English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For July 08/2025
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news

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Bible Quotations For today
When they bring you to trial and hand you over, do not worry beforehand about what you are to say; but say whatever is given you at that time, for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Mark 13/09-13:”‘As for yourselves, beware; for they will hand you over to councils; and you will be beaten in synagogues; and you will stand before governors and kings because of me, as a testimony to them. And the good news must first be proclaimed to all nations. When they bring you to trial and hand you over, do not worry beforehand about what you are to say; but say whatever is given you at that time, for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit. Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death; and you will be hated by all because of my name. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.”

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on July 07-08/2025
The Official Lebanese Response to the American Paper: Is A Weak, Flowery Statement Reflecting the State’s Impotence and Complicity with the Iranian Occupation/Elias Bejjani/July 07/ 2025
Bassil,s Berri,s & Hezbollah's Conspiracy Against Lebanese Expatriates—Especially Christians/Article 122: A Calculated Plot to Silence and Marginalize the Christian Diaspora/Elias Bejjani/July 06/2025
US envoy praises Lebanon’s ‘well-balanced’ response on Hezbollah disarmament
Sources: Berri refrains from delving into details, US envoy wraps up Beirut talks
PM Salam after meeting Tom Barrack: Hezbollah committed to Taif, Israeli withdrawal a priority
Israel targets vehicle in South Lebanon, killing one
The Peace Riddles Between Lebanon and Syria/Dr. Charles Chartouni/This is Beirut/July 07/2025
US Envoy Thomas Barrack Urges Lebanon to Seize the Moment, or Be Left Behind/This is Beirut/07 July/2025
US Envoy Thomas Barrack Urges Lebanon to Seize the Moment, or Be Left Behind
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun meets with US envoy Tom Barrack, July 7, 2025. (X)
Barrack says satisfied with Lebanese response on disarming of Hezbollah
Geagea Calls on Government to Lead Talks on Hezbollah’s Disarmament
Lebanese Army Carries Out Series of Raids, Arrests 20
When Hezbollah Clings to a Perpetual State of War/Michel Touma/This is Beirut/July 07/2025
10 hurt in Israeli strikes on South and Bekaa on eve of Barrack's visit
Last Bastion: An Ancient Christian Heartland Struggles To Survive/Amb. Alberto M. Fernandez/Lebanon/MEMRI Daily Brief No. 802/July 07/2025

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on July 07-08/2025
Trump hosts Netanyahu, hopes for Israel-Hamas deal 'this week'
Netanyahu says any future Palestinian state would be a platform to destroy Israel
Netanyahu says has nominated Trump for Nobel Peace Prize
Trump says Hamas ‘want to have that ceasefire’ in Gaza
Israeli attacks on health infrastructure violate international law, Saudi FM tells BRICS summit
White House says ending Gaza war 'utmost' priority for Trump
High stakes in Doha: Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal talks begin amid Israeli divisions
Israel says it struck Houthi sites across Yemen
Yemen's Houthi rebels say bulk carrier Magic Seas that they attacked Sunday has sunk
Israel says apprehended members of Iran-backed cell in Syria
Syrian wildfires spread for fifth day due to heavy winds and war remnants
US revokes foreign terrorist designation for Syria’s HTS
UN adopts resolution on Afghanistan’s Taliban rule over US objections
Iran’s president accuses Israel of attempting to assassinate him
Iran says death toll from war with Israel reaches 1,060: State TV
UN seeks breakthrough in Cyprus peace talks
Lula says BRICS do not want ‘emperor’ after Trump threat
US to send ‘more weapons’ to Ukraine: Trump
Trump to put 25 percent tariffs on Japan and South Korea, new import taxes on 12 other nations.

Titles For The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources on July 07-08/2025
Do Not Rely on Egypt or Any Arab State to Bring Security to Gaza/Khaled Abu Toameh/Gatestone Institute/July 07/2025
Syria at a crossroads/Hani Hazaimeh/Arab News/July 07, 2025
Can Mamdani become the next New York City mayor?/Dr. Abdel Aziz Aluwaisheg/Arab News/July 07, 2025
Netanyahu hosted by the guarantor-in-chief/Ghassan Charbel/Asharq Al-Awsat/July 07, 2025
How to convert a temporary ceasefire into a permanent one/Daoud Kuttab/Arab News/July 07/2025
Selected Twitters For Today on July 07/2025

The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on July 07-08/2025
The Official Lebanese Response to the American Paper: Is A Weak, Flowery Statement Reflecting the State’s Impotence and Complicity with the Iranian Occupation
Elias Bejjani/July 07/ 2025
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/07/144961/
What was dubbed the “Lebanese response” to the American paper, delivered by the US presidential envoy of Lebanese origin, Tom Barrack, was nothing more than a childish and pathetic attempt at verbal appeasement and circumlocution, dodging the truth and confronting reality. It’s a flowery and frivolous text, devoid of substance, national or sovereign stance, commitment, or vision. Its sole purpose is to buy time, flatter Hezbollah, and cowardly avoid confronting it and implementing UN resolutions.
Spiritually, the content of this response echoes what is written in Revelation (03:15-16): “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.”
First: A Cowardly Response Lacking Substance, Timeline, and Blindness to International and Regional critical and historical Changes
The document handed to Barrack doesn’t even meet the minimum standard of a responsible political response. It’s a flimsy, flowery statement, replete with trite pleasantries, and devoid of any clear commitments. More dangerously, it includes no timeline for disarming “Hezbollah” or dismantling its military and intelligence infrastructure, rendering it without any executive value in the eyes of the international community. Most critically, it deliberately ignores the recent international and regional developments.
Second: Joseph Aoun… A Sovereign and Free President, or a Puppet in Iran’s Hands?
Practically, President Joseph Aoun has disappointed and failed hopes with his ambiguous and complicit stances regarding “Hezbollah’s” weapons, occupation, and terrorism. This raises serious doubts about his independence and prompts critical questions about whether this man is merely a soft façade for an Iranian militia authority. The evidence is that his advisory team (the “advisory battalion”) includes figures subservient to Hezbollah, such as former minister Ali Hamieh, in addition to specific Christian and Maronite figures in particular who were once pillars of the catastrophic President Michel Aoun’s tenure, and who, along with him, contributed to handing Lebanon over to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard.
Third: Barrack Said It Clearly: “Solving Hezbollah is Your Responsibility”
Tom Barrack didn’t beat around the bush or flatter anyone. He stated it frankly and in sophisticated yet firm diplomatic language: “Isn’t Hezbollah a political party in Lebanon? Do you think a foreign country will disarm a political party in a sovereign country? This is your problem, and you have to solve it yourselves.”
The message is clear: the time for duplicity, deceit, semantic games, and tiresome cleverness is over. What’s required is a sovereign and courageous Lebanese decision.
Fourth: Hezbollah is an Iranian Army with No Connection to Lebanon
It’s disgraceful at the popular, official, and media levels to continue calling “Hezbollah” a Lebanese party. It is nothing but a branch of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard in Lebanon, and its leaders boast about this Trojan subservience. Its leaders and military personnel are merely tools and executive mouthpieces who don’t make their own decisions, and any dialogue with them is folly, ignorance, and a blatant surrender that serves only Tehran’s terrorist and expansionist agendas. Therefore, there is no solution except for the complete eradication of its military, security, media, educational, and banking systems. Anything else is a waste of time and a betrayal of sovereignty.
Fifth: “Last Chance”… And Israel Is Freed from Its Restraints
Barrack said it with a warning tone: “President Trump’s patience won’t last… and if you don’t assume your responsibilities, you’ll be left alone to face your destiny.”
In this context, we see that Israel, which was restrained by America for a long time, has clearly received the green light to end the Iranian-Lebanese threat. The recent airstrikes coincided with Barrack’s visit, and this is no coincidence; rather, it’s a message by fire: “The countdown has begun, so make up your minds.”
Some Tweets Commenting on the Farce and Childishness of Lebanon’s Rulers:
“The real equation isn’t that disarmament will lead to civil war, but that not disarming will lead to a devastating regional war… And Barrack said it: No American guarantees to rein in Israel!”
“Barrack delivered the response and left relieved, because the ball is now in the Lebanese court. But he didn’t offer an opinion because he knows that facts, not statements, will decide the truth.”
“The situation is like gathering contradictions in one paper. What’s simply required: a clear timeline for confining weapons… But no one dares to admit that the state is dead!”
“The American envoy didn’t need to read the response. He politely said: We won’t dictate how you handle the weapons file, but if you don’t, you’ll pay the price.”“Only one answer should have been given: Yes, we will disarm Hezbollah within 3 months.”
“The Lebanese response = stammering, feigned cleverness, evasion, and submission. The state and Hezbollah are in the same boat… headed to the bottom.”
“The Iranian regime in Lebanon must be overthrown immediately, otherwise a new Middle East will be built without us… or upon our ruins.”
“We will not coexist with weapons anymore. We want it to be an official decision, not vague wishes. The era of infantilization is over.”
Conclusion: Lebanon Faces a Moment of Truth… And the Hour of Reckoning Approaches
The deliberate blindness of Aoun, Salam, and the ruling class in Lebanon—comprising groups of armed factions and corrupt individuals—to the international and regional changes forcibly imposed by Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and US President Trump, means that Lebanon, within this new Middle East project centered on peace, will not be allowed to remain under the rule of the Iranian occupation and its Lebanese “Trojan horses.” Hezbollah will undoubtedly be militarily eliminated, and its current Iscariot leaders, as well as the Lebanese puppet officials will likely be removed, perhaps imprisoned and prosecuted.
By these standards, the official Lebanese response was nothing short of a new, despicable scandal, confirming that the state is captive to Hezbollah. Joseph Aoun squandered a rare opportunity to prove his courage and independence, appearing as a leader with a castrated will, managed from behind the scenes. Nawaf Salam, indecisive and cowardly, remains mired in the outdated, rotten culture of Yasser Arafat and Gamal Abdel Nasser, and is controlled by grudges, hatred, and the illusions of resistance and liberation.
The American message arrived like a slap in the face to the entire political class: “Either you bear your responsibility, or prepare for strong winds that will leave nothing standing.” While the state stumbled in its stammering, the voice of free Lebanese was clearer than ever: “We refuse to let Lebanon remain hostage in the grip of the Iranian occupation. We demand that Washington, the world’s greatest power, place Lebanon under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter, and declare it a failed, rogue state incapable of governing itself.”

Bassil,s Berri,s  & Hezbollah's Conspiracy Against Lebanese Expatriates—Especially Christians/Article 122: A Calculated Plot to Silence and Marginalize the Christian Diaspora
Elias Bejjani/July 06/2025
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/07/144900/
In Lebanon’s modern history, few examples illustrate the fusion of legal manipulation and political malice as clearly as Article 122 of the 2017 electoral law. This article denies non-resident Lebanese citizens their natural and constitutional right to vote in their original districts inside Lebanon—just like their fellow resident citizens. Instead, it isolates expatriates into a separate voting category and allocates them six parliamentary seats—one per continent—divided equally between Muslims and Christians, based on an unworkable and deeply flawed legal premise.
This was no coincidence. Article 122 is part of a long-term, premeditated scheme that began with the Taif Agreement—a turning point that significantly weakened Christian political influence, particularly the powers of the Maronite presidency. It abolished true Muslim-Christian parity in most state institutions, reducing it to a mere formality in top-level positions. Article 122 is a direct continuation of this exclusionary agenda, further marginalizing the Lebanese diaspora—most of whom are Christians—and stripping them of their rightful role in shaping national policy.
This malicious project is not new. It dates back to the era of Syrian-appointed President Emile Lahoud. At the time, the Foreign Ministry's expatriats Affairs, under Shiite political operative Haitham Jomaa—a loyalist of Nabih Berri—attempted to promote this plan among expatriates. Maronite MP Naamatallah Abi Nasr led a failed campaign to market it, facing overwhelming expatriots' rejection. Many diaspora activists, including the author of this piece, stood at the forefront of the resistance and exposed its hidden agenda. The plan was ultimately shelved—only to be revived in 2017.
Shockingly, it was revived through the very Christian parties that were supposed to defend expatriate rights. In a moment of short-sightedness—or perhaps calculated betrayal—both the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) and the Lebanese Forces (LF) supported Article 122. In exchange for a handful of additional seats, they legitimized a monstrous law designed to weaken the voice of the Christian diaspora. Whether through ignorance or political cowardice, they gave cover to a measure whose long-term damage far outweighs any short-term gains.
Today, it is no surprise that Nabih Berri and Hezbollah oppose empowering Christian expatriates. Berri’s sectarianism is well known, and Hezbollah—an Iranian-backed, jihadist terrorist proxy—has always aimed to silence any opposing or sovereign Lebanese voice. Yet the real disaster—the Iscariot betrayal—comes from Gebran Bassil himself. As head of the FPM and a Maronite, Bassil still defends Article 122, betraying the very Christians he claims to represent. Already sanctioned under the U.S. Magnitsky Act for corruption, Bassil walks in the footsteps of  his Father-in-law, Michel Aoun, who traded national sovereignty for power and submitted to Hezbollah’s humiliating domination. This toxic and treacherous Micheal Aoun has left Lebanon in ruins—economically, institutionally, and morally.
What fully exposes Bassil is the bold and patriotic statement recently issued by Maronite bishops in the diaspora. In clear and courageous language, they rejected Article 122 and demanded its cancellation, affirming that Lebanese expatriates must be allowed to vote in their original districts as full citizens—not be reduced to second-class voters or “continental MPs” with no land, no community, and no real political identity.
What Article 122 Says
Six parliamentary seats are reserved for expatriates—one per continent:
Africa
North America
South America
Europe
Australia
Asia
These are divided equally among the following sects:
Maronites
Greek Orthodox
Catholics
Sunnis
Shiites
Druze
A future Cabinet decree—based on proposals from the Ministers of Interior and Foreign Affairs—will define the specific districts and voting mechanisms. In the following election cycle, six seats will be deducted from the original 128 members of Parliament, drawn from the same sects to which the expatriate seats were assigned.
But in reality, Article 122 has no democratic value. It is a veiled tool of exclusion and disenfranchisement. It neither provides fair representation for local voters nor protects the political rights of Lebanese abroad. It is not reform—it is deception.
In conclusion, upholding Article 122 amounts to a blatant betrayal of the constitution, the National Pact, and the Lebanese diaspora—especially its Christian community. Every honorable political force and every free Lebanese—at home and abroad—must raise their voices and demand the abolition of this shameful, disgraceful article.
Let Article 122 be repealed.
Let the dignity of the diaspora be restored.
Let every Lebanese expatriate vote fully—as a citizen, not a mere financial provider.

Barrack says satisfied with Lebanese response on disarming of Hezbollah
Agence France Presse/July 07, 2025
U.S. envoy Thomas Barrack said Monday he was satisfied by the Lebanese authorities' response to a request to disarm Hezbollah, which was heavily weakened in a recent war with Israel. "I'm unbelievably satisfied with the response," Barrack, Washington's ambassador to Turkey and special envoy to Syria, told a press conference after meeting President Joseph Aoun in Baabda.Barrack added that he held an “amazingly interesting and satisfactory meeting” with Aoun, noting that U.S. President Donald Trump, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and himself are “unbelievably grateful for the speed, thoughtfulness and considered tone of the (Lebanese) response” to the U.S. suggestions. "We’re creating a go forward plan and to create that we need a dialogue," he said. He however warned that "the rest of the region is moving at Mach speed, and you will be left behind," noting that "dialogue has started between Syria and Israel, just as the dialogue needs to be reinvented by Lebanon." "I am grateful for the Lebanese response; it came after careful consideration and reflects various important factors. I am largely satisfied," Barrack said. He emphasized that Lebanon is under no obligation to meet any imposed deadlines for Hezbollah's disarmament, saying, "We are merely trying to offer help, not impose solutions." He added that it is now up to the Lebanese themselves to seize the moment. "There's an opportunity, and no one is better than the Lebanese at recognizing and acting on opportunities. The region is changing, everything around us is changing, and President Trump stands behind Lebanon," he noted. The envoy underscored the need for compromises from all parties involved, stating, "Everyone must give up something. Hostility must end." Barrack also pointed to recent developments involving Israel and Syria, revealing that dialogue between the two has begun. "Syria is starting from scratch, and the dialogue with Israel is underway," he said, describing the process as complex but necessary. As for Lebanon's fraught relationship with Israel, Barrack struck a cautiously hopeful tone. "I believe Lebanon and Israel are ultimately seeking the same thing. Israel does not want war with Lebanon, nor does it wish to occupy Lebanon." Concluding his remarks, Barrack stressed the role of the U.S., saying, "America cannot provide all the answers. We can only assist from the outside. The real solutions must come from within."

US envoy praises Lebanon’s ‘well-balanced’ response on Hezbollah disarmament
NAJIA HOUSSARI/Arab News/July 07, 2025
BEIRUT: US envoy Tom Barrack said he was “very satisfied” with how Lebanon responded to a US proposal aimed at disarming Hezbollah. The comments from the US ambassador to Turkiye and special envoy for Syria and Lebanon came after his meeting with President Joseph Aoun on Monday. Barrack’s meetings with Lebanese officials took place while Israeli reconnaissance planes were hovering over Beirut and the Presidential Palace in Baabda. A security source told Arab News that the US delegation “expressed its surprise at the overflight, using the term ‘weird’ to describe it, especially since the roar of the aircraft was audible inside the meeting hall.” Barrack received the Lebanese leadership’s response to the US proposals aimed at establishing a road map for implementing the ceasefire agreement between Hezbollah and Israel, and focusing on confining weapons solely to the Lebanese state.
On the eve of Barrack’s visit, the Israeli army launched a series of airstrikes on several areas in the south and the Bekaa Valley. The attacks left 10 people injured, including a child, the Ministry of Health said.
Besides Aoun, Barrack held talks with Lebanon’s Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri — who is in charge of communicating with Hezbollah regarding the negotiations with the American side — and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, with each meeting lasting over an hour. In a statement issued by its media office, the presidency emphasized that Aoun provided Lebanese ideas for a comprehensive solution.
Berri’s media office said that the meeting was “very good and constructive and clearly took into account Lebanon’s interests and sovereignty, the concerns of the Lebanese people and Hezbollah’s demands.”A political source told Arab News that Hezbollah “did not provide the response-drafting committee with answers but rather a set of questions reflecting its concerns.”In a press conference at the presidential palace, Barrack described his meeting with Aoun as “very interesting and satisfying.”US President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio were “deeply grateful for the promptness and the well-balanced, considerate tone of the response to our proposals,” he said. “It is a highly critical period for Lebanon and the region. An opportunity is on the horizon as the region undergoes significant changes and everything is moving at a remarkable pace. The countries around us are undergoing constant transformation,” he said. Barrack said Trump had expressed his commitment to and deep respect for Lebanon, as well as his support and desire to help it achieve peace and prosperity.“I don’t believe there has been any statement like that since the time of Dwight Eisenhower,” he said.On the Lebanese response, Barrack said: “It is thoughtful and considered. We are creating a go-forward plan and to make that we need dialogue. What the government gave us was something spectacular in a very short period. I’m unbelievably satisfied with the response.
“Now what it takes is delving deeper and taking the time to reflect on the details, which we are going to do. I’m very hopeful. “Of course the complexity of all this is massive but at the end of it, it is simple: Is everybody tired of what has gone on for the past years? And I think the answer is: absolutely yes. Now that we have a new architecture, we must seize the opportunity. Now everybody is going to have to give up something. “But when you give up something of a hope and expectation of an illusion, of the adversariness that we have had internally, you can get support from the world to do that.”Regarding how to deal with Hezbollah’s refusal to hand over its weapons to the state, Barrack said: “The good news for the US is that we do not intend to deal with it. We intend for you to deal with it.
“If you want change, you change it, and we will be there to support you. But if you do not want change, it is no problem. This is a call to action.”Lebanon risked being left behind as change swept through other countries in the region, he said.Regarding guarantees for Lebanon, Barrack said that “what happened previously was that the specificity in the cessation of hostility agreement just was not sufficient. So neither side trusted the other. “The mistrust between Israel, Hezbollah and the Lebanese army, all the pieces just never came together, because everybody was in such a hurry to get a transaction done. What your government is doing now is filling in those details.”
The envoy referred to the Taif Agreement, which he considered “almost identical to what is happening today. So let us take lessons from the past.”“My belief is that Israel wants peace with Lebanon, how to get there is a challenge. Hezbollah is a political party but it also has a militant aspect to it.
“It needs to see that there is a future for it and that that road is not harnessed just solely against it and that there is an intersection of peace and prosperity for it also.”Barrack said Israel “does not seek war with Lebanon. It is not an occupying force nor does it harbor ambitions to control the country.
“On the contrary, it respects the shared Levantine culture that unites the region. The conflict has been a nightmare for both sides and a growing fatigue is evident.
“Today, a genuine opportunity exists, made possible by the leadership of the US president, particularly through his decisive stance on Israel and Iran. Israel finds itself at a moment of introspection, seeking to show the world that it values patience and is committed to regional calm. I believe their intentions are sincere.“Syria, once overwhelmed by chaos, is now entering a new phase, marked by hope that the international community will support its reconstruction efforts, which are beginning from the ground up,” Barrack said. Addressing the prospect of a Syria-Israel agreement, he said: “Dialogue between the two sides has already begun, and we are no longer constrained by the events of 1967, 1974, 1982, 1993, or even by UN Resolution 1707. “While these events hold historical significance, they are no longer the focal point. What matters now is that all parties are actively seeking to reach an understanding, an effort to de-escalate tensions and bring an end to hostilities through a meaningful agreement.”According to sources, the Lebanese response “reaffirmed its commitment to Resolution 1701, including the extension of state authority south of the Litani River and the dismantling of unauthorized installations.”However, it linked “the exclusivity of arms control to Israel’s full implementation of its obligations under the same resolution,” they said. The Lebanese response stopped short of detailing how Hezbollah would withdraw its weapons north of the Litani and offered neither an implementation mechanism nor a defined timeline for action. The Lebanese response urged “Arab sponsorship of Lebanese-Syrian relations, emphasizing the importance of facilitating the return of Syrian refugees and strengthening control over the shared border. “It also underscored the need to address the issue of Palestinian faction arms, under the Taif Agreement and the provisions of Resolution 1701,” the sources said.

Sources: Berri refrains from delving into details, US envoy wraps up Beirut talks
LBCI/July 07/2025
Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri refrained from delving into the details of the Lebanese response to U.S. envoy Tom Barrack during their meeting in Ain el-Tineh, according to sources familiar with the talks. Berri reportedly told Barrack that the technical aspects of the U.S. proposal were discussed earlier with President Joseph Aoun and that his primary concern now revolves around the ongoing Israeli airstrikes and targeted assassinations, which he warned could derail any potential agreement. Sources said Barrack did not provide any formal American security guarantees during the meeting. Instead, discussions focused on what was described as a "tightening" of the monitoring mechanisms linked to the ceasefire process. Washington, according to the same sources, believes that Lebanon has fulfilled its part in implementing measures related to the cessation of hostilities agreement and is now preparing to make decisions accordingly. Barrack is expected to return to Beirut within four weeks with clear responses from Washington on the next steps.

PM Salam after meeting Tom Barrack: Hezbollah committed to Taif, Israeli withdrawal a priority
LBCI/July 07/2025
Lebanon's Prime Minister Nawaf Salam met with U.S. envoy Tom Barrack on Monday, stating that discussions focused on core principles outlined in the government’s policy statement, including the complete Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territory, an end to Israeli attacks, the start of reconstruction efforts, and the release of detainees.Speaking after the meeting, Salam said Barak presented a series of proposals aimed at facilitating an Israeli withdrawal and a return to the ceasefire agreement. He noted that President Joseph Aoun had submitted a list of remarks in response to these ideas. Salam emphasized that Lebanon has long been behind in extending state authority over its entire territory through its own forces, in line with the Taif Agreement.  "Only the state holds the authority to decide on matters of war and peace,” he said, reiterating this principle was at the heart of the discussion.
He also stressed that there is no "troika" or any parallel mechanism involved in negotiations with the U.S. envoy. “No one should question our legitimacy in this matter — decisions are made within the Cabinet,” Salam said. Referring to Hezbollah, Salam stated that the group is a component of the Lebanese state, pointing out that all its MPs had voted in favor of the ministerial statement. He added that Secretary-General Sheikh Naim Qassem remains committed to the Taif Agreement and the ceasefire arrangements. "I don't believe he has deviated from these constants," Salam said.

Israel targets vehicle in South Lebanon, killing one
LBCI/July 07/2025
An Israeli strike on Friday targeted a Rapid vehicle in the town of Deir Kifa in South Lebanon, killing one person.

The Peace Riddles Between Lebanon and Syria
Dr. Charles Chartouni/This is Beirut/July 07/2025
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/07/144947/
The destruction of the operational platforms of Iranian subversion politics in the Near East is not yet complete, as none of the concerned countries has been able to oversee a path to stabilization. Syria, with its overwhelming reconstruction and national reconciliation assignments, has a long way to go before steadying its course. Lebanon is still plagued by the waywardness of the Shia community, which struggles to come to terms with the downfall of its murderous dystopia and its destructiveness. Their state borders remain under the sway of open cycles of violence, and they are unable to bring their volatility to a standstill. Obviously, the shifting tectonics of a highly destabilized region are not by any means helpful, unless the simmering upheavals abate.
Lebanon’s instability is due to the delirious collective mindset of the Shia community that has a hard time reconciling with the idea of its military defeat after four decades of religious indoctrination, radical militancy, organized criminality, and mandated wars conducted on behalf of a Shia regional domination policy led by the Islamic regime in Tehran. The Israeli systematic destruction of the power infrastructures and projections has led to a state of collective denial and a hysterical mindset that hobbled its ability to readjust to reality and bury the delusions of four decades of political hubris, institutionalized delinquency, and inaptitude to regain a certain sense of civility, which enables it to reengage the other Lebanese communities and find its way back to the national and international communities.
The psychotic foreclosures are hobbling its ability to reengage domestic and international political life in a realistic way. The Shia community, by and large, refuses to acknowledge its military defeat, the unraveling of its political delusions, and to take responsibility for its self-induced disasters. Its failure on the outside mutates into a renewed attempt to control back the country, pursue the “Gleichschaltung Politik,” coordinate with radical Sunni Islamists and organized criminality, and open up the road for further destabilization and civil war. The rejection of the international resolutions (1701, 1559, 1680) and its continued adherence to an extraterritorial status open up the way for a final showdown with Israel and its incalculable consequences. This trajectory not only threatens regional stability but also poses a significant risk to global security. As tensions escalate, the potential for a broader conflict looms, drawing in neighboring nations and increasing the stakes for international diplomacy.
The newly established executive has lost credibility in no time, the Shia domination politics is hobbling governance, the economic and social fortunes of the country are dramatically falling, and the chances of peace are subsiding by the day. The viability of Lebanon is at stake, and the chances of normalization are questioned more than ever.
The meteoric takeover of power by the radical Islamists of « Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham » was dumbfounding and left us wondering about the incoming political evolutions. This ambiguity was soon dissipated when their leader, Ahmad el-Chareh, demonstrated his willingness to normalize all along. His political credo seemed to reconcile with a regime of political moderation where pluralism is acknowledged and reckoned with in relative terms.
The reconstruction of a severely destroyed country presents daunting challenges, as the means for such an undertaking—financial or operational—are out of reach. The sobering experience of a warlord, his political realism, and the dire constraints of a devastated country had a decisive impact on the transformation of his worldview. However strong his leadership, he is challenged by internal rivalries, international jihadists, Islamic radicalism, and the vested interests of various competitors. The quietist transition quickly gave way to retributive politics, random terror targeting the Alawite community mainly, challenging Druze and Christian security, and questioning Kurdish autonomy. However accommodating to religious and ethno-national pluralisms, he has failed, so far, to deal with other denominational groups on equal footing and to distance himself from the conventional religious arrogance of the Sunni majority nurtured through years of political minority and a rehabilitated sense of moral superiority.
The inability to reengage the ethno-national and religious pluralism on the basis of an open and institutionalized dialogue betrays the incapacity to overcome the demeaning institutional asymmetries and religious political culture that relegate minority Islamic groups and non-Muslims to a second-class citizen status. These grave human rights and civic departures weigh heavily on the projected reforms and on the regime’s credibility, which ties its eligibility for international development assistance to the improvement of its records in every respect related to them. Otherwise, the impact of the war induced massive migration, and the urgent need to address it through repatriation and developmental politics should serve as a model to emulate in similar crises.
However awkward the process may seem, el-Chareh appears to understand the critical importance of his international rehabilitation and its impact on Syria’s future. Whereas the Hezbollah radicals, in spite of their dismal defeat, are rehashing the debilitating ideological incantations and their devastating effects. Nonetheless, the overall geopolitical predicament spanning Iran and the Near East is being decisively shaped by the Iran war and its revolutionary consequences.

US Envoy Thomas Barrack Urges Lebanon to Seize the Moment, or Be Left Behind
This is Beirut/07 July/2025
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/07/144941/
US Special Envoy Thomas Barrack delivered a strong message to Lebanese leaders on Monday, urging them to “seize the opportunity” for peace and reform while the region is moving forward on the path of change and the United States remains engaged and supportive. His remarks to the press followed a meeting with President Joseph Aoun at Baabda Palace, during which he received Lebanon’s official response to the American proposal for the disarmament of Hezbollah. On his second visit to Lebanon, Barrack acknowledged receipt of Lebanon’s proposed amendments, compiled in a seven-page document, and said he would study them carefully, adding, however, that he was “very pleased” with the swift and measured tone of Lebanon’s reply. He said the Lebanese government is currently working to address gaps in the ceasefire mechanism with Israel and reaffirmed that “Israel wants peace with Lebanon.” He stressed that no strict timetable was being imposed on Lebanon. “It is working to arrive at a formula that reflects what it wants—once that’s done, the US will help make it happen.”
“Now Is the Time”
Following an obvious “carrot and stick” policy, the US envoy, who is also Washington’s ambassador in Turkey, emphasized that Lebanon must act now, while conditions are favorable and international support—especially from US President Donald Trump—is still on the table. “There is an opportunity in the air, and no one is better than the Lebanese at seizing such opportunities,” he said, cautioning that Lebanon would be left behind, as “the region is moving forward, and all the countries around are changing.” While stressing Trump’s commitment to support Lebanon and help it achieve peace and prosperity, Barrack warned that the US president “does not have much patience.”“Security and peace are fundamental—no one will come if Lebanon is at war,” he said bluntly.
Hezbollah’s Disarmament: A Lebanese Responsibility
Though the American proposal seeks the disarmament of Hezbollah in exchange for Israel’s withdrawal from occupied hilltops in southern Lebanon, Barrack was clear: the change must come from within. Answering reporters’ questions, he emphasized that change must be initiated by Lebanon, and that Washington cannot impose “what must be done.” “We are here to help, not dictate.”Noting that “everyone is tired and worn out from what has happened in recent years,” he said the previous mechanism for de-escalation with Israel “had not followed the right path.”“Lebanon must learn from the lessons of the Taif Agreement. A new framework is available now, and Lebanon must hold on to it. Every side must be willing to give something up.”In response to concerns over regional implications, Barrack clarified that the ongoing US-Lebanon dialogue is entirely separate from discussions involving Iran. “There is no link between our talks with Lebanon and Iran,” he affirmed. Comparing Lebanon’s current hesitation with Syria’s emerging diplomacy, Barrack revealed that dialogue has started between Syria and Israel. He asked: “Why not Lebanon?”He noted that Syria, despite having fewer resources than Lebanon, has transitioned “from chaos to hope.” Lebanon, he reiterated, risks being “left behind” on the global stage. Barrack’s message was clear: the US is extending a hand—but Lebanon must take the lead. The country stands at a critical juncture that could shape its security, sovereignty, and future.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun meets with US envoy Tom Barrack, July 7, 2025. (X)
Al Arabiya English/07 July ,2025
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/07/144941/
US envoy Tom Barrack said on Monday that he was “satisfied” with Lebanon’s response to his roadmap that is focused on disarming Iran-backed Hezbollah.
“I’m unbelievably satisfied with the response,” Barrack, Washington’s ambassador to Turkey and special envoy to Syria, told a press conference after meeting President Joseph Aoun at the presidential palace in Baabda. “It’s thoughtful, it’s considered. We’re creating a go-forward plan. To create that, we need dialogue. What the government gave us was something spectacular in a very short period of time,” he said.
The US envoy said that his meeting with Aoun was an “amazingly” and a “satisfactory” meeting. However, he called on Lebanon to seize the current opportunity that is presented to the country, adding that the US supports Lebanon if the country has the will to change.
“Hezbollah is a political party. It also has a militant aspect to it. Hezbollah needs to see that there’s a future for them, that that road is not harnessed just solely against them, and that there’s an intersection of peace and prosperity for them also,” Barrack said.
He warned that “the rest of the region is moving at Mach speed, and you will be left behind,” noting that “dialogue has started between Syria and Israel, just as the dialogue needs to be reinvented by Lebanon.”​Barrack last month had shared a written roadmap with Lebanese officials and told them he expected to hear back on any proposed amendments. The document centers on the disarmament of Hezbollah and other militant groups, and urges Lebanon to improve ties with neighboring Syria and implement financial reforms.It proposes a phased approach to disarmament, in which Hezbollah would hand in its arms throughout Lebanon in exchange for the withdrawal of Israeli troops occupying areas in south Lebanon, sources had told Reuters. The full disarmament should be completed by November or by the end of the year at the latest, Barrack is reported to have said. A day before the US envoy was due to meet Aoun, Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem said that his group would not surrender or lay down its weapons in response to Israeli threats. “This threat will not make us accept surrender,” Qassem said in a televised speech on Sunday. Israel on Sunday conducted an intense range of strikes across different locations in Lebanon in what appeared to be a response to Qassem’s speech.With agencies

Barrack says satisfied with Lebanese response on disarming of Hezbollah
Agence France Presse/07 July ,2025
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/07/144941/
U.S. envoy Thomas Barrack said Monday he was satisfied by the Lebanese authorities’ response to a request to disarm Hezbollah, which was heavily weakened in a recent war with Israel. “I’m unbelievably satisfied with the response,” Barrack, Washington’s ambassador to Turkey and special envoy to Syria, told a press conference after meeting President Joseph Aoun in Baabda. Barrack added that he held an “amazingly interesting and satisfactory meeting” with Aoun, noting that U.S. President Donald Trump, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and himself are “unbelievably grateful for the speed, thoughtfulness and considered tone of the (Lebanese) response” to the U.S. suggestions.
“We’re creating a go forward plan and to create that we need a dialogue,” he said.
He however warned that “the rest of the region is moving at Mach speed, and you will be left behind,” noting that “dialogue has started between Syria and Israel, just as the dialogue needs to be reinvented by Lebanon.” “I am grateful for the Lebanese response; it came after careful consideration and reflects various important factors. I am largely satisfied,” Barrack said. He emphasized that Lebanon is under no obligation to meet any imposed deadlines for Hezbollah’s disarmament, saying, “We are merely trying to offer help, not impose solutions.” He added that it is now up to the Lebanese themselves to seize the moment. “There’s an opportunity, and no one is better than the Lebanese at recognizing and acting on opportunities. The region is changing, everything around us is changing, and President Trump stands behind Lebanon,” he noted. The envoy underscored the need for compromises from all parties involved, stating, “Everyone must give up something. Hostility must end.” Barrack also pointed to recent developments involving Israel and Syria, revealing that dialogue between the two has begun. “Syria is starting from scratch, and the dialogue with Israel is underway,” he said, describing the process as complex but necessary. As for Lebanon’s fraught relationship with Israel, Barrack struck a cautiously hopeful tone. “I believe Lebanon and Israel are ultimately seeking the same thing. Israel does not want war with Lebanon, nor does it wish to occupy Lebanon.”
Concluding his remarks, Barrack stressed the role of the U.S., saying, “America cannot provide all the answers. We can only assist from the outside. The real solutions must come from within.”

Geagea Calls on Government to Lead Talks on Hezbollah’s Disarmament
This is Beirut/July 07/2025
The leader of the Lebanese Forces, Samir Geagea, has called on the government to take the lead in responding to a US roadmap aimed at helping Lebanon gradually resolve its border issue with Israel—which maintains a military presence at five points—and to tackle the issue of illegal weapons within its territory. In a statement released on the eve of the arrival of US envoy Tom Barrack in Beirut, Geagea warned against a return to the kind of power-sharing arrangement that dominated during Syria’s tutelage over Lebanon, a “Troika of power that undermined the country’s institutions.”“For nearly two weeks, we’ve been hearing about American proposals intended to move things forward in Lebanon. These proposals aim to end Israeli occupation and attacks on the one hand, and to remove illegal weapons from Lebanese soil on the other,” said Geagea. “The US envoy arrives in Beirut tomorrow, and yet the issue has still not been discussed by the government. No official position has been taken to date,” he added. Geagea went on to implicitly criticize the sidelining of Lebanon’s constitutional institutions, noting that discussions around the US initiative have so far been led by President Joseph Aoun, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, and Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri, the latter negotiating on behalf of Hezbollah. “Have we returned to the old formula devised under the Assad regime, where a so-called Troika ruled in place of the institutions, ultimately driving the country into ruin?” he asked. Geagea demanded some clarifications: “Is it the government that’s waiting to hear Hezbollah’s response? Shouldn’t it be the other way around, with Hezbollah awaiting a decision from the government?”He called on the Cabinet to meet without delay to produce a “national Lebanese response” to the US plan, “one that would tangibly, not just rhetorically, ensure Israel’s withdrawal (from the five border points), end its raids on Lebanon, and lead to the establishment of a real state that protects its citizens and defends their interests.” “Those working to sabotage this opportunity will bear a heavy responsibility before the Lebanese people and before history,” he warned, adding: “The fate of the country and its people cannot be toyed with for the sake of bolstering Iran’s position in upcoming international negotiations.”Several MPs from the Lebanese Forces and Kataeb parties have criticized the handling of the US proposal, saying the government and Parliament have been bypassed. During the latest parliamentary session, Kataeb leader Samy Gemayel expressed outrage that such crucial decisions affecting Lebanon’s future were being made outside the framework of the legislature. The US roadmap reportedly calls for Lebanon to commit to a phased disarmament of Hezbollah and Palestinian factions, to be completed by November. In return, Israel would gradually withdraw from the five border areas. Washington is also pushing for structural reforms to strengthen the authority of the state and set Lebanon on a path to recovery. Among the proposals is a resolution to the long-standing border demarcation issue with Syria. Meanwhile, Hezbollah has not entirely dismissed the idea of talks over its arsenal, but on Sunday, its deputy leader Naim Qassem insisted the group “will not yield to international pressure or give up its weapons.”

Lebanese Army Carries Out Series of Raids, Arrests 20
This is Beirut/July 07/2025
The Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) arrested around 20 people on Monday after raiding several regions across the country. According to a statement released by the LAF Command, military patrols, accompanied by intelligence units, conducted targeted operations in Choueifat, Bauchrieh, Shmestar and Tripoli. In Choueifat (Aley district), a Lebanese citizen, identified as M.S., was arrested for firing gunshots. Security forces seized several weapons and ammunition in his possession. In Bauchrieh (Metn district), 19 Syrian nationals were detained for illegal residence on Lebanese territory. In Shmestar (Baalbeck district), an individual identified as A.S. was arrested for the illegal possession of a combat weapon. Additionally, in Kobbeh, Tripoli, the LAF arrested H.A. for writing a slogan affiliated with the terrorist organization ISIS on a neighborhood wall. The seized items were handed over to the competent authorities. The detainees were taken into custody, and a formal investigation has been launched.

When Hezbollah Clings to a Perpetual State of War
Michel Touma/This is Beirut/July 07/2025
In the aftermath of one of Hezbollah’s many aimless wars in recent years, a senior figure within the pro-Iranian party delivered a speech categorizing the Lebanese people into four groups: the “noblest” – party members and loyalists who, in his words, are “resisting the occupation,” those who “collaborate with the enemy,” those who remain indifferent to what’s happening around them, and finally – his parting jab – those whose “only concern is spending Sundays out with their families.”
That last group was also singled out later by MP Mohammad Raad, the head of Hezbollah’s parliamentary bloc, who spoke with open contempt of the Lebanese who “go to beach resorts, restaurants, leisure spots and nightclubs.”
These two sweeping judgments, voiced so freely by senior figures of the pro-Iranian party, reflect one of the many facets of Lebanon’s current existential crisis. In just a few words, they encapsulate the deep vertical divide – social, political and cultural – that the country of the Cedars is facing today more than ever. A divide reflected in the chasm that separates, on the Lebanese stage, two fundamentally opposed visions of life, of the foundations of society, and of the individual’s role and place – whether in their immediate surroundings or within the broader world.
Yes, a very large segment of the Lebanese population – the overwhelming majority – does, in fact, aspire to a normal, peaceful life, one that ensures well-being and prosperity. They are willing to defend noble causes when necessary, but only on rational, pragmatic and realistic grounds.
By contrast, Hezbollah’s leadership and supporters persist in cultivating a permanent state of war. They continuously promote hostile and hateful rhetoric, engage in pointless conflicts, and drown themselves in populist slogans that lead nowhere – sustaining nothing but the illusion of “resistance.” In this context, the tone and content of Sheikh Naim Qassem’s latest speech, delivered on Sunday, July 6, are especially revealing. Supporters of the Khomeinist ideology refuse to accept that adopting outdated ideological stances is no longer a viable way to face stealth bombers like the B-2 or the highly advanced F-22 and F-35 fighters – widely recognized as the world’s most technologically sophisticated. Tehran’s warmongers and the hardliners waging a relentless fight against the Western world have clearly underestimated the true impact of intensive use and mastery of artificial intelligence in modern warfare. They have blindly and futilely placed massive bets on their proxies in certain Arab countries, overlooking the fact that militia theatrics cannot match the strength of the world’s most powerful military forces.
From the moment it seized power in 1979, the Islamic Republic of Iran positioned itself as the standard-bearer of the Palestinian cause. But for the mullah regime, this was little more than a slogan designed solely to mobilize the masses in support of an expansionist, hegemonic project spanning the entire Middle East. In this respect, Iran has followed the example of the so-called “confrontation” Arab states which, despite 75 years of conflict with Israel, have never seriously pursued the means to implement their loudly proclaimed – and largely media-driven – anti-Israel policies, intended primarily for domestic consumption.
What Hezbollah’s leadership – and more broadly, the radical wing of the mullah regime – refuses to acknowledge and accept is that for over half a century, since the early 1970s, the Lebanese have borne a heavy burden caused by “others’ wars fought on their soil” and the repercussions of the Palestinian issue. This reality was emphasized by President Joseph Aoun himself when receiving the official Iranian delegation attending Hassan Nasrallah’s funeral. Yes, much to the dismay of MP Raad and other Hezbollah leaders, the vast majority of Lebanese genuinely aspire to a normal life and the well-being they rightly deserve – after 75 years of hollow political rhetoric and more than half a century weighed down by the ruthless, repressive and murderous hegemonic ambitions of lawless regional powers.

10 hurt in Israeli strikes on South and Bekaa on eve of Barrack's visit
Associated Press/July 07/2025
The Israeli army launched a series of airstrikes on southern and eastern Lebanon on Sunday evening, including in the area around the eastern city of Baalbek and in Iqlim al-Tuffah, a mountainous region overlooking large parts of southern Lebanon. According to the Health Ministry, a strike on the Tyre district town of Burj Rahal wounded nine people. Another strike on the Sidon district town of al-Zrariyeh severely wounded a child, the Ministry added. The Israeli military said in a statement that it had struck “several Hezbollah military sites, strategic weapons production and storage sites, and a rocket launching site.”The strikes came ahead of a visit by U.S. envoy Tom Barrack to Beirut to discuss a proposed plan for Hezbollah’s disarmament and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the rest of southern Lebanon. Barrack posted Saturday on X that Lebanon is facing “a historic moment to supersede the strained confessionalism of the past and finally fulfill (its) true promise of the hope of ‘One country, one people, one army’” and quoted U.S. President Donald Trump saying, “Let’s make Lebanon Great again.”

Last Bastion: An Ancient Christian Heartland Struggles To Survive
Amb. Alberto M. Fernandez/Lebanon/MEMRI Daily Brief No. 802/July 07/2025
Asia is the most populated of continents but the one with the smallest percentage of Christians. There are, of course, more than two hundred million Asian Christians, stretching from the Middle East to the Far East. Two Asian countries are majority Christian – Timor-Leste and the Philippines. Flores island in Indonesia is majority Catholic and three of India's 28 states – Nagaland, Mizoram, and Meghalaya – are majority Christian. All of these communities are the result of Western missionary activity, from the 16th to 20th century from Catholic Portugal and Spain and from Anglo-American Protestants.
A Mountain Refuge
But there is another living Christian enclave, the only one of any size in West Asia, one with a much more ancient history than that of these other Christian regions. It runs from the Mediterranean Coast at Koura to the mountain town of Bsharri then down to the city of Zahleh and West to East Beirut. This is a Christian heartland inside the Republic of Lebanon. While Christians are about 37 percent of Lebanon's population, they are an overwhelming majority within these confines. Most of the people in this zone are Maronite Catholics, with important populations of Greek Orthodox and Melkite Catholics, among other Christian denominations.
This region is similar to but larger than the zone ruled by Christian militias during the Lebanese Civil War (1975-1990), a region that was sometimes called the East Beirut canton or, sarcastically, "Marounistan." Today Christian Lebanon, like all of Lebanon, is in deep crisis but the economic and political pressures striking at almost all Lebanese hit hard among its usually middle-class Christian population, threatening the survival of a distinctive, now unique, community.
This enclave has, through the centuries, shifted north or south, grown, and shrunk in response to the attacks or support by outside powers. We know that the "Maronite nation," celebrated as archers, welcomed the Crusaders in the 11th century as they marched down the Lebanese Coast on the road to Jerusalem. The same Maronites would centuries later be driven deep into the highest and most isolated mountain regions of Lebanon by the triumphant Muslim Mamluks in the 13th and 14th centuries. They would endure massacres in the 19th century and a genocidal famine in the early 20th century and yet remain. And centuries before there was a Lebanese Republic there was an existing political reality on Mount Lebanon, made up mostly of Druze and Maronites.
There was a time when there were other well-known Christian majority regions in West Asia, the Syrian Orthodox Tur Abdin region of Southern Anatolia was one of them. But war, turmoil, and persecution has largely emptied these regions of their Christians decades ago, as has happened or is happening more recently in Iraq, Syria, and the Holy Land. In relative terms, the Christian majority part of Lebanon remains intact, for now.
It is like the rest of Lebanon, but different. Here you see street shrines to Our Lady or to Saint Charbel, numerous churches and monasteries, monuments to Christian Resistance fighters against invading Palestinians and Syrians. Hillsides are often terraced with olive and fruit trees. Well-kept, mostly middle-class towns and villages in the mountains and hills give way to the urban sprawl and terrible traffic of the Lebanese Coast and of Greater Beirut. The congestion and pollution in "Christian" Jounieh and "Muslim" Hamra or Dahiya are the same.
A Permanent Crisis
Fifty years after the beginning of the Lebanese Civil War, the Christian existence – or perhaps, Christian independent decision-making or autonomy are better descriptions – is threatened as never before. This is largely the result of two crises: the Lebanese economic collapse triggered by the liquidity crisis of 2019 and the political crisis triggered by the stranglehold of the so-called "Shia duopoly" (Hezbollah plus its ally in Nabih Berri's Amal party) has on government decision-making and finances.
The result of the Shia duopoly, supported by Iranian cash, has been to make a corrupt and dysfunctional system even more corrupt and dysfunctional. They make the possibility of internal reform less likely while preying on ailing government coffers like parasites and using the threat of violence against internal enemies and as a strategic tool to use to plunge Lebanon into war once again at the time of their own choosing. Hezbollah is reportedly deeply implicated in the assassination of both Muslims and Christians, such as Lokman Slim in 2021 and Elias Hasrouni in 2023. Under the current political system, Christians (and Druze and Sunni Muslims) are shackled to the whims of the Amal-Hezbollah alliance.
The economic crisis brought about the devaluation of the Lebanese currency by 98 percent. Inflation reached 45.23 percent in 2024 while official unemployment remains over 11 percent. The World Bank described Lebanon's "deliberate depression" as one of the most severe economic collapses seen globally since the 1850s.
This collapse impacted especially Christian-dominated sectors of the Lebanese economy: banking, education, and medicine. Salaries and employment nosedived. Emigration spiked. Young Lebanese, if they hope to have a future, look to migrate, either to the thriving economies of the Gulf or to the West. If to Dubai or Kuwait, there is a likelihood that they will return to live in Lebanon at some point. If they move to Europe, America, or Australia, odds are that they will be permanently absorbed by the West.
A bishop in Melkite Catholic-majority Zahleh told me recently, "look around, there are no young people here. Either you have the old or children that are still in school and not old enough to emigrate." Jobs in Christian towns like Zahleh or Bsharri are increasingly hard to come by, services dry up or deteriorate and locals feel compelled to move to or commute to Beirut and then look for opportunities outside of Lebanon. And Gulf Arabs know they can hire Lebanese more cheaply because of the dire economic situation back home.
Steadfastness Against All Odds
Against this grim scenario, Lebanese Christians fight back, trying to remain in their ancestral homeland. Knowing the economic disaster the country has endured and still endures, it was heartening for me to recently see so many grass roots efforts towards steadfastness and resilience. In Bsharri, the Comité des Amis de la Forêt des Cèdres has planted 220,000 new cedar trees over the past 20 years.
The celebrated ancient preserve of the Cedars of the Lord nearby, a tiny remnant of the old-growth cedar forests mentioned in the Bible that used to cover the mountains in antiquity, is literally on church land. For centuries, the Maronite Patriarchs would lead a procession from their monastery in the nearby Holy Valley to the Cedars on the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord.
The Lebanese Maronite Order has also been a pioneer through its "Adyar" (Arabic for "monasteries") organic wine label and organic agriculture in general. Of course, monks have been making wine in Lebanon for centuries. This latest initiative dates only from 2001 and markets wine from eight different monasteries.
Attending the Commencement ceremony at the Holy Spirit University of Kaslik (founded in 1950 by the Lebanese Maronite Order), I was struck not only by the enthusiastic graduates (new university graduates are almost always enthusiastic) but by the relatively young and very accomplished faculty. USEK has over 7,000 students, almost all of them Christians.
In his stirring remarks at the graduation, USEK President Fr. Talal Hachem lauded the students for persevering during harsh economic conditions and urged them to be constant in their Catholic faith. The fear is that many of these energetic new doctors and engineers will find no place in their own country – no good job or opportunities to put down roots or start a family. All Lebanese Christian educational institutions face a grim dilemma – families which cannot or struggle to pay tuition which means that the institutions struggle to pay Christian teachers a living wage.
The Church not only has preserved the cedars (it is still a major landowner in the country), makes wine and educates future generations, but also evangelizes. Charity Radio TV in Jounieh, run by a dynamic young priest, Father Charbel Geagea, not only provides news, music, and inspiration in Arabic – essential given how long Lebanese are stuck in traffic – but also provides spiritual services to Ethiopian and Sri Lankan guest workers in their own languages.
The large Lebanese Christian diaspora has done much to help. A major donor to the Cedars reforestation project is from Mexico. But most of the international help has focused, understandably so, on immediate emergency needs: food parcels, medicine, and support for the elderly. There is an urgent need to focus on job creation and income generation.
One worthy initiative would involve that most Maronite of fruits, the apple. Most apple orchards in Lebanon are in the Christian – Maronite – highlands and growers compete with Turkey (and the West) to provide apples to the lucrative Gulf market. Growers in Bsharri today face the challenge of changing tastes – Red Delicious are out of fashion, Gala varieties are more commercially desirable. International donors could subsidize the cost of switching to the more desirable, valuable varieties and of the transition period needed for these new apple trees to reach maturity.
One local agronomist told me of some Islamists in the region refusing the Lebanese apple "because it puts money into the pockets of the Christians," preferring the Turkish apple. Local credit and government support are practically non-existent. Help must come from the outside. Something as mundane as supporting apple growers in Lebanon can prevent demographic change on the ground.
Near Fatal Attachments
While Lebanese are often creative and wildly successful (especially outside of Lebanon), inside their country, they are often plagued by a frequently predatory or short-sighted ruling class. As one Lebanese academic told me, "even the better ones are mercantile and not strategic, thinking of short-term gain and not long-term benefit." This is often true no matter the religious confession.
And yet it was Christian government officials that, disastrously, allowed Palestinian armed groups to set up camp inside Lebanon in 1969. And, of course, Christian militias turned on each other during the Civil War, killing hundreds of their own people. Hezbollah (and Assad's Syria before them) had Christian political allies, puppets that did tremendous damage as government officials. As you drive north along the coastal road, near Mseilha, you come across an empty dam. It is not old but built within the last decade, a colossal waste of money and a monument to government incompetence. A friend calls it "Gibran Bassil's dam," after the former Lebanese Minister Gibran Bassil, a Maronite and ally of Hezbollah. It was Bassil's pro-Hezbollah Free Patriotic Movement that built several worthless, useless dams in Lebanon while they were in power.
In Beirut, there are neighborhoods now known as Al-Zuyatriah (Fanar) and Ruwaisat (Jdeideh), which were mostly Christian-owned farm land, rare green and rural spots inside the city. During the Lebanese Civil War, these areas were illegally settled by mostly Shia squatters from the Ja'far and Zuaiter clans who have now been there for decades.
The Christian farmers have never been compensated and the area became a safe haven for drug dealers and kidnappers including the notorious Ali Munther Zuaiter ("Abu Sella"), sentenced in 2024 to death in absentia for kidnapping a Saudi national. Lebanese justice was able to (belatedly) act when the case involved a foreign citizen. For Lebanese Christian farmers, justice never came despite the state having a Maronite president and a Maronite army commander.
An Orthodox bishop in Lebanon told me that what Christians want most is "stability and security" and the combination of deep economic crisis and arbitrary Hezbollah rule make that extremely hard to find. In his view, Lebanon is the key to the survival of Christians throughout the Levant. This is where many can still have relative breathing space, where they can publish, work, and plan in peace. If Christian Lebanon falls, it is a tragedy and a catastrophe not just for the Christians of Lebanon but for Christians everywhere and for religious pluralism and coexistence throughout the region.
Earlier this year, in front of senior government officials, the Maronite Catholic Patriarch Mar Bishara Butros al-Rai called on Lebanon to maintain a "positive neutrality" from regional conflicts and – in an affront to Hezbollah's main narrative – to be on the side of the "axis of civilization, renaissance, and progress." He added that Lebanon needed to stop procrastinating on government reform.
Some Lebanese Christians, calling themselves "Federalists," wholeheartedly endorse the patriarch's call for neutrality but also believe more radical change is needed now, "moving from the failed experience of centralized governance to federalism," devolving powers away from a dysfunctional national government beholden to Hezbollah to several sub-state regions like the Christian-majority zone. The Federal Lebanon activists are very much influenced by the Catholic social teachings on subsidiarity and solidarity as envisioned by Pope Pius XI in the 1931 encyclical Quadragesimo Anno. While the Federalists are eloquent and thoughtful, and very active in the media, their views seem to be – so far – mostly rejected by even the main Lebanese Christian parties.
Better, transparent governance across the board would help all Lebanese. But assisting Christian communities to thrive in places like Bsharri or Zahleh or Kaslik is not about favoring one community over another but rather about ensuring the survival of a precious and all too threatened model of tolerance.
A Lebanon without a strong and lively Christian (and Druze) presence would be a sad appanage to the monochrome Sunni-Shia battlefields seen in Syria, Iraq, and beyond. You do not really have real tolerance or pluralism if the Christian population falls below a certain level, becomes powerless, and essentially turns into puppets of the Muslim majority, as we see today in all countries in the Middle East except for Lebanon. In Iraq for example, we see where Christian political representatives are elected by and beholden to Shia-bloc voters in Southern Iraq voting for an Islamist ticket that wants to capture a few more parliamentary seats that were supposedly set aside for minority representation.
Tangibly providing the support for Lebanon's Christians to stay rooted in their communities by helping their institutions – schools, universities, media, farmers, small business – survive and flourish is one of the essential paths in securing this aim of a distinctive and unique Lebanon. It is an essential part of Lebanon remaining Lebanon and not being submerged and ultimately drowned in regional conflicts.
*Alberto M. Fernandez is Vice President of MEMRI.

The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on July 07-08/2025
Trump hosts Netanyahu, hopes for Israel-Hamas deal 'this week'
Agence France Presse/July 07/2025
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet Monday U.S. President Donald Trump, who expressed hope for a "deal this week" between Israel and Hamas that sees hostages released from the Gaza Strip. Indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas began on Sunday evening in Doha, aiming to broker a ceasefire and reach an agreement on the release of hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. Trump said Sunday there was a "good chance" of reaching an agreement. "We've gotten a lot of the hostages out, but pertaining to the remaining hostages, quite a few of them will be coming out," he told journalists. Netanyahu, speaking before boarding his flight to Washington on Sunday, said his meeting with Trump could "definitely help advance this" deal. The U.S. president is pushing for a truce in the Gaza Strip, plunged into a humanitarian crisis after nearly two years of war. Netanyahu said he dispatched the team to Doha with "clear instructions" to reach an agreement "under the conditions that we have agreed to." He previously said Hamas's response to a draft U.S.-backed ceasefire proposal, conveyed through Qatari and Egyptian mediators, contained "unacceptable" demands.
'Important mission'
Two Palestinian sources close to the discussions told AFP the proposal included a 60-day truce, during which Hamas would release 10 living hostages and several bodies in exchange for Palestinians detained by Israel. However, they said, the group was also demanding certain conditions for Israel's withdrawal, guarantees against a resumption of fighting during negotiations, and the return of the U.N.-led aid distribution system. Netanyahu has an "important mission" in Washington, "advancing a deal to bring all our hostages home," said Israeli President Isaac Herzog after meeting him Sunday. Trump is not scheduled to meet the Israeli premier until 6:30 pm (2230 GMT) Monday, the White House said, without the usual presence of journalists. Of the 251 hostages taken by Palestinian militants during the 2023 attack, 49 are still being held in Gaza, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead. Since Hamas's October 2023 attack sparked the massive Israeli offensive in Gaza, mediators have brokered two temporary halts in the fighting. They have seen hostages freed in exchange for some of the thousands of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli custody. Recent efforts to broker a new truce have repeatedly failed, with the primary point of contention being Israel's rejection of Hamas's demand for a lasting ceasefire.
'Enough blood' -
In Gaza, the territory's civil defense agency reported 26 people killed by Israeli forces on Sunday, 10 of them in a strike in Gaza City's Sheikh Radwan neighborhood. "We are losing young people, families and children every day, and this must stop now," Sheikh Radwan resident Osama al-Hanawi told AFP. "Enough blood has been shed."Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties in accessing many areas mean AFP is unable to independently verify the tolls and details provided by the civil defense agency.
Contacted by AFP, the Israeli military said it could not comment on specific strikes without precise coordinates.
Hundreds killed seeking aid -
The war has created dire humanitarian conditions for the more than two million people in the Gaza Strip. A U.S.- and Israel-backed group, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), took the lead in food distribution in the territory in late May, when Israel partially lifted a more than two-month blockade on aid deliveries. But its operations have had a chaotic rollout, with repeated reports of aid seekers killed near its facilities while awaiting rations. U.N. agencies and major aid groups have refused to cooperate with the GHF over concerns it was designed to cater to Israeli military objectives. The U.N. human rights office said last week that more than 500 people have been killed waiting to access food from GHF distribution points. The Gaza health ministry on Sunday placed that toll even higher, at 751 killed. Hamas's October 2023 attack resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures. Israel's retaliatory campaign has killed at least 57,418 people in Gaza, also mostly civilians, according to the Hamas-run territory's health ministry. The United Nations considers the figures reliable.

Netanyahu says any future Palestinian state would be a platform to destroy Israel
Reuters/July 7, 2025
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday he wanted peace with Palestinians but described any future independent state as a platform to destroy Israel and for that reason sovereign power of security must remain with Israel. Speaking at the White House, where he met U.S. President Donald Trump, Netanyahu described the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel from the Gaza Strip, where Hamas was in control, as evidence of what Palestinians would do with a state. Trump said, "I don't know" when he was asked by reporters if a two-state solution was possible and referred the question to Netanyahu. Netanyahu said: “After October 7th, people said the Palestinians have a state, a Hamas state in Gaza and look what they did with it. They didn't build it up. They built down into bunkers, into terror tunnels after which they massacred our people, raped our women, beheaded our men, invaded our cities and our towns, our kibbutzim and did horrendous massacres, the kind of which we didn't see since World War Two and the Nazis, the Holocaust. So people aren't likely to say, 'Let's just give them another state.' It'll be a platform to destroy Israel. "We will work out a peace with our Palestinian neighbours, those who don't want to destroy us and we will work out a peace in which our security, the sovereign power of security, always remains in our hands," Netanyahu said.
"Now people will say, 'It's not a complete state, it's not a state, it's not that.' We don't care. We vowed never again. Never again is now. It's not going to happen again.”Palestinians have long sought to create an independent state in the occupied West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem through a U.S.-mediated peace process. Many accuse Israel of having destroyed Palestinian statehood prospects through increased settlement building in the West Bank and by levelling much of Gaza during the current war. Israel rejects this. Cabinet ministers in Netanyahu's Likud party called last week for Israel to annex the Israeli-occupied West Bank before the Knesset recesses at the end of July. Israel's pro-settler politicians have been emboldened by the return to the White House of Trump, who has proposed Palestinians leave Gaza, a suggestion widely condemned across the Middle East and beyond. The Gaza war erupted when Hamas attacked southern Israel in October 2023, killing around 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, according to Israeli tallies. Some 50 hostages remain in Gaza, with 20 believed to be alive. Israel's subsequent assault on the Palestinian enclave has killed over 57,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza health ministry. Most of Gaza's population has been displaced by the war. Trump hosted Netanyahu at a White House dinner on Monday, while Israeli officials held indirect negotiations with Hamas in Qatar aimed at securing a U.S.-brokered Gaza ceasefire and hostage-release deal.

Netanyahu says has nominated Trump for Nobel Peace Prize
AFP/July 08, 2025
WASHINGTON: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday he has nominated Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize, presenting the US president with a letter he sent to the prize committee. “He’s forging peace as we speak, in one country, in one region after the other,” Netanyahu said at a dinner with Trump at the White House. Trump has received multiple Nobel Peace Prize nominations from supporters and loyal lawmakers over the years, and has made no secret of his irritation at missing out on the prestigious award. The Republican has complained that he had been overlooked by the Norwegian Nobel Committee for his mediating role in conflicts between India and Pakistan, as well as Serbia and Kosovo. He has also demanded credit for “keeping peace” between Egypt and Ethiopia and brokering the Abraham Accords, a series of agreements aiming to normalize relations between Israel and several Arab nations. Trump campaigned for office as a “peacemaker” who would use his negotiating skills to quickly end wars in Ukraine and Gaza, although both conflicts are still raging more than five months into his presidency.

Trump says Hamas ‘want to have that ceasefire’ in Gaza
AFP/July 08, 2025
WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump voiced his confidence Monday that Hamas was willing to agree a truce with Israel, as he met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to push for an end to the Gaza war.
“They want to meet and they want to have that ceasefire,” Trump told reporters at the White House when asked if clashes involving Israeli soldiers would derail talks.

Israeli attacks on health infrastructure violate international law, Saudi FM tells BRICS summit
Arab News/July 07, 2025
RIYADH: Israeli attacks on health infrastructure and the targeting of civilians constitute a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan told the BRICS summit underway in Rio de Janeiro on Monday. Prince Faisal called on the international community to shoulder its responsibilities to ensure the delivery of humanitarian aid and the protection of civilians, the Saudi Press Agency reported. He said that the human suffering in Gaza cannot be overlooked and that the international community must work diligently to end the crisis and achieve a lasting and comprehensive peace for all, based on the two-state solution in accordance with international law. In a speech to a plenary session entitled “Environment, COP30, and Global Health,” the foreign minister affirmed the Kingdom’s commitment to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement, calling for a practical and balanced approach that takes into account the diverse circumstances of different countries. He explained that the Kingdom, as a country suffering from water scarcity, has developed advanced methods and technologies to manage environmental challenges and water resources, and has led efforts that led to the establishment of the Global Water Organization which aims to ensure equitable access to the vital resource. With regard to the health sector, Prince Faisal said the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 includes comprehensive reforms focused on prevention and integrated care. He also highlighted the Kingdom’s experience in managing major gatherings such as Hajj and Umrah, and developing and planning early warning systems. Its expertise in hosting Hajj and Umrah enhances the Kingdom’s position as a regional center for preparedness and response to health emergencies, the minister said.

White House says ending Gaza war 'utmost' priority for Trump
AFP/July 07/2025
U.S. President Donald Trump's "utmost priority" is to end the war in Gaza and free hostages held by Hamas, the White House said, ahead of a crucial meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday. Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, will head to Qatar later this week, where Israel and the Palestinian militant group are holding indirect talks, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told a briefing.

High stakes in Doha: Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal talks begin amid Israeli divisions
LBCI/July 07/2025
Ending the war in Gaza and securing humanitarian aid access topped the agenda on the first day of negotiations between Hamas and Israel in Qatar over a potential hostage deal.The morning session concluded without results but with significant optimism that an agreement could be reached within 24 hours or by the end of the week. Sources familiar with the negotiations said the remaining disputes were bridgeable, with progress depending on how flexible each side is and on the level of pressure exerted by U.S. President Donald Trump. Meanwhile, deep divisions continue within Israel.
Some cabinet ministers in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition have threatened to resign if a ceasefire is agreed upon. At the same time, families of the Israeli hostages are pushing for a comprehensive deal. Ahead of his meeting with President Trump in Washington, Netanyahu signaled that he had authorized the Israeli delegation in Doha to discuss issues previously rejected by Tel Aviv. However, some Israeli officials believe Netanyahu ultimately intends to reject Hamas' proposed changes to preserve his coalition. The Israeli military has also weighed in, asserting that achieving both a hostage deal and the elimination of Hamas is unrealistic. Military officials urged political leaders to pursue an agreement without abandoning the long-term goal of weakening Hamas, which they say has not yet been defeated—despite Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir declaring that the group is "already dead." This is the backdrop as Netanyahu arrives at the White House to meet with Trump, facing a choice between continuing the war in Gaza or reshaping the Middle East in a way that strengthens Israel’s strategic position. Regarding Iran, Netanyahu is expected to frame recent developments as a major victory, aiming to secure continued Israeli air operations in Iranian airspace—similar to the operational freedom Israel maintains in Lebanon. He is expected to argue that this is necessary to preempt any Iranian efforts to enhance its nuclear capabilities.

Israel says it struck Houthi sites across Yemen
Agence France Presse/July 07/2025
Israel said early Monday that it carried out a wave of strikes on the Yemeni port city of Hodeida and other areas held by the Houthi rebels. Two missiles were launched from Yemen towards Israel just hours later, the Israeli army said on Telegram, as it worked to intercept them. Israel "struck and destroyed terror infrastructure belonging to the Houthi terrorist regime. Among the targets were the ports of Hodeida, Ras Isa, and Salif," its army said in a statement. It said the strikes were "in response to the repeated attacks by the Houthi terrorist regime against the State of Israel". The Houthi-controlled Al-Masirah television station had on Sunday reported that the "Israeli enemy is targeting the port of Hodeida," also reporting strikes on the ports of Ras Isa and Salif and the Ras Al-Kathib power station. The attacks came around half an hour after an Israeli army spokesman warned of strikes at the sites on social media. Israel has carried out several strikes in Yemen including on ports and the airport in the capital Sanaa in response to repeated attacks by the Iran-backed group. Among the targets Israel claims to have struck was the Galaxy Leader cargo ship, which the Houthis captured in November 2023 and which the Israelis say has been outfitted with a radar system to track shipping in the Red Sea.Yemen's Houthi rebels have been launching missiles and drones at Israel since the Gaza war broke out in October 2023 after Palestinian militant group Hamas' attack on Israel. The Houthis, who say they are acting in solidarity with Palestinians, renewed their assault in March after Israel resumed its military campaign in Gaza at the end of a two-month ceasefire in the Palestinian territory. They have also attacked shipping vessels they deem to be linked to Israel in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden since November 2023. They broadened their campaign to target ships tied to the United States and Britain after the two countries began military strikes aimed at securing the waterway in January 2024.In May, the Houthis cemented a ceasefire with the United States that ended weeks of intense U.S. strikes against it, but vowed to continue targeting Israeli ships.

Yemen's Houthi rebels say bulk carrier Magic Seas that they attacked Sunday has sunk
Jon Gambrell/The Associated Press/July 07/2025
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A cargo ship attacked by Yemen's Houthi rebels sank Monday in the Red Sea, the group said, raising new concerns over safety in the waterway crucial to global shipping, as Israel targeted the rebels with airstrikes.
The Houthis attacked the Liberian-flagged, Greek-owned bulk carrier Magic Seas with drones, missiles, rocket-propelled grenades and small arms fire on Sunday, forcing its crew of 22 to abandon the vessel. The Magic Seas attack and subsequent Israeli airstrikes early Monday targeting the rebels raised fears of a renewed Houthi campaign against shipping that could again draw in U.S. and Western forces to the area, particularly after U.S. President Donald Trump's administration targeted the rebels in a major airstrike campaign. The ship attack comes at a sensitive moment in the Middle East, as a possible ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war hangs in the balance, and as Iran weighs whether to restart negotiations over its nuclear program following American airstrikes targeting its most sensitive atomic sites during an Israeli war against the Islamic Republic.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also traveled to Washington to meet with Trump.
Ship attack forces crew to abandon vessel
The attack on the Magic Seas, a bulk carrier heading north to Egypt’s Suez Canal, happened about 100 kilometers (60 miles) southwest of Hodeida, Yemen, which is held by the Houthis. The British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, or UKMTO, center first said that an armed security team on the vessel had returned fire against an initial attack of gunfire and rocket-propelled grenades, though the vessel later was struck by projectiles. Ambrey, a private maritime security firm, said that the Magic Seas also had been attacked by bomb-carrying drone boats, which could be a major escalation. It said that two drone boats struck the ship, while another two had been destroyed by the armed guards on board. UKMTO said the ship was taking on water and its crew had abandoned the vessel. They were rescued by a passing ship, it added.
A European Union anti-piracy patrol in the region, called Operation Atalanta, said that 22 mariners had been on board the Magic Seas. Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, the Houthis' military spokesman, claimed the attack and said the rebels used missiles and bomb-carrying drone boats to attack the ship. “Our operations continue in targeting the depths of the Israeli entity in occupied Palestine, as well as preventing Israeli maritime navigation in the Red and Arabian Seas ... until the aggression on Gaza stops and the siege on it is lifted,” Saree said.
The Magic Seas’ owners didn’t respond to a request for comment. Saree later said the vessel had sank in the Red Sea.
Israeli strikes target Houthi-held ports
The Israeli military said that it struck Houthi-held ports at Hodeida, Ras Isa and Salif, as well as the Ras Kanatib power plant. It released footage showing an F-16 launching from Israel for the strike, which came after the Israeli military issued a warning for the area.
“These ports are used by the Houthi terrorist regime to transfer weapons from the Iranian regime, which are employed to carry out terrorist operations against the state of Israel and its allies,” the Israeli military said. The Israeli military also said it struck the Galaxy Leader, a vehicle-carrying vessel that the Houthis seized back in November 2023 when they began their attacks in the Red Sea corridor over the Israel-Hamas war.
“Houthi forces installed a radar system on the ship and have been using it to track vessels in the international maritime arena to facilitate further terrorist activities,” the Israeli military said. The Bahamas-flagged Galaxy Leader was affiliated with an Israeli billionaire. It said that no Israelis were on board. The ship had been operated by a Japanese firm, NYK Line. The Houthis acknowledged the strikes, but offered no damage assessment from the attack. Saree, the Houthi spokesman, claimed the rebels' air defense forces “effectively confronted” the Israelis without offering evidence.
Israel has repeatedly attacked Houthi areas in Yemen, including a naval strike in June. Both Israel and the United States have struck ports in the area in the past — including an American attack that killed 74 people in April — but Israel is now acting alone in attacking the rebels as they continue to fire missiles at Israel.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz threatened to launch further strikes.
“What’s true for Iran is true for Yemen,” Katz said in a statement. “Anyone who raises a hand against Israel will have it cut off. The Houthis will continue to pay a heavy price for their actions.”The Houthis then responded with an apparent missile attack on Israel. The Israeli military said that it attempted to intercept the two missiles launched by the Houthis, but they appeared to make impact, though no injuries have been reported. Sirens sounded in the West Bank and along the Dead Sea. Saree on Monday claimed to launch missiles and drones targeting Israel in its attack. “We are fully prepared for a sustained and prolonged confrontation, to confront hostile warplanes and to counter attempts to break the naval blockade imposed by our armed forces on the enemy,” Saree said.
Houthi attacks came over the Israel-Hamas war
The Houthi rebels have been launching missile and drone attacks against commercial and military ships in the region in what the group’s leadership has described as an effort to end Israel’s offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
Between November 2023 and January 2025, the Houthis targeted more than 100 merchant vessels with missiles and drones, sinking two of them and killing four sailors. Their campaign has greatly reduced the flow of trade through the Red Sea corridor, which typically sees $1 trillion of goods move through it annually. Shipping through the Red Sea, while still lower than normal, has increased in recent weeks.
The Houthis paused attacks until the U.S. launched a broad assault against the rebels in mid-March. That ended weeks later and the Houthis haven’t attacked a vessel, though they have continued occasional missile attacks targeting Israel.
Jon Gambrell, The Associated Press

Israel says apprehended members of Iran-backed cell in Syria
Agence France Presse/July 07/2025
Israel's military said Monday it had apprehended members of an Iran-backed cell in southern Syria, the second such operation it has announced in the past week. Since the December overthrow of Syria's longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad, Israel has carried out hundreds of air strikes primarily on military sites and carried out cross-border ground raids. In a statement, the military said troops "completed an overnight operation to apprehend a cell that was operated by the Iranian Quds Force in the Tel Kudna area of southern Syria."The Quds Force is the foreign operations arm of Iran's Revolutionary Guards. Israel fought an unprecedented 12-day war against its arch-foe Iran last month. "For the second time in the past week... troops completed a targeted overnight operation and apprehended several operatives who posed a threat in the area," the statement added. There was no immediate official Syrian confirmation of the raid. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor said Israeli forces raided early Monday a village in the Quneitra countryside of southern Syria and "carried out searches targeting several homes, which ended with the arrest of two brothers." On Wednesday, Israel's military said its forces had apprehended members of an Iranian-backed "terrorist cell" in southern Syria and seized weapons. Since Assad's fall, Israel has carried out strikes in Syria aimed at denying military assets to the Islamist-led interim administration. It has also deployed troops across the demilitarized zone on the Syrian side of the armistice line that used to separate the opposing forces on the Golan, with Israeli troops regularly carrying out raids in southern Syria. On June 12, Syria said the Israeli military killed one civilian and detained seven people during an overnight incursion, with the Israeli army saying it seized members of Palestinian militant group Hamas. Israel has said it is "interested" in striking normalization agreements with Syria and neighboring Lebanon, but insisted the strategic Golan Heights -- which Israel seized from Syria in 1967 and later annexed in a move not recognized by the United Nations -- would "remain part of" Israel under any peace accord.

Syrian wildfires spread for fifth day due to heavy winds and war remnants
AP/July 07, 2025
LATAKIA: Syrian firefighters are facing heavy winds, high temperatures and ordnance left behind from the 13-year civil war as they try to extinguish some of country’s worst wildfires in years for the fifth day, a government minister said Monday. The fires, which started last week, have proven difficult to bring under control despite reinforcements from Jordan, Turkiye and Lebanon that came to the war-torn country to help Syrian teams fight the blaze. Syrian Minister of Emergency and Disaster Management Raed Al-Saleh said their main challenges are two locations in the coastal province of Latakia that they have been trying to control for two days. “We have controlled other locations,” Al-Saleh told The Associated Press at the scene. On the second day of the fire, firefighters managed to get 90 percent of the wildfires under control but explosions of left-over war ordnance and heavy winds helped spread the fires again, Al-Saleh said. He added that 120 teams are fighting the blazes. On Monday, the Lebanese army said it sent two helicopters to help fight the fires in coordination with Syrian authorities.Over the weekend, UN teams deployed to the Syrian coast where they are conducting urgent assessments to determine the scale of the damage and to identify the most immediate humanitarian needs. Summer fires are common in the eastern Mediterranean region, where experts warn that climate change is intensifying conditions that then lead to blazes.///Also, below-average rainfall over the winter left Syrians struggling with water shortages this summer, as the springs and rivers that normally supply much of the population with drinking water have gone dry.

US revokes foreign terrorist designation for Syria’s HTS
Reuters/July 07, 2025
WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump’s administration has revoked the foreign terrorist organization designation for Al-Nusrah Front, also known as Hay’at Tahrir Al-Sham, according to a State Department memo filed on Monday, a major step as Washington moves to ease sanctions on Syria. The June 23 dated memo was signed by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and was published in a preview of the Federal Register before official publication on Tuesday. The move comes a week after Trump signed an executive order terminating a US sanctions program on Syria, to help end the country’s isolation from the international financial system and building on Washington’s pledge to help it rebuild after a devastating civil war. “In consultation with the Attorney General and the Secretary of the Treasury, I hereby revoke the designation of Al-Nusrah Front, also known as Hay’at Tahrir Al-Sham (and other aliases) as a Foreign Terrorist Organization,” Rubio wrote in the memo. Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham, or HTS, was previously Al-Qaeda’s Syria branch, or Nusra Front. In December, Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa led the HTS which together with other Islamist rebels conducted a lightning offensive that ousted Syria’s former president Bashar Assad. Sharaa’s HTS severed Al-Qaeda ties years ago and says it wants to build an inclusive and democratic Syria. Syria’s foreign ministry had no immediate comment. Sharaa and Trump met in Riyadh in May where, in a major policy shift, Trump unexpectedly announced he would lift US sanctions on Syria, prompting Washington to significantly ease its measures.

UN adopts resolution on Afghanistan’s Taliban rule over US objections
AP/July 08, 2025
UNITED NATIONS: The UN General Assembly adopted a resolution Monday over US objections calling on Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers to reverse their worsening oppression of women and girls and eliminate all terrorist organizations. The 11-page resolution also emphasizes “the importance of creating opportunities for economic recovery, development and prosperity in Afghanistan,” and urges donors to address the country’s dire humanitarian and economic crisis. The resolution is not legally binding but is seen as a reflection of world opinion. The vote was 116 in favor, with two — the United States and close ally Israel — opposed and 12 abstentions, including Russia, China, India and Iran. Since returning to power in Afghanistan in 2021, the Taliban have imposed harsh measures, banning women from public places and girls from attending school beyond the sixth grade. Last week, Russia became the first country to formally recognize the Taliban’s government. Germany’s UN Ambassador Antje Leendertse, whose country sponsored the resolution, told the assembly before the vote that her country and many others remain gravely concerned about the dire human rights situation in Afghanistan, especially the Taliban’s “near-total erasure” of the rights of women and girls. The core message of the resolution, she said, is to tell Afghan mothers holding sick and underfed children or mourning victims of terrorist attacks, as well as the millions of Afghan women and girls locked up at home, that they have not been forgotten.
US minister-counselor Jonathan Shrier was critical of the resolution, which he said rewards “the Taliban’s failure with more engagement and more resources.” He said the Trump administration doubts they will ever pursue policies “in accordance with the expectations of the international community.”
“For decades we shouldered the burden of supporting the Afghan people with time, money and, most important, American lives,” he said. “It is the time for the Taliban to step up. The United States will no longer enable their heinous behavior.”Last month, the Trump administration banned Afghans hoping to resettle in the US permanently and those seeking to come temporarily, with exceptions. The resolution expresses appreciation to governments hosting Afghan refugees, singling out the two countries that have taken the most: Iran and Pakistan. Shrier also objected to this, accusing Iran of executing Afghans “at an alarming rate without due process” and forcibly conscripting Afghans into its militias. While the resolution notes improvements in Afghanistan’s overall security situation, it reiterates concern about attacks by Al-Qaeda and Daesh militants and their affiliates. It calls upon Afghanistan “to take active measures to tackle, dismantle and eliminate all terrorist organizations equally and without discrimination.”The General Assembly also encouraged UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to appoint a coordinator to facilitate “a more coherent, coordinated and structured approach” to its international engagements on Afghanistan.

Iran’s president accuses Israel of attempting to assassinate him
AFP/07 July/2025
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said in an interview released on Monday that Israel, which last month fought a 12-day war with Iran, had attempted to assassinate him.The remarks came less than a month after Israel launched its unprecedented June 13 bombing campaign against Iran, killing top military commanders and nuclear scientists. The Israeli attacks took place two days before Tehran and Washington were set to meet for a new round of nuclear talks, stalling negotiations that were aimed at reaching a deal over Iran’s atomic program.“They did try, yes. They acted accordingly, but they failed,” Pezeshkian told US media figure Tucker Carlson in response to a question on whether he believed Israel had tried to kill him. “It was not the United States that was behind the attempt on my life. It was Israel. I was in a meeting... they tried to bombard the area in which we were holding that meeting,” he said according to a translation of his remarks from Persian, in apparent reference to an alleged assassination attempt during the recent war. More than 900 people were killed in Iran during the conflict, according to the judiciary. The Israeli attacks drew waves of retaliatory drone and missile fire, killing 28 people in Israel, according to authorities.
‘Forever wars’
The 12-day war between Iran and Israel saw it, along with the United States, launching strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities at Fordow, Isfahan and Natanz.A ceasefire between Iran and Israel took hold since June 24. On June 16, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not rule out plans to assassinate Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei, saying it would “end the conflict” after reports emerged at the time that US President Donald Trump had vetoed the move. During the interview with Carlson, Pezeshkian accused Netanyahu of pursuing his “own agenda” of “forever wars” in the Middle East, and urged the United States not to be dragged into it. “The US administration should refrain from getting involved in a war that is not America’s war, it is Netanyahu’s war,” he said. He added that his country has “no problem” restarting nuclear talks, provided that trust can be reestablished between the two countries. “We see no problem in re-entering the negotiations,” the Iranian president said. “There is a condition ... for restarting the talks. How are we going to trust the United States again?”“We re-entered the negotiations, then how can we know for sure that in the middle of the talks the Israeli regime will not be given the permission again to attack us.”Pezeshkian added that Iran would be open to US investments should sanctions on Tehran be lifted. “There is no limitation and nothing preventing the US investors to come to Iran and to make investments in Iran.”
Pezeshkian also warned that the US has two ways in front of it for dealing with Iran and the region: peace or war. “US President Mr. Trump is capable enough to guide the region towards peace and a brighter future and put Israel in its place or get into an endless pit or swamp and that is a war that Netanyahu wants the US or its president to be dragged into.”

Iran says death toll from war with Israel reaches 1,060: State TV
AFP/July 07/2025
Iranian state media reported Monday that the death toll in Iran following the 12-day war with Israel has risen to at least 1,060. "Regarding the martyrs, as of tonight, we have buried 1,060 loved ones across the country," Saeed Ohadi, head of the Foundation of Martyrs and Veterans Affairs said in an interview with state TV.

UN seeks breakthrough in Cyprus peace talks
AFP/July 07/2025
Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when a Turkish invasion followed a coup in Nicosia backed by Greece’s then-military junta.
Nicosia: The United Nations is pushing for a breakthrough when Cyprus’s rival leaders meet in New York next week for a renewed attempt to revive stalled peace talks, an UN envoy said Monday. Maria Angela Holguin held separate meetings with Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides and Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar, crossing the island’s UN-patrolled ceasefire line in a day of shuttle diplomacy. “All this effort the UN is doing is for the prosperity of the island, so that the people have a better life,” Holguin, who was appointed the UN envoy to Cyprus earlier this year, told reporters after meeting Tatar.
“And we continue to work, the commitment of the UN is totally for that, so we hope the leaders can think about that, and we have results next week.”The meetings are part of preparations for talks in New York on July 16-17, where UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is due to meet both leaders. They follow a meeting in Geneva in March, which marked the first meaningful progress in years. At that gathering, both sides agreed on a set of confidence-building measures, including opening more crossing points across the divide, cooperating on solar energy, and removing land mines — steps Guterres described as reflecting a “new atmosphere” and renewed urgency. “I hope we are going to have many advances on the measures they decided in March,” said Holguin. Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when a Turkish invasion followed a coup in Nicosia backed by Greece’s then-military junta. The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, declared in 1983, is recognized only by Ankara. The internationally recognized Republic of Cyprus, a member of the European Union, controls the island’s majority Greek Cypriot south. The last major round of peace talks collapsed in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, in July 2017.

Lula says BRICS do not want ‘emperor’ after Trump threat
AFP/July 07, 2025
RIO DE JANEIRO: Brazil’s president said Monday that emerging BRICS economies did not want to live under an “emperor,” after Donald Trump declared a 10 percent tariffs hike on members for their allegedly anti-American policies. “We are sovereign nations,” Lula said as he ended a two day summit of 11 nations that include US allies and foes alike. “We don’t want an emperor.”

US to send ‘more weapons’ to Ukraine: Trump
AFP/July 08, 2025
WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said Monday the United States will send additional weapons to Ukraine, after the White House announced a halt to some arms shipments for Kyiv the previous week. “We’re going to have to send more weapons — defensive weapons primarily,” Trump told journalists at the White House.
“They’re getting hit very, very hard,” he said of Ukraine, while saying he is “not happy” with President Vladimir Putin. Putin launched the full-scale invasion of Russia’s smaller neighbor in 2022 and has shown little willingness to end the conflict despite pressure from Trump. Ukraine is contending with some of Russia’s largest missile and drone attacks of the three-year war, and a halt to the provision of munitions posed a potentially serious challenge for Kyiv. Under former president Joe Biden, Washington committed to providing more than $65 billion in military assistance to Ukraine. But Trump — long skeptical of assistance for Ukraine — has not followed suit, announcing no new military aid packages for Kyiv since he took office in January of this year.

Trump to put 25 percent tariffs on Japan and South Korea, new import taxes on 12 other nations.
AP/July 08, 2025
WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump on Monday set a 25 percent tax on goods imported from Japan and South Korea, as well as new tariff rates on a dozen other nations that would go into effect on Aug. 1. Trump provided notice by posting letters on Truth Social that were addressed to the leaders of the various countries. The letters warned them to not retaliate by increasing their own import taxes, or else the Trump administration would further increase tariffs. “If for any reason you decide to raise your Tariffs, then, whatever the number you choose to raise them by, will be added onto the 25 percent that we charge,” Trump wrote in the letters to Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and South Korean President Lee Jae-myung. The letters were not the final word from Trump on tariffs, so much as another episode in a global economic drama in which he has placed himself at the center. His moves have raised fears that economic growth would slow to a trickle, if not make the US and other nations more vulnerable to a recession. But Trump is confident that tariffs are necessary to bring back domestic manufacturing and fund the tax cuts he signed into law last Friday. He mixed his sense of aggression with a willingness to still negotiate, signaling the likelihood that the drama and uncertainty would continue and that few things are ever final with Trump. Imports from Myanmar and Laos would be taxed at 40 percent, Cambodia and Thailand at 36 percent, Serbia and Bangladesh at 35 percent, Indonesia at 32 percent, South Africa and Bosnia and Herzegovina at 30 percent and Kazakhstan, Malaysia and Tunisia at 25 percent. Trump placed the word “only” before revealing the rate in his letters to the foreign leaders, implying that he was being generous with his tariffs. But the letters generally followed a standard format, so much so that the one to Bosnia and Herzegovina initially addressed its woman leader, Željka Cvijanović, as “Mr. President.” Trump later posted a corrected letter.
Trade talks have yet to deliver several deals
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that Trump was by setting the rates himself creating “tailor-made trade plans for each and every country on this planet and that’s what this administration continues to be focused on.”Following a now well-worn pattern, Trump plans to continue sharing the letters sent to his counterparts on social media and then mail them the documents, a stark departure from the more formal practices of all his predecessors when negotiating trade agreements. The letters are not agreed-to settlements but Trump’s own choice on rates, a sign that the closed-door talks with foreign delegations failed to produce satisfactory results for either side. Wendy Cutler, vice president of the Asia Society Policy Institute who formerly worked in the office of the US Trade Representative, said the tariff hikes on Japan and South Korea were “unfortunate.”
“Both have been close partners on economic security matters and have a lot to offer the United States on priority matters like shipbuilding, semiconductors, critical minerals and energy cooperation,” Cutler said. Trump still has outstanding differences on trade with the European Union and India, among other trading partners. Tougher talks with China are on a longer time horizon in which imports from that nation are being taxed at 55 percent. The office of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said in a statement that the tariff rates announced by Trump mischaracterized the trade relationship with the US, but it would “continue with its diplomatic efforts toward a more balanced and mutually beneficial trade relationship with the United States” after having proposed a trade framework on May 20.
Higher tariffs prompt market worries, more uncertainty ahead
The S&P 500 stock index was down 0.8 percent in Monday trading, while the interest charged on 10-year US Treasury notes had increased to nearly 4.39 percent, a figure that could translate into elevated rates for mortgages and auto loans. Trump has declared an economic emergency to unilaterally impose the taxes, suggesting they are remedies for past trade deficits even though many US consumers have come to value autos, electronics and other goods from Japan and South Korea. The constitution grants Congress the power to levy tariffs under normal circumstances, though tariffs can also result from executive branch investigations regarding national security risks.Trump’s ability to impose tariffs through an economic emergency is under legal challenge, with the administration appealing a May ruling by the US Court of International Trade that said the president exceeded his authority. It’s unclear what he gains strategically against China — another stated reason for the tariffs — by challenging two crucial partners in Asia, Japan and South Korea, that could counter China’s economic heft. “These tariffs may be modified, upward or downward, depending on our relationship with your Country,” Trump wrote in both letters. Because the new tariff rates go into effect in roughly three weeks, Trump is setting up a period of possibly tempestuous talks among the US and its trade partners to reach new frameworks. “I don’t see a huge escalation or a walk back — it’s just more of the same,” said Scott Lincicome, a vice president at the Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank. Trump initially roiled the financial markets by announcing tariff rates on dozens of countries, including 24 percent on Japan and 25 percent on South Korea. In order to calm the markets, Trump unveiled a 90-day negotiating period during which goods from most countries were taxed at a baseline 10 percent. So far, the rates in the letters sent by Trump either match his April 2 tariffs or are generally close to them. The 90-day negotiating period technically ends on Wednesday, even as multiple administration officials suggested the three-week period before implementation is akin to overtime for additional talks that could change the rates. Trump plans to sign an executive order on Monday to delay the official tariff increases until Aug. 1, Leavitt said. Congressionally approved Trade agreements historically have sometimes taken years to negotiate because of the complexity. Administration officials have said Trump is relying on tariff revenues to help offset the tax cuts he signed into law on July 4, a move that could shift a greater share of the federal tax burden onto the middle class and poor as importers would likely pass along much of the cost of the tariffs. Trump has warned major retailers such as Walmart to simply “eat” the higher costs, instead of increasing prices in ways that could intensify inflation.Josh Lipsky, chair of international economics at The Atlantic Council, said that a three-week delay in imposing the tariffs was unlikely sufficient for meaningful talks to take place.
“I take it as a signal that he is serious about most of these tariffs and it’s not all a negotiating posture,” Lipsky said.
Trade gaps persist, more tariff hikes are possible
Trump’s team promised 90 deals in 90 days, but his negotiations so far have produced only two trade frameworks. His outline of a deal with Vietnam was clearly designed to box out China from routing its America-bound goods through that country, by doubling the 20 percent tariff charged on Vietnamese imports on anything traded transnationally.The quotas in the signed United Kingdom framework would spare that nation from the higher tariff rates being charged on steel, aluminum and autos, though British goods would generally face a 10 percent tariff.
The United States ran a $69.4 billion trade imbalance in goods with Japan in 2024 and a $66 billion imbalance with South Korea, according to the Census Bureau. The trade deficits are the differences between what the US exports to a country relative to what it imports.
According to Trump’s letters, autos would be tariffed separately at the standard 25 percent worldwide, while steel and aluminum imports would be taxed on 50 percent. This is not the first time that Trump has tangled with Japan and South Korea on trade — and the new tariffs suggest his past deals made during his first term failed to deliver on his administration’s own hype. In 2018, during Trump’s first term, his administration celebrated a revamped trade agreement with South Korea as a major win. And in 2019, Trump signed a limited agreement with Japan on agricultural products and digital trade that at the time he called a “huge victory for America’s farmers, ranchers and growers.”Trump has also said on social media that countries aligned with the policy goals of BRICS, an organization composed of Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates, would face additional tariffs of 10 percent.

The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources on July 07-08/2025
Do Not Rely on Egypt or Any Arab State to Bring Security to Gaza
Khaled Abu Toameh/Gatestone Institute/July 07/2025
There are also concerns that the tunnels could be used to smuggle terrorists into Gaza.
The Egyptians chose to ignore the smuggling as long as the weapons were making their way into the Gaza Strip and not staying in Egyptian territory. After all, these weapons were being used against Israel, not Egypt. The weapons did not pose any threat to Egypt's national security. In addition, Egyptian military and police officers apparently benefitted by accepting bribes.
By turning a blind eye to the massive smuggling industry, Egypt significantly contributed to transforming the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip into a major base for Islamist terrorism, paving the way for the October 7 attack on Israel.
Egypt never did anything to stop Hamas from staging a coup against the Palestinian Authority and seizing control of the Gaza Strip. Egypt failed to stop the flow of weapons into the Gaza Strip. Egypt does not care about the Palestinians or Israel. It only cares about its own interests, and that is why it would be a big mistake to rely on the Egyptians or any Arab state to bring security and stability to the Gaza Strip.
By turning a blind eye to the massive smuggling industry, Egypt significantly contributed to transforming the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip into a major base for Islamist terrorism, paving the way for the October 7 attack on Israel. Pictured: A large Hamas tunnel between the Gaza Strip and Egypt, beneath the Philadelphi Corridor, discovered by the Israeli military, photographed on September 13, 2024. (Photo by Sharon Aronowicz/AFP via Getty Images)
Since the Hamas-Israel war began on October 7, 2023, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have discovered an estimated 90 tunnels crossing under the border between the Gaza Strip and Egypt. The tunnels have been used by Hamas and other Palestinian terror groups to smuggle rockets and weapons into the Gaza Strip. According to Israeli military sources, there may be additional tunnels that have not been discovered. There are also concerns that the tunnels could be used to smuggle terrorists into Gaza.
The smuggling, which increased after Hamas's violent and brutal takeover of the Gaza Strip in 2007, took place under the watchful eyes of Egypt, if not with its willing assistance.
The Egyptians chose to ignore the smuggling as long as the weapons were making their way into the Gaza Strip and not staying in Egyptian territory. After all, these weapons were being used against Israel, not Egypt. The weapons did not pose any threat to Egypt's national security. In addition, Egyptian military and police officers apparently benefitted by accepting bribes.
"The feeling in Jerusalem is that Egypt is ungrateful," said Yoni Ben Menachem, Middle East intelligence analyst at the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs, in September 2024.
"Now it turns out the Egyptians have been playing a double game. They've been letting Hamas smuggle weapons for many years, especially after [Egyptian President] Abdel Fattah el-Sisi came to power."
"Israel helped Egypt in its campaign against the Islamic State [ISIS] in Sinai," noted David Isaac, an expert on Jewish history, politics, and current events at Jewish News Syndicate.
"It allowed Cairo to double its forces in the peninsula, far more than allowed by the 1979 Israel-Egypt peace treaty. Israel even conducted bombing raids against the Islamic State at Egypt's request. In 2014, Israel intervened on behalf of Egypt with the U.S. to ensure American aid continued."
Shortly after the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led invasion of Israel, the IDF confirmed that the Palestinian terror group smuggled weapons and ammunition through tunnels under the Egypt-Gaza border in the run-up to its massacre of 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals.
By turning a blind eye to the massive smuggling industry, Egypt significantly contributed to transforming the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip into a major base for Islamist terrorism, paving the way for the October 7 attack on Israel.
The idea that placing the Gaza Strip under Egypt's control would change the situation is simply unrealistic. Egypt, which ruled the Gaza Strip from 1948 until 1967, never wanted the Gaza Strip back, mainly because Cairo did not want to become responsible for the Palestinians living there. Egypt, in addition, did not want to be seen as meddling in the internal affairs of the Palestinians and having to face the challenge of confronting various armed groups inside the Gaza Strip.
Recently, the Israeli newspaper Israel Hayom reported that the Trump administration and Israel have reached agreement on a plan that would "encompass four Arab nations (including Egypt and the United Arab Emirates) to administer the Gaza Strip" after the end of the war.
In the past, Egypt rejected any proposal for it to administer the Gaza Strip. Earlier this year, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said:
"[A]ny proposals that circumvent the constants of the Egyptian and Arab position, and the sound foundations for addressing the core of the conflict, which relate to Israel's withdrawal from the occupied Palestinian Territories and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state, are rejected and unacceptable, as they represent half-solutions that contribute to the recurrence of the conflict cycles rather than resolving it permanently."
"Egypt's rejection of the proposal is rooted in multiple concerns, with national security being the most critical," wrote Egyptian journalist Abdellatif El-Menawy.
"Cairo fears that assuming control of Gaza would create a significant security burden, particularly given the complex internal dynamics of the enclave and the presence of armed factions outside the control of the Palestinian Authority. If Egypt were to take administrative responsibility, it might find itself in direct confrontation with resistance groups, leading to unwanted conflicts that could destabilize Egypt's internal security."
Egypt has good reason to be worried about its national security. According to Israeli security sources, ISIS terrorists fighting against the Egyptian army in Sinai have cooperated militarily with Hamas. The sources revealed that Hamas's military wing had been paying the ISIS terrorists in Egypt to secure weapons shipments being smuggled through Sinai into the Gaza Strip.
The smuggling industry flourished after the IDF in 2005 withdrew from the Philadelphi Corridor, a narrow strip of land situated along the entirety of the border between the Gaza Strip and Egypt. After the withdrawal, Israel and Egypt signed an agreement that authorized the Egyptians to deploy border guards along the route to prevent smuggling of weapons from Egypt into the Gaza Strip. The Egyptians, needless to say, did not fully comply with the agreement.
Meanwhile, European Union monitors stationed at the Rafah Border Crossing, as part of an agreement with the Palestinian Authority (PA) and Israel, suspended their operations after Hamas's 2007 takeover of the Gaza Strip. If the PA and the EU monitors ran away from the Gaza Strip, there is reason to believe that Egypt would follow suit if it were put in charge. Even if Egypt accepts the alleged Trump plan, it would be doing so only to appease the US and receive more financial aid from the Americans. Once the Trump administration is gone or Palestinians start protesting against Egypt, the Egyptians will leave the Gaza Strip.Egypt never did anything to stop Hamas from staging a coup against the Palestinian Authority and seizing control of the Gaza Strip. Egypt failed to stop the flow of weapons into the Gaza Strip. Egypt does not care about the Palestinians or Israel. It only cares about its own interests, and that is why it would be a big mistake to rely on the Egyptians or any Arab state to bring security and stability to the Gaza Strip.
**Khaled Abu Toameh is an award-winning journalist based in Jerusalem.
**Follow Khaled Abu Toameh on X (formerly Twitter)
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Syria at a crossroads
Hani Hazaimeh/Arab News/July 07, 2025
Syria today stands on the cusp of a transformative chapter in its modern history. More than seven months after the ousting of Bashar Assad, the country has sworn in a new transitional government led by President Ahmad Al-Sharaa, marking a significant departure from decades of autocratic rule. The new leadership has promised inclusivity and reform, appointing a diverse Cabinet that, for the first time, includes women and representatives of minority groups. One such appointment, Hind Kabawat as minister of social affairs, signals a break from past patterns of exclusion.
The regional response has been swift and, in many ways, optimistic. Arab capitals, once divided over how to deal with Damascus, are now reengaging with renewed purpose. Saudi Arabia and the UAE have announced debt relief and economic assistance packages. Tunisia, Egypt and Jordan have exchanged high-level visits, while Qatar has signaled conditional openness pending progress on political inclusivity and refugee return. Meanwhile, the UK has reestablished full diplomatic ties with Damascus and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in May met his Syrian counterpart in Antalya, Turkiye.
These moves reflect a broader recalibration in regional politics. Rather than isolating Syria indefinitely, Arab states are now betting that constructive engagement may offer a more effective route to stability. But this raises a crucial question: Will normalization catalyze real reform or simply entrench the status quo under a new name?
There are reasons for cautious optimism. The new Syrian government, backed by a coalition of opposition groups and civil society figures, has laid out a transitional roadmap that includes constitutional reform, the decentralization of power and the phased return of refugees in cooperation with UN agencies. Local reconciliation efforts are underway in formerly besieged areas like Deraa and Eastern Ghouta, while independent media outlets have cautiously resumed operations under a new press law passed in March.
Internationally, Syria’s foreign policy posture is also shifting. Damascus has signaled openness to rejoining global institutions and has expressed an interest in negotiating a framework for peace with Israel — though talks remain in their infancy. Meanwhile, the Syrian Democratic Forces have agreed to a partial integration with the Syrian army under a unified military command, part of a broader security sector reform process that is seen as key to long-term stability.
Despite these steps, deep skepticism remains. Critics argue that without meaningful accountability for past atrocities, normalization could whitewash systemic abuses and undermine the pursuit of justice. Families of detainees and victims of war crimes have voiced concerns that the Arab League’s embrace of Damascus may have come too soon — before meaningful progress on human rights is achieved.
Arab states are betting that constructive engagement may offer a more effective route to stability. Moreover, the country’s economic recovery remains fragile. Syria’s infrastructure is shattered, unemployment is high and inflation has driven much of the population into poverty. Billions of dollars in reconstruction aid are needed, but many Western governments are conditioning support on further political liberalization and the protection of civil liberties.
There is also concern that regional powers may prioritize stability over reform — engaging with Damascus to curb foreign influence or to stem refugee flows, while turning a blind eye to domestic stagnation. The challenge, therefore, is to ensure that normalization is not an end in itself, but a lever to drive real change.
The future of Syria is not just a Syrian question — it is a regional imperative. A stable, sovereign and inclusive Syria could help contain cross-border militancy, revitalize trade corridors and restore a degree of political coherence to the Levant. But if normalization merely restores a rebranded autocracy, it risks perpetuating the conditions that led to Syria’s implosion in the first place.
Arab states now face a delicate balancing act: how to engage constructively with Damascus while insisting on measurable progress toward political transition, the rule of law and reconciliation. The international community, for its part, must continue to support Syrian civil society, empower local governance and advocate for the rights of refugees and displaced persons.
Syria’s return to the Arab fold presents both an opportunity and a test. If managed responsibly, normalization could offer a lifeline to a country ravaged by war, helping it rebuild institutions and reclaim its place in the region. But if approached with complacency or driven by narrow geopolitical interests, it risks legitimizing stagnation and silencing the voices of those who demand dignity, justice and freedom.
Syria is at a crossroads. What happens next will determine whether it finally steps onto the path of national healing or remains trapped in a cycle of broken promises.
**Hani Hazaimeh is a senior editor based in Amman. X: @hanihazaimeh

Can Mamdani become the next New York City mayor?
Dr. Abdel Aziz Aluwaisheg/Arab News/July 07, 2025
When you land in New York these days, all the talk is about Zohran Mamdani, the young immigrant politician who last month won the Democratic Party’s nomination to be its candidate for mayor of New York City, winning easily against more powerful candidates. His challenge now is to win the mayoral election in November despite a national campaign, led by President Donald Trump, to discredit him, including threats to arrest or deport him.
At a highly polarized time in American politics, in which conservatives have the upper hand, Mamdani’s stunning success is an anomaly. He is not only a member of the Democratic Party, but also of the Democratic Socialists of America, a leftist political organization and the largest socialist grouping in the country.
He has taken on New York’s dominant landlords, real estate developers and Wall Street tycoons. At a time of nativist revolt against immigrants, Mamdani bucks that trend as an immigrant who was born in Uganda 33 years ago and who became a naturalized US citizen just seven years ago.
More astonishingly, in a city long known for its politicians’ blind support of Israel and with the largest Jewish population outside Israel, Mamdani has been a strong supporter of Palestinian rights and has criticized Israel’s Gaza campaign, vowing that as mayor he would seek to arrest Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the outstanding International Criminal Court warrant. Nevertheless, he has gained the respect and votes of many Jewish New Yorkers, especially those who oppose Israel’s policies and those who prioritize local issues such as eldercare, paid family leave, rising prices and affordable housing.
Mamdani’s appeal to New Yorkers, regardless of race, ethnicity or religion, appears to be a function of his focus on economic issues and improving living conditions and housing affordability, in addition to his direct and open communication style. He addresses their everyday struggles and offers concrete, easily understood solutions, including free public transport, rent freezes and tax increases on the wealthy to fund social programs.
In a city long plagued by corrupt politicians, nothing incriminating has surfaced about his political career as an assemblyman. In the murky style of New York politics, corruption has been the norm for decades, chronicled in numerous books, movies and TV series. As such, Mamdani stands out as a rare honest politician. Mandani’s status as a naturalized citizen and recent immigrant appeals to many in New York, where more than 35 percent are foreign born, hailing from more than 150 countries.
Historically, when candidates win the Democratic nomination for New York mayor, they are assured of winning the election because it is primarily a one-party city. In 2024, 56 percent of registered voters identified as Democrats, 26 percent as Republicans and 18 percent as neither.
As such, Mamdani has a very good chance of winning in November, except for the fact that he is now facing a storm of opposition, not only from his New York rivals and big business, but also from across the country.
Andrew Cuomo, who lost the Democratic primary to Mamdani, may now run as an independent. Cuomo has a large following among Democrats, but he is weakened by the fact that he is a disgraced former governor who was forced to resign in 2021 in the face of numerous allegations of sexual misconduct.
Current Mayor Eric Adams may also run against Mamdani, but he too comes with baggage. In September 2024, he was indicted on federal charges of bribery, fraud and soliciting illegal foreign campaign donations. He was saved only by the Trump administration, which instructed federal prosecutors to drop the charges against him. Conservative businessmen and anti-Palestinian politicians are supporting the rivals running against Mamdani in the November election. Led by billionaire hedge fund manager Bill Ackman, they are trying to raise astronomical funds to oppose him, despite the fact the millions they previously raised for Cuomo were not enough to stop him being well beaten by Mamdani in the primary.
However, the biggest obstacle Mamdani is facing is the campaign led by the White House, which could sink his candidacy if it persists.
After he won the primary, controversy over Mamdani’s immigration status intensified, with calls to strip him of his US citizenship. Rep. Andy Ogles, a Republican, wrote to Attorney General Pam Bondi calling for an investigation into Mamdani, saying that “he may have procured US citizenship through willful misrepresentation or concealment of material support for terrorism.” In a post on X, Ogles went further: “Mamdani is an antisemitic, socialist, communist who will destroy the great city of New York. He needs to be deported.” Similarly unhinged comments were made by Rudy Giuliani, the controversial former New York mayor. At a highly polarized time in US politics, in which conservatives have the upper hand, Mamdani’s success is an anomaly.
When Trump was asked about Mamdani’s pledge to stop masked Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents “from deporting our neighbors,” he said: “Well, then, we’ll have to arrest him.” Calling him a “pure communist,” Trump threatened to cut off funds to New York if Mamdani becomes mayor and “doesn’t behave himself.” “We don’t need a communist in this country, but if we have one, I’m going to be watching over him very carefully on behalf of the nation,” said the president.
Trump later doubled down on the “communist” label and referred to the claims that Mamdani may have obtained his citizenship illegally. “We’re going to be watching that very carefully. A lot of people are saying he’s here illegally. We’re going to look at everything, but ideally, he’s going to turn out to be much less than a communist. Right now, he’s a communist, that’s not a socialist,” Trump said.
Trump’s distinction between communism and socialism is an acknowledgement of the fact that Mamdani would not be the first “socialist” to be elected mayor of New York, and that scores of American cities have had socialist mayors in the past without them being destroyed. Last Thursday, Trump described Mamdani as a “communist at the highest level,” saying that he wants to “destroy” New York City, but “we’re not gonna let him do that.”If Trump’s relentless campaign continues, it could make it difficult for Mamdani to win the mayoralty in November. In response to the White House’s attacks, Democratic politicians have come to Mamdani’s defense. Sen. Chris Murphy denounced calls to denaturalize Mamdani, saying that “Trump will stop at nothing to protect billionaires and price-gouging corporations.” He added: “Zohran won because he ran a campaign laser-focused on putting power back in the hands of working people.” Others have come to Mamdani’s defense, but nothing can match the White House’s influence in these matters. If he were to win in November, it would be one of the most stunning upsets in American political history.
**Dr. Abdel Aziz Aluwaisheg is the GCC assistant secretary-general for political affairs and negotiation. The views expressed here are personal and do not necessarily represent those of the GCC. X: @abuhamad1

Netanyahu hosted by the guarantor-in-chief
Ghassan Charbel/Asharq Al-Awsat/July 07, 2025
When visiting the president’s office, it helps to come bearing warmth. A firm embrace, a grateful smile, a public thank you — all gestures of loyalty that set the tone. It is best to arrive eager for wisdom and ready to express not only personal admiration but also that of your people. In these corridors of power, both elders and juniors are expected to display reverence. Some go further. They declare themselves lucky to have been born during his era, lucky to sail on the same ship. For he, they say, is a seasoned captain, unfazed by tempests. Success clings to him and landmark deals bear his signature. He is, in their eyes, unlike any predecessor — a singular force, a steadfast ally in turbulent times. Flattery often extends to his choice of necktie or dance steps — and, of course, his tweets. Such an encounter may begin with congratulations: victories abroad echo those at home. As Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu flew toward his US meeting this week, he was both relaxed and cautious. He credits himself with having slipped inside Donald Trump’s mind — perhaps even his heart. But Trump is a complex man: hard-edged, addicted to winning, a master of deals and disruption. He recoils at failure, bristles at disappointment and never backs down. He plays both sides — extending a hand one moment, throwing punches the next. He views the world through his own lens, dismissing the vision of experts. His talent for veering off course is matched only by his flair for unsettling both allies and foes. Each new battle deepens his conviction that destiny has chosen him to save not only America, but the world. Trump extends a hand one moment, throws punches the next. He views the world through his own lens.
Netanyahu might open the meeting with a tale. He could say the president’s backing allowed him to carry out major surgery on the Middle East — painful, delicate, expensive surgery that has redrawn the region’s face. Just two years ago, he might say, a missile could travel from Tehran to Beirut via Iraq and Syria, bypassing state permission. An Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps adviser could accompany it, arming proxies and cementing their place in the so-called axis of resistance. Back then, a visitor to Syria could meet President Bashar Assad in Damascus, then travel by road to Beirut’s southern suburbs to sit with Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah. They could even meet leaders of Hamas and Islamic Jihad living in Lebanon without state consent.
American support secured Israel’s military and technological edge and facilitated the operation. Today, the missile no longer reaches its target. Nor does the adviser. Syria, once the corridor and incubator, speaks a different language now — reportedly seeking only to revive the disengagement accord in exchange for stepping out of the military side of the conflict with Israel.
Lebanon, once the base of the “support front,” has paid a steep price. Though Israel paused its shelling, it continues lethal strikes. Without Syrian depth, Hezbollah cannot launch a war. Yet its insistence on holding onto its weapons robs Lebanon of stability and reconstruction prospects and could trigger something worse. The old balance is broken. Israeli jets control the skies over much of the neighborhood and operate across borders. Syria wants US guarantees. So does Hamas. Lebanon, too. Even Iran is said to be seeking American assurances. Trump, it seems, is the region’s guarantor-in-chief. Netanyahu closes his eyes. He feels genuine gratitude toward the president. The picture has changed. The fall of Assad’s regime, in his eyes, shifted the game. The current phase is about forcing factions back into their native maps, stripped of regional extensions. That return coincides with extracting borders from the battlefield, at least for now. Removing the rubble from Gaza will take years. So will reconstruction. In the meantime, Hamas will likely be sidelined, unable to contemplate another war.
Lebanon, too, may not pose a threat in the coming years. At best, it hopes for implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701, Israeli withdrawal from its territory and for weapons to be placed solely in the state’s hands.
The biggest file remains Iran. Trump’s vow to prevent it from obtaining a nuclear weapon is unwavering. The latest round of conflict drew Tehran directly into the war, stripping it of the luxury of fighting by proxy. Israeli strikes on Iranian soil pierced what Tehran once considered untouchable. Even as Iran’s missiles struck Tel Aviv, the strategic loss across its regional network was deeper.
Now the question: Will Iran opt to ride out Trump’s term, coexisting until the clock runs out? Can it rebuild new lines of regional defense resembling Hezbollah’s former role? Netanyahu knows Trump needs a win in Gaza after failing to deliver one in Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to crush Ukraine before agreeing to a truce and he wants no partner in claiming victory. But Netanyahu will not challenge the guarantor-in-chief. The man of war can also be the man of peace. A ceasefire in Gaza might be accepted — then navigated around. Some flexibility may be necessary, given the devastation. There is little left in Gaza that could pose a danger. Israel’s adversaries now wait for guarantees from the US. Netanyahu, meanwhile, hopes for a fresh endorsement from the White House to fuel his reelection bid.
Some in the region are even hoping Trump concludes that the most meaningful guarantee he can offer is to keep the two-state solution alive — even if on pause. For now, the guarantor also remains the dealer of surprises.

How to convert a temporary ceasefire into a permanent one
Daoud Kuttab/Arab News/July 07/2025
The US administration appears to have decided to push for a temporary ceasefire in Gaza, possibly to be announced during the visit by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the White House on Monday. The question that is on everyone’s mind is: Are we facing the end of this terrible revenge war or will this be another two-month ceasefire (or less) before the genocide resumes? What are the future scenarios? After 21 months of retaliatory warfare under an illegal pretext, a 60-day ceasefire is expected to begin soon. A ceasefire may alleviate the unprecedented suffering of the Palestinian people, especially those in Gaza, but unfortunately it will not end the war unless the pressure continues to grow on Israel to immediately end its criminal war against the Palestinian people.
Netanyahu’s agreement to a ceasefire may come because of a series of pressures on him. Firstly, from the Israeli military, which pays a daily price because of consistent resistance acts against the occupiers. This has resulted in a clear rejection by the army’s top brass of the continuity of a war without a purpose. In addition, Israeli citizens continue to demonstrate daily, demanding an end to the war because they realize that is the only way to secure the release of the hostages and a return to normality.
In addition, there is mounting international pressure. World leaders appear to have belatedly begun to exert tangible pressure on Israel, as we have seen with the EU seriously considering sanctions as a result of Tel Aviv’s violation of the terms of the cooperation agreement between the two parties. Article 2 of the agreement states that it can be revisited if there is a gross violation of human rights.
But perhaps the most important source of pressure on Netanyahu is the corruption case against him that is likely to conclude soon.
Most legal experts expect that the Israeli prime minister will be convicted, which would carry with it a prison term. This is important because, as PM, he has the leverage of accepting a plea bargain that could ensure he stays out of jail in return for agreeing to stay out of politics completely. This option could be removed if the Orthodox parties in his governing coalition push for early elections, as polls show he will likely not be able to create another winning coalition. Elections must be held in 2026 in any case, so he does not have a lot of time to consider making a deal before the court makes its final ruling.
It is unclear how Hamas would behave if a Palestinian, Arab or international party governed the Gaza Strip.
While the end of the war could be part of a decision by Netanyahu to cut his losses and stay out of jail, the immediate pressure might be on Hamas and other resistance factions to decide how they will behave in the days after the end of the war. Their choices could influence whether an agreement to end the war comes sooner or later. Pressure to end the war, therefore, will not be limited to the Israeli side. There are clear Israeli, American and international demands on Hamas and Islamic Jihad. Not only will Hamas have to decide to give up control of the Strip, but it must also make a much harder decision. Will it be willing to give up its weapons? Until now, it has refused to — otherwise, we could have had a ceasefire agreement much earlier.
It is unclear how Hamas would behave if a Palestinian, Arab or international party was granted the ability to govern the Gaza Strip. The big question will be whether such an agreement for the day-after scenario can be done while the Palestinian resistance remains armed. Who would agree to govern Gaza if there was no guarantee by Hamas that it would not use its armed power to sabotage governing policy?
Will the resistance commit to allowing reconstruction without engaging in violent actions against the governing body or even against Israel, which would surely retaliate and the war would be back on? Even if Hamas accepts the Arab plan of a temporary technocratic governing committee, how would the issue of it and Islamic Jihad’s possession of weapons be bridged? Some have suggested that the solution may be to place weapons in closed warehouses. But the most critical issue is whether the resistance, especially Hamas and Islamic Jihad, will agree to transition from violent to peaceful, nonviolent resistance and become political parties rather than armed resistance factions. Thus, there are questions Israel must answer and some questions the resistance must answer. The question remains: Which parties have influence over the two sides to resolve the problems that stand in the way of ending the war and beginning the arduous process of rebuilding Gaza, while simultaneously working diligently to find a comprehensive political solution to the Palestinian issue?
**Daoud Kuttab is an award-winning Palestinian journalist. He is the author of "State of Palestine NOW: Practical and Logical Arguments for the Best Way to Bring Peace to the Middle East" (available in English, French, German, and audiobook). X: @daoudkuttab

Selected Twitters For Today on July 07/2025
ܬܐܘܕܪܘܣ ܒܪܝܘܠܝܘܣ ܐܠܟܣܢܕܪ Amine Bar-Julius Iskandar
https://x.com/i/status/1941907297627771171
When one component resorts to aggression against another, it represents a flagrant violation of the principles of federalism, decisively eroding its legitimacy and accelerating an irreversible slide toward full separation.

Hussain Abdul-Hussain
Lebanon to World, 2006-2023: #Hezbollah is a regional problem and disarming it is bigger than #Lebanon.
Lebanon to World 2023- present:
Disarming Hezbollah is a domestic Lebanese issue and the world shouldn’t tell us what to do. What a bunch of lunatic leaders.

Hussain Abdul-Hussain
https://x.com/i/status/1942234214520308024
#Israel just took out a #Hezbollah commander in #Lebanon. Had Beirut lived up to its promise of disarming the militia, this man’s life would have been spared.

Hussain Abdul-Hussain
#Lebanon to the world: If you force us to disarm Hezbollah, we will hurt ourselves (civil war). That the Lebanese think the world should “understand” their failure to stand up a sovereign government is something.

Amine Bar-Julius Iskandar
Three patriarchs assembled today in the Maronite patriarchate of Dimén,
Bechara Petros Raï of the Syriac Maronites, Raphaël Petros Minassian of the Armenian Catholics, and Ignatios Joseph III Younan of the Syriac Catholics, remind us of the significant importance of Mount Lebanon