English LCCC Newsbulletin For
Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For March 15/2025
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news
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Bible Quotations For today
Remember those who are in prison, as though
you were in prison with them; those who are being tortured, as though you
yourselves were being tortured
“Letter to the Hebrews 12/28-29//13/01-09: “Therefore, since we are receiving a
kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us give thanks, by which we offer to God an
acceptable worship with reverence and awe; for indeed our God is a consuming
fire. Let mutual love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers,
for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it. Remember
those who are in prison, as though you were in prison with them; those who are
being tortured, as though you yourselves were being tortured. Let marriage be
held in honour by all, and let the marriage bed be kept undefiled; for God will
judge fornicators and adulterers. Keep your lives free from the love of money,
and be content with what you have; for he has said, ‘I will never leave you or
forsake you.’ So we can say with confidence, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not
be afraid. What can anyone do to me?’ Remember your leaders, those who spoke the
word of God to you; consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their
faith. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and for ever. Do not be
carried away by all kinds of strange teachings; for it is well for the heart to
be strengthened by grace, not by regulations about food, which have not
benefited those who observe them.”
Titles For The Latest English LCCC
Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published
on March 14-15/2025
Are the Syrian Druze Left with Only Two Choices: Sharia Law and Ibn
Taymiyyah’s Fatwas, or Israel’s Protection?/Elias Bejjani/March 15/ 2025
May the Curse Be Upon the Political Parties and Officials Who Betrayed the Cedar
Revolution and Sold Out the March 14 Coalition/Elias Bejjan/March 14/ 2025
The Muslim Brotherhood and the Ottomans rule Syria/Elias Bejjani/March 13/2025
Political Islam Is A Constant Threat of Deception and War/Elias Bejjani/March
12/2025
Video Interview with Former Minister Youssef Salameh – Transparency Website
Israeli airstrikes target Hezbollah assets and personnel in south Lebanon
David Daoud/FDD's Long War Journal/March 14/2025
Normalization between Lebanon and Israel is now possible/Hanin Ghaddar/X
site/March 14/2025
Israel says hit Hezbollah arms facility in Beqaa strike
Netanyahu says Israel 'won't give up' 5 hills in Lebanon
Katz says Israelis to stay on 5 hills despite any border talks
Is Lebanon on the brink of normalizing ties with Israel?
Lebanese Govt Completes Security Appointments Based on ‘Experience and
Competence
Lebanon pushes social safety net plan
Senior official says ceiling of any talks with Israel is 1949 agreement
Salam stresses need for reform and 'regaining war and peace decisions'
Berri says Lebanon will never give up 'any inch of land'
US Embassy delegation tours Lebanese-Israeli border
Who is Haykal, Lebanon's new army chief?
IMF welcomes new govt request for help on ailing economy
Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published
on March 14-15/2025
Mark Carney sworn in as Canada's prime minister, now faces Trump tariffs
Syrian foreign minister visits Iraq, calls for reopening of border
Head of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria has been killed, Iraqi prime
minister says
Druze Religious Elders from Syria Make Visit to Israel
Dozens of Syrian Druze make rare visit to Israeli-controlled Golan Heights
Qatar Will Send Natural Gas to Syria to Increase Its Meager Electricity Supply
White House says Hamas making ‘very bad bet’ in Gaza talks
Hamas Says It Will Release a US-Israeli Hostage and 4 Bodies, but Israel
Expresses Immediate Doubt
US and Israel look to Africa for resettling Palestinians uprooted from Gaza
Israeli Settlers Attack West Bank Village, Residents Say
Hamas says will free US-Israeli hostage to keep ceasefire talks rolling
Turkish top officials make sudden trip to Damascus
Putin tells Ukraine troops in Russian region to ‘surrender’
Kremlin Says Putin Sent Trump a Message on Ukraine Ceasefire Idea, Talks of
'Cautious Optimism'
Iran’s Rulers Caught Between Trump’s Crackdown and a Fragile Economy
UN report warns Iran is stepping up electronic surveillance of women to enforce
headscarf laws
Iran using drones and apps to enforce women's dress code
Titles For
The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous
sources
on March 14-15/2025
Massacres in Syria Expose New President’s Struggle to Govern/Ahmad
Sharawi/FDD/March 14/2025
Peace or no peace, America can and should arm Ukraine/Bradley Bowman and Ryan
Brobst/Defence News/March 14/2025
Two French Ghosts and President Macron/Amir Taheri/Asharq Al-Awsat/March 14/2025
Tehran and the Multiplicity of Mediators/Mustafa Fahs/Asharq Al-Awsat/March
14/2025
Question: “What are the Ten Commandments?”/GotQuestions.org/March 14/2025
All eyes on Putin for next step to Ukraine peace/Luke Coffey/Arab News/March 15,
2025
The Latest English LCCC
Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published
on March 14-15/2025
Are the Syrian Druze Left with Only Two Choices: Sharia Law and
Ibn Taymiyyah’s Fatwas, or Israel’s Protection?
Elias Bejjani/March 15/ 2025
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/03/141227/
There is no doubt that the Syrian Druze now face a stark and existential choice:
submission to the rule of Sharia law, political Islam, and the fatwas of Ibn
Taymiyyah under Ahmad Al-Charaa’s regime, or seeking the protection of the State
of Israel? In such a dilemma, their survival and future dictate only one logical
path—aligning with Israel. Meanwhile, let the acrobat Walid Jumblatt continue
his empty rhetoric of Arabism and resistance and indulging in his endless
theatrics to his heart’s content.
May the Curse Be Upon the Political Parties and Officials Who
Betrayed the Cedar Revolution and Sold Out the March 14 Coalition
Elias Bejjan/March 14/ 2025
On the anniversary of the March 14 uprising, we bow in reverence to the souls of
the righteous, sovereign, and heroic martyrs who sacrificed everything for
Lebanon’s freedom. Yet, their noble sacrifices were shamelessly betrayed by
mercenary Lebanese leaders, officials, and politicians who sold out the Cedar
Revolution and the March 14 Coalition. These opportunists disgraced the martyrs’
legacy by crawling into the Trojan presidential deal with the occupier—the
Iranian terrorist militia, Hezbollah.
History will forever brand these political dwarfs with humiliation and contempt.
If remembered at all, it will only be with disgrace. They will rot in history’s
dustbin, condemned for their treachery. Driven by greed and blinded by selfish
ambition, they succumbed to the temptations of power, betraying the very cause
for which so many gave their lives. They bartered away Lebanon’s sovereignty,
the people’s revolution, and the blood of the martyrs for authority and personal
gain. Their betrayal was a direct insult to those who paid the ultimate price
for freedom.
Because of their shortsightedness, narcissism, and servility, Hezbollah has
entrenched its full control over Lebanon. This heinous betrayal led to Lebanon’s
downfall—stripping it of its role, its message, and its sovereignty, and
surrendering it to Iranian occupation.
Yet, despite their treachery, the true spirit of March 14 remains alive. It
thrives in the hearts, minds, and consciences of the free and sovereign Lebanese
people. It is only dead in the corrupted hearts of the political parties,
officials, and politicians who betrayed it—those who traded Lebanon’s
sovereignty for personal benefits and power.
In times of darkness and oppression, the people of March 14 are a national
necessity. When submission and surrender dominate, the spirit of March 14 is the
answer. And in an era of deceit, cowardice, and the fraudulent rhetoric of
so-called "political realism," the people of March 14 have unmasked the Trojans,
exposing their lies and disgrace.
Even as self-interest prevails over national duty, the principles and values of
March 14 endure. While the blood of the martyrs is disregarded by the traitors,
the true March 14 faithful will never forget their sacrifices nor allow their
cause to be sold. In this era of betrayal, where Lebanon’s fate is dictated by
Trojans, scribes, and Pharisees dragging the nation into ruin, the presence of
the people of March 14 is essential. As corrupt politicians lose their moral
compass, abandoning the ideals of freedom and dignity, the goals and struggles
of March 14 remain the foundation, the solution, and the cornerstone of
Lebanon’s salvation. In the end, the spirit of March 14 is not just a memory—it
is a burning force that will continue to inspire resistance, unite the free, and
reignite the fight for Lebanon’s liberation.
The
Muslim Brotherhood and the Ottomans rule Syria
Elias Bejjani/March 13/2025
May God help the Syrian people, regardless of their sectarian and regional
background. They have been rid of a criminal, chemical-weapon regime and are now
afflicted with another Brotherhood-aligned, abolitionist regime that is creating
a jihadist Islamic constitution dating back 1,400 years. This is political Islam
par excellence.
Political Islam Is A Constant Threat of Deception and War
Elias Bejjani/March 12/2025
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/03/141141/
Political Islam, both Sunni and Shia, poses a serious and ongoing threat to any
society it seeks to control. In its ideology, the world is divided into two
categories: Dar al-Islam (House of Islam)—where Islamic rule is established, and
Dar al-Harb (House of War)—where all means, including deception and violence,
are justified to bring it under Islamic rule.
This is not just a theoretical belief; it is a deeply rooted strategy followed
by jihadist movements. A key historical example is the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah,
which Prophet Muhammad signed with the Jewish tribes when he was weak, only to
break it once he gained enough power. Today, this same tactic is used by
Islamist movements, whether Sunni—such as the Muslim Brotherhood, Al-Qaeda,
Hamas, and Boko Haram—or Shia—led by Iran and its armed proxies in Lebanon,
Syria, Iraq, and Yemen.
History Repeats Itself: Political Islam and the Hudaybiyyah Strategy
When Prophet Muhammad signed the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah, his goal was to buy time
until he could grow stronger. As soon as the balance of power shifted in his
favor, he broke the agreement and attacked his former allies. This strategy
remains a core principle of political Islam today. It is the foundation of
Taqiyya, the Islamic practice of deception, where agreements are made only to be
abandoned when power is secured.
A modern example of this Hudaybiyyah strategy is Iran’s nuclear deal with the
West. When Iran signed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in 2015,
it used Taqiyya to deceive the international community.
The Iranian regime presented itself as a responsible actor willing to limit its
nuclear ambitions in exchange for economic relief. However, from the beginning,
Iran never intended to fully comply. Instead, it used the deal to buy time,
expand its regional influence, develop its ballistic missile program, and
secretly advance its nuclear capabilities. The moment Iran felt strong enough,
it openly violated the agreement, accelerating uranium enrichment and defying
Western sanctions. Just like Muhammad’s Treaty of Hudaybiyyah, Iran’s nuclear
deal was nothing more than a temporary truce—meant to be broken once the regime
gained the upper hand.
Sunni and Shia Political Islam:
Two Sides of the Same Coin
There is no fundamental difference between Sunni and Shia political Islam. Both
operate under the same principles of expansion and domination. Iran, the main
force behind Shia political Islam, never views treaties as permanent. Instead,
it uses them to expand its control—whether through so-called “settlements” in
Lebanon and Syria or by infiltrating governments in Iraq and Yemen. Likewise,
Sunni Islamist movements, such as the Muslim Brotherhood and Al-Nusra Front,
follow the same method: they negotiate, they deceive, and then they strike when
the time is right.
Ahmad al-Sharaa’s Agreements in Syria: A Repeat of the Hudaybiyyah Deception
Ahmad al-Sharaa, formerly known as Abu Mohammad al-Joulani, has become a key
figure in political Islam thanks to Turkish and Qatari support, combined with
Western naïveté. As an Islamist ideologue and a firm believer in the Hudaybiyyah
strategy, his agreements with various ethnic and sectarian groups—such as the
Kurds, Druze, and others in Syria—should not be mistaken for genuine peace
efforts. Sharaa views his current agreements as temporary tools to consolidate
power and the moment he feels strong enough, he will turn against his so-called
partners, enforcing his Islamist rule through force and intimidation.
History offers countless examples of Islamist movements using deception to gain
power before betraying their agreements. Iran did the same with its nuclear
deal, and Hamas has done the same in every ceasefire it signed before resuming
its attacks. Sharaa is no different. Those who trust his agreements are either
unaware of history or deliberately choosing to ignore it.
The future of Syria under Sharaa is clear: any agreement he signs today will be
meaningless tomorrow. He is an extremist who sees Syria not as a nation, but as
a battlefield for Islamic rule. Those who believe they can coexist with him
under negotiated settlements will soon learn the hard lesson that jihadist
ideology does not recognize permanent peace—only temporary truces that are
broken when the time is right.
The Final Message: No Middle Ground with Political Islam
No agreement with Islamist movements—whether Sunni or Shia—can be trusted. These
groups follow the Hudaybiyyah strategy and practice Taqiyya, meaning they will
make deals when they are weak and break them when they are strong. Iran’s
nuclear deal is just another proof that political Islam cannot be contained with
diplomacy. History is clear, and recent events confirm that these groups
understand only one language: the language of power. Any compromise with them is
not a step toward peace but a step toward future war and destruction.
*The author, Elias Bejjani, is a Lebanese expatriate activist
Author’s Email: Phoenicia@hotmail.com
Author’s Website:
https://eliasbejjaninews.com
Video
Interview with Former Minister Youssef Salameh – Transparency Website
A historical review of Lebanon’s suffering since the 1970s, exposing Iran’s
destabilizing role in the region. Tehran’s strategy of using intimidation to
push Arab nations toward recognizing and normalizing ties with Israel has now
run its course.
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/03/141205/
Main topics of the interview
*Lebanon must seize the opportunity of Trump’s tenure—he is sympathetic to our
cause—to negotiate better terms for peace with Israel.
*Peace is inevitable—driven by American determination and an emerging Arab
consensus.
*Lebanese officials must abandon their lies, narcissism, and self-serving
agendas. National interest must come first, and honesty with the people is
paramount.
*Hezbollah’s existence in Lebanon is directly tied to the Lebanese people’s
rejection of peace with Israel. Until peace is accepted, Hezbollah will persist.
*Tarek Mitri’s stance on the Damour massacre exposes his true colors. The blame
falls on those who appointed him. His position strips him of any claim of pro
Lebanese dignity or affliation.
*Dignity is the foundation of all righteous action. Unfortunately, political
discourse in Lebanon is plagued by petty slander and cheap opportunism.
*Israel freed Lebanon from the PLO, and now it has liberated it from Iranian
occupation. It is Lebanon’s turn to move forward and embrace peace. Nothing in
politics comes without expectations.
*A national uprising is necessary—to shatter deception, reject “dhimmitude,” and
uphold dignity.
*No reconstruction is possible as long as weapons rule the country. How long
will Nabih Berri continue gambling with the fate of his community? He must
submit to the equation of peace and end his obstructionist tactics.
*Lebanon’s tragedy is that its people worship their executioners.
*Every major assassination in Lebanon happened with international
approval—including Tony Franjieh’s, orchestrated by the Assad regime in Syria.
Israeli airstrikes target Hezbollah assets and personnel in south Lebanon
David Daoud/ | FDD's Long War Journal/March 14/2025
Israel conducted several airstrikes in south Lebanon on Tuesday, March 11,
targeting Hezbollah assets and personnel.
The first strike, carried out by an Israeli drone, was reported at 1:22 pm by
Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA Lebanon). The NNA report said the Israeli
drone struck a car traveling on the route identified variously as the road
between Roumine and Wadi Deir al Zahrani, or the road between the latter area
and Houmine al Fawqa in south Lebanon. Per the Lebanese Health Ministry, this
strike killed at least one person whose identity was not confirmed.
However, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) later released a statement saying the
strike “near Nabatiyeh in south Lebanon” targeted Hassan Abbas Izzeldine, whom
it identified as the operative responsible for aerial defense in Hezbollah’s
“Badr” Unit.
“Hassan Abbas was a highly knowledgeable figure in Hezbollah’s aerial defense
array, leading efforts to restore the group’s aerial defense array after it
suffered significant damage in fighting with the IDF,” according to the IDF. The
Israeli military’s statement added, “Hassan Abbas continued these efforts in
recent months, including advancing attempts by Hezbollah’s aerial defense array
to acquire new weapons, which pose a direct threat to Israeli aircraft.”
If the IDF’s allegations are accurate, Hassan Abbas’s activities constitute a
significant violation of the November 27, 2024, ceasefire deal between Israel
and Lebanon, though the area where Izzeldine was killed—and where he was
presumably operating—was north of the Litani River. The deal, building off
Lebanon’s default obligations under international law and reinforced by
bilateral agreements and UN Security Council resolutions, also requires Lebanon
to seal its borders and entry points to weapons, arms, and related materiel
destined for Hezbollah.
As of the time of this writing, Hezbollah and its affiliated media have not
released a statement on Hassan Abbas Izzeldine’s fate.
The second set of strikes, also carried out by an Israeli drone, occurred
between approximately 2:55 pm and 3:15 pm between the locales of Froun, Kfarsir,
and Srifa, according to NNA Lebanon. The strikes targeted a van that was in the
area.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) later released a statement on these strikes,
saying it had identified “several terrorists in a site previously used by
Hezbollah, near Froun in south Lebanon.” According to the statement, the IDF’s
Northern Command then directed Israeli aircraft to strike the terrorists. Per
the Lebanese Health Ministry, this set of strikes killed at least one person
whose identity was not confirmed.
However, Hezbollah-affiliated accounts identified two of the group’s operatives
as having been killed that day by the Israeli strikes.
The first was Mustafa Mahmoud Naim, whose nom de guerre is Yassir, from the town
of Sanaa in south Lebanon. Naim is to be buried today in his village of Sanaa.
The second fighter identified as being killed that day was Hassan Ali Haidar,
nom de guerre Shahid, from the town of Tibnine in south Lebanon. He is set to be
buried on Thursday in his home village of Tibnine.
**David Daoud is Senior Fellow at at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies
where he focuses on Israel, Hezbollah, and Lebanon affairs.
https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2025/03/israeli-airstrikes-target-hezbollah-assets-and-personnel-in-south-lebanon.php
Normalization between Lebanon and Israel is now possible
Hanin Ghaddar/X site/March 14/2025
Normalization between Lebanon and Israel is now possible! The most important
part is that the discussion has moved from the private to the public sphere - to
move things in the right direction, three issues need to be resolved:
1- The Military Court in Lebanon should no longer be allowed to try civilians.
This is a travesty.
2- The General Security should no longer be allowed the right to interrogate
citizens based on a complaint (usually by Hezbollah or other thugs). This
institutions uses what is called (الاخضاع) to target anyone they want, holding
them for hours or days under extensive interrogation and terrorization - only
because a non-state actor asked.
3- The archaic laws that forbid Lebanese to communicate with Israelis should be
changed (that is, eliminated) asap. There's no justification to keep them in a
globalized world where Lebanese and Israelis already work and live together in
many countries, including a number of Arab states.
Israel says hit Hezbollah arms facility in Beqaa strike
Agence France Presse/March 14/2025
The Israeli military said it carried out a strike on a Hezbollah weapons
facility in eastern Lebanon on Thursday. "A short while ago, the IDF (military)
conducted a strike on infrastructure at a site used by Hezbollah for
manufacturing and storing strategic weapons in the Beqaa area in Lebanon," the
military said in a statement.
Netanyahu says Israel 'won't give up' 5 hills in Lebanon
Naharnet/March 14/2025
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that Israel "will not give
up" the five hills deemed "strategic" it occupies in south Lebanon. "We maintain
five points on the Lebanese side of the border to protect our territory,"
Netanyahu said, adding: "We will not relinquish control" of the five sites.
"Last week, we killed five Hezbollah members for violating the ceasefire
agreement we seek to implement firmly," he added. Netanyahu also used his speech
to criticize Yair Lapid, the Israeli opposition leader and centrist who oversaw
a historic agreement in 2022 with Lebanon. "Lapid was defeated by Hezbollah and
ceded land to it," Netanyahu said, referring to the offshore gas deal between
Israel and Lebanon. Earlier in the day, Lapid said in an interview with Israeli
media that the same politicians who criticized the agreement delineating
maritime borders and coastal rights were now negotiating a far more significant
pact, calling these apparent contradictions "comical." On Tuesday, the Israeli
prime minister's office announced that discussions with Lebanon will be launched
through three "working groups" to resolve outstanding issues such as land border
demarcation, the five occupied hills and the release of Israeli-held Lebanese
captives.
Katz says Israelis to stay on 5 hills despite any border talks
Naharnet/March 14/2025
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz has said that Israeli forces will stay on
the five occupied hills in south Lebanon indefinitely, regardless of any
negotiations on disputed border points. In an assessment of the situation
Thursday with army chief Eyal Zamir and senior army generals, Katz clarified
that the military will remain at the five points indefinitely, for “the benefit
of protecting the residents of the north” and “without any connection to future
negotiations on points of dispute on the border.”He instructed the army to
“strengthen and consolidate” the Israeli hold on the outposts and to prepare for
an “extended stay” there. “In addition, the IDF (Israeli army) is to continue
with powerful and uncompromising enforcement against any Hezbollah violation or
attempt to establish itself,” Katz added. A statement from the office of Israeli
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday that representatives of the
Israeli and Lebanese armies, the U.S. and France agreed during a meeting of the
ceasefire committee in Naqoura to "establish three joint working groups aimed at
stabilizing the region."
"These groups will focus on the five points controlled by Israel in southern
Lebanon, discussions on the Blue Line and remaining disputed areas, and the
issue of Lebanese detainees held by Israel," the statement added.
Is Lebanon on the brink of normalizing ties with Israel?
Naharnet/March 14/2025
As Lebanon negotiates sticking points with Israel after a 13-months-long war
that ended with Israeli troops occupying five "strategic hills" in south Lebanon
and frequent violations of a ceasefire reached in late November, the topic of
normalizing relations with Israel have come to the spotlight. But will
negotiations eventually lead to normalization? An Israeli political source said
that Israel wants to reach normalization with Lebanon. "We and the Americans
think that this is possible after the changes that have occurred in Lebanon,"
the source told Israel’s Channel 12.
Lebanon for its part said the negotiations with Israel are "indirect", but
Deputy Prime Minister Tarek Mitri hinted that Israel is trying to drag Lebanon
into "direct negotiations." Both Metri and Information Minister Paul Morkos said
that Lebanon would not normalize with Israel.
Metri said Lebanon did not receive a direct call to sign a peace accord with
Israel, but that there is pressure on some politicians and an unofficial push in
the U.S. to pressure Lebanon into normalizing relations with Israel.
LF says normalization not an option -
Lebanese Forces sources said that Hezbollah started using the term
"normalization" in its media after Pro-Hezbollah al-Akhbar newspaper warned that
the U.S. is "dragging Lebanon into peace negotiations." A source of the Lebanese
Forces party told al-Joumhouria newspaper, in remarks published Friday, that no
Arab country can normalize with Israel before a Palestinian state is
established. "Normalization is not an option for us," the source said, adding
that the U.S. has called for the implementation of 1701, and not for
normalization. What is being proposed is a return to the 1949 Armistice
Agreement - which ended the hostilities of the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, the LF
source and a senior Lebanese official said.
What are the negotiations about? -
Deputy U.S. Special Envoy for Middle East Morgan Ortagus said earlier this week
that the U.S. will be "bringing together Lebanon and Israel for talks aimed at
diplomatically resolving several outstanding issues between the two countries" -
the release of Lebanese prisoners, the remaining disputed points along the Blue
Line, and the remaining 5 points where Israeli forces are still deployed.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that representatives of the
Israeli and Lebanese armies, the U.S. and France have agreed during a meeting of
the ceasefire committee in Naqoura to "establish three joint working groups"
aimed at resolving the three outstanding issues.
"Everything that is being said about these groups being a prelude to
normalization is baseless," sources told Beirut-based pan-Arab TV station Al
Mayadeen. Lebanon will not engage in any "direct" negotiations with Israel, the
sources said.
Past negotiations
In 2022, Lebanon and Israel separately signed copies of a U.S.-mediated sea
border deal after months of indirect talks. Israel's then Prime Minister Yair
Lapid claimed that the deal meant Lebanon de facto "recognizes the State of
Israel, in a written agreement," but Lebanon and Hezbollah said the signing did
not signal a recognition of Israel or a normalization of ties. After several
Arab-Israeli wars, Egypt was the first Arab state to recognize Israel
diplomatically in 1979. It was followed by Jordan, the UAE, Bahrain, Morocco and
Sudan. In October 2023, Saudi Arabia suspended talks on the possible
normalization of relations with Israel, following the Israeli war on Gaza.
Lebanese Govt Completes Security Appointments Based on ‘Experience and
Competence
Beirut: Asharq Al Awsat/March 14/2025
The Lebanese government has finalized military and security appointments in a
single move, selecting candidates based on “experience and competence,”
according to Minister of Information Paul Morcos. The new appointments include
Brigadier General Rodolphe Haikal as Commander of the Army, following his
promotion to the rank of “General”; Brigadier General Hassan Choucair as
Director General of General Security, after being promoted to “Major General”;
Brigadier General Raed Abdullah as Director General of the Internal Security
Forces, also after his promotion to “Major General”; and Brigadier General Edgar
Lawand as Director General of State Security, following his elevation to “Major
General.” Additionally, Brigadier General Mourched Hajj Sleiman has been
appointed Deputy Director General of State Security. Morcos emphasized that
these military and security appointments were made based on experience and
competence, adding: “We, in the Council of Ministers, work with great precision,
ensuring strict adherence to standards and qualifications.”President Joseph Aoun
stated that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) delegation “stressed the
urgent need to appoint a new Governor of the Central Bank of Lebanon and
highlighted the importance of passing banking secrecy legislation, which still
requires further amendments, as well as restructuring the banking sector.”
During the cabinet session, Aoun briefed the government on his meeting with a
delegation from the IMF, revealing that “a committee has been formed, chaired by
the Minister of Finance and including the Minister of Economy, the acting
Governor of the Central Bank, two advisors, and the Prime Minister’s advisor,
Lamia Moubayed, to follow up on the issues raised by the delegation.”The
president added: “The IMF underscored the importance of reaching an agreement
with the Fund before the summer, given previous unsuccessful attempts, and
stressed the need for cooperation among all relevant Lebanese authorities.”“The
key to restoring confidence in Lebanon—both domestically and internationally—is
implementing economic, banking, and financial reforms,” he remarked. The IMF
delegation also reiterated the necessity of appointing a new Central Bank
Governor and establishing a centralized data center for all sections of the
Ministry of Finance. Furthermore, they stressed the need to pass two key laws:
one addressing banking secrecy, which still requires additional amendments
despite recent changes, and another focused on restructuring the banking sector.
Regarding recent developments in Syria, Aoun stated that security agencies,
along with the Ministries of Interior and Defense, are closely monitoring the
situation to ensure full readiness. He also announced that following the release
of four Lebanese prisoners previously detained by Israel during the recent
conflict, “the fifth prisoner was released on Thursday as a result of indirect
negotiations.”
Army Commander
Army Commander General Rodolphe Haikal enlisted as an officer cadet and joined
the Military Academy in 1990. He steadily rose through the ranks and held
various assignments before being appointed in 2023 as Commander of the South
Litani Sector along the border with Israel. Since the summer of 2024, he has
served as Director of Operations in the Army Staff for Operations.
Lebanon pushes social safety net plan
NAJIA HOUSSARI/Arab News/March 14, 2025
BEIRUT: Lebanon’s Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said on Friday the government’s top
priority is to restore confidence in the country by prioritizing social policies
and economic reforms. The remarks came at an expanded meeting at the Grand
Serail, Salam’s official residence, on social safety nets in Lebanon, under the
theme “The Next Phase of Reform.”The event, organized by Social Affairs Minister
Haneen Sayed, drew numerous diplomats and officials from UN-affiliated agencies.
Salam underscored Lebanon’s profound ongoing social crisis, saying stability
could not be maintained without addressing social issues. He said poverty rates
were already high before the recent war between Israel and Hezbollah, reaching a
nationwide 44 percent.
Young children are the most vulnerable, with their poverty rates surging to
unprecedented levels. The prime minister added that food insecurity and limited
access to healthcare remain significant risks. In a statement, his government
committed to establishing a comprehensive social protection system and to
increase social spending.
According to the proposals, the government — through the Ministry of Social
Affairs — will implement the National Social Protection Strategy. This involves
strengthening social safety nets, including for those in poverty and needing
disability support programs. The government said it aims to ensure adequate
healthcare coverage for the most vulnerable through primary healthcare centers,
secure the minimum educational requirements for children and adolescents in
public schools and vocational institutions, and support the poor in integrating
into the labor market through economic inclusion programs. Salam, who previously
pledged that his government was committed to implementing reforms, reiterated on
Friday his desire first to enact change in the National Social Security Fund.
“We are committed to ensuring the highest levels of transparency and
accountability in our programs,” he said. Currently, social assistance covers
only 55 percent of Lebanon’s poor. Approximately 800,000 Lebanese, or 166,000
families, receive support through the Aman program. Around 20,000 people with
disabilities benefit from a cash allowance program, and approximately 170,000
people receive emergency cash assistance. Social Affairs Minister Sayed stated
that her ministry aims to “expand direct cash support, strengthen ties with
social services, build institutional capacity and infrastructure, and enhance
coordination and system alignment.”
She added: “Due to the rising poverty rates following the recent war, the poor
are facing severe food insecurity, malnutrition, and limited access to
healthcare. “Children under the age of 5 are at the greatest risk, suffering
from alarmingly high poverty rates and receiving the least coverage through
social safety nets.”Under the slogan “The government’s commitment to increasing
social protection spending from the state budget,” Sayyed announced the launch
of the reform workshop in collaboration with the prime minister’s office.
Her ministry will also activate the Social Safety Net Task Force to enhance
collaboration among ministries and partners, improve internal systems, and
upgrade development service centers. It will also propose a Social Safety Nets
Law to ensure the long-term viability of the reform efforts. In a related move,
Health Minister Rakan Nasreddine introduced the “Aqwa” program (Arabic for
“stronger”) in collaboration with UNICEF. This program aims to provide support
and care for children who were injured during the recent war in southern
Lebanon. It will be implemented in partnership with the International Network
for Aid Relief and Assistance and the Ghassan Abu Sittah Children’s Fund.
According to the Health Ministry, around 1,500 children have sustained severe
and moderate injuries, many of whom require reconstructive surgeries and ongoing
mental healthcare. Nasreddine emphasized the immense suffering of these
children, highlighting both the number and the severity of their injuries. He
underscored that the launch of the program is a testament to the government’s
unwavering commitment to rebuilding everything that the war has destroyed, both
in terms of infrastructure and human lives. “The program goes beyond traditional
surgical interventions to encompass mental health services, physical therapy,
and reconstructive surgeries, among other critical care for children under 18,”
he added. At the end of last February, UNICEF released a report revealing the
devastating impact of the recent war on children, which affected almost every
aspect of their lives. Many urgently require support to heal, rebuild their
lives, and cope with the lasting effects of this conflict, the UN body said.
Senior official says ceiling of any talks with Israel is
1949 agreement
Naharnet/March 14/2025
The ceiling of any indirect Lebanese negotiations with Israel will be the 1949
Armistice Agreement and any talks will be aimed at addressing the disputed
border points and Israel’s withdrawal from the five occupied hills, a senior
Lebanese official said.
“Lebanon’s concern during this period is focused on two issues: ending the
Israeli occupation in a full manner, addressing the 13 disputed points … and
building the reconstruction process for the residents who were displaced from
the border towns,” the official told Kuwait’s al-Anbaa newspaper. A statement
from the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday that
representatives of the Israeli and Lebanese armies, the U.S. and France agreed
during a meeting of the ceasefire committee in Naqoura to "establish three joint
working groups aimed at stabilizing the region." "These groups will focus on the
five points controlled by Israel in southern Lebanon, discussions on the Blue
Line and remaining disputed areas, and the issue of Lebanese detainees held by
Israel," the statement added. An Israeli political source said Wednesday that
"the discussions are part of a broad and comprehensive plan."“The Prime
Minister's policy has already changed the Middle East, and we want to continue
the momentum and reach normalization with Lebanon. Just as Lebanon has claims
regarding the borders, so do we. We will discuss these matters," the source told
Israel’s Channel 12. "We and the Americans think that this is possible after the
changes that have occurred in Lebanon," the source said. The United States
announced Tuesday that it will be “bringing together Lebanon and Israel for
talks aimed at diplomatically resolving several outstanding issues between the
two countries.”
Salam stresses need for reform and 'regaining war and peace
decisions'
Naharnet/March 14/2025
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam has noted that his government’s top priorities are
reform and “the state’s regaining of the war and peace decisions.”“The state
should monopolize arms and it has a duty to extend its authority across its
territory with its own forces, as stipulated by the Taif Agreement,” Salam said
at an iftar banquet at the Grand Serail. “The continuation of the Israeli
occupation of sites in our south represents an attack on our sovereignty and
territorial integrity and a violation of Resolution 1701, to which we are fully
committed and are implementing. It is also a breach of the cessation of
hostilities arrangements that were approved by the previous government in
November,” Salam added. “In the face of that, we are continuing the deployment
of our national army, enhancing our cooperation with the U.N. Interim Force in
Lebanon (UNIFIL), and boosting our political and diplomatic efforts to rally
Arab and international support to press Israel to withdraw from the rest of
Lebanese land,” the PM explained. He also called for the rise of an independent
judicial authority, protecting the judiciary from political interference,
finding a fair solution for the depositors’ crisis, restructuring the banking
sector, moving to a state of citizenship and renegotiating with the
International Monetary Fund.
Berri says Lebanon will never give up 'any inch of land'
Naharnet/March 14/2025
Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri said Friday that Lebanon won’t accept to give up
any inch of its land "under no circumstances", following remarks by Israeli
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Israeli forces will remain on five hills
in south Lebanon.
"Lebanon will resort to all possible means to protect its sovereign rights and
liberate the land from Israeli occupation," Berri said, adding that preserving
Lebanon and the south is a comprehensive national responsibility and must be a
point of unity. "If we are united we can overcome any challenge." Netanyahu had
said Thursday that Israel "will not give up" the five "strategic" hills it
occupies in south Lebanon. "We maintain five points on the Lebanese side of the
border to protect our territory," Netanyahu said, adding: "We will not
relinquish control" of the five sites. Deputy U.S. Special Envoy for Middle East
Morgan Ortagus said earlier this week that the U.S. will be "bringing together
Lebanon and Israel for talks aimed at diplomatically resolving several
outstanding issues between the two countries." The issues that will be discussed
are the remaining 5 points where Israeli forces are still deployed, the release
of Lebanese prisoners, and the remaining disputed points along the Blue Line. A
ceasefire reached in late November ceasefire required Hezbollah to withdraw
north of the Litani River and to dismantle any remaining military infrastructure
in the south. Israel was meant to withdraw completely from Lebanese territory by
February 18, but it has kept troops at five locations it deems strategic.
US Embassy delegation tours Lebanese-Israeli border
Naharnet/March 14/2025
A senior delegation from the U.S. Embassy in Beirut on Friday toured the eastern
sector of Lebanon’s southern border with Israel, the National News Agency said.
The delegation was accompanied by the commander of the Lebanese Army’s Seventh
Brigade, Brig. Gen. Tony Fares. “They inspected the measures that the Lebanese
Army is taking in the border towns and the magnitude of destruction left behind
by the occupation army in most of the sector’s towns,” NNA added.
Who is Haykal, Lebanon's new army chief?
Agence France Presse/March 14/2025
Lebanon named a new head of the armed forces Thursday to succeed Joseph Aoun,
who was appointed president earlier this year. "Brigadier General Rodolphe
Haykal was named commander in chief of the armed forces," Minister of
Information Paul Morcos said after a cabinet meeting, also confirming a number
of other security appointments. Haykal, 56, was made the army's chief of
operations last June, having previously served as the commander of the army
sector south of the Litani River, according to the army's website. That area
bore the brunt of Israeli strikes during more than a year of hostilities with
Hezbollah that ended with a November 27 ceasefire. Haykal is expected to play a
key role in the implementation of the ceasefire agreement, a security source
told AFP, adding that he was Aoun's favored candidate for the post.
The November ceasefire required Hezbollah to withdraw north of the Litani River,
about 30 kilometers from the border, and to dismantle any remaining military
infrastructure in the south. Israel was meant to withdraw completely from
Lebanese territory by February 18, but it has kept troops at five locations it
deems strategic.Hezbollah did not object to Haykal's nomination, the source
said. Morcos on Thursday also announced the appointment of the heads of the
internal security, general security and state security apparatuses. He also
announced the approval of the defense ministry's request to recruit 4,500
soldiers to reinforce troops in the south, where the army is deploying alongside
UN peacekeepers as part of the ceasefire agreement.
IMF welcomes new govt request for help on ailing economy
Agence France Presse/March 14/2025
The International Monetary Fund on Thursday welcomed the new Lebanese
government's request for support in addressing severe economic challenges.
Lebanon in January elected a new president after a more than two-year vacuum,
and then formed a government led by Prime Minister Nawaf Salam. In February the
IMF said it was open to a new loan agreement with the country following
discussions with its recently-appointed finance minister. The previous caretaker
administration did not enact reforms the IMF had demanded to implement a loan
package to save the collapsed economy. The world lender "welcomed the
authorities' request for a new IMF-supported program to bolster their efforts in
addressing Lebanon's significant economic challenges", the IMF said in a
statement. "Lebanon's economy remains severely depressed, and poverty and
unemployment are exceptionally high since the 2019 crisis," said Ernesto Ramirez
Rigo, the head of the IMF's delegation to Lebanon. Lebanon's economic crisis has
pushed most of the population below the poverty line, according to the United
Nations. International donors including the IMF have called on the Lebanese
authorities to implement major reforms, including restructuring the banking
sector, in order to unlock funding. In April 2022, Lebanon and the IMF reached
conditional agreement on a $3-billion-dollar loan package but painful reforms
that the 46-month financing program would require have not been undertaken.
Ramirez Rigo pointed to positive steps including the stabilization of the dollar
exchange rate and reduced inflation. But he said these were "insufficient to
address the ongoing economic, financial, and social challenges". "A
comprehensive strategy for economic rehabilitation is critical to restore
growth, reduce unemployment, and improve social conditions," he continued. "The
banking sector collapse continues to hamper economic activity and provision of
credit, with depositors unable to access their funds," Ramirez Rigo said. He
moreover pointed to substantial infrastructure and housing needs resulting from
the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, which ended with a November 27
ceasefire.
The Latest English LCCC
Miscellaneous Reports And News published
on March 14-15/2025
Mark Carney sworn in as Canada's prime minister, now faces Trump tariffs
Promit Mukherjee and David Ljunggren/OTTAWA
(Reuters)/March 14, 2025
Ex-central banker Mark Carney was formally sworn in as prime minister of Canada
on Friday, putting him in a position to fight tariffs from U.S. President Donald
Trump that could devastate the trade-dependent Canadian economy. In the presence
of Governor General Mary Simon, the personal representative of King Charles, who
is Canada's head of state, Carney took the oath of office. He reshaped his
cabinet with a view to dealing with Washington, and cut several ministerial
positions that he inherited from his predecessor, Justin Trudeau. Finance
Minister Dominic LeBlanc is moving to the international trade portfolio and will
be replaced by current Innovation Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne. Foreign
Minister Melanie Joly stays in her post. "We're building a government that meets
the moment. Canadians expect action — and that's what this team will deliver,"
Carney said in a post on X. "A smaller, experienced cabinet that moves faster,
secures our economy, and protects Canada's future." He is due to address
reporters later in the day. The moment capped a momentous rise for the
59-year-old, who becomes the first Canadian prime minister without any serious
political experience. Carney plans to travel to London and Paris next week, said
a diplomat aware of the plans. Canada has sought to shore up alliances in Europe
as its relations with the United States sink to unprecedented lows. Carney
crushed his rivals on Sunday in a race to become leader of the ruling Liberal
Party. He replaces Trudeau, who spent more than nine years in office. Former
finance minister Chrystia Freeland, whose shock resignation last December
triggered a crisis that helped push out Trudeau, becomes transport minister.
Carney, a former head of both the Bank of Canada and Bank of England,
successfully argued his position as an outsider with a history of tackling
crises meant he was the best person to take on Trump, who has repeatedly talked
about annexing Canada. On Wednesday, Carney told reporters that he was ready to
meet Trump when "there is respect for Canadian sovereignty."He also said he
would keep in place retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods until the United States
showed Canada some respect. Efforts are underway to arrange a call between Trump
and Carney in the next couple of days, Joly told reporters on Friday. The
cabinet will likely not be in office for long, since Liberal insiders say Carney
will call a snap election within the next two weeks. If he changes his mind,
opposition parties say they will unite to bring down the minority Liberal
government in a confidence vote at the end of March. Once the election is
called, Carney will be very limited in what he can do politically because
convention dictates he cannot make major decisions when running for office.
Opinion polls currently suggest it will be a close race with the official
opposition Conservatives, with neither party gaining enough seats for a majority
government.
Syrian
foreign minister visits Iraq, calls for reopening of border
Reuters/March 14, 2025
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Syria's foreign minister made his first visit to Iraq since
the fall of Bashar al-Assad, and called on Baghdad to reopen the border between
the two countries that it had shut in the wake of the revolt that toppled him.
Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani said the aim of Friday's visit was to enhance
trade between the two countries, and reopening the border would be a fundamental
step in doing so. Iraq, which battled Islamic State fighters that captured
territory on both sides of the border from 2014-2017, shut the frontier on
security grounds following the revolt that toppled Assad. Shibani said that
Damascus was ready to cooperate with Baghdad in combating Islamic State, adding
that "Syria's security is integral to Iraq's security". Iraqi Foreign Minister
Fuad Hussein also stressed the importance of international coordination to fight
Islamic State.
Head of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria has been
killed, Iraqi prime minister says
QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA/BAGHDAD (AP)/March 14, 2025
The head of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria has been killed in Iraq in an
operation by members of the Iraqi national intelligence service along with
U.S.-led coalition forces, the Iraqi prime minister announced Friday. “The
Iraqis continue their impressive victories over the forces of darkness and
terrorism,” Prime Minister Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani said in a statement
posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. Abdallah Maki Mosleh al-Rifai, or “Abu
Khadija,” was “deputy caliph” of the militant group and as “one of the most
dangerous terrorists in Iraq and the world," the statement said. A security
official said the operation was carried out by an airstrike in Anbar province,
in western Iraq. A second official said the operation took place Thursday night
but that al-Rifai's death was confirmed Friday. They spoke on condition of
anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly. The announcement
came on the same day as the first visit by Syria’s top diplomat to Iraq, during
which the two countries pledged to work together to combat IS. Iraqi Foreign
Minister Fouad Hussein said at a news conference that “there are common
challenges facing Syrian and Iraqi society, and especially the terrorists of
IS.” He said the officials had spoken “in detail about the movements of ISIS,
whether on the Syrian-Iraqi border, inside Syria or inside Iraq” during the
visit. Hussein referred to an operations room formed by Syria, Iraq, Turkey,
Jordan and Lebanon at a recent meeting in Amman to confront IS, and said it
would soon begin work. The relationship between Iraq and Syria is somewhat
fraught after the fall of former Syrian President Bashar Assad. Al-Sudani came
to power with the support of a coalition of Iran-backed factions, and Tehran was
a major backer of Assad. The current interim president of Syria, Ahmad al-Sharaa,
was previously known as Abu Mohammed al-Golani and fought as an al-Qaida
militant in Iraq after the U.S. invasion of 2003, and later fought against
Assad's government in Syria. But Syrian interim Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan
al-Shibani focused on the historic ties between the two countries. “Throughout
history, Baghdad and Damascus have been the capitals of the Arab and Islamic
world, sharing knowledge, culture and economy,” he said. Strengthening the
partnership between the two countries “will not only benefit our peoples, but
will also contribute to the stability of the region, making us less dependent on
external powers and better able to determine our own destiny,” he said. The
operation and the visit come at a time when Iraqi officials are anxious about an
IS resurgence in the wake of the fall of Assad in Syria. While Syria’s new
rulers - led by the Islamist former insurgent group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham - have
pursued IS cells since taking power, some fear a breakdown in overall security
that could allow the group to stage a resurgence. The U.S. and Iraq announced an
agreement last year to wind down the military mission in Iraq of an American-led
coalition fighting the Islamic State group by September 2025, with U.S. forces
departing some bases where they have stationed troops during a two-decade-long
military presence in the country. When the agreement was reached to end the
coalition’s mission in Iraq, Iraqi political leaders said the threat of IS was
under control and they no longer needed Washington’s help to beat back the
remaining cells. But the fall of Assad in December led some to reassess that
stance, including members of the Coordination Framework, a coalition of mainly
Shiite, Iran-allied political parties that brought current Iraqi Prime Minister
Mohammad Shia al-Sudani to power in late 2022.
Druze Religious Elders from Syria Make Visit to Israel
Asharq Al-Awsat/March 14/2025
A delegation of Druze religious elders from Syria crossed into Israel on Friday
for the first such visit in more than 50 years, underscoring Israel's backing
for the community amid growing tensions with the new government in Damascus.
Around 100 Druze sheikhs from villages on the slope of Mount Hermon in Syria,
overlooked by the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, are due to visit shrines
including sites held to be the tomb of prophet Shuayb, west of Tiberias, in the
Lower Galilee.
After entering the Golan Heights, cheered by Druze in traditional black clothes
and white and red head dress, some waving the white, blue, yellow, red and green
flag of the Druze, they travelled by bus to the town of Julis in Israel to meet
Mowafaq Tarif, spiritual leader of the group in Israel.
"Feeling proud and honored to visit here. We are one family and brothers," said
Nazeh Rakab, from Hadar in Syria, as he watched the welcome ceremony in Julis,
where hundreds gathered to greet the delegation waving Druze flags, with some
firing into the air from the rooftops in celebration. The Druze, an Arab
minority who practice a religion originally derived from Islam, live in an area
straddling Lebanon, Syria, Israel and the Golan Heights, connected across the
borders by a web of kinship ties. In Israel, many serve in the military and
police, including during the war in Gaza, and some have reached high rank.
Condemnation
The visit followed an invitation from the Druze community in Israel, according
to a source close to the delegation, but has been met with opposition from other
Druze in Syria. The minority accounts for about three percent of Syria's
population and are heavily concentrated in the southern province of Sweida.
Other residents of Hadar condemned the trip, saying in a statement that the
clerics "represent only themselves". They accused Israel of "exploiting this
religious visit as a tool to sow division" and of "seeking to use the Druze
community as a defensive line to achieve its expansionist interests in southern
Syria". Friday's visit is intended to be a purely religious occasion but its
political significance was underscored by Israeli airstrikes on what Israel
described as command centers of the Iranian-backed Islamic Jihad movement in
Damascus a day earlier. Israeli ministers have expressed deep misgivings about
the new government of interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, describing his Hayat
Tahrir al-Sham movement as an extremist group. The group was formerly affiliated
with Al-Qaeda but later renounced the connection. On Thursday, Israel, which has
been urging support for the Druze following the overthrow of Syrian leader
Bashar al-Assad in December, sent truckloads of aid including oil, flour, salt
and sugar, most to the Sweida. Earlier this week,
Defense Minister Israel Katz said Syrian Druze would be allowed to enter and
work in the Golan Heights, which Israel captured from Syria in the 1967 war, and
Israel has also said it would protect Druze in Syria if needed. In early March,
following a deadly clash between government-linked forces and Druze fighters in
the suburbs of Damascus, Katz said his country would not allow Syria's new
rulers "to harm the Druze". Druze leaders immediately rejected Katz's warning
and declared their loyalty to a united Syria.
Dozens of Syrian Druze make rare visit to
Israeli-controlled Golan Heights
Associated Press/March 14/2025
Dozens of clerics and others from Syria's minority Druze community crossed into
the Israeli-controlled side of the Golan Heights Friday for the first time in
decades. The nearly 100 Syrian Druze crossed the
heavily-fortified border area in three buses, escorted by members of the Israeli
military. They are expected to visit a religious shrine on the Israeli side of
the border. The rare visit comes three months after the end of a five-decade
grip on power by the Assad family in Syria. Israel has said it is ready to
protect the Druze of Syria if they come under attack by the country's new
rulers. Many Druze have rejected Israel's overtures, and critics accuse Israel
of trying to weaken and divide Syria following the overthrow of President Bashar
Assad. Nevertheless, a group of Druze from the Israeli-controlled Golan heights
welcomed the Syrian Druze at the crossing point who waved the multi-colored flag
of the religious minority, chanting in Arabic "It is written on our doors,
welcome to our beloved ones."
Historic crossing
"This is a historic visit between families. We have families inside (Syria), and
they are the same when they come. They have families here," said Majdal Shams,
resident Jawlan Abu Zed. "They are religious men who are coming to visit the
holy sites, just like our Sunni brothers who go to visit Mecca, just like our
Christian brothers who go to visit the Vatican."The Druze is one of the Middle
East's most insular religious sect, beginning as a 10th-century offshoot of
Ismailism, a branch of Shiite Islam. Most Druze religious practices are shrouded
in secrecy, with outsiders not allowed to convert.
Over half of the roughly 1 million Druze worldwide live in Syria. Most other
Druze live in Lebanon and Israel and the Golan Heights, a rocky plateau seized
from Syria by Israel in the 1967 Mideast war. Israel's 1981 annexation of the
area is recognized only by the United States, with the rest of the world
considering it occupied Syrian territory. Crossing
from Syria into Israeli-controlled territory was restricted in the past. The
religious leadership of the Druze sect in Lebanon have urged clerics not to
visit Israel, saying those who do it will be violating its orders. Although
Israeli citizenship is open for the Druze of the Golan Heights, most have opted
not to take it, though they have residency rights. Some families are split apart
by what is known as the Alpha Line, the start of a buffer zone that separates
the Israeli-controlled area of the Golan Heights from Syria. They navigate their
historically Syrian identity while living under Israeli rule. On the Syrian side
of the border, the Druze generally adopted Arab nationalism, including support
for the Palestinian cause.
Recent violence in Syria
The rare visit comes days after clashes between fighters loyal to Assad and
forces of the country's new Islamist rulers in Syria that sparked the worst
violence Syria has seen since December, when insurgents led by the Islamist
group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, overthrew Assad. The clashes led to wave of
revenge attacks in Syria's coastal region by Sunni gunmen against members of the
minority Alawite sect to which the Assad family belongs. A war monitor said
nearly 1,500 civilians, mostly Alawites, were killed within three days of
clashes and shootings. The Associated Press could not independently confirm the
figures. Like many of Syria's ethnic and religious minorities, the Druze are
concerned about how the new transitional government will treat them, although
authorities have promised to include them in the political process. Syria's
interim president, Ahmad al-Sharaa, is the leader of HTS, which was affiliated
with al-Qaida's branch in Syria. The Druze delegation from Syria is scheduled to
meet with the religious leader of the sect in Israel, Mowafaq Tarif, to discuss
the conditions for the Druze of Syria. On Sunday, Israel's Defense Minister
Israel Katz said Israel will allow Druze from Syria to enter the country for
work although it is not clear when it will start.
Qatar Will Send Natural Gas to Syria to Increase Its Meager Electricity Supply
Asharq Al-Awsat/March 14/2025
Qatar will provide natural gas supplies to Syria with the aim of generating 400
megawatts of electricity a day, in a measure to help address the war-battered
country’s severe electricity shortages, Syrian state-run news agency SANA
reported Friday. Syria’s interim Minister of
Electricity Omar Shaqrouq said the Qatari supplies are expected to increase the
daily state-provided electricity supply from two to four hours per day. Under
the deal, Qatar will send 2 million cubic meters of natural gas a day to the
Deir Ali power station, south of Damascus, via a pipeline passing through
Jordan. Qatar’s state-run news agency said that the
initiative was part of an agreement between the Qatar Fund for Development and
the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources of Jordan in collaboration with the
United Nations Development Program and “aims to address the country’s severe
shortage in electricity production and enhance its infrastructure.”Syria’s
economy and infrastructure, including electricity production, has been
devastated by nearly 14 years of civil war and crushing Western sanctions
imposed on the government of former President Bashar al-Assad.
Those who can afford it rely on solar power and private generators to
make up for the meager state power supply, while others remain most of the day
without power. Since Assad was ousted in a lightning
opposition offensive in December, the country’s new rulers have struggled to
consolidate control over territory that was divided into de facto mini-states
during the war and to begin the process of reconstruction.
The United Nations in 2017 estimated that it would cost at least $250
billion to rebuild Syria, while experts say that number could reach at least
$400 billion. The United States remains circumspect
about the interim government and current President Ahmad al-Sharaa, the former
leader of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group. Washington designates HTS as a
terrorist organization and has been reluctant to lift sanctions. In January,
however, the US eased some restrictions, issuing a six-month general license
that authorizes certain transactions with the Syrian government, including some
energy sales and incidental transactions.
White House says Hamas making ‘very bad bet’ in Gaza
talks
AFP/March 14, 2025
WASHINGTON: The White House accused Hamas on Friday of making “entirely
impractical” demands and stalling on a deal to release a US-Israeli hostage in
exchange for an extension of the Gaza ceasefire. “Hamas is making a very bad bet
that time is on its side. It is not,” a statement from the office of President
Donald Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff and the US National Security Council said.
“Hamas is well aware of the deadline, and should know that we will
respond accordingly if that deadline passes,” it said, adding that Trump had
already vowed Hamas would “pay a severe price” for not freeing hostages.
Hamas said earlier on Friday it was ready to free an Israeli-American hostage
and the remains of four others, after the Palestinian militants and Israel
resumed indirect Gaza ceasefire negotiations. Witkoff presented a “bridge”
proposal in Qatar on Wednesday to extend the first phase of the truce to
mid-April if Hamas releases living hostages in exchange for Palestinian
prisoners. “Hamas was told in no uncertain terms that this ‘bridge’ would have
to be implemented soon — and that dual US-Israeli citizen Edan Alexander would
have to be released immediately,” the statement said.
“Unfortunately, Hamas has chosen to respond by publicly claiming flexibility
while privately making demands that are entirely impractical without a permanent
ceasefire,” it added. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, asked if the United
States was prioritizing the release of the American hostage, said: “We care
about all the hostages.”“We’re acting like this is a normal exchange, this is a
normal thing that happens. This is an outrage. So they should all be released,”
Rubio told reporters after Group of Seven talks in Canada. “I’m not going to
comment on what we’re going to accept and not accept, other than that all of us
— the whole world — should continue to say that what Hamas has done is
outrageous, it’s ridiculous, it’s sick, it’s disgusting,” he said.
Hamas Says It Will Release a US-Israeli Hostage and 4
Bodies, but Israel Expresses Immediate Doubt
Asharq Al-Awsat/March 14/2025
Palestinian group Hamas said Friday that it has accepted a proposal from
mediators to release one living American-Israeli hostage and the bodies of four
dual nationals who had died in captivity. The Israeli prime minister's office
cast doubt on the offer, accusing Hamas of trying to manipulate talks underway
in Qatar on the next stage of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire. Hamas, which rules
over what remains of the Gaza Strip, didn't immediately specify when the release
of soldier Edan Alexander and the four bodies would take place — or what it
expected to get in return. Alexander was 19 when he was abducted from his base
on the border with Gaza in southern Israel during Hamas' attack on Oct. 7, 2023
that sparked the war, which has been the deadliest and most destructive fighting
ever between Israel and Hamas. It wasn't clear which
mediators had proposed the release to Hamas. The United States, led by Trump
administration hostage envoy Steve Witkoff, has been pushing for a proposal that
would extend the truce and see some hostage-for-prisoner exchanges.
Following the Hamas statement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu's office said that Israel had “accepted the Witkoff outline and showed
flexibility,” but that “Hamas is refusing and will not budge from its
positions.” “At the same time, it continues to use
manipulation and psychological warfare — the reports about Hamas’ willingness to
release American hostages are intended to sabotage the negotiations,” read a
letter from the government to hostage families.
It added that Israel’s negotiating team would return Friday from Qatar's
capital, Doha. Netanyahu said that he plans to convene his ministerial team on
Saturday night to hear from the negotiators and decide on the next steps. Hamas,
meanwhile, sent a delegation to Cairo to discuss the ceasefire negotiations with
Egyptian officials. Egypt, Qatar and the US all have been acting as mediators.
Ceasefire is at a tense point
The first phase of the ceasefire ended two weeks ago, but the pause in fighting
has held — if tensely — for now. The White House made a surprise announcement
last week, saying that American officials had engaged in “ongoing talks and
discussions” with Hamas, stepping away from a long-held US policy of not
directly engaging with the group. That prompted a terse response from
Netanyahu’s office. It wasn't immediately clear
whether those talks were linked to Hamas’ announcement on Friday about releasing
Alexander and the remains of the four additional captives, whose names weren't
disclosed.
In a separate statement, Hamas official Husam Badran reaffirmed what he said was
the group's commitment to fully implementing the ceasefire agreement in all its
phases. He warned that any Israeli deviation from the terms would return
negotiations to square one. The first phase of the ceasefire allowed the return
of 25 living hostages and the remains of eight others in exchange for the
release of nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. Israeli
forces have withdrawn to buffer zones inside Gaza, hundreds of thousands of
displaced Palestinians have returned to northern Gaza and hundreds of trucks of
aid entered daily until Israel cut off supplies to the territory's 2 million
people two weeks ago. Hamas is believed to be holding 24 living hostages and the
bodies of 35 others. A group that represents the
families of most captives said Friday that it welcomed plans to release any of
the hostages, but that the focus must remain on returning all of them.
“Without a comprehensive deal, we risk sealing the fate of all remaining
hostages,” the Hostage Families Forum said in a statement.
Israel has been urging Hamas to release half of the remaining hostages in
return for an extension of the first phase, and a promise to negotiate a lasting
truce. The supply cutoff came as Israel pressed the group to agree. About 80% of
Gaza's residents have lost access to food sources, and 90% can't access clean
drinking water, according to the Hamas-run government media office in Gaza.
Hamas wants to start negotiations on the ceasefire’s more difficult second
phase, which would entail the release of the remaining hostages, the withdrawal
of Israeli forces and a lasting peace.
Muslims pray during restrictions at Al-Aqsa Mosque
The developments came as Jews began celebrating the Purim holiday, and Muslims
continued marking the holy month of Ramadan. Around 80,000 Muslim worshippers
prayed Friday at Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, according to the Islamic
Trust, which monitors the site. Israel is tightly controlling access to the
prayers, allowing only men over age 55 and women over 50 to enter from the
occupied territory. “The conditions are extremely
difficult,” said Yousef Badreen, a Palestinian who left the southern West Bank
city of Hebron at dawn to make it to Jerusalem. “We wish they will open it for
good.” Hamas accused Israel of escalating a “religious war” against
Palestinians, casting the Al-Aqsa restrictions as “systematic targeting of
Muslim religious practices." The Israeli government didn't immediately respond
to the accusations.
US and Israel look to Africa for resettling Palestinians
uprooted from Gaza
Associated Press/March 14/2025
The U.S. and Israel have reached out to officials of three East African
governments to discuss using their territories as potential destinations for
resettling Palestinians uprooted from the Gaza Strip under President Donald
Trump's proposed postwar plan, American and Israeli officials say. The contacts
with Sudan, Somalia and the breakaway region of Somalia known as Somaliland
reflect the determination by the U.S. and Israel to press ahead with a plan that
has been widely condemned and raised serious legal and moral issues. Because all
three places are poor, and in some cases wracked by violence, the proposal also
casts doubt on Trump's stated goal of resettling Gaza's Palestinians in a
"beautiful area."Officials from Sudan said they have rejected overtures from the
U.S., while officials from Somalia and Somaliland told The Associated Press that
they were not aware of any contacts. Under Trump's plan, Gaza's more than 2
million people would be permanently sent elsewhere. He has proposed the U.S.
would take ownership of the territory, oversee a lengthy cleanup process and
develop it as a real estate project. The idea of a
mass transfer of Palestinians was once considered a fantasy of Israel's
ultranationalist fringe. But since Trump presented the idea at a White House
meeting last month, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has hailed it as a
" bold vision."Palestinians in Gaza have rejected the proposal and dismiss
Israeli claims that the departures would be voluntary. Arab nations have
expressed vehement opposition and offered an alternative reconstruction plan
that would leave the Palestinians in place. Rights groups have said forcing or
pressuring the Palestinians to leave could be a potential war crime.
Still, the White House says Trump "stands by his vision."
Speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss a secret diplomatic initiative,
U.S. and Israeli officials confirmed the contacts with Somalia and Somaliland,
while the Americans confirmed Sudan as well. They said it was unclear how much
progress the efforts made or at what level the discussions took place. Separate
outreach from the U.S. and Israel to the three potential destinations began last
month, days after Trump floated the Gaza plan alongside Netanyahu, according to
the U.S. officials, who said that Israel was taking the lead in the discussions.
Israel and the U.S. have a variety of incentives — financial, diplomatic and
security — to offer these potential partners. It is a formula that Trump used
five years ago when he brokered the Abraham Accords — a series of mutually
beneficial diplomatic accords between Israel and four Arab countries. The White
House declined to comment on the outreach efforts. The offices of Netanyahu and
Ron Dermer, the Israeli Cabinet minister and Netanyahu confidant who has been
leading Israel's postwar planning, also had no comment. But Finance Minister
Bezalel Smotrich, a longtime advocate of what he calls "voluntary" emigration of
Palestinians, said this week that Israel is working to identify countries to
take in Palestinians. He also said Israel is preparing a "very large emigration
department" within its Defense Ministry. Here is a closer look at the places the
officials say have been approached.
Sudan
The North African country was among the four Abraham Accord nations that agreed
to normalize diplomatic relations with Israel in 2020. As part of the deal, the
U.S. removed Sudan from its list of state supporters of terrorism, a move that
gave the country access to international loans and global legitimacy. But
relations with Israel never took off as Sudan plunged into civil war between
government forces and the RSF paramilitary group. The conflict has been marked
by atrocities, including ethnically motivated killing and rape, according to the
U.N. and rights groups. The International Criminal Court is investigating
alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity, and then-President Joe Biden's
administration in January said the RSF and its proxies were committing genocide.
The U.S. and Israel would be hard-pressed to persuade Palestinians to leave
Gaza, particularly to such a troubled country. But they could offer incentives
to the Khartoum government, including debt relief, weapons, technology and
diplomatic support. Two Sudanese officials, speaking on condition of anonymity
to discuss a sensitive diplomatic matter, confirmed that the Trump
administration has approached the military-led government about accepting
Palestinians. One of them said the contacts began even before Trump's
inauguration with offers of military assistance against the RSF, assistance with
postwar reconstruction and other incentives. Both officials said the Sudanese
government rejected the idea. "This suggestion was immediately rebuffed," said
one official. "No one opened this matter again." Military chief Gen.
Abdel-Fattah Burhan told an Arab leaders' summit last week in Cairo that his
country "categorically rejects" any plan that aims to transfer "the brotherly
Palestinians from their land under whatever justification or name."
Somaliland
Somaliland, a territory of over 3 million people in the Horn of Africa, seceded
from Somalia over 30 years ago, but it is not internationally recognized as an
independent state. Somalia considers Somaliland part of its territory.
Somaliland's new president, Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi, has made international
recognition a priority. An American official involved in the efforts confirmed
that the U.S. was "having a quiet conversation with Somaliland about a range of
areas where they can be helpful to the U.S. in exchange for recognition." The
possibility of U.S. recognition could provide an incentive for Abdullahi to back
away from the territory's solidarity with the Palestinians. The United Arab
Emirates, another Abraham Accord country that has developed strong ties with
Israel, once had a military base in Somaliland and maintains commercial
interests there, including a port. The territory's strategic location, in the
Gulf of Aden waterway near Yemen, home to the Houthi rebel group, could also
make it a valuable ally. Over the years, Somaliland has been lauded for its
relatively stable political environment, contrasting sharply with Somalia's
ongoing struggles amid deadly attacks by al-Qaida-linked militant group
al-Shabab. Since 1991, Somaliland has maintained its own government, currency
and security structures. Still, it has one of the lowest income levels in the
world. An official in Somaliland, speaking on condition of anonymity because he
was not authorized to talk to the media, said his government has not been
approached and is not in talks about taking in Palestinians.
Somalia
Somalia has been a vocal supporter of the Palestinians, often hosting peaceful
protests on its streets in support of them. The country joined the recent Arab
summit that rejected Trump's plan and seems like an unlikely destination for
Palestinians, even if they did agree to move. Sambu Chepkorir, a lawyer and
conflict researcher in Nairobi, Kenya, said it is difficult to understand why
Somalia would want to host Palestinians given the country's strong support for
Palestinian self-rule. "The realignments keep changing, and so maybe there is a
hidden agenda in why Somalia," Chepkorir said.
A Somali official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not
authorized to talk to the media, said the country had not been approached about
taking in Palestinians from Gaza and there had been no discussions about it.
Israeli Settlers Attack West Bank Village, Residents Say
Asharq Al-Awsat/March 14/2025
Israeli settlers attacked the Palestinian village of Khirbet al-Marjam in the
occupied West Bank on Thursday night, burning three houses and a number of cars
in the latest in a series of raids that have surged during the war in Gaza.
Local residents said settlers stormed through the village, firing live
ammunition and hurling teargas bombs at people trying to put out the flames.
CCTV footage showed masked individuals entering Palestinians' property, throwing
objects around and destroying a security camera. "They
climbed on top of the house and started to throw stones," resident Maysoom
Msalam said. "They broke the door and the windows. Then they burnt this door and
entered and set fire inside the house." The Israeli military said troops and
police intervened to disperse a group of masked Israelis who had set property on
fire. It said there had been an earlier report that Palestinians had attempted
to steal a herd of animals belonging to Israelis.
Ghassan Daghlas, governor of the nearby city of Nablus, dismissed suggestions
that Palestinians had provoked the attack. "This is an attack aimed at expelling
citizens from their lands by settlers, a project to displace Palestinians from
their lands," he told Reuters. "Through this attack, the settlers are telling
Palestinians, either you leave, or we will burn you. The situation is very
difficult, the settlers are getting more violent."The attacks have come as
Israeli ministers have been calling openly for a full annexation of the West
Bank, a territory captured by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war, which
Palestinians see as the core of a future independent state along with Gaza and
East Jerusalem. According to figures from the United Nations humanitarian agency
OCHA there were at least 1,580 attacks on Palestinians by Israeli settlers that
resulted in casualties, property damage or both last year, and another 220 since
the start of this year. In one of the biggest recent attacks, Bedouin families
in the Jordan Valley, said bands of Israeli settlers stole hundreds of sheep and
goats last week, having first accused the Bedouin of trying to steal their
animals. Most countries consider Israeli settlements in the West Bank to be
illegal, a position rejected by Israel, which cites the Jewish people's
historical and Biblical connection to the land.
Hamas says will free US-Israeli hostage to keep ceasefire
talks rolling
Associated Press/March 14/2025
Hamas said on Friday it has accepted a proposal from mediators to release one
living American-Israeli hostage and the bodies of four dual-nationals who had
died in captivity. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office cast doubt
on the offer, accusing Hamas of trying to manipulate talks underway in Qatar on
the next stage of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire. The militant group in the Gaza
Strip did not immediately specify when the release of soldier Edan Alexander and
the four bodies would occur — or what it expected to get in return. Alexander
was 19 when he was abducted from his base on the border with Gaza in southern
Israel during the Hamas attack on Oct. 7, 2023 that sparked the war. It was not
clear which mediators had proposed the release to Hamas. The United States, led
by the Trump administration's hostage envoy Steve Witkoff, has been pushing for
a proposal that would extend the truce and see a limited number of hostage for
prisoner exchanges. Following the Hamas statement,
Netanyahu's office said Israel had "accepted the Witkoff outline and showed
flexibility," but said that "Hamas is refusing and will not budge from its
positions.""At the same time, it continues to use manipulation and psychological
warfare — the reports about Hamas' willingness to release American hostages are
intended to sabotage the negotiations," the prime minister's office said.
It added that Netanyahu would convene his ministerial team on Saturday night to
receive a detailed report from the negotiation team and "decide on the next
steps for the release of hostages."The first phase of the ceasefire ended two
weeks ago.
The White House last week made a surprise announcement, saying that American
officials had engaged in "ongoing talks and discussions" with Hamas officials,
stepping away from a long-held U.S. policy of not directly engaging with the
militant group. That prompted a terse response from Netanyahu's office. It was
not immediately clear whether those talks were at all linked to Hamas' Friday
announcement about the release of the American hostage. In a separate statement,
Hamas official Husam Badran reaffirmed what he said was Hamas' commitment to
fully implementing the ceasefire agreement in all its phases, warning that any
Israeli deviation from the terms would return negotiations to square one. The
ceasefire has paused the deadliest and most destructive fighting ever between
Israel and Hamas. The first phase allowed the return of 25 living hostages and
the remains of eight others in exchange for the release of nearly 2,000
Palestinian prisoners. Israeli forces have withdrawn to buffer zones inside
Gaza, hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians have returned to northern
Gaza for the first time since early in the war, and hundreds of trucks of aid
entered per day until Israel suspended supplies. Israel has been pressing Hamas
to release half of the remaining hostages in return for an extension of the
first phase, and a promise to negotiate a lasting truce. Hamas is believed to
have 24 living hostages and the bodies of 35 others. Two weeks ago, Israel cut
off all supplies to Gaza and its more than 2 million people as it pressed Hamas
to agree. The militant group has said that the move would affect the remaining
hostages as well. Hamas wants to start negotiations on the ceasefire's more
difficult second phase, which would see the release of remaining hostages from
Gaza, the withdrawal of Israeli forces and a lasting peace. The militant group
said with support cut off to Gaza, some 80% of the population has now lost
access to food sources, with aid distribution halted and markets running out of
supplies, while 90% are unable to access clean drinking water. In Jerusalem,
some 80,000 Muslim worshippers prayed on Friday at the Al-Aqsa mosque compound
for the second week of Ramadan, according to the Islamic Trust, which monitors
the site. Israel is tightly controlling access, allowing only men over 55 and
women over 50 to enter from the occupied territory for the prayers. "The
conditions are extremely difficult," said Yousef Badeen, a Palestinian who had
left the southern West Bank city of Hebron at dawn to make it to Jerusalem,
said. "We wish they will open it for good." Hamas accused Israel of escalating a
"religious war" against Palestinians with what it called the "systematic
targeting of Muslim religious practices" through its restrictions at Al-Aqsa
mosque.
Turkish top officials make sudden trip to Damascus
Associated Press/March 14/2025
Turkey's top diplomat, defense minister and intelligence chief paid a sudden
visit to Damascus on Thursday, days after Syria's interim government reached a
deal to integrate a U.S backed Kurdish-led armed group into the country's army.
The agreement to integrate the Syrian Democratic Forces, or SDF, into the
Syrian government followed fierce clashes that erupted last week between
government security forces and gunmen loyal to ousted leader Bashar Assad.
Monitoring groups said hundreds of civilians were killed in the violence in
Syria's coastal communities, primarily targeting members of the Alawite
religious minority to which Assad belongs. Ahmad
al-Sharaa, Syria's interim president and a former rebel, met with Hakan Fidan,
Turkey's foreign minister; Yasar Guler, defense minister, and Ibrahim Kalin,
head of national intelligence. They were accompanied by Turkey's ambassador to
Syria, Burhan Koroglu. According to local news agency DHA, an official from the
Turkish Defense Ministry, speaking on the customary condition of anonymity, said
earlier Thursday that Ankara intends to examine "how the agreement reached will
be implemented and its reflections on the field." The official added that
Turkey's expectations on Syria have not changed. "There is no change in our
expectations for the termination of terrorist activities in Syria, the
disarmament of terrorists and the expulsion of foreign terrorists from Syria,"
the official said. Turkey designates the SDF and its military arm, People's
Protection Units, as terrorist organizations because of their links to the
banned Kurdistan Workers' Party. As the Turkish
delegation was flying unannounced to Damascus, Turkey's President Recep Tayyip
Erdogan presented awards for "benevolence and kindness" to a former Syrian
fighter pilot imprisoned for 43 years. The ceremony, hosted by a foundation
linked to Turkey's religious authority, honored Ragheed al-Tatari. Erdogan
praised al-Tatari for his perseverance and gave him an award for his
"benevolence."Al-Tatari was imprisoned under the rule of Syrian presidents Hafez
al-Assad and later Bashar al-Assad. He had been detained since 1981. There are
conflicting accounts for his imprisonment including refusing to bomb the city of
Hama and failing to report a pilot desertion attempt. Over four decades,
al-Tatari was moved among prisons notorious for housing political inmates,
including Palmyra prison and Sednaya. His imprisonment, described by human
rights groups as one of the longest in Syria for a political prisoner, ended in
December when opposition forces freed him. In a speech
on stage, Erdogan lauded al-Tatari, calling him "the brave Syrian pilot who
listened to his conscience."
Putin tells Ukraine troops in Russian region to
‘surrender’
AFP/March 14, 2025
KYIV: President Vladimir Putin on Friday called on beleaguered Ukrainian troops
in the Russian region of Kursk to “surrender” as Ukraine’s President Volodymyr
Zelensky accused the Russian leader of seeking to sabotage a ceasefire
initiative. US President Donald Trump urged Putin to
spare the lives of the Ukrainian troops as he said his envoy had held
“productive” talks with Russia’s leader on a proposed 30-day ceasefire.
Russia has mounted a rapid counteroffensive in the western border region
of Kursk over the past week, recapturing much of the territory Ukraine seized in
a shock incursion last August.
Defeat in Kursk would be a major blow to Ukraine’s plans to use its hold on the
region as a bargaining chip in peace talks for the three-year-old war.
“We are sympathetic to President Trump’s call,” Putin said in remarks
broadcast on Russian television.
“If they lay down their arms and surrender, they will be guaranteed life and
dignified treatment,” Putin said. Trump said
“thousands” of Ukrainian troops were “completely surrounded by the Russian
military, and in a very bad and vulnerable position.”
“I have strongly requested to President Putin that their lives be spared. This
would be a horrible massacre, one not seen since World War II,” Trump said.
Ukraine’s military leadership denied the claims. “There is no threat of
our units being encircled,” Ukraine’s General Staff posted on social media.
Zelensky gave a more sober assessment in comments to reporters in Kyiv. “The
situation in the Kursk region is obviously very difficult,” he said, while
insisting the campaign still had value. Russia, he
said, had been forced to pull troops from other areas on the front line, easing
pressure on Ukrainian troops fighting to keep control of the eastern logistics
hub of Pokrovsk. Trump’s latest comments came as he
gave an update on a meeting Thursday between his envoy Steve Witkoff and Putin
on a US-Ukrainian proposal for a 30-day pause in hostilities.
“We had very good and productive discussions with President Vladimir
Putin of Russia yesterday, and there is a very good chance that this horrible,
bloody war can finally come to an end,” Trump said on his Truth Social platform.
Putin said Thursday that he had “serious questions” about the proposal
and that events in Kursk would influence the next moves toward a ceasefire.
Zelensky accused the Russian leader of seeking to undermine the ceasefire
initiative.
“He is now doing everything he can to sabotage diplomacy by setting extremely
difficult and unacceptable conditions right from the start even before a
ceasefire,” Zelensky posted on X. The Kremlin said
Friday that it was “cautiously optimistic” a deal could be reached, but that
Trump and Putin had to speak directly before talks could progress.
US National Security Adviser Mike Waltz said in a Fox News interview that
the United States had “some cautious optimism” after Witkoff’s visit.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said at a meeting of the Group of Seven
western powers in Canada that both sides would have to make “concessions.”G7
foreign ministers warned Russia of new sanctions unless it accepted a ceasefire
“on equal terms,” saying sanctions could include “caps on oil prices, as well as
additional support for Ukraine, and other means.”France and Germany accused
Russia of seeking to block a ceasefire, and support for Ukraine was to be
discussed again in a video conference of some European leaders with Zelensky on
Saturday. Diplomatic sources said EU foreign affairs
chief Kaja Kallas would propose that the 27-country bloc supply up to 40 billion
euros ($43.5 billion) in new military aid to Ukraine.
Ukraine hoped its hold on Kursk would be a bargaining chips in talks with Russia
and way eyeing a potential land swap with Moscow, which has occupied around a
fifth of Ukraine since it took Crimea in 2014 and launched its military
offensive in February 2022.
Kremlin Says Putin Sent Trump a Message on Ukraine
Ceasefire Idea, Talks of 'Cautious Optimism'
Asharq Al-Awsat/March 14/2025
The Kremlin said on Friday that Russian President Vladimir Putin had sent US
President Donald Trump a message about his proposal for a ceasefire in Ukraine
via Trump's special envoy and that there were grounds for "cautious optimism."
Putin held late night talks in Moscow with Steve Witkoff, Trump's envoy, to
discuss the US proposal for a 30-day ceasefire with Ukraine, Kremlin spokesman
Dmitry Peskov told reporters. Kyiv has already accepted the idea. Peskov said
Putin had conveyed "signals" to Trump via Witkoff, and had received information
from the American about US thinking on Ukraine. "There are certainly reasons to
be cautiously optimistic. You heard a very important statement yesterday from
President Putin, who was answering a journalist's question. He said that he
supports President Trump's position in terms of a settlement, but he voiced some
questions that need to be answered together," said Peskov."So, yes, indeed,
there is still a lot to be done, but nevertheless, the president expressed
solidarity with Mr. Trump's position." Peskov said Russia and the US would work
out the timing of a phone call between their two presidents once Witkoff had
briefed Trump.
Iran’s Rulers Caught Between Trump’s Crackdown and a
Fragile Economy
Asharq Al-Awsat/March 14/2025
For Iran's clerical leaders, engaging with the "Great Satan" to hammer out a
nuclear deal and ease crippling sanctions may for once be the lesser of two
evils. Though it harbors deep mistrust of the United
States, and President Donald Trump in particular, Tehran is increasingly
concerned that mounting public anger over economic hardships could erupt into
mass protests, four Iranian officials said. That's
why, despite the unyielding stance and defiant rhetoric of Iran's clerical
leaders in public, there is a pragmatic willingness within Tehran's corridors of
power to strike a deal with Washington, the people said. Tehran's concerns were
exacerbated by Trump's speedy revival of his first term's "maximum pressure"
campaign to drive Iran's oil exports towards zero with more sanctions and bring
the country's already fragile economy to its knees, they said.
President Masoud Pezeshkian has repeatedly highlighted the severity of
the economic situation in the country, stating that it is more challenging than
during the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s, and pointing this month to the latest
round of US sanctions targeting tankers carrying Iranian oil. One of the Iranian
officials said leaders were concerned that cutting off all diplomatic avenues
might further fuel domestic discontent against Ali Khamenei - given he is the
ultimate decision maker in the country. "There is no question whatsoever that
the man who has been the Supreme Leader since 1989 and his foreign policy
preferences are more guilty than anybody else for the state of affairs," said
Alex Vatanka, director of the Iran Program at the Middle East Institute
think-tank in Washington. It was Iran's weak economy that pushed Khamenei to
give tentative backing to the nuclear agreement struck with major powers in
2015, leading to a lifting of Western sanctions and an improvement in economic
conditions. But then-President Trump's renewed onslaught against Iran after he
pulled out of the nuclear pact in 2018 squeezed living standards once more. "The
situation worsens daily. I can't afford my rent, pay my bills, or buy clothes
for my children," said Alireza Yousefi, 42, a teacher from Isfahan. "Now, more
sanctions will make survival impossible."Iran's foreign ministry did not respond
to a Reuters request for comment.
'ON EQUAL TERMS'
At the same time as upping the pressure on Iran with new sanctions and threats
of military action, Trump also opened the door to negotiations by sending a
letter to Khamenei proposing nuclear talks. Khamenei spurned the offer on
Wednesday, saying repeatedly that Washington was imposing excessive demands and
that Tehran would not be bullied into negotiations. "If we enter negotiations
while the other side is imposing maximum pressure, we will be negotiating from a
weak position and will achieve nothing," Iran's top diplomat Abbas Araqchi told
the Iran newspaper in an interview published on Thursday. "The other side must
be convinced that the policy of pressure is ineffective - only then can we sit
at the negotiating table on equal terms," he said. One senior Iranian official
said there was no alternative but to reach an agreement, and that it was
possible, though the road ahead would be bumpy given Iran's distrust of Trump
after he abandoned the 2015 deal. Iran has staved off economic collapse largely
thanks to China, the main buyer of its oil and one of the few nations still
trading with Tehran despite sanctions. Oil exports slumped after Trump ditched
the nuclear deal but have recovered in the past few years, bringing in more than
$50 billion in revenue in both 2022 and 2023 as Iran found ways to skirt
sanctions, according to US Energy Information Administration estimates. Yet
uncertainty looms over the sustainability of the exports as Trump's maximum
pressure policy aims to throttle Iran's crude sales with multiple rounds of
sanctions on tankers and entities involved in the trade.
PUBLIC ANGER SIMMERS
Iran's rulers are also facing a string of other crises - energy and water
shortages, a collapsing currency, military setbacks among regional allies and
growing fears of an Israeli strike on its nuclear facilities - all intensified
by Trump's tough stance.
The energy and water sectors are suffering from a lack of investment in
infrastructure, overconsumption driven by subsidies, declining natural gas
production and inefficient irrigation, all leading to power blackouts and water
shortages. The Iranian rial has shed more than 90% of its value against the
dollar since the sanctions were reimposed in 2018, according to foreign exchange
websites, officials and lawmakers. Amid concerns about Trump's tough approach,
Iranians seeking safe havens for their savings have been buying dollars, other
hard currencies, gold or cryptocurrencies, suggesting further weakness for the
rial, according to state media reports. The price of rice has soared 200% since
last year, state media has reported. Housing and utility costs have spiked
sharply, climbing roughly 60% in some Tehran districts and other major cities in
recent months, driven by the rial's steep fall and soaring raw material costs,
according to media reports. Official inflation hovers around 40%, though some
Iranian experts say it is running at over 50%. The Statistical Center of Iran
reported a significant rise in food prices, with over a third of essential
commodities increasing by 40% in January to leave them more than double the same
month the previous year. In January, the Tasnim news agency quoted the head of
Iran's Institute of Labor and Social Welfare, Ebrahim Sadeghifar, as saying 22%
to 27% of Iranians were now below the poverty line. Iran's Jomhuri-ye Eslami
newspaper, meanwhile, said last week that poverty rates stood at around 50%. "I
can barely cover the rent for my carpet shop or pay my workers' salaries. No one
has the money to buy carpets. If this continues, I will have to lay off my
staff," Morteza, 39, said by phone from Tehran's Grand Bazaar, giving only his
first name. "How do they expect to solve the economic crisis if they refuse to
talk to Trump? Just talk to him and reach a deal. You cannot afford pride on an
empty stomach."
NUCLEAR RED LINE
Based on Iranian state media reports, there were at least 216 demonstrations
across Iran in February, involving retirees, workers, healthcare professionals,
students and merchants. The protests largely focused on economic hardships,
including low wages and months of unpaid salaries, according to the reports.
While the protests were mostly small-scale, officials fear a deterioration in
living standards could be explosive. "The country is like a powder keg, and
further economic strain could be the spark that sets it off," said one of the
four officials, who is close to the government. Iran's ruling elite is acutely
aware of the risk of a resurgence of the unrest similar to the 2022-2023
protests over Mahsa Amini's death in custody, or the nationwide protests in 2019
over fuel price rises, the officials said. The senior
Iranian official said there had been several high-level meetings to discuss the
possibility of new mass protests - and potential measures to head them off.
Nevertheless, despite the worries about potential unrest, Iranian
officials said Tehran was only prepared to go so far in any talks with Trump,
stressing that "excessive demands", such as dismantling Iran's peaceful nuclear
program or its conventional missile capabilities, were off the table. "Yes,
there are concerns about more economic pressure, there are concerns about the
nation's growing anger, but we cannot sacrifice our right to produce nuclear
energy because Trump wants it," the senior official said.
Ali Vaez, Iran project director at the International Crisis Group, said Iran's
rulers believed that negotiating with Trump under coercion would signal
weakness, ultimately attracting more pressure than reducing it. "That is why
Khamenei seems to believe that the only thing that is more dangerous than
suffering from sanctions is surrendering to them," he said.
UN report warns Iran is stepping up electronic
surveillance of women to enforce headscarf laws
Jamey Keaten And Jon Gambrell/GENEVA (AP)/March 14, 2025
Iran is increasingly relying on electronic surveillance and the public to inform
on women refusing to wear the country's mandatory headscarf in public, as
hard-liners push for harsher penalties for those protesting the law, a United
Nations report released Friday found. The findings of the Independent
International Fact-Finding Mission on the Islamic Republic of Iran come after it
determined last year that the country’s theocracy was responsible for the
“physical violence” that led to the death of Mahsa Amini.
The 22-year-old's death led to nationwide protests against the country’s
mandatory hijab laws and the public disobedience against them that continues
despite the threat of violent arrest and imprisonment. “Two and a half years
after the protests began in September 2022, women and girls in Iran continue to
face systematic discrimination, in law and in practice, that permeates all
aspects of their lives, particularly with respect to the enforcement of the
mandatory hijab,” the report said. “The state is
increasingly reliant on state-sponsored vigilantism in an apparent effort to
enlist businesses and private individuals in hijab compliance, portraying it as
a civic responsibility," it added. Iran's diplomatic missions to the U.N. in New
York and Geneva did not respond to a request for comment on the findings of the
20-page report. Mission chair Sara Hossain cited two new areas of investigation
this year: One involved “the disturbing pattern” of deaths of some protesters,
including girls, which the state dismissed as cases of suicide. Families faced
“judicial harassment” such as being prevented from mourning loved ones who died,
she said. The mission was also looking at the use of mock executions. "We found
that detainees men, women and children had been held — in some cases at gunpoint
or had nooses put around their necks — in a form of psychological torture,”
Hossain told reporters in Geneva. The team found that
“chronic impunity” exists for those responsible for the repression, she added.
Drones, surveillance cameras monitor women
The investigators outlined how Iran increasingly relies on electronic
surveillance. Among the efforts include Iranian officials deploying “aerial
drone surveillance” to monitor women in public places. At Tehran's Amirkabir
University, authorities installed facial recognition software at its entrance
gate to find women not wearing the hijab, it said.
Surveillance cameras on Iran's major roadways also are believed to be involved
in searching for uncovered women. U.N. investigators said they obtained the
“Nazer” mobile phone app offered by Iranian police, which allows the public to
report on uncovered women in vehicles, including ambulances, buses, metro cars
and taxis. “Users may add the location, date, time and
the license plate number of the vehicle in which the alleged mandatory hijab
infraction occurred, which then ‘flags’ the vehicle online, alerting the
police,” the report said. “It then triggers a text message (in real-time) to the
registered owner of the vehicle, warning them that they had been found in
violation of the mandatory hijab laws, and that their vehicles would be
impounded for ignoring these warnings.”Those text messages have led to dangerous
situations. In July 2024, police officers shot and paralyzed a woman who
activists say had received such a message and was fleeing a checkpoint near the
Caspian Sea. The investigators found that 8,000 vehicles were confiscated
because their drivers weren't wearing the proper hijab. “What’s unusual and
extraordinary about this is the kind of activity that is being monitored through
the use of this app ... what a woman wears or doesn’t wear," Hossain said. "She
shouldn’t have to be sanctioned for that.”
Tensions remain after 2022 death of Mahsa Amini
Amini, 22, died on Sept. 16, 2022, in a hospital after her arrest by the
country’s morality police over allegedly not wearing her hijab to the liking of
the authorities. Amini’s death sparked months of
protests and a security crackdown that killed more than 500 people and led to
the detention of more than 22,000. After the mass demonstrations, police dialed
down enforcement of hijab laws, but it ramped up again in April 2024 under what
authorities called the Noor — or “Light” — Plan. At
least 618 women have been arrested under the Noor Plan, the U.N. investigators
said, citing a local human rights activist group in Iran.
Meanwhile, Iran executed at least 938 people last year, a threefold
increase from 2021, the U.N. said. While many were convicted of drug charges,
the report said the executions “indicate a nexus with the overall repression of
dissent in this period.”As Iran continues its crackdown over the hijab, it also
faces an economic crisis over U.S. sanctions due to its rapidly advancing
nuclear program. While U.S. President Donald Trump has called for new
negotiations, Iran has yet to respond to a letter he sent to its 85-year-old
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Social unrest, coupled with the economic
woes, remain a concern for Iran's theocracy.
Iran using drones and apps to enforce women's dress code
Imogen Foulkes - Geneva correspondent, BBC News and Tom McArthur - BBC
News/March 14, 2025
An Iranian woman without a mandatory headscarf, or hijab, walks in a street in
Tehran, with another woman who is wearing a hijab. Refusing to wear the hijab in
public can lead to imprisonment in Iran [EPA] Iran is using drones and intrusive
digital technology to crush dissent, especially among women who refuse to obey
the Islamic republic's strict dress code, the United Nations has said.
Investigators say Iranian security officials are using a strategy of
"state-sponsored vigilantism" to encourage people to use specialist phone apps
to report women for alleged dress code violations in private vehicles such as
taxis and ambulances. Their new report also highlights the increasing use of
drones and security cameras to monitor hijab compliance in Tehran and in
southern Iran. For women who defy the laws, or protest against them, the
consequences are severe – arrest, beating, and even rape in custody.
Iranian women 'ready to pay the price' for defying hijab rules
A really simple guide to the protests in Iran
Iran reportedly executed at least 901 people in 2024, UN says
The findings of the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on the
Islamic Republic of Iran come after it determined last year that the country's
theocracy was responsible for the "physical violence" that led to the death in
custody of Mahsa Amini in 2022. Witnesses said the 22-year-old Kurd was badly
beaten by the morality police during her arrest, but authorities denied she was
mistreated and blamed "sudden heart failure" for her death. Her killing sparked
a massive wave of protests that continues today, despite threats from the state
of violent arrest and imprisonment. "Two-and-a-half
years after the protests began in September 2022, women and girls in Iran
continue to face systematic discrimination, in law and in practice, that
permeates all aspects of their lives, particularly with respect to the
enforcement of the mandatory hijab," the report said.
"The state is increasingly reliant on state-sponsored vigilantism in an apparent
effort to enlist businesses and private individuals in hijab compliance,
portraying it as a civic responsibility."At Tehran's Amirkabir University,
authorities installed facial recognition software at its entrance gate to also
find women not wearing the hijab, the report said.
Surveillance cameras on Iran's major roads are also being used to search for
uncovered women. Investigators also said they obtained
the "Nazer" mobile phone app offered by Iranian police, which allows "vetted"
members of the public and the police to report on uncovered women in vehicles,
including ambulances, buses, metro cars and taxis.
"Users may add the location, date, time and the licence plate number of the
vehicle in which the alleged mandatory hijab infraction occurred, which then
'flags' the vehicle online, alerting the police," the report said.
According to the report, a text message is then sent to the registered
owner of the vehicle, warning them they had been found in violation of the
mandatory hijab laws. Vehicles could be impounded for ignoring the warnings, it
added. The UN investigators interviewed almost 300
victims and witnesses – they also looked in-depth at Iran's judicial system,
which they said lacks any real independence. Victims of torture and other
violations were also persecuted while their families were "systematically
intimidated", according to their report. They also
found evidence of the extrajudicial executions of three child and three adult
protesters, later dismissed by the state as suicides.
The report also established additional cases of sexual violence in custody,
citing the case of one arrested woman who was beaten severely, subjected to two
mock executions, raped and then gang-raped.
The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous
sources
on March 14-15/2025
Massacres in Syria Expose New President’s Struggle
to Govern
Ahmad Sharawi/FDD/March 14/2025
Hundreds of fighters and hundreds more civilians are dead following the
bloodiest clashes yet between the new Syrian government and militias loyal to
the fallen regime of Bashar al-Assad.
On March 6, Assad loyalists ambushed police in a coastal region that is home to
much of the country’s Alawite minority, which includes Assad and his family.
Many other Alawites served in the Assad regime’s security apparatus. The clashes
quickly spiraled into chaos, leading to atrocities against civilians — mainly
Alawites — by pro-government factions. Pro-Assad forces then committed their own
atrocities against civilians on the other side.
The violence was a testament to the failure of Ahmad al-Sharaa, Syria’s
transitional president, on two critical fronts: First, there has been little to
no accountability for those who committed grave crimes under Assad. Second,
al-Sharaa has failed to establish effective control over the coalition of rebel
forces he led in the final offensive against Assad.
Failure to Hold Assad-Era Criminals Accountable Fueled Resurgent Chaos
Al-Sharaa himself has stressed that Syria’s stability is likely to depend on
accountability for Assad-era crimes. He declared last month, “There is a fine
line between transitional justice and civil peace, and we will pursue all those
who have committed crimes against the Syrian people.” However, al-Sharaa’s
government has no clear plan to hold perpetrators accountable. Even when
authorities arrested Assad regime officials, they soon walked free through
settlements — handing over their weapons and military IDs in exchange for a card
that granted them freedom of movement and shielded them from immediate
questioning.
Those released include Fadi Saqer, a senior figure in the National Defense
Forces, one of the regime’s wartime militias. The decision sparked outrage, with
one Syrian commenting, “How can those whose hands are stained with the blood of
Syrians be set free? If the remnants of the fallen regime continue to be
released this way, the victims will take justice into their own hands.”
Rushed Military Integration Left Al-Sharaa Unable to Control Allied Factions
Only days after ousting Assad, al-Sharaa announced, “All military factions will
be integrated into a single institution under the administration of the Ministry
of Defense in the New Syrian Army.” However, the hurried process left many
anti-Assad militias operating independently under their former leaders. This
included multiple U.S.-designated terrorist organizations as well as factions
within the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA) that Washington sanctioned
for previous human rights abuses against Syrian Kurds. Two of the sanctioned SNA
groups, the Suleiman Shah Brigade and the Hamzah Division, led most of the
reprisal attacks against Alawite civilians despite the HTS-led Interior
Ministry’s directive amid the clashes that “all pro-government forces should
adhere to procedures used during the offensive against the Assad regime, namely,
no targeting of civilians.” However, the killings continued.
Sharaa’s International Legitimacy Is Weakened.
The events on the Syrian coast sparked widespread international criticism. U.S.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said, “The United States condemns the radical
Islamist terrorists, including foreign jihadists, who murdered people in western
Syria in recent days.” After the massacres, the government formed a committee to
“investigate and inquire into the committed incidents.” The committee will
provide its findings in “30 days to the necessary courts.” It is not clear
whether the findings will be made public.
The United States should convey to al-Sharaa that it expects him to hold the
perpetrators accountable and act appropriately to protect all minorities. If he
proves unwilling or incapable, Washington should impose additional human rights
sanctions on those responsible for atrocities. Additionally, the United States
should make clear to Damascus that permanent relief from terrorism sanctions
will not be possible until it ceases to harbor foreign fighters and terrorist
organizations so Syria does not become a breeding ground for terrorism in the
region.
**Ahmad Sharawi is a research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of
Democracies (FDD), where he focuses on Middle East affairs, specifically the
Levant, Iraq, and Iranian intervention in Arab affairs, as well as U.S. foreign
policy toward the region. For more analysis from Ahmad and FDD, please subscribe
HERE. Follow Ahmad on X @AhmadA_Sharawi. Follow FDD on X @FDD. FDD is a
Washington, DC-based, nonpartisan research institute focusing on national
security and foreign policy.
Peace or no peace, America can and should arm Ukraine
Bradley Bowman and Ryan Brobst/Defence News/March 14/2025
We may be on the verge of peace in Ukraine — or not. Either way, the United
States will need to continue providing Kyiv weapons. That’s because, despite
significant progress, Europe still lacks the military-industrial might to
replace the United States and meet Ukraine’s and NATO’s deterrent requirements.
A failure to arm Ukraine will increase the chances that the Kremlin will come
back for even more Ukrainian territory in the future. The good news is that the
United States can afford to provide Ukraine security assistance and has the
means to do so without materially delaying the provision of weapons to Taiwan.
This assertion may surprise some, but consider some facts.
The United States has provided about $67 billion in security assistance to
Ukraine since Feb 24, 2022, when Putin launched his massive, unprovoked
re-invasion. That may sound like an enormous sum, but it actually equates to
less than 3 percent of what Washington spent on the Pentagon over the same time
period. And what did Americans get for that relatively modest investment?
U.S. aid has helped Ukraine destroy over 10,500 tanks and other armored
vehicles, over 270 aircraft, and a significant portion of the Russian Black Sea
fleet. These losses, which will take Russia many years to replace, decrease
Putin’s ability to launch further acts of aggression, both against Ukraine and
America’s NATO allies. In short, thanks to Ukrainian bravery and sacrifice — and
American weapons — Russia is even weaker relative to the United States and may
be less eager and certainly less able to launch future aggression.
That sustainable level of U.S. support for Ukraine has also sent a valuable
deterrent message to adversaries elsewhere contemplating additional aggression,
including to the Kremlin’s authoritarian “no limit” partner in Beijing, which is
considering whether it should try to conquer the free people of Taiwan.
If the United States does not have the political will to provide Ukraine the
means of self-defense without putting any U.S. service members in harm’s way,
Beijing is likely to conclude Washington will not send Americans to fight in the
Taiwan Strait, thereby making Beijing’s aggression more likely.
But does the United States have the industrial capacity to simultaneously arm
Ukraine and Taiwan? Or must it choose between them?
We examined 15 major weapons systems and munitions committed to both Ukraine and
Taiwan and found that their provision to Kyiv did not delay the delivery of any
of them to Taipei by more than a year.
Why is that?
First, the two U.S. partners have somewhat different needs due to their
geography and the nature of their actual or potential conflicts.
Second, where there is overlap, the respective production lines are often
healthy and/or expanding. For example, the production of Javelin missiles, which
the Trump administration provided to Ukraine after the Obama administration
refused to do so, is set to double over the next few years.
Third, in several cases, such as TOW missiles, the United States possesses a
large inventory or stockpile of the relevant system, which enables its rapid
provision to partners from U.S. inventories.
Fourth, most of the weapons Taipei seeks from the United States are being
acquired through contracts for new systems, such as the AIM-120C-8 air-to-air
missile. By contrast, most of the weapons sent to Kyiv have been older systems
already fielded by the U.S. military.
When a neighbor’s home has been stormed by a serial home invader, it is smart to
support your neighbor and oppose the intruder. Otherwise, one should expect more
home invasions in the future — some of which may be much more costly.
Thankfully, the United States can afford to provide Ukrainians the weapons they
need to defend their homes against invading Russian forces, and doing so need
not come at the expense of deterrence in the Taiwan Strait. Perhaps that is why
Taiwan has urged support for Ukraine.
**Bradley Bowman is senior director of the Center on Military and Political
Power at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, where Ryan Brobst is a
senior research analyst.
https://www.defensenews.com/opinion/2025/03/13/peace-or-no-peace-america-can-and-should-arm-ukraine/
Two French Ghosts and President Macron
Amir Taheri/Asharq Al-Awsat/March 14/2025
As France’s President Emmanuel Macron casts himself as Europe’s new leader in a
joust against Donald Trump he might do well to have a look at two great
Frenchmen who advised against haste and hubris. The first is that paragon of
diplomacy Talleyrand who managed to survive four regimes, including one created
by a bloody revolution and another that set Europe on fire before drowning it in
blood.
One day Talleyrand was called in by an angry Napoleon who ordered him to illico
presto to draft a declaration of war on Austria in reaction to “insults from
Vienna”. The diplomat did so but, as he later recalled; kept the war declaration
under his pillow until the following day when the Emperor ordered him to forget
about it as France wasn’t ready for war.
Prudence was the best part of courage.
The next great Frenchman Macron should have a look at is Marechal Ferdinand
Foch, commander-in-chief of Allied Forces in World War I. Receiving cables from
frontline generals begging him to visit urgently, the Marechal got into his car
commanding the driver: “Make haste slowly, I am in a hurry!”
Foch is also known for other gem quotations including this one from one of his
cables to Paris from the frontline: “My center is giving way, my right is
retreating, situation excellent, I am attacking.” Later, he commented on the
Versailles accords: “This is not a peace treaty; it is an armistice for twenty
years.”
In the past two weeks, however, Macron has been all over the place with the
alacrity of a butterfly. He has assumed that the 80-year alliance between
European and American democracies is over, that NATO is dead, that Russia is
determined to conquer Europe and that war - if not World War III - is
inevitable.
But what caused that haste, which as we know, can’t but produce waste or worse?
The answer is the political version of “The Apprentice” reality TV show that
President Trump staged with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval
Officer, plus a few of the hundreds of tweets, or whatever they call them now,
that the US president darts at the world each week.
What might the ghosts of Talleyrand and Foch advise?
Talleyrand might have invited Macron to wait and see if the Oval Office show
doesn’t have a sequel that might twist the plot in another direction now that
Zelensky has opened a new dialogue with the new US administration.
Talleyrand would have also invited Macron to take no notice of John Bolton’s
cracked disc about Trump planning to destroy NATO, a disc played for almost six
years. Instead, the foxy diplomat would have asked the French president to wait
and see whether or not Trump attends the planned NATO summit to be held in The
Hague, Netherlands, on June 24-25. All we know is that NATO Secretary-General
and former Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte is working with Washington Sherpas to
prepare the summit. Talleyrand might have drawn Macron’s attention to another
rendezvous penciled in the Elysee Palace’s agenda: the G7 summit to be held in
Alberta, Canada on June 15-17 - this time with European Union’s chiefs given
seats at the high table. To please Trump, the Canadians have already replaced
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau - a bete-noire of the American leader - with Mark
Carney who owes his success in the Liberal Party leadership contest partly to a
surge of Canadian nationalism prompted by Trump’s talk of rising tariffs and
annexation. A banker and economist Carney is best placed to reduce the political
heat and promote a serious review of trade and economic ties between the two
neighbors.
Foch would have advised Macron not to assume that the US will sit back and watch
as Vladimir Putin’s army of North Koreans, Uzbeks, Chechens and Kazakhs, backed
by Iranian drones, march into the Champs Elysee.
While the threat from Putin must not be minimized, it would be foolhardy to
exaggerate it out of nervousness. For four decades Russia occupied two-thirds of
the European continent from the Oder-Neisse line to the Urals. The USSR’s
population was twice that of Russia today. With Warsaw Pact allies, the USSR had
the world’s biggest war machine with thousands of tanks and warplanes and
millions of men in infantry divisions, not to mention thousands of nuclear
warheads.
Yet, military historians agree that the Soviet juggernaut was never in a
position to conquer Europe even if the US had not been on the side of the
Europeans. After all, in World War II, Britain managed to fight the German
military giant alone for more than two years albeit with the lend-lease
arrangement.
In June 1994, Soviet troops had to leave East Germany in trains hired from the
French SNCF and DeutscheBahn, which means that had they wished to march on Paris
they would have had to hitch a ride.
The wily Marechal might have noted that building the kind of war machine that
Macron and Ursula von der Leyen talk about could take between five and 10 years.
Foch could have quipped that you can’t push back a foe just by big-talk. If you
really wish to pin Putin’s back to the floor, then end his control of Ukrainian
skies. That means giving Ukrainians some of the warplanes that EU members own.
The 10-year Soviet war in Afghanistan ended when President Ronald Reagan
provided the Mujahedin with Stinger missiles to destroy Soviet helicopter
gunships that controlled the skies of the war-torn land.
Macron talks of building a European defense system which requires a massive leap
forward in industrial development, scientific and technological research and
economic and political re-configuration all of which require massive popular
support, something that EU leaders take for granted at their peril.
The two French wise men of the past might have made another suggestion: Why not
try to stop a war that one protagonist can’t win and the other can’t lose? That
requires thinking before acting, rather than vice versa, a fact that injects the
element of time in any calculation. In two years’ time with US mid-term
elections, will Trump be in the unassailable position he is in today? Does Putin
have the stamina of a long-distance runner in a war that has given him advances
at a snail’s pace? Should Europe regard Russia as an eternal mortal foe or
consider turning it into a tolerable neighbor - if not a friend - in a few
years’ time?
In other words, as the ghosts of Talleyrand and Foch might have said: Don’t do
today what tomorrow you may regret having done.
Tehran and the Multiplicity of Mediators
Mustafa Fahs/Asharq Al-Awsat/March 14/2025
In the Arabic dictionary, the verb “yumana’” or “tamana’” derives from “mana’”,
with its noun form being “mumana’a”, meaning “resistance” or “opposition.” The
dictionary defines “mumana’a” as a form of “dispute” that arises between two or
more parties.
On the surface, Iranian officials present their relationship with Washington as
adversarial, engaging in rhetorical confrontations. However, beneath the
surface, there is neither true conflict nor outright resistance. In reality,
Iran consistently avoids direct or even indirect confrontation with its
adversaries and remains open to reaching understandings—whether through direct
negotiations or indirect talks facilitated by mediators. Negotiation is the
gateway to conflict resolution, and resolving disputes often requires multiple
mediators. In Iran’s case, given the numerous unresolved or suspended issues
between Tehran and its neighbors - as well as between Iran, the broader region,
and the international community - the need for multiple intermediaries becomes
evident. Even the parties seeking to resolve disputes with Iran may hesitate to
rely on a single mediator. This explains the influx of initiatives and
statements from various international actors, either as independent efforts or
as part of broader attempts to resolve the ongoing conflict between Washington
and Tehran. Iran does not outwardly reject a resolution; instead, it skillfully
draws out offers, leveraging mediation to its advantage.
The variety of mediators in negotiations with Iran reflects the complexity of
the conditions Washington insists must be addressed. The US administration’s
stance is clear and uncompromising: either a new nuclear agreement is reached,
or war becomes the alternative. This marks the end of the previous phase - there
will be no deal without enforcement mechanisms. While the previous agreement
slowed Iran’s nuclear program, it simultaneously expanded its strategic and
regional influence. The new agreement, it seems, will come with a set of
interlinked conditions that cannot be separated except through mediation.
From Tehran’s perspective, involving multiple mediators creates opportunities to
disentangle different issues, allowing Iran to dilute pressure and stall parties
eager for quick resolutions - most notably, US President Donald Trump. Thus,
Iran is expected to use mediators to separate the nuclear issue from its
ballistic missile program and its regional influence. For instance, the nuclear
file - most likely handled by Moscow, based on Russian officials’ statements -
may remain under Russia’s mediation.
Meanwhile, a Gulf or Arab state could step in regarding Iran’s ballistic missile
program, given its regional sensitivity. This state may also have strong ties
with Israel, which is the primary stakeholder in this matter. Additionally, a
third party with influence over Iran-backed armed groups may intervene to rein
in these factions and mitigate their threats to local and regional stability.
Furthermore, a significant regional power may go beyond mere mediation and play
a larger role - one that fosters Iran’s reconciliation with its Arab and
regional neighbors. This mediator might even extract a commitment from Tehran
regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, potentially pushing Iran to accept a
two-state solution. Tehran’s apparent preference for
multiple mediators likely reflects a strategy of dispersing negotiation tracks,
which, in turn, exhausts all involved parties. Iran bets on its ability to
decide when to advance on one file while postponing another. Through this
approach, it may successfully impose negotiation flexibility on Washington,
using time as a bargaining chip to extract concessions and gains.
Iran fully understands that its counterpart - President Trump - is a businessman
looking for a profitable deal. Tehran, in contrast, aims to secure agreements
that benefit both sides, albeit at differing scales. In essence, what Trump
seeks as a comprehensive package, Iran may deliver in piecemeal form.
Question: “What are the Ten Commandments?”
GotQuestions.org/March 14/2025
Answer: The Ten Commandments (also known as the Decalogue) are ten laws in the
Bible that God gave to the nation of Israel shortly after the exodus from Egypt.
The Ten Commandments are essentially a summary of the 613 commandments contained
in the Old Testament Law. The first four commandments deal with our relationship
with God. The last six commandments deal with our relationships with one
another. The Ten Commandments are recorded in the Bible in Exodus 20:1-17 and
Deuteronomy 5:6-21 and are as follows:
1) “You shall have no other gods before me.” This command is against worshiping
any god other than the one true God. All other gods are false gods.
2) “You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven
above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to
them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the
children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those
who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and
keep my commandments.” This command is against making an idol, a visible
representation of God. There is no image we can create that can accurately
portray God. To make an idol to represent God is to worship a false god.
3) “You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not
hold anyone guiltless who misuses His name.” This is a command against taking
the name of the Lord in vain. We are not to treat God’s name lightly. We are to
show reverence to God by only mentioning Him in respectful and honoring ways.
4) “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do
all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you
shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or
female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. For
in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in
them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath
day and made it holy.” This is a command to set aside the Sabbath (Saturday, the
last day of the week) as a day of rest dedicated to the Lord.
5) “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the
LORD your God is giving you.” This is a command to always treat one’s parents
with honor and respect.
6) “You shall not murder.” This is a command against the premeditated murder of
another human being.
7) “You shall not commit adultery.” This is a command against having sexual
relations with anyone other than one’s spouse.
8) “You shall not steal.” This is a command against taking anything that is not
one’s own, without the permission of the person to whom it belongs.
9) “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.” This is a command
prohibiting testifying against another person falsely. It is essentially a
command against lying.
10) “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your
neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything
that belongs to your neighbor.” This is a command against desiring anything that
is not one’s own. Coveting can lead to breaking one of the commandments listed
above: murder, adultery, and theft. If it is wrong to do something, it is wrong
to desire to do that same something.
Many people mistakenly look at the Ten Commandments as a set of rules that, if
followed, will guarantee entrance into heaven after death. In contrast, the
purpose of the Ten Commandments is to force people to realize that they cannot
perfectly obey the Law (Romans 7:7-11), and are therefore in need of God’s mercy
and grace. Despite the claims of the rich young ruler in Matthew 19:16, no one
can perfectly obey the Ten Commandments (Ecclesiastes 7:20). The Ten
Commandments demonstrate that we have all sinned (Romans 3:23) and are therefore
in need of God’s mercy and grace, available only through faith in Jesus Christ.
All eyes on Putin for next step to Ukraine peace
Luke Coffey/Arab News/March 15, 2025
Global events can move quickly. Just two weeks ago, the world watched as
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had a heated exchange with US President
Donald Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance in the Oval Office. A planned rare
earths mineral deal was scrapped at the last minute, and Zelensky was sent out
of the White House in an unprecedented diplomatic standoff. But hard work and
sincere diplomacy can pay off. Behind the scenes, both sides worked tirelessly
to repair the relationship, culminating in a high-stakes meeting in Jeddah this
week that brought the US-Ukraine relationship back on track and set the stage
for what could be the first meaningful step toward ending Russia’s three-year
invasion of Ukraine.
Trump has been clear about his desire to end the war, but since returning to
office in January he has learned that this is easier said than done. The meeting
in Jeddah was the first concrete step in that process. One of Trump’s biggest
criticisms of Ukraine during the heated White House exchange was that he did not
believe Zelensky was sincere about wanting peace. After Jeddah, that perception
has changed. The US and Ukraine agreed to a temporary 30-day ceasefire on land,
at sea, and in the air — a deal that could be extended if all parties agree.
However, Kyiv would not implement it unless Moscow agreed to do the same.
Forty-eight hours later, Russian President Vladimir Putin said he supported the
idea of a ceasefire but added conditions that make its implementation uncertain.
The US and Ukraine also finalized the draft of the minerals deal that had been
abandoned at the White House. Trump has even invited Zelensky back to the Oval
Office, signaling a major turnaround in their strained relationship. As
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said: “The ball is in Russia’s court.”
Last week I made my fourth visit to Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion
in 2022. Anyone who has spent time there knows that Ukrainians want an end to
the war. They endure nightly air raids, missile strikes, and drone attacks. They
also understand the long-term threat that Russia poses if there are no real
security guarantees. For those of us who have seen wartime Ukraine firsthand, it
has always been obvious that the Ukrainian people want the fighting to end. Yet
some around Trump question whether Zelensky shares this view. After Jeddah,
there is no longer any doubt. It is now up to Russia to decide whether to pursue
peace. There is still a long way to go, and plenty of
opportunities for setbacks. Even if a temporary ceasefire were agreed on, the
war would be far from over. The night before the Jeddah talks, Ukraine launched
its largest drone strike yet, sending nearly 400 to hit targets as far away as
Moscow. Meanwhile Russia has continued its relentless bombardment of Ukraine
with missiles and drones on a near-nightly basis.
Trump has been clear about his desire to end the war, but since returning to
office in January he has learned that this is easier said than done.
When I visited the front lines in the Kherson region, it was clear that
decisions made in Jeddah, Washington, or Moscow are often irrelevant to those
fighting on the ground. For the soldiers in the trenches, survival is the only
priority. Until an actual ceasefire is implemented — not just discussed —
nothing will change for them.
Another major development in the war, and one that represents a significant
setback for Ukraine, is Russia’s counteroffensive in its Kursk region. Ukraine
launched a surprise attack last August and captured a sizeable portion of
territory. The idea was to hold on to this land as a bargaining chip for future
negotiations. But over the past seven months, Russian forces — bolstered by
thousands of North Korean troops — have steadily regained control. Last week it
appears that Moscow had completed its recapture of all the territory Ukraine
seized.
It will be up to future historians to assess whether the Kursk offensive
accomplished tactical objectives or if it was a strategic miscalculation. In the
short term, however, it does not help Ukraine’s position at the negotiating
table. The loss of Kursk weakens its leverage.
After traveling around Ukraine this past week, I am certain of one thing: the
Ukrainian people are exhausted from the war. But they also know they have no
choice but to keep fighting as long as Russia continues its aggression. If there
is to be any lasting peace, it must include security guarantees ensuring that
Russia will not attack again. This is the biggest challenge for Kyiv. Trump has
ruled out NATO membership for Ukraine and has shifted the responsibility for
security guarantees on to Europe. However, because the U.S. and most European
countries operate under the same security umbrella, in practice it would be
difficult to separate American and European commitments.
The road to peace is long, and the war is far from over. The ongoing
fighting in Donetsk, Kursk, and Kherson proves that reality. The biggest
question now is whether the progress made in Jeddah will hold. There is always
the risk that Trump is looking for a short-term political victory rather than a
lasting peace agreement. If the ceasefire collapses, the war will probably
escalate again, and Ukraine may find itself in an even more difficult position
than before.
For now, all eyes are on Moscow. The coming weeks will determine whether Russia
is serious about peace or if the war will continue indefinitely.
**Luke Coffey is a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute. X: @LukeDCoffey