English LCCC Newsbulletin For
Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For August 21/2025
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news
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lccc Site
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/aaaanewsfor2025/english.August21.25.htm
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Bible Quotations For today
If the master of
the house had known in what hour the thief was coming, he would have watched,
and not allowed his house to be broken into
Luke 12/32-48: Don’t be afraid, little flock, for it is your
Father’s good pleasure to give you the Kingdom. Sell that which you have, and
give gifts to the needy. Make for yourselves purses which don’t grow old, a
treasure in the heavens that doesn’t fail, where no thief approaches, neither
moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. “Let
your waist be dressed and your lamps burning. Be like men watching for their
lord, when he returns from the marriage feast; that, when he comes and knocks,
they may immediately open to him. Blessed are those servants, whom the lord
will find watching when he comes. Most certainly I tell you, that he will dress
himself, and make them recline, and will come and serve them. They will be
blessed if he comes in the second or third watch, and finds them so. But know
this, that if the master of the house had known in what hour the thief was
coming, he would have watched, and not allowed his house to be broken into.
Therefore be ready also, for the Son of Man is coming in an hour that you don’t
expect him.” Peter said to him, “Lord, are you telling this parable to us, or to
everybody?” The Lord said, “Who then is the faithful and wise steward, whom his
lord will set over his household, to give them their portion of food at the
right times? Blessed is that servant whom his lord will find doing so when he
comes. Truly I tell you, that he will set him over all that he has. But if
that servant says in his heart, ‘My lord delays his coming,’ and begins to beat
the menservants and the maidservants, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken,
46 then the lord of that servant will come in a day when he isn’t expecting him,
and in an hour that he doesn’t know, and will cut him in two, and place his
portion with the unfaithful. That servant, who knew his lord’s will, and didn’t
prepare, nor do what he wanted, will be beaten with many stripes, but he who
didn’t know, and did things worthy of stripes, will be beaten with few stripes.
To whomever much is given, of him will much be required; and to whom much was
entrusted, of him more will be asked."
Titles For The
Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published
on August 20-21/2025
A Series of Heresies, Blasphemies, and Betrayals by the Inciter—Mufti
Ahmad Qabalan/Elias Bejjani/Augst 20/2025
Nabih Berri and the Heresy of Dialogue: A Fake Cover for the Iranian
Occupation/Elias Bejjani/August 18/2025
Mufti Qabalan's Statement: "Hezbollah's Weapon is 'God's Weapon' and No One Will
Disarm It"
Mufti Qabalan: "Sovereignty with a document of sovereign waiver is nothing but
cheap merchandise in the market of buying and selling, and the banner of the
resistance has not fallen
Qabalan to Al-Rahi: "Hezbollah's Weapon Is 'God's Weapon' and No One Will Disarm
It
Lebanon urges US lawmakers to press Israel to withdraw, halt attacks
PM Nawaf Salam briefed US senators on his government’s decision to disarm
Hezbollah
UN Security Council discusses fate of UNIFIL in Lebanon, one-year extension
likely
The mandate for the UNIFIL operation is renewed annually, and its current
authorisation expires on August 31.
Lebanon’s real battle is inside the Shia house/Yassin K FawazThe Arab
Weekly/August 20/2025
Aoun advisor reportedly meets Raad, says disarmament plan null if Israel doesn't
comply
Berri meets US delegation, criticizes US move to end UNIFIL's mission
Salam and Berri Call for Crucial Renewal of UNIFIL’s Mandate
Rajji: Army may ask for 2 more weeks for submission of disarmament plan
US Signals Conditional UNIFIL Extension Amid Lebanese Security Concerns
Report: Berri asks Hezbollah to cooperate with army, urges against street action
Barrack reportedly sought Ortagus' help for wide Israel network
Rai: Pope Leo to Visit Lebanon Soon
Al-Rahi says Hezbollah 'submission to Iran dictates' is not resistance
Bassil walks fine line on Hezbollah disarmament amid ongoing Israeli attacks
Israeli Drone Strikes Hit Al-Housh in Southern Lebanon
Palestinian Authority to Start Weapons Surrender in Lebanon Camps
Residents Protest Against UNIFIL Patrol in Deir Siryan
Kneecap rapper faces court on terror charge over Hezbollah flag
The Silent Crisis of Lebanese Apples/Christiane Tager/This is Beirut/August
20/2025
China Pledges Stronger Infrastructure Support for Lebanon
LAF Destroys Cannabis Crops, Seizes Drugs and Captagon-Making Equipment
Kataeb Condemn Hezbollah Threats
Economy Minister Warns Generator Owners of Legal Action Over Non-Compliance
Education Minister Announces Four-Day School Week
Titles For The Latest English LCCC
Miscellaneous Reports And News published
on August 20-21/2025
Iran says Europe has no right to extend deadline for snapback sanctions
Iran says will deploy new missiles if Israel attacks again
How religious extremism and settler attacks are eroding the Christian presence
in Israel and the West Bank
Syrian, Israeli diplomats met in Paris to discuss de-escalation: Syrian state
media
Syria’s Deadly Wrong Turn
US-led coalition captures a senior Daesh member in Syria
UN warns Daesh remains a major threat in Middle East despite leadership losses
NATO chiefs to discuss Ukraine security guarantees
Russia says talks on Ukraine’s security without Moscow are a ‘road to nowhere’
Top White House officials turn to public appearances with troops as a tense
Washington watches
US slaps more sanctions on ICC-linked individuals due to Israel indictments
Israel defense minister approves plan to conquer Gaza City
Israel to mobilize 60,000 reservists ahead of expanded Gaza City operation
Israel approves major West Bank settlement project
Jordan FM says Israel ‘killing all prospects’ for regional peace
Aid groups say shelter materials are still not entering Gaza
Netanyahu says Israel has ‘work’ to do to win over Gen Z
Most Americans believe countries should recognize Palestinian state, Reuters/Ipsos
poll finds
Titles For
The Latest English LCCC analysis &
editorials from miscellaneous sources
on August 20-21/2025
Blow after blow, losing ground: How Iran’s regional influence is unravelling/Dr.
Majid Rafizadeh/Al Arabiya English/20 August /2025
Druze City Offers Syria’s Leader Yet Another Challenge/Ahmad Sharawi/FDD/August
20/2025
The urgent need to procure more THAAD interceptors/Bradley Bowman/Defense
News/August 20/2025
Trump’s narrow road to Ukraine peace has three milestones for success — or
failure/Peter Doran/ New York Post/August 20/2025
Russia and Ukraine: Why Are We Negotiating with Evil?/Gordon G. Chang/Gatestone
Institute/August 20/2025
Today in History: Islam Begins to Devour Christendom/Raymond Ibrahim/The Stream/
August 20/2025
Is Netanyahu an isolated phenomenon?/Abdulrahman Al-Rashed/Asharq Al-Awsat/August
20, 2025
Climate resilience is a strategic investment in future growth/Pepukaye
Bardouille & Mahmoud Mohieldin,/Arab News/August 20, 2025
Selected tweets for 20 August/2025
The Latest English LCCC
Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on August
20-21/2025
A Series of Heresies, Blasphemies, and Betrayals by
the Inciter—Mufti Ahmad Qabalan
Elias Bejjani/Augst 20/2025
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/08/146478/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N99kYdAmdxA
It is no longer a secret to anyone that Sheikh Ahmad Qabalan, the “Supreme
Jaafari Mufti,” does not represent his religious denomination or his country. He
is merely a paid mouthpiece and instigator for Iran and its armed terrorist
group,blasphemously named “Hezbollah.”
In a statement issued on Tuesday, August 19, 2025, he responded to Maronite
Patriarch Bechara Al-Rahi’s interview with AlArabiya TV using provocative and
inflammatory language. He declared: “The weapons of Hezbollah and Amal are the
weapons of God, and no one can take them away.”
What kind of moral and religious decline is this? How can a religious leader who
receives his salary from the Lebanese state declare rebellion against it, its
constitution, and its decisions, turning the weapons of a foreign, Jihadi, and
terrorist militia into the "weapons of God"? Shouldn't he be a voice of unity
and peace, instead of a cheap instrument for Iran’s clerics?
A Comparison Between Patriarch Al-Rahi and the Instigator Mufti Qabalan
Patriarch Bechara Al-Rahi clearly and unambiguously defined the national
position:
“The government’s decision is clear: all illegal weapons must be in the hands of
the state.”
“There is a decisive Lebanese consensus on implementing the decision to disarm
Hezbollah.”
“The members of the Shiite community are tired of war and want to live in
peace.”
“The army protects all Lebanese without discrimination.”
“Resistance is not about submitting to Iran’s dictates.”
“There is no objection to peace with Israel in the future when conditions are
appropriate.”
Meanwhile, the instigator Qabalan, instead of speaking with a language of
religion and unity, responded with arrogant superiority and a disgusting
fanaticism:
“Hezbollah’s weapon is God’s weapon.”
“Whoever wants Israel should go to live there.”
“There will be no peace with the killers of prophets.”
Who speaks for Lebanon? The Patriarch, who is guided by the constitution and
legitimacy, or the instigator who deifies the arsenal of Iran and its party?
Let's remind Mufti Qabalan: if peace with Israel is a crime, then why did Iran
itself negotiate with the "Great Satan," America? And why did "Hezbollah,"
through Nabih Berri, negotiate with American envoys and sign ceasefire
agreements with Israel—agreements that Hezbollah itself accepted after losing
the war and surrendering? Furthermore, why did Nabih Berri recognize Israel in
the agreement that he and Hezbollah brokered in 2022, the "Agreement on the
Delimitation of the Maritime Border between Lebanon and Israel," surrendering
Lebanese land and maritime waters?
Legitimacy Invalidates the Heresies of the Instigator Qabalan
The instigator Qabalan conveniently forgets that his claims are nullified by
several key agreements:
The Taif Agreement (1989): This called for the dissolution of all Lebanese and
non-Lebanese militias.
UN Resolution 1559 (2004): This explicitly called for the disarmament of all
armed groups in Lebanon.
UN Resolution 1701 (2006): This mandated an end to armed presence south of the
Litani River and restricted weapons to the state.
The Latest Ceasefire Agreement (2025): This clearly stipulated that all weapons
must be limited to the legitimate Lebanese forces—from the army to the smallest
municipal guard—and that any militia, particularly Hezbollah, must be disarmed.
By what right does Qabalan defy the constitution, government, and international
resolutions to grant a fake religious legitimacy to an illegal Iranian firearm?
A Reply to His False Slogan
Qabalan said defiantly: “Whoever wants peace with Israel should go to live
there.”
And we say to him: You, O instigator of Iran, should go to Tehran and take its
weapons with you.
Lebanon is a land of peace, not a land of perpetual war. Lebanon is a land of
coexistence, not a battlefield for proxy conflicts. Lebanon belongs to its
legitimate army, not to sectarian militias.
The Mask Falls Off
Ahmad Qabalan has never been a true mufti; he is an instigator who plants the
seeds of division between Christians and Muslims and among the Lebanese
themselves. With his culture, rhetoric, and actions, he is more Iranian than the
Iranians, raising Khamenei's flag above Lebanon's and legitimizing Hezbollah’s
occupation of the state’s decisions.
In contrast, the voice of Patriarch Al-Rahi is the true voice of Lebanon: for
sovereignty, the constitution, the Taif Agreement, international resolutions,
peace, and neutrality. Whoever desires otherwise should look for another
homeland besides Lebanon.
The fact remains that the Iranian terrorist and Jihadi "Hezbollah" has never
protected Lebanon. Instead, it has plunged it into futile wars that have
destroyed villages, killed young men, displaced families, and placed the
Lebanese, particularly the Shiite community, in a state of hostility with their
Arab surroundings and the international community. The weapon he claims is
“divine” is, in reality, a tool of Iranian occupation that uses the Lebanese as
fuel for battles that are none of their concern.
A Direct Call to the Esteemed Shiite Community
Dear brothers and sisters in the Shiite community: you are not hostages, and you
are not mere numbers in the project of "Wilayat al-Faqih." "Hezbollah" has
kidnapped you from your state, confiscated your decision-making, killed your
sons in wars that do not concern you, destroyed your regions, and involved you
in animosity with the entire world. The time has come for you to say: enough.
Free yourselves from this great prison that has been imposed on you in the name
of religion and false resistance. Your future and the future of your children
are contingent upon your return to the Lebanese state, to normal life, and to a
genuine partnership with all components of the nation.
Lebanon cannot be built with illegal weapons or Iranian ideological illusions,
but with peace, the constitution, and the sovereignty of a single, unified
state.
Nabih Berri and
the Heresy of Dialogue: A Fake Cover for the Iranian Occupation
Elias Bejjani/August 18/2025
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/08/146411/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zb2a8NKddKk
For decades, the Speaker of Parliament and head of the Amal Movement, Nabih
Berri, has been selling illusions to the Lebanese people under the banners of
“dialogue” and the so-called “defensive strategy,” as if the Constitution, the
Taif Agreement, and international resolutions were mere opinions or negotiable
papers. In reality, everything Berri does is nothing but a circumvention of the
law, an assault on the Constitution, and a blatant collusion with Hezbollah to
keep Lebanon hostage to illegal weapons and under Iranian tutelage.
Constitutional Heresies in the Name of Dialogue
All that is being called “dialogue” or a “defensive/national strategy” is
nothing but constitutional heresy. Its sole purpose is to jump over clear legal
texts and to justify the continued existence of Hezbollah’s weapons, its
parallel state, and its occupation of Lebanon. Sovereignty is not a matter of
negotiation but a binding duty of the state, one that cannot be subjected to
political bargaining or opportunistic deals.
Berri’s Empty Roundtables
The so-called national dialogue sessions presided over by Nabih Berri in 2006
are the clearest evidence: not a single clause was ever implemented. They turned
into a dull theatrical performance to waste time. President Michel Suleiman
followed the same path, launching a dialogue that ended with the Baabda
Declaration, only to see Hezbollah openly defy it. The group told Suleiman,
“Tear it up and drink its water,” before sending its militias into Syria to help
the criminal Bashar al-Assad massacre the Syrian people demanding freedom.
No Mention of Dialogue in Any Agreement
Neither the Taif Agreement, nor international resolutions 1559, 1701, and 1680,
nor even the most recent ceasefire agreement—signed by Nabih Berri himself with
Hezbollah’s approval to halt the war with Israel—contained a single mention of
“dialogue” or a “defensive strategy.” All of these agreements explicitly
affirmed that weapons must remain exclusively in the hands of the Lebanese
state. Berri signed these clauses, only to betray them later, hiding behind
false slogans to justify Hezbollah’s continued dominance.
No State With Hezbollah’s Weapons
There can be no independent, sovereign state that shares its decision-making in
war and peace with a militia or a party. The use of force must rest solely with
the state and its legitimate army. Any claim to the contrary is high treason and
an assault on national sovereignty.
Berri: Corruption and Betrayal of Sovereignty
Nabih Berri, who has dominated Parliament for decades, is the number one corrupt
politician and the ultimate protector of corruption. He prostituted the
Constitution, dismantled the pillars of the state, and turned it into a personal
fiefdom for himself and his cronies. In fact, he is a million times more
dangerous than Hezbollah, because he provided the group with the political,
legal, and parliamentary cover it needed. Anyone who describes him as “concerned
for the country” is either a fool who understands nothing, or a submissive
lackey who accepts humiliation.
No Legitimacy for Dialogue or Fake Strategies
Nabih Berri’s call for dialogue on disarming Hezbollah is rejected outright:
Because with a President of the Republic in place, Berri has no right to usurp
executive roles that do not belong to him.
Because enforcing the Constitution and the law is not a matter of “opinion” or a
negotiable item.
Because the legislative authority, which Berri chairs, has no executive power,
and any attempt to cross that line is a constitutional crime.
Conclusion
Anyone who boasts about dialogue or defensive strategies as a way to resolve the
issue of Hezbollah’s weapons is nothing but a traitor, a collaborator, and an
accomplice to the Iranian occupation against Lebanon. The Constitution is clear,
the international resolutions are even clearer, and the solution will never come
from new, futile dialogues, but from a sovereign and decisive decision that
enforces the state’s monopoly over arms and permanently dismantles Hezbollah’s
mini-state and Nabih Berri’s corrupt regime.
Mufti Qabalan's Statement: "Hezbollah's Weapon
is 'God's Weapon' and No One Will Disarm It"
Mufti Qabalan: "Sovereignty with a document of sovereign waiver is nothing but
cheap merchandise in the market of buying and selling, and the banner of the
resistance has not fallen."
National/August 19, 2025
The distinguished Ja'fari Mufti Sheikh Ahmed Qabalan issued the following
statement:
"First, I say to His Beatitude Patriarch Bechara Al-Rahi: Peace be upon you and
the mercy of God and His blessings, for peace is the treasure of prophets, and
harmony and opposing the oppressor is the religion of saints. The rock of the
church and the mosque stands only by supporting the oppressed, helping the
deprived, aiding the tormented, and fighting the unjust, the corrupt, the
tyrant, and the arrogant, like Israel and its alliance, its terrorist project,
and its history drowning in the torment of Christ and Christians. Without that,
the church and the mosque become null and void.
And to my partner in this nation, who increases the suffering of his partner, I
say: The weapon of Hezbollah is the weapon of the Amal Movement, and the weapon
of both Hezbollah and the Amal Movement is God's weapon, and there is no power
on earth that can disarm it (God willing). Without this, our souls, our
existence, and all our capabilities are poised to defend this Lebanon. We are a
force that God has singled out with historical sacrifices and national
victories, despite being stabbed by those closest to us. If modern Lebanon has a
historical ransom and sacrifice, it is what the Amal Movement, Hezbollah, and
all other resistance forces have offered, who defeated Israel and tore the
Lebanese state, its institutions, and its various sectors from the fangs of
Israel on the day it occupied and stripped it of all national identity.
Hiding the truth is possible, except from God. Arbitrary revenge is not the
logic of the church and the mosque. The decisive consensus of a formal minority,
who have nothing to do with national identity, to implement the decision to
disarm the resistance is a crazy, empty, and cheap decision. Its value is no
more than the corrupt ink it was written in. There is no decision more
traitorous to this country, its history, and its sovereignty than this decision,
which serves the greatest interests of the Zionist entity. Its national weight
is zero. We will not allow Zionism to re-occupy Lebanon (God willing), and for
that, we rely on our trust in God, in this dear people, its national army, and
its great resistance that awaits moments of great sacrifice.
The sons of the Shiite community are tired of surrender and betrayal and false
testimonies. If there is a community in this country that longs to shed its
blood, the flower of its youth, and its great capabilities for the sake of this
dear homeland, it is the Shiite community—or rather, the community of the
resistance in all its shades and faces. The words of our dear brother,
Hezbollah's Secretary-General Sheikh Naim Qassem, are stamped with truth and
national positions. He has spent his entire life in the service of Lebanon's
resurrection and the preservation of its sovereignty, and he still does. Before
and after him are the words of the nation's and country's trusted figure, the
dean of national sacrifices, and the one entrusted with the legacy of Imam Sadr,
our dear brother, President Nabih Berri, who reclaimed the homeland during the
uprising of February 6 and led the great resistance after the country was lost
and some were complicit in its Zionization. President Nabih Berri remains the
shield of Lebanon and the wise guardian of its national sovereignty.
To all near and far, I say: Hezbollah means the Amal Movement, and the Amal
Movement and Hezbollah mean the Shiites, and the Shiites mean every free person
in this dear country, with its resistance, sacrifices, and national identity.
Hezbollah is not penetrated and will not be penetrated, it has not been defeated
and will not be defeated. It is the one that defeated the most powerful
Israeli-NATO army on the border, despite its legendary arsenal and the absolute
support from all of Israel's allies. It is the one that fought the most
dangerous national defense against the largest Israeli-NATO arsenal and
prevented these great powers, with all their arrogance, from occupying a border
town like Khiam, and it brought down the Middle East project through a sea of
blood, body parts, and sacrifices, just so the church would remain a church, the
mosque a mosque, and the Lebanese state a sovereign state, forbidden to Zionism
and the projects of May 17. The cause of this war is the terrorist, occupying
Israel, which was founded on a pile of body parts, blood, and the ruins of a
people and a homeland, and an endless number of aggressions and atrocities.
By that, I mean Israel with all its legacy, which is drowning in enmity towards
Christ, Christianity, Islam, and Muslims. The terrorist Israel, not the
oppressed people in Palestine, Lebanon, southern Syria, Yemen, and others who
have been reached by the hand of terrorist Israel. The shared existence, the
national state, and Lebanese sovereignty are our holiest of holies. Without
them, we offer our lives and capabilities beyond our means. Our history and the
history of the icon of the great revolutions, Sayyid Hassan Nasrallah, and our
brother, the trusted figure of the nation and the countries of the East,
Professor Nabih Berri, are an unparalleled sign of national honor in this
oppressed country, where some of its people rebel against us because of our body
parts and sacrifices scattered across this land, so that Lebanon may remain a
free master for its people and its people, Muslims and Christians.
Iran is the pride of every free person in this world. Our trust in Tehran is
like our trust in the great saints. The only enemies of the saints are the
devils. To remind you, I say: It is Iran that crushed the Middle East project
and shattered the hopes of Washington and Tel Aviv, which thrive on terrorism,
occupation, and ruin. It is the one that foiled Washington and Tel Aviv's dream
of a Greater Israel.
The banner of the resistance has not fallen for half a century and will not fall
as long as the country needs defense, protection, and sacrifices. We have not
lost a war and we will not lose it (God willing). What we have offered in this
war is something entire armies are incapable of. The decision of peace and war
is not a formal decree or governmental decisions, but the sovereignty of a
nation, the interests of a people, and the guarantee of a people and the
interests of a country that cannot be sold in the night or day. The restriction
of weapons has fallen with the American paper, and the restriction of weapons
that exposes Lebanon from its people, its people, and its sovereign and national
interests has no value in the midst of a weak state that only possesses the
ability to count airstrikes from behind empty offices.
Sovereignty with a document of sovereign waiver is nothing but cheap merchandise
in the market of buying and selling. The sellers of the homeland have no
authority, and there is no legitimacy above Lebanon's sovereignty and interests.
The moment is for the defense of Lebanon. He who reclaimed Lebanon half a
century ago will not accept this country falling into the hands of the Zionists
again. The government is a government to the extent that it protects Lebanese
sovereignty, not sells it, donates it, or smuggles it behind a screen.
Legitimacy is legitimacy to the extent of Lebanon's entity, the seniority of its
sovereignty, and the custody of its interests, away from the betrayal of
homelands.
The 'support war' is a perfect copy of Christ's service to the oppressed and
persecuted, and a primary commandment in all covenants of prophets, saints, and
the documents of nations and peoples. What a moment of great remorse before God,
the prophets, and all nations for all those who did not support Gaza and every
oppressed and persecuted person in this world drowning in the injustice against
the weak. Israel, which has harmed Christ, Christianity, the homeland, and
national identity, does not deserve to be defended or to have a feud with those
who carry the burdens of the prophets and saints in confronting it and
preventing its expansion and terrorism. There will never be peace with the
killers of prophets, the traitors of peoples, and the occupiers of homelands.
Whoever wants Israel should leave to it. Netanyahu's ambition for a Greater
Israel, had it succeeded, would have been built on a pile of Christian and
Muslim bodies and the destruction of their homelands. There is no excuse for
anyone who defends the killers of prophets and saints.
A spiritual summit has no value if it seeks to triumph for Zionism or harm the
weapon of the resistance, which represents the weapon of the prophets in this
age. The community of the resistance in this country has no visits except to the
fronts of sovereignty, defending the land and honor, protecting the homeland,
and aiding humanity. What most ignites civil war is a false inclination, a
position that violates covenants, or an interpretation that benefits the enemies
of God, humanity, and homelands. The moment is for protecting the project of the
state and shared existence, and this can only be achieved through meeting, love,
defending the dignity of this homeland and its interests, and triumphing for the
blood and body parts that have preserved this country and the weapon that has
safeguarded Lebanon's existence, its great sovereignty, and the honor of its
national dignity."
Qabalan to Al-Rahi: "Hezbollah's Weapon Is 'God's Weapon' and No One Will Disarm
It"
Nidaa Al-Watan/August 20, 2025
The distinguished Ja'fari Mufti Sheikh Ahmed Qabalan issued a statement in which
he directed a direct message to Maronite Patriarch Bechara Al-Rahi, asserting
that "peace is the treasure of the prophets, harmony and opposing the oppressor
is the religion of the saints, and the rock of the church and the mosque stands
only by supporting the oppressed and fighting the corrupt, the tyrant, and the
arrogant, like Israel and its alliance and project."
He added, "Hezbollah's weapon is the weapon of the Amal Movement, and their
weapon is God's weapon, and there is no force that can disarm it. Without it, we
will give our souls, our existence, and all our capabilities to defend Lebanon."
He saw that the sacrifices made by the resistance and Amal are what defeated
Israel and tore the state from its fangs when it occupied Lebanon and stripped
it of its national identity. He continued, "The talk of a consensus to disarm
the resistance is an empty decision and a dangerous betrayal that serves
Israel's interests, and its national weight is zero. We will not allow Zionism
to re-occupy Lebanon, and our trust in God, the people, the army, and the
resistance is firm. The Shiite community is tired of surrender and betrayal and
is always ready to shed blood in defense of the homeland."He indicated that "the
words of Sheikh Naim Qassem are stamped with national truth, and before him, the
words of President Nabih Berri, who reclaimed the homeland during the February 6
uprising and led the resistance, and he remains the shield of Lebanon and the
wise guardian of its sovereignty." He added, "Hezbollah means the Amal Movement,
the Amal Movement means Hezbollah, and the Shiites mean the resistance, and this
weapon is what prevented Israel from occupying Khiam and brought down the
Greater Middle East project."Qabalan pointed out that "the Lebanese state is a
sovereign state, forbidden to Zionism and the projects of May 17, and the main
cause of the war is Israel, with what it represents of aggression and
occupation, while shared existence and sovereignty are the holiest of holies."
He continued, "The history of Hassan Nasrallah and President Nabih Berri is a
sign of national honor, and what we offer of body parts and sacrifices is to
protect Lebanon. As for Iran, it is the pride of the free, and our trust in it
is firm, because it thwarted the Greater Israel project and brought down the
bets of Washington and Tel Aviv."
Qabalan stressed that "the decision of peace and war is not a governmental
matter but a matter of national sovereignty and the interests of a people, and
the restriction of weapons fell with the American paper, which only means
exposing Lebanon in the midst of a weak state that can only count airstrikes."
He added, "He who reclaimed Lebanon half a century ago will not allow it to fall
into the hands of the Zionists again, and the 'support war' is a service to the
oppressed and a commandment of the prophets, and remorse will befall all who did
not support Gaza. There will be no peace with the killers of prophets and
occupiers of homelands, and whoever wants Israel should leave to it."Qabalan
concluded by affirming that "any spiritual summit that seeks to triumph for
Zionism or harm the weapon of the resistance has no value, for this weapon is
the weapon of the prophets in this age. The resistance community's only
destination is the fronts of defending the land, honor, and homeland, and the
moment is to protect the project of the state and shared existence and to
triumph for the weapon that has preserved Lebanon's sovereignty."
Lebanon urges US lawmakers to press Israel to withdraw,
halt attacks
PM Nawaf Salam briefed US senators on his government’s decision to disarm
Hezbollah
Al Arabiya English/August 20/2025
The Lebanese president and prime minister on Wednesday told a visiting group of
US senators that Israel needed to withdraw from occupied points in southern
Lebanon to help support stability in the country. Senators Markwayne Mullin and
Joni Ernst, both Republicans, met with President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister
Nawaf Salam during a trip to Beirut. Aoun said the Lebanese army needed support
to be able to fulfill its national duty and emphasized the necessity of working
to achieve a complete Israeli withdrawal, halting its attacks inside Lebanon,
and releasing prisoners it continues to hold.
Following the year-long war between Israel and Lebanese Hezbollah, a ceasefire
was agreed last November. However, both sides continue to accuse one another of
violating the truce. The Lebanese government recently
adopted a plan to disarm Hezbollah and all other non-state actors inside the
country. The Iran-backed group, as well as Tehran, slammed the decision, with
Hezbollah vowing never to give up its weapons. In a separate meeting, Salam
briefed the US lawmakers on his government’s approval of financial and
institutional reforms, including the decision to assert the state monopoly over
all arms in the country. Salam also said the
increasing support for the Lebanese army would help contribute to stability and
security. As for the UN peacekeeping force, which needs a mandate renewal later
this month, Salam highlighted its importance. He said UNIFIL was vital to
efforts to extend the Lebanese state’s authority over all territories in the
southern, previously a Hezbollah stronghold. On Wednesday, UNIFIL said it had
discovered an underground tunnel of approximately 50 meters and several
unexploded ordnances in southern Lebanon.
Salam echoed the Lebanese president’s comments on the need for Washington to
pressure Israel to halt its attacks, withdraw from the five occupied points in
southern Lebanon and release Lebanese prisoners it is holding. The visiting US
delegation was in Beirut after a trip to Damascus to meet Syria’s president,
Ahmed al-Sharaa. Salam stressed the importance of Syria’s unity and stability,
his office said.
UN Security Council discusses fate of UNIFIL
in Lebanon, one-year extension likely
The mandate for the UNIFIL operation is renewed
annually, and its current authorisation expires on August 31.
The Arab Weekly/August 20/2025
The United Nations Security Council started negotiations on Monday on a
French-drafted resolution to extend a long-running peacekeeping mission in
Lebanon and signal an intention to work on an eventual withdrawal of the UN
troops. The UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL),
established in 1978, patrols Lebanon’s southern border with Israel. The mandate
for the operation is renewed annually, and its current authorisation expires on
August 31. The French draft text would see the council indicate “its intention
to work on a withdrawal of UNIFIL with the aim of making the Lebanese Government
the sole provider of security in southern Lebanon, provided that the Government
of Lebanon fully controls all Lebanese territory and that the parties agree on a
comprehensive political arrangement.”The United States, a veto-wielding council
member, told a closed-door council meeting on Monday that the mission should
only be extended for one final year, said diplomats, speaking on condition of
anonymity. When asked for comment on whether the US wanted to wind down UNIFIL,
a State Department spokesman said: “We don’t comment on ongoing UN Security
Council negotiations.”UNIFIL’s mandate was expanded in 2006, following a
month-long war between Israel and Hezbollah, to allow peacekeepers to help the
Lebanese army keep parts of the south free of weapons or armed personnel other
than those of the Lebanese state. That has sparked
friction with Hezbollah, which effectively controls southern Lebanon despite the
presence of the Lebanese army. Hezbollah is a heavily-armed party that is
unwilling to relinquish its weapons at the risk of igniting a future
confrontation with the army. The draft Security
Council text “urges the international community to intensify its support,
including equipment, material and financial” to the Lebanese army.
Under a truce that ended a recent war between Israel and Iran-backed
Hezbollah, Beirut’s army has been deploying in south Lebanon and dismantling the
militant group’s infrastructure there. Lebanon has been grappling with the
thorny issue of disarming Hezbollah, with the cabinet this month tasking the
army with developing a plan to do so by the end of the year.
Under the truce, Israel was meant to completely withdraw from Lebanon,
though it has kept forces in several areas it deems strategic and continues to
administer strikes across Lebanon. Israel’s forces
have also had tense encounters with the UN blue helmets.
The draft resolution under discussion also “calls for enhanced diplomatic
efforts to resolve any dispute or reservation pertaining to the international
border between Lebanon and Israel.” Council members
were debating the draft resolution on Monday ahead of a vote of the 15-member
council on August 25 before the expiry of the force’s mandate at the end of the
month.
Lebanon’s real battle is inside the Shia house
Yassin K FawazThe Arab Weekly/August 20/2025
If Hezbollah and Amal remain aligned, the government’s disarmament plan will
almost certainly stall.
When Naim Qassem, Hezbollah’s leader, warned on August 15 that Lebanon would
“have no life” if the state pressed ahead with disarmament, he was not merely
shaking his fist at the cabinet. He was drawing a red line around the country’s
Shia political house and daring outsiders, and rivals at home, to cross it.
The timing was no accident. After months of pressure from Washington and donors,
Lebanon’s government has shifted from pious resolutions to practical steps,
tasking the army to draft a plan to confine weapons to the state and endorsing
the objectives of a US-backed roadmap. In response, Hezbollah and its Shia
allies walked out of the cabinet, denounced the decision as a foreign diktat,
and now threaten mass street protests if “confrontation” is imposed. The spectre
is of a duel between an emboldened state and a militia that still sees itself as
the nation’s shield.
Lebanon’s leaders know that plans on paper will not disarm a movement forged by
war, sanctified by resistance and woven through state institutions. Yet the
political context is shifting. Since hostilities erupted in October 2023, Israel
has pummelled Hezbollah’s infrastructure, assassinated senior commanders and,
most consequentially, killed its long-time chief, Hassan Nasrallah, in September
2024. The organisation survived the shock, installing a new leadership and
adjusting tactics. But attrition, material losses and the burden of
reconstruction have mounted. Outside Hezbollah’s core constituencies in the
south and the Bekaa, tolerance has thinned; within them, war-weariness competes
with communal pride. Even so, Qassem’s message is that Hezbollah’s red lines are
unchanged: no disarmament until Israeli attacks cease and contested territory is
vacated.
The state’s latest gambit is bolder than the usual Lebanese fudge. The cabinet
has asked the army to produce an implementation plan, deadlines, sequencing and
the mechanics of reasserting a monopoly on force, by the end of the summer, with
ministers publicly embracing the goal that all weapons should be in the hands of
the state alone.
To signal resolve, senior officials have framed the move as a prerequisite for
aid and for the country’s fragile rehabilitation after years of crisis and
conflict. This is not just technocracy. It is an attempt to redefine the
boundary between a sovereign state and a party that insists it is both movement
and army.
Hezbollah’s riposte is also familiar: delegitimise the decision as made “under
American orders,” warn against involving the military in domestic confrontation,
and evoke the ghosts of 2008, when gunmen briefly seized parts of West Beirut.
The group says the cabinet has committed a “grave sin” and that it will treat
the decision “as if it does not exist”, unless, of course, it is forced to act.
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam has called this rhetoric an “unacceptable” threat of
civil strife. In the background, President Joseph Aoun, elected earlier this
year, has told Iranian envoys that Lebanon rejects foreign interference, even as
Tehran pledges respect for decisions “taken in consultation with the
resistance.” The dance is intricate; the stakes are plain.
Yet to mistake this for a contest between a “national” state and a “sectarian”
militia is to miss the point of Lebanese politics. The decisive arena is inside
the Shia community itself. For four decades, Shia politics have rested on two
pillars: Hezbollah, the formidable military-religious party; and Amal, the more
traditionally political movement led by Nabih Berri, parliament’s long-time
speaker and the consummate broker of Lebanese deals. Rivals once, the two were
yoked into uneasy partnership under Syrian tutelage in the 1990s. Since then,
Hezbollah has carried the gun and the narrative of resistance; Amal has managed
the levers of the state, parliament, ministries, patronage, translating communal
weight into institutional power.
What Qassem staged in his speech was a show of unity: Amal and Hezbollah as a
single flank. For the government, and for the West, that is the real obstacle.
In theory, a Sunni prime minister and a Maronite president can claim the mantle
of national sovereignty as they challenge any armed group outside state
authority. In practice, their confrontation can strengthen the very movement
they seek to weaken. Hezbollah thrives on the story that it protects a community
historically marginalised by the old confessional order, threatened by Israeli
power and by hostile domestic factions. Decrees from a Sunni-led cabinet or
admonitions from Christian politicians fit all too comfortably into this
narrative. The more sectarian the optics of disarmament appear, the more
Hezbollah’s core voters rally around its guns. That is why Western talk of a
“national” solution often founders on Lebanon’s sectarian arithmetic: legitimacy
here is not evenly distributed across the polity; it is mediated through
communities. Hence the centrality of Mr Berri. If Amal
were to decouple from Hezbollah, not in a showy break that invites fratricide,
but in a gradual, unmistakable repositioning, the consequences would be
profound. First, the fiction of a monolithic Shia
consensus would end. A sizeable share of Shia voters, activists and municipal
networks, teachers’ unions, syndicates, municipal councils, would have
permission to say publicly what some whisper privately: that perpetual “managed
confrontation” with Israel, and the war economy it sustains, have become too
costly.
Second, Hezbollah’s presence within the state in procurement, customs, borders,
energy, would face real scrutiny from within the sect, not just from hostile
ministries. Third, the army, whose rank and file
mirror the country’s sects, would find political cover for cautious, negotiated
steps to reassert control in areas where Hezbollah has long been primus inter
pares. What would it take for Mr Berri to move? His
instinct is to survive, not to crusade. He has, after all, held the speaker’s
gavel since 1992 by balancing between regional patrons, domestic rivals and the
moods of his own base. Three conditions might shift his calculus. The first is
cost: if Hezbollah’s strategy reliably delivers escalation with Israel, more
assassinations, more air strikes, more ruin in the south, without tangible
gains, Amal’s grassroots may start blaming the partner, not the enemy.
The second is incentive: Berri would need guarantees, from both local and
foreign players, that Amal’s political dominance within the Shia sphere would
not be eroded in the aftermath of a split. The third is cover: a framing that
makes such a shift appear as protecting the community, not betraying it. For
now, these conditions remain unmet. Iran still provides Hezbollah with financial
and political oxygen, and Tehran’s influence over both parties remains
considerable. The Lebanese state is too weak to impose its will without
triggering a clash it cannot win. The United States and its allies, meanwhile,
continue to treat the problem as a cross-sectarian project, leaning on the Sunni
prime minister, lobbying the Maronite president, hoping for “national
consensus.” In reality, Hezbollah’s fate will be decided in Dahieh, Tyre and
Nabatieh, not in the presidential palace.
If Hezbollah and Amal remain aligned, the government’s disarmament plan will
almost certainly stall. Even partial implementation, targeting Palestinian
factions or smaller militias, would be spun as vindication of Hezbollah’s
“resistance” role.
The risk, as ever, is that Lebanon slides back into paralysis: too weak to
impose decisions, too divided to build consensus, too great a hostage to the
calculations of armed actors to regain true sovereignty. The West has often
treated Lebanon’s sects as interchangeable players in a national drama. In
reality, they are separate audiences watching the same play. Disarming Hezbollah
is not a matter of winning over Beirut’s Sunni elite or Christian leaders. It is
a matter of persuading the Shia establishment that the cost of resistance has
finally outweighed its pride. Until then, threats from the cabinet or foreign
capitals will be met, as ever, with defiance and the guns will remain in the
same hands they have been in for the past forty years.
**Yassin K Fawaz is an American business executive, publisher and security and
terrorism expert.
Aoun advisor reportedly meets Raad, says disarmament plan null if Israel doesn't
comply
Naharnet/20 August /2025
Presidential advisor Mohammad Obeid and Hezbollah MP Mohammad Raad have met to
discuss Hezbollah's disarmament, Ad-Diyar newspaper reported Wednesday.
According to the daily, Obeid assured Raad that If Israel does not abide
by the American paper - by withdrawing from south Lebanon and halting its daily
attacks -, the Cabinet's decision to disarm Hezbollah would be considered null.
Ad-Diyar said further meetings will be held between Baabda and Hezbollah.
U.S. special envoy to Lebanon Tom Barrack said Monday as he visited
Lebanon that the Lebanese government has done their part and "now what we need
is for Israel to comply with that equal handshake."The Lebanese government had
endorsed last week a U.S.-backed plan for Hezbollah to disarm and tasked the
army with developing a plan for the group's disarmament by year end. The
decision angered Hezbollah and its allies, who believe Israel's military should
first withdraw from the five hilltops it has occupied in southern Lebanon since
the end of its 14-month war with Hezbollah last November and stop launching
almost daily airstrikes in the country. Sheikh Naim Qassem, Hezbollah's
secretary-general, has vowed to fight efforts to disarm the group amid ongoing
Israeli attacks and occupation, sowing fears of civil unrest in the country.
Berri meets US delegation, criticizes US move to end
UNIFIL's mission
Naharnet/20 August /2025
Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri met Wednesday in Ain el-Tineh with U.S. Senator
Markwayne Mullin and a congressional delegation from the Republican and
Democratic parties. “Despite the international efforts exerted, and the U.S.
mediation in particular, to compel Israel to comply with international
legitimacy and to implement the ceasefire agreement agreed on in November 2024
and Resolution 1701, we have been surprised by counter-efforts against
Resolutions 425 and 1701 and against the ceasefire agreement from the same
sponsor (Washington), targeting the presence of the UNIFIL forces and their
mission,” Berri said during the meeting. Noting that “the five-party Mechanism
-- which contains the UNIFIL forces in its structure and has it as a main
component of its work -- is headed by a U.S. general whose deputy is a French
general,” the Speaker wondered how “a party seeking to consolidate the ceasefire
and end the war can target their very own efforts.”The United Nations Security
Council began to debate Monday a resolution drafted by France to extend the U.N.
peacekeeping force in south Lebanon for a year with the ultimate aim to withdraw
it.Israel and the United States have reportedly opposed the renewal of the
force's mandate, and it was unclear if the draft text has backing from
Washington, which wields a veto on the Council. The text, first reported by
Reuters, would "extend the mandate of UNIFIL until August 31, 2026" but
"indicates its intention to work on a withdrawal of UNIFIL." That would be on
the condition that Lebanon's government was the "sole provider of security in
southern Lebanon... and that the parties agree on a comprehensive political
arrangement." Under a truce that ended a recent war between Israel and
Hezbollah, the Lebanese army has been deploying in south Lebanon and dismantling
the militant group's infrastructure there.
Salam and Berri Call for Crucial Renewal of UNIFIL’s Mandate
This is Beirut/20 August /2025
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam underscored on Wednesday the crucial role of UNIFIL
in southern Lebanon, saying that renewing its mandate is essential for
maintaining calm and helping the army assert state authority across the region.
During a meeting at the Grand Serail, attended by U.S. Senator Markwayne Mullin,
members of the congressional delegation from both the Republican and Democratic
parties, and U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Lisa Johnson, He pointed to the
government’s ongoing reforms, including institutional and financial
improvements, and reiterated the importance of disarming all groups outside
state control to ensure long-term stability. Salam
highlighted the critical need for greater international support for the Lebanese
Army. He said such support, both financial and in equipment, plays a crucial
role in strengthening the country’s security and stability. The Prime Minister
called on the U.S. to continue pressing Israel to halt aggression, withdraw from
occupied points, and release prisoners. He also touched on the broader
relationship between Lebanon and the United States, including economic
cooperation, and emphasized the need for Syria’s unity and stability as part of
regional security.For his part, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri on Wednesday
warned that UNIFIL’s mission in southern Lebanon is under threat, despite
international efforts, including US mediation, to ensure Israeli compliance with
international law and the November 2024 ceasefire outlined in Security Council
Resolution 1701. Berri made the remarks during a meeting with Johnson, Mullin
and his delegation. He noted that UNIFIL has consistently encountered opposition
from Israel, which continues military operations, raids and violations not only
in the area south of the Litani River – covered by Resolution 1701 – but across
Lebanon. The Speaker highlighted that the UNIFIL
command structure, including its “Quintet Mechanism,” is led by an American
general with a French deputy, questioning how the very force tasked with
maintaining the ceasefire could be undermined.
In parallel, Al Hadath Television reported that Berri urged Hezbollah not to
exploit street protests and called for greater cooperation with the Lebanese
Army. He also asked Hezbollah to support the government in extending UNIFIL’s
mandate.
Rajji: Army may ask for 2 more weeks for submission of
disarmament plan
Naharnet/20 August /2025
Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji on Wednesday described the government’s decision
on arms monopolization as “historic,” saying that Lebanon has asked U.S. envoy
Tom Barrack for “an Israeli step in return.”“We’ve gone through decades of
occupation and the hegemony of movements that have nothing to do with Lebanon,”
Rajji added in remarks to Al-Arabiya TV, while stressing that “there will be no
turning back on the decision to monopolize arms.”Rajji also revealed that “the
army will present its arms monopoly plan in September” and that “it might ask
for two additional weeks to present its final plan” to the government.
Cabinet had on August 5 tasked the army with the presenting the
unprecedented plan before the end of the month, with an ultimate goal of
removing the weapons of all armed groups in the country by year end. As for his
boycott of Iranian Supreme National Security Council chief Ali Larijani’s latest
visit to Lebanon, Rajji said he did not meet the Iranian official due to “his
leadership’s attack on Lebanon.”“I do not accept Iran’s armament of a party
operating outside the state and we have repeatedly told the Iranians not to
interfere in our affairs,” Rajji told Al-Arabiya. “There is no problem in Iran
voicing its opinion but rather in its support for rebellion against the state,”
the ministers added. He also suggested that “the Shiite community has been
hijacked by Hezbollah, which is exploiting it,” warning that “those who speak of
civil war have an intention to ignite it.”
US Signals Conditional UNIFIL Extension Amid Lebanese
Security Concerns
This is Beirut/20 August /2025
UNIFIL spokesperson Andrea Tenenti highlights the mission’s crucial support for
the Lebanese Armed Forces and efforts to preserve stability in southern Lebanon.
©Al-Markazia
A US State Department source overseeing the UNIFIL (United Nations Interim Force
in Lebanon) mission said Wednesday that the one-year extension for the
peacekeeping force is not open-ended, but comes with a clear timeline to end its
role. Speaking to MTV Lebanon, the official emphasized that the naval component
will remain until the mission’s conclusion, citing its key role in monitoring
Lebanon’s maritime borders and preventing smuggling.
The comments come as Lebanese leaders weigh in on the future of UNIFIL, whose
mandate faces renewal at the United Nations. Prime Minister Nawaf Salam stressed
UNIFIL’s importance for maintaining calm in southern Lebanon and enabling the
Lebanese Army to assert state authority. Speaking with US Senator Markwayne
Mullin, a congressional delegation and US Ambassador Lisa Johnson, he
highlighted ongoing reforms, called for disarming groups outside state control,
and urged continued international support for the army. He also pressed the US
to push Israel to halt its aggression, withdraw from occupied areas, and release
prisoners. Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri warned that UNIFIL’s mission is under
threat despite international efforts to enforce the November 2024 ceasefire. He
criticized Israel’s ongoing violations across Lebanon and questioned how the
peacekeeping force, led by an American general with a French deputy, can fulfill
its mandate. Berri also urged Hezbollah to cooperate with the army and support
the government in renewing UNIFIL’s mandate.
Report: Berri asks Hezbollah to cooperate with army, urges
against street action
Naharnet/20 August /2025
Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri has called on Hezbollah to “cooperate with the
Lebanese Army,” which is preparing a plan for monopolizing arms in the hands of
the state, unnamed sources told Al-Arabiya television. Berri also stressed to
Hezbollah that “there is no benefit from using street action to object against
the disarmament decision or force its drop,” the sources said. The sources added
that the Speaker has called on Hezbollah to back the government as it seeks to
extend the mandate of the United Nations Interim Forces in Lebanon (UNIFIL).
Yes, though he will need to repeat the message (unequivocally and without
confusing the matter by other "mixed signals") many times before Hezbollah hears
what he is saying about its role in the now and future of Lebanon.
Barrack reportedly sought Ortagus' help for wide Israel
network
Naharnet/20 August /2025
U.S. special envoy to Lebanon Tom Barrack will return to Beirut next week after
U.S. envoy to the Middle East Morgan Ortagus' return from Israel, pro-Hezbollah
al-Akhbar newspaper reported. The daily said that Barrack will continue his
mission in Lebanon and that Ortagus has not been officially tasked with the
Lebanese file but was invited by Barrack for her wide network of connections in
Israel. The daily quoted Barrack as telling President Joseph Aoun and Prime
Minister Nawaf Salam that he had asked Ortagus to listen to Lebanon's remarks in
order to transmit them to Israel and try to reach results after Parliament
Speaker Nabih Berri promised Barrack to take steps if the latter could convince
Israel to do some steps too. “I think the Lebanese government has done their
part. They’ve taken the first step,” Barrack said Monday. “Now what we need is
for Israel to comply with that equal handshake.”According to al-Akhbar, Berri
had told Barrack that Lebanon needs something in return and that if the envoy
can't pressure Israel to stop its war on Lebanon or do its part then any step
taken by Lebanon would be useless.
Rai: Pope Leo to Visit Lebanon Soon
This is Beirut/20 August /2025
Maronite Patriarch Cardinal Bechara Rai revealed that Pope Leo XIV is scheduled
to visit Lebanon in December. Speaking in a television interview, Rai said, “We
are waiting for the Vatican to announce the exact date of the visit.” When asked
if he might visit Jerusalem again, the patriarch responded, “If the need arises,
I will go.”
Al-Rahi says Hezbollah 'submission to Iran dictates' is not
resistance
Naharnet/20 August /2025
Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi has criticized remarks by Hezbollah chief
Sheikh Naim Qassem as he urged the group to hand over its arms and declare its
"ultimate loyalty to Lebanon"."There can be no civil war," al-Rahi told Saudi
state-owned news channel al-Arabiya Tuesday, after Qassem said last week that
Hezbollah disarmament could lead to "civil war" and vowed to fight to keep the
group's arsenal. "The Shiite community has had enough of wars and wants to live
in peace and there is a full Lebanese consensus on Hezbollah's disarmament,"
al-Rahi said, adding that Hezbollah must understand that the army would protect
all Lebanese and must be loyal only to Lebanon and not to Iran. "The war that
Hezbollah started in support of Gaza only brought devastation to Lebanon.
Resistance is not submission to Iran's dictates, Hezbollah has stripped the
resistance of its true meaning," al-Rahi said, adding that Lebanon can make
peace with Israel when the time is right.
Bassil walks fine line on Hezbollah disarmament amid
ongoing Israeli attacks
Naharnet/20 August /2025
Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil warned against using force to disarm
Hezbollah, saying that it is not acceptable to threaten Hezbollah while Israel
has not stopped its aggressions and is still occupying five hills in south
Lebanon. Bassil said in an interview Tuesday with
Saudi state-owned news channel al-Arabiya that using force against Hezbollah
would lead to domestic conflicts after the government tasked the Lebanese army
to submit a plan by the end of August to disarm the group.
Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea warned Hezbollah Tuesday, saying that
if the group would not respect the government's decision, the state might be
forced to "enforce the law". The state should use
force in that case "with the least possible cost to spare Lebanon any internal
conflicts," Geagea said, adding that he still prefers to resolve the thorny
issue "in a peaceful manner if possible."Bassil said Lebanon must push for both
Israel's halt of attacks and Hezbollah's disarmament. "We cannot focus on the
arms alone, it is not the only problem and was in the first place the result of
Israeli occupation and aggression," he said.Despite a ceasefire reached in late
November, Israel has kept its attacks almost daily especially on south Lebanon.
It also is still occupying five hills in south Lebanon that it deems
"strategic".Hezbollah says it would not hand over its weapons while Israeli
strikes continue. Bassil proposed Hezbollah's weapons
be handed over to the army and not destroyed so the army can protect Lebanon as
it is still under attack. "Hezbollah has deviated from the Lebanese context of
its arms," Bassil said, referring to the latest war in support of Gaza, yet he
called for solidarity and unity in the face of external threats from Israel and
Syria. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had
recently expressed support for the idea of an expanded "Greater Israel",
encompassing not only the present-day Palestinian territories of Gaza and the
occupied West Bank, but also parts of modern Jordan, Lebanon and Syria.
Bassil urged the Lebanese to unite against the calls for a "Greater
Syria" and a "Greater Israel", calling for national dialogue to protect the
war-hit country.
Israeli Drone Strikes Hit Al-Housh in Southern Lebanon
This is Beirut/20 August /2025
Israeli drone strikes hit a vehicle in the town of Al-Hosh, east of Tyre,
resulting in two minor injuries, and causing damage to a house close to the
impact site. The injured were transported to local hospitals by the Al-Risala
Association for Medical Aid. Additional strikes hit the towns of Al-Zrarieh,
Ansar, and Ain Baal. A second strike in Ansar was confirmed, though authorities
have not provided details on casualties or damage. Earlier, Israeli warplanes
struck near Mays Castle toward Ansar, firing several air-to-ground missiles.
Flares were also dropped over Naqoura. Drones were seen over Al-Kharaib
Al-Namireh, Al-Saknouniyah, Al-Baysariyah, Tafahata, and Al-Sarafand. In Tyre
district, drones flew at low altitudes over Deir Qanoun Al-Nahr, Al-Burj
Al-Shamali, and Ain Baal. On Wednesday afternoon, an Israeli drone dropped a
stun bomb near a drilling rig in Mays Al-Jabal. Later, a small drone reportedly
crashed after being targeted in the same area. Drones were also observed over
Al-Zahrani, Kfar Rumman, Al-Maidhna, Al-Dabsha, Al-Jarmaq, and Al-Mahmoudiyah.
Palestinian Authority to Start Weapons Surrender in Lebanon
Camps
This is Beirut/20 August /2025
The Palestinian Authority is set to announce the start of a weapons handover
phase in Palestinian camps in Lebanon within the next 24 hours, sources told
al-Markazia. The plan, reportedly finalized under the direct instructions of
President Mahmoud Abbas, comes after the arrival of the new Palestinian
Ambassador to Beirut, Mohammad al-Asaad. A Palestinian
security and political committee, which arrived ahead of the ambassador, held
extensive meetings with Lebanese political and security officials, resulting in
an agreement on the implementation of the plan. Fatah will oversee the
arrangements for the weapons handover. Sources also indicated that weapons held
by factions aligned with the resistance axis will be addressed alongside
Hezbollah’s arsenal.
Residents Protest Against UNIFIL Patrol in Deir Siryan
This is Beirut/20 August /2025
On Wednesday, residents of Deir Siryan, close to Hezbollah, protested after a
Finnish UNIFIL (United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon) patrol reportedly
entered private olive groves without being accompanied by the Lebanese Armed
Forces (LAF). The incident comes ahead of a vote on
the extension of UNIFIL’s mandate, with the UN Security Council scheduled to
decide on August 25. The current mandate of the UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon
is set to expire at the end of August. On Monday, the
Security Council began debating a draft resolution submitted by France to extend
UNIFIL’s mission by one year. The future of UN peacekeepers in Lebanon has
become a point of contension between the United States and Europe, raising
broader implications for regional security. Since the November 27, 2024
ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, multiple incidents have targeted UNIFIL
patrols in southern Lebanon, including confrontations with civilians.
Kneecap rapper faces court on terror charge over Hezbollah
flag
Agence France Presse/20 August /2025
A member of Irish rap band Kneecap was due to appear in court on Wednesday
charged with a terror offence for allegedly supporting Hezbollah. Liam O'Hanna,
27, who performs under the stage name Mo Chara, was charged in May after being
accused of displaying a Hezbollah flag during a London concert in November. The
hearing at Westminster Magistrates' Court in central London is expected to hear
legal arguments on whether the charge falls outside a six-month time limit, a
court official confirmed. Since Hezbollah was banned in the UK in 2019, it has
been an offence to show support for the Iran-backed Lebanese force. Kneecap has
grabbed headlines for statements denouncing the war in Gaza and against Israel.
The hearing at Westminster Magistrates' Court in central London comes amid a
growing controversy surrounding support for banned organisations. More than 700
people have been arrested, mostly at demonstrations, since the Palestine Action
group was also outlawed in early July under the Terrorism Act 2000. The
government ban on Palestine Action came into force days after it took
responsibility for a break-in at an air force base in southern England that
caused an estimated £7.0 million ($9.3 million) of damage to two aircraft. The
group said its activists were responding to Britain's indirect military support
for Israel during the war in Gaza. Supporting a proscribed group is a criminal
offense punishable by up to 14 years in prison.
Provocative -
Hundreds of fans cheered outside the central London court in June when O'Hanna,
Liam Og O hAnnaidh in Gaelic, made his first appearance in June. Prosecutor
Michael Bisgrove told the previous hearing the case was "not about Mr O'Hanna's
support for the people of Palestine or his criticism of Israel". "He is well
within his rights to voice his opinions and his solidarity," Bisgrove said.
Instead, the prosecutor said, the case was about O'Hanna wearing and displaying
"the flag of Hezbollah, a proscribed terrorist organization, while allegedly
saying 'Up Hamas, up Hezbollah'".The raucous punk-rap group has said the video
that led to the charge was taken out of context. Daring provocateurs to their
fans, dangerous extremists to their detractors, the group's members rap in the
Irish language as well as English. Formed in 2017, the group is no stranger to
controversy. Their lyrics are filled with references to drugs, they have
repeatedly clashed with the UK's previous Conservative government and have
vocally opposed British rule in Northern Ireland. Last year, the group was
catapulted to international fame by a semi-fictional film based on them that
scooped multiple awards including at the Sundance festival.
The Silent Crisis of Lebanese Apples
Christiane Tager/This is Beirut/August 20/2025
As autumn paints Lebanon’s hills in shades of red and green, apple season is in
full swing. Crunchy, juicy, sweet or tangy, apples are more than a simple fruit;
they are the lifeblood of villages across the country, from the Beqaa Valley to
Akkar. Yet behind this picturesque image lies a troubling reality: a surplus of
apples and too few markets to absorb them. In many
mountain communities, apples are far more than a dessert – they are an economic
pillar. Families depend on the harvest to cover schooling, healthcare and daily
expenses. When apples go unsold, the entire rural economy wobbles. Juice, jams,
artisanal cider and vinegar exist as alternatives, but they are insufficient to
handle overproduction.
Export Challenges
“Surpluses were traditionally sold to neighboring Arab markets,” explains a
Lebanese apple grower to This is Beirut. “But with complicated borders, soaring
transport costs and a lack of clear government strategy, apples now pile up in
cold storage or are sold cheaply as compote.”
A Political Warning: The ‘Apple Revolution’
Two days ago, MP Walid al-Baarini raised the alarm on X: “We are approaching
apple harvest season, a national product that is a vital source of livelihood
for our families. We ask the government, particularly the Ministry of
Agriculture: What have you done to open Arab markets? A failed season would be
catastrophic for thousands of households. Beware the apple revolution!” His
warning is clear: public frustration could spill beyond the orchards if no
action is taken. However, Agriculture Minister Nizar Hani told This is Beirut
that significant efforts are underway to open new markets and boost Lebanese
exports. He regrets, though, that despite initiatives with Saudi Arabia, land
routes remain closed for Lebanese agricultural products, a crucial path for
apple exports. Currently, Iraq is the only significant importer of Lebanese
apples. Minister Hani added that he will travel to Egypt next week to discuss
export strategies and regulatory frameworks.
What Needs to Be Done
According to Hani, steps should include reopening Gulf and Jordanian markets,
promoting local processing into high-value products such as cider, vinegar and
dried snacks, and encouraging Lebanese consumers to buy local. He envisions a
campaign: “Eat an Apple a Day, Save a Village,” turning a simple act of health
into a gesture of solidarity. If an apple a day keeps
the doctor away, in Lebanon, it could also help avert a social and economic
crisis. However, if nothing is done, it won’t just be the fruit that falls from
the trees; the entire rural economy that could topple, and the so-called “apple
revolution” could become a reality.
China Pledges Stronger Infrastructure Support for Lebanon
This is Beirut/20 August /2025
Public Works and Transport Minister Fayez Rasamny met Wednesday with China’s new
Ambassador to Lebanon, Chen Chuandong, during a courtesy visit aimed at
strengthening bilateral cooperation in the fields of transport and
infrastructure. During the meeting, Rasamny raised the issue of a Chinese
donation of 100 buses to support Lebanon’s public transport sector, inquiring
about their expected arrival to ensure they can be put into service swiftly.
For his part, the ambassador outlined several additional initiatives
reflecting China’s commitment to Lebanon, including donations for infrastructure
and road projects, as well as invitations for Lebanese delegations to attend
specialized training programs in China to enhance technical expertise. In
response, Rasamny welcomed these initiatives, highlighting China’s role in
supporting Lebanon and pledging to follow up with the relevant authorities to
ensure their effective implementation.
LAF Destroys Cannabis Crops, Seizes Drugs and
Captagon-Making Equipment
This is Beirut/20 August /2025
The Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) announced on Wednesday that one of its units
destroyed seven dunums of cannabis crops in the town of Zarazir, Baalbeck. In a
statement, the Army Command said that as part of its ongoing efforts to combat
drug trafficking, an army unit, supported by a patrol from the Intelligence
Directorate, raided the homes of wanted individuals in the Sharaouna area. The
operation led to the seizure of equipment used to manufacture Captagon, as well
as quantities of hashish. During the raid, the patrol came under fire from the
suspects. The soldiers returned fire, but no casualties were reported.
Kataeb Condemn Hezbollah Threats
This is Beirut/20 August /2025
In a meeting on Wednesday under the chairmanship of its leader, Samy Gemayel,
the Kataeb Party’s political bureau strongly condemned recent threats by
Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem, who warned that any attempt to disarm
his group would “spark a civil war and end life in Lebanon.”The Kataeb
reiterated their “rejection of Iran’s persistent interference in Lebanon’s
internal affairs,” noting that Qassem’s remarks “echo statements by Ali
Larijani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, whose sole
objective is to safeguard Tehran’s interests.” The party also reproached
Larijani for “disregarding both the will of Lebanon’s Shias and that of the
Lebanese people as a whole.” The party further stressed the need for the state
to press ahead with its decision to monopolize weapons, reaffirming its support
for President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, particularly regarding
the withdrawal of Israeli troops that still maintain a presence in five
positions along the southern border. Lebanese authorities had tasked US envoy
Tom Barrack with relaying this demand to Tel Aviv.
Economy Minister Warns Generator Owners of Legal Action
Over Non-Compliance
This is Beirut/20 August /2025
A high-level meeting on the private electricity generator sector brought
together generator owners, representatives from the Ministries of Economy,
Energy, Interior, and Environment, and security agencies. The session concluded
with key regulatory decisions aimed at standardizing the sector. Speaking at a
press conference following the meeting, Lebanon’s Minister of Economy and Trade,
Dr. Amer Bisat, described the meeting as “positive and productive,” stressing
that private electricity generators are not a trivial issue for Lebanese
households. “This is not merely an economic matter; it touches on the
environment, security, livelihoods, and public health,” he said. The minister
highlighted that the initiative launched by the Ministry of Economy, in
coordination with other relevant ministries, provides a compliance framework for
the sector. He noted that the initiative was personally endorsed by Prime
Minister Nawaf Salam and led to the issuance of Circular No. 31/2025, which
reaffirms existing procedures and laws. Circular
31/2025 requires generator owners to adhere to the official pricing set by the
Ministry of Energy, Bisat emphasized. “This price list is not a matter of
opinion; it is an official reference that we consider fair and balanced,” he
said. The circular also mandates the installation of meters and filters, making
these measures both a legal and ethical obligation. Bisat warned that
non-compliance would trigger legal action, including fines, seizure of
generators, and referral to the competent judiciary. Bisat reiterated that
compliance with the circular takes priority, with other demands to be addressed
once adherence is ensured. Addressing relations with generator owners, Bisat
stressed that the measures are not confrontational but rather a call for
cooperation. “Successful compliance benefits everyone,” he said, adding that a
45-day grace period has been granted to ensure adherence. The minister concluded
by framing the move as part of a strategic state effort to assert authority not
only at borders and ports but also in sectors directly affecting citizens’ daily
lives. “The goal is to restore trust in the state and its institutions,
confirming their role as an enforcer, regulator, and monitor of the economy,” he
said.
Education Minister Announces Four-Day School Week
This is Beirut/20 August /2025
Education Minister Rima Karami confirmed on Wednesday that public schools in
Lebanon will continue operating on a four-day week in the upcoming academic
year, describing the decision as “a continuation of the previous measure, with
the hope that this will be the last year.”Karami made the announcement following
a meeting with President Joseph Aoun, during which she also outlined ongoing
efforts to readjust teachers’ salaries under a plan currently in development.
The minister briefed the president on preparations for the start of the new
school year. On Tuesday, Karami had indicated during an administrative meeting
with Director General of Education Fadi Yarak and other senior officials that
schools would open four days a week instead of five. Discussions at the meeting
included class duration, potential class mergers, and adjustments to curriculum
schedules. The minister emphasized the importance of completing student
transfers before classes begin and ensuring that teaching staff are fully
assigned to all schools, especially those operating double shifts. Pledging
support for both teachers and school principals, Karami expressed her commitment
to delivering “a distinguished academic year.” She noted that while educational
standards would be centralized, implementation would be decentralized through
regional administrations, with all directives issued as official decisions.
The
Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published
on August 20-21/2025
Iran says Europe has no right to extend
deadline for snapback sanctions
AFP/20 August/2025
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Wednesday said European powers had no
right to trigger snapback sanctions under a moribund 2015 nuclear deal or extend
the October deadline to trigger them. His remarks came after Iranian diplomats
met in July with counterparts from Germany, France, and Britain – the first such
talks since Israel’s attack on Iran the previous month. The 12-day war between
the two regional foes derailed Tehran’s nuclear negotiations with the United
States and prompted Iran to suspend cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog.
The European trio had threatened to trigger the so-called “snapback mechanism”
by the end of August, a move that would reimpose sweeping UN sanctions lifted
under the 2015 accord, unless Tehran agreed to curb uranium enrichment and
restore cooperation with inspectors. According to the Financial Times, the
European parties to the deal also offered to extend the October snapback
deadline if Iran resumed nuclear talks with Washington and re-engaged with the
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). It added in its report last week that
the offer “remained unanswered by Iran.”But on Wednesday, Araghchi expressed
Iran’s rejection of such an extension. “When we believe that they do not have
the right to implement snapback, it is natural that they do not have the right
to extend its deadline either,” he told the state news agency IRNA. “We have not
yet reached a basis for negotiations with the Europeans,” he added. Iran has
repeatedly called reimposing sanctions “illegal” and warned of consequences
should the European powers opt to activate the mechanism.
‘A new form’
Araghchi also said Iran “cannot completely cut cooperation” with the UN nuclear
watchdog, but added that the return of its inspectors was up to the country’s
top security body, the Supreme National Security Council. In July, Iran
suspended cooperation with the IAEA in the wake of its war with Israel, citing
the agency’s failure to condemn Israeli and US strikes on its nuclear
facilities. The agency’s inspectors have since left Iran. Israel’s unprecedented
attack on Iran in mid-June saw it targeting Iranian nuclear and military sites,
as well as residential areas, killing over 1,000 people, including senior
commanders and nuclear scientists. Iran retaliated with missile and drone
attacks that killed dozens in Israel. The United States briefly joined the
conflict, striking Iranian nuclear facilities at Fordow, Isfahan and Natanz. A
ceasefire between Iran and Israel has been in place since June 24. The war took
place two days before a sixth round of nuclear talks between Tehran and
Washington aimed at reaching a nuclear deal to replace the one abandoned by
President Donald Trump in 2018 during his first term. Iran has since said
cooperation with the IAEA would take “a new form.”Earlier this month the
agency’s deputy head visited Tehran for talks. At the time, deputy foreign
minister Kazem Gharibabadi said Iran and the agency had agreed to “continue
consultations.”
Iran says will deploy new missiles if Israel attacks again
Agence France Presse/20 August/2025
Iran said Wednesday it was prepared for any new Israeli attack, announcing it
has developed missiles with greater capabilities than those used during their
recent 12-day war. "The missiles used in the 12-day war were manufactured... a
few years ago," Defense Minister Aziz Nassirzadeh said, quoted by the official
IRNA news agency. "Today, we have manufactured and possess missiles with far
greater capabilities than previous missiles, and if the Zionist enemy embarks on
the adventure again, we will undoubtedly use them."In mid-June, Israel launched
a bombing campaign against Iran, triggering a war in which Iran responded with
missile and drone strikes. The Israeli offensive killed senior military
commanders, nuclear scientists and hundreds of others, striking both military
sites and residential areas. The United States briefly joined the war with
strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities. A ceasefire between Iran and Israel has
been in place since June 24. Iranian officials have since warned that another
round of fighting could erupt at any moment, emphasizing that Tehran does not
seek war but remains prepared for any confrontation. On Monday, First Vice
President Mohammad Reza Aref said Iran should be "prepared at every moment for
confrontation". "We are not even in a ceasefire; we are in a cessation of
hostilities," he added. Iranian media reported that the army is to begin a
two-day military exercise on Thursday, featuring a wide range of short and
medium-range cruise missiles. Western governments have repeatedly voiced concern
about Iran's missile program, calling it a threat to regional security. In July,
France called for a "comprehensive deal" with Tehran that covers not only its
nuclear program but also its missile program and its regional ambitions. Iran
has insisted that its military capabilities are not up for negotiation.
How religious extremism and settler attacks are eroding the
Christian presence in Israel and the West Bank
GABRIELE MALVISI/Arab News/August 20, 2025
LONDON: Harassment, violence and displacement have become a daily reality for
Palestinians across the occupied West Bank, where attacks by Israeli settlers —
allegedly with the protection or tacit approval of the army and government —
have spread unchecked. Religious minorities, including the West Bank’s various
Christian denominations, have not been spared amid the violence. On Aug. 7,
settlers illegally seized land belonging to the Greek Orthodox Monastery of Abba
Gerasimos of the Jordan in Jericho. Just days earlier, another group stormed
Taybeh, the only entirely Christian village in the West Bank, home to Greek
Orthodox, Melkite and Catholic residents. Masked and armed, the assailants
reportedly set vehicles ablaze, sprayed graffiti and released livestock. It was
the second such raid in as many weeks. A fortnight earlier, settlers had torched
the ancient Church of Saint George and desecrated its adjoining graveyard. “They
have always done this around the village, but nowadays they dare to go inside,”
Buthina Khoury, a Greek Orthodox filmmaker who grew up in Taybeh, told Arab
News. “My cousin the other day opened her window and she saw the settler just
outside her house, just in the backyard of her house.”Although nobody was killed
in these raids, attacks such as these reflect a pattern of escalating settler
abuse that is rarely prosecuted by Israeli authorities.The same week, Israel’s
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich approved a highly controversial plan to
advance 3,401 new housing units in the E1 settlement, a move that would split
the West Bank in two and sever it from East Jerusalem. These settlements are
deemed illegal under international law and would make any future contiguous
Palestinian state even harder to realize. The move, widely condemned by the
international community, risks deepening an already volatile situation, further
entrenching a dynamic in which nationalist and colonialist ideologies are
intertwined with Jewish religious extremism. “The whole situation has been very,
very critical and very sensitive, and what’s happening in the rest of Palestine,
it affects Taybeh as well,” said Khoury. “They are trying to turn our life into
misery.”For decades, Taybeh — a village mentioned in the Gospel of John where
Jesus is said to have stayed before his entry into Jerusalem and eventual death
on the cross — had been largely spared from settler violence. That is now
changing.
Recent attacks have drawn international figures to the village, including Roman
Catholic Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa and US Ambassador to Israel Mike
Huckabee. But Khoury says such visits do little to change the reality on the
ground. “What happened in Taybeh is the least compared to what happened to the
villages and towns nearby,” she said, adding that such visits “do nothing” but
“show a fake solidarity.”Christian minorities such as Khoury’s, arguably more at
risk than any other Palestinian community, have steadily dwindled in the West
Bank. In 1922, in what was then Mandatory Palestine, Christians made up about 11
percent of the population. Today they account for less than 1 percent.
Bethlehem, once 85 percent Christian, is now home to just 10 percent. A 2020
study by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research and the Philos
Project found that political instability, residency permit restrictions for
married couples and clergy, frustration with the stalled peace process and
economic hardship were drivers of this decline. About 40 percent of Christian
respondents also reported feeling discriminated against by fellow Palestinians.
Khoury said the situation has shifted dramatically since the Oct. 7, 2023,
Hamas-led attack on Israel triggered the war in Gaza. Violence has
simultaneously escalated in the West Bank, and Christians are being used to fuel
a narrative of division.
Indeed, Khoury said Israeli policies had been designed to drive a wedge between
religious groups. “It’s the policy of every occupier,” she said. “We Palestinian
Christians or Palestinian Muslims — we don’t feel separate from each
other.”Regardless of any deliberate effort to divide Palestinians along these
lines, Khoury said settlers are not targeting Christians solely for their
religious identity, but rather aiming to purge the West Bank of any and all
non-Jewish peoples. The UN has recorded a sharp rise in settler violence this
year. In the first half of 2025 alone, it documented in excess of 700 attacks —
more than triple the number for all of 2023. Between Jan. 1 and Aug. 11, Israeli
authorities also “punitively demolished or sealed 23 homes and four other
structures,” displacing about 140 people, including 57 children — the highest
level of displacement in such a short period since 2009.
The monthly average of Palestinians injured by settlers also doubled in June and
July to about 100, compared with 49 per month in the first five months of the
year. But the pressures faced by Christians are not confined to the occupied
territories. Within Israel itself, Christian communities — long perceived as
relatively secure — are reporting a surge in harassment and hostility. “In
recent years, the Christian community in the Holy Land has faced a rise in
violence and intimidation, targeting both clergy and faithful,” Bishop William
Shomali, patriarchal vicar for Jerusalem and Palestine, told Arab News. “These
incidents reflect a growing climate of hostility that threatens peaceful
coexistence and religious freedom.” Shomali, a Catholic who grew up in the
Christian-majority town of Beit Sahour near Bethlehem, said members of the
clergy had been spat on by Jewish extremists while walking in religious attire
or during processions in Jerusalem’s Old City.Church walls and properties have
been vandalized with hateful graffiti in Hebrew. Often filmed and shared online,
these acts, he said, “express clear contempt for the Christian presence in the
Holy City.” Attacks against Christians in Israel have risen sharply in recent
months, shaped in part by the post-Oct. 7 political climate. A recent report by
the Rossing Center for Education and Dialogue — a Jerusalem-based interreligious
organization promoting ties between Jews, Christians and Muslims — documented
111 cases of harassment in 2024, with physical assaults being the most common.
The figure, almost certainly an undercount given the community’s reluctance to
report such incidents, marks a 30 percent increase compared with 2023. “The
problem is much bigger and wider than that,” Hannah Bendcowsky, the center’s
program director, told Arab News.
“We’re talking about the legitimizing of violence toward minorities, the
normalization of violence and anti-Christian attacks, the lack of condemnation
from authorities, and the lack of proper reaction from police forces.”These
actions, she said, not only endanger the Christian community but have long-term
consequences for Israeli society as a whole.
While Israel’s Christian population grew slightly in 2023 — by about 0.6 percent
— Bendcowsky warned that persistent harassment is fueling what she called a
“slow emigration.”
The community numbers about 180,000 people — around 80 percent of them Arab
Christians. Yet they experience what she described as a “double minority” status
— marginalized as both Christians and Palestinians within Israeli society.
“The main question is, when an Israeli meets a Palestinian Christian, what do
they see? A Palestinian or a Christian? Or I should be more accurate. When they
meet a Palestinian Christian, when do they see him as a Christian and when do
they see him as a Palestinian?”
Bendcowsky said longstanding religious tensions have been deliberately
instrumentalized by Israeli leaders since Oct. 7, deepening polarization and
mistrust that extend beyond minorities to affect Israeli Jewish communities as
well.
She emphasized the need for a broader contextual understanding of these
incidents to fully grasp the wider dynamics affecting the Christian community,
whereby some attacks can be deemed anti-Palestinian while others distinctly
anti-Christian.
“We do relate to the attacks of settlers, but I would say that it’s a different
kind of attack,” she said. “The harassment we see in Jerusalem and in Israel
against Christians is anti-Christian. So it’s not because they are Palestinian,
but it’s because they’re Christian. And most of the people being attacked are
not Palestinians. They’re foreign Christians. “While the incident in Taybeh is
not anti-Christian per se, it’s anti-Palestinian. And this is part of a wider
phenomena that, to my understanding, is ignored by the international
community.”Khoury said settlers are not targeting Christians solely for their
religious identity, but rather aiming to purge the West Bank of any and all
non-Jewish peoples.(Reuters) Bishop Shomali described an “emotional shift” since
Oct. 7 that has provoked a “noticeable increase in hatred and mistrust” across
the region. “What used to be a tense coexistence has now turned into a more
hostile and polarized atmosphere,” he said. “People express fear, sadness and a
sense of loss — not only of physical safety but also of hope for peaceful
relations.”While much remains to be done to address the situation in the West
Bank, some local efforts have emerged to curb harassment in Israel. Jewish
volunteers have begun accompanying Christian clergy and pilgrims during major
processions in Jerusalem, documenting incidents of spitting or other abuse and
reporting them to the police.“There is a growing sense that the Israeli police
are now more seriously committed to addressing specific issues, particularly the
spitting incidents and anti-Christian graffiti in Jerusalem,” said Shomali.
However, he cautioned that while these measures are “meaningful and
appreciated,” they remain limited in scope, addressing the problem within Israel
without tackling the broader context that has fostered instability and mistrust
for decades. For Shomali, the heart of the issue lies deeper than religious
tensions. While Israel’s Christian population grew slightly in 2023 — by about
0.6 percent — Bendcowsky warned that persistent harassment is fueling what she
called a “slow emigration.” (AFP) “Interreligious dialogue, though valuable,
cannot by itself resolve the deeper and more complex issue of the land’s
ownership,” he said.“The core of the conflict lies in two national narratives —
Palestinian and Jewish — that are often contradictory and deeply rooted in
historical, political and religious claims. “Religion is not just a spiritual
identity in this context; it is interwoven into each narrative, which makes
compromise particularly difficult to achieve.”
Syrian, Israeli diplomats met in Paris to discuss
de-escalation: Syrian state media
AFP/August 20, 2025
DAMASCUS: Syria’s foreign minister met with an Israeli delegation in Paris to
discuss de-escalation and the situation in Druze-majority Sweida province after
deadly sectarian violence last month, state media reported Wednesday. Syria’s
Foreign Minister Asaad Al-Shaibani and Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron
Dermer attended the meeting on Tuesday, along with Syria’s intelligence chief,
Syrian state television said, citing an unnamed government source. The meeting
discussed “de-escalation and non-interference in Syria’s internal affairs” and
addressed monitoring the Sweida ceasefire announced by the United States last
month, state news agency SANA said. “Both sides affirmed their commitment to the
unity of Syrian territory, their rejection of any projects aiming to divide it,”
and emphasized that Sweida and its Druze citizens are an integral part of Syria,
the broadcaster reported the source as saying. A week of violence began on July
13 with clashes between Druze fighters and Sunni Bedouin, but rapidly escalated,
drawing in government forces, with Israel also carrying out strikes. Israel,
which has its own Druze community, has said it acted to defend the minority
group as well as to enforce its own demands for the demilitarization of southern
Syria. “These talks are taking place under US mediation, as part of diplomatic
efforts aimed at enhancing security and stability in Syria and preserving the
unity and integrity of its territory,” SANA said, adding they resulted in
“understandings that support stability in the region.” Israel and Syria have
technically remained at war since 1948. As an Islamist-led offensive late last
year toppled longtime Syrian ruler Bashar Assad, Israel deployed troops to the
UN-patrolled buffer zone on the Golan Heights which has separated Israeli and
Syrian forces since the armistice that followed the 1973 Arab-Israeli war. State
television said “the two sides discussed the need to reach a clear mechanism to
reactivate the 1974 disengagement agreement... and establish a more stable
environment.”Discussions also addressed the humanitarian situation in southern
Syria, with both parties agreeing on “the need to intensify assistance for the
people of Sweida and the Bedouin,” it reported. Hundreds demonstrated in Sweida
on Saturday, calling for self-determination and some raising Israeli flags and
accusing Damascus of imposing a blockade, something officials have denied,
pointing to the entry of several aid convoys. Paris hosted a similar meeting
between Shaibani and Dermer last month, while a diplomatic source previously
told AFP that other face-to-face meetings were held in Baku. US envoy for Syria
Thomas Barrack said on X late Tuesday that he met with Israeli Druze spiritual
leader Mowafaq Tarif, discussing Sweida “and how to bring together the interests
of all parties, de-escalate tensions, and build understanding.”
Syria’s Deadly Wrong Turn
Ahmad Sharawi/The National Interest/August 20/2025
Ahmed al-Shara’s attempts to concentrate power and spurn Syria’s minorities are
destabilizing the country. War-ravaged Syria appears to be on the brink of
fracturing again. Various rebel groups, united only in their hatred for deposed
President Bashar al-Assad, are now looking at each other not as allies, but
through gun sights. Syria’s new president, Ahmed al-Shara, had ambitions of
uniting his country when he took control of the capital, Damascus, in December.
However, he has taken a wrong turn by playing favorites and consolidating power
in his own hands. And despite his efforts, armed groups are targeting each
other—and civilians—for revenge over religious and ethnic differences. Shara is
working to bring these groups together in one army, but talks with one of the
largest factions, the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), have broken
down. The SDF controls 30 percent of Syrian territory, mainly in the northeast.
Damascus needs this part of Syria badly. It has key oil fields and contains
prisons and camps holding thousands of Islamic State (IS) fighters and their
families, who nobody wants to see freed. A March 10 US-brokered agreement
between Shara’s government and Kurds has led to prisoner exchanges and some
troop withdrawals, but greater integration has failed. A Paris conference meant
to get things back on track was canceled on August 9. But it is Shara’s
government that has failed to uphold its commitments. Since March, Shara has
consolidated control over every pillar of government through an interim
constitution, without consulting the Kurds or addressing their demands for
cultural rights and political participation.
US-led coalition captures a senior Daesh member in Syria
AP/August 20, 2025
BEIRUT: A US-led coalition captured a senior member of the Daesh group in
northwest Syria on Wednesday, state media and a war monitor reported. It was not
immediately clear if the man is the Daesh supreme leader. Abu Hafs Al-Qurayshi,
an Iraqi citizen and Daesh commander, was detained during a pre-dawn operation
that included landing troops from helicopters in the town of Atmeh, near the
Turkish border. Another Iraqi citizen was killed, according to the Britain-based
Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The US military did not respond to a
request for comment. The Observatory said the man captured had a French-speaking
woman with him, and it was not immediately clear if she was taken by the US
force or by Syrian security forces who later cordoned the area. Two years ago,
Daesh announced that a man called Abu Hafs Al-Hashemi Al-Qurayshi was named as
its new leader after Turkish authorities killed his predecessor. Syrian state TV
on Wednesday quoted an unnamed security official as saying the Iraqi man
targeted in the operation is known as Ali, adding that his real name is Salah
Noman. It said Noman was living in an apartment with his wife, son and mother.
It said he was killed in the raid. There was no immediate clarification for the
difference in names reported by state media and the war monitor. UN
counter-terrorism chief Vladimir Voronkov told the UN Security Council on
Wednesday that while multiple leaders of the Daesh have perished in the past few
years, “the group has managed to retain its operational capacity.”“There is no
indication that the killing of its deputy leader in charge of operational
planning, which resulted from counter-terrorism operations in Iraq in March,
will be any different,” he said, citing unnamed countries as saying the
extremist group may recover from such a loss within six months. Acting US
Ambassador Dorothy Shea made no mention of Wednesday’s arrest, but said the
Trump administration has intensified counter-terrorism operations globally,
including targeting the Daesh, also known as ISIL, and Al-Qaeda’s leadership,
infrastructure, and financial networks. Daesh broke away from Al-Qaeda more than
a decade ago and attracted supporters from around the world after it declared a
so-called caliphate in 2014 in large parts of Syria and Iraq. Despite its defeat
in Iraq in 2017 and in Syria two years later, Daesh militants still carry out
deadly attacks in both countries and elsewhere.
Al-Qurayshi is not the real name of Daesh leaders but comes from Quraish, the
name of the tribe to which Islam’s Prophet Muhammad belonged. Daesh claims its
leaders hail from the tribe, and “al-Qurayshi” is part of their nom de guerre.
UN warns Daesh remains a major threat in Middle East
despite leadership losses
Ephrem Kossaify/Arab News/August 20, 2025
NEW YORK CITY: Daesh remains an active and dangerous presence in the Middle
East, the UN warned on Wednesday, as the group works to rebuild its operations
in Syria and Iraq, even after the loss of senior leaders. Vladimir Voronkov, the
UN’s counterterrorism chief, told the Security Council that Daesh has maintained
its operational capacity in the region and continues to exploit instability,
especially in the Badia region of Syria and parts of the country under the
control of Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham. “Daesh continues to exploit security gaps,
engage in covert operations and incite sectarian tensions in Syria,” Voronkov
said as he presented Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’s 21st report on the
threat posed by the terrorist organization. The group also remains active in
Iraq, he added, where it seeks to destabilize local authorities and reclaim
influence. The humanitarian and security situations in northeastern Syria remain
“deeply concerning,” Voronkov warned, particularly in the camps and detention
facilities that hold suspected terrorists and their families. “The
secretary-general’s concern about stockpiles of weapons falling into the hands
of terrorists has, unfortunately, materialized,” he said. In Afghanistan,
Daesh-Khorasan continues to pose one of the most serious terrorist threats to
Central Asia and beyond, through ongoing attacks against civilians, minority
groups and foreign nationals, while leveraging dissatisfaction with the de facto
authorities. Despite the ongoing threats in the Middle East, Africa remains the
region experiencing the highest intensity of Daesh-related activity, Voronkov
said, with violence escalating in West Africa and the Sahel. There has been a
resurgence of Daesh in the Greater Sahara, while Daesh-West Africa Province has
emerged as a key source of propaganda that is attracting foreign fighters,
primarily from within the region. In Libya, arrests have revealed the logistical
and financial networks linked to the group and connected to the Sahel. In
Somalia, a large-scale Daesh attack in Puntland early this year involving
foreign fighters prompted a military counteroffensive that killed 200 militants
and resulted in more than 150 arrests.
“Though weakened, Daesh still benefits from regional support networks,” Voronkov
said.
Assistant Secretary-General Natalia Gherman, executive director of the
Counter-Terrorism Committee’s Executive Directorate, or CTED, echoed the
concerns. She noted that Daesh-Somalia’s role as a global logistical hub has
been growing recently, though counteroffensives had degraded some of its
operational capabilities. Daesh continues to exploit instability in Africa, she
added, where more than half of the world’s terrorism-related fatalities now
occur. In the Lake Chad Basin region, for example, the group has received
foreign money, drones, and expertise on improvised explosive devices. Gherman
also highlighted the growing use by Daesh of emerging technologies and financial
innovations, as terrorist groups increasingly leverage encrypted platforms,
artificial intelligence, and cross-border financial systems to raise funds,
spread propaganda and recruit new members.
In response to these evolving threats, CTED has visited countries across Europe
and Africa, including Somalia, Chad, Cameroon, Hungary and Malta, to assess
local capacities and provide tailored support. The EU-UN Global Terrorism
Threats Facility has helped implement legislative reforms and capacity building
in countries such as Iraq, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Nigeria and Tajikistan. Voronkov
urged member states to invest more in long-term strategies for prevention,
rather than focusing only on killing or capturing the leaders of terrorist
groups. He said effective counterterrorism efforts must address the root causes
of radicalization, while complying with the requirements of international law.
He raised concerns in particular about detention camps in northeastern Syria,
where tens of thousands of people, mostly women and children, continue to be
held in unsafe and undignified conditions, risking further radicalization.
Gherman said that CTED is helping states address such challenges through the
adoption of principles for tackling the use of drones, financial tech and
artificial intelligence for terrorism purposes.Despite the geopolitical and
resource-related constraints, both of the officials emphasized the need for
sustained international collaboration on the issue. “The persistence of the
threat posed by Daesh, despite national and international efforts, underscores
the urgency of sustained global counterterrorism cooperation,” said Voronkov.
NATO chiefs to discuss Ukraine security guarantees
Arab News/August 20, 2025
Brussels, Belgium: NATO military chiefs were set Wednesday to discuss the
details of eventual security guarantees for Ukraine, pushing ahead the flurry of
global diplomacy aiming to broker an end to Russia’s war. But even as diplomatic
efforts continued Wednesday, Russian forces claimed fresh advances on the ground
and Ukrainian officials reported more deaths from Moscow’s missiles. Few details
have leaked on the virtual meeting of military chiefs from NATO’s 32 member
countries, which is due to start at 2:30 p.m. (1230 GMT). But on Tuesday evening
top US officer Dan Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, held talks with
European military chiefs on the “best options for a potential Ukraine peace
deal,” a US defense official told AFP. US President Donald Trump brought
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders to the White House
Monday, three days after his landmark encounter with Russian President Vladimir
Putin in Alaska. Trump, long a fierce critic of the billions of dollars in US
support to Ukraine since Russia invaded in 2022, earlier said European nations
were “willing to put people on the ground” to secure any settlement. He ruled
out sending US troops but suggested it would provide air support instead. But
while Trump said Putin had agreed to meet Zelensky and accept some Western
security guarantees for Ukraine, Kyiv and Western capitals have responded
cautiously, as many of the details remain vague. Russia’s defense ministry said
on Telegram Wednesday that its troops had captured the villages of Sukhetske and
Pankivka in the embattled Donetsk region. They are near a section of the front
where the Russian army broke through Ukrainian defenses last week, between the
logistics hub of Pokrovsk and Kostiantynivka. In the eastern Kharkiv region, the
prosecutor’s office said a Russian drone strike on a civilian vehicle had killed
two people, aged 70 and 71. Russian glide bombs hit housing in the eastern
Ukrainian town of Kostiantynivka overnight, trapping as many as four people
under rubble, said the town’s military administration chief Sergiy Gorbunov. And
Russia aerial attacks on the northeastern town of Okhtyrka in the Sumy region
wounded at least 14 people, including three children, according to regional
governor Oleg Grygorov. Zelensky said these latest strikes showed “the need to
put pressure on Moscow,” including through sanctions.
Russia says talks on Ukraine’s security without Moscow are
a ‘road to nowhere’
Reuters/August 21, 2025
MOSCOW: Russia said on Wednesday attempts to resolve security issues relating to
Ukraine without Moscow’s participation were a “road to nowhere,” sounding a
warning to the West as it scrambles to work out guarantees for Kyiv’s future
protection.
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov particularly criticized the role of European
leaders who met US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr
Zelensky at the White House on Monday to discuss security guarantees for Ukraine
that could help end the three-and-a-half-year-old war. “We cannot agree with the
fact that now it is proposed to resolve questions of security, collective
security, without the Russian Federation. This will not work,” Lavrov told a
joint press conference after meeting Jordan’s foreign minister.
US and European military planners have begun exploring post-conflict security
guarantees for Ukraine, US officials and sources told Reuters on Tuesday. Lavrov
said such discussions without Russia were pointless. “I am sure that in the West
and above all in the United States they understand perfectly well that seriously
discussing security issues without the Russian Federation is a utopia, it’s a
road to nowhere.”
NATO military leaders holding a video conference on Wednesday had a “great,
candid discussion” on the results of recent talks on Ukraine, the chair of the
alliance’s military committee said. “Priority continues to be a just, credible
and durable peace,” Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone wrote in a post on X.
A Western official told Reuters that a small group of military leaders continued
discussions in Washington on security guarantees shortly after the bigger
virtual meeting. After Polish officials said that an object that crashed in a
cornfield in eastern Poland overnight was likely a Russian drone, Poland accused
Russia of provoking NATO countries just as efforts to find an end to the war
were intensifying. “Once again, we are dealing with a provocation by the Russian
Federation, with a Russian drone. We are dealing in a crucial moment, when
discussions about peace (in Ukraine) are under way,” Defense Minister Wladyslaw
Kosiniak-Kamysz said. Lavrov’s comments highlighted Moscow’s demand for Western
governments to directly engage with it on questions of security concerning
Ukraine and Europe, something it says they have so far refused to do. Moscow
this week also restated its rejection of “any scenarios involving the deployment
of NATO troops in Ukraine.”
‘Clumsy’ Europeans
Lavrov accused the European leaders who met Trump and Zelensky of carrying out
“a fairly aggressive escalation of the situation, rather clumsy and, in general,
unethical attempts to change the position of the Trump administration and the
president of the United States personally ... We did not hear any constructive
ideas from the Europeans there.”Trump said on Monday the United States would
help guarantee Ukraine’s security in any deal to end Russia’s war there. He
subsequently said he had ruled out putting US troops in Ukraine, but the US
might provide air support as part of a deal to end the hostilities.
Zelensky’s chief of staff, speaking after a meeting of national security
advisers from Western countries and NATO, said work was proceeding on the
military component of the guarantees. “Our teams, above all the military, have
already begun active work on the military component of security guarantees,”
chief of staff Andriy Yermak wrote on social media. Yermak said Ukraine was also
working on a plan with its allies on how to proceed “in case the Russian side
continues to prolong the war and disrupt agreements on bilateral and trilateral
formats of leaders’ meetings.”Lavrov said Russia was in favor of “truly
reliable” guarantees for Ukraine and suggested these could be modelled on a
draft accord that was discussed between the warring parties in Istanbul in 2022,
in the early weeks of the war. Under the draft discussed then, Ukraine would
have received security guarantees from a group of countries including the five
permanent members of the UN Security Council — China, Russia, the United States,
Britain, and France. At the time, Kyiv rejected that proposal on the grounds
that Moscow would have held effective veto power over any military response to
come to its aid.
Top White House officials turn to public appearances with troops as a tense
Washington watches
AP/August 21, 2025
WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump’s law-enforcement crackdown on Washington
expanded Wednesday and top administration officials visited National Guard
troops to support a deployment that has left parts of the US capital looking
like occupied territory. Anger and frustration dotted the city as the vice
president lauded an operation that he asserted has “brought some law and order
back.”The tense situation, which began more than a week ago when Trump took
control of the local police department, appeared primed for escalating
confrontations between residents who say they feel under siege and federal
forces carrying out the president’s vision of militarized law enforcement in
Democratic cities. Other residents have said they welcome the federal efforts as
a way to cut crime and bolster safety. As Trump ratcheted up the pressure, Vice
President JD Vance and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth shared burgers with
soldiers at the city’s main railroad hub as demonstrators gathered nearby. The
appearance, a striking scene that also included White House Deputy Chief of
Staff Stephen Miller, illustrated the Republican administration’s intense
dedication to an initiative that has polarized the Democratic-led city. Vance
told the troops assembled in the Union Station Shake Shack that “you guys are
doing a helluva job” and “we brought some law and order back.” While protest
chants echoed through the restaurant, he rejected polling that shows city
residents don’t support the National Guard deployment as a solution to crime.
Someone booed Vance loudly and repeatedly as he left. The vice president grinned
and said, “This is the guy who thinks people don’t deserve law and order in
their own community.” Trump has already suggested replicating his approach to
D.C. in other cities, such as Chicago and Baltimore. He previously deployed the
National Guard and the Marines in Los Angeles in response to immigration
protests.
Swaths of the city are on edge
In the seven months since Trump took office for the second time, the
traditionally liberal city of Washington has buckled under his more aggressive
presidency. Thousands of federal employees have been laid off, landmark
institutions like the Smithsonian are being overhauled on grounds of doctrine,
and local leaders have been increasingly wary of angering the
commander-in-chief. Now parts of the city are bristling with resentment over
Trump’s approach. Spectators chanted ” free D.C. ” at a soccer game. Residents
share sightings of immigration agents to help migrants steer clear. In the
Columbia Heights neighborhood, crowds jeered federal officers and flipped middle
fingers as they drove away. On some nights, people bang pots and pans outside
their front doors in a cacophonous display of defiance. Less than a mile from
the US Capitol, an armored National Guard vehicle collided with a civilian car
in the early morning on Wednesday, trapping the driver inside until emergency
crews arrived. The massive military transport, designed to withstand improvised
explosive devices in war zones, towered over the crushed silver sport utility
vehicle. Bystanders gathered. “You come to our city and this is what you do?
Seriously?” a woman yelled at the troops in a video posted online. More troops
have been arriving in the city, many from six Republican-led states. An
estimated 1,900 are being deployed in total, with most posted in downtown areas
like the National Mall, metro stations and near the park where baseball’s
Washington Nationals play. In addition, federal officers from the Drug
Enforcement Administration, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other
agencies have circulated through D.C. to make arrests. Col. Larry Doane, the
commander of the joint task force in the D.C. National Guard, said they’re
trying to provide “an extra set of eyes and ears” for police and “helping them
maintain control of the situation.”
“This is our community, too,” Doane said.
That’s not how D.C. native LaVerne Smalls, 46, feels. “It’s very different. It’s
very quiet,” she said. “And I don’t like it. It should be full of life.”Smalls
knows D.C. has struggled with crime, but she didn’t used to feel worried walking
around. “I feel even more threatened,” she said. “And I think that’s how they
want us to feel.” The actions from law enforcement have occasionally veered
beyond safety and crime reduction and into regulating expression. Over the
weekend, masked agents took down a profane protest banner in the Mount Pleasant
neighborhood — to the apparent delight of the administration, which posted a
video of the incident online. “We’re taking America back, baby,” one of the
agents said in the video.
Corey Frayer, 42, who lives nearby, said “that sends a message.”
“Mt. Pleasant has always been a very activist, outspoken neighborhood,” he said.
“And I think they think if they can show up here and scare us, then they’ll have
done their job.”
Arrests are increasing as local officials navigate the situation
The White House said more than 550 people have been arrested so far, and the US
Marshals are offering $500 rewards for information leading to additional
arrests. “Together, we will make DC safe again!” Attorney General Pam Bondi
wrote on social media. City statistics show crime was already declining before
Trump’s intervention, despite his claims of a crisis necessitating the federal
takeover of the D.C. police department. The number of people arrested each day
in Washington has increased by about 20 percent since the government began
sending in a surge of federal agents, according to law enforcement data. On
average, there were 78 people booked in the city jail in the first 10 days,
compared to 64 in the 10 days before that. Those numbers don’t include
immigration arrests, though they do include arrests by both local police and
federal officers, according to a law enforcement official who spoke on the
condition of anonymity to discuss data that has not been publicly released.
Policing experts say it’s tough to draw firm conclusions over such a short
period of time, especially since increases in police presence can relocate crime
instead of preventing it. Extending federal control of the city police
department would require congressional approval, but Vance suggested the
decision ultimately rests with Trump. “If the president of the United States
thinks that he has to extend this order to ensure that people have access to
public safety, that’s exactly what he’ll do,” he said. Washington Mayor Muriel
Bowser acknowledged the militarized backdrop in the city as she attended a
back-to-school event with teachers and staff. She said it’s important that
children “have joy when they approach this school year,” which starts on Monday.
Those early overtures didn’t stop Trump’s executive order or his increasingly
disparaging rhetoric about the city’s leadership. Bowser has been measured but
directly critical of the federal operation, saying officers should not be
wearing masks and arguing that the National Guard should not be used for law
enforcement. “I don’t think you should have an armed militia in the nation’s
capital,” she said. Meanwhile, the skewer-everyone cartoon television show ”
South Park,” which has leaned into near-real-time satire in recent years, this
week made the federal crackdown fodder for a new episode. This year, the show’s
27th-season premiere mocked the president’s body in a raunchy manner and
depicted him sharing a bed with Satan.
US slaps more sanctions on ICC-linked individuals due to Israel
indictments
Al Arabiya English/20 August /2025
The US issued more sanctions on Wednesday, targeting four individuals with links
to the International Criminal Court, alleging “illegitimate and baseless
actions” against Israel. “The Court is a national security threat that has been
an instrument for lawfare against the United States and our close ally Israel,”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement. US President Donald Trump
signed an executive order (EO) after taking office this year to sanction the ICC
for its decision to issue indictments and arrest warrants for embattled Israeli
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense minister, Yoav Gallant,
for the Israeli bombardment of Gaza. On Wednesday, Rubio said he was designating
Kimberly Prost of Canada, Nicolas Guillou of France, Nazhat Shameem Khan of Fiji
and Mame Mandiaye Niang of Senegal pursuant to Trump’s EO. “These individuals
are foreign persons who directly engaged in efforts by the International
Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute nationals of
the United States or Israel, without the consent of either nation,” Rubio said.
Prost was designated for ruling to authorize the ICC’s investigation into US
personnel in Afghanistan. The other three were sanctioned for supporting arrest
warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant. Rubio added that the US was steadfast in its
opposition to what he called the ICC’s “politicization, abuse of power,
disregard for our national sovereignty, and illegitimate judicial overreach.” He
went on to say that the US would continue to take any action it deems necessary
to “protect our troops, our sovereignty, and our allies from the ICC’s
illegitimate and baseless actions.”The top US diplomat urged other countries,
“many of whose freedom was purchased at the price of great American sacrifices,
to resist the claims of this bankrupt institution.”The ICC said it deplored the
announcement by the Trump administration of new US sanctions against another
four of its staff members – two judges and two deputy prosecutors. “These
sanctions are a flagrant attack against the independence of an impartial
judicial institution which operates under the mandate from 125 states parties
from all regions,” the ICC said in a statement.“They constitute also an affront
against the Court’s States Parties, the rules-based international order and,
above all, millions of innocent victims across the world,” the court added. “The
ICC will continue fulfilling mandates in strict accordance with its legal
framework, without regard to any pressure or threat. ”With Reuters
Israel defense minister approves plan to conquer Gaza City
Agence France Presse/20 August /2025
Israel's defense minister has approved a plan for the conquest of Gaza City and
authorized the call-up of around 60,000 reservists to carry it out, his ministry
confirmed on Wednesday.
Defense Minister Israel Katz's move, confirmed to AFP by a spokesperson, piled
pressure on Hamas as mediators pushing for a ceasefire in the nearly two-year
war in Gaza awaited an official Israeli response on their latest proposal. While
mediator Qatar had expressed guarded optimism over the latest proposal, a senior
Israeli official said the government stood firm on its call for the release of
all hostages in any agreement. The framework that Hamas had approved proposes an
initial 60-day truce, a staggered hostage release, the freeing of some
Palestinian prisoners and provisions allowing for the entry of aid into Gaza.
Israel and Hamas have held on-and-off indirect negotiations throughout the war,
resulting in two short truces during which Israeli hostages were released in
exchange for Palestinian prisoners. The latest truce proposal came after
Israel's security cabinet approved plans to conquer Gaza City, despite fears it
will worsen the already catastrophic humanitarian crisis.
Qatar and Egypt, backed by the United States, have mediated the frequent rounds
of shuttle diplomacy. Qatar said the latest proposal was "almost identical" to
an earlier version agreed by Israel, while Egypt said Monday that "the ball is
now in its (Israel's) court".
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has yet to publicly comment on the
plan, but said last week that his country would accept "an agreement in which
all the hostages are released at once and according to our conditions for ending
the war". Senior Hamas official Mahmoud Mardawi said on social media that his
group had "opened the door wide to the possibility of reaching an agreement, but
the question remains whether Netanyahu will once again close it, as he has done
in the past".
'White gold'
The latest truce proposal came as Netanyahu faces increasing pressure at home
and abroad.
In Gaza, the civil defense agency reported Israeli strikes and fire killed 48
people across the territory on Tuesday. Agency spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP
the situation was "very dangerous and unbearable" in the Zeitoun and Sabra
neighborhoods of Gaza City, where he said "shelling continues intermittently".
The Israeli military declined to comment on specific troop movements, saying
only that it was "operating to dismantle Hamas military capabilities" and took
"feasible precautions to mitigate civilian harm". The military later said a
strike in Khan Younis overnight targeted a Hamas militant.
Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties accessing swathes of the Palestinian
territory mean AFP is unable to independently verify the tolls and details
provided by the civil defense agency or the Israeli military. In the Zikim area
of northern Gaza on Tuesday, an AFP journalist saw Palestinians hauling sacks of
food aid along dusty roads lined with rubble and damaged buildings. Gazan Shawg
Al-Badri said it took "three to four hours" to carry flour, what she called
"white gold", back to her family's tent. "This bag is worth the whole world,"
she said. Hamas's October 2023 attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,219
people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.
Israel's offensive has killed at least 62,064 Palestinians, most of them
civilians, according to figures from the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza,
which the United Nations considers reliable.
Israel to mobilize 60,000 reservists ahead of expanded Gaza
City operation
AP/August 20, 2025
JERUSALEM: Israel’s military said Wednesday it will call up 60,000 reservists
ahead of an expanded military operation in Gaza City. Many residents have chosen
to stay despite the danger, fearing nowhere is safe in a territory facing
shortages of food, water and other necessities. Calling up extra military
reservists is part a plan Defense Minister Israel Katz approved to begin a new
phase of operations in some of Gaza’s most densely populated areas, the military
said. The plan, which is expected to receive the chief of staff’s final approval
in the coming days, also includes extending the service of 20,000 additional
reservists who are already on active duty. In a country of fewer than 10 million
people, the call-up of reservists is the largest in months and carries economic
and political weight. It comes days after hundreds of thousands of Israelis
rallied for a ceasefire, as negotiators scramble to get Israel and Hamas to
agree to end their 22 months of fighting, and as rights groups warn that an
expanded assault could deepen the crisis in the Gaza Strip, where most of the
roughly 2 million inhabitants have been displaced, many areas have been reduced
to rubble, and the population faces the threat of famine.
Gaza City operation could begin within days
An Israeli military official, speaking on the condition of anonymity in line
with military regulations, said troops will operate in parts of Gaza City where
they haven’t been deployed yet and where Israel believes Hamas is still active.
Israeli troops in the the city’s Zeitoun neighborhood and in Jabaliya, a refugee
camp in the northern Gaza Strip, are already preparing the groundwork for the
expanded operation, which could begin within days. Though the timeline wasn’t
clear, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said Wednesday that Netanyahu
“has directed that the timetables ... be shortened” for launching the offensive.
Gaza City is Hamas’ military and governing stronghold, and one of the last
places of refuge in the northern Strip, where hundreds of thousands are
sheltering. Israeli troops will be targeting Hamas’ vast underground tunnel
network there, the official added. Although Israel has targeted and killed much
of Hamas’ senior leadership, parts of Hamas are actively regrouping and carrying
out attacks, including launching rockets toward Israel, the official said.
Netanyahu has said the war’s objectives are to secure the release of remaining
hostages and ensure that Hamas and other militants can never again threaten
Israel.
The planned offensive, announced earlier this month, comes amid heightened
international condemnation of Israel’s restrictions on food and medicine
reaching Gaza and fears that many Palestinians will be forced to flee. “It’s
pretty obvious that it will just create another mass displacement of people who
have been displaced repeatedly since this phase of the conflict started,” United
Nations spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters. Associated Press journalists
saw small groups heading south from the city this week, but it’s unclear how
many others will voluntarily flee. Some said they would wait to see how events
unfold, with many insisting that nowhere is safe from airstrikes. “What we’re
seeing in Gaza is nothing short of apocalyptic reality for children, for their
families, and for this generation,” Ahmed Alhendawi, regional director of Save
the Children, said in an interview. “The plight and the struggle of this
generation of Gaza is beyond being described in words.”
Some reservists question the war’s goals
The call-up comes amid a growing campaign by exhausted reservists who accuse the
Israeli government of perpetuating the war for political reasons and failing to
bring home the 50 remaining hostages, 20 of whom are believed to be alive. The
hostages’ families and former army and intelligence chiefs have also expressed
opposition to the expanded operation in Gaza City. Most of the families want an
immediate ceasefire and worry that an expanded assault could imperil the
surviving hostages. Guy Poran, a retired air force pilot who has organized
veterans campaigning to end the war, said many reservists are spent after
repeated tours lasting hundreds of days and resent those who haven’t been called
up. “Even those that are not ideologically against the current war or the
government’s new plans don’t want to go because of fatigue or their families or
their businesses,” he said. Hamas-led militants started the war when they
attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing roughly 1,200 people, mostly civilians,
and abducting 251. Most of the hostages have been released in ceasefires or
other deals. Hamas says it will only free the rest in exchange for a lasting
ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal.
Israel has yet to respond to a ceasefire proposal
Arab mediators and Hamas said this week that the militant group’s leaders had
agreed to the terms of a proposed 60-day ceasefire, though similar announcements
have been made in the past that didn’t lead to a lasting truce. Egypt and Qatar
have said they are waiting for Israel’s response. Egypt’s foreign minister, Badr
Abdelatty, spoke by phone Wednesday with US envoy Steve Witkoff to discuss the
proposed ceasefire in the hopes of winning Israel’s acceptance, the Egyptian
foreign ministry said. During the call, Abdelatty urged Israel to “put an end to
this unjust war” by negotiating a comprehensive deal and “to lay the foundations
for a just settlement of the Palestinian cause,” according to the Egyptian
government. An Israeli official who spoke on condition of anonymity because they
weren’t authorized to speak to the media said Israel is in constant contact with
the mediators in an effort to secure the hostages’ release. Netanyahu has
repeatedly said he will oppose a deal that doesn’t include the “complete defeat
of Hamas.”Also Wednesday, Israel gave final approval to a controversial
settlement project east of Jerusalem in the occupied West Bank. The development
in what’s called E1 would effectively cut the territory in two. Palestinians and
rights groups say it could destroy hopes for a future Palestinian state.
Gaza’s death toll rises
At least 27 Palestinians were killed and more than 100 were wounded Wednesday at
the Zikim crossing in northwestern Gaza as a crowd rushed toward a UN convoy
transporting humanitarian aid, according to health officials. “The majority of
casualties were killed by gunshots fired by the Israeli troops,” said Fares Awad,
head of the Health Ministry’s ambulance and emergency service in northern Gaza.
“The rush toward the trucks and the stampede killed and injured others.” The
dead included people seeking aid and Palestinians guarding the convoy, Awad told
the AP. The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for
comment. More than 62,122 people have been killed during Israel’s offensive,
Gaza’s Health Ministry said Monday. The ministry is part of the Hamas-run
government and staffed by medical professionals. The ministry does not say how
many of the dead were civilians or combatants, but it said women and children
make up around half of them. In addition, 154 adults have died from
malnutrition-related causes since late June, when the ministry began counting
such deaths, and 112 children have died from malnutrition-related causes since
the war began.
Israel approves major West Bank settlement project
AFP/August 20, 2025
JERUSALEM: Israel approved a major settlement project on Wednesday in an area of
the occupied West Bank that the international community has warned threatens the
viability of a future Palestinian state. Israel has long had ambitions to build
on the roughly 12-square-kilometer (five-square-mile) parcel known as E1 just
east of Jerusalem, but the plan had been stalled for years amid international
opposition. Critics say the settlement would effectively cut the West Bank in
two, undermining hopes for a contiguous Palestinian state with east Jerusalem as
its capital. Last week, Israel’s far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich
backed plans to build around 3,400 homes on the ultra-sensitive tract of land,
which lies between Jerusalem and the Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim. “I am
pleased to announce that just a short while ago, the civil administration
approved the planning for the construction of the E1 neighborhood,” the mayor of
Maale Adumim, Guy Yifrach, said in a statement Wednesday. The Ramallah-based
Palestinian Authority swiftly slammed the move. “This undermines the chances of
implementing the two-state solution, establishing a Palestinian state on the
ground, and fragments its geographic and demographic unity,” the PA’s foreign
ministry said in a statement. It added the move would entrench “division of the
occupied West Bank into isolated areas and cantons that are disconnected from
one another, turning them into something akin to real prisons, where movement is
only possible through Israeli checkpoints and under the terror of armed settler
militias.” All of Israel’s settlements in the West Bank, occupied since 1967,
are considered illegal under international law, regardless of whether they have
Israeli planning permission. Israel heavily restricts the movement of West Bank
Palestinians, who must obtain permits from authorities to travel through
checkpoints to cross into east Jerusalem or Israel.
King Abdullah II of Jordan on Wednesday also affirmed his country’s rejection of
the E1 project, saying “the two-state solution is the only way to achieve a just
and comprehensive peace.”Violence in the West Bank has soared since the October
7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel that triggered the Gaza war. Since then, Israeli
troops and settlers have killed at least 971 Palestinians in the West Bank,
including many militants, according to health ministry figures. Over the same
period, at least 36 Israelis, including security forces, have been killed in
Palestinian attacks or during Israeli military operations, according to official
figures. UN chief Antonio Guterres warned last week that constructing Israeli
homes in the E1 area would “put an end to” hopes for a two-state solution to the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Aviv Tatarsky, a researcher at Ir Amim, an Israeli
NGO focusing on Jerusalem within the context of the Israeli-Palestinian
conflict, also condemned the move. “Today’s approval demonstrates how determined
Israel is in pursuing what Minister Smotrich has described as a strategic
program to bury the possibility of a Palestinian state and to effectively annex
the West Bank,” he said. “This is a conscious Israeli choice to implement an
apartheid regime,” he added, calling on the international community to take
urgent and effective measures against the move. Far-right Israeli ministers have
in recent months openly called for Israel’s annexation of the territory. Israeli
NGO Peace Now, which monitors settlement activity in the West Bank, said last
week that infrastructure work in E1 could begin within a few months, and housing
construction within about a year. Excluding east Jerusalem, the West Bank is
home to around three million Palestinians, as well as about 500,000 Israeli
settlers.
Jordan FM says Israel ‘killing all prospects’ for regional
peace
AFP/August 20, 2025
MOSCOW: Jordan’s foreign minister said Wednesday that Israel’s assault on Gaza
had caused “massacres and starvation” and that its wider actions were “killing
all prospects” for peace in the Middle East. His comments came after Israeli
Defense Minister Israel Katz approved a plan to conquer Gaza City, an urban area
home to hundreds of thousands of people in the north of the Palestinian
territory. Most of the territory’s population has been displaced since the war
began, many repeatedly, according to the United Nations. Addressing Russian
counterpart Sergei Lavrov at a meeting in Moscow, Jordanian Foreign Minister
Ayman Safadi said he hoped to discuss “efforts to end the aggression on Gaza,
and the massacres and starvation that it is creating.”This was in addition to
the “illegal measures that continue to undermine the two-state solution and kill
all prospects for peace in the region,” he added. “We value your clear position
against the war and your demand for reaching a permanent ceasefire,” he told
Lavrov. Israel denies its military targets civilians and says that there is no
“policy of starvation” in Gaza. The Israeli government’s plans to expand the war
have triggered a wave of international condemnation as well as domestic
protests. Israel’s offensive has killed at least 62,064 Palestinians, most of
them civilians, according to figures from the health ministry in Gaza, which the
United Nations considers reliable.
Aid groups say shelter materials are still not entering
Gaza
AFP/August 20, 2025
GENEVA: International aid groups say they have not yet been able to deliver
shelter materials to Gaza despite Israeli authorities saying they have lifted
restrictions on such supplies, and warn that further delays could cause more
Palestinian deaths. Aid organizations say Israel had in effect been blocking the
delivery of materials for shelters for nearly six months, with tent poles
previously listed among items Israeli authorities considered could have a
military as well as civilian use. With international concern over the plight of
Palestinians mounting as the war in Gaza continues, Israel announced measures
last month to let more aid into Gaza and said on Saturday that it would start
allowing shelter materials in from the next day. But officials from five aid
groups, including UN agencies, told Reuters that shelter materials needed by
large numbers of displaced Palestinians were still not reaching Gaza and blamed
Israeli bureaucratic hurdles. “The United Nations and our partners have...not
been able to bring in shelter materials following the Israeli announcement,” the
UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), spokesperson Jens
Laerke said. “There’s a set of impediments that still needs to be addressed,
including Israeli customs clearance.” CARE International, ShelterBox and the
Norwegian Refugee Council also said they had not yet received any authorization
to deliver shelter materials. Another international NGO, which declined to be
identified, said it had been unable to deliver such supplies but was trying to
get clearance. Over 1.3 million Gazans lack tents, the United Nations said this
month, and more people are expected to be displaced by an Israeli operation to
seize Gaza City. COGAT, the Israeli military agency that coordinates aid, did
not immediately respond to Reuters questions. It has previously said it invests
considerable efforts to ensure aid reaches Gaza and has denied restricting
supplies. After nearly two years of war, many displaced Palestinians are living
in the rubble of their homes or in tents. “Life in the tent is no life at
all...There’s no proper bathroom, not even a decent place to sit. We end up
sitting in the street, suffocating in the heat,” 55-year-old Ibrahim Tabassi
said in the southern Gazan city of Khan Younis. He shares his cramped tent, made
from tarpaulin sheets and scrap metal, with nine other family members. Clothes
and pots hang inside. Another Gaza resident, Sanaa Abu Jamous, said that she,
like many other Gazans, had been using the same tattered tent throughout the
war. “My tent is extremely worn out,” she said.
Deliveries via Kerem Shalom crossing
Israel said on Saturday that deliveries of materials for shelters would be
allowed via the Kerem Shalom Crossing with Israel but would have to undergo
security inspections. The Red Cross told Reuters it had received permission from
COGAT to bring in shelter materials from what is known as the Jordanian corridor
to Kerem Shalom, but that many challenges remain. CARE International said it had
received no confirmation that the change in policy had been enacted. The
Norwegian Refugee Council, a humanitarian organization, said it had applied for
permission to deliver 3,000 tents across Gaza, including the north, but had not
yet received a reply. Many aid groups are resisting Israeli demands — under
measures imposed in March — to register because it means disclosing personal
information about Palestinian staff. COGAT says the mechanism is a security
screening intended to ensure aid goes directly to the population rather than to
the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
ShelterBox’s regional director, Haroon Altaf, said granting permission to only a
select number of aid groups would not meet demand for shelter materials. “If
it’s only a handful of organizations that can bring shelter aid in, it doesn’t
really change much and it’s deeply concerning. People are going to die because
of it,” he said.
Netanyahu says Israel has ‘work’ to do to win over Gen Z
AFP/August 20, 2025
LONDON: Israel has “work” to do in winning over young people in the West as
polls show collapsing support, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu admitted to a
UK-based podcast in an interview aired Wednesday. Protests against Israel’s
actions in Gaza have become increasingly common in capitals across the West,
attracting large numbers of young people. A recent Gallup poll also showed only
six percent of 18 to 34-year-olds in the United States had a favorable opinion
of Netanyahu and just nine percent approved of Israel’s military action in Gaza.
On the “Triggernometry” podcast, Netanyahu was asked whether Israel could lose
the backing of Western governments once “Gen Z” — those born between around 1997
and 2012 — assumes power. “If you’re telling me that there’s work to be done on
Gen Z and across the West, yes,” he responded. But he said opposition to Israel
among Gen Z stemmed from a wider campaign against the West and repeated his
unproven claim of an orchestrated plot against Israel and the West, without
saying who was behind it. Israel’s defense minister approved a plan on Wednesday
for the conquest of Gaza City and authorized the call-up of around 60,000
reservists, piling pressure on the Palestinian militant group Hamas as mediators
push for a ceasefire. Hamas’s October 2023 attack on Israel resulted in the
deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on
official figures. Israel’s offensive has killed at least 62,122 Palestinians,
most of them civilians, the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said, in figures
the United Nations deem reliable. Since returning to the White House in January,
US President Donald Trump has offered Israel ironclad support. Netanyahu told
the podcast, which bills itself as promoting free speech with “open, fact-based
discussion of important and controversial issues,” that Trump “has proven an
exceptional, exceptional friend of Israel, an exceptional leader.”“I think we’ve
been very fortunate to have a leader in the United States who doesn’t act like
the European leaders, who doesn’t succumb to this stuff,” he added, referring to
countries including France and the UK that have vowed to recognize a Palestinian
state.
Most Americans believe countries should recognize
Palestinian state, Reuters/Ipsos poll finds
Reuters/August 20, 2025
WASHINGTON: A 58 percent majority of Americans believe that every country in the
United Nations should recognize Palestine as a nation, according to a new
Reuters/Ipsos poll, as Israel and Hamas considered a possible truce in the
nearly two-year-long war.
Some 33 percent of respondents did not agree that UN members should recognize a
Palestinian state and 9 percent did not answer. The six-day poll, which closed
on Monday, was taken within weeks of three countries, close US allies Canada,
Britain and France, announcing they intend to recognize the State of Palestine.
This ratcheted up pressure on Israel as starvation spreads in Gaza. The survey
was taken amid hopes that Israel and Hamas would agree on a ceasefire to provide
a break in the fighting, free some hostages and ease shipments of humanitarian
assistance. Two officials said on Tuesday Israel was studying Hamas’ response to
a potential deal for a 60-day truce and the release of half the Israeli hostages
still held in Gaza. Britain, Canada, Australia and several of their European
allies said last week that the humanitarian crisis in the war-torn Palestinian
enclave has reached “unimaginable levels,” as aid groups warned that Gazans are
on the verge of famine. The United Nations human rights office said on Tuesday
Israel was not letting enough supplies into the Gaza Strip to avert widespread
starvation. Israel has denied responsibility for hunger in Gaza, accusing Hamas
of stealing aid shipments, which Hamas denies.
A larger majority of the Reuters/Ipsos poll respondents, 65 percent, said the US
should take action in Gaza to help people facing starvation, with 28 percent
disagreeing. The number disagreeing included 41 percent of President Donald
Trump’s Republicans. Trump and many of his fellow Republicans take an “America
First” approach to international relations, backing steep cuts to the country’s
international food and medical assistance programs in the belief that US funds
should assist Americans, not those outside its borders. The war in Gaza began
when Hamas-led fighters stormed into Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1,200
people and taking 251 hostages, according to Israeli figures. Israel’s offensive
has since killed more than 62,000 Palestinians, plunged Gaza into humanitarian
crisis and displaced most of its population, according to Gaza health
authorities. The Reuters/Ipsos poll also showed that 59 percent of Americans
believe that Israel’s military response in Gaza has been excessive. Thirty-three
percent of respondents disagreed. In a similar Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted in
February 2024, 53 percent of respondents agreed that Israel’s response had been
excessive, and 42 percent disagreed.
The latest Reuters/Ipsos survey, conducted online, gathered responses from 4,446
US adults nationwide and had a margin of error of about 2 percentage points.
The Latest English LCCC analysis &
editorials from miscellaneous sources
on August 20-21/2025
Blow after blow, losing ground: How Iran’s
regional influence is unravelling
Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Al Arabiya
English/20 August /2025
The geopolitical and strategic tide seems to have significantly turned against
Iran’s government – and things don’t seem to get better. In the span of just
over twelve months, Tehran has endured an unrelenting sequence of blows –
external military defeats, internal structural losses, and mounting domestic
crises – all of which together are reshaping the power dynamics in the Middle
East and beyond.
Less than a year ago: The collapse of the Assad regime
Just eight months ago, in December 2024, the long-standing Assad’s regime in
Syria – Tehran’s most reliable Levantine ally – collapsed under the sustained
pressure of insurgent forces. For more than a decade, Syria had served as the
central artery for Iran’s regional ambitions: it was the overland conduit
through which Iran transported ballistic missiles, military advisors, arms, and
ideological influence directly to the Israeli-bordering frontier. With Assad’s
fall, this critical route was severed. Tehran’s smuggling routes became longer,
riskier, and more exposed. Iran’s ability to sustain logistical synergy among
Hezbollah, its other proxies, and its own Revolutionary Guards was drastically
weakened. Beyond the logistical nightmare, Assad’s demise was symbolic – a blow
to the illusion of permanence that Iran sought to project.
Israel’s campaign: Undermining Hezbollah
Hezbollah also felt the brunt of Israel’s intensified military pressure in
Lebanon from 2024 into 2025. Hezbollah has been Tehran’s most potent instrument
of deterrence and influence all the way to Israel’s northern border. But
Israel’s campaign partially changed the equation: Targeted airstrikes demolished
missile depots, rocket launch sites, weapon caches, and troop barracks.
Hezbollah’s command-and-control structure was hit hard; senior officers were
killed or forced into hiding; its ability to target Israeli cities with massed
rocket salvos was severely curtailed.
Politically, the campaign generated palpable momentum toward disarmament. Under
heavy domestic dissent and mounting international pressure, Lebanon’s parliament
began seriously considering measures to channel all armed groups under official
state control by years’ end. Hezbollah publicly rejected the proposals, yet the
very fact that such a plan is on the legislative table – once unthinkable –
signals a substantive erosion in its political authority. For Iran, this is
another strategic loss. Without Hezbollah’s full strength and credibility, the
deterrent posture that had shielded Iran’s proxies and fueled its regional
influence is now compromised. Israel’s militarized ceilings limit Tehran’s room
to counter flank. Moreover, the prospect of an increasingly disarmed or
politically contested Hezbollah undercuts Tehran’s ability to project credible
asymmetric responses to Israeli threats, shifting the deterrence balance
westward – and away from Iran’s advantage.
The 12-day war: A Pervasive strategic setback
Then came June 2025’s dramatic and devastating “12-Day War” between Israel and
Iran – unmistakably a watershed event. Over the course of less than two weeks,
starting June 13, Israel’s air and intelligence campaign seized the initiative,
striking hundreds of targets across Iran. Nuclear research centers, military
bases, arsenals, and suspected weapons factories were hit with precision.
Estimates now suggest more than 30 high-ranking Iranian security officials and
at least 11 nuclear scientists were killed – a whittling loss of both command
capacity and technical expertise.
Strategically, the strikes exposed profound and multifold weaknesses. Iran’s
air-defense apparatus proved insufficient – early waves of airstrikes penetrated
deep with little resistance, visibly shaking the perception of invulnerability
on which Tehran relied around the region. The concentration of physical damage,
coupled with the attrition of senior figures, struck a blow not just to military
capacity, but to institutional continuity and morale. Regionally and
internationally, the message reverberated. Iran’s domestic propaganda– long
centered on resilience and inescapable resolve – was undermined by images of
smoking military installations, gutted bunkers, and evacuated compounds. Even if
operational planning and scientists regroup, the symbolic adage remains: If your
skies are not defensible, your deterrence posture is not credible.
Water crisis: A domestic disaster unfolding
On the domestic front, Iran is grappling with a cascading water crisis that
might prove as politically destabilizing as any external blow. Years of
over-extraction from aquifers, entrenched mismanagement of irrigation systems,
denial of escalating drought, and inadequate infrastructure investment have
resulted in reservoirs and rivers that are plummeting to historically dangerous
lows. Officials in Tehran have floated rationing plans targeting “heavy
consumers” such as industry, agriculture, and affluent areas – signaling that
water scarcity is no longer abstract, but imminent. The concept of “Day Zero” –
when taps could literally run dry in urban centers – is being floated in serious
internal debates, even if pragmatic officials insist it remains a planning
scenario. For the Iranian government, which must balance maintaining government
legitimacy with economic stability, a multifront crisis has turned into a
nightmare.
When powers start to weaken
Sovereignty, influence, and power are easier to dismantle than they are to
forge. History offers many lessons: once a great power loses its symbolic
anchors, regional leverage, and home-front legitimacy, its decline becomes
self-accelerating. For Iran, the sequence of events over the past year – Assad’s
collapse, Hezbollah’s attrition, the 12-Day War’s bruising, and the domestic
hydrological emergency – form not disparate crises, but a single frame of
decline, each blow compounding the previous. Syria is no longer an assured
transit route. Lebanon and Hezbollah’s cohesion are fraying. Iran’s strategic
domain and credibility have been punctured. And socially, the prospect of water
scarcity threatens to ignite protests in cities – hardwired to consume but
fueled by grievance. This emerging alignment of external defeat and internal
stress tests whether Iran’s elite can still hold its strategic doctrine together
– or whether fractures will translate into real political fragmentation.
Blow after blow – What lies ahead
In conclusion, Iran’s government has faced a relentless succession of shocks
over the past year – with each one eroding a pillar of its power. Assad’s fall
dismantled regional logistics; Hezbollah’s weakening reshaped deterrence; the
12-Day War exposed vulnerabilities in command, nuclear capability, and air
defense; and the advancing water crisis threatens the social compact at home.
The cumulative pattern is unmistakable: The axis appears structurally fraying.
Absent dramatic reversals – like a resurgent proxy bottom line, breakthrough
alliances, or transformative internal reform – what we’re witnessing may be the
beginning of a thaw that Washington and Jerusalem have long aspired toward.
Strategic unravelling is rarely linear, but the signs are unmistakable: Iran’s
strategic foundations are shifting beneath it. Whether that leads to
recalibration or further decline, or something else depends on the resiliency of
the government, the coherence of its elite, and the speed at which a new reality
is recognized – not denied.
Druze City Offers Syria’s Leader Yet
Another Challenge
Ahmad Sharawi/FDD/August 20/2025
Things are not getting any easier for Syria’s interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa
and his fractured country. On August 18, hundreds of Druze demonstrated in the
city of Suwayda — where they make up the majority — with many calling for
independence from the central government in Damascus. It was the most
significant protest since July, when clashes between Arab Bedouin tribes, Syrian
government forces, and Druze militants in the area left more than a thousand
people dead. Protesters carried signs with slogans such as “the right of
self-determination is a holy right for Suwayda,” “we demand the opening of a
humanitarian corridor,” and “remove the general security service [Syrian
Interior Ministry] from our villages.” One woman who addressed the crowd called
for “complete independence,” stressing that “we [Druze] do not want
self-administration or federal rule, we want full, complete independence.”
Protesters raised Israeli flags, signaling gratitude for Israel’s military
intervention on the side of the Druze during the July clashes. However, in a
sign of internal division, followers of spiritual leader Hikmat al-Hijri stormed
the Maqam Ain al-Zaman, a site belonging to another Druze spiritual leader,
Yousef al-Jarbou, with Israeli flags alongside pictures of Hijri. It was a move
intended to position Hijri as the most influential leader in Suwayda, but it
also showcased the growing disagreements within the Druze community itself,
especially over Israel’s role in the conflict.
Suwayda Steps Away From Damascus
Hijri has been the most vocal and determined opponent to Sharaa’s direct rule
over Suwayda, instead calling for a “decentralized system … to create a civil
state that includes all Syrians.”Following the massacres that government-aligned
forces committed in Suwayda in July, all trust in Damascus has eroded.
That erosion has led the Druze leadership to form committees to oversee
essential services such as water, electricity, legal, and security affairs in
the province. But some of their choices for leadership positions in these
committees are controversial. Shakib Nasr, a former Assad regime officer and
head of the Political Security Branch in Tartus, is now commander of Suwayda’s
security forces. His deputy is another Assad regime holdover, having served in
Tartus as well. The Political Security Branch is part of the intelligence
apparatus of the Assad regime’s Ministry of Interior, infamous for torturing
political dissidents in prisons.
Israel’s Plan to Establish a Humanitarian Corridor into Suwayda
Since the mid-July clashes, the humanitarian situation in Suwayda has
deteriorated. The fighting disrupted the electricity and water supplies.
Additionally, the government-controlled Busra al-Sham corridor between Daraa and
Suwayda has failed to provide the Druze community with sufficient aid, prompting
calls for the establishment of an alternative corridor not managed by the
government. Axios reported that the Trump administration is attempting to broker
a deal to allow Israel to deliver aid to Suwayda via a corridor between the
Israeli-held Golan Heights and Suwayda. However, the proposal faces significant
geographic and demographic obstacles. The Golan does not border Suwayda. Nearly
50 miles separate the two, with the predominantly Sunni Arab province of Daraa
in between. Any attempt to transport aid from Israel to Suwayda would be
dangerous, as the corridor would pass through Daraa, where the widespread
availability of weapons poses a threat to anyone transporting the aid.
The U.S. Should Press Syria Toward a Political Solution
The United States has expressed an interest in providing Syrians a chance to
stabilize their country. The best way to achieve that stability is for Sharaa to
prove to the country’s diverse communities that he is a leader they can trust.
He must hold fighters within his military’s ranks accountable for crimes they
commit, such as the attacks on the Druze and other minority groups. At the same
time, the United States should pressure Sharaa to allow more aid through the
Busra al-Sham corridor to alleviate the deteriorating humanitarian crisis in
Suwayda.
**Ahmad Sharawi is a research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of
Democracies (FDD). For more analysis from Ahmad and FDD, please subscribe HERE.
Follow Ahmad on X @AhmadA_Sharawi. Follow FDD on X @FDD. FDD is a Washington,
DC-based, nonpartisan research institute focusing on national security and
foreign policy.
The urgent need to procure more THAAD interceptors
Bradley Bowman/Defense News/August 20/2025
https://www.defensenews.com/opinion/2025/08/18/the-urgent-need-to-procure-more-thaad-interceptors/
Absent aggressive congressional intervention, it will take too long to replenish
and expand the U.S. Army's THAAD interceptor stocks expended during the
Israel-Iran war, the authors of this op-ed argue. (Missile Defense Agency)
The U.S. Army’s Terminal High Altitude Area Defense “Talon” interceptor
inventory is unacceptably low, potentially leaving U.S. forces vulnerable in a
future conflict. The service reportedly consumed nearly a quarter of its
interceptors during the 12-Day War between Israel and Iran in June, and absent
aggressive congressional intervention, it will take too long to replenish and
expand stocks. The U.S. Missile Defense Agency awarded a $2.06 billion contract
modification to produce Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, or THAAD, “Talon”
interceptors late last month. That step is laudable but insufficient. Congress
needs to help by approving the administration’s request to shift money between
programs to purchase more interceptors, providing enough funding to procure the
maximum number of interceptors industry can produce next fiscal year and pushing
the Pentagon and industry to expand production capacity as quickly as possible,
among other steps. THAAD is a U.S.-produced, land-based missile defense system
that uses hit-to-kill interceptors to destroy short-, medium- and
intermediate-range ballistic missiles both inside and outside of the atmosphere.
Currently, the U.S. Army possesses eight THAAD batteries, with six launchers per
battery and eight interceptors per launcher for a total of 48 interceptors
loaded per battery. THAAD forms the upper layer of the Army’s land-based theater
ballistic missile defenses, with Patriot comprising the lower layer and both
complementing naval interceptors, such as the SM-3 and SM-6.
During June’s 12-Day War, Iran reportedly fired over 500 ballistic missiles at
Israel during the conflict and around a dozen at a U.S. airbase in Qatar,
destroying a geodesic dome. The United States assisted Israel in shooting down
many of the ballistic missiles, including with the multiple THAAD batteries
deployed to the Middle East during the war, demonstrating interoperability
within a larger architecture.
Estimates vary on the precise number of THAAD interceptors expended, but The
Wall Street Journal, citing U.S. officials, reported that more than 150
interceptors were fired. To put that number in perspective, the Department of
Defense previously committed funding for 646 interceptors, according to Pentagon
fiscal 2026 budget documents published in June 2025. Understanding that some of
those may not have been delivered yet or were used in testing, the expenditure
of 150 interceptors would amount to roughly a quarter of the total U.S. THAAD
interceptor inventory.
It is reasonable to ask why the U.S. has such a small inventory of interceptors.
One need look no further than the level of procurement before the 12-Day War.
The Pentagon requested only 25 interceptors in its base defense budget request
for FY26 and another 12 through reconciliation, for a total of 37. While
admittedly an increase compared to the paltry 11 procured in FY24 and 12 in
FY25, the procurement of 37 interceptors next fiscal year is entirely
insufficient. Indeed, at that rate, it would take around four years to replenish
the interceptors used during the 12-Day War. Given growing threats to American
interests in the Middle East, Europe and the Pacific, that is unacceptable.
If the United States struggled to deal with Iran’s arsenal, imagine what might
happen in a conflict with China, which possesses around 2,700 short-, medium-
and intermediate-range ballistic missiles and is building more.
To make matters worse, Russia more than doubled its ballistic missile production
from 2023 to 2024 and continues to further expand production, according to
Ukrainian intelligence. Additionally, North Korea continues to advance its
missile program to threaten regional targets and the U.S. homeland, further
underscoring the need for more robust U.S. missile defense infrastructure and
stockpiles.
Thankfully, there are steps available to replenish and expand the U.S. Army’s
inventory of THAAD interceptors.
As a first step, Congress should approve without delay the above threshold
reprogramming request submitted on July 15. That will allow the Pentagon to move
money and acquire additional interceptors more quickly, especially with the
Missile Defense Agency’s July 28 $2.06 billion contract modification.
But Congress should not stop there. For FY26, Congress should authorize and
appropriate the funding necessary to procure the maximum quantity of
interceptors that industry can produce. Current full-rate production is 96 THAAD
“Talon” interceptors per year, and industry could produce as many as 144
interceptors in FY26. With additional steps, industry could produce even more
going forward.
Admittedly, a portion of current production levels goes toward fulfilling
foreign military sales to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, whose
orders kept the production line from atrophying while U.S. demand (unwisely)
slackened.
But industry is prepared to make the investments necessary to increase
production levels further, if only Washington will procure the maximum quantity
industry can produce and signal to industry its determination to do so for at
least the next five years. The assertive use of multiyear procurement authority
and appropriation can incentivize such industry behavior. To encourage such a
decision by industry and to inform future Pentagon requests and congressional
authorizations and appropriations, Congress should require an annual report from
the Pentagon listing 1) current maximum production levels for THAAD interceptors
and 2) steps that are being taken and could be taken to expand maximum
production capacity each year. Notably, the Senate Appropriations Committee
approved an increase of $923 million for additional THAAD interceptors and
related investments on July 31. That is an effort the full Congress and the
administration should support. Washington has underinvested in air and missile
defense for too long and is now facing the consequences. Thankfully, there are
several steps available that can begin to address the shortfall of THAAD
interceptors. Ensuring U.S. service members have the missile defenses they need
in a future conflict requires urgent action in Washington today.
**Bradley Bowman is senior director of the Center on Military and Political
Power (CMPP) at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, where Ryan Brobst is
deputy director. Luke Miller, an intern at CMPP, contributed to this research.
Trump’s narrow road to Ukraine peace has three milestones
for success — or failure
Peter Doran/ New York Post/August 20/2025
https://nypost.com/2025/08/19/opinion/trumps-road-to-ukraine-peace-has-three-milestones-for-success/
When it comes to peace in Ukraine, President Donald Trump has said it takes “two
to tango” — but while Vladimir Putin continues Russia’s attacks, only Ukraine’s
Volodymyr Zelensky looks ready for a deal on realistic terms. Monday’s White
House meeting with Zelensky and European officials revealed that peace is now
possible, but the road ahead will not be straight or wide. Zelensky shined at
the White House, even as Putin bombed Ukrainian civilians. Cool under pressure,
Ukraine’s president showed he’s learned how to navigate the currents of American
diplomacy. He swapped the military fatigues from his last visit for more formal
attire, showing his respect for Trump’s office. His words also struck the right
notes, expressing genuine gratitude to the American people for their unwavering
support and demonstrating his new rapport with Trump. When statecraft called for
stagecraft, Zelensky nailed his part.
Trump also rose to the occasion. He honored the iron law of successful American
diplomacy: When dealing with Moscow, don’t cut deals involving the Europeans
without them in the room. President Franklin Roosevelt and British Prime
Minister Winston Churchill made that fatal mistake at Yalta as World War II was
ending, carving up the world with Russian leader Josef Stalin. Trump has done
the opposite, bringing Europe’s heavyweight leaders into the room with Zelensky
to plot the course to peace.America holds powerful cards. Trump should play
them.
Trump wants to get Putin and Zelensky in the same room, but he should prepare
for poison pills from the Kremlin.For starters, Moscow is demanding Ukrainian
territory it doesn’t control. This is a classic Putin negotiating strategy: If
Kyiv rejects his maximalist demands, he’ll frame the Ukrainians as obstacles to
peace, even as his armies keep fighting. Three tests will determine whether
peace talks succeed or fail.
First, sequencing matters.
Trump wants to secure lasting peace, but the onus must be on Putin to prove he’s
negotiating in good faith by halting military operations. Even then, Moscow
could use any pause to reload and reinvade. Hard security guarantees for Ukraine
are essential to deter this outcome after Russia’s guns go silent. Second, land
for peace is the wrong framework for this conflict’s end — and Trump should be
wary of this pitfall. Putin claims he wants to address the war’s “root causes,”
but his real goal is conquest and the reabsorption of all Ukraine into Russia.
By fighting for their survival, Ukrainians have earned the right to chart their
own course: full integration in the European Union and a future free from
Russian aggression. Major territorial concessions on Moscow’s terms could
abandon millions of Ukrainians to Russian rule and shrink the very nation that
Kyiv’s soldiers have died to defend. Trump has pledged to defer to Ukraine on
the details. That’s the right call: Washington must not pressure Kyiv to bend to
Putin’s extreme demands.
Third, Ukraine’s “stolen children” must be a non-negotiable issue.
Russia has kidnapped at least 19,500 Ukrainian children from occupied regions —
as Putin aimed to both conquer Ukraine’s territory and steal its future.
Ukraine’s first lady has made their return her mission, and Melania Trump has
joined it, writing a personal letter to Putin. Her personal diplomacy is needed
and inspiring. If Putin drags his feet on peace, land and Ukraine’s stolen kids,
the White House must use its overwhelming economic leverage to squeeze him
harder.Trump can join Europeans in lowering the oil price cap set by sanctions,
forcing Russia to accept less revenue for each barrel it sells. Secondary
sanctions on Russia’s shadow fleet of tankers could compel its oil customers to
comply with international sanctions and starve Moscow of the money it needs to
continue the war. Sen. Lindsey Graham is rallying the Senate to help Trump do
just that, giving him expanded authority over sanctions and tariffs. For an
endgame strategy, Trump can borrow from his Iran playbook and require Russian
oil payments to sit in escrow accounts, rather than flowing directly to Moscow.
Military pressure is also essential. A top priority should be to create a
“fortress belt” around Ukraine. European allies say they’ll provide troops, and
the United States can assist by selling NATO allies more arms and equipment from
American stocks, allowing them to provide necessary weapons to Ukraine. This
should include more air defense, artillery and long-range systems capable of
striking Russia’s military-industrial sites. Washington should also push
Europeans to tap their share of the $300 billion in frozen Russian assets for
Ukrainian rearmament and reparations. Trump is right that it takes two to tango.
But when one partner keeps stomping on the other’s feet while demanding he must
lead, it’s time to change the music. Putin will come to the table when the costs
of staying away become unbearable — and not a moment before. Peter Doran is an
adjunct senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.
Russia and Ukraine: Why Are We Negotiating with Evil?
Gordon G. Chang/Gatestone Institute/August 20/2025
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/21848/negotiating-with-russia-evil
Rubio, talking about the war in Ukraine, completely missed the fundamental
issue: Should the United States be trying to reach a deal in the first place?
The answer is no: The U.S. should not be trying to broker any settlement with
Russian President Vladimir Putin, a mass-murdering, genocide-committing
aggressor. No one wants to see more people die, but trying to end this war by
agreement will ultimately make the world less safe.
Did the U.S. try to reach a "deal" with the Third Reich? How about Imperial
Japan?
A "deal" with aggressors always opens the door to more aggression.
"We don't negotiate with evil; we defeat it." — Vice President Dick Cheney,
reportedly spoken in 2003. The U.S. should not be trying to broker any
settlement with Russian President Vladimir Putin, a mass-murdering,
genocide-committing aggressor. Pictured: US President Donald Trump greets Putin
on the tarmac at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, on August
15, 2025. (Photo by Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)
"The only way to reach a deal on anything, whether it's in business or in
politics or in geopolitics, the only way to reach a deal is for each side to get
something and each side to give something," Secretary of State Marco Rubio told
NBC's Kristen Welker on Meet the Press on August 17.
Rubio, talking about the war in Ukraine, completely missed the fundamental
issue: Should the United States be trying to reach a deal in the first place?
The answer is no: The U.S. should not be trying to broker any settlement with
Russian President Vladimir Putin, a mass-murdering, genocide-committing
aggressor.
Rubio should heed his own words. "This guy lies, habitually lies," the then
senator said in March 2022 about the Russian leader.
"He's never kept a deal they've ever signed, and he's lied all—he lies all the
time. And I don't know why, but he plays us like a—like a violin in the West,
because the West wants to believe that you can cut a deal with everybody. You
can't cut a deal with guys like this."
President Donald Trump genuinely wants to end the slaughter. "I like the concept
of a ceasefire for one reason, because you'd stop killing people immediately,"
he said on Monday as Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders
met at the White House.
Since the war began on February 24, 2022, about 1.4 million soldiers on both
sides have been killed or wounded. Tens of thousands of Ukraine's civilians have
lost their lives.
No one wants to see more people die, but trying to end this war by agreement
will ultimately make the world less safe.
Putin, Trump should remember, broke apart Georgia in 2008, invaded Crimea in
2014, and denied the right of Ukraine to exist just before invading the
remainder of it in 2022,
In the current war, Putin's troops have raped, tortured, and carried out acts of
barbarism, almost certainly as a matter of state policy. By kidnapping over
20,000 Ukrainian children and raising them as Russians, Moscow has committed
genocide. Russia routinely targets Ukraine's citizens in hospitals and schools,
killing people in missile barrages and drone attacks. His planes have
carpet-bombed civilian areas.
Putin, for many reasons, is a war criminal. The International Criminal Court in
March 2023 was right to issue a warrant for his arrest.
And that brings us back to Rubio. Here are questions for the new secretary of
state. Did the U.S. try to reach a "deal" with the Third Reich? How about
Imperial Japan?
A "deal" with aggressors always opens the door to more aggression. Does anyone
in Washington remember anything about the 20th century?
Apparently not.
The Trump administration is now trying to pressure Ukraine into accepting a
land-for-peace deal with Putin. The Munich Pact of 1938 was a land-for-peace
arrangement.
The pact, which prompted British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain to proclaim
"peace for our time," allowed Germany to annex the Sudetenland and opened the
door for Adolf Hitler to grab the rest of Czechoslovakia, which he had promised
to leave alone. The deal, in short, made region-wide war in Europe more probable
than it had been.
Instead of trying to force a peace, Trump should refer to these words from Henry
Kissinger, written about the Congress of Vienna:
"Whenever peace—conceived as the avoidance of war—has been the primary objective
of a power or a group of powers, the international system has been at the mercy
of the most ruthless member of the international community."
The lesson is two centuries-old, but still relevant. Human nature has not
changed. To end the Ukraine war for our time, Trump is putting the world at the
mercy of the ruthless Putin.
If Trump ends the war in Ukraine by letting Russia control or annex parts of
that country—he has already said that Ukraine should formally cede Crimea and
possibly give up territory already under Russian control — he makes war in Asia
far more likely. China's expansionist regime will doubtless think it can invade
and keep parts of its neighbors, too.
Already, China, with belligerent tactics, is threatening to break apart all its
East Asia neighbors, from South Korea in the north to Indonesia in the south. In
South Asia, China has been threatening Nepal, India and Bhutan.
Chinese President Xi Jinping is not going to stop with just nearby countries.
Throughout this century, he has been pushing China's imperial-era notion that
Chinese rulers have an obligation to rule tianxia, "all under Heaven." Since
2017, China's officials have been talking about the moon and Mars as sovereign
Chinese territory.
The world does not need another world war.
So here is some advice for Trump from Vice President Dick Cheney, reportedly
spoken in 2003: "We don't negotiate with evil; we defeat it."
It is time to defeat evil, President Trump, not enable it.
**Gordon G. Chang is the author of Plan Red: China's Project to Destroy America,
a Gatestone Institute distinguished senior fellow, and a member of its Advisory
Board.
**Follow Gordon G. Chang on X (formerly Twitter)
© 2025 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do
not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No
part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied
or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.
Today in History: Islam Begins to Devour Christendom
Raymond Ibrahim/The Stream/ August 20/2025
On August 20, 636, the most consequential battle in world history took place:
the Battle of Yarmuk. Not only did it decide whether the Arabian creed would
thrive or die, it became a source of inspiration and instruction for jihadists
throughout the centuries — right down to the Islamic State, or “ISIS.”Yet very
few in the West are even aware of this battle, much less its influence on modern
jihad. The story begins with the prophet of Islam. In 632, Muhammad died, having
united the Arabs under Islam. Afterward, some tribes refused to pay taxes, or
zakat, to the caliph Abu Bakr. Branding them apostates, the caliph launched the
Ridda (“apostasy”) Wars, in which tens of thousands were beheaded, crucified, or
burned alive. By 633, these wars ended, and in 634, Abu Bakr died. It fell to
the second caliph, Omar bin al-Khattab (r. 634–44), to direct the united Arabs
against “the infidel.”
Thousands of Arabs quickly flooded into Christian Syria, slaughtering and
plundering in the name of jihad. Emperor Heraclius, fresh from a decade of war
with Persia, raised his legions. Roman forces clashed with the invaders at
Ajnadayn in 634 and Marj al-Saffar in 635. Yet, as Muslim chronicler al-Baladhuri
writes, “by Allah’s help, the enemies of Allah were routed and shattered into
pieces, a great many being slaughtered.”
The Yarmuk River Valley
By spring 636, Heraclius had assembled a large multiethnic army, roughly 30,000
strong. Muslim forces, numbering around 24,000 — with women, children, slaves,
camels, and tents in tow — gathered along the banks of the Yarmuk River in
Syria. The battlefield was dominated by two ravines, each 100 to 200 feet deep —
a deadly pitfall for anyone fleeing. The Arabs sent an urgent message to Caliph
Omar: “The dog of the Romans, Heraclius, has called on us all who bear the
cross, and they have come against us like a swarm of locusts.” Reinforcements
were dispatched. Heraclius appointed Vahan, an Armenian veteran of the Persian
Wars, as commander. The Arabs were led by Abu Ubaida, but Khalid bin al-Walid —
better known as the “Sword of Allah” — commanded thousands of horsemen and
influenced strategy. Before battle, Vahan and Khalid met under a flag of truce.
Vahan offered food and coin in exchange for an Arab withdrawal. Khalid
responded: “It was not hunger that brought us here, but we Arabs are in the
habit of drinking blood, and we are told the blood of the Romans is the sweetest
of its kind, so we came to shed your blood and drink it.”
A Blunt Conversation
Vahan’s diplomatic mask dropped:
So, we thought you came seeking what your brethren always sought
[money/extortion]… But, alas, we were wrong. You came killing men, enslaving
women, plundering wealth, destroying buildings… Better people had tried to do
the same but always ended up defeated… As for you, there is no lower and more
despicable people — wretched, impoverished Bedouins… All we ask is that you
leave our lands. But if you refuse, we will annihilate you!
Khalid responded by calling on Vahan to embrace Islam, warning:
“If you refuse, there can only be war between us… And you will face men who love
death as you love life.” Vahan’s reply was simple: “Do what you like. We will
never forsake our religion or pay you jizya.”
Negotiations were over.
War began with a grisly display: An additional 8,000 Muslim fighters appeared
before the Roman camp carrying the severed heads of 4,000 Christians atop their
spears, the remnants of 5,000 reinforcements ambushed en route. Then, as
resounding cries of “Allahu akbar” filled the Muslim camp, those Muslims
standing behind the remaining 1,000 Christian captives shoved them down and
proceeded to carve off their heads before the eyes of their coreligionists, whom
Arabic sources describe as looking on in “utter bewilderment.”
On the eve of battle, “the Muslims spent the night in prayer and recitation of
the Quran,” writes historian A.I. Akram, “and reminded each other of the two
blessings that awaited them: either victory and life or martyrdom and paradise.”
Women and Children
No such titillation awaited the Christians. They were fighting for life and
limb, for family and faith. Thus, during his pre-battle speech, Vahan explained
that “these Arabs who stand before you seek to . . . enslave your children and
women.”
Another general warned the men to fight hard or else the Arabs “shall conquer
your lands and ravish your women.” Such fears were not unwarranted. Even as the
Romans were kneeling in pre-battle prayer, Arab general Abu Sufyan was prancing
on his war steed, waving his spear, and exhorting the Muslims to “jihad in the
way of Allah,” so that they might seize the Christians’ “lands and cities, and
enslave their children and women.”
The battle lasted six days. Early on, Roman forces broke through Muslim lines.
But Arab women, armed with stones and tent poles, chastised retreating men: “May
Allah curse those who run from the enemy! Do you wish to give us to the
Christians? … If you do not kill, then you are not our men.” Abu Sufyan’s wife
Hind screamed: “Cut the extremities [i.e., phalluses] of the uncircumcised
ones!” The men rallied.
On the final day, August 20, 636, a dust storm — something Arabs were accustomed
to, their opponents less so — erupted and caused mass chaos, particularly for
the Romans, whose large infantry numbers proved counterproductive. Night fell.
Then, in the words of historian Antonio Santosuosso,
[T]he terrain echoed with the terrifying din of Muslim shouts and battle cries.
Shadows suddenly changed into blades that penetrated flesh. The wind brought the
cries of comrades as the enemy stealthily penetrated the ranks among the
infernal noise of cymbals, drums, and battle cries. It must have been even more
terrifying because they had not expected the Muslims to attack by dark.
A Rout
Muslim cavalrymen continued pressing on the crowded and blinded Roman infantry,
using the hooves and knees of their steeds to knock down the wearied fighters.
Pushed finally to the edge of the ravine, rank after rank of the remaining
forces of the imperial army fell down the steep precipices to their death.
“The Byzantine army, which Heraclius had spent a year of immense exertion to
collect, had entirely ceased to exist,” writes British lieutenant-general and
historian John Bagot Glubb. “There was no withdrawal, no rearguard action, no
nucleus of survivors. There was nothing left.”As the moon filled the night sky
and the victors stripped the slain, cries of “Allahu akbar!” and “There is no
god but Allah and Muhammad is his messenger!” echoed throughout the Yarmuk
valley, as told by one Arabian chronicler.
Following this decisive Muslim victory, the way was left wide open for the
domino-like Arab conquests of the seventh century. “Such a revolution had never
been,” remarks historian Hilaire Belloc. “No earlier attack had been so sudden,
so violent, or so permanently successful. Within a score of years from the first
assault in 634 [at the Battle of Ajnadayn], the Christian Levant had gone:
Syria, the cradle of the Faith, and Egypt with Alexandria, the mighty Christian
See.”
Massive Fall
Without the power of hindsight afforded to historians living more than a
millennium after the fact, even Anastasius of Sinai, who witnessed Muslim forces
overrun his Egyptian homeland four years after Yarmuk, testified to the
decisiveness of the battle by referring to it as “the first terrible and
incurable fall of the Roman army”:
I am speaking of the bloodshed at Yarmuk, . . . after which occurred the capture
and burning of the cities of Palestine, even Caesarea and Jerusalem. After the
destruction of Egypt there followed the enslavement and incurable devastation of
the Mediterranean lands and islands.
Indeed, mere decades after Yarmuk, all ancient Christian lands between Greater
Syria to the east and Mauretania (encompassing parts of present-day Algeria and
Morocco) to the west — nearly 4,000 miles — had been conquered by Islam. Put
differently: Two-thirds of Christendom’s original, older, and wealthier
territory was permanently swallowed up by Islam. (Eventually, and thanks to the
later Turks, “Muslim armies conquered three-quarters of the Christian world,” to
quote historian Thomas Madden.)
But unlike the Germanic barbarians who invaded and conquered Europe in the
preceding centuries, only to assimilate into the Christian religion, culture,
and civilization and adopt its languages, especially Latin, the Arabs imposed
their creed and language onto the conquered peoples so that, whereas the “Arabs”
were once limited to the Arabian Peninsula, today the “Arab world” consists of
some 22 nations across the Middle East and North Africa.
This would not be the case, and the world would have developed in a radically
different way, had the Eastern Roman Empire defeated the invaders and sent them
reeling back to Arabia.
Little wonder that historians such as Francesco Gabrieli hold that “the battle
of the Yarmuk had, without doubt, more important consequences than almost any
other in all world history.”
Patterned on History
It bears noting that if most Westerners today are ignorant of that encounter and
its ramifications, they are even more oblivious about how Yarmuk continues to
serve
as a model of inspiration for modern-day jihadists (who, we are regularly
informed, are “psychotic criminals” who have “nothing to do with Islam”). As the
alert reader may have noticed, the continuity between the words and deeds of the
Islamic State (ISIS) and those of its predecessors from nearly 1,400 years ago
are eerily similar. This of course is intentional.
When ISIS and other “radicals” proclaim that “American blood is best and we will
taste it soon,” or “We love death as you love life,” or “We will break your
crosses and enslave your women,” they are quoting verbatim — and thereby placing
themselves in the footsteps of — Khalid bin al-Walid and his companions, the
original Islamic conquerors of Christian Syria.
Indeed, the cultivated parallels are more prevalent than might be assumed.
ISIS’s black flag is intentionally patterned after Khalid’s black flag. Its
invocation of the houris, Islam’s celestial sex-slaves promised to martyrs, is
based on anecdotes of Muslims dying by the Yarmuk River and being welcomed into
paradise by the houris. And the choreographed ritual slaughter of “infidels,”
most infamously of 21 Coptic Christians on the shores of Libya, is patterned
after the ritual slaughter of 1,000 captured Roman soldiers on the eve of the
Battle of Yarmuk.
Here, then, is a reminder that, when it comes to the military history of Islam
and the West, the lessons imparted are far from academic and have relevance to
this day — at least for the jihadists.
Note: In the following video, I summarize Yarmuk and its personal impact on me:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3HHH_25MwM&t=1s
Is Netanyahu an isolated phenomenon?
Abdulrahman Al-Rashed/Asharq Al-Awsat/August 20, 2025
Benjamin Netanyahu’s allies are also his adversaries, both Arabs and Israelis.
The Israeli prime minister spares no effort in provoking them and stirring
enough dust to stay in the headlines or to distract them from his own issues.
The focus on Netanyahu as an individual is understandable and even justified
under the circumstances of the Gaza war and its horrors. But is he really an
exceptional, rebellious figure within Israel?
Some Arab media outlets have portrayed the situation since the beginning of the
crisis by suggesting that Israelis are against Netanyahu and oppose the war —
wishful thinking. The reality is different. Hard-line policies and the iron-fist
approach emerged as a response to Hamas’ mistake in October, and Netanyahu went
to the extreme in his retaliation. Netanyahu is not an exception. Former prime
ministers who were no less rigid and aggressive — Golda Meir, Menachem Begin,
Yitzhak Shamir, and Ariel Sharon — all had their turn as targets of Arab
criticism. They represented Israel, not outsiders to the system, and they
reflected the majority. Therefore, trying to separate the Israeli establishment
from the prime minister and directing attacks only at him is a way of avoiding
the real problem: the poor relationship with Israel as a whole, not just the
occupant of the prime minister’s office.
It is natural in an open society to hear dissenting voices. But these voices
should not be overvalued when analyzing Israel’s broader direction or its
handling of the crisis.
Palestinians, more than anyone else, need to build a relationship with Israeli
public opinion — not Arab public opinion.
When some cite criticisms from opposition politicians in the Knesset, former
presidents, or opposition parties within Israel’s political system, they mislead
Arab public opinion. These critics are not the majority. If they were,
Netanyahu, who survives on a slim majority, would have already been ousted.
Similarly, efforts by the families of hostages inside Israel and appeals from
world leaders to pressure Netanyahu have not succeeded. For almost two years,
reports suggested the war was nearing its end and Netanyahu was in trouble. Yet,
as we see, “the prime minister’s ears are deaf” and the catastrophe
continues.Netanyahu has not fallen because most Israelis support him despite
suffering the highest human losses on multiple fronts in Israel’s history. This
stance largely reflects a solid bloc across military, civilian, legislative, and
party institutions insisting on eliminating “Palestinian and regional threats.”
That is what has happened, and it seems we are in the final chapter. A
resolution to the Gaza crisis is expected in the remaining months of the year.
What has disappeared from the scene is Israel’s leftist bloc — traditionally
opposed to wars and sympathetic to some Palestinian rights. This group has
shrunk significantly after the shock of Hamas’ October 2023 attacks, which
destroyed the base of leftists and moderates within Israeli society. The Arab
world does not need convincing; it already believes in the Palestinian cause.
But it does not carry the political weight needed to sway decisions. Seeing the
whole picture inside Israel and understanding the trends among its citizens is
one of the most important sources for making sense of what is happening in our
region, especially in the multiple conflicts with Israel. Relying instead on
repetitive rhetoric aimed at mobilization creates a distorted image of reality.
Without broad popular support for Netanyahu’s decisions, the Gaza war would not
have started or continued, nor could he have remained in power despite hundreds
of Israeli dead and thousands wounded, both military and civilian. Nor would he
have risked his military adventures against Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in
Yemen, and Iran. Without public acceptance, it is difficult to stop the war,
achieve peace, or grant Palestinians their rights.
This does not mean there are no political rifts in Israel. There is a spectrum
of opinions and parties, yet most have rallied behind the government in the war
— even as they face a moral and political dilemma following the horrific October
attacks, with the killing and abduction of children and women, and the
subsequent brutal killing of civilians in Gaza, pushing them to the brink of
starvation. Palestinians, more than anyone else, need to build a relationship
with Israeli public opinion — not Arab public opinion. The Arab world does not
need convincing; it already believes in the Palestinian cause. But it does not
carry the political weight needed to sway decisions.
Climate resilience is a strategic investment in future growth
Pepukaye Bardouille & Mahmoud Mohieldin,/Arab News/August 20,
2025
For emerging markets and developing economies, or EMDEs, investing in resilience
is not a luxury; it is an imperative. Climate disasters and ecological
degradation are impeding their economic prospects and straining their finances.
Perhaps more importantly, these shocks are exacerbating unsustainable debt
burdens at a time when donor countries are slashing development aid, making it
harder for EMDEs to finance investments in climate adaptation.
Over the past two decades, the 74 economies comprising the Climate Vulnerable
Forum and the Vulnerable Group of Twenty have suffered more than $525 billion in
losses — equivalent to roughly 20 percent of their collective gross domestic
product — due to climate shocks. This includes acute disasters like floods,
hurricanes, and droughts, as well as slower-moving events such as
desertification and coastal erosion. Meanwhile, the degradation of natural
ecosystems through deforestation and biodiversity loss has aggravated food and
water insecurity and increased climate risks by eliminating natural carbon
sinks. These dynamics create formidable obstacles — namely, limited fiscal space
and high capital costs — that trap countries in a vicious cycle of
vulnerability. Breaking free requires a significant scaling-up in financing for
climate-adaptation efforts.
To that end, the Sharm El-Sheikh Adaptation Agenda, launched in 2022, proposes
30 adaptation targets in key sectors such as agriculture, public health, and
infrastructure with the goal of spurring inclusive, effective, and equitable
action by 2030. The proposed outcomes are not merely defensive; they create
jobs, boost productivity, and improve creditworthiness. Unfortunately, these
benefits are not reflected in current macroeconomic frameworks. The problem is
structural. Existing macro-fiscal tools — such as the debt-sustainability
frameworks used by the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, and, by
extension, sovereign credit ratings — account for climate and nature-related
risks, but do not sufficiently recognize the economic benefits of reducing those
risks. Natural disasters, climate-related or otherwise, are rightly treated as
threats to fiscal stability. But the investments required to mitigate their
effects are seen only as adding to the debt burden, rather than as critical for
reducing losses or as driving the development of growth-enhancing strategic
assets. For example, investments in flood-resilient infrastructure in Vietnam
have not only reduced damage costs but also boosted land values, improved public
health, and increased worker productivity. And investments in nature-based
solutions such as restoring mangroves or wetlands can simultaneously address
climate, food, and water challenges, and boost infrastructure performance.
As a result, high-impact interventions such as coastal defenses, underground
power lines, and mangrove restoration are sidelined in favor of more
conventional infrastructure projects like roads, bridges, and ports. These
perverse incentives are reflected in EMDEs’ planning and budgeting processes.
The environment ministries that oversee Nationally Determined Contributions and
National Adaptation Plans under the Paris climate agreement tend not to engage
systematically with finance ministries, meaning that these resilience strategies
are not fully integrated into medium and long-term national financial planning.
That leaves NDCs and NAPs at risk of being aspirational, rather than actionable.
With critical adaptation investments overlooked in budgets, and with
insufficient volumes of grant or concessional finance to plug ensuing gaps, many
are calling for changes in how debt is treated, including reforms of fiscal
frameworks so that investments in climate and nature resilience are treated as
productive. A recent paper by the Bridgetown Initiative outlines four steps that
governments can take to achieve this goal. First, EMDEs must quantify acute and
chronic climate and nature risks. A better understanding of the potential
macroeconomic effects can help guide assessments of the financing required to
reduce those risks. The paper offers a new typology to help categorize
investments by risk type and sector, which would streamline the process.
Once policymakers have identified which investments are needed, they must assess
their impact on the economy’s growth trajectory. Spending on resilience measures
can reduce future losses from climate disasters, boost productivity, and raise
incomes. These benefits must be incorporated into forecasting models, as is
already done for traditional infrastructure investments.
Countries are trapped in a vicious cycle of vulnerability.
The long-term growth benefits of resilience-focused capital projects could then
be factored into debt-sustainability analyses. This would show that such
investments are, in fact, fiscally prudent with the right financing conditions,
thus strengthening the case for more concessional and longer-term borrowing.
Lastly, with a more comprehensive understanding of the macroeconomic effects of
resilience-based interventions, EMDEs can devise credible investment plans and
financing strategies that align with fiscal and budgetary policy.
Factoring climate resilience into macroeconomic planning should strengthen, not
diminish, a country’s growth narrative. When done well, this empowers finance
ministries to engage more effectively with donors, credit-rating agencies,
markets, and international financial institutions, all of which play a critical
direct or indirect role in supporting resilience and adaptation efforts. With
the IMF and the World Bank reviewing their Debt Sustainability Framework for
Low-Income Countries, this is an opportune time for EMDEs to update their
methodologies to reflect the benefits of adaptation measures. Climate and nature
shocks are now an economic reality, not a distant threat. Building resilience to
these shocks will form the foundation of sustainable development and fiscal
stability for years to come.
— Pepukaye Bardouille, director of the Bridgetown Initiative and special adviser
on climate resilience to the Barbados Prime Minister’s Office, was the founding
CEO of the Climate Resilience Execution Agency for Dominica.
— Mahmoud Mohieldin, UN special envoy on financing the 2030 Sustainable
Development Agenda and co-chair of the Expert Group on Debt, is a former
minister of investment of Egypt (2004-10), former senior vice president of the
World Bank Group, and former executive director of the International Monetary
Fund.
©Project Syndicate
Selected tweets for
20 August/2025
Hussien Abdel Hussien
https://x.com/i/status/1958121045384380719
Before we iron out security guarantees and Article 5-like promises, we must hear
what demands the Russians are making for further concessions. So far, it sounds
like the White House doesn't know.
Marc Zell
President Trump’s Special Envoy to Syria posted this late yesterday evening.
Nice verbiage. But the barbarism in Suweida is one-sided. It is not about
“de-escalating tensions, as if the Druze are complicit in their own destruction.
Unless Mr. Barrack’s words are accompanied by specific warnings to the Syrian
regime and pressure to open the siege the regime has imposed on the Druze of
southern Syria, the kind words are worthless. Actions count. Talk is cheap.
“Today I had a warm and informative meeting with Israeli Druze spiritual leader
Sheikh Muwaffaq Tarif and his team. We discussed the situation in Suwayda and
how to bring together the interests of all parties, de-escalate tensions, and
build understanding.”
Marc Zell
Hopefully the Druze leader was able to persuade Special Envoy to Syria Thomas
Barrack to open his eyes to the atrocities being committed by the Syrian regime
against the Druze and other minorities and to stop dismissing these barbarities
as mere “sectarian strife.”
Zéna Mansour
20 y. old Yara Adham Arar and 12 civilians, women& children, were kidnapped at a
Daraa checkpoint controlled by the De Facto authority while traveling from
Sehnaya to Sweida 2 daysago. HRights organizations are calling for her release
and the release of all hostages.
Zéna Mansour
Self-governance, federalism, or separation are at the top ofthe Sweida Druze's
agenda. Militants who kill vulnerable populations,the elderly,children &youth,
lose their right to a sociopolitical contract. Separation appears to be themost
viable path forward &the optimal solution.
henri
@realhzakaria
I’ve said it before: the Syrians in Lebanon will never leave unless we drive
them out. Bashar fell, yet they still occupy our towns and villages. The same
goes for the Palestinians, even if they get their own state, they won’t leave
Lebanon unless we force them out.Remove them now, Syrians and Palestinians
alike, before they conspire against you and take Lebanon. That has been their
goal since the day they invaded.