English LCCC Newsbulletin For
Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For June 13/2025
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news
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Bible Quotations For today
If the owner of the house had known at what
hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke
12/35-44/:”‘Be dressed for action and have your lamps lit; be like those who are
waiting for their master to return from the wedding banquet, so that they may
open the door for him as soon as he comes and knocks. Blessed are those slaves
whom the master finds alert when he comes; truly I tell you, he will fasten his
belt and have them sit down to eat, and he will come and serve them. If he comes
during the middle of the night, or near dawn, and finds them so, blessed are
those slaves. ‘But know this: if the owner of the house had known at what hour
the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also
must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.’Peter said,
‘Lord, are you telling this parable for us or for everyone? ’ And the Lord said,
‘Who then is the faithful and prudent manager whom his master will put in charge
of his slaves, to give them their allowance of food at the proper time? Blessed
is that slave whom his master will find at work when he arrives. Truly I tell
you, he will put that one in charge of all his possessions.”
Titles For The
Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published
on June 12-13/2025
The “Government of the Advisors’ Battalion” at Baabda Palace Complements
Hezbollah’s Battalions of Civilians, Media, and Clans/Elias Bejjani/June 11/2025
Video Interview Link from the "Transparency" Platform with Writer and Director
Youssef Y. El Khoury
Titles of the Interview with Writer and Director Yousef Y. El Khoury on the
Transparency Website
Lebanon’s Deep State Has a Name: Nabih Berri/Peter Germanos/X Platform/June
12/2025
Hanin Ghaddar: MP Paula Yaakobian Stupidity
Amine Bar-Julius Iskandar/The Dhimmitude Maronites
Lebanese President Aoun to meet Pope Leo XIV during Rome visit
Wave of Israeli airstrikes targets south Lebanon as drones overfly Dahieh
Israeli drone strike targets motorcycle in Deir Seryan, injuring one
Lebanese Army inspects building in Dahieh
Report: Araghchi told Qassem to show leniency, even on arms
Tenenti dubs US-Israel agreement to end UNIFIL's mission 'rumors'
Berri and Nassar lock horns over new financial prosecutor
Defense Minister visits UNIFIL in Naqoura, condemns attacks and calls for
mandate renewal
Major General Abdallah receives Army Commander; stress importance of
coordination between security agencies
With eyes on Iran, US sharpens Lebanon focus in high-stakes visit
Jeita Grotto set to reopen soon as tourism ministry, municipality reach deal
Lebanon risks losing US support over delays on Hezbollah, economic
reforms/Senior Trump envoy to travel to Beirut next week, officials say
Blue helmets and blind spots: The tragedy of UNIFIL in Hezbollah’s shadow/Makram
Rabah/Al Arabiya English/13 June/2025
'Adults' star Malik Elassal: Add Canadian comedian, actor and writer to the list
of comedy sensations/Elisabetta Bianchini/Yahoo News Canada/June 12, 2025
Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published
on June 12-13/2025
Israel attacks Iran’s capital with explosions booming across Tehran
Israel says it strikes Iran amid nuclear tensions
Rubio says US not involved in Israeli strikes against Iran
Israel says it launched ‘preemptive strike’ on Iran
Israel mulls solo strike on Iran’s nuclear sites as US-Iran talks set to resume
Trump says Israel should not strike Iran as nuclear deal ‘close’
Israeli official says strike on Iran may come 'as soon as Sunday'
IRGC commander warns Israel that Iran’s retaliation to any attack will be
unprecedented
Iran threatens nuclear escalation after UN watchdog board finds it in breach of
obligations
UN nuclear watchdog board censures Iran, which retaliates by announcing a new
enrichment site
Explainer-How Iran's network of Middle East power faded
US warns Iran over support for Houthis, asks UN Security Council for stricter
arms embargo
Hamas faces leadership vacuum at critical time with demise of Gaza 'War Council'
Islamic State reactivating fighters, eying comeback in Syria and Iraq
UN General Assembly overwhelmingly votes for Gaza ceasefire resolution amid US,
Israeli opposition
Egypt deports dozens planning pro-Palestinian march, organisers say
Egypt blocks activists aiming to march to Gaza to draw attention to humanitarian
crisis
Israel says it detained Hamas members during an operation in southern Syria
UN to vote on resolution demanding Gaza ceasefire, hostage release and aid
access
Israel is deporting 6 more activists detained on Gaza aid boat, rights group
says
Hamas says it killed 12 Israeli-backed fighters. Israeli-supported group says
they were aid workers
Netanyahu's government survives vote to dissolve Israel's parliament - AP
explains
Humanitarian workers killed in Gaza bus ambush that Israel blames on Hamas
US says airstrike killed Daesh official in Syria
In Armenia, rising ceasefire violations bring fears of war with Azerbaijan
Turkey to export 48 of its nationally produced fighter jets to Indonesia
Hegseth says the Pentagon has contingency plans to invade Greenland if necessary
Oklahoma executes a man who was transferred from federal custody by Trump
officials
Trump administration tells immigrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela
they have to leave
260 confirmed dead as London-bound plane crashes in India
Titles For
The Latest English LCCC analysis &
editorials from miscellaneous sources
on June 12-13/2025
Israel Unveils New Proof of Qatar and Hamas’s Close Collaboration/Natalie Ecanow/FDD-Policxy
Brief/June 12/2025
Did The Palestinian Authority President Really Condemn the Hamas Attack of
October 7, 2023/Bassam Tawil/Gatestone Institute/June 12/2025
Reconstruction and the Need for Disarmament/Fahid Suleiman al-Shoqiran/Asharq Al
Awsat/June 12/2025
The Attack on the Army and the Threats Facing Sudan/Osman Mirghani/Asharq Al
Awsat/June 12/2025
The Biggest Mystery of Elon Musk/The New York Times/Asharq Al Awsat/June 12/2025
Can Iranian Intelligence Target President Trump on U.S. Soil? Are Iranian Agents
Stirring Unrest in San Francisco?/Colonel Charbel Barakat/ June 12, 2025
Supporting Syria’s entrepreneurs a regional responsibility/Khalid Abdulla-Janahi/Arab
News/June 12, 2025
The Latest English LCCC
Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on June
12-13/2025
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.
Video Interview Link from the "Transparency" Platform
with Writer and Director Youssef Y. El Khoury
A bold and unconventional reading of Lebanon’s current
situation, the ambiguous stance of its rulers, the prospects of coming peace,
the reality of Hezbollah’s collapse and the need for its trial, the meaning of
the “Lebanese idea” and the Minister of Information’s ignorance of it, and the
illusion of what is falsely called a “new presidential tenure”
Titles of the Interview with Writer and Director Yousef
Y. El Khoury on the Transparency Website
Transcription, drafting, and translation by Elias Bejjani – complete editorial
Freedom/June 12, 2025
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/06/144167/
*I do not wish to evaluate the so-called ““new presidential tenure”, because
many Lebanese people already did so through their overwhelming outrage at the
appointment of former Hezbollah-aligned minister Ali Hamieh as presidential
advisor for reconstruction affairs.
*Personally, I see no reason for optimism under the leadership of a former army
officer and a former leftist. I don’t understand the logic that presents them as
Lebanon’s “saviors.”
*I was not surprised by the complete contradiction between the grand rhetoric of
the presidential oath speech and the government’s policy statement. Words and
texts remained ink on paper — and apparently will continue to do so.
*My advice to the rulers: move toward peace and begin implementing the tasks for
which you were brought to power.
*Let’s be clear: what is described as a “new presidential tenure" ” is neither
new nor promising. It is merely a continuation of the same ruling political
system and class, dressed in new faces.
*Army officers who assumed the presidency in Lebanon have all failed — including
Fouad Chehab.
*Lebanon’s current “insane asylum” status is a direct extension of the
entrenched power of the ruling class, the remnants of the National Movement, and
the hypocrisy and deception of the so-called “resistance.”
*This chaos will not end unless Hezbollah collapses, is put on trial, its
financial, cultural, and media institutions dismantled, and all those who
remained silent about its crimes, corruption, and Persian loyalty are held
accountable.
*We ask: whom is the government even negotiating with? Don’t they realize that
Hezbollah’s role is over, that it is exhausted, and that its military might is
no longer taken seriously?
*The Lebanese Army must confront Hezbollah and implement the ceasefire and
international resolutions — otherwise, why does the army even exist?
*What is certain beyond doubt is that the culture of the "Lebanese Front" was
based on liberation, freedom, statehood, sovereignty, and independence.
Meanwhile, the ideology and practices of the “National Movement",”in all its
forms and tools, have always been anti-state — producing only defeat,
destruction, chaos, ignorance, and desolation.
*The non-Lebanese nature of Hezbollah and its alignment with Israeli interests
is evident: in 1984, Israel and the South Lebanon Army supported Hezbollah
militarily in its war against "Amal Shiites Movement".
*Israel tolerated Hezbollah for decades because it served its strategic agenda —
it was merely a tool. But today, its mission is over. Israel is now in the Gulf,
and the Gulf is in Israel.
*Hezbollah has been militarily defeated, but Lebanon’s politicians and rulers
are still trapped in the illusion of its strength and dominance.
*Netanyahu has ended Hezbollah’s role and is continuing — through military
enforcement of international resolutions — what Lebanon’s leadership has failed
to do.
*Joseph Aoun, Nawaf Salam, and the current ruling class came to power after
Hezbollah’s defeat and exposure. Their mission was to implement international
resolutions and the ceasefire agreement — but they failed. They are not a “new
tenture”; they are a recycled extension of the old one.
*All the change that occurred was the result of Hezbollah’s defeat and the
termination of its role — credit goes to Netanyahu, while Lebanon’s ruling
system and political elites absurdly thank Syria's Al-Charaa!
*Our destiny now hangs on Netanyahu’s mood. He has been granted full freedom of
action in Lebanon by Trump — while the world couldn’t care less about our fate.
*Al-Charaa' is crawling to please Israel. His situation is miserable — may God
help him.
*The terms of UNIFIL’s mandate renewal — whether extended or terminated — will
be a clear indicator of the nature of the next phase: peace or war.
*Minister of Information Paul Morcos, it seems, is clueless and ignorant of the
very essence of the “Lebanese idea,” which is freedom. His resignation is
necessary, as he is unfit for the position he holds.
*Bachir Gemayel was a unique phenomenon, and the positive impact of his
leadership emerged just days after his election.
Lebanon’s Deep State Has a Name: Nabih Berri
Peter Germanos/X Platform/June 12/2025
The Real Power in Lebanon: Nabih Berri and the Erosion of Democracy
In Lebanon, the true center of power is not the rotating heads of state, but
rather one man: Nabih Berri. Since 1983, Berri's political ascent has never
wavered. His strength lies in his unparalleled ability to maintain control
across decades, outlasting presidents, governments, and crises. He has, in
effect, come to personify the "deep state" in Lebanon — a state within the
state.
Consider the timeline: while presidents have come and gone — Amine Gemayel,
Elias Hrawi, Emile Lahoud, Michel Sleiman, Michel Aoun, and now the
commander-in-chief Joseph Aoun — Berri has remained untouched. He has presided
over Parliament since 1992, anchoring himself at the heart of legislative
authority and extending his influence across all branches of government,
especially in administrative and judicial appointments. His grip on Beirut,
Lebanon’s capital and symbolic seat of power, is ironclad.
This longevity, far from being a symbol of institutional strength, has hollowed
out Lebanon’s democratic fabric. What was once hailed as one of the Arab world’s
most vibrant democracies has become a veneer of democracy masking a deeply
entrenched oligarchic system. Under Berri’s dominance, Lebanon mirrors the
political dynamics of Algeria or Egypt: elections are held, institutions exist,
but the outcomes are controlled, and the power structure is immutable.
Berri’s reign is not just a symptom of the Lebanese system's failure; it is a
major cause of it. His uninterrupted presence has normalized clientelism,
obstructed reform, and turned Parliament into a tool of preservation rather than
progress. What remains is a political regime that is democratic in form but
authoritarian in substance — a system that keeps rotating faces at the top,
while true power rests, decade after decade, in the hands of one man.
In a country defined by its pluralism and constitutional promise, Nabih Berri
stands as a symbol of stalled transition, representing how individual endurance
in office, when left unchecked, can become the greatest enemy of democratic
renewal.
Hanin Ghaddar: MP Paula Yaakobian Stupidity
https://x.com/i/status/1932933517911920820
This Lebanese (allegedly reformist) MP Paula Yaakobian says she was felt sad
when Hezbollah’s leader Hassan Nasrallah was killed - then she goes into a
rabbit hole of stupid justification and childhood analysis. Then the bomb: that
Lebanon is under an Israeli and US mandate. Walla! Not Iranian - no, Israeli and
American lol - ايمتى رح نرتاح من هيك اشكال
Amine Bar-Julius Iskandar/The Dhimmitude Maronites
Michel Aflak and Fares Chidiaq were more honest than Naufal Daou and Fares
Souaid,because,by fully assuming their Arab identity, they have courageously
converted to Islam
This is better than the schizophrenia that grants itself the privilege of
redefining Arabism and Christianity.
Lebanese President Aoun to meet Pope Leo XIV during Rome
visit
LBCI/June 12, 2025
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and First Lady Nehmat Aoun arrived at Ciampino
military airport on the outskirts of Rome, marking the start of their official
and family visit to the Vatican. Pope Leo XIV is scheduled to receive President
Aoun on Friday for a private meeting, after which the first lady and family
members will join to receive the papal blessing. Following the meeting with the
Pope, the Lebanese president is set to hold talks with the Vatican Secretary of
State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, as part of the visit’s agenda.
Wave of Israeli airstrikes targets south Lebanon as drones
overfly Dahieh
Agence France Presse/June 12, 2025
A wave of Israeli airstrikes targeted several areas deep in south Lebanon on
Thursday evening, as Israeli drones overflew Beirut's southern suburbs. The
strikes hit the al-Rihan heights in the Jezzine district, the Tebna area in the
Sidon district and the outskirts of the Jezzine district town of al-Aishiyeh,
which is President Joseph Aoun's hometown. Strikes also targeted the West Bekaa
area of al-Srayra. Earlier in the day one person was killed by an Israeli drone
strike on a motorcycle in the town of Nabatiyeh al-Fawqa near the city of
Nabatiyeh. Israel did not immediately comment on the strikes.
Israel has repeatedly bombed Lebanon despite a November ceasefire that sought to
end over a year of hostilities with Hezbollah, including two months of
full-blown war. According to the agreement, Hezbollah must withdraw its fighters
to the north of the Litani river, roughly 30 kilometers (20 miles) from the
border with Israel, leaving the Lebanese Army and United Nations peacekeepers as
the only armed parties in the area. Last week, Israel said it would continue to
strike Lebanon until Hezbollah was disarmed. The ceasefire requires Israel to
fully withdraw its troops from Lebanon, but it has kept them in five positions
it deems "strategic".
Israeli drone strike targets motorcycle in Deir Seryan,
injuring one
Naharnet/June 12, 2025
An Israeli drone strike targeted Thursday a motorcycle in the southern town of
Deir Seryan. The Health Ministry one person was injured in the strike. On
Wednesday a person was killed in an Israeli strike on Beit Lif also in south
Lebanon and a father and his son were killed Tuesday in Shebaa. Israel has
regularly bombed Lebanon since the November ceasefire that sought to end more
than a year of hostilities, including two months of full-blown war. The
agreement required Hezbollah fighters to withdraw north of the Litani river,
about 30 kilometers from the Israeli border, and dismantle all military
infrastructure to its south. It also required Israel to withdraw its troops from
Lebanon, but it has kept them in five positions it deems "strategic".
Lebanese Army inspects building in Dahieh
Naharnet/June 12, 2025
The Lebanese Army headed Thursday to Beirut's southern suburbs to inspect a
building at the request of the five-member committee supervising the
Israel-Lebanon ceasefire, media reports said. On Wednesday, Army forces
bulldozed the site of a building they had searched Tuesday at the request of the
committee in the densely populated Sainte-Therese street in Hadath in Beirut's
southern suburbs. The building had been targeted by an Israeli strike during the
14-month Israel-Hezbollah war. 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.
Report: Araghchi told Qassem to show leniency, even on arms
Naharnet/June 12, 2025
In his latest meeting with Hezbollah chief Sheikh Naim Qassem, Iranian Foreign
Minister Abbas Araghchi relayed a message from Iran’s supreme leader Ali
Khamenei that “Hezbollah should observe vigilance and caution and adapt to the
new situation in the region,” sources close to Hezbollah said.
Araghchi also told Qassem that Hezbollah’s “religious duty” at the moment is to
“protect itself until the situations change,” advising the group’s leadership to
“soften its rhetoric and seek rapprochement with the Lebanese state during this
period,” the Asharq al-Awsat newspaper quoted the sources as saying. “Qassem
responded by saying that Israel want to eradicate Hezbollah through the removal
of arms, prompting Araghchi to say that the arms can be recovered if they were
handed over and that what’s important is Hezbollah’s survival, which led to
uncomfortable silence during the meeting that eventually ended in a tepid
fashion,” the sources added.
Tenenti dubs US-Israel agreement to end UNIFIL's mission 'rumors'
Naharnet/June 12, 2025
UNIFIL spokesperson Andrea Tenenti denied Thursday in an interview with Al-Jadeed
an alleged agreement between the U.S. and Israel to end the peacekeeping mission
in southern Lebanon, calling such reports "rumors."Tenenti stressed that
UNIFIL's commitment to support the Lebanese Army, urging the Israeli military to
withdraw from Lebanese territory. Tenenti accused "Some parties" of hindering
UNIFIL’s movements in southern Lebanon, after several confrontations between
people in south Lebanon, where Hezbollah holds sway, and U.N. peacekeepers in
recent weeks.
Confrontations are typically defused by the Lebanese army and rarely escalate.
The November ceasefire agreement, which sought to end over a year of
hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, states that only Lebanese troops and
U.N. peacekeepers may be deployed in the country's south.
On Tuesday, United Nations peacekeepers said rock-throwing individuals
confronted them during a patrol in south Lebanon, calling repeated targeting of
their troops "unacceptable".The U.N. Interim Forces in Lebanon (UNIFIL),
deployed since 1978 to separate Lebanon and Israel, sits on a five-member
committee to supervise the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.In a
statement, UNIFIL said peacekeepers conducting "a planned patrol" coordinated
with the Lebanese army were "confronted by a group of individuals in civilian
clothing". Residents appeared in a video telling UNIFIL soldiers that they can't
enter private property without being accompanied by the Lebanese Army.Tenenti
said that Resolution 1701 allows patrols to operate without the Lebanese Army.
Also on Thursday, Lebanese Defense Minister Michel Menassa visited the UNIFIL
headquarters in Naqoura and stressed the importance of renewing the UNIFIL’s
mandate -- which is set to expire at the end of August -- in order "to restore
stability" in south Lebanon and "start the reconstruction" of war-hit regions.
He said he hopes the renewal will be done without any amendments.
Berri and Nassar lock horns over new financial prosecutor
Naharnet/June 12, 2025
A dispute between Speaker Nabih Berri and Justice Minister Adel Nassar of the
Kataeb Party is still delaying the new judicial appointments, sources told Al-Jadeed
TV overnight. “Berri is insisting on naming Judge Zaher Hamadeh for the
financial prosecutor post, which is being opposed by Nassar,” the sources said.
Shiite Duo sources also told Al-Jadeed that Berri is insisting on Hamadeh,
quoting him as saying: “Let me know if he has committed any violations. If not,
my choice is Zaher, Zaher, Zaher.”The sources added that President Joseph Aoun
and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam are mediating between Berri and Nassar to “reach
solutions that allow for the approval of these appointments.”Outgoing financial
prosecutor Ali Ibrahim, whose term has ended, was known for being close to Berri.
Defense Minister visits UNIFIL in Naqoura, condemns attacks
and calls for mandate renewal
LBCI/June 12, 2025
Defense Minister Michel Menassa visited the UNIFIL headquarters in Naqoura and
met with UNIFIL Force Commander Aroldo Lázaro. Several UNIFIL and Lebanese Army
officers were present, and a meeting was held to discuss recent tensions between
UNIFIL and residents. Menassa condemned the attacks on UNIFIL, which he said
serves Israel while stressing the importance of renewing UNIFIL's mandate.
Major General Abdallah receives Army Commander; stress importance of
coordination between security agencies
LBCI/June 12, 2025
Internal Security Forces Director General Major General Raed Abdallah received
Army Commander General Rodolph Haykal at his office in the General Directorate
headquarters. During the visit, General Haykal congratulated Major General
Abdallah on the occasion of the 164th anniversary of the Internal Security
Forces. The two officials discussed the general
situation in the country and stressed the importance of cooperation and
coordination among all security agencies.
With eyes on Iran, US sharpens Lebanon focus in high-stakes
visit
LBCI/June 12, 2025
The Lebanese border file—regarding both Syria and Israel—has been placed in the
hands of U.S. Envoy Tom Barrack, who is of Lebanese origin.
The Israeli-related part of the file will remain under Barrack's
responsibility until Michel Issa is confirmed as Washington’s ambassador to
Beirut. Issa is also of Lebanese descent. Lebanese American Massad Boulos, U.S.
Senior Advisor for Africa, is also expected to be involved.
Barrack is scheduled to visit Beirut next week following talks in Israel
that will address the situation in Lebanon and Syria.
Sources say Barrack’s discussions with Lebanese officials will focus on
Lebanese-Syrian relations, particularly on the demarcation of the eastern and
southeastern land borders, as well as the northern border between the two
countries and the maritime boundary. U.S. officials aim to resolve the
Lebanese-Syrian dispute over sovereignty in the Shebaa Farms area and to find a
solution to the expansion of the occupied Syrian village of Ghajar into Lebanese
territory. The talks will also cover how to address
the issue of Syrian refugees in Lebanon. In addition, Barrack may raise—at
Syria’s request—the matter of Syrian deposits in Lebanese banks. On the
Lebanese-Israeli front, Barrack is expected to clearly convey the U.S. position
on the necessity of disarming Hezbollah in accordance with U.N. Resolution 1701
and the ceasefire agreement. According to sources,
Barrack will tell Lebanese officials that actions—not words—will determine
whether serious negotiations can begin regarding Israel’s withdrawal from
remaining occupied Lebanese territories and the resolution of outstanding issues
along the Blue Line. U.S. sources emphasized the significance of the timing of
Barrack's visit to Lebanon, which comes amid a regional climate that could see
dramatic developments involving Iran—raising the level of U.S. pressure on all
regional files, including Lebanon.
Jeita Grotto set to reopen soon as tourism ministry, municipality reach deal
LBCI/June 12, 2025
Lebanon’s Ministry of Tourism announced on Instagram that Tourism Minister Laura
Lahoud and Jeita Mayor Walid Baroud reached an amicable agreement allowing the
municipality to temporarily operate, maintain, and manage the Jeita Grotto.
The ministry said the popular tourist site will reopen to visitors “very soon”
for the summer season, once final legal procedures—now in their final stages—are
completed.
Lebanon risks losing US support over delays on
Hezbollah, economic reforms/Senior Trump envoy to travel to Beirut next week,
officials say
Al Arabiya English/13 June/2025
The Trump administration remains hopeful that Lebanon’s government will fulfill
its commitments to the international community—chiefly disarming Hezbollah and
implementing key economic and financial reforms. But without tangible progress,
Beirut risks losing US support, American officials and sources familiar with
internal deliberations told Al Arabiya English. Several US officials, speaking
on condition of anonymity, pushed back on speculation that Washington is
shifting its Lebanon policy. However, they stressed that patience within the
administration is wearing thin. Among the rumors circulating is that the US and
Israel have agreed not to renew the mandate for the UN peacekeeping force in
Lebanon (UNIFIL), which comes up for a vote in August. A State Department
official rejected the claim, calling it inaccurate, although US officials are
considering changes to the mandate’s language, citing the need for more
effective enforcement. A delegation from the State Department’s Bureau of
International Organization Affairs is set to visit Beirut this week as part of
ongoing policy discussions in the lead-up to the UN vote. Meanwhile, Lebanon’s
defense minister has called for an unconditional renewal of UNIFIL’s mandate. In
a separate development, Tom Barrack—US ambassador to Turkey and recently
appointed special envoy for Syria—will travel to Lebanon next week, according to
officials familiar with his plans. Barrack, a close ally of President Donald
Trump who previously held Lebanese citizenship, is expected to assess progress
on disarmament and reform. He will also explore the possibility of initiating
border demarcation talks between Lebanon and Syria following his meetings with
Syria’s interim president, Ahmed al-Sharaa.
Focus on Hezbollah’s weapons
Deputy Special Envoy for Middle East Peace Morgan Ortagus recently underscored
the Lebanese government’s responsibility to disarm Hezbollah. Despite
unconfirmed reports that she had been removed from her post, Ortagus remains in
her role, according to the State Department website. While the LAF has deployed
to areas it previously was unwilling or incapable of deploying to, “there’s a
lot more to go,” Ortagus said. She said Lebanese authorities had done “more in
the last six months than they probably have in the last 15 years.”Under a
ceasefire agreement reached last November, Hezbollah was to withdraw its
fighters north of the Litani River while Israel pulled out of southern Lebanon.
Yet Hezbollah says it will not discuss its remaining weapons until the Israeli
occupation of five border points ends. Washington maintains that Hezbollah must
fully disarm and dismantle its military infrastructure throughout Lebanon, not
just the south. Officials welcomed Beirut’s recent decision to enter and
demilitarize Palestinian refugee camps—long governed by the 1969 Cairo
Agreement—but remain wary that this move could be a diversion from the more
pressing Hezbollah file. “We need to see more than declarations,” a US official
said. “The issue of Hezbollah’s arms must be addressed swiftly.”
Economic reform and foreign aid
The Trump administration also continues to press Lebanon to enact long-awaited
economic reforms following its financial collapse, the recent Hezbollah-Israel
war, and decades of systemic corruption. US officials noted a broad consensus
among Washington, Gulf allies, and international financial institutions that aid
will only increase once Lebanon enacts clearly defined reforms. The US is
clear-eyed about the challenges due to, among other things, the fact that
Parliament is run by Hezbollah ally Nabih Berri, who has long been seen as a
face of corruption in Lebanon. Berri’s control over the finance ministry has
enabled him to block key reform efforts. Still, the US expects concrete movement
on reform measures in the near term. “We want to see results, and we want to see
them quickly,” another US official said.
Blue helmets and blind spots: The tragedy of UNIFIL in
Hezbollah’s shadow
Makram Rabah/Al Arabiya English/13 June/2025
It is perhaps ironic and tragic when two bitter enemies find themselves aligned
on the same side of a cause—one that reveals malicious and self-destructive
tendencies. The recent developments in southern Lebanon involving Israel,
Hezbollah, and the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) serve as a
stark example. Over the past few years, the 10,000-strong UN peacekeeping force,
stationed in the south since 1978, has come under intense political pressure
from Israel and the United States. Its funding has been challenged, with
accusations that UNIFIL is complicit with Hezbollah, allegedly allowing the
group to use the UN’s presence as cover to arm itself and expand its vast
network of tunnels and bunkers. Conversely, Hezbollah openly denounces UNIFIL,
branding it a spy network and a tool of Israel, whose sole purpose, they claim,
is to monitor and report on Iranian-backed militias. As a result, mobs of
Hezbollah supporters have assaulted UN patrols, going so far as to ambush and
kill Irish peacekeeper Seán Rooney in December 2022. Most recently, a mob of
villagers confronted Finnish peacekeepers. These so-called village attacks on
peacekeepers have noticeably intensified in recent months, coinciding with
efforts by the Lebanese government, Israel, and the international community to
enforce UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1701. This resolution calls for
the complete disarmament of Hezbollah and its allied factions.
In reality, both Israel and Hezbollah are aggressively working to undermine
UNIFIL’s mandate. Given the momentum of recent events, the dissolution of
UNIFIL’s presence may not be difficult to achieve.
Israel has publicly advocated for defunding UNIFIL on multiple occasions,
arguing that its operations provide Hezbollah and its surrounding communities
with political and economic cover. Currently, UNIFIL’s budget is around $500
million, allocated partly to military operations and partly to socio-economic
programs, such as healthcare and education, serving the southern Lebanese
population—a majority of whom vocally support Hezbollah. Israel maintains that
despite UNIFIL’s presence since 1978, Hezbollah has continued to operate freely,
even building tunnels mere feet from UN observation posts.
The exit of UNIFIL would also have significant humanitarian consequences. Many
communities in southern Lebanon, particularly among the Shiite population, have
benefited from the UN’s medical and educational services. With their departure,
residents would become even more reliant on Hezbollah’s social service
networks—services that are both politicized and strategically designed to foster
dependency. This outcome would be counterproductive to the broader goal of
diminishing Hezbollah’s influence and achieving lasting disarmament.
Hezbollah, for its part, publicly antagonizes UNIFIL yet does not genuinely wish
for their departure. The peacekeepers serve as human shields and a distraction
from Hezbollah’s growing militarization—an issue that is not only of
international concern but increasingly a domestic Lebanese one. In truth,
peacekeepers should not be tasked with disarming a powerful militia responsible
for provoking war and devastation in southern Lebanon. This responsibility lies
squarely with the Lebanese state, which must exercise full sovereignty over its
territory and borders.
The ongoing attacks on UNIFIL, carried out by supposedly outraged villagers, are
exacerbated by the weak and symbolic condemnations issued by the Lebanese
government. Despite official statements denouncing such violence, authorities
have consistently failed to prevent their recurrence. UNIFIL peacekeepers are,
in theory, under the protection of the Lebanese state and its armed forces.
Therefore, any assault by so-called disgruntled villagers should be met with
decisive accountability—a standard sorely lacking in Lebanon’s political
leadership.
Looking ahead, if UNIFIL is to remain operational in Lebanon, it must do so
under Chapter VII of the UN Charter, which allows for immediate action without
requiring consent or cooperation from the Lebanese state or its army.
Whatever the future holds for Lebanon, and the people of the south, the chaos
surrounding these attacks cannot obscure the root issue—Hezbollah’s weapons,
which represent a clear and immediate threat to Lebanon’s sovereignty and
stability. UNIFIL has long functioned as training wheels on a child’s
bicycle—supportive yet temporary. However, the time has come for Lebanon, now a
sovereign adult, to assume full responsibility and move forward without external
crutches. The blue-helmeted peacekeepers can only be effective if the villagers
come to understand who their true enemies are. Allowing Hezbollah—or any future
militant entity—to manipulate and use them will only lead to further
marginalization and make them dangerously expendable.
'Adults' star Malik Elassal:
Add Canadian comedian, actor and writer to the list of comedy sensations
Elisabetta Bianchini/Yahoo News Canada/June 12, 2025
https://youtu.be/dIUyP-tKWbw
"I'm really lucky that I get to have my dreams come
true," Elassal said
For decades, comedy has been considered one of Canada's greatest exports,
including notable talents like Eugene Levy, Martin Short, Catherine O'Hara and
the late John Candy. Adding to that legacy is Malik Elassal, who stars in the
popular new show Adults (on Disney+ in Canada, Hulu in the U.S.), created by Ben
Kronengold and Rebecca Shaw (The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon).
Making the move from Alberta to the U.S., incredibly skilled in hysterical
stand-up comedy, with moments from his sets going viral, Elassal is set to be
among Canada's comedy legends. And what makes Adults a great introduction to
him, for many, is that the show really showcases each cast member's unique
strengths."We all come from these different places. ... Amita [Rao] is an
improviser, Lucy [Freyer] was an actor in Juilliard. But then when we come
together, we sort of have our our own rhythm that's outside of improv training,
outside of more standard actors training, or outside of TikTok," Elassal told
Yahoo Canada. In Aults, a group of friends move in together in Samir's (Malik
Elassal) childhood home in New York. Samir is trying, at least sometimes, to
take on more responsibility in life, Billie (Lucy Freyer) is pursuing a career
in journalism, Anton (Owen Thiele) was Samir's college roommate who can be
friends with anyone. Issa (Amita Rao) is taking on odd jobs with her infectious
personality, and she's dating Paul Baker (Jack Innanen), who she convinces Samir
to let move in with the rest of the group.
The show in intensely funny in a way that leans into absurdity at times,
awkwardness at others, and navigates different elements and styles of comedy
effortlessly, largely thanks to this impressive cast.
With Elassal already receiving positive feedback from the show, he's really just
happy to make people smile and laugh.
"It feels like it falls in line with my love language, to give somebody this big
thing and for them to enjoy it," he said.
Lucy Freyer, Owen Thiele, and Amita Rao attend FX's "Adults" premiere event at
Highland Park Bowl on May 20, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Phillip
Faraone/Getty Images for FX Networks) (Phillip Faraone via Getty Images)
How 'Adults' cast informed the show's story
As Elassal described, a lot of the brilliant on-screen chemistry we see between
this group of friends in Adults was informed by the natural evolution of the
group's off-screen dynamic.
"[When] we started hanging out and started being on set, you just realize that
somebody has been on the same version of the internet as you," Elassal said
about his friendship with fellow Canadian Jack Innanen. "We just really became
close."
With Samir having a particularly close frienship with Billie in the show,
Elassal added that even just taking walks with Lucy Freyer and ribbing each
other in real life help develop what we see on-screen.
Additionally, Kronengold and Shaw looked to the actors to add to their scripts.
"We started to find out that things from our lives would end up in the script,"
Elassal said. "So we'd have takes where we got to add things in there, and that
was always really fun."
A particularly hysterical moment in the show is Episode 6, where Billie is
hosting her boyfriend, and her former high school teacher, played by Charlie
Cox, for dinner. As Billie tries to get all of her roommates in line, with the
hopes of a more sophisticated evening, things quickly take an unexpected and
hysterical turn when Cox's character shows up high on a "pony dose" of ketamine,
and Paul Baker's friend, who happens to be Julia Fox (who's playing herself),
comes over for the meal.
"We were block shooting the whole series, so every episode was over the span of
like four or five days, or so. And usually we have different locations and we
were going to different places, but ... for like four or five days in a row
we're just in this house, basically," Elassal explained about that epiosde. "And
I'm in this giant suit looking ridiculous and running around, and it just felt
like a day that never ended."
"It really kind of led into this dreary, looming feeling that the episode has.
... Charlie would show up, and then me and Charlie would have scenes together at
like 2:00 a.m., after everybody went home, and he was kissing me on the
forehead. It's all just very surreal. ... And then one day they're like, 'Oh,
hey, Julia Fox is coming today.' ... You see my reaction to Julia Fox being on
my couch in the episode, ... it's basically just how I felt."
'I'm really lucky that I get to have my dreams come true'
In terms of what drew Elassal to a career in comedy, there wasn't necessarily a
specific "breakthrough" moment, but he can identify the time that he understood
the feeling of being able to make people laugh.
"I remember a moment watching my older cousin, when I was younger, stand up and
do an impression of his dad to all of the aunts and uncles, ... and him making
them all laugh so hard," Elassal said. "And I was like, 'Oh, this is the coolest
person I've ever seen.'"
"I think something from that time might have gotten in my head of like, that's a
real, worthwhile thing to do in your life, is to be able to make a group of
people that happy."
While a Canadian making the move to the U.S. always feels like a big
professional step, it was a "culture shock" for the Calgary-raised Lebanese
Canadian talent.
"It's insane. It's such a culture shock," Elassal said. "You're going to the
airport in America and they have signs up like, hey please don't bring your gun
on the plane. And I'm like, are people doing that?"
"I mean, there's a craziness to America. And it's fun to live there. But
whenever I come back to Canada, I still feel at home, even though New York is
home right now."
As Elassal's career progresses, from stand-up comedy to TV, and even joining
projects from other famed comedians, like an episode of Pete Holmes' podcast,
"You Made It Weird," we certainly can't wait to see what Elassal does next.
"It's unbelievable. I'm consistently so happy to get to meet all these people
that I was already such a fan of, and it's amazing to get to work with them," he
said. "It's such a dream come true. ... I'm really lucky that I get to have my
dreams come true."
https://ca.yahoo.com/news/adults-star-malik-elassal-add-canadian-comedian-actor-and-writer-to-the-list-of-comedy-sensations-040316740.html
The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published
on June 12-13/2025
Israel attacks
Iran’s capital with explosions booming across Tehran
AP/June 13, 2025
JERUSALEM: Israel attacked Iran’s capital early Friday, with explosions booming
across Tehran as Israel said it targeted nuclear and military sites. The attack
comes as tensions have reached new heights over Tehran’s rapidly advancing
nuclear program. The Board of Governors at the International Atomic Energy
Agency for the first time in 20 years on Thursday censured Iran over it not
working with its inspectors. Iran immediately announced it would establish a
third enrichment site in the country and swap out some centrifuges for
more-advanced ones. Israel for years has warned it will not allow Iran to build
a nuclear weapon, something Tehran insists it doesn’t want — though official
there have repeatedly warned it could build them. The US has been preparing for
something to happen, already pulling some diplomats from Iraq’s capital and
offering voluntary evacuations for the families of US troops in the wider Middle
East.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in an address on YouTube
that the attacks will continue “for as many days at it takes to remove this
threat.” US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Israel took “unilateral action
against Iran” and that Israel advised the US that it believed the strikes were
necessary for its self-defense. “We are not involved in strikes against Iran and
our top priority is protecting American forces in the region,” Rubio said in a
statement released by the White House. Rubio also issued a warning to Iran that
it should not target US interests or personnel. People in Tehran awoke to the
sound of the blast. State television acknowledged the blast. It wasn’t
immediately clear what had been hit, though smoke could be rising from Chitgar,
a neighborhood in western Tehran. There are no known nuclear sites in that area
— but it wasn’t immediately clear if anything was happening in the rest of the
country. An Israeli military official says that his country targeted Iranian
nuclear sites, without identifying them. The official spoke to journalists on
condition of anonymity to discuss the ongoing operation, which is also targeting
military sites. Benchmark Brent crude spiked on the attack, rising nearly 5
percent on the news. Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz said that his country
carried out the attack, without saying what it targeted. “In the wake of the
state of Israel’s preventive attack against Iran, missile and drone attacks
against Israel and its civilian population are expected immediately,” he said in
a statement.The statement added that Katz “signed a special order declaring an
emergency situation in the home front.”“It is essential to listen to
instructions from the home front command and authorities to stay in protected
areas,” it said. Both Iran and Israel closed their airspace. As the explosions
in Tehran started, President Donald Trump was on the lawn of the White House
mingling with members of Congress. It was unclear if he had been informed but
the president continued shaking hands and posing for pictures for several
minutes. Trump earlier said he was urging Netanyahu to hold off from taking
action for the time being while the administration negotiated with Iran. “As
long as I think there is a (chance for an) agreement, I don’t want them going in
because I think it would blow it,” Trump told reporters.
Israel says it strikes Iran amid nuclear tensions
Reuters/June 12, 2025
JERUSALEM/TEHRAN/WASHINGTON -Israel said early on Friday that it struck Iran,
and Iranian media said explosions were heard in Tehran as tensions mounted over
U.S. efforts to win Iran's agreement to halt production of material for an
atomic bomb. Israel said it was declaring a state of emergency in anticipation
of a missile and drone strike by Tehran.An Israeli military official said Israel
was striking "dozens" of nuclear and military targets. The official said Iran
had enough material to make 15 nuclear bombs within days. "Following the
preemptive strike by the State of Israel against Iran, a missile and UAV (drone)
attack against the State of Israel and its civilian population is expected in
the immediate timeframe," Defence Minister Israel Katz said in a statement. Two
U.S. officials who spoke on condition of anonymity said Israel had begun
carrying out strikes on Iran and there was no U.S. assistance or involvement in
the operation. CNN reported that U.S. President Donald Trump was convening a
cabinet meeting. Crude oil prices jumped more than $3 a barrel on the news.
Iran's state TV said several explosions were heard in Tehran and the country's
air defence system was on full alert. U.S. and Iranian officials were scheduled
to hold a sixth round of talks on Tehran's escalating uranium enrichment
programme in Oman on Sunday, according to officials from both countries and
their Omani mediators. But the talks have appeared to be deadlocked. Trump said
on Thursday an Israeli strike on Iran "could very well happen" but reiterated
his hopes for a peaceful resolution. U.S. intelligence had indicated that Israel
was making preparations for a strike against Iran's nuclear facilities, and U.S.
officials said on condition of anonymity that Israel could attack in the coming
days.Israel has long discussed striking its longtime foe Iran in an effort to
block Tehran from developing a nuclear weapon. The U.S. military is planning for
the full range of contingencies in the Middle East, including the possibility
that it might have to help evacuate American civilians, a U.S. official told
Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity.
(Reporting by Reuters; Writing by Cynthia Osterman; Editing by Stephen Coates)
Rubio says US not involved
in Israeli strikes against Iran
Reuters/June 12, 2025
WASHINGTON: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Thursday the United States
was not involved in Israel’s strikes against Iran while also urging Tehran not
to target US interests or personnel in the region. “Tonight, Israel took
unilateral action against Iran. We are not involved in strikes against Iran and
our top priority is protecting American forces in the region,” Rubio said in a
statement. “Let me be clear: Iran should not target US
interests or personnel,” he added.
Israel says it launched ‘preemptive
strike’ on Iran
Al Arabiya English/June 12, 2025
Israel launched a “preemptive strike” on Iran, the country’s defense minister
said early Friday, after US President Donald Trump had warned that Israel could
soon strike Iran’s nuclear sites. “Following the State of Israel’s preemptive
strike against Iran, a missile and drone attack against the State of Israel and
its civilian population is expected in the immediate future,” Israel Katz said.
Two US officials told Reuters that Israel has begun carrying out strikes on
Iran, adding that there was no US assistance or involvement in the operation.
The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, declined to provide further
information. Iranian state TV reported that explosions were heard Friday morning
in the Iranian capital Tehran, but the reason behind the blasts was not
immediately clear. “Loud explosions being heard in different locations of the
capital Tehran,” state TV reported without providing details.
Israel mulls solo strike on Iran’s nuclear
sites as US-Iran talks set to resume
Al Arabiya English/13 June/2025
https://youtu.be/-S586M06O1Q
In this episode of W News, presented
by Leigh-Ann Gerrans, we report on media claims that Israel is considering
military action against Iran’s nuclear infrastructure in the coming days –
without US support. This comes as the US and Iran prepare for a sixth round of
nuclear talks in Oman, with sharp divisions over uranium enrichment: Iran calls
it a “non-negotiable” right for civilian use, while the US says it could lead to
nuclear weapons development.
Guests:
Doron Spielman – Israeli military International Spokesman (res.)
Harald Troch – Former Austrian MP
Halyna Yanchenko – Ukrainian MP
Camile Nedelec – Correspondent
Trump says Israel should not strike Iran as nuclear deal ‘close’
AFP/12 June/2025
On whether Israel could attack Iran, Trump said: “I don’t want to say imminent,
but it looks like it’s something that could very well happen.” US President
Donald Trump called Thursday on ally Israel not to strike Iran’s nuclear sites,
saying a deal remained close if Tehran compromises. Trump acknowledged that
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was considering a strike, which he
said could spark a “massive conflict” – leading to a US decision to draw down
embassy staff in the region. “We are fairly close to a pretty good agreement,”
Trump told reporters. Asked about his discussions with Netanyahu, Trump said: “I
don’t want them going in, because I think it would blow it.”Trump quickly added:
“Might help it actually, but it also could blow it.”Trump’s Middle East pointman
Steve Witkoff is set to hold a sixth round of talks on Sunday in Oman with Iran,
which defiantly said it would raise levels of uranium enrichment – the key
sticking point in talks. Trump again described himself as a man of peace and
said he would prefer a negotiated settlement with Iran. “I’d love to avoid the
conflict. Iran’s going to have to negotiate a little bit tougher – meaning
they’re going to have to give us some things that they’re not willing to give us
right now,” he said. On whether Israel could attack Iran, Trump said: “I don’t
want to say imminent, but it looks like it’s something that could very well
happen.”
Israeli official says
strike on Iran may come 'as soon as Sunday'
Naharnet/12 June/2025
Israel is prepared to attack Iran in the coming days if Tehran rejects a U.S.
proposal that would place tough limits on its nuclear program, Trump
administration and Israeli officials told the Wall Street Journal. A senior
Israeli official warned in remarks to the U.S. newspaper that a strike could
come as soon as Sunday unless Iran agrees to halt production of fissile material
that can be used to make an atomic bomb.
IRGC commander warns Israel that
Iran’s retaliation to any attack will be unprecedented
Al Arabiya English/12 June/2025
Iran’s retaliation to any Israeli aggression will be “more forceful and
destructive” than in past offensives, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)
commander Hossein Salami told state media on Thursday, after Tehran said it had
been alerted of a potential attack. Israel and Iran exchanged fire twice last
year, the first such direct attacks between the region’s most entrenched
enemies. US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday US personnel were being
moved out of the Middle East because it could become a dangerous place, adding
that the United States would not allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon. A senior
Iranian official told Reuters on Thursday that a “friendly” regional country had
alerted Tehran over a potential military strike by Israel. The official also
said that Iran will not abandon its right to uranium enrichment because of
mounting frictions in the region. “We don’t want tensions and prefer diplomacy
to resolve the (nuclear) issue, but our armed forces are fully ready to respond
to any military strike,” the Iranian official said.With Reuters
Iran threatens nuclear escalation
after UN watchdog board finds it in breach of obligations
Mostafa Salem and Frederik Pleitgen, CNN/June 12, 2025
Iran has warned it will ramp up its nuclear activities after the United Nations
nuclear watchdog’s 35-member board of governors adopted a resolution Thursday
declaring it in breach of its non-proliferation obligations. Tehran retaliated
by announcing the launch of a new uranium enrichment center and the installation
of advanced centrifuges – an escalatory move likely to complicate nuclear talks
with the United States set to resume this weekend. Nations attending the
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) board meeting in Vienna voted on the
resolution, with 19 in favor, 3 against and 11 abstentions, Reuters reported.
The IAEA has previously accused Iran of non-cooperation but Thursday’s move
marks an official finding of non-compliance and raises the prospect of
escalating the issue to the UN Security Council. The resolution was tabled by
European countries and the US after a May 31 IAEA report found Iran to be
non-compliant in its nuclear duties, including failing to answer questions on
uranium particles found in undeclared sites in the country, and its stockpiling
of uranium enriched to nearly weapons grade. Iran says the IAEA report was
politicized. Uranium is a nuclear fuel that, when highly enriched, can be used
to make a bomb. Iran maintains that its nuclear program is for peaceful
purposes. Tehran condemned the US, the United Kingdom, France and Germany for
tabling the resolution and said it has “no option but to respond.” A day ahead
of the vote, a senior Iranian official told CNN that “Iran intends to launch a
series of retaliatory nuclear measures as soon as the resolution is adopted at
the IAEA.”“These measures include scaling back cooperation with the agency and
imposing certain restrictions, activating advanced and new-generation
centrifuges, and removing monitoring cameras from the Isfahan facility,” the
official said.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on X last week: “Mark my words, as
Europe ponders another major strategic mistake: Iran will react strongly against
any violation of its rights.”In 2022, the IAEA censured Iran over uranium
particles found at the undeclared sites. Iran also dismissed that motion as
“politicized,” and responded by removing surveillance cameras from key sites –
depriving negotiators of up-to-date information on its enrichment program.
Heightened tensions
The IAEA board resolution comes as Tehran and Washington are in the midst of
complicated negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program. The two nations will hold
indirect talks in the Omani capital, Muscat, on Sunday for the sixth time,
Oman’s Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi said on X Thursday. Despite multiple
rounds of negotiations over a new nuclear deal, a major sticking point remains:
Iran’s insistence on its right to enrich uranium. Trump has said he’s grown less
confident in being able to strike a deal with Iran, saying in a new interview
that Tehran could be “delaying” striking an agreement. “I’m getting more and
more less confident about it. They seem to be delaying, and I think that’s a
shame, but I’m less confident now than I would have been a couple of months
ago,” Trump said in an interview with a New York Post podcast that was released
on Wednesday. Regional tensions have escalated significantly ahead of the next
round of talks. On Wednesday night, the US State and Defense departments made
efforts to arrange the departure of non-essential personnel from locations
around the Middle East, according to US officials and sources familiar with the
efforts. It’s not clear what caused the change in posture, but a defense
official said US Central Command is monitoring “developing tension in the Middle
East.”Trump said the personnel are being moved out “because it could be a
dangerous place, and we’ll see what happens. But they have been or we’ve given
notice to move out, and we’ll see what happens.”On Thursday, the US embassy in
Jerusalem also issued a security alert restricting US government staff and their
families from traveling outside of Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Be’er Sheva until
further notice.
UN nuclear watchdog board censures Iran, which retaliates
by announcing a new enrichment site
Stephanie Liechtenstein And Jon Gambrell/The Associated
Press/June 12, 2025
VIENNA (AP) — The U.N. nuclear watchdog’s board of governors on Thursday
formally found that Iran isn’t complying with its nuclear obligations for the
first time in 20 years, a move that could lead to further tensions and set in
motion an effort to restore United Nations sanctions on Tehran later this year.
Iran reacted immediately, saying it will establish a new enrichment facility “in
a secure location” and that “other measures are also being planned.”“The Islamic
Republic of Iran has no choice but to respond to this political resolution,” the
Iranian Foreign Ministry and the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran said in a
joint statement. U.S. President Donald Trump previously warned that Israel or
America could carry out airstrikes targeting Iranian nuclear facilities if
negotiations failed — and some American personnel and their families have begun
leaving the region over the tensions, which come ahead of a new round of Iran-U.S.
talks Sunday in Oman. In Israel, the U.S. Embassy ordered American government
employees and their families to remain in the Tel Aviv area over security
concerns. Nineteen countries on the International Atomic Energy Agency’s board,
which represents the agency’s member nations, voted for the resolution,
according to diplomats who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe the
outcome of the closed-doors vote. Russia, China and Burkina Faso opposed it, 11
abstained and two did not vote.In the draft resolution seen by The Associated
Press, the board of governors renews a call on Iran to provide answers “without
delay” in a long-running investigation into uranium traces found at several
locations that Tehran has failed to declare as nuclear sites. Western officials
suspect that the uranium traces could provide further evidence that Iran had a
secret nuclear weapons program until 2003.
The resolution was put forward by France, the United Kingdom, Germany and the
United States.
Iran lists steps in retaliation for the IAEA vote
Speaking to Iranian state television after the vote, the spokesman for the
Atomic Energy Organization of Iran said that his agency immediately informed the
IAEA of “specific and effective” actions Tehran would take. “One is the launch
of a third secure site” for enrichment, spokesman Behrouz Kamalvandi said. He
did not elaborate on the location, but the organization's chief Mohammad Eslami
later described the site as "already built, prepared, and located in a secure
and invulnerable place.”Iran has two underground sites at Fordo and Natanz and
has been building tunnels in the mountains near Natanz since suspected Israeli
sabotage attacks targeted that facility. The other step would be replacing old
centrifuges for advanced ones at Fordo. “The implication of this is that our
production of enriched materials will significantly increase,” Kamalvandi said.
According to the draft resolution, “Iran’s many failures to uphold its
obligations since 2019 to provide the Agency with full and timely cooperation
regarding undeclared nuclear material and activities at multiple undeclared
locations in Iran ... constitutes non-compliance with its obligations under its
Safeguards Agreement.”Under those obligations, which are part of the Nuclear
Non-Proliferation Treaty, Iran is legally bound to declare all nuclear material
and activities and allow IAEA inspectors to verify that none of it is being
diverted from peaceful uses. The draft resolution also finds that the IAEA’s
“inability ... to provide assurance that Iran’s nuclear program is exclusively
peaceful gives rise to questions that are within the competence of the United
Nations Security Council, as the organ bearing the main responsibility for the
maintenance of international peace and security.” The draft resolution made a
direct reference to the U.S.-Iran talks, stressing its “support for a diplomatic
solution to the problems posed by the Iranian nuclear program, including the
talks between the United States and Iran, leading to an agreement that addresses
all international concerns related to Iran’s nuclear activities, encouraging all
parties to constructively engage in diplomacy.”
Still a chance for Iran to cooperate with IAEA. A senior Western diplomat last
week described the resolution as a “serious step,” but added that Western
nations are “not closing the door to diplomacy on this issue.” However, if Iran
fails to cooperate, an extraordinary IAEA board meeting will likely be held in
the summer, during which another resolution could get passed that will refer the
issue to the Security Council, the diplomat said on condition of anonymity
because he wasn’t authorized to discuss the issue with the media. The three
European nations have repeatedly threatened in the past to reinstate, or
“snapback,” sanctions that have been lifted under the original 2015 Iran nuclear
deal if Iran does not provide “technically credible” answers to the U.N. nuclear
watchdog’s questions. The authority to reestablish those sanctions by the
complaint of any member of the original 2015 nuclear deal expires in October,
putting the West on a clock to exert pressure on Tehran over its program before
losing that power. The resolution comes on heels of the IAEA’s so-called
“comprehensive report” that was circulated among member states last weekend. In
the report, the U.N. nuclear watchdog said that Iran’s cooperation with the
agency has “been less than satisfactory” when it comes to uranium traces
discovered by agency inspectors at several locations in Iran. One of the sites
became known publicly in 2018, after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
revealed it at the United Nations and called it a clandestine nuclear warehouse
hidden at a rug-cleaning plant. Iran denied this, but in 2019, IAEA inspectors
detected the presence of uranium traces there as well as at two other sites.
Explainer-How Iran's
network of Middle East power faded
Reuters/June 12, 2025
At previous moments of tension over decades of rivalry with Western foes, Iran
was able to project power across the Middle East using a network of close allies
that meant any strikes against it threatened to trigger a formidable response.
Now, with talks deadlocked over its nuclear programme and U.S. President Donald
Trump saying an Israeli strike on Iran "could very well happen," Tehran must
face a fresh crisis with those capabilities greatly diminished. The United
States killed the mastermind of Iran's regional network in 2020 and since the
war in Gaza began 20 months ago, Israel has hammered Tehran's closest ally
Hezbollah while rebels ousted its main regional partner, Syria's President
Bashar al-Assad. Here is how Iran built up its "Axis of Resistance", how that
network has come undone, and the regional resources Tehran can still count on.
HOW DID IRAN BUILD UP SUCH A WIDE REGIONAL NETWORK?
Iran spent decades after its 1979 Islamic Revolution developing a network of
allies across the Middle East that accepted Tehran's leadership and shared its
regional vision of fighting what they described as Western imperialism. This
"Axis of Resistance", as it was dubbed, drew on the appeal of Iran's
revolutionary theocratic ideas to traditionally marginalised fellow Shi'ite
Muslims across the region, and on its staunch support for Palestinian
nationalism. It grew to include Hezbollah in Lebanon, President Bashar
al-Assad's government in Syria, Shi'ite Muslim armed groups in Iraq, the Houthis
in Yemen and the Palestinian militant group Hamas - extending Iran's influence
to both the Mediterranean and Red Sea. The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps
and its elite Quds Force lay at the heart of the axis. The IRGC answers to the
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and was set up soon after the revolution
as an ideologically committed counterweight to the regular armed forces. The
Quds Force operates as the IRGC's overseas wing, working closely with allies in
the Axis of Resistance to train and arm them, and to provide direction and
guidance in their military operations. Its tough, shrewd commander Major-General
Qassem Soleimani was killed by a U.S. drone attack in Iraq in 2020 after decades
spent knitting together groups across the region and Iran has struggled to
replace him.
WHY HAVE KEY PARTS OF IRAN'S NETWORK CRUMBLED?
When Hamas attacked Israeli communities on October 7, 2023, it triggered massive
military retaliation that has killed much of the group's top leadership
including political chief Ismail Haniyeh, who was assassinated in Tehran last
summer. Hamas is still fighting in Gaza and retains a significant presence in
the Israeli-occupied West Bank, but it does not presently boast a military force
capable of posing a realistic threat to Israel. The war quickly spread as Iran's
most important regional ally Hezbollah fired on Israel from Lebanon in
solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, leading to months of cross-border fire
between the group and Israel. That conflict suddenly escalated in September 2024
when Israel detonated thousands of booby-trapped pagers used by Hezbollah
operatives, killing and maiming hundreds of them. Over the following weeks a
string of Israeli airstrikes killed Hezbollah's top leadership including overall
chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, dealing the group a stunning blow and revealing
how far it had been infiltrated. Hezbollah accepted a ceasefire with Israel in
November and remains far from the powerful organisation that once threatened
Israeli security. Syria's Assad was ousted soon afterwards. Israel had targeted
top Iranian commanders in Syria with airstrikes over the summer, causing a
partial IRGC pullout. Without Iranian and Hezbollah support, and ally Russia
bogged down with war in Ukraine, Assad's army crumbled when rebels mounted an
offensive in late November and he fled in December.
WHAT REMAINS OF THE AXIS OF RESISTANCE?
With Hamas and Hezbollah greatly weakened, Iran can still turn to the Shi'ite
militias it supports in Iraq and to the Houthis in Yemen. Iraq has a
constellation of Iran-aligned armed groups but just a handful count among the
most loyal and powerful to Tehran, including Kataib Hezbollah and the Nujaba
group. These groups receive arms and directives from Iran and have pledged
allegiance to Iran's supreme leader but retain a degree of autonomy on their
operations inside Iraq. They have all but ceased attacks targeting U.S. forces
and Israel since last year. Analysts question how far they would go to protect
Iran if an attack was aimed at its nuclear sites rather than as part of an
effort to topple the Islamic Republic given that would pose an existential
threat to their main source of support. The Houthis have continued to fire
missiles at Israel, but their ability to pose a significant threat from their
distant base in Yemen is in doubt. Their attacks on Red Sea shipping have cooled
since striking a deal with the U.S. after weeks of bombings in the spring.
US warns Iran over support
for Houthis, asks UN Security Council for stricter arms embargo
Ephrem Kossaify/Arab News/June 12, 2025
NEW YORK CITY: The US sharply criticized Iran on Thursday over its backing of
the Houthis in Yemen, accusing Tehran of violating UN arms embargoes and
enabling attacks against Arab nations and Israel. Speaking during a UN Security
Council briefing on the situation in Yemen, the acting US ambassador, Dorothy
Shea, said Iranian support is allowing the Houthis to threaten Israel, Gulf
countries, and broader regional stability. “This council must not tolerate
Iran’s repeated violations of its resolutions,” she told fellow members. Shea
condemned the Houthis for ongoing cross-border attacks, including missile
strikes on Israel’s Ben Gurion airport, and threats of air and naval blockades
targeting Port of Haifa, as well as human rights abuses within Yemen itself.
“Israel has the right to defend itself,” she said. “We stand with Israel against
Iranian-backed terrorist groups, including the Houthis.”
The US envoy also highlighted what she described as evidence that the Houthis
were acquiring dual-use technology from Chinese sources, specifically the Chang
Guang Satellite Technology Company, which is linked to China’s military and
Communist Party leadership. In addition, she called for closer scrutiny of the
Houthis’ expanding ties to Somalian insurgent group Al-Shabaab, including an
investigation by expert UN panels. Shea highlighted the important role of the
UN’s Verification and Inspection Mechanism for Yemen as a critical tool for
preventing illicit arms shipments to the Houthis, and praised recent
interceptions of containers headed for rebel-controlled ports. She urged member
states to increase funding for the mechanism and provide naval assets so that it
can fully enforce its mandate. Shea also reiterated that even vessels cleared by
the mechanism might still face consequences under US law, given that Washington
has designated the Houthis as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, and warned that
any form of aid to the group could violate US antiterrorism statutes. The
ambassador condemned the Houthis for the prolonged detention of employees of the
UN and nongovernmental organizations, and diplomatic personnel, including
Americans, for more than a year on “fabricated espionage charges,” and called
for their immediate and unconditional release. “The Houthis bear overwhelming
responsibility for the deterioration in the well-being and safety of the Yemeni
people,” Shea added, as she accused the group of terrorizing civilians,
obstructing humanitarian aid, and profiting from illicit commercial activities.
The briefing came as UN efforts to address Yemen’s protracted conflict and
humanitarian crisis continue, with the organization’s special envoy to the
country, Hans Grundberg, and Assistant Secretary-General Joyce Msuya on Thursday
calling on council members to put pressure on the Houthis for a peace agreement
and the release of all detainees.
Hamas faces leadership vacuum at critical time with demise of Gaza 'War Council'
Rushdi Abualouf - Gaza correspondent/BBC/June 12, 2025
With the confirmed killing of Hamas's top military commander Mohammad Sinwar in
an Israeli strike, a chapter has closed on the elite leadership group in Gaza
that orchestrated the events of 7 October, 2023. Sinwar's demise follows the
confirmed killings of other central figures who sat on what came to be known
inside Hamas as the War Council. Sinwar, his brother Yahya, Marwan Issa and a
fifth unidentified figure formed the clandestine core that decided on and
directed the unprecedented assault on Israel - one which shook the region and
set off the conflict still unfolding in Gaza. The War Council, sometimes also
known as the Quintet Council, operated under conditions of extreme security and
secrecy. Direct meetings between its members were exceedingly rare. Instead,
communication occurred through older technology deemed more secure, like cable
phones, or via trusted intermediaries, all in an effort to minimise the risk of
interception or detection. This level of secrecy was not just tactical: it
reflected the council's critical role in Hamas's strategic decision-making,
especially in preparation for what became the most complex and deadly attack in
the organisation's history.The known members of the council included: Mohammed
Deif - the commander of Hamas's military wing, the Izzedine al-Qassam Brigades,
who is believed to have masterminded the 7 October attack. He was killed in an
Israeli air strike in July 2024. Yahya Sinwar - the political leader of Hamas in
Gaza and its most influential decision-maker in recent years. He was killed in a
firefight with Israeli troops in October 2024. Mohammad Sinwar - a senior
military figure and Deif's trusted lieutenant. Israel said this week that it had
identified his body in Gaza following an air strike in May.A fifth figure -
whose identity remains unknown to the public - who was in charge of organising
Hamas's security apparatus. He was targeted in assassination attempts before the
war and an air strike during it, and suffered such severe injuries that he can
no longer communicate or carry out any activities, according to one source
The 7 October attack marked a seismic shift in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The scale and brutality of the attack stunned observers worldwide - not just for
its immediate impact, but for its unprecedented scale. Hamas's military
preparations took years - including extensive tunnel construction and the steady
accumulation of rockets and weapons - but few analysts, regional actors, or even
rival Palestinian factions foresaw the magnitude of the offensive. The group had
long maintained strict control over Gazans and had often imposed harsh economic
measures, including heavy taxes, on an already impoverished population to fund
its military build-up. Yet even within the movement, there appears to have been
a limited understanding of the scale and consequences of the plan hatched by the
War Council. Its demise raises a profound question: what exactly drove its
members to pursue a course that many Palestinians have described as politically
suicidal? With Israel's overwhelming military response and the international
isolation that followed, the 7 October attack has increasingly been viewed as a
desperate gamble - one that lacked a clear political exit strategy and led to
massive suffering for Gaza's civilian population. Now, with most of the core
decision-makers dead, uncovering the deeper motivations and strategic calculus
behind the attack may no longer be possible. What internal debates occurred
within the council? Were there dissenting voices? Was this a bid for regional
relevance, a provocation timed with regional shifts, or a last-ditch effort to
break a long-standing siege?Answers to these questions may have died with the
men who conceived the plan. The dismantling of the war council leaves Hamas
facing a potential leadership vacuum at a critical time. Its military
capabilities have been severely degraded, its political leadership - who
operated out of Qatar until November 2024, after which their whereabouts became
unclear - is under intense pressure, and its traditional mechanisms of control
within Gaza have been deeply disrupted. The absence of a centralised strategic
command may lead to fragmentation within Hamas, or the rise of new, perhaps more
radical factions. Alternatively, it may open a pathway for recalibration - if
not by Hamas, then by other Palestinian actors seeking to fill the void left
behind. The fall of Hamas's War Council marks the end of a shadowy but powerful
inner circle that shaped one of the most consequential decisions in the
movement's history. Whether their legacy will be seen by Palestinians as one of
bold resistance or catastrophic miscalculation, one thing is certain: with their
departure, a defining era in the leadership of Hamas has come to a close.
Islamic State reactivating fighters, eying comeback in
Syria and Iraq
Ahmed Rasheed, Timour Azhari and Michael Georgy/Reuters/June 12, 2025
DAMASCUS - Middle East leaders and their Western allies have been warning that
Islamic State could exploit the fall of the Assad regime to stage a comeback in
Syria and neighbouring Iraq, where the extremist group once imposed a reign of
terror over millions. Islamic State (IS) has been attempting just that,
according to more than 20 sources, including security and political officials
from Syria, Iraq, the U.S. and Europe, as well as diplomats in the region. The
group has started reactivating fighters in both countries, identifying targets,
distributing weapons and stepping up recruitment and propaganda efforts, the
sources said. So far, the results of these efforts appear limited. Security
operatives in Syria and Iraq, who have been monitoring IS for years, told
Reuters they foiled at least a dozen major plots this year. A case in point came
in December, the month Syria’s Bashar Assad was toppled. As rebels were
advancing on Damascus, IS commanders holed up near Raqqa, former capital of
their self-declared caliphate, dispatched two envoys to Iraq, five Iraqi
counter-terrorism officials told Reuters. The envoys carried verbal instructions
to the group’s followers to launch attacks. But they were captured at a
checkpoint while travelling in northern Iraq on December 2, the officials said.
Eleven days later, Iraqi security forces, acting on information from the envoys,
tracked a suspected IS suicide bomber to a crowded restaurant in the northern
town of Daquq using his cell phone, they said. The forces shot the man dead
before he could detonate an explosives belt, they said. The foiled attack
confirmed Iraq’s suspicions about the group, said Colonel Abdul Ameer al-Bayati,
of the Iraqi Army’s 8th Division, which is deployed in the area. “Islamic State
elements have begun to reactivate after years of lying low, emboldened by the
chaos in Syria,” he said.Still, the number of attacks claimed by IS has dropped
since Assad's fall. IS claimed responsibility for 38 attacks in Syria in
the first five months of 2025, putting it on track for a little over 90 claims
this year, according to data from SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors
militants' activities online. That would be around a third of last year's
claims, the data shows. In Iraq, where IS originated, the group claimed four
attacks in the first five months of 2025, versus 61 total last year. Syria's
government, led by the country’s new Islamist leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, did not
answer questions about IS activities. Defence Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra told
Reuters in January the country was developing its intelligence-gathering
efforts, and its security services would address any threat. A U.S. defence
official and a spokesperson for Iraq's prime minister said IS remnants in Syria
and Iraq have been dramatically weakened, unable to control territory since a
U.S.-led coalition and its local partners drove them from their last stronghold
in 2019. The Iraqi spokesperson, Sabah al-Numan, credited pre-emptive operations
for keeping the group in check. The coalition and partners hammered militant
hideouts with airstrikes and raids after Assad’s fall. Such operations captured
or killed “terrorist elements,” while preventing them from regrouping and
carrying out operations, Numan said. Iraq’s intelligence operations have also
become more precise, through drones and other technology, he added. At its peak
between 2014 and 2017, IS held sway over roughly a third of Syria and Iraq,
where it imposed its extreme interpretation of Islamic sharia law, gaining a
reputation for shocking brutality. None of the officials who spoke with Reuters
saw a danger of that happening again. But they cautioned against counting the
group out, saying it has proven a resilient foe, adept at exploiting a vacuum.
Some local and European officials are concerned that foreign fighters might be
travelling to Syria to join jihadi groups. For the first time in years,
intelligence agencies tracked a small number of suspected foreign fighters
coming from Europe to Syria in recent months, two European officials told
Reuters, though they could not say whether IS or another group recruited them.
EXPLOITING DIVISIONS
The IS push comes at a delicate time for Sharaa, as he attempts to unite a
diverse country and bring former rebel groups under government control after 13
years of civil war. U.S. President Donald Trump’s surprise decision last month
to lift sanctions on Syria was widely seen as a win for the Syrian leader, who
once led a branch of al Qaeda that battled IS for years. But some Islamist
hardliners criticised Sharaa’s efforts to woo Western governments, expressing
concern he might acquiesce to U.S. demands to expel foreign fighters and
normalise relations with Israel. Seizing on such divides, IS condemned the
meeting with Trump in a recent issue of its online news publication, al-Naba,
and called on foreign fighters in Syria to join its ranks. At a May 14 meeting
in Saudi Arabia, Trump asked Sharaa to help prevent an IS resurgence as the U.S.
begins a troop consolidation in Syria it says could cut its roughly 2,000-strong
military presence by half this year. The U.S. drawdown has heightened concern
among allies that IS might find a way to free some 9,000 fighters and their
family members, including foreign nationals, held at prisons and camps guarded
by the U.S.-backed, Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). There have been
at least two attempted jailbreaks since Assad's fall, the SDF has said. Trump
and President Tayyip Erdogan of neighbouring Turkey want Sharaa’s government to
assume responsibility for these facilities. Erdogan views the main Kurdish
factions as a threat to his country. But some regional analysts question whether
Damascus has the manpower needed. Syrian authorities have also been grappling
with attacks by suspected Assad loyalists, outbreaks of deadly sectarian
violence, Israeli airstrikes and clashes between Turkish-backed groups and the
SDF, which controls about a quarter of the country. “The interim government is
stretched thin from a security perspective. They just do not have the manpower
to consolidate control in the entire country,” said Charles Lister, who heads
the Syria program at the Middle East Institute, a U.S. think tank. Responding to
a request for comment, a State Department spokesperson said it is critical for
countries to repatriate detained nationals from Syria and shoulder a greater
share of the burden for the camps' security and running costs. The U.S. defence
official said Washington remains committed to preventing an IS resurgence, and
its vetted Syrian partners remain in the field. The U.S. will “vigilantly
monitor” Sharaa’s government, which has been “saying and doing the right things”
so far, the official added. Three days after Trump's meeting with Sharaa, Syria
announced it had raided IS hideouts in the country’s second city, Aleppo,
killing three militants, detaining four and seizing weapons and uniforms. The
U.S. has exchanged intelligence with Damascus in limited cases, another U.S.
defence official and two Syrian officials told Reuters. The news agency could
not determine whether it did so in the Aleppo raids. The coalition is expected
to wrap up operations in Iraq by September. But the second U.S. official said
Baghdad privately expressed interest in slowing down the withdrawal of some
2,500 American troops from Iraq when it became apparent that Assad would fall. A
source familiar with the matter confirmed the request.
The White House, Baghdad and Damascus did not respond to questions about Trump’s
plans for U.S. troops in Iraq and Syria.
REACTIVATING SLEEPER CELLS
The United Nations estimates IS, also known as ISIS or Daesh, has 1,500 to 3,000
fighters in the two countries. But its most active branches are in Africa, the
SITE data shows. The U.S. military believes the group’s secretive leader is
Abdulqadir Mumin, who heads the Somalia branch, a senior defence official told
reporters in April. Still, SITE’s director, Rita Katz, cautioned against seeing
the drop in IS attacks in Syria as a sign of weakness. “Far more likely that it
has entered a restrategising phase,” she said. Since Assad’s fall, IS has been
activating sleeper cells, surveilling potential targets and distributing guns,
silencers and explosives, three security sources and three Syrian political
officials told Reuters. It has also moved fighters from the Syrian desert, a
focus of coalition airstrikes, to cities including Aleppo, Homs and Damascus,
according to the security sources. "Of the challenges we face, Daesh is at the
top of the list," Syrian Interior Minister Anas Khattab told state-owned
Ekhbariya TV last week. In Iraq, aerial surveillance and intelligence sources on
the ground have picked up increased IS activity in the northern Hamrin
Mountains, a longtime refuge, and along key roads, Ali al-Saidi, an advisor to
Iraqi security forces, told Reuters. Iraqi officials believe IS seized large
stockpiles of weapons left behind by Assad’s forces and worry some could be
smuggled into Iraq. Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein said Baghdad was in contact
with Damascus about IS, which he told Reuters in January was growing and
spreading into more areas.
"We hope that Syria, in the first place, will be stable, and Syria will not be a
place for terrorists," he said, “especially ISIS terrorists."
UN General Assembly
overwhelmingly votes for Gaza ceasefire resolution amid US, Israeli opposition
Ephrem Kossaify/Arab News/June 12, 2025
US describes the result as a reward for Hamas, says it does nothing to relieve
the suffering of Gazans or secure release of hostages, and undermines
negotiations
The UN General Assembly on Thursday overwhelmingly voted to adopt a draft
resolution demanding an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire in
Gaza, the release of all hostages and Palestinian prisoners, the unrestricted
flow of aid to the starving population of the territory, and the full withdrawal
of Israeli forces. The resolution was introduced by Spain in coordination with
the Palestinian delegation and a bloc of more than 30 nations, including Saudi
Arabia. A total of 149 nations voted in favor of the resolution, and 12 against,
including Israel and the US. Nineteen abstained, including India. The resounding
support for the measure came despite lobbying from Israel against what it
described as a “politically motivated, counter-productive charade.”Danny Danon,
Israel’s permanent representative to the UN, said the resolution “rewards the
terrorists responsible for the suffering of our hostages. This is not a peace
proposal. It is surrender.” General Assembly resolutions are nonbinding on
member states but they carry significant moral and political weight as a
reflection of prevailing global opinion. The president of the General Assembly,
Philemon Yang, opened the session by calling on member states to transform their
commitment to international law and justice into “meaningful action on the
ground … and end the horrors in Gaza.”Palestine’s ambassador to the UN, Riyad
Mansour, urged the international community to take “requisite actions to end
this genocide” and secure the release of the hostages. He said: “Israel’s
blatant contempt for international law and UN resolutions must lead to resolute
action, and it has to be done now. “No arms, no money, no trade to oppress
Palestinians, ethnically cleanse them and steal their land. This illegal,
immoral situation cannot continue. It has to stop and stop immediately.
“We reject attacks on civilians, whether Palestinians or Israelis. Enough
bloodshed, enough suffering.
“The actions you take today to stop the killing, displacement and famine will
determine how many more Palestinian children die a horrific death. The actions
you take today will determine if Palestinian children ever get a chance at
life.”
Speaking of behalf of Gulf Cooperation Council member states, Kuwait’s permanent
representative to the UN, Tarek Albanai, accused Israel of committing genocide
and using starvation as a weapon of war. He called on the international
community to uphold its responsibilities and “end these atrocities.”
The GCC has urged all countries to officially recognize the State of Palestine
at a summit that will take place in New York next week on a two-state solution
to the wider conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. “It is high time
Palestine became a full-fledged member of the UN,” Albanai said. Palestine has
held the status of Permanent Observer State at the UN since 2012 but is denied
full membership. The General Assembly vote came a week after the US vetoed a
similar resolution in the Security Council, arguing that it would undermine
Washington-led negotiations aimed at brokering a ceasefire agreement between
Israel and Hamas. The remaining 14 members of the council members backed the
resolution. Spain’s permanent representative to the UN, Hector Gomez Hernandez,
introduced the draft resolution to the General Assembly and called on the
international community to send “a robust message with the regard to Gaza.”The
text of the resolution, presented under the Uniting for Peace framework during
the resumption of an Emergency Special Session on Palestine, went further than
previous resolutions on the issue. It included language that underscored the
need for accountability to ensure Israeli compliance with the rule of
international law, a provision that drew a sharp rebuke from Israel and concern
from the US.
“This is both false and defamatory,” Danon said in a letter to member states
this week, in which he described the draft resolution as “immensely flawed and
harmful.”He warned that its undermines hostage negotiations, and criticized its
failure to condemn the Hamas attacks in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, in which 1,200
people were killed and about 250 were taken hostage. The vote on the resolution
followed stark warnings from UN agencies that famine is looming in Gaza, which
is home to more than 2 million people. Israeli authorities lifted an 11-week
humanitarian blockade on the enclave in mid-May but aid deliveries remain
sporadic. The text of the resolution supports a UN-coordinated plan to resume
deliveries of humanitarian aid and urges all states to always protect aid
workers, UN personnel and medical staff in accordance with the principles of
international law.
The resolution, the text of which was seen by Arab News, explicitly states that
it “strongly condemns the use of starvation of civilians as a method of
warfare,” and demands that Israel end its blockade on Gaza and “open all border
crossings” to ensure aid reaches the Palestinian population “immediately and at
scale.”It calls on UN member states to “individually and collectively take all
measures necessary,” consistent with the rule of international law and the UN
Charter, to ensure Israeli compliance with its legal obligations. It also
reaffirms the UN’s permanent responsibility for the Palestinian question until a
two-state solution is achieved. The vote on Thursday was the fourth on a Gaza
ceasefire resolution by the General Assembly since the war in Gaza began in
October 2023. The US has vetoed several ceasefire resolutions within the
Security Council, even as support in the General Assembly has grown and
abstentions from such votes have steadily dropped. Dorothy Shea, the US envoy to
the UN, described the Spanish-backed resolution as “yet another failure of the
UN to condemn Hamas.” She said it does nothing to help free the hostages,
improve lives of civilians in Gaza or move closer to a ceasefire, and instead
sends message to Hamas that it was being rewarded.
“We will not support resolutions that do not call for violent terrorist groups
to disarm and leave Gaza, and fail to recognize Israel’s right to defend
itself,” Shea said. “This resolution falsely accuses Israel of the use of
starvation as a method of warfare, while at the same time ignoring Gaza
Humanitarian Foundation efforts to cut out Hamas and deliver aid consistent with
the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality and
independence.”The vote took place in the run-up to a UN conference next week
that aims to revive the international push for a two-state solution, which will
be co-chaired by Saudi Arabia and France. The US warned that countries who back
“anti-Israel actions” in connection with the conference could be seen to be
opposing US foreign policy and might face diplomatic consequences. Despite the
US efforts to dissuade support for the Spanish resolution, it gathered wide
sponsorship ahead of the vote. Alongside Spain, the initiators included Chile,
Egypt, Iceland, Indonesia, Ireland, Jordan, Malaysia, Norway, Qatar, Slovenia,
South Africa, Turkiye and the State of Palestine. Additional sponsors, numbering
more than 30, included Brazil, Algeria, Saudi Arabia, Venezuela and Pakistan.
Palestinian casualties during the ongoing war in Gaza have surpassed 55,000.
Thousands more are believed to be dead under the rubble of countless destroyed
buildings. The resolution explicitly condemns the destruction of civilian
infrastructure and stresses the importance of protecting humanitarian operations
and medical facilities. It also references Security Council Resolution 2735,
adopted a year ago, which outlines a US-backed road map for a phased ceasefire,
hostage release, and eventual Israeli withdrawal, but has yet to be implemented.
Egypt deports dozens
planning pro-Palestinian march, organisers say
Reuters/June 12, 2025
CAIRO (Reuters) -Egyptian authorities have deported dozens of foreign nationals
who arrived in Egypt to take part in a pro-Palestinian march and dozens more
face deportation, the organisers and airport and security sources said on
Thursday. Hundreds of people came to Egypt this week for the Global March to
Gaza, an international initiative intended to exert pressure for an end to an
Israeli blockade of the Palestinian enclave and draw attention to the
humanitarian crisis there. Organisers said people from 80 countries were set to
begin the march to Egypt's Rafah Crossing with Gaza, and confirmed some had been
deported or were detained at the airport. Three airport sources told Reuters at
least 73 foreign nationals had been deported on a flight to Istanbul on Thursday
after authorities said they violated entry protocols, and that about 100 more
were at the airport awaiting deportation. The Foreign Ministry did not
immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. It had earlier said visits
to the Rafah border region must be coordinated in advance with Egyptian
embassies or government entities, and underlined the need to follow official
procedures to ensure safety and security. The organisers said in a statement
late on Wednesday they had complied with all the stated requirements. "In the
two months leading up to the march, organisers coordinated directly with
Egyptian embassies in over 15 countries and with the Foreign Ministry to ensure
transparency at every stage," the organisers said, urging Egypt to free all
those who had been detained. Israel's defence minister told the Israeli military
on Wednesday to prevent demonstrators entering Gaza from Egypt, and said the
march was a threat to Israeli and regional security. Egyptian officials have
said the Rafah crossing is closed by Israel on the Gaza side and want
international pressure applied on Israel to open it to allow in aid.
Egypt blocks activists
aiming to march to Gaza to draw attention to humanitarian crisis
Sam Metz/The Associated Press/June 12, 2025
RABAT, Morocco (AP) — Egypt blocked activists planning to take part in a march
to Gaza, halting their attempt to reach the border and challenge Israel’s
blockade on humanitarian aid to the Palestinian territory before it could begin.
To draw attention to the humanitarian crisis afflicting people in Gaza, marchers
have for months planned to trek 30 miles (48 kilometers) across the Sinai
Peninsula to Egypt's border with the enclave on Sunday to “create international
moral and media pressure” to open the crossing at Rafah and lift a blockade that
has prevented aid from entering. Authorities have deported more than three dozen
activists, mostly carrying European passports, upon their arrival at the Cairo
International Airport in the past two days, an Egyptian official said Thursday.
The official said the activists aimed to travel to Northern Sinai “without
obtaining required authorizations.” The official spoke on condition of anonymity
because he wasn’t authorized to brief the media. Egypt has publicly denounced
the restrictions on aid entering Gaza and repeatedly called for an end to the
war. It has said that the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing remains open, but
access to the strip has been blocked since Israel seized the Palestinian side of
the border as part of its war with Hamas that began in October 2023. Food
security experts warn the Gaza Strip will likely fall into famine if Israel
doesn’t lift its blockade and stop its military campaign. Nearly half a million
Palestinians are facing possible starvation, and 1 million others can barely get
enough food, according to findings by the Integrated Food Security Phase
Classification, a leading international authority. Israel has rejected the
findings, saying the IPC’s previous forecasts had proven unfounded.
Sensitivities and security
The Egyptian government has for years clamped down on dissidents and activists
when their criticism touches on Cairo’s political and economic ties with Israel,
a sensitive issue in neighboring countries where governments maintain diplomatic
relations with Israel despite broad public sympathy for Palestinians.
Egypt had earlier warned that only those who received authorization would be
allowed to travel the planned march route, acknowledging it had received
“numerous requests and inquiries.”“Egypt holds the right to take all necessary
measures to preserve its national security, including the regulation of the
entry and movement of individuals within its territory, especially in sensitive
border areas,” its foreign ministry said in a statement on Wednesday. Israel
Katz, Israel’s defense minister, yesterday referred to the protestors as
“jihadists” and called on Egypt to prevent them from reaching the border with
Gaza. He said they “endanger the Egyptian regime and constitute a threat to all
moderate Arab regimes in the region.”The march is set to begin just days after a
large convoy, which organizers said included thousands of activists, traveled
overland across North Africa to Egypt.
Marchers detained in Cairo
Activists and attorneys said airport detentions and deportations began Wednesday
with no explicit reason given by Egyptian authorities.Algerian attorney Fatima
Rouibi wrote on Facebook that Algerians, including three lawyers, were detained
at the airport on Wednesday before being released and ultimately deported back
to Algiers on Thursday. Bilal Nieh, a Tunisian activist who lives in Germany,
said he was deported along with seven others from northern Africa who also hold
European passports. He wrote on Facebook early Thursday that authorities “didn’t
give any reason or document stating the reason for deportation.”Governments of
countries whose citizens were reportedly detained or deported, including France,
had not issued any public comment on the activists as of Thursday morning.
Organizers said in a statement that they had received reports that at least 170
participants had been delayed or detained in Cairo. They said they had followed
the protocols laid out by Egyptian authorities, met with them and urged them to
let march participants into the country. "We look forward to providing any
additional information the Egyptian authorities require to ensure the march
continues peacefully as planned to the Rafah border," they said in a statement.
The Global March to Gaza is the latest civil society effort pressing for the
entry of food, fuel, medical supplies, and other aid into Gaza. Israel imposed a
total blockade in March in an attempt to pressure Hamas to disarm and to release
hostages taken in Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 attack that ignited the war in the Gaza
Strip. It slightly eased restrictions last month, allowing limited aid in, but
experts warn the measures fall far short. Israel’s offensive has killed over
52,000 Palestinians, more than half of them women and children, according to
Gaza’s Health Ministry, whose count does not distinguish between civilians or
combatants.
Israel says it detained Hamas members during an operation in southern Syria
The Associated Press/June 12, 2025
DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Israeli forces conducted an operation in southern Syria
to detain several members of Hamas, the military said Thursday. Syria TV, a
local station, reported that a force of about 100 Israeli troops stormed the
southern Syrian village of Beit Jin near the border with Lebanon and called the
names of several people through loud speakers who were detained. Syria TV said
one person was shot dead by the Israeli force. The Israeli military said that
the detained people were Hamas members who were planning attacks against Israel,
and that they were taken to Israel for questioning, adding that its forces also
found weapons in the area. The detained people were not identified. Since the
fall of President Bashar Assad ’s government in early December, Israeli forces
have moved into several areas in southern Syria and conducted hundreds of
airstrikes throughout the country, destroying much of the assets of the Syrian
army. The claim that the detainees were Hamas members could not be independently
verified. There was no immediate comment from Hamas or Syrian authorities.
During a visit to France last month, Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa said that
his country is holding indirect talks with Israel to prevent hostilities from
getting out of control.
UN to vote on resolution demanding Gaza ceasefire, hostage
release and aid access
Edith M. Lederer/The Associated Press/June 12, 2025
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. General Assembly is expected to vote Thursday on
a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the release of all
hostages held by Hamas, and the opening of all Israeli border crossings for
deliveries of desperately needed food and other aid.
The resolution, drafted by Spain and obtained Wednesday by The Associated Press,
“strongly condemns any use of starvation of civilians as a method of
warfare.”Experts and human rights workers say hunger is widespread in Gaza and
some 2 million Palestinians are at risk of famine if Israel does not fully lift
its blockade and halt its military campaign, which it renewed in March after
ending a ceasefire with Hamas. Last week, the U.N. Security Council failed to
pass a resolution demanding a ceasefire in Gaza and calling on Israel to lift
all restrictions on the delivery of aid. The United States vetoed the resolution
because it was not linked to the release of the hostages, while all 14 other
members of the council voted in favor. There are no vetoes in the 193-member
General Assembly, where the resolution is expected to pass overwhelmingly. But
unlike in the Security Council, assembly resolutions are not legally binding,
though they are seen as a barometer of world opinion. After a 10-week blockade
that barred all aid to Gaza, Israel is allowing the United Nations to deliver a
trickle of food assistance and is backing a newly created U.S. aid group, which
has opened several sites in the center and south of the territory to deliver
food parcels.
But the aid system rolled out last month by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation has
been troubled by near-daily shootings as crowds make their way to aid sites,
while the longstanding U.N.-run system has struggled to deliver food because of
Israeli restrictions and a breakdown of law and order.
The draft resolution being voted on Thursday references a March 28 legally
binding order by the top United Nations court for Israel to open more land
crossings into Gaza for food, water, fuel and other supplies. The International
Court of Justice issued the order in a case brought by South Africa accusing
Israel of acts of genocide in its war in Gaza, charges Israel strongly denies.
The resolution stresses that Israel, as an occupying power, has an obligation
under international law to ensure that humanitarian aid reaches those in need.
It reiterates the assembly's commitment to a two-state solution to the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with the Gaza Strip as part of a Palestinian
state. The assembly is holding a high-level meeting next week to push for a
two-state solution, which Israel has rejected. The resolution supports mediation
efforts by Egypt, Qatar and the United States aimed at implementing a January
ceasefire agreement. When the U.S. vetoed last week’s Gaza resolution, acting
Ambassador Dorothy Shea said it would have undermined the security of Israel and
diplomatic efforts to reach a ceasefire “that reflects the realities on the
ground.” Like the failed Security Council resolution, the resolution to be voted
on Thursday also does not condemn Hamas’ deadly attack in southern Israel on
Oct. 7, 2023, which ignited the war, or say the militant group must disarm and
withdraw from Gaza. Both are U.S. demands. The Hamas-led militants killed around
1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took 251 hostage. About 55 hostages are
still being held. Israel’s military campaign has killed over 55,000
Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. It says women and children
make up most of the dead, but doesn’t distinguish between civilians and
combatants. Israel says it has killed more than 20,000 militants, without
providing evidence.
Israel is deporting 6 more activists detained on Gaza aid boat, rights group
says
The Associated Press/June 12, 2025
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel is deporting six more activists who were detained when
it seized an aid boat bound for the war-ravaged Gaza Strip, according to the
rights group representing them. The six include Rima Hassan, a French member of
the European parliament who Israel had previously barred from entering Israel
and the Palestinian territories, citing her support for boycotts of the country.
They were among 12 passengers, including climate campaigner Greta Thunberg,
aboard the Madleen, a boat that sought to break Israel's blockade of Gaza and
deliver a symbolic amount of aid. Israel seized the vessel early Monday and
deported Thunberg and three others the following day. The last two activists are
expected to be deported on Friday, according to Adalah, a local human rights
group representing them. It said the activists were subjected to “mistreatment,
punitive measures, and aggressive treatment, and two volunteers were held for
some period of time in solitary confinement.”Israeli authorities declined to
comment on their treatment. Israel says it treats detainees in a lawful manner
and investigates any allegations of abuse. Israel portrayed the voyage as a
media spectacle, dubbing it the “selfie yacht."It says the blockade, which it
has imposed in various forms along with Egypt since Hamas seized power in 2007,
is needed to prevent the militant group from importing arms. Critics view it as
collective punishment of Gaza's roughly 2 million Palestinians. The Israeli
Foreign Ministry said those activists who signed deportation documents would be
deported immediately while those who refused would be brought before a judicial
authority to authorize their deportation in keeping with Israeli law. The
activists have protested that they had no intention of entering Israel and were
brought there against their will. The Freedom Flotilla Coalition, which
organized the journey, said it was aimed at protesting Israel's blockade of Gaza
and ongoing military campaign there, which experts say has pushed the territory
to the brink of famine more than 20 months into the Israel-Hamas war.
Hamas says it killed 12 Israeli-backed fighters.
Israeli-supported group says they were aid workers
Samy Magdy And Kareem Chehayeb/The Associated Press/June 12, 2025
CAIRO (AP) — A unit of Gaza's Hamas-run police force said it killed 12 members
of an Israeli-backed militia after detaining them early Thursday. Hours earlier,
an Israel-supported aid group said Hamas attacked a bus carrying its Palestinian
workers, killing at least eight of them.
The militia, led by Yasser Abu Shabab, said its fighters had attacked Hamas and
killed five militants but made no mention of its own casualties. It also accused
Hamas of detaining and killing aid workers. It was not immediately possible to
verify the competing claims or confirm the identities of those killed.
The Israeli military circulated the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation 's statement on
its social media accounts but declined to provide its own account of what
happened. Separately, at least 13 people were killed and 170 wounded when
Israeli forces fired toward a crowd of Palestinians near a GHF food distribution
site in central Gaza, according to the al-Awda Hospital, which received the
casualties. The military said it fired warning shots overnight at a gathering
that posed a threat, hundreds of meters (yards) from the aid site. Internet and
phone lines were meanwhile down across Gaza, according to telecom provider
Paltel and the Palestinian telecoms authority. They said a key line was severed
during an Israeli operation and that the military would not allow technicians
into the area to repair it. The Israeli military said it was looking into the
reports. Previous blackouts have deepened Gaza’s isolation and made it difficult
for people to call first responders after airstrikes.
Aid initiative already marred by controversy and violence
The aid group's operations in Gaza have already been marred by controversy and
violence since they began last month, with scores of people killed in near-daily
shootings as crowds headed toward the food distribution sites inside Israeli
military zones. Witnesses have blamed the Israeli military, which has
acknowledged firing only warning shots near people it said approached its forces
in a suspicious manner. Earlier this week, witnesses also said Abu Shabab
militiamen had opened fire on people en route to a GHF aid hub, killing and
wounding many. The United Nations and major aid groups have rejected the Israeli
and U.S.-backed initiative, accusing them of militarizing humanitarian aid at a
time when experts say Gaza is at risk of famine because of Israel's blockade and
renewed military campaign. Last week, Israel acknowledged it is supporting armed
groups of Palestinians in what it says is a move to counter Hamas. Abu Shabab's
militia, which calls itself the Popular Forces, says it is guarding the food
distribution points set up by the Israeli- and U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian
Foundation in southern Gaza. Aid workers say it has a long history of looting
U.N. trucks.
GHF has denied working with the Abu Shabab group.
‘They were aid workers’
The foundation said Hamas had attacked a bus carrying more than two dozen of its
local Palestinian aid workers near the southern city of Khan Younis, killing at
least eight and wounding others. It said it feared some had been taken hostage.
“We condemn this heinous and deliberate attack in the strongest possible terms,”
it said. “These were aid workers. Humanitarians. Fathers, brothers, sons, and
friends, who were risking their lives everyday to help others.”
Rev. Johnnie Moore, a Christian evangelical advisor to U.S. President Donald
Trump who was recently appointed head of GHF, called the killings “absolute
evil” and lashed out at the U.N. and Western countries over what he said was
their failure to condemn them. “The principle of impartiality does not mean
neutrality. There is good and evil in this world. What we are doing is good and
what Hamas did to these Gazans is absolute evil,” he wrote on X. Israel and the
United States say the new system is needed to prevent Hamas from siphoning off
aid from the long-standing U.N.-run system, which is capable of delivering food,
fuel and other humanitarian aid to all parts of Gaza. U.N. officials deny there
has been any systematic diversion of aid by Hamas, but say they have struggled
to deliver it because of Israeli restrictions and the breakdown of law and order
in Gaza.
U.N. officials say the new system is unable to meet mounting needs, and that it
allows Israel to use aid as a weapon by controlling who has access to it and by
essentially forcing people to relocate to the aid sites, most of which are in
the southernmost city of Rafah, now a mostly uninhabited military zone. Some
fear this could be part of an Israeli plan to coerce Palestinians into leaving
Gaza.
Hamas says it killed traitors
Hamas has also rejected the new system and threatened to kill any Palestinians
who cooperate with the Israeli military. The killings early Wednesday were
carried out by the Hamas-run police's Sahm unit, which Hamas says it established
to combat looting. The unit released video footage showing several dead men
lying in the street, saying they were Abu Shabab fighters who had been detained
and killed for collaborating with Israel. It was not possible to verify the
images or the claims around them. Mohammed Abu Amin, a Khan Younis resident,
said he was at the scene of the killings and that crowds were celebrating them,
shouting “God is greatest” and condemning those killed as traitors to the
Palestinian cause and agents of Israel. Ghassan Duhine, who identifies himself
as a major in the Palestinian Authority's security forces and deputy commander
of the Abu Shabab group, posted a statement online saying they clashed with Sahm
and killed five. He denied that the images shared by Sahm were of Abu Shabab
fighters. The Palestinian Authority, led by rivals of Hamas and based in the
Israeli-occupied West Bank, has denied any connection to the Abu Shabab group,
but many of the militiamen identify themselves as PA officers.
Mounting lawlessness as Israel steps up military campaign
Israel renewed its offensive in March after ending a ceasefire with Hamas and
imposed a complete ban on imports of food, fuel, medicine and other aid before
easing the blockade in mid-May. The ongoing war and mounting desperation have
plunged Gaza into chaos, with armed gangs looting aid convoys and selling the
stolen food. The Hamas-run police force has largely gone underground as Israel
has repeatedly targeted its forces. The military now controls more than half of
the territory. The war began when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel
on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 251
hostage. They are still holding 53 captives, less than half of them believed to
be alive, after most of the rest were released in ceasefire agreements or other
deals. Israel's military campaign has killed over 55,000 Palestinians, according
to the Gaza Health Ministry, which has said women and children make up more than
half of the dead. It does not say how many of those killed were civilians or
combatants. Israel's offensive has flattened large areas of Gaza and driven
around 90% of the population of roughly 2 million Palestinians from their homes.
The territory is almost completely reliant on humanitarian aid because nearly
all of its food production capabilities have been destroyed.
Netanyahu's government
survives vote to dissolve Israel's parliament - AP explains
Canadian Press Videos/Canadian Press Videos/June 12, 2025
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government survived an attempt to
dissolve Israel's parliament early Thursday morning, with most of his
ultra-Orthodox coalition partners joining him in voting against a bill that
would have forced them to register for military service while the country is at
war. The vote was the most serious challenge to Netanyahu’s government since the
Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, which was the biggest
security failure in Israel’s history and triggered the ongoing war in Gaza.
Humanitarian workers killed in Gaza bus ambush that Israel
blames on Hamas
Crispian Balmer and Nidal al-Mughrabi/Reuters/June 12, 2025
JERUSALEM/CAIRO (Reuters) -Israel accused Hamas militants of killing five
Palestinians who worked for the U.S-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation in an
apparent effort to disrupt their food distribution operations. GHF said in a
statement that one of its buses was ambushed late on Wednesday as it headed to
an aid centre near the southern city of Khan Younis, carrying local men who
worked alongside a U.S. team to deliver critical supplies. "Hamas murdered five
humanitarian workers from the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation with others being
kidnapped," said COGAT, the Israeli defence agency that coordinates humanitarian
matters with the Palestinians. "The international community can not ignore
Hamas's crimes against humanitarian workers," it added. Hamas declined to
comment on the shootings. Social media channels in Gaza said Hamas had targeted
the bus because it was allegedly carrying people affiliated with Yasser Abu
Shabab, the leader of a large clan which has challenged Hamas's supremacy in the
enclave and is being armed by Israel. Elsewhere in Gaza, the local health
authority said at least 30 Palestinians had been killed by Israeli gunfire and
airstrikes on Thursday, as the small coastal enclave continued to be roiled by
violence and destruction. The IDF said it had killed three militants who fired
an anti-tank missile towards Israeli soldiers. It also said it had arrested
several Hamas members in Syria overnight, accusing them of planning to attack
Israeli civilians and IDF forces. Israel has fought for more than 20 months to
eliminate Hamas after it launched deadly attacks October 7, 2023 that ignited
the war. All efforts to end the conflict through negotiations have failed.
Despite the bus attack, GHF said it was continuing its distribution efforts on
Thursday, handing out food boxes early at one of its sites, before shutting its
gates there.
CHAOS AND TERROR
The GHF has handed out more than 16 million meals since it started operations in
Gaza at the end of May, overseeing a new model of food distribution which the
United Nations says is neither impartial nor neutral. Gaza's Hamas-run health
ministry says more than 160 people have been killed by Israeli fire near the aid
centres, as the aid effort repeatedly degenerated into chaos and terror with
ravenous locals scrabbling for limited supplies."This model will not address the
deepening hunger. The dystopian 'Hunger Games' cannot become the new reality,"
Philippe Lazzarini, the chief of the U.N. Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA),
wrote on X. "The UN including @UNRWA have the knowledge, expertise & community
trust to provide dignified & safe assistance. Just let the humanitarians do
their jobs," he added. Israel has repeatedly called for UNRWA to be disbanded,
accusing it of having ties with Hamas. UNRWA has denied this. Besides the GHF
distribution effort, Israel is also letting into Gaza trucks carrying flour for
the handful of bakeries that are still operating. For the first time in months,
Israel allowed humanitarian trucks to enter northern Gaza directly overnight --
with 56 lorries carrying supplies from the U.N.'s World Food Programme crossing
into the largely devastated region.
US says airstrike killed Daesh official in
Syria
AFP/June 13, 2025
WASHINGTON: The US military announced Thursday that a recent airstrike had
killed an Daesh group official in northwest Syria. In a post to social media, US
Central Command said its forces “conducted a precision airstrike in northwest
Syria killing Rakhim Boev, a Syria-based Daesh official,” using another name for
Daesh.The post on X said Boev was “involved in planning external operations
threatening US citizens, our partners, and civilians.” The accompanying image
depicts an SUV vehicle with a bashed-in windshield and roof. AFP previously
reported that two people were killed in separate drone strikes Tuesday, on a car
and a motorcycle, in the northwestern bastion of the Islamist former rebels who
now head the Syrian government. A call to CENTCOM seeking confirmation that the
incidents are related was not immediately returned. The twin drone strikes in
the Idlib region mirror the US-led coalition’s past strikes on jihadists in the
area. During a meeting in Riyadh last month, US President Donald Trump called on
his Syrian counterpart Ahmed Al-Sharaa to help Washington prevent a resurgence
by Daesh.
In Armenia, rising ceasefire violations bring fears of war with Azerbaijan
Felix Light/Reuters/June 12, 2025
KHNATSAKH, Armenia (Reuters) -Nightfall is an anxious time for residents of
Khnatsakh. Every evening at around 10 p.m., automatic gunfire echoes through the
tiny village in Armenia, locals say – the sound of Azerbaijani troops firing
into the night sky from their positions across the border, high above.
The bullets regularly hit houses, though no-one has been hurt, so far, the
villagers say. Azerbaijan denies its troops have been shooting across the
border, and has accused Armenian troops of violating the ceasefire. "It's very
tense because at home we have the children, the little ones, and the elderly,"
said Karo Andranyan, 66, a retired mechanic. A hundred metres from his front
door, on the hillside, an Azerbaijani military position with a flag fluttering
in the breeze is a reminder of the proximity of Armenia’s bitter rival. The
heavily militarized, 1,000-km border has been closed since the early 1990s. The
countries have fought two major wars in the past 40 years, destabilising the
Caucasus - a region that carries major oil and gas pipelines toward Europe, and
is strategically important to Russia, Iran and Turkey. Rising tensions along the
border are increasing the risk of new clashes between Armenia and Azerbaijan as
they approach a critical juncture in a tortuous peace process, two experts told
Reuters. In March, the two sides said they had agreed the outline of a peace
treaty that could be signed in 2026, raising hopes of reconciliation. The draft
envisions the two sides demarcating their shared border, and requires Armenia to
amend its constitution before Azerbaijan ratifies the deal. But since then,
reports of ceasefire violations along the border have surged, following months
of relative quiet. Andranyan said he thought the nighttime gunfire was meant to
intimidate the villagers and the small garrison of Armenian troops stationed
there. The village - which census data said had a population of 1,000 - was
emptying as locals feared a return to conflict, he said.
"What are we supposed to do?"
Though there have been no fatalities on the border since last year, incidents of
cross-border gunfire are reported regularly. Most of the accusations since
March, which describe cross-border gunfire and occasional damage to property,
have been made by Azerbaijan against Armenia. Both sides have repeatedly denied
allegations of ceasefire violations. The simmering conflict has shifted
decisively in Azerbaijan's favour since 2020, as the oil and gas producer
recaptured territory lost in the 1990s and progressively re-established control
over the breakaway Azerbaijani region of Nagorno-Karabakh where ethnic Armenians
had established de facto independence since the collapse of the Soviet Union. In
2023, it retook all of Karabakh, prompting the territory’s 100,000 ethnic
Armenians to flee en masse to Armenia. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told
a congressional hearing last month there was a "real risk" of war between the
two. He said that the U.S. wanted Azerbaijan "to agree to a peace agreement that
does not cause them to invade a neighboring country, Armenia." Azerbaijani
President Ilham Aliyev, in power since 2003, said in January that Armenia
presented a "fascist threat" that needed to be destroyed.
Laurence Broers, an expert on Armenia and Azerbaijan at London's Chatham House
think tank, said that though a return to full-scale war was possible, more
localised skirmishes were more likely. He said Azerbaijan, whose population of
10 million is three times Armenia's, has few incentives to agree swiftly to a
peace treaty and may instead rely on smaller scale escalations to force its
neighbour to make further concessions in the talks. “Escalation and
militarization has been a very successful strategy for Ilham Aliyev,” he said.
Armenian authorities have repeatedly insisted there will be no war. In a speech
last month, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said that the two countries would not
resume fighting, “despite all the arguments, all the provocations”. In response
to questions about the border tensions, Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry referred
Reuters to its previous public comments. In a statement in May, it said that
Baku is committed to peace and has no territorial claims on Armenia. It said
that Yerevan's actions "call into question Armenia's commitment to peace".
Azerbaijan's Defence Ministry has consistently denied Armenian reports of
cross-border gunfire.
TENSIONS IN THE SOUTH
Armenia's southernmost province of Syunik is at the heart of the dispute and is
where most ceasefire violations are reported. Syunik separates the main body of
Azerbaijan to the east from the Azerbaijani exclave of Nakhchivan to the west.
It also provides a vital trade route for Armenia to Iran, which it borders to
the south. Azerbaijan has since 2020 demanded Armenia provide it with a corridor
through Syunik to Nakhchivan. Baku has said that the passage would remain
Armenian territory but have minimal controls from the capital Yerevan. Some
Azerbaijani officials have also suggested that southern Armenia is historically
Azerbaijani territory, though they have not pressed a formal territorial claim.
In addition to its border with Azerbaijan, Armenia’s frontier with Turkey – a
close ally of Baku’s – is also closed, making its boundary with Iran a lifeline
for trade. A corridor through Syunik could risk shutting off its access to the
remote, mountainous border. Armenia and Iran have warm ties, despite Armenia’s
Christian religion, and increasingly pro-Western orientation. In 2022, Iran was
Armenia’s fourth-largest source of imports. In May, Tehran’s defence minister
visited Yerevan, with Iranian media quoting him as expressing Iran’s opposition
to redrawing borders in the region. The dilemma is heightened by Armenia’s
strained ties with traditional ally Russia, which opposes Armenia’s bid to draw
closer to the West, and which has deepened its links with Azerbaijan. "Armenia
has two open borders, one with Georgia, and the other one with Iran. And this
keeps the country going,” said Tigran Grigoryan, director of the Regional Centre
for Democracy and Security think tank, in Yerevan. Grigoryan said that
Azerbaijan’s demands for the corridor could be the spark for future military
escalation. He suggested that the ceasefire violations may be an effort to force
Armenia into making concessions on the issue. "If Armenia loses its border with
Iran, that would be a catastrophe,” he said. The Iranian and Russian foreign
ministries did not reply to requests for comment. Throughout Armenia’s isolated
south, the importance of the Iranian connection is clear. Along the single route
that links the two countries, Iranian road workers are labouring to expand a
narrow, zig-zagging mountainside road clogged with lorries from south of the
border, heading north towards Georgia and Russia. Along the way, some locals
sell plastic bottles full of red wine to truckers newly arrived from Iran, where
alcohol is banned. At Armenia’s southernmost tip sits the historic town of
Meghri, the gateway to Iran. Only 16 km away from Azerbaijan, the town of 4,000
has seen its daily life overshadowed by tensions with Baku, deputy mayor Bagrat
Zakaryan said.
“Given the recent events in Karabakh, and what the president of Azerbaijan has
been saying, there is this feeling of fear,” he said.
OPPORTUNITY FOR PEACE
Others are more optimistic about the prospect of peace. Until 1993, Armen
Davtyan was the deputy director of Meghri’s railway station, which sat at a
crossroads connecting Yerevan to Baku, and Iran to the Soviet Union, until the
latter’s 1991 dissolution. But after the 1988-1994 Karabakh war and the closure
of the frontier, the tracks connecting Armenia to Azerbaijan were ripped up and
Davtyan went to work as a border guard. A rusted train, emblazoned with a Soviet
emblem, lingers outside the station building, now a derelict shell metres from
the Iranian border. Davtyan said he fondly remembered the pre-war days, when
Armenians and Azerbaijanis worked together on the railways, and hopes that one
day cross-border trains might again pull into Meghri station. "I do understand
that some people are scared that if the railway reopens, the Azerbaijanis will
return," he said. "But if in 2025, people are still scared of us opening
transport links, I think that’s a little absurd."
Turkey to export 48 of its nationally produced fighter jets
to Indonesia
The Associated Press/June 12, 2025
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkey will export 48 of its nationally produced KAAN
fighter jets to Indonesia, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced
Wednesday, marking the first export deal for the advanced aircraft that is still
in the development stage. The 48 KAAN fighter jets would be manufactured in
Turkey and exported to Indonesia, Erdogan said in an X post, adding that
Indonesia’s “local capabilities” would be integrated into the production
process. The Turkish leader did not elaborate or disclose the agreement's
financial details. The deal came on the sidelines of the defense industry
exposition, Indo Defence 2025, in Jakarta, Turkey’s Sabah newspaper reported.
“This agreement showcases the progress and achievements of our domestic and
national defense industry,” Erdogan said. He also praised Indonesian President
Prabowo Subianto for his role in securing the agreement.
Subianto on Wednesday also witnessed Indonesia’s Defense Minister Sjafrie
Sjamsoeddin and Turkish Defense Industry Secretary Haluk Gorgun sign the KAAN
purchase plan agreement, the State Secretariat Ministry said. Analysts consider
Indonesia’s defense a priority for Subianto. He wants to expand the military by
buying submarines, frigates and fighter jets and initiate more defense
cooperation with various countries. “No sane nation wants war,” Subianto said in
his opening speech at the four-day arms exhibition. “But history has taught us
that a nation that does not want to invest in its defense (system) will lose its
independence and become a slave nation,” he said. Request for comments and
financial details about Erdogan’s announcement has yet to receive a response
from the Defense Ministry. However, local media reports said the agreement is
worth $10 billion. Indonesia has embarked on a drive to upgrade and modernize
its arsenal and strengthen the domestic defense industry. Subianto has
crisscrossed the globe since he was appointed defense minister in 2019,
traveling to China, France, Russia, Turkey and the U.S. in a bid to acquire new
military weapon systems and surveillance and territorial defense capabilities.
The Indonesian Air Force operates a mix of fighter jets made in different
countries, including the U.S., Russia and Britain. Some of the aircraft have
reached or are approaching the phase when they will need to be replaced or
upgraded. Turkey’s first indigenous fifth-generation fighter jet, the KAAN
successfully completed its maiden flight in 2024. Its first units are expected
to be delivered in 2028. The deal came amid growing economic and defense ties
between Turkey and Indonesia. Earlier this year, the countries agreed on the
joint development of a Baykar combat-drone factory in Indonesia. Pakistan and
Azerbaijan, which also have strong defense ties with Turkey, are reported to be
interested in purchasing KAAN fighters.
Hegseth says the Pentagon
has contingency plans to invade Greenland if necessary
Lolita C. Baldor And Tara Copp/The Associated Press/June 12, 2025
WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth appeared to acknowledge that
the Pentagon has developed plans to take over Greenland and Panama by force if
necessary but refused to answer repeated questions at a hotly combative
congressional hearing Thursday about his use of Signal chats to discuss military
operations. Democratic members of the House Armed Services Committee repeatedly
got into heated exchanges with Hegseth, with some of the toughest lines of
questioning coming from military veterans as many demanded yes or no answers and
he tried to avoid direct responses about his actions as Pentagon chief. In one
back-and-forth, Hegseth did provide an eyebrow-raising answer. Rep. Adam Smith,
D-Wash., asked whether the Pentagon has developed plans to take Greenland or
Panama by force if necessary. “Our job at the Defense Department is to have
plans for any contingency,” Hegseth said several times. It is not unusual for
the Pentagon to draw up contingency plans for conflicts that have not arisen,
but his handling of the questions prompted a Republican lawmaker to step in a
few minutes later. “It is not your testimony today that there are plans at the
Pentagon for taking by force or invading Greenland, correct?” said Rep. Mike
Turner, R-Ohio. As Hegseth started to repeat his answer about contingency plans,
Turner added emphatically, “I sure as hell hope that is not your testimony.”“We
look forward to working with Greenland to ensure that it is secured from any
potential threats,” Hegseth responded. Time and again, lawmakers pressed Hegseth
to answer questions he has avoided for months, including during the two previous
days of hearings on Capitol Hill. And frustration boiled over. "You’re an
embarrassment to this country. You’re unfit to lead," Rep. Salud Carbajal
snapped, the California Democrat's voice rising. “You should just get the hell
out.”GOP lawmakers on several occasions apologized to Hegseth for the Democrats'
sharp remarks, saying he should not be subject to such “flagrant disrespect.”
Hegseth said he was “happy to take the arrows” to make tough calls and do what's
best.
Questions emerge on Signal chats and if details Hegseth shared were classified
Hegseth's use of two Signal chats to discuss details of the U.S. plans to strike
Houthi rebels in Yemen with other U.S. leaders as well as members of his family
prompted dizzying exchanges with lawmakers. Hegseth was pressed multiple times
over whether or not he shared classified information and if he should face
accountability if he did.Hegseth argued that the classification markings of any
information about those military operations could not be discussed with
lawmakers. That became a quick trap, as Hegseth has asserted that nothing he
posted — on strike times and munitions dropped in March — was classified. His
questioner, Rep. Seth Moulton, a Massachusetts Democrat and Marine veteran,
jumped on the disparity. “You can very well disclose whether or not it was
classified,” Moulton said. “What’s not classified is that it was an incredible,
successful mission,” Hegseth responded. A Pentagon watchdog report on his Signal
use is expected soon. Moulton asked Hegseth whether he would hold himself
accountable if the inspector general finds that he placed classified information
on Signal, a commercially available app. Hegseth would not directly say, only
noting that he serves “at the pleasure of the president.”He was asked if he
would apologize to the mother of a pilot flying the strike mission for
jeopardizing the operation and putting her son’s life at risk. Hegseth said, “I
don’t apologize for success.”Trump's speech at Fort Bragg raises Democratic
concerns about politics in the military. Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint
Chiefs of Staff, who appeared along Hegseth, was questioned about Trump's speech
at Fort Bragg this week and whether the military was becoming politicized. The
Defense Department has a doctrine that prohibits troops from participating in
political activity while in uniform. Members of the 82nd Airborne Division were
directed to stand behind Trump at Fort Bragg, and they booed and cheered during
his incendiary remarks, including condemnation of his predecessor, Joe Biden.
There also was a pop-up MAGA merchandise stand selling souvenirs to troops in
uniform. Caine repeatedly said U.S. service members must be apolitical but that
he was unaware of anything that happened at Fort Bragg. Hegseth is pressed about
policies on women in uniform and transgender troops
Hegseth got into a sharp debate about whether women and transgender service
members should serve in the military or combat jobs. He said he has worked to
remove diversity programs and political correctness from the military. He said
he has not politicized the military but simply wants the most capable troops.
Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, D-Pa., demanded to know if Hegseth believes that both men
and women can pull a trigger, cause death, operate a drone or launch a missile.
“It depends on the context,” Hegseth said, adding that “women carry equipment
differently, a 155 round differently, a rucksack differently.”
Hegseth, who has previously said women “straight up” should not serve in combat,
asserted that women have joined the military in record numbers under the Trump
administration. He said the military “standards should be high and equal.” He
also was asked about three female service members — now being forced out as part
of the Pentagon's move to ban transgender troops. Hegseth agreed that their
accomplishments — which Rep. Sara Jacobs, D-Calif., read out — were to be
celebrated, until he learned they were transgender. Republican lawmakers jumped
to his defense, criticizing any Pentagon spending on gender transition surgery.
Democrats ask about plans for action against Greenland and Panama .president
Donald Trump has said multiple times that he wants to take control of Greenland,
a strategic, mineral-rich island and long a U.S. ally. Those remarks have been
met with flat rejections from the leaders of Greenland, an autonomous territory
that is part of Denmark. “Greenland is not for sale,” Jacob Isbosethsen,
Greenland’s representative to the U.S, said Thursday at a forum in Washington
sponsored by the Arctic Institute. In an effort not to show the Pentagon’s hand
on its routine effort to have plans for everything, Hegseth danced around the
direct question from Smith, leading to the confusion. “Speaking on behalf of the
American people, I don’t think the American people voted for President Trump
because they were hoping we would invade Greenland,” Smith said.
Oklahoma executes a man who
was transferred from federal custody by Trump officials
Sean Murphy/The Associated Press/June 12, 2025
McALESTER, Okla. (AP) — Oklahoma executed a man Thursday whose transfer to state
custody was expedited by the Trump administration. John Fitzgerald Hanson, 61,
received a three-drug lethal injection at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in
McAlester and was pronounced dead at 10:11 a.m., prison officials said. Hanson
was sentenced to die after he was convicted of carjacking, kidnapping and
killing a Tulsa woman in 1999. “Peace to everyone,” Hanson said while strapped
to a gurney inside the prison's death chamber. The execution began at 10:01 a.m.
After the lethal drugs began to flow, a doctor entered the death chamber at
10:06 a.m. and declared him unconscious. Hanson, whose name in some federal
court records is George John Hanson, had been serving a life sentence in federal
prison in Louisiana for several unrelated federal convictions. Federal officials
transferred him to Oklahoma custody in March to follow through on President
Donald Trump’s sweeping executive order to more actively support the death
penalty. Hanson’s attorneys argued in a last-minute appeal that he did not
receive a fair clemency hearing last month, claiming that one of the board
members who denied him clemency was biased because he worked for the Tulsa
County District Attorney’s Office when Hanson was prosecuted. A district court
judge this week issued a temporary stay halting the execution, but that was
later vacated. Prosecutors alleged Hanson and accomplice Victor Miller kidnapped
Mary Bowles from a Tulsa shopping mall. Prosecutors alleged the pair drove
Bowles to a gravel pit near Owasso, where Miller shot and killed property owner
Jerald Thurman. The two then drove Bowles a short distance away, where Hanson
shot and killed Bowles, according to prosecutors. Miller received a no-parole
life prison sentence for his role in the crimes. Thurman's son, Jacob Thurman,
witnessed Thursday's execution and said it was the culmination of “the longest
nightmare of our lives.”
“All families lose in this situation,” he said. “No one's a winner.”
Bowles' niece, Sara Mooney, expressed frustration at the litigation over
Hanson's death sentence that dragged on for decades, calling it an “expensive
and ridiculous exercise.”“Capital punishment is not an effective form of justice
when it takes 26 years,” she said. During last month’s clemency hearing, Hanson
expressed remorse for his involvement in the crimes and apologized to the
victims’ families. “I’m not an evil person,” Hanson said via a video link from
the prison. “I was caught in a situation I couldn’t control. I can’t change the
past, but I would if I could.”Hanson’s attorneys acknowledged he participated in
the kidnapping and carjacking, but said there was no definitive evidence that he
shot and killed Bowles. They painted Hanson as a troubled youth with autism and
who was controlled and manipulated by the domineering Miller. Both Oklahoma
Attorney General Gentner Drummond and his predecessor, John O’Connor, had sought
Hanson’s transfer during President Joe Biden’s administration, but the U.S.
Bureau of Prisons denied it, saying the transfer was not in the public interest.
Trump administration tells
immigrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela they have to leave
Gisela Salomon/The Associated Press/June 12, 2025
MIAMI (AP) — The Department of Homeland Security said Thursday that it has begun
notifying hundreds of thousands of Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans
that their temporary permission to live and work in the United States has been
revoked and that they should leave the country. The termination notices are
being sent by email to people who entered the country under the humanitarian
parole program for the four countries, officials said. Since October 2022, about
532,000 people from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela were allowed to enter
the U.S. under the program created by the Biden administration. They arrived
with financial sponsors and were given two-year permits to live and work in the
U.S. DHS said that the letters informed people that both their temporary legal
status and their work permit was revoked “effective immediately." It encouraged
any person living illegally in the U.S. to leave using a mobile application
called CBP Home and said that individuals will receive travel assistance and
$1,000 upon arrival at their home country. The department did not provide
details on how the U.S. government will find or contact the people once they
leave or how they will receive the money.
Trump promised during his presidential campaign to end what he called the “broad
abuse” of humanitarian parole, a long-standing legal tool presidents have used
to allow people from countries where there’s war or political instability to
enter and temporarily live in the U.S. Trump promised to deport millions of
people who are in the U.S. illegally, and as president he has been also ending
legal pathways created for immigrants to come to the U.S. and to stay and work.
His decision to end the parole program for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and
Venezuelans was challenged at the courts, but the Supreme Court last month
permitted the Trump administration to revoke those temporary legal protections.
Immigration advocates expressed concern over the Trump administration decision
to send the notices to more than a half million individuals. It “is a deeply
destabilizing decision,” said Krish O'Mara Vignarajah, president of Global
Refuge, a nonprofit organization that supports refugees and migrants entering
the U.S. “These are people that played by the rules... they passed security
screenings, paid for their own travel, obtained work authorization, and began
rebuilding their lives.”Zamora, a 34-year-old Cuban mother who arrived under the
sponsorship of an American citizen in September 2023, said she fears
deportation. However, for now, she has no plans to leave the country. “I am
afraid of being detained while my son is at school,” said Zamora, who asked to
be identified only by her last name out of fear of being deported. “I’m afraid
to return to Cuba, the situation is very difficult there.” Zamora said she has
sought other ways to remain in the U.S. legally through the Cuban Adjustment
Act, a law that allows Cubans who have arrived legally to the U.S. and meet
certain requirements to apply to get a green card. Although her process has not
been approved yet, she is hopeful it may allow her to remain legally in the U.S.
In the meantime, she said that she will stop working at a clinic if needed. “I’m
going to wait quietly without getting into trouble,” the Cuban said.
260 confirmed dead as
London-bound plane crashes in India
Reuters/June 12, 2025
AHMEDABAD: More than 200 people were killed when an Air India plane bound for
London with 242 people on board crashed minutes after taking off from the
western city of Ahmedabad on Thursday, authorities said, in the world’s worst
aviation disaster in a decade. The plane came down in a residential area,
crashing on to a medical college hostel outside the airport during lunch hour.
It was headed for Gatwick Airport, south of the British capital. City police
chief G.S. Malik told Reuters that 204 bodies had been recovered from the crash
site. Initial reports said no survivors had been found, and the Indian Express
newspaper said all 242 on board had perished, citing police. Malik said the
bodies recovered could include both passengers and people killed on the ground.
Relatives had been asked to give DNA samples to identify the dead, state health
secretary Dhananjay Dwivedi said.
However, a British father has walked away from the disaster. Vishwash Kumar
Ramesh, 40, spoke to media from the safety of a hospital bed hours after making
an incredible escape. “The building on which it has crashed is a doctors’
hostel... we have cleared almost 70 percent to 80 percent of the area and will
clear the rest soon,” a senior police officer told reporters. Parts of the
plane’s body were scattered around the building into which it crashed,
photographs and videos from the area showed. The tail of the plane was stuck on
top of the building. India’s CNN News-18 TV channels said the plane crashed on
top of the dining area of state-run B.J. Medical College hostel, killing many
medical students as well. The passengers included 217 adults, 11 children and
two infants, a source told Reuters. Of them, 169 were Indian nationals, 53 were
Britons, seven Portuguese, and one Canadian, Air India said. Aviation tracking
site Flightradar24 said the plane was a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, one of the most
modern passenger aircraft in service. It was the first crash for the Dreamliner,
which began flying commercially in 2011, according to the Aviation Safety
Network database. The plane that crashed on Thursday flew for the first time in
2013 and was delivered to Air India in January 2014, Flightradar24 said. “At
this moment, we are ascertaining the details and will share further updates,”
Air India said on X. The crash occurred just after the plane took off,
television channels reported. One channel showed the plane taking off over a
residential area and then disappearing from the screen before a huge jet of fire
can be seen rising into the sky from beyond the houses. Visuals also showed
debris on fire, with thick black smoke rising up into the sky near the airport.
They also showed people being moved in stretchers and being taken away in
ambulances. “My sister-in-law was going to London. Within an hour, I got news
that the plane had crashed,” Poonam Patel, a relative of one of the passengers,
told news agency ANI at the government hospital in Ahmedabad.
Ramila, the mother of a student at the medical college, told ANI her son had
gone to the hostel for his lunch break when the plane crashed. “My son is safe,
and I have spoken to him. He jumped from the second floor, so he suffered some
injuries,” she said. According to air traffic control at Ahmedabad Airport, the
aircraft departed at 1:39 p.m. (0809 GMT) from runway 23. It gave a “Mayday”
call, signalling an emergency, but thereafter there was no response from the
aircraft. Flightradar24 also said that it received the last signal from the
aircraft seconds after it took off. US aerospace safety consultant Anthony
Brickhouse said one problematic sign from videos of the aircraft was that the
landing gear was down at a phase of flight when it would typically be up. “If
you didn’t know what was happening, you would think that plane was on approach
to a runway,” Brickhouse said.
Boeing said it was aware of initial reports and was working to gather more
information. Boeing shares fell 6.8 percent to $199.13 in pre-market trade.
Aircraft engine-maker GE Aerospace said that it would put a team together to go
to India and analyze cockpit data, India’s CNBC TV18 reported.
Britain was working with Indian authorities to urgently establish the facts
around the crash and to provide support to those involved, the country’s foreign
office said in a statement posted on its website. “The tragedy in Ahmedabad has
stunned and saddened us,” Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted on X. “It
is heartbreaking beyond words.” British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said images
emerging of the crash were “devastating,” and that he was being kept informed as
the situation developed. A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said King Charles was
also being kept updated. “My wife and I have been desperately shocked by the
terrible events in Ahmedabad this morning,” the monarch said in a statement.
Modi’s home state
The Indian aviation minister’s office said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had
directed it to ensure all support was extended to the rescue efforts
immediately. Ahmedabad is the main city in Modi’s home state of Gujarat.
Ahmedabad Airport, which suspended all flight operations after the crash, said
it was operational again but with limited flights. The airport is operated by
India’s Adani Group conglomerate. “We are shocked and deeply saddened by the
tragedy of Air India Flight 171,” Gautam Adani, founder and chairman of the
group, posted on X. “Our hearts go out to the families who have suffered an
unimaginable loss. We are working closely with all authorities and extending
full support to the families on the ground,” he said. The last fatal plane crash
in India, the world’s third largest aviation market and its fastest growing, was
in 2020 and involved Air India Express, the airline’s low-cost arm. The
airline’s Boeing-737 overshot a “table-top” runway at Kozhikode International
Airport in southern India. The plane skidded off the runway, plunging into a
valley and crashing nose-first into the ground. Twenty-one people were killed in
that crash. The formerly state-owned Air India was taken over by Indian
conglomerate Tata Group in 2022, and merged with Vistara — a joint venture
between the group and Singapore Airlines – in 2024.
The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous
sources
on June 12-13/2025
Israel Unveils
New Proof of Qatar and Hamas’s Close Collaboration
Natalie Ecanow/FDD-Policxy Brief/June 12/2025
Despite longstanding evidence to the contrary, Qatar has long maintained that it
is not a “sponsor of Hamas,” claiming that no “aid has ever been delivered to
Hamas’s political or military wing.” But new documents discovered by the Israeli
military in Gaza show even more collaboration between the Gulf nation and the
terrorist group than previously known. Israel’s Channel 12 first reported the
discovery on June 8.
In a document dated 2019, Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh reportedly told
Qatar’s foreign minister that Doha was “Hamas’s main artery” for fundraising.
Another reportedly details an undated meeting between Qatari intelligence
officials and a Hamas representative to discuss potential Hamas training camps
in Qatar and Turkey. The documents also suggest that Hamas collaborated with
Qatar to oppose the first Trump administration’s Middle East agenda and position
Qatar as Israel’s preferred mediator over Egypt.
Documents Suggest That Qatar Directly Funded Hamas Terrorism
In 2021, Haniyeh reportedly wrote to Yahya Sinwar, who masterminded the October
7 massacre against Israel, that Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani had
“agreed in principle to supply the resistance discreetly but he does not want
anyone in the world to know.” Haniyeh continued: “Until now, $11 million has
been raised from the emir for the leadership of the movement.” Israel killed
Haniyeh and Sinwar in July and October of 2024, respectively.
If true, this written understanding refutes Qatar’s assertions that it provided
exclusively humanitarian aid and funding for civil projects in Gaza and that it
does not subsidize Hamas’s military operations. The documents further buttress
the Israeli Shin Bet security agency’s March 2025 finding that “the flow of
money from Qatar to Gaza and its delivery to Hamas’s military wing” was one of
the key reasons Hamas was able to amass offensive power ahead of October 7.
Qatar and Hamas Teamed Up to Derail U.S. Policy
The documents recovered in Gaza also indicate a coordinated effort between Qatar
and Hamas to oppose the Abraham Accords and the first Trump administration’s
Middle East peace plan, which Trump had dubbed the “Deal of the Century.” In
June 2019 — 14 months before the Abraham Accords debuted — Al Thani reportedly
told Hamas officials during an emergency meeting that Oman was open to
normalizing relations with Israel. “Oman is on one side, and we are on the other
side,” the emir said.
At the same meeting, Hamas chief Khaled Meshal encouraged Doha to “work
together” with his group “to oppose the Deal of the Century and eliminate it.”
Meshal is one of the few surviving members of Hamas’s politburo. He has been
based in Qatar since 2012.
Washington Should Consider Revoking Qatar’s Major Non-NATO Ally Status
Successive American administrations have subscribed to the view that Qatar is a
friend of the United States. Qatar hosts Al Udeid Air Base, the largest U.S.
military base in the Middle East. Doha also provides diplomatic services to
Washington and enjoys the economic and defense privileges of its Major Non-NATO
Ally status. But Qatar’s record of enabling terrorist groups is growing harder
to ignore and should disqualify Doha from American friendship.
If anything, Qatar’s apparent effort to spoil the first Trump administration’s
Middle East agenda should spur the current Trump administration to reconsider
its Qatar policy. It is not too late to correct course, beginning with a review
of Qatar’s Major Non-NATO Ally status. Washington should also consider
replicating elsewhere in the region some of the capabilities and functions
housed at Al Udeid Air Base.
**Natalie Ecanow is a senior research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of
Democracies (FDD). For more analysis from Natalie and FDD, please subscribe
HERE. Follow Natalie on X @NatalieEcanow. Follow FDD on X @FDD. FDD is a
Washington, DC-based, nonpartisan research institute focusing on foreign policy
and national security.
Did The Palestinian Authority President Really
Condemn the Hamas Attack of October 7, 2023?
Bassam Tawil/Gatestone Institute/June 12/2025
In all his speeches in Arabic since October 7, 2023, Abbas has very carefully
avoided condemning the attack and the murder of a large number of Israelis and
foreign nationals.
The official Palestinian news agency Wafa, which regularly reports on Abbas's
meetings, statements, and diplomatic events, also did not report about the
letter, including Abbas's alleged condemnation of the October 7 massacres
against Israel.
If Abbas actually did condemn October 7 in his letter, he did so only to appease
France and encourage it to recognize a Palestinian state. The Palestinian public
knows absolutely nothing about the letter or Abbas's supposed "condemnation."
If France really wanted a condemnation of the October 7 atrocities, they should
have asked Abbas to issue a statement in Arabic to his own people, and not send
a letter (in French) to French President Emmanuel Macron. Such a statement
should have been issued by Abbas's office in Ramallah, not the Élysée Palace in
Paris. Macron and his government are.... are apparently trying to show the world
that Abbas deserves a Palestinian state because he has purportedly "condemned"
the Hamas-led massacres. Unfortunately, however, this is the same Abbas,
however, who still pays salaries to families of convicted terrorists who murder
Jews, and who consistently glorifies terrorists by calling them heroes and
martyrs.
France and the European Union are actually planning to reward the Islamist
jihadists who slaughtered hundreds of Jews by giving them a terrorist state
funded and armed by Iran's mullahs.
This conference, to recognize a genocidal terrorist state, is evidently Macron's
way of appeasing the Muslim jihadists who are now rioting on the streets of
French cities. The same holds true for other European leaders: they are willing
to sacrifice Jews to placate their Muslim communities.
France and the European Union are actually planning to reward the Islamist
jihadists who slaughtered hundreds of Jews by giving them a terrorist state
funded and armed by Iran's mullahs.
France claimed this month that Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud
Abbas had condemned the invasion of Israel on October 7, 2023 by Hamas, the
Iran-backed terrorist group. During the attack, Hamas terrorists and other
Palestinians murdered 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals, wounded thousands.
They kidnapped another 251 people to the Gaza Strip, where 52 – dead and alive –
remain in captivity.
Paris said in a statement that the purported condemnation was included in a
letter Abbas sent to France on the eve of a United Nations conference in New
York, scheduled for this month, to push for recognizing the establishment of a
Palestinian state. The conference is to be co-chaired by France and Saudi
Arabia.In his letter, Abbas also reportedly called on Hamas to immediately
release all Israeli hostages it had kidnapped on October 7, 2023. He also
reportedly pledged to hold general elections and reform the Palestinian
Authority.
The Élysée Palace did not provide details about Abbas's alleged condemnation of
the worst massacre against Jews since the Holocaust. Notably, Abbas has
refrained from denouncing the October 7 atrocities, although he has, on a number
of occasions, denounced Hamas for giving Israel an excuse to attack the Gaza
Strip.
It is no secret that Abbas despises Hamas, especially after the terror group
staged a violent coup against his PA and seized control of the Gaza Strip in
2007. During the coup, Hamas brutally killed hundreds of Abbas loyalists, some
of whom were reportedly thrown to their death from rooftops of high buildings in
the Gaza Strip. So, Abbas is apparently critical of Hamas not because its men
murdered, raped, beheaded, and burned alive many Israelis and others on October
7. Rather, he is furious with the terror group because its attack on Israel
triggered an Israeli response that has brought death and destruction on the two
million residents of the Gaza Strip. In a recent speech in Arabic, the
89-year-old Abbas went as far as describing Hamas as "sons of dogs" and called
for the release of the hostages in order not to give Israel an excuse to
continue its military operations in the Gaza Strip. In all his speeches in
Arabic since October 7, 2023, Abbas has very carefully avoided condemning the
attack and the murder of a large number of Israelis and foreign nationals..Abbas
has actually never come forward to tell his people that murdering men, women,
children and the elderly is wrong and reprehensible. Why? Because the victims
are Israelis. Abbas has never said that kidnapping and murdering an Israeli
mother and her two small children is an act of terrorism. He has never reached
out to the families of the victims to offer condolences. This, despite the fact
that several Israelis who were murdered by Hamas terrorists were known as peace
activists who supported the Palestinians and had volunteered to drive many of
them from the Gaza Strip to Israeli hospitals. Unsurprisingly, Abbas's letter to
France did not appear as a news item in the PA's official media outlets. The
official Palestinian news agency Wafa, which regularly reports on Abbas's
meetings, statements, and diplomatic events, also did not report about the
letter, including Abbas's alleged condemnation of the October 7 massacres
against Israel.
This means that the letter (and the purported condemnation) was intended for
only Western ears. If Abbas actually did condemn October 7 in his letter, he did
so only to appease France and encourage it to recognize a Palestinian state. The
Palestinian public knows absolutely nothing about the letter or the supposed
"condemnation."
Abbas has good reason not to publicly condemn October 7. Public opinion polls
published by a Palestinian research center during the past 20 months have shown
that a majority of Palestinians support the Hamas attack on Israel and view it
as "correct." The polls, in addition, have found that at least 40% of the
Palestinians support Hamas. Abbas may be correct to assume that if he condemns
the murder of Jews, his people will accuse him of being a "traitor." If France
really wanted a condemnation of the October 7 atrocities, they should have asked
Abbas to issue a statement in Arabic to his own people, and not send a letter
(in French) to French President Emmanuel Macron. Such a statement should have
been issued by Abbas's office in Ramallah, not the Élysée Palace in Paris.
Macron and his government are clearly trying to use this questionable letter to
justify their sudden rush to recognize a Palestinian state.
They are apparently trying to show the world that Abbas deserves a Palestinian
state because he has purportedly "condemned" the Hamas-led massacres. This is
the same Abbas, however, who still pays salaries to families of convicted
terrorists who murder Jews, and who consistently glorifies terrorists by calling
them heroes and martyrs.
The French President is undoubtedly aware of Abbas's support for terrorism and
refusal to condemn (in Arabic) the October 7 massacres. It is hard to believe
that Macron & Co. are being duped by the Palestinian leader. Macron most likely
does not care: like many European leaders, he wants to create a Palestinian
terror state that would pose an existential threat to Israel and pave the way
for more massacres of Jews. France and the European Union are actually planning
to reward the Islamist jihadists who slaughtered hundreds of Jews by giving them
a terrorist state funded and armed by Iran's mullahs.
This conference, to recognize a genocidal terrorist state, is evidently Macron's
way of appeasing the Muslim jihadists who are now rioting on the streets of
French cities. The same holds true for other European leaders: they are willing
to sacrifice Jews to placate their Muslim communities.
**Bassam Tawil is a Muslim Arab based in the Middle East. His work is made
possible through the generous donation of a couple of donors who wished to
remain anonymous. Gatestone is most grateful.
© 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.
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/21683/abbas-condemn-hamas
Reconstruction and the Need for Disarmament
Fahid Suleiman al-Shoqiran/Asharq Al Awsat/June 12/2025
The question of the future has gradually begun to outweigh the poetry and ruins
of the past since schisms ripped through parts of the region (whether in
Lebanon, Yemen, or Syria, where things have radically shifted) and the rogue
militias waged their so-called “support war.”
Dithering is not tenable at this momentous juncture. Every opportunity has a
window, and every window eventually expires.
Judging by Lebanese officials’ statements, reconstruction appears to be the
ultimate national priority. They have watched their Syrian neighbor lay the
groundwork for a transition from impossibility to possibility, reopening its
doors to key regional actors committed to development and dynamism. This is not
an end but the beginning: a tipping point that will determine whether hopes for
the future are realized.
These opportunities, once granted, are not permanent. Their lifespan depends on
the resolve and choices of those who receive it, and development and
reconstruction demand a firm commitment to implementation.
The question of Hezbollah’s disarmament has dominated the public discourse in
Lebanon over the past week. There is no doubt that it is a crucial issue:
without disarmament, Lebanon cannot become a coherent political state that
others can engage with on an equal footing. Lebanon’s statehood will remain
lacking so long as Hezbollah retains its weapons. This debate cannot be resolved
without domestic determination to put Lebanon on a clear track: bringing arms
under the authority of the state, an objective endorsed by the President.
The bigger challenge is the wily dithering of other actors who continue to stoke
sectarian tensions, play political tricks, and spread panic by insisting that
disarmament would trigger civil war. These tactics are intolerable. There has
never been a more opportune time for Lebanon to dismantle its militias than the
present: Hezbollah has been seriously weakened, and the Assad regime has been
toppled. There is no justification for delaying disarmament any further.
The turmoil resulting from the militias’ adventurism over the past year, and
beyond, has caused immense pain on a human level, drained economies, and
devastated the region. Nonetheless, we must study its aftermath. There are
elements that can be amended and corrected: ending the era of rogue militias,
changing the trajectories of troubled states, and ensuring that such crises are
not repeated.
Political Islamist movements are inherently hostile to the concept of the state.
They must be confronted and criminalized. That is what the governments of
moderate Arab states have done through decrees and legislation that have made
such movements illegal. During this harrowing period, we heard the wounded
prioritize life over death, health over illness, and development over fragility,
disorientation, displacement, and loss. The existential decline we are currently
witnessing is deeply dangerous. I believe the solution will not come from
ideologues or sloganeers, but from those committed to building. That is the path
Saudi Arabia has pursued, striving to salvage what remains after the
overwhelming catastrophe.
In short, restoring state authority, that of any state, is the key to serious
dialogue with others. No country can diplomatically engage with a state whose
institutions are compromised by the operations of militias. The growing
developmental discourse presents a genuine opportunity, but unless these visions
are acted upon, the underlying challenges will persist. How can an armed faction
that unilaterally decides questions of war and peace be part of the government?
Political leaders must face up to a profound reckoning: an era has ended. That
time has passed. We are now in an age of rising visions, ambitious development,
and new ideas. But who is ready to grasp this shift?
The Attack on the Army and the Threats Facing Sudan
Osman Mirghani/Asharq Al Awsat/June 12/2025
A brutal civil war continues to wreak havoc in Sudan, and foreign actors are
clearly fueling the conflict. Most recently, we saw the campaign to weaken the
Sudanese army at the border triangle between Sudan, Libya, and Egypt. Some are
now openly hoping for its defeat and others, behind the veil of calls for
“restructuring” it, are seeking to break the army apart.
One broad theme of this campaign is that the Sudanese armed forces are the
former regime’s (the National Congress Party) army and that it is a partisan
militia rather than a national institution.
While the army does include figures affiliated with the NCP, men from across the
political spectrum are also part of the army. Some have no political
affiliations or ties to the former regime. Many of those fighting alongside the
army today, including members of the joint forces and the newly mobilized
battalions, fall into this category. Some of the youths had participated in the
December Revolution and long opposed the previous regime. They cannot be labeled
“NCP”.
Despite political divergences, many international and regional actors agree that
there is a fundamental need to preserve Sudan’s state institutions, chief among
them the armed forces. Indeed, the collapse of the army would not simply mean
one faction’s defeat in an armed conflict. It would mean the collapse of the
state itself and introduce chaos and fragmentation. This consensus was not
reached out of sentiment but a sober assessment of recent history.
There are many tragic cases of nations descending into violent turmoil following
the disintegration of their national armies. The violence seen in Iraq after the
2003 invasion stands out: Paul Bremer’s dissolution of the Iraqi army created a
massive security vacuum that was quickly filled by non-state actors like
al-Qaeda and ISIS. Iraqi cities became battlegrounds, state institutions
crumbled, and the country drowned in sectarian bloodshed.
In Libya, overthrowing Gaddafi’s regime without a plan to build a unified army
left rival factions fighting a devastating war fueled by foreign intervention.
In Somalia, the state collapsed after Siad Barre's regime fell, turning the
country into several spheres of influence controlled by warlords. This led to a
devastating civil war that went on for nearly two decades and eventually led to
the emergence of extremist organizations such as Al-Shabaab.
In Africa, this catastrophe has taken a variety of forms. In the Democratic
Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire), the collapse of Mobutu Sese Seko's army
led to the First and Second Congo Wars. Nine African countries took part in the
hostilities that claimed the lives of millions. In Liberia, the disintegration
of the army led to a civil war that killed nearly a quarter of a million people.
The lesson from these precedents is that the national army is the "pillar of the
state:" If it collapses, the entire state collapses. If the Sudanese army
collapses or is dismantled- whether due to internal conflicts, external
pressures, or wrong political decisions- the country would find itself in one of
the following catastrophic scenarios:
- Security and police agencies would become non-existent, leading to chaos and
mass criminality.
- The security vacuum would unleash militias vying for power and wealth, and
dangerous tribal and regional conflicts would open the door to new demands for
secession, especially given the exploitation of marginalized regions.
- Cross-border conflicts would be inflamed as militias or armed groups seek
refuge or resources.
- Terrorist groups would emerge, finding fertile ground for their activity in
the chaos and insecurity. They are becoming increasingly active in the Sahel,
not far from Sudan's borders.
- Instability would pose a threat to neighboring countries in the region.
- All of this unrest would lead to unprecedented humanitarian disasters, fueling
famine and a refugee crisis.
In conclusion, the Sudanese army is the "last line of defense" against the
state’s collapse. Precedents show that dismantling national armies does not lead
to democracy, but rather to chaos, especially in a volatile climate of
aggravating regional and global conflicts.
Reforming the army is essential, and many other Sudanese state institutions must
also be reformed. The military top brass has stressed the need for reform in
light of the war, the integration of armed movements that signed the peace
agreement, ending the era when there were multiple armed movements and armies in
the county, and leaving weapons monopolized by the state. However, this reform
should not, under any circumstances, entail dismantling the army or
restructuring it in a manner that weakens it.
Sudan needs a strong army more than ever, to protect against conspiracies and
foreign ambitions. A strong national army that ignores politics and devotes
itself to protecting the homeland is the only bulwark against the aggravating
assaults on Sudan.
The Biggest Mystery of Elon Musk
The New York Times/Asharq Al Awsat/June 12/2025
Must any pair of would-be great men of history always find a path to conflict?
Ask Caesar and Pompey, Octavian and Antony, Lennon and McCartney. But the
specific thing they fight about is less predictable. I would not have guessed,
six months ago, that Elon Musk and Donald Trump’s version of the Battle of
Actium would be fought over the budget deficit.
That’s because six months ago I understood Musk’s interest in politics, his long
march away from Obama-era liberalism and his reinvention of himself as the
prince of the very online right, as reflecting two key goals: his newfound
desire to defeat cultural progressivism, rooted in the experience of his child’s
gender transition, and his long-term, career-shaping desire to get human
explorers to Mars.
These interests reinforced each other. Musk was already moving rightward on
cultural issues when his purchase of Twitter, a particular Rubicon, led him to
shed the leftward political alliances that once yielded Democratic patronage and
support. This strengthened his financial incentives to go all in for Trump and
the Republicans, because it was clear that a Kamala Harris administration would
be unremittingly hostile to his technological projects. He had already been
willing to make all kinds of wild business gambles for those projects, the dream
of Mars-bound rockets above all, so placing a stark political bet was second
nature.
Given that reading of his intentions, I assumed that Musk’s role in a second
Trump administration would be some combination of first technologist,
deregulator in chief and anti-woke crusader — a space and tech focus with a side
of culture war.
But that isn’t what happened. We did get the third role to some extent in some
of the ideological justifications for the DOGE campaign against U.S.A.I.D., but
Musk wasn’t really the point man for the White House’s anti-woke battles.
Nor did Musk assume a leading role in the administration’s deregulatory efforts.
That seemed to be part of the initial plan for DOGE, but it went into abeyance
when Musk forced out Vivek Ramaswamy.
Instead, the Tesla tycoon cast his great project as a budget-cutting effort,
draped in the kind of apocalyptic rhetoric about immediate fiscal crises that
went out of style on the right when Trump came down the escalator in 2015.
The extremity of this rhetoric, paired with the obvious difficulty of achieving
trillions of dollars of savings through head-count reductions at federal
agencies, led many people to assume that it was all a smoke screen — that DOGE
was just a mechanism to help Trump’s inner circle understand how to take full
control of the executive branch.
Certainly, there are people in the White House who appreciate how DOGE helped
them see inside the administrative state. But in terms of what Musk himself
thought he was doing, I mostly take him at his word: He seemed to have bought
into a vision of his role in Washington as a one-man version of the
Simpson-Bowles commission but with a mind-set and energy that would enable him
to succeed where prior deficit hawks had failed.
But I’m very curious as to why he embraced that specific role. Anti-deficit
mania was not a big part of the edgelord identity that Musk adopted on social
media; on the New Right, deficit issues were seen as fusty, old-guard.
Was it just a natural C.E.O.’s reaction to being handed power in D.C. — that the
first thing you do after a takeover is try to fix the cash flow? To the extent
that drug use reportedly played a role, is there something about ketamine that
makes federal budgeting seem unusually alluring? Or did someone convince him
that fiscal improvidence was the major impediment to humans becoming a
multiplanetary species, the great filter that would prevent our escape into the
stars?
If so, that someone did us all a disservice. It’s not that the deficit is
unimportant. But it’s a place where Musk has no special competency, and a
Silicon Valley tool kit honed in private industry doesn’t translate especially
well to the political challenge of taming entitlement spending.
Clearly, Musk didn’t stop caring about the space program: The Trump White House
decision (itself a bit of a mystery) to withdraw the nomination of his choice to
head NASA seems to have helped tip him over into full opposition to its tax
legislation.
But in the rhetorical war that he’s waging (for now, pending a temporary truce)
against his former presidential BFF, Musk is not playing the disappointed
futurist, the dynamist let down by populist blunders. He’s playing the deficit
scold, a position historically occupied by dorks and killjoys. (I’ve been one of
them at times, trust me.) It’s a poor platform from which to relaunch his
interplanetary ambitions.
“Trump has 3.5 years left as President, but I will be around for 40+ years,”
Musk predicted as the feud got hot. My own prediction is that the productivity
of those four decades will be amplified if he realizes that fixing the federal
deficit is one ambitious project that should be left to someone else.
Can Iranian Intelligence Target President Trump on U.S.
Soil? Are Iranian Agents Stirring Unrest in San Francisco?
Colonel Charbel Barakat/ June 12, 2025
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/06/144163/
The unrest unfolding in San Francisco—prompting President Trump to deploy the
National Guard and threaten to bring in Marine units—does not resemble ordinary
protests or isolated, containable incidents. On the contrary, these events seem
orchestrated and dangerous. The state governor and the city’s mayor appear to
have allowed demonstrators to escalate their assaults on police officers and to
continue destroying public and private property. The result looks less like
protest and more like an open revolt against the state. The use of slogans such
as "No king in this land," circulated widely on social media to incite further
violence, adds to this impression. The presence of Mexican, Palestinian, and
other foreign flags among the protesters suggests a diverse mix of agitators,
many seemingly united by a common aim: to sow chaos.
The questions that come to mind with such realm: could Iranian intelligence be
behind the incitement of such confrontations? Is the nuclear-deal lobbying money
still in circulation—funding subversive networks—especially now, as Iran finds
itself cornered and pressured to halt uranium enrichment and dismantle its
equipment?
Such questions become more urgent as unrest spreads to Los Angeles. Radical
leftist groups may exploit the situation for their own agendas, using the
Hispanic issue—centered on communities of Mexican and South American descent—and
symbolic displays like the Mexican flag to inflame passions in the
immigrant-heavy American West. This is despite the fact that most of these
communities consist of lawful U.S. citizens who enjoy full rights and are
unaffected by deportation policies aimed specifically at criminal gangs hiding
behind undocumented immigrant populations.
Even Americans who oppose President Trump’s policies do not condone the
manipulation of legitimate concerns to spark chaos. The Democratic Party, for
instance, cannot openly support behavior that undermines the nation’s stability
and promotes thuggery and lawlessness. However, extremist groups such as the
Muslim Brotherhood—and global terrorist organizations like Hezbollah, Hamas, and
other Iranian proxies—have every interest in destabilizing American society.
They aim to trigger unrest and activate sleeper cells to force U.S. leadership
to focus inward, rather than confront international threats—especially those
emanating from the Middle East, where Iran’s regime continues to kill its own
people, destabilize neighboring countries, and use sabotage and violence to
preserve its power.
Would the Iranian regime hesitate to cause turmoil in the homeland of its most
formidable adversary—particularly a U.S. president determined to dismantle its
expansionist project?
That is why the U.S. administration, Department of Homeland Security, and
national intelligence agencies must closely monitor these groups, track their
links to protest leaders, and act swiftly. Moreover, state and city officials
must recognize the risk posed by intelligence operatives, terrorist
organizations, and smuggling networks that exploit grassroots movements for
strategic disruption. They must avoid reckless rhetoric that fans the flames and
instead uphold the principles of lawful, peaceful protest—encouraging citizens
to reject vandalism and cooperate with law enforcement in restoring calm and
safeguarding national security.
Supporting Syria’s entrepreneurs a regional responsibility
Khalid Abdulla-Janahi/Arab News/June 12, 2025
Six months after the fall of the Assad regime, and weeks after the formal
lifting of US sanctions, there is now an open door for a potential economic and
social revival that could reshape Syria’s future. But the path ahead remains
fraught with challenges, competing interests and proxy battles — and the
question of how Syria rebuilds, and which stakeholders lead that process, is
more urgent than ever.
At the heart of Syria’s recovery is its youth — more than half of the population
is under 25, a generation defined by years of conflict and deprivation but also
incredible resilience. Traditional employment opportunities have collapsed,
pushing many young Syrians to seek alternative livelihoods. Entrepreneurship has
become not only a means of survival but a vital response to soaring unemployment
and widespread poverty.
The entrepreneurial spirit among Syrians is unmistakable. In a survey conducted
in 2024 by Ahmad Sufian Bayram, a general partner at Blackbox and advocate for
entrepreneurship in conflict zones, more than 80 percent of Syrians described
entrepreneurship as “extremely important.” This is a dramatic rise from just 26
percent in 2015. However, only 3 to 5 percent are actively involved in starting
or running businesses — a participation rate well below international norms and
one that highlights an enormous gap between ambition and opportunity.
Despite these challenges, a remarkable wave of startups has emerged, reflecting
the urgent needs of Syrian society. Fintech companies like Cashi are
revolutionizing digital payments in a cash-strapped economy. Educational
technology firms such as Quizat are expanding access to learning in a country
where schools have been devastated. E-commerce platforms like Tajir.Store are
connecting local merchants with customers, fostering commerce in a fractured
market. Entrepreneurship has become not only a means of survival but a vital
response to soaring unemployment and widespread poverty
In addition to these sectors, entrepreneurship in agriculture, healthcare and
energy is critical. The destruction of infrastructure has left food security,
basic health services and energy supply in urgent need of innovation and
investment. Startups addressing these challenges not only create jobs but also
lay the groundwork for rebuilding essential services. Yet the obstacles are
immense. Syria’s economy has shrunk to less than half its preconflict size. Nine
out of every 10 Syrians live in poverty and unemployment has tripled since the
onset of war. Infrastructure remains severely damaged, regulatory environments
are complex and often opaque, and logistics chains are fragile. Most pressingly,
international sanctions and funding constraints have severely limited access to
capital. Many foreign investors and support organizations are either unable or
unwilling to send funds into Syria, choking off growth opportunities for
startups and limiting their ability to scale.Although the easing of some EU
restrictions in February and the partial lifting of US sanctions have sparked
cautious optimism, the financing gap remains vast. While some startups have
secured small investments — ranging from $5,000 to $100,000 — these amounts fall
far short of the capital required for scaling and sustaining businesses in a
difficult environment. In a report titled “The Impact of the Conflict in Syria”
issued in February, the UN Development Programme estimated that Syria’s economy
would need to grow between 5 and 13.9 percent annually to recover to preconflict
levels within a reasonable time frame. At current rates, some projections
suggest Syria may not regain its pre-war gross domestic product until well into
the latter half of the century. Political instability, fragmented governance and
ongoing security risks further complicate the investment landscape and business
operations.
In this challenging context, grassroots initiatives like startup bootcamps,
hackathons and mentorship programs — including organizations such as Sanad
ScaleUp and Takween — have been critical in nurturing entrepreneurial talent and
fostering resilience. The involvement of the Syrian diaspora and international
impact investors is also increasingly being recognized as vital to supporting
ecosystem growth.
Yet, for the rebuilding effort to be truly sustainable, leadership and
investment must come from within the region. While international partners play a
valuable role, regional actors have the greatest stake in Syria’s success.
Efforts led by the Arab world — backed by private capital and focused on
creating jobs that strengthen local economies — offer the best chance of
sustainable recovery. There are roles for both the private sector and state
capital to play, particularly in the case of the Gulf Cooperation Council states
that are supporting the interim government.
For the rebuilding effort to be truly sustainable, leadership and investment
must come from within the region
While the Gulf states are seeking confidence-building measures, they are also
well placed, not only in terms of capital but also in terms of technical
assistance, to lend expertise and intellectual capital from their vibrant
community of innovators and diverse ecosystem of corporate sponsors, startups
and investors who have been developing “Silicon Wadis” in the Gulf for years.
Examples include the Misk Accelerator, the King Abdullah University for Science
and Technology Entrepreneurship Center and Flat6Labs in Saudi Arabia, Hub71 in
Abu Dhabi, Area 2071 in Dubai and the Fazaa Center for Business Incubators and
Accelerators across the UAE, and Tamkeen in Bahrain. The establishment of
dedicated funds with sovereign and state-owned companies and the support they
can offer can also benefit Syria’s entrepreneur cohorts.
The Arab world has a responsibility that extends beyond economic opportunity.
Supporting Syrian entrepreneurs is a strategic imperative for regional stability
and peace. While the sanctions were removed on Syria from the outside, the
solutions for the future must come from within both Syria and the wider region.
The entrepreneurial generation represents Syria’s most promising resource for
creating inclusive growth, social cohesion and resilience in a postconflict
society. Moreover, entrepreneurship serves as an incubator for responsible
leadership and bootstrapping in business. It nurtures individuals who are
proactive, adaptable and capable of addressing the complex challenges facing
Syria. These qualities are essential for guiding the nation through its next
chapter. The future of Syria rests with its next generation — and now is the
time for those in positions of leadership across the region to empower them to
build that future.
**Khalid Abdulla-Janahi is a leading financier, global strategy pundit and
philanthropist. He is co-founder of the Maryam Forum Foundation (UK). He
previously served as co-chair of the World Economic Forum Global Agenda Council
on the Middle East and North Africa and vice chair of the Arab Business Council.