English LCCC Newsbulletin For
Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For August 11/2025
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news
The Bulletin's Link on the
lccc Site
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/aaaanewsfor2025/english.August11.25.htm
News Bulletin Achieves
Since 2006
Click Here to enter the LCCC Arabic/English news bulletins Achieves since 2006
Click On
The Below Link To Join Elias Bejjaninews whatsapp group
https://chat.whatsapp.com/FPF0N7lE5S484LNaSm0MjW
اضغط
على الرابط في
أعلى للإنضمام
لكروب
Eliasbejjaninews whatsapp group
Elias Bejjani/Click
on the below link to subscribe to my youtube channel
الياس
بجاني/اضغط
على الرابط في
أسفل للإشتراك في
موقعي ع اليوتيوب
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAOOSioLh1GE3C1hp63Camw
Bible Quotations For today
You cross sea and land to make a single
convert, and you make the new convert twice as much a child of hell as
yourselves
Matthew 23/13-15: “‘But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you
lock people out of the kingdom of heaven. For you do not go in yourselves, and
when others are going in, you stop them. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees,
hypocrites! For you cross sea and land to make a single convert, and you make
the new convert twice as much a child of hell as yourselves.”
Titles For The
Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published
on August 10-11/2025
Lebanese Army Sacrifices on the Altar of the Nation – Defending Free
Lebanon Against Hezbollah’s Terrorism and Persian Agenda/Elias Bejjani/August
09/2025
A Video Link of A mass and incense that were offered for the repose of the soul
of the martyred hero Elias al-Hasrouni (al-Hantoush) on the second anniversary
of his martyrdom.
Quoted from the Ain Ebel website
Lebanese army honors soldiers killed in deadly arms cache blast
What caused the deadly explosion that killed six Lebanese army soldiers? Here’s
what we know so far
Al-Rahi from South: No to war, yes to peace
Barrack and Hezbollah offer condolences over army troops killed in blast
Foreign Ministry slams new Iranian stances on Hezbollah disarmament as
'unacceptable'
Jordan’s king offers condolences to Lebanon’s president over soldiers’ deaths,
vows military support
Inside the struggle to disarm Palestinian camps in Lebanon: Leadership shake-up
and divided loyalties
Faqra fire disaster: Rescue efforts save many, two tragically perish — the
details
Massive forged birth certificate scandal rocks northern Lebanon — who’s pulling
the strings?
US guarantees key to disarming Hezbollah/Dr. Dania Koleilat Khatib/Arab
News/August 10, 2025
Beyond Ziad Rahbani’s Tribute and Revoking Hafez al-Assad’s Tribute/Hazem
Saghieh/Asharq Al Awsat/August 10/2025
Titles For The Latest English LCCC
Miscellaneous Reports And News published
on August 10-11/2025
Pope Leo XIV Calls for 'End to All Wars' during Angelus Prayer
Security footage in Syria hospital shows man in military garb killing doctor
Syria's Druze leader calls for international probe into deadly clashes
Militants Kill One Policeman in Southeast Iran
Iran Says IAEA Official to Visit for Talks, No Access to Nuclear Sites Planned
Netanyahu Vows to 'Complete the Job' against Hamas
U.N. Security Council condemns Gaza war plans, 'inadequate’ aid
Israel Far Right Presses Netanyahu for Decisive Win Against Hamas
Demonstrators Seeking Release of Gaza Hostages March in London as Middle East
Tensions Grip UK
Jordan to Host Jordanian-Syrian-American Meeting on Tuesday to Discuss
Rebuilding of Syria
Iraq Accuses Hezbollah Brigades of Breaking the Law
Damascus Quits Paris Talks with SDF after Hasakah Dispute
Türkiye Welcomes Strategic Transit Corridor After Azerbaijan-Armenia Peace Deal
Armenians caught between hope and distrust after accord with Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan Says Energy Cooperation with Ukraine Won't be Derailed by Russian
Strikes
Over 600 Hospitalized Due to Chlorine Gas Leak in Iraq
Egypt, Türkiye Highlight ‘Qualitative Development’ in Bilateral Relations
Zelenskiy Wins EU, NATO Backing as He Seeks Place at Table with Trump, Putin
Titles For
The Latest English LCCC analysis &
editorials from miscellaneous sources
on August 10-11/2025
The EU 'Elites', Part I ...Corruption and Foreign Influence Operations/Robert
Williams/Gatestone Institute/August 10, 2025
The great corridor conundrum/Dr. John Sfakianakis/Arab News/August 10/2025
The US politicians who fight harder for Israel than for their own people/Ray
Hanania/Arab News/August 10/2025
Essam al-Asadi: bridging ties between Iraq and the US/Sam Butler/The Arab
Weekly/August 10/2025
Selected tweets for 10 August/2025
The Latest English LCCC
Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on August
10-11/2025
Lebanese Army Sacrifices on the Altar of
the Nation – Defending Free Lebanon Against Hezbollah’s Terrorism and Persian
Agenda
Elias Bejjani/August 09/2025
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/08/146104/
Today, the blessed soil of South
Lebanon was soaked with the blood of six heroes from our valiant Lebanese Army,
martyred while carrying out a sovereign mission to seize illegal weapons
belonging to Hezbollah – the Iranian terrorist and criminal gang that usurps the
state’s decision-making and assassinates its sovereignty. These martyrs are
sacred sacrifices on the altar of the nation, in the battle to defend Lebanon’s
free identity against an expansionist Iranian project built on terrorism,
jihadism, and aggressive Persian ambitions. May their pure souls rest in peace,
and may consolation be granted to their families and to the free and sovereign
people of Lebanon.
It remains impossible for any sane Lebanese, regardless of excuses or submissive
statements, to absolve Hezbollah – the terrorist organization and its machine of
assassinations and invasions – from the presumption of responsibility for the
deliberate and premeditated killing of Lebanese Army soldiers in the South
today. Most likely, Hezbollah have rigged the facility that the army entered
based on similar past incidents committed by this terrorist Iranian Armed proxy.
For this reason, a serious and swift investigation into the incident is
required, and at the same time, Mohammad Raad must be arrested for his threats,
shamelessness, and blatant defiance of the state.
A Video Link of A
mass and incense that were offered for the repose of the soul of the martyred
hero Elias al-Hasrouni (al-Hantoush) on the second anniversary of his martyrdom.
Quoted from the Ain Ebel website
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/08/146142/
August 10/2025
Lebanese army
honors soldiers killed in deadly arms cache blast — see photos
LBCI/August 10/2025
Funerals were held Sunday for Lebanese soldiers who died in an explosion while
inspecting an arms and ammunition cache in southern Lebanon on Saturday. The
fallen soldiers were first recruit Abbas Fawzi Selhab, recruits Mohammad Ali
Shoukair, Ibrahim Khalil Moustafa, Ahmed Fadi Fadel, and Yamen Hallak, in the
towns of Riyaq (Zahle), Ghobeiry (Baabda), Majdaloun (Baalbek), Debaal (Tyre),
and Wajh al-Hajar (Homs, Syria). Each funeral began with military honors
rendered by the military police and the army band. The soldiers were
posthumously awarded medals recognizing their bravery and sacrifice. Their
bodies were then transported to their hometowns for memorial services. In
speeches, representatives praised the soldiers’ valor, dedication, and
commitment to their duty defending Lebanon and its people. They emphasized that
despite great sacrifices, the army remains steadfast in its mission, honoring
the legacy of its fallen heroes.
What caused the deadly explosion that killed six Lebanese
army soldiers? Here’s what we know so far
LBCI/August 10/2025
The Lebanese army’s mission to centralize weapons under its control is fraught
with danger. On Saturday, six soldiers from the Engineering Regiment and the 5th
Infantry Brigade were killed while searching tunnels. The tragic incident likely
took place at a Hezbollah site in the Wadi Zibqin area, uncovered by the French
UNIFIL battalion and announced on August 7. The site included a tunnel housing a
130mm artillery position and an ammunition depot. The tunnel is deep in a remote
valley with a single entrance and exit. It is shaped like an “L,” with artillery
positioned in one direction and ammunition stored in another, both in the same
spot. This differs from conventional armies, which typically store ammunition
and firing mechanisms separately to safeguard supplies. While the Lebanese army
was moving one of the ammunition crates, an explosion occurred. How it happened
remains under investigation.
Al-Rahi from South: No to war, yes to peace
Naharnet/August 10/2025
Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi on Sunday toured several majority-Christian
border towns in south Lebanon, where he called for peace rather than war. “No to
war and yes to peace,” said al-Rahi in the town of Debel, as he stressed that
“the responsibility for achieving peace falls on citizens as well as on
officials.”“War is against all humans and it only brings destruction, ruin and
displacement,” the patriarch added in the town of al-Qawzah, calling for
“praying for a permanent and just peace for Lebanon.”And in Ain Ebel he said:
“We mourn the victims, our brothers in humanity, but we learn that was has never
been the solution and we hope that it has ended and will not return.”
Barrack and Hezbollah offer condolences over army troops
killed in blast
Agence France Presse/August 10/2025
The Lebanese Army said a blast at a weapons depot near the Israeli border killed
six soldiers on Saturday, with a military source saying the troops were removing
munitions from a Hezbollah facility. Under the truce that ended last year's war
between Israel and Hezbollah, Lebanese troops have been deploying in the
country's south and dismantling the Iran-backed militant group's infrastructure
in the region. The deaths come after the Lebanese government decided this week
to disarm Hezbollah and tasked the army with drawing up a plan to complete the
process by year end. Hezbollah has said it will ignore the cabinet's decision,
which came under heavy U.S. pressure, while the group's backer Iran said
Saturday it opposed the effort. A military statement gave a preliminary toll of
six soldiers killed "while an army unit was inspecting a weapons depot and
dismantling its contents in Wadi Zibqin," in Tyre district near the Israeli
border. Investigations were underway to determine the cause of the blast, it
added. A military source, requesting anonymity as they were not authorized to
brief the media, told AFP the blast took place "inside a Hezbollah military
facility."Troops were "removing munitions and unexploded ordnance left over from
the recent war" when the blast occurred, the source added. President Joseph Aoun
said he was informed by Army Commander General Rodolphe Haykal of the "painful
incident."Prime Minister Nawaf Salam paid tribute to the troops who were killed
"while performing their national duty," calling the army the protector of
Lebanon's "unity and its legitimate institutions."U.S. envoy Tom Barrack, who
has led Washington's efforts to press for Hezbollah's disarmament, extended the
administration's "deepest condolences" over the "loss of these brave
servicemen."
Hezbollah lawmaker Ali Ammar likewise offered his "sincerest condolences to the
Lebanese Army."
'Doing their job'
The commander of the U.N. peacekeeping force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), Major General
Diodato Abagnara, said the soldiers were "simply doing their job to restore
stability and avoid a return to open conflict."The blast came days after UNIFIL
spokesman Andrea Tenenti said troops had "discovered a vast network of fortified
tunnels" in the same area. U.N. spokesman Farhan Haq told reporters that the
troops uncovered a cache of artillery, rockets, mines and improvised explosive
devices. In April, the Lebanese military said three soldiers were killed in a
munitions blast, just days after another was killed in an explosion as troops
dismantled mines in a tunnel. Under the November ceasefire that sought to end
more than a year of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, arms are to be
restricted to Lebanese state institutions. The government has tasked the army
with presenting a plan by the end of August for disarming non-state actors.
Ongoing strikes
A senior adviser to Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Saturday
that Tehran "is certainly opposed to the disarmament of Hezbollah.""Iran has
always supported the people and the resistance of Lebanon and continues to do
so." international affairs adviser Ali Akbar Velayati told Iran's Tasnim news
agency. Lebanon's foreign ministry slammed the comments as "flagrant and
unacceptable interference", reminding "the leadership in Tehran that Iran would
be better served by focusing on the issues of its own people". On Thursday, the
government discussed a U.S. proposal that includes a timetable for Hezbollah's
disarmament. The government endorsed the introduction of the U.S. text without
discussing specific timelines, and called for the deployment of Lebanese troops
in border areas. It also called for the withdrawal of Israeli troops from five
areas of the south they continue to occupy. Israeli has kept up its strikes on
Hezbollah targets in Lebanon despite the truce and has vowed to continue them
until the militant group has been disarmed. The Lebanese health ministry said
one person was killed in an Israeli strike on Saturday on a vehicle in the town
of Ainata near the border.
Foreign Ministry slams new Iranian stances on Hezbollah
disarmament as 'unacceptable'
Agence France Presse/August 10/2025
Lebanon slammed what it called "flagrant and unacceptable interference" by Iran
on Saturday after an adviser to the Islamic republic's supreme leader expressed
opposition to the disarmament of its ally Hezbollah. The Lebanese cabinet
ordered the army on Tuesday to draw up a plan to establish exclusive government
control over weapons by the end of the year -- a move that would mean disarming
Hezbollah. "The Islamic Republic of Iran is certainly opposed to the disarmament
of Hezbollah," Ali Akbar Velayati, international affairs adviser to Ayatollah
Ali Khamenei, was quoted as saying by the Tasnim news agency. "Iran has always
supported the people and the resistance of Lebanon and continues to do so." In a
post on X, the Lebanese foreign ministry condemned Velayati's remarks, which
constitute "flagrant and unacceptable interference in Lebanon's internal
affairs."
"Some senior Iranian officials have repeatedly overstepped by making unwarranted
statements regarding Lebanese domestic decisions that are of no concern to the
Islamic republic," the ministry added. It went on to remind "the leadership in
Tehran that Iran would be better served by focusing on the issues of its own
people." Hezbollah is part of Iran's so-called "axis of resistance" -- a network
of armed groups in the region, including Hamas in Gaza and Yemen's Houthi
rebels, united in their opposition to Israel.
'Not the first time'
Lebanon's disarmament push followed a war between Israel and Hezbollah last year
that left the group's military clout and political influence severely
diminished. It also came amid pressure from the United States and anti-Hezbollah
parties in Lebanon to commit to disarming the group, as well as fears Israel
could escalate strikes on Lebanese territory if they failed to act.
Characterizing the disarmament plan as the result of U.S. and Israeli
interference, Velayati said it was "not the first time that some in Lebanon have
raised such issues." "But just as previous anti-Lebanese plans failed, this one
will also not succeed, and the resistance will stand firm against these
conspiracies." Earlier this year, the Lebanese foreign ministry summoned the
Iranian ambassador over critical remarks he made about the disarmament plans. On
Wednesday, Iran's top diplomat Abbas Araghchi, said any decision on disarmament
was Hezbollah's to make, adding Tehran supported its ally "from afar, but we do
not intervene." Hezbollah itself has slammed the cabinet decision as a "grave
sin", adding it would treat the move "as if it did not exist". The Lebanese
government has cast disarmament as part of the implementation of the November
ceasefire that sought to end the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah.
Jordan’s king offers condolences to Lebanon’s president over soldiers’ deaths,
vows military support
LBCI/August 10/2025
President Joseph Aoun received a phone call Sunday from Jordan's King Abdullah
II, who expressed condolences for the six Lebanese soldiers killed in Saturday’s
deadly blast in Wadi Zibqin, Tyre district. King Abdullah affirmed Jordan’s
solidarity with Lebanon and its army, and voiced his country’s readiness to
provide the necessary support to the Lebanese Armed Forces during this sensitive
period to help them maintain stability, sovereignty, and territorial integrity.
Aoun thanked the Jordanian monarch for his condolences and for Jordan’s
continued support of Lebanon and its military.
Inside the struggle to disarm Palestinian camps in Lebanon: Leadership shake-up
and divided loyalties
LBCI/August 10/2025
The Palestinian weapons handover process, initially scheduled to begin in
mid-June from the Beirut camps, was delayed due to disagreements among
Palestinian factions and within the Fatah movement itself. The Palestinian
Authority in Ramallah, determined to proceed, replaced its ambassador to Beirut,
Ashraf Dabbour, who had called for organizing weapons rather than handing them
over. Mohammad al-Assaad, the Palestinian Ambassador to Mauritania, was
appointed as his successor and is expected to arrive in Beirut within a week to
assume his duties. A delegation from the Palestinian national security
committees will visit ahead of al-Assaad’s arrival to coordinate with the
Lebanese Palestinian Dialogue Committee overseeing the file, as well as with the
relevant Lebanese military and security authorities. Yasser Abbas, son of the
Palestinian Authority president, is personally overseeing the file on behalf of
his father.
Faqra fire disaster: Rescue efforts save many, two
tragically perish — the details
LBCI/August 10/2025
A widening fire broke out in a building near the Faqra roundabout in Kfardebian.
Residents, alongside civil defense and Red Cross teams, rushed to rescue those
trapped amid the flames. The fire engulfed a residential hotel and a
construction materials warehouse on a hot summer afternoon. Rescuers managed to
save eight injured individuals but failed to rescue a woman and a child, the
wife and daughter of a truck driver employed by the owning family. The driver
survived despite severe injuries. All victims are Syrian nationals.By what was
described as divine intervention, the fire reached shops containing highly
flammable construction materials. Injuries were numerous and severe.LBCI spoke
to two building owners, Joseph and Antoine Salameh, who declined to speak on
camera pending ongoing investigations launched by the Aayoun el-Siman police
unit.
Israel rescuers say two killed by rocket fire on residential area
They said the fire was intentionally set. According to their account, the blaze
began when nylon bags covering insulation materials caught fire, destroying most
of the insulation. The building’s security cameras were destroyed, but the
electrical generator, which the owners said was not in use, remained intact. The
building’s power is supplied by solar energy and was not interrupted. The owners
explained the fire started on the lower floor, where insulation materials were
stored and then spread to the first floor, which houses a construction warehouse
adjacent to the Syrian family’s apartment that lost two members. Divine
intervention protected residents from a greater disaster. But questions remain:
Who protects citizens? Who regulates the construction sector and determines
which warehouses meet public safety standards and can be located within
residential buildings?Such incidents happen repeatedly. With today’s extreme
temperatures, stronger and more effective oversight is needed to prevent threats
to public safety.
Massive forged birth certificate scandal rocks northern Lebanon — who’s pulling
the strings?
LBCI/August 10/2025
Hundreds of forged birth certificates were issued to Syrian and Palestinian
children by local mukhtars in several areas across northern Lebanon. These
certificates open a hidden door to illegal naturalization. The scandal was
uncovered by Lebanese General Security and is now under the jurisdiction of
Judge Samaranda Nassar, chief investigating judge in the north. The public
prosecution has filed charges against several suspects involved in a network
operating with mukhtars to issue Lebanese identity papers unlawfully to
Palestinians and Syrians.
Syrian children born in Lebanon normally receive birth certificates registered
in the Ministry of Interior’s foreigner records—not Lebanese birth certificates.
According to informed sources speaking to LBCI, the case began on February 26,
2025, when the General Security arrested a Syrian man, A.A., carrying forged
residency permits at the northern border after entering from Syria. The
investigation led to A. Sh., son of the mukhtar of Al-Sweika in Tripoli.
Investigations revealed he was part of a network of mukhtars issuing forged
birth certificates in collusion with others. Other suspects include A.H. from
Wadi Khaled. Judge Nassar initially questioned the mukhtar of Al-Sweika, M. Sh.,
as a witness before charging him after confiscating his phones and uncovering
evidence of coordination with other mukhtars. The method was precise: “blank”
birth certificates stamped by a doctor suspected to be from a Tripoli hospital.
Investigations have not proven institutional involvement by the hospital but
indicate a possible network of insiders exploiting weak oversight to facilitate
access to these documents. These stamped blank certificates reach mukhtars, who
issue forged birth certificates that enable beneficiaries to obtain individual
civil status records—the key document required to get a Lebanese passport
without needing an identity card. Mukhtar M. Sh., whose name is central to the
investigation, was re-elected despite suspicions, raising questions about
possible cover-up or willful ignorance.
Forged birth certificates for Syrian and Palestinian children continue to
surface. The exact number of forged certificates issued remains unknown, but a
sample seized in the case clearly illustrates the scale and seriousness of the
scandal. Investigations confirmed the Al-Sweika network is not connected to the
Beddawi network previously investigated by Judge Nassar, which involved four
mukhtars in similar forgery operations. Currently, the case is before Judge
Nassar, who has expanded arrests and continues questioning suspects while
confiscating their phones, which revealed extensive coordination among mukhtars
across several northern towns. This case exposes serious security and legal gaps
and raises a larger question: Who is protecting these networks? Who is
preventing the true number of fraudulently issued identities from being
uncovered—a process that threatens Lebanon’s national identity and demographic
future?
US guarantees key
to disarming Hezbollah
Dr. Dania Koleilat Khatib/Arab News/August 10, 2025
The Lebanese government on Thursday made a landmark decision, committing to the
disarmament of Hezbollah by the end of the year. It approved the “goals” of US
envoy Tom Barrack’s paper on “strengthening” the ceasefire agreement between
Lebanon and Israel. The government stated that the army will present an action
plan by the end of August. Hezbollah was appalled by the decision. Mohammed Raad,
a Hezbollah member of parliament, said that the group would rather die than
surrender its arms. He added that the group’s arms are its honor. Hezbollah sent
protesters to the streets in an attempt to put pressure on the government.
However, they were quickly dispersed by the army. Lebanon is required to abide
by international law and by UN Security Council Resolution 1701. The US is
pressuring Lebanon to do so. And it should abide by international law, there is
no question about it. However, when it comes to the Israeli side of the
equation, Barrack’s paper only promises that the US will “facilitate” mediation
with Israel over its withdrawal from the “five points” inside Lebanon and
ceasing hostilities. Barrack was very clear when the Lebanese asked him whether
Israel would withdraw and stop its raids on Lebanon if Hezbollah were to disarm:
he said that there are no guarantees. Basically, Lebanon should abide by
international law, while Israel can go by the law of the jungle.
Israel constantly emphasizes its right to “self-defense,” which is a very
elastic concept. Any aggression can be justified as self-defense or a preemptive
strike. The Lebanese army has a very difficult task. The Americans are making it
even harder. It is an open secret that the US is biased toward Israel for many
reasons. However, if the US really wants the Lebanese state and the Lebanese
army to succeed in disarming Hezbollah, it should empower them. It should at
least show that it is being an honest broker. It should show that it can
pressure Israel. It should show that both parties must abide by international
law.
If the US really wants the Lebanese state and the Lebanese army to succeed in
disarming Hezbollah, it should empower them. Israel has been living by the law
of the jungle since its inception. It has been able to do so because of US and
Western complicity. According to advocacy group If Americans Knew, Israel is the
target of at least 78 UN resolutions. But Israel violates international law
every day under the guise of self-defense and anyone who points a finger at its
misdeeds is immediately labeled as antisemitic.
The question is: until when? The Lebanese case is only one small example of how
Israel receives preferential treatment in international affairs. This
preferential treatment is secured by the world’s major superpower, the US.
However, it reduces the credibility of the US as an honest broker. Maybe the
Americans do not care because the world needs them and they can impose their
will on whoever they want. However, this attitude creates problems.
What if the Lebanese army uses coercion and disarms Hezbollah, which will
probably result in internal unrest, and Israel does not withdraw? This would
reinforce the group’s narrative and give it a new boost. This would revive the
idea of resistance. If this idea is revived, then the movement will be revived.
However, Israel has the luxury of only looking at its own side of the story
because it has the US to back it up whenever needed. The US could make the task
of the Lebanese state and army much easier by giving guarantees that Israel
would withdraw and cease hostilities. The hostilities are mainly targeting
Hezbollah operatives and officials. As long as the US does not give such
guarantees, Hezbollah will not feel secure enough to willingly disarm. Israel
has the luxury of only looking at its own side of the story because it has the
US to back it up whenever needed
Hezbollah is convincing its audience that this is an existential issue. This is
why Raad said that they would rather die than surrender their arms. The state
may have taken the decision to disarm Hezbollah, but this does not mean the
implementation will be easy or seamless. The protests that followed the decision
could be renewed and could become violent. But all this could be avoided if the
US showed that both parties must abide by international law, while guaranteeing
that Israel will withdraw and cease hostilities.
If not treated carefully, this could lead to a clash between Hezbollah and the
army. Of course, Hezbollah is weak now but it still — along with the Amal
Movement — represents the majority of the country’s Shiite population. Hence,
the group cannot be discounted.
Of course, a state cannot thrive with the existence of an armed militia. This is
a fact. The aim is for Hezbollah to surrender its arms and become a political
party. However, for this to happen, the US cannot apply the double standard of
Lebanon having to abide by international law while Israel ignores it.
This will only boost Hezbollah’s narrative and increase the sense of insecurity
among the Shiite community. It could lead to clashes between the group and the
army, as well as the Shiites and the rest of the Lebanese. Hence, for the sake
of peace and stability, the US should act wisely and offer the Lebanese the
guarantee that, if Hezbollah disarms, Israel will withdraw and stop targeting
Lebanon.
• Dr. Dania Koleilat Khatib is a specialist in US-Arab relations with a focus on
lobbying. She is co-founder of the Research Center for Cooperation and Peace
Building, a Lebanese nongovernmental organization focused on Track II.
Port blast,
Hezbollah and Lebanon’s elusive justice
Iman Zayat/The Arab Weekly/August 10/2025
“Justice is coming.” With these three words, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun
sought to strike a chord of hope on the fifth anniversary of the 2020 Beirut
port explosion, a catastrophe that left over 220 dead, thousands wounded, and a
capital city scarred. But in Lebanon, where promises are often currency for
deflection rather than resolve, the statement demands scrutiny. Is justice, in
fact, coming? Or is this another rhetorical gesture from a political class long
accused of complicity, neglect and obfuscation?
The explosion on August 4, 2020, was not a natural disaster. It was the
consequence of staggering institutional failure, tonnes of ammonium nitrate left
in unsafe storage for years, despite repeated warnings. That such a volatile
cargo remained untouched speaks to more than incompetence. It points to a deeper
rot: a political and security structure where impunity is not the exception but
the rule.
The president’s vow to pursue justice “no matter the obstacles or how high the
positions involved” reflects a familiar script in Lebanon. But this time, the
context has shifted. The appointment of former International Court of Justice
judge Nawaf Salam as prime minister, paired with Hezbollah’s visible retreat
from formal political power following its recent conflict with Israel, marks a
rare moment of institutional realignment. Together, Aoun and Salam have promised
to safeguard judicial independence and allow long-blocked investigations to move
forward, including the most symbolically-loaded of all: the port explosion case
led by Judge Tarek Bitar.
But here lies the paradox. While President Aoun’s pledge signals a new
rhetorical tone, it also arrives in a context where the mechanisms of
obstruction remain largely intact. The networks that once enabled Hezbollah’s
dominance, and protected those allegedly involved in the port catastrophe, have
not disappeared. They have simply reconfigured.
Judge Bitar’s inquiry was suspended for over two years, amid intense political
pressure and personal threats. His eventual resumption of the investigation
earlier this year came only after Aoun’s election and Hezbollah’s weakened hand.
Since then, Bitar has questioned key figures once deemed untouchable, including
former prime minister Hassan Diab, top security officials Abbas Ibrahim and Tony
Saliba, and most recently, ex-minister Nohad Machnouk. Yet others, including
sitting MPs Ghazi Zeaiter and Ali Hassan Khalil, continue to dodge justice,
invoking parliamentary immunity and legal technicalities. The former public
prosecutor, Ghassan Oueidat, himself implicated in derailing the investigation,
has left office, but not without leaving behind a deeply-fractured judiciary
still susceptible to political interference. For many Lebanese, the pattern is
all too familiar. Public outrage, international concern and symbolic gestures
are routinely met with elite foot-dragging and judicial sabotage. As Mariana
Fodoulian, a spokeswoman for the victims’ families, put it plainly: “For five
years, officials have tried to evade accountability, always thinking they are
above the law.”The political stakes of the investigation are not merely about
negligence. For many, the port was not just a logistical hub; it was a locus of
Hezbollah’s shadow state. Though no definitive evidence has emerged linking the
ammonium nitrate to the group’s military operations, circumstantial signs, from
its alleged role in facilitating port access, to reported ties between the
ship’s intermediaries and the Assad regime, have cast a long shadow. Hezbollah’s
reaction to the probe has been telling: open hostility, legal resistance and a
persistent campaign to de-legitimise Bitar and the judiciary. What innocent
actor, critics ask, would so aggressively seek to bury the truth?
The scale of the blast was such that even regional powers took note. French
investigators have provided evidence to Judge Bitar, given the presence of
French nationals among the dead. International human rights groups have
repeatedly called for an independent inquiry. But Lebanon’s political
establishment, including the former Michel Aoun’s administration, consistently
rebuffed such calls, fearing what might be revealed.
President Joseph Aoun’s rise to power, then, comes with an implicit promise of
rupture. A military man with no dynastic political baggage, Aoun is seen by some
as uniquely positioned to challenge entrenched interests. His alliance with
Salam, a legalist reformer by pedigree, raises hopes that the balance of power
may finally tilt away from the culture of impunity. But will institutional
willpower match public expectation? Some observers argue that the Lebanese state
is intentionally delaying prosecutions, hoping to defer any reckoning until a
broader political compromise over Hezbollah’s arms and role can be reached. If
true, this would be a dangerous wager, one that risks further eroding what
little legitimacy remains in state institutions. After all, what does
sovereignty mean in a country where citizens are left to mourn loved ones, year
after year, without answers or redress?
On the fifth anniversary of the blast, the country’s wheat silos, partially
collapsed but still standing, were formally designated as an historical site.
For the victims’ families, these ruins are not just architectural remains; they
are a monument to truth deferred. In their damaged silhouette, one sees not only
the violence of port blast but also the stubborn resistance of those still
demanding justice. The real test for President Aoun and Prime Minister Salam is
not whether they can deliver speeches or make promises. It is whether they can
restore the basic principle that no individual or group is above the law. That
would require not only pursuing indictments but also reforming the very
institutions that enabled this catastrophe, from the judiciary to the security
apparatus to the shadow economy long tolerated at the country’s ports.
Lebanon’s tragedy is not the absence of legal mechanisms. It is their political
domestication. The task before Aoun and Salam is not only judicial. It is
existential: to rebuild public trust in a republic that has failed too many, too
often.
Five years on, the silos still stand. So do the grieving families, the survivors
and a society running out of patience. President Aoun has promised justice. The
country is watching to see if he means it.
Beyond Ziad
Rahbani’s Tribute and Revoking Hafez al-Assad’s Tribute
Hazem Saghieh/Asharq Al Awsat/August 10/2025
The Lebanese government's announcement that "Hafez al-Assad Avenue" will now be
renamed "Ziad Rahbani Avenue" was not just the replacement of a street’s name
with another; it was the replacement of one conception of the world with
another. That is probably why the decision drew so much controversy on social
media and in the media, with the debate becoming all the more charged by its
timing, minutes after the deliberations of the cabinet session on seizing
illegitimate arms had ended.
Many of the ministers who approved the decision do not share the late musician
and artist’s political views, nor do some of the fan base who celebrated the
decision simply because their "rival," Ziad Rahbani, deserves the honor. Just
days earlier, Rahbani's funeral brimmed with political "rivals" there to pay
their respects to the artist and human being he was. Notably, his commemoration
took place in a region with no political ties to the deceased.
The fact of the matter is that this way of seeing the world is a return to a
tradition that Lebanon had known the pre-civil war era: not reducing people to
their political positions, and thus having the capacity to see them as beings
with other, richer dimensions. As such, the national curriculum introduced
students to poets and writers who had expressed bitter animosity for traditional
Lebanese framework.
Among them were Arab nationalists like Rashid Salim al-Khoury, Syrian
nationalists like Fouad Suleiman and Said Takieddine, and communists and friends
of communists like Omar Fakhoury and Raif Khoury. In the same vein, the
circulation of newspapers and magazines that any narrow-minded Lebanese would
consider a threat to Lebanon (including monthly magazines such as “Al-Adab,”
weekly magazines such as “Al-Hurriya” and “Al-Hadaf,” and daily newspapers such
as “Al-Muharrir,” “Al-Safir,” and “Al-Nidaa”) was authorized between the 1950s
and the 1970s.
On the other hand, those with the other sort of mindset- a mentality politicized
to the core that combines tribal instincts and totalitarian ambitions- were
annoyed that Rahbani’s had been celebrated by those who disagree with his
politics and whose politics he had disagreed with. They were also dismayed when
the poet Said Akl was honored following his death ten years ago- not for any
consideration related to his work as a poet; their discomfort stemmed purely
from his political positions. For decades, these people have been a cultural
auxiliary to the guns of Hezbollah and Syrian security agencies, dictating to
the Lebanese which books they could translate or read, as well as which films
and plays they were allowed to screen and perform, all on the basis of the
narrow political criteria they favored.
These people, who in reality wanted to honor Rahbani for his political positions
and the impact they had had on his art, favored naming none other than Hamra
Street after him, under the pretext that he had lived there. However, with some
bad faith, which is "good sense" in this instance, we can assume that this
suggestion has a dark motive: turning the tribute to Ziad Rahbani into a means
for getting rid of Hamra Street and its name. Basic familiarity with the history
of this cosmopolitan street, whose flourishing is inseparable from the presence
of the American University of Beirut and the foreigners (some of whom were
kidnapped by Hezbollah) who have resided in it, is enough to get the sense that
this is no innocent proposal. As for objecting to the removal of Assad senior’s
name, it falls into the same interpretation. Assad has only one face: the face
of an authoritarian officer who seized his country through a military coup,
subjugated it and governed by the sword. He never succeeded in anything like he
did at humiliating the Lebanese, after the Syrians. In this sense, the street
bearing his name (or the name of Qassem Soleimani or Khomeini...) is a reminder
that the Lebanese will remain governed by this relationship that politicizes
their view of the universe while stripping them of politics and continuing to
isolate them from the world.
It is thus impossible to split Assad and his experience to distinguish between
the different sides to them, to say that we hate his politics but love his
singing, admire the dexterity with which he played an instrument, or his love of
nature...When it was decided that his late son, Bassel, should be granted the
face of a “Fares” (knight on horseback) he eliminated his competitor who alone
the title. As for Bashar, the other son and his father's heir, he was not
equipped for the only dimension attributed to him, the political dimension. It
was clear that his shrivelled persona, devoid of meaning and dimensions, was all
that we and he have. Before and beyond this, any attachment to a tribute to
Hafez conveys hatred for the Syrian people and everything they had suffered at
his hands before they destroyed his statues and tore up his posters. Indeed,
when the Lebanese themselves, in 2005, launched an insurgency against the
infamous Syrian-Lebanese security regime, they removed monuments to Hafez and
his son, Basil, in several regions of the country. The hope, today, is that this
recent decision will inaugurate a bi-pronged shift in how we assess the matters
present to us in our lives, on the one hand, and, on the other, whom we pay
honor and celebrate. Will we bid farewell to the celebration of one-dimensional
politicians and military men who regularly and unreluctantly resort to vicious
oppression? Honoring such people is characteristic of slaves and slave morality.
The
Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published
on August 10-11/2025
Pope
Leo XIV Calls for 'End to All Wars' during Angelus Prayer
Asharq Al Awsat/August 10/2025
Pope Leo XIV renewed his appeal for peace, calling on the world to pray for "an
end to all wars" during his Sunday Angelus prayer. "The 80th anniversary of the
bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki has reawakened through the world the
necessary rejection of war as a way to resolve conflicts," said Pope Leo.
Security footage
in Syria hospital shows man in military garb killing doctor
Ghaith Alsayed And Kareem Chehayeb/AP/August 10, 2025
DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Footage from security cameras at a hospital in the city
of Sweida in southern Syria published Sunday showed what appears to be the
killing of a medical worker by men in military garb. The video published by
activist media collective Suwayda 24 was dated July 16, during intense clashes
between militias of the Druze minority community and armed tribal groups and
government forces. In the video, which was also widely shared on social media, a
large group of people in scrubs can be seen kneeling on the floor in front of a
group of armed men. The armed men grab a man and hit him on the head as if they
are going to apprehend him. The man tries to resist by wrestling with one of the
gunmen, before he is shot once with an assault rifle and then a second time by
another person with a pistol. A man in a dark jumpsuit with “Internal Security
Forces” written on it appears to be guiding the men in camouflage into the
hospital. Another security camera shows a tank stationed outside the facility.
Activist media groups say the gunmen were from the Syrian military and security
forces. A Syrian government official said they could not immediately identify
the attackers in the video, and are investigating the incident to try to figure
out if they are government-affiliated personnel or gunmen from tribal groups. He
spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not immediately cleared to speak
to the media on the matter. The government has set up a committee tasked with
investigating attacks on civilians during the sectarian violence in the
country’s south, which is supposed to issue a report within three months. The
incident at the Sweida National Hospital further exacerbates tensions between
the Druze minority community and the Syrian government, after clashes in July
between Druze and armed Bedouin groups sparked targeted sectarian attacks
against them. The violence has worsened ties between them and Syria's
Islamist-led interim government under President Ahmad al-Sharaa, who hopes to
assert full government control and disarm Druze factions. Though the fighting
has largely calmed down, government forces have surrounded the southern city and
the Druze have said that little aid is going into the battered city, calling it
a siege.
Syria's Druze leader calls for international probe into
deadly clashes
Associated Press/August 10/2025
DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — A spiritual leader of Syria’s Druze community called
Saturday for an international investigation into last month’s clashes that left
hundreds of people dead in southern Syria. Sheikh Hikmat Al-Hijri, whose
fighters clashed with pro-government gunmen in Sweida province last month, also
thanked U.S. President Donald Trump, as well as Israel and Gulf Arab countries
for their help in ending the violence. “Thanks to those who stood by
righteousness,” Al-Hijri said in a televised speech. The days-long clashes first
broke out in July between Druze militias and local Sunni Muslim Bedouin tribes
in Sweida. Government forces then intervened, nominally to restore order, but
ended up essentially siding with the Bedouins against the Druze.Israel
intervened in defense of the Druze, launching dozens of airstrikes on convoys of
government fighters and even striking the Syrian Defense Ministry headquarters
in central Damascus. The Druze form a substantial community in Israel, where
they are seen as a loyal minority and often serve in the Israeli military.
Al-Hijri called for an international and independent investigation into the
clashes and argued that perpetrators should be referred to the International
Criminal Court. He also called for the deployment of international observer
missions to protect civilians. He thanked Trump for his support of minorities,
and he thanked Israel for what he called a “humanitarian intervention” which he
said limited the extent of the massacres against the Druze. Al-Hijri’s comments
came a day after he spoke remotely at a conference hosting representatives of
Syria’s various ethnic and religious groups who called for the formation of a
decentralized state and the drafting of a new constitution that guarantees
religious, cultural and ethnic pluralism. The conference was held in Hassakeh, a
northeastern Syrian city under the control of the Kurdish-led and U.S.-backed
Syrian Democratic Forces. The government criticized the meeting, and alleged
that among the attendees were some with secessionist ambitions. It said that as
a result it long longer intends to join planned talks with the SDF in Paris that
had been agreed upon in late July. No date had yet been set for the Paris talks.
State news agency SANA quoted an unnamed government source as saying that the
conference violated an agreement reached in March with the SDF
Militants Kill One Policeman in Southeast Iran
Asharq Al Awsat/August 10/2025
Militants killed one policeman in Iran's restive southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchistan,
Iranian media reported Sunday, adding that three assailants also died. "A
policeman from Saravan was killed while terrorists were trying to enter the
police station" in that area of Sistan-Baluchistan, the Tasnim news agency said.
"Three terrorists were killed and two were arrested," Tasnim said.
Iran Says IAEA Official to Visit for Talks, No Access to
Nuclear Sites Planned
Asharq Al Awsat/August 10/2025
A senior official from the UN nuclear watchdog will fly to Iran for talks on
Monday, but no visit to nuclear sites is planned, Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas
Araghchi said on Sunday. Since Israel launched its first military strikes on
Iran's nuclear sites during a 12-day war in June, inspectors from the
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) have been unable to access Iran's
facilities, despite IAEA chief Rafael Grossi stating that inspections remain his
top priority. Iran has accused the agency of effectively paving the way for the
bombings by issuing a damning report on May 31, which led the IAEA's 35-nation
Board of Governors to declare Iran in breach of its non-proliferation
obligations. Iran, which denies seeking nuclear weapons, said it remained
committed to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). "Negotiations with the
IAEA will be held tomorrow to determine a framework for cooperation," Araghchi
said on his Telegram account. "A Deputy Director General of Grossi will come to
Tehran tomorrow, while there are no plans to visit any nuclear sites until we
reach a framework."Last month, Iran enacted a law passed by parliament
suspending cooperation with the IAEA. The law stipulates that any future
inspection of Iran's nuclear sites by the IAEA needs approval by Tehran's
Supreme National Security Council.
Netanyahu Vows to 'Complete the Job' against Hamas
Asharq Al Awsat/August 10/2025
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that Israel has no
choice but to "complete the job" and defeat Hamas, given the Palestinian group's
refusal to lay down its arms.Netnayahu also told a news conference that his new
Gaza offensive plans aim to tackle two remaining Hamas strongholds. He said
Israel “has no choice but to finish the job and complete the defeat of
Hamas.”According to the AP news, he was speaking to foreign media in Jerusalem
and defending a planned military offensive. He asserts that “our goal is not to
occupy Gaza, our goal is to free Gaza.” He is also pushing back against what he
calls a “global campaign of lies” as condemnation of the plan grows both inside
and outside Israel. Netanyahu said there is a “fairly short timetable” in mind
for next steps in Gaza. The goals there, he said, include demilitarizing Gaza,
the Israeli military having “overriding security control” there and a
non-Israeli civilian administration in charge. The prime minister also said he
had directed Israel’s military in recent days to “bring in more foreign
journalists” — which would be a striking development as they have not been
allowed into Gaza beyond military embeds. Netanyahu again blamed many of Gaza’s
problems on the Hamas militant group, including civilian deaths, destruction and
shortages of aid.
U.N. Security
Council condemns Gaza war plans, 'inadequate’ aid
Adam Schrader/United Press International/August 10, 2025
Aug. 10 (UPI) -- The United Nations Security Council convened an emergency
meeting Sunday to discuss Gaza and the Middle East, specifically Israel's plan
announced Friday to seize control of Gaza City. The Sunday meeting of the U.N.
Security Council was called for by Britain, Denmark, France, Greece and
Slovenia. It did not place a resolution on the table, a measure that the United
States has used its veto power to block five times previously, but saw
condemnation of Israel's plans for Gaza City. Miroslav Jenca, the assistant
secretary-general for Europe, Central Asia and Americas in the United Nations
Department of Political Affairs, opened the meeting with a briefing about the
conditions on the ground in Gaza, including mass starvation. Jenca said the
situation in Gaza continues to deteriorate, placing 2 million Palestinians in
"even greater peril" while the plan would further endanger the lives of the
remaining captives taken by Hamas. "The latest decision by the government of
Israel risks igniting another horrific chapter in this conflict with potential
consequences beyond Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories," Jenca
said. Jenca revealed that the Israeli government foresees the displacement of
all Palestinians from Gaza City by October 7, 2025, affecting some 800,000
people, many of them previously displaced. "Reports indicate the IDF would then
surround the city for three months, this would then reportedly be followed by an
additional two months to seize control of central Gaza's camps and clear the
entire area of Palestinian armed groups," he said. Ramesh Rajasingham, the head
of United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, then gave
the council a briefing where he said Palestinians have endured daily killings
and injuries for over 670 days. Rajasingham, in his briefing, condemned the
taking of hostages by Hamas as well as the detention of thousands of
Palestinians including women and children who remain in Israeli prisons, many
held without charge or trial. He also criticized what he called Israel's "smear
campaigns" against aid organizations.
The Palestinian Commission of Prisoners' and Ex-Prisoners' Affairs released a
report Sunday which said that Israel detained at least 662 people, including 39
children and 12 women in July alone, bringing the total number of arrests in the
West Bank since the war began to 18,500. Some 570 of those detained have been
women and 1,500 are children, according to the commission. The Israeli human
rights group B'Tselem released a video Sunday showing footage of an Israeli
settler shooting and killing the activist Awdah Hathaleen in the West Bank. The
footage was filmed by Hathaleen himself, and documents just one incident of
violence faced by Palestinians in the West Bank.
"Humanitarian conditions are behind horrific," Rajasingham said. "Whatever
lifelines remain are collapsing under the weight of sustained hostilities,
forced displacement and insufficient levels of lifesaving aid. Hunger deaths are
rising, especially among children."Rajasingham said health authorities in Gaza
have documented the deaths of 90 children from acute malnutrition, including 37
alone since July 1. "So, this is no longer a looming hunger crisis, this is
starvation pure and simple," he said. "Each day brings harrowing images of
women, men and children killed while desperately seeking assistance."Last week,
the international human rights group Doctors Without Borders, released a report
that condemned the U.S.-based Gaza Humanitarian Foundation and its current
mechanisms for the distribution of aid in Gaza as "orchestrated killing."MSF
health centers in Gaza received some 1,380 people injured and 28 dead bodies
from GHF distribution sites during a two-week period in July. Of those, some 174
people were treated for gunshot wounds originating at GHF sites. "The injured
who arrive in our clinics are normally covered in sand and dust from time spent
lying on the ground while taking cover from bullets," MSF said in its report.
Recent military tactical pauses by Israel have led to some changes in
humanitarian operations, Rajasingham said, noting that limited amounts of fuel
and food have been allowed in. But U.N. aid workers on the ground have cautioned
that meaningful change for the population "remains elusive" as humanitarian
conditions remain unchanged.
James Kariuki, the deputy permanent representative for Britain to the United
Nations, called the partial aid allowed by Israel in recent weeks "woefully
inadequate" and called on Israel to lift all impediments to aid delivery, like
barring organizations from humanitarian work through "unreasonable" registration
requirements. Christina Markus Lassen, Denmark's representative, took a firmer
stance, stating that Israel has chosen to "further escalate" the war instead of
heeding calls for a ceasefire from the international community. Like many who
spoke, she noted that Israel's war expansion contradicts last year's advisory
opinion from the International Court of Justice. "We categorically reject any
forced displacement. The ICJ's advisory opinion on this matter must be fully
respected," she said. "Any unliteral attempts to alter the demographic status of
the Gaza Strip is unacceptable and constitute a clear violation of international
law."
Lassen added that Denmark "deplores" Israel's killing of starving civilians
trying to get food and called the frequency and scale of such incidents
"alarming" and "unacceptable." France likewise condemned Israel and called for
Israel to reverse its decision, and any plan for the forced annexation or
settlement of the Gaza Strip. Samuel Žbogar, the permanent representative of
Slovenia to the United Nations, called the decision by Israel "reprehensible"
and "a plan of horror and destruction," as well as a "new low which Slovenia
rejects." He said an expanded war in Gaza would make Israelis less safe in the
short term and long term, and showed contempt toward a two-state solution.
"Israel has pursued a deliberate policy of starvation, of manufacturing a famine
to pursue political and military gains in a clear and blatant violation of
humanitarian law," Žbogar said. "The aerial photos of Gaza that have emerged in
recent days show total destruction."
"Who, if not this council, can stop the killing?" Žbogar later questioned. "We
cannot simply accept a forever war." Among the nations expressing the fiercest
support for Palestinians was Algeria, which said that Israel cares nothing for
international law or the authority of the U.N. Security Council. "Despite the
operation, Palestinians will not abandon their homeland. Palestinians will not
let go of their rights," said Amar Bendjama, Algeria's representative. "We
believe in their resilience as we believe that Gaza, although wounded and
bleeding, will one day rise again."Meanwhile, the representative for Pakistan
explicitly called Israel's actions "ethnic cleansing," a point echoed by
Russia's representative who likened the situation in Gaza to the Holocaust. He
also accused Israel's ambassador to the United Nations of attempting to
manipulate the Security Council by shedding "crocodile tears" for the hostages
at an earlier meeting, knowing that the body would be taking up the issue of
Gaza. "We must firmly oppose any attempt to occupy Gaza. The recent approval by
Israel's Security Cabinet of a plan to take over Gaza is a matter of grave
concern for China," said China's U.N. ambassador, Fu Cong.
"We urge Israel to stop this dangerous move at once. Gaza belongs to the
Palestinian people. It's an integral part of the Palestinian territory. Any
action that seeks to alter its demographic and territorial structure must be met
with utmost rejection and resistance."
Fu Cong also said, "the country with significant influence over the parties must
encourage a ceasefire," an apparent reference to the United States -- which
criticized the fact that the meeting was taking place. "The United States
government believes this meeting is emblematic of the counterproductive role
that far too many governments on this council and throughout the U.N. system
have played on this issue," said Dorothy Shea, the U.S. ambassador to the United
Nations. "Meanwhile, the United States has been working tirelessly to free the
hostages, end this war, and give civilians in Gaza a future free of Hamas. To do
so, we need to place responsibility where it lies -- with Hamas."Hamas on Sunday
called recent airdrops of aid made by Israel with support from other nations
"propaganda" as it urged other nations to pressure Israel into providing more
aid for starving Palestinians. "The aid entering Gaza today is a mere drop in
the ocean of humanitarian needs. The airdrops are purely propaganda, entail
grave risks to the lives of civilians, and are no substitute for opening the
land crossings and allowing trucks to enter in sufficient, safe quantities,"
Hamas said in its statement. Hamas demanded that Israel immediately open
crossings for the safe entry of a sufficient amount of aid, even as Israel has
announced its intent to seize control of Gaza City. The Gaza Health Ministry
said Sunday that the total death toll had risen to more than 61,430 people since
the war began after two more children died from starvation and malnutrition.
Israel Far Right Presses Netanyahu for Decisive Win Against
Hamas
Asharq Al Awsat/August 10/2025
Israel's far right pressed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to go harder
against Hamas, ahead of a UN Security Council meeting Sunday on the premier's
plan to conquer Gaza City. Over 22 months into the war in Gaza, Israel is
gripped by a yawning divide, pitting those calling for an end of the conflict
along with a deal for the release of the hostages against others who want to see
Hamas vanquished once and for all. The debate has only intensified after Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's security cabinet announced plans Friday to expand
the conflict and capture Gaza City. While thousands took to the streets in Tel
Aviv Saturday night to protest the cabinet's decision, far-right Finance
Minister Bezalel Smotrich posted a video online, slamming Netanyahu's decision
on Gaza as half-hearted, AFP reported. "The prime minister and the cabinet gave
in to weakness. Emotion overcame reason, and they once again chose to do more of
the same -- launching a military operation whose goal is not decisive victory,
but rather to apply limited pressure on Hamas in order to bring about a partial
hostage deal," Smotrich said. "They decided once again to repeat the same
approach, embarking on a military operation that does not aim for a decisive
resolution."Netanyahu is scheduled to hold a press conference with international
media at 4:30 pm local time (13:30 GMT) on Sunday -- his first since the
security cabinet decision. The far-right members of Netanyahu's cabinet,
including Smotrich, have maintained considerable influence in the premier's
coalition government throughout the war -- with their support seen as vital to
holding at least 61 seats for a parliamentary majority. National Security
Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, also of the far right, told Kan radio on Sunday: "It
is possible to achieve victory. I want all of Gaza, transfer and colonisation.
This plan will not endanger the troops."In Tel Aviv, demonstrators held up
pictures of hostages still in Gaza, calling on the government to secure their
release. "We will end with a direct message to Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu: if you invade parts of Gaza and the hostages are murdered, we will
pursue you in the town squares, in election campaigns and at every time and
place," Shahar Mor Zahiro, the relative of a slain hostage, told AFP. The
cabinet's decision to expand the war in Gaza has meanwhile touched off a wave of
criticism across the globe. On Sunday, the UN Security Council is set to meet to
discuss the latest development. Foreign powers, including some of Israel's
allies, have been pushing for a negotiated truce to secure the hostages' return
and help alleviate a humanitarian crisis in the territory following repeated
warnings of famine taking hold. Despite the backlash and rumors of dissent from
Israeli military top brass, Netanyahu has remained firm. In a post on social
media late Friday, Netanyahu said "we are not going to occupy Gaza -- we are
going to free Gaza from Hamas". The premier has faced regular protests over the
course of the war, with many rallies calling for the government to strike a deal
after past truces saw hostages exchanged for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli
custody. Out of 251 hostages captured during Hamas's 2023 attack, 49 are still
being held in Gaza, including 27 the military says are dead. Israel's offensive
has killed at least 61,430 Palestinians, according to Gaza's health ministry,
figures the United Nations says are reliable. According to Gaza's civil defence
agency, at least 27 people were killed by Israeli fire across the territory
Sunday, including 11 who were waiting near aid distribution centres. Hamas's
2023 attack on Israel, which triggered the war, resulted in the deaths of 1,219
people, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.
Demonstrators Seeking Release of Gaza Hostages March in London as Middle East
Tensions Grip UK
Asharq Al Awsat/August 10/2025
Demonstrators seeking the release of Israeli hostages marched in central London
on Sunday as the war in Gaza continues to inflame tensions across the United
Kingdom. The protesters, who plan to march to the prime minister’s residence for
a rally, include Noga Guttman, a cousin of 24-year-old hostage Evyatar David,
who was featured in a video that enraged Israelis when it was released by Hamas
militants last week. The video showed an emaciated David saying he was digging
his own grave inside a tunnel in Gaza, The AP news reported. Hamas-led militants
kidnapped 251 people when they attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. Some 50 of the
hostages still haven’t been released, of whom 20 are thought to be alive. Israel
last week announced its intention to occupy Gaza City as part of a plan to end
the war and bring the captives home. Family members and many international
leaders have condemned the plan, saying it would lead to more bloodshed and
endanger the hostages. “We are united in one clear and urgent demand: the
immediate and unconditional release of all hostages,” Stop the Hate, a coalition
of groups organizing the march, said in a statement. “Regardless of our diverse
political views, this is not a political issue — it is a human one.”The march
comes a day after police arrested 532 people at a protest in support of a banned
pro-Palestinian organization. The demonstrators on Saturday sought to pressure
the government to overturn its decision to ban the group Palestine Action as a
terrorist organization. Legislation passed last month makes it a crime to
publicly support the group. The Metropolitan Police Service said it arrested 522
people for supporting Palestine Action. A further 10 were arrested on other
charges, including assaults on police officers. The government banned Palestine
Action after activists broke into a Royal Air Force base and damaged two tanker
planes to protest British support for the war in Gaza. Palestine Action had
previously targeted Israeli defense contractors and other sites in Britain that
they believe have links with the Israeli military.Demonstrators seeking the
release of Israeli hostages marched in central London on Sunday as the war in
Gaza continues to inflame tensions across the United Kingdom. Supporters of
Palestine Action are challenging the ban in court, saying the government has
gone too far in declaring a direct action group a terrorist organization.
Jordan to Host Jordanian-Syrian-American Meeting on Tuesday to Discuss
Rebuilding of Syria
Asharq Al Awsat/August 10/2025
Jordan will host a Jordanian-Syrian-American meeting on Tuesday to discuss ways
to support the rebuilding of Syria, Jordan's foreign ministry said in a
statement on Sunday, Reuters reported. The meeting will be attended by Syrian
foreign minister Asaad Hassan al-Shibani, US envoy to Syria Thomas Barrack and
the US ambassador to Türkiye, Jordan's foreign ministry added.
Iraq Accuses Hezbollah Brigades of Breaking the Law
Baghdad: Asharq Al Awsat/August 10/2025
Iraq has accused the Iran-aligned Hezbollah Brigades of attacking a government
agriculture office in Baghdad late last month, prompting the dismissal of two
Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) brigade commanders, officials said on
Saturday. Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani vowed to tighten state control
over weapons, enforce the rule of law and fight corruption, saying such measures
were not aimed at any specific group or individual. “There is no justification
for weapons outside state institutions amid the security stability,” he said in
a statement. Military spokesman Major General Sabah al-Numan said an
investigation found that armed members of the PMF’s 45th and 46th brigades, part
of the Hezbollah Brigades, had stormed the Agriculture Directorate in Baghdad’s
Karkh district without orders, violating military protocol and using weapons
against security forces. The attack killed and wounded several people, including
civilians, he said.The investigation linked the office’s director, Eyad Kazem
Ali, to the incident, accusing him of prior coordination with the armed group
and of involvement in administrative corruption, forgery and unlawful seizure of
agricultural land. Al-Numan said the probe revealed “gaps in leadership and
control” within the PMF and the presence of formations that ignore military
regulations.Sudani approved the panel’s recommendations to remove the two
brigade commanders, open an inquiry into the PMF’s al-Jazeera Operations
commander for dereliction of duty, and refer all suspects to the judiciary with
supporting evidence. The government also ordered security agencies to address
any PMF violations of regulations and act swiftly against threats to public
order, stressing that no group or individual is above the law.
Damascus Quits Paris Talks with SDF after Hasakah Dispute
Damascus: Asharq Al Awsat/August 10/2025
The Syrian government said it will boycott planned talks in Paris with the
Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), accusing the group of undermining a
March unity deal by hosting a conference in the northeastern city of Hasakah.
The event, organized on Friday by the self-administration in northeast Syria
under the banner “Unity of Position,” called for a decentralized state and a
constitution guaranteeing ethnic, religious and cultural diversity. Its final
statement affirmed Syria’s territorial integrity, but Damascus dismissed it as
an attempt to “internationalize the Syrian issue, invite foreign intervention
and reinstate sanctions.”In a statement on Saturday, the government said it
would not sit down with “any party seeking to revive the era of the defunct
regime under any guise,” in a reference to remnants of the former ruling order
toppled in late 2024. It accused the SDF of hosting separatist figures involved
in hostile acts, calling this a “clear breach” of the March 10 agreement, and
held the group “fully responsible” for the consequences. A senior Syrian
official told state news agency SANA that ethnic or religious groups have the
right to form political parties and express their views, but only through
peaceful means, without bearing arms or imposing their vision of the state. The
shape of the state, he said, should be decided in a permanent constitution
approved by popular referendum, not through “factional understandings, threats
or armed force.”He described the SDF conference as a “fragile alliance of actors
damaged by the Syrian people’s victory and the fall of the old regime,” backed
by foreign powers and seeking to evade future political obligations. The dispute
has cast doubt on French- and US-backed mediation efforts announced last month
by Paris, Washington and Damascus. Political analyst Bassam Suleiman told Asharq
al-Awsat that France had sought to insert itself into the Damascus-SDF track by
leveraging unrest in southern Syria, but the Hasakah meeting had backfired,
deepening mistrust. The conference drew more than 500 participants from
political, military and security institutions in northeast Syria, as well as
representatives from the coastal and southern regions - including Druze cleric
Hikmat al-Hijri from Sweida and Alawite religious leader Ghazal al-Ghazal, both
known for opposing the new Syrian authorities. It was the first such gathering
to bring together figures from areas that saw violent unrest after the Assad
regime’s fall. Suleiman said the event’s sectarian and tribal overtones
reinforced internal divisions, with some participants linked to Israel or armed
groups resisting state authority. “Whether France can pressure the SDF to repair
the damage and resume talks in Paris remains unclear,” he added. Another
analyst, Thabet Salem, said the Hasakah conference aimed to legitimize emerging
power centers, amend the March deal and signal to the international community
that Syria should be divided under a decentralized model. He warned that Syria
faced a stark choice between becoming “a stable state stripped of military power
but accommodating to international economic interests” or “a fragmented state
serving Israel’s security agenda, particularly in water and defense.” According
to Salem, fragmentation would foster extremist groups that could destabilize the
entire region, including Israel. “This makes the policies of Syria’s new
authorities extremely sensitive, especially as trusting international promises
has proved disastrous,” he said.
Türkiye Welcomes Strategic Transit Corridor After Azerbaijan-Armenia Peace Deal
Asharq Al Awsat/August 10/2025
Türkiye on Saturday welcomed a peace accord between Azerbaijan and Armenia and
said it hoped a planned strategic transit corridor, which could boost exports of
energy and other resources through the South Caucasus, would open soon.
Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a US-brokered peace accord on Friday during a
meeting with US President Donald Trump that also included exclusive US
development rights to a transport corridor through Armenia, linking Azerbaijan
to Nakhchivan, an Azerbaijani enclave that borders Baku's ally Türkiye. The
transit corridor that would pass close to the border with Iran would be named
the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity. It would be known by the
acronym TRIPP and operated under Armenian law. NATO member Türkiye has strongly
backed Azerbaijan in its conflicts with Armenia but has pledged to restore ties
with Yerevan after it signs a final peace deal with Baku.Speaking in Egypt,
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said the corridor could "link Europe with
the depths of Asia via Türkiye," and it would be "a very beneficial
development." Later on Saturday, Türkiye’s presidency said President Recep
Tayyip Erdogan had discussed the peace agreement with Ilham Aliyev, his
counterpart from Azerbaijan. Erdogan welcomed the agreement and offered Ankara's
support in achieving lasting peace in the region, it said. The agreement could
transform the South Caucasus, an energy-producing region neighboring Russia,
Europe, Türkiye and Iran that is criss-crossed by oil and gas pipelines but
riven by closed borders - including between Türkiye and Armenia - and
longstanding ethnic conflicts.
Armenians caught
between hope and distrust after accord with Azerbaijan
Agence France Presse/August 10/2025
The streets were almost deserted in Yerevan Saturday because of the summer heat,
but at shaded parks and fountains, Armenians struggled to make sense of what the
accord signed a day earlier in Washington means for them. The leaders of Armenia
and Azerbaijan, two Caucasian countries embroiled in a territorial conflict
since the fall of the USSR, met Friday and signed a peace treaty under the watch
of U.S. President Donald Trump. In Yerevan, however, few of the people asked by
AFP were enthusiastic.
'Acceptable'
"It's a good thing that this document was signed because Armenia has no other
choice," said Asatur Srapyan, an 81-year-old retiree. He believes Armenia hasn't
achieved much with this draft agreement, but it's a step in the right direction.
"We are very few in number, we don't have a powerful army, we don't have a
powerful ally behind us, unlike Azerbaijan," he said. "This accord is a good
opportunity for peace."Maro Huneyan, a 31-year-old aspiring diplomat, also
considers the pact "acceptable", provided it does not contradict her country's
constitution. "If Azerbaijan respects all the agreements, it's very important
for us. But I'm not sure it will keep its promises and respect the points of the
agreement," she added.
'endless concessions'
But Anahit Eylasyan, 69, opposes the agreement and, more specifically, the plan
to create a transit zone crossing Armenia to connect the Nakhchivan region to
the rest of Azerbaijan. "We are effectively losing control of our territory.
It's as if, in my own apartment, I had to ask a stranger if I could go from one
room to another," she explains. She also hopes not to see Russia, an ally of
Armenia despite recent tensions, expelled from the region."Anahit also
criticizes Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan for "making decisions for everyone"
and for his "endless concessions to Azerbaijan". "We got nothing in exchange,
not our prisoners, nor our occupied lands, nothing. It's just a piece of paper
to us," she fumes. Shavarsh Hovhannisyan, a 68-year-old construction engineer,
agrees, saying the agreement "is just an administrative formality that brings
nothing to Armenia." "We can't trust Azerbaijan," Hovhannisyan asserted, while
accusing Pashinyan of having "turned his back" on Russia and Iran. "It's more of
a surrender document than a peace treaty, while Trump only thinks about his
image, the Nobel Prize."
'More stability... in the short term'
According to President Trump, Armenia and Azerbaijan have committed "to stop all
fighting forever; open up commerce, travel and diplomatic relations; and respect
each other’s sovereignty and territorial integrity."For Olesya Vartanyan, an
independent researcher specializing in the Caucasus, the Washington agreement
"certainly brings greater stability and more guarantees for the months, if not
years, to come." But given the long-lasting tensions between Armenia and
Azerbaijan, "I fear that we will have to plan only for the very short term," she
said.
Azerbaijan Says Energy Cooperation with Ukraine Won't be
Derailed by Russian Strikes
Asharq Al Awsat/August 10/2025
Azerbaijan's president on Sunday condemned Russian air strikes on Azerbaijani
oil and gas facilities in Ukraine but said energy cooperation between the two
countries would continue. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev spoke with his
Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskiy by phone. "During the conversation,
both sides condemned the deliberate airstrikes by Russia on an oil storage
facility owned by Azerbaijan's SOCAR in Ukraine, as well as other Azerbaijani
facilities and a gas compressor station transporting Azerbaijani gas to
Ukraine," Aliyev's press service said in a statement, Reuters reported.
"They emphasized their confidence that these attacks would not hinder energy
cooperation between Azerbaijan and Ukraine."Earlier this week, Russia struck an
oil depot owned by SOCAR and a gas pumping station used to import liquefied
natural gas from the US and Azerbaijan in Ukraine's southern Odesa region,
according to sources and Ukrainian officials. In July, Ukraine pumped a test
volume of Azerbaijani gas through the Transbalkan route for the first time and
announced plans to significantly increase gas imports from Azerbaijan. Ukraine's
infrastructure and energy facilities are frequently targeted by Russian forces,
which have stepped up their drone and missile attacks on Ukrainian cities and
towns in recent months.
Over 600 Hospitalized Due to Chlorine Gas Leak in Iraq
Asharq Al Awsat/August 10/2025
More than 600 in Iraq were briefly hospitalized with respiratory problems after
inhaling chlorine as the result of a leak at a water treatment station,
authorities said Sunday. The incident took place overnight on the route between
the two religious cities of Najaf and Karbala, located in the center and south
of Iraq respectively. In a brief statement, Iraq's health ministry said "621
cases of asphyxia have been recorded following a chlorine gas leak in
Karbala"."All have received the necessary care and left hospital in good
health," it said, AFP reported. Security forces charged with protecting visitors
meanwhile said the incident had been caused by "a chlorine leak from a water
station on the Karbala-Najaf road". Much of Iraq's infrastructure is in
disrepair due to decades of conflict and corruption, with adherence to safety
standards often lax. In July, a massive fire at a shopping mall in the eastern
city of Kut killed more than 60 people, many of whom suffocated in the toilets,
according to authorities.
Egypt, Türkiye Highlight ‘Qualitative Development’ in Bilateral Relations
Asharq Al Awsat/August 10/2025
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and Foreign Minister Badr Abdel-Aty on
Saturday held separate talks with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan,
highlighting the qualitative development in the Egyptian-Turkish relations. The
meetings tackled regional developments, which experts said is an important step
in helping resolve challenges in the Middle East. Presidential spokesperson
Mohamed El-Shennawy said Sisi and Fidan affirmed their rejection of an Israeli
military re-occupation of Gaza. They reiterated the urgent need for an immediate
ceasefire, the entry of humanitarian aid, and the release of hostages and
captives. The two sides also reaffirmed their rejection of the displacement of
Palestinians. Concerning developments in Libya, Syria, and Sudan, Sisi and Fidan
underscored the importance of respecting the sovereignty of these countries, and
preserving their territorial integrity and the resources of their people.
Later, the Turkish FM held talks with Abdel-Aty. The ministers discussed the
pressing regional crises, according to Foreign Ministry spokesperson Tamim
Khallaf. “The displacement of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip and areas in the
West Bank is a red line that we will not allow to occur,” Abdel-Aty said at a
joint press conference with his Turkish counterpart. He reiterated Egypt’s
ongoing mediation efforts with Qatar and the United States to reach a ceasefire
agreement, alongside facilitating the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza.
Abdel-Aty urged greater international pressure on Israel to increase the number
of aid trucks and ensure their unhindered entry. For his part, Fidan said
Israel's policy aimed to force Palestinians out of their lands through hunger
and that it aimed to permanently invade Gaza, adding there was no justifiable
excuse for nations to continue supporting Israel.
Fidan said the Organization of Islamic Cooperation had been called to an
emergency meeting. In comments to Asharq Al-Awsat, former Egyptian Assistant
Foreign Minister and member of the Egyptian Council for Foreign Affairs Rakha
Ahmed Hassan stressed the importance of Fidan's visit to Egypt. “Cooperation
between both countries to address several regional issues could develop
solutions to confront and possibly resolve Middle East challenges, and could
serve as a lever for exerting pressure on Israel,” he said. Echoing Hassan’s
statements, Assistant Editor-in-Chief of Democracy Magazine, Karam Saeed said
the visit aims to coordinate positions on solving conflicts in the region,
especially after Israel's decision to occupy Gaza. Fidan’s meeting with Abel-Aty
in Cairo also tackled the situation in Sudan. The two sides discussed the
importance of reaching a ceasefire and allowing aid access. Regarding Syria, the
Egyptian minister rejected any moves that would affect the security and
stability of the Syrian people and condemned Israeli violations and its
occupation of Syrian lands. The talks also touched on the situation in the Horn
of Africa. Abdel-Aty stressed the need to respect Somalia’s sovereignty and
territorial integrity. At the bilateral level, Sisi highlighted the qualitative
development in the Egyptian-Turkish relations, particularly after the signing of
the Joint Declaration in February 2024 to reactivate the meetings of the
High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council and elevate them to the level of the
two countries' presidents. The two sides confirmed the necessity to boost
economic cooperation between Egypt and Türkiye. The aim is to reach a trade
volume of $15 billion, as agreed upon during Sisi's visit to Ankara in September
2024. They also stressed the significance of expanding the participation of
Turkish companies in investment projects within Egypt.
Zelenskiy Wins EU, NATO Backing as He Seeks Place at Table with Trump, Putin
Asharq Al Awsat/August 10/2025
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy won backing from Europe and NATO on
Sunday as he rallied diplomatic support ahead of a Russia-US summit this week
where Kyiv fears Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump may try to dictate terms for
ending the 3-1/2-year war. Trump, who for weeks had been threatening new
sanctions against Russia for failing to halt the conflict, announced instead
last Friday that he would hold an August 15 summit with Putin in Alaska. A White
House official said on Saturday that Trump was open to Zelenskiy attending, but
that preparations currently were for a bilateral meeting with Putin, Reuters
reported. The Kremlin leader last week ruled out meeting Zelenskiy, saying the
conditions for such an encounter were "unfortunately still far" from being met.
Trump said a potential deal would involve "some swapping of territories to the
betterment of both (sides)", a statement that compounded Ukrainian alarm that it
may face pressure to surrender more land. Zelenskiy says any decisions taken
without Ukraine will be "stillborn" and unworkable. On Saturday the leaders of
Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Finland and the European Commission
said that any diplomatic solution must protect the security interests of Ukraine
and Europe. "The US has the power to force Russia to negotiate seriously," EU
foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on Sunday. "Any deal between the US and
Russia must have Ukraine and the EU included, for it is a matter of Ukraine’s
and the whole of Europe’s security." EU foreign ministers will meet on Monday to
discuss next steps, she said. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte told US network
ABC News that Friday's summit "will be about testing Putin, how serious he is on
bringing this terrible war to an end". He added: "It will be, of course, about
security guarantees, but also about the absolute need to acknowledge that
Ukraine decides on its own future, that Ukraine has to be a sovereign nation,
deciding on its own geopolitical future."Russia, which launched a full-scale
invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, now holds nearly a fifth of the country.
Rutte said a future peace deal could not include legal recognition of Russian
control over Ukrainian land, although it might include de facto recognition. He
compared it to the situation after World War Two when the United States accepted
that the Baltic states of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia were de facto controlled
by the Soviet Union but did not legally recognise their annexation. Zelenskiy
said on Sunday: "The end of the war must be fair, and I am grateful to everyone
who stands with Ukraine and our people today."A European official said Europe
had come up with a counter-proposal to Trump's, but declined to provide details.
Russian officials accused Europe of trying to thwart Trump's efforts to end the
war. "The Euro-imbeciles are trying to prevent American efforts to help resolve
the Ukrainian conflict," former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev posted on
social media on Sunday. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova
said in a vituperative statement that the relationship between Ukraine and the
European Union resembled "necrophilia". Roman Alekhin, a Russian war blogger,
said Europe had been reduced to the role of a spectator. "If Putin and Trump
reach an agreement directly, Europe will be faced with a fait accompli. Kyiv -
even more so," he said.
CAPTURED TERRITORY
No details of the proposed territorial swap that Trump alluded to have been
officially announced. In addition to Crimea, which it seized in 2014, Russia has
formally claimed the Ukrainian regions of Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and
Zaporizhzhia as its own, although it controls only about 70% of the last three.
It holds smaller pieces of territory in three other regions, while Ukraine says
it holds a sliver of Russia's Kursk region. Sergei Markov, a pro-Kremlin
analyst, said a swap could entail Russia handing over 1,500 sq km to Ukraine and
obtaining 7,000 sq km, which he said Russia would capture anyway within about
six months. He provided no evidence to back any of those figures. Russia took
only about 500 sq km of territory in July, according to Western military
analysts who say its grinding advances have come at the cost of very high
casualties. Ukraine and its European allies have been haunted for months by the
fear that Trump, keen to claim credit for making peace and hoping to seal
lucrative joint business deals between the US and Russia, could align with Putin
to cut a deal that would be deeply disadvantageous to Kyiv. They had drawn some
encouragement lately as Trump, having piled heavy pressure on Zelenskiy and
berated him publicly in the Oval Office in February, began criticising Putin as
Russia pounded Kyiv and other cities with its heaviest air attacks of the war.
But the impending Putin-Trump summit, agreed during a trip to Moscow by Trump's
envoy Steve Witkoff last week, has revived fears that Kyiv and Europe could be
sidelined. "What we will see emerge from Alaska will almost certainly be a
catastrophe for Ukraine and Europe," wrote Phillips P. O'Brien, professor of
strategic studies at the University of St Andrews in Scotland. "And Ukraine will
face the most terrible dilemma. Do they accept this humiliating and destructive
deal? Or do they go it alone, unsure of the backing of European
states?"Ukrainian political analyst Volodymyr Fesenko said on Sunday that Kyiv's
partnership with its European allies was critical to countering any attempts to
keep it away from the table. "For us right now, a joint position with the
Europeans is our main resource," he said on Ukrainian radio.
The Latest English LCCC analysis &
editorials from miscellaneous sources
on August 10-11/2025
The EU 'Elites', Part I ...Corruption and Foreign Influence Operations
Robert Williams/Gatestone
Institute/August 10, 2025
[T]he EU organization itself... -- once again –- is at the center of a new
corruption scandal....
While Huawei has been effectively banned in the US – and has closed all its
official and direct lobbying operations in Washington in early 2024 – the
company has been free to do its influence peddling in the EU, where it is not
banned. China's influence in Europe in a multitude of areas is already highly
present...
The Belgian raid came roughly two years after the so-called Qatargate: In
December 2022, Belgian authorities uncovered the bribery of Members of European
Parliament by Qatar...
Politico reported on the leaked files, dubbed "the Qatargate files" in December
2023: "The actions recorded in the documents include some with a significant
impact on the workings of the European Union — such as scheming to kill off six
parliamentary resolutions condemning Qatar's human rights record..."
Qatargate is far from over. Trials are only scheduled to begin in late 2025. The
EU, therefore, currently has not just one, but two huge corruption scandals on
its hands.
The president of the unelected European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, in her
second term in the position, having first maneuvered her way into this post
after serving as a scandal-ridden minister of defense in Germany for many years,
is herself under scrutiny in what has become known as "Pfizer-gate"...
Qatar has not only bought and invested in large swathes of European real estate,
it is also a huge contributing factor to the Islamization of Europe. Qatar
funneled -- at an extremely conservative estimate -- at least €71 million
(approximately $78 million) to build 140 mosques and Islamic centers in Europe
just as of 2014, according to the latest authoritative report on the issue, the
2019 book Qatar Papers by French journalists Christian Chesnot and Georges
Malbrunot.
Belgian police raided more than 20 locations in Belgium and Portugal in March in
an investigation of alleged "active corruption within the European Parliament,"
for the benefit of China's tech giant Huawei, according to Belgium's federal
prosecutor's office. Huawei's main lobbying office in Brussels was raided,
alongside European Parliament offices.
"The European Union is one of the least corrupt regions in the world," boasts
the European Commission on its website.
Oh really? Let us take a look at the EU organization itself, which -- once again
–- is at the center of a new corruption scandal.
Belgian police raided more than 20 locations in Belgium and Portugal in March in
an investigation of alleged "active corruption within the European Parliament,"
for the benefit of China's tech giant Huawei, according to Belgium's federal
prosecutor's office. Huawei's main lobbying office in Brussels was raided,
alongside European Parliament offices.
The Chinese company, reportedly tied to China's Communist regime, "allegedly
paid bribes to politicians to support its 5G expansion in Europe," according to
Euractiv. The investigation has apparently been underway for more than two
years. It is not the first place in Europe where authorities have investigated
offices and politicians linked to Huawei. In February last year, French
authorities raided Huawei's offices in France over alleged accusations of
corruption and influence-peddling.
While Huawei has been effectively banned in the US – and has closed all its
official and direct lobbying operations in Washington in early 2024 – the
company has been free to do its influence peddling in the EU, where it is not
banned. China's influence in Europe in a multitude of areas is already highly
present, having influenced or co-opted elites all over Europe, according to an
October 2021 report by the Strategic Research Institute of France's renowned
Military College:
"The Chinese Communist Party has always forged links with politicians from
countries whose positions, or at least, whose representations of China, they
wished to influence. These practices were also part of the Soviet repertoire of
active measures and are among United Front activities."
The recent corruption is all the more remarkable as a top EU official in the
European Commission – the unelected executive body of the EU – has unequivocally
warned the EU against Chinese influence-peddling. Politico reported in May 2023:
"Beijing has long aimed propaganda at the European Union, seeking to undermine
transatlantic unity and promote Beijing's outlook on world affairs, said Ivana
Karásková, a Czech academic and foreign influence specialist who's advising
European Commission Vice President Věra Jourová.
"Asked what parts of the Continent were most in the dark about Chinese
influence, she added: 'The whole of Western Europe is not looking. And yet there
are cases that are so blatant.'"
The Belgian raid came roughly two years after the so-called Qatargate: In
December 2022, Belgian authorities uncovered the bribery of Members of European
Parliament by Qatar – and to some extent Morocco and Mauritania – when they
raided 20 addresses in Belgium and Italy, and found €1.5 million cash in
suitcases and elsewhere, leading to the arrest of several senior EU officials:
Eva Kaili, who was then-vice president of the European Parliament from Greece,
and Antonio Panzeri, a former Italian member of the European Parliament who,
ironically, heads an NGO by the name Fight Impunity, as well as Niccolò Figà-Talamanca,
head of the NGO No Peace Without Justice.
Qatar, it turned out, had been bribing these officials to influence EU
legislation and policies in its favor by manipulating decisions in the European
Parliament. Panzeri had been receiving bribes from Qatar since 2019 and admitted
that he had been pursuing visa-free travel for Qataris in Europe, while Panzeri
reportedly received €200,000 from Mauritania's then President Mohamed Ould Abdel
Aziz to improve the poor image of the country, where slavery is still deeply
entrenched.
This is how European Parliament Vice President Eva Kaili lied for Qatar in
exchange for the millions in cash to boost the country's image in the face of
criticism over letting it host the 2022 FIFA World Cup: "I alone said that Qatar
is a front-runner in labor rights, abolishing kafala, introducing minimum wage."
Politico reported on the leaked files, dubbed "the Qatargate files" in December
2023:
"The actions recorded in the documents include some with a significant impact on
the workings of the European Union — such as scheming to kill off six
parliamentary resolutions condemning Qatar's human rights record, and working to
deliver a visa-free travel deal between Doha and the EU.
"But the operations could also be petty... every copy of an unflattering book on
Qatar that could be found within the Parliament had been diligently
'destroyed'....
"[M]ore than 300 pieces of work for which the suspects received handsome fees.
They allegedly achieved their ends using a network of associates working inside
the Parliament, whom they called their 'soldiers,' according to the files."
Qatargate is far from over. Trials are only scheduled to begin in late 2025. The
EU, therefore, currently has not just one, but two huge corruption scandals on
its hands.
The rot goes straight to the top. The president of the unelected European
Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, in her second term in the position, having
first maneuvered her way into this post after serving as a scandal-ridden
minister of defense in Germany for many years, is herself under scrutiny in what
has become known as "Pfizer-gate":
During the COVID-19 pandemic, von der Leyen personally negotiated a €20 billion
deal with Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla, paid for with EU taxpayer money, for 1.8
billion COVID-19 vaccine doses. She did this in a rather irregular way, via text
messages, but refused to subject these text messages either to parliamentary or
public scrutiny, and later claimed they had been lost.
Alexander Fanta, a New York Times reporter to whom the European Commission
refused access to the text messages, wrote:
"As an investigative reporter, I filed an access request under the EU's freedom
of information law to the messages shared between von der Leyen and Bourla.
These messages, if we had them, might provide important insights into how the
controversial life-saving vaccines deal came together. They might also help to
answer questions such as why the EU became Pfizer's single biggest customer but
reportedly paid a much steeper price for this batch of vaccines compared with
the first tranche of Covid shots it had bought.
"There is a bigger principle at stake here, too: EU citizens have a right to
know what was being negotiated on their behalf during a public health emergency.
Did the contract involve too many doses of the vaccine bought at a fixed price,
with no scope for a review as the pandemic developed? Did millions of expensive
jabs go to waste because of the terms that Bourla secured from a panic-buying
Von der Leyen?
"But the commission refused the request to share the messages, claiming that the
texts were 'by [their] nature short-lived' and were not covered by the EU's
freedom of information law. The commission's secrecy around its communications
is so fiercely guarded that it is now defending its refusal to make the texts
available in the EU court."
According to Politico, investigators from the European Public Prosecutor's
Office are investigating von der Leyen over "interference in public functions,
destruction of SMS, corruption and conflict of interest." One European judge
called the European Commission's secrecy "bizarre."
These are just the cases of corruption we have heard about.
The corruption, obviously, is apparently not limited to the undemocratic
institutions of the EU. Large parts of Europe's elites, including political,
academic, media and others, have reportedly also been "bought" by state actors
such as China and Qatar. According to Clive Hamilton and Mareike Ohlberg --
authors of Hidden Hand: Exposing How the Chinese Communist Party is Reshaping
the World -- China "grooms" elites to do its bidding, especially in places such
as the UK (albeit no longer a member of the EU following Brexit) where the
Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has used the networking group the "48 Group Club"
to influence elites, including former government ministers, former British
ambassadors to China, leading business people, directors of large cultural
institutions and professors:
"No group in Britain enjoys more intimacy and trust with the CCP leadership than
the 48 Group Club... [It] has built itself into the most powerful instrument of
Beijing's influence and intelligence gathering in the United Kingdom. Reaching
into the highest ranks of Britain's political, business, media and university
elites, the club plays a decisive role in shaping British attitudes to China...
enthusiastically fostering the interests of the CCP in the United Kingdom."
Qatar has not only bought and invested in large swathes of European real estate,
it is also a huge contributing factor to the Islamization of Europe. Qatar
funneled -- at an extremely conservative estimate -- at least €71 million
(approximately $78 million) to build 140 mosques and Islamic centers in Europe
just as of 2014, according to the latest authoritative report on the issue, the
2019 book Qatar Papers by French journalists Christian Chesnot and Georges
Malbrunot. More than a decade later, that figure is likely to be far higher. How
much have European politicians, who do not cease to pander to Islam, received in
briberies from Qatar? Are we ever likely to find out?
Robert Williams is based in the United States.
© 2025 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do
not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No
part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied
or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.
The great corridor conundrum
Dr. John Sfakianakis/Arab
News/August 10/2025
It is a truth universally acknowledged — or at least universally marketed — that
the Middle East is once again poised to be the beating heart of global commerce.
Enter the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor, known as IMEC, a vision
unveiled in September 2023 with the flourish of a G20 communique and the
optimism of a startup pitch deck. India, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, the EU, France,
Italy, Germany and the US all signed on, proclaiming IMEC not just as a trade
route but as proof that geography in the 21st century can still be redrawn.
The idea is seductive: a twin corridor network, one stretching from India to the
Arabian Gulf, the other from the Gulf to Europe, sewn together by ports,
railways and digital cables. In theory, the scheme could shave eight to 10 days
off shipping times compared to the Suez route, reduce freight costs and serve as
a “values-based” counterweight to China’s Belt and Road Initiative. In practice,
however, bold lines on a map are the easy part; turning them into steel,
concrete and functional customs regimes is where so many grand visions are lost.
Early cost estimates place IMEC’s price tag between $20 billion and $30 billion,
a figure almost certain to rise once engineering, land acquisition and security
needs are taken into account. The project began as an Indian initiative, later
embraced by the EU and Saudi Arabia. Yet, unlike the Belt and Road Initiative or
the International North-South Transport Corridor, India has not set up a
dedicated implementing body, nor has it committed actual funding. That omission
is more than a bureaucratic footnote: without clear governance and committed
capital, the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor risks becoming a
PowerPoint concept rather than a functioning trade artery.
Financing will almost certainly rely on India-EU partnerships, with Saudi Arabia
and the US playing indispensable roles. Washington’s stance is broadly positive,
though it views IMEC through the lens of a larger strategic agenda tied to the
Abraham Accords. For India, the calculus is more complex. A faster, more
reliable route to Europe could boost exports, yet New Delhi’s domestic
infrastructure ambitions — from high-speed rail to renewable power grids —
already stretch fiscal resources. Adding to the equation, President Donald
Trump’s recently announced 50 percent tariffs on certain Indian exports has
introduced a strategic wrinkle: can a corridor partly championed by Washington
truly offset the economic sting of US protectionism?
The new corridor’s backers frame it as a cleaner, more transparent alternative,
but politics and geography are not easily tamed
The IMEC plan enters a crowded field. The Belt and Road Initiative, since its
launch in 2013, has channeled an estimated $1 trillion into more than 150
countries, financing everything from deep-water ports in Pakistan to railways in
East Africa. The International North-South Transport Corridor is already moving
goods across Eurasia and the Suez Canal — IMEC’s implicit rival — still handles
more than 12 percent of global trade and is investing heavily in capacity
upgrades. The new corridor’s backers frame it as a cleaner, more transparent
alternative, but politics and geography are not easily tamed. European shippers
may think twice if tensions with Iran escalate. India’s commitment could waver
if EU carbon tariffs trigger a deeper trade rift.
For Greece, IMEC presents a more parochial contest: who gets to be the European
gateway? The port of Piraeus is the obvious candidate, but it is majority-owned
by a Chinese company, an awkward fact for a project marketed as a hedge against
Beijing’s influence. Thessaloniki might offer an alternative, yet both ports
face the same structural flaw — an underdeveloped railway network with poor
links to the Balkans and beyond. In the hard reality of freight logistics, ports
are only as useful as the railways that feed them. Without a robust and
interconnected backbone, the dream of containers rolling smoothly from Mumbai to
Munich will remain stubbornly out of reach.
Security risks loom just as large. The corridor skirts maritime zones where Iran
has flexed its naval muscles more than once, while the overland legs could be
vulnerable to cyberattacks, drone strikes and political unrest. The recent
military conflicts in the Middle East have already slowed planning for the
corridor, effectively “freezing” parts of its development. The Red Sea’s recent
spate of security incidents has shown how quickly global supply chains can be
thrown off course by a single attack. The Belt and Road Initiative has learned
to build redundancy into its networks — alternative ports, backup lines,
diversified shipping lanes — and IMEC will need to do the same if it hopes to
withstand inevitable shocks.
The economic logic is also not as clear-cut as its boosters suggest. Rail
freight from India to Europe might be faster than sea, but it is more expensive
— often 30 percent to 50 percent higher per container — and speed alone may not
convince shippers to absorb the cost premium. Digital and energy links, another
selling point of IMEC, may produce returns sooner, but they lack the visual and
political symbolism of a freight train gliding across the desert. Clear
governance structures, dependable funding and disciplined execution are what
will make or break this project
And yet, even in its current state, the corridor is a modest diplomatic success.
It has brought India and the Gulf states closer, signaled Europe’s willingness
to invest in non-Chinese infrastructure and given Washington a convening role in
a grouping that is neither a formal trade bloc nor a military alliance. But
diplomacy alone cannot move freight. Clear governance structures, dependable
funding and disciplined execution are what will make or break this project. The
real challenge will be execution. Coordinating engineering standards, securing
rights of way, harmonizing customs rules and aligning digital protocols will
require a level of bureaucratic choreography that even Brussels might find
daunting. The oft-cited “phased implementation” risks becoming a euphemism for
indefinite delay and, unless each segment of the corridor can operate viably on
its own, the entire chain could stall. The Belt and Road Initiative’s history
offers no shortage of cautionary tales: gleaming ports that sit empty, railway
lines mired in debt and high-profile launches followed by quiet decay. IMEC’s
planners would do well to study these examples — and place less emphasis on
ribbon-cutting ceremonies and more on the unglamorous business of making
infrastructure work in practice. So, can IMEC deliver? Possibly — but only if it
exchanges vision statements for procurement schedules, diplomatic handshakes for
binding contracts and high-level endorsements for on-the-ground problem solving.
The world has no shortage of trade corridors. What it lacks are corridors that
deliver on their promises. IMEC has the map, the mandate and the moment. Whether
it has the machinery — and the mettle — remains the billion-dollar question.
• Dr. John Sfakianakis is chief economist at the Gulf Research Center.
The US
politicians who fight harder for Israel than for their own people
Ray Hanania/Arab News/August 10/2025
Why do so many American politicians love Israel more than they love their own
country? This is a fair question to ask, considering that they often spend more
time worrying about Israel than they do about their own citizens.
Nearly 100,000 Americans live in Israel as “dual citizens.” More
disconcertingly, nearly 24,000 Americans serve in the Israeli army, yet have
never served in the US military.
Rather than raising concerns about this conflicting allegiance — you cannot have
a genuine allegiance to the US and at the same time to the foreign country of
Israel — this fact has instead prompted Republican and Democratic members of
Congress to propose a law that would benefit those Americans who choose to fight
for Israel.
The proposed law, House Resolution 8445, which was introduced in May 2024 by
members of Congress Guy Reschenthaler and Max Miller, would give same benefits
granted to Americans who serve in the US Military to those who serve in the
Israel Defense Forces.
This is one of the many contradictions in how the US provides foreign aid and
benefits to foreign countries that Republican member of Congress Marjorie Taylor
Greene believes should be stopped in favor of addressing the needs of Americans
who live in and serve the US. One factor driving this “Israel-over-America”
attitude is the enormous amount of money that powerful pro-Israel lobby the
American Israel Public Affairs Committee gives to politicians who are in or
running for office and do not question Israel’s often reckless policies. Last
year, AIPAC’s top-18 affiliated political action committees donated $5.4 million
to Democrats and Republicans who already hold office.
Another factor is the fact that since the 1920s, the mainstream American news
media has been biased in its coverage of Jewish settlers in Palestine, up until
1948, and then in Israel after it was founded. Why? Because many of America’s
most prominent journalists were Jewish and they understood the Jewish narrative
far better than the Arab and Palestinian narrative. In fact, it was not until
the late 1980s that America started to see some news reporting that portrayed
the Israel-Palestine conflict in a more balanced and fair manner.
Still, despite the slow increase in the numbers of Arabs entering journalism
over the past two decades, the growing influence of the Arab world’s news media,
and the expansion of the English-language Arab media, the pro-Israel narrative
continues to dominate US media, which in turns determines what Americans
actually know about what is happening in Palestine and the wider Middle East.
A good example of this bias is the way in which the vast majority of mainstream
American news media have refrained from publishing front-page photographs of the
effects of the Israeli carnage in Gaza on the Palestinians living there,
including the devastating effects on the health of the population, including
children.
Yet the mainstream American news media does not hesitate to run pictures of
Israeli hostages who are in a state of extreme physical deterioration, as they
did this week with a photograph of Evyatar David, an Israeli captured by Hamas
during the group’s violent attacks on Oct. 7, 2023.
He was described as having a “frail body” and “hollow eyes,” his skeletal bones
showing through his skin, having lost half his weight. His relatives asserted
that he had been tortured, and the photograph ran on the front pages of several
American newspapers, countering the images on social media, ignored by those
newspapers, of frail, starving Palestinian adults and children. An example of
the political bias in the US was on full display this week when Arkansas
Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders visited Israel, along with other American
politicians including Speaker of the House Mike Johnson. She was elected in 2023
and is the daughter of the US ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, who himself
served as governor of Arkansas from 1996 to 2007.
Huckabee Sanders spends more time defending Israel than she does fighting for
the rights of people in her own state, which ranks as about the 47th worst state
in the country according to most national evaluations. Both she and her father
have an evangelical Christian fixation on Israel, which basically means, many
critics argue, that they consider this foreign nation, which receives more US
foreign aid than any other country, is just as, or even more, important than
America. Those critics have a great argument. Arkansas ranks 37th in the country
in terms of gross domestic product and 47th in terms of per capita income of
about $57,000, two important measures that have pushed the state down to the
bottom five in overall rankings among the 50 US states.
With the support of Huckabee Sanders, annual US foreign aid to Israel last year
reached $18 billion, which is significantly more than the $13.6 billion the
Federal government gave to Arkansas last year.
Even more significant is the fact that Israel does not really need that money.
Israel ranks as the 28th richest out of 195 nations, based on per capita income,
and does not need the aid money to feed its people or provide healthcare; it is
being used mainly to fund its war machine in Gaza. Taylor Greene has demanded
that the money given to Israel, and all foreign countries, instead be used to
help needy Americans.
Yet despite these economic and poverty discrepancies, Huckabee Sanders and her
father spend much of their time defending Israel. As noted, this week she
traveled to Israel where she spent time in meetings with her ambassador father
and leaders of the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has been
accused of genocide and war crimes because of his excessive and violent military
policies in the Gaza Strip over the past two years, which have claimed the lives
of more than 60,000 Palestinians, including at least 20,000 women and children.
While in Israel with Speaker Johnson and other Republican members of Congress,
Huckabee Sanders bragged that she is a signatory to the “Recognizing
Judea-Samaria Act,” which calls for the US government to use the name “Judea and
Samaria” when referring to the occupied West Bank, and rejects the
identification of non-Jewish Palestinians who live there. Huckabee Sanders
refers to the use of the name “West Bank” as part of “the politically motivated
narratives that attempt to delegitimize Israel’s presence in their homeland.”
The proposed law is being pushed at both federal and the state levels to further
undermine any effort to educate Americans about the history of the conflict
between Israelis and Palestinians, and to prevent a two-state solution, which is
something Netanyahu and his right-wing political allies oppose.
Until the American public can hear about both sides of the conflict equally and
fairly, their leaders will continue to fund Israel’s war crimes, and their money
will continue to be used to prevent peace in the Middle East.
• Ray Hanania is an award-winning former Chicago City Hall political reporter
and columnist. He can be reached on his personal website at www.Hanania.com. X:
@RayHanania
Essam al-Asadi:
bridging ties between Iraq and the US
Sam Butler/The Arab Weekly/August 10/2025
Since the 2003 invasion, Iraq has struggled with political instability, security
challenges and economic stagnation. According to a 2012 ABC News report titled
“Iraq’s Economy Shows Signs of Growth,” Essam al-Asadi (also spelled Issam al-Assadi)
was described as “a powerful entrepreneur whose network of construction and
other companies has won millions of dollars in Iraqi government contracts.”Among
the few businessmen who have managed to navigate this turbulent environment,
Essam al-Asadi stands out.
Best known for his leadership of Baghdad Soft Drinks, the largest distributor of
PepsiCo products in Iraq, where he serves as chairman of the board, al-Asadi has
played a crucial role in reviving the country’s private sector.
At the same time, he has expanded his business reach through Al Essam Group, a
conglomerate with ventures spanning construction, real estate, energy and
logistics.
Al-Asadi’s rise to prominence in Iraq’s post-war business landscape is a
testament to his adaptability and strategic foresight. After the fall of Saddam
Hussein’s regime, Iraq’s economy was in ruins. The private sector, decimated by
years of war and sanctions, had little to offer. Yet, al-Asadi transformed
Baghdad Soft Drinks into a key pillar of Iraq’s private sector, leveraging his
partnership with PepsiCo. His ability to rebuild the company from the ground up
under the challenging circumstances of post-invasion Iraq helped establish him
as one of the country’s most successful businessmen.
However, while al-Asadi’s success is notable, it is not representative of Iraq’s
broader business climate. The country remains plagued by deep-rooted problems
such as corruption, infrastructural deficiencies and an over-reliance on oil
revenues. These entrenched systemic challenges continue to stifle Iraq’s broader
economic development and limit opportunities across the private sector. However,
al-Asadi’s ability to navigate the regulatory and economic environment
underscores his unique position as a businessman who can operate effectively
amid Iraq’s challenges.
Engaging the US
Al-Asadi’s success extends beyond the borders of his company. Over the years, he
has established himself as a staunch advocate for deeper economic and political
engagement with the United States. His position as a successful businessman with
strong ties to both the US private sector and Iraq’s political elite allows him
to serve as an important intermediary between the two.
He has helped pave the way for American companies to invest in Iraq,
facilitating partnerships and driving deals in sectors like energy,
infrastructure and real estate. While al-Asadi did not directly facilitate the
recent US trade delegation’s visit to Baghdad, his long-standing relationship
with US businesses and his leadership in Iraq’s private sector position him as a
figure representative of Iraq’s growing ties with the West.
This visit, which took place in April 2025, was a significant event in US-Iraq
relations. Led by the US Chamber of Commerce, it was the largest US business
delegation to Iraq in the chamber’s history, with over 60 American companies
spanning industries such as energy, technology, healthcare and finance.
Discussions between the US delegates and Iraqi government officials focused on
Iraq’s economic reforms, the potential for trade and investment and the
country’s ambitious infrastructure projects. Agreements were signed, including a
significant energy partnership with General Electric to build gas-fired power
plants and renewable energy ventures.
The US delegation’s interest in Iraq underscores the growing importance of the
country as an investment destination. Figures like al-Asadi, who have
successfully operated within the country’s complex business landscape, help
create an environment in which US companies feel more confident about engaging
with Iraq.According to a US official familiar with Iraq policy, speaking off the
record:
“Look, Essam’s not perfect, but nobody operating in Iraq is. What makes him
valuable is that he delivers. He’s always extended a hand when we’ve needed it,
quiet support, access, logistics, you name it. In a place where most keep their
heads down, he’s one of the few who consistently steps up for us. That counts
for a lot in Baghdad.”
In a country where formal institutions struggle to deliver, America’s reliance
on pragmatic actors like al-Asadi reflects a broader strategy of working with
those who can get things done. Amid Iraq’s complex political landscape and
economic challenges, American companies face significant risks. The June 2024
wave of anti-American attacks highlighted these challenges, yet some business
leaders navigated the storm more successfully than others. As waves of
anti-American violence swept through Baghdad in June 2024, spurred by rising
tensions over the Gaza conflict and orchestrated by Iran-backed militias,
numerous US-linked businesses were targeted and vandalised. Yet one flagship
brand stood unscathed. Under Essam al-Asadi’s steady leadership, Baghdad Soft
Drinks, PepsiCo’s Iraqi distributor, weathered the storm, a rare bright spot
amid unrest that threatened to derail foreign investment.
This wave of attacks came as anti-American sentiment surged, leading to the
vandalism of well-known US fast-food outlets such as KFC, Lee’s Famous Recipe
Chicken and Chili House, which suffered broken windows, smashed furniture and
even bomb threats. These attacks were orchestrated by supporters of Iran-backed,
anti-American militias protesting US support for Israel. In contrast, Baghdad
Soft Drinks remained untouched, a testament to al-Asadi’s strategic acumen and
deep-rooted connections.
“As chairman of the board of Baghdad Soft Drinks, I was able to protect the
company and its operations during a very difficult time,” al-Asadi said,
underscoring his unique ability to safeguard American business interests amid
political turmoil.
Amid this volatile environment, the Iraqi government responded by deploying
US-trained counter-terrorism units to protect foreign investments and maintain
order.
As the US Chamber of Commerce and American companies begin to pursue
opportunities in Iraq, al-Asadi stresses the importance of partnering with those
who are unafraid to defend their interests. “It is critical that US companies
work with reliable local partners who understand the challenges and will stand
firm to protect their investments,” he said. In a landscape where political
volatility can rapidly shift the rules of engagement, reliable local allies are
not just an asset, they are a necessity.
This is why any future engagement for US companies in Iraq needs to be handled
by reliable partners like Essam al-Asadi, who has been tested and proven capable
of navigating the country’s complex and volatile business environment.
While al-Asadi’s personal business success has been significant, it also
underscores the difficulties many businesses face in Iraq. The country’s
infrastructure remains underdeveloped, with unreliable electricity, insufficient
water treatment and crumbling roads. The government has undertaken ambitious
projects to address these issues, but the pace of progress remains slow, and
corruption continues to impede development.
Cautious optimism
“You know, success in Iraq rarely comes without making a few enemies,” said al-Asadi
.
When asked about the wave of negative articles circulating online, al-Asadi did
not shy away from calling out the chaos behind the headlines. “Look, this is
Iraq, we don’t have a fully regulated media environment, especially when it
comes to defamation. Anyone can publish anything online, without accountability.
Unfortunately, this sometimes leads to a pattern where even Western journalists
rely on unverified sources or anonymous content as if it were credible. “And
frankly, even in the United States, a country I admire, you’ve seen how media
can be weaponised. Just look at how much witch-hunting was done against
President Trump by certain journalists who pushed false narratives without
evidence. If that can happen in the most advanced democracy, imagine how much
easier it is in a country like Iraq.
“The truth is, I’m deeply involved with American companies like PepsiCo, and
I’ve always supported American interests in Iraq. I’ve never been involved in
any anti-American activities, on the contrary, I’m a true friend of America, and
I’ve consistently stood by that, even during difficult times. And I will always
remain a friend of America.
“America saved the Iraqi people from Saddam’s oppression, but it did not
establish or help the emergence of a government that is friendly to America,”
al-Asadi said, highlighting his view that despite the sacrifices, Iraq has yet
to fully reciprocate the benefits of American support.
Looking ahead, al-Asadi expressed strong optimism about the future of US-Iraq
economic ties under President Trump’s leadership. “I will be the first one
looking forward to President Trump supporting American companies investing and
operating in Iraq,” he said, underscoring his belief that stronger US engagement
could benefit both nations.
Under Trump’s leadership, the US has an opportunity to support Iraq’s
transformation and ensure its long-term stability. With partners like al-Asadi,
the prospects for a prosperous, sovereign, and stable Iraq are within reach,
creating a win-win scenario for both the US and Iraq as they work together to
shape the future of the region.
In a country where uncertainty is the norm, Essam al-Asadi embodies the rare
blend of resilience, vision and pragmatism needed to turn Iraq’s potential into
reality.
For America, partnering with leaders like al-Asadi is not just smart policy, it
is essential for securing a foothold in a critical region where economic
opportunity and geopolitical stability are deeply intertwined. As Iraq stands at
a crossroads, the success of its future, and of US engagement, may well hinge on
business leaders who, like al-Asadi, can navigate the storm and lead the way
forward.
Selected tweets for 10
August/2025
MiraMedusa
https://x.com/i/status/1954249891959488893
They kidnapped the l children after killing their parents. No one heard of these
Druze children again. They were taken by the regime’s so-called General Security
forces. #Sweida
Zéna Mansour
What measures will be taken to investigate this incident & hold those
responsible accountable?.What efforts will be made to locate the missing
children, reunite them with their families and ensure their safety &well-being.
Dr. Reda Mansour
I have a #dream that one day I will drive my car from the Carmel mountains to
the Druze mountain in #Suweida and meet my #Druze brothers and sisters after 80
years of separation.
I have a dream that one day all the border crossings will be open and we will
live together in peace