English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For September 19/2024
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news

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Bible Quotations For today
Beware, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison so that you may be tested
Book of Revelation 02/08-11/:”‘To the angel of the church in Smyrna write: These are the words of the first and the last, who was dead and came to life: ‘I know your affliction and your poverty, even though you are rich. I know the slander on the part of those who say that they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Beware, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison so that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have affliction. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life. Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches. Whoever conquers will not be harmed by the second death.”

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on September 18-19/2024
The Cyber Strike That Exposed Hezbollah’s Delusional Myth Justifies Its Eradication/Elias Bejjani/September 18/ 2024
20 killed, 450 injured in second wave of blasts in Lebanon
Hezbollah vows to punish Israel after deadly pager blasts
Hezbollah hand-held radios detonate across Lebanon, sources say
Second Wave of Device Explosions Targeting Hezbollah: 14 Killed, 450 Wounded
Beirut Pager Explosion: 12 Dead and Nearly 3,000 Injured
The Pager Operation: Key Details and Pressing Questions
The Pager Attack: A Cluster of Theories
UNIFIL Vehicles Attacked in Tyre
The 17 September Attack: Taking the War to Another Dimension
Mikati Calls for UN Security Council Meeting
Peace in the Middle East More Elusive Than Ever…
Air France and Lufthansa Suspend Flights to Beirut, Tel Aviv, and Tehran
Former Netanyahu aide hints Israel is behind Beirut attack
Lebanon: Some 2,700 Hezbollah terrorists hurt, 9 killed by exploding pagers
IDF chief reviews readiness in ‘all arenas’ following Lebanon blasts
Gallant compliments Mossad as devices explode across Lebanon
Additional Hezbollah devices explode across Lebanon
From chaos to fear: Hezbollah’s dilemma - analysis
Hey Hezbollah, think twice before messing with the startup nation - comment
‘The ball is in Hezbollah’s court’
Hezbollah announced that pagers it had issued to its “staff” were detonated.
Low-Tech Pager Blues for the Hezbollah Shiite Muslim Neanderthals
What is Hezbollah in Lebanon and will it go to war with Israel?
Hezbollah’s credibility depends on revenge against Israel. But its weakness has been exposed

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on September 18-19/2024
UN votes 124-14 to strip Israel of right to self-defense in Gaza, West Bank
Jordan’s king receives delegation from Joint Arab Islamic Extraordinary Summit on Gaza
Iran condemns attacks in Lebanon involving exploding communications devices
US, European diplomats to discuss Mideast tensions on Thursday in Paris: sources
Germany has stopped approving war weapons exports to Israel, source says
Netanyahu accuses UK of sending ‘mixed messages’ over support for Israel
Saudi Arabia and Italy share vision for future
Egypt won’t accept security changes on Gaza border, foreign minister says
US military acknowledges Yemen's Houthi rebels shot down 2 MQ-9 Reaper drones
Ex-defense minister, IDF chief Moshe Ya'alon named as target of Hezbollah assassination attempt
Saudi Arabia will not recognise Israel without Palestinian state, says Crown Prince
Canada further tightens rules on temporary workers, students
Donald Trump says he will 'probably' meet Zelenskiy next week

Titles For The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources on September 18-19/2024
Khomeini, the Supreme Agent/Khomeini’s real father was the British William Richard Williamson – who was well-connected in the Gulf./Elie Aoun/September 18/2024
The Tradition of Jew-Hate/Nils A. Haug/Gatestone Institute/September 18, 2024
The Abraham Accords are not about Palestinians/Hussain Abdul-Hussain/ Asia Times/September 18/2024
Jordan’s Islamists may expose their own Achilles’ heel/Mohammed Abu Dalhoum/Arab News/September 18/2024
What to watch for in last weeks of US election campaign/Kerry Boyd Anderson/Arab News/September 18/2024

Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on September 18-19/2024
The Cyber Strike That Exposed Hezbollah’s  Delusional Myth Justifies Its Eradication
Elias Bejjani/September 18/ 2024
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2024/09/134575/
There is no doubt that Israel’s surprising and unprecedented cyber strike on the terrorist Hezbollah has shattered the myth of its military strength, exposing its lies and delusions. This strike signals the inevitable and imminent eradication of this cancerous entity. Propped up by Iran, Hezbollah has occupied Lebanon, spreading corruption, destruction, and moral decay. Its leaders terrorize the Lebanese people, particularly the Shiite community, who remain hostages under the guise of sectarianism.
Driven by madness and arrogance, Hezbollah’s leadership brands anyone who opposes them as a traitor. Their oppressive actions have debased every Lebanese national value. Fanatics like Nawaf al-Moussawi, who glorified the assassination of President Bashir Gemayel and openly threatened future presidents, embody Hezbollah’s utter contempt for Lebanon’s sovereignty.
This strike on Hezbollah's infrastructure is not a cause for joy, but a rightful and necessary response to a group that has chosen violence and death as its path.
Hezbollah’s fighters, who sanctify death and proudly declare themselves mere pawns for their leaders, have inflicted untold suffering not only on Lebanon but across Syria, Iraq, and Yemen.
The victims of today’s strike were Hezbollah operatives, not civilians. This decisive blow has laid bare Hezbollah’s vulnerability, signaling the decline of its military effectiveness.
Since 2005, Hezbollah has held Lebanon hostage, reducing its leaders to mere puppets.
Lebanon will never reclaim its independence, sovereignty, or freedom as long as Hezbollah remains in control.
The only path to Lebanon’s liberation is through the immediate implementation of United Nations resolutions, including the Armistice Accords and Resolutions 1559, 1701, and 1680.
In conclusion, Hezbollah—an Iranian proxy and terrorist organization—is a cancer devouring Lebanon and dragging it back to the stone ages. Its complete eradication is the only cure for Lebanon’s grave dilemmas and suffering.

20 killed, 450 injured in second wave of blasts in Lebanon
NAJIA HOUSSARI/Arab News/September 18, 2024
BEIRUT: Explosions in Beirut and other parts of Lebanon were apparently a second wave of detonations of electronic devices, state media said on Wednesday. The report said walkie-talkies and even solar equipment were targeted a day after hundreds of pagers blew up.At least 20 people were killed and 450 were wounded, the Health Ministry said. A Hezbollah official told the Associated Press that walkie-talkies used by the group exploded. Lebanon’s official news agency reported that solar energy systems exploded in homes in several areas of Beirut and southern Lebanon, wounding at least one girl.
The new blasts hit a country thrown into confusion and anger after Tuesday’s pager bombings, which appeared to be a complex Israeli attack targeting Hezbollah members that caused civilian casualties, too. At least 12 people were killed, including two children, and about 2,800 people were wounded as hundreds of pagers used by Hezbollah members exploded wherever they happened to be — in homes, cars, at grocery stores and in cafes. Wednesday’s blasts caused fires, injuries and a state of hysteria because some of the devices were being carried by security personnel during the funeral ceremonies for the victims of the pager explosions on Tuesday. Explosions were heard in the southern suburbs of Beirut and several areas in the south and the Bekaa Valley. Many were injured outside hospitals where the wounded from Tuesday’s bombings were being treated. Several of the wounded were transferred to Baalbek hospitals. Some devices exploded with their carriers in front of the American University Hospital in Beirut.  Four cars containing devices exploded in the town of Aabbassiyeh in the south, three people were injured when a device exploded in a car in Jdeidet Marjeyoun, and parked cars exploded in Nabatieh because there were wireless devices in them. Ambulances rushed everywhere, and Hezbollah supporters went out on motorcycles searching for victims after abandoning all their communication devices. The Lebanese Army Command asked citizens “not to gather in places witnessing security incidents to make way for the arrival of medical teams.” According to initial information, the devices that exploded on Wednesday are Icom V82 models, bought in the deal for pagers last spring.  Panic increased when information circulated on social media about the explosion of solar panels connected to internet devices. There were also claims that computers exploded.  A Hezbollah member in a video clip that showed a room with shrapnel damage, said: “This was because of the device’s battery. I removed it from the device and put it aside. Look what happened.”Footage showed fires in residential apartments in the southern suburbs of Beirut and in the south, and casualties during funeral ceremonies after their devices exploded. The Axios website reported that “Israel blew up thousands of wireless communication devices used by Hezbollah elements in a second wave.” In the first wave of bombings, it appeared that small amounts of explosives had been hidden in the thousands of pagers delivered to Hezbollah and then remotely detonated. The reports of further electronic devices exploding suggested even greater infiltration of boobytraps into Lebanon’s supply chain. It also deepens concerns over the attacks in which hundreds of devices exploded in public areas, often with many bystanders, with no certainty of who was holding the rigged devices.

Hezbollah vows to punish Israel after deadly pager blasts
AFP/September 18, 2024
Beirut, Lebanon: Hezbollah vowed on Wednesday to punish Israel for a deadly attack in which hundreds of paging devices used by the militant group’s members exploded almost simultaneously across Lebanon. There was no immediate comment from Israel on the wave of explosions that killed nine people, including the 10-year-old daughter of a Hezbollah member, and wounded around 2,800 others. The attack came just hours after Israel announced it was broadening the aims of the war sparked by Hamas’s October 7 attacks to include its fight against the Palestinian militant group’s ally Hezbollah along the country’s border with Lebanon. “We hold the Israeli enemy fully responsible for this criminal aggression,” the group said in a statement on Tuesday, adding that Israel “will certainly receive its just punishment for this sinful aggression.”On Wednesday, the group vowed in another statement on Telegram it would continue its fight in support of Gaza while reiterating it would avenge Tuesday’s blasts.“This path is ongoing and separate from the difficult reckoning that the criminal enemy must await for its massacre on Tuesday,” the group said in a statement on Telegram. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah will make a previously unscheduled speech at 5:00 p.m. (1400 GMT) on Thursday, the group said.
The wave of blasts killed nine people, including a girl, and wounded 2,800 others, 200 of them critically, Lebanese Health Minister Firass Abiad said Tuesday. “This was more than lithium batteries being forced into override,” said Charles Lister of the Middle East Institute. “A small plastic explosive was almost certainly concealed alongside the battery, for remote detonation via a call or page.” Israel’s spy agency “Mossad infiltrated the supply chain,” he said. The influx of so many casualties all at once overwhelmed hospitals in Hezbollah strongholds. At one hospital in Beirut’s southern suburbs, an AFP correspondent saw people being treated in a car park on thin mattresses, with medical gloves on the ground and ambulance stretchers covered in blood. “In all my life I’ve never seen someone walking on the street... and then explode,” said Musa, a resident of the southern suburbs, requesting to be identified only by his first name. The 10-year-old daughter of a Hezbollah member was killed in east Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley when his pager exploded, the family and a source close to the group said. A son of Hezbollah lawmaker Ali Ammar was also among the dead, a source close to the group told AFP, requesting anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.Tehran’s ambassador in Beirut was wounded but his injuries were not serious, Iranian state media reported. The blasts hit Hezbollah strongholds across Lebanon and dealt a heavy blow to the militant group, which already had concerns about the security of its communications after losing several key commanders to targeted air strikes in recent months.
A source close to Hezbollah, asking not to be identified, told AFP that “the pagers that exploded concern a shipment recently imported by Hezbollah of 1,000 devices” which appear to have been “sabotaged at source.”After The New York Times reported the pagers had been ordered from Taiwanese manufacturer Gold Apollo, the company denied any link to the products. Early Tuesday, Israel announced it was broadening the aims of the Gaza war to include its fight against Hezbollah along its border with Lebanon. To date, Israel’s objectives have been to crush Hamas and bring home the hostages seized by Palestinian militants during the October 7 attacks. “The political-security cabinet updated the goals of the war” to include “the safe return of the residents of the north to their homes,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said in a statement. Since October, the unabating exchanges of fire between Israeli troops and Hamas ally Hezbollah in Lebanon have killed hundreds of mostly fighters in Lebanon, and dozens including soldiers on the Israeli side. They have also forced tens of thousands of people on both sides of the border to flee their homes. On Monday, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant warned that failing a political solution, “military action” would be “the only way left to ensure the return” of displaced residents to the border area.
Major airlines Lufthansa and Air France on Tuesday announced suspensions of flights to Tel Aviv, Tehran and Beirut until Thursday.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived back in the region at dawn on Wednesday to try to revive stalled ceasefire talks for the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. After months of mediated negotiations failed to pin down a ceasefire, Washington said it was still working with mediators Qatar and Egypt to finalize an agreement. US officials have expressed increasing frustration with Israel as Netanyahu has publicly rejected US assessments that a deal is nearly complete and has insisted on an Israeli military presence on the Egypt-Gaza border. The October 7 attack on southern Israel that sparked the war resulted in the deaths of 1,205 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures. Militants also seized 251 hostages, 97 of whom are still held in Gaza, including 33 the Israeli military says are dead. Israel’s retaliatory military offensive has killed at least 41,252 people in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry, which does not provide a breakdown of civilian and militant deaths. On Tuesday, UN member states were debating a draft resolution demanding an end to the Israeli occupation of all Palestinian territories within 12 months.
General Assembly resolutions are not binding, but Israel has already denounced the new text as “disgraceful.”

Hezbollah hand-held radios detonate across Lebanon, sources say
Laila Bassam and Maya Gebeily/BEIRUT (Reuters)/September 18, 2024
How was Hezbollah attacked with exploding pagers?Scroll back up to restore default view. Hand-held radios used by Lebanese armed group Hezbollah detonated on Wednesday across Lebanon's south and in Beirut suburbs, further stoking tensions with Israel a day after similar explosions launched via the group's pagers. Lebanon's health ministry said nine people had been killed and more than 300 injured, while the death toll from Tuesday's explosions rose to 12, including two children, with nearly 3,000 injured. At least one of Wednesday's blasts took place near a funeral organised by Iran-backed Hezbollah for those killed the previous day when thousands of pagers used by the group exploded across the country and wounded many of its fighters. A Reuters reporter in the southern suburbs of Beirut said he saw Hezbollah members frantically taking out the batteries of any walkie-talkies on them that had not exploded, tossing the parts in metal barrels around them. Lebanon's Red Cross said on X that it was responding with 30 ambulance teams to multiple explosions in different areas, including the south of Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley. Hezbollah, which was thrown briefly into disarray by the pager attacks, said on Wednesday it had attacked Israeli artillery positions with rockets, the first strike at its arch-foe since the blasts wounded thousands of its members in Lebanon and raised the prospect of a wider Middle East war. Images of the exploded walkie-talkies examined by Reuters showed an inside panel labelled "ICOM" and "made in Japan." According to its website, ICOM is a Japan-based radio communications and telephone company. The company has said that production of several models of the ICOM hand-held radio have been discontinued, including the IC-V82, which appeared to closely match those in images from Lebanon on Wednesday and which was phased out in 2014.
There was no immediate reply from ICOM to a Reuters request for comment on Wednesday.
DEVICES BOUGHT FIVE MONTHS AGO
The hand-held radios were purchased by Hezbollah five months ago, around the same time that the pagers were bought, said a security source. Israel's spy agency Mossad, which has a long history of sophisticated operations on foreign soil, planted explosives inside pagers imported by Hezbollah months before Tuesday's detonations, a senior Lebanese security source and another source told Reuters. Israel's military has declined to comment on the blasts. Tuesday's attack wounded many of the militant group's fighters and Iran's envoy to Beirut. Frontline workers described hellish scenes: victims of thousands of small explosions linked to pagers used by Hezbollah rushed into hospitals, some with organs protruding, others with missing eyes or fingers. The U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk called for an independent investigation into the events surrounding exploding pagers.
The United Nations Security Council will meet on Friday over the pager blasts after a request from Algeria on behalf of Arab states, said Slovenia's U.N. Ambassador Samuel Zbogar, president of the 15-member council for September. Taiwanese pager maker Gold Apollo denied that it had produced the pager devices. It said the devices were made under licence by a company called BAC, based in Hungary's capital Budapest. Hungary on Wednesday said the devices had never been in the country and that authorities had established that BAC was a trading-intermediary company with no manufacturing or operations in Hungary.
RETALIATION
Hezbollah has vowed to retaliate against Israel. The two sides have been engaged in cross-border warfare since the Gaza conflict erupted last October, fuelling fears of a wider Middle East war that could drag in the United States and Iran. A full-blown war with Israel could devastate Lebanon, which has lurched from one crisis to another in recent years, including a 2019 financial collapse and the 2020 Beirut port blast. Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi accused Israel of pushing the Middle East to the brink of a regional war by orchestrating a dangerous escalation on many fronts. "Hezbollah wants to avoid an all-out war. It still wants to avoid one. But given the scale, the impact on families, on civilians, there will be pressure for a stronger response," said Mohanad Hage Ali of the Carnegie Middle East Center. Hezbollah, Iran's most powerful proxy in the Middle East, said in a statement it would continue to support Hamas in Gaza and Israel should await a response to the pager "massacre" which left fighters and others bloodied, hospitalised or dead. One Hezbollah official said the detonation was the group's "biggest security breach" in its history. The plot appears to have been many months in the making, several sources told Reuters. It followed a series of assassinations of Hezbollah and Hamas commanders and leaders ascribed to Israel since the start of the Gaza war. Hezbollah had turned to pagers and other low-tech communications devices in an attempt to evade Israeli surveillance of mobile phones.
(Additional reporting by Tom Perry in Beirut, Phil Stewart and Matt Spetalnick in Washington; Ben Blanchard in Taipei and Clauda Tanios in Dubai, Krisztina Than and Krisztina Fenyo in Budapest and Simon Lewis in Cairo and John Revill in Zurich, Emilie Madi and Timour Azhari in Beirut and James Pearson in London; Writing by Michael Georgy; Editing by Ros Russell, William Maclean, Jon Boyle and Sharon Singleton)

Second Wave of Device Explosions Targeting Hezbollah: 14 Killed, 450 Wounded
This Is Beirut/September 18/2024
A new spate of communication device explosions rocked Hezbollah areas on Wednesday afternoon, killing at least fourteen people and wounding more than 450, according to the Ministry of Public Health. The latest wave of blasts occurred 24 hours after the simultaneous explosion of hundreds of pagers used by Hezbollah members killed and wounded scores of the party’s operatives. Initial information indicated that walkie-talkies, also used by members of the pro-Iranian group, exploded simultaneously in Beirut’s southern suburb, the south and the Bekaa regions. The explosions occurred inside apartment buildings, cars and on motorcycles, starting fires and sending panic waves across neighborhoods. Unconfirmed media reports said the lithium batteries connected to solar panels also exploded in certain areas. At least 14 people have been killed and more than 3000 wounded, mostly Hezbollah operatives, in Tuesday’s explosion of hand-held pagers. The nationwide blasts marked the culmination of a series of escalating attacks on Hezbollah targets blamed on or claimed by Israel — including a July air strike that killed senior military commander Fuad Shokr in Beirut’s southern suburbs. The pager blasts, described by experts as a “painful blow” dealt to Hezbollah, came hours after Israel said it was broadening the aims of the Gaza war to include its fight against Hezbollah on its northern border. Hezbollah blamed the attacks on Israel, which has neither confirmed nor denied involvement in Tuesday’s explosions. Experts interviewed by This is Beirut said the wireless devices have been most likely tampered with and laden with explosives, before they were delivered to Hezbollah. Shipments of pagers and walkie-talkies were reportedly delivered to the Iran-backed group in recent months.

Beirut Pager Explosion: 12 Dead and Nearly 3,000 Injured
This Is Beirut/September 18/2024
A powerful explosion of pager devices across Lebanon on Tuesday resulted in the deaths of 12 people. Nearly 3,000 people were injured, with many in critical care. The blast, caused by the detonation of thousands of pager devices, is believed to have been part of an Israeli military operation aimed at Hezbollah’s communication networks. For its part, Hezbollah released a statement on Wednesday expressing condolences for its members killed in the explosion. The group vowed retaliation, emphasizing its continued commitment to operations against Israel. Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah is expected make a speech on Thursday at 5 PM.
Health Minister
In other developments, Caretaker Health Minister Firas Abiad inspected hospitals on Wednesday, following an earlier visit on Tuesday evening. During this second hospital tour, he visited various facilities, including Makassed Hospital, Hôtel Dieu de France, and Saint George Hospital in Hadath. Abiad ensured that the hospitals were equipped with the necessary resources to treat the injured effectively. He also praised Iraq for its prompt assistance, with medical teams and supplies that arrived on Wednesday morning to support Lebanon’s overwhelmed healthcare system. The minister is expected to hold a press conference at 1 PM to provide further updates on the situation.
Iranian Ambassador
The Iranian Ambassador to Lebanon Mojtaba Amani’s injuries, sustained in the explosion, sparked widespread rumors about his condition. Although initial reports suggested that Amani had lost one eye, the Iranian Embassy in Beirut denied these claims, stating that rumors about his health were unfounded.
Video footage had shown Amani being rushed to the hospital with bandaged eyes, adding to the speculation. Iranian authorities maintain that he is recovering from his injuries.
UN Reaction
UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, condemned the attack, urging restraint and emphasizing the need to protect civilians. She deplored the attack, reminding all “concerned actors that civilians are not a target and must be protected at all times,” emphasizing that “even one civilian casualty is one too many.” The Special Coordinator concluded her statement by emphasizing the urgency of restoring calm and calling on all concerned actors to prioritize stability, as “the stakes are too high.”

The Pager Operation: Key Details and Pressing Questions
Bassam Abou Zeid/This Is Beirut/September 18/2024
Without firing a single shot, Israel managed to remove thousands of Hezbollah fighters from the battlefield in southern Lebanon. Some will be out of action for days, others for months, while some may never return to combat or their duties due to the severity of their injuries, which could permanently prevent them from resuming their roles. Experts and analysts in the intelligence community agree that Israel’s operation is unprecedented in modern history. It is expected to become a major case study, with its meticulous planning and execution potentially featured in literature and cinema, and offering insights for other intelligence agencies that might consider employing similar tactics against their adversaries. Noteworthy for its advanced technology and precision, the operation’s timing remains a subject of debate. In this operation, thousands of pagers exploded along with their carriers, as if Israel had secretly rigged these individuals. In reality, the people were unknowingly transporting explosive devices in their homes, vehicles, or workplaces. The operator waited for the right moment or political directive to detonate them, resulting in numerous deaths and injuries.
The key aspect of this operation is understanding the detonation mechanism. Reports suggest that the server that processed the messages was compromised. The hackers sent messages that overwhelmed the devices, leading to overheating of the lithium batteries, causing them to explode.
An additional question arises: Were the explosions solely due to battery malfunctions, or were the devices deliberately rigged with explosives?
According to reports, it is improbable that the small lithium batteries in these devices could have caused the significant damage witnessed, such as fatalities and severe injuries. This leads to the conclusion that the devices were likely rigged with explosives. Experts suggest that approximately 20 grams of explosives were inserted into each device. Nonetheless, the exact method of remote detonation is uncertain, leaving questions about whether the battery overheating acted as the trigger or if another mechanism was employed.
It is worth noting that verifying the presence of explosives in these devices is relatively simple. Security agencies or Hezbollah can conduct laboratory tests on the remains of the exploded devices to determine if they contained explosive residues.
Following Hezbollah’s entry into conflict with Israel on October 8 last year, breaches in their communication networks have emerged as a critical issue, especially in light of the substantial losses among their members and leadership. One notable instance involves Fouad Shokr, who allegedly fell into a trap after receiving a deceptive phone call. Consequently, Hezbollah has discontinued the use of cell phones and taken down street surveillance cameras, considering them compromised. The party’s security apparatus is now searching for secure communication devices to supplement their existing landline network. They have identified pagers as a potential solution and have decided to increase their use, based on information suggesting they had been used previously.
In this context, reports indicate that a shipment of 5,000 devices reached Hezbollah several months ago and was distributed among its members and leaders across various military and security units. These devices bear the logo of the Taiwanese company Gold Apollo. However, Gold Apollo has denied manufacturing these devices, revealing that a European company, specifically BAC in Hungary, holds a license from the Taiwanese firm to produce the AR-924 model. Furthermore, there are no records of any such devices being shipped from Taiwan to Lebanon. Here lies the mystery: how did the Israelis find out that the shipment was intended for Hezbollah, and how did they manage to rig it with explosives? Hezbollah does not purchase these devices directly; instead, it relies on third parties, or even multiple intermediaries, to obscure the final destination, safeguarding the deal from cancellation or security breaches. However, this time, Hezbollah’s precautions appear to have failed. Reports indicate that Israeli operatives uncovered the intended Hezbollah-bound devices and allegedly sabotaged them by embedding explosives, compromising their security and triggering their detonation. Nevertheless, certain knowledgeable sources assert that Hezbollah typically conducts rigorous safety checks before accepting sensitive equipment. The lingering question persists: did the Israelis succeed in outwitting Hezbollah by planting explosives that went undetected? This Hollywood-style operation has sparked numerous questions, and uncovering clear answers may take years.

The Pager Attack: A Cluster of Theories
This Is Beirut/September 18/2024
On September 17, Israel launched an unprecedented cyber-attack targeting Hezbollah members throughout Lebanon. The Hebrew state detonated the beepers worn by members of the militant group… without the knowledge of the United States, Israel’s greatest ally. What does the Western press have to say about this shocking and highly revealing event?
Gold Apollo: from Taipei to Beirut
If the beepers exploded, it would be wise to start by questioning their source. It turns out that they all bore the logo of Gold Apollo, a Taiwan-based manufacturer of wireless paging systems. According to Hezbollah officials, more than 3,000 beepers were ordered from Gold Apollo. However, the Taiwanese company claimed on Wednesday that Hezbollah’s branded pager bombs were produced and sold by its Hungarian partner BAC. The model mentioned in the media “is produced and sold by BAC,” Apollo Gold said in a statement after the New York Times reported that the Taiwanese group’s pagers were involved in the explosions. “Our company only provides authorization to use the brand and is not involved in the design and manufacture” of this beeper, it insisted. But how did these beepers explode?
Was the Supply Chain Infiltrated?
A first report, put forward by the New York Times, assumes that Israel hid explosives in a shipment of beepers ordered by Hezbollah from Gold Apollo. These beepers, mainly AR924 models, would have been booby-trapped with explosive charges placed next to the battery, ready to be detonated remotely. According to this version, a message sent at 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, seemingly from Hezbollah’s leadership, triggered the explosives inside the devices. The resulting explosions wreaked havoc, especially among Hezbollah members using the pagers. Cybersecurity experts, including Mikko Hypponen of WithSecure, said that the intensity of the explosions suggested the beepers had been tampered with in ways beyond a simple battery malfunction. This supports the hypothesis of a meticulous infiltration of the Hezbollah supply chain by Israeli services, enabling the insertion of sophisticated explosives into the devices. And what was the aim of such an attack?
Israel on to Plan B?
Another theory, presented by Al-Monitor and Axios citing Israeli officials, is that Israel had originally planned to detonate the beepers only in the event of a large-scale conflict with Hezbollah. The goal was to gain a major strategic advantage by disrupting the group’s communications. Axios quotes a former Israeli official with knowledge of the operation. He stated that Israeli intelligence planned to use the booby-trapped pagers they had managed to “place” in Hezbollah’s ranks as a surprise kick-off to an all-out war to try to paralyze Hezbollah. However, suspicions within Hezbollah led to the early execution of the plan. Al-Monitor reports, citing Israeli sources, that the first Hezbollah member was killed after detecting an anomaly in the beepers. Shortly afterward, another member of the group, having planned to inform his superiors of the possible flaws, is said to have precipitated the Israeli decision. Fearing the discovery of the plan, Israel would have opted for an immediate activation of the explosives, causing the extensive damage observed. This incident, where technology and strategy intertwine, raises a disturbing question: how far can information warfare go when it manipulates seemingly innocuous objects like beepers to unleash such devastation?

UNIFIL Vehicles Attacked in Tyre
This Is Beirut/September 18/2024
Youths attacked UNIFIL’s Malaysian Battalion vehicles in Tyre’s al-Hosh district on Wednesday afternoon, causing damage to some of the vehicles and the destruction of others. The youngsters were forced to retreat after the Lebanese Army and Intelligence interfered to break up the attack, and the patrol members were then taken out of the cars. This event follows two cyberattacks on Tuesday and Wednesday that targeted Icom 82 talky walkies and pager communication devices, resulting in over 12 fatalities and 3,000 injuries, many of which require critical care. It is thought that the explosion was a component of an Israeli military operation against Hezbollah’s communications infrastructure. It is important to note that UNIFIL has been the target of attacks in Lebanon before. On December 28, 2023, in Taybeh, in the Marjayoun area of south Lebanon, a peacekeeper was injured in an attack on a UNIFIL patrol, and the vehicle’s windows were smashed.

The 17 September Attack: Taking the War to Another Dimension
Michel Touma/This Is Beirut/September 18/2024
An unprecedented strike that will surely be etched into the global history of warfare and precision-targeted military operations. The Israeli attack on 17 September likely involved electromagnetic pulses (EMPs) targeting the pagers used by Hezbollah’s top leaders and elite fighters. The coordinated detonation of thousands of these devices across the pro-Iranian group’s operational zones, including Syria, underscored the sheer scale and complexity of the operation. Within minutes, the assault claimed the lives of at least a dozen individuals and left more than 4,000 Hezbollah members injured, 400 of them critically, according to an initial report by the Ministry of Health, which is expected to worsen in the coming hours. The scenes of desolation in the streets and, most strikingly, in the hospitals — completely overwhelmed by the injured — evoked painful memories of the tragic events of August 4. However, unlike that catastrophe, this one did not result in the same widespread neighborhood destruction or civilian casualties. Drawing a perhaps dramatic comparison, Tuesday’s events could be considered a “Pearl Harbor” moment for Hezbollah, on Lebanon’s smaller scale. The operation’s unexpected and striking execution, combined with its profound psychological impact on Hezbollah’s military apparatus and leadership, mirrors the shock and strategic blow of that infamous attack. The 17 September attack marks a turning point in the war Hezbollah recklessly launched on the 8th of October, revealing a new dimension to the conflict. This “new dimension” lies in Israel’s undeniable technological dominance and the extraordinary accuracy of its strikes. For over eleven months, Israel has carried out highly coordinated operations against Hezbollah’s leadership and fighters, leveraging advanced artificial intelligence and cutting-edge technology. Alongside these targeted strikes, Israel has also engaged in covert warfare, leading to the elimination of key Hezbollah leaders, including their top military commander, Fouad Shokr.
The strategic significance of the 17 September attack extends beyond its immediate impact. It demonstrated and validated reports from Western media suggesting that Israel has acquired formidable offensive capabilities, particularly in the realm of electromagnetic systems. The operation likely provided a preview of these advanced technologies, as experts believe the attack was executed using electromagnetic pulses, showcasing their devastating potential. The immediate impact of Tuesday’s attack is particularly grave, as it specifically targeted and incapacitated around 4,000 Hezbollah mid- to high-ranking officials, as well as key frontline fighters. These thousands of pagers were clearly issued to crucial leaders and prominent combatants, delivering a severe blow to the heart of Hezbollah’s military chain of command. In the short term, this will deeply undermine trust in the militia’s communication system, crippling its operational effectiveness and leaving its leadership shaken. In a few minutes, and without engaging in any direct combat, the Israeli military inflicted a severe blow to Hezbollah. This was achieved without resorting to indiscriminate and deadly bombardments that cause widespread civilian casualties, a stark contrast to the daily violence seen in Gaza. The key question now is how Hezbollah will respond to the attack. Israeli officials are hinting at the possibility of a significant retaliatory strike. However, one must consider whether this could be a strategic trap set by Israel to draw Hezbollah into a larger conflict. This escalation might be intended to justify further military action along the Lebanon border and address the issue of the 80,000 displaced persons currently in northern Israel. Benjamin Netanyahu’s government seems to be disregarding Washington’s cautious recommendations. With the new American administration set to take office in January 2025, the pressing question is whether Netanyahu will continue to employ the ‘technological dimension’ of conflict, as evidenced by the September 17 attack, or whether he will opt for a more conventional approach. This latter option could involve a ground operation to occupy parts of southern Lebanon and establish a buffer zone to protect Israel’s northern border. Ironically, such a move could play into Hezbollah’s hands by enabling the group to revive its guerrilla tactics and reassert its role as a ‘resistance’ force — a central aspect of its identity and purpose, despite its recent ineffectiveness.

Mikati Calls for UN Security Council Meeting
This Is Beirut/September 18/2024
Caretaker Prime Minister, Najib Mikati, declared from the Ministry of Health, on Wednesday, that he had summoned a UN Security Council meeting for Lebanon to discuss the ongoing conflict. He also declared that “the influx of wounded to hospitals had ceased by early evening,” following the second wave of explosions that damaged communications infrastructure. “The important role played by the Ministry of Health following the Israeli aggression against Lebanon” was praised by him in this regard.

Peace in the Middle East More Elusive Than Ever…
Rami Rayess/This Is Beirut/September 18/2024
There are growing concerns about the future of the Middle East in light of the significant transformations the region has undergone since the events of October 7, 2023, and the subsequent Israeli war on Gaza, which has claimed over 40,000 lives and left the enclave completely devastated and uninhabitable for years to come. The battle rages on despite repeated international calls for a ceasefire, which have been largely ignored. Amid the ongoing Israeli onslaught on the West Bank, coupled with the dramatic events unfolding in Gaza, new developments signal serious consequences, including the demolition of homes, destruction of roads and disruption of daily life in both urban and rural areas. Furthermore, the increased militarization of settlers has led to a surge in raids on Palestinian homes and safe locations. The Palestinian cause is facing unparalleled challenges that seem more dangerous than in most previous phases of the conflict. The notion of the “peace process” has largely fallen out of the spotlight, particularly since the 1993 Oslo Agreement, signed in the White House Rose Garden under President Bill Clinton. This accord, perceived as flawed, failed to fulfill the Palestinian people’s aspirations for an independent state, with Jerusalem as its capital. It also did not address the return of refugees who have been forcibly displaced from their homeland since 1948 in various waves and stages. The delay in addressing key issues – such as the future of Jerusalem, borders, water and refugees – has contributed to the ongoing deadlock. Over time, it became clear that even a preliminary agreement was unacceptable to Israel, and Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, who “dared” to sign the accord, was assassinated by a Jewish extremist. Today, the situation in Israeli society remains largely unchanged, with even the few voices of those who once identified as part of the “peace camp” now significantly muted. The current public protests in Tel Aviv are primarily aimed at pressuring the Israeli government and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to address the issue of hostages held by Hamas, rather than seeking an end to the war or a ceasefire.
Moreover, Israeli society as a whole seems largely indifferent to the notion of peace. Some citizens are opting to leave Israel and return to their countries of origin – whether in Europe, the United States or elsewhere – rather than staying under the current conditions. Meanwhile, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir’s deliberate arming of settlers in the West Bank, conducted under the watchful eye of photographers and the media, suggests a clear intention to drive Palestinians toward a new wave of displacement.
Efforts to expel Palestinians have persisted since the 1948 Nakba. This issue resurfaced during the last conflict, with plans to force Palestinians out of the Gaza Strip. Today, extremist voices in Israel are calling for the complete reoccupation of Gaza and the reconstruction of settlements, arguing that it is part of a “Greater Israel” that should never have been dismantled or abandoned. Over the decades, Israel has consistently dismissed all political peace “offers,” rejecting every United Nations resolution and disregarding the generous Arab Peace Initiative. Endorsed at the Beirut Summit in 2002, this initiative is based on a two-state solution along the 1967 borders and the principle of land for peace. Attempts to sidestep the Palestinian issue through the Abraham Accords – signed in Washington under former President Donald Trump between several Arab countries and Israel to normalize relations – have swiftly proven insufficient. It became evident that these agreements could not resolve the conflict without addressing the legitimate national demands of the Palestinian people. The Palestinian issue cannot be relegated to just a security or economic concern, as this approach has proven ineffective. Discussions about peace in the Middle East must acknowledge that resolving the Palestinian issue is at the heart of the conflict, and a comprehensive, fundamental solution is essential.The future of the region is grim, and any talks of peace at this stage seem increasingly elusive…

Air France and Lufthansa Suspend Flights to Beirut, Tel Aviv, and Tehran
This Is Beirut/September 18/2024
Air France has announced the temporary suspension of flights between Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Beirut, and between Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Tel Aviv, until September 19 in view of the growing tensions in the Middle East. Operations should resume after an assessment of the situation. Germany’s Lufthansa Group has also suspended flights to and from Tel Aviv and Tehran until September 19. These decisions follow the Hezbollah pager attacks in Lebanon on Tuesday, exacerbating security concerns.

Former Netanyahu aide hints Israel is behind Beirut attack
Jerusalem Post/September 18/2024
Ministers and Likud MKs have been directed not to talk about the cyberattack in Beirut.
Topaz Luk, a former top aide and spokesperson to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, hinted in a post on X that Israel was behind Tuesday's attack in Beirut. Luk's post was a response to a former post by publicist Haim Levinson, in which Levinson argued that the prime minister would not order an attack prior to his visit to New York next week for the United National General Assembly. Luk responded, "[The argument] did not age well," indicating that the prime minister had ordered the attack. The Prime Minister's Office said in response, "Topaz Luk has not been the prime minister's spokesperson for a number of months and is not part of the inner circle of consultations." Luk erased the post shortly after posting it. Soon after, Likud's MKs were directed not to conduct any interviews. Kan News reported that the National Security Council had requested ministers not to speak publicly about the attack. This could not be immediately confirmed.

Lebanon: Some 2,700 Hezbollah terrorists hurt, 9 killed by exploding pagers
Akiva Van Koningsveld/Israel Today/September 18, 2024
The IDF declined to comment on the incident, which came just hours after the Israeli Cabinet added the return of citizens displaced from their homes in the north to the country’s war goals. More than 2,700 Hezbollah terrorists were wounded and at least nine were killed across Lebanon on Tuesday when their communication devices exploded, Lebanese Health Minister Firass Abiad confirmed. Approximately 200 Hezbollah terrorists were in critical condition in 100 different hospitals, Beirut’s health minister announced about three hours after the explosions were first reported at 3.30 p.m. local time.
A Reuters journalist saw 10 terrorists bleeding from injuries in Beirut’s southern suburb of Dahiya, which is the main stronghold of Hezbollah. A security source told Qatar’s Al Jazeera that explosions occurred across Lebanon—not only in Beirut but also in the Beqaa Valley and the south. Senior Hezbollah officials were said to have been wounded in the blasts. Iran’s ambassador to Lebanon, Mojtaba Amani, was also wounded in one of the explosions, Tehran’s semi-official Mehr outlet reported.
‘Causes of which are still unknown’
Unconfirmed reports in Arab media claimed explosions also occurred in Damascus, wounding at least dozens of Hezbollah terror operatives. In its first official statement on the incident, Hezbollah announced that the pager explosions, “the causes of which are still unknown,” killed at least three of its members, while wounding a large number of others. Shortly thereafter, the terrorist organization issued a statement that it held the Jewish state “fully responsible for this criminal aggression.”Lebanese media affiliated with Hezbollah had attributed the incident to the Israel Defense Forces, claiming the mysterious blasts were caused by a hack of the terrorist group’s internal communications networks. The Wall Street Journal said the pagers were part of a new shipment that the terror group received in recent days. A Hezbollah official suggested that “malware” may have caused the pagers to heat up and explode.
Another Hezbollah terrorist official in Lebanon cited by Reuters called the alleged computer hack by Israel the “biggest security breach so far.”The IDF declined to comment to JNS on the incident, which came just hours after the Israeli Cabinet added the return of citizens displaced from their homes in the north to the country’s war goals, bringing a potential major confrontation with Hezbollah closer to reality.
‘Final stages of implementation’
Earlier on Tuesday, the Israel Security Agency internal security service revealed it thwarted an attempt by Hezbollah to assassinate a former senior security official. According to the ISA, the attack had involved an explosive device and was intended to be carried out in the coming days. The attack was prevented “in the final stages of implementation,” the ISA said. The targeted official has been updated by security forces, it noted, adding that additional details could not be provided “at this stage.”Iran-backed Hezbollah has attacked Israel nearly daily since Oct. 8, firing thousands of rockets, missiles and drones. The attacks have so far killed more than 40 people and caused widespread damage. Tens of thousands of civilians remain internally displaced due to the violence. According to Israeli media reports, the heads of the country’s security agencies, including Mossad chief David Barnea, convened on Tuesday afternoon for “frantic” talks regarding the threat posed by Hezbollah. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu barred ministers from giving interviews following the blasts, local reports said, adding that the premier was holding security talks in the ‘pit,’ the IDF’s underground command and control center in the Kirya military headquarters. The Israel Defense Forces’ Home Front Command informed local authorities of a possible escalation on the border with Lebanon but stressed that there are currently no changes to instructions for citizens. An Israeli air-defense system intercept rockets fired from Lebanon, Sept. 16, 2024. Photo by Ayal Margolin/Flash90. Netanyahu told visiting US envoy Amos Hochstein on Monday that the thousands of Israelis displaced by Hezbollah’s attacks will not be able to return without military or diplomatic action against the terror group. Netanyahu “made it very clear that it will not be possible to return our residents without a fundamental change in the security situation in the north,” according to a readout from the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office. While Jerusalem “appreciates and respects” the Biden administration’s support, it will “ultimately do what is necessary to safeguard its security and return the residents of the north securely to their homes,” he told Hochstein during a meeting at IDF headquarters in central Tel Aviv.
https://www.israeltoday.co.il/read/lebanon-some-2700-hezbollah-terrorists-hurt-9-killed-by-exploding-pagers/?mc_cid=7a31ae8dd7&mc_eid=3ece879aa9

IDF chief reviews readiness in ‘all arenas’ following Lebanon blasts
Israel Today/September 18, 2024
Israel believes Hezbollah is preparing for a large-scale attack after thousands of its members were wounded and several killed when their pagers detonated.
Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi convened a situational assessment focusing on readiness in “offense and defense in all arenas” on Tuesday night, the IDF said, after Hezbollah blamed the Jewish state for blasts in Lebanon that killed several terrorists and wounded thousands more.
Halevi “held a situational assessment this evening with the participation of the General Staff Forum,” which includes around 30 of the Israeli military’s most senior commanders, according to the IDF. “The IDF spokesman wishes to clarify that, at this stage, there is no change in the directives of the Home Front Command. Vigilance must continue to be maintained, and any change in policy will be updated immediately,” the statement added. Hezbollah has blamed Israel for the pager explosions that wounded at least 3,000 and killed at least nine terrorists in Lebanon and Syria earlier on Tuesday, saying Jerusalem will get “its fair punishment” in response. The statement warned that “this treacherous and criminal enemy will certainly receive its just punishment for this sinful aggression from where it expects it or does not expect it,” according to a translation by Lebanon’s Al Mayadeen, which is affiliated with the terrorist group. Approximately 200 terrorists were in critical condition in 100 Lebanese hospitals, Beirut’s health minister, Firass Abiad, announced some three hours after the blasts were first reported at 3.30 p.m. local time. Senior Hezbollah officials were said to have been wounded in the blasts. Iran’s ambassador to Lebanon, Mojtaba Amani, was also hurt in one of the explosions, Tehran’s semi-official Mehr outlet reported. The Israel Defense Forces declined to comment on the incident, which came just hours after the Israeli Cabinet added the return of citizens displaced from their homes in the north to the country’s war goals, bringing a potential major clash with Hezbollah closer to reality. A US official told ABC News on Tuesday evening that while Hezbollah and Iran are likely to retaliate for the alleged explosive hack, “it could take them time to do so while they assess what happened.”The IDF’s Home Front Command has reportedly informed local authorities of a possible escalation on the border with Lebanon but stressed that there are currently no changes to instructions for citizens. Israel’s defense establishment believes that Hezbollah is preparing for a large-scale assault in response to Tuesday’s attack in Lebanon, the Kan News public broadcaster reported on Tuesday night. After Hezbollah accused Israel of being behind the explosions, the alert level in the Jewish state was raised, Kan News reported, adding that Home Front Command had boosted its deployment in the Haifa area. The Magen David Adom emergency response group called on the public to come donate blood at the northern city’s municipal sports complex. In addition, officials with Israel’s Transportation Ministry discussed the prospect of escalation with Hezbollah on Tuesday. The senior officials discussed preparations at Haifa Port and Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion International Airport, as well as other emergency scenarios. According to the Kan News report, the alert level was raised at all of Israel’s seaports, including Eilat Port. Iran-backed Hezbollah has attacked Israel nearly daily since Oct. 8, firing thousands of rockets, missiles and drones. The attacks have so far killed more than 40 people and caused widespread damage. Tens of thousands of civilians remain internally displaced due to the violence. With reporting by JNS.

Gallant compliments Mossad as devices explode across Lebanon
Jerusalem Post/September 18/2024
Gallant did not take explicit credit, and Israel has been careful not to take public credit for the exploding beepers on Tuesday or the exploding devices on Wednesday.Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, in a speech about the situation in the North, explicitly complimented the Mossad, along with the entire defense establishment, for "great achievements" just as the region continued to convulse with news of devices exploding across Lebanon. Gallant did not take explicit credit, and Israel has been careful not to take public credit for the exploding beepers on Tuesday or the exploding devices on Wednesday, but the timing and juxtaposition of his rare mention of the Mossad along with the new round of explosions was striking. He also stated Israel was beginning a new stage in war. "The center of gravity is shifting northward, meaning that we are increasingly diverting forces, resources, and energy towards the North," he said. Gallant added, "This operation is being carried out by all the bodies, and the mission is clear and simple – to return the residents of the northern communities to their homes safely."

Additional Hezbollah devices explode across Lebanon
Jerusalem Post/September 18/2024
This comes after thousands of Hezbollah members were wounded on Tuesday after the pagers they used to communicate detonated.
Lebanese media reported that at least 500 people were wounded on Wednesday as another round of explosions rang out throughout the country at midday. Axios started to report significant details about Israel's involvement in the attack, while The Jerusalem Post (which also has extensive Western sources) has also been able to independently confirm large aspects of details related to the attack.Nine people had been killed, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry. According to Reuters, citing a Lebanese security official, those wounded sustained wounds primarily to the stomach and hands.  The Lebanese Health Ministry issued a statement earlier saying over a hundred people had been wounded and one person had been killed, according to a preliminary toll. The Lebanese Civil Defense later stated it was operating to extinguish the fires that had broken out following the explosions in some 60 shops and homes, 15 vehicles, motorcycles, and two fingerprint devices. It added that ambulances were transferring the wounded to hospitals throughout the country. Initial vague reports of networked devices exploding came in from Beirut, the Bekaa Valley, and throughout Lebanon. If true, this would be the second consecutive day of potential sabotage and explosions in Lebanon after around 3,000 mostly members of Hezbollah were wounded by exploding beepers on Tuesday. According to the reports, the explosions occurred at and in parallel to the funeral of four Hezbollah members in Lebanon. The funeral was live-streamed on X but ended abruptly. Unofficial reports claimed that iPhones, video cameras, IC-V82 radios, and other devices also detonated. According to unconfirmed reports, Hezbollah has told its operatives to distance itself from communication devices. Unofficial reports also claimed that Hezbollah told its members to dispose of devices containing a lithium battery or that are connected to the internet. Additional unconfirmed reports claimed that lithium batteries for solar energy storage had detonated and that some houses were on fire. Reuters later quoted senior Hezbollah official Hashem Safieddine as saying the terror group was in a "new phase" and a "punishment is certainly coming. Reuters also added, according to a security source, that the hand-held radios via which the explosions reportedly occurred were bought by Hezbollah five months ago at the same time as the pagers. Lebanese state media claimed that drones and aircraft were seen flying above western and central Lebanon during the explosions. According to later reports in Lebanon, local residents allegedly attacked UNIFIL vehicles throughout the country. Israeli media reported later on Wednesday that the Israel Air Force was carrying out strikes in southern Lebanon.  Hezbollah has accused Israel of being the saboteur, with Jerusalem staying publicly silent on the issue, but with several foreign media outlets reporting that the Mossad and IDF intelligence were behind it, and with The Post independently confirming significant aspects of the saga.
https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/article-820703

From chaos to fear: Hezbollah’s dilemma - analysis
Seth J. Frantzman/Jerusalem Post/September 18/2024
Hezbollah faces crisis after thousands of pagers exploded across Lebanon and Syria, killing ten and wounding thousands, including the Iranian ambassador, causing chaos and fear.
Hezbollah faced an unprecedented challenge as thousands of pagers it had acquired for its members began exploding across Lebanon and also in Syria and other places on Tuesday. The pager explosions killed at least ten Hezbollah members and wounded thousands. They also wounded the Iranian ambassador to Lebanon, revealing his obvious links to the Iranian-backed terrorist group. Now Hezbollah faces an apparent new wave of challenges as more explosions have struck the group on September 18. The terrorist group is now facing chaos and fear of the future. For Hezbollah, a key part of its self-image is that it is an elite terrorist group, and it is relatively safe in Lebanon. Its safety is important because it has often vowed in the past to escalate against Israel if there are attacks in places in Beirut or the Beqaa valley, for instance. During the last eleven months, the group has faced several incidents in both Beirut and the Beqaa, and in each case, it expanded its attacks on Israel. However, this has not led to fear within the ranks of Hezbollah. This is obvious from its rallies and from the fact that it continues to openly threaten Israel and threaten the region. Hezbollah’s confidence is important to its cohesive organization as a military-terrorist organization. Hezbollah has also greatly expanded its role in the region in recent years. It took part in the Syrian Civil War after 2012. It thus helped prop up the Syrian regime. Some history. This is important because if one goes back to 1976, it was the Syrian regime that was occupying Lebanon. Syria occupied part of Lebanon from 1976 to 2005. Now, Hezbollah plays a role in Syria. After the death of Iranian IRGC Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani in 2020, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah took on a larger role. Nasrallah has improved ties between Hezbollah and the Houthis and helped coordinate the Iranian multi-front war on Israel. In the fourth week of October 2023, Nasrallah met with key Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad officials to coordinate attacks on Israel. In November 2023, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian met with Nasrallah and Lebanon Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri. Berri runs Amal, a Shi’ite party in Lebanon. The Iranian envoy also met Ziad al-Nakhaleh, secretary general of Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and Khalil Al-Hayya, a member of the Hamas politburo. In August 2022, Nasrallah also met with Hamas officials in Beirut. These included Saleh al-Arouri, deputy head of the group’s political bureau, and senior officials Khalil al-Hayya and Osama Hamdan. In September 2023, prior to the Hamas attack on Israel, Nasrallah also met with Arouri and Nakhaleh. This all illustrates the confidence of Hezbollah. Now Hezbollah is less confident and it is facing an unprecedented crisis of chaos. Chaos leads to fear. Fear can lead to panic. It is during this phase that the group may make operational mistakes. Hezbollah is now forced to respond to Israel’s actions. But it knows that any response may lead to more surprises and more chaos in its ranks. It also knows the region is watching. Iran and the other proxies such as Hamas and PIJ and the Houthis are watching. The Iranian-backed militias in Iraq are also watching. They launched a drone at Israel that was shot down on September 18.
https://www.jpost.com/israel-hamas-war/article-820718

Hey Hezbollah, think twice before messing with the startup nation - comment
Zvika Klein/Jerusalem Post/September 18/2024
Amid relentless Hezbollah attacks, Israel’s alleged tech response is evident as devices used by Hezbollah mysteriously exploded.
For nearly a year, Israel has endured a relentless barrage of rockets, drones, and daily threats from its northern border. Thousands of families in the north have been displaced, their lives uprooted, and forced to live in uncertainty. Why? Because Hezbollah, the fundamentalist organization funded by Iran, has turned its obsession with destroying Israel into a war against innocent civilians. Israel has no choice but to fight back. When a nation is under fire for months on end, standing idly by is simply not an option. Yet, even as the war continues, critics emerge, arguing that Israel’s heavy investments in defense and military technologies are excessive. Some say it would be better to funnel those billions into education or welfare. But now, more than ever, it’s clear that this foresight was essential. On Tuesday, the latest developments in our alleged defense efforts became apparent. Thousands of Hezbollah operatives were wounded when their communication devices—pagers—mysteriously detonated across southern Lebanon and the suburbs of Beirut. While Hezbollah initially refrained from directly accusing anyone, they eventually placed the blame squarely on Israel. Many international news outlets suggest Israel infiltrated their communication systems and used advanced technology to trigger the explosions remotely. If these reports are correct, this is yet another demonstration of Israel’s ingenuity in the face of terror—a sophisticated, surgical response to aggression. Hezbollah may boast powerful weapons and deep pockets from Tehran, but let’s not forget: We are still that David from biblical times, who used a mere sling to outsmart the mighty Goliath. Israel might be small in size, but we are swift, innovative and adaptable. We have transformed into the Startup Nation, renowned for our technological prowess and ability to turn challenges into opportunities. To those watching from afar, do not be fooled: Israel is not the aggressor. It is fundamentalist extremism that has brought this war upon us. No country would tolerate what we have endured. There is no government on Earth that would allow missiles to rain down on its cities, drones to hover over its homes, and terrorists to plot against its citizens without responding.  Our strength lies not just in our military power but in our ingenuity—our capacity to think outside the box. Even in the times of David, Israel was known for cleverness and strategy. As it says in the book of Samuel: “David said to the Philistine, ‘You come against me with sword and spear, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty’” (1 Samuel 17:45). And just like David, we don’t miss our targets—though these days, we’ve swapped slingshots for pagers (according to foreign reports).
https://www.jpost.com/israel-hamas-war/article-820708

‘The ball is in Hezbollah’s court’
Yaakov Lappin/Israel Today/September 18, 2024
https://www.israeltoday.co.il/read/the-ball-is-in-hezbollahs-court/?mc_cid=7a31ae8dd7&mc_eid=3ece879aa9
“What’s important is where this leads. Is it another round in the ping-pong game between Israel and Hezbollah—and if so it is worthless—or a prelude to a more significant confrontation?”
The detonation of thousands of Hezbollah pagers across Lebanon and Syria on Tuesday, resulting in at least 11 deaths and 3,000 injuries, appears to represent a new form of warfare.
While no claims of responsibility have been made in connection with the attack, Hezbollah quickly blamed Israel and has threatened retaliation. The Israeli Defense Forces and Israeli intelligence services are closely monitoring the situation, weighing the potential for further escalation.
On Tuesday evening, Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, head of the IDF General Staff, conducted a situational assessment with the General Staff Forum, addressing Israel’s readiness for both offensive and defensive operations across all theaters. The military’s Home Front Command issued no change to its guidelines, but advised the public to “remain alert and vigilant,” adding that “any change in policy will be updated immediately.”
According to Brig. Gen. (res.) Yossi Kuperwasser, former head of IDF Military Intelligence’s Research and Assessment Division and a senior research fellow at the Misgav Institute for National Security and Zionist Strategy, the ball is now in Hezbollah’s court.
“Based on that, we’ll see how this moves forward,” said Kuperwasser, who is also a senior research fellow at the Jerusalem Center for Foreign Affairs.
Hezbollah’s range of options ranges from the minor all the way up to a large-scale attack on Israel, he said, adding that Israel is prepared for all scenarios.
If a full-scale war does break out, he said, Israel will now be in an improved starting position to create a new reality in southern Lebanon.
A large-scale Hezbollah attack “could give Israel justification for an operation” in Southern Lebanon, he said. He noted however that “Israel can do this without any further justification, since Hezbollah has been attacking northern Israel without stop.”
Still, he assessed, a broad Hezbollah attack in response to an incident for which Israel maintained deniability could provide clearer justification for an Israeli operation in southern Lebanon.
Rami Igra, a former senior official with Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency, told JNS: “What’s important is where this leads. Is it another round in the ping-pong game between Israel and Hezbollah—and if so it is worthless—or a prelude to a more significant confrontation?”
Igra emphasized that Hezbollah’s military-terrorist capacity remains largely intact. “Nothing significant has happened to Hezbollah’s capability vis-a-vis the 150,000 missiles and Radwan forces on the Israeli border,” he argued. Igra warned that failing to address the Hezbollah threat now could lead to greater consequences down the road. “The lesson from Oct. 7 shows that when we fail to deal with a threat today, we will pay a much higher price down the line,” he said.
Israel cannot afford to allow Hezbollah to continue unchecked, he added.
“Would a war in the north be simple? It seems not, but if we do not deal with it today, we will deal with it tomorrow, and what we do not pay today, we will pay double tomorrow,” he said. “I very much hope this was the beginning and not the end.”
According to Cmdr. (res.) Eyal Pinko, a researcher at the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies at Bar-Ilan University and a former Israeli Navy officer, Tuesday’s attack was highly sophisticated and likely took more than a year of planning.
Speaking during a video call organized by the Jerusalem Press Club, Pinko said the sophistication of the attack lies in the intelligence operation rather than the technology.
“Hezbollah is the largest drug baron in South America. Most of the drugs that are coming to the US, to Canada, to Europe are coming from Colombia and Mexico by Hezbollah,” Pinko explained, creating an infrastructure to purchase pagers. “If Hezbollah wants to buy these kinds of beepers or any other communication measures, they need some kind of straw company, they buy it for some kind of company, and from there it goes to Lebanon,” he said. “It’s a huge network, and of course, it’s using the Quds Force of Iran. It’s a whole supply chain.”
The former naval officer also emphasized that Hezbollah’s senior command structure had likely been affected by the recent events.
“Probably what is happening now in Hezbollah is that all the command structure from, let’s say, the rank of lieutenant colonel in a regular military to the generals, are severely wounded; some of them are already dead,” he said. This, he added, presents a potential opening for Israeli military action, though he expressed doubt that Israel would seek to escalate the situation. “The Israeli government, the Israeli military do not want to go into escalation. They want to decrease the fire, they want to go into ceasefire,” he stated.

Hezbollah announced that pagers it had issued to its “staff” were detonated.
Hussain Abdul-Hussain/X site/September 18/2024
Since at least 2005, Hezbollah fighters have assassinated a Lebanese prime minister (per a UN Tribunal) and two dozen Lebanese lawmakers, ministers, army and police officers, journalists and activists.
In 2008, Hezbollah fighters swept Beirut and Mount Lebanon to punish the Lebanese who demanded that the militia fold and join state agencies (in accordance with UN resolutions 1559 and 1701), terrorizing the Lebanese.
Starting in 2012, Hezbollah deployed its fighters in Syria, helping in killing half a million Syrians and displacing millions.
On October 8, Hezbollah launched its war on Israel.
Every time Hezbollah killed other Lebanese, militia accused these Lebanese of treason, made fun of them as they licked their wounds.
Then when Hezbollah thugs, who lived by the sword, died by the sword, the Lebanese were suddenly expected to show solidarity and sympathy with their compatriots?
All of a sudden the world described death of Hezbollah thugs as “violation of laws,” terrorism and escalation?
Where was I when Hezbollah, a killing machine, was ever not escalating or killing others?
I’ll stop here because if I write one more line it’ll have to be a profanity, a language that I don’t use.
**Hezbollah declared war on #Israel on 10/8.
Hezbollah announced that pagers it had issued to its “staff” were detonated.
Pagers with non-Lebanese Hezbollah were not affected. Chaos and blood scenes? What did you think Hezbollah leading #Lebanon to war will result in? Economic growth and boom in tourism. Please make sense.
·**Post below: Patriotic Iraqis celebrated pager attack that killed and maimed dozens of Islamist Iran-backed Hezbollah fighters.
Yesterday, I shared videos of Syrians celebrating the attack on Hezbollah.
Like Iraqis and Syrians, patriotic, anti Islamist Iran militia Lebanese were also happy to see Hezbollah taste its own medicine.
Then bored middle class Westerners go after Israel for the attack, as if insisting on being happy seeing the Iraqis, Syrians and Lebanese living under the thumb of the Islamist Iran empire.
***And despite its superpowers, Israel didn’t detonate a single device that belonged to any Lebanese non-combatant, went exclusively after its enemy combatants, Hezbollah fighters. Any comment about Israel respecting the Law of War,
@Byoussef

Low-Tech Pager Blues for the Hezbollah Shiite Muslim Neanderthals
Hanibaal Atheos/lebanoniznogood./September 18/2024
When you're hiding in a hole deep down a concrete bunker, your Islamic robe all tangled up around you, your turban forcing you to get a stiff neck, you can still rely on a cell phone or even a landline to connect to the outside world.
In theory, the fundamentalist Jews down south want your head. They got your predecessor decades ago; they recently got your vizir Fuad Shokr, and they can get you, but it seems they are sparing you for a mysterious reason. You, the prototype of the fundamentalist Muslim Fascist, share so much with them, the fundamentalist Jewish Fascists: You both believe that God chose you as his favorite people and that He, in his ultimate wisdom as the Great Wizzard up in the Sky, hates your enemies. With God on your side, you both believe that slaughtering other people is a fast way to achieve Go'd will on earth.
As he distorts his big trunk to fit in his rabbit hole, Hassan Nasrallah had a eureka moment a couple of months ago: My nemeses the Jews are killing my people by targeting their cell phones. Easy: Just issue a call to his demented fighters, who though desiring to die for God's sake and go to heaven do not wish to die unnecessarily, to abandon their cell phones.But how can he communicate in this American-made world of technology and gadgets without a cell phone? Hassan cogitated for a while and decided to order a large shipment of pagers, those 1980s-vintage precursors of the cell phone that allow you to receive a simple message (report to duty for example, or call a phone number from another device) but not send one.
The pagers arrive and the trick seemed to work. But the far more sophisticated fundamentalist Jews down south are always ahead of the game. Somewhere in the supply chain between Hassan placing the order and the pagers delivered, the fundamentalist Zionists jumped in and tampered with the pagers, inserting an explosive device in them or altering the batteries to explode or ... the possibilities are many.
If the pagers, for instance, are made in Taiwan, the Zionists could have convinced the Taiwanese manufacturer to play into the dirty game, or they could have intercepted the shipment somewhere along the route and made their own modifications one pager at a time. I favor the former hypothesis because it is so much easier to tamper with the equipment upstream during the manufacturing process, than to stop the shipment, open each pager one at a time, tamper with it, then put it back together, for thousands of these pagers. Now I chose Taiwan simply because Taiwan felt compelled to deny any involvement [https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-09-18/taiwan-firm-denies-it-made-pagers-used-in-lebanon-attacks]. But given Taiwan's political dependency on the US (Israel's godfather), its primacy in electronic manufacturing, and its miseries - shunned by most countries one earth to the benefit of mainland China, which makes it a rogue anomalous state like Israel - a role for Taiwan in the pager story is not that far-fetched.
The bottom line: Charles de Gaulle once said about his political enemies that "they want to fart higher than their assholes". If you know that your enemy is much more powerful and advanced than you, why look for a fight? Why wage a losing war? Why disturb the hornest nest? Hezbollah's problem stems from a generalized eastern tradition of using one's emotion before using one's brain. And that is why most eastern peoples are ultra-religious. Emotion leads to religious faith, while brain and reason lead away from religion.
Fundamentally, Hassan Nasrallah is convinced that testosterone and big balls somehow override a reasoned search for reality. He, as a Lebanese Muslim Shiite radical, still holds a grudge for a political assassination that took place 1,300 years ago. Backed by Iran, he has been destroying Lebanon since the early 1980s. Before him, it was the Muslim Sunni Lebanese (backed by Saudi Arabia, Libya, Egypt, Syria and others) who began the destruction of Lebanon since the 1960s. Both Muslim communities, though, made a deal in the 1940s with their fellow Christian compatriots of tiny and heterogeneous Lebanon to keep the country out of regional conflicts and ideological camps. It worked between the 1940s and the 1960s when the Christians had the ascendancy: Lebanon was a prosperous, open, liberal, democratic, and free country.
But alas, testosterone and big balls got in the way. Lebanon's Muslims began reneging on the deal - the National Pact - when Nasser of Egypt, Assad of Syria, Arafat of Palestine, and lately Khomeini of Iran tickled their Islamic supremacy or their fetid Arab nationalism bone. Ever since, Lebanon has been inexorably descending into the abyss for decades, receiving superficial and fake assistance from a "civilized" world that cares more for Muslim Arab and Persian oil and gas than for human rights and self-determination for small nations.
In their 50-year long despair, the Lebanese are praying for a huge war, a massive war of destruction and mayhem, an upheaval that would reduce their highlands to hillocks by the Mediterranean.... anything that would reset the clock back 50 years. They are willing to pay an exorbitant price, if in exchange they can live normal lives in a normal country. But no one is listening. Everyone is listening to the radical ultra-religious fanatics in Iran, Saudi Arabia, Israel.... because these people have power, they have money, and they have blackmail leverage over the decision-makers.
We truly live in a dog-eat-dog (not Hatitian-eat-dog!) Darwinian world. You gotta be a criminal asshole to survive. But you gotta be a smart asshole, not a demented psychopath driven by emotion. I suggest some people need to stop, take a break, improve their lives, build up their economies, preserve their environments, educate their people and give them self-respect and dignity... and only then go chase after your windmill enemies. As long as you live deep down in a bunker, crippled like an icon that is only paraded on large screens, with your people decimated by anachronistic traditions and primitive beliefs and impoversihed by a defunct economy... you will never defeat an enemy who has savantly blended primitive ultra-religious fanaticism with modernity.

What is Hezbollah in Lebanon and will it go to war with Israel?
BBC/Wed, September 18, 2024
At least twelve people were killed and almost 3,000 were injured in Lebanon on Tuesday when handheld pagers used by members of the armed group Hezbollah exploded, the country's health minister says.Hezbollah blamed Israel for the apparent co-ordinated attack, but the Israeli military declined to comment. Cross-border fighting between Israel and Hezbollah has significantly escalated over the past 11 months, sparked by the war in Gaza. The explosions came hours after Israel's security cabinet said a new aim of the Gaza war was the safe return of tens of thousands of displaced residents to the north of the country.
What is Hezbollah and where does it operate?
Hezbollah is a politically-influential Shia Muslim organisation which controls the most powerful armed force in Lebanon. It was established in the early 1980s by the region's most dominant Shia power, Iran, to oppose Israel. At the time, Israel's forces had occupied southern Lebanon during the country's civil war. Hezbollah has participated in national elections since 1992 and has become a major political presence.
Its armed wing has carried out deadly attacks on Israeli and US forces in Lebanon. When Israeli troops withdrew from Lebanon in 2000, Hezbollah took credit for pushing them out.
Since then, Hezbollah has maintained thousands of fighters and a huge missile arsenal in southern Lebanon. It continues to oppose Israel's presence in disputed border areas.
The group is designated a terrorist organisation by Western states, Israel, Gulf Arab countries and the Arab League.
In 2006, a full-blown war broke out between Hezbollah and Israel, triggered by a deadly cross-border raid by Hezbollah.
Israeli troops invaded southern Lebanon to try to eliminate the threat from Hezbollah. However, it survived and has since increased its number of fighters and obtained new and better weapons.
Damage, destruction and fear along the Israel-Lebanon border
Who is Hezbollah's leader, Hassan Nasrallah?
Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah is a Shia cleric who has led Hezbollah since 1992.
He played a key role in turning it into a political, as a well as a military, force.
He has close links with Iran and its Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Nasrallah has not appeared in public for years, reportedly for fear of being assassinated by Israel. However, he remains revered by Hezbollah, and delivers televised speeches every week.
How powerful are Hezbollah's forces?
Hezbollah is one of the most heavily-armed, non-state military forces in the world. It is funded and equipped by Iran.
Hassan Nasrallah has claimed that the organisation has 100,000 fighters, although independent estimates put the number between 20,000 and 50,000.
Many are well-trained and battle-hardened, and have fought in the Syrian civil war.
Chadia Kaddouh, stands amid rubble of her house that was destroyed by what she said was Israeli shelling, amidst tension between Israel and Hezbollah, in the southern town of Yater, Lebanon November 1, 2023. Lebanese civilians say their homes have been hit by Israel as it responds to Hezbollah rockets [Reuters] Hezbollah has an estimated 120,000-200,000 rockets and missiles, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank. Most of its arsenal is made up of small, unguided, surface-to-surface artillery rockets. But it also thought to have anti-aircraft and anti-ship missiles, as well as guided missiles capable of striking deep inside Israel. It has much more sophisticated weapons at its disposal than Hamas does in Gaza. What is happening in Israel and Gaza, and what is Hamas?
The Israel-Palestinian conflict
Could Hezbollah go to war with Israel?
The previously sporadic fighting escalated on 8 October 2023 - the day after the unprecedented attack on Israel by Hamas gunmen from Gaza - when Hezbollah fired at Israeli positions, in solidarity with the Palestinians. Since then, the group has launched more than 8,000 rockets at northern Israel and Israeli positions on the Golan Heights, fired anti-tank missiles at armoured vehicles, and attacked military targets with explosive drones. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have retaliated, using air strikes and tank and artillery fire against Hezbollah positions in Lebanon. Lebanon's health ministry says at least 589 people have been killed since October 2023. Most of them were Hezbollah fighters, but at least 137 were civilians, according to the ministry. In Israel, authorities say at least 25 civilians and 21 soldiers have been killed as a direct result of attacks. Almost 200,000 people have also been displaced on both sides of the border. Despite the fighting, observers say that up till now both sides have aimed to contain hostilities without crossing the line into full-scale war. But there are fears that the situation could spiral out of control. Those fears soared after the killing of 12 children in a rocket attack in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights on 27 July. Israel said Hezbollah carried out the attack, but the group denied involvement. On 30 July, the IDF announced that it had killed senior Hezbollah military commander Fuad Shukr in an air strike in Beirut's southern suburbs. The following day, Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed in Iran's capital, Tehran. Israel neither confirmed nor denied any involvement. Ever since, the region has been waiting for a response from Hezbollah and Iran, both of whom vowed to retaliate against Israel. The US is hoping to de-escalate tensions by brokering a ceasefire and hostage release deal in Gaza, and is putting pressure on Israel and Hamas. Hezbollah has said it will only stop the hostilities once the fighting in Gaza ends.

Hezbollah’s credibility depends on revenge against Israel. But its weakness has been exposed
Analysis by Ben Wedeman, CNN/September 18, 2024
For years Hezbollah was seen as the world’s premier non-state actor: the well-equipped, well-trained, well-led, highly disciplined and secretive jewel in the crown of Iran’s allies across the Middle East. In May 2000, the group managed to drive Israel out of southern Lebanon after a grueling guerilla conflict. Six years later, it fought Israel to a standstill in a 34-day war. Since then, the Iranian-backed group has built up its arsenal of missiles and drones. In Syria, its troops fought alongside Iran and Russia against the opposition to the Assad regime. For the past 11 months, Hezbollah has exchanged fire with Israel along the border almost daily, forcing more than 62,000 Israelis to flee their homes in the north of the Jewish state (while more than 100,000 Lebanese have fled the border area). But this summer, the façade of strength began to slip. On the evening of July 30, an Israeli drone fired two missiles into a residential building in southern Beirut, killing senior Hezbollah commander Fu’ad Shukr. And on Tuesday, at approximately 3:30 p.m. Beirut time, hundreds, perhaps thousands, of pagers exploded across areas where Hezbollah has a strong presence, wounding almost 3,000 people and killing at least 12.
On Wednesday afternoon, a fresh wave of explosions rocked Beirut’s southern suburbs and towns in the south of the country, killing at least nine people, according to the Lebanese health ministry. Many of the devices that detonated were walkie-talkies, images showed. While Hezbollah has yet to release precise numbers, it’s clear many of its rank and file were injured in the explosions. Taken together, the missile attack and the exploding devices represent a dramatic infiltration by Israel of Hezbollah’s critical command and control networks. Never has the group been so vulnerable, never has it been so compromised. Hezbollah has vowed to take revenge on Israel. Its credibility depends on it. But realistically, what can it do?
Not much, its recent track record suggests.
To avenge Shukr’s killing, on August 25 Hezbollah launched more than 300 drones and missiles at targets in Israel, including, the group’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, claimed, the headquarters of the Mossad intelligence agency and Unit 8200, Israel’s signals intelligence unit. Israel denied any important targets were struck and no evidence has been made public to contradict that denial. Most of the people who carried the devices that exploded were probably field officers, the local linchpins for cells of fighters who make up the backbone of Hezbollah’s forces. And now perhaps two thousand, or more, have been temporarily knocked out of commission, or worse. The communications network of which the pagers and walkie-talkies were a key part is almost certainly offline. Hezbollah’s intelligence officers must be desperately trying to figure out how all this happened. Even if a decision is taken to retaliate against Israel, how will the order be passed down the line, and who will – or even can – carry it out?
Already the border conflict has come at a high cost to Hezbollah, which concedes it has lost more than 400 fighters since October last year, compared with around 250 killed in the far more intense 34-day war with Israel in 2006. Hezbollah continues to put on a brave face, vowing to carry on striking Israeli targets as long the war in Gaza goes on. “Morale is high, and the injured will return to the front,” a man who described himself as a “Hezbollah supporter” told CNN as he waited for news of a wounded friend being treated in hospital. Hezbollah is in a corner. Israel is no longer willing to tolerate the slow-burn war on its northern border and is resorting to ever more extreme and potentially escalatory measures. There is little Hezbollah can do to stop Israel, or to retaliate.

The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on September 18-19/2024
UN votes 124-14 to strip Israel of right to self-defense in Gaza, West Bank
Jerusalem Post/September 18/2024
The resolution also calls on member states not to sell arms or military equipment to Israel that would be used in Gaza, the West Bank, and east Jerusalem.
The United Nations General Assembly voted 124-14 on Wednesday to strip Israel of the right to self-defense in the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem.
The test of the resolution was based on the International Court of Justice’s advisory opinion in July that Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory was illegal.
Prior to the vote, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he supported the ICJ option and would abide by the vote, which calls on the IDF to withdraw to the pre-1967 lines within 12 months. Calls to ban selling military equipment to Israel. The resolution also calls on member states not to sell arms or military equipment to Israel that would be used in Gaza, the West Bank, and east Jerusalem. The text does not mention Hamas, the October 7 invasion of Israel, or the remaining 101 hostages in Gaza. It makes no requirements on Hamas or the Palestinians with regard to attacks on Israel. Those who voted against the resolution were: Argentina, the Czech Republic, Fiji, Hungary, Israel, Malawi, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, Papa New Guinea, Paraguay, Tonga, Tuvalu and the United States Among the 43 countries that abstained were Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom. Some 12 of the 27 European Union countries abstained, including Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Lithuania, Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Sweden. New Zealand supported the resolution as did 13 EU nations such as Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Ireland, Latvia, Luxembourg, Malta, Portugal, Slovenia and Spain. Canadian Ambassador to the UN in New York Bob Rae blasted the resolution, despite his country’s abstention even though he said his government respected the role of the ICJ and agreed with a number of tenets of the document, including an Israeli withdrawal to the pre-1967 lines. “Canada cannot support a resolution where one party, the state of Israel, is held solely responsible for the conflict,” Rae said. “There is no mention in the resolution of the need to end terrorism, for which Israel has serious and legitimate security concerns,” he stated. “Canada is concerned that this resolution contains language that aligns with [the] Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions [movement], which Canada firmly opposes. This effort seeks to uniquely isolate Israel,” he stated. Israel’s Foreign Ministry charged that the resolution was “disconnected from reality, encourages terrorism and harms the chances for peace” by ignoring Israel’s real security concerns, particularly in the aftermath of the Hamas October 7 attack. This resolution “is what being disconnected looks like; this is what cynical international politics looks like,” the Foreign Ministry said. It strengthens “Hamas terrorist organization and the Iranian terrorist state that stands behind it. The resolution sends a message that terrorism pays off and yields international resolutions. The decision only encourages Hamas' rejectionism with regards to the deal for the release of the hostages and a ceasefire and further distances the possibility of reaching such a deal,” the Israeli Foreign Ministry said.

Jordan’s king receives delegation from Joint Arab Islamic Extraordinary Summit on Gaza
Arab News/September 18, 2024
AMMAN: King Abdullah II received a delegation from the ministerial committee assigned by the Joint Arab-Islamic Extraordinary Summit on developments in the Gaza Strip at Al-Husseiniya Palace on Wednesday. Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan headed the delegation, which discussed regional developments with King Abdullah during the meeting — also attended by Crown Prince Al-Hussein bin Abdullah, the Jordan News Agency reported. Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi and other officials attended the meeting, during which King Abdullah stressed the importance of stepping up efforts to reach an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza, and increasing humanitarian aid to Gaza. The Jordanian royal warned of the impact of the war on Gaza and the dangers to regional stability and security of Israeli attacks and violations in the West Bank. King Abdullah also stressed the important role of the committee in communicating the stance of Arab and Muslim countries to the international community, as well as pushing for international action to stop the Gaza war and create a political environment to achieve a comprehensive peace on the basis of a two-state solution.

Iran condemns attacks in Lebanon involving exploding communications devices
Reuters/September 18, 2024
DUBAI: Iran condemned attacks in Lebanon on Tuesday and Wednesday that involved exploding communications devices, government spokesperson Fatemeh MoHajjerani said in a post on the X social media platform on Wednesday, offering help to the wounded. Hand-held radios used by Hezbollah detonated on Wednesday across Lebanon killing at least three people and more than 100 injured, further stoking tensions with Israel a day after similar explosions launched via the group’s pagers which caused 12 fatalities. “The terrorism of the Zionist regime causes aversion and disgust. Iran strongly condemns yesterday’s criminal explosion of communication devices and today’s criminal explosion of walkie-talkies, which resulted in the death and injury of hundreds of Lebanese civilians,” MoHajjerani said. Earlier in the day, according to state media, Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian had said: “The incident in Lebanon shows once again that Western countries and the United States, despite claiming to seek a ceasefire, fully support the crimes, massacres and blind terrorism of the Zionist regime in practice.”Tehran’s ambassador to Lebanon, Mojtaba Amani, was injured in the explosion of his pager on Tuesday, and shared on Wednesday a message of solidarity to Lebanon on his X account. Iran’s Minister of Health Mohammadreza Zafarqandi said a team of Iranian ophthalmologists and nurses were dispatched to Lebanon on Wednesday and that several injured Lebanese would be transferred to various hospitals in Tehran.

US, European diplomats to discuss Mideast tensions on Thursday in Paris: sources
Arab News/September 18, 2024
PARIS: Senior diplomats from the United States, Britain, Germany, France and Italy will meet on Thursday in Paris to discuss the spiralling tensions in the Middle East, sources said on Wednesday. The meeting will take place as fears grow of an all-out war engulfing the region, with conflict raging in Gaza and after two days of exploding pagers and other devices in Lebanon, an unprecedented attack the country’s Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group has blamed on Israel. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will join his counterparts from Washington’s allies in the French capital after discussing the possibility of a Gaza war truce in Cairo. During his visit, aimed at salvaging stalled negotiations mediated by Egypt, Qatar and the United States to end the conflict, he said a ceasefire in Gaza would be the best way to stop violence from spreading across the Middle East. Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, who said he will attend, added that the group would also discuss the war in Ukraine.

Germany has stopped approving war weapons exports to Israel, source says
Reuters/September 18, 2024
BERLIN: Germany has put a hold on new exports of weapons of war to Israel while it deals with legal challenges, according to a Reuters analysis of data and a source close to the Economy Ministry.Last year, Germany approved arms exports to Israel worth 326.5 million euros ($363.5 million), including military equipment and war weapons, a 10-fold increase from 2022, according to data from the Economy Ministry, which approves export licenses. However, approvals have dropped this year, with only 14.5 million euros’ worth granted from January to Aug. 21, according to data provided by the Economy Ministry in response to a parliamentary question. Of this, the “weapons of war” category accounted for only 32,449 euros. A source close to the ministry cited a senior government official as saying it had stopped work on approving export licenses for arms to Israel pending a resolution of legal cases arguing that such exports from Germany breached humanitarian law.The ministry did not respond to requests for comment. In its defense of two cases, one before the International Court of Justice and one in Berlin brought by the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR), the government has said no weapons of war have been exported under any license issued since the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks on Israel, apart from spares for long-term contracts, the source added. Israel’s assault on Gaza has killed more than 41,000 Palestinians since Oct. 7, according to the local Hamas-controlled health ministry. It has also displaced most of the population of 2.3 million, caused a hunger crisis and led to genocide allegations at the World Court, which Israel denies. No case challenging German arms exports to Israel has yet succeeded, including a case brought by Nicaragua at the ICJ.
DISAGREEMENT ON ARMS EXPORTS IN GERMAN GOVERNMENT
But the issue has created friction within the government as the Chancellery maintains its support for Israel while the Greens-led Economy and Foreign ministries, sensitive to criticism from party members, have increasingly criticized the Netanyahu administration. Legal challenges across Europe have also led other allies of Israel to pause or suspend arms exports. Britain this month suspended 30 out of 350 licenses for arms exports to Israel due to concerns that Israel could be violating international humanitarian law. In February, a Dutch court ordered the Netherlands to halt all exports of F-35 fighter jet parts to Israel over concerns about their use in attacks on civilian targets in Gaza. President Joe Biden’s administration this year paused — but then resumed — shipments of some bombs to Israel after US concerns about their use in densely populated Gaza. Approvals and shipments of other types of weapons, in more precise systems, continued as US officials maintained that Israel needed the capacity to defend itself. Alexander Schwarz, a lawyer at ECCHR, which has filed five lawsuits against Berlin, suggested that the significant decline in approvals for 2024 indicated a genuine, though possibly temporary, reluctance to supply weapons to Israel. “However, I would not interpret this as a conscious change in policy,” Schwarz added.

Netanyahu accuses UK of sending ‘mixed messages’ over support for Israel
Richard Wheeler, PA/September 18, 2024
Benjamin Netanyahu has accused the UK Government of sending “mixed messages” over its support for Israel and “undermining” the country’s right to self-defence. Israel’s prime minister criticised the new Labour administration for suspending around 30 arms exports to Israel amid concerns they could be used in violations of international humanitarian law in the Gaza conflict. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has also dropped the previous Conservative government’s plan to challenge the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) application for an arrest warrant against Mr Netanyahu.
Both decisions have caused diplomatic tensions with Israel, which launched a counter-attack in Gaza after Hamas-led militants broke into Israel and killed around 1,200 people and abducted around 250 others. More than 41,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza in the counter-attack, according to the territory’s Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between combatants and civilians in its count. Tensions in the Middle East have been heightened in recent days by detonations of electronic devices in Lebanon, including those used by Hezbollah. The militant group has blamed Israel for what appeared to be a remote attack. Mr Netanyahu, speaking to the Daily Mail, said: “After the October 7 Hamas massacre, the previous British government was clear in its support.
“Unfortunately, the current Government is sending mixed messages.
“They say that Israel has the right to defend itself, but they undermine our ability to exercise that right both by reversing Britain’s position on the absurd allegations made by the ICC prosecutor against Israel and by blocking weapons sales to Israel as we fight against the genocidal terrorist organisation that carried out the October 7 massacre.”Mr Netanyahu said Israel is waging a “just war with just means” and claimed it is taking “unprecedented measures to keep civilians out of harm’s way and comporting fully with international law”. He also told the newspaper: “Most recently, the new UK government suspended 30 arms licences to Israel, days after Hamas executed six Israeli hostages, sending a horrible message to Hamas. “These misguided decisions will not change Israel’s determination to defeat Hamas, a genocidal terrorist organisation that savagely murdered 1,200 people on October 7, including 14 British citizens, and took 255 people, including five British hostages. “Just as Britain’s heroic stand against the Nazis is seen today as having been vital in defeating barbarism, so too will history judge Israel’s stand against Hamas and Iran’s axis of terror. Israel will win this war and secure our common future.”
Mr Netanyahu also said the UK is “witnessing shameless antisemitism on its campuses, at its city centres and in many parts of the country”, adding: “It is worrisome. I trust and expect that the UK leadership will take the necessary steps to root out this scourge.”
A Foreign Office spokesperson said: “We have been absolutely clear that when taking military action to support its legitimate right to self-defence, Israel must adhere to international humanitarian law. “The UK has raised concerns about these issues over many months, and so have other allies. Regrettably, these concerns have not been satisfactorily addressed. “Our priority remains achieving a ceasefire in Gaza, the hostages released, civilians protected and aid flood in. “There is no place in Britain for antisemitism, and we will not relent in our work to root out hatred in all forms.
“This Government is committed to multi-year funding for the Community Security Trust, and working with the Jewish community and police to ensure that everyone feels safe on our streets.”

Saudi Arabia and Italy share vision for future
Lama Alhamawi/Arab News/September 18, 2024
RIYADH: Italy and Saudi Arabia share similar visions for the future, according to the president of the Lombardy region. Attilio Fontana and his delegation expressed confidence in the potential for stronger cooperation during their visit to Saudi Arabia on Tuesday. They aimed to explore new opportunities with Saudi officials and engage with Italian companies at the Interior Design and Furniture Exhibition in Riyadh on Tuesday. “I believe that between Italy and Saudi Arabia, it’s possible to work very heavily together. And I think that we can engage,” Fontana told Arab News. “The important thing … in Italy and in Saudi Arabia, is a view of the future, a vision of the future that is very similar. So, on this object, we can work together.” Highlighting the significance of Italian participation at the exhibition in Riyadh, Fontana said: “You know, I believe that it’s very important for our entrepreneurs to know this merchant (Saudi Arabia) and to have the possibility to come here and to export because your country is very similar to our region.”Ambassador of Italy to Saudi Arabia Carlo Baldocci also attended the exhibition. “Italy is the second (largest) number of exposures in the firm, which means that there is a huge potentiality for stronger collaboration,” he said. “It looks very interesting and very promising; a lot of new companies are coming from Italy.” “A big group of companies was also present last year in the past editions and the fact that Italians are increasing their numbers means it is very significant to us,” the ambassador said. Baldocci underlined the importance of Fontana’s visit to Riyadh for Saudi-Italian cooperation: “It is very important; Lombardia is a model, a significant model also for Italy and Europe. “We can establish strong collaboration in many fields, bilateral on both sides, so there would be advantages for the Italian side and Saudi side; it’s a win-win situation.”Asked about sectors for growing partnerships between Saudi Arabia and Italy, he said: “I see many areas of technology, from high technology to fashion, design, automotive.
“On the cultural field, there is a highway of collaboration between Lombardia in Italy and Saudi Arabia, and in many other sectors too,” he said. The president of Lombardia and the ambassador of Italy toured the exhibition areas and met Italian company representatives during the exhibition. Among the more than 78 Italian companies present at the exhibition were Chairs and More, AMG, ArcaHorn, MIDJ, Vigano, Zanetto, and many others. Discussing the many Italian companies showcased at the exhibition, Romano Baruzzi, director of the Riyadh office of the Italian Trade Agency, said: “All of the sectors are represented.”Baruzzi said that while many Italian companies were already active in the Saudi market and had established local partnerships, several were still seeking to explore new avenues for growth in their collaborations. “It’s a good opportunity if you consider that this is the fourth edition in terms of growth and the presence of companies; it’s a very big number,” he said. Baruzzi said that some of the feedback he had received from Italian companies indicated that they were aware of the continuing expansion of Riyadh. “I think we can offer very good opportunities for the Italian companies here,” he said.
Fontana, along with his delegation, will hold multiple sideline meetings with Saudi officials in culture, fashion, technology and innovation during the visit to the Kingdom. The INDEX exhibition, focusing on interior design, takes place from Sept. 17-19 at the Riyadh Front Exhibition Center, welcoming local and international participants to showcase the latest innovations in design.

Egypt won’t accept security changes on Gaza border, foreign minister says
Reuters/September 18, 2024
CAIRO: Egypt will not accept any changes to the security arrangements that were in place on its border with Gaza before war broke out between Israel and Hamas last October, the Egyptian foreign minister said on Wednesday. Security on the border, and whether Israel will maintain a troop presence along a 14-km (9-mile) buffer zone known as the Philadelphi Corridor, have become a focal point of months-long talks aimed at securing a ceasefire and the release of hostages in Gaza. Israeli troops entered the buffer zone in May as they pursued an offensive around Rafah. Egypt, which is a mediator in ceasefire talks, says Israel must withdraw and that a Palestinian presence needs to be restored at the Rafah crossing between Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula and Gaza. “Egypt reiterates its position, it rejects any military presence along the opposite side of the border crossing and the aforementioned (Philadelphi) corridor,” Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty told reporters during a press conference in Cairo with US counterpart Antony Blinken. Abdelatty also said that any escalation, including blasts that wounded Hezbollah operatives in Lebanon on Tuesday, would create hurdles for the completion of a Gaza ceasefire deal.

US military acknowledges Yemen's Houthi rebels shot down 2 MQ-9 Reaper drones
Jon Gambrell/DUBAI, United Arab Emirates/AP/September 18, 2024
Yemen's Houthi rebels shot down two American MQ-9 Reaper drones in under a week, the United States military acknowledged Wednesday, further highlighting the regional spread of the Israel-Hamas war.
As the one-year anniversary of the war approaches, Houthis continue a campaign to target ships traveling through the Red Sea as U.S.-led airstrikes pound their positions in Yemen. That's imperiled a waterway that typically sees $1 trillion of trade pass through it, as well as crucial shipments of aid to war-torn Sudan and Yemen. The U.S. military said Houthis shot down the first Reaper on Sept. 10, and the second on Monday. Online video showed the downing and the flaming wreckage on the ground afterward in Yemen's Dhamar province. General Atomics Reapers, which cost around $30 million apiece, can fly at altitudes up to 50,000 feet (15,240 meters) and have an endurance of up to 24 hours before needing to land. The aircraft have been flown by both the U.S. military and the CIA over Yemen for years. U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, the Pentagon's press secretary, said authorities continue to investigate Monday's downing, but declined to elaborate. He added that a claim by the Houthis that they shot down 10 Reapers since the start of their campaign in November over the Israel-Hamas war was “not accurate.”“For operation security reasons, I’m not going to be able to provide a specific number,” Ryder said Tuesday. Since Houthis seized the country’s north and its capital of Sanaa in 2014, the U.S. military has seen Reapers shot down in Yemen in 2017, 2019, 2023 and 2024. Houthis have targeted more than 80 merchant vessels with missiles and drones since the war in Gaza started in October. They seized one vessel and sank two in the campaign that has also killed four sailors. Other missiles and drones have either been intercepted by a U.S.-led coalition in the Red Sea or failed to reach their targets, which have included Western military vessels as well. The rebels maintain that they target ships linked to Israel, the U.S. or the United Kingdom to force an end to Israel’s campaign against Hamas in Gaza. However, many of the ships attacked have little or no connection to the conflict, including some bound for Iran. Those attacks include a barrage that struck the Greek-flagged oil tanker Sounion in the Red Sea. Salvagers have towed away the burning oil tanker, hoping to avoid a catastrophic leak of its 1 million barrels of oil on board.
Jon Gambrell, The Associated Press

Ex-defense minister, IDF chief Moshe Ya'alon named as target of Hezbollah assassination attempt
Jerusalem Post/September 18/2024
The Shin Bet said in a statement on Tuesday that it had seized an explosive device attached to a remote detonation system.
Former Israeli defense minister and IDF chief of staff Moshe Ya'alon was the target of a Hezbollah assassination plot foiled by the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) last year, the Israel Police reported the following day. The nine suspects who had been arrested in connection with the incident have been indicted, Israeli media reported. Ya'alon had been informed by security forces and briefed according to the developments. Shortly after the report, Ya'alon responded, saying, "It's not the first time that someone has tried to assassinate me. I always view myself as the predator, not the prey. That is why I'm still alive."The group of suspects was reportedly comprised of eight Israeli Arabs as well as one resident of east Jerusalem. In a following incident that occurred on Tuesday at Park Hayarkon, the same place as the earlier bombing attempt, the Shin Bet stated that it had seized an explosive device attached to a remote detonation system, using a mobile phone and a camera, that Hezbollah had planned to operate in the coming days from Lebanon. According to the Shin Bet, the infrastructure behind the latest plot is the same one responsible for last year's attempt on Ya'alon's life in Tel Aviv. The device that was discovered bears similarities to the bomb used in last year’s attempt, which was intended to target a senior Israeli official. Explosive equipped with remote activation mechanism. The explosive was equipped with a remote activation mechanism based on a camera and cellular system, meant to be triggered from Lebanon by Hezbollah operatives. The Israeli security establishment believed that Hezbollah was also behind the attack in September 2023. “It should be emphasized that this infrastructure has been under surveillance for some time,” the Shin Bet said. This is the third Hezbollah explosive device discovered in Israeli territory in the last two years. In March 2023, an explosive detonated at the Megiddo Junction, severely injuring 21-year-old Shareef ad-Din from Salem. Details later emerged about how the terrorist managed to infiltrate Israel: he used a ladder to bypass the fence and then traveled dozens of kilometers into Israel without being detected.

Saudi Arabia will not recognise Israel without Palestinian state, says Crown Prince
Reuters/Wed, September 18, 2024
DUBAI (Reuters) -Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Wednesday said the kingdom would not recognise Israel without a Palestinian state and strongly condemned the "crimes of the Israeli occupation" against the Palestinian people. "The kingdom will not stop its tireless work towards the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, and we affirm that the kingdom will not establish diplomatic relations with Israel without that," the crown prince, known as MbS, said. After the eruption of war last October between Israel and the militant Palestinian group Hamas that rules Gaza, Saudi Arabia put on ice U.S.-backed plans for the kingdom to normalise ties with Israel, two sources familiar with Riyadh's thinking said earlier this year, in a swift reordering of its diplomatic priorities. MbS, Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler, had said just weeks before the fighting broke out that Riyadh was getting closer to a deal. The two sources told Reuters there would be some delay in the U.S.-backed talks on normalisation of Saudi-Israel ties, which is seen as a key step for the kingdom to secure what it considers the real prize of a U.S. defence pact in exchange. MbS made the remarks at an annual speech to the advisory Shura Council, which he gave on behalf of his father, King Salman. The council swore an oath of office before MbS on Wednesday before he addressed it.

Canada further tightens rules on temporary workers, students
Anna Mehler Paperny/TORONTO (Reuters)/September 18, 2024
Canada is further reducing the number of study permits it will grant to foreign students and tightening eligibility for work permits in a bid to cut down on the number of temporary residents in the country, the government said on Wednesday.
The announcement comes as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's Liberal government, trailing in the public opinion polls and coming off a major by-election loss this week, seeks to reduce the number of temporary residents - including international students and foreign workers - in the country. The issue has become one of the most contentious in Canadian politics with a federal election due no later than October, 2025. The changes announced on Wednesday would reduce the number of international study permits issued to 437,000 in 2025. Canada approved 509,390 in 2023, according to immigration department data, and 175,920 in the first seven months of 2024. The changes would also limit work permit eligibility for spouses of some students and temporary foreign workers. As Canada sees a spike in the number of refugee claimants, the government said Wednesday it planned to review measures to strengthen visa integrity and was "reviewing visa decision-making so that our highly trained officers have the right tools to detect fraud and reduce the number of non-genuine visitors." “The reality is that not everyone who wants to come to Canada will be able to—just like not everyone who wants to stay in Canada will be able to," Immigration Minister Marc Miller said in a statement. The government has already pledged to reduce the number of temporary residents to 5% of the total population. It was 6.8% in April. Canada's temporary foreign worker program has come under fire for being, in the words of a damning United Nations report, "a breeding ground for contemporary forms of slavery" - language Miller called "inflammatory." “The Ministers made no mention not even once about workers’ rights, instead continuing to obsess about numbers and cuts," Syed Hussan, executive director of the Migrant Workers Alliance for Change, said in a statement. "Reducing the numbers of migrants will not stop their exploitation; giving them equal rights and the power to exercise those rights will - and that is only possible through permanent resident status for all.” Economist and Atkinson Fellow on the Future of Workers Armine Yalnizyan said she was disappointed Wednesday's announcement did not include a plan to transition migrants from temporary status to permanent. "These are not temporary jobs. Why aren't we facilitating permanence for these people?" she asked. "We are not going to grow economically without more newcomers. So we've got to be very clear on what the future path is."Migrants have been blamed for societal problems including a lack of affordable housing and ramped-up cost of living, even as post-pandemic inflation slowed to the Bank of Canada's target of 2% annually in August.
Immigrant advocates and some economists argue the link between migrants and economic malaise is an oversimplification, and that vulnerable newcomers cannot be held responsible for complex economic problems. Polls have shown a growing slice of the public thinks Canada is bringing in too many immigrants, and anti-migrant rhetoric and attacks have risen in Canada, once renowned for its welcoming stance toward newcomers. Nonetheless, after years of increasing Canada's ranks of temporary residents, its federal government is seeking to pull back. In January, the government placed a two-year cap on international students, whose approvals are projected to decrease by almost half this year. Earlier this month, the government walked back 2022 expansions to the temporary foreign worker program. In some sectors, it reduced the maximum share of any employer's workforce that can be made up of low-wage, temporary foreign workers. It also ended, in some sectors, low-wage temporary foreign workers in communities with high unemployment rates.

Donald Trump says he will 'probably' meet Zelenskiy next week
Reuters/Wed, September 18, 2024
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said on Wednesday he would "probably" meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who will be in the U.S. next week to address a meeting of the United Nations Security Council on Russia's war in his country. "Probably, yes," Trump said in response to a question from a reporter about whether he will meet the Ukrainian leader. Trump did not provide further details. In recent months, some other world leaders who have visited the U.S. for summits and meetings with President Joe Biden have ended up meeting with Trump as well. Trump faces Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris in the Nov. 5 U.S. election. Zelenskiy said in August he wanted to present a peace plan to Biden, Harris and Trump. While Trump and Zelenskiy talked over the phone in July, they have not talked in person since Trump's 2017-2021 term. Trump has consistently described U.S. aid to its eastern European ally as a waste of money and has declined to say he wants Ukraine to win. Trump is due to appear at an event alongside Polish President Andrzej Duda in the battleground state of Pennsylvania over the weekend.)

The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources on September 18-19/2024
Khomeini, the Supreme Agent/Khomeini’s real father was the British William Richard Williamson – who was well-connected in the Gulf.
Elie Aoun/September 18/2024
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2024/09/134585/
Imam Musa Sadr refused to accept Khomeini as an Ayatollah and became an obstacle to Khomeini’s political plans. The Imam’s disappearance in Libya was part of “eradicating evidence” against Khomeini who was not Iranian and not a true “Ayatollah”. Khomeini had no Persian blood in him, and he had no right to impose his policies on the Iranian people. His mother was Kashmiri Indian. The story that his father was also of Indian descent is not true.
In 1964, when Khomeini was awaiting death on charges of treason, the British Ambassador to Iran intervened to find a “legal reason” not to hang Khomeini. Why would the British ambassador intervene if Khomeini’s parents were both Indian? The British ambassador intervened because Khomeini’s real father was William Richard Williamson – who is British and was well-connected in the Gulf.
The British ambassador intervened with Gen. Hassan Pakravan (Head of SAVAK, the Iranian national intelligence and security organization). They both urged Ayatollah Shariatmadari to grant Khomeini the title of “Ayatollah.”Shariatmadari recognized Khomeini as an Ayatollah to prevent his execution for treason and to save his life because it was constitutionally forbidden to execute an Ayatollah.
Upon his return to Iran after the Shah had left, Khomeini executed those who were a living proof of his origin and of his false Ayatollah status. Gen. Hassan Pakravan, Director of Iranian intelligence SAVAK, was among the first to be executed by Khomeini in 1979. Pakravan had the entire file on Khomeini and played a role (even with the Shah) to avoid Khomeini’s execution in 1964.
Iranian Senator Moussavi (who represented Khuzestan Province in Southern Iran, at the time of the monarchy) knew Khomeini’s father and his four sons well and used his influence to obtain their Iranian identity cards with fictitious dates and places of birth. Sen. Moussavi was killed, on Khomeini’s personal orders, immediately on Khomeini’s return from France after the 1979 coup. Khomeini immediately tried to assassinate the highly-respected Ayatollah Shariatmadari (who was higher in religious hierarchy than Khomeini). The assassination attempt failed, and Shariatmadari was placed under house arrest.
Ayatollah Shariatmadari favored the traditional Shiite practice of keeping clerics away from governmental positions. He considered that the clergy ought to serve society and remain aloof from politics. Shariatmadari strongly believed that no system of government can be coerced upon a people, no matter how morally correct it may be. Instead, people need to be able to freely elect a government. He believed a democratic government, where the people administer their own affairs, is perfectly compatible with the correct interpretation of religious teachings.
He also criticized Khomeini’s system of government as not being compatible with Islam or representing the will of the Iranian people. He severely criticized the way in which a referendum was conducted to establish Khomeini’s system of government. It is evident that the British Ambassador, the head of Savak, and the most senior Ayotallah in the country would not have all intervened just to save a common Indian.
Imam Musa Sadr, well-known and listened to, was eliminated apparently for fear that he might expose the truth about Khomeini. Just recently, exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi stated that Britain can play a role in bringing about the end of the Iranian regime. That is an honest statement since Great Britain (in coordination with the USA) had been behind changing regimes in Iran since the 1950s.
The Khomeini/Khamenei regime would not remain in power if Britain makes the decision to topple it. Why did the American and British intelligence networks allow Khomeini to rule Iran? Primarily, to undermine regional progress (through wars, etc.) and to promote drug trafficking. Khomeini was groomed for years by British intelligence, especially during his time in Paris, before he suddenly appeared as the savior of Iran. The USA and Britain opposed the Shah’s nationalist policies and his crackdown on the opium trade (being conducted out of Iran by the British).
Khomeini had a liberal attitude toward opium. Under his rule, the opium production skyrocketed and the number of addicts drastically increased. While in Paris, Khomeini personally wrote to US officials. The BBC reported that the Carter administration paved the way for Khomeini’s return by holding the Iranian army back from launching a military coup. Journalist Steve Coll, author of “The Achilles Trap,” acquired several documents from the Pentagon, consisting of recordings made by Saddam Hussein. In an interview with CNN, the journalist stated that Saddam Hussein told his military officers that “Khomeini is an American project.”
Many years before Steve Coll’s declaration, other journalists published intelligence information exposing Khomeini’s contacts with the United States (before Iran’s revolution) and where Khomeini expressed “that he was not opposed to American interests in Iran.”
* Link to article: “Khomeini was an agent for the West”
http://www.discoveringislam.org/Khomeini_british_agent.htm
* Grand Ayatollah Shariatmadari
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohammad_Kazem_Shariatmadari
* Crown Prince Pahlavi: “Democratic secular Iran possible with UK intervention”
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2024/07/131981/
* Journalist Steve Coll’s interview on CNN:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6OIMA9Bob4A
* US had extensive contact with Ayatollah Khomeini before Iran revolution
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jun/10/ayatollah-khomeini-jimmy-carter-administration-iran-revolution
* Link to article: “Did Khomeini Kidnap Moussa Al-Sadr?”
https://en.majalla.com/2018/02/article55255520/did-khomeini-kidnap-moussa-al-sadr

The Tradition of Jew-Hate
Nils A. Haug/Gatestone Institute/September 18, 2024
If the demonstrators really cared about Palestinians, as the Muslim Arab journalist Bassam Tawil points out, "they would be speaking out against the repressive measures and human rights violations perpetrated by Hamas in the Gaza Strip.... instead of improving the living conditions of their people, Hamas and PIJ leaders are imposing new taxes and leading comfortable lives in Qatar, Lebanon and other countries. Instead of bringing democracy and freedom of speech to their people, the terror groups are arresting and intimidating journalists, human rights activists and political opponents."
"Racial hatred and hysteria seemed to have taken complete hold of otherwise decent people," said an eyewitness. "I saw fashionably dressed women clapping their hands and screaming with glee, while respectable middle-class mothers held up their babies to see the 'fun.'" — Eyewitness to the November 9, 1938 Kristallnacht.
Jihadist media efforts, and especially massive donations to universities from Qatar and other oil-rich Islamic countries, have been so successful that many academics and students in Western tertiary educational institutions have been captivated by the narrow ideology of Jew-hate.
"The Palestinian people does not exist. The creation of a Palestinian state is only a means for continuing our struggle against the state of Israel for our Arab unity. In reality today there is no difference between Jordanians, Palestinians, Syrians and Lebanese. Only for political and tactical reasons do we speak today about the existence of a Palestinian people, since Arab national interests demand that we posit the existence of a distinct 'Palestinian people' to oppose Zionism." — Zuheir Mohsen, PLO official, Trouw, March 1977.
In the jihadist view, Islam is the one true faith and therefore Christians, Jews, Hindus, and all other "disbelievers" are following a false religion and therefore can be righteously killed as apostates.
"[T]he Crusaders conquered Eretz Israel, reaching Jerusalem in 1099. Once there, they gathered all the Jews of Jerusalem into the central synagogue and set it afire. Other Jews, who had climbed to the roof of Al-Aksa mosque on the Temple Mount, were caught and beheaded." — 'The First Crusade,' chabad.org
Anti-Semitism should not be minimized nor disparaged. It is not a temporary development. It is an ongoing, unyielding, malignant ideology manifesting itself over millennia. Whenever it finds no opposition, it grows explosively. Pictured: A destroyed Jewish-owned shop in Berlin, Germany in 1938. (Photo by Pigiste/France Presse Voir/AFP via Getty Images)
In a tumultuous geo-political environment where fresh political and military, challenges arise almost unexpectedly, mounting threats to Jews everywhere deserve urgent attention. This view is based not only on daily situations in the West, but on a long and distressing history.
Concerningly, a 2023 report indicated that in New York State, "44% of all recorded hate crime incidents and 88% of religious-based hate crimes targeted Jewish victims, the largest share of all such crimes." The report reveals an increase of 89% in these crimes over the last five years. In addition, the academic year of 2024 highlights increased campus unrest, ostensibly over whether Palestinians should be given a state as a reward for terrorism. If the demonstrators really cared about Palestinians, as the Muslim Arab journalist Bassam Tawil points out:
"they would be speaking out against the repressive measures and human rights violations perpetrated by Hamas in the Gaza Strip.... instead of improving the living conditions of their people, Hamas and PIJ leaders are imposing new taxes and leading comfortable lives in Qatar, Lebanon and other countries. Instead of bringing democracy and freedom of speech to their people, the terror groups are arresting and intimidating journalists, human rights activists and political opponents."
"Buildings at Cornell University [were] vandalized," read the report; "Michigan University student government [was] calling for severing of ties with Israel; and [there were] protests leading to more arrests at Columbia University,"
Across the Atlantic, in the UK, the hostility towards Jews has displayed by mass demonstrations, violence, and "hate-marches" in favour of Islamist terrorist organizations and their claims to a fictitious, borderless and lawless "Palestine." This situation shows no sign of letting up but, to the contrary, will probably escalate, with little chance of a compromise. The U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, recently made reference to this development: "antisemitism plagues our world... from the Middle East to Europe and Africa, reports of attacks and hate speech have multiplied."
Rising hostility towards Jewish minorities has started to feel like a prelude to the Nazi-inspired event, Kristallnacht ('the night of broken glass'), on November 9, 1938, when thousands of Jewish homes, businesses, stores and synagogues, were looted and destroyed throughout Germany, Austria, and areas of Poland. More than 30,000 Jewish men were sent off to centration camps. Most were executed.
"Racial hatred and hysteria seemed to have taken complete hold of otherwise decent people. said an eyewitness. "I saw fashionably dressed women clapping their hands and screaming with glee, while respectable middle-class mothers held up their babies to see the 'fun.'"
While such extreme social manifestations of Jew-hate are not yet widespread in the West, similar events show a growing animosity. In the past, such feelings in the West were subtle and largely hidden. Now, to quote Steven Spielberg, "it is no longer lurking but standing proud like 1930's Germany."
Kristallnacht occurred at the time of Adolf Hitler's rising popularity when Jew-haters – both Nazi party supporters and average citizens alike - joined forces to vent their anger, probably about the collapsed economy, on the persons and property of Jews living peacefully in their midst. While the apparent catalyst was assassination of a German diplomat, Ernst von Rath, by a 17-year-old Jewish youth in Paris, France, another of the underlying reasons was likely mass Nazi propaganda blaming Jews for Germany's defeat during World War I, as well as the dire economic situation.
Despite the fact that, prior to the Nazi Party taking power, most Jewish citizens were seemingly well integrated into German society, crowds were nonetheless stirred by anti-Semitism emanating from the Reich Minister of Propaganda from 1933-1945, Joseph Goebbels.
One can understand why Chaim Weizmann (later, Israel's first president) wrote at the time, "The world seemed to be divided into two parts—those places where the Jews could not live and those where they could not enter." In other words, they were hated on all sides and had nowhere to go.
In an ironic imitation of Nazi-era demands that Jews leave their homes in Germany and go to "Palestine," calls are now made for them to get out of "Palestine," now the State of Israel. Jews again face violent radicals seeking to expel them from their homes. For centuries past, through pogroms in Europe, as well as persecution in the Muslim world, where Jews were ousted from cities, towns and villages where they had resided peacefully since biblical times.
Although a horrific repeat of violent pogroms occurred in Israel on October 7, 2023, Jews there are no longer trespassers but rightful occupants of their ancestral homeland. They can defend their right to live there, by force if necessary, and have successfully done so. Reminiscent of numerous historic massacres over a period of some 2,000 years, Jews in the European diaspora are now facing fresh calls for their expulsion and demise. These demands are stimulated by incendiary propaganda once again, but now emanating from Islamist extremists and their Western supporters who, unwittingly perhaps, identify with Nazi intent of extermination in their shared hatred for Jews and refreshed commitments to ideologies of "blood and soil."
As too frequently occurs, Jews suffer collateral damage from economic, ethnic, and religious developments beyond their control. Loud anti-Semitic displays of Jew-hate have erupted in Norway, France, Canada, UK, Ireland, Germany, Italy, Sweden, the US and other nations of the Western alliance with no sign of abatement, and effectively no concrete action by authorities. Although Western governments do not openly advocate discrimination against their resident Jews, "many of them are feeding anti-Semitic sentiments" to their citizens, such as allegations that Israel is supposedly committing genocide. There has also recently been the official recognition a prohibited by the Oslo Accords, which declared that any agreement between Israel and the Palestinians had to be negotiated face-to-face. Nevertheless, Spain, Ireland, and Norway have rushed to declare a State of Palestine.
Goebbels' Nazi-era anti-Semitic "strategy" has been largely duplicated by Hamas, Iran, and Hezbollah's "well-oiled propaganda machine." The lies were designed to "elicit sympathy abroad" while also seeking "on one front to instil fear among Israelis, and on another front to rally support from their Palestinian and international bases." This was precisely the Nazi method of resolving the so-called "Jewish question"; namely, to first "instil fear" among them and then "elicit sympathy" from the general population. The Nazi newspaper Der Stürmer relentlessly vilified Jews -- an act that resulted in frequent acts of terror that successfully "instilled fear," as was the intention.
A comparable incident occurred in the 2024 French national elections with the far-left political candidate, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, according to Drieu Godefridi:
"Mélenchon has been courting radical Muslim voters first and foremost, and is multiplying incendiary declarations in favor of Palestine, and hateful verbal arabesques about Jews. incendiary declarations in favour of Palestine, and hateful verbal arabesques about Jews... The message seems to be the all-too-familiar Marxist concept of Volksrache ("the people's revenge"): arousing hatreds in order to channel them towards the "enemies of the regime", and, in the end, liquidate them."
The Nazi regime applied this method so Jews would find themselves the objects of wrath, as do pro-Hamas activists in the West.
Jihadist media efforts, and especially massive donations to universities from Qatar and other oil-rich Islamic countries, have been so successful that many academics and students in Western tertiary educational institutions have been captivated by the narrow ideology of Jew-hate. Rabbi Andy Bachman warns that colleges across the US are the centre of "hatred, intolerance and violence" and have become "staging areas for levelling the incessant drumbeat charge of racism, colonialism, and genocide against Jews." He also identifies the foundational ideologies of "racism" and "colonialism" underpinning the hatred.
These ideologies can perhaps be understood as the interlinked concepts of blood, soil, and religion. First, ethnicity ('race') supposedly confers legitimacy. According to Nazi theology, as the Jews were not of Aryan descent they were illegitimate, unwanted, and unworthy of life. Many Islamists appear hold a similar approach: The 1988 Hamas Covenant's article 7, copied from the Hadith -- the acts and sayings of Mohammad, Islam's other holy book, after the Qur'an — states:
"The Day of Judgement will not come about until Moslems fight the Jews (killing the Jews), when the Jew will hide behind stones and trees. The stones and trees will say O Moslems, O Abdulla, there is a Jew behind me, come and kill him."
Second, the question of soil: the homeland. Many Muslims – in a religion that did not even exist until the seventh century CE -- regard Jews not as people who have resided in the land continuously for nearly 4,000 years – rather longer than the 1,400 years since the seventh century CE, when Mohammad appeared -- but as trespassers in the region, settlers and colonialists, to be expelled or eradicated. Jihadists claim that the identical area, which, under the British Mandate, was called "Palestine," and lasted from the end of the Ottoman Empire in 1922, almost until Israeli independence in 1948. Under the British, everyone there was a Palestinian. "Palestine" was what was stamped on one's passport, whether one was a Muslim, a Christians or a Jews. As the late Palestinian Liberation Organization official, Zuheir Mohsen openly admitted to the journalist James Dorsey in the Dutch newspaper Trouw in 1977:
"The Palestinian people does not exist. The creation of a Palestinian state is only a means for continuing our struggle against the state of Israel for our Arab unity. In reality today there is no difference between Jordanians, Palestinians, Syrians and Lebanese. Only for political and tactical reasons do we speak today about the existence of a Palestinian people, since Arab national interests demand that we posit the existence of a distinct 'Palestinian people' to oppose Zionism."
Third, the issue of religion. In a 1940 radio address, the German novelist Thomas Mann, stated that the Third Reich's program in purging European Jews, "was nothing else but the ever-recurrent revolt of unconquered pagan instincts, protesting against the restrictions of the Ten Commandments." In the jihadist view, Islam is the one true faith and therefore Christians, Jews, Hindus, and all other "disbelievers" are following a false religion and therefore can be righteously killed:
"And when the sacred months have passed, then kill the polytheists wherever you find them and capture them and besiege them and sit in wait for them at every place of ambush. But if they should repent, establish prayer, and give zakah, let them [go] on their way. Indeed, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful." — Qur'an 9:5, Sahih translation
"Fight those who do not believe in Allah or in the Last Day and who do not consider unlawful what Allah and His Messenger have made unlawful and who do not adopt the religion of truth from those who were given the Scripture - [fight] until they give the jizyah willingly while they are humbled." — Qur'an 9:29, Sahih translation
"Kill them [disbelievers] wherever you come upon them1 and drive them out of the places from which they have driven you out." — Qur'an 2:191, Sahih translation
The situation becomes concerning for Jews everywhere, as well as for two political leaders of the US, President Joe Biden and vice president and presidential candidate, Kamala Harris. The "two-state solution" for them is Michigan and Minnesota. Biden and Harris, and leaders in the West generally, fail to condemn public demonstrations of Jew-hate and appear to tolerate such acts domestically.
In general, ambivalence and appeasement are hallmarks of Biden's administration. In his August, 2024, Democratic National Convention speech, Biden said, "those anti-Israel protesters out in the street, they have a point." Vice-President Kamala Harris stated, "the protesters are showing exactly what the human emotion should be, as a response to Gaza, and I understand the emotion behind it." Shortly after the jihadi massacre on October 7, Biden declared "rock solid and unwavering" support for Israel but soon ended up denying Israel defensive weapons, or promising their delivery in 2029!
With criticism of their blatant anti-Semitic acts – and to try to avoid accusations of religious, ethnic racism -- pro-Hamas groups such as "Student Intifada" on the Western campus disguise Jew-hate within the now-derogatory code word "Zionists." This terms seems intended to avoid delicate connotations of the Jews' religion or ethnicity and deflects the focus of their accusations exclusively to that of soil: that Jews are illegal settlers-colonialists on purportedly Palestinian land.
At colleges such as Sarah Lawrence in New York State, "deep hatred is so embedded into many facets of the campus that an entirely new strategy is necessary." It can be certain, therefore, that pro-jihadist activists "will be back this fall, louder and more determined than before." As the college campuses frequently produce future educators and political leaders, the current situation looks a bit bleak. At least in Israel, unlike other nations, the government is concerned for the safety of its citizens.
In spite of widespread threats to national security, Western nations have been slow to react, if they react at all. They do not seem to grasp that the animosity towards their Jewish citizens is indicative of a deeper challenge to the existence of West's liberal democratic tradition, as a whole. Political leaders appear not to comprehend the long-term plan of their nation's adversaries. China, Russia, North Korea and Iran all seek the West's downfall and are implementing malignant strategies -- military, economic and electronic -- to being this about. As the China scholar Gordon G. Chang has pointed out, Communist China has already planted surveillance devices in industrial cranes in US ports that could easily be instructed from Beijing to bring all supply-chains to a halt or crush vessels by dropping shipping-containers on them.
Vilification of Jews is often a litmus test, an indicator of coming strife. In Germany, during the Nazi era, persecution started with Jews, then quickly spread to members of other ethnic groups, other religions, "imperfect" people, economically unproductive people and so on. Then came imperialist-nationalist aims, justified by ideologies based on blood, soil or religion. The result was injury and death to millions.
For some reason, the Jews always seem to be unjustly blamed for what occurs –scapegoats for other issues in society. During the horrific Chmielnicki massacres of 1648, for instance, Jews became innocent victims in a conflict between Cossack warriors and Polish forces, and were slaughtered mercilessly.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, remote tribes of "Mountain Jews" located along both sides of the Azerbaijani-Russian border, were "attacked and killed in fighting that took place between their neighbors." Jews were slaughtered during the Inquisition, and centuries earlier, during the First "Christian" Crusade of 1096, knights on their way to liberate the Holy Land from Muslims killed any Jew they met. Upon arrival in Jerusalem, Crusaders slaughtered the Jews there:
"[T]he Crusaders conquered Eretz Israel, reaching Jerusalem in 1099. Once there, they gathered all the Jews of Jerusalem into the central synagogue and set it afire. Other Jews, who had climbed to the roof of Al-Aksa mosque on the Temple Mount, were caught and beheaded."
Anti-Semitism should not be minimized nor disparaged. It is not a temporary development. It is an ongoing, unyielding, malignant ideology manifesting itself over millennia. Whenever it finds no opposition, it grows explosively.
At this distressing time, one might recall the words of Rabbi Isaac ben Judah Abarbanel (1437-1508): "There are religions today who put to death all who would repudiate their faith. The Ishmaelites of Islam fall into this category." More than five hundred years later, nothing much has changed.
Nils A. Haug is an author and columnist. A Lawyer by profession, he is member of the International Bar Association, the National Association of Scholars, a faculty member at Intercollegiate Studies Institute, the Academy of Philosophy and Letters. Retired from law, his particular field of interest is political theory interconnected with current events. He holds a Ph.D. in Apologetical Theology. Dr. Haug is author of 'Politics, Law, and Disorder in the Garden of Eden – the Quest for Identity'; and 'Enemies of the Innocent – Life, Truth, and Meaning in a Dark Age.' His work has been published by First Things Journal, The American Mind, Quadrant, Gatestone Institute, Jewish News Syndicate and many others.
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The Abraham Accords are not about Palestinians
Hussain Abdul-Hussain/ Asia Times/September 18/2024
Palestinians are welcome to join the Israel-Arab accords but if they’d prefer to keep fighting they’ll be on their own
Many pundits blame the Abraham Accords for throwing Palestinians under the bus, arguing that peace between Arabs and Israel enraged Palestinians and set the stage for Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel.
But these peace accords – signed four years ago this month between Israel, on the one hand, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain and Morocco, on the other – have nothing to do with Palestinians. The Abraham Accords prioritized national interests and ended 60 years of divisive pan-Arab nationalism, which birthed Palestine.
Abraham Accords governments understood that peace with Israel was not incumbent on whatever happens between the Jewish state and Palestinians.
Hence, 11 months after the outbreak of the Gaza War, the Abraham Accords are proving their robustness, even after Abraham Accords governments repeatedly voted against Israel at the UN. In May, Reuters reported that the Gaza war had cooled “Israel’s once red-hot business ties with UAE.” Quoting “10 Israeli officials, executives and entrepreneurs,” the news agency argued that Israel’s “business ties with the influential Gulf state remain intact but, in a sign of how the conflict has dented enthusiasm, the [two sides] declined to discuss any recent deals.”Blaming the Abraham Accords for not bringing peace to Palestinians continues. Palestinians and their supporters still expect the 21 member states of the Arab League to withhold peace with Israel until Palestinians get a state.
But if Palestinians expect the Arabs to lend them a hand, Palestinians should also expect the Arabs to have a say on how and when the conflict with Israel should end.
Unconditional Arab support for an open-ended conflict undermines the national interests of the different Arab states. Furthermore, Palestinians demand support but seldom reciprocate. The Abraham Accords upended this unequal relationship: If Palestinians wanted to fight forever, the Arabs had different plans.
When the UAE, Bahrain and Morocco signed the accords, they described their decision as a “sovereign” one, not bound by any Arab League resolutions. By doing so, these Arab countries hammered another nail in the coffin of antiquated pan-Arab nationalism.
Pan-Arabism is the belief that all Arab countries should merge into one. Such ideology prompted the Arabs of Palestine to reject the British creation of Mandate Palestine in 1920 and insist on joining the Arab Kingdom of Damascus instead.
When Jordan and Egypt took the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, respectively, in 1949, Palestinians did not declare Palestine on this territory because such a state would have been the antithesis of their imagined single Arab nation “from the [Atlantic] ocean to the [Persian] Gulf.”
Starting in 1952, “progressive” Egyptian putschist Gamal Abdul-Nasser rose as the awaited-for Arab unifier. In 1958, Syria merged with Egypt to form the United Arab Republic (UAR) but seceded three years later. Nasser went shopping for a replacement, mainly by agitating Arab nations to overthrow their “regressive” governments.
In 1962, Yemen did just that. Nasser deployed his army to support the coup, while the monarchies of Saudi Arabia and Jordan sided with the toppled Yemeni imam. A civil war ensued in which Nasser’s army was badly bruised.
To avenge his defeat, Nasser instigated the Arabs of the West Bank to secede from Jordan and declare their own state of Palestine, which he hoped would make up for Syria’s exit and his failure to annex Yemen. In 1964, in East Jerusalem, the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) was born. At the Arab League, Saudi Arabia vetoed the declaration of Palestine in the West Bank and Gaza, a state that would have joined Nasser’s UAR. Riyadh countered with a campaign, under Yasser Arafat, for an independent Palestine on all the land. In 1968, Arafat toppled Nasser’s Ahmed Shuqairi and became the PLO’s president. After Riyadh broke pan-Arabism, it owned Palestine and spent two decades to earn the PLO global recognition as “the sole representative” of Palestinians—a government in exile that would rule a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza and live at peace with Israel.
The Saudi plan – encoded in the final statement of the 1982 Arab League summit – started moving in 1993 when Israel and Arafat agreed to work toward two states. But by then, the PLO had lost its monopoly over representing Palestinians.
With backing from Islamist Iran, Hamas emerged as a Palestinian force determined to undermine the two-state plan and “liberate Palestine from the river to the sea.”
Riyadh did try one last push toward the two states, in 2002, but the Palestinians were as divided and uncommitted as ever. America and Israel tried again in 2008 and 2013, but to no avail. The two-state solution died and became a talking point for successive American administrations that lacked the imagination for an alternative, save for Donald Trump and his “Deal of the Century”, which the Palestinians refused.
Until the 1990s and the spread of globalization, the economies of most Arab countries were small and undeveloped. But as the world became interdependent and population growth in the Gulf outpaced oil revenue, the continued Arab boycott of Israel became an economic liability.
In 1994, Jordan signed a peace deal with Israel that has helped the country’s economy grow by leaps and bounds. The UAE, Bahrain and Morocco signed theirs in 2020. In 2023, Saudi Arabia was preparing to do the same when Hamas threw a wrench into the normalization process with its October 7 attack on Israel. Since the concept of Palestine was born in 1964, and since the two-state plan was tried and failed between 1993 and 2013, the world economy and international relations have changed drastically. A new vision is required for Israel and the Palestinians. Until one is agreed, it would be unfair to ask the rest of the Arabs to wait until the Palestinians figure out what they are willing to live with. Had other Arab countries – such as Lebanon, Syria, Yemen and Iraq – been independent of Islamist Iran and keen on their national interests, they would have raced the UAE and Bahrain to normalize ties with Israel.
After all, the Abraham Accords are not about Palestinians but about letting history be history and looking forward to a better future. Palestinians are most welcome to join the accords. If they don’t, they will be on their own.
*Hussain Abdul-Hussain is a research fellow at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies (FDD). Follow him @hahussain
https://asiatimes.com/2024/09/the-abraham-accords-are-not-about-palestinians/

Jordan’s Islamists may expose their own Achilles’ heel
Mohammed Abu Dalhoum/Arab News/September 18/2024
Jordan last week held its 20th parliamentary elections, which saw the largest number of voters in the country’s history with 1.68 million, up from 1.38 million in 2020.
The increase in the number of voters has been attributed largely to recent reforms emanating from the recommendations of the Royal Committee to Modernize the Political System. Among these reforms, a new law served to revamp and regularize political parties to meet much higher standards, such as increased women and youth inclusion in their leadership positions. By May 2023, 38 political parties had been registered and they began strategizing to compete over 138 parliamentary seats, divided — as per the new elections law — between 41 dedicated for parties through a general national district and 97 held for 18 local districts.
With 41 seats secured, political parties campaigned heavily within the local districts to maximize their gains. Indeed, they ended up winning 73 seats at the local level, meaning 83 percent of the next parliament will be members of a political party.
Of these parties, there was arguably no bigger winner in the elections than the Islamists, which some observers perplexedly saw as a surprise. Over the past 11 months, Islamist parties have dominated the streets, hijacking Jordanians’ frustration over the ongoing war in Gaza, as the Israel-Palestine conflict was always going to feature heavily in this electoral campaign. It is therefore not a surprise that Islamists now directly occupy 29 percent of parliament, as the Islamic Action Front won 31 seats, thanks to nearly half a million votes. The National Islamist Party won seven seats and Al-Ard Al-Mubaraka Party won two more. Along with 24 independent members and 18 leftists, and as parties begin to coalesce, Islamists could gain a majority that would enable them to dictate the legislative scene over the next four years, starting by pressuring the new Prime Minister Jafar Hassan and his imminent government.
Opposite the Islamists are Al-Mithaq and Eradah, two centrist parties spearheading efforts to preserve the political scene from major changes. The two parties won 49 seats, 30 of which were won by Al-Mithaq, headed by the former speaker of the house Ahmad Al-Safadi. They face a sizable challenge if they want to form a majority coalition. While Al-Ittihad Al-Watani Party also leans centrally, Taqaddum and Azm are two important wildcards and their 14 seats could shift the needle one way or the other.
Between the Islamists and centrists, it is worth analyzing what exactly is at stake. When it comes to public confidence, the outgoing parliament accumulated critically low approval ratings despite passing more than 30 laws that 65 percent of Jordanians agreed with, according to a May 2024 poll by NAMA Strategic Intelligence Solutions. The next parliament is likely to enjoy higher confidence rates, at least during the first few months. The extent to which it will be sustained hinges on the parliament’s ability to tackle aspects long viewed as untouchable, such as Jordan’s relations with Israel.
While a centrist-majority parliament is likely to leave most laws intact, under an Islamist-majority legislature, the 1994 Wadi Araba peace treaty between Jordan and Israel is expected to be debated heavily. Islamist lawmakers are likely to call for its termination, along with all diplomatic, political and economic relations. According to NAMA’s polls, there is near-unanimous support among Jordanians for cutting diplomatic relations with Israel, yet 42 percent are still in favor of keeping the peace treaty, the highest recorded percentage on this matter. While canceling the peace treaty is not likely to materialize due to geostrategic factors, the same cannot be said for economic ties, as most Jordanians do not approve of existing or potential economic dealings with Israel, including those on water and energy. Nevertheless, there have been overly exaggerated concerns about the implications of the Islamists’ sizable presence in parliament. Some factors mean that, even if they managed to form an advantageous coalition in parliament, the outcome may not be as troubling as anticipated.
First, there is substantiated evidence of Islamists underperforming when assuming decision-making positions. Whether in Tunisia, Egypt, Lebanon or even in Gaza, Islamist parties have rarely delivered on their promises. Instead, corruption and economic issues, among others, generally worsen and outweigh their populist narratives.
Islamist parties have dominated the streets, hijacking Jordanians’ frustration over the ongoing war in Gaza. Second, NAMA’s research on the ideologies of Jordanian political parties show marginal differences between Islamists and centrists. In interviewing party leaders on 42 policy issues, Islamists and centrists appear quite similar. They both lean slightly to the left on the economic axis, with only 4 percentage points between the two. As for the social axis, they both appear identically authoritarian, with a mere single percentage point difference.
Therefore, the heavy presence of Islamists in Jordan’s new parliament may just prove to be their own Achilles’ heel, not Jordan’s. The similarities between Islamists and centrists could foresee a cohesive, harmonious legislature. In that case, Islamists are likely to lose support for failing to bring anything new. On the other hand, if Islamists end up presenting themselves differently in Jordan than elsewhere in the region, then we could see a gridlocked parliament, at which point they are also likely to lose support due to their lack of efficacy in delivering on their promises.
*Mohammed Abu Dalhoum is the president of MENAACTION and a senior research analyst at NAMA Strategic Intelligence Solutions.

What to watch for in last weeks of US election campaign
Kerry Boyd Anderson/Arab News/September 18/2024
After months of political campaigning, the US is now into the final countdown to the 2024 election. For observers of this election — which has major implications for American and global politics — there are a few key events and factors to watch over the next few weeks.
Election day is Nov. 5, but early voting is already starting in some states. The presidency, the House of Representatives and about a third of Senate seats will all be contested. In many states, voters will also make choices about state- and local-level positions.
For the presidential race, most of the traditionally important events are already over. The Republican and Democratic parties have held their primary elections and caucuses to choose their candidates. The Republican convention, where the candidate is officially chosen, took place in July and the Democratic convention in August.
Another traditionally important event in presidential campaigns is a debate between candidates — or, typically, several debates. There is a long history of debates between US presidential candidates, but the current norms around the debates emerged with the age of television. This year saw some changes in recent norms, as President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump bypassed the Commission on Presidential Debates and negotiated their own terms for a debate on CNN.
That June 27 debate fundamentally changed the 2024 election. Biden’s performance was widely seen as poor, amplifying concerns about his age and mental acuity. As Trump gained a clear lead in polls after the debate, concerned Democrats began to demand a change. Eventually, Biden ended his candidacy and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris. The Democratic Party rapidly united behind her, making her the official candidate at the convention in August.
While Americans might not have another opportunity to see Harris and Trump go head-to-head, both candidates will hold many rallies
On Sept. 10, Trump and Harris participated in a televised debate on ABC News. Afterward, Trump said he would not debate Harris again, though he might change his mind, and Harris has expressed interest in another debate. Meanwhile, vice presidential candidates J.D. Vance (Republican) and Tim Walz (Democratic) are scheduled to debate on Oct. 1 on CBS News.
While Americans might not have another opportunity to see Harris and Trump go head-to-head, both candidates will hold many campaign rallies and events, especially in the battleground states that will determine who wins. Harris’ campaign is focusing on maintaining the current enthusiasm within much of the Democratic Party while actively courting swing voters. Trump’s campaign seeks to maintain energy among his supporters while focusing substantial resources on encouraging potential voters who are often disconnected from politics to show up at the polls for Trump. Both candidates seem to prefer local and niche media to traditional national media, so there might not be many broadly televised interviews before the election.
There are still several weeks left before the election concludes, leaving room for unexpected events. There is a tradition in US politics of speculating about an “October surprise” — a last-minute news event that is unexpected or planned by an opponent that could change the election’s outcome. Furthermore, this race has already seen two attempted assassinations of the Republican candidate and a late switch in the Democratic candidate. More surprises could be in store.
Throughout the rest of September and October, pollsters will frequently release new data. This close to the election, polling can provide useful insights. However, observers should focus on polling in the battleground states that will determine the election’s outcome, rather than on national polling. Poll results in Pennsylvania, for example, are far more relevant than nationwide surveys. Also, polling can help to explain that a race is very tight but, in a close race, polling may not be useful for predicting the winner; for example, some polling in several battleground states is so close that the results fall within the survey’s margin of error.
Some previous elections took days or even weeks for the final vote tallies to be completed and for courts to settle disputes
As Americans and many people around the world anxiously wait to see who wins, the reality is that the result might be unclear as Nov. 6 dawns. Some previous elections took days or even weeks for the final vote tallies to be completed and for courts to settle disputes. Trump, who argues that he won the 2020 election, has invested significant campaign resources in preparing to challenge votes that favor Harris.
Furthermore, this year’s election is the first presidential election to take place in the wake of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol as members of Congress voted to certify the presidential election results. In the nearly four years since that attack, narratives about its nature and why it happened have diverged along partisan lines, so many Americans have very different perspectives on the event. The Jan. 6 attack blew an enormous hole in Americans’ confidence that their democracy automatically includes a peaceful transfer of power, and the breaking of that norm opens the door to more potential violence and distrust after the upcoming election.
Trump’s insistence that he won the last election also means that many of his supporters would not accept a Harris victory. Also, when Trump won in 2016, his opponents accepted his win but, in a very different political environment in 2024, they might be less willing to do so if the outcome is close and contested. Observers of US politics are naturally focused on the weeks leading up to Nov. 5, but the weeks immediately following the election will also be crucial to the future of US politics and policy.
*Kerry Boyd Anderson is a writer and political risk consultant with more than 18 years of experience as a professional analyst of international security issues and Middle East political and business risk. Her previous positions include deputy director for advisory with Oxford Analytica. X: @KBAresearch