English LCCC Newsbulletin For
Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For August 12/2025
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news
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Bible Quotations For today
Whoever swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and by him who sits upon
it..
Matthew 23/16-22/”Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘If anyone swears by the
temple, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is
bound by his oath.’ You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or the
temple that has made the gold sacred? And you say, ‘If anyone swears by the
altar, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gift that is on the altar, he
is bound by his oath.’ You blind men! For which is greater, the gift or the
altar that makes the gift sacred? So whoever swears by the altar swears by it
and by everything on it. And whoever swears by the temple swears by it and by
him who dwells in it. And whoever swears by heaven swears by the throne of God
and by him who sits upon it..
Titles For The
Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published
on August 11-12/2025
Larijani’s Visit to Lebanon: A Brazen Iranian Provocation and an Insult
to the State and People/Elias Bejjani/August 12/2025
Lebanese Army Sacrifices on the Altar of the Nation – Defending Free Lebanon
Against Hezbollah’s Terrorism and Persian Agenda/Elias Bejjani/August 09/2025
Video link To An interview from Al-Badil Youtube Platform with former Republican
Congressman from the state of Virginia, Dr. David Ramadan.
Geagea suggests govt. call for Arab, GCC meetings on Iran 'threats'
Qmati says 'people' will prevent state from disarming Hezbollah
Report: Berri backs 'full army role' as he negotiates with Hezbollah
Report: Hezbollah awaits army plan before political, popular steps
Jaber attacked on social media for backing 'arms monopoly'
Netanyahu credits Israel for changes in Lebanon
Deadliest Lebanese Army loss since October: Probe continues into munitions site
explosion amid multiple theories
Widespread blackout hits Lebanon: Political disputes overshadow electricity
crisis
Lebanese Finance and Energy Ministers sign decree ratifying World Bank loan law
for electricity
Heavy rain and thunderstorms raise fears of flash floods in Hermel
New fortifications: Lebanese Army prepares weapons plan as Israel expands
positions in South
Head of Iran top security body heads to Iraq, Lebanon
Lebanese Govt Heads for Summer Recess ahead of Debate on ‘Restricting Arms’ Plan
The Lebanese State and Hezbollah’s Grip/Sam Menassa/Asharq Al-Awsat/August
11/2025
Titles For The Latest English LCCC
Miscellaneous Reports And News published
on August 11-12/2025
Iran tells Armenia Trump-backed land corridor may be part of US ploy
Iran seizes foreign tanker accused of smuggling fuel
US slams Iran over Houthi Red Sea attacks, calls on UN to hold accountable
violators of arms embargo
Israel Condemned at United Nations Security Council
Israeli Security Cabinet Approves Plans for Gaza City Takeover, Evacuation of
Civilians
UN, media groups condemn Israel's deadly strike on Al-Jazeera team in Gaza
Germany Suspends Arms Exports to Israel Following Gaza City Takeover
Announcement
Three-quarters of UN members support Palestinian statehood
Trump, Netanyahu in shouting match after latter denied Gaza starvation: NBC
Saudi crown prince, Palestinian president discuss upcoming peace conference
Saudi Crown Prince, Jordanian King discuss Gaza and West Bank developments in
Neom
Saudi crown prince, Ukraine’s Zelensky discuss peace efforts
Syria vows accountability after video of Sweida hospital killing
US congressman discusses with Syrian president return of body of American killed
in Syria
Zelenskyy says ‘no sign’ Russia is getting set for peace
Titles For
The Latest English LCCC analysis &
editorials from miscellaneous sources
on August 11-12/2025
Tehran Ramps Up Executions Amid Fears of Post-War Unrest/Janatan Sayeh/FDD/August
11/2025
Hamas's Plan to Undermine America's Arab Allies/Khaled Abu Toameh/Gatestone
Institute/August 11/2025
In Fond Memory of Stephanie Gräfin Von Westphalen/Charles Elias Chartouni/Face
Book/August 11/2025
The EU’s Fake History Project: Islam, Europe, and €10 Million in
Revisionism/Raymond Ibrahim/The Stream/August 11/2025
10 Years After ISIS: The Extinction and Revival of an Ancient Syriac Saint
Alberto M. Fernandez/National Catholic Register/August 11, 2025
Age of predictions over as future unfolds on fast forward/Arnab Neil Sengupta/Arab
News/August 11, 2025
Savage capitalism: Thriving economy or fractured society?/Dr. Turki Faisal Al-Rasheed/Arab
News/August 11, 2025
Syria’s new phase: Cracks in allied agendas and Russia’s cautious return/Ibrahim
Hamidi/Al Arabiya English/11 August/2025
Netanyahu’s missing political vision/David Powell/Al Arabiya English/11
August/2025
Saudi Diplomacy Forges Consensus/Dr. Ibrahim Al-Othaimin/Asharq Al-Awsat/August
11/2025
The Latest English LCCC
Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on August 11-12/2025
Larijani’s Visit to Lebanon: A Brazen Iranian Provocation and an Insult
to the State and People
Elias Bejjani/August 12/2025
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/08/146171/
In a move that represents the height of provocation, arrogance, and domination,
the Secretary-General of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, Ali Larijani,
is preparing to visit Lebanon next Wednesday. This visit is entirely unwelcome
and firmly rejected by most Lebanese at the popular, political, and official
levels—especially in light of his recent statements, which constitute blatant
interference in Lebanese internal affairs and a direct challenge to the
constitution, laws, and international resolutions.
In an openly insolent and shameless remark, Larijani declared: “Iran will not
allow Hezbollah to hand over its weapons to the Lebanese state.” This is a blunt
rejection of the Lebanese constitution, United Nations Security Council
resolutions—chief among them Resolution 1701—and the recent ceasefire agreement
between Lebanon and Hezbollah. It is also a direct insult to Lebanon’s state
institutions and its army.
The matter does not stop with Larijani. Other Iranian officials, before and
after him, have made similar remarks. Among them is the Supreme Leader’s
advisor, who recently stated: “Hezbollah’s weapons are the guarantee of
Lebanon’s strength and will not be handed over to anyone.” This statement
entrenches Tehran’s role as Lebanon’s self-appointed guardian and confirms
Hezbollah’s full alignment with the Iranian project—at the expense of the
state’s sovereignty and unity. Inside Lebanon, Hezbollah leaders have escalated
their defiant rhetoric. MP Mohammad Raad declared: “Our weapons are our honor
and our destiny, and whoever demands their removal is demanding the elimination
of our existence.” He accompanied this with Karbala-style doctrinal and suicidal
overtones in an attempt to give a false sacred character to an Iranian–military
project that is destroying Lebanon.
Why Should Larijani’s Visit Be Rejected?
Because he incites Hezbollah against the Lebanese government and legitimizes
illegal weapons that threaten national unity and civil peace.
Because he represents the security and ideological arm of Iran’s project in
Lebanon, aimed at turning it into a forward base for the IRGC.
Because his statements are a direct insult to Lebanon’s sovereignty, its
president, and its institutions—and his visit sends a clear message of defiance
to the international community and outright rejection of implementing UN
resolutions.
What Must Be Done Immediately
A clear and explicit governmental decision must be issued to refuse Larijani’s
entry into Lebanon. An official message should be sent to Tehran making it clear
that interference in Lebanese affairs is completely unacceptable. Moreover, it
has become a national necessity to sever diplomatic and political ties with Iran
until it stops supporting terrorist militias at the expense of the Lebanese
state.
The fact remains that Iran is a cancer devouring the body of Lebanon, and
Hezbollah is its deadly tool. Eradicating this cancer begins with rejecting any
political or protocol legitimization for its figures and with official and
popular action to end the Iranian occupation disguised under the false slogan
and trade of so-called “resistance.”
In conclusion, the majority of the Lebanese people seek peace, and the
restoration of their country’s sovereignty, independence, and freedom. These
aspirations will not be realized as long as the national decision is held
hostage in Tehran, as long as Hezbollah’s illegal terrorist and jihadist weapons
remain above the law, and as long as visits by Iranian officials occur as though
Lebanon were a province belonging to the mullahs’ regime.
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.
Video link To An interview from Al-Badil Youtube Platform with
former Republican Congressman from the state of Virginia, Dr. David Ramadan.
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/08/146157/
In it, he exposes Nabih Berri’s fabrications and predicts that Hezbollah’s
weapons will be gifted to the Americans, offering a realistic reading of the
overall turbulent Lebanese situation caused by Hezbollah’s occupation, and by
the cowardice and narcissism of the political, partisan, and official class.
Ramadan stated that most probably Hezbollah is behind the booby-trapped weapons
depot that caused the killing of six Lebanese Army soldiers.
Geagea suggests
govt. call for Arab, GCC meetings on Iran 'threats'
Naharnet/August 11/2025
Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea on Monday said the Lebanese government
should “seriously think of calling for Arab League and Gulf Cooperation Council
urgent sessions to discuss the issue of the Iranian threat to Lebanon,” in the
wake of a flurry of stances by Iranian officials over the issue of Hezbollah’s
disarmament. The government must also consider “filing a complaint with the U.N.
Security Council stating that Iran is intimidating Lebanon to the extent of
threatening a direct military intervention,” Geagea added. “Asserting that the
government’s decision on removing arms shall not pass reflects incitement on the
one hand and a military intervention threat against the Lebanese government on
the other hand, in order to prevent it from enforcing its decision,” Geagea
said.“We do not at all accept that Iran continue to interfere in our domestic
affairs, after its meddling over the past 40 years led to Lebanon’s ruin,” the
LF leader added. Iran's top security chief Ali Larijani will visit Lebanon in
the coming hours for talks with senior Lebanese officials and figures.
Larijani's trip to Lebanon comes after Tehran expressed strong opposition to a
Lebanese government plan to disarm its ally Hezbollah, a stance condemned by
Beirut as a "flagrant and unacceptable interference.""Our cooperation with the
Lebanese government is long and deep. We consult on various regional issues,"
Larijani told state TV before departing. "In Lebanon, our positions are already
clear. Lebanese national unity is important and must be preserved in all
circumstances. Lebanon's independence is still important to us and we will
contribute to it."On Monday, Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei
said Iran recognizes Lebanon's "right to defend itself against the aggression of
the Zionist regime (Israel)," adding that this would be "impossible without
military capabilities and weapons."Before its war with Israel, Hezbollah was
believed to be better armed than the Lebanese military. It built its popularity,
in part, on resistance to Israel, which occupied southern Lebanon for nearly two
decades until 2000. Now weakened, Hezbollah's grip on power has slipped and the
new Lebanese government, backed by the United States, has moved to further
restrain it. On Saturday, Ali Akbar Velayati, a senior advisor to Iran's supreme
leader, described the plan to disarm Hezbollah as compliance "to the will of the
United States and Israel."
Qmati says 'people' will prevent state from disarming Hezbollah
Naharnet/August 11/2025
The deputy head of Hezbollah’s political council, Mahmoud Qmati, said Monday
that “the Lebanese government will not be able to remove Hezbollah’s arms.”“The
resistance is not isolated or besieged, but is rather part of a broad national
front,” added Qmati after a visit to the headquarters of the Lebanese Communist
Party and a meeting with its chief Hanna Gharib. “The government has sold the
country and gave foreign forces a blank check, but it will not manage to achieve
what it wants,” Qmati said. “The entire Lebanese people will confront the
government if it tries to enforce its decision,” Qmati suggested, noting that
“the resistance was born from the womb of occupation, when the state could not
protect the citizens and deter the aggression.”He accordingly called on the
government, “despite its fall,” to “rectify the course and shun decisions that
harm Lebanon.”Qmati's remarks come after the Lebanese government decided last
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. 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. On
Thursday, the government also 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.
Report: Berri backs 'full army role' as he negotiates with Hezbollah
Naharnet/August 11/2025
Speaker Nabih Berri has placed himself in a central position between the
government and Hezbollah in a calculated attempt to address the concerns of the
two sides, sources close to Berri said. “Berri is present in the state’s
equation from a position of partner, not opponent, and he is also keen on
activating the role of the military institution in a full manner during this
sensitive period, and on maintaining a calculated distance that grants him a
margin for positive mediation,” the sources told the Nidaa al-Watan newspaper.
Describing the atmosphere as “tense and delicate,” the sources said Berri is
currently “coordinating with the military institution” while “negotiating with
Hezbollah.”“He is preoccupied with the concern of reining in street protests to
prevent them from descending into chaos and reaching the point of no return,”
the sources added. Ruling out any attempt to destabilize the government, the
sources voiced concern over the possibility of disorder on the streets, adding
that “Ain el-Tineh is exerting preemptive efforts to control the tempo.”“Speaker
Berri is showing clear readiness to let the army shoulder its full
responsibilities, but that requires simultaneous coordination with Hezbollah,
and this is what is being silently worked on at the moment on several levels,”
the sources revealed. “In a thorny and delicate file such as the file of arms,
Berri is endorsing the approach of the state and institutions and he knows very
well how to balance things: he does not break with the state and he does not get
defeated with Hezbollah. He carefully manages the balance and makes sure that
the Shiite situation does not turn into a rogue force outside the general
national alignment,” the sources added.
Report: Hezbollah awaits army plan before political, popular steps
Naharnet/August 11/2025
Hezbollah and the Amal Movement “are still showing restraint and stressing their
keenness on not being dragged into a domestic problem that the U.S. and KSA are
seeking and pushing for,” the pro-Hezbollah daily al-Akhbar reported on
Monday.The Shiite Duo is “still discussing its political choices in the face of
these decisions and until yesterday (Sunday) coordination was still ongoing
between Hezbollah and the Amal Movement, with an inclination not to withdraw
from the government, based on a previous experience with Fouad Saniora’s
government, which continued to convene and take decisions in the absence of a
main component of the country,” the newspaper said. “Communication between the
Duo and President Joseph Aoun has been severed since (Tuesday’s) cabinet
session, despite the messages that Baabda is sending on the absence of
alternatives due to the major pressures that are being exerted on the country
and the threats of Israeli escalation,” al-Akhbar added. “Hezbollah is awaiting
the Lebanese Army’s stance ahead of moving to a new form of political dealing
and specifying its next steps, which will not be distant from popular protests
and movements, but everything will depend on authorities’ performance in the
coming days and weeks,” the daily said.
Jaber attacked on social media for backing 'arms monopoly'
Naharnet/August 11/2025
Hezbollah supporters have attacked Finance Minister Yassine Jaber of the Amal
Movement on social media for saying the monopoly of arms in the hand of the
state is one of the current priorities. “Our priority is building the state,
strengthening all its institutions, and activating and bolstering its role,
topped by the Lebanese Army and all security forces, in addition to the monopoly
of arms in its hand,” Jaber said from Nabatieh. “This is what was asserted in
the Ministerial Statement and it is a matter that enjoys consensus,” Jaber
added. While Jaber was attacked by Hezbollah supporters, a large number of
politicians lauded his stance, especially that it came after two cabinet
sessions that he did not attend for being abroad. His statement comes after the
Lebanese government decided last 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. 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. On Thursday, the government also 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.
Netanyahu credits Israel for changes in Lebanon
Naharnet/August 11/2025
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has noted that what is currently
happening in Lebanon is due to Israel’s war on Hezbollah last year. “The new
Lebanese government is speaking of disarming Hezbollah. Who could have believed
that? Alright, some of us did and I did, and this is what’s changing the Middle
East, as I had promised to do on the second day of the war,” Netanyahu said. His
statement comes after the Lebanese government decided last 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. 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. On Thursday, the government also 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.
Deadliest Lebanese Army loss since October: Probe continues
into munitions site explosion amid multiple theories
LBCI/August 11/2025
The explosion in Wadi Zibqin that claimed the lives of six Lebanese soldiers
marks the deadliest loss for the army since October 8, 2023. Three days into the
investigation, conducted by the Lebanese Army under the supervision of the
military judiciary, a more precise timeline of events has begun to emerge.
According to information obtained during the probe, the French battalion of
UNIFIL discovered a long-abandoned Hezbollah facility containing a cannon and
ammunition. After inspecting the site, the French handed it over to the Lebanese
Army, as has been done with dozens of similar locations. The army then conducted
its own inspection, spending several days dismantling the cannon and
transporting boxes of ammunition. On Saturday, while soldiers were continuing to
move the ammunition, an explosion occurred, killing six service members.
Alongside technical analysis, the investigation is awaiting a report from the
Lebanese Army and the French contingent about the site, as well as the recovery
of a critically wounded soldier who could provide crucial testimony about what
happened. Lebanese Army confirms six soldiers killed in explosion at weapons
depot in South Lebanon
One theory under consideration is that Hezbollah may have previously
booby-trapped one of the ammunition boxes as part of its conflict with Israel,
ensuring it would detonate if opened by enemy forces who had previously
infiltrated the area. Another theory is that Israeli forces could have rigged
the site. This possibility had been explored but not conclusively proven in a
previous blast at a similar facility in Wadi Aaziyyeh, which killed one soldier
and wounded others. Military sources stress that engineering inspections are
conducted before any dismantling or transport, with specialized equipment and
procedures in place for handling each box. South of the Litani River, the
Lebanese Army operates freely in dismantling Hezbollah facilities, coordinating
only with UNIFIL and the ceasefire mechanism. The current battlefield realities
and losses suffered by Hezbollah have diminished its ability to maintain
complete control or awareness of all on-the-ground developments.For now, the
booby-trapping theory remains just one possibility. Investigators are keeping
all options open, including the potential for human or technical error, pending
the completion of all reports and testimonies that could shed light on the cause
of the deadly explosion.
Widespread blackout hits Lebanon: Political disputes
overshadow electricity crisis
LBCI/August 11/2025
On the night between Saturday and Sunday, most areas across Lebanon were plunged
into a complete blackout, a scenario that has become all too familiar in the
country. This recurring power failure echoes similar blackouts from last year
during the tenure of former Minister Walid Fayyad, which sparked a political
campaign against him and the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM). Now, with Fayyad
aligned with the Lebanese Forces, the FPM has launched a similar campaign
targeting him amid the recent power outages. The electricity crisis has
effectively become a battleground for political rivalries, overshadowing the
real reasons behind the sector's ongoing deterioration. Experts explain that in
other countries facing even higher temperatures, such as the UAE, power plants
rarely fail because they are designed to withstand extreme heat above 50 degrees
Celsius. These countries invest in advanced cooling systems, conduct proactive
maintenance before peak seasons, and maintain substantial reserve capacity to
compensate for sudden faults. In contrast, Lebanon's power plants are outdated,
cooling systems are limited, maintenance depends heavily on available funding,
and overall electricity production is low. These factors undermine the stability
of the national grid, leaving it vulnerable to any significant disruption. The
Director-General of the Electricité du Liban (EDL)told LBCI that the recent
total blackout is not unprecedented and mainly stems from weak production
capacity. This latest blackout serves as a stark reminder that Lebanon's energy
crisis requires focused, technical solutions rather than becoming a tool for
political point-scoring.
Lebanese Finance and Energy Ministers sign decree ratifying
World Bank loan law for electricity
LBCI/August 11/2025
Finance Minister Yassine Jaber announced that the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic
Development has expressed its intention to help repair projects damaged by the
war, particularly the Litani River project and the wastewater treatment project
in Marjaayoun.
He also revealed the possibility of a grant from the fund to prepare a study for
the construction of new grain silos, stressing the importance of Lebanon
maintaining a strategic wheat reserve. Jaber's remarks came after meeting the
head of the Kuwait Fund, Walid Shemlan, who visited Lebanon along with a
delegation and the chargé d'affaires of the Kuwaiti Embassy in Beirut, Counselor
Abdulaziz Al-Dalah. Discussions focused on a series of potential projects in
which the fund could assist Lebanon. While Shemlan's visit was brief, a
delegation from the fund will return to work with local experts, particularly
the Council for Development and Reconstruction (CDR), on project studies such as
the planned archaeological museum in downtown Beirut, which is currently under
negotiation. Jaber also met with Energy Minister Joe Saddi at the Finance
Ministry, where they signed a decree ratifying the World Bank loan law for
electricity. It was immediately sent to the General Secretariat of the Cabinet
for inclusion on the agenda of the first session for approval. Jaber also
discussed with Saddi a list of related issues between the Ministries of Finance
and Energy, which Saddi said included securing fuel supplies for power plants
and the issue of Iraqi fuel.
Heavy rain and thunderstorms raise fears of flash floods in
Hermel
LBCI/August 11/2025
The National News Agency (NNA) reported heavy rainfall accompanied by
thunderstorms in the Hermel region, sparking concerns over potential flash
floods amid a severe heat wave.
Authorities are monitoring the situation as residents brace for possible
flooding in low-lying and vulnerable areas.
New fortifications: Lebanese Army prepares weapons plan as Israel expands
positions in South
LBCI/August 11/2025
Before the end of August, the Lebanese Army is expected to present its
implementation plan for the confiscation of unauthorized weapons for approval by
the Cabinet. The government's endorsement of this plan, alongside the so-called
"Barrack Paper," is anticipated to be met with reciprocal actions by Israel on
the ground. Meanwhile, Israel continues to exert pressure on Lebanon by
maintaining control over the five hills, despite their limited strategic value.
Recently, Israeli forces began engineering fortifications at a newly established
military post near Khellet El Mhafer, located opposite the Misgav Am settlement.
This position primarily controls the area through firepower, but its
significance lies in strengthening Israel's hold on Wadi Hunin to the south and
linking its military sites from Tallet El Mhafer in the east to El Douaouir east
of Markaba in the west. This military gain by Israel simultaneously denies
Lebanese farmers access to thousands of hectares of land east of El Douaouir
toward the Blue Line border. Thus, Khellet El Mhafer has effectively been added
to the five hills Israel occupies: Labbouneh and Jabal Blat between Ramyeh and
Marwahin, Jal El-Deir opposite Aitaroun, El Douaouir between Markaba and Houla,
and Tallet El Hamames in Khiam. Additionally, Israel holds control over
the strategic Hadab Aita Al-Shaab site, which initially belonged to the Lebanese
Army. Israel is further consolidating its presence at El Douaouir by
constructing a road extending toward the Israeli settlement of Al-Abbad.
Simultaneously, it has established buffer zones in Dhayra Al-Fouqa, between
Kfarkela and Odaisseh. This evolving situation calls for utmost wisdom in
pursuing a political solution that guarantees the recovery of occupied
territories and the restoration of full Lebanese Army authority over the
country's lands.
Head of Iran top
security body heads to Iraq, Lebanon
AFP/August 11, 2025
TEHRAN: The head of Iran’s top security body, Ali Larijani, will visit Iraq on
Monday before heading to Lebanon, where the government has approved a plan to
disarm Tehran’s ally Hezbollah, state media said.“Ali Larijani departs today
(Monday) for Iraq and then Lebanon on a three-day visit, his first foreign trip
since taking office last week,” state television reported. Larijani will sign a
bilateral security agreement in Iraq before heading to Lebanon, where he will
meet senior Lebanese officials and figures. His trip to Lebanon comes after
Tehran expressed strong opposition to a Lebanese government plan to disarm
Tehran’s ally Hezbollah, a stance condemned by Beirut as a “flagrant and
unacceptable interference.”“Our cooperation with the Lebanese government is long
and deep. We consult on various regional issues. In this particular context, we
are talking to Lebanese officials and influential figures in Lebanon,” Larijani
told state TV before departing. “In Lebanon, our positions are already clear.
Lebanese national unity is important and must be preserved in all circumstances.
Lebanon’s independence is still important to us and we will contribute to it.”
On Saturday, Ali Akbar Velayati, a senior adviser to Iran’s supreme leader,
described the plan to disarm Hezbollah as compliance “to the will of the United
States and Israel.”The disarmament push followed last year’s war between Israel
and Hezbollah, which left the group, once a powerful political and military
force, weakened. It also comes amid pressure from the United States and
anti-Hezbollah parties in Lebanon, as well as fears Israel could escalate its
strikes if the group remains armed. Iran appointed 68-year-old Larijani to head
the Supreme National Security Council, which is responsible for laying out
Iran’s defense and security strategy. Its decisions must be approved by the
country’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The appointment comes after a
12-day war with Israel, which began the conflict with an unprecedented attack on
Iran in mid-June striking military, nuclear and residential sites.
Lebanese Govt
Heads for Summer Recess ahead of Debate on ‘Restricting Arms’ Plan
Beirut: Mohamed Choucair/Asharq Al-Awsat/August 11/2025
Lebanon’s Cabinet will hold two service-focused meetings on Wednesday before
beginning a two-week summer recess, returning at the end of August to take up
the contentious “exclusive arms” plan now being drafted by the army. The
proposal, which aims to restrict the possession of weapons to state
institutions, is expected to be implemented by year’s end. A ministerial source
told Asharq Al-Awsat that Wednesday’s sessions will be confined to approving
public service items to avoid political confrontation over the arms issue, a
matter dividing the Cabinet. While most ministers support the plan, the Shiite
political duo – represented by Amal Movement and Hezbollah - remains opposed,
citing the absence of binding guarantees that would compel Israel to withdraw
from five strategic points in South Lebanon. The Cabinet will resume its regular
meetings once the army finalizes the plan. President Joseph Aoun, Parliament
Speaker Nabih Berri, and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam are expected to quietly seek
a compromise to break a reported “impasse” over the matter. However, top-level
dialogue has been on hold since Shiite ministers walked out of the last meeting
before the government could discuss US mediator Tom Barrack’s proposals for
implementing weapons exclusivity and the presidency’s response. Barrack was
scheduled to visit Beirut this week for a fourth round of talks but postponed
his trip indefinitely. Officials expect his return to coincide with the army’s
completion of the plan. The source commended Berri for urging his Amal Movement
supporters to avoid Hezbollah-sponsored marches and to prevent gatherings from
spilling into Beirut, in order to avert sectarian tensions - particularly
between Sunnis and Shiites - that could threaten Lebanon’s fragile coexistence.
At the same time, the source stressed that the government will not tolerate
Iranian interference in domestic affairs, particularly Tehran’s calls for
Hezbollah to retain its weapons. Foreign Minister Youssef Raji has been tasked
with answering recent Iranian statements, which officials say are being
coordinated by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps. Berri’s position, while
cautious, is viewed as more flexible than Hezbollah’s, leaving open the
possibility of an understanding, provided Hezbollah maintains his mandate on the
issue. Iran’s involvement has provoked criticism both at home and abroad.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, accused of leading the recent campaign
against the government, is said to have backtracked on a pledge made during his
last visit to Beirut not to meddle in Lebanon’s internal politics. Analysts warn
that Tehran appears unwilling to recognize shifting regional dynamics, raising
fears it seeks to keep Lebanon within its political sphere. Diplomatic efforts
now hinge on upcoming presidential-level meetings aimed at persuading the US
mediator to amend parts of his proposal, securing American guarantees that could
address not only Hezbollah’s concerns but also those of the wider Lebanese
public.
The Lebanese
State and Hezbollah’s Grip
Sam Menassa/Asharq Al-Awsat/August 11/2025
President Joseph Aoun’s unprecedentedly clear and candid speech, explicitly
labeled Hezbollah’s arms unauthorized by the state, was a long-awaited turning
point in the complex relationship between the Lebanese state and the party.
Nonetheless, this clarity was not translated into unequivocal executive
decisions.
While the decisions adopted by the Lebanese cabinet over the two sessions it
held on “removing illegal arms and asserting the state’s authority over all of
its territory” suggest that the state is determined to confront this matter, it
was phrased with the kind of ambiguity at that Lebanese politics excels at
conveying. On the one hand, the army was tasked with devising a plan to achieve
this objective, with the government failing to clarify whether it was referring
to the “Army Command” or the “Higher Defense Council,” which hints at a certain
evasion of responsibility. On the other hand, the government merely endorsed the
“objectives” of the US paper without taking any position on the timetable it
laid out.
Some argue that this approach was deliberate and intended to contain the party’s
reaction, especially in light of the controversy around the decisions. The
withdrawal of Shiite ministers from the session in protest, Hezbollah
Secretary-General Naim Qassem delivered a speech insisting that the party would
never hand over its weapons, and the motorcycle rallies evocative of the “Black
Shirts” reminded the Lebanese and the world that a repeat of May 7 is on the
cards. Others who are more critical of the government, saw this ambiguity as an
evasion of responsibility. They argue that the state, in all its branches and
institutions, had yet to accept that the party had been defeated and that the
country had entered a new phase in which Hezbollah no longer controls every
aspect of political life.
The Lebanese authorities appear captive to Hezbollah’s supposed capacity to
“intimidate,” failing to acknowledge the new state of affairs. It has thus left
Lebanon at risk of squandering a historic opportunity to end the structural
crisis posed by a non-state actor’s maintenance of its weapons. Fueling the
debate, the government spokesperson claimed that the Shiite ministers’
withdrawal from the second session did not indicate an objection to disarmament
in principle but to the procedural details. This claim was confirmed by some
ministers, though most of them were named the Shiite duo led by Hezbollah, which
has categorically refused to hand over its arms. Who are we to believe- some
ministers of the Shiite duo or the party itself?
These reservations do not downplay the significance of the cabinet’s decisions.
They should not be seen as a fleeting development or a ploy to absorb
international pressure. Instead, they should be dealt with as a foundational
moment that sets a long-overdue journey toward retrieving our sovereignty that,
above all, requires clear political determination and recognition that Lebanon
can no longer remain in limbo. Either this moment gives rise to a genuine effort
to consolidate statehood and the state’s monopoly on arms, as well as to change
Lebanon’s place in the Arab–Israeli conflict. Otherwise, Lebanon will have
squandered another opportunity and what may be the country's last chance for
salvation.
While we hope that such pessimism is excessive, we must again stress that
Lebanon must now go from accommodating Hezbollah to furthering an alternative
project that redefines Lebanon’s role in the region and its vision for the
future of its relations, particularly with Arab and friendly states.
In a previous article, I laid a viable roadmap for resolving the weapons
dilemma. It begins with Lebanon officially announcing that it will end its armed
conflict with Israel once and for all, and developing arrangements for a
cessation of hostilities, thereby removing the main pretext of the party’s arms.
The second step is to hold a dialogue with the new Syrian regime that redefines
bilateral relations on the basis of sovereignty and national interests rather
than the dependency, breaking with the legacy that had legitimized non-state
actors.
The aim of shifting from military confrontation to political contestation is
urgently needed. It is a prerequisite for rejoining the international community
on healthy terms and revitalizing Lebanon's democratic system, which has become
pale, worn out, and sterile. Still, it has not fallen, and Lebanon remains a
beacon of democracy when contrasted with the rabid, fanatical, rightward drift
toward authoritarianism in Israel, and the rigid Islamist ideologies confronting
national ones.
The Lebanese authorities must go all the way on this path they have begun to
traverse, affirming the state’s sovereignty through a clear and unequivocal
decision and recognizing that the era of military resistance and non-state
actors has ended- not because Israel demands it, but because allowing Hezbollah
to keep its arms will lead to Lebanon’s definitive collapse and close every door
to international support to reconstruction and economic recovery.
The state has spoken. Will it have the courage to follow through on its
promises? Here, a joke comes to mind: delusional that he was a grain of wheat, a
man lived in constant fear that a chicken might eat him. After lots of therapy,
he finally accepted that he was not a grain of wheat. In the last session,
however, he nervously told his doctor: “I’m convinced I’m not a grain of
wheat... now we need to convince the chicken!”The real challenge, today- the
test that will determine whether we have truly entered a post-Hezbollah era or
remain its shadow as we await a miracle that will never come- is this: the state
breaking Hezbollah’s grip over. It is now or never. If the political leadership
does not acknowledge Hezbollah’s defeat, it will never build a future.
The
Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published
on August 11-12/2025
Iran
tells Armenia Trump-backed land corridor may be part of US ploy
AFP/11 August/2025
Iran stepped up warnings to Armenia on Monday over a planned US-backed corridor
linking Azerbaijan to an exclave near the Iranian border, part of a recent peace
deal between Yerevan and Baku. In a phone call with Armenia’s Prime Minister
Nikol Pashinyan, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian “warned against possible
actions by the United States, which could pursue hegemonic goals in the Caucasus
region under the guise of economic investments and peace guarantees,” according
to a statement from Tehran. The land corridor dubbed the “Trump Route for
International Peace and Prosperity” is part of a deal signed last week in
Washington between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Under the deal, the United States
will have the development rights of the proposed route, which would connect
Azerbaijan to its Nakhichevan exclave, passing near the Iranian border. Iran has
long opposed the planned transit route, also known as the Zangezur corridor,
fearing it would cut the country off from Armenia and the rest of the Caucasus,
and bring potentially hostile foreign forces to near its borders. Pezeshkian
said Iran “welcomes any agreement that promotes the strengthening of peace”
among its neighbors, but emphasized the need to prevent the “interference of any
military or security force” in implementing the corridor project, according to
the statement from his office. Armenia’s deputy foreign minister is due in
Tehran on Tuesday for talks on the issue, Tehran has said. On Saturday, a senior
advisor to Iran’s supreme leader said Tehran will not allow the creation of the
planned corridor, warning that the area would become “a graveyard for Trump’s
mercenaries.”
Iran seizes
foreign tanker accused of smuggling fuel
AFP/11 August/2025
Iranian authorities have seized a foreign tanker accused of smuggling fuel in
the Gulf waters and arrested its 17 crew members, local media reported Monday.
“Police border guards in Hormozgan province seized a tanker named Phoenix,
flying the flag of a third country, in Iranian territorial waters,” ISNA news
agency reported, without elaborating. It added that forces arrested “17 foreign
suspects” aboard the vessel which was found to be carrying “more than two
million liters of smuggled fuel.”Fuel smuggling is a recurring challenge in
Iran, where heavy subsidies have kept domestic fuel prices among the lowest in
the world. Iranian authorities regularly announce interception and seizure of
vessels illegally transporting fuel in the area. Last month, Iranian authorities
seized in the Sea of Oman a foreign tanker suspected of smuggling, which state
media said was also carrying two million liters of fuel.
US slams Iran over Houthi Red
Sea attacks, calls on UN to hold accountable violators of arms embargo
Ephrem Kossaify/Arab News/August 11,
2025
NEW YORK CITY: The US on Monday accused Iran of fueling maritime insecurity in
the Red Sea by supplying weapons and other materials to the Houthis in Yemen,
following the latest deadly attacks on commercial vessels last month.
Speaking during a UN Security Council debate on maritime security, Washington’s
acting ambassador, Dorothy Shea, condemned the Houthis for the recent attacks
that resulted in the sinking of two commercial ships, the deaths of crew members
and the taking of hostages. Iran “poses a threat to maritime security through
its support for the Houthis and other terrorist groups and its seizure of
vessels transiting international waters,” Shea told council members. “Just last
month, the Houthis attacked and sank two commercial vessels, resulting in loss
of life, injury to sailors, and the capture of hostages.”She reiterated the US
demand that Tehran releases all detained vessels, including the MSC Aries, a
container ship linked to an Israeli billionaire. It was seized by Iranian forces
in April 2024 while transiting the Gulf of Oman, in what Tehran described as
retaliatory action following Israeli airstrikes in Syria. The vessel, chartered
by the Mediterranean Shipping Company, had a crew of 25, mostly Indian
nationals. They were held for several weeks by Iranian authorities before being
released but the ship remains impounded. “The United States calls for Iran to
release the vessels it still holds, including the MSC Aries,” Shea said, as she
urged all UN member states to comply with the arms embargo on the Houthis. She
accused Iran and other countries of violating this embargo by supplying the
group with rockets, munitions and other components used in attacks on shipping
in the Red Sea. “This council must impose meaningful consequences for sanctions
violations and seek additional ways to cut off the international funding and
resources fueling the Houthi weapons programs,” Shea said. Under UN Security
Council Resolution 2216, adopted in 2015, all member states are prohibited from
supplying arms, ammunition and related materiel to Houthi forces. The embargo
remains in place despite calls from some humanitarian groups for an easing of
restrictions to meet civilian needs. The UN Verification and Inspection
Mechanism, established in 2016, is tasked with inspecting all commercial cargo
entering Yemen through Red Sea ports to ensure compliance with the embargo.
Despite this measure, several reports by the UN’s Panel of Experts have
documented the continuing flow of arms to the Houthis, including missile
components and drones believed to originate in Iran. This year, the US and the
UK launched limited airstrikes on Houthi targets in Yemen following a string of
maritime attacks. The group’s campaign has continued, however, demonstrating
access to a growing arsenal of anti-ship ballistic and cruise missiles. Shea
said the US has “overwhelmingly borne the costs” of defending freedom of
navigation in the Red Sea and called for greater sharing of this burden,
including financial support for the Verification and Inspection Mechanism.
Israel Condemned at
United Nations Security Council
FDD/August 11/2025
U.S. Labels Emergency Meeting
‘Counterproductive’: United Nations member states continued condemning Israel at
an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council (UNSC) on August 10, calling on
Israel to halt its planned military offensive against Hamas and enter into an
immediate ceasefire. After some nations accused Israel of committing genocide
and forcing starvation on Palestinians, U.S. Acting Representative to the UN
Dorothy Shea said the meeting was “emblematic of the counterproductive role that
far too many governments on this council and throughout the UN have played on
this issue.” The emergency meeting was called by France, Denmark, Greece, and
Slovenia after Israel’s Security Council authorized the IDF to gain military
control of the entire Gaza Strip after completing the evacuation of civilians
from combat zones into humanitarian areas.
Russia Accuses Israel of Forgetting Lessons of Holocaust: Russia accused Israeli
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar of hypocritically shedding “crocodile tears” when
he raised the plight of hostages held captive by Hamas during the UNSC’s August
5 meeting and forgetting how Jews were treated during the Holocaust. “Such an
attempt to manipulate the Security Council for domestic Israeli interests
beggars belief, just like how the Jewish people that faced the Holocaust in the
Second World War can today put Palestinians in a ghetto and pursue their total
destruction, how quickly the lessons of history are forgotten,” said First
Deputy Permanent Representative of Russia to the UN Dmitry Polyanskiy. Russia
has been accused of indiscriminately killing civilians during its ongoing
invasion of Ukraine.
Hamas Draws Encouragement from UN’s ‘Libels and Lies’: The United States said
that the UNSC meeting undermined efforts to pressure the Hamas terrorist group
to release the hostages and lay down its arms. Rather, its member states
“encouraged and rewarded [Hamas’s] intransigence, actively prolonging the war by
spreading lies about Israel … and by handing propaganda victories to
terrorists.” Shea added, “The most recent round of negotiations collapsed
because Hamas drew encouragement from efforts to target Israel with libels and
lies, the ill-conceived and performative two-state solution conference, and
unilateral announcements regarding recognition of a Palestinian state.” Deputy
Permanent Representative for Israel to the UN Ambassador Jonathan Miller briefly
addressed the council, condemning the “extraordinary and brazen” language from
some of the ambassadors, clarifying that Israel is not seeking to permanently
occupy the Gaza Strip, but rather, to “free Gaza from Hamas and enable a
peaceful government to rise in its place.”
FDD Expert Response
“Only the presence of the United States on the United Nations Security Council
prevents it from sliding into the morass of Israel-hatred that stains the United
Nations General Assembly and other UN bodies. For all of their criticisms of
Israel, most of the other Council members seem unaware that their performative
antics contribute nothing to the goals of releasing the hostages, surging food
aid to hungry Palestinians, and securing a future for a Gaza that is no longer
ruled by the rapists and murderers of Hamas.” — Ben Cohen, Senior Analyst and
Rapid Response Director
“In the Israel-Hamas war, only one party, Israel, follows international law,
while the other, Hamas, abuses it. Hamas puts Palestinians in danger precisely
because Israel will be blamed for their deaths. The UN system continues to
reward Hamas for this strategy by blaming Israel for the suffering that Hamas is
causing.” — David May, Research Manager and Senior Research Analyst
“Despite numerous egregious statements made during this most recent UN Security
Council meeting, Russia’s claim that the Jewish state has forgotten the lessons
of World War II might be the most ludicrous. Nowhere else is the trauma of the
Holocaust still felt more acutely than in Israel, where survivors of the Shoah
and state-sanctioned Russian pogroms found refuge. Antisemitism and Holocaust
denial continue to grow throughout the world, including in Russia, where the
libelous forgery The Protocols of the Elders of Zion was first published. As a
result of the nationalist fervor stoked by the neo-imperialist regime of
President Vladimir Putin, Russian society is imitating the Naziism it once
fought.” — Dmitriy Shapiro, Research Analyst
Israeli Security
Cabinet Approves Plans for Gaza City Takeover, Evacuation of Civilians
FDD/August 11/2025
Cabinet Gives Green Light: Israel’s security cabinet approved a plan on August 8
for the IDF to take control of Gaza City, hours after Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu asserted that Israel seeks to transfer control of the territory to
“Arab forces that will govern it properly” following the operation. The five
goals of the expanded mission include the disarmament of Hamas, the return of
all hostages, both living and deceased, the demilitarization of Gaza, Israeli
control over security in Gaza, and the establishment of a new authority
unaffiliated with either Hamas or the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority.
Israel is reportedly aiming to complete the evacuation of Palestinian civilians
by October 7, the second anniversary of the Hamas-led atrocities in southern
Israel that ignited the war in the coastal enclave. Humanitarian Distribution to
Expand During Operation: U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee told Fox News
that there is an “immediate plan” to increase the number of aid distribution
sites in the coastal enclave operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).
Huckabee said that the number of sites in Gaza would increase to 16 from the
current four and could operate on a 24/7 basis. On August 7, Rev. Johnnie Moore,
who heads the GHF, reportedly met with several leaders of UN aid agencies in New
York as the GHF continues to urge the United Nations to work alongside it to
expand humanitarian aid distribution in Gaza. International Community, Hamas,
Respond to Decision: Following Israel’s decision to oust Hamas from Gaza City,
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer implored Israel to “reconsider immediately,”
adding that “this action will do nothing to bring an end to this conflict or to
help secure the release of the hostages.” At the same time, mediators from Egypt
and Qatar are reportedly working on a new framework for a ceasefire that aims to
release all the hostages in one fell swoop in exchange for the IDF’s complete
withdrawal from Gaza, a move backed by several Arab Gulf states. Meanwhile, U.S.
Vice President JD Vance said that while the Trump administration has “some
disagreement” over Israel’s strategy in Gaza, Washington shares “a lot of common
objectives” with Jerusalem. Separately, Hamas threatened the remaining living
Israeli hostages in Gaza, stating, “Any advancement by Israel in the field will
lead to greater erosion, increased security exposure, and possibly the loss of
soldiers or hostages.”
FDD Expert Response
“Hamas started this war and, along with the regime in Iran, is entirely
responsible for Gaza’s misery. Israel’s mission to destroy and expel them is
just and necessary. But now is the time to work with President Trump to lock in
the IDF’s gains and maintain focus on the threat from Tehran — without more
Israeli lives lost, legitimacy squandered, or strategic focus drained.
Furthermore, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation is the biggest threat to Hamas’s
aid racket — if it works under a new U.S. expansion strategy, it could be Gaza’s
first real hope in decades.” — Mark Dubowitz, CEO
“Israel has officially put Hamas on notice of an impending attempt to take over
Gaza City, giving the group and its allies time to prepare defensive traps. What
remains of Hamas’s battered Gaza City Brigade, which includes the Sabra-Tal
al-Islam, Daraj-Tuffah, Radwan, Shuja’iyya, Zeitoun, and Shati battalions, will
likely continue to employ guerrilla warfare tactics to stall what will probably
be an overwhelming IDF push to capture the city. Another important element is
that the risk of attempted abductions of IDF soldiers will be high; a single
capture would give Hamas and its partners a powerful bargaining chip and a
propaganda windfall. Denying them this prize will be essential to the IDF’s
success.” — Joe Truzman, Senior Research Analyst and Editor at FDD’s Long War
Journal. “Hamas may take advantage of Israel’s advance notice to enter Gaza City
by embedding its fighters and what is left of its leadership with the evacuating
civilian population, as they’ve done throughout the war. Hamas could also
smuggle the remaining hostages out of Gaza City alongside terrorist operatives,
making it difficult for the IDF to accomplish its key goal of returning them
safely.” — Ahmad Sharawi, Research Analyst
UN, media groups
condemn Israel's deadly strike on Al-Jazeera team in Gaza
Agence France Presse/August 11/2025
Condemnations poured in from the United Nations and media rights groups on
Monday after an Israeli strike killed an Al Jazeera news team in Gaza, as
Palestinians mourned the journalists and Israel accused one of them of being a
Hamas militant. Dozens of Gazans stood amid bombed-out buildings in the
courtyard of Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City to pay their respects to Anas
al-Sharif, a prominent Al Jazeera correspondent aged 28, and four of his
colleagues killed on Sunday. Hospital director Mohammed Abu Salmiya said a sixth
journalist, freelance reporter Mohammed Al-Khaldi, was killed in the strike that
targeted the Al Jazeera team. Mourners including men wearing blue journalists'
flak jackets carried their bodies, wrapped in white shrouds with their faces
exposed, through narrow alleys to their graves. Israel confirmed it had targeted
Sharif, whom it labelled a "terrorist" affiliated with Hamas, alleging he "posed
as a journalist". Al Jazeera said four other employees -- correspondent Mohammed
Qreiqeh, and cameramen Ibrahim Zaher, Mohammed Noufal and Moamen Aliwa -- were
killed when the strike hit a tent set up for journalists outside the main gate
of Al-Shifa. An Israeli military statement accused Sharif of heading a Hamas
"terrorist cell" and being "responsible for advancing rocket attacks" against
Israelis. The military released documents alleging to show the date of Sharif's
enlistment with Hamas in 2013, an injury report from 2017 and the name of his
military unit and rank.
According to local journalists who knew him, Sharif had worked at the start of
his career with a Hamas communication office, where his role was to publicize
events organized by the group that has ruled the Gaza Strip since 2006. Sharif
was one of the Al Jazeera's most recognizable faces working on the ground in
Gaza, providing daily reports on the now 22-month-old war. Media freedom groups
have condemned the Israeli strike on journalists, which the U.N. human rights
agency called a "grave breach of international humanitarian law".
'Attempt to silence'
A posthumous message, written by Sharif in April in case of his death, was
published online saying he had been silenced and urging people "not to forget
Gaza". In July, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) called for his
protection following online posts by an Israeli military spokesman. The group
had accused Israel of a "pattern" of labelling journalists militants "without
providing credible evidence", and said the military had levelled similar
accusations against media workers in Gaza including Al Jazeera staff.
"International law is clear that active combatants are the only justified
targets in a war setting," Jodie Ginsberg, CPJ's chief executive, told AFP on
Monday. Unless Israel "can demonstrate that Anas al-Sharif was still an active
combatant, then there is no justification for his killing", she said. Al Jazeera
called the attack "a desperate attempt to silence voices exposing the Israeli
occupation", as it described Sharif as "one of Gaza's bravest journalists".The
Qatari broadcaster also said the strike followed "repeated incitement" and calls
by Israeli officials to target Sharif and his colleagues. Reporters Without
Borders says nearly 200 journalists have been killed in the war, which was
sparked by Hamas's October 2023 attack on Israel. Israel prevents international
reporters from entering Gaza, except on occasional tightly controlled trips with
the military. The strike on the news team in Gaza City came days after the
Israeli security cabinet had approved plans to sent troops into the area, a
decision met with mounting domestic and international criticism.
'Another calamity' -
Netanyahu on Sunday said the military will conquer the remaining quarter or so
of the territory not yet controlled by Israeli troops -- including much of Gaza
City and Al-Mawasi, an Israeli-designated safe zone where huge numbers of
Palestinians have sought refuge.
The plan, which Israeli media reported had triggered bitter disagreement between
the government and military leadership, drew condemnation from protesters in
Israel and numerous countries, including Israeli allies. Notably, Germany, a
major weapons supplier and staunch ally, announced the suspension of shipments
of any arms that could be used in Gaza. Australia said it would join a growing
list of Western nations in recognizing a Palestinian state. Netanyahu has
remained defiant, telling journalists on Sunday that "we will win the war, with
or without the support of others."The United Nations and humanitarian agencies
have condemned the planned offensive, which U.N. Assistant Secretary-General
Miroslav Jenca said "will likely trigger another calamity in Gaza". U.N.
agencies warned last month that famine was unfolding in the territory, with
Israel severely restricting the entry of aid.
Israel's offensive has killed at least 61,499 Palestinians, according to the
health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza, figures the United Nations says are reliable.
Hamas's October 2023 attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people,
according to an AFP tally based on official figures.
Germany Suspends Arms Exports to Israel Following Gaza City
Takeover Announcement
FDD/August 11/2025
Merz Confirms Military Exports Halt: The German government has announced a
suspension of certain military exports to Israel following Israeli Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision to take over Gaza City as the next step
in the Jewish state’s bid to eliminate Hamas from the coastal enclave. German
Chancellor Friedrich Merz asserted that the “even harsher military action by the
Israeli army in the Gaza Strip, approved by the Israeli cabinet last night,
makes it increasingly difficult for the German government to see how these goals
will be achieved.” He added, “under these circumstances, the German government
will not authorize any exports of military equipment that could be used in the
Gaza Strip until further notice.” Following the announcement, Netanyahu held a
phone call with Merz in which he expressed “disappointment” with the decision,
with his office subsequently issuing a statement charging Germany with
“rewarding Hamas terrorism.”Germany Significant Supplier of Weaponry to Israel:
Germany is the second-largest exporter of arms to Israel after the United
States, having supplied 30 percent of Israel’s foreign-made weaponry between
2019 and 2023, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute
(SIPRI). Following the October 7, 2023, Hamas massacre in southern Israel, which
sparked the current war in Gaza, Germany reportedly shipped roughly $350 million
worth of arms exports to Israel in 2023 and roughly $150 million in 2024. The
supplies reportedly included 3,000 portable anti-tank weapons, 500,000 rounds of
ammunition for fully and semi-automatic firearms, as well as other fuses and
propellants, alongside armored vehicles, military trucks, and safety glass.
Israel Supporters Criticize Merz: Merz’s announcement was strongly criticized by
supporters of Israel in Germany, as well as by the country’s Jewish community.
Volker Beck, the president of the German-Israeli Society, called it a “victory
for Hamas in the global propaganda war,” adding, “What is the right course of
action in the Gaza Strip now is also politically and militarily controversial in
Israel. We don’t know that ourselves. But above all, we don’t know any better.”
Josef Schuster, president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, panned
Merz’s decision as running “counter to all expressions of solidarity and
promises that the Chancellor has made since taking office.”
FDD Expert Response
“Throughout the war in Gaza, Germany has emphasized time and again that its
support for Israel is a special responsibility and a ‘Staatsräson’ — a reason of
state — forged in the aftermath of the Nazi Holocaust. Merz’s decision reflects
poorly on that historic commitment. Even so, given Israel’s increasing isolation
in an international community that has embraced many elements of the Hamas
narrative, Israel’s leaders need to examine what measures can be taken to
reassure Germany, until now their most important ally inside the European
Union.” — Ben Cohen, Senior Analyst and Rapid Response Director
“If Israel’s proposed operation in Gaza City is intended as a threat to erode
Hamas’s obstinacy at the negotiating table, international pushback has already
undermined that plan. The pushback — especially from friends of Israel —
bolsters Hamas’s refusal to surrender. While many world powers acknowledge the
need to remove Hamas, they actively oppose the actions necessary to degrade the
Iran-backed terrorist group. Israel, therefore, must balance its security needs
and its battered international standing, which ultimately makes the Jewish state
less secure.” — David May, Research Manager and Senior Research Analyst
Three-quarters of
UN members support Palestinian statehood
AFP/August 11, 2025
PARIS: Three-quarters of UN members have already or soon plan to recognize
Palestinian statehood, with Australia on Monday becoming the latest to promise
it will at the UN General Assembly in September. The Israel-Hamas war, raging in
Gaza since the Palestinian militant group’s attack on October 7, 2023, has
revived a global push for Palestinians to be given a state of their own. The
action breaks with a long-held view that Palestinians could only gain statehood
as part of a negotiated peace with Israel. According to an AFP tally, at least
145 of the 193 UN members now recognize or plan to recognize a Palestinian
state, including France, Canada and Britain. Here is a quick recap of the
Palestinians’ quest for statehood: On November 15, 1988, during the first
Palestinian intifada, or uprising against Israeli rule, Palestinian leader
Yasser Arafat unilaterally proclaimed an independent Palestinian state with
Jerusalem as its capital.He made the announcement in Algiers at a meeting of the
exiled Palestinian National Council, which adopted the two-state solution as a
goal, with independent Israeli and Palestinian states existing side-by-side.
Minutes later, Algeria became the first country to officially recognize an
independent Palestinian state. Within a week, dozens of other countries,
including much of the Arab world, India, Turkiye, most of Africa and several
central and eastern European countries followed suit. The next wave of
recognitions came in late 2010 and early 2011, at a time of crisis for the
Middle East peace process. South American countries, including Argentina, Brazil
and Chile, answered calls by the Palestinians to endorse their statehood claims.
This came in response to Israel’s decision to end a temporary ban on Jewish
settlement-building in the occupied West Bank.
In 2011, with peace talks at a standstill, the Palestinians pushed ahead with a
campaign for full UN membership. The quest failed, but in a groundbreaking move
on October 31 of that year, the UN cultural agency UNESCO voted to accept the
Palestinians as a full member, much to the dismay of Israel and the United
States.
In November 2012, the Palestinian flag was raised for the first time at the
United Nations in New York after the General Assembly overwhelmingly voted to
upgrade the status of the Palestinians to “non-member observer state.”Three
years later, the International Criminal Court also accepted the Palestinians as
a state party. Israel’s offensive in Gaza after the October 7, 2023 attack has
boosted support for Palestinian statehood. Four Caribbean countries (Jamaica,
Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados and the Bahamas) and Armenia took the diplomatic
step in 2024. So did four European countries: Norway, Spain, Ireland and
Slovenia, the latter three EU members. Within the European Union, this was a
first in 10 years since Sweden’s move in 2014, which resulted in years of
strained relations with Israel. Other member states, such as Poland, Bulgaria
and Romania, had already done so in 1988, long before joining the EU. On the
other hand, some former Eastern bloc countries, such as Hungary and the Czech
Republic, do not or no longer recognize a state of Palestine.Australian Prime
Minister Anthony Albanese said Monday that “Australia will recognize the right
of the Palestinian people to a state of their own” at the UN General Assembly.
France said last month it intends to recognize a Palestinian state come
September, while Britain said it would do the same unless Israel takes
“substantive steps,” including agreeing to a ceasefire in Gaza. Canada also
plans to recognize a Palestinian state in September, Prime Minister Mark Carney
said, marking a dramatic policy shift that was immediately rejected by Israel.
Among other countries that could also formally express recognition, Malta,
Finland and Portugal have raised the possibility.
Trump, Netanyahu in shouting match after latter denied Gaza starvation: NBC
Arab News/August 11, 2025
LONDON: A shouting match broke out between US President Donald Trump and Israeli
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after the latter denied that images of
starving children in Gaza were real, NBC News reported. They reportedly began
shouting at each other during a phone call on July 28 over the effectiveness of
the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, amid reports that civilians were
being shot by soldiers and contractors at aid distribution centers, and people
were dying of starvation. The day before, Netanyahu had claimed that there was
“no policy of starvation in Gaza, and there is no starvation in Gaza.”The next
day, Trump said he had seen images of starving children. “You can’t fake that,”
he said, adding that Gazans were suffering from “real hunger.”NBC reported that
Netanyahu subsequently demanded a call with Trump, during which he told the
president that the images of children were fabricated by Hamas. Trump then
reportedly starting shouting at Netanyahu, saying he had seen evidence that the
starvation was real. A former US official told NBC that the call had been a
“direct, mostly one-way conversation about the status of humanitarian aid,” and
that Trump “was doing most of the talking.”The former official added: “The US
not only feels like the situation is dire, but they own it because of GHF.”The
GHF’s operations in Gaza have featured chaotic scenes with thousands of
Palestinians struggling to receive sufficient food aid. More than 1,000 have
been killed at its four distribution sites, according to the UN. Netanyahu’s
office described the report of the shouting match as “total fake news.” A White
House spokesperson told NBC: “We do not comment on the president’s private
conversations. President Trump is focused on returning all the hostages and
getting the people in Gaza fed.”
Saudi crown prince, Palestinian president discuss upcoming
peace conference
Arab News/August 11, 2025
LONDON: Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman spoke with Palestinian President
Mahmoud Abbas about the latest developments and ongoing challenges facing
Palestinians and their cause during a phone call on Monday.They discussed the
security and humanitarian developments in the Gaza Strip, and the crown prince
condemned crimes committed against the Palestinian people, stressing the need
for the international community to address the resulting humanitarian crisis and
protect civilians, the Saudi Press Agency reported. Abbas praised Saudi Arabia’s
crucial role in garnering international support for recognizing the State of
Palestine based on the pre-1967 Middle East War borders, with East Jerusalem as
its capital, the Wafa news agency reported. They discussed preparations for the
International Peace Conference in New York on Sept. 22, where several countries,
including France, the UK, Canada, Australia, and Singapore, are set to recognize
Palestinian statehood.In July, Saudi Arabia and France co-chaired a high-level
UN conference to gather support for the establishment of a Palestinian state.
Since Israel began military operations in Gaza after the Oct. 7, 2023 attack on
southern Israel by Hamas, more than 60,000 Palestinians have been killed.
Israeli settler activity in the West Bank, meanwhile, has also been condemned by
members of the international community, with more countries moving away from the
stance that Palestinian statehood could only be achieved through a negotiated
peace with Israel. The crown prince and the Palestinian president also
reaffirmed their commitment to ongoing joint coordination and enhanced Arab and
international solidarity with the Palestinian people, the Wafa agency added.
Saudi Crown Prince, Jordanian King discuss Gaza and West
Bank developments in Neom
Arab News/August 11, 2025
DUBAI: Developments in Gaza and the West Bank were a key focus on Monday as
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met with Jordan’s King Abdullah II at
Neom Palace. The leaders reviewed the latest regional situation and exchanged
views on issues of mutual concern. Discussions also covered the longstanding
ties between Saudi Arabia and Jordan and ways to enhance cooperation in service
of shared interests and Arab causes. Crown Prince Al Hussein bin Abdullah II
attended the meeting, which formed part of ongoing consultations between the two
countries on regional and international matters.
Other senior officials included Prime Minister Jafar Hassan, Deputy Prime
Minister and Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, and Director of the Office of His
Majesty Alaa Batayneh. From the Saudi side, attendees included Governor of Tabuk
Province Prince Fahd bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz, Minister of Sport Prince
Abdulaziz bin Turki bin Faisal, Interior Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin
Nayef bin Abdulaziz, Minister of Defence Prince Khalid bin Salman bin Abdulaziz
Al Saud, along with other senior officials.
Saudi crown prince, Ukraine’s Zelensky discuss peace efforts
Arab News/August 11, 2025
RIYADH: Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman held a phone call with Ukrainian
President Volodymyr Zelensky to discuss developments in the Ukraine crisis on
Monday, the Saudi Press Agency reported. Prince Mohammed reaffirmed the
Kingdom’s support for efforts aimed at resolving the Russia-Ukraine conflict and
facilitating dialogue. Zelensky, meanwhile, expressed his appreciation for Saudi
Arabia’s role in promoting peace.
Syria vows accountability after video of Sweida hospital killing
AFP/August 11, 2025
DAMASCUS: Syria’s interior ministry on Monday said it would hold accountable
those responsible for the apparent killing of an unarmed man at a hospital
during violence last month in Druze-majority Sweida province, after a purported
video of the incident emerged. “We condemn and denounce this act in the
strongest terms and affirm that the perpetrators will be held accountable and
brought to justice... whatever their affiliation,” the ministry said in a
statement.A week of bloodshed began on July 13 with clashes between local Druze
fighters and Bedouin tribes, but the violence rapidly escalated as it drew in
outside forces, eventually killing some 1,600 people, many of them Druze
civilians, according to an updated toll by a war monitor. Local media outlet
Suwayda 24 published the video on Sunday, saying it was from hospital
surveillance footage. Forces in military garb are seen shooting dead a man whom
Suwayda 24 identified as an engineer volunteering with the hospital team after a
brief scuffle, as a group of people dressed as health care workers are crouched
on the floor. Another man seen in the video told AFP that the incident took
place on July 16. Rights activists called for accountability and an independent
inquiry after the footage emerged, following other videos that circulated last
month that also appeared to show government forces killing civilians. The
interior ministry said it appointed an official “to directly oversee the
progress of the investigation in order to ensure the culprits are found and
arrested as soon as possible.” Late last month, authorities announced the
formation of a committee to investigate the Sweida violence, which should
present its findings within three months. Activists have instead called for an
independent investigation to probe the violence. Mohammad Al-Abdallah, executive
director of the Syria Justice and Accountability Center, said on Sunday that
United Nations investigators “must enter Sweida immediately” and labelled the
medic’s killing a war crime.Despite a ceasefire, the situation remains tense in
Sweida and access to the province remains difficult. Local residents accuse the
government of imposing a blockade, something officials have denied, pointing to
the entry of humanitarian convoys.
US congressman discusses with Syrian president return of body of American killed
in Syria
AP/August 11, 2025
DAMASCUS: US Congressman Abraham Hamadeh made a brief visit to Syria where he
discussed with the country’s interim president the return of the body of an
American aid worker who was taken hostage and later confirmed dead in the
war-torn country, his office said Monday. Hamadeh’s visit to Syria comes as a
search has been underway in remote parts of the country for the remains of
people who were killed by the Daesh group that once controlled large parts of
Syria and Iraq before its territorial defeat six years ago. Kayla Mueller, 26,
was captured in northern Syria in August 2013 and her family and US officials
confirmed her death more than a year later. Hamadeh, an Arizona Republican, has
vowed to return Mueller’s body — which has not yet been found — to her family.
Hamadeh’s office said he was in Syria for six hours to meet President Ahmad Al-Sharaa
to discuss the return of Mueller’s body to her family in Arizona. The statement
added that Hamadeh also discussed the need to establish a secure humanitarian
corridor for the safe delivery of medical and humanitarian aid to the southern
province of Sweida that recently witnessed deadly clashes between pro-government
fighters and gunmen from the country’s Druze minority. A Syrian government
official did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Hamadeh’s
statement. nnnDozens of foreigners, including aid workers and journalists, were
killed by IS militants who declared a so-called caliphate in 2014. The militant
group lost most of its territory in Iraq in late 2017 and was declared defeated
in 2019 when it lost the last sliver of land it controlled in east Syria.Since
then, dozens of gravesites and mass graves have been discovered in northern
Syria containing remains and bodies of people IS had abducted over the years.
American journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff, as well as humanitarian
workers Mueller and Peter Kassig are among those killed by IS. None of the
remains is believed to have been found. Mueller, from Prescott, Arizona, was
taken hostage with her boyfriend, Omar Alkhani, after leaving a Doctors Without
Borders hospital in Aleppo, Syria, where he had been hired to fix the Internet
service for the hospital. Mueller had begged him to let her tag along because
she wanted to do relief work in the war-ravaged country. Alkhani was released
after two months, having been beaten. In 2015, the Pentagon said Mueller died at
the hands of IS and not in a Jordanian airstrike targeting the militant group as
the extremists claimed earlier.
Zelenskyy says
‘no sign’ Russia is getting set for peace
Al Arabiya English/11 August/2025
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia was preparing its troops for new
offensives instead of getting ready to stop the war in Ukraine, after he spoke
to Saudi and Indian leaders on Monday as part of efforts to mobilize support for
Kyiv beyond Europe. Zelenskyy won diplomatic backing from Europe and the NATO
alliance on Sunday, amid fears that the US and Russian leaders may try to
dictate terms for ending the 3-1/2-year war during their Friday summit in
Alaska. “Today, there was a report from the intelligence and military command
about what Putin is counting on and what he is actually preparing for. In
particular, military preparations. He is certainly not getting ready for a
ceasefire and war end,” Zelenskyy said in a nightly address. He added, without
providing any specifics, that Russia was moving its troops for new operations on
Ukrainian soil. “There is no sign that the Russians have received signals to
prepare for a post-war situation,” he said. Vladyslav Voloshyn, Ukraine’s
military spokesperson for the southern frontline sector, told Reuters on Monday
that Russia was moving some of its units in the Zaporizhzhia region for further
assaults. In separate statements on Monday, Zelenskyy said he had spoken to
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
India is a major buyer of Russian oil, and Saudi Arabia has pitched itself as a
mediator in the conflict. Zelenskyy said he spoke to both leaders about
strengthening Ukraine’s position in any peace process. “Communication with
leaders is ongoing practically around the clock – we are in constant touch,” he
wrote on X. “Now is the moment when there is a real chance to achieve peace.”In
his “long conversation” with Modi, Zelenskyy added that he had also discussed
sanctions on Russian oil. Trump last week slapped an additional 25 percent
tariff on Indian goods, citing New Delhi’s continued imports of the product. “I
noted that it is necessary to limit the export of Russian energy, particularly
oil, to reduce its potential and ability to finance the continuation of this
war,” Zelenskyy said, adding that leaders with “tangible leverage over Russia”
should act. Zelenskyy also urged his country’s allies to keep their sanctions
against Russia in place until Ukraine receives security guarantees. Putin has
also made a flurry of calls in recent days, speaking to the leaders of China,
India, Brazil and ex-Soviet states to brief them on his contacts with the United
States about the war in Ukraine. On Wednesday, Germany will convene a virtual
meeting of European leaders to discuss how to pressure Russia to end the war in
Ukraine ahead of a European call with Trump. Zelenskyy and EU and NATO officials
were expected to join the meeting. Earlier on Monday, Zelenskyy warned that any
concessions to Russia would not persuade it to stop fighting in Ukraine and that
there was a need to ramp up pressure on the Kremlin.“Russia refuses to stop the
killings, and therefore must not receive any rewards or benefits,” he wrote on
X.“Concessions do not persuade a killer.”With Reuters
The Latest English LCCC analysis &
editorials from miscellaneous sources
on August 11-12/2025
Tehran Ramps Up Executions Amid Fears of Post-War Unrest
Janatan Sayeh/FDD/August 11/2025
In Iran, espionage trials have become a form of theater in which political
prisoners face very real executions. It’s an attempt by the regime to mask its
failure to stop Israel’s spy agency, the Mossad, from operating within its
borders during June’s 12-day war. It is also an attempt to cow a population
primed for unrest. On August 5, Iran Human Rights reported that 67 political
prisoners are currently on death row, including nine accused of spying for
Israel and the United States. In June, six of the 17 security-related executions
were carried out against individuals charged with espionage for Israel, with
prosecutors offering no credible evidence to support the allegations. The
Islamic Republic has turned arrests into instruments of intimidation rather than
acts of credible counterintelligence.
Regime Moves to Further Codify Executions for Fabricated Espionage Charges
Security forces detained roughly 700 individuals following the 12-day war, and
media affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) called for
their mass execution in a July 8 article. On July 14, Islamic Republic Judiciary
Chief Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejei urged expedited rulings in espionage cases
involving defendants with alleged ties to Israel, an offense punishable by
death. The Islamic Republic has long imposed capital punishment for espionage,
under Articles 279 and 286 of the Islamic Penal Code, but new legislation that
the parliament and the Guardian Council are currently seeking to finalize marks
a significant escalation. Under the “Intensifying Punishment for Espionage”
bill, cases once left to judicial discretion would carry mandatory sentences of
execution and asset seizure. Citing the 12-day war as a justification, the bill
also expands the scope of what counts as espionage and empowers the Supreme
National Security Council to designate which countries are “hostile.”
Religious Minorities Routinely Targeted by Espionage Allegations
Since the June 24 ceasefire, Iranian authorities have intensified their
crackdown on members of religious minorities under the pretext that they have
collaborated with hostile intelligence services. At least 53 Christians were
arrested over alleged Mossad links, while security forces raided more than a
dozen homes of Baha’i citizens and detained four. More than two dozen Jews were
interrogated, with five still in custody, including one American accused of ties
to Israel. Despite claiming to differentiate between anti-Zionism and
antisemitism, the Islamic Republic routinely folds its Jewish community into its
anti-Israel campaigns.
Islamic Republic Fears Iranians Most During War Time. Israel’s strikes on
military sites weakened the regime’s military capabilities, but it is the
targeting of its repression apparatus that Tehran viewed as an existential
threat. Demonstrating the fear the Islamic Republic has of its own people,
nationwide security checkpoints were deployed during the 12-day war to limit
movement. The same fear is reflected in the arrests of dozens of people accused
of posting pro-Israel content online as the war began.
Complemented by a messaging campaign aimed at Iranians, Israel’s first wave of
strikes, from June 13 to June 18, targeted senior IRGC commanders, Tehran’s Law
Enforcement Command, and the regime’s main propaganda outlet. Attacks on June 23
struck sites central to the regime’s campaign of repression, including Evin
Prison, known for the torture and executions of political prisoners. Israel also
struck the headquarters of the IRGC and its auxiliary forces, as well as police
bases used to suppress civic dissent. The ceasefire took effect the very next
day, before people on the ground could mobilize against the regime.
Preserving People’s Hope Amid Threats of Execution
Israel’s strikes on the regime’s tools of repression generated a sense of hope
among Iranians, as it marked a rare reckoning for those who had suppressed them
for decades. More executions are looming, but Washington has remained silent on
human rights in Iran despite being vocal about the nuclear threat. This inaction
only reinforces the regime’s sense of impunity. A targeted diplomatic messaging
campaign from the United States could help revive anti-regime sentiment at a
moment when the regime sees energized dissent as a greater threat than military
setbacks.
**Janatan Sayeh is a research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of
Democracies (FDD), where he focuses on Iranian domestic affairs and the Islamic
Republic’s regional malign influence. For more analysis from FDD, please
subscribe HERE. Follow Janatan on X @JanatanSayeh. Follow FDD on X @FDD and @FDD_Iran.
FDD is a Washington, DC-based, nonpartisan research institute focusing on
national security and foreign policy.
Hamas's Plan to Undermine America's Arab Allies
Khaled Abu Toameh/Gatestone
Institute/August 11/2025
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/21827/hamas-undermining-america-arab-allies
Hamas is now trying to incite Arabs to revolt against their own governments
under the pretext that the Arab leaders have failed to help the Palestinians in
the Gaza Strip.
Apparently, the Arab leaders understand the dangers of allowing Hamas, an
offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood terrorist organization, to drag their
countries into war with Israel.
That is why many Arab countries have banned or outlawed the Muslim Brotherhood,
including Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Syria, the United Arab Emirates, and recently,
Jordan. These countries view the Muslim Brotherhood as a threat to national
security and political stability.
If the Trump administration wants to promote peace and stability in the Middle
East and protect its Arab allies, it must follow suit and designate the Muslim
Brotherhood a Foreign Terrorist Organization.
"Al-Hayya's statement is part of a systematic campaign orchestrated by the
Muslim Brotherhood worldwide with the aim of discrediting Egypt's role and
disrupting its political and humanitarian efforts to stop the war and alleviate
the suffering of [Palestinian] civilians." — Former Egyptian Assistant Foreign
Minister Hussein Haridi, Sky News Arabia, July 28, 2025.
The Hamas leader's goals are "completely in line with the main objectives of the
Muslim Brotherhood: toppling the Egyptian regime and turning Egypt into a
quagmire of chaos.... The Muslim Brotherhood believes that the current economic
situation in Egypt could be an opportunity to pressure the Egyptian people by
mixing religious sentiments with economic conditions, thereby destabilizing the
country's domestic situation." — Saeed Okasha, Egyptian expert at the Al-Ahram
Center for Political and Strategic Studies, almashhad.com, July 28, 2025.
Hamas leaders, who claim they were betrayed by their Arab brothers, now seek to
export their group's own crisis and place the responsibility for the suffering
of the Palestinians on other parties, especially the Arab countries.
They are doing so from their safe villas and luxury hotel suites in Qatar, one
of the leading sponsors of Islamist groups, especially the Muslim Brotherhood.
Were it not for Qatar's backing, Hamas leaders would not have had the courage to
incite unrest and instability in Egypt and Jordan. It is time for the Trump
administration not only to designate the Muslim Brotherhood a Foreign Terrorist
Organization, but also finally to call out Qatar and its Al-Jazeera TV network
for promoting Islamist terror groups that target Israel and America's Arab
allies.
Recently, senior Hamas official Khalil al-Hayya, who together with his family
moved from the Gaza Strip to Qatar before the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led invasion
of Israel, called on Arabs to "march toward Palestine by land and sea and
besiege the [Israeli embassies in Arab countries, especially Egypt and Jordan]."
After rejecting all proposals for a ceasefire-and-hostage deal, the Iran-backed
Palestinian terror group Hamas is now trying to incite Arabs to revolt against
their own governments under the pretext that the Arab leaders have failed to
help the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
Recently, senior Hamas official Khalil al-Hayya, who together with his family
moved from the Gaza Strip to Qatar before the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led invasion
of Israel, called on Arabs to "march toward Palestine by land and sea and
besiege the [Israeli embassies in Arab countries, especially Egypt and Jordan]."
Addressing the Egyptian people, al-Hayya said: "O people of Egypt, how can you
allow your [Palestinian] brothers near your border to die?" The Hamas official
was referring to Egypt's refusal to open the Rafah border crossing between Egypt
and the Gaza Strip to allow in humanitarian aid.
Al-Hayya's statements reflect the deep disappointment among Hamas leaders with
the Arab countries' failure to help the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip during
the war triggered by the terror group's October 7 atrocities, in which Hamas
murdered more than 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals, and wounded of
thousands. On that day, another 251 Israelis and foreign nationals were
kidnapped to the Gaza Strip, where 50 – alive and dead – are still held captive.
One of the declared goals of Hamas's October 7 massacre was to thwart efforts to
achieve normalization between Israel and the Arab countries, especially Saudi
Arabia. Another undeclared goal of Hamas was to instigate unrest and instability
in Egypt and Jordan, the two neighboring countries that have peace treaties with
Israel.
Since the beginning of the war in the Gaza Strip, Hamas officials have been
indirectly urging Egyptians and Jordanians to revolt against their governments
for not cutting their diplomatic ties with Israel and allegedly failing to help
the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
Al-Hayya's call on Arabs to "march toward Palestine by land and sea" refers to
the two countries that have shared borders with Israel: Egypt and Jordan. Hamas,
with its October 7 massacre, has brought death and destruction on the two
million Palestinians of the Gaza Strip. According to figures from Gaza's
Hamas-controlled ministry of health, tens of thousands of Gazans have been
killed and wounded since the beginning of the war. Hundreds of thousands have
been displaced.
Now, frustrated Hamas leaders, leading comfortable lives in Qatar, Turkey and
other countries, want to sacrifice Egyptians and Jordanians in their jihad (holy
war) to murder more Jews and destroy Israel.
Fortunately, most Arab countries have refused to join Hamas's genocidal scheme.
Apparently, the Arab leaders understand the dangers of allowing Hamas, an
offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood terrorist organization, to drag their
countries into war with Israel.
That is why many Arab countries have banned or outlawed the Muslim Brotherhood,
including Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Syria, the United Arab Emirates, and recently,
Jordan. These countries view the Muslim Brotherhood as a threat to national
security and political stability.
If the Trump administration wants to promote peace and stability in the Middle
East and protect its Arab allies, it must follow suit and designate the Muslim
Brotherhood a Foreign Terrorist Organization.
The Hamas leader's call on Arabs to use the borders of Egypt and Jordan to
attack Israel drew strong condemnations from both countries.
Former Egyptian Assistant Foreign Minister Hussein Haridi said:
"Al-Hayya's statement is part of a systematic campaign orchestrated by the
Muslim Brotherhood worldwide with the aim of discrediting Egypt's role and
disrupting its political and humanitarian efforts to stop the war and alleviate
the suffering of [Palestinian] civilians. It's clear that these statements are
intended to cover up the failures of Hamas's leadership and its intransigence
during certain stages of the ongoing negotiations [to reach a
ceasefire-and-hostage deal]."
The Hamas leader's goals are "completely in line with the main objectives of the
Muslim Brotherhood: toppling the Egyptian regime and turning Egypt into a
quagmire of chaos," said Saeed Okasha, an Egyptian expert at the Al-Ahram Center
for Political and Strategic Studies. According to Okasha, there are a number of
reasons that prompted al-Hayya to take a hostile approach to Egypt:
"The major crisis facing Hamas, particularly since it has lost its military
power, has been reduced to nothing more than planting mines in the streets of
Gaza. Furthermore, Hamas is on the verge of being politically and militarily
finished. Al-Hayya's statements are an expression of despair and frustration
through which he attempts to create justifications for the failure plaguing his
group. The Muslim Brotherhood believes that the current economic situation in
Egypt could be an opportunity to pressure the Egyptian people by mixing
religious sentiments with economic conditions, thereby destabilizing the
country's domestic situation."
Jordanians also expressed outrage over the Hamas leader's call for escalating
protests against Israel in the kingdom and using its border to "march toward
Palestine."
Mohammed al-Musalha, professor of political science at the University of Jordan,
said that Jordanians rejected al-Hayya's "shameful and disgraceful" statements.
"Such hollow speeches alienate the Jordanian people from such [Hamas] leaders
who do not feel the extent of the catastrophe befalling the Palestinian people,
especially the residents of the Gaza Strip. Therefore, they [Hamas leaders] are
in dire need of any assistance from all Arabs. Jordan does not accept being
stabbed in the back by people with political agendas that are well-known to
all."
Jordanian political analyst Khalaf al-Tahat accused the Hamas leader of issuing
a call "that goes buying the limits of political absurdity to the limits of mass
suicide." Al-Tahat denounced the Hamas leader's call as being "no less
disastrous than the scene of death in the Gaza Strip, especially since he called
on the peoples of the countries neighboring Palestine to march toward Palestine,
besiege Israeli embassies, and severe diplomatic and trade relations [with
Israel], as if these people had the luxury of engaging in adventures that lack
the simplest forms of rationally and planning."
Hamas leaders, who claim they were betrayed by their Arab brothers, now seek to
export their group's own crisis and place the responsibility for the suffering
of the Palestinians on other parties, especially the Arab countries.
They are doing so from their safe villas and luxury hotel suites in Qatar, one
of the leading sponsors of Islamist groups, especially the Muslim Brotherhood.
Were it not for Qatar's backing, Hamas leaders would not have had the courage to
incite unrest and instability in Egypt and Jordan. It is time for the Trump
administration not only to designate the Muslim Brotherhood a Foreign Terrorist
Organization, but also finally to call out Qatar and its Al-Jazeera TV network
for promoting Islamist terror groups that target Israel and America's Arab
allies.
*Khaled Abu Toameh is an award-winning journalist based in Jerusalem.
*Follow Khaled Abu Toameh on X (formerly Twitter)
© 2025 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do
not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No
part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied
or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.
In Fond Memory of Stephanie Gräfin Von Westphalen
Charles Elias Chartouni/Face
Book/August 11/2025
Albert Ludwig Universität-Freiburg (1982-2025), 43 Jahre Danach
The University of Albert Ludwig-Freiburg (1982-2025), 43 Years After
There were times when we belonged to the community of Democratic States, Liberal
societies and international civility. It seems that this legacy is not only
challenged but deliberately subverted not only by counter-narratives, but waves
of religious and political totalitarianism and predatory politics determined to
destroy the normative foundations of a pluralistic, liberal and constitutional
polity. This personal and professional retrospect is meant to highlight what
this pluralistic and liberal society stood for in the life of individuals, in
spite of of seven decades of endemic instability and determination to destroy
it.
It‘s always emotionally laden to come back to the university of Freiburg (1457)
after 40 years, whereby I kept coming regularly since 1982. I first came in 1982
to work on my elementary knowledge of the German language, undertake my
post-doctoral studies (summers of 1983-1986) and prepare my teaching courses
throughout my 40 years in Academia.
My memory brings me back to the time when I met Jean Clam (Philosopher,
Epistemologist, Psychoanalyst and Sociologist) in Bonn in 1980 and made my way,
in the summer of 1982, to Freiburg where I encountered a small Lebanese
community, As’ad Khairallah (Professor of Comparative Literature and Poetics at
Albert Ludwig, 1976-1988, and then at AUB,1988-2018, after retirement), Theodor
Hanf (Professor of Sociology, Education and Conflict management in plural
societies, and co-director of the Arnold Bergstraesser Institut, who wrote his
Ph-D on Education and Politics in Lebanon, and conducted extensive research on
wartime Lebanon), Karl Ammann (Former Head of the international Relief at
Caritas-Germany), Maurice Saliba (Former Professor at the Institute of Social
Sciences, II, Lebanese University and free floating researcher-freischwebender
forscher, author of the first index Libanicus related to researches on Lebanon's
social, political, historical, economic demographic and cultural affairs...),
Father Estfan Sakr (al Habib buna Estfen,1922-1994 , former Rector of USEK,
Professor of German Philosophy who translated to French, Wahrheit und Methode
(Truth and Method), the leading book on Contemporary Hermeneutics by Georg
Gadamer, and a pioneering thinker who introduced the reflection on environmental
issues in Lebanon and was behind the creation of the environment ministry in
Lebanon, and the creation of the Bent'ael reservation in Jbeil, who taught
environmental sciences and philosophy at the Social Sciences Institute, Lebanese
University, II), and Joseph Maila (Former Rector of the Institut Catholique de
Paris in 2004, director of Religious Affairs at the French ministry of Foreign
Relations, 2009-2012, and professor of Politics). It brings to my memory the
retreats at the Maria Bronnen monastery in Schwarzwald (Besinnungstage) hosted
by the dedicated friend of Lebanon, Johannes Lehman-Dronke, 1932-2011, (Pater
Johannes, Professor of Chemistry at the Freie Universität-Berlin, and founder of
the new branch of the Augustinian order, Brüder vom Gemeisamen Leben, with
sister Maria-Johanna Zmudzinski , 1931-1981), and Sister Marianne Waltraud
(1940-2025, unsere Liebe Marianne) who dedicated 12 years of her life serving
the Christian communities of the erstwhile Security Zone in South Lebanon.
This was, also, a time when I had the chance to attend the lively philosophical
and theological debates within the German Catholic Church: Bernhard Welte, Karl
Rahner SJ, Hans Küng, Joseph Ratzinger, Hans Urs Von Balthasar, Adrienne Von
Spyer, Walter Kasper, Johannes Baptist Metz, Karl Lehmann, Eugen Drewermann...
and get acquainted with the monumental works of Max Weber, Ernst Troeltsch,
Rudolph Bultmann, Karl Barth, Jürgen Moltmann, Edith Stein, Franz Rozensweig,
Martin Buber, Hannah Arendt, Hans Jonas...., and the one of Joseph Van Ess in
the field of Islamic Studies .... I first came as a young Dozent (Instructor)
and kept coming over the years to keep alive the inspiration and dedication to
the life of the Spirit in our country, since there are no chances for a true
reformist undertaking, without reforming the university and making it live up to
the standards of Western Academia and its ethics. This is the end of an era in
my professional life and the life of a liberal Lebanon. The latest stage in my
professional life is still intertwined with the struggle for the protection of
the precious legacy of an independent, liberal and democratic Lebanon challenged
in its survival and raison d'être.
# The Facebook administration reminded me of this brief report I wrote on my
years at the University of Albert Ludwig-Freiburg in Breisgau. My last stay was
in 2022 after a year spent in the US working on political lobbying and the
Magnitsky Act at the US Congress.
# I stayed for a lifetime in Students Homes (Studenten Wohnheim), took my meals
in students restaurants (Mensa) and took part occasionally in the life of the (Katholische
Hochschule Gemeinde and the Evangelische Hochschule Gemeinde, Catholic and
Evangelical University Community). I stayed chronologically at the Thomas Morus
Burse, Collegium Sapientiae, Albertus Magnus Burse, Collegium Borromaum.
The EU’s Fake History Project: Islam, Europe, and €10 Million in Revisionism
Raymond Ibrahim/The Stream/August
11/2025
The European Union has decided that what the continent really needs right now —
amid economic stagnation, mass illegal immigration, rising crime, and cultural
disintegration — is to funnel 10 million taxpayer euros into propagating fake
history.
And not the usual or normal kind of fake history that many nations employ — the
kind meant to puff up their own civilization’s legacy. No, the EU has gone in a
bolder direction: financing a historical revisionism that deliberately weakens
Europe’s cultural confidence and historical memory in the name of “diversity” —
the kind that’s currently killing the continent. The program, oxymoronically
titled “The European Qur’an” (EuQu), has one overarching goal: to convince
Europeans that Islam and the Koran were somehow foundational pillars of European
civilization. As the project’s homepage proudly proclaims, the idea is to
“challenge traditional perceptions of the Qur’anic text and well-established
ideas about European religious and cultural identities” through exhibitions,
conferences, and books — that is, through mass propaganda. Because what better
use could there be for €10 million than reeducating Europeans into believing
that Islam has always belonged in Europe, that the Koran was never a foreign
invader’s playbook but rather a misunderstood sibling of the European canon?
Claims and Truth
According to the website, the project spans 700 years (1150–1850) of European
history, stretching from the Iberian Peninsula to Hungary, and insists that “the
influence of Islam on European culture is greatly underestimated.”
Is there any truth to this claim? Well, yes — if by “influence” one includes
centuries of war, conquest, slavery, and terror. As historian Bernard Lewis — no
one’s idea of a right-wing zealot — once wrote:
We tend nowadays to forget that for approximately a thousand years, from the
advent of Islam in the seventh century until the second siege of Vienna in 1683,
Christian Europe was under constant threat from Islam, the double threat of
conquest and conversion. Most of the new Muslim domains were wrested from
Christendom. Syria, Palestine, Egypt, and North Africa were all Christian
countries, no less, indeed rather more, than Spain and Sicily. All this left a
deep sense of loss and a deep fear.
Another historian, Franco Cardini, put it even more bluntly in his aptly titled
book, Europe and Islam:
If we … ask ourselves how and when the modern notion of Europe and the European
identity was born, we realize the extent to which Islam was a factor (albeit a
negative one) in its creation. Repeated Muslim aggression against Europe … was a
‘violent midwife’ to Europe.
So yes, Islam has most certainly “influenced” Europe — but not in the way EuQu
wants you to believe. Not by contributing to Renaissance art or Enlightenment
philosophy, but by presenting a relentless, often existential, challenge to
Europe’s very survival.
Strange Contributions
But apparently for EuQu, there’s no difference between influence and intrusion,
or between contribution and conquest.What Islam “contributed” to Europe was a
religious system that, from the very founding text that EuQu is devoted to
“celebrating,” has only ever offered three options to the non-Muslim:
conversion, submission, or death (Koran 9:5, 9:29, among others). Hardly the
stuff of cultural fusion. But now, courtesy of the EU’s largesse, we’re told
that the Koran — once rightly viewed by Christian Europe as the ideological
manual behind jihad and conquest — was actually an integral part of European
identity all along. The truth is quite the contrary. From the very start,
Europeans have shown only contempt for the teachings of the Koran — that “most
pitiful and most inept little book of the Arab Muhammad,” to quote the ninth
century’s Nicetas Byzantinos. After studying Islam’s holy book, he concluded
that it is “full of blasphemies against the Most High, with all its ugly and
vulgar filth,” particularly its claim that Heaven amounts to a “sexual
brothel.”And he was hardly alone. For centuries, European scholars translated
the Koran not to admire it, but to understand the enemy. The only reason
Christians ever studied it was to protect their civilizations against the
ideology that had conquered so many once-Christian lands.
What Is Going On Here?
So what exactly is the EuQu project doing? A small confession appears on its own
website:
… our project is addressing pressing and current issues in Europe and promises
to open new perspectives on our multi-religious societies. Translation: This
isn’t just about history — it’s about shaping the present. About social
engineering. About convincing Europeans that Islam has always belonged here, and
if you think otherwise, well, clearly you haven’t read the Koran through our
carefully curated exhibitions. French MEP Fabrice Leggeri has publicly denounced
the program, calling it a blatant “rewriting of the religious and cultural
history of Europe.” He adds:
To make people believe that Islam has always had considerable importance in
Europe is a falsification of history financed by public money.
Too Close for Coincidence
And it only gets worse. Leggeri also points to the concerning proximity between
the project and political Islam, notably the Muslim Brotherhood. One of EuQu’s
researchers, Naima Afif, wrote a flattering biography of Brotherhood founder
Hassan al-Banna. Le Journal du Dimanche, a French paper, also found that several
academics involved in the project are “notoriously close” to the Brotherhood.
Also calling out the project is Florence Bergeaud-Blackler, a French academic
who’s made a career exposing the Muslim Brotherhood’s gradual infiltration of
European institutions — academic and political alike. Her reward? Cancellation —
if not downright persecution. The message is clear: if you expose the
ideological roots of these pro-Islamic projects, you’re the problem. One of
EuQu’s lead researchers, John Tolan (Université de Nantes), is particularly
illustrative. He claims, “We try to understand the place of Islam and the Quran
in a secular and scientific way,” and insists this work is “against the
radicalism of the Wahhabis and the Salafists.”If that were true, shouldn’t his
work be geared toward convincing Muslims not to read the Koran like “Wahhabis
and Salafists”? Instead, his efforts are geared towards convincing Europeans
that there are “multiple ways to interpret the Qur’an” — an approach designed
only to disarm the latter.
Keep It to Yourself
But this is not surprising; a consistent theme permeates Tolan’s work: the
whitewashing of Islam and the demonization of Christians. For example, in his
book Saracens: Islam in the Medieval European Imagination, Tolan recounts the
martyrdom of some 50 Christians in Muslim-ruled Córdoba — imprisoned,
sadistically tortured, and brutally executed for refusing to convert or recant.
Instead of condemning the Muslim persecutors, Tolan turns his ire on the martyrs
for speaking out against Islam in the first place. In particular, he attacks
Saint Eulogius — a Christian renowned for his humility and charity who was also
martyred in Cordoba for insulting the prophet of Islam by writing: “I will not
repeat the sacrilege which that impure dog [Muhammad] dared proffer about the
Blessed Virgin [Mary]… He claimed that in the next world he would deflower her.”
Such “blasphemous” speech does not sit well with Tolan, who explains:
This outrageous claim [that Muhammad will “deflower” Mary], it seems, is
Eulogius’s invention; I know of no other Christian polemicist who makes this
accusation against Muhammad. Eulogius fabricates lies designed to shock his
Christian reader. This way, even those elements of Islam that resemble
Christianity (such as reverence of Jesus and his virgin mother) are deformed and
blackened, so as to prevent the Christian from admiring anything about the
Muslim other. The goal is to inspire hatred for the “oppressors” … Eulogius sets
out to show that the Muslim is not a friend but a potential rapist of Christ’s
virgins.
Meanwhile, and in reality, not only were (and are) Muslims notorious rapists of
Christians and Europeans, but according to a well-known hadith, Muhammad
declares that “Allah will wed me in paradise to Mary, daughter of Imran” (whom
Islam identifies as Jesus’s mother). Thus it was the prophet himself — not any
“Christian polemicist” — who “fabricates lies designed to shock,” namely that
Christ’s mother will be his eternal concubine. But because this hadith does not
complement the efforts of modern academics trying to paint Muhammad as a beacon
of tolerance, they pretend it doesn’t exist — except in the evil minds of
medieval Christians.
EuQu’s real goal should be clear: to replace Europe’s memory of Islamic conquest
with a fantasy of peaceful coexistence. To portray the Koran not as a source of
jihad, but as a misunderstood spiritual guide. To present Islam not as a threat
Europe had to survive, but as a vital thread in her civilizational fabric. And
thus to “prove” that Muslims have every right to be in Europe, and that
Europeans have every duty to welcome them in.
This isn’t scholarship. It’s propaganda — historical reeducation dressed in
academic robes, bought and paid for by Brussels bureaucrats working with Muslim
subversives, and laundered through compliant universities. The goal is not to
uncover forgotten truths but to manufacture a new narrative — a fake history —
where Islam has always been a cherished part of Europe’s identity, and where
centuries of bloodshed, invasion, and persecution are quietly rebranded as
“cultural exchange.”
In short, the European Union is paying handsomely — not to preserve European
heritage, but to dismantle it. And they’re doing it not through bombs or
invasions, but through exhibitions and peer-reviewed journals.
If that feels like a betrayal, it’s because it most certainly is. And yet it’s
only the latest of countless betrayals, prompting an even more pressing
question: When will Europeans wake — and rise — up against these ever more
blatant attacks on their very being?
**Raymond Ibrahim, author of Defenders of the West and Sword and Scimitar, is
the Distinguished Senior Shillman Fellow at the Gatestone Institute and the
Judith Rosen Friedman Fellow at the Middle East Forum.
10 Years After ISIS: The Extinction and Revival of an Ancient Syriac Saint
The resurrected story of a Syrian
monastery destroyed by ISIS.
Alberto M. Fernandez/National Catholic Register/August 11, 2025
The monastery and tomb of the old saint had seen numerous desert raiders in the
past 16 centuries. When Muslim conquerors first appeared in the seventh century,
Mar Elian (“Mar” means saint in Syriac), near the Syrian desert town of al-Qaryatayn,
was at least two centuries old. Soldiers sent by Muhammad, by the “Righteously
Guided Caliphs,” by the Umayyads and Abbasids, would have passed this shrine and
caravan watering hole numerous times and moved on, leaving the site untouched.
But in early August 10 years ago, these Muslim raiders were different. On Aug.
6, 2015, the Islamic State took the nearby town of al-Qaryatayn and seized
several hundred Christians hostage while others fled. Earlier, they had
kidnapped the local priest at Mar Elian, Father Jacques Mourad, whose
whereabouts were unknown and who was “feared dead.”
On Aug. 21, the Islamic State released propaganda photos and video showing their
fighters destroying the Syriac Catholic Monastery of Mar Elian and the saint’s
tomb itself using bulldozers and dynamite. Some of the images released by the
group showed scattered bones on the ground among the shattered parts of an
ancient Roman marble sarcophagus decorated with carved crosses.
Many Western news accounts reported this outrage at the time, although many did
not quite understand who Mar Elian was and the history of the site. The Homs
governorate of Syria boasts not one but two St. Elians (“Elian” not Elias or
Elijah). The city of Homs proper hosts the tomb of Mar Elian (St. Julian of
Emesa), a third-century Christian doctor — one of the “Holy Unmercenaries” — who
was martyred in A.D. 284 under Emperor Numerian.
Eighty kilometers (50 miles) away, the Mar Elian whose shrine was desecrated at
al-Qaryatayn was Elian the Hermit or Elian the Elder, a Syriac saint, ascetic
and miracle worker originally from the city of Edessa (today Urfa in Turkey) who
died in A.D. 367 and was a teacher of St. Ephrem the Syrian, one of the doctors
of the Church. St. Ephrem, the “Harp of the Holy Spirit,” wrote a series of
poems about his sainted teacher Elian.
This disaster — a priest and hundreds of faithful kidnapped and in the hands of
terrorists, an ancient monastery and shrine destroyed — exactly 10 years ago
this month was only one small part of the horrors of the war in Syria and the
suffering of the Syrian people, Christian and Muslim, since 2011.
ISIS rule over the zone lasted less than a year, a Russian-back Syrian Army
offensive recovering it in April 2016. Almost all of the kidnapped Christians of
Al-Qaryatayn, after suffering terrifying humiliation and repeated threats at the
hands of their Islamic State captors, were eventually released. Some of the
elderly had died of natural causes and a few were killed in airstrikes.
Amazingly, the bones of Mar Elian were recovered and some initial work was done
towards restoring the monastery and shrine, a site that once attracted both
local Muslims as well as Christians. Father Mourad was able to escape captivity
with the help of local Muslims after being held for five months. Since 2023, he
has served as the Syriac Catholic archbishop of Homs.
Archbishop Jacques Mourad
Archbishop Jacques Mourad before the restored tomb of Mar Elian, September
2024(Photo: Courtesy of the Syrian Catholic Archbishopric of Homs, Hama and Nabk)
In an interview with EWTN News’ ACI MENA, Archbishop Mourad reflected on the
10th anniversary of the terrible events of August 2015. It was on Aug. 12 of
that year that he was transferred by his captors to the ISIS capital of Raqqa
and met his kidnapped parishioners. Later that month, they were all allowed to
return to al-Qaryatayn, closely watched and monitored by ISIS, and the
additional fear now became being bombed by the Syrian or Russian air forces.
“On the third or fourth day after our return, we decided to hold a secret Mass
in an apartment in the town center. It was my first Mass after four months, and
it was an extraordinary feeling for me and the believers, as tears of joy
mingled with fear of being discovered,” the archbishop recalled. “Despite the
fear, we all felt a sense of courage, and I attribute that to the Virgin Mary,
as the Rosary prayer had not left my side since the moment of my abduction until
the day of my escape, giving me an inner peace that surpassed the fear.”
After the expulsion of ISIS in 2016, the slow work of recovery began.
The bones of Mar Elian and local monks were recovered and sent to Homs for
safekeeping until they could be returned.
“In 2021, we decided to restore the monastery, to return it to the way it was,”
the archbishop explained. Not only was there the destruction wrought by ISIS,
but thieves had, under cover of military security, cut down hundreds of olive
and other trees that had been planted a decade before. “We started cultivating
the land again; and then in 2022, we started restoring the monastery and the
shrine of the saint. On his feast day, in a celebration attended by the
metropolitan archbishops of Damascus and Homs, from both the Orthodox and
Catholics, we returned the bones to the shrine, on Sept. 9, 2022, the Muslims
joining us in the procession through al-Qaryatayn, a very moving scene.”
Archbishop Mourad added that “only about 25 Christians remain” but that “we hope
if things stabilize in the country that we can completely restore it so that it
can return to be a pilgrimage site and a place for spiritual retreats.”
In Syria, much has been lost and much is under threat. Both congregations and
holy sites are at risk. But just as Mar Elian has been recovered and the slow
work of restoration begun, Archbishop Mourad recently said that, despite
tremendous difficulties and dangers, “Jesus wants his Church to remain in Syria.
And this idea of emptying Syria of Christians is certainly not God’s will.”
Alberto M. Fernandez Alberto M. Fernandez is a former U.S. diplomat and a
contributor at EWTN News.
Age of
predictions over as future unfolds on fast forward
Arnab Neil Sengupta/Arab News/August 11, 2025
During the Cold War between the US-led capitalist Western bloc and the
Soviet-led communist Eastern bloc, political leaders constantly needed to
anticipate their adversary’s next move. Professional futurology emerged to meet
that need. One of its most famous successes was Moore’s law, a statistical
observation of past and present trends in computing power that allowed
remarkably accurate predictions about the future.
Today, however, the pace of change is so rapid that there seems little room for
the likes of Arthur C. Clarke, Marshall McLuhan, Buckminster Fuller or Alvin
Toffler — futurists who thrived when technological and socioeconomic shifts
unfolded over years rather than months. Predictions about the coming
capabilities of artificial intelligence alone are so mind-boggling that many
people hope they are just speculation. Yet AI is only one part of a much larger
picture. Genetics and gene therapy are redefining medicine. Space science is
pushing the boundaries with each new rocket and telescope. Breakthroughs in
smart mobility, energy storage and computing power now occur so frequently that
they can feel almost routine.
Only a few decades ago, such developments would have been fodder for Isaac
Asimov science fiction novels or BBC programs hosted by Clarke. Today,
announcements of revolutionary progress are often buried under geopolitical
headlines or hidden behind paywalls. Important innovations — whether promising
or perilous — struggle to hold public attention in an age of fragmented media
and shortened attention spans.
Consider synthetic biology and gene editing. CRISPR-Cas9 and newer base- and
prime-editing methods are enabling scientists to rewrite DNA with extraordinary
precision. Beyond treating previously incurable genetic diseases, these tools
allow the design of organisms that can produce medicines, biodegradable plastics
or clean fuels. Applications range from malaria-resistant mosquitoes to yeast
engineered to produce human insulin — advances that could, in time, transform
healthcare, agriculture and manufacturing alike. Breakthroughs in smart
mobility, energy storage and computing power now occur so frequently that they
can feel almost routine.
Reproductive technology is another area where the future has arrived. Noor
Siddiqui’s San Francisco Bay Area company Orchid is pioneering comprehensive
whole-genome sequencing for embryos, analyzing more than 99 percent of their DNA
from just a handful of cells. According to reports, Orchid screens for more than
1,200 monogenic conditions and uses polygenic risk scoring to estimate
susceptibility to complex diseases such as cancer, Alzheimer’s, schizophrenia,
diabetes and heart disease. The resulting ethical debates around “designer
babies” have led to accusations that Orchid is toying with reproduction.
However, in parts of the Arab world where genetic disorders are more common due
to higher historical rates of close-kin marriage, such screening could
significantly reduce the prevalence of these illnesses. Clean energy is another
field moving at breathtaking speed. Nuclear fusion experiments have achieved net
energy gain, perovskite-based solar cells promise cheaper and more efficient
photovoltaics, and advanced battery storage is moving closer to making renewable
energy fully reliable. A future characterized by unlimited fusion power could
deliver constant, carbon-free electricity with minimal waste, paving the way for
technologies such as large-scale desalination and carbon capture.
Quantum computing, once a purely theoretical pursuit, is now within reach of
practical application. By exploiting quantum mechanics, these systems can
process information in ways that are beyond classical computers, solving in
minutes problems that would otherwise take millennia. Advances in qubit
stability and error correction bring closer a revolution in drug discovery,
logistics optimization and climate modeling — fields that could change the way
humanity tackles its most daunting challenges.
Space travel and exploration, the stuff of sci-fi visions since the time of
Jules Verne and H.G. Wells, is now being propelled by both governments and
private companies. SpaceX, Blue Origin and Rocket Lab are reducing costs with
reusable rockets, while NASA’s Artemis program plans to return humans to the
Moon and prepare for Mars missions in the 2030s. Other projects include asteroid
mining for rare materials and mega-constellations of satellites to provide
global internet coverage. In the long term, advances in propulsion, resource
utilization and life-support systems could make settlements outside the Earth
feasible, converting humanity into a multiplanetary species.
Today, the challenge is less about imagining a distant future and more about
shaping the transformative forces already in motion.
For the Arab world, these innovations and shifts offer endless opportunities. AI
can optimize oil and gas operations, improve agricultural yields, streamline
logistics and enhance public services, enabling countries like Saudi Arabia and
the UAE to achieve their reform visions faster. Synthetic biology and gene
editing can address region-specific genetic disorders and bolster food security
in arid climates. Clean energy technologies, especially solar and potentially
fusion, can support the strategic shift away from hydrocarbons. Quantum
computing could provide powerful tools for finance, defense and environmental
modeling in a region facing acute climate and water challenges.
Space programs are already raising the Arab region’s profile. The UAE’s Hope
probe to Mars, Saudi Arabia’s space initiatives and the region’s increasing
investments in satellite networks are strengthening telecommunications, disaster
management and climate monitoring. Participation in deep-space missions is
building not only scientific capacity but also international standing. By
adopting and adapting these frontier technologies, the Arab world can
potentially leapfrog older development models and position itself as a leader in
the global knowledge economy.In the Cold War era, futurists looked decades
ahead, drawing on patterns in the present to guide long-term planning. Today,
the challenge is less about imagining a distant future and more about
recognizing and shaping the transformative scientific and technological forces
already in motion. Indeed, in many fields, change is now so rapid that by the
time a prediction is made, reality may already have overtaken it.
• Arnab Neil Sengupta is a senior editor at Arab News.
Savage capitalism: Thriving economy or fractured society?
Dr. Turki Faisal Al-Rasheed/Arab News/August 11, 2025
In an era of polarized debates, two influential recent Washington Post articles
shed light on America’s economic and social challenges. Fareed Zakaria’s piece,
“Don’t believe the MAGA doomers on trade,” staunchly defends free trade as a
pillar of the US’ success. He posits that America has flourished under open
markets and warns against upending global systems with misinformation.
Conversely, Shadi Hamid’s “Men are struggling to find love. Here’s why” delves
into the romantic hardships faced by men, citing factors such as educational
disparities, the pitfalls of dating apps and deepening gender divides.
While both authors provide compelling analyses, they arguably underemphasize a
pervasive force: “savage capitalism,” a hypercompetitive system that enriches a
minority while fostering inequality, debt and social disconnection. That said,
capitalism’s dynamism has undeniably spurred innovation, growth and opportunity.
A balanced perspective requires weighing these benefits against the systemic
costs to chart a path toward equitable progress.
Zakaria’s argument for free trade is rooted in historical evidence and economic
data. Post-Second World War, the US-led Bretton Woods system established the
dollar as the global reserve currency, facilitating unprecedented trade
expansion. Zakaria highlights how agreements like the North American Free Trade
Agreement and World Trade Organization membership have elevated America’s gross
domestic product, with exports reaching $2.5 trillion annually. Manufacturing
output also remains at an all-time high, in contrast to protectionist claims of
decline. Booms driven by easy credit lead to asset bubbles, followed by busts
that disproportionately harm the working class
He debunks “exaggerations” by noting that job losses from offshoring are offset
by gains in the services and tech sectors. Protectionism, as seen in President
Donald Trump’s tariffs on steel and aluminum, has led to retaliatory measures
from China and Europe, inflating costs for American consumers by an average of
$1,200 per household, according to studies from the Peterson Institute for
International Economics. Globally, free trade has lifted more than a billion
people out of poverty, stabilized alliances and reduced conflict risks in a
multipolar world. However, this narrative overlooks how savage capitalism twists
free trade into a tool for elite enrichment. Ray Dalio’s framework in “How
Countries Go Bankrupt” illustrates the debt-credit cycle: booms driven by easy
credit lead to asset bubbles, followed by busts that disproportionately harm the
working class.
In the US, income inequality has soared — the top 1 percent captures 20 percent
of national income, per Federal Reserve data, while median wages have stagnated
since the 1970s despite productivity gains. Free trade’s “winners” are
multinational corporations that exploit cheap labor abroad, decimating
communities in places like the Midwest. Consider the opioid crisis in
deindustrialized towns linked to economic despair or rising homelessness amid
corporate tax cuts.
Geopolitically, American commitments exacerbate imbalances. Annual military aid
to Israel exceeds $3 billion, defended as vital for Middle East security against
threats like Hamas, yet criticized by groups like Amnesty International for
enabling Tel Aviv’s actions in Gaza and the West Bank that fuel humanitarian
concerns. This spending diverts resources from domestic priorities, such as
Arizona’s school voucher programs, which expand choice but have shuttered public
schools due to funding shortfalls, underscoring misaligned investments in
education amid technological disruptions that automate jobs.
A vivid personal story underscores these realities. At a lavish Napa Valley
party attended by individuals earning over a million dollars annually, I posed a
provocative hypothesis to my American friend, who made $100,000 working in Saudi
Arabia: “You are richer than everyone here.” The room erupted in heated
debate.Once calm returned, I explained. Most “wealthy” attendees owned less than
5 percent of their assets outright, the rest was leveraged through loans from
financial institutions. Challenging them to produce $25,000 from savings in a
year elicited silence; even $5,000 seemed unattainable for many, as they are
trapped in cycles of high-interest debt. Vacation time? A month was impossible;
a week was a stretch. This revealed savage capitalism’s trap: a paradigm in
which income barely covers interest payments, leaving even high earners in
perpetual liability. My debt-free friend, with disposable income and
flexibility, embodied true financial freedom. The group fell into thoughtful
silence, confronting how the system prioritizes institutional profits over
personal security.
America’s strength lies in free trade and individualism, which drive innovation.
But unchecked savage capitalism risks collapse
Turning to social dimensions, Hamid’s exploration of men’s romantic struggles is
timely and nuanced. He outlines a “crisis of connection” — men face higher
unemployment and lower college enrollment rates, with women outpacing them in
degrees by between 10 percent and 15 percent. Dating apps amplify this, creating
a winner-takes-all dynamic in which the top profiles receive disproportionate
attention. Studies show 80 percent of women message the top 20 percent of men.
Cultural shifts, like #MeToo’s emphasis on consent, have made approaches
riskier, while political polarization widens rifts: young men lean conservative,
women liberal, shrinking compatibility pools. Hamid, drawing from his Muslim
background, notes the erosion of traditional structures like arranged marriages
or community matchmaking, leaving individuals adrift. However, Hamid glosses
over savage capitalism’s role in amplifying these woes. Corporate-driven
inequality breeds precarious gig economy jobs that offer no stability, deterring
family formation. Debt burdens — from student loans averaging $30,000 to housing
costs — heighten anxiety, making vulnerability in relationships unappealing.
Individualism, a capitalist hallmark, celebrates autonomy but dismantles
communal ties: family sizes shrink, religious affiliation drops (Pew research
shows 29 percent of Americans to be unaffiliated) and social isolation rises,
with one in three men reporting no close friends. Women, empowered by career
advances, seek partners who match their ambitions, but systemic barriers leave
many men economically sidelined.
On the flip side, capitalism’s opportunities foster personal growth; women’s
progress enhances societal equity and tech such as apps have facilitated
millions of marriages. Globally, not all cultures succumb — parts of Asia or
Europe with stronger social safety nets report higher relationship satisfaction.
America’s strength lies in free trade and individualism, which drive innovation
in artificial intelligence, biotech and renewable energy, positioning it as a
global leader. But unchecked savage capitalism risks collapse: debt-fueled
volatility, as Dalio warns, could trigger inflation or austerity, while social
fragmentation breeds extremism, evident in rising populism. Balanced solutions
are imperative: reform trade deals with labor and environmental safeguards,
redirect foreign aid toward diplomacy over militarism, and bolster domestic
investments in universal healthcare, affordable education and infrastructure via
bills like the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Culturally, promote
policies that rebuild communities, such as paid family leave, mental health
support and incentives for civic engagement. Embracing multipolarity, with
partners like the EU and emerging economies, can distribute burdens.
*As Zakaria and Hamid illustrate, dismissing critiques as “lies” or surface
issues ignores root causes; addressing them fosters resilience. True greatness
demands equity for wallets and hearts, ensuring prosperity benefits all, not
just the elite.
• Dr. Turki Faisal Al-Rasheed is an adjunct professor at the University of
Arizona’s College of Agriculture, Life and Environmental Sciences, in the
Department of Biosystems Engineering. He is the author of “Agricultural
Development Strategies: The Saudi Experience.” X: @TurkiFRasheed
Syria’s new
phase: Cracks in allied agendas and Russia’s cautious return
Ibrahim Hamidi/Al Arabiya English/11 August/2025
Syria has entered a new phase. The “honeymoon” that prevailed since the fall of
the regime at the end of last year has ended. Many developments point to this,
including: the “unity conference” in Hasakah east of the Euphrates, the
French–Turkish rivalry over the “Kurdish file,” the Amman talks on the “Druze
file,” and the cautious return of the Russian role.
It would not have been possible for the unity conference – hosted by the
Autonomous Administration in northeastern Syria – to be held without French
support and no American objection, since the military and special forces of both
countries are present east of the Euphrates as part of the international
coalition. The participation of Druze sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri and the head of the
“Alawite Council” Ghazal Ghazal, through recorded video statements in the
conference, cannot be considered a mere coincidence; rather, it marks the
beginning of forming an “alliance of minorities” opposing the position of the
government and the “Sunni majority.”There is thus a push toward a decentralized
system in Syria, which was evident in the final statement of the conference
supporting the principle of decentralization, the drafting of a new
constitution, and the formation of a new army in the country. This trend was
reinforced by subsequent steps, as the three main Druze authorities took
measures to unify their position: Sheikhs Hammoud al-Hanawi and Yusuf al-Jarbou
issued a recorded statement echoing al-Hijri’s positions, openly criticizing the
government’s conduct, calling for an international investigation, and commending
the stances of several countries, including Israel. The additional step that
followed the “unity conference” was the start of Jordan and the US arranging a
ministerial-level negotiation track in Amman between the government and Druze
authorities, with the participation of officials from several countries. In
reality, this track reflects a desire to create a regional process to replace
the Paris international track in dealing with two complex issues: the Kurdish
file and the Druze file. Paris had previously hosted Syrian–Israeli talks to
discuss the future of the southern provinces bordering Jordan, where Tel Aviv
presented a list of demands that included the withdrawal of all heavy and medium
weapons from the south, allowing the establishment of local councils and
autonomous administrations in the provinces of Sweida, Daraa, and Quneitra,
under Israeli air cover. Paris had also hosted Syrian–American–French talks
addressing the Kurdish file and implementing the agreement reached between
President Ahmad al-Sharaa and the commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces,
Mazloum Abdi, on March 10.
All available information indicates that the message delivered by Turkish
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan during his meeting with al-Sharaa in Damascus a few
days ago aimed to freeze the Paris track. The “unity conference” came to
reinforce the desire to dismantle the French track, given that Ankara considers
Paris “biased toward the Kurds” while Paris sees Ankara as biased toward al-Sharaa’s
government. The result was that the Syrian government officially announced it
was freezing negotiations with the Kurds in Paris.
The French–Turkish rivalry over the Kurds and the Turkish–Israeli rivalry over
the Druze file and southern arrangements are indicators of emerging cracks
within the “alliance of allies” of the Syrian government. The months of unified
collective support by Arab, regional, and Western states for Damascus’s position
have ended, and a new phase has begun: the conflict between foreign agendas in
Syria.
Another development now further complicating the scene is the sign of a Russian
return to Syria. The visits to Moscow by Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani,
Defense Minister Marhaf Abu Qasra, and Intelligence Chief Hussein Salama – where
they met President Vladimir Putin and other Russian officials – mark the
beginnings of a new relationship between Damascus and Moscow. This involves key
issues: resuming Russian arms supplies to Syria, joint management of the Hmeimim
and Tartus bases, economic relations, Russian patrols in various areas of Syria,
and the fate of Bashar al-Assad and senior regime officials currently in Moscow.
It is most likely that Damascus, which had received “unlimited Western support”
over the past seven months, has begun to see a change in the tone, demands, and
actions of Western countries following the events in the coastal region and
Sweida, along with the continued Israeli strikes and incursions. It now seeks to
reach out to Russia for specific objectives: creating an eastern counterbalance
to the West, containing Israeli movements, ensuring stability in Syria’s coastal
region, and maintaining military balance on the ground by operating Qamishli
Airport and conducting patrols in northeastern Syria. Turkey is unlikely to be
far from this rapprochement between Moscow and the new Syria. Will the US and
European countries allow Russia, already engaged in Ukraine, to return to Syria?
Will Damascus accept decentralized administrations? Will coordination between
the “components” move from political to military? How will Damascus respond to
the changing landscape, demands, and rhetoric? What will be the nature of the
relationship between the militarily involved parties – the US, Turkey, Russia,
and Israel?
There are many possible answers to these questions, but one thing is certain: we
are facing a new stage where the agendas of Damascus’s allies are emerging,
clashing, and renewing the struggle over and within Syria.
Netanyahu’s
missing political vision
David Powell/Al Arabiya English/11 August/2025
The decision by the Israeli security cabinet to approve Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu’s proposal for the Israeli army to take over Gaza City, home to around
800,000 Palestinians, has produced outrage and condemnation inside Israel as
well as from abroad. The families of the remaining Israeli hostages still held
in Gaza staged an angry protest in Tel Aviv on the eve of the cabinet vote and,
when it was announced, accused the government of sentencing their loved ones to
death. Opinion polls regularly report that a majority of Israelis support the
call by the hostage families for the government to call an immediate halt to the
war and negotiate the release of their loved ones, even if this means leaving
Hamas in power in Gaza. Opposition leaders called the decision by the security
cabinet to step up rather than halt the war, in defiance of public opinion and
the demands of the hostage families, a disaster. They accused Netanyahu of
sacrificing the security of Israeli citizens for political calculations by
bowing to pressure from the extreme right-wing members of his coalition, who
advocate a full reoccupation of Gaza 20 years after Israel pulled out completely
from the strip.
While Netanyahu has long been adept at wrong footing his political rivals and
resisting calls for an end to the war, opposition to the latest move has also
come from the highest echelons of the military itself. Chief of Staff Lt. Gen.
Eyal Zamir warned that such a move would endanger the lives of the hostages. So
far the army has been careful not to operate in areas where it thinks the
hostages are held, since Hamas has warned it will execute them if Israeli forces
come near. A year ago, Hamas made good on this threat by killing six hostages
when the army drew close to where they were being kept. Pushing into more of
Gaza therefore puts more of them at risk. Zamir also warned that, after 22
months of war, his forces were exhausted and a new push to reoccupy more of Gaza
would cause the “erosion” of the army.
Harrowing accounts of civilian suffering in Gaza had prompted even Israel’s
allies to call for a ceasefire, even before the latest cabinet decision to
instead intensify the war. A statement by 25 Western nations on July 21 said the
conflict must end immediately as the “inhumane” killing of civilians and the
“drip feeding” of aid which had brought the suffering of Gazans to “new depths.”
So why has Netanyahu decided now to defy such calls for a halt to the war both
from inside Israel and from its allies, and instead to step up the military
campaign?
Three days after the statement by Western countries, the peace talks taking
place in Doha, aimed at reaching a ceasefire and release of hostages broke down.
The US presidential envoy, Steve Witkoff, returned home accusing Hamas of having
no desire to reach a ceasefire. Netanyahu, who had condemned the Western
statement as playing into the hands of Hamas, drew the lesson – rightly or
wrongly – that it had emboldened Hamas to escalate its demands in the ceasefire
talks. And when President Trump said Israel had to “finish the job” in Gaza and
get rid of Hamas, Netanyahu will have felt he had the backing of his strongest
ally to carry on the war. The prime minister is also even more reliant than ever
on the support of the two small extreme right parties in his coalition, who
insist on pressing on with the war until Hamas is eliminated. This is because of
the decision by one of the parties representing Haredi – ultra-orthodox – Jews
to pull out of Netanyahu’s coalition government over the issue of the draft.
Ironically it is the refusal of Haredis to serve in the army that is causing
much of its manpower shortage, as well as stoking resentment from mainstream
Israelis, whose sons and daughters are spending months on the front line in
Gaza.
So the combination of Hamas intransigence, pressure from his coalition partners
and an apparent US green light appear to have pushed Netanyahu into deciding
that expanding the campaign is the only way forward. But there are serious
military and political questions over such a strategy. If the aim is to really
defeat Hamas or pressure it to resume negotiations, why is the military focused
on Gaza City, rather than the central Gazan refugee camps of Deir al-Balah, al-Nuseirat
and Khan Younis, where Palestinian analysts say Hamas presence is strongest? Nor
is Hamas a regular army that will surrender and disarm when faced with military
defeat. It will declare victory simply if one fighter emerges from the rubble
holding a Kalashnikov and a Hamas flag. A conventional army loses if it does not
win, while a guerilla army wins if it does not lose, as Henry Kissinger
observed.
But most seriously of all, there remains no political vision in Netanyahu’s
plan. He speaks vaguely of “Arab forces” taking over control of Gaza from the
Israeli military. But as long as he rejects any Palestinian Authority role in
securing and governing Gaza, Arab countries will not take on the onerous task of
fighting Hamas and then securing and overseeing the rebuilding of the territory.
It is true that countries and organisations who blithely call for a ceasefire,
rebuilding of Gaza and implementation of a two-state solution fail to explain
how any of that is possible while Hamas remains in power. But the current
Israeli government is equally at fault for pressing on with the war in Gaza
without providing any positive vision of the future for the long-suffering
inhabitants of that devastated land.
Saudi Diplomacy
Forges Consensus
Dr. Ibrahim Al-Othaimin/Asharq Al-Awsat/August 11/2025
The High-level International Conference for the Peaceful Settlement of the
Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution,
co-chaired by Saudi Arabia and France, which was held over three days in New
York, is among the most consequential international political initiatives on the
Palestinian issue in years. The 42 clauses of the historic document issued at
its conclusion seek to generate momentum behind a binding process that leads to
a two-state solution and to reinforce international recognition of the State of
Palestine. The conference comes at a particularly critical juncture: the war in
Gaza continues, regional tensions are rising, and the impasse in negotiations
since the last round of peace talks collapsed. This conference is significant
not only because of its location and timing, but also due to its outcomes and
participants. One hundred sixty countries took part, with 125 states and
regional organizations that explicitly supported the two-state solution in the
New York Declaration on the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine.
Foreign ministers, vice presidents, and official envoys from around the globe
were in attendance. Over twenty countries issued a joint statement endorsing the
proposals of Saudi Arabia and France, and in several states made historic
announcements of their intention to recognize the State of Palestine, reflecting
its international legitimacy and the world’s support for peace in a rare
instance of international consensus on laying a viable political path for the
Palestinian cause.
In effect, this was a broad international consensus that has brought major
states and regional organizations together in a multilateral alliance of a kind
rarely seen in years. The conference also stood out for its pragmatism and focus
on actionable steps, laying out a detailed timeline and slogans in favor of
substance. It presented a comprehensive roadmap addressing the complexities of
the moment on three interconnected levels.
In the short term, it focused on humanitarian de-escalation, calling for an
immediate cessation of military operations, facilitating the entry of aid
through the United Nations and the Red Cross, and addressing the question of
prisoners. In the medium term, it reaffirmed the importance of moving forward
with a comprehensive plan for reconstruction led by Arab and Islamic states that
lays the groundwork for lasting stability. In the long term, it prioritized
building the political and institutional foundations needed for achieving a
two-state solution within a clear timeframe following a viable negotiating
process.
That is, the conference’s final document has set out a holistic, actionable
framework for implementing the two-state solution, which would further
international peace and security and contribute to building the future of the
region and its peoples. Its emphasis on deadlines and implementation mechanisms
makes the conference a concrete step forward, one that is more significant than
anything we have seen since the Oslo Accords.
Achieving this broad international consensus would not have been possible
without Saudi Arabia’s active diplomacy since the establishment of the Global
Alliance for the Two-State Solution last September. It was followed by a series
of follow-up meetings in Riyadh, Brussels, Oslo, Cairo, and Rabat before
culminating in the conference in New York. This conference was the result of
sustained diplomatic engagement, and it consolidated the international pursuit
of a just and comprehensive settlement based on the two-state solution.
Through its consistent efforts, the Kingdom managed to bridge gaps between the
various parties and build the common ground needed for the New York Declaration.
Riyadh steered this process by balancing a steadfast commitment to principles on
the one hand and, on the other, a deep understanding of the complexities of the
international landscape. Through this conference, the Kingdom contributed to
shaping a new international bloc advocating a comprehensive settlement. By
coordinating with France and a number of European and Arab countries, Saudi
Arabia ensured that the conference went beyond diplomatic statements and
developed a concrete vision.
This diplomatic determination was reflected in the clear commitment to a roadmap
to achieve objectives within fifteen months. Indeed, it shows that the Kingdom
is not content to merely call for respecting principles; it is developing viable
mechanisms to achieve them. Saudi Arabia’s dynamic and pioneering role comes at
a time when some major powers are walking back on their commitments or siding
with one party at the expense of justice, underlining its independent foreign
policy approach grounded in international legitimacy, moderation, and the
pursuit of security through justice rather than force.
Finally, important as it is, and despite the political momentum and clear
international messages it sent, we should not be excessively optimistic about
the results of this conference. We know well that the next stage will present
complex challenges. Palestinian division and the positions of certain key
actors, especially the United States and Israel, have not changed. Nonetheless,
the mere fact that this conference was convened at such a critical moment, and
was attended by high-level representatives, reflects a shift worth following. It
could even spark a trajectory that brings the Palestinian question back to the
forefront of the international agenda.
Selected tweets for 11
August/2025
charles chartouni
Lebanon is still debating the decommissioning of Hezbollah and the restoration
of the state’s sovereignty. The constitutional terms and the international
mandates were not enough to sway the recalcitrance of the government, to
dissuade Hezbollah and to stop the Israeli military inroads. The truce signed
between the Israeli and Lebanese governments has not yet yielded the awaited
tangible results in terms of cessation of hostilities, settlement of border
issues and normalization of life astride borders.
What’s the rationale beyond these cumulated impasses, and is there any
possibility to overcome them? The doublespeak and the procrastination modus
operandi are not accidental, they reflect the political ambiguity and its
underlying subtexts: these political interims are delaying tactics designed to
outmaneuver the international mandates and set a limit to constitutional
governance. Hezbollah and its Iranian mentor have no interest in political
normalization and are quite determined to derail any political process running
athwart.
Secretary Marco Rubio
Secretary Marco Rubio
Deeply saddened to learn of Colombian Senator
@MiguelUribeT's tragic death. The United States stands in solidarity with his
family, the Colombian people, both in mourning and demanding justice for those
responsible.