their actors. The current military dynamics were able to unlock the institutionalized stalemates in both Lebanon and Gaza and open up the path to alternative politics and elites. Repeatedly treading the same blocked political path no longer makes sense. The last war dealt a mortal blow to what remains of Lebanon which Hezbollah has transformed into a mere operational platform instrumented by Iranian power politics. The extraterritoriality of Hezbollah was a pure negation of Lebanese statehood, whereby state institutions shifted into ancillaries and appendages to Iranian power politics and organized crime.
What’s dumbfounding is the complicity of the political oligarchies and the political trade-offs that were behind the collapse of the state, the plundering of public resources, and the transformation of Lebanese territories into political and security wastelands. The absenteeism of the Parliament, the breakdown of the democratic separation of powers, and the surrender of national sovereignty to a terrorist movement have perpetuated a long-standing tradition of undermined sovereignty, initiated by the PLO, its Lebanese allies, and their regional and international mentors and power brokers.
The genealogy of this war is well delineated and traces back to the endemic crisis of legitimacy spawned by transnational ideologies and their strategic vectors. Lebanon has no chance of escaping the thrall of a highly destructive war unless it restores its sovereignty and reengages the international community as an independent political entity. This scenario is unlikely unless Hezbollah is defeated and dismantled as a political entity that challenges Lebanon’s national legitimacy, foundational narrative, and strategic equilibriums.
The Palestinians’ congenital weaknesses owe to their inability to achieve moral and political autonomy and their pliability to Islamic and Arab power politics. This enduring political dilemma is intertwined with their doublespeak and refusal to acknowledge the Israeli reality or engage with its narratives. Israelis, in contrast, have to reconcile with the shattered myths of mutual recognition and working political solutions, and overcome the pitfalls of national insularity. This conflict has generated a whole corpus of international agreements and a trail of political mediations, which made possible the circumvention of the ideological blinders and the approximations of empirical conflict resolution. The conflation of national irredentism and religious fundamentalism thwarted and finally undermined the legacy of conflict mediation.
The Palestinian initial rejection of political accommodation has elicited and fed over time the Jewish religious irredentism that challenged the Israeli identity and brought back the relationships between the two people into a nadir. The drama that lies at the roots of this conflict traces mainly to ideological irredentism, deftly manipulated mainly by Arab and Muslim power brokers. The actual drama has no chance of unraveling unless Hamas is defeated, Iran is ultimately thwarted, and the dialogue is reengaged with a reformed Palestinian Authority and an accommodating government coalition in Israel.
The current stalemate is unlikely to unravel as long as the extreme fringes are swaying the ability of both Israelis and Palestinians to reconnect based on mutual acknowledgment and negotiated conflict resolution. The zero-sum game plot resurfacing constantly after a centennial of national existence is unacceptable by any standards, and its ideological colorations and strategic reconfigurations should come to an end. The urgency of a truce, the unconditional liberation of Israeli hostages, and the resumption of strategic negotiations are impossible if Iranian power politics are framing the overall political landscape. The destruction of the terrorist sanctuaries in Lebanon and Gaza is essential if the crisis of the Israeli hostages is to come to an end, the restructuring of governance in Gaza is to take place, and the Lebanese sovereignty is to be restored.
The actual predicament is mainly conditioned by political evolutions in Iran, whereby no working solutions are likely to materialize without confronting Iranian expansionism and coming to terms with the inner contradictions of the highly delegitimized Islamic Revolution. The Iranian power projections are interrelated to the survival of the regime, the nuclearization of its security, and the perpetuation of the massive repression of political oppositions arraying themselves against it. While listening to the highly elaborate statements and interviews of Reza Shah, I was struck by his imposing stature and powerful role as the coordinator and catalyst of the Iranian opposition. His last statement conveys a very reassuring message to the Iranian people: do not fear change and be confident that the transition is going to take place smoothly and with no major turbulences.
The Islamic revolution is drawing to an end; its revolutionary saga and myths are debunked and have been hollowed out by forty-five years of bloody dictatorship, state terrorism, crackdown on human and civil rights, regional warmongering, and active sabotaging of the international liberal order born in the aftermath of World War II. Iran is turning into the first post-Islamic polity to reject the bitter legacy of political Islam bequeathed by the Muslim Brotherhood and its worldview. The statement of Reza Shah ushers in the bumpy but steady road unto democracy. My review of his interviews testifies to his intellectual acumen, outstanding international credentials, liberal, ecumenical, and pluralistic worldview, and exceptional ability to engineer the transition into democracy.
The rising regional dynamics owe to the crushing defeats of the Iranian proxies (Hamas and Hezbollah) and to the twilight of the subversion era conducted by the Iranian dictatorship and its disastrous outcomes throughout the Middle Eastern geopolitical spectrum. The awaited Israeli military retaliation to the Iranian carpet bombing combined with its insidious cooperation with the Iranian opposition is likely to secure a smooth transition and contain the cascading effects of an impending implosion. The downfall of this regime foreshadows the dawn of a new era and the rise of a competing narrative, which buries the "bitter cherries" of Islamism. After the defeat of al Qaida, ISIS, and the incoming end of the Iranian Islamic dystopia and its proxies (Hamas, Hezbollah, Houthis, Iraqi militias and their ilk), the Middle East should enter an era of negotiated conflict resolution, geopolitical stabilization, and democratization. The demise of Khomeynism marks the end of another Islamist dystopia and the eventual rise of a new era in this region.

Prayers for Our Country...How Jews brought blessings for their government into their religious services
Jenna Weissman/The Tablet/October 14/2024
American Jews once liked to pray. They may not have regularly attended Sabbath services or kept the dietary laws, but offering up a few good words to the Almighty was a common practice of theirs during the closing years of the 19th century and the opening years of the 20th.No Jewish organizational gathering or communal celebration took place without evoking His sheltering presence.
When, in February 1876, District Grand Lodge No. 2 of the International Order of B’nai B’rith held its annual meeting, its president, Brother Nathan Drucker, set things in motion by thanking the “Great Author of our existence” for enabling the members of the order to gather together to promote the values of “Benevolence, Brotherly Love and Harmony.”
Summoning the presence of the divine was not just a form of insurance, one of those “it couldn’t hurt” kind of practices. A grace note that elevated the proceedings, it also heralded American Jewry’s sense of belonging to the body politic, of being an active participant in a national culture in which the civic and the religious spheres were closely aligned, the recitation of prayers an expected feature of events that ranged from the opening of Congress, the launching of world’s fairs, and the start of political conventions to the celebration of the Fourth of July and Thanksgiving. As J.R., a Jewish resident of Philadelphia, evocatively put it in an 1875 letter to the editor of The American Israelite, “prayers, fervent prayers, are constantly sent up with lightning express.”
In figuring out what to say, American Jews like J.R. could draw on Jewish history, not just on contemporary rhetoric, by reading about and patterning themselves after Abraham, the prayerful patriarch. “Abraham Prays,” declared The American Israelite three years later in an unabashed salute to the biblical figure and his humanity, noting how “humane emotions overpowered him, commiseration moved his heart and tongue and lips, and he prayed.”
It’s not clear what prompted the weekly to hold forth on Abraham’s belief in prayer; no archaeological discovery, no brouhaha within the ranks of biblical scholars, no impending theological schism seemed to have occasioned it. All the same, the American Jewish newspaper made much of Abraham, intimating that his devotions led the way to Moses and Mount Sinai and, by extension, that praying on behalf of the common good was a very good thing, indeed.
The patriarch’s sterling example notwithstanding, over time his kind of intercession—and public prayer, more generally, especially for the welfare of those in power—fell from grace, a casualty of growing modernization and secularization. Increasingly, its primary redoubt became the house of worship. Here, within the sacred precincts of the synagogue, American Jews petitioned the divine to look favorably upon the nation and its “constituted officers of government.”
On Thanksgiving in 1879, Dr. Gustav Gottheil of New York’s Temple Emanu-El told his congregants to count their blessings and to bear in mind how thankful they ought to be for the “excellence of the form of government under which they live.”
He was hardly alone. One of the few features of the Sabbath prayer service that Reform, Conservative, modern Orthodox, and Reconstructionist denominations had, and continue to have, in common, a “prayer for the government” was sacrosanct. The phrasing of its sentences as well as the language in which they were delivered might differ from one branch of American Judaism to the next, but the essential theme—the providential nature of the American experiment—remained constant.
Much the same could be said of its set place within the modern worship service: Unquestioned, assured, a “prayer for the government” had long been one of the fixtures of the American Jewish siddur, or prayerbook. (And well before that, of its Old World counterparts: An artifact of the diaspora, prayers for the welfare of those who ruled over them have been around ever since the Jews found themselves in exile—and in need of protection.)
Within the printed pages of compilations such as the Union Prayer Book for Jewish Worship (1895), a staple of Reform congregations; the Festival Prayer Book (1927), used in Conservative synagogues; and Philip Birnbaum’s Sabbath Prayer Book: A Complete Ritual (1925), which serviced what came to be known as the modern Orthodox worshipper, psalms might come and go; hymns truncated, transliterated, or cast aside; kings tumbled from their perch and presidents inaugurated in their stead. But beseeching the heavenly power to protect America, this “happy country, the land of Freedom,” its leaders, and citizens from harm remained firm, constant.
What’s more, as Jonathan Sarna’s comprehensive and vividly detailed account of American Jewry’s liturgical history makes clear, the manner in which members of the tribe sought God’s blessings on the powers that be reflected the realities of life on the ground, not just the heavenly state of affairs.
Supplicants no more but citizens, members in full, of the republic, American Jews were now at liberty to cultivate a different relationship to the state and to power than their European cousins; consequently, they brought a different tone to their devotions. No longer compelled by either law or custom to make themselves small, they excised what Sarna describes as the “uniquely plaintive quality” of the Old World entreaties in favor of the more confident, assertive pose of well-wishers.
If not quite an article of faith, the prayer for the government came pretty close. An expression of American Jewry’s unwavering faith in America, it was not to be messed with. Even Mordecai M. Kaplan—that self-proclaimed theological maverick, whose Sabbath Prayer Book with a Supplement Containing Prayers, Readings and Hymns, and with a New Translation (1945), a determinedly modernized approach to congregational worship, brought down the wrath of American Jewry’s most traditional religious element on his graying head, resulting in his excommunication from the Jewish commonweal—left the “prayer for the government” alone.
Kaplan’s version, or what he called the “prayer for our country,” not only remained one of the very few things he would not touch, a testament to its hallowed status. His siddur went even further than most by including a special section of civic-minded benedictions of his own devising, among them one for Independence Day, another for Memorial Day, a third for Brotherhood Sabbath, and a fourth for the Sabbath before Labor Day.
No doubt about it: America was the promised land. Even so, it could always use a little help from on high.
**Jenna Weissman Joselit, the Charles E. Smith Professor of Judaic Studies and Professor of History at the George Washington University, is currently at work on a biography of Mordecai M. Kaplan

What is New York’s New ‘Abortion’ Amendment Hiding?
Maud Maron//The Tablet/October 14/2024
The Equal Rights Amendment is actually an effort to undermine our rights as parents and citizens
https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/news/articles/new-york-proposition-one-parents-rights
As a young public defender in the 1990s, I learned to appreciate that the Constitution is sacrosanct: To remain a free people, we must fiercely guard against any attempt to diminish our constitutional protections. I have been thinking about the Constitution because I, along with every other New York voter, will have the choice to vote on Proposition 1 next month.
Prop. 1, formally known as the ballot proposal for the Equal Rights Amendment, purports to be about guaranteeing abortion rights, which is odd: The Supreme Court’s Dobbs v. Jackson decision that overturned Roe v. Wade had no impact on New York state abortion laws, which are among the most expansive in the nation. So what’s really going on here?
Abortion is good politics in New York. It polls well and can mobilize the base. Which is why Democratic lawmakers, who have a super-majority in the state legislature, used it as a vehicle to include additional categories like ethnicity, national origin, age, disability, sex, including sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, pregnancy outcomes, and reproductive healthcare and autonomy in New York state’s Constitution, thereby codifying sectarianism in the Empire State. This sectarian form of government radically subverts equality under the law and erodes our rights as citizens and as parents. New Yorkers should be concerned.
In particular, the “age” category should set off alarm bells with parents. What we’re dealing with here is not age discrimination in the workplace, for which there are already laws on the books. Rather, the target is children. That much has been clear from recent legislation in Democrat-controlled California. After signing into law in 2022 a bill that turned California into a sanctuary state for trans children, in July Gov. Gavin Newsom made his state the first in the country to enact a law that bans requiring school staff to disclose a student’s gender identity or sexual orientation to their parents without the minor’s permission.
The state is inserting itself between children and their parents, cutting out the latter, and granting minors autonomy.
https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/news/articles/new-york-proposition-one-parents-rights
A group dedicated to defeating Prop. 1 refers to the ballot measure as the “Parent Replacement Act.” The current New York City guidelines that govern my children’s public schools are explicit about the state’s rights to make potentially irreversible decisions about my children’s mental and physical development without my involvement.
New York state Sen. Liz Krueger, the primary sponsor of Prop. 1, signed a letter in May with 17 other elected federal, state, and city officials condemning a resolution I authored, and my Education Council (NYC’s version of a school board) passed. The resolution merely asked for a review of the NYC public school gender guidelines. The guidelines allow schools to withhold from parents all information about the gender psychosocial transitioning of a minor child in school. Our resolution is just a request for review, of something that’s indisputably controversial, with disturbing new evidence emerging all the time. Yet the elected officials called our mere request for a review “hateful, discriminatory and actively harmful.” The passage of Prop. 1 will make it all but impossible for parents to raise these issues and seek regulatory changes in line with newly emerging evidence.
New York lawmakers have also tried to make an end run around parental rights when it comes to vaccines. Krueger has sponsored a bill that would permit any child who is at least 14 years of age to have vaccines administered to them regardless of parental consent. That a 20-year-old veteran with combat duty under his belt can’t buy a Bud Light in New York state, but a 14-year-old should make novel and potentially far-reaching medical decisions without their parents, is a staggering contradiction unanswered by the lawmakers who want to dismantle parental rights. The state is not only inserting itself between children and their parents, cutting out the latter, but also is granting minors an autonomy that allows them, with the state’s guidance, to bypass their parents. In other words, Prop. 1 represents a mass social-engineering project that completely overhauls fundamental norms and values.
Prop. 1 also upends the functioning of the law and enshrines arbitrariness—the hallmark of third-world societies. Although prohibition on discrimination based on gender identity or gender expression was added to the books in New York in 2019, one question that arises from these categories is how can individuals and entities comply when the very definitions are inherently unstable? For instance, several federal District Courts have enjoined the Biden-Harris rewrite of Title IX after they redefined “sex” to include “gender identity,” changing the intent and the functioning of the law and thus paving the road for males to compete in female collegiate sport. A New York state constitutional right banning discrimination based on both “sex” and “gender identity” creates an unresolvable conflict between a young woman who earned a spot on her federally funded school women’s sports team, against the biological male who identifies as a woman and demands her spot.
Another feature of the third world is the grievance-based structure of sectarianism, which Prop. 1 will enshrine in New York’s Constitution. Section B of the amendment states, “nothing in this section shall invalidate or prevent the adoption of any law, regulation, program or practice that is designed to prevent or dismantle discrimination on the basis of a characteristic listed in this section.” In other words, the newly established categories embed discrimination favoring the interests of some over others based on a grievance hierarchy.
This turns simple proscriptions, like “don’t discriminate on the basis of sex,” into a wide-ranging tool of preferential treatment. What does that look like in practice? My eldest son was not allowed to join the only financial literacy club in his high school (sponsored by Morgan Stanley) because it was only open to “girls and non-binary students.” It is hard to challenge such a practice now. With Prop. 1, it will be impossible to challenge under state law.
Perhaps the category that most explicitly codifies the third-world program of Prop. 1, and its nullification of not just our rights, but our status as citizens, is “national origin.” Do we have a big problem with nation of origin discrimination in New York? My husband and I originate in different countries and we’re doing just fine. As are the 36% of the city’s foreign-born population that make up 44% of its resident labor force, many of whom outearn native-born Americans.
We are, however, in the midst of a migrant crisis, and half the country suspects that Democrats—with an unofficial open border policy—want them for their votes. The very concept of citizenship, by definition, discriminates by national origin. New York City Council recently gave close to a million noncitizens the right to vote in local elections. The law was struck down in court under current law. Under Prop. 1, it would become part of our state Constitution.
Prop. 1’s vision of the state as the creator, implementer, protector, and promoter of a hierarchy of citizen categories is a feudal vision updated with sectarian grievance sensibilities.
New Yorkers who are lukewarm about the First Amendment seem increasingly comfortable with the State as the father who regulates their lives but also restricts the speech of those whom they dislike, and punishes them with school and job loss. It is not a coincidence that the key demographic of Democratic Party supporters are unmarried women, who have embraced the role of the state as a substitute parent and husband. The other demographic are illegal immigrants. Prop. 1, therefore, is the tool with which New York’s political ruling class shores up its in-group allies’ support in an election year by granting them favored status. But Prop. 1 is intended to lock this Democratic Party social program in New York’s Constitution.
I prefer a nation of laws, not men. I prefer true equality to grievance hierarchy. I prefer a nation of free citizens to a third-world sectarian nightmare. So I will vote “no” on Prop. 1.
*Maud Maron is a New York City-based education advocate.

Persian fear: Iran nervous as Israel prepares retaliation for missile attack - editorial
Jerusalem Post/October 14/2024
So far, 2024 has seen enormous upheaval in the evolution of the war between Iran and Israel, so often fought in the shadows.
There is a “need for collective diplomatic efforts to halt the Zionist regime’s aggressions and crimes,” Iran’s foreign ministry tweeted, citing a letter the country’s Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi sent to his counterparts around the world over the weekend.
Other sources and experts globally have used words such as “nervous” and “anxiety” when describing the current mood in Tehran as the country awaits Israel’s response to its October 1 missile attack, when almost 500 ballistic missiles and other projectiles were fired from the Islamic Republic at the Jewish State.
If the Iranians are indeed nervous; it could be a good sign for Israel. The United States has been in discussions with Israel regarding its planned response to Iran’s October 1 attack, cautioning against targeting Iranian nuclear facilities or oil assets. During a call last Wednesday, US President Joe Biden urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to ensure any retaliation remains “proportional,” marking their first conversation in nearly two months.
According to The Jerusalem Post’s Yonah Jeremy Bob, reporting at the end of last week, Israel is not expected to attack Iran’s nuclear program but rather focus on various kinds of military bases and intelligence sites.
Further, the Post learned that Israel’s attack on Iran – which virtually all top Israeli officials have publicly promised – will still be much more substantial than its narrower retaliation on April 19, when Iran’s S-300 anti-aircraft missile system was damaged.
Despite being presented with the idea that the current context could be a once-in-50-years opportunity to attack Iran’s nuclear facilities, sources indicated that attacking Iran’s nuclear program would not necessarily be consistent with the “goals of the war” as set by the security cabinet. Tehran has good reason to be nervous. Tehran has good reason to be nervous. The two Iranian proxies bordering Israel have taken massive blows. Over the past six months, since the first attack against Israel in April, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated in July in the belly of the beast, Tehran itself, and Hezbollah’s long-time leader Hassan Nasrallah was killed in an airstrike in Beirut in September. Israel has been alleged to be behind both assassinations as well as the pager attack in September which saw thousands of electronic beepers belonging to Hezbollah members simultaneously explode across Lebanon, injuring hundreds of Hezbollah’s commanders.
The depth with which Israel can strike has reportedly led Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khameini to spend time underground for fear he is next on Israel’s hit list.
Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, have warned Iran that its involvement is a grave misstep. Netanyahu specifically stated that Iran “will pay the price” for its role in these attacks. This situation places Iran in a delicate position. While it seeks to bolster its proxy forces in the region, Iran is cautious about provoking a full-scale Israeli retaliation. Israel’s superior military capabilities, including its advanced missile defense systems, cyber warfare units, and intelligence operations, give it a significant advantage in any direct confrontation with Iran.
Moreover, Israel enjoys strong diplomatic and military support from the United States, which has warned Iran not to escalate the conflict further. This support, coupled with Israel’s military strength, could make Iran wary of pushing too far.
So far, 2024 has seen enormous upheaval in the evolution of the war between Iran and Israel, so often fought in the shadows. It has now moved to a public arena with the two countries directly striking each other. Reports emerged over the weekend that American soldiers will make their way to Israel to help operate Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) air defense systems, capable of intercepting ballistic missiles. Thus – despite public tensions– their presence concretizes that Israel still retains the support of its most powerful ally in the US in defending its soil.
Iran is still awaiting Israel’s response to their October attack, which Israeli leaders have promised as substantial. The Islamic Republic has reason to be nervous.

President Biden Can Still Save the World in His Remaining Time in Office
Alan M. Dershowitz/Gatestone Institute/October 14, 2024
"[I]n 1933 a French premier ought to have said (and if I had been the French premier I would have said it): 'The new Reich Chancellor is the man who wrote Mein Kampf, which says this and that. This man cannot be tolerated in our vicinity. Either he disappears or we march!' But they didn't do it. They left us alone and let us slip through the risky zone, and we were able to sail around all dangerous reefs. And when we were done, and well-armed, better than they, then they started the war!" — Joseph Goebbels, Germany's Minister of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda from 1933-1945.
Obama has been the "Chamberlain" in this 21st-century version of Great Britain's and France's appeasement of an evil and dangerous regime.
The Biden administration has extended Obama's destructive policy, resulting in an even stronger and more dangerous Iran. Under the Trump administration, Iran was considerably weakened economically and thus militarily. Now it is on the verge of acquiring a nuclear arsenal which will allow its proxies to operate under the protection of Iran's nuclear umbrella.
The other step that Biden could take would be to work with Israel on preventing Iran from developing a nuclear arsenal. Unfortunately, this cannot be achieved by more treaties or negotiations. As recent history shows, Iran will simply cheat, as it did after Obama's 2015 JCPOA "nuclear deal." The only way to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons is through a military attack against its nuclear facilities, many of which are very deep underground. This can be achieved through U.S.-Israeli military and intelligence cooperation.
Israel should not give up any military advantage in exchange for intangible promises. Just look at how Russia violated its commitment, in the 1994 Budapest Memorandum, to respect the territorial integrity of Ukraine in exchange for the latter giving up its nuclear weapons. Ukraine gave the weapons up; in 2014 and 2022, Russia invaded anyway.
Although the United States, even as far back as the Obama administration, has pledged to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear arsenal, there is no reason why Iran should believe that, considering US appeasement tactics under Democratic administrations.
So the only realistic alternative – the least bad among the series of not very good alternatives – is a joint military attack, as surgical as possible, on Iran's nearly-completed nuclear weapons program. To allow Iran to cross the threshold and acquire nuclear weapons would pose a catastrophic threat to world peace. Stopping Iran from having a nuclear arsenal would, on the other hand, be a great accomplishment and a lasting positive legacy for the Biden presidency.
The result of inaction will be a terrorist regime with a nuclear arsenal, followed by a global nuclear-arms race. The fault for such a dangerous outcome will lie squarely with the "Chamberlain" Democrats.
The legacy of the last two Democratic presidencies – President Barack Obama's and President Joe Biden's – will be the appeasement of Iran in its efforts to dominate the Middle East and eventually expand its influence through the acquisition of a nuclear arsenal.
Obama has been the "Chamberlain" in this 21st-century version of Great Britain's and France's appeasement of an evil and dangerous regime. In 1938, British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain thought he had a secure peace treaty with Hitler – "Peace in our time," he promised the British -- only to have Hitler break it at the first opportunity by invading the rump Czechoslovak Republic.
By the mid-1930s, Nazi Germany's plan to dominate Europe should have been clear to western leaders. As Joseph Goebbels wrote in his diary:
"[I]n 1933 a French premier ought to have said (and if I had been the French premier I would have said it): 'The new Reich Chancellor is the man who wrote Mein Kampf, which says this and that. This man cannot be tolerated in our vicinity. Either he disappears or we march!' But they didn't do it. They left us alone and let us slip through the risky zone, and we were able to sail around all dangerous reefs. And when we were done, and well-armed, better than they, then they started the war!"
Like Chamberlain, Obama, Biden and Harris seem to believe that "peace in our time" can be achieved by appeasing Iran and strengthening its economy. The result has been an entirely predictable disaster: by receiving sanctions relief and a humongous increase in oil revenues, Iran has been enabled to expand its proxy war against Israel and the United States through its surrogates in Lebanon, Gaza, Iraq, Yemen, and possibly Sudan.
The Biden administration has extended Obama's destructive policy, resulting in an even stronger and more dangerous Iran. Under the Trump administration, Iran was considerably weakened economically and thus militarily. Now it is on the verge of acquiring a nuclear arsenal, which will allow its proxies to operate under the protection of Iran's nuclear umbrella.
These developments pose the greatest current threat to peace and stability, especially in the Middle East, but perhaps beyond. Historians will understand that today's Iran is the modern-day version of Nazi Germany and its attempt – for a time successful – to control all of continental Europe. This is not to say that Iran will ever become what Hitler's genocidal Germany became, but it is to express concern about Iran's dangerous regional aspirations, based on religious apocalyptic doctrines.
There is only one way to end this threat completely: that is by regime change. The people of Iran have been yearning for regime change since at least 2009. Iran's unpopular ruling mullahs do not represent the more secular, westernized and even pro-American majority of the country's population.
Regime change is always risky, because it is impossible to predict what will replace even the most evil regime. The end of Iran's monarchy in 1979, with the abdication of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, was seen by many as progress, only to backfire with its replacement by the mullahs and their Islamic Republic. The threat of Iraq under deposed President Saddam Hussein has been largely replaced by a more adventurous Iran. Similar results have occurred following other regime changes.
Nor would regime change be easy or cost-free, even before Iran develops a nuclear arsenal -- a development that would make an externally produced change impossible.
Aside from regime change, the other step that Biden could take would be to work with Israel on preventing Iran from developing a nuclear arsenal. Unfortunately, this cannot be achieved by more treaties or negotiations. As recent history shows, Iran will simply cheat, as it did after Obama's 2015 JCPOA "nuclear deal." The only way to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons is through a military attack against its nuclear facilities, many of which are very deep underground. This can be achieved through U.S.-Israeli military and intelligence cooperation.
Beware of a trap: Iran might agree to terminate its nuclear weapons program if it truly believed that the alternative would be a military attack. Unfortunately, there is the high likelihood that it would only be saying that to get the Biden-Harris administration off its back, and would continue its nuclear weapons program surreptitiously.
Israel should not give up any military advantage in exchange for intangible promises. Just look at how Russia violated its commitment, in the 1994 Budapest Memorandum, to respect the territorial integrity of Ukraine in exchange for the latter giving up its nuclear weapons. Ukraine gave the weapons up; in 2014 and 2022, Russia invaded anyway.
Although the United States, even as far back as the Obama administration, has pledged to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear arsenal, there is no reason why Iran should believe that, considering US appeasement tactics under Democratic administrations.
So the only realistic alternative – the least bad among the series of not very good alternatives – is a joint military attack, as surgical as possible, on Iran's nearly-completed nuclear weapons program. To allow Iran to cross the threshold and acquire nuclear weapons would pose a catastrophic threat to world peace. Stopping Iran from having a nuclear arsenal would, on the other hand, be a great accomplishment and a lasting positive legacy for the Biden presidency.
In light of Iran's recent ballistic missile and drone attacks against Israel, and Iran's history of attacks against Americans going back to 1983 and continuing to recent times, both the US and Israel have a legal, political and moral justification for seeking to prevent a nuclear-armed Iran. The only issue is whether the United States has the determination. At the moment, the current administration does not seem to be willing even to allow Israel to go it alone.
The result of inaction will be a terrorist regime with a nuclear arsenal, followed by a global nuclear-arms race. The fault for such a dangerous outcome will lie squarely with the "Chamberlain" Democrats.
*Alan M. Dershowitz is the Felix Frankfurter Professor of Law, Emeritus at Harvard Law School, and the author most recently of War Against the Jews: How to End Hamas Barbarism, and Get Trump: The Threat to Civil Liberties, Due Process, and Our Constitutional Rule of Law. He is the Jack Roth Charitable Foundation Fellow at Gatestone Institute, and is also the host of "The Dershow" podcast.
© 2024 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.

The Martyrs of Cordoba: Taking ‘Blame the Victim’ to Another Level
Raymond Ibrahim/The Stream/October 14, 2024
Before the idea that “white people are committed to being villains” became fashionably mainstream, it was the domain of academics, particularly those dealing with history.
This only made sense. If conclusions (“evil whitey”) are based on premises (history), then the past must be rewritten in a way that validates present narratives — namely, that Europeans have always been and therefore continue to be a scourge on mankind.
In many ways, the Crusades — which revisionist history claims featured European Christians invading and terrorizing peaceful Muslims — are perhaps the quintessential, certainly original, paradigm.
Rewriting the Past to Fit Present Narratives
The only way to demonize the Crusades, however, was to completely rewrite the past. True history makes clear that the Crusades were byproducts of centuries’ worth of (and ongoing) Muslim atrocities against Christians, including the wholesale slaughter and rape of thousands of Christians (including European pilgrims) and the destruction of thousands of churches (including Christendom’s most sacred, the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem). Victimized Christians were retaliating.
Today, however, the inconvenient facts that gave rise to the Crusades — unprovoked Islamic atrocities against Christians — are routinely suppressed. Rather, the Crusaders (those crazy white crackers who simply hated brown Muslims) were motivated by anything and everything except defending Christians and Christendom.
Thus, for Georgetown professor John Esposito,
five centuries of peaceful coexistence [between Islam and Europe] elapsed before political events and an imperial-papal power play led to [a] centuries-long series of so-called holy wars that pitted Christendom against Islam and left an enduring legacy of misunderstanding and distrust.
In fact, the “five centuries of peaceful coexistence” that Esposito casually mentions is precisely when a nascent Islam savagely conquered three-quarters of the Christian world — with countless Christian corpses and torched churches in its wake.
That said, the penchant to demonize premodern Europeans anytime they move against Muslims — regardless of what the latter might have done to provoke it — has metastasized beyond that blame-all (the Crusades). Here, we will examine one of these little known but very telling episodes, including how the academics have recast it and why it matters today.
The Martyrs of Cordoba
While traveling to Muslim-ruled Cordoba, Spain, in 850 AD, Perfectus, a well-educated monk, was stopped by Muslims he knew and apparently trusted. They asked him what Christians thought about Christ and Muhammad.
He told them his answer would likely upset them. They assured him to be at ease and speak freely, promising that they would not share his response with others.
After citing Jesus’s warnings against false prophets, Perfectus said that is how Christians saw Muhammad: as a false prophet. The group said their goodbyes and went their way.
Days later, however, when the same Muslims saw Perfectus in a crowded marketplace, they loudly cried out that he had cursed Muhammad. He was arrested and thrown in a dungeon.
Ordered to recant and convert to Islam or face death, Perfectus defiantly reaffirmed Christ’s divinity and Muhamad’s imposture, resulting in his public beheading. (Death for whoever “blasphemes” against Muhammad at the hands of either Muslim judges or Muslim mobs continues to this day in many Muslim countries and is fueled by many hadiths, including “If anyone insults [Muhammad], then any Muslim who hears him must kill him immediately, without any need to refer to the imam or the sultan.”
Months later, another Christian, Isaac, a 24-year-old who had abandoned a lucrative position and withdrawn into a monastery, returned to Cordoba and, knowing full well the consequences, declared Muhammad a false prophet. Isaac was beheaded and his corpse hung upside down from Cordoba’s gates.
Something had clicked; more Christians followed suit.
Some were dhimmis, others muladi — that is, from formerly Christian families that had (often nominally) converted to Islam to avoid sporadic persecution or improve their social status, while internalizing their Christian faith. Reveling in the unburdening of their souls, while knowing full well the consequence of doing so, they all now publicly confessed the divinity of Christ and its corollary, the fraudulence of Muhammad.
Paul of Alvarus (800-861), a contemporary, described them as tormented souls “who were holding the Christian faith only in secret” but finally “brought out into the open what they had concealed.”
In the end, some 50 Christians were imprisoned, tortured, commanded to recant their blasphemies and convert or return to Islam — often with flattering words and enticing rewards. They all refused and were finally executed, often sadistically. One nun was hurled into a cauldron of molten lead; one elderly monk was whipped to death; a young solider was impaled; and two sisters accused of apostatizing to Christianity were arrested, offered numerous inducements to return to Islam, and refused. They were publicly beheaded.
Blaming the Victims (for Their Own Beheadings)
If those people were anything but Christian, they would be celebrated today for their defiance in the face of tyranny. And if their executors were anything but Muslim, they would be condemned for their barbarism. Yet as historian Dario Fernandez-Morera explains in his The Myth of the Andalusian Paradise,
Although most scholars today do not dispute the primary-source evidence of the Umayyads’ brutal killing of these Christians, they point out the ‘extremism’ of the martyrs, not of the presumably tolerant Umayyad rulers who ordered their slaughter. They have called these executed Christians ‘fanatics,’ ‘troublemakers,’ and ‘self-immolaters.’ As that last term suggests, scholars have argued, in essence, that the Catholics ‘asked for it’ by openly doing things [that is, speaking their conscience] clearly punishable by Islam. Thus the Martyrs of Cordoba episode has been turned into a scholarly version of ‘blaming the victim.’One need look no further for evidence of this than to John V. Tolan, a member of Academia Europaea. In his book, Saracens: Islam in the Medieval European Imagination, he quotes Eulogius — a Christian renowned for his humility and charity who was also martyred in Cordoba — as once saying, “I will not repeat the sacrilege which that impure dog [Muhammad] dared proffer about the Blessed Virgin [Mary]… He claimed that in the next world he would deflower her.”
Such “blasphemous” speech does not sit well with Tolan, who explains:
This outrageous claim [that Muhammad will “deflower” Mary], it seems, is Eulogius’s invention; I know of no other Christian polemicist who makes this accusation against Muhammad. Eulogius fabricates lies designed to shock his Christian reader. This way, even those elements of Islam that resemble Christianity (such as reverence of Jesus and his virgin mother) are deformed and blackened, so as to prevent the Christian from admiring anything about the Muslim other. The goal is to inspire hatred for the “oppressors” …. Eulogius sets out to show that the Muslim is not a friend but a potential rapist of Christ’s virgins.
As recently shown, however, it is Muhammad himself who declared that “Allah will wed me in paradise to Mary, Daughter of Imran” (whom Islam identifies as Jesus’ mother). Thus it was the prophet himself — not any “Christian polemicist” — who “fabricates lies designed to shock,” namely that Christ’s mother will be his eternal concubine.
But, as with the Crusades, such inconvenient incidentals fall by the wayside — so that even Christian martyrs are now demonized in order to exonerate the “offended” Muslims who slaughtered them. At any rate, if even clear victims of Muslim oppression are being portrayed as the aggressors, not for raising a hand or even a finger, but a tongue “against” Muslims,surely it goes without saying that when armed Christians march onto long-held Muslim territories, as they did during the Crusades, they are the evil ones, no further explanation or context necessary.
To be fair, there is another reason why the martyrs are so roundly condemned. Throughout the whole of Islamic history, Western academics claim to have found a few decades in Muslim-ruled Cordoba that support the narrative of a superior Muslim civilization without requiring too much distortion. Unfortunately, however, the Martyrs of Cordoba episode — which is something out of a ghastly Islamic State video — occurred at the height of this so-called “Andalusian golden age,” and is thus yet another wrench in the narrative to be ruthlessly suppressed.

How Do We Build Immunity Against Israel?
Hazem Saghieh/Asharq Al-Awsat/October 14/2024
Israel is a country that worries its neighbors, and they are right to worry. It is the only nuclear power in the region, it does not abide by international law, and, in its wars with genocidal dimensions, Israel makes no noticeable effort to distinguish between combatants and civilians. With criminally disdainful arrogance, it bombs the headquarters of multinational peacekeeping forces without hesitation when they stand in its way.
Moreover, this latest/current war has demonstrated its immense technological superiority over the countries of its region. Technology can, when its use is dictated by a certain logic, kill twice: once through mass murder and another because those who possess it present it as the carrier of an ideology that creates an alternative to ideology and, by extension, an alternative to politics.
Once we add the stark developments unfolding on a daily basis under the current Israeli government, from its unequivocal rejection of a Palestinian state to its encouragement of settlement in the West Bank, and its promotion of a fundamentalist nationalist-religious consciousness, we find an abundance of reasons to build immunity against it and to think ways to contain the threats it poses through political means.
But where can we get this immunity from?
The root of the problem lies in the difference between our own conditions and our words and deeds. Traditionally, the stance on Israel, in all of its episodes, has been presented as something that transcends its neighbors’ borders. However, the countries neighboring Israel all lack immunity, any immunity. Indeed, their statehoods are weak, they are deeply fragmented and atomized, and they are being devoured by sectarian, ethnic, and communal sentiments and loyalties that fall beneath statehood and nationhood.
That lays the foundations for this horrendous contradiction between heeding an extremely costly transnational call, and the structural domestic conflicts between their social components - conflicts that drag all these components beneath the state and nation. Indeed, the more we inflate our rhetoric (by saying things like "Palestine is the Arabs' great cause" or "Palestine is our compass"), the more it rings hollow.
The Arab Levent, which is neither nationalist nor patriotic despite its claims to both, has found itself embroiled, for decades, in a battle characterized as nationalist and patriotic. Not only that, the way the Israel problem has been presented, or used, aggravates the domestic fragmentation of the countries involved, making their immunity weaker and weaker.
Even in Palestine itself, the "great cause" is coupled with major domestic schisms that have played a significant role in hindering the emergence of an independent Palestinian nationalism with independent political tools.
Instead of playing a unifying role, experiences show that the most prominent outcome of taking this course is the increased fragmentation of already fragmented societies, whereby the various fragments are left on the brink of civil war. This state of affairs totally contradicts the deluded literature and rhetoric that claim our struggle with Israel is the sole foundation on which we can build our states, burdening this struggle more than it can bear, and even undermining it at times.
In this sense, the failure to seriously address the Palestinian-Israeli issue has significantly contributed to the Levant’s lack of immunity. Addressing this issue seriously entails, above all, not turning it into an excuse for not building more harmonious societies and more respectable states that militias do not toy with.
Palestine/Israel would stop being made into a pretext, albeit rhetorically sanctified, for one community to clash with others, or for a ruler to oppress his people. Such behavior not only destroys our immunity against Israel but also contributes to making the supremacist Israeli model seem appealing to the fearful or oppressed communities.
Repugnant phenomena have arisen as a result of the "cause's" role in civil wars and communal disputes and given its appropriation by security regimes (Syria) and then theocratic regimes (Iran). The most recent reflection of these phenomena was the emergence of what has been called "schadenfreude," or "penetration" by spies who are not necessarily driven by money and are, in some instances, driven by their opposition to an imposed status quo that has had intolerable communal or political repercussions.
There is another experience with immunity and losing immunity in relation to colonialism and independence that we would perhaps do well to recall. Before nation-states were established, there was genuine immunity against colonialism that was embodied by broad popular forces, parties, individuals, and movements. However, after the establishment of these states and anticolonialism’s transformation into a rhetorical shell, whose function is concealing the states’ vulnerability and repression, we found ourselves faced with bogus and artificial immunity that reflected a lack of real immunity. Thus, anticolonialism’s amplified functional noise existed alongside growing nostalgia for the colonial era - nostalgia whose articulation has taken many forms.With regard to the Israel problem, the articulations of this weak immunity are not limited to terms like "schadenfreude" and "penetration," nor even to the boisterous slogans about the "Arab’s great cause,our compass," and others. We also have heard, on the part of those directly involved in the conflict, lies about fake victories being told to citizens, as well as an unflinching willingness to sacrifice civilians. We also saw the world brim with preposterous and tedious cliches about resistance, as well as other things of that nature that this current war has copiously offered. Thus, demands for achieving the impossible are being raised as our empathic failures to achieve the possible becomes increasingly evident.
If we may borrow, after adapting and altering it somewhat, Heidegger’s duality about poetry and technology, we could say that we are undergoing a fierce struggle between lethal technology and lousy poetry. How and where from, then, will immunity come?

Al-Aqsa Flood: Militias Drown as the State Returns
Sam Menassa/Asharq Al-Awsat/October 14/2024
The main conclusion that can be drawn a year after the "Al-Aqsa Flood" operation in the Gaza Envelope and the launch of the “support” war from Lebanon, is that this "flood" has drowned those behind it. Hamas has been reduced to Yahya Sinwar and his small entourage; Hezbollah has lost Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah after losing many of its first, second, and perhaps third-rank officials.
A year after the October 7 operation, Hamas has lost its stronghold in the Gaza Strip, where residents’ only concern is securing food, water, and shelter. They are certainly not preoccupied with the ideas, doctrines, and goals of political Islam. As for Hezbollah's base, it has become all but homeless after around one million people were displaced from the South, the Bekaa, and the southern suburbs of Beirut because of the policies the party has pursued for decades.
The "flood" also hurt the two organizations’ primary patron, which may have planned the operation; indeed, though there is no concrete evidence to that effect, the political and military trajectories of the past two years point in that direction. Iran has lost two of its proxies in the region simultaneously. Hezbollah, its leading proxy, is being dealt rapid, lethal blows that will be difficult to recover from. As for Hezbollah’s Hamas, its defeat deprived the Sunni branch of political Islam allied with Iran of a key military asset.
None have suffered more from the "flood" and the war it sparked than the Palestinian people, especially the residents of the Gaza Strip which has been completely destroyed, and the Lebanese people. The aftermath of the October 7 operation has rattled the relationship between the United States and its strategic ally Israel, because of Israel's failure to appropriately carry out its role as a US vassal that safeguards American interests in the region. Moreover, Benjamin Netanyahu's radical right-wing government has undermined US policy objectives in the region, and his obstinance has forced Washington to intervene directly, sending money, weapons, and fleets to protect Israel.
Diplomacy and its role in the region have also drowned in this “flood.” Diplomacy has failed to address major issues, and we have only seen tactical initiatives focused on reviving stalled negotiations, reaching a ceasefire (that remains elusive), and ensuring the delivery of humanitarian aid and relief. After the Gaza war and the support front turned into a direct conflict between Iran and Israel, the focus of diplomacy, especially US diplomacy, shifted to averting a major conflict between the two countries that would drag the United States in and further undermine its already strained relations with Russia and China, further complicating matters for the US in Ukraine and Taiwan.
Regardless of whether Netanyahu is right to take the battle to what he considers the mastermind and instigator of conflicts in the region, and to take a belligerent approach to pushing back against Iran, diplomacy has deviated from its path. The diplomatic course primarily entails developing arrangements for ending the wars in Gaza and Lebanon and paving the way for settlements and negotiations that lead to the establishment of a Palestinian state, which is a necessary prerequisite for undermining Iran’s influence in the region by depriving it of its ability to claim that it is the ultimate backer of the Palestinian and the resistance.
Netanyahu and his hardline government claim that through their emphasis on security in addressing every problem with the Palestinians and the Gaza Strip, as well as Hezbollah in Lebanon and Iran, they are fighting alongside the camp of peace and moderation in its battle against the Axis of Resistance, religious extremism, the sponsor of non-state actors and their destabilizing roles that have undermined nation-states.
It is difficult to deny the existence of these two camps. However, at the same time, it is also crucial that we keep in mind what Israel has become, especially under Netanyahu's government. In Israel, the camp of religious and ideological extremists and fanatics is gaining the upper hand over the camp it claims to defend and belong to. The conundrum presented by Israel does not negate the need to eliminate the non-state actors that make political decisions in several countries, have the capacity to expand, and are increasingly shaping regional policies at the expense of states.
On the other hand, the split between the two camps is also reflected domestically, with local dynamics between the camps diverging in each country. Iran is dealing with splits within the regime, despite its bravado and self-assurance. The recent setbacks Hezbollah has faced mirror what is happening inside Iran. Israel is also dealing with domestic divisions and long-standing disputes between extremists and moderates, religious and secular parties, among the religious groups themselves, as well as advocates of peace and a two-state solution, and proponents of annexation and the expulsion of the Palestinians.
After the wars in Gaza and Lebanon, the scene has become more complicated. Skepticism about the role and strength of the United States is growing. That strengthens the position of those who argue against relying on the Americans at a time when Russia’s influence is fading and its effectiveness is diminishing, and when China has refrained from intervening, opting to sit and watch.
Finding solutions will be challenging. It begins with allowing states to take back their roles by ending the hegemony of militias. This outcome is becoming a real possibility after having been a mirage, especially if the alliance of minorities crumbles. We also have reason to hope that religious Zionism could collapse in Israel. States retrieving their roles would allow for addressing the region's problems and conflicts through regional initiatives sponsored by moderate Arab states. Maybe that could make US diplomacy more effective.

Selective English Tweets For October 14/2024
Hussain Abdul-Hussain
While neutralizing tunnels in south #Lebanon, #Israel took this #Hezbollah militant as POW. His name is Waddah Younis, 50, grew up in a Communist family, dropped out of high school, Islamized and joined Hezbollah. Many Hezbollah leaders and fighters switched from Communism (after collapse of Soviet Union) to Islamism as Russian funding dried up and was replaced with Iranian money. This tells us that little or none of Hezbollah's wars are ideological, most of them driven by the self-interest of these guns for hire. Change funding sources and realities on the ground, and you'll see Hamas and Hezbollah vanish.

Hussain Abdul-Hussain
https://x.com/i/status/1845810015619154324
Check out this Hezbollah tunnel, less than 100 meters (110 yards) away from UN peacekeeping force in #Lebanon. Unlike in Gaza, where the landscape is sandy and tunnels were built using concrete slabs, on the #Israel border with Lebanon, the landscape is rocky and you don't see any slabs. This means that digging a tunnel would have been heard and felt within a range of a few kilometers. That UNIFIL did not see, hear, or feel Hezbollah carving its bunker into the rocks, a football field away, is unbelievable. UNIFIL must have turned its blind eye and deaf ear rather and failed to enforce what it was designed to enforce, keep Hezbollah north of River Litani (20 miles north of border with Israel).

Dennis Ross
Israel has destroyed Hamas military and much of its arms infrastructure. Hezbollah has lost its leadership, command control, communications and most of their missiles.But military achievements are not ends in themselves. They must produce political outcomes; Israel needs that now