English LCCC Newsbulletin For
Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For January 29/2025
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news
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https://eliasbejjaninews.com/aaaanewsfor2025/english.January29.25.htm
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Bible Quotations For today
Jesus heals the blind man on the Sabbath. The Pharisees became angry and doubted
that the one who was healed was blind.
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 09/13-25/They
brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind.Now it was a
sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes. Then the Pharisees also
began to ask him how he had received his sight. He said to them, ‘He put mud on
my eyes. Then I washed, and now I see.’Some of the Pharisees said, ‘This man is
not from God, for he does not observe the sabbath.’ But others said, ‘How can a
man who is a sinner perform such signs?’ And they were divided. So they said
again to the blind man, ‘What do you say about him? It was your eyes he opened.’
He said, ‘He is a prophet.’ The Jews did not believe that he had been blind and
had received his sight until they called the parents of the man who had received
his sight and asked them, ‘Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How
then does he now see?’His parents answered, ‘We know that this is our son, and
that he was born blind; but we do not know how it is that now he sees, nor do we
know who opened his eyes. Ask him; he is of age. He will speak for himself.’ His
parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews; for the Jews had already
agreed that anyone who confessed Jesus to be the Messiah would be put out of the
synagogue. Therefore his parents said, ‘He is of age; ask him.’ So for the
second time they called the man who had been blind, and they said to him, ‘Give
glory to God! We know that this man is a sinner.’ He answered, ‘I do not know
whether he is a sinner. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.
Titles For The Latest English LCCC
Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published
on January 28-29/2025
Elias Bejjani/Text & Video: Hezbollah Planned and Executed the Southern Massacre
That Killed 22 and Injured 140
Elias Bejjani/Text & Video: Nawaf Salam Faces the Nation’s Toughest Test: If
Unable to Deliver, Resignation Is a Must
A link to a very important video interview from LBC with writer and activist Dr.
Harith Suleiman,
Israeli Airstrike on South Lebanon’s Nabatieh Injures 14, Health Ministry Says
Adraee: We targeted a truck and a vehicle belonging to Hezbollah that were
transporting weapons in Al-Shaqif and Nabatieh
Hostile march targeted a pick-up truck carrying vegetables on the Nabatieh al-Fawqa
highway with a guided missile
A second Israeli raid on Nabatieh... and the target is a senior official in
"Hezbollah"
Bloody Israeli raid on Nabatieh.. and 7 wounded
Statement issued by Nawaf Salam: Everything that is being said is false and
contains many rumors and speculations, some of which aim to stir up confusion
Mikati to General Jeffers: We demand a firm stance to ensure Israel's
implementation of its obligations under international law
EU Ambassador: Discussed with President Salam the necessary reforms to rebuild
the Lebanese people's trust in the state
Is it "Imad 4"? Video: For the first time, the Lebanese army receives tunnels
belonging to "Hezbollah"
Major General Ashraf Rifi: We respect the decisions and objective justifications
taken by our friend and brother Khalaf Al Habtoor
Army statement/Israeli gunfire towards army personnel and citizens on the
Yaroun-Maroun al-Ras road
Army: Our military units deployed in Yaroun, Marouhin, Birket Richa and other
border areas south of the Litani River
Army: A soldier and 3 citizens were injured by enemy fire on the Yaroun-Maroun
al-Ras road
Civil Defense: Recovering the bodies of 12 martyrs from under the rubble in
Khiyam, Kfar Hamam, and between Houla, Wadi Al-Salouki, and Al-Bustan
The occupation erected cement walls on the borders of the town of Al-Bustan
opposite the Richa pond and carried out bulldozing works
The Amal Movement has issued a circular to its members prohibiting participation
or any provocative action that conflicts with its directives to respect the
privacy of the Lebanese, especially motorcycle marches.
"Christian Front": Hezbollah is thwarting the process of the covenant and the
solution lies in completing the implementation of 1559 and establishing the
federal system
Hezbollah rejects extending the 60-day deadline for Israel's withdrawal
Foreign Ministry: Nominating Ambassador Mustafa Adeeb for membership in the
International Court of Justice
The Shiite Duo in Lebanon: Its Rights and Duties/Eyad Abu Shakra/Asharq Al Awsat/January
28, 2025
Syria and Lebanon: A Smooth Foreign Phase and a Blocked Domestic Phase/Hazem
Saghieh/Asharq Al Awsat/January 28, 2025
Al-Habtoor Group halts investment plans in Lebanon amid growing instability
The end of illusions/Charles Elias Chartouni/January 28, 2025
Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published
on January 28-29/2025
Israel’s Prime Minister Says Trump Has Invited Him to the White House on Feb. 4
Palestinians Return to Gaza City as Mediators Look Ahead to Next Stage
More than 376,000 return to north Gaza since Monday: UN
New Backlash Over Trump Plan to Move People Out of Gaza
This is what one family in Gaza returned home to after 15 months of war
UNRWA Chief Says 'Relentless Assault' on Agency Is Harming Palestinians
Russia, Syria to hold further talks on Russian military bases in Syria, TASS
reports
Israel says its troops in Syria will remain atop Mt Hermon indefinitely
The discovery of brutal mass graves in Syria reveals Assad’s legacy of horror
Saudi Cabinet discusses Syria, Lebanon and Kingdom’s success at WEF
Titles For
The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous
sources on January 28-29/2025
Trump Was Not Elected to Sound Retreat...Voters Want "Peace Through Strength,"
Not Defeatism/Frank J. Gaffney/Gatestone Institute/January 28, 2025
Trump's Illegal Nullification of TikTok Law Enables China to Continue
Indoctrinating and Collecting Information on 170 Million Americans/Gordon G.
Chang/Gatestone Institute/January 28, 2025
The Question of Peace…With or Without the Palestinians/Nadim Koteich/Asharq Al
Awsat/January 28, 2025
Trump has a long list of axes to grind/Yossi Mekelberg/January 28, 2025
The Latest English LCCC
Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published
on January 28-29/2025
Elias Bejjani/Text & Video:
Hezbollah Planned and Executed the Southern Massacre That Killed 22 and Injured
140
Elias Bejjani/January 27, 2025
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/01/139512/
On Sunday, January 26, Hezbollah committed a massacre against its own people in
southern Lebanon. Its reckless and bloody adventures led to the death of 22
civilians and injuries to over 140 others, with an unknown number of people
arrested by the Israeli Army. This criminal act reflects Hezbollah’s arrogant
and irresponsible policies that disregard human lives. Once again, Hezbollah
executed the orders of its Iranian masters, in a desperate attempt to deny and
deflect its clear defeat in the senseless war it declared against Israel to
support Hamas in Gaza. There is doubt that the terrorist Hezbollah is defeated,
shattered, and fractured, just like its allies in Gaza as well as the fallen
Assad regime in Syria.
Exploiting the Displaced for Its "Divine Mandate"
Under the guise of a so-called "divine mandate," Hezbollah orchestrated and
mobilized protests in southern Lebanon, exploiting displaced residents from
their villages. Shamelessly, it incited these individuals to stage
demonstrations and provoke confrontations in areas still under Israeli presence.
This situation arose because the Lebanese Army has failed to fully implement the
ceasefire agreement signed 60 days ago, despite its extension by Israel and U.S.
until February 18/2025. Hezbollah, facing undeniable defeat, resorted to
violent escalation to perpetuate chaos and impose its conditions on Lebanon's
governance during the government formation process.
Hezbollah's Statement: A Shameless Attempt to Justify the Crime
Hezbollah issued a statement glorifying what it called “the glorious resistance
of the people in the south,” claiming that the clashes between local civilians
and Israeli forces at five remaining positions proved that the “army, people,
and resistance” trio is Lebanon’s only safeguard. This statement clearly exposes
Hezbollah’s bloody agenda. It uses hollow slogans to justify sacrificing the
lives of its own community members, coercing them into demonstrations under the
pretext of "divine mandate" and leading them to their deaths—all in service of
Iran’s expansionist project in the region.
Hezbollah’s Objectives Behind the Southern Tragedy
*Maintaining Israeli Presence in the South
Hezbollah seeks to fabricate excuses to prevent Israel’s full withdrawal,
ensuring the continued existence of its arms under the guise of "resistance."
This is despite the fact that the ceasefire agreement and the international
resolutions demand that these weapons be handed over to the Lebanese Army.
*Imposing Domestic Political Conditions
Hezbollah is leveraging bloodshed and destruction to pressure Nawaf Salam,
tasked with forming the first government under President Joseph Aoun tenure. It
aims to impose conditions such as including the "army, people, and resistance"
trio in the ministerial statement, securing the Finance Ministry, and vetoing
certain ministerial appointments—particularly for the defense, interior, and
foreign ministries.
*Delaying Reconstruction Under Its Military Rule
Hezbollah is attempting to impose a status quo on Arab and Western nations
interested in financing the reconstruction of the south and other war-torn
areas. Knowing that reconstruction efforts will not begin without disarming its
forces and ending its military presence, Hezbollah escalates crises to delay
this process and force its presence as an unavoidable reality.
*Advancing Iran’s Regional Agenda
This violent escalation in southern Lebanon is part of Iran’s strategy to regain
influence in the region following a series of defeats in Lebanon, Syria, Gaza,
and Iran itself. With the collapse of the Assad regime and its expulsion from
strategic positions, Iran seeks to create chaos in Jenin in the West Bank, along
the Syrian coast, and in Lebanon, deluding itself into thinking it can reverse
the tides in its favor.
*Iran and Hezbollah Refuse to Accept Defeat
Hezbollah and Iran stubbornly refuse to acknowledge the series of defeats their
project has suffered in Lebanon and the region. Their arrogance comes at the
expense of innocent lives, the destruction of southern Lebanon, and the
continued paralysis of the Lebanese state. Hezbollah’s failed and reckless war
with Israel has displaced most of Lebanon’s Shiite community, destroyed their
regions, and resulted in thousands of deaths, injuries, and disabilities.
Hezbollah’s attempt to use its recent statement to whitewash its blood-stained
image is a blatant and desperate move to mislead public opinion. It aims to
deflect from its political and military failures, impose its conditions on Judge
Nawaf Salam during the government formation process, and obstruct President
Joseph Aoun’s efforts to move the country forward.
Conclusion
Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed terrorist organization, sacrifices Lebanon and its
Shiite community for the sake of Iran’s expansionist agenda. It continues to
gamble on war and chaos to keep Lebanon hostage to its destructive schemes.
Southern Lebanon deserves peace, and Lebanon as a whole deserves liberation from
the Iranian occupation that drains its resources and crushes the dreams of its
people.
Elias Bejjani/Text & Video: Nawaf Salam Faces the Nation’s Toughest Test: If
Unable to Deliver, Resignation Is a Must
Elias Bejjani/January 26/2025
Following the election of Army Commander Joseph Aoun as President of the
Lebanese Republic, Judge Nawaf Salam was entrusted with forming a new government
amid widespread hopes for a radical transformation of Lebanon’s collapsing
political and economic landscape. However, this critical mission is anything but
simple—it demands exceptional courage, unwavering resolve, and bold decisions
that transcend the toxic political quotas and compromises that have devastated
Lebanon for decades.
Judge Salam is expected to deliver on the people’s aspirations by forming a
specialized and reformist government. This government must comprise competent,
non-partisan experts who are free from sectarian and political loyalties. Its
top priority should be implementing the recently agreed-upon ceasefire with
Israel and enforcing international resolutions concerning Lebanon, particularly
Resolution 1701. This resolution demands the disarmament of the terrorist
militia Hezbollah and the restoration of the Lebanese state’s exclusive
authority over all arms within its borders.
In addition to addressing Lebanon’s dire security needs, Salam’s government
faces a staggering array of internal challenges. These include filling over 700
vacant state positions, such as the Army Command, the Governor of the Central
Bank, the Director General of General Security, deputy ministers, and numerous
judicial and administrative posts. The government must also spearhead
comprehensive economic reforms to restore confidence in Lebanon’s financial
system, recover $90 billion in stolen deposits, and empower the judiciary to
pursue accountability for the catastrophic Beirut Port explosion.
Regrettably, rather than seizing this moment for transformative change, Salam
appears to be stalling. Reports indicate that he is negotiating with the Shiite
duo—Hezbollah and Nabih Berri’s Amal Movement—granting them shares in the
government to appease their demands. This approach has profoundly disappointed
Lebanese citizens, who expected Salam to reject any interference or conditions
from these factions, which bear primary responsibility for Lebanon’s political
and economic ruin.
The insistence of Nabih Berri and Hezbollah on retaining control over the
Finance Ministry under the pretext of the so-called “third signature” poses a
direct threat to the enforcement of international resolutions. It further
entrenches Hezbollah’s grip on the state’s financial resources, despite
international prohibitions on rearming or funding this terrorist organization.
Should Salam succumb to these demands, it would constitute a blatant violation
of Resolution 1701 and an outright betrayal of the Lebanese people’s hopes for
national salvation.
In reality, there is no meaningful distinction between the Amal Movement and
Hezbollah. Both serve Iran’s Supreme Leader, systematically dismantling
Lebanon’s institutions to advance Tehran’s agenda. Nabih Berri, the master
manipulator, has long exploited Lebanon’s political system for personal gain,
and it appears that Salam has walked straight into one of his traps.
Now is the time for Nawaf Salam to rise to the occasion. He must demonstrate
courage by rejecting the inclusion of the Shiite duo in his government and
holding Hezbollah and the Amal Movement accountable for their role in destroying
Lebanon. If he cannot form a government free of political horse-trading and
partisan spoils, then his resignation is not just necessary—it is imperative.
Lebanon cannot endure more compromises or complacency. The nation requires a
leader who places the people’s interests above all else, restoring sovereignty
and the rule of law. Lebanon must break free from the grip of Hezbollah and
Nabih Berri, whose destructive policies have inflicted poverty, chaos, and
despair upon the nation. Judge Salam must either rise to meet this historic
challenge or step aside to make way for someone who will.
A link to a very important
video interview from LBC with writer and activist Dr. Harith Suleiman, in which
he reads in the alleys of motorcycle marches, saying: These are not Shiites, but
rabble, and some told me that we are ashamed after what happened to call
ourselves Shiites/A patriotic and bold reading of the heresies, bravado and
nonsense of Hezbollah and Amal in the south and Beirut, the mechanism for
forming the government, the necessity of implementing the ceasefire agreement,
and the danger and catastrophe of giving Berri the Ministry of Finance.
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/01/139601/
Harith Suleiman: These are not Shiites, but rabble!
Janubiya/January 28, 2025
After the motorcade of a number of supporters of the Amal Movement and Hezbollah
two days ago in the streets of Beirut, which caused provocation in the region,
political researcher Harith Suleiman saw that “we know who sent these people and
who sent them devices belonging to a specific person in the “Amal” Movement and
a specific person in “Hezbollah”.” Hilal added in a television interview,
“Dozens of people from respectable Shiite families contacted me saying that we
are now ashamed to call ourselves Shiites.” He continued, asking, “What does it
mean to send rabble to Beirut neighborhoods to chant ‘Shiites, Shiites’? What is
the purpose of this movement?” He continued, “What they say disgusts and
disgusts people, especially since the march disgusted not Sunnis and Christians,
but Shiites who are now ashamed to say that they are Shiites.” He concluded, “We
are Shiites, but we are not like these people, because these people are not
Shiites, they are rabble!” A busy southern field day.. Two raids on Nabatieh..
The army takes over a facility for “Hezbollah” and retrieves the bodies of 12
martyrs
Hussein Saad/Janoubia/January 28, 2025
For the first time since the ceasefire, the Israeli air force has targeted the
vicinity of the city of Nabatieh, located north of the Litani River, not south
of it, and for the first time as well, if the leaked videos and news are proven,
the Lebanese army, with the support of UNIFIL, has taken over a huge military
facility for “Hezbollah”, in the cave area of the town of Wadi Jilo, located
east of the city of Tyre. The Israeli drone aircraft launched two raids this
evening, the first on the Nabatieh al-Fawqa area, which resulted in more than
twenty wounded, and Israel claimed that the raid targeted a vehicle carrying
equipment for “Hezbollah”, and it also targeted another vehicle, near the Farah
amusement park, on the eastern Zawtar-Nabatieh road, which resulted in the
wounding of a number of people. These two security incidents came at a time when
the entrances to the occupied towns and villages were seething with popular
movements for the third consecutive day, specifically since the end of the
sixty-day deadline, which was extended until February 8 with an American
withdrawal, and Hezbollah confirmed that it was not concerned with it. At the
entrance to the town of Yaroun, in the Bint Jbeil district, dozens of residents
gathered, including the mayor Ali Tahfa, with the support of the Lebanese army,
and advanced after back and forth to the Christian neighborhood, reaching the
destroyed mosque, where the occupation soldiers set up barriers in the area, to
prevent the residents from advancing into the town. In the area of the
Khardali Bridge, which leads to Deir Mimas and Kfar Kila, a large number of
residents gathered in the area, and proceeded to block the road with burning
tires, demanding to head to their town, and the withdrawal of the enemy from
them. This coincided with the announcement of the Lebanese army, the deployment
of its units in Deir Mimas, in the Marjeyoun district, and Marouhin, in the Tyre
area, whose residents flocked to inspect their destroyed homes, which were wiped
out by Israeli enemy aircraft. In addition, the Lebanese Civil Defense teams
were able to retrieve a new number of bodies and remains of martyrs. The General
Directorate of Civil Defense announced that, under the directives of its acting
director, Brigadier General Nabil Farah, its teams were able to retrieve 12
bodies of martyrs, three martyrs from the town of Kfar Hamam, the bodies of
three martyrs and the remains of a martyr from the town of Khiyam, in addition
to the bodies of four martyrs from an area between the towns of Houla and Wadi
al-Saluqi, and the remains of a martyr from the town of al-Bustan. The retrieved
bodies were transferred from the towns of Kfar Hamam and al-Khayam to Marjeyoun
Governmental Hospital, while the bodies retrieved from the Houla-Wadi al-Saluqi
area were transferred to Tebnine Governmental Hospital, and the remains of the
martyr from al-Bustan to Jabal Amel Hospital. These bodies will undergo the
necessary medical and legal examinations, including DNA tests, under the
supervision of the competent authorities to determine the identities of the
martyrs.
Israeli Airstrike on South
Lebanon’s Nabatieh Injures 14, Health Ministry Says
Asharq Al Awsat/January 28, 2025
An Israeli airstrike on Nabatieh, a major town in southern Lebanon, injured 14
people on Tuesday, the Lebanese health ministry said. Security sources reported
a second strike in a nearby area. They said the first targeted a vehicle loaded
with weapons, while the target of the second was still unclear.The Israeli
military did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Israeli forces
killed at least 24 people and wounded at least 141 in southern Lebanon on Sunday
and Monday, the Lebanese health ministry said, as thousands of people tried to
return to their homes in the area in defiance of Israeli military orders.
Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah group and Israel agreed on a ceasefire in late
November, ending to a conflict across the Israeli-Lebanese border that has
killed thousands of people since it was ignited by the Gaza war in 2023. The US
said on Sunday the agreement between Lebanon and Israel, which included an
initial 60-day period for the withdrawal of Israeli troops, would remain in
effect until Feb. 18, an extension to the Jan. 26 deadline previously agreed.
Hezbollah chief Sheikh Naim Qassem said on Monday that the group would not
accept any justifications to extend the period for Israeli troops' withdrawal
from southern Lebanon.
Adraee: We targeted a truck
and a vehicle belonging to Hezbollah that were transporting weapons in Al-Shaqif
and Nabatieh
Voice of Lebanon/January 28, 2025
Israeli army spokesman Avichay Adraee announced on his account on the X platform
that “a short while ago, air force planes attacked a truck and another vehicle
belonging to Hezbollah that were transporting weapons in the areas of Al-Shaqif
and Nabatieh in southern Lebanon in order to remove a threat.”
He added in the post: “The truck and the vehicle were targeted after the IDF
monitored them while they were transporting weapons.” He concluded: “The IDF is
determined to work according to the understandings between Israel and Lebanon,
despite Hezbollah’s attempts to return to the southern Lebanon area, and will
move to remove any threat to the State of Israel and its citizens.”
Hostile march targeted a pick-up truck carrying vegetables
on the Nabatieh al-Fawqa highway with a guided missile
National News Agency/January 28, 2025
At around 7:30 pm today, a hostile Israeli march carried out a raid with a
guided missile targeting a pick-up truck carrying vegetables and fruits behind
Hassanein's vegetable shop, on the Nabatieh al-Fawqa highway, near the Deir
junction. The raid destroyed the pick-up truck and injured a number of citizens
who happened to be passing by the area, in addition to burning a number of cars
that were parked on the street. The missile explosion also caused a huge sound
that reverberated in various nearby areas. Nabatieh al-Fawqa Mayor Yasser
Ghandour said, "The Israeli enemy carried out a brutal aggression this evening
against our people and our safe areas, in an attempt to violate the ceasefire
agreement without justification, and it is targeting civilians and the safe in
their homes," noting that "the aggression tonight on Nabatieh al-Fawqa resulted
in a number of citizens being moderately injured," denying any "targeting of any
person or vehicle."
A second Israeli raid on Nabatieh... and the target is a
senior official in "Hezbollah"
Janubiya/January 28, 2025
A second Israeli raid targeted the Nabatieh al-Fawqa area after a first raid a
short while ago. Israeli media reported the assassination of the leader Mahdi
Abbas Nahleh, who is responsible for the file of funds transferred from Iran to
Hezbollah, in the Nabatieh raid. The Health Emergency announced that 14 people
were injured in the raid on Nabatieh in an updated toll.
Bloody Israeli raid on Nabatieh.. and 7 wounded
South/January 28, 2025
Israeli Army Radio announced that the Israeli Air Force carried out a raid on
the city of Nabatieh in southern Lebanon. Al-Hadath TV channel had announced
that an Israeli was targeted in a raid on Nabatieh. The Ministry of Health
announced that the Israeli raid this evening on Nabatieh resulted in a
preliminary toll of seven people being wounded. It is noteworthy that the White
House announced on Sunday the extension of the existing agreement between
Lebanon and Israel until February 18, 2025, after Israel failed to abide by the
deadline set for withdrawing its forces from the south. The American statement
explained that “the understanding supervised by the United States will remain in
effect until the aforementioned date,” without addressing additional details
about the ceasefire, or referring to the role of France, which was a partner in
the negotiations under the auspices of former US President Joe Biden. For his
part, Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati confirmed Lebanon’s commitment to
continue working under the ceasefire understanding until February 18.
Statement issued by Nawaf Salam: Everything that is being
said is false and contains many rumors and speculations, some of which aim to
stir up confusion
Ax website/January 28, 2025
Commenting on everything that is being said in the media about the formation of
the government in terms of the date of its announcement, names and portfolios, I
would like to reiterate that while I continue my consultations to form a
government that meets the aspirations of the Lebanese women and men and meets
the urgent need for reform, I will not back down from the standards and
principles that I previously announced. I also reiterate that everything that is
being said is false and contains many rumors and speculations, some of which aim
to stir up confusion. There are no final names or portfolios. As for the date of
announcing the formation, I am working continuously to accomplish it.
Mikati to General Jeffers: We demand a firm stance to ensure Israel's
implementation of its obligations under international law
National/January 28, 2025
Career Prime Minister Najib Mikati strongly condemned the two Israeli raids that
targeted the city of Nabatieh this evening, causing a number of injuries and
significant material damage. He said: "This aggression constitutes an additional
violation of Lebanese sovereignty and a blatant breach of the ceasefire
arrangement and the provisions of UN Security Council Resolution 1701." Mikati
contacted the head of the ceasefire monitoring committee, US General Jasper
Jeffers, demanding a firm stance to ensure Israel's implementation of its
obligations under international law.
EU Ambassador: Discussed with President Salam the necessary
reforms to rebuild the Lebanese people's trust in the state
National/January 28, 2025
EU Ambassador to Lebanon Sandra de Waal posted on her account on the "X"
platform: "A very constructive meeting with Prime Minister-designate Nawaf
Salam. We discussed the necessary reforms to rebuild the Lebanese people's trust
in the state. We call on political leaders to support him in this critical
period of government formation."
Is it "Imad 4"? Video: For
the first time, the Lebanese army receives tunnels belonging to "Hezbollah"
South/January 28, 2025
In a remarkable development, the Lebanese army received a network of tunnels
belonging to Hezbollah, containing vehicles and manufacturing equipment, as part
of the ongoing efforts to strengthen the state's control after the ceasefire
agreement concluded on November 27, according to circulated videos. Media groups
close to Hezbollah said that "the Lebanese army received the Imad 4 facility in
the Wadi Jilo-Aytit area." Al-Jadeed TV said that "the army received this
facility, which is located in the area between Joya and Aytit in the Tyre
district, more than a week ago." For its part, other groups reported that the
tunnels "resemble" the Imad 4 facility, which the party revealed earlier, and
are not a facility containing large weapons. The published videos showed trucks
similar to those displayed by the party in the "Imad 4" video, and no official
statement was issued by the army or Hezbollah confirming the operation. If this
information is true, it would be the first time that the Lebanese army has been
photographed inside a Hezbollah tunnel. It is worth noting that the ceasefire
agreement stresses “the dismantling of all military infrastructure and sites,
and the confiscation of all unlicensed weapons that conflict with these
obligations,” starting from the area south of the Litani.
Major General Ashraf Rifi: We respect the decisions and
objective justifications taken by our friend and brother Khalaf Al Habtoor
Aks website/January 28, 2025
Major General Ashraf Rifi issued the following: We respect the decisions and
objective justifications taken by our friend and brother Khalaf Al Habtoor,
which are caused by the enemies of Lebanon and the Arabs, and which I believe
can contribute to pushing Lebanese officials to carry out their duties to ensure
the safety and security of the homeland and citizens and the beloved guests from
our Arab people and our foreign visitors. I am still betting that the situation
in Lebanon will not remain as it is in terms of chaos and anarchy, and we, God
willing, are doing our duty to restore the state’s control over all its
decisions and only through its legitimate institutions.
Army statement/Israeli gunfire towards army personnel and
citizens on the Yaroun-Maroun al-Ras road
Lebanese Army X website/January 28, 2025
In the context of the ongoing Israeli attacks in the southern border areas, the
Israeli enemy opened fire towards army personnel and citizens on the
Yaroun-Maroun al-Ras road, wounding one soldier and three citizens, while the
army was escorting residents returning to the southern border towns.
Army: Our military units deployed in Yaroun, Marouhin,
Birket Richa and other border areas south of the Litani River
National/January 28, 2025
The Army Command - Directorate of Orientation issued the following statement:
"Military units deployed in the town of Yaroun - Bint Jbeil in the central
sector and the town of Marouhin and Birket Richa - Tyre in the western sector
and other border areas in the south of the Litani River, after the withdrawal of
the Israeli enemy, in coordination with the five-member committee supervising
the ceasefire agreementMechanism. The army continues to follow up on citizens in
the border towns. It also continues to coordinate closely with the United
Nations Interim Force in Lebanon - UNIFIL regarding the situation in the
aforementioned area, within the framework of Resolution 1701."
Army: A soldier and 3 citizens were injured by enemy fire
on the Yaroun-Maroun al-Ras road
National/January 28, 2025
The Army Command - Directorate of Orientation issued the following statement:
"In the context of the ongoing Israeli attacks in the southern border areas, the
Israeli enemy opened fire on army personnel and citizens on the Yaroun-Maroun
al-Ras road, which resulted in the injury of one soldier and three citizens,
while the army was escorting residents returning to the southern border towns."
Civil Defense: Recovering the bodies of 12 martyrs from
under the rubble in Khiyam, Kfar Hamam, and between Houla, Wadi Al-Salouki, and
Al-Bustan
National/January 28, 2025
The General Directorate of Civil Defense announced in a statement that "rescue
teams continue, in full coordination with the Lebanese army, search and survey
operations in areas that were previously subjected to Israeli aggression, based
on the directives of the Director General of Civil Defense, Brigadier General
Nabil Farah. In this context, the specialized teams were able, today, Tuesday,
01-28-2025, to recover the bodies of three martyrs from the town of Kfar Hamam,
and the bodies of three martyrs and the remains of a martyr from the town of
Khiyam, in addition to the bodies of four martyrs from the area between the
towns of Houla and Wadi Al-Salouki, and the remains of a martyr from the town of
Al-Bustan. The bodies recovered from the towns of Kfar Hamam and Khiyam were
transferred to Marjeyoun Governmental Hospital, while the bodies recovered from
the Houla - Wadi Al-Salouki area were transferred to Tebnine Governmental
Hospital, and the remains of the martyr From Al-Bustan to Jabal Amel Hospital.
These bodies will undergo the necessary medical and legal examinations,
including DNA tests, under the supervision of the competent authorities to
determine the identities of the martyrs. The Directorate affirmed its
determination to "continue to perform its humanitarian and national duties
despite the field challenges, in close cooperation with the Lebanese army, until
the search operations for all missing persons are completed."
The occupation erected cement walls on the borders of the town of Al-Bustan
opposite the Richa pond and carried out bulldozing works
National/January 28, 2025
The "National News Agency" correspondent reported that after the Israeli
occupation withdrew from the border town of Al-Bustan, a large Israeli
occupation crane was seen opposite the Richa pond in the outskirts of the town
installing cement walls at the border wall, amid intensive movements of
occupation soldiers, while an enemy bulldozer carried out bulldozing works
around the cement wall. Earthen barriers reinforced with soldiers were erected,
overlooking the town and the towns of Yarin, Al-Zaloutiyeh, Umm Al-Tut, and
Al-Dhahirah, and the villages of the western sector in Tyre district, coinciding
with the flight of reconnaissance and drone aircraft at low altitudes.
The Amal Movement has issued a circular to its members prohibiting participation
or any provocative action that conflicts with its directives to respect the
privacy of the Lebanese, especially motorcycle marches.
National/January 28, 2025
The head of the executive body of the Amal Movement, Mustafa Al-Fouani, issued a
circular to all members of the movement, prohibiting participation or any
provocative action or activity that conflicts with the directives of the
movement’s leadership to respect the privacy of the Lebanese of all sects and
regions, especially “motorcycle marches.”The circular stated: "Based on the
thought of His Eminence Imam Leader Sayyed Musa al-Sadr, who considered internal
unity to be the best facet of war with the enemy, and on the statement of the
brother, the head of the movement, Mr. Nabih Berri, that national unity and
coexistence are the basis for Lebanon's survival. All movement members are
prohibited from participating or carrying out any provocative popular movement
that contradicts the directives of the movement's leadership, which require
respecting the privacy of the Lebanese of all sects and regions, and rejecting
provocations that endanger public stability, especially motorcycle marches or
carrying out provocative acts and sectarian regional slogans that contradict its
charter and vision." The movement stressed that "violating this circular exposes
violators to the threat of organizational accountability, up to and including
expulsion from the movement's ranks."
"Christian Front":
Hezbollah is thwarting the process of the covenant and the solution lies in
completing the implementation of 1559 and establishing the federal system
National/January 28, 2025
The "Christian Front" stressed, during its regular meeting, "the necessity of
completing the implementation of UN Resolution 1701 with all its provisions,
especially Resolution 1559, which stipulates the disarmament of what remains of
Hezbollah's weapons," and attributed it to "the results of the devastating Gaza
support war that affected all Lebanese, especially the Shiite component, which
led to the reoccupation of the Israeli occupation of the border villages and
towns in southern Lebanon." It expressed surprise at "what the party's
propaganda machine is promoting and bragging about, especially within its
environment, of illusions of victory and supremacy." The Front warned of "the
party's blatant attempts to hold the Lebanese army responsible for its
disastrous and losing war by accusing it of failing to confront the Israeli
forces to withdraw and enable the people to return to their homes, in exchange
for its evasion of implementing the terms of the ceasefire agreement that it had
reluctantly agreed to, including handing over to the Lebanese army maps of the
locations of ammunition and weapons depots throughout Lebanese territory to
confiscate them." The Front condemned "the party's persistence in using armed
"bullying" methods and bullying the state and the rest of the components of the
Lebanese people, and the events of the previous two days are nothing but a
blatant example of a "legitimate assignment" to launch terror "invasions"
starting from Maghdouche in the south and reaching the alleys of Gemmayzeh, Burj
Hammoud, Saqiet el-Janzeer, Ain el-Rummaneh and other free areas, raising the
yellow flags of the "party of the victors", and it did well to hide the Lebanese
flag." The Front warned "the new era of the trap that Hezbollah seeks to impose
through a coup against the political-constitutional equations through pressure,
blackmail and intimidation in the street to obtain gains and privileges related
to ministerial portfolios, especially financial ones, in addition to adhering to
the wooden equation that was imposed on the Lebanese by the Syrian-Assad
occupation force previously and Iranian weapons later." The Front considered
that "the international community is waiting and closely monitoring the
developments of change after the election of President of the Republic General
Joseph Aoun and the assignment of Judge Nawaf Salam to form the new government
and the extent of their commitment to what they pledged, especially in terms of
implementing the UN resolutions on Lebanon and the exclusivity of weapons to its
legitimate forces, as well as the exclusivity of the political decision to
constitutional institutions and the sovereignty of the state and the law, in
preparation for Lebanon's inclusion in the comprehensive and just settlement to
achieve the (Abrahamic) peace that will bring security and prosperity to the
region under American, European and Arab sponsorship." The Front expressed "fear
and doubts about Hezbollah's acceptance of all the changes taking place in
Lebanon and the region, which will push it to flee forward by continuing to rely
on weapons and chaos in the streets until a new May 7, and with the ability to
disrupt the process of establishing the state by imposing its conditions on the
Prime Minister-designate by obtaining the "blocking third" and the Ministry of
Finance (the third signature), in addition to its right to retain weapons within
any defense strategy that is approved later. Therefore, the "Front" finds no
alternative but to go to the federal system to solve the chronic political
problem of the central government system in Lebanon, and to preserve political
and civilizational pluralism in the face of unilateral hegemony, and to
guarantee that each component obtains its rights, and to protect the natural and
human right to self-determination for societies and their quest to live in
freedom, dignity and peace."
Hezbollah rejects extending
the 60-day deadline for Israel's withdrawal
Al Seyasi/January 28, 2025
The Secretary-General of the Lebanese Hezbollah, Naim Qassem, announced the
party's rejection of extending the 60-day deadline for Israel's withdrawal from
Lebanon, considering that any repercussions of the delay in the withdrawal are
the responsibility of the United Nations, America, France and Israel, saying the
night before last, "Israel must withdraw because the 60 days have passed and we
do not accept any justification for extending the deadline by one day, nor do we
accept any justification for extending the deadline," considering the
continuation of the occupation an aggression on Lebanese sovereignty and
everyone is responsible for confronting this occupation, the people, the army,
the state and the resistance, and he said, "We are facing an occupation that is
attacking and refusing to withdraw, and the resistance has the right to act as
it sees fit regarding the form, nature and timing of the resistance. This is our
message to everyone, so let them understand what they want." For the first time,
Qassem acknowledged the information exposure and the enemy’s control over
artificial intelligence and the air force, saying that these were factors that
influenced the strikes that were directed at the resistance and that this is a
major loophole, adding, “We are conducting an investigation to learn lessons and
take away from them. What happened was exceptional and surprising, and the
exposure should not have been this way.” For his part, Parliament Speaker Nabih
Berri revealed that he had stipulated an immediate ceasefire, violations, and
destruction of homes, and a commitment to the issue of prisoners, saying that
caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati consulted with us about giving a deadline
until February 18 in exchange for pressure to stop Israeli violations and
attacks, and we stipulated an immediate ceasefire, violations, and destruction
of homes, in addition to a commitment to the issue of prisoners. On the ground,
while the Israeli forces released six Lebanese yesterday who were arrested
during the process of arriving in the southern towns and villages, the Emergency
Operations Center in the Lebanese Ministry of Health announced that the death
toll from the shooting by the Israeli occupation forces on the residents in
southern Lebanon had risen to 26 dead and 151 wounded, including a child and a
paramedic while performing his humanitarian duty.
Foreign Ministry:
Nominating Ambassador Mustafa Adeeb for membership in the International Court of
Justice
National/January 28, 2025
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants announced that based on the
directives of President of the Republic General Joseph Aoun, it was decided to
nominate Lebanon's Ambassador to Germany Mustafa Adeeb for membership in the The
International Court of Justice, after the resignation of Prime
Minister-designate Judge Nawaf Salam from his position as a judge at the court
following his assignment to form the new Lebanese government. The Security
Council has set May 27, 2025 as the date for the election of a new member to
succeed President Salam in his previous position at the International Court of
Justice.
The Shiite Duo in Lebanon:
Its Rights and Duties
Eyad Abu Shakra/Asharq Al Awsat/January 28, 2025
The formation of a Lebanese government has been postponed another week. Various
parties that had been eagerly awaiting a breakthrough are growing increasingly
concerned. There were several indications suggesting
that Lebanon would imminently exit the long tunnel of its crisis. This optimism
emerged after the presidential vacuum was filled with the election of the army
commander, General Joseph Aoun, and his candid and clearly defined inaugural
address. However, it has begun to dissipate as signs that "the status quo would
be maintained" began to appear during the government formation process.
This sentiment was affirmed by the demands of parliamentary blocs, first and
foremost the "Shiite duo" of Hezbollah and the Amal Movement, which insists on
two demands: first, naming the finance minister, and second, including a clause
that legitimizes the role of "the resistance" - Hezbollah - in the new
government’s statement. The presidential inauguration
speech had firmly committed to sovereignty and the state’s exclusive right to
bear arms. Despite attempts to obstruct the designation of the sovereigntist’
candidate Judge Dr. Nawaf Salam as Prime Minister, he was eventually appointed.
However, the process that followed did not progress as had been hoped. The
obstruction has been driven by the duo's insistence on its demands, which are
grounded in the claim that demanding they relinquish their "political rights" is
an attempt to exploit the prevailing climate in Lebanon and the region following
the Gaza war, the Israeli war on Hezbollah in Lebanon, and the subsequent
collapse of the Assad regime in Syria. It is well
known that the narratives of Hamas and Hezbollah - to say nothing about their
regional patron, Iran - claim that the Resistance Axis was “victorious” despite
the immense suffering in Gaza and Lebanon, as well as the strategic blow to the
"Axis." Those claiming these "victories" and promoting this delusion assume that
no patriotic and sincere Arab could rejoice at their brethren’s defeat at the
hands of the enemy.
Thus, gloating or exploiting the catastrophe is untenable.
However, true brotherhood, as well as our mutual interests and shared
goals, requires honesty without blame and advice without arrogance. Despite
being overwhelmed by feelings of pain, I gloat nor feel vindicated. Nonetheless,
I sincerely urge our brothers in Hamas and Hezbollah to show some humility and
abandon their denial of reality.
Simply put, we are all in the same boat. We face the same shared existential
threats in a world that is changing at an astonishing pace.
Amid the ongoing crises that threaten to stall Lebanon's path to becoming
a free, sovereign, and independent nation, I would like to say the following
with regard to Hezbollah:
Any fair-minded person familiar with Lebanon's history would acknowledge the
profound injustices suffered by the Lebanese Shiite community. Indeed, the
Shiites in Lebanon were marginalized for centuries, starting in the late Abbasid
period. This injustice continued and aggravated under the Ayyubids, Mamluks and
Ottomans.
Even after the end of World War I in 1920, when Ottoman rule in the Near East,
including Lebanon, was brought to an end, the French Mandate perpetuated the
marginalization of the Shiite community in "Greater Lebanon." Moreover, the
Shiite feudal class also fueled the marginalization of Shiite peasant
communities in southern Lebanon, the clannish nature of the Bekaa Valley left
most of the Shiites there marginalized both socially and geographically.
The Shiites of the South would go on to suffer more than any other
Lebanese community following the 1969 Cairo Agreement that granted Palestinian
guerilla forces the freedom to operate in the South.
Thus, when the "Shiites of 1920 Lebanon" demand "compensation" of their fellow
Lebanese for their prolonged marginalization and deprivation, they are right to
do so!
When they demand that the state recognize their historical role and presence in
the national curriculum, they are absolutely correct.
However, the problem is that since the 1990 Taif Agreement - and even earlier,
with the growing hegemony of the Syrian regime over Lebanon after emboldened by
the Khomeinist Revolution in Iran - Lebanese Shiites have been given everything
they had been denied in both the distant and recent past. As of 2003, they have
been the primary religious-sectarian player in the country.
Currently in Lebanon, only the Shiite community is represented in parliament by
two parties - one religious and the other sectarian - that have a strategic
alliance and form a single sectarian bloc. It is the only bloc that enjoys the
privilege of bearing arms, which has been a cornerstone of its dominance over
its community. At the same time, the Shiite community shares power and positions
with other sects. Today, the legislative authority is allocated to Shiites (the
Speaker of Parliament). Nevertheless, the Shiite duo insists on monopolizing the
ministry of finance, whose signature is required to authorize government
spending, alongside the President of the Republic (a Maronite Christian) and the
Prime Minister (a Sunni Muslim). This grants the Shiite community alone decisive
influence in both the executive (the President and Prime Minister) and
legislative (the Speaker of Parliament) branches.
They are also the only armed sect - the only ones to bear arms that are not
controlled by the state, if not outright illegitimate. Through this arsenal,
Hezbollah has established a "state within the state."Accordingly, it must be
said that nations cannot be built on injustice, and marginalization cannot be
remedied by another form of marginalization. Common threats cannot be addressed
by a society divided against itself, where some permit themselves to do what
they deny others. Protecting all components of the nation is the responsibility
of the entire nation. That can only happen with the framework of a unified
nation-state.
Syria and Lebanon: A Smooth Foreign Phase and a Blocked Domestic Phase
Hazem Saghieh/Asharq Al Awsat/January 28, 2025
It seems that the Syrian and Lebanese people’s way out of their ordeal is of two
phases. The first, which is now nearing its end, is the phase of foreign
(Iranian and, in Syria’s case, Russia as well) hegemony. If it is true that this
hegemony had been reliant on domestic foundations and maintains strong bridges
to them- Turkiye's desire to subjugate Syrian Kurds, and the weapons of
Hezbollah, whose ability to keep them hinges on Iran's success in maintaining
what remains of its influence- it is equally true that dismantling foreign
hegemony was a key prerequisite for ending the previous status quo in Syria and
Lebanon. At the end of the day, however, this liberation, for which immense
sacrifices were made, especially by Syrians but also by the Lebanese, was the
result of external elements, just as that hegemony had been an external element.
One could rightly argue that toppling extremely repressive and violent regimes
is nearly impossible without extrinsic counter elements, especially when the
forces that hold the weapons show no regard for peaceful protest and do not see
it as a factor worth considering. Further, it could also be said none of the
changes we have undergone in our Arab region would have happened if it had not
been for foreign intervention that breaks the stalemate. For instance, Iraq's
Baath regime remained in place from 1968 to 2003, when a major US intervention
(that morphed into occupation) brought it down. Similarly, Gaddafi remained in
power from 1969 until 2011, when NATO's support for the Libyan revolution topped
him. On the other hand, Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria did not fall in 2013,
when the US and NATO refrained from intervening, but it did, afterward, as a
result of foreign factors: the repercussions of the “Al-Aqsa Flood” operation in
Gaza and Israel.
It seems that the conclusion of the foreign phase, in its hostile form, leaves
us in the second, domestic and local, phase. While the two crises and threats
are not of the same magnitude, Syria must grapple with questions regarding how
to manage relations between its sects and communities, and thus how to build a
political regime that ensures peaceful coexistence, equality, and justice.
Meanwhile, Lebanon’s transition to a new order raises complex and difficult
challenges on a daily basis: the formation of an alternative government, ending
Israeli occupation, and reformulating the relationship between its sects and
communities. While the Lebanese have made progress in overcoming their domestic
challenges with the election of a president and the appointment of a prime
minister, these steps in the right direction have also left them facing a
predicament that cannot convincingly be attributed to extrinsic factors. The
responsibility of local actors to resolve this has become more pronounced. That
is, if being free of foreign influence is a necessary but insufficient
condition, the second phase presents the challenge of building society and
politics- a task that Syrians and Lebanese must undertake themselves.
It has been said that the two countries have "become themselves again" after
Hezbollah was harshly weakened and Assad was toppled, and most people in both
countries rightly celebrated this shift. However, what is to be done when the
"self" they have returned to is, in fact, "multiple selves?” To give one of many
examples, the Lebanese seem less enthusiastic about forming a government and
implementing reforms than the "Quintet" countries. In Syria, the situation is
even more dire: the Assad regime has withered and vanished- an exceptional gift
to a new regime. Yet, society has not given signals that reassure us of its
coherence or suggest that this new phase will be one of stability, even though
Arab and international actors are supporting and fostering both shifts.
Thus, there is reason to assume that our societies are transitioning from the
phase of foreign belligerence that we underwent when Iran called the shots- a
phase defined by militias, arms, and entanglements in countless conflicts- into
a phase of domestic crisis. That might be the reason we are now seeing a
perpetuation of the foreign phase, albeit one that is not fully hostile to our
interests, with the aim of circumventing our domestic crisis, solving our
problems, and promising reconstruction. However, the perpetuation of the foreign
phase could manifest in other, worrisome and harmful, forms. For instance,
Turkiye might exploit instability in Syria to settle the score with the Kurds,
and Lebanon’s domestic gridlock could be made to remain tied to developments in
the US/Israeli-Iranian front. So, we find ourselves stuck in a foreign phase
that has both beneficial and harmful aspects to it, but the domestic phase will
certainly remain in crisis, and perhaps even deadlocked, for a long time. Who
knows, it might be useful to temper the optimism that emerged after the fall of
the regimes that had governed Syria and Lebanon with some reflection about these
very political entities themselves and about whether these entities, with these
profound schisms, can ever be home to a transition toward a constructive
domestic phase. Indeed, there is a mountain of evidence to suggest that our
post-Ottoman era has failed to develop genuine national loyalties that go beyond
local communities and are translated into nation-states that enjoy an acceptable
degree of consensus. For the millionth time, the people of Syria and Lebanon are
compelled to rethink their political frameworks, after that the Iran-backed
regimes had made thinking easier on us.
Al-Habtoor Group halts
investment plans in Lebanon amid growing instability
Arab News/January 28, 2025
DUBAI: UAE-based business conglomerate Al-Habtoor Group has abandoned its plans
to reenter the Lebanese market, citing ongoing “unrest and instability” caused
by armed militias. In a statement issued on Tuesday, Khalaf Al-Habtoor, chairman
of the group, explained that recent developments had deeply shaken his optimism.
“My team and I had been diligently preparing to launch new projects and expand
existing investments in Lebanon, encouraged by promising signs such as the
election of Gen. Joseph Aoun as president and the nomination of Nawaf Salam as
prime minister. Both individuals embody integrity, credibility, and respect,
instilling renewed hope among the Lebanese people — and investors like myself —
for the country’s future,” the statement read.
However, he said that the continued dominance of armed militias, particularly
what he described as “Shiite militias”, and the “absence of rule of law” have
made it impossible for investors to proceed with confidence.
Tensions escalated with Hezbollah supporters holding rallies in Beirut,
including in Christian-majority neighborhoods, further raising sectarian
divisions. The protests followed the return of Shiite residents to southern
Lebanon after a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah was recently extended.
In his statement, Al-Habtoor lamented the lack of decisive action from
Lebanese authorities, including the army and the Ministry of Defense, in
addressing these disturbances, noting that the situation was only worsening.
Unless the new government takes a firm stance against those working to
destabilize the country, hopes for a “new Lebanon” will remain unfulfilled, he
said. Al-Habtoor clarified that the decision to pull out was made after careful
analysis and close monitoring of the situation. As a result, neither he, his
family, nor any group managers would be traveling to Lebanon.
Earlier this month, and following the wave of optimism that followed the
election of President Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, Al-Habtoor told Arab
News in an interview that his group intended to move forward with plans to
reopen its five-story mall in Beirut and relaunch the Habtoorland amusement park
in Jamhour, contingent on Lebanon’s government delivering the promised security
and stability measures. The group, a multibillion-dollar global conglomerate,
has diverse interests spanning luxury hotels, shopping malls, and more. As of
January last year, its investments in Lebanon were estimated at around $1
billion.
The end of illusions
Charles Elias Chartouni/January 28, 2025
The observation of political life refers us to lockdowns that repeat
indefinitely and to which politicians and the new executive dare not tackle
head-on. In reality, these lockdowns are resurfacing in taboos built on
governance principles that no one dares to touch. One wonders about the nature
of political life in this country where sordid political interests are
transformed into unchangeable and unquestionable political rules. The formation
of a government after two-and-a-half years of presidential vacation and a state
of flagrant constitutional usurpation, the Shiite fascism movement erects new
roadblocks in order to begin any process of normalization and reimpose their
dictatorship.
Naim Qassem’s timeless and grotesque statements reveal the state of denial that
prevails in the midst of Shiite and the spirit of revenge that grips with the
majority community gained from the Hezbollah narrative and the dynamics sprayed
by the Last War. The strategic and ideological coordinates that are structured
at the intersection of Iranian power policy, organized crime, and the Islamic
narrative of legitimacy will remain in place until the Iranian regime is not
defeated or fully reformed. Indoctrination and its strategic and operational
doubles are hard to dismantle in the absence of a revolutionary mutation in
nature that would end a totalitarian dictatorship that has nothing but
repression as a sign of survival.
The paradoxes of the so-called transition in Lebanon lie to systemic
ambivalences overlapping the nominal constitutional scheme and the realities of
political life governed by reports of force and frontal shock subversion
policies. Political life is just a theater of shadows where actors and issues
are profiled completely disarticulated from the realities of a country with
hardly discernable configurations. We are not at all in a scenario of democratic
alternation, governance programs, or accommodation seeking between political
parties that recognize themselves in the framework of a national and political
matrix that transcends political divisions. This is an institutionalized civil
war configuration where the players position themselves in agonistic terms.
All schemes of constitutional law invoked by the actors are nothing but legal
artifacts dismantled and instrumentalized by political actors that challenge the
legitimacy of the democratic game and its rules of conduct. The devaluation of
the truce stipulations and the arbitrary that defines the report to
international institutions is only a replica of domestic political practice
where institutional life is relegated in favor of political bargaining between
the different wings of the oligarchy. Political dealings run the risk of being
once again picked up by the oligarchic plot and to overthrow the new dynamics.
The galvanized policy of human shields and victimization and motorized Hezbollah
terror has once again been used to undermine the dynamics of normalization and
shut down the political approach. The new political game should allow the new
executive power to break free from the habits and constraints of political
culture that has destroyed institutions and led to the barbaric state of
political life.
The implementation of the new political orientations initiated by the new
military and political dynamics should serve as a matrix and platform for
negotiations. It remains to be known whether the current parliament is up to
this new step. Alas, no. The new executive is wrong to surrender to the
political class and resume the rules of the game. The new roadmap is that of
normalization projected by the international community, which should help the
country end the dynamics of open conflicts, invest in a regional peace project,
reclaim the reformist approach and consider ending conflicts. lockdowns. This is
an act of overtaking that no one has dared so far, while the chances of a great
mutation are at hand.
The Latest English LCCC
Miscellaneous Reports And News published
on January 28-29/2025
Israel’s Prime Minister Says Trump Has
Invited Him to the White House on Feb. 4
Asharq Al Awsat/January 28, 2025
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says President Donald Trump has
invited him to visit the White House on Feb. 4, which would make him the first
foreign leader to visit Washington in Trump’s second term. The visit comes as
the United States pressures Israel and Hamas to continue a ceasefire that has
paused a devastating 15-month war in Gaza. Trump teased the upcoming visit in a
conversation with reporters aboard Air Force One on Monday, but didn’t provide
scheduling details. “I’m going to be speaking with Bibi Netanyahu in the not too
distant future,” he said. The meeting would be a chance for Netanyahu, under
pressure at home, to remind the world of the long support he has received from
Trump over the years. Netanyahu is likely to encourage Trump not to hold up
weapons deliveries the way the Biden administration did. Even before taking
office this month, Trump was sending his special Middle East envoy, Steve
Witkoff, to the region to apply pressure along with the Biden administration to
get the current ceasefire achieved.
Palestinians Return to Gaza City as Mediators Look Ahead to
Next Stage
Asharq Al Awsat/January 28, 2025
Displaced Palestinians returning to their homes in Gaza City this week found a
city in ruins after 15 months of fighting, with many seeking shelter amongst the
rubble and searching for relatives lost in the chaotic return march.
Gaza City, in the north of the enclave, is a shell of the bustling,
rough-edged urban center it was before the war, with swathes of buildings
destroyed by Israeli bombardments and piles of rubble and torn up concrete on
every side. "Look at this scene, there is nothing to
say," said a man who gave his name as Abu Mohammad as he searched for a place to
settle. "People will sleep on the ground. There is nothing left."Many of those
returning, often laden with what personal possessions they still have after
months of being moved around as the focus of the war shifted, had walked 20 km
(12 miles) or more along the coastal highway north. "I am waiting for my father,
mother and brother. We lost them on the way," said Jameel Abed, who walked up
from the central area of the Gaza Strip. "We found some lights here and we are
waiting for them," he said. "There is no car, no
tuktuk, no donkey cart, no vehicle, nothing that could move on this road." By
late on Monday, Gaza's Hamas authorities said more than 300,000 people, or
almost half of those displaced from the north during the war, had crossed into
Gaza City and the north edge of the enclave from areas in the south. Even as
those who arrived in Gaza looked around for somewhere to settle down, tens of
thousands were still moving north as mediators began preliminary work on the
second stage of ceasefire negotiations due to begin next week.
Three more Israeli hostages are due to be handed over on Thursday by
Hamas, the armed group still in control of Gaza, with another three expected on
Saturday, in exchange for scores of Palestinian prisoners set for release from
Israeli jails, some of whom will go into exile.In Cairo, a high-profile Hamas
team led by Mohammad Darwish, head of the group's leading council, arrived for
talks with Egyptian mediators, and to welcome 70 Palestinian prisoners who
arrived in Cairo prior to being moved to third countries who would be willing to
host them.
These include Qatar, Türkiye, and Algeria, according to Hamas and other sources.
NEGOTIATIONS
Under the terms of the ceasefire, agreed this month with Egyptian and Qatari
mediation and US support, 33 hostages are due to be released during a six-week
ceasefire, in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, many of them
serving life sentences in Israeli jails. Seven hostages and 290 prisoners have
so far been exchanged. A second stage, which will decide what happens to more
than 60 other hostages, including men of military age as well as a full
withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, is due to begin by next Tuesday. If that
succeeds, a full end to the war could follow. The conflict was triggered by the
Hamas-led attack in southern Israel that killed 1,200 people, according to an
Israeli toll, and saw more than 250 taken hostage. It would also open the way to
talks on reconstructing Gaza, now largely destroyed by an Israeli campaign that
killed almost 47,000 Palestinians, according to Palestinian health authorities.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has faced pressure from some
hardliners in his government, unhappy that the agreement leaves Hamas still in
power in Gaza, not to proceed to the second stage but to recommence fighting to
secure what they see as total victory. But Sami Abu Zuhri, a senior Hamas
official, said the group believed the talks would go ahead. "We are ready to
begin negotiations for the second phase at the specified time and are confident
that Netanyahu has no choice but to proceed with the second phase," he said.
What would follow full implementation of the ceasefire remains unclear
after Israel's repeated declarations that Hamas will not be allowed to remain in
power in Gaza. US President Donald Trump's call for Palestinians in Gaza to be
taken to Egypt or Jordan, though strongly rejected in the region and by
Palestinian officials and residents, has further complicated the outlook.
More than 376,000 return to north Gaza since Monday: UN
OCHA: Over 376,000 people are estimated to have returned to their places of
UNITED NATIONS: More than 376,000 Palestinians displaced by the war between
Israel and Hamas have returned to northern Gaza, the UN’s humanitarian body OCHA
said Tuesday. “Over 376,000 people are estimated to have returned to their
places of origin in northern Gaza, following the withdrawal of Israeli forces
from the two main roads along the Netzarim corridor” that leads into the north,
OCHA said in a humanitarian update. Many Palestinians said they were happy to
return, even though their homes in northern Gaza are likely damaged or
destroyed. Others said the feeling was bittersweet, as nearly everyone has
friends or relatives killed by Israel during the 15-month war against Hamas.
“This is our homeland and we have to go back,” said one displaced woman,
Ola Saleh. The ceasefire is aimed at ending the war and releasing dozens of
hostages and hundreds of Palestinians imprisoned or detained by Israel.
New Backlash Over Trump Plan to Move People Out of Gaza
Asharq Al Awsat/January 28, 2025
An idea floated by US President Donald Trump to move Gazans to Egypt or Jordan
faced a renewed backlash Tuesday as hundreds of thousands of Gazans displaced by
the Israel-Hamas war returned to their devastated neighborhoods. A fragile
ceasefire and hostage release deal took effect earlier this month, intended to
end more than 15 months of war that began with Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on
Israel. After the ceasefire came into force, Trump touted a plan to "clean out"
the Gaza Strip, reiterating the idea on Monday as he called for Palestinians to
move to "safer" locations such as Egypt or Jordan. The US president, who has
repeatedly claimed credit for sealing the truce deal after months of fruitless
negotiations, also said he would meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
in Washington "very soon".
Jordan on Tuesday renewed its rejection of Trump's proposal. "We emphasize that
Jordan's national security dictates that the Palestinians must remain on their
land and that the Palestinian people must not be subjected to any kind of forced
displacement whatsoever," Jordanian government spokesman Mohammad Momani said.
Qatar, which played a leading role in the truce mediation, on Tuesday said that
it often did not see "eye to eye" with its allies, including the United
States."Our position has always been clear to the necessity of the Palestinian
people receiving their rights, and that the two-state solution is the only path
forward," Qatar's foreign ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari said.
Following reports that Trump had spoken with
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi at the weekend, Cairo said there had
been no such phone call.
"A senior official source denied what some media outlets reported about a phone
call between the Egyptian and American presidents," Egypt's state information
service said. On Monday, Trump reportedly said the pair had spoken, saying of
Sisi: "I wish he would take some (Palestinians)."
After Trump first floated the idea, Egypt rejected the forced displacement of
Gazans, expressing its "continued support for the steadfastness of the
Palestinian people on their land". France, another US ally, on Tuesday said any
forced displacement of Gazans would be "unacceptable". It would also be a
"destabilization factor (for) our close allies Egypt and Jordan", a French
foreign ministry spokesman said. Moving Gaza's 2.4 million people could be done
"temporarily or could be long term", Trump said on Saturday.
Israel's far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said he was working with
the prime minister "to prepare an operational plan to ensure that President
Trump's vision is realized". Smotrich, who opposed the ceasefire deal, did not
provide any details on the purported plan. For Palestinians, any attempts to
force them from Gaza would evoke dark memories of what the Arab world calls the
"Nakba", or catastrophe -- the mass displacement of Palestinians during Israel's
creation in 1948. "We say to Trump and the whole world: we will not leave
Palestine or Gaza, no matter what happens," said displaced Gazan Rashad al-Naji.
Almost all of the Gaza Strip's inhabitants were displaced at least once by the
war that has levelled much of the Palestinian territory. The ceasefire hinges on
the release during a first phase of 33 Israeli hostages held in Gaza in exchange
for around 1,900 Palestinians held in Israeli jails. On Monday, Israeli
government spokesman David Mencer said eight of the hostages due for release in
the first phase are dead. Since the truce began on January 19, seven Israeli
women have been freed, as have about 290 Palestinians held in Israeli prisons.
On Monday, after Hamas and Israel agreed over the release of six hostages this
week, "more than 300,000 displaced" Gazans were able to return to the north,
according to the Hamas government media office. "I'm
happy to be back at my home," said Saif Al-Din Qazaat, who returned to northern
Gaza but had to sleep in a tent next to the ruins of his destroyed house. "I
kept a fire burning all night near the kids to keep them warm... (they) slept
peacefully despite the cold, but we don't have enough blankets," the 41-year-old
told AFP. Hamas's October 7 attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,210
people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli
figures. During the attack, gunmen took into Gaza 251 hostages. Eighty-seven
remain in the territory, including dozens Israel says are dead. Israel's
retaliatory offensive has killed at least 47,317 people in Gaza, the majority
civilians, according to figures from the Hamas-run territory's health ministry
that the UN considers reliable. "In terms of the death toll, yes, we do have
confidence. But let's not forget, the official death toll given by the Ministry
of Health, is deaths accounted in morgues and in hospitals, so in official
facilities," World Health Organization spokesman Christian Lindmeier said
Tuesday. "As people go back to their houses, as they will start looking for
their loved ones under the rubble, this casualty figure is expected to
increase," he added.
This is what one family in Gaza returned home to after 15 months
of war
AP/January 29, 2025
BEIT LAHIYA, Gaza Strip: The grove of orange, olive and palm trees that once
stood in front of Ne’man Abu Jarad’s house was bulldozed away. The roses and
jasmine flowers on the roof and in the garden, which he lovingly watered so his
family could enjoy their fragrance, were also gone.
The house itself was a damaged, hollowed-out shell. But after 15 months of
brutal war, it stood.
At the sight of it Monday, Ne’man; his wife, Majida; and three of their six
daughters dropped the bags they had been lugging since dawn, fell to their knees
and prayed, whispering, “Praise be to God, praise be to God.” The sunset blazed
orange in the sky above.
In this image made from an Associated Press video, Ne'man Abu Jarad and his
family return to their home in Beit Lahiya, Gaza Strip, on Monday, Jan. 29,
2025, for the first time since the war between Hamas and Israel began. (AP)
After 477 days of hell — fleeing the length of the Gaza Strip, hiding from
bombardment, sweltering in tents, scrounging for food and water, losing their
possessions – they had finally returned home.
“Our joy is unmatched by any other, not the joy of success, of a marriage or of
a birth,” Majida said. “This is a joy that can’t be described in words, in
writing or in any expression.”
In October, at the one-year anniversary of the Gaza war, The Associated Press
traced the Abu Jarad family’s flight around the territory seeking safety. They
were eight of the roughly 1.8 million Palestinians driven from their homes by
Israel’s massive campaign of retaliation against Hamas following the militants’
Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel. In this image
made from an Associated Press video, Ne'man Abu Jarad and his family return to
their home in Beit Lahiya, Gaza Strip, on Monday, Jan. 29, 2025, for the first
time since the war between Hamas and Israel began. (AP)
Like many families, they were displaced multiple times. Ne’man, Majida
and their daughters – the youngest in first grade, the oldest in her early 20s –
fled their home at the northernmost part of Gaza hours after Israeli bombardment
began. They would move seven times in total, fleeing all the way to Gaza’s
southernmost city Rafah. Each time, their conditions
worsened. By October 2024, they were languishing in a sprawling tent camp near
the southern city of Khan Younis, exhausted and depressed, with little hope of
seeing home again.
Hope suddenly revived when Israel and Hamas reached a long-awaited ceasefire
earlier this month. On Jan. 19, the first day of the truce, Majida began packing
up their clothes, food and other belongings. On Sunday, the announcement came:
The next day, Israeli troops would pull back from two main roads, allowing
Palestinians to return to the north.
Members of the Abu Jarad family, who were displaced by the Israeli bombardment
of the Gaza Strip, gather in front of their tent at a camp for displaced
Palestinians in the Muwasi area, southern Gaza Strip, Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025.
(AP)
Since Monday, more than 375,000 Palestinians have made their way back to
northern Gaza, many of them on foot. The Abu Jarads
set off Monday from their tent at 5 a.m., loading bags stuffed with their
belongings into a car. The driver took them to the edge of the Netzarim
Corridor, the swath of land across Gaza that Israeli forces had turned into a
military zone that – until this week – had barred any returns north.There, they
got out and walked, joining the massive crowds making their way down the coastal
road. For around 8 kilometers (5 miles), the 49-year-old Ne’eman carried one
sack on his back, held another in his arms, and two bags dangled from the crooks
of his elbows. They stopped frequently, to rest, rearrange bags, and drop items
along the way.
“The road is really hard,” Majida told an AP journalist who accompanied them on
the journey. “But our joy for the return makes us forget we’re tired. Every
meter we walk, our joy gives us strength to continue.”
Reaching the southern outskirts of Gaza City, they hired a van. But it quickly
ran out of fuel, and they waited more than an hour before they found another
one. Driving through the city, they got their first look at the war’s
devastating impact in the north.
Over 15 months, Israel launched repeated offensives in Gaza City and surrounding
areas, trying to crush Hamas fighters who often operated in densely populated
neighborhoods. After each assault, militants would regroup, and a new assault
would follow.
The van made its way down city streets strewn with rubble, lined with buildings
that were damaged husks or had been reduced to piles of concrete.
“They destroyed even more in this area,” Ne’man said, staring out the window as
they left Gaza City and entered the towns of Beit Lahiya and Beit Hanoun – scene
of one of Israel’s most ferocious offensives in the last three months before the
ceasefire.
As the sun began to set, the van dropped them off at the edge of their
neighborhood. Ne’man’s daughters stood in shock. One gaped, her hands on her
cheeks. Her sister pointed out at the field of flattened houses. They walked the
last few hundred meters, over a landscape of rutted, bulldozed dirt.Trudging as
fast as he could under the bags draping from his body, Ne’man — a taxi driver
before the war — repeated over and over in excitement, “God is great, God is
great. To God is all thanks.”
Their home still stood, sort of — a hollow shell in a row of damaged buildings.
After they prayed in front of it, Ne’eman leaned on the bare concrete wall of
his house and kissed it. To his joy he discovered that one flowering vine in
front of the house had miraculously survived. He immediately set about examining
and arranging its tendrils. One of the girls dashed in
through the now doorless front entrance. “Oh Lord, oh Lord,” her gasps came from
the darkness inside. Then she began to cry, as if all the shock, sorrow,
happiness and relief were gushing out of her.
Like others streaming back into northern Gaza, the Abu Jarads will face the
question of how to survive in the ruins of cities decimated by war. Water and
food remain scarce, leaving the population still reliant on humanitarian aid,
which is being ramped up under the ceasefire. There is no electricity. Tens of
thousands are homeless.Adjoining the Abu Jarads’ home, Ne’man’s brother’s
three-story house is now a pile of concrete wreckage after it was destroyed by
an airstrike. It damaged Ne’man’s home as it collapsed, “but, thank God, there
is an undamaged room which we will live in,” he said. He vows to repair what is
damaged. Grief from the war lays heavily on him,
Ne’man said. His uncle lost his home, and several of his uncle’s children were
killed. Several of his neighbors’ homes were destroyed. Ne’man said he will have
to walk several kilometers (miles) to find water, just like he did in the
displacement camps.“Once again, we will live through suffering and fatigue.”
UNRWA Chief Says 'Relentless Assault' on Agency Is Harming Palestinians
Asharq Al Awsat/January 28, 2025
The leader of the UN's Palestinian relief agency UNRWA said Tuesday that
Israel's "relentless assault" on the agency was harming the Palestinians,
speaking after Israel moved to cut all contact with his organization.
"The relentless assault on UNRWA is harming the lives and future of
Palestinians across the occupied Palestinian territory. It is eroding their
trust in the international community, jeopardizing any prospect for peace and
security," Philippe Lazzarini told a UN Security Council meeting on the issue.
Israel will cease all contact with the UN's Palestinian relief agency
UNRWA and any other body acting on its behalf, Israel's envoy to the UN said
Tuesday after repeatedly accusing the organization of undermining its security.
UNRWA's offices and staff in Israel play a major role in the provision of
healthcare and education to Palestinians, but Israeli officials have long
clashed with the agency. UNRWA claims to have brought in 60 percent of the food
to have reached Gaza since the start of the war that followed the October 7,
2023 attacks on Israel. "The legislation forbids UNRWA from operating within the
sovereign territory of the State of Israel, and forbids any contact between
Israeli officials and UNWRA," said the envoy, Danny Danon.
He was speaking ahead of a UN Security Council meeting on Israel's
passage of legislation ending the organization's legal footing in Israel within
48 hours.
"Israel will terminate all collaboration, communication and contact with UNRWA
or anyone acting on its behalf." Israel claims that a dozen UNRWA employees were
involved in the deadly October 7, 2023 assault, and insists that other
organizations can pick up the slack to provide essential services, aid and
reconstruction -- something the UN disputes. A series of probes, including one
led by France's former foreign minister Catherine Colonna, found some
"neutrality related issues" at UNRWA -- but stressed Israel had not provided
evidence for its chief allegations.
Lazzarini said UNRWA's "capacity to directly provide primary healthcare for
millions of Palestinians, and to resume education for hundreds of thousands of
children, far exceeds that of any other entity."Hamas's October 7 attack on
Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,210 people, mostly civilians, according to an
AFP tally based on official Israeli figures. During the attack, gunmen took into
Gaza 251 hostages. Eighty-seven remain in the territory, including dozens Israel
says are dead. Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed at least 47,317 people
in Gaza, the majority civilians, according to figures from the Hamas-run
territory's health ministry that the UN considers reliable. The war provoked a
deep humanitarian crisis, destroying hospitals and sparking outbreaks of
infectious diseases while hundreds of thousands of Gazans faced starvation
conditions and have depended on food aid. "We are determined, however, to stay
and deliver until it is no longer possible to do so," said Lazzarini.
Russia, Syria to hold further talks on Russian military bases in
Syria, TASS reports
Reuters/January 28, 2025
DAMASCUS: Russia and Syria will hold further talks regarding Russian military
bases in Syria, Russia’s news agencies reported late on Tuesday, citing Russian
Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov as telling journalists after his talks
with Syrian officials. “This issue requires additional negotiations,” TASS news
agency cited Bogdanov as saying. Bogdanov is heading Russia’s delegation to
Damascus for the first time since Moscow’s ally President Bashar Assad was
toppled. He added that so far there have been no
changes to the presence of Russian military bases in the country.
Israel says its troops in Syria will remain atop Mt Hermon
indefinitely
Reuters/January 28, 2025
(Reuters) - Israeli troops who seized strategic ground in southern Syria after
the fall of Bashar al-Assad will remain on the summit of Mount Hermon
indefinitely, Defence Minister Israel Katz said on Tuesday after visiting troops
there.
Katz said Israel would not allow what he described as hostile forces to
establish themselves in southern Syria. Mount Hermon,
a huge cluster of snowcapped mountain peaks towering above the Syria-Lebanon
border, overlooks the Damascus countryside as well as the Israeli-occupied Golan
Heights, which Israel captured from Syria in the 1967 Middle East war. Israel
says its troops have taken up positions inside a U.N.-monitored demilitarised
zone within Syria, and some have ventured beyond it. Israeli officials have
previously said that the moves were limited and temporary, to ensure the
security of Israeli borders. Israel's move into Syrian territory has been
criticised as a violation of international agreements by a number of countries
and the United Nations, which has called for the troops to be withdrawn.
The discovery of brutal mass graves in Syria reveals Assad’s
legacy of horror
AP/January 29, 2025
DAMASCUS, Syria: The charred remains of at least 26 victims of the Bashar Assad
government were located Tuesday by Syrian civil defense workers in two separate
basements in rural Damascus. The discovery adds to the growing tally of mass
graves unearthed since the fall of the Assad government in December. The
remains, which are believed to include men, women and children, showed evidence
of gunshot wounds and burning. Members of Syria’s White Helmets, a volunteer
civil defense group, exhumed the fragmented, weathered skeletal remains from the
basement of two properties in the town of Sbeneh, southwest of the capital.
Wearing hazmat suits, they carefully logged and coded each set of remains before
placing them into body bags, which were then loaded onto trucks for transport.
Since Nov. 28, the White Helmets have uncovered “more than 780 bodies, most of
unknown identity,” Abed Al-Rahman Mawwas, a member of the rescue service, told
The Associated Press. He said many were found in shallow graves uncovered by
locals or dug up by animals. The bodies are transferred to forensics doctors to
determine their identities, time of death and cause of death, as well as to
match them with possible family members. “Of course,
this takes years of work,” he said. Mohammad
Al-Herafe, a resident of one of the buildings where remains were uncovered, said
the stench of decomposing bodies was overwhelming when his family returned to
Sbeneh in 2016 after fleeing because of fighting in the area during the
country’s uprising-turned-civil war that began in 2011.
He said they found the bodies in the basement but chose not to report it
out of fear of government reprisals. “We could not tell the regime about it
because we know that the regime did this.”The Assad government, which ruled
Syria for over two decades, employed airstrikes on civilian areas, torture,
executions and mass imprisonment, to maintain control over Syria and suppress
opposition groups during the country’s 13-year civil war.
Ammar Al-Salmo, another Civil Defense member dispatched to the second
basement site, said further investigation is needed to identify the victims.“We
need testimonies from residents and others who might know who stayed behind when
the fighting intensified in 2013,” he told the AP.
Mohammad Shebat, who lived in the second building where bodies were found, said
he left the neighborhood in 2012 and returned in 2020 when he and his neighbors
discovered the bodies and demanded their removal. But no one cooperated, he
said. Shebat believes the victims were civilians who
fled the nearby Al-Assali neighborhood when the fighting escalated and the Assad
government imposed a siege in 2013. He said forces of the former government used
to “trap people in basements, burn them with tires and leave their bodies.”
“There are several basements like this, full of skeletons,” he said.In a report
released Monday, the United Nations Syria Commission of Inquiry said that mass
graves can be used as evidence to uncover the fates of thousands of missing
detainees.
The report, spanning 14 years of investigations and drawing on over 2,000
witness testimonies, including more than 550 survivors of torture, detailed how
detainees in Syria’s notorious prisons “suffering from torture injuries,
malnutrition, disease and illness, were left to die slowly, in agonizing pain,
or were taken away to be executed.” Assad’s fall on Dec. 8 drove hundreds of
families to scour prisons and morgues in desperate search of loved ones. While
many were freed after years of imprisonment, thousands remain missing, their
fates still unknown.
The UN commission has said that forensic exhumations of mass graves, as well as
safeguarding evidence, archives and crime sites, may offer grieving families a
chance to learn the truth. The commission was established in 2011 by the Human
Rights Council to investigate Syria’s alleged violations of international human
rights law. The UN report documented brutal methods of torture by the former
government, including “severe beatings, electric shocks, burning, pulling out
nails, damaging teeth, rape, sexual violence including mutilation, prolonged
stress positions, deliberate neglect and denial of medical care, exacerbating
wounds and psychological torture.”“For Syrians who did not find their loved ones
among the freed, this evidence, alongside testimonies of freed detainees, may be
their best hope to uncover the truth about missing relatives,” said Commissioner
Lynn Welchman.
Saudi Cabinet discusses Syria, Lebanon and Kingdom’s
success at WEF
Arab News/January 28, 2025
RIYADH: The Saudi Cabinet on Tuesday discussed the outcomes of Foreign Minister
Prince Faisal bin Farhan’s visits to Syria and Lebanon last week.
The prince met newly elected Lebanese President Joseph Aoun in Beirut and
the new Syrian ruler, Ahmed Al-Sharaa, in Damascus.
The Cabinet session in Riyadh was chaired by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman,
who briefed members on his telephone conversation with new US President Donald
Trump last Wednesday, and his meeting with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni
on Sunday during her visit to AlUla.
After the session, Minister of Media Salman Al-Dossary said Saudi diplomacy
supports Syria and Lebanon, and the efforts to restore their rightful positions
within the Arab and international communities. Cabinet members also praised the
work of the Kingdom’s delegation at the annual World Economic Forum summit in
Davos last week. Several Saudi ministers and business leaders attended the
event, at which the Kingdom hosted a Saudi House pavilion to showcase the
nation’s transformation and help forge connections with government and business
stakeholders. The Cabinet said that the announcement by Saudi Arabia that it
will regularly host WEF meetings in Riyadh beginning in 2026 reaffirms the
country’s leadership role as a global center for international dialogue, the
Saudi Press Agency reported.
The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous
sources
on January 28-29/2025
Trump Was Not Elected to Sound Retreat...Voters
Want "Peace Through Strength," Not Defeatism
Frank J. Gaffney/Gatestone Institute/January 28, 2025
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/21365/undermining-trump-presidency
The Trump 2.0 presidency is scarcely a week old and a number of political
appointees who do not share the president's agenda are now in key positions in
his administration. An epic struggle, it seems, is already underway to subvert
the Trump administration from within.
So how is it that three individuals who worked for Charles Koch are now serving
as Deputy Assistant Secretaries of Defense (DASDs) or their equivalent, in some
of the most sensitive positions in the government? The obvious answer is that
Dan Caldwell was head of the Defense Department transition team and simply
planted his friends in top jobs. A sizeable majority
of the American people voted for a change in the nation's foreign and defense
policies, not a continuation of the failed ones of the Obama-Biden years.
President Donald J. Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth – and our country –
must not be represented, and undermined, by subordinates who disagree.
The Trump 2.0 presidency is scarcely a week old and a number of political
appointees who do not share the president's agenda are now in key positions in
his administration. President Donald J. Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth
– and our country – must not be represented, and undermined, by subordinates who
disagree.
The Trump 2.0 presidency is scarcely a week old and a number of political
appointees who do not share the president's agenda are now in key positions in
his administration. An epic struggle, it seems, is already underway to subvert
the Trump administration from within. The problem is not simply a recalcitrant
bureaucracy made up of "burrowed-in" Obama-Biden holdovers and leftist civil
servants. Obstructionism of President Donald J. Trump's policy of "peace through
strength" from such quarters was expected.
In a well-researched article posted by The Free Press, Eli Lake documents the
problematic views of several alumni of institutions funded by anti-Trump
libertarian Charles Koch, recently installed inside Trump's wire at the
Pentagon.
Three of particular concern are Dan Caldwell, Michael DiMino and John Andrew
Byers, who will be playing leading roles, respectively, on the Russian-Ukraine
war, the Middle East and East Asia. What they have in common is a defeatist
predilection rooted in the conviction that the United States must disengage from
the world, leave its allies to fend for themselves and accommodate its enemies.
They call their policy approach "restraint."They all have also been associated
in various ways with the Quincy Institute, whose seed funding came from not only
from the Koch fortune but that of George Soros. Another anti-Trump tell is that
Quincy's executive vice president, Trita Parsi, has been described by Iran's
state-controlled media as the leader of "the Iranian lobby" in Washington.
Here are a sample of their views:
Caldwell, a former public policy advisor at the leftist Koch-funded Defense
Priorities think tank telegraphed before the election a stealthy take-over of
the defense staff of a second Trump administration by enthusiasts of
"restraint":
"There is a good chance that Trump does pursue policies that are closer to what
I believe in, particularly in Europe, hopefully in the Middle East and I think
he'll take a more nuanced approach to China than some people are expecting from
him, Republicans. I think there's a lot of folks that... have been flying under
the radar that we know of that could staff an administration... that is more
aligned with, more willing to implement these policies."
DiMino believes that "The people that try to tell you that Iran is somehow going
to take over the Middle East, I think it's fearmongering and I think it's pablum
and it's not supported by the facts."
Byers holds that "America should abandon belligerent military initiatives
targeted at China," avoid a "heightened trade war with China"; and pursue
"peaceful coexistence and mutually beneficial prosperity" for a "future of
mutually assured production rather than mutually assured destruction."
In short, while these newly minted Pentagon officials pride themselves on being
advocates of "restraint," in fact, they are champions of "retreat." And history
teaches, an America in retreat is one that will soon be at war – perhaps
endlessly – with enemies emboldened by what they perceive as weakness and
appeasement. That is the antithesis of the promised Trumpian practice of "peace
through strength."
It sounds, in fact, a lot like the Obama-Biden policy. That's because it is
vintage Charles Koch, an anti-conservative who often teams up with Democrats in
favoring deals with Iran, trading with China and otherwise ignoring the
determination of these and other enemies to destroy our country. Such sentiments
were possibly among the reasons Koch sought to defeat Trump in the 2024
Republican Party presidential primaries by backing his opponent, former South
Carolina Governor Nikki Haley.
Trump has made no secret of his regret that his first administration was
sabotaged by political appointees who worked against him, rather than for him.
Indeed, he promised on numerous occasions that the mistake would not be repeated
in a second term.
Most recently, he explicitly told those interested in proposing candidates for
Trump 2.0 appointments in a January 15 post on Truth Social:
"In order to save time, money, and effort, it would be helpful if you would not
send, or recommend to us, people who worked with, or are endorsed by, Americans
for No Prosperity (headed by Charles Koch)..."
(In addition to deriding Koch's political operation as "No Prosperity," Trump
has also called it "Americans for China Prosperity.")
So how is it that three individuals who worked for Charles Koch are now serving
as Deputy Assistant Secretaries of Defense (DASDs) or their equivalent, in some
of the most sensitive positions in the government? The obvious answer is that
Dan Caldwell was head of the Defense Department transition team and simply
planted his friends in top jobs. Less clear is what quality control, if any, was
performed by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth as he awaited Senate confirmation
and the White House Presidential Personnel Office Director Sergio Gor?
While the answers to those questions remain to be determined, there can be
little uncertainty about the problems that will result from the installation of
individuals with a very different agenda than the president and his secretary of
defense. I served for four and a half years as a DASD in the Reagan Pentagon and
can attest from firsthand experience to the influence individuals in such
positions can have. They have the ability to work day-in and day-out on issues
their superiors can address only episodically. That is especially true of the
Defense Secretary.
So, while Hegseth is literally correct when he assures skeptics that he will be
"in charge," and not others like the Koch cohort, in reality it is they who will
be calling the tactical plays every day. If they are not absolutely aligned and
trustworthy, when they – not their boss – represent the Defense Department in
inter-agency meetings, with representatives of foreign governments, on Capitol
Hill and in other public settings, they will likely cause internal flails and
external debacles.
There seems to be a serious problem with the vetting system. If recently
confirmed members of the president's cabinet are not more vigilant, they may
find that their days are numbered or their plans subverted, or both.
A foretaste of what is to come was provided last week by Tucker Carlson in a
lengthy interview with Curt Mills, executive director of the misnamed and
actually libertarian American Conservative magazine. Carlson and his guest
attacked those who have criticized appointments such as Caldwell and DiMino.
They even questioned such critics' loyalty to the country and contended that the
presence of such "retreaters" in the Pentagon was not only highly desirable, but
a necessary exercise in "free speech," conducive to desirable debates.
Such debates were already properly conducted where they need to be – on the
election campaign trail – in 2024. A sizeable majority of the American people
voted for a change in the nation's foreign and defense policies, not a
continuation of the failed ones of the Obama-Biden years. President Donald J.
Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth – and our country – must not be
represented, and undermined, by subordinates who disagree.
Frank J. Gaffney, formerly acted as an Assistant Secretary of Defense in the
Reagan Pentagon. He is currently the President of the Institute for the American
Future and host of "Securing America" on the Real America's Voice network.
© 2025 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do
not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No
part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied
or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.
Trump's Illegal Nullification of TikTok Law Enables China
to Continue Indoctrinating and Collecting Information on 170 Million Americans
Gordon G. Chang/Gatestone Institute/January 28, 2025
In short, Trump nullified the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary
Controlled Applications Act. A president, however, does not possess that
inherent power.
China is using the app to target every future American president, Supreme Court
chief justice, and House speaker by accumulating information — and blackmail
material — on most of America's young.
Since when does the U.S. need China's approval to protect itself from China's
attacks?
The U.S., therefore, has the right to expropriate without compensation —
confiscate or "forfeit" in legal terms — the app, including its algorithm.
On January 20, President Donald Trump signed an executive order effectively
delaying the application of the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary
Controlled Applications Act, better known as the "TikTok ban." This executive
order is legally questionable and severely undermines the national security of
the United States. On January 20, just hours after taking the oath of office,
President Donald Trump signed an executive order effectively delaying the
application of the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled
Applications Act, better known as the "TikTok ban."
This executive order is legally questionable and severely undermines the
national security of the United States.
The Act provides that no person may "distribute, maintain, or update" a "foreign
adversary controlled application." The measure designates any app owned by
ByteDance, including TikTok, as such an app. In short, American app stores
cannot distribute that app and no American business may offer web-hosting
services to it. Trump, in a Truth Social posting on
January 19, wrote: "I will issue an executive order on Monday to extend the
period of time before the law's prohibitions take effect, so that we can make a
deal to protect our national security."
Many therefore assumed Trump on January 20 exercised his authority to grant a
one-time extension of up to 90 days. The Act, however, provides that an
extension can be granted only if three conditions are met: "a path to executing
a qualified divestiture has been identified," "evidence of significant progress
toward executing such qualified divestiture has been produced," and "there are
in place the relevant binding legal agreements to enable execution of such
qualified divestiture during the period of such extension."
Trump could not use this provision because ByteDance refused to consider a sale.
Axios, on the January 22, reported this: "As of Trump's order, ByteDance had not
engaged in negotiations with any potential buyer, despite the pending ban."
Trump, therefore, ignored the new law altogether.
In his executive order, Trump stated that he has a "unique constitutional
responsibility for the national security of the United States, the conduct of
foreign policy, and other vital executive functions" and that he needs time to
"consult with my advisors, including the heads of relevant departments and
agencies on the national security concerns posed by TikTok."
Therefore, Trump on January 20 ordered the attorney general "not to take
any action on behalf of the United States to enforce the Act for 75 days," so
that his administration would have "an opportunity to determine the appropriate
course of action with respect to TikTok."In short, Trump nullified the
Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act. A
president, however, does not possess that inherent power.
Yet whether he has that power or not, Trump has acted to help China's regime to
assault the United States. The Chinese Communist Party uses TikTok to criminally
obtain information from American users. The app even tracks keystrokes.
Moreover, the Chinese regime uses TikTok's curation algorithm, which determines
the distribution of videos, to propagate its narratives as well as spread hate,
foment violence, and promote illicit drug use and self-harm. Why has venomous
anti-Semitism spread so fast in the last couple of years in America? Think
TikTok. Unfortunately, the just-inaugurated president
minimizes TikTok's malign effect. "And remember, TikTok is largely about kids,
young kids," Trump said in the Oval Office while signing the executive order.
"If China is going to get information about young kids out of it, to be honest,
I think we have bigger problems than that."Trump has got that wrong. China is
using the app to target every future American president, Supreme Court chief
justice, and House speaker by accumulating information — and blackmail material
— on most of America's young.
There is another problem: Trump is accepting China's terms. "Essentially with
TikTok I have the right to sell it or close it," he said in the Oval Office
after signing the executive order. "We may have to get approval from China. I'm
not sure. I'm sure they'll approve."
Since when does the U.S. need China's approval to protect itself from China's
attacks?
If by "approval," Trump meant that China has said that it will not allow the
transfer of the curation algorithm, let's remember that the Chinese Communist
Party used the algorithm to commit a federal crime and act of war against the
U.S. As Radio Free Asia reported in August 2020, a Chinese People's Liberation
Army intelligence unit sent "tailor-made" TikTok videos to incite Americans to
riot.
The U.S., therefore, has the right to expropriate without compensation —
confiscate or "forfeit" in legal terms — the app, including its algorithm.
Trump, like every new American president, is trying to accommodate the Chinese
Communist Party. He has even gone so far as to suggest that ByteDance could
continue to own half of TikTok in a joint venture.
At some point, however, Trump will learn that long-term cooperation is not
possible. The 47th president should know that by now. Xi Jinping continually
violated his promises to Trump during his first term, most notably on fentanyl,
a pledge made in December 2018, and on trade, a promise made and documented in
an agreement in January 2020. Xi is even more arrogant and brazen now than he
was five years ago.
Every day, TikTok causes irreparable harm to America. Giving China's hostile
regime 75 more days to do so is not in America's interest.
*Gordon G. Chang is the author of The Coming Collapse of China, a Gatestone
Institute distinguished senior fellow, and a member of its Advisory Board.
*Follow Gordon G. Chang on X (formerly Twitter)
© 2025 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do
not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No
part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied
or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.
The Question of Peace…With or Without the Palestinians
Nadim Koteich/Asharq Al Awsat/January 28, 2025
In light of the immense human and material costs borne by the Palestinians, the
ceasefire in Gaza has brought pressing questions back to the fore: Is resolving
the problems of "the Palestinian cause" the only necessary gateway to peace and
stability in the region?
One objective of the October 7, 2023, operation was to disrupt the dynamics of
peace that had been emerging in the region. These dynamics were reflected in
Arab states’ political positions in favor of comprehensive peace, as well as
discussions of economic and infrastructure projects that go beyond diplomatic
and political normalization, such as the economic corridor linking India, the
Middle East, and Europe. These shifts unfolded after the "Abraham Accords" were
signed between Israel and the UAE, Bahrain, Morocco, and Sudan in 2020, a
historic turning point on the path to a new Middle East.
With the Gaza war, a war against this peace in particular, we saw many parties
claim that Arab states’ normalization with Israel had "stripped" Palestinians of
their leverage. Accordingly, there is a need to look into whether Palestinians
had effectively leveraged Arabs’ boycott of Israel to advance their cause. Let
us remember that, for over seven decades, Arab states tied any improvement in
relations with Israel to a solution for the Palestinian cause without much
effect. Indeed, this boycott did little to halt settlement expansion or make
progress toward the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.
As for the argument that normalization and the newly emerging dynamics that
could potentially engender similar agreements have marginalized Palestinians and
undermined their cause, it overlooks a deeper truth: the Palestinian leadership
is largely responsible for the declining prominence of the Palestinian cause.
Palestinian factions are responsible for intra-Palestinian divisions, rampant
corruption, the absence of a unified vision for a national project, and the lack
of workable strategies- whether for peace or war.
The Palestinian leadership has not merely squandered decades of unconditional
Arab support. It has also used this support to fuel internal divisions, denying
its people the opportunity to capitalize on initiatives that served their
interests. Their poor leadership also compelled Arab countries to rethink their
priorities and put addressing other regional challenges higher on the agenda:
pushing back against the Iranian threat, fostering economic development, and
ensuring stability in fragile states.
The great tragedy, today, is the promotion of the idea that the "October 7
attack" proves that sidelining Palestinians destabilizes the region, as though
this war actually served the Palestinian people's interests or lessened their
supposed marginalization. In reality, putting the blame for this war on the
"Abraham Accords" overlooks the fact that Hamas, with Iranian backing, has
consistently sought to thwart any peace initiative, regardless of the terms.
Moreover, this claim ignores the fact that the Middle East is unstable for a
whole host of reasons, including sectarian conflicts, failed states, and
geopolitical rivalries (Saudi-Iranian dynamics, the state of affairs in Yemen,
Syria, Iraq, Sudan, and Libya...). These broader issues would likely perpetuate
instability even if the Palestinian issue were resolved; in fact, tying
solutions to these problems to the fate of the Palestinian cause would only
aggravate them.
There are many indications that the region cannot accept the idea that the
Palestinian question must be resolved before other countries’ challenges
(economic, security, climate, technology, governance, and the need to build
political systems) can be addressed. The "Abraham Accords" have endured, new
proposals for a comprehensive peace have been made with US President Donald
Trump's return to the White House, Syria’s rhetoric regarding the conflict with
Israel has changed following the fall of Assad's regime, and a new equation that
subtly entertains the idea of peace has emerged in Lebanon.
These developments expose a failure to understand shifts in public opinion in
countries like Lebanon and Syria, which are closely linked to the Palestinian
cause. They show that it is simplistic to assume, as many have, that the Arab
public is inherently opposed to their governments’ normalization with Israel
without a decisive solution for the Palestinian question.
An equally simplistic common assumption is that anything that does fully benefit
the Palestinians is absolutely detrimental to their and the Arabs’ interests.
Normalizing with Israel, as we saw in the cases of the UAE and Morocco, has
allowed states to further their national interests without forcing them to
abandon their support for Palestinian rights. For instance, Morocco secured US
recognition of its sovereignty over the Sahara in exchange for its normalization
with Israel, a strategic gain for Rabat. The UAE, on the other hand, has
leveraged its peace with Israel to reinforce its economic and commercial
interests in the Middle East, its technological investments, and its ability to
address regional security challenges through its partnerships with Israel.
Abu Dhabi also used its trust-based relationship with Israel to play a leading
role in providing humanitarian aid and supporting the resilience of the
Palestinian people during the war. Its support includes building field
hospitals, establishing water desalination plants, and offering food, medical,
and logistical aid in Gaza. Its normalization thus reflects a balance between
its national interests and defending the Palestinian cause in practical and
effective ways.
To judge peace agreements through the binary of “total peace or the aggravation
of instability” is to oversimplify the question. Building peace in a complicated
region like ours is a process that entails accumulating achievements that ensure
some stability and could eventually lead to comprehensive stability.
Furthermore, the assumption that normalization is a static process overlooks
these relationships’ long-term potential. These ties could allow Arab states to
attain greater influence over Israel, and they could be leveraged in favor of
Palestinian rights- if a capable Palestinian leadership can seize the
opportunities they are offered.
Trump has a long list of axes to grind
Yossi Mekelberg/January 28, 2025
In two spheres of human activity in American life, “trash talk” is a prevalent,
although not necessarily endearing, feature: sports and politics. It usually
consists of a short and sharp insulting or boastful remark intended to
demoralize or humiliate an opponent, with the intention of gaining the upper
hand. The master of this in US politics, Donald Trump, is back in the White
House and much of the world is now feeling obliged to prepare and respond to his
second term.
It is not always possible to know how much of Trump’s rhetoric is strategic and
how much is tactical. Is it going to be translated into an actionable policy or
is it a move designed to unsettle or “encourage” others to adjust their behavior
to what they believe Trump expects of them?
For example, there are not many out there who believe that Canada will become
the 51st state of the US, but Ottawa cannot afford to ignore comments to this
effect by the returning US president. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau did
not decide to quit politics because of the new occupant of the White House, but
if tariffs are imposed on Canadian goods, as Trump has repeatedly promised, it
will make the country’s fiscal constraints very prohibitive in an election year
and consequently mean that Trudeau would be less likely to win.
It is not necessarily that all the grievances Trump airs are baseless, but it is
the language he employs that shocks the international system.
There is hardly anyone who would dispute that the Panama Canal, as a major
international waterway connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, is crucial
for US interests. Hence, concerns that it should remain open and not subject to
the whims of a main global rival, while ensuring that the tariffs for using it
remain competitive, are not unreasonable. But threatening to take it back, as
Trump did in his inauguration address, and calling the agreement that returned
the sovereignty of the canal to Panama as a “foolish gift” suggests the
intention to take foreign territory by an aggressive foreign policy, even force.
And then there is Greenland. Its strategic location has already enjoyed a visit
by none other than Donald Trump Jr. — one assumes with the encouragement of his
father, who would like to take over this vast territory. No one could accuse the
Trump 2.0 presidency of lacking ambition and determination, but equally his
words as president carry immense weight and, even compared to his highly
disruptive first term, he is already exceeding himself in terms of destabilizing
an already fragile international system.
It is not always possible to know how much of Trump’s rhetoric is strategic and
how much is tactical. The next weeks and months will reveal who, among those on
the receiving end of such tactics, will buckle under pressure and make
concessions and who might test whether this trash talk has muscle behind it.
One case in point is Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who treated
President Joe Biden with complete disdain, ignoring all his requests to reach a
Gaza ceasefire deal, before making an impressive U-turn when Trump demanded
exactly the same. Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff,
allegedly used rather “salty” language in his conversations with Netanyahu. He
then, according to one Israeli TV channel, delivered a stern message from Trump,
who unequivocally demanded that the deal be finalized before his inauguration.
Despite opposition from within the Israeli Cabinet, the deal was agreed and its
first phase is now underway. Admittedly, this is a very different case to that
of suggesting an infringement of another country’s sovereignty. And its lessons
might be more applicable to stopping the war in Ukraine, where Trump is reported
to be ready to warn Vladimir Putin that he is prepared to tighten the economic
screws on Russia if the latter should refuse to open negotiations with his
counterpart in Kyiv, or not to do so in good faith.
For now, the pace and spectrum of the executive orders issued in Trump’s first
week makes one’s head spin. No US administration has the capacity to implement
the entire agenda that these executive orders address.
What might also hamper Trump’s second term is his long list of axes to grind
with those who, for instance, did not subscribe to his claim that the
presidential election of 2020 was stolen from him or those who questioned his
suitability to be president. Those who founded America dreamed of building “a
city upon a hill, the eyes of the world upon us,” and this was followed by
President John Quincy Adams’ warning that America “goes not abroad in search of
monsters to destroy.” Trump must ensure his second term does not act against
these two maxims.
• Yossi Mekelberg is a professor of international relations and an associate
fellow of the MENA Program at Chatham House. X: @YMekelberg