English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For June 23/2025
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news

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Bible Quotations For today
But now I am going to him who sent me; and not one of you says to me, Where are you going
John 16/04-11: I have said these things to you so that when the time comes, what I have said may come to your mind. I did not say them to you at the first, because then I was still with you. But now I am going to him who sent me; and not one of you says to me, Where are you going? But your hearts are full of sorrow because I have said these things. But what I am saying is true: my going is for your good: for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. And he, when he comes, will make the world conscious of sin, and of righteousness, and of being judged: Of sin, because they have not faith in me; Of righteousness, because I go to the Father and you will see me no more; Of being judged, because the ruler of this world has been judged.

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on June 22-23/2025
Political Islam—Sunni and Shiite, States and Organizations Alike—is Responsible for the Church of Saint Elias Bombing in Damascus and for Every Attack Against Christians Around the World/Elias Bejjani/June 22, 2025
Ian’s threats to involve Hezbollah in its war with Israel confirm that it is merely a terrorist arm under its command.
Elias Bejjani/June 20/2025
Aoun warns against entangling Lebanon in war after US strikes on Iran
Aoun Condemns Damascus Church Bombing
Salam urges keeping Lebanon out of conflict after US strikes on Iran
US Strikes: Strong Concerns from the Lebanese State
Israeli strike hits al-Manar's transmission building in Toumat Niha
US Orders Departure of Personnel from Lebanon Amid Security Concerns
PoliticsClear Fire and Political Warnings to Hezbollah/Bassam Abou Zeid/This is Beirut/June 22/2025
Hezbollah Reiterates Solidarity with Iran
The Enemy/Amine Jules Iskandar/June 22/2025
And Finally, I Have a Homeland/Dr. Hisham Hamdan/Face Book//22 June/2025

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on June 22-23/2025
Syria says ISIS behind Damascus church attack, at least 20 killed
Saudi Arabia condemns suicide attack on Syrian church
Israeli strikes on Iran have killed at least 950 people and wounded 3,450 others, a human rights group says
Israel says struck ‘dozens’ of sites in Iran on Sunday
World awaits Iranian response after US hits nuclear sites
Deception and surprise: How the US hit Iran’s nuclear sites undetected
Iran to decide on Strait of Hormuz closure after parliament reportedly backs move
Hapag-Lloyd: Still sailing through Strait of Hormuz but situation can change anytime
Will Iran shut the Strait of Hormuz? What that means for the world
US urges China to dissuade Iran from closing Strait of Hormuz
Netanyahu says Israel close to meeting its goals in Iran
Iran approves closure of Strait of Hormuz, a vital oil and gas route
Israeli hostage remains recovered, Netanyahu confirms
Pentagon says US is not seeking regime change in Iran after massive bombing operation
Russia lambasts US attacks as Iran looks to Moscow
Saudi Crown Prince holds talks with regional, world leaders amid Iran crisis
US bombing of Iran started with a fake-out
Trump ignites debate on presidential authority with Iran strikes and wins praise from Republicans
Trump Slapped With ‘Impeachment’ Threats After Bombing Iran
Remains of three Israeli hostages recovered from Gaza
US orders more diplomatic staff to leave Iraq, Lebanon amid Iran tensions
NATO ships are at rising risk. Top commanders tell BI it's time to rethink naval defense.
Syria's post-Assad leader vowed the country is for all. Some Syrians have their doubts

Titles For The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources on June 22-23/2025
In Plain Sight, Donald Trump Continues His Takeover Of The U.S. Military/S.V. Date/HuffPost/Sun, June 22, 2025
What About The Present Day?/Tariq Al-Homayed/Asharq Al-Awsat/June 22/2025
Conflict provides no honor or glory, just remorse/Peter Harrison/Arab News/June 22, 2025
Gender equality in politics remains a distant prospect/Maha Akeel/Arab News/June 22, 2025
Leveraging African capital for African needs/Carlos Lopes/Arab News/June 22, 2025
Selective Tweets For Today 22 June/2025

The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on June 22-23/2025
Political Islam—Sunni and Shiite, States and Organizations Alike—is Responsible for the Church of Saint Elias Bombing in Damascus and for Every Attack Against Christians Around the World
Elias Bejjani/June 22, 2025
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/06/144479/
We strongly condemn the heinous terrorist massacre carried out today by the Jihadist organization ISIS inside the Church of Saint Elias in the Damascus neighborhood of Al-Dweila. The bombing claimed the lives of over 25 innocent worshippers and injured dozens more, in a vile act of bloodshed that is part of a systematic campaign to eradicate Christian presence in the Levant. It recalls the genocidal atrocities committed in recent years by extremist groups against Christians and other minorities in many countries.
Let it be absolutely clear: ISIS is not an isolated or spontaneous phenomenon. It is a direct product of the terror incubators maintained and funded by states and organizations affiliated with Sunni and Shiite political Islam—chief among them Qatar, Turkey, and Iran, along with their organizational arms such as Hamas, Bako Haram, Hezbollah etc and other radical Islamist factions on both sectarian fronts.
In this context, we also hold the regime of Ahmad Al-Sharaa, formerly known as Al-Jolani, morally and politically responsible for this crime. His regime is ideologically and strategically an extension of ISIS itself—regardless of any “legitimacy” falsely granted to him by the West or by certain Arab regimes. A criminal remains a criminal, no matter how many times he changes his mask. Al-Jolani, the former leader of Al-Nusra, has a blood-soaked history filled with terrorism, executions, and Takfiri- Jihadist extremism.
Since Turkey, with Qatar’s backing, installed him as the de facto ruler of Syria, violations against minorities—especially Druze, Alawites, Christians, and Yazidis—have not only continued, but worsened under a shroud of international complicity and suspicious Arab silence.
The massacre at Saint Elias Church is but one link in a wider, deliberate campaign of attacks against Christians across the Middle East, Africa, and even Europe, executed by a globalized extremist network led by both Sunni and Shiite political Islam, with its two main engines: the Muslim Brotherhood and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Western intelligence reports—including the latest French security report—have clearly identified the Muslim Brotherhood as the most dangerous internal threat to European democratic values, due to its deep infiltration into immigrant communities and exploitation of liberal freedoms to spread hatred, division, and radical ideologies.
We call upon all free people of the world, and every defender of human rights and civil liberties, to break the silence and complicity, and to declare an all-out confrontation against this global terrorist project, and against all those who fund, shelter, or legitimize it as a political partner or “reality on the ground.”
The blood of the martyrs at Saint Elias Church cries out against a world that continues to look the other way. It places upon all of us a sacred responsibility to confront this evil by all legitimate means.
Mercy to the innocent worshippers murdered inside the church. Eternal shame on the killers—and on those who protect, finance, or justify them.
And let it be said once more:
There can be no peace, no stability, and no security in the world as long as political Islam—whether in the form of states or organizations—roams freely in the name of religion, while having nothing to do with any true faith.

Ian’s threats to involve Hezbollah in its war with Israel confirm that it is merely a terrorist arm under its command.
Elias Bejjani/June 20/2025
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/06/144400/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zdCw97P8fYE
A recent statement by a senior Iranian official made one thing unmistakably clear: "If the United States enters the war, Hezbollah will join the battle and attack Israel".
"We note with sorrow and disappointment that not a single Lebanese official had the courage to respond to this blatant Iranian statement—an insult and humiliation to all of Lebanon’s leaders, foremost among them the Presidents of the Republic and the Council of Ministers. They swallowed their tongues and remained silent, like the Sphinx."
This declaration strips away every remaining illusion and reaffirms what many have long asserted—Hezbollah is not Lebanese, nor is it a “resistance” movement. It is a fully integrated military brigade of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), created, trained, and funded to serve Tehran’s regional agenda.
From its very inception in 1982, Hezbollah has been nothing but an extension of Iran’s military apparatus. Its existence was never intended to defend Lebanon or liberate Palestine, as it falsely claims in its propaganda. Instead, it was established to serve as Iran’s frontline defense in case the Islamic Republic came under Israeli or American attack. The recent Iranian statement was not a mere opinion—it was an official order, a reminder that Hezbollah’s allegiance lies with Iran, not Lebanon.
The Myth of Resistance and the Reality of Subordination
Hezbollah’s slogans of “resistance” and “liberation” are nothing but deceitful rhetoric meant to cover its true mission: acting as a loyal servant to Iran’s expansionist ambitions. It has never had an independent Lebanese decision-making process. Every move, every war, every escalation has been carried out under direct orders from Tehran.
Let us not forget the main terrorist operations Hezbollah has carried out both in Lebanon and abroad at the behest of the Iranian regime:
The 1983 bombing of the U.S. Embassy in Beirut.
The 1983 attack on the Multinational Force headquarters in Beirut, killing 241 U.S. Marines and 58 French soldiers.
The hijacking of TWA Flight 847 in 1985.
The global terror operations in Argentina, Bulgaria, Cyprus, and beyond.
Its 2006 war with Israel, launched without any Lebanese consensus, which devastated Lebanon and served Iranian interests.
Hezbollah's Betrayal of Lebanon’s Shiite Community
Far from being a protector of Lebanon’s Shiites, Hezbollah is their greatest enemy. It has taken the Shiite population hostage, using its youth as cannon fodder in Iran’s foreign wars—in Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Gaza, and the West Bank. It silences dissent within its community, crushes opponents, and enforces a culture of fear and blind allegiance to the Iranian Supreme Leader. Lebanon’s Shiites never chose Hezbollah. This militia was imposed on them by Iran, aided by a complicit Syrian regime, that was occupying Lebanon, and through internal coercion. A powerful example of this coercion was the Battle of Iqlim al-Tuffah in the late 1980s, where Hezbollah, backed militarily by both Iran and even—ironically—Israel, crushed the Amal Movement militarily. Later, Amal leader Nabih Berri was forced to submit to Iranian authority and align his movement with Hezbollah's project.
This dark chapter illustrates that Hezbollah’s rise was not organic, and certainly not democratic. It was the result of a deliberate Iranian occupation of Lebanon’s Shiite community—and by extension, the entire country.
A Cancer Eating Away at Lebanon
Hezbollah is not just a threat to Lebanese sovereignty—it is a cancer consuming the Lebanese state from within. Its grip over government institutions, its veto power in politics, and its arsenal of weapons all make it a state within a state—one that reports directly to Tehran.
Its continuous threats of civil war are hollow, born out of desperation. Hezbollah today is weaker than it wants the world to believe. But as long as it holds onto its weapons and remains above the law, Israel will be forced to finish the job if the Lebanese Army fails to disarm it.
The Only Solution: Removal—By Peace or by Force
Hezbollah’s continued presence poses an existential threat to Lebanon, not just to its sovereignty, but to its future. The only path forward is to dismantle this Iranian militia—whether through internal peaceful disarmament or, if necessary, through military confrontation. There is no other way.
If Lebanon’s leaders continue their shameful submission and cowardice in the face of Hezbollah’s tyranny, then Israel—or any other force—will eventually be compelled to neutralize this threat themselves. The price of inaction is the continued occupation of Lebanon by a foreign proxy, and the endless suffering of its people. In summary, Hezbollah is not a resistance movement, nor is it Lebanese. It is Iran’s foreign, armed, jihadist-terrorist proxy—a tool of war and destruction. Its removal is not a choice, but a national and moral obligation.

Aoun warns against entangling Lebanon in war after US strikes on Iran
Naharnet/June 22/2025
President Joseph Aoun said Sunday that Lebanon does not want to “pay the price of more wars” and that “there is no national interest” in joining the Israel-Iran war after the U.S. strikes on Iran’s key nuclear sites. “Lebanon, with its leadership, parties and people, realizes today more than ever that it has preciously paid for the wars that erupted on its soil and in the region, and it does not want to pay any further and there is no national interest in that,” Aoun said. “The cost of these wars has been and will be greater than it can bear,” the president warned. Noting that “the bombardment of the Iranian nuclear facilities increases the fear that the tensions could spread in a manner that threatens security and stability in many areas and countries,” Aoun urged “restraint and the launch of constructive and serious negotiations to restore stability in the region’s countries and avoid further killing and destruction.”Aoun had earlier received a phone call from Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and they discussed “the dangerous developments in the region and the possible repercussions on Lebanon.”“They agreed to keep communication channels open between them and to jointly work to spare Lebanon these situations, put the higher national interest first, and preserve unity and national solidarity,” the National News Agency said. Salam also held phone talks with the ministers of defense and interior and the army chief in order to “take the necessary security measures to preserve domestic stability and national security during this critical period.”Lebanon’s new leadership, which came after Israel and the Hezbollah’s devastating war, has urged that the country avoid being dragged into more conflict as it tries to rebuild itself and pull itself from yearslong economic crisis. Hezbollah has not taken military action against Israel in solidarity with its key ally Iran in the conflict, but has not yet commented on Washington’s overnight strikes.

Aoun Condemns Damascus Church Bombing
This is Beirut/June 22/2025
President Joseph Aoun on Sunday expressed his strong condemnation of the terrorist bombing that struck the St. Elias Greek Orthodox Church in the Dweila neighborhood of Damascus, offering his condolences to the Greek Orthodox Church and the families of the victims. In a statement following the attack, Aoun extended his wishes for a swift recovery to those injured, denouncing the bombing as a “criminal incident” and calling on Syrian authorities to take immediate and effective measures to prevent such tragedies from recurring. The President also underscored the need to protect places of worship, their congregants, and all Syrian citizens, regardless of sect or background. He emphasized that the unity of the Syrian people is the primary safeguard against internal strife, warning of the dangers posed by such attacks. In parallel, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri extended his condolences to Greek Orthodox Patriarch John X Yazigi, the Orthodox communities in Syria and Lebanon, and the families of the victims of what he described as a “cowardly terrorist act” that targeted worshippers inside the church. Wishing a swift recovery to the wounded, Berri reaffirmed that terrorism knows no sect or religion, stressing that its perpetrators and sponsors, whether individuals, groups, or states, are “enemies of God and His divine messages, which were revealed to uphold the dignity of all human beings, regardless of faith or affiliation.”Earlier on Sunday, an explosion shook the St. Elias Church in Dweila-Damascus, in what Syrian authorities have described as a terrorist attack. According to the Syrian Ministry of Interior, the attacker entered the church, opened fire on worshippers, and then detonated himself using an explosive vest. The assault took place while several people were gathered inside the church.The Syrian Ministry of Health later confirmed to state-run SANA news agency that the blast left at least 20 people dead and 53 others wounded.

Salam urges keeping Lebanon out of conflict after US strikes on Iran
Associated Press/June 22/2025
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said that Lebanon needs to stay away from any possible regional spillover from the conflict, after the U.S. targeted Iran's main nuclear sites. “It is increasingly important for us to adhere strictly to the supreme national interest, which is the need to avoid Lebanon being ... drawn into the ongoing regional confrontation in any way,” Salam said in a post on X.

US Strikes: Strong Concerns from the Lebanese State
This is Beirut/June 22/2025
Following US airstrikes on several Iranian nuclear sites, Lebanese leaders expressed deep concern over the escalating military tensions in the region and reaffirmed Lebanon’s commitment to neutrality in regional conflicts. President Joseph Aoun highlighted the heavy toll Lebanon has already paid, stating, “Lebanon is today more aware than ever of the price it has paid for wars that have erupted on its soil and across the region. It does not wish to pay any further price, especially as the cost of these wars exceeds its capacity to bear them.”The President also warned of the repercussions of bombing Iranian nuclear facilities, fearing the conflict could spread and jeopardize the security of several countries. He called for restraint and the launch of serious and constructive negotiations to restore stability in the region. On the platform X, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam also urged maximum caution, “In light of the dangerous escalation in military operations and the risks it poses to the entire region, it is more crucial than ever to remain firmly committed to our supreme national interest, which dictates sparing Lebanon from any involvement, in any form, in the ongoing regional conflict. Our awareness of this supreme national interest is our most powerful weapon in these critical circumstances.”These statements reflect a clear intent by the Lebanese state to shield the country from direct involvement in a regional war that is already threatening to expand.

Israeli strike hits al-Manar's transmission building in Toumat Niha
Naharnet/June 22/2025
An Israeli airstrike has targeted the transmission building of Hezbollah’s al-Manar TV on the heights of the Toumat Niha area, which overlooks West Bekaa and the southern region of Iqlim al-Tuffah, state-run National News Agency reported on Sunday.
Al-Jadeed television said the building was being used by several TV stations and mobile network operators as a transmission and coverage point. The TV network added that the building was fully destroyed along with its towers, equipment and transmission facilities, noting that it had been targeted and partially destroyed two days ago.

US Orders Departure of Personnel from Lebanon Amid Security Concerns
This is Beirut/June 22/2025
On Sunday, the US Department of State ordered the departure of family members and non-emergency US government personnel from Lebanon due to the volatile and unpredictable security situation in the region. The US Embassy urged American citizens in Lebanon to exercise caution and monitor the news for breaking developments. While some airlines have recently suspended or cancelled flights, Lebanese airspace and Beirut–Rafic Hariri International Airport remain open. Commercial transportation options are still available but limited.US citizens are advised to check for available flights and monitor local news for updates that may affect security conditions in Lebanon.

PoliticsClear Fire and Political Warnings to Hezbollah
Bassam Abou Zeid/This is Beirut/June 22/2025
Lebanese officials are closely monitoring the rapidly escalating conflict between Iran and Israel, particularly following the United States’ entry into the hostilities. Washington remains concerned that Hezbollah may be drawn into the confrontation, given its longstanding military, political and ideological alignment with the Islamic Republic of Iran and its leadership. According to reports, as US airstrikes targeted Iran’s nuclear sites in Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan, Israeli warplanes simultaneously struck Hezbollah positions in southern Lebanon, specifically hitting a transmission station belonging to Al-Manar TV, the group’s media arm, located in the Tumat Niha Heights. Security sources said the strike was a clear message to Hezbollah to remain out of the war. This military warning was accompanied by a diplomatic one: an Israeli message, conveyed through American channels, cautioning the Lebanese government against any Hezbollah involvement in the conflict.In the wake of both warnings, President Joseph Aoun took immediate steps, reaching out to Hezbollah’s leadership to stress the importance of sparing Lebanon from the war’s repercussions by refraining from involvement. According to available information, Hezbollah has yet to provide a clear response. For now, the Iran-aligned group appears committed to avoiding escalation. But the crucial question remains: If Iran were to call on Hezbollah to join the fight, would it be able to refuse, especially given that the Shia community can no longer bear further human or material losses?
In this context, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam also took decisive action, engaging with various Arab and international stakeholders, most notably the United States and France. Reports indicate that the Lebanese Army has been ordered to reinforce its presence in southern Lebanon and other strategic locations, particularly around the US embassy in Awkar, which is viewed as a potential target for retaliation linked to the strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites or any military operations targeting Iran’s top leadership, headed by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
Lebanon remains in a state of official political vigilance, as recent talks have done little to allay fears of involvement in the war. Yet, insiders believe Hezbollah is unlikely to risk political suicide, fully aware of its precarious position within its own community and the country at large—especially since reconstruction from the previous conflict, which Hezbollah supported, has yet to begin, hindered by limited resources on both Hezbollah’s and the state’s sides. Against this backdrop, the president addressed the nation from downtown Beirut, offering reassurance that Lebanon would not be dragged into war and asking: Who could realistically bear the devastating cost of such a conflict?

Hezbollah Reiterates Solidarity with Iran
This is Beirut/June 22/2025
Hezbollah stated in a communiqué that “the U.S. administration sought, through this criminal aggression, to achieve what the Hebrew State failed to accomplish in their ongoing attacks against the Islamic Republic of Iran and to compensate for their resounding failure in achieving its goals and in confronting Iran’s painful and devastating missiles.”The formation affirmed its “full solidarity with the Islamic Republic of Iran—its leadership and its people. We have complete confidence in Iran’s strength, the justice of its cause, the example set by its steadfast and courageous leadership, its generous and noble people, and its vigilant and self-sacrificing Revolutionary Guard and security and military forces to confront this aggression and make the American and Israeli enemies taste the bitterness of defeat. These attacks will not deter Iran from continuing its progress and development.”The militia called on “Arab and Islamic countries, as well as the free peoples of the world, to stand by the Islamic Republic of Iran in the face of American and Israeli aggression. We also call on the United Nations and international and legal bodies—especially the International Atomic Energy Agency—to assume their responsibilities regarding this dangerous aggression, which could have caused nuclear contamination threatening vast areas of the world and costing tens of thousands of lives, were it not for Iran’s precautionary measures.”Hezbollah further emphasized that “the Islamic Republic of Iran has always been, and remains, the party most committed to regional and international security. It has repeatedly confirmed the peaceful nature of its nuclear program and its commitment to diplomacy as the path to resolving crises—from a position of sovereignty and in defense of its legitimate rights as guaranteed by international law. In the face of this wrongful aggression, Iran has every right to respond and to defend its land, people, and sovereignty. These arrogant tyrants will not succeed in subjugating the Iranian people or their brave leadership. On the contrary, this aggression will only strengthen their resolve to resist until victory is achieved.”The group concluded by stating that “the American aggression against Iran confirms the full and direct partnership between the United States and Israel in planning and execution—not only in the war against the Islamic Republic, but also in all the wars and crimes afflicting the region, in Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen. This proves to the entire world that the United States is the official sponsor of terrorism, and that it respects neither international charters nor humanitarian laws, nor treaties or commitments.”

The Enemy
Amine Jules Iskandar/June 22/2025
The global expansion of communication and information offers boundless access to a world that has moved beyond its medieval witch hunts. Lebanon must now choose: embrace this forward march, or keep watching its people turn away from a country they no longer recognize as their own.
In 1915, in the aftermath of the great genocide of Eastern Christians, Jamal Pasha introduced the concept of the enemy—an invention that proved devastatingly effective in silencing free thought, and with it, existence itself. If, as René Descartes wrote, “I think, therefore I am,” then erasing our existence first required stopping our ability to think.
Ottoman Justice
The pasha entrusted with what were then called the Armenian and Lebanese “problems” declared France the enemy above all else. Anyone caught cooperating with this enemy faced trial before a military court in Aley. This court, whose authority extended to civilians, became a source of widespread fear. Because many Christians attended French-language schools, they were automatically suspected of collaboration. Unable to find clear evidence of intelligence with the enemy, the pasha broadened his definition to include any contact. Even the slightest innocent correspondence bearing a French address could lead to arrest and brutal interrogation. The Aley tribunal became infamous as a place from which no one ever returned. Simply mentioning the name of France struck fear into people’s hearts. No one wanted any connection—even to a friend or relative—accused of contact with this terrifying enemy.
Having proven its effectiveness, this tool of intellectual terror was adopted by Baathist, leftist, Arab nationalist, Nasserist, and Islamist regimes to enforce their oppressive rule. No method proved more cunning at isolating the population from the outside world—and at instilling fear under the guise of law, justice, and legality.
Intellectual Terrorism
Faced with a shortage of collaboration cases, security services shifted their focus to charges of contact with the enemy. To intimidate smaller targets, they made examples of prominent figures. In 2022, Hezbollah-affiliated forces targeted the Maronite Archbishop of Haifa and the Holy Land —echoing Jamal Pasha’s 1915 execution of Archbishop Youssef Hayek on similar charges. A simple photograph of a 20-year-old woman posing alongside a young Israeli in a beauty contest was enough to terrorize her, her family, and her entire community. But once the threat became clear, everyone learned how to evade the inevitable. It was then that the witch hunters’ cunning reached new heights. After targeting intelligence (al ta‘amol) and contact (al tawasul), they invented a new charge: empathy (al ta‘atuf). This tactic is the most Machiavellian of all—it no longer targets actions or communication but simply feelings. When people can be judged for what they feel, the only way to protect themselves is to stop feeling altogether—and, by extension, to stop reflecting... to stop thinking. This threat makes it clear that only our biological presence is tolerated, completely stripped of any cultural or identity dimension.
The Illusion of Secularism
Islamists claim tolerance toward the People of the Book, and Arab nationalists assert their secularism. They accept the Christian faith and its religious practices—so long as these carry no cultural or identity markers and, above all, involve no distinct political beliefs.
Yet after marginalizing Christians’ history, language, and cultural ties, messianic Islamism (Hezbollah) and secular Arab nationalism have turned their sights on Christian doctrine and spirituality. They pressure Christians to adopt ideas that contradict their core values and the very essence of a faith rooted in absolute love. In the New Testament, the enemy is mentioned solely to subvert the very logic of aggression. Christianity is a radical call to love and a transcendence of violence. As we read in the Gospel according to Matthew: “Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you” (Matthew 5:44–45). Similarly, in the Gospel of Luke: “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you” (Luke 6:27–28). And in the words of Saint Paul: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink” (Romans 12:20).
When the language of violence does appear in the New Testament—as it does, rarely, in Luke 19:27—it is symbolic, found in parables or apocalyptic imagery. In this instance, it is the parable of the king. It is not a command, but a narrative illustrating eschatological judgment—not a call to human violence.
Acculturation
A long process of acculturation has brought us to the point where we routinely denounce those labeled as enemies. “To liquidate a people,” wrote Milan Kundera, “you begin by destroying their books, their culture, their history.” By erasing memory, language, and cultural reference points, foreign concepts can be introduced—and even adopted—despite being fundamentally incompatible. As George Orwell warned, “If thought corrupts language, language can also corrupt thought.”The choice of words is crucial. “Make them swallow the word, and you’ll make them swallow the thing,” Vladimir Ilyich Lenin once said. By endlessly repeating the same empty, meaningless phrases, people eventually begin echoing them unconsciously. As Joseph Goebbels, Minister of Propaganda in the Third Reich, famously said, “If you tell a lie long enough and keep repeating it, it becomes truth.”Television journalists and social media hosts relentlessly echo the word “enemy,” along with its savage and brutal labels, casting probing looks at their guests—ready to strike if they don’t join in the tirade of this medieval rhetoric. Their judgment seems numb or poisoned, as Victor Klemperer described in his study of Nazi propaganda, likening words to tiny doses of arsenic.
The Worldview
“The limits of my language mean the limits of my world,” wrote Ludwig Wittgenstein in 1922. It is precisely on language that the ideologues of messianic Islamism and secular Arabism have concentrated their efforts—for it is through language that social reference points are shaped. “Language is a guide to social reality,” observed Edward Sapir. And as Benjamin Lee Whorf noted, one cannot overlook the connection between habitual thought, behavior, and language. French culture, along with Lebanon’s Francophone and Anglophone schools and media, has provided a degree of freedom from the official discourse and its carefully engineered vocabulary. As Wilhelm von Humboldt wrote, the diversity of languages is not merely a diversity of sounds and signs, but a diversity of worldviews. Our ancient Syriac texts reveal a view of history—and of the world—that stands in profound opposition to the narratives crafted by 20th-century propaganda. But how many still know the language? And among them, how many dare to speak their minds? This is where the global expansion of communication and information comes into play, opening wide access to a world that has moved beyond its medieval witch hunts. Lebanon must now choose: embrace this evolution, or keep watching its people turn away from a country they no longer recognize as their own.

And Finally, I Have a Homeland
Dr. Hisham Hamdan/Face Book//22 June/2025
Since my childhood, I have been searching for a homeland. I struggled and fought, believing that my homeland was the place where I was born, where my parents and grandparents were born. I planted myself and my heart in its soil. I watered it with the sweat of my brow and raised my voice in every forum to defend its causes. I never missed an opportunity to speak of its history, heritage, and status among nations since the Phoenicians carved its glory five thousand years ago.
My children asked me:
“And what about the present, Father? And what is the future?”
I understood the question...
I paused for a moment and said: Yes, the land is precious, and history is the essence of souls, but the value of a human being is not created by history or land—it is shaped by the authority that governs the foundations of the homeland.
Wretched is the authority that made us forget the homeland’s glories, having sold our country to the whims of strangers, who dip their ink in its soil and turn its people into mere ink to fuel their writing.
I set out to search for a homeland whose authorities exalt its glory by glorifying the human being—where the human is raised to the level of sanctity. I found nothing better than America, a homeland that looks upon the immigrant first and foremost as a human being, before considering their nationality, race, color, religion, belief, physical state, or financial status.
I gave Lebanon seventy years of my life.
The authorities stole my dreams, displaced my children, and looted my money.
But in America, the authorities made me a citizen equal to every other citizen from the moment my feet touched the ground of this great nation and I received my permanent residency card.
Here, I am not a second- or third-class citizen.
Here, my sect does not define my value in my homeland, nor does my political affiliation determine my rights or status.
Here, I do not struggle to obtain medicine or healthcare.
Here, my geographic surroundings do not define my rights or privileges.
Here, I enjoy the same rights and benefits in every corner of the country.
Here, I can criticize any official in power, including the president, without being threatened with the burning of my house or being subjected to public insults.
Here, I am free—free to sleep and wake with the chirping of birds.
I dream, and I find dozens who open the door to help fulfill my dream.
Here, my value lies in what I prove of my competence, capability, loyalty, and contribution.
I am an American citizen who knows that if I were harmed, the authorities would defend me and grant me protection. I need no one's favor.
I raise my passport and shout: “I am American!”
In this country, I have come to know the value of being a citizen of a state that respects its constitution, sovereignty, and the dignity of its people.
Of course, Lebanon will always be planted in my heart. I will not deny that. But now, I can enjoy what remains of its beautiful legacy—and at the same time, hold on to my human value.
Thank you, America.

The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on June 22-23/2025
Syria says ISIS behind Damascus church attack, at least 20 killed
Al Arabiya English/22 June/2025
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/06/144475/
At least 20 people were killed and dozens injured when a suicide bomber blew himself up at the Mar Elias Church in the Dweila neighborhood of Syria’s capital Damascus on Sunday, health authorities and security sources said.It was the first suicide bombing in Damascus since Bashar al-Assad was toppled by opposition forces in December. Syria’s interior ministry said the suicide bomber was a member of ISIS. He entered the church, opened fire and then detonated his explosive vest, a ministry statement added. Syria’s foreign ministry condemned the attack, calling it an attempt to undermine coexistence in the multi-sectarian, multi-ethnic country. Syria considers “this criminal act, which targeted members of the Christian community, a desperate attempt to undermine national coexistence and to destabilize the country,” the foreign ministry said in a statement.
Saudi Arabia condemned the attack, describing it as a “terrorist” act. In a statement, the Saudi foreign ministry “emphasized the Kingdom’s rejection of attacks on places of worship, the terrorizing of civilians, and the shedding of innocent blood,” and “affirmed the Kingdom’s support for the sisterly Syrian Arab Republic against all forms of violence, extremism, and terrorism.” The ministry also offered “its sincere condolences to the families of the victims and to the government and people of Syria, wishing the injured a speedy recovery.” The US special envoy for Syria Tom Barrack berated the militants behind the attack, calling it an act of “cowardice.”“These terrible acts of cowardice have no place in the new tapestry of integrated tolerance and inclusion that Syrians are weaving,” Barrack posted on X of the attack. “We continue to support the Syrian government as it fights against those who are seeking to create instability and fear in their country and the broader region.”A security source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said two men were involved in the attack, including the one who blew himself up. ISIS has been behind several attempted attacks on churches in Syria since al-Assad’s fall, but this was the first to succeed, another security source told Reuters. Syria’s state news agency cited the health ministry as saying that 52 people were also injured in the blast. A livestream from the site by Syria’s civil defense, the White Helmets, showed scenes of destruction from inside the church, including a bloodied floor and shattered pews and masonry. Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, who led the offensive against al-Assad before taking over in January for a transitional phase, has repeatedly said he will protect minorities. “We unequivocally condemn the abhorrent terrorist suicide bombing at the Mar Elias Greek Orthodox Church in Damascus, Syria,” the Greek foreign ministry said in a statement. “We demand that the Syrian transitional authorities take immediate action to hold those involved accountable and implement measures to guarantee the safety of Christian communities and all religious groups, allowing them to live without fear.”ISIS had previously targeted religious minorities, including a major attack on Shia pilgrims in Sayeda Zainab in 2016 – one of the most notorious bombings during al-Assad’s rule. The latest assault underscores the group’s continued ability to exploit security gaps despite the collapse of its territorial control and years of counterterrorism efforts. With agencies

Saudi Arabia condemns suicide attack on Syrian church
Arab News/June 22/2025
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia on Sunday condemned a suicide attack on a church in Damascus that killed at least 20 people. Syria’s interior ministry said in a statement that “a suicide attacker affiliated with the Daesh terrorist group entered the Saint Elias church in the Dwelaa area of the capital Damascus where he opened fire then blew himself up with an explosive belt.”The Foreign Ministry emphasized the Kingdom’s position rejecting the targeting of places of worship, the terrorizing of civilians, and the shedding of innocent blood.
It affirmed the Kingdom’s support for the Syrian Arab Republic against all forms of violence, extremism, and terrorism.

Israeli strikes on Iran have killed at least 950 people and wounded 3,450 others, a human rights group says
AP/June 23, 2025
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates: Israeli strikes on Iran have killed at least 950 people and wounded 3,450 others, a human rights group said Monday. The Washington-based group Human Rights Activists offered the figures, which covers the entirety of Iran. It said of those dead, it identified 380 civilians and 253 security force personnel being killed. Human Rights Activists, which also provided detailed casualty figures during the 2022 protests over the death of Mahsa Amini, crosschecks local reports in the Islamic Republic against a network of sources it has developed in the country. Iran has not been offering regular death tolls during the conflict and has minimized casualties in the past. On Saturday, Iran’s Health Ministry said some 400 Iranians had been killed and another 3,056 wounded in the Israeli strikes.

Israel says struck ‘dozens’ of sites in Iran on Sunday
Al Arabiya English/22 June/2025
The Israeli military said its fighter jets had struck “dozens” of targets across Iran on Sunday, including a long-range missile site in Yazd in the center of the country for the first time. A statement said that “approximately 30 IAF (air force) fighter jets struck dozens of military targets throughout Iran” – including “the ‘Imam Hussein’ Strategic Missile Command Center in the Yazd area, where long-range Khorramshahr missiles were stored.”The statement also confirmed strikes on missile launchers in Bushehr province, where a “massive explosion” was reported by Iranian media on Sunday, as well as in Ahwaz in the southwest and central Isfahan. Isfahan is home to a uranium conversion facility targeted by more than two dozen missiles fired from a US submarine in the Middle East overnight. Earlier Sunday, military spokesman Effie Defrin vowed there would be no let-up in Israel’s offensive against Iran despite overnight US strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites which President Donald Trump claimed had been “obliterated.”“We are continuing and are determined to achieve the objectives of the operation: eliminating the existential threat to the state of Israel, damaging Iran’s nuclear program and destroying its missile systems,” Defrin said.
The military statement said Israeli fighter jets had also targeted a drone command center and surface-to-air missile facilities. In earlier statements, the Israeli military said it had attacked sites in western Iran and also destroyed two ageing F-5 fighter jets from the 1960s or 70s in Dezful airport in the west of the country. Israel claims it has destroyed more than half of Iran’s missile launchers as it seeks to stem daily barrages from the Islamic republic. Israel’s highly sophisticated air defenses have kept Israeli towns and cities relatively safe, successfully shooting down hundreds of Iranian ballistic missiles and drones that would otherwise have caused widespread devastation. Some have slipped through, however, with three new impacts reported on Sunday morning in coastal hub Tel Aviv, Haifa in the north and another in Ness Ziona, south of Tel Aviv. At least 23 people were injured, according to rescue services. A total of 24 people have been killed in Israel since the country attacked Iran on June 13, while 1,272 people have been injured, 14 seriously, according to the latest figures from the military. With AFP

World awaits Iranian response after US hits nuclear sites
Al Arabiya English/22 June/2025
The world braced on Sunday for Iran’s response after the US attacked key Iranian nuclear sites, joining Israel in the biggest Western military action against the Islamic Republic since its 1979 revolution. With the damage visible from space after 30,000-pound US bunker-buster bombs crashed into the mountain above Iran’s Fordow nuclear site, Tehran vowed to defend itself at all costs. It fired another volley of missiles at Israel that wounded scores of people and flattened buildings in Tel Aviv. The US State Department ordered employees’ family members to leave Lebanon and advised citizens elsewhere in the region to keep a low profile or restrict travel. An advisory from the US Department of Homeland Security warned of a “heightened threat environment in the United States.” Law enforcement in major US cities stepped up patrols and deployed additional resources to religious, cultural and diplomatic sites.
Tehran has so far not followed through on its threats of retaliation against the United States – either by targeting US bases or trying to choke off global oil supplies – but that may not hold.Speaking in Istanbul, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said his country would consider all possible responses. There would be no return to diplomacy until it had retaliated, he said. “The US showed they have no respect for international law. They only understand the language of threat and force,” he said. Ali Shamkhani, an advisor to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, said on X that the initiative was “now with the side that plays smart, avoids blind strikes. Surprises will continue!”US President Donald Trump, in a televised address, called the strikes “a spectacular military success” and boasted that Iran’s key nuclear enrichment facilities had been “completely and totally obliterated.”
But his own officials gave more nuanced assessments and – with the exception of satellite photographs appearing to show craters on the mountain above Iran’s subterranean plant at Fordow – there has been no public accounting of the damage. The UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, said no increases in off-site radiation levels had been reported after the US strikes. IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi told CNN that it was not yet possible to assess the damage done underground. A senior Iranian source told Reuters that most of the highly enriched uranium at Fordow had been moved elsewhere before the attack. Reuters could not immediately corroborate the claim. Trump immediately called on Iran to forgo any retaliation, saying the government “must now make peace. If they do not, future attacks would be far greater and a lot easier,” he said. US Vice President JD Vance said Washington was not at war with Iran but with its nuclear program, adding this had been pushed back by a very long time due to the US intervention. In a step towards what is widely seen as Iran’s most effective threat to hurt the West, its parliament approved a move to close the Strait of Hormuz. Nearly a quarter of global oil shipments pass through the narrow waters that Iran shares with Oman and the United Arab Emirates. Iran’s Press TV said closing the strait would require approval from the Supreme National Security Council, a body led by an appointee of Khamenei. Attempting to choke off Gulf oil by closing the strait could send global oil prices skyrocketing, derail the world economy and invite almost certain conflict with the US Navy’s massive Fifth Fleet, based in the Gulf and tasked with keeping the strait open. Security experts have long warned a weakened Iran could also find other unconventional ways to strike back, such as bombings or cyberattacks. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, in an interview on “Sunday Morning Futures with Maria Bartiromo,” warned Iran against retaliation for the US strikes, saying such action would be “the worst mistake they’ve ever made.” Rubio separately told CBS’s “Face the Nation” talk show that the US has “other targets we can hit, but we achieved our objective.” “There are no planned military operations right now against Iran,” he later added, “unless they mess around.”The UN Security Council was due to meet later on Sunday, diplomats said, at the request of Iran, which urged the 15-member body “to address this blatant and unlawful act of (US) aggression, to condemn it in the strongest possible terms.”
Diverging war aims
Israeli officials, who began the hostilities with a surprise attack on Iran on June 13, have increasingly spoken of their ambition to topple the hardline Shia Muslim clerical establishment that has ruled Iran since 1979. US officials, many of whom witnessed Republican President George W. Bush’s popularity collapse following his disastrous intervention in Iraq in 2003, have stressed that they were not working to overthrow Iran’s government. “This mission was not and has not been about regime change,” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told reporters at the Pentagon. “The president authorized a precision operation to neutralize the threats to our national interests posed by the Iranian nuclear program.”Senator Lindsey Graham, a staunch Trump ally, said on NBC’s “Meet the Press with Kristen Welker” program that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had told him his country would no longer endure being under missile attack. “They’re not going to live under threat from Iran anymore,” Graham said. “Israel’s made a decision. This regime is going to change in one of two ways: they’re going to change their behavior, which I doubt, the regime itself, or the people are going to replace the regime.”
Much of Tehran, a capital city of 10 million people, has emptied out, with residents fleeing to the countryside to escape Israeli bombardment. Iranian authorities say more than 400 people have been killed since Israel’s attacks began, mostly civilians. Israel’s bombardment has scythed through much of Iran’s military leadership with strikes targeted at bases and residential buildings where senior figures slept. Iran has been launching missiles back at Israel, killing at least 24 people over the past nine days, the first time its projectiles have penetrated Israel’s defenses in large numbers. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it had fired 40 missiles at Israel in the latest volley overnight. Air raid sirens sounded across most of Israel on Sunday, sending millions of people to safe rooms. Trump had veered between offering to end the war with diplomacy or to join it, at one point musing publicly about killing Iran’s supreme leader. His decision ultimately to join the fight is the biggest foreign policy gamble of his career.

Deception and surprise: How the US hit Iran’s nuclear sites undetected
Joseph Haboush /Al Arabiya English/22 June/2025
The US military conducted unprecedented strikes overnight Saturday on three Iranian nuclear sites without a shot being fired at any of its assets, according to US military and defense officials. “Iran’s fighters did not fly, and it appears that Iran’s surface-to-air missile systems did not see us. Throughout the mission, we retained the element of surprise,” Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine told reporters early Sunday morning. Just 48 hours before the strikes, US President Donald Trump publicly stated he would decide within two weeks whether to hit Iran’s nuclear sites. But according to officials and sources familiar with the matter, he had already made up his mind when he made that announcement. In Washington and abroad, however, his remarks were interpreted as a signal of possible deescalation. Meanwhile, reports on Saturday said that Vice President JD Vance had a tense phone call with the Israeli prime minister earlier in the week, during which he warned that the US should not be drawn directly into military action against Iran, accusing Israel of trying to pull the United States into war.
Operation Midnight Hammer
Here is a breakdown of how “Operation Midnight Hammer” was conducted, according to a slide provided by the Pentagon, which included more than 125 aircraft, a guided missile submarine, dozens of aerial refueling tankers and other assets. Early Saturday morning, several B-2 stealth bombers departed Whiteman Air Force Base in the US state of Missouri. They flew west over the Pacific, something US officials confirmed to journalists in Washington at the time. However, officials revealed Sunday morning that it was part of a deception campaign by the Trump administration to maintain the tactical surprise. After those B-2s were seen departing Missouri to the west, seven B-2s quietly flew eastward for 18 hours with minimal communication to avoid detection. They were refueled in the air several times. Caine said the deception effort was only known to an “extremely small number of planners and key leaders” in Washington and in Tampa, the headquarters of the US Central Command (CENTCOM), which is responsible for US military operations in the Middle East. Just before entering Iranian airspace, a US-guided missile submarine fired over 24 Tomahawk land attack cruise missiles against Esfahan. In addition, fourth- and fifth-generation fighter jets whizzed through at a high altitude to sweep for Iranian fighter jets and surface-to-air missile threats. They also shot “preemptive suppressing fire” against potential Iranian surface-to-air threats, Caine said. No shots were reported to have been fired at the strike package. The next phase of the operation was when the lead B-2 bomber dropped two GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) bombs on the first of several points at Fordow. The remaining 12 hit their targets, Caine said, bringing the total GBUs used in Saturday’s attacks to 14. Tomahawk missiles also struck Esfahan after the B-2s conducted their strikes “to ensure we retained the element of surprise throughout the operation,” Caine said. The attacks on the three Iranian nuclear sites were carried out between 6:40 PM EST and 7:05 PM EST. The bombers and jets immediately left Iranian airspace and began their journey back. “We are unaware of any shots fired at the package on the way out,” Caine said. The B-2 bombers were again refueled on their way back to their base in the United States. “This was those largest B-2 operational strike in US history, and the second longest B-2 mission ever flown, exceeded only by those in the days following 9/11,” Caine said, referring to the US response to the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center.

Iran to decide on Strait of Hormuz closure after parliament reportedly backs move
Reuters/22 June/2025
Iran’s Supreme National Security Council must make the final decision on whether to close the Strait of Hormuz following US bombing raids, Iran’s Press TV said on Sunday, after parliament was reported to have backed the measure. Iran has long used the threat of closing the Strait, through which around 20 percent of global oil and gas demand flows, as a way to ward off Western pressure which is now at its peak after the overnight US strikes on its nuclear facilities. The decision to close the strait is not yet final and it was not officially reported that parliament had in fact adopted a bill to that effect.
Instead, a member of the parliament’s national security commission, Esmail Kosari, was quoted on other Iranian media as saying: “For now, [parliament has] come to the conclusion we should close the Strait of Hormuz, but the final decision in this regard is the responsibility of the Supreme National Security Council.”Kosari, who is also an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander, had earlier on Sunday told the Young Journalist Club that closing the strait was on the agenda and “will be done whenever necessary.”Asked about whether Tehran would close the waterway, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi dodged the question on Sunday and replied: “A variety of options are available to Iran.”The strait lies between Oman and Iran and links the Mideast Gulf north of it with the Gulf of Oman to the south and the Arabian Sea beyond. It is 21 miles (33 km) wide at its narrowest point, with the shipping lane just 2 miles (3 km) wide in either direction.

Hapag-Lloyd: Still sailing through Strait of Hormuz but situation can change anytime
Reuters/22 June/2025
German shipping company Hapag-Lloyd on Sunday said its vessels were continuing to sail through the Strait of Hormuz following US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities overnight, but it added the situation could be reviewed at any moment. “We are still sailing through the Strait of Hormuz, but of course the situation can change within a very short time,” a spokesperson for the company said.

Will Iran shut the Strait of Hormuz? What that means for the world
Al Arabiya English/22 June/2025
Iran’s Supreme National Security Council is now considering whether to close the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic chokepoint for global energy supplies, according to a report by state-owned Press TV on Sunday. The move follows reports that Iran’s parliament has approved the measure, though the final decision has yet to be made. Esmail Kosari, a member of parliament and a commander in Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), told the Young Journalist Club that closing the strait was on the agenda and “will be done whenever necessary.”The Strait of Hormuz, a narrow passage connecting the Arabian Gulf to the Arabian Sea, is arguably the most critical maritime route for global energy transit. Roughly 20 percent of the world’s oil and natural gas supplies pass through the strait, which lies between Iran and Oman. Any disruption to this flow would send shockwaves through global energy markets, potentially triggering a sharp spike in oil prices and further destabilizing an already volatile region. The strait has long been a geopolitical flashpoint. Iran has threatened to close it in the past, especially during periods of heightened tension with the United States. But despite multiple threats over the years, it has never gone so far as to shut it down, a move that would be widely seen as an act of escalation with global consequences. What makes this moment different is the context: an escalating war with Israel and growing pressure from the US. The potential closure would not just be a tactical response – it would be a strategic escalation, signaling Tehran’s willingness to weaponize global energy flows to deter or retaliate against further military action. A closure of the strait – even a temporary one – could send oil prices soaring overnight. The mere threat of disruption often rattles markets; an actual closure would be far more destabilizing. Countries that depend heavily on Gulf oil, including China, Japan, India, and European nations, would be directly affected. Moreover, it would test the response of Western naval forces, particularly the US Navy, which maintains a presence in the region precisely to ensure freedom of navigation. While the Iranian parliament has reportedly approved the measure, the final call lies with the Supreme National Security Council, which is ultimately overseen by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. It remains unclear how close Iran is to implementing the measure, or whether it’s using the threat as a bargaining chip amid rising tensions. But Kosari’s statement that closure “will be done whenever necessary” suggests Tehran wants to keep its options – and leverage – open. In the coming days, much will depend on how the conflict between Iran and Israel unfolds, how Iran responds to the latest US attacks on its nuclear sites, and whether diplomatic off-ramps emerge. But one thing is clear: if the Strait of Hormuz is closed, even temporarily, the ripple effects will be felt far beyond the Arabian Gulf.

US urges China to dissuade Iran from closing Strait of Hormuz
Reuters/22 June/2025
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday called on China to encourage Iran to not shut down the Strait of Hormuz after Washington carried out strikes on Iranian nuclear sites. Rubio’s comments on Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures with Maria Bartiromo” show came after Iran’s Press TV reported that the Iranian parliament approved a measure to close the Strait of Hormuz, through which around 20 percent of global oil and gas flows. “I encourage the Chinese government in Beijing to call them about that, because they heavily depend on the Straits of Hormuz for their oil,” said Rubio, who also serves as national security advisor. “If they do that, it will be another terrible mistake. It’s economic suicide for them if they do it. And we retain options to deal with that, but other countries should be looking at that as well. It would hurt other countries’ economies a lot worse than ours.”Rubio said a move to close the strait would be a massive escalation that would merit a response from the US and others. The Chinese embassy in Washington did not immediately provide comment. US officials said it “obliterated” Iran’s main nuclear sites using 14 bunker-buster bombs, more than two dozen Tomahawk missiles and over 125 military aircraft. The strikes mark an escalation in the ongoing Middle Eastern conflict. Tehran has vowed to defend itself. Rubio on Sunday warned against retaliation, saying such an action would be “the worst mistake they’ve ever made.”He added that the US is prepared to talk with Iran.

Netanyahu says Israel close to meeting its goals in Iran
Reuters/June 22, 2025
Israel is very close to completing its goal of removing the dual threats of Iran's ballistic missiles and nuclear programme, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday.He promised not to let Israel be dragged into a war of attrition but also said he would not end the Iran campaign prematurely. "We won’t pursue our actions beyond what is needed to achieve them, but we also won't finish too soon. When the objectives are achieved, then the operation is complete and the fighting will stop," he told Israeli reporters. "I have no doubt that this is a regime that wants to wipe us out, and that's why we embarked on this operation to eliminate the two concrete threats to our existence: the nuclear threat, the ballistic missile threat. We are moving step by step towards achieving these goals. We are very, very close to completing them," he said. He said Iran's Fordow nuclear site had been very badly damaged by U.S. bunker-buster bombs overnight but the extent of damage remained to be seen. Tehran has vowed to defend itself at all costs. Asked about the whereabouts of Iran's 60% enriched uranium, Netanyahu said: "We've been following that very closely. I can tell you that it's an important component of a nuclear programme. "It's not the sole component. It's not a sufficient component. But it is an important component and we have interesting intel on that, which you will excuse me if I don't share with you," he said. At least until Israel's first strikes against its enrichment installations on June 13, Iran was refining uranium to up to 60% purity, a short step from the roughly 90% that is bomb-grade and far higher than the 3.67% cap imposed by a 2015 nuclear deal, which Iran respected until the year after U.S. President Donald Trump pulled out in 2018.

Iran approves closure of Strait of Hormuz, a vital oil and gas route
Savannah Kuchar, USA TODAY/June 22, 2025
Iran's parliament approved a measure June 22 endorsing the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a major oil transportation route, following U.S. airstrikes in Iran. Around 20% of the world's oil and gas flow through the narrow channel connecting the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman. Its closure would likely mean rising fuel costs for global consumers, including Americans.  While Iranian state media reported that the parliament had agreed to endorse blocking the strait, the decision ultimately belongs to Iran's Supreme National Security Council. Live updates: US on 'high alert' for Iran retaliation, says nuke program 'obliterated' Iranian officials have said the country would defend itself should the U.S. effectively join Israel's war with Iran. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine said in a press conference the U.S. is on "high alert" for retaliation from Tehran, after American bombers targeted three Iranian nuclear sites. Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned against closing the strait, calling such a decision an escalation of conflict.“That would be a suicidal move on their part, because I think the whole world would come against them if they did that,” Rubio said in an interview with CBS's Margaret Brennan.

Israeli hostage remains recovered, Netanyahu confirms
Mark Moran/United Press International/June 22, 2025
June 22 (UPI) -- The bodies of three Israeli hostages have been recovered from the Gaza Strip, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said. Yonatan Samrano, Ofra Keidar and Staff Sgt. Shai Levinson's remains were retrieved Saturday as part of a military operation. Keidar, 71, was killed at a kibbutz and her remains were taken into Gaza. Levinson, who engaged in the Oct. 7th attack, was 19 at the time of this death, according to the IDF. Samerano's remains were discovered by the Israeli army. "I thank our commanders and fighters for a successful operation, for their determination and courage," Netanyahu said following the return of the remains. The Israel Defense Forces has recovered a total of eight bodies from Gaza this month as the latest battle between the two adversaries ignited on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas launched a cross-border attack on Israel, killing more than 1,200 people and taking 251 others hostage. The return of the hostage remains comes amid a U.S. attack on three Iranian nuclear facilities Sunday, which bolsters Israel's efforts to cripple Iran's nuclear ambitions. Israel has recently started its own attacks on Iran. "The campaign to return the abductees continues continuously and is taking place in parallel with the campaign against Iran," Netanyahu continued. "We will not rest until we return all our abductees home -- both the living and the dead."The IDF did not say where the remains were recovered.

Pentagon says US is not seeking regime change in Iran after massive bombing operation
Joseph Haboush/Al Arabiya English/22 June/2025
The Trump administration is not seeking regime change in Iran, the Pentagon insisted on Sunday, after the largest B-2 stealth operational strikes in US history were carried out on Iranian nuclear facilities. “This mission was not and has not been about regime change,” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said. “The President authorized a precision operation to neutralize the threats to our national interests posed by the Iranian nuclear program and the collective self-defense of our troops and our ally Israel,” Hegseth told reporters during a briefing at the Pentagon. Over 125 aircraft were involved in the operation dubbed “Operation Midnight Hammer.”Flanked by the top US general, Hegseth issued a warning to Tehran: “As the President has directly made clear, this is most certainly not open-ended. It doesn’t mean it limits our ability to respond. We will respond if necessary. The most powerful military in the world is postured and prepared to defend our people.” Separately, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine said the US military was on high alert. “Our forces remain on high alert and are fully postured to respond to any Iranian retaliation or proxy attacks, which would be an incredibly poor choice. We will defend ourselves,” he said.

Russia lambasts US attacks as Iran looks to Moscow
Jeremy Fleming-Jones/Euronews/June 22, 2025
Russian officials on Sunday castigated the US for its missile strike against Iran’s nuclear plants, issuing veiled threats that Iran’s nuclear ambitions would not be thwarted and welcoming Tehran’s foreign minister for talks in Moscow. Meanwhile Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned ‘Ayatollah Putin’ to expect a similar fate, as the country that has been cast as a pariah by the west for its full scale invasion of Ukraine sought to assume the role of honest broker. A statement from Russia’s Foreign Ministry “strongly condemned” the airstrikes and called them a “a gross violation of international law, the UN Charter, and UN Security Council resolutions.”Dmitry Medvedev, who serves as deputy head of President Vladimir Putin’s Security Council, said several countries were prepared to supply Tehran with nuclear weapons. He didn't specify which, but said the US attack caused minimal damage and would not stop Tehran from pursuing nuclear weapons. The Iranian foreign minister told a press conference earlier he will fly to Moscow today and have a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday. “Russia is a friend of Iran and we enjoy a strategic partnership,” he told a news conference in Istanbul. “We always consult with each other and coordinate our positions,” Araghchi said, noting that Russia was one of the signatories of the UN agreement on nuclear proliferation in Iran. “I will have serious consultations with the Russian president tomorrow and we continue to work with each other,” he said.
Zelenskyy points to brazen double standard
But Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy underlined the irony of Russia pointing the finger at the US for alleged breaches of the global rulebook, in a post on X in which he stated that the country had once again signalled it wanted no ceasefire in Ukraine. "Ayatollah Putin can look at his friends in Iran to see where such regimes end up, and how far into decay they drive their countries," Zelenskyy warned the Russian President in a post on X. Zelenskyy said "Russia wants to wage war. Even brandishing some threats. This means the pressure the world is applying isn’t hurting them enough yet, or they are trying very hard to keep up appearances. Well, the Russian economy is already crumbling. We will support this process even more."

Saudi Crown Prince holds talks with regional, world leaders amid Iran crisis
Saudi Arabia/Al Arabiya English/22 June/2025
Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman held a series of phone calls on Sunday with regional and global leaders to discuss the Iran-Israel conflict and the recent US strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities. According to the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA), the Crown Prince – also known as MBS – spoke separately with the leaders of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states, including Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). “The discussions focused on the latest regional developments and the repercussions of the Israeli attack on the Islamic Republic of Iran, including the targeting of Iranian nuclear facilities by the United States,” SPA reported. “The leaders emphasized the unity of GCC member states in light of the current critical circumstances. They called for restraint, the avoidance of escalation, and the resolution of all differences through diplomatic means.”MBS also discussed the same issues in two other separate phone calls on Sunday with the president of France and the prime minister of Italy, SPA said. In both calls, the importance of exercising restraint, avoiding escalation, and resolving disputes through diplomatic means was stressed, the agency added. MBS also held separate phone calls with French President Emmanuel Macron and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Sunday. In both conversations, the importance of avoiding further escalation and pursuing diplomatic paths to resolve tensions was emphasized, SPA said.

US bombing of Iran started with a fake-out
Phil Stewart and Idrees Ali/Reuters/June 22, 2025
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -As Operation "Midnight Hammer" got underway on Saturday, a group of B-2 bombers took off from their base in Missouri and were noticed heading out toward the Pacific island of Guam, in what experts saw as possible pre-positioning for any U.S. decision to strike Iran. But they were a decoy. The real group of seven bat-winged, B-2 stealth bombers flew east undetected for 18 hours, keeping communications to a minimum, refueling in mid-air, the U.S. military revealed on Sunday. As the bombers neared Iranian airspace, a U.S. submarine launched more than two dozen Tomahawk land attack cruise missiles. U.S. fighter jets flew as decoys in front of the bombers to sweep for any Iranian fighter jets and missiles. The attack on Iran's three main nuclear sites was the largest operational strike ever by B-2 stealth bombers, and the second-longest B-2 operation ever flown, surpassed only by those following the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States by al Qaeda. The B-2 bombers dropped 14 bunker-busting GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrators, each weighing 30,000 pounds. The operation involved over 125 U.S. military aircraft, according to the Pentagon. From the U.S. military's perspective, the operation was a resounding tactical success. The Iranians were unable to get off a single round at the American aircraft and were caught completely flat-footed, General Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters at the Pentagon on Sunday. "Iran's fighters did not fly, and it appears that Iran's surface to air missile systems did not see us throughout the mission," Caine said. "We retained the element of surprise." Caine said initial battle damage assessments indicated that all three sites targeted sustained extremely severe damage and destruction, but he declined to speculate whether any Iranian nuclear capabilities might still be intact. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was more confident. "It was clear we devastated the Iranian nuclear program," he said, standing alongside Caine in the Pentagon briefing room. Midnight Hammer was highly classified, Caine said, "with very few people in Washington knowing the timing or nature of the plan." Many senior officials in the United States only learned of it on Saturday night from President Donald Trump's first post on social media.Hegseth said it took months of preparations to ensure the U.S. military would be ready if Trump ordered the strikes. Caine said the mission itself, however, came together in just a matter of weeks. What happens next is unclear. Gulf states, home to multiple U.S. military bases, were on high alert on Sunday as they weighed the risks of a widening conflict in the region. Guarding against blowback, the U.S. military also dispersed U.S. military assets in the Middle East and heightened force protection for U.S. troops. Hegseth said the U.S. military was positioned to defend itself in the Middle East, but also to respond against Iran if it goes through with longstanding threats to retaliate. The Trump administration said it is not looking for a wider war with Iran, with Hegseth saying private messages had been sent to Tehran encouraging them to negotiate. But Trump has also warned Iran that the U.S. is prepared to hit additional targets if needed, using far greater force. "Iran would be smart to heed those words. He said it before, and he means it," Hegseth said.

Trump ignites debate on presidential authority with Iran strikes and wins praise from Republicans
Mary Clare Jalonick And Lisa Mascaro/The Associated Press/June 22, 2025
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump's bombardment of three sites in Iran quickly sparked debate in Congress over his authority to launch the strikes, with Republicans praising Trump for decisive action even as many Democrats warned he should have sought congressional approval. “Well done, President Trump,” Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina posted on X. Alabama Sen. Katie Britt called the bombings “strong and surgical.” The Senate Armed Services Committee chairman, Roger Wicker of Mississippi, said Trump “has made a deliberate — and correct — decision to eliminate the existential threat posed by the Iranian regime.”The instant divisions in the U.S. Congress reflected an already swirling debate over the president’s ability to conduct such a consequential action without authorization from the House and Senate on the use of military force. While Trump is hardly the first U.S. president to go it alone, his expansive use of presidential power raised immediate questions about what comes next, and whether he is exceeding the limits of his authority. “This was a massive gamble by President Trump, and nobody knows yet whether it will pay off,” said Rhode Island Sen. Jack Reed, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee.
Democrats, and a few Republicans, said the strikes were unconstitutional, and demanded more information in a classified setting. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer of New York said that he received only a “perfunctory notification” without any details, according to a spokesperson. “No president should be allowed to unilaterally march this nation into something as consequential as war with erratic threats and no strategy,” Schumer said in a statement. “Confronting Iran’s ruthless campaign of terror, nuclear ambitions, and regional aggression demands strength, resolve, and strategic clarity.”
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said that Trump “misled the country about his intentions, failed to seek congressional authorization for the use of military force and risks American entanglement in a potentially disastrous war in the Middle East.”
The quick GOP endorsements of stepped up U.S. involvement in Iran came after Trump publicly considered the strikes for days and many congressional Republicans had cautiously said they thought he would make the right decision. The party’s schism over Iran could complicate the GOP’s efforts to boost Pentagon spending as part of a $350 billion national security package in Trump’s “big, beautiful” tax breaks bill, which is speeding toward votes next week. “We now have very serious choices ahead to provide security for our citizens and our allies,” Wicker posted on X.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and Senate Majority Leader John Thune both were briefed ahead of the strikes on Saturday, according to people familiar with the situation and granted anonymity to discuss it. Thune said Saturday evening that “as we take action tonight to ensure a nuclear weapon remains out of reach for Iran, I stand with President Trump and pray for the American troops and personnel in harm’s way.”
Johnson said in a statement that the military operations “should serve as a clear reminder to our adversaries and allies that President Trump means what he says.”
House Intelligence Committee Chairman Rick Crawford, R-Ark., said he had also been in touch with the White House and “I am grateful to the U.S. servicemembers who carried out these precise and successful strikes."
Breaking from many of his Democratic colleagues, Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, an outspoken supporter of Israel, also praised the attacks on Iran. “As I’ve long maintained, this was the correct move by @POTUS,” he posted. “Iran is the world’s leading sponsor of terrorism and cannot have nuclear capabilities.”Both parties have seen splits in recent days over the prospect of striking Iran, including some of Trump's most ardent supporters who share his criticism of America's “forever wars.” Republican Rep. Warren Davidson of Ohio posted that “while President Trump’s decision may prove just, it’s hard to conceive a rationale that’s Constitutional." Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie, a longtime opponent of U.S. involvement in foreign wars, also posted on X that “This is not Constitutional.”“This is not our fight,” said Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia. Most Democrats have maintained that Congress should have a say, even as presidents in both parties have ignored the legislative branch's constitutional authority. The Senate was scheduled to vote soon on a resolution from Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine that would require congressional approval before the U.S. declares war on Iran or takes specific military action. Kaine said the bombings were “horrible judgment." “I will push for all senators to vote on whether they are for this third idiotic Middle East war,” Kaine said. Democratic Rep. Greg Casar, the chairman of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, also called on Congress to immediately pass a war powers resolution. He said politicians had always promised that “new wars in the Middle East would be quick and easy.”“Then they sent other people’s children to fight and die endlessly,” Casar said. "Enough.”

Trump Slapped With ‘Impeachment’ Threats After Bombing Iran
Jack Revell/The Daily Beast/June 22/2025
Top Democrats are calling for the impeachment of President Donald Trump following the shocking military strikes on Iranian nuclear sites on Saturday evening.
“This is an unambiguous impeachable offense,“ Congressman Sean Casten (D-IL) tweeted in response to the news. ”No president has the authority to bomb another country that does not pose an imminent threat to the U.S. without the approval of Congress."
Trump announced news of the attacks on Truth Social, describing the bombing of the three nuclear sites at Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan as “very successful.”
“[Trump] has impulsively risked launching a war that may ensnare us for generations,” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) tweeted. “It is absolutely and clearly grounds for impeachment.”
The raid on Iran comes after weeks of speculation over whether or not America would get involved in the conflict with Israel. Israel had called on the U.S. to use its bunker-busting aircraft to destroy underground sites it claimed were being used for uranium enrichment in pursuit of a nuclear weapon. The U.S. had initially rejected the request. “I’m not saying we have the votes to impeach,” Casten continued. “I’m saying that you DO NOT do this without Congressional approval and if Johnson doesn’t grow a spine and learn to be a real boy tomorrow we have a BFing problem that puts our very Republic at risk.”
“To be clear, I do not dispute that Iran is a nuclear threat,” Casten wrote. “That’s why Obama negotiated the JCPOA. But whether that is better resolved through diplomatic or military measures is not a decision that the executive branch has unilaterally”.
Technically, the executive branch does not have the legal authority to engage in foreign military attacks without the approval of Congress. That said, Congress has not actually declared a war since WWII and lawmakers and legal scholars are divided on whether the president has the authority to do so.
Similar actions, like the killing of Iranian Major General Qassem Soleimani in 2020, were justified on the grounds of “national interest.” But, as Casten points out, these legal semantics are dicey.
“It’s worth noting that ‘imminent threat’ is a gray area,“ Casten wrote. ”Trump did attack Soleimani without Congressional approval. Black ops do happen. Leaving details aside, there is a case that Presidents need to move to protect the homeland quickly in some cases. This was not that".
It’s not just Democrats who are up in arms about the recent action. Republican Rep. Thomas Massie also tweeted that he though the action was “unconstitutional,” but stopped short of calling for consequences.
“I am open to the idea that the U.S. should attack Iran,” Casten concluded. “But I am not open to the idea that Congress cedes all authority to the executive branch. No matter how many lickspittle sycophants in the GOP argue to the contrary.”

Remains of three Israeli hostages recovered from Gaza
Tia Goldenberg and Samy Magdy, Associated Press/June 22, 2025
The Israeli military has said it has recovered the remains of three hostages held in the Gaza Strip. The military identified the remains as those of Yonatan Samerano, 21; Ofra Keidar, 70; and Shay Levinson, 19. All three were killed during Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack into Israel that ignited the ongoing war.
The militant group is still holding 50 hostages, with less than half of them believed to be alive.
The military did not provide any details about the recovery operation, and it is unclear if an air strike which killed four Palestinians was related to it.
“The campaign to return the hostages continues consistently and is happening alongside the campaign against Iran,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement.
Kobi Samerano said in a Facebook post that his son’s remains were returned on what would have been Yonatan’s 23rd birthday.
Hamas-led militants killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted 251 people in the October 7 attack. More than half the hostages have been returned in ceasefire agreements or other deals, eight have been rescued alive and Israeli forces have recovered dozens of bodies.
People holding up signs featuring the faces of hostages
Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed more than 55,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which has said women and children make up more than half of the dead. It does not distinguish between civilians and combatants. Four people were killed on Sunday in an air strike in the built-up Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, according to Al-Awda Hospital, where the bodies were brought. It said another 22 people were injured while waiting for aid trucks.
Palestinian witnesses and health officials say Israeli forces have repeatedly opened fire on crowds seeking desperately needed food, killing hundreds of people in recent weeks. The military says it has fired warning shots at people it said approached its forces in a suspicious manner. The Hostages Families Forum, the main organization representing families of the hostages, has repeatedly called for a deal to release the remaining captives.
“Particularly against the backdrop of current military developments and the significant achievements in Iran, we want to emphasise that bringing back the remaining 50 hostages is the key to achieving any sort of victory,” it said in a statement on Sunday.
Hamas has said it will only release the remaining hostages in return for more Palestinian prisoners, a lasting ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.
Mr Netanyahu has rejected those terms, saying Israel will continue the war until all the hostages are returned and Hamas is defeated or disarmed and sent into exile. Even then, he has said Israel will maintain lasting control over Gaza and facilitate what he refers to as the voluntary emigration of much of its population, plans the Palestinians and others view as forcible expulsion. Separately, World Central Kitchen, the charity run by celebrity chef Jose Andres, said it had resumed the distribution of hot meals in Gaza for the first time in six weeks after shutting down because of Israel’s blockade, which was loosened last month amid fears of famine.

US orders more diplomatic staff to leave Iraq, Lebanon amid Iran tensions
AFP/22 June2025:
The United States has ordered additional staff from its diplomatic missions in Iraq and Lebanon to leave the countries, as Washington carried out strikes Sunday on Iranian nuclear facilities. More diplomatic personnel departed Iraq on Saturday and Sunday as part of ongoing efforts to reduce embassy staffing due to “regional tensions,” a US official told AFP, after an earlier drawdown. In Lebanon, the US embassy said that the State Department ordered Sunday the departure of family members and non-emergency US government personnel. The US official said the reduction was “part of our ongoing effort to streamline operations, additional personnel departed Iraq on June 21 and 22.”The departures from Iraq were a continuation of a process that started last week “out of an abundance of caution and due to heightened regional tensions,” he added. The embassy and the consulate remain operational.
Earlier on Sunday, Washington joined Israel’s war with Tehran as President Donald Trump announced US strikes on Iran’s main nuclear sites. Iran had threatened to target US military bases in the region if conflict broke out. Fears are growing in Iraq over a possible intervention by Iran-backed armed factions, who have threatened Washington’s interests in the region if it were to join Israel in its war against Iran.Iraq, which has for years been navigating a delicate balancing act between its allies, Tehran and Washington, has long been a fertile ground for proxy battles.
On Sunday, the Iraqi government warned “its deep concern and strong condemnation of the targeting of nuclear facilities” in Iran, spokesperson Basim Alawadi said. “This military escalation constitutes a grave threat to peace and security in the Middle East and poses serious risks to regional stability,” he added.
Alawadi warned that “the continuation of such attacks risks dangerous escalation with consequences that extend beyond the borders of any single state.” In Lebanon, a statement on the US embassy website said that “on June 22, 2025, the US Department of State ordered the departure of family members and non-emergency US government personnel from Lebanon due to the volatile and unpredictable security situation in the region.”Washington has a “do not travel” advisory in place for Lebanon, where Tehran-backed Hezbollah suffered heavy blows in its latest confrontation with Israel last year. Hezbollah has not expressed any intention to intervene militarily on Iran’s side, but its chief Naim Qassem said last week that the group would “act as we see fit.”

NATO ships are at rising risk. Top commanders tell BI it's time to rethink naval defense.
Jake Epstein/Business Insider/June 22, 2025
NATO warships are facing rising threats, two senior alliance commanders told BI.
Ukraine and the Red Sea are showing Western military planners the vulnerabilities of surface ships.
But NATO is also using the two conflicts to learn how it can strengthen its maritime defenses.
NATO warships are sailing into a dangerous new era of naval warfare in which the threats are growing fast, two senior alliance commanders recently told Business Insider.
From the Black Sea to the Red Sea, the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East have exposed key vulnerabilities and shown NATO what its naval forces need to operate in risky environments. Dangers to warships these days include threats like hostile drones, missiles, and other naval vessels, capabilities built on rapidly advancing combat technology.
So what does NATO need? Layered defenses, cheaper ways to destroy enemy threats, and deeper ammunition stockpiles.
Vice Adm. James Morley, the deputy commander of NATO's Joint Force Command Norfolk, told BI that Ukraine and the Red Sea "have revealed the need to be ready to deal with a higher level of intensity than we had previously scaled for, both in terms of stock and in terms of time on the front line."
In the Black Sea, Ukrainian forces have repeatedly used domestically produced naval drones to damage and destroy Russian warships, showing the risks that relatively cheap, asymmetric combat solutions pose to conventional naval forces.
Far away, at the southern end of the Red Sea, the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen have launched missiles and drones at merchant vessels and NATO warships defending international shipping lanes.
In its efforts to fend off the Houthi attacks, the US Navy has faced its most intense combat since World War II, US officials have previously said.
NATO is learning a lot from watching the conflicts in Ukraine and Red Sea.US Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jonathan Nye
Morley said NATO warships are at a higher risk because of the number of global actors who are prepared to use military force.
Weapons proliferation has given actors who might previously have been unable to threaten advanced navies a new ability to do so. In the case of the Houthis, for instance, the group's missile attacks have raised the level of danger in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden to a level not seen in years. The situation is different in Europe, where NATO warships have not been shot at but tensions are running high. There have been several incidents with Moscow that raise the level of risk.
'The mindset needs to be layered defense'
Surface warships face an expanding range of threats, from anti-ship cruise and ballistic missiles and torpedoes to enemy aircraft and drones. Some weapons now in play only recently saw combat for the first time. The high operational tempo in the Red Sea has informed Western military planners about what limitations they face regarding magazine capacity, weapons inventory, and reloading capabilities. Morley said that as the weaponry that can threaten warships increases, so must the defensive capabilities aboard the vessels in danger. It's important to invest in missile stockpiles and ensure that NATO defense industrial bases can produce enough and ships can carry enough should they sail into a fight. The days "of driving around with a silo of ammunition that never gets used is sadly now in the past," he said, explaining that "ships routinely come back from the Red Sea, for example, having expended ammunition, and they need to be resupplied and then get back out on patrol." US Navy warships, for instance, have expended significant quantities of SM-series interceptor missiles for air defense.
The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson conducts a replenishment-at-sea with the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS The Sullivans in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility.
Air defense isn't just about numbers. It's also about dollars.The rise of inexpensive strike drones — some just tens of thousands of dollars apiece — as a tool of naval warfare has NATO forces trying to figure out how they can cheaply defeat these threats without wasting a surface-to-air missile costing millions. The aim is to bring the cost difference between the threat and the interceptor much closer to parity. "I think the mindset needs to be layered defense," Morley said. Warships need the expensive, higher-end missiles to deal with sophisticated threats. But breaking the cost-curve challenge means having a range of capabilities so complex interceptors aren't expended on the simple threats. American Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, for instance, are kitted with options like the M2 Browning .50 caliber machine guns, Mark 38 turret systems, five-inch artillery cannons, and a variety of surface-to-air missiles. These weapons allow the warships to confront a range of threats, though some options, like the deck guns, come with drawbacks, such as permitting threats to get much closer to warships than desired.
Big platforms aren't obsolete
Adm. Pierre Vandier, NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Transformation, who oversees alliance modernization efforts, said emerging technologies, like drones, have created new problems for larger platforms like warships, as has been the case in the Black Sea. Anything that exists on the water could effectively be hit. Vandier identified uncrewed systems as one of the biggest changes in naval warfare over the past decade and said one risk is that a warship could be overwhelmed by a swarm of drones. The French Navy Aquitaine-class frigate fires its five-inch gun while conducting a live-fire exercise during exercise At-Sea Demonstration (ASD) / Formidable Shield (FS) 2025. "You need to find ways on the ships to be protected from that and to engage multiple targets at the same time," he said. That could be kinetic, involving a physical strike, or some alternative, like electronic warfare.
NATO is working to incorporate lessons learned from Ukraine and the Red Sea into its combat training. At last month's Formidable Shield 25 exercise, US sailors practiced using the deck guns to shoot down small quadcopter drones that they could face in a swarm attack. They also practiced defending against uncrewed surface vehicles like the ones Ukraine has used to batter Russia's Black Sea fleet. Exercises such as Formidable Shield allow allied navies to practice navigating air defense challenges and learn how to engage cheaper threats with cheaper defenses, thus saving the more expensive methods for the higher-end threats. Despite the growing number of threats to warships, Vandier said the rise of drones doesn't necessarily render them obsolete. Aircraft carriers, the flagships of a fleet, can project force globally with embarked aviation. They travel in heavily defended strike groups, making the carriers particularly formidable and hard to reach for enemy attacks. "To get to a carrier, you have layers," Vandier said. "It's a battle between the shield and the sword. My personal feeling is that the story is not finished for the big platforms. Not yet."

Syria's post-Assad leader vowed the country is for all. Some Syrians have their doubts
CBC/June 22, 2025
It is rare to see a country emerge from the devastation of a 13-year civil war and more than 50 years of authoritarian rule. Yet Syria, six months after the fall of President Bashar al-Assad, is attempting just that. Reconstruction is underway. The suspension of long-standing U.S. sanctions has opened new economic opportunities. Foreign delegations are returning to the capital, Damascus. Despite the signs of progress, however, growing concerns have emerged over reports of civil rights violations and the targeting of religious minorities — incidents that officials have characterized as isolated. Syria's population is predominantly Sunni Muslim — about 74 per cent — alongside other Muslim minorities, which represent about 13 per cent, including Alawites. Christians represent about 10 per cent, and three per cent are Druze. Despite repeated assurances from the new Syrian president, Ahmad al-Sharaa — formerly Abu Mohammed Al-Jolani — that minorities are full and equal citizens, a series of incidents, particularly against Alawites and Druze, has sparked concern. Reports have emerged of violations targeting a nightclub in Damascus, adding to the unease. Syrian journalist Abssi Smiesim, who relocated to Damascus from Turkey following the fall of Assad, links current concerns to the behaviour of some Muslim extremist groups. "I visited all the minority regions recently," he said. "You can sense fear — not from the government itself, but from its inability to control groups with jihadist backgrounds." When rebels, many with Sunni backgrounds, accompanied by groups of jihadist fighters, succeeded in toppling Assad's regime in December, minority communities feared retaliation. Concerns were particularly strong among those worried about ideological leanings of the new leadership, many of whom have ties to Salafist or jihadist backgrounds and who typically follow strict religious conservatism. Some individuals with such backgrounds advocate for rigid social norms, particularly around women's dress, gender mixing gatherings, alcohol consumption and governance.
A changing social fabric
At a bistro on a narrow alleyway in the heart of Old Damascus, a district known for vibrant bars and pubs, Ghani Isaac, a Christian, spoke of his unease about what lies ahead. "You can order an alcoholic drink," Isaac said, looking at his beer, "but you're never sure" when a Muslim extremist or a foreign jihadist fighter who arrived in Damascus with the new leadership "might attack you because of it" because religious Muslim groups believe in banning alcohol consumption. Reports suggest the government is considering integrating more than 3,500 fighters who came to Syria during the civil war to fight for rebel factions into the national army. "These people didn't come out of love for Syria," Isaac said. "They're gaining influence, sometimes more than the locals."In Bab Sharqi, a Christian quarter of Damascus, residents say the atmosphere has shifted to a more pessimistic outlook since the political transition.
Isaac and his friend, Khalil Salloum, didn't leave Syria throughout the war and are concerned about what they call increasing sectarian rhetoric and extremism. "Community events have dwindled since the regime change," Isaac said. "The government offers some security for our celebrations and events like Christmas and Easter, but we are more comfortable relying on Christian volunteer guards, something we never needed before." Christians march in a parade in Damascus on April 20 to celebrate Easter amid security measures under the new Islamist-led government. (Firas Makdesi/Reuters)
Salloum said that many Christians they know are actively seeking to emigrate, fearing for their safety from unlawful attacks and seeking the freedom to practise their culture without restrictions.
Sectarian clashes near Damascus
In Jaramana, a predominantly Druze suburb outside Damascus, tensions remain high following deadly violence in April. The unrest was sparked by an audio recording that allegedly insulted the Prophet Muhammad, the most revered figure in Islam, and was falsely attributed to a Druze cleric, Marwan Kiwan.
Although the government confirmed the recording was fake, clashes between Syrian security forces and armed groups near Damascus left at least 10 people dead and led to a brief security lockdown. Among those who witnessed the unrest was local resident Dima Masoud, who is Druze. "The government did try to contain the violence," she said, "but it also thanked those who 'defended the Prophet,' which felt like a form of indirect encouragement." Masoud is unconvinced by assurances from government officials that the incident was isolated. "These aren't just isolated accidents," she said. "I don't know whether the president truly lacks control over the factions or if we're watching a deeper fracture emerge among Syrians."When asked whether al-Sharaa has fulfilled his mantra that Syria is for all, Masoud offered her opinion: "Of course not."She said she fears secularists and defenders of civil liberties now face as much marginalization as religious minorities.
Secularists also feel threatened
In a live music café in Damascus, book author Jaber Yehya expressed a hopeful yet guarded outlook. "My optimism depends on us [secular people] working hard to prove ourselves," he said. "If the extremists stand in our way, we will push back."Yehya, a former refugee in Europe, returned to Syria for good following the regime change, driven by a vision for a more inclusive future. "I came back to help build a Syria that embraces everyone." Linda Bilal is not part of a minority group, but belongs to a circle of liberal activists fighting to preserve their presence and civil liberties against rising extremism in Syria. She returned from Europe after Assad's fall. She recalled a tense encounter in April in the city of Idlib, the rebel stronghold in northwest Syria from which Al-Jolani ran a kind of shadow government. A foreign fighter she thought came from Egypt confronted her over not covering her hair with a hijab, telling her to "respect the country."Bilal said: "I fled Assad, and now I'm being lectured on how to be Syrian by someone who isn't even from this country?" Still, Bilal is resolute in claiming her right to a voice in Syria's future. "I won't change. We need to reclaim public space, foster dialogue and stay visible."
Changing clothing styles
In recent years, Syrian cities have reflected a blend of conservative and liberal dress norms. Although no official dress code has been introduced under the new regime, many women in different parts of Syria have adopted a more cautious approach to their clothing.
Dima Masoud now has a more conservative look, opting for long pants instead of shorts and wearing jackets with long sleeves. "I don't know what could happen if I keep my old dressing style," she said, "but I'm not willing to try." Her concerns reflect growing influence of hardline Islamist groups that promote strict modesty standards, including the hijab (headscarf) — and, in some areas, even the niqab. But not everyone shares those concerns.In Damascus, Yara Shafa Omri, who has long chosen to dress freely and without a headscarf, says she hasn't had to alter her dress code under the new authorities.
She reports no harassment over her casual attire or lifestyle. In her view, online criticism claiming the government is imposing a rigid Islamic code is exaggerated and doesn't align with her experience living in Damascus. "The social scene hasn't changed," she said, noting parties and gatherings with mixed genders are still going on. Shafa Omri believes criticism of the new government is premature. "The new government inherited a broken system," she said. "They've given us hope and a sense of freedom. We can't expect miracles overnight."
Looking for more representation
In his inauguration speech, al-Sharaa promised to "work on an inclusive government that reflects the diversity of the country." While this was somewhat fulfilled, said Fadel Abdulghany, executive director of the Syrian Network for Human Rights, "we had to see a bigger representation — in the constitution drafting committee, for instance." Abdulghany, whose network has been following the trajectory of the Syrian war since 2011, said his group "had advised from the beginning that for a truly inclusive political transition in Syria, minority communities had to be engaged not just as ethnic or religious groups, but as political stakeholders. Many are highly qualified and capable of contributing at senior levels." The new government "had to approach Syrian minority groups in a better way," he told CBC from Doha, Qatar."I'm not advocating for a sectarian government enshrined in the constitution. But during this critical period, broader inclusion was essential to avoid negative speculations."

The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources on June 22-23/2025
In Plain Sight, Donald Trump Continues His Takeover Of The U.S. Military
S.V. Date/HuffPost/Sun, June 22, 2025
WASHINGTON — The scariest moment in the second installment of President Donald Trump’s America thus far is a question that was asked in the U.S. Senate and went unanswered.
Five months ago, Fox News-host-turned-Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was asked how he would respond if his soon-to-be boss told him to shoot American protesters on American streets. Hegseth, after dancing around the question, refused to answer that day. He refused to answer again when asked two weeks ago. And on Thursday, he once more refused when asked yet again while appearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee.
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It was, unfortunately, not an outlandish hypothetical even when Democratic senators posed the question back during Hegseth’s confirmation hearing in January. Trump’s first-term Pentagon chief Mark Esper, over the months that saw protests across the country following the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officers, was asked to do exactly that. Esper refused. Today, it is even less of a hypothetical. Hegseth, at Trump’s demand, has deployed both the California National Guard (over the objection of the state’s governor) and active-duty Marines to Los Angeles as a backup force for immigration officers conducting deportation raids. If people don’t understand why this is so dangerous, they might want to review what happened 55 years ago in Kent, Ohio. In early May 1970, Guard troops were sent to the state university there — in that instance, by the governor at the time — to disperse protests against President Richard Nixon’s just announced expansion of the Vietnam War into Cambodia.
Protesters started advancing on the soldiers. Some of the soldiers panicked and fired into the crowd. Four students died and nine were injured. One of the photos from that day still serves as a searing reminder of that time.
The better part of a century later, we’re likely in an even more fraught place. The American military has long maintained a nonpartisan, apolitical tradition — one that Trump is clearly trying to end. He went to West Point’s graduation and gave an unabashedly political speech. He went to Fort Bragg in North Carolina earlier this month and treated it like a campaign rally, even encouraging the troops there to boo his Democratic critics. He commandeered a planned celebration of the Army’s 250th anniversary and turned it into a parade for himself.
Months ago he sent troops to the southern border in a potential violation of standing federal law. What he is doing in California is all of this piece — transforming the nation’s military into his military.
Trump, it seems clear, is not really trying to maintain calm and order, but rather is spoiling for a fight. If protesters get violent or provide some other provocation, no one should be surprised if soldiers do the things that soldiers are trained to do.
Which is why Hegseth’s continued refusal to answer what he will do if and when Trump orders him to shoot protesters should be terrifying.
Again, this is all so outside the American experience that it’s perhaps understandable that people refuse to accept what’s going on right in front of our eyes, in broad daylight. Trump is bringing in the military to do things that, in America, the military has no business doing, from guarding the border to immigration enforcement far inland.
Note carefully that the order he signed when he first sent 2,000 National Guard troops to Los Angeles mentions neither California nor limits the number to 2,000. The order is open-ended and in force across the country.
How far a jump is it from enforcing immigration law to enforcing other criminal laws? And, with both the FBI and the Department of Justice under the control of Trump-first loyalists eager to carry out his every whim, how far a jump is it from that to arresting people who, in Trump’s view, pose a threat to civil order?Any scholar of autocracies will tell you that lawyers and judges willing to stand up to a would-be autocrat is all well and good, but an even more important thing is control of the men and women with the guns. And that, thanks to 77 million Americans, is in the hands of a man who revels in his lack of regard for laws and the Constitution and has repeatedly stated his view that opposing him is tantamount to treason.
What Hegseth’s multiple visits to the Capitol these past months, with multiple opportunities to answer the same question and multiple variations of the same non-answer, have made clear is that he will be the defense secretary that Trump wants, the defense secretary that Mark Esper and, before him, Jim Mattis refused to be. All of which means that the survival of American democracy may be in the hands of career military officers — officers like Dan Caine, the Air Force general who is now Trump’s chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Caine’s name has been a fixture in Trump’s rally speeches over the past six years, as the “central casting” general who told Trump that his nickname was Raisin’ Caine, and who then went on to promise that he could eliminate ISIS in weeks and then, in Trump’s telling, quickly delivered. Given that story, it was easy to assume that Caine was a big fan of Trump and would do whatever Trump wants. This may well be what Trump assumed.
Whatever image that might have conjured, Caine presents quite differently. Soft-spoken, deferential to both Republican and Democratic members of Congress on the dais and — perhaps surprisingly — a defender of the pre-Trump ethos of keeping the military out of politics. Basically the exact opposite of the man who has sat beside him through these many hearings and behaved as if he were still on that Fox News weekend set.
When Caine was asked about Trump’s speeches at West Point and then at Fort Bragg, where Trump political merchandise was being sold, Caine answered in a calming, normal, non-Trump, non-Hegseth way.
“By even my engaging in answering this question, that is making my job involved in politics,” he told the House Armed Services Committee earlier this month. “I think the chairman and the force should stay out of politics.”
For Trump to grab control of the armed forces for his personal ends, he would need to win over career officers like Caine, who spent decades in uniform under presidents of both parties and who share the basic precept that they serve the Constitution, not any single individual.
It’s possible Caine said what he did only because that’s what the questioner wanted to hear and he is actually fully on board with Trump’s rush to autocracy.
On the other hand, it may be that, like former Joint Chiefs Chairman Mark Milley, who along with Esper thwarted Trump’s attempts to use the military for his own ends in the final months of his first term, Caine and other uniformed officers will maintain an allegiance to the nation, and not Trump, and that democracy will live to fight another day. At least we can hope.

What About The Present Day?
Tariq Al-Homayed/Asharq Al-Awsat/June 22/2025
Since the fall of Saddam Hussein’s regime, the region has been constantly criticizing the United States for allegedly having neglected “the day after” in Iraq. It seems the US and the West have become convinced that this neglect had been a mistake, and they now repeat it in the context of the war between Israel and Iran.The real problem is that everyone (in the region itself, along with Israel and Iran) is repeating the same mistake by ignoring “the present day,” not just “the day after.”
For the region, it’s true that no one wants war. How else, though, could we stop Iran’s nuclear and missile projects, or its support for militias?
As for Iran, how can it keep fighting, especially with US intervention and amid this astonishing Israeli infiltration of Tehran? It has no air defense system, and Israel has total control over Iran’s airspace.
Israel, regardless of the victory it may achieve, has not found an answer for Gaza and the Palestinian cause. What will it do about the ongoing war in Gaza and the Israeli hostages who remain in Hamas’s hands?
When the Turkish president says he is optimistic that Iran will defeat Israel. He is delusional. How does he reconcile this support with the Iranian regime’s hostility toward the new Syria today? And how does he tolerate the Iranian militias in Baghdad, which refuses to sincerely engage with the new Syria?
As for the Europeans, how can they argue that there are no military solutions to the Iranian crisis when they offer no real diplomatic alternatives? Their soft approach has failed everywhere the Europeans have intervened. The clearest example is France’s initiative in Lebanon following the Beirut port blast, which has yielded no results to this day!
And how can Iran’s followers (militias and sectarian leaders in Lebanon, Iraq, or Yemen) warn about “the day after” as they ignore their responsibility for the corruption and destruction of “the current day” in their countries and the region? The same question could be posed to certain sentimental intellectuals. The same for the United States: how can it call for caution of “the day after” as it ignores the present day in Gaza, allowing Israel’s aggression to remain unchecked, with no ceiling, limit, or plan? The same applies in Yemen with the Houthis. And how can the US worry about “the day after” in Iran while disregarding “the current day” when it comes to the peace process? It must facilitate peace, through an “Oslo II.”Of course, this is not to downplay the significance of “the day after” for any of the region’s crises, especially the Israeli-Iranian war. Although it has been awaited since the fall of Saddam Hussein’s regime and the regional development that followed, “the current day” cannot be ignored.
Accordingly, if the region has learned any lesson — or should have — it is that postponing the handling of crises, or running from them headfirst, only leads to worse outcomes. The conflicting roles played by various regional actors have catastrophic consequences — both today and tomorrow. Therefore, urgent and immediate action is needed to fix things in “the current day,” and this might help pave the way for a better “day after.” This applies to moderates in the region, as well as Iran, Israel, the West, and the United States.
The bottom line is that dealing with “the present day” is just as important as preparing for “the day after.” Both must be addressed. Otherwise, “the day after” will simply become an extension of today’s devastation.

Conflict provides no honor or glory, just remorse
Peter Harrison/Arab News/June 22, 2025
Tens of thousands of civilians are being killed because they were born in the wrong place and simply have the “wrong” passport. Few people would choose to live in a state of war, or in a place where they are denied freedoms other countries provide.
That is not to say that people do not want to be from the countries they live in, but they want their children to be educated and they want their families to be fed, safe and sheltered.
According to the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs, “an estimated over 940,000 people were killed by direct post-9/11 war violence in Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Yemen, and Pakistan between 2001-2023. Of these, more than 432,000 were civilians.”
Since this report was released in 2023, there have been at least two major conflicts in Sudan and Gaza, in which tens of thousands more civilians have been killed, bringing that total to more than 500,000 — there are cities with smaller populations than that.
Who knows what the situation between Iran and Israel will bring?
Civilians overall do not appear to choose to go to war — some support it, others do not. But it is those in government, the people in charge, that make the decision to go to fight.
None of us chose to be born where we were — that is up to nature. If we are lucky, nature puts us in a country that feels like home and provides peace and security.
But around the world, there are many places where people are not so fortunate. They may love their nationality, but do so in the face of oppressive dictatorships or neighbors determined to shift the boundaries. On more than one occasion, I have heard Westerners ask why people living under oppressive regimes appear to simply sit back and take it.
It is easy to ask such questions when you live in a house with clean running water, a door that locks and a reliable power source; where you can speak freely and generally live without fear of retribution. These people asking for such courage are often the same people who get angry when their city’s streets are blocked by a peaceful demonstration, where protesters are not confronted with a volley of live bullets.
It would be reasonable to draw the conclusion that children who grow up in war zones, or under the rule of oppressive regimes, are more inclined to take up arms later in life — indeed there is evidence that shows this to be the case.
But in 2016, I went to Lebanon to see the work being done to help educate Syrian schoolchildren who had fled their country with their parents after the civil war began. I spoke to several children about what they thought their futures held for them and not one of them said they wanted to take up arms and fight. There was no talk of revenge. They aspired to be doctors, teachers, engineers — the list was endless. Several of the children said they wanted to be able to return to Syria and help rebuild their country.
I have not met many people who want to go to war.
If we are lucky, nature puts us in a country that feels like home and provides peace and security. There was a time when dying for your country was seen as honorable. Most now accept that they can help more when alive, rather than dead.
In 2007, I was at the Kajaki hydroelectric plant in Afghanistan working for a regional newspaper from southwest Britain. A worker asked why I was there. I told him I was there as a newspaper journalist working as the defense reporter.
He said that one after another, people from the West (generally), be they politicians or media, would arrive, take photos, ask him the same questions about how he felt about the Taliban and the International Security Assistance Force, and then leave. “But nothing ever changes,” he said. Of course, he was right to say this. Did I seriously believe it would make any difference for me to report on what I saw was happening in his country? Of course not.
Like every other, I would write my story, leave and work on the next one.
In Afghanistan, there were many “hearts and minds” projects aimed at creating a community. Market stall areas were created and police stations were painted pink to make them “more inviting” — usually ideas cultivated by foreign nongovernmental organizations.
Hundreds of thousands of people died in the Afghanistan war — military and civilians — and this man’s country was eventually handed back to the Taliban, who brought back their highly restrictive form of rule. I have no clue what happened to him. My hope is that, rather than being seen as someone who might have collaborated with Western forces, he was seen as an essential worker at the power plant, providing electricity to all.
History is littered with wars largely started as the result of one ideology or another, often under the claim of fighting terror or another force of evil — but most trace back to an ideology that favors the few. We live in a time where narcissism and gaslighting have never seemed more apparent, whether at home, in the workplace or among world leaders. It is not a new phenomenon, but social media and the acceptance of its unsolicited, often unverified, content has become an enabler of these people’s toxicity.
And while, on a personal level, this can seem miserable and debilitating at first, it is something most people eventually shake off. At a global level, it can prove to be deadly.
The millions in Tehran being told to evacuate their homes do not want their neighborhoods to be flattened or their friends and family to be killed — no one wants that.
When, in Gaza in 2023, Khaled Nabhan held the lifeless body of his three-year-old granddaughter Reem, he did not speak of revenge or anger, just anguish, the loss of his grandchildren in an Israeli attack and, more importantly, of love.
**Peter Harrison is a senior editor at Arab News in the Dubai office. He has covered the Middle East for more than a decade. X: @PhotoPJHarrison

Gender equality in politics remains a distant prospect
Maha Akeel/Arab News/June 22, 2025
Ahead of Tuesday’s International Day of Women in Diplomacy, let us look at the status of women in politics and diplomacy. According to the 2024 Women in Diplomacy Index, only 21 percent of ambassadors and permanent representatives to the UN are women, a slight increase from 20.5 percent in 2023. Progress, yes, but at a very slow pace.
Similarly, the Global Gender Gap Report 2025 released this month showed that gender parity in political empowerment increased slightly from 22.5 percent in 2024 to 22.9 percent. Gender parity in political empowerment remains far behind the three other dimensions measured by the index, which found economic participation is at 61 percent, educational attainment at 95.1 percent and health at 96.2 percent among 148 countries. However, across the 19 editions of the index, political empowerment has seen the most improvement, from 14.3 percent in 2006, but at the current pace it will take 162 years to fully close the gap.Globally, women remain significantly underrepresented in the political sphere, including legislative bodies, where they represent fewer than a third of parliamentary speakers. A 2025 report by the Inter-Parliamentary Union revealed that women held an average of 27.2 percent of parliamentary seats. Women are also underrepresented in Cabinet portfolios. In addition, there is the “implementation gap,” whereby gender equality laws are not backed by the infrastructure needed to enforce them. Adopting high legal standards alone is not enough, there has to be robust implementation mechanisms to translate policy into outcomes. Looking at the Middle East and North Africa region in particular, it ranks last among the eight regions in the Global Gender Gap Index. Although it ranks fifth globally in educational attainment and sixth in health, women’s economic participation is a great challenge for the region at 42.4 percent, while it also continues to trail in political empowerment, with the lowest global score of 10.5 percent. But its regional average has more than tripled since 2006. In terms of ambassadorial roles, the region again ranks last, falling well below the world average at 10 percent, according to the Women in Diplomacy Index. It also ranks last in terms of women in parliament, with an average of 16.7 percent, putting it below the global average. Saudi Arabia ranked 132nd in the 2025 Global Gender Gap Index and seventh in the MENA region, but it is among the fastest-moving countries in terms of the speed of its progress, especially in economic participation and political empowerment. In educational attainment and health, it is very close to gender parity.
Saudi women have been working at the Foreign Ministry since the early 2000s and in international and regional organizations since the 1970s, reaching leadership positions. The first female ambassador, Princess Reema bint Bandar, was appointed in 2019 and the Kingdom now has five female ambassadors. There has been a steady increase in the number of women in leadership positions in politics during the past few years, including in the Shoura Council and in ministries with roles in international relations.
In Saudi Arabia, there has been a steady increase in the number of women in leadership positions in politics during the past few years.
Research indicates several obstacles to women’s presence and advancement in politics and diplomacy, especially as they are areas that require travel or relocation, which can be a challenge for women, who are considered to be primary caregivers. In addition to balancing family life and career, they also have to deal with being in the public eye and the sexism and harassment that can come with that, from both inside and outside of foreign ministries.
It is also one of those gendered stereotypical perceptions that such roles are generally done by men. Research suggests that foreign ministries should ensure a fair recruitment process, provide mentorship and coaching, and introduce policies that reduce the challenges of being posted abroad.
According to the Arab Barometer Gender Report 2024, women across the region have suffered a setback in terms of views on gender equality in politics in recent years. In six of the seven countries surveyed, there was an increase in how many people agreed with the statement: “In general, men are better at political leadership than women.” This increase brings the level back to that observed a decade ago. Interestingly, this increase in perception that men are better at politics is found among both men and women. However, in every country, women are far more likely to disagree than men.
On the other hand, a majority of citizens surveyed by the Arab Barometer think there should be Cabinet positions and parliamentary seats reserved for women. Moreover, most citizens also think that having women in positions of political power advances women’s rights, which is why it is important to have female representation. A majority of the citizens surveyed believed that having female political leaders advances women’s rights to a great or medium extent, although there is still a significant gap between men and women.
Support for women’s role in politics is more prevalent among citizens who are engaged in politics through political parties, which indicates greater confidence in women’s abilities and willingness to promote women’s participation in the political arena. The survey also found that citizens who have working female relatives are less likely to agree that men are better political leaders, which again indicates that women being in the workforce increases the positive perception of their abilities and political leadership skills.
With everything going on in the world today, from wars to humanitarian suffering, would having greater female representation in political decision-making circles make a difference? Research shows that diversity of opinion and female involvement in conflict resolution and foreign policy do have a positive impact.
**Maha Akeel is a Saudi expert in communications, social development and international relations. She is a member of the UN’s Senior Women Talent Pipeline. X: @MahaAkeel1

Leveraging African capital for African needs
Carlos Lopes/Arab News/June 22, 2025
Like many other multilateral forums, the upcoming Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development may well produce impressive declarations and laudable promises. But will lofty rhetoric be translated into concrete progress in lowering the structural and systemic barriers to financing development in Africa, including deteriorating debt sustainability, dwindling concessional finance and declining access to affordable capital?
Africa’s debt crisis did not emerge overnight. It is the result of years of chronic underfinancing, which forced countries to borrow for even the most basic investments. Between 2010 and 2021, the share of Africa’s public external debt owed to private creditors rose from 30 percent to more than 44 percent. And private loans mean very high interest rates, which run in the 7 percent to 10 percent range, on average, with some countries, such as Ghana and Zambia, facing rates above 12 percent.
The problem lies partly with credit ratings agencies, which tend to take a pro-cyclical approach, downgrading countries — and driving up borrowing costs — precisely when they are most vulnerable. Between 2021 and 2023, for example, Moody’s downgraded Ethiopia, Ghana and Tunisia to “deep junk” status, despite their fiscal consolidation efforts. Such decisions are not only opaque — they reflect external risk perceptions, rather than empirical criteria. According to the UN Development Programme, credit rating agencies’ inflated risk perceptions cost the 16 African countries that issued bonds an estimated $74.5 billion by 2020.Global banking regulations, which were tightened in the wake of the 2008 global financial crisis, further constrain Africa’s access to finance. The Basel III framework, introduced in 2011 under the auspices of the Bank for International Settlements, increased minimum capital-adequacy ratios, introduced a minimum leverage ratio and raised liquidity coverage requirements. Such changes diminished international lenders’ appetite for risk — and, thus, their willingness to work with African borrowers.
By 2020, many African countries’ debt burden was so heavy that any unexpected crisis would plunge them into severe debt distress. And then the COVID-19 pandemic arrived. To be sure, the G20 devised interventions to help debt-distressed countries: the Debt Service Suspension Initiative and the Common Framework for Debt Treatments. But the results were mixed. When Chad, Ethiopia, Ghana and Zambia sought relief through the Common Framework, they faced protracted negotiations, uncertain timelines and tightened conditionality — all of which heightened perceived risk and deterred market reentry.
Profit-shifting by multinationals to low- or no-tax jurisdictions, together with illicit financial flows, are an additional drain on African countries’ resources. According to UN Trade and Development, Africa loses more than $88.6 billion to illicit financial flows each year — nearly equivalent to the continent’s annual infrastructure financing gap.Rather than fight for incremental global reforms, Africa should focus on building robust regional and continental financing mechanisms.
Meanwhile, the promise of official development assistance continues to unravel. According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, total net assistance to Africa in 2024 was just $42 billion, representing a 1 percent decline in real terms from the previous year. At the same time, donor countries reported $27.8 billion in “in-donor refugee costs” — up from $12.8 billion in 2021 — which is counted toward their official development assistance contributions. Today, high-income countries are cutting their aid budgets further, with the US the most extreme example.
Many argue that the key to closing the development financing gap lies in strengthening African representation at institutions like the International Monetary Fund and broadening access to existing debt relief and development financing mechanisms. But such reforms can achieve only so much in a system that is structurally misaligned with Africa’s needs.
Rather than fight for incremental global reforms, Africa should focus on building robust regional and continental financing mechanisms that leverage African capital for African needs. The African Development Bank, with its clear development mandate and ability to catalyze broad-based action, can act as the cornerstone of such an African financing system. The African Export-Import Bank, with its trade finance instruments and growing influence, would also have a role to play, as would sovereign wealth funds, national development banks, pension funds and others.
These institutions should pool resources, co-invest in strategic sectors and devise new instruments to mitigate risk and enhance credit provision. For example, African-based guarantee schemes that reduce the cost of capital for investments in infrastructure and the green transition would create incentives for lending to small and medium-size enterprises and support the establishment of shared standards — vital to facilitate regional financial integration. At the same time, African countries must boost revenue by strengthening tax administration, closing loopholes and reducing exemptions. Regional cooperation, together with new digital tools, can go a long way toward measuring companies’ profits, tracking cross-border flows and identifying systemic tax evasion.
Multilateral financial institutions still have an important role to play in delivering financing to Africa, but their approach must change fundamentally. For starters, far more lending should take place in local currencies, thereby reducing countries’ vulnerability to exchange rate volatility. Longer repayment periods and respect for national policy priorities are also essential. Africa has a young population, vast natural resources and fast-growing digital networks. But it lacks the financial sovereignty to make the most of these and other assets. African leaders must stop lobbying for access to frameworks that do not serve their countries’ interests and start asserting control over their own financial future. This means mobilizing capital, building institutions and defining their own criteria for development success. The Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development can help to kick-start this process, but only if participants recognize that closing the development financing gap is a political problem, not a technical one.
**Carlos Lopes, a professor at the Nelson Mandela School of Public Governance at the University of Cape Town, is a member of the UN International Commission of Experts for the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development. ©Project Syndicate

Selective Tweets For Today 22 June/2025
Reza Pahlavi
The strikes on the Islamic Republic’s three nuclear sites are the result of the regime’s catastrophic pursuit of nuclear weapons at the expense of the Iranian people.
Ali Khamenei and his crumbling terrorist regime have failed the nation. As Khamenei considers how to respond from his underground bunker, I say to him: For the sake of the Iranian people, respond by stepping down, so the proud Iranian nation can leave the disastrous period of the Islamic Republic behind and start a new chapter of peace, prosperity and greatness. The only sure way to achieve peace is for this regime to now end.

Narendra Modi
Spoke with President of Iran
. We discussed in detail about the current situation. Expressed deep concern at the recent escalations. Reiterated our call for immediate de-escalation, dialogue and diplomacy as the way forward and for early restoration of regional peace, security and stability.

Guila Fakhoury
The recent developments in the Middle East and the war between the Islamic Republic of Iran and Israel have made one thing crystal clear, the stupidity of some regime followers is beyond me especially followers in Lebanon like
@RindalaJabbour and @HasanDorr
These people are posting nonsense—either outright wrong info or stuff that’s just plain stupid and unbelievable. The amount of misinformation and naïveté out there is crazy. It is really embarrassing at this point!

Nagi N. Najjar
“ An Islamist extremist mother f. belonging to the Islamic State entered a church firing bullets in Damascus and then blew himself up . 20+ dead and dozens of wounded. “

Ambassador Tom Barrack
On behalf of @POTUS
and the American people, we would like to express our condolences to the victims, families, and individuals impacted by the terrorist attack today at Mar Elias church in al-Duwaileh.
These terrible acts of cowardice have no place in the new tapestry of integrated tolerance and inclusion that Syrians are weaving. We continue to support the Syrian government as it fights against those who are seeking to create instability and fear in their country and the broader region.

Ted Cruz
Of course the UN sides with Iran. The only thing they couldn’t decide is which chant they agree with more strongly: “Death to Israel” or “Death to America.”
Remind me again why we pay their bills?