English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For May 29/2025
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news

The Bulletin's Link on the lccc Site
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/aaaanewsfor2025/english.May29.25.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
‘Go into all the world and proclaim the good news to the whole creation
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Mark 16/15-18:”‘Go into all the world and proclaim the good news to the whole creation. The one who believes and is baptized will be saved; but the one who does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: by using my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes in their hands, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on May 28-29/2025
The Possible Appointment of Nejad Fares as Lebanon’s Ambassador to Washington Raises Serious Questions/Elias Bejjani/May 26/2025
The illegal detention of my father, Amer Fakhoury
Lebanese president holds talks with Emirati delegation in Beirut
Lebanon: Hezbollah Displeased with Salam’s Stances
Netanyahu says Israel has 'created a new situation in Lebanon'
Report: Ortagus lauds Salam's remarks, to give Lebanon deadlines on arms
Israeli strike on south Lebanon kills Hezbollah member
Rajji slams Hezbollah as 'outlaw' group and its tripartite equation as outdated
1 hurt as Israeli drone tries to target car in al-Abbasiyeh amid other violations
Army intervenes after clash between UNIFIL patrol, Yater residents
IMF mission in Beirut — will Lebanon seize its 'last chance'?
Starlink in Beirut: Tech infrastructure emerges as pillar of Lebanon’s recovery efforts
Alleged talks with Syria, warnings on Lebanon: Israel walks a strategic 'tightrope'
Support on the table, but Lebanon’s indecision alarms UAE
Lebanese finance minister, World Bank discuss launch of Lebanon reconstruction fund
Armed factions in Ain al-Hilweh complicate disarmament efforts amid deep-rooted militant presence
‘We want Israel out yesterday, not tomorrow:’ Lebanon’s leader urges US to pressure Israel to withdraw troops
Yes, Compare Syria with Lebanon/Tariq Al-Homayed/Asharq Al-Awsat/May 29/2025

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on May 28-29/2025
Trump Says Warned Netanyahu Against Striking Iran
UN Nuclear Watchdog Chief Says ‘Jury Is Still Out’ on Iran-US Talks, but Calls Them a Good Sign
Israel Calls Report on Iran Nuclear Talks 'Fake News'
Iran Might Accept US IAEA Inspectors if Nuclear Deal Reached
Judiciary: Iran Executes Man Convicted of Spying for Israel
Israeli warplanes again strike Houthi-controlled Sanaa int'l airport
Trump to Float New Gaza Ceasefire Terms Soon, Aide Says
Four Palestinians die in storming of UN food warehouse a day after gunfire at new Gaza aid site
Trump's former secretary of state says Canadian sovereignty not under threat
Israeli Forces Raid Money Exchange Companies in West Bank
Who is Mohammed Sinwar, the Hamas leader Israel says it killed?
Italy urges Israel to stop offensive in Gaza, respect humanitarian law
EU says Israeli strikes in Gaza go beyond what is necessary to fight Hamas
‘What is it if not a war crime?’ Former Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert blasts war in Gaza
Syria and Israel in Direct Talks Focused on Security Rather Than Normalization
EU lifts most Syria sanctions but slaps new ones on alleged culprits in attacks on Alawite civilians
Pope Leo calls for ceasefire in Gaza, laments 'cries' of parents of dead children
Trump Expresses Hesitation on Imposing New Sanctions on Russia

Titles For The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sourceson on May 28-29/2025
'Foxes in the Vineyards': Israel's Very Own Subversives/Nils A. Haug/Gatestone Institute/May 28, 2025
Weapons of the Camps... and Weapons of Gaza/Nabil Amr/Asharq Al-Awsat/May 29/2025
More than trade on the agenda at GCC-ASEAN-China summit/Dr. Abdel Aziz Aluwaisheg/Arab News/May 28, 2025
Where culture connects, understanding grows and diplomacy finds ground/Huda Al Khamis-Kanoo/Arab News/May 28, 2025
Gulf’s excess electricity exports fostering energy alliances/Zaid M. Belbagi/Arab News/May 28, 2025

The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on May 28-29/2025
The Possible Appointment of Nejad Fares as Lebanon’s Ambassador to Washington Raises Serious Questions
Elias Bejjani/May 26/2025
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/05/143687/
Last week, social media platforms circulated news about intensive deliberations taking place at the highest levels in Lebanon to choose a new ambassador to the United States. The leading candidate appears to be Mr. Nejad Fares, a prominent figure in the "American Task Force for Lebanon" (ATFL), who is reportedly receiving special backing from president Joseph Aoun. As discussions around this appointment intensify, it is essential to pause and raise a number of questions and observations—not out of personal suspicion, but from a standpoint rooted in Lebanon’s national interest, its sovereignty, and the ongoing regional shifts and domestic challenges Lebanon faces in its struggle to reclaim its independence and liberate itself from the Iranian-Hezbollah occupation.
The first and most obvious question is this, why is a dual U.S. citizen being considered for this crucial post, when Lebanon and the Lebanese diaspora are home to hundreds of highly qualified, sovereign-minded individuals who meet all legal requirements and do not need to renounce any foreign citizenship to comply with Lebanese laws?
Doesn't this indicate a troubling narrowness in the selection process—especially in president's  Aoun’s choices?
And why, during such a critical and sensitive period, the focus is on nominating figures who spark political controversy and raise many questions?
If it is indeed true that president Aoun is pushing for Mr. Nejad Fares to be appointed to this position, then it is Mr. Fares’s duty—first and foremost—to clearly and publicly declare to the Lebanese people, and to the regional and international actors striving to help Lebanon break free from Iranian occupation:
Where does he stand on the key United Nations Security Council resolutions related to Lebanon, particularly:
Resolution 1559, which calls for the disarmament of all militias,
Resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 war and reasserted the sovereignty of the Lebanese state,
Resolution 1680, which called for the demarcation of borders with Syria.
And most importantly, his clear stance on all the provisions of the ceasefire agreement issued following the end of the war that Hezbollah launched against the State of Israel—on orders from Iran, not Lebanon—in support of Hamas’s terrorist war.
We must ask: Does Mr. Fares support the full implementation of these resolutions? Or does he, like president Joseph Aoun, adhere to the failed notion of “dialogue with Hezbollah”—a theory that has proven disastrous over the past two decades? Hezbollah has never once abandoned its weapons. It has rejected every call for dialogue, broken every national accord, and each time it sat at the dialogue table, it later returned to impose its terms on the Lebanese people by force of arms.
The national and moral responsibility falls on Mr. Fares—if he truly intends to take on this diplomatic post—to issue an unambiguous and public statement detailing his position on Hezbollah and the aforementioned international resolutions. He must express his full commitment to these resolutions and affirm his belief that only the Lebanese state should possess arms—no one else.
Ultimately, if the reports of Mr. Nejad Fares’s nomination are accurate, then many inside Lebanon and within the diaspora view this choice as highly unfortunate, one that raises serious doubts about its timing and implications.
In conclusion, Lebanon today needs ambassadors with a sovereign and independent track record—diplomats committed to confronting the Iranian project and ending Hezbollah’s occupation. It is time to appoint ambassadors who genuinely represent a Lebanon that seeks peace, liberation, and an end to Hezbollah’s grip and to all forms of violence and hostility.

the illegal detention of my father, Amer Fakhoury
Guila Fakhoury/Face Book/May 28, 2025
Once again, the truth has been revealed about the behind-the-scenes events that led to the illegal detention of my father, Amer Fakhoury. Recently, in a court in Washington, D.C., we proved that Iran is occupying Lebanon. Just like other patriots who were assassinated in Lebanon—victims of Hezbollah and the Islamic Republic of Iran—innocent people continue to suffer because of Iran’s occupation through Hezbollah. It is time to dismantle the military court, eliminate Al-Akhbar newspaper, and remove all individuals associated with Hezbollah from Lebanon. We are committed to ensuring that the military court is dismantled and ultimately eliminated, bringing justice and sovereignty back to Lebanon.

Lebanese president holds talks with Emirati delegation in Beirut
NAJIA HOUSSARI/Arab News/May 28, 2025
BEIRUT: A delegation from the UAE arrived in Beirut on Tuesday to review the needs and priorities of the Lebanese state, following the results of the Lebanese-Emirati summit that took place at the end of April in Abu Dhabi.
President Joseph Aoun, who met with the delegation, praised the “interest of the President of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, in supporting Lebanon.”The delegation was led by Abdulla Nasser Lootah, deputy minister of cabinet affairs for competitiveness and knowledge exchange. During the meeting, Aoun said, according to his media office: “The current phase necessitates the expansion of cooperation and the deepening of exchange and integration in education, governance, and public sector management, extending to private sector initiatives and various investments, particularly in knowledge economies, digitization, and advanced technology, where the expertise of our brothers in the United Arab Emirates is significant in these areas.”
Lootah outlined the delegation’s mission to “define partnership frameworks and facilitate data exchange,” emphasizing that “the UAE will stand with Lebanon in realizing the aspirations articulated by President Aoun during his discussions with our leadership. We are committed to delivering comprehensive support that strengthens bilateral cooperation, guided by extensive facilitation measures and leadership’s directives.”An extensive technical session between Lebanese and Emirati officials addressed key modernization priorities. Presidential sources indicated the talks concentrated on “collaborative mechanisms for streamlining administrative processes, advancing digital transformation, strengthening legal frameworks, and improving public sector efficiency through bilateral knowledge transfer and technical assistance programs.”
Concurrently, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam addressed the Dubai Media Summit, declaring Lebanon’s emergence “from the debris of multiple crises, determined to reclaim its identity, voice, and statehood after years of debilitating sectarian divisions, conflicts, and external interference.”
Salam outlined his administration’s core principle: “Our governmental approach links reform with sovereignty, necessitating weapons monopolization under state authority. Lebanon must escape the arms duality that created decision-making duality and undermined our national project.
“Our Lebanese vision represents practical policy, not idealistic thinking,” Salam said. “We envision a constitutional state governed by institutions rather than sectarian allocations and patronage networks — a sovereign entity free from external control, a decision-making state rather than a battleground for regional conflicts.”The prime minister concluded with Lebanon's strategic positioning: “We seek a Lebanon controlling its destiny in both peace and war, firmly anchored in Arab identity while maintaining global openness, serving as an East-West communication bridge.”
Salam believes that “now that Lebanon has returned to the Arab fold, it longs to the active return of its Arab brothers, based on partnership and complementarity.”
He thanked the UAE and its president for “their supportive decisions and for allowing the brotherly Emirati people to visit Lebanon, their second country, again.”
He pointed out that “about 190,000 Lebanese live and work with utmost dedication and sincerity in the UAE, their second country, where they enjoy safety, security and quality of life.”The Lebanese prime minister mentioned “the ongoing Israeli occupation of our territory,” and the “daily Israeli violations of our sovereignty, while we work on fully implementing decision 1701, and commit to the cessation of hostilities.”
Salam emphasized that “Beirut was and still is a beacon for expression, a hub of freedoms, and a loud Arab voice in the face of darkness and closed-mindedness. Lebanon, this small country in its geography, deep in its wounds, and rich in its cultural and human heritage, is determined to reclaim its place at the heart of the Arab world and on the map of the future despite all the storms,” he said. Salam also mentioned the challenges facing the media these days, when “media is no longer a true reflection, but a tool that shapes the public opinion, as well as peace and strife.”Those challenges, he said, required a new discourse. “Today, we stand at a historic crossroads in the region; a delicate regional moment that calls for a new media discourse. One that counters efforts at marginalization and fragmentation and rekindles hope. “We seek a modern, dynamic and diverse Arab media that shapes the future and does not dwell upon the past. One that opens windows rather than shuts them. That safeguards freedom rather than exploits it. The discourse, when truthful, can serve as a bridge toward more humane and cohesive societies.”

Lebanon: Hezbollah Displeased with Salam’s Stances
Beirut: Caroline Akoum/Asharq Al-Awsat/May 29/2025
Relations between Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and Hezbollah were shaken after the PM said in a TV statement this week that he rejected to stay silent over illegitimate arms. The head of Hezbollah’s parliamentary committee, Mohammed Raad, who headed a delegation to meet with President Joseph Aoun in Baabda Palace on Monday said: “I don’t want to comment on his (Salam’s) statement to preserve what remains of cordiality.”Salam said in a TV interview on Monday night that he “rejected to stay silent on arms staying out of state control” adding that “the era of the Iranian revolution’s export has come to an end.”Raad’s comment, which came in response to a reporter’s question, raised questions marks about relations between the Iran-backed party and Salam who, along with the President, has insisted on establishing a state monopoly on the control of arms. But Hezbollah’s dissatisfaction goes beyond the issue of arms – the party has resented strict measures taken at Beirut’s Rafik Hariri International Airport that have prevented the transfer of cash to it, in addition to the delay in reconstruction following the latest war with Israel. According to political analyst Kassem Kassir, Aoun’s stance on dialogue and the rejection of foreign pressure is better than that of the Prime Minister. “It’s obvious that it (Hezbollah) is displeased with the PM, and that his latest comments made things worse,” Kassir told Asharq Al-Awsat. But Raad did not want to snap back at Salam “to keep channels of communication between the two sides open.”Yet, ministerial sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that Salam “has come with a specific mission to carry out reforms and salvage the country, including limiting weapons to state control, in order to regain the confidence of the Lebanese people and the world, and attract investments and assistance that would not materialize” in the presence of such arms. Asked about ties between Hezbollah and Salam, the sources denied that relations have taken a turn for the worse. “Yet, there is non-permanent communication between Salam and the party.”

Netanyahu says Israel has 'created a new situation in Lebanon'
Naharnet/May 28/2025
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday said Israel has managed to create “a new situation in Lebanon” through its latest war on Hezbollah.
“We’ve created a new situation in Lebanon that has not happened since 50 years,” Netanyahu said in an address before Israel’s parliament focused on the situation in the Gaza Strip. “We’ve foiled the threat of Hezbollah’s invasion of north Israel’s towns,” he added.

Report: Ortagus lauds Salam's remarks, to give Lebanon deadlines on arms
Naharnet/May 28/2025
U.S. Deputy Special Envoy for the Middle East Morgan Ortagus has lauded Prime Minister Nawaf Salam’s latest remarks on Hezbollah’s arms, a media report said on Wednesday. Salam said Monday during a visit to Dubai that “the era of exporting the Iranian revolution has ended” and “we will not remain silent over any arms outside the state’s control.”Ortagus, who will visit Lebanon soon, will carry to Beirut “specific deadlines for the handover of Hezbollah’s arms both north and south of the Litani and there will be no grace period after the deadlines she will specify,” diplomatic sources told the Nidaa al-Watan newspaper. As part of the “pressures,” Ortagus will tell the Lebanese side that “Israel refuses to withdraw from the five points it still controls before agreeing on the remaining 13 disputed border points,” informed sources told the daily.
“Lebanon will also be told that Israel would refuse an extension of UNIFIL’s mandate, which would leave south Lebanon exposed to all scenarios should the extension fail to take place,” the sources added.

Israeli strike on south Lebanon kills Hezbollah member
Agence France Presse/May 28/2025
Lebanon's health ministry said an Israeli strike on south Lebanon killed one man on Tuesday evening, the latest attack despite a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah. In a statement, the ministry said an Israeli strike on a motorcycle killed one man in Yater, in south Lebanon's Bint Jbeil district. Media reports identified the man as a Hezbollah member. The Israeli military did not immediately comment on the attack, which came after it said it killed a Hezbollah member in south Lebanon's Majdal Zoun on Monday. Israel has continued to launch strikes in Lebanon despite the November truce that sought to halt more than a year of hostilities with Hezbollah, including two months of full-blown war. Under the terms of the ceasefire deal, only U.N. peacekeepers and the Lebanese Army should be deployed in southern Lebanon, though Israel has kept its forces in five areas it has declared strategic. Lebanon has called on the international community to pressure Israel to end its attacks and withdraw all its troops.

Rajji slams Hezbollah as 'outlaw' group and its tripartite equation as outdated
Naharnet/May 28/2025
Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji has said that Hezbollah chief Sheikh Naim Qassem “can say what he wants” about the so-called “army-people-resistance” equation but added that “the Lebanese people no longer want this outdated equation.”“He certainly does not want to give up his weapons, but eventually he must find a solution,” Rajji said in an interview with the al-Quds al-Arabi newspaper. “This is an outlaw armed group and it is not legitimate. We ask it to seek a solution, hand over its weapons and form a normal political party that has the creed it wants. I support total creed freedom and let its fighters return to their normal life and each member to his job,” the minister added.

1 hurt as Israeli drone tries to target car in al-Abbasiyeh amid other violations
Naharnet/May 28/2025
An Israeli drone tried to target a car in the southern town of al-Abbasiyeh but the missile failed to explode, media reports said, as the Health Ministry said one person was wounded in the botched strike. The Israeli army meanwhile announced that a man killed overnight in a drone strike in Yater was the commander of the town’s Hezbollah unit.During the war, the targeted operative was behind attacks against Israeli forces and settlements and “he has recently attempted to rehabilitate the (Yater) unit, which is a violation of the (ceasefire) agreement,” the Israeli army added. Earlier on Wednesday, Israeli forces fired an artillery shell at the al-Ain area in the southern border town of Kfarshouba and also fired machine guns at the town’s outskirts, the National News Agency said. Al-Jadeed television said the shell was fired at shepherds in the area. Several citizens meanwhile escaped unharmed after Israeli forces opened fire at them near a chicken farm in the southern border town of Blida. A drone meanwhile dropped a stun grenade on the border town of Kfar Kila.
The Israeli army also opened machine gun fire heavily on the Marjayoun plain.
Israeli drones meanwhile overflew the al-Zahrani region at low altitudes.

Army intervenes after clash between UNIFIL patrol, Yater residents
Naharnet/May 28/2025
A clash erupted Wednesday between an armored UNIFIL patrol and residents of the southern town of Yater, in the Bint Jbeil district, after the patrol entered one of the town’s neighborhoods, the state-run National News Agency reported. The UNIFIL peacekeepers pointed their weapons at residents during the incident, after which a Lebanese Army force arrived on the scene to resolve the standoff, NNA added. However, UNIFIL spokesperson Andrea Tenenti clarified that "contrary to some media claims, the peacekeepers did not raise their weapons." "A group of men in civilian clothes stopped peacekeepers while they were on a planned patrol, coordinated with the Lebanese army," Tenenti's statement said. "The situation was calm, and the peacekeepers were able to proceed after about thirty minutes."Tenenti reiterated that UNIFIL operates in southern Lebanon at the request of the Lebanese government and under a mandate from the UN Security Council, adding that "any interference in peacekeepers' duties is unacceptable and contradicts Lebanon's commitments under U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701."Such incidents have increased in recent weeks, with residents insisting that any UNIFIL patrol should be accompanied by Lebanese Army troops. UNIFIL had recently called on Lebanon to "ensure that UNIFIL peacekeepers can carry out their mandated tasks without threats or obstruction." Hezbollah supporters in Lebanon frequently accuse the U.N. mission -- which was created to oversee the withdrawal of Israeli troops from southern Lebanon after Israel’s 1978 invasion -- of collusion with Israel. Israel meanwhile accuses the peacekeepers of turning a blind eye to alleged Hezbollah military activities in southern Lebanon.

IMF mission in Beirut — will Lebanon seize its 'last chance'?
LBCI/May 28/2025
A month has passed since the 2025 Spring Meetings of the World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), in which Lebanon participated in an attempt to bridge the gap with the international community. The IMF mission is arriving in Beirut to follow up on Lebanon’s progress, largely unconcerned with the narrow, often paralyzing details of domestic debates shaped by political protections and conflicting interests. What the IMF seeks in order to sign an agreement with Lebanon is assurance that the country can sustainably repay its debts—through accountable institutions and a state capable of attracting investment. So, what progress has Lebanon made in the past month? Since the adoption of the banking secrecy law in the form requested by the IMF, no tangible progress has been made on reforms. The draft law to restructure the banking sector remains stalled in discussions between a parliamentary subcommittee and the central bank governor. Meanwhile, the government is waiting for the central bank to submit the draft financial gap law so it can be reviewed and forwarded to Parliament. As has been the case since the financial crisis began, reform legislation is moving at a slow pace in Parliament. The situation is no better in government, despite its stated awareness that this may be its final opportunity to act. Several weeks ago, Lebanon received a governance and corruption assessment from the IMF, identifying weaknesses in various sectors—including customs, public financial management, the central bank, and others—and offering recommendations on governance and anti-corruption measures in these areas. The Lebanese government is now in the final stages of reviewing the IMF’s recommendations and evaluating how they align with the local context through nine specialized teams. The state cannot afford further delay. Lebanon’s commitment to these reforms will be a key condition for signing any agreement with the IMF.

Starlink in Beirut: Tech infrastructure emerges as pillar of Lebanon’s recovery efforts
LBCI/May 28/2025
A delegation from the American company Starlink is scheduled to visit Beirut on Thursday, where it will meet with Lebanon’s three top leaders—the president, the prime minister, and the speaker of parliament—as well as several ministers to discuss the potential activation of its satellite internet service in the country. While most media outlets have headlined the visit as a technological opportunity, the high-level nature of the meetings raises a question: Why would an internet service provider be meeting with the country’s top political leaders rather than with technical experts from the relevant ministries? It is becoming increasingly clear that Starlink—the satellite-based internet service offered by Elon Musk’s SpaceX—has taken on a political dimension in Lebanon that precedes its technical implications. Lebanon’s efforts to reconnect with its Arab and international surroundings have come through diplomacy, security, and now, through openness to technology and investment. This is not the first time Starlink’s potential entry into Lebanon has been discussed. The topic was seriously considered before the Israeli war, as a contingency in the event of internet outages. At the time, ministers affiliated with Hezbollah raised security concerns. Now that the war has ended and its consequences are known, the question is: What obstacles remain to activating Starlink—especially when Lebanon clearly needs the service? Starlink operates through a constellation of thousands of low-orbit satellites that provide direct data transmission from space to the user, without the need for cables or ground infrastructure. A small dish installed on a rooftop, vehicle, or building connects to the satellite and provides high-speed internet—even in the most remote or disaster-stricken areas. In a country grappling with fragile infrastructure, Starlink appears to be the much-needed backup plan for companies, banks, hospitals, and media outlets that cannot afford internet disruptions. At the core, investors measure a country’s readiness by its stability and essential services like electricity, internet and security. While Lebanese citizens have long adapted to power cuts through alternative means, consistent internet access has become essential—especially if Lebanon hopes to attract investors and position itself once again as a hub for business.

Alleged talks with Syria, warnings on Lebanon: Israel walks a strategic 'tightrope'
LBCI/May 28/2025
Between near-daily bombings and incursions, the Israeli army’s threats to expand its presence deeper into Lebanon, and the relative calm in Syria’s interior, it appears Israel, through its security agencies and political consultations, is trying to ensure calm on the Syrian front. Israel considers itself closer to peace with Syria, despite some officials’ concerns that certain steps could jeopardize the army’s achievements and freedom of operation there. This warning came after the disclosure of direct talks between Syrian and Israeli security and military officials. Some say the talks took place at the border, while others claim they occurred inside Israel. A report further revealed that efforts are focused on accelerating an understanding between the two sides. At the same time the talks were revealed, a military report discussed the Israeli army’s deployment in Syria, noting it controls nine military sites from the summit of Mount Hermon through the Hama region to the border triangle with Jordan. However, the report also pointed to the continued presence of weapons caches, specifically in villages known to be affiliated with ISIS. This issue was discussed by Israelis with Syrian figures due to concerns about the impact on the army’s safety and border security. The report also warned about the situation regarding Lebanon, particularly Hezbollah’s "calm state," noting that if the group decides to retaliate against Tel Aviv, it will not be limited to the five hills it occupies inside Lebanon but will extend into Israel proper. The report said this requires decisive action on this front as well.

Support on the table, but Lebanon’s indecision alarms UAE
LBCI/May 28/2025
A high-level Emirati delegation visited Lebanon recently, aiming to support development efforts and help the country recover—drawing on the UAE’s experience. The visit signaled a renewed offer of cooperation, but the next move now lies with the Lebanese government. Despite a flurry of meetings, plans, and referrals, much of the process remains bogged down in delays and indecision. Sources confirmed to LBCI that the Emirati delegation reported a troubling impression to Abu Dhabi: no shift in mindset, little progress on basic steps, and a glaring disregard for the urgency of time.The required reforms are not insurmountable. But every delay brings real costs. The UAE has reached out. The question now is whether Lebanon will finally respond—or miss yet another opportunity.

Lebanese finance minister, World Bank discuss launch of Lebanon reconstruction fund
LBCI/May 28/2025
Finance Minister Yassine Jaber held a meeting with Jean-Christophe Carret, World Bank Country Director for the Middle East Department, and his accompanying delegation to discuss preparations for launching the Lebanon Emergency Assistance Project (LEAP), a reconstruction initiative. Under LEAP, the World Bank will establish a dedicated fund to attract donations to support Lebanon’s recovery. Jaber said the meeting focused on technical and legal frameworks to ensure transparency and build donor confidence in the fund’s governance and use of resources.
He announced plans to invite ambassadors and representatives from international and Arab financial institutions to a meeting in Beirut by June 10 to formally present the project. Jaber expressed optimism about LEAP’s momentum, noting growing international trust in Lebanon’s leadership following recent legislative and governmental reforms. He added that upcoming meetings will intensify and involve all relevant local and international actors to ensure coordinated implementation.

Armed factions in Ain al-Hilweh complicate disarmament efforts amid deep-rooted militant presence
LBCI/May 28/2025
Looking at the map of Ain al-Hilweh camp’s neighborhoods and the distribution of Palestinian factions’ influence illustrates the complexity any disarmament plan will face. The largest of the 12 Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon and considered the symbolic capital of the Palestinian diaspora in the country, Ain al-Hilweh sits in the heart of the city of Sidon. Control over its neighborhoods is divided among several armed groups, including Fatah, Osbat al-Ansar, Hamas, various hardline factions, and others.  Influence overlaps within individual neighborhoods and even among the camp’s narrow alleyways. The camp contains a range of medium and heavy weapons. One of the most complex issues is the presence of extremist groups affiliated with the Islamic State group, Al-Nusra Front, and Fatah al-Islam — including the Bilal Badr group.  These groups include Lebanese, Palestinians, and individuals of other nationalities. Hamas may play a key role in potential negotiations. However, due to internal Palestinian divisions, it remains too early to determine how this dilemma might be resolved. These groups have contributed to the destruction of parts of the camp. However, past experience suggests Lebanese security forces are capable of dealing with them — especially with Palestinian cooperation. Following the assassination of the Palestinian National Security chief in Sidon, Maj. Gen. Abu Ashraf al-Armoushi, in July 2023 and the fighting that ensued, Lebanese army intelligence — using surveillance cameras, engineering maps, and the testimony of a wounded individual — identified and arrested members of Bilal Badr’s group of 14, which was responsible for the killing. The situation in the camp presents a serious obstacle to any disarmament plan. More importantly, it has become a humanitarian disaster for both the Palestinians and the residents of Sidon. Between July 29 and September 14, 2023, the fighting killed 28 people and wounded 233 others while destroying large swaths of public and private property in both the camp and the city. Thousands were displaced, adding to the hardship faced by Ain al-Hilweh’s residents. In the end, Palestinian weapons in Lebanon’s largest camp have been used primarily to kill Palestinians and Lebanese and to destroy the camp itself. All of this underscores the urgent need to end the dominance of armed groups in Ain al-Hilweh and to ensure the safety and stability of its residents, both socially and in terms of security.

‘We want Israel out yesterday, not tomorrow:’ Lebanon’s leader urges US to pressure Israel to withdraw troops
Mostafa Salem, CNN/May 28, 2025
Israel’s military occupation in parts of southern Lebanon is undermining Beirut’s attempts to restore sovereignty over a nation reeling from decades of conflict, the country’s prime minister has told CNN. Lebanon’s Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said he would like to see the current United States administration put pressure on Israel to withdraw from five locations in southern Lebanon. A US-mediated agreement in November last year paused months of fighting between the Israeli military and Hezbollah, the powerful Iran-backed militant group that operates in Lebanon. Israel has significantly weakened Hezbollah over the past year, killing much of its top leadership and severely degrading its power through mass airstrikes. The prime minister said Lebanon has been honoring its commitments to the November agreement and that the Lebanese military is “consolidating control” over the south of the country and its borders. Hezbollah is committed to an agreement that affirms that the Lebanese military is the only authority allowed to bear arms, Salam said Wednesday. However, “Israel has not honored its commitments,” he added. The “Israeli presence in Lebanon is a red line for everyone. This is not a red line for Hezbollah alone,” he told CNN’s Becky Anderson in Dubai, where he’s attending the Arab Media Forum and meeting Emirati leadership. “Israel’s argument is as follows… they need to be in these five points in order to have a better monitoring of the situation in southern Lebanon… but we are not in World War One…we are in the age of satellite imagery, of drones with cameras. They have balloons monitoring the region, let alone a network of spies operating on the ground,” Salam said. “Israel’s presence is politically counterproductive. It’s undermining my government…we want Israel out yesterday, not tomorrow.”Despite agreeing to withdraw from Lebanese territory as part of the US-mediated agreement, Israel has said that the Lebanese army has yet to take control of a region with Hezbollah presence. Israeli defense minister, Israel Katz, said in March that the Israeli military would remain in these five points “indefinitely, to protect the residents of the north – regardless of any future negotiations.”
Along with the United States, France and the United Nations are monitoring the ceasefire. “I’m sure they can testify that Lebanon has been honoring its commitments while Israel has not honored its commitments,” Salam said on the mediating countries.
Salam, who rose to prominence after presiding over the International Court of Justice during South Africa’s genocide case against Israel, was designated Lebanon’s prime minister in January in a surprise move that was seen as a blow to Hezbollah and its allies. Widely seen as a reformist, the prime minister declared specific priorities for his mandate, including ending institutional corruption and regaining sovereignty over his country by disarming Hezbollah and Palestinian factions. “The goal… is that the state should have exclusive monopoly over arms, over all its territory,” he said in the interview.

Yes, Compare Syria with Lebanon!
Tariq Al-Homayed/Asharq Al-Awsat/May 29/2025
For fourteen years, the people of Syria waged a struggle to topple the criminal Bashar al-Assad, defeat Iran and its proxies (foremost among them Hezbollah), and break Russia’s link with Assad. They have been on the receiving end of Israeli strikes both before and after Assad’s fall.
The new Syrian administration led by President Ahmed al-Sharaa has not given Israel a pretext for these assaults. Seven hundred strikes have hit the country over his five-month tenure regardless; the gravest of these strikes hit a site near the palace where Sharaa resides. The US and EU sanctions on Syria, which had originally been imposed to rescue them from Assad’s crimes, have caused immense suffering in Syria. Now, these sanctions are impeding the reconstruction of Syria after the war. How have Syrians reacted under Sharaa? Did they roam the globe begging for support? No! Did they weep and complain? No! Did they give in to hysteria, deciding to confront Israel or retaliate to the provocations of Hezbollah and other actors in Lebanon or Iraq? Again, no!Instead, Syrians are determined to behave sensibly, even as skeptics piled up and many were prepared to give Assad opportunity after opportunity despite his record of treating politics like a game of deception. Sharaa understood that Saudi Arabia is the region’s gateway to the world and that proactive engagement with his neighbors is a necessity, not a luxury. He managed his country’s relationship with Türkiye carefully. While some said that he had limited options, he maintained his composure, avoided escalation in response to Israel’s attacks, and never forgot Syria’s realities. He ignored provocations, avoided nationalist or Islamist bravado, and refused to inflame the passions of people with the kind of hollow rhetoric peddled by Assad, Hezbollah, and their backers. He candidly stressed that war-torn Syria needs reconstruction, insisting that he seeks partnership and investment, not hand-outs. Accordingly, he prioritized lifting American and European sanctions and resetting Syrian-American relations. He succeeded, through Saudi mediation. President Donald Trump announced that sanctions would be lifted because Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman asked him to.Today, reliable sources have reported that Syria and Israel are holding direct talks to curb Israeli attacks, which have already been scaled back since Trump met Sharaa in Riyadh, without any fanfare or propaganda.
The domestic and foreign spoilers notwithstanding, Sharaa has begun to put Syria’s house in order. The wheels of recovery have begun turning. Here the reader may now be asking: “What about Lebanon?” That is precisely the point! Lebanon is in a hole, and it is still digging.
The Lebanese political class continues to favor “round-table compromises,” soliciting outside help and Arab engagement to help it succeed. Yet, it cannot decide whether arms should be monopolized by the state or if the state can be hijacked by those weapons. President Mahmoud Abbas agrees that no Palestinian non-state actors can maintain their arms, but Hezbollah insists that its arsenal is above the authority of the state, ostensibly “for the sake of Palestine.” Lebanon claims to seek reconstruction, but drags its feet on imposing the state’s supremacy.
The comparison could go on and on. However, the question is simple: Does Lebanon want to build a state or merely maintain the remnants of a state? The answer will come from Lebanon. No one will squander time, effort, and money saving a country that will not save itself.

The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on May 28-29/2025
Trump Says Warned Netanyahu Against Striking Iran
Asharq Al-Awsat/May 28/2025
US President Donald Trump said Wednesday he had told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to hold off striking Iran, saying it would be "inappropriate" amid talks on a nuclear deal. "Well, I'd like to be honest, yes I did," Trump said when asked if he had told Netanyahu in a call last week not to take any action that could disrupt Washington's talks with Tehran. Pressed on what he told the Israeli premier, Trump replied: "I just said I don't think it's appropriate, we're having very good discussions with them." He added: "I told him this would be inappropriate to do right now because we're very close to a solution. "I think they want to make a deal, and if we can make a deal, save a lot of lives." Tehran and Washington have in recent weeks held five rounds of talks focused on the issue -- their highest-level contact since the US in 2018 withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal during Trump's first term. Iran said earlier Wednesday it may consider allowing US inspectors with the United Nations nuclear watchdog to inspect its facilities if a deal is reached with the United States. But Israel has repeatedly threatened military action against arch-enemy Iran and US media reports last week said Israel was making preparations to strike Iranian nuclear sites despite the ongoing US-Iran talks. Trump has not ruled out military action but said he wants space to make a deal first and has also said that Israel, and not the United States, would take the lead in any such strikes. Iran has long been accused by Western powers of seeking to develop nuclear weapons, a claim Tehran has consistently denied, insisting its nuclear program is solely for peaceful, civilian purposes.

UN Nuclear Watchdog Chief Says ‘Jury Is Still Out’ on Iran-US Talks, but Calls Them a Good Sign
Asharq Al-Awsat/May 28/2025
The head of the United Nations’ atomic watchdog said Wednesday that “the jury is still out” on negotiations between Iran and the US over Tehran’s rapidly advancing nuclear program, but described the continuing negotiations a good sign. Rafael Mariano Grossi, director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, made the comment to journalists attending a weeklong seminar at the agency in Vienna. Grossi acknowledged one of his deputies was in Tehran on Wednesday. Iranian officials identified the official as Massimo Aparo, the head of the IAEA’s safeguards arm. “For the moment, the jury is still out,” Grossi said. “The fact that they continue to meet ... that is an indication of a willingness to come to an agreement.”The talks seek to limit Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of some of the crushing economic sanctions the US has imposed on Tehran, closing in on a half-century of enmity. US President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened to unleash airstrikes targeting Iran’s program, if a deal isn’t reached. Iranian officials increasingly warn they could pursue a nuclear weapon with their stockpile of uranium enriched to near weapons-grade levels. Before Grossi’s comments to journalists in Vienna, the head of Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard issued a new warning to the US as the negotiations go on. “Our fingers on the trigger, we are in ambush and we are waiting,” Gen. Hossein Salami warned. “If they make a mistake, they will immediately receive responses that will make them completely forget their past.”

Israel Calls Report on Iran Nuclear Talks 'Fake News'
Asharq Al-Awsat/May 28/2025
Israel on Thursday rejected a report in the New York Times that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been threatening to disrupt talks on a nuclear deal between the United States and Iran by striking Iran's main nuclear enrichment facilities. Netanyahu's office issued a statement in response to the article which said simply: "Fake news.”Citing officials briefed on the situation, the New York Times said that Israeli officials were concerned that US President Donald Trump was so eager to reach a deal with Iran that he would allow Tehran to keep its nuclear enrichment facilities, a red line for Israel. It said Israel was particularly concerned about the possibility of any interim deal that would allow Iran to maintain its nuclear facilities for months or even years while a final agreement was reached. The report said US officials were concerned that Israel could decide to strike Iran with little warning, and said US intelligence estimated that Israel could mount an attack on Iran in as little as seven hours. According to Reuters, it added that Israeli officials had warned their US counterparts that Netanyahu could order a strike on Iran even if a successful diplomatic agreement is reached. The newspaper said that Netanyahu's minister of strategic affairs Ron Dermer and David Barnea, head of the foreign intelligence agency Mossad, met Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff in Rome on Friday. The two then travelled to Washington for a meeting on Monday with CIA director John Ratcliffe before Dermer met Witkoff again on Tuesday. One of the main sticking points in the talks between US and Iranian officials has been the US insistence that Iran must give up its nuclear enrichment facilities, a demand that Iran rejects. On Monday, US Homeland Secretary Kristi Noem said she had had a "very candid conversation" with Netanyahu on the negotiations with Iran. She said she had told the Israeli prime minister that Trump had asked her to convey "how important it is that we stay united and let this process play out.”Trump bypassed Israel on his trip to the Middle East this month and has made policy announcements that have shaken Israel's assumptions about its relations with the US. Netanyahu has dismissed speculation about a falling out with the US administration, while Trump has also brushed off any suggestion of a break.

Iran Might Accept US IAEA Inspectors if Nuclear Deal Reached
Asharq Al-Awsat/May 28/2025
Iran might allow the UN atomic watchdog to send US inspectors to Iranian sites if Tehran's talks with Washington succeed, Iran's nuclear chief Mohammad Eslami said on Wednesday. Tehran and Washington are expected to hold a sixth round of talks to solve a decades-long dispute over Iran's nuclear program, with US President Donald Trump predicting "good news". "It is normal that inspectors from hostile countries are not allowed, but if a nuclear deal is reached, we might allow American inspectors working for the International Atomic Energy Agency to visit our nuclear sites," Eslami told a press conference in Tehran. The two countries have clashed over the issue of uranium enrichment in Iran, which Washington says is a possible pathway to building nuclear weapons and must be brought to zero. Tehran maintains its nuclear program is exclusively for civilian purposes and views its enrichment industry as a red line. "Enrichment is the foundation and pillar of the country's nuclear industry. Suppose someone is allowed to have an electricity substation and network, but not allowed to establish a power plant," Eslami said.

Judiciary: Iran Executes Man Convicted of Spying for Israel
Asharq Al Awsat/28 May 2025
Iran has executed a man convicted of spying for Israeli intelligence agency Mossad, the judiciary said on Wednesday. "After identification, arrest, and judicial proceedings against Pedram Madani, who was spying in favor of the Zionist regime, and following the complete process of criminal procedure and the final confirmation and upholding of the verdict by the Supreme Court, he was brought to justice and executed," the judiciary's Mizan Online reported. According to the report, Madani was accused of transmitting classified information and holding meetings with Mossad officers abroad, including in Brussels. The judiciary said he had travelled to "the occupied territories" -- the term used by Iranian officials to describe Israel -- prior to his arrest in 2020–2021, AFP reported. He was also convicted of acquiring "illicit wealth" by receiving euros and bitcoin from Israel. Mizan added that Madani was ultimately found guilty of "espionage on behalf of the Zionist regime's intelligence service (Mossad)" under charges of waging war against God and "corruption on earth,” and sentenced to death. His case follows a string of similar executions in Iran targeting individuals accused of collaborating with Israel.

Israeli warplanes again strike Houthi-controlled Sanaa int'l airport
Darryl Coote/UPI/May 28, 2025
Israeli warplanes struck the Houthi-controlled Sanaa International Airport in Yemen on Wednesday morning, the Israel Defense Forces said, seemingly in response to missiles recently launched by the militant group toward Israel. The IDF said in a statement on X that its airstrikes targeted unidentified aircraft belonging to the Houthis. "The aircraft that were attacked were used by the Houthi terrorist regime to transport terrorists who promoted terrorist acts against the State of Israel," it said. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said the strike destroyed the last remaining planes used by the Houthis at the site that remained following the IDF's previous attack on the airport on May 6. "This is a clear message and a direct continuation of the policy we established: Whoever fires at the State of Israel will pay a heavy price," Katz said in the statement, The Times of Israel reported. "The ports in Yemen will continue to be struck heavily, and the airport in Sanaa will be destroyed again and again, as will other strategic infrastructures in the area used by the Houthi terror organization and its supporters." Houthis, an Iran-backed group, have repeatedly attacked Israel since early in Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza, which began on Oct. 7, 2023, in response to Hamas' brutal attack on Israel that killed 1,200 people and saw another 251 kidnapped. The involvement of the Houthis, also an Iran-proxy militia, increased starting in mid-November when it started to enforce a military blockade of the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, vowing to attack Israeli ships attempting to pass. It said the blockade was in solidarity with the Palestinian people. The rebels followed by broadening targets to include U.S. military ships. Israel, with its allies, including the United States, have responded with conducting mass airstrikes in Yemen.
On May 6, Israel attacked the airport in Sanaa, and last week conducted similar airstrikes on ports in Hodeidah and al-Salif. On Tuesday, the IDF said it had intercepted a missile launched from Yemen. "This is another example of the Houthi terrorist organization's brutal use of civilian infrastructure for terrorist activities," the IDF said Wednesday morning on X, seemingly in reference to the Sanaa airport. "The IDF is determined to continue to act and strike with force anyone who poses a threat to the residents of the State of Israel, at whatever distance is required."

Trump to Float New Gaza Ceasefire Terms Soon, Aide Says
Asharq Al-Awsat/May 29/2025
The Trump administration plans to finalize as soon as Wednesday a new written agreement that may form the basis for a potential Gaza ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, a senior aide told reporters. "We are on the precipice of sending out a new term sheet that hopefully will be delivered later on today," said US President Donald Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff. "The president is going to review it. And I have some very good feelings about getting to a long-term resolution, temporary ceasefire and a long-term resolution, a peaceful resolution, of that conflict." Witkoff made the comments at the White House alongside Trump, who said that his administration is working on accelerating food deliveries to Palestinians living in Gaza. "We're dealing with the whole situation in Gaza. We're getting food to the people of Gaza. It's been a very nasty situation," Trump told reporters.

Four Palestinians die in storming of UN food warehouse a day after gunfire at new Gaza aid site
Wafaa Shurafa, Samy Magdy And Melanie Lidman/The Associated Press/May 28, 2025
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Hundreds of Palestinians stormed a United Nations food warehouse Wednesday in Gaza in a desperate attempt to get something to eat, shouting and shoving each other and ripping off pieces of the building to get inside. Four people died in the chaos, hospital officials said.
The deaths came a day after a crowd was fired upon while overrunning a new aid-distribution sitein Gaza set up by an Israeli and U.S.-backed foundation, killing at least one Palestinian and wounding 48 others, Gaza's Health Ministry said. The Israeli military, which guards the site from a distance, said it fired only warning shots to control the situation. The foundation said its military contractors guarding the site did not open fire. A Red Cross field hospital said the 48 people wounded suffered gunshot wounds, including women and children. Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his country killed senior Hamas leader Mohammed Sinwar, the brother of Yahya Sinwar, one of the masterminds of the militant group’s Oct. 7, 2023, attack, who was killed by Israeli forces last year. Speaking before parliament, Netanyahu included Mohammed Sinwar in a list of Hamas leaders killed by Israeli forces, apparently confirming his death in a recent airstrike in Gaza. In other developments, Israel carried out airstrikes on the international airport in Yemen's capital, Sanaa, destroying the last plane belonging to the country's flagship airline. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said it was the last plane used by the Iran-backed Houthi rebels. It was not immediately clear if anyone was killed or wounded in the strikes, which came after Houthi rebels fired several missiles at Israel in recent days, without causing casualties. The Israeli-backed distribution hub outside Gaza’s southernmost city of Rafah was opened Monday by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which has been slated by Israel to take over aid operations. The crowd of Palestinians broke through fences Tuesday around the distribution site where thousands had gathered. An Associated Press journalist heard Israeli tank and gunfire and saw a military helicopter firing flares.
The U.N. and other humanitarian organizations have rejected the new aid system, saying it will not be able to feed Gaza’s 2.3 million people and that it lets Israel use food to control the population. They have also warned of the risk of friction between Israeli troops and people seeking supplies.
Four dead as crowd storms warehouse holding U.N. aid. Palestinians burst into the U.N.'s World Food Program warehouse Wednesday in central Gaza. Two people were fatally crushed in the crowd, while two others died of gunshot wounds, officials at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital said.
Scores of aid-seekers could be seen carrying large bags of flour as they fought their way back out into the sunlight through throngs of people pressing to get inside. Each bag of flour weighs around 25 kilograms (55 pounds).
A United Nations envoy compared the limited aid being allowed into Gaza to “a lifeboat after the ship has sunk.” Sigrid Kaag, acting U.N. special coordinator for the Mideast, told the U.N. Security Council that people facing famine in Gaza “have lost hope.”
“Instead of saying ‘goodbye,’ Palestinians in Gaza now say, ’See you in heaven,’” Kaag said. The World Food Program said “humanitarian needs have spiraled out of control" after Israel's long blockade of supplies entering Gaza, which began in early March to pressure Hamas. The Palestinian ambassador to the U.N. broke down as he spoke of the 1,300 children killed and 4,000 wounded since Israel ended the latest ceasefire in March, and of mothers seen “embracing their motionless bodies, caressing their hair, talking to them, apologizing to them.” “If this is civilized,” Riyad Mansour said, “what is barbarism?”
Wael Tabsh, a displaced man from the city of Khan Younis, urged world leaders to help end the war.
“How long will this torture last?" he asked.
Violence erupted soon after new hub opened
Palestinians are desperate for food after nearly three months of Israeli border closures have pushed Gaza to the brink of famine. Israel says it helped establish the new aid mechanism to prevent Hamas from siphoning off supplies, but it has provided no evidence of systematic diversion, and U.N. agencies say they have mechanisms in place to prevent it while delivering aid to all parts of the territory. GHF says it has established four hubs, two of which have begun operating in the now mostly uninhabited Rafah. It said around eight truckloads of aid were distributed at the hubs on Wednesday without incident.
About 600 trucks entered Gaza every day during the ceasefire earlier this year. The GHF sites are guarded by private security contractors and have chain-link fences channeling Palestinians into a what resemble military bases surrounded by large sand berms. Israeli forces are stationed nearby in a military zone separating Rafah from the rest of the territory. The U.N. and other aid groups have refused to participate in GHF’s system, saying it violates humanitarian principles. They say it can be used by Israel to forcibly displace the population by requiring them to move near the few distribution hubs or else face starvation, a violation of international law.Netanyahu said Tuesday there was only a brief “loss of control” at the site. He repeated that Israel plans to move Gaza’s entire population to a “sterile zone” at the southern end of the territory while troops fight Hamas elsewhere. Netanyahu has also vowed to facilitate what he refers to as the voluntary emigration of much of Gaza's population to other countries, a plan that Palestinians and many others view as forcible expulsion.
Israel says it destroyed the Houthis' last plane
The Israeli strikes on the main airport in Yemen destroyed the last plane belonging to the country’s flagship carrier, Yemenia, according to the airport. The airline did not say if anyone was wounded. Yemenia had a total of four registered aircraft, according to the plane-tracking website FlightRadar24. Israel destroyed three in a May 6 airstrike on the airport that also riddled the runway with craters. Houthi-backed Yemeni President Mahdi al-Mashat visited the airport Wednesday and said his group “will not back down” from its support of people in Gaza until the siege ends, according to SABA Yemen News Agency. The Houthis have targeted Israel throughout the war in Gaza in solidarity with Palestinians, raising their profile at home and internationally as the last member of Iran’s self-described “Axis of Resistance” capable of launching regular attacks on Israel. The Houthi missiles have mostly been intercepted, although some have penetrated Israel’s missile defense systems, causing casualties and damage. Israel has frequently struck back, especially around the vital Hodeida port. The war in Gaza began when Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel in the Oct. 7 attack, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting 251. Hamas still holds 58 hostages, around a third of them believed to be alive. Most of the rest were released in ceasefire deals or other agreements. Israeli forces have rescued eight and recovered dozens of bodies. Israel's retaliatory campaign has killed over 54,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. The ministry says women and children make up most of the dead, but it does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its tally.

Trump's former secretary of state says Canadian sovereignty not under threat
Kyle Duggan/The Canadian Press/May 28, 2025
OTTAWA — Canada does not have to worry about its sovereignty being threatened by the United States, U.S. President Donald Trump's former secretary of state Mike Pompeo said Wednesday. While Trump has launched tariff barrages that threaten the Canadian economy and has called repeatedly for Canada to become a U.S. state, he's now urging the government of Prime Minister Mark Carney to join a planned multi-billion-dollar space-based missile defence project. "Canada is going to do all the things necessary to protect its own sovereignty, I'm convinced of it," Pompeo told a press conference on the margins of the CANSEC military trade show in Ottawa Wednesday. While he urged Canadians to trust the U.S., he said he can't recall Trump musing about annexing Canada during his time in the president's first administration. "It was new to me when I saw it," Pompeo said. "He's a consummate deal-maker."Pompeo's comments came a day after King Charles delivered a speech from the throne in Parliament that emphasized Canada's status as a sovereign nation and said the "true North is strong and free." As Canada's economy reels under the impact of Trump's stop-and-go tariffs, the president is also putting new pressure on Canada's treasury. Trump and NATO allies are pressing Ottawa to bulk up its national defence budget by tens of billions of dollars a year. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said Monday that he expects NATO allies to commit to spending five per cent of their GDP on defence at the NATO meeting in The Hague next month — well beyond the current 2 per cent benchmark that Canada has failed to meet. Defence Minister David McGuinty told the CANSEC audience of military brass and industry merchants Wednesday that the new Carney government intends to move with "immediate and decisive action" to rebuild Canada's military. He described its sense of urgency by citing the speed at which Canada built up its navy at the start of the Second World War. McGuinty also warned that countries around the world are adjusting quickly to a changing global threat environment. "I read yesterday that the Netherlands let 22 per cent of their public servants go — except for the defence department — to meet their obligations," he said in a state-of-the-union style speech at CANSEC. "Others are increasing corporate taxes or running larger deficits in anticipation of the troubles that might be forthcoming."McGuinty said some countries are "doing away with national holidays" — a reference to Denmark's recent decision to abolish a long weekend holiday called "Great Prayer Day" in an attempt to bring in more tax revenue to cover its NATO defence spending target.
The Liberal party's election platform states that the single largest sum in Prime Minister Carney's spending plan — more than $30.9 billion — is earmarked for defence over the next four years. McGuinty's remarks came just a day after the Liberal government signalled Canada plans to join ReArm Europe, a major European defence procurement pact. McGuinty said joining that plan will diversify Canada's defence partnerships and give it access to new opportunities in Europe's $1.25 trillion defence marketplace. McGuinty refused to answer reporters' questions after his speech and ducked out through a back door by the stage. In an interview with CBC News Tuesday evening, Carney said his government wants to join ReArm Europe by Canada Day.
The Canadian Press has asked the European Commission whether Carney's timeline is realistic. A spokesperson for security policy said Wednesday the commission will provide a response but has not done so yet. ReArm Europe is a plan to leverage loans and redraw fiscal rules to pump funds into rearming European nations and build up domestic defence industries. The initiative was launched after Trump suspended U.S. military aid supporting Ukraine's defence in its ongoing war with Russia, which has recently intensified.
The Canadian Press asked Pompeo whether he worries that Canada joining the ReArm program might divert procurement away from the U.S. and toward Europe. "I always worry about that at one level. Conversely, the United States is the security partner for Canada and Canada is incredibly important for the United States," he said. "In the end, the relationship between Canada and America is going to remain through Democrats, Republicans and everything in between that." One defence procurement project is top-of-mind for the federal government right now. Carney has ordered a review of Ottawa's purchase of F-35 fighter jets — a contract won by the U.S. firm Lockheed Martin but hotly contested by European-based companies. Ottawa has been tight-lipped about where that review is headed. Asked about the F-35 review at the CANSEC event Wednesday, Lt.-Gen. Eric Kenny of the Royal Canadian Air Force said he'll have to wait and see where the government lands. He was more open when speaking about what ReArm Europe might mean for Canada. “The lessons that we're seeing through the brutal war in Ukraine and the loss of countless of lives unnecessarily by the illegal invasion of Russia … show us that we need to be prepared for potential future threats,” he said. “ReArm Europe is one of those ways of diversifying portfolios and I think it’ll probably be good for Canadian business.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 28, 2025.

Israeli Forces Raid Money Exchange Companies in West Bank
Ramallah: Kifah Zboun/Asharq Al-Awsat/May 29/2025
Israeli forces on Tuesday raided several money exchange companies in what Israeli media described as part of a campaign to disrupt financial networks allegedly linked to Palestinian factions. The campaign targeted most West Bank cities, where the occupation forces raided the offices of money exchange companies and confiscated computers and safes. They also arrested several shop owners in Bethlehem, Ramallah, Nablus, Hebron and Jenin. The forces confiscated cash, cryptocurrency and jewelry that were intended to finance terrorist attacks, according to the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper.
“Israeli security forces launched a West Bank operation Tuesday targeting currency exchange businesses suspected of funneling terror funds, seizing approximately 7.5 million shekels ($2 million) in cash and assets,” the newspaper wrote. Yedioth Ahronoth said the operation follows extensive planning by the Israeli army’s Central Command and West Bank divisions, focusing on intercepting funds used to finance “terror” activity. In addition to cash, the newspaper wrote that the Israeli forces confiscated cryptocurrency (including Bitcoin), jewelry and other tools allegedly used by currency exchangers to transfer funds to terror networks. Several suspects were arrested and businesses were shut down under military orders. Since the Gaza war began on October 7, 2023, the army’s West Bank Division has escalated its financial crackdown, confiscating more than 28 million shekels ($7.5 million) in terror-linked assets, according to Yedioth Ahronoth. It quoted Palestinian sources as saying that on Tuesday, Israeli forces raided a currency exchange company named Al-Khaleej (The Gulf) in Nablus, arresting an employee and seizing money and furniture. On some money exchange shops, the Israeli forces left behind flyers that read: “Attention! Israeli security forces are taking action against this company due to its ties to terrorist organizations. As a resident, you should seek a different exchanger who operates lawfully. Any dealings with Al-Khaleej put you and your money at risk and may result in legal consequences. Stay away from this place.”
Al-Khaleej is the main money exchange company that Israeli forces targeted during their campaign in the West Bank. Videos and photos showed the forces arresting several shop employees while confiscating sums of money and equipment. The Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority did not immediately comment on the Israeli raids. But on previous occasions, it has described such campaigns as an “an act that aims to undermine the Palestinian banking sector.”For years, Israel has been fighting what it calls the “Hamas money channels” in both Gaza and the West Bank. Most of the seized money originated from Türkiye and Iran and was intended to support terror attacks in the West Bank and other areas, Yedioth Ahronoth said. The Israeli army says that some of the money sent to Hamas were channeled through humanitarian aid and in hand-carry cash, while others via normal bank transfers. It accuses the movement of smuggling money in ways that are difficult to uncover, using multiple money exchange businesses rather than a central office.

Who is Mohammed Sinwar, the Hamas leader Israel says it killed?
Samy Magdy And Bassem Mroue/The Canadian Press/May 28, 2025
CAIRO/Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday that Mohammed Sinwar, believed to be the head of Hamas' armed wing, has been killed, apparently confirming his death in a recent strike in the Gaza Strip. There was no confirmation from Hamas. Sinwar is the younger brother of Yahya Sinwar, the Hamas leader who helped mastermind the Oct. 7, 2023, attack that started the Israel-Hamas war, and who was killed by Israeli forces in October 2024. Israeli strikes have decimated Hamas’ leadership during the 19-month war, and Mohammed Sinwar was one of the last widely known leaders still alive in Gaza. But the militant group has maintained its rule over the parts of Gaza not seized by Israel. It still holds dozens of hostages and carries out sporadic attacks on Israeli forces. As the head of Hamas’ armed wing, Sinwar would have had the final word on any agreement to release the hostages, and his death could further complicate U.S. and Arab efforts to broker a ceasefire. Israel has vowed to continue the war until all the hostages are returned and Hamas has been either defeated or disarmed and sent into exile.
Mentioned in passing
Netanyahu mentioned the killing of Sinwar in a speech before parliament in which he listed the names of other top Hamas leaders killed during the war. “We have killed tens of thousands of terrorists. We killed (Mohammed) Deif, (Ismail) Haniyeh, Yahya Sinwar and Mohammed Sinwar,” he said.
Netanyahu did not elaborate. Israeli media had reported that the younger Sinwar was the target of a May 13 strike on what the military said was a Hamas command center beneath the European Hospital in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis, the Sinwars' hometown. The military declined to comment on whether Sinwar had been targeted or killed. At least six people were killed in the strike and 40 wounded, Gaza's Health Ministry said at the time.
A Hamas veteran
Mohammed Sinwar was born in 1975 in the urban Khan Younis refugee camp. His family was among hundreds of thousands of Palestinians driven from what is now Israel during the 1948 war surrounding its creation. The refugees and their descendants today make up the majority of Gaza's population.
Like his older brother, Yahya, the younger Sinwar joined Hamas after it was founded in the late 1980s as the Palestinian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood. He became a member of the group’s military wing, known as the Qassam Brigades. He rose through the ranks to become a member of its so-called joint chiefs of staff, bringing him close to its longtime commander, Deif, who was killed in a strike last year. Mohammed Sinwar was one of the planners of a 2006 cross-border attack on an Israeli army post. In that attack, militants captured Israeli soldier Gilad Schalit, who was held for five years and later exchanged for more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners, including Yahya Sinwar. In an interview with Qatar’s Al Jazeera TV aired three years ago, Mohammed Sinwar said that when Hamas threatens Israel, “we know how to specify the location that hurts the occupation and how to press them.” Hamas has said that Mohammed Sinwar was targeted by Israel on several occasions and was briefly believed to have been killed in 2014. He is said to have been one of a handful of top commanders who knew about the Oct. 7 attack in advance. In December 2023, the Israeli military released a video it said showed a bearded Mohammed Sinwar sitting next to a driver in a car as it moved inside a tunnel in the Gaza Strip. Hamas never confirmed what would be one of the few public images of him.

Italy urges Israel to stop offensive in Gaza, respect humanitarian law
Angelo Amante/Reuters/May 28, 2025
ROME -Israel's continued assault on the Gaza Strip has become unacceptable and must stop immediately, Italy's foreign minister said on Wednesday, warning against any move to forcibly displace Palestinians from the enclave. Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani spoke to parliament about the situation in Gaza amid mounting Western criticism of Israel, which invaded the Palestinian territory after the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks by Hamas on its southern communities. "The legitimate reaction of the Israeli government to a terrible and senseless act of terrorism is unfortunately taking absolutely dramatic and unacceptable forms, which we call on Israel to stop immediately," Tajani told parliament. Italy has been a vocal supporter of Israel but there has been growing unease within the right-wing coalition government over the relentless and long-running military campaign. In all, more than 54,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel's air and ground war, Gaza health authorities say. "The bombing must end, humanitarian assistance must resume as soon as possible, respect for international humanitarian law must be restored," Tajani told a heated debate in the lower house of parliament. On Gaza, the government has come under attack from the opposition parties which have announced a demonstration in Rome on June 7, demanding sanctions against Israel and that Italy formally recognises the State of Palestine. "The levels of political, moral and intellectual squalor that all of you, Italian and European ruling classes, are reaching, will condemn you as those who are complicit in extermination, genocide and inhuman crime," said Riccardo Ricciardi, a lawmaker from the 5-Star Movement. Tajani said a Palestinian state could still be created following negotiations involving Israel, and Italy wanted to keep a dialogue open with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government. But he reiterated that Italy was against displacing Palestinians from Gaza, an option U.S. President Donald Trump proposed earlier this year and which was swiftly rejected by Arab countries. "The expulsion of Palestinians from Gaza is not and will never be an acceptable option," Tajani said. He reiterated that Italy might be prepared to take part in an eventual Arab-led peacekeeping mission in Gaza.

EU says Israeli strikes in Gaza go beyond what is necessary to fight Hamas
Rachel Hagan - BBC News/May 28, 2025
The EU's top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, has said that "Israeli strikes in Gaza go beyond what is necessary to fight Hamas" as the death toll there continues to mount. Kallas also said that the EU did not support a new aid distribution model backed by the US and Israel which bypasses the UN and other humanitarian organisations. "We don't support the privatisation of the distribution of humanitarian aid. Humanitarian aid can not be weaponised", she said. Israeli air strikes and other military actions since it resumed the war in March following a ceasefire have killed 3,924 people, the Hamas-run health ministry says. Israel says it is acting to destroy Hamas and get back hostages the group holds. Kallas' remarks follows an intervention by new German Chancellor Friedrich Merz who declared he "no longer understands" Israel's objectives in the besieged enclave. "The way in which the civilian population has been affected... can no longer be justified by a fight against Hamas terrorism," he said. The EU is one of the largest donors of humanitarian aid to Gaza, yet Kallas said most of it was currently unable to get to Palestinians who need it. Israel imposed a complete blockade on Gaza in March and only began allowing a trickle of aid in after 11 weeks.
"The majority of the aid to Gaza is provided by the EU but it's not reaching the people as it is blocked by Israel," Kallas said. "The suffering of the people is untenable."
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen meanwhile described recent Israeli attacks on Gaza's civilian infrastructure as "abhorrent" and "disproportionate".It also follows the strongest criticism yet by the UK, France and Canada, who demanded Israel end its military offensive in Gaza. The UK later said it was suspending trade talks with Israel. The EU has launched a formal review of its own trade agreement with Israel and Kallas said she would present "options" at the upcoming EU foreign ministers meeting in Brussels on 23 June. UN agencies have warned that Gaza's 2.1 million population is facing catastrophic levels of hunger after an almost three-month Israeli blockade that was eased last week. Israel and the US are backing a new aid distribution system run by a controversial new group, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF). The GHF's aid distribution system uses US security contractors and bypasses the UN, which has rejected it as unethical and unworkable. The US and Israeli governments have said it is preventing aid from being stolen by Hamas, which the armed group denies doing. Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated on Tuesday plans to relocate Gaza's entire population to a "sterile zone" in the south of the territory while Israeli troops continue fighting Hamas elsewhere. He also vowed to facilitate what he described as the "voluntary emigration" of much of Gaza's population to other countries - a plan many view as forcible expulsion. Israel launched a military campaign in Gaza in response Hamas' cross-border attack on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage. At least 54,084 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the territory's health ministry.

‘What is it if not a war crime?’ Former Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert blasts war in Gaza
Oren Liebermann and Eugenia Yosef, CNN/May 28, 2025
‘What is it if not a war crime?’ Former prime minister accuses current Israeli government actions in GazaScroll back up to restore default view. Former Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert has blasted the country’s political leadership and the conduct of its military, telling CNN he is no longer able to defend Israel against accusations of war crimes. Olmert, who led the country from 2006-2009, pointed to Israel’s 11-week blockade of humanitarian aid into Gaza and the soaring number of Palestinians killed. “What is it if not a war crime?” he asked rhetorically in an interview with CNN. He said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and far-right members of his government are “committing actions which can’t be interpreted any other way.”Since the start of the war, Olmert has defended Israel abroad against accusations of genocide and ethnic cleansing in Gaza. When women and children were killed, Olmert said he told officials and interviewers that Israel would not deliberately target civilians. But 19 months into a war Olmert says should have ended a year ago, he believes he can no longer make that case. CNN spoke to Olmert following the publication of an op-ed by the former prime minister that was published in Israel’s Haaretz newspaper on Tuesday, in which he wrote: “What we are doing in Gaza now is a war of devastation: indiscriminate, limitless, cruel and criminal killing of civilians.”
CNN has asked the Prime Minister’s Office for comment on Olmert’s op-ed.
More than 54,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since the start of the war, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza, including at least 28,000 women and children. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in January that it had killed more than 20,000 Hamas fighters.
“I think that we have to make sure that no uninvolved people in Gaza are hurt because of the expansion of these military operations, which is entirely unjustified and doesn’t serve any important interests of the state of Israel at this point,” Olmert said.
Olmert, who spent 16 months in prison on corruption charges, leveled most of his criticism at Netanyahu, as well as far-right ministers Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich. “I hope that this government will disappear as soon as possible,” he told CNN. “I believe that the majority of Israelis are sick and tired of these policies, of these statements, of what the terrible damage that was caused by this government to the moral integrity of the state of Israel and the people of Israel.”Polls in Israel have repeatedly shown that most of the country supports a comprehensive ceasefire agreement that would see the release of the remaining 58 hostages held in Gaza and an end to the war. But Netanyahu has refused to commit to an end to the war, insisting that Israel’s expanding military campaign in Gaza will continue until the defeat of Hamas. Like the hostage families, many of whom have given up on Netanyahu, Olmert placed his hope in US President Donald Trump to end the war. Trump, he said, is one of the only people who has the ability to compel Netanyahu to end the war. “I really certainly think that he is the only person perhaps that can force the Israeli prime minister to come to terms with reality and with the moral reality of what is being accomplished by this government,” he told CNN.

‘What is it if not a war crime?’ Former Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert blasts war in Gaza
Oren Liebermann and Eugenia Yosef, CNN/May 28, 2025
‘What is it if not a war crime?’ Former prime minister accuses current Israeli government actions in GazaScroll back up to restore default view. Former Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert has blasted the country’s political leadership and the conduct of its military, telling CNN he is no longer able to defend Israel against accusations of war crimes. Olmert, who led the country from 2006-2009, pointed to Israel’s 11-week blockade of humanitarian aid into Gaza and the soaring number of Palestinians killed. “What is it if not a war crime?” he asked rhetorically in an interview with CNN. He said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and far-right members of his government are “committing actions which can’t be interpreted any other way.”Since the start of the war, Olmert has defended Israel abroad against accusations of genocide and ethnic cleansing in Gaza. When women and children were killed, Olmert said he told officials and interviewers that Israel would not deliberately target civilians. But 19 months into a war Olmert says should have ended a year ago, he believes he can no longer make that case. CNN spoke to Olmert following the publication of an op-ed by the former prime minister that was published in Israel’s Haaretz newspaper on Tuesday, in which he wrote: “What we are doing in Gaza now is a war of devastation: indiscriminate, limitless, cruel and criminal killing of civilians.”CNN has asked the Prime Minister’s Office for comment on Olmert’s op-ed. More than 54,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since the start of the war, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza, including at least 28,000 women and children. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in January that it had killed more than 20,000 Hamas fighters. “I think that we have to make sure that no uninvolved people in Gaza are hurt because of the expansion of these military operations, which is entirely unjustified and doesn’t serve any important interests of the state of Israel at this point,” Olmert said. Olmert, who spent 16 months in prison on corruption charges, leveled most of his criticism at Netanyahu, as well as far-right ministers Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich. “I hope that this government will disappear as soon as possible,” he told CNN. “I believe that the majority of Israelis are sick and tired of these policies, of these statements, of what the terrible damage that was caused by this government to the moral integrity of the state of Israel and the people of Israel.”Polls in Israel have repeatedly shown that most of the country supports a comprehensive ceasefire agreement that would see the release of the remaining 58 hostages held in Gaza and an end to the war. But Netanyahu has refused to commit to an end to the war, insisting that Israel’s expanding military campaign in Gaza will continue until the defeat of Hamas. Like the hostage families, many of whom have given up on Netanyahu, Olmert placed his hope in US President Donald Trump to end the war. Trump, he said, is one of the only people who has the ability to compel Netanyahu to end the war.
“I really certainly think that he is the only person perhaps that can force the Israeli prime minister to come to terms with reality and with the moral reality of what is being accomplished by this government,” he told CNN.

Syria and Israel in Direct Talks Focused on Security Rather Than Normalization
Damascus: Asharq Al Awsat/28 May 2025
Israel and Syria are in direct contact and have in recent weeks held face-to-face meetings aimed at calming tensions and preventing conflict in the border region, five people familiar with the matter told Reuters on Tuesday. The contacts mark a significant development in ties between states that have been on opposite sides of conflict in the Middle East for decades, as the US encourages the new rulers in Damascus to establish relations with Israel and Israel eases its bombardment of Syria. They also build on back-channel talks via intermediaries since Hayat Tahrir al-Sham toppled Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in December, said two Syrian and two Western sources, as well as a regional intelligence source familiar with the matter. The sources spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the subject for two nations with no official ties and a history of enmity. The direct talks and their scope have not been previously reported. On the Syrian side, the sources said contacts have been led by senior security official Ahmad al-Dalati, who was appointed governor of the province of Quneitra, which borders the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, after the fall of Assad. Earlier this week, Dalati was also put in charge of security in the southern province of Sweida, home to Syria's Druze minority. Reuters could not determine who participated on Israel's side, though two of the sources said they were security officials. Three of the sources said there had been several rounds of in-person meetings in the border region, including in territory controlled by Israel. Israel's foreign ministry and Syrian officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Earlier this month, Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa confirmed indirect talks with Israel that he said were aimed at calming tensions, a striking admission that followed a Reuters report that the UAE was mediating such talks. Israel has occupied the Syrian Golan Heights since the 1967 Arab-Israeli war and took more territory in the aftermath of Assad's ouster in December, citing lingering concerns over the extremist past of the country's new rulers.
It has also waged a campaign of aerial bombardment that destroyed much of the country's military infrastructure, while at the same time lobbying Washington to keep the country weak and decentralized. But the bombing and the criticism have subsided in recent weeks. On May 14, a meeting between US President Donald Trump and Sharaa in Riyadh upended decades of US-Syria policy, and signaled to Israel's right-wing government that it should work to reach understandings with al-Sharaa. The regional intelligence source described Trump's engagement with al-Sharaa as a pivotal part of a realignment in US policy that upset Israel's post-Assad strategy of exploiting Syria's fragmentation. The relative calm in May has also seen a reduction in tensions around Sweida, which saw days of bloody clashes between Druze armed factions, some of which enjoy Israeli backing, and Sunni fighters last month.
Amid the violence, Israel had launched a series of airstrikes, including one just outside the presidential palace overlooking Damascus, which it framed as a warning over threats against the Druze.
Broader Understandings?
While the direct talks are currently focused on joint security, such as preventing conflict and reducing Israeli incursions into Syrian border villages, two of the sources said they may help pave the way for broader political understandings. “For now, they are about peace, as in the absence of war, rather than normalization,” said the person familiar with backchannel talks. Trump indicated after meeting Sharaa that the Syrian President was willing to eventually normalize ties with Israel, while adding that it would take some time. Al-Sharaa has not commented on the statement, saying instead that he supported a return to the terms of a 1974 ceasefire agreement that created a UN buffer zone in the Golan Heights. Syria's new rulers have made repeated efforts to show they pose no threat to Israel, meeting representatives of the Jewish community in Damascus and abroad and detaining two senior members of Palestinian Islamic Jihad, which participated in the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel. A letter sent by Syria's foreign ministry to the US State Department last month, seen by Reuters, said “we will not allow Syria to become a source of threat to any party, including Israel.” More recently, Syria's leadership has shown goodwill by approving the handover of a trove of long-dead Israeli master spy Eli Cohen's belongings.

EU lifts most Syria sanctions but slaps new ones on alleged culprits in attacks on Alawite civilians
Abby Sewell And Sam Mcneil/The Associated Press/May 28, 2025
PARIS — The European Union lifted a wide range of sanctions on Syria on Wednesday, but slapped new ones on people and groups it says participated in attacks on civilians during a wave of violence in the Syrian coastal region in March. The move lifted most sanctions that had been imposed on the country, including on its financial system, while keeping them in place on individuals and organizations in Syria it says violated human rights or for “security grounds,” like the extended family of former President Bashar Assad or its chemical weapons program, according to the text of the European Council on the decision. The EU’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas had announced plans to lift the sanctions last week. She said the move was “conditional” and that sanctions could be resumed if the new government of Ahmad al-Sharaa - a former rebel commander who led the charge that unseated Assad in December - doesn’t keep the peace. Kallas said in a statement Wednesday that removing sanctions “is simply the right thing to do, at this historic time, for the EU to genuinely support Syria’s recovery and a political transition that fulfils the aspirations of all Syrians.”Wednesday’s decision slapped “restrictive measures” on two people and three armed groups that were accused of “targeting civilians and especially the Alawite community” - referring to the religious minority to which Assad belongs - during violence in March on the coast and of torture and “arbitrary killings of civilians.”Clashes erupted at the time after a group of Assad loyalists attacked security forces near the coastal city of Latakia. Rights groups reported widespread revenge killings as militants from Syria’s Sunni majority - some of them officially affiliated with the new government’s security forces - targeted Alawites, regardless of whether they were involved in the insurgency. Hundreds of civilians were killed. The new government in Damascus has promised to hold perpetrators accountable, but a body formed to investigate the violence has yet to release its findings. While there have not been large-scale attacks on Alawites since March, members of the community remain fearful and say that individual incidents of kidnappings and killing continue to take place. The two people targeted by the new sanctions are Mohammad Hussein al-Jasim, leader of the Sultan Suleiman Shah Brigade, and Sayf Boulad Abu Bakr, leader of the Hamza Division, both armed groups that the EU said had taken part in the attacks. The militias were also slapped with new sanctions, as was another armed group, the Sultan Murad Division. Since seizing power, al-Sharaa's government has struggled to weld a patchwork of undisciplined former rebel factions together into a national army.
The lifting of the broader sanctions on Syria comes days after the United States granted Syria sweeping exemptions from sanctions in a first step toward fulfilling President Donald Trump’s pledge to lift a half-century of penalties on a country shattered by 13 years of civil war. A measure by the U.S. State Department waived for six months a tough set of sanctions imposed by Congress in 2019. The easing of sanctions removes one of the major barriers to reconstruction of the country, which the United Nations in 2017 estimated would cost at least $250 billion. Some experts now say that number could reach at least $400 billion.The United Nations estimates that 90% of Syrians live in poverty and state-supplied electricity comes as little as two hours every day.

Pope Leo calls for ceasefire in Gaza, laments 'cries' of parents of dead children
Cybele Mayes-Osterman, USA TODAY/May 28, 2025
Pope Leo called for a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of all hostages in a May 28 general audience, following in the steps of his predecessor Pope Francis, who was both praised and criticized for using his position to advocate for ending the war in Gaza. "In the Gaza Strip, the intense cries are reaching Heaven more and more from mothers and fathers who hold tightly to the bodies of their dead children," Leo said in St. Peter's Square, in Vatican City. "To those responsible, I renew my appeal: stop the fighting. Liberate all the hostages. Completely respect humanitarian law." Leo assumed the papacy earlier this month after he was chosen in a closely followed papal conclave following Francis' death on April 21. It was not the first time Leo has spoken out on international conflicts. In his first Sunday message, he urged "no more war," a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of the hostages as well as an "authentic and lasting peace" in Ukraine. On May 21, he addressed the crisis in Gaza during a weekly Sunday audience, advocating "an end the hostilities," and asking Israel to allow humanitarian aid into the war-torn and impoverished enclave. Israel has since lifted its blockade, allowing a trickle of humanitarian aid back into Gaza. Leo's May 18 inauguration kicked off swirling speculation about whether he would promote social justice and immigrant rights, as Francis had. Leo, a Chicago native, is the first American-born pope, although he lived for much of his adult life in Peru. Some of Leo's past social media posts criticized Vice President JD Vance, who is Catholic, and the Trump administration for its hardline immigration policies. Leo met privately with Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and their wives, the Vatican announced on May 19.
Pope Francis branded Gaza crisis 'serious and shameful'
Israel launched its siege of Gaza after militants affiliated with Hamas − which controls the territory on the border of Israel and Egypt − overran Israel’s borders on Oct. 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking around 250 hostage. Since then, more than 54,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s attacks, according to Hamas-run local health authorities. A ceasefire brokered in mid-January was shattered after two months. The Trump administration’s direct talks with Hamas in Qatar since then have failed to clinch a new agreement. At least 54 Palestinians sheltering in a school were killed by Israel’s airstrikes on May 26. Pope Francis repeatedly called for a ceasefire in Gaza, reiterating in an Easter Sunday message a day before he died, "I appeal to the warring parties: call a ceasefire, release the hostages and come to the aid of a starving people that aspires to a future of peace."Some of his comments directly criticized Israel for the toll on Palestinian civilians. In a January message, he called the situation "very serious and shameful," adding, "We cannot in any way accept the bombing of civilians." More: Pope Leo appeals for Israel to allow humanitarian aid in Gaza. Throughout the conflict, Francis kept in close contact with Gaza's small Catholic community, even holding nightly calls with the majority-Muslim enclave's churches in the weeks leading up to his death.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Pope Leo calls for ceasefire in Gaza, release of hostages

Trump Expresses Hesitation on Imposing New Sanctions on Russia
Asharq Al-Awsat/May 28/2025
US President Donald Trump on Wednesday expressed hesitation toward imposing new sanctions on Russia over the war in Ukraine, saying he did not want the penalties to interfere with getting a ceasefire. Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump said on sanctions: "If I think I'm close to getting a deal, I don't want to screw it up by doing that." Trump also said Russian President Vladimir Putin may be intentionally delaying negotiations on a ceasefire in the war in Ukraine and expressed disappointment at recent Russian bombing. "We're going to find out whether or not he's tapping us along or not, and if he is, we'll respond a little differently," Trump said.

The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources on May 28-29/2025
'Foxes in the Vineyards': Israel's Very Own Subversives
Nils A. Haug/Gatestone Institute/May 28, 2025
So here we have it: when radical activists are no longer in power, their hatred for conservative governments and their leaders apparently transcends respect for democracy.
Golan's suspiciously self-serving ruminations, are, of course, pure fantasy, and uttered at great potential cost to Israel's credibility... "if elections were held today, The Democrats would win 16 [out of 120] Knesset seats..."
Even before the establishment of the modern state of Israel in 1948, Jews had a long history of trying to establish a state in the land of Israel according to a European template built on believing you can make peace with people whose goal in life is to destroy you. These efforts only gave birth to policies like the Oslo Accords, which turned out to be disastrous for Israel.
The schism, between the peace-wishers and the gimlet-eyed, is nothing new.
Despite its internal and external challenges, modern Israel remains stronger than ever. In 1969, then Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir said, "we have a secret weapon and our secret weapon is: no alternative." The Jews will triumph over all their enemies – including the foxes in their vineyard. They always have.
Despite its internal and external challenges, modern Israel remains stronger than ever. In 1969, then Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir said, "we have a secret weapon and our secret weapon is: no alternative." The Jews will triumph over all their enemies – including the foxes in their vineyard. They always have.
When Yair Golan, an IDF reserve Major-General and former member of Israel's parliament, falsely implies that the nation's soldiers "kill babies as a hobby" in Gaza, something is serious amiss among Israel's leaders at this critical time of an existential war.
Golan continued in his May 20 remarks, "[I]t is time to replace this government as soon as possible so that this war can also come to an end."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his cabinet colleagues and even his political opponents, were outraged at Golan's "blood libel" against the heroic warriors of Israel, who for nearly two years, have been defending their country and sacrificing their lives for it. Nearly 900 Israeli soldiers have been killed so far in the war begun by Hamas on October 7, 2023,
There is little difference between Golan's blood libel and the one that emanated from the radical, biased United Nations, which on May 21 falsely claimed that Israel was going to starve to death 14,000 Palestinian babies in Gaza in the following 48 hours.
Netanyahu said the remarks of Golan were "outrageous" with "no limit to moral decay." He added:
"While we are engaged in a multi-front war and leading complex diplomatic efforts to free our hostages and defeat Hamas, Golan and his allies in the radical left are echoing some of the vilest antisemitic blood libels against IDF soldiers and the State of Israel."
Earlier, Golan had said that Netanyahu's government "is fuelling antisemitism and hatred of Israel, and the result is unprecedented diplomatic isolation and danger for every Jew, everywhere on the globe." Golan then declared that his party, the Democrats, "will replace them and restore security to every Jew—in Israel and around the world."
So here we have it: when radical activists are no longer in power, their hatred for conservative governments and their leaders apparently transcends respect for democracy. Repeated within the Israel political framework, as elsewhere, the divide between the far-left and conservatives polarizes society, thereby weakening the nation against external enemies.
This temporary lapse was evident in Israel when the Shin Bet, Israel's internal security organization, failed to anticipate or prepare for the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, after many months or even years of reported information that there was unusual military activity across the border in Gaza, a failing acknowledged by Shin Bet director Ronen Bar. Despite the government losing all trust in him, Bar nonetheless practically had to be forced to resign
Golan's suspiciously self-serving ruminations, are, of course, pure fantasy, and uttered at great potential cost to Israel's credibility. JNS reported on May 19:
"According to a Direct Polls survey published by Israel's Channel 14 News channel on May 15, if elections were held today, The Democrats would win 16 [out of 120] Knesset seats..."
The Democrats would thus have zero chance of forming a government. Golan's personal political ambitions appear misaligned with reality.
There is little doubt that Golan believes in the moral validity of his position. As Rabbi Chaim Steinmetz commented last week,
"In this era of great polarization, politics has replaced ethics and religion. Whether what you do is right or wrong is no longer relevant; all that matters now is if it favors the right or the left. Politics has become an all-encompassing passion; advocates are blind to their own subjectivity".
This failure is probably even more prevalent in an era where many people seem to have convinced themselves there is supposedly no such thing as "objective truth." Nevertheless, Golan's pronouncements will most likely have detrimental consequences for Israel's reputation and that of the IDF, especially among many Europeans, transnational organizations and self-described "human rights" groups who do not like Israel to begin with, no matter what it does.
These malicious declarations may well also have consequences for the future of leftist politicians in Israel: it is unlikely that a great statesman would be able to emerge from their ranks when holding such a radical positions. Thanks to Israel's tiny size, roughly the same as the state of New Jersey (around 22,000 sq. km.) the simple reason is that the interests of the nation come first, not political ambition or self-interest. Netanyahu, Israel's longest-serving prime minister, is an example of selfless service and courage in pursuing his country's best interests, its security and future no matter the personal cost, which has been considerable.
The question that arises is: How did this Golan become a Major-General, a member of parliament and a party leader? His high-level positions speak volumes of the powerful and entrenched leftist cohort within the military and government bureaucracy, and their attempts to undermine the prime minister who is doing an extraordinary job of defending his country in a seven-front war set in extremely complex circumstances.
Even before the establishment of the modern state of Israel in 1948, Jews had a long history of trying to establish a state in the land of Israel according to a European template built on believing you can make peace with people whose goal in life is to destroy you. These efforts only gave birth to policies like the Oslo Accords, which turned out to be disastrous for Israel.
The schism, between the peace-wishers and the gimlet-eyed, is nothing new. It goes back many decades, as far back as the 1932-1933 political, social and ideological friction between David Ben-Gurion's socialist Mapai party and Ze'ev Jabotinsky's conservative Revisionists (which would later become a key component of today's governing Likud party)
In 1932, Jabotinsky had published a statement, which read: "The time has come to call things by their proper name: the takeover by the leftists in the Land of Israel will lead to knife fights between Jews themselves."
Fast-forward to 1977, when Yitzhak Ben-Aharon, a Mapai member of the Knesset who lost his seat in the first electoral defeat of his party, was so incensed at the Likud's victory under Menachem Begin that he exclaimed, "The people made a mistake." He revealingly added, "If this is their decision, I do not respect it."
The discord between the left and right in Israel has continued relentlessly ever since.
Yisrael Medad, former director of educational programming at the Menachem Begin Heritage Center, recently wrote: "Not only is there rot in the 'privileged class' reality of Israel's Old Guard, but a serious danger to society as well."
The "old guard" he refers to are the so-called elites – often leftist intellectuals and academics:
"Their bases are in the Supreme Court, senior bureaucracy (with singular powers awarded to the attorney general), and the senior security establishment (the Shabak and the Mossad), along with ex-generals who fill the auditoriums of various conferences that seek, though the mobilized media, to dictate to the public and the government what to do and how to act."
Despite its internal and external challenges, modern Israel remains stronger than ever. In 1969, then Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir said, "we have a secret weapon and our secret weapon is: no alternative." The Jews will triumph over all their enemies – including the foxes in their vineyard. They always have.
*Nils A. Haug is an author and columnist. A Lawyer by profession, he is member of the International Bar Association, the National Association of Scholars, the Academy of Philosophy and Letters. Dr. Haug holds a Ph.D. in Apologetical Theology and is author of 'Politics, Law, and Disorder in the Garden of Eden – the Quest for Identity'; and 'Enemies of the Innocent – Life, Truth, and Meaning in a Dark Age.' His work has been published by First Things Journal, The American Mind, Quadrant, Minding the Campus, Gatestone Institute, National Association of Scholars, Jewish Journal, James Wilson Institute (Anchoring Truths), Jewish News Syndicate, Tribune Juive, Document Danmark, and many others.
© 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.
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/21653/israel-subversives

Weapons of the Camps... and Weapons of Gaza
Nabil Amr/Asharq Al-Awsat/May 29/2025
The Palestinians, through their legitimate representatives, the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and the Palestinian National Authority, have decided to disarm. In full cooperation with the legitimate Lebanese authorities, they are seeking to hand the Palestinian factions’ arms in the camps to the state, bringing them under Lebanese sovereignty and the rule of law. Although it came late, this was a sensible decision. These weapons had been misused in ways that make maintaining them untenable. A source of fear in the camps, they have often been used to settle intra-Palestinian power struggles, tied to the broader competition for influence in both Lebanon and the region. Rehashing past arguments to defend these arms has become pointless. Circumstances have changed in ways that have created a need for a new, more cautious approach.
After every armed faction, agenda, and arena became embroiled in a disastrous conflict in which they were crushed by the Israeli army, which did not merely dominate the skies and make use of its superior technology. Indeed, the war also reflected the significance of Israel’s strategic alliances, not only through funding and political cover but also through direct participation whenever needed. This Palestinian policy, which ought to be binding for all factions and even individuals, was indeed prudent. Not only is it a moral position that strengthens solidarity and reflects gratitude to a country and people who have sacrificed so much for the Palestinian cause and the Palestinian national and revolutionary struggle; it is also the right thing to do strategically.
The Palestinians, who seek a political settlement that liberates them from occupation and paves a path toward g their long-sought state, have an interest in investing their assets in places that could integrate them into their settlements.
Events far beyond the Palestinians’ control had already initiated disarmament. Its primary and central stronghold in the South was betrayed by Syrian geography, which, in the blink of an eye, shifted from being “with” to being “against.” The strategic implications of losing Syria’s geography should not be underestimated, both for the arms struggle and potential political settlements. This raises the same question in Gaza. How are the arms there to be addressed? The scale of armament in Gaza is incomparable to that of the Palestinian camps in Lebanon. Nonetheless, the goal of the Israeli enemy and its American ally is the same: disarming Gaza, in tandem with the disarmament of all the non-state actors in Lebanon.
The question of Gaza’s arsenal is a major theme of discussions around the framework for administering the enclave’s future- the so-called “day after.” Complicating matters further is that Israel can prevent any political resolution for Gaza, which is not an issue for the weapons in the camps or those of Hezbollah. The Jewish state can call the shots on governance in the territory, Hamas’s arms, and the future of its ties with the West Bank. In fact, Israel is reoccupying the West Bank to create new realities on the ground that make establishing an independent Palestinian state even more unattainable.
Even if we assume that Hamas will take Hezbollah’s approach to its arms- and if efforts to have them handed over to the legitimate authorities succeed and follow President Mahmoud Abbas’s stark and firm advice to hand over its arms to the Palestinian Authority- this would not be enough. Israel does not want to be confronted by a peaceful Palestinian Authority or the resistance of Hamas. This not only makes potential solutions less likely; it also renders any settlement increasingly out of reach.
The Americans helped the Lebanese state get back on its feet and reestablish order. They continue to diligently and consistently follow efforts to turn the page on arms in Lebanon, seeking to usher in a new phase that presents an absolute contrast to the era when Lebanon had been a battleground for conflicts and wars, particularly with Israel. However, the Americans are not doing the same with the Palestinians, neither with regard to Hamas’s weapons in Gaza nor the role of the legitimate Palestinian authorities in Gaza. In effect, shaping the agenda has been left entirely to Israel, with the US allowing the current round of the conflict to dictate things.
Another important point to consider is that Abbas has more sway over the Palestinian factions in Lebanon than he does in Gaza. The entire world continues to see Hamas as the sole Palestinian force in the Gaza Strip.
Everyone is now waiting for the implications of the war, which have yet to fully crystallize, to become clear. One shift that applies to both the camps in Lebanon and Gaza is this: armed non-state actors’ survival in the Middle East is no longer taken for granted. Their armament has become the subject of serious debate, which is swinging in favor of affirming the need for states to impose a monopoly on armament.

More than trade on the agenda at GCC-ASEAN-China summit
Dr. Abdel Aziz Aluwaisheg/Arab News/May 28, 2025
Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday hosted a historic trilateral summit between China, the Gulf Cooperation Council and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Chinese Premier Li Qiang and heads of state and government from the GCC and ASEAN states gathered, for the first time, to establish a new platform for cooperation. The political gathering is being followed by two days of economic summitry, in which business leaders are discussing trade and investment opportunities. If the recommendations adopted at the summit are fully implemented, there will be important strategic repercussions, with China playing a greater geopolitical role.Judging by the wide-ranging discussions taking place over several days and the lengthy statement issued after Tuesday’s summit, the ambitions of the new gathering are quite high, especially for the first meeting of such a diverse group. It is, of course, the height of irony that China, the US’ chief rival and adversary, is joining two blocs considered to be close American partners.
The new grouping is a colossus and China is the superpower in this constellation. The combined populations of the 18 countries at the meeting exceeds 2 billion, or 25 percent of humanity. Their aggregated gross domestic product is more than $24 trillion, close to 23 percent of the global economy. The potential for economies of scale and synergies between the countries is enormous.
Some of that potential has already been realized. For example, China and ASEAN are the leading trading partners for each other. They signed a free trade agreement in 2002 and have recently wrapped up negotiations to update that deal. Last year, China-ASEAN two-way trade was worth close to $1 trillion, accounting for about 29 percent of ASEAN’s total trade. Similarly, China is the GCC’s top trading partner, accounting for more than 20 percent of GCC trade. It is the destination of more than 25 percent of GCC petrochemical exports.
The ambitions of the new gathering are quite high, especially for the first meeting of such a diverse group
Trade, or the need to adapt to the US trade war, may have been the trigger for some participants to come to these events. They aim to coordinate a response to new American tariffs, which have affected all the countries in attendance, and explore how to mitigate their effects by increasing access to new markets.
The new policy of economic nationalism adopted by the Trump administration is making it difficult to continue to trade with the US, as this grouping’s products become less competitive due to high import tariffs. By expanding trade through this trilateral setup, they hope to expand in other markets.
There are other objectives. One is to restore some certainty to world markets, which have been jittery since the US imposed its new tariffs. The global economic outlook is being revised downward as well, with many organizations predicting slower growth in the coming years. For GCC countries, this is bad news, because their products thrive when the global economy is growing and suffer during recessions or slowdowns.
Another objective is to restore faith in the multilateral system. While the US has expressed skepticism about the World Trade Organization and the global trading system generally, Tuesday’s summit sought to rebuild trust. Using reassuring language, it stressed the need to “strengthen confidence in the rules-based multilateral trading system with the World Trade Organization at its core to protect businesses, consumers worldwide and the livelihoods of people in our regions.” It also reaffirmed “the central and indispensable role of the World Trade Organization at the core of the rules-based multilateral trading system, which provides a predictable, transparent, nondiscriminatory and open global trading system.”
But the gathering is not only about economic cooperation. It is more strategic. The nine-page joint statement issued at the end of Tuesday’s meeting covered a wide range of topics, including international and regional issues, proposals for three-way ASEAN-China-GCC energy security cooperation, fighting terrorism and coordinating foreign policy. For example, the summit adopted a fairly detailed and proactive set of recommendations on Gaza and the two-state solution.
It is, of course, ironic that the US, which has played a singular role since the Second World War in advocating free trade and building the UN, the World Trade Organization and other fixtures of multilateralism, is now abandoning that system. On the other hand, developing countries, which in the past had their doubts, are now championing free trade. The participant sent thinly veiled messages to rogue states and countries flouting international law and norms
While the US is retreating from multilateralism, China appears to be embracing it. The Kuala Lumpur meeting stressed that idea more than once through the final communique and interventions by heads of state and government. They also sent thinly veiled messages to rogue states and countries flouting international law and norms. The summit urged the promotion of “peace, security, stability and prosperity” through “mutual respect” and “adherence to international law, including the UN Charter,” which means “good neighborliness” and respect for the independence, sovereignty, equality and territorial integrity of other states, as well as noninterference in their internal affairs. It also called for “refraining from the use of force, or the threat of use of force, and the settlement of differences or disputes by peaceful means.” These words and phrases were meant to address conflicts and disputes around the world by advocating a rules-based system centered on the UN.
Another historical irony is that it was the US that pushed for the establishment of ASEAN in 1967 to help stop the spread of communism, which had taken hold in China, Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. The organization played a critical role in containing the spread of communism and Chinese influence and deepened the US’ presence in Southeast Asia. Today, however, ASEAN includes communist governments among its member states. And although the bloc was meant to check China’s growing influence, they have now become each other’s top trading partner.
Although the three groups (the GCC, ASEAN and China) are equal in the new trilateral setup, China is effectively the senior partner because of its population, GDP, military power and permanent membership in the UN Security Council.
While the new grouping will bring China closer to the ASEAN and GCC, two blocs that are very close to the US, it would be a mistake to think that Beijing will “replace” the US as a security partner. What the ASEAN and GCC are doing is diversifying their strategic partnerships, while maintaining their close security partnership with the US. This diversification means that China may play a greater role in the security and stability of both the Gulf and Southeast Asia.
**Dr. Abdel Aziz Aluwaisheg is the GCC assistant secretary-general for political affairs and negotiation. The views expressed here are personal and do not necessarily represent those of the GCC. X: @abuhamad1

Where culture connects, understanding grows and diplomacy finds ground
Huda Al Khamis-Kanoo/Arab News/May 28, 2025
Ships at sea, planes in the sky, data streams everywhere — today’s world runs on exchange and motion. And while diplomacy has long been at the heart of such connections, it has a quiet, steadfast ally in culture. In creativity. In music and the arts. The power of this ally cannot be underestimated.
Where diplomacy proceeds with structure and codification, art and music move freely. Diplomatic talks are about agendas, treaties and converging or conflicting interests, while conversations between cultures allow us to share intent, perspective and emotion, entering where borders stand tall and speaking to hearts without the need for visas. In a world often defined by division, culture is a bridge, international cultural institutions are its architects and collaboration is its strongest foundation.
Some might view international cultural partnerships as symbolic gestures; acts of soft power staged in gallery halls, designed to entertain and amuse. But to frame them only as such is to miss their deeper truth, their deeper strength. These partnerships, often born quietly between curators, directors and foundations, complement structured diplomacy in ways that politics may not always achieve alone. They carry nuance and spirit, offering more than representation. They offer heart. Through their patient work, diplomats enable connection. But stories, music and art activate it: as we laugh, cry or are uplifted by each other’s art, not only can we meet, but we also want to meet.
As one of the region’s cultural pioneers, the Abu Dhabi Music and Arts Foundation has consistently led efforts to forge meaningful global partnerships. There is an art to shaping such collaborations. In order for artists and audiences to find growth in those partnerships, we not only seek out organizations that share our dedication to excellence but that are different enough from us too. This is so that our encounter and shared efforts produce new spaces and uncharted waters where artists, their art and audiences will find new conversations and new horizons.
Through their patient work, diplomats enable connection. But stories, music and art activate it.
This is exactly what the Abu Dhabi Music and Arts Foundation is executing with the Seoul Museum of Art through a three-year partnership, which began in 2024, to bring together the UAE and South Korea through their artists and institutions. They create more than co-curated exhibitions. They create shared spaces where cultural narratives overlap and blend yet also challenge and enrich one another. They act as platforms of mutual respect that transcend policy and protocol, in which culture is not a decorative aside, nor is it a space that allows vague and anecdotal connection. Quite the opposite.
Art’s role in building dialogue and trust is very practical and effective, because it brings alive the stories and feelings of other cultures. And because we think in stories as people, art — and the stories and emotions it conveys — brings our understanding of others to a deeper level and activates empathy. This is a very potent way to connect humans both as individuals and as part of a collective.
This historic partnership will bring contemporary Korean art to Abu Dhabi this summer and, later in the year, carry the voices of three generations of Emirati artists to Seoul in a conversation across two cultures. Opportunities to explore art from each other’s countries, indeed, but our partnership represents far more than this. Each meticulously co-curated exhibition draws from each country’s institutional collections to explore the distinct histories and cultural paradigms of their respective regions.
In presenting shared experiences alongside distinct perspectives, the exhibitions enable artistic dialogue and mutual understanding, as we have seen, but also cross-institutional, cross-cultural knowledge exchange. The very making of these exhibitions, the co-curation, the mutual exploration of each other’s craft and artistic references, even the logistics involved in making them happen are extremely potent enablers. At each international institutional collaboration we have, the Abu Dhabi Music and Arts Foundation comes out richer with new perspectives and new approaches to its support to artists. In other words, the point of international cultural partnerships is not just the end result. It is the process. Every international collaboration we have informs, challenges, reboots and refines our way of looking at art, culture and the artists and audiences that are at the center of what we do.
And then, of course, we have the wider constellation of artistic diplomacy in which such collaborations operate as a living ecosystem. There, ideas, stories and histories travel across time zones to meet in resonance, allowing culture to show its strength. This collaboration is a chorus of heritage, of questions and provocations and, in many ways, an engine of quiet support for transnational connection and diplomatic relations.
The outcomes of such exhibitions illuminate the interplay between local and global identities, while addressing the challenges of representing the complexities and fluid realities of a globalized world. Themes that echo across continents and generations. And yet, each piece bears the unmistakable mark of its origin: a desert wind, a coastal hum, the language of a city’s streets.
Through their patient work, diplomats enable connection. But stories, music and art activate it. This is the beauty of international institutional collaborations. They are not homogenizing forces, but harmonizing. They allow art to remain loyal to its roots while branching across cultures, finding new relevance and resonance. They ask the world to look again, and to listen differently. And it is this force, vibrating gently under diplomatic efforts, that creates the transformational impact.
I believe our beloved capital, Abu Dhabi, plays a key role, not just in cultural consumption but in leadership and connection. And in our creation of international institutional partnerships, we build platforms where our artists and musicians can share their talent on the world stage, while welcoming others to do the same here. These partnerships, these personifications of cultural diplomacy, are long-term investments in understanding — in the shared future of creativity and connection. They are the melody beneath the vocals provided by traditional diplomacy, supporting voices as they soar. Such collaborations strengthen not only our international ties, but also our cultural economy. They attract new audiences, spark new industries and nurture the next generation of creators. More importantly, they demonstrate that the Middle East can be both a custodian of tradition and a catalyst for global artistic innovation.
At a time when the world seems to be in constant negotiation, perhaps it is worth remembering that creativity, too, builds coalitions. International institutional collaborations offer something that formal conduits cannot always achieve on their own: emotional resonance, cultural humility and an enduring sense of shared humanity. Through art and music, we deepen diplomatic ties, not by strategy alone but by storytelling. We bring cities closer not just through policy but through poetry. We are proud to play a role in this evolving tapestry, helping to position the UAE as a shining example of how a country can lead not just economically or politically but also culturally. A country where creativity is a standard borne proudly and where the future of diplomacy includes the voices of its artists and musicians. In every brushstroke, every word, every note and every shared exhibition, we are quietly but powerfully creating the blueprints of a more connected world.
• Huda Al Khamis-Kanoo is the Founder of Abu Dhabi Music and Arts Foundation and Abu Dhabi Festival.

Gulf’s excess electricity exports fostering energy alliances
Zaid M. Belbagi/Arab News/May 28, 2025
The Gulf region’s move toward clean energy sources in recent years has been lauded by the international community. The region’s states are rapidly investing in renewable energy, particularly solar and wind, to diversify their economies and reduce their traditional reliance on fossil fuels. These initiatives not only meet domestic demand sustainably but also free up hydrocarbons and excess energy for export, in turn positioning the region as integral to the global clean energy transition.
Oil and gas have traditionally dominated the region’s exports, with Saudi Arabia being the largest exporter of oil worldwide. However, there has been an uptick in the export of surplus electricity by the Gulf states, in line with the region’s economic diversification and move away from hydrocarbon dependence. Although hydrocarbons continue to dominate the Gulf states’ export portfolios, renewable energy trade is a pillar of their long-term visions and they are increasingly investing in sustainable projects to achieve net-zero emissions targets.
As these projects bear fruit thanks to significant investments over recent years, the region is faced with excess sustainable energy supply, particularly during off-peak seasons. Using this opportunity, the Gulf states are expanding their export of surplus clean energy to markets with supply shortages or growing demand. Saudi Arabia and the UAE are at the forefront of this move, with the latter having nearly 50 percent spare capacity generation. In fact, the UAE’s clean energy capacity is expected to double by 2030. The region’s clean energy capacity will continue to grow given the ongoing investment in the sector. In Saudi Arabia, the NEOM project includes an $8.4 billion green hydrogen plant that aims to produce 650 tonnes daily. The UAE, through Masdar, is also at the forefront of sustainable development, producing green hydrogen for aviation fuel and shipping. Oman’s Hyport Duqm is one of the world’s largest gigawatt-scale green hydrogen projects.
Renewable energy trade is a pillar of the Gulf states’ long-term visions and they are increasingly investing in sustainable projects
In this context, the UAE is assessing the feasibility of linking its grid to India via a subsea cable. Saudi Arabia, on the other hand, will next month launch a 3 GW subsea high-voltage direct current connection to Egypt, while the Kingdom is similarly looking into a possible connection with India.
The shift toward Asian partners is not a coincidence — it is a strategic opportunity. Asia’s energy demand is increasing steadily, with the Asia-Pacific today accounting for more than 40 percent of global primary energy consumption. Amid geopolitical volatility and disruption in global supply chains due to US tariffs, the Gulf Cooperation Council has emerged as a reliable market and trade partner. Renewable energy sources, particularly solar and wind, are key to meeting the growing Asian demand.
By next month, India’s electricity demand is projected to peak at 273 GW, driven primarily by rising cooling needs during the summer. Similarly, China has the highest electricity needs globally at nearly 10,000 terawatt hours in 2024. This demand is growing by about 7 percent a year primarily due to strong industrial electricity consumption. The growing need for energy in these markets presents a valuable opportunity for the Gulf states, which are promptly stepping in to meet the demand.
European markets also have a growing appetite for alternative energy sources. Since the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, the EU has attempted to reduce its reliance on Russian energy. The Gulf states are playing a role in filling this gap, forging new partnerships with European partners like France, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands.
The UAE is exploring greater cooperation through opportunities such as a $1 billion renewable power subsea connection to link with Italy and Albania. It has also invested in Xlinks, a proposed pioneering power link between Morocco and the UK. And the region is exploring the potential of the Elmed link between Tunisia and Sicily to provide both Gulf and North African energy in EU markets.
Given the region’s established expertise in hydrocarbon trade, it has the necessary risk appetite for this new phase of exports
Over the last decade, the region has been preparing to face geopolitical disruptions and strategic risks. Shifts such as the rising energy demand in India and China, low oil prices, increased shale self-sufficiency in the US and Canada, Brexit, and regional conflicts have prompted Gulf states to expand their trade ties to bolster economic resilience. They have increasingly turned toward multipolar alliances to preserve their strategic autonomy. As traditional Western partners show signs of reduced engagement, the region is strengthening ties with other powers like China, India and the EU. They are capitalizing on their growing renewable energy capacity by positioning themselves as future exporters of electricity. Investments in solar and wind power, combined with advancements in grid connectivity and energy storage, are enabling the Gulf to generate surplus electricity. Given the region’s established expertise in hydrocarbon trade, it has the necessary risk appetite for this new phase of exports.
By developing transnational electricity grids and forging energy-sharing agreements, the Gulf states can manage their excess electricity supply and secure non-oil revenue streams. They aim not only to monetize their renewable resources but also to strengthen their geopolitical relevance in the global energy transition.
The export of excess electricity from the Gulf to the growing markets of Asia and Europe highlights the emergence of multipolar alliances and diversified trade partnerships. By linking their energy infrastructure with diversified territories, the Gulf states are reducing their dependence on traditional Western markets and deepening ties with markets with supply shortages. This is key to enhancing the region’s strategic autonomy, while positioning it as a significant player in the global energy transition.
Simultaneously, this transition is reforming the image of the region as oil-dependent, as global partners are realizing the Gulf’s value in other critical sectors.
**Zaid M. Belbagi is a political commentator and an adviser to private clients between London and the Gulf Cooperation Council. X: @Moulay_Zaid