English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For March 25/2025
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news

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Bible Quotations For today
The angel Gabriel Delivers the Godly Message To Virgin Mary
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 01/26-38/:"In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, ‘Greetings, favoured one! The Lord is with you.’ But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. The angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob for ever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.’Mary said to the angel, ‘How can this be, since I am a virgin?’The angel said to her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God. And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.’Then Mary said, ‘Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.’ Then the angel departed from her.

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on March 24-25/2025
Berri’s electoral scare-mongering rabbit has been crushed and buried before it could crawl out/Bejjani/March 24/2025
What Do Temptation & the Lost Son Parable Teach Us?/Elias Bejjani/March 23/2025
Text & Video: To Aoun and Salam: Citizens Can Condemn, But Leaders Must Act/Elias Bejjani/March 22/2025
Video Link – Commentary by Retired General Fghal
Link to a video commentary by journalist Ali Hamadeh
Witkoff says he thinks a Lebanon-Israel 'peace treaty' is 'possible'
Ortagus to discuss Lebanon sticking points with officials in Israel, report says
Report: Aoun's talks with US manage to rein in Israel's strikes
France to support Lebanon against US-Israeli pressure, report says
What have investigations revealed about rockets fired at Israel?
Defense minister to visit Syria for border tensions talks
EU says Israel strikes on Lebanon, Syria 'risk further escalation'
Official confirms Aoun, Salam talked to US, France to avert any attack on Beirut
Testing time for Lebanon’s foreign aid-reliant education system/Nadia Al-Faour/Arab News/March 24, 2025
Lebanese Army removes Israeli-installed barriers in South Lebanon
Hezbollah MP throws support behind state, criticizes Lebanese rivals
Lebanese lira ranks as the world’s weakest currency amid deepening economic crisis — What’s driving its decline?
Berri to Asharq Al-Awsat: Israel Luring Lebanon into Normalizing Relations
Lebanon's parliamentary elections: Three main issues spark debate on reforming the electoral law
Lebanon's PM names Ramez Dimashkieh head of task force on Palestinian refugees
Jordan, Lebanon discuss bilateral ties and regional developments
Amid recent escalation, can US pressure influence Israel’s strategy toward Lebanon?
FPM submits electoral law based on 'Orthodox law' with 'additions'
Lebanese Army Intercepts Smuggling Operation in Masharih al-Qaa and Kfar Zabad
Lebanon Sets Dates for Municipal and Mokhtar Elections in 2025
Shiite Clans in Lebanon: Alliances, Autonomy, and Current Issues/Kaline Antoun/This Is Beirut/March 24/2025
A Top Priority: Ending the War Games/Michel Touma/This Is Beirut/March 24/2025
The 'Improbable Nation' and the Dysfunctional State/Charles Chartouni/This Is Beirut/March 24/2025

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on March 24-25/2025
Trump predicts more countries will be added to Abraham Accords
Iran Condemns US Threats to Use Force and Vows It Will Defend Its Sovereignty
Iran says open to 'indirect' nuclear talks with US
Iraq Says Iran Used Forged Iraqi Documents on Oil Tankers, Tehran Denies
Thousands Trapped in Rafah as Israel Says Won’t Stop Until Hamas No Longer Controls Gaza
UN to Reduce Staff in Gaza and Blames Israel for a Strike That Killed Its Employee
Israel considers massive new ground offensive in Gaza as it ramps up pressure on Hamas
Israel's army says fired at Gaza Red Cross building after 'incorrect' identification
Egypt Makes New Proposal to Restore Gaza Truce as Israeli Strikes Kill 65
Top Trump Negotiator Admits He May Have Been ‘Duped’
EU Says Resuming Talks on the Gaza Ceasefire Is the Only Way Forward
Group Reports ‘Unprecedented Surge’ in Approvals for West Bank Israeli Settler Homes
Turkey detains journalists as protests grow over the jailing of key Erdogan rival
Erdogan Slams Protests over Jailing of Istanbul Mayor as ‘Movement of Violence’
Syrian Authorities Arrest Coordinator Between Assad Regime and IRGC
Russia-US talks in Saudi end after 12 hours of discussions
White House mistakenly shares Yemen war plans with a journalist at The Atlantic
Air Raid Sirens Sound in Israel after a Missile Attack from Yemen

Titles For The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources on March 24-25/2025
Ben-Gvir, Netanyahu and Israel’s deadly dance of power/Dr. Ramzy Baroud/Arab News/March 24, 2025
Israel making yet more enemies with Syria intervention/Chris Doyle/Arab News/March 24, 2025
Syria: Terrorists in Suits and Ties ...No Future for Christians or Other 'Infidels'/Lawrence A. Franklin/Gatestone Institute/March 24, 2025
Trump and Putin’s Flirtation/Sam Menassa/Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper/ 24 March 2025
‘Planes, Planes, Planes’/Ghassan Charbel/Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper/ 24 March 2025
Paying for Roads in the Age of EVs: Rethinking Jordan’s EV Tax Model/Jessica Obeid/Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper/ 24 March 2025

The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on March 24-25/2025
Berri’s electoral scare-mongering rabbit has been crushed and buried before it could crawl out
Elias Bejjani/Berri’s electoral scare-mongering rabbit has been crushed and buried before it could crawl out from under his decaying beret. The rhetoric and tactics of this thuggish relic belong to a bygone era—an era that is rapidly disintegrating with the impending collapse of Iran’s criminal Hezbollah, the inevitable downfall of the mullah regime, and the final demise of Assad’s dictatorship.
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/03/141541/
March 24, 2025

What Do Temptation & the Lost Son Parable Teach Us?
Elias Bejjani/March 23/2025
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/03/73276/
On the Fourth Sunday of Lent, the Maronite Catholic Church reflects on the Parable of the Lost Son, also known as the Prodigal Son. This powerful parable illustrates the dangers of temptation, the consequences of sin, and the boundless mercy of God.
The younger son, driven by selfishness and impulsive desires, fell into the trap of temptation. He demanded his share of his father’s inheritance and abandoned his home, seeking pleasure and indulgence in a distant land. However, his reckless lifestyle led to ruin. He squandered everything and soon found himself penniless, starving, humiliated, and utterly alone.
In the depths of his suffering, he experienced a moment of clarity—he recognized his folly and longed for his father’s house. With humility and determination, he resolved to return, confess his sins, and ask for forgiveness. To his astonishment, his loving father welcomed him with open arms, rejoicing at his repentance and restoring him to his rightful place as a son.
This parable serves as a guiding light for repentance and divine forgiveness. It teaches us that no matter how far we stray, God’s mercy is always within reach. Our Heavenly Father never abandons us; He patiently waits for our return, ready to forgive and embrace us with infinite love. The Holy Bible urges us to turn to God in times of doubt, weakness, hardship, and injustice:
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks, it will be opened.” (Matthew 7:7-8)
All we need to do is approach Him with faith, humility, and confidence—He will answer our prayers.
“Whatever you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.” (Matthew 21:22)
Even when we disobey His teachings and stray from His path, God remains a loving and compassionate Father. Despite our sins, defiance, and ingratitude, He never gives up on our salvation. His love for us is so profound that He sacrificed His only begotten Son, who endured suffering and crucifixion to redeem us. God carries our burdens and strengthens us against the temptations of evil:
“Come to me, all you who labor and are heavily burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30)
God is waiting for our repentance. Let us return to Him with sincere hearts and seek His forgiveness—before it is too late.
Reading in the Lost Son Parable
The Parable of the Lost Son illustrates sin as a departure from God and the communion with Him, represented by the Church. It is a detachment from the Giver in pursuit of His gifts. The younger son exemplifies this by squandering his share of his father’s wealth in a distant land, forsaking both sonship and familial bonds.
This parable highlights the devastating consequences of sin—losing the dignity of sonship and descending into spiritual, moral, and social decay. The son’s destitution symbolizes this degradation. Repentance begins with self-reflection, acknowledging one’s wretched state before God, feeling remorse for straying, and making a firm decision to return. It involves confessing sins, striving to avoid their causes, and making amends through acts of goodness and mercy—just as the lost son returned to his father.
At its heart, the parable conveys the boundless mercy of the Heavenly Father, who eagerly awaits sinners’ return. The father’s joyous reception of his son echoes the Gospel’s recurring theme: God rejoices over a repentant heart.
The symbols in the parable underscore the blessings of reconciliation:
The lavish robe represents the grace granted at baptism—tarnished by sin but restored through repentance.
The ring signifies restored sonship, affirming divine faithfulness despite human failings and sealing the bond of honesty.
The new shoes symbolize the path of righteousness opened to those who return in repentance.
The feast with the fattened calf reflects the Eucharistic banquet, a symbol of partaking in the divine sacrifice and communion with the Lord.
The elder son, who resents his brother’s reconciliation, represents those who fail to grasp its transformative power. One who has not experienced God’s forgiveness cannot extend it to others. Thus, the Church plays a vital role in guiding individuals toward reconciliation with God, thereby fostering reconciliation among people.

Text & Video: To Aoun and Salam: Citizens Can Condemn, But Leaders Must Act
Elias Bejjani/March 22/2025
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/03/141473/
It is natural for ordinary citizens to condemn illegal acts and threats to their safety, livelihood, and security. But what about those in power? Leaders and officials are not there to simply issue statements of condemnation—if that’s all they do, then how are they any different from the people they govern? A state is not run by words but by laws, enforcement, and accountability. As officials at all levels, your duty is to uphold the law and hold violators accountable, no matter who they are.
You know very well that the Iranian-backed jihadist terrorist group Hezbollah does not recognize laws, nor does it respect the state, international resolutions, or even the ceasefire agreement that it, along with Nabih Berri and their Iranian masters, signed in bad faith.
Hezbollah is nothing more than an Iranian proxy, executing Tehran’s agenda at Lebanon’s expense.
The rockets fired today from southern Lebanon at Israel caused no damage—not even to a chicken coop—but their real message was directed at you: the authorities, the government, the legal system, and every free Lebanese citizen who believes in the rule of law.
Hezbollah has no regard for the Lebanese state and continues to trample on its sovereignty to serve Iran’s interests.
Your duty is clear: enforce the law, arrest those responsible for launching the rockets, and prosecute them. They are not unknown—they publicly brag about their crimes!
These farcical performances no longer fool anyone. The real instigators—whether through direct rocket fire or political cover—are Nabih Berri, the provocateur Mufti Qabalan, the disgraceful ministers Tarek Mitri and Lara Al-Zein, Hezbollah’s pawn Wafic Safa, Al-Qamati, and Hezbollah’s chief Naim Qassem, who hides in his bunker. Every single one of them, along with their enablers, is complicit.
Hezbollah’s useless fireworks were not aimed at Israel—they were fired at Baabda Palace, the Grand Serail, the Quintet Committee, UN resolutions, and the Lebanese people themselves!
What is needed is not empty rhetoric, rehearsed speeches, and hollow condemnations. What is required is decisive action: officially designating Hezbollah as a terrorist organization, arresting those responsible for the rocket attacks, and fully committing to the implementation of UN resolutions.
If you have the will and the courage, step up and do your duty. If you don’t—if you lack the resolve—then resign and admit your failure before the entire country collapses under the weight of your complicity and silence.
Appeasement and political maneuvering are a losing game. Their only outcome is chaos, collapse, the continued occupation and dominance of Hezbollah, and the complete lack of funding for reconstruction. The ones who continue to suffer the most are the Shiites whom Hezbollah has taken hostage, using them as pawns and sacrificing them in Iran’s wars, and the Mullahs’ expansionist evil schemes.

Video Link – Commentary by Retired General Fghal
Video Link – Commentary by Retired General Fghali: Hezbollah is a Terrorist Organization, and Its Disarmament Must Happen Today, Not Tomorrow
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/03/141534/
March 22/2025

Link to a video commentary by journalist Ali Hamadeh
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/03/141541/
Link to a video commentary by journalist Ali Hamadeh, exposing Nabih Berri’s latest heresies—his sinister project to intimidate Christians and dismantle Lebanon through the dangerous proposal of a single electoral district, the abolition of political sectarianism, and the introduction of a Senate. Hamadeh reminds all concerned with the ongoing crisis surrounding Salam of the essential role of the President of the Republic, urging them to refocus their efforts on the real battle: disarming Hezbollah and purging Lebanon of the outdated and corrupt ruling figures.
March 24, 2025

Witkoff says he thinks a Lebanon-Israel 'peace treaty' is 'possible'
Naharnet/March 24/2025
U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff has said that “peace” between Lebanon and Israel is “possible.”“I think Lebanon could normalize with Israel, literally normalize, meaning a peace treaty with the two countries. That’s really possible,” Witkoff said in an interview on The Tucker Carlson Show. “Syria, too, the indications are that Jolani (Syrian interim president Ahmad al-Sharaa) is a different person than he once was. And people do change,” Witkoff added.
“Imagine if Lebanon normalizes, Syria normalizes, and the Saudis sign a normalization treaty with Israel because there’s a peace in Gaza. They must have that as a, without question, as a prerequisite. That’s a condition precedent to Saudi normalizing. But now you’d begin to have a GCC that all work together. I mean, that would be. It would be epic,” the U.S. official went on to say.

Ortagus to discuss Lebanon sticking points with officials in Israel, report says
Naharnet/March 24/2025
Deputy U.S. Special Envoy for Middle East Morgan Ortagus will arrive soon in Tel Aviv to meet with Israeli officials in a diplomatic bid to resolve several outstanding issues between Lebanon and Israel, Asharq al-Awsat newspaper said. The daily said Monday that Ortagus will prepare a framework to the implementation of three sticking points -- the release of Lebanese prisoners, the remaining disputed points along the Blue Line, and the remaining 5 points where Israeli forces are still deployed. If an understanding is reached with Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu on the outlines, Ortagus might then visit Beirut, Asharq al-Awsat added. Ortagus had said earlier this month that the U.S. will be "bringing together Lebanon and Israel for talks aimed at diplomatically resolving several outstanding issues between the two countries."Israel said its troops will be indefinitely occupying five "strategic hills" in south Lebanon, violating a ceasefire agreement reached in late November that required Israeli troops to fully withdraw from Lebanon. The ceasefire also required Hezbollah to pull back north of the Litani River and to dismantle any remaining military infrastructure in the south.

Report: Aoun's talks with US manage to rein in Israel's strikes
Naharnet/March 24/2025
President Joseph Aoun held a series of phone talks with the Americans over the past hours, following the most dangerous cross-border conflagaration with Israel since the last war, a media report said. Aoun's efforts "met responsiveness and resulted in keeping the capital Beirut and the Lebanese regions outside the scope of (Israel's) strikes," sources told the Nidaa al-Watan newspaper in remarks published Sunday. The Israelis however told the Americans that they will "keep targeting any Hezbollah activity in any region while sparing civilians and state institutions," the sources added. Israel's major escalation against Lebanon on Saturday, which killed seven people and wounded 31 others, came after it intercepted three rockets fired from Lebanon at the northern Israeli settlement of Metula near Lebanon's border.

France to support Lebanon against US-Israeli pressure, report says
Naharnet/March 24/2025
France is reportedly preparing a new diplomatic initiative aimed at consolidating a ceasefire reached in late November between Lebanon and Israel, and supporting Lebanon as Israel and the U.S. pressure the war-hit country into direct negotiations. Kuwait's al-Jarida newspaper claimed Monday that France's special envoy to Lebanon Jean-Yves Le Drian will visit Lebanon soon to discuss the reconstruction and support the country as Washington seeks to form three committees to negotiate sticking points between Lebanon and Israel -- including the release of Lebanese prisoners, the remaining disputed points along the Blue Line, and the remaining 5 points where Israeli forces are still deployed. "Lebanon has agreed on a military-technical committee and is awaiting support from France," al-Jarida said, adding that Israel is seeking to intensify its military pressure on Lebanon to gain concessions and push Lebanon into negotiations.

What have investigations revealed about rockets fired at Israel?
Agence France Presse/March 24/2025
While no party has claimed responsibility for the rockets that were fired at Israel on Saturday, the Lebanese Army has arrested two Syrians in the South and questioned them as witnesses, security sources said. “The estimations indicate that a ‘suspicious side’ was behind the rocket attack, which has only served the Israeli interest,” the sources told al-Joumhouria newspaper. “The attack’s perpetrators did not only use primitive launchpads, but also placed near them a Hezbollah flag and a picture of former Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, which easily unveiled the objectives and intentions,” the sources said. “The Israeli side immediately exploited the incident to wage intensive airstrikes on areas north of the Litani, in the South and the Bekaa, based on a pre-prepared bank of targets, which confirms that it was the main and only beneficiary from the parentless rockets,” the sources added. A military source later told AFP the army detained two Syrians who were "working as guards at a farm near the rocket-launching site."
The Syrians reported seeing a car with several men who set up the launchers and fired the rockets before leaving, the source said.

Defense minister to visit Syria for border tensions talks
Agence France Presse/March 24/2025
Lebanese Defense Minister Michel Menassa will visit Syria on Wednesday to discuss recent tensions along the border between the two countries, a Lebanese official said. "The defense minister will head a security delegation to Damascus to meet with his counterpart, Marhaf Abu Qasra," the official told AFP on Monday on condition of anonymity. The aim of the visit was to "discuss ways to manage the situation at the border, strengthen bilateral coordination and prevent cross-border aggression", the source said. Ten people were killed in clashes that broke out along the fronter in mid-March. Damascus accused Hezbollah, the Lebanese militant group once allied with deposed president Bashar al-Assad, of abducting and killing three Syrian soldiers, which the Iran-backed movement strongly denied. Subsequently, seven Lebanese were killed in air strikes from Syria, according to Lebanese authorities. A Lebanese security source told AFP that Syrian forces shelled the border area after three Syrian soldiers were killed by armed Lebanese smugglers. Both countries later announced they had reached a ceasefire agreement. Syria shares a 330-kilometer border with Lebanon, with no official demarcation. In February, Syrian authorities announced the launch of a security campaign in the border province of Homs aimed at shutting down routes used for arms and goods smuggling. Hezbollah, which fought alongside Assad's forces during the Syrian war, has long exerted influence over large parts of the Lebanese-Syrian border. The group was massively weakened in its war with Israel late last year.

EU says Israel strikes on Lebanon, Syria 'risk further escalation'
Agence France Presse/March 24/2025
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas warned on Monday during a visit to Jerusalem that Israeli strikes on Syria and Lebanon threatened to worsen the situation. "Military actions must be proportionate, and Israeli strikes into Syria and Lebanon risk further escalation," Kallas said at a joint news conference with Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar.

Official confirms Aoun, Salam talked to US, France to avert any attack on Beirut
Agence France Presse/March 24/2025
Lebanese leaders held intensives contacts with Washington and Paris to prevent Israel from bombing Beirut, a Lebanese official said Monday, after heavy Israeli strikes on the country at the weekend. Israel launched air strikes on southern Lebanon on Saturday, killing eight people, in response to rocket fire targeted at its territory for the first time since a ceasefire took effect on November 27. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said that following rocket fire on Metula, a settlement in northern Israel, "Metula's fate is the same as Beirut's."
The official, speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity, said President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam "made diplomatic contact with France and the United States... as well as with the U.N. to achieve de-escalation following Israeli threats to target Beirut."
The U.S, France and the United Nations belong to a ceasefire monitoring mechanism.
During two months of full-scale war leading up to the ceasefire, Israeli air strikes pounded Hezbollah’s strongholds in Beirut’s southern suburbs but sometimes also struck inside the city itself. Salam "emphasized the need to control security and prevent a repeat of rocket fire" against Israel, the official added. No party has claimed responsibility for the rocket fire, which a military source said was launched from an area north of the Litani River, between the villages of Kfar Tebnit and Arnoun, near the zone covered by the ceasefire agreement.
The agreement stipulates that only the Lebanese Army and U.N. peacekeepers may be deployed south of the Litani River, with Hezbollah required to dismantle its infrastructure and withdraw north of the river. Israel missed two deadlines to withdraw all its forces across the U.N.-demarcated Blue Line, the de facto border, and continues to hold five positions it deems "strategic".Hezbollah denied involvement in the rocket fire.
The Lebanese Army said later it dismantled three makeshift rocket batteries in the area, about 30 kilometers (18 miles) from the Israeli border. A military source told AFP the army detained two Syrians who were "working as guards at a farm near the rocket-launching site."The Syrians reported seeing a car with several men who set up the launchers and fired the rockets before leaving. The war severely weakened Hezbollah, which remains a target of Israeli air strikes despite the ceasefire.

Testing time for Lebanon’s foreign aid-reliant education system
Nadia Al-Faour/Arab News/March 24, 2025
DUBAI: Thousands of students in Lebanon, where public institutions including schools and universities are heavily reliant on international assistance, have been badly hit by the new US administration’s suspension of foreign aid. The executive order issued in January to ensure all United States Agency for International Development (USAID) projects align with US national interests has plunged students and academic institutions in Lebanon into uncertainty.
“My parents cannot afford to keep me enrolled if I lose my scholarship,” Rawaa, an 18-year-old university student attending the Lebanese American University, told Arab News. “Even if I worked day and night, I would not be able to cover a fraction of my tuition.”According to USAID, some 16,396 students in Lebanon have previously benefited from the agency’s support as part of its higher education capacity building initiative. Soon after the suspension was announced, students in Lebanon received official emails notifying them that their scholarships had been discontinued for 90 days. No further clarification has been sent. Some 16,396 students in Lebanon have previously benefited from USAID’s support. (AFP/File)
“I have been obsessively refreshing my inbox and my news feed to see if there are any updates concerning the continuation of the USAID scholarship,” said Rawaa, but to little avail.
Lebanon received $219 million through USAID in 2024 alone to support nongovernmental organizations, water management and development projects in rural areas, educational and economic opportunities, and humanitarian assistance. The US administration has said it is eliminating more than 90 percent of USAID’s foreign aid contracts and $60 billion in overall assistance around the world. An internal memo said officials were “clearing significant waste stemming from decades of institutional drift.”
More changes are planned in how USAID and the State Department deliver foreign assistance, it said, “to use taxpayer dollars wisely to advance American interests.”
Many Republican lawmakers believe USAID has been wasteful and harbors a liberal agenda. US President Donald Trump himself has promised to dramatically reduce spending and shrink the federal government. The dismantling of USAID by the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, overseen by Tesla and X CEO Elon Musk, has seen pushback by unions, aid groups, and foreign policy analysts, who tout the agency’s “soft power” credentials.
Samantha Power, the USAID chief under former President Joe Biden, called the agency “America’s superpower” in an opinion piece for the New York Times. “We are witnessing one of the worst and most costly foreign policy blunders in US history,” she wrote.
“Future generations will marvel that it wasn’t China’s actions that eroded US standing and global security but rather an American president and the billionaire he unleashed to shoot first and aim later,” she added, in reference to Musk. In 2023, Power allocated $50 million to support educational opportunities for Lebanese, Syrian, and Palestinian students in Lebanon. Some $15 million was earmarked for 140 university students, while the remainder went to thousands of younger disadvantaged students.
The 90-day suspension of USAID’s work while its programs are reviewed has resulted in thousands of Lebanese losing their jobs and as many as 500 students, who relied on American-funded scholarships, have been forced to drop out. Teacher training programs have been cut and US-affiliated institutions such as the American University of Beirut, the Lebanese American University, and Haigazian University have also seen their budgets slashed.
USAID is an independent agency established by President John F. Kennedy in 1961. It has long been a lifeline for programs in health, disaster relief, environmental protection, development, and education across the Middle East, Eastern Europe, Africa, Asia and Latin America.
The decision to suspend its operations is already having an impact on the work of UN agencies in the Middle East. The World Food Programme’s cash assistance scheme in Lebanon is expected to end for 170,000 Lebanese citizens and approximately 570,000 Syrian refugees.
The UN children’s fund, UNICEF, has also been forced to suspend or scale back its assistance, with just 26 percent of its donor appeal for Lebanon funded for the year ahead.
Ettie Higgins, UNICEF’s deputy representative in Lebanon, said an initial assessment had shown the agency must “drastically reduce” many of its programmes, including those related to child nutrition. “The assessment revealed a grim picture of children’s nutrition situation, particularly in Baalbeck and Bekaa governorates, which remained densely populated when they were repeatedly targeted by airstrikes,” Higgins said in a video statement from Beirut.
She was referring to the recent war between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia, whose strongholds in southern and eastern Lebanon came under intense bombardment during the 15-month conflict. Higgins said approximately 80 percent of families residing in these areas are in need of support, with 31 percent lacking sufficient drinking water, putting them at risk of contracting waterborne diseases.
“More than half a million children and their families in Lebanon are at risk of losing critical cash support from UN agencies,” she added, highlighting how these cuts could deprive the most vulnerable of their “last lifeline” to afford basic necessities. Meanwhile, infrastructure and energy programs in rural areas have been halted, while support for small and medium-sized enterprises has stopped, leaving many families struggling. Civil society groups and nongovernmental organizations reliant on USAID grants have also been forced to place social programs on hold, while countless employees have lost their jobs. Once home to some of the best academic institutions and programs in the Middle East, the combined impact of economic crisis, political paralysis, the coronavirus pandemic, the Beirut port blast, and conflict with Israel has left Lebanon’s education system a shadow of its former self. Poverty rates have skyrocketed since the financial crisis hit in 2019, with countless children forced to abandon their studies to seek work in order to support their families. Furthermore, the war between Israel and Hezbollah forced many schools to postpone their academic terms, as at least 500 state institutions were converted into makeshift shelters to house displaced families. Now another generation of young people is destined to miss out on higher education having lost access to US-funded scholarships. “I don’t know what I will do in the case of scholarship suspension,” said Lebanese American University student Rawaa. “I had dreams of becoming an architect and now it’s been taken away from me.”

Lebanese Army removes Israeli-installed barriers in South Lebanon
LBCI/March 24/2025
The Lebanese Army announced on Monday that its units had dismantled an earthen barrier and filled in a trench that Israeli forces had erected in Wadi Qatmoun, on the outskirts of the southern town of Rmaych, on March 23, 2025. In a statement, the Army's Directorate of Guidance said its forces also removed an Israeli barbed wire fence in Aitaroun, in the Bint Jbeil district. The Army reaffirmed that it is closely monitoring the situation in southern Lebanon in coordination with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).

Hezbollah MP throws support behind state, criticizes Lebanese rivals
Naharnet/March 24/2025
MP Ali Fayad of Hezbollah said “the situation that Lebanon is going through in general, and the South in particular, requires wisdom and patience but at the same time firmness, resilience and courage.”“Each stage has its necessities and requirements, and the Lebanese have agreed that the government manage the national stance in the face of the Israeli enemy’s hostile actions and repeated violations,” Fayad said at the funeral of a slain Hezbollah member.
“We support the government for the sake of achieving the national objectives in imposing an Israeli withdrawal from our land and protecting our people and national interests, and we have declared our commitment to what it has committed itself to in terms of Resolution 1701’s executive measures,” the lawmaker added. “All Lebanese must understand the dangerousness of what Israel is seeking in its consolidation of occupation, preventing residents from returning to their border towns and the insistence on targeting civilians under empty, fabricated and weak alibis and excuses,” Fayad went on to say. Warning that Israel is “practicing the policy of security and military escalation all the way to returning to war in order to empty the South of its residents, which paves the way for extremely dangerous courses, with the aim of creating drastic changes in the political and social situations in Lebanon,” Fayad added that “the problem imposed by the Israeli threat is no longer related to the resistance’s arms, but has started to threaten the entire country, in its border, land, state and structure.”“All of this is happening amid U.S. collusion and international carelessness,” Fayad added. The MP also criticized some Lebanese parties who are “offering justifications and alibis to the enemy and justifying its attacks on the Lebanese, launching stances that don’t care about national solidarity or the requirements of internal stability.”
“They don’t feel the magnitude of suffering and pain that the people of the South are going through after they lost their sons and their homes were destroyed,” Fayad said.

Lebanese lira ranks as the world’s weakest currency amid deepening economic crisis — What’s driving its decline?
LBCI/March 24/2025
Leading the world's weakest currencies, the Lebanese lira today ranks first in the Arab world and globally as the weakest currency, according to the Wise platform's classification. Regionally, it is followed by other depreciating currencies, including the Syrian pound, Iraqi dinar, Sudanese pound, and Yemeni rial. Globally, the Lebanese lira has even performed worse than the Iranian rial and is weaker than currencies from countries such as Vietnam, Sierra Leone, Laos, Indonesia, Uzbekistan, Guinea, and Paraguay. Every weak currency reflects a weaker economy. In Lebanon, several factors contribute to the weakness of the Lebanese lira. First, interventions by the Central Bank of Lebanon—printing more pounds and injecting money into the market without adequate coverage—have lowered its value. The currency quickly loses value when there are too many pounds in circulation and no corresponding production or reserves. Second, Lebanon imports more than 80% of its goods, meaning traders constantly need U.S. dollars. Since demand for dollars exceeds supply, the value of the Lebanese lira drops. Third, inflation has surged uncontrollably, surpassing 200% after 2019, further diminishing the purchasing power of the Lebanese lira. Fourth, the economy is weak, unemployment is rising, and people have less money to spend. Investors also lack confidence in the economy. Above all, there is a complete absence of political stability coupled with regional security tensions. In such a climate, investors flee, and the influx of U.S. dollars into the country decreases. Although these factors also affect other countries, Lebanon has been one of the most impacted due to the scale of the crises, lack of reforms, and chronic mismanagement.

Berri to Asharq Al-Awsat: Israel Luring Lebanon into Normalizing Relations
Beirut: Mohamed Choucair/Asharq Al Awsat/March 24/2025
Israel’s retaliation to rockets fired towards it from Lebanon on Saturday is part of its efforts to lure the country into normalizing relations.
Israel is aiming to lure Lebanon towards holding political negotiations in violation of the ceasefire agreement sponsored by the United States and France and which led to the formation of the quintet that is overseeing its implementation. Lebanon’s parliament Speaker Nabih Berri told Asharq Al-Awsat that the political negotiations and normalization of ties “are out of the question for us.”The ceasefire agreement enjoys international, Arab and UN backing, he noted. “We are implementing it and respecting it in full. Israel is the one who is obstructing its implementation.”
Moreover, the Lebanese army is fully prepared to complete its deployment south of the Litani River, “but Israel is refusing to withdraw from several areas, which has prevented the military from deploying at the border,” he remarked. “Hezbollah is committed to the agreement and has not obstructed it. It has withdrawn from areas south of the Litani and has not fired a single shot in six months even though Israel has been repeatedly violating the deal,” he stressed, citing its attacks on the South, Bekaa and border between Lebanon and Syria.
“Hezbollah is refraining from responding to the Israeli violation of the ceasefire and is exercising restraint. It is standing behind the Lebanese state as it implements and consolidates the ceasefire,” Berri told Asharq Al-Awsat. Meanwhile, Asharq Al-Awsat learned that deputy US envoy to the region Morgan Ortagus is expected to travel to Israel in the coming hours to hold talks with its leaders. Discussions will involve drafting a roadmap for kicking off the implementation of three issues she had brought up previously related to the release of Lebanese prisoners, withdrawal of Israel from Lebanese territories and demarcation of the border between the countries.
A visit to Beirut hinges on whether she reaches an understanding with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and senior officials on the broad lines of the implementation of the agreement. Hezbollah’s options Primitive rockets, “more like sound bombs”, were fired at Israel on Saturday, a Lebanese source told Asharq Al-Awsat. Israel shot them down even before they flew over the border. Even if they had reached their target, they would not have caused any damage.
But Israel chose to retaliate broadly in an attempt to pressure Lebanon into holding direct negotiations with it, the source explained. Israel doesn’t need an excuse to justify its violations against Lebanon. It used the rocket fire to continue to assassinate Hezbollah members who are still on its list of targets, it added. Moreover, the source dismissed claimed that the broad Israeli response was aimed at warning Hezbollah against again resorting to opening a support front in the South in solidarity with Gaza and the Houthis in Yemen.
Hezbollah has no intention to reignite the conflict in the South, stressed the source. It is too busy still assessing the consequences of its decision to open the support front for Gaza in October 2023 that led to the war with Israel last year. The Iran-backed party is still assessing how Israel managed to assassinate its top political and military leaders, continued the source.
Hezbollah officials’ continued commitment to the “army, people and resistance” equation is nothing more than a political slogan that carries no weight as long as the party continues to stand behind the state, which is banking on diplomacy to consolidate the ceasefire, it said.
Furthermore, Hezbollah has to also take into consideration the sentiment among its own Shiite popular base, many of whom have been unable to return to their destroyed villages on the border with Israel, it remarked. In addition, Hezbollah no longer has the military capabilities that could allow it to open the southern front against Israel yet again, the source went on to say.
So, the party has no choice but to realistically approach the situation in the South, steering clear of populist slogans, and taking into account the massive imbalance in power with Israel.
Hezbollah effectively can no longer ignore the international community’s insistence that it lay down its weapons and limit their possession to the state. The international community did not once condemn Israel for its retaliation to Saturday’s rocket fire, noted the source.
The party will have no choice but to opt for diplomacy - led by President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam - to make Israel withdraw from remaining Lebanese territories.

Lebanon's parliamentary elections: Three main issues spark debate on reforming the electoral law
LBCI/March 24/2025
The inclusion of the draft law on parliamentary elections, proposed by the Development and Liberation Bloc, on the agenda of the joint committees, has sparked broad discussions about the electoral law. The real debate in the coming period will focus on three main points: the number of preferential votes, voting by expatriates, and the "megacenters" or voting centers where any citizen can vote instead of being forced to go to their hometown. The discussion centers on increasing preferential votes from one to two. The implications of this change are that, in mixed districts, the party with the ability to mobilize and organize votes can direct preferential votes to more than one candidate, potentially winning more seats at the expense of other lists. The debate over expatriate voting revolves around the creation of six parliamentary seats designated for expatriates, as stipulated by the current electoral law. The background of the issue lies in the struggle between those who want to separate the impact of the expatriate vote from the 128 current seats and those who want to maintain their influence in Lebanon. The topic of "megacenters" has also become a point of division. These centers could reduce political parties' influence and pressure on voters. The apparent reason for the division is technical, as the discussion involves the need for magnetic cards to allow voters to vote at their preferred center. However, the underlying reason is political. The joint committees agreed to delay the discussion until all proposals are gathered for review. Outside the committees, the real debate has begun, and the time leading up to the elections allows for the necessary reforms to be made to a law that all parties agree contains several flaws.

Lebanon's PM names Ramez Dimashkieh head of task force on Palestinian refugees
LBCI/March 24/2025
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam issued a decision on Monday, appointing Ambassador Ramez Dimashkieh as the head of the Lebanese task force assigned to address issues related to Palestinian refugees in Lebanon.

Jordan, Lebanon discuss bilateral ties and regional developments
LBCI/March 24/2025
Jordan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi met with Lebanon’s Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji on Monday to discuss ways to strengthen bilateral relations and developments in Lebanon. The two ministers stressed the need to halt Israeli attacks on Lebanon and fully implement the ceasefire agreement between Lebanon and Israel. Safadi reaffirmed Jordan’s unwavering support for Lebanon’s security, stability, and sovereignty. He also expressed the kingdom’s backing for Lebanon’s efforts to restore the functionality of its institutions and rebuild following the election of a new president and prime minister. Rajji, in turn, expressed appreciation for Jordan’s support under the leadership of King Abdullah II, highlighting its ongoing efforts to mobilize international backing for ending the aggression and ensuring full implementation of the ceasefire. Both ministers underscored their commitment to deepening cooperation across various sectors.

Amid recent escalation, can US pressure influence Israel’s strategy toward Lebanon?
LBCI/March 24/2025
All available information since the rocket fire from southern Lebanon indicates that Israel’s threat to strike Beirut was serious. For this reason, President Joseph Aoun acted swiftly over the weekend, making calls to various parties involved in the Lebanese situation to prevent further Israeli escalation. These efforts, under U.S. pressure, succeeded in halting the wave of Israeli airstrikes. Sources indicated that U.S. Deputy Special Envoy for the Middle East Morgan Ortagus is expected in Israel. However, reports of a visit to Lebanon remain unconfirmed, though some speculate it could take place after Eid al-Fitr. Meanwhile, Lebanon is closely watching U.S. efforts to resolve disputes with Israel, which has conveyed a message through American mediators that it will continue striking Hezbollah until the group fully complies with United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701. This stance is backed by clear U.S. support, as reflected in statements from American officials involved in regional affairs. Sources from the ceasefire monitoring committee said investigations have yet to determine who was behind the rocket fire from Lebanon, calling the incident highly dangerous given that Israel’s response now relies on overwhelming force. The sources stressed that Lebanon must demonstrate to public opinion—and in the face of Israeli threats—the actions its army is taking in the south regarding Hezbollah’s weapons and infrastructure. This immense effort should be highlighted. The sources also noted that work is ongoing to form committees addressing the remaining Israeli occupation, disputed points along the Blue Line, and detainees. However, discussions remain focused on the mechanism and composition of these committees. The French insist they should be purely technical, similar to the ceasefire monitoring committee, while the U.S. has not taken a clear stance on Israel’s proposal to include diplomats. Regardless of their composition, there will be no direct negotiations between the two sides.

FPM submits electoral law based on 'Orthodox law' with 'additions'
Naharnet/March 24/2025
Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil announced Monday on the X platform that the FPM has submitted “a draft electoral law based on the Orthodox (Gathering) law with additions,” referring to a controversial 2013 proposal that calls for each sect to elect its own MPs under a proportional representation system based on a nationwide district. “This is how the debate should start: respecting the National Pact,” Bassil added. “Either a sectarian system with actual and not superficial equal power-sharing or a fully secular system for all aspects of common life,” the FPM chief went on to say. “Abolishing political sectarianism alone is an abolishment of Lebanon. This is the Taif Agreement -- implement it in full along with decentralization,” Bassil added.
Bassil’s remarks come after the parliamentary committees on Monday started discussing a number of proposed electoral laws. The Amal Movement has proposed a bill amending the current electoral law to include two instead of one preferential vote, a move seen by Christian parties as an attempt to favor sects who have bigger numbers of voters.

Lebanese Army Intercepts Smuggling Operation in Masharih al-Qaa and Kfar Zabad
This is Beirut/March 24/2025
The Army’s Directorate of Orientation, backed by an Army unit, intercepted on Monday a smuggling attempt at an illegal crossing in Masharih al-Qaa and another one in Kfar Zabad – Zahle. The police raided the illegal crossing based on prior intelligence about ongoing smuggling activities. The operation led to the arrest of five Lebanese citizens and one Syrian national, along with the confiscation of vehicles loaded with fuel and foodstuffs intended for smuggling.
Meanwhile, in Kfar Zabad – Zahleh, another Army patrol successfully thwarted a smuggling attempt from Syria into Lebanon, seizing a quantity of military pistols and illicit goods. Additionally, security forces raided the homes of wanted individuals, apprehending J.H., who is accused of facilitating smuggling operations and reopening illegal crossings previously shut down by the Army. The seized items have been handed over to the relevant authorities, and investigations are ongoing under judicial supervision to track down the remaining suspects involved in these operations. The Lebanese Army intercepted multiple smuggling attempts along the country's northern and eastern borders, arresting several individuals and seizing weapons, fuel and other contraband as part of its efforts to combat infiltration and smuggling.

Lebanon Sets Dates for Municipal and Mokhtar Elections in 2025
This is Beirut/March 24/2025
The Ministry of Interior and Municipalities has officially announced on Monday the schedule for the upcoming municipal and mokhtar elections, which will take place across different governorates throughout May 2025.
According to a press release from the Media Office of Interior Minister Ahmad Al-Hajjar, the elections will be held as follows:
- Mount Lebanon on May 4
- North Lebanon and Akkar on May 11
- Beirut, Bekaa, and Baalbek-Hermel on May 18
- South Lebanon and Nabatiyeh on May 25
The ministry confirmed that electoral bodies will be summoned at least one month before the election date in each governorate, in accordance with legal procedures.

Shiite Clans in Lebanon: Alliances, Autonomy, and Current Issues
Kaline Antoun/This Is Beirut/March 24/2025
Recent armed clashes on the Lebanese-Syrian border have once again brought attention to the situation of Shiite clans in this region. These events have also highlighted the key role these clans play in the local social and political fabric. Who are they? How do they interact with Hezbollah and the Lebanese state?
The Shiite clans of northern Bekaa, particularly in the Baalbek-Hermel region, are characterized by a social organization based on clan affiliation. These are large families with security and economic autonomy. This structure differs from that of Shiites in southern Lebanon, whose lifestyles are primarily focused on rural and agricultural activities.
These clans are grouped into two main factions: the Chamsiyeh and the Zeaiteriyeh. The Chamsiyeh include families like the Chamas, Allouh, Dandach, Allam, Awad, Nassereddine, and Alaaeddine, while the Zeaiteriyeh consist of the Zeaiter, Jaafar, Noun, Amhaz, Mokdad, Haj Hassan, and Chreif. Historically, these groups were part of a larger confederation known as the Hamadiyeh, referring to the Hamadeh family that held dominant influence over all clans, and the Haidariyeh, linked to the Haidar family.
A Deeply Rooted Clan Culture
Retired General Khalil Helou, political analyst and geopolitics professor at Saint Joseph University in Beirut, explains to This Is Beirut: “These clans have existed for centuries and perpetuate a deeply rooted tradition. It’s a culture that has not disappeared despite the concepts of citizenship, law, and rights.”He adds: “This affiliation, passed down from birth within the family framework, is both emotional and unconditional. It creates unshakable solidarity.” He also notes that clan affiliations in Lebanon are not about to disappear—they are rooted in history. Similar structures also exist among Sunnis and even among Maronites in the mountains.
An Autonomous Social and Political Organization
Helou describes the Shiite clans of Lebanon as sociopolitical structures where family solidarity plays a central role. “Within these clans, members help each other unconditionally,” he explains. “The strong support the weak, and families protect their own, especially in times of conflict. If a family member is harmed, for instance through assassination, the entire clan may seek revenge.” This logic explains the persistence of vendettas and the refusal to submit certain disputes to the state, which is seen as external to traditional codes.
However, these clans also have traditions of reconciliation. Helou explains that a well-established mechanism helps ease tensions: “Reconciliation between clans is always orchestrated by the elders, through concessions and financial compensation. It’s a sociopolitical structure in the strictest sense.”He emphasizes that these clan affiliations are deeply rooted in Lebanese culture and are not limited to the Shiite community—they also extend to Sunni and Maronite communities. “These ancestral structures, although eroded by social evolution, will not disappear overnight. They remain intimately linked to the country’s history and collective identity.” The political influence of these clans also remains significant. During legislative elections, their mobilization can heavily influence results—a factor that Hezbollah and the Amal movement strategically exploit due to their strong roots in the Shiite community.
Geography Shapes the Clans’ Fate
The history of these clans dates back to the French Mandate era. When the borders were drawn in 1920, several Lebanese localities were annexed to Syria, giving these villages a hybrid status. Many Lebanese clans from the Baalbek-Hermel region already lived on the Syrian side, where they owned and cultivated land long before independence. “This issue has never been addressed by either the Syrian or Lebanese authorities,” Helou notes.
He explains that these clans, though established across the border, largely obtained Lebanese nationality in the 1920s and 1930s. “The entire clan chose to belong to Lebanon rather than Syria,” he explains, while remaining on their Syrian lands. These clans have thus always lived on both sides of the border, particularly in the Orontes Valley (Wadi el-Assi) and in Syrian border regions near the Hermel district, such as Qasr.
Until recently, the absence of state control allowed free movement between the two countries, turning the area into a lawless zone. This security vacuum favored the rise of well-established smuggling networks. “These communities live parallel to Lebanese laws,” Mr. Helou says. “Clan dominance remains stronger than the state.”
Hezbollah and the Clans: A Relationship of Cooperation and Mistrust
The Shiite clans of the Bekaa, close to Hezbollah and the Amal movement, have long enjoyed a form of political and military immunity. Without always being affiliated with the party, they maintain a pragmatic relationship with Hezbollah, each preserving its own interests. In exchange for their support, Hezbollah provides them with financial and military assistance, thereby strengthening its influence in this strategic region.
The Bekaa, with its proximity to Syria and its history of smuggling, offers fertile ground for arms and drug trafficking—key funding sources for Hezbollah, especially since international sanctions have tightened. However, the clans maintain strong autonomy. As General Khalil Helou points out, “Clan affiliation always takes precedence over Hezbollah.” This independence is particularly evident in certain illegal activities, protected by family solidarity, which makes state intervention difficult.
Hezbollah’s intervention in Syria in 2013 reinforced its grip on border villages, where fighters from the clans joined local militias to defend Shiite communities. However, after Hezbollah’s partial withdrawal and the weakening of the Syrian regime, tensions emerged. Some clans blame the party for a lack of support against Syrian forces—a factor that could redefine their relationships in the coming years.
The Lebanese State vs. the Clans: A Contested Authority
The Shiite clans of the Bekaa exhibit a strong autonomy that often surpasses the authority of the Lebanese state, taking advantage of weak security forces. Historically marginalized, these clans have forged a distinct identity rooted in clan traditions, where internal solidarity outweighs all other affiliations—including ties to Hezbollah and, even more so, to the state.
The recurring clashes between the Lebanese army and these clans underscore this dynamic. According to General Helou, recent clashes between some clans and the Syrian army occurred without Hezbollah’s official involvement, as the party distanced itself from the events. This situation confirms the clans' independent identity, making decisions based on their own interests and view of power.
Meanwhile, the Lebanese state struggles to assert its authority in a region where economic marginalization and lack of development have strengthened clan autonomy. General Khalil Helou notes that, despite state efforts to collaborate with local leaders and promote education, these initiatives remain limited and uncertain. Furthermore, UN Resolution 1680 calls for the demarcation of the Lebanon-Syria border—a matter unresolved for over a century. Beyond mere topography, this issue holds significant sociological, economic, and political dimensions.
Given these challenges, the future of the Shiite clans hinges on a fragile balance between clan traditions, state integration, and regional influences. A dialogue between the state and clan leaders could lead to better inclusion of these communities while respecting their historical identity. The situation at the Lebanese-Syrian border will remain a key factor in the country's stability.

A Top Priority: Ending the War Games
Michel Touma/This Is Beirut/March 24/2025
This is referred to as "playing with fire." Or, in more academic terms, an act of unfathomable recklessness—one marked by reprehensible indifference and a cynical disregard for third-party populations, who are manipulated and sacrificed to serve entirely foreign interests.
Imam Khamenei might want to review the significant reference work by Sheikh Naim Qassem on Hezbollah, in which he offers a truly remarkable and detailed explanation of the foundations of the wilayat al-faqih regime (established by Khomeini). This regime led the "Party of God" (and, by extension, other Iranian proxies) to pledge unconditional allegiance—on religious grounds—to the Supreme Leader (the wali al-faqih) in all strategic matters, including decisions related to war and peace. It is an insult to human intelligence to have been led to believe that 75 years after the outbreak of the Israeli-Arab conflict, the Houthis of Yemen—a marginalized and impoverished people—suddenly found the resolve to fight against Israel and the Western world of their own accord. They are said to have suddenly gained significant financial, technological, and logistical resources, enabling them to acquire ballistic missiles and threaten commercial traffic in the Red Sea! Who exactly are they trying to deceive?
This kind of surreal cynicism, reaching the height of deception, once again played out over the past weekend on the Lebanese scene. In true form as followers of their Iranian ideological mentors, Hezbollah’s leaders tried to make us believe they had no involvement in the rocket fire launched at northern Israel, just hours (pure coincidence, of course…) after remarks made by Prime Minister Nawaf Salam in an interview with the al-Arabiya satellite channel. Salam had stated that the "army-people-resistance" tripartite formula (oh, so cherished by Hezbollah) was now outdated and that the decision of war and peace rested solely in the hands of the Lebanese state, which must hold the exclusive right to legitimate violence.
Just like Imam Khamenei, who hides behind the laughable pretense of the "independence" of the "resistance" groups—an illusion that, incidentally, reveals weakness and anxiety in response to President Donald Trump’s firm stance—Hezbollah regularly hides behind "the people" or, more recently, the tribes of Hermel to avoid taking responsibility for its military actions. Similarly, last Saturday, it attempted to portray itself as innocent following the latest rocket fire against Israel. This tactic, however, fools no one, as the escalation over the past weekend provides yet another clear indication of the Iranian camp's blatant intent to escalate tensions further.
The mullah regime and its proxies have recently intensified their defiance, consistently disregarding the overwhelming military, technological, logistical, and political superiority they face. The weak, and ultimately unsuccessful, rocket fire on Saturday was followed by extensive Israeli airstrikes on several villages in southern Lebanon and the Beqaa. Likewise, the few missiles launched by the Houthis in recent days towards Israel and vessels in the Red Sea triggered large-scale airstrikes by the US military targeting dozens of positions and key sites in Yemen.
This dual military escalation—following the violent attempted coup in Syria—is accompanied by a political escalation, evident in the relentless and aggressive campaign against Foreign Minister Joe Raggi. He is being criticized—with cynical absurdity—for taking a firm sovereigntist stance. Yet, his position merely echoes the content of the ministerial declaration, the president’s inaugural address, and the prime minister’s recent interview. However, targeting the foreign minister is far easier than challenging the president or prime minister directly.
Given the current regional and international power dynamics, it is undoubtedly time for the mullahs in Tehran and their Iranian proxies to stop their war games. Their hollow ideological rhetoric and futile, self-destructive actions will never allow them to bridge the massive technological, military, and economic divide that sets them apart from the rest of the world…

The 'Improbable Nation' and the Dysfunctional State
Dr. Charles Chartouni/This Is Beirut/March 24/2025
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/03/141550/
The resumption of the reckless bombardment of Israeli territories from South Lebanon is a blatant violation of the internationally mandated truce stipulations and puts at stake the stability of Lebanon and its hypothetical national security. The tedious game of pinpointing the culprits is part of a hackneyed stratagem whose goal is to perpetuate the state of uncertainty, normalize arbitrariness and blame it on Israel. There is nothing new, and we cannot expect better at this stage, since the insolvency of the new government is foredoomed at the onset. The deliberate equivocations, the ideological blinders, the open challenge of Hezbollah and the pervasive divisiveness of the new executive and its lack of cohesiveness account for the state of volatility that prevails in the country.
The weakness of the government, the disoriented presidency and the audacity of Hezbollah testify to the fractiousness of the political landscape and the inability of the state to rebuild its autonomy away from the mortgages set by it. These basic facts question the relevance of the government and its ability to manage the politics of transition, if ever. The inherent inconsistencies of its formation and skewed representation, the ideological and political differences and the absence of constitutional stipulations to prevent the self-induced paralysis of the executive power are the abiding features of the Taif regime. They have been imposed and instrumentalized by the regional power brokers throughout the last 35 years.
Whoever the militant group that launched the rockets is, the Lebanese government cannot shift the blame and shelter behind the usual rhetoric of externalization to justify its irresponsibility and systemic inabilities. This newly formed executive authority has come on the heels of a major geostrategic upheaval triggered by the Israeli counteroffensive throughout the Near East and the reshuffle of the political and strategic dynamics. The international mediation was at the origin of the truce that was meant to pave the way to a progressive stabilization, conditional upon the takeover of the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF), the restoration of Lebanese sovereignty, the unconditional disarmament of Hezbollah and the Palestinian camps and the dismantling of their vast networks of armed gangs throughout the Lebanese territories.
Paradoxically enough, none of these stipulations were addressed openly by the cabinet mission statement, which sheltered behind vague political promises with no practical incidence. The reasons are obvious, since the prime minister and his coterie are not explicitly committed to achieving the required military mandates, nor have they decided to set a threshold between the two eras. The rationale behind this policy course is ideological, political and personal, since the triumvirate that controls the government hails from the Palestinian militancy which has set the seeds of Lebanon’s destruction since the mid-sixties.
Otherwise, the political careers of these incumbents thrived on the back of Palestinian militancy to promote their fortunes. Aside from the ideological considerations, these profiles are not by any means ready to engage head-on Shiite militancy for personal reasons. The prudential reasons are not quite convincing, despite the overdue rejection by Nawaf Salam of the Hezbollah motto, “people, army, resistance.” The government tactic was supposed to outmaneuver the international mandates, work on accommodating the clashing agendas of Shiite power politics and the demoted notion of national sovereignty, and displace the epicenter of Lebanese politics away from the national civil credo and its consociational configuration.
The latest security blunders are far from accidental. They reflect the fractured political landscape, the endemic crises of national legitimacy and the realities of a dysfunctional governance. The new head of state, Joseph Aoun, navigates the muddied waters of a failed state and fails to demonstrate his willingness to engage the international mandates and break away from the systemic entropies that have corroded Lebanon’s immunity and ability to rebuild its moral and political autonomy. This interlude is coming to its end, and Lebanon is most likely going to miss the rare opportunity that was offered to extract itself from the destructive dynamics of six decades of open-ended conflicts and failed statehood.
The intentional obstructionism of Hezbollah correlates with Iran’s determination to overcome the destruction of its operational platforms in the Near East and retrieve its political footholds. It's no coincidence that the battlefronts in Gaza, the interfaces between Lebanon and Syria and the Houthis' random violence have been reactivated. Iran considers that its ultimate chance to contain its faltering defenses is to incite civil wars, widen the radius of chaos and ethno-national conflicts and reduce the scope of diplomatic mediation and arbitrated conflict resolution. Nonetheless, Iran has lost control over the region and its nuisance capacity has dwindled. The counter-insurgencies are proliferating, and the international power politics are no longer swayed by the erstwhile Iranian imperialism. The last stage of this late episode might be the confrontation with Iran, not its proxies.

The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on March 24-25/2025
Trump predicts more countries will be added to Abraham Accords
LBCI/Reuters
U.S. President Donald Trump vowed on Monday that more countries will be added to the Abraham Accords, the series of normalization that his administration negotiated between Israel and some Gulf countries during his first term. Trump, speaking to reporters at a Cabinet meeting at the White House, said more countries want to join the accords. The White House has singled out Saudi Arabia as a possible participant in the accords, although the Saudis have qualms about Israel due to the Gaza war.

Iran Condemns US Threats to Use Force and Vows It Will Defend Its Sovereignty
Asharq Al Awsat/March 24/2025
The Iranian ambassador to the United Nations, in a letter to the UN Security Council, referred to “baseless accusations” and threats by senior US administration officials and President Donald Trump against Iran while trying to justify what he said were unlawful attacks against Yemen.
Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani warned that “any act of aggression will have severe consequences, for which the United States will bear full responsibility.”He said Iran will “resolutely defend its sovereignty, territorial integrity and national interests under international law against any hostile action.”The US has launched a series of airstrikes against strongholds of Yemen’s Iranian-backed Houthi militias who have disrupted international maritime trade by targeting ships in the Red Sea. He urged the Security Council to speak out against the US “blatant provocations.” But since the US has veto power in the council, there is no chance of that happening.

Iran says open to 'indirect' nuclear talks with US
Agence France Presse
Iran said on Monday it was open to indirect talks with the United States, after President Donald Trump had issued an ultimatum for a new nuclear deal. "The way is open for indirect negotiations," Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said, dismissing the prospect of direct talks with Washington "until there is a change in the other side's approach towards the Islamic republic".

Iraq Says Iran Used Forged Iraqi Documents on Oil Tankers, Tehran Denies
Asharq Al Awsat/March 24/2025
Iraq's oil minister Hayan Abdel-Ghani has said told state television that Iranian oil tankers stopped by US forces in the Gulf were using forged Iraqi documents. US President Donald Trump's administration has restored his earlier "maximum pressure" policy on Iran, reviving a policy that seeks to isolate the country from the global economy and eliminate its oil export revenue in order to slow Tehran's development of a nuclear weapon. "We received some verbal inquiries about oil tankers being detained in the Gulf by US naval forces carrying Iraqi shipping manifests," Abdel-Ghani said on state television late on Sunday, adding there had been no formal written communication. "It turned out that these tankers were Iranian ... and were using forged Iraqi documents. We explained this to the relevant authorities with complete transparency and they also confirmed this."Iran's oil ministry on Monday denied that Tehran had used forged official documents and said allegations that they had done so came from US officials, the ministry's Shana news agency reported. "It's obvious that these allegations by US officials fold into the illegal... pressure on the nation of Iran and have no basis or credibility," Shana said. Iran views neighbor and ally Iraq as vital to keeping its economy afloat while under sanctions. But Baghdad, a partner to both Washington and Tehran, is wary of being caught in the crosshairs of Trump's policy to squeeze Iran, sources have said. Reuters reported in December that a sophisticated fuel oil smuggling network that experts believe generates at least $1 billion a year for Iran and its proxies has flourished in Iraq in the past few years, including by using forged documentation. Abdel-Ghani said state marketer SOMO sold crude exclusively to companies that own refineries and does not supply trading firms. "SOMO operates with full transparency and has committed no wrongdoing in the oil export process," he said.

Thousands Trapped in Rafah as Israel Says Won’t Stop Until Hamas No Longer Controls Gaza
Asharq Al Awsat/March 24/2025
Thousands of people are trapped in the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip after Israeli forces encircled part of it on Sunday, Palestinian officials said. Israel ordered the evacuation of the Tel al-Sultan neighborhood, telling people to leave by a single route on foot to Muwasi, a sprawling cluster of tent camps along the coast. Thousands fled, but residents said many were trapped by Israeli forces. The Rafah municipality said Monday that thousands were still trapped, including first responders from the Civil Defense, which operates under the Hamas-run government, and the Palestinian Red Crescent.
Israel blames Hamas
Israel’s defense minister said it is trying to avoid harming civilians as it strikes Hamas in Gaza.
Israel Katz’s statement came nearly a week after Israel ended its ceasefire with Hamas by launching a surprise wave of strikes that killed hundreds of Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to local health officials. Katz said Monday that “Israel is not fighting the civilians in Gaza and is doing everything that international law requires to mitigate harm to civilians.”He went on to blame Hamas for any civilian deaths, saying the group “fights in civilian dress, from civilian homes, and from behind civilians,” putting them in danger.
He said Israel would not halt its offensive until Hamas releases all its hostages and is no longer in control of Gaza or a threat to Israel. Israeli strikes across the Gaza Strip have killed at least 25 Palestinians, including several women and children, according to three hospitals. The strikes come nearly a week after Israel ended its ceasefire with Hamas with a surprise bombardment that killed hundreds. Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza City received 11 bodies from strikes overnight into Monday, including three women and four children. One of the strikes killed two children, their parents, their grandmother and their uncle. Nasser Hospital in the southern city of Khan Younis received seven bodies from strikes overnight and four from strikes the previous day. The European Hospital received three bodies from a strike near Khan Younis. Gaza’s Health Ministry said Sunday that the Palestinian death toll from the 17-month war has passed 50,000. It has said that women and children make up more than half the dead but does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its count.Israel says it has killed some 20,000 fighters, without providing evidence. Hamas-led gunmen killed around 1,200 people, mainly civilians, and abducted 251 people in the Oct. 7, 2023, attack that ignited the war.
‘Traumatized a second time’
Meanwhile, an American trauma surgeon working in Gaza says most of the patients injured in an Israeli attack on the largest hospital in southern Gaza had been previously wounded when Israel resumed airstrikes last week. Californian surgeon Feroze Sidhwa, who is working with the medical charity MedGlobal, said Monday he had been in the intensive care unit at Nasser Hospital when an airstrike hit surgical wards on Sunday. Most of the injured had been recovering from wounds suffered in airstrikes last week when Israel resumed the war, he said. “They were already trauma patients and now they’ve been traumatized for a second time,” Sidhwa, who was raised in Flint, Mich., told Australian Broadcasting Corp.Sidhwa said he had operated on a man and boy days before who died in the attack.

UN to Reduce Staff in Gaza and Blames Israel for a Strike That Killed Its Employee
Asharq Al Awsat/March 24/2025
The United Nations said Monday it will “reduce its footprint” in the Gaza Strip after an Israeli tank strike hit one of its compounds last week, killing one staffer and wounding five others. The world body will temporarily remove about a third of its approximately 100 international staffers working in Gaza, UN Secretary-General spokesman Stéphane Dujarric. He pointed to the increased danger after Israel relaunched its military campaign last week with bombardment that has since killed hundreds of Palestinians. Israel has also cut off all food, medicine, aid and other supplies to Gaza's population for the past three weeks. Dujarric's statement was the UN’s first to point the finger at Israel in the March 19 explosion at the UN guesthouse in central Gaza. He said that “based on the information currently available,” the strikes on the site “were caused by an Israeli tank.” The Israeli military did not immediately comment. Israel has denied it was behind the explosion, which came a day after it shattered Gaza's 2-month-old ceasefire with a surprise bombardment around the Gaza Strip. Dujarric said the UN “has made taken the difficult decision to reduce the Organization’s footprint in Gaza, even as humanitarian needs soar.” He said the UN “is not leaving Gaza,” pointing out that it still has about 13,000 national staff in Gaza, mainly working for UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees.
New strikes killed dozens in Gaza
New Israeli strikes over the past 24 hours killed more than 60 Palestinians around Gaza, the territory's Health Ministry said. The ministry's count does not distinguish between civilians and fighters. The ministry on Monday put out a list of the names of more than 15,000 children, 17 and under, killed by Israel's campaign since it began more than 17 months ago. The list included nearly 5,000 children under the age of 6 who had been killed, including 876 infants who had not reached a year in age, Israel, which launched its campaign in retaliation for Hamas’ October 2023 attack, says it has restarted its bombardment and cut off food to Gaza to force Hamas to accept new terms for the ceasefire and release more hostages. It says it targets Hamas members and positions, blaming the group for civilian deaths because it operates among the population.
Two rockets were intercepted after crossing into Israeli territory bordering the Gaza Strip, setting off air raid sirens earlier Monday evening, the Israeli military said. There were no immediate reports of casualties. Al-Quds Brigades, the military arm of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group, claimed responsibility
Medical workers under fire in Gaza
The UN reduction comes as aid workers and medical staff have come under fire.
The International Committee of the Red Cross said its office in the southern city of Rafah in the Gaza Strip was damaged by an explosive projectile on Monday. It said no staff were hurt but the damage has a direct impact on its ability to operate. It did not specify who was behind the explosion. ICRC also said that on Sunday, contact was lost with emergency medical technicians from the Palestine Red Crescent Society and their whereabouts remain unknown. Last week, humanitarian workers in Gaza were killed and injured, it said.
On Sunday, Israel struck the surgery ward at southern Gaza's biggest hospital, killing two people and wounding others, many of whom were already injured by earlier strikes. One of those killed at Khan Younis' Nasser Hospital was a teenage boy recovering from surgery.
The other was a Hamas official that Israel says was the target of the strike, Ismail Barhoum. Hamas said Barhoum was undergoing treatment at the time. The Israeli military denied that, saying he oversaw Hamas' finances in Gaza, including transferring money to its armed wing, and was working out of the hospital. The strike last week on the UN compound outside Deir al-Balah killed a Bulgarian staffer, Marin Valev Marinov, 51. He worked with the UN Office for Project Services, which carries out infrastructure and development projects around the world. In the two days before the deadly blast, strikes hit next to and then directly in the compound, UNOPS chief Jorge Moreira da Silva said earlier. He said the agency had contacted the Israeli military after the first strike and confirmed that the military was aware of the facility’s location.
Full impact of UN reduction not immediately known
Olga Cherevko, spokesperson for the UN’s humanitarian office, known as OCHA, said the UN and its partners have already suspended a number of activities, many in education, protection and water and sanitation services. The reason, she was, was safety concerns and the impact of Israeli evacuation orders. “A lot things are constrained right now because of the security situation,” she told AP before Dujarric’s announcement. “The challenges are massive. We have had a lot of our activities affected by the situation and a lot of our partners have had to suspend operations because it is just not safe.” Movement of trucks, including those distributing water, have been affected, she said. Only 29 out of 237 temporary learning spaces have resumed their activities since the ceasefire collapse, she said. Israel's campaign in Gaza has killed more than 50,000 Palestinians and wounded more than 113,000, according to the Health Ministry. Nearly 90% of the population of some 2,3 million have been driven from their homes. Israel launched the campaign vowing to destroy Hamas after its Oct. 7, 2023 attack on southern Israel, in which gunmen killed some 1,200 people and kidnapped 250 others.

Israel considers massive new ground offensive in Gaza as it ramps up pressure on Hamas
Jeremy Diamond and Mick Krever, CNN/March 24, 2025
Israel is making plans for a potential major ground offensive in Gaza that would involve sending tens of thousands of troops into combat to clear and occupy large swaths of the enclave, an Israeli official and a second source familiar with the matter said.
The potential large-scale offensive is one of several possible scenarios the Israeli government is contemplating as it escalates its attacks on Gaza and seeks to pressure Hamas to release more hostages without negotiating an end to the war.
Efforts by Egypt and Qatar to revive the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas have intensified in recent days and one source said leaks about a major ground offensive are part of an Israeli effort to apply more pressure on Hamas at the negotiating table. Israeli officials have previously indicated that Israel would stop its attacks if Hamas agrees to free more hostages. Still, the Israeli military, led by its new and more aggressive chief of staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, has been crafting plans for a large-scale operation in Gaza for weeks now.
“If there are not renewed hostage negotiations then the only alternative left is to resume the fighting,” Eyal Hulata, former head of Israel’s National Security Council, told CNN. “And there are serious plans.”
While the Israeli military has launched numerous ground offensives in Gaza over the course of the war, its forces often withdrew within days or weeks of routing Hamas fighters in the targeted area. Without an Israeli troop presence or an alternative governing or military force, Hamas would often re-emerge in those areas, prompting Israeli forces to return. Under one potential scenario now being considered, Israeli forces would clear Hamas from large swaths of Gaza and then occupy that territory to prevent Hamas’s resurgence, the sources said. Such a decision could see the Israeli military occupying the territory and fighting insurgencies for years. A large-scale offensive could involve five Israeli divisions — or some 50,000 troops — the sources said. The government is escalating the pressure “to bring Hamas back to the table on Israel’s terms,” Israel Ziv – a retired general who served 35 years in the Israeli military, including as chief of operations in the joint chiefs of staff – told CNN. “But of course the problem is that once you escalate you can find yourself at the end of the road, in the depth of swamp. And this is the risk that no one knows if it will work or not.”
“Once you threaten something you should be prepared to do it,” he said. The Israeli military has already begun laying the groundwork for larger-scale ground maneuvers, recapturing half of the Israeli-demarcated Netzarim corridor, which splits northern Gaza from the rest of the strip, and pushing troops into strategic locations in northern and southern Gaza. Israel’s cabinet on Sunday set up an agency to facilitate any Palestinians in Gaza who wished to participate in a “voluntary transfer” to third countries – though none have agreed to take in emigrees. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has made eliminating Hamas’s military and governance capabilities in Gaza a central war goal as he vows to achieve “absolute victory.”But a larger-scale and longer-term Israeli military offensive in Gaza could also draw stiff resistance from the Israeli public, of which a majority has been clamoring for a deal to free the 59 hostages still held in Gaza over a return to war. “What we will see is a permanent presence of the IDF fighting the counter-insurgency on the ground,” Hulata said. “And there will be no other option than for the IDF to assume responsibility for the humanitarian aid.”
Israel has since the beginning of March blocked all humanitarian aid from entering Gaza, amplifying the humanitarian catastrophe in the strip. Further occupation of Gaza “is, at least right now, not in the interest of Israel,” Ziv said. “For some of the extremists in the government like (Bezalel) Smotrich” – the far-right finance minister – “maybe it’s the purpose. But it’s definitely not the best of the Israeli policy at this time.”Before Israel ended the ceasefire last week, a March 9 poll from the Israel Democracy Institute found that nearly three-quarters of Israelis supported reaching a deal to end the war with Hamas in exchange for the release of all the hostages. And recently released hostages and the families of current hostages have warned that resuming the war in Gaza will only serve to endanger the lives of the 24 hostages estimated to still be alive. Netanyahu’s political priorities may lie elsewhere, however. Key members of his right-wing governing coalition have been clamoring for a return to full-scale war over a negotiated settlement to free the hostages. And Netanyahu’s aides believe US President Donald Trump will be more supportive of large-scale Israeli military action than former President Joe Biden, who suspended the transfer of certain weapons in order to forestall a major Israeli offensive into the heavily populated southern part of Gaza. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz has hinted at the possibility of large-scale expansion of military ground operations, saying last week he had “instructed the IDF to seize additional territories, while evacuating the population.”“The more Hamas continues its refusal, the more territory it will lose to Israel,” he said Friday in a statement.

Israel's army says fired at Gaza Red Cross building after 'incorrect' identification
LBCI/AFP
Israel's military said its forces operating in Rafah in southern Gaza on Monday fired at a Red Cross building after mistakenly "identifying suspects inside and feeling a threat to the force."
"After an investigation, it was determined that the identification was incorrect and that the building belonged to the Red Cross. The force was unaware of the building's affiliation at the time of the shooting," the military said in a statement, adding there were no casualties and the incident would be investigated.

Egypt Makes New Proposal to Restore Gaza Truce as Israeli Strikes Kill 65
Asharq Al Awsat/March 24/2025
Egypt has floated a new proposal aimed at restoring the Gaza ceasefire deal, security sources told Reuters on Monday, as Palestinian health authorities said Israeli strikes had killed at least 65 people in the enclave in the previous 24 hours.
The proposal, made last week, follows an escalation in violence after Israel resumed air and ground operations against Hamas on March 18, ending a two-month period of relative calm after 15 months of war. Gaza health officials said Israeli airstrikes and shelling have killed nearly 700 Palestinians since then, including at least 400 women and children. Among those killed on Monday were two local journalists, Mohammad Mansour and Hussam Shabat, medics said. The Palestinian Journalist Syndicate said at least 206 journalists have been killed by Israeli fire in Gaza since early October 2023, when the conflict erupted. There was no immediate Israeli comment. Hamas said several of its senior political and security officials had also been killed. Later on Monday, the Israeli military said it had intercepted a missile launched from Yemen before it crossed into Israel. Warning sirens had sounded in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and other areas. Iran-aligned Houthi militias in Yemen have at times fired missiles at Israel in support of Hamas fighters. The Egyptian plan calls for Hamas to release five Israeli hostages each week, with Israel implementing the second phase of the ceasefire after the first week, two security sources said. Hamas is still holding 59 hostages, with 24 thought to be still alive, among the more than 250 it seized in its October 7, 2023 cross-border attack on Israel. Most of the rest have been freed, or their bodies handed over, in negotiated exchanges. Both the US and Hamas have agreed to the proposal, the security sources said, but Israel has not yet responded. A Hamas official did not confirm the proposed offer, but told Reuters that "several proposals are being discussed with the mediators to bridge the gap and to resume negotiations to reach common ground that would pave the way to start the second phase of the agreement".
TIMETABLE FOR WITHDRAWAL
The sources said the Egyptian proposal includes a timeline for a full Israeli military withdrawal from Gaza, backed by US guarantees, in exchange for the release of remaining hostages. Hamas has accused Israel of breaking the terms of the January ceasefire agreement but has said it is willing to negotiate a renewed truce and was studying proposals from US President Donald Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff. Israel says it resumed its military operations to force Hamas to release the remaining hostages it is holding in Gaza. On Monday, Hamas released a video it said showed hostages Elkana Bohbot, 35, and Yosef Haim-Ohana, 24, who were both abducted from the Nova music festival site on October 7. Israel says it does its best to reduce harm to civilians and has questioned the death toll provided by health authorities in the Hamas-run enclave. Palestinian officials on Sunday put the number of dead from nearly 18 months of conflict at over 50,000. Israel launched its offensive in Gaza after Hamas fighters stormed southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people, mostly civilians, according to Israeli tallies. In Gaza's southernmost city Rafah, the municipality said thousands of people were stuck inside the Tel Al-Sultan district where some Israeli military forces had entered, with families trapped among the ruins, with no water, food, or medicine. The Palestinian Civil Emergency Service said 50,000 residents remained cornered in Rafah, which abuts the border with Egypt. The Israeli military said troops had encircled Tel Al-Sultan to dismantle "terror infrastructure sites and eliminate terrorists in the area". A United Nations spokesperson said on Monday it would reduce its footprint in Gaza after five staff members of its Palestinian relief agency UNRWA were killed in the renewed conflict, but remains committed to providing aid to civilians. Separately, UNRWA said 124,000 Palestinians have been displaced in Gaza in recent days. "Families carry what little they have with no shelter, no safety, and nowhere left to go. The Israeli authorities have cut off all aid. Food is scarce and prices are soaring. This is a humanitarian catastrophe. The siege must end," UNRWA said on X.

Top Trump Negotiator Admits He May Have Been ‘Duped’
Leigh Kimmins/The Daily Beast/March 24, 2025
Steve Witkoff made the surprise assertion during a Fox News interview, saying: “I even thought we had approval from Hamas. Maybe that is just me getting duped.”
President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy has admitted that he may have been “duped” by Hamas in peace negotiations. Steve Witkoff made the admission during an interview with Shannon Bream on Fox News Sunday. Just moments after he referenced negotiations to end the conflict in Ukraine and said he takes Russia’s Vladimir Putin “at his word,” Witkoff explained that he thought a peace deal between the Islamist militant movement and Israel had been close at one point. “I certainly hope we get everybody back to the table and get the hostages home. I was in Doha, I met with many of the Arab leaders at the Arab summit; I thought we had a deal, an acceptable deal,” he said, recalling talks in Doha, Qatar, last Sunday. The summit lasted seven hours and involved officials from a host of nations in the region. In the end, the terror group that governs the Gaza Strip opted against accepting the tabled extension to the ongoing ceasefire. “I even thought we had an approval from Hamas. Maybe that is just me getting duped,” Witkoff admitted. “But I thought we were there. And evidently we weren’t. This is on Hamas. The United States stands with the state of Israel. That’s a 100 percent commitment. We have expressed that.”Touching on the terms of the deal, Witkoff said that Hamas would be demilitarized. Witkoff previously described demilitarization as a “red line for the Israelis.”“Hamas had every opportunity to demilitarize, to accept the bridging proposal that would have given us a 40 or 50-day ceasefire where we could have discussed demilitarization and a final truce. There were all kind of opportunities to do that and they elected not to. This becomes the alternative. And it is unfortunate,” he said. Witkoff added that the U.S. is open to future dialogue with Hamas. “Do I think, would we be amenable to a reach-out from Hamas? Of course we would be. No different than in the Russian conflict, we want to end the killing. But we need to be clear who the aggressor is here and that is Hamas,” he said. Over 50,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, around 1 in 46 people of the pre-war population of 2.3 million, during Israel’s bombardment of the region, according to the most recent figures released by the Hamas-run health ministry. The Gaza media office adds that some 11,000 people are missing and presumed dead. It comes after Israel abandoned the ceasefire on Tuesday and resumed a campaign of bombing on Gaza. Israel’s initial invasion of the territory came in response to the Oct. 7, 2023, cross-border incursion by Hamas in which 1,200 people were killed and 250 taken hostage. Witkoff, meanwhile, stated that he trusts that Putin won’t invade other European countries beyond Ukraine. “I just don’t see that he wants to take all of Europe,” he said. "This is a much different situation than it was in World War II. In World War II, there was no NATO. You have countries that are armed there. To me, it just—I take him at his word in this sense."

EU Says Resuming Talks on the Gaza Ceasefire Is the Only Way Forward
Asharq Al Awsat/March 24/2025
“Violence feeds more violence,” European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said Monday at a briefing in Jerusalem, where she met with Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, less than a week after Israel broke the ceasefire in Gaza. “What we are witnessing now is a dangerous escalation. It is causing unbearable uncertainty for the hostages and their families and is likewise causing horror and death for the Palestinian people,” she added. Saar said the “war can end tomorrow with releasing our hostages, the demilitarization of Gaza and the withdrawal of the armed Hamas and Islamic Jihad forces.”

Group Reports ‘Unprecedented Surge’ in Approvals for West Bank Israeli Settler Homes
Asharq Al Awsat/March 24/2025
An Israeli anti-settlement group says there has been an “unprecedented surge” in approvals for new settler homes in the occupied West Bank since US President Donald Trump returned to office. During his first term, Trump strongly backed Israel’s claims to territories seized in war, at times upending decades of American foreign policy. Previous administrations have admonished Israel over settlement expansion while taking little action to curb it. The Peace Now group, which closely tracks settlement growth, said Monday that plans for 10,503 housing units in the West Bank have been advanced since the start of the year, compared to just 9,971 in all of 2024. It says another 1,344 homes are set to be approved on Wednesday. Israel captured the West Bank in the 1967 Mideast war, along with the Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem. The Palestinians want all three for their future state and view settlement growth as a major obstacle to a two-state solution. Israel has built well over 100 settlements that are now home to over 500,000 settlers with Israeli citizenship. The 3 million Palestinians in the West Bank live under Israeli military rule, with the Western-backed Palestinian Authority administering population centers.

Turkey detains journalists as protests grow over the jailing of key Erdogan rival
The Associated Press/Mon, March 24, 2025
ISTANBUL (AP) — A media union said Turkish authorities arrested several journalists at their homes in a crackdown Monday, amid growing protests over the jailing of Istanbul’s mayor, a top rival to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. A court on Sunday formally arrested Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu and ordered him jailed pending a trial on corruption charges. His detention on Wednesday sparked the largest wave of street demonstrations in Turkey in more than a decade, deepening concerns over democracy and the rule of law. The Disk-Basin-Is media workers' union said at least eight reporters and photojournalists were detained in what it called an “attack on press freedoms and the people’s right to learn the truth.” It called for their immediate release. The social media platform X said it was objecting to multiple court orders from Turkish authorities to block more than 700 accounts, including of news organizations, journalists and political figures in Turkey.
Hundreds of protesters detained
A total of 1,133 people have been detained since the mayor was arrested at his home, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said. As many as 123 police officers were injured in the protests, he said, adding that materials such as acid, firebombs and knives were seized. “Some circles have been exploiting the right to assemble and demonstrate, attempting to disrupt public order, incite street unrest and attack our police,” Yerlikaya said on social media. The minister said some of the detained were identified as having ties to groups listed as terrorist organizations and others had criminal records. Hundreds of thousands of people have come out for the largely peaceful protests across Turkey in support of the mayor. There has been some violence, with police deploying water cannons, tear gas and pepper spray and firing plastic pellets at protesters in Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir. Some protesters hurled stones, fireworks and other objects at riot police.
Mayor urges more rallies
In a message on social media, Imamoglu urged people to rally outside city hall and other locations for a sixth night on Monday. He also called on youths to avoid clashes and asked police to treat demonstrators with kindness. “I’m working hard, I will work even harder. Where I am does not matter,” he said. The mayor’s jailing is widely regarded as a political move to remove a major challenger to Erdogan from the next presidential race, scheduled for 2028. Government officials reject the accusations and insist that Turkey’s courts operate independently.
Imamoglu was jailed on suspicion of running a criminal organization, accepting bribes, extortion, illegally recording personal data and bid-rigging — accusations he has denied. A request for him to be imprisoned on terror-related charges was rejected although he still faces prosecution.
The Interior Ministry later said Imamoglu had been suspended from duty as a “temporary measure.” The municipality previously appointed an acting mayor from its governing council.
Erdogan says opposition to be held to account for protests
In a televised address following a Cabinet meeting, Erdogan accused the opposition party's chairman Ozgur Ozel, who has called for peaceful protests, of disturbing public order instead of addressing the alleged corruption. He also said he would be held to account for the protests.
“I have made this call several times before, and today I am repeating it: Stop disturbing our citizens’ peace with provocations. If you have the courage, account for the corruption, theft, bribes taken, and irregularities committed,” Erdogan said. Erdogan said: “of course, there will be political accountability for these actions in parliament and legal accountability in court.”Addressing demonstrators outside city hall for a sixth consecutive night, Ozel urged supporters to boycott a number of pro-government companies and television stations. He also challenged Erdogan and the Istanbul chief public prosecutor to broadcast Imamoglu’s trial live on state television, to allow the jailed mayor to respond to the allegations and "expose their lies.”About 15 minutes after Ozel addressed the crowd, police intervened with tear gas and plastic pellets to disperse the demonstrators. Imamoglu was taken to Silivri prison, west of Istanbul, as more than 1.7 million members of his opposition Republican People’s Party, or CHP, held a primary election, endorsing him as its presidential candidate. Millions of non-members also cast votes in a “solidarity ballot,” the party said. Alongside Imamoglu, 47 other people were also jailed pending trial, including a key aide and two district mayors from Istanbul. One was replaced with a government appointee. A further 44 suspects were released under judicial control.
Ankara municipality also under scrutiny
Meanwhile, authorities were investigating the office of Ankara's mayor, another popular opposition figure, over the alleged misuse of public funds concerning the organization of 33 concerts, the municipality said Monday. Imamoglu was elected mayor of Turkey’s largest city in March 2019, in a major blow to Erdogan and the president’s Justice and Development Party, which had controlled Istanbul for a quarter-century. Erdogan’s party pushed to void the municipal election results in the city of 16 million, alleging irregularities. The challenge resulted in a repeat of the election a few months later, which Imamoglu also won. The mayor retained his seat following local elections last year, during which the CHP made significant gains against Erdogan’s governing party.

Erdogan Slams Protests over Jailing of Istanbul Mayor as ‘Movement of Violence’
Asharq Al Awsat/March 24/2025
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday that protests over the jailing of Istanbul's mayor had become a "movement of violence" and that the main opposition party would be held accountable for injured police officers and damage to property. The detention last Wednesday of Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, Erdogan's main political rival, has triggered the biggest street protests in Türkiye in more than a decade. On Sunday, a court jailed him, pending trial, on corruption charges that he denies. Imamoglu's opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) and its supporters say the charges against him are politically motivated and undemocratic, which Erdogan's government denies. Despite a ban imposed on street gatherings in many cities, the mostly peaceful anti-government demonstrations continued for a fifth consecutive night on Sunday, with hundreds of thousands taking part and the CHP's leader, Ozgur Ozel, calling for the nationwide protests to continue. Speaking after a cabinet meeting in Ankara, Erdogan said the CHP should stop "provoking" citizens. "As a nation, we followed with surprise the events that emerged after the main opposition leader's call to take to the streets following an Istanbul-based corruption operation turned into a movement of violence," the 71-year-old president said. "The main opposition is responsible for our (injured) police officers, the broken windows of our shopkeepers and the damaged public property. They will be held accountable for all this, politically in parliament and legally by the judiciary."Earlier, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya accused some protesters of "terrorizing" the streets and threatening national security. He said 1,133 people had been detained during five days of protests and that 123 police officers had been injured. A CHP delegation met Istanbul's governor to discuss the police crackdown on the protesters. The party's Istanbul head Ozgur Celik said the police actions on Sunday night had been the most violent so far, with many protesters being hospitalized.
JAILED 'FOR NO REASON'
Imamoglu, 54, was jailed pending trial on Sunday, as the CHP held a primary election to name him presidential candidate. Some 15 million votes were cast in support of the mayor. News of Imamoglu's arrest covered the front pages of Turkish newspapers on Monday, with opposition media suggesting the mayor was arrested for being the most credible challenger to Erdogan. The mayor's supporters said the jailing of Imamoglu demonstrated a lack of justice in Türkiye. "I think there is an injustice committed against Imamoglu. They put the man in prison for no reason," said Adem Bali, a 22-year-old construction worker. Erdogan, who has dominated Turkish politics for more than two decades and faces no immediate tests at the ballot box, said the events of the past few days showed that the CHP was not fit to run local municipalities, let alone the nation. He also sought to reassure investors who last week sold off Turkish assets following news of Imamoglu's detention, sending stocks, bonds and the lira currency tumbling and prompting the central bank to intervene with foreign exchange sales and other stabilizing measures.
"Our main priority is protecting macrofinancial stability. The Treasury and finance ministry, central bank, all relevant institutions, with our support, are working day and night in full coordination, taking every necessary step," Erdogan said. The Istanbul bourse benchmark index pared back some losses on Monday after suffering a fall of 16.6% last week, its worst drop since the global financial crisis in October 2008. Analysts expect a prolonged period of political turmoil and uncertainty. "The protests mark the most significant and widespread public reaction in over a decade, making the trajectory of events difficult to predict," said Wolfango Piccoli, co-president of Teneo consultancy. "Once again, President Erdogan's political agenda has inflicted serious damage on Türkiye’s economic outlook."

Syrian Authorities Arrest Coordinator Between Assad Regime and IRGC
Damascus: Asharq Al Awsat London: Asharq Al Awsat
Syrian authorities have arrested a high-ranking officer closely associated with Maher al-Assad, commander of the Fourth Division and brother of the ousted president. The officer was responsible for coordinating between former regime officials and commanders of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The Public Security Directorate in Deir ez-Zor province, eastern Syria, announced the arrest of Brigadier General Abdul Karim Ahmed Al-Hamada, who previously oversaw reconciliation efforts with the former regime. He also served as a key liaison between ex-regime officers and IRGC leaders. Security forces have ramped up operations targeting remnants of the deposed Assad regime across various regions of the country. Authorities also detained Lieutenant Colonel Orouwa Deeb, a former officer in the Military Security Branch of Homs province, as he attempted to flee to Lebanon from the town of Al-Aqrabiya in western Al-Qusayr. Local media reported on Friday that Brigadier General Abdul Karim Al-Muhaimid, a senior figure in the tribal operations room in Deir ez-Zor, was arrested alongside his son, Ahmed Abdul Karim Al-Muhaimid. This came just hours after the arrest of Moayad Al-Duwaihi, known as “Haj Jawad,” the commander of the pro-IRGC “Sayyida Zainab Brigade” militia in Al-Mayadin and its surrounding areas in eastern Deir ez-Zor. Earlier, security forces had also apprehended Yasser Matroud, the former head of the media office for the pro-Assad “National Defense Militia” in Deir ez-Zor. According to local sources, Al-Muhaimid played a significant role last summer as head of the tribal operations room under the Assad regime. He reportedly collaborated with the Fourth Division’s 104th Brigade to stoke clashes between tribal forces and the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), allegedly at Iran’s direction. In a related development, the Internal Security Directorate announced the discovery of weapons and ammunition hidden inside a well in the town of Al-Madabaa’ in eastern rural Homs. Officials stated that the arms were intended for future attacks by former regime operatives, according to Syria’s state-run Al-Ikhbariya TV. Additionally, the Public Security Directorate in Latakia province uncovered a weapons depot in the city of Qardaha. Security officials also received firearms voluntarily handed over by tribal leaders in the villages of Al-Boudi and Al-Qalai’a in Jableh, as part of ongoing efforts to control the spread of arms and ensure they remain under state control.

Russia-US talks in Saudi end after 12 hours of discussions
With AFP, AP and Reuters
RIYADH: Talks between Russia and the US on Ukraine in Saudi Arabia on Monday have ended after around a dozen hours of negotiations, with a joint statement expected Tuesday, Russian news agencies reported. The TASS news agency reported its source saying that the meeting had ended after “more than 12 hours of consultations” and that a “joint statement” on results will be published Tuesday. The talks, which followed US talks with Ukraine on Sunday, came as US President Donald Trump intensifies his drive to end the three-year-old conflict after he last week spoke to both Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin. A source briefed on the planning for the talks said the US side was being led by Andrew Peek, a senior director at the White House National Security Council, and Michael Anton, a senior State Department official. The White House said the aim of the talks was to reach a maritime ceasefire in the Black Sea, allowing the free flow of shipping. Russia will be represented by Grigory Karasin, a former diplomat who is now chair of the Federation Council’s Foreign Affairs Committee, and Sergei Beseda, an adviser to the director of the Federal Security Service.  It has been a struggle to reach even a limited, 30-day ceasefire — which Moscow and Kyiv agreed to in principle last week — with both sides continuing to attack each other with drones and missiles. One major sticking point is what targets would be off-limits to strike, even after US President Donald Trump spoke with the countries’ leaders, because the parties disagree. While the White House said “energy and infrastructure” would be covered, the Kremlin declared that the agreement referred more narrowly to “energy infrastructure.” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said he would also like to see infrastructure like railways and ports protected. Talks Monday in the Saudi capital of Riyadh were expected to address some of those differences, as well as a potential pause in attacks in the Black Sea to ensure the safety of commercial shipping. Russian state media reported late Monday local time that the talks had ended. In an exchange with reporters at the White House, Trump said territorial lines and the potential for US ownership of a key nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine have been part of the talks.

White House mistakenly shares Yemen war plans with a journalist at The Atlantic
Reuters/March 25, 2025
Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren said on X the use of Signal to discuss highly sensitive national security issues was “blatantly illegal and dangerous beyond belief”The material in the text chain “contained operational details of forthcoming strikes on Iran-backed Houthi-rebels in Yemen, including information about targets, weapons the US would be deploying, and attack sequencing” WASHINGTON: Top Trump administration officials mistakenly disclosed war plans in a messaging group that included a journalist shortly before the US attacked Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis, the White House said on Monday, following a first-hand account by The Atlantic. Democratic lawmakers swiftly blasted the misstep, saying it was a breach of US national security and a violation of law that must be investigated by Congress.
The Atlantic’s editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg said in a report on Monday that he was unexpectedly invited on March 13 to an encrypted chat group on the Signal messaging app called the “Houthi PC small group.” In the group, national security adviser Mike Waltz tasked his deputy Alex Wong with setting up a “tiger team” to coordinate US action against the Houthis. National Security Council spokesperson Brian Hughes said the chat group appeared to be authentic.
HIGHLIGHTS
• Democratic lawmakers demand investigation into security breach
• Use of Signal app for sensitive info deemed illegal by Democrats
• Defense Secretary Hegseth said to call European allies freeloaders
US President Donald Trump launched an ongoing campaign of large-scale military strikes against Yemen’s Houthis on March 15 over the group’s attacks against Red Sea shipping, and he warned Iran, the Houthis’ main backer, that it needed to immediately halt support for the group.
Hours before those attacks started, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth posted operational details about the plan in the messaging group, “including information about targets, weapons the US would be deploying, and attack sequencing,” Goldberg said. His report omitted the details but Goldberg termed it a “shockingly reckless” use of a Signal chat.
Accounts that appeared to represent Vice President JD Vance, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, and senior National Security Council officials were assembled in the chat group, Goldberg wrote.
Joe Kent, Trump’s nominee for National Counterterrorism Center director, was apparently on the Signal chain despite not yet being Senate-confirmed.
Trump told reporters at the White House that he was unaware of the incident. “I don’t know anything about it. I’m not a big fan of The Atlantic,” Trump said. A White House official said later that an investigation was under way and Trump had been briefed on it.
The NSC’s Hughes said in a statement: “At this time, the message thread that was reported appears to be authentic, and we are reviewing how an inadvertent number was added to the chain.”“The thread is a demonstration of the deep and thoughtful policy coordination between senior officials. The ongoing success of the Houthi operation demonstrates that there were no threats to our servicemembers or our national security.” Hegseth denied sharing war plans in the group chat. “Nobody was texting war plans, and that’s all I have to say about that,” he told reporters while on an official trip to Hawaii on Monday.
’EUROPEAN FREE-LOADING’
According to screenshots of the chat reported by The Atlantic, officials in the group debated whether the US should carry out the strikes, and at one point Vance appeared to question whether US allies in Europe, more exposed to shipping disruption in the region, deserved US help. “@PeteHegseth if you think we should do it let’s go,” a person identified as Vance wrote. “I just hate bailing Europe out again,” the person wrote, adding: “Let’s just make sure our messaging is tight here.”A person identified as Hegseth replied: “VP: I fully share your loathing of European free-loading. It’s PATHETIC.”
The Atlantic reported that the person identified as Vance also raised concerns about the timing of the strikes, and said there was a strong argument in favor of delaying them by a month.
“I am not sure the president is aware how inconsistent this is with his message on Europe right now. There’s a further risk that we see a moderate to severe spike in oil prices,” the account wrote, before saying he was willing to support the group’s consensus.
Yemen, Houthi-ally Iran and the European Union’s diplomatic service did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Reuters. Under US law, it can be a crime to mishandle, misuse or abuse classified information, though it is unclear whether those provisions might have been breached in this case. Messages that The Atlantic report said were set by Waltz to disappear from the Signal app after a period of time also raise questions about possible violations of federal record-keeping laws. As part of a Trump administration effort to chase down leaks by officials to journalists unrelated to the Signal group, Gabbard posted on X on March 14 that any “unauthorized release of classified information is a violation of the law and will be treated as such.”
On Tuesday, Gabbard is due to testify before the Senate Intelligence Committee on worldwide threats to the United States.
Created by the entrepreneur Moxie Marlinspike, Signal has gone from an exotic messaging app used by privacy-conscious dissidents to the unofficial whisper network of Washington officialdom.
Democratic lawmakers called the use of the Signal group illegal and demanded an investigation.
“This is one of the most stunning breaches of military intelligence that I have read about in a very, very long time,” Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said, adding that he would ask Majority Leader John Thune to investigate.
“We’re just finding out about it. But obviously, we’ve got to run it to ground and figure out what went on there. We’ll have a plan,” said Thune, a Republican from South Dakota.
There was no immediate suggestion from the White House that the breach would lead to any staffing changes. “President Trump continues to have the utmost confidence in his national security team, including national security adviser Mike Waltz,” White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt told Reuters. Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren said on X the use of Signal to discuss highly sensitive national security issues was “blatantly illegal and dangerous beyond belief.”“Every single one of the government officials on this text chain have now committed a crime – even if accidentally – that would normally involve a jail sentence,” Democratic Senator Chris Coons said on X.

Air Raid Sirens Sound in Israel after a Missile Attack from Yemen
Asharq Al Awsat/March 24/2025
Air raid sirens and explosions were heard over Jerusalem on Monday evening after the Israeli military said it intercepted a missile launched from Yemen. Yemen’s Houthi militias have fired a handful of long-range missiles at Israel in the days since Israeli forces resumed the war in Gaza. There was no immediate claim of responsibility from the Houthis.

The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources on March 24-25/2025
Ben-Gvir, Netanyahu and Israel’s deadly dance of power
Dr. Ramzy Baroud/Arab News/March 24, 2025
In a genocidal war that has spiraled into a struggle for political survival, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition and the global powers supporting him continue to sacrifice Palestinian lives for political gain. The sordid career of extremist National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir epitomizes this tragic reality. Ben-Gvir joined Netanyahu’s government coalition following the December 2022 elections. He remained in the coalition during the post-Oct. 7, 2023, war and genocide on the understanding that any ceasefire in Gaza would force his departure. As long as the killing of Palestinians and the destruction of their cities continued, Ben-Gvir would stay on board — though neither he nor Netanyahu had any real “next-day” plan, other than to carry out some of the most heinous massacres against a civilian population in recent history. On Jan. 19, Ben-Gvir left the government immediately after the start of the ceasefire, which many argued would not last. Netanyahu’s untrustworthiness, along with the expected collapse of his government if the war were to end completely, made the ceasefire unfeasible.
Ben-Gvir returned when the genocide resumed on March 18. “We are back, with all our might and power,” he posted on X on the day of his return.
Israel lacks a clear plan because it cannot defeat the Palestinians. While the Israeli army has inflicted suffering on the Palestinian people like no other force has against a civilian population in modern history, the war endures because the Palestinians refuse to surrender. Israel’s military planners know that a military victory is no longer possible. Former Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon this month added his voice to the growing chorus, stating during an interview that “revenge is not a war plan.”The Americans, who supported Netanyahu’s violation of the ceasefire — thus resuming the killings — also understand that the war is almost entirely a political struggle designed to keep figures like Ben-Gvir and extremist Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich in Netanyahu’s coalition. Though “war is the continuation of politics by other means,” as Prussian general Carl von Clausewitz once surmised, in Israel’s case the politics behind the war is not about Israel as a state but about Netanyahu’s own political survival. He is sacrificing Palestinian children to stay in power, while his extremist ministers do the same to expand their support among right-wing, religious and ultranationalist constituencies.
This logic — that Israel’s war on Gaza reflects internal politics, ideological warfare and class infighting — extends to other political players as well.
The Trump administration supports Israel in return for the financial backing it received from Netanyahu’s supporters in the US during last year’s election campaign. Meanwhile, the UK remains steadfast in its commitment to Tel Aviv, despite the political shifts in Westminster, thus continuing to align with US-Israeli interests while disregarding the wishes of its own population. Germany, which is said to be driven by guilt over its past crimes, and other Western governments pay lip service to human rights while acting in ways that contradict their stated foreign policies.
This mirrors the dystopian world of George Orwell’s “1984,” in which perpetual war is waged based on cynical and false assumptions, where “war is peace … freedom is slavery … and ignorance is strength.”
These elements are reflected in today’s equally dystopian reality. However, Israel substitutes “peace” with “security,” the US is motivated by dominance and “stability” and Europe continues to speak of “democracy.”
Another key difference is that Palestinians do not belong to any of these “superstates.” They are treated as mere pawns, their deaths and enduring injustice used to create the illusion of conflict and to justify the ongoing prolongation of the war. The deaths of Palestinians — now numbering more than 50,000 — are widely reported by mainstream media outlets, yet rarely do they mention that this is not a war in the traditional sense, but a genocide carried out, financed and defended by Israel and Western powers for domestic political reasons. Palestinians continue to resist because it is their only option in the face of utter destruction and extermination. However, Netanyahu’s war is not sustainable in the Orwellian sense either. For it to be sustainable, it would need infinite economic resources, which Israel, despite the US’ generosity, does not have. It would also need an endless supply of soldiers, but reports indicate that at least half of Israel’s reservists are not rejoining the army.
The Gaza war is almost entirely a political struggle designed to keep figures like Ben-Gvir and Smotrich in Netanyahu’s coalition. Furthermore, Netanyahu does not merely seek to sustain the war; he aims to expand it. This could shift regional and international dynamics in ways that neither Israeli leaders nor their allies fully understand. Aware of this, Arab leaders met in Cairo on March 4 to propose an alternative to the Netanyahu-Donald Trump plan to ethnically cleanse Palestinians from Gaza. However, they are yet to take meaningful action to hold Israel accountable for its defiance of international and humanitarian laws, which has continued since the Arab summit. The Arab world must escalate beyond mere statements or the Middle East may endure further war, all to prolong Netanyahu’s coalition of extremists a little longer. As for the West, the crisis lies in its moral contradictions. The situation in Gaza embodies Orwell’s concept of doublethink — the power of holding two contradictory beliefs in one’s mind simultaneously and accepting both. Western powers claim to support human rights while simultaneously backing genocide. Until this dilemma is resolved, the Middle East will continue to endure suffering for years to come.
**Dr. Ramzy Baroud is a journalist and author. He is editor of The Palestine Chronicle and nonresident senior research fellow at the Center for Islam and Global Affairs. His latest book, co-edited with Ilan Pappe, is “Our Vision for Liberation: Engaged Palestinian Leaders and Intellectuals Speak Out.” X: @RamzyBaroud

Israel making yet more enemies with Syria intervention
Chris Doyle/Arab News/March 24, 2025
Since the fall of the Assad regime, the Israeli leadership has consistently shown that it is prepared to hit the new authorities in Syria in a way it never bothered to try when the Assads were in power. When Bashar Assad was president, Israeli airstrikes in Syria were largely restricted to Iranian targets and to prevent the transfer of weaponry to Hezbollah. At no stage after 2011 did Israel take on the regime. And Russia never tried to thwart Israel’s freedom of operation in the air.
Yet, from the outset, Israel has targeted the new authorities in Syria. In the two days following Assad’s fall last December, Israel carried out more than 500 strikes on Syrian military targets. This included naval facilities and alleged chemical weapons sites.
Israel also helped itself to extra territory. It moved into the 235 sq. km demilitarized zone that was defined by the 1974 disengagement agreement and even beyond. It has set up nine outposts in this new area with the declared aim of complete control of the zone. Israel wants to have the strategic Mount Hermon (Jabal Al-Sheikh) under its control, giving it a view of both Damascus and the Bekaa Valley. Initially, Israel told the UN Security Council that these were “limited and temporary measures.” By February, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was declaring that Israel would remain there “indefinitely.”
In the two days following Assad’s fall, Israel carried out more than 500 strikes on Syrian military targets. In addition, Israel has been lobbying the US to retain the sanctions imposed on the Assad regime. The EU and the UK have gradually eased their sanctions regimes, but the US has been reluctant. This holds Syria back because, with US banking sanctions in place, businesses and investors will not take the risk of doing business there — a vital stage in revitalizing the dead Syrian economy. Syrian expats feel nervous about sending remittances to their families.
Israel has tried to enforce a demilitarized zone in southern Syria. Defense Minister Israel Katz stated that Tel Aviv would “not allow southern Syria to become southern Lebanon.” He would not allow any attempt by the Syrian government to establish a presence in the security zone and that it has to be totally demilitarized. To reinforce these actions, the Israeli authorities have allocated themselves a role as guardian of the Druze communities in southern Syria. Israeli officials have reached out to Druze figures, trying to tempt them with offers of work in the Golan Heights, with mixed results.
Is all this because Israel is nervous of the Islamist Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham? Its extremist heritage is well known, having grown out of Al-Qaeda, which it left in 2016. Many Syrians remain nervous about HTS. But what realistic threat does Syria pose to Israel now or in the near future?
Syrian Arab Republic President Ahmad Al-Sharaa has been at pains not to provoke Israel or use it, as he might have done, as a populist move to condemn his southern neighbor at every turn. Al-Sharaa knows that Syrians have endured decades of hollow anti-Israel rhetoric from the Assads, so many would be skeptical if he followed that path.
Or is this another example of Israeli aggression and opportunism, expanding its territorial domains at the expense of Syria and to further destabilize its northern neighbor? Israeli leaders should have seen, from their vantage point, a positive to the exit of the Assad regime. Much does not make sense. Israeli leaders should have seen, from their vantage point, a positive to the exit of the Assad regime, as well as the weakening of Iranian influence in Syria and Lebanon. Logically, Israel should be supportive of a situation where Iran is kept out. If this Syrian transition fails and Syria falls apart again, Iran could exploit this.
Anarchy in Syria would be ideal for extremist groups. Daesh is looking to exploit every opportunity to stir things up. This is hardly in Israel’s interests.
This argument is reinforced by Netanyahu himself trying to take credit for the fall of Assad. On the one hand, he is seeking praise for Assad’s downfall, while on the other he is disparaging what followed. He is trying to have it both ways.
Another Israeli motivation might be to thwart Turkiye’s ambitions in Syria. Israel’s relations with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan are close to nonexistent. Israeli leadership figures do not want to see Turkiye being the dominant external actor inside Syria. But Israel’s approach to sanctions makes Syria even more dependent on Ankara. Israel should adopt a different approach. Instead of resorting to its traditional policy of force first, second and third, it has an opportunity to reach out and assist, to help the transition and be seen as a positive force for change in Syria. It could have played an active role in getting US sanctions lifted and appeared to be on the side of the people. Syrians associate Israel with raining on their parade. Syrians tell me that, every time they celebrate, Israeli bombs fall — just as they did after the Assad regime’s demise. This also happened to Deraa as it celebrated the anniversary of the start of the 2011 uprising two weeks ago. Sadly, for all concerned, Israel is busy making enemies rather than winning friends. It has enough of the latter and an ever-increasing number of the former.
*Chris Doyle is director of the Council for Arab-British Understanding in London. X: @Doylech

Syria: Terrorists in Suits and Ties ...No Future for Christians or Other 'Infidels'
Lawrence A. Franklin/Gatestone Institute/March 24, 2025
[Ahmed] Al-Sharaa, on taking power in Syria in December, originally professed to be a "moderate." The Biden administration even lifted a $10 million bounty for his arrest, for previous terrorist activity linked to Al Qaeda, presumably in the hope of moderation actually being delivered. Since that time, however, al-Sharaa and his followers have appeared more as terrorists in suits and ties. The country's new constitution, published on March 14, stipulates that Islamic Sharia jurisprudence is the sole source of judicial decision-making. This constitution also asserts that Syria's president must be a Muslim and that the executive branch has almost dictatorial powers. Moreover, the constitution includes no provision for protecting Syrian ethnic or religious minorities, which include Christians, Alawites, Kurds and Druze. Sunni jihadist government forces are reportedly reveling in the massacre of the Alawites, and Turkey has already set up secret cells throughout Syria "to use as proxies abroad." Christians throughout Syria are afraid that after the Alawites, they will be next. It is also possible that al-Sharaa's HTS will be successful in uniting most of Syria under its control, then initiate a genocidal purge against Christians and the rest of the "infidels."
Some of Syria's minorities have been seeking help from nearby Israel. Some Druze community leaders even asked Israel officially to annex their villages. Israel has established a strategic "buffer zone" in areas of Syria adjacent to the countries' shared border, to deter potential jihadist and Turkish attacks, and may yet again turn out to be threatened minorities' greatest protector.
From March 6-9 – unchecked by Ahmed al-Sharaa's professedly "moderate" interim government – his jihadist troops slaughtered an estimated 1,080 Syrians in 72 hours, apparently mostly civilian members of the minority Alawite religion.
In December 2024, after an offensive lasting less than two weeks that swept through much of Syria, a Turkish-backed Sunni militia led by Ahmed al-Sharaa ousted the Assad regime, which had ruled the country for 54 years.
From March 6-9 – unchecked by al-Sharaa's professedly "moderate" interim government – his jihadist troops slaughtered an estimated 1,080 Syrians in 72 hours, apparently mostly civilian members of the minority Alawite religion. The Alawite sect, which split off from Shia Islam in the ninth century, is regarded by other Shiites as heretical. To people who practice Sunni Islam -- the religion of al-Sharaa and Turkey -- all non-Sunnis are infidels. Alawites are estimated to be up to 10% of Syria's population, and the deposed Assad family belong to the sect.
Al-Sharaa, on taking power in Syria in December, originally professed to be a "moderate." The Biden administration even lifted a $10 million bounty for his arrest, for previous terrorist activity linked to Al Qaeda, presumably in the hope of moderation actually being delivered. Since that time, however, al-Sharaa and his followers have appeared more as terrorists in suits and ties.
Since December, and escalating in March, Jihadist terrorist gangs have been slaughtering Alawites in coastal Syrian towns. The atrocities this month began purportedly in response to attacks on government troops by Alawite remnants of the Assad regime's security and military forces. Some Syrian Christians were also slain, but possibly not specifically targeted by the new government.
Like the Alawites, Christians were for the most part a protected minority during the Assad years. According to many Syrians, however, Christians are resented by the Sunni Syrian majority "because they are viewed as infidels."
During Syria's civil war from 2011 to 2024, jihadist enemies of the Assad dynasty would sack and burn churches. Some of these anti-Christian attackers were foreign jihadists within the anti-Assad coalition; some hailed from Chechnya and Uzbekistan.
Even though ostensibly anti-Christian actions are not approved by the supposedly interim governing Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) clique led by al-Sharaa, Syria's Christians have cause for worry. The country's new constitution, published on March 14, stipulates that Islamic Sharia jurisprudence is the sole source of judicial decision-making. This constitution also asserts that Syria's president must be a Muslim and that the executive branch has almost dictatorial powers. Moreover, the constitution includes no provision for protecting Syrian ethnic or religious minorities, which include Christians, Alawites, Kurds and Druze.
The emigration of Syria's minority populations is therefore likely to accelerate. The Christian population of Syria before the civil war totaled about 1.5 million. This number had already plummeted to approximately 300,000 when the HTS assumed power in December.
Syria's Catholic hierarchy, for now, expresses doubt that HTS leaders are officially targeting Christians. The Catholic Archbishop of Homs, Jacques Mourad, claimed that some Christians were killed in the March massacres in the region of Latakia and Tartus because they lived in Alawite-majority areas. Christian NGOs seem to be withholding definitive judgment on the alleged killing of Christians until additional details emerge of the attacks against Alawites in Latakia and elsewhere.
Syria's Greek Orthodox Patriarch John X challenges the benign view of the HTS-led regime. He cites the destruction of a church in Antioch and asserts that jihadist fighters killed many innocent Christians in the recent fighting. Additional news of violence includes a report of jihadists executing a father and son, members of an evangelical Protestant church in Latakia. Still another killing, of a father of a Christian priest in Banias was reported.
While these isolated anti-Christian incidents may not yet be officially organized efforts, the Sunni jihadist government forces are reportedly reveling in the massacre of the Alawites, and Turkey has already set up secret cells throughout Syria "to use as proxies abroad." Christians throughout Syria are afraid that after the Alawites, they will be next. It is also possible that al-Sharaa's HTS will be successful in uniting most of Syria under its control, then initiate a genocidal purge against Christians and the rest of the "infidels."
Aid to the Church in Need, a global Catholic organization with close ties to the Vatican, has already reported that there have been multiple incidents of violence against Christians in Syria.
The Vatican says it is committed to maintaining Christianity through the Middle East, where many first century churches were established by Christ's original Apostles in cities such as Antioch. The most prominent church in Syria is the Syriac Catholic Cathedral of St. Paul in Damascus. Paul, a native of Tarsus in Asia Minor, persecuted early disciples of Jesus until he was converted by a vision of Jesus on his journey to Damascus. The street where he took up residence in Damascus — "Straight Street" — can still be visited today.
Some of Syria's minorities have been seeking help from nearby Israel. Some Druze community leaders even asked Israel officially to annex their villages. Israel has established a strategic "buffer zone" in areas of Syria adjacent to the countries' shared border, to deter potential jihadist and Turkish attacks, and may yet again turn out to be threatened minorities' greatest protector.
*Dr. Lawrence A. Franklin was the Iran Desk Officer for Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld. He also served on active duty with the U.S. Army and as a Colonel in the Air Force Reserve.
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https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/21489/syria-terrorists-in-suits-and-ties

Trump and Putin’s Flirtation
Sam Menassa/Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper/ 24 March 2025
US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin’s phone call about Ukraine has sparked controversy, with approval and condemnation both widespread. This is largely due to Trump’s persona and the radical, unprecedented shifts he has introduced to US policy, reshaping the balance of power in the region and the world. His approach makes a clean break with the long-standing American tradition of championing so-called universal liberal values, such as democracy and human rights, in favor of an economic agenda driven strictly by interest, even if it comes at the expense of international stability.
While the stated goal of the call was to end the war in Ukraine - an objective no one opposes - their conversation has been leaked, and it has raised alarm in the Middle East, particularly given the converging crises in Gaza, Lebanon, and Syria amid preparations for the second phase of military operations and growing threats against Iran as both Trump and Tehran ramp up the rhetoric and escalate.
The main concern, especially among Palestinians, is that Trump drew an equivalence between the aggressor, led by his interlocutor, and the victim, Ukraine, mirroring his stance on Gaza. This signals a dangerous shift: the orange light that the Biden administration had given Netanyahu, allowing him to eliminate Hamas while continuing to argue that the two-state solution is the only viable path to peace, has now turned into a blinding green light that effectively erases the two-state solution entirely. Worse still, it has paved the way for forced displacement from Gaza under the guise of cynical "peace deals," like the obscene so-called Riviera Peace Plan.
As a result, the relentless war on Gaza has been reignited, spilling over into Syria, and perhaps eventually Lebanon too, as part of a broader strategy to fragment societies and usher in sectarian alliances and other reckless, self-destructive projects. Major American political forces see the unprecedented US position on Ukraine as a betrayal of the values that have defined American foreign policy for decades: the defense of freedom against tyranny.
Trump’s stance on Putin and Ukraine, as well as its timing, is difficult to understand. He is giving Russia a gift, receiving neither a political nor strategic sign that it will end the war. It is especially perplexing given that, despite its territorial gains, Russia has by all measures suffered a strategic defeat at the hands of a smaller nation, losing hundreds of thousands of men and thousands of tanks, with many now seeing Russia as a mere regional power.
Why, then, is Trump pushing for negotiations and discarding his winning cards? What is the rationale behind excluding European allies from negotiations with Putin? His allies have collectively sent Ukraine billions of dollars, military equipment, and refugee support - far exceeding US contributions, regardless of Trump’s claims. The Europeans remain steadfast in their commitment to defending Ukraine; why not capitalize on this European momentum to reinforce America’s own position? The rapprochement between Trump and Putin could pave the way for implicit deals between Moscow and Washington, with the two countries redistributing spheres of influence in global conflict zones, particularly in the Middle East. We saw a hint of this prospect in Putin’s message to Syrian president.
Russia, which has long railed against NATO expansion, sees Washington’s growing distance from Europe as a historic opportunity to reassert its influence in regions like Ukraine, especially after annexing Crimea. Meanwhile, it can point to the hypocrisy of the US, which is itself disregarding national sovereignty, as shown by Trump’s public threats to annex Canada and take control of Greenland and the Panama Canal. Trump is unpredictable; neither he nor his inner circle can be described as ideologues. Instead, they follow a secular populist movement, despite their claims to religiosity, that represents an amalgamation of economic, business, moral, and social views they translate into policy decisions. One of the most dangerous aspects of Trump’s current approach is that it undermines the American doctrine: which traditionally seeks to balance the defense of liberal democracy, commitment to strategic alliances like NATO, support of a rules-based international order, and respect of national sovereignty. By prioritizing short-term deals and commercial interests, Trump is hollowing out this doctrine. This not only empowers authoritarian regimes, allowing them to remake spheres of influence, but it also threatens to bring chaos to the US itself, where polarization is deepening at the expense of the democratic values that had once unified Americans in times of crisis.
What happens in Ukraine will be a preview of the political and security landscape in the Middle East, which is now increasingly adrift. With Russia - Iran’s strategic ally and a traditional partner of Arab states - going along with the US effort to limit Iran’s capacity to threaten Israel, there are serious questions about Russia’s stance on Palestine, Palestinian rights, and Israel’s destabilizing actions in Lebanon and Syria. No matter how closely American and Israeli interests align, or how much US-Russian cooperation in the Middle East develops, certain Arab red lines must hold. There can be no forced displacement of the Palestinians in Gaza, as a two-state solution remains the only path to lasting peace. Without these principles, the so-called "peace" of Trump and Putin, which they tout as a gateway to mass investment, will remain an illusion.

‘Planes, Planes, Planes’
Ghassan Charbel/Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper/ 24 March 2025
It was a pleasant night in Beirut. The seaside cafes were full late into the night. The city has a habit of concealing its wounds and disappointments, to challenges death and the rubble, and to convince the visitor that bright days are ahead despite the challenges. We used to count the losses and gains and tried to fend off despair. However, the constant buzzing overhead hampered our attempts at forgetting the pain. A wandering killer roams the skies. It never tires and never sleeps. It counts breaths and captures photos. It searches for its prey, corners it and then makes the call to kill it. The wandering killer flies over the killing fields in Gaza and the West Bank. It violates Lebanon and doesn’t forget to reap woes in Syria. It targets a camp in the West Bank and a car in southern Lebanon. Neither Gaza, Beirut, nor Damascus can stand against it.
When the opportunity for a major mass killing presents itself, the drone turns to the advanced fighter jets. Funerals ensue. Artificial intelligence is a formidable thing. It strengthens the ability of planes to kill and leave maps awash in blood. The planes are like militias: they don’t respect international law and borders.
I paused at two articles in our newspaper. The first said that the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps’ (IRGC) Quds Force commander conveyed a clear message from the Iranian leadership to the Iraqi factions demanding that they “avoid all forms of provocations against the Americans and Israelis” to avoid the consequences. The second article reported Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein as saying: “Iraq is not part of the ‘Axis of Resistance’ and does not agree to the unity of arenas. We believe in the Iraqi arena alone.”
I also noted the Palestinian Health Ministry’s announcement that 50,000 people have been killed in Gaza since the launch of the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation.
The retired general said he feared that the Israeli jets may have broken the “balance” in the region more so and more dangerously than the way it did during the 1967 war. He noted that Netanyahu’s planes have completely eliminated what remained of the arsenal of Bashar al-Assad's army. It destroyed all weapons and facilities as if to make sure that no power hostile to it could emerge in the years to come. The current Syrian authorities had no choice but to watch as the jets struck airports, facilities and barracks.
Perhaps the jets wanted to deliver a message that there can be no stability under President Ahmed al-Sharaa's rule in Syria if he doesn’t completely abandon the idea of ever waging a confrontation with Israel one day. He must agree to removing Syria out of the Arab-Israeli conflict even as the Golan Heights continue to be occupied by Israel. Israel went beyond that by demanding the establishment of a “safe zone” for itself deep into Syrian territory, even threatening to play the minority card in its favor.
The same planes had changed the scene in Syria. No one had imaged back then that when the Israeli jets were striking the positions or hideouts of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards generals in Syria, that the IRGC would rush to flee Syria years later. No one imagined that the jets would cause President Bashar al-Assad to flee and for al-Sharaa to appear from the palace where Hafez al-Assad and his son used to sit.
The planes carried out a complete coup in Syria. The “Axis of Resistance” lost the Syrian link in the chain that took Qassem Soleimani’s dreams all the way to the Mediterranean.
The jets excessively punished Hezbollah in Lebanon after the party launched its “support front” in solidarity with Gaza following Yehya al-Sinwar's Al-Aqsa Flood Operation. Hezbollah lost thousands of fighters and its most charismatic leader in its history, Hassan Nasrallah. It was an obvious coup. Gone is the “army, people, and resistance” equation from Nawaf Salam’s government statement and President Joseph Aoun was clear during his inauguration speech when he spoke about the state’s monopoly over weapons.
Despite the ceasefire in Lebanon, Israel is continuing its killings. Its aerial hegemony is not being threatened. Hezbollah clearly cannot return to the war given the new balance of power in the region.
The planes changed calculations and plans. Some of the Iraqi factions were tempted to pester Israel from afar the same way the Houthis are doing. So, Israel threatened to turn its planes on Baghdad. Tehran cannot prevent the Israeli jets from targeting its allies in Iraq. Iran itself could no longer carry on trading blows with Israel, while its nuclear facilities file is open at the American-Israeli table. Trump’s Middle East envoy declared just yesterday that Iran cannot be allowed to acquire a nuclear bomb. “It cannot happen, and it will not happen.”
Israeli planes are violating several maps. They kill, destroy and impose conditions. One has to turn to the American mediator for protection. A heavy price will be demanded, starting with quitting the “Axis of Resistance”. It is a harsh but clear reality. There can be no stability in Syria unless it leaves the conflict. There can be no reconstruction in Lebanon if Hezbollah does not abandon its weapons. The strikes on Yemen will stop when the Houthis stop attacking Red Sea shipping and Israel. There can be no leniency with Iran unless is abandons its dream of a nuclear bomb and the policy of proxies.
Israel is hostile in nature and its actions. But did we have the right to plunge our maps in bloody confrontations all the while neglecting the massive technological gap with Israel and America’s unwavering support for it?
The planes reminded me of timeless Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish, who used to watch Israeli planes from his balcony as they pounded Beirut, which was then besieged by General Ariel Sharon’s forces. I recalled his poem, “That Is Her Picture and This Is the Lover's Suicide,” in which he repeatedly says, “planes, planes, planes” - a term that couldn’t be a more fitting title for this article.

Paying for Roads in the Age of EVs: Rethinking Jordan’s EV Tax Model
Jessica Obeid/Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper/ 24 March 2025
As the adoption of electric vehicles accelerates, governments face a growing fiscal challenge: how to fund roads without fuel taxes while maintaining momentum towards cleaner transport. Electric vehicles (EVs) are the future of sustainable road transport; yet they also pose a fiscal conundrum: how to fund roads and transport infrastructure when fuel tax revenues decline? Jordan – an early EV adopter in the Middle East – has responded by imposing new taxes on EVs. However, this move risks slowing the transition to clean transport and raises an important question: Are there more effective ways to balance revenue needs with decarbonisation goals? Alternative revenue models – such as road usage fees, congestion pricing, and weight-based vehicle charges – could provide sustainable infrastructure funding without undermining EV adoption. Examining Jordan’s approach within a global context offers lessons to the MENA governments navigating this transition.
The Tax Revenue Shortfall
EV adoption is rising worldwide. In 2023, the International Energy Agency estimated that EV sales accounted for 18% of all global car sales, up from 14% in 2022. This trend is also evident in MENA: the region’s EV market was valued at some $2.9 billion in 2023 and is projected to reach $9.4 billion by 2029. With climate targets, declining battery costs, the expansion of charging infrastructure, and government incentives to encourage adoption driving growth, EVs are set to dominate road transport. Yet, this shift presents a fiscal challenge. Historically, fuel taxes have been a key source of revenue for governments, funding transport infrastructure, road maintenance, as well as other public expenditures. As EVs replace combustion-engine vehicles, these revenues are shrinking. While the impact is currently limited in most countries, it will intensify as EV adoption rises. Jordan, one of the region’s frontrunners in EVs, is already feeling the strain. With some of the region’s highest fuel taxes, the country has traditionally relied on fuel-related revenues to fund a range of budgetary needs, from infrastructure maintenance to debt servicing. Recent government figures are unavailable; however, media reports indicate that in 2017, fuel derivate taxes – particularly on unleaded gasoline – accounted for 13% of total government revenues. By 2020, fuel tax revenues had fallen to $998 million (JOD 708 million) from $1.2 billion (JOD 854 million) in 2017 due to the pandemic. The IMF has since noted a decline in government revenue due to weaker domestic demand, which suggests that while fuel tax income remains significant it has yet to make a full recovery. In response, Jordan has introduced an EV tax – though this has lacked consistency. Initially introduced in 2024, the tax was later reduced before being revised again, with a phased increase planned from 2025 to 2027. This unpredictability risks undermining consumer confidence in the EV market. The challenge Jordan faces is not unique. Governments worldwide are grappling with how to offset declining fuel tax revenues. In the UK, fuel taxes are expected to raise approximately $30 billion (£24.3 billion) in the 2024–25 fiscal year, down from $35 billion (£27.6 billion) in 2019, when EVs constituted just 1.5% of new car sales. Similarly, in the US, fuel taxes fund around 80% of federal highway spending.
Alternative Solutions for Sustainable Transport Funding
The transition to EVs is necessary for climate goals; yet it should not come at the cost of underfunded infrastructure or policies that penalize adoption. Jordan’s EV tax, while an understandable short-term response, risks slowing the transition that Jordan aims to champion. More equitable and sustainable alternatives exist.
Road Usage Charges
One increasingly popular model is the road usage charge (RUC), which ties revenue to mileage rather than fuel consumption. An advantage of this model is that it ensures all vehicle types contribute equally to infrastructure costs. The US state of Oregon piloted an RUC in 2015, and by 2021 a total of 13 states had adopted it. Oregon's system charges drivers $1.9 cents per mile, tracked via GPS or odometer readings, with rebates to prevent double taxation for those still paying fuel taxes. Countries with rugged terrain and extensive rural road networks – such as those in MENA – could benefit from a mileage-based approach, though provisions would need to be made for rural communities.
Congestion Pricing
Another viable strategy is congestion pricing, which charges drivers for using roads in high-traffic areas or during peak hours. This model not only generates revenue; it also reduces congestion and encourages the use of public transport. After the UK’s capital London introduced a congestion charge in 2003, city-centre traffic fell by 26% in just four years and saved the economy between $2.5 million (£2 million) and $5 million (£4 million) in congestion-related losses per week. Most MENA capitals, including the Jordanian capital Amman, face severe gridlock, making this pricing model a potentially effective policy tool.
Vehicle Registration Fees
A third approach is to adjust vehicle registration fees based on weight and road impact. The rationale is that larger and heavier vehicles such as SUVs and trucks contribute more to road deterioration over time, and should be taxed accordingly. Norway, a global EV leader, employs a weight-based tax system that includes a carbon dioxide emissions tax, and a nitrogen oxides emissions tax, to ensure a fairer distribution of infrastructure costs.
The Road Ahead
No single policy is a perfect fit, and each option carries trade-offs. A socio-economic assessment should precede any policy shift to ensure fairness and maximise effectiveness. Jordan’s experience serves as a valuable case study in the electrification of the transport sector. There are alternative, long-term, models that will enable governments to collect revenues without hindering EV deployment, such as road usage charges, congestion pricing, and vehicle registration fees. Balanced approaches that integrate fiscal responsibility with social and environmental sustainability are key to navigating this transition.