English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For July 03/2025
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news

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Bible Quotations For today
If another member of the church sins against you, go and point out the fault when the two of you are alone. If the member listens to you, you have regained that one.
Saint Matthew 18/15-20:”‘If another member of the church sins against you, go and point out the fault when the two of you are alone. If the member listens to you, you have regained that one. But if you are not listened to, take one or two others along with you, so that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If the member refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if the offender refuses to listen even to the church, let such a one be to you as a Gentile and a tax-collector. Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Again, truly I tell you, if two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on July 02-03/2025
Father Khadra: A Prophetic Voice Calling for the Preservation of the Christian Presence in Lebanon/Elias Bejjani/July 01/ 2025
Expatriates' Betrayal Crime: Basil, His Father-in-law, & Their Puppet Pharisees and Judases Are Abject Slaves to the Evil Hezbollah/Elias Bejjani/July 01/2025
A Grateful Heart on Canada Day: A Lebanese-Canadian's Reflection/Elias Bejjani/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
Lebanon PM steps up efforts on weapons control
Reports of fighters build-up on Syria-Lebanon border are 'baseless'
Lebanon mulls phased disarmament amid 'difficult' debate within Hezbollah
Salam says 'things positive' as to Lebanese response to US paper
How will Lebanon respond to US paper?
Iran formally suspends cooperation with UN nuclear watchdog
Hezbollah reportedly preparing its own response to US paper
Details of US envoy's proposal for Lebanon revealed
Report: Hezbollah wants real defense strategy before handing over arms
FM Rajji says Syria ready to cooperate for land border demarcation
Lebanon’s banking association welcomes central bank decision enforcing equal treatment of depositors
Six years on, Lebanon’s banking crisis deepens without legislative solution

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on July 02-03/2025
Iran’s president orders country to suspend cooperation with UN nuclear watchdog IAEA
Iranian nuclear program degraded by up to two years, Pentagon says
US bombing ‘seriously damaged’ Iran’s Fordow nuclear site, FM says
Gulf diplomacy with Iran helped limit conflict with Israel, Middle East experts say
Trump urges Hamas to accept 'final proposal' for 60-day Gaza ceasefire
Iranian Hacker Group Threatens to Release Trove of Emails from Top Aides to Trump
‘We Still Need More Time’: Iranian Foreign Minister Dismisses Trump’s Claim of Imminent Negotiations
New normalization push could reshape the Middle East—with Syria and Lebanon on the radar
Israel says it’s serious about reaching ceasefire, cites positive signs
Hamas says open to Gaza truce but stops short of accepting Trump-backed proposal
Saudi FM discusses regional developments in call with US secretary of state
UK lawmakers approve ban of Palestine Action as terrorist group
Syria state media says talk of peace deal with Israel ‘premature’
EU’s von der Leyen to face no confidence vote
‘Path to Stability and Peace’: White House Terminates Most Sanctions on Syria
Treasury targets Houthi oil revenue, building on US sanctions against the group

Titles For The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources on July 02-03/2025
U.S. Should Promote Security Agreement as Precursor to Israel-Syria Normalization/Ahmad Sharawi/FDD.Policy Brief/July 02/2025
The Great President Trump's Worst, Terrible, Bad Idea Ever/Lawrence Kadish/Gatestone Institute/Gatestone Institute/July 02/2025
Syrians have no real hope while remnants of war remain/Sila/Arab News/July 02, 2025
Can BRICS reshape the global financial order?/Dr. John Sfakianakis/Arab News/July 02, 2025
The Middle East model for land restoration/Nizar Haddad/Arab News/July 02, 2025
China will invade Siberia, not Taiwan/John Lonergan, opinion contributor/The Hill/July 02/2025
Selected Twitters For Today on July 02/2025

The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on July 02-03/2025
Father Khadra: A Prophetic Voice Calling for the Preservation of the Christian Presence in Lebanon
Elias Bejjani/July 01/ 2025
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/07/144813/
With a clear conscience, in testimony to the truth, and in faith in Lebanon—the land of holiness and saints, with its identity, entity, mission, and the foundational role of Christians, especially the Maronites, in shaping its unique existence—we must thank the Lord for the blessing of this leavening and apostolic monk, Father Tony Khadra. He carries in his heart, conscience, and soul—and on his shoulders, with all the abilities, gifts, and blessings granted to him by God—the sacred mission of safeguarding the active Christian presence in the Land of the Cedars.
Father Khadra’s activities are a form of apostolic struggle, and his voice stands as a steadfast and prophetic call defending the coexistence and dignity of Christians in Lebanon—amid the blindness and numbness of conscience that afflicts many political party leaders, politicians, tycoons, and submissive Christian clerics, in the full and humiliating sense of the term. Father Khadra’s perseverance and determination to continue his holy mission is a blessed and apostolic endeavor. May God prolong his life, strengthen his faith, and fortify his unwavering and unyielding resolve.

Expatriates' Betrayal Crime: Basil, His Father-in-law, & Their Puppet Pharisees and Judases Are Abject Slaves to the Evil Hezbollah 
Elias Bejjani/July 01/2025
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/07/144768/
Basil's brazen, vile, and treacherous opposition to the right of expatriates to participate in elections, most of whom are Christians, confirms that he, his La Civilforci Father-in-law, and all those who support them—the merchants, the deposits, the Pharisees, the scribes, and the tax collectors— are the sons of Judas in heart, soul, and genes, and a demonic catastrophe with which we Maronites have been afflicted.

A Grateful Heart on Canada Day: A Lebanese-Canadian's Reflection
Elias Bejjani/July 01/2025
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/07/144757/
Today, as the maple leaf proudly flutters across our beautiful nation, Canadians from coast to coast to coast celebrate Canada Day. For my family and me, Lebanese-Canadians who have called this land home since 1986, this day carries an even deeper significance – a profound sense of gratitude and belonging.
When we arrived on these shores, we found more than just a new address; we found a sanctuary. Canada welcomed us with open arms, offering the promise of a life built on principles we hold dear: freedom, democracy, and an unwavering respect for human rights. Over the decades, this country has consistently delivered on that promise, providing its citizens with essential services in every domain, from healthcare and education to social support and economic opportunity. It is a place where hard work is rewarded, diversity is celebrated, and every individual is given the chance to thrive, regardless of their origin. We are truly grateful for the peace, stability, and opportunities this nation has afforded us.
As we celebrate the blessings of Canada, my heart also turns to my homeland, Lebanon, a nation of immense beauty and resilience that has endured unimaginable suffering for far too long. For years, Lebanon has grappled with the devastating consequences of multiple occupations – the Palestinian, the Syrian, and currently, the insidious Iranian occupation through the notorious terrorist and jihadist organization, Hezbollah. This group has created a mini-state within our beloved country, perpetrating terror, crimes, and assassinations, and systematically impoverishing the Lebanese people. On this day of Canadian freedom, I hold onto the fervent hope that Lebanon will soon be free from this oppressive grip, that its people will reclaim their sovereignty, and that peace and justice will finally prevail.
To Canada, on your special day, and to the Canadian people, thank you. Thank you for being a beacon of hope and a haven for persecuted people from all corners of the world. Thank you for embodying the values of compassion and inclusiveness. It is not only a joy to be Canadian, but a privilege for which I am eternally grateful and incredibly lucky. Happy Canada Day!

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.

Lebanon PM steps up efforts on weapons control
NAJIA HOUSSARI/Arab News/July 02, 2025
BEIRUT: Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam on Wednesday said that his government is intensifying its efforts to confine weapons solely to state institutions and to extend its authority across all areas of the country as part of a broader push to advance the implementation of a ceasefire. Salam’s comments come as Lebanese officials are drafting a response to Washington’s proposal to disarm Hezbollah, which was presented by the US envoy to Syria and Lebanon, Tom Barrack, during a visit to Beirut last month.
The proposal centers on achieving full disarmament by the end of the year, strengthening Lebanese-Syrian relations, implementing financial reforms, and establishing a UN-supervised mechanism to secure the release of prisoners held by Israel during the recent war on Hezbollah. Barrack is scheduled to visit Beirut on Monday to discuss the response. During his address to the Economic, Social and Environmental Council, Salam confirmed control over Rafik Hariri International Airport and its access roads as part of security measures aimed at combating smuggling and enhancing public safety.
However, he added that Israel’s withdrawal from Lebanese territory is integral to the country’s stability, emphasizing Lebanon’s efforts to intensify political and diplomatic pressure to enforce Resolution 1701, secure the return of displaced citizens to their villages, and advance the reconstruction of areas devastated by last year’s war with Israel.
To date, a $250 million loan has been secured from the World Bank to fund the immediate reconstruction phase, pending parliamentary approval, said Salam. In parallel, Lebanon is partnering with UN agencies to implement over $350 million worth of projects in the south — spanning education, health, shelter, and food security — as part of a four-year support plan. Salam said that Lebanon will also host an international reconstruction conference in the coming months to mobilize support under the leadership of the government. “Reconstruction is not solely a matter of engineering or finance, but a comprehensive political, economic, and social process,” he said. “The cumulative crises facing Lebanon leave no room for delay or denial. True salvation requires meaningful reform that builds a modern state, one that restores the trust of its citizens and earns the confidence of the international community.”
Salam highlighted the role of regional countries in supporting Lebanon’s reconstruction, describing President Joseph Aoun’s visits to Arab states as “concrete steps toward revitalizing Lebanon’s relations with its Arab neighbors and reasserting its role within the framework of regional cooperation.”
He added: “The region is undergoing a historic transformation, and Lebanon cannot afford to stand on the sidelines. There can be no progress outside the Arab fold, and no future without a partnership founded on mutual respect and shared interests.”
The prime minister also noted the direct coordination with Syria to reinforce border security, curb smuggling activities, and ensure the safe return of Syrian refugees.
“We look forward to meaningful contributions that will help restore what has been lost and strengthen the country’s path to recovery.”
A tripartite committee composed of representatives from the offices of Salam, Aoun, and Parliamentary Speaker Nabih Berri recently held a series of meetings to draft a preliminary framework to serve as the executive response to the US disarmament proposal. A political source familiar with the committee’s discussions told Arab News: “The atmosphere is constructive, and a preliminary draft of Lebanon’s response will be finalized by Monday, ahead of US envoy Barrack’s arrival in Beirut.”The source said that Berri is tasked with communicating Hezbollah’s stance on the US demands. “It is unlikely that Lebanon’s response will be any less stubborn than Israel’s. Lebanon cannot be expected to make all the compromises, while Israel ignores every ceasefire agreement,” the source said. This includes Israel’s failure to withdraw from the five key Lebanese points it occupies, its daily attacks on southern and northern Lebanon, and refusal to release prisoners. According to sources, Hezbollah refuses to be bound by any timeframe to disarm. “It views Lebanon’s current treatment as a form of imposed guardianship, especially while Israel continues to pose an existential threat. The US is required to provide written guarantees of Israel’s full commitment to the agreement,” sources said. Hezbollah confirmed that it has handed over the area south of the Litani River to the Lebanese Army, which then seized hundreds of weapons depots. However, the situation regarding weapons north of the river is subject to different conditions, which the military group said is being handled through internal dialogue that began with Aoun several months ago. Mohieddine Al-Shahimi, a professor of international law, told Arab News that the US proposal to Lebanon is nothing new. “US envoy Barrack is simply laying out a roadmap for Lebanon to implement all the international resolutions it has previously failed to carry out, starting with the Taif accord and extending to the ceasefire agreement.”The agreement, brokered by the US and France, aims to implement Resolution 1701, which calls for Hezbollah’s disarmament, exclusive control of weapons by the state, deployment of the Lebanese Army south of the Litani River, and the restoration of full Lebanese sovereignty over its territory. “The agreement is being implemented gradually and depends on the state’s efforts, placing full responsibility on its shoulders. Only after this will Israel fulfill its obligations under the agreement,” Al-Shahimi said. Al-Shahimi believes that Hezbollah is deliberately stalling.
“The party is waiting to see how American-Iranian relations unfold, while ignoring that Israel has grown more aggressive, and that Syria is very different from what it once was. Hezbollah is creating false hopes of guarantees. This strategy puts Lebanon dangerously close to the edge and plays directly into Iran’s hands.”The Iran-backed group has been severely weakened by its war with Israel last year, with more than 70 percent of its military arsenal destroyed and many of its front-line fighters killed. “Hezbollah knows that the situation has changed both locally and internationally, and its old tactics no longer work,” said Al-Shahimi. “Iran, in turn, is draining Hezbollah, as it created the weapons to defend its own interests, but it does not see itself as responsible for defending Hezbollah. Perhaps Hezbollah, through its deliberate denial, is trying to gain internal leverage.”Hezbollah has accused Israel of violating the Nov. 27 truce 3,799 times, including 1,916 airspace breaches and 112 maritime violations, resulting in 159 deaths and 433 injuries.

Reports of fighters build-up on Syria-Lebanon border are 'baseless'
Naharnet/July 02/2025 
Security on Lebanon’s eastern border with Syria is “under control” and “sponsored by Saudi Arabia” and the reports about a build-up of foreign fighters on the frontier are “baseless,” senior diplomatic sources told the al-Anbaa news portal of the Progressive Socialist Party. The unconfirmed reports had said that fighters were mobilizing on the border for possible military action against Hezbollah. “The issue is under control by the four Lebanese-Syrian joint committees that were formed under direct Saudi supervision and there is no fear of a possible security deterioration in the aforementioned areas,” the sources added. “Joint cooperation between Lebanese, Syrian and Saudi security agencies led to the seizure of a huge shipment of captagon pills that was en route from Syria to Saudi Arabia through Lebanon and this is an example of effective security coordination,” the sources went on to say.

Lebanon mulls phased disarmament amid 'difficult' debate within Hezbollah
Naharnet/July 02/2025 
Lebanese officials are racing against time to reach “acceptable formats” for a Lebanese paper responding to a U.S. proposal calling for an end to Israel’s attacks and the withdrawal of its forces in return for Hezbollah’s disarmament, a media report said.
“Hezbollah has partially opened the door to discussions over this topic, which had been a taboo in the past, without giving clear answers on whether or not it accepts the principle,” Lebanese sources informed on the ongoing deliberations told Asharq al-Awsat newspaper.
“Hezbollah is engaged in a difficult internal debate over the issue, in parallel with another debate within a panel comprising representatives of President Joseph Aoun, Speaker Nabih Berri and PM Nawaf Salam, which is tasked with devising the Lebanese response paper,” the sources added. Revealing that the panel’s discussions are seeking “acceptable formats that comply with the constitution,” the sources added that “the Lebanese response to the proposal is focused on specifying the priorities and phases according to which the agreement will be implemented, seeing as Israel has not committed to the ceasefire decision until the moment, despite Hezbollah’s compliance and its withdrawal from the South Litani area.”The sources added that in its “preliminary response,” Hezbollah has demanded “real guarantees” in order to implement ant solution that might be reached.
Official Lebanese sources meanwhile revealed to Asharq al-Awsat that “Lebanon is readying a technical response prepared by the Lebanese Army to explain the step-by-step mechanism and what can be achieved if Israel carries out positive steps, such as withdrawal, ending airstrikes and releasing the captives.”
Political leaders are meanwhile seeking “guarantees that would pave the way for a gradual disarmament that would begin with heavy-caliber weapons and end with medium-caliber weapons,” the sources said.

Salam says 'things positive' as to Lebanese response to US paper
Naharnet/July 02/2025 
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam has said that “things are going in a positive manner with President Joseph Aoun and Speaker Nabih Berri” regarding Lebanon’s response to the U.S. paper of demands. In an interview with An-Nahar newspaper, Salam said he has stressed to U.S. envoy Tom Barrack and his administration the need to “obtain real guarantees that truly lead to Israel’s withdrawal from the occupied territory and halting its attacks and violations of Lebanon’s sovereignty in a permanent manner.”The premier also emphasized the need to rebuild the destroyed towns in south Lebanon, speaking of an “open understanding” with Berri and Aoun. He added that “reaching a unified Lebanese response and presenting it to Barrack is in the country’s interest,” describing the current atmosphere as “acceptable.”Speaking at an economic meeting later on Wednesday, Salam said: "We are intensifying pressures to implement Resolution 1701 and the state is continuing its efforts to extend its authority across its territory, in order to monopolize weapons, curb smuggling, and boost safety at the airport."

How will Lebanon respond to US paper?
Naharnet/July 02/2025
President Joseph Aoun, Speaker Nabih Berri and PM Nawaf Salam have made “significant progress” in their deliberations ahead of U.S. envoy Tom Barrack’s second visit to Beirut, which is expected before July 10, Lebanese sources said.
Representatives of Aoun, Berri and Salam held a lengthy meeting Monday in Baabda and “unanimously agreed” on a draft paper in response to Barrack’s demands, the sources told Asharq al-Awsat newspaper, noting that the draft won the approval of Aoun, Berri and Salam and was also discussed between the Speaker and Hezbollah’s leadership. The sources added that Lebanon will ask the U.S. to seriously press Israel in order to reach a real ceasefire, allow Lebanon to pacify the situation and “dispel Hezbollah’s concerns,” ahead of engaging in Barrack-sponsored negotiations that would “certainly lead to unanimity over arms monopolization, seeing as it is unacceptable for the talks to be conducted under Israel’s military pressure.”“Hezbollah is still opening a window for obtaining guarantees, which is being comprehended by the three presidents, seeing us it needs to justify to its supporters the shift toward the monopolization of arms,” the sources added. Hezbollah “needs to reassure its environment that giving up its weapons will be the reason behind Israel’s withdrawal and the release of its captives,” the sources went on to say. Al-Akhbar newspaper meanwhile reported that Aoun, Berri and Salam have agreed that “there is no need to hold a special Cabinet session to discuss the U.S. paper, seeing as PM Najib Mikati’s government had agreed to the ceasefire agreement and its stipulations, and because Lebanon should not present additional commitments before knowing the next steps that will be taken by Israel.”“The unified Lebanese stance is that Lebanon will inform the U.S. administration that Israel has to withdraw, release the captives and halt its daily attacks in return for a Lebanese commitment to tangible measures to control illegal weapons in the areas south and north of the Litani River,” al-Akhbar added.
But other sources told the daily that the U.S. and Israel “will come up with a lot of excuses to reject the settlement sought by Lebanon.”Local and foreign parties are meanwhile trying to “intimidate” Lebanon by saying that “Israel is preparing to escalate its attacks with harsh airstrikes that could resemble the ferocity of the strikes that assassinated Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, in addition to possible additional land operations,” al-Akhbar said. Sources close to a top Lebanese leader have, however, expressed optimism that a solution for the issue of Hezbollah’s arms has been put on track, seeing as Iran might have told Hezbollah and Berri to “commit to the requirements of Resolution 1701 with its accurate stipulations,” the Nidaa al-Watan newspaper reported. Hezbollah is meanwhile “inquiring about reconstruction” and Israel’s “withdrawal” ahead of agreeing to a timetable for weapons handover, informed sources told the daily, with presidential sources seeing “unprecedented progress in Hezbollah’s stance that made it agree that its arms be discussed in Cabinet soon despite all its declared stances that are rejecting that.”

Iran formally suspends cooperation with UN nuclear watchdog
Naharnet/July 02/2025 
Iran suspended on Wednesday its cooperation with the United Nations' nuclear watchdog, days after a ceasefire in a war that saw Israeli and U.S. strikes on nuclear sites in the Islamic republic. The unprecedented war, which broke out on June 13 and lasted for 12 days, has intensified tensions between Tehran and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). On June 25, a day after a ceasefire took hold, Iranian lawmakers overwhelmingly voted in favor of the bill to suspend cooperation with the agency. It was later approved by the Guardian Council, a body tasked with vetting legislation, before a final ratification from the presidency. Iranian President "Masoud Pezeshkian promulgated the law suspending cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency", state TV said on Wednesday. Iranian officials have sharply criticized the IAEA for what they described as the agency's "silence" in the face of the Israeli and US attacks on Iranian nuclear sites. Tehran has also lambasted the agency for a resolution adopted on June 12 that accuses Iran of non-compliance with its nuclear obligations. Iranian officials said the resolution was among the "excuses" for the Israeli attacks. Iran has rejected a request from the IAEA's chief, Rafael Grossi, to visit nuclear facilities bombed during the war. Earlier this week, Pezeshkian decried Grossi's "destructive" conduct, while France, Germany and Britain have condemned unspecified "threats" against the IAEA chief. Iran's ultra-conservative Kayhan newspaper has recently claimed that documents showed Grossi was an Israeli spy and should be executed. Iran has said Grossi's request to visit the bombarded sites signaled "malign intent", but insisted there were no threats against him or against inspectors from his agency. On Monday, Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said the parliament vote to halt cooperation with the IAEA reflected the "concern and anger of the Iranian public opinion".The 12-day war began when Israel launched a major bombing campaign on Iran and killed top military commanders and nuclear scientists, with Tehran responding with waves of missiles and drones launched at Israel. On June 22, Israel's ally the United States launched unprecedented strikes of its own on Iranian nuclear facilities at Fordo, Isfahan and Natanz. More than 900 people were killed in Iran, according to the judiciary. Iran's retaliatory attacks killed 28 people in Israel, according to authorities. U.S. President Donald Trump said the U.S. attacks had "obliterated" Iran's nuclear program, though the extent of the damage was not clear. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has admitted "serious" damage to nuclear sites. But in a recent interview with CBS Evening News, he said: "One cannot obliterate the technology and science... through bombings." Israel and some Western countries say Iran has sought nuclear weapons -- an ambition Tehran has consistently denied.

Hezbollah reportedly preparing its own response to US paper
Naharnet/July 02/2025 
Hezbollah is waiting to receive a copy of the Lebanese paper that is being prepared by President Joseph Aoun, Speaker Nabih Berri and PM Nawaf Salam in response to the paper submitted by U.S. envoy Tom Barrack, informed political sources said.
The Lebanese response will consider the current government’s Ministerial Statement as “a Lebanese acknowledgment of the monopolization of arms in the hands of the state” and will demand that Israel stop its strikes and release the Lebanese captives, the sources told ad-Diyar newspaper. The sources also revealed that a panel formed by Hezbollah is about to finalize its own “paper,” which will be “more than mere remarks or amendments, but rather a complete paper detailing Hezbollah’s stance on the points mentioned in the U.S. paper.”Hezbollah’s stance “will stress that Lebanon has committed and implemented what it had pledged to do” and will “reject any attempts aimed at passing a new agreement that replaces the November 27 agreement,” the sources added.

Details of US envoy's proposal for Lebanon revealed
Naharnet/July 02/2025 
A high-ranking political source, familiar with ongoing talks, has confirmed to al-Joumhouria newspaper that U.S. envoy Tom Barrack's six-page paper presented to Lebanon focuses on Hezbollah's disarmament, as well as that of other factions, and Lebanon's relationship with Syria, including border demarcation. The document also emphasizes the implementation of financial reforms as a prerequisite for reconstruction, in exchange for Israel's complete withdrawal and cessation of violations, including assassinations against Hezbollah commanders and members. The source revealed that the document also proposes a new path, facilitated by the United Nations, to resolve the issue of Lebanese prisoners held by Israel. The paper also contains two options for Lebanon to choose from according to the source. The first option calls for President Joseph Aoun and Speaker Nabih Berri to secure a commitment from Hezbollah to implement the proposal's provisions. The second option calls for Cabinet to unanimously issue a resolution adopting the proposal, which Hezbollah would fully and officially endorse. Although the document does not specify a deadline, the source said Barrack mentioned a four-month timeline for achieving arms monopoly in the hands of the state across Lebanon, not only south of the Litani River. This would involve disarming all unauthorized militias, with the entire agreement to be implemented by the end of the current year, al-Joumhouria reported.

Report: Hezbollah wants real defense strategy before handing over arms
Naharnet/July 02/2025
Hezbollah has a “different approach” regarding the paper that has been submitted by U.S. envoy Tom Barrack to Lebanon, al-Liwaa newspaper reported on Tuesday.
“Hezbollah is linking the fate of its arms to reaching a real defense strategy and it believes that there is no need to rush to giving up the card of strength that is in Lebanon’s hand before compelling Israel to implement its part of the ceasefire agreement,” the daily said.
The Iran-backed group sees that “the priority is withdrawal from the five points, halting the attacks, delineating the land border and releasing the captives, in addition to the reconstruction file,” al-Liwaa added, quoting unnamed sources.

FM Rajji says Syria ready to cooperate for land border demarcation
Naharnet/July 02/2025
Syria is now ready to work on land demarcation with Lebanon, Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji said Tuesday. Rajji said Lebanon has received "secret documents" from France of a French demarcation of the Lebanese-Syrian border that would help the two countries demarcate their land borders. "The new Syrian administration recognizes Lebanon as an independent state, unlike previous administrations especially the Bashar al-Assad regime," Rajji said.

Lebanon’s banking association welcomes central bank decision enforcing equal treatment of depositors
LBCI/July 02/2025
The Association of Banks in Lebanon (ABL) on Wednesday expressed strong support for the central bank’s new decision requiring all banks operating in Lebanon to strictly adhere to the principle of equal treatment of depositors. The statement came in response to Decision No. 13729, issued on July 1, 2025, under Circular No. 169 by the Governor of the Banque du Liban (BDL). The decision instructs banks to comply fully with equality principles set out in the central bank’s circulars—measures that, according to BDL, aim to safeguard all depositors’ rights pending a broader financial solution currently under development in coordination with relevant authorities. ABL welcomed the move, describing it not as a mechanism to shield banks—as alleged by critics—but rather as a protective step for all depositors, without discrimination or favoritism based on individual financial standing or influence. The association further described the decision as the first concrete step toward justice and equality in the context of Lebanon’s ongoing systemic financial crisis.

Six years on, Lebanon’s banking crisis deepens without legislative solution
LBCI/July 02/2025
Six years have passed since the onset of Lebanon’s financial crisis, yet no legislation has been enacted to regulate the ongoing disorder in the banking sector. During this time, major depositors have filed lawsuits abroad in an effort to force banks to release millions of dollars in frozen funds. Meanwhile, smaller depositors — whose savings remain trapped — lack the resources to pursue similar legal action overseas. In response, Banque du Liban (BDL) issued a new circular prohibiting banks in Lebanon from paying out funds tied to foreign court rulings related to accounts frozen before the 2019 crisis unless explicitly approved by the central bank. The measure aims to preserve what remains of liquidity in the banking system, address disparities in the treatment of depositors, and bring a degree of order to the sector—this is what the central bank governor communicated to the finance minister. Still, the governor’s move is no substitute for long-overdue structural reforms — specifically, the financial gap law and the banking sector restructuring law. Both are expected to be passed by Parliament before the end of summer, ahead of a planned visit by an International Monetary Fund (IMF) delegation to Beirut. The talks have also included pending appointments for BDL vice governors and the Banking Control Commission — positions that require urgent action.

The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on July 02-03/2025
Iran’s president orders country to suspend cooperation with UN nuclear watchdog IAEA
Jon Gambrell/The Associated Press/July 2, 2025
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran’s president on Wednesday ordered the country to suspend its cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency after American and Israeli airstrikes hit its most-important nuclear facilities, likely further limiting inspectors' ability to track Tehran's program that had been enriching uranium to near weapons-grade levels. The order by President Masoud Pezeshkian included no timetables or details about what that suspension would entail. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi signaled in a CBS News interview that Tehran still would be willing to continue negotiations with the United States. “I don’t think negotiations will restart as quickly as that,” Araghchi said, referring to U.S. President Donald Trump's comments that talks could start as early as this week. However, he added: “The doors of diplomacy will never slam shut.”
Pressure tactic
Iran has limited IAEA inspections in the past as a pressure tactic in negotiating with the West — though as of right now Tehran has denied that there's any immediate plans to resume talks with the United States that had been upended by the 12-day Iran-Israel war. Iranian state television announced Pezeshkian's order, which followed a law passed by Iran’s parliament to suspend that cooperation. The bill already received the approval of Iran's constitutional watchdog, the Guardian Council, on Thursday, and likely the support of the country's Supreme National Security Council, which Pezeshkian chairs. “The government is mandated to immediately suspend all cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency under the Treaty on the Nonproliferation of Nuclear Weapons and its related Safeguards Agreement,” state television quoted the bill as saying. "This suspension will remain in effect until certain conditions are met, including the guaranteed security of nuclear facilities and scientists.”It wasn’t immediately clear what that would mean for the Vienna-based IAEA, the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog. The agency long has monitored Iran’s nuclear program and said that it was waiting for an official communication from Iran on what the suspension meant. A diplomat with knowledge of IAEA operations, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the situation in Iran, said that IAEA inspectors were still there after the announcement and hadn’t been told by the government to leave.
Israel condemns the move
Iran's decision drew an immediate condemnation from Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar. “Iran has just issued a scandalous announcement about suspending its cooperation with the IAEA,” he said in an X post. “This is a complete renunciation of all its international nuclear obligations and commitments.”Saar urged European nations that were part of Iran's 2015 nuclear deal to implement its so-called snapback clause. That would reimpose all U.N. sanctions on it originally lifted by Tehran’s nuclear deal with world powers, if one of its Western parties declares the Islamic Republic is out of compliance with it.
Israel is widely believed to be the only nuclear-armed state in the Middle East, and the IAEA doesn't have access to its weapons-related facilities. Tammy Bruce, a spokesperson for the U.S. State Department, separately said it was “unacceptable that Iran chose to suspend cooperation with the IAEA at a time when it has a window of opportunity to reverse course and choose a path of peace and prosperity.”
Iran's decision stops short of experts' worst fears
Iran's move so far stops short of what experts feared the most. They had been concerned that Tehran, in response to the war, could decide to fully end its cooperation with the IAEA, abandon the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty and rush toward a bomb. That treaty has countries agree not to build or obtain nuclear weapons and allows the IAEA to conduct inspections to verify that countries correctly declared their programs. Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal allowed Iran to enrich uranium to 3.67% — enough to fuel a nuclear power plant, but far below the threshold of 90% needed for weapons-grade uranium. It also drastically reduced Iran’s stockpile of uranium, limited its use of centrifuges and relied on the IAEA to oversee Tehran’s compliance through additional oversight. The IAEA served as the main assessor of Iran's commitment to the deal. But Trump, in his first term in 2018, unilaterally withdrew Washington from the accord, insisting it wasn’t tough enough and didn’t address Iran’s missile program or its support for militant groups in the wider Middle East. That set in motion years of tensions, including attacks at sea and on land. Iran had been enriching up to 60%, a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels. It also has enough of a stockpile to build multiple nuclear bombs, should it choose to do so. Iran has long insisted its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes, but the IAEA, Western intelligence agencies and others say Tehran had an organized weapons program up until 2003.
Suspension comes after Israel, US airstrikes
Israeli airstrikes, which began June 13, decimated the upper ranks of Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guard and targeted its arsenal of ballistic missiles. The strikes also hit Iran’s nuclear sites, which Israel claimed put Tehran within reach of a nuclear weapon. Iran has said the Israeli attacks killed 935 “Iranian citizens,” including 38 children and 102 women. However, Iran has a long history of offering lower death counts around unrest over political considerations. The Washington-based Human Rights Activists group, which has provided detailed casualty figures from multiple rounds of unrest in Iran, has put the death toll at 1,190 people killed, including 436 civilians and 435 security force members. The attacks wounded another 4,475 people, the group said. U.S. intelligence suggests the facilities were “completely obliterated” by the strikes, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell told reporters Wednesday in a briefing, repeating the Trump administration's assertion. He said the operation set back Iran's nuclear program by up to two years. “We destroyed the components they would need to build a bomb,” Parnell said. “We believe Iran’s nuclear capability has been severely degraded.”

Iranian nuclear program degraded by up to two years, Pentagon says
Phil Stewart and Idrees Ali/Reuters/July 2, 2025
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The Pentagon said on Wednesday that U.S. strikes 10 days ago had degraded Iran's nuclear program by up to two years, suggesting the U.S. military operation likely achieved its goals despite a far more cautious initial assessment that leaked to the public. Sean Parnell, a Pentagon spokesman, offered the figure at a briefing to reporters, adding that the official estimate was "probably closer to two years." Parnell did not provide evidence to back up his assessment. "We have degraded their program by one to two years, at least intel assessments inside the Department (of Defense) assess that," Parnell told a news briefing. U.S. military bombers carried out strikes against three Iranian nuclear facilities on June 22 using more than a dozen 30,000-pound (13,600-kg) bunker-buster bombs and more than two dozen Tomahawk land attack cruise missiles.The evolving U.S. intelligence about the impact of the strikes is being closely watched, after President Donald Trump said almost immediately after they took place that Iran's program had been obliterated, language echoed by Parnell at Wednesday's briefing. Such conclusions often take the U.S. intelligence community weeks or more to determine. "All of the intelligence that we've seen (has) led us to believe that Iran's -- those facilities especially, have been completely obliterated," Parnell said. Over the weekend, the head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog, Rafael Grossi, said that Iran could be producing enriched uranium in a few months, raising doubts about how effective U.S. strikes to destroy Tehran's nuclear program have been. Several experts have also cautioned that Iran likely moved a stockpile of near weapons-grade highly enriched uranium out of the deeply buried Fordow site before the strikes and could be hiding it. But U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said last week he was unaware of intelligence suggesting Iran had moved its highly enriched uranium to shield it from U.S. strikes. A preliminary assessment last week from the Defense Intelligence Agency suggested that the strikes may have only set back Iran's nuclear program by months. But Trump administration officials said that assessment was low confidence and had been overtaken by intelligence showing Iran's nuclear program was severely damaged. According to Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, the strikes on the Fordow nuclear site caused severe damage. "No one exactly knows what has transpired in Fordow. That being said, what we know so far is that the facilities have been seriously and heavily damaged," Araqchi said in the interview broadcast by CBS News on Tuesday.

US bombing ‘seriously damaged’ Iran’s Fordow nuclear site, FM says
Reuters/July 02/2025
The US bombing of Iran’s key Fordow nuclear site has “seriously and heavily damaged” the facility, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said in an interview with CBS News.
“No one exactly knows what has transpired in Fordow. That being said, what we know so far is that the facilities have been seriously and heavily damaged,” Araqchi said in the interview broadcast on Tuesday. “The Atomic Energy Organization of the Islamic Republic of Iran... is currently undertaking evaluation and assessment, the report of which will be submitted to the government.”Intercepted Iranian communications downplayed the extent of damage caused by US strikes on Iran’s nuclear program, the Washington Post reported on Sunday, citing four people familiar with classified intelligence circulating within the US government. President Donald Trump has said the strikes “completely and totally obliterated” Iran’s nuclear program, but US officials acknowledge it will take time to form a complete assessment of the damage caused by the US military strikes last weekend.

Gulf diplomacy with Iran helped limit conflict with Israel, Middle East experts say
Jonathan Lessware/rab News/July 02, 2025
LONDON: Improved relations between Arab Gulf countries and Iran helped contain the recent conflict with Israel, Middle East experts said on Wednesday during a discussion about regional developments.
Israel attacked Iran on June 13 with airstrikes targeting its nuclear program and military sites. Iran retaliated during the 12-day conflict by launching salvos of missiles toward Israeli cities. Many feared the war might escalate, dragging in other countries in the region, especially after the US joined the airstrikes on June 22 by dropping bombs on key Iranian nuclear sites. While Iran did retaliate against the US by attacking Al-Udeid airbase in Qatar on June 23, President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire two days later, and Iran has refrained from attacking other US targets in the region.
When the war started, Gulf countries condemned Israel’s attacks on Iran and called for deescalation. There has been a shift in the region in recent years away from an adversarial relationship with Iran to one of more pragmatic relations, cemented by a Chinese-brokered agreement between Riyadh and Tehran in March 2023.
“That reintegration of Iran into the Gulf security complex has played a really prominent role in preventing this from getting out of hand,” Simon Mabon, a professor of international politics and director of the SEPAD peace and conflict research center at Lancaster University, said during a discussion about developments in the Middle East this year.This approach showed Gulf states building a regional security architecture from the inside that is “inclusive,” he added. It is viewed as a more “pragmatic and more sustainable way of building a longer-term form of prosperity,” and the approach speaks to Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 reforms program and the economic pragmatism of Gulf states, he added during the online event organized by SEPAD and the Foreign Policy Centre in London. Eyad Alrefai, a lecturer in political science at King Abdulaziz University in Jeddah and a SEPAD fellow, said the efforts to forge new relationships between Gulf countries and Iran meant that the nations had been able to “manage their differences diplomatically,” and this included economic issues. There had been less Iranian interference in the domestic affairs of GCC countries, and also in the wider Arab region, he added. This included Iran’s decision not to get involved in Syria when President Bashar Assad, an Iranian ally, was removed from power by opposition fighters in December last year. The West’s position on the Iran-Israel conflict, largely seen to be one of support of Israel, was symptomatic of the fact that those countries continue to adopt a “tactical” outlook toward the region rather than a strategic one, Alrefai said. He urged those countries to engage with the Middle East as a socioeconomic, sustainable project moving forward. If the truce between Iran and Israel continues to hold, many see the end of the brief war as a potential opportunity for more stability in the region. Lina Khatib, an associate fellow at Chatham House’s Middle East and North Africa Program, said there was “a real possibility for an integrated economic and security and political partnership” to emerge. She said a weakened Iran also opens up the chance to restart the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.Trump said on Tuesday that Israel had agreed to the terms of a 60-day ceasefire in Gaza, where more than 57,000 Palestinians have been killed during a devastating military campaign launched by Israeli authorities in response to the Hamas-led attacks against Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, during which 1,200 people were killed and dozens taken hostage. Khatib said a shift in domestic Israeli politics, with pressure from Trump, could reopen a pathway toward a long-term agreement between Israel and Palestine. This would also lead to further normalization of relations between Israel and Arab countries, she added. “This will in turn encourage the flow of funding to places like Lebanon and Syria for reconstruction, which could only be good news for these countries economically, but also will help with stability,” Khatib said.
“Having a stable region is very much in the interest of countries in the Gulf as well.”Clive Jones, a professor of regional security and director of the Institute for Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies at Durham University, said Israel had scored a huge win against Iran but ran the risk of failing to convert it into a diplomatic opportunity. “The challenge for Israel now is how you actually cash in those military gains for diplomatic advantage,” he said. “I think Israel is actually missing a huge opportunity, for example by not engaging more proactively with the new regime in Syria.”
He said Israel’s reliance on its military superiority would not be enough to secure long-term security.

Trump urges Hamas to accept 'final proposal' for 60-day Gaza ceasefire
Steve Holland and Matt Spetalnick/Reuters/July 01/2025
WASHINGTON, July 1 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump urged Iran-backed Hamas militants on Tuesday to agree to what he called a "final proposal" for a 60-day ceasefire with Israel in Gaza that will be delivered by mediating officials from Qatar and Egypt. In a social media post, Trump said his representatives had a "long and productive" meeting with Israeli officials about Gaza. He did not identify his representatives but U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance had been due to meet Ron Dermer, a senior adviser to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Trump said Israel has agreed to the conditions to finalize a 60-day ceasefire, "during which time we will work with all parties to end the War." He said representatives for Qatar and Egypt will deliver "this final proposal" to Hamas. "I hope, for the good of the Middle East, that Hamas takes this Deal, because it will not get better — IT WILL ONLY GET WORSE. Thank you for your attention to this matter!" he said.
Trump told reporters earlier in the day that he is hopeful that a ceasefire-for-hostages agreement can be achieved next week between Israel and Hamas militants in Gaza. He is set to meet Netanyahu at the White House on Monday.
Hamas has said it is willing to free remaining hostages, opens new tab in Gaza under any deal to end the war, while Israel says it can only end if Hamas is disarmed and dismantled. Hamas refuses to lay down its arms. The war in Gaza was triggered when Hamas-led militants attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, according to Israeli tallies. [1/2]U.S. President Donald Trump meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, U.S., April 7, 2025. REUTERS/Kevin Mohatt/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab The two sides have shown little sign of a readiness to budge from their entrenched positions. The U.S. has proposed a 60-day ceasefire and the release of half the hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners and the remains of other Palestinians.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said earlier this week Israel has agreed to a U.S.-proposed 60-day ceasefire and hostage deal, and put the onus on Hamas.
Trump and his aides appear to be seeking to use any momentum from U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran nuclear sites, as well as a ceasefire that took hold last week in that conflict, to secure a lasting truce in the war in Gaza. Trump told reporters during a visit to Florida that he would be "very firm" with Netanyahu on the need for a speedy Gaza ceasefire while noting that the Israeli leader wants one as well. "We hope it's going to happen. And we're looking forward to it happening sometime next week," he told reporters. "We want to get the hostages out."Gaza's health ministry says Israel's post-Oct. 7 military assault has killed over 56,000 Palestinians. The assault has also caused a hunger crisis, internally displaced Gaza's entire population and prompted accusations of genocide at the International Court of Justice and of war crimes at the International Criminal Court. Israel denies the accusations.

Iranian Hacker Group Threatens to Release Trove of Emails from Top Aides to Trump
FDD- Flash Brief/July 02/2025
Latest Developments
Hackers Threaten Email Leaks From Trump Aides: Iranian hackers are threatening to leak private emails obtained from top aides to President Donald Trump, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) warned. “This is a calculated smear campaign meant to damage President Trump and discredit honorable public servants who serve our country with distinction,” CISA Director of Public Affairs Marci McCarthy stated on X. The hacker group, which calls itself “Robert,” claimed that it had approximately 100 gigabytes of emails from accounts of close Trump aides, including Susie Wiles, the White House chief of staff, Lindsey Halligan, a lawyer who serves as the president’s special assistant, and Roger Stone, a political consultant who has long advised the president.
Hackers Resumed Activity After Hiatus: Representatives of “Robert” told Reuters that they were organizing a sale of the emails to “broadcast this matter.” The group resumed its activities in the wake of the U.S. bombing of Iran’s nuclear facilities, following months of silence after the 2024 presidential election. The group released a portion of the emails to journalists prior to the election in an effort to derail Trump’s campaign. In September 2024, a Justice Department indictment linked the hacks to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, naming Iranian nationals Masoud Jalili, Seyyed Ali Aghamiri, and Yasar Balaghi.
U.S. Agencies Warn of Iranian Cyberattacks: The FBI and other U.S. federal agencies released a bulletin on June 30 warning that Iranian regime-affiliated hacking groups still seek to target and disrupt critical infrastructure systems in the United States, which may include utilities, transportation, and economic hubs. The bulletin stated that American defense companies, particularly those with relationships to Israeli research and defense firms, are at an increased risk. Iran-aligned groups have so far unsuccessfully targeted American banks, defense contractors, and energy companies.
FDD Expert Response
“Cyberattacks provide the Islamic Republic with a low-cost, high-visibility tool to retaliate against the United States for its strikes on Iran’s nuclear weapons facilities. Iranian cyber operations have continued unabated regardless of whether U.S. administrations are negotiating nuclear deals or imposing sanctions over the regime’s support for terrorism. State-backed hackers and pro-regime hackers use cyber-enabled influence campaigns and attacks on American entities to undermine U.S. national security and public health and safety.” — Annie Fixler, Director of FDD’s Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation (CCTI) and Senior Fellow
“Investigations of Iran’s retaliation in cyberspace to U.S. strikes on its nuclear facilities have focused on cyberattacks against companies and critical infrastructure. Cyber-enabled influence operations provide another vector of attack that would not likely warrant a severe response. This was not the first hack-and-leak conducted by Iran against Trump and may not be the last.” — Max Lesser, Senior Analyst on Emerging Threats

‘We Still Need More Time’: Iranian Foreign Minister Dismisses Trump’s Claim of Imminent Negotiations
FDD- Flash Brief/July 02/2025
Latest Developments
Too Soon for Iran to Restart Talks: Iran is not ready to resume negotiations with the United States despite President Donald Trump’s statement that he expects discussions to begin this week. “I don’t think negotiations will restart as quickly as that,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said. “In order for us to decide to reengage, we will have to first ensure that America will not revert back to targeting us in a military attack during the negotiations, and I think with all these considerations, we still need more time.”‘They Are Always So Angry’: Trump, who has been targeted for assassination in a fatwa, or religious edict, issued by Iran’s top cleric, suspended the possible removal of some sanctions on Iran after Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei declared victory over Israel and claimed that Tehran had “slapped” the United States “in the face.” In his first televised speech since the war, Khamenei also threatened that “the enemy — the aggressor — will definitely pay a heavy price” for future strikes on Iran. “They are always so angry, hostile, and unhappy, and look at what it has gotten them – A burned out, blown up Country, with no future, a decimated Military, a horrible Economy, and DEATH all around them,” Trump responded in a post on Truth Social. EU Urges Negotiations: EU Foreign Policy Chief Kaja Kallas urged Iran to immediately restart negotiations over its nuclear program in a phone call with Araghchi after he had condemned the “destructive approach” taken by “some European countries” and International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Grossi toward Iran. Kallas also called on Iran to lower tensions by reconsidering withdrawing from the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty. Likewise, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani has offered Rome as a venue for talks to reopen dialogue between Iran and the United States.
FDD Expert Response
“The regime in Tehran is weak and at an impasse. Its best hope for survival is to buy time — exploiting isolationist currents in parts of Washington — in order to regain its strength. Today, there is a unique opportunity to establish a stable, pro-American order in the Middle East, reduce Washington’s direct military footprint in the region, and consequently pivot to Asia from a position of strength. But achieving that requires finishing the job in Tehran and bringing an end to the Islamic Republic.” — Saeed Ghasseminejad, Senior Iran and Financial Economics Advisor
“This is no moment for de-escalation, not when unprecedented leverage has been built against the regime. For Tehran, direct negotiations serve as a tactic to manipulate Washington’s calculations and stall for time, especially in the wake of the heavy losses it endured. Meanwhile, the regime’s public messaging leaves little doubt about its intent to assassinate Trump.” — Janatan Sayeh, Research Analyst

New normalization push could reshape the Middle East—with Syria and Lebanon on the radar
LBCI/July 02, 2025
These aren't assumptions but rather a roadmap actively pursued by the U.S. president and the Israeli prime minister for normalization in the Middle East, according to Israel's Channel 14. Trump's ambition to end global wars—long predating his presidency—is no secret. Not out of altruism but because of the potential political and economic benefits for Washington and its allies. The normalization effort began during Trump's first term, taking shape through the Abraham Accords, which established ties between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and later Morocco.
Now, several other regional countries are expected to join the effort. According to the Israeli report, Syria is expected to be one of the first, alongside Turkey, which already maintains diplomatic relations with Israel. Israel seeks a shift in Turkey's rhetoric—especially since the country was not included on the maps Netanyahu presented at the United Nations under the themes of "the blessing" and "the curse."As for Syria, the report says President Ahmed al-Sharaa is less interested in ending the war in Gaza than in lifting U.S. sanctions on his country. Trump has reportedly already decided to lift those sanctions amid talks over restoring diplomatic ties between Damascus and Tel Aviv. Securing Saudi Arabia's participation in the accords is a top priority for Trump, given the kingdom's regional and global influence. Riyadh has repeatedly said it will not consider normalization without two conditions: a two-state solution and a ceasefire in Gaza. If Saudi Arabia joins, normalization efforts may extend beyond the Middle East to countries such as Indonesia—the world's largest Muslim-majority nation—which recently elected a pro-Western government. For Pakistan, the second-largest Muslim-majority country, normalization would face significant hurdles. These include the country's strong Islamist factions and the close ties between Israel and Pakistan's rival, India. In Lebanon's case, the channel describes the situation as more complex, largely dependent on the disarmament of Hezbollah. Amid these shifts, a new regional reality appears to be taking shape—one driven by Washington and Tel Aviv—while the people of the Middle East watch the normalization process unfold, uncertain whether it brings peace or paves the way for a different kind of conflict.

Israel says it’s serious about reaching ceasefire, cites positive signs
Reuters/July 02, 2025
TALLINN: Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said on Wednesday that his country was serious about reaching a deal with the Palestinian Hamas group to end the war in Gaza and return the hostages held there to Israel. US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that Israel had accepted the conditions needed to finalize a 60-day ceasefire with Hamas after what he called a “long and productive” meeting of his representatives with Israeli officials. At a press conference in the Estonian capital Tallinn, Saar said: “We are serious in our will to reach a hostage deal and a ceasefire. We said yes to (US) special envoy (Steve) Witkoff’s proposals. “There are some positive signs. I don’t want to say more than that right now. But our goal is to begin proximity talks as soon as possible,” said Saar, who spoke after holding talks with Estonia’s Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna.
“But it must be clear: Hamas is not only responsible for initiating this war on October 7 (2023). It is responsible also for its continuation. Pressure must be applied on Hamas. The international community must now back the American initiatives. It must shatter any illusions that Hamas may have,” he said. In a statement on Wednesday, Hamas said it was studying new ceasefire offers it received from the mediators Egypt and Qatar but stressed it aimed to reach an agreement that would ensure an end to the war and an Israeli pullout from Gaza.

Hamas says open to Gaza truce but stops short of accepting Trump-backed proposal
AP/July 02, 2025
CAIRO: Hamas suggested Wednesday that it was open to a ceasefire agreement with Israel, but stopped short of accepting a US-backed proposal announced by President Donald Trump hours earlier, insisting on its longstanding position that any deal bring an end to the war in Gaza. Trump said Tuesday that Israel had agreed on terms for a 60-day ceasefire in Gaza and urged Hamas to accept the deal before conditions worsen. The US leader has been increasing pressure on the Israeli government and Hamas to broker a ceasefire, and hostage agreement and bring about an end to the war.
Trump said the 60-day period would be used to work toward ending the war — something Israel says it won’t accept until Hamas is defeated. He said that a deal might come together as soon as next week. But Hamas’ response, which emphasized its demand that the war end, raised questions about whether the latest offer could materialize into an actual pause in fighting. Hamas official Taher Al-Nunu said that the militant group was “ready and serious regarding reaching an agreement.”He said Hamas was “ready to accept any initiative that clearly leads to the complete end to the war.”A Hamas delegation is expected to meet with Egyptian and Qatari mediators in Cairo on Wednesday to discuss the proposal, according to an Egyptian official. The official spoke on condition of anonymity, because he wasn’t authorized to discuss the talks with the media.
Israel and Hamas disagree on how the war should end
Throughout the nearly 21-month-long war, ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas have repeatedly faltered over whether the war should end as part of any deal.
Hamas has said that it’s willing to free the remaining 50 hostages, less than half of whom are said to be alive, in exchange for a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and an end to the war. Israel says it will only agree to end the war if Hamas surrenders, disarms and exiles itself, something the group refuses to do. An Israeli official said that the latest proposal calls for a 60-day deal that would include a partial Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and a surge in humanitarian aid to the territory. The mediators and the US would provide assurances about talks to end the war, but Israel isn’t committing to that as part of the latest proposal, the official said. The official wasn’t authorized to discuss the details of the proposed deal with the media and spoke on condition of anonymity. It wasn’t clear how many hostages would be freed as part of the agreement, but previous proposals have called for the release of about 10. Israel has yet to publicly comment on Trump’s announcement. On Monday, Trump is set to host Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House, days after Ron Dermer, a senior Netanyahu adviser, held discussions with top US officials about Gaza, Iran and other matters.
Trump issues another warning
On Tuesday, Trump wrote on social media that Israel had “agreed to the necessary conditions to finalize the 60 Day CEASEFIRE, during which time we will work with all parties to end the War.”“I hope, for the good of the Middle East, that Hamas takes this Deal, because it will not get better — IT WILL ONLY GET WORSE,” he said. Trump’s warning may find a skeptical audience with Hamas. Even before the expiration of the war’s longest ceasefire in March, Trump has repeatedly issued dramatic ultimatums to pressure Hamas to agree to longer pauses in the fighting that would see the release of more hostages and a return of more aid for Gaza’s civilians. Still, Trump views the current moment as a potential turning point in the brutal conflict that has left more than 56,000 dead in the Palestinian territory. The Gaza Health Ministry doesn’t differentiate between civilians and combatants in its death count, but says that more than half of the dead are women and children. Since dawn Wednesday, Israeli strikes killed a total of 40 people across the Gaza Strip, the Health Ministry said. Hospital officials said four children and seven women were among the dead. The Israeli military, which blames Hamas for the civilian casualties because it operates from populated areas, was looking into the reports. The war began on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking roughly 250 hostages. The war has left the coastal Palestinian territory in ruins, with much of the urban landscape flattened in the fighting. More than 90 percent of Gaza’s 2.3 million population has been displaced, often multiple times. And the war has sparked a humanitarian crisis in Gaza, pushing hundreds of thousands of people toward hunger.

Saudi FM discusses regional developments in call with US secretary of state
Arab News/July 02, 2025
RIYADH: Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan held a phone call with his US counterpart State Marco Rubio on Wednesday, Saudi Press Agency reported. During the call, Prince Faisal and Rubio reviewed US-Saudi relations and ways to enhance the strategic partnership between their countries. The latest regional and international developments were also discussed.

UK lawmakers approve ban of Palestine Action as terrorist group
Reuters/July 02, 2025
LONDON: British lawmakers voted on Wednesday to ban pro-Palestinian campaign group Palestine Action as a terrorist organization, after its activists broke into a military base and damaged two planes in protest at what it says is Britain’s support for Israel.
Palestine Action, which describes itself as a direct action movement that uses disruptive methods, has routinely targeted companies in Britain with links to Israel, including Israeli defense firm Elbit Systems, which it has called its “main target.”Britain’s Labour government accused the group of causing millions of pounds of damage through action at a Thales factory in 2022, an Elbit site last year and at the Royal Air Force base in southern England last month — the trigger for the decision to ban, or proscribe, the group. Proscription would officially designate Palestine Action as a terrorist organization on a par with Daesh or Al-Qaeda under British law, making it a crime to support or belong to the groups. Britain’s proscription order will reach parliament’s upper chamber, the House of Lords, on Thursday. If approved by lawmakers there, Palestine Action’s ban would become effective in the following days. The group, which has called its proscription unjustified and an “abuse of power,” has challenged the decision in court and an urgent hearing is expected on Friday. United Nations experts appointed by the UN Human Rights Council have urged Britain to reconsider its move, arguing that acts of property damage without the intention to endanger life should not be considered terrorism. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, Britain’s interior minister, says that violence and criminal damage have no place in legitimate protest, and that a zero-tolerance approach was necessary for national security. On Tuesday, the group said its activists had blocked the entrance to an Elbit site in Bristol, southwestern England, and that other members had occupied the rooftop of a subcontracting firm in Suffolk, eastern England, it said had links to Elbit. Israel has repeatedly denied committing abuses in its war in Gaza, which began after Palestinian militant group Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023.In addition to Palestine Action, the proscription order approved by Britain’s parliament includes neo-Nazi group Maniacs Murder Cult and the Russian Imperial Movement, a white supremacist group which seeks to create a new Russian imperial state.
The vote on the three groups was taken together, meaning all three had to be banned or none of them.

Syria state media says talk of peace deal with Israel ‘premature’
AFP/July 02, 2025
DAMASCUS: Syrian state media reported Wednesday that statements on signing a peace deal with Israel were “premature,” days after Israel said it was interested in striking a normalization agreement with Damascus. “Statements concerning signing a peace agreement with the Israeli occupation at this time are considered premature,” state TV reported an unidentified official source as saying. “It is not possible to talk of the possibility of negotiations over a new agreement unless the occupation fully adheres the 1974 disengagement agreement and withdraws from the areas it has penetrated,” it added. On Monday, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said his country had an “interest in adding countries, Syria and Lebanon, our neighbors, to the circle of peace and normalization while safeguarding Israel’s essential and security interests.” The statement came amid major shifts in the region’s power dynamics, including the fall of longtime Syrian ruler Bashar Assad in December and the weakening of his ally Lebanese armed group Hezbollah after its latest war with Israel. Syria’s new Islamist authorities have confirmed they held indirect talks with Israel to reduce tensions. Since Assad’s ouster, Israel has repeatedly bombed targets inside Syria while Israeli troops have entered the UN-patrolled buffer zone along the 1974 armistice line on the Golan Heights and carried out incursions deeper into southern Syria. Interim President Ahmed Al-Sharaa has repeatedly said Damascus does not seek conflict with its neighbors, asking the international community to pressure Israel into stopping its attacks. Syria has said that the goal of ongoing negotiations is the reimplementation of the 1974 armistice between the two countries. Saar insisted that the Golan Heights, much of which Israel seized 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. Control of the strategic plateau has long been a source of tension between Israel and Syria, which are technically still at war.

EU’s von der Leyen to face no confidence vote
AFP/July 02, 2025
BRUSSELS: European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen will face a no-confidence vote put forward by far-right MEPs on July 10 — although it is likely to fail.
The motion delivered to the European Parliament’s plenary session Wednesday reached the minimum requirement of 72 signatures to set a date for the vote. MEPs will debate the motion on Monday in Strasbourg ahead of the vote the following Thursday. Initiating the move, far-right Romanian MEP Gheorghe Piperea criticized a lack of transparency from von der Leyen related to text message exchanges with Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla during the Covid pandemic, when the bloc was negotiating the purchase of vaccines. Their exchange has spurred complaints from numerous anti-vaccine groups, as well as the New York Times, which sought access to the messages in question. Piperea meanwhile also accused the European Commission of “interference” in Romania’s presidential election that saw nationalist George Simion lose to pro-European Nicusor Dan. Chances of von der Leyen losing the no confidence vote are slim. Piperea’s own political group ECR has already distanced itself from the motion. “It’s not an initiative of our group,” an ECR spokesperson said. For the motion to succeed, it would require an absolute majority — at least 361 of the 720 votes.

‘Path to Stability and Peace’: White House Terminates Most Sanctions on Syria
FDD- Flash Brief/July 02/2025
Latest Developments
Syria Sanctions Terminated: The Trump administration issued an executive order officially lifting most of the U.S. sanctions imposed on Syria. The order is intended to “promote and support the country’s path to stability and peace” and 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.” President Donald Trump announced his intention to lift the sanctions — which were imposed on the regime of former Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad — after meeting with interim Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Saudi Arabia in May.
‘Open the Door to Development’: Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani stated that the move will “open the door of long-awaited reconstruction and development.” The sanctions termination ends the comprehensive sanctions regime on Syria, including those imposed during the George W. Bush administration, and eases export control restrictions to allow freer flow of goods into the country. Additionally, the order calls on the administration to review the terrorist designations for Sharaa and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the former al-Qaeda-affiliated Islamist rebel group that Sharaa headed at the time of Assad’s ousting in December 2024. While it leaves intact the “Caesar Act” sanctions against entities that conduct business supporting the Syrian military, intelligence, or other suspect institutions, which can only be repealed by Congress, it allows the State Department to issue waivers if specific criteria are met.
Some Sanctions Remain: The order maintains sanctions on Assad and his associates, “human rights abusers, drug traffickers, persons linked to chemical weapons activities, ISIS or its affiliates, and Iranian proxies.” It also provides the U.S. government with additional authorities to sanction anyone responsible for threatening the United States and its interests or for preventing Syria from becoming “stable, unified, and at peace itself and its neighbors.” The State and Treasury Departments may also impose sanctions on those who attempt to prevent free and fair elections and the development of a government “that is representative and reflects the will of the Syrian people.”
FDD Expert Response
“Mainstream outlets seem to be ignoring the fact that the sanctions rollback also includes new authorities to address ongoing U.S. foreign policy and national security concerns in Syria. The administration deserves credit for including these measures, particularly those targeting anyone who prevents Syria from developing a constitution, holding free and fair elections, and forming a representative government. The question now is whether the administration will aggressively enforce these new tools and hold bad actors to account — including those currently in power.” — Max Meizlish, Senior Research Analyst
“President Trump promised sanctions relief to Syria back in May as an essential step to ease the humanitarian and economic suffering Syrians have endured for the past 14 years. However, the absence of clear conditions tied to this relief for Syria’s new leadership remains a problem. While there have been some positive developments over the past six months, troubling trends have emerged as well — including the integration of foreign jihadists into the Syrian army despite earlier U.S. demands to exclude them — and only limited progress toward political representation.” — Ahmad Sharawi, Research Analyst

Treasury targets Houthi oil revenue, building on US sanctions against the group
Bridget Toomey/| FDD's Long War Journal/July 02/2025
https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2025/07/treasury-targets-houthi-oil-revenue-building-on-us-sanctions-against-the-group.php
In late June, the US Treasury Department levied its largest batch of sanctions against the Houthis, targeting individuals and entities involved in the importation and smuggling of oil and other goods.
“Today’s action—our most significant to date against the group—underscores our commitment to disrupting the Houthis’ financial and shipping pipelines that enable their reckless behavior in the Red Sea and the surrounding region,” Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Michael Faulkender said while announcing the sanctions on June 20. The designation includes 12 companies, three businessmen, the Hodeidah and Al Salif port manager, and vessels connected to the sanctioned companies. This action is part of the Trump administration’s broader efforts to target Houthi financing, which began by re-designating the Houthis as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) on March 4. The FTO designation criminalizes the provision of support of any kind to the terrorist group. The Treasury Department has since sanctioned Houthi leaders, weapons smugglers, financiers, and vessels delivering prohibited commodities to the Houthis. The Trump administration also ended the General License that allowed the continued sale of refined petroleum products to companies in northern Yemen despite sanctions against the Houthis. The prohibition on selling these products went into effect on April 4, 2025.
According to June’s Treasury statement, “The Houthis use a web of trusted companies headquartered in Sana’a and Hudaydah, Yemen to facilitate the sale of oil across Houthi-controlled territory in Yemen, many of which are directly linked to high-ranking Houthi operatives. Houthi leaders charge Yemenis exorbitant prices for oil and oil derivatives, pocketing the proceeds from these sales for personal gain and to fund the group’s militant operations.”
The Houthis collected approximately $4 billion from customs duties on fuel imports from 2022 to 2024, according to the UN Panel of Experts on Yemen. However, the report continued, “Considering other illegal fees and the margin of profit on that, the Houthis’ total income from this sector alone is estimated at 1.34 trillion Yemeni rials during the aforesaid period.” This total is equivalent to approximately $5.5 billion.
In addition to smuggling oil for the Houthis’ profit, multiple companies imported sanctioned Iranian oil. The Treasury Department identified two companies, Royal Plus and Al Usaili Co, as having ties to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC). Royal Plus not only engaged in oil smuggling and sale for the Houthis, but it also facilitated payments for weapons between the Houthis, Russia, and Iran. Black Diamond, a Sanaa-based company, is a key oil smuggler in the Houthis’ revenue-generating scheme. Black Diamond has the capacity to import substantial amounts of oil, which the Houthis have highlighted in discussions with Russian government representatives about potential oil deals. Another company, Star Plus, smuggled dual-use weapons components from Asia for the Yemeni terrorist group, in addition to importing oil.
Multiple companies listed by Treasury, including Black Diamond and Star Plus, are managed by Mohammad Abdulsalam, a key Houthi leader and spokesman based in Oman. Abdulsalam was listed as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist by the United States in early March. In that designation, the Treasury Department said that he “played a key role in managing the Houthis’ internal and external financing network.”
The designation also identified three Houthi-connected businessmen whose companies engage in oil and oil derivative smuggling and sales to generate revenue for the terrorist group. The Treasury also designated vessels that have transported petroleum products despite the updated General License that bans the sale of petroleum products to the Houthis and Houthi-connected entities. The final individual sanctioned in Treasury’s latest action is Zaid al Washli, “the head of the Houthi-aligned port management company, which controls operations at key Houthi-controlled ports, including Hudaydah and Al-Salif.” Treasury said Washli uses his position to enable Houthi weapons procurement and smuggling. Up to 80 percent of Yemen’s imports enter through Hodeida and Al Salif ports, generating substantial revenue for the terrorist group. The Treasury Department previously said, “The Houthis control the strategic Red Sea ports of Hudaydah, Ras Isa, and Al-Salif, funneling millions of dollars derived from port revenue and the seizure of refined petroleum products imported through these ports.” Both the Hodeidah and Al Salif ports have been targeted by American and Israeli airstrikes.
**Bridget Toomey is a research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies focusing on Iranian proxies, specifically Iraqi militias and the Houthis.

The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources on July 02-03/2025
U.S. Should Promote Security Agreement as Precursor to Israel-Syria Normalization
Ahmad Sharawi/FDD.Policy Brief/July 02/2025
Israel and Syria may be inching toward a breakthrough, with ongoing security discussions signaling the potential for a peace agreement after decades of hostility. According to Israeli sources, talks between the two sides have advanced in recent weeks. Syria’s interim leader, Ahmad al-Sharaa, has sought to project openness toward Israel, stating in December that he would “seek no conflict, whether with Israel or anyone else, and we will not allow Syria to be used as a base for such hostilities.”However, reports have indicated that Sharaa has made it clear that Syria will not accept a deal with Israel without the return of the Golan Heights — a nonstarter for Israel. Foreign Minister Gideon Saar has reiterated, “The Golan will remain part of the State of Israel.” Still, both sides may consider a security agreement as a first step, laying the groundwork for broader diplomatic ties and normalization in the future. The Jewish state effectively annexed the Golan Heights in 1981 when it passed a law applying Israeli law over the territory. In 2019, the first Trump administration formally recognized Israeli sovereignty in the Golan.
Syrian Openness to Discussions With Israel
Since the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024, Syrian officials have sought to alleviate Israel’s concerns over the new Islamist leadership. In one of the earliest signs of outreach, Damascus Governor Maher Marwan declared that the “new administration is not fearful of Israel and does not want to ally with any other country against it and does not want to endanger its security.”Despite this initial overture, tensions escalated when Israeli Foreign Minister Saar labeled Syria’s new leaders as “terrorists in suits” and Israel pledged to protect the Druze minority in southern Syria through military intervention. However, the dynamic began to shift following the removal of U.S. sanctions and closer engagement between Washington and Damascus. In May, Israel and Syria held direct talks aimed at reducing tensions. Since then, Israeli airstrikes have become less frequent, though occasional ground incursions have continued, including operations that resulted in the capture of Hamas operatives near the border.
Golan Heights Will Block the Path To Full Normalization for Now
The future of the Golan Heights, a territory under Israeli control since 1967, remains the single most contentious issue blocking any path to normalization or peace between Israel and Syria. For Sharaa, relinquishing Syria’s claim would risk sparking public unrest, echoing past anger directed at former Syrian leaders Hafez and Bashar al-Assad, whom many Syrians accused of abandoning the Golan. For Israel, the Golan holds immense strategic value, as it provides critical water resources and serves as a military buffer. Ceding it would expose Israel to potential threats from the elevated positions in the territory. Although past negotiations, such as those between Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Hafez al-Assad, had contemplated a land-for-peace deal involving the Golan, talks ultimately collapsed over Syrian demands for access to the Sea of Galilee. Israel’s strategic calculus has shifted following the Hamas massacre of October 7, 2023. The Gaza experience has hardened Israeli skepticism toward territorial concessions, and the idea of handing over the Golan to a fragile Syrian administration strikes most Israelis as a dangerous gamble.
Washington Should Back Syria-Israel Security Talks
President Trump has urged Syria to foster closer ties with Israel. Although the process remains in its early stages, the United States can play a crucial role in brokering talks by asking Syria to remove all Palestinian factions operating on its territory that pose a threat to Israel. Washington should also urge Damascus to establish a mechanism to coordinate with Israel on any security threats emanating from southern Syria, including those of Iranian-backed organizations. In areas where Syria cannot act directly, Israeli operations — with Syrian consent — could serve as a practical interim solution. A security framework would lay the foundation for trust-building for future negotiations.
**Ahmad Sharawi is a research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD). For more analysis from Ahmad and FDD, please subscribe HERE. Follow Ahmad on X @AhmadA_Sharawi. Follow FDD on X @FDD. FDD is a Washington, DC-based, nonpartisan research institute focusing on national security and foreign policy.

The Great President Trump's Worst, Terrible, Bad Idea Ever
Lawrence Kadish/Gatestone Institute/Gatestone Institute/July 02/2025
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/21723/trump-qatar-terrible-idea
Qatar's job, if it is part of a consortium controlling the Gaza Strip, will be to make sure that the jihad against Israel continues.
If Egypt is in any way involved in securing the Gaza Strip, it is certain there will be renewed smuggling of weapons and terrorists into Israel through and under the Rafah Crossing. The weapons-and-terrorists industry has always been far too profitable and far too successful at attacking Israel just to give up.
Trump's original plan to make Gaza an American Riviera, together with Israel -- or Israeli sovereignty by itself -- is a far more dependable way to guarantee security. It is, in fact, the only way to ensure that Israel can either defend itself, or has a US shield nearby to deter aggression -- the same way the US stations the forward HQ of Central Command and Air Forces Central Command at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, to protect its survival. If a consortium of Arab countries controls the Gaza Strip, one of those countries is bound to be Qatar. One of Qatar's main reasons for existing is to make sure that radical Islamic organizations stay active and well-funded. It is hard to think of an Islamist terrorist group that has not been a large beneficiary of Qatar -- from ISIS, to al-Qaeda, to the Taliban, not to mention Hamas. There were rumors this week that a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas might ultimately include a consortium of Arab countries taking charge of the Gaza Strip. Unfortunately, hardly anything could be more dangerous than that for the stability of the region. A consortium of Arab countries governing the tiny strip of land next to Israel is, in fact, is a sure-fire recipe for a monstrous conflict just around the corner. This plan will make all the breathtaking achievements of US President Donald J. Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the great US Air Force and the Israel Defense Forces be for naught. The problem: If a consortium of Arab countries controls the Gaza Strip, one of those countries is bound to be Qatar. Qatar will no doubt make sure of that. One of Qatar's main reasons for existing is to make sure that radical Islamic organizations stay active and well-funded. It is hard to think of an Islamist terrorist group that has not been a large beneficiary of Qatar -- from ISIS, to al-Qaeda, to the Taliban, not to mention Hamas. Udi Levy, a former senior official of Israel's Mossad spy agency who dealt with economic warfare against terrorist organizations, stated that "Qatar is at the top of funding terrorism worldwide, even more than Iran."
Levy also said, as quoted by Joseph Puder, director of the Interfaith Taskforce for America and Israel, that "Qatar has conquered Europe."
Puder goes on to note:
"The Qatari regime utilizes its controlled news outlet Al-Jazeera (in English and Arabic) to defame Israel, as well as to promote Hamas and other Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated terror groups. Al-Jazeera employed Hamas terrorists who perpetrated the massacre of Israeli civilians on Oct. 7, 2023....
"Another method by which the Qataris further their influence is by contributing to major American universities and purchasing academic chairs. Huge contributions to top schools like Harvard, Columbia and Cornell rob students of academic free thinking by following an Islamist-inspired imprint in social sciences and the humanities. "Concurrently, student groups such as American Muslims for Palestine and Students for Justice in Palestine receive enormous funding from Qatar enabling them to coordinate massive anti-Israel and anti-Jewish protests and encampments, such as those at Columbia University and other U.S. campuses."[T]he Qatar Foundation International has donated more than $450,000 to Arizona public schools and more than $30 million to public schools nationwide....
"While investing in large American and European enterprises, they are also funding terror against Israel and the West....
"The Gulf state... has used its wealth in nefarious ways by creating a global network that supports the Muslim Brotherhood's aim of making the world the domain of Islam....
"The Trump administration and Congress must take decisive action against the Qataris by demanding full disclosure of all monies received from Qatar by universities and businesses. Universities that continue to allow the funding of violent hate groups, such as Students for Justice in Palestine, must be denied federal funds and prosecuted."
Qatar's job, if it is part of a consortium controlling the Gaza Strip, will be to make sure that the jihad against Israel continues. Another problem: If Egypt is in any way involved in securing the Gaza Strip, it is certain there will be renewed smuggling of weapons and terrorists into Israel through and under the Rafah Crossing. The weapons-and-terrorists industry has always been far too profitable and far too successful at attacking Israel just to give up.Trump's original plan to make Gaza an American Riviera, together with Israel -- or Israeli sovereignty by itself -- is a far more dependable way to guarantee security. It is, in fact, the only way to ensure that Israel can either defend itself, or has a US shield nearby to deter aggression -- the same way the US stations the forward HQ of Central Command and Air Forces Central Command at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, to protect its survival.
Trump is brilliant enough not to be led into a fake-Abrahamic trap.
*Lawrence Kadish serves on the Board of Governors of Gatestone Institute.
© 2025 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.

Syrians have no real hope while remnants of war remain
Sila/Arab News/July 02, 2025
My name is Sila, I’m 17 years old, from Idlib, Syria. I am one of thousands who have lived through the war in all its details — a generation that never knew what safety meant, only smoke, shelling, displacement and fear. But honestly, I didn’t come here today to talk about the war itself. I came to talk about its consequences — about my story with war, about the pain that remains even after the guns fall silent, about a small hope in my heart that there is a better future, God willing. The first moment I remember, I was around three years old. I suddenly woke up to the sound of an explosion, shattered glass on the ground and my parents shouting, “Hurry up.”From that day on, our home became a travel bag and our path became one of displacement. Every time we got used to a place, we left it under shelling. Every time we made a friend, we had to say goodbye and continue our way.
My childhood was filled with fear, anxiety and people I was deprived of — people I shared the best days of my life with. Imagine going to school while hearing the sound of a warplane above your head, not knowing whether you will return home or not.
The danger continues after the war — landmines, unexploded shells and lives turned into death traps. Imagine sitting in class, your body present, but your mind wondering whether the next missile will hit your school, your house … or maybe someone you love.
I heard the sound of bombing and lived through every kind of fear. I lost people I loved deeply and, from that moment on, nothing felt normal in my life. I developed a phobia of any sound that resembles a plane … of the dark … and even of silence.
My cousin went out once to get us bread. I was standing with his sister, watching him from the window. Soon, we heard the sound of fighter jets and an explosion, smoke filled the air, people running in the streets — and my cousin … we never saw him again. It was an extremely difficult moment, and I still haven’t forgotten it. Another time, my aunt’s house was bombed. We ran to her, but they wouldn’t let us get close to the house. At that very moment, our own house was also bombed. The result was that I lost both my aunt and my home — and we continued our journey of displacement. It felt like the bombing was chasing us from house to house. There are so many moments that are engraved in my memory, like the time I was holding my younger brother’s hand, walking down the street, when suddenly a nearby explosion threw us apart. For a moment, I thought I had lost my brother. Those were some of the longest moments of my life. When I found him, I ran to him and hugged him. Even though I was injured, I didn’t feel it — all I cared about was that he was safe, not me.
The war doesn’t end just because the shelling stops. The danger continues after the war — landmines, unexploded shells and lives turned into death traps. A child might see something shiny and run toward it, not knowing it is a landmine. People walking through their land, unaware that death lies beneath their feet. Many lost limbs, or even lives, without ever being part of any battle. Our neighbor’s son, 18 years old, returned to check on their house after displacement. A mine exploded and he lost his hand. Today, I’m here to talk to you about this issue, and I’m not just speaking about it — I’m actively working on it. In the past period, I took training courses with a humanitarian organization and I am currently volunteering as part of an awareness team. We work on awareness campaigns about the risks of war remnants — especially for children. The war must end — not only on maps, but in our streets, in our memories and in our children’s toys. I am trying to be a voice in this field and to deliver the message to as many people as possible. Without removing these remnants of war, there will be no real hope, no real return, no future for us. Now is our time to speak up, to raise our voices and to educate others. I did not come today as a victim. I came as a witness. I came to deliver a message. To speak on behalf of every child who was promised a normal life but couldn’t live it. On behalf of every mother who buried her son and every home that lost its warmth.
I’m standing in front of you today to deliver just one message: the war must end — not only on maps, but in our streets, in our memories and in our children’s toys. God willing, we will be the last generation to live this pain. The last generation to fall asleep to the sound of missiles and wake up to fear.
Thankfully, today, there is a little more safety. Now we can dream, work on ourselves. I can continue my education, achieve my ambitions and support my community and my family. But to make those dreams possible, we need many things — and most importantly, we need opportunity … and we need decisions. We still need your support.
My final message: I am from a generation that survived physically, but our hearts still live in fear. Help us replace the word “displacement” with “return,” the word “rubble” with “home,” and the word “war” with “life.”
Thank you so much for listening. And I hope that the decisions you make today will mean safety tomorrow for every Syrian child dreaming of walking to school without fear.
Sila is an activist from northwest Syria who works with Action for Humanity, a partner of Save the Children, to raise awareness about landmines and unexploded ordnances.
This article is based on a speech Sila gave to the UN Security Council last month as part of the Annual Open Debate on Children and Armed Conflict.

Can BRICS reshape the global financial order?
Dr. John Sfakianakis/Arab News/July 02, 2025
In August 2023, the leaders of the BRICS nations — Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa — gathered in Johannesburg to declare their ambition to rewire the international system. A centerpiece of that ambition was a call to reduce dependence on the US dollar. For some, the idea sounded like deja vu; de-dollarization has been a recurring theme in emerging markets since the early 2000s. But this time, the stakes feel different. Global polarization is intensifying, financial weaponization has become normalized and the credibility of existing multilateral institutions is eroding. Yet, for all the hype, the BRICS project remains deeply flawed and uneven. The notion that BRICS could reshape the global financial order rests more on aspiration than reality. While dollar dominance is indeed being reassessed — not just by geopolitical rivals but also by pragmatic middle powers — building a credible alternative requires more than shared discontent. It demands deep capital markets, interoperable infrastructure, credible institutions and — above all — mutual trust. On all these counts, BRICS is still struggling. The desire to reduce dollar reliance is not simply ideological but a reaction to a financial architecture long shaped by US interests. The 2008 financial crisis exposed the dangers of global dependency on Wall Street. The 2022 sanctions on Russia, which froze hundreds of billions in central bank reserves and cut Moscow off from SWIFT, sent a clear signal to other BRICS members: your assets can be turned into weapons overnight.
The desire to reduce dollar reliance is not simply ideological but a reaction to a financial architecture long shaped by US interests
But does fear translate into capability? Not necessarily. Incremental moves are already underway. China has expanded its Cross-Border Interbank Payment System and accelerated digital yuan pilots across Asia and Africa. India has begun settling some trade in rupees, particularly with Russia and the UAE. Russia is developing Mir and the System for Transfer of Financial Messages to bypass Western financial rails. Brazil and South Africa are exploring fintech-led payment corridors. Yet, taken together, these initiatives remain fragmented, politically fragile and institutionally weak.
The internal contradictions of BRICS are glaring. China’s outsized role in the bloc breeds discomfort among its partners. The yuan remains nonconvertible. India and China are strategic competitors. Russia is economically isolated. Brazil and South Africa are preoccupied with their own fiscal instability. What unites them is not a shared monetary strategy but a defensive impulse — a desire to insulate themselves from the coercive tools of the current system without agreeing on a viable alternative to replace it.
In this respect, the BRICS bloc echoes the spirit of the Non-Aligned Movement of the 1960s — born from frustration with superpower domination, yet too ideologically and strategically diverse to forge a coherent economic alternative. These aspirations are further undercut by a chronic lack of fiscal and data transparency across the bloc, which undermines investor confidence and complicates efforts to build trust in any shared monetary or institutional arrangement.
Moreover, the dollar is not just a medium of exchange — it is an ecosystem. From commodity pricing and bond issuance to foreign exchange markets and central bank reserves, it is woven into the plumbing of global capitalism. Displacing it would require an alternative that is not only politically palatable but technically superior. BRICS is nowhere near delivering that.
The New Development Bank and the Contingent Reserve Arrangement — touted as BRICS’ answer to the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank — have underperformed. Lending volumes are limited. Governance structures are opaque. And the credibility of any shared macroeconomic framework remains questionable in the absence of institutional convergence.
Even digital currencies, often billed as a leapfrog solution, are no silver bullet. China’s e-CNY remains tightly controlled and untested at scale. Interoperability with other BRICS central bank digital currencies remains aspirational. Moreover, few of these economies inspire enough investor confidence to turn their currencies into regional, let alone global, anchors. Displacing the dollar would require an alternative that is not only politically palatable but technically superior
One point bears repeating: the US may well benefit from a credible external challenge. A push from BRICS could serve as a cold slap in the face — forcing America to reckon with the fragility of its own advantages. For too long, dollar dominance has bred complacency. If confronted with a viable challenge, the US could rediscover its competitive edge — leveraging innovation, capital markets and entrepreneurial dynamism to future-proof its leadership. But let’s be clear: BRICS is not that challenge yet. It is a concept in search of coherence — a geopolitical brand lacking operational capacity. Its declarations are bold but its execution remains underwhelming. The underutilization of the New Development Bank, for example, is telling: with lending volumes far below expectations and project delivery uneven, the institution reflects the broader gap between BRICS’ ambitions and its administrative muscle. As for the Gulf states and other middle powers watching this evolution, caution — not commitment — is the prudent course. Strategic hedging makes sense. Deepening financial links with BRICS, especially through trade settlement, infrastructure finance and digital innovation, is worth exploring. But abandoning the Western-led system is neither practical nor desirable. The future is hybrid. Gulf countries will continue to invest the bulk of their sovereign assets in Western markets, manage reserves in dollars and euros, and rely on Western institutions for legal recourse and financial stability. Take Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, for instance: despite deepening ties with China and India, 40 percent of its portfolio remains invested in the US — across equities, tech, infrastructure and real estate. Engagement with BRICS must be pragmatic, flexible and bounded by clear-eyed realism.
The global financial order is evolving — but slowly and with considerable friction. The shift from sterling to the dollar took decades and two world wars. Even the EU, despite decades of political and economic integration and the introduction of the euro, continues to wrestle with internal divisions and incomplete fiscal unity. This ongoing struggle underscores how extraordinarily difficult it is to build a credible alternative currency system. The notion that a loosely stitched alliance of emerging economies can replicate such a transformation — absent deep coordination, robust institutions and global trust — is, at best, premature and, at worst, a triumph of hope over infrastructure.
If BRICS truly wants to reshape the financial order, it must start by getting its own house in order. Until then, it will remain more a rhetorical vehicle than a real force for monetary transformation.
**Dr. John Sfakianakis is Chief Economist at the Gulf Research Center and Chief Global Strategist at the Paratus Group.

The Middle East model for land restoration
Nizar Haddad/Arab News/July 02, 2025
At a time when political instability dominates the Middle East and North Africa region, climate change, floods and fires tend to get less attention than usual. And the problems of desertification and droughts become almost forgotten. But this neglect is not only unjustified, it is dangerous. While desertification and droughts are slow-moving and less dramatic than wars, floods and fires, they are just as devastating. Just ask the more than 500 million people living in the MENA region who must cope with them each day.
Whereas healthy land produces food, retains water, absorbs carbon and supports livelihoods, degraded land does not. And from the Atlas Mountains to the Tigris-Euphrates river valley, the MENA region features some of the driest — and most rapidly degrading — landscapes on Earth. With temperatures in the region rising nearly twice as fast as the global average, water scarcity, extreme heat waves and desertification are increasingly shaping everyday life. Add to that some of the world’s fastest-growing populations and the risks to food security, economic stability and social cohesion will only grow. MENA’s experiences are an ominous portent of what awaits other regions, which will soon find themselves facing many of the same challenges. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN, the frequency and duration of droughts have increased globally by nearly 30 percent since 2000. More than 3.2 billion people worldwide are now affected by land degradation, with 12 million hectares of arable land lost each year.
Saudi Arabia has been investing heavily in mitigating and, where possible, reversing the effects of climate change
But the MENA region also offers reason for hope. For example, Saudi Arabia — for which I am the FAO’s program director — has been investing heavily in mitigating and, where possible, reversing the effects of climate change, including through land rehabilitation, rangeland restoration, reforestation and climate adaptation. The Kingdom’s ambition is exemplified by the Saudi Green Initiative, which includes pledges to plant 10 billion trees and rehabilitate 40 million hectares of degraded land.
Innovation is central to this effort. One novel land restoration technique, developed through a collaboration between Saudi technical institutions and the FAO, uses dry palm leaves to stabilize sand dunes in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province. This organic material, which was historically considered waste, protects topsoil from wind erosion and slows the rate at which water evaporates, thereby ensuring enough moisture for dormant native seeds to germinate. The FAO is also working with Saudi Arabia to implement science-based land monitoring systems, scale up sustainable land management techniques and train national experts in climate-smart practices. More than 40 professionals have been trained across key regions, including Jouf, Riyadh and the Eastern Province. While solutions are always adapted to the local ecosystem, they are designed with scalability in mind.
The climate crisis is advancing fast, but so are solutions — thanks not least to those on the front line. But climate change is not bound by national borders. That is why Saudi Arabia created the Middle East Green Initiative, which aims to strengthen regional cooperation. At the global level, the Kingdom is spearheading the Riyadh Global Drought Resilience Partnership, aimed at helping the most vulnerable countries cope with drought.
Since the initiative’s announcement at the 2024 UN Convention to Combat Desertification, known as COP16, more than $3 billion has been mobilized. It helps that, beyond being crucial to human well-being, land restoration is a high-return investment: the FAO estimates that every dollar invested in it can yield up to $30 in economic and environmental returns.
Local nongovernmental organizations and communities are playing a growing role in land restoration efforts, such as by establishing nurseries for native plants, building green belts and raising public awareness. This combination of local action, national direction and international cooperation delivers the kind of robust, lasting results that are needed to build true climate resilience. And it should serve as a model for the rest of the world.
The climate crisis is advancing fast, but so are solutions — thanks not least to those on the front line. The most climate-vulnerable countries are acting as role models, innovators, pioneers and leaders. What Saudi Arabia is doing today will shape what California, southern Europe and the Sahel do tomorrow. Fortunately, the lessons are likely to be as plentiful as they are constructive.
*Nizar Haddad, Program Director of the Food and Agriculture Organization in Saudi Arabia, is a former director general of Jordan’s National Agricultural Research Center.
Copyright: Project Syndicate

 China will invade Siberia, not Taiwan
John Lonergan, opinion contributor/The Hill/July 02/2025
China’s threats against Taiwan get a lot of attention. But a far more audacious plan is unfolding in Beijing. Emerging evidence — drawn from internal Chinese deliberations and a leaked Russian intelligence document — suggests that China’s ambitions are pivoting north, to Siberia. This shift — driven by Chinese resource hunger, geopolitical opportunism and Russia’s weakening grip — could reshape the global order in ways the West has yet to fully grasp. Moreover, the staggering costs of invading Taiwan, and Siberia’s role in fueling China’s economic growth, make the northern pivot increasingly likely by 2027.
China’s fixation on Taiwan, fueled by national pride and Xi Jinping’s vision, remains a rhetorical cornerstone. However, a full-scale amphibious invasion would be a logistical and economic nightmare.
Hitler was stopped by the 22-mile gap ocean between France and the U.K. The Taiwan Strait is five-times wider, and the 100-mile-wide chokepoint is heavily defended by Taiwan’s modernized military and backed by explicit and implicit U.S. and allied support.
A comprehensive 2023 war game conducted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies concluded that a Chinese invasion would likely fail and come at a staggering cost to all parties. The study projects that in a three-week conflict, China would suffer devastating losses, including an estimated 10,000 troops killed and the loss of 155 combat aircraft and 138 major ships.
The economic fallout would be catastrophic. A 2024 analysis by Bloomberg Economics estimated that a war over Taiwan would cost the world approximately $10 trillion, equivalent to 10 percent of global GDP. Taiwan’s dominance in semiconductor production means any disruption would cripple global supply chains, including China’s own tech sector. These prohibitive costs, coupled with the high risk of a broader, protracted conflict with America and its allies, make a near-term invasion of Taiwan increasingly improbable.
In contrast, Siberia offers a tantalizing prize with fewer immediate risks. Its vast reserves of oil, gas, gold, diamonds, rare earth minerals and fresh water are critical to sustaining China’s resource-strapped economy.
China’s arid northern provinces face chronic water scarcity. The North China Plain, an agricultural and industrial heartland, supports 20 percent of China’s population with only 5 percent of its freshwater. Siberia’s Lake Baikal alone holds 20 percent of the world’s unfrozen freshwater, a resource that could be diverted to transform China’s north.
This strategic calculus is underpinned by a growing sentiment within some Chinese circles that Russia is a power in decline, unable to effectively manage or defend its resource wealth. Siberia’s resources could fuel China’s projected GDP growth targets, addressing soaring energy demands — China is the world’s largest crude oil importer — and securing critical rare earths essential for its dominance in green technology and advanced military industries. In 2023, China’s rare earth mining quota surged to 240,000 tons, yet its demand continues to outstrip domestic supply.
Russia’s weakening grip enhances Siberia’s allure. A leaked document, purportedly from Russia’s Federal Security Service, has detailed Moscow’s deep-seated fears of Chinese demographic and economic encroachment in the Far East.
Russia’s military, severely depleted by the protracted war in Ukraine, has reportedly diverted a significant portion of its eastern forces westward. This has left the vast, 6-million-square-mile territory of Siberia — home to 30 million people — dangerously under-defended.
The report, as described by The New York Times, notes an alleged increased in Chinese intelligence activity, including efforts to recruit Russian scientists, target military technology and subtly assert historical territorial claims, such as the use of the name “Haishenwai” for Vladivostok on official maps. These actions tap into historical grievances over the “Unequal Treaties” of the 19th century, through which Russia annexed vast territory from China during the Qing Dynasty.
Russia’s eastern defenses are in a precarious state. A recent analysis by the Institute for the Study of War underscores the unsustainability of Russia’s equipment and personnel losses. The report explains that the high rate of attrition and the finite nature of Soviet-era stockpiles will likely lead to a point of diminishing availability of crucial military hardware by late 2025 or 2026. This systemic weakness affects the entire Russian military, including forces stationed in Siberia, which have been drawn upon to support operations in Ukraine. Reports from the region describe garrisons stripped of experienced personnel, reliant on outdated equipment and undertrained conscripts.
In stark contrast, China’s People’s Liberation Army is a modern and technologically advanced force. It boasts hypersonic missiles, fifth-generation fighter jets and sophisticated cyber warfare capabilities that could quickly overwhelm Russia’s depleted eastern defenses. Furthermore, Russia’s economy, battered by Western sanctions and increasingly dependent on Chinese energy, lacks the capacity to meaningfully reinforce its eastern flank.
With Moscow’s political, military and economic focus almost entirely consumed by Ukraine, it remains dangerously exposed to the strategic ambitions of its powerful neighbor. The Chinese Communist Party has invested massively in military modernization with the stated goal of being ready for a major conflict by 2027. If Beijing concludes that a direct assault on Taiwan is too risky, the formidable army it has built will likely not sit idle. It will be a tool available to advance long-term Chinese strategic objectives elsewhere — and Siberia presents the most obvious opportunity.
Taiwan remains a long-term Chinese goal, but its conquest risks global isolation and economic collapse. Siberia, in contrast, is a stealthier, more pragmatic target. The West, distracted by the conflict in Ukraine and the persistent threat to Taiwan, is unlikely to intervene decisively in a region it has long deemed peripheral to its core interests. Russia, economically tethered to Beijing and militarily weakened, might be forced to limit its retaliation to avoid losing its most crucial trade partner.
China could frame an incursion as a “limited special military operation” to secure vital resources and protect its economic interests, ironically mirroring Russia’s own playbook in Ukraine. The dire warnings from within the Russian intelligence, reportedly dismissed by a Kremlin desperate to project an image of strength and unwavering partnership with China, suggest Moscow is dangerously unprepared for Beijing’s audacity.
**John Lonergan is a Harvard MBA with substantial international business experience and the author of two books about Russian biowarfare activities, “Containment” and “Outbreak.” The third in the series, “Contagion,” will be released this summer and describes a possible invasion of Siberia by Chinese forces.
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Selected Twitters For Today on  July 02/2025
A video Link for an interview with John Bolton from Al Arabiya English
‘It Was A Mistake To Stop Attacks’ On Iran: John Bolton, Former US National Security Adviser
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RcaWCa2V3uc
In this Global News Today interview, former National Security Adviser to President Trump and former US Ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton discusses the recent US and Israeli strikes on Iran, the risks of stopping too soon, and why he believes regime change in Tehran is necessary. He also weighs in on NATO’s defense spending commitments and Trump's global influence.

Mike Pompeo
Ukraine has never asked America to send in the 82nd airborne; they’ve asked for the weapons to defend their homeland and people from Russia attacks. Letting Russia win this war would be a unmitigated disaster for the American people and our security around the world.

Hussain Abdul-Hussain
Told DW News that:
1- I don't see how security talks between Syria and Israel will lead to a peace treaty. Syrian gov will likely use talks as leverage for sanction-removal and global recognition.
2- Lebanon does not have the will to complete disarming Hezbollah or normalize ties with Israel.
3- Islamist Iran and its proxies, like Hezbollah, still control domestic politics in Lebanon and Iraq, mainly through violence, assassination of rivals, arm-twisting, coercion, keeping Shia candidates from campaigning in their home districts. Even Lebanese Prez Aoun and PM Salam are scared of defying Hezbollah for fear that the militia would kill them.