English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For July 01/2025
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news

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Bible Quotations For today
Woe to the world because of stumbling-blocks! Occasions for stumbling are bound to come, but woe to the one by whom the stumbling-block comes
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 18/06-10:”‘If any of you put a stumbling-block before one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for you if a great millstone were fastened around your neck and you were drowned in the depth of the sea. Woe to the world because of stumbling-blocks! Occasions for stumbling are bound to come, but woe to the one by whom the stumbling-block comes! ‘If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away; it is better for you to enter life maimed or lame than to have two hands or two feet and to be thrown into the eternal fire. And if your eye causes you to stumble, tear it out and throw it away; it is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and to be thrown into the hell of fire. ‘Take care that you do not despise one of these little ones; for, I tell you, in heaven their angels continually see the face of my Father in heaven.”

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on June 30- July 01/2025
Nabih Berri, the Thug and Militia Leader, is No Superman to Deprive Expats of Their Right to Vote Instead, those who falsely claim sovereignty from among the parties and MPs are the eunuchs and the reviled./Elias Bejjani/June 30, 2025
The summoning of journalists Carine Abd El Nour and Bishara Charbel by the Criminal Investigations Bureau—without specifying the nature of the accusation—is a flagrant violation of the law and a vile assault on press freedom/Elias Bejjani/June 28/2025
Video Link to an interview from the "Al-Badil YouTube platform",  with Tom Harb, director of the American Middle East Alliance and member of the USA Republican Party
LF, Kataeb and other MPs walk out of parliament over expat voting bill
Tensions over Expat Vote Spark Heated Parliamentary Session
Lebanese official says normalization with Israel not among US envoy's demands
Israel says 'interested' in normalizing ties with Lebanon, Syria
Lebanon peace deal with Israel needed, US envoy says
Aoun urges Israeli withdrawal from five occupied hills
Hezbollah's Qmati says deadline must be set for Israel not for Hezbollah
Report: Hezbollah stance on Lebanese paper expected within 2 days
Aides of Aoun, Berri and Salam meet in Baabda over US paper
866 Kg of Captagon Seized in Joint Lebanon-Saudi Drug Operation
Hezbollah’s Arms and the US Ultimatum: Lebanon Faces Critical Decisions/Natasha Metni Torbey/This is Beirut
Khalaf Warns: “Comprehensive Plan Urgently Needed”
Pasdaran-Hezbollah: Severing the Umbilical Cord/Michel Touma/This is Beirut/June 30, 2025
Lebanon’s Press Syndicate Honors Journalist Badih Karhani
The US Push for Hezbollah Disarmament and the Future of Lebanon/Amal Chmouny/This is Beirut/June 30, 2025
The Armed Duo, Not the Shiite Duo/Sayed Mohammad El Amin/El Nahar/June 30, 2025

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on June 30- July 01/2025
Israel FM says Golan to ‘remain part of’ Israel in any Syria peace deal
Tehran says over 900 people killed in Israeli strikes on Iran
Tehran demands end to military threats as Trump insists nuclear sites ‘obliterated’
Iranian FM rules out quick resumption of US–Iran talks
Iran-linked hackers threaten to release Trump aides’ emails
Netanyahu will visit the White House next Monday as Trump presses for a ceasefire in Gaza
Rocket attack targets Iraqi military air base in Kirkuk, security sources say
Iranian ambassador: Saudi Arabia played key role in preventing escalation
Israel acknowledges Palestinian civilians harmed at Gaza aid sites, says ‘lessons learned’
Palestine’s Red Crescent chief tells UK’s Prince William of humanitarian crisis in Gaza
UK court rejects NGO’s case over F-35 parts to Israel
Israel strikes pound Gaza, killing 60, ahead of US talks on ceasefire
Trump signs an executive order ending US sanctions on Syria
More than 15,000 Syrian refugees return home from Jordan in May
Can Syria harness its untapped tourism potential?
PKK disarmament process to begin early July: report
USAID cuts may cause over 14 million additional deaths by 2030, study says

Titles For The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources on June 30- July 01/2025
Rebutting the Mindset of “Political Islamism”/Elie Aoun/June 30/2025
Africa's 'Second' World War Is Not Winding Down Anytime Soon/Amb. Alberto M. Fernandez/Africa | MEMRI Daily Brief No. 797/June 30/2025
The end of a confrontation or just a break?/Abdulrahman Al-Rashed/Asharq Al-Awsat/June 30, 2025
The earthquake’s lessons and the maps in the balance/Ghassan Charbel Asharq Al-Awsat/June 30, 2025
Israel must be pressured into a full ceasefire/Chris Doyle/Arab News/June 30, 2025
'Obliterating' Iran's Nuclear Sites Is Not Enough/Khaled Abu Toameh/Gatestone Institute/June 30, 2025
Selected Twitters For Today on June 30- July 01/2025

The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on June 30- July 01/2025
Nabih Berri, the Thug and Militia Leader, is No Superman to Deprive Expats of Their Right to Vote Instead, those who falsely claim sovereignty from among the parties and MPs are the eunuchs and the reviled.
Elias Bejjani/June 30, 2025
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/06/144725/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iubdc_EpRYQ&t=61s
In a dangerous precedent added to the record of political heresies in Lebanon, Article 122 of the election law, approved by the Parliament on June 14, 2017, constituted a stain on the forehead of every MP who condoned the passage of this monstrous text, which has no parallel in any democratic system in the world. The allocation of six seats for Lebanese expatriates distributed across the six continents, instead of allowing them to vote in their original constituencies as dictated by any democratic logic, is a deliberate exclusion and a blatant conspiracy against a wide segment of the Lebanese diaspora that still believes in Lebanon as a state and has borne the burdens of a stricken nation for decades.
Those who approved this law in 2017 either lacked the minimum national and political vision, or they were simply complicit with the corrupt class that aims to deprive Lebanese expatriates of effective participation in decision-making. It is noteworthy that this monstrous and unconstitutional law is fundamentally unenforceable and was deliberately put in place to prevent Lebanese expatriates from influencing election results, as they live in true democratic countries and are difficult to buy or have their will falsified.
Text of Article 122 of Election Law No. 44/2017
"Six seats shall be allocated to Lebanese expatriates, to be added to the number of members of Parliament, making the total number 134 deputies, in the electoral cycle following the first cycle held in accordance with the provisions of this law. The six deputies shall be distributed among the six continents as follows:
One deputy for the continent of Africa
One deputy for the continent of North America
One deputy for the continent of South America
One deputy for the continent of Europe
One deputy for the continent of Australia
One deputy for the continent of Asia
In the distribution of these seats, parity between Christians and Muslims shall be observed, so that:
One seat is allocated for Maronites
One seat for Greek Orthodox
One seat for Catholics
One seat for Sunnis
One seat for Shiites
One seat for Druze
The mechanism for nomination, voting, and special electoral districts for expatriates shall be determined by a decree issued by the Council of Ministers based on the proposal of the Ministers of Interior and Foreign Affairs. Six seats shall be deducted from the 128 Parliament seats in the subsequent cycle, from the seats belonging to the same sects that were allocated to non-residents."
Berri Prevents Change and Protects the System of Exclusion
Today, in a new scandal confirming the continuation of political dominance and thuggery, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, who has been entrenched in the presidential chair for forty years, refused to list an urgent, repeated draft law signed by 68 MPs to amend Article 122 and demand equality for expatriates with residents in their electoral rights. This refusal is the first of its kind in thirty years, and it is neither innocent nor procedural, but a deliberate decision to protect the interests of the system that has led Lebanon to this ruin.
Berri's refusal was not an organizational rejection, but a clear cry to Lebanese expatriates around the world, telling them: "We do not want you as partners; you are a threat to our corruption and continuity." Some MPs withdrew from the session in protest, rejecting this tyranny, but it was not enough. A firmer stance is required.
In today's scene, Berri was not alone in exercising authoritarianism; he was supported by the political chameleon Gebran Bassil, head of the Free Patriotic Movement, allied with the terrorist Hezbollah, and sanctioned under the US Magnitsky Act due to his corruption. Bassil, who has always exploited Christian rights, turned against them, just as his uncle Michel Aoun did before him, when they sold Lebanon for empty power and a tainted chair.
MPs and Parties Who Betrayed Expats
The scandal does not stop at Berri's behavior; its roots go back to 2017, when Parliament approved the ominous Article 122. At that time, both the "Free Patriotic Movement" and the "Lebanese Forces" agreed to the law, even though it stripped the Christian expatriate, who is numerically dominant among expatriates, of his constitutional right to vote like residents. Only the Kataeb Party rejected this article in defense of principle, equality, and the constitution.
How can two parties claiming to defend the Christian presence in Lebanon agree to a law that specifically isolates Christian expatriates? The answer is simple: the ambition for deals and positions was and still is stronger than principles, and the result is that Christians were deceived once again, losing the opportunity to defend their role through their sons in the diaspora.
Call for Resignation and Accountability for Nabih Berri
The 68 MPs who signed the draft amendment to Article 122 are now required to either resign from this council dominated by a sectarian thug named Nabih Berri, or at least withdraw confidence from him. Continuing to deal with him as Speaker of Parliament legitimizes tyranny and a coup against the will of the people. These MPs should know that complicity with Bassil, Berri, and Hezbollah is participation in treason, and that Lebanese people at home and abroad will not forget or forgive.
Lebanese Voices Against Tyranny
We conclude this article with a number of tweets circulated by Lebanese citizens today via social media expressing their indignation:
"The biggest robbery of the constitutional right of Lebanese expatriates"
"Nabih Berri prevents Lebanese expatriates from voting because they cannot be bought"
"Gebran Bassil stabs Christians again in defense of his ally Hezbollah"
"Parliament has become a farce in the hands of Berri and the mini-state"
"We need to liberate Parliament just as we need to liberate the homeland"
A final word to expatriates: stand firm, hold together, and trust that your voice will not be silenced for long. The sun of freedom will shine again, and everyone who betrayed the national and constitutional trust will be held accountable.

The summoning of journalists Carine Abd El Nour and Bishara Charbel by the Criminal Investigations Bureau—without specifying the nature of the accusation—is a flagrant violation of the law and a vile assault on press freedom.
Elias Bejjani/June 28/2025
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/06/144679/
Once again, the Lebanese judiciary, still shackled by the grip of Nabih Berri and Hezbollah, exposes its corrupted and compromised nature. In a shocking breach of legal protocol and an outright dismissal of the jurisdiction of the Publications Court, journalist Carine Abd El Nour, Managing Editor of Al-Hurra weekly, and its Editor-in-Chief, journalist Bishara Charbel, have been summoned for interrogation without even being informed of the charges against them. This is not merely a procedural misstep—it is a disgraceful slap in the face of justice and a stark confirmation that what remains of Lebanon's judiciary is little more than a servile instrument in the hands of the Iranian-controlled deep state.
We had hoped, following the defeat and disbandment of the terrorist Hezbollah, that Lebanon would finally breathe freely—liberated from the suffocating grip of the militias that have long corrupted and terrorized the nation. Yet, today’s events confirm that the judiciary remains tragically captive to Nabih Berri’s mafia and Hezbollah’s terrorist machine, both of which epitomize criminality, coercion, the suppression of liberties, and the trampling of all constitutional principles.
The targeting of the free press—Al-Hurra in this case—is nothing more than a desperate attempt to silence voices that expose their corruption and confront their illegitimate authority.
Let us be clear: this is not the first time Lebanon’s judiciary—under the control of the deep state—has trampled laws and targeted writers, journalists, politicians, and sovereign activists. These judicial abuses have become systematic. The persecution of free individuals with independent, patriotic views is now the norm rather than the exception. Even more appalling is the summoning of journalists without informing them of the charges—an act that displays outright contempt for the dignity of the press, freedom of speech, and all legal norms.
Despite the transformative changes in the region—the defeat of Hezbollah, the collapse of Assad’s brutal regime, and the crumbling of the Iranian mullahs' aura following the elimination of dozens of their leaders and nuclear scientists and the destruction of key nuclear capabilities—Lebanon’s leadership remains hostage to the Iranian occupation and its terrorist proxies that continue to control the country and its judiciary.
We therefore call upon the Minister of Justice, the President of the Republic, and the Prime Minister to take a firm and transparent stand. Either they remain complicit tools in the hands of Nabih Berri, Hezbollah, and the Iranian regime—enforcing their will, suppressing freedoms, and dismantling the state—or they rise to the level of true national leadership, with the resolve and courage to defend Lebanon’s sovereignty, its people, its institutions, and its constitution.
We also urge the free world and all human rights organizations to immediately intervene and take strong, clear positions. These oppressive practices are an existential threat to Lebanon’s fragile democracy and its freedom of expression. Silence, in this context, serves as a green light for continued violations. Only clear, principled, and decisive stances can act as a safeguard for the Land of the Cedars, which continues to struggle for survival, dignity, and liberty.

Video Link to an interview from the "Al-Badil YouTube platform",  with Tom Harb, director of the American Middle East Alliance and member of the USA Republican Party
Harb stressed on the fact the House Speaker in occupied Lebanon Nabih Berri is corrupt, works for Hezbollah, and obstructs solutions in Lebanon. MP's must withdraw confidence from Berri and bring him down. The Lebane se government must either monopolize arms or facilitate the path for Hezbollah and the Palestinians to head south and fight Israel.
June 30, 2025

LF, Kataeb and other MPs walk out of parliament over expat voting bill
Naharnet/June 30, 2025
Quorum was maintained Monday after the MPs of the Lebanese Forces and the Kataeb Party and some Change and independent MPs walked out of parliament after a bill related to expat voting was not put on the agenda. Responding to MP George Okais of the LF over a petition signed by more than 65 MPs regarding the expat voting law, Speaker Nabih Berri said: “We have not received the petition and it has not reached us. When it reaches us, we will deal with it according to norms.” “Do not threaten me (with walking out). The session will go on,” Berri added. Okais for his part told MTV that “the battle today is not legal at all, but rather political par excellence, and it is the battle of granting expats the right to take part in political life.”Berri, Hezbollah and the Free Patriotic Movement want to limit expat voting to six newly-introduced seats that would be dedicated to expats, as per the 2017 electoral law, knowing that the six-seat amendment was not implemented in the 2018 and 2022 elections and expats were allowed to vote freely according to their original electoral districts. The latest amendment had stipulated that the six seats would be introduced in the 2026 elections. The LF, Kataeb and some Change and independent MPs meanwhile want the abolition of the six-seat amendment to allow expats to vote according to their electoral districts as they did in 2018 and 2022.

Tensions over Expat Vote Spark Heated Parliamentary Session
This is Beirut/June 30, 2025
Parliament’s legislative session on Monday morning opened under palpable tension, against the backdrop of deep divisions over proposed amendments to the electoral law, particularly concerning the voting rights of Lebanese expatriates.
Shortly after the session began, MPs from the Lebanese Forces (LF), the Kataeb party and several members of the Change bloc walked out in protest. Their departure came after a proposal to amend the electoral law was excluded from the agenda. The proposal, primarily championed by LF’s Strong Republic bloc, seeks to allow expatriate voters to elect all 128 members of Parliament, as was the case in the 2022 elections, rather than limiting them to the six diaspora-designated seats outlined in the current electoral law.
Confronted on the matter by MP Georges Okais, who reminded Speaker Nabih Berri of a petition signed by over 65 MPs demanding the proposal be added to the agenda, Berri responded bluntly, “We have not officially received this petition. When it reaches us through the proper channels, we will respond according to the rules. Do not threaten me. This session will proceed without threats.”His remarks triggered an immediate backlash, leading to the departure of LF MPs, followed by Kataeb members and several independent legislators.
The current electoral law, passed in 2017, stipulates the creation of six parliamentary seats for the diaspora, one per continent, in addition to the existing 128 seats, bringing the total number of seats to 134. However, this provision has never been implemented. In both the 2018 and 2022 elections, expatriates voted in their original constituencies in Lebanon. Looking ahead to the 2026 elections, Speaker Berri is pushing for the application of this clause, with diaspora seats distributed confessionally: one Sunni, one Shia, one Druze, one Maronite, one Greek Catholic and one Greek Orthodox. This approach is firmly rejected by LF leader Samir Geagea, who insists that expatriates should vote in their home regions to fully participate in national political life.
Following his bloc’s withdrawal, LF MP Georges Adwan denounced what he described as a break with parliamentary tradition: “Any draft law classified as urgent is automatically placed on the agenda of a plenary session. This is the first time in thirty years that such a proposal is excluded, especially on a matter of national importance like expatriate voting.”
He added, “We are not trying to obstruct legislative work. On the contrary, we seek to accelerate it.”Even before the session began, Deputy Speaker Elias Bou Saab had anticipated the political confrontation: “We are heading toward a political showdown. The request to urgently include this electoral proposal is a political maneuver. It is not on the agenda.” He also noted, “Any parliamentary bloc has the right to walk out. If quorum is lost, the session is suspended. Otherwise, it will proceed.”Among those who chose to stay was Progressive Socialist Party MP Hadi Abou al-Hosn, who voiced support for the proposal but refused to disrupt the session: “We support adding the proposal to the agenda, but we will not walk out. We have always defended institutional continuity and opposed obstruction.”Monday’s agenda includes several draft laws and proposals, among them amendments to the 2025 state budget and a bill granting monthly financial aid to military personnel, both active and retired. During the morning session, Parliament gave its green light to a loan agreement with the World Bank for the implementation of a renewable energy project.
It also approved the opening of a line of credit in the 2025 budget for the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, to allow for a contribution to the Mutual Fund for tenured professors at the Lebanese University. This contribution is intended to cover social and health assistance.In the same vein, the allocation of 1,500 billion Lebanese pounds for the Judges’ Fund was approved. Parliament also exempted individuals affected by Israeli airstrikes on Lebanon during the war with Hezbollah from paying certain taxes and other fiscal obligations. The session, which adjourned shortly after 2pm, was due to resume at 6pm. However, the Speaker of Parliament, Nabih Berri, postponed it until 11:00 tomorrow, Tuesday, due to the absence of a quorum, with only 53 deputies present. MPs are expected to examine texts related to the practice of certain professions, notably radiological sciences and pharmacy, as well as proposals concerning commercial leases and the prerogatives of municipalities. Finally, MPs are set to vote on Lebanon’s accession to the Madrid Protocol, which concerns the international registration of trademarks.

Lebanese official says normalization with Israel not among US envoy's demands
Agence France Presse/June 30, 2025
Lebanon seeks guarantees that Israeli forces fully withdraw from Lebanese territory in response to a U.S. demand that Beirut formally commit to disarming militant group Hezbollah, a Lebanese official said Monday. Lebanese leaders who took office in the aftermath of a war between Israel and Hezbollah last year have repeatedly vowed a state monopoly on bearing arms while demanding Israel comply with a November ceasefire that ended the fighting. The Lebanese government official told AFP that in a recent visit, U.S. envoy Tom Barrack had presented the demand for Beirut to officially commit to start disarming the Iran-backed group as stipulated in the November agreement, along with a full Israeli withdrawal. President Joseph Aoun, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri -- who is a key Hezbollah ally -- "are preparing a response," said the official on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to brief the media. With Barrack, Washington's ambassador to Turkey and special envoy to Syria, expected back in Beirut by mid-July, the Lebanese leaders "will demand a halt to Israeli violations of the ceasefire, Israel's withdrawal from southern Lebanon, the release of prisoners (detained during the war) and the demarcation of the border," said the official. According to the official, Barrack in his June 19 visit also asked that Lebanon work on securing its border with Syria and pursue economic reforms demanded by international creditors. Aoun and Salam took power early this year as the balance of power shifted following the Israel-Hezbollah war that left the militant group -- long an important player in Lebanese politics -- severely weakened. Lebanese authorities say they have been dismantling Iran-backed Hezbollah's military infrastructure in the south, near the Israeli border. Israel has continued to strike Lebanon despite the November ceasefire, claiming to hit Hezbollah targets and accusing Beirut of not doing enough to disarm the group. According to the ceasefire agreement, Hezbollah is to pull its fighters back north of the Litani river, some 30 kilometers (20 miles) from the Israeli frontier.
Israel was to withdraw its troops from all of Lebanon, but has kept them deployed in five points it deemed strategic. Meanwhile Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said on Monday that his government was "interested" in normalizing ties with Lebanon and neighboring Syria, which both do not recognize Israel and have been technically at war with it since its creation in 1948. There was no comment from Beirut or Damascus, but the Lebanese government official told AFP normalization was not among the U.S. envoy's demands.

Israel says 'interested' in normalizing ties with Lebanon, Syria
Agence France Presse/June 30, 2025
Israel said Monday it is "interested" in striking peace agreements with neighboring Lebanon and Syria, a potentially historic shift in the region after decades of war and animosity. With Syria under new leadership after the fall of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad and Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah movement weakened, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar told journalists his government wanted more normalization agreements with Arab countries. "Israel is interested in expanding the Abraham Accords circle of peace and normalization," Saar said of the U.S.-brokered deals that Israel signed with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco in 2020, during U.S. President Donald Trump's first term. "We have an interest in adding countries such as Syria and Lebanon, our neighbors -- to the circle of peace and normalization while safeguarding Israel's essential and security interests," Saar told a news conference in Jerusalem alongside his Austrian counterpart Beate Meinl-Reisinger. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that Israel's recent "victory" in a 12-day war against Iran "opens the path to dramatically enlarge the peace accords."
Golan Heights tensions -Control of the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights has long been a source of tension between Israel and Syria, which are technically still at war. Saar insisted that the strategic plateau, which Israel seized from Syria in 1967 and later annexed in a move not recognized by the United Nations, "will remain part of the State of Israel" under any future peace agreement.Following Assad's overthrow in December, Israel moved forces into the U.N.-patrolled demilitarized zone in the Golan, and has carried out hundreds of strikes against military targets in Syria. In Lebanon, the clout of Hezbollah has diminished after it had emerged bruised from a conflict with Israel last year, fueled by Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza.Israel, however, has kept up strikes against Hezbollah despite a November ceasefire. There was no immediate response from Lebanese or Syrian officials to Saar's remarks.
U.S. peace call
U.S. officials say the end of the 12-day war between Israel and Iran with a ceasefire on June 24 has raised prospects for broader peace efforts in the region. On Sunday, a senior U.S. diplomat called for peace agreements by Israel with Syria and Lebanon in the wake of the Iran-Israel ceasefire and expected there would be discussions about it. Tom Barrack, the U.S. ambassador to Turkey who is also a special envoy to Syria, said Syria's President Ahmed al-Sharaa "has indicated that he doesn't hate Israel and that he wants peace on that border," Barrack told Turkish news agency Anadolu.
"I think that will also happen with Lebanon. It's a necessity to have an agreement with Israel," he added. Pressure has risen on the Israeli government to end its offensive in the Gaza Strip, prompted by Hamas' deadly attack in October 2023."Everybody is starting to move back towards the Abraham Accords, especially as the Gaza situation dissipates," Barrack said. "What just happened between Israel and Iran is an opportunity for all of us to say: 'Time out. Let's create a new road,'" he added.
"The Middle East is ready to have a new dialogue, people are tired of the same old story."

Lebanon peace deal with Israel needed, US envoy says
Agence France Presse/June 30, 2025
With the Iran-Israel war opening up a new road for the Mideast, Syria and Lebanon need to reach peace agreements with Israel, the U.S. special envoy to Syria said Sunday.
"President (Ahmad) al-Sharaa has indicated that he doesn’t hate Israel... and that he wants peace on that border. I think that will also happen with Lebanon. It’s a necessity to have an agreement with Israel," Tom Barrack said in an interview with Turkey’s state news agency Anadolu. "What just happened between Israel and Iran is an opportunity for all of us to say: 'Time out. Let's create a new road' (and) Turkiye is key in that new road," Barrack told Anadolu. "The Middle East is ready to have a new dialogue, people are tired of the same old story," he said, saying it was essential for decades-long enmities to be reframed. Israel, he said, was "in the process of being redefined" and its regional neighbors needed to reach agreement with it. What is happening in Syria is "in big part due to Turkey" -- a key backer of the Islamist-led rebels who toppled Bashar al-Assad and now form the Damascus government -- and Turkey could play a central role in changing the regional narrative, he said. U.S. President Donald Trump and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan "see that this is an opportunity at a really interesting point in both of their lives where they can change the dialogue," he said. "And dialogue in the Middle East takes strong leadership."Barrack also said he believed there would be a ceasefire soon in the deadly Gaza war which would also speed up a shift in regional thinking. "We're going to see a ceasefire in Gaza in the near future, I think we have the right team on it," he told Anadolu.
"Everybody is starting to move back towards the Abraham Accords, especially as the Gaza situation dissipates," he said referring to the U.S.-sponsored agreements struck by Israel to normalize ties with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco. And he expressed confidence that Turkey and Israel -- whose relationship has been shattered by the Gaza war -- would resume their former ties. "It can happen again, it's not a religious issue, it's a misunderstanding of territorial desires. So having a discussion, a dialogue.. will take place."

Aoun urges Israeli withdrawal from five occupied hills
Naharnet/June 30, 2025
President Joseph Aoun met Monday with the new chief of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), Major General Diodato Abagnara of Italy. Aoun stressed to Abagnara “the importance of the continuation of UNIFIL’s work alongside the Lebanese Army in the South, in order to implement Resolution 1701 with all its stipulations,” the Presidency said. He also emphasized “the need for the Israeli forces to withdraw from the five occupied hills, to enable the Lebanese Army to complete its deployment up to the internationally-recognized border.”

Hezbollah's Qmati says deadline must be set for Israel not for Hezbollah
Naharnet/June 30, 2025
Hezbollah political bureau member Mahmoud Qmati has said that a deadline must be set for Israel and not for Hezbollah, calling again for Israel's halt of attacks and withdrawal from south Lebanon before demanding Hezbollah to disarm. Qmati said Sunday that liberating the five occupied hills in south Lebanon, freeing the Lebanese prisoners, halting the "Israeli aggression and violations", and the "unconditional reconstruction" of war-hit regions have always been a national priority to the President, the Prime Minister and the Lebanese government. "These are not just Hezbollah's demands but an official Lebanese stance," Qmati said, adding that the U.S., although leading the ceasefire committee, is encouraging Israel to keep its attacks on Lebanon in order to put political and military pressure on the country. Qmati said that the conditions for reconstruction are humiliating, and that the priorities -- liberating the five occupied hills, freeing the Lebanese prisoners, halting the Israeli violations, and the unconditional reconstruction -- must be implemented before any domestic dialogue about Hezbollah's arms or any discussion about a defense strategy. "How can we have such a dialogue while our land is still occupied, prisoners are still in (Israeli) jails, and daily aggressions continue?"They want to change the priorities, they want the Lebanese to focus on one demand: the disarmament of the resistance, Qmati said. "We have cooperated and participated in all national junctures. The (Israeli) enemy is the side that must respect its deadlines, not the resistance."Israel has repeatedly bombed Lebanon despite the November ceasefire aimed at ending over a year of hostilities with Hezbollah. Under the ceasefire deal, Hezbollah was to pull its fighters back north of the Litani river and Israel was required to fully withdraw its troops from the country, but has kept them in five locations in south Lebanon that it deems strategic. But whether Hezbollah must first disarm or Israel must first withdraw remains a chicken and egg situation, and Israel, despite the ceasefire, has struck regions north of the Litani, and deep inside Lebanon, including Beirut's southern suburbs.

Report: Hezbollah stance on Lebanese paper expected within 2 days
Naharnet/June 30, 2025
The Lebanese response to U.S. envoy Tom Barrack’s proposal calls for Israeli withdrawal from one or two occupied hills in return for the start of the handover of Hezbollah’s arms in the areas north of the Litani River, Al-Jadeed TV quoted Lebanese officials as saying.
Israel would eventually fully withdraw from south Lebanon, the sources added. Visitors of Ain el-Tineh and the Grand Serail meanwhile said that Speaker Nabih Berri has relayed this format to Hezbollah and that he is expected to obtain the Iran-backed party’s response within two days. But political sources told Al-Jadeed that Hezbollah is waiting for the final format in order to submit its remarks on it in the weekend. Media reports meanwhile said Prime Minister Nawaf Salam had visited Berri on Saturday after a decision was made to hold a special Cabinet session after the Ashoura holiday for approving a mechanism for monopolizing arms in the state’s hands. “Should the paper be agreed on by the three presidents (Joseph Aoun, Berri and Salam), it will be discussed in Cabinet for approval, and it includes three main topics: the file of Hezbollah’s arms and illegal weapons, the file of reforms and the file of Lebanese-Syrian relations,” the reports said. ”If the paper gets approved, it will be handed to the U.S. envoy so that he carries it to Israel and Syria according to the segment related to each country,” the reports added.

Aides of Aoun, Berri and Salam meet in Baabda over US paper
Naharnet/June 30, 2025
A meeting between representatives of President Joseph Aoun, Speaker Nabih Berri and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam has been underway at the Baabda Palace since Monday morning, Al-Jadeed TV reported in the afternoon. The representatives are discussing “the U.S. paper that was carried by U.S. envoy Tom Barrack to Beirut,” Al-Jadeed said. “The meeting, the second after a first meeting held Saturday, is witnessing the participation of President Joseph Aoun’s representatives Jean Aziz, Rabih al-Shaer, Didier Rahal and Tony Mansour, Speaker Nabih Berri’s representative Ali Hamdan, and PM Nawaf Salam’s representative Farah al-Khatib,” Al-Jadeed added. Lebanon wants guarantees that Israeli forces will fully withdraw from Lebanese territory in response to Barrack’s demand that Beirut formally commit to disarming Hezbollah, a Lebanese official said Monday.
The Lebanese government official told AFP that in a recent visit, Barrack had presented the demand for Beirut to officially commit to start disarming the Iran-backed group as stipulated in the November agreement, along with a full Israeli withdrawal. Aoun, Salam and Berri -- who is a key Hezbollah ally -- "are preparing a response," said the official on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to brief the media. With Barrack expected back in Beirut by mid-July, the Lebanese leaders "will demand a halt to Israeli violations of the ceasefire, Israel's withdrawal from southern Lebanon, the release of prisoners (detained during the war) and the demarcation of the border," said the official.

866 Kg of Captagon Seized in Joint Lebanon-Saudi Drug Operation
This is Beirut/June 30, 2025
The Lebanese Customs Directorate announced the seizure of 866 kilograms of Captagon concealed in a shipment of glass and porcelain tableware, following a coordinated operation with Saudi authorities. In a statement released on Monday, the directorate said the bust was made possible through close collaboration between the Anti-Narcotics Division of the General Customs Directorate at Lebanon’s Ministry of Finance and Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Interior, represented by the General Directorate for Drug Control. The operation was launched after Saudi authorities provided intelligence on a suspicious shipment originating from Syria and transiting through Lebanon. Acting on the tip, customs agents tracked the Syrian-registered truck and eventually intercepted it. Upon inspection, authorities discovered the illicit pills hidden in what they described as a “professionally concealed” manner within the tableware cargo. A Syrian national, identified as H.H.K., was arrested at the scene. Authorities confirmed that investigations are ongoing under the supervision of the competent judiciary to apprehend additional suspects linked to the smuggling network.

Hezbollah’s Arms and the US Ultimatum: Lebanon Faces Critical Decisions
Natasha Metni Torbey/This is Beirut
The question of Hezbollah’s weapons cannot be resolved solely within Lebanon. As an ideological, military and political extension of Iran, Hezbollah’s arsenal is intrinsically linked to broader regional dynamics, especially the power balance between Tehran and Washington. Experts agree that local initiatives will be ineffective unless supported by decisions at the highest regional level. Nonetheless, with rising security concerns and mounting frustration over stalled progress, neither the international community nor Lebanese authorities can remain passive. Taking a clear stance, even if symbolic, is crucial to maintaining Lebanon’s place at the regional negotiation table. A new countdown has begun. Within Beirut’s political circles, a “confidential” roadmap attributed to US special envoy for Syria Thomas Barrack is circulating. Barrack, seen as a key architect of Lebanon’s future regional order, visited the country on June 19.
His ambitious plan aims to disarm Hezbollah, restore full state sovereignty and secure Lebanon’s borders with Israel and Syria. The approach is twofold: Lebanon takes steps, followed by reciprocal gestures from Israel. According to several sources consulted by This is Beirut, Lebanon must respond decisively by July—or at the latest, September—or face serious repercussions. Barrack is expected to meet Lebanese officials on July 7, with Washington demanding a definitive position on Hezbollah’s weapons monopoly. A debate is anticipated within the Council of Ministers soon—possibly as early as Friday—potentially resulting in a vague, non-binding statement reaffirming Lebanon’s commitment to securing the state’s exclusive right to armed force by the end of 2025, echoing President Joseph Aoun’s inaugural speech and the government’s ministerial declaration. Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri reportedly supports this cautious approach. Without an agreement with Hezbollah and aiming to buy time, Berri is seeking a general statement without immediate obligations. Sources indicate that this could serve as a “gesture of goodwill” upon Barrack’s return. However, Washington’s message is clear: delays risk leaving Lebanon to face escalating tensions alone, potentially triggering renewed Israeli hostilities and harsher international sanctions. As one security official put it, “If the Lebanese state fails to act, the Israelis will eventually do the job themselves.”
What Does Barrack’s Roadmap Entail?
Barrack’s plan seeks to reshape Lebanon’s internal and regional power balance. Sources confirm three key objectives:
Gradual disarmament of Hezbollah;
Restoration of exclusive Lebanese state authority across all territory;
Redefinition of Lebanon’s borders and relations with Syria and Israel.
The plan was presented to President Aoun, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and Speaker Berri. It stresses urgent, decisive action, reflecting past unsuccessful attempts since the November 27, 2024, ceasefire. No concrete progress has been achieved since.
The proposal rests on three pillars:
Security: The US demands the disarmament of all militias, including Hezbollah and Palestinian factions, not just south of the Litani River, but across the entire Lebanese territory. The state, through the Lebanese army, must be the sole armed force.
Institutional and Economic Reform: Deep state reforms are required, including public administration modernization, judiciary restructuring and privatization of sectors such as electricity, telecommunications and water.
Geopolitical: Lebanon must negotiate formal border agreements with Syria and Israel to secure territorial sovereignty and to finalize the border delineation with Israel. In exchange, Israel would gradually withdraw from five strategic positions in southern Lebanon and release between 30 and 50 Hezbollah prisoners. International support for Lebanon’s reconstruction is also part of the plan. However, the American demands are far from straightforward for the authorities in Beirut.
Lebanon’s Response: Cautious and Divided
Reactions in Beirut are mixed. President Aoun and Prime Minister Salam approach the roadmap cautiously. The Lebanese Army is reportedly willing to cooperate if granted strong political support and national consensus.
Resistance mainly comes from the Amal-Hezbollah duo. While Hezbollah has not issued an official stance, insiders say a counterproposal is under consideration. This alternative includes several conditions likely to be rejected by Israel: immunity from prosecution after disarmament (due to fears of charges related to illicit funding and drug trafficking), guarantees against possible Syrian retaliation (especially since Bashar al-Assad is no longer in power), the reintegration or reassignment of roughly 30,000 Hezbollah fighters and, most importantly, a prior Israeli withdrawal from occupied territories.
Speaker Nabih Berri, closely allied with Hezbollah, seeks to delay action, proposing a three-month moratorium to negotiate weapon handover terms. A government source warns that such delays clash with Washington’s urgency: “The era of gradual compromise is over. The regional Israel-Iran conflict has changed the stakes.”
Iran, the Invisible Player
Behind the scenes, a crucial question persists: Can Hezbollah independently decide to relinquish its weapons? The fate of Hezbollah’s arsenal is deeply intertwined with ongoing negotiations between Tehran and Washington, reportedly set to take place on Wednesday in Doha, according to diplomatic sources.
Last Tuesday, the Qatari Prime Minister urged the US and Iran to resume talks on the nuclear issue following former President Donald Trump’s announcement of a ceasefire between Tehran and Israel. In this equation, Hezbollah’s military capabilities remain a strategic asset controlled by Iran. “There will be no Lebanese solution without regional approval,” says a source close to the matter. “In other words, it’s neither Berri, Salam nor president Aoun who holds the key to disarmament, but the highest levels of Iranian leadership.” This means that the final decision is not made in Beirut but in Tehran. As Iran’s regional proxy, Hezbollah cannot unilaterally agree to disarm without explicit consent from the Iranian regime. The upcoming talks between Tehran and Washington are therefore critical, with Hezbollah’s weapons serving as a key bargaining chip for Iran. This dynamic severely restricts Lebanon’s ability to make progress unless a regional compromise is achieved.

Khalaf Warns: “Comprehensive Plan Urgently Needed”
This is Beirut/June 30, 2025
In an op-ed published ahead of the Association of Banks in Lebanon’s (ABL) monthly report, Secretary General Fadi Khalaf once again sounded the alarm, warning that the absence of a comprehensive solution remains the greatest threat to Lebanon’s economic and financial future. With the country’s systemic crisis entering its sixth year, Khalaf denounced the authorities’ ongoing failure to implement deep reforms in the banking sector and to close the financial gap in a fair and balanced manner. He called for a clear division of responsibilities between the state, Banque du Liban (BDL), and commercial banks, all within a transparent legal framework.While acknowledging recent efforts by the BDL through updated circulars—most notably amendments to Circulars 158 and 166 introduced by Governor Karim Souaid—Khalaf stressed that these adjustments meet a long-standing demand: to stop draining foreign currency reserves to artificially support the Lebanese pound or finance non-essential imports at the expense of depositors. The ABL views the recent decision to raise monthly withdrawal limits as a necessary correction to what it describes as an unfair policy that had long denied depositors access to their own funds, while reserves continued to erode through ineffective measures. “The real erasure of deposits occurred when reserves were depleted elsewhere. Today, these funds are finally—if only partially—being returned to their rightful owners: the depositors,” Khalaf stated. He outlined three urgent priorities: a fair redistribution of the remaining reserves to depositors, temporary improvements in purchasing power while awaiting a comprehensive rescue plan, and the swift adoption of banking restructuring laws to restore confidence and clarify accountability. The ABL reaffirmed its commitment to two inseparable objectives: protecting depositors’ rights and ensuring the survival of the financial sector.

Pasdaran-Hezbollah: Severing the Umbilical Cord
Michel Touma/This is Beirut/June 30, 2025
A former Sunni MP — once a leading voice in parliament and still one of the few clear-headed voices left in the country — told me, during a conversation at the height of the Cedar Revolution, that the 1982 Israeli siege of Beirut had been an existential turning point for his community. Under the shelling, they realized that their dream of Arab unity and solidarity was a delusion: no Arab power had come to their aid. From that moment on, it became clear that their only real safeguard lay in Lebanon itself — and in carefully calibrated relations with domestic partners.
It would probably be beneficial if Hezbollah’s officials, fighters and supporters today embraced the same Lebanon-first mindset — especially given the Islamic Republic’s total military passivity when the Iran-backed group, acting at Tehran’s request, launched an open war against Israel in October 2023.
It’s important to remember that this conflict — one no one in Lebanon wanted — resulted in a series of targeted raids that wiped out the party’s top political and military leadership, alongside thousands of young fighters killed in combat. This was compounded by the total destruction of several villages in the South and the forced displacement of hundreds of thousands of residents. Supporters of Hezbollah have likely noted that it was not a lack of military capability that prevented the Iranian regime from coming to its ally’s aid during this ill-fated “support war.” Evidence of this lies in the barrage of Iranian missiles that struck Tel Aviv and Haifa, among other targets, during the “twelve-day war” between Israel and Iran.
The difference between these two situations — the Sunni stance after the 1982 war and Hezbollah’s blind, militant alignment with Iran — is clearly ideological. The armed wing of the Pasdaran in Lebanon and across the region is tied to its Iranian patron by a deep ideological bond. This alliance, highly unique in every respect, is nonetheless one-sided. As dictated by Wilayat al-Faqih, the Shiite group — like other Iranian proxies — was meant to serve as a frontline defense for the Mullahs’ regime in the event of a war with Israel. But the opposite occurred: beyond supplying its proxies with weapons, ammunition, lethal equipment and financial support (at the expense of its own citizens), the Islamic Republic never took concrete action to ease the military pressure on Hezbollah, Hamas or the Houthis. Instead, it directed its armed forces to carry out military operations whenever its strategic interests were at stake.
The events of the “twelve-day war,” coupled with the relentless series of almost daily raids targeting Hezbollah’s leadership and positions since last November — with no effective response — have shown that the party’s military arsenal has become ineffective and, in truth, never had a real raison d’être: it failed to genuinely defend the militia — and even less so Lebanon — and did nothing to alleviate the pressure on its regional backer.
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam rightly stressed that Hezbollah handing over its arms to the state is first and foremost a Lebanese necessity — not just an international demand. In light of the severe blows Israel has dealt to the Mullahs’ regime, it is undoubtedly high time for the Shiite party’s leadership to show exceptional political courage by breaking free from the constraints of Wilayat al-Faqih and establishing a rational relationship with Iran — one that fully acknowledges Lebanon’s paramount needs and priorities.
Such a course of action requires a “cultural revolution” among the leadership of the Shiite group and a political reorientation toward Lebanon — similar to the Sunni awakening following the Arab abandonment during the 1982 Israeli siege. Is Hezbollah’s leadership capable of such a national resurgence, one that would mean severing the umbilical cord with its ideological masters? It’s not forbidden to dream…
The leaders of the Shiite party would do well to reconsider the true meaning and weight of the phrase “quiet strength,” famously adopted by François Mitterrand during his 1981 presidential campaign. In Lebanon’s particular context, this motto implies that a well-organized party does not need to take an aggressive stance or rely on a military arsenal and war infrastructure to claim a prominent position on the local political chessboard.

Lebanon’s Press Syndicate Honors Journalist Badih Karhani
This is Beirut/This is Beirut/June 30, 2025
The President of Lebanon’s Press Journalists’ Syndicate, Joseph al-Kosseifi, presented a series of honorary awards on Monday to journalists who had covered war-related events. Among those honored, Badih Karhani received a special tribute as “a committed professional and a constant moral supporter of the Journalists’ Syndicate’s activities.” A former correspondent for France 24 and Radio Monte Carlo Internationale, Karhani is also a journalist at This is Beirut and a correspondent for French media outlet Mondafrique.

The US Push for Hezbollah Disarmament and the Future of Lebanon
Amal Chmouny/This is Beirut/June 30, 2025
As the United States escalates its initiatives aimed at the disarmament of Hezbollah, the Lebanese government finds itself at a critical juncture, facing a multitude of internal and external challenges. A recent statement from Tom Barrack, the US Ambassador to Turkey, the Presidential Envoy to Syria, and the "de facto envoy" to Lebanon, underscored this urgency, declaring, "Hezbollah has to be gone." This proclamation encapsulates Washington's pressing demand to "neutralize" the militant group's influence and re-establish Lebanese sovereignty.
Central to the US roadmap for Lebanon is the necessity for a "unanimous decision" acknowledging that the state must control all weapons within its borders, including those possessed by Hezbollah. Key political figures—President Joseph Aoun, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri—are anticipated to publicly support this commitment. There is also an explicit demand for Hezbollah to make a clear declaration of its intention to disarm, a proposition that remains contentious.
The urgency of disarming Hezbollah is magnified by Lebanon's persistent political and security instability. Barrack's visit served as a stark reminder of the dangers associated with inaction. He conveyed a "clear and firm warning" to Lebanese leaders regarding the ramifications of failing to take decisive action against Hezbollah, stressing the necessity for the complete extension of state authority. This mandate is not merely a call for political change; it represents a push for comprehensive reforms, particularly in Lebanon's judicial and financial sectors.
Former ambassador Ed Gabriel, president of the American Task Force on Lebanon (ATFL), emphasized the critical timing for disarmament, border demarcation, and economic reforms. He told This is Beirut, "Specific expectations and timelines were discussed during Ambassador Barrack's visit. The longer these are missed, the more difficult it will be to secure US support."
Barrack's diplomatic approach to Lebanon, characterized by assertiveness and diplomacy, is perceived as reflecting Washington's "madman" strategy, akin to tactics employed by President Trump. Experts caution that this evolving "maximum pressure" policy could pose significant consequences for Lebanese political figures, who are understandably anxious about potential repercussions should US patience wane. Gabriel reiterated this point, stating, "This is especially true in light of Syria's fast-paced reform movement and the attention Syria is receiving from Gulf countries and other regional allies, as they accelerate security and economic reforms." He added, "Lebanon has made some very timely and important progress...but delaying the fulfillment of the ceasefire agreement and passage of key economic reforms will jeopardize US attention and shift it to Syria and other priorities."
Sources within the White House and State Department express anticipation that Lebanese leaders will adopt more proactive measures regarding disarmament. The consensus is that disarmament "must be immediate and complete." This perspective resonates with many who are keen to avoid a shift from a US. "madman" to an "angry man" policy. Gabriel emphasizes the necessity of implementing key governmental reforms, including bank resolution and restructuring, judicial reform, improvements in public service, and enhanced transparency and governance. He states, "Importantly, resolving border demarcation with Syria and Israel will significantly boost US support for Lebanon."
Hanin Ghaddar, Senior fellow at the Washington Institute, reflects on the transformative changes underway, asserting that Barrack's messages align with the current US administration's strategic pivot towards "cutting Iran's wings." She told This is Beirut, "Restoring state authority in Lebanon and achieving Hezbollah's disarmament are positioned as essential objectives within this strategic change."
American engagement with Lebanon, according to Ghaddar, is evolving in two primary dimensions. Politically, Barrack functions as a "de facto envoy to Lebanon," championing the Abraham Accords and supporting a potential peace process involving Syria and Israel, which also encompasses Lebanon. On the security front, there is a growing belief that Israel may take steps to address the issue of arms in Lebanon if the Lebanese side continues to resist US disarmament demands. In summary, US diplomatic sources are emphasizing that the pressure for rapid and impactful outcomes is mounting. This urgency aims to encourage Lebanon to break free from what many experts describe as a "Stockholm Syndrome"—a reluctance to confront the complexities of Hezbollah disarmament and a reliance on outdated perceptions.

The Armed Duo, Not the Shiite Duo
Sayed Mohammad El Amin/El Nahar/June 30, 2025
(Free translation from Arabic by Elias Bejjani)
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/06/144744/
In Lebanese political discourse, certain media labels become entrenched over time, acquiring the weight of linguistic fact—even when they are misleading or fundamentally unjust. Among the most prominent of these is the term “Shiite Duo,” used to describe Hezbollah and the Amal Movement. Despite its widespread usage, this designation warrants serious critical scrutiny, as it misrepresents reality and reinforces a damaging conflation between a religious sect and two armed political factions whose agendas do not necessarily reflect the collective will of the Shiite community.
The Misleading “Shiite Duo” Label
Referring to Hezbollah and Amal as the “Shiite Duo” unfairly implicates an entire community in the political and military decisions of two parties that operate independently of internal consensus. As in every Lebanese sect, the Shiite community is far from monolithic; it includes a wide spectrum of views, including outspoken opponents of this alliance and even direct victims of its dominance. It is a gross injustice to portray the community as a silent base for two groups that maintain control through arms, influence, and financial networks—particularly in a climate where freedom is suppressed, political opposition is stifled, and dissent is marginalized.
A More Accurate Term: The “Armed Duo”
Furthermore, it is incorrect—and intellectually lazy—to assign the attribute of “armed” solely to Hezbollah. The Amal Movement, too, has a long-standing and active military presence, exerting armed influence in various regions. What unites these two parties is not merely sectarian alignment but a shared role in managing weapons, dominating public spaces, and exercising coercive influence. They form a partnership of power that obstructs state-building, monopolizes representation, and silences dissent through intimidation.
For all these reasons, the more accurate term for this alliance is the “Armed Duo.” This label captures the essence of the partnership—two parties bonded not by communal representation but by the joint use of arms and force. It also liberates the broader Shiite community from collective blame and redirects accountability where it belongs: toward those who monopolize decision-making, suppress pluralism, and block the peaceful rotation of power both within and beyond their own sect.
Naming Things for What They Are
Reforming Lebanon begins with dismantling deceptive labels and refusing to allow any political faction to shield itself behind an entire religious community. What the country needs is not just more accurate language, but a renewed awareness of the power of words—and the courage to use them with precision and integrity. When we say “Armed Duo” instead of “Shiite Duo,” we are not simply playing with semantics. We are restoring dignity to a community, truth to our political discourse, and a measure of clarity to the path toward a sovereign, functional Lebanese state.

The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on June 30- July 01/2025
Israel FM says Golan to ‘remain part of’ Israel in any Syria peace deal
AFP/June 30, 2025
JERUSALEM: Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said Monday that the occupied Golan Heights “will remain part of” Israel under any potential peace agreement with Syria. “In any peace agreement, the Golan will remain part of the State of Israel,” Saar told a news conference in Jerusalem, referring to the territory Israel seized from Syria in 1967 and later annexed in a move not recognized by the United Nations.

Tehran says over 900 people killed in Israeli strikes on Iran
Reuters/30 June/2025
Some 935 people were killed in Iran during the 12-day air war with Israel, based on the latest forensic data, a spokesperson for the Iranian judiciary said on Monday, according to state media. Among the dead were 38 children and 132 women, the spokesperson, Asghar Jahangir, said. The death toll was a sharp increase from a previous Iranian health ministry tally of 610 killed in Iran before a ceasefire went into effect on Tuesday last week. Jahangir also revised the number of people killed in an Israeli strike on Tehran’s Evin Prison to 79, up from 71. Israel launched the air war on June 13, attacking Iranian nuclear facilities and killing top military commanders as well as civilians in the worst blow to the Islamic Republic since the 1980s war with Iraq. Iran retaliated with barrages of missiles on Israeli military sites, infrastructure and cities. The United States entered the war on June 22 with strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said Israel’s “act of aggression had led to many war crimes.” He said Iran would transfer evidence to international organizations which he said should hold Israel to account. “The Zionist regime’s (Israel) action was done without any reason or justification, therefore we do not believe in separating military and civilian (victims),” Baghaei told reporters at a regular press briefing.He said any “martyr or destroyed building is an example of war crimes.”

Tehran demands end to military threats as Trump insists nuclear sites ‘obliterated’
Al Arabiya English/July 01/2025
https://youtu.be/MgRsKS4odcM
In this episode of Global News Today, presented by Tom Burges Watson, we cover the war of words between the United States and Iran, as debate continues over the true impact of US and Israeli strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites. Iran’s deputy foreign minister says no talks will happen until the threat of US military action is lifted. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump says he’s offering Iran nothing and isn’t engaging in talks, repeating his claim that US strikes earlier this month “totally obliterated” Iran’s nuclear facilities. We break down what this means for the region and beyond.
Guests:
John Bolton – Former US national security advisor
Mick Mulroy – Former US deputy assistant secretary of defense for the Middle East
Professor Kamel Hawwash – Palestinian academic and analyst
Lord Walney – Former UK government advisor on extremism and political violence

Iranian FM rules out quick resumption of US–Iran talks
AFP/ 01 July/2025
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Monday ruled out a quick resumption of talks with the United States and said Tehran will first need assurances it will not be attacked again. Araghchi, in an interview with CBS Evening News, was asked about US President Donald Trump’s remarks that nuclear negotiations with Iran could resume as early as this week.“I don’t think negotiations will restart as quickly as that,” the Iranian foreign minister said. “In order for us to decide to reengage, we would have to first ensure that America will not revert back to targeting us in a military attack during the negotiations,” Araghchi said. “I think with all these considerations we still need more time,” he said, although “the doors of diplomacy will never slam shut.”Araghchi was also asked about an assessment from the head of the UN’s nuclear watchdog that Iran would likely be able to begin to produce enriched uranium in a matter of months. “One cannot obliterate the technology and science for enrichment through bombings,” he said. “If there is this will on our part, and the will exists in order to once again make progress in this industry, we will be able to expeditiously repair the damages and make up for the lost time.”The Iranian foreign minister said Tehran was prepared to defend itself if attacked again. “We showed and proved during this 12-day imposed war that we have the ability to defend ourselves and we will continue to do so should any aggression be launched against us,” he said. Trump said Monday he was not offering Iran anything nor engaging in talks since the country’s nuclear facilities were “totally obliterated.”“I am not offering Iran ANYTHING, unlike Obama,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. “Nor am I even talking to them since we totally OBLITERATED their Nuclear Facilities.”The United States and Iran were in talks over Tehran’s nuclear program when Israel hit Iranian nuclear sites and military infrastructure, with the United States joining by bombing three nuclear sites — Fordo, Natanz, and Isfahan — on June 21. Israel claims that Iran’s nuclear program is close to producing a bomb, whereas Tehran says it is for peaceful purposes. Under a 2015 deal, Iran was allowed to enrich uranium below 3.67 percent purity for fuel used in commercial nuclear power plants. Trump abandoned the agreement in 2018 and Iran responded by producing uranium enriched to 60 percent — above levels for civilian usage but still below weapons grade. That material, if further refined, would theoretically be sufficient to produce more than nine nuclear bombs.

Iran-linked hackers threaten to release Trump aides’ emails
Reuters/01 July/2025
Iran-linked hackers have threatened to disclose more emails stolen from US President Donald Trump’s circle, after distributing a prior batch to the media ahead of the 2024 US election. In online chats with Reuters on Sunday and Monday, the hackers — who go by the pseudonym Robert — said they had roughly 100 gigabytes of emails from the accounts of White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, Trump lawyer Lindsey Halligan, Trump adviser Roger Stone, and porn star–turned–Trump antagonist Stormy Daniels. Robert raised the possibility of selling the material but otherwise did not provide details of their plans. The hackers did not describe the content of the emails. US Attorney General Pam Bondi described the intrusion as “an unconscionable cyber-attack.”The White House and the FBI responded with a statement from FBI Director Kash Patel, who said: “Anyone associated with any kind of breach of national security will be fully investigated and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”Halligan, Stone, a representative for Daniels, and the US cyberdefense agency CISA did not respond to requests for comment. Iran’s mission to the United Nations did not return a message seeking comment. Tehran has in the past denied committing cyberespionage. Robert materialized in the final months of the 2024 presidential campaign, when they claimed to have breached the email accounts of several Trump allies, including Wiles. The hackers then distributed emails to journalists. Reuters previously authenticated some of the leaked material, including an email that appeared to document a financial arrangement between Trump and lawyers representing former presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — now Trump’s health secretary.
Other material included Trump campaign communication about Republican office-seekers and discussion of settlement negotiations with Daniels. Although the leaked documents did garner some coverage last year, they did not fundamentally alter the presidential race, which Trump won.
The US Justice Department, in a September 2024 indictment, alleged that Iran’s Revolutionary Guards ran the Robert hacking operation. In conversations with Reuters, the hackers declined to address the allegation. After Trump’s election, Robert told Reuters that no more leaks were planned. As recently as May, the hackers said, “I am retired, man.” But the group resumed communication after this month’s 12-day air war between Israel and Iran, which was capped by US bombing of Iran’s nuclear sites. In messages this week, Robert said they were organizing a sale of stolen emails and wanted Reuters to “broadcast this matter.”American Enterprise Institute scholar Frederick Kagan, who has written about Iranian cyberespionage, said Tehran suffered serious damage in the conflict and its spies were likely trying to retaliate in ways that did not draw more US or Israeli action. “A default explanation is that everyone’s been ordered to use all the asymmetric stuff that they can that’s not likely to trigger a resumption of major Israeli/US military activity,” he said. “Leaking a bunch more emails is not likely to do that.”Despite worries that Tehran could unleash digital havoc, Iran’s hackers took a low profile during the conflict. US cyber officials warned on Monday that American companies and critical infrastructure operators might still be in Tehran’s crosshairs.

Netanyahu will visit the White House next Monday as Trump presses for a ceasefire in Gaza
AP/July 01, 2025
WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump will host Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for talks at the White House next Monday as the US leader steps up his push on the Israeli government and Hamas to broker a ceasefire and hostage agreement and bring about an end to the war in Gaza. The impending visit was confirmed by two US administration officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly on it. The trip will be Netanyahu’s third visit to the White House since Trump returned to office in January, and it comes after the United States inserted itself into Israel’s war against Iran by attacking Iranian nuclear sites. After brokering a ceasefire between the two countries, Trump has signaled that he’s turning his attention to bringing a close to the fighting between Israel and Hamas. Trump on Friday told reporters that “we think within the next week we’re going to get a ceasefire” in Gaza, but didn’t offer any further explanation for his optimism. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Monday that Trump and administration officials were in constant communication with Israeli leadership and that bringing about an end to the Gaza conflict is a priority for Trump.
“It’s heartbreaking to see the images that have come out from both Israel and Gaza throughout this war, and the president wants to see it end,” Leavitt added. “He wants to save lives.”Israeli Minister for Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer is in Washington this week for talks with senior administration officials on a Gaza ceasefire, Iran and other matters. Talks between Israel and Hamas have repeatedly faltered over a major sticking point — whether the war should end as part of any ceasefire agreement. About 50 hostages remain captive in Gaza, with less than half believed to be alive.
With Netanyahu’s visit, the timing of which was first reported by Axios, Trump will embrace the Israeli leader while continuing to push back against skeptical questions from Democratic lawmakers and others about how far US and Israeli strikes have set back Iran’s nuclear program.A preliminary report issued by the US Defense Intelligence Agency, meanwhile, said the strikes did significant damage to the Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan sites, but did not totally destroy the facilities. Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said on CBS’ “Face the Nation” on Sunday that the three Iranian sites with “capabilities in terms of treatment, conversion and enrichment of uranium have been destroyed to an important degree.” But, he added, “some is still standing,” and that because capabilities remain, “if they so wish, they will be able to start doing this again.” He said assessing the full damage comes down to Iran allowing inspectors access. Trump in recent days has also inserted himself into Israeli domestic affairs, calling for charges against Netanyahu in his ongoing corruption trial to be thrown out. He has condemned the trial as a “WITCH HUNT” and vowed that the United States will be the one who “saves” Netanyahu from serious corruption charges. The decision by Trump to plunge himself into one of Israel’s most heated debates has unnerved some in its political class. Meanwhile, the Trump administration on Monday approved a new half-billion-dollar arms sale to Israel to resupply its military with bomb guidance kits for precision munitions. The State Department said the sale is worth $510 million. It includes more than 7,000 guidance kits for two different types of Joint Direct Attack Munitions, or JDAMs. The deal is relatively small given that the US provides Israel with more than $3 billion annually in military aid. But Israel has relied on JDAMs and other related US weaponry in its war against Hamas in Gaza and its recent strikes against Iran. “The United States is committed to the security of Israel, and it is vital to US national interests to assist Israel to develop and maintain a strong and ready self-defense capability,” the department said in a statement. “This proposed sale is consistent with those objectives.”

Rocket attack targets Iraqi military air base in Kirkuk, security sources say
Reuters/July 01, 2025
KIRKUK: At least two Katyusha rockets landed inside an Iraqi military air base in the northern city of Kirkuk on Monday, two security sources said. One person was wounded and no fatalities were reported, the sources added.

Iranian ambassador: Saudi Arabia played key role in preventing escalation
ABDULHADI HABTOOR/Arab News/June 30, 2025
RIYADH: Nearly two years after Iran and Saudi Arabia restored diplomatic relations, Iran’s Ambassador to the Kingdom, Dr. Alireza Enayati, praised Riyadh’s role in reducing tensions and fostering dialogue. Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, Enayati described the progress as “equivalent to achievements that typically take years,” underscoring what he called the “deep roots and substance” of the relationship. Enayati, who first served in Saudi Arabia as Iran’s consul in Jeddah in 1990 and later as chargé d’affaires in Riyadh, returned in 2023 as ambassador following the March agreement brokered by China to resume ties after seven years of rupture. Commenting on recent Israeli strikes against Iran, Enayati called the attacks “blatant aggression,” noting that they took place while Tehran was engaged in indirect negotiations with Washington. “Iran was attacked in the middle of the night, while people slept in their homes. It was our legitimate right under the UN Charter to respond decisively and demonstrate that while Iran does not seek war, it will defend itself with strength and resolve,” he said. He emphasized that regional reactions to the escalation highlighted a spirit of solidarity. “The first call our Foreign Minister received was from Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, condemning the attacks, followed by a statement from the Saudi Foreign Ministry,” he noted. “These positions were crowned by a phone call from His Royal Highness Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to President Pezeshkian, expressing condemnation and solidarity, followed by President Pezeshkian’s call back to the Crown Prince and statements of support from several Gulf states.”Enayati commended Riyadh’s efforts to de-escalate the crisis, describing Saudi Arabia’s role as “honorable” and “blessed.” He added, “In all our bilateral discussions, Iran has acknowledged the Kingdom’s constructive stance and its efforts to prevent further aggression. We welcome any role by our Saudi brothers, especially His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed, who has always stood by us.”
The ambassador pointed to the revival of travel and religious exchange as a sign of rapprochement. “This year alone, over 200,000 Iranians have performed Umrah, and when including Hajj pilgrims, the number exceeds 400,000 visitors to the Kingdom - an extremely positive indicator,” he said. Enayati also highlighted the recent visit of Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman to Tehran, describing it as a “historic turning point” that shifted relations from routine to strategic. “The visit and the meetings with President Pezeshkian and the Supreme Leader left a strong impression that we are partners in building regional stability,” he said. While acknowledging significant progress, Enayati stressed that economic and trade relations still require more effort. “We have agreements on trade, investment, culture, and youth reaffirmed in the Beijing accord,” he said, adding that talks are under way on agreements to avoid double taxation, promote mutual investment, and develop overland transport corridors linking Saudi Arabia and its neighbors to Central Asia. Responding to criticism that Iran plays a destabilizing role, Enayati said: “We are not outsiders imposing our presence. We are part of the region, its people, and its culture. Differences in political perspectives do not erase our shared bonds. Dialogue is the only path forward, and there is no substitute.”He concluded by emphasizing that genuine regional security must be anchored in development and economic cooperation rather than military competition. “When security moves beyond weapons and geopolitics to focus on prosperity and shared progress, everyone benefits,” he said.

Israel acknowledges Palestinian civilians harmed at Gaza aid sites, says ‘lessons learned’
Adil Salahi/Arab News/June 30, 2025
GAZA: The Israeli military acknowledged on Monday that Palestinian civilians were harmed at aid distribution centers in the Gaza Strip, saying that new instructions had been issued to Israeli forces following “lessons learned.” Since Israel lifted an 11-week aid blockade on Gaza on May 19, allowing limited UN deliveries to resume, the United Nations says more than 400 Palestinians have been killed while seeking handouts of aid. “Following incidents in which harm to civilians who arrived at distribution facilities was reported, thorough examinations were conducted in the Southern Command and instructions were issued to forces in the field following lessons learned,” the Israeli military said in a statement. It said incidents in which Gaza civilians were harmed were under review. A senior UN official said on Sunday that the majority of people killed were trying to reach aid distribution sites of the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. The GHF began distributing food packages in Gaza at the end of May, overseeing a new model of deliveries which the United Nations says is neither impartial nor neutral. But many Gazans say they have to walk for hours to reach the sites, meaning they must start traveling well before dawn if they are to stand any chance of receiving food. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Friday that a US-backed aid operation in Gaza is “inherently unsafe,” adding: “It is killing people.”Israel and the United States want the UN to work through the GHF, but the UN has refused, questioning its neutrality and accusing the distribution model of militarising aid and forcing displacement. “Any operation that channels desperate civilians into militarised zones is inherently unsafe. It is killing people, Guterres told reporters. Responding to Guterres on Friday, Israel’s Foreign Ministry said its military never targets civilians and accused the UN of “doing everything it can” to oppose the GHF aid operation. “In doing so, the UN is aligning itself with Hamas, which is also trying to sabotage the GHF’s humanitarian operations,” it posted on X. A GHF spokesperson said on Friday there had been no deaths at or near any of the GHF aid distribution sites. Israel and the United States have accused Hamas of stealing aid from the UN-led operations, which the Palestinian militants deny. The war erupted after Hamas-led militants in Gaza took 251 hostages and killed 1,200 people, most of them civilians, in an October 7, 2023 attack, Israel’s single deadliest day. Israel’s military campaign has since killed more than 56,000 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to health authorities in Gaza, and flattened much of the coastal enclave.

Palestine’s Red Crescent chief tells UK’s Prince William of humanitarian crisis in Gaza
Arab News/June 30, 2025
LONDON: Younis Al-Khatib, the president of the Palestine Red Crescent Society, held talks with the UK’s Prince William during an official visit to Kensington Palace in London on Monday. William, the Prince of Wales, met Al-Khatib and other representatives of his organization, along with members of the British Red Cross, to discuss the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip and explore ways in which international humanitarian efforts might be enhanced. The prince’s guests described the worsening conditions in Gaza, the increasingly urgent humanitarian needs in the territory, the challenges faced by aid workers and the need to protect medical teams, the Palestine News Agency reported. They also reviewed the efforts being made to help those affected by ongoing Israeli attacks. Al-Khatib said that more than 1,600 Palestine Red Crescent Society employees and volunteers continue to work under extremely hazardous conditions in Gaza to provide emergency medical services and distribute relief supplies. Since the war in Gaza began in late 2023, he added, 28 Red Crescent personnel have been killed amid the Israeli attacks or while performing their duties. The meeting was part of ongoing coordinated efforts by the Red Crescent to highlight the escalating crisis in Gaza, where more than 55,000 Palestinians have been killed during the ongoing conflict, most of them women and children.

UK court rejects NGO’s case over F-35 parts to Israel
Reuters/June 30, 2025
LONDON: Britain’s decision to allow the export of F-35 fighter jet components to Israel, despite accepting they could be used in breach of international humanitarian law in Gaza, was lawful, London’s High Court ruled on Monday. Al-Haq, a group based in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, had taken legal action against Britain’s Department for Business and Trade over its decision to exempt F-35 parts when it suspended some arms export licenses last year. The UK had assessed that Israel was not committed to complying with international humanitarian law in Israel’s ongoing military campaign. But Britain did not suspend licenses for F-35 components, which go into a pool of spare parts that Israel can use on its existing F-35 jets. Britain said suspending those licenses would disrupt a global program that supplies parts for the aircraft, with a knock-on impact on international security and “undermine US confidence in the UK and NATO.” Al-Haq had argued at a hearing last month that the decision was unlawful as it was in breach of Britain’s obligations under international law, including the Geneva Convention, but the High Court dismissed the group’s challenge.

Israel strikes pound Gaza, killing 60, ahead of US talks on ceasefire
Reuters/June 30, 2025
CAIRO/JERUSALEM: Israeli strikes killed at least 60 people across Gaza on Monday in some of the heaviest attacks in weeks as Israeli officials were due in Washington for a new ceasefire push by US President Donald Trump. A day after Trump called to “Make the deal in Gaza, get the hostages back,” Israel’s strategic affairs minister Ron Dermer, a confidant of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s, was traveling to Washington for talks on Iran and Gaza, according to an Israeli official and a source familiar with the matter. Dermer was expected to begin meetings with Trump administration officials on Tuesday, the source in Washington said. But on the ground in the Palestinian enclave, there was no sign of fighting letting up. The Israeli military issued evacuation orders on Monday to residents in large districts in the northern Gaza Strip, forcing a new wave of displacement. “Explosions never stopped; they bombed schools and homes. It felt like earthquakes,” said Salah, 60, a father of five children, from Gaza City. “In the news we hear a ceasefire is near, on the ground we see death and we hear explosions.”“Look at us, we are not just numbers and not just pictures. Every day martyrs like this,” said displaced woman Amani Swalha, standing in the rubble of a Gaza city school hit in a strike. “It is our right to live, and to live with dignity, not like this in humiliation.”Israeli tanks pushed into the eastern areas of Zeitoun suburb in Gaza City and shelled several areas in the north, while aircraft bombed at least four schools after ordering hundreds of families sheltering inside to leave, residents said. At least 58 people were killed in Israeli strikes on Monday, health authorities said, including 10 people killed in Zeitoun and at least 13 killed southwest of Gaza City. Medics said most of the 13 were hit by gunfire, but residents also reported an airstrike. Twenty-two people, including women, children and a local journalist were killed in an Israeli airstrike on a beachfront cafe in Gaza City, medics said. The Palestinian Journalist Syndicate said more than 220 journalists had been killed in Gaza since the war began in October 2023. The Israeli military said it struck militant targets in northern Gaza, including command and control centers, after taking steps to mitigate the risk of harming civilians. There was no immediate word from Israel on the reported casualties southwest of the Gaza Strip and the beachfront cafe.
The bombardment followed new evacuation orders to vast areas in the north, where Israeli forces had operated before and left behind wide-scale destruction. The military ordered people there to head south, saying that it planned to fight Hamas militants operating in northern Gaza, including in the heart of Gaza City.
“Make the deal”
Alongside talks on Gaza ceasefire prospects, Dermer also plans to discuss Netanyahu’s possible visit to the White House in coming weeks, according to the source familiar with the matter. In Israel, Netanyahu’s security cabinet was expected to convene to discuss the next steps in Gaza.
On Friday, Israel’s military chief said the present ground operation was close to having achieved its goals, and on Sunday, Netanyahu said new opportunities had opened up for recovering the hostages, 20 of whom are believed to still be alive.Palestinian and Egyptian sources with knowledge of the latest ceasefire efforts said that mediators Qatar and Egypt have stepped up their contacts with the two warring sides, but that no date has been set yet for a new round of truce talks. A Hamas official said that progress depends on Israel changing its position and agreeing to end the war and withdraw from Gaza. Israel says it can end the war only when Hamas is disarmed and dismantled. Hamas refuses to lay down its arms. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said Israel has agreed to a US-proposed 60-day ceasefire and hostage deal, and put the onus on Hamas. He told reporters: “Israel is serious in its will to reach a hostage deal and ceasefire in Gaza.” Austrian Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger, speaking in Jerusalem alongside her Israeli counterpart, said the humanitarian situation in Gaza was “unbearable.”“The suffering of civilians is increasingly burdening Israel’s relations with Europe. A ceasefire must be agreed upon,” she said, calling for the unconditional release of hostages by Hamas and for Israel to allow the uninterrupted flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza. Israel says it continues to allow aid into Gaza and accuses Hamas of stealing it. The group denies that accusation and says Israel uses hunger as a weapon against the Gaza population.
The US has proposed a 60-day ceasefire and the release of half the hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners and the remains of other Palestinians. Hamas would release the remaining hostages as part of a deal that guarantees ending the war.
The war began when Hamas fighters stormed into Israel on October 7 2023, killed 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and took 251 hostages back to Gaza in a surprise attack that led to Israel’s single deadliest day. Israel’s subsequent military assault has killed more than 56,000 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to the Gaza health ministry, displaced almost the whole 2.3 million population and plunged the enclave into a humanitarian crisis. More than 80 percent of the territory is now an Israeli-militarized zone or under displacement orders, according to the UN.

Trump signs an executive order ending US sanctions on Syria
AP/June 30, 2025
WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Monday ending most US economic sanctions on Syria, following through on a promise he made to the country’s new interim leader. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the move was designed to “promote and support the country’s path to stability and peace.”The executive order is meant to “end the country’s isolation from the international financial system, setting the stage for global commerce and galvanizing investments from its neighbors in the region, as well as from the United States,” Treasury’s acting under secretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, Brad Smith, told reporters on a call Monday morning to preview the administration’s action. Monday’s actions do not rescind sanctions imposed on ousted former President Bashar Assad, his top aides, family members and officials who had been determined to have committed human rights abuses or been involved in drug trafficking or part of Syria’s chemical weapons program. Known as the Caesar Act sanctions, they can only be repealed by law. The White House posted the text of the order on X after the signing, which was not open to the press.The US granted Syria sweeping exemptions from sanctions in May, which was a first step toward fulfilling the Republican president’s pledge to lift a half-century of penalties on a country shattered by 13 years of civil war. Along with the lifting of economic sanctions, Monday’s executive order lifts the national emergency outlined in an executive order issued by former President George W. Bush in response to Syria’s occupation of Lebanon and pursuit of weapons of mass destruction and missile programs, Treasury officials said. Five other previous executive orders related to Syria were also lifted. Sanctions targeting terrorist groups and manufacturers and sellers of the amphetamine-like stimulant Captagon will remain in place. Trump met with Syria’s interim leader, Ahmed Al-Sharaa, in Saudi Arabia in May and told him he would lift sanctions and explore normalizing relations in a major policy shift in relations between the US and Syria. “This is another promise made and promise kept,” Leavitt said Monday. The European Union has also followed through with lifting nearly all remaining sanctions on Syria. Still, some restrictions remain in place. The US still designates Syria as a state sponsor of terrorism and the group led by Al-Sharaa as a foreign terrorist organization.
A State Department official said the department is reviewing those designations.

More than 15,000 Syrian refugees return home from Jordan in May
Arab News/June 30, 2025
LONDON: More than 15,000 Syrian refugees registered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees have returned to their home country from Jordan since May. The UNHCR reported that the figure represents a 45 percent increase compared to April, when nearly 10,500 Syrian refugees entered the country through Jordan’s Jaber border crossing. Since the collapse of the Assad regime in December, 75,000 Syrian refugees have returned home from Jordan alone, which is more than one percent of the estimated six million Syrians who fled the country during the civil war that began in 2011.
As of March, the UN estimated that nearly 1.2 million Syrian refugees and internally displaced people have returned home following the change in power in Damascus. The UNHCR announced the transfer of thousands of refugees from Jordanian communities and refugee camps to Syria in May, marking a significant increase from April, according to the SANA news agency. Jordan has received about 628,000 Syrian refugees, according to UNHCR figures as of December 2024.

Can Syria harness its untapped tourism potential?
Jumana Khamis/Arab News/June 30, 2025
DUBAI: As Syria emerges from more than a decade of conflict and isolation, officials are betting big on heritage restoration to help revive the nation’s long-dormant tourism industry and generate much-needed jobs. According to the World Bank, Syria recorded more than 8.5 million tourist arrivals and $6.3 billion in international tourism receipts in 2010 — the year before a brutal crackdown on anti-regime protests triggered the Syrian civil war. If Syria regains its prewar visitor numbers, experts believe tourism could realistically bounce back, generating billions of dollars annually within a few years, significantly supporting postwar reconstruction and economic revival.This vision for Syria’s tourism revival extends far beyond the country’s world-famous ancient sites. Syria’s Mediterranean coastline, lush mountains, and unique natural reserves have all been tipped as key assets for a new era of travel.
From the beaches and forests of Latakia to the panoramic views atop Mount Qasioun, many believe the country could position itself as a destination for eco-tourism, wellness retreats, and adventure travel alongside its archaeological treasures.
If Syria regains its prewar visitor numbers, experts believe tourism could realistically bounce back, generating billions of dollars annually within a few years. The goal is ambitious but possible — to build a diversified tourism sector that can help jumpstart the economy, reconnect Syria with the world, and perhaps learn from regional models like Saudi Arabia’s AlUla. AlUla is an ancient region in northwest Saudi Arabia famed for its archaeological wonders like Hegra — a UNESCO World Heritage site — and stunning desert landscapes. It is considered a model for Middle Eastern tourism for its blending of heritage preservation, sustainability, and economic growth. For Syria, progress toward this goal began to feel more tangible in May 2025 when the US issued a six-month Treasury license easing key parts of the Caesar Act, a sanctions law aimed at pressuring the now-deposed Bashar Assad regime over its human rights record. The move has allowed greater financial flows into the country by lifting restrictions on some transactions and removing the Central Bank of Syria from the US sanctions list — a step that could re-open channels for international investment and banking. The EU also lifted key sanctions earlier this year, opening up potential in the banking, transport, and energy sectors. While some restrictions remain in place, with further relief contingent upon reform and greater political plurality and ethnic inclusivity, the move was welcomed in Damascus as a turning point, signaling a path toward economic recovery. “One of the most critical outcomes of lifting sanctions would be Syria’s reintegration into the global financial system,” Yisr Barnieh, the transitional government’s new finance minister, told Reuters, noting this could help attract tourism-related investments.
Hussein Shobokshi, a Saudi businessman and columnist, told Arab News that the lifting of US sanctions is “a major boost for the Syrian economy in general and the tourism sector in particular, as this should give institutional investors the comfort and confidence to come and invest directly in the recovering but ambitious country.”Palmyra, one of Syria’s most iconic archaeological treasures, was badly damaged by Daesh militants during the civil war. Now, under the supervision of the Directorate-General of Antiquities and Museums, restoration work has begun. “We are planning to resume archaeological explorations and restore the damaged heritage sites with the help of foreign archaeological missions,” Anas Haj Ziedan, the new director-general of DGAM, told the Wall Street Journal. Groups like the White Helmets have expanded their remit from humanitarian work to include heritage protection. In a two-year initiative, they are helping map and secure key sites such as the Citadel of Aleppo and Krak des Chevaliers. “This protection is important for everyone. The legacy of 10,000 years of civilization is a heritage for humanity, not just for one nation,” Farouq Habib, deputy director of the White Helmets, told The Times. As Syria works to transform its global image from a conflict zone to a cultural destination, many believe its rich heritage remains its greatest asset.
“Palmyra is greatly qualified to be a unique destination,” said Shobokshi. “Its Greco-Roman as well as Phoenician heritage should serve as a great magnet for the global tourist.”
INNUMBERS
23m Total population of Syria (2024)
$23.63bn GDP (2022 official exchange rate)
31.5% Youth unemployment rate (2024)
Source: CIA’s The World Factbook
Dania Salah Haffar, co-founder of For the Love of Syria, an accessory brand, has become a passionate voice for Syrian heritage, using crafts and design to keep cultural identity alive and raise global awareness. While most of Syria’s current visitors are Syrian expatriates or from neighboring countries, Haffar says many grassroots efforts are quietly revitalizing neighborhoods and promoting culture online to attract tourists from further afield. “It’s inspiring to see how much people are doing with what they have,” she told Arab News. Nature tourism, in particular, is growing, especially in areas around Damascus where locals are hosting hikes and offering stays in family-run guesthouses. “There are so many beautiful places here — from the coast to the mountains — and people are starting to rediscover them,” said Haffar. These community-led experiences, she added, could one day evolve into a more structured and lucrative tourism offering. As the country rebuilds, these community-led efforts are increasingly catching the attention of regional investors. Combined with the nation’s traditional heritage attractions, interest is bound to grow. “Sites like Old Damascus, the Citadel of Aleppo, Palmyra, and Busra Sham, while not forgetting the Citadel of the Horses, are great historical sites that generate global interest because of their unique selling propositions,” said Shobokshi. “This will no doubt create interest from global tourism business leaders to invest directly in the country.”Mazen Al-Salhani, who was appointed Syria’s minister of tourism in March, is leading the charge to position the country as a global travel destination. Speaking to Qatar News Agency, Al-Salhani said plans are already underway to modernize accommodation options and improve transport links to support a broader tourism base, from coastal gems like Latakia and Tartus to inland heritage sites. “Virgin beaches and wild mountain forests as well as vast deserts are a great attraction for eco-tourism, a segment that is growing globally,” Shobokshi told Arab News. “This is a niche segment that would attract a market that is both new and young.”
When it comes to air connectivity, SunExpress Airlines CEO Max Kownatzki recently told Reuters that the carrier sees “an attractive market” in Syria and is open to future flight operations, pending technical and security conditions.
The airline, a joint venture of Lufthansa and Turkish Airlines, sees potential, particularly in connecting European and regional travelers to Syrian heritage and resort areas. “Syria has some important plans to greatly involve the private sector in reviving its tourism sector,” said Shobokshi. “The government realizes that this is a great hard currency generator for the struggling economy.” Despite the widespread optimism, major hurdles remain. Much of Syria’s infrastructure remains damaged or outdated, security remains a concern in certain regions, and international trust is fragile. Humanitarian and nongovernmental organizations say that while symbolic progress is visible, a full-scale tourism revival will depend on long-term investment and a stable government. According to Shobokshi, the biggest challenges facing Syria relate to infrastructure. “A lack of sufficient hotel rooms, rental cars, restaurants, bus transportation, rail services, and professional tour guides all stand in the way of fully rebuilding Syria’s tourism offering,” he said. The civil war has displaced millions of Syrians, many of them to neighboring countries, but also tens of thousands to Europe, the Americas, and beyond, where refugees established roots during their long period in exile. Far from undermining Syria’s recovery, though, this expatriate network, with its linguistic skills and cross-cultural understanding, could very well form the basis of a flourishing tourism industry back home, from organizing travel itineraries to providing guided tours. If the drive and optimism of the Syrian people can be harnessed, and with the benefit of foreign investment, Syria is likely to see the same boom in tourism enjoyed by Saudi Arabia and others in the Gulf region. “Places like AlUla show how old history and modern tourism can come together to create something special,” said Haffar. “When people are proud of their culture, it naturally draws others in.”

PKK disarmament process to begin early July: report
AFP/July 01, 2025
ISTANBUL: Militants from the PKK will begin laying down their weapons at a disarmament ceremony in Iraqi Kurdistan in early July, the Kurdish media outlet Rudaw reported on Monday. The move comes just six weeks after the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) announced it was ending more than four decades of guerrilla warfare in a conflict that claimed over 40,000 lives. Turkey's Kurdish minority is hoping the PKK's decision will pave the way for a political settlement with Ankara that will herald a new openness to the Kurds, who make up about 20 percent of Turkey's population of 85 million.
The pro-Kurdish DEM party, which has played a key role in fa cilitating contacts between the jailed PKK founder Abdullah Ocalan and the Turkish government, said it was likely to happen in the second week of July. "It seems these developments are likely to happen next week," Sezai Temelli, vice president of DEM's parliamentary group told lawmakers on Monday. He said a delegation of DEM lawmakers was planning to meet President Recep Tayyip Erdogan "on July 8 or 9 after which they would visit the political parties then go to Imrali" -- the island where Ocalan has been jailed since 1999.
Last week, Erdogan also said he would meet the DEM delegation in the coming days. "We are pleased with the progress made in a short time by the work towards a terror-free Turkey," he said after the weekly cabinet meeting on Monday, using Ankara's shorthand for the peace process. "Recent events in our region have confirmed how accurate and strategic a step this process is," he said of Turkey's efforts to rebuild ties with its Kurdish minority as the Middle East undergoes seismic changes triggered by the Gaza war. Citing two sources in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, Rudaw said the move would be both a "trust-building step" and a "goodwill gesture" to advance the reconciliation process with Turkey. According to the sources, the ceremony would take place in Sulaimaniyah, Iraqi Kurdistan's second-biggest city. Most of the PKK's fighters have spent the past decade in the mountains of northern Iraq, where Turkey also maintains military bases and has carried out frequent operations against Kurdish fighters. "Between July 3 and 10, a group of PKK members, probably numbering between 20 and 30, will lay down their weapons in a ceremony to be held in Sulaimaniyah," Rudaw said. The sources said Ocalan was expected to issue a new message regarding the resolution process "in the next few days". "After that, the disarmament process will officially begin," they said. Quoting one of the sources, Rudaw said that after laying down their weapons, the militants would "then return to their bases, unarmed", denying reports they would be held in certain cities in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. "The guerrillas will return to their bases after disarming. It is out of the question for them to go to any city," the source said. Until now, there has been little detail about how the dissolution mechanism would work but the Turkish government has said it would carefully monitor the process to ensure full implementation.

USAID cuts may cause over 14 million additional deaths by 2030, study says
AFP/Reuters/July 01, 2025
PARIS: More than 14 million of the world’s most vulnerable people, a third of them small children, could die because of the Trump administration’s dismantling of US foreign aid, a study in the Lancet journal projected Tuesday. “For many low- and middle-income countries, the resulting shock would be comparable in scale to a global pandemic or a major armed conflict,” study co-author Davide Rasella, a researcher at the Barcelona Institute for Global Health, said in a statement.
WHY IT'S IMPORTANT
President Donald Trump's administration, since taking office in January, has made funding cuts to USAID and its aid programs worldwide in what the U.S. government says is part of its broader plan to remove wasteful spending. Human rights experts and advocates have warned against the cuts. USAID funding has had a crucial role in improving global health, primarily directed toward low and middle-income countries, particularly African nations, according to the study.
BY THE NUMBERS
The study estimated that over the past two decades, USAID-funded programs have prevented more than 91 million deaths globally, including 30 million deaths among children.
Projections suggest that ongoing deep funding cuts - combined with the potential dismantling of the agency - could result in more than 14 million additional deaths by 2030, including 4.5 million deaths among children younger than 5 years, the study in The Lancet said.
Washington is the world's largest humanitarian aid donor, amounting to at least 38% of all contributions recorded by the United Nations. It disbursed $61 billion in foreign assistance last year, just over half of it via USAID, according to government data.
KEY QUOTE
"Our estimates show that, unless the abrupt funding cuts announced and implemented in the first half of 2025 are reversed, a staggering number of avoidable deaths could occur by 2030," the study said.
CONTEXT
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in March the Trump administration canceled over 80% of all programs at USAID following a six-week review.
The remaining approximately 1,000 programs, he said, would now be administered "more effectively" under the U.S. State Department and in consultation with Congress.

The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources on June 30- July 01/2025
Rebutting the Mindset of “Political Islamism”
Elie Aoun/June 30/2025
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/06/144714/
A psychologist once said that a large percentage of all psychological problems are the result of wrong religious teachings. The person becomes healed once these teachings are corrected. The same could probably be said about those who pursue religiously-motivated terrorism. Unfortunately, from tens of thousands of clergymen (Christian and Muslims) in the Near East, very few are playing the role of correcting false indoctrination.
Every month, Gatestone Institute publishes a report detailing attacks or terrorist acts against Christians in various parts of the world.
If the attacks are religiously motivated, then why “political Islamists” persecute the followers of the Bible of which the Quran says that it is “confirming what has been sent before it, the Torah and the Injil” (Ali ‘Imran 3:3)? And if they consider the “Injil” not to be the Christian Gospel, then they should provide us with a copy of whatever it may be.
Furthermore, if the Quran states that Jesus’ second coming “serves as knowledge for the Hour” of judgment (Quran 43:61), then how will the Islamists be judged if they persecute the followers of the One whose return will precede the Hour of Judgment and who will judge?
From all the “Fatwas” being issued by Muslim clerics, why is the delay from issuing a “Fatwa” prohibiting attacks on Christians and other religious groups?
On the other hand, if we presume that the attacks are politically motivated, then “political Islamists” fail to provide us with one model-government that is prosperous based on purely Islamic policies. The Islamic-led nations do not manufacture a single product that is essential to non-Islamic countries (or that these countries could not manufacture themselves). However, the Islamic nations would have almost nothing left if they return what they import (computers, cellphones, TVs, automobiles, watches, etc.) to their country of origin (Europe, the United States, China, etc.).
Even the printing press, which is a tool used now to print the Quran, was originally invented by a German Christian. If political Islamists are sincere about an “Islamic republic”, then they should stop using any products made or invented by Christians or non-Muslims. Doing so would be impossible for them, and thus defeats their argument that “Islam is the solution.”
The so-called “Islamic Republic of Iran” is an example about the futility of their theocracy. That republic’s “Supreme Leader” is considered by them as the embodiment of “a divine essence and the attributes of prophets and saints within his own person.” If that is true, why is his regime ranked 151 out of 180 countries in terms of administrative and economic corruption?
In 2005, Lebanon was ranked 83rd on the corruption scale. After many years of Iranian influence, the country’s ranking became 154th (similar to Iran’s) and reflecting the “non-divine essence” of the Iranian rule.
The mindset of “political Islamism” aims at sacrificing the individual, the community, and the country for the sake of an ideology that is not useful for anything constructive. As a result, the Biblical commandments thou shall not kill, thou shall not steal, thou shall not bear false witness, etc. were transformed by political Islamists into thou can kill, steal, and bear false witness for the sake of the religion, interests, or control.
Where is the wisdom in committing violence or fighting for an ideology that has not proven its religious or political usefulness to the population? Even those who worship cows (the Hindus) have better moral standards and preach “Ahimsa”: respecting all living things and avoiding violence towards others.
The purpose of life is not about “enforcing Islam” (or any other religion) by force. People should not blindly enforce teachings just because they are in a certain scripture, without taking into consideration fundamental principles of morality. For example, the Torah calls on Jews to stone an adulteress. If they had continued to do so until the present day, that would not be acceptable and they would not have been able to progress and prosper. “Political Islamists” should treat the Quran in the same manner and recognize that not all teachings are compatible with reality or morality.
In summary, the people of the region are victims to (1) Western policies that care only about its “interests”, (2) Eastern policies that utilizes religious ideologies to expand its control, (3) a religious establishment that promotes hatred, terrorism and drug trafficking while the “good clergy” are largely absent from playing a major role in “rehabilitating” the misguided forces, (4) a political establishment that is short-sighted, and (5) a population that unknowingly supports its destroyers while the “good citizens” have not yet discovered the identity of their true enemy or how to “phase out” into a better future.
The remedy to all this chaos is available, and it is our responsibility as nationals of various religious backgrounds to promote correct principles as guidelines towards genuine peace and prosperity for all

Africa's 'Second' World War Is Not Winding Down Anytime Soon
Amb. Alberto M. Fernandez/Africa | MEMRI Daily Brief No. 797/June 30/2025
The First and Second Congo Wars, waged between 1996 and 1997 and then 1998 and 2003 were so bloody and far-reaching that they drew in the armed forces of at least eight separate African countries plus many rebel groups. They have been dubbed "Africa's World War" because of the number of regional belligerents and the sheer destructiveness of the conflict. Millions died and millions more were displaced and made destitute. But despite the carnage, this was a war contained and fought within the boundaries of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC); the foreign armies were not fighting each other elsewhere.
There is another world war waging in Africa today, not quite as bloody as the Second Congo War but much more widespread, raging from Mali in West Africa to Mozambique in Southern Africa. This is the war being waged by Salafi Jihadist terror groups in at least seven main fronts – Mali, Burkina Faso, Nigeria, Niger, DRC, Somalia, and Mozambique. This Jihadist war has so far also spilled over into terrorist attacks in at least eight other countries – Benin, Togo, Chad, Cameroon, Cote d'Ivoire, Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania.
A second brutal African conflict, in Sudan, is the world's worst humanitarian crisis and threatens to spread to neighboring states. It is not a Jihadist insurgency but rather a civil war between rival branches of the security forces, former allies turned bitter adversaries and supported by different regional powers.
The Jihadist Second World War has foreign roots. Most of the Jihadist insurgents have sworn public loyalty to foreign Arab Muslim entities, to either Al-Qaeda or the Islamic State. Two of the principal leaders of the Jihadist insurgency in West Africa, JNIM's Iyad Ag Ghaly and Amadou Koufa, were "radicalized" by foreigners, reportedly by itinerant Pakistani Tablighi Jamaat preachers. When I worked in the State Department a decade ago, Niger's interior minister told me about the problem of foreign preachers, flush with Qatari or Saudi money, appearing and telling Africans that "your Islam, the one you have practiced for the past thousand years, is all wrong."
But despite the foreign connections, these Jihadist wars are nothing if not local, relying on local realities and grievances, following local fissures. These insurgencies build upon not only criminal networks – smugglers, cattle rustlers, illicit gold miners, and bandits – but also tribal and ethnic connections. In West Africa, the wars often follow the paths forged by Fulani (or Fula) pastoralists, peoples already in conflict with farmers (Christian, Muslim, and animist) and governments.
Fulani are found from Senegal in West Africa to Sudan in East Africa and form important populations in a dozen countries, including some of the worst hit by Jihadist violence: Nigeria, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger. Also "local" is the reality that in many of these countries rival Jihadist groups – usually Al-Qaeda-aligned versus Islamic State-aligned – continue to fight each other in a bloody, continuing situation that actually somewhat blunts these groups' effectiveness against the state.
Islamic State official propaganda boasting of attacks on the "Al-Qaeda militia"
But while the conflict is similar from West Africa to East and South, with Jihadist insurgents challenging government security forces and targeting civilian populations, not all of these conflicts are the same. All are dangerous, all are challenges to the state, all are aggressive and ambitious and try to spread, but not all of them have the same prospects for long-term success.
Of the seven main fronts I have mentioned, the Jihadists are mostly contained in specific regions in three countries – Niger, DRC, and Mozambique. Muslims, from where the insurgents draw their recruits, are a small percentage of the population in the DRC and only slightly larger in Mozambique. And while Niger is a Muslim majority country (98 percent), the Jihadist insurgency so far is limited to the country's far southwest (both Al-Qaeda and Islamic State branches) and far southeast (Boko Haram).
It is in Mali, Burkina Faso, Nigeria, and Somalia that the core Jihadist insurgency is most potent and dangerous. No one expects that Boko Haram (or the larger phenomenon of Fulani herders/terrorists preying on mostly Christian farmers) will ever overthrow the state in Nigeria, but the insurgency, instability, and violence that is generated can certainly help to destabilize Africa's most populous country.
In Mali, Burkina Faso, and Somalia, the goal is definitely to overthrow the state and that possibility cannot be discounted. Al-Shabab in Somalia has made something of a resurgence in recent years, controls considerable territory and dreams of becoming a force again inside the country's capital. That is not impossible but probably unlikely as the Somali National Army is backed up by African Union (AU) Forces, Turkey, and American drone strikes.
So, then Mali and Burkina Faso present the most tempting, promising targets for Jihadist victory where it is conceivable that they could – at least temporarily – be able to seize the state and take its capital. The security situation has been palpably deteriorating in both countries in recent months. Mali, where Jihadists compete with each other, with Tuareg nationalists and with the Russian-backed regime in Bamako, may be too complicated, too difficult of an objective.
Burkina Faso looks much more at risk, with about half of the countryside already dominated by Jihadists. It is already the "most terrorist-affected country in the world," a dubious distinction, according to the 2024 Global Terrorism Index. A quarter of all deaths caused by terrorists worldwide were in Burkina Faso.
"Sheikh Mujahid" Iyad Ag Ghaly as seen in JNIM's official propaganda outlet Az-Zallaqa.
Here it is JNIM, the local al-Qaeda branch, that is most likely to succeed. Jima'a Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimeen (the "Support Group for Islam and Muslims," JNIM) is currently by far the most capable, best-armed, and best-led of all of the rival Jihadist groups in Africa (Al-Shabab and Boko Haram would come second). The group's leaders, the wily veteran Tuareg tribal aristocrat Iyad Ag Ghaly and deputy commander Amadou Koufa, a charismatic ethnic Fulani preacher, were both denounced by the Islamic State as "apostates" for their political flexibility. This seeming pragmatism (and willingness to talk to "unbeliever" media and regimes) is as dangerous as their use of violence. JNIM represents a strategic evolution away from the brutal Algerian dominated days of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) to a broader and looser African alliance, currently led by Malians.
The 64-year-old Fulani preacher and JNIM deputy Amadou Koufa
Led by Ag Ghaly, dubbed "the strategist," JNIM even avoids using the name of Al-Qaeda. "Support Group [Nusra Group] for Islam and the Muslims" harkens to the original name of what became Syria's new Islamist rulers – the Nusra Front (later called Hay'at Tahrir Al-Sham, (HTS)). Like Abu Muhammad Al-Joulani's Syrian organization, JNIM seems increasingly distant from Al-Qaeda. Inspired by the Qatari-supported examples of the "independent" Jihadist Taliban in Afghanistan and HTS in Syria – different (more national than regional) organizations and very different situations on the ground – JNIM seeks to follow its own ambitious regional path to power.
On the surface, it still seems very implausible that JNIM could actually take landlocked Burkina Faso's capital Ouagadougou, a city of over two million people. Yet the inhabitants of Kabul, Mosul, Raqqa, and Damascus once thought the same thing. However, JNIM does not even need to take the city but rather isolate it from the surrounding countryside. And it would be far more difficult to administer such a large urban population than to seize it. Much will depend on the ability of the beleaguered government of Burkina Faso to retake and hold territory lost to JNIM.
Burkina Faso's interim president 37-year-old Ibrahim Traore faces a major security challenge
The group could also bypass the city and country altogether in its remorseless southern march to the sea and toward the threatened Christian-majority cities and countries on the coast of West Africa. The JNIM-controlled rural regions of Burkina Faso already function as a kind of hub or safe haven for strikes into Benin, Togo, and other littoral states. JNIM's extensive use of swarms of fighters on motorcycles, in addition to the ubiquitous Toyota Hilux, gives them great mobility.
Regardless of JNIM's immediate successes or failures in the coming months, the larger phenomenon of Jihadist pressure against fragile or failed states across a vast swathe of Africa will continue.
*Alberto M. Fernandez is Vice President of MEMRI.

The end of a confrontation or just a break?
Abdulrahman Al-Rashed/Asharq Al-Awsat/June 30, 2025
Every side in the war has declared victory. Donald Trump announced the US attack with 14 bunker-busting bombs and the destruction of three Iranian nuclear facilities, before calling for a peace deal.
Israel described its campaign as historic. It assassinated leaders and experts and destroyed half of its adversary’s ballistic missile capability. Iran, which named its operation “True Promise III,” inflicted unprecedented destruction on greater Tel Aviv and Beersheba. Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei wrote: “It was a strong slap to America.”What happened over the past two weeks was not just a clash, but a unique and dangerous military development — the first direct war between the US and Israel on one side and Iran on the other. It has stopped for now, but the current halt is no more than a pause — unless we see an agreement between the three parties. That is how wars end. With all sides claiming victory, who among them will offer concessions? Only the Americans quickly proposed a peace plan — exposed after President Trump grew angry at the supreme leader’s rhetoric. Trump said he had prevented Israel from carrying out an assassination plot and that he would agree to release $6 billion in frozen Iranian funds.
He is also ready to allow the immediate lifting of some sanctions. These are rumored to be goodwill gestures to ease the atmosphere for negotiations. And it is said that Washington offered to help Iran rebuild its nuclear program for civilian purposes only.
The Israeli military’s chief of staff Eyal Zamir said the war is not over and that the list of remaining targets is long. Regardless of what he says, we know that Tel Aviv’s decisions are tied to the White House. A key event took place — Trump rushed to save Benjamin Netanyahu, who was on the verge of falling, and rescued him from the noose of his trial. He declared solidarity with “Bibi” and said Israelis should neither isolate nor prosecute him. This intervention carries a price that the prime minister must repay to Trump, who is eyeing a grand peace deal between the two enemies.
To end the confrontation, Iran must accept the principle of regional coexistence and join the train of regional countries. In any case, the key to this crisis lies in Tehran — not in Washington or Tel Aviv. It holds the power to say no and continue the conflicts, or to say yes. To end the confrontation that has lasted since 1980, Iran must accept the principle of regional coexistence and join the train of regional countries. All of them have now either entered into bilateral agreements with Israel or have abandoned any confrontational project. Syria was the last passenger — thus ending the so-called axis of resistance. With Hezbollah and Hamas weakened and the fall of Bashar Assad’s regime, the resistance front has collapsed, leaving Iran alone to face Israel. Backing down from 45 years of confrontation will not be easy for the Iranian regime, but the results of the 12-day war with Israel may hasten that retreat and increase the pressure on Tehran. Regardless of the toll, Iran still retains some elements of power. It possesses enriched uranium — important whether for building a rudimentary nuclear weapon or to negotiate over. It quickly replaced the leaders it lost and managed to regain control of the internal situation. Israel’s gains include winning over Trump, who carried out what Israel alone could not: the destruction of key nuclear facilities. So, if Tehran holds the key to peace, the upper hand in war belongs to Tel Aviv, which has succeeded in eliminating the Iran-aligned regional threats.
And who knows, perhaps this confrontation is the final chapter in these wars.

The earthquake’s lessons and the maps in the balance
Ghassan Charbel Asharq Al-Awsat/June 30, 2025
The latest war in the Middle East, both in terms of the course it took and its outcomes, resembled an earthquake. It was the latest of the earthquakes to hit the region: following the 1967 war, the 1973 war, Anwar Sadat’s visit to Jerusalem, the victory of the Iranian revolution and the US invasion of Iraq, to give a few examples. Earthquakes tend to change the trajectory of nations and the configuration of maps. Especially consequential in this regard are the conclusions that decision-makers draw from their assessment of the epicenter and its surroundings. One day, I was going over Dr. Osama Al-Baz’s journey with him. President Sadat’s trip to Jerusalem and its aftermath was the first issue President Hosni Mubarak’s chief of staff and I discussed. He told me the story of Sadat’s visit to Damascus before the famous trip. He told me about the visible discomfort he had seen on President Hafez Assad’s face after his guest informed him of his decision.
He then cited Sadat, saying that a leader must sometimes make difficult and unpopular decisions if he concludes that it is vital to his country’s future. Sadat added that he respected Assad’s decision to prioritize the stability and popular standing of his regime. However, he also spoke of his apprehension for Syria, as he feared the latter could be compelled to take the path of peace later on, accepting even more unpalatable terms than it could have obtained if Assad had joined Egypt. The same, he said, applied to Yasser Arafat. Al-Baz said that Sadat came up with the idea of visiting Jerusalem, not the Americans. It was the conclusion he drew from his reading of Egypt’s economic trajectory and its need for peace, as well as his reading of the balance of power, the strategic relationship between the US and Israel, and the Soviet Union’s decline. He added that short-sighted policies only serve to perpetuate suffering: our countries must join the march of progress and development; they must strive to reclaim their rights without artillery, corpses and carnage.
Short-sighted politics amounts to leaving the resolution of crises in the hands of a doctor called ‘time’
Al-Baz’s remarks came to mind as I followed the trajectory Syria has taken, deciding to withdraw, at least militarily, from this conflict. Our conversation also came to me as I watched Israeli jets raining death on the Palestinians, who have resorted to banging pots and pans in the hope of bringing an end to the famine and the suffering of their children in Gaza.I was also struck by Al-Baz’s remarks toward the end of our second session. He felt that he had gone too far in praising Sadat when he was serving Mubarak. He glanced at the walls of his office and said, “I’ll say more over dinner at the restaurant in Cairo,” seemingly hinting that the walls in our countries have ears. His comments about short-sighted policy stood out to me. Short-sighted politics amounts to leaving the resolution of crises in the hands of a doctor called “time.” It is to prefer fleeting victories, regardless of their cost, to durable solutions and the gains they bring. Benjamin Netanyahu is a master of such policies and his have left the region bloodied. In his first meeting with Arafat, Netanyahu, with a blunt tone that verged on disrespectful, told the Palestinian leader that he did not support the Oslo Accords. He then did everything he could to push his legitimate Palestinian partner aside, chasing his dream of erasing the Palestinian people and seizing what remains of their land. With regard to Oslo’s failure, we should also mention the role played by the suicide bombings of Hamas and Islamic Jihad. These operations led to the militarization of the Palestinian Intifada. Arafat had himself failed to resist the allure of militarization, which he felt would create a bulwark against the rising popularity of Hamas and Islamic Jihad.
Israeli society was beginning to gear toward the right at the time. Netanyahu’s political program was gaining ground. President Mahmoud Abbas tried to keep Palestinian decisions in the hands of the Palestinian Authority and the Palestine Liberation Organization, but shifting regional balances in the aftermath of the American invasion of Iraq drastically reduced his capacity to do so. Iran was developing its missile and tunnel programs, effectively placing the decision of war with Israel in its hands. As a result, the fate of Gaza, the West Bank, the Golan Heights and Lebanon became tied to the Iranian-Israeli conflict, and the years of proxy conflict between the two finally came to a head with the recent direct clashes. Will the Trump administration conclude that Israel must be forced to take the path of peace with the Palestinians?
In recent years, the maps of several regional countries have seemed to hang in the balance. The side these maps would fall on seemed to hinge on the outcome of the conflict between Iran and Israel, and on the outcome of the deep, long-standing rivalry between the US and Iran. During this time, Tehran repeatedly told visitors, including the late Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, that it was ready to negotiate with the Americans on everything “from Afghanistan to Lebanon.” But “the tumor” (Israel) would not be included in any settlement, Iran emphasized, as its Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei consistently insisted on the need to eradicate it. We are now watching truly horrifying scenes. The Israeli military machine is at the height of its powers. The chasm has never been bigger. Iran, meanwhile, has just watched its generals and scientists being buried after Israeli warplanes had dominated its airspace for days. The American strike on its nuclear facilities was a brutal and highly symbolic message, regardless of Tehran’s insistence that it had won the war.
It is clear that the US is the arbiter of the truce between Iran and Israel. It is also the only channel through which an agreement to end the Gaza massacre can pass. It is the only power capable of helping Lebanon if it chooses to rein in Israeli aggression. It alone can keep Iraq from going up in flames and can stabilize Syria’s new authorities. The question remains: will the Trump administration conclude that Israel must be forced to take the path of peace with the Palestinians?
The fate of the maps also depends on the conclusion Netanyahu draws from his wars on multiple fronts. It also depends on the lesson Khamenei sees in the funeral processions and the American offensive. Some calm is needed to determine whether any reassessment is possible. Could a government capable of making a difficult decision be formed in Israel, putting the country on a path toward a two-state solution? Can Iran show that it is willing to return to a less risky, less confrontational approach?
The fate of the region’s nations and maps hinges on the conclusions that Trump, Netanyahu and Khamenei reach.

Israel must be pressured into a full ceasefire
Chris Doyle/Arab News/June 30, 2025
For a dozen days, the eyes of the world were focused on Israel’s aggression on Iran and its consequences. The ramifications could have been 100 times worse, with the region plunged into a catastrophic war. Yet, in those two weeks, Israel’s genocide in Gaza was not on hold, with more than 860 Palestinians killed in that time. The regime of occupation and apartheid in the West Bank also intensified. Palestinians can only dream of a ceasefire.
Unlike the rest of the world, the Israeli leadership has shown itself willing and capable of prosecuting multiple fronts at the same time. Yes, European leaders did make references to Gaza throughout the Iran war, but they made no new policy shifts. Netanyahu successfully distracted them, releasing the pressure that was building on Israel and obtaining bizarre commitments to the country’s right to self-defense even though it was undeniably the aggressor. Palestinians also have a right to self-defense, in theory, but it is akin to blasphemy to invoke it — ditto for Syrians, Lebanese and Iranians. In more than 30 years, I have yet to hear this expressed a single time by a European or American leader. Selective morality is barely camouflaged. Palestinians in Gaza await their doom. A lethal lottery of life haunts their existence. The death rattle may come courtesy of bombs, disease or starvation. Families have told me how they crave instantaneous collective death, not the macabre and tortuous process of emaciation, the transition from human to spectral presence.
The horrors in Gaza have become normalized. When Israel first bombed a hospital, a degree of shock wafted around the globe. Since then, every single one of Gaza’s 35 hospitals has endured an Israeli attack. When one Israeli hospital was struck by an Iranian missile, Israelis stood appalled. European leaders did make references to Gaza throughout the Iran war, but they made no new policy shifts
The starvation of Palestinians in Gaza continues unabated. The fuel blockade is in force, meaning water wells cannot be pumped. Potable water is akin to liquid gold. A fresh way to die is imminent — death by thirst.
The Gaza hunger games has food distribution points nestled in the heart of militarized zones. This means walking miles to join the starving hordes who dare to dodge the bullets and shells to scrap for lifesaving food boxes. Thus far, at least 549 Palestinians have been killed at these four locations since May 26, according to Gaza Health Ministry figures. Sixty lives alone were terminated by a barrage of tank shells.
Anti-Palestinian groups ranted that Israeli forces had not committed these atrocities. This latest lie fell apart when even Israeli officials conceded the point. Israeli forces have also admitted they were ordered to open fire at unarmed Palestinians in food queues, even if they posed no threat.
Who knows how many of Gaza’s 2.3 million inhabitants remain alive? The official death toll hovers at about 56,000, but academic evaluations show the figure could be far higher. Two surveys indicate the official figures may be as much as 40 percent too low. One survey estimated that excess mortality — those who have died due to the indirect consequences of Israel’s genocide — may have been 8,500 in January. The survivors have been hemmed in to just 17 percent of the Gaza Strip. Rumors encircle Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as ever. Does he want to prepare the way for elections? Will he bring military operations in Gaza to a halt? This does not guarantee the release of the hostages. Given that he has just terminated the last remaining UN food distribution program in the north, the militarized food distribution system will not be abandoned. Can the hostages’ families dent the bloodied will of the coalition’s leaders? Their cause is backed by as many as three-quarters of Israelis, who want a ceasefire in exchange for the return of hostages.
Trump issued the most dramatic ultimatum in recent history, ordering Israeli planes back from their mission to bomb Iran
The ceasefire with Iran must be buttressed with an end to the genocide in Gaza. Halting the genocide in Gaza requires a reheating of the cauldron of pressure on Israel that saw two Cabinet ministers sanctioned last month by the UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Norway. It means retreading the weary debates of what other measures are required.
Above all, it requires determined steps from the US and European powers that compel Israel to stop. President Donald Trump last week issued the most dramatic ultimatum in recent history, ordering Israeli planes back from their mission to bomb Iran. “All planes will turn around and head home, while doing a friendly ‘Plane Wave’ to Iran,” he posted on social media. It is time for just such a decisive blow to the Netanyahu solar plexus from Trump by demanding that Israel permanently halt its attacks on Gaza and the West Bank and allow all humanitarian agencies full unhindered access to Gaza, while Hamas releases the remaining hostages. Trump should also insist on an end to the Israeli occupation and the creation of a viable Palestinian state — but that is wishful thinking. Trump could back this up by encouraging, in private if needs be, European states to be even tougher on Israel. Do this and the president could be heading to Oslo in October to pick up a much-cherished peace prize.
**Chris Doyle is director of the Council for Arab-British Understanding in London. X: @Doylech

'Obliterating' Iran's Nuclear Sites Is Not Enough
Khaled Abu Toameh/Gatestone Institute/June 30, 2025
"The conventional army loses if it does not win. The guerrilla wins if he does not lose." — Henry Kissinger, Foreign Affairs, January 1969.
Iran's regime may have lost its nuclear sites, but it has not lost its appetite to kill Jews and wipe Israel off the map.
Would the Allied forces have left the Nazi Party as the rulers of Germany after World War II?
Ideally, such a campaign should be spearheaded by the Iranian people themselves with the backing of Western countries, including the US, and Arabs and Muslims who oppose the Iranian regime and view it as a direct threat to their national security. These countries include Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states in addition to the recognized governments of countries home to Iran's current and former proxies: Yemen, Lebanon, Syria and Iraq. They will cooperate once they see that the US is serious about standing against, not appeasing, those who threaten the security and stability of the Arab countries.
With China, Russia, North Korea, Venezuela, Cuba, and Iran and its proxies, Trump may be underestimating the intensity of their desires.
With an enriched Iran, freely selling its oil to China, the temptation to rebuild a war machine might be hard to resist.
The weakening or removal of the Iranian regime can only facilitate the mission of obliterating Hamas and PIJ in Gaza, and freeing all the Israeli hostages they hold.
It is time for the Trump administration and its Western allies to understand that there can be no genuine deals or compromises with either Sunni or Shiite jihadists who consider America and Israel as the big and small "Satans."
If the US and the West do not want to be directly involved in bringing about regime change in Iran, they should at least encourage and back any opposition individuals or groups working to topple Iran's Islamist regime. Reinstating economic sanctions on Iran could help accelerate the downfall of the mullahs and their terror proxies. That is the only way to bring peace and stability to the Middle East and prevent further violence and bloodshed. When your enemies say they want to eliminate you, you have every right to eliminate them first.
Iran's regime may have lost its nuclear sites, but it has not lost its appetite to kill Jews and wipe Israel off the map. Would the Allied forces have left the Nazi Party as the rulers of Germany after World War II?
The United States and Israel have, according to reliable sources, "obliterated" or "severely damaged" Iran's nuclear installations, but so long as the regime and its terror proxies continue to exist, the mission remains unaccomplished.
"The conventional army loses if it does not win. The guerrilla wins if he does not lose," Henry Kissinger observed in 1969.
The continuing rule of Iran and its terror proxies remains a major threat to security and stability in the Middle East. Let us not forget that their main goal is to destroy not only Israel (the "Little Satan"), but also the US (the "Great Satan").
The US attack on three underground nuclear sites in Iran is undoubtedly a severe blow to the Iranian regime and its nuclear weapons program. Israel's "Twelve Day War" against the Iranian regime -- during which scores of Iranian nuclear scientists and senior military and intelligence commanders were killed, and Iran's air defenses and many of its missile launchers destroyed -- also dealt a severe blow to the mullahs' regime.
Iran's regime may have lost its nuclear sites, but it has not lost its appetite to kill Jews and wipe Israel off the map.
The Israeli and American military operations against Iran should be followed by a massive campaign to end the rule of Iran's current regime. Would the Allied forces have left the Nazi Party as the rulers of Germany after World War II?
Ideally, such a campaign should be spearheaded by the Iranian people themselves with the backing of Western countries, including the US, and Arabs and Muslims who oppose the Iranian regime and view it as a direct threat to their national security. These countries include Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states in addition to the recognized governments of countries home to Iran's current and former proxies: Yemen, Lebanon, Syria and Iraq. They will cooperate once they see that the US is serious about standing against, not appeasing, those who threaten the security and stability of the Arab countries.
The campaign needs to consist of diplomatic and economic pressure against Iran. Stepping up direct, secondary and indirect sanctions imposed on Iran is one way to undermine its regime and hasten its collapse. The Biden administration, unfortunately, did the opposite: Iranian crude oil exports have risen more than threefold over the past four years, according to the US Energy Information Agency.
President Donald J. Trump, regrettably, signaled more of the same last week by inviting Iran to continue shipping its oil to China and by inviting China to buy it. Trump appears to believe that he can domesticate these two enemies of the US and the West by showing them he means them no harm: "I wish the leadership of Iran would realize that you often get more with HONEY than you do with VINEGAR," he recently wrote. It is a constructive start to a negotiation, but may quickly prove unrealistic. With China, Russia, North Korea, Venezuela, Cuba, and Iran and its proxies, Trump may be underestimating the intensity of their desires.
Earlier this year, the Trump administration imposed sanctions on several Chinese refineries that were buying Iranian crude oil as part of a "maximum pressure" campaign on Iran. Lifting these sanctions gave a lifeline to both Iran and China. Trump seems to be hoping that trade and prosperity can replace hostility and aggression.
Increasing the economic pressure on Iran, however, would undermine Iran's terror proxies: Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), the Lebanon-based Hezbollah and the Houthis in Yemen. Without Iran's financial and military support, these groups would not be able to pursue their genocidal war against Israel. With an enriched Iran, freely selling its oil to China, the temptation to rebuild a war machine might be hard to resist.
The four Iran-backed terror groups have also been dealt major blows by Israel since the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led invasion of Israel. On that day, more than 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals were murdered and thousands wounded. Another 251 Israelis and foreign nationals were kidnapped to the Gaza Strip, where 50 -- alive and dead – are still being held hostage.
Since the beginning of the war, Israel has eliminated thousands of Hamas and PIJ terrorists, including dozens of senior military commanders, and destroyed the organizations' military capabilities. The mission, however, will remain unaccomplished as long as Hamas remains in control of the Gaza Strip. There is no alternative to a total (and humiliating) defeat of those two Iran-backed terror groups, responsible for the worst atrocity against Jews since the Holocaust. The weakening or removal of the Iranian regime can only facilitate the mission of obliterating Hamas and PIJ in Gaza, and freeing all the Israeli hostages they hold.
The same applies to Iran's other terror proxies. Hezbollah paid a heavy price for choosing to wage war on Israel to support Hamas immediately after October 7. Israel has killed most of Hezbollah's political and military leaders, and destroyed a significant amount of their weapons arsenal. Hezbollah, however, is still around and most likely rearming and regrouping to launch more rocket and drone attacks on Israel in the future. Like Hamas and PIJ, Hezbollah's survival depends largely on continued financial and military support from Iran.
Allowing Iran's mullahs to stay in power means allowing their terror proxies to continue jihad (holy) war against Israel. Hamas, PIJ, Hezbollah and Yemen's Houthis have not given up their dream of destroying Israel and replacing it with an Islamist terror state. The mullahs in Iran will continue to chant "Death to Israel" and "Death to America" while their proxies along Israel's northern and southern borders will continue planning more October 7-style massacres.
Although it is located thousands of kilometers away from Israel, Yemen's Houthi militia, so long as it receives political and military support from its patrons in Iran, will continue to fire ballistic missiles at Israel.
Significantly, the slogan of the Houthi militia is: "God is Great, Death to America, Death to Israel, Curse the Jews, Victory to Islam."
This slogan also sums up the goal of the Islamic Republic of Iran and its proxies: to destroy Israel and the US. It is a goal that Iran's mullahs and their proxies are evidently determined to pursue, with or without nuclear weapons.
It is time for the Trump administration and its Western allies to understand that there can be no genuine deals or compromises with either Sunni or Shiite jihadists who consider America and Israel as the big and small "Satans."
If the US and the West do not want to be directly involved in bringing about regime change in Iran, they should at least encourage and back any opposition individuals or groups working to topple Iran's Islamist regime. Reinstating economic sanctions on Iran could help accelerate the downfall of the mullahs and their terror proxies. That is the only way to bring peace and stability to the Middle East and prevent further violence and bloodshed. When your enemies say they want to eliminate you, you have every right to eliminate them first.
**Khaled Abu Toameh is an award-winning journalist based in Jerusalem.
**Follow Khaled Abu Toameh on X (formerly Twitter)
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https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/21708/obliterating-iran-nuclear-sites-is-not-enough

Selected Twitters For Today on June 30- July 01/2025
Dr. Ahmad Yassin
https://x.com/i/status/1939379106702819499
The Battle of Awareness.
For those who don't know him, listen to Azzam al-Tamimi, one of the most important leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood worldwide. He clearly expresses their true goals, which are to overthrow Arab countries in favor of their project to establish a caliphate in cooperation with the major Shiite state, establishing a state of guardianship.
That's why you see them at every opportunity among the fiercest defenders of the mullahs' regime, attacking Arab countries and their ruling regimes, led by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Unfortunately, you see a large portion of our people still sympathizing with this terrorist movement.
So our battle, my dear friends, is a battle of awareness to expose these people and reveal their true nature to the people, because they pose the greatest threat to our existence and our development, so that we may be among the most advanced countries.
They are nothing but the new guardians of the temple with a false Islamic veneer...

Charles Chartouni
Is there an adult in the room? What the hell are they here for, these two jerks (Aoun-Salam) who work for Berri

Charles Sarkis ܫܐܪܠ ܣܪܟܝܤ
Ireland will host its first St. Sharbel Catholic Conference from July 11-13, focusing on Syriac spirituality, the Maronite tradition, and devotion to St. Sharbel of Lebanon. The conference will feature monks from St. Sharbel’s monastery and over 200 first-class relics from around the world, many visiting Ireland for the first time. Attendees can participate in the Maronite Liturgy, hear from international and Irish speakers, and listen to testimonies of miracles attributed to St. Sharbel and other Lebanese Maronite saints. The event will also include confessions, adoration, anointing of the sick, a Divine Office, and a live choir. St. Sharbel, born in 1828 in Northern Lebanon, dedicated himself to God early in life. Known for his piety, he entered the monastery of Elige in Mayfouk at 23, taking the name Sharbel. He later moved to the monastery of Annaya, professing his vows in 1853 and receiving theological training from St. Nemtallah El-Hardini. Ordained in 1859, he returned to Annaya, and was known for his obedience and mortification. In 1898, he suffered a stroke while celebrating Mass and died on Christmas Eve, after enduring eight days of suffering and prayer. He was canonized in 1977.

Nadine Barakat
Nora Jumblat Networth
- if we run a forensic audit on @NJoumblatt and her sons, we will find out how much cash
@walidjoumblatt got from #IRAN and from #Hezbollah
- many properties registered/acquired (names of her sons and daughter in law), add to it #usaid funding stolen by her NGOs and businesses. - Nora Joumblatt is someone who actually Stole Public Money; you wanna fight Israelis, she has “Zionist” roots and she stole many government entities and there are many corruption/fraud files. - Nora Joumblatt should be investigated, seriously. Now we know why Mohammad Jaafar Kassir hid in Baadaran and caused the death of 3 Druze civilians ….Walid Joumblatt has serious financial ties with #Hezbollah!!!!!!
Let’s ask #Putin about your cash there!!!!Walid, do you have the guts to hand the Lebanese army all Hezbollah weapons hiding in Jabal towns, under your “protection”???
No… you don’t. This show you had was simply a joke. Youre trying to cover up for the financial disaster you’re about to face … when exposed. And it will be exposed
You’re such a dirtbag.
#karma_will_get_you

Reza Pahlavi
The regime in Iran calls for “Death to the UK.” It’s not just a threat to the Iranian people but British people, too. I’m in London, meeting with political leaders to urge them to support the Iranian people’s fight for a secular, democratic Iran. It’s in both of our interes

Reza Pahlavi
It was a pleasure to return to the House of Commons for a cross-party roundtable.
I’m fighting so that the people of Iran, too, can have the parliamentary democracy they deserve. I’m thankful to these MPs for their support of my compatriots and a free Iran.

Hussain Abdul-Hussain
“Hezbollah, we know that they have a political agenda different than our political agenda,” Rafic Hariri said. “The Lebanese people is a peaceful people. They have paid a very high price because of the war. We have paid a tremendously high price because of the war, because of terror. We want to live peace -- in peace,” he added. Hariri disagreed fundamentally with Hezbollah’s vision, which stipulated that Lebanon should play a role in the destruction of Israel. “Israel is much stronger than us. We are a small country. We are a peaceful country. We never said that we can destroy Israel, or we can do anything of harm to Israel. We don’t want that.”

Hussain Abdul-Hussain
Iraq is engaged in a heated debate over whether men can wear shorts (knee high bermuda shorts, not the Daisy Duke style) in public or not, with some local governments banning it and enforcing the ban. The argument is that shorts disagree with social norms and traditions. Mind you temps in Iraq in the summer hover around 100 (40C).
The problem here is the lack of understanding of the concept of liberty. How would personal clothing be the business of any government, regulation, or tradition?
And unless liberty strikes root, building liberal democracy will remain impossible.