English LCCC Newsbulletin For
Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For August 24/2025
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news
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Bible Quotations For today
Canaanite woman's Daughter Healing
Miracle/Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.
Matthew 15/21-28: "Jesus left that place and went away to the
district of Tyre and Sidon. Just then a Canaanite woman from that region came
out and started shouting, ‘Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is
tormented by a demon.’ But he did not answer her at all. And his disciples came
and urged him, saying, ‘Send her away, for she keeps shouting after us.’He
answered, ‘I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.’But she
came and knelt before him, saying, ‘Lord, help me.’He answered, ‘It is not fair
to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.’ She said, ‘Yes, Lord, yet
even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.’Then Jesus
answered her, ‘Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.’
And her daughter was healed instantly."
Titles For The
Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published
on August 23-24/2025
On the anniversary of Bashir’s election, we reaffirm our faith that
Bashir—the Cause—is alive and will never die. For he who has God as his
supporter, none can prevail against him./Elias Bejjani/August 23/2025
A Series of Heresies, Blasphemies, and Betrayals by the Inciter—Mufti Ahmad
Qabalan/Elias Bejjani/Augst 20/2025
Lebanon, Syria eye breakthrough as talks set to begin next week — the details
President Aoun: Lebanon awaits Israel’s response to the Tom Barrack proposal
Beirut airport rolls out new measures to speed up passenger flow
Israeli-American consultations continue on US proposal, sources tell LBCI
Firefight in Baalbek: Gang leader killed, hostage rescued by Lebanese army
Barrack and Ortagus to Bring Israeli Responses to Beirut on Tuesday/Bassam Abou
Zeid/This Is Beirut/August 23/2025
Nadim Gemayel: Bashir’s Vision Still Alive
Zaki: Weapons Control Measures Are in Line With League Resolutions
40 years of LBCI: A look back at its milestones
UNIFIL Inaugurates New Clinic in Ain Ebel
State Employee Arrested for Power Theft
Kuwaiti Oil Shipment Arrives in Lebanon
Palestinian Concerns Arise in Lebanon Over Linking Camp Weapons to Hezbollah’s
Arsenal
Being a Lebanese Communist Today/Hazem Saghieh/Asharq Al Awsat/23 August/2025
Lebanon Awaiting Syria’s Official Response to US Proposals/Paula Astih/Asharq Al
Awsat/23 August/2025
Enlightenment in the Crypt of Hezbollah/Makram Rabah/Now Lebanon/August 23/2025
Engineer Alfred Madi/On the Anniversary of Bashir Gemayel’s Election as
President of the Republic
Bassil mocks handover of arms truck at Burj al-Barajneh camp
What’s the fate of Hezbollah?/Zaid AlKami/Al Arabiya English/August 22/2025
Titles For The Latest English LCCC
Miscellaneous Reports And News published
on August 22-23/2025
Divisions Among Druze Over New ‘Unified Army’ in Sweida/Damascus: Muwafaq
Mohammed/Asharq Al Awsat/August 23/2025
Israel Says Missile from Yemen Most Likely Fragmented Mid-Air
Iran Says Killed Six ‘Terrorists’ Linked to Israel
Israeli Army Says Targeted Hezbollah Arms Depot in Southern Lebanon
Israeli Forces Infiltrate into Several Syrian Villages in Quneitra and Daraa
New Israeli strikes around Gaza kill 25 as famine announcement raises pressure
‘Far too late’: Palestinians despair after UN declares famine in Gaza
Netanyahu rival offers political truce to help secure Gaza hostage deal
Russia says captured two villages in Ukraine’s Donetsk region
France summons Italian ambassador over challenge to Macron on Ukraine
Syria delays parliamentary vote in Sweida after sectarian violence
KSrelief continues to support orphans in Syria
Syria delays parliamentary vote in Sweida after sectarian violence
Hopes dim for Putin-Zelensky peace summit
Armenians protest against Russian army base
Turkey’s first lady urges Melania Trump to speak out on Gaza
Azerbaijan’s Aliyev praises Trump saying he ‘really deserves’ Nobel Peace Prize
Titles For
The Latest English LCCC analysis &
editorials from miscellaneous sources
on August 22-23/2025
A Thirst for Freedom: The Case for Supporting Iran's People/Dr. Majid
Rafizadeh/Gatestone Institute/August 23/2025
Leaders made by propaganda and brought down by defeat/Mamdouh AlMuhaini/Al
Arabiya English/23 August/2025
Iran’s Surprise New Neighbor/Amir Taheri/Asharq Al Awsat/23 August/2025
A tale of two summits/Yossi Mekelberg/Arab News/August 23, 2025
Iraq and the shifting tides of US and EU policy/Hafed Al-Ghwell/Arab News/August
23, 2025
Europe and its influence in the Middle East/Andrew Hammond/Arab News/August 23,
2025
The Latest English LCCC
Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on August 22-23/2025
On the
anniversary of Bashir’s election, we reaffirm our faith that Bashir—the Cause—is
alive and will never die. For he who has God as his supporter, none can prevail
against him.”
Elias Bejjani/August 23/2025
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/08/66952/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpBVzm_nxqQ
Bashir Gemayel was elected President
of Lebanon on August 23, 1982. On this day, we proudly remember that historic
moment and affirm that Bashir's dream remains alive. It is carried forward in
the strong will of Lebanon’s honorable and sovereign youth, who have taken it
upon themselves to bear the torch of freedom, dignity, liberation, and
independence in a peaceful and civilized way. God willing, this will ultimately
lead to rescuing the nation from Iranian occupation, traitors, and
collaborators, and to restoring its independence and freedom.
On the day of his election, U.S. President Ronald Reagan described Bashir as
“the young president who brought the light of hope to Lebanon.”
Bachir was more than a leader—he was a strategic planner who boldly crossed red
lines, driven by his boundless love for Lebanon. He made the Lebanese of every
background and affiliation believe in his vision: a Lebanon where people live in
peace and dignity. He injected courage and willpower into the people, urging
them to demand and work for a true state of citizenship, and to preserve Lebanon
as a land of freedom, a nation worth every sacrifice.
On this day in 1982, Bachir's love for his country ignited a renewed sense of
belonging. He planted an eternal dream in the heart of every free Lebanese, at
home and abroad. His cause—the cause of Lebanon—remains alive, because “whoever
has God as their supporter will never be defeated.”
It is true that the forces of evil and darkness succeeded in assassinating
Bashir’s body, but they failed to kill the cause he embodied. That cause still
beats in the hearts and minds of every free Lebanese: the cause of the state, of
law and constitution, of freedom and democracy, and of genuine coexistence.
Bashir’s legacy lives on in the conscience and culture of every sovereign
Lebanese. Bashir will never die.
The man whose body was assassinated on September 14, 1982, remains alive in
memory as a model of patriotism and integrity. By contrast, most political
leaders still living in body are dead in spirit, consumed by greed, betrayal,
and opportunism. Their presence is an absence, and their absence is a blessing.
On the Feast of the Holy Cross, September 14, 1982, treachery struck down
Bashir’s body, but it failed to kill his cause, his patriotism, and his spirit
of resistance. On that day, Lebanon’s Cross was raised to the sky, bearing the
martyr president, Sheikh Bashir Gemayel, surrounded by his 23 faithful
companions. He had dedicated his life to Lebanon and its sacred cause, and
together with his companions he returned to the eternal paradise of the
righteous and the saints.
Bashir was lifted on the Cross of Lebanon after he and his companions watered
the blessed soil of the Cedar Nation with their pure blood. The martyr of 10,452
square kilometers ascended to his Lord with a clear conscience and a heart full
of faith, leaving behind a clear framework for the Lebanese cause. He instilled
in the conscience of his people the spirit of sacrifice, resistance, and the
certainty of Lebanon’s inevitable victory—the Nation of the Message, where
Christ performed His first miracle, and which the Virgin Mary blessed with her
presence.
It was God’s will to distinguish Bashir even in death, just as He had graced him
with talents, faith, and vision in life. God called him to eternal glory on the
Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross—the same day His only Son was crucified as
a ransom for humanity, to liberate mankind from sin. As the Apostle Paul wrote:
“For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to
us who are being saved it is the power of God.”
Bashir embraced the Cross as his path and his beacon. He made it the symbol of
his Lebanese message: a message of coexistence, love, loyalty, dignity, and
honor. He loved his people so deeply that he offered himself as a sacrifice for
their salvation and freedom. Protected by the Cross, he will not be defeated by
the devils of treachery nor defiled by the hypocrisy of false leaders. And just
as Christ rose from the dead, Bashir’s message will endure until the end of
time. It will raise Lebanon, sooner or later, from the grave of dependency,
occupation, and servitude.
Bashir’s Lebanon will not die. It lives in the struggle, resistance, and pride
of every Lebanese who believes in his dream—the dream of a sovereign, free,
independent, and democratic nation, where justice reigns, human dignity is
safeguarded, and freedom is protected. A Lebanon liberated from foreign armies
and mercenaries, ruled by its people, not by traitors.
Bashir fought to restore unity to Lebanon’s land, sovereignty to its state,
dignity to its people, and effectiveness to its institutions. He famously
declared: “We want to live with our heads held high. What must change is the
mentality, and the renewal of the person, to renew Lebanon.” As the prophet
Malachi said, “The law of truth was in his mouth.”
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.
Lebanon, Syria
eye breakthrough as talks set to begin next week — the details
LBCI/August 23/2025
More than eight months have passed since the change of leadership in Syria, yet
Lebanese-Syrian relations remain marked by caution and a lack of trust. Efforts
to regulate ties between the two countries have only taken place through the
sponsorship or mediation of a third state. Riyadh initiated this process during
a meeting between the defense ministers of both countries at the end of March.
The U.S. role then became more visible through envoy Tom Barrack’s proposal,
which aligned with Saudi objectives in bringing the two countries together. The
paper focused on two main points: demarcating and controlling the border, and
halting the smuggling of weapons and drugs. As a first outcome of this
U.S.-backed mediation, an official Syrian delegation is expected to arrive in
Beirut at the end of this month. The delegation will include a Syrian technical
committee that, according to Damascus’ plan, is set to meet with a Lebanese
technical committee. Syria has already outlined its border demarcation proposal
and is awaiting Lebanon’s response. Lebanese-Syrian relations were also featured
in talks between Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani and Barrack in
Washington.
The Syrian side viewed the clauses of Barrack’s paper related to Syria as
beneficial to Damascus. In remarks to LBCI, a Syrian official linked the
implementation of these clauses to a decline in Hezbollah’s political and
security influence in Lebanon, saying the group continues to use Syrian
territory for its own purposes. While the outcome of ongoing efforts remains
unclear, sources say that the Syrian delegation will include representatives
from key ministries, notably Justice and Interior. Political issues will also be
part of the talks—particularly the case of Syrian detainees, amid popular
pressure on the Syrian government to secure their release, as well as the issue
of displaced persons. Next week’s negotiations could mark the start of genuine
Syrian-Lebanese diplomatic cooperation.
President Aoun: Lebanon awaits Israel’s response to the Tom Barrack proposal
LBCI/August 23/2025
President Joseph Aoun told visiting U.S. Congressman Darin LaHood that Lebanon
is awaiting Israel’s response to the proposal presented by U.S. envoy Tom
Barrack, who is expected in Beirut early next week. Aoun said Lebanon has not
been officially informed about reported Israeli plans to establish a buffer zone
in the south. The president stressed the importance of renewing the mandate of
U.N. peacekeepers, warning that ending their mission before Israel’s withdrawal
from southern Lebanon, the return of detainees, the army’s deployment to the
border, and the full implementation of Resolution 1701 would undermine regional
stability. LaHood, for his part, congratulated Aoun on the government’s decision
to restrict arms to the state and conveyed that U.S. President Donald Trump is
ready to help Lebanon achieve lasting stability.
Beirut airport rolls out new measures to speed up passenger flow
LBCI/August 23/2025
Social media videos have highlighted major delays at Beirut’s Rafic Hariri
International Airport, especially for departing expatriates. But the situation
is improving: passport stamping lines are now moving more smoothly, with wait
times of just 10 to 20 minutes during peak hours. LBCI visited the airport to
see the process firsthand. After completing document checks at airline counters
and security inspections, passengers proceed to four General Security lines: one
for Lebanese travelers, one for foreign travelers, one for passengers in
wheelchairs, and a family line. The system has greatly facilitated the flow of
travelers, under the directives of General Security chief Major General Hassan
Choucair, who instructed staff to provide maximum assistance and courteous
service to arrivals and departures. During LBCI’s visit at 11:30 a.m., the lines
were cleared by 11:50 a.m., showing that travelers moved through efficiently in
about 20 minutes. At the public security checkpoint, 24 counters were staffed by
24 officers during peak hours to expedite processing. Previously, insufficient
staffing contributed to congestion. Now, instructions ensure full staffing
during busy periods, while some officers can rest when traffic eases without
affecting operations. By comparison, many airports worldwide routinely see waits
of more than an hour, despite handling fewer passengers. Beirut Airport, which
sees more than 200 daily flights and between 18,000 and 21,000 passengers, is
now operating more smoothly.
Lebanon is also planning future projects to further improve airport operations,
including the introduction of e-gates.
Israeli-American consultations continue on US proposal, sources tell LBCI
LBCI/August 23/2025
Sources told LBCI that Israeli and American officials are continuing
consultations regarding Israel’s response to the U.S. proposal. The discussions
come ahead of the expected visit of U.S. envoys Morgan Ortagus and Tom Barrack.
Firefight in Baalbek: Gang leader killed, hostage rescued by Lebanese army
LBCI/August 23/2025
Hussein Raad thought Jourd Nahle in Baalbek would be a safe haven for him and
his gang. They kidnapped Mourtada Yassin and demanded $50,000 from his family
for his release. The Lebanese army’s intelligence directorate successfully
tracked the gang and the hostage. That night, an intelligence team, accompanied
by army forces, went to Jourd Nahle to free the captive.Raad and his gang
refused to surrender, firing RPGs and bullets from the rocks. Army forces
returned fire and stormed the cave and surrounding area. During the firefight,
Raad, the gang’s leader, was killed. Ahmed Raid was wounded, four other gang
members were arrested, and weapons, ammunition, and the vehicle used in the
kidnapping were seized. Most importantly, the hostage was freed and returned
safely to his family. Raad’s security record shows his involvement in at least
three previous kidnappings of Lebanese and non-Lebanese individuals, as well as
transporting counterfeit money, carrying out shootings, and committing assaults.
The Jourd Nahle operation was notable because a firefight broke out after the
gang failed to move the hostage, a rare occurrence. Previously, kidnappers often
relied on Syrian border villages to transfer victims into Syria, releasing them
at the border after extortion and security pressure. Today, however, the eastern
border’s political and security landscape has changed, forcing gangs into direct
confrontations with the army and intelligence forces, who quickly neutralize or
arrest those involved.
Barrack and Ortagus to Bring Israeli Responses to Beirut on Tuesday
Bassam Abou Zeid/This Is Beirut/August 23/2025
Lebanese official sources said that US envoy Tom Barrack and US official Morgan
Ortagus will return to Beirut on Tuesday, bringing Israel’s response on
withdrawals, the cessation of attacks and assassinations, and the release of
prisoners, along with a US proposal on renewing UNIFIL’s mandate.
According to these sources, the Presidency and Government have not yet received
any official Israeli reply through the Americans and are not concerned with
information circulating in the media. The Lebanese position, they stressed, will
be announced only after an official response is received and following
consultations among Lebanese leaders, most notably Speaker of Parliament Nabih
Berri. According to the same sources, the Lebanese Army is still drafting a plan
to ensure that all weapons remain under state authority. The plan is expected to
be presented to the Cabinet in September. Its implementation, however, will
depend on a political decision—one guided by Lebanon’s national interest and by
reciprocal steps from the other side that demonstrate a genuine commitment to
resolving the current disputes between Lebanon and Israel. Regarding the initial
steps toward the handover of Palestinian weapons, recent developments in Burj
al-Barajneh camp are seen as a positive move that could pave the way for further
measures there and in other camps. For now, the process is limited to Fatah, but
future progress on the broader issue of arms control in Lebanon will inevitably
extend to Palestinian weapons inside the camps, making their eventual handover
unavoidable—just as Palestinian weapons outside the camps have already been
fully removed. Official sources stressed that there can be no retreat from the
principle of exclusive state control over arms. They affirmed that all attempts
at obstruction will ultimately fail, since the alternative would be further
catastrophes and wars—burdens Lebanon cannot endure, nor can those who persist
in clinging to their weapons.
Nadim Gemayel: Bashir’s Vision Still Alive
This is Beirut/August 23/2025
Marking 43 years since Bashir Gemayel’s election as president, MP Nadim Gemayel
said his father’s vision for a strong Lebanese state “has not died and will be
achieved despite all challenges.”Speaking to Voice of Lebanon, he described the
recent removal of weapons from Burj al-Barajneh camp as “the first step toward
the real path of the state,” stressing that Bashir’s dream was “a secure and
free Lebanon where no militia weapons exist outside the authority of the
state.”He argued that Bashir defended Lebanon against foreign armies and armed
groups, not against fellow Lebanese, and that his vision of unity remains
relevant today. Commenting on Hezbollah, Gemayel said the group still uses the
Palestinian arms issue as a pretext to keep its weapons and called for tougher
measures, including direct negotiations with Israel instead of placing the state
at risk. He concluded that after 43 years, Bashir’s legacy endures as “the last
real victory of the republic” and urged the Lebanese to uphold his principles
ahead of the September 14 commemoration in Sassine Square.
Zaki: Weapons Control Measures Are in Line With League Resolutions
This is Beirut/August 23/2025
Deputy Secretary-General of the Arab League, Ambassador Hossam Zaki, said that
his visit to Beirut comes within the framework of the Arab League's support for
the Lebanese state's efforts to extend its sovereignty over all its territories
and place all weapons under its control.
During a special interview with a Cairo News correspondent in Lebanon, he added
that "the Lebanese government's decision to task the army with preparing a plan
to implement the principle of arms exclusivity is fully consistent with the
decisions of the Arab summits," noting that "the Arab League was quick to
support it."He called on Arab and non-Arab countries to provide meaningful
support to the Lebanese Army, stressing that "the League has never hesitated to
provide moral and political support to the Lebanese Army." He noted that the
League, as a political organization, lacks the means for military support but
continues its efforts to mobilize regional and international backing for the
Army. He added, "If an international conference is held to support the army, the
Arab League will welcome participation and seek to create the necessary momentum
to encourage countries to provide the assistance needed to support Lebanon's
stability and preserve the safety of its people."He pointed out that the
internal repercussions of the decision, accompanied by media squabbles and sharp
tensions in political discourse, prompted the Secretary-General's envoy to visit
Lebanon to express the Arab League's support for extending Lebanese state
sovereignty and restricting the use of weapons, as well as easing political
tensions. He stressed that the Arab League reiterates its support for Lebanon in
its ongoing calls on the US mediator to pressure Israel to abide by its
commitments, stop violating Lebanon's sovereignty, and end its continued
occupation of Lebanese territory. He emphasized that the disagreement over the
principle of arms control lies in the implementation mechanism, not in the
objectives. He added that he sensed understanding and support from Parliament
Speaker Nabih Berri for placing all weapons under state authority, while noting
Berri’s operational and time-related reservations given the complexities of
Lebanon’s reality. Zaki pointed out that his meetings with Lebanese officials
reflected a clear consensus on the need to reject sectarian rhetoric, reduce the
tone of escalation, and cease any political or sectarian incitement. He said,
"There is an awareness among everyone that this type of rhetoric could drag
Lebanon into dangerous situations that we do not want the country to
witness."Regarding his meeting with Army Commander General Rodolphe Heikal, Zaki
described it as an excellent encounter, noting that it was "the first time he
had met General Heikal, whom he considered an important military figure,
especially since he had previously commanded the South Litani region, which gave
him a thorough understanding of the situation there." Zaki said, "I listened to
the military commander's vision, which is realistic and serious, reflecting the
challenges facing the Lebanese Army in light of the many tasks entrusted to it."
He emphasized that the Army is committed to implementing political directives
and is working within the framework of state-building.
40 years of LBCI: A look back at its milestones
LBCI/August 23/2025
The Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation International, widely known as LBCI, which
has accompanied viewers through childhood, youth, and all stages of life, is
celebrating its 40th anniversary on August 23. To mark the occasion, the channel
is revisiting 40 milestones—firsts that audiences saw on LBCI—for both nostalgia
and discovery. Over eight days, five milestones will be highlighted each day,
representing the first time viewers saw, heard, or followed these moments on the
channel. These milestones include the first female segment host, Giselle Habib
in 1985; the first news anchor, Nawfal Daou in 1985; the first Miss Lebanon
election broadcast, featuring Dina Azar in 1995; the first heritage program,
“Nadi Al-Nawadi” (Club of Clubs) in 1986; and the first live broadcast from
outside the station, covering the inauguration of Patriarch Mar Nasrallah
Boutros Sfeir in 1986. LBCI is inviting viewers to engage on social media and
share what they would like to know about the channel’s historic firsts, which
have reached audiences around the world.
UNIFIL Inaugurates New Clinic in Ain Ebel
This is Beirut/August 23/2025
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), in cooperation with the
Italian contingent, inaugurated a new clinic in the village of Ain Ebel, part of
the Bint Jbeil District. UNIFIL Western Sector Commander General David Colosi
highlighted the importance of healthcare, stating that “healthcare today is a
fundamental sector for stability and the return of normal life.”“UNIFIL strives
to achieve a better future for southern Lebanon, day by day,” he added. Ayoub
Khreish, the President of the Ain Ebel Municipal Council, thanked UNIFIL and the
Italian contingent for their “constant presence.” Maronite Bishop Charbel
Abdallah also expressed his gratitude to the peacekeeping force for “bringing a
sense of hope during this challenging period.”In parallel, Chinese peacekeepers
cleared the rubble and reopened roads in Chamaa, thereby enhancing safety of
movement and stability in southern Lebanon.
“Road repair, demining and clearing roadblocks are key elements of UNIFIL’s
support for local communities, helping restore safe access and freedom of
movement,” the force declared in a statement published Saturday on X.
State Employee Arrested for Power Theft
This is Beirut/August 23/2025
The General Directorate of State Security announced that the Mount Lebanon
Regional Directorate, Keserwan Office, arrested on August 20, 2025, a customs
employee identified as (D. B.) in the town of Ghbaleh, on charges of stealing
electricity from the Electricité du Liban (EDL) network for about five years.
According to the statement, the suspect had been selling the stolen electricity
to subscribers, claiming it came from his own private generator.
The cables used in the theft were confiscated, and the illegal connections
removed in coordination with EDL. Legal measures were taken against him under
the supervision of the competent judiciary.
Kuwaiti Oil Shipment Arrives in Lebanon
This is Beirut/August 23/2025
Lebanon received its first oil tanker from Kuwait on Saturday, as part of an
agreement to supply 132,000 metric tons of gas oil for Electricité du Liban (EDL)
power plants. Half of the shipment, 66,000 tons, is being provided as a
donation, effectively reducing the overall cost to half its market value. Energy
Minister Joe Saddi confirmed that the payment for the remaining share will be
covered through the collections of EDL, emphasizing that no additional debt will
be imposed on Lebanon or its citizens. The minister expressed deep gratitude to
Kuwait for its contribution, describing the move as a continuation of Kuwait’s
longstanding support for Lebanon and its people during times of hardship.
Palestinian
Concerns Arise in Lebanon Over Linking Camp Weapons to Hezbollah’s Arsenal
Beirut: Asharq Al Awsat/23 August/2025
A new controversy has erupted in Lebanon over the future of Palestinian arms in
refugee camps, after “Palestinian factions in Lebanon” issued a statement
rejecting the surrender of weapons in Beirut’s Burj al-Barajneh camp. The
declaration came in response to a recent handover of weapons by Fatah, and
sparked debate at a time when Lebanese politics is increasingly divided over
restricting arms to the state. Analysts say the refusal appears designed to link
Palestinian weapons to Hezbollah’s arsenal. The government earlier this month
took a landmark decision to impose state monopoly over arms, demanding the
disarmament of all armed groups, including Hezbollah. Hesham Dibsi, Director of
the Tatwir Center for Studies, told Asharq Al-Awsat that the “factions’”
statement projected itself as a “unified Palestinian position,” but in reality
reflected the stance of Islamist factions such as Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and
groups outside the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). He argued that
invoking the term “Palestinian factions” created the false impression of PLO
endorsement. He warned that the move dangerously aligned camp weapons with
Lebanon’s internal political struggle. “It attempts to mirror Hezbollah’s
justification for its arsenal, framing the weapons as part of the resistance and
tied to the right of return — just as Hezbollah links its weapons to liberating
Jerusalem,” he said. In his view, the statement effectively offered Hezbollah
political cover to resist the government’s plan to monopolize arms under the
state, undermining Lebanon’s efforts ensure its sovereignty. Dibsi cautioned
that the stance risks prolonging Palestinian divisions within Lebanon and
placing camps in a constant state of tension. Without serious engagement, he
added, the development could derail the government’s disarmament plan and serve
Hezbollah’s regional agenda. While Fatah agreed to surrender some weapons, other
factions — regardless of affiliation with the PLO — opposed the move. Some
linked their refusal to Palestinians’ civil rights in Lebanon, others to
security concerns and the principle of resistance. Palestinian legal expert
Fouad Baker described the statement as “a warning”, reflecting fears that the
camps may be dragged into schemes that threaten the right of return. Palestinian
weapons in Lebanon fall into three categories: arms tied to the conflict with
Israel and influenced by regional dynamics (held by Hamas and Islamic Jihad);
weapons coordinated by the PLO with the Lebanese state; and uncontrolled arms in
the hands of criminals and traffickers, he explained. Baker noted the paradox:
“If the PLO hands over its weapons, what remains are the uncontrolled weapons of
criminals, which is dangerous for both Palestinians and Lebanese.” He also
pointed to Lebanese lawsuits seeking the recovery of land occupied by expanding
camps, warning of “a disguised displacement plan.”In his view, Lebanon rejects
both the Palestinians’ naturalization and permanent settlement, but its current
approach risks pushing Palestinians toward forced displacement, while the
Palestinians themselves reject both paths in order to preserve their right of
return.
Being a Lebanese
Communist Today
Hazem Saghieh/Asharq Al Awsat/23 August/2025
The positions of the Lebanese Communist Party and its leadership are not totally
comprehensible. Their despair and rage are appropriate, be it due to the
resumption of Lebanon's subjection to Israeli occupation or because of their
solidarity with the civilian victims of the genocidal war in Gaza. This
sentiment, which of course goes far beyond the party itself, has not been
coupled, however, with recognition of fundamentally different, other shifts.
Mind you, these other shifts directly concern the communists, traditionally a
group that presents itself as the specialist of identifying and evaluating
transformative change.
Restricting armament to the state’ agencies and armed forces has been the most
prominent political issue in Lebanon for months now. If the effort to do so
ultimately succeeds, liberating the communists’ activism from its fear of these
arms, and from its subordination to the party that carries them, would become
possible.It would also allow for not defining the communist party’s politics
around this element that, ironically, incapacitates any and every partisan life.
After all, these arms had previously tied the Lebanese Communist Party behind
the factions of the Palestine Liberation Organization before tying it behind
Hezbollah. The communists' relationship with their armed ally was a tragedy -
the latter assassinated leading Communist Party intellectuals and politicians,
as well as some of their cadres and militants, and, through violence and
intimidation, prevented the communists from playing any role in the resistance
they hold so dear.However, the Communists now have a chance at liberation from
the security regimes of "national liberation" that killed two communist leaders
- Farajallah al-Helou (in 1959) and George Hawi (in 2005) - especially in light
of the former Syrian regime’s collapse. Such incidents were not limited to
Lebanon. Communist leaders across the Arab world met the same fate: from Egypt’s
Shadi Attiya al-Shafei (assassinated by Nasser’s agencies in 1960) to Iraq’s
Salam Adel (by the Baathists in 1963) to Sudan’s Abdel Khaleq Mahjoub and al-Shafi
Ahmed al-Sheikh (executed in 1971 by Gaafar Nimeiry, who was a Nasserist at the
time). These figures, among others, did not die at the hands of "reactionaries
and imperialists;" they were taken out by the officers and police states that
the communists painted as "patriotic and progressive."
Accordingly, the current conditions taking shape are conducive to the communists
and their parties’ recovery from the historical masochism that drove them to
reward all the pain inflicted by these authoritarian states and militias with
loyalty and obedience. Such recovery would, in turn, allow the Lebanese
communists to reassess the tragedy of their existence since their second
conference in 1968, which turned them into an auxiliary of these “patriots” and
“Arab nationalists” who were diligently exterminating them.
Nonetheless, that all happened in the interval between two prominent junctures:
after their Egyptian comrades’ dissolution of their party organizations into
Nasser’s “Arab Socialist Union” and before their comrades in Syria and Iraq
joined the “progressive and national fronts’’ engineered by the Baath party.
Indeed, only the least nationalistic - or anti-nationalist - of the communists’
positions, such as their decisions to accept the partition of Palestine in 1947
and to oppose Egyptian-Syrian unity in 1958, were "vindicated by subsequent
events.”
If one wants to broaden the reassessment and its scope, it might be useful to
reexamine the experience of the Soviet Union and its collapse. Under the weight
of poor assumptions and their police states, the public discourse around this
question has, in recent decades, mostly been focused on the negative
repercussions of this collapse for the communists and their "anti-imperialist"
allies. Today, the latter can reconsider the freedoms that this collapse had
afforded, and the possibilities that come with them - revisiting the policies
desperately needed by their societies that were made viable, as well as the
harmful policies dictated by the Great Comrade in Moscow that were made
optional. Given that the Sudanese communist Fatima Ahmed Ibrahim became the
first woman to enter an Arab parliament in 1965, and that the Iraqi communist
Naziha al-Dulaimi became the Arab world’s first woman minister in 1959, the
decline of Islamist groups hostile to women should come as good news to the
communists. Beyond that, the resulting reduction of the space religion occupies
in the political sphere could open doors that had been locked shut.
All of that can only empower democratic and peaceful engagement across the
public sphere - in politics, syndicates, and the media - to whoever chooses this
path. It also removes barriers faced by advocates preaching (yes, preaching)
values they consider enlightening, progressive, and sensible. Communists, in a
world devoid of weapons and militants, could be particularly keen on taking the
chance to be as radical as they wish on questioning injustice and inequality,
sectarian behavior, the transgressions of the "financial junta" and banks,
corruption, and the aggressive weaponization of the law...
Regarding Israel, they can, of course, put more weight behind their push in
favor of ending its occupation and against peace and normalization; they could
also more ardently advocate for the defense strategy that they believe would
protect Lebanon from it. Indeed, if they wish, they continue to smear NATO and
denounce the schemes and conspiracies they accuse it of orchestrating. After
all, a life without weapons has space for many things and many voices, including
the voice of the communists, however they choose to use it and whatever they
choose to amplify. As for life under the shadow of weapons, it is one of peril -
all life, not just the lives of the communists and other parties.
Lebanon Awaiting Syria’s Official Response to US Proposals
Paula Astih/Asharq Al Awsat/23 August/2025
Lebanon is not only waiting for Israel’s response to its stance on the US
proposals related to a ceasefire, limiting the possession of arms to the state
and the demarcation of the border, but it is also awaiting an official position
from Syria. Two out of the 30 articles of the “US document” concern Syria. They
cover the demarcation of their shared land and sea borders and determining
exclusive economic zones. The second article focuses on jointly combating drug
smuggling. Implementing the first article calls for forming a tripartite
committee of Lebanese and Syrian representatives and United Nations experts, as
well as assistance from the US, Saudi Arabia and France. The document says the
proposals will be effective as of August 1 as soon as they are approved by
Lebanon, Israel and Syria. Lebanon is the only party to have so far approved
them. A government source told Asharq Al-Awsat that Lebanese official channels
have yet to receive any official Syrian position on the US document. US
Ambassador to Türkiye and Special Envoy to Syria Tom Barrack was in Lebanon this
week to further discuss the proposals. He met with President Joseph Aoun,
parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam before traveling
to Israel. Aoun had informed Barrack that Lebanon demands a response from both
Israel and Syria. Barrack said he will ensure that Damascus makes its position
clear. At the moment, contacts between Lebanon and Syria are taking place
through security and military channels. The source said a Syrian official
delegation is set to travel to Lebanon next week to discuss pending files
between the countries, most notably border demarcation, drug smuggling and
Syrian refugees and detainees in Lebanon. Damascus has notably not yet appointed
an ambassador to Beirut. Saudi Arabia had in March sponsored an agreement in
Jeddah between the Lebanese and Syrian defense ministers that stresses the need
to demarcate the border between the two neighbors, form dedicated legal
committees to tackle pending files and activate coordination mechanisms to
handle security and military challenges.
Cold relations
The Lebanese-Syrian border has witnessed fierce clashes between clans and
Hezbollah, before developing into clashes between the Lebanese army and Syrian
forces. Director of the Levant Institute for Strategic Affairs Dr. Sami Nader
doubted that the articles tied to Lebanon and Syria can be implemented. He told
Asharq Al-Awsat that the situation is complex and compounded by the presence of
Hezbollah members along the Lebanese side of the border. So, the article related
to the Lebanese state having monopoly over arms needs to be implemented so that
the articles related to Syria can in turn be implemented, he explained. Saudi
Arabia and the US are playing a key role in border demarcation, but real
progress there can only be achieved once the army carries out its plan to limit
the possession of arms to the state, Nader said. The military is expected to
send its plan to the cabinet. As it stands, relations between Lebanon and
Syria's new authorities can be described as “cold” despite visits by former PM
Najib Mikati and current PM Salam to Damascus after the fall of the Assad regime
in December. Syria’s Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani was expected to visit
Beirut at some point, but a date was never set. Former MP Moeen al-Merehbi told
Asharq Al-Awsat that Beirut and Damascus have to exert more efforts to forge
warm ties, especially since they both evidently want to. The new Syrian
authorities have an interest in demarcating the marine and land borders with
Lebanon, as opposed to the Assad regime that did not even allow anyone to broach
the subject, he remarked.
Enlightenment in
the Crypt of Hezbollah
Makram Rabah/Now Lebanon/August 23/2025
The Lebanese government’s decision to strip Hezbollah of its arms shattered once
and for all the political illusion that the state could continue shielding the
so-called “golden equation”—an illusion that has devastated Lebanon, ruined its
people, and cursed its neighbors, Arab and non-Arab alike.
Hezbollah’s response, along with that of its followers—from Shi‘a loyalists to
self-styled “secular resistors” and whiskey-sipping “revolutionaries”—was
predictably aggressive, though still confined to the realm of political
vulgarity rather than physical violence. For now, the arsenal of intimidation
has been limited to familiar tactics: threats of civil war, calls to split the
army, and endless rhetorical contortions. Yet the most insidious reaction has
come not from the militia’s partisans, but from those cloaked in the garb of
intellectuals—the pseudo-leftists who defend weapons through sophistry, draping
themselves in the tattered robes of “progressivism.”
In today’s Lebanon, “enlightenment” is not a lamp that guides us out of
darkness, but a rusty oil lantern used to light up an underground weapons cache
of a militia that ostensibly takes its order from God and his agents.
Once, the Lebanese Left was the voice of workers, farmers, and the oppressed.
Our “left,” however, has been reduced to the voice of PowerPoint slides and Zoom
conferences—a donor-dependent circuit that preaches social justice in the
morning and pens apologias for “the resistance” by night. The remnants of
Lebanon’s “proletariat” no longer march for justice; they smuggle goods across
borders or falsify documents to secure visas to the very “decadent” Western
states they publicly scorn.
These “enlightened” intellectuals speak of liberty and equality, but only so
long as the sanctity of the gun remains untouched. Their secularism applies to
churches and mosques, never to the stairwells of Dahiyeh, Hezbollah’s baston of
illegality. There, the “progressive thinker” morphs into a preacher, explaining
with solemnity that Hezbollah’s arsenal is a “national necessity.”
Since when has enlightenment justified armed guardianship by a foreign power?
Only in Lebanon.
We have heard the refrain endlessly: this weapon “liberated the land.” But it
has liberated nothing in years. What it has freed us from is the state
itself—dismantling our economy, destroying our schools, and extinguishing the
hope of a dignified life. Today, the Lebanese is either an emigrant, a prisoner,
or a powerless spectator. And the NGO-left cheers this ruin in the name of
sovereignty and dignity.
The irony is bitter: those who raise the banner of freedom fear nothing more
than freedom itself—the freedom to say “no” to the gun, the freedom to reject
being hostages in someone else’s regional project. Instead, they distract with
endless debates on “gender” and “women’s quotas,” while turning a blind eye when
journalists are beaten or activists are murdered. Their “freedom” is like a chic
Beirut café: fine for display, useless in practice.
This hypocrisy was especially grotesque as their ruckus coincided with the
anniversary of the Lebanese National Resistance Front of 1982.
Unlike Hezbollah, the pioneers of that resistance—men and women who could be
counted on one hand—had the courage to break free of the disease of “weapons for
weapons’ sake.” They embraced democracy and real politics. Figures like Elias
Atallah, Samir Frangieh, Samir Kassir, Ziad Majed, Hikmat al-Eid, and Nadim Abd
al-Samad turned their struggle against the Syrian occupation and Hezbollah’s
arsenal into a genuine fight for sovereignty. For their bravery, they were
branded traitors—by the very chorus of zealots now defending Hezbollah, the same
group that assassinated the giants of resistance, above all George Hawi and
Samir Kassir.
There is no left or right when the state is kidnapped. There are only Lebanese
who want to live—and collaborators who justify the gun. Enlightenment cannot
survive in the shadow of militias. It lives in the open air of law and
sovereignty. Everything else is a paid-for lie. And no matter how hard the
apologists try to hide behind theories and jargon, they remain part of the mob,
happily marching on Tehran’s highway to Beirut, or whatever rubble remains of
it.
This article originally appeared in Nidaa al-Watan
Makram Rabah is the managing editor at Now Lebanon and an Assistant Professor at
the American University of Beirut, Department of History. His book Conflict on
Mount Lebanon: The Druze, the Maronites and Collective Memory (Edinburgh
University Press) covers collective identities and the Lebanese Civil War. He
tweets at @makramrabah
Engineer Alfred Madi/On the Anniversary of Bashir Gemayel’s Election as
President of the Republic
August 23, 2025
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/08/146593/
Your election is a miracle of will in a torn country…
You were never a tool in anyone’s hands… You listened, negotiated, and changed
the decisions of the great powers if they contravened the nation’s interests…
Today, Bashir, those who are thirsty for power do nothing but wait for foreign
powers to adopt them and live by their instructions…
While Lebanon is still crying out for a man of your stature…
Bassil mocks
handover of arms truck at Burj al-Barajneh camp
Naharnet/August 23, 2025
Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil said during an FPM dinner in the al-Zahrani
region that “every martyr who fell” in the South “did not only fall in defense
of the South, but rather entire Lebanon.”“Because when the South falls, the
capital Beirut falls and when Beirut falls Mount Lebanon will fall,” Bassil
added. Referring to Israel, the FPM chief said: “We do not reject peace with
anyone, seeing as it is not made between friends but rather between foes.
Accordingly, let no one feel ashamed when they say that they want peace on the
condition that it comes with dignity and rights, seeing as we reject surrender.”
As for Hezbollah’s arms, Bassil said: “We want one army, one arsenal of arms and
arms monopolization. Hezbollah and anyone who bears arms must realize that the
circumstances have changed and that defending Lebanon has other
requirements.”Commenting on the latest handover of a truckload of arms at the
Burj al-Barajneh Palestinian refugee camp, which was labeled by the Lebanese
government and the Fatah Movement as the beginning of Palestinian camps’
disarmament, Bassil said: “Who are you trying to fool? Is this how you want to
get handed over the Palestinian weapons?”“If this is how you want to receive
Hezbollah’s arms? I wish you success, it’s a good start,” the FPM chief said
sarcastically. “We support you regarding arms' handover and not in the staging
of farces,” he added, addressing the Lebanese state.
What’s the fate of Hezbollah?
Zaid AlKami/Al Arabiya English/August 22/2025
In Beirut, where the city goes to sleep haunted by divisions and wakes up to
long queues of depositors demanding their savings in front of banks, Hezbollah’s
weapons remain the most dominant issue in Lebanese domestic affairs, as well as
in regional and international calculations. They are no longer just a military
arsenal stored in the south and the Bekaa; they have become a political and
security equation that has turned Lebanon into a bargaining chip in regional
negotiations beyond its Arab sphere. Since the 1980s, Tehran realized that
Hezbollah was not merely a resistance movement but an advanced arm on the
Mediterranean and a key element of balance against Israel. The weapon that began
as a rifle pointed at Israel became part of Iran’s strategic design extending to
the Mediterranean. Perhaps this explains the statements of Ali Akbar Velayati,
adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, declaring that Tehran does not
support disarming Hezbollah – remarks that align with what Revolutionary Guard
leaders have often said: “Iran’s defensive borders” lie on the shores of Tyre
and Beirut. But this linkage opens the door to a historical comparison. What
Iran is doing today through Hezbollah closely resembles what the Soviet Union
once did, when it turned communist parties in Eastern Europe and the Middle East
into tools for expanding its influence. Each communist party raised slogans
about “liberating the workers,” but in practice they executed Moscow’s
strategies. Just as Prague, Warsaw, and Bucharest revolved in the Soviet orbit,
Beirut today is being drawn into another orbit through Hezbollah’s weapons. The
irony is that the Soviets eventually collapsed under the weight of this
expansion, because the peoples of those countries wanted independence for their
national decision-making. This raises the question for Lebanon: To what extent
can a fragile country, with its diverse sects and loyalties, bear the cost of
having its domestic arms tied into a transnational security apparatus? Last
week, The Economist magazine published a report noting that Hezbollah’s grip on
Lebanon “is no longer what it once was,” and is in fact weaker than ever before.
The recent war with Israel exhausted the group, its internal popularity
declined, while a new era led by President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf
Salam brought back to the forefront Lebanon’s oldest demand: Restoring the
state. It has become clear that Lebanon can no longer sustain the “resistance”
formula, which has turned into an economic and security burden. Public anger
against the group is growing, and the army – despite its weakness – has come to
attract sympathy and attention as the last remaining symbol of the state.
This opens a broader question: Will Hezbollah’s weapons meet the same fate as
the communist parties that melted away after the fall of the Soviet Union? Or
will Tehran entrench a different model, turning a Lebanese faction into an
inseparable part of its national security? Everyone is waiting for the answer,
but what is certain is that Lebanon is paying today the price of this
entanglement between a local rifle and a regional, cross-border project.
The
Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published
on August 23-24/2025
Divisions Among Druze Over New ‘Unified Army’ in Sweida
Damascus: Muwafaq Mohammed/Asharq Al
Awsat/August 23/2025
Efforts to establish a so-called “Unified Army” in Syria’s Sweida province have
stirred controversy within the Druze community, with several major local
factions reluctant to join. One faction declared its participation “out of the
question for now,” citing a lack of clarity over the project spearheaded by
Sheikh al-Aql Hikmat al-Hijri, the community’s spiritual leader. Critics warned
the initiative was unlikely to gain traction, as it appears limited to Druze
fighters. Reports circulated on social media Tuesday that al-Hijri had launched
a plan to merge Sweida’s armed groups under a single banner, the “Unified Army.”
Some factions quickly declared their affiliation, but others voiced skepticism.
The initiative comes amid volatile shifts in Sweida, a predominantly Druze
province, following bloody clashes in mid-July between Druze factions, Bedouin
tribes, and Syrian security forces. Opponents of al-Hijri contend the “Unified
Army” is essentially a rebranded version of the “National Guard,” a force
proposed months earlier. They argued the project is doomed to fail, relying
heavily on former officers of the ousted Bashar al-Assad regime. Initially, the
National Guard was tied to the “Military Council” in Sweida, led by defected
Colonel Tariq al-Shufi, who had supported al-Hijri’s positions. However, recent
disputes fractured their alliance, culminating in al-Shufi’s abduction by gunmen
before his release was negotiated by local factions. Sources said the “Military
Council” has since been sidelined from the new project, with al-Hijri’s
supporters now lobbying villages across the province to bring factions under his
authority. Young men are reportedly being enticed to enlist with promises of a
$300 monthly salary. While many initially registered, critics say only one
month’s payment was ever delivered under the earlier National Guard structure,
leading to widespread withdrawals. Opposition sources further alleged that some
groups now joining the “Unified Army” maintain ties to Assad’s military
intelligence and that their fighters have been implicated in abuses, theft, and
kidnappings in Sweida. While pro-Hijri sources in the city claim the new force
could number between 4,000 and 5,000 fighters, others told Asharq Al-Awsat the
estimate is grossly inflated, arguing that only a handful of factions have
joined, with most numbering no more than 20 men each. Al-Hijri, who shares Druze
religious authority in Syria with fellow Sheikhs Yusuf Jarbou and Hammoud al-Hinawi,
has positioned himself as a vocal critic of Damascus since the fall of Assad’s
rule late last year. His rhetoric hardened further after July’s deadly violence,
which left hundreds of civilians, Druze fighters, Bedouins, and Syrian
government troops dead during clashes sparked by tribal disputes.
Israel Says Missile
from Yemen Most Likely Fragmented Mid-Air
Asharq Al-Awsat/August 23/2025
The Israeli military said on Friday that a missile launched from Yemen most
likely fragmented in mid-air after air raid sirens sounded in several areas
across Israel. Yemen's Houthi militias claimed responsibility for the attack,
saying they carried out three operations against Israel including firing a
ballistic missile towards Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv, their military
spokesperson, Yahya Saree, said in a televised statement on Friday. During the
incident, the aerial defense systems made several attempts to intercept the
missile, the military added in a statement. No injuries were reported, Israeli
police said. The Iran-aligned Houthis have been firing at Israel and attacking
shipping lanes. The Houthis have repeatedly said their attacks are an act of
solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza. Most of the dozens of missiles and drones
they have launched have been intercepted or fallen short. Israel has carried out
a series of retaliatory strikes.
Iran Says Killed Six ‘Terrorists’ Linked to Israel
Asharq Al-Awsat/August 23/2025
Iranian forces have killed six militants in a raid in the restive southeast,
state media reported Saturday, saying they were members of a "terrorist" group
linked to arch enemy Israel. "During an intense exchange of fire with terrorists
in Sistan-Baluchistan province, six assailants were killed and two others
arrested," official news agency IRNA said, citing a statement from the
intelligence services. The report did not provide an exact location or say when
the raid took place. Sistan-Baluchistan, which borders Pakistan and Afghanistan,
has long been a flashpoint for clashes between security forces and armed groups,
including drug traffickers and separatists. IRNA said there were "documents"
indicating "the Zionist nature" of the group targeted in the latest raid, adding
that its members had planned to attack a "vital" facility in Iran's east,
without elaborating. The report said that "the main operation team" was composed
of "seven non-Iranian terrorists", but did not specify their nationality. Two
intelligence agents and a police officer were wounded in the gunfight, IRNA
said. Iran regularly reports deadly ambushes in the province targeting police or
members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps. On Friday, the Jaish al-Adl
(Army of Justice) group, which Tehran outlaws as a "terrorist" organization,
claimed an attack in Sistan-Baluchistan that killed five police officers. On
Sunday, Iranian state media said security forces had killed seven members of
another extremist group, Ansar al-Furqan, also in Sistan-Baluchistan. The
province is one of the poorest regions of the country.
Israeli Army Says
Targeted Hezbollah Arms Depot in Southern Lebanon
Beirut: Asharq Al Awsat/August 23/2025
The Israeli army said on Friday that it struck a Hezbollah arms depot in the
Tyre province in southern Lebanon.
Israeli Forces
Infiltrate into Several Syrian Villages in Quneitra and Daraa
Asharq Al Awsat/August 23/2025
Israeli army forces infiltrated into several villages and towns in the southern
Syrian provinces of Quneitra and Daraa, setting up checkpoints, searching homes,
and detaining civilians, the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) reported. An Israeli
patrol consisting of six Israeli military vehicles crossed on Friday from the
occupied Golan Heights into the town of Abdin, in the Yarmouk Basin west of
Daraa. The patrol detained three young men before withdrawing later and
releasing the detainees, SANA stated. The news agency also said that four
Israeli military vehicles entered al-Ajraf village in Quneitra, where soldiers
searched several homes and set up a temporary checkpoint at the village’s
entrance. Since the collapse of President Bashar al-Assad's regime, Israel has
been conducting ground incursions into the rural areas of Damascus, Quneitra,
and Daraa. It first established control over the buffer zone before moving on to
carry out raids in the border regions. Syrian authorities accuse Israel of
violating the 1974 Disengagement Agreement, as well as international law and
United Nations resolutions concerning national sovereignty.
New Israeli strikes around Gaza kill 25 as famine announcement raises pressure
AP/August 23, 2025
KHAN YOUNIS: Palestinians sheltering in tents or seeking scarce food aid were
among at least 25 people killed by Israeli strikes and shootings Saturday in
Gaza, according to local hospitals, as the world confronted an exceptional
announcement that famine is now gripping Gaza’s largest city.The famine
determination by the world’s leading authority on food crises galvanized
governments and aid groups to intensify pleas for Israel to halt its 22-month
offensive on Gaza Aid groups have warned for months that the war and Israel’s
restrictions of food into Gaza are causing starvation among civilians. Israel
denounced the famine declaration as lies and the military is pressing ahead with
preparations to seize Gaza City. Efforts toward a ceasefire that could forestall
the offensive are on hold as mediators await Israel’s next steps.
Gaza hospitals take in new dead and wounded
Israeli strikes killed at least 14 people in the southern Gaza Strip early
Saturday, according to morgue records and health officials at Nasser Hospital.
The officials said the strikes targeted tents sheltering displaced people in
Khan Younis, which became home to hundreds of thousands who had fled from
elsewhere in Gaza. More than half of the dead were women and children. Awad Abu
Agala, uncle of two children who died, said no place in Gaza is now safe. “The
entire Gaza Strip is being bombed ... In the south. In the north. Everywhere,”
Abu Agala told The Associated Press, saying the children were targeted overnight
while in their tents. A grieving relative, Hekmat Foujo, pleaded for a truce.
“We want to rest,” Foujo said, fighting through her tears. ‘’Have some mercy on
us.”In northern Gaza, Israeli gunfire killed at least five aid-seekers Saturday
near the Zikim crossing with Israel, where UN and other agencies’ convoys enter
the enclave, health officials at the Sheikh Radwan field hospital told the AP.
Six people were killed in other attacks on Gaza elsewhere Saturday, according to
hospitals and the Palestinian Red Crescent. The Israeli military did not
immediately respond to questions about the deaths.
A famine announcement ups the pressure
A report by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, or IPC, said
Friday that Gaza City is gripped by famine that is likely to spread if fighting
and restrictions on humanitarian aid continue. It was a highly rare
pronouncement by the group, its first in the Middle East, and came after Israel
imposed a 2 1/2-month blockade on Gaza earlier this year, then eased access with
a focus on a new US-backed private aid supplier, the Gaza Humanitarian
Foundation, or GHF. In response to global outrage over images of emaciated
children, Israel in recent weeks has allowed airdrops and a new influx of aid
entering by land, but UN and other aid agencies say the food reaching Gaza is
still not nearly enough. AP journalists have seen chaos and security problems on
roads leading to aid deliveries, and there have been reports of Israeli troops
firing toward aid-seekers. Israel’s military says they fire warning shots if
individuals approach the troops or pose a threat to soldiers. The IPC said
nearly half a million people in Gaza, about one-fourth of the population, face
catastrophic hunger that leaves many at risk of dying. It said hunger has been
magnified by widespread displacement and the collapse of food production.
Netanyahu’s office denounced the IPC report as “an outright lie,” and accuses
Hamas of starving the hostages. Israel says it has allowed enough aid to enter
during the war.
Activity is escalating ahead of Gaza City offensive
With ground troops already active in strategic areas, the widescale operation in
Gaza City could start within days. Aid group Doctors without Borders, or MSF,
said Saturday its clinics around Gaza City are seeing high numbers of patients
as people flee recent bombardments. The group said in a statement that “strikes
are forcing people, including MSF staff, to flee their homes once again, and we
are seeing displacement across Gaza City.″The Israeli military has said troops
are operating on the outskirts of Gaza City and in the city’s Zeitoun
neighborhood. Israel says Gaza City is still a Hamas stronghold, with a network
of militant tunnels. The city also is home to hundreds of thousands of
civilians, some of whom have fled from elsewhere.
Ceasefire efforts await Israel’s response
Many Israelis fear the assault on Gaza City could doom the roughly 20 hostages
who have survived captivity since 2023. Netanyahu said Thursday he had
instructed officials to begin immediate negotiations to release hostages and end
the war on Israel’s terms. It is unclear if Israel will return to long-running
talks mediated by the United States, Egypt and Qatar after Hamas said earlier
this week that it accepted a new proposal from the Arab mediators. Hamas has
said it would release captives in exchange for ending the war, but rejects
disarmament without the creation of a Palestinian state. US President Donald
Trump expressed frustration with Hamas’ stance, suggesting the militant group
was less interested in making deals to release hostages with so few left alive.
“The situation has to end. It’s extortion, and it has to end,” Trump told
reporters Friday. “I actually think (the hostages are) safer in many ways if you
went in and you really went in fast and you did it.”
‘Far too late’: Palestinians despair after
UN declares famine in Gaza
AFP/23 August/2025:
Desperate Palestinians clutching pots and plastic buckets scrambled for rice at
a charity kitchen in Gaza City on Saturday, a day after the United Nations
declared a famine in the war-battered territory.AFP footage from Gaza’s largest
city, which Israel plans to seize as part of an expanded military offensive,
showed women and young children among the chaotic jostle of dozens clamoring and
shouting for food. One young boy used his hands to scrape a few leftover grains
from the inside of a cooking vat. “We have no home left, no food, no income...
so we are forced to turn to charity kitchens, but they do not satisfy our
hunger,” said Yousef Hamad, 58, who was displaced from the northern city of Beit
Hanoun. Further south at a charity kitchen in Deir al-Balah, 34-year-old Umm
Mohammad said the UN’s declaration of a famine had come “far too late.”The
children are “staggering from dizziness, unable to wake up because of the lack
of food and water,” she said. The UN officially declared a famine in Gaza on
Friday, blaming the “systematic obstruction” of aid by Israel during more than
22 months of war. The Rome-based Integrated Food Security Phase Classification
Initiative (IPC) said famine was affecting 500,000 people in Gaza governorate,
which covers about a fifth of the Palestinian territory including Gaza City.
‘Moral duty’ Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected the report as
“an outright lie.”On Saturday, the head of the UN agency for Palestinian
refugees said it was “time for the government of Israel to stop denying the
famine it has created in Gaza.”“All of those who have influence must use it with
determination & a sense of moral duty,” UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini posted on
X. The IPC projected that the famine would expand to Deir al-Balah and Khan
Younis governorates by the end of September, covering around two-thirds of Gaza.
Israel, meanwhile, kept up its bombardment of the Palestinian territory, with
AFP footage showing heavy smoke billowing above the Zeitoun district of Gaza
City as Palestinians picked through the wreckage of buildings.
‘Feel like end is near’
The spokesman for Gaza’s civil defense agency, Mahmud Bassal, called the
situation in the Sabra and Zeitoun neighborhoods “absolutely catastrophic,”
describing the “complete levelling of entire residential blocks.”“We are trapped
here, living in fear, with nowhere to go. There’s no safety anywhere in Gaza.
Movement now leads to death,” said Ahmad Jundiyeh, 35, who was displaced to the
northern outskirts of Zeitoun. “We constantly hear the sound of bombing... we
hear fighter jets, artillery shelling and even drone explosions,” he told AFP by
telephone. “We’re extremely afraid -- it feels like the end is near.” Israeli
Defense Minister Israel Katz vowed Friday to destroy Gaza City if Hamas did not
agree to disarm, release all remaining hostages in the territory and end the war
on Israel’s terms. Hamas’s October 2023 attack that sparked the war 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 62,622 Palestinians,
most of them civilians, according to figures from the health ministry in Gaza
that the United Nations considers reliable.
Netanyahu rival offers
political truce to help secure Gaza hostage deal
AFP/August 23, 2025
TEL AVIV: Israeli former defense minister Benny Gantz on Saturday called on
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to forge a unity government along with members
of the opposition in a bid to help release the hostages held in Gaza.
Netanyahu’s coalition government depends on support from far-right members who
oppose ending the war and making any deal with Palestinian group Hamas, whose
October 2023 attack on Israel sparked the Gaza war. Gantz, a rival of Netanyahu
who nonetheless joined his government in the early days of the war, proposed a
temporary coalition that would side-step far-right parties and strike a hostage
release deal. “I am here on behalf of the hostages who have no voice. I am here
for the soldiers who are crying out, and whom no one in this government is
listening to,” Gantz told a televised press conference. “The duty of our state
is first and foremost to save the lives of Jews and all citizens,” added Gantz,
calling on fellow opposition party leaders Yair Lapid and Avigdor Lieberman to
also consider the offer. Both opposition chief Lapid and Lieberman have
previously rejected joining any Netanyahu-led government. Netanyahu’s coalition
faces a risk of collapse after the parliament’s summer recess ends, following
the loss of support from ultra-Orthodox Jewish parties over legislation seeking
to draft students of religious seminaries into the military. National Security
Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, a far-right member of Netanyahu’s ruling coalition who
could be sidelined if Gantz’s plan succeeds, was quick to dismiss it.
“Right-wing voters chose a right-wing policy — not Gantz’s policy, not a
centrist government, not surrender deals with Hamas, but yes to absolute
victory,” Ben Gvir said in a statement. The government has faced increasing
domestic pressure to secure an end to the war in Gaza, with mass protests
calling for a deal that would see the hostages released. Out of 251 hostages
seized during Hamas’s 2023 attack, 49 are still held in Gaza including 27 the
Israeli military says are dead. Palestinian militants also hold the remains of
an Israeli soldier killed in a 2014 war. The demonstrations in Israel have
intensified since Netanyahu’s security cabinet approved plans earlier this month
to expand the offensive in Gaza and seize the Palestinian territory’s largest
city. The move has sparked fears that the onslaught would exacerbate already
dire conditions on the ground after more than 22 months of war.
Russia says captured two
villages in Ukraine’s Donetsk region
AFP/23 August/2025
Russia on Saturday said its forces in east Ukraine had taken two villages in the
Donetsk region, upping military pressure on the ground as world leaders struggle
to broker an end to the conflict. Russian forces are slowly advancing in the
embattled eastern region, grinding closer to Kyiv's key defensive line in costly
meter-for-meter battles. Moscow's defense ministry said on Telegram that Russian
forces captured the villages of Sredneye and Kleban-Byk. The taking of
Kleban-Byk would mark a further advance towards Kostiantynivka -- a key
fortified town on the road to Kramatorsk, where a major Ukrainian logistics base
is located. On Friday, Russia said its troops had captured three villages in the
Donetsk region it claimed to have annexed in September 2022. The latest Russian
advances come as hopes dim for a summit between Russian and Ukrainian presidents
-- a solution campaigned for by US President Donald Trump as part of his efforts
to end the conflict. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Friday “no
meeting” was planned as Trump's mediation efforts appeared to stall, while
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia was trying to prolong the
offensive. Also Friday, Trump told reporters he would make an “important”
decision in two weeks on Ukraine peace efforts, specifying that Moscow could
face massive sanctions -- or he might “do nothing.”
France summons Italian ambassador over challenge to Macron on Ukraine
Reuters/23 August/2025
France summoned the Italian ambassador after Italy’s deputy prime minister
challenged the French president for suggesting that European soldiers be
deployed in Ukraine in a post-war settlement, a French diplomatic source said on
Saturday. Asked earlier this week to comment on French President Emmanuel
Macron’s appeals to deploy European soldiers in Ukraine after any settlement
with Russia, Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini used a Milanese dialect phrase
loosely translatable as “get lost.”“You go there if you want. Put your helmet
on, your jacket, your rifle and you go to Ukraine,” he told reporters, referring
to Macron. Salvini, the populist leader of the right-wing League party and also
Italy’s transport minister in the nationalist, conservative government led by
Giorgia Meloni, has repeatedly criticized Macron, especially over Ukraine.The
Italian ambassador was summoned on Friday, the diplomatic source said, marking
the latest in a series of diplomatic clashes between Paris and Rome before and
after Meloni took power in 2022. “The ambassador was reminded that these remarks
ran counter to the climate of trust and the historical relationship between our
two countries, as well as to recent bilateral developments, which have
highlighted strong convergences between the two countries, particularly with
regard to unwavering support for Ukraine,” the source said. Macron, a vocal
supporter of Ukraine over its war with Russia, has been working with other world
leaders, notably British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, to mobilize support for
Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire.
Syria delays parliamentary vote in Sweida
after sectarian violence
Reuters/23 August/2025
Syria’s first parliamentary election under its new administration, scheduled for
September, will not include the southern province of Sweida and two other
provinces because of security concerns, the electoral commission said on
Saturday. Hundreds of people were reported killed in July in clashes in Sweida
province pitting Druze fighters against Sunni Bedouin tribes and government
forces. Israel intervened with airstrikes to prevent what it said were mass
killings of Druze by government forces. The Druze are a minority offshoot of
Islam with followers in Syria, Lebanon and Israel. Sweida province is
predominantly Druze but is also home to Sunni tribes, and the communities have
had longstanding tensions over land and other resources. The Higher Committee
for People’s Assembly Elections said the ballot would also be delayed in the
northern provinces of Hasaka and ar-Raqqa until a “safe environment” is in
place, according to state news agency SANA. Seats allocated to the three
provinces will remain vacant until elections can be held there, commission
spokesperson Nawar Najmeh told SANA. “The elections are a sovereign matter that
can only be conducted in areas fully under government control,” he added. The
head of the electoral commission said last month that voting for the 210-member
People’s Assembly was due to take place between September 15 and 20.
KSrelief continues to support
orphans in Syria
SPA/August 23, 2025
RIYADH: The King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center has distributed
monthly sponsorships to orphans affected by the earthquake in Jindires, Aleppo
governorate, Syria, as part of its orphan care and economic empowerment project
in the earthquake-affected areas.
Each child received a cash grant of $100 for July and August, aimed at
supporting orphaned children and meeting their basic needs, particularly in food
security, healthcare and education.
This initiative is part of the humanitarian and relief efforts provided by the
Kingdom to assist those in need and affected by crises around the world.
Syria delays parliamentary vote in Sweida after sectarian
violence
Reuters/23 August/2025
Syria’s first parliamentary election under its new administration, scheduled for
September, will not include the southern province of Sweida and two other
provinces because of security concerns, the electoral commission said on
Saturday. Hundreds of people were reported killed in July in clashes in Sweida
province pitting Druze fighters against Sunni Bedouin tribes and government
forces. Israel intervened with airstrikes to prevent what it said were mass
killings of Druze by government forces. The Druze are a minority offshoot of
Islam with followers in Syria, Lebanon and Israel. Sweida province is
predominantly Druze but is also home to Sunni tribes, and the communities have
had longstanding tensions over land and other resources. The Higher Committee
for People’s Assembly Elections said the ballot would also be delayed in the
northern provinces of Hasaka and ar-Raqqa until a “safe environment” is in
place, according to state news agency SANA. Seats allocated to the three
provinces will remain vacant until elections can be held there, commission
spokesperson Nawar Najmeh told SANA. “The elections are a sovereign matter that
can only be conducted in areas fully under government control,” he added. The
head of the electoral commission said last month that voting for the 210-member
People’s Assembly was due to take place between September 15 and 20.
Hopes dim for Putin-Zelensky
peace summit
Agence France Presse/August 23, 2025
The chances of a Russia-Ukraine summit faded as U.S. President Donald Trump
appeared to tire of peace efforts and Moscow poured cold water on efforts to end
the grinding war in Ukraine. Trump had raised expectations on Monday by saying
that Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky had
agreed to meet face-to-face -- but on Friday he compared the two men to "oil and
vinegar."Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said "no meeting" was planned as
Trump's mediation efforts appeared to stall, while Zelensky said Russia was
trying to prolong the war. Trump told reporters on Friday he would make an
"important" decision in two weeks on Ukraine peace efforts, specifying that
Moscow could face massive sanctions -- or he might "do nothing." "It takes two
to tango," the US president, wearing a red baseball cap saying "Trump was right
about everything," said in the Oval Office. "In two weeks, we will know which
way I'm going. Because I will go one way or the other, and I'll learn which way
I'm going," he added. "That's whether or not it's massive sanctions or massive
tariffs or both. Or do we do nothing and say it's your fight."
'No meeting planned'
Trump did however hold up a photo that he said Putin had sent him after their
landmark summit in Alaska a week ago. He also said that he may invite the
Russian leader to the 2026 FIFA World Cup finals being held in the United States
if there is progress on Ukraine.
Lavrov dampened hopes for direct Putin-Zelensky talks to resolve the conflict,
now in its fourth year, by questioning the Ukrainian president's legitimacy and
repeating the Kremlin's maximalist claims. "There is no meeting planned," Lavrov
said in an interview with NBC's "Meet the Press with Kristen Welker."The veteran
Russian diplomat said Putin was "ready to meet Zelensky" as soon as an agenda
was prepared. He added that such an agenda was "not ready at all." In Kyiv,
speaking alongside visiting NATO chief Mark Rutte, Zelensky said Ukraine had "no
agreements with the Russians."On Thursday, Zelensky had accused Russia of
"trying to wriggle out of holding a meeting," adding that Moscow wanted to
continue the offensive. The question of eventual security guarantees for Ukraine
has been front and center during the latest U.S.-led diplomatic push to broker a
peace deal to end the conflict. Trump -- who hosted Zelensky, Rutte and top
European leaders at the White House on Monday before making a call to Putin --
said Russia had agreed to some Western security guarantees for Kyiv.
'Road to nowhere'
But Moscow later cast doubt on any such arrangement, Lavrov saying on Wednesday
that discussing them without Russia was "a road to nowhere." "When Russia raises
the issue of security guarantees, I honestly do not yet know who is threatening
them," said Zelensky, who wants foreign troops in Ukraine to deter Russian
attacks in the future. The Kremlin has long said it would never accept that,
citing Ukraine's NATO ambition as one of the pretexts for its invasion. On a
visit to Kyiv, during which an air raid alert sounded across the city, Rutte
said security guarantees were needed to ensure "Russia will uphold any deal and
will never ever again attempt to take one square kilometer of Ukraine."Moscow
signed the Budapest Memorandum in 1994, which was aimed at ensuring security for
Ukraine, Belarus and Kazakhstan in exchange for them giving up numerous nuclear
weapons left from the Soviet era. Russia violated that first by taking Crimea in
2014, and then by starting a full-scale offensive in 2022, which has killed tens
of thousands of people and forced millions to flee their homes.
Armenians protest against
Russian army base
AFP/23 August/2025
About 100 people staged a protest Saturday outside a Russian army base in the
Armenian city of Gyumri, calling for an end to Moscow’s military presence in the
country.
Armenia, a landlocked ex-Soviet country in the Caucasus, has long relied on
Russia to bolster its security in its standoff with neighboring Azerbaijan. But
ties between the traditional allies have been strained since Azerbaijan’s 2023
offensive on Nagorno-Karabakh, in which Moscow did not intervene to back
Armenia. “We demand the withdrawal of the Russian base from the territory of
Armenia. The presence of this base does not ensure security, but creates an
internal threat,” said Arman Babajanyan, one of the organizers. Some protesters
held placards with slogans including: “Armenia without Russian boots” and “End
the Russian occupation.”“Russia must leave Armenia,” said protester Anahit
Tadevosyan who said the Russians were “destroying Ukraine.”“They have betrayed
us, they must leave,” the 74-year-old added. A heavy police presence outside the
base -- home to around 3,000 troops -- prevented clashes between the anti-Russia
rally and a rival protest of a few dozen people in support of the base. The
Gyumri base “ensures the independence and security of Armenia,” Manuk Sukiasyan,
a member of the Mother Armenia movement said at the counter-protest. The Russian
102nd Military Base has been in the northern Armenian city since 1995. Last
year, Russia agreed to remove some troops and border guards from Armenia, but
left its forces on Armenia’s borders with Turkey and Iran. The two countries are
military allies through the Moscow-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO),
a mutual defense pact, though Yerevan said it had de facto suspended
participation amid bilateral tensions. Armenia also joined the International
Criminal Court (ICC) last year, a move that obliges it to arrest Russia’s
President Vladimir Putin should he set foot on Armenian territory. Putin faces
an ICC warrant on war crimes charges.
Turkey’s first lady urges Melania Trump to speak out on Gaza
Reuters/23 August/2025
Turkish First Lady Emine Erdogan has written to US President Donald Trump’s
wife, Melania Trump, and urged her to contact Israel’s prime minister and raise
the plight of children in Gaza, authorities in Ankara said on Saturday. Emine
Erdogan wrote that she had been inspired by the letter Melania Trump sent to
Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier this month about children in Ukraine
and Russia. “I have faith that the important sensitivity you have shown for the
648 Ukrainian children ... will be extended to Gaza as well,” Emine Erdogan
wrote in the letter dated Friday that was published by the Turkish presidency.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. “These
days, when the world is experiencing a collective awakening and the recognition
of Palestine has become a global will. I believe that your call on behalf of
Gaza would fulfil a historic responsibility toward the Palestinian people,”
Emine Erdogan’s letter added. A global hunger monitor determined on Friday that
Gaza City and surrounding areas are officially suffering from famine, and it
will likely spread, escalating pressure on Israel to allow more aid into the
Palestinian territory. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dismissed that
report as an “outright lie”, and said Israel had a policy of preventing not
causing starvation. The Gaza war was triggered on October 7, 2023, when Hamas
killed 1,200 people in southern Israel and took some 250 hostages, according to
Israeli tallies. Since then, Israel’s military campaign has killed more than
62,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health authorities.
Azerbaijan’s Aliyev praises Trump saying
he ‘really deserves’ Nobel Peace Prize
Al Arabiya English/23 August/2025
Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev said US President Donald Trump “really
deserves” the Nobel Peace Prize, praising his role in Africa, Asia and the
Southern Caucasus and calling him a leader who “wants peace.”Speaking to Al
Arabiya in an exclusive interview airing next week, Aliyev said: “Together with
[Armenia], we nominated President Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize. He really
deserves it.”“He made a miracle in Africa, in Asia, and in the Southern
Caucasus. And this is his character, this is his nature. He wants peace. He’s a
person who is absolutely different from a traditional image of a Western leader.
He’s very friendly.”Aliyev also described the US president as “very generous.”
“He was so generous to give all [these] gifts, even more than was planned. He
[is really] a person who deserves a lot of credit.”During the exclusive
interview, Aliyev noted that his attitude toward Trump has always been positive.
“My attitude [toward] him as a politician was always positive, even during his
first term, though at that time we didn’t have a chance to meet. And especially
when he was deprived of being elected by the electoral fraud of deep state
representatives,” he said, adding, “they stole his victory.”Aliyev added that
Trump demonstrated dignity despite losing office. “So during that time when he
was not president, he behaved in a very decent manner. He demonstrated great
courage and dignity. And to come back in America with all these frogs in the
swamp, you know, like USAID, Radio Liberty, fake news like Washington Post, New
York Times, Wall Street Journal, Newsweek – all of them were against him. All of
them were demonizing him the same way they demonized me, for instance. Not maybe
to the same level, but in the same way.”Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a
US-brokered peace agreement on August 8 during a meeting with Trump. Armenia and
Azerbaijan have been at odds since the late 1980s when Nagorno-Karabakh, a
mountainous Azerbaijani region mostly populated by ethnic Armenians, broke away
from Azerbaijan with support from Armenia. Azerbaijan took back full control of
the region in 2023, prompting almost all of the territory’s 100,000 ethnic
Armenians to flee to Armenia. The agreement includes establishing a transit
corridor passing through Armenia to connect Azerbaijan to its exclave of
Nakhchivan, a longstanding demand of Baku. After signing the deal, Aliyev and
Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan joined a growing list of foreign
leaders and other officials who have said Trump should receive the Nobel Peace
Prize for his role in helping ease long-running conflicts across the globe. The
peace deal between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda helped end the
decadeslong conflict in eastern Congo, and the US mediated a ceasefire between
India and Pakistan, while Trump intervened in clashes between Cambodia and
Thailand by threatening to withhold trade agreements with both countries if
their fighting continued. with agencies
The Latest English LCCC analysis &
editorials from miscellaneous sources
on August 23-24/2025
A Thirst for Freedom: The Case for Supporting Iran's People
Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Gatestone
Institute/August 23/2025
How can the West, particularly European states, which never hesitate to lecture
others on democracy and human rights, stay silent when one of the most oppressed
peoples in the world was risking everything for those very ideals?
It is high time for an approach that does not cower behind diplomatic fears or
economic loss.
To the European Union: stop delivering lectures on human rights while turning
your back on those who fight and die for them.
The shift from empowering a regime to empowering its people would mark the first
time in more than four decades that Western policy truly aligned with democratic
values.
It is also worth asking why is it considered acceptable for Iran's rulers to
openly call for the assassination of a U.S. president and attempt to assassinate
Western officials, yet somehow unacceptable for Western leaders to plainly say,
"we support the Iranian people's right to freedom"?
The choice facing the West, particularly European governments and the Trump
administration, is simple. Continue down the path of quiet complicity, driven by
fear and greed, or choose to be remembered as champions of freedom.
History does not remember as heroes those who stayed silent in the face of
tyranny.... This is the moment to choose which side you will be on.
Iranians have taken to the streets again and again, often at unimaginable
personal risk, demanding the right to live in dignity and determine their own
future. Each time, they have been met with the full force of a ruthless regime.
During these moments of crisis, Western governments often chose silence. The
Obama administration, in particular, stood aside during the 2009 Green Movement,
when millions of Iranians filled the streets, demanding their stolen votes back.
For more than 40 years, the people of Iran have lived under a suffocating
dictatorship that has stripped them of their freedoms, denied them basic human
rights, and crushed any glimmer of hope for a better future. Yet despite the
unrelenting repression, the Iranian people have never stopped dreaming of
liberty. They have taken to the streets again and again, often at unimaginable
personal risk, demanding the right to live in dignity and determine their own
future. Each time, they have been met with the full force of a ruthless regime
that treats dissent as treason and humanity as an afterthought. This struggle
for freedom is not a fleeting political cause — it is the very heartbeat of a
nation that refuses to surrender its spirit.
Iran's brave uprisings have united students, workers, women and ordinary
citizens, demanding change. They rose up in 1999, 2009, 2017, 2019, 2022 and
beyond — each time with breathtaking courage. Sadly, every one of these
movements was crushed brutally. Security forces flooded the streets, firing on
unarmed crowds, arresting thousands and torturing detainees. Families have been
left with no answers, their loved ones disappearing into the nightmare of the
regime's prisons. Many who are arrested never return. Some who do return are
permanently scarred, physically and emotionally. The message from Iran's rulers
has been consistent: dissent will be extinguished by any means necessary.
During these moments of crisis — when the moral voices of the world should have
been the loudest — Western governments often chose silence. The Obama
administration, in particular, stood aside during the 2009 Green Movement, when
millions of Iranians filled the streets, demanding their stolen votes back.
Former President Barack Obama later acknowledged that he had made a mistake by
not speaking out forcefully in support of the protesters. The question
nevertheless remains: How can the West, particularly European states, which
never hesitate to lecture others on democracy and human rights, stay silent when
one of the most oppressed peoples in the world was risking everything for those
very ideals? The answer is that political caution, fear and the lure of money,
business and trade deals often outweigh moral clarity — a choice that history
has never looked upon kindly.
It is high time for an approach that does not cower behind diplomatic fears or
economic loss. Today, the only country with the political courage to openly
declare its support for the Iranian people's freedom is Israel. In a display of
great statesmanship, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this month
addressed the people of Iran regarding their country's worsening water crisis.
His words went beyond mere political posturing — they were an open call to
action. Speaking directly to Iranians in a video message, Netanyahu said:
"Greetings from Jerusalem, to the proud people of Iran... Your leaders forced
the 12-Day War on us, and they lost miserably... In this brutal summer heat, you
don't even have clean, cold water to give your children. Such hypocrisy...
"Israel is the #1 recycler of water in the world. We recycle 90% of our
waste-water. And we lead the world in desalination. We know exactly what to do
so Iran can also have plentiful water.
"Almost a decade ago, I opened a Telegram channel in Farsi to teach water
management to Iranians. 100,000 Iranians joined almost instantly. The thirst for
water in Iran is only matched by the thirst for freedom...
"The moment your country is free, Israel's top water experts will flood into
every Iranian city bringing cutting-edge technology and know-how. We will help
Iran recycle water, we'll help Iran desalinate water."
The statement was not just about infrastructure—it was about empowerment. "Take
risks for freedom," he urged. "Take to the streets. Demand justice. Demand
accountability. Protest tyranny. If you will it, a free Iran is not a dream."
This is the kind of unapologetic clarity that the West has been missing for
decades. Instead of cozying up to Tehran's rulers for trade agreements or
sanctions relief, world leaders should be supporting and amplifying the voices
of the Iranian people. Yet, in the diplomatic halls of Europe, leaders continue
to shake hands with Iranian officials, sign business deals, and extend economic
relief, knowing full well that this money and legitimacy will be used to tighten
the regime's grip on its citizens. This is not neutrality—it is complicity.
Perhaps even more morally repugnant, it signals to the Iranian people that their
suffering is unimportant compared to the West's economic and political
interests.
To the European Union: stop delivering lectures on human rights while turning
your back on those who fight and die for them. The time for timid statements and
backroom diplomacy is over. Come out publicly and say, without hesitation, that
you stand with the people of Iran in their struggle for freedom. Words matter.
Public solidarity matters. When Iranians hear that the free world is behind
them, they do not feel so alone in their fight. They feel empowered, valued, and
recognized — not as a bargaining chip in geopolitical games, but as human beings
whose freedom matters as much as anyone's.
The shift from empowering a regime to empowering its people would mark the first
time in more than four decades that Western policy truly aligned with democratic
values. Make no mistake, history will remember who chose to stand with the
oppressed and who chose to stand with the oppressors for the sake of money, fear
or convenience. When the regime finally falls, and it will, the Iranian people
will remember who spoke up when it counted — and who hid behind "diplomacy."
It is also worth asking why is it considered acceptable for Iran's rulers to
openly call for the assassination of a U.S. president and attempt to assassinate
Western officials, yet somehow unacceptable for Western leaders to plainly say,
"we support the Iranian people's right to freedom"? That double standard is
moral bankruptcy.
For more than 40 years, European powers have shaken hands with dictators, cut
deals, legitimized tyranny, and turned a blind eye when Iran's regime crushes
dissent. These powers have watched women beaten in the streets for showing their
hair, journalists imprisoned for telling the truth, and students killed for
daring to speak out. They have watched this while profiting from trade and
securing oil contracts. Meanwhile, Iran's regime's has been extending its malign
influence and violence abroad. Iran's problem is a global one.
The choice facing the West, particularly European governments and the Trump
administration, is simple. Continue down the path of quiet complicity, driven by
fear and greed, or choose to be remembered as champions of freedom. Stop
empowering Iran's rulers with trade deals and diplomatic recognition. Publicly
and unequivocally declare your support for the Iranian people. A free Iran would
be a stabilizing force in a volatile region, a partner instead of an adversary,
and a symbol of what can happen when the free world stands together.
History does not remember as heroes those who stayed silent in the face of
tyranny. It remembers them as complicit, enablers. This is the moment to choose
which side you will be on.
*Dr. Majid Rafizadeh, is a political scientist, Harvard-educated analyst, and
board member of Harvard International Review. He has authored several books on
the US foreign policy. He can be reached at dr.rafizadeh@post.harvard.edu
*Follow Majid Rafizadeh on X (formerly Twitter)
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/21850/support-the-iranian-people
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or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.
Leaders made by propaganda and brought down by defeat
Mamdouh AlMuhaini/Al Arabiya English/23 August/2025
The film Triumph of the Will portrayed Hitler as a savior leader. The opening
scenes show a plane above the clouds, then descending into Nuremberg, where the
Nazi Party Congress of 1934 was being held. The propaganda message was clear:
Hitler was sent from the heavens. A worldly prophet who would fight the wicked
and restore glory and dignity to the wounded, humiliated German nation. In the
parade scenes from the airport to the streets, crowds of Germans – men, women,
and children – cheered for him.
The people stood united behind him, seeing him as their hope. It was a
consolidation of this sacred aura, which culminated when Hitler entered the
conference hall. Crowds of officers, soldiers, and flags completed the
ritualistic scene. Then Hitler began his speech in his emotional, dramatic
style. Goebbels, the Nazi propaganda minister, succeeded in his mission. A
carefully crafted image of Hitler was created, embodying everything the German
people wanted at that time. The image of the leader was summed up in strength,
pride, and dignity. Goebbels also succeeded in crafting an image of the Third
Reich as an invincible army. This propaganda was powerful and effective – until
the German army began suffering defeats on the battlefield. The image of the
indestructible iron army crumbled, and the truth emerged. The image of Hitler as
the savior collapsed, replaced by that of a defeated leader, responsible for
disasters that befell a shocked nation. His interference with the work of his
skilled generals only brought further defeats. Hitler’s image shattered
completely. He committed suicide, along with Goebbels – the propaganda minister
– in a symbolic gesture that pointed to the death of propaganda when it is not
rooted in reality.
Mussolini was a journalist before becoming a leader. He understood the value of
the word and the image. He was a theatrical orator who breathed life into
fascist ideology by reviving the Roman legacy. The March on Rome was a grand
spectacle meant to portray the fascists as an overwhelming popular force. But
Italy was not Germany, and Mussolini was no Hitler. He lacked the same aura, and
his image as a leader collapsed when his soldiers were humiliated in World War
II.
In our region, something similar happened – albeit with lower quality in both
content and form – compared with Nazi propaganda. Journalist and information
minister Mohamed Hassanein Heikal succeeded in creating the image of Gamal Abdel
Nasser as the leader of the Arab nation, not just of Egypt. He was cast as the
champion of Arab nationalism, the enemy of Western imperialism, and the
supporter of oppressed peoples. Abdel Nasser appeared in speeches directed at
the masses, attacking monarchies and calling for their overthrow. His myth
reached its peak after the nationalization decision, when propaganda depicted
him as the leader who would restore Jerusalem to the defeated Arab nation.
Nasserism became a sweeping ideology, and his supporters were not only in
Cairo’s streets but also in Damascus, Baghdad, and Rabat. The 1967 war shattered
Abdel Nasser’s myth. In just six days, the image Heikal and Sawt al-Arab radio
had built over years was destroyed. Although Heikal labeled the defeat as a
“setback,” the image of the savior leader was broken. From the heights of glory
and pride to the depths of collapse and decline. As with Hitler, no eloquent
speech or grand promises could salvage the image of a defeated leader. We saw
the same thing happen with President Saddam Hussein. Saddam did not have
talented propaganda ministers like Goebbels or Heikal, but the eight-year war
with Iran crafted his image as a strong leader confronting the Persian threat.
Images of Saddam firing a rifle, walking with swagger, surrounded by ordinary
crowds chanting his name – all were borrowed from Stalinist Soviet propaganda
centered on the cult of personality. The aim was to show him as a courageous,
fearless leader. But his defeat, and the sight of him being dragged out of a
hole – dirty, disheveled, his hair unkempt – destroyed his image. That moment
was designed to smear his myth and present him as a broken, frightened,
trembling man. Yet Saddam’s enemies did him a great service. What journalists he
had paid off, and his information ministers had failed to do, his enemies
offered him for free – when they filmed his execution as his captors shouted,
while he walked confidently to his death. This angered the Americans, who
understood the power of image and symbolism. They had sought to portray him as a
broken, humiliated man, but the execution scene turned him into a heroic leader
and martyr. Leaders like Gaddafi tried to create for themselves heroic,
medal-studded propaganda images, but their eccentric behavior and bizarre
conduct stood in the way. Propaganda has limits, and it must be rooted in some
truth to build an aura around a leader. Bashar al-Assad tried to fashion an
image matching that of his father – a steely, experienced, cold-blooded leader.
But with his flight in a plane, the propaganda collapsed, and even his
supporters now describe him as a coward fleeing. We now see what the North
Korean leader is doing. He seeks to make himself into a “little Hitler,” but he
lacks the qualifications. Thunderous applause at conferences, majestic
entrances, and crowds weeping if he touches them – all this has not helped turn
him into a globally awe-inspiring leader. Instead, he appears as the “little
rocket man,” as American President Donald Trump aptly called him.
President Trump himself has sought to fashion an image of himself as a leader
and strongman, but the independent American media made the task difficult. He
has no propaganda minister, so he played that role himself, promoting his image
on “Truth Social” and “X.” Yet he misunderstands how to build the image of
power, which is crafted through symbols, not declarations. Each time Trump
insists on his greatness, the opposite happens, and he loses credibility. Just
days ago, he published an image of European leaders lined up (compelled) in
front of his desk at the White House. It was a humiliating picture for them, but
it gave him no aura of leadership.
We are witnessing the same scenario today, where defeat undermines propaganda.
The recent 12-day war damaged Iran’s image, and no matter how defiant and
threatening their officials’ statements may be, they will not deceive anyone.
The image has shattered, and broken glass cannot be glued back together. It is
natural for Iranian propaganda to continue, as Abdel Nasser’s propaganda once
did, but no one really believes it anymore – not even their own supporters. The
same is true now for Hezbollah. The party’s late leader, Hassan Nasrallah,
possessed great oratory skills and the ability to move crowds, but the crushing
defeat is too great for any propaganda campaign or speech to withstand. And
although his successor, Naim Qassem, lacks both charisma and oratory skills, he
is incapable of salvaging the party’s tarnished image. Even if Nasrallah had not
been killed, his successor – like so many political or religious leaders before
him – would be unable to rescue his party’s shattered image.
Iran’s Surprise
New Neighbor
Amir Taheri/Asharq Al Awsat/23 August/2025
On October 10, as the committee that chooses this year’s Nobel Peace Prize
laureate, US President Donald Trump is expected to be in Transcaucasia to
inaugurate work on a 166-kilometer-long railway line in one of the world’s most
rugged terrains. The planned line is already dubbed the Trump Pathway to Peace
and Prosperity because it ends more than 200 years of on-and-off wars between
Turks, initially as Ottomans, and Armenians as subjects of the Russian czar and
later the USSR. The disintegration of the Soviet Empire in the 1990s led to the
emergence of a landlocked Armenian state next to what was dubbed the Republic of
Azerbaijan but the conflict continued. With the Soviet suzerain gone, the two
impoverished republics started a war that lasted over a decade and pushed over
300,000 people out of their ancestral villages. Türkiye backed Azerbaijan with
which it shares a more or less similar language while Iran took Armenia’s side
to put a halt to expanding Turkish influence towards the Caspian Basin. Russia
tried to hedge its bet because it needed close ties with Azerbaijan in forging a
new legal convention for the Caspian while retaining access to Iran via
Armenia’s border. Iran has a 688-kilometer-long border with Azerbaijan which is
cut by Armenia’s 44-kilometer-long frontier with Iran. That narrow frontier was
to be the starting point of what was called the North-South Corridor linking
Iran with Russia and thence Europe via Georgia.
Needless to say, the tense situation between Armenia and Azerbaijan meant that
the Iran-Georgia-Russia-Europe railway link was never built. Nevertheless, the
Armenian border remained crucial for Iranian transit and trade with long lines
of trucks bringing goods from Russia and before the Ukraine war much of eastern
and Central Europe.
The transit route became even more important to Iran for beating American and
European sanctions with a wink and a nod from Russia and Armenia.
In addition, two important hydroelectric complexes are located in the short
border area making close cooperation between Iran and Armenia vital for both
sides. Within a 5-kilometer depth of the border zone we also find a free trade
zone of some importance to Iranian provinces of East Azerbaijan and Ardebil. To
these, one could add water management facilities and environmental projects.
The patchwork, created by Stalin’s deliberate divide-and-rule policy chopped the
Azerbaijan Republic into two bits with the one on the west known as the
Autonomous Republic of Nakhichevan which has a border with Türkiye but not with
Azerbaijan itself. Thus, contact between Türkiye and Azerbaijan is only possible
via Iranian territory. The Trump “pathway” is designed to connect two existing
railway lines one between the city of Kars in Türkiye to Nakhichevan and
another,158 kilometers long from Velidbag to Ordubad and extend it with a new
166-kilometer-long line between Ordubad in Nakhichevan and Horadiz in Azerbaijan
and thence to Baku on the Caspian.
Had Iran not been isolated diplomatically, the ideal route for the Türkiye-Caspian
railway would have been through Iranian territory because it could have also
served Iran’s northwestern provinces. The projected line via Iran might have
also reduced the cost of building pipelines to transit Caspian energy resources
to the Mediterranean via Türkiye. The choice of the new route, known as the
Zangezour in the Armenian province of Syunik shuts Iran out of a trade line that
could link Anatolia to Central Asia and China via the Caspian at a time that
Iran is also excluded from China’s global belt-and-road scheme.
Needless to say, Tehran isn’t happy about all that.
The Tasnim news agency controlled by the Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)
expresses concern that in view of Baku’s close ties with Israel the project
could pose a direct treat to Iranian security. The headline of the government
daily newspaper Iran the other day was “America Become Our Neighbor!”
This is because under the Trump “pathway” deal the border area on the Armenian
side to the depth of five kilometers is leased to the US for 99 years. Under the
memorandum of understanding by Trump with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliev and
his Armenian counterpart Nikol Pashinyan, the actual border posts will be manned
by Armenian guards. But the US will be in control of the entire border by
creating a Pathway Zone like the Panama Canal Zone in Central America.
The 99-year lease deal revives the bitter memory of Iran ceding what are now
Azerbaijan and Armenia and Nakhichevan to czarist Russia under the Golistan
Treaty in 1813. But when that lease ended, Iran was too weak to demand the
return of its lost territories and Russia too strong to even consider handing
them back. At the time, the Qajar rulers of Iran decided to grin and bear hoping
that the czarist empire will collapse. But when that happened in 1917, the
Qajars were still not strong enough to challenge the new Soviet Empire.
Tehran is also sore that it wasn’t even consulted about such a major change in a
crucial border. Nevertheless, the Tehran leadership has decided to welcome the
deal brokered by President Trump and accept the Trump Pathway, albeit with a few
frowns, in the hope that the new situation would help ease tension with
Washington. One sign that Tehran has decided to accept the new neighbor is the
decision to stop the project to build a new military base in Talesh close to
borders with both Armenia and Azerbaijan for possible use in an operation to
invade and annex Nakhichevan. Thus, the Trump pathway could also make sure that
peace is kept between Iran and Azerbaijan. “Supreme Guide” Ali Khamenei has
remained totally silent on the issue, implicitly endorsing President Massoud
Pezeshkian’s pragmatic approach. As “neighbors,” Iran and the Pathway Zone
Authority will have to cooperate in a number of domains: security, fighting
smugglers and drug and human traffickers while contenting well-established joint
environmental and water-sharing projects. The US zone would also need
cooperation with Iran to secure part of its electricity as well as all its oil
and gas needs. In other words, Iranian and American personnel will have to learn
to talk to each other and work together about practical day-to-day matters
rather than hostages, exporting revolution, wiping Israel off the map and
nuclear weapons. Well. One question: Will the Nobel barons recognize Donald J
Trump as peacemaker?
A tale of two
summits
Yossi Mekelberg/Arab News/August 23, 2025
Now that the fanfare surrounding the two hastily convened international summits
that took place thousands of miles apart over the past week in an effort to end
the war in Ukraine has subsided, the main resulting sentiments are relief that
the outcomes of both meetings are not likely to exacerbate an already ghastly
war, and cautious optimism for future diplomatic negotiations that might end it.
But not much beyond that. The first summit was between US President Donald Trump
and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, in Anchorage, Alaska on Aug. 15.
The second took place three days later in Washington, where Ukraine’s President
Volodymyr Zelensky was accompanied during his meeting with Trump by the leaders
of several major European nations who provided a human shield (in the nicest
possible sense) around him. As with all such meetings, they were as much about
optics as they were about the actual content of the discussions. Considering the
ill-tempered meeting between Trump and Zelensky six months earlier, during which
the former ambushed the latter in front of the media, there was a collective
sigh of relief that this time their meeting was conducted in a much better
spirit, and that the damage caused by the American president rolling out the red
carpet a few days earlier for the otherwise internationally outcast Putin seemed
not to have had any lasting impact.
Beyond the choreography of the two occasions, which was mainly to do with the
ways in which Trump conducts domestic and international politics, any
expectation that they might result in instant agreements in the glare of
publicity would either have been naive or the result of lack of understanding
about how diplomacy works. Summits exist to finalize and announce to the world
an outcome after behind-the-scenes and quiet back-channel negotiations achieve a
breakthrough. Otherwise, they are most likely mere grandstanding.
What the Trump administration fails to understand is that no amount of smiles or
flattery can hide the fact that underlining this conflict is the long-standing
view in Moscow that Ukraine has no right to exist independently of Russia. Putin
does not hide this belief. As recently as late June, he told the St. Petersburg
Economic Forum: “I have said many times that the Russian and Ukrainian people
are one nation, in fact. In this sense, all of Ukraine is ours.”
This was no slip of the tongue, simply repetition of what Putin and those very
close to him have been claiming for a long time: that Ukraine is an artificial
state and the Ukrainian people are, in fact, Russians. As long as this remains
the prevailing mindset, any agreement will amount to no more than a ceasefire
deal that Russia would be ready to violate at the first opportunity. Watertight
security guarantees are therefore paramount.
Putin’s strategy is to drive a wedge between the US and Europe and, in doing so,
weaken Kyiv both on the battlefield and on the diplomatic one. His meeting with
Trump in Anchorage was hardly a resounding success, but the Russian leader was
already the main beneficiary of it even before his plane touched down in Alaska,
simply because he had been invited to meet the sitting American president while
still shunned by most Western nations since his ill-fated, full-scale invasion
of Ukraine in February 2022. There was a collective sigh of relief that the
American-European meeting was conducted in a much better spirit.
Putin gained international recognition from the very country that is supposed to
be the leader of the free world, basically for nothing, while all of
Washington’s major allies continue to regard him as a complete outcast. This
encouraged him to be audacious enough during the post-summit press conference to
state that if a peace agreement is to be reached, the “root causes” of the
conflict will have to be eliminated. For him, this is a euphemism either for the
disappearance of Ukraine altogether, or for the country to agree to be
subservient to Moscow. This subtext completely eludes Trump. He genuinely wants
to reach a peace deal but for this to happen he needs to refrain from rewarding
a head of state for whom the International Criminal Court issued an arrest
warrant for war crimes in March 2023. A head of state who continues to demand
immediate recognition of Russian sovereignty over the Ukrainian regions of
Crimea, Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson, and that Ukraine agrees to
demilitarization, neutrality, no foreign military involvement in the country,
and to hold new elections — all of which are bound to be rejected, and rightly
so, by Ukraine and the rest of Europe.
One of the cardinal mistakes made by the US administration was to conclude the
summit in Anchorage with no mention of a desperately needed ceasefire agreement,
first and foremost to stop the killing but also to create conditions more
conducive to peace negotiations, which cannot exist under fire. Putin departed
feeling reassured that he was not facing further sanctions or any other “severe
consequences,” as Trump had threatened ahead of the meeting should a ceasefire
deal not be achieved. Yet, as much as there was the strong feeling that Putin
had the upper hand in the summit, it nonetheless did leave the door open for
future negotiations.
When the diplomatic theater moved to Washington for the meeting between Trump
and Zelensky, it was obvious that it was, to a large extent, a massive exercise
in damage limitation. In an unprecedented development, no fewer than seven
heavyweight European leaders — including French President Emmanuel Macron,
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Italian and British Prime Ministers Giorgia
Meloni and Keir Starmer, and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte — gathered to
prevent a repeat of the farcical meeting between Trump and Zelensky in February,
knowing that not only was the future of Ukraine at stake, but also European
security and America’s commitment to it.
Recognizing that pleasing Trump is now part of contemporary diplomatic
engagement with the US, the Ukrainian president abandoned his usual military
fatigues in favor of a business suit and, in front of the cameras, thanked the
American president countless times in the space of a few minutes. Not much
progress was made, then, but Trump’s call for direct talks between Putin and
Zelensky, which he might also join should they take place, might yet mark a
significant development. Moreover, although still not fully committed, this was
also the first time that Trump has pledged that the US would help to guarantee
Ukraine’s security, though he still views Europe as the “first line of defense.”
Significantly, the European leaders showed backbone by pushing back against
Trump’s dismissal of the suggestion that a ceasefire was needed before
negotiations could take place to end the war. Merz was very clear on this,
saying: “I can’t imagine that the next meeting would take place without a
ceasefire. So, let’s work on that and let’s try to put pressure on Russia.”A
ceasefire agreement is not only an obvious demand to make in order to stop the
killing, it would enable more flexibility in negotiations, which remains
impossible as long as Ukrainian soldiers and civilians are being killed by
Russia every day. Most importantly, Europe — in mobilizing its heavy-hitting
leaders, who almost invited themselves to accompany Zelensky to the White House
— displayed a united front that made it clear they will not allow Ukraine and
its occupied territories to be sold out in any agreement between Washington and
Moscow.
**Yossi Mekelberg is professor of international relations and an associate
fellow of the MENA Program at Chatham House. X: @YMekelberg
Iraq and the shifting tides of US and EU policy
Hafed Al-Ghwell/Arab News/August 23, 2025
Iraq, long characterized as a theater of regional and international competition,
is rapidly evolving into a strategic epicenter for Western policy in the Middle
East. The current administration in Baghdad is asserting a form of conditional
sovereignty, balancing complex relationships with regional powers while
simultaneously deepening security and economic ties with the US, China, and
European partners.This reorientation is not incidental but the product of
deliberate statecraft, economic necessity, and a recalculated foreign alignment
under Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani, who was ranked by CEOWorld
magazine this year as one of the “Most Powerful Political Leaders Shaping the
World.”
With a population exceeding 40 million and proven oil reserves of more than 140
billion barrels, Iraq’s demographic and economic significance is substantial.
Yet its actual strategic value extends beyond hydrocarbons. It lies in the
nation’s potential to anchor a more stable regional order, provided it can
successfully navigate its own internal contradictions and external pressures.
For now, Al-Sudani’s government in Baghdad has achieved measurable gains in
efforts to stabilize the nation’s security environment. Attacks by extremist
groups have plummeted to a mere five documented incidents this year, a figure
that belies the complex and persistent threat posed by Iran-backed militias that
operate with significant autonomy.
In a definitive assertion of state authority, the prime minister this month
dismissed two brigade commanders from Kataib Hezbollah following a lethal clash
at a government office. This move, supported by a rare public mandate from the
country’s supreme Shiite religious authority, signaled an unprecedented
willingness to challenge armed factions that wield significant influence and
possess large arsenals. Albeit long overdue, this recalibration of
civil-military relations aligns with a concerted, internationally supported
effort to professionalize a security sector historically compromised by parallel
command structures. However, this is all happening amid intense legislative
pressure to codify these very militias into law, in a move that could formalize
external influences that view Iraqi sovereignty as antithetical to their
interests.Meanwhile, Al-Sudani’s government has made significant progress on the
economy and given credible commitments to structural reforms. However, Iraq
remains crippled by a debilitating energy paradox that is key to its
vulnerability to external coercion. The country’s power grid continues to suffer
catastrophic losses, for example shedding 5,000 megawatts in May alone as a
result of politically motivated interruptions to Iranian gas supplies, a
dependency that costs billions each year and leaves nearly a third of the Iraqi
population prone to recurrent blackouts. The fragility has led to a strategic
push for energy autonomy, alongside urgent upgrades to electricity distribution,
where losses reached 55 percent in 2024 due to theft and inefficiency. Central
to this effort is the Gas Growth Integrated Project, a $27 billion venture
designed to capture 600 million cubic feet of associated gas from southern oil
fields each day; an initial 50 million cubic feet processing facility is already
under construction. Simultaneously, Baghdad is working to deploy a floating
liquefied natural gas import terminal by next year to circumvent terrestrial
pipelines and geopolitical blackmail. Such projects are more than simply
technical fixes, they represent a fundamental recalibration of Iraq’s political
sovereignty.
Moreover, Baghdad is complementing these efforts with tangible fiscal measures,
including better-targeted subsidies and efforts to strengthen tax
administration. Despite financing limitations and a subdued non-oil growth
projection for this year, Iraq retains considerable external buffers, with
reserves of $100 billion covering more than 12 months of imports.
These reforms, coupled with anticorruption initiatives and digitalization in the
financial sector, reflect holistic, Iraq-centered approaches to the reduction of
external vulnerabilities. The goal of these measures is to ensure Iraq
transforms its hard-fought economic sovereignty into sustained prosperity. Iraq
is gradually becoming a center of gravity, one in which US and European
interests can find expression through economic partnerships and diplomatic
engagement rather than military presence alone.
Meanwhile, the upcoming parliamentary elections in November reveal both the
procedural maturation and stubborn structural vulnerabilities of Iraq’s
political order.
For instance, electoral authorities have disqualified more than 100 candidates
with criminal records, including former high-ranking officials, demonstrating a
commitment to the enforcement of legal standards. The decision to proceed with
the elections, despite threats from armed factions and internal discord,
reflects a strengthening of state institutions compared with the protracted
crises that followed the 2018 and 2021 elections.
This democratic exercise, however imperfect, offers a channel for political
competition that does not rely solely on coercion or external patronage.
Regionally, Iraq is repositioning itself as a conduit for cooperation rather
than conflict. Talks continue for the revival of a dormant oil pipeline
connection to the Mediterranean through Syria that could carry up to 2.25
million barrels a day, thereby providing Baghdad with alternative export routes
and reducing its dependence on southern terminals. This project, if realized,
would integrate Iraq more closely with Levantine economies and enhance its
strategic value to European energy security.
Simultaneously, Baghdad is engaged in trilateral water negotiations with Turkiye
and Syria, seeking to modernize outdated agreements and better manage the flow
of the Euphrates River. These initiatives reveal a pragmatic approach to
regional diplomacy, one that seeks to leverage geography for economic gain while
avoiding entanglements in ideological struggles.
On the global stage, Iraq’s relationship with the US is slowly transforming from
a security-centric partnership toward a more multifaceted engagement. The
reduction of American troop numbers has allowed the relationship to shed some of
its paternalistic character, creating room for cooperation in energy, trade and
governance. It is a shift symbolic of a long-delayed redefinition: where once
the relationship was dominated by boots on the ground, lethal aid, and
counterterrorism, it now increasingly involves technical assistance, private
investment, and diplomatic support for Iraqi sovereignty.
Even Europe is cognizant of Iraq’s brimming potential. European energy
companies, such as TotalEnergies, are leading key gas-capture projects, and
diplomatic engagement has intensified around issues of governance, climate, and
economic reform.
Brussels sees in Iraq not only a potential energy partner but also a stabilizing
force in a volatile region. Iraq’s willingness to engage on issues such as water
management, electricity grid modernization, and judicial reform creates
opportunities for soft-power influence that complement US efforts. This European
interest provides Baghdad with additional options and reduces its vulnerability
to coercion by any single external power.
Overall, Iraq’s emergence as a regional hub remains contingent on its ability to
navigate formidable obstacles. Corruption, institutional weaknesses, and the
lingering influence of armed factions continue to pose risks to stability and
reform. Moreover, the government’s strategy of balance requires constant
recalibration, as regional tensions could easily spill over and disrupt careful
diplomatic arrangements.
Nevertheless, the direction of travel is clear: Iraq is gradually becoming a
center of gravity in the Middle East, one in which US and European interests can
find expression through economic partnerships and diplomatic engagement rather
than military presence alone.
This transformation, if it can be sustained, could make Iraq the most
consequential emergent regional partner for the West over the coming decade.
**Hafed Al-Ghwell is a senior fellow and executive director of the North Africa
Initiative at the Foreign Policy Institute of the Johns Hopkins University
School of Advanced International Studies in Washington, DC. X: @HafedAlGhwell
Europe and its influence in the Middle East
Andrew Hammond/Arab News/August 23, 2025
As British Prime Minister Keir Starmer prepares to make a big decision next
month on whether the UK will officially recognize the state of Palestine, the
reality is that Europe’s voice in the Arab-Israeli conflict has rarely been
weaker. Starmer is working with allies, in Europe and beyond, on a long-term
strategy to establish peace “as part of a two-state solution.” However, as much
as that might be still the right vision to pursue, it has declining traction
outside Europe and the prime minister has admitted that “without both sides
engaging in good faith in negotiations, that prospect is vanishing before our
eyes.”
The diminished clout of Europe in the Middle East, not only in the Arab-Israeli
conflict but beyond it, too, is a significant change from only a generation ago.
The Venice Declaration of 1980, for instance, provided momentum toward
international recognition of the Palestinian right to statehood. The region was
also a significant player in the 1990s Oslo accords.
One of the reasons for Europe’s declining influence in the Middle East has been
internal divisions. A small number of regional leaders hold pro-Israel views,
such as Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, a staunch ally of his Israeli
counterpart, Benjamin Netanyahu. Others nations, such as Spain and Ireland, have
adopted much more pro-Palestinian stances.
These splits have resurfaced regularly since the Hamas-led terrorist attacks
against Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and Israel’s subsequent military offensives in
Gaza.
Another key reason for Europe’s declining influence in the Middle East is the
deepening of disagreements with the US. The transatlantic discord on the
subject, and on a range of wider issues including the rise of China on the
global stage, highlight the ways in which Europe is diverging politically from
Washington. While these Western fissures did not begin with President Donald
Trump’s presidential terms, they have been exacerbated by them.
The starkness of the present transatlantic divide on some issues related to the
Middle East was evident this week when the US ambassador to Israel, Mike
Huckabee, blamed Europe for stalled Gaza peace talks. He said the “noise that
has been made by European leaders recently … is having the counterproductive
effect that they probably think that they want. If they believe that
unilaterally calling for a two-state, a Palestinian state recognition,
immediately brings them closer, the sad truth is it’s taking them further away.”
What Huckabee highlights here is Europe’s growing concern with the actions of
Israel, including its recently announced proposed takeover of Gaza City. The
results of this concern include the recent decision by German Chancellor
Friedrich Merz not to authorize any further exports of military equipment that
could be used in Gaza “until further notice.”
The diminished clout of Europe in the Middle East is a significant change from
only a generation ago.
This represents a break from the so-called Staatsrason, meaning “reason of
state,” a traditional cornerstone of postwar German international policy that
views Tel Aviv’s security as being tightly linked to Berlin. Other regional
politicians, including Antonio Costa, the president of the European Council,
have similarly reacted strongly to Netanyahu’s latest plan for Gaza. Costa
slammed the takeover plan, arguing that it, alongside “the illegal expansion of
settlements in the West Bank, the massive destruction in Gaza, the blockade of
humanitarian aid, and the spread of famine,” runs contrary to the requirements
of international law and violates the agreement reached with the EU last month
to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza. This is the context in which
Starmer will make his big decision next month. He has already condemned the
recent announcement by the Israeli security Cabinet in strong terms, stating:
“Israel’s decision to further escalate its offensive in Gaza is wrong and we
urge it to reconsider immediately. What we need is a ceasefire, a surge in
humanitarian aid, the release of all hostages by Hamas and a negotiated
solution.”
One of the ironies for Europe in its declining influence in the Middle East is
that the fortunes of both regions have never been more interlinked.
Economically, the troubling recent tensions in the Middle East have created
significant tailwinds for the European and wider global economies, including in
energy markets.
While neither Israel nor the Palestinian territories are major oil producers,
the wider Middle East accounts for a third of global output. Some with long
memories even warn of the possibility of an oil shock similar to that of
1973-74, during which the price of a barrel of oil nearly quadrupled in less
than a year. Another factor influencing economic tailwinds in the past few years
has been the significant number of Houthi attacks on international vessels in
the Red Sea. As a result of this, much commercial shipping has been diverted to
avoid the area, via South Africa and the Cape of Good Hope. Another key reason
why Europe has a particularly keen interest in the Arab-Israeli conflict at the
present time is the fact that it is widely considered to be complicating its
support for Ukraine. For instance, some countries in the Global South believe
some Western counterparts have been hypocritical in their condemnation of Russia
while offering support for Israel.Europe therefore faces an uphill task in its
efforts to restore lost influence in the Middle East. This project might require
a long-term, concerted strategy, including efforts to reduce intra-European
divisions on key regional issues.
**Andrew Hammond is an associate at LSE IDEAS at the London School of Economics.