English LCCC Newsbulletin For
Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For June 11/2025
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news
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Bible Quotations For today
And when day came, he called his disciples and chose twelve of them, whom he
also named apostles
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke
06/12-19/:”Now during those days he went out to the mountain to pray; and he
spent the night in prayer to God. And when day came, he called his disciples and
chose twelve of them, whom he also named apostles: Simon, whom he named Peter,
and his brother Andrew, and James, and John, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and
Matthew, and Thomas, and James son of Alphaeus, and Simon, who was called the
Zealot, and Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor. He
came down with them and stood on a level place, with a great crowd of his
disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea, Jerusalem, and the
coast of Tyre and Sidon. They had come to hear him and to be healed of their
diseases; and those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured. And all
in the crowd were trying to touch him, for power came out from him and healed
all of them.
Titles For The
Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published
on June 10-11/2025
Aoun and Salam's Condemnations of Israeli Strikes Expose Their Failure,
Blindness, and Submission to Hezbollah’s Delusional Logic/Elias Bejjani/June
07/2025
Jordan pledges continued support for Lebanon’s efforts to preserve security,
stability, sovereignty
Aoun meets Le Drian, condemns attacks on UNIFIL
UN peacekeepers say troops attacked by individuals in south Lebanon
Lebanon committed to renewing UNIFIL’s mandate, says PM
Lebanon says two dead in Israel strike
Army searches building in Hadath for Hezbollah weapons
Army seeks to arrest violators as Foreign Ministry slams attack on UNIFIL
EU adds Lebanon to 'high-risk' money-laundering list
Lebanon reportedly arrests Yemeni who was spying for Israel
US envoy to Syria Barrack to visit Lebanon, report says
Hezbollah makes more drones less rockets, Israeli report says
Western, UN and Lebanese officials dismiss reports on ending UNIFIL mission
Lebanon Is Conceding to Hezbollah’s Post-War Reconstruction Demands/David Daoud/FDD//June
10/2025
Statement issued by Sheikh Yasser Audi
Who is the Shiite cleric Yasser_Audi?
Statement issued by Attorney Hassan Bazzi, Sheikh Yasser Oudi's representative,
regarding the attack on Sheikh Audi
Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published
on June 10-11/2025
Trump says Iran is involved in Gaza hostage negotiations
Arab, Iranian foreign ministers to meet this week in Norway
Yemen missile launched toward Israel ‘most likely’ intercepted, military says
Israeli navy attacks rebel-held Yemeni port city of Hodeida, a first in the
conflict
US imposes sanctions on a Palestinian NGO and other charities, accusing them of
ties to militant groups
US holds deep doubts about Palestinian state, Washington’s envoy to Israel says
UK and allies sanction Israel ministers Ben-Gvir and Smotrich
Abbas tells Macron he supports demilitarization of Hamas
Israel's Netanyahu says significant progress made in talks to release hostages
Israel commits 'extermination' in Gaza by killing in schools, UN experts say
France says it obtains Palestinian reform pledge ahead of conference
Thunberg accuses Israel of kidnap after Gaza aid boat intercepted
Foreign Office staff told to consider resigning if they disagree on Gaza
Syria rescuers say two killed in drone strikes on northwest
Iran executes nine people arrested over planned Islamic State attack
Alabama executes a man by nitrogen gas for the beating death of a woman in 1988
Europe heaps harsh sanctions on Russia, saying ‘strength is the only language’
Moscow understands
At least 7 killed in explosions and attacks outside police stations in southwest
Colombia
Rubio orders firings of all USAID staffers overseas to move forward
Trump Admin Plans to Slash All USAID International Positions
Two killed, 28 wounded in Russian strikes on Kharkiv: Ukraine official
Former student kills 10 people in Austrian high school shooting
Titles For
The Latest English LCCC analysis &
editorials from miscellaneous sources
on June 10-11/2025
Building a just and inclusive Syria from within/Hani Hazaimeh/Arab
NewsJune 10, 2025
Two-state solution summit should be bold and daring/Yossi Mekelberg/Arab
News/June 10, 2025
10 Things to Know About the Muslim Brotherhood/Ben Cohen and Ahmad Sharawi/FDD-Insight/June
10/2025
Why the Polisario Front Threatens Morocco—and the Region/Ahmad Sharawi/The
National Interest/June 10/2025
The Struggle for Syria/Steven A. Cook and Sinan Ciddi/ The Jerusalem Strategic
Tribune/June 10/2025
The Latest English LCCC
Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on June
10-11/2025
Aoun and Salam's Condemnations of Israeli
Strikes Expose Their Failure, Blindness, and Submission to Hezbollah’s
Delusional Logic
Elias Bejjani/June 07/2025
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/06/144037/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aho_QczoPZQ&t=117s
It is with sadness and deep
disappointment that we affirm the complete failure of Joseph Aoun’s presidential
tenure. His role has been reduced to protocol receptions, hollow press releases
devoid of constitutional substance, and ceremonial foreign visits. All the hopes
that once accompanied his appointment (not election) have now collapsed. He
remains hesitant and fearful, appeasing Hezbollah and flattering it at the
expense of Lebanon, the Lebanese people, the constitution, and binding UN
resolutions.
Facts on the ground now confirm that the Lebanese state, under its new
leadership, remains a hostage of Hezbollah’s occupation. It continues to operate
under the dictates of Nabih Berri, a symbol of corruption, sectarianism, and
moral decay.
Regarding Israel’s daily military operations against the terrorist,
Iranian-backed Hezbollah, multiple official American statements have affirmed
that Israel is acting within its rights to implement the ceasefire and all
related UN resolutions on Lebanon. The continued silence of the international
security committee—chaired by an American general—and its refusal to condemn any
Israeli operation further confirms Israel’s compliance with the Ceasefire
Agreement and UNSCR 1701 Plus.
As for Presidents Aoun and Salam’s statements condemning Israeli strikes, they
are nothing but bundles of confusion and ignorance. Without question, these
statements were conceived, drafted, and issued by advisors affiliated with
Hezbollah—individuals who are little more than slaves, mercenaries, and echo
chambers for the Iranian occupation’s propaganda.
In short, Presidents Aoun and Salam remain, to this day, symbols of
subservience, failure, hesitation, procrastination, and blind detachment from
the sweeping international and regional shifts reshaping the future of Lebanon
and the broader Middle East.
Jordan
pledges continued support for Lebanon’s efforts to preserve security, stability,
sovereignty
NAJIA HOUSSARI/Arab News/June 10, 2025
BEIRUT: During talks in Amman on Tuesday with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun,
King Abdullah of Jordan reaffirmed his country’s “support to Lebanon in its
efforts to preserve its security, stability, sovereignty and territorial
unity.”The two leaders also emphasized “the importance of preserving security
and stability in Syria, which will help facilitate the voluntary and safe return
of Syrian refugees” to their home country. Aoun praised Jordan for the role it
has played, under the leadership of King Abdullah, “in standing with Lebanon and
its people, and providing support to the Lebanese army.”He also highlighted the
importance of “enhancing security and defense cooperation between both
countries, particularly in the field of combating terrorism and smuggling.”In a
joint statement, King Abdullah and Aoun stressed “the need to immediately
reinstate the ceasefire in Gaza, and ensure adequate humanitarian aid reaches
all areas” of the territory. They rejected any plans to displace Palestinians,
and urged Arab states and the wider international community to step up efforts
to reach a just and comprehensive resolution to the conflict between Israelis
and Palestinians, based on a two-state solution. The king also warned of “the
danger of the unprecedented escalations and violence targeting Palestinians in
the West Bank, and Muslim and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem.”More broadly,
the two leaders said it was important to maintaining coordination and
consultation on all issues of mutual interest.
Aoun
meets Le Drian, condemns attacks on UNIFIL
Agence France Presse/June 10, 2025
After a meeting with French envoy Jean-Yves Le Drian, Lebanese President Joseph
Aoun condemned "the occasional attacks on UNIFIL patrols", calling them
"unjustified and unacceptable".There have been several confrontations between
people in south Lebanon, where Hezbollah holds sway, and U.N. peacekeepers in
recent weeks.Confrontations are typically defused by the Lebanese army and
rarely escalate. In December 2022, an Irish peacekeeper was killed in a shooting
at a U.N. armored vehicle in the south. Hezbollah surrendered a man accused of
the crime, but he was released around a year later. The November ceasefire
agreement, which sought to end over a year of hostilities between Israel and
Hezbollah, states that only Lebanese troops and U.N. peacekeepers may be
deployed in the country's south. Israel is supposed to have fully withdrawn its
troops from Lebanon according to the deal, but has remained in five positions it
deems strategic and has repeatedly bombed the country.On Tuesday, United Nations
peacekeepers said rock-throwing individuals confronted them during a patrol in
south Lebanon, calling repeated targeting of their troops "unacceptable". The
U.N. Interim Forces in Lebanon (UNIFIL), deployed since 1978 to separate Lebanon
and Israel, sits on a five-member committee to supervise the ceasefire between
Israel and Hezbollah. In a statement, UNIFIL said peacekeepers conducting "a
planned patrol" coordinated with the Lebanese army were "confronted by a group
of individuals in civilian clothing in the vicinity of Hallusiyeh, in southern
Lebanon"."The group attempted to obstruct the patrol using aggressive means,
including throwing stones at the peacekeepers," the statement read, adding that
"one peacekeeper was struck" but no injuries were reported. The situation was
defused when the Lebanese army intervened, allowing the peacekeeping force to
continue its patrol. UNIFIL spokesman Andrea Tenenti told AFP a Finnish soldier
was slapped during the confrontation. The video of a man slapping the soldier
circulated Tuesday on social media. A witness, who requested anonymity due to
the sensitivity of the situation, said an altercation ensued between locals and
the Lebanese army, who were searching for the man who slapped the peacekeeper.
One man opposing the army was injured and hospitalized, the witness said. In a
statement, Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said he "strongly condemns the
repeated attacks" on UNIFIL forces and called for the attackers to be stopped
and held accountable.
UN peacekeepers say troops attacked by individuals in south Lebanon
AFP/June 10, 2025
BEIRUT: United Nations peacekeepers said rock-throwing individuals confronted
them during a patrol on Tuesday in south Lebanon, calling repeated targeting of
their troops “unacceptable.”The UN Interim Forces in Lebanon (UNIFIL), deployed
since 1978 to separate Lebanon and Israel, sits on a five-member committee to
supervise the ceasefire between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah. In a
statement, UNIFIL said peacekeepers conducting “a planned patrol” coordinated
with the Lebanese army were “confronted by a group of individuals in civilian
clothing in the vicinity of Hallusiyat Al-Tahta, in southern Lebanon.”“The group
attempted to obstruct the patrol using aggressive means, including throwing
stones at the peacekeepers,” the statement read, adding that “one peacekeeper
was struck” but no injuries were reported. The situation was defused when the
Lebanese army intervened, allowing the peacekeeping force to continue its
patrol. “It is unacceptable that UNIFIL peacekeepers continue to be targeted,”
the statement added. UNIFIL spokesman Andrea Tenenti told AFP a Finnish soldier
was slapped during the confrontation. A witness, who requested anonymity due to
the sensitivity of the situation, said an altercation ensued between locals and
the Lebanese army, who were searching for the man who slapped the peacekeeper.
One man opposing the army was injured and hospitalized, the witness said. In a
statement, Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said he “strongly condemns the
repeated attacks” on UNIFIL forces and called for the attackers to be stopped
and held accountable. There have been several confrontations between people in
south Lebanon, where Hezbollah holds sway, and UN peacekeepers in recent weeks.
Confrontations are typically defused by the Lebanese army and rarely escalate.
In December 2022, an Irish peacekeeper was killed in a shooting at a UN armored
vehicle in the south. Hezbollah surrendered a man accused of the crime, but he
was released around a year later. The November ceasefire agreement, which sought
to end over a year of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, states that only
Lebanese troops and UN peacekeepers may be deployed in the country’s south.
Israel is supposed to have fully withdrawn its troops from Lebanon according to
the deal, but has remained in five positions it deems strategic and has
repeatedly bombed the country.
Lebanon committed to renewing UNIFIL’s mandate, says PM
NAJIA HOUSSARI/Aab News/June 10, 2025
UNIFIL reiterates that freedom of movement is fundamental condition for
implementing mandate BEIRUT: Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam on Tuesday
reaffirmed Lebanon’s commitment to renewing the mandate of the UN Interim Force
in Lebanon to support UN Resolution 1701 and maintain border security. His
statement followed an incident in which UNIFIL peacekeepers reported being
confronted by rock-throwing individuals during a patrol in southern Lebanon, and
described repeated attacks on its troops as “unacceptable.”Salam condemned the
attacks on UNIFIL, calling for the perpetrators to be apprehended and held
accountable. He warned that such actions threatened southern Lebanon’s stability
and national interests, directing security agencies to refer the assailants to
the judicial authorities.
FASTFACT
UNIFIL spokesman Andrea Tenenti said a Finnish soldier was slapped during
Tuesday’s confrontation.The Lebanese Foreign Ministry echoed his sentiments,
urging prosecution under Lebanese and international law while reaffirming its
support for UNIFIL’s role in preserving peace and security.UNIFIL urged the
Lebanese government to “take all necessary measures to ensure that its forces
perform their duties without any threat.”The peacekeepers said they conducted
their mission in coordination with the Lebanese army and based on UNIFIL’s
mandate terms. UNIFIL reiterated that freedom of movement was a fundamental
condition for implementing its mandate, including the ability to operate
independently and impartially, as outlined in UN Resolution 1701. “Any
restriction on this freedom, whether during operational activities with or
without the Lebanese Armed Forces, is a violation of this resolution,” the
statement added. A supporter of the Iran-backed Hezbollah slapped a Finnish
UNIFIL soldier on Tuesday. The incident occurred while a UNIFIL patrol was
conducting search operations in an area between the towns of Deir Qanoun Al-Nahr
and Al-Halloussiyah in the Tyre District, south of the Litani River. The assault
represents the most serious incident in two weeks of mounting tensions between
UNIFIL peacekeepers and individuals Hezbollah describes as “locals.”The assault,
which was captured on video by the protesters themselves and shared across
social media platforms, occurred during disputes over UNIFIL’s right to conduct
inspections without Lebanese army escorts. The controversy emerged as the UN
prepared to review the renewal of the peacekeeping mission’s mandate. The next
renewal is expected to be considered by the UN Security Council in August as the
current mandate, extended on Aug. 28, 2024, expires on Aug. 31. Parliament
Speaker Nabih Berri, a key Hezbollah ally, characterized Tuesday’s incident
differently, claiming it represented “a conspiracy against international forces
designed to harm them, Lebanon, and the south.”Tuesday's violence occurred after
two separate patrol incidents. First, Hezbollah supporters blocked UNIFIL forces
from entering private property in Bedias town without the Lebanese army, forcing
the patrol’s withdrawal. Later on, another UNIFIL unit approached private land
along the Al-Halloussiyah to Deir Qanoun Al-Nahr road, again without military
escort. Locals quickly mobilized, surrounding the international patrol and
demanding its departure. Tensions peaked when one protester physically struck
the UN soldier. Lebanese army units later intervened to restore calm and
immediately launched a hunt for the assailant. Local witnesses expressed alarm
at seeing Lebanese soldiers potentially confronting civilians. UNIFIL later
clarified that its “personnel used non-lethal measures in order to guarantee the
protection of the patrol members and others.”
Lebanese Armed Forces quickly arrived at the site and the patrol resumed its
duties when the situation was brought under control. A witness said an argument
ensued between locals and the Lebanese army after the latter began to hunt for
the man who slapped the peacekeeper.
The protesters argued that UN forces should not operate independently of
Lebanese military supervision, while UNIFIL maintained that its operations
complied with established protocols. Fares Souaid, the head of the Lady of the
Mountain Gathering, warned that “the cost of beating a UNIFIL soldier will be
very high.”He added that Hezbollah members were “unaware of the harm the party
is causing them.”The incident was preceded by an Israeli drone striking
shepherds in the border town of Shebaa. The Lebanese Ministry of Health later
reported the strike had killed “the citizen Mohammed Kanaan and his son, Wael, a
soldier in the army. His second son, Hadi, was injured.”The number of Israeli
violations since the ceasefire agreement of Nov. 27 has now reached 1,643 on
land, 1,774 by air, and 88 by sea, a total of 3,505.
Hezbollah media reported that these had resulted in 172 deaths and 409 people
suffering injuries. The ceasefire agreement, which sought to end over a year of
hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, allows only Lebanese troops and UN
peacekeepers in the south of the country.
Lebanon says two dead in Israel strike
AFP/June 10, 2025
BEIRUT: An Israeli strike killed a Lebanese father and son Tuesday in a southern
village, the Lebanese health ministry and state media said, the latest deaths
despite a November ceasefire. A second son was also wounded in the strike in
Shebaa, the state-run National News Agency reported. There was no immediate
comment from the Israeli military. “An Israeli enemy drone carried out a strike
in the village of Shebaa, killing two people and wounding one,” a health
ministry statement said. Israel had warned on Friday that it would keep up its
strikes on Hezbollah targets across Lebanon despite the condemnation expressed
by the Lebanese government after a massive strike on south Beirut the previous
night on the eve of the Eid Al-Adha holiday. Iran-backed militant group
Hezbollah said the strikes levelled nine residential blocks. The Israeli
military said they targeted underground drone factories. Lebanese President
Joseph Aoun condemned the strikes as a “a flagrant violation” of the November 27
ceasefire agreement, which was supposed to end more than a year of hostilities
between Israel and Hezbollah that culminated in two months of full-blown war.
Army
searches building in Hadath for Hezbollah weapons
Agence France Presse/June
10, 2025
Army forces launched Tuesday a search in a building in a densely populated area
of Hadath in Beirut's southern suburbs. A Lebanese military official said the
forces were looking for weapons at the request of a five-member committee
supervising the Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire. The building in the Sainte-Therese
street had already been targeted during the the 14-month Israel-Hezbollah war.
Israel warned on Friday that it would keep up its strikes on Hezbollah targets
across Lebanon, after it struck four locations in Dahieh on the eve of the
Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha. The Lebanese army condemned the airstrikes,
warning that such attacks are weakening the role of Lebanon’s armed forces that
might eventually suspend cooperation with the committee monitoring the truce
that ended the Israel-Hezbollah war. It said it had tried to convince Israel not
to carry out the strikes and to instead let Lebanese officials go in to search
the area under the mechanism laid out in the ceasefire agreement, but that the
Israeli army refused, so Lebanese soldiers moved away from the locations after
they were sent.
Army seeks to arrest violators as Foreign Ministry slams
attack on UNIFIL
Naharnet
/June 10, 2025
The Lebanese Army sent reinforcements Tuesday to the southern town of Deir
Qanoun al-Nahr to pursue a number of suspects accused of attacking a UNIFIL
patrol in the town earlier in the day, the state-run National News Agency said.
It added that an altercation erupted between army troops and some residents of
the town during the raid. Al-Jadeed said some residents were wounded in the
clashes with the army. In an earlier clash in the same area on Tuesday, a
Lebanese resident slapped a UNIFIL peacekeeper during a clash with a UNIFIL
patrol. Lebanon’s Foreign Ministry meanwhile condemned “the attack on a UNIFIL
member,” stressing “the need not to jeopardize the safety and security of
UNIFIL’s troops and vehicles” and demanding “accountability against those behind
the attack that violated Lebanese and international laws.” The Ministry also
emphasized “Lebanon’s keenness on the role of these forces and on supporting
their work, mandate and missions in line with Security Council Resolution 1701
in order to help preserve peace and security in south Lebanon.”
EU adds Lebanon to 'high-risk' money-laundering list
Agence France Presse/June
10, 2025
The EU on Tuesday announced the removal of the United Arab Emirates from its
money-laundering "high-risk" list but added Lebanon alongside nine other
jurisdictions.
The European Commission said it added Algeria, Angola, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Laos,
Lebanon, Namibia, Nepal and Venezuela, along with Monaco, to the list of
countries that need extra monitoring of their money laundering controls. In
addition to the UAE, it removed Barbados, Gibraltar, Jamaica, Panama, the
Philippines, Senegal and Uganda.
Lebanon reportedly arrests Yemeni who was spying for Israel
Naharnet/June
10, 2025
A Yemeni man has been arrested in Lebanon on charges of spying for Israel,
Lebanese media reports said. In remarks published Tuesday, Lebanese judicial
sources confirmed to Asharq al-Awsat newspaper that “a Lebanese security agency
did arrest a Yemeni man who was communicating with the Israelis.”The Lebanon 24
news portal had on Monday described the Yemeni man as “a Houthi leader who was
acting as a mediator between Hezbollah and Yemen’s Houthi group.”“The man was
recruited by the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad and he provided Israel with
sensitive information about Yemen and about coordination between Hezbollah and
the Houthis,” the news portal said.
US envoy to Syria Barrack to visit Lebanon, report says
Naharnet/June
10, 2025
U.S. ambassador to Turkey and special envoy to Syria Tom Barrack will soon visit
Beirut to meet with Lebanese officials, local media reports said. U.S. Deputy
Special Envoy for the Middle East Morgan Ortagus is reportedly leaving her
position and her replacement has not yet been announced. In her first visit to
war-hit Lebanon in February, Ortagus voiced from the presidential palace in
Baabda pro-Israel statements. "We are grateful to our ally Israel for defeating
Hezbollah," Ortagus said, adding that the United States has set a "red line"
that Hezbollah should not be a member of Lebanon's next government.
U.S. journalist Laura Loomer said in a post on X that Ortagus "will be cordially
reassigned to another role in the Trump administration.""She wanted to be the
Special Envoy to Syria, but the position was instead given to Tom Barrack,"
Loomer added.
Hezbollah makes more drones less rockets, Israeli report says
Associated Press/June
10, 2025
Israeli media reports said that Hezbollah has ramped up its domestic production
of explosive-laden UAVs and attack or reconnaissance drones as an easier and
cheaper alternative to precision missiles and rockets. Israeli news portal ynet
said Tuesday that Hezbollah has drawn tactical inspiration from the
effectiveness of drones in Ukraine as it aims for greater self-sufficiency and
less reliance on Iran. Hezbollah has said it can manufacture its own drones.
Last week, on the eve of the Eid al-Adha holiday, the Israeli military struck
several sites in Beirut’s southern suburbs, saying they held underground
facilities used by Hezbollah for drone production. The Israeli army said in a
statement that Hezbollah was "working to produce thousands of drones under the
guidance and financing of Iranian terrorist groups."Hezbollah "used drones
extensively in its attacks against the State of Israel and is working to expand
its drone industry and production in preparation for the next war," the army
statement said. ynet said the strikes were approved despite internal debate
among Israeli leadership. A Hezbollah official denied that there were drone
production facilities at the targeted locations. The Lebanese army said it tried
to convince Israel not to carry out the strikes and to instead let Lebanese
officials go in to search the area under the mechanism laid out in the ceasefire
agreement, but that the Israeli army refused, so Lebanese soldiers moved away
from the locations after they were sent.
Hezbollah’s drone program
Hezbollah began using Iranian-made drones after Israel withdrew from southern
Lebanon in 2000 and sent the first reconnaissance Mirsad drone over Israel’s
airspace in 2004. Hezbollah’s drone program received substantial assistance from
Iran, and the UAVs are believed to be assembled by experts of the militant group
in Lebanon. Hezbollah launched roughly 1,500 surveillance and attack drones
during its war with Israel. In October 2024, a drone laden with explosives
evaded Israel’s multilayered air-defense system and slammed into a mess hall at
a military training camp deep inside Israel, killing four soldiers and wounding
dozens.
Drones are harder to detect and track than rockets or missiles
Drones, or UAVs, are unmanned aircraft that can be operated from afar. Drones
can enter, surveil and attack enemy territory more discreetly than missiles and
rockets. Israel has a formidable arsenal of drones, capable of carrying out spy
missions and attacks. It has developed a drone capable of reaching archenemy
Iran, some 1500 kilometers away. But Israel’s enemies have caught Israel
off-guard on a number of occasions over the past year, often with deadly
consequences. In July, a drone launched from Yemen travelled some 270 kilometers
from Israel’s southern tip, all the way to Tel Aviv, slamming into a downtown
building and killing one person without it having been intercepted. Drones are
harder to detect for a number of reasons: They fly slowly and often include
plastic components, having a weaker thermal footprint with radar systems than
powerful rockets and missiles. The trajectory is also harder to track. Drones
can have roundabout flight paths, can come from any direction, fly lower to the
ground and — because they are much smaller than rockets — can be mistaken for
birds.
Israel spent years focusing on strengthening its air defense systems to improve
protection against rockets and missiles. But drones were not seen as a top
priority.
Western, UN and Lebanese officials dismiss reports on ending UNIFIL mission
Naharnet/June
10, 2025
Western and United Nations diplomats dismissed as rumors claims that the U.N.
Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) was pulling out of the country, Saudi Arabia’s
Asharq al-Awsat newspaper has reported. The Lebanese government is expected to
request the extension of the peacekeeping forces’ mandate that expires in
August. A U.S. State Department spokesperson told Asharq Al-Awsat that the
reports about the withdrawal are “inaccurate”. He did not elaborate further.
UNIFIL has been deployed in southern Lebanon since March 1978. Some amendments
to its mandate were introduced after the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 1982 and
again after the July 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah. Debate rages every
year over its duties as the deadline for renewing its mission approaches. Some
countries have sought to grant the force more powers, which would put it at odds
with Hezbollah that holds sway in the areas of its deployment. Hezbollah was
severely weakened after last year’s war with Israel and the ensuing ceasefire
agreement had demanded that the Iran-backed party remove its weapons from the
South. UNIFIL forces are deployed south of the Litani River and along the border
with Israel. It boasts over 10,000 soldiers from some 50 countries, as well as
800 civilian employees. UNIFIL spokesperson Andrea Tenenti told Asharq al-Awsat
that the forces’ greatest challenge is the lack of a long-term political
solution between Lebanon and Israel. UNIFIL continues to encourage the parties
to renew their commitment to fully implementing U.N. Security Council resolution
1701 and taking tangible steps to address pending issues related to it,
including steps that would lead to a permanent ceasefire, he added. It is too
soon to tell what UNIFIL’s mandate will be like after next August, he went on to
say, stressing that changing its mission is up to the Security Council. Israeli
media had reported that the United States wanted to end UNIFIL’s mission.
Speaking to Asharq al-Awsat, a diplomat dismissed the report as “usual
fear-mongering aimed at influencing Lebanon and other parties interested in
extending UNIFIL’s mandate and its role in preserving stability in the South and
along the Blue Line between Lebanon and Israel.”The Security Council is
currently awaiting Lebanon’s request to extend the mandate for another year,
said Western diplomats. The letter will include Lebanon’s clear demand for the
withdrawal of Israeli forces from all occupied Lebanese territories, including
the five hilltops it seized during last year’s war. The ceasefire agreement
demanded that Israel pull out from those areas within 60 days.
Lebanon has been seeking to resolve this issue through the quintet committee
tasked with monitoring the ceasefire and through intense contacts with the U.S.
U.S. officials are considering pulling American support from UNIFIL in a bid to
cut costs associated with its operations, the Israel Hayom newspaper reported
Sunday evening. U.S. sources later confirmed to The Times of Israel that the
option was on the table. Any discussion about the future of UNIFIL falls solely
under the authority of the U.N. Security Council, the spokesperson for UNIFIL
clarified to Al-Mayadeen TV, noting that the force remains committed to
coordinating with the Lebanese Army and insists on the full withdrawal of
Israeli troops from southern Lebanon. Tenenti told Al-Mayadeen that "there are
currently no talks about UNIFIL's future," adding that "any such discussion
would take place within the U.N. Security Council."Meanwhile, a U.S. State
Department spokesperson told Al- Mayadeen in a short briefing that the recent
reports claiming the United States intends to end the UNIFIL peacekeeping
mission in southern Lebanon are inaccurate. Tenenti stated that UNIFIL continues
its operations in southern Lebanon in full cooperation with the Lebanese Armed
Forces. He emphasized that Israeli forces should withdraw from their occupied
positions in the area, noting that the U.N. Security Council alone holds the
authority to assess whether UNIFIL's ongoing presence remains necessary and
effective. Tenenti also affirmed that the Lebanese Army remains committed to
implementing U.N. Resolution 1701, deploying to required areas in close
coordination with UNIFIL forces.
When asked about French troops, he responded: "I don't distinguish between the
role of French forces and UNIFIL, all are fulfilling their duties under
Resolution 1701."A Lebanese official also denied the reports, in remarks to
UAE’s The National newspaper.
“This is not serious. We have sources in Washington who completely denied it,”
the official told The National. A U.S. State Department spokesman told The
National in New York the reports were "not accurate". “I don’t know where these
reports are coming from, but they won’t lead anywhere. The presence of UNIFIL is
a necessity for everyone,” the Lebanese source added. The official said the
renewal process had already begun at the request of Lebanese authorities and was
expected to proceed smoothly. The decision to extend UNIFIL’s mandate, which is
taken annually, is made by the U.N. Security Council rather than individual
countries. The council consists of 15 members; five permanent – the U.S., UK,
France, China and Russia – and 10 rotating.
U.N. deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said the mandate was in the hands of the
Security Council. But he praised the work that UNIFIL has done since the 1970s
as "speaking for itself". The force "has been a very crucial component to the
safety and the stability of southern Lebanon", he said. "The unrest and activity
across the Blue Line continues even now, so the situation has not returned to a
position of stability."UNIFIL’s annual budget is around $500 million, which is
provided by contributions from U.N. member states. Contributions to U.N.
peacekeeping missions are based on a formula, which takes into account “relative
economic wealth of member states, with the five permanent members of the
Security Council required to pay a larger share because of their special
responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security,”
according to the U.N. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has openly
criticized UNIFIL in several instances, calling on the U.N. to withdraw its
peacekeepers from Lebanon and accusing the mission of serving as human shields
for Hezbollah during the recent conflict in Lebanon. UNIFIL has reported
numerous breaches of the U.S.-brokered truce deal between Israel and Hezbollah
that took effect in November, ending 14 months of conflict, including two months
of intense Israeli bombardment. These include nearly 2,200 Israeli airspace
incursions, more than 40 airstrikes, and close to 1,300 Israeli ground
activities in southern Lebanon, a spokesman for the peacekeeping force told The
National in April. The peacekeeping force holds regular meetings with the
ceasefire monitoring committee established under the latest truce, which is led
by the United States and includes France, the Israeli military and the Lebanese
army. Despite this, Israel has continued to strike Lebanon, including the
capital’s suburbs, claiming that it is striking Hezbollah military sites that
violate the agreement.
Lebanon
Is Conceding to Hezbollah’s Post-War Reconstruction Demands
David Daoud/FDD//June 10/2025
Hezbollah has rejected calls to disarm, and now, Lebanon is conceding its best —
if not only — leverage. On June 3, Lebanese television station Al Jadeed
revealed that President Joseph Aoun appointed Hezbollah-affiliated former
Transportation and Public Works Minister Ali Hamiyeh as his personal adviser on
post-war reconstruction and representative to relevant governmental committees.
While Hamiyeh’s direct powers remain unclear, his new role appears to be a
symbolic capitulation by the president to Hezbollah’s demands for unconditional
reconstruction aid.
Hezbollah Demands Beirut End Israeli Operations and Presence in Lebanon
Hezbollah has demanded two post-war steps from Lebanon.
First, the group wants Beirut to leverage its diplomatic weight and connections
to end Israel’s operations in Lebanon, including the IDF’s occupation of five
points on the Lebanese side of the Blue Line. Predictably, all Lebanese figures
— including hawkishly anti-Hezbollah Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji — agree.
Second, and more critically, Hezbollah is also demanding the Lebanese state
rebuild areas damaged in the war — but decoupled from any conditions, including
Hezbollah’s disarmament. The group realizes that the war it ignited and
resulting destruction, which particularly impacted its Shiite support
environment, risks angering that base and weakening its support among them. To
prevent this outcome, Hezbollah has been tirelessly spinning the war, from its
onset, as a necessary preemption of imminent Israeli aggression. Post-bellum,
the group coupled this narrative with other stop-gap measures — like housing
displaced supporters in prefabricated homes. But these half-measures will not
work indefinitely. Hezbollah must either begin rebuilding, and quickly, what its
war destroyed or risk a massive Shiite backlash that could spell its demise.
However, its Iranian financial lifeline — passing through Syria and the
Lebanese-Syrian border and Lebanon’s other points of entry — has been severely
hampered, though far from fully severed. This leaves reconstruction aid through
the Lebanese state as Hezbollah’s best option to placate its base and ensure its
survival and regeneration.
Lebanon Cedes Leverage Over Hezbollah by Failing to Condition Aid
Given Hezbollah’s dire need for these funds, Lebanon could have leveraged
reconstruction to pressure the group to disarm. But two weeks ago, President
Aoun — hailed for his inaugural speech’s promise to create a state monopoly on
arms — met with Hezbollah MPs led by Mohammad Raad, head of its Loyalty to the
Resistance legislative bloc. Aoun told his interlocutors that reconstruction aid
would not be linked to or preconditioned upon Hezbollah disarming. Otherwise,
per reports in London-based news outlets Al-Araby Al-Jadeed and Asharq Al-Awsat,
Aoun has neither addressed nor tabled disarmament in this or other meetings with
Hezbollah. Aoun’s leniency, underscored by appointing Hamiyeh, has contributed
to an amicable relationship with Hezbollah. Aoun is not alone in making such
concessions. Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, who two weeks ago pronounced the “era
of spreading the Iranian revolution … over,” quickly backtracked after meeting
Parliament Speaker and Hezbollah ally Nabih Berri. The premier said he
subsequently “welcome[d] Raad and Hezbollah” to his office, stressing
reconstruction was not being linked to disarmament.Raad accepted the premier’s
offer and emerged “smiling” from the meeting, which focused on Hezbollah’s
priorities. Raad afterward said the “resistance’s weapons” would be “discussed
objectively, preserving the country’s interests and the people’s choice to
confront any Israeli aggression threatening their security” — a euphemism for
Hezbollah remaining armed. The next day, Salam made no mention of Beirut
monopolizing force when summarizing his government’s first 100 days.
Washington Must Pressure Lebanon to Disarm Hezbollah
To Hezbollah’s pleasure, Aoun and Salam are exhibiting Beirut’s decades-long
aversion to confronting or restraining Hezbollah, which possesses significant
domestic popularity, for fear of upending Lebanon’s fragile stability. To put
Hezbollah on the path to dissolution, U.S. policymakers must disregard this
consideration and make Lebanon’s continued leniency toward the group more costly
than confrontation. Washington must pressure Aoun to dismiss Hamiyeh, perhaps by
sanctioning the latter. It must also deny Lebanon financial assistance — and
convince European and Gulf state partners to do the same — until Beirut
conditions reconstruction on Hezbollah’s disarmament. **David Daoud is a senior
fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, where he focuses on Israel,
Hezbollah, and Lebanon affairs. For more analysis from David and FDD, please
subscribe HERE. Follow David on X @DavidADaoud. Follow FDD on X @FDD. FDD is a
Washington, DC-based, nonpartisan research institute focusing on national
security and foreign policy.
Statement issued by Sheikh
Yasser Audi
Ax website/June 10, 2025
At approximately 2:00 p.m. today, as Sheikh Yasser Oudi was leaving the office
of His Eminence Sayyed Mohammad Hussein Fadlallah in the southern suburb of
Haret Hreik, a well-known individual in the area arrested him and severely beat
him, insulting him and hurling abuse at him. In light of this blatant and
unjustified attack, Sheikh Yasser Oudi affirms his full right to file legal
action against anyone implicated in this cowardly attack by the investigation.
In this context, Sheikh Yasser Oudi extends his sincere thanks and gratitude to
everyone who has contacted him and inquired about his health and safety, asking
God Almighty to protect everyone from all harm.
Who is the Shiite cleric Yasser_Audi?
Sawsan Muhanna/X siteJune 10, 2025
He is a Lebanese Shiite cleric, born in 1969 in the town of Barashit in southern
Lebanon. He is known for his critical discourse against heresies in the Islamic
religion. He is a professor at the Islamic Sharia Institute in Beirut and has
authored dozens of articles, research papers, lectures, seminars, and meetings
on various Islamic, social, and cultural sciences and knowledge. He is a member
of the Board of Trustees of the institutions of the late Grand Ayatollah
Muhammad Hussein Fadlallah. He gained fame on social media for his criticism of
corruption in Iraq and Lebanon. He opposed the use of violence by Iranian-backed
groups against their opponents in the two troubled countries. He is also known
for his critical and reformist discourse against corruption and sectarianism in
Lebanese politics in recent years, especially after his participation in the
October 2019 protests. However, the Shiite opposition movement began with the
"You Stink" demonstrations of 2015, aligning himself spontaneously and directly
with the demands of the people. Details in this interview I conducted with
Sheikh Yasser on the pages of Independent Arabia.
Statement issued by Attorney Hassan Bazzi, Sheikh Yasser
Oudi's representative, regarding the attack on Sheikh Audi
Ax website/June 10, 2025
In my capacity as acting representative of Sheikh YasserAoudi I state the
following:
1- What the Mukhtar of Bashoura, Kamel Shahrour, did was an attempted murder for
suspicious purposes that, in these circumstances, only serve the Israeli enemy.
This is why this case must be pursued from this perspective. 2- This heinous
crime was perpetrated by a Mukhtar who holds an official position and is
entrusted with enforcing the law. It has been proven that he is, in fact, a
criminal who deserves the harshest deterrent penalties. 3- We entrust this crime
to the Minister of Interior and the relevant judiciary, affirming that it will
not go unpunished, and that the person responsible will be prosecuted, along
with his instigators and accomplices, whoever they may be.
The conversation with the criminals continues...
The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published
on June 10-11/2025
Trump says Iran is involved in Gaza
hostage negotiations
Reuters/June 10, 2025
WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said on Monday Iran is involved in
negotiations aimed at arranging a ceasefire-for-hostages deal between Israel and
Hamas. “Gaza right now is in the midst of a massive negotiation between us and
Hamas and Israel, and Iran actually is involved, and we’ll see what’s going to
happen with Gaza. We want to get the hostages back,” Trump told reporters during
an event in the White House State Dining Room.Trump did not elaborate and the
White House did not immediately respond to a request for details of Iran’s
involvement. Iran’s mission to the United Nations in New York did not
immediately respond to a request for comment. The United States has proposed a
60-day ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. Israel said it would abide by the
terms but Hamas thus far has rejected the plan. Under the proposal 28 Israeli
hostages — alive and dead — would be released in the first week, in exchange for
the release of 1,236 Palestinian prisoners and the remains of 180 dead
Palestinians. The United States and Iran are also separately trying to negotiate
a deal on Tehran’s nuclear program.
Arab, Iranian foreign
ministers to meet this week in Norway
AFP/10 June ,2025
The foreign ministers of Iran, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Oman will meet in
Norway this week at an annual peace forum, the Norwegian government announced on
Tuesday. The ministers, including Iran’s foreign minister and chief nuclear
negotiator Abbas Araghchi, will take part on Wednesday and Thursday in the Oslo
Forum, an annual gathering dedicated to peace issues.The meeting will be held
behind closed doors in Lorenskog some 15 kilometers (nine miles) outside the
Norwegian capital. In addition to the Iranian foreign minister, Syria’s Asaad
al-Shaibani, Saudi Prince Faisal bin Farhan, Egypt’s Badr Abdelatty and Oman’s
Badr Albusaidi will also be in attendance. “The forum is taking place at a time
characterized by several large wars and conflicts, increased polarization, new
alliances, and rivalries between big powers,” the Norwegian foreign ministry
said in a statement.“Participants will, among other things, discuss ceasefires,
the use of unofficial channels of communication, peace efforts and conflict
resolution in a world characterised by an ever evolving political dynamic,” it
said. A new meeting between Iran and the United States on Tehran’s nuclear
programme is expected this week, according to the two countries.Iranian foreign
ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said on Tuesday that a new round of talks was
planned for Sunday in the Omani capital Muscat. The news site Axios meanwhile
reported that the talks could also take place on Friday in Oslo, quoting a US
official speaking under cover of anonymity. Norway has yet to comment on that
report. According to the Norwegian foreign ministry, the Oslo Forum will also
gather other “high level” participants, representing Qatar, the United Arab
Emirates and Turkey, amongst others.
Yemen missile launched toward
Israel ‘most likely’ intercepted, military says
Al Arabiya English/10 June ,2025
The Israeli military said on Tuesday that a missile launched from Yemen toward
Israel had “most likely” been intercepted, hours after Israel deployed its navy
to hit targets in the Yemeni Red Sea port of Hodeidah.Israel threatened Yemen’s
Iran-aligned Houthi militia – which has been attacking Israel in what it says is
solidarity with Gaza – with a naval and air blockade if its attacks on Israel
persist. “Additional interceptors were launched due to the possibility of
falling shrapnel from the interception,” the military said in a later statement
after sirens sounded in several areas.Since the start of the war in Gaza in
October 2023, the Houthis, who control most of Yemen, have been firing at Israel
and at shipping in the Red Sea, disrupting global trade. Most of the dozens of
missiles and drones they have launched have been intercepted or fallen short.
Israel has carried out a series of retaliatory strikes.
Israeli navy attacks rebel-held
Yemeni port city of Hodeida, a first in the conflict
Jon Gambrell/The Associated
Press/June 10, 2025
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Israel's navy attacked docks in Yemen's rebel-held
port city of Hodeida on Tuesday, launching its first seaborne assault against
the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels while warning more could come. The attack on
Hodeida likely damaged facilities that are key to aid shipments to the hungry,
war-wracked nation, but also have allegedly been used for weapons smuggling as
vessels reportedly bypass United Nations inspectors. 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 over its war on Hamas in the
Gaza Strip. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz warned his country’s “long arm
in the air and at sea will reach everywhere.”“We warned the Houthi terror
organization that if they continue to fire at Israel they will face a powerful
response and enter a naval and air blockade,” he said. But on Tuesday night,
Israel's military said “a missile launched from Yemen was most likely
intercepted” as explosions could be heard in Jerusalem, likely from interceptor
fire. The Houthis did not immediately claim the attack, though their supporters
highlighted the incident. Israeli attack again targets the Hodeida port
The Israeli attack struck Hodeida, some 150 kilometers (90 miles) southwest of
Yemen's capital, Sanaa, on the Red Sea on Tuesday morning. The Houthis offered
no immediate damage assessment and there were no videos immediately released by
their al-Masirah satellite news channel. “It has no effect even on the morale of
our people, who take to the streets weekly ... in support of Gaza,” wrote
Nasruddin Amer, the deputy head of the Houthis’ media office. The Israeli
military said missile boats carried out the attack. It marked a departure for
Israel, which previously relied on airstrikes to target the Houthis. Hodeida is
over 1,900 kilometers (1,180 miles) south of Israel's southern tip, requiring
the Israeli military to use aerial refueling to conduct those strikes.
Israel's navy, with over 9,000 sailors, has been mainly deployed in the
Mediterranean Sea since Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel began the war.
“The strikes were carried out to stop the use of the port for military
purposes,” the Israeli military said, without offering a damage assessment from
the attack. “The port is used to transfer weapons and is a further example of
the Houthi terrorist regime’s cynical exploitation of civilian infrastructure in
order to advance terrorist activities."Already, Israel has destroyed all the
aircraft used by Yemen’s state carrier, Yemenia, in strikes on Sanaa
International Airport. Hodeida is key for aid, but rumors of weapons smuggling
are growing. Hodeida is the main entry point for food and other humanitarian aid
for millions of Yemenis since the war began when the Houthis seized Sanaa in
2014. A Saudi-led coalition backing Yemen's exiled government considered trying
to retake Hodeida by force in 2018, but ultimately decided against it as
international criticism and worries about the port being destroyed grew. A
United Nations mission operates in Hodeida, while another screens ships off
Djibouti. However, those inspections appear to be no longer catching all vessels
heading into Hodeida. A U.N. experts report last year wrote about receiving a
tip about vessels reaching the Hodeida area to “unload significant quantities of
military materiel.” The Houthis also are believed to use an overland route as
well via the Gulf of Aden to smuggle in weapons. Iran denies directly arming the
Houthis, though United Nations experts, Western nations and analysts have linked
weapons in the rebels’ arsenal back to Tehran.
The U.N. mission monitoring shipping into Yemen did not respond to a request for
comment. Dorothy Shea, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, said in a
speech in May that more money needed to go to the U.N. mission.
“Earlier this month, UNVIM successfully interdicted four shipping containers of
illicit materials bound for Houthi-controlled ports,” she said, using an acronym
for the U.N. inspection mission. “This interdiction clearly demonstrates the
effectiveness of this mechanism. We all need to continue supporting its
operations.”
Houthis have launched sea attacks during war
The Houthis have been launching persistent 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 in Gaza. From November 2023
until January 2025, the Houthis targeted more than 100 merchant vessels with
missiles and drones, sinking two of them and killing four sailors. That has
greatly reduced the flow of trade through the Red Sea corridor, which typically
sees $1 trillion of goods move through it annually. The Houthis paused attacks
in a self-imposed ceasefire until the U.S. launched a broad assault against the
rebels in mid-March. President Donald Trump paused those attacks just before his
trip to the Mideast, saying the rebels had “capitulated” to American demands.
Early Tuesday, U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth wrote on X that U.S. Navy
ships had traveled through the Red Sea and its Bab el-Mandeb Strait “multiple
times in recent days” without facing Houthi attacks. “These transits occurred
without challenge and demonstrate the success of both Operation ROUGH RIDER and
the President’s Peace Through Strength agenda,” Hegseth wrote ahead of facing
Congress for the first time since sharing sensitive military details of
America's military campaign against the Houthis in a Signal chat. It's unclear
how the Houthis will respond now that an attack has come from the sea, rather
than the air, from the Israelis. Meanwhile, a wider, decadelong war in Yemen
remains stalemated.
US imposes sanctions on a
Palestinian NGO and other charities, accusing them of ties to militant groups
AP/June 10, 2025
WASHINGTON: The US Treasury Department on Tuesday imposed sanctions on a major
Palestinian legal group for prisoners and detainees along with five other
charitable entities across the Middle East, Africa and Europe, accusing them of
supporting Palestinian armed factions and militant groups, including Hamas’
military wing, under the pretense of humanitarian aid in Gaza. Those sanctioned
include Addameer, a nongovernmental organization that was founded in 1991 and is
based in the city of Ramallah in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. The Palestinian
group provides free legal services to Palestinian political prisoners and
detainees in Israeli custody and monitors the conditions of their confinement.
The federal government claims that Addameer “has long supported and is
affiliated” with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, a secular,
left-wing movement with a political party and an armed wing that has carried out
deadly attacks against Israelis. Israel and the United States have labeled the
PFLP a terrorist organization. Addameer did not immediately have a comment on
the sanctions. Israel has alleged that Addameer funds terrorism, a claim that
the United Nations previously said it could not support with compelling
evidence. In a 2022 report on human rights practices, the US State Department
noted Israel’s arrest of Salah Hammouri, a French-Palestinian human rights
lawyer and an Addameer employee, in a section on “retribution against human
rights defenders.”The organization also works with Amnesty International, Human
Rights Watch and is a member of the World Organization Against Torture. Israel’s
2022 storming of Addameer’s offices, prompted a rebuke from the UN, who said in
a statement that Israel had not provided convincing evidence to support the
claim. The UN said Addameer was conducting “critical human rights, humanitarian
and development work in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.”In February, Zachor
Legal Institute, an Israeli-American advocacy group that says it focuses on
combatting antisemitism and terrorism, requested Addameer be added to Treasury’s
sanctions list. The letter, which was written by Zachor, signed by 44 other
groups and is addressed to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, relies in part on
undisclosed evidence from the Israeli Security Agency in its call for sanctions
on Addameer. Marc Greendorfer, president of Zachor Legal Institute said in an
email to the Associated Press that his group is “very pleased to see Treasury
following up on our request.” He said the federal government should act “to
prevent hostile foreign actors from spreading hate and violence in the United
States. We applaud Treasury’s action and encourage Treasury to expand its focus
to the other groups that we identified.”
US holds deep doubts about
Palestinian state, Washington’s envoy to Israel says
Bloomberg/10 June ,2025
The US no longer wholeheartedly endorses an independent state for Palestinians,
Washington’s ambassador to Israel said, adding that if one were to be formed it
could be elsewhere in the region rather than the West Bank.
“Unless there are some significant things that happen that change the culture,
there’s no room for it,” Mike Huckabee, an appointee of US President Donald
Trump, said in an interview with Bloomberg in Jerusalem. Those probably won’t
happen “in our lifetime,” he added. When asked if a Palestinian state remains a
goal of US policy, as it has been for the past two decades, he said: “I don’t
think so.”Regarding location, Huckabee suggested a piece of land could be carved
out of a Muslim country rather than asking Israel to make room. “Does it have to
be in Judea and Samaria?” Huckabee, 69, said, using the biblical name the
Israeli government favors for the West Bank, where some 3 million Palestinians
live under occupation. Palestinians argue that Israel has made a formation of a
state nearly impossible by building more and bigger Jewish settlements in the
West Bank and undermining Palestinian authorities, while doing little to stop
settler violence against Palestinians. European and Arab countries have been
working to promote the creation of a Palestinian state led by the Palestinian
Authority, which controls parts of the West Bank, as part of a process to end
the 20-month war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. A conference in New York next
week, sponsored by France and Saudi Arabia, will be focused on such a state with
the idea that the PA lead a multilateral effort to drive Hamas from Gaza and
rebuild the coastal strip. Asked how the war could be brought to a conclusion,
Huckabee placed the blame solely on Hamas, designated a terrorist organization
by the US and European Union, saying the Iran-backed group must free its
remaining hostages for the conflict to end. The war was triggered when thousands
of Hamas operatives crossed into Israel from Gaza on Oct. 7, 2023, killing about
1,200 people and abducting 250, of which about 50 — many believed to be dead —
remain in captivity. Some 54,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s
subsequent military campaign, according to the health ministry, and much of the
territory has been destroyed, leaving the population mostly displaced and living
under unsafe and unhealthy conditions. Concern is building among international
governments that Gaza’s 2 million inhabitants are facing starvation after Israel
barred aid for several weeks from early in March to put pressure on Hamas. A
US-Israeli group, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, has been working to deliver
supplies in recent days but its work has been marred by chaos and violence.
Huckabee endorsed the group’s operations, saying it feeds Gazans while
preventing aid from being seized by Hamas.
Religious Divide
Huckabee is a former governor of Arkansas and Baptist minister who has
previously been an advocate of Jewish settlements in the West Bank, considered
illegal by many states and international agencies. He gets along well with
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the right wing and religious
ministers in his government. In recent days, ultra-Orthodox members of the
ruling coalition have threatened to bring down the administration if it doesn’t
pass a law cementing a longstanding exemption for religious men from military
conscription. A bill to dissolve parliament is due to be voted on Wednesday —
the first of four required votes in a process that could take weeks or months—
and the ultra-Orthodox parties say they’ll support it. Huckabee confirmed
reports that he met with leaders of the religious parties, known collectively as
the Haredim, and told them that if Netanyahu’s government fell, it would be
viewed poorly in the US.“Americans won’t understand a collapse of a government,”
Huckabee said. “That, to Americans, signals instability.”Opposition politicians
eager for early elections to remove Netanyahu, bring back the hostages and end
the Gaza war, had reacted angrily to reports of Huckabee’s meeting, viewing it
as interference in domestic politics. Huckabee said the conversations didn’t
constitute interference. Asked about the negotiations between the US and Iran
over Tehran’s nuclear program, Huckabee said Trump has made clear the Islamic
Republic shouldn’t be able to enrich uranium at all — a position Iran has
rejected out of hand. “The president has made clear that there’s a limit to his
patience with Iran,” Huckabee said. “He doesn’t want there to be carnage. But he
also has been even more clear that Iran’s not going to have a nuclear weapon,
they aren’t going to enrich and they’re going to have total dismantlement.”On
whether the US might attack Iran militarily if the talks fail, he said,
“Nothing’s off the table.”
UK and allies sanction Israel
ministers Ben-Gvir and Smotrich
AFP/June 10, 2025
LONDON: Britain and four allies joined forces Tuesday to sanction two Israeli
ministers for “repeated incitements of violence” against Palestinians, upping
their condemnation of Israel’s actions around the war in Gaza. Finance Minister
Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir will be banned
from entering the UK and will have any assets in the country frozen, Britain’s
foreign ministry said in a statement. The announcement came in rare joint action
alongside Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Norway and comes as the Israeli
government faces growing international criticism over its conduct of the
conflict with Hamas. A UK government official said on condition of anonymity
that Canada and Australia had also imposed sanctions, while Norway and New
Zealand had implemented travel bans only. The measures see the five countries
break from Israel’s closest ally, the United States. Ben Gvir and Smotrich “have
incited extremist violence and serious abuses of Palestinian human rights,” the
foreign ministers of the five countries said in a joint statement. “These
actions are not acceptable. This is why we have taken action now — to hold those
responsible to account,” they added. Smotrich and Ben Gvir are part of Israeli
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s fragile ruling coalition. Both have drawn
criticism for their hard-line stance on the war in Gaza and comments about
settlements in the occupied West Bank, the other Palestinian territory. Smotrich,
who lives in a West Bank settlement, has supported the expansion of settlements
and has increasingly called for the territory’s annexation. Last month, he said
Gaza would be “entirely destroyed” and that civilians would “start to leave in
great numbers to third countries.”Ben Gvir has also called for Gazans to be
resettled from the besieged territory. UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy said the
pair had used “horrendous extremist language” and that he would “encourage the
Israeli government to disavow and condemn that language.”Earlier, Israeli
Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said Israel had been informed by Britain of its
sanctions decision, describing the move as “outrageous.”The UK foreign ministry
said in its statement that “extremist settlers have carried out over 1,900
attacks against Palestinian civilians since January last year.”It said the five
countries were “clear that the rising violence and intimidation by Israeli
settlers against Palestinian communities in the West Bank must stop.”“Measures
today cannot be seen in isolation from events in Gaza where Israel must uphold
international humanitarian law,” the foreign ministry said.It added that the UK
and its partners “support Israel’s security and will continue to work with the
Israeli government to strive to achieve an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.”“Hamas
must release the hostages immediately, and there must be a path to a two-state
solution with Hamas having no role in future governance,” it added.The action
comes after the British government suspended free-trade negotiations with Israel
last month and summoned its ambassador over the conduct of the war. It also
announced financial restrictions and travel bans on several prominent settlers,
as well as two illegal outposts and two organizations accused of backing
violence against Palestinian communities.
Abbas tells Macron he supports
demilitarization of Hamas
AFP/June 10, 2025
PARIS: Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas has said that Hamas “must hand over
its weapons” and called for the deployment of international forces to protect
“the Palestinian people,” France announced on Tuesday. In a letter addressed on
Monday to French President Emmanuel Macron and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin
Salman, who this month will co-chair a conference on a two-state solution for
Israel and the Palestinians, Abbas outlined the main steps that he thinks must
be taken to end the war in Gaza and achieve peace in the Middle East. “Hamas
will no longer rule Gaza and must hand over its weapons and military
capabilities to the Palestinian Security Forces,” wrote Abbas. He said he was
“ready to invite Arab and international forces to be deployed as part of a
stabilization/protection mission with a (UN) Security Council mandate.”
The conference at UN headquarters later this month will aim to resurrect the
idea of a two-state solution — Israel currently controls large parts of the
Palestinian territories. “We are ready to conclude within a clear and binding
timeline, and with international support, supervision and guarantees, a peace
agreement that ends the Israeli occupation and resolves all outstanding and
final status issues,” Abbas wrote. “Hamas has to immediately release all
hostages and captives,” Abbas added. In a statement, the Elysee Palace welcomed
“concrete and unprecedented commitments, demonstrating a real willingness to
move toward the implementation of the two-state solution.”Macron has said he is
“determined” to recognize a Palestinian state, but also set out several
conditions, including the “demilitarization” of Hamas. In his letter, Abbas
reaffirmed his commitment to reform the Palestinian Authority and confirmed his
intention to hold presidential and general elections “within a year” under
international auspices.“The Palestinian State should be the sole provider of
security on its territory, but has no intention to be a militarised
State.”France has long championed a two-state solution, including after the
October 7, 2023 attack by Palestinian militants Hamas on Israel. But formal
recognition by Paris of a Palestinian state would mark a major policy shift and
risk antagonizing Israel, which insists that such moves by foreign states are
premature.
Israel's Netanyahu says significant progress made in talks
to release hostages
Emily Rose/Reuters/June 10, 2025
JERUSALEM -Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday that there
had been "significant progress" in efforts to secure the release of the
remaining hostages in Gaza, but that it was "too soon" to raise hopes that a
deal would be reached. Despite efforts by the United States, Egypt and Qatar to
restore a ceasefire in Gaza, neither Israel nor Hamas has shown willingness to
back down on core demands, with each side blaming the other for the failure to
reach a deal. Netanyahu, who has come under pressure from within his right-wing
coalition to continue the war and block humanitarian aid from entering Gaza,
said in a video statement shared by his office that there had been progress,
without providing details. A source familiar with the negotiations said that
Washington had been giving Hamas more assurances, in the form of steps that
would lead to an end to the war, but said it was U.S. officials who were
optimistic, not Israeli ones. The source said there was pressure from Washington
to have a deal done as soon as possible. "There is a deal on the table. Hamas
must stop acting recklessly and accept it," a State Department official said
when asked whether the U.S. agreed with Netanyahu's statement on the progress in
talks. "President Trump has made clear the consequences Hamas will face if it
continues to hold the hostages, including the bodies of two Americans," the
official added, speaking on condition of anonymity. Two Hamas sources told
Reuters they had no knowledge of any new ceasefire offers. Israel's leadership
has said that it would wage war until the remaining 55 hostages held in Gaza are
freed and when Hamas, whose October 2023 attack sparked the war, has been
dismantled. Hamas, which has ruled Gaza since 2007, has said it would no longer
govern after the war if a Palestinian, non-partisan technocratic committee took
over, but it has refused to disarm. The U.S. has proposed a 60-day ceasefire
between Israel and Hamas. Israel said it would abide by the terms but Hamas has
sought amendments. The militants have said that they would release all hostages
in exchange for a permanent end to the war. The war in Gaza has raged since
Hamas-led militants killed 1,200 people in Israel in the October 2023 attack and
took 251 hostages back to the enclave, according to Israeli tallies. Israel
responded with a military campaign that has killed over 54,000 Palestinians,
according to Gaza health authorities.
Israel commits 'extermination' in Gaza by killing in schools, UN experts say
Francois Murphy/Reuters/June 10, 2025
VIENNA -U.N. experts said in a report on Tuesday that Israel committed the crime
against humanity of "extermination" by killing civilians sheltering in schools
and religious sites in Gaza, part of a "concerted campaign to obliterate
Palestinian life."The United Nations Independent International Commission of
Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and
Israel was due to present the report to the Geneva-based U.N. Human Rights
Council on June 17."We are seeing more and more indications that Israel is
carrying out a concerted campaign to obliterate Palestinian life in Gaza,"
former U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay, who chairs the
commission, said in a statement."Israel's targeting of the educational, cultural
and religious life of the Palestinian people will harm the present generations
and generations to come, hindering their right to self-determination," she
added. The commission examined attacks on educational facilities and religious
and cultural sites to assess whether international law was breached. Israel
disengaged from the Human Rights Council in February, alleging it was biased.
Its diplomatic mission said on Thursday that the commission's latest report was
an "attempt to promote its fictitious narrative of the Gaza war", and proved
that its members "care more about bashing Israel than protecting the people of
Gaza."In its report, the commission said Israel had destroyed more than 90% of
school and university buildings and more than half of all religious and cultural
sites in Gaza. "Israeli forces committed war crimes, including directing attacks
against civilians and wilful killing, in their attacks on educational facilities
... In killing civilians sheltering in schools and religious sites, Israeli
security forces committed the crime against humanity of extermination," it said.
The war was triggered when Hamas-led militants killed 1,200 people in Israel in
a surprise attack in October 2023, and took 251 hostages back to the enclave,
according to Israeli tallies. Israel responded with a military campaign that has
killed over 54,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health authorities. Harm done
to the Palestinian education system was not confined to Gaza, the report found,
citing increased Israeli military operations in the West Bank and East Jerusalem
as well as harassment of students and settler attacks there. "Israeli
authorities have also targeted Israeli and Palestinian educational personnel and
students inside Israel who expressed concern or solidarity with the civilian
population in Gaza, resulting in their harassment, dismissal or suspension and
in some cases humiliating arrests and detention," it said. "Israeli authorities
have particularly targeted female educators and students, intending to deter
women and girls from activism in public places," the commission added.
France says it obtains Palestinian reform pledge ahead of
conference
Reuters/June 10, 2025
PARIS -France said on Tuesday it had obtained new commitments from the
Palestinian Authority to reform, ahead of a conference next week at which Paris
could become the most prominent Western power to back recognition of an
independent Palestinian state.President Emmanuel Macron has received a letter
from Mahmoud Abbas in which the Palestinian president condemns the October 7,
2023, Hamas attack against Israel, calls on all hostages to be released and
pledges further reforms, the Elysee said. Abbas, 89, has headed the
internationally recognised Palestinian Authority since the death of veteran
leader Yasser Arafat in 2004. The PA exercises limited self-rule in parts of the
Israeli-occupied West Bank but lost control of Gaza to its rivals Hamas since
2007. It has previously condemned Hamas for the attack that provoked the Gaza
war and has called for the militant group to be disarmed in a future settlement.
The letter to Macron, who is working on organising an international conference
with Saudi Arabia to discuss recognition of Palestine, contains "unprecedented"
pledges, Macron's office said, without elaborating. "Hamas will no longer rule
Gaza and must hand over its weapons and military capabilities to the Palestinian
Security Forces, which will oversee their removal outside the Occupied
Palestinian territory, with Arab and international support," the French leader's
office quoted Abbas as having written in the letter.Commenting on the letter,
senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri told Reuters that "Abbas has no legitimacy
to speak about the resistance's arms." He said the French government should be
aware that the letter it received on the future of Gaza "only represents the
opinion of the person who signed it," in reference to Abbas. "Any plan that
targets resistance groups or works on overriding it won't succeed," he said.
Israel has said it will not accept any role for the PA in Gaza after the war and
has denounced countries that consider recognising Palestinian independence,
which it says would reward Hamas for its attacks. French officials have said
Macron is leaning towards recognising a Palestinian state ahead of the U.N.
conference which France and Saudi Arabia are co-hosting from June 17-20.
Thunberg accuses Israel of
kidnap after Gaza aid boat intercepted
AFP/June 10, 2025
PARIS: Swedish activist Greta Thunberg on Tuesday accused Israel of “kidnapping
us in international waters and taking us against our will to Israel” after
security forces intercepted a boat carrying humanitarian aid bound for Gaza.
“This is yet another intentional violation of rights that is added to the list
of countless other violations that Israel is committing,” Thunberg, 22, told
reporters on arrival at Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris after being deported
from Israel. She stressed that her own experience was “nothing compared to what
the Palestinians are going through.”Of the 12 people on board the Madleen
carrying food and supplies for Gaza, five French activists were taken into
custody after they refused to leave Israel voluntarily. But Thunberg, who rose
to fame as a schoolgirl activist against climate change and seeks to avoid
flying because of its environmental impact, was deported by Israel on a
commercial flight of national airline El Al bound for Paris. “This is not the
real story. The real story is there is a genocide going on in Gaza and
systematic starvation,” said Thunberg. Several rights groups including Amnesty
International have accused Israel of genocide of the Palestinians in Gaza but
Israel vehemently rejects the term. “Greta Thunberg is departing Israel on a
flight to France,” Israel’s foreign ministry said on its official X account,
along with two photos of the activist on board a plane. (@IsraelMFA)
The vessel carrying French, German, Brazilian, Turkish, Swedish, Spanish and
Dutch activists had the stated aim of delivering humanitarian aid and breaking
the Israeli blockade on the Palestinian territory. Israel intercepted the
Madleen about 185 kilometers (115 miles) west of the coast of Gaza. Thunberg
said what happened to the vessel was a “continuation and violation of
international law and war crimes that are being systematically committed by
Israel by not letting aid in” to Gaza. “This was a mission of attempting to once
again bring aid to Gaza and send solidarity. And saw we cannot,” she said. She
also denounced what she termed the “silence and passivity” of governments
worldwide over what was taking place in Gaza. “There are no words to describe
the betrayal that is happening every day by our own governments,” she said.
Admitting she was “desperately in need of a shower,” Thunberg vowed to carry on
her campaign. “We will not stop. We will try every single day to demand an end
to the atrocities Israel is carrying out.”The October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on
Israel that triggered the war resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people on the
Israeli side, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of official figures.
The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza says at least 54,981 people, the majority
civilians, have been killed in the territory since the start of the war. The UN
considers these figures reliable. Out of 251 taken hostage during the Hamas
attack, 54 are still held in Gaza including 32 the Israeli military says are
dead.
Foreign Office staff told to consider resigning if they
disagree on Gaza
David Lynch, PA Political Correspondent/PA Media: UK News/June 10, 2025
Civil servants in the Foreign Office have been told they should resign if they
disagree with the Government’s policy over Gaza, reports suggest. Some 300 staff
at the Government department, based in the UK and offices abroad, sent a letter
to Foreign Secretary David Lammy raising concerns about Israel’s conduct in
Gaza, the BBC reported. The letter warned of “complicity” in Israel’s actions
and questioned continued UK arms sales to the country, according to the
broadcaster. The Foreign Office’s two most senior officials, Sir Oliver Robbins
and Nick Dyer, responded to the letter. “If your disagreement with any aspect of
Government policy or action is profound your ultimate recourse is to resign from
the Civil Service. This is an honourable course,” they told staff in their
reply. The two Foreign Office bosses insisted they wanted to see a “healthy
challenge” to policy but said it was up to civil servants to deliver on the will
of the Government. The letter, which follows several other similar missives to
Civil Service chiefs, was signed on May 16, the BBC reported. In it, the
signatories said: “In July 2024, staff expressed concern about Israel’s
violations of international humanitarian law and potential UK government
complicity. “In the intervening period, the reality of Israel’s disregard for
international law has become more stark.”They went on to list the killing by
Israeli forces of 15 aid workers in March, and the blockade on aid into Gaza,
among their concerns. They added that “supported by the Trump administration,
the Israeli government has made explicit plans for the forcible transfer of
Gaza’s population”. Ministers’ official line is that Israel is “at risk” of
breaching international law with its actions in Gaza. The Government halted 30
out of around 350 arms sales licences to Israel in September last year, for fear
they may be used for war crimes. David Lammy walking on Downing Street carrying
a red Government folder under his arm
The letter was sent to Foreign Secretary David Lammy (PA) MPs critical of
Israel’s actions have called on ministers to go further, and to halt all UK arms
sales to the country. A Foreign Office spokesperson said: “Since day one, this
Government has rigorously applied international law in relation to the war in
Gaza. “One of our first acts in Government was to suspend export licences that
could be used by the Israeli Defence Forces in Gaza. “We have successfully
implemented the suspension decision and continue to refuse all relevant licence
applications.
“We have suspended direct exports of F-35 parts for use by Israel, and we
categorically do not export any bombs or ammunition which could be used in Gaza.
“We have also suspended negotiations on a free trade agreement, while supporting
humanitarian efforts through the restoration of funding to UNRWA, and the
commitment of over £230 million in assistance across the past two financial
years.”They added: “It is the job of civil servants to deliver on the policies
of the government of the day and to provide professional, impartial advice as
set out in the Civil Service Code. There are systems in place which allow them
to raise concerns if they have them.” The Public and Commercial Services Union
(PCS) said the Foreign Office’s reply to the letter from civil servants was
“hopelessly inadequate”, and the suggestion they could resign “simply
reprehensible”.PCS general secretary Fran Heathcote said: “The response from
Oliver Robbins and Nick Dyer to the concerns of staff in FCDO is consistent with
the attitude displayed by Civil Service management all along, in that it is
hopelessly inadequate. “There has been little effort to address our members’
concerns and no effort to justify the UK Government’s interactions with the
government of Israel, despite our genuine concerns over its potential failure to
comply with its obligations under international and domestic law.”The PCS chief
said she had raised the International Court of Justice ruling “that some of the
alleged acts by Israel in Gaza could potentially be considered within the
provisions of the Genocide Convention” last year. “We were clear that PCS
concurred with that view. The horrors visited upon the people of Gaza since then
have only reinforced our view,” she said. Ms Heathcote added: “As for the
suggestion that civil servants may wish to resign if they are uncomfortable with
what they are being asked to do – this is simply reprehensible. “It is a
dereliction of duty and a startling ignorance of the provisions of the Civil
Service code, which require all civil servants to act in accordance with the
law, including international law.”
Syria rescuers say two killed
in drone strikes on northwest
AFP/June 11, 2025
DAMASCUS: Two people were killed in separate drone strikes Tuesday on a car and
a motorcycle in the northwestern bastion of the Islamist former rebels who now
head the Syrian government, rescuers said. There was no immediate claim of
responsibility for the twin drone strikes in the Idlib region but a US-led
coalition in Syria has carried out past strikes on terrorists in the area.
Earlier this year, the United States said it killed several commanders of
Al-Qaeda’s Syria affiliate Hurras Al-Din in the area. The group had recently
announced it was breaking up on the orders of the interim government set up by
the rebels after their overthrow of Bashar Assad in December. US troops are
deployed in Syria as part of a US-led coalition to fight the Daesh group. When
contacted by AFP, a US defense official said they were aware of the reports but
had “nothing to provide” at the time. During a meeting in Riyadh last month, US
President Donald Trump called on his Syrian counterpart Ahmed Al-Sharaa to help
Washington prevent a resurgence by Daesh.
Iran executes nine people arrested over planned Islamic State attack
Reuters/June 10, 2025
DUBAI -Iran executed nine people it said were members of the Islamic State,
state media reported on Tuesday, after their arrest in early 2018 during clashes
in which three members of the Revolutionary Guards were killed. The nine
detainees, whose nationalities were not given, were accused of "moharebeh" -- an
Islamic term meaning waging war against God - armed uprising and possession of
weapons of war. State media said they were part of a team of several Islamic
State fighters tracked by Revolutionary Guards after they crossed Iran's western
border in view of carrying out attacks on Iranian territory. The arrests had
taken place months after a deadly Islamic State attack on the Iranian parliament
in Tehran and the mausoleum of the Islamic Republic's founder Ayatollah Ruhollah
Khomeini. While the threat of attacks from the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria
has significantly decreased since the group's defeat, Iran has seen recent
deadly attacks from the Islamic State's Afghanistan branch. According to the
U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, the number of people executed in Iran
rose to at least 901 in 2024, the highest number since 2015.
Alabama executes a man by nitrogen gas for the beating
death of a woman in 1988
The Canadian Press/June 10, 2025
ATMORE, Ala. (AP) — An Alabama man convicted of killing a woman in 1988 was put
to death Tuesday evening in the nation’s sixth execution by nitrogen gas.
Gregory Hunt was pronounced dead at 6:26 p.m. at a south Alabama prison,
authorities said, one of four scheduled this week in the United States. Strapped
to a gurney with a blue-rimmed mask covering his entire face, Hunt gave no final
words but appeared to give a thumbs-up sign and a peace sign with his fingers
before the gas started flowing. It was not clear when the gas began.
Hunt briefly shook, gasped and raised his head off the gurney. He let out a moan
at about 5:59 p.m. and raised his feet. He took a series of four or more gasping
breaths with long pauses in between, and made no visible movements after 6:05
p.m.
Hunt was convicted of capital murder for the killing of Karen Lane, who was 32
when she was killed on Aug. 2, 1988, in the Cordova apartment she shared with
another woman in Walker County. Hunt had dated Lane for about a month.
Prosecutors said that after becoming enraged with jealousy, he broke into Lane’s
apartment and sexually abused her and beat her to death, inflicting 60 injuries
on her body. Jurors convicted him in 1990 and recommended a death sentence by an
11-1 vote.
In a statement, Gov. Kay Ivey said Lane experienced an “unimaginable final hours
of her young life.”“Tonight, the state carried out the lawfully imposed
punishment for Gregory Hunt who is undeniably guilty,” Ivey said.
Hunt, who was born in 1960, was among the longest-serving inmates on Alabama’s
death row. He told The Associated Press last month that finding religion in
prison helped him get “free of my poisons and demons” and that he tried to help
other inmates.
“Just trying to be a light in a dark place, trying to tell people if I can
change, they can too ... become people of love instead of hate,” he said. Lane’s
sister declined to comment when reached by telephone this week. But in 2014 at a
vigil for crime victims, she said, “The way she was killed is just
devastating.”“It’s hard enough to lose a family member to death, but when it’s
this gruesome,” she said. Hunt acted as his own attorney in a filing to the U.S.
Supreme Court seeking to halt the execution, arguing that prosecutors misled
jurors about the evidence of sexual abuse. The Alabama attorney general’s office
called the claim meritless. Last year Alabama became the first state to carry
out an execution with nitrogen gas. The method has now been used in six
executions — five in Alabama and one in Louisiana.
Hunt selected nitrogen gas over the other options, lethal injection or the
electric chair, before Alabama developed procedures for the method.
Europe heaps harsh sanctions on Russia, saying ‘strength is
the only language’ Moscow understands
Ivana Kottasová, Anna Cooban and James Frater, CNN/June 10, 2025
The European Union announced a new package of sanctions against Russia on
Tuesday, saying that Moscow’s daily deadly attacks against Ukraine show that it
is not interested in peace – despite recent diplomatic efforts. The new package
– the 18th since Russia launched its full-scale unprovoked invasion against its
neighbor in 2022 – is designed to further target the Kremlin’s ability to make
money from its oil and gas production. The proposal includes lowering the price
cap on Russian oil exports from $60 to $45 per barrel and introducing a full
transaction ban on Russian banks and financial institutions in third countries
that help Russia circumvent existing sanctions. The EU said it is also proposing
a ban on the use of Russian energy infrastructure, forbidding any EU operator
from engaging directly or indirectly in any transactions that involve the Nord
Stream pipelines. The new package will need to be approved by the EU’s 27 member
states. That could be complicated given previous concerns raised by some more
pro-Kremlin governments, such as Hungary and Slovakia, about further sanctions
targeting Russia. While both those countries have previously threatened to block
new rounds of sanctions, so far they have ultimately voted in favor of them. The
President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen said the sanctions
were necessary “because strength is the only language that Russia will
understand.”
“We want peace for Ukraine. Despite weeks of diplomatic attempts, despite
(Ukraine’s) President (Volodymyr) Zelensky’s offer of an unconditional
ceasefire, Russia continues to bring death and destruction to Ukraine. Russia’s
goal is not peace, it is to impose the rule of might. Therefore, we are ramping
up pressure on Russia,” von der Leyen said at a news conference in Brussels. The
leaders of Germany, France, the United Kingdom and Poland last month told
Russian leader Vladimir Putin to agree to a 30-day ceasefire or face possible
“massive” sanctions. Putin ignored the ultimatum, proposing instead “direct
talks” between Moscow and Kyiv. But two rounds of talks in Istanbul, Turkey,
have made it clear Russia is sticking to its maximalist demands that would
essentially equate to Ukraine’s capitulation.
“Russia’s ability to continue the war is equal to its ability to sell their oil
and bypass financial barriers,” Zelensky said Tuesday night, calling the
European sanctions package “an important step” and also condemning the lack of
similar measures from the United States. “Russia has been constantly increasing
the number of munitions in its strikes. This is a steady trend, and it means
that Moscow is not afraid of anyone in the world,” the Ukrainian leader added.
“Putin wants to continue killing and is taking advantage of the fact that he is
not getting a strong response. He does not hear Washington. And this speaks
volumes to the world, to everyone.”
Targeting Russian energy
Explaining why the EU has targeted Russia’s energy sector, the Commission chief
said oil exports still represent one third of Russian government revenues. “We
need to cut this source of revenue,” she said. The oil price cap was introduced
by the EU and G7 countries in December 2022. The cap, which applies to Russia’s
seaborne oil exports, prohibits Western companies from providing shipping,
insurance and other services needed to export the fuel unless it is priced below
the threshold.By enforcing a price cap, the EU and its allies have tried to
diminish a key source of revenue for the Kremlin while still allowing its oil to
flow to the global energy market – because cutting Russia’s supplies completely
could destabilize the market and cause prices to shoot up. Von der Leyen said on
Tuesday that the price cap needs lowering because global oil prices had fallen
since the cap was first introduced and now trade “very close” to the $60 level.
The price of a barrel of Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, has dropped 18%
since the price cap on Russian crude took effect on December 5, 2022. It was
trading at almost $68 a barrel late morning Eastern Time (ET) on Tuesday. The
bloc also wants to harden sanctions on Russia’s banking sector. Shortly after
the invasion, the United States, EU, Britain and Canada jointly banned some
Russian banks from the SWIFT messaging service – a high-security network
connecting thousands of financial institutions around the world. That has made
it far more difficult for those banks to send and receive money from abroad.
Now, the Commission wants to go a step further and prevent any EU operator, such
a a business, from conducting a transaction with a list of sanctioned Russian
banks. It also plans to add another 22 of Moscow’s banks to that list.
Additionally, the bloc wants to extend the transaction ban to financial
institutions in third countries that help Russia circumvent existing sanctions.
Von der Leyen said the latest package of sanctions will also broaden the current
ban on materials and technologies that can be exported to Russia, adding: “We
want to make sure that Russia does not find ways to modernize its weapons with
European technologies.”The sanctions will also include new measures against 22
Russian and foreign companies providing direct or indirect support to Russia’s
military and industrial complex.
At least 7 killed in explosions and attacks outside police
stations in southwest Colombia
Associated Press/June 10, 2025
BOGOTA, Colombia — Seven people, including two police officers, were killed in
Colombia on Tuesday, as rebel groups detonated bombs near police stations in the
city of Cali and the neighboring Cauca province, Colombia's National Police said
in a statement. Military and police spokespeople blamed the attacks on the FARC-EMC,
a group led by former members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia who
broke away from the group after it signed a peace deal with the government in
2016. Authorities said the rebels placed bombs in cars and motorcycles that were
parked near police stations, while also waging some attacks with gunfire and
grenades. Colombia's police said there were a total of 24 attacks on Tuesday in
the city Cali and the surrounding provinces of Cauca and Valle del Cauca, in
which 28 people were also injured, including 19 civilians.The attacks on the
police stations come just days after Miguel Uribe, a conservative presidential
candidate, was shot during a rally in Bogota. Authorities say they are
investigating who was behind the attack on Uribe, who is in a critical condition
in hospital in Bogota. Colombia’s government has struggled to contain violence
in urban and rural areas as several rebel groups try to take over territory
abandoned by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia following its peace deal
with the government. Peace talks between the FARC-EMC faction and the government
broke down last year after a series of attacks on indigenous communities. The
government is currently holding talks with another faction of the group, that is
led by commander Luis Alberto Alban, known also as Marcos Calarca.
Rubio orders firings of all USAID staffers
overseas to move forward
Ellen Knickmeyer And Lindsay
Whitehurst/The Associated Press/June 10, 2025
WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State
Marco Rubio ordered U.S. embassies around the world Tuesday to move ahead with a
directive to fire all remaining staffers with the U.S. Agency for International
Development. He said the State Department will take over USAID's foreign
assistance programs by Monday. A federal judge had temporarily blocked an
executive order by President Donald Trump for mass firings at multiple federal
agencies, including the State Department, and plaintiffs say Rubio's
reorganization plan appears to violate that court injunction. The Trump
administration says the plan was already underway when the president issued the
order, so there’s no possible violation. U.S. District Judge Susan Illston has
yet to make a determination. State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said
Tuesday that Rubio's directive “wasn't a surprise.”“So this was a cable, telling
our posts exactly what they were expecting to be told, which is that those
positions were being eliminated. So it wasn’t a surprise. It’s nothing new," she
said. "And, it is exactly what we previewed, in February and March of this
year.” Rubio told embassies to stick to the department's plan “to abolish all
USAID overseas positions” by Sept. 30. The termination of all remaining USAID
staffers abroad is one of the last steps in the destruction of the U.S. aid
agency and the firing of its more than 10,000 staffers and contractors by the
Trump administration and Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency, or
DOGE. They had made USAID one of their first targets for elimination.
Trump Admin Plans to Slash All USAID International
Positions
Jasmine Venet/The Daily Beast/Tue, June 10, 2025
The Trump administration is planning on cutting all of the U.S. Agency for
International Development’s (USAID) international positions by the end of
September, and transferring control to the State Department. According to a
State Department cable obtained by The Guardian Tuesday, Secretary of State
Marco Rubio ordered that USAID’s entire overseas workforce be eliminated,
granting the State Department “responsibility for foreign assistance programming
previously undertaken by USAID” starting on June 15. “The Department of State is
streamlining procedures under National Security Decision Directive 38 to abolish
all USAID overseas positions,” the cable said. The move would affect thousands
of USAID staff members, such as contractors, foreign service officers, and
employed personnel, across over 100 countries. The Guardian reported that chiefs
of mission at U.S. embassies were told to prepare themselves for the cuts and
changes that would go into effect over the next four months. The administration
has already cut around 90 percent of USAID’s foreign aid contracts during Elon
Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) rampage back in February.
Musk, who has previously called the agency a “criminal organization” and that it
was “time for it to die,” also spearheaded a near total wipe-out of its 10,000
strong work-force, reducing it to only 294 employees in March.
At the time, former USAID administrator J. Brian Atwood warned that “a lot of
people will not survive” the administration’s devastating decision. According to
The Guardian, internal documents revealed that several other USAID senior
officials also warned Rubio against the drastic cuts, emphasizing the
devastating impacts they would have over the next decade if implemented. USAID
has been on the president’s radar ever since his return to office. Trump signed
an executive order on his first day back as president which placed a 90-day
pause on U.S. foreign development assistance for “assessment of programmatic
efficiencies and consistency with United States foreign policy.”Two weeks later,
a state department press release revealed that in an “interim step toward
gaining control and better understanding” over USAID’s activity, Trump would be
appointing Rubio as acting administrator of the agency.
The president claimed that the agency was “run by a bunch of radical lunatics,
and we’re getting them out,” and that once USAID was gutted, then the
administration would be able to “make a decision” on its future. The State
Department doubled down on the president’s sentiment in its press release,
alleging that USAID had “long strayed from its original mission of responsibly
advancing American interests abroad,” and that it was now “abundantly clear that
significant portions of USAID funding are not aligned with the core national
interests of the United States.”In a speech announcing his new position, Rubio
also admonished the agency for their “ridiculous” behavior. “Everything they do
has to be aligned with U.S. foreign policy,” he said. “And the attitude that
USAID has adopted over the years is no, we are independent of the national
interest.”
“There are things that [USAID] does that are good and there are things that it
does that we have strong questions about,” Rubio added. Nicholas Enrich, USAID’s
former acting assistant administrator for global health, said in a series of
staff memos obtained by the press in late February that pausing the agency’s
lifesaving programs would “no doubt result in preventable death,
destabilization, and threats to national security on a massive scale.”He stated
that if the cutbacks were not restored, then each year 1 million starving
children would not have access to food, 28,000 people will suffer from
infectious diseases like Ebola, and hundreds of millions of people will suffer
from polio infections over the next decade, with 200,000 more people becoming
paralyzed by polio, among other impacts. Enrich said he was placed on leave
minutes after sending out his memos, though a source familiar with the matter
told Reuters that the agency had already decided to place him on leave days
earlier. According to NPR, USAID’s website went dark on Feb. 1, and its X
account was also wiped. Now, the website only has a “Notification of
Administrative Leave” statement which was released on Feb. 23.
Two killed, 28 wounded in Russian strikes
on Kharkiv: Ukraine official
AFP/June 11, 2025
KYIV, Ukraine: Russian strikes on Ukraine’s northeastern city of Kharkiv killed
two people and wounded 28 early Wednesday, the mayor said. “Seventeen strikes by
enemy UAVs were carried out in two districts of the city this night,” Kharkiv
Mayor Igor Terekhov said on Telegram, later adding: “There is information about
two dead already.”
Former student kills 10 people
in Austrian high school shooting
AFP/10 June ,2025:
A former student killed 10 people when he opened fire at a high school in
southeastern Austria on Tuesday before taking his own life, authorities said, in
an unprecedented case of deadly gun violence that stunned the Alpine country.
Heavily armed police, a helicopter and paramedics descended on the
Dreierschuetzengasse high school in Graz after the 21-year-old lone shooter
struck, police said. Nine victims were immediately confirmed but a woman died
from her wounds in hospital later, an official said. Seven of the victims were
female and three male, authorities said without specifying their ages.Twelve
people suffered severe injuries and police said support was being provided to
witnesses and those affected. The suspect acted alone and took his own life in
the school toilet, police said, adding his motive remained unknown.
Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker declared three days of national mourning
to remember the victims, saying the country had witnessed “an act of
unimaginable violence.”According to police, the alleged perpetrator was an
Austrian from the Graz region, who used two legally-owned weapons. He was a
former student at the high school, but had not finished his studies, Interior
Minister Gerhard Karner told reporters.
‘Unheard of’
Flower bouquets and candles were placed in front of the school, which has around
400 students aged between 14 and 18. A supermarket and a bank in the vicinity
closed for the day. A resident, who hails from the United States, told AFP that
she was “shocked” and “it’s a lot to take in” after learning what had occurred
nearby an elementary school and kindergarten her two children attend. “In my
home country it happens more often as we know but that it happens here is
unheard of,” she said, declining to give her name. “Graz is a safe city,” said
Roman Klug, 55, who said he lived close to the school that he said was “known
for its openness and diversity.” After arriving in Graz, Stocker described the
shooting as “a national tragedy,” adding that it was “a dark day” for Austria.
Condolences poured in from across Europe. French President Emmanuel Macron said
that “France extends its deepest sympathy to the victims’ families, the Austrian
people and Chancellor Stocker during this difficult time.”German Chancellor
Friedrich Merz said “our thoughts are with our Austrian friends and neighbors”
following the “horrific” school shooting. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban
offered his “deepest condolences.”European Commission President Ursula von der
Leyen said “the news from Graz touches my heart” while Italian Prime Minister
Giorgia Meloni expressed her sympathies to the families of the victims following
the “tragic news.”Attacks in public are rare in Austria, which is home to almost
9.2 million people and ranks among the 10 safest countries in the world,
according to the Global Peace Index. While still less common than in the United
States, Europe in recent years has been shaken by attacks at schools and
universities that were not connected to terrorism.In France on Tuesday, a
teaching assistant was killed in a knife attack at a school in the eastern town
of Nogent. In January, an 18-year-old man fatally stabbed a high school student
and a teacher at a school in northeastern Slovakia. And in December, a
19-year-old man stabbed a seven-year-old student to death and injured several
others at a primary school in Zagreb, Croatia. In December 2023, an attack by a
student at a university in central Prague left 14 people dead and 25 injured. A
few months earlier, a 13-year-old gunned down nine fellow classmates and a
security guard at an elementary school in Belgrade.
The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous
sources
on June 10-11/2025
Building a just and inclusive Syria from within
Hani Hazaimeh/Arab NewsJune 10, 2025
The recent withdrawal of hundreds of American troops from Syria — estimated at
500 personnel and accompanied by the closure or handover of multiple bases to
the Syrian Democratic Forces — marks more than just a tactical shift in US
foreign policy. It may, if seized wisely, signal the dawn of a new opportunity
for Syrians to redefine their nation’s future through unity, reconciliation and
inclusivity. This move, characterized by US officials
as “safe, deliberate and conditions-based,” reflects a major recalibration
following the fall of the Assad regime. For years, Syria has been trapped in a
brutal vortex of conflict, foreign intervention and sectarian fragmentation.
Now, as international military footprints shrink, the onus is increasingly on
Syrians themselves to shape the road ahead. The handover of military sites —
such as Mission Support Site Euphrates — to the SDF is emblematic of a
transition from foreign-led stabilization to local governance. While this raises
valid concerns about the future balance of power among Kurdish, Arab and other
ethnic groups in northeastern Syria, it also presents a rare chance to lay the
groundwork for a decentralized, inclusive system that respects Syria’s
diversity.
Yet the departure of US forces should not be mistaken for an end to instability.
Instead, it is a fork in the road. Syrians — regardless of ethnicity, faith or
political affiliation — must now decide: Will they allow the vacuum to be filled
by renewed factionalism or will they use this space to chart a united course
toward nation-building?
As international military footprints shrink, the onus is increasingly on Syrians
themselves to shape the road ahead
The SDF, a Kurdish-led coalition with substantial Arab participation, has been
praised for maintaining a degree of stability in northeastern Syria. However,
its dominance has also fueled tensions with Arab tribes and raised concerns
about representation. True inclusivity means more than shifting military control
— it demands a political solution that empowers all Syrians, from Qamishli to
Deraa. A meaningful path forward could include the development of a new federal
model for Syria — one that devolves authority to regional entities while
safeguarding national unity. Such an arrangement would not only address
long-standing grievances but also prevent the return of autocracy under new
guises. As Syria emerges from dictatorship and war,
there must be a concerted effort to pursue transitional justice rather than
retribution. Mechanisms should be put in place to acknowledge the atrocities of
the past, support victims and hold perpetrators accountable through fair legal
processes. Only through truth and justice can real reconciliation take root.
The chance to build a new Syria — one that is inclusive, accountable and
representative — is within reach
The country’s young generation — many of whom have only known war — must be
given a leading role in rebuilding Syria. Education, entrepreneurship and civic
participation should be national priorities. Civil society organizations, long
stifled or co-opted, need space to grow independently and help rebuild trust
between citizens and their institutions. International
actors can and should play a supportive role, not as overseers but as partners
in reconstruction and capacity-building. Any engagement must be conditional on
the inclusion of marginalized voices and the advancement of human rights.
The withdrawal of US forces should not be seen as abandonment, but as an
inflection point. The real question is not what foreign powers will do next, but
what Syrians will do now.
The chance to build a new Syria — one that is inclusive, accountable and
representative — is within reach. It will not be easy. But with courage,
dialogue and vision, the Syrian people can reclaim their future — not through
force, but through unity.
History has shown that peace imposed from the outside rarely endures. But peace
built from within can transform nations. Now is the time for Syrians to choose
the path of transformation.
• Hani Hazaimeh is a senior editor based in Amman. X: @hanihazaimeh
Two-state solution summit should be bold and daring
Yossi Mekelberg/Arab News/June 10, 2025
When France and Saudi Arabia co-chair the International Conference for the
Peaceful Settlement of the Palestinian Question and the Implementation of the
Two-State Solution in New York later this month, it might be the last
opportunity for the international community to salvage a peace agreement along
these lines. Beyond making a bold statement about its commitment to bringing
this conflict to a peaceful end, it must send a message, in no uncertain terms,
that it will not tolerate any attempts to block such a solution.
The wording of the invitation to the willing participants reflects a
determination to make this gathering count, by stating that “the conference is
intended to serve as a point of no return, paving the way for ending the
occupation and promoting a permanent settlement based on the two-state
solution.” But to be successful, it must be followed by courageous actions.
To begin with, France, the UK and other EU members that have not done so already
should recognize Palestinian statehood. This would be a long overdue but
necessary acknowledgement that recognizing Palestinian statehood is not
conditional on the Palestinian leadership succumbing to any demand for
concessions by Israel. Such recognition will remove a crucial aspect of the
asymmetry between the two protagonists in one of the longest-running conflicts
in modern history. It will ensure that all who live in historical Palestine
enjoy the same human, political and civil rights and are capable of fulfilling
their national aspirations and individual potential, as was already envisaged in
UN Resolution 181 of 1947, better known as the Partition Plan.
It is of immense significance that this conference will be co-chaired by
Saudi-Arabia and France, representing a unique cooperation. It brings together a
leading regional force that, in 2002, initiated the most promising peace plan
that could have put this conflict behind us, had it not been rejected by Israel,
and a major European force that is also a permanent member of the UN Security
Council. This must have enough weight, together with the other high-level
participants, to encourage the Israeli and Palestinian leaderships to understand
that it is high time for them to move forward along the route to a two-state
solution deal. There are many out there who are
skeptical that the two-state solution is still possible and who suspect that
such a conference is either a naive attempt or simply lip service to bringing
about a peace that will never materialize. Both views are misplaced and
unhelpful, not because a two-state solution is a panacea by itself, but because,
among all possible alternatives, it is still the most viable answer, although it
does need to be adjusted to reflect changing circumstances since the Oslo
process collapsed. Most promising is a confederation model that is, in
principle, a two-state solution in a one-state reality, which best reflects the
current state of affairs.
France, the UK and EU members that have not done so already should recognize
Palestinian statehood.
The alternative to a two-state solution is to once more let the current
situation drag on and risk even worse consequences than the world has witnessed
over the last 20 months, for both peoples, with far-reaching implications for
the region and beyond.
There are also three possible models of a one-state solution — and they are all
either unattractive or unviable.
The ultrareligious-nationalists in Israel aspire to a single state in which the
West Bank and Gaza are annexed by Israel and as many Palestinians as possible
are “encouraged” to leave to ensure an absolute Jewish majority in historic
Palestine, possibly resulting in another Nakba. For Hamas and Islamic Jihad, the
one-state solution is one in which there is no place for an Israeli state — and
their brand of Islamism would hardly leave room for a tolerant state for either
Israelis or Palestinians.
The third version of a one-state solution is one of equal rights for all its
citizens, Israelis and Palestinians alike. Nevertheless, as much as this is, on
the face of it, a commendable vision of both communities putting behind them
many decades of conflict and bloodshed and finding a way to peacefully coexist
under one system of governance and one constitution, sharing a sentiment of a
common future and destiny, it is no more than pleasant fantasy. There is no
modality for such a rapid transformation and past experiences, such as those of
Yugoslavia, Cyprus and even Czechoslovakia, have ended in separation, sometimes
accompanied by bloodshed.
The conference must see itself as possibly a last-chance saloon for advancing
the cause of the two-state solution.
In order for these ideas, which range between inevitable disaster and the
utopian, to be prevented from taking hold of the Israeli-Palestinian discourse,
the conference in New York must see itself as possibly a last-chance saloon for
advancing the cause of the two-state solution. Hence, it must take concrete
measures to initiate a peace process by setting a tight timeline and milestones
on the way to establishing an independent Palestinian state along the
approximate lines of the 1967 borders.
If such a framework is introduced — with incentives for both sides to adhere to
it and severe consequences if they do not — there is a good chance for a new
momentum toward peace to emerge out of this international gathering.
Moreover, if, by the time the delegates of the conference convene, a new
ceasefire deal is not concluded, the first message from the conference must be a
demand from the UN Security Council to pass a resolution to this effect. It must
be one that will also see the release of the hostages and allow unlimited
humanitarian aid to enter Gaza, as a first step toward the reconstruction of the
Strip and the rehabilitation of the Palestinian people and their society, along
a path toward a comprehensive peace agreement.
It is true that the main responsibility for resolving the conflict still rests
with the two parties themselves. And it was a previous US secretary of state who
said, following the collapse of his peace initiative in 2014, that “the United
States cannot want peace more than the parties to the conflict.” Much water has
flowed down the Jordan river since then, but the sentiment is still correct.
Yet, collectively, the international community has the ability to use its levers
of power to make both sides understand that it is in their interest to bring
about peace — and, should either side deliberately derail the peace process, to
make them accountable. This French-Saudi initiative to
convene a conference on resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict could not be
timelier, despite and maybe because it is taking place at the lowest and most
volatile and tragic point in relations between the two main antagonists. This
should serve as enough of an impetus not to fail again, as the price of failure,
playing out on our screens every single day, is intolerable for those who live
with it and unforgivable for those who do not stop it.
**Yossi Mekelberg is a professor of international relations and an associate
fellow of the MENA Program at Chatham House. X: @YMekelberg
10 Things to Know About the Muslim Brotherhood
Ben Cohen and Ahmad Sharawi/FDD-Insight/June 10/2025
The Muslim Brotherhood is a transnational Islamist movement dedicated to the
remaking of society and government according to the dictates of Islamic law, or
sharia. Founded in 1928 by Hassan al-Banna, an Egyptian schoolteacher who
famously asserted that “Islam is the solution,” the Brotherhood quickly became
influential among Egypt’s poor by providing educational and health services
alongside a steady diet of Islamist teachings. By the middle of the 20th
century, it had established branches and affiliates across the Arab world. While
not formally functioning as either a political party or an international
organization, the Brotherhood has shaped Muslim communities across the Islamic
world and beyond by matching its rigid Islamist ideology with tactical
flexibility. In some contexts, it engages in violence and terrorism. In others,
it participates in the political process, even competing in elections, although
its dedication to democratic government remains suspect.
1. Sayyid Qutb, one of the movement’s key ideologues, helped shift the
Brotherhood in a more radical and violent direction.
Sayyid Qutb was an Egyptian educator whose writing remains a staple of the
Brotherhood canon, even among those who reject his calls for violence. In 1948,
Qutb spent two years in the United States to learn about the American
educational system and returned to Egypt with a reinforced loathing of the
West’s soullessness and materialism. He cited a church dance as an illustration
of America’s “animal-like” mixing of genders and denounced modern societies as
living in “jahiliyya” — a state of pre-Islamic ignorance. He even concluded that
Muslim nations had succumbed to jahiliyya and that a revolutionary Islamic
vanguard would have to wage jihad to restore Islam within the Muslim world. This
warrant for violence against other Muslims was one of Qutb’s most radical
innovations, laying the groundwork for generations of extremists, including
al-Qaeda. Qutb would spend more than a decade in prison before his execution in
1966. 2. The Brotherhood’s worldview is hostile to
moderate Muslims, religious minorities, women, LGBTQ, and liberal democratic
values.
The Muslim Brotherhood sees itself as the embodiment of Islam itself — a
vanguard of the Muslim society it seeks to establish. In its view, its path is
the only straight path, and any deviation is a spiritual deviation. It has
engineered its own insular society, with its own values and worldview that
stands in opposition to national identity and more inclusive and pluralistic
Muslim identities. The Brotherhood is hostile toward moderate Muslims — who
reject rigid binaries and seek a faith lived through integration, not isolation.
For the Brotherhood, moderation is a threat to its claim of religious monopoly.
Though the Brotherhood often uses the language of social justice, its core
ideology is exclusionary. It seeks to enforce patriarchal roles and opposes
gender equality in the public sphere, restricting the participation of women in
education and the workforce. The Brotherhood also legitimizes the violence of
husbands towards wives; in 2013, it protested a UN declaration calling for an
end to violence against women, saying, “This declaration, if ratified, would
lead to the complete disintegration of society, and would certainly be the final
step in the intellectual and cultural invasion of Muslim countries.” The
Brotherhood also opposes LGBTQ rights, purposefully misrepresenting
homosexuality as a moral and social illness and encouraging violence
particularly towards gay men. Brotherhood rhetoric on religious minorities
emanates from its theological supremacism, with non-Muslims regarded as, at
best, second-class citizens under a future Islamic order.
3. Antisemitism is woven deeply into the Muslim Brotherhood’s worldview.
Brotherhood ideology integrates Islamic and European forms of antisemitism to
blame the state of the world on Jewish perfidy. According to Sayyid Qutb, the
Jews became undeserving of their theological status as ahl al-kitab (“People of
the Book”). In his book Our Struggle With The Jews, he wrote “Everywhere the
Jews have been, they have committed unprecedented abominations,” accusing “the
agents of Zionism today” of seeking “the destruction of Islam at the first
auspicious opportunity.” The Brotherhood further draws upon European influences,
particularly “The Protocols of the Elders of Zion,” a fabrication of the Russian
Tsarist secret police first published in 1903, which falsely claims to expose a
global Jewish conspiracy.
The Brotherhood rejected the idea of Jewish statehood on theological grounds
well before the establishment of the State of Israel. Consequently, there is
little prospect of Brotherhood support for a lasting, authentic peace — as
opposed to tactical ceasefires and truces — with Israel as a Jewish body
politic.
4. Hamas is an outgrowth of the Muslim Brotherhood.
Starting in the early 1970s, Muslim Brotherhood leader Sheikh Ahmed Yassin
established a network of mosques and social services in Gaza. He then cofounded
Hamas in 1987, during the First Intifada, or “uprising,” against Israel. Hamas’s
suicide bombings and other attacks against Israelis helped derail the
Israeli-Palestinian peace process of the mid-1990s. Through additional suicide
bombings, shootings, and other attacks, Hamas killed hundreds of Israelis during
the Second Intifada, which lasted from 2000 to 2005. The group then won the 2006
Palestinian parliamentary elections, defeating the corrupt and divided Fatah
party of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. In 2007, Hamas violently
seized the Gaza Strip. Its rule has been marked by repression, corruption, and
four wars with Israel provoked by its relentless attacks on the Jewish state in
2008-09, 2014, 2021, and 2023. Hamas launched the current war with its massacre
in Israel of more than 1,200 people and abduction of over 250 on October 7,
2023, amid atrocities that included mutilation and systematic rape.
5. Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates have long banned the Muslim
Brotherhood as a threat to the stability of their regimes.
A concern for stability and power has led several Arab governments to ban
the Brotherhood. With its tendency to declare that even devout Muslim leaders
have betrayed the faith, the Brotherhood poses a risk to those inside as well as
outside Islam. The group has also demonstrated the patience necessary to spend
decades building fervent grassroots support that authoritarian rulers often
lack.
In Egypt, after the fall of the Hosni Mubarak regime in 2011, the Brotherhood
prevailed in both presidential and parliamentary elections, yet the increasingly
autocratic conduct of President Mohammed Morsi provoked a mass movement against
the Brotherhood. The tensions culminated in a military coup that entailed
massacres of Morsi supporters and the proscription of the Brotherhood as a
terrorist organization. Saudi Arabia designated the
Brotherhood as a terrorist organization in March 2014, with the Emirates
following in November. In both countries, religious institutions have played a
central role in framing the Brotherhood not just as a political threat but also
as a religious deviation. Saudi Arabia’s grand mufti declared the group a
“terrorist organization that does not represent the true path of Islam, pursues
partisan goals, hides behind religion, and engages in actions that contradict it
— sowing division, inciting strife, and committing violence and terrorism.”
6. Qatar is a leading supporter and exporter of Muslim Brotherhood ideology.
Qatar’s embrace of the Muslim Brotherhood dates to the 1950s when Doha
welcomed the movement inside its borders. Qatar’s local Muslim Brotherhood
chapter disbanded in 1999, but Doha directed its support to other branches. For
example, Qatar pumped approximately $8 billion into Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood
government, which assumed power in 2012 under the leadership of Mohammed Morsi.
After Morsi’s ouster in 2013, Qatar offered sanctuary to Egyptian Brotherhood
members and to the movement’s de facto spiritual leader, the late Egyptian
cleric Yusuf al-Qaradawi. Meanwhile, Doha threw its weight behind other Muslim
Brotherhood branches during the Arab Spring, including in Tunisia and Libya.
Qatar is likewise a patron of Hamas, the Muslim Brotherhood’s Palestinian
offshoot. Qatar has provided Hamas-run Gaza with over $1 billion while hosting
Hamas’s political office and sheltering its leaders. The Qatari-owned Al Jazeera
Media Network promotes Muslim Brotherhood ideology to audiences around the
world.
7. Turkey’s president is a champion of the Muslim Brotherhood.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been a long-time champion of the
Brotherhood and provided a base of operations for its leaders following the fall
of Mohammed Morsi’s regime in Egypt in 2013. After the October 7 massacre,
Erdogan intensified his public support for Hamas, refused to condemn its
atrocities, and vociferously denied the organization’s terrorist nature. For
years, Turkey has provided sanctuary to Hamas leaders and fostered a permissive
environment for terror financing.
The Justice and Development Party (AKP) is the Turkish arm of the Muslim
Brotherhood, assisting the network’s establishment of television and radio
channels, foundations, schools, and businesses throughout Turkey. The AKP
supported Morsi’s election campaign in Egypt in 2012 and organized numerous
public demonstrations inside Turkey to protest Morsi’s ouster by Abdel Fatah
al-Sisi in 2013. The AKP has inspired the formation of other ideologically
congruent parties in the Middle East, including in Libya. Along with Qatar,
Turkey is the main state advocate for the Brotherhood.
8. The Muslim Brotherhood’s tactics are diverse and adaptable, shifting to fit
the local political landscape it inhabits.
The Brotherhood adapts to survive, presenting itself as a local actor while
retaining transnational Islamist ambitions. In some contexts, such as Syria in
the 1970s and 1980s, it pursues violent revolution. In other cases, it accepts
significant restraints on its pursuit of Islamist government.
In Tunisia, the Ennahda Movement, inspired by the Muslim Brotherhood, shed its
Islamist label after the Arab popular uprisings that emerged in 2010, embracing
coalition politics, secular allies, and constitutional protections for civil
liberties. Morocco’s Justice and Development Party took a similar path, avoiding
direct confrontation with the monarchy while calling for accountability rooted
in the Islamic values of justice and solidarity. In Jordan, the Islamic Action
Front claimed to reject violence and emerged in 2024 as the largest bloc in
parliament. Yet in April 2025, authorities exposed a Brotherhood network
planning terror attacks, underscoring the tactical nature of the movement’s
professions of moderation.
Since its early days, the Muslim Brotherhood has deflected blame for violence
committed by its members or affiliates. When its Egyptian branch created a
secret armed wing that carried out assassinations — including the 1948 killing
of Prime Minister Mahmoud El-Nokrashy — founder Hassan al-Banna responded to
public outrage with a now famous line: “These are neither brothers nor Muslims.”
That phrase became the Brotherhood’s go-to escape hatch, repeated whenever
bloodshed pointed back to its ranks.
9. Europe is the Muslim Brotherhood’s “domain of preaching.”
From the 1950s, when Muslims from the Middle East and Asia began emigrating en
masse to Europe, the Brotherhood began focusing on the possibilities for
Islamizing the West. Adjusting the traditional Islamist view of international
relations that divides the world between a dar al-Islam (“domain of Islam”) and
a dar al-harb (“domain of war”), Brotherhood ideologues like Sheikh Yusuf
al-Qaradawi determined that Europe — where sharia law does not prevail, but
where Muslims are free to practice their faith — constituted a dar al-dawa
(“domain of preaching”). Following the 2001 al-Qaeda terrorist attacks in the
United States, a “Red-Green Alliance” between Islamists and the far left began
to coalesce in multiple European countries. The Brotherhood’s implacable
anti-Communist ideology did not prevent Muslim communal organizations in Europe
from joining with far-left groups to combat both “imperialism” and “Zionism.” A
June 2025 report from the French interior ministry warned that organizations
with close ties to the Brotherhood were attempting to influence European Union
institutions through “significant lobbying activities,” noting that funding for
these groups came from Qatar and Kuwait.
10. The Muslim Brotherhood has had a deep influence on Iran’s clerical regime.
Even though the Brotherhood belongs to the Sunni branch of Islam and Tehran’s
clerical regime belongs to the Shiite branch, the former has left a deep imprint
on the latter. In the 1950s, translations into Persian of key Brotherhood texts
began to be published in Iran, including many by Sayyid Qutb. In 1966, future
Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei personally translated one of Qutb’s books, The
Future in the Realm of Islam. Later, Khamenei would explain that he undertook
the translation because Iran’s “newly emerged Islamic movement … had a pressing
need for codified ideological fundamentals.” After the 1979 revolution in Iran,
printing houses continued to churn out dozens of texts by Qutb and other
Brotherhood authors. The Tehran regime also put Qutb’s portrait on a postage
stamp. Like the Iranian Shiite revolutionaries, Qutb advocated taking power in
the name of Islam, even if it required inflicting violence on others who
professed to be faithful Muslims.
**Ben Cohen is a senior analyst with the Foundation
for the Defense of Democracies (FDD) and director of FDD’s rapid response
outreach, specializing in global antisemitism, anti-Zionism and Middle
East/European Union relations. Ahmad Sharawi is a research analyst at the
Foundation for Defense of Democracies, focusing on Middle East affairs and
Iranian Intervention in Arab Affairs.
Why the Polisario Front Threatens Morocco—and the Region
Ahmad Sharawi/The National Interest/June 10/2025
An independent Western Sahara run by the Polisario Front would likely turn into
another source of regional insecurity. You would be
forgiven for forgetting Western Sahara, a territory on the west coast of North
Africa with a population of 600,000. However, it’s a place worth remembering and
one undergoing a transition that will have an impact far beyond its borders.
Western Sahara was once a Spanish colony, but it was less decolonized
than abandoned and then annexed by Morocco in 1975. After that, plans for
referenda on self-determination never quite came to fruition.
Whatever your position on national independence in general, in this instance,
Morocco is all that is standing in the way of Western Sahara becoming home to a
jihadi government.
More and more countries are coming to agree with this stance. The United Kingdom
recently recognized Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara, joining the United
States, France, and Israel. Even Syria has grown tired of the Polisario Front,
the main separatist movement, expelling it from the country just days ago.
Polisario’s main backers are Algeria and Iran, with Syria’s new
government now backing Morocco’s claim to the largely desert territory.
With friends like that, it’s clear that the Polisario Front shouldn’t be
given an entire nation as a base of operations.
A report by Germany’s Die Welt revealed direct ties between the group and
Iran-backed Hezbollah, including intercepted calls between Mustafa Muhammad
Lemine Al-Kitab—Polisario’s Syria liaison—and a Hezbollah agent.
In these conversations, Al-Kitab expresses ideological solidarity with Iran’s
axis of resistance, praising the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel and
envisioning a unified front that includes Gaza, the Golan Heights, Lebanon’s
south, and even Western Sahara. He explicitly supports the idea of coordinated
attacks on Israel involving Hamas, Hezbollah, Algeria, and Iran. While
acknowledging Polisario’s limited capabilities, he solicits further assistance
from Hezbollah and Iran to attack the Israeli embassy in Morocco.
Moroccan foreign minister Nasser Bourita accused Iran of “arming extremist
groups and separatist entities within the Arab region, including the Polisario
Front, by supplying them with drones in an effort to “undermine security and
stability in the region.” In 2022, a Polisario official said Iran would also
supply them with kamikaze drones.
Once seen as a secular nationalist movement, the Polisario has, in recent years,
aligned itself with some of the most radical actors in the region. While Marxist
ideology shaped the group with backing from Cuba and Gaddafi’s Libya, that
legacy has given way to a far more dangerous reality. Today, the Tindouf refugee
camps in southwest Algeria—where more than 170,000 people fled from an earlier
conflict with Morocco—are under Polisario control. They have become a breeding
ground for jihadist recruitment and a nexus for extremist networks operating
across the Sahel.
The group’s ties to extremism are well documented. Adnan Abu al-Walid
al-Sahrawi, a former Polisario fighter, went on to lead the Islamic State in the
Greater Sahel (ISGS) before being killed by French forces in Mali in 2021. In
2008, the Fath al-Andalus terror cell emerged from the Tindouf camps, followed
by the “Khilafah” group in 2009, which pledged allegiance to ISIS. A German
intelligence report noted that “ISIS and al-Qaeda operate freely in the Tindouf
camps and the broader Sahel-Sahara region.”
It was Polisario that ended a 29-year ceasefire in 2020, and the group has
carried out multiple attacks targeting Moroccan civilians since 2021. Polisario
also has a long record of recruiting child soldiers. A Geneva-based NGO told the
UN Human Rights Council that Polisario systematically blocks children from
completing their education, forcing them into military training and combat.
Critics of Morocco’s control over Western Sahara want to roll back US
recognition of Moroccan sovereignty, arguing that Washington should return to
its 1991 stance, which supported a UN-backed referendum for the Sahrawis to
decide who should rule them. It’s an argument that might have resonated in the
1990s, but today, it’s outdated and goes against America’s interests.
The facts on the ground have changed. The Polisario Front is no longer
just a separatist movement; it is aligned with America’s adversaries, including
Iran and radical Islamist networks. Reversing US policy now would mean
undermining a key regional ally—Morocco—at a time when its role in
counterterrorism and regional stability has become increasingly critical. For
years, Polisario has operated with impunity. That must end.
*Ahmad Sharawi is a research analyst at The Foundation for Defense of
Democracies, focusing on Middle East affairs and Iranian Intervention in Arab
Affairs.
The Struggle for Syria
Steven A. Cook and Sinan Ciddi/ The Jerusalem Strategic Tribune/June 10/2025
On May 14, President Donald Trump stood smiling with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince
Mohamed bin Salman and Syria’s self-declared leader, Ahmed al-Shara’a, on the
sidelines of the President’s visit to Riyadh. After the get together, the
President declared that the United States would lift sanctions on Syria and
re-establish diplomatic relations between the two countries. For
some observers, Trump was creating an environment that would facilitate badly
needed aid and reconstruction assistance. For others, normalizing al-Shara’a—the
leader of an al-Qa’ida offshoot who once served time in prison in Iraq for
anti-American violence—was a potentially dangerous development. Al-Shara’a’s
moderation was something to be tested, not accepted at face value.
Although the Saudi Crown Prince brokered the Trump-Al-Shara’a encounter, some
analysts regarded the meeting as a victory for Turkey, vindicating the bet
Ankara made on al-Shara’a and his Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham beginning in 2017. But
declaring someone or some country the victor or loser in geo-politics is not
useful. The more interesting issues for Syrians and their new leader are what
kind of country do they want and which regional actor is going to be the one to
get them there? With all the fanfare around the President’s meeting with
al-Shara’a, it may seem banal to suggest that it remains very much up for grabs.
But the struggle for Syria has just begun.
A number of countries seek to influence Syria’s trajectory, but only two, Turkey
and Saudi Arabia, matter. Israel’s buffer zone, its commitment to protect Druze,
and the Netanyahu government’s not-so-secret talks with the new leadership in
Damascus are important. But Israeli influence will not be decisive in Syria’s
future path. Egypt and the United Arab Emirates are generally wary of the new
order in Syria (despite Dubai Ports World’s recent agreement to develop the port
of Tartus), but they have neither sought to shape it nor disrupt it. For
Washington’s part, the Trump White House seems content to help Syria by lifting
sanctions, normalizing ties, and declaring the country “open for business,” all
of which are important. But the administration seems wisely intent on avoiding
deeper involvement in Syria’s transition.
Turkey and Saudi Arabia are different. They both have the resources, interests,
and incentives to influence Syria’s post-Asad path. Some of those interests are
shared, such as pushing Iran out of the Levant, but it might be too optimistic
to suggest that Syria can be a shared Saudi-Turkish project. Indeed, despite a
rapprochement between Riyadh and Ankara dating back to 2022, mistrust lingers.
In Riyadh, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s ambitions to be the leader
of the Muslim world rankles the custodian of the two holy mosques and Turkey’s
support for the Muslim Brotherhood is an outstanding concern. In many ways,
Turkey and Saudi Arabia are moving in opposite directions, which is why Ahmed
al-Shara’a and Syrians would be better off under Riyadh’s tutelage than Ankara’s
influence.
In a variety of ways, Saudi Arabia is the more inclusive of the two countries.
Admittedly, it is a low bar, but where Saudis are enjoying the benefits of
liberalization, albeit top down and controlled, Turks are contending with a long
slide into authoritarianism.
Turkey has regularly scheduled elections, which Saudi Arabia does not, but this
democratic practice is increasingly fraught. When Erdoğan has not liked the
outcome of elections, he has made sure mayors are stripped of their power or put
their municipalities in receivership. He has also used the coercive apparatus of
the state to weaken his rivals, notably the arrest of Istanbul Mayor, Ekrem
İmamoğlu, on spurious charges of corruption, raising suspicions that the Turkish
leader may no longer be interested in elections as a means to remain in power.
The Saudis still have a way to go toward equality, but women in the Kingdom are
enjoying new freedoms and entering the work force in droves. In Turkey, they may
be comparatively better off, but the trendlines are troubling. Women face
increasing pressures to exit the workforce and become homemakers. A decade after
signing onto the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating
Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence, Erdoğan pulled his country out of
what became known as the Istanbul Convention claiming that it contradicted
Turkish family and social values.
Christians cannot build a church in Saudi Arabia, which is bad for religious
pluralism, but Turkey is hardly better. In the last decade the government has
taken over churches and turned them into mosques, including the world famous
Hagia Sophia. A variety of Christian sites—some of which were also
museums—existed without controversy for a long time, but they have met a similar
fate. The Islamist Justice and Development Party (AKP) is clearly sending a
message that religious pluralism in Turkey is now something of the past.
The Saudis have also become less rigid in enforcement of religious principles
whereas the Turks have become more doctrinaire. In 2017, the Turkish primary
education system banned references to evolution theory in the national
curriculum and the share of religious schools has dramatically increased at the
insistence of the AKP. Saudi Arabia’s religious
police have been broken, much to the delight of many Saudis; the religious
establishment no longer has the power it once did, though the courts remain a
redoubt of reaction. Saudi religious representatives have in recent years
preached tolerance and respect for the man-made laws of the lands in which
Muslims live. In contrast, Erdoğan and the AKP, which come from a different
Islamist tradition than the Muslim Brotherhood, have nevertheless embraced the
Brothers’ style of Islamism, which is uncompromising in its drive to Islamize
society. As Erdoğan did in Egypt, Tunisia and Libya, he seeks in Syria to
entrench an Islamist regime that is both ideologically and geopolitically
aligned with Ankara. On human rights, both countries come in for scathing
criticism from the US State Department, but Turkey leads Saudi Arabia in the
number of journalists jailed and political prisoners.
Syria is, of course, a diverse and complicated country. Some Syrians will want
to live in a more conservative environment, and some will want to live in a more
pluralistic one. If Ahmed al-Shara’a is true to his word about building a new
Syria that is for all Syrians, he and his people will be better off with the
Saudis at his side than the Turks.
**Steven A. Cook is the Eni Enrico Mattei Senior Fellow for Middle East and
Africa Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations. Sinan Ciddi is a senior
fellow at FDD and director of the Turkey program.