English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For September 25/2024
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
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Bible Quotations For today
I know your works; you are neither cold nor hot. I wish that you were either cold or hot. So, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I am about to spit you out of my mouth.
Book of Revelation 03/14-22: “‘To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the origin of God’s creation: ‘I know your works; you are neither cold nor hot. I wish that you were either cold or hot. So, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I am about to spit you out of my mouth. For you say, “I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing.” You do not realize that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. Therefore I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire so that you may be rich; and white robes to clothe you and to keep the shame of your nakedness from being seen; and salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see. I reprove and discipline those whom I love. Be earnest, therefore, and repent. Listen! I am standing at the door, knocking; if you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to you and eat with you, and you with me. To the one who conquers I will give a place with me on my throne, just as I myself conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne. Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches.”

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on September 24-25/2024
Elias Bejjani/Text & Video: Iranian Terrorist Hezbollah Booby-Trapped Shiites Villages, Cities, Institutions & Created a Landscape of Hatred and Deception
Elias Bejjani/Text & Video: Urgent Call to Neutralize the Iranian Mullah Regime Before It’s Too Late
Israel bombards Hezbollah, killing a top commander, while families flee southern Lebanon
France calls for emergency UN meeting amid Middle East crisis as Israeli strikes continue
Civilians flee bombardment on both sides of Israel-Lebanon border
In Israel's north, stress and resignation deepen as missiles fly
Lebanon calls Biden's remarks on conflict with Israel 'not promising'
Escalating crisis in Lebanon further endangers Biden’s efforts at preventing wider war
'Israeli attacks are existential threats to us' : Lebanese Ambassador
Lebanese civilians are fleeing the south, fearing an Israeli invasion − a look back at 1982 suggests they have every reason to worry

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on September 24-25/2024
Activists protest US support for Israel as risks rise of wider Middle East war
Sweden says Iran was behind thousands of text messages calling for revenge over Quran burnings
What to know from the UN: Biden stops by, Gaza takes the spotlight, a dour world outlook prevails
IAEA chief sees willingness from Iran to re-engage on nuclear file
US Navy replenishment ship operating in Mideast was damaged after refueling warships, officials say
Trump praises Russia's military record in argument to stop funding Ukraine's fight
War comes home to Russia in tranquil lakeside town
Iran brokering talks to send advanced Russian missiles to Yemen's Houthis, sources say
Iran seeks to calm Iraqi infighting over spy dispute as region flares up
Iran's president tells the UN that his country wants to play a 'constructive role' in world affairs

Titles For The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources on September 24-25/2024
He Targeted My Child for Sexual Exploitation': The Persecution of Christians, August 2024/Raymond Ibrahim/Gatestone Institute/September 24, 2024
Opinion - Congress must restore humanitarian funding to stop famine in Gaza/Hassan El-Tayyab, opinion contributor/The Hill/September 24, 2024
Opinion - To defeat Hamas, Israel must control Gaza’s border with Egypt/Seth J. Frantzman, opinion contributor/The Hill/September 24, 2024

The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on September 24-25/2024
Elias Bejjani/Text & Video: Iranian Terrorist Hezbollah Booby-Trapped Shiites Villages, Cities, Institutions & Created a Landscape of Hatred and Deception
Elias Bejjani/September 24/2024
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2024/09/134845/
There is no shed  of doubt that the terrorist Iranian proxy, Hezbollah, is the one that has mined and booby-trapped the Shiites areas in occupied Lebanon and placed them evilly on explosive barrels. It drowned its Shiites communities with illusions, myths, hatred, arrogance, worshipping death, while belittling its opponents and labeling them as traitors. In this context we are sadly witnessing the ongoing tragedies inflicted on the civilian Lebanese Shiites' communities.
In the recent wave of violence, only in one day over 600 innocent Shiite civilians were killed and two thousand inquired and thousands forced to abandon their homes and livestock's in fear for their lives because of devastating Israeli air strikes targeting Hezbollah's weapon caches strategically hidden among populated areas in South Lebanon, beeka valley, Dahea district in Beirut. This tragedy underscores a painful truth and shows clearly that the real perpetrators behind the suffering of these victims are not only the Israeli forces, but rather Hezbollah and its Iranian backers.
For decades, Hezbollah has turned Lebanese neighborhoods, mainly the Shiites villages, cities and institutions into battlegrounds, placing weaponry in schools, religious institutions, and even homes, endangering the very people it claims to protect. This reckless strategy has turned civilians into collateral damage in a conflict driven by Iran's regional expansionist and denominational satanic ambitions.
Compounding this situation, recently Iran has increasingly distanced itself from Hezbollah and Hamas, opting instead to appease the United States. The Mullahs have publicly stated that they do not seek to engage in direct conflict with Israel, declaring a shift towards cooperation with the U.S. This pivot reveals a significant change in Iran's approach, highlighting its desire to stabilize its position rather than escalate tensions because its main aim is to keep its regime in power.
The continuous threats from Hezbollah and Iran have put Israel in a precarious position, where it feels compelled to act in self-defense. The recent bombings, while devastating, are a response to a longstanding pattern of aggression and provocation. It is essential to recognize that the chaos affecting the Middle East, including the tragic loss of life among Shiite communities, is a direct consequence of Iran's expansionist policies and Hezbollah's militant strategies.
As Lebanon grapples with this ongoing crisis, it is vital to hold accountable those who have chosen to weaponries their neighborhoods. The suffering of innocents must be acknowledged, but so must the responsibility of those who have perpetuated this cycle of violence.
The massacre that the people of the south Lebanon are being subjected  falls on  the terrorist Hezbollah, which is made up of Lebanese and non-Lebanese mercenaries, as well as their masters the Iranian Mullahs. Hezbollah has booby-trapped and mined the south villages and towns with weapons depots among the people in schools, religious, educational and governmental institutions, and even inside homes. Yesterday, Israel blew up a large number of these depots, killing hundreds and wounding thousands of civilian victims.
Terrorist Hezbollah, the enemy of Lebanon and the Lebanese, has kidnapped the Shiites communities and taken them hostage by force and terror. Hezbollah is a mere slave to an expansionist Iranian agenda that has lured Israel into waging its destructive war on Lebanon in general, and on the Shiite areas in the south, the Bekaa and the southern suburbs of Beirut in general in a bid to defend its people and existence of the Jewish state..
What do Hezbollah and its Iranian masters expect from the state of Israel, while they have been shamelessly, immorally and promiscuously promoting the idea of ​​throwing their state into the sea, killing Jews, while raising their children on a culture of ignorance, barbarism, hatred, reverence, sanctification of death and crime, and at the same time demonize who oppose their Iranian ambitions, and labeling them as traitors.
The killing, assassinations and destruction that Israel is doing currently in Iranian occupied Lebanon are caused by the policy and culture of the mullahs of Iran, as well as the Sunni and Shiite political Islam, leftist, nationalist groups, and merchants of the so called resistance and liberation.
In conclusion, Iranian occupied Lebanon will not be saved or restore is sovereignty, independence and free decision making process before uprooting the criminal Hezbollah, arresting and putting on trial its Trojan and mercenary leaders, and implementing the UN resolutions related to Lebanon; The Armistice Accord, 1559, 1701 and 1680, which gives the Lebanese state full control over all Lebanese territories by its own forces, and disarming all Lebanese and non-Lebanese militias. At the same time arresting and putting on trial all Lebanese politicians, officials and clergymen who conspired against Lebanon and helped Hezbollah to fully occupy Lebanon.

Elias Bejjani/Text & Video: Urgent Call to Neutralize the Iranian Mullah Regime Before It’s Too Late
Elias Bejjani/September 23/2024
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2024/09/134766/
The Iranian mullahs’ regime stands as the head of the snake, a regime that, unless decisively overthrown, will continue to be the central force of instability in the Middle East. Under its leadership, with Hezbollah and its vast network of terrorist arms, Iran foments division, incites conflicts, and destabilizes Arab nations while exploiting the Palestinian cause and maintaining a relentless hostility toward Israel.
The urgency of this threat cannot be overstated. The regime in Tehran, under the guise of its so-called “jihadist revolution,” is working tirelessly to expand its influence, with the ultimate goal of regional hegemony under the pretext of reviving the Persian Empire. And now, Iran stands perilously close to acquiring the world’s most devastating weapon: the atomic bomb.
In a critical analysis published recently by The Jerusalem Post, Israeli policymakers, academics, and Western strategists have raised alarm bells about the immediate and dangerous ramifications of allowing Iran to develop nuclear weapons. This isn’t a distant hypothetical; it is an imminent crisis. Years of debate within Israel and Western circles have highlighted two starkly different perspectives on how to handle the Iranian threat.
On one side, some fear that any preemptive strike on Iran could ignite a catastrophic global conflict, possibly even leading to Israel’s destruction. This viewpoint, however, underestimates the catastrophic consequences of inaction. The other, more pragmatic and visionary view—shared by many high-level officials and supported by moderate Arab allies—argues that the only way to prevent regional and global disaster is to eliminate Iran’s nuclear capabilities as swiftly and forcefully as possible. This faction believes that the survival of Israel, the stability of the Arab world, and indeed, global security, depend on a full-scale effort to dismantle the Iranian regime’s nuclear program.
Waiting for Iran to achieve nuclear capability would be a fatal miscalculation. Once armed with a nuclear arsenal, Iran will not only solidify its stranglehold over the Middle East but will also wield unprecedented leverage over the West. Such power would embolden its terrorist proxies, particularly Hezbollah, and ensure decades of unchecked Iranian aggression across the globe. The consequences would be devastating, not just for Israel but for Arab nations that have long suffered under Iranian interference.
The only viable solution is a coordinated military and diplomatic effort, led by the United States, Israel, and moderate Arab nations, to strike the Iranian regime at its core. This would involve not only destroying Iran’s nuclear infrastructure but also empowering the Iranian people in their ongoing struggle against the theocratic tyranny that has oppressed them for over four decades. The Iranian people have demonstrated their thirst for freedom and democracy, and the West must stand firmly with them. The fall of the mullahs' regime would not only remove the immediate nuclear threat but also dismantle the network of terror that Iran has carefully cultivated. Hezbollah, already weakened by its entanglements in Syria, would lose its primary benefactor, rendering the group vulnerable and ultimately, powerless. Furthermore, the collapse of the mullah regime would restore the chance for regional peace, allowing Arab nations to rebuild and pursue prosperity without constant interference from Tehran. In conclusion, the world is at a critical juncture. The decision to act against the Iranian regime must be made now, before the window of opportunity closes. Failure to do so will result in an irreversible shift in the balance of power in the Middle East, with disastrous consequences for global security. The Iranian people deserve better, the region demands stability, and the world cannot afford to allow a nuclear Iran to become a reality. It is time to strike before it is too late.

Israel bombards Hezbollah, killing a top commander, while families flee southern Lebanon
Abby Sewell And Natalie Melzer/BEIRUT (AP)/September 24, 2024
Israel bombards Hezbollah, killing a top commander, while families flee southern Lebanon
Israel killed a top Hezbollah commander Tuesday as part of a two-day bombing campaign that has left more than 560 people dead and prompted thousands in southern Lebanon to seek refuge from the widening conflict. With the two sides on the brink of all-out war, Hezbollah launched dozens of rockets into Israel on Tuesday, targeting an explosives factory and sending families into bomb shelters. Families that fled southern Lebanon flocked to Beirut and the coastal city of Sidon, sleeping in schools turned into shelters, as well as in cars, parks and along the beach. Some sought to leave the country, causing a traffic jam at the border with Syria. Issa Baydoun fled the village of Shihine when it was bombed and drove to Beirut with his extended family. They slept in vehicles on the side of the road because the shelters were full. “We struggled a lot on the road just to get here,” said Baydoun, who rejected Israel’s contention that it hit only military targets. “We evacuated our homes because Israel is targeting civilians and attacking them.”Volunteers cooked meals for displaced families at an empty Beirut gas station that first became a hub for relief after a devastating port explosion in 2020.
Israel said late Tuesday that fighter jets carried out “extensive strikes” on Hezbollah weapons and rocket launchers across southern Lebanon and in the Bekaa region to the north. Asked about the duration of Israel’s operations in Lebanon, military spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said at a news conference that it aims to keep them “as short as possible, that’s why we’re attacking with great force. At the same time, we must be prepared for it to take longer.”Tensions between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah have steadily escalated over the last 11 months. Hezbollah has been firing rockets, missiles and drones into northern Israel in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza and its ally Hamas, a fellow Iran-backed militant group. Israel has responded with increasingly heavy airstrikes and the targeted killing of Hezbollah commanders while threatening a wider operation.
The U.N. Security Council scheduled an emergency meeting on Lebanon for Wednesday at the request of France. Israel said a strike in Beirut Tuesday had killed Ibrahim Kobeisi, who it said was a top Hezbollah commander with the group’s rocket and missile unit. Military officials said Kobeisi was responsible for launches towards Israel and planned a 2000 attack in which three Israeli soldiers were kidnapped and killed. Hezbollah later confirmed his death.
It was the latest in a string of assassinations and setbacks for Hezbollah, the strongest political and military actor in Lebanon and widely considered the top paramilitary force in the Arab world. Lebanon’s Health Ministry said six people were killed and 15 were wounded in the strike in a southern Beirut suburb, an area where Hezbollah has a strong presence. The country’s National News Agency said the attack destroyed three floors of a six-story apartment building.
The U.N.’s High Commissioner for Refugees in Lebanon said one of its staffers and her young son were among those killed Monday in the Bekaa region, while a cleaner under contract was killed in a strike in the south. Hezbollah said its missile attacks Tuesday targeted eight sites in Israel, including an explosives factory in Zichron Yaakov, 60 kilometers (37 miles) from the border. It fired 300 rockets, injuring six soldiers and civilians, most of them lightly, according to Hagari, the Israeli military spokesman. The renewed exchange came after Monday’s barrages racked up the highest death toll in any single day in Lebanon since Israel and Hezbollah fought a bruising monthlong war in 2006. On Tuesday, mourners carried 11 bodies through the streets of the Lebanese village of Saksakieh, some 40 kilometers (25 miles) north of the Lebanon-Israel border, including those of four women, an infant and a 7-year-old girl. All were killed in Israel’s bombardment of the village Monday. Some of the bodies were draped in Hezbollah flags, others wrapped in black clothes. A wreath of flowers was placed on top of the smallest one.
Mohammad Halal, father of 7-year-old Joury Halal, said his daughter was an “innocent child martyr.”“She is a martyr for the sake of the south and Palestine,” Halal said and defiantly stated his allegiance to Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.
Israel said it targeted sites where Hezbollah had stored weapons. Data from American fire-tracking satellites analyzed Tuesday by The Associated Press showed the wide range of Israeli airstrikes aimed at southern Lebanon, covering an area of over 1,700 square kilometers (650 square miles). NASA’s Fire Information for Resource Management System typically is used to track U.S. wildfires, but can also be used to track the flashes and burning that follow airstrikes. Data from Monday showed significant fires across southern Lebanon and in the Bekaa Valley.
The Lebanese Health Ministry said at least 564 people have been killed in Israeli strikes since Monday, including 50 children and 94 women, and that more than 1,800 have been wounded — a staggering toll for a country still reeling from a deadly attack on communication devices last week. Nearly a year of fighting between Hezbollah and Israel had displaced tens of thousands of people on both sides of the border before this week’s escalation. Israel has vowed to do whatever it takes to ensure its citizens can return to their homes in the north, while Hezbollah has said it will keep up its rocket attacks until there is a cease-fire in Gaza, which appears increasingly remote. The Israeli military says it has no immediate plans for a ground invasion but is prepared for one. It has moved thousands of troops who had been serving in Gaza to the northern border. It says Hezbollah has some 150,000 rockets and missiles, including some capable of striking anywhere in Israel, and that the group has fired some 9,000 rockets and drones since last October. Israel said its warplanes struck 1,600 Hezbollah targets Monday, destroying cruise missiles, long- and short-range rockets and attack drones, including weapons concealed in private homes. Monday’s escalation came after a particularly heavy exchange of fire Sunday, when Hezbollah launched around 150 rockets, missiles and drones into northern Israel. Last week, thousands of communications devices used mainly by Hezbollah members exploded in different parts of Lebanon, killing 39 people and wounding nearly 3,000, many of them civilians. Lebanon blamed Israel, but Israel did not confirm or deny responsibility.

France calls for emergency UN meeting amid Middle East crisis as Israeli strikes continue
RFI/September 24, 2024
As world leaders gathered in New York for the annual United Nations General Assembly, UN Security Council member France called for an emergency meeting on the crisis engulfing the Middle East. Meanwhile, Israel announced dozens of new air strikes on Hezbollah strongholds in Lebanon Tuesday, a day after 492 people, including 35 children, were killed in the deadliest bombardment since a devastating war in 2006. "I have requested that an emergency meeting of the Security Council be held on Lebanon this week," newly appointed French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot told the United Nations General Assembly on Monday, calling on all sides to "avoid a regional conflagration that would be devastating for everyone," especially civilians. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres's spokesman said he was "gravely alarmed" and cautioned against "the possibility of transforming Lebanon (into) another Gaza." "International challenges are moving faster than our ability to solve them," he said ahead of the gathering in New York. EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell said that the escalating clashes between Israel and Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah threaten to plunge the Middle East into all-out war. "We're seeing more military strikes, more damage, more collateral damage, more victims. I can say we are almost in a full-fledged war," Borrell said, adding "everybody has to put all their capacity to stop this". His comments came after Lebanese authorities said Israeli airstrikes killed at least 492 people on Monday, including 35 children.
Procrastination
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel was acting to change the "security balance" in the north. (with AFP)

Civilians flee bombardment on both sides of Israel-Lebanon border
Reuters/September 24, 2024
STORY: As Israeli forces and Hezbollah militants traded fire on Tuesday, civilians on both sides of the border sought shelter, wherever they could. A technical institute in the Lebanese capital Beirut was converted into a shelter for those displaced. Rima Ali Chahine told Reuters her family spent sixteen hours on the road, under bombardment, to get here. “It has caused anxiety for the kids, they're on edge, if they hear a door slammed they would go crazy. It's a lot of pressure for grownups and children. They're exhausted and stressed. They could not sleep. there's no calmness or quiet. We hear news of bombardment here or there. It is very stressful for the kids - they are living through terrible conditions.”An official from the Sidon municipality said the city had opened 14 schools to house around 3,000 displaced people seeking shelter, and that the numbers were climbing.
This man told Reuters the situation was like garbage, a war of total destruction. Israel said it struck a Hezbollah-controlled area of Beirut for a second consecutive day after mounting a new wave of airstrikes on targets in Lebanon. Hezbollah said it had fired rockets into northern Israel earlier on Tuesday. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday reiterated his position that his country was at war with Hezbollah, not the people of Lebanon. He said the Iranian-backed militant group was endangering the population by secreting weapons in their homes and his message followed one Monday calling on civilians to flee the fighting. Lebanese authorities said some 558 people had been killed in airstrikes on Monday, including 50 children and 94 women. At least 1,835 more were wounded, they said, and tens of thousands more have fled for safety. A hospital in Tyre is treating some of the injured children.
Another in Beirut opened new wards to treat war wounded. South of the border, Israelis are similarly seeking shelter. Dashboard-mounted camera on this car shows motorists pulling over and taking cover as a rocket struck just up the road. A municipal building in the border town of Kiryat Shmona was hit by a Hezbollah rocket on Tuesday. In Nahariyah, a beachfront city familiar with air-raid sirens, 53-year-old Yehuda Kidron said residents knew the protocols to stay safe. "You have to follow the rules if there's an alarm, you have to hide, you have to lie down and maybe go to a safe room. But if you're not (inside), you're on the street, you have to lie down away from the car. That's the only thing you have to do." Siblings Yonatan and Mia Shorek live in the Israeli city of Haifa. Mia said the booms were loud and frightening during an evening of air-raid sirens and explosions as rocket fire from Lebanon was intercepted in the skies above. The Israel-Lebanon border has simmered with tension in parallel to the war in Gaza, tensions that have raised fears of all-out war. The Israeli government has made securing the northern border a war priority, setting the stage for a long conflict, while Hezbollah has vowed that it will not back down until a ceasefire is reached in Gaza.

In Israel's north, stress and resignation deepen as missiles fly
Manuel Ausloos/NAHARIYA, Israel (Reuters)/September 24, 2024
With more Israeli communities moving into Hezbollah's crosshairs as Israel hits deeper in Lebanon, some in northern Israel hoped their country could finally end the threat of the Lebanese armed group, while others viewed the rising violence with resignation.
"There's a feeling of, finally, we're taking action in order to restore peace here, which has not been the case for the past almost a year," Barak Raz said in the northern Israeli beachside city of Nahariya. Said 22-year-old sales assistant Albina Chemodakov: "It's very scary to live like that, but we live in Israel. It's our life."Iranian-backed Hezbollah has fired hundreds of rockets and missiles into northern Israel and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights over the past week, while Israeli jets have struck more than 1,600 targets in south Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley further north. Monday's barrage came after weeks of growing tension in the north, which for almost a year has seen a constant, relatively contained, level of cross border fire that has been overshadowed by the bloody war in Gaza to the south. Raz, a 32-year-old graphic designer from Tel Aviv, is just completing his second deployment as a reservist in the north since last October when Hezbollah launched its first barrage of rockets in support of the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel. "I hope things will get better soon. I don't want to come back for a third deployment," he said. The months of rocket fire have forced tens of thousands to leave their homes, a situation mirrored in Lebanon, and left large swathes of the border areas almost deserted. As the fighting in the ruins of Gaza has slowed, the military focus has shifted to the north where Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been under growing political pressure to bring the evacuated residents back to their homes. In Nahariya, in normal times a lively seaside town of about 60,000 people a few km (miles) from the border with Lebanon, civil defence orders have closed the beaches and the main boulevard is quiet.
DIFFICULT DAYS AHEAD
Israel has not seen the level of destruction witnessed in Lebanon, where more than 500 people were killed and more than 1,800 wounded in Israel's heaviest bombardment in two decades. But Netanyahu and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant have both warned of difficult days ahead and called for calm. "In the last few days, Hezbollah fired hundreds of rockets towards Israel. In the last week, over 700 missiles and rockets towards Israel, creating damage to many, many houses and communities," said Nadav Shoshani, a military spokesperson. No serious casualties have been reported so far, but hospitals have drawn up emergency plans to treat trauma cases and the strain has told on many residents. "I am in stress. I have a soldier in the army and he's really stressed and I'm worrying about him, because all the people I know, my family, all in stress," said 47-year-old healthcare worker, Alona Dazhalvili. "People are really scared about the situation. It's not easy. It's not easy." Residents across the north could see trails of smoke and tracer as aerial defence batteries fired at incoming missiles on Monday and alarms continued to sound on Tuesday. With air raid sirens sounding regularly on Tuesday, many airlines cancelled flights. But harbour operations continued as normal in Haifa, the country's biggest industrial port, as authorities looked to keep the economy ticking over despite the wartime disruption.
Schools have also been closed and civil defence authorities have issued instructions for the population to follow warnings and seek shelter when the air raid warnings sound.
"What can you say? We're used to it," said Uri Hayo, a 76-year-old retiree. "Every 10 years, 15 years, five years, a war again. This is Israel."

Lebanon calls Biden's remarks on conflict with Israel 'not promising'
Reuters/September 24, 2024
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib voiced disappointment with U.S. President Joe Biden's remarks about the escalating crisis between Israel and Lebanon on Tuesday, but said he still hoped Washington could intervene to help.
"It was not strong. It is not promising and it would not solve this problem," Bou Habib said of Biden's speech at the United Nations earlier in the day. "I (am) still hoping. The United States is the only country that can really make a difference in the Middle East and with regard to Lebanon," Bou Habib said in New York during a virtual event hosted by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Half a million people are estimated to have been displaced in Lebanon, he said. He said Lebanon's prime minister hoped to meet with U.S. officials over the next two days. After almost a year of war against Hamas in Gaza, Israel is shifting its focus to its northern frontier with Lebanon, where Hezbollah has been firing rockets into Israel in support of its ally Hamas. Israel says some 70,000 Israelis have been forced to flee their homes in northern Israel. In his address, Biden sought to calm tensions, saying full-scale war was not in anyone's interest. He told the 193-member U.N. General Assembly a diplomatic solution was still possible. Israel has said it prefers a diplomatic solution that would move Hezbollah away from the Israel-Lebanon border. Hezbollah says that it also wants to avoid all-out conflict and that only an end to the war in Gaza will stop the fighting. Gaza ceasefire efforts are deadlocked after months of faltering talks mediated by Egypt, Qatar and the United States. Bou Habib suggested Israel's government was not seriously pursuing a negotiated end to the fighting and instead sought to win on the battlefield. The U.S. effort to halt an all-out conflict between Hezbollah and Israel has been led by a special envoy, Amos Hochstein. He has been thwarted by a cycle of attacks and counterattacks the Lebanese militant group began on Oct. 8, the day after Hamas’ onslaught into Israel, triggering the Israeli offensive into Gaza.
Hochstein and French diplomats have sought to broker a deal under which Hezbollah would pull back from Israel’s northern border, creating a buffer zone in which the Lebanese army would deploy. Hezbollah has rejected a deal until Israel agrees to a ceasefire with Hamas. Israel says returning Israelis driven from their homes in northern Israel is a key objective of its fight with the Lebanese militants.

Escalating crisis in Lebanon further endangers Biden’s efforts at preventing wider war
Kevin Liptak and Kylie Atwood, CNN/September 24/2024
The rapidly escalating conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon is further threatening President Joe Biden’s efforts to reduce tension in the Middle East, leaving the president with ever-diminishing options to secure a ceasefire-and-hostage deal that has become his top priority in the final months of his presidency. As he prepares for his final high-profile speech at the United Nations on Tuesday, the crisis is overshadowing any attempt at burnishing his foreign policy legacy. Without any near-term hopes for a ceasefire in Gaza, Biden is facing new questions about his approach to the nearly year-long conflict.
White House officials watched with concern over the weekend as Israeli warplanes struck targets in Lebanon while Hezbollah fired rockets and drones into northern Israel. As Biden was meeting Asia-Pacific leaders in Delaware, the crisis was unfolding in a different part of the world. The president and his aides were closely monitoring the situation from Wilmington. Biden’s aides currently view the risk of escalation as serious and real, and have been communicating on a daily basis with officials in Israel, officials said Monday. “The risk of escalation is real; it has been since October 7. There are moments where it is more acute than others. I think we are in one of those moments where it is more acute,” national security adviser Jake Sullivan said. Speaking Sunday, Biden said he was concerned about escalation in the Middle East. But he reaffirmed his view that a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas – which American officials believe would lower temperatures across the region – was still possible.
“We’re going to do everything we can to keep a wider war from breaking out. And we’re still pushing hard,” he told reporters at the White House. His optimism masked fading hopes among administration officials that a deal can be reached before Biden leaves office. The president and his top national security officials have spent the past year working to prevent the war in Gaza from spreading to a wider regional conflict, with the northern front with Lebanon their chief concern. Amos Hochstein, a senior White House adviser, has spent the past several months working to prevent a second front from opening in the north, including a trip just last week meant to head off a wider escalation in the long-simmering tensions between Israel and Hezbollah. Yet there have been no high-level phone calls with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Biden is not currently scheduled to met the Israeli leader when he’s in the United States at the end of this week. Sullivan told reporters on Saturday that while the risk of escalation was “acute,” there remained avenues to ease tensions.
“We actually believe there is also a distinct avenue to getting to a cessation of hostilities and a durable solution that makes people on both sides of the border feel secure, and we’re going to do everything that we can to bring that about,” he said. As world leaders gather in New York for the general assembly this week, some US officials are concerned that the global gathering could further enflame mounting tensions in the Middle East, two US officials said. The concern is concentrated on what countries around the world might say about the conflict while the entire world is watching, even as the US officials have been urging de-escalation for months and have reiterated that call in recent days. Typically US officials view UNGA as an opportunity to galvanize the world behind a major US push – such as supporting Ukraine in the face of Russia’s ongoing aggressions in recent years – making the anxiety that US officials are feeling this year unique. US officials are particularly bracing for the possibility of new countries recognizing Palestine as a state. Even if new countries are not added to the effort to recognize Palestine, they are watching for what the countries say that have already made the move earlier this year, such as US allies Norway, Spain and Ireland. The US will also have eyes on the speech by the leader of the Palestinian Authority, President Mahmoud Abbas, and a possible speech by Netanyahu if he attends the gathering, which is a question that remains in the air.
This story has been updated with additional reporting.

'Israeli attacks are existential threats to us' : Lebanese Ambassador
Vincenzo Genovese/Euronews/September 24, 2024
Lebanon's ambassador to Belgium Fadi Hajali has denounced the escalation of Israeli attacks on Lebanon in recent days, calling it an "existential threat" to the Lebanese people in an interview with Euronews. "The huge number of casualties is simply atrocious, unheard of in Lebanon in a single day," Fadj said, referring to the Israeli bombardment on Monday which authorities say has killed over 500 people. Hajali added that he hoped the international community will intervene to help resolve the conflict. The European Union's High Representative for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell has said that he fears the risk of a "full-blown war" following the escalation of tensions in recent days, urging an immediate ceasefire. The European Union has however yet to announce the possibility of sanctions against Israel. Hajali told Euronews that Israeli raids mainly target the defenceless population of Lebanon and accused Israel of not distinguishing between civilian and military targets, which would constitute a violation of international human rights law. The ambassador thanked the European Union for its economic and humanitarian support, which funds the army and hospitals, and for the condemnatory statements of Borrell. He also however called on the EU to go one step further in imposing sanctions on Israel, saying, "So there are several possibilities: the EU institutions and member states can sanction Israel. Or at least review the entire EU-Israel relationship." Israeli Defence Forces claim to have hit dozens of targets of the militant Hezbollah group, which has frequently attacked northern Israel. Hajali told Euronews that the conflict extends beyond attacks on the group and is aimed at Lebanon as a whole. "It is a war against a country, against a people, against civilians. For us, the most important issue is that this war ends. We should stop it now. If this obvious Israeli aggression against our country continues, we will all be united in denouncing it."

Lebanese civilians are fleeing the south, fearing an Israeli invasion − a look back at 1982 suggests they have every reason to worry
Mireille Rebeiz, Dickinson College/The Conversation/September 24, 2024
Lebanese families have been fleeing the country’s south in the thousands amid escalating tensions and an Israeli bombardment that has so far killed hundreds.
Their fear, echoed by many onlookers, is that Israel will accompany the airstrikes with something that has the potential to have far worse consequences: a ground invasion of south Lebanon.
The rational behind such a move, from the Israeli government’s perspective, is that a ground offensive may be its best chance to push Hezbollah fighters beyond the Litani River in the middle of the country. This would achieve an Israeli war goal of securing its northern borders and allowing an estimated 60,000 residents who have been forced to flee northern Israel to go back to their homes. Irrespective of motive, a ground invasion and potential occupation is more than wild speculation. Israel has placed thousands of soldiers on standby close to the Lebanon border for such an eventuality.
Nor is such a move without precedent. As a scholar of Lebanese history, I know Israel and Lebanon have been here before. In 1982, Israel invaded Lebanon in the middle of the latter’s civil war, imposing a siege on the capital Beirut. The results were catastrophic for the whole region. Not only did the ground invasion result in the death of thousands of civilians, the occupation of Lebanon plunged an already fragile nation into lasting political and economic chaos and led to the birth of Hezbollah, the very group that threatens northern Israel today.
Refuge and armed resistance
The Israeli invasion of Lebanon in June 1982 had its roots in the Palestinian–Israeli conflict, much as the fighting between Hezbollah and Israel does today. The creation of the state of Israel in 1948 was accompanied by the Nakba, or “catastrophe,” for the Palestinians. In the violent birth pangs of a Jewish state on land inhabited by, among others, Arab populations with deep ancestral ties to villages, more than 750,000 Palestinians were expelled or fled. Many refugees entered Lebanon, where in 1964 the Palestine Liberation Organization was born. By the mid-1970s, the armed resistance group had recruited and trained over 20,000 fighters who actively participated in launching attacks on Israel from Lebanese soil. By 1982, Lebanon was already seven years into its civil war, with violence flaring between Lebanese Christians and Lebanese and Palestinian Muslims. On June 6, 1982, Israeli Defense Minister Ariel Sharon, a future leader of the country, launched Operation Peace for Galilee and invaded Lebanon with the purpose of eliminating the PLO. More than 40,000 Israeli troops with hundreds of tanks entered Lebanon from three points: by land across the border into south Lebanon; by sea from the coast of Sidon; and by air as the Israeli forces bombed the Beqaa Valley, Beirut and its Palestinian refugee camps. For two months, Beirut was under siege, with water and electricity cut off. As a result of the heavy bombardment and lack of access to basic needs, an estimated 19,000 Lebanese, Syrian and Palestinian civilians and combatants died, of which 5,500 were civilians from West Beirut. The Lebanese authorities appealed to the United States, France, Italy and the United Kingdom for help. These countries formed the multinational peacekeeping force, which was designed to restore peace in Lebanon, assist the Lebanese armed forces and evacuate PLO fighters to Tunisia. By August 1982, the multinational force had successfully relocated PLO fighters and began pulling out of Lebanon. They were called back, however, as violence flared. After the assassination of Lebanese President-elect Bashir Gemayel on Sept. 14, 1982, the Christian Phalangist militia entered the two Palestinian refugee camps of Sabra and Shatila and killed over 2,000 Palestinian civilians. The Israeli government later set up the Kahan Commission of Inquiry to look into the killings, which concluded that Israel was indirectly responsible for the massacres.
The birth of Hezbollah
All of this history remains relevant to the current situation in the region. Israel’s invasion and occupation of Lebanon, its siege on Beirut and the massacres that followed all led to the birth of Hezbollah. While members of Lebanon’s marginalized Shiite community in the south had long sought to mobilize through pan-Arab political parties and militias, it was Israel’s invasion that galvanized members of the community to ultimately create Hezbollah in 1985. As former Israeli Defense Minister and Prime Minister Ehud Barak noted in a 2006 interview: “It was our presence there that created Hezbollah.” Israel’s invasion also soured Lebanon’s relations with the West. Many Lebanese and Palestinian Muslims considered the multinational force – especially the United States – to be a failure and even an accomplice to Israel. From 1982 onward, Americans and other Westerners became a target. In the following decade, more than 80 Americans and Europeans were taken hostage by Hezbollah fighters. Some were tortured for months; others died in custody. And on Oct. 23, 1983, a terrorist attack targeted the American barracks in Beirut, killing over 300 people, including 220 Marines, 18 sailors and three soldiers. Minutes later, a second suicide attack killed 58 French paratroopers. The Islamic jihad claimed responsibility for the two attacks; some of its members are thought to be among those who officially founded Hezbollah in February 1985.
Aiding Hezbollah recruitment
Israel’s 1982 invasion of Lebanon failed to accomplish its goals of stemming attacks on Israel from southern Lebanon. If anything, it had the opposite effect by turning many Lebanese against Israel and creating the conditions in which Hezbollah could recruit. Although Israel retreated from Beirut in August 1982, it continued to occupy south Lebanon until 2000. During that period it unlawfully detained many Lebanese suspected of resisting the Israeli occupation. Some were detained without charges in inhumane conditions, while others were illegally transferred into Israel. People stand on the landing of a structure that has obvious bomb damage. With such a backdrop, Hezbollah’s legitimacy in the eyes of many Lebanese grew – as did its support. So much so that in 1989, at the end of the Lebanese civil war, the authorities signed an agreement that, although not referencing Hezbollah directly, asserted Lebanon’s right to resist the Israeli occupation in the south. This clause was interpreted by Hezbollah as legitimizing its armed fight against occupation. After occupation ended in 2000, Hezbollah had to reinvent its role, claiming that it would continue fighting against Israel until the liberation of the disputed Shebaa Farms, the Golan Heights and occupied Palestine. In 2006, Hezbollah entered Israeli territory for the first time, killing three soldiers and kidnapping two, demanding the release of Lebanese prisoners in exchange. In retaliation, the Israel Defense Forces attacked Lebanon by air, sea and land, with Israeli ground forces entering Lebanon and carrying out a number of operations on Lebanese territory. A subsequent war saw no such prisoner swap but resulted in the deaths of about 1,100 Lebanese civilians and 120 Israelis, mostly soldiers.
History repeating?
Until Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, there had been hopes that decades of hostilities between Lebanon and Israel could be on the cusp of turning. In October 2022, Lebanon and Israel signed a maritime border agreement brokered by the U.S – interpreted as the beginning of normalizing relations between two countries technically at war. But the magnitude of the human crisis in Gaza and the series of events that followed in Lebanon have ended such hopes for now. Hezbollah’s vow of solidarity with Hamas has resulted in a running series of tit-for-tat attacks with Israel that have escalated over the past year.
The attack using booby-trapped pagers that targeted Hezbollah fighters and killed several civilians across Lebanon on Sept. 17, 2024, has set off a chain of events that have now seen nearly 500 Lebanese killed and Hezbollah extend the geographical scope of its missile attacks in Israel. Its long-range ballistic missiles can reach 250-300 kilometers (155-186 miles) and have reached Haifa and the city’s Ramat David Airbase. The next step in this deadly escalation could well be a ground invasion. But in 1982, such an operation resulted only in catastrophic results for all concerned – and set in place the conditions for decades of hostilities across the Lebanon-Israel border. A similar offensive today would almost certainly have similar results – especially for the people of Lebanon. This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit, independent news organization bringing you facts and trustworthy analysis to help you make sense of our complex world. It was written by: Mireille Rebeiz, Dickinson College

The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on September 24-25/2024
Activists protest US support for Israel as risks rise of wider Middle East war
Kanishka Singh/WASHINGTON (Reuters)/September 24, 2024
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Protesters in some U.S. cities demonstrated on Tuesday against American military support for Israel as risks have risen of a full-fledged conflict in the Middle East, with anti-war activists demanding an arms embargo against the U.S. ally. Dozens of protesters gathered in Herald Square in New York City on Tuesday evening and carried banners that read "Hands off Lebanon now" and "no U.S.-Israeli war on Lebanon," according to the ANSWER coalition group, which stands for "Act Now to Stop War and End Racism." Protesters chanted "Hands off the Middle East," "Free Palestine" and "Biden, Harris, Trump and Bibi; none are welcome in our city," referring to U.S. President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, former President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. A smaller protest with similar slogans and banners was also seen near the White House in Washington on a rainy Tuesday evening. "Israel's attacks in Lebanon and the ongoing siege and genocide in Gaza are made possible by the huge amount of bombs, missiles and warplanes provided by the U.S. government," the ANSWER coalition group said in a statement. It said protests were also being organized on Tuesday in other cities like San Francisco, Seattle, San Antonio and Phoenix, among others. Israel says its actions are an act of self-defense against militant groups like Hamas and Hezbollah that it considers hostile. The United States has maintained support for its ally during this war despite domestic and international criticism. In May, Biden said U.S. support for Israel was "ironclad", while also calling for an immediate ceasefire. "What's happening in Gaza is not genocide. We reject that," Biden said at a Jewish American Heritage Month event at the White House. The United States has seen months of protests over Israel's war in Gaza that has killed over 41,000, according to the local health ministry, caused a hunger crisis, displaced the entire 2.3 million population of the enclave and led to genocide allegations at the World Court that Israeli denies. Israel's military assault on Hamas-governed Gaza followed a deadly attack by the Palestinian Islamist group on Oct. 7 that killed around 1,200 people and in which about 250 were taken as hostages, according to Israeli tallies. Israel's offensive in Lebanon since Monday morning has killed over 560 people, including 50 children, and wounded 1,800. Israel says it has struck targets of Lebanese Hezbollah militants who are supported by Iran while Hezbollah has also said it fired rockets at Israeli military posts. The situation has raised concerns of a widened regional war that could destabilize the Middle East. Leaders of different United Nations member states met this week in the United States with the situation in the Middle East being top of the agenda.

Sweden says Iran was behind thousands of text messages calling for revenge over Quran burnings
Jan M. Olsen/COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) /September 24, 2024
Swedish authorities accused Iran on Tuesday of being responsible for thousands of text messages sent to people in Sweden calling for revenge over the burnings of Islam's holy book in 2023. Iran denied the accusation. According to officials in Stockholm, the cyberattack was carried out by Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, which hacked an SMS service and sent “some 15,000 text messages in Swedish” over the string of public burnings of the Quran that took place over several months in Sweden during the summer of 2023. Senior prosecutor Mats Ljungqvist said a preliminary investigation by Sweden’s SAPO domestic security agency showed “it was the Iranian state via the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, IRGC, that carried out a data breach at a Swedish company that runs a major SMS service.”The Swedish company was not named. The Iranian Embassy in Sweden in a statement rejected the accusation as “baseless” and said it was intended to “poison” relations between Tehran and Stockholm, the official IRNA news agency reported. The embassy expects the Swedish government to prevent the spread of such statements, the report said. In August 2023, Swedish media reported that a large number of people in Sweden had received text messages in Swedish calling for revenge against people who were burning the Quran, Ljungqvist said, adding that the sender of the messages was “a group calling itself the Anzu team.”Swedish broadcaster SVT published a photo of a text message, saying that “those who desecrated the Quran must have their work covered in ashes” and calling Swedes “demons.”The protests were held under the freedom of speech act, which is protected under the Swedish constitution. The rallies were approved by police. However, the incidents left Sweden torn between its commitment to free speech and its respect for religious minorities. The clash of fundamental principles had complicated Sweden’s desire to join NATO, an expansion that gained urgency after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine but needed the approval of all alliance members. Turkey and its President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had temporarily blocked Sweden's accession, citing reasons including anti-Turkish and anti-Islamic protests in Stockholm but Sweden finally became a NATO member in March. At the time, the Swedish government said it “strongly rejects the Islamophobic act committed by individuals in Sweden,” adding that the desecrations did not reflect the country's stand. In July last year, Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei issued a statement saying that “the insult to the Holy Quran in Sweden is a bitter, conspiratorial, dangerous event” and that the desecrations have “created feelings of hatred and enmity" in Muslim nations toward the people burning the Quran and their governments. In a separate statement, SAPO’s operational manager Fredrik Hallström said Tuesday that the intent of the text messages was to "paint the image of Sweden as an Islamophobic country and create division in society.”He accused “foreign powers" of seeking to “exploit vulnerabilities” and said they were "now acting more and more aggressively, and this is a development that is likely to escalate.” He did not name any specific country. Meanwhile, Sweden's justice minister, Gunnar Strömmer, told Swedish news agency TT “that a state actor, in this case Iran, according to (SAPO's) assessment is behind an action that aims to destabilize Sweden or increase polarization in our country is of course very serious.” There is no law in Sweden specifically prohibiting the burning or desecration of the Quran or other religious texts. Like many Western countries, Sweden doesn’t have any blasphemy laws. “Since the actors are acting for a foreign power, in this case Iran, we make the assessment that the conditions for prosecution abroad or extradition to Sweden are lacking for the persons suspected of being behind the breach,“ Ljungqvist said. Ljungqvist, who is with the Sweden's top prosecution authority, said that although the preliminary investigation has been closed, it “does not mean that the suspected hackers have been completely written off” and that the probe could be reopened. Sweden’s domestic security agency in May accused Iran of using established criminal networks in Sweden as a proxy to target Israeli or Jewish interests in the Scandinavian country. Iran’s Embassy in Sweden could not be reached for a comment on Tuesday.

What to know from the UN: Biden stops by, Gaza takes the spotlight, a dour world outlook prevails
Jennifer Peltz And Edith M. Lederer/UNITED NATIONS (AP)/September 24, 2024
The world's leaders gathered in New York for the beginning of their annual meeting at the U.N. General Assembly. Let’s just say the vibe was pretty grim. Leader after leader spoke of the wars in Ukraine, Gaza, and Sudan, climate problems, exclusion from U.N. decision making, poor nations struggling to feed their populations. “I cannot recall a time of greater peril than this,” said KING ABDULLAH II of Jordan.A few speakers, including U.S. President JOE BIDEN, tried to push a message of hope for the future. "We are stronger than we think. We are stronger together than alone," Biden said. "And what the people call impossible is just an illusion.”But the U.S. was the target of much veiled criticism for acting unilaterally on the response to the Gaza war: “Impunity” was the word of the day. Here’s your daily guide to what’s going on at the United Nations this week, day by day:
From the podium
WAR IN GAZA: Many delegates focused their speeches on the war in Gaza. Jordan’s Abdullah said Israel’s campaigns are undermining a key part of the international system protecting human rights. He listed as examples: the bombing of U.N. shelters and schools; inability for U.N. workers to assist; and humanitarian workers being subsumed by the conflict. As for the idea of Palestinians finding new homes in Jordan, he said, forced displacement is a war crime and “that will never happen.”Turkish President RECEP TAYYIP ERDOGAN called the U.N. a “dysfunctional, unwieldy and inert structure,” and told delegates that “international peace and security are too important to be left to the arbitrariness of the privileged five” permanent members of the Security Council. He called for the Security Council to impose sanctions on Israel and said the general assembly should recommend the use of force to achieve an immediate cease-fire in Gaza, the exchange of prisoners, and the unhindered delivery of humanitarian aid. Brazilian President LUIZ INÁCIO LULA DASILVA said: “The right to self defense became a right for vengeance, which prevents a deal for the release of hostages and delays a ceasefire.”
Biden repeated his calls for a cease-fire and the return of hostages: “Full-scale war is not in anyone’s interest." IRAN: In his first speech at the U.N. General Assembly’s annual gathering of world leaders, President MASOUD PEZESHKIAN struck a somewhat more measured tone than his predecessors often have in recent years. “I aim to lay a strong foundation for my country’s entry into a new era, positioning it to play an effective and constructive role in the evolving global order,” said Pezeshkian, a heart surgeon who ran as a reformer. He took office in July. LGBTQ+ RIGHTS: Erdogan criticized the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics in July, which featured drag queens and was widely misinterpreted as a representation of Christ’s last supper with his disciplines. He called it a “disgrace” that “revealed the dimensions of the threat we face as humanity.” Erdogan, whose government has clamped down on LGBTQ+ events in recent years, added: “Anyone who raises a voice against this destruction project and shows the slightest reaction is silenced and becomes the target of lynching campaigns," he said. “Turkey is determined to break this siege and resist this climate of fear at all cost.”
On the sidelines
Israel’s envoy to the U.N. says his country doesn’t want to send troops into Lebanon but will do “whatever necessary” to halt the Hezbollah rocket fire that has driven tens of thousands of Israelis from their country’s north. “We prefer a diplomatic solution. But if it’s not working, we are using other methods to show the other side that we mean business,” said Ambassador DANNY DANON.
White House Principal Deputy National Security Adviser JON FINER said that Biden administration officials were in talks with allies to help find an off-ramp to the escalating tensions between Israel and Hezbollah. “We’re working on that it real time right here in New York and in capitals around the world,” Finer said in an appearance at an event hosted by the news site Axios. He sidestepped questions about whether the fighting has already become the all-out war that the U.S. had been pressing Israel to avoid with Lebanon as it continues its nearly year-long conflict in Gaza. But he underscored that a “big war, a wider war” is neither in Israel or Lebanon’s interest.
Climate moment
In the buildup to introducing Biden for a climate speech in New York, actress and activist JANE FONDA changed some words, some accidentally, some not so to call attention to climate change. In talking about Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, Fonda slipped and started to called it the “Inflammation” Reduction Act and then corrected it, saying inflammation actually works too, given global temperatures. Then in discussing fossil fuels that cause climate change, Fonda was blunt and profane: “Forget natural gas, but the f—-ing fossil gas. There’s nothing natural about it, and it’s terrible for people and the environment.”
Voices you might have missed
Several leaders from Africa complained again this year about the lack of permanent representation on the U.N. Security Council. “Africa and its 1.4 billion people remain excluded from its key decision-making structures,” said CYRIL RAMAPHOSA, the president of South Africa. “The U.N. Security Council must be reformed as a matter of urgency. It must become more inclusive so that the voices of all nations are heard and considered.” El Salvador President NAYIB BUKELE boasted of his country’s security turnaround, moving the tiny Central American nation from one of the world’s most dangerous countries to one of its safest. Bukele was reelected by a landslide to an unprecedented second term in February largely on his security record of crippling the country’s once-powerful street gangs. The media-savvy millennial leader has locked up more than 81,000 people under a state of emergency now in place for more than 2 1/2 years that suspends some fundamental rights. “Some say that we have jailed thousands, but the reality is that we have freed millions,” Bukele said. “Now it’s the good (people) who live free, without fear, with their freedoms and human rights totally respected.”
"Security is not only about having strong armies and weapons of mass destruction. True security will only be achieved with trust, equality and prosperity for all peoples."
— SADYR ZHAPAROV, president of Kyrgyzstan
Something you probably don't know
Of all the United Nations' 193 countries, Brazil had the first word at the General Assembly’s big annual debate Tuesday — as it has since the early days of the U.N. Why? Because back then, Brazil volunteered to speak first when no other nation would. A tradition was born. The United States typically goes second because it hosts the U.N. headquarters in New York. Everyone else’s speaking slot is determined by multiple variables, including how high-level the speaker is (a head of state versus a cabinet member, for instance), countries’ own preferences and geographic balance.
One notable number
Number of times U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the word “impunity” in his opening speech Tuesday: 5
Quotable
“My fellow leaders, let us never forget some things are more important than staying in power. It’s your people that matter the most. Never forget, we are here to serve the people, not the other way around.”
— Biden, who won applause when he used his decision not to run for re-election as fuel for calling all leaders -- particularly autocrats in the room -- to focus on democracy ahead of personal power
“Not only children are dying in Gaza; the United Nations system is also dying, the truth is dying, the values that the West claims to defend are dying, the hopes of humanity to live in a fairer world are dying one by one."
—Erdogan, speaking about the nations he says blindly support Israel, at the cost of tens of thousands of Palestinian lives.
Up next
Ukrainian President VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, the leader of a nation at war, will address the General Assembly on Wednesday. Also Wednesday, the Security Council will hold a meeting about the situation in Lebanon.
*AP writers Seth Borenstein, Michael Weissenstein, Marcos Alemán, Matthew Weis and Matthew Lee contributed. See more of AP’s coverage of the U.N. General Assembly at https://apnews.com/hub/united-nations

IAEA chief sees willingness from Iran to re-engage on nuclear file
John Irish/UNITED NATIONS (Reuters)/September 24, 2024
U.N. nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi said on Tuesday he had sensed a greater willingness by Iranian officials to engage with the agency in a more meaningful way after talks in New York, and that he hoped to travel to Tehran in October. Several long-standing issues have dogged relations between Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency, including Tehran's barring of uranium-enrichment experts on the inspection team and its failure for years to explain uranium traces found at undeclared sites. Grossi held talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, one of the key architects to the 2015 accord that limited Iran's ability to enrich uranium in return for a lifting of Western sanctions, on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly. "What I see is an expressed willingness to re-engage with us in a more meaningful fashion," Grossi told Reuters in an interview. With nuclear diplomacy largely stalled between the Iranian presidential election and the U.S. one on Nov. 5, Iranian and European officials have met in New York to test their mutual willingness to reduce tensions amid Tehran's disputed nuclear program, its role in Ukraine and mounting regional tensions. Grossi said he wanted to make real progress in restoring proper technical discussions with Iran quickly and was aiming to travel to Tehran in October to meet with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. "Of course now we have to give content and substance to this because we are not starting from zero. We have had relatively protracted process without replies to some of the questions we have," he said. "We also need to calibrate together with them how we go through this period where they are waiting to see what is going to happen with their other partners, starting with the United States." IAEA board resolutions ordering Iran to cooperate urgently with the investigation into the uranium traces and calling on it to reverse its barring of inspectors have brought little change, and quarterly IAEA reports seen by Reuters on Aug. 29 showed no progress. Development of Iran's nuclear programme has also advanced. By the end of the quarter, the latest IAEA reports showed Iran had completed installation of eight new cascades at Fordow but still not brought them online. At its larger underground site at Natanz, which is enriching to up to 5% purity, it had brought 15 new cascades of other advanced models online.
"Iran has kept a regular pace without accelerating too much, but it continues," Grossi said, adding that the Fordow cascades remained offline. Iran has stepped up nuclear work since 2019, after then-U.S. President Donald Trump abandoned an agreement reached under his predecessor Barack Obama. When asked about the prospects of a revival of nuclear talks, Grossi said the preparatory work needed to start now, notably for the IAEA to get the necessary clarity on Iran's activities since it reduced cooperation with the agency.
"I think we need to, or the ambition should be to get results in a different way, because the old way is simply not going to be possible anymore," he said, adding that he foresaw a more active role for the agency.

US Navy replenishment ship operating in Mideast was damaged after refueling warships, officials say
Jon Gambrell And Tara Copp/DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP)/September 24, 2024
A U.S. Navy replenishment ship operating in the Middle East sustained damage after refueling vessels and the cause is under investigation, officials said Tuesday. The USNS Big Horn was damaged after it resupplied the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier strike group. The carrier group remains in the region amid heightened tensions over the Israel-Hamas war and Israel's ongoing strikes targeting Hezbollah in Lebanon. A U.S. Navy official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss matters yet to be made public, declined to elaborate on where the damage took place. A photo released by the U.S. military dated Sept. 5 showed sailors aboard the Lincoln receiving supplies from the Big Horn, while another on Sept. 11 showed the Big Horn alongside the Lincoln. The Lincoln is patrolling the Arabian Sea. The official said the Big Horn's crew was safe and there was no sign of an oil leak from the vessel. Another U.S. official, who spoke on condition of anonymity for the same reason, said the vessel was being supported by private tugboats to head into a port and an assessment of the damage was still ongoing. Rumors about the Big Horn's condition began circulating early Tuesday after images posted to a website tracking shipping called gCaptain showed flooding purportedly on board the Henry J. Kaiser-class fleet replenishment oiler. The website described the Big Horn as having “ran aground ... and partially flooded off the coast of Oman.” Though the Lincoln is powered by a nuclear reactor, its strike group has vessels powered by fossil fuel that need to be resupplied at sea. The aircraft aboard the Lincoln also need jet fuel. The Big Horn and other ships like it also provide other supplies. The U.S. official called the damage to the refueler an inconvenience, but said the fleet would continue to be able to operate without it. The strike group's destroyers can refuel in port and they can transport aviation fuel to the carrier to supply the on-board fighter jets and surveillance aircraft. Oilers like the Big Horn typically have around 80 civilians and five military personnel on board. It remains unclear if there are any other replenishment ships like it immediately available in the Mideast. An AP survey of publicly released military images of similar replenishment ships run by the U.S. Navy's Military Sealift Command showed none in the Mideast in recent months. The command declined to comment.

Trump praises Russia's military record in argument to stop funding Ukraine's fight
Adriana Gomez Licon/SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP)/September 24, 2024
Donald Trump on Tuesday praised Russia's military record in historical conflicts and derided U.S. aid to Ukraine as he again insisted he would quickly end the war launched by Moscow's invasion if elected president.Speaking in Savannah, Georgia, Trump mocked President Joe Biden's frequent refrain that the U.S. would back the Ukrainian armed forces until Kyiv wins the war. He raised two long ago conflicts to suggest Moscow would not lose — the former Soviet Union's role in defeating Adolf Hitler and the Nazis in World War II in the 1940s, and French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte's failed invasion of Russia more than a century earlier. Trump insisted that the U.S. had “to get out," though he did not specify how he would negotiate an ending to U.S. involvement in the war. "Biden says, ‘We will not leave until we win,’” Trump said, lowering his voice to mimic the Democratic president. “What happens if they win? That’s what they do, is they fight wars. As somebody told me the other day, they beat Hitler, they beat Napoleon. That’s what they do. They fight. And it’s not pleasant.” An official on Trump's campaign also said Tuesday that the Republican nominee will not meet this week with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who is visiting the U.S. to attend the opening of the U.N. General Assembly. No meeting had been scheduled between the two, according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal planning, despite a statement from Ukrainian officials last week that said Zelenskyy had planned to see the former president. Trump on Tuesday repeated his characterization of Zelenskyy as “the greatest salesman on Earth” for winning U.S. aid to help Ukraine. “Every time Zelenskyy comes to the United States, he walks away with $100 billion,” Trump said, erroneously. The U.S. has provided more than $56 billion in security assistance since Russia invaded in 2022, according to the State Department. Trump and Zelenskyy have a long history dating back to the former U.S. president's time in the White House. The then-president pressured Zelenskyy to open investigations of Biden and his son Hunter as well as a cybersecurity firm Trump falsely linked to Ukraine. That call — and the hold placed by the White House on $400 million in military aid — led to Trump's first impeachment. Zelenskyy plans to meet with Biden and Harris in Washington. Earlier this week, in an interview with The New Yorker, Zelenskyy implied Trump does not understand and oversimplifies the conflict, and said his running mate JD Vance is “too radical” and essentially advocates for Ukraine to “make a sacrifice” by “giving up its territories.” On Monday, Trump's son Donald Jr. criticized Zelenskyy on X, reminding his followers that the suspect in his father's second assassination attempt had lambasted Trump's approach to foreign policy, including the war in Ukraine. “So a foreign leader who has received billions of dollars in funding from American taxpayers, comes to our country and has the nerve to attack the GOP ticket for President?” he posted.

War comes home to Russia in tranquil lakeside town
Lucy Papachristou and Mark Trevelyan/LONDON (Reuters)/September 24, 2024
Elena is scouring the town for window glass. Irina wants boards and beams to fix holes in her roof. Nearly a week after a Ukrainian drone blew up an ammunition depot in the Russian town of Toropets, triggering an explosion as powerful as a small earthquake, its people are struggling to repair homes and grappling with the shock of what hit them, judging by posts in a community chatroom. In the days before the attack, the small lakeside town of just over 11,000 residents had hosted a sailing competition for teenagers from across Russia, earning a rare mention on state television. Weeks earlier, it marked the 950th anniversary of its founding with an arts and music festival and a special tasting of local fish soup. Toropets is a striking example of a quiet town far from the frontlines in Ukraine where the war, raging now for more than two and a half years, has suddenly come home to Russia. Pictures captured by satellite imaging company Maxar reveal the scale of destruction near the weapons store, which lay between two lakes about 5 km (3 miles) from the town centre. Images taken before the explosion show an extensive complex of more than four dozen buildings spaced out several metres apart, with a crane offloading material from railcars nearby. Six years ago, a then-deputy defence minister boasted of the facility's state-of-the-art concrete storage bunkers, designed to store missiles, ammunition and explosives. "It ensures their reliable and safe storage, protects them from air and missile strikes and even from the damaging factors of a nuclear explosion", the RIA state news agency quoted Dmitry Bulgakov as saying. He was arrested on bribery charges in July. The Maxar images, taken four days after the Ukrainian drone strike, show the complex in ruins, with a massive crater stretching nearly 82 metres (270 feet) wide. Several storage buildings and bunkers are completely obliterated, surrounded by naked tree trunks stripped of their foliage. A rail line running through a forested area nearby has also taken a hit, with several cars smashed to smithereens.
SPECIAL OPERATION
When President Vladimir Putin launched his February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, he called it a "special military operation", not a war. The phrase, still used by the Kremlin, seemed designed to reassure Russians that normal life would carry on undisturbed while the army got the job done.
Over time, however, the impact on Russia's own security has become impossible to hide. Scores of people have been killed by shelling and drone attacks on the western Belgorod region. In August, Ukraine sent thousands of troops into neighbouring Kursk and carved out a slice of territory from which Russia has yet to eject them. This month, a drone strike killed a woman in Moscow. Yet deadly attacks on Russian soil have not translated into serious public questioning of Putin's narrative, given his repression of political opponents and dominance of state media.
The Kremlin has portrayed the strikes as "terrorist" acts by a Ukrainian leadership in thrall to the United States. It has warned the U.S. and its allies they will be fighting Moscow directly, and will face serious consequences, if they give the green light for Ukraine to strike deep inside Russia with long-range missiles. Many Russians are trying to ignore the reality of the war, according to data from Levada, a respected independent pollster. In August, it found 34% of respondents were "quite attentively" following the conflict and 19% were tracking it closely, compared with 47% who were not paying much or any attention. Just under a third of people were worried about the state of the "special military operation", compared with 52% who were fretting about rising prices. Judging by comments posted on VK, Russia's leading social media site, the residents of Toropets do not expect their plight to resonate widely with fellow Russians. State media gave scant coverage to last week's attack. Many locals reacted with bitterness and scepticism when people from other regions posted sympathetic messages in the hours after the huge blast. There were signs of panic, as people who had fled inquired about missing relatives or pets and asked whether buildings were still standing. Some messages showed anger at the authorities - one woman accused them of negligence and demanded to know why the ammunition had not been stored underground. Others were defiant. One woman from the town, Yulia Burlakova, told Reuters in an online exchange that the reaction of locals had been "steadfast and calm, in defiance of our enemies." In a community chat on VK, she posted a copy of a patriotic poem entitled "We will stand our ground". Since the attack, regional governor Igor Rudenya has visited the town to inspect rebuilding work, and authorities have set up a hotline for people in need of food, water, blankets and other essentials. One woman told Reuters she had been unable to get through by phone to ask for help for her relatives, whose windows had been smashed by the strength of the blast.
She said she planned to submit a written request and then wait for an inspection team to visit her family's home. "Judging by everything, it will take a long time," she said.

Iran brokering talks to send advanced Russian missiles to Yemen's Houthis, sources say
John Irish, Parisa Hafezi and Jonathan Landay/UNITED NATIONS (Reuters)/September 24, 2024
Iran has brokered ongoing secret talks between Russia and Yemen's Houthi rebels to transfer anti-ship missiles to the militant group, three Western and regional sources said, a development that highlights Tehran's deepening ties to Moscow. Seven sources said that Russia has yet to decide to transfer the Yakhont missiles – also known as P-800 Oniks - which experts said would allow the militant group to more accurately strike commercial vessels in the Red Sea and increase the threat to the U.S. and European warships defending them. The Wall Street Journal reported in July that Russia was considering sending the missiles. Iran's role as an intermediary has not been previously reported. The Houthis have launched repeated drone and missile strikes on ships in the crucial Red Sea shipping channels since November to show support for Palestinians in the Gaza war with Israel.
They have sunk at least two vessels and seized another, disrupting global maritime trade by forcing shipping firms to divert cargos and, according to industry sources, driven up insurance costs for ships plying the Red Sea. In response, the United States and Britain have struck Houthi positions but have failed to stop the group's attacks. Two regional officials aware of the talks said that the Houthis and Russians met in Tehran at least twice this year and that the talks to provide dozens of the missiles, which have a range of about 300 km (186 miles), were ongoing with further Tehran meetings expected in coming weeks.
Russia has previously supplied the Yakhont missile to Iran-backed Hezbollah. One of the sources said the talks started under Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash in May. "Russia is negotiating with the Houthis for the transfer of Yakhont supersonic anti-ship missiles," said a Western intelligence source. "The Iranians are brokering the talks but do not want to have their signature over it." Neither Iran's U.N. mission nor the Russian Defense Ministry responded to requests for comment. "We have no knowledge of what you have mentioned," said Mohamed Abdel-Salam, the official spokesman for Yemen's Houthis. A senior U.S. official declined to name the specific systems that could be transferred but confirmed that Russia has been discussing supplying missiles to the Houthis, calling the development "very worrisome." A U.S. Defense Department official said any efforts to bolster the Houthis' capabilities would "undermine the shared international interest in global freedom of navigation and stability in the Red Sea and broader Middle East.”
CLOSER RUSSIA-IRAN LINKS
Russia and Iran have been nurturing closer military ties amid Russia's war in Ukraine. Tehran has allegedly transferred ballistic missiles to Moscow for use against Ukraine, the United States said earlier this month. One motivation for Moscow to arm the Houthis, three sources said, is the possibility that Western states could decide to allow Ukraine to use their weapons to strike farther into Russian territory. The senior U.S. official said the Russia-Houthi talks “seem to be related to our posture in Ukraine and what we’re willing or not willing to do” regarding Kyiv’s requests for the lifting of restrictions on its use of long-range U.S.-supplied weapons to strike targets deep inside Russia. Russian President Vladimir Putin warned in June that Moscow could send advanced long-range weapons - similar to those the United States and its allies give Ukraine - to the West's adversaries around the world. The Yakhont is considered one of the world's most advanced anti-ship missiles, designed to skim the sea's surface to avoid detection at more than twice the speed of sound, making it difficult to intercept.
'GAME CHANGER' FOR REGIONAL SECURITY
Fabian Hinz, an expert on ballistic missiles with the International Institute for Strategic Studies, said that the transfer of Yakhont missiles by Russia to the Houthis would be a “game changer” for regional security. "The P-800 is a far more capable system than the anti-ship ballistic and cruise missiles the Houthis have used so far,” said Hinz. Not only could the Houthis fire them at U.S., British and other warships that have been protecting commercial vessels in the Red Sea from Houthi drone and missile attacks, but they can be used as land-attack weapons that Saudi Arabia would see as a threat, Hinz said. The senior U.S. official said that a delegation of U.S. officials discussed the Russia-Houthi negotiations with their Saudi counterparts during a visit to Saudi Arabia this summer, and that Washington has raised the issue with Moscow. The Saudis have also conveyed their concerns directly to the Russians, three sources told Reuters. The Saudi government did not respond to a request for comment. Hinz said Russia would need to help with the technical aspects of a missile delivery, including how to transfer and make them operational without the United States detecting and destroying the weapons. The Houthis would also need training on the system. The senior U.S. official warned of dire consequences if the transfer takes place. “The Saudis are alarmed. We are alarmed, and other regional partners are alarmed,” the official said. “The Houthis are already creating enough damage in the Red Sea, and this would enable them to do more.”

Iran seeks to calm Iraqi infighting over spy dispute as region flares up
Timour Azhari/BAGHDAD/BEIRUT (Reuters) /September 24, 2024
Iran's Quds Force commander told Iraqi political leaders last week to ease criticism of the prime minister who has been embroiled in a row over spying allegations, sources said, seeking to steady a regional ally as conflict in the Middle East flares. Esmail Qaani made the request during a visit to Baghdad, according to seven Iraqi sources, including people in political parties whose leaders the Iranian commander met. A regional diplomat confirmed the account. All the sources asked not to be named because the meetings were held in private. The move to avert any weakening of Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani reflects concerns in Iran about instability on its doorstep in Iraq, where Tehran has long wielded influence via a range of Iran-backed armed groups and Shi'ite Muslim parties. Tehran is keen to avoid further pressure on its regional alliances after the almost year-long Gaza war, which has hammered Hamas, and amid an escalating conflict in Lebanon that has put huge pressure on Tehran's key regional ally, Hezbollah. The Quds Force is the overseas branch of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC). The IRGC and Iran's Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Qaani told Iraqi leaders in the Coordination Framework, a grouping of Shi'ite Muslim parties that picked Sudani for the job, not to undermine the prime minister amid allegations his office spied on top Iraqi officials and politicians. Qaani said stability in Iraq was vital amid the regional violence. The spying allegations, which have been denied by advisers to Sudani and for which no evidence has been publicly presented, were aired by lawmakers and major media organisations last month and have caused a stir in Iraq.
PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS NEXT YEAR
Loyalists and independent observers say prime minister Sudani's political opponents stoked the allegations to try to weaken him before parliamentary elections next year. Parties critical of him say the allegations are serious. Iraq's judiciary has opened a probe into the matter overseen by Faiq Zaidan, the head of the Supreme Judicial Council, and some Iraqi officials said the results of the probe could determine whether the prime minister continues in his job. For Sudani, the dispute comes at a delicate moment. He is seeking to rebuild the economy after decades of conflict ahead of elections and to balance the influence of well-armed, Iran-backed factions while negotiating a drawdown of U.S.-led forces in Iraq, where Washington has maintained a contingent for years. Renad Mansour at the London-based Chatham House think tank said Iran wanted to prevent tensions in Iraq, where rivalries have often turned violent, before parliamentary polls in 2025. "At a crucial moment for Iran when it's trying to respond to Israeli aggression, the Iraqi groups are infighting in a way that's destabilising. The last thing Iran wants now is a political mess in Iraq," Mansour said. It's not the first time Qaani has intervened in Iraq in a moment of crisis.
In February, he asked armed factions that Iran backs in Iraq to cease attacks on U.S. forces after a strike by one group on a U.S. base in Jordan, on Iraq's western border, killed three U.S. troops, Reuters reported at the time. There were no attacks for months afterwards.

Iran's president tells the UN that his country wants to play a 'constructive role' in world affairs
Jennifer Peltz And Michael Weissenstein/UNITED NATIONS (AP)/September 24, 2024
Iran’s new president signaled to world leaders Tuesday that he wants to open a “constructive” chapter in his country’s international relations — but he made clear that everyone else, including the United States, needs to do their part. In his first speech at the U.N. General Assembly’s annual gathering of world leaders, Masoud Pezeshkian struck a somewhat more measured tone than his predecessors often have in recent years. “I aim to lay a strong foundation for my country’s entry into a new era, positioning it to play an effective and constructive role in the evolving global order,” said Pezeshkian, a heart surgeon who ran as a reformer. He took office in July. Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, opened the door last month to renewed negotiations with the United States over his country’s rapidly advancing nuclear program, telling Iran’s civilian government there was “no harm” in engaging with its “enemy.” The United States, under former President Donald Trump, withdrew in 2018 from Iran’s deal with several Western nations to curtail its nuclear program in exchange for getting sanctions lifted. It remains unclear just how much room Pezeshkian will have to maneuver, particularly as tensions remain high in the wider Middle East over the Israel-Hamas war and as the U.S. prepares for a presidential election in November. Pezeshkian, like Iranian presidents before him, had sharp words Tuesday for Israel. He accused the nation of “atrocities,” “colonialism,” “crimes against humanity” and “desperate barbarism” as it fights Hamas in Gaza and exchanges fire with Hezbollah in Lebanon. Iran backs both militant groups. Israel’s heavy bombardment of Lebanon in recent days “cannot go unanswered,” he said. He added that consequences would be borne by governments he described as thwarting efforts to end the “catastrophe” in the Middle East while calling themselves champions of human rights, an apparent reference to the United States and allied Western powers. Washington has been attempting, with Egypt and Qatar, to get Israel and Hamas to agree to a cease-fire deal. But it has been elusive, and now the developments in Lebanon stand to complicate the efforts further. Directly addressing the American people, Pezeshkian listed a number of Iranian grievances — from sanctions to the 2020 killing of Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani in a Trump-era U.S. drone strike — and then urged “all states pursuing a counterproductive strategy towards Iran” to “learn from history.” “We have the opportunity to transcend these limitations and enter into a new era. This era will commence with the acknowledgement of Iran’s security concerns and cooperation on mutual challenges,” he said, appealing anew for sanctions relief.
“I hope that this message from Iran is carefully heard today,” the new president concluded.There was no immediate response from the U.S. or Israel.

The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources on September 24-25/2024
He Targeted My Child for Sexual Exploitation': The Persecution of Christians, August 2024
Raymond Ibrahim/Gatestone Institute/September 24, 2024
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2024/09/134812/
ريموند إبراهيم من موقع كايتستون: قائمة مفصلة بأحداث ووقائع اضطهاد المسيحيين في العديد من الدول خلال شهر أب 2024
"لقد استهدف طفلي للاستغلال الجنسي": اضطهاد المسيحيين، أغسطس/آب 2024
(ترجمة من الإنكليزية بواسطة موقع غوغل)
Muslim militants slit the throats of about 26 people inside a church: "All non-Muslim men over the age of 12 were separated out before being killed." — acnuk.org, August 30, 2024, Burkina Faso.
"So let everyone know that the role of Christians in Lebanon has ended! You have become a minority in this country, and yet you still hold high positions... Nobody would accept this issue. The coming generations will... not accept that the president must be Christian; he must be a Sunni Muslim or Shi'ite." — Reda Saad, pro-Hezbollah commentator, x.com, August 18, 2024.
"We informed the police about the accused, but they still did not take any action, giving sufficient time to Asad to convert the minor child and contract an Islamic marriage with her.... Fairy is just 12 years old. She had no access to a cell phone and rarely went out of the home by herself...." — Parveen Shaukat, mother of Fairy Shaukat,12, abducted, converted and married by Muhammad Assad; morningstarnews.org, August 28, 2024, Pakistan.
"The accused not only kidnapped the child, he converted her and contracted an Islamic marriage to save himself from prosecution [a common practice by kidnappers to sexually exploit underage non-Muslim girls]." — Sumera Shafique, Christian attorney; morningstarnews.org, August 28, 2024, Pakistan.
"Women who disappear and are never recovered must live an unimaginable nightmare. The large majority of these women are never reunited with their families or friends because police response in Egypt is dismissive and corrupt." — Coptic Solidary report, "'Jihad of the Womb': Trafficking of Coptic Women & Girls in Egypt", copticsolidarity.org, September 10, 2020, Egypt.
On August 5, a Muslim migrant from North Africa was arrested for robbing a church in Turin. There were many other acts of arson, desecration (including of a Christian cemetery), statue breaking, and thefts targeting churches in Italy throughout the month of August — torinotoday.it, August 6, 2024, Italy.
On Sunday, Aug. 18, a mob consisting of local officials forcibly dragged a Christian pastor from his church and sealed off its site on the dubious claim that the place had originally belonged to the government.... "What was disappointing was those people who closed my church were my friends...." — morningstarnews.org, September 3, 2024, Indonesia.
On Aug. 30, a massive fire "broke out" in the Coptic Christian Diocese of Beni Suef in Egypt, consuming all of the five-story Christian building's contents.... [T]his is only the latest of many churches in Egypt to be torched and immediately attributed to "faulty wires" and other natural causes. In one month alone, August 2022, a full 11 churches reportedly "caught fire."... Also "interesting" is that "accidental" fires in mosques—which outnumber churches in Egypt by a ratio of 40 to 1—are completely unheard of." — copticslodarity.org, September 2, 2024, Egypt.
On August 4, the tabernacle of Saint Pierre Church, in Lège Cap-Ferret, France, was broken and set on fire, and its religious statues and icons were smashed on the floor. (Image source: Henry Salomé/Wikimedia Commons)
The following are among the abuses and murders inflicted on Christians by Muslims throughout the month of August 2024.
Muslim Slaughter of, Violence against, and Hate for Christians
Burkina Faso: According to an Aug. 30 report, Muslims had slaughtered more than 100 Christians, and kidnapped many more in just three months, between late May and late August. During the latest reported atrocity, which occurred on Sunday, Aug. 25, Muslim militants slit the throats of about 26 people inside a church: "All non-Muslim men over the age of 12 were separated out before being killed." Not content with killing, they also vandalized the church, "tried to desecrate the tabernacle, and painted inscriptions on the wall that had a fresco of the Sacred Heart of Jesus."
Uganda: On Aug. 19, sword-wielding Muslims slaughtered Yowabu Sebakaki, a 52-year-old Christian man who had been leading Muslims to Christ. Earlier in the summer, Sebakaki had, according to his wife, received threatening text messages, including:
"We are aware of some secret meeting you are undertaking. You have to stop preaching as well as converting our faithful Muslims to Christianity, and if not, then soon we are coming for your life."
Sebakaki was murdered while returning home from a meeting with converts. David Nkomba, who had accompanied him on the trip home, said,
"Just when we were five kilometers from reaching the homestead, at around 6:20 p.m. a motorcycle came up just behind us, and in no given time Sebakaki was struck with an object which happened to be a 'panga' [long Somali sword] on the back near the neck. He fell down and then was cut by another panga at the head. Sebakaki became unconscious due to too much bleeding.... Other attackers were shouting, 'Your time has come, and pray hard if your God will save you – you have been deceiving people about life after death given by Issa [Jesus].' I took off, but I managed to recognize one of the attackers as Rashid Siriman, a well-known radical Muslim youth from Mbale."
Sebakaki was rushed to a hospital but died en route.
Ireland: On Aug. 15, a Muslim teen randomly stabbed and nearly killed a Catholic chaplain. Prosecution described the attack as "indiscriminate, unprovoked, frenzied, and arbitrary." According to the report,
"The 16-year-old boy, who cannot be named because he is a minor, was charged with stabbing Fr Paul Murphy at Renmore Barracks.... Fr Murphy, aged in his 50s, was attacked around 10.35pm and later taken to University Hospital Galway. He is recovering from multiple stab wounds after undergoing surgery. The teenage boy was brought before a sitting of the Children's Court in Galway on Saturday where he was charged with assault causing harm. Detective Sergeant Paul McNulty told the court the attack was 'frenzied' and gardaí [state police] believe the accused holds a 'radical Islamist mindset.' ... The court heard the chaplain had 'seven deep lacerations' to his arms which required surgery, as well as minor cuts to his body and face.... The judge directed that the boy have access to appropriate medical and psychological care."
Egypt: According to an Aug. 17 post on X, Muslims attacked Christian families—including women and children—heading to a historic church in Qalybia near Cairo for a procession. Some of the Copts were severely injured and hospitalized in critical condition. (Click here for a short subtitled video of one of the attacked Christians explaining what happened.)
Lebanon: During a wild tirade, Reda Saad, a pro-Hezbollah commentator, did not even bother to hide a deep-seated antagonism against Lebanon's Christians, who have historically been the largest demographic of the nation, although now they are a close second to Muslims:
"I fear that the Christians in Lebanon will face a similar destiny to that of the Afghans, when they clung to the wheels of the American helicopters and are thrown from the sky. I fear that you won't have an airport or a port [to flee from]. And perhaps the foreign warships are coming to take you, to the last of you.... Unfortunately, did you see where you ended up? You can't even appoint a president!.... So let everyone know that the role of Christians in Lebanon has ended! You have become a minority in this country, and yet you still hold high positions... Nobody would accept this issue. The coming generations will not accept it. They will not accept that the president must be Christian; he must be a Sunni Muslim or Shi'ite."
Muslim Rape and Abduction of Christian Women
Pakistan: On Aug. 10, Atia Bibi, a 28-year-old Christian woman and mother was subjected to a "harrowing ordeal" when a group of Muslim men attacked, beat, and robbed her entire family, before marching her into a nearby field where they repeatedly raped her for nearly two hours. "I begged them to leave me," she recounted, "but they pushed me further into the sugarcane field and raped me multiple times." Her husband, Naveed, also described the ordeal:
"They slapped and punched me repeatedly, leaving marks on my body. One of the robbers took my wife into the field while another held a gun to my head, threatening to kill my son if I resisted or made any noise."
Even though crime and rape are rampant in Pakistan, religious minorities are disproportionately targeted, as their victimizers know the system can be counted in to look the other way.
In a separate incident, on Aug. 9, a Muslim man abducted, forcibly converted, and married Fairy Shaukat, a 12-year-old Christian girl. According to the girl's mother, Parveen, a widow with eight children,
"Fairy had gone to a nearby shop to buy groceries in the afternoon, but she did not return home. My sons started searching for her but could not find her. We then filed a complaint with the police, but their attitude was not welcoming. Instead of helping us, they delayed the registration of a First Information Report [FIR]."
Later, after a neighbor had informed the Christian family that he had seen a local Muslim man, Muhammad Asad, abducting the girl,
"We informed the police about the accused, but they still did not take any action, giving sufficient time to Asad to convert the minor child and contract an Islamic marriage with her.... On Aug. 13, my sons received the Nikahnama [Islamic marriage certificate] of Fairy through WhatsApp from an unknown number. We were shocked to see the document and urged the police to take action against this underage marriage. When the police finally raided the house of the accused, he was not there. It's nearly 20 days now that I haven't seen my child, and we have no information about her safety.... Fairy is just 12 years old. She had no access to a cell phone and rarely went out of the home by herself. She was abducted by Asad, who we have heard is a loafer. He targeted my child for sexual exploitation, and my heart sinks every time I think of how she is being treated in captivity."
Discussing this case, a Christian attorney, Sumera Shafique, said
"I'm filing a petition in the Lahore High Court for the child's recovery. It's very unfortunate that police delay action in cases involving underage minority girls, which allows the perpetrators to scar these children for life... The accused not only kidnapped the child, he converted her and contracted an Islamic marriage to save himself from prosecution [a common practice by kidnappers to sexually exploit underage non-Muslim girls]."
Egypt: Sometime in early August, Christina Karim Aziz, a 20-year-old Christian girl, disappeared off the streets of Asyut, where she had gone to apply for a job. Her family immediately went to police to report the disappearance; police responded with nothing. Since then, the girl's family has taken to social media, crying out to whoever will hear them—including President Sisi, whom they have publicly implored to intervene and help. She is only the latest of many Christian girls to disappear off the streets of Egypt. Earlier in the year, for example, and also in Asyut, Irene Ibrahim Shehata, a 21-year-old Christian also disappeared under circumstances very similar to Christina's, including nonresponsive police, and the family crying out to Sisi. This entire process is discussed in a 2020, 15-page Coptic Solidary report, "'Jihad of the Womb': Trafficking of Coptic Women & Girls in Egypt":
"The capture and disappearance of Coptic women and minor girls is a bane of the Coptic community in Egypt, yet little has been done to address this scourge by the Egyptian or foreign governments, NGOs, or international bodies. According to a priest in the Minya Governorate, at least 15 girls go missing every year in his area alone. His own daughter was nearly kidnapped had he not been able to intervene in time.... The rampant trafficking of Coptic women and girls is a direct violation of their most basic rights to safety, freedom of movement, and freedom of conscience and belief. The crimes committed against these women must be urgently addressed by the Egyptian government, ending impunity for kidnappers, their accomplices, and police who refuse to perform their duties. Women who disappear and are never recovered must live an unimaginable nightmare. The large majority of these women are never reunited with their families or friends because police response in Egypt is dismissive and corrupt. There are countless families who report that police have either been complicit in the kidnapping or at the very least bribed into silence. If there is any hope for Coptic women in Egypt to have a merely 'primitive' level of equality, these incidents of trafficking must cease, and the perpetrators must be held accountable by the judiciary."
Muslim Attacks on Christian 'Blasphemers'
Egypt: On Sunday, July 28, a military court sentenced a Christian conscript to three years in prison for "blasphemy" against Islam. According to court documents, Yusuf Sa'd Hanin was charged with "committing behavior that is harmful to discipline, order, and military requirements," after he exchanged, what prosecution called, "statements offensive to Islam" in a private conversation via Messenger. These "offensive" statements were made last May, 2024, while Yusuf was on leave from compulsory military service, and celebrating Easter with his family in his residence in Beni Suef governorate. During this time, Yusuf got into a verbal altercation and exchanged insults with a Muslim man via text. The Muslim man immediately broadcast what the Christian said, otherwise private, personal exchanges.
This, as is often the case, instantly provoked unrest among the Muslim populace of the village. Local officials, however, managed to quell the nascent uprising by assuring the Muslims that the Christian would pay. On the very next day, Yusuf was ordered to return to the Central Security camp, to resume his military training. He was seized and taken blindfolded to a National Security headquarter, where he was savagely beaten, insulted, and interrogated, including on whether he was following any Christian preachers or involved in any Coptic organizations, all of which he denied. Soon thereafter he was sent to and sentenced by a military court to three years' imprisonment.
Separately, a Muslim convert to Christianity, who has been imprisoned for more than two years in Egypt, has, according to an August 20 report, been on a hunger strike. The US Commission on International Religious Freedom summarized his great "crime" as follows:
"On December 15, 2021, authorities arrested [Abdulbaqi Saeed] Abdo, a Yemeni refugee, from his Cairo home. Abdo's arrest followed his appearance on a Christian TV channel talking about his conversion to Christianity and alleged persecution Christians in Yemen face. Abdo had also been involved in Facebook groups for Christian converts. He was charged with joining a terrorist group (Art. 86 ECC), contempt of Islam (Art. 98(w) ECC), and discrimination against Islam (Art. 161 ECC)."
Pakistan: On Aug. 7, an irate Muslim mob of nearly 300 people attacked and tried to kill a Saima Masih, a 32-year-old Christian mother of two, after a neighbor, Muhammad Haider, accused her of desecrating the Koran. According to Akmal Bhatti, chairman of an organization called the Minorities Alliance Pakistan, "The mob would have lynched Saima if the police had not reached there on time and rescued her." Once the jihadist genie of retribution had been uncorked, the raging Muslims also "attacked some other Christian residents of the village, forcing them to flee their homes and hide in the fields to save their lives." Whipping up more violence, Islamic extremist groups were also present, inciting the mob against Christians. Bhatti suggested that Muhammad Haider had a personal vendetta against the Christian woman:
"Saima denied desecrating the Quran. She reportedly said that her neighbor, Haider, had asked her for an empty sack, which she gave him. However, after some time Haider returned with some other Muslims and accused her of placing defiled pages of the Quran in the sack, which she repeatedly denied."
Although police "saved" the Christian woman's life, they also "registered a blasphemy case against her under the pressure of the mob, which is very unfair," Bhatti said. "The poor woman will now have to suffer in prison for years while her two children will be deprived of her love and care." He added that the government was taking no action against the exorbitant abuse of Pakistan's blasphemy laws: "Christians in Punjab are increasingly being targeted through blasphemy accusations, yet our state is not bothered at all."
In a separate incident, according to an Aug. 29 report,
"A village fair meant for celebration became a nightmare for two Christian brothers when they were accused of desecrating the Quran. Like many other boys at the fair, the brothers, along with Muslim children, threw fake currency notes during a swing boat ride. Among the showered notes, some slips containing Quranic verses were discovered. It was assumed that these slips with Quranic verses were torn and thrown by the Christian brothers, leading to the arrest of their mother and grandfather. Although the Christian mother and grandfather were released after the boys were presented at the police station, the mother remains devastated by the arrest of her beloved sons."
Muslim Attacks on Christian Churches, Crosses, and Cemeteries
Italy: On August 5, a Muslim migrant from North Africa was arrested for robbing a church in Turin. There were many other acts of arson, desecration (including of a Christian cemetery), statue breaking, and thefts targeting churches in Italy throughout the month of August, including here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.
Austria: According to an Aug. 19 report, Islamic graffiti—including phrases such as "Islam will win"—smeared on a Viennese church is no longer being dismissed as the work of "mischievous teens." "In view of the recently foiled terrorist attack in Vienna," that city's VP leader, Karl Mahrer said in reference to the targeting of a Taylor Swift concert, "such graffiti is an alarming warning signal that must not be ignored. We are at a decisive turning point." The vandalism of the St. Anthony Church is, he added, suggestive of "profound problems that are at the very heart of Vienna."
France: On Aug. 4, the tabernacle of Saint Pierre Church was broken and set on fire, and its religious statues and icons were smashed on the floor. "We can only regret this completely scandalous act," said Philippe de Gonneville, mayor of Lège Cap-Ferret. "The town is normally very calm; we were very surprised, it seems totally improbable.... There is an ostensible desire to destroy the sacred."
United Kingdom: During the night of Aug. 7, a beloved statue of Mother Mary was desecrated at the St. Joseph's Church in the Goan district of Wembley. According to the report, "The Goan community has a great devotion to the statue of Mother Mary, with throngs of Goans stopping by to pray in front of the statue throughout the day and night." After saying that he had contacted Muhammad Butt, leader of Brent Council under Wembley, G.O.A. UK President Ravi Vaz, said that "Butt has assured that everything will be done." However, "If needed, I will escalate this to a higher level." Discussing this incident, Joyce De Souza of the Labour Party, said:
"We are parishioners of this Church and this news was shocking.... While this anti-social activity was done to target and hurt the community's religious feelings, Elvis [her husband] and I appeal to the community to stay united at this difficult time.... Let us support communal harmony which is of utmost importance during this crucial time."
There were at least two other instances of theft and desecration in UK churches during August, here and here.
Turkey: On Aug. 24, a Christian cemetery in Istanbul was desecrated. Workers at the Agios Eleftherios Cemetery found that the barbed wire fence surrounding the graveyard had been cut, the guard dogs sedated, and several gravestones and crosses desecrated. The Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate condemned the vandalism, denouncing it as a "deliberate act of desecration and hatred for the Greek Orthodox community of Constantinople," one that evinced a "contempt for religious freedom." The Turkish government's lack of response and commitment to protect the "increasingly precarious position of religious minority communities in Turkey" was also criticized.
Indonesia: On Sunday, Aug. 18, a mob consisting of local officials forcibly dragged a Christian pastor from his church and sealed off its site on the dubious claim that the place had originally belonged to the government. After characterizing the incident as "violent and anarchic," the pastor, Herri Soesanto, said,
"I was harassed and dragged by a mob that I estimated was about 50 people... What was disappointing was those people who closed my church were my friends... I never imagined the violence that government officials made, causing upset among the congregation."
He added that when the church purchased the site, no one, including the real estate agent, had said anything at the time suggesting that the government owed the land. Indonesia is approximately 83% Muslim and 11% Christian. According to Open Doors 2024 World Watch List, which tracks the plight of Christians around the world, the persecution level in Indonesia is "very high."
Egypt: On Aug. 30, a massive fire "broke out" in the Coptic Christian Diocese of Beni Suef in Egypt, consuming all of the five-story Christian building's contents—reception halls, offices, libraries, precious books, furniture, and computers—as well as more than 300 wooden benches belonging to the adjacent Church of the Virgin Mary, which were in the diocese courtyard at the time for repairs. At least ten people, including a clergyman and several staffers, were injured and hospitalized.
Diocese spokesmen who were present said that it was only due to "Divine Providence" that a large number of children present in the building, which houses three children's schools, were saved. It took approximately five hours for firefighters to put out the blaze. Although initial reports stated that a full forensic investigation as to the cause of the fire would be underway, a security source quickly announced that the fire was caused by "faulty electrical wires."
As critics point out, however, this is only the latest of many churches in Egypt—see here, here, here, and here—to be torched and immediately attributed to "faulty wires" and other natural causes. In one month alone, August 2022, a full 11 churches reportedly "caught fire." Forty-one Christian worshippers, including many children, were killed in just one of these fires. Also "interesting" is that "accidental" fires in mosques—which outnumber churches in Egypt by a ratio of 40 to 1—are completely unheard of.
*Raymond Ibrahim, author of Defenders of the West, Sword and Scimitar, Crucified Again, and The Al Qaeda Reader, is the Distinguished Senior Shillman Fellow at the Gatestone Institute and the Judith Rosen Friedman Fellow at the Middle East Forum.
About this Series
While not all, or even most, Muslims are involved, persecution of Christians by extremists is growing. The report posits that such persecution is not random but rather systematic, and takes place irrespective of language, ethnicity, or location. It includes incidents that take place during, or are reported on, any given month.
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/20966/persecution-of-christians-august

Opinion - Congress must restore humanitarian funding to stop famine in Gaza
Hassan El-Tayyab, opinion contributor/The Hill/September 24, 2024
The people of Gaza aren’t starving. They are being starved.
Over 2 million Palestinian civilians are facing a man-made humanitarian catastrophe, with famine and disease spreading due to a lack of aid access. At the same time, the Biden administration and Congress are withholding all U.S. funding for the largest aid operation in Gaza: United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). At a Sept. 19 press conference, Reps. Andre Carson (D-Ind.), Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) and Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) announced the introduction of the UNRWA Funding Emergency Restoration Act of 2024. This bill is a crucial step toward righting this wrong and addressing the appalling humanitarian crisis in Gaza. UNRWA is the “backbone” of all aid delivery operations in Gaza, ensuring that millions of people receive the help they desperately need. Continuing to block U.S. funding for UNRWA’s vital work is a cruel and unwarranted mistake that will only needlessly exacerbate the already catastrophic humanitarian suffering in Gaza. This legislation has already been cosponsored by more than 60 members of Congress and a diverse group of over 90 organizations. If passed, it would lift congressional restrictions on UNRWA funding and call on the administration to urgently lift its hold on funding. The decision by the Biden administration and Congress to pause funding to UNRWA was a knee-jerk response to Israeli allegations in January that a dozen of the 13,000 UNRWA aid workers in Gaza were involved in Hamas’s horrific attacks on Oct. 7. As the facts continue to come in, it has become clear that the move was a rush to judgment with far-reaching, unjustifiable consequences.
Still, the UNRWA itself has shown that it takes these allegations seriously and is committed to maintaining integrity in its operations. In response to Israel’s allegations, UNRWA immediately fired all the accused employees that were identified. While as of April, Israel reportedly had not shared any evidence with the United Nations backing up its allegations, UNRWA has since let go of two additional employees after further internal review found “sufficient evidence” that nine total staff members may have had involvement in the Oct. 7 attack.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres also ordered an inspector general investigation and commissioned an independent, outside review of UNRWA’s mechanisms and procedures. UNRWA has since implemented all recommendations and continues to strengthen its oversight and accountability measures.
For example, the agency has implemented a range of new protocols and initiatives to improve transparency and its ability to act swiftly against violations of its standard of neutrality. A new task force has also been created to oversee an action plan to address the report’s findings.
Moreover, all of the 15 other countries that initially suspended support to UNRWA have resumed funding. This includes key U.S. allies such as the United Kingdom, the European Union, Canada, France, Germany, Japan and Australia. As the largest contributor to UNRWA, it’s crucial that the U.S. join these allies in restoring urgently needed funding.
Since the war broke out last October, Israeli airstrikes have decimated essential infrastructure in Gaza, displaced over 1 million Palestinians and pushed the population to the brink of famine. Hospitals are overwhelmed. Access to food, water, and medical supplies is nearly nonexistent as the U.N. warns of a looming polio epidemic. For many in Gaza who face these relentless horrors each and every day, UNRWA is their only lifeline for support. After seven months, it’s clear that attempts to bypass UNRWA, such as the failed U.S. military humanitarian pier, are not serious alternatives for providing even a minimum level of relief to Gaza. The impact of cutting U.S. funding also extends beyond Gaza. UNRWA provides essential shelter, healthcare, education and financial assistance to millions of other Palestinian refugees across the region, including in the West Bank, Syria, Lebanon and Jordan.
If UNRWA were forced to close its doors due to lack of funding, we could see even more regional instability and violence. The ripple effects would be felt far and wide, with potentially devastating consequences for U.S. national security. Congress must act swiftly to get this done. Without this support, millions of Palestinian refugees will be left without access to food, healthcare and other basic necessities. This is not just a matter of humanitarian and strategic need. It’s a moral obligation. Ultimately, the definitive path to address this crisis is an immediate and permanent ceasefire, the unconditional release of all hostages and unrestricted humanitarian access. But these are just the first steps in what will be a challenging and prolonged rebuilding journey. Protecting the essential role of UNRWA, especially in providing primary healthcare and education, is vital for Gaza’s future. Congress has the power to make this happen. Lawmakers must cosponsor the UNRWA Funding Emergency Restoration Act and take a stand for humanity, justice and peace.
**Hassan El-Tayyab is the legislative director for Middle East policy at the Friends Committee on National Legislation.

Opinion - To defeat Hamas, Israel must control Gaza’s border with Egypt
Seth J. Frantzman, opinion contributor/The Hill/September 24, 2024
It took the Israel Defense Forces three months to defeat Hamas terrorists holed up in Rafah city and along the border with Egypt. This key strategic area is called the Philadelphi corridor, and Israel has vowed to keep control of it in the near-term as part of its war against Hamas.
The terrorist group used this border area with Egypt to smuggle weapons and create the war machine behind the Oct. 7 attack. Keeping control of the corridor, and preventing Hamas from re-arming via the border, is key to defeating the group and bring stability and peace to the wider region. Israel has been under intense pressure to give up control of the Philadelphi corridor. First, the Biden administration warned Israel against an operation in Rafah in the first months of 2023. Once Israel secured the corridor from Hamas and showed the world the terror infrastructure Hamas built in Rafah, proponents of a ceasefire have argued Israel should be willing to give up this key strategic gain in Gaza. But leaving the border area would let Hamas regrow its terror tentacles, benefitting Iran, Russia and other countries that back Hamas.
To understand how important this area it is, it is worth seeing how much Hamas invested in building terrorist infrastructure along the border with Egypt.
Hamas first seized control of Gaza in 2007 in a coup against the western-backed Palestinian Authority, which controlled Gaza and parts of the West Bank at the time. Israel had left Gaza in 2005, and Hamas capitalized on the power vacuum by taking control of the border. A European Union Border Assistance Mission was supposed to monitor the border and assist the Palestinian Authority. However, with the PA chased out by Hamas and the terrorists in control, the EU mission left the border, and the result was a terror state-in-the-making in Gaza.
Since 2007, Hamas has used the border to smuggle weapons underground, importing materials that can be used to produce rockets in factories that it established in Gaza. According to a study at the Begin Sadat Center for Strategic Studies in 2004, the year before Israel’s disengagement from Gaza, 281 rockets were fired into Israel; in 2006, the year after disengagement, a total of 946 rockets were fired. Hamas also imported weapons that flowed to Gaza from Libya after the fall of the Gaddafi regime. Israel has long expressed concern about this weapons flow.
Israel’s decision in May of 2024 to launch an operation in Rafah and secure the Philadelphi corridor is not the first time the Israel Defense Forces have been forced to go into the border area and root out terrorists. It conducted a similar operation during the Second Intifada, when terrorist groups were weaker. Even back then, the desire by these groups to exploit the border area to build weapons was clear.
Fast-forward to 2024. Israel has found more than 200 Hamas tunnels in Rafah, stretching 10 miles. The Philadelphi corridor along the border with Egypt is almost nine miles long, meaning the tunnels Hamas built underground are a web of shafts that are longer than the border itself. Some of them crossed into Egypt over the years and were used for smuggling. However, underground smuggling is not the only way that Hamas used the border as a strategic terror asset. Control of the Philadelphi corridor enabled Hamas to control humanitarian aid and goods entering Gaza from Egypt. It also enables it to control the access of non-governmental organizations to Gaza. In both cases, Hamas used its control of the border to make itself appear to be the legitimate power in Gaza. It could choke off the aid destined for average people and use it, in a mafia-like manner, to distribute aid to supporters. It used its control of the border to decide who entered Gaza and monitor those who worked there.
This gave Hamas, a terrorist group, unprecedented power. This is how it trained thousands of fighters in 24 battalions and prepared them to attack Israel on Oct. 7. Hamas also used the border crossing as part of its connections with the outside world. When its leaders, such as Ismail Haniyeh, left Gaza, they left through Rafah. This is how Hamas managed ties with Iran, Russia, Qatar, Turkey, China and other countries that it sought support from.
To weaken and defeat Hamas, Israel must control the Philadelphi corridor for an extended period of time, until the international community will help make sure that this terrorist group will no longer threaten Israel as it did in the past. Hamas has proven that its years of rule in Gaza pose a genocidal threat to Israel. It built up a terror army capable of committing the Oct. 7 atrocities via its control of the border with Egypt. Defeating Hamas requires starting in the place it gained much of its power from: the border with Egypt.
*Seth Frantzman is the author of “The October 7 War: Israel’s Battle for Security in Gaza” (2024), an adjunct fellow at The Foundation for Defense of Democracies and a senior analyst for The Jerusalem Post.
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