English LCCC Newsbulletin For
Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For May 19/2025
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news
The Bulletin's Link on the
lccc Site
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/aaaanewsfor2025/english.May19.25.htm
News Bulletin Achieves
Since 2006
Click Here to enter the LCCC Arabic/English news bulletins Achieves since 2006
Click On
The Below Link To Join Elias Bejjaninews whatsapp group
https://chat.whatsapp.com/FPF0N7lE5S484LNaSm0MjW
اضغط
على الرابط في
أعلى للإنضمام
لكروب
Eliasbejjaninews whatsapp group
Elias Bejjani/Click
on the below link to subscribe to my youtube channel
الياس
بجاني/اضغط
على الرابط في
أسفل للإشتراك في
موقعي ع اليوتيوب
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAOOSioLh1GE3C1hp63Camw
Bible Quotations For today
Peter, you will deny me Three times before the cock crows today
Luke 22/28-34:” You are those who have stood by me in my trials; and I
confer on you, just as my Father has conferred on me, a kingdom, so that you may
eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and you will sit on thrones judging the
twelve tribes of Israel. ‘Simon, Simon, listen! Satan has demanded to sift all
of you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your own faith may not fail;
and you, when once you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.’ And he said
to him, ‘Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death!’ Jesus said, ‘I
tell you, Peter, the cock will not crow this day, until you have denied three
times that you know me.’
Titles For The
Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published
on May 18-19/2025
Condemnation and Disbelief at the Lebanese Presidential Statement
Regarding President Joseph Aoun’s Handshake with Sheikh Mowafaq Tarif in the
Vatican"/Elias Bejjani/May 18/2025
The May 17, 1983, agreement between Lebanon and Israel was a fair opportunity
for peace that Lebanon lost/With the Agreement/Elias Bejjani/May 17/2025
On May 16 We Remembering Saint Hardini, and the Criminals Nasser and Hafez
Al-Assad Who Assassinated Mufti Hassan Khaled and Journalist Kamel Mrowa/Elias
Bejjani/May 16, 2025
Colonel Charbel Barakat Condemns the Lebanese Presidency's Statement Regarding
President Aoun’s Handshake with Sheikh Tarif at the Vatican
Lebanon says soldier among two wounded in Israeli strike
Israel says killed Hezbollah commander in south Lebanon
Beirut’s choice: Prime minister urges citizens to shape their city’s future
President Aoun Attends Inaugural Mass of Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican
Voter turnout reaches 20.78% in Beirut, surpasses 46% in Baalbek-Hermel and 43%
in Bekaa
Early results emerge from Beirut, Bekaa, and Baalbek-Hermel municipal elections
Army Chief Haykal Inspects Security Measures in Beirut: 'Any Breach of Security
Will Not Be Tolerated'
Al-Qaeda and Hezbollah leaders among terrorists who pay Elon Musk for X
subscriptions, study finds/Gustaf Kilander/The Independent/May 18, 2025
25 Years Since the IDF’s Withdrawal from Southern Lebanon/Yair Ravid (Abu Daoud)/Yedioth
Ahronoth/May 19/2025
Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published
on May 18-19/2025
Pope Leo XIV Formally Opens His Pontificate with Mass in St. Peter’s
Square Before Tens of Thousands
Pope Leo XIV warns against exploitation at inaugural mass
US envoy Witkoff says no Iran deal possible without total ban on uranium
enrichment
Iran says ready to rebuild ‘mutual trust’ with Europe
Iran, Azerbaijan hold joint military drill
Saudi, Turkish foreign ministers reaffirm cooperation during meeting in Riyadh
At least three killed in blast targeting police station in eastern Syria
Syria sets deadline for ‘small military groups’ to join defense ministry
60 years after he was hanged, Israel recovers Syrian archive belonging to famous
spy
Israel puts all public hospitals in northern Gaza ‘out of service’: Health
ministry
Israel begins extensive Gaza ground operation after intense airstrikes kill more
than 100 overnight
Gaza at mercy of what comes next as Israel ramps up brutal offensive
Israeli strikes across Gaza kill dozens and force a main hospital to close,
health officials say
Israel says it will allow 'basic amount of food into Gaza', ending 10-week
blockade
Elon Musk Is Doing Business With Actual Terrorists, Nonprofit Finds
Zelenskyy, Vance discussed upcoming Trump-Putin call in Rome, official says
Titles For
The Latest English LCCC analysis &
editorials from miscellaneous sourceson
on May 18-19/2025
Trump Must Reject Qatar's Dubious 'Flying Palace' Offer/Con Coughlin/Gatestone
Institute/May 18, 2025
Netanyahu is not America’s ally — and Trump finally knows it/John Mac Ghlionn,
opinion contributor/The Hill/May 18, 2025
Trump's Gulf tour reshapes Middle East diplomatic map/Samia Nakhoul, James
Mackenzie/Reuters/May 18, 2025
'Mohammed… Do You Sleep?'/Tariq Al-Homayed/Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper/May 18/2025
Why lift sanctions on Syria?/Abdulrahman al-Rashed/Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper/May
18/2025
Syria handed a significant opportunity/Hassan Al-Mustafa/Arab News/May 18, 2025
Trumpist zeitgeist gives Turkiye room to maneuver/Dr. Sinem Cengiz/Arab News/May
18, 2025
The Latest English LCCC
Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published
on May 18-19/2025
Condemnation and Disbelief at the Lebanese Presidential
Statement Regarding President Joseph Aoun’s Handshake with Sheikh Mowafaq Tarif
in the Vatican"
Elias Bejjani/May 18/2025
It is, indeed, a matter of pride and dignity that the President of the Republic
of Lebanon, General Joseph Aoun, met with a respected religious figure
representing the honorable Druze community in the State of Israel—Sheikh Mowafaq
Tarif—at the Vatican, the very heart of peace, love, and spiritual and human
openness. The casual meeting and handshake, which took place during the historic
mass marking the inauguration of His Holiness Pope Leo XIV, were not political
acts nor diplomatic declarations. Rather, they were a vivid expression of the
values of spiritual and human brotherhood—values that rise far above narrow
calculations and populist rhetoric.
Sheikh Mowafaq Tarif is not a politician, but a respected man of religion, who
came to the Vatican by official invitation as the representative of his
community—the Druze of Israel—who are universally recognized for their
commitment, patriotism, and pivotal role in promoting peace and serving
humanity.
Has it come to this—that a handshake with a religious leader in the house of God
is now grounds for condemnation or betrayal?
And yet, despite the spiritual significance of this moment, the Media Office of
the Lebanese Presidency issued the following statement:
“The Media Office at the Presidency of the Republic clarifies that earlier
today, as President Joseph Aoun made his way to his seat at the inaugural mass
of Pope Leo XIV, he was approached by one of the Druze clerics attending the
ceremony who shook his hand. The President does not know this individual and had
never met him before. It later became clear that the man was Sheikh Mowafaq
Tarif, representative of the Druze community in Israel. The Israeli Broadcasting
Corporation deliberately circulated the photo along with a false caption. The
Media Office noted that such suspicious practices are typical of Israeli media
during similar international gatherings, but they do not change Lebanon’s
official position in general, nor President Aoun’s stance in particular.
Therefore, there is no need to promote such lies or serve the interests of the
Israeli enemy. This clarification was necessary.”
Frankly, this statement is unacceptable. It is disconnected from reality,
unnecessary, and reflects confusion, insecurity, and an embarrassing sense of
self-doubt. Instead of highlighting a moment of respect and interfaith harmony,
the Media Office absurdly rushes to distance the President from a gesture of
decency and human contact.
Let us be absolutely clear: The handshake with Sheikh Tarif does not constitute
a political stance on Israel. The only troubling element here is the issuance of
this panicked, misguided statement. Such clarifications only serve the
propaganda of the Iranian terrorist proxy Hezbollah and those obsessed with
distortion and fear mongering.
A member of the Druze community responded sharply on X platform to the
presidency’s post: “Regarding the statement published by the Presidency’s X
page: we stand firm in our position, because we are certain that the X page—like
many other state institutions—is under occupation. We do not care what it
publishes, as it does not reflect the truth. Yes, President Joseph Aoun met with
Sheikh Mowafaq Tarif and they shook hands.”
We now ask President Joseph Aoun directly: Did you personally instruct your
media office to publish this shameful and misleading statement, or did your
advisors take it upon themselves to act in your name without your knowledge?
According to informed Lebanese sources, your advisors have repeatedly led the
presidency into unnecessary entanglements, misrepresenting your actions and
distorting your positions. Some go further, suggesting that your team may
include individuals who are aligned with, or influenced by, the terrorist
Hezbollah and its anti-normalization-peace agenda. If that is the case, it is
time to make a change. Replace them—immediately. There is no shame in shaking
hands with a man of faith in God’s house. On the contrary, it is a badge of
honor.
President Aoun is urged to clarify his position publicly and to reject the
harmful and absurd statement issued by his media office. He is also strongly
advise to reconsider the team around him—because Lebanon deserves a presidency
that reflects strength, openness, and national dignity—not fear and submission
to ideological intimidation. A strong, unambiguous stance from President Aoun is
now necessary—one that restores truth, honors Lebanon’s diversity, and makes
clear that spiritual gestures of peace are never crimes to be denied.
The May 17, 1983, agreement between Lebanon and Israel was a fair opportunity
for peace that Lebanon lost/With the Agreement
Elias Bejjani/May 17/2025
Today, we recall the May 17 Agreement, signed between the Lebanese Republic and
the State of Israel on May 17, 1983, after months of difficult negotiations in
Naqoura under American sponsorship. The Lebanese negotiating delegation, with
remarkable national skill and professionalism, succeeded in asserting all
elements of Lebanese sovereignty and rights, and in securing a full, peaceful,
and unconditional Israeli withdrawal from all occupied Lebanese territories.
The agreement was approved by Parliament by a majority (65 votes) on June 14,
1983, and was cancelled on March 5, 1984, after President Amin Gemayel refused
to sign it out of fear of Assad and as a result of his lack of vision for the
future. His action was the greatest sin committed against Lebanon.
At the time, the agreement received widespread support from the Presidency, the
Parliament, and the Cabinet, and was welcomed by the majority of the Lebanese
people. It was also endorsed by most Arab countries and all nations of the free
world, who saw it as a bold and realistic step on the path to peace. In truth,
it represented a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to lift Lebanon out of the cycle
of war, occupation, and proxy conflicts, and to put it on the track of peace and
stability—just as Egypt had done in 1979, and Jordan would later do in 1994.
However, the Syrian Baathist regime, which had effectively occupied Lebanon
since 1976, rushed to sabotage the agreement by force through its local
proxies—mercenaries, fake “resistance” profiteers, extremist Islamists, and
leftist chameleons who wore a thousand disguises but had no loyalty to Lebanon’s
identity, history, or sovereignty. These groups served hostile regional agendas
and were merely tools of Syrian influence. The Syrian regime and its agents
resorted to assassinations, terrorism, and defamation campaigns to silence those
who supported the agreement and to block its implementation.
The May 17 Agreement was a golden key to restoring sovereignty and ending the
crime of “Lebanon the battlefield.” It could have brought an end to the
destructive myths of “resistance” and “defiance,” which produced nothing but
ruin, collapse, poverty, isolation, and chaos for Lebanon. Instead of embracing
the opportunity, Lebanon surrendered to the will of the Syrian regime and its
apparatuses, forfeiting a rare and invaluable chance for peace, development, and
prosperity.
Ironically, President Amine Gemayel—under pressure from his father, Sheikh
Pierre Gemayel, certain Kataeb leaders, and Arab states that feared early
normalization with Israel—ultimately decided to suspend, and later cancel, the
agreement. This was despite the fact that international powers did not pressure
him to reverse course, as he himself confirmed in his memoirs. Sheikh Pierre
Gemayel was known to repeat his famous phrase: “We don’t want to close 21 doors
(Arab countries) just to open one (Israel),” reflecting the fear of Arab
isolation—a fear that heavily influenced the cancellation decision.
But today, after Israel has dismantled Iran’s military arm in Lebanon—namely the
terrorist group Hezbollah—eliminated its commanders, and forced it to sign a
humiliating ceasefire… After the fall of the Assad regime… After the empty
slogans of “resistance and defiance” were exposed as tools of destruction,
takfir, and displacement… After Iran’s agents were expelled from several Arab
countries… The time is ripe for Lebanon to reassess its strategic choices with a
realistic and patriotic mindset.
Lebanon must sign a full peace agreement with the State of Israel—an agreement
that ends the chronic state of war and grants the Lebanese people their rightful
chance to live in peace and dignity, just as Egypt, Jordan, and most Arab
nations have already done.
Enough hypocrisy. Enough trading in innocent blood. Enough gambling with
Lebanon’s future in the name of a false and imaginary resistance that has
brought nothing but devastation. Enough hollow slogans that have proven to be
mere delusions, hallucinations, and fantasies.
The time has come for Lebanon to break free from the rule of the mini-state,
from Iranian occupation, and to build a future that reflects the hopes and
aspirations of its people.
On May
16 We Remembering Saint Hardini, and the Criminals Nasser and Hafez Al-Assad Who
Assassinated Mufti Hassan Khaled and Journalist Kamel Mrowa
Elias Bejjani/May 16, 2025
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/05/143385/
On May 16, the Lebanese memory stands at a crossroads marked by three defining
events—each reflecting the eternal battle between light and darkness, between
the sanctity and deep faith of Lebanon, and the savagery of tyranny and the
terror of the so-called “Axis of Resistance,” which has only ever waged war on
its own people, their dreams, and their freedoms.
On May 16, 1989, Lebanon was blessed with the beatification of Saint Nehmetallah
Kassab Al-Hardini, the humble Maronite monk who embodied the pinnacle of
holiness in his silence and seclusion. He dedicated his life to prayer, piety,
and service—quietly and lovingly living out the Gospel through devotion and
forgiveness. In the sanctity of Saint Hardini, we see the true face of Lebanon:
a land of saints, a homeland of faith and renewal that refuses to bow to
ugliness or falsehood, no matter how fierce the storms.
On May 16, 1984, the bloody hand of the Syrian Baathist regime assassinated
Mufti Sheikh Hassan Khaled, the voice of wisdom and moderation. He stood firmly
against the domination of Lebanon by the Assad regime, calling for sovereignty,
independence, and coexistence. His pure blood became a deafening cry against
occupation and subjugation. He gave his life for his unwavering national and
unifying stance.
On May 16, 1966, the intelligence services of Gamal Abdel Nasser assassinated
Kamel Mroueh, a pioneering Arab journalist and writer. Mroueh bravely rejected
the lies of totalitarian pan-Arabism, exposed the hypocrisy of military regimes
and their fake revolutions, and paid with his life for his commitment to free
speech and independent thought. He became a martyr for journalism and freedom of
opinion, silenced by bullets of ideological tyranny.
Three scenes from three different worlds:
– A silent saint consecrating Lebanon as a land of faith.
– A courageous Mufti defending the dignity of his nation with word and deed.
– A free journalist gunned down by murderous totalitarianism.
In each of these scenes, the enemy remains the same, though the faces change:
the same forces of darkness. From Nasser to Hafez and Bashar Al-Assad, from
Sunni and Shiite political Islam, to the idiotic and mob-like radical left, to
the fake Arab nationalists—and at the center of them all, Hezbollah, the
spearhead of the Iranian Mullah regime’s project and one of the most dangerous
instruments of terrorism disguised as religion and resistance.
Today, Hezbollah stands exposed. It has been defeated on the battlefield,
disgraced before its own people, and its falsehood of “resistance” has been
unmasked as nothing but a cover for Iran’s occupation of Lebanon and a license
to eliminate the free and the brave.
But Lebanon—this ancient land that has resisted massacres, occupations, and
betrayals for centuries—still believes in its mission. Its people rise from the
rubble, exposing the tyrants, and preparing to surgically remove the last cancer
from the nation’s body: Hezbollah’s occupation.
This day, May 16, is not just another date. It is a living chapter in the
ongoing story of the struggle between good and evil, between a nation yearning
to rise and satanic gangs determined to drag it into hell.
Free Lebanon will prevail—because its saints walk beside it, and the martyrs of
truth, courage, and faith bless its every step.
Colonel Charbel Barakat
Condemns the Lebanese Presidency's Statement Regarding President Aoun’s
Handshake with Sheikh Tarif at the Vatican
Colonel Charbel Barakat/May 18/2025
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/05/143469/
During an unscheduled meeting at the Vatican on the sidelines of Pope Leo XIV’s
first mass following his assumption of the papacy, President Joseph Aoun met and
shook hands with Sheikh Muwaffaq Tarif, the spiritual leader of the Druze
community in Israel. This gesture signified President Aoun’s respect for what
Sheikh Tarif represents to Druze communities both in Israel and worldwide.
However, the presidential media office—still seemingly operating with the
rhetoric and mindset of the previous era—commented on the event in a manner
inappropriate and disrespectful, not only to President Aoun but also to Sheikh
Tarif and the values he embodies.
Sheikh Tarif, though an Israeli citizen, is a graduate of the revered Khalwat
al-Bayada in Hasbaya and the grandson of the late Sheikh Amin Tarif, who served
as the spiritual leader of the Druze in Israel for 65 years. Like his
grandfather, Sheikh Tarif is widely respected by Druze communities everywhere
for his religious and spiritual leadership.
No president, official, or government employee has the right to demean or
belittle a man of such stature. Unfortunately, some individuals still entrenched
in official positions appear to cling to a mindset rooted in ideological
extremism—classifying people with ignorance and without dignity.
President Aoun must issue a clear apology to the Druze community in Israel and
around the world for the inappropriate and ill-informed remarks made by a member
of his communications team. Such an affront not only caused unnecessary
embarrassment but also risks escalating tensions.
Sheikh Tarif is a man of religion and dignity, respected for what he represents
rather than for any political or social affiliations. He is known for his
measured words, deep understanding of protocol, and diplomatic conduct. No one
lacking in these qualities has the right to judge or undermine the dignity of
others.
Lebanon says soldier among
two wounded in Israeli strike
AFP/May 18, 2025
BEIRUT: Lebanon said two people including a soldier were wounded in an Israeli
strike Sunday in the country’s south, where the army has been deploying after a
ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah. “A soldier was moderately wounded due to
the Israeli enemy targeting of a vehicle... at the Beit Yahun checkpoint” in
Bint Jbeil district, an army statement said.Beit Yahun is around eight
kilometers (around five miles) from the border.The health ministry said two
people including a soldier were wounded in the strike, which it said was
launched by an “Israeli enemy drone” and targeted a vehicle. The Israeli army
did not immediately comment on the reported strike. Israel has continued to
launch raids on its neighbor despite a November truce which sought to halt more
than a year of hostilities with Hezbollah militants including two months of
all-out war. Lebanon has reported four deadly strikes this week in the south,
with Israel saying it targeted Hezbollah operatives. Under the ceasefire, the
Iran-backed Hezbollah was to pull back its fighters north of Lebanon’s Litani
River and dismantle any remaining military infrastructure to its south. Israel
was to withdraw all its forces from Lebanon, but it has kept troops in five
areas that it deems “strategic.”The Lebanese army has been deploying in the
south as Israeli forces have withdrawn and has been dismantling Hezbollah
infrastructure. The truce was based on a United Nations Security Council
resolution that says Lebanese troops and UN peacekeepers should be the only
forces in south Lebanon, and calls for the disarmament of all non-state groups.
Last month, President Joseph Aoun said the army was deployed in more than 85
percent of the south, and that the sole obstacle to full control across the
frontier area was “Israel’s occupation of five border positions.”Also in April,
Lebanon’s military said a munitions blast in the south killed three personnel,
days after an explosion killed another soldier as the force was dismantling
mines in a tunnel.
Israel says killed
Hezbollah commander in south Lebanon
Agence France Presse/May 18, 2025
Israel's army said it killed a local Hezbollah commander on Saturday in south
Lebanon, where authorities reported one dead in the fourth Israeli strike within
days despite a November ceasefire. Lebanon's health ministry said one person was
killed in an Israeli "drone strike" on a vehicle in south Lebanon's Tyre
district.An AFP correspondent saw the charred wreckage of a vehicle in Abu al-Aswad,
an area around 30 kilometers (20 miles) from the Israeli border. The Israeli
military said in a statement that its forces "struck and eliminated... a
commander" involved in "the re-establishment of Hezbollah terrorist
infrastructure" in south Lebanon. Israel has continued to launch strikes on its
neighbor despite the November 27 truce which sought to halt more than a year of
hostilities with Hezbollah militants including two months of full-blown war. The
Israeli military said that "the rebuilding of terrorist infrastructure and
related activity constitutes a blatant violation of the understandings between
Israel and Lebanon." Earlier this week, the Israeli military said three separate
strikes in south Lebanon targeted Hezbollah operatives. Under the ceasefire, the
Iran-backed Hezbollah was to pull back its fighters north of Lebanon's Litani
River and dismantle any remaining military infrastructure to its south. Israel
was to withdraw all its forces from Lebanon, but it has kept troops in five
areas that it deems "strategic".The Lebanese Army has been deploying in the area
as Israeli forces have withdrawn and has been dismantling Hezbollah
infrastructure there.
Beirut’s choice: Prime
minister urges citizens to shape their city’s future
NAJIA HOUSSARI/Arab News/May 18, 2025
BEIRUT: Lebanon held the third round of municipal and mayoral elections on
Sunday.Sunday’s vote was held in the governorates of Beirut, Bekaa, and Baalbek-Hermel.
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam inspected the central operations room overseeing the
electoral process at the Ministry of Interior and across various electoral
centers in Beirut. Defense Minister Michel Menassa and Interior Minister Ahmad
Hajjar accompanied him. After casting his ballot in Beirut, Salam said that the
elections provided an opportunity for citizens to express their true wishes for
the city and voiced hope for a high voter turnout. He stated that the people of
Beirut should not miss the chance to decide what kind of city they want. “I urge
them to participate in the elections in large numbers.”Salam affirmed that the
people of Beirut “are capable of ensuring representation for everyone in the
municipal council.”He said that the new municipal council is not obligated to
support the government’s efforts; instead, it is the government’s responsibility
to meet all the needs of the people of Beirut.He added: “This is a developmental
choice par excellence.”
In an afternoon appeal, Salam repeated his call for voters to cast their
ballots, stating that the voter turnout in Beirut remained low.
MPs supporting the parties’ list in Beirut expressed concern about the low
turnout during the day. Security and military forces deployed personnel to
assure the safety of polling stations and the routes leading to them.
The Lebanese Army Command announced that an army unit in Baalbek and the Douris
area arrested four people found in possession of combat pistols, a quantity of
hashish, and captagon pills. In an official statement, the Army Command warned
citizens “against creating trouble, firing guns, and endangering the lives of
others.”It also suspended “all gun licenses in the governorates where elections
are being held for 48 hours,” stressing that it “will not hesitate to pursue and
arrest all those who disrupt security across all Lebanese territory.”
During the voting process, Israeli reconnaissance planes flew over Beirut. As
the southern governorates and Nabatieh prepare for the final round of
parliamentary elections on Sunday, an Israeli drone targeted a Rapid car on
Sunday on Beit Yahoun Road near a Lebanese army checkpoint, wounding the driver
and a soldier manning the checkpoint. Sunday’s elections were described as
“fierce,” with intense competition between political party lists and civil
society.
Voters extensively crossing out party candidates cast doubt on the parties’
ability to maintain public support and raised concerns over Beirut’s ability to
uphold its model of coexistence.
For example, Sunni voters were striking off Shiite candidates affiliated with
Hezbollah and the Amal Movement, as well as Christian candidates affiliated with
the Lebanese Forces and their allies. The capital experienced intense
competition between two main lists: the “Beirut Unites Us” list, which includes
candidates from political parties with significant discord, under the slogan
“Preserving Equal Representation of Muslims and Christians,” and the “Beirut
Madinati” list, supported by Change deputies. The Forces of Change is a
parliamentary bloc that comprises multiple reformist parties and independent
MPs.
Other lists were also running in the electoral race. They include a list of
candidates affiliated with the Future Movement, which suspended its political
activity, and candidates of the Islamic Group, as well as other civilian lists.
The civilian voter turnout remained low until 2 p.m., not exceeding 13 percent.
Voters affiliated with Hezbollah, the Amal Movement, and the Al-Ahbash
Association were expected to arrive at polling centers in groups before voting
concluded at 7 p.m., aiming to tip the balance in favor of their party list.
Abu Al-Abed Al-Nuri, a voter in one of the Al-Mazraa electoral centers, said
that “he composed his list by himself, choosing only Sunni candidates. “All
parties have wronged Beirut and caused disastrous consequences; however, they
have now united and insist on sharing the benefits while ignoring our demands
and problems,” he added.MP Fouad Makhzoumi said: “We are trying to impose equal
representation in voting.” MP Hagop Terzian from the Free Patriotic Movement
bloc stated: “Parties are not from Mars; they are part of Beirut and have allied
to ensure equal representation.”Hezbollah MP Amin Sherri said: “We insist on
equal representation. Cross-outs are Beirut’s enemy.”Lebanese Forces leader
Samir Geagea urged voters in Beirut to support the parties’ list “because the
elections in Beirut reflect on coexistence in Lebanon, as it is the capital that
represents the country’s main face.”
Competition for municipal seats was also fierce in the Bekaa, particularly in
Zahle and Baalbek, raising voter turnout to 30 and 40 percent during the
day.Several people, including two members of the Internal Security Forces’
Information Branch, were injured in Zahle during a raid conducted by a patrol
from the branch, supported by a Lebanese Army unit, on a Hezbollah electoral
office in the area on suspicion of bribery. Around 15 young men were present at
the site during the raid.
The permits of several representatives for the non-partisan Change list in the
city of Baalbek disappeared. It was revealed that the person who hid the permits
— and who was arrested by the security forces — was working for the Hezbollah
list in the area.
President Aoun Attends
Inaugural Mass of Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican
This is Beirut/May 18, 2025
President Joseph Aoun and First Lady Naamat Aoun attended the inaugural papal
Mass of Pope Leo XIV this morning at St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican,
alongside leaders, monarchs and dignitaries from around the world. Following the
solemn liturgy, President Aoun offered his heartfelt congratulations to the new
Pontiff, expressing his best wishes for success in his spiritual and
humanitarian mission. He announced that he will soon pay an official visit to
the Holy See to formally invite Pope Leo XIV to visit Lebanon “in the near
future.”President Aoun praised the Pope’s recent statements in support of peace
in Lebanon, especially during his audience with the Eastern Churches delegation,
where he declared that “the Holy See will do everything necessary to ensure
peace in Lebanon” and emphasized that “the Vatican remains at the service of
this cause.” Pope Leo XIV, in turn, thanked President Aoun and the First Lady
for attending the inaugural Mass and affirmed his deep concern for Lebanon,
promising to continue praying for its security, stability and the well-being of
its people. The Lebanese President also met with Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the
Vatican’s Secretary of State, to express his gratitude for the Holy See’s
unwavering support of Lebanon. Upon his arrival in Rome, President Aoun noted
that his participation in this historic moment reflects the profound and
enduring relationship between Lebanon and the Holy See, emphasizing Lebanon’s
role as a beacon of coexistence, interfaith dialogue and freedom in a world that
desperately needs peace.
Voter turnout reaches 20.78% in Beirut, surpasses 46% in Baalbek-Hermel and 43%
in Bekaa
LBCI/May 18, 2025
Voter turnout in the municipal and mayoral elections reached 20.78% in Beirut,
46.12% in Baalbek-Hermel, and 43.53% in Bekaa, according to figures released by
the Ministry of Interior and Municipalities after polls closed.
The breakdown by district is as follows:
Rachaiya: 36.53%
Hermel: 35.06%
West Bekaa: 42.63%
Zahle: 45.86%
Baalbek: 48.08%
Beirut: 20.78%
Early results emerge from Beirut, Bekaa, and Baalbek-Hermel municipal elections
LBCI/May 18, 2025
Preliminary results from Sunday’s municipal and mukhtar elections in Beirut,
Bekaa, and Baalbek-Hermel are beginning to emerge, with several victories and
key figures reported across the three governorates.
According to preliminary results, the electoral machine of the Free Patriotic
Movement (FPM) announced the victory of its supported list in the town of Haouch
Barada, in Baalbek.In Beirut, MP Fouad Makhzoumi’s electoral machine reported
that 25.11% of eligible Sunni voters cast their ballots, while turnout among
Shiite voters reached 22.34%. According to LBCI’s correspondent, voter turnout
in the town of Qaa reached 51% in Sunday’s municipal elections. Preliminary
results indicate that the list backed by the Lebanese Forces is currently in the
lead.
Another correspondent reported that the list headed by Salim Ghazaleh and backed
by the Lebanese Forces is leading in the Zahle municipal race, ahead of the
rival list led by Asaad Zoghbi. In remarks on Sunday night, Lebanon’s Interior
Minister announced that election-day disputes were successfully resolved, and
several individuals were arrested over vote-buying attempts. He confirmed that
the electoral process remains underway in at least one polling station.
Meanwhile, a correspondent stated that the "Beirut Betjmaana" list secured
victory in the mukhtar elections in the Saifi area, with Fayrouz Mourani
receiving the highest number of votes overall. According to the Amal Movement’s
electoral machine in Beirut, voter turnout in the capital reached 21.03%, with
the highest participation recorded in Mazraa polling stations at 26%. As final
tallies come in, a clearer picture of the elections will emerge over the next
several hours.
Army Chief Haykal Inspects Security Measures in Beirut: 'Any Breach of Security
Will Not Be Tolerated'
This is Beirut/May 18, 2025
The Army Commander-in-Chief, General Rodolph Haykal, conducted an inspection
tour of military operations rooms overseeing the municipal elections. The visit
aimed to monitor closely the security measures implemented by deployed Army
units to ensure the orderly conduct of the vote. In his remarks, General Haykal
stressed that the success of the elections would be a testament to the
effectiveness of the institutions involved — specifically the Army’s role in
maintaining public order. “Any breach of security will not be tolerated,” he
declared, adding that a significant number of individuals involved in
celebratory gunfire and other acts undermining public safety had already been
arrested during the first two phases of the electoral process, which began on
May 4. He went on to affirm that such arrests would continue “until all those
responsible are held to account.”Addressing the soldiers, Haykal praised their
professionalism and discipline: “You are carrying out your mission in exemplary
fashion — something essential to ensuring that citizens are able to exercise
their right to vote.”
Al-Qaeda and Hezbollah leaders among terrorists who pay Elon Musk for X
subscriptions, study finds
Gustaf Kilander/The Independent/May 18, 2025
Al-Qaeda and Hezbollah leaders among terrorists who pay Elon Musk for X
subscriptions, study finds. High-ranking members of designated terrorist groups
in the U.S. are among those who pay Elon Musk for X subscriptions, a study has
found.
Included in the group are an Al-Qaeda advisor, one of the founders of Hezbollah,
the leader of a militia group in Iraq known to attack American troops, and a top
official with the Houthi rebels, according to the investigation by the Tech
Transparency Project. The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control
(OFAC) enforces regulations that forbid American companies from taking part in
transactions with people or entities the U.S. government has sanctioned unless
licensed or authorized by the government. X’s policies say that its premium
benefits cannot be used by users who are under OFAC sanctions.
However, the Tech Transparency Project found several terrorists and others under
sanctions who have premium blue checkmark accounts on X. A number of these
accounts also had a badge stating that they had been “ID verified,” which means
that X has confirmed their identity after they sent in a government-issued ID
and a selfie to the social media platform. Multiple users used money-generating
features put forward by X, such as a button to receive tips.
In February last year, the Tech Transparency Project initially raised questions
regarding sanctioned groups' use of premium services on X. Just hours after the
initial report was released, X removed checkmarks from all the accounts cited in
the report and subsequently suspended many of those accounts.
The X Safety account said in a post the same day, directly responding to the
report, that the platform “has a robust and secure approach in place for our
monetization features, adhering to legal obligations, along with independent
screening by our payments providers.”
unts listed in the Tech Transparency Report are not directly named on sanction
lists, while some others may have visible account check marks without receiving
any services that would be subject to sanctions,” they added. “Our teams have
reviewed the report and will take action if necessary. We’re always committed to
ensuring that we maintain a safe, secure and compliant platform.”Even so, the
new investigation conducted between November 2024 and April 2025 by the Tech
Transparency Project found many checkmarks on accounts seemingly held by
individuals sanctioned by the U.S. Several appeared to have resubscribed to
premium services or created new accounts. The platform, formerly known as
Twitter, previously distributed checkmarks to verify notable figures; however,
after Musk took over the company, he made it a paid product and encouraged users
to buy a premium subscription to access such services. X’s transactions with
people sanctioned by the U.S. government come as Musk has been leading President
Donald Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency to slash the federal
workforce. Musk, who has since stepped back from the day-to-day running of DOGE,
criticised the Treasury Department in February for not having “basic controls”
to track payments and to make sure they don’t end up in the hands of terrorists
and other recipients the payments weren’t intended for.
Musk said that such controls are used by “any company” as he appeared alongside
Trump in the Oval Office. X’s rules state that users must be subscribed to X
Premium or Premium+ to get a blue checkmark. At $8 per month or $84 per year, X
Premium is significantly cheaper than Premium+, which costs $40 per month or
$395 per year.To become a verified organization, you can either choose the Basic
option for $200 per month or $2,000 per year, or the Full Access option for
$1,000 per month or $10,000 per year. X states that premium accounts can get a
checkmark “after a review to ensure subscribed accounts meet all eligibility
criteria.” However, the platform does clarify that users under U.S. sanctions,
including OFAC sanctions, cannot use the premium service. Subscribers to the
premium service can edit posts, post longer texts, and create “communities”
focused on specific issues. Premium users can also earn a portion of ad revenue
and charge subscription fees. The Independent has contacted X for comment.
25 Years Since the IDF’s
Withdrawal from Southern Lebanon
Yair Ravid (Abu Daoud)/Yedioth Ahronoth/May 19/2025
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/05/143473/
In the coming days, we mark 25 years since the Israel Defense Forces (IDF)
withdrew from southern Lebanon. For many, myself included, this was not a
strategic withdrawal but an escape.
Military withdrawals follow established protocols: securing or destroying
equipment, safeguarding sensitive documents, and ensuring the safety of allies
who stood beside us. Over 25 years, our South Lebanese Army (SLA) partners
fought alongside Israeli forces, suffering approximately 740 casualties. Their
sacrifices enabled many Israeli generals to ascend the ranks.
The decision to withdraw was made unilaterally by a single leader, whose
political and military foresight was limited. The move was met with widespread
public approval, reflecting a European-influenced mindset that history has often
proven misguided in the Middle Eastern context.
This short-term approach aimed to reduce IDF casualties. However, subsequent
conflicts, notably the Second and Third Lebanon Wars, demonstrated that this
expectation was unfounded.
Prior to the withdrawal, residents of northern Israel were not compelled to
abandon their homes, orchards, or poultry farms. In contrast, recent events have
led to the evacuation of settlements, homes, and agricultural lands.
Over five decades of engagement with Lebanon, Israeli military and security
establishments failed to grasp the region’s dynamics, the significance of
agreements, and the value of one’s word.
With Hezbollah’s military capabilities significantly diminished, there are
renewed discussions about potential peace between Lebanon and Israel. However,
as I’ve consistently stated, the Lebanese state lacks the cohesion necessary for
a lasting peace agreement.
One positive outcome from the IDF’s withdrawal and the subsequent abandonment of
our SLA allies is the integration of these Lebanese Christians, Druze, Sunnis,
and Shiites into Israeli society. While senior SLA members received state
assistance facilitating their rehabilitation, many junior members were left with
minimal support. Despite these challenges, a new
generation of SLA descendants has emerged as exemplary Israeli citizens.
Educated in Jewish schools, pursuing higher education, and serving in the IDF or
national service, they embody patriotism and contribute meaningfully to Israeli
society.
To Lebanon’s faltering leadership: your loss has become our gain.
About the Author
*Yair Ravid Ravitz is a former commander of the northern region of Unit 504 and
the operational branch of the Mossad in Beirut.
The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News
published
on May 18-19/2025
Pope
Leo XIV Formally Opens His Pontificate with Mass in St. Peter’s Square Before
Tens of Thousands
AFP /Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper/May
18/2025
Pope Leo XIV officially opened his pontificate as history’s first American pope
on Sunday, presiding over an inaugural Mass in St. Peter’s Square before tens of
thousands of people, presidents, patriarchs and princes in a ceremony that
blended ancient ritual, evocative symbols and a nod to modern-day celebrity.
Leo launched the celebration by taking his first popemobile tour through the
piazza, a rite of passage that has become synonymous with the papacy’s global
reach and mediatic draw, used at home and abroad to bring popes close to their
flock. The 69-year-old Augustinian missionary smiled and waved from the back of
the truck, but didn't appear to stop to kiss babies. Security was tight as civil
protection crews in neon uniforms funneled pilgrims into quadrants in the piazza
and up and down the boulevard that leads to it. US Vice President JD Vance, one
of the last foreign officials to see Pope Francis before he died, paid his
respects at the Argentine pope's tomb upon arriving in Rome late Saturday and
headed the US delegation honoring the Chicago-born Leo. After the public tour in
the square, Leo went into the basilica to pray at the tomb of St. Peter,
considered to be the first pope, under the basilica’s main altar and then
processed out into the piazza for the Mass. Strict diplomatic protocol dictated
the seating arrangements, with both the United States and Peru getting front-row
seats thanks to Leo’s dual citizenship. Vance, a Catholic convert who tangled
with Francis over the Trump administration’s mass migrant deportation plans, is
being joined by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who arrived in Rome ahead of
time to try to advance Russia-Ukraine peace talks. Peruvian President Dina
Boluarte is one of around a dozen heads of state attending, as well as Ukrainian
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Russia is being represented by the culture
minister, Olga Liubimova.
Diplomatic protocol also dictated the dress code: While most wore black, the
handful of Catholic queens and princesses — Charlene of Monaco and Letizia of
Spain among others — wore white in a special privilege allowed them. Three dozen
of the world’s other Christian churches sent their own delegations, headed by
patriarchs, reverends, ministers and metropolitans, while the Jewish community
had a 13-member delegation, half of them rabbis.Kalen Hill, a pilgrim from the
US, got to St. Peter's soon after the gates opened at dawn Sunday morning and
said he never expected an American would lead the 1.4-billion strong church. “I
would say all the Americans are emotional about it," he said. "It is really
powerful for American Catholics who sometimes feel separated from the world
church to be brought in and included in this community through Pope Leo.”During
the Mass, Leo will receive the two potent symbols of the papacy: the lambswool
stole, known as a pallium, and the fisherman’s ring. The pallium, draped across
his shoulders, symbolizes the pastor carrying his flock as the pope carries the
faithful. The ring, which becomes Leo’s official seal, harks back to Jesus’ call
to the apostle Peter to cast his fishing nets. The other symbolically important
moment of the Mass is the representational rite of obedience to Leo: Whereas in
the past all cardinals would vow obedience to the new pope, more recent papal
installations involve representatives of cardinals, bishops, priests, deacons,
nuns, married couples and young people participating in the rite.Another change
from the past is that Sunday's Mass isn't a coronation ceremony, which used to
involve the pope receiving a tiara, but is merely known as a Mass to start the
pope's ministry as the bishop of Rome. In the days since his historic election,
Leo has already sketched out some of his key priorities as pope. In his first
foreign policy address, he said the Holy See's three pillars of diplomacy were
peace, justice and truth. In his first major economics address, he emphasized
the Catholic Church's social doctrine and the search for truth. It's not known
if he'll use his installation homily as a mission statement as some of his
predecessors did. After the homily and at the end of the Mass, Leo will offer a
final blessing and then go into the basilica to greet the heads of the more than
150 official delegations attending. Security was tight, as it was for Francis’
funeral on April 26, which drew an estimated 250,000 people. Rome authorities
are planning for another 250,000 on Sunday. The piazza and main boulevard
leading to it, and two nearby piazzas were set up with giant television screens,
and dozens of portable toilets have been erected in a nearby park.
Pope Leo XIV warns against exploitation at inaugural mass
AFP/18 May ,2025
Pope Leo XIV set the tone for his papacy with a call to stop exploiting nature
and marginalizing the poor at his inaugural mass Sunday attended by dignitaries
including Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy and US Vice President JD Vance. Ten days
after he became the first US head of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics, some
200,000 people gathered to see his inaugural mass in St Peter’s Square,
according to the Vatican. Before it started, the Chicago-born Robert Francis
Prevost delighted the crowds by taking to the popemobile for the first time,
smiling, waving and blessing those he passed. In his homily, the soft-spoken
69-year-old returned to the themes of peace, reconciliation and social justice
that have marked his first few days as pope. “In this our time, we still see too
much discord, too many wounds caused by hatred, violence, prejudice, the fear of
difference, and an economic paradigm that exploits the Earth’s resources and
marginalizes the poorest,” he said. In a prayer afterwards, he noted the ongoing
efforts to end the war in Ukraine, before holding a private audience with
Zelenskyy and his wife. “The martyred Ukraine is waiting for negotiations for a
just and lasting peace to finally happen,” Leo said. After two decades spent as
missionary in Peru, the new pope – who was only made a cardinal in 2023 – is
unknown to many Catholics. But many of those gathered in St Peter’s Square said
they liked what they had heard so far. Maria Grazia La Barbera, 56, a pilgrim
from Palermo in Sicily, said Leo was “the right person at the right time” to
lead the Church. “He will certainly do what he promised: knocking down walls and
building bridges,” she said.
Vance ‘very proud’
Leo’s elevation has sparked huge enthusiasm in the United States, which was
represented on Sunday by Vance, who converted to Catholicism in 2019. Vance met
with the late Pope Francis the day before he died last month, and queued up to
shake Leo’s hand on Sunday along with the other dignitaries. Before becoming
pope, Leo reposted on his personal X account criticism of US President Donald
Trump’s administration over its approach to migration and also pilloried Vance.
But Vance insisted Sunday that the United States was “very proud of
him.”“Certainly our prayers go with him as he starts this very important work,”
Vance said at a meeting with EU chief Ursula von der Leyen and Italian Prime
Minister Giorgia Meloni. There is some consternation outside the United States
that a country with an already outsized political and military role in the world
now boasts one its foremost spiritual leaders. “There is going to be extra
weight because he is American,” said Sophia Tripp, a 20-year-old student
visiting from Leo’s hometown of Chicago.“I think there’s going to be a lot of
extra eyes, and maybe criticisms.” She hoped he would “bring people together,”
she said. “We are all human, and we should just all be loving to one another.”
‘Fear and trembling’
Security was tight for the event, which included politicians from Germany to
Peru – where the pope holds citizenship – the Gulf and Canada, as well as faith
leaders and European royals. Also lining up to greet the new pontiff inside St
Peter’s Basilica after the mass was Leo’s older brother Louis, and the two men
shared a hug. Succeeding the charismatic but impulsive Francis, Leo took over a
Church still battling the fallout of the clerical child abuse scandal, and
trying to adapt to the modern world. He acknowledged on Sunday some trepidation
in his new role. “I was chosen, without any merit of my own, and now, with fear
and trembling, I come to you as a brother who desires to be the servant of your
faith and your joy,” he said. In his homily he warned against “closing ourselves
off in our small groups.”“We are called to offer God’s love to everyone, in
order to achieve that unity which does not cancel out differences but values the
personal history of each person and the social and religious culture of every
people,” he said. At the mass, Leo received the pontifical emblems – the pallium,
a strip of cloth worn around the neck, and the fisherman’s ring, which is forged
anew for each pope. He will wear the ring on his finger until he dies, when it
will be destroyed.
US envoy Witkoff says no Iran deal possible without total ban on uranium
enrichment
Agencies/18 May ,2025
Any deal between the United States and Iran must include an agreement not to
enrich uranium, US special envoy Steve Witkoff said on Sunday, a comment that
drew criticism from Tehran. While Witkoff was reiterating President Donald
Trump’s position about uranium enrichment, Iran’s response was evidence that the
two sides have a long way to go to reach any agreement over Iran’s nuclear
program. “We have one very, very clear red line, and that is enrichment. We
cannot allow even 1 percent of an enrichment capability,” Witkoff said during an
interview aired on ABC’s “This Week” program. Everything begins, from the Trump
administration’s standpoint, “with a deal that does not include enrichment. We
cannot have that. Because enrichment enables weaponization. And we will not
allow a bomb to get here,” Witkoff said.
The response from Tehran was swift. “Unrealistic expectations stop negotiations,
enrichment in Iran is not something that can be stopped,” Iran’s semi-official
Tasnim news agency cited Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, as saying on
Sunday. “I think he is completely at a distance from the reality of the
negotiations,” Araghchi said of Witkoff, and added that enrichment will
continue. Araghchi also wrote on X that Iran will keep enriching uranium “with
or without a deal.”“If the US is interested in ensuring that Iran will not have
nuclear weapons, a deal is within reach, and we are ready for a serious
conversation to achieve a solution that will forever ensure that outcome.
Enrichment in Iran, however, will continue with or without a deal,” he said.
Witkoff said he is optimistic about negotiations and thinks the parties will
hold talks again in Europe this week. “We hope that it will lead to some real
positivity,” Witkoff said. Araghchi said the date and location of the next round
of talks will be announced soon. Trump said on Thursday that the United States
was getting very close to securing a nuclear deal with Iran, but on Friday said
Iran needs to move quickly. Trump told reporters on Friday aboard Air Force One
after departing the United Arab Emirates: “They have a proposal. More
importantly, they know they have to move quickly or something bad – something
bad’s going to happen,” according to an audio recording of the remarks.Araghchi
said on social media that Tehran had not received a US proposal. During his
first term as president, Trump withdrew the United States from a 2015 deal
between Iran and world powers that placed strict limits on Tehran’s uranium
enrichment activities in exchange for sanctions relief. Trump also reimposed
sweeping US sanctions.
Iran says ready to rebuild ‘mutual trust’ with Europe
AFP/18 May ,2025
Iran’s top diplomat said Sunday his country was ready to rebuild trust with
European powers considering whether to reimpose UN sanctions on the Islamic
Republic under a 2015 nuclear deal. “Iran is ready, should it observe genuine
will and an independent approach from the European parties, to begin a new
chapter in its relations with Europe,” said Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. “If
Europe possesses the necessary will to rectify this path, Iran sees no obstacle
to rebuilding mutual trust and expanding relations,” he told a diplomatic forum
in Tehran.
On Friday, senior Iranian diplomats met with counterparts from Britain, France
and Germany for talks on the status of US-Iran nuclear negotiations. Tehran has
held four rounds of Oman-mediated nuclear talks with Washington, the
highest-level contact between the two foes since the US abandoned a 2015 nuclear
accord. US President Donald Trump effectively torpedoed the deal in 2018 during
his first term, by unilaterally pulling out and reimposing sanctions on Iran’s
oil exports and banking sector. A year later, Iran began rolling back its
commitments to the agreement, which had offered sanctions relief in return for
UN-monitored restrictions on its nuclear activities. The three European powers –
party to the 2015 accord – are weighing whether to trigger “snapback” mechanism,
which would reinstate UN sanctions in response to Iranian non-compliance. That
option expires in October. Araghchi earlier this month warned of “irreversible”
consequences if Britain, France and Germany moved to reimpose sanctions. The
minister had previously proposed visiting London, Paris and Berlin for
discussions on the nuclear issue as well as other areas “of mutual interest and
concern.” In his speech on Sunday, he urged the Europeans to focus more on
shared interests rather than differences.
Iran, Azerbaijan hold joint military drill
AFP/18 May ,2025
Iran and Azerbaijan have launched a joint special forces exercise, state media
in the Islamic Republic said Sunday, weeks after Iran’s president visited the
neighboring country. The “Aras-2025” exercise, running through May 21, involves
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Azerbaijani troops, the IRNA
news agency reported. The drill was being held in areas of Karabakh previously
disputed with Armenia before Azerbaijan regained control in September 2023.
“This drill is a key step in boosting border security and confronting potential
threats,” said Brigadier General Vali Madani of the IRGC’s ground forces. Last
month, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian made a rare visit to Baku, where he
met his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev. “Iran will make efforts to ensure
that its relations with Azerbaijan are strategic across all spheres,” Pezeshkian
said at the time. Ties between the two neighbors were strained over Azerbaijan’s
close security cooperation with Israel and a deadly 2023 attack on its embassy
in Tehran. Baku reopened the embassy in mid-2024 and the attacker was sentenced
to death. Tehran has been strongly opposed to the so-called Zangezur corridor
linking Azerbaijan to Turkey which would run along Iran’s border with Armenia.
In November, the two countries held a joint naval exercise in the Caspian Sea.
Saudi, Turkish foreign ministers reaffirm cooperation during
meeting in Riyadh
Arab News/May 18, 2025
RIYADH: Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan has met his Turkish
counterpart Hakan Fidan in Riyadh to discuss recent regional developments. The
ministers co-chaired the second meeting of the Saudi-Turkish Coordination
Council on Sunday, a key diplomatic forum aimed at strengthening political,
economic, and strategic exchanges between Ankara and Riyadh. Officials discussed
ways to enhance bilateral cooperation and coordination on issues of mutual
interest, the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. Deputy Foreign Minister
Waleed Al-Khuraiji and his Turkish counterpart Nuh Yilmaz signed a memorandum of
understanding between diplomatic centers affiliated with their respective
ministries. Prince Saud Al-Faisal Institute for Diplomatic Studies, and
Turkiye’s Diplomacy Academy are to work together to improve collaboration and
share knowledge, a statement said. Fidan praised the increasing momentum of
Turkish-Saudi relations, attributing it to the “vision put forward by our
leaders,” reported the Anadolu Agency. He added: “Turkish-Saudi relations,
shaped by historical and human ties, have proven their strength and resilience
in the face of challenges and difficulties.”The first meeting of the
Saudi-Turkish Coordination Council, which was established during the visit of
King Salman to Turkiye in 2016, took place in Ankara in February 2017. Several
senior Saudi and Turkish officials attended Sunday’s meeting, including the
Saudi Ambassador to Turkiye Fahd bin Asaad Abu Al-Nasr.
At least three killed in blast targeting police station in eastern Syria
Reuters/18 May ,2025
At least three people were killed when a blast targeted a police station in the
eastern Syrian town of al-Mayadeen on Sunday, the state news agency said, citing
a security source. The explosion also injured several people, the report said,
without providing further details.
Syria sets deadline for ‘small military groups’ to join
defense ministry
Al Arabiya English/18 May ,2025
Syria’s defense minister has called on small armed groups that have yet to merge
with the security apparatus to do so within 10 days or face unspecified
measures, in a bid to consolidate state authority six months after Bashar
al-Assad was toppled.
A plethora of weapons outside government control has posed a challenge to
interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s efforts to establish control, as groups that
both back him and oppose him remain armed. Syrian Defense Minister Murhaf Abu
Qasra, in a statement late on Saturday, said “military units” had now been
integrated into “a unified institutional framework”, calling this a great
achievement. “We stress the need for the remaining small military groups to join
the ministry within a maximum period of 10 days from the date of this
announcement, in order to complete the efforts of unification and organization,”
he said. He did not say which factions he was talking about. The statement did
not seem aimed at the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a large
Kurdish-led force in the northeast that signed an agreement with al-Sharaa
earlier this year aimed at integration with state institutions. Damascus
received a big diplomatic boost last week when US President Donald Trump met al-Sharaa
and announced sanctions on Syria would be lifted. Syrian Interior Minister Anas
Khattab has said the decision would support efforts “to consolidate security and
stability and promote civil peace in Syria and the region”. Groups like al-Sharaa’s
Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, fought al-Assad during the war agreed in December to
dissolve into the Defense Ministry. Syria has faced several outbreaks of
violence this year. In March, hundreds of members of the Alawite minority were
targeted in revenge killings prompted by what the government described as deadly
attacks by al-Assad-loyalists on its forces in the coastal region.More than 100
people were reported killed by fighting that erupted in late April in Druze
areas near Damascus, pitting militants against Druze fighters.The Syrian
authorities conducted raids on Saturday targeting ISIS cells in Aleppo. With
Reuters
60 years after he was hanged, Israel recovers Syrian
archive belonging to famous spy
Melanie Lidman/The Associated Press/May 18, 2025
TEL AVIV, Israel — Israel has retrieved thousands of items belonging to the
country’s most famous spy after a covert operation in Syria. On Sunday, Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shared some of the 2,500 items from the Syrian
archive relating to Eli Cohen, an Israeli spy who infiltrated the political
echelon in Syria, with Cohen’s widow. Sunday marked 60 years since Cohen was
hanged in a square in Damascus.The items recently spirited into Israel include
documents, recordings, photos, and items collected by Syrian intelligence after
his capture in January 1965, letters in his own handwriting to his family in
Israel, photographs of his activity during his operational mission in Syria and
personal objects that were taken from his home after his capture. Suitcases of
items brought to Israel included worn folders stuffed with handwritten notes,
keys to his apartment in Damascus, passports and false identification documents,
missions from the Mossad to surveil specific people and places, and
documentation of all the efforts of his widow, Nadia Cohen, begging world
leaders for his release from prison.Cohen’s success in Syria was one of the
Mossad spy agency’s first major achievements, and the top-secret intelligence he
obtained is widely credited with helping Israel prepare for its swift victory in
the 1967 Middle East War. Eli Cohen managed to forge close contacts within the
political and military hierarchy of Israel’s archenemy in the early 1960s,
ultimately rising to become a top adviser to Syria’s defense minister. In 1965,
Cohen was caught radioing information to Israel. He was tried and hanged in a
Damascus square on May 18, 1965. His remains have yet to be returned to Israel,
where he is regarded as a national hero. In 2019, actor Sacha Baron Cohen
portrayed Eli Cohen (no relation) in a six-episode Netflix series called “The
Spy.”“We conducted a special operation by the Mossad, by the State of Israel, to
bring his (Eli Cohen’s) archive, which had been in the safes of the Syrian
intelligence for 60 years,” Netanyahu told Nadia Cohen on Sunday in Jerusalem.
Ahead of viewing the items, Nadia Cohen told Netanyahu that the most important
thing was to bring back Cohen’s body. Netanyahu said Israel was continuing to
work on locating Cohen’s body. Last week, Israel recovered the body of an
Israeli soldier from Syria who had been missing for more than four decades,
after he was killed during a clash with Syrian forces in Lebanon in 1982. “Eli
is an Israeli legend. He’s the greatest agent Israeli intelligence has had in
the years the state existed. There was no one like him,” Netanyahu said.
Melanie Lidman, The Associated Press
Israel puts all public hospitals in northern Gaza ‘out of service’: Health
ministry
Gaza/AFP/18 May ,2025
The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said Sunday that all public hospitals in
the north of the territory were now “out of service” after Israeli forces
besieged the Indonesian hospital. “The Israeli occupation has intensified its
siege with heavy fire around the Indonesian hospital and its surroundings,
preventing the arrival of patients, medical staff, and supplies -- effectively
forcing the hospital out of service,” the ministry said.
Israel begins extensive Gaza ground operation after intense airstrikes kill more
than 100 overnight
Mostafa Salem, Eugenia Yosef, Ibrahim Dahman, Kara Fox and Dana Karni/CNN/
May 18, 2025
Israel launched an extensive ground operation in Gaza Sunday in addition to an
intense air campaign that health officials in the territory say killed over 100
people overnight and shuttered the last functioning hospital in the enclave’s
north.
The Israeli military’s ground operation in northern and southern Gaza comes as
international mediators push for progress in ceasefire talks. Hamas and Israel
began indirect talks in the Qatari capital Doha Saturday, with senior Hamas
official Taher Al-Nunu confirming that “negotiations without preconditions” had
started, according to Hamas-run al Aqsa TV. While there is some optimism around
the talks, a breakthrough is looking uncertain. Israel on Sunday indicated its
openness to ending the war in Gaza if Hamas surrenders, a proposition the
militant group is unlikely to accept. “If Hamas wants to talk about ending the
war through Hamas’s surrender, we will be ready,” an Israeli source said.
Earlier on Sunday, a senior Hamas leader told CNN that the group had agreed to
release between seven and nine Israeli hostages in exchange for a 60-day
ceasefire and the release of 300 Palestinian prisoners. Hours later another
senior Hamas leader, Sami Abu Zuhri, denied and contradicted that proposal,
posting a statement on Hamas-run Al-Aqsa TV Telegram: “There is no truth to the
rumors regarding the movement’s agreement to release nine Israeli prisoners in
exchange for a two-month ceasefire.”He went on to say, “We are ready to release
the prisoners all at once, provided the occupation commits to a cessation of
hostilities under international guarantees, and we will not hand over the
occupation’s prisoners as long as it insists on continuing its aggression
against Gaza indefinitely.” The Israeli military has claimed that their new
military campaign – called “Gideon’s Chariots,” a reference to a biblical
warrior, and announced late on Friday – has brought Hamas back to the
negotiating table. And due to the “operational need,” Israel’s Prime Minister’s
Office said Sunday that the country will allow a “basic amount of food” to enter
the Gaza Strip, to prevent a hunger crisis in the enclave, which Israel says
would jeopardize the operation.
The campaign was launched “to achieve all the goals of the war in Gaza,
including the release of the hostages and the defeat of Hamas,” the Israel
Defense Forces said in a statement. “During the operation, we will increase and
expand our operational control in the Gaza Strip, including segmenting the
territory and moving the population for their protection in all the areas in
which we operate,” Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson Effie Defrin said on
Sunday. But analysts and officials say it’s more likely that Hamas agreed to
restart the talks following a visit from US President Donald Trump to the Middle
East. “Following discussions between Qatar and the US during President Trump’s
visit to Doha, there is a renewed push by mediators from the United States,
Qatar and Egypt to see if a new ceasefire agreement can be reached,” an official
with knowledge of the talks told CNN.
This past week, Netanyahu directed the Israeli negotiating team to head to Qatar
for talks, but made clear that he is only committed to negotiating a proposal
put forward by the US’ Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, which calls for the
release of half the hostages in return for a temporary ceasefire. That proposal
did not guarantee an end to the war. Trump was in Doha Wednesday as part of a
Middle East trip that skipped Israel. Trump said this month that he wanted an
end to the “brutal war” in Gaza.
He also bypassed Israel twice this month in reaching bilateral deals with
regional militant groups. Hamas released an Israeli-American hostage last week,
and the Houthis agreed to stop firing at American ships in the Red Sea while
pledging to continue fighting Israel.
Trump, however, denied that Israel had been sidelined. “This is good for
Israel,” he said. But on Thursday, he said he wanted the US to “take” Gaza and
turn it into a “freedom zone.”“I have concepts for Gaza that I think are very
good, make it a freedom zone, let the United States get involved and make it
just a freedom zone,” Trump said from Qatar. While in the Gulf, Trump also
acknowledged that people are starving in Gaza and said the US would have the
situation in Gaza “taken care of.”
Entire families killed., Meanwhile, the UN and prominent aid organizations are
raising the alarm over Israel’s new offensive in Gaza, saying it is civilians
who are bearing the brunt of the assault. More than 300 people have been killed
and over 1,000 others injured after Israel ramped up intense airstrikes since
Thursday, according to a CNN count of this week’s Palestinian Ministry of Health
data. Entire families were killed while sleeping together, according to the
health ministry.
In the Al-Mawasi area of southern Gaza, an infant, his two young siblings and
their parents, who were all living in a displacement camp, were killed on
Saturday, Dr. Munir al-Barsh, the health ministry’s director, told CNN.As the
bombardment continues and the death toll rises, Gaza’s healthcare system is
being pushed further to the brink. Over the past week, the Israeli military has
carried out strikes near several hospitals across the enclave, including the
Indonesian Hospital in Beit Lahiya, the last remaining functioning medical
facility in northern Gaza, rendering it out of service. Dr. Marwan Al-Sultan,
the director of the hospital said Friday that there were “extremely intense
explosions” around the hospital, which severed the connections to ventilators
that some of their patients require to stay alive. CNN has reached out to the
Israeli military for comment on the strike - the IDF has previously accused
Hamas of hiding in medical facilities.
On Sunday, Al-Sultan told British charity Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP)
that the hospital is “completely besieged,” that nobody is able to reach it, and
that its intensive care unit was also being hit. “We are deeply helpless,” he
said, adding that the situation is “beyond alarming.” Northern Gaza’s Al-Awda
hospital saw a “harrowing night” with bombing in the vicinity of the hospital,
the facility’s director Dr. Mohammed Salha told MAP on Sunday. Salha said the
hospital’s medical systems – oxygen for ventilators, electricity and water
supplies– were severely damaged. Quadcopters flying over the area hampered the
movement of medical teams in and out of the hospital, and a shortage of medical
supplies and fuel was making it difficult for the hospital to continue providing
essential care.
On Sunday, the Palestinian Ministry of Health said that “all public hospitals in
the northern Gaza Strip are now out of service.” The UN is now warning that over
2.1 million people – the enclave’s entire population – is facing a risk of
famine, following 19 months of conflict and mass displacement, now exacerbated
by Israel’s 11-week blocking of aid.
On Friday, UN human rights chief Volker Turk said in a statement that the
renewed bombing campaign was equivalent to “ethnic cleansing.”
“This latest barrage of bombs… and the denial of humanitarian assistance
underline that there appears to be a push for a permanent demographic shift in
Gaza that is in defiance of international law and is tantamount to ethnic
cleansing,” Turk said.
The number of people killed by Israel’s offensive in Gaza in the wake of the
October 7, 2023 attacks now exceeds 53,000 – the majority of whom are women and
children, the health ministry said Thursday.
Despite the resumption of talks in Qatar, Omar Qandil, whose brother,
sister-in-law and 4-month-old niece were killed in an overnight airstrike in
central Gaza, said he feels the world has turned a blind eye to their suffering.
“They were all asleep… all targeted in their bedroom,” he said. “I don’t know
what we (can) say anymore, we (have) spoke a lot. There is no one looking at us:
not Arabs not Muslims, no one.”
The IDF on Sunday said its new offensive in Gaza is happening “in full
coordination” with the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, and that the
military is trying to prevent harm to the remaining hostages; but the forum has
decried the operation saying it would endanger those still held captive in the
enclave. “The current policy is killing the living and erasing the dead. Every
bombing, every delay, every indecision increases the danger. The living hostages
face immediate mortal danger, and we risk losing the deceased forever,” said
Hagai Levine, the head of the forum’s health team, who the group said
co-authored a report about the dangers the latest Israeli operation poses to the
hostages.
**CNN’s Eyad Kourdi and Abeer Salman contributed reporting. Khader Al-Za’anoun
of Wafa, the official Palestinian news agency, also contributed to this article.
Gaza at mercy of what comes next as Israel ramps up brutal
offensive
Sky News/May 18, 2025
It has been a brutal week in Gaza, hundreds have been killed as Israel has
carried out waves of "preliminary" strikes ahead of a bigger offensive.The
ground manoeuvre has now begun. The strategy is to "conquer" and then hold
territory - some in the Israeli government say permanently.But having repeatedly
said the war will continue until "total victory", the Israeli government has
narrowed its options and set down a path of prolonged fighting. Unless they can
agree a ceasefire and hostage deal with Hamas then their only hope to rescue and
retrieve the hostages is through military means, a strategy which hasn't
produced many results in the past 19 months. But as long as Israel threatens to
continue fighting, there is no incentive for Hamas to release the hostages, its
only remaining card to play. Conquering and then occupying territory means
Israeli soldiers will at some point have to stand still and defend ground: that
is always a vulnerable military position to be in. Hamas might have been
destroyed to the point where it no longer poses a real danger to Israel, but
there will always be someone ready to fight. Just ask British or American
soldiers who served in Iraq or Afghanistan. Only political agreements end
insurgencies.Forcing two million Gazans into a small area around Rafah will make
an already dire humanitarian crisis significantly worse, for which Israel will
be blamed.
And there is even scepticism within Israel itself that this is the right
strategy. Hostage families fear that this operation will risk the lives of the
twenty hostages believed to be still alive and there are multiple reports in
Israeli media that IDF commanders don't believe they can achieve what the
government is demanding of them. And yet any retreat from the offensive now will
be perceived as a failure and even surrender, particularly by far-right
politicians who remain vital to the existence of Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu's coalition. The routes to a truce are vanishing, and Gaza is at the
mercy of what comes next.
Israeli strikes across Gaza kill
dozens and force a main hospital to close, health officials say
Wafaa Shurafa, Samy Magdy And Tia
Goldenberg/The Associated Press/May 18, 2025
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Israeli strikes across the Gaza Strip killed at
least 103 people overnight and into Sunday, hospitals and medics said, and
prompted the main hospital in northern Gaza to close as Israel intensifies its
war in the territory that, after more than 19 months, shows no signs of
abating.More than 48 people were killed in airstrikes in and around the southern
city of Khan Younis, some of which hit houses and tents sheltering displaced
people, according to Nasser Hospital. Among the dead were 18 children and 13
women, hospital spokesperson Weam Fares said.
In northern Gaza, a strike on a home in the built-up Jabaliya refugee camp
killed nine people from a single family, according to the Gaza health ministry's
emergency services. Another strike on a family's residence, also in Jabaliya,
killed 10, including seven children and a woman, according to the civil defense,
which operates under the Hamas-run government. The Israeli military had no
immediate comment on the overnight strikes. Israel blames civilian casualties
from its operations on Hamas because the militant group operates from civilian
areas.
The bloodshed comes as Israel ramps up its war in Gaza with a new offensive
named “Gideon's Chariots,” in which Israel says it plans to seize territory,
displace hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to Gaza's south and take greater
control over the distribution of aid.
Israel's new offensive
Israel says the new plan is meant to ramp up pressure on the militant Hamas
group to agree to a temporary ceasefire on Israel's terms — one that would free
Israeli hostages held in Gaza but wouldn't necessarily end the war. Hamas says
it wants a full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza and a pathway to ending
the war as part of any new ceasefire deal. Israel had said it would wait until
the end of U.S. President Donald Trump's visit to the region before launching
its new offensive, saying it was giving a chance for efforts to bring about a
new ceasefire deal. Trump did not visit Israel on his trip, which wrapped up on
Friday. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said his
negotiating team in the Qatari capital, Doha, was “working to realize every
chance for a deal,” including one that would bring about an end to the fighting
in exchange for the release of all the remaining 58 hostages, Hamas' exile from
Gaza and the disarmament of the Palestinian territory.
Hamas has refused to leave Gaza or disarm.
Israel shattered a previous 8-week ceasefire in mid-March, launching fierce
airstrike that killed hundreds. Days before the end of that ceasefire, Israel
also halted all imports into Gaza, including food, medicine and fuel, deepening
a humanitarian crisis and sparking warnings of an increasing risk of famine in
the territory — a blockade that continues. Israel says that move is also meant
to pressure Hamas.
The war in Gaza began on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants attacked
southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and abducting 251 others. Israel’s
retaliatory offensive has killed more than 53,000 Palestinians, many of them
women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which doesn’t
differentiate between civilians and combatants.
Strikes pound Gaza
In northern Gaza, parts of which have been flattened by Israel's onslaught, at
least 43 people were killed in multiple strikes, according to first responders
from the health ministry and the civil defense. Gaza City's Shifa Hospital said
among the dead, 15 were children and 12 were women. In Jabaliya, a built-up
refugee camp in northern Gaza, 10 people, including seven children and a woman
were killed, according to the civil defense, which operates under the Hamas-run
government. Among the dead were two parents and their three children and a
father and his four children, it said. Health officials said that fighting
around the Indonesian Hospital in northern Gaza and an Israeli military “siege”
prompted it to shut down. The hospital was the main medical facility in the
territory's war-wrecked north, after northern Gaza’s previous main hospital,
Kamal Adwan, was forced to stop serving Palestinians last year because of
Israeli strikes, as was a second facility, Beit Hanoun Hospital. The Israeli
military also had no immediate comment on operations at the hospital. Israel has
repeatedly targeted hospitals in its war against Hamas, pointing to what it says
are the group's activities in and around the facilities. Human rights groups and
U.N.-backed experts have accused Israel of systematically destroying Gaza’s
health care system. In central Gaza, at least 12 people were killed in three
separate strikes, hospitals said. One strike in the Zweida town killed seven
people, including two children and four women, according to according to the Al-Aqsa
Martyrs hospital in the town of Deir al-Balah. The second hit an apartment in
Deir al-Balah, killing two parents and their child, the hospital said. In
Nuseirat camp, a strike hit a house and killed two people, said the camp’s Awda
hospital, Nasser Hospital said it struggled to count the dead because of the
condition the bodies were brought in.
Houthi rebels launch missile at Israel
As the war in Gaza grinds on, the conflict between Israel and the Iran-backed
Houthi rebels in Yemen has escalated. The Israeli military said it intercepted a
Houthi missile launched at the country early Sunday, which set off air raid
sirens in multiple parts of the country. The rebels said they fired two
ballistic missiles — including a hypersonic one — towards Israel's main airport
near Tel Aviv, whose grounds earlier this month were struck by a Houthi missile.
“The operation successfully achieved its goal, thanks to Allah, and caused
millions of occupying Zionists to rush to shelters," said Houthi military
spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree. Israel was left out of a U.S. deal to halt
attacks on Houthi targets in Yemen in exchange for a stop to their strikes on
U.S. shipping vessels in the Red Sea. On Friday, Israel struck Yemen for the
eighth time since the war in Gaza began in response to the Houthi attacks.
Israel says it will allow 'basic amount of food into Gaza', ending 10-week
blockade
Wyre Davies - and Rushdi Abualouf - Gaza correspondent/May 18, 2025
Israel has announced it will allow a "basic amount of food" to enter Gaza "to
ensure a famine crisis does not develop" after blockading the territory for 10
weeks. A statement from the Prime Minister's Office said: "On the recommendation
of the IDF, and out of the operational need to enable the expansion of the
intense fighting to defeat Hamas, Israel will introduce a basic amount of food
to the population in order to ensure that a famine crisis does not develop". The
announcement came hours after after Israel's military said it had begun
"extensive ground operations" throughout Gaza. An evacuation order was issued on
Sunday evening for several areas it warned would face imminent attacks. The
Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) launched strikes on sites including a hospital in
northern Gaza on Sunday as part of a new offensive called Operation Gideon's
Chariot. Israel says it aims to free hostages held in Gaza and defeat Hamas.
Strikes hit the southern city of Khan Younis, as well as towns in the north of
Gaza, including Beit Lahia and the Jabalia refugee camp, rescuers said. At least
67 people have been killed and 361 injured in Gaza in the last 24 hours, the
Hamas-run health ministry said. A woman in Khan Younis told the BBC the
situation there was "very difficult" and she had been kept awake by the sound of
bombing, while enduring "severe shortages of flour and gas and food". The civil
defence, Gaza's main emergency service, said the al-Mawasi camp in the south,
where displaced people had been sheltering, was also attacked overnight leading
to 22 deaths and 100 people injured. The camp had previously been designated as
a "safe zone". In the broad evacuation order on Sunday that it described as a
"final warning", the Israeli army said it would "launch a powerful strike on any
area used for launching rockets", and urged people to "move immediately west to
the known shelters in al-Mawasi".Three public hospitals are now "out of action"
in the North Gaza governorate, the health ministry said, amid Israel's
escalating air strikes. Medical staff at one of them, the Indonesian Hospital in
Beit Lahia, told the BBC at about 21:40 local time (20:40 GMT) that IDF tanks
had pulled up outside and were firing at the hospital. They said 55 people were
inside, including four doctors and eight nurses. The rest were immobilised
patients who were not able to flee the hospital after the morning's attack, they
said.
About 50 minutes later staff said the IDF had left the vicinity of the hospital.
The IDF has said its troops are fighting "terrorist infrastructure sites" in
northern Gaza, including the area adjacent to the Indonesian Hospital. Earlier
on Sunday, Gaza's health ministry said staff and patients there had come under
"heavy fire". It accused Israel of besieging the hospital, cutting off access,
and "effectively forcing the hospital out of service". Medics told the BBC no
evacuation order or warning was issued before the attacks, and at no point were
there any military targets in the Indonesian Hospital. The onslaught comes as
negotiators from Israel and Hamas continue trying to reach a ceasefire agreement
in Qatar. Israeli media quoted the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
as saying Israel's negotiating team was exhausting "every possibility" for a
deal on Sunday. Netanyahu's statement said it "would include the release of all
the hostages, the exile of Hamas terrorists, and the disarmament of the Gaza
Strip", reports said. A senior Hamas source told the BBC that "no breakthrough
or progress has been achieved so far in the ongoing negotiations in Doha due to
continued Israeli intransigence".
The source said Hamas had expressed willingness to release all Israeli hostages
in a single phase, "on the condition of reaching a comprehensive and permanent
ceasefire agreement - something the Israeli side continues to reject, as their
negotiating team lacks the mandate to decide on key issues". The source stressed
that Hamas "rejects any partial or temporary arrangements". The group has
proposed releasing all hostages in exchange for an agreed number of Palestinian
prisoners, a full Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, and the entry of
humanitarian aid - which Israel has now been blockading for 10 weeks.
"Israel wants to retrieve its hostages in one or two batches in return for a
temporary truce," the Hamas source told the BBC.
Hamas proposes releasing some hostages in fresh talks after new Israel offensive
US 'troubled' by humanitarian situation in Gaza, Rubio tells BBC. Ros Atkins
on... how world leaders are responding to Israel's blockade of Gaza
Speaking to the BBC on Sunday, Mohammed Salha, director of the al-Awda private
hospital in northern Gaza, said the closure of the Indonesian Hospital would
affect the care he was able to provide.
He said al-Awda depended on the Indonesian Hospital for stores of oxygen and for
its intensive care unit. Mr Salha added that there had been a bombing near his
hospital overnight causing "a lot of damage" to the facility that staff were
attempting to quickly repair.
The latest damage to hospitals comes after Israeli strikes hit two of the
largest medical centres in Khan Younis, the Nasser Medical Complex and European
Hospital. Israel accused Hamas of hiding a command and control centre beneath
the European Hospital, and said it conducted a "precise strike" on "Hamas
terrorists".Israeli media reported the target of the strike was senior Hamas
figure Mohammed Sinwar - the younger brother of the former Hamas leader in Gaza,
Yahya Sinwar. Thousands of people have been killed since Israel resumed its
strikes on 18 March, following the collapse of a fragile ceasefire which lasted
two months. Aid agencies have warned about the risk of famine among Gaza's 2.1
million population, as footage and accounts emerge of emaciated children
suffering malnutrition. Israel's military has said the expansion of its campaign
is aimed at "achieving all the war's objectives" including releasing hostages
and "the defeat of Hamas". But the hostages' families group said the operation
posed "grave and escalating dangers" to hostages still held in Gaza.
"Testimonies from released hostages describe significantly worsened treatment
following military strikes, including physical abuse, restraint and reduced
food," the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said. The war was triggered by
the Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, which saw about
1,200 people killed and more than 250 taken hostage. Some 58 hostages remain in
Gaza, up to 23 of whom are believed to be alive. More than 53,000 Palestinians
have been killed during Israel's military campaign in Gaza.
Elon Musk Is Doing Business With Actual Terrorists, Nonprofit Finds
Maggie Harrison Dupré/Futurism/May 18, 2025
Who's paying for a blue checkmark on X-formerly-Twitter these days? According to
a new report by the big tech accountability nonprofit Tech Transparency Project
(TTP), the answer is: a bunch of terrorists. The TTP investigation found that
more than 200 X users including individuals who appear to be affiliated with
Al-Qaeda, Hezbollah, Hamas, the Houthis, and Syrian and Iraqi militia groups —
all deemed foreign terrorist organizations (FTOs) by the US government — are
paying for subscriptions to Elon Musk's X. Put simply, Musk is doing business
with actual terrorists, highlighting major flaws in his social media company's
content moderation practices. These paid subscriptions are granting apparent
terrorists blue verification badges, which can offer the accounts an added air
of legitimacy. Most importantly, though, the subscriptions are granting the
users access to premium X features and perks like content monetization tools,
the ability to publish longer posts and videos, and greater platform reach —
which the TTP says allows for terrorism-linked users to more effectively
distribute and monetize propaganda, as well as promote their fundraising
efforts. "They rely on the premium services for the amplification of long
propaganda posts and extended videos," TTP director Katie Paul told The New York
Times. "They are not just subscribing for the blue check notoriety, they are
subscribing for the premium services."As the TTP points out, X's terms of use
forbid users from paying for premium services if they're affiliated with groups
under US economic sanctions, including ones imposed by the Treasury Department's
Office of Foreign Assets Control.
Neither X nor the Treasury Department responded to a NYT request for comment.
Though X says it reviews subscribed accounts to ensure they "meet all
eligibility criteria" for verification, the feature has been pretty broken since
Musk took over the platform and made the feature pay-to-play. What's more, last
year, a similar TTP report found that over two dozen users with apparent terror
links were paying X subscribers with blue badges. Several of those accounts were
banned or stripped of their verification status following the release of the
report, but as the NYT points out, several have since been able to regain access
to premium features. The TTP investigation raises serious questions about X's
due diligence around content moderation and platform safety. After all, if X can
suppress users that Musk doesn't like, and speech that authoritarian governments
don't like, can't it keep US-designated terrorists — whether they're the real
deal or impersonators — from nabbing blue checks and using X perks to spread and
cash in on propaganda? "There is clear evidence of these groups profiting and
fundraising through X," Paul told the NYT. "They are sanctioned for a reason,
and the fact that somebody who has such influence and power in the federal
government is at the same time profiting from these designated terrorist groups
and individuals is extremely concerning." More on X dot com: Elon Musk's
Unhinged Grok AI Is Rambling About “White Genocide” in Completely Unrelated
Tweets
Zelenskyy, Vance discussed upcoming Trump-Putin call in Rome, official says
AFP/18 May ,2025
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy discussed the upcoming telephone call
between US President Donald Trump and Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin during
a brief meeting with US Vice President JD Vance in Rome on Sunday, a senior
Ukrainian official told AFP. Zelenskyy and Vance discussed “the situation on the
front, preparations for the (Trump-Putin) conversation on Monday, the
possibility of sanctions against Russia if there are no results, a ceasefire,”
said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. The official added that
it went “better” than the disastrous shouting match in the White House in
February. Trump on Saturday said that he would speak by phone with Putin to end
the “bloodbath” in Ukraine, a day after the first direct talks between Moscow
and Kyiv in more than three years did not yield a ceasefire. “The message is the
same as before: we want to end the war, and they don’t,” said the source,
referring to what Zelenskyy told Vance during the encounter. Zelenskyy was
earlier granted an audience with Pope Leo XIV following his inauguration at the
Vatican. “We thank the Vatican for its willingness to become a platform for
direct negotiations between Ukraine and Russia,” he said after meeting the
pontiff. The Ukrainian president met Vance for the first time since a heated
debate in the Oval Office three months ago, when the US VP accused him of being
“disrespectful” towards Trump, who fueled the row by telling Zelenskyy he should
be more “thankful” and that he had no “cards” to play in negotiations with
Russia.
The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous
sources
on May 18-19/2025
Trump Must Reject Qatar's Dubious 'Flying Palace'
Offer
Con Coughlin/Gatestone Institute/May 18, 2025
[Trump's] soft approach, however, to the Saudi Crown Prince -- that he was
welcome to join the Abraham Accords "in your own time" -- could easily be a
"never"....
"This is Qatar's classic game: support the Islamist terrorists and then present
itself as a mediator, liaison, and even peacemaker – the arsonist playing
firefighter. As in Afghanistan, as in Egypt in 2010, and as in every Muslim
country." — Yigal Carmon, a former Israeli intelligence officer and founder and
president of the Middle East Media and Research Institute (MEMRI), May 15, 2025.
"Mr. Trump revealed the essential philosophy behind his foreign-policy
decisions: He hates war and loves gold. That's it. To hear it fully, to get near
its meaning and debate its sufficiency, you had to step over so much broken
glass. 'Flying Palace' Violates Emoluments Clause. Sons Enjoy Steep Profits From
Trump Presidency." — Peggy Noonan, Wall Street Journal, May 15, 2025.
If Trump is really serious about achieving his goal of bringing peace to Gaza,
then his first course of action should be to persuade the Qataris to end their
funding of Hamas, which has allowed it to maintain its murderous war against
Israel. Trump should also once again demand that Qatar's client, Hamas, release
all remaining hostages by the end of the week.
"The President is offering a foreign-policy realism built on commerce, but shorn
of American idealism." — Wall Street Journal Editorial Board, May 16, 2025.
Also, what precedent is being set? Would the first gesture toward all future
administrations be to bestow lavish tributes on the president and his family
members to gain preferential treatment from the US?
Trump's political rivals may well be hoping that their chance has finally come
to impeach him again -- this time with $400 million dollars' worth of evidence.
"Sorry," the New York Post noted, "this 'gift' is far from free; Qatar will
surely expect something in return."
Trump would be well-advised to reconsider their gift of a luxury jet and reject
this highly questionable offer.
Given the Qataris' history of double-dealing with the West, negotiating
lucrative contracts with Western firms while at the same time funding Islamist
terror groups, US President Donald Trump would be well-advised to reconsider
their gift of a $400 million luxury jet and reject this highly questionable
offer. Pictured: The Boeing 747 that Qatar intends to give as a gift to Trump
sits in Palm Beach International Airport on February 15, 2025. (Photo by Roberto
Schmidt/AFP via Getty Images)
If US President Donald Trump is really serious about bringing peace to the
Middle East, then he should rethink again accepting the gift of a luxury $400
million aircraft from the rulers of Qatar. The country is renowned for its
continuing support for Islamist terror groups, for continuing to fan the flames
that would reignite the fundamentalist Arab Spring, for anti-US terrorist
activity and for attacks on the US.
Far from being allies of the US, the Qataris have, in recent years, done their
level best to undermine American efforts to bring peace to and stability to the
Middle East, not to mention radicalising US higher education. The Middle East
Forum's Benjamin Baird has detailed how, since 2012, "Qatar's $40 Billion
Spending Spree Buys Influence and Control of Elite Institutions."
While other Arab states, such as the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, have been
prepared to demonstrate their pro-Western sympathies and plans to stabilise the
region by joining the Abraham Accords -- signed in the dying days of Trump's
first term and aimed at normalising relations with Israel -- the Qataris have
instead opted to take a different path, one where they have actively encouraged
and supported America's enemies.
Trump has made clear that he would like other Arab countries, such as Saudi
Arabia and Syria, to sign up to the Abraham Accords.
During Trump's visit to Saudi Arabia last week, where he met with the country's
de facto leader, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and signed trade deals worth
an estimated $600 billion, Trump expressed the hope that the Saudis would soon
sign up to the Abraham Accords by normalising their own relations with Israel.
During his address to a Saudi-US business forum being held in Riyadh, Trump said
it was his "dream" to have Saudi Arabia join the Abraham Accords.
His soft approach, however, to the Saudi Crown Prince -- that he was welcome to
join the Abraham Accords "in your own time" -- could easily be a "never", and
Trump's attempts to deepen trade ties with Qatar could ultimately prove
counter-productive to his efforts to bring peace and stability to the Middle
East.The Trump administration's other attempts, to stabilise the region,
moreover, continue to be undermined by the revolutionary agendas of terror
organisations such as Hamas which, thanks to the support it receives from Qatar
and Iran, is still able to wage war against Israel.
The Qataris have a long history of hosting and financing a wide range of other
Islamist terror groups as well, including the Taliban in Afghanistan and
militias in Syria. According to Yigal Carmon, a former Israeli intelligence
officer and founder and president of the Middle East Media and Research
Institute (MEMRI):
"This is Qatar's classic game: support the Islamist terrorists and then present
itself as a mediator, liaison, and even peacemaker – the arsonist playing
firefighter. As in Afghanistan, as in Egypt in 2010, and as in every Muslim
country."
Qatar's well-documented support for Islamist terror organisations makes Trump's
decision to accept the Qataris' offer of a luxury jet all the more dubious,
especially as the president, in comments he made during his stay in Riyadh,
directly blamed Hamas for the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
Worse, as Wall Street Journal columnist Peggy Noonan points out, a seriously bad
odour is already emanating from the Trump presidency – after only four months:
"Huge Trump-branded apartment towers are going up in Saudi Arabia. An 18-hole
golf course is going up in a partnership between Qatar and the Trump
Organization. A United Arab Emirates fund invested $2 billion in a
Trump-affiliated crypto firm. 'Next week, Trump will hold a gala dinner at his
golf club in Virginia for the top 220 holders of his meme coin $TRUMP.'
"Earlier the Journal reported that sovereign or royal funds from the U.A.E.,
Saudi Arabia and Qatar 'have committed more than $3.5 billion to a
private-equity fund run by Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law,' and that
'state-backed funds from Qatar and the U.A.E. were major investors in a $6
billion fundraising round' for Elon Musk's xAI. Mr. Musk sat behind Crown Prince
Mohammed bin Salman as the president spoke at a rapturously received speech in
Riyadh....
"Other news organizations noted the pricey private club Donald Trump Jr. and
others are to open in Washington, where insiders and wealthy individuals can mix
beyond the prying eyes of the public.
"Kathleen Clark, an ethics specialist at Washington University of St. Louis law
school, told PBS the gift is no boon for taxpayers. The government isn't
'getting the equivalent of Air Force One for free.' They're getting an airplane
frame that they will then have to—as you say—strip down and examine' for
surveillance devices, then rebuild from the studs. 'This is no bargain. It's not
even a corrupt bargain. It's just corrupt....'
"[A] growing, miasmic mist of what seems to be corruption and rent-seeking can
ruin everything for Mr. Trump's supporters and obscure other aspects of his
efforts....
"Mr. Trump revealed the essential philosophy behind his foreign-policy
decisions: He hates war and loves gold. That's it. To hear it fully, to get near
its meaning and debate its sufficiency, you had to step over so much broken
glass. 'Flying Palace' Violates Emoluments Clause. Sons Enjoy Steep Profits From
Trump Presidency."If Trump is really serious about achieving his goal of
bringing peace to Gaza, then his first course of action should be to persuade
the Qataris to end their funding of Hamas, which has allowed it to maintain its
murderous war against Israel. Trump should also once again demand that Qatar's
client, Hamas, release all remaining hostages by the end of the week.
The American president's decision to accept the gift of a lavish jet from the
Qataris will therefore raise questions about how serious he really is about
resolving the Gaza crisis, and whether he is more interested in striking
lucrative trade deals with the Qataris than combatting the global menace of
Islamist terrorism.
Trump's international business deals, unlike those of the late Secretary of
State George Shultz, appear, as the Wall Street Journal Editorial Board
acknowledged, to be "offering a foreign-policy realism built on commerce, but
shorn of American idealism."
Seeking to justify the Qatari gift, Trump has insisted that accepting the $400
million jet is a no-brainer.
"I could be a stupid person and say, 'No, we don't want a free, very expensive
airplane'," Trump said on Monday, clarifying: "I would never be one to turn down
that kind of an offer."
The Qatari royal family's offer of a Boeing 747-8, which is known as the "palace
in the sky" because of its opulence, is for it to be used as Air Force One, a
move that has provoked a backlash from even some of Trump's most die-hard MAGA
supporters.
Criticism of the Qatari gift has come from staunch Trump loyalist Laura Loomer,
who criticised the president's decision, insisting it was wrong to accept gifts
from what she called "jihadists in suits".
Interviewed by ABC News, Loomer spoke of her disappointment at the president's
decision.
"We cannot accept a $400 million 'gift' from jihadists in suits," she declared,
saying it would be a "stain" on the Trump administration.
"The Qataris fund the same Iranian proxies in Hamas and Hezbollah who have
murdered US Service Members. The same proxies that have worked with the Mexican
cartels to get jihadists across our border... I'm so disappointed," she wrote on
social media.
The Qatari gift has also raised important national security concerns, with one
former CIA officer describing the Qatari jet as a "counterintelligence
nightmare" if it is retrofitted like the White House's existing Boeing jets,
which have classified anti-missile defences that have been used in the Air Force
One fleet since 1990. The planes are also fitted with sophisticated
communications equipment that allows the president to securely execute his
duties from the plane and protect him from cyberattacks.
"If you go back to almost anything that is given by a foreign government, there
are regulations and restrictions and guidelines for ensuring that they're not
being bugged, and a plane would be an absolute nightmare to be able to confirm
that it's not," said Darrell Blocker, a retired CIA field operative. "From an
intelligence perspective, it's not the brightest move."Also, what precedent is
being set? Would the first gesture toward all future administrations be to
bestow lavish tributes on the president and his family members to gain
preferential treatment from the US?
America's founding fathers already thought of that. The US Constitution clearly
states in Article I, Section 9:
"And no Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them, shall, without
the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title,
of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State."
And in Article II, Section 4:
"The President, Vice President and all civil Officers of the United States,
shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason,
Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors".
Trump's political rivals may well be hoping that their chance has finally come
to impeach him again -- this time with $400 million dollars' worth of evidence.
"Sorry," the New York Post noted, "this 'gift' is far from free; Qatar will
surely expect something in return."
Given the Qataris' history of double-dealing with the West, negotiating
lucrative contracts with Western firms while at the same time funding Islamist
terror groups, Trump would be well-advised to reconsider their gift of a luxury
jet and reject this highly questionable offer.
**Con Coughlin is the Telegraph's Defence and Foreign Affairs Editor and a
Distinguished Senior Fellow at Gatestone Institute.
© 2025 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do
not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No
part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied
or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.
Netanyahu is not America’s ally — and Trump finally knows it
John Mac Ghlionn, opinion contributor/The Hill/May 18, 2025
Antisemitism is real. It is ugly, persistent and absolutely worth condemning at
every turn. But criticism of Benjamin Netanyahu — the man, the politician, the
schemer — is not antisemitism. It’s realism, and it’s long overdue. So when
Donald Trump bypassed Israel on his recent Middle East tour, choosing instead to
shake hands in Riyadh and Doha while skipping Tel Aviv altogether, it wasn’t
hatred. It wasn’t betrayal. It was distance. It was pragmatism. It was a
reminder that the U.S. is the superpower — not a client state, not a donor, not
a servant. And it doesn’t need to stop in Tel Aviv to make that point. That
distance says something the political class in America has been afraid to utter
for far too long: Benjamin Netanyahu is no friend of the U.S. He may call
himself an ally. He may speak before Congress. He may wrap himself in shared
values and talk about Western civilization. But strip away the optics, and
you’re left with a man desperately clinging to power, willing to endanger global
stability, fan the flames of war, and burn bridges with the very country he
pretends to revere — if it means keeping himself out of a jail cell. Trump, to
his credit, finally seems to see it. And unlike previous presidents who spoke
softly while writing Israel blank checks, Trump is speaking with leverage —
because he understands what few are willing to say out loud: America holds the
cards. Of course, the usual suspects are already spiraling. Ben Shapiro, among
others, has launched into meltdown mode, accusing Trump of betraying Israel, the
Jewish people and the so-called moral order. But it’s not Trump who has done the
betraying here. It’s Netanyahu, and he’s been doing it for years.
Let’s not forget: Netanyahu has repeatedly undermined American foreign policy
when it suited him. He openly opposed the Obama administration’s Iran deal, even
campaigning against it on U.S. soil by addressing Congress without White House
approval. Imagine the outrage if another country’s leader did the same. His
administration has sold military and cyber technology to China behind America’s
back. He’s thumbed his nose at every U.S. president who didn’t do exactly what
he wanted, while pocketing billions in U.S. aid without question or
accountability.
And now, with his own political survival at stake, Netanyahu is playing a far
more dangerous game. He’s prolonging the brutal war in Gaza — not out of
principle or necessity, but out of political desperation. Every bomb dropped,
every hospital hit, every civilian killed gives Bibi another news cycle where he
gets to be “the wartime prime minister” instead of the man facing a raft of
corruption charges at home. And if dragging Gaza into the abyss isn’t enough,
he’s increasingly flirting with war against Iran. Not because it’s strategically
wise. Not because it serves American interests. But because he knows war is the
ultimate distraction. The ultimate shield. And if he can drag the U.S. into it
alongside him? Even better. That’s not leadership. Not good leadership, anyway.
It’s manipulation. What we have is a man trying to use American might to escape
domestic judgment.
So let’s not pretend this is about betrayal. The betrayal already happened.
Netanyahu has taken American goodwill and weaponized it for years. He’s used
evangelical loyalty like a battering ram, leaned on AIPAC to silence critics,
and hidden behind accusations of antisemitism every time someone dared to
question his motives. Trump, to be blunt, is simply breaking the code of
silence. He didn’t need Tel Aviv photo ops this time around. He needed leverage.
He needed Gulf oil and Gulf money. And for once, he chose to work around the man
who has for too long positioned himself as the gatekeeper to American policy in
the region. He acted like a president of a superpower should — on his own terms.
Good. Because the truth is, Netanyahu needs America far more than America needs
Netanyahu. That’s not arrogance — it’s reality. America provides the weapons,
the cover, the vetoes at the U.N. Without America, Israel doesn’t survive in its
current form. Full stop. And the Republican Party needs to decide: does it serve
the interests of the United States, or the legal survival of a foreign
politician neck-deep in scandal? Criticizing Netanyahu is not abandoning Israel.
It’s calling out a man who has turned Israel into a vessel for his own ego. It’s
recognizing that real allies don’t spy on each other, don’t interfere in each
other’s elections, and don’t risk regional war for the sake of avoiding a
courtroom. So let the pundits scream. Let the pearl-clutchers weep. Trump didn’t
betray anyone. Unlike previous presidents, he found a backbone and decided to
put America first.
*John Mac Ghlionn is a writer and researcher who explores culture, society and
the impact of technology on daily life.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be
published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Trump's Gulf tour reshapes Middle East diplomatic map
Samia Nakhoul, James Mackenzie/Reuters/May 18, 2025
Dubai -Nothing captured Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's isolation
more starkly this week than the image of U.S. President Donald Trump shaking
hands with Syria's Islamist leader Ahmed al‑Sharaa - a man Israel has branded
"an al‑Qaeda terrorist in a suit.""He's got the potential. He's a real leader,"
Trump told reporters after talks with Sharaa on Wednesday in Riyadh - a meeting
brokered by his Saudi hosts, with whom the U.S. president agreed a slew of arms,
business and technology deals. Trump's whirlwind four-day tour of Saudi Arabia,
Qatar and the United Arab Emirates this week was more than just a diplomatic
spectacle marked by lucrative investments. It sealed the emergence of a new
Sunni-led Middle East order - one that eclipses Iran's shattered 'axis of
resistance', and leaves Israel sidelined, according to three regional and two
Western sources. Amid growing irritation in Washington with Israel's failure to
reach a ceasefire in Gaza, Trump's tour was a snub to Netanyahu, a close U.S.
ally who was the first foreign leader to visit Washington after the president
returned to office in January, the sources said. The message was clear: in
Trump's less ideological, more results-driven vision of Middle East diplomacy,
Netanyahu could no longer count on unconditional U.S. support for his right-wing
agenda, the sources said. "This administration is very frustrated with Netanyahu
and that frustration is showing," said David Schenker, a former U.S. Assistant
Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs under Republican former President
George W. Bush.
"They're very, very transactional, and Netanyahu isn't giving them anything
right now."The sources said that the U.S. was not about to turn its back on
Israel, which remains a vital U.S. ally whose support in Washington runs deep
and is bipartisan. But the Trump administration wanted to deliver the message to
Netanyahu that America has its own interests in the Middle East and it does not
like him standing in its way, the sources added. U.S. patience has been strained
not just by the Israeli prime minister's refusal to countenance a Gaza ceasefire
but also his objection to U.S. talks with Iran over its nuclear program,
according to sources familiar with the matter. Netanyahu's office did not
respond to requests for comment. It has made no public statements on Trump's
regional visit. A spokesperson for the White House's National Security Council
emphasized Trump was a friend to Israel.
"We continue to work closely with our ally Israel to ensure remaining hostages
in Gaza are freed, Iran never obtains a nuclear weapon, and to strengthen
regional security in the Middle East," NSC spokesman James Hewitt said. While
publicly insisting U.S.-Israeli relations remain strong, Trump administration
officials have privately expressed irritation with Netanyahu's refusal to fall
into line with Washington's positions on Gaza and Iran, according to sources
familiar with the matter. Six regional and Western sources said friction between
the U.S. and Israel was building before Trump's regional trip.
The tension began when Netanyahu flew to Washington on a second visit in April
seeking Trump's backing for military strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites - only to
discover, to his shock, that Trump was opting for diplomacy.
An unbending advocate for a hardline stance against Tehran, Netanyahu was caught
off guard, learning just hours before his meeting that negotiations were about
to start.
In the following weeks, Trump's declaration of a ceasefire with the Houthis in
Yemen, rapprochement with Syria's new Islamist leadership and bypassing of
Israel on his Gulf visit showed how the traditionally close relations have
become strained, the sources said. David Makovsky, a fellow at the Washington
Institute, where he directs a project on Arab-Israeli relations, said Washington
and Tel Aviv "don't seem in sync on the big questions the way they were in the
first hundred days" of Trump's presidency.
GAZA PROVES DIVISIVE
During his election campaign, Trump made clear he wanted a ceasefire in Gaza and
the hostages there released before he returned to the White House.
But months into Trump's presidency, Netanyahu has continued to defy ceasefire
calls, expanded the offensive, and offered no endgame or a post-war plan after
19 months of conflict. The death toll in Gaza has passed 52,900 in recent days,
according to local health officials. The war - which has sparked international
outcry over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza - was triggered by Palestinian
Islamist group Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel that killed around 1,200
people and captured some 250 hostages. Any hope that Trump could use his
regional visit to cement his image as a peacemaker and announce a deal to end
the bitterly divisive war were dashed.
Instead, Netanyahu - who is charged with war crimes in Gaza by the International
Criminal Court - has doubled-down on his aim of crushing Hamas. Netanyahu is
also on trial in Israel over corruption charges, which he denies.
As Trump wrapped up his visit, Israel launched a new offensive on Friday in
Gaza. Israeli strikes have killed hundreds of Palestinians in recent days.
Trump's other key priority - expanding the Abraham Accords establishing
diplomatic ties between Israel and Arab states to include Saudi Arabia - has
also been blocked by Netanyahu’s intransigence. Riyadh has made it clear it will
not normalize relations with Israel until the war has ceased and there is a path
to Palestinian statehood, something Netanyahu rejects. "He's got no strategy, no
day-after plan on Gaza," Schenker said. "And he’s standing in the way."
Publicly, Trump himself has dismissed any talk of a rift. In an interview with
Fox News, broadcast after the regional visit, Trump denied being frustrated with
Netanyahu, who he said faced "a tough situation" over the war in Gaza. But Trump
is forging ahead without Netanyahu. With unapologetic self-interest, the
American president is driving a realignment of U.S. diplomacy toward wealthy
Sunni states, anchored by oil-rich Riyadh. One senior regional source said
Trump's visit had crowned the influential role of Saudi Arabia as the leader of
the Sunni Arab world. By contrast, years of Iranian overreach - and Israel's
heavy military blows to its proxies Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon -
have left Shi'ite regional power Tehran diminished. "Iran had the leading role;
now Saudi Arabia has entered with other tools: the economy, money, investment,"
the source said.
SUNNI ASCENDANCY
Although Netanyahu led the fight against Iran, the new regional order is being
shaped in Riyadh, Doha and Abu Dhabi. These Gulf monarchies are eager to gain
access to sophisticated weaponry to shield them from attacks by Iran and its
proxies, as well as to secure advanced U.S. chips and AI technology. They have
found a willing partner in a U.S. president whose foreign policy can sometimes
blur with his family's financial interests. In Qatar, on the second leg of his
tour, Trump was offered a luxuriously outfitted 747 Boeing jet, and welcomed
with regal fanfare befitting a monarch. Amid a lavish ceremony, sword dances, a
cavalry parade and royal banquet, Trump declared Qatar - which has provided
major financial support to Hamas - was "absolutely trying to help" with the
Israeli hostage crisis.
Trump's statement struck a nerve in Jerusalem, where officials view Doha as a
strategic threat bankrolling one of their bitterest enemies.
Many Israelis "don't understand just how central Qatar has become to the U.S.",
said Yoel Guzansky, a Senior Fellow at the Institute for National Security
Studies at Tel Aviv University, noting it hosts the largest U.S. military base
in the Middle East.
While its ties to Hamas make Qatar a threat to Israel, its vast natural gas
wealth, financial clout and diplomatic influence have turned it into an
indispensable ally to Washington, Guzanksy added. In total, the White House
estimated the tour secured more than $2 trillion in investment commitments for
the U.S. economy - including major orders of Boeing planes, deals to buy U.S.
defense equipment, data and technology agreements. A Reuters tally of publicly
announced deals put the total value at closer to $700 billion.
In Saudi Arabia, Trump agreed a record $142 billion arms deal with Riyadh,
stoking Israeli fears over losing air superiority in the region if Riyadh gains
access to Lockhead's F-35 jet. At the same time, in a recalibration of
U.S.-Saudi ties, Trump offered Riyadh leeway on establishing relations with
Israel, telling its rulers they could do so in their own time. Now, Trump is
negotiating a US-led civil nuclear investment for Saudi Arabia - another deal
causing concern in Israel.
Sunni states also pushed their own diplomatic agenda. Trump's surprise
announcement during his tour that he would lift sanctions against Syria -
another major shift in U.S. policy - came at the behest of Saudi Arabia and over
the objections of Israel.
Until December, when Sharaa toppled Syrian autocrat Bashar al-Assad, Washington
had a $10 million reward for his capture.
Gulf nations have also applauded Trump's truce with the Houthis in Yemen, part
of Iran's regional 'axis of resistance', which put an end to a costly U.S.
military operation in the Red Sea. The announcement, which followed the opening
of nuclear talks with Iran, came just two days after a Houthi missile struck
Israel's Ben Gurion Airport. "Israel is more and more looking like a spoiler,
that stands in the way not just of the US, but the international community, as
it tries to shape the region differently after the fall of al-Assad and
Hezbollah, and maybe end the Gaza war," said Guzansky, a former coordinator of
Iran-Gulf affairs at Israel's National Security Council. While Netanyahu's
right-wing government has maintained silence on Trump's visit, Israeli media has
voiced concern that the country's standing with its most important ally has been
eroded. Opposition politicians have criticized the prime minister for leaving
Israel sidelined while old alliances are reconfigured. Former Prime Minister
Naftali Bennett, who is preparing a return to politics, delivered a blistering
indictment of Netanyahu's government, capturing the sense of alarm gripping many
in Israel's political and security establishment.
"The Middle East is undergoing tectonic changes before our eyes, our enemies are
getting stronger, and Netanyahu...and his gang are paralyzed, passive, as if
they don't exist," the former prime minister and minister of defense said on
social media platform X.
'Mohammed… Do You Sleep?'
Tariq Al-Homayed/Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper/May 18/2025
Yes, Trump’s visit to Saudi Arabia was historic. He showed himself to be more
politically sensible than any US leader in a very long time. Politically,
economically, and beyond, it was a visit for the history books- that much is
clear from Trump’s statements about the development he witnessed in Saudi Arabia
alone.One could claim that his remarks about Saudi Arabia, King Salman bin
Abdulaziz, and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz were his courteous
response to the Kingdom’s generous hospitality. However, his words were
profound, striking, and consequential.
Trump spoke of a great king, an influential crown prince, and a noble family. He
spoke in detail, explaining matters that are rarely presented to the world or by
the American public, including his assertion that Saudi Arabia’s transformation
stems from within and aligns with its customs and traditions.
He also criticized the American politicians who had tried to impose their vision
on the region, taking an approach that Saudi Arabia never accepted. In fact, the
Crown Prince had previously stated, in an interview with an American outlet,
that he is making changes for the sake of his country, not to please the
Americans. In a notable moment, Trump asked the Crown Prince: “Mohammed, do you
sleep at night?” To which the Crown Prince replied: “I try.” “I think he spends
all night thinking about how to make his country better,” Trump replied, adding
that those who toss and turn at night are the ones who build the land of dreams.
He was right. Trump was realistic in his praise of Saudi efforts. “There are
countries that turn deserts into green oases, and others that turn their oases
into deserts,” he said as he compared Saudi Arabia and Iran.
This wasn’t about flattery or a mere “PR opportunity” for Saudi Arabia. It was
an important visit that involved serious work. Trump made the decision to lift
sanctions on Syria, not just those imposed under Bashar al-Assad, but all the
sanctions that have been implemented over the past 46 years.
He said that he lifted the sanctions at the request of Crown Prince Mohammed bin
Salman, reiterating this in interviews. He explained the grounded argument made
to him: how could Syria achieve stability and curb Iranian and Russian influence
under such sanctions?
Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa said the Crown Prince had “kept his word,”
emphasizing that the Crown Prince is committed to developing his country and
supporting regional stability; he is a man with a vision that requires reform,
change, stability, and partnership.
Trump came to Saudi Arabia and found a sincere, sensible partner. He showed
political realism, for example, by lifting sanctions on Syria. He had previously
said, when Russia invaded Ukraine, that President Putin had “taken his eye off
the ball” in Syria. That was an accurate assessment.
If Hamas had any political foresight, it too could have benefited from Trump’s
rationality. Indeed, it has released an Israeli-American soldier held hostage
for him, and Trump even sidelined Netanyahu by not visiting Israel. However, it
had no strategic vision.
Trump told Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman: “It’s my fervent hope, wish and
even my dream that Saudi Arabia... will soon be joining the Abraham Accords, but
you’ll do it in your own time”. In other words, the decision is theirs to make.
He also showed sense by extending an olive branch to Iran and vowing it would
not acquire nuclear weapons. Accordingly, this was a historic visit to a great
country, as Trump put it to the Crown Prince who is losing sleep over his
country’s development and regional stability.
Why lift sanctions on Syria?
Abdulrahman al-Rashed/Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper/May 18/2025
Sanctions on Syria could have extended for a year or more due to various
considerations – including the uncertainty surrounding the country’s political
future, reservations about the new leadership, or concerns from powers like
Israel and the United States does not lift sanctions except after a lengthy
evaluation; it previously signed a deal with the Taliban, yet Afghanistan has
remained under economic sanctions for four years. Moreover, there is internal
division within the US administration itself over whether to lift the sanctions.
That is why the direct appeal was made to President Donald Trump, through a
trusted ally – Saudi Arabia – as the shortest route. But it still requires
complementary efforts from the al-Sharaa government, which must first provide
further assurances about containing local factions, protecting minorities, and
doing more to combat extremist ideologies that could threaten Ahmed al-Sharaa’s
own authority if left unchecked.
The viewpoint of those opposing the lifting of sanctions rests on the notion
that the new government is a designated terrorist organization and must prove
otherwise. There are conditions set by the US government – five of which Trump
mentioned after his meeting with al-Sharaa. First, the removal of foreign
fighters; second, assisting in fighting terrorist groups in Syria; third,
distancing Palestinian factions; fourth, managing the detention centers holding
ISIS fighters; and fifth, establishing a relationship with Israel.
But before discussing the feasibility of these conditions for the al-Sharaa
government, it’s important to argue why the new Syrian government deserves to be
given a “chance,” as Trump said.
First, al-Sharaa and his government are now a reality that everyone must deal
with – just as is the case with other governments in the region that include or
cooperate with militias. The reality is that government change is off the table,
war is rejected, and the Syrian people deserve to emerge from this dark tunnel.
Second, the removal of Iranian influence from Syria is a hugely significant
outcome that has changed the course of the region’s history and future – not
just for Syria, but for Lebanon and Palestine too. Had it not been for Iran’s
overreach in Damascus and its devastating consequences, the previous status quo
might never have changed. Weakening the new government could bring Iran back –
either through ensuing chaos or due to a weakened Damascus.
Third, reimposing sanctions is easier than lifting them – if it turns out that
Damascus fails to uphold its commitments. Conversely, not lifting them now could
fuel rebellion and chaos, or push Damascus toward other alliances that would
increase regional tensions.
Fourth, Israel is now the dominant force setting the tone in the region. One
cannot compare Damascus to Kabul, or the al-Sharaa government to the Taliban,
which lacks neighboring powers to keep it in check. Damascus is within reach of
Israeli forces, which now enjoy wide-ranging influence and have drawn red lines
for their neighbors regarding weapon types, distances, and locations. Israel, in
effect, has become the guarantor of its own strategic interests. Lebanon today
serves as an example under Israeli security engineering.
Between accepting the reality on the ground, fears of chaos, and the potential
return of Iran – the safest option for the international and regional community
is to give Damascus what it needs to revive this devastated country. Everyone
has the right to set conditions that ensure both Syria’s stability and the
region’s security. Syria sits at the heart of the crisis zone – and if left
alone, it will descend into chaos with severe consequences.The least risky
option remains giving it a chance – even if that carries some “risk,” it is one
that can be managed in the worst-case scenario.
Arab cooperation with Damascus today, up close, is better than trying to fix the
situation later. If we come back in a year or two to try to repair the damage,
the relationship will likely be harder to mend. One can say that between
December 7 and today – between fears and hopes – the al-Sharaa government has
shown evidence of openness and willingness to cooperate. Certainly, more is
expected of it.
The American demands may seem awkward in public, but they ultimately work in
Damascus’s favor. Banning foreign fighters is a requirement for all governments,
and combating terrorism is an international obligation. As for the Palestinian
factions in Syria, they are, in reality, militias affiliated with the former
al-Assad regime, which used them in Lebanon against Arab states. The exception
is Hamas, which was not Syrian. It is expected that al-Sharaa will expel all
these groups willingly, as Jordan did before, and as Lebanon is currently trying
to do with the remnants.
What about the condition of engaging in an agreement with Israel? It’s worth
recalling that al-Sharaa and his ministers had previously spoken – even before
Trump – about their willingness to do so within the framework of an Arab peace
initiative. Regardless of the remaining concerns, which I won’t elaborate on
here, the region is capable of adapting and changing – and this remains better
than leaving the country to fall prey to chaos, which would be more dangerous
for everyone.
We expect the Damascus government to understand this and steer clear of regional
and international entanglements. To be fair, President al-Sharaa has repeatedly
hinted in his statements at his openness to all and his desire to focus on
development and progress.
Syria handed a significant opportunity
Hassan Al-Mustafa/Arab News/May 18, 2025
There is clear and ongoing support from Saudi Arabia for the Syrian state,
manifested in various ways. This includes humanitarian assistance through food,
medical and essential aid provided by the Saudi aid agency KSrelief, as well as
the continuous influx of volunteers in various medical and service sectors,
coordinated by the Saudi government. Additionally, there is economic support,
exemplified by the Kingdom, in partnership with Qatar, covering an amount of $15
million, which represents Syria’s arrears to the World Bank.
Politically, Riyadh was the first capital visited by new Syrian President Ahmad
Al-Sharaa, where he met with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Saudi Foreign
Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan has met his Syrian counterpart Asaad Al-Shaibani
several times, advocating for the necessity of supporting Syria’s stability and
unity. Moreover, he has worked to convince a number of European and Arab
capitals of the importance of addressing the negative consequences of the past
decade in Syria, which has been marked by internal conflict and war, foreign
influence and rival armed factions, all of which have contributed to Syria’s
status as a failed state, a fertile ground for terrorism, a threat to
neighboring countries and a source of drug production and trafficking.
The most significant Saudi support occurred during US President Donald Trump’s
visit to Riyadh last week. During this visit, Trump announced the lifting of
American sanctions imposed on the previous Syrian regime, a decision that was
made at the request of the crown prince.
The following day, prior to the Gulf-American summit, a meeting took place
between the American and Syrian presidents, attended by the Saudi crown prince,
with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan joining the meeting via phone.
The announcement of the lifting of American sanctions, followed by the meeting
between Trump and Al-Sharaa, represented a significant achievement for Saudi
diplomacy and served as evidence of Riyadh’s ability to present perspectives
characterized by composure and respect in Washington.
Some may wonder: What motivates Saudi Arabia to undertake all these efforts for
Syria? The fall of former Syrian President Bashar Assad’s regime last December
was not a trivial event. Rather, it represented a significant political and
security shift that created a structural vacuum within state institutions. This
vacuum necessitated filling to prevent chaos, civil war and conflict.
Furthermore, when Assad fled to Russia, he was not the only one to abandon the
country; foreign allies, particularly officers from the Iranian Revolutionary
Guards, as well as fighters from Lebanese, Afghan, Iraqi and Pakistani factions
who had been fighting alongside Syrian forces, also left. Additionally, the
diminished role of Russia in Syria caused the biggest vacuum.
The announcement of the lifting of American sanctions represented a significant
achievement for Saudi diplomacy.
This vacuum consists of two levels: internal and external. Therefore, it is
crucial to have a strong Syrian government that ensures security and manages
state institutions. For this government to endure and succeed, it must receive
Arab support, which would act as a regional safety net, enabling it to establish
diplomatic relations with neighboring countries and restore connections that
were severed due to the policies of Assad. So, there were two options: either
support the new system and encourage reform and good governance or choose the
second option, which is a vacuum that will lead to chaos and uncertainty.
Saudi Arabia has chosen to take the first option, considering Syria’s position
in Arab politics and its geographical location. Additionally, the changes that
have occurred, such as the decline in influence of Iran and its allied factions,
as well as the reduction in drug trafficking operations targeting Saudi Arabia,
all contribute positively to Riyadh’s interests.
Simultaneously, the Kingdom did not undertake these steps without an awareness
of the existing complexities, the ideological background of the new rulers in
Syria, the presence of foreign fighters allied with them within Syrian
territory, the strained relations with the Kurds, and the ongoing Israeli
assaults on Syrian land. All these are intricate issues that cannot be resolved
without a long-term political vision, genuine national consensus and a civil
government that includes various components of the Syrian population without
sectarian or ethnic discrimination. Any resolution also requires a national
reconciliation that closes the chapter on the past, prevents revenge and
curtails any violent actions that may be carried out by extremist groups close
to the government or those that have had ties with some of its figures.
This political, security and sectarian complexity will only get worse with a
fragile economy, high unemployment rates, inflation, a lack of investment and a
lack of job opportunities. Therefore, the US president’s announcement from
Riyadh that he would lift sanctions on Syria was a “great gift,” coming through
a “bold and important” decision, as described by Prince Faisal. He also
expressed hope that “European sanctions on Damascus will also be lifted,”
indicating that “Syria has many opportunities to witness a major economic
renaissance.” Prince Faisal emphasized that the Kingdom will be a pioneer in
supporting the Syrian economy. Following his meeting with President Trump, Al-Sharaa
stated that the decision to lift sanctions will usher in a new chapter for
Syria, contributing to the achievement of security, stability and
reconstruction. Al-Sharaa praised the role of the crown prince, who he said had
“fulfilled his promises.”
There is widespread joy in both the Syrian and Arab streets, a joy that is
well-deserved. However, the announcement, despite its significance, necessitates
diligent and responsible action from the Syrian government to capitalize on this
“golden opportunity.” Notably, Trump urged them to “show us something.”
Additionally, White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt posted a statement on X
outlining five key points that Trump encouraged Al-Sharaa to implement. This
indicates that there will be close American monitoring, requiring high-level
coordination between Washington and Damascus to build trust step by step.
Saudi Arabia has fulfilled its obligations toward the Syrian people and
government, engaging in effective diplomacy to preserve Syria’s unity and
security, while preventing sectarian conflict and condemning the ongoing Israeli
aggressions. Riyadh continues this effort, which implies that Syrian diplomacy
and internal governmental bodies bear a great responsibility to leverage this
exceptional support and fulfill the promises made by the Syrian president in his
addresses to the people, as this is the only path to reconstruction and
development.
**Hassan Al-Mustafa is a Saudi writer and researcher interested in Islamic
movements, the development of religious discourse and the relationship between
the Gulf Cooperation Council states and Iran. X: @Halmustafa
Trumpist zeitgeist gives Turkiye room to maneuver
Dr. Sinem Cengiz/Arab News/May 18, 2025
US President Donald Trump’s historic visit to the Gulf last week captured global
attention. His trip also coincided with a series of high-stakes talks held in
Turkiye that involved actors from both East and West, signaling Ankara’s growing
influence in bringing together sides that clash over both material interests and
ideology. In a fragmented world order, where the diplomacy of the global powers
is faltering, Turkiye is seizing the moment, leveraging its geostrategic
position and capitalizing on its status as a middle power. Moreover, it is the
Trumpist zeitgeist that gives Ankara room to maneuver in global politics,
positioning it as a key actor in the new era of diplomacy. Since the start of
the Ukraine-Russia war, Turkiye has played an active role in attempting to bring
both sides to the negotiating table. Some efforts, such as the grain and
prisoner exchange deals, have been successful, while others have fallen short of
their intended goals. As part of its ongoing effort to bring the war to an end,
Turkiye last week hosted delegations from Ukraine and Russia in Istanbul.
While neither Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky nor Russian President
Vladimir Putin attended, these talks were still highly significant. They marked
the first direct discussions between the two nations since the early months of
Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022. Although no ceasefire agreement
was reached, the talks emphasized the importance of direct political meetings
that involve Putin and Zelensky. The Trump administration dispatched Secretary
of State Marco Rubio to attend the proceedings, highlighting the growing hopes
for a diplomatic resolution — a goal that Turkiye’s leadership, particularly
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has been seeking for years.
In addition to these peace efforts, Turkiye hosted an informal meeting of NATO
foreign ministers, underscoring the increasing importance of European defense in
light of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. With the shifting dynamics of global
geopolitics, there has been growing pressure for Europe to strengthen its own
defense capabilities, especially amid the US administration’s stance that Europe
should not rely on Washington for its security. This is where Turkiye, with its
strong army and advanced defense industry, appears as a close partner for the
European states’ interests.
Perhaps due to Ankara’s growing importance in the eyes of the European states, a
fresh round of nuclear talks between Iran and the European troika (the UK,
France and Germany) also took place in Istanbul on Friday. These talks centered
on the ongoing indirect negotiations between Iran and the US regarding a
potential new nuclear deal. Since taking office again in January, Trump has
revived his so-called maximum pressure campaign on Iran, even while expressing
support for nuclear diplomacy, albeit with the looming threat of military action
should that fail.
Turkiye seeks to pursue a policy based on soft power to carve out a more
prominent role in the emerging regional order.
Turkiye’s political elite seeks to pursue a policy based on soft power,
particularly mediation, to carve out a more prominent role for Ankara in the
emerging regional order. For years, Erdogan has demonstrated an exceptional
ability to read the global zeitgeist and the diplomatic meetings hosted by
Turkiye are a testament to this. Beyond Turkiye’s engagement in peace talks over
Ukraine, Syria and NATO, a significant development has unfolded that further
underscores the nation’s rising regional power. The PKK, a militant Kurdish
faction, last week announced its intention to disarm and disband as part of a
peace initiative with Turkiye. This would mark the end of a four-decade
insurgency that has claimed tens of thousands of lives and strained Turkish
politics. Efforts by past Turkish governments, including Erdogan’s, to resolve
the conflict through legal settlements have failed. However, this development
signals a potential turning point, further solidifying Turkiye’s position as a
key player in the region.
Trump’s policies and his shifting approach to diplomacy have undeniably
influenced international politics. However, the Trumpist approach appears to be
favoring Turkiye’s activism, as it has paved the way for Ankara to play a more
active role in regional and global politics.
In the region, the beginning of Trump’s second term quickly followed the
collapse of the Assad regime in Syria, a development that saw Turkiye emerge as
one of the biggest beneficiaries. Trump’s decision last week to lift sanctions
on Syria was a crucial moment. Erdogan virtually joined a subsequent meeting
with Trump, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Syrian President Ahmad Al-Sharaa
in Riyadh, signaling a new era of cooperation. Ankara and Riyadh have lobbied
extensively for the US administration to ease sanctions on Syria’s government.
Today’s climate seems to favor middle powers such as Turkiye and Saudi Arabia,
which seek to avoid a global system in which decisions are made solely by major
powers, sidelining their own interests. This new geopolitical trend, where
regional middle powers exert increasing influence, is part of a broader shift in
the international order. Although Trump’s visit did not include Turkiye on the
itinerary, it is clear that Erdogan’s diplomatic acumen and his government’s
foreign policy strategies have been welcomed by the White House. Trump has
repeatedly highlighted Erdogan as a significant partner capable of delivering on
pragmatic, realpolitik strategies. Turkish officials had long anticipated that
US-Turkiye relations would improve during Trump’s second term, following years
of strain. It now seems like Turkiye’s bet on Trump is, in many ways, paying off
and the Trumpist zeitgeist is creating a favorable environment for Ankara’s
foreign policy, as the US focuses on addressing key foreign policy issues such
as the war in Ukraine and integrating Syria into the international fold.
*Dr. Sinem Cengiz is a Turkish political analyst who specializes in Turkiye’s
relations with the Middle East. X: @SinemCngz