English LCCC Newsbulletin For
Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For September 13/2024
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news
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Bible Quotations For today
Do to others as you would have them do to you
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke/06/31-38/Do to others
as you would have them do to you. ‘If you love those who love you, what credit
is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. If you do good to
those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the
same. If you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what credit is that to
you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive as much again. But love your
enemies, do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. Your reward will be
great, and you will be children of the Most High; for he is kind to the
ungrateful and the wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. ‘Do not
judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be
condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you.
A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into
your lap; for the measure you give will be the measure you get back.’
Titles For The Latest English LCCC
Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published
on September 12-13/2024
The 9/11 Anniversary and the Willful Blindness to Its Perpetrators: Shia
and Sunni Political Islam and Leftist Complicity/Elias Bejjani/September 11,
2024
A Reflection on the Trump-Harris Debate/Elias Bejjani/September 11/ 2024
Major Israeli Military Operation in South Lebanon Still an Option/Bassam Abou
Zeid/This Is Beirut/September 12/2024
Report: Hochstein to warn Israel against 'adventure in the north'
Will there be an Israeli war on Lebanon?
EU foreign policy chief urges de-escalation at Lebanon-Israel border
Borrell in Beirut says 1701 implementation can 'pave way for comprehensive
settlement'
Israeli warplanes break sound barrier over many regions in South Lebanon
Israeli airstrike in southern Lebanon kills three, including child
Israeli strike in Syria kills 2 Hezbollah-linked operatives
Israel's Northern Front Left Unprepared Amid Rising Tensions with Lebanon
US sanctions oil smuggling network allegedly generating millions for Hezbollah
Israeli army rescues civilian boat from Lebanon's waters
Lufthansa extends Beirut flight suspension
Fire erupts at Bourj Hammoud landfill, black smoke covers areas near Beirut
FATF’s Grey List: Transactions With Correspondent Banks Wont be Affected
Petition for Parliamentary Commission to Probe Electricity Sector Negligence
Cardinal Aghagianian’s Remains Moved to Beirut
Next Hearing in Salameh’s Case Set for Thursday
Retired Military Collective Resist Government Division
Roumieh Prison Inmates Intensify Protests Against Inhumane Conditions
Aley Pays Tribute to Abou and Oum Melhem
Lebanon should not be a puppet controlled by Hezbollah/Khaled Abou Zahr/Arab
News/September 12, 2024
Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published
on September 12-13/2024
‘Israeli forces raided Iranian weapons depot in Syria’
Reports: Israel destroys Iranian missile factory in Syria ground raid
IDF declares victory over Hamas’s Rafah brigade
Netanyahu: World must demand hostages’ freedom
IDF names three Hamas-UNRWA terrorists killed in Gaza airstrike
Gaza rescuers say 18 killed in Israeli strike on school
Israel intelligence unit chief quits over October 7 failure
UN envoy repeats call for prioritization of efforts to end war in Yemen
Arab League chief briefed on conditions faced by refugees in Gaza
Donald Trump rules out holding another TV debate with Harris
White House states false migrant pet-eating stories put 'lives in danger'
Civilians killed in attack in central Afghanistan: Interior Ministry
Venezuela rejects US sanctions as 'crime of aggression'
Turkiye probing killing of activist in occupied West Bank
UN Yemen envoy asks Houthis to release abducted workers, stop attacking ships
Titles For The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous
sources
on September 12-13/2024
The New UK Government's Anti-Israel Policy Is a Disgrace/Con Coughlin/Gatestone
Institute/September 12, 2024
Before Becoming an Islamic City, Vienna Long Defied the Jihad/Raymond Ibrahim/The
Stream/September 12, 2024
Time to make Netanyahu an offer he can’t refuse/Ross Anderson/Arab
News/September 12, 2024
To confront terrorism, a multifaceted approach is required/Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Arab
News/September 12, 2024
Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published
on September 12-13/2024
The 9/11 Anniversary and the Willful Blindness to Its
Perpetrators: Shia and Sunni Political Islam and Leftist Complicity
Elias Bejjani/September 11, 2024
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2024/09/134323/
On September 11th, we remember one of the most harrowing moments in human
history when Al-Qaeda executed a meticulously planned act of pure evil in the
heart of the United States. This atrocity was not merely about destroying
buildings and killing thousands of innocent people; it was a calculated attempt
to terrorize the world and impose a radical Islamic agenda steeped in violence
and terror. Al-Qaeda’s objective was unmistakable: to spread chaos, dismantle
democratic systems, and replace them with a tyrannical Islamic rule that defies
basic human values, legitimizing murder and the enslavement of Christians and
other "infidels" worldwide.
Today, as we commemorate this tragedy, we are confronted with a disturbing
reality. The current U.S. administration, under Democratic leadership, is taking
steps that not only betray the spirit of the war on terror initiated after 9/11
but actively undermine it. Instead of intensifying the fight against terrorism
in all its manifestations, we witness them extending support and aid to
extremist Islamic factions, both Shia and Sunni. The Biden administration,
following the perilous path charted by Obama, is empowering the terrorist
Iranian regime—a regime that had a hand in the 9/11 attacks and is now on the
brink of acquiring nuclear weapons, posing an existential threat not just to
Israel and the Arab countries, but to the entire civilized world.
As the U.S. administration turns a blind eye to Iran's escalating crimes and its
terrorist proxies in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, and Yemen, it allows the Houthis to
unleash chaos in the region, disrupting maritime transport without consequence.
Simultaneously, we see a troubling alliance with Sunni political Islam, embodied
by groups like the Muslim Brotherhood and Boko Haram—terrorist organizations
determined to destabilize not just the Middle East, but the world, spreading
chaos and destruction.
Even more concerning is the silent complicity with the Muslim Brotherhood both
within and outside the United States, where they continue their extremist
activities with minimal interference. On the contrary, these groups are granted
the influence to shape U.S. policy from within, an alarming reality that cannot
be ignored.
In conclusion, we must rise against these catastrophic policies. The Biden
administration, much like Obama’s before it, stands as an adversary to the
American people and global peace, bolstering terrorism in both its Sunni and
Shia incarnations. Peace advocates must urgently work to remove Kamala Harris
and any figure behind this destructive agenda. Concurrently, the U.S. must stand
firmly with Israel in its efforts to neutralize Iran's nuclear ambitions and
eliminate the terrorist threat posed by Hamas. Furthermore, a resolute stance
must be taken against Hezbollah in Lebanon by enforcing international
resolutions such as the Armistice Agreement and UNSC Resolutions 1559, 1680, and
1701.
The anniversary of September 11th must not pass without a clear and unyielding
reminder of who the real enemies of peace and stability are: the political
Islamists, both Shia and Sunni, and the radical left, epitomized by the Biden
and Obama administrations. Peace lovers must unite against this
existential threat to ensure a secure and peaceful future for generations to
come.
The intent of this piece is to spotlight the grave dangers posed by destructive
leftist elements across all spectrums and the looming threats from both Sunni
and Shia political Islamists. It also underscores the disastrous impact of
certain political decisions on global stability, urging a steadfast stand
against terrorism in all its forms and the critical need to prevent the Iranian
Mullahs from obtaining nuclear capabilities.
A Reflection on the Trump-Harris Debate
Elias Bejjani/September 11/
2024
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2024/09/134293/
The debate that took place yesterday between former President Donald Trump and
Vice President Kamala Harris served as a vivid and real-life example of the
stark differences in style, substance, and credibility between the two
candidates. The debate highlighted the clear contrasts between Trump, a leader
exuding confidence and conviction, and Harris, who seemed to merely echo what
she was told, offering nothing new or remarkable. This made her come across more
like a parrot than a candidate for the presidency of the world’s most powerful
nation.
Kamala Harris’s performance was, to be frank, disappointing. Her responses were
superficial and lacked credibility. Instead of addressing the core issues at
hand, she resorted to repeating the same worn-out phrases and personal stories
that we’ve heard time and time again. She seemed to believe that by repeating
her upbringing story, she could appear more authentic and relatable, but she
failed. Rather than building a bridge of communication with the people, she
appeared tense, insincere, and entirely unconvincing.
What is even more concerning is the way Harris used her personal background as a
shield, attempting to manipulate the emotions of a segment of Americans by
focusing on race and background instead of confronting the real issues that
impact people’s lives. This strategy is not only insulting to the intelligence
of voters, but it also raises serious questions about her sincerity and
intentions. Her attempts to portray herself as a champion for the rights of
people of color came across as mere theatric and fully
devoid of any genuine commitment to change.
In contrast, Donald Trump displayed the confidence and clarity that have long
defined his political career. Whether one agrees with his policies or not, it
cannot be denied that Trump speaks with a certainty and clarity that leave
little room for doubt. He does not hide behind polite facades or rely on catchy
phrases; instead, he confronts issues head-on, with a straightforwardness that
resonates with many Americans.
As the debate concluded, it became undeniably clear that Kamala Harris is not
the right person to lead America and the world. If she wins the presidency, it
will be nothing short of a disaster for the United States and the entire globe.
Harris would be an even greater burden than Joe Biden, whose presidency has been
marked by hesitation, decline, weak leadership, and confusion, allowing
terrorist Iran to expand and strengthen with the billions it was permitted to
acquire.
In these critical times, we must recognize the gravity of the situation. A
Harris presidency would not only be ineffective and disastrous, but it would
also lead America and the world down a perilous paths.
Therefore, let us hope, for the sake of America and its future, and for the sake
of all nations, that this dreadful scenario does not come to pass and that this
weak, insincere, and fake politician does not reach
the White House.
Major Israeli Military Operation in South Lebanon Still
an Option
Bassam Abou Zeid/This Is Beirut/September 12/2024
From now until the US elections on November 5, all eyes will be on Israeli Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who may decide to expand military operations
against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, coinciding with the first anniversary of
the “Al-Aqsa Flood” attack on October 7. Information from the US capital
indicates that the Israeli army has completed preparations and acquired weapons
and ammunition for further escalation in southern Lebanon. It is considering two
options: either significantly escalating airstrikes and expanding their scope,
in parallel with commando operations in certain areas, or launching a ground
operation in which Israeli forces would attempt to penetrate a certain distance
south of the Litani River. American sources clarify that no political decision
has been made at the Israeli level to start developing military operations,
particularly since US military officials agree with their Israeli counterparts
that the current attacks against Hezbollah are achieving the desired military
objective of damaging the party’s military infrastructure.
On the other hand, according to several overlapping reports, Hezbollah seems to
be seeking ways to avoid prolonging the war in the south, given the absence of a
foreseeable end to the war in Gaza. Hezbollah is aware that a prolonged conflict
in the south would have severe repercussions on the party itself, southern
residents, and the Lebanese in general, especially if the situation escalates
further, leading to more displacement and destruction. Caretaker Prime Minister
Najib Mikati and Foreign Minister Abdullah Bou Habib have recently received
direct and indirect messages urging them to once again attempt to separate the
situation in southern Lebanon from that in Gaza. Both Lebanese officials have
expressed their willingness to relay the messages, once again, to Hezbollah,
even though they are aware that a positive response is unlikely without
clarifying what Hezbollah would receive in return for such a step and what price
it would pay.
Report: Hochstein to warn Israel against 'adventure in the
north'
Naharnet/September 12/2024
U.S. mediator Amos Hochstein will arrive in the region carrying the following
message: “Refrain from escalation” against Hezbollah, Israel’s Channel 12
reported. “Hochstein will carry a U.S. message to the political leadership in
Israel, asking it not to go to an adventure in the north because it will be very
costly,” Channel 12 added. “Hochstein will exert an extra effort to reach a
settlement in the north, but the problem is that such a settlement is also
linked to a ceasefire in Gaza,” the channel said.
Will there be an Israeli war on Lebanon?
Naharnet/September 12/2024
Western and Arab diplomats have relayed new Israeli warnings to the Lebanese
government, saying that “the Israeli government can no longer remain idle over
what’s happening in its northern regions” and that it is “cornered” due to
“pressures from the population, from key parties in the governmental coalition
and from some security and military officials,” a media report said. “That’s why
Israel will find itself obliged to take harsh steps to change the equation on
the border in order to resolve its domestic crisis,” the diplomats warned
Lebanon, according to unnamed sources quoted by Lebanon’s al-Binaa newspaper.
“Israel has told mediators that it prefers a diplomatic solution through border
arrangements that would represent security guarantees for Israel and accordingly
for the displaced settlers who want to return to their homes,” the sources
added.
Annahar newspaper meanwhile reported “intensive Arab and European diplomatic
efforts” to prevent “what many countries believe will be a major Israeli
operation in Lebanon that precedes the date of the U.S. presidential
vote.”“Several Lebanese leaders have been informed of this information and
atmosphere but no one is disclosing them,” the daily added. Ad-Diyar newspaper
for its part quoted informed political sources as saying that “the Israeli
statements about an all-out war are mainly aimed at boosting the morale of the
Israeli population, after northern Israel’s residents were displaced and the
resistance’s drones reached Haifa and Safad.”
EU foreign policy chief urges de-escalation at
Lebanon-Israel border
NAJIA HOUSSARI/Arab News/September 12, 2024
BEIRUT: EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has called for a de-escalation of
tensions on the Lebanon-Israel border, expressing fears of “more regional
escalation due to the war in Gaza and especially in Lebanon.” He called on
Lebanese leaders to work for the interests of their country and its people and
“not for someone else’s interests.”During a visit to Beirut on Thursday, Borrell
met with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati,
Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib, and Commander of the Lebanese Armed Forces
Joseph Aoun. He said that “the full implementation of UN Resolution 1701 should
pave the way for a comprehensive settlement, including the demarcation of land
borders between Lebanon and Israel.”With more than 4,000 buildings completely
destroyed and some 110,000 people having fled their homes in Lebanon, he said
its people wanted peace, stability and prosperity — not war. He added: “My main
message today is that the EU stands with the Lebanese people to overcome the
challenges as much as possible.”Borrell warned that fears of further escalation
and increased human suffering were growing and emphasized the importance of
economic reform and bank restructuring.
The EU was ready to continue its support for Lebanon, he added: “We can help but
we cannot overcome the internal obstacles. The Lebanese themselves can do so.”
Borrell’s meetings came amid ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and the
Israeli army on the Lebanese southern front. Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri told
Borrell: “Lebanon doesn’t want war but has the right and the capacity to defend
itself.”Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati emphasized “the necessity to
intensify the international and UN pressure to stop the ongoing Israeli
aggression against Lebanon.”
Israeli Channel 12 reported that US envoy Amos Hochstein had arrived in Israel
with a message that the country should refrain from large-scale military action
in Lebanon. The channel said both the US and Israel realized a war with
Hezbollah could lead to a multi-front conflict, but while Hochstein would make
efforts for settlement in the north, such agreement was linked to a ceasefire in
Gaza. Israeli action against Hezbollah has increased in recent days. The militia
added the settlement of Rosh HaNikra to its list of targets for the first time,
along with Matzuva which was hit with salvos of rockets.
A statement said this was “in response to Israel’s attacks on the steadfast
southern villages and safe civilian homes, particularly the two wronged martyrs
in El Biyada.”In the town of El Biyada, an Israeli combat drone targeted a
motorcycle and killed two brothers aged 12 and 17. Israeli artillery north of
Ein Yaakov came under rocket fire, while Bayad Blida and Al-Malikiyah was
attacked with heavy artillery shells.Israeli media reported a fire north of
Nahariya as a result of rocket fire from southern Lebanon, saying 50 rockets had
been launched toward Western Galilee. Israeli artillery shelled the outskirts of
Alma Al-Shaab and the Labouneh area in Naqoura, and a drone targeted the
outskirts of Maroun Al-Ras Park. Israeli reconnaissance aircraft continued to
fly over southern areas, especially western and central villages, extending to
the outskirts of the Litani River and the coast.
Borrell in Beirut says 1701 implementation can 'pave way
for comprehensive settlement'
Agence France Presse/Associated Press/September 12/2024
European Union's top diplomat Josep Borrell met Thursday with Parliament Speaker
Nabih Berri and caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati, as he visits Lebanon to
prevent further escalation of the Gaza war. Berri told Borell during their
meeting in Ain el-Tineh that "Lebanon does not want war but that it has the
right to defend itself and is able to do it," while Borell said after the
meeting that Lebanon cannot protect its foreign interests if there is no
domestic accord, urging for a solution to the presidential impasse.
The EU Delegation to Lebanon said in a statement that Borell's mission will be
an opportunity to discuss all aspects of the situation in and around Gaza and
wider political issues with regional leaders, notably the impact of the conflict
on neighboring countries and their respective contributions to peace and
stability efforts, the EU Delegation said. Borell also met Thursday with
caretaker Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib and Lebanese Armed Forces
Commander General Joseph Aoun and had met on Wednesday with with former
Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat.
At a joint press conference with Bou Habib, Borrell called for a de-escalation
of tensions on the Lebanon-Israel border, with ongoing fears of all-out war
between Israel and Hezbollah. "Since I last visited Lebanon in January, the
drums of war have not stopped pounding," Borrell said, noting that as yet,
full-blown conflict in south Lebanon "has not happened. That's good news.""We
need to de-escalate military tensions," Borrell added, urging "all sides to
pursue this path."Borrell said the EU was putting all its diplomatic efforts
towards avoiding a broader escalation, particularly in south Lebanon, but added:
"I don't have a magic wand." Borrell said that according to the United Nations
more than 4,000 residential buildings have been completely destroyed in Lebanon
and more than 110,000 Lebanese have been forced to leave their homes along the
border. He said the same thing is happening on the Israeli side of the border.
"We have to continue pushing for a comprehensive peace in the region," he said
at the end of a two-day trip to Lebanon after also visiting Egypt. Borrell also
called for the full implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution
1701, which "should pave the way for a comprehensive settlement, including land
border demarcation and allowing" tens of thousands of displaced people to return
on both sides. The resolution ended a 2006 conflict between Israel and Hezbollah
and called for the Lebanese Army and United Nations peacekeepers to be the only
armed forces deployed in south Lebanon. Lebanon and Israel demarcated their
maritime frontier in 2022 but disputes over the land border remain unresolved.
Bou Habib reiterated Lebanon's commitment to "the comprehensive and balanced
implementation" of Resolution 1701. After meeting Borell, Jumblat said that "few
people in history stand out in such circumstances," lauding Borrell's stance on
the Gaza War. He also praised UNRWA's Philippe Lazzarini and Secretary-General
of the United Nations Antonio Guterres, and said he hopes there were more people
like them in the world and in the Arab states. Borell had visited Cairo on
Monday where he met with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.
Israeli warplanes break sound barrier over many regions in
South Lebanon
LBCI/September 12/2024
On Thursday, Israeli warplanes broke the sound barrier over many regions in
South Lebanon, causing loud sonic booms.
Israeli airstrike in southern Lebanon kills three,
including child
LBCI/September 12/2024
An Israeli airstrike targeted on Thursday a motorcycle on the outskirts of
Nabatieh city in southern Lebanon. The strike also caused a vehicle to catch
fire. Accordingly, the Israeli airstrike on the Kfarjoz area resulted in the
death of three people, including a child, and injured three others.
Israeli strike in Syria kills 2 Hezbollah-linked operatives
Agence France Presse/September 12/2024
A war monitor said an Israeli strike Thursday in the Syrian-controlled Golan
Heights killed two people working with Lebanon's Hezbollah, days after major
raids elsewhere in the country. Syria's official news agency SANA reported that
"two citizens were martyred due to an Israeli drone attack that targeted a
civilian vehicle with a missile" on the Damascus-Quneitra road, in Quneitra
province. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor said those killed
were an operative who "worked with Lebanon's Hezbollah and was responsible for
recruiting Syrians in the area... and transporting weapons."His "assistant" was
also killed, added the Britain-based Observatory, which relies on a network of
sources inside Syria. A local security source told AFP that "two charred bodies
were removed" from the targeted vehicle. The Israeli army has yet to comment on
the strike. Israel seized much of the Golan Heights from Syria in 1967 and later
annexed it in a move largely unrecognized by the international community.
Thursday's strike came days after raids blamed on Israel killed 18 people in the
central province of Hama, according to Syrian authorities. The Observatory said
those strikes killed 27 people, including six civilians, and targeted a
"scientific research area" and other sites in the province's Masyaf area. Israel
declined to comment on those reported strikes. Hezbollah has repeatedly targeted
military positions in the Israeli-annexed Golan in recent months as part of
attacks from Lebanon in support of ally Hamas following the Palestinian militant
group's October 7 attack on Israel that sparked the Gaza war. Syria has sought
to stay out of the Israel-Hamas conflict, whose fallout has raised fears of a
broader regional war. Limited rocket attacks from Syria by Hezbollah-allied
fighters have targeted the Israeli-held Golan since October. Since Syria's civil
war erupted in 2011, Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes in the country,
mainly targeting army positions and Iran-backed fighters, including from
Lebanon's Hezbollah. Israeli authorities rarely comment on individual strikes in
Syria, but have repeatedly said they will not allow arch-enemy Iran to expand
its presence there. Israeli raids on Syria surged after Hamas' October 7 attack
then eased somewhat after an April 1 strike blamed on Israel hit the Iranian
consular building in Damascus, prompting Iran's first-ever direct attack against
Israel.
Israel's Northern Front Left Unprepared Amid Rising
Tensions with Lebanon
LBCI/September 12/2024
As northern towns entered a state of emergency on Thursday following heavy
shelling by Hezbollah, which launched dozens of rockets causing direct damage to
homes and properties, internal debate intensified over the future of this front.
Former commander Eliezer Marom, who is currently in charge of the northern
region's rehabilitation project, threatened to resign due to the lack of
operational mechanisms enabling him to carry out his task. This prompted the
Interior Minister to call on the Prime Minister for immediate intervention to
protect the border region. Reports suggested that the Israeli government had not
factored the northern front into its plans for the "Al-Aqsa Flood" war and that
all the threats and promises to the northern residents were no more than
illusions. The government has not allocated any funds for the northern front,
neither for waging war on Lebanon nor for rebuilding the region, where sirens
have not ceased since October 8th. The Knesset's Finance Committee held a
session to address Israel's ongoing economic decline, focusing on distributing
the state budget without allocating any funds to support the north or address
the needs of displaced residents. This development comes as security tensions
escalate along both sides of the border. Meanwhile, US efforts intensify to
prevent the war from expanding into Lebanon. Diplomatic efforts, led by US envoy
Amos Hochstein, are ongoing to warn of the consequences of any escalation on
this front. Despite Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's promises to local
leaders in multiple meetings to ensure the safety of the region and its
residents, he has decided to delay discussing the army's plans for war with
Lebanon, pending the outcome of diplomatic efforts, which remain without a set
deadline as long as the war in Gaza continues.
Hezbollah-Israel border clashes: Latest developments
Naharnet/September 12/2024
Hezbollah targeted several military bases and posts in northern Israel on
Thursday as the Israeli army bombed villages in southern Lebanon. In response to
attacks on southern villages and an Israeli drone strike that killed two
teenagers riding a motorbike in the al-Bayyada area on Wednesday, Hezbollah said
it for the first time targeted the Rosh HaNikra Israeli settlement with volleys
of rockets. It also said that it launched suicide drones at the Nahal Gershom
base and rockets at the Matzuva settlement in response to the al-Bayyada attack.
The group also announced three other attacks on the Bayyad Blida, Malkia and Ein
Ya'akov military posts. Israeli warplanes meanwhile raided the outskirts of
Yaroun and a house in Maroun al-Rass, while artillery shelled the outskirts of
Alma al-Shaab. The clashes come as European Union's top diplomat Josep Borrell
visits Lebanon in an attempt to prevent further escalation of the Gaza war. The
cross-border violence since October 8 has killed some 617 people in Lebanon,
mostly fighters but also including 138 civilians. On the Israeli side, including
in the annexed Golan Heights, authorities have announced the deaths of at least
24 soldiers and 26 civilians. The fighting has also displaced tens of thousands
of Lebanese and Israeli residents on both sides of the border and Israel has
repeatedly vowed to act to return its citizens through war or diplomatic action.
US sanctions oil smuggling network allegedly generating
millions for Hezbollah
Naharnet/September 12/2024
The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC)
has sanctioned three individuals, five companies and two vessels that are
allegedly involved in smuggling oil and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) to
generate revenue for Hezbollah. “The network, comprised of Lebanese businessmen
and companies and overseen by a senior leader of Hezbollah’s finance team, has
facilitated dozens of LPG shipments to the Government of Syria and channeled the
profits to Hezbollah. Illicit oil and LPG smuggling operations generate hundreds
of millions of dollars for Hezbollah and support the group’s terrorist
activities,” the Treasury said. “Hezbollah continues to launch rockets into
Israel and fuel regional instability, choosing to prioritize funding violence
over taking care of the people it claims to care about, including the tens of
thousands displaced in southern Lebanon,” said U.S. Acting Under Secretary of
the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Bradley T. Smith.
“Treasury will continue to disrupt the oil smuggling and other financing
networks that support Hezbollah’s war machine,” he added. The Treasury said “two
prominent Hezbollah officials involved in these efforts include Muhammad Qasir (Qasir)
and Muhammad Qasim al-Bazzal (al-Bazzal), who manage a channel for transporting
LPG and other oil distillates on behalf of Hezbollah and directly receive
payment for their sale.”On May 15, 2018, OFAC had designated Qasir for “acting
for or on behalf of Hezbollah as a critical conduit for financial disbursements
from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force (IRGC-QF) to
Hezbollah.”On November 20, 2018, OFAC designated al-Bazzal, an “associate of
Qasir,” for his “support to Hezbollah.”
Israeli army rescues civilian boat from Lebanon's waters
Naharnet/September 12/2024
The Israeli army announced Thursday that it managed to “rescue and return” an
Israeli civilian boat from Lebanon’s territorial waters, without mentioning
anything about any coordination with the UNIFIL forces. “Earlier today, a report
was received that two Israeli citizens were on board a watercraft that broke
down and drifted towards Lebanese territorial waters. As soon as the report was
received, the Navy and Air Force forces were mobilized to the scene,” the
Israeli army said. “After spotting and communicating with the watercraft, the
Navy launched a rescue operation and returned the civilian watercraft to the
sovereign territorial waters of the State of Israel,” the army added.
Lufthansa extends Beirut flight suspension
Agence France Presse/September 12/2024
German airline group Lufthansa said Thursday it was extending a suspension of
flights to Lebanese capital Beirut until October 15 due to heightened regional
tensions. Services to Beirut had previously been suspended until the end of
September. Lufthansa also said it resumed flights to Tel Aviv in Israel on
September 5, after also suspending them due to tensions. The German group's
carriers also include SWISS, Austrian Airlines and Brussels Airlines. Lebanon's
Hezbollah has traded near-daily fire with Israeli forces in support of ally
Hamas since the Palestinian militant group's October 7 attack triggered war in
the Gaza Strip, with repeated escalations during the conflict.
Fire erupts at Bourj Hammoud landfill, black smoke covers
areas near Beirut
LBCI/September 12/2024
A fire broke out at 6:05 p.m. on Thursday at the Bourj Hammoud landfill near
Beirut River, sending black smoke drifting over the Dora, Karantina, and Jal el
Dib areas.
Immediately, civil defense teams, supported by equipment from multiple centers,
were dispatched to the fire site. Additionally, firefighting efforts continue
with assistance from the Beirut Fire Brigade in collaboration with the company
responsible for the landfill to swiftly control the flames and address the
hazards posed by burning waste.
FATF’s Grey List: Transactions With Correspondent Banks Wont be Affected
Maurice Matta/This Is Beirut/September 12/2024
Wassim Mansouri, the Acting Governor of Lebanon’s Central Bank (BDL) has
concluded his meetings with correspondent banks in London, returning with
reassurances that these institutions will continue to cooperate with Lebanon,
regardless of the anticipated decision by the FATF (Financial Action Task Force)
on October 24. However, the risk of Lebanon being added to the grey list remains
significant—a list that includes countries struggling to address financial
crimes, especially money laundering and terrorism financing.
According to Mansouri’s sources, the meetings in London were constructive,
direct, and transparent. The correspondent banks affirmed their commitment to
maintaining strong ties with Lebanese banks and the Central Bank of Lebanon,
driven by their trust in BDL’s adherence to international standards and its
implementation of the required measures for financial transparency and
compliance. For his part, Mansouri, presented to the banks’ officials a series
of actions and steps taken by Lebanon, particularly the Central Bank, aimed at
curbing the cash-based economy, monitoring banking transactions, and enhancing
compliance mechanisms. He also provided a detailed response to the latest FATF
report, which recommended a “negative” reassessment of Lebanon’s classification
and its potential move to the grey list.
In fact, Mansouri made a concerted effort to shield the banking sector and the
BDL- particularly its external banking operations – from any potential
repercussions of a FATF decision to add Lebanon to the grey list. He made it a
point in his meetings and in the report he submitted to the FATF to highlight
the potential consequences of such a classification. BDL’s Acting Governor
cannot single-handedly alter a decision made by FATF. However, inside
information from closed-door meetings in London and Washington have driven him
to take all available measures to protect the banking sector and the BDL,
especially relationships with correspondent banks, from any potential
repercussions. The latest FATF report commended the efforts of the banking
sector and the BDL in implementing the corrective measures required by the
group, especially regarding the cash economy and anti-money laundering
practices. Official figures show a continued decline in the Lebanese pound money
supply, which fell to around 58 trillion pounds in the first week of September.
Meanwhile, the Central Bank has increased its foreign currency reserves by
nearly $2 billion, bringing the total to approximately $10.4 billion. It has
been actively working to manage the money supply in Lebanese pounds by enhancing
electronic payment systems and reducing cash transactions in the market. This
effort aligns with international standards, for combating money laundering and
terrorism financing. Furthermore, the Central Bank has issued Intermediate
Circular No. 692, which establishes at least two departments within the
Inspection Unit to oversee the central office and bank branches. These
departments are responsible for enforcing compliance with anti-money laundering,
counter-terrorism financing, and anti-corruption standards.
If Lebanon is added to the grey list in the coming weeks, the crucial next step
will be to implement a collaborative action plan involving relevant local
stakeholders, with support from the legislative authority and policymakers. The
plan’s primary focus should be to address existing gaps and enhance the
effectiveness of Lebanon’s anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing
measures. Moreover, a comprehensive government strategy is needed to implement
the corrective measures required by relevant internal bodies. Addressing FATF’s
requests, including judicial reforms, fighting corruption and its agents, and
addressing the informal economy, is crucial to prevent Lebanon from being added
to the grey list.
Petition for Parliamentary Commission to Probe Electricity
Sector Negligence
This Is Beirut/September 12/2024
Ten MPs – Ashraf Rifi, Michel Moawad, Fouad Makhzoumi, Ghassan Hasbani, Georges
Okais, Adib Abdel Massih, Elias Hankach, Marc Daou, Bilal Houchaymi and Michel
Douaihy – presented a petition on Thursday, calling for the formation of a
parliamentary commission of inquiry to look into “the transgressions and acts of
negligence committed in connection with the electricity file.”The MPs presented
their petition at a press conference led by MP Adib Abdel Massih. The document
states that “it has been proven over the last twenty years that the resolution
of the electricity crisis in Lebanon is not technical or even financial.
International and Arab organizations, both governmental and non-governmental,
have submitted multiple and diverse offers, to technically and financially
resolve the electricity crisis, to successive governments, specifically to
successive ministers of Energy. The offers were made by Qatar, Siemens and
Aquapower in cooperation with the Kuwait Fund for Development, among others.”“It
is now clear that the problem lies in the absence of any real will on the part
of all those who have headed this Ministry to resolve the electricity crisis,
despite the promises made,” the text reads. “This is explained,” according to
the MPs, “by an intention to conceal corrupt operations, whether in fuel
purchases, energy imports, power plant maintenance or the installation of new
plants, as well as to cover up the existence of a black market in electricity
that generates billions of dollars through generators.”
The text recalls that in 2002, “a law was promulgated by Parliament concerning
the regulatory authority, but it has not been implemented to this day, sometimes
due to political wrangling.” In the MPs’ opinion, “it has not seen the light of
day because of apprehensions linked to the transfer of power from the Ministry
to the authority in question.” The Council of Ministers also approved an
electricity plan on June 21, 2010, which has yet to be implemented. “On March
28, 2017, the government approved another plan – the Electricity Sector Rescue
Plan for Summer 2017, which provided, in its first clause, for the leasing of
additional energy from floating power plants with a production capacity between
800 and 1,000 megawatts. This agreement later turned out to be dubious, costing
the Lebanese state several times more than building new plants, and its
implementation was more than suspect,” the MPs added.
Cardinal Aghagianian’s Remains Moved to Beirut
Fady Noun/This Is Beirut/September 12/2024
While official statements have been sparse and lacking in detail, the figure of
Cardinal Grégoire Pierre XV Aghagianian (1895-1971) is emerging more clearly as
the reasons for transferring his remains to Lebanon are now better understood.
This solemn transfer, taking place at Martyrs’ Square, comes at his own request.
Born in Georgia in 1895 and naturalized Lebanese upon Lebanon’s independence in
1943, Cardinal Grégoire Pierre XV Aghagianian, who was already serving as the
Patriarch of the Armenian Catholics, wished to be buried in Lebanese soil. He
specifically requested interment at the Convent of Bzommar in Kesrouan, the seat
of the Armenian Catholic Patriarchate that he led from 1937 to 1962 before
passing it on to others who were less burdened by responsibilities, allowing him
to concentrate on preparations for the Second Vatican Council. However, for
accessibility reasons, the current Armenian Catholic Patriarch, Raphael Bedros
XXI, chose to keep the tomb within the Armenian Catholic Cathedral of Saints
Elias and Gregory the Illuminator, located in Debbas Square, directly adjacent
to Martyrs’ Square. This decision was deeply personal for Patriarch Raphael
Bedros, who, as a young seminarian in Rome, was entrusted with the care of
Aghagianian’s body after the cardinal’s passing. During the three days of public
veneration, he noticed an unusual phenomenon: the body of the cardinal appeared
to perspire, something his superiors instructed him to ignore. Holding onto this
mystery for decades, he believed it to be a divine sign, and his faith was
rewarded when, at his request, the coffin was reopened in 2022, revealing the
body to be remarkably well-preserved. Apart from a brief moment during today’s
ceremony at Martyrs’ Square, where his body, flown in from Rome, will be
transferred to its final resting place, there are no plans for a public viewing
of his remains until the beatification process is completed. Currently, Cardinal
Aghagianian is recognized as Venerable, a title granted in acknowledgment of his
“heroic virtues,” a key step in the canonization process. Indeed, everything is
in place.
Preferred Inclination
The cardinal’s distinguished roles—leading the Dicastery for Evangelization
(formerly Propaganda Fide, 1958-1970), serving as legate in Nationalist China,
India, or in Thailand, moderating at the Second Vatican Council, being
considered “papabile,” and making significant contributions in Lebanon as bishop
and later as Catholicos of the Armenian Catholics, including founding schools
and dispensaries—all attest to a man deeply committed to serving the Catholic
Church, while also showing an unwavering dedication to championing the
marginalized and the underprivileged. However, his choice to be buried in
Lebanon, despite the high-profile roles he held, underscores his deep personal
commitment to the “little flock” that survived the brutal 1915 genocide and
chose Lebanon as its second homeland. Patriarch Raphael Bedros’s gesture, along
with the words spoken in the presence of the Maronite Patriarch, caretaker Prime
Minister Najib Mikati, and other officials, will reaffirm Lebanon’s role as a
land of saints and sanctity, a beacon of Islamic-Christian harmony, and a
“message of pluralism for both East and West,” as declared by Saint John Paul
II. This truth will be vividly demonstrated during Thursday’s ceremony, as the
casket of the Servant of God is carried from Martyrs’ Square—a symbolic
gathering place for all Lebanese people—to Saint Gregory the Illuminator
Cathedral, borne by both Christian and Muslim hands. From this place and from a
higher realm, Cardinal Aghagianian will continue to assist those who seek his
intercession, akin to Therese of Lisieux, who vowed to “spend her heaven doing
good on earth.” He made this promise to those who visited him in his final days,
after he had lost his sight. “I can do nothing for you now,” he said, “but if
God wills, I will be able to, after death.” His final words reflected this
spirit; as he neared the end and saw a glass of water being brought to him, he
exclaimed, “I thirst,” mirroring his Master on the cross, and added, “I thirst
for your salvation.”
Next Hearing in Salameh’s Case Set for Thursday
This Is Beirut/September 12/2024
Acting chief investigative judge in Beirut, Bilal Halawi, has scheduled a
hearing for Thursday, September 19, in the case of former Central Bank Governor
Riad Salameh, during which witnesses Naaman Naddour, a director at the Central
Bank, and Pierre Kanaan, who previously headed the Bank’s legal affairs
department, would testify. Naddour and Kanaan were supposed to testify this
morning during the second hearing of Judge Halawi’s investigation into
transactions made from the Central Bank’s legal advice account, a case for which
Salameh was arrested on September 3.
However, they both failed to appear before the judge, citing that the three-day
notification period for their summons had not been respected. Central Bank
lawyer Marwan Issa el-Khoury, who was also summoned as a witness, is currently
abroad, and a new hearing date will be scheduled for him. On the other hand,
Michel Tueni, another lawyer of the Central Bank, appeared at the Palace of
Justice, where he testified for nearly thirty minutes in the same case.
Retired Military Collective Resist Government Division
This Is Beirut/September 12/2024
The Retired Military Personnel Collective issued a warning against any “slander
or infringement” on their rights, vowing to respond to attempts to sideline
their demands. In a statement issued on Thursday, the collective expressed their
outrage at the government’s attempt to divide the ranks of retired military
personnel and sow discord between the collective and the Association of Army
Retirees, emphasizing that the goals of both groups are aligned. The statement
specifies: “Our ultimate goal is to ensure a decent life for retired military
personnel and to guarantee salary equality across all components of the
state.”“If defending the rights of retirees is considered a crime or an
insurrection against the state, we are proud to fight this battle,” the
statement read. The Gathering also condemned what it called “discriminatory
policies” within the public sector, holding political authorities accountable
for the “dismantling of the nation and its institutions, especially those
related to security.” They argued that the public’s spontaneous reaction to the
secretive government session was not an organized action but rather an
expression of frustration and humiliation felt by those who had dedicated their
lives to defending the state, only to be abandoned by a government that is now
betraying them. This statement came in response to remarks made by Caretaker
Prime Minister Najib Mikati on Wednesday, following protests triggered by a
surprise Cabinet meeting earlier in the day at the Grand Serail. Mikati
responded to the protests, which erupted after Tuesday’s scheduled session was
postponed, saying, “It seems that organized groups, mobilizing under the slogan
of ‘defending the rights of retired military personnel’, have decided to turn
against the state and the Council of Ministers, paralyzing the country.”
He questioned, “Is it a crime for the government to meet and discuss matters
concerning the public and public administration?” It’s worth noting that the
government hastily convened on Wednesday to address the agenda initially planned
for Tuesday’s session, which had been delayed due to a lack of quorum. Retired
military personnel had organized a sit-in and blocked access to the Grand Serail,
demanding their rights be addressed.
Roumieh Prison Inmates Intensify Protests Against Inhumane
Conditions
Samar Yamout/This Is Beirut/September 12/2024
Conditions in Lebanon’s prisons fall drastically short of even the most basic
international standards for human dignity. Over time, these facilities have
become centers of both physical and psychological torture, where inmates live
under the constant threat of death—much like the notorious torture chambers of
authoritarian regimes.The long-overdue relief from these inhumane conditions has
yet to materialize, as the voices of detainees anxiously awaiting their
prosecution grow louder. For many, the mere act of being escorted to court
offers a fleeting sense of respite, as they cling to the hope that their hearing
—if not postponed—might finally bring a glimmer of hope to end their suffering.
In a recent escalation, inmates in Building B at Roumieh Prison have started a
“lockdown” to protest their dire conditions, following the death of their fellow
inmate, Omar Hmayyed, who suffered a heart attack without receiving medical
assistance. As part of their protest, the prisoners have gone on a hunger
strike, threatening to continue their peaceful protest until their rightful
humanitarian demands for adequate medical care, food, and medication are
addressed. The strikers have also requested a meeting with a government
representative to explain their bleak situation and present their demands to
caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati.
Every Inmate is a Victim of a Slow Death
Houna Loubnan reached out to inmate Mahmoud M. from Building B to understand the
reasons behind the recent escalation. Mahmoud described the long-standing
suffering of the prisoners, which has worsened since the death of Omar Hmayyed,
leaving every inmate at risk of experiencing a slow death.
According to Mahmoud, “Every inmate is at risk of the same fate and could die at
any moment from medical emergencies, as essential services are lacking. We have
reached out to the prison administration to request the presence of a doctor at
all times, first aid supplies, and a nearby ambulance for emergency transport.
We also asked for permission for families to bring food regularly, but our
request was denied. As a result, we decided to take peaceful escalation measures
with the hope of making our voices heard.”
Mahmoud pointed out that the prison conditions have severely deteriorated since
the start of Lebanon’s economic crisis in 2019, urging the authorities to take
responsibility before more inmates fall victim to medical neglect and the lack
of basic living conditions.
Another inmate from Building B described the conditions at Roumieh Prison as
catastrophic, saying, “We have been suffering and begging for help for years,
but no one listens or acknowledges our pain. Our situation is like that of the
dead who have been forgotten; only a few remember us.”
Roumieh, an Inhumane Prison
The state of Lebanon’s prisons can be characterized as ranging from poor to
extremely dire, and in all cases, inhumane, as the prison administration has
failed to assume its role and duty of rehabilitating the inmates. Were it not
for the efforts of some NGOs and civil organizations, conditions would likely be
even worse. Inmates continue to endure significant suffering, as reflected in
recurrent protests, riots, escapes, and acts of self-harm. Roumieh Prison,
Lebanon’s largest, currently holds over 4,000 inmates despite its capacity being
limited to just 1,200. It faces severe challenges across the board: a crumbling
structure, inadequate security equipment, overcrowding, and critical shortage of
doctors, medical supplies, and essential first aid. Persistent issues with food
and sanitation further exacerbate the situation. The inmates describe the prison
as a “pigsty.”
Houna Loubnan raised the prisoners’ concerns with a senior official at Roumieh
Central Prison, who confirmed the following: “The condition of the prison
deteriorates daily. Overcrowding is a major issue, and we are short on guards to
handle yard management, security, and other tasks. Medical care is inadequate,
and the quality of food has significantly declined. Chicken, which was
previously served twice a week, is no longer provided. The only meat available
now is ground beef, cooked with rice (rice with meat), and served three times a
week. Furthermore, the buildings and sanitary facilities are in a dilapidated
condition. The primary issue highlighted by the senior official at Roumieh is
the slow pace of trials and investigations, which can drag on for many years.
This delay may result in a sentence that is shorter than the time already served
by the inmate if they are not acquitted. The official called for a review of
excessive sentences, emphasizing that this is crucial for addressing
overcrowding.
The source believes that the peak of Roumieh Prison’s problems lies in the
presence of foreigners, particularly Syrians, who make up more than forty
percent of the prison population. This is an exceedingly high proportion that
requires an immediate solution. He added, “We have been informed of the
prisoners’ demands and their refusal to accept food, drink, and medication until
their requests are met. We will relay the following demands to the relevant
authorities:”
* Ensuring a doctor at the prison 24/7.
* Stocking the pharmacy with emergency medications (such as tablets for high
blood pressure and insulin for diabetes).
* Providing essential supplies (including food, canned goods, blankets, etc..).
* Relaying their demands and grievances to the Prime Minister to find solutions.
Although recent actions have been relatively peaceful, Roumieh prison witnessed
several mutinies and violent incidents, notably in 2020 at the height of the
COVID-19 pandemic, and in 2015 and 2011, when inmates took guards hostage and
set mattresses and personal belongings on fire.
Authorities must urgently take action to improve prison conditions to prevent
fostering resentment among inmates and to ensure that prisons fulfill their role
as reformative institutions, helping inmates to reintegrate and be accepted back
into society.
Aley Pays Tribute to Abou and Oum Melhem
Marie de La Roche Saint-André/This Is Beirut/September 12/2024
https://thisisbeirut.com.lb/lebanon/289698
Originally from Aley, Abou and Oum Melhem, whose real names are Adib Haddad and
Salwa Fares el-Hajj, left their mark on Lebanon’s golden era with their series
“Yes’ed Masekoun.” Statues were erected on Wednesday in their honor by artist
Ghinwa Radwan.
Lebanon should not be a puppet controlled by Hezbollah
Khaled Abou Zahr/Arab News/September 12, 2024
Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati this week expressed, during a meeting with
ambassadors and acting representatives of the UN Security Council’s member
states, Lebanon’s readiness to engage in indirect negotiations with Israel to
achieve a ceasefire and end the ongoing war in the south of the country between
Hezbollah and the Israeli army, amid escalating exchanges of fire and Israeli
threats to expand the conflict.
Moreover, following the meeting, Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib, who is
affiliated with Gebran Basil’s Free Patriotic Movement and a Hezbollah ally,
confirmed this wish for a ceasefire. The caretaker government emphasized that
Hezbollah might reject such negotiations and that Lebanon would try to convince
the group if the state accepted a ceasefire agreement.
The foreign minister’s declaration stirred controversy in Lebanon, but for all
the wrong reasons. Indeed, no one questioned how a sovereign state acts as a
go-between for an armed militia. What a derelict state of affairs it is when
Lebanon needs to seek the approval or permission of an armed militia on national
decisions. There is no need for controversy and the only clarity is that every
step taken by the government is either to deflect international pressure on
Hezbollah or to be part of its tactics, done with its approval and planning.
We must remember that it was also revealed a week prior to these Lebanese
declarations that senior US and Israeli officials held a virtual meeting at the
request of the Biden administration to discuss de-escalating tensions with
Lebanon and preventing a full-scale conflict between Israel and Hezbollah. In
all these discussions, the only mention of Lebanon was related to the
geographical movement of refugees as a result of the ongoing military
confrontation. They were only about negotiating with Hezbollah as if an entire
country had been erased. The international community has continued to legitimize
this armed militia.
What a derelict state of affairs it is when Lebanon needs to seek the approval
or permission of an armed militia.
The key point is that all parties understand that these de-escalation efforts,
which are mostly pushed by the current US administration as the war in Gaza
continues, are for the reestablishment or confirmation of the rules of
engagement between Israel and Hezbollah and to avoid a new front. They
understand that nothing more will be achieved. It is hence a shameful situation
whereby the Lebanese state is reduced to acting as a go-between for an armed
militia. The sovereign state is either willingly executing Hezbollah’s orders or
is a part of its deception plans. In both cases, it is an outrageous situation.
Yet, I must ask: does anyone still believe there is a separation between the
Lebanese state and Hezbollah? Do they apply this nonsense the same way they
mention an armed branch and a political branch within this Iranian-backed
militia? Does anyone still believe this? Or are they just pretending? The
eradication of Lebanon in the international dialogue is a dangerous situation.
And no one seems to care.
We must also remember how the Lebanese state had to seek Hezbollah’s permission
to pursue negotiations with Israel on delineating the common maritime borders to
allow both countries to exploit gas reserves in the Mediterranean Sea. It was in
October 2022 that the US mediated this agreement. Under this agreement, Israel
retained full rights to the Karish gas field, while Lebanon gained rights to the
Qana gas field. However, since the Qana field extends into Israeli waters,
Israel is entitled to receive royalties from any gas extracted there. And so,
the all-fighting Hezbollah was fine with paying royalties to the Israeli side.
Go figure. Lebanon has yet to see any enhancement of its economic situation or
infrastructure from this agreement. The inherent corruption in the rule of a
militia is a guarantee it will never see the benefits.
The south of the country, in the geographical sense, no longer belongs to
Lebanon but to Hezbollah. It was interesting that, in his declarations, Bou
Habib mentioned that a future ceasefire decision would require a new resolution,
not an amendment of UN Security Council Resolution 1701. Despite apparent
questioning from Hezbollah on these declarations, this solution plays into the
group’s wishes of only applying one part of the 2006 resolution — and not the
one that forces it to surrender its weapons. In any case, Hezbollah knows that,
just like any other agreement, any new one would be an obligation on the rest of
Lebanon while it is exempt.
On the other hand, Israel’s main demand for any diplomatic agreement with
Lebanon is that Hezbollah’s forces withdraw at least 10 km away from the border.
And a key condition is establishing a reliable method to verify that Hezbollah’s
militants have left the area and not returned. There is zero chance of any
international institution being capable of guaranteeing this today. While the
Lebanese state is under the control of Hezbollah, the south of the country, in
the geographical sense, no longer belongs to Lebanon but to Hezbollah.
While we all seek an end to the conflict, we cannot allow for Hezbollah to once
again usurp the decision on war or peace. We cannot allow Hezbollah to decide
when Lebanon should negotiate and when it should sit silent. The Lebanese state
should not be a tool to deflect international pressure away from Hezbollah’s
actions. We cannot allow the sovereign Lebanese state to be a puppet in the
hands of this Iranian-backed armed militia. The US hinted at the possibility of
real de-escalation between Israel and Hezbollah after a ceasefire in Gaza, but
the reality is that, as long as Hezbollah acts as the sovereign Lebanese voice,
there is little hope for stability. Lebanon will continue to be erased in a game
of deterrence and war cycles between Israel and Hezbollah.
*Khaled Abou Zahr is the founder of SpaceQuest Ventures, CEO of EurabiaMedia,
and editor of Al-Watan Al-Arabi.
The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published
on September 12-13/2024
‘Israeli forces raided Iranian weapons depot in Syria’
JNS/September 12, 2024
Troops reportedly entered an unspecified arms depot, removed
equipment and documents and then set off explosives to destroy the facility.
Israel Defense Forces commandos raided a key Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps
weapons facility in the Masyaf area of northwestern Syria on Sunday night,
unconfirmed Arabic reports claimed on Thursday. At least 14 people were killed
and dozens wounded in a series of Israeli airstrikes in northwestern Syria late
Sunday, according to state media. Syria’s SANA news agency reported that the
Israeli Air Force targeted several military sites around Masyaf. According to
Reuters, which cited two regional intelligence sources, among the sites hit was
the Scientific Studies and Research Center, known as CERS or SSRC, a major
military base that is believed to be responsible for research and development of
nuclear, biological, chemical and missile technology and weapons. The center is
thought to house a team of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps military experts
and provides logistical support to Iran-backed Hezbollah terrorists. Thursday’s
reports claimed that Israeli forces had boots on the ground during the
large-scale operation. According to the reports, the facility’s access roads
were targeted by fighter jets to prevent the approach of Syrian troops before
helicopters carrying IDF special forces operators arrived in the area, with air
support from gunship helicopters and attack drones. The troops reportedly
entered an unspecified arms depot, removed equipment and sensitive documents and
then set off explosives to destroy the facility. During the heavy fighting, two
to four Iranian operatives were said to have been captured by the Israeli
soldiers. Jerusalem rarely admits to attacks on Syrian territory, although in
February it revealed that it had attacked more than 50 targets belonging to
Hezbollah and other Iran-backed terror groups in Syria since Oct. 7. The same
month, Reuters reported that Iran removed senior IRGC officers from Syria
following a series of deadly aerial attacks by Israel. Between Oct. 7 and May
15, Tehran’s Syrian proxies launched at least 40 projectiles across the border
with Israel, according to official IDF data. On April 1, seven members of Iran’s
Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, including the leader responsible for Syria
and Lebanon, were killed in an attack on a building adjacent to the Iranian
embassy in Damascus. Israel did not officially take responsibility for the
attack, but four Israeli officials told The New York Times that the IAF carried
out the strike. Thirteen days later, the Islamic Republic launched an
unprecedented combined attack on Israel involving more than 300 drones and
missiles in what Tehran claimed was retaliation for the Damascus incident.
Reports: Israel destroys Iranian missile
factory in Syria ground raid
Naharnet/September 12/2024
An elite Israeli army unit conducted a "highly unusual raid" in Syria earlier
this week and destroyed an underground precision missile factory that Israel and
the U.S. claim was built by Iran, three sources briefed on the operation told
U.S. news portal Axios.
"The destruction of the factory appears to be a significant blow to an effort by
Iran and Hezbollah to produce precision medium-range missiles on Syrian soil,"
Axios said. The Israeli government has stayed unusually silent about it and
didn't claim responsibility in order not to provoke a retaliation by Syria, Iran
or Hezbollah, sources said. Syrian state media and the Syrian Observatory for
Human Rights had reported heavy airstrikes by the Israeli Air Force on Sunday
night local time in several areas of western Syria, including near the city of
Masyaf, which is close to the border with Lebanon.
State media said at least 16 people were killed and 40 others were injured, and
condemned the airstrikes as "blatant aggression." The Iranian foreign ministry
also condemned the attack, calling it "criminal."On Wednesday, a Syrian
opposition television channel and Greek Middle East expert Eva J. Koulouriotis
both reported the airstrikes were a cover for an Israeli ground operation in
Masyaf. Three sources with knowledge of the operation confirmed to Axios that
the Israeli army's top elite unit Sayeret Matkal conducted a raid and destroyed
the facility. Two sources said Israel briefed the Biden administration in
advance of the sensitive operation and the U.S. didn't oppose it. The Israeli
special unit surprised the Syrian guards at the facility and killed several of
them during the raid, but no Iranians or Hezbollah militants were hurt, one
source said. The special forces used explosives they brought with them in order
to blow up the underground facility, including sophisticated machinery, from
inside, two sources said. The airstrikes were intended to prevent the Syrian
military from sending re-enforcements to the area, one source said. Two sources
with direct knowledge told Axios the Iranians began building the underground
facility in coordination with Hezbollah and Syria in 2018 after a series of
Israeli airstrikes destroyed most of the Iranian missile production
infrastructure in Syria. According to the sources, the Iranians decided to build
an underground factory deep inside a mountain in Masyaf because it would be
impenetrable to Israeli air strikes. The sources claimed the Iranian plan was to
produce the precision missiles in this protected facility near the border with
Lebanon so that the delivery process to Hezbollah in Lebanon could take place
quickly and with less risk of Israeli airstrikes. Israeli intelligence services
discovered the building process and monitored it for more than five years under
the code name "Deep Layer". The Israelis realized they would not be able to
destroy the facility with an airstrike and would need a ground operation, one of
the sources said. The Israeli military considered conducting the operation at
least twice in recent years but it wasn't approved because of the high risk, one
source said.
IDF declares victory over Hamas’s Rafah brigade
JNS/September 12, 2024
Since the start of the Rafah operation, troops have killed more than 2,000
terrorists and destroyed some eight miles of tunnels. The Israel Defense Forces
has defeated Hamas’s Rafah brigade, the military declared on Thursday after four
months of targeted raids in the area of the Gaza Strip’s southernmost city near
the border with Egypt. Since the start of the Rafah operation on May 6, troops
have killed more than 2,000 Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorists and
destroyed some eight miles of underground smuggling and attack routes, according
to an Israeli army statement on Thursday evening.“During these operations, the
troops have dismantled the Rafah brigade of the Hamas terrorist organization,”
the military formally declared. In recent weeks, the IDF’s Nahal Brigade, Givati
Brigade, 401st Brigade, Yahalom combat engineering unit and Shayetet 13 naval
commando unit have been operating in Tel al-Sultan, western Rafah, the IDF said.
In “intelligence-based targeted” operations, troops killed more than 250
terrorists, including the commander of Hamas’s Tel al-Sultan Battalion, Mahmoud
Hamdan, and most of the battalion’s chain of command. Troops destroyed some 80%
of tunnels located near and beneath the Philadelphi Corridor, the army statement
noted, using the IDF’s name for the 8.5-mile-long land strip along the border
with Egypt. It added that forces continue to discover and destroy underground
routes. Speaking with reporters on Thursday, 162nd Division commander Brig. Gen.
Itzik Cohen declared that “four battalions have been destroyed, and we have
completed operational control over the entire urban area.”The Rafah brigade and
its four battalions—Yabna (south), east Rafah, Tel al-Sultan (west) and Shaboura
(north)—was the terror group’s final functioning brigade, according to past
Israel military assessments. On Aug. 21, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant
during a visit to Gaza first declared that the IDF had achieved victory over the
Rafah brigade.
“I came here first and foremost to express my appreciation [to the soldiers].
The IDF’s 162nd Division defeated the Rafah brigade,” the defense minister
stated following a tour of the Philadelphi Corridor. At the time, the IDF had
located and destroyed around 150 tunnels, and after Gallant ordered the
destruction of the remaining smuggling routes, some 50 more were blown up by the
forces, Cohen said on Thursday. “Most of them we have destroyed,” the Israeli
general told journalists, adding: “We are operating at the other sites to
investigate them, and when we finish investigating, they will be destroyed.”The
Rafah operation resulted in a great deal of friction with Washington. In
addition to some 3,000 terrorists, more than a million Gazans sought shelter in
the southernmost city earlier this year when the IDF fighting was concentrated
in the northern and then central sections of the coastal enclave. Once Rafah was
slated to be the new operations area, concerns focused on potential harm to the
congested civilian population, so the determination was made to evacuate them.
Within a fortnight after the start of the operation in Rafah, around 950,000
civilians were moved from the city to humanitarian zones. Netanyahu repeatedly
emphasized that telling Jerusalem not to operate in Rafah is equivalent to
demanding that it lose the war, warning in March that Hamas could “regroup,
rearm and reconquer Gaza.”On Aug. 31, the bodies of hostages Hersh Goldberg-Polin,
23, Eden Yerushalmi, 24, Almog Sarusi, 25, Alexander Lobanov, 32, Carmel Gat,
40, and Master Sgt. Ori Danino, 25, were found in a Rafah tunnel. As many as
three-quarters of Jewish Israelis and a majority of Israelis overall supported
expanding the military operations to Rafah, according to a survey conducted by
the Israel Democracy Institute in March.
Netanyahu: World must demand hostages’ freedom
JNS/September 12, 2024
"Hamas is trying to hide the fact that it continues to oppose a hostage release
deal and is thwarting it," the Israeli premier said.
The international community must demand that Hamas free the remaining captives
held in Gaza “immediately,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on
Thursday, accusing the terrorist group of frustrating the indirect talks towards
a hostages-for-ceasefire-and-terrorists-release agreement. “Hamas is trying to
hide the fact that it continues to oppose a hostage release deal and is
thwarting it,” Netanyahu’s office stated. “While Israel accepted the ‘final
bridging proposal’ made by the U.S. on Aug. 16, 2024, Hamas rejected it and even
murdered six of our hostages in cold blood. “The world must demand that Hamas
free our hostages immediately,” the prime minister reiterated in the statement.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters in London on Tuesday that the
Biden administration is determined to achieve a truce in Gaza “as soon as
possible,” stressing that “the quickest way to do so remains bringing the
ceasefire agreement over the finish line.”He added, “We are working with our
Egyptian and Qatari counterparts to work together to bridge any remaining gaps,
and in the coming time very soon we’ll put that before the parties and we’ll see
what they say.”The optimistic comments come amid pessimism expressed in recent
days by American and Israeli mediators about the prospects of a deal. The U.S.
has publicly blamed Hamas for holding up the deal, with White House National
Security Communications Adviser John Kirby saying on Monday that “Hamas is the
main obstacle to this right now.”The Washington Post cited a senior U.S.
official as saying last week that while the two sides had agreed to the release
of terrorist murderers in exchange for Hamas freeing Israel Defense Forces
troops, Hamas last week decided that civilians would also need to be exchanged
for these longtime prisoners, an idea the official described as a “poison
pill.”However, Israel’s Channel 12 News reported on Tuesday that Cairo and Doha
“think the opposite” and accuse Jerusalem of dragging its feet. Netanyahu on
Sept. 5 dismissed reports suggesting that an agreement was close. “In fact,
while we agreed in May, in July and in August to a deal, an American proposal,
Hamas has consistently said no to every one of them,” he said on Thursday. One
hundred and one hostages—alive and dead—are still held captive, 342 days after
the Oct. 7 attacks. Off-and-on talks have continued for months with the United
States, Egypt and Qatar acting as mediators.
IDF names three Hamas-UNRWA terrorists killed in Gaza
airstrike
JNS/September 12, 2024
So far, Israel has identified nine Hamas terrorist operatives killed in the
strike, at least three of whom doubled as UNRWA staffers.
The Israel Defense Forces on Thursday named nine terrorists who were killed in
an airstrike the previous day on a school-turned-Hamas command base, including
some whom the U.N. Relief and Works Agency had claimed were providing assistance
to displaced Palestinians. The Israeli Air Force said on Wednesday it had struck
“terrorists who were operating a command-and-control center in an area
previously used by the Al-Jaouni school in Nuseirat, in the central Gaza Strip.
“Ahead of the attack, many steps were taken to reduce the possibility of harm to
civilians,” the IDF said in a statement, accusing Hamas of violating
international humanitarian law by hiding in civilian infrastructures. Following
the airstrike, the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry reported 14 deaths, and UNRWA
said six of those killed were employed by the agency. The IDF said on Thursday
that as soon as UNRWA’s allegations surfaced, the military “contacted the agency
for details and names in order to examine the allegation in-depth.” However, as
of Thursday, the U.N. agency failed to respond “despite repeated requests.”So
far, Israel has identified nine Hamas terrorist operatives killed in the strike,
at least three of whom doubled as UNRWA staffers: Muhammad Adnan Abu Zaid,
Yasser Ibrahim Abu Sharar and Iyad Matar. UNRWA on Wednesday denounced the
Nuseirat strike as “endless and senseless killing,” claiming the aerial attack
caused “the highest death toll among our staff in a single incident.” U.N.
Secretary-General António Guterres also weighed in, calling the strike on the
Hamas command center unacceptable. “These dramatic violations of international
humanitarian law need to stop now,” he said.
Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, hit back at Guterres in
an X post on Thursday, urging the U.N. chief to “carefully check who these
terrorists were, what they did in the past and what they were doing when they
were eliminated before making statements. “What is ‘unacceptable’ is the fact
that the U.N. secretary-general refuses to recognize reality and continues to
distort it,” Danon wrote, adding that the terrorists who operated from the
former UNRWA structure “are not innocent, and it is impossible for the U.N. to
continue condemning Israel for its war against vile terrorists, while Hamas
continues to use women and children as human shields.” Two months ago, the
Israeli Prime Minister’s Office slammed UNRWA after the Foreign Ministry
published more evidence that the aid agency is employing hundreds of Hamas and
Islamic Jihad terrorists.
“Israel has told donor countries that hundreds more of UNRWA’s 13,000 local
staff are active Hamas terrorists, including school teachers,” Prime Minister’s
Office Public Diplomacy Directorate spokesman David Mencer told reporters during
a press briefing on July 11. “We have provided much evidence that UNRWA works
hand-in-hand with Hamas,” Mencer said, referring to the Hamas server farm found
under UNRWA’s Gaza headquarters, the UNRWA staffers who took part in the Oct. 7
massacre and the tunnels underneath UNRWA schools.Israeli lawmakers before the
Knesset’s summer recess passed the first readings of bills seeking to designate
UNRWA as a terrorist group, cancel legal immunity of its staffers and bar it
from operating from Israel.
Gaza rescuers say 18 killed in Israeli strike on school
Agence France Presse/September 12, 2024
Israel bombed a school housing displaced Palestinians in central Gaza, which
rescuers said killed 18 people, including U.N. staffers, while the Israeli army
said it hit a Hamas control center. The Al-Jawni school in Nuseirat had already
been bombed several times over the course of the 11-month war in Gaza. The
strike on Wednesday flattened part of the U.N.-run facility where Gazans had
sought shelter, leaving only a charred heap of rebar and concrete. "For the
fifth time, Israeli forces bombed the UNRWA-run Al-Jawni School, killing 18
citizens, including two UNRWA staff members, children, and women, and injuring
more than 18 others," Gaza's Civil Defense spokesperson Mahmoud Bassal posted on
Telegram, referring to the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees. UNRWA later
said six of its staffers had been killed in two Israeli air raids on the
Nuseirat school and its surroundings, calling it the highest death toll among
its team in a single incident. "Among those killed was the manager of the UNRWA
shelter and other team members providing assistance to displaced people," the
U.N. agency posted on X. "Schools and other civilian infrastructure must be
protected at all times, they are not a target."Across the besieged strip, many
school buildings have been repurposed to shelter displaced families as the vast
majority of Gaza's 2.4 million people have been repeatedly uprooted by the war.
Israeli forces have struck several such schools in recent months, saying
Palestinian militants were operating there and hiding among displaced civilians
-- charges denied by Hamas. The Israeli military said in a statement that it had
conducted a "precise strike" on a Hamas command and control center within the
Al-Jawni compound. It did not elaborate on the outcome, but said "numerous
steps" were taken to reduce the risk to civilians. Survivors of the strike
scrambled to retrieve bodies and belongings from the rubble, telling AFP they
had to step over "shredded limbs". "I can hardly stand up," said one man,
holding a plastic bag of human remains. "We've been going through hell for 340
days now, what we've seen over these days, we haven't even seen it in Hollywood
movies, now we're seeing it in Gaza."
'Senseless killing' -
Gaza has repeatedly been called the world's deadliest place for humanitarian
workers. UNRWA head Philippe Lazzarini said after the school strike that at
least 220 members of the agency's staff have been killed in the Gaza war.
"Endless & senseless killing, day after day," he posted on X. "Humanitarian
staff, premises & operations have been blatantly & unabatedly disregarded since
the beginning of the war."U.N. chief Antonio Guterres called what is happening
in Gaza "totally unacceptable". In response, Israel's ambassador to the U.N.
accused Guterres of distorting reality. "It is unconscionable that the U.N.
continues to condemn Israel in its just war against terrorists, while Hamas
continues to use women and children as human shields," Ambassador Danny Danon
wrote on social media. "The solution," he added, "is not a ceasefire, but the
release of all hostages still held in Gaza and the elimination of Hamas."
Further north in the Gaza Strip, the civil defense agency's spokesman Bassal
said three people were killed overnight in Israeli shelling on the Jabalia
refugee camp. In Gaza City, he said there had been two deadly strikes in the
Zeitoun neighborhood -- the first killing five including two children, and the
second killing two and injuring several others. Months of negotiations mediated
by Qatar, Egypt and the United States have so far failed to secure a truce. A
Hamas delegation met Qatari and Egyptian mediators in Doha on Wednesday, the
militant group said in a statement, though there was no indication of a
breakthrough. Recent rounds of mediation held in Doha and Cairo have tried to
hash out a framework laid out in May by U.S. President Joe Biden, but both
Israel and Hamas have publicly signaled deeper entrenchment in their negotiating
positions.
Helicopter crash
The October 7 Hamas attack on southern Israel that sparked the war resulted in
the deaths of 1,205 people, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli
figures. Israel's retaliation has killed at least 41,084 people in Gaza. Most of
the dead are women and children. Israel's military meanwhile reported the deaths
of two soldiers when a helicopter crashed in the area of Gaza's southern city of
Rafah. Another eight soldiers were injured. The aircraft had been on a
"life-saving operation" to evacuate a wounded soldier when it crashed, Major
General Tomer Bar said in a Wednesday statement. The latest deaths bring the
Israeli military's losses in the Gaza campaign to 344 since its ground offensive
began on October 27.
Israel intelligence unit chief quits over October 7
failure
AFP/September 12, 2024
JERUSALEM: The Israeli army said on Thursday that the head of an elite
intelligence unit will resign over the failure to prevent Hamas’s October 7
attack. “The commander of the 8200 unit, (Brig. General) Yossi Sariel, has
informed his commanders and subordinates of his intention to end his position,”
the army said in a statement. “The officer will conclude his role in the near
future.”The prestigious and secretive Unit 8200 is in charge of decoding and
analizing intercepts and other signals intelligence. In the wake of October 7,
Israel’s Military Intelligence Directorate was thrown into a crisis that led to
its commander, Major General Aharon Haliva, announcing his resignation in April
2024. The army said then that Haliva had asked to be relieved of his duties for
the directorate’s failure to foil the October 7 attack. Israeli media on
Thursday broadcast a copy of Sariel’s resignation letter in which he asked for
“forgiveness” for “not fulfilling the mission we were entrusted with” on October
7. In June, public broadcaster Kan disclosed the existence of an intelligence
brief prepared by Unit 8200 in September 2023 that warned military officials of
Hamas’s preparations for the attack. Kan said the Unit 8200 document included
details of elite Hamas fighters training for hostage-taking and plans for raids
on military positions and Israeli communities in southern Israel. The October 7
attack resulted in the deaths of more than 1,205 people, mostly civilians,
according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.Included in that
count are hostages who were killed in captivity. Israel’s retaliatory offensive
against Hamas has killed at least 41,118 people in Gaza, according to the
territory’s health ministry. The UN rights office says most of the dead are
women and children. Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly refused to open an
official inquiry into October 7 until the war in Gaza is over.
UN envoy repeats call for prioritization of efforts to
end war in Yemen
Zaynab Khojji/Arab News/September 12, 2024
LONDON: The UN’s special envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, on Thursday repeated
his call for all involved in the war in Yemen to put the country first and
prioritize efforts to resolve the conflict. Addressing a meeting of the UN
Security Council on the situation in the Middle East, he said the war in Gaza
was having “destabilizing effects across the broader region,” including a
negative effect on Yemen. “Ansar Allah (the more formal name for the Houthis)
has continued attacks on vessels in the Red Sea, threatening regional stability
and international maritime security,” he told council members. “In response, the
United States and the United Kingdom have continued to strike military targets
inside of Yemen. “I reiterate my concern over this escalatory trajectory and
repeat my call for the parties to put Yemen first and to prioritize a settlement
of the conflict.” The Houthis have attacked more than 80 merchant ships with
missiles and drones since the war in Gaza began in October last year. They have
seized one vessel and sunk two during their campaign, which has claimed the
lives of four sailors. Many more missiles and drones were intercepted by the
US-led coalition in the Red Sea or failed to reach their targets, which have
also included Western military vessels. The militia continues to insist it is
targeting ships with links to Israel, the US or the UK, in an attempt to force
an end to Israeli military operations in Gaza. However, many of the targeted
ships had little or no connection to Israel or the conflict, including some that
were bound for Iran.
Grundberg called for an “immediate ceasefire, the immediate and unconditional
release of all remaining hostages, and a massive scale-up of humanitarian aid to
Gaza.”
He said the Houthi attack on the Greek-flagged oil tanker Sounion on Aug. 21 was
a “development of particular concern” and “raises the imminent threat of a
catastrophic oil spill and environmental disaster of unprecedented
scale.”Following the attack, fires burned for weeks on the vessel, which is
carrying about 1 million barrels of crude oil. Salvage efforts are continuing
but proving difficult. “An oil spill on this scale would have dire consequences
for both Yemen and the broader region … I strongly urge Ansar Allah to end their
dangerous targeting of civilian vessels in the Red Sea and beyond,” Grundberg
said.
He also demanded that the Houthis release all of the Yemenis they have detained
who were engaged in critical efforts related to humanitarian assistance,
development efforts, human rights, peace building, and education. “This includes
United Nations personnel, members of civil society, staff of diplomatic
missions, private-sector employees, and individuals from minority religious
communities,” Grundberg said. “The continued detention of these individuals is a
profound injustice to those who have dedicated their lives to the betterment of
Yemen. These detentions are shrinking civic space and negatively impacting
humanitarian efforts critical to Yemenis.”Joyce Msuya, the acting
under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and acting emergency relief
coordinator at the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs,
echoed this demand. “I want to start by expressing our deep concern about the
continued arbitrary detention of United Nations personnel, non-governmental
organization staff and civil society representatives, among others, by the
Houthi de facto authorities. “These colleagues have now been detained for more
than three months. Four additional colleagues remain in detention since 2021 and
2023. I reiterate, in the strongest terms, the secretary-general’s demand for
their immediate and unconditional release.“Additionally, we strongly reject
false allegations by the Houthi de facto authorities against humanitarians,
including recent claims of interference in Yemen’s education system. These
allegations threaten the safety of staff, further hinder the ability of the UN
and its partners to serve the Yemeni people, and must cease immediately.”She
told council members the steady deterioration of the humanitarian situation in
Yemen continues.
“62 per cent of surveyed households report they do not have enough food to eat,”
Msuya said. “This is historically high. For the first time on record, three
districts — two in Hodeidah and one in Taiz — are facing extremely critical
levels of malnutrition: IPC Phase 5. One more district is projected to reach
this level by October.”IPC is the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification,
and level 5 denotes famine in an area and catastrophe for households there
because they do not have enough food to meet basic needs. “By the end of 2024,
more than 600,000 children in Government of Yemen-controlled areas are estimated
to be acutely malnourished, and around 118,000 are projected to suffer from
severe acute malnutrition, a 34 per cent increase since 2023,” Msuya added.
Slovenia’s representative to the council, Samuel Zbogar, who is the president of
the council this month, welcomed the World Food Programme’s ongoing emergency
distribution of aid in Yemen. “We are also following with concern the
devastating impact of recent flooding, which has affected hundreds of thousands
of Yemenis, aggravated the displacement crisis and exacerbated the outbreak of
diseases,” he added.
Arab League chief briefed on conditions faced by
refugees in Gaza
Gobran Mohamed/Arab News/September 12, 2024
CAIRO: Philippe Lazzarini, commissioner-general of the UN Relief and Works
Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, during a meeting in Cairo
identified significant challenges confronting the agency. Arab League
Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit received Lazzarini at the General
Secretariat headquarters on Thursday. During the meeting, Lazzarini mentioned
the challenges confronting the agency on the financial and logistical fronts,
exacerbated by the persistent targeting of its headquarters and personnel by the
Israeli military, along with increasing efforts to disrupt the agency’s
operations.
Lazzarini provided an in-depth account of the dire conditions faced by
Palestinian refugees in the Gaza Strip amid the bloody Israeli aggression, as
well as in the West Bank, where Israeli attacks have escalated. Gamal Roshdy,
spokesperson for the secretary-general, said that Aboul Gheit reiterated the
Arab League’s support for UNRWA’s vital mission and its efforts to assist
Palestinian refugees throughout its five areas of operation. He emphasized the
need for donor countries to fulfill their financial commitments and
contributions to the agency’s budget, particularly given the precarious
situation currently faced by the Palestinian people. In February 2024, the Arab
League chief said the decision by some countries to suspend the funding they
provide for UNRWA was wrong from both a humanitarian and security standpoint and
a morally flawed position to take. At that time, he warned that ending the
agency’s role would endanger the entire region and said it would be a dangerous
move that suits the long-held ambitions of the Israeli right wing to dismantle
UNRWA and persuade the international community to step back from its
responsibility to help address the issue of Palestinian refugees.
Donald Trump rules out holding another TV debate with
Harris
AFP/September 12, 2024
Donald Trump on Thursday announced that he will not participate in another
televised debate with his Democratic rival Vice President Kamala Harris. "THERE
WILL BE NO THIRD DEBATE!" the Republican candidate wrote on his Truth Social
platform, including in his tally the earlier debate with US President Joe Biden
in June and his Tuesday showdown with Harris.
White House states false migrant pet-eating stories put
'lives in danger'
AFP/September 12, 2024
The White House on Thursday condemned debunked stories being pushed by Donald
Trump about Haitian migrants eating pet cats and dogs in Ohio as "filth" and
said they were endangering people's lives."It is spreading filth that makes the
lives of the communities that are being smeared here... it puts their lives in
danger," Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told a briefing.
Civilians killed in attack in central Afghanistan: Interior
Ministry
AFP/September 12, 2024
Civilians were shot dead in an attack in central Afghanistan on Thursday, a
spokesman for the interior ministry said. "Unknown gunmen have opened fire and
have killed the civilians," Abdul Matin Qani, Spokesman for the Interior
Ministry told AFP, adding further details on the attack in Daykundi province
would be announced later.
Venezuela rejects US sanctions as 'crime of aggression'
AFP/September 12, 2024
Caracas on Thursday rejected as a "crime of aggression" fresh sanctions imposed
by Washington on officials aligned with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro,
whose reelection claim has been rejected by the United States and other nations.
"Venezuela rejects, in the strongest terms, the new crime of aggression
committed by the government of the United States of America against Venezuela...
seeking to ingratiate itself with a political class that has resorted to fascist
and violent practices to overthrow, without success, the Bolivarian democracy,"
a foreign ministry statement said.
Turkiye probing killing of activist in occupied West
Bank
AFP/September 12, 2024
ANKARA: Turkiye is investigating the killing of a US-Turkish activist during a
protest in West Bank, the justice minister said Thursday, adding that Ankara
would press the UN to take immediate action. Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, 26, was shot
dead last week while demonstrating against Israeli settlements in the occupied
West Bank town of Beita. The settlements are illegal under international law but
supported by right-wing members of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s
government. The United Nations rights office has accused Israeli forces of
shooting Eygi in the head. The Israeli army has acknowledged opening fire in the
area and said it was looking into the case.“Turkiye has opened an
investigation,” Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc said. He also said Turkiye would
take the case to the United Nations and push for an independent inquiry into her
death. “We will work to ensure that the (UN) Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial
and Arbitrary Executions takes immediate action, and that an independent
commission of inquiry is established and prepare a report,” he said. Tunc said
Turkiye would forward that report to the UN Human Rights Council and to the
ongoing case against Israel at the International Court of Justice.
“We will continue to defend the right of our sister Aysenur and our Palestinian
brothers,” he added. Turkiye’s foreign ministry said the formal procedures for
the transfer of the body had been concluded through its embassy in Tel Aviv and
consulate in Jerusalem. “The body of the deceased will arrive in Turkiye
tomorrow,” it said, adding: “We once again condemn this murder committed by the
genocidal Netanyahu government.”Eygi’s family is still waiting for her body to
arrive and is hoping to bury her in the southwestern town of Didim on Friday.
“It’s sad but it’s also a source of pride for Didim,” Eygi’s uncle Ali Tikkim,
67, said on Wednesday. “It’s important that a young girl, martyred and sensitive
to the world is buried here.”Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has vowed to
ensure “that Aysenur Ezgi’s death does not go unpunished.”
UN Yemen envoy asks Houthis to release abducted workers,
stop attacking ships
Saeed Al-Batati/Arab News/September 12, 2024
AL-MUKALLA, Yemen: The UN Yemen envoy, Hans Grundberg, has called upon the
Houthi militia to release abducted UN workers, while another UN official denied
the Houthis’ accusations against UN agencies of destroying education in Yemen.
Grundberg briefed the UN Security Council on Thursday, expressing his concerns
about the Houthi attack on the oil-laden ship Sounion, which is burning in the
Red Sea and poses a threat to the environment, and said that his current efforts
are focused on achieving a “sustainable and just” solution to the Yemen war. “It
has now been over 100 days since Ansar Allah commenced a wave of detentions,
targeting Yemenis engaged in critical efforts related to humanitarian
assistance, development, human rights, peacebuilding, and education,” he said,
using the formal name of the Houthis. “A development of particular concern is
Ansar Allah’s recent targeting of the Greek-flagged oil tanker M.V. Sounion,
which forced the abandonment of the ship, and raises the imminent threat of a
catastrophic oil spill and environmental disaster of unprecedented scale,” he
added. The call came a day after the UN strongly denied accusations by the
Houthis that its agencies in Yemen “colluded” with the militia’s opponents and
funded programs aimed at destroying Yemen’s education system. Stephane Dujarric,
a spokesperson for the UN secretary-general, on Wednesday called the Houthis’
accusations against UN agencies “baseless,” saying that the militia endangers
the safety of UN workers in Yemen and jeopardizes their ability to help Yemen.
“Those detained must be treated with full respect for their human rights and be
able to contact their families and legal representatives.” He said that the
Houthis accused the UN Children’s Fund, or UNICEF, the UN Educational,
Scientific, and Cultural Organization, or UNESCO, and other humanitarian
partners of contributing to the destruction of education in Yemen. The Houthis
have launched a crackdown on Yemeni workers with UN agencies, international
humanitarian and human rights organizations, and foreign missions in Yemen, as
well as education professors at Sanaa University and authors of Yemen’s
curriculum.
During the campaign, the Houthis abducted at least 70 Yemenis and forcibly
disappeared them, denying family members’ requests to see or contact them.
Dujarric said that the Houthis “arbitrarily” abducted 13 UN workers, in addition
to four other UN workers abducted by the Houthis in 2021 and 2023, and that UN
educational agencies in Yemen, in collaboration with national partners, have
provided regular incentives to more than 40,000 teachers, rebuilt more than 770
schools, distributed school bags and other educational materials to over a
million children, distributed 600,000 meals to students and trained more than
9,000 teachers. “With over 4.5 million children out of school in Yemen, UNICEF
calls on the Sanaa authorities to lead a constructive and collaborative
approach, working with all partners to address the pressing needs of all
children,” Dujarric said.
Earlier this month, Houthi media broadcast a video of an abducted Sanaa
University professor and co-author of Yemen primary school education confessing
to participating in programs funded by UNICEF, UNESCO, the US, the EU and other
agencies to instill “non-Islamic” and “Western” ideologies into Yemen education
to disseminate anti-jihad propaganda, impose gender equality, and recruit US
agents. Similarly, the Houthis abducted Saher Al-Khawlani, a social media
activist, in Sanaa on Wednesday, reportedly for criticizing the Houthis on
social media, Ahmed Al-Nabahani, a Sanaa-based activist, told Arab News, giving
no information on how she was abducted. Al-Khawlani, who has more than 11,000
followers on social media platform X, has harshly criticized the Houthis for
failing to pay public employees, imposing fees on primary schools, failing to
combat the militia’s leaders’ corruption, and the spread of racism. On Monday,
she posted an interview with an “outstanding” student whose result was blocked
by the Houthis for failing to pay a monthly fee of 1,000 Yemen riyals ($3.99).
She criticized the Houthis for not allowing the student, whose family could not
afford shoes for her, to continue her studies. “Maram is an outstanding student;
her family is extremely poor and does not have enough food for the day. The
family members walk down the street without shoes. Free education is a right for
everyone, you oppressors,” she said, referring to the student. Meanwhile, the US
Central Command said on Thursday morning that its forces had destroyed one
Houthi missile system in an area of Yemen controlled by the Houthis, the latest
in a series of military operations against Houthi targets aimed at pressuring
them to stop attacking ships.
The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous
sources
on September 12-13/2024
The New UK Government's Anti-Israel Policy Is a Disgrace
Con Coughlin/Gatestone Institute/September 12, 2024
The pretence that the UK's new Labour government has moved away from the blatant
anti-Semitism that was rife under its former leader, Jeremy Corbyn, has been
brutally exposed by the actions of David Lammy, the party's new Foreign
Secretary.
It was during Corbyn's stint as Labour leader that his party faced constant
accusations of anti-Semitism. A damning report produced by the Jewish Labour
Movement in 2019 said the party harboured "endemic, institutional anti-Semitism"
and that there was "overwhelming evidence that anti-Semitic conduct is pervasive
at all levels of the party."
Having been a close political ally of two prominent Labour politicians accused
of anti-Semitism, it is hardly surprising therefore that two of Lammy's first
initiatives since his appointment as Labour's new foreign secretary in July have
been aimed at discrediting Israel.
His first act was to withdraw the British government's official objection to
attempts to persuade the International Criminal Court to issue an arrest warrant
for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on war crimes charges.
At the same time, Lammy confirmed that the UK was to restore its funding to
UNRWA, the UN agency responsible for supporting Palestinian refugees, after
support for the organisation was withdrawn by a number of countries -- including
the US -- over claims its staffers were directly involved in the October 7
attacks carried out by Iranian-backed Hamas terrorists against Israel.
Lammy has now added to his anti-Israel stance by suspending a number of UK arms
contracts to Israel, a decision that was announced on the same day that Israel
buried the latest group of hostages to be murdered by Hamas terrorists, a
decision that was denounced by Netanyahu as "shameful".
As a junior minister in Tony Blair's government in 2006, for example, the
Harvard-educated Lammy called for the British media to provide a platform for
them to air their "poisonous" views.
His appeal came shortly after a cell of al-Qaeda terrorists had carried out
their worst terrorist attack against the UK with the London bombings in July
2005, murdering 72 innocent commuters and wounding more than 700.
While Lammy's anti-Israel policies will undoubtedly appeal to the Labour's
Party's hard-Left, they are also likely to place Starmer's government on a
collision course with Washington, which has concluded there are no grounds for
suspending arms deals with Israel, and that the creation of Palestinian state,
as agreed in the Oslo Accords, is contingent on successful peace talks between
Israel and the Palestinians.
Lammy's blatant anti-Israel agenda will also place the UK's long-standing
strategic alliance with Israel under intense strain. Having worked closely on a
number of vital security issues, such as Iran's nuclear programme and the threat
posed by Islamist terrorists, the Israeli government will be disinclined to
maintain cooperation with the UK's new Labour government so long as Lammy
remains foreign secretary.
Prior to his appointment to one of the British government's key positions in
Prime Minister Keir Starmer's new administration, Lammy had made his name as a
Left-wing firebrand.
Having first come to prominence within the Labour movement for his campaigning
on racial equality issues, he became closely associated with hard-Left members
of the Labour Party, including both Corbyn and former London mayor Ken
Livingstone.
It was during Corbyn's stint as Labour leader that his party faced constant
accusations of anti-Semitism. A damning report produced by the Jewish Labour
Movement in 2019 said the party harboured "endemic, institutional anti-Semitism"
and that there was "overwhelming evidence that anti-Semitic conduct is pervasive
at all levels of the party."
It stated that Corbyn himself "has repeatedly associated with, sympathised with
and engaged in anti-Semitism."
The following year an investigation by the Equality and Human Rights Commission
found Labour responsible for three breaches of the Equality Act: political
interference in anti-Semitism complaints, failure to provide adequate training
to those handling anti-Semitism complaints and harassment, including the use of
anti-Semitic tropes and suggesting that complaints of anti-Semitism were fake or
smears.
The commission concluded that the evidence pointed to a culture within the party
which, at best, did not do enough to prevent anti-Semitism and, at worst, could
be seen to accept it".
Corbyn's failure to accept the commission's findings led to his suspension from
the Labour Party, and being banned from standing as a Labour candidate in July's
general election. He instead contested and won his London seat as an
independent, and has now formed a so-called "Independent Alliance" with four
other pro-Gaza MPs elected in July's election.
Meanwhile, Ken Livingstone, another former ally of Britain's new Foreign
Secretary, was banned from the Labour Party in 2016 for "bringing the party into
disrepute" after arguing that Nazi leader Adolf Hitler supported Zionism.
Having been a close political ally of two prominent Labour politicians accused
of anti-Semitism, it is hardly surprising therefore that two of Lammy's first
initiatives since his appointment as Labour's new foreign secretary in July have
been aimed at discrediting Israel.
His first act was to withdraw the British government's official objection to
attempts to persuade the International Criminal Court to issue an arrest warrant
for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on war crimes charges.
Under the previous Conservative Party government of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak,
the UK had opposed the move on the grounds that, as Sunak commented, it was
"deeply unhelpful", and that "there was no moral equivalence between a
democratic state exercising its lawful right to self defence and the terrorist
group Hamas. It is wrong to conflate and equivocate between those two different
entities."
In one of his first acts as Foreign Secretary, though, Lammy reversed Britain's
stand, saying that it would now support the initiative to arrest the Israeli PM,
a move that resulted in Netanyahu refusing to meet the British envoy when he
visited Israel in August for an update on ceasefire negotiations.
At the same time, Lammy confirmed that the UK was to restore its funding to
UNRWA, the UN agency responsible for supporting Palestinian refugees, after
support for the organisation was withdrawn by a number of countries -- including
the US -- over claims its staffers were directly involved in the October 7
attacks carried out by Iranian-backed Hamas terrorists against Israel.
Lammy has now added to his anti-Israel stance by suspending a number of UK arms
contracts to Israel, a decision that was announced on the same day that Israel
buried the latest group of hostages to be murdered by Hamas terrorists, a
decision that was denounced by Netanyahu as "shameful".
Lammy's enthusiasm for targeting Israel should not come as a surprise, given his
long-standing sympathy for Islamist extremists.
As a junior minister in Tony Blair's government in 2006, for example, the
Harvard-educated Lammy called for the British media to provide a platform for
them to air their "poisonous" views.
His appeal came shortly after a cell of al-Qaeda terrorists had carried out
their worst terrorist attack against the UK with the London bombings in July
2005, murdering 72 innocent commuters and wounding more than 700.
More recently, at an event during the UK's recent general election campaign,
Lammy confirmed that Labour would recognise Palestine as a state if they were to
form the next government, presumably indifferent as to whether or not the state
was still terrorist.
While Lammy's anti-Israel policies will undoubtedly appeal to the Labour's
Party's hard-Left, they are also likely to place Starmer's government on a
collision course with Washington, which has concluded there are no grounds for
suspending arms deals with Israel, and that the creation of Palestinian state,
as agreed in the Oslo Accords, is contingent on successful peace talks between
Israel and the Palestinians.
Responding to Lammy's decision to suspend arms sales to Israel, State Department
spokesman Matthew Miller confirmed that, despite exhaustive investigation, the
US had not reached "any final determinations" about Israel's alleged violations
of humanitarian law during the Gaza conflict -- Lammy's main argument for
justifying his decision.
Lammy's blatant anti-Israel agenda will also place the UK's long-standing
strategic alliance with Israel under intense strain. Having worked closely on a
number of vital security issues, such as Iran's nuclear programme and the threat
posed by Islamist terrorists, the Israeli government will be disinclined to
maintain cooperation with the UK's new Labour government so long as Lammy
remains foreign secretary.
*Con Coughlin is the Telegraph's Defence and Foreign Affairs Editor and a
Distinguished Senior Fellow at Gatestone Institute.
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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.
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/20926/uk-anti-israel-policy
Before Becoming an Islamic City, Vienna Long Defied the
Jihad
Raymond Ibrahim/The Stream/September 12, 2024
Yesterday we saw how September 11 was not always a day of defeat, but victory
over jihad when a small band of knights delivered the tiny Mediterranean island
of Malta from Islamic oppression on September 11, 1565.
As a reflection of the nonstop jihad against the West, it just so happens that
another major Christian victory — much more famous than the siege of Malta —
also took place around the now ominous date of 9/11: the delivery of Vienna from
the largest Muslim army that ever invaded European territory. That instructive
story follows. In July 1683, some 200,000 Ottoman combatants invaded Austria. By
July 14, they had surrounded the walls of Vienna, where Ottoman grand vizier
Kara Mustafa was following the protocol laid out by the prophet Muhammad in 628:
“Aslam taslam” — “submit [to Islam] and have peace” — that had by that time been
in use for a thousand years, resulting in the older and richer portions of the
then-Christian world — including Greater Syria, Egypt, all of North Africa, and
Spain — being conquered.
Although Starhemberg, the Viennese commander in charge, did not bother to
respond to the summons, graffiti inside the city — including “Muhammad, you dog,
go home!” — captured its mood.
Don’t Mess with Vienna
The next day, Mustafa unleashed all hell against the city’s walls. For two
months, the holed-up and vastly outnumbered Viennese suffered plague, dysentery,
starvation, and many casualties as their walls rocked day and night to
thunderous bombardment.
Then, sometime around September 11, as the Muslims were about to burst through
the walls, the desperate commander fired distress rockets into the night sky to
give “notice to the Christian army” — that is, the relief force Vienna had
beyond all hope been counting on — “of the extremity whereto the city was
reduced.”Understanding exactly what these rockets signified, cries of “Allahu
Akbar!” followed, as the Ottomans implored their deity to “obliterate the
infidels utterly from the face of the earth!” And then it happened: “After a
siege of sixty days,” wrote an anonymous eyewitness, accompanied with a thousand
difficulties, sicknesses, want of provisions, and great effusion of blood, after
a million of cannon and musquet shot, bombs, granadoes, and all sorts of
fireworks, which has changed the face of the fairest and most flourishing city
in the world, disfigured and ruined [it], after, a vigorous defense and a
resistance without parallel, heaven favorably heard the prayers and tears of a
cast down and mournful people.
To the city’s great joy, Starhemberg’s distress rockets were answered by a hail
of fireworks that lit the night sky. The Holy League, consisting of some 65,000
heavily armed Poles, Austrians, and Germans, all hot to avenge the beleaguered
city, had come. Even worse for the Ottomans, they were under the overall command
of the formidable king of Poland, John Sobieski, who firmly believed, “It is not
a city alone that we have to save, but the whole of Christianity, of which the
city of Vienna is the bulwark.”
Poles to the Rescue
Battle commenced in the early morning hours of September 12 with several
exchanges of artillery fire amid the rocky crags and slopes of Kahlenberg Hill,
where the Europeans had camped the night before. The Austro-Germans, out to
avenge the atrocities to which Vienna had been subjected, fought fiercely — but
no matter how many Turks and Tatars they hewed, more appeared. After noon, the
wearied would-be liberators paused.
Suddenly a large white banner emblazoned with a red cross appeared on the
opposite slope: the Poles — loudly calling on divine aid and appearing to the
Turks like “a flood of black pitch coming down the mountain consuming everything
it touched” — had finally appeared, fighting manfully and encouraging their
Austro-German counterparts. An uncoordinated mass of horses, men, steel, and
gunfire clashed and boomed around the ravines and rubble of the Kahlenberg, even
as the Muslim noose continued to tighten around Vienna. Fierce but indecisive
fighting continued for hours until Sobieski spied a weakness in the Muslim line.
He instantly ordered history’s largest cavalry charge straight through it toward
the grand vizier’s tent.
At the head of some 20,000 Polish, German, and Austrian horsemen and with his
young son by his side, Sobieski crashed with thunderous violence into the
Ottoman line. Wearing heavy armor with eagles’ wings, carrying large lances, and
astride even larger and heavily armored steeds of war, three thousand hussars —
the elite cavalry of the Polish army that surrounded its king — were a special
sight to behold. To the besieged Viennese, many of whom were now sallying forth
to join the fray, they looked like winged liberators; to the increasingly
demoralized Muslims, they looked like avenging angels who “struck fear in the
hearts of the Turks and their Tartar allies.”“By Allah, the King is really among
us?” blurted Murad Giray, the dismayed khan of Crimea, on seeing Sobieski
present and fighting. When Mustafa ordered him to redouble his efforts, “the
Tatar Prince replied that he knew the King of Poland by more than one proof, and
that the Vizier would be very happy if he could save himself by flight, as
having no other way for his security, and that he was going to show him
example.” And with that, off scurried the khan with his hordes.
‘Vienna’s Ground Zero’
By sunset, some fifteen thousand Muslims lay dead. The rest, including Mustafa
himself, fled as best they could back to Ottoman territory. (That Christmas Day,
1683, as all of Christendom rejoiced, Mustafa — this man “who thought to have
invaded the Western Empire, and carried everywhere fear and terror” — was
beheaded by Ottoman command, his head sent to Sultan Muhammad IV.) Although a
spectacular victory, the aftermath was gory: Before engaging the European army,
the Muslims had ritually slaughtered some 30,000 Christian captives collected
during their march to Vienna, assiduously raping the women and children
beforehand. On entering the relieved city, the liberators encountered piles of
corpses, sewage, and rubble everywhere — Vienna’s “Ground Zero.”The Holy League
of Polish, German, and Austrian forces remained intact and went on the offensive
against the Turks. Two years later, Orthodox Russia joined the Catholic league.
Between 1683 and 1697, fifteen more major battles between the Turks and
Christians were waged, with the Christians winning 12 of them. By 1699, the
Ottoman Empire, which had been terrorizing Christendom for 300 years, was
reduced to signing the humiliating Treaty of Karlowitz, which required it to
cede large territories back to its infidel enemies. This marked the beginning of
the end of Islamic power. As the late Bernard Lewis put it: “The last great
Muslim assault on Europe, that of the Ottoman Turks, ended with the second
unsuccessful siege of Vienna in 1683. With that failure and the Turkish retreat
that followed, a thousand years of Muslim threat to Europe came to an end.”Until
recent times, that is, when Vienna was finally turned into an Islamic city — not
by Muslim force but Austrian passivity.
**Raymond Ibrahim is the Distinguished Senior Shillman Fellow at the Gatestone
Institute and the Judith Rosen Friedman Fellow at the Middle East Forum.
Portions of this article were excerpted from his book, Sword and Scimitar.
Time to make Netanyahu an offer he can’t refuse
Ross Anderson/Arab News/September 12, 2024
I am not in the business of offering advice to Benjamin Netanyahu on how to
prolong what some might consider to be an already excessively elongated
political career. Far from it. But if I were, I would urge the Israeli prime
minister to watch “The Godfather.”
Those of you who know the quintessential mafia movie will recall the scene in
which an aging and incapacitated Don Vito Corleone counsels his son Michael, who
is taking over the family reins. Rival families, led by the Barzinis, will smell
weakness and an opportunity to permanently decapitate the Corleones, the don
says. Their move will be to call a meeting, to which Michael will be invited —
and at which he will be killed. To allay suspicion, the invitation will come
from someone whose loyalty to the Corleones has never been questioned. Don Vito
concludes: “Now listen, whoever comes to you with this Barzini meeting, he’s the
traitor. Don’t forget that.” And that is how the unfortunate Sal Tessio came to
sleep with the fishes.
Netanyahu now finds himself in a similar bind to that of the Corleone family. He
is weakened and surrounded by enemies who would very much like to consign him to
the dustbin of political history: indeed, thousands of them regularly take to
the streets of Tel Aviv demanding just that. This is entirely of Netanyahu’s own
making. The events of Oct. 7 in southern Israel were not just an unspeakable
horror for the victims and their families, although they were certainly that;
they were not just a gut punch for the state of Israel itself, although they
were that too; they were also a personal and political disaster for Netanyahu,
for two reasons. He is weakened and surrounded by enemies who would very much
like to consign him to the dustbin of political history
First, the Hamas attack took place on his watch: “Mr. Security” was asleep at
the wheel and took his eye off the ball, choose your own metaphor. Second,
astute Israelis understand very well that Netanyahu has always had a conflicted
relationship with Hamas. He has done just enough to keep it in check with
occasional forays into Gaza — “mowing the grass,” as the Israeli military calls
such operations — to ensure that it never becomes an existential threat to
Israel.
At the same time, he has turned a blind eye to the flow of cash and weapons that
keeps Hamas afloat, because he needs it afloat: Netanyahu’s nightmare is a
Palestinian people under a united leadership, ready to negotiate the independent
statehood they so richly deserve, and while Hamas exists that cannot happen. The
Oct. 7 attack ended all that, forcing Netanyahu into a declaration that the war
on Gaza would not end until Hamas had been destroyed — an outcome that he knows
he cannot achieve, and does not even wish to. And so, beset by foes, Netanyahu
needs friends. But look at them. His main allies are the far-right extremist
religious bigots Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich — the Chuckle Brothers of
Israeli politics. No one outside Israel (and few inside for that matter)
understands why either of them holds public office: in any civilized country
they would not be in government, but in jail for inciting racial hatred. Indeed
Ben-Gvir has been indicted on numerous occasions and convicted of incitement to
racism, possessing terrorist propaganda and supporting terrorism. It is at this
point that Netanyahu may face the trap that the Barzinis tried to set for
Michael Corleone
These two are keeping Netanyahu in office against the wishes of most Israelis,
but they have never concealed their contempt for him and have made it clear
that, if he wavers at any point in the reduction of Gaza to an uninhabitable
wasteland — or, better yet, inhabited only by Israeli settlers — they will
topple his government.
It is at this point that Netanyahu may face the trap that the Barzinis tried to
set for Michael Corleone. A mainstream Israeli politician — maybe Yair Lapid,
maybe Benny Gantz — will come to him with an offer: end the war, bring the
hostages home and we’ll prop up your government with the votes you need to
survive. Their intention, of course, will be the opposite: to end the war, yes,
but to boot Netanyahu out of office and force an election in which he would be
comprehensively defeated.
It may be, of course, that Netanyahu will see this coming. You don’t get to
survive as Israeli prime minister for nearly 17 years, on and off, without being
a political strategist of not inconsiderable ability: he makes Machiavelli look
like Forrest Gump. On the other hand, that would be to underestimate the
insatiable lust for power that has sustained Netanyahu throughout his life.
Maybe, just maybe, someone will make him an offer he can’t refuse.
*Ross Anderson is associate editor of Arab News.
To confront terrorism, a multifaceted approach is required
Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Arab News/September 12, 2024
The 23rd anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks was marked this week. In the
aftermath of 9/11, America launched its “War on Terror,” invading Afghanistan
and Iraq and overthrowing their regimes. Yet, more than two decades on,
terrorism remains an ongoing global threat and questions about how best to
confront and combat it continue to surface. While some politicians, policy
analysts and scholars believe that military actions have played a significant
role in combating terrorism, the complexities of this issue make it clear that
no single approach can effectively eradicate it. Terrorism is a multifaceted
problem, influenced by political, social, economic and ideological factors. As a
result, addressing these elements in isolation is insufficient. What is really
needed is a comprehensive, multifaceted approach that integrates various
strategies and resources to deal with terrorism’s root causes, prevent its
spread and manage its long-term impacts. Military interventions have
limitations. For example, following the Sept. 11 attacks, the US government
swiftly initiated military operations in Afghanistan, targeting the Taliban
regime that it accused of providing safe haven to Al-Qaeda, the group
responsible for the attacks. The operation, dubbed “Enduring Freedom,” was
initially successful in dislodging the Taliban from power and dismantling key
elements of Al-Qaeda’s network. However, the Taliban have now returned to power
and the resurgence of both groups has cast doubt on the long-term effectiveness
of military solutions.
While force can temporarily weaken terrorist organizations and disrupt their
operations, it is far from a lasting solution
The subsequent invasion of Iraq in 2003, justified by the perceived threat of
weapons of mass destruction and the connection to terrorism, further underscored
the challenges of using military might to fight terrorism. Although Saddam
Hussein’s regime was toppled, the political and economic instability that
followed gave rise to various insurgent groups and eventually contributed to the
emergence of Daesh.
These military interventions demonstrate that, while force can temporarily
weaken terrorist organizations and disrupt their operations, it is far from a
lasting solution. The primary issue with military-only strategies is that they
often fail to address the root causes of terrorism. They may lead to a
short-term victory, but without long-term strategies to promote political
stability, governance and economic development, the underlying conditions that
foster terrorism will persist. This is why international cooperation and
diplomatic initiatives are essential components of a multifaceted strategy to
combat terrorism. Terrorism is a global problem and addressing it requires the
collaboration of multiple nations, institutions and agencies. Many terrorist
groups operate transnationally, using borders to their advantage to evade law
enforcement and military forces. A coordinated international effort is necessary
to prevent the flow of funds, arms and fighters that fuel terrorist
organizations. This cooperation can include sharing intelligence, freezing
terrorist assets and creating policies that disrupt terrorist financing.
International cooperation also allows for the establishment of global standards
for prosecuting terrorists and extraditing suspects. However, more needs to be
done to address the deep-rooted problems in regions that have become breeding
grounds for terrorism. In addition, international cooperation and diplomatic
efforts should focus on building long-term peace and stability in
conflict-ridden areas. Diplomatic interventions must seek to resolve these
conflicts through peaceful means. Otherwise, military actions in these regions
are likely to be counterproductive, contributing to further radicalization and
terrorism.
Terrorism is not just a military or a political issue, it is also an ideological
one. Many terrorist groups are driven by radical ideologies that justify
violence against civilians in the name of nationalism, political beliefs or
religion. These ideologies must be confronted with an equally strong
counter-narrative.
Governments, civil society organizations and religious leaders must work
together to discredit the ideologies that fuel terrorism. This involves
educating the public on the dangers of extremism and highlighting the hypocrisy
and moral bankruptcy of terrorist organizations, while promoting moderate
interpretations of religion. Countering ideological extremism also means
addressing the grievances that terrorist groups often exploit, such as poverty,
social injustice and political oppression.
One of the most effective ways to prevent radicalization is through education.
Providing young people with access to quality education can empower them to
think critically and resist the lure of extremist propaganda.
Additionally, promoting tolerance and cultural understanding through interfaith
dialogues and community programs can help reduce tensions between different
ethnic and religious groups, decreasing the chances of radicalization.
Countering ideological extremism also means addressing the grievances that
terrorist groups often exploit
Economic conditions also play a significant role in the spread of terrorism. In
many cases, terrorism thrives in regions where poverty, unemployment and a lack
of opportunities create fertile ground for recruitment. Terrorist organizations
often prey on vulnerable populations, offering financial incentives or
exploiting economic despair to gain support. To combat terrorism effectively, it
is essential to invest in economic development and poverty alleviation programs
in regions susceptible to terrorist influence. These efforts should focus on
creating jobs, improving infrastructure and providing access to education and
healthcare. When people have the means to provide for their families and improve
their quality of life, they are less likely to turn to violence or extremist
ideologies.
Moreover, economic development can help to stabilize regions that are prone to
conflict. Strong economies are less likely to be destabilized by internal or
external threats, making them less attractive to terrorist organizations.
Investing in economic development is a long-term strategy, but it is one of the
most effective ways to reduce the appeal of terrorism. Another essential element
of a multifaceted approach to combating terrorism is community engagement.
Governments and law enforcement agencies ought to work closely with local
communities to identify and address the early signs of radicalization. Community
leaders, religious figures and educators can play a crucial role in preventing
individuals from being drawn into terrorist organizations.
There could also be some de-radicalization programs that offer former extremists
a path back into society. These programs can provide psychological support,
vocational training and opportunities for individuals to reintegrate into their
communities. In other words, by offering a way out, de-radicalization programs
can reduce the number of active terrorists and prevent further recruitment. In
summary, as we reflect on the 23 years since the Sept. 11 attacks, it is clear
that confronting terrorism requires a multifaceted approach. Military
interventions alone are insufficient to defeat terrorism, as they fail to
address the root causes that fuel its spread. A comprehensive strategy that
includes international cooperation, ideological counter-narratives, economic
development, education, diplomacy and community engagement is essential to
reducing the threat of terrorism in the long term.
*Dr. Majid Rafizadeh is a Harvard-educated Iranian American political scientist.
X: @Dr_Rafizadeh