English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For June 28/2025
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
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Bible Quotations For today
I have said this to you, so that in me you may have peace. In the world you face persecution. But take courage; I have conquered the world!’
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 16/29-33:"His disciples said, ‘Yes, now you are speaking plainly, not in any figure of speech! Now we know that you know all things, and do not need to have anyone question you; by this we believe that you came from God.’Jesus answered them, ‘Do you now believe? The hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, each one to his home, and you will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone because the Father is with me. I have said this to you, so that in

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on June 27-28/2025
Walid Jumblatt Insults the Intelligence of the Lebanese People/Elias Bejjani/June 26/2025
2 dead, 15 injured in Nabatieh following intense Israeli airstrikes
Israeli strikes pummel south Lebanon hilltops
Barrack talks Lebanon with Saudi official, seeks 'step-by-step' Lebanon-Israel solution
Report: Hezbollah studying US paper, int'l community bets on Berri role
Hezbollah missile or Israeli strike?
Woman killed, 20 wounded after violent strikes on Nabatiyeh, Iqlim al-Tuffah
Berri still insisting on Hamadeh and Mansouri
Report: UNIFIL mandate may be renewed for one last time
Musk tells Aoun he's interested in doing business in Lebanon
Names released, fear spreads: Israel escalates 'financial war' on Hezbollah with latest targeting
Lebanon scrambles to finalize response to US plan on Hezbollah arms and border deal — here’s what we know
Lebanon raises minimum wage to LBP 28 million
Syrian Authorities Seize 3 Million Captagon Pills Near Lebanese Border
CNRS 2025 Report: 24 out of 38 Lebanese Beaches Deemed Safe for Swimming
Lebanon Requests One-Year Renewal for UNIFIL
Israeli Army Declares ‘Rising Lion’ Operation a Strategic Success
Lebanon’s Shia Bloc and the Emigrant Vote Dilemma/Johnny Kortbawi/This is Beirut/June 27/2025
The Lingering Specter of the Islamic State in Lebanon/Mario Chartouni/his is Beirut/June 27/2025

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on June 27-28/2025
Trump says he's ending 'all discussions on trade with Canada' effective immediately
US President Donald Trump speaks during a news at the White House on June 27, 2025.
Israel killed 30 Iranian security chiefs and 11 nuclear scientists, Israeli official says
Guardian Council in Iran approves law to end cooperation with nuclear watchdog
‘As Soon as Possible’: UN Nuclear Chief Calls For Renewed Inspections as Iran Suspends Cooperation
U.S. Again Emphasizes Success of Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
Qatar-Based Group Aligned With Muslim Brotherhood Backs Iran Against Israel
Iran-Based Psychological Operation Sets Saudi Aramco in Its Crosshairs
The Muslim Brotherhood Pledges Support to Iran
Israeli court rejects Netanyahu’s call to postpone graft trial hearings
Battling to survive, Hamas faces defiant clans and doubts over Iran
MSF slams Gaza aid scheme as ‘slaughter masquerading’ as aid
Israeli strike kills 18 Palestinians in central Gaza
Israeli military orders war crime probe into Gaza aid shootings, Haaretz reports
UN chief calls for political courage to secure Gaza ceasefire as humanitarian crisis reaches ‘horrific proportions’
UN commission says Syria must end violence against Alawites and protect places of worship
She’s not coming back’: Alawite women snatched from streets of Syria

Titles For The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources on June 27-28/2025
The Globalist War on the Planet: Humanity, Nature, Wildlife/Robert Williams/Gatestone Institute/June 27, 2025
The GCC’s unified tourist visa could reshape travel for Pakistanis/Sara Danial/Arab News/June 27, 2025
Question: “Why are so many evangelical Christian leaders caught in scandals?”/GotQuestions.org/June 27/2025
Back to the Table? Recommendations for Negotiations with Iran/Dennis Ross, Richard Nephew, Farzin Nadimi, Patrick Clawson, Michael Singh, Grant Rumley, Anna Borshchevskaya/The Washington Institute/Jun 27/2025
Energy and Economic Implications of the Iran-Israel Conflict/Homayoun Falakshahi, Jennifer Gnana, Gregory Brew//The Washington Institute/Jun 27/2025

The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on June 27-28/2025
Walid Jumblatt Insults the Intelligence of the Lebanese People
Elias Bejjani/June 26/2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vb2Jp_5F0vk
Mr. Walid Jumblatt remains a prisoner of the outdated, un-Lebanese, unpeaceful, and jihadist mentality of the so-called "National Movement"—with all the connotations these terms carry in the classical language of Sibawayh. He has always been, and continues to be, a captive of a culture rooted in hatred, contempt, intellectual manipulation, terrorism, invasions, arrogance, and a relentless drive to eliminate and displace Lebanese citizens whom he sees—through his twisted mindset—as a “worthless category.”
He willingly and submissively worked against Lebanon’s identity, state, traditions, coexistence, and diverse social fabric, all under the banner of the “anti-national movement.” That’s why he wrapped himself in the terrorist, jihadist Arafat-style keffiyeh—side by side with his ally Nabih Berri and a bitter faction of the left that despises even itself. He then shamefully and obediently aligned with the criminal Assad regime, which openly admitted to assassinating his father.
Now, he resurfaces in a childish, Hollywood-style media appearance to inform us that he has handed over his party’s  weapons to the state—implying that everyone else should do the same. But because he cannot remove the Palestinian keffiyeh or break free from the ideological chains of the anti-national movement, he justified the continued existence of Hezbollah’s weapons and linked the arms in the Palestinian camps to the so-called human rights of the Palestinians.
These are chameleon-like positions—ever-shifting in a hundred directions—understandable only through the lens of his mindset, his ideology, and the keffiyeh he still proudly wears. None of this is hidden from the Lebanese people. Trapped in his feudal and arrogant mentality, he began his speech with: “I agreed with Taymour,” as if the country belongs to him and his son, and they alone have the authority to decide the fate of Lebanon.
In conclusion, this is a man who has not only become addicted to—but has also inherited—a culture that belongs to the past, one that time has cast aside and rejected. Accordingly, Lebanon will never see real and positive change as long as he, Nabih Berri, the terrorist Hezbollah, and the majority of these so-called political parties—local and foreign proxies—along with their entrenched deep state, continue to control the levers of power.
As for the stupidity and intellectual barrenness — not to mention the lack of patriotism — of the cheerleading herd of politicians and media mouthpieces who praise the  Jumblat's so-called wisdom and vision… the less said, the better.

2 dead, 15 injured in Nabatieh following intense Israeli airstrikes
NAJIA HOUSSARI/Arab News/June 27, 2025
BEIRUT: A series of Israeli airstrikes targeted southern Lebanon on Friday, including a residential building in Nabatieh, located 77 km south of Beirut. According to the Ministry of Health, the raids killed two people, including the owner of a shop located within the targeted building, and injured 15 others. Lebanon’s Prime Minister Nawaf Salam has condemned the attacks, calling them “a blatant violation of national sovereignty and of the ceasefire agreement reached in November. “They also threaten the stability we are striving to maintain.”According to official and security sources, the Israeli army launched a wave of violent and extensive raids on the hills surrounding Nabatieh. This marks the second-largest assault on Nabatieh since the ceasefire. The strikes appear to have targeted ammunition depots, as prolonged explosions were heard across the area. Rumors Nabatieh suggest that the missile that hit the building was the result of explosions at the weapons depots targeted by Israeli airstrikes. It is said that a missile flew from the depots and hit the building, rather than it being the result of an Israeli military drone. However, this information has not been confirmed by anyone, except the Israeli side, which denied targeting the building.
More than 20 airstrikes were launched on Nabatieh within 15 minutes. This formed a ring of fire around its forests, valleys and hills, in particularly the Ali Al-Taher hills, Jarmaq, Al-Dabshah, Kfar Tebnit heights and Nabatieh Al-Fawqa. As explosions echoed across southern Lebanon, a security source stated that “the missiles used in this attack were likely concussion missiles given the intensity of the blasts.”Residents claimed that the targeted sites included Hezbollah warehouses and tunnels used by the group. Dozens of homes in Kfar Tebnit, Nabatieh Al-Fawqa and Kafr Rumman sustained damage, with windows shattered by the blasts. Rocks and debris from the strikes also blocked the Nabatieh-Khardali road. The Israeli army carried out similar attacks in the area at the beginning of May. Israeli army spokesman Avichay Adraee said that “Israeli warplanes targeted a site used by Hezbollah to operate fire control and defense systems in Jabal Shqif, southern Lebanon.”He claimed: “The site was part of an underground project that had been put out of service following previous Israeli airstrikes on the area. The army observed attempts to restore the site, which is why the terrorist infrastructure in the area was struck.”Israeli Army Radio reported that “extensive raids are once again targeting underground structures in southern Lebanon after restoration efforts were detected.”
The Israeli army insists on blocking any restoration efforts or the removal of debris from the destroyed border area. Earlier this morning, an Israeli drone dropped a stun grenade near two pickup trucks in the town of Ramyeh while the drivers were loading scrap metal. The drivers fled the scene, and no injuries were reported. The ceasefire agreement faces a political deadlock because it is linked to several issues including the disarmament of Hezbollah forces north of the Litani River, Israel’s withdrawal from five occupied Lebanese hills, and the granting of social rights to Palestinian refugees. In this context, former head of the Progressive Socialist Party, Walid Jumblatt, a key political figure in Lebanon, revealed unexpectedly that “his party had handed its weapons over to the relevant authorities about three weeks ago.”During a press conference on Wednesday evening, Jumblatt reiterated that he had informed President Joseph Aoun of his decision immediately after the latter’s election, “and of his intention to fill constitutional vacancies,” a declaration that sparked political debate on Friday. Jumblatt announced that “the weapons that were stored at a compromised site were intended for use in acts of murder.” He explained that he “alerted the presidency and the competent agencies to take possession of this arsenal before any disaster occurred. “The handover took place about three weeks ago, but I chose to remain discreet to preserve stability, as wars were raging in the east and west, and have now calmed down, thank God.”Jumblatt revealed that the “weapons were gradually accumulated following the events of May 2008 between the sovereign forces and Hezbollah and its allies.”
All parties in Lebanon had surrendered their weapons after the signing of the Taif Agreement, with the exception of Hezbollah, which considered its arsenal at the time as “weapons of resistance against Israel.”Jumblatt added: “There was great tension between the PSP and the other party (Hezbollah) which resulted in casualties on both sides. I made significant efforts with everyone and the state, and even with Hezbollah itself. “We had contact with the party when necessary, and we were able to bring the issue to a halt. However, the weapons existed; some were purchased, and others were scattered in some areas.“I worked to assemble the weapons in a central location, and I collected most of them, light and medium weapons, along with some 23-caliber machine guns and others. The weapons were handed over to the state.”Jumblatt emphasized that “today, a new chapter has opened in the Middle East, and the previous means of confrontation are no longer viable.” “All weapons must be under the authority of the state,” he added. “Therefore, if there is a Lebanese party or Lebanese parties, or even non-Lebanese parties, that possess weapons, I hope that they will hand them over to the state in the proper form and manner.”He also called for “the need to grant Palestinians in Lebanon their full rights to work and live with dignity, away from the policies of segregation and containment.” “There are occupied border points and villages that have been completely destroyed,” Jumblatt said, rejecting any link between the handover of weapons and Israel’s withdrawal. He emphasized “adherence to UN resolutions, especially Resolution 1701 and the Taif Agreement.”Regarding Shebaa Farms — an area still occupied by Israel, which Hezbollah considers its duty to liberate it — Jumblatt highlighted the international debate over whether the territory was part of Lebanon or Syria. He highlighted Syria’s refusal to submit relevant documentation to the UN and recalled an “agreement reached in the Lebanese National Dialogue in 2006. “The three of us, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and former Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah and I, agreed to go to Syria to demarcate the borders of the Shebaa Farms.”He added: “If the farms are Lebanese, we would proceed to the UN, and if not, we would go to the UN to determine the farms’ fate. “The Shebaa Farms are Syrian, occupied by Israel and fall under the scope of Resolution 242. Mount Hermon remains under occupation, partly Syrian and partly Lebanese.”

Israeli strikes pummel south Lebanon hilltops
Reuters/June 27, 2025
BEIRUT (Reuters) -More than a dozen Israeli air strikes battered a row of hilltops in southern Lebanon on Friday, security sources said, with the Israeli military saying it had attacked a damaged military site that armed group Hezbollah was seeking to restore. The simultaneous strikes hit a mountainous strip near the southern Lebanese city of Nabatieh, according to the Lebanese security sources, who said Hezbollah likely still had arms depots there. There was no immediate comment from the group. The Israeli military said its fighter jets had attacked a site used to manage Hezbollah's "fire and defense system". It said the site was destroyed in last year's war but that Hezbollah was attempting to resume activities there in breach of the November truce that ended the conflict. Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun on Friday fired the same accusation back at Israel, saying it was continually violating the U.S.-brokered ceasefire deal by keeping up strikes on Lebanon. The ceasefire deal stipulates that southern Lebanon must be free of any non-state arms or fighters, Israeli troops must leave southern Lebanon as Lebanese troops deploy there and all fire across the Lebanese-Israeli border must stop.Israeli troops remain in at least five posts within Lebanese territory and its air force regularly kills rank-and-file Hezbollah members or people affiliated with the group.

Barrack talks Lebanon with Saudi official, seeks 'step-by-step' Lebanon-Israel solution
Naharnet/June 27/2025
U.S. envoy Tom Barrack has said that Hezbollah has vanished militarily and that Lebanon might join the Abraham peace accords, Al-Jadeed television reported. “The U.S. envoy met in Riyadh with Prince Yazid bin Farhan in a bilateral meeting that stretched until late hours of the night and the Lebanese file was on the table,” Al-Jadeed added. Kuwait’s al-Anbaa newspaper meanwhile said that Barrack gave Lebanese officials a deadline that ends on July 10 to respond to the U.S. demands. “There are consultations between the three presidents (Joseph Aoun, Nabih Berri and Nawaf Salam) to reach a unified vision for responding to the demands carried by Barrack during his visit,” parliamentary sources told al-Anbaa, adding that the U.S. envoy is expected to return to Beirut within days to listen to the Lebanese response to the so-called U.S. working paper. The paper “tackles the various aspects of the Lebanese file, from the issue of Lebanese and Palestinian arms to the issue of the northern, eastern and southern lands borders and Israeli withdrawal,” al-Anbaa added. “While Barrack is expected to return to Lebanon in the first half of July, reports said that he prefers that the Lebanese side make a first move before the U.S. asks Israel to make a step in return, which would launch a step-by-step policy, leading to further steps by Lebanon in return for a faster Israeli withdrawal, the start of the handover of captives, and talks over the 13 contested border points,” the daily said. “If this process goes as planned, Lebanon will be able to get grants and incentives from the international community related to reconstruction and to activating the reform process, but before anything else things hinge on beginning to hand over arms north of the Litani so that the step-by-step process can get on track,” the newspaper added.“The U.S. administration is insisting on a quick and official Lebanese answer, without ambiguity or procrastination as happened several times, seeing as the international community is focused on other matters and believes that this is a chance that Lebanon should not miss,” al-Anbaa added.

Report: Hezbollah studying US paper, int'l community bets on Berri role
Naharnet/June 27/2025
The ideas proposed by U.S. envoy Tom Barrack during his latest visit to Lebanon are now being discussed by President Joseph Aoun, Speaker Nabih Berri and PM Nawaf Salam to reach “a unified approach that would be adopted by Cabinet,” a media report said. Aoun, Berri and Salam are awaiting “the response of Hezbollah’s leadership, after the ideas were sent to it for discussion and ahead of taking a final decision,” Lebanese sources told Asharq al-Awsat newspaper. “Through shuttling between Turkey, Syria, Lebanon and Israel, Barrack is seeking to offer all forms of support to preserve the stability of these countries,” the sources added. The international community is meanwhile “betting on a role for Berri in convincing his ally to offer the necessary facilitation, after he fulfilled his pledge that Hezbollah would not take part in the Iranian-Israeli war,” the sources said.“This had facilitated Barrack’s mission during his first visit to Beirut, which was focused on keeping Lebanon out of the war, considering it one of the ideas aimed at helping it devise an executive mechanism for the ceasefire agreement,” the sources added.

Hezbollah missile or Israeli strike?
Naharnet/June 27/2025
Israel said Friday it didn't bomb any residential building in Nabatieh after a woman was killed and 20 other people were wounded as Israel’s air force carried out intense airstrikes on mountains overlooking the city of Nabatieh. Shortly afterward, the apartment building was hit in the nearby city of Nabatieh, resulting in the death of a woman. Twenty other people were wounded. Israel denied the strike on the building. It said its fighter jets struck a site used by Hezbollah to manage its fire and defense array in the area and that the projectile that hit the building had flown from a nearby Hezbollah depot targeted by an Israeli strike. The Israeli army said it identified rehabilitation attempts by Hezbollah beforehand and struck infrastructure sites in the area. Videos circulated Friday on social media, showing missiles flying from an area hit by an Israeli strike.

Woman killed, 20 wounded after violent strikes on Nabatiyeh, Iqlim al-Tuffah
Naharnet/June 27/2025
A woman was killed and 20 other people were wounded Friday after Israel said it targeted Hezbollah "underground assets" in south Lebanon, despite a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah. The Israeli army said it targeted Hezbollah "underground assets" in south Lebanon as it carried out a series of violent airstrikes on Nabatieh al-Fawqa and the heights of Iqlim al-Tuffah in south Lebanon. The airstrikes came in two waves on the mountains overlooking Nabatieh and bunker buster bombs were used, Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported. The strikes continued during the day as warplanes struck a region between the southern towns of Ansar and Zrariyeh. A woman was killed and twenty other people were wounded as a residential building in Nabatieh al-Fawqa was hit with a missile that knocked out the building's top floor. Israel later said it didn't bomb any building in Nabatieh and that the projectile that hit the building flew from a nearby Hezbollah depot after an Israeli strike. Prime Minister Nawaf Salam strongly condemned the strikes, calling them a "blatant violation of national sovereignty" and a "threat to stability". The strikes come a day after Hezbollah chief Sheikh Naim Qassem said Lebanon cannot submit to dictations nor surrender to occupation. "This is our country, we want it dignified and we will resist for that," Qassem said Thursday. Israel has kept up regular strikes on Lebanon, particularly in the south, since a November 27 ceasefire meant to end over a year of hostilities that left Hezbollah severely weakened. Friday’s strikes were more intense than usual. The Israeli military said in a statement that its fighter jets struck a site used by Hezbollah to manage its fire and defense array in the area and is part of a significant underground project that was completely taken out of use.
The Israeli army said it identified rehabilitation attempts by Hezbollah beforehand and struck infrastructure sites in the area. Hezbollah suffered significant losses during the war, which left over 4,000 people dead in Lebanon and caused destruction worth $11 billions. In Israel, 127 people died, including 80 soldiers. As part of the ceasefire deal, Hezbollah was pushed away from areas bordering Israel in south Lebanon and is not allowed to have an armed presence south of the Litani River. Friday’s airstrikes were north of the river. The Israeli army was also to pull away from south Lebanon under the ceasefire deal but has kept its troops on five hills it deems "strategic."

Berri still insisting on Hamadeh and Mansouri
Naharnet/June 27/2025
Cabinet will convene Friday at the Grand Serail to discuss an agenda of 17 articles, while the judicial and financial appointments are still hinging on the conditions of Speaker Nabih Berri, media reports said. “Berri is still insisting on the appointment of Zaher Hamadeh as financial prosecutor and will not back down. He is also insisting on Wassim Mansouri for the post of Central Bank vice governor,” Al-Jadeed TV reported. “Take whatever you want and give me Mansouri and Hamadeh,” the TV network quoted Berri as saying. Governmental sources meanwhile said that “if Berri maintains his stance, the relevant ministers might raise the file in Cabinet, which would lead to a vote as happened in the appointment of the central bank governor, or they would settle for voicing their reservations or objections and having them registered in the minutes of meeting.”

Report: UNIFIL mandate may be renewed for one last time
Naharnet/June 27/2025
The Foreign Ministry has sent to the U.N. Security Council a letter demanding the renewal of the mandate of the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), with U.N. chief Antonio Guterres receiving the letter that is based on the previous request without any adjustments, Al-Jadeed TV reported. Ministerial sources meanwhile told the TV network that “Lebanon has sensed from the U.S. administration that it is not interested in renewal for the UNIFIL forces, in light of the new U.S. vision for U.N. organizations … and the continued burden of financing them.”“The solution might be through extending the mandate for one last time, by one or a maximum of two years, during which the countries contributing troops to UNIFIL can vacate their positions and gradually return them to their countries,” the sources added. “The Lebanese government is counting on the French stance in seeking support for the renewal request,” the sources said.

Musk tells Aoun he's interested in doing business in Lebanon
Naharnet/June 27/2025
Billionaire businessman and CEO of Tesla, SpaceX and X (formerly Twitter) Elon Musk has called President Joseph Aoun to express his interest in having his companies available in Lebanon. Musk "expressed his interest in Lebanon and its telecommunications and internet sectors" in a call with Aoun, the Lebanese Presidency said in a statement. Last month, Director of Licensing and Development for the Starlink internet service company Sam Turner visited Beirut and discussed with Lebanese officials the potential for cooperation with Starlink, a division of Musk's SpaceX, to activate its internet service in Lebanon.

Names released, fear spreads: Israel escalates 'financial war' on Hezbollah with latest targeting
LBCI/June 27/2025
This was not just another isolated Israeli strike. The targeting of Haytham Bakri and two of his sons in the southern town of Kfar Dajjal on Tuesday was more than that. According to Israeli claims, Bakri is a money changer who heads the "Al-Sadiq" Currency Exchange, which the Israeli military alleges serves as financial infrastructure for storing and transferring funds to Hezbollah.More alarming is that Israel did not stop at naming Bakri. It publicly released the names of five additional currency exchange companies and their owners, accusing them of channeling money to Hezbollah. Israeli reports claim the existence of networks moving funds from Iran to Lebanon via Iraq, Turkey, or the United Arab Emirates. Through these routes, the Quds Force of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps allegedly transfers millions of dollars to the six listed exchange firms.Alongside these accusations and the strike on Bakri and his sons, the Israeli military also claimed to have killed Behnam Shahriyari in Iran — a Quds Force commander said to be responsible for transferring money to Hezbollah. The publication of the names of the money changers and their companies operating in Lebanon has sparked fear among those listed, who now worry they may be targeted next. Sources familiar with the matter note that the U.S. administration typically imposes sanctions on individuals and companies through formal procedures and communication with Lebanese authorities. But in this case, the naming and accusing of companies and individuals is being carried out unilaterally by Israel, with no oversight. Some of the accused money changers, the sources said, have been advised to contact Lebanon's central bank and the Banking Control Commission to request an investigation to verify their legal and financial standing, as well as to communicate with security agencies to demonstrate their compliance and to seek protection through the channels and contacts they rely on. Israel's strikes on what it describes as Hezbollah's financial networks are not new, even if they now come in more public and escalatory forms. In April of last year, money changer Mohammad Srour was assassinated after being lured to Beit Meri. Investigations pointed to Mossad involvement amid reports he had been transferring funds from Iran to Palestinian factions.

Lebanon scrambles to finalize response to US plan on Hezbollah arms and border deal — here’s what we know
LBCI/June 27/2025
A committee of advisers appointed by Lebanon’s president, parliament speaker, and prime minister is drafting a comprehensive response to U.S. proposals. These include the disarmament of Hezbollah and Palestinian factions, the demarcation of the Lebanese-Syrian border—particularly regarding the Shebaa Farms—and advancing economic and political reforms. The presidency is represented by a senior military officer, the parliament by a political adviser, and the government by a diplomat, with support from technical experts. The secrecy surrounding the process stems from the belief that this response represents Lebanon’s last critical opportunity, having previously squandered multiple chances. Lebanese officials are racing to finalize the response before July 7, the tentative date for U.S. envoy Tom Barrack’s return to Beirut. They understand that Washington expects a clear, detailed plan with a timeline to be met by gradual reciprocal Israeli measures—such as phased weapons handovers in exchange for withdrawals from specific areas and the release of detainees.LBCI has learned that a significant portion of the response has already been drafted. Lebanon has agreed to some points, while others require clarification—chief among them the “step-for-step” principle. Beirut maintains that because Israel occupies part of its territory, Israel must take the first step before Lebanon reciprocates. Regarding the Shebaa Farms, Lebanon plans to submit documents to relevant parties, including the United States and the United Nations, to prove its claim to the area. It is also willing to accept a U.N.-supervised demarcation process.  The U.S. envoy has made Lebanese-Syrian cooperation on border issues a condition for moving forward to avoid future disputes. Meanwhile, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri is eager to finalize a comprehensive proposal and initiate implementation in July. Hezbollah has adopted a relatively flexible position but insists that Israel must begin its withdrawal, halt attacks, and release detainees to reassure its support base before any decision is made. Once the response is complete, the committee will present a proposed timeline to the Americans, who are seeking swift progress. On-the-ground coordination will reportedly involve the ceasefire monitoring committee, which will convey Israeli requests to the Lebanese army regarding the disarmament of specific sites.LBCI also learned that Washington has pledged to persuade Israel to adopt the “step-for-step” approach once Lebanon finalizes its response and issues a cabinet declaration affirming that all arms will be under state authority. In return, Lebanon is seeking U.S. guarantees that Israel will fulfill its commitments and help resolve any outstanding issues in the event of Israeli obstruction. The structure and substance of Lebanon’s response will be central to any potential agreement. Beirut recognizes that the time for political maneuvering has come to an end.

Lebanon raises minimum wage to LBP 28 million
LBCI//June 27/2025
Lebanon’s cabinet approved most items on its agenda Friday, including a draft law to amend the public-private partnership law, according to Information Minister Paul Morcos. Morcos also announced that the government raised the official minimum monthly wage for workers and employees to 28 million Lebanese lira, starting next month.

Syrian Authorities Seize 3 Million Captagon Pills Near Lebanese Border
This is Beirut/AFP/June 27/2025
Syria said Friday that authorities had seized some three million pills of the illicit stimulant captagon after clashes with a drug trafficking network near the Lebanese border. Authorities observed the network "coming from Lebanon into Syrian territory" via illegal border crossings in the Jarajir area in the northern Damascus countryside, said a statement released by the interior ministry. Syrian forces set up a roadside ambush that "led to clashes between the security forces and members of the cell," some of whom abandoned their vehicle and fled, the statement said. "Around three million pills of the drug captagon were seized in addition to 50 kilograms (110 pounds) of hashish," the statement said, adding that authorities would not allow Syrian territory "to be a passage or haven for drug smuggling."Lebanon and Syria share a porous, 330-kilometer (205-mile) border that is notorious for smuggling. Captagon, which is also produced in Lebanon, became Syria's largest export during Syria's civil war, which erupted in 2011. It was also a key source of illicit funding for the government of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad. Since his overthrow in December, the new Islamist authorities have sought to crack down on the drug trade and have announced the discovery of millions of captagon pills and said they have thwarted smuggling attempts. Earlier this month, Interior Minister Anas Khattab said authorities had seized all captagon production facilities in Syria.

CNRS 2025 Report: 24 out of 38 Lebanese Beaches Deemed Safe for Swimming
Karl Hajj Moussa/This Is Beirut/June 27/2025
As Lebanese beaches grow crowded with summer visitors, the National Council for Scientific Research (CNRS) has released its 2025 assessment of coastal water quality. The findings are mixed: 24 out of 38 monitored beaches are considered safe for swimming, while several high-risk zones, particularly in Beirut, remain troubling. The report also highlights the growing threat of plastic pollution and urges immediate action to protect Lebanon’s coastline. Each year, as crowds head to the Mediterranean for relief from the heat, a dedicated team of researchers begins its work. This is the annual mission of the National Center for Marine Sciences, part of the National Council for Scientific Research (CNRS), which for years has surveyed the health of 38 public beaches from Tripoli to Tyre. Private beaches, which are not accessible to researchers, are excluded from the study. The 2025 report shows that approximately 63% of the monitored sites meet safety standards for recreational swimming. Beyond offering a snapshot of coastal water quality, the CNRS report serves as a crucial resource, guiding both public awareness and government policy to protect swimmers’ health and preserve Lebanon’s fragile marine biodiversity.
A Rigorous Scientific Assessment
Through systematic sampling and detailed analysis, scientists measure the presence of fecal bacteria, a key indicator of water pollution. The study focuses primarily on bacteriological contamination, particularly the concentration of fecal coliforms. This critical metric, used to assess the health and safety of bathing waters, is measured in colony-forming units per 100 milliliters of seawater.
Beaches are then classified according to three thresholds:
Sites with 1 to 200 colonies are deemed clean to very clean.
Those with 200 to 500 colonies are considered borderline or warranting caution.
Any site exceeding 500 colonies is labeled polluted to highly polluted.
Using this standardized monitoring system, the CNRS offers authorities and the public a reliable, science-based framework for evaluating the health risks associated with recreational swimming along Lebanon’s coast.
Inviting Beaches, yet Critical Zones Require Attention
Several beaches across Lebanon have been rated safe for swimming in the 2025 CNRS report. These include Miniyeh and Tripoli in the north, Jbeil, Keserwan and Damour in the central region, as well as the Tyre Marine Reserve and Adloun Beach in the south—the latter has been newly designated as a protected reserve. Yet, the report also flags 14 beaches as posing elevated health risks: 8 are classified as critical, and 6 as highly polluted. The most concerning sites are concentrated around Beirut, with Manara and Ramlet al-Bayda leading the list, followed by Antelias, Dbayeh, Jounieh and parts of Tripoli, where fecal coliform levels significantly exceed safe limits. These locations, which attract thousands of beach goers each summer, represent a serious public health concern. Naqoura, in southern Lebanon, receives a special mention: while water quality there is believed to be excellent, security conditions have prevented sampling for the past two years. Compared to the 2024 findings, the overall picture remains stable. However, the deterioration of water quality in Beirut stands out, prompting renewed calls for authorities to intensify efforts to clean up the capital’s coastal waters. Between Plastic Pollution, Edible Fish and Emerging Marine Reserves
The CNRS 2025 report also offers encouraging news regarding the safety of seafood harvested in Lebanese waters. Analyses confirm that heavy metal concentrations remain well below international safety limits, affirming that locally caught fish are still safe for consumption.
However, plastic pollution continues to pose a serious and growing threat. The CNRS notes a marked increase in coastal solid waste, particularly plastic debris, which endangers marine biodiversity and degrades the quality of the shoreline. This environmental challenge has sparked heightened political awareness. During the official presentation of the report at the Grand Serail, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam called for a national commitment to protecting the sea and its ecosystems, emphasizing that the issue transcends the scope of any single ministry. Minister of Environment Tamara El-Zein echoed this urgency, citing Lebanon’s recent participation in the United Nations Ocean Conference, where the country signed the Convention on Biological Diversity, a step toward aligning local efforts with global environmental priorities. On the ground, progress is already underway: three new marine reserves are being established in Anfeh, Batroun and Jbeil. Plans are also advancing to protect six additional strategic coastal sites, reinforcing Lebanon’s commitment to safeguarding its fragile marine ecosystems.

Lebanon Requests One-Year Renewal for UNIFIL
This is Beirut/June 27/2025
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has formally requested a one-year extension of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL)’s mandate, set to begin on August 31, 2025.
In a statement issued Friday, the ministry said the request follows a decision approved by the Cabinet during its May 14 session. The ministry confirmed that a letter was delivered through Lebanon’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations (UN) in New York, addressed to UN Secretary-General António Guterres. The letter reaffirmed Lebanon’s commitment to UNIFIL’s continued presence and cooperation, while also reiterating demands for Israel to withdraw from occupied Lebanese territory and cease ongoing violations of Lebanese sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Israeli Army Declares ‘Rising Lion’ Operation a Strategic Success
This is Beirut/June 27/2025
The Israeli army hailed its 12-day incursion into Iranian territory, known as Operation Rising Lion, as a “major strategic success,” according to Arabic-language spokesperson Avichay Adraee in a statement on X. ©Israeli army spokesman's X account
Days after the announcement of a ceasefire between Israel and Iran, the Israeli military has publicly disclosed the scope and outcomes of its 12-day offensive, dubbed Operation “Rising Lion.” In a post published on the platform X, Israeli Arabic-language spokesperson Avichay Adraee described the campaign as a “comprehensive strategic success,” claiming that the Israeli Air Force achieved full air superiority deep inside Iranian territory and exceeded its original operational goals. Adraee’s announcement was accompanied by satellite images and infographics illustrating the strikes and their reported impact on Iran’s military and nuclear infrastructure.
Heavy Damage to Iran’s Nuclear Program
Central to the operation were Iran’s three most significant nuclear sites: Natanz, Fordow and Isfahan. According to Adraee, the facilities sustained heavy damage, including the destruction of thousands of centrifuges, research hubs and critical infrastructure vital to Iran’s nuclear advancement. In a particularly high-stakes claim, the Israeli military reported the deaths of 11 senior nuclear scientists allegedly involved in Iran’s military nuclear program, killed in a series of targeted strikes.
Missile and Air Defense Capabilities Hit
The Israeli army also stated that it had struck deep at Iran’s missile and aerial defense systems. The operation allegedly neutralized approximately 200 missile launch pads, about half of Iran’s arsenal, along with over 35 missile production sites. Additional targets included 80 ground-to-air systems, 6 military airports and 15 aircraft. Dozens of command centers were reportedly destroyed, and the Israeli military claimed the deaths of hundreds of Iranian personnel, including over 30 high-ranking officials in Iran’s defense and security apparatus.
Total Air Superiority Claimed
During the campaign, Israeli forces allegedly maintained full air dominance over Iranian skies. Adraee stated that Israel’s interception systems were highly effective, blocking over 86% of surface-to-surface missiles and 99% of drone attacks launched from Iran.
Adraee described the operation as a “devastating strategic blow” to the Iranian regime, emphasizing that the strikes were precise, well-coordinated and aimed at the core of Iran’s nuclear and military infrastructure.

Lebanon’s Shia Bloc and the Emigrant Vote Dilemma
Johnny Kortbawi/This is Beirut/June 27/2025
Lebanese emigrants have found themselves entangled in a crisis not of their making—namely, the existential crisis of the Shia community amid unfolding developments across the Middle East. Calls to amend the provision governing emigrant voting—whether by assigning them to Electoral District 16 or allowing them to vote for MPs in their home districts—have become an explosive issue. This threatens not only the provision itself but the entire electoral law, opening the door to endless disputes that could further destabilize Lebanon’s already fragile state. Given the country's inability to withstand additional crises, debate over the electoral law and emigrant voting could derail the legislative session scheduled for Monday. The Amal-Hezbollah alliance is approaching this provision with extreme rigidity, treating it as a matter of life and death. They view any breach in Shia representation as unacceptable—something they believe could happen through the diaspora vote. They argue that pressure and restrictions imposed on them since October 7, 2023, have forced Hezbollah to carry out campaigns abroad. The irony, however, is that District 16 itself includes a Shia seat, and the concerns about external influence apply equally to this seat and to Shia voters overseas. In reality, the duo seeks to abolish emigrant voting altogether—not just voting for MPs in Lebanon. Other political actors are more cautious. Christian parties insist on emigrants’ right to vote: the Lebanese Forces (LF) and the Kataeb favor allowing them to vote in their home districts, while the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) supports the District 16 proposal, viewing it as their own initiative and accomplishment. The Progressive Socialist Party openly supports emigrant voting but privately fears it could cost them seats, as happened in Aley with Mark Daou in the last election. A repeat scenario in Shouf-Aley, which recorded the highest turnout for the “Change” list, is also a concern. Sunni MPs approach the issue pragmatically, assessing it based on electoral self-interest—whether emigrant voters in their districts would help or hurt their chances. But the issue goes deeper. The Amal-Hezbollah alliance will, under no circumstances, allow this to proceed. This could spark a serious and prolonged crisis, with consequences that may extend to diplomatic missions. The Shia community believes its demographic weight entitles it to greater authority and power—something historically reinforced by weapons and internal control. Today, relinquishing arms while also accepting vulnerabilities through emigrant voting would expose the community to Lebanon’s internal political dynamics—something it will not accept. From this perspective, the battle over emigrant voting is not truly about MPs, legal clauses, or potential amendments. It is, at its core, a confrontation with the Shia alliance—and a reflection of the broader anxieties gripping the Shia community as a whole.

The Lingering Specter of the Islamic State in Lebanon
Mario Chartouni/his is Beirut/June 27/2025
The Lebanese Army announced on Tuesday the arrest of a man identified as R.F., also known as “Qassoura,” who is believed to be the leader of the Islamic State (ISIS) in Lebanon. The operation, conducted by the Directorate of Intelligence, led to the confiscation of a large cache of weapons, ammunition, electronic devices, and materials used for manufacturing drones, the army said in a statement. Qassoura reportedly took over ISIS leadership in Lebanon after the arrest of his predecessor, Abou Saïd Al-Shami, in December 2024. He is suspected of orchestrating multiple attacks across the country, the statement added. This arrest comes just two days after a deadly suicide bombing at the Saint Elie Church in Syria, which killed 25 people and underscored the ongoing threat posed by ISIS, though it has been significantly weakened.
From Nahr el-Bared to ISIS’s Emergence
Armed Islamist militancy in Lebanon traces back to the 1980s with the rise of Hezbollah, Iran’s military proxy in the country. In 1983, Hezbollah orchestrated several deadly attacks, including the bombing of the US Embassy in Beirut that claimed 63 lives, among them senior CIA officials. Later that year, the group also targeted US Marines and French paratroopers, killing 241 and 58 soldiers respectively. Sunni jihadism gained momentum in the 1990s and 2000s amid regional instability, with groups like Osbat Al-Ansar and Osbat Al-Nour emerging as early examples. A key moment came in 2007 during the battle of Nahr el-Bared, a Palestinian refugee camp near Tripoli. The Lebanese Army fought Fateh al-Islam, an al-Qaeda-linked group founded in 2006, in a siege lasting nearly four months. The conflict claimed hundreds of lives—including 168 soldiers—and 226 Islamists, while leaving the camp largely destroyed. About twenty militants managed to escape. At the time, it was the most serious conflict since the Lebanese civil war and highlighted the ability of jihadist groups to establish themselves in vulnerable areas. Although ISIS was militarily defeated in 2017, it has maintained a residual presence by exploiting ongoing regional turmoil and persistent security gaps.
From the Bekaa Valley to Palestinian Camps
Since 2014, ISIS has established footholds along Lebanon’s border with Syria, especially near Arsal and Ras Baalbeck, capitalizing on the spillover from the Syrian conflict. In August 2014, clashes between the Lebanese Army and hundreds of ISIS and al-Nusra Front fighters in Arsal left dozens dead. Research by Israel’s Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) indicates that ISIS and affiliated groups—such as the Abdallah Azzam Brigades, Jund Al-Sham, and Osbat Al-Ansar—have operated in vulnerable northern regions like Tripoli and Akkar, as well as in the Ain al-Hilweh Palestinian camp in southern Lebanon, often coordinating with radical Palestinian factions.
Exploiting Marginalization
According to the Carnegie Endowment, ISIS has sought to portray itself as the protector of Sunni communities against the Lebanese Army and Hezbollah, spreading this narrative through sermons and propaganda after the battle of Arsal.
The Washington Institute suggests that Sunni support for ISIS in Lebanon is less about ideology and more rooted in grievances over neglect, a desire for protection, and state absence. This dynamic is reflected in local reactions, where some figures implicitly back ISIS as a response to perceived targeted repression. Sheikh Ahmad Al-Assir, a Sidon cleric arrested in 2015 and seen as a potential ISIS representative, exemplified this militant opposition to Hezbollah and the Lebanese Army.
Funding and International Countermeasures
ISIS operates without formal institutional support, relying instead on criminal networks such as arms trafficking, extortion, kidnappings for ransom, private donations, and cross-border logistics. A US Treasury report from November 2024 estimates ISIS’s core reserves at around $10 million, generated through extortion, theft, and global fundraising. Much of this activity occurs off the formal economic radar, complicating efforts to track funding. ISIS has also expanded its use of cryptocurrencies to evade detection, raise money from international sympathizers, and finance attacks abroad. While the scale in Lebanon is smaller, the same funding mechanisms are used locally.
US Assistance
The US Department of State’s 2022 Country Reports on Terrorism noted that the United States provided over $6 million in security assistance to Lebanon that year, primarily through the Anti-terrorism Assistance (ATA) program. This support aims to enhance the Lebanese Army and Internal Security Forces’ (ISF) capabilities to combat threats such as improvised explosive devices (IEDs), protect critical institutions, respond to terrorist attacks, and conduct cybersecurity investigations. These efforts contributed to thwarting a planned ISIS attack in a Palestinian camp in February 2022. Between July and October 2022, the ISF arrested 30 ISIS-affiliated suspects, including Lebanese, Syrians, Palestinians, and one Egyptian, who were allegedly plotting attacks on military and civilian targets, as well as religious gatherings. Additionally, a US, UK, and Canadian-funded border security project along Lebanon’s frontier with Syria has enabled the Lebanese Army to enhance its surveillance, interception capabilities, and physical infrastructure. These US-supported units have been vital in intercepting foreign fighters returning from Syria and preventing their establishment in Lebanon. This serves as a reminder that the Lebanese Army, which enjoys significant Western backing, is more than capable of safeguarding the country’s sovereignty — sending a clear message to ISIS militants.

The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on June 27-28/2025
Trump says he's ending 'all discussions on trade with Canada' effective immediately
CBC/June 27, 2025
U.S. President Donald Trump says he's ending all trade discussions with Canada while signalling he may impose a blanket tariff to hit back at Ottawa for imposing a tax on web giants. "We will let Canada know the Tariff that they will be paying to do business with the United States of America within the next seven-day period," Trump said in a social media post Friday. Canada and the U.S. have been locked in negotiations to get Trump to lift his punishing tariffs on Canadian goods, levies that have already led to major economic dislocations, job losses and a drop in southbound exports. Trump and Prime Minister Mark Carney agreed at the G7 last week to reach some agreement on the trade dispute within 30 days — a timeline that is now very much in doubt. Trump says he's pulling back from the bilateral trade discussions because Canada plans to move ahead with its digital services tax (DST), which requires major web companies to pay a special tax. Speaking briefly to reporters while leaving his office, Carney said he had not spoken to Trump since the president seemed to torpedo the trade talks. "We'll continue to conduct these complex negotiations in the best interest of Canadians," Carney said. He did not address a reporter's question about whether his government is prepared to drop the DST — something the Business Council of Canada is calling on Ottawa to do in exchange for U.S. tariff relief. Set to take effect on June 30, the DST would have U.S. companies like Amazon, Google, Meta, Uber and Airbnb pay a three per cent levy on revenue from Canadian users — a policy enacted by former prime minister Justin Trudeau's government that the Parliamentary Budget Office projects will bring in billions of dollars in revenue.While taking effect on Monday, the policy will apply retroactively, leaving U.S. companies with a $2-billion US bill due at the end of the month. These global digital firms are often able to skirt paying taxes in the countries where they operate, and the last Liberal government pitched the DST as a way to bring the tax code up to date and capture revenues earned in Canada by firms located abroad.
U.S. long opposed DST
It's been a bone of contention between Canada and the U.S. for years, with former president Joe Biden's ambassador to Canada warning during his tenure that, if a DST was enacted, the U.S. would hit back. While Canada and other Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries had been discussing some sort of global DST, the Trudeau government decided to move ahead with its own tax rather than wait for co-ordinated action. Carney's finance minister, François-Philippe Champagne, said last week Ottawa plans to push ahead with the tax even while negotiations with Trump and his tariffs are ongoing. That's what's prompted the president's ire. "We have just been informed that Canada, a very difficult Country to TRADE with, including the fact that they have charged our Farmers as much as 400% Tariffs, for years, on Dairy Products, has just announced that they are putting a Digital Services Tax on our American Technology Companies, which is a direct and blatant attack on our Country," Trump said. As he has done in the past, Trump mischaracterized Canada's tariff regime on U.S. dairy products. The high tariff rates Trump frequently cites are only applied if U.S. exports exceed a set "tariff-rate quota," something that has never happened. Trump's own Department of Agriculture noted earlier this year that almost all agricultural products traded between the United States and Canada are free of tariffs. In an interview with CBC's Power & Politics, Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand said supply management, which places limits on certain products, including dairy, to ensure stable prices, is a "cornerstone" Canadian economic policy that is "extremely important."A barn cat looks over at cows as they wait to be milked at a dairy farm in Granby, Que., Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025. Anand said that despite Trump's threats, Canada will push ahead with trying to broker a deal that's in the best interest of workers and businesses. "We will ensure the best result is reached for our country while at the same time ensuring we diversify our supply chains so we are never again dependent on one economy," Anand said, while touting the New EU-Canada Strategic Partnership of the Future that Carney brokered with the European Union earlier this week. Trump's abrupt decision to call off negotiations may have caught Canadian officials off guard. Speaking to CBC Radio's The House hours before Trump's post, Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc said Canada's negotiators "continue to be optimistic about the constructive tone" between the two countries. "We're developing a constructive, professional, businesslike relationship with our American interlocutors while working to get the best economic deal we can for Canadians. So we'll see," LeBlanc said. Still, Candace Laing, president of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, said there have been signs the "tone and tenor of talks has improved in recent months." Trump and Carney have had two friendly meetings in that time, and she hopes to see "progress continue" despite Trump's apparent attempt to derail the talks. "Negotiations go through peaks and valleys. With deadlines approaching, some last-minute surprises should be expected," Laing said.

US President Donald Trump speaks during a news at the White House on June 27, 2025.
Al Arabiya English/27 June/2025
US President Donald Trump says he would consider bombing Iran again if intelligence reports conclude that Tehran could enrich uranium to a level that concerns him.Trump also responded to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s recent comments that Iran was victorious in the 12-day war with Israel. Iran “got beat to hell,” as did Israel, according to Trump. “It was a great time to end it.”After his comments to reporters at the White House, Trump took to Truth Social to slam Khamenei. “During the last few days, I was working on the possible removal of sanctions, and other things, which would have given a much better chance to Iran at a full, fast, and complete recovery - The sanctions are BITING! But no, instead I get hit with a statement of anger, hatred, and disgust, and immediately dropped all work on sanction relief, and more,” Trump said. He also said he did not allow Israel or the US military to kill the Iranian supreme leader and suggested that he forced Israeli fighter jets to return from a mission in Tehran following his announcement of a ceasefire between the two as well. “I SAVED HIM FROM A VERY UGLY AND IGNOMINIOUS DEATH, and he does not have to say, “THANK YOU, PRESIDENT TRUMP!”

Iran arrests 700 'Israeli agents', but where are the weapons?
The FRANCE 24 Observers/June 27, 2025
Iranian state media announced on Wednesday that Iran’s security forces have arrested more than 700 people on suspicion of belonging to an "Israeli spy network" since Israel’s June 13 attack. The reports show men in prison jumpsuits confessing that they were recruited as Israeli spies, along with weapons they were supposedly planning to use. Analysts say the confessions are probably coerced, and an analysis of the images by the FRANCE 24 Observers team found no evidence of any Israeli-made weapons among the supposed seizures. For its part, Iran is attempting to present itself as successfully arresting Israeli operatives and confiscating their weapons. The so-called "seized weapons” and arrested “Mossad agents” appear to be staged, as there is no credible evidence to substantiate these claims. The 12-day war between Iran and Israel was, among other things, a devastating blow to Iranian intelligence. The Israeli military had precise intelligence on high-ranking generals, allowing them to successfully target and killing of at least 29 of them. And Israel’s intelligence agency, the Mossad, apparently succeeded in recruiting large numbers of Iranians to serve as agents on the ground in the deployment of guided missiles and FPVs. The Iranian intelligence services have not, however, shown any conclusive evidence to date of weapons they seized intact, before their deployment by supposed agents inside Iran. State-affiliated media in Iran have published reports interviewing purported Israeli agents and showcasing 'seized' weapons. However, in two instances where state media have presented images of these confiscated weapons, the photographs appear to be either fake or staged.

Israel killed 30 Iranian security chiefs and 11 nuclear scientists, Israeli official says
Howard Goller and Jonathan Landay/Reuters/June 27, 2025
Israel killed more than 30 senior security officials and 11 senior nuclear scientists to deliver a major blow to Iran's nuclear ambitions, a senior Israeli military official said on Friday in summarizing Israel's 12-day air war with Iran. In the United States, an independent expert said a review of commercial satellite imagery showed only a small number of the approximately 30 Iranian missiles that penetrated Israel's air defences managed to hit any militarily significant targets."Iran has yet to produce missiles that demonstrate great accuracy," Decker Eveleth, an associate research analyst at the CNA Corporation specializing in satellite imagery, told Reuters. In Israel, the senior military official said Israel's June 13 opening strike on Iran severely damaged its aerial defences and destabilised its ability to respond in the critical early hours of the conflict. Israel's air force struck over 900 targets and the military deeply damaged Iran's missile production during the war that ended with a U.S.-brokered ceasefire, the official said. "The Iranian nuclear project suffered a major blow: The regime's ability to enrich uranium to 90% was neutralized for a prolonged period. Its current ability to produce a nuclear weapon core has been neutralized," the official said. Iran, which denies trying to build nuclear weapons, retaliated against the strikes with barrages of missiles on Israeli military sites and cities. Iran said it forced the end of the war by penetrating Israeli defences. Iranian authorities said 627 people were killed in Iran, where the extent of the damage could not be independently confirmed because of tight restrictions on the media. Israeli authorities said 28 people were killed in Israel. Eveleth, the independent U.S. expert, said Iran's missile forces were not accurate enough to destroy small military targets like U.S.-made F-35 jet fighters in their shelters. "Because of this the only targets they can hit with regularity are large cities or industrial targets like the refinery at Haifa," he told Reuters. Iranian missile salvos – which were limited by Israeli airstrikes in Iran – did not have the density to achieve high rates of destruction, he wrote on X. "At the current level of performance, there is effectively nothing stopping Israel from conducting the same operation in the future with similar results," he wrote. In a statement on Friday, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said he had directed the military to draft plans to safeguard air superiority over Iran, prevent nuclear development and missile production, and address Iran's support for militant operations against Israel. Israel's military Chief of Staff Lieutenant General, Eyal Zamir, said on Friday the outcome in Iran could help advance Israeli objectives against the Iranian-backed Palestinian militant Hamas group in the Gaza Strip. Zamir told troops in Gaza an Israeli ground operation, known as "Gideon's Chariots," would in the near future achieve its goal of greater control of the Palestinian enclave and present options to Israel's government for further action.

Guardian Council in Iran approves law to end cooperation with nuclear watchdog
AFP/Reuters/June 27, 2025
TEHRAN: Iran’s powerful Guardian Council on Thursday approved legislation that would suspend Tehran’s cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency. The proposed suspension, which will now be submitted to President Masoud Pezeshkian for final ratification, would “ensure full respect for the national sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Islamic Republic of Iran ... especially with regard to uranium enrichment,” spokesman Hadi Tahan Nazif said. The watchdog passed a resolution two weeks ago accusing Iran of non-compliance with its nuclear obligations. A suspension of cooperation with the agency would deny UN inspectors access to Iran’s uranium enrichment operations at Fordow, Isfan and Natanz, which were attacked in US bombing raids last Sunday. Meanwhile confusion continued to surround the location of Iran’s stockpile of about 400 kg of highy enriched uranium. Satellite images from before Sunday’s attacks showed a long line of vehicles outside the Fordow plant. Some experts believe Iran used the convoy to move the uranium and other nuclear components, and is hiding them elsewhere. However, US President Donald Trump and his Defense Secretary Peter Hegseth both insisted on Thursday that the stockpile at Fordow had been destroyed. “The cars and small trucks at the site were those of concrete workers trying to cover up the top of the shafts. Nothing was taken out,” Trump said. Hegseth said: “I’m not aware of any intelligence that I’ve reviewed that says things were not where they were supposed to be.”

‘As Soon as Possible’: UN Nuclear Chief Calls For Renewed Inspections as Iran Suspends Cooperation
FDD. Flash Brief/June 27/2025
Latest Developments
IAEA Calls for Resumption of Inspections: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Rafael Grossi called on Iran to allow the agency’s inspectors into its nuclear sites, which the UN nuclear watchdog claimed had sustained “enormous damage” due to the bombing campaign by Israel and the United States. “During a war, inspections are not possible. But now that hostilities have ceased, and given the sensitivity of this material, I believe it is in everyone’s interest that we resume our activities as soon as possible,” said Grossi. IAEA inspectors stayed in Iran during the war but last inspected the sites a few days before Israeli strikes began on June 13. Tehran Suspends Cooperation With IAEA: One day before Israel began Operation Rising Lion, the IAEA declared Iran in breach of its nuclear nonproliferation obligations and voted to censure the Islamic Republic. Iranian officials criticized the move and accused the IAEA and Grossi of helping Israel justify its operations. On June 26, Iran halted its cooperation with the IAEA following a vote by parliament the day before. Before the vote, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf asserted that the IAEA “has put its international credibility for sale,” warning that Iran will “move at a faster pace with the country’s peaceful nuclear program.”
‘We May Sign Agreement,’ Says Trump: President Donald Trump said that U.S. and Iranian negotiators will meet next week if the ceasefire between Israel and Iran holds. “We may sign an agreement, I don’t know,” he said. Iran has not yet acknowledged that any talks will take place. White House Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff remarked that the United States and Iran are “already talking to each other, not just directly, but also through interlocutors.”
FDD Expert Response
“In the event that it meets with Iranian leaders, the Trump administration should present the regime with a list of demands: allow the IAEA back in, turn over any missing highly enriched uranium, remain in the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, and agree to permanently and verifiably dismantle all remaining enrichment, weaponization, and missile delivery assets.” — Andrea Stricker, Nonproliferation and Biodefense Program Deputy Director and Research Fellow
“As long as the Islamic Republic exists, its intention to pursue nuclear weapons will persist. Its refusal to allow IAEA inspections is part of a long series of actions to conceal its pursuit of a nuclear bomb, justifying recent and future military actions to prevent it from becoming a nuclear power. However, the permanent solution to this issue is putting an end to the regime.” — Saeed Ghasseminejad, Senior Iran and Financial Economics Advisor

U.S. Again Emphasizes Success of Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
FDD. Flash Brief/June 27/2025
Latest Developments
Top General Offers Further Details on U.S. Strikes: Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, laid out new details of the strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities. Caine presented videos demonstrating the power of the GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) in previous testing, 14 of which were dropped by B-2 Spirit stealth bombers on Iranian nuclear sites. Caine, who was joined by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, emphasized that the “weapons were built, tested, and loaded properly,” that “the weapons all guided to their intended targets,” and that “the weapons functioned as designed.”
Caine Says GBU-57 Designed for Fordow: Caine additionally stated that the U.S. Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) had been tracking the construction and specifications of the Fordow facility in Iran as early as 2009. DTRA also worked with industry partners to develop the GBU-57 MOP specifically for the Fordow mission, which primarily targeted the facility’s two ventilation shafts. Caine described how “in the days preceding the attack against Fordow, the Iranians attempted to cover the shafts with concrete to try and prevent an attack,” but this effort did not decrease the bombs’ effectiveness.
CIA, IAEA Chief Agree Major Damage Inflicted A number of independent and government battle damage assessments emerged following the strikes, including a report from the Central Intelligence Agency, which stated that it “can confirm that a body of credible intelligence indicates Iran’s nuclear program has been severely damaged by the recent, targeted strikes” and that “several key Iranian nuclear facilities were destroyed and would have to be rebuilt over the course of years.” Separately, the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Grossi, told French radio that the centrifuges at Fordow were “no longer operational.” Grossi said, “There was no escaping significant physical damage, so we can come to a fairly accurate technical conclusion.”
FDD Expert Response
“While a full battle damage assessment is needed to determine the status of key sites, U.S. and Israeli strikes decimated all nodes of Iran’s ability to make nuclear fuel and weaponize it into nuclear devices. With Iran’s system highly penetrated and in disarray, it may not be possible for the regime to sprint for nuclear weapons using what, if anything, it has left.” — Andrea Stricker, Nonproliferation and Biodefense Program Deputy Director and Research Fellow
“The Air Force, Boeing, and U.S. Central Command deserve a great deal of credit for their persistence and diligence with the weapon, designing the attack plan, and training and exerting the force. Nearly 20 years is a long time from requirement identification to weapon usage, but the final result validates the effort.” — RADM (Ret.) Mark Montgomery, Senior Fellow and Senior Director of FDD’s Center on Cyber and Technology
“The strikes that President Trump ordered and that the U.S. military executed with incredible skill have severely damaged, but not completely destroyed, Iran’s nuclear program. Now, we will see if Trump can translate battlefield success into a sustainable political outcome that serves American interests — namely a durable, complete, and verifiable end to Iran’s nuclear weapons program. If Trump can win at the negotiating table too, history will credit him with one of the greatest U.S. foreign policy and national security accomplishments in years. If he fails to do so, he will join the long list of American presidents from both parties who trumpeted battlefield success that eventually devolved into grand strategic failure.” — Bradley Bowman, Senior Director of FDD’s Center on Military and Political Power
“The strikes on Iran by the United States and Israel have significantly damaged Iran’s capacity to enrich uranium, maintain a stockpile of nuclear material, and perform research and development on a weapon of mass destruction. With the suppression of Iran’s air defenses, the U.S. intelligence community now has clear skies to perform unprecedented surveillance on the facilities struck during these attacks as well as other locations suspected of being involved in the nuclear program. Washington and Jerusalem must be prepared to continually evaluate Tehran’s attempts to reconstitute aspects of the nuclear program damaged during these strikes — and take further kinetic action as needed.” ­— Tyler Stapleton, Director of Congressional Relations at FDD Action

Qatar-Based Group Aligned With Muslim Brotherhood Backs Iran Against Israel
Natalie Ecanow and Mariam Wahba/FDD. Policy Brief/June 27/2025
A network of Islamist clerics is exploiting the conflict in Iran to push its hardline agenda. Scholars aligned with the pro-Muslim Brotherhood, Qatar-based International Union of Muslim Scholars (IUMS) are celebrating Iranian missile attacks on Tel Aviv. On June 23, the IUMS published an article by Turkish scholar and politician Yasin Aktay, who exulted how “the Arab streets received the images of Iranian missiles striking Tel Aviv with overwhelming joy!” Another IUMS member posted on X, “let there be more [Iranian strikes] and bless [those who carry them out].”
These statements align with the IUMS’s institutional views. On June 14, the IUMS condemned what it called the “blatant Zionist aggression against the Islamic Republic of Iran.” The union’s secretary-general, Ali al-Qaradaghi, declared, “It is impossible to remain silent in the face of this injustice.” In addition to calling for financial pressure against Israel, he asserted that resistance should include “encouraging action by young people and human rights activists.” Under al-Qaradaghi’s leadership, the IUMS issued a fatwa in March calling for “armed jihad” against Israel, suggesting that such “action” could entail violence. On June 13, the organization posted about a conference it hosted during which Hamas’s October 7 attack was referred to as “a flood of pride and sacrifice.”
Qatar-Backed International Union of Muslim Scholars Preaches Radicalism
The IUMS is a global network of Islamic scholars that is broadly aligned with the Muslim Brotherhood. Former Qatari Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani sponsored the creation of the IUMS in 2004, and it is reportedly backed by the Qatari royal family. From its founding until 2018, the IUMS was chaired by the late Yusuf al-Qaradawi, an Egyptian-born cleric who guided the Muslim Brotherhood. Qaradawi previously promoted his Islamist teachings as the host of a primetime talk show on Al Jazeera.
In 2004, Qaradawi endorsed Palestinian suicide bombings against Israelis, which he told the BBC were “evidence of God’s justice.” In the same interview, Qaradawi intimated that Israeli civilians, including women, are legitimate targets because some serve in the military. Qaradawi likewise legitimized the kidnapping and murder of American “civilians and soldiers” in Iraq.
The Muslim Brotherhood’s Blueprint
Founded by schoolteacher Hassan al-Banna in 1928 in Egypt, the Muslim Brotherhood began as a grassroots Islamist revivalist movement that gained traction by filling gaps left by the state, particularly among Egypt’s urban poor, through services in health and education. Beneath these civic offerings lay a deeper ambition: the Islamization of society. Al-Banna famously declared, “Islam is the solution.”More than two decades later, numerous members moved in a more radical direction under the influence of Egyptian educator Sayyid Qutb. His writings laid the ideological groundwork for legitimizing violence and extremism as part of the Brotherhood’s approach to achieving its goals. By the mid-20th century, the Brotherhood had expanded across the Arab world, promoting a vision of society in which Islam was the only legitimate foundation for government. In some contexts, it engages in violence and terrorism. In others, it participates in the political process, even competing in elections, though its dedication to democratic government remains suspect.
U.S. Explores Terror Designation for Muslim Brotherhood
A bipartisan effort is emerging in Congress to designate the entire Muslim Brotherhood as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO), though previous attempts made little headway. Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-FL) wrote a letter to President Donald Trump on June 3 urging him to explore designating the Brotherhood as an FTO. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) are likewise spearheading legislation to designate the Brotherhood as an FTO. A different approach would be to identify specific branches of the Brotherhood that merit designation because they either engage in violence or provide support to other terrorist organizations. Hamas, the Brotherhood’s Palestinian branch, has remained on the FTO list since 1997.
**Natalie Ecanow is a senior research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), where Mariam Wahba is a research analyst. For more analysis from Natalie, Mariam, and FDD, please subscribe HERE. Follow Natalie on X @NatalieEcanow. Follow Mariam on X @themariamwahba. Follow FDD on X @FDD. FDD is a Washington, DC-based, nonpartisan research institute focusing on foreign policy and national security.

Iran-Based Psychological Operation Sets Saudi Aramco in Its Crosshairs
Max Lesser and Maria Riofrio/FDD. Policy Brief/June 27/2025
An Iran-based psychological operation that previously tried to demoralize Israelis via social media is now targeting Saudi Arabia’s state-owned oil company, Aramco, by calling for real-world attacks. The orchestrating role of the “Car Online” Telegram channel was first uncovered by the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) when Car Online was organizing a network to pose as Israelis on X to harm Israeli morale, using ChatGPT to translate posts from Persian into Hebrew.
Two days after U.S. strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities, Car Online shifted its focus to encouraging participants to incite Yemenis to strike Aramco with missiles, claiming Saudi money helps fund American bombs.
Posts on X Call for Revenge on Saudis for Alleged Funding of Israel
On June 23, Car Online instructed its roughly 400,000 subscribers to post a series of tweets in Arabic addressing Yemenis directly. It asked users to post a specific hashtag, #أرامكو (#Aramco), referencing the Saudi state-owned oil giant. Car Online provided a model post to its participants that calls for revenge against Saudi Arabia and says that Saudi money funds Israel as well as U.S. bombs. Though the precise text of the network’s posts tends to vary moderately, all participating accounts are consistent in calling for revenge against the United States. One post declared that Aramco is the lifeblood of U.S. colonialism. Another asks “lion-hearted Yemeni men” to target Aramco with missiles. Car Online suggests an attack on Aramco can significantly damage the United States and its allies. Several posts on its Telegram channel claim that the United States and Europe depend heavily on oil imports, characterizing Europe as a strong supporter of Israel.
Network Seems To Be Independent of Tehran Regime
Car Online describes itself as “economic media” and appears to have once posted about financial topics. It began instructing its subscribers to engage in pro-regime psychological operations on June 17.
It is unlikely a state actor runs this channel, as it criticizes Iran’s leadership and expresses frustration with the armed forces. It is unclear why Car Online is still able to operate despite regime restrictions on the internet, though some Iranians have found “pockets of connection” amid the regime-imposed internet blackout.
Yemen’s Iran-Backed Houthi Rebels Hit Saudi Oil Facility in 2019
The decision by Car Online to call specifically on Yemenis to strike Aramco draws on a precedent set in September 2019, when the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen claimed responsibility for a sophisticated drone and missile strike on Aramco facilities — but Iran actually carried out this attack, according to Saudi Arabia, the United States, and other countries. The strike temporarily cut Saudi oil production in half and disrupted 5 percent of global supply. Car Online’s recent campaign apparently seeks to motivate Yemen’s Houthi rebels, who are better armed now than in 2019, to actually strike Aramco.
Social Media Threats Can Do More Than Shape Public Opinion
Car Online’s newly discovered campaign marks a significant shift in this Iranian psychological operation. While it previously aimed for cognitive effects (demoralizing Israelis), it now aims for physical and economic effects.
It is not clear whether Car Online’s operators understand that the Houthis did not actually carry out the 2019 attack on Aramco. Nor is it clear that a social media campaign can affect major decisions of a group that controls half of Yemen and takes its cues from Tehran, which provides it with ballistic missiles and other weapons. Nevertheless, governments should take such threats seriously and conduct deep investigations to identify the actors behind them. Corporations like Aramco that play a critical role in global energy can also invest in social listening tools and threat monitoring services to protect themselves, if they do not do so already. Max Lesser is a senior analyst on emerging threats at the Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation (CCTI) at FDD, where Maria Riofrio is an intern. For more analysis from CCTI and FDD, please subscribe HERE. Follow FDD on X @FDD and @FDD_CCTI. FDD is a Washington, DC-based, nonpartisan research institute focusing on national security and foreign policy.

The Muslim Brotherhood Pledges Support to Iran
Ahmad Sharawi/FDD. Policy Brief/June 27/2025
The Muslim Brotherhood still backs the clerical regime in Tehran. The group’s interim senior official, or acting guardian, Saleh Abdel Haq, sent a letter of support to Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on June 18, pledging “full support for the Islamic Republic of Iran in the face of brutal Israeli aggression.” Brushing aside the sectarian divide between the Sunni Brotherhood and the Shiite regime in Tehran, the letter declared that the Brotherhood and Iran are “one nation — religiously, spiritually, and geopolitically” united by the belief that “the fires of Israeli occupation do not distinguish between our ethnicities or sects.”However, this cross-sectarian solidarity should raise no eyebrows. Iran’s brand of political Islam has drawn heavily from Sunni thinkers affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood like Sayyid Qutb and Abul A’la Maududi.
How the Brotherhood Shaped Iran’s Islamists
In the 1940s, Shiite cleric and Islamist Navvab Safavi built an ideological bridge between the Muslim Brotherhood and Iran’s emerging Islamist movement. A passionate admirer of Sayyid Qutb, Safavi once declared, “Whoever wants to be a true Ja‘fari [i.e., Shiite] must follow the Muslim Brotherhood.” Safavi was the leader of Fada’iyan-e Islam, a Shiite fundamentalist group founded in 1946 that aimed to purify Islam in Iran through targeted assassinations of those it deemed corrupt.
Safavi became the first Shiite figure to propose the concept of an “Islamic government,” drawing heavily on the ideas of Brotherhood founder Hassan al-Banna. His teachings influenced future Supreme Leader Khamenei, who in 1966 translated Qutb’s The Future in the Realm of Islam into Persian. Khamenei later explained that Iran’s “newly emerged Islamic movement … had a pressing need for codified ideological fundamentals.”
Khamenei viewed Qutb’s book as pivotal in articulating Islam as a comprehensive way of life. He saw it as central to Qutb’s mission to define the true religion, not just as faith but as a framework embedded in every aspect of social and political life.
Following the Islamic Revolution in Iran, the Muslim Brotherhood published a book titled The Islamic Alternative, in which it declared, “[Ruhollah] Khomeini’s approach is the Islamic solution to get rid of the treacherous systems.” Maududi, one of the most prominent ideologues associated with the Muslim Brotherhood, praised the Islamic Revolution, saying: “Khomeini’s revolution is an Islamic one. Those responsible for it are an Islamic group — men who were educated within Islamic movements. Therefore, all Muslims, and especially Islamic movements, must support this revolution and cooperate with it in all fields.”
Iran and the Brotherhood’s War on Israel
Tehran’s proxy network — which includes numerous Shiite militias across the region — follows the Islamic Republic’s strategy of projecting power and ideological influence beyond its borders. Yet to build its “ring of fire” around Israel, Tehran also relies on cooperation with Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated Sunni groups. The best known is Hamas, the Palestinian branch of the Brotherhood. Another key part of Iran’s so-called “axis of resistance” is Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), a Gaza-based group founded by former Muslim Brotherhood members Fathi Shaqaqi and Abdul Aziz Awda in the aftermath of Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution. Despite being firmly Sunni, PIJ receives Iranian funding and training and credits the Islamic Revolution as the inspiration for its goal of establishing an Islamic state in place of Israel.
Another example is Lebanon’s Islamic Group, which was a key ally for Hezbollah during its war with Israel in the aftermath of the October 7 atrocities. The group’s armed wing, the Fajr Forces, launched numerous attacks targeting Israeli civilians in northern Israel during the war.
U.S. Exploring Options for Targeting the Brotherhood
The Trump administration is debating whether to designate the entire Brotherhood as a terrorist organization or to target individual branches that either engage in violence or provide direct support to previously designated groups. If Washington seeks to designate individual branches, leading candidates may include Lebanon’s Islamic Group and the Brotherhood’s Jordanian branch, both of which have cooperated with Hezbollah.
**Ahmad Sharawi is a research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD). For more analysis from Ahmad and FDD, please subscribe HERE. Follow Ahmad on X @AhmadA_Sharawi. Follow FDD on X @FDD and @FDD_Iran. FDD is a Washington, DC-based, nonpartisan research institute focusing on national security and foreign policy.

Israeli court rejects Netanyahu’s call to postpone graft trial hearings
AFP/June 27, 2025
JERUSALEM: An Israeli court on Friday rejected Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s request to postpone giving testimony in his corruption trial, after US President Donald Trump said the case should be canceled. Netanyahu’s lawyer on Thursday asked the court to excuse the leader from hearings over the next two weeks, saying he needed to concentrate on “security issues” after Israel’s 12-day war with Iran. The Jerusalem district court said in a judgment published online that “in its current form (his request) does not provide a basis or detailed justification for the cancelation of the hearings.”Trump on Wednesday described the case against Netanyahu as a “witch hunt,” saying the trial “should be CANCELLED, IMMEDIATELY, or a Pardon given to a Great Hero.”Netanyahu has thanked Trump for his support in Israel’s brief war against Iran, which ended with a ceasefire on June 24. Netanyahu has denied any wrongdoing and his supporters have described the long-running trial as politically motivated. In a first case, he and his wife, Sara, are accused of accepting more than $260,000 worth of luxury goods such as cigars, jewelry and champagne from billionaires in exchange for political favors. In two other cases, Netanyahu is accused of attempting to negotiate more favorable coverage from two Israeli media outlets. During his current term since late 2022, Netanyahu’s government has proposed a series of far-reaching judicial reforms that critics say were designed to weaken the courts. Netanyahu has requested multiple postponements in the trial since it began in May 2020, citing the war in Gaza which started in 2023, later fighting in Lebanon and this month the conflict with Iran.

Battling to survive, Hamas faces defiant clans and doubts over Iran
Nidal al-Mughrabi, Jonathan Saul and Alexander Cornwell/Reuters/June 27, 2025
CAIRO/LONDON -Short of commanders, deprived of much of its tunnel network and unsure of support from its ally Iran, Hamas is battling to survive in Gaza in the face of rebellious local clans and relentless Israeli military pressure. Hamas fighters are operating autonomously under orders to hold out as long as possible but the Islamist group is struggling to maintain its grip as Israel openly backs tribes opposing it, three sources close to Hamas said. With a humanitarian crisis in Gaza intensifying international pressure for a ceasefire, Hamas badly needs a pause in the fighting, one of the people said. Not only would a ceasefire offer respite to weary Gazans, who are growing increasingly critical of Hamas, but it would also allow the Islamist group to crush rogue elements, including some clans and looters who have been stealing aid, the person said. To counter the immediate threat, Hamas has sent some of its top fighters to kill one rebellious leader, Yasser Abu Shabab, but so far he has remained beyond their reach in the Rafah area held by Israeli troops, according to two Hamas sources and two other sources familiar with the situation. Reuters spoke to 16 sources including people close to Hamas, Israeli security sources and diplomats who painted a picture of a severely weakened group, retaining some sway and operational capacity in Gaza despite its setbacks, but facing stiff challenges. Hamas is still capable of landing blows: it killed seven Israeli soldiers in an attack in southern Gaza on Tuesday. But three diplomats in the Middle East said intelligence assessments showed it had lost its centralised command and control and was reduced to limited, surprise attacks. An Israeli military official estimated Israel had killed 20,000 or more Hamas fighters and destroyed or rendered unusable hundreds of miles of tunnels under the coastal strip. Much of Gaza has been turned to rubble in 20 months of conflict. One Israeli security source said the average age of Hamas fighters was "getting lower by the day". Israeli security sources say Hamas is recruiting from hundreds of thousands of impoverished, unemployed, displaced young men. Hamas does not disclose how many of its fighters have died. "They're hiding because they are being instantly hit by planes but they appear here and there, organising queues in front of bakeries, protecting aid trucks, or punishing criminals," said Essam, 57 a construction worker in Gaza City. "They're not like before the war, but they exist."Asked for comment for this story, senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri said the group was working for an agreement to end the war with Israel but "surrender is not an option". Hamas remained committed to negotiations and was "ready to release all prisoners at once", he said, referring to Israeli hostages, but it wanted the killing to stop and Israel to withdraw.
'IT DOESN'T LOOK GOOD'
Hamas is a shadow of the group that attacked Israel in 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking another 251 hostage, according to Israeli tallies. Israel's offensive has killed more than 56,000 people, according to Gaza health authorities. The damage inflicted by Israel is unlike anything Hamas has suffered since its creation, with most of its top military commanders in Gaza killed. Founded in 1987, Hamas had gradually established itself as the main rival of the Fatah faction led by President Mahmoud Abbas and finally seized Gaza from his control in 2007. With a U.S.-brokered truce in the Iran-Israel war holding, attention has switched back to the possibility of a Gaza deal that might end the conflict and release the remaining hostages. One of the people close to Hamas told Reuters it would welcome a truce, even for a couple of months, to confront the local clans that are gaining influence. But he said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's terms for ending the war - including Hamas leaders leaving Gaza - would amount to total defeat, and Hamas would never surrender. "We keep the faith, but in reality it doesn't look good," the source said. Yezid Sayigh, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Middle East Center in Beirut, said he believed Hamas was simply trying to survive. That was not just a physical challenge of holding out militarily, he said, but above all a political one. "They face being eliminated on the ground in Gaza if the war doesn't stop, but they also face being erased from any governing formula that ends the war in Gaza (if such a thing can be found)," he wrote in response to Reuters' questions. Palestinian tribes have emerged as part of Israel's strategy to counter Hamas. Netanyahu has said publicly that Israel has been arming clans that oppose Hamas, but has not said which. One of the most prominent challenges has come from Abu Shabab, a Palestinian Bedouin based in the Rafah area, which is under Israeli control. Hamas wants Abu Shabab captured, dead or alive, accusing him of collaboration with Israel and planning attacks on the Islamist group, three Hamas sources told Reuters. Abu Shabab controls eastern Rafah and his group is believed to have freedom of movement in the wider Rafah area. Images on their Facebook page show their armed men organising the entry of aid trucks from the Kerem Shalom crossing. Announcements by his group indicate that it is trying to build an independent administration in the area, though they deny trying to become a governing authority. The group has called on people from Rafah now in other areas of Gaza to return home, promising food and shelter. In response to Reuters' questions, Abu Shabab's group denied getting support from Israel or contacts with the Israeli army, describing itself as a popular force protecting humanitarian aid from looting by escorting aid trucks.
It accused Hamas of violence and muzzling dissent.
A Hamas security official said the Palestinian security services would "strike with an iron fist to uproot the gangs of the collaborator Yasser Abu Shabab", saying they would show no mercy or hesitation and accusing him of being part of "an effort to create chaos and lawlessness".
Not all of Gaza's clans are at odds with Hamas, however. On Thursday, a tribal alliance said its men had protected aid trucks from looters in northern Gaza. Sources close to Hamas said the group had approved of the alliance's involvement.
Israel said Hamas fighters had in fact commandeered the trucks, which both the clans and Hamas denied.
IRAN UNCERTAINTY
Palestinian analyst Akram Attallah said the emergence of Abu Shabab was a result of the weakness of Hamas, though he expected him to fail ultimately because Palestinians broadly reject any hint of collaboration with Israel. Nevertheless, regardless of how small Abu Shabab's group is, the fact Hamas has an enemy from the same culture was dangerous, he said. "It remains a threat until it is dealt with." Israel's bombing campaign against Iran has added to the uncertainties facing Hamas. Tehran's backing for Hamas played a big part in developing its armed wing into a force capable of shooting missiles deep into Israel.
While both Iran and Israel have claimed victory, Netanyahu on Sunday indicated the Israeli campaign against Tehran had further strengthened his hand in Gaza, saying it would "help us expedite our victory and the release of all our hostages". U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that great progress was being made on Gaza, adding that the strike on Iran would help get the hostages released. A Palestinian official close to Hamas said the group was weighing the risk of diminished Iranian backing, anticipating "the impact will be on the shape of funding and the expertise Iran used to give to the resistance and Hamas". One target of Israel's campaign in Iran was a Revolutionary Guards officer who oversaw coordination with Hamas. Israel said Saeed Izadi, whose death it announced on Saturday, was the driving force behind the Iran-Hamas axis. Hamas extended condolences to Iran on Thursday, calling Izadi a friend who was directly responsible for ties with "the leadership of the Palestinian resistance". A source from an Iran-backed group in the region said Izadi helped develop Hamas capabilities, including how to carry out complex attacks, including rocket launches, infiltration operations, and drones. Asked about how the Israeli campaign against Iran might affect its support for Hamas, Abu Zuhri said Iran was a large and powerful country that would not be defeated.

MSF slams Gaza aid scheme as ‘slaughter masquerading’ as aid
AFP/June 27, 2025
GENEVA: Medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) called on Friday for a controversial Israel- and US-backed relief effort in Gaza to be halted, branding it “slaughter masquerading as humanitarian aid.”The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which began operating last month, “is degrading Palestinians by design, forcing them to choose between starvation or risking their lives for minimal supplies,” MSF said in a statement. It said more than 500 people have been killed in the Gaza Strip while seeking food in recent weeks. Starting in March, Israel blocked deliveries of food and other crucial supplies into Gaza for more than two months, leading to warnings of that the entire population of the occupied Palestinian territory is at risk of famine. The United Nations says Israel’s occupation of the West Bank and Gaza is illegal under international law. The densely populated Gaza Strip has been largely flattened by Israeli bombing since the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel by Hamas. Israel began allowing food supplies to trickle in at the end of May, using GHF — backed by armed US contractors, with Israeli troops on the perimeter — to run operations. The latter have been marred by chaotic scenes and near-daily reports of Israeli forces firing on people desperate to get food. There are also concerns about the neutrality of GHF, officially a private group with opaque funding. The UN and major aid groups have refused to work with it, citing concerns it serves Israeli military goals and that it violates basic humanitarian principles. The Gaza health ministry says that since late May, nearly 550 people have been killed near aid centers while seeking scarce food supplies. “With over 500 people killed and nearly 4,000 wounded while seeking food, this scheme is slaughter masquerading as humanitarian aid and must be immediately dismantled,” MSF said. GHF has denied that fatal shootings have occurred in the immediate vicinity of its aid points. On Tuesday, the United Nations condemned what it said was Israel’s “weaponization of food” in Gaza and called it a war crime. MSF said the way GHF distributes food aid supplies “forces thousands of Palestinians, who have been starved by an over 100 day-long Israeli siege, to walk long distances to reach the four distribution sites and fight for scraps of food supplies.” “These sites hinder women, children, the elderly and people with disabilities from accessing aid, and people are killed and wounded in the chaotic process,” it said. Aitor Zabalgogeazkoa, MSF’s emergency coordinator in Gaza, said the four sites were all under the full control of Israeli forces, surrounded by watch points and barbed wire. “If people arrive early and approach the checkpoints, they get shot. If they arrive on time but there is an overflow and they jump over the mounds and the wires, they get shot,” he said in the statement. “If they arrive late, they shouldn’t be there because it is an ‘evacuated zone’ — they get shot.”MSF said that its teams in Gaza were seeing patients every day who had been killed or wounded trying to get food at one of the sites.
It pointed to “a stark increase in the number of patients with gunshot wounds.”MSF urged “the Israeli authorities and their allies to lift the siege on food, fuel, medical and humanitarian supplies and to revert to the pre-existing principled humanitarian system coordinated by the UN.”

Israeli strike kills 18 Palestinians in central Gaza
AP/June 27, 2025
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip: An Israeli strike hit a street in central Gaza on Thursday where witnesses said a crowd of people was getting bags of flour from a Palestinian police unit that had confiscated the goods from gangs looting aid convoys. Hospital officials said 18 people were killed. The strike was the latest violence surrounding the distribution of food to Gaza’s population, which has been thrown into turmoil over the past month. After blocking all food for 2 1/2 months, Israel has allowed only a trickle of supplies into the territory since mid-May. Efforts by the United Nations to distribute the food have been plagued by armed gangs looting trucks and by crowds of desperate people offloading supplies from convoys. The strike in the central town of Deir Al-Balah on Thursday appeared to target members of Sahm, a security unit tasked with stopping looters and cracking down on merchants who sell stolen aid at high prices. The unit is part of Gaza’s Hamas-led Interior Ministry, but includes members of other factions. Witnesses said the Sahm unit was distributing bags of flour and other goods confiscated from looters and corrupt merchants, drawing a crowd when the strike hit.
Video of the aftermath showed bodies, several torn, of multiple young men in the street with blood splattering on the pavement and walls of buildings. The dead included a child and at least seven Sahm members, according to the nearby Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital where casualties were taken. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military. Israel has accused the militant Hamas group of stealing aid and using it to prop up its rule in the enclave. Israeli forces have repeatedly struck Gaza’s police, considering them a branch of Hamas. An association of Gaza’s influential clans and tribes said Wednesday they have started an independent effort to guard aid convoys to prevent looting. The National Gathering of Palestinian Clans and Tribes said it helped escort a rare shipment of flour that entered northern Gaza that evening. It was unclear, however, if the association had coordinated with the UN or Israeli authorities. The World Food Program did not immediately respond to requests for comment by The Associated Press. “We will no longer allow thieves to steal from the convoys for the merchants and force us to buy them for high prices,” Abu Ahmad Al-Gharbawi, a figure involved in the tribal effort, told the AP.
Accusations from Israel
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz in a joint statement Wednesday accused Hamas of stealing aid that is entering northern Gaza, and called on the Israeli military to plan to prevent it. The National Gathering slammed the statement, saying the accusation of theft was aimed at justifying the Israeli military’s “aggressive practices.” It said aid was “fully secured” by the tribe The move by tribes to protect aid convoys brings yet another player in an aid situation that has become fragmented, confused and violent, even as Gaza’s more than 2 million Palestinians struggle to feed their families. Throughout the more than 20-month-old war, the UN led the massive aid operation by humanitarian groups providing food, shelter, medicine and other goods to Palestinians despite the fighting. UN and other aid groups say that when significant amounts of supplies are allowed into Gaza, looting and theft dwindles.
Israel, however, seeks to replace the UN-led system, saying Hamas has been siphoning off large amounts of supplies from it, a claim the UN and other aid groups deny. Israel has backed an American private contractor, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which has started distributing food boxes at four locations, mainly in the far south of Gaza for the past month. Thousands of Palestinians walk for hours to reach the hubs, moving through Israeli military zones where witnesses say Israeli troops regularly open fire with heavy barrages to control the crowds. Health officials say hundreds of people have been killed and wounded. The Israeli military says it has only fired warning shots.
A trickle of aid
Israel has continued to allow a smaller number of aid trucks into Gaza for UN distribution. The World Health Organization said on Thursday it had been able to deliver its first medical shipment into Gaza since March 2, with nine trucks bringing blood, plasma and other supplies to Nasser Hospital, the biggest hospital still functioning in southern Gaza.
In Gaza City, large crowds gathered Thursday at an aid distribution point to receive bags of flour from the convoy that arrived the previous evening, according to photos taken by a cameraman collaborating with the AP. Hiba Khalil, a mother of seven, said she can’t afford looted aid that is sold in markets for astronomical prices and was relieved to get flour for the first time in months. “We’ve waited for months without having flour or eating much and our children would always cry,” she said. Another woman, Umm Alaa Mekdad, said she hoped more convoys would make it through after struggling to deal with looters.
“The gangs used to take our shares and the shares of our children who slept hungry and thirsty,” she said. Separately, Israeli strikes overnight and early Thursday killed at least 28 people across the Gaza Strip, according to the territory’s Health Ministry. More than 20 dead arrived at Gaza City’s Shifa Hospital, while the bodies of eight others were taken to Nasser Hospital in the south.

Israeli military orders war crime probe into Gaza aid shootings, Haaretz reports
Reuters/June 27, 2025
JERUSALEM: Israel’s Military Advocate General has ordered an investigation into possible war crimes over allegations that Israeli forces deliberately fired at Palestinian civilians near Gaza aid distribution sites, Haaretz newspaper reported on Friday. Hundreds of Palestinians have been killed over the past month in the vicinity of areas where food was being handed out, local hospitals and officials have said. Haaretz, a left-leaning Israeli newspaper, quoted unnamed Israeli soldiers as saying they were told to fire at the crowds to keep them back, using unnecessary lethal force against people who appeared to pose no threat. The military told Reuters that the Israel Defense Forces had not instructed soldiers to deliberately shoot at civilians. It added that it was looking to improve “the operational response” in the aid areas and had recently installed new fencing and signs, and opened additional routes to reach the handout zones. Haaretz quoted unnamed sources as saying that the army unit established to review incidents that may involve breaches of international law had been tasked with examining soldiers’ actions near aid locations over the past month. The military told Reuters that some incidents were being reviewed by relevant authorities. It added: “Any allegation of a deviation from the law or IDF directives will be thoroughly examined, and further action will be taken as necessary.”There is an acute shortage of food and other basic supplies after the nearly two-year-old military campaign by Israel against Hamas militants in Gaza that has reduced much of the enclave to rubble and displaced most of its two million inhabitants. Thousands of people gather around distribution centers desperately awaiting the next deliveries, but there have been near daily reports of shootings and killings on the approach routes. Medics said six people were killed by gunfire on Friday as they sought to get food in southern Gaza Strip. In all, more than 500 people have died near aid centers operated by the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) or in areas where UN food trucks were set to pass since late May, the Gaza health authorities have said. The unnamed Israeli soldiers told Haaretz that military commanders had ordered troops to shoot at the crowds of Palestinians to disperse them and clear the area. During a closed-door meeting with senior Military Advocate General officials this week, legal representatives rejected IDF claims that the incidents were isolated cases, Haaretz reported. There has been widespread confusion about access to the aid, with the army imposing for a time a 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew on approach routes to GHF sites. But locals often have to set out well before dawn to have any chance of retrieving food. The Gaza war began when Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, killing nearly 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 251 others hostage into the enclave. In response, Israel launched a military campaign that has killed more than 56,000 Palestinians, the majority of them civilians, according to local health authorities in Gaza. The Gaza health ministry said on Friday that at least 72 people were killed and more than 170 wounded by Israeli fire across Gaza Strip in the past 24 hours.

UN chief calls for political courage to secure Gaza ceasefire as humanitarian crisis reaches ‘horrific proportions’
Ephrem Kossaify/Arab News/June 27, 2025
NEW YORK CITY: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. Warning that the humanitarian crisis Israel created in the territory had reached “horrific proportions,” he demanded full, safe and sustained access for deliveries of aid. Speaking ahead of his departure to attend the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development, co-hosted by the UN and Spain in Seville from June 30-July 3, Guterres said the situation in Gaza has now grown more dire than at any previous point in the long-running conflict. “Bombs are falling — on tents, on families, on those with nowhere left to run,” he added. “People are being killed simply trying to feed themselves and their families. The search for food must never be a death sentence.”He said the Israeli military operations launched in response to the Hamas attacks of Oct. 7, 2023, attacks he “unequivocally condemned,” have displaced families repeatedly, confining the population of Gaza to less than one-fifth of its total area. Even these shrinking safe zones remain under threat, he noted. Guterres acknowledged the recent ceasefire agreement between Israel and Iran as a sign of hope but insisted that political courage is now needed to secure a similar ceasefire in Gaza. Referencing the limited amount of humanitarian aid that has been allowed to enter the enclave, he said: “What’s needed now is a surge; the trickle must become an ocean.”A small shipment of medical supplies from the UN crossed the border into Gaza this week. However, it was the first in months and Guterres stressed it was far from sufficient. “Doctors are forced to choose who gets the last vial of medicine, or the last ventilator,” he said. “Aid workers themselves are starving. This cannot be normalized.”Israel, as the occupying power, is obligated under the rules of international law to allow and facilitate humanitarian assistance, he added. Guterres also dismissed alternative delivery plans for aid as “dangerous schemes,” arguing that the UN already has a detailed, functional plan built on neutrality, impartiality and the trust of affected communities and donors. “It worked during the last ceasefire, it must be allowed to work again,” he said.In a direct appeal to governments and other international actors, Guterres urged those in positions of power to fulfill their legal responsibilities, and those with influence that could help to use it.
He called on all UN member states to uphold the UN Charter, which was reaffirmed only a day earlier during the organization’s 80th anniversary commemorations. “The solution to this problem is ultimately political,” he said. “The only sustainable path to re-establishing hope is by paving the way to the two-state solution. Diplomacy and human dignity for all must prevail.”

UN commission says Syria must end violence against Alawites and protect places of worship
AP/June 27, 2025
BEIRUT: The head of a UN investigative commission on Friday called commitments made by the new authorities in Syria to protect the rights of minorities “encouraging” but said attacks have continued on members of the Alawite sect in the months since a major outbreak of sectarian violence on Syria’s coast.
Paulo Pinheiro, the head of the UN Commission of Inquiry on Syria, told a meeting of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva that the current Syrian government — led by Islamist former insurgents who ousted former Syrian President Bashar Assad — had given his team “unfettered access” to the coast and to witnesses of the violence and victims’ families. “Disturbingly, reports continue to circulate of ongoing killings and arbitrary arrests of members of the Alawite community, as well as the confiscation of the property of those who fled the March violence,” he said. Pinheiro’s commission also “documented abductions by unknown individuals of at least six Alawite women this spring in several Syrian governorates,” two of whom remain missing, and has received “credible reports of more abductions,” he said. Pinheiro also called on authorities to put in place more protections for places of worship after Sunday’s suicide bombing attack on a church outside of Damascus. The attack, which killed at least 25 people and wounded dozens more, was the first of its kind to take place in the Syrian capital in years. The Syrian government has said that the perpetrators belonged to a cell of the Daesh group and that they thwarted a subsequent attempt to target a Shiite shrine in the Sayyida Zeinab suburb in Damascus. “Attacks on places of worship are outrageous and unacceptable,” Pinheiro said. “The authorities must ensure the protection of places of worship and threatened communities and ensure that perpetrators and enablers are held accountable.”Assad was deposed in a lightning rebel offensive in December, bringing an end to a nearly 14-year civil war. In March, hundreds of civilians, most of them from the Alawite minority to which Assad belongs, were killed in revenge attacks after clashes broke out between pro-Assad armed groups and the new government security forces on the Syrian coast. Pinheiro said his commission had documented scattered “revenge attacks” that happened before that, including killings in several villages in Hama and Homs provinces in late January in which men who had handed over their weapons under a “settlement” process set up for former soldiers and members of security forces under Assad, believing that they would be granted an amnesty in exchange for disarmament, were then “ill-treated and executed.”He praised the interim government’s formation of a body tasked with investigating the attacks on the coast and said government officials had told his team that “dozens of alleged perpetrators” were arrested. Pinheiro said the government needs to carry out a “reform and vetting program” as it integrates a patchwork of former rebel factions into a new army and security services and enact “concrete policies to put an end to Syria’s entrenched cycles of violence and revenge, in a context where heightened tensions and sectarian divisions have been reignited.”

She’s not coming back’: Alawite women snatched from streets of Syria
Reuters/June 27, 2025
DAMASCUS: “Don’t wait for her,” the WhatsApp caller told the family of Abeer Suleiman on May 21, hours after she vanished from the streets of the Syrian town of Safita. “She’s not coming back.”Suleiman’s kidnapper and another man who identified himself as an intermediary said in subsequent calls and messages that the 29-year-old woman would be killed or trafficked into slavery unless her relatives paid them a ransom of $15,000. “I am not in Syria,” Suleiman herself told her family in a call on May 29 from the same phone number used by her captor, which had an Iraqi country code. “All the accents around me are strange.”Reuters reviewed the call, which the family recorded, along with about a dozen calls and messages sent by the abductor and intermediary, who had a Syrian phone number. Suleiman is among at least 33 women and girls from Syria’s Alawite sect — aged between 16 and 39 — who have been abducted or gone missing this year in the turmoil following the fall of Bashar Assad, according to the families of all them. The overthrow of the widely feared president in December after 14 years of civil war unleashed a furious backlash against the Muslim minority community to which he belongs, with armed factions affiliated to the current government turning on Alawite civilians in their coastal heartlands in March, killing hundreds of people. Since March, social media has seen a steady stream of messages and video clips posted by families of missing Alawite women appealing for information about them, with new cases cropping up almost daily, according to a Reuters review which found no online accounts of women from other sects vanishing. The UN Commission of Inquiry on Syria told Reuters it is investigating the disappearances and alleged abductions of Alawite women following a spike in reports this year.
The commission, set up in 2011 to probe rights violations after the civil war broke out, will report to the UN Human Rights Council once the investigations are concluded, a spokesperson said. Suleiman’s family borrowed from friends and neighbors to scrape together her $15,000 ransom, which they transferred to three money-transfer accounts in the Turkish city of Izmir on May 27 and 28 in 30 transfers ranging from $300 to $700, a close relative told Reuters, sharing the transaction receipts. Once all money was delivered as instructed, the abductor and intermediary ceased all contact, with their phones turned off, the relative said. Suleiman’s family still have no idea what’s become of her. Detailed interviews with the families of 16 of the missing women and girls found that seven of them are believed to have been kidnapped, with their relatives receiving demands for ransoms ranging from $1,500 to $100,000.
Three of the abductees — including Suleiman — sent their families text or voice messages saying they’d been taken out of the country. There has been no word on the fate of the other nine. Eight of the 16 missing Alawites are under the age of 18, their families said. Reuters reviewed about 20 text messages, calls and videos from the abductees and their alleged captors, as well as receipts of some ransom transfers, though it was unable to verify all parts of the families’ accounts or determine who might have targeted the women or their motives. All 33 women disappeared in the governorates of Tartous, Latakia and Hama, which have large Alawite populations. Nearly half have since returned home, though all of the women and their families declined to comment about the circumstances, with most citing security fears. Most of the families interviewed by Reuters said they felt police didn’t take their cases seriously when they reported their loved ones missing or abducted, and that authorities failed to investigate thoroughly. The Syrian government didn’t respond to a request for comment for this article. Ahmed Mohammed Khair, a media officer for the governor of Tartous, dismissed any suggestion that Alawites were being targeted and said most cases of missing women were down to family disputes or personal reasons rather than abductions, without presenting evidence to support this. “Women are either forced into marrying someone they won’t want to marry so they run away or sometimes they want to draw attention by disappearing,” he added and warned that “unverified allegations” could create panic and discord and destabilize security. A media officer for Latakia governorate echoed Khair’s comments, saying that in many cases, women elope with their lovers and families fabricate abduction stories to avoid the social stigma. The media officer of Hama governorate declined to comment. A member of a fact-finding committee set up by new Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa to investigate the mass killings of Alawites in coastal areas in March, declined to comment on the cases of missing women. Al-Sharaa denounced the sectarian bloodshed as a threat to his mission to unite the ravaged nation and has promised to punish those responsible, including those affiliated to the government if necessary.
Grabbed on her way to school
Syrian rights advocate Yamen Hussein, who has been tracking the disappearances of women this year, said most had taken place in the wake of the March violence. As far as he knew, only Alawites had been targeted and the perpetrators’ identities and motives remain unknown, he said. He described a widespread feeling of fear among Alawites, who adhere to an offshoot of Shiite Islam and account for about a tenth of Syria’s predominantly Sunni population. Some women and girls in Tartous, Latakia and Hama are staying away from school or college because they fear being targeted, Hussein said.
“For sure, we have a real issue here where Alawite women are being targeted with abductions,” he added. “Targeting women of the defeated party is a humiliation tactic that was used in the past by the Assad regime.”Thousands of Alawites have been forced from their homes in Damascus, while many have been dismissed from their jobs and faced harassment at checkpoints from Sunni fighters affiliated to the government. The interviews with families of missing women showed that most of them vanished in broad daylight, while running errands or traveling on public transport.
Zeinab Ghadir is among the youngest. The 17-year-old was abducted on her way to school in the Latakia town of Al-Hanadi on February 27, according to a family member who said her suspected kidnapper contacted them by text message to warn them not to post images of the girl online.
“I don’t want to see a single picture or, I swear to God, I will send you her blood,” the man said in a text message sent from the girl’s phone on the same day she disappeared. The teenage girl made a brief phone call home, saying she didn’t know where she had been taken and that she had stomach pain, before the line cut out, her relative said. The family has no idea what has happened to her. Khozama Nayef was snatched on March 18 in rural Hama by a group of five men who drugged her to knock her out for a few hours while they spirited her away, a close relative told Reuters, citing the mother-of-five’s own testimony when she was returned. The 35-year-old spent 15 days in captivity while her abductors negotiated with the family who eventually paid $1,500 dollars to secure her release, according to the family member who said when she returned home she had a mental breakdown. Days after Nayef was taken, 29-year-old Doaa Abbas was seized on her doorstep by a group of attackers who dragged her into a car waiting outside and sped off, according to a family member who witnessed the abduction in the Hama town of Salhab.
The relative, who didn’t see how many men took Abbas or whether they were armed, said he tried to follow on his motorbike but lost sight of the car. Three Alawites reported missing by their families on social media this year, who are not included in the 33 cases identified by Reuters, have since resurfaced and publicly denied they were abducted. One of them, a 16-year-old girl from Latakia, released a video online saying she ran away of her own accord to marry a Sunni man. Her family contradicted her story though, telling Reuters that she had been abducted and forced to marry the man, and that security authorities had ordered her to say she had gone willingly to protect her kidnappers. Reuters was unable to verify either account. A Syrian government spokesperson and Latakian authorities didn’t respond to queries about it. The two other Alawites who resurfaced, a 23-year-old woman and a girl of 12, told Arabic TV channels that they had traveled of their own volition to the cities of Aleppo and Damascus, respectively, though the former said she ended up being beaten up by a man in an apartment before escaping.
Dark memories of Daesh.
Syria’s Alawites dominated the country’s political and military elite for decades under the Assad dynasty. Bashar Assad’s sudden exit in December saw the ascendancy of a new government led by HTS, a Sunni group that emerged from an organization once affiliated to Al-Qaeda. The new government is striving to integrate dozens of former rebel factions, including some foreign fighters, into its security forces to fill a vacuum left after the collapse of Assad’s defense apparatus. Several of the families of misrsing women said they and many others in their community dreaded a nightmare scenario where Alawites suffered similar fates to those inflicted on the Yazidi religious minority by Daesh about a decade ago.Daesh forced thousands of Yazidi women into sexual slavery during a reign of terror that saw its commanders claim a caliphate encompassing large parts of Iraq and Syria, according to the UN. A host of dire scenarios are torturing the minds of the family of Nagham Shadi, an Alawite woman who vanished this month, her father told Reuters. The 23-year-old left their house in the village of al Bayadiyah in Hama on June 2 to buy milk and never came back, Shadi Aisha said, describing an agonizing wait for any word about the fate of his daughter. Aisha said his family had been forced from their previous home in a nearby village on March 7 during the anti-Alawite violence.
“What do we do? We leave it to God.”

The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources on June 27-28/2025
The Globalist War on the Planet: Humanity, Nature, Wildlife
'Climate Change': Grift of the Century, Part IV
 Robert Williams/Gatestone Institute/June 27, 2025
The system that many global elites and governments are planning for us is the totalitarian Communist system of China: The government and the globalist elites -- while they continue flying on their private jets between their various mansions -- will decide your means of transport, how much energy you are allowed to consume to heat your home, drive your car, and even how much you will be allowed to eat and drink -- not to mention going on holiday or other "leisure." Oh, and you will not be allowed to complain about it, because that would be "hate speech."
The system that many global elites and governments are planning for us is the totalitarian Communist system of China: The government and the globalist elites -- while they continue flying on their private jets between their various mansions -- will decide your means of transport, how much energy you are allowed to consume to heat your home, drive your car, and even how much you will be allowed to eat and drink -- not to mention going on holiday or other "leisure." Oh, and you will not be allowed to complain about it, because that would be "hate speech."
In 2013, Sir David Attenborough, the renowned nature expert and one of the greatest filmmakers ever, famously declared humanity a pestilence.
"We are a plague on the Earth," he postulated. "It's coming home to roost over the next 50 years or so." His recommendation was that the world needed a smaller population. "It's not just climate change; it's sheer space, places to grow food for this enormous horde [of people]."
The idea that humanity itself is the problem has only been reinforced by a mainstream media that can tend to overheat (such as here and here).
Humanity requires the growing of food and livestock; it needs energy to make necessary consumer goods and cars, and to heat homes, which must be built in the first place. The World Economic Forum (WEF), however, would prefer you to "own nothing and be happy." Whatever you need, it added reassuringly, can be delivered by drone.
"We need to eat less meat," said Jane Goodall, famous anthropologist and UN "messenger of peace," in an interview with climate high priest Al Gore at a WEF meeting in 2020. "We need to stop land being used for cattle and for growing grain for the billions of animals that we keep in our intensive farms." She stressed that if only the world was less populous and instead had the population of 500 years ago, none of that would have been a problem.
As humanity does not seem to have plans to disappear voluntarily, the unelected UN, its Agenda 21, and agencies such as the WEF and other global "elites," have apparently decided that, by 2030, life should be dismal and dystopian. After depriving you of the right to ownership, they will tell you what to eat. Meat will become "an occasional treat, not a staple, for the good of the environment and our health." In addition, as a result of "climate change," the West will have to accept taking in up to a billion migrants. There will be "a global price on carbon" to "help make fossil fuels history."
"Welcome to 2030. I own nothing, have no privacy and life has never been better," wrote WEF "Young Global Leader" Ida Auken, a Danish member of parliament, for the WEF website in 2016.
Worry not: Your compliance with the net-zero agenda will be monitored by the global elites, who will record your every move to ensure that you do not overspend on carbon. Everyone will have a "carbon allowance." The plan is called "My Carbon," and is billed as an "approach for inclusive and sustainable cities." As an example of how people were successfully made to accept totalitarian measures down to the minutest detail by the world's elites, the paper references Covid-19, which the WEF says "was the test of social responsibility."
"A huge number of unimaginable restrictions for public health were adopted by billions of citizens across the world. There were numerous examples globally of maintaining social distancing, wearing masks, mass vaccinations and acceptance of contact-tracing applications for public health, which demonstrated the core of individual social responsibility....
"There have been major advances in smart home technologies, transport choices with carbon implications, the roll-out of smart meters in providing individual choices to reduce their energy-related emissions, the development of new personalized apps to account for personal emissions, and better personal choices for food and consumption-related emissions."
The plan is already in full swing and has even been tested locally. The UK recently completed a trial, co-sponsored by Coca-Cola -- the world's largest plastic polluter, which increased its carbon footprint in 2023 to a staggering 5.62 million metric tons -- of a personal "carbon credit system" with a daily allowance of maximum 20kg of carbon emissions per person.
"During this trial we selected 8 specific lifestyle segments; commuting, personal daily travel, electricity, gas, and food and drink consumption, holidays and emissions from leisure and lifestyle activities," the authors of the report wrote, noting that the people participating in the trial showed enthusiasm at first, but then found it overwhelming to keep track of how much (or rather: how little) they were allowed to eat. One of the participants stated:
"I'm not yet at a point where I am changing my shopping choices even though I realise that some of my purchases are a bit naughty... my baby likes blueberries so I'll get them as opposed to finding something seasonal from this country and risk his rejection."
How extremely immoral to feed your baby blueberries!
In Sweden, of all places, public radio recently dared to expose a few of the lies that the UN has been peddling in the name of climate change. UN General Secretary António Guterres, for instance, claimed last August, that a house in Samoa, where he was filming himself, had been abandoned due to a dramatic rise in sea levels caused by climate change. The journalist from Swedish public radio, however, found that the home had been abandoned after the 2009 earthquake and tsunami, both of which had nothing to do with climate change.
The system that many global elites and governments are planning for us is the totalitarian Communist system of China: The government and the globalist elites -- while they continue flying on their private jets between their various mansions -- will decide your means of transport, how much energy you are allowed to consume to heat your home, drive your car, and even how much you will be allowed to eat and drink -- not to mention going on holiday or other "leisure." Oh, and you will not be allowed to complain about it, because that would be "hate speech."
People may even lose their homes because of climate change, especially in the European Union, where rules demand that houses are optimized to reduce the use of energy and attain net-zero carbon emissions by 2035. Whoever does not have the money to renovate their homes to meet this target will have no choice but to sell it. Energy prices are already skyrocketing in countries such as Germany, which has sworn allegiance to renewable energy, vowed to forsake fossil fuels and closed down all nuclear plants.
While the global elites claim to do all this because they "care about the planet", in fact, they do not seem to care one iota about nature and its own intrinsic beauty: they are in full swing destroying it. They build thousands of wind turbines, so-called wind farms, to generate renewable energy. Those not only tarnish natural areas beyond recognition, but it is estimated that millions of birds a year are killed in collisions with wind turbines. Migratory bats, due to wind farms, may even be facing extinction. Upward of a million bats are killed colliding with wind turbines every year in the US alone.
The horrific irony that shows how "renewable energy" is about making huge profits for the so-called "green industries" rather than the environment? Bats are a crucial part of the world's ecosystem: "Not only do the aerial mammals consume hordes of pest insects—they're also instrumental in pollinating flowers and dispersing seeds to regenerate rainforests."
In addition, wind farms threaten insect populations. Author and journalist Michael Shellenberger wrote in 2019:
"Dr. Franz Trieb of the Institute of Engineering Thermodynamics concludes that a 'rough but conservative estimate of the impact of wind farms on flying insects in Germany' is a 'loss of about 1.2 trillion insects of different species per year' which 'could be relevant for population stability.'"
Shellenberger also notes that there is no accountability for these extinction level effects on the bird, bats and insect populations, as everything is allowed in the name of "climate change." Finally, offshore wind turbines also kill whales, sea turtles and dolphins with the extreme sounds from the machinery completely disrupting their migration patterns. This nightmare for the world's wildlife does not bother the elites in the least.
Meanwhile, while you cannot have meat or a car, you will not find elites downscaling or prohibiting the use of artificial intelligence (AI) for the "sake of the climate", although AI requires enormous amounts of electricity to develop, train and use. In fact, training a single AI model "can emit more than 626,000 pounds of carbon dioxide equivalent — nearly five times the lifetime emissions of the average American car (and that includes manufacture of the car itself)", according to one study. In fact, the elites want AI to run the "smart cities" that are meant to specifically mitigate "climate change." Confused? Of course. None of it makes any sense.
**Robert Williams is based in the United States.
© 2025 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.

The GCC’s unified tourist visa could reshape travel for Pakistanis
Sara Danial/Arab News/June 27, 2025
After years of speculation and deliberation, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) has finally green-lit a unified tourist visa, a long-awaited move that promises to reshape travel and mobility across the region. While this step is undoubtedly a major win for regional tourism, its impact on the Pakistani diaspora, one of the largest expatriate communities across the Gulf, is particularly noteworthy. For decades, Pakistani workers, students and families have navigated complex, often frustrating visa procedures for each individual Gulf state. From applying for separate visas for travel between Dubai and Doha to struggling with student documentation or missing out on major events like concerts or expos due to last-minute rejections, the process has been anything but seamless. The unified tourist visa offers a glimmer of relief. Though designed primarily for tourists, the ripple effect is far more expansive, opening doors for short-term mobility, job exploration, educational opportunities, and cross-border family reunions. Consider this: In the first three months of 2025 alone, over 151,000 Pakistani workers relocated to GCC countries. These include both skilled professionals and unskilled laborers seeking better livelihoods and the chance to support families back home. For them, even temporary mobility between GCC countries can mean access to new job markets, interviews, trade expos, and skill training opportunities that would otherwise be financially and bureaucratically out of reach.
The emotional weight of these restrictions is not to be underestimated either. Countless Pakistanis living in the Gulf find themselves separated from family members in neighboring countries, unable to attend weddings, funerals, or even share a meal during Eid simply because of visa delays or denials. The recent Coldplay concert in Dubai, which saw several Pakistani fans turned away due to visa rejections despite holding confirmed tickets, was just one high-profile example of how cultural experiences, too, become inaccessible behind red tape. The new visa could allow families to plan trips, attend events, and spend quality time across borders without enduring the anxiety of visa roulette.
For the Pakistani diaspora, often the invisible workforce behind Gulf megacities, it is a small but symbolic shift toward acknowledgment and inclusion. Moreover, for students and young professionals, this visa could open up cross-GCC educational fairs, internships, workshops, and academic conferences, giving them the kind of exposure and access their peers in more mobile regions have long enjoyed. In a time when digital economies, innovation hubs, and collaborative education are reshaping the Gulf’s landscape, this ease of movement is not just a convenience, it’s an enabler of progress. For Pakistan, the benefits go beyond personal mobility. The remittances sent back by Pakistani workers in the Gulf form the backbone of the country’s fragile economy. According to the State Bank of Pakistan, remittances from GCC states alone make up a substantial portion of the country’s foreign exchange reserves. Any move that facilitates smoother onboarding, better job access, and regional mobility for workers can directly impact the volume and sustainability of this economic lifeline.
But there’s more. This unified visa also has the potential to boost tourism from Pakistan to lesser-visited Gulf destinations. While Dubai and Doha have long attracted visitors, countries like Oman, Bahrain, and Kuwait may now see an uptick in Pakistani tourists and short-term business travelers who previously didn’t find it worth the hassle or cost of applying for multiple visas. This not only enhances people-to-people ties but also presents an opportunity for regional cultural exchange. That said, it’s essential to acknowledge that the unified visa is, for now, a tourist visa, not a work or study permit. Skeptics may argue that its benefits for Pakistani workers or students are limited. But in practice, this visa provides the first layer of accessibility. It simplifies initial visits, lets prospective workers explore job markets, attend interviews, and build networks before securing long-term permits. Similarly, students can scout campuses, attend short courses or conferences, and explore their options with far less friction. It’s the bridge before the commitment. This step toward integration also signals something larger: a region increasingly recognizing the need for cooperation, not just in policy or economy, but in the lived experiences of the millions who call the Gulf home, even temporarily. For the Pakistani diaspora, often the invisible workforce behind Gulf megacities, it is a small but symbolic shift toward acknowledgment and inclusion. Ultimately, for this policy shift to achieve its full potential, it must be coupled with clarity, accessibility, and perhaps, in time, expansion into work and study categories. But as a first step, it’s an important one. It shows that the Gulf is ready to open up in ways that matter not just to tourists in luxury resorts but to workers, students, and families in shared apartments. The GCC unified visa may be stamped as a tourist pass, but for millions of Pakistanis, it carries the promise of connection, convenience, and economic opportunity. At a time when the world feels increasingly divided, that’s a border worth crossing.
—Sara Danial is an independent writer from Karachi.

Question: “Why are so many evangelical Christian leaders caught in scandals?”
GotQuestions.org/June 27/2025
Answer: First, it is important to point out that “so many” is not an accurate characterization. It may seem like many evangelical Christian leaders are caught in scandals, but this is due to the vast amount of attention such scandals are given. There are thousands of evangelical Christian leaders, pastors, professors, missionaries, writers, and evangelists who have never participated in anything “scandalous.” The vast majority of evangelical Christian leaders are men and women who love God, are faithful to their spouses and families, and handle their activities with the utmost honesty and integrity. The failures of a few should not be used to attack the character of all.
With that said, there is still the problem that scandals do sometimes occur among those claiming to be evangelical Christians. Prominent Christian leaders have been exposed for committing adultery or participating in prostitution. Some evangelical Christians have been convicted of tax fraud and other financial illegalities. Why does this occur? There are at least three primary explanations: 1) Some of those claiming to be evangelical Christians are unbelieving charlatans, 2) some evangelical Christian leaders allow their position to result in pride, and 3) Satan and his demons more aggressively attack and tempt those in Christian leadership because they know that a scandal involving a leader can have devastating results, on both Christians and non-Christians.
1) Some “evangelical Christians” who are caught in scandals are unredeemed charlatans and false prophets. Jesus warned, “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves … Therefore by their fruits you will know them” (Matthew 7:15-20). False prophets pretend to be godly men and women and appear to be solid evangelical leaders. However, their “fruit” (scandals) eventually reveals them to be the opposite of what they claimed to be. In this, they follow the example of Satan, “And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve” (2 Corinthians 11:14-15).
2) The Bible makes it clear that “pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall” (Proverbs 16:18). James 4:6 reminds us that “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” The Bible repeatedly warns against pride. Many Christian leaders begin a ministry in a spirit of humility and reliance upon God, but as the ministry grows and thrives, they are tempted to take some of this glory for themselves. Some evangelical Christian leaders, while paying lip-service to God, actually attempt to manage and build the ministry in their own strength and wisdom. This type of pride leads to a fall. God, through the prophet Hosea, warned, “When I fed them, they were satisfied; when they were satisfied, they became proud; then they forgot me” (Hosea 13:6).
3) Satan knows that by instigating a scandal with an evangelical Christian leader, he can have a powerful impact. Just as King David’s adultery with Bathsheba and arranged murder of Uriah caused great damage to David’s family and the entire nation of Israel, so has many a church or ministry been damaged or destroyed by the moral failure of its leader. Many Christians have had their faith weakened as a result of seeing a leader fall. Non-Christians use the failure of “Christian” leaders as a reason to reject Christianity. Satan and his demons know this, and therefore direct more of their attacks against those in leadership roles. The Bible warns us all, “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8).
How are we to respond when an evangelical Christian leader is accused of or caught in a scandal?
• Do not listen to or accept baseless and unfounded accusations (Proverbs 18:8, 17; 1 Timothy 5:19).
• Take appropriate biblical measures to rebuke those who sin (Matthew 18:15-17; 1 Timothy 5:20). If the sin is proven and severe, permanent removal from ministry leadership should be enforced (1 Timothy 3:1-13).
• Forgive those who sin (Ephesians 4:32; Colossians 3:13), and when repentance is proven, restore them to fellowship (Galatians 6:1; 1 Peter 4:8) but not to leadership.
• Be faithful in praying for our leaders. Knowing the problems they deal with, the temptations they suffer, and the stress they must endure, we should be praying for our leaders, asking God to strengthen them, protect them, and encourage them.
• Most importantly, take the failure of an evangelical Christian leader as a reminder to put your ultimate faith in God and God alone. God never fails, never sins, and never lies. “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of His glory” (Isaiah 6:3).
For Further Study
Church Discipline: How the Church Protects the Name of Jesus by Jonathan Leeman
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Back to the Table? Recommendations for Negotiations with Iran
by Dennis Ross, Richard Nephew, Farzin Nadimi, Patrick Clawson, Michael Singh, Grant Rumley, Anna Borshchevskaya/The Washington Institute/Jun 27/2025
A compilation of views on the next round of prospective talks with Iran, sanctions relief options, military and technical considerations, the international role, and more.
Now that an Iran-Israel ceasefire is in place, various players are setting the stage for what comes next, with U.S. officials mentioning the possible resumption of nuclear talks in a matter of days, Iranian leaders focused on publicly declaring victory, and observers worldwide debating the military and technical results of the fighting. What did the United States and Israel accomplish in terms of setting back Tehran’s nuclear and missile programs, and what should officials prioritize in the next round of diplomacy to secure and expand on these achievements?
U.S. Objectives
Dennis Ross
Good statecraft always depends on marrying objectives and means. While done all too rarely, smart statecraft is also guided by a sense of timing and knowing how to seize the moment. There is surely an opportunity to be seized now in a Middle East where the balance of power has been transformed; where the Iranian proxy network that controlled some states, paralyzed others, and coerced many of America’s friends has been decimated; and where Iran itself has been dramatically weakened and wants a respite and sanctions relief. For all of Tehran’s threats about what would happen if the United States attacked, the regime’s actual response to the U.S. strike was telegraphed, symbolic, and designed to avoid escalating to war with the United States. Much like after the 2020 killing of Iranian general Qassem Soleimani, the bluster was followed by a military response that was limited and designed to be a one-off.
At minimum, the United States should take advantage of the profound damage to Iran’s nuclear and missile infrastructure by pushing for a diplomatic agreement on the future of both. President Trump’s conclusion that the nuclear program has been set back decades could prove to be right, but that forecast currently depends on unilateral Iranian decisions. Yes, it would be extremely risky for Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and his regime to try reconstituting the nuclear and missile programs. Yet rather than simply hoping Tehran will heed that risk on its own, Washington would be far better off working toward agreements with intrusive monitoring and clear understandings about the consequences of violations.
President Trump has the leverage to achieve such agreements, provided he stays focused on the issue and does not leave the future of these programs up to Tehran or others. In pressing forward with diplomacy, his team’s objective should be for Iran to give up the option of developing a nuclear weapon forever—tangibly, not just rhetorically. A related objective is to limit the numbers and kinds of ballistic missiles Iran can develop. Moreover, Washington must ensure that its allies show a united front in support of these objectives—potentially including the “snapback” of UN sanctions if Tehran is not responsive.
In short, the more Iran is isolated politically, the greater the chances of success in reaching nuclear and missile agreements. Such leverage can be both positive and negative, involving inducements and pressure alike. As Iranian leaders ponder what is next, now is not the time to let them believe that the international community will simply accept the ceasefire on its own and do nothing more to limit their nuclear and missile capabilities.
Negotiating Nuclear Restrictions
Richard Nephew
Iran’s nuclear program has been dealt a heavy blow since June 13, yet estimates vary as to the overall effect that military strikes had on the regime’s ability to rebuild the program and stage a breakout. Hence, a key objective of initial talks should be to insist that any attempt at reconstituting the program would constitute a breach of the ceasefire. This includes any efforts to salvage components or materials outside the eyes of foreign inspectors.
In the longer term, negotiators should focus on provisions that prevent Iran from reconstituting those parts of the program that could enable weapons production (e.g., by prohibiting uranium enrichment and research on spent fuel reprocessing). Tehran should also be required to provide the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) with perpetual access to the program and reaffirm its commitment to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty. Disposition of its remaining stocks of 60 percent and 20 percent enriched uranium is essential as well, along with declaration and disposition of any centrifuge components and any items that could support a weaponization effort. (For more on these technical issues, see the Washington Institute’s Iran Nuclear Glossary.)
Iranian officials will no doubt object to these measures, pointing to President Trump’s own statements that the nuclear program is completely smashed as proof that it no longer constitutes a threat. In particular, Tehran will refuse to cede its right to enrichment; rather, it will argue that rebuilding its nuclear facilities will take years, so the international community should use that time to pursue confidence-building steps that gradually erase the current objections to an Iranian enrichment program. The United States must therefore identify ways to navigate through this negotiating stratagem, perhaps focusing on civil nuclear cooperation and the construction of new reactors as a benchmark for any future consideration of fuel production. Additional provisions could stipulate that the initial batch of reactors built under this arrangement must receive their fuel from abroad, essentially shelving the thorny issue of domestic Iranian enrichment rights for years or even decades.
The Missile and Drone Angle
Farzin Nadimi
Israel’s air campaign heavily damaged Iran’s missile infrastructure, destroying many launchers and key production sites such as solid- and liquid-fuel plants, engine facilities, and factories that produce transporter erector launchers (TELs). Still, some hardened, dispersed assets and stockpiles survived.
From a personnel standpoint, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) missile force lost much of its top command early in the war but was able to continue firing at Israel, though mass salvos gave way to smaller barrages as attrition to Israeli airstrikes set in. Most of these strikes were intercepted by Israel’s multilayered defenses, but enough missiles got through to cause substantial damage and casualties. Iran also launched over a thousand one-way drones, but the majority were shot down by allied air defenses.
These outcomes will likely have important effects on Tehran’s strategic calculus. The war provided a stress test for its “direct deterrence” model of launching missiles and drones from its soil, highlighting both the resilience of this approach (because Iranian forces continued launching missiles and causing significant damage to Israel despite efforts to stop them) and its limits (because Israel intercepted the majority of these missiles, established air dominance, and, given time, could have posed an even greater challenge to missile supply chain and exposed launchers). Similarly, almost all of Iran’s drones were shot down before they reached their targets.
In response, authorities will presumably double down on the missile program, rebuild its infrastructure, address its vulnerabilities (possibly with Chinese help), and aim to improve the arsenal’s accuracy and penetration capabilities. They might also exploit dual-use programs such as space launches in a bid to mask these activities.
After losing control of its airspace, Iran currently has just one pillar of its deterrent posture left standing: its relatively elusive ballistic missile force. As such, it will continue investing in replenishing these stocks with high- and low-end missile systems, aiming to develop more effective, versatile, and survivable platforms and tactics capable of penetrating advanced enemy defenses and achieving strategic effects with a smaller footprint and fewer launches. These replenishment and development efforts will almost certainly be attempted away from prying eyes, most likely within underground facilities as much as possible. Even aside from any potential advancements, the deadly impact of the few missiles that breached Israel’s defenses and devastated civilian areas underscores the urgent need to address the regime’s current ballistic missile capabilities in any upcoming nuclear talks.
Sanctions Relief
Patrick Clawson
Faced with a difficult economic situation, Iran is eager for sanctions relief, giving the Trump administration an opening to take some immediate steps. In the financial sector, U.S. pressure has led banks in several countries to partly or fully restrict Iran’s access to assets that totaled $100 billion at one point, mostly from oil sales. Yet even if Washington offers to grant Tehran access to those funds, regime figures might be skeptical given the difficulties they encountered finding banks prepared to honor similar agreements offered in the past, including the 2015 nuclear deal and a 2023 deal that was never implemented.
In the energy sector, President Trump reportedly told attendees at the June 25 NATO summit that he would not block Chinese purchases of Iranian oil. He may have meant that the administration would back off its stepped-up enforcement of sanctions, since fully permitting Iranian oil sales would require unwinding a whole series of executive orders and laws. In any case, world oil markets are amply supplied at the moment, so Iran would likely have to offer significant discounts to sell more than its current 1.65 million barrels per day.
Beyond those steps, U.S. pledges to ease sanctions would not necessarily lead to the main result Iran wants, namely, restoring normal business relations with the West so as to stabilize its economy. Financial institutions are still leery of Iran, not least because of warnings from the multinational Financial Action Task Force (FATF) that the Islamic Republic is a high-risk jurisdiction rife with money laundering and terrorism financing. A wide array of Iranian firms are subject to restrictions related to drug trafficking, human rights abuses, and terrorism, not all of which Trump can waive with executive orders. On top of the legal barriers, Iran has a poor business environment—corruption is chronic, regulations are stifling and erratic, and the regime’s security services often arrest foreign nationals on flimsy excuses, essentially holding them as hostages to pressure Western governments. For all these reasons, many foreign businesses will likely remain reluctant to get involved in Iran regardless of whatever relief the U.S. government offers.
The European Role
Michael Singh
With Iran’s nuclear program set back but not eliminated, the E3 (France, Germany, and the United Kingdom) will seek to negotiate a deal that uses inspection and verification to establish where those latent nuclear capabilities stand and constrain their growth. From the E3’s perspective, the alternatives—an Iranian nuclear program gone dark and unconstrained, or continual Israeli/U.S. military strikes—are far less palatable.
To achieve such a deal, however, the E3 must be at the negotiating table. They will seek to earn their seat by leveraging the possible “snapback” of UN sanctions, the authority for which expires in October. They will also need to coordinate effectively with the Trump administration, whose views on post-conflict diplomacy have ranged from insinuating that it is already under way to dismissing its necessity. Moreover, the E3 must move quickly, as the snapback mechanism must realistically be triggered by the end of July (given the sixty-day snapback process) if it is to be used at all. That means Washington must move quickly as well if it aims to wield the leverage afforded by snapback.
China and Russia’s Role
Grant Rumley and Anna Borshchevskaya
Although the Iranian regime is undoubtedly weaker as a result of the Israeli and U.S. strikes, it remains intact. This is a net positive for China and Russia. To be sure, this episode demonstrated the limits of their ties with Iran, since neither country was willing to intervene militarily in the war with Israel. Yet retaining these partnerships remains a key interest for all three parties.
In the near term, Iran will seek diplomatic support from Beijing and Moscow to bolster its positions in upcoming talks with the United States. Both governments will be more than willing to oblige, even if only to counter Washington and its partners. China will also seek assurances that the ceasefire will hold and that commercial traffic through the critical Strait of Hormuz will remain unmolested. Moreover, it will seek to use this episode to promote its own Global Security Initiative in contrast with the U.S. approach to international affairs.
Along the same lines, Russia will likely push for some kind of formal condemnation of U.S. and Israeli military action, offer to mediate ongoing disputes, and emphasize that Iran’s nuclear program was “peaceful.” It might also offer additional assistance to that program, though at this point Tehran likely has all it needs in terms of nuclear know-how.
Given these potential roles, the United States should seek to exclude both countries. Including Russia or China would only bolster Iran’s negotiating position while simultaneously elevating Beijing and Moscow’s influence in the Middle East.
Finally, while the upcoming negotiations may be focused primarily on the future of Iran’s nuclear program, the Trump administration should keep in mind that their repercussions will extend far beyond the Middle East in this era of great power competition. Accordingly, U.S. officials should be prepared to counter Russian and Chinese talking points, such as accusations that Washington violated international law and dismissals of international concerns regarding the nuclear program.
For media inquiries, contact: Jeff Rubin, press@washingtoninstitute.org, 202-230-9550

Energy and Economic Implications of the Iran-Israel Conflict
Homayoun Falakshahi, Jennifer Gnana, Gregory Brew//The Washington Institute/Jun 27/2025
Three experts explore the war’s impact on global energy markets, Iran-Gulf relations, President Trump’s oil price calculations, and more.
On June 26, The Washington Institute held a virtual Policy Forum with Homayoun Falakshahi, Jennifer Gnana, and Gregory Brew. Falakshahi leads Kpler’s crude oil analysis team, focusing on global market dynamics and geopolitical drivers. Gnana is a Middle East correspondent focusing on energy, oil policy, and political economy, with articles featured in S&P Global Commodity Insights, Al-Monitor, and other outlets. Brew is a senior analyst with Eurasia Group and author of the book The Struggle for Iran: Oil, Autocracy, and the Cold War, 1951-1954. The following is a rapporteur’s summary of their remarks.
Homayoun Falakshahi
Nerves were high in the energy markets when fighting erupted between Iran and Israel, as 35 percent of seaborne oil trade and 20 percent of liquefied natural gas (LNG) pass through the Strait of Hormuz. Yet both combatants limited their attacks on the energy sector to facilities supplying domestic markets—a purposeful tactic to avoid heavily affecting international markets. Even so, countries in the region tried to export as much of their hydrocarbon supply as possible during the first few days of the war. The situation has since returned to normal, but it is up to Israel to determine whether hostilities resume.
The Iranian regime has threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz several times in past decades but never actually did so, for a number of reasons. First, Iran depends heavily on the strait for its own energy exports. Second, other countries in the region have officially supported Iran during various crises, and closing the strait could push them into Israel’s camp. Third, Iran formally shares control over the strait with Oman, a neutral country that has been hosting the recent negotiations with the United States. If Tehran unilaterally closed Hormuz, it would violate Oman’s territorial waters. Fourth, closing the strait would antagonize China, Iran’s only oil buyer.
President Trump recently stated that it is now okay for Beijing to purchase oil from Iran. This apparent green light could boost oil volumes to China by an estimated 400,000 barrels per day, representing an increase of $10 billion in annual revenues for Iran. Currently, all of Iran’s oil and 80 percent of its liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and fuel oil cargoes go to China. Yet the return of the Trump administration’s maximum pressure policy has spurred a decrease in imports over the past few months.
Although the Iran-Israel ceasefire is having a bearish impact on oil prices, the short-term rise during the conflict was sufficient for U.S. producers (mainly shale firms) to secure a minimum price level for their operations. This implies that even if prices drop sharply in the second half of the year, U.S. production has already been secured.
Regarding the recent GPS jamming and manipulation of automatic identification signals reported among vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, the culprit is still uncertain. Iran may have done this to make passage through the strait less safe and increase freight costs—both of which would have a bullish effect on oil prices. Alternatively, ship operators themselves might have taken such action, masking their real locations for fear of being attacked.
Going forward, the ceasefire will likely hold because all sides have publicly declared themselves winners, and none of them have an interest in continuing the war right now. Behind the curtain, however, the fight is not over.
The ceasefire might also be grounds for a wider U.S.-Iran deal or even the reestablishment of formal relations between the two countries. President Trump stated that there is no need for a nuclear deal, arguing that all of Iran’s facilities have been obliterated. Yet restoring U.S.-Iran relations would be the best advertisement for his Nobel Peace Prize candidacy.
Jennifer Gnana
The Gulf states have managed their relations with Iran to ensure that energy sites are not targeted during crises like the latest war. Similarly, the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen have refrained from any direct attack on Gulf energy infrastructure or crude supplies since March 2023, when Riyadh normalized relations with Iran. Neither Tehran nor the Houthis want to jeopardize this relationship. Moreover, Iranian leaders view Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates as countries with considerable clout to influence the ceasefire in Tehran’s favor. Even the Iranian retaliatory attack on the U.S. base in Qatar was carefully choreographed and accompanied by messaging to placate Doha and other Gulf capitals.
Regarding the broader picture in the Gulf, various sectors could be affected if regional tensions cause oil prices to drop below $60 per barrel. A prolonged price dip would force Gulf governments to reassess their massive domestic projects, which depend on the unimpeded flow of oil for funding. The latest conflict will also require them to reassure their large expatriate populations, who comprise the manpower needed to implement those projects. Notably, the projects announced during President Trump’s May visit to the region require a stable energy situation to execute, as artificial intelligence and data centers require a lot of power. Current conditions will also heighten the scrutiny on Saudi Arabia’s nuclear ambitions.
OPEC has a delicate balance to maintain as well. On one hand, it has sought to avoid drawing President Trump’s ire over high oil prices. On the other hand, the organization must make sure that its member countries are content with production quotas and that oil markets are well supplied. Currently, OPEC is increasing production and putting more supply on the market. Yet many Gulf countries have kept oil production tight over the past few years and are unlikely to make drastic changes. For now, they will likely work with Trump to keep prices fairly stable and maintain production levels.
Another trend to monitor is how Iran responds in the longer term, particularly given the prospects for continued proxy militia warfare after the latest conventional military showdown. Even if the ceasefire holds, low-level hostilities in the Red Sea and Strait of Hormuz will likely persist, potentially affecting energy markets.
Gregory Brew
It is important to situate U.S. policy toward Iran in the context of President Trump’s relationship with oil markets. He is quite sensitive to oil prices, viewing them as an important barometer of public sentiment and the U.S. economy. In his view, lower oil prices benefit his domestic political position and mitigate the impact of his other macroeconomic policies.
Trump entered the Iran-Israel war to seize an opportunity. Israeli forces had already imposed tremendous damage on the regime, and the president became increasingly open to the idea of using U.S. military force. After launching calibrated strikes, however, Washington quickly pivoted away from escalation, in part to help pull oil prices back down.
As for Trump’s recent statements that Iran is now free to sell oil to China, they do not appear to signal any significant change in sanctions policy. Rather, he appeared to be acknowledging that Tehran will return to its regular export levels with Beijing.
Despite the ceasefire, the risks to energy security will persist—just at different levels. The risk to the Strait of Hormuz will remain low given the disparity in forces between Iran versus the United States and its allies. Tehran also needs to remain on amicable terms with the rest of the Gulf states. Thus, while the regime may take some steps to harass tanker traffic, it would only do so in a limited fashion and as a last resort.
Meanwhile, the Houthis have paused their attacks for now but will presumably attempt to rebuild their offensive capabilities following the last round of U.S. strikes in Yemen. They have accomplished their objectives and also proven their mettle against punishing retaliation. And much like Iran, they have been careful to choose targets that avoid escalation with the Gulf states. Going forward, they will likely seek some sort of rapprochement with Saudi Arabia.
For its part, Israel currently believes it has achieved its objectives, but this contentedness may not last. If Israel feels threatened, it may expand its targeting to include Iran’s energy export facilities. Such a scenario would increase the risk of physical disruption to energy markets.
The ceasefire will probably hold for the short term—say, three to six months. Yet the two sides are unlikely to halt their hostilities completely. Israel will continue trying to disrupt Iran’s nuclear program and, perhaps, undermine the regime. Even so, the war has proven that the risk to Hormuz remains exaggerated—though energy markets should not become too complacent about the risks to Iran’s energy supply if the conflict escalates again.
This summary was prepared by Michelle Fan. The Policy Forum series is made possible through the generosity of the Florence and Robert Kaufman Family.

Selected Twitters For Today June 27-28/2025
Orthodox Christian
https://x.com/i/status/1938357108233396420
Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it. (Mark 10,15)

Eastern_christians
https://x.com/i/status/1938523075517071407
The community gathers with heavy hearts to mourn and bid farewell to their new martyr, Marian Issa al-Durra (مريان عيسى الدرة) a young woman full of faith and love. She was killed in the suicide bombing that targeted a church in Syria during Sunday Mass.

Eastern_christians
Christians in Syria fill the streets with prayers, protesting the recent bombing of their
church.
https://x.com/i/status/1938282385885339937