English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For April 24/2025
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news

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Bible Quotations For today
Go into all the world and proclaim the good news to the whole creation. The one who believes and is baptized will be saved; but the one who does not believe will be condemned.
Mark 16/15-20: "‘Go into all the world and proclaim the good news to the whole creation. The one who believes and is baptized will be saved; but the one who does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: by using my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes in their hands, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.’ So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. And they went out and proclaimed the good news everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by the signs that accompanied it.

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on April 23-24/2025
Text & Video/Time to Cut Diplomatic Ties with Iran, Expel Its Ambassador, and Seal Its Embassy in Beirut/Elias Bejjani/April 22, 2025
The Passing of His Holiness Pope Francis: A Lover of Lebanon Who Carried Its Pain and the Suffering of Its People with Deep Faith/Elias Bejjani/April 21/2025
Link to a video interview with Dr. Zeina Mansour and director Yousef El-Khoury
Etienne Sakr – Abu Arz: Stop Playing with Fire
A video Link to a commentary by journalist Ali Hamade
DECLASSIFY THE IRAN DEAL/Dr Walid Phares/X site/April 23/2025
New "summons" date for the Iranian ambassador to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
The Iranian Ambassador to Beirut and His Attacks on the Lebanese State
Hezbollah's concern over US-Iranian negotiations is growing in Lebanon
IDF: 9 Hezbollah members and 40 infrastructure facilities eliminated
From "Deterrent Balance" to "Sound State"/Marwan Al-Amin/Nidaa Al-Watan/April 24, 2025
Hezbollah to Aoun: Bring It On!/Hussain Abdul-Hussain/This Is Beirut/April 23/2025

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on April 23-24/2025
Iran slams ‘hostile’ US sanctions ahead of new talks
Jordan moves to dissolve Muslim Brotherhood, enforce nationwide ban
Palestinians might appoint a vice president to serve under the aging Abbas. Here’s why it matters
Abbas urges Hamas to free Gaza hostages as Israeli strikes kill 25
Saudi crown prince, Jordan’s king hold meeting in Jeddah
Syria arrests Assad-era officer accused of ‘war crimes’: ministry
IMF appoints first mission chief to Syria in 14 years
A dozen states sue the Trump administration to stop tariff policy
India downgrades ties with Pakistan after attack on Kashmir tourists kills 26

Titles For The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sourceson on April 23-24/2025
Is Trump the Problem – Or the Answer to a Seriously Bigger Problem?/Drieu Godefridi/Gatestone Institute/April 23, 2025
Academics and Artificial Intelligence Call Muslim Murderer of Christians ‘Chivalrous’ and ‘Magnanimous’/Raymond Ibrahim/The Stream//April 23, 2025
Iraq and the effort to control armed groups/Hassan Al-Mustafa/Arab News/April 23, 2025
What it means for Europe to fend for itself/Anders Fogh Rasmussen/Arab News/April 23, 2025

The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on April 23-24/2025
Elias Bejjani/Text & Video/Time to Cut Diplomatic Ties with Iran, Expel Its Ambassador, and Seal Its Embassy in Beirut
Elias Bejjani/April 22, 2025
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/04/142592/
In a blatant breach of diplomatic norms and a dangerous escalation that crosses every red line, Iran’s ambassador to Lebanon, Mojtaba Amani, made a provocative statement on April 20, declaring that “disarming Hezbollah is a clear conspiracy that targets the security and stability of the region.”
This was no passing opinion, but rather an outrageous and obscene interference in Lebanon’s internal affairs—an open threat to what remains of the concept of a Lebanese state, a state currently occupied by the weapons of Hezbollah, Iran’s terrorist militia and mere proxy of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Amani’s statement is yet another shameless reiteration of Iran’s imperial vision: one of dominance, arrogance, and foreign occupation. Tehran’s aim has always been to transform Lebanon into a military base for the IRGC, all under the deceitful banner of so-called “resistance.”
And because the Lebanese people have had enough, the government, albeit belatedly, responded with an urgent summons of the ambassador by Foreign Minister Youssef Raji. This move, though symbolic, was a bold Lebanese stance against Iran’s ever-deepening intrusion and a direct response to its ambassador’s violation of the Vienna Convention, which governs the conduct of diplomatic missions.
What the Lebanese public—and the world—must understand is that this ambassador is not just a diplomat. He is actively embedded within Hezbollah’s leadership networks. Amani was severely wounded in the “pager bomb” explosions—operations executed by Israeli intelligence—that targeted Hezbollah officials across Lebanon. At the time of the blasts, Amani was carrying a pager device, revealing his direct involvement in Hezbollah’s security and intelligence infrastructure. He later appeared publicly alongside Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, confirming his covert military and security role under a diplomatic cover.
All the facts point to one conclusion: Iran’s embassy in Beirut has long since transformed into a de facto military operations room—an IRGC command center that coordinates arms smuggling, destabilization campaigns, and the subversion of Lebanese sovereignty. This includes the now-exposed role of Iranian planes, once landing freely at Beirut International Airport, used to smuggle weapons and cash until Lebanese authorities were forced to ban their landing after repeated violations were exposed. It also includes illegal telecom networks that exert more control over Lebanese territory than the official state apparatus.
The ambassador’s terrorist, anti-Lebanese remarks cannot be viewed in isolation. They come within a broader climate of threats and intimidation issued by Hezbollah leaders themselves. Figures like Secretary-General Naim Qassem, and officials Wafiq Safa and Mahmoud Qamati, have openly and arrogantly declared that “the hand that reaches for Hezbollah’s weapons will be cut off.”
Are we now living in a Republic of Fear? Or will the Lebanese state reclaim its stolen sovereignty?
What’s worse, Hezbollah—after dragging Lebanon into a catastrophic war with Israel—has plunged the country into widespread destruction across the South, the Bekaa, and Beirut’s southern suburbs. Tens of thousands of Shiites and other Lebanese have been killed, wounded, or displaced. Yet Hezbollah shamelessly cloaks this disaster with hollow slogans like “steadfastness,” trying to justify what was, in truth, a defeat. The ceasefire was imposed on the group, and it submitted—despite all the loud propaganda and hollow bravado.
At this point, the continued presence of this ambassador and the functioning of the Iranian embassy in Beirut are no longer just sovereignty issues. They represent a direct threat to Lebanon’s national security. That is why we loudly and unequivocally demand the following:
Immediate closure of the Iranian embassy in Beirut, which serves as a military command center, not a diplomatic mission.
Expulsion of Mojtaba Amani, a proven IRGC officer masquerading as an ambassador.
Total severance of diplomatic relations with the Iranian regime, which occupies Lebanon, threatens its unity, and prevents the re-establishment of a sovereign state.
To rebuild Lebanon, the weapons of Hezbollah must no longer supersede the authority of the state. Its shadow state must be dismantled. So long as Lebanon remains infiltrated by IRGC intelligence operatives, there will be no reform, no reconstruction, no rescue, and certainly no real elections.
Hezbollah must be disarmed, its leadership arrested and prosecuted, and its entire military, educational, financial, and political infrastructure dismantled—permanently banishing it from all political, social, cultural, and parliamentary life.
Lebanon will never be free until the Iranian occupation is broken. Ceasefire agreements and international resolutions,  Armistice Agreement,1559, 1701, and 1680—must be enforced in full. And if necessary, Lebanon must be placed under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter, with immediate steps taken to reassert state authority, even if only once—before the final light of Lebanon’s sovereignty is forever extinguished.

The Passing of His Holiness Pope Francis: A Lover of Lebanon Who Carried Its Pain and the Suffering of Its People with Deep Faith
Elias Bejjani/April 21/2025
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/04/142564/
"Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him."(Romans 06:08)
With deep sorrow and a heavy heart, we bid farewell to His Holiness Pope Francis, a shepherd of peace, a champion of the poor, and a tireless messenger of God's mercy. At a time when humanity yearns for moral clarity and spiritual hope, his passing marks a painful loss.
Born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Buenos Aires, Argentina, he made history in 2013 by becoming the first Jesuit pope, the first from Latin America, and the first to bear the name of Francis — in honor of St. Francis of Assisi, the humble servant of the poor. Throughout his papacy, he led with simplicity and compassion, reminding the world that true greatness lies in service, not in power.
Pope Francis held a special place in his heart for my beloved homeland, Lebanon. He consistently raised his voice in support of its people, particularly in times of crisis. After the Beirut port explosion in 2020, he called for “a generous and impartial commitment by all political and religious leaders to work for the common good of Lebanon,” adding that “Lebanon cannot be abandoned in its solitude.” In 2021, he invited Lebanese Christian leaders to the Vatican for a day of prayer, affirming: “Lebanon is in crisis, and its stability must be a concern of the international community. Let us pray that the Lord will give light and strength to the Lebanese people.” His unwavering support was a beacon of hope to many.
His Holiness was more than a pontiff — he was a living example of Christ’s love. In every step he took, he called us to walk the narrow path of humility, reconciliation, and justice. He reminded us that faith is not a theory but a way of life.
And yet, even as we grieve, we find solace in the truth of our Christian faith — that death is not the end but a holy transition. As St. Paul wrote, “For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him.” Death is but sleep for the faithful, until the trumpet sounds and our Lord returns in glory. Pope Francis now rests in the peace of Christ, awaiting the resurrection, his life a testimony to the hope that lies beyond the grave.
May his soul rest in eternal peace, and may we honor his legacy by striving for a world where love, truth, and justice prevail.

Link to a video interview  with Dr. Zeina Mansour and director Yousef El-Khoury
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/04/142622/
April 23/2025
Link to a video interview on MTV with two exceptional figures known for their knowledge, courage, Lebanese identity, and deep historical insight: Dr. Zeina Mansour and director Yousef El-Khoury. It is a pressing national and sovereign necessity for every Lebanese to watch this extraordinary interview by all standards—to understand what truly serves Lebanon and its people, and to clearly identify the corrupt and hostile leaderships. The interview also affirms the inevitability of ending Hezbollah’s role and moving forward with the Middle East peace project.
Yousef El-Khoury exposed and ridiculed the vile leftists who, as a distraction, attacked the beatified Father Mansour Labaki and the wronged martyr Amer Fakhoury.
This outstanding interview offers a sovereign perspective on the key issues troubling and preoccupying the Lebanese people:
The audacity, heresies, and shamelessness of the Iranian ambassador in Lebanon.
Hezbollah's weapons and dominance: The greatest threat to the Lebanese state and its institutions, and the primary reason behind Lebanon’s Arab and international isolation.
The dangers of Walid Jumblatt’s political approach: His constant shifts and contradictions have entrenched the culture of sectarian quotas and corruption, weakening the front of national sovereignty.
Federalism: A serious proposal to resolve the structural crisis of the system, or a trap leading to Lebanon’s partition? A debate that keeps resurfacing and deserves a responsible national dialogue.
The inaction of the leftist-Fatah-aligned Prime Minister Nawaf Salam’s government: A lack of vision and willpower, aligning with the axis of weapons and political Islam at the expense of the Lebanese people’s interests.
The cursed Taif Agreement: It effectively eliminated the role of Christians and Druze in governance.
The Abraham Accords: A historic opportunity for peace and normalization with Israel. But will Lebanon dare to break free from Iran’s cloak and liberate itself from the Iranian-Hezbollah occupation?
The regional situation: A dramatic shift in the balance of power, as the Iranian axis continues to collapse and retreat.
The hollow bravado of the defeated 'Resistance Axis': Empty slogans and mobilizing speeches that conceal a bitter reality of defeat and isolation.
The shallowness of the Lebanese left and its media mouthpieces: Desperate voices justifying terrorism and opposing progress and openness, representing no one but themselves.
What the President of the Republic must say: A clear and firm sovereign stance is needed to end Hezbollah’s dominance. His recent words from Bkerke were excellent, but Hezbollah and its media distorted them and stripped them of their clarity.
The danger of engaging in dialogue with the terrorist group Hezbollah.

Etienne Sakr – Abu Arz: Stop Playing with Fire
April 23, 2025
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/04/142640/
Etienne Sakr, head of the Guardians of the Cedars Party – Lebanese National Movement, issued the following statement:
It seems the Lebanese state has chosen dialogue as a means to disarm Hezbollah. In turn, Hezbollah has reportedly agreed to this dialogue—but under two impossible conditions:
Israel’s withdrawal from five disputed border points.
Immediate reconstruction of destroyed villages and homes in the South, the Bekaa, and the southern suburbs of Beirut.
These conditions, coupled with the continued threats from the so-called "resistance" to “cut off hands,” confirm one undeniable truth: Hezbollah has no intention of disarming voluntarily. Sooner or later, this deadlock will escalate into an armed confrontation—either between Hezbollah and the Lebanese Army, or between Hezbollah and the Israeli Army, supported by the United States. Such a conflict would be far more devastating than anything Lebanon has endured before, with the Lebanese people paying the price in blood, security, and economic collapse.
Meanwhile, the proposal to integrate Hezbollah’s fighters into the ranks of the Lebanese Army is not only reckless—it’s dangerous. It would shatter the army’s credibility, erode public trust, and provoke a swift halt of American support. Most importantly, it is a fundamental contradiction: Hezbollah’s allegiance lies with Iran and its religious doctrine, the "Guardianship of the Jurist," while the Lebanese Army’s doctrine is national and loyal to Lebanon. Mixing the two is like merging fire with water—it simply cannot work.
In closing, we remind Lebanon’s leaders of two urgent truths:
First, stop playing with fire—because the country is already engulfed in fuel.
Second, the so-called reform and anti-corruption campaign is an illusion. A government that itself needs reform cannot reform anything. One cannot give what one does not possess.
Labbaik Lebanon
Etienne Sakr – Abu Arz
(Free translation from Arabic by: Elias Bejjani)

A video Link to a  commentary by  journalist Ali Hamade
April 23, 2025
A Cowardly and Suspicious Silence: Lebanon’s New Rulers Turn a Blind Eye to the Weapons of Terror
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/04/142645/
Ali Hamadeh – Via his official account on X
In a video commentary, Lebanese journalist Ali Hamadeh condemned the shameful inaction, hesitation, and cowardice of Lebanon’s new rulers—namely, the President of the Republic and the Prime Minister—regarding the criminal and terrorist weapons of Hezbollah and the Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated Palestinian factions operating in Lebanon’s refugee camps.
This state of paralysis raises serious questions and suspicions. It does not serve Lebanon or the Lebanese people, but rather promotes the interests of the Axis of Evil and its Iranian engine.
Hamadeh noted the following points in his X post titled: "The State’s Credibility Is Eroding: What Is Happening?"
The issue of disarming Palestinian factions may soon move forward, yet these factions are plagued by internal divisions.
The Lebanese state and its army maintain an unconstructive and ambiguous stance regarding the status of Palestinian weapons.
The excessive caution shown by Presidents Aoun and Salam means they are gambling with their credibility—something that could vanish suddenly and rapidly.
There is no viable state project and no reforms possible while Lebanese citizens are forced to live in a jungle of unchecked weapons.
Note: The headline & wording are by Elias Bejjani.

DECLASSIFY THE IRAN DEAL
Dr Walid Phares/X site/April 23/2025
BREAKING: The #IslamicRegime in #Iran used the money of the #IranDeal to buy influence in America, impact media and academia, and force the US Foreign policy establishment to cater to the regime for more than a decade.
1. The Ayatollahs and their lobbies influenced the classroom, the newsroom, the war room, the art-room, the court room, the diplomatic room, and all rooms of American politics to paralyze independent US national security decisions regarding Washington's policies regarding the so-called "Islamic Republic."
2. The #IranDeal was, in fact, a financial transaction that involved "brokers" on both sides who advanced the interests of the regime and its supporters in the West.
3. The transaction protected $150 billion-plus and paralyzed US policy towards Israel, the Arab moderates, Hezbollah, the Houthis, Assad, Hashd in Iraq, the Iranian opposition, and more.
4. The transaction was behind attacks and smears against President
@realDonaldTrump
, his first administration and experts, including myself, and behind much of the behavior of the deep bureaucracy for the last decade.
5. It is highly possible that the "brokers" used the money of the #IranDeal to meddle in US domestic politics and possibly even US elections, including against the Trump administration and campaigns.
6. The US Congress and DOJ must investigate the roots of the deal, how it was negotiated, who profited, and who used it against other Americans.
7. Last, but not least, the Biden administration sent money to the regime, ostensibly to incentivize the release of hostages held in Iran. But that money was never about the hostages. It was a twisted way to justify sending money to the regime.
Read this exclusive article published by Middle East Quarterly, Middle East Forum, and read my book "Iran: Imperialist Republic and US Policy."

New "summons" date for the Iranian ambassador to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Markazia/April 23, 2025
Markazia - Following his apology for not attending the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants today after being summoned yesterday by Minister Youssef Rajai over his stance on disarmament, Markazia learned that the relevant ministry departments have set a new date for the Iranian ambassador. Today, the ambassador made a statement to Al-Jadeed TV, announcing that his country "adheres to what the Lebanese agree upon" regarding the issue of Hezbollah's weapons. He stressed, in an interview with Al-Jadeed TV, that Iran does not impose its vision on the Lebanese interior.

The Iranian Ambassador to Beirut and His Attacks on the Lebanese State
Transparency Website/April 23, 2025
There is no doubt that the recently appointed Iranian Ambassador to Lebanon, Mojtaba Amani, is an ambassador extraordinary. He reminds us of the days of consuls in the past, or of the high commissioner of the Iranian occupation, through his interference in Lebanese politics. He even dared to attack the Lebanese state through what he wrote on his page on the social media platform "X", where he described the disarmament of Hezbollah as a conspiracy. By addressing this issue, which is an internal Lebanese affair and reflects a Lebanese decision taken by the Lebanese government, he is directly interfering in domestic politics and in the powers of the Lebanese government and its official bodies. This violates the 1961 Vienna Convention regulating diplomatic relations between states. Therefore, such an act requires the Lebanese government, represented by its Ministry of Foreign Affairs, not only to recall him but also to consider him persona non grata. Accordingly, according to this expression, his government in Tehran must recall him and replace him. If the government does not do so, the Lebanese government must give him a period of time, no more than a few days. To leave Lebanon for violating diplomatic norms and customs. The Iranian ambassador's actions and behavior constitute blatant interference in the affairs of the Lebanese state, in contravention of the texts and norms of the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. Therefore, it constitutes the behavior of a state that does not respect diplomatic norms and relations between states, as if he were a representative of an occupying state giving orders to the authorities of an independent and sovereign state. Hence, the decision of the Lebanese Foreign Minister, Youssef Rjei, comes in its natural place and is the least he can do before the ambassador is considered persona non grata. This comes against the backdrop of what the ambassador wrote on his page on the "X" platform, which is considered blatant interference in Lebanon's internal affairs, which the Vienna Convention prohibits him from addressing and respecting the texts and norms of international relations regulating diplomatic affairs. If he repeats such behavior, he must be considered persona non grata and expelled from Lebanon. Furthermore, the relationship with Iran is of no weight to Lebanon and is not important, especially as a result of Iran's practices in arming and financing an armed militia in Lebanon, which contradicts all international and diplomatic relations between states. This action by the Lebanese Foreign Minister reflects a timely and sovereign decision and action, and thus demonstrates that the current Lebanese government and the regime are working to restore Lebanese sovereignty, which Lebanon has suffered from for decades under foreign occupation and guardianship in the past.

Hezbollah's concern over US-Iranian negotiations is growing in Lebanon
Youssef Fares/Markazia/April 23, 2025
Markazia - The news that US President Donald Trump has prevented Israel from attacking Iran continues to dominate the attention of Arab and international media alike. According to information, Tel Aviv has drawn up plans to attack nuclear facilities in Iran next May, with the aim of disrupting Tehran's ability to develop a nuclear weapon for at least a year. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's trip to the United States was an attempt to persuade President Trump to carry out the attack, especially since the Israeli plan requires American participation. However, these attempts at persuasion failed. After months of discussion, Trump and his officials decided to give diplomacy a chance with Iran in the ongoing talks, which must include, in addition to its nuclear program, its regional proxies and Hezbollah in Lebanon. According to information, senior American officials expressed reservations, warning of the risk of Washington slipping into an undesirable regional confrontation. It is worth noting that President Trump held a meeting at the White House attended by senior national security and foreign policy officials to discuss the ongoing negotiations with Iran and Washington's position on the previous two rounds of negotiations. Former MP Fares Saeed confirmed to Al-Markazia the close relationship between Hezbollah's hardline positions, following President Joseph Aoun's leniency regarding the disarmament of weapons, and the US-Iranian negotiations. Hezbollah is concerned that the results of these negotiations will come at its expense. Naturally, with the progress and positive news emerging from them, the party's concern will grow and it will become increasingly hardline. In addition, the course of the recent war against the Iranian axis and its proxies in Gaza, Lebanon and Yemen has shown that Tehran has prioritized or favored its own interests over those of others. Tehran, which has suffered a military defeat and financial hardship, is concerned about the lifting of the global siege and American sanctions. Therefore, it is making nuclear concessions. America will not allow it to possess a nuclear bomb, stipulating that manufacturing be limited to peaceful purposes such as energy and others. In addition, by accepting the decline of its influence in the region, Iran is preserving the continuity of its current regime, which is internally shaken by protests from the opposition and change forces that reject the extremist mullahs' regime. Regarding the possibility of Israel striking Iranian facilities, Saeed says, "If the negotiations fail, it is possible. However, they will not fail, as evidenced by their continuation in a third round and the positivity that has come to govern the discourse of both sides in Washington and Tehran."

IDF: 9 Hezbollah members and 40 infrastructure facilities eliminated
NNA/April 23, 2025
IDF Spokesperson Avichay Adraee announced "efforts to eliminate threats and prevent Hezbollah's reconstruction," explaining that over the past week, nine members were eliminated and more than 40 infrastructure facilities were targeted. He continued via the "X" platform, saying that the IDF is continuing its campaign to prevent Hezbollah's reconstruction, "including striking targets involved in attempts to rebuild the organization's capabilities, as well as terrorists who violate the understandings and participate in terrorist activities that pose a threat to the residents of the State of Israel." He added, “Since the beginning of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon, more than 140 terrorists who posed a threat across Lebanon have been eliminated. Over the past week, dozens of IAF aircraft have carried out precision strikes, eliminating nine terrorists involved in terrorist activities across Lebanon, most notably the deputy commander of Unit 4400, terrorist Hassan Ali Nasr, who worked to rebuild the military capabilities of the terrorist organization Hezbollah. A number of terrorists involved in terrorist activities have also been eliminated. Yesterday (Tuesday), a terrorist in the terrorist organization “Al-Jamaa Al-Islamiyya” named Hussein Izzat Muhammad Atwi was eliminated, and over the past week, a number of terrorists belonging to the “Radwan Force” unit were eliminated, in addition to cell leaders and other terrorists from the terrorist organization Hezbollah.” He added, “More than 40 terrorist infrastructure and combat equipment belonging to the terrorist organization Hezbollah in southern Lebanon were targeted, as they posed a threat and violated the understandings.”

From "Deterrent Balance" to "Sound State"
Marwan Al-Amin/Nidaa Al-Watan/April 24, 2025
Since its inception, Hezbollah has been one of the executive arms of Iranian policy in the region, and has never hesitated to take the lead whenever Tehran's interests are threatened. Today, amidst the pivotal US-Iranian negotiations between a peaceful solution or a military strike, the party is returning to the arena of political escalation, reaffirming its advanced regional role in serving Iranian strategy. However, this escalation does not come from a position of strength this time, but rather from the heart of an earthquake whose repercussions have yet to subside. This earthquake resulted from the recent war, which revealed an unprecedented security fragility, leading to the destruction of the foundations of its military system and the assassination of its leaders and its inspiring Secretary-General. It has also caused significant human and military losses, occupied Lebanese territory, and systematically and continuously targeted its leaders. This has created shock, frustration, and growing anxiety within its supportive environment, especially in light of the complete absence of any prospect for launching a reconstruction project. Most dangerously, this escalation is taking place under a new political authority that is not subject to the decision of the "party," but rather is based on an oath of office and a ministerial statement that unequivocally affirm that the possession of weapons and the decision of war and peace are in the hands of the Lebanese state. This is especially true since the President of the Republic clearly states that 2025 will witness a solution to the arms dilemma, and the Prime Minister has announced that the issue of weapons will be brought to the cabinet table to find a final solution. All this is taking place amid Arab support and exceptional international pressure to strengthen the authority and sovereignty of the state and its institutions. Iran is no longer the strongest arm in the region, which has long raised the concern of the international community and threatened neighboring countries, as it once was. Hezbollah, which for years served as a strategic pressure card in Tehran's hands, today appears powerless, after Israel succeeded in delivering painful blows that have stripped it of the military capacity to respond, even symbolically to save face, to the repeated assassinations targeting its leaders. The reminiscent operations it carried out in the Shebaa Farms confirm every day its inability to carry out similar operations against the five occupied points. Its loss of official political cover, along with the party's inability on the ground, have become clear. But what is more dangerous is that this inability is not only a result of the shifting balance of political and military power, but also reflects a deeper transformation: an escalating popular crisis within the Shiite community, particularly in the south. There, where the scars of the last war are still evident in the destroyed homes and the missing bodies that have yet to be buried, the general public mood, which has long constituted its solid shield, now rejects any military action against Israel. The southern Shiite community is fully aware that any new military adventure, even a symbolic one, will entail human and physical losses, as well as political repercussions far more serious than the last war. This community, while still politically supportive of Hezbollah, is cautiously and anxiously watching the course of events and is steadfastly and overwhelmingly opposed to reopening the gates of fire across the south. Hezbollah, which has long prided itself on its "deterrent balance," today finds itself exposed militarily, politically, and popularly, at a delicate moment filled with challenges from Tehran to the southern suburbs. The group, which has long represented the spearhead of Iran's regional project, has become, in the eyes of the countries of the region and the international community, merely a "vocal presence." Even on the vocal level, it has become a caricature compared to the voice, influence, and presence of Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah.

Hezbollah to Aoun: Bring It On!
Hussain Abdul-Hussain/This Is Beirut/April 23/2025 |
Hezbollah is thumbing its nose at President Joseph Aoun. In response to the Lebanese President saying that he was in talks with the militia over surrendering its arms, Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem said, “We will confront whoever assaults the resistance and tries to disarm it the same way we faced Israel.” Now what?
While Aoun remained silent, America’s witty Deputy Envoy to the Middle East trolled Qassem, quote-tweeting his statement with one word: Yawn.
Since his election in January, Aoun has made his policy to disarm Hezbollah clear. However, the Lebanese president has also been sensitive to the terminology he uses in this regard. Aoun has avoided words like “disarmament” and used instead “state monopoly of arms”. The president has gone out of his way to show as much deference and respect to Hezbollah as possible, avoiding spite and provocation while hanging tight to the end goal: transforming Hezbollah from a militia into a political party.
Qassem’s response, however, has proven what many Lebanese have been saying for a long time: the problem with disarming Hezbollah is not one of style but of content. The militia will never voluntarily surrender its arsenal. And judging by Qassem’s comments, Hezbollah has no problem warring with the national army, a war that Aoun has gone out of his way to say that the state wants to avoid.
The clash between Lebanon and Hezbollah is not one of style, but of wills. The majority of the Lebanese want to see the Hezbollah militia disarmed and disbanded. Hezbollah’s reaction? Over our dead bodies. The Iran-backed militia refuses to go down without a fight. And if war is what Hezbollah wants, then Aoun and the state will have to either concede Lebanese sovereignty or fight for it.
Like all normal states, there must be one military power in Lebanon, and it must be the state. If Hezbollah wants to defy the Lebanese state and military, it can try, but it must know first that the majority of the Lebanese and the world will stand behind the government against the militia.
Meanwhile, Hezbollah’s propaganda machine has launched a campaign threatening the dire consequences of any attempts to force it to disarm. Senior officials Wafiq Safa and Mahmoud Qomati insisted that Hezbollah’s arms were not on the negotiation table. The militia’s TV channel designed posters with offensive language against the Lebanese who demand its disarmament.
Hezbollah seems to have changed tactics. When the militia was being crushed by Israel, it signed a ceasefire agreement under which it agreed to disarm everywhere in Lebanon. Armament was to be restricted to six government agencies.
Once the war stopped, reports surfaced that Safa asked Aoun, then still army commander, to pretend as if he had disarmed the militia by confiscating two or three arms depots live on camera and call it a day. Aoun refused.
Hezbollah then started pretending as if its arms had vanished and ceased being an issue anymore.
But the world never let go. Wealthy Gulf donors withheld reconstruction money until the militia was verifiably disarmed. Aoun’s and Prime Minister Salam’s statements promising Hezbollah’s disarmament left no place for the militia to hide; hence, the rebound in Hezbollah rhetoric, defying Aoun and promising to fight the state like it fought Israel.
Now, Hezbollah has shown its true face: when it signed on to disarm, it lied. It intends to keep its militia and revamp it for future rounds of war.
Lebanon has a golden opportunity to disarm the militia. The window of opportunity is small and closing fast, making it a now-or-never situation. Aoun, Salam, the Lebanese army, should give Hezbollah a deadline to surrender its arms. If the militia does not, then the military will have to defend the sovereignty of the state and restore it.
No one wants to see Lebanon plunge into civil war. No one wants to see the Lebanese army fighting Lebanese militiamen. But every Lebanese, especially the Shia, wants to see a sovereign Lebanon living under the rule of law.
Hezbollah must understand that its “resistance state” model has brought death and devastation to the Lebanese and that it is high time that Lebanon tries something else: a sovereign state without militias. If Hezbollah is willing to enter the new era, it will be most welcome. If not, it will have to be forced to.
**Hussain Abdul-Hussain is a research fellow at FDD. He focuses on the Gulf region and Yemen, including on Gulf relations with Iran and Gulf peace with Israel.

The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on April 23-24/2025
Iran slams ‘hostile’ US sanctions ahead of new talks
AFP/April 23, 2025
TEHRAN: Iran’s Foreign Ministry on Wednesday condemned new US sanctions targeting its oil network, calling the move a sign of Washington’s “hostile approach” ahead of a third round of nuclear talks. In a statement, Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said Washington’s policy of imposing sanctions on the Iranian people was a “clear contradiction with the United States’ demand for dialogue and negotiation and indicates America’s lack of goodwill and seriousness in this regard.”On Tuesday, the US Department of the Treasury imposed sanctions on an Iranian shipping network and an individual named Asadoollah Emamjomeh, who Washington says is the network’s owner. It said in a statement the network was “collectively responsible for shipping hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of Iranian LPG and crude oil to foreign markets.”
The sanctions came after Tehran and Washington held two rounds of indirect nuclear talks on consecutive Saturdays in Muscat and Rome, starting on April 12. Since returning to office in January, US President Donald Trump has reimposed sweeping sanctions under his policy of “maximum pressure” against Tehran. In March, he sent a letter to Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei calling for talks but also warning of possible military action if they failed to produce a deal. Oman said the third round of talks, set for Saturday, April 26, would again be held in Muscat. On Tuesday, Iran announced that a technical expert-level nuclear meeting between the two countries will also be held on Saturday. “The expert and high-level indirect talks in Oman will not be held simultaneously,” state TV reported on Wednesday. “Iranian and American experts will first hold their indirect talks and convey the results of the talks to the high-level officials, who will then start their discussions,” the report said.

Jordan moves to dissolve Muslim Brotherhood, enforce nationwide ban
Arab News/April 23, 2025
DUBAI: Jordan’s Interior Ministry has announced a sweeping set of measures against the Muslim Brotherhood, formally declaring the group dissolved and illegal. The announcement came during a press conference on Wednesday, where the Interior Minister, Mazen Faraya, outlined the government's decisive steps aimed at safeguarding national security and public stability. The minister confirmed that membership in or affiliation with the Muslim Brotherhood is now prohibited by law, and that all of the group’s offices across the Kingdom have been permanently closed. A judicial order was issued to facilitate the closure of headquarters and branches, with security forces deployed to enforce the decision and confiscate the organization’s assets. The Interior Minister described the Muslim Brotherhood’s continued activities as a threat to citizens, a barrier to national development, and a destabilizing force. He revealed that members of the dissolved group had planned to target sensitive sites, stored weapons and explosives in residential neighborhoods, and operated covertly to undermine public security. “The presence of hidden agendas and divisive rhetoric from within the group is incompatible with Jordanian unity,” the minister stated, adding that “we cannot allow division among members of a single society.”A special dissolution committee has been activated to expedite the legal and administrative process of seizing the group’s assets and ensuring full compliance with the ban. This announcement follows the arrest of 16 members of the Muslim Brotherhood last week, an operation that Jordanian authorities say exposed plans to disrupt security and stability. The Jordanian Media Commission announced that it will take legal action against any individual or outlet that publishes, broadcasts, or promotes content related to the Muslim Brotherhood.

Palestinians might appoint a vice president to serve under the aging Abbas. Here’s why it matters
AP/April 24, 2025
The expectation is that whoever holds that role would be the front-runner to succeed Abbas — though it’s unclear when or exactly how it would be filled. Senior Palestinian officials loyal to President Mahmoud Abbas are meeting to vote on the creation of a vice presidency and could choose a possible successor to the unpopular 89-year-old. The two-day meeting of the Palestine Liberation Organization’s Central Council, beginning Wednesday, comes as Abbas seeks relevance and a role in postwar planning for the Gaza Strip after having been largely sidelined by the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.
In his opening speech, Abbas lashed out at Hamas, calling the militant group “sons of dogs,” using unusually harsh language in an apparent strategy aimed at garnering international support for a future role in Gaza. The council is expected to vote on creating the role of vice chairman of the PLO Executive Committee, who would also be referred to as the vice president of the State of Palestine — which the Palestinians hope will one day receive full international recognition. The expectation is that whoever holds that role would be the front-runner to succeed Abbas — though it’s unclear when or exactly how it would be filled. The PLO is the internationally recognized representative of the Palestinian people and oversees the Western-backed Palestinian Authority, which exercises limited autonomy in less than half of the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Abbas’ Fatah dominates both organizations.
Hamas, which won the last national elections in 2006, is not in the PLO. Hamas seized control of Gaza from Abbas’ forces in 2007, and reconciliation attempts between the rivals have repeatedly failed.
Hamas touched off the war in Gaza when its militants attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 251 people hostage. Israel responded with an air and ground campaign that has killed over 51,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to the territory’s Health Ministry, which does not say how many of the dead were civilians or combatants.
Why does succession matter?
Abbas is still seen internationally as the leader of the Palestinians and a partner in any effort to revive the peace process, which ground to a halt when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu returned to office in 2009.
But the chain-smoking political veteran has clung to power since his mandate expired in 2009 and has not named a successor. He has repeatedly postponed elections, citing divisions with Hamas and Israeli restrictions, as polls in recent years have shown plummeting support for him and Fatah.
In his speech opening the PLO meeting, Abbas called on Hamas to release the dozens of hostages it still holds in order to “block Israel’s pretexts” for continuing the war in Gaza. He also called on Hamas to lay down their arms.
Mustapha Barghouti, a veteran Palestinian politician in the West Bank, said Abbas’ harsh words were “inappropriate.”“This will not create anything except more divisions and more anger within the Palestinian people,” he said.Abbas, unlike Hamas’ leaders, recognizes Israel and cooperates with it on security matters. He supports a negotiated solution to the conflict that would create a Palestinian state in the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem, territories Israel captured in the 1967 Mideast war. Western nations have suggested a reformed Palestinian Authority should govern postwar Gaza. Netanyahu’s government is opposed to Palestinian statehood and says Abbas is not truly committed to peace. Netanyahu has also ruled out any role for the Palestinian Authority in Gaza and says Israel will maintain security control over the West Bank and Gaza indefinitely.
Why create a vice presidency now?
Creating a vice presidency would provide some clarity about the post-Abbas future, though he is set to maintain tight control over the process. It comes as the Palestinian leadership in the West Bank has made a series of reforms sought by Western and Arab donors, who have demanded changes for the Palestinian Authority to play a role in postwar Gaza. The authority is deeply unpopular and faces long-standing allegations of corruption and poor governance. Israel has largely dismissed the authority’s latest efforts and has shown no sign of changing its policies, which have the full support of the Trump administration.
What is being decided this week?
The PLO’s Central Council, composed of 180 members from inside and outside the territories, is meeting at the presidential headquarters in the West Bank city of Ramallah on Wednesday and Thursday to amend the organization’s bylaws.
They will vote on creating the new position. The Executive Committee, the PLO’s top decision-making body, would then appoint one of its own 16 members through a process that is still being determined. The main contender appears to be Hussein Al-Sheikh, a close aide to Abbas who was appointed secretary-general of the PLO in 2022. He served for several years as the authority’s main liaison with Israel, developing close ties with senior Israeli officials. The only other member of the Executive Committee from Abbas’ Fatah party is Azzam Al-Ahmad, who has led past negotiations with Hamas. The others are lesser-known political independents or members of smaller factions. It’s possible, however, no one will be appointed just yet, even if the position is created. A presidential decree last year said that if Abbas is unable to carry out his duties, then Rawhi Fattouh, the speaker of the PLO legislature, would lead the Palestinian Authority in a caretaker capacity until elections are held. Fattouh, who has served as a transitional leader before, has little influence or political support.
Who else is a possible successor?
Abbas could potentially open the process to other candidates. Majed Faraj oversees the Palestinian security and intelligence services. He and Al-Sheikh are widely seen as Abbas’ closest advisers, thought Faraj has adopted a much lower public profile. Jibril Rajoub, a senior Fatah leader, has gained some popularity as head of the Palestinian soccer association but has sparked controversy internationally by pushing for sport boycotts of Israel. Mohammed Dahlan, a former Gaza security chief who was exiled in 2010 after a bitter falling-out with Abbas, has cultivated close ties with the influential United Arab Emirates, where he serves as an adviser to the ruler. Abbas had accused him of corruption, but a recent amnesty could clear the way for him to return to the Palestinian territories.
Polls consistently show that the most popular Palestinian leader by far is Marwan Barghouti. The senior Fatah leader is currently serving multiple life sentences after being convicted of orchestrating deadly attacks against Israelis during the Palestinian intifada, or uprising, in the early 2000s. Israel has ruled out his release as part of any Gaza ceasefire deal.

Abbas urges Hamas to free Gaza hostages as Israeli strikes kill 25
AFP/April 23, 2025
GAZA CITY, Palestinian Territories: Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas on Wednesday urged Hamas to free all hostages, saying their captivity provided Israel with “excuses” to attack Gaza, as rescuers recovered charred bodies from an Israeli strike.
Israeli strikes killed at least 25 people across the besieged territory, while Germany, France and Britain urged Israel to end its blockade on aid entering. Israel resumed its military campaign in Gaza on March 18, ending the ceasefire that had largely paused hostilities and resulted in the release of 33 hostages from Gaza and approximately 1,800 Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails. Talks on a new ceasefire have so far failed to produce any breakthroughs, and a Hamas delegation is currently in Cairo for renewed negotiations with Egyptian and Qatari mediators. “Hamas has given the criminal occupation excuses to commit its crimes in the Gaza Strip, the most prominent being the holding of hostages,” Abbas said in Ramallah, seat of the Palestinian Authority (PA) in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. “I’m the one paying the price, our people are paying the price, not Israel. My brother, just hand them over.” “Every day there are deaths. Why? Because they (Hamas) refuse to hand over the American hostage,” Abbas said of Edan Alexander, who was reportedly on a list of hostages Israel had asked to be freed in a proposal that was recently rejected by Hamas. “You sons of dogs, hand over what you have and get us out of this” ordeal, he added, levelling a harsh Arabic epithet at Hamas.
Senior Hamas official Bassem Naim called Abbas’s remarks “insulting.”
“Abbas repeatedly and suspiciously lays the blame for the crimes of the occupation and its ongoing aggression on our people,” he said. Hamas’s armed wing the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades later issued footage it said was of an Israeli hostage alive in a Gaza tunnel. He identified himself as 48-year-old Omri Miran. Ties between Abbas’ Fatah party and Hamas have been tense, with deep political and ideological divisions for nearly two decades. Abbas and the PA have often accused Hamas of undermining Palestinian unity, while Hamas has criticized the former for collaborating with Israel and cracking down on dissent in the West Bank. Israel continued to pound Gaza on Wednesday, with rescuers saying at least 25 people had been killed since dawn, including 11 in a strike on a school-turned-shelter. “The school was housing displaced people. The bombing sparked a massive blaze, and several charred bodies have since been recovered,” civil defense spokesman Mahmud Bassal said, describing the attack on Yaffa school in Gaza City’s Al-Tuffa neighborhood. An AFP journalist reported seeing several bodies in white shrouds at Al-Shifa hospital’s morgue, where women wept over the body of a child. “We want nothing more than for the war to end, so we can live like people in the rest of the world,” said Khan Yunis resident Walid Al-Najjar.“We are a people who are poor, devastated — our lives are lost.”Since the war began following Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, tens of thousands of displaced Gazans have sought refuge in schools. Aid agencies estimate that the vast majority of Gaza’s 2.4 million residents have been displaced at least once. “We lack the necessary tools and equipment to carry out effective rescue operations or recover the bodies of martyrs,” Bassal said. On Tuesday, Israel’s military said it had targeted approximately 40 “engineering vehicles,” alleging they were used for “terror purposes.”Elsewhere in Gaza, further fatalities were reported Wednesday, including four killed in Israeli shelling of homes in eastern Gaza City, Bassal said. The military did not immediately comment on the latest strikes. Since Israel’s campaign resumed, at least 1,928 people have been killed in Gaza, bringing the total death toll since the war erupted to at least 51,305, according to the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza. Hamas’s attack on Israel that ignited the war resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people on the Israeli side, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures. Germany, France, and Britain on Wednesday called on Israel to stop blocking humanitarian aid into Gaza, warning of “an acute risk of starvation, epidemic disease and death.”
“We urge Israel to immediately restart a rapid and unimpeded flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza in order to meet the needs of all civilians,” their foreign ministers said in a joint statement.

Saudi crown prince, Jordan’s king hold meeting in Jeddah
Arab News/April 23, 2025
RIYADH: Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met Jordan’s King Abdullah II on Wednesday during an official visit to Saudi Arabia. King Abdullah arrived in Jeddah, accompanied by Crown Prince Hussein, and was received by the deputy governor of Makkah, Prince Saud bin Mishaal bin Abdulaziz, the Saudi Press Agency reported. King Abdullah expressed pride in the historical relations between Riyadh and Amman during his meeting with the crown prince, the Petra news agency reported. He acknowledged the significant role of Saudi Arabia in supporting Arab and Islamic causes.
The two leaders discussed recent developments in the region, particularly the situation in the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank, Petra added. Saudi Minister of Defense Prince Khalid bin Salman, Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan, Crown Prince Hussein and Director of the Jordanian King’s Office Alaa Batayneh attended the meeting.

Syria arrests Assad-era officer accused of ‘war crimes’: ministry
AFP/April 22, 2025
DAMASCUS: Syrian authorities said Tuesday they had arrested a former officer in the feared security apparatus of ousted ruler Bashar Assad, the latest such announcement as the new government pursues ex-officials accused of atrocities. The interior ministry announced in a statement that security forces in the coastal province of Latakia had arrested the “criminal brigadier-general Sultan Al-Tinawi,” saying he was a key officer in the air force intelligence, one of the Assad family’s most trusted security agencies. The statement accused Tinawi of involvement in “committing war crimes against civilians, including a massacre” in the Damascus countryside in 2016. It said he was responsible for “coordinating between the leadership of the Lebanese Hezbollah militia and a number of sectarian groups in Syria.”Tinawi has been referred to the public prosecution for further investigation, the statement said. A security source, requesting anonymity as they were not authorized to speak to the media, said that Tinawi held senior administrative positions in the air force intelligence when Jamil Hassan was head of the notorious agency.Hassan has been sentenced in absentia in France for complicity in crimes against humanity and war crimes, while the United States has accused him of “war crimes,” including overseeing barrel bomb attacks on Syrian people that killed thousands of civilians. Tinawi had been “head of the information branch of the air force intelligence” before Assad’s ouster late last year, the security source told AFP, describing the branch as “one of the most powerful and secret security agencies in the country.”Since taking power in December, Syria’s new authorities have announced a number of arrests of Assad-era security officials. Assad fled to Moscow with only a handful of confidants, abandoning senior officials and security officers, some of whom have reportedly fled to neighboring countries or taken refuge in the coastal heartland of Assad’s Alawite minority community.

IMF appoints first mission chief to Syria in 14 years
Reuters/April 23, 2025
BEIRUT: The International Monetary Fund has appointed Ron van Rooden as head of its mission to Syria, the country’s Finance Minister Mohammed Yosr Bernieh said in a written statement, making him the first country mission chief since war erupted there 14 years ago.
Bernieh said van Rooden’s appointment came “following our request” and he shared a post on LinkedIn, showing himself shaking hands with van Rooden while attending the annual IMF-World Bank Spring meetings in Washington, D.C. “This important appointment marks an important step and paves the way for constructive dialogue between the IMF and Syria, with the shared objective of advancing Syria’s economic recovery and improving the well-being of the Syrian people,” Bernieh wrote. The IMF press office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A source familiar with the IMF’s decisions on Syria confirmed van Rooden’s appointment. According to the IMF’s website, Syria has had no transactions with the fund in the last 40 years. The last IMF mission trip to Syria was in late 2009, more than a year before protests against then-leader Bashar Assad erupted.
Assad’s crackdown triggered a full-scale war that left much of the country destroyed before he was ousted in a lightning rebel offensive last December, with an Islamist-led government now ruling the country. The new leaders have been keen to re-establish Syria’s ties regionally and internationally, rebuild the country and secure the lifting of tough US sanctions to kickstart its economy. Bernieh and Syria’s central bank chief Abdelkader Husrieh are attending the annual spring meetings in Washington, the first time a high-level Syrian government team attends the meetings in at least two decades, and the first official visit by Syria’s new authorities to the US since Assad’s fall. On Tuesday, the Saudi finance minister and the World Bank co-hosted a roundtable on Syria. Bernieh, in a separate LinkedIn post, described the roundtable as “very successful” and said there was “unprecedented” interest in supporting Syria’s reconstruction. A top official from the UN Development Programme told Reuters last week the agency is planning to deliver $1.3 billion in support to Syria over the next three years.

A dozen states sue the Trump administration to stop tariff policy
AP/April 24, 2025
NEW YORK: A dozen states sued the Trump administration in the US Court of International Trade in New York on Wednesday to stop its tariff policy, saying it is unlawful and has brought chaos to the American economy. The lawsuit said the policy put in place by President Donald Trump has left the national trade policy subject to Trump’s “whims rather than the sound exercise of lawful authority.”It challenged Trump’s claim that he could arbitrarily impose tariffs based on the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. The suit asks the court to declare the tariffs to be illegal, and to block government agencies and its officers from enforcing them.A message sent to the Justice Department for comment was not immediately returned.The states listed as plaintiffs in the lawsuit were Oregon, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, New York and Vermont.
In a release, Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes called Trump’s tariff scheme “insane.”She said it was “not only economically reckless — it is illegal.”
The lawsuit maintained that only Congress has the power to impose tariffs and that the president can only invoke the International Emergency Economic Powers Act when an emergency presents an “unusual and extraordinary threat” from abroad.
“By claiming the authority to impose immense and ever-changing tariffs on whatever goods entering the United States he chooses, for whatever reason he finds convenient to declare an emergency, the President has upended the constitutional order and brought chaos to the American economy,” the lawsuit said.
Last week, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, sued the Trump administration in US District Court in the Northern District of California over the tariff policy, saying his state could lose billions of dollars in revenue as the largest importer in the country.
White House spokesperson Kush Desai responded to Newsom’s lawsuit, saying the Trump administration “remains committed to addressing this national emergency that’s decimating America’s industries and leaving our workers behind with every tool at our disposal, from tariffs to negotiations.”

India downgrades ties with Pakistan after attack on Kashmir tourists kills 26
Reuters/April 24, 2025
SRINAGAR/NEW DELHI: India announced a raft of measures to downgrade its ties with Pakistan on Wednesday, a day after suspected militants killed 26 men at a tourist destination in Kashmir in the worst attack on civilians in the country in nearly two decades.
Diplomatic ties between the nuclear-armed South Asian neighbors were weak even before the latest measures were announced as Pakistan had expelled India’s envoy and not posted its own ambassador in New Delhi after India revoked the special status of Kashmir in 2019.
Pakistan had also halted its main train service to India and banned Indian films, seeking to exert diplomatic pressure. Tuesday’s attack is seen as a setback to what Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party have projected as a major achievement in revoking the semi-autonomous status Jammu and Kashmir enjoyed and bringing peace and development to the long-troubled Muslim-majority region.
On Wednesday, Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri told a media briefing that the cross-border involvement in the Kashmir attack was underscored at a special security cabinet meeting, prompting it to act against Pakistan. He said New Delhi would immediately suspend the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty “until Pakistan credibly and irrevocably abjures its support for cross-border terrorism.”The treaty, mediated by the World Bank, split the Indus River and its tributaries between the neighbors and regulated the sharing of water. It had so far withstood even wars between the neighbors.Pakistan is heavily dependent on water flowing downstream from this river system from Indian Kashmir for its hydropower and irrigation needs. Suspending the treaty would allow India to deny Pakistan its share of the waters.
India also closed the only open land border crossing point between the two countries and said that those who have crossed into India can return through the point before May 1.
With no direct flights operating between the two countries, the move severs all transport links between them. Pakistani nationals will not be permitted to travel to India under special South Asian visas, all such existing visas were canceled and Pakistanis in India under such visas had 48 hours to leave, Misri said.
All defense advisers in the Pakistani mission in New Delhi were declared persona non grata and given a week to leave. India will pull out its own defense advisers in Pakistan and also reduce staff size at its mission in Islamabad to 30 from 55, Misri said.
“The CCS reviewed the overall security situation and directed all forces to maintain high vigil,” Misri, the most senior diplomat in the foreign ministry, said referring to the security cabinet.
“It resolved that the perpetrators of the attack will be brought to justice and their sponsors held to account...India will be unrelenting in the pursuit of those who have committed acts of terror, or conspired to make them possible,” he said. There was no immediate response to the Indian announcement from Pakistan’s Foreign Office. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has called a meeting of the National Security Committee on Thursday morning to respond to the Indian government’s statement, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar posted on X.
Tourist boom
India’s response came a day after the attack in the Baisaran Valley in the Pahalgam area of the scenic, Himalayan federal territory of Jammu and Kashmir. The region has been at the heart of India-Pakistan animosity for decades and the site of multiple wars, insurgency and diplomatic standoffs. The dead included 25 Indians and one Nepalese national and at least 17 people were also injured in the shooting that took place on Tuesday. It was the worst attack on civilians in India since the 2008 Mumbai shootings, and shattered the relative calm in Kashmir, where tourism has boomed as an anti-India insurgency has waned in recent years. A little-known militant group, the “Kashmir Resistance,” claimed responsibility for the attack in a social media message. It expressed discontent that more than 85,000 “outsiders” had been settled in the region, spurring a “demographic change.”
Indian security agencies say Kashmir Resistance, also known as The Resistance Front, is a front for Pakistan-based militant organizations such as Lashkar-e-Taiba and Hizbul Mujahideen. Pakistan denies accusations that it supports militant violence in Kashmir and says it only provides moral, political and diplomatic support to the insurgency there. “We are concerned at the loss of tourists’ lives,” Pakistani foreign ministry spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan said in a statement earlier on Wednesday. “We extend our condolences to the near ones of the deceased and wish the injured a speedy recovery.”
Setback to Modi
In Kashmir, security forces rushed to the Pahalgam area and began combing the forests there in search of the attackers.
Police also released sketches of three of the four suspected attackers, who were dressed in traditional long shirts and loose trousers and one of them was wearing a bodycam, one security source said. There were about 1,000 tourists and about 300 local service providers and workers in the valley when the attack took place, he said. On Wednesday, the federal territory shut down in protest against the attack on tourists, whose rising numbers have helped the local economy. Protesters turned out in several locations shouting slogans such as “Stop killing innocents,” “Tourists are our lives,” “It is an attack on us.”
“I want to say to the people of the country that we are ashamed, Kashmir is ashamed,” former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti said. “We are standing with you in this time of crisis.”Airlines were operating extra flights through Wednesday from Srinagar, the summer capital of the territory, as visitors were rushing out of the region, officials said. Militant violence has afflicted Kashmir, claimed in full but ruled in part by both Hindu-majority India and Islamic Pakistan, since the anti-Indian insurgency began in 1989. Tens of thousands of people have been killed, although violence has tapered off in recent years.

The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources on April 23-24/2025
Is Trump the Problem – Or the Answer to a Seriously Bigger Problem?
Drieu Godefridi/Gatestone Institute/April 23, 2025
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/21571/trump-china
COVID-19] was followed by China's sending the poison fentanyl – and, after 2019, "just" its precursor ingredients -- to the US, along with other lethal opioids. The smallest amount of fentanyl, equivalent to "a few grains of salt," can cause death. During the last five years, more than 250,000 Americans have been killed by fentanyl overdoses.
The pattern is familiar: a Western company invests years in research and development, launches an innovative product, and a short while later an almost identical copy turns up, from China, at a much lower price. No development costs, no middlemen, just direct access to the same market, with subsidized pricing to put the original company out of business. How can the inventor ever win like that?
If we continue to allow ourselves to be drained by a regime that never plays by the rules, the United States will end up where Europe already finds itself: with massive deindustrialization, strategic dependency and weakness in times of crisis. Trump appears, at least for now, committed to turning that future around.
So let us criticize the orange man: his methods, his sometimes untoward comments, his impulsive shifts. But let us not lose sight that when it comes to the bottom line, in reining in a lawless predatory Chinese market and reindustrializing America, he is right. No one else even tried.
China's lie about the human-to-human transmissibility of COVID-19 was followed by China's sending the poison fentanyl – and, after 2019, "just" its precursor ingredients -- to the US, along with other lethal opioids. The smallest amount of fentanyl, equivalent to "a few grains of salt," can cause death. During the last five years, more than 250,000 Americans have been killed by fentanyl overdoses.
In the tariff war launched by US President Donald Trump against China, much is said about the Americans' strategy, mistakes and "brutality". Less is said about China. Here are three truths about China's relationship with the West that help to better nuance a simplistic thinking that many so readily embrace.
1. China's homicides have poisoned the world
During the COVID -19; crisis, vaccines heated up tempers to such an extent that many people lost sight of the fact that vaccines were merely an answer to the original problem: the virus. Whether it escaped from a laboratory or came from a "wet market", COVID is in all instances a legacy of the Chinese communist regime to the world.
Since then, China has been cracking down on any attempt to identify the source of the virus, just as, for years, it has been doing its utmost to cover up the situation. The original error seems to have been negligence, however that was quickly followed by deliberate lies as to the human-to-human transmissibility of the virus. While China shut down its own internal systems of transportation, it intentionally, backed by the World Health Organization (WHO), saw millions of its citizens travel to locations abroad. Those who restricted admitting them were accused of "racism."
The WHO had been warned of the danger of transmissibility by Taiwan but chose to disregard it, evidently for "political reasons": China does not recognize Taiwan. The damage was of historic proportions. China's cover-up about the human-to-human transmissibility of the virus was criminal. In the United States, more than 1.2 million people died from COVID in Europe, approximately 2 million, and in the world, approximately 7 million.
According to the World Bank and IMF, in 2020, the global economy plunged into its worst recession since World War II. Instead of expected growth of 3.3%, global GDP contracted by 5%, a deviation of 8%. In monetary terms, this contraction corresponds to a loss of several trillions of dollars. The IMF estimates the cumulative loss over 2020 and 2021 at $9 trillion; more than the combined GDP of Japan and Germany. Support measures (short-time work, support to companies) increased public debt. Although figures vary, economic losses due to the COVID crisis range between $10 trillion and $20, trillion. These Dantesque losses would have been avoided, or at least mitigated, if China had not locked itself into its own degeneracy.
This global catastrophe was followed by China's sending the poison fentanyl – and, after 2019, "just" its precursor ingredients -- to the US, along with other lethal opioids. The smallest amount of fentanyl, equivalent to "a few grains of salt," can cause death. During the last five years, more than 250,000 Americans have been killed by fentanyl overdoses.
2. China plunders the West
Estimates of intellectual property theft attributed to China vary by source and research method. A 2017 report by the bipartisan US Commission on Intellectual Property Theft estimated that losses to the US economy from counterfeit products, software piracy and theft of trade secrets by China range from $225 billion to $600 billion a year. The Cyber Brief suggests that the loss to the US could be as high as $5.6 trillion annually "when accounting for undetected and unreported cases of espionage."
The European Commission has acknowledged that Chinese violations of intellectual property rights, such as theft of trade secrets and forced technology transfers, are causing "irreparable damage" to European companies. Sectors in which intellectual property plays a major role (such as pharmaceuticals, cars and technology) account for almost one-third of jobs in the European Union and 80% of exports, making these losses significant. According to one estimate, intellectual property theft costs the European economy between €50 billion and €150 billion a year, including counterfeit products, lost sales and impact on innovation and employment.
The pattern is familiar: a Western company invests years in research and development, launches an innovative product, and a short while later an almost identical copy turns up, from China, at a much lower price. No development costs, no middlemen, just direct access to the same market, with subsidized pricing to put the original company out of business. How can the inventor ever win like that?
Structural theft is and will remain at the heart of China's model. Combined with "free trade'" -- free in name, not in practice -- this provides China with an unfair and almost unbridgeable advantage in its global power-building.
China also seems to have an impressive tradition of failing to honor any commitment to which it agrees, whether to the World Trade Organization, or pledging not to militarize its artificial islands in the South China Sea, which were militarized within months, or refusing to abide by standard accounting practices. Some might consider such behavior problematic.
3. There is no Chinese state or company: only Mao's Party
(a) China is a closed market. China maintains a negative list for foreign investment and restricts or bans access to certain strategic sectors such as telecommunications, energy, media and finance. Even open sectors require specific licenses, which are often difficult to obtain. In virtually all sectors, Western companies have to enter into a local joint venture with Chinese "partners," who hold a majority stake. This entails forced technology transfer and loss of operational control. The administrative processes for obtaining approvals or certifications are opaque, lengthy and subject to arbitrary interpretation, putting foreign companies at a disadvantage.
Moreover, Chinese state-owned and privately-owned companies benefit from subsidies, preferential loans and privileged access to public tenders, thus creating unfair competition for Western companies. Despite joining the WTO in 2001, China still has non-tariff barriers, such as specific technical standards and rigorous inspections, which make it difficult to import foreign products. In sectors such as steel and electric vehicles, Chinese overproduction, supported by government subsidies, floods the domestic market and marginalizes imported products. Finally, access to the internet is tightly controlled, limiting Western companies' ability to operate in the digital sector without meeting strict requirements, such as local data storage. Technology companies must comply with cybersecurity regulations, including sharing sensitive data with authorities.
In summary, China exports massively to the West and does everything it can to impede imports: a total success for 30 years. Until Trump, the Western market was wide open to China, while China closed itself off to Western companies by every means.
(b) The party is everything. The myth that China would democratize through trade was built on the idea that Chinese companies are separate from the regime. This does not happen to be so: in China, the Communist Party is everything. There is no state in the Western sense of the word, no body separate from political power. There is only the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). No Chinese company, or CEO or even medical doctor, operates without its consent.
That CCP is, fundamentally, still the party of Chairman Mao Zedong. Policies such as the "Great Leap Forward" (1958-1962) and the "Cultural Revolution" (1966-1976) made Mao perhaps the greatest mass murderer in history, certainly in absolute numbers. Estimates vary, but historians broadly agree on a death toll of between 30 and 70 million, mostly due to famines, political purges and executions (Frank Dikötter, Mao's Great Famine, 2010); Jung Chang and Jon Halliday, Mao: The Unknown Story, 2005). The Great Leap Forward alone led to one of the deadliest famines ever, with an estimated 15 to 45 million victims (Yang Jisheng, Tombstone: The Great Chinese Famine, 1958–1962, 2008).
It is often said that the CCP of today has nothing to do with the CCP of the past. But that is nonsense. We are talking about pretty much one and the same party, which claims to follow pretty much one and the same ideology. Certainly on social media, and increasingly out in the open in recent years, it also appears to be re-identifying with the figure of Mao.
What would we say if the Nazi Party were still in power in Berlin? What if in 2025, it were to present itself as more open and tolerant than in 1933 or 1943, but still appealed to the same type of leader and the same ideology?
China's global project is overtly hegemonic. Everything Chinese "companies" gain and steal from the West ultimately flows into the communist regime and funds its ambition to become the dominant world power, starting with the military. President Xi Jinping's regime unleashed a pandemic over the world, lied about it, exacerbated the situation and categorically rejected any responsibility.
If we continue to allow ourselves to be drained by a regime that never plays by the rules, the United States will end up where Europe already finds itself: with massive deindustrialization, strategic dependency and weakness in times of crisis. Trump appears, at least for now, committed to turning that future around.
So let us criticize the orange man: his methods, his sometimes untoward comments, his impulsive shifts. But let us not lose sight that when it comes to the bottom line, in reining in a lawless predatory Chinese market and reindustrializing America, he is right. No one else even tried.
*Drieu Godefridi is a jurist (University Saint-Louis, University of Louvain), philosopher (University Saint-Louis, University of Louvain) and PhD in legal theory (Paris IV-Sorbonne). He is an entrepreneur, CEO of a European private education group and director of PAN Medias Group. He is the author of The Green Reich (2020).
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Academics and Artificial Intelligence Call Muslim Murderer of Christians ‘Chivalrous’ and ‘Magnanimous’
Raymond Ibrahim/The Stream//April 23, 2025
It’s time for another look at the inner machinations of Fake History.
For example, some time back we examined the truth about Saladin. Although much extolled in the West for magnanimous and even “chivalrous” behavior, the Kurdish sultan was what we would call today a “radical” Muslim who beheaded Christians for not embracing Islam, and enslaved thousands of Christian women and children. Now let’s look at a similar but lesser-known example of this phenomenon of Westerners gushing over what are otherwise “radical” Muslims.
Enter Muhammad bin Dawud Chaghri. (Although he is better known today as “Alp Arslan,” a Turkish honorific that means “brave lion,” for the remainder of this article, I will refer to him by his given name: Muhammad.)
The Other Muhammad
This Muhammad (b.1033) was sultan of the Seljuk Turks from 1063 to 1072. The Seljuk Turks were the Muslim group that committed so many atrocities throughout Asia Minor and the Holy Land — slaughtering and enslaving tens if not hundreds of thousands of Christians and desecrating and torching thousands of churches — that finally Europe rose up and fought back in the the First Crusade.
According to Muslim sources, Muhammad was a fanatical Muslim. Nizam al-Mulk, his vizier, and a formidable man himself, said of the young sultan: “He was exceedingly imperious and … because he was so earnest and fanatical in his beliefs and disapproved of the Shafi‘i rite, I lived in constant fear of him.”
The Shafi’i rite is one of four approved schools of Sunni law (madhhab). Even so, the vizier is saying that Muhammad, who followed the Hanafi madhhab, was so intolerant of any opposing schools of thought, even though they were fully approved by Islam, that he terrified his own vizier.
How then would Muhammad have felt about Christians? We shall soon see.
As an example of his many exploits: Soon after becoming sultan between 1064 and 1065, Muhammad besieged Ani, the capital of Armenia. Once inside, his Muslim warriors — according to sources, armed with one knife in each hand and an extra in their mouths —
began to mercilessly slaughter the inhabitants of the entire city … and piling up their bodies one on top of the other…. Innumerable and countless boys with bright faces and pretty girls were carried off together with their mothers.
But the most savage treatment was always reserved for those visibly proclaiming their Christianity: Clergy and monks were “burned to death, while others were flayed alive from head to toe,” all on Sultan Muhammad’s orders. Every monastery and church in “the City of 1001 Churches,” as Ani had been known to that point, was pillaged, desecrated, and set aflame. Crosses were ritually broken, except for a large gilded one which Muhammad sent to the caliph in Baghdad as a trophy of war.
A Single Act of ‘Magnanimity’…
Not only do several Christian sources document the sack of Armenia’s capital (one contemporary succinctly notes that Muhammad “rendered Ani a desert by massacres and fire”), but so do Muslim sources, often in apocalyptic terms: “I wanted to enter the city and see it with my own eyes,” one Arab explained. “I tried to find a street without having to walk over the corpses. But that was impossible.”Little wonder that, for contemporary Christians, Muhammad was “like a beast crazed by its bloodthirsty nature,” a “drinker of blood,” a “venomous serpent,” a “ferocious animal,” to quote from the chronicler Matthew of Edessa. For Michael Attaleiates (b. 1022), a contemporary Greek writer, the sultan was simply the “Antichrist.”Due to Sultan Muhammad’s ravaging of Christian territory, before long the Eastern Roman Empire (“Byzantium”) responded in the person of Emperor Romanus IV Diogenes. He led a large army against Muhammad’s forces near Manzikert in 1071. Not only was it a catastrophic defeat for the Christians; but Romanus became the first Roman emperor in over a thousand years to experience the ignominy of being captured on the field of battle.
And here is where things get interesting. Muhammad ended up releasing Romanus in exchange for a huge ransom. And because of this, all that is remembered today of Sultan Muhammad, this “drinker of Christian blood,” this “blood-crazed beast” and “Antichrist,” is that he was — wait for it — magnanimous.
Sound familiar?
…But Many Citations
Rather than comb through my books for quotes asserting Muhammad’s magnanimity — and these are many, if memory recalls — I decided to try out an AI by asking it, “Which authors say Alp Arslan was magnanimous for releasing Romanus?” It gave me several examples, some of which are pasted below verbatim:Steven Runciman – In his famous work The History of the Crusades, Runciman refers to Alp Arslan’s release of Romanos as an act of magnanimity. He highlights that, despite the Byzantine Emperor being captured after a significant defeat, Alp Arslan showed mercy by sparing him rather than executing him, which was common practice in such situations at the time. Alan Palmer – In The Decline and Fall of the Ottoman Empire, Palmer refers to Alp Arslan’s release of Romanos as an example of chivalry and noble conduct in contrast to the often brutal nature of medieval warfare.
David Nicolle – In his book The Crusades: A Short History, Nicolle discusses the event and notes that Alp Arslan’s decision to release Romanos was likely motivated by political calculation but also an act of magnanimity that contrasted with the harsher norms of warfare at the time.
Bernard Lewis – The renowned historian of the Middle East, in his book The Middle East: A Brief History of the Last 2,000 Years, briefly touches upon the release of Romanos and suggests that Alp Arslan’s act demonstrated his generosity and wisdom, as he sought to avoid further conflict and secure his dominance over the region. I also asked chatgbt directly, “Was Alp Arslan magnanimous to Romanus Diogenes after Manzikert 1071?” to which it responded:
Yes, Alp Arslan, the Seljuk Sultan, demonstrated magnanimity toward Romanos IV Diogenes, the Byzantine Emperor, after the Battle of Manzikert in 1071. Despite the overwhelming victory of the Seljuk forces, Alp Arslan acted with relative mercy toward the defeated Romanos, which is often cited as an example of his magnanimity… Rather than executing him or imprisoning him for life, Alp Arslan reportedly treated Romanos with respect and dignity…. He is said to have had a respectful conversation with the emperor, asking for his well-being and offering him generous treatment.
However, after Romanos was released and returned to Constantinople, his own court turned against him, and he was eventually deposed, blinded, and imprisoned. Alp Arslan’s mercy, therefore, did not directly lead to a positive outcome for Romanos, but it was certainly a magnanimous gesture in contrast to the ruthless norms of medieval warfare. The event reflects Alp Arslan’s character and political approach, showing a level of compassion and respect toward an enemy, which stands out in history as an example of chivalric conduct.
There are two fundamental problems with all these claims.
What the Ancient Muslim Sources Tell Us
First, although Western historians have made much of Sultan Muhammad’s apparent magnanimity, it completely accorded with sharia (Islamic law), which recommends that Muslim leaders dispense with captives in whichever one of three ways — execution, slavery, or freedom (often by ransoming) — best serves Islam’s interests.Considering that the sultan’s Fatimid Shia rivals were launching devastating raids on his southern domains and that the execution of the Christians’ emperor might provoke a renewed Roman offensive, whereas clemency to Romanus might ease hostilities and fill the Seljuks’ coffers with money, Muhammad wisely concluded on release for ransom. Even Romanus himself had shrewdly told the sultan that “killing me will not be of any use to you.”
So in and of itself, there was nothing magnanimous in Muhammad’s release of Romanus for ransom. Based on the circumstances, it was by far the best of Muhammad’s options — allowing tensions with the Christians to ease so the Turks could focus on the Fatimids, and filling their war chest with much needed gold.The second problem here is that, while Muslim accounts do confirm that Muhammad released the emperor, they make abundantly clear that there was nothing of magnanimity to it. “You are too trivial in my view for me to kill you,” the sultan is said to have declared to Romanus before his Turks. “Take him to the person who pays most.”When no one reportedly wanted to purchase the “Dog of the Romans,” Muhammad scoffed that that was “because the dog is better than he is!”
Dog, by the way, is one of Islam’s main epithets for Christians.Muslim chronicles also say that “He struck him three or four blows with his hand and [when Romanus collapsed] he kicked him a similar number of times.” Muhammad also “put him in chains and fettered his hand to his neck”; he pulled his hair and put his face to the ground, while informing him, “your troops [are] food for the Muslims.” And so on.I don’t know about you, but such behavior does not seem all that “magnanimous” and “chivalrous” to me.
Meanwhile, and if you’ll recall, chatgbt said this, Rather than executing him or imprisoning him for life, Alp Arslan reportedly treated Romanos with respect and dignity… He is said to have had a respectful conversation with the emperor, asking for his well-being and offering him generous treatment.
So there it is: Yet another example of fake history; and, as with Saladin’s fake history, it too is dedicated to transforming a jihadist Muslim leader into a paragon of chivalry and magnanimity, as a stark contrast with the Christians of his (and our?) time.
**Raymond Ibrahim, author of Defenders of the West and Sword and Scimitar, is the Distinguished Senior Shillman Fellow at the Gatestone Institute and the Judith Rosen Friedman Fellow at the Middle East Forum.

Iraq and the effort to control armed groups
Hassan Al-Mustafa/Arab News/April 23, 2025
At the Sulaymaniyah International Forum last week, National Wisdom Movement leader Ammar Al-Hakim addressed the issue of weapons in Iraq. He emphasized that “military power undoubtedly resides with the state and the possession of arms should be exclusively in its hands. This is a matter that is beyond dispute and requires no further discussion.”Al-Hakim, who is part of the Coordination Framework alliance that has strong ties to the Iranian government, understands that the issue of consolidating weapons solely in the hands of the Iraqi state is not a straightforward task. It involves navigating complex political, security and legal challenges that may require considerable time to resolve. However, the longer the process of centralizing arms within the Iraqi government is delayed, the weaker the authority of the central state becomes, leading to an increase in the influence of armed factions. This situation also heightens the likelihood of security disturbances or confrontations among various militias. Additionally, there is a genuine risk of Iraq facing military strikes from Israel, particularly due to the past involvement of some of these factions in the support war in solidarity with Hamas and Hezbollah following the Al-Aqsa Flood operation on Oct. 7, 2023, before the Iraqi armed factions ceased their military activities. Iraqi factions, which have launched a series of drones and missiles targeting Israel at various times since the Oct. 7 attack, are now facing significant pressure from Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani. The PM has received credible messages and information indicating that Israel plans to target camps and facilities within Iraq in retaliation for military actions that Tel Aviv deems “hostile.” Meanwhile, the Iraqi “resistance” views these actions as part of its “religious and moral duty to support Palestine.”
The issue of consolidating weapons solely in the hands of the Iraqi state is not a straightforward task
Al-Sudani took a firm stance and sought cooperation with other Iraqi leaders, particularly within the Coordination Framework, to urge groups such as the Hezbollah Brigades and Harakat Hezbollah Al-Nujaba to cease their operations. This is especially crucial as any Israeli strike could impose significant burdens on Iraq and potentially lead to an undesirable escalation of conflict in the Middle East. Iraqi sources that I spoke with indicated that Al-Sudani, along with Al-Hakim and figures such as Asa’ib Ahl Al-Haq leader Qais Al-Khazali and Badr Organization Secretary-General Hadi Al-Amiri, among other religious, political and security personalities, have worked toward calming tensions and preventing any imminent US or Israeli strikes on Iraq. The concern regarding potential retaliatory military actions by Israel is not what prompted the Iraqi factions to halt their support for the Palestinians. Rather, it is their awareness of the extensive destruction inflicted upon the Gaza Strip, southern Lebanon and the southern suburbs of Beirut, along with the significant material losses in terms of buildings and the tragic loss of innocent civilian lives. Iraqis have also observed that the theory of “unity of the arenas” did not yield the intended results. The two main allies, Hamas and Hezbollah, suffered significant losses and lost key leaders such as Yahya Sinwar, Ismail Haniyeh, Hassan Nasrallah and Hashem Safieddine, along with numerous high-ranking security officials. This was attributed to Israel’s superior intelligence capabilities, its devastating missile power and the support that Tel Aviv received from Washington.
There is also a socio-religious factor that has stopped the ball of fire in Iraq. This factor is linked to the sectarian rhetoric that has proliferated in the Middle East. Various factions found themselves confronted with a torrent of anti-Shiite discourse, prompting their leaders and a significant portion of their supporters to question: why should we fight on behalf of those who insult us? The significant and pivotal changes observed in Palestine, Lebanon and Syria, along with the diminishing influence of the so-called Axis of Resistance, have served as a wake-up call for these factions, which fundamentally adhere to a religious ideological perspective. This situation has instilled a fear of losing the gains they have accumulated over the years. Consequently, they have opted, at least tactically, to weather the storm by suspending armed activities.The first step would be to integrate factions outside the Popular Mobilization Units into the umbrella group
It was reported this month that a group of senior leaders and officials in Iraq had confirmed that several Iran-backed armed groups were preparing to disarm in order to prevent tensions with the Trump administration from escalating. This claim was denied by the Hezbollah Brigades. People I contacted who were familiar with the situation confirmed that there have indeed been serious discussions with the factions about the need to restrict the possession of weapons to the state alone. They indicated that the first step would be to integrate factions outside the Popular Mobilization Units into the umbrella group, while simultaneously restricting political and military decision-making to the state. They also said that the PMU would not conduct any operations outside the political will of the Iraqi government, with future organizational steps to follow. These steps are being carried out away from media and public discussion, as there is a desire for them to be successful. This is particularly important given the great sensitivity among armed militias regarding public discourse about their weapons.
In his address at the Sulaymaniyah International Forum, Al-Hakim highlighted a significant issue concerning the arms of various factions. He stated: “We are engaging in a measured and systematic approach to address, adapt and coordinate matters with state institutions.” He underscored that “solutions are not achieved through defeat, particularly as we strive for stability in our nation,” and noted that “we have made considerable progress in this regard.”
These efforts to consolidate weaponry under the control of the state will contribute to the stability of Iraq. They will receive support from the Gulf nations and Baghdad will find that the capitals of moderate Arab countries are among the foremost advocates for this significant transformation. The aim is to achieve this without plunging Iraq into chaos or experiencing any violent confrontations between the government and various factions.
**Hassan Al-Mustafa is a Saudi writer and researcher interested in Islamic movements, the development of religious discourse and the relationship between the Gulf Cooperation Council states and Iran. X: @Halmustafa

What it means for Europe to fend for itself
Anders Fogh Rasmussen/Arab News/April 23, 2025
The US-led global order as we have known it is gone. As the tectonic plates of geopolitics continue to shift beneath us, the challenge for Europe is to keep its institutions alive and prevent the world from returning to an era of might makes right — where power accrues to strongman leaders in Washington, Moscow and Beijing. Rising to this challenge requires a fundamental reconsideration of long-held assumptions and beliefs. Clinging to old orthodoxies is not an option. Europeans cannot preserve democracy and our way of life with soft power alone. We must dispense with entrenched taboos and relearn the language of hard power. That is the only way to deter and defend against those who directly threaten our values and interests.
Yes, since US President Donald Trump’s return to power, hundreds of billions of euros in new spending have been earmarked for defense. But these commitments are not enough. Spending 2 percent of gross domestic product on defense was a reasonable ambition for NATO in 2014, when the US still played the role, however reluctantly, of global policeman. But those days are gone. Merely to keep pace with Russia’s military development, Europe must at least double its investment in defense. Indeed, I would go much further and say Europe should aim for 4 percent by 2028. Incoming German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s ambitions for their own countries must be replicated across the continent.Merely to keep pace with Russia’s military development, Europe must at least double its investment in defense
Bigger armies and more equipment will deter direct attacks, but guns and tanks are only one part of the equation. If Europe’s extra spending is confined to military procurement, it will miss an opportunity to spark its own high-tech revolution. Technological innovation is what underpins US and Chinese hard power. From artificial intelligence and quantum computing to critical infrastructure and biotech, Europe is at risk of ossifying as the major powers sprint further ahead. In this scenario, our strategic dependencies on the US and China would only increase. To defend the rules-based system, we must rethink the composition of our community. While old formats like the G7 can still serve an important purpose, we will need new ways of convening like-minded democracies. A coalition of such democracies — a D7 — can build new tools to promote open trade and economic cooperation, defense partnerships, intelligence-sharing and access to critical minerals. They can even create new security arrangements that cover both cyber-kinetic attacks and economic coercion by major powers, akin to an economic version of NATO’s Article 5 mutual defense provision.
To that end, the EU should work closely with traditional partners — like the UK — and seek even closer relations with Canada, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand and Australia. It should also explore new ways to collaborate with India, a democracy whose GDP has doubled in the past decade, putting it on track to become the world’s third-biggest economy before the end of this decade. The point is not to replace America, but to ensure that Europe will remain resilient with or without US support.
In addition to mobilizing fiscal resources for defense and technology, Europe must also forge a new social contract
For too long, Europe has relied on cheap Russian energy, cheap Chinese goods and cheap American security and technology. But this naive dependency is no longer an option. In addition to mobilizing fiscal resources for defense and technology, Europe must also forge a new social contract.
Though we should not abandon what makes us European, we do need to revisit some tenets of the old welfare state. Freedom is not free. European leaders must be honest and open about the challenge we face and about what it requires of us. The solutions will not all be popular, but we must remember that we have entered an era of crisis. Europeans must be equipped with the skills and resources to fend for themselves. We can learn a lot from the Ukrainians and the Taiwanese about building resilience and paying the price for freedom.
Each year, I convene the Copenhagen Democracy Summit under my Alliance of Democracies Foundation. When I created the foundation in 2017, it was my long-held belief that the US would and must remain at the center of a global democratic alliance. Now, we must prepare for a world in which America is not only unreliable but even adversarial and expansionist. New circumstances demand new strategies. Defending democracy is not a spectator sport. We will have to make some sacrifices, because the alternative is unimaginably awful. Europe has an opportunity to assume the mantle of leader of the free world. Our descendants will not forgive us if we fail to seize it.
**Anders Fogh Rasmussen, a former NATO secretary-general and former prime minister of Denmark, is chairman of Rasmussen Global.
Copyright: Project Syndicate