English LCCC Newsbulletin For
Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For June 12/2025
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news
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Bible Quotations For today
I will prepare a place for you and then come
back to take you to be with me
John 14/01-06: “”‘Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in
God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house there are many dwelling-places. If
it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And
if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to
myself, so that where I am, there you may be also. And you know the way to the
place where I am going.’ Thomas said to him, ‘Lord, we do not know where you are
going. How can we know the way?’Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth,
and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me
Titles For The
Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published
on June 11-12/2025
The “Government of the Advisors’ Battalion” at Baabda Palace
Complements Hezbollah’s Battalions of Civilians, Media, and Clans/Elias Bejjani/June
11/2025
Link to a video interview with Dr. Charles Chartouni from Transparency News,
prepared and presented by Patricia Samaha.
Video link of an interview from "Transparency" youtube platform with Ms. Guila
Fakhoury, daughter of the victim Amer Fakhoury
Former Lebanese economy minister arrested on corruption charges
Israeli strike kills one in Lebanon’s south
Report: UNIFIL role may expand north of Litani, army says no one above law in
South
Army returns to building in Hadath with bulldozer
Hezbollah MP criticizes UNIFIL but stresses need for its presence
Sami Gemayel meets Le Drian, says state can't be built unless Hezbollah disarms
Reconstruction process to begin in late 2025
Le Drian returns to Beirut, revives French role in Lebanon’s crisis
What was Le Drian's message to Lebanese leaders?
French Envoy meets Walid Jumblatt to discuss Lebanon's political developments
LAF Commander Reaffirms Coordination with UNIFIL
Berri: Lebanon and sons of South want UNIFIL to stay
Artificial Intelligence, real obstacles: Lebanon’s struggle to regulate tech
Lebanon faces political paralysis: Key appointments remain on hold
Lebanon’s Public Debt Exceeds $100 Billion
Salam Engages with UN Officials, Eyes Airport Revival
Setbacks Undermine Palestinian Camp Disarmament Ahead of June 15 Deadline/Bassam
Abou Zeid/This Is Beirut/June 11/2025
Lebanon Meets the IMF: An Exercise in Masochism
Yemeni National Arrested in Lebanon for Spying for Israel
Israeli operations in Lebanon against Hezbollah: June 2–June 8, 2025/David Daoud/
FDD's Long War Journal/June 11/2025
Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published
on June 11-12/2025
Trump says ‘less confident’ about Iran nuclear deal
Iran threatens to strike US bases in region if military conflict arises
US preparing to evacuate embassy in Iraq over security risks, sources say
Medical charity accuses Israel of deadly strike on Gaza office building
Over 55,000 Palestinians killed in the Israel-Hamas war, Gaza officials
Israeli gunfire, airstrikes kill 60 in Gaza, many near aid site, medics say
EU tells Israel to reverse move to cut off Palestinian banks
Israel says bodies of two hostages retrieved from Gaza
Milei says Argentina to move Israel embassy to Jerusalem in 2026
Israeli court rejects appeals to release eight pro-Palestine activists arrested
aboard Gaza-bound boat
Syrian, Egyptian foreign ministers hold talks at Oslo Forum
Brother of Jordan pilot burnt to death tells court of family’s pain
Ukraine’s military says it struck Russia’s Tambov gunpowder plant
Russia returns bodies of 1,212 Ukrainian soldiers, POW swap set for Thursday
Elon Musk says he ‘went too far’ with Trump criticism; Trump responds: ‘Very
nice’
Titles For
The Latest English LCCC analysis &
editorials from miscellaneous sources
on June 11-12/2025
Trump Cannot Ignore the Latest Damning Evidence of Iran's Pursuit of
Nuclear Weapons/Con Coughlin/Gatestone Institute/June 11, 2025
China-Russia Defense Cooperation Showcases Rising Axis of Aggressors/Jack
Burnham and John Hardie/FDD-Policy Brief/June 11/2025
The Student Intifada Escalates at the University of Washington/Brandy
Shufutinsky/The Algemeiner?June 11/2025
Weakened Tehran Regime Hangs Innocent Man on Espionage Charges in Attempt to
Show Strength/Tzvi Kahn/ Real Clear World/June 11/2025
A world at war is unlikely to save the oceans/Mohamed Chebaro/Arab News/June 11,
2025
Kosovo deepening relations 26 years on from its liberation/Lulzim Mjeku/Arab
News/June 11, 2025
The Latest English LCCC
Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on June
11-12/2025
The “Government of the Advisors’ Battalion” at Baabda Palace
Complements Hezbollah’s Battalions of Civilians, Media, and Clans
Elias Bejjani/June 11/2025
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/06/144128/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xut7DmwPhWQ&t=4s
Every Lebanese has the right to
ask: Has President Joseph Aoun decided to govern through a “government of
advisors” assembled at Baabda Palace, instead of relying on the constitutional
cabinet led by Prime Minister Nawaf Salam?
The president has turned the palace into a hub for advisors—most of whom are
either remnants of the previous regime or politically affiliated with
Hezbollah—as if we are reliving the era of Syrian occupation, when puppet
cabinets were overshadowed by real centers of power hidden in the shadows.
More troubling is Aoun’s comfort with appointing figures directly tied to
Hezbollah. Case in point: former Minister Ali Hamieh, a loyalist of Hezbollah
who served in Najib Mikati’s cabinet, now inexplicably named “advisor for
reconstruction.”
Has even the file of reconstruction become a Hezbollah domain? Are national
matters now run through the so-called “advisors’ battalion” in Baabda, under the
command of the Shiite duo?
Reviewing the names of many of these advisors, reveals a lineup either closely
tied to former President Michel Aoun, or directly aligned with the so-called
“Resistance Axis.” In this context, this is not a presidency; it is a Hezbollah
proxy. These “advisors” are not neutral technocrats—they are political
operatives embedded to advance the Hezbollah’s agenda.
Are we facing a new shadow government? Has the president surrendered his
constitutional responsibilities to a clique of unelected influencers? Has the
presidency become merely another Hezbollah tool after it failed to seize full
control through the Grand Serail?
Since assuming office, Joseph Aoun has demonstrated a staggering disconnect
between the solemn vows of his presidential oath, and the political choices he
has made. He pledged to protect the constitution and assert sovereignty, yet has
set no timetable for the disarmament of Hezbollah. He has completely ignored UN
Security Council Resolutions 1559, 1701, and 1680—all of which mandate the
disarmament of all militias and the exclusive control of arms by the state.
These resolutions do not speak of dialogue with armed groups. The state does not
negotiate over its sovereignty. It imposes it.
By proposing “dialogue” and “a national defense strategy,” Joseph Aoun is merely
playing for time. These are evasions—designed to accommodate Hezbollah, not
confront it. They strengthen its grip and prolong the occupation of state
institutions. This is not leadership. It is appeasement.
Let us be frank: Hezbollah’s battalions are no longer limited to media
propagandists, tribal militias, or civilians used as human shields in
attacks—such as those on UNIFIL forces in the South. Today, a new battalion has
joined the fray: the “advisors’ battalion” at Baabda Palace. Under Joseph Aoun,
the presidency has morphed into an outpost for Hezbollah, where decisions are
made not in service of the Lebanese constitution, but in loyalty to the
occupying power’s interests.
It is deeply disheartening that Joseph Aoun has, thus far, proven to be a
disappointment. He has relinquished even the appearance of independence,
becoming yet another decorative president in the mold of his post-Taif
predecessors: Elias Hrawi, Emile Lahoud, and Michel Aoun. They all wore the
presidential sash, but the real power was never theirs—and it certainly isn’t
now.
In conclusion: there can be no resurrection of Lebanon, no sovereignty, no
independence, and no reconstruction, so long as the country is governed by men
who are either incapable or unwilling to exercise their constitutional
mandate—presidents who lack the courage to stand up, and the clarity to lead.
Those who cannot say “no” to Hezbollah must step aside…. Lebanon will not be
saved by advisors, nor by battalions, but by leaders.
Link to
a video interview with Dr. Charles Chartouni from Transparency News, prepared
and presented by Patricia Samaha.
A bold, scientific, and fact-based reading of sovereignty and independence,
addressing the practices and positions of subservient rulers and all local,
regional, and international issues of concern to the Lebanese.
June 11, 2025
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/06/144143/
Transparency website introduction: In a bold dialogue session on Transparency
News, Patricia Samaha hosts political writer and university professor Dr.
Charles Chartouni for an open discussion on the latest political developments in
Lebanon, starting with Army Commander Joseph Aoun's visit to Jordan, moving on
to the French position on reforms and the role of UN envoy Jean-Yves Le Drian,
and ending with the conflicting positions on Hezbollah's weapons. Chartouni also
addresses the issue of freedom of expression, the controversial decision of
Information Minister Paul Morcos, and his personal position on the threats to
freedoms in Lebanon. An episode filled with confrontation and frankness about
the reality of power, the presidential dialogue with Hezbollah, and the future
of Lebanese sovereignty.
Video link of an interview
from "Transparency" youtube platform with Ms. Guila Fakhoury, daughter of the
victim Amer Fakhoury, through which she reveals all the details of her father's
arrest, torture, and eventual death, in addition to the content of the book
published about his case, as well as the American court ruling condemning
Hezbollah, Iran, and all those who conspired against the victim Fakhoury.
June 11, 2025
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/06/144149/
Special Episode with Guila Fakhoury – Daughter of the Victim Amer Fakhoury from
theTransparency Youtube Platform
Introduction: In this episode journalist Patricia Samaha hosts Ms. Guila
Fakhoury, daughter of the late Lebanese-American citizen Amer Fakhoury, to
discuss the historic American court ruling issued on May 1, 2025, against the
Islamic Republic of Iran, which condemned Fakhoury's hostage-taking in Lebanon
at the request of Hezbollah, as explicitly stated in the judgment.
The episode discusses the role of the American judiciary in holding Iran and
Hezbollah accountable, and exposes the violations suffered by the Fakhoury
family, highlighting the judicial dysfunction in Lebanon and the party's
dominance over institutions, especially the Military Court. Fakhoury analyzes
the political and legal repercussions of the ruling, and explains how President
Trump's return to the White House marked a turning point in American policy
towards Hezbollah, in light of the previous silence during Biden's term. The
episode also touches upon a historical narrative about her father's role in
Southern Lebanon and the accusations leveled against him, with the family
clarifying its position on that complex period of Lebanon's history.
Former Lebanese economy minister arrested on corruption charges
AP/June 11, 2025
BEIRUT: A former Lebanese Cabinet minister has been arrested and charged after
an investigation into alleged financial crimes, judicial and security officials
told The Associated Press. Former Economy Minister Amin Salam was detained after
a three-hour interrogation about illegal use of ministry funds and use of
suspicious contracts. The three judicial officials and one security official
spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the
press. Lebanon has been trying to reform its battered economy, which for decades
has been rife with profiteering. Salam has been charged with forgery,
embezzlement, and misuse of public funds. Local media said it was related to
alleged extortion of private insurance companies and using funds from a
committee that supervises those companies for his own expenses. Salam did not
directly comment. On Monday, however, he shared a video on social media that
denied the reports and asserted that his use of those funds was to increase the
committee’s efficacy and transparency. Salam was economy minister for over three
years. He was appointed in 2021 at a time when Lebanon’s economy had plummeted
and the country was plagued by severe power outages, fuel shortages and stark
food inflation.
Israeli strike kills one in Lebanon’s south
AFP/June 11, 2025
BEIRUT: One person was killed on Wednesday in an Israeli strike on a village in
southern Lebanon, the health ministry reported, the latest deadly attack despite
a November ceasefire. “The raid carried out by an enemy Israeli drone on the
town of Beit Lif, in the Bint Jbeil district, resulted in one martyr and three
people injured,” read a statement from the ministry. The official National News
Agency said the strike targeted a house’s courtyard in the town, adding that a
missile hit the homeowner’s car. Israel has regularly bombed its northern
neighbor since the November ceasefire that sought to end more than a year of
hostilities with militant group Hezbollah including two months of full-blown
war. The agreement required Hezbollah fighters to withdraw north of the Litani
river, about 30 kilometers (20 miles) from the Israeli border, and dismantle all
military infrastructure to its south. It also required Israel to withdraw all of
its troops from Lebanon, but it has kept them in five positions it deems
“strategic.”
Report: UNIFIL role may expand north of Litani, army says no one
above law in South
Naharnet/June 11/2025
Diplomatic circles have said that the work of UNIFIL may expand to include the
area north of the Litani River instead of remaning confined to the area south of
the Litani River, the Nidaa al-Watan newspaper reported on Wednesday.
Separately, the daily said that prior to arresting the man who slapped a UNIFIL
peacekeeper on Tuesday, the Lebanese Army had “received political phone calls
advising it not to ‘provoke southern citizens,’ but it responded by saying that
no one is above the law and that the perpetrator would be arrested no matter
what it takes.”
Army sources meanwhile told the newspaper that the military institution is
“vigilant in preserving security and will not allow any side to undermine
security and stability under any excuse.”
Army returns to building in Hadath with bulldozer
Naharnet/June 11/2025
Army forces returned Wednesday with a bulldozer to a building they searched
Tuesday at the request of the five-member committee supervising the
Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire. The building in the densely populated Sainte-Therese
street in Hadath in Beirut's southern suburbs had been targeted by an Israeli
strike during the 14-month Israel-Hezbollah war. A Lebanese military official
said Tuesday that the army was looking for weapons. On Friday, Israel warned
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.
Hezbollah MP criticizes UNIFIL but stresses need for its
presence
Naharnet/June 11/2025
Hezbollah lawmaker Ali Fayad has stressed “the need for a calm, wise and
responsible approach toward any friction or tension between the South’s
residents,” in the wake of a flurry of clashes and altercations in recent weeks.
Fayad however criticized the U.N. forces for “entering villages, towns and
private properties without coordination or the presence of the Lebanese Army, at
a time (residents) do not sense any role for UNIFIL in addressing the Israeli
enemy’s continued occupation of Lebanese territory, incursions, assassinations
and hostile actions.”“Despite that, we are looking forward to a positive
relation between residents and the U.N. forces, which is supposed to be based on
confidence, reassurance and safety, not on doubt, suspicion and feeling that
there is bias,” Fayad added. “We stress the importance of the presence of the
UNIFIl forces in the South as part of the implementation of Resolution 1701, in
coordination with the Lebanese Army and within their specific role in preventing
Israeli violations and attacks and assisting the Lebanese state in extending its
sovereignty,” the MP went on to say. He also voiced regret that “some are trying
to exaggerate some incidents” and called on everyone to “put the higher national
interest above any other consideration.”Hezbollah supporters in Lebanon
frequently accuse the U.N. mission -- which was created to oversee the
withdrawal of Israeli troops from southern Lebanon after Israel’s 1978 invasion
-- of collusion with Israel. Israel meanwhile accuses the peacekeepers of
turning a blind eye to alleged Hezbollah military activities in southern
Lebanon. The incidents come amid unconfirmed reports that the U.S. and Israel
are mulling to end the work of the U.N. force in south Lebanon through a U.S.
veto against extending its mandate at the U.N. Security Council.
Sami Gemayel meets Le Drian, says state can't be built
unless Hezbollah disarms
Naharnet/June 11/2025
French envoy Jean-Yves Le Drian met Wednesday with Free Patriotic Movement chief
Jebran Bassil and Kataeb leader Sami Gemayel. Gemayel urged after the meeting a
road map for the disarmament of Hezbollah, adding that a state cannot be built
unless illegal weapons are handed over - a request Hezbollah said will not do as
long as Israeli troops remain in southern Lebanon and the Israeli air force
regularly violates Lebanese air space. MTV said that Le Drian warned in his
meeting with Bassil that an international conference in support of Lebanon will
not be held if the Lebanese state fails to "fulfill its duties". On Tuesday, Le
Drian met with President Joseph Aoun, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, and Parliament
Speaker Nabih Berri and left without giving a statement. Le Drian's visit aims
to "continue discussions with Lebanese officials on subjects of common interest,
particularly reforms and reconstruction," French ambassador Hervé Magro said,
while pro-Hezbollah al-Akhbar newspaper reported Wednesday that the French
diplomat discussed with the Lebanese leaders the need to implement reforms and
negotiate with the International Monetary Fund for the reconstruction of war-hit
regions.
Reconstruction process to begin in late 2025
Naharnet/June 11/2025
The post-war reconstruction process in Lebanon will begin at the end of this
year, Mohammad Qabbani, the head of the state-run Council for Development and
Reconstruction, said. Qabbani added that France has donated $75 million for the
reconstruction efforts. Former public works and transportation minister Ali
Hamie, who was named by Hezbollah to the previous government, has been appointed
as President Josep Aoun’s adviser for reconstruction affairs, media reports said
on June 3. The president had told a Hezbollah delegation last month that “there
is no link between (Hezbollah’s) weapons and reconstruction, explaining the role
of a ministerial committee tasked with preparing a reconstruction study,”
sources told Al-Jadeed television. Aoun added to the delegation that he was
seeking to hold an international conference with the participation of the UAE,
Saudi Arabia, the U.S., France and Egypt to rally support for Lebanon’s
reconstruction process. Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji later told visiting
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi that “there will be no reconstruction
funds without disarming Hezbollah.”Araghchi for his part said after meeting
Speaker Nabih Berri that Iranian companies are ready to take part in Lebanon’s
reconstruction if the Lebanese government wants that. The World Bank has
estimated Lebanon's recovery and reconstruction costs at $11 billion following
the war between Israel and Hezbollah, which ended with a ceasefire last
November. The report put the war's total economic cost at $14 billion, including
$6.8 billion in damage to physical structures and $7.2 billion in economic
losses from reduced productivity, forgone revenues and operating costs.
The Lebanese housing sector was the hardest hit, with losses estimated at $4.6
billion, while the tourism sector lost $3.6 billion. "The impacts of the
conflict have resulted in Lebanon's real GDP contracting by 7.1 percent in 2024,
a significant setback compared to a no-conflict growth estimated at 0.9
percent," the World Bank said. Israel and Hezbollah were involved in over a year
of cross-border hostilities, including two months of open war, which ended with
a ceasefire on November 27. The fighting destroyed vast swathes of Hezbollah's
strongholds in the country's south and east, as well as Beirut's southern
suburbs. Even before the war began, Lebanon was in the throes of an
unprecedented economic crisis.
Le Drian returns to Beirut, revives French role in
Lebanon’s crisis
LBCI/June 11/2025
France — often referred to as Lebanon’s “tender mother” — has renewed its
diplomatic engagement in the country through the return of presidential envoy
Jean-Yves Le Drian. One of Le Drian’s most notable meetings took place away from
the media spotlight with Mohammad Raad, head of Hezbollah’s parliamentary bloc,
Loyalty to the Resistance. According to information obtained by LBCI, the talks
were described as positive. During the meeting, Raad emphasized that the key to
stability in Lebanon lies in halting Israeli attacks and ensuring a full Israeli
withdrawal from Lebanese territory — goals that require strong international
pressure, particularly from guarantor countries such as France and the United
States.
On the issue of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), Raad
affirmed that Hezbollah supports the extension of the peacekeeping mission under
the terms of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701 — a position aligned with the
stance of Lebanon’s three top officials.
While Le Drian heard Hezbollah’s views, he, in turn, stressed the importance of
advancing reforms — particularly the banking restructuring law and legislation
addressing the financial gap. According to sources, he received support for
moving forward on these key reforms. Le Drian also discussed these issues —
along with the question of ensuring the state’s exclusive control over arms — in
meetings with several Lebanese political figures, including MPs Michel Douaihy
and Fouad Makhzoumi, Free Patriotic Movement leader Gebran Bassil, Kataeb Party
leader Samy Gemayel, and Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea. But the broader
question remains: What real and effective role can France play in Lebanon? And
is it capable of easing pressure from Saudi Arabia and the United States, both
of which place Hezbollah’s disarmament at the forefront of their demands? What
can be said is that Paris appears to be trying to revive the reform agenda,
which has taken a backseat to the issue of weapons. Whether France will succeed
in this effort remains to be seen. France’s role may be more impactful when it
comes to the extension of UNIFIL’s mandate in southern Lebanon. In addition to
being a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council, France also holds the
role of "penholder" — responsible for drafting Council resolutions and
statements, including those related to Lebanon. Since Le Drian’s last visit to
Beirut, France has managed to reopen discussions on UNIFIL ahead of the renewal
deadline in late August — a renewal that this year coincides with a rise in
tensions and incidents involving the international force. In the end, France —
through Le Drian — appears once again not only to be offering assistance to
Lebanon, but also working to reinforce its presence and role on the Lebanese
stage.
What was Le Drian's message to Lebanese leaders?
Naharnet/June 11/2025
French envoy Jean-Yves Le Drian has met Tuesday with President Joseph Aoun,
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri. He left the
meetings without giving a statement, so what did he discuss with them? Le
Drian's visit aims to "continue discussions with Lebanese officials on subjects
of common interest, particularly reforms and reconstruction," French ambassador
Hervé Magro said. But did Le Drian also discuss Hezbollah's weapons and the
implementation of United Nations Security Council resolution 1701? According to
a report published Wednesday in pro-Hezbollah al-Akhbar newspaper, the French
diplomat focused on reforms and negotiations with the International Monetary
Fund for the reconstruction of war-hit regions. And although France is a member
of the ceasefire monitoring mechanism chaired by the United State, Le Drian did
not carry a plan to stop the Israeli aggressions and violations, according to
the daily. He instead stressed that all parties abide by the ceasefire and vowed
to help Lebanon. France condemned Friday Israeli airstrikes that hit Beirut's
southern suburbs and called on all the parties to abide by the ceasefire. As Le
Drian visited Lebanon, United Nations peacekeepers said rock-throwing
individuals confronted them during a patrol in south Lebanon, calling repeated
targeting of their troops "unacceptable". Both Aoun and Berri condemned the
attacks on UNIFIL patrols in their meetings with Le Drian. Le Drian for his part
stressed the importance of coordination and cooperation between the UNIFIL and
the Lebanese army. UNIFIL's force consists of a total of 10,389 peacekeepers
from 47 troop-contributing countries, including France. There are currently 749
French peacekeeper in Lebanon. French soldiers were among the first peacekeepers
to arrive in south Lebanon – just four days after the establishment of UNIFIL in
March 1989. They were also among the first to deploy after UNIFIL troops number
was increased substantially following the 2006 war.
French Envoy meets Walid Jumblatt to discuss Lebanon's
political developments
LBCI/June 11/2025
Former leader of the Progressive Socialist Party (PSP), Walid Jumblatt, received
French presidential envoy Jean-Yves Le Drian at his residence in Clemenceau.
French Ambassador to Lebanon Hervé Magro accompanied Le Drian. The meeting was
also attended by the current head of the PSP, MP Taymour Jumblatt, and Mrs. Nora
Jumblatt. Discussions focused on the latest political developments in Lebanon
and the broader region.
LAF Commander Reaffirms Coordination with UNIFIL
This is Beirut/June 11/2025
Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) Commander General Rudolph Haikal emphasized the
critical importance of continued coordination between the Lebanese Army and the
United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) during a visit to the mission’s
headquarters in Naqoura on Wednesday.
In a meeting with UNIFIL Commander Major General Aroldo Lázaro, Haikal
underscored the necessity of maintaining cooperation within the framework of UN
Security Council Resolution 1701. He also reviewed the latest security and
operational developments in the South Litani sector, an area experiencing
escalating tensions due to ongoing Israeli strikes on Lebanese territory. In
parallel, Haikal noted that the persistent Israeli attacks are directly
hindering the LAF’s ability to fully deploy in the south, highlighting UNIFIL’s
vital role in stabilizing the region. The visit follows a series of altercations
involving UNIFIL patrols and residents of southern Lebanon, some of whom are
believed to be affiliated with Hezbollah. On Tuesday, a man confronted a UNIFIL
patrol in the town of Bedyas in the Tyre district, demanding that they leave and
summon the Lebanese Army. When the peacekeepers refused, a verbal dispute
ensued. Shortly afterward, a second and more serious altercation took place in
the Fuwar area between Deir Qanun al-Nahr and Hallussiyeh. Local residents
blocked a UNIFIL convoy, insisting it could not proceed without a LAF escort.
The confrontation escalated into a physical altercation during which a
peacekeeper was reportedly slapped. The LAF intervened to defuse tensions, after
which the UN patrol withdrew from the area.
Berri: Lebanon and sons of South want UNIFIL to stay
Naharnet/June 11/2025
Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri has stressed that “Lebanon and the sons of the
South more than others want UNIFIL to stay in their towns and to preserve the
mutual relation between the two sides, which has persisted since its units came
in 1978.” In remarks to An-Nahar newspaper, Berri added that no Western or U.N.
official has told him that the U.N. force would leave south Lebanon, dismissing
the latest reports in this regard. “In his discussions with (French envoy
Jean-Yves) Le Drian and everyone who communicated with him over the past days,
Berri asked about Israel’s continued violations and the conspiracy against
UNIFIL without any concern from the U.S. and the other parties,” the daily
added. Berri lamented to Le Drian and others that Israel “destroyed a group of
buildings that housed more than 100 families” in its latest airstrikes on
Beirut’s southern suburbs, the newspaper said. The Speaker also told Le Drian
that France should “play a bigger role and shoulder its responsibilities,”
adding that UNIFIL must stay in Lebanon and its mandate must be extended, An-Nahar
reported.
Berri’s remarks come following a flurry of clashes between residents of south
Lebanon and UNIFIL patrols.
Artificial Intelligence, real obstacles: Lebanon’s struggle
to regulate tech
LBCI/June 11/2025
As artificial intelligence becomes part of everyday life around the world,
Lebanon is making a modest attempt to join the conversation. The country
recently appointed a state minister for Information Technology and Artificial
Intelligence—though without a clear mandate or defined responsibilities. In June
2025, MPs César Abi Khalil and Nicolas Sehnaoui introduced a draft law to
establish a “National Authority for Artificial Intelligence,” a body meant to
oversee the use of AI in Lebanon. The authority would be tasked with monitoring
companies, setting policies, protecting data privacy, and establishing standards
for what is or isn’t acceptable use of AI. But the question isn’t why Lebanon is
acting now. It’s how long it will take for anything to move forward. In
Lebanon’s legislative system, laws can spend months—if not years—circulating
between committees. Once introduced, a draft bill must be referred by the
parliament speaker to a relevant committee. It may then be handed to a
subcommittee for review, where it undergoes revisions, discussions, and
recommendations. Meetings get postponed due to lack of quorum. Some MPs don’t
show up. Other issues take precedence. Eventually, the proposal may be shelved
entirely. It’s a familiar story. Lebanon has yet to find a lasting solution to
its waste crisis after more than a decade. An e-signature law took years to pass
and has barely been implemented. So how long will it take to regulate a
technology advancing by the day? In reality, Lebanese lawmakers can act quickly
when there’s enough pressure. The amendment to the banking secrecy law, for
example, was passed in less than a week under demands from the International
Monetary Fund.
Lebanon faces political paralysis: Key appointments remain
on hold
LBCI/June 11/2025
The term of Lebanon's four deputy governors at the Banque du Liban (BDL)
officially ended on June 9, yet no successors have been appointed, nor have the
current officials had their mandates renewed. While the publicly cited reason
for the delay is the packed travel schedules of the President and the Prime
Minister, the real cause lies in deep political divisions—primarily between the
President and the Parliament Speaker and, to a lesser extent, between the
President and the Prime Minister, along with other stakeholders involved in the
appointments. This institutional deadlock is not limited to BDL. Similar
paralysis has affected judicial and diplomatic appointments. Political
infighting, conflicting conditions, and a quota-based power-sharing system have
complicated even the distribution of ambassadorial posts to key global capitals.
In the judiciary, tensions have escalated into a standoff between Justice
Minister Adel Nassar and Speaker Nabih Berri over appointments in the financial
judiciary sector. Lebanon is teetering on the brink of total paralysis. Every
major decision appears suspended, dependent on unpredictable external
developments, while political gridlock deepens with each passing day. Security
concerns add to the instability, with mounting obstacles to implementing U.N.
Security Council Resolution 1701, which calls for the withdrawal of Hezbollah's
weapons north of the Litani River, as well as the disarmament of Palestinian
groups. On the financial front, the international community is awaiting the
adoption of a comprehensive package of reform laws and a credible plan to close
the financial gap, prerequisites for finalizing an agreement with the
International Monetary Fund (IMF). Ultimately, Lebanon remains mired in
political obstruction. A profound trust crisis persists among the country's
leaders as they await foreign initiatives that have yet to materialize.
Meanwhile, the goal of rebuilding the state, reforming its institutions, and
putting Lebanon on a path to recovery remains suspended in uncertainty, with no
resolution in sight.
Lebanon’s Public Debt Exceeds $100 Billion
This Is Beirut/June 11/2025
According to official statistics and reports from several local banks, Lebanon's
public debt has exceeded the $100 billion mark. This historic level reflects
years of accumulated budget deficits, inefficient public management, poor
financial governance and a lack of structural reforms. This debt includes both
domestic and external debt incurred by the state, and it continues to grow in an
economic context marked by instability, a banking crisis and the collapse of
public services. Crossing this symbolic threshold underscores the urgency of a
clear, coordinated and credible economic recovery plan.
Salam Engages with UN Officials, Eyes Airport Revival
This Is Beirut/June 11/2025
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam led a series of high-level meetings on Wednesday at
the Grand Serail, addressing regional tensions, bilateral ties and
infrastructure proposals. In a closed-door meeting with UN Special Coordinator
for Lebanon Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, discussions focused on rising security
tensions in southern Lebanon. While no statement followed the meeting, sources
say both sides stressed the importance of keeping diplomatic channels open to
avoid a broader regional escalation. Salam later met with a top-level Belarusian
delegation headed by Deputy Prime Minister Viktor Karankevich and Deputy Speaker
Vadim Ipatov. The visit, the second of its kind this year, signaled Belarus’
intent to deepen cooperation with Lebanon across several sectors. “We are
committed to long-term collaboration with Lebanon in agriculture, agri-food,
education and the medical and pharmaceutical fields,” said Karankevich. He
highlighted that over 600 Lebanese students are currently studying in Belarus, a
number expected to rise. The Belarusian delegation also donated ambulances to
the Lebanese Ministry of Health as part of what it called a gesture of
“solidarity and humanitarian partnership.”Further cooperation was discussed,
including medical aid, training of Lebanese health workers and acceleration of
bilateral agreements through the intergovernmental committee. The Belarusian
delegation also met with President Joseph Aoun and extended to him an official
invitation from Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko to visit Minsk.
Separately, a joint Emirati-Lebanese delegation presented to Prime Minister
Salam plans for the rehabilitation of Kleiate Airport in northern Lebanon. The
team, representing Emirati firms Dalil and Ajwaa, alongside Gazelle Middle East
and Consolidated Contractors Company (CCC), also discussed security upgrades for
Beirut International Airport. The day’s meetings reflected Lebanon’s efforts to
strengthen international partnerships and revitalize key national sectors amid
ongoing political and economic instability.
Setbacks Undermine Palestinian Camp Disarmament Ahead of
June 15 Deadline
Bassam Abou Zeid/This Is Beirut/June 11/2025
Lebanese and Palestinian officials face a looming deadline to implement the
first phase of a long-delayed plan to disarm Palestinian refugee camps, set for
June 15. However, sources suggest the process is unlikely to unfold as Lebanese
authorities had hoped, with several key details still unresolved. Palestinian
representatives say they are still awaiting confirmation of a meeting with
Lebanese officials, including General Security chief Major General Hassan
Shoucair, to coordinate next steps. The meeting, initially planned for after Eid
al-Adha, has yet to be scheduled.
So far, Lebanese authorities say they have not seen credible signs of a serious
commitment to disarmament in the Mar Elias, Shatila and Burj al-Barajneh camps
in Beirut. Officials note that any serious intent will only become clear through
concrete action expected around June 15 or 16. But official Palestinian factions
appear unable to convince other, non-aligned armed groups to surrender their
weapons. This remains the main stumbling block, which Lebanese authorities have
left to the Palestinians to resolve, as the Lebanese security forces are
unwilling to engage in a direct military confrontation that could destabilize
the camps and endanger civilians. Lebanese officials view this impasse with
growing concern, attributing it to a mix of internal Palestinian divisions and
external political influences. Groups like Hamas and Islamic Jihad remain firmly
opposed to disarmament, citing their ongoing struggle with Israel and a belief
that armed resistance is essential to reclaiming Palestinian land, a stance that
mirrors Hezbollah’s position on its own arsenal. Meanwhile, extremist factions
and criminal gangs within the camps refuse to submit to either Palestinian or
Lebanese authority, deepening the crisis that threatens to derail efforts to
restore order. Sources also indicate that some Palestinian groups are using the
disarmament issue as a bargaining chip, expressing frustration over what they
see as vague promises from the Lebanese side, especially regarding the
long-delayed approval to bring construction materials into the camps. They are
now demanding that such commitments be implemented immediately. Failure to
implement the first disarmament phase would severely undermine Lebanese State
authority and the current government, signaling to the international community
Lebanon’s ongoing struggles with critical national issues. This would hamper
efforts to rebuild institutions and assert full sovereignty, a key condition for
continued international support.
Lebanon Meets the IMF: An Exercise in Masochism
This is Beirut/June 11, 2025
An article written by an Internet user called “Zouzou Cash” (@ZouzouCash) has
been circulating for a few days, proposing a critical approach to the IMF that
is important to take into consideration.
The latest round of kabuki theater between Lebanon’s government and the IMF has
produced what all such high-level summits inevitably do: a mixture of forced
smiles, indecipherable jargon, and the vague scent of scorched-earth diplomacy.
It also revealed something everyone in the room knew but no one had the
courage—or funding—to fix: Lebanon is broke, busted, and bafflingly in denial.
The meetings included a wide range of participants: ministers, central bankers,
technocrats, pseudo-technocrats, IMF reps, and the usual crowd of expats who
speak five languages but can’t seem to find a working ATM. Some left the
sessions shocked, others vaguely titillated—especially the crowd who considers
every foreigner an oracle, whether it’s an IMF official with a spreadsheet of
austerity measures or a lost German tourist asking for directions to Byblos.
So what is the IMF doing in Lebanon, that small strip of Mediterranean chaos
with more failed governments than working elevators? Well, since the country
managed to torch its bridges with the Gulf (oil-rich and now Lebanon-averse),
antagonize the Americans (never a good idea), and tie itself up with pro-Iranian
policy since roughly the invention of electricity, Lebanon finds itself cast out
into the geopolitical wilderness. The Gulf has closed the tap, the U.S. has shut
the door, and only France remains, clucking around like a confused nanny trying
to discipline a pyromaniac toddler. Enter the IMF: the global lender of last
resort and first proponent of national detox. When you’re too bankrupt for
Goldman Sachs and too delusional for World Bank, the IMF arrives—armed with
algorithms, an addiction to conditionality, and the charm of a root canal. The
IMF team in Lebanon has become a fixture since 2020. Their cast rotates, but the
script remains unchanged. At the center of it all is Ernesto, the ever-smiling
head of mission who listens patiently, answers nothing, and repeats IMF gospel
with the enthusiasm of a Scientology recruiter: “debt sustainability,” “fiscal
consolidation,” “restructuring,” blah blah—insert your favorite technocratic
euphemism for economic demolition. Then there’s Frederico, Lebanon’s resident
IMF rep, who has made admirable progress in becoming a connoisseur of Lebanese
mezze and rooftop parties, though less so in understanding Lebanese politics or
its banking system. Finally, there’s Jaime, the new “banking expert,” whose main
hobby seems to be mentally liquidating banks before lunch and telling them how
lucky they are to get even a PowerPoint presentation from him. Ironically, the
Lebanese IMF staff are the only ones in the group who seem to have read a
history book or taken a look at a balance sheet—though no one really lets them
talk unless it’s to find their way to the next meeting location.
Now, what’s the big IMF plan? Oh, it’s simple: save the state, destroy the
Central Bank, annihilate the commercial banks, and vaporize depositors. Voilà.
Think of it as Marie Antoinette-style economics, but instead of cake, they’re
serving you sovereign defaults and deposit haircuts.
Under the IMF’s sacred twin doctrines—Debt Sustainability and Hierarchy of
Claims—the path to redemption is a one-way street paved with depositor tears and
missing pension funds.
Debt Sustainability means you generously offer bondholders 20 cents on the
dollar—over a few decades, if they’re lucky—and you politely ignore the $16.5
billion the Lebanese State owes the Central Bank, because apparently when a
state owes money to its own central bank, it’s like owing money to your left
hand.
Hierarchy of Claims is the fun part: equity holders in banks? Gone. Bondholders?
Sorry. Depositors? Here’s a lollipop and a 90% loss. And who pays for this
entire mess? Why, the Central Bank, of course—because nothing says sound
monetary policy like torching the institution responsible for monetary policy.
Their reserves ($10 billion) and their gold ($30 billion) are apparently sitting
there like a piñata waiting for the next round of policy reform. And the
government? Oh, they walk away untouched. No haircut, no asset sales, no
meaningful reform. The same government that created the mess is now expected to
enforce the cleanup with surgical precision and moral authority. It’s like
asking the arsonist to lead the fire brigade. Of course, behind the curtain are
the usual suspects—the Quintet of Nations—urging the IMF on, hoping the pain
will force Lebanon to do what they could never convince it to do diplomatically:
disarm Hezbollah, fight corruption, and sign a peace treaty or two before
breakfast. So here we are. The IMF has a plan that’s as unworkable as it is
unpopular. It won’t pass in Parliament—this one or the next—and no Lebanese
government (short of a Martian technocracy) will ever implement it. The Central
Bank knows it, the banks know it, the depositors know it, and even Ernesto Rigo
might suspect it when no one’s looking. The real tragedy? This isn’t an evil
plan. It’s just a lazy one. A generic, out-of-the-box, cookie-cutter model being
dropped on a very non-cookie-cutter crisis. Lebanon needs reform, yes. But IMF
austerity on steroids? That’s not reform. That’s euthanasia.
Yemeni National Arrested in Lebanon for Spying for Israel
This is Beirut/June 11, 2025
A Yemeni national accused of working for the Israeli Intelligence Agency (Mossad)
was arrested in Lebanon on Tuesday by a Lebanese security agency, according to a
Lebanese judicial source who spoke with Asharq Al-Awsat news channel. The agent
is allegedly a Houthi leader working as a mediator between Hezbollah and the
Houthis in Yemen, reported another news channel. According to the report, the
man was recruited by the Mossad and provided Israel with sensitive information
about Yemen and coordination between Hezbollah and the Houthis.
Israeli operations in Lebanon against Hezbollah: June
2–June 8, 2025
David Daoud/ FDD's Long War Journal/June 11/2025
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) conducted numerous activities throughout Lebanon
against Hezbollah between June 2 and June 8. The IDF’s operations last week
included the broadest and most intense Israeli strikes in the Dahiyeh suburbs of
Beirut since the November 27, 2024 ceasefire, targeting alleged Hezbollah drone
production and storage facilities.
The IDF conducted operations in 18 Lebanese locales during the week, some more
than once. Thirteen areas were hit by airstrikes or other aerial activity, two
were struck by artillery, five experienced ground actions, flares were fired
over one location, and warning pamphlets were dropped in one area.
Israeli operations around Beirut between June 2 and June 8, 2025. Orange:
Reference points. Lighter blue: Israeli airstrikes. Tan: Alleged Hezbollah site
inspected by the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF). (Google Earth annotated by LWJ)
Israeli operations in southern Lebanon between June 2 and June 8, 2025. Green:
Israeli outposts. Red: Israeli ground operations. Dark gray: Israeli artillery
attacks. Lighter gray: Israeli smokescreens. Lighter blue: Israeli airstrikes.
Purple: Israeli flares. Red: Israeli ground operations. Black: Israeli naval
operations. Yellow: Leaflets. Orange: Reference points. Darker blue: Partial
course of the Litani River. (Google Earth annotated by LWJ)
Mount Lebanon Governorate
Baabda District: Burj Al Barajneh, Hadath, and Haret Hreik
Nabatieh Governorate
Bint Jbeil District: Ayta Ash Shaab, Burj Qalawiyeh, Ramyeh, Rmeish, and Yaroun
Hasbaya: Shebaa
Marjayoun District: Houla, Houla-Markaba, Kfar Kela, Meiss Al Jabal, Tallousseh,
and Wazzani
Nabatieh: Ain Qana
South Lebanon Governorate
Tyre District: Naqoura and Shehabiyeh
Casualties
Total casualties from Israeli operations in Lebanon included one person who was
connected to Hezbollah killed and at least six unidentified people wounded.
June 2, 2025: No casualties were reported.
June 3, 2025: No casualties were reported.
June 4, 2025: No casualties were reported.
June 5, 2025: Four unidentified people were wounded.
June 6, 2025: No casualties were reported.
June 7, 2025: No casualties were reported.
June 8, 2025: One Hezbollah-connected individual was killed, and at least two
were wounded.
Chronology of Israeli operations against Hezbollah, June 2–8, 2025
June 2
At 12:06 pm, NNA Lebanon reported that an Israeli drone dropped a stun explosive
in Ayta Ash Shaab while another did the same in Ramyeh, both towns located in
the Nabatieh Governorate’s Bint Jbeil District.
At 6:00 pm, NNA Lebanon reported that Israeli troops directed gunfire toward the
outskirts of the village of Shebaa in the Nabatieh Governorate’s Hasbaya
District.
June 3
At 6:59 pm, NNA Lebanon reported that an Israeli quadcopter dropped an explosive
in Ayta Ash Shaab in the Nabatieh Governorate’s Bint Jbeil District.
At 8:59 pm, NNA Lebanon reported that Israeli troops fired flares over Ayta Ash
Shaab while directing medium-caliber gunfire at the village and its surrounding
areas from positions on the Israeli side of the Blue Line.
June 4
At 1:26 pm, NNA Lebanon reported that an Israeli drone dropped leaflets in the
village of Yaroun in the Nabatieh Governorate’s Bint Jbeil District, warning
former mukhtarMohammad Abbas Shahine against cooperating with Hezbollah or its
“Wa Taawanu” (And Cooperate) NGO.
A leaflet dropped by Israeli forces in Yaroun.
At 3:10 pm, NNA Lebanon and Al Jadeed reported that Israeli boats entered
Lebanese territorial waters, interdicted a fishing boat off the coast of Naqoura
in the South Lebanon Governorate’s Tyre District, detained one of the fishermen,
Ali Fneich from Maaroub, and took him back to Israel. Israeli naval forces
temporarily detained but later released Fneish’s companion, Aboudi Ajami, who
was aboard a second boat. Fneich’s Facebook account revealed strong
pro-Hezbollah leanings, if not an affiliation with the group, and he has
familial ties to fallen Hezbollah fighters like Ali Mohammad Fneich, also from
Maaroub, whose death was announced by the group on December 24, 2024.
Ali Fneich (left), and a picture of Fneich and his friends holding a Hezbollah
flag underwater that was posted to his Facebook page.
At 6:51 pm, NNA Lebanon reported that an Israeli quadcopter dropped explosives
near a bulldozer clearing debris in the Sultani neighborhood of Yaroun in the
Nabatieh Governorate’s Bint Jbeil District before disabling it with a missile.
June 5
At 8:05 am, NNA Lebanon reported that Israeli troops dug a trench and raised
earthen embankments in Meiss Al Jabal in the Nabatieh Governorate’s Marjayoun
District.
At 10:19 am, NNA Lebanon reported that an Israeli drone targeted a vehicle in
Burj Qalawiyeh in the Nabatieh Governorate’s Bint Jbeil District. The strike
wounded one unidentified person.
At an unspecified time in the afternoon, the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) claimed
to have received notice from the Israelis, through the Israel-Lebanon ceasefire
oversight committee, of a suspected Hezbollah installation in the
Mrayjeh-Laylaki neighborhood of Dahiyeh, Beirut. The LAF claimed it sent a unit
to inspect the site, documented the absence of any military equipment or
installations, and forwarded its evidence to the oversight committee.
At 2:36 pm, NNA Lebanon reported that Israeli artillery targeted the western
outskirts of Wazzani in the Nabatieh Governorate’s Marjayoun District.
At 3:44 pm, NNA Lebanon reported that an Israeli Merkava tank opened fire on the
forests of Yaroun in the Nabatieh Governorate’s Bint Jbeil District.
At 8:28 pm, NNA Lebanon reported that an Israeli drone dropped a stun explosive
near a house in Tallouseh in the Nabatieh Governorate’s Marjayoun District.
At 8:36 pm, IDF Arabic Language Spokesman Avichay Adraee warned residents of
Dahiyeh’s Hadath, Haret Hreik, and Burj Al Barajneh neighborhoods of impending
strikes on four buildings housing underground Hezbollah drone production and
storage facilities. The IDF conducted warning airstrikes in the area between
9:23 pm and 9:49 pm. From 10:15 pm until 11:39 pm, the IDF launched a series of
airstrikes—reportedly 15 from drones and six from fighter jets—on the buildings.
At 10:32 pm, IDF Arabic Language Spokesman Avichay Adraee warned residents of
Ain Qana in the Nabatieh Governorate’s Nabatieh District of impending airstrikes
on two buildings housing Hezbollah drone production facilities. At 11:44 pm, NNA
Lebanon reported that an Israeli drone targeted the highlighted buildings in Ain
Qana and conducted a follow-up airstrike at 11:57 pm. The Israeli strikes
reportedly wounded three unidentified people.
June 6
At 2:28 pm, NNA Lebanon reported that an Israeli drone dropped a stun explosive
on a house in Kfar Kela in the Nabatieh Governorate’s Marjayoun District.
At 6:20 pm, NNA Lebanon reported that Israeli troops directed gunfire at the
outskirts of Rmeish and Ayta Ash Shaab in the Nabatieh Governorate’s Bint Jbeil
District.
June 7
At 3:07 pm, NNA Lebanon reported that an Israeli drone dropped a stun explosive
on the outskirts of Houla in the Nabatieh Governorate’s Marjayoun District,
wounding two unidentified people.
At 3:29 pm, NNA Lebanon reported that an Israeli drone dropped a second stun
explosive between Houla and Markaba in the Nabatieh Governorate’s Marjayoun
District.
At 11:20 pm, NNA Lebanon reported that IDF troops positioned near the Israeli
community of Shtula directed heavy-caliber gunfire toward the southern outskirts
of Ayta Ash Shaab.
June 8
At 1:44 pm, NNA Lebanon reported that an Israeli drone targeted a motorbike with
two missiles on a road between Shehabiyeh and Kfar Dounine. The strike killed
one person and reportedly wounded several others whose identity was not
specified. Initial claims by pro-Hezbollah social media accounts indicated the
fatality was Ali Shafiq Qanso from Shehabiyeh. The anti-Hezbollah outlet
Janoubia claimed “the martyr” Qanso and a companion were targeted on the
motorbike “while carrying out construction work near one of the houses” near the
Shehabiyeh-Kfar Dounine road. Three of Qanso’s brothers were Hezbollah fighters:
Hassan Shafiq Qanso, whose nom de guerre was Haidar; Mohammad Shafiq Qanso, who
was killed by an Israeli airstrike on Shehabiyeh on October 27, 2024; and Musa
Shafiq Qanso, whose nom de guerre was Salah and was killed by Israel on February
16, 2025.
At 6:48 pm, Lebanese media outlets reported that LAF troops began inspecting an
alleged Hezbollah site in the Mrayjeh-Laylaki neighborhood of Dahiyeh at the
behest of the ceasefire oversight committee to avoid an Israeli strike on the
area. The LAF’s inspection reportedly concluded by 8:31 pm.
At 10:12 pm, NNA Lebanon reported that Israeli troops positioned near Shtula
directed gunfire toward the outskirts of Ayta Ash Shaab in the Nabatieh
Governorate’s Marjayoun District.
*David Daoud is Senior Fellow at at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies
where he focuses on Israel, Hezbollah, and Lebanon affairs.
The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published
on June 11-12/2025
Trump says ‘less confident’ about Iran nuclear deal
Reuters/11 June/2025
US President Donald Trump said he was less confident that Iran will agree to
stop uranium enrichment in a nuclear deal with Washington, according to an
interview released on Wednesday. “I don’t know,” Trump told the “Pod Force One”
podcast on Monday when asked if he thought he could get Iran to agree to shut
down its nuclear program. “I don’t know. I did think so, and I’m getting more
and more — less confident about it.”Trump has been seeking a new nuclear deal to
place limits on Iran’s nuclear activities and has threatened Tehran with bombing
if no agreement is reached. He told reporters at the White House on Monday that
he had discussed Iran with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday
and said talks with Iranians were “tough.”In the podcast interview, Trump said
Iranians seem to be using delaying tactics. “I’m less confident now than I would
have been a couple of months ago. Something happened to them, but I am much less
confident of a deal being made,” he said. Trump repeated that the US would not
allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon, whether or not a deal is reached. “But it
would be nicer to do it without warfare, without people dying, it’s so much
nicer to do it. But I don’t think I see the same level of enthusiasm for them to
make a deal,” he said. Iran says it has no plans to build a nuclear weapon and
is only interested in power generation and other peaceful projects. During his
first White House term, Trump withdrew the US from a 2015 deal between Iran and
world powers that placed limits on Tehran’s disputed nuclear activities in
exchange for sanctions relief.
Iran threatens to strike US bases in region if military
conflict arises
Reuters/11 June/2025
If nuclear negotiations fail and conflict arises with the United States, Iran
will strike American bases in the region, Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh said
on Wednesday, days ahead of a planned sixth round of Iran-US nuclear talks.
“Some officials on the other side threaten conflict if negotiations don’t come
to fruition. If a conflict is imposed on us ... all US bases are within our
reach and we will boldly target them in host countries,” Nasirzadeh said during
a weekly press briefing. US President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened
Iran with bombing if it does not reach a new nuclear deal. The next round of
talks is due this week, with Trump saying negotiations would be held on Thursday
while Tehran says they will take place on Sunday in Oman. Iran is expected to
hand a counter-proposal to a previous US offer for a nuclear deal it rejected,
with Trump saying on Tuesday that Iran was becoming “much more aggressive” in
nuclear talks. Tehran and Washington have clashed on the issue on uranium
enrichment on Iranian soil, which Western powers say is a potential pathway to
the development of nuclear weapons. Iran holds that its nuclear program is
purely for civilian purposes. “As we resume talks on Sunday, it is clear that an
agreement that can ensure the continued peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear
program is within reach — and could be achieved rapidly,” Iran’s Foreign
Minister Abbas Araghchi said in a post on X on Wednesday. Another sticking point
in the talks has been Iran’s missile programme. Ballistic missiles form an
important part of Iran’s arsenal. Nasirzadeh said that Tehran recently tested a
missile with a two-ton warhead and does not accept limitations. Supreme Leader
Ali Khamenei had said in February that Iran should further develop its military,
including its missiles.
US preparing to evacuate embassy in Iraq over security
risks, sources say
Reuters/11 June ,2025
The United States is preparing to evacuate its embassy in Baghdad due to
heightened security risks in the region, three US and two Iraqi sources said on
Wednesday while a US official said military dependents could also leave Bahrain.
The sources did not specify which security risks had prompted the decision to
evacuate and the State Department did not immediately respond to a request for
comment. US President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened to strike Iran if
stuttering talks over its nuclear program fail and on Wednesday he said he was
growing less confident that Tehran would agree to stop enriching uranium, a key
American demand. Iranian Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh said Iran would hit US
bases if the nuclear talks failed, leading to war. “The State Department is set
to have an ordered departure for (the) US embassy in Baghdad. The intent is to
do it through commercial means, but the US military is standing by if help is
requested,” a US official said. An Iraqi foreign ministry official said a
“partial evacuation” of US embassy staff had been confirmed due to what the
official termed “potential security concerns related to possible regional
tensions.”US military dependents in Bahrain can temporarily depart due to the
heightened regional tensions, a US official told Reuters. Another US official
said that there was no change in operations at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, the
largest US military base in the Middle East and that no evacuation order had
been issued for employees or families linked to the US embassy in Qatar, which
was operating as usual.
Medical charity accuses Israel of deadly strike on Gaza office building
AFP/11 June/2025
Medical charity Medecins du Monde Wednesday accused Israel of violating
international law with drone strikes on a building housing one of its offices in
war-torn Gaza that killed eight people, none of them staff. The France-based aid
group said in a statement the attack on Tuesday “constitutes a serious violation
of international humanitarian law, which protects both civilian populations and
humanitarian organizations operating in conflict zones.”The Israeli military did
not immediately respond to a request for comment. “Yesterday morning, at around
11:00 am local time, a building in Deir el-Balah housing a Medecins du Monde
office was attacked by drones,” the aid group said. Its staff had not been
present as they had been off as part of the Eid al-Adha holiday, it added. “At
least eight people were killed in the bombardment. All were on the last floor of
the building,” it said, without providing more details on those killed.
“Medecins du Monde had informed the Israeli military of the presence of its
office, which had officially been declared ‘deconflicted,’ or shielded from
Israeli military attacks under humanitarian coordination agreements,” it said.
“However, as during previous Israeli attacks, the team received no forward
warning that would have allowed it to evacuate the building or take measures to
protect anyone inside,” it added. Several other non-governmental organizations
as well as Palestinians displaced by the war are based in the same area, it
said.
Risk of famine: UN
Israel is facing mounting pressure to allow more humanitarian aid into Gaza,
whose entire population the United Nations has warned is at risk of famine.
Medecins du Monde last month, after more than two months of a total blockade on
Gaza, accused Israel of using hunger as “a weapon of war” in the Palestinian
territory. Israel recently allowed some deliveries to resume through the newly
formed, US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. But the United Nations refuses
to work with it, citing concerns over its practices and neutrality. Dozens of
people have been killed near GHF distribution points since late May, according
to Gaza’s civil defense agency. It said Israeli forces killed 31 people waiting
for aid early on Wednesday. Palestinian militant group Hamas on October 7, 2023
attacked Israel, resulting 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 the retaliatory Israeli military offensive has
killed at least 54,981 people, the majority civilians. The United Nations
considers these figures to be reliable. Out of 251 taken hostage during the
Hamas attack, 54 are still held in Gaza including 32 the Israeli military says
are dead.
Over 55,000 Palestinians killed in the Israel-Hamas war,
Gaza officials
The Associated Press/11 June/2025
The Palestinian death toll from the 20-month Israel-Hamas war has climbed past
55,000, the Gaza Health Ministry said Wednesday. The ministry doesn’t
distinguish between civilians and combatants, but has said that women and
children make up more than half the dead. For the latest updates on the
Israel-Palestine conflict, visit our dedicated page. It’s a grim milestone in
the war that began with Hamas’ attack into southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and
shows no sign of ending. Israel says it only targets militants and blames
civilian deaths on Hamas, accusing the militants of hiding among civilians,
because they operate in populated areas. The ministry says 55,104 people have
been killed since the start of the war and 127,394 wounded. Many more are
believed to be buried under the rubble or in areas that are inaccessible to
local medics. The Health Ministry is part of Gaza’s government, but staffed by
medical professionals who maintain and publish detailed records. Its tolls from
previous conflicts have largely aligned with those of independent experts,
though Israel has questioned the ministry’s figures. Israeli forces have
destroyed vast areas of Gaza, displaced about 90 percent of its population and
in recent weeks have transformed more than half of the coastal territory into a
military buffer zone that includes the now mostly uninhabited southern city of
Rafah. A 2½-month blockade imposed by Israel when it ended a ceasefire with
Hamas raised fears of famine and was slightly eased in May. The launch of a new
Israeli and US-backed aid system has been marred by chaos and violence, and the
UN says it has struggled to bring in food because of Israeli restrictions, a
breakdown of law and order, and widespread looting. Israel accuses Hamas of
siphoning off aid, but the UN and aid groups deny there is any systematic
diversion of aid to militants. Hamas has suffered major setbacks militarily, and
Israel says it has killed more than 20,000 militants, without providing
evidence. The militants still hold 55 hostages — less than half of them believed
to be alive — and control areas outside of military zones despite rare protests
earlier this year.
The war began when Hamas-led militants killed around 1,200 people, mostly
civilians, in the Oct. 7 attack and abducted 251 hostages. More than half the
captives have been released in ceasefires or other deals. Israeli forces have
rescued eight and recovered the remains of dozens more.
Israel’s military campaign, one of the deadliest and most destructive since
World War II, has transformed large parts of cities into mounds of rubble.
Hundreds of thousands of people are living in squalid tent camps and unused
schools, and the health system has been gutted, even as it copes with waves of
wounded from Israeli strikes. Hamas has said it will only release the remaining
hostages in return for more Palestinian prisoners, a lasting ceasefire and a
complete Israeli withdrawal. It has offered to hand over power to a politically
independent Palestinian committee.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected those terms, saying that
Israel will only agree to temporary ceasefires to facilitate the return of
hostages. He has vowed to continue the war until all the hostages are returned
and Hamas is defeated or disarmed and sent into exile. Netanyahu says Israel
will control Gaza indefinitely and facilitate what he refers to as the voluntary
emigration of much of its population to other countries. The Palestinians and
most of the international community reject such plans, viewing them as forcible
expulsion that could violate international law.
Israeli gunfire, airstrikes kill 60 in Gaza, many near aid
site, medics say
Reuters/11 June/2025
Israeli gunfire and airstrikes killed at least 60 Palestinians in Gaza on
Wednesday, most of them near an aid site operated by the US- and Israeli-backed
Gaza Humanitarian Foundation in the center of the enclave, local health
officials said. Medical officials at Al-Shifa and Al-Quds hospitals said at
least 25 people were killed and dozens wounded as they approached a food
distribution center near the former Jewish settlement of Netzarim before dawn.
Israel’s military, which has been at war with Hamas militants since October
2023, said its forces fired warning shots overnight towards a group of suspects
as they posed a threat to troops in the area of the Netzarim Corridor. “This is
despite warnings that the area is an active combat zone. The [Israeli military]
is aware of reports regarding individuals injured; the details are under
review,” it said. Later on Wednesday, health officials at Al-Nasser Hospital in
Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip said at least 14 people had been killed
by Israeli gunfire as they approached another GHF site in Rafah. The foundation
said it was unaware of Wednesday’s incidents but added that it was working
closely with Israeli authorities to ensure safe passage routes are maintained,
and that it was essential for Palestinians to closely follow instructions.
“Ultimately, the solution is more aid, which will create more certainty and less
urgency among the population,” it said by email in response to Reuters
questions. “There is not yet enough food to feed everyone in need in Gaza. Our
current focus is to feed as many people as is safely possible within the
constraints of a highly volatile environment.” In a statement, GHF said it
distributed 2.5 million meals on Wednesday, the largest single-day delivery
since it began operations, bringing to more than 16 million the number of meals
provided since its operations started in late May. Gaza’s health ministry says
that since then, 163 Palestinians had been killed and over 1,000 wounded trying
to obtain the food boxes. The United Nations has condemned the killings and has
refused to supply aid via the foundation, which uses private contractors with
Israeli military backup in what they say is a breach of humanitarian standards.
Elsewhere in Gaza on Wednesday, its health ministry said at least 11 other
people were killed by separate Israeli gunfire and strikes across the coastal
enclave. The war erupted 20 months ago after Hamas-led militants took 251
hostages and killed 1,200 people, most of them civilians, on October 7, 2023,
Israel’s single deadliest day. Israel’s military campaign has since killed
nearly 55,000 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to health
authorities in Gaza, and flattened much of the densely populated strip, which is
home to more than two million people. Most of the population is displaced and
malnutrition is widespread. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on
Tuesday 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.
Two Hamas sources told Reuters they did not know about any breakthrough in
negotiations.
EU tells Israel to reverse move to cut off Palestinian
banks
AFP/11 June/2025
The EU on Wednesday urged Israel to undo a move by a far-right minister that
threatens to paralyze Palestinian financial institutions. Finance minister
Bezalel Smotrich announced Tuesday that Israel had canceled a waiver allowing
its banks to work with Palestinian ones. “The European Union is deeply concerned
by the instruction by Israel’s finance minister Smotrich to cancel the waiver on
cooperation with Palestinian banks, which could cut them off from the Israeli
financial system, devastate an already crippled Palestinian economy, and may
lead to the collapse of the Palestinian Authority,” EU spokesman Anouar El
Anouni said. “The EU calls on Israel to revert this decision immediately and to
refrain from any action that could lead to the collapse of the Palestinian
authority.” The Palestinian financial and banking system is dependent on the
regular renewal of the Israeli waiver. It protects Israeli banks from potential
legal action relating to transactions with their Palestinian counterparts, for
instance in relation to financing terror.
Israel says bodies of two hostages retrieved from Gaza
AFP/June 11, 2025
JERUSALEM: Israeli forces have retrieved the bodies of two hostages from the
Gaza Strip, the military said Wednesday, as Israel presses its offensive in the
Palestinian territory. A military statement said a joint operation by the army
and the Shin Bet security agency recovered the bodies of Yair Yaakov and “an
additional hostage whose name has not yet been cleared for publication” from the
Khan Yunis area of southern Gaza. Yaakov, a member of Kibbutz Nir Oz, was 59
when he was seized in the Hamas-led October 7, 2023 attack on Israel and killed
the same day.
The military statement said he had been abducted and killed by fighters from
Islamic Jihad, a Hamas ally. Yaakov was abducted along with his partner Meirav
Tal, as they sheltered in their safe room in Nir Oz. She was freed on November
28, 2023 during the first truce. Abducted separately at the home of their
mother, Yair’s two children Yagil and Or were also released on November 27
during the first truce. Nir Oz was one of the communities hit hardest by the
attack, with nearly a quarter of its residents killed or taken hostage.
Milei says Argentina to move Israel embassy to Jerusalem in
2026
Arab News/June 11, 2025
JERUSALEM: Argentine President Javier Milei said Wednesday his country would
move its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, the status of which is one of the most
delicate issues in the Israel-Palestinian conflict. “I am proud to announce
before you that in 2026 we will make effective the move of our embassy to the
city of west Jerusalem,” Milei said in a speech in the Israeli parliament during
an official state visit. Argentina’s embassy is currently located near the
coastal city of Tel Aviv. Several countries, including the United States,
Paraguay, Guatemala and Kosovo, have moved their embassies to Jerusalem,
breaking with international consensus. Israel has occupied east Jerusalem since
1967, later annexing it in a move not recognized by the international community.
Israel treats the city as its capital, while Palestinians want east Jerusalem to
become the capital of a future state.
Most foreign embassies to Israel are located in the coastal hub city of Tel Aviv
in order to avoid interfering with negotiations between Israelis and
Palestinians. In 2017, during his first term as US president, Donald Trump
unilaterally recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, sparking Palestinian
anger and the international community’s disapproval. The United States
transferred its embassy to Jerusalem in May 2018.
Israeli court rejects appeals to release eight
pro-Palestine activists arrested aboard Gaza-bound boat
Arab News/June 11, 2025
LONDON: An Israeli court ruled to keep in detention eight pro-Palestine
activists who were arrested this week by the Israeli navy aboard the Madleen
ship, which was bound for Gaza. The British-flagged vessel, operated by the
pro-Palestinian Freedom Flotilla Coalition, had 11 activists and a journalist on
board, including the Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg, who was
carrying aid for Palestinians in Gaza as an act of solidarity amid the Israeli
attacks. Israel released Thunberg on Tuesday following pressure from European
governments. However, eight activists from Turkiye, the Netherlands, France,
Germany and Brazil remain in the Ramla detention center, according to the Wafa
news agency and lawyers from the Haifa-based Adalah legal center. On Wednesday,
an Israeli court rejected the appeals made by Adalah’s lawyers to release the
eight activists and ruled to keep them in custody.
The activists are Suayb Ordu from Turkiye; Mark van Rins from the Netherlands;
Pascal Moreras, Riva Fiard, member of the European Parliament Rima Hassan, Yanis
Mohammadi, all from France; Tiago Ovila from Brazil; and Yasmin Ajar from
Germany. Adalah said that the Israeli court based its decision to continue the
detention on the grounds of their “illegal entry into Israel.” The legal center
emphasized that none of the Madleen’s activists intended to enter Israel or its
territorial waters as they planned to depart from Sicily and reach Gaza’s
territorial waters, which are part of the state of Palestine, via international
waters. The Israeli navy intercepted the Madleen ship early on Tuesday morning,
detaining the activists and taking them to Israel. Adalah said that the court
has scheduled a detention review hearing for July 8 if authorities have not
deported the activists by that date. Following her release and deportation from
Israel on Tuesday, Thunberg said: “I was very clear in my testimony that we were
kidnapped on international waters and brought against our own will into Israel.”
“This is yet another intentional violation of rights that is added to the list
of countless other violations that Israel is committing,” she said.
Syrian, Egyptian foreign ministers hold talks at Oslo Forum
Arab News/June 11, 2025
LONDON: The foreign ministers of the Syrian Arab Republic and Egypt held talks
on Wednesday on the sidelines of the Oslo Forum 2025 in Norway. Asaad al-Shaibani
and Badr Abdelatty discussed ways to improve collaboration between their
countries and exchanged views on the challenges to security and stability in the
region, the Syrian Arab News Agency reported. Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs
Prince Faisal bin Farhan also met Abdelatty on the sidelines of the forum to
discuss bilateral relations and the escalating situation in the Gaza Strip and
occupied West Bank. The Oslo Forum is an annual event organized by the Norwegian
Ministry of Foreign Affairs in collaboration with the Center for Humanitarian
Dialogue in Switzerland. It provides a platform for global leaders,
decision-makers and conflict mediators to share their experiences and discuss
pathways to peace.
Brother of Jordan pilot burnt to death tells court of
family’s pain
AFP/June 11, 2025
STOCKHOLM: The brother of a Jordanian pilot burned alive in Syria by Daesh spoke
on Wednesday of the family’s enduring pain at the trial of an extremist accused
of involvement in the grisly execution. The brutal killing took place sometime
in late 2014 or early 2015 and sparked outrage internationally and in Jordan.
Osama Krayem, a 32-year-old Swede already serving long prison sentences for his
role in the Paris and Brussels attacks in 2015 and 2016, is on trial in
Stockholm, suspected of war crimes and terrorist crimes for the pilot’s killing.
On Dec. 24, 2014, an aircraft belonging to the Royal Jordanian Air Force crashed
in Syria. The pilot, Maaz Al-Kassasbeh, was captured the same day by Daesh near
the central city of Raqqa and was burned alive in a cage sometime before Feb. 3,
2015, when a video of the gruesome killing was published, according to the
prosecution. On Wednesday, Jawdat Al-Kassasbeh, the brother of the pilot and a
plaintiff in the case, told the Stockholm district court of the physical and
psychological trauma the family has suffered since the killing. Defendant Krayem
refused to answer questions from the prosecution on Wednesday. “Can you say
something about your current situation? Are you a practicing Muslim? Can you say
something about your view of Daesh?” the prosecutor asked. “Does the fact that
you are no longer answering questions have anything to do with you feeling that
you were mistreated during the Swedish investigation?” Olin added. Avoiding the
prosecutor’s gaze, the defendant remained silent. Segments from interrogations
with Krayem conducted during the investigation were read out and played during
the trial. When questioned by police, Krayem insisted he had spent only 15 to 20
minutes on-site, unaware of what was going to happen, according to the
preliminary investigation. “I was terrified, it was the first time I had seen
someone burn,” he said at the time.
Ukraine’s military says it struck Russia’s Tambov gunpowder plant
Reuters/11 June/2025
The Ukrainian military said on Wednesday that it had struck a major Russian
gunpowder plant in the western Tambov region overnight, causing a fire at the
site. The Ukrainian military characterized the plant as one of the main
facilities in Russia’s military industrial complex. “It produces gunpowder for
various types of small arms, artillery and rocket systems,” it said in a
statement on Telegram. Tambov regional Governor Yevgeny Pervyshov said early on
Wednesday that Russian defenses had repelled a “massive attack” by Ukrainian
drones on the town of Kotovsk, which independent Russian media identified as the
site of a gunpowder plant. He said one downed drone had caused a fire but no
casualties, and the situation was under control. Pervyshov also told people not
to film and publish images of air defense operations and attempted attacks, as
this would provide “direct assistance to the enemy.” The Tambov gunpowder plant
produces propellant powders used in charges for ammunition for 122 mm and 152 mm
howitzers, according to a report from the Royal United Services Institute and
the Open Source Centre. The Ukrainian military also said that it recorded
explosions at an ammunition depot in Russia’s Kursk region and an airfield depot
in Russia’s Voronezh region. Reuters was not able to independently confirm the
incidents.
Russia returns bodies of 1,212 Ukrainian soldiers, POW swap set for Thursday
AFP/11 June/2025
Russia on Wednesday returned the bodies of 1,212 Ukrainian soldiers who died
fighting Moscow’s invasion, part of an agreement between the two sides reached
at peace talks last week. Moscow also said the next phase of a large-scale
exchange of captured soldiers would take place on Thursday. At talks in Istanbul
last week the two sides agreed to each free more than 1,000 prisoners of war and
return the bodies of killed fighters. Moscow spent days accusing Kyiv of not
wanting to collect the bodies that it alleged had been waiting in refrigerated
trucks near the border since Saturday. On Wednesday, a Ukrainian government
agency announced that “the bodies of 1,212 fallen defenders were returned to
Ukraine.”Russia’s top negotiator, Vladimir Medinsky, also confirmed the handover
and said Russia had “received the remains of 27 Russian soldiers.”Ukraine did
not say how many bodies it returned to Russia. “Tomorrow, we will begin urgent
‘sanitary exchanges’ of severely wounded prisoners,” Medinsky added. Previous
exchanges took place on Monday and Tuesday involving wounded soldiers and those
under the age of 25 – though neither side said how many had been freed. Among
the bodies returned on Wednesday, were the remains of Ukrainian soldiers killed
fighting in the Kharkiv, Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions,
Kyiv said, as well as those killed during Ukraine’s incursion into Russia’s
Kursk region. Ukraine said its experts “will identify the deceased as soon as
possible.”Russia said it would unilaterally hand over the bodies of 6,000 killed
Ukrainian soldiers. Kyiv said it would be an “exchange.”The exchanges are the
only concrete outcome from two rounds of peace talks in Istanbul, at which
Russia rejected calls for an unconditional ceasefire and demanded Ukraine give
up large swathes of territory and its bid to join NATO.
Elon Musk says he ‘went too far’ with Trump criticism; Trump responds: ‘Very
nice’
Al Arabiya English/11 June/2025
Billionaire businessman Elon Musk said on Wednesday he regretted some of the
posts he made last week about US President Donald Trump as they had gone “too
far.”Trump said on Saturday his relationship with Musk was over after they
exchanged insults on social media, with the Tesla and SpaceX CEO describing the
president’s sweeping tax and spending bill as a “disgusting abomination.”Musk
has since deleted some posts critical of Trump, including one signaling support
for impeaching the president, and sources close to the world’s richest man say
his anger has started to subside and he may want to repair the relationship.“I
regret some of my posts about President Donald Trump last week. They went too
far,” Musk wrote in a post on his social media platform X on Wednesday, without
saying which specific posts he was talking about. Trump on Wednesday responded
to Musk expressing regret about some of his social media posts about the US
president, saying in an interview with the New York Post that he thought it was
very nice that Musk did that. “I thought it was very nice that he did that,” the
New York Post quoted Trump as saying. JD Vance and Susie Wiles pushed Musk to
repair his relationship with Trump, the Wall Street Journal reported on
Wednesday, citing people familiar with the matter. In a call last Friday, the
vice president and the White House chief of staff urged Musk to put an end to
the feud, according to the report. Tesla shares in Frankfurt rose 2.7 percent
after Musk’s post. Musk bankrolled a large part of Trump’s 2024 presidential
campaign, spending nearly $300 million in last year’s US elections and taking
credit for Republicans retaining a majority of seats in the House and retaking a
majority in the Senate. Trump then named him to head an effort to downsize the
federal workforce and slash spending. Musk left the role late last month after
criticizing Trump’s marquee tax bill, calling it too expensive and a measure
that would undermine his work at the Department of Government Efficiency.
Declaring their relationship over on Saturday, Trump said there would be
“serious consequences” if Musk decided to fund US Democrats running against
Republicans who vote for the tax and spending bill. Trump also said he had no
intention of repairing ties with Musk. On Monday, Trump said he would not have a
problem if Musk called and that he had no plans to discontinue the Starlink
satellite internet provided to the White House by Musk’s SpaceX but might move
his Tesla off-site.“We had a good relationship, and I just wish him well,” Trump
said. Musk responded with a heart emoji to a video on X showing Trump’s remarks.
With Reuters
The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous
sources
on June 11-12/2025
Trump Cannot Ignore the Latest Damning Evidence of Iran's
Pursuit of Nuclear Weapons
Con Coughlin/Gatestone Institute/June 11, 2025
The findings of the International Atomic Energy Agency report, which were which
are being discussed at this week's IAEA meeting in Vienna this week, should
certainly leave the Trump administration in no doubt about the extent of the
duplicity that has long characterised Tehran's dealings with the IAEA over its
nuclear ambitions.
The findings should also persuade Trump to adopt a more robust approach in his
dealings with Iran.
This is not warmongering; this is peace-mongering – to prevent Iran from
creating even greater devastation later.
Rather than persisting with his efforts to appease the ayatollahs, the
publication of new damning evidence about Iran's clandestine nuclear weapons
programme should persuade Trump that he has no serious option other than to
confront Tehran over its deceitful nuclear activities, as well as its ballistic
missile programme, also able to conventionally blackmail Iran's oil-rich Sunni
neighbours, Europe and eventually possibly the US itself.
The findings of the International Atomic Energy Agency report, which were which
are being discussed at this week's IAEA meeting in Vienna this week, should
certainly leave the Trump administration in no doubt about the extent of the
duplicity that has long characterised Tehran's dealings with the IAEA over its
nuclear ambitions.
Amid concerns that US President Donald J. Trump is backtracking on his pledge to
confront Iran over its controversial nuclear programme, new evidence pointing to
Iran's clandestine attempts to develop nuclear weapons should persuade the Trump
administration to make the Iran threat one of its top priorities.
The latest evidence that Tehran has spent the past few decades developing
nuclear weapons has come in the form of a bombshell report published by the
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the UN-sponsored body responsible for
monitoring Iran's nuclear activities.
The IAEA has previously identified a number of glaring inconsistencies in Iran's
official declarations about its nuclear programme, which have resulted in the
imposition of Western sanctions.
There has, for example, been a long-running dispute lasting nearly two decades
between Iran and the West after IAEA inspectors found traces of undeclared
enriched uranium at the top-secret Parchin military facility, located around 20
miles southeast of Tehran.
Concerns that Iran has been using the base to test nuclear warhead designs, as
well as Tehran's refusal to provide a convincing explanation for the discovery
of the enriched material, prompted the imposition of further sanctions.
The Obama administration's failure to address this issue fully, or rather to
have backed down fully, when negotiating the flawed JCPOA "nuclear deal" with
Tehran in 2015 prompted widespread criticism of the agreement, eventually
leading to Trump's decision to withdraw American involvement in 2018.
The ongoing dispute between the IAEA and Tehran over Iran's clandestine nuclear
activities has now deepened further, following publication of the organisation's
latest findings, which show that Iran carried out secret nuclear activities,
with material not declared to the UN nuclear watchdog, at three locations.
A detailed report into Iran's nuclear activities commissioned by the IAEA's
35-nation board of governors in November found that Iran had at least three
undeclared nuclear sites until the early 2000s, but has consistently failed to
provide "credible answers" about its activities there.
The three sites, at Varamin, Marivan and Turquzabad, were accessed by inspectors
from the IAEA in 2019 and 2020, with uranium particles detected at all three
sites. The IAEA is still seeking explanations from Iran about uranium traces
found years ago at two of four sites it has been investigating. Three of them
have hosted secret experiments related to Iran's nuclear programme, the report
found.
Nuclear material and/or heavily contaminated equipment from that programme was
stored at the fourth site, Turquzabad, between 2009 and 2018, it said.
"The Agency concludes that Iran did not declare nuclear material and
nuclear-related activities at three undeclared locations in Iran, specifically,
Lavisan-Shian, Varamin, and Turquzabad," the report concludes.
At Lavisan-Shian in Tehran, a disc made of uranium metal was "used in the
production of explosively-driven neutron sources" at least twice in 2003, a
process designed to initiate the explosion in a nuclear weapon, the report said,
adding that it was part of "small-scale" tests.
The findings have led the IAEA to conclude that "these three locations, and
other possible related locations, were part of an undeclared structured nuclear
programme carried out by Iran until the early 2000s and that some activities
used undeclared nuclear material".
The report states bluntly that Iran's cooperation with IAEA continues to be
"less than satisfactory" in "a number of respects".
Efforts to obtain an explanation have gone unanswered, said IAEA director
general Rafael Grossi when commenting on the report's findings.
"Unfortunately, Iran has repeatedly either not answered, or not provided,
technically credible answers to the agency's questions," he said at the
quarterly IAEA board meeting.
The lack of answers has meant the IAEA could not conclude that Iran's nuclear
programme is "entirely peaceful", as Tehran has long claimed, Grossi said. He
accused Tehran of seeking to "sanitise the locations", which he said has impeded
the agency's work.
In addition to naming the three new sites suspected of involvement in Iran's
nuclear programme, the report also found that Iran had an estimated 400kg of
uranium enriched up to 60 per cent as of May 17, marking an increase of more
than 133kg since the last report in February.
Uranium needs to be enriched to about 90 per cent to use in nuclear weapons. The
amount of Iran's enriched uranium is enough to produce 10 weapons if refined to
that level.
Iran's foreign ministry and the Iranian nuclear agency have both rejected the
report, calling it, in a joint statement, "politically motivated". They said
Tehran will take "appropriate measures" in response to any effort to take action
against the country at the Board of Governors meeting, state media reported,
without elaborating.
The findings of the report, which are being discussed at this week's IAEA
meeting in Vienna this week, should certainly leave the Trump administration in
no doubt about the extent of the duplicity that has long characterised Tehran's
dealings with the IAEA over its nuclear ambitions.
After the latest damning assessment of Iran's clandestine nuclear activities, at
the very least there is likely to be a push by the US, Britain, France and
Germany, who were signatories to the Obama administration's 2015 JCPOA deal, to
declare Iran to be in violation of its non-proliferation obligations, thereby
paving the way for the reimposition of sanctions.
The findings should also persuade Trump to adopt a more robust approach in his
dealings with Iran. Having consistently insisted that Iran "cannot have nuclear
weapons", there have been suggestions in recent weeks that Trump is "going
wobbly" when it comes to confronting the ayatollahs, in the belief that he can
still negotiate a new nuclear deal.
This is not warmongering; this is peace-mongering – to prevent Iran from
creating even greater devastation later.
Rather than persisting with his efforts to appease the ayatollahs, the
publication of new damning evidence about Iran's clandestine nuclear weapons
programme should persuade Trump that he has no serious option other than to
confront Tehran over its deceitful nuclear activities, as well as its ballistic
missile programme, also able to conventionally blackmail Iran's oil-rich Sunni
neighbours, Europe and eventually possibly the US itself.
*Con Coughlin is the Telegraph's Defence and Foreign Affairs Editor and a
Distinguished Senior Fellow at Gatestone Institute.
© 2025 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do
not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No
part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied
or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.
China-Russia Defense Cooperation Showcases Rising Axis
of Aggressors
Jack Burnham and John Hardie/FDD-Policy Brief/June 11/2025
Despite its stated neutrality in the war in Ukraine, China continues to fuel
Russia’s war machine. In late May, Oleh Ivashchenko, head of the Ukrainian
Foreign Intelligence Service, shared new details regarding Chinese support for
Russia’s military-industrial complex.
His interview, which follows revelations that China has funneled weapons
components and targeting information to the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen,
highlights Beijing’s growing role within an axis of aggressors threatening U.S.
national security.
China Is a Key Cog in Russia’s War Machine
According to Ivashchenko, Ukrainian intelligence has confirmed that at least 20
different Russian defense plants had received machine tools, gunpowder, chemical
products, and components from Chinese suppliers. The true number is likely much
higher. He noted that Russia’s aviation sector has obtained “equipment, spare
parts, and documentation” from China, adding that four-fifths of the “critical
electronics” used in Russian drones came from China as of early 2025.
These findings corroborate previous reporting on the crucial role China has
played in supporting Russia’s defense-industrial base. Russian imports of key
components such as microelectronics from and through China surged following
Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Last September, a Ukrainian
official said that around 60 percent of the foreign components found in Russian
weapons used in Ukraine came from China. Similarly, imports of nitrocellulose
from China have helped Russia expand production of artillery shells and other
munitions.
Russian firms have also increasingly relied on China as a source of precision
machine tools, often routed through other jurisdictions, such as Belarus and
Central Asia. Declassified U.S. intelligence has highlighted how the supply of
CNC machines from China has facilitated growth in Russian ballistic missile
production. In addition to providing inputs to Russian industry, China has also
provided Moscow with a key financial lifeline. China is the top importer of
Russian fossil fuels, including crude oil, with Russia accounting for more than
a fifth of Chinese crude consumption in 2024. Energy export revenue constitutes
the backbone of the Kremlin’s budget.
Deepening Defense-Industrial Ties
Not only is Beijing backstopping the Russian economy and supplying Russian
defense plants, but firms in both countries are reportedly also working on joint
projects, including in drone development and production. Last year, Reuters
reported that Chinese specialists were helping Russian industry develop an
upgraded version of the Garpiya-1A long-range one-way attack drone — which also
uses Chinese engines and other parts — as well as a new remotely piloted
aircraft. Russia apparently is returning the favor, accelerating China’s rapid
military modernization. Last September, Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell
said Moscow is transferring advanced military technology to Beijing that the
Russians had previously been “reluctant” to provide. “That has to do with
submarine operations, activities of aeronautical design, including stealth; that
also involves capacities on missile capabilities,” he said. Admiral Samuel
Paparo, commander of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, has similarly indicated that
Russia may be providing China with submarine quieting technology.
U.S. and Europe Should Intensify Pressure on Russia and China
The United States and European Union have imposed sanctions on some Chinese
firms for aiding Russia’s defense-industrial base. However, the Trump
administration has yet to add to the sanctions in place when it took power in
January. Washington, working with Western allies, should renew and expand this
effort as part of a broader campaign to increase pressure on Russia’s economy
and deprive its war machine of resources. In addition, Washington should tighten
restrictions on China’s defense-industrial complex, which is deeply intertwined
with the country’s civilian science and technology sector. By tightening
enforcement of current export controls, particularly on advanced semiconductors,
and introducing outbound investment screening measures, the United States can
impede China’s military modernization and inhibit collaboration between this
axis of aggressors.
**Jack Burnham is a research analyst in the China Program at the Foundation for
Defense of Democracies (FDD), where John Hardie is deputy director of the Russia
Program. For more analysis from the authors and FDD, please subscribe HERE.
Follow Jack on X @JackBurnham802. Follow John on X @JohnH105. Follow FDD on X @FDD.
FDD is a Washington, DC-based, nonpartisan research institute focusing on
national security and foreign policy.
The Student Intifada Escalates at the University of
Washington
Brandy Shufutinsky/The Algemeiner?June 11/2025
A suspended student group is supporting an organization that the United States
and Canada have deemed a terrorist entity, taking over an engineering building
at the University of Washington.
Students United for Palestinian Equality and Return at the University of
Washington (SUPER UW) was suspended from campus after refusing to cooperate with
university administrators who were investigating vandalism after demonstrations
in 2024. However, that suspension seems to be in name only, as SUPER UW has been
allowed to hold tabling events on campus, with some reportedly handing out
Hamas’ pamphlets (according to a Canary Mission video) and selling t-shirts
promoting “resistance.”
On May 5, SUPER UW published a manifesto stating, “WE DEMAND: UW will no longer
be complicit in genocide.” SUPER UW explained they were answering “the call” and
entered “a new global phase of repression and resistance, both in the
international student movement and on the ground in Palestine.” It is even more
concerning who may have issued the call.
In May 2024 Samidoun published “A call from the Palestinian student movement in
Gaza: Time for revolutionary escalation of the global intifada.” Samidoun is not
limiting their call to university students but is also calling for high school
students to participate in the “global intifada.” This is another example of
university campus influence on K-12 education, demonstrating the need for
transparency, not only in higher education, but in K-12 schools.
“Today we turn to high school students all over the world to participate widely
in the struggles and activities of the university student movement, organizing
demonstrations, sit-ins, and vigils, writing petitions and letters, and
organizing educational days about the Palestinian struggle and the goals of the
Palestinian people for liberation and return. Secondary schools constitute a
strong fortress and a great support for university students everywhere,” the
statement said.
SUPER UW explicitly supports Samidoun, issuing a “Solidarity Statement with
Samidoun Against Ongoing Repression” after the terrorist designation by the
governments of Canada and the United States.
More recently, SUPER UW shared their desire to “build a revolutionary culture in
the West, bridging the Palestinian resistance back home and the Palestinian
solidarity movement here in the imperial core to contribute to the global Camp
of Resistance.” After the murders of Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim by a man
yelling “free, free Palestine” — and after the fire-bombing of American Jews
marching for the return of Israeli hostages in Colorado — SUPER UW’s call to
“build a revolutionary culture” in the United States could be seen as a call for
more violence against Jews and other Americans. During a February 2025 rally
organized by SUPER UW, the group’s media liaison admitted, “Our fight was never
about the ceasefire, the fight is for a single Palestinian state, from the river
to the sea.” The suspended group was protesting the Boeing-UW partnership on the
construction of the Interdisciplinary Engineering Building on the university
campus. The response to a suspended campus group organizing a demonstration on
campus was lackluster. UWPD Chief Craig Wilson stated, “We welcome and honor
everybody’s freedom of speech, and we are here to support that. As long as
people don’t violate either university rules and regulations or state law, we’re
here to support everybody’s first amendment right to have freedom of speech.”It
should not be surprising that the University of Washington has been occupied by
rioters and arsonists. The UW administration has ceded responsibility by
allowing SUPER UW to continue to operate on campus, after being suspended.
According to a Forbes article published in 2023, UW receives approximately $1.56
billion Federal dollars for research and development. An institution that
receives that type of Federal investment should do everything in its lawful
power to ensure that groups are not handing out terrorist propaganda on campus.
The US Department of Education should require detailed disclosures on funding
for departments, professors, centers, and student groups, including line-item
reporting on how those funds are used.
**Brandy Shufutinsky is the director of Education and National Security at the
Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), which examines the threats and
vulnerabilities within America’s education system. Follow Brandy on X
@76brandy76. Follow FDD on X @FDD. FDD is a Washington, DC-based, nonpartisan
research institute focusing on national security and foreign policy.
Weakened Tehran Regime Hangs Innocent Man on Espionage
Charges in Attempt to Show Strength
Tzvi Kahn/ Real Clear World/June 11/2025
Pedram Madani is dead. Iran hanged the 41-year-old father of one on May 28 on
charges of spying for Israel, a classic judicial fabrication that Tehran has
wielded in the past to justify the execution of innocents in the hopes of
deterring popular dissent. Yet the present geopolitical context may have added a
fresh motive to the regime’s legal calculus. With protests still consuming the
country and the economy reeling, nuclear negotiations between Washington and
Tehran continue — and Israel stands ready to strike Iran’s atomic facilities if
the talks fail. Thus, the Islamic Republic may seek not only to intimidate its
citizens, but also to project renewed strength to its Western adversaries at a
moment of unprecedented weakness.
First arrested six years ago, Madani endured a trial devoid of due process after
the regime subjected him to solitary confinement, extracted a forced confession,
and denied him a lawyer of his own choosing. As the Norway-based nonprofit Iran
Human Rights (IHR) noted, Iran’s Supreme Court overturned Madani’s death
sentence three times, but after each reversal the judiciary referred him to
another court that reimposed the sentence. This cycle indicates the general
dysfunction and corruption of the judiciary, which ultimately answers only to
Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Madani’s fate marks the second execution in 2025 on spurious Israeli espionage
allegations that Tehran has formally announced — and comes in the wake of more
than 500 executions this year on a range of other charges. In April, Tehran
hanged 34-year-old Mohsen Langarneshin, whom the Islamic Republic’s official
state media described as one of the Mossad’s “top spies inside Iran.” But the
capital punishment came “without a fair trial,” which included “inconsistencies
and legal flaws,” said his father, Masud. According to Mohsen and his former
cellmate, the judiciary forced him to confess by inflicting physical and
psychological torture.
Both Madani and Langarneshin faced conviction not merely for espionage but also
for “corruption on earth” and “waging war against God” — amorphous,
all-inclusive charges that the regime often deploys to prosecute political
opponents. By their very nature, such accusations are distinctly religious,
reflecting the judiciary’s self-perception as messengers of God tasked with
imposing a radical Islamist order on Iran. In this sense, the regime’s
theocratic rule and genocidal ambitions against Israel constitute two sides of
the same coin: Both spring from a singular spiritual vision aimed at channeling
divine judgment.
As part of this worldview, Iran regards itself as locked in a permanent state of
religious war with Israel and the United States, both of which — from Tehran’s
perspective — will stop at nothing to destroy the regime, even if their main
preoccupation is Iran’s quest for nuclear weapons. Yet the mullahs’ Islamist
creed disorients their field of vision, causing them to misapprehend the Western
threat. The judiciary thus feels compelled to respond.
To be sure, Tehran may have good reason to fear Israeli espionage. In the past
several years, the Jewish state has waged a series of successful intelligence
operations against Iran and its regional proxies, profoundly embarrassing the
regime. In 2018, for instance, Mossad agents covertly broke into a clandestine
Tehran warehouse and removed some 55,000 files and 183 compact discs documenting
the regime’s illicit nuclear weapons program.
Last July, Israeli agents triggered an explosive device in a Tehran guesthouse,
killing Ismail Haniyeh, a leader of the Iran-backed terrorist group Hamas, which
is based in Gaza. Jerusalem’s message was clear: Israeli intelligence has deeply
penetrated Iran, and no terrorists residing there are off-limits. And in
September, in perhaps its most astounding operation to date, Israel detonated
thousands of pagers and walkie talkies carried by members of the Iran-backed
Hezbollah in Lebanon, effectively removing the terrorists from the battlefield.
Months later, upon returning to office, President Trump further humiliated the
Islamic Republic by reimposing his maximum pressure campaign, which has further
crippled Iran’s economy and compelled the regime to return to the negotiating
table. Washington’s move complemented and reinforced Israel’s operations, once
again exposing the regime’s vulnerability.
Of course, Tehran’s executions of putative Israeli spies based on flimsy
evidence hardly amount to a meaningful or legitimate counterattack. Whether the
regime even believes its own allegations against the defendants remains unclear.
The charges more likely stem from a toxic fusion of religious fervor and
political cynicism — and from a reinvigorated regime effort to convey fortitude
to the West and affirm Tehran’s ideology while simultaneously demoralizing
protesters at a precarious time.
Madani is merely the latest innocent Iranian to pay the ultimate price. More
victims are likely to follow. In the meantime, protests and nuclear negotiations
will continue. Their outcome remains uncertain. But one thing is for sure: The
regime is debilitated. Its leaders know it. And they are intensifying their
repression in the hopes of concealing it.
**Tzvi Kahn is a research fellow and senior editor at the Foundation for Defense
of Democracies. Follow him on X @TzviKahn.
A world at war is unlikely to save the oceans
Mohamed Chebaro/Arab News/June 11, 2025
The world has come together in France this week to look for a way to save our
oceans. It is no doubt an important mission, but it seems like an impossible one
in our world of conflict.
The third UN Ocean Conference in southern France is focused on adopting strict
rules to govern deep-sea mining and has warned against racing to exploit the
ocean floor, in a thinly veiled rebuke of the US. But one look at the real
problems and adversities affecting the viability of our oceans goes beyond one’s
imagination, especially since the actions to limit the damage do not measure up
across the board.
The anxiety of those gathered in Nice, including French President Emmanuel
Macron, is justified, but not only due to the madness of certain predatory
economic steps taken by individual countries that could harm the seabed, disrupt
biodiversity and release irrecoverable carbon sinks in the name of profit and
dominance. Scientists have also been warning about ocean acidification. Oceans
are known to absorb about 30 percent of all carbon dioxide emissions and that
starts chains of chemical reactions that result in increased acidity, which in
turn affects human and marine life.
Although geoengineering is offering some respite to the conscience of some, the
science of manipulating the Earth’s natural processes to try to solve the
problem chemically or through other inventions is still in its infancy. Its
efficiency has not been tested over time, despite the billions of dollars of
investment poured into the adoption of such unproven solutions.
Scientists claim that the oceans are today at the mercy of the evil twin of the
climate crisis — and that is the reduction of their pH levels due to carbon
dioxide being rapidly absorbed. It then reacts with water molecules, leading to
the oceans becoming increasingly acidic.
Headline-grabbing statements like those of the UN secretary-general, who warned
at this week’s conference that the world should not let the deep sea “become the
wild west,” could go a long way toward focusing minds. But this will not stop
powerful nations vying for control and economic supremacy amid the tussle over
contentious rules on mining and conservation. Nor will it heal the oceans for
the benefit of both humanity and the sea creatures that are vital in making our
world livable.
The mission of delegates to turn promises into protection and to deliver action
is quite challenging
Similarly, the mission of delegates to turn promises into protection and to
deliver action, rather than more rhetoric, to protect our ever-warming,
distressed oceans is quite challenging. A modest 8 percent of the world’s oceans
are currently designated as marine protected areas, despite a globally agreed
target of 30 percent by 2030. The failings are staring us in the face. This is
despite the efforts of some countries, such as Greece, Brazil and Spain, which
have rushed to put chunks of their national waters under protection by creating
marine parks. Such action is often challenged by a lack of funding and limited
enforcement, while it is especially challenging for squeezed smaller nations to
emulate.
The efforts by countries like France and the UK to ban some fishing methods,
such as bottom trawling in marine protected areas, must be applauded despite the
fact that they do not go far enough for economic reasons. Bottom trawling
involves huge fishing nets being indiscriminately dragged over the ocean floor,
rendering natural regeneration and the replenishment of sea life nearly
impossible.
This conference will, unfortunately, be little more than a talking shop and
another missed opportunity. This time it is not only because of bickering
between the Global North and the Global South, rich versus poor, but because
geopolitical competition between superpowers is rendering the minimal
multilateral action taken to save the oceans ineffective. This is a world
dominated by greed-driven economic competition and exploitation, dwindling
resources and more false and misinformed narratives than undivided truth, to the
point that trust has largely vanished.
Another key point is that a world that is unable to stop the killing in Ukraine,
Gaza and Sudan is unlikely, sadly, to get its act together and save the future
of the oceans — the lungs of our ecosystem that are today breathing with
difficulty.
The conference in Nice, like many other similar meetings, will console itself if
a last-minute flurry of signatures ensures the ratification of the High Seas
Treaty to protect international waters, which make up 60 percent of the world’s
oceans. Whether it will be binding or not is subject to its implementation and
enforcement. Macron told reporters this week that 55 nations have ratified the
treaty, only five shy of the number required for it to come into effect early
next year.
Admitting that global warming is human-made and that action is needed to remedy
it, through science and business and the transformation of economic and social
models that would take decades and a lot of money to enact, is one thing.
Consensus regarding treaties and conventions is another, as countries each
rightly put their national interests first and common interests last.
Above all, in a world where narratives of conflict dominate and geopolitical
calculations fail to align, failures are recorded on every level and in a
disheartening fashion. It seems like nations have ample resources to invest in
war and very little for protecting the planet and its oceans.
• Mohamed Chebaro is a British-Lebanese journalist with more than 25 years’
experience covering war, terrorism, defense, current affairs and diplomacy.
Kosovo deepening relations 26 years on from its liberation
Lulzim Mjeku/Arab News/June 11, 2025
Kosovo is a European country with the euro as its only official national
currency, but it is not a member of the EU. Kosovars can travel freely through
the EU Schengen Area, but the country is not a member of the free zone.
Kosovo has a NATO peacekeeping mission but is not a NATO member, although it
aspires to join the alliance as a peace-loving country.
The EU signed the Stabilization Accession Agreement in 2015, which was the first
contractual agreement between Kosovo and the EU. And since Jan. 1, 2024, Kosovo
has had a visa liberalization regime with the EU. In December 2022, Kosovo’s
leadership submitted a letter formally applying for membership of the bloc. Our
military was present in Kuwait in 2021 as part of an international peacekeeping
operation in the Inherent Resolve mission. It was decorated with medals in a
touching ceremony, for which I had the honor of being present. When the
devastating earthquake hit Turkiye in February 2023, Kosovo sent a search and
rescue team to help the country’s people in their time of dire need. Kosovo,
once a security consumer, is rapidly becoming a security provider.
As well as seeking membership of both the EU and NATO, Kosovo has also made
progress toward membership of the Council of Europe. One further step is needed
in order for it to be a fully fledged member.
Kosovo’s society is vibrant, young and European. But at the same time, it shares
some cultural values with the Middle East. Its most valuable asset is its young
and vibrant society, which is emerging in the global market. Kosovo has the
youngest population in Europe. The workforce is skilled and multilingual, and
English is only just short of an official language. Kosovo has an internet
penetration rate of 96.4 percent, making it the most business-competitive
country in the Western Balkans.
Kosovo also ranked first in the Western Balkans for real economic growth between
2023 and 2025 and in the rule of law, while in the context of improvement in
political rights and civil liberties, it is second in Europe and third globally,
according to the World Bank, the World Justice Project and Freedom House. Its
advancement has also been noticed by the Henley Passport Index and the Global
Passport Power Rank. And in Transparency International’s latest Public
Perception of Corruption Index, Kosovo was ranked in 73rd place, an improvement
of three places from the previous year.
Kosovo, located in the heart of the Balkans, has access to Southeast Europe,
Central Europe, the Adriatic Sea and the Black Sea. It is a member of the
International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, the Economic Bank for
Reconstruction and Development and the Council of Europe Development Bank.
Kosovo is the most business-competitive nation in the Western Balkans and
business development is easy. The tax burden, including total taxes and
contributions on profits, is 15 percent. The corporate tax rate is 10 percent,
the time required to start a business is 4.5 days, the average gross domestic
product growth over the past eight years was 4.1 percent, and total investments
as a percentage of GDP are 36 percent. Kosovo provides favorable conditions for
investment in various sectors due to it having the lowest labor costs in Europe
and stable government policies that support the business environment.
A new wave of information technology experts is making the country well known
due to their professional success. Some IT applications used in Saudi Arabia
were designed in Kosovo and this is an excellent example of the success of our
IT sector — which exports 70 percent of its services — in the competitive
international market. The Republic of Kosovo celebrates its 26th Liberation Day
on Thursday. In the past, Kosovo was a federal unit of the Socialist Federal
Republic of Yugoslavia. During the dissolution of the former Yugoslavia, Kosovo
had a unique situation, with active civil resistance and an armed uprising
against the prolonged occupation. Now, it is an independent country.
A new wave of information technology experts is making the country well known
due to their professional success.
Kosovo has established friendly relations with many countries based on respect
of the UN Charter, mutual respect for territorial integrity and sovereignty,
peaceful coexistence, disarmament, and opposition to racism.
The issue of recognizing Kosovo’s independence gained supreme legal relevance
thanks to the unequivocal opinion of the International Court of Justice on July
22, 2010. The Republic of Kosovo and its allies won their case before the UN’s
highest judicial body when it ruled that the 2008 declaration of independence,
adopted by the representatives of the people of Kosovo, did not violate any
applicable rule of international law. The declaration of independence and the
International Court of Justice ruling have secured Kosovo’s statehood. Saudi
Arabia supported Kosovo throughout, with a view to bringing peace and prosperity
to the whole Balkan region.
With this additional standard, Kosovo has consolidated its status and stepped
into the international arena with a proactive foreign policy. This and the
country’s recognition by many individual states represent a key contribution to
regional security. This is the key message of recognition.
Recently, Kenya and Sudan have recognized Kosovo, proving that such moves come
from all continents and that this process is irreversible. The process of
gaining recognition for Kosovo with regard to Organization of Islamic
Cooperation member states has followed the same course. A majority of OIC
members now recognize Kosovo. I would like to use this opportunity to express my
deep gratitude to the OIC, which has approved 15 political resolutions since
2009 calling on its member states to consider recognizing Kosovo.
Kosovo is deepening its relations with all countries, including with Gulf
countries. It established an embassy in Riyadh in 2010, followed by Abu Dhabi
and Doha in recent years.
Since its liberation 26 years ago and its independence 17 years ago, Kosovo has
transformed into a modern state. It seeks to foster its international role by
deepening bilateral relations with friendly countries and working to expand its
membership of international organizations.
*Lulzim Mjeku is Ambassador of the Republic of Kosovo to the Kingdom of Saudi
Arabia.