English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For May 31/2025
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news

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Bible Quotations For today
In my Father’s house there are many dwelling-places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 14/01-06:”‘Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house there are many dwelling-places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also. And you know the way to the place where I am going.’ Thomas said to him, ‘Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?’Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on May 30-31/2025
Raiding the Home of Lebanese Writer and Journalist Wissam Saadeh and Confiscating His Cell Phone: A Rejected and Condemned Act of Terror/Elias Bejjani/May 29/2025
Ortagus to carry 'full package' of proposals to Lebanon
Presidential Palace Hosts High-Level Security Meeting on Palestinian Camp Disarmament
Overnight Israeli strikes target south and Bekaa in major escalation
Lebanese army dismantles Israeli spy device, removes barriers in southern Lebanon
Reconstruction loan may test Hezbollah’s stance on arms and rebuilding
Report: Hezbollah disarmament north of Litani likely to begin next week
Report: Hezbollah changed entire military and security structure after major blow
Berri voices support for UNIFIL after recent clashes with locals
Aoun holds security meeting on camps disarmament after 'excellent' talks with Berri
President Aoun Urges New Judicial Council Members to Uphold Integrity
Berri urges govt. to prioritize reconstruction, says 'will escalate if Salam escalates'
Can Lebanon turn olives into economic gold? Sector needs urgent reform
“Peace will Lead to Normalization”: Salam's Statement Fuel Controversy
PM Salam warns against misinterpretation of CNN interview
Between resistance and diplomacy: UNIFIL’s mandate under pressure amid Israeli objections and southern tensions
Pascal Sleiman’s case shakes Lebanese public amid new leads — what do investigators know?
Turkey Delivers Military and Medical Aid to Lebanese Army
The Cost of No Peace: What Lebanon Loses by Staying in a Perpetual State of 'Resistance'/Tara B. Moussallem/This is Beirut/May 30/2025
End of the ‘Change Movement’ Illusion/Johnny Kortbawi/This Is Beirut/May 30/2025
Israeli Intelligence Reportedly Aiding Lebanese Army in Dismantling Hezbollah
When Lies Become Weapons: How Disinformation and Hate Continue to Endanger Our Family/Zoya Amer Fakhoury/Amer Foundation/May 30/2025
UNIFIL’s Fork in the Road/Assaf Orion/The Washington Institute/May 30/2025

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on May 30-31/2025
Israel strikes western Syria, despite talks
Islamic State group claims first attack on Syrian government forces since Assad's fall
Syrian Kurdish commander in touch with Turkey, open to meeting Erdogan
Syrian minister says lifting of economic sanctions offers hope for recovery
Diplomats: West Plans to Push IAEA Board to Find Iran in Breach of Duties
Israel says Hamas must accept US-backed hostage deal 'or be annihilated'
Hamas says it is still reviewing a US proposal for a Gaza ceasefire
German minister says future arms deliveries to Israel depend on Gaza situation
Saudi foreign minister to make rare visit to West Bank, Palestinians say, as anger over Gaza grows
IDF deploys all standing army infantry and armored brigade to Gaza, local media report
Israel says it intercepted a missile from Yemen
Israel accuses France's Macron of 'crusade against the Jewish state'
France may toughen stance on Israel if it continues blocking Gaza aid, Macron says
The ruinous consequences for Israel and Gaza of Netanyahu’s endless war
Trump's threat to destroy Iran nuclear sites a clear red line - Fars News
Canada calls on Israel to abandon plans for new West Bank settlements
Sikh groups say Ottawa should not invite India's Modi to G7 summit

Titles For The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources on May 30-31/2025
The Druze chessboard between Syria and Israel/Ahmad Sharawi/FDD's Long War Journal/May 30/2025
U.S. Support for Iran’s Labor Strikes Is Long Overdue/Janatan Sayeh/FDD-Brief Policy/May 30/2025
Syria and Israel Are Finally Talking/Ahmad Sharawi/FDD-Brief Policy/May 30/2025
Egypt-Israel Military Ties: Washington Must Pay More Attention/Haisam Hassanein/The Jerusalem Strategic Tribune/May 30/2025
Setting Expectations with Syria on Countering the Islamic State/Devorah Margolin/The Washington Institute/May 30, 2025
‘Accelerated Cooperation’ Between U.S. Adversaries: New Report Warns/Lydia LaFavor/Ryan Brobst/Bradley Bowman/FDD-Brief Policy/May 30/2025
Why Is the Trump Administration Selling Weapons to the World's Leading State Sponsor of Terrorism?/Robert Williams/Gatestone Institute/May 30, 2025
Question: “What is the sin nature?”/GotQuestions.org/May 30/2025
Is The 1948 War Over? Yes and No/Hazem Saghieh/Asharq Al Awsat/May 30/2025

The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published  on May 30-31/2025
Raiding the Home of Lebanese Writer and Journalist Wissam Saadeh and Confiscating His Cell Phone: A Rejected and Condemned Act of Terror
Elias Bejjani/May 29/2025
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/05/143756/
Multiple social media outlets reported today that the home of Lebanese writer and journalist Wissam Saadeh was raided by security forces, and his mobile phone was confiscated, based on an order issued by Judge Fadi Akiki.
We affirm that this action is categorically rejected and strongly condemned, as it constitutes a direct assault on freedom of expression and the essential role of journalism in Lebanon.
This condut is, by all standards, an act of terror and a blatant violation of the fundamental rights guaranteed by the Lebanese Constitution, foremost among them freedom of the press and freedom of speech, which are sacred pillars in any sound democratic system.
Pursuing journalists and free voices—rather than holding corrupt officials and criminals accountable for dismantling the foundations of the state—reflects a deeply troubling decline in the priorities of Lebanon’s judicial and security institutions. Wissam Saadeh is a respected Lebanese writer, widely known for his intellect, integrity, and constructive critical thinking. This blatant judicial assault against him is not merely a personal attack—it is a warning to every free voice daring to speak the truth at a time when the criminal and terrorist grip of Iranian occupation, represented by the Hezbollah gang wholly loyal to the IRGC, is beginning to falter.
In defense of truth and the preservation of freedoms, we call on the Minister of Justice to put an immediate end to Judge Fadi Akiki’s abuses of power, and in fact, to hold him accountable for the many baseless accusations he has issued—and continues to issue—against writers, journalists, activists, and ordinary citizens, without legal justification.
We reaffirm that freedom of the press is not a matter of opinion—it is a cornerstone of national and democratic life. The continuation of this repressive approach, embodied by Judge Akiki and those behind him, will not intimidate the sovereign voices or silence the truth, but will further expose ongoing efforts to subjugate the nation of the Cedars to fear, suppression, and authoritarianism.
We demand an immediate end to such practices, and accountability for anyone who abuses judicial or security authority. We also express our full solidarity with writer and journalist Wissam Saadeh, and with every free voice that refuses to submit to the machinery of repression, terror, and the assault on fundamental freedoms.
Freedom of speech is a red line—and Lebanon can only be rebuilt on the foundations of liberty, dignity, and justice.

Ortagus to carry 'full package' of proposals to Lebanon
Naharnet/May 30/2025
U.S. Deputy Special Envoy for the Middle East Morgan Ortagus will arrive in Beirut next weekend carrying “a package of comprehensive proposals for resolving a number of thorny issues, topped by the files of the displaced Syrians and the Palestinian refugees,” Al-Jadeed TV said. Ortagus will also discuss “proposals related to reforms, border demarcation, the state’s control of the arms of Hezbollah and the Palestinian camps, the reconstruction file, and Lebanon joining Syria in the peace agreements with Israel,” the TV network added. “The U.S. proposals will be presented with a firm tone, with a specific deadline for Lebanon to implement what gets agreed on or be held responsible” for the consequences of failure, Al-Jadeed said.

Presidential Palace Hosts High-Level Security Meeting on Palestinian Camp Disarmament
This is Beirut/May 30/2025
A high-level security meeting at the Presidential Palace, chaired by President Joseph Aoun, focused on the mechanisms and measures required to enforce the agreement to disarm Palestinian camps, on May 30, 2025. ©Lebanese Presidency. A high-level security meeting was convened at the Presidential Palace on Friday to discuss the initial steps for implementing the withdrawal of weapons from Palestinian refugee camps across Lebanon – a move agreed upon during Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s recent visit to Beirut. The meeting, chaired by President Joseph Aoun, focused on the mechanisms and measures required to enforce the agreement aimed at enhancing security and stability in and around the camps. Discussions also addressed the broader security landscape in the country, with particular emphasis on the volatile situation in southern Lebanon. Officials reviewed ongoing challenges posed by repeated Israeli airstrikes, which continue to disrupt the Lebanese Army’s full deployment in the region.In attendance were Defense Minister Major General Michel Menassa, Army Commander General Rodolphe Haykal, Director of Intelligence Brigadier General Antoine Kahwaji and the President’s Security and Military Advisor, Brigadier General Antoine Mansour.

Overnight Israeli strikes target south and Bekaa in major escalation
Naharnet/May 30/2025
Israel carried out around 20 airstrikes overnight on areas in south and east Lebanon, claiming they contained Hezbollah sites and weapons. In the South, the strikes targeted the outskirts of the Sidon district towns of al-Bissariyeh, Bnaafoul and Qaaqaaiyet al-Snoubar, the Ras Mazeh heights in Iqlim al-Tuffah, the al-Rihan, al-Jabbour and al-Srayra areas in the Jezzine district, and the outskirts of Ramia in the Bint Jbeil district. Four Israeli airstrikes also targeted the outskirts of the Bekaa town of Shmestar. The Israeli army said it targeted “several military sites and terrorist infrastructure belonging to … Hezbollah throughout Lebanon.”“Among the targets targeted was terrorist infrastructure containing combat equipment in the Sidon area, which had recently witnessed Hezbollah attempts to rebuild after it had been bombed in the past,” the Israeli army added. “Hezbollah military sites in southern Lebanon were also targeted, containing missile platforms, which Hezbollah has been attempting to rebuild,” it said. It warned that “the presence of these combat means in the designated areas and the activities of Hezbollah elements therein constitute a flagrant violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon,” adding that it will “continue to operate to eliminate any threat” and “prevent any attempt by … Hezbollah to establish itself.”

Lebanese army dismantles Israeli spy device, removes barriers in southern Lebanon
LBCI/May 30/2025
The Lebanese army announced that its units continue engineering operations in Lebanon's south to remove Israeli violations. In a statement, the army said a specialized unit discovered and dismantled an Israeli spy device equipped with a camera, camouflaged in the Be'er Shuaib area near the town of Blida. The unit also removed 13 earthmounds recently erected by Israeli forces in the area. The army added that coordination with UNIFIL is ongoing to monitor the situation in the south, particularly in response to Israeli violations and aggressions.

Reconstruction loan may test Hezbollah’s stance on arms and rebuilding
LBCI/May 30/2025
Amid ongoing talk of a link between Hezbollah's disarmament and reconstruction, Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri said the responsibility for rebuilding lies squarely with the government, “whether it accepts it or not.”He emphasized that the reconstruction file must be placed at the top of the government's discussions with friendly and allied nations — effectively putting the ball in the government's court and awaiting a positive signal that could pave the way for serious talks with Hezbollah about disarmament. That signal could be the anticipated $250 million World Bank loan for reconstruction, which the bank's board is expected to approve on June 12. The state may use the loan as leverage to launch what it calls a "national strategy." The loan includes debris removal, rehabilitation, and infrastructure repairs — but only in densely populated areas. In other words, its impact will not reach the destroyed border towns and villages, except for road improvements. The link between reconstruction and disarmament is not spelled out in any official document, but it is clear elsewhere: all international and Arab statements related to reconstruction condition funding on the surrender of weapons and the dismantling of Hezbollah's military and security infrastructure — starting from south of the Litani River. These countries and international financial institutions are unwilling to fully engage in reconstruction efforts as long as the risk of war remains. So, if the state, backed by the loan, takes a genuine step toward reconstruction, will Hezbollah respond and prioritize it, as lawmaker Hassan Fadlallah recently said? Or will it maintain a hardline stance? The group insists that the implementation of the president's oath and the ministerial statement — covering Israeli withdrawal, the return of captives, and reconstruction — is a necessary condition before any discussion of its arms. Meanwhile, the international community views disarmament as a prerequisite for rebuilding the Lebanese state. Between these two positions — and unless authorities act swiftly — all of Lebanon is at risk.

Report: Hezbollah disarmament north of Litani likely to begin next week
Naharnet/May 30/2025
The Lebanese Army will likely begin removing Hezbollah’s weapons north of the Litani River next week, informed sources told the Nidaa al-Watan newspaper in remarks published Friday. The process will take place “without media coverage and in coordination with Hezbollah’s leaders,” the sources added. Diplomatic sources meanwhile told the daily that the looming nuclear agreement between Iran and the U.S. would “change the face of the region” and push Hezbollah to “officially declare the end of its project, seeing as it is still keeping the weapons as a pressure card in the hand of Iran, which does not want to give up its regional cards before declaring its nuclear agreement.”

Report: Hezbollah changed entire military and security structure after major blow
Naharnet/May 30/2025
Hezbollah changed “its entire military and security structure, from the Shoura Council to the lowest-ranking member,” after it was dealt a “major blow” during the latest war with Israel, a source close to Hezbollah said. The group “lost most of its military capabilities” due to the blow to its security apparatus, the source told Al-Arabiya’s Al-Hadath channel. “Hezbollah’s leadership became convinced that the old structure was totally exposed to Israel and that Israel fully knew how the structure was functioning,” the source added.
“Hezbollah minimized the sizes of its units to avoid being infiltrated,” the source said.

Berri voices support for UNIFIL after recent clashes with locals
Naharnet/May 30/2025
Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri voiced support for United Nations peacekeepers after recent clashes between the peacekeepers and locals in south Lebanon, the latest in the southern town of Yater. "I support the UNIFIL peacekeepers whether they are wrong or right. Locals, even if they are supporters of Amal or Hezbollah, should try not to overreact," Berri told local al-Joumhouria newspaper in remarks published Friday. "We know that Israel is against the UNIFIL's presence in south Lebanon and has targeted them many times. This alone is enough for us to support their presence," he said, adding that "their presence has also made a positive impact on the economy in southern villages."Clashes have increased in recent weeks, with residents insisting that any UNIFIL patrol should be accompanied by Lebanese Army troops. The U.N. mission was created to oversee the withdrawal of Israeli troops from southern Lebanon after Israel’s 1978 invasion and today UNIFIL operates in southern Lebanon at the request of the Lebanese government and under a mandate from the U.N. Security Council, but Hezbollah supporters in Lebanon frequently accuse the U.N. mission of collusion with Israel. Israel meanwhile accuses the peacekeepers of turning a blind eye to alleged Hezbollah military activities in southern Lebanon.

Aoun holds security meeting on camps disarmament after 'excellent' talks with Berri
Naharnet/May 30/2025
President Joseph Aoun held Friday a security meeting with the Minister of Defense, the Army Commander, and the Intelligence chief over the disarmament of Palestinian camps in Lebanon, which will start in mid-June in three Beirut camps. Aoun and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri had met earlier Friday at the Baabda Palace, in talks described by Berri as "excellent."A joint Lebanese-Palestinian committee met for the first time last week following an accord between Lebanese and Palestinian leaders on disarming Palestinian camps as Lebanon seeks to impose its authority on all its territory. The Lebanese and Palestinian sides agreed on starting a plan to remove weapons from the camps, beginning mid-June in the Beirut camps, and other camps will follow. Lebanon hosts about 222,000 Palestinian refugees, according to the United Nations agency UNRWA, many living in 12 overcrowded official camps.Most are descendants of Palestinians who fled or were expelled from their land during the creation of Israel in 1948.

President Aoun Urges New Judicial Council Members to Uphold Integrity
This is Beirut/May 30/2025
President Joseph Aoun issued a strong call for judicial independence and integrity on Friday. “Judges must be full partners in the fight against corruption and in upholding justice and the rule of law,” he stated. His remarks came during a ceremony held at the Presidential Palace, where three new members of Lebanon’s Higher Judicial Council officially took the oath of office before the president of the Republic. The ceremony was attended by Minister of Justice Adel Nassar and the President of the Supreme Judicial Council, Judge Souheil Abboud. President Aoun then urged the magistrates to “listen to their conscience, adhere to the law, and resist any form of pressure or intimidation.”The newly sworn-in members – Judges Nada Dakroub, Habib Rizkallah and Ghada Abu Krum – will now serve on the nation’s highest judicial body, tasked with overseeing the integrity and independence of the judiciary. The swearing-in follows the election of Judges Dakroub and Rizkallah on May 15, after a vote held at the Palace of Justice in Beirut. Elected ex officio by their peers, Judge Dakroub currently presides over the Eighth Chamber of the Court of Cassation, while Judge Rizkallah leads the Ninth Chamber. Both will serve a three-year term as stipulated by Lebanese law.

Berri urges govt. to prioritize reconstruction, says 'will escalate if Salam escalates'
Naharnet/May 30/2025
Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri seems to support ally Hezbollah in its cold war with Prime Minister Nawaf Salam. Salam, who vowed the state's monopoly on arms since his appointment, recently escalated his rhetoric saying that the era of "exporting the Iranian revolution has ended" and that the state "will not remain silent over any arms outside the state’s control". "The region has grown tired of Iranian-U.S. polarization," he said. Hezbollah MP Mohammad Raad responded criticizing Salam for recently omitting the word "Resistance" from the "Resistance and Liberation Day" holiday in one of his statements, but said he would not say more "to preserve what’s left of cordiality."Berri seemed to take Hezbollah's side, telling local al-Joumhouria newspaper, in remarks published Friday, that "if Salam escalates, we will escalate and if he chooses to calm things down, we will calm them down."Berri went on to say that it is the government's responsibility to prioritize the construction of war-hit regions, "whether it likes it or not." "It must be the first topic to discuss with sisterly countries, especially since Lebanon has begun strengthening its relations with the world." Salam had said that Lebanon, exhausted by divisions and wars, is returning to the Arab fold and will be open to the world.

Can Lebanon turn olives into economic gold? Sector needs urgent reform
LBCI/May 30/2025
Out of 169,000 farmers in Lebanon, 110,000 grow olives. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, the sector supports over 500 olive presses and 160 olive oil facilities. These numbers could increase—and benefit Lebanon more—if producers focus on improving quality. That is precisely what the Agriculture Ministry is working on through training workshops aimed at upgrading farmers’ skills and boosting production standards, helping Lebanese olive oil compete globally. The main focus is the U.S. market, Lebanon’s top olive oil importer, with exports valued at $7.3 million, followed by Canada and Qatar. That figure could rise further if Lebanon fully complies with U.S. quality standards. But can Lebanon scale up exports? The sector faces challenges. Production varies year to year; about 50% of olive trees are aging, farms are small, and agricultural methods remain largely traditional. The Agriculture Ministry has a plan to strengthen the sector, but it needs to act quickly to implement it, improve quality, increase output, and meet the expectations of international buyers.

“Peace will Lead to Normalization”: Salam's Statement Fuel Controversy
This is Beirut/May 30/2025
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam emphasized on Friday that any normalization of relations with Israel must be preceded by a just and comprehensive peace, following public backlash over comments he made in a CNN interview. During the interview, Salam was asked whether normalization could proceed without a clear path to Palestinian statehood. He dismissed the idea of separating normalization from the broader peace process. “I don’t like this idea of tracks,” he said. “I want to see a two-state solution and an Israeli withdrawal from the occupied territories in exchange for peace,” adding that “peace will lead to normalization.”The remarks, mainly the last one, sparked criticism from various quarters, prompting Salam to issue a clarification through his office later in the day. In a statement, the prime minister reaffirmed his commitment to the Arab Peace Initiative, adopted in Beirut in 2002, which calls for normalization with Israel only after the establishment of a Palestinian state. “The only acceptable peace is a just and comprehensive peace based on the Arab Peace Initiative, which is built on the two-state solution,” the statement read. Salam stressed that his position is “clear and does not bear interpretation or alteration,” and reaffirmed Lebanon’s adherence to long-standing Arab principles. Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri also weighed in on the controversy. He tried to justify Salam’s declaration, telling An-Nahar newspaper that the prime minister’s remarks on normalization referred to normalization “with the Arabs, not with Israel.”

PM Salam warns against misinterpretation of CNN interview
LBCI/May 30/2025
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam’s media office called on the public to watch his full interview with CNN, warning against selective clips being shared out of context on social media.
In response to what it described as deliberately edited segments, the office reiterated Salam’s position: the only acceptable peace is a just and comprehensive one based on the Arab Peace Initiative adopted in Beirut, which calls for a two-state solution.
The statement emphasized that Salam’s stance is clear and not subject to misinterpretation: Lebanon remains committed to Arab consensus, and normalization with Israel cannot precede the establishment of a Palestinian state—it cannot be reduced to agreeing on a "process."

Between resistance and diplomacy: UNIFIL’s mandate under pressure amid Israeli objections and southern tensions
LBCI/May 30/2025
UNIFIL forces in southern Lebanon are facing pressure from two fronts: Israel, which questions the mission’s continued relevance, and some residents who oppose the peacekeepers’ movements into towns without coordination with the Lebanese Army. Tensions have escalated over the past two weeks, prompting Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri to urge southerners to “avoid any mistakes with UNIFIL that could be used by those seeking to end its mission.”With exactly two months to go before the mandate renewal, the situation remains unclear. Tel Aviv is not in favor of UNIFIL’s continued presence and, at best, supports a drastic change to its mission—an approach backed by Washington. France, along with Italy and Spain, which contribute the largest number of troops, opposes any major changes to the mandate. Lebanon’s Foreign Ministry has launched a series of diplomatic contacts aimed at securing support for maintaining UNIFIL’s current mandate, troop levels, and funding. Beirut argues that this transitional period following the recent war requires UNIFIL’s continued cooperation with the Lebanese Army, particularly in mine clearance and in supporting civilians through social and economic development programs. Russia and China already backed Lebanon’s position. Beirut is also counting on support from France, which is seen as sympathetic. France holds the so-called “penholder” role on the U.N. Security Council for the UNIFIL file, meaning it drafts and negotiates relevant resolutions. The United Kingdom, for its part, remains somewhere between the French and American positions. A French diplomatic source told LBCI that the current context is not suitable for changing UNIFIL’s mandate. However, technical and operational adjustments may be introduced, which could potentially affect troop contributions from countries with smaller deployments. Budget constraints are also in focus, especially following the U.S. decision to reduce its funding to the United Nations. The source noted that coordination with Lebanon’s Foreign Ministry on the renewal process began weeks ago, and once Beirut presents its position paper, France is expected to lend its support. As the Israeli lobby moves swiftly to build momentum inside the United Nations, Lebanon is still preparing its proposal. But time is quickly running out for Beirut—pressure is mounting to act fast.

Pascal Sleiman’s case shakes Lebanese public amid new leads — what do investigators know?
LBCI/May 30/2025
In April 2024, a case shook Lebanese public opinion: Pascal Sleiman, the Lebanese Forces party official in Jbeil, was kidnapped, and his car was stolen in Haqel, in the Jbeil district, after his vehicle was intercepted by a gang. His body and car were later found in Syrian territory near the Lebanese border. Following news of the kidnapping and theft, security agencies began tracking leads in the case. The Lebanese army’s Intelligence Directorate arrested most members of the gang: Bilal Dello (whose wife is Nour Mahmoud Sleiman), Jaafar Mohammad Jahjah, Ismail Mohammad Jihad Mahfouz, as well as Mohammad Khaled, Nour Sleiman and Moujahed Ghazal. Testimonies from the detainees revealed that the gang specialized in stealing cars and selling them to a network in Syria, whose prominent member is Ahmad Noun. The vehicle used in the Sleiman operation had been stolen from Rabieh. According to the directorate’s investigation, there was no technical evidence that the gang had tracked or monitored Sleiman prior to the incident. Testimonies also indicated that the gang had attempted to steal two other cars shortly before targeting Sleiman’s. Statements further revealed that Dello, Firas Mimo, and Khaled beat Sleiman on the head, causing his death, according to the forensic report. More than a year later, a new development emerged: the Intelligence Directorate received the gang’s mastermind, Ahmad Noun, from Syrian authorities. During the investigation, Noun denied any prior knowledge of Sleiman or any intent to kill or kidnap him. Noun confessed to running a car theft operation and transporting vehicles into Syria through multiple associates, one of whom is known as Abou Karim.  After Sleiman’s car was stolen, Abou Karim contacted Noun and informed him that they had taken a luxury vehicle and brought its owner with it. He asked Noun to meet him at the border to receive the stolen vehicle. When the thieves arrived at the border, they went to Noun’s house, where they discovered that Sleiman had died. A verbal altercation broke out among the group, and they decided to dispose of the body in the Nasriyah area.

Turkey Delivers Military and Medical Aid to Lebanese Army
This is Beirut/May 30/2025
The Turkish government provided a significant donation of aerial equipment, military supplies and medical materials to the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF). The handover ceremony took place at the Port of Beirut, attended by Turkish Ambassador to Lebanon Murat Lutem, Turkish Military Attaché Lt. Col. Erdinc Durmaz and Brigadier General Imad Khreish, Deputy Chief of Staff for Equipment, representing LAF Commander General Rodolphe Haykal, along with several Lebanese officers. During the ceremony, Brigadier General Khreish read a letter of appreciation on behalf of the LAF Commander, expressing appreciation for Turkey's support during this critical period. He also presented Ambassador Lutem with a commemorative shield in recognition of his efforts.

The Cost of No Peace: What Lebanon Loses by Staying in a Perpetual State of 'Resistance'
Tara B. Moussallem/This is Beirut/May 30/2025
In Lebanon, the word “resistance” has long been romanticized—chanted in songs, woven into political slogans and wrapped in the symbolism of national pride. Yet, behind this idealized notion lies a sobering truth: Lebanon is a nation trapped in a permanent state of conflict, with its sovereignty and future held hostage by Hezbollah’s military agenda. The price of this endless war footing is steep and increasingly unbearable. The so-called “resistance” against Israel, led by Hezbollah, is no longer about liberation or defense. It is a strategic posture that serves the political survival of one party and the regional interests of its Iranian patron. And the consequences for Lebanon, both economically and politically, are devastating.
A War Economy Without the Economy
At the heart of the crisis is an economic collapse of historic proportions. Since 2019, Lebanon’s currency has lost over 95% of its value. Poverty now engulfs over 80% of the population. Entire sectors—banking, education and healthcare—have imploded. Yet, even amid this humanitarian disaster, Hezbollah continues to pour resources into military stockpiles, rocket arsenals and parallel state structures. These are not simply budgetary choices; they reflect a national priority that privileges “resistance” over reconstruction. While other nations in the region attract foreign investment, build tech ecosystems and secure energy partnerships, Lebanon remains a black hole for capital. Who would invest in a country whose southern border can erupt into war at any moment? Where infrastructure is targeted in retaliation for missile launches? Where no peace agreement is even on the horizon?
The Price of No Peace
Nowhere is the cost of Hezbollah’s intransigence more visible than in Lebanon’s inability to move toward peace with Israel. While Arab states, such as the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco and even Saudi Arabia, have taken diplomatic or economic steps toward normalization with Israel, Lebanon remains frozen in time, shackled to a conflict narrative that serves a militia, not a nation. A peace agreement with Israel would not only end the threat of full-scale war but would unlock massive economic potential. Lebanon could benefit from joint energy exploration, tourism, trade and regional infrastructure projects. Israel, with its thriving high-tech sector and newly discovered natural gas reserves, is no longer just a former enemy, it is an economic opportunity.
But Hezbollah’s presence makes such a prospect politically radioactive. The group thrives on enmity with Israel; peace would undermine its raison d’être. Therefore, Lebanon is forced to forgo the strategic benefits enjoyed by its Arab neighbors in order to protect the mythology of resistance. That is not patriotism, it is self-sabotage.
Political Paralysis: A Hijacked Republic
The deeper tragedy is that Hezbollah’s grip extends far beyond the military sphere. Its armed status allows it to paralyze the Lebanese political system. No president can be elected, no cabinet can govern and no reform can pass without Hezbollah’s consent. It wields a de facto veto over national decision-making, subordinating Lebanese sovereignty to the calculations of Tehran. This was most evident during the prolonged presidential vacuum following Michel Aoun’s departure. While Lebanon faced economic and institutional collapse, Hezbollah insisted on endorsing a candidate loyal to its axis, blocking consensus and deepening the national crisis. Even when disaster struck—as it did with the 2020 Beirut port explosion—Hezbollah ensured that justice was obstructed. Judges were threatened, investigations stalled and accountability buried. This is not resistance, it is the erosion of the rule of law.
Regional Isolation
Lebanon’s alignment with Hezbollah’s regional agenda has isolated it from its historic allies. Gulf states have withdrawn their ambassadors, reduced aid and expelled Lebanese workers. Saudi Arabia, once a major benefactor, has publicly condemned Hezbollah’s dominance and pulled back funding. The Arab world does not view Lebanon as a partner, but as an Iranian satellite. By contrast, countries that have taken steps toward peace with Israel have reaped tangible rewards—investments, joint ventures and expanded global partnerships. Lebanon, by contrast, is seen as a volatile outpost of Iranian influence rather than a sovereign state pursuing its national interest. Even Western support is conditional. While the international community offers humanitarian aid, structural financial assistance is contingent on reforms that Hezbollah is unwilling to allow, lest they undermine its entrenched power.
The Human Toll
However, the greatest cost is borne by ordinary Lebanese: the student who emigrates because there are no jobs, the family that endures blackouts and food insecurity, the farmer in the South whose land is now a militarized buffer zone, the young child growing up without any notion of peace—only sacrifice, slogans and fear. Hezbollah insists that resistance ensures dignity. But what dignity exists in hunger? In corruption? In endless war? The narrative has become hollow, its promise broken. What remains is a population trapped between regional geopolitics and local authoritarianism.
Toward a New National Vision
Lebanon must confront an uncomfortable but vital truth: resistance has become a trap. What once may have been a defensive necessity is now a political strategy that benefits one party at the expense of an entire nation. Peace with Israel is not surrender. It is an opportunity for stability, prosperity and reintegration into the Arab and global community. Lebanon deserves more than survival. It deserves sovereignty over its borders, policies, economy and future. That future cannot be built on perpetual conflict. It must be built on diplomacy, accountability and national unity.
The cost of no peace is too high. Lebanon can no longer afford to pay it.

End of the ‘Change Movement’ Illusion
Johnny Kortbawi/This Is Beirut/May 30/2025
There are many lessons to be drawn from the recent municipal elections held in Lebanon. While it's true that municipal contests in villages and small towns are often shaped by family ties and local dynamics and thus cannot be taken as clear indicators of parliamentary elections, the reality in major cities cannot be ignored – cities that witnessed overtly political electoral battles, from Tripoli to Jounieh, Jdeideh, Beirut, all the way to Saida and Tyre. But perhaps the most symbolic and telling outcome, with regard to the upcoming parliamentary elections, is the drastic downsizing of the so-called “Change MPs.” These MPs reached Parliament in the last elections with 13 seats, riding a wave of enthusiasm both in Lebanon and abroad. Since then, they have failed to make any notable breakthrough. Moreover, some of them couldn’t even run campaigns in their own hometowns without the backing of traditional political parties.
The Municipal Elections: A Reality Check for Change MPs From Zgharta to the Shouf and all the way to Beirut, the change movement’s MPs proved unable to mobilize even modest voter support. In Beirut, for example, their influence has shrunk from five parliamentary seats to an almost marginal role in shaping public opinion. To illustrate: in Beirut’s recent municipal elections, the “Beirut Madinati” list secured around 8,000 votes, divided between 1,500 in Beirut I and 6,000 in Beirut II. In practical terms, this amounts to barely half of the electoral threshold in Beirut II (where they had previously won three seats) and less than a quarter of a threshold in Beirut I (where they had secured two seats). While Beirut’s political dynamics remain heavily shaped by sectarian parity and broad party coalitions, a comparison with the previous municipal elections is nonetheless revealing. Back in 2016, the Beirut Madinati coalition – then led by current MP Ibrahim Mneimneh – garnered a far larger share of the vote. This year, however, support for that movement fell to roughly a quarter of its former level.
From Promise to Collapse: The Fall of the Change Movement
Faced with this electoral reality, Change MPs were forced to admit defeat. They expressed sadness and frustration, accusing their opponents of using financial resources, media influence and sectarian machinery against them – as if these forces hadn’t always been part of Lebanon’s political landscape.
But the truth they refuse to acknowledge is this: support for the change movement has plummeted to record lows – even before considering their catastrophic results in the South, where the Madinati-style lists barely reached 1% of the vote in areas like Nabatieh.
There are many reasons behind this collapse, and contrary to the Change MPs’ narrative, they have little to do with money, media or sectarianism. The root cause lies in their own underwhelming performance over the past three years in Parliament. Their priorities have ranged from symbolic gestures like focusing on a monk seal cave, to performative politics, such as sleeping in tents at Parliament while awaiting the election of a president. Internal divisions further weakened their position. Some members even drifted toward the Moumanaa Axis, with some Change MPs becoming more hardline in defending Hezbollah than Hezbollah’s own representatives. For many voters who had placed their hopes in change, what they witnessed was not transformation, but disappointment: empty slogans, petitions and political immaturity. No real legislative action, no meaningful committee work, and certainly no impactful laws passed. The recent municipal election results have exhausted whatever credibility remained of the so-called Change Forces. These results didn’t just defeat them – they exposed them. They have now shrunk back to their actual size, after having grown artificially large amid national crises and political vacuum.
In their rise, they demonized the entire state, without distinguishing between what was worth saving and what needed reform. They vilified all banks, with no nuance between the guilty and the innocent. They rejected all political opponents, failing to separate genuine reformers from the corrupt. Now, these forces have turned on themselves, caught in a spiral of disillusionment and decline. Escaping their current predicament no longer seems possible.

Israeli Intelligence Reportedly Aiding Lebanese Army in Dismantling Hezbollah
FDD-Brief Policy/May 30/2025
Latest Developments
LAF Destroying Hezbollah Infrastructure: The Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) is reportedly using Israeli intelligence to locate and destroy Hezbollah’s weapons stockpiles and military posts in southern Lebanon. Although not in direct contact with Israeli intelligence sources, the LAF receives its assessments via U.S. intermediaries, according to The Wall Street Journal. An Israeli military official said that the IDF has discerned several “areas where the Lebanese army is way more effective than expected.”
Nawaf Claims Most Objectives Achieved: Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam claimed that the government had met 80 percent of its goal in disarming the Iran-backed terrorist organization in southern Lebanon, with plans for further disarmament throughout Lebanon. “All over the Lebanese territory, the state should have a monopoly on arms,” Nawaf said. As part of a November 2024 ceasefire deal with Israel, the LAF was tasked with enforcing Hezbollah’s complete dismantlement in southern Lebanon.
Israeli Strikes Continue: Israel has conducted near-daily airstrikes in Lebanon targeting remaining Hezbollah fighters or infrastructure. On May 29, the IDF eliminated a Hezbollah terrorist working to restore a site used to manage Hezbollah’s fire and defense system, which the IDF had struck multiple times earlier. “The campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon is not over,” IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir said. “We will pursue it and continue to weaken it until its collapse.”
FDD Expert Analysis
“There is no direct intelligence sharing or coordination between Israel and LAF. The IDF gives the ceasefire oversight committee intelligence regarding Hezbollah activities or positions violating the ceasefire. The committee then passes this information to the LAF, which has 72 hours to act. If the LAF doesn’t act, then Israel does. The frequency of Israeli strikes and activities in Lebanon demonstrates that the LAF’s activity, while an improvement over the abysmal standards of the past, remains wanting. The LAF appears to be taking over Hezbollah positions previously struck by Israel and, according to Israeli security sources, only with Hezbollah’s prior permission. Meanwhile, credible reporting and post-strike IDF statements have highlighted Hezbollah’s ongoing efforts to reconstitute its forces and presence in south Lebanon.” — David Daoud, Senior Fellow
“The LAF — a military funded by foreign assistance, tasked with controlling a long and porous border with Syria, an airport, and two seaports, in addition to performing domestic policing tasks — is still in the process of becoming the army of a sovereign state. It is certainly moving in the right direction, albeit at a pace much slower than many would like.” — Hussain Abdul-Hussain, Research Fellow
FDD Background and Analysis
“Israeli operations in Lebanon against Hezbollah: May 19–May 25, 2025,” by David Daoud
“Naim Qassem encourages voting in upcoming Lebanese municipal elections,” by David Daoud
“Israeli Air Strikes Target Hezbollah Infrastructure in Southern Lebanon,” FDD Flash Brief
“Hezbollah to Aoun: Bring It On!” by Hussain Abdul-Hussain

When Lies Become Weapons: How Disinformation and Hate Continue to Endanger Our Family
Zoya Amer Fakhoury/Amer Foundation/May 30/2025
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/05/143772/
It has been five years since Hezbollah unjustly detained Amer Fakhoury, in Lebanon—a trauma that forever changed my family. During those dark days, we faced not only the agony of his imprisonment but also a relentless wave of threats and hate from Hezbollah supporters. We were told we deserved to die next, that a bullet to the head was all that awaited us. The pain of losing our father was compounded by the cruelty of strangers who turned our suffering into a spectacle.
A few weeks ago, we finally achieved a measure of justice: a US court ruled that Amer Fakhoury was, in fact, held hostage by Hezbollah in Lebanon, and that the Iranian regime was responsible for this injustice. The truth has been established—Amer Fakhoury was a victim, not a criminal.
This week, something remarkable happened. The very prosecutor from Lebanon who presided over Amer’s case went on national television and spoke the truth we have always known: Amer Fakhoury was unjustly detained, his reputation was assassinated by Hezbollah’s smear campaign, and the Lebanese government—fully controlled by Hezbollah at the time—was complicit in his suffering.
And yet, instead of bringing closure, this truth unleashed another round of hate. A Lebanese news station, Al-Mahatta, released a YouTube video packed with lies: that Amer had an Israeli citizenship, that he was a notorious criminal, that he was “the butcher of Khiam.” All blatant fabrications. Before 2019, almost no one even knew Amer Fakhoury’s name.
The video was designed for one purpose—to rile up Hezbollah supporters. And it worked. My family was once again inundated with threats and abuse, this time amplified by social media.
To make matters worse, so-called journalists like Hassan Illiak used US-based platforms like X (formerly Twitter) and YouTube to spread these lies, knowing full well they had been disproven in court. Their posts triggered another avalanche of hate and threats against my family.
How is this possible?
How can individuals and media outlets, with a history of inciting violence and spreading hate, be allowed to weaponize US social media platforms? How can lies—proven false in a court of law—be given a megaphone to endanger the lives of innocent people?
We need to do more. Misinformation and hate like this do not just stay online—they have real-world consequences. Every time these lies are spread, they not only tarnish my father’s legacy but also put our family at real risk. There are Hezbollah supporters living in the United States who could be incited by this rhetoric. We have even received disgusting calls to our family restaurant in the past. The failure to address and remove such dangerous misinformation doesn’t just fail my family; it fails the safety and integrity of our entire community. Are we waiting for someone to get hurt before change happens?
This isn’t just about our story. It’s about every family who is targeted by smear campaigns, every victim of disinformation, and every person who feels voiceless in the face of relentless hate. The responsibility lies with social networks and all of us to push for stronger action against those who use these platforms to endanger and intimidate others.
We will continue to speak the truth about Amer Fakhoury. We will not be silenced by hate, intimidation, or lies. But we are calling on US platforms—X, YouTube, and others—to take a stand. Remove the content that incites violence and spreads disinformation. Protect families from targeted harassment. Hold accountable those who use your platforms to endanger others. We also call on the U.S. State Department to speak publicly about the ongoing disinformation and threats we continue to face, and to work with us to ensure that American families are protected from foreign-backed smear campaigns and intimidation—even here on U.S. soil. In a world where lies can spread faster than truth, our government must do more to defend its citizens and uphold justice.
Until then, we will keep fighting—for justice, for truth, and for Amer’s legacy.

UNIFIL’s Fork in the Road
Assaf Orion/The Washington Institute/May 30/2025
The time for inertia is over—this summer, Security Council members will have a rare and urgent chance to break the spell of illusory “peacekeeping” and advance a model that actually helps keep the peace between Israel and Lebanon.
In August, Security Council members will once again debate renewing the mandate for the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). Given the dramatic changes inside Lebanon, this discussion must not lead to just another unmodified extension that follows the well-worn path of diplomatic convenience, operational irrelevance, and strategic failure. The time has come for UNIFIL to either adapt or disband.
Months of War Produce a New Security Architecture
On October 8, 2023—one day after the Hamas-led massacre across the Gaza border—Hezbollah began its own campaign of large-scale attacks on Israel. The ensuing thirteen months of war devastated both sides of the Blue Line separating Israel and Lebanon, exposing UNIFIL’s limitations in the process. Then, Israel’s autumn 2024 offensive decimated Hezbollah’s personnel and armaments, leading to a November 27 ceasefire backed by a U.S.-led international monitoring and enforcement mechanism that included Israel, Lebanon, and France.
In early 2025, Lebanon’s newly elected president, Joseph Aoun, declared a government monopoly on arms as national policy. Afterward, with support from the enforcement mechanism and UNIFIL, the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) deployed to the south and began dismantling Hezbollah positions, apparently with the group’s tacit consent. Once Hezbollah’s near-border infrastructure was thoroughly destroyed, the Israel Defense Forces gradually withdrew from all but five outposts on Lebanon’s side of the frontier, though IDF air units continued to strike the group. About 170 Hezbollah members have been killed since the ceasefire; so far, the group has refrained from striking back. Lebanon also initiated the disarmament of local Palestinian militias through dialogue with the Palestinian Authority and Hamas. These developments have reshaped the security landscape and created rare momentum for enforcing UN Security Council Resolutions 1701 (2006) and 1559 (2004), which sought to reinforce Lebanese sovereignty by rolling back Hezbollah’s presence in the south and, ultimately, disarming militias nationwide.
The security regime established after the 2006 war relied on the Lebanese government and LAF to prevent another war with UNIFIL support. Over the years, however, Hezbollah rebuffed each of these actors and neutralized this system. The latest war has led to a new security architecture that once again leans on the LAF with backing from UNIFIL—but this time augmented by pivotal U.S. monitoring and aggressive Israeli military enforcement against Hezbollah violations.
Combining diplomatic efforts and U.S. Central Command leadership, the American role has energized the LAF and allowed for greatly enhanced Israeli-Lebanese communications, while UNIFIL’s role as a mediating force has been diminished. As of late April, the LAF reported that it had raided more than 500 Hezbollah positions and dismantled more than 90 percent of the group’s southern infrastructure. By mid-May, UNIFIL reported that peacekeepers had found more than 225 weapons caches and referred them to the LAF. Yet Israel is not buying the narrative of increased UNIFIL efficacy, concluding that any progress made by the organization has been negligible and that, in fact, the force is beyond repair.
Known Shortcomings, Strategic Alternatives
Achronic problem for UNIFIL is the strategic mismatch between its stated mission, mandate, size, and modus operandi. Even as Resolution 1701 expanded the force sixfold to compensate for the LAF’s capacity shortages at the time, Beirut and the UN lacked the political will to confront Hezbollah’s massive military deployments south of the Litani River. For years thereafter and until the present time, UNIFIL’s thousands of patrols proved futile—blocked from accessing sensitive areas and drawing harassment from Hezbollah and its supporters, who effectively operated with impunity. And despite having so many eyes on the ground, UNIFIL completely misrepresented Hezbollah’s vast buildup in the force’s area of responsibility, issuing reports that created a false impression of serious international monitoring, helped successive Lebanese governments evade their commitments, and masked the gathering storm.
When war broke out in October 2023, UNIFIL’s 10,000 peacekeepers remained in their positions to no perceivable benefit, serving instead as a shield for Hezbollah while endangering themselves and the IDF. Later, UNIFIL suspended all but critical supply missions, allowing it to express public pride in the dubious achievement of “staying throughout the conflict.” Yet testimonies of captured Hezbollah fighters indicate that the organization has bribed peacekeepers and used their positions and equipment against Israel.
Today, UNIFIL remains a generally ineffective entity with an inflated $500 million annual budget and bloated force size doing too little of value (epitomized by troops engaging in activities far outside their mandate, like vaccinating livestock). Even so, it has shown some mission-worthy elements over the years. Most important, it served as a liaison and helped mitigate friction between the LAF and IDF, particularly via the tripartite meetings it hosted after 2006 (though these ended during the latest war and were ultimately supplanted by the U.S.-led enforcement mechanism). UNIFIL also occasionally stepped in to prevent unwarranted escalation along the border before the war.
In light of this background, the Security Council’s mandate renewal discussions this August will boil down to three choices:
Extend UNIFIL’s mandate unchanged: Beirut seems to prefer this route, and some permanent council members may endorse it, so this default option will once again win out unless the United States makes a determined diplomatic effort to revise or veto it. Yet continuing this broken approach would only perpetuate UNIFIL’s shortcomings and cost-ineffectiveness while ignoring its two decades of failure—and, crucially, missing new strategic opportunities created by the war.
Forge a “UNIFIL 3.0”: By sharply realigning UNIFIL's mandate and structure, council members could optimize the force’s advantages in the new environment and its general effectiveness. Over the years, UNIFIL’s size has been as small as 2,000 troops before ballooning to a high of 12,500 during the “UNIFIL 2.0” era after the 2006 war, then settling to around 10,000. Today, it can be safely rightsized to 2,500 troops at most, with conditional adjustments made over time as needed. Some of the funds and resources saved by this approach could then be reallocated directly to the LAF. Such a course correction would require serious diplomatic heft but is well worth the effort given the potential strategic and operational benefits.
End the mission: UNIFIL is, by definition, an interim force, and now that Lebanon’s government and army seem intent on assuming responsibility and implementing Resolution 1701, officials should seriously consider ending the mission altogether, as Israel is currently seeking to do. Even if Beirut fails to honor its commitments or Washington ends its role in the monitoring mechanism, UNIFIL’s absence would still have only a marginal impact, and alternatives could be found (e.g., using the UN Truce Supervision Organization’s observers and liaison capabilities).
Policy Recommendations
Because no military effort can permanently roll back Hezbollah without sufficient political space, the Lebanese government’s commitment to establishing and maintaining a monopoly on arms is indispensable to the success of any UN peacekeeping plans. The LAF is the cornerstone of Lebanon’s present and future security architecture, so it should take the lead while UNIFIL phases down. Member states should support Beirut and the LAF as long as they uphold their ceasefire commitments.
The default move of renewing UNIFIL’s mandate unchanged is no longer an option, as Israel will never accept a return to the pre-October 7 status quo along its northern border. Terminating UNIFIL’s mission altogether and diverting its resources to the LAF is perhaps the best option, but that may not be diplomatically feasible. Given the security realities on the ground and political realities at the UN, one possible way ahead is for the United States and Israel to push for the “UNIFIL 3.0” alternative, hopefully with support from France, Lebanon, and the United Kingdom.
If UNIFIL's mission continues, authorities need to make sure the following changes are implemented:
The force’s mandate, size, and capabilities must be sharply realigned with a focus on mission-critical components, namely: command, control, and liaison functions; improved situational awareness inside Lebanon through a stronger military observer unit and an independent intelligence system with no local Lebanese members; a quick reaction force (up to two battalions); a small security force; and useful professional units (e.g., explosive ordnance disposal teams) as long as they are needed.
The Lebanese government must officially demand that UNIFIL implement Resolution 1701 and the current ceasefire agreement by proactively and independently preventing nongovernmental entities from possessing or using weapons in south Lebanon. This would support Beirut’s wider effort to disarm Hezbollah throughout the entire country per Resolution 1559.
Lebanon must enforce UNIFIL’s freedom of access to any relevant location, removing all existing restrictions that have prevented the force from entering or even monitoring many Hezbollah sites (e.g., LAF-defined “private properties,” “narrow roads,” and “areas of strategic importance”). This means authorizing joint UNIFIL-LAF inspections in areas of high interest as well as unaccompanied UNIFIL patrols to independently destroy prohibited weapons when found.
Lebanon must fulfill its duty as a host country by quickly apprehending and prosecuting suspects who attack UNIFIL personnel, putting an end to years of delayed justice in response to Hezbollah harassment and violence.
UNIFIL’s mandate, size, and missions should be reviewed every six months instead of once a year, enabling officials to better adjust it based on shifting realities in Lebanon.
UN reporting must increase in quality and frequency to faithfully reflect the situation on the ground, detailing UNIFIL’s real operational footprint and the exact places where it has been denied access. Greater use of professional military observers should be a priority, emphasizing systematic visual, geographical, and data-driven reporting.
The effective, proactive U.S. role in shaping the new security environment should be maintained.
Israel, not UNIFIL, should continue to serve as the military backstop for enforcing the ceasefire, indirectly helping the Lebanese government on its road to sovereignty. Jerusalem could also help the new leadership gain traction by releasing some Lebanese prisoners and considering the gradual handover of remaining cross-border outposts if Beirut provides strong guarantees that it will never again threaten Israel.
Alongside these changes, Israel should join with Washington in exploring the next steps in its bilateral relations with Lebanon, including border talks, more robust security arrangements, a permanent ceasefire, and the bright horizon of a formal, lasting peace. Yet this will require breaking with past practice and shaping a UN peacekeeping force that is fit for purpose. The profound changes in Lebanon have made the political, operational, and financial costs of preserving an oversized, ineffective mission unsustainable. The UNIFIL 3.0 alternative offers a pragmatic path forward: leaner, smarter, and more integrated with the new ceasefire mechanism. Getting there will require political will, coordinated diplomacy, and a readiness to block another default renewal or, if necessary, end the mission.
**Brig. Gen. Assaf Orion, IDF (Res.), is The Washington Institute’s Rueven International Fellow, a senior research fellow at the INSS, and former head of the IDF Strategic Planning Division, where he led the liaison with UNIFIL and the LAF.

The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on May 30-31/2025
Israel strikes western Syria, despite talks
AFP/May 30, 2025
DAMASCUS: Israel on Friday struck western Syria, the Israeli military and Syrian state media said, in the first such attack on the country in nearly a month. It came after Damascus announced earlier this month indirect talks with Israel to calm tensions, and the US called for a “non-aggression agreement” between the two countries, which are technically at war. “A strike from Israeli occupation aircraft targeted sites close to the village of Zama in the Jableh countryside south of Latakia,” state television said. The Israeli military shortly thereafter said it “struck weapon storage facilities containing coastal missiles that posed a threat to international and Israeli maritime freedom of navigation, in the Latakia area of Syria.”“In addition, components of surface-to-air missiles were struck in the area of Latakia,” it said, adding that it would “continue to operate to maintain freedom of action in the region, in order to carry out its missions and will act to remove any threat to the State of Israel and its citizens.”The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights meanwhile reported that jets likely to be Israeli struck military sides on the outskirts of Tartus and Latakia.Syria and Israel have technically been at war since 1948. Israel seized the Golan Heights from Syria in 1967 and has carried out hundreds of strikes and several incursions since the overthrow of Bashar Assad in December. Israel says its strikes aim to stop advanced weapons reaching Syria’s new authorities, whom it considers jihadists.

Islamic State group claims first attack on Syrian government forces since Assad's fall
Bassem Mroue/The Associated Press/May 30, 2025
BEIRUT — The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for two attacks in southern Syria, including one on government forces that an opposition war monitor described as the first on the Syrian army to be carried out by the extremists since the fall of Bashar Assad. IS said in a statement on Thursday that in one attack, a bomb targeting a “vehicle of the apostate regime" detonated, leaving seven soldiers dead or wounded. It said the attack occurred “last Thursday,” or May 22, in the al-Safa area in the desert of the southern province of Sweida. In a separate statement, the group said another bomb attack occurred this week in a nearby area, targeting members of the U.S.-backed Free Syrian Army. It claimed that it killed one fighter and wounded three. There was no comment from the government on the claims. A spokesperson for the Free Syrian Army didn't immediately respond to a request for comment by The Associated Press. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the attack on government forces killed one civilian and wounded three soldiers, describing it as the first such attack to be claimed by IS against Syrian forces since the 54-year rule by the Assad family ended in December. IS, which once controlled large parts of Syria and Iraq, is opposed to the new authority in Damascus led by President Ahmad al-Sharaa, who was once the head of al-Qaida’s branch in Syria and fought battles against IS. Over the past several months, IS has claimed responsibility for attacks against the U.S.-backed and Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces in the northeast. IS was defeated in Syria in March 2019 when SDF fighters captured the last sliver of land that the extremists controlled. Since then, its sleeper cells have carried out deadly attacks, mainly in eastern and northeast Syria. In January, state media reported that intelligence officials in Syria’s post-Assad government thwarted a plan by IS to set off a bomb at a Shiite Muslim shrine south of Damascus. Al-Sharaa met with U.S. President Donald Trump in Saudi Arabia earlier this month, when the American leader said that Washington would work on lifting crippling economic sanctions imposed on Damascus since the days of Assad. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement after the meeting that Trump urged al-Sharaa to diplomatically recognize Israel, “tell all foreign terrorists to leave Syria” and help the U.S. stop any resurgence of the Islamic State group.

Syrian Kurdish commander in touch with Turkey, open to meeting Erdogan
Maya Gebeily/Reuters/May 30, 2025
BEIRUT -The commander of Kurdish forces that control northeast Syria said on Friday that his group is in direct contact with Turkey and that he would be open to improving ties, including by meeting Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan. The public comments represented a significant diplomatic overture by Mazloum Abdi, whose Syrian Democratic Forces fought Turkish troops and Ankara-backed Syrian rebels during Syria's 14-year civil war. Turkey has said the main Kurdish group at the core of the SDF is indistinguishable from the militant Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which decided earlier this month to disband after 40 years of conflict with Turkey. Abdi told regional broadcaster Shams TV in an interview aired on Friday that his group was in touch with Turkey, without saying how long the communication channels had been open. "We have direct ties, direct channels of communication with Turkey, as well as through mediators, and we hope that these ties are developed," Abdi said. There was no immediate comment from Turkey. He noted his forces and Turkish fighters "fought long wars against each other" but that a temporary truce had brought a halt to those clashes for the last two months. Abdi said he hoped the truce could become permanent. When asked whether he was planning to meet Erdogan, Abdi said he had no current plans to do so but "I am not opposed... We are not in a state of war with Turkey and in the future, ties could be developed between us. We're open to this."The Al-Monitor news website reported on Friday that Turkey had proposed a meeting between Abdi and a top Turkish official, possibly Turkey's foreign minister or its intelligence chief. In December, Turkey and the SDF agreed on a U.S.-mediated ceasefire after fighting broke out as rebel groups advanced on Damascus and overthrew Bashar al-Assad. Abdi in March signed a deal with Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa to incorporate the semi-autonomous administration of northeast Syria into the main state institutions based in Damascus. On Thursday, Erdogan accused the SDF of "stalling" implementation of that deal. In the interview, Abdi denied accusations that the SDF was in contact with Israel. "People have accused us of this. In this interview, I am saying publicly that we have no ties with Israel," he said. But he said his group supported good ties with Syria's neighbours. When asked if that included Israel, Abdi responded, "with everyone."

Syrian minister says lifting of economic sanctions offers hope for recovery
AP/May 30, 2025
DAMASCUS: The lifting of economic sanctions on the Syrian Arab Republic will allow the government to begin work on daunting tasks that include fighting corruption and bringing millions of refugees home, Hind Kabawat, the minister of social affairs and labor, told The Associated Press on Friday. Kabawat is the only woman and the only Christian in the 23-member cabinet formed in March to steer the country during a transitional period after the ouster of former President Bashar Assad in December. Her portfolio will be one of the most important as the country begins rebuilding after nearly 14 years of civil war.
She said moves by the US and the EU in the past week to at least temporarily lift most of the sanctions that had been imposed on Syria over the decades will allow that work to get started. Before, she said, “we would talk, we would make plans, but nothing could happen on the ground because sanctions were holding everything up and restricting our work.”With the lifting of sanctions, they can move to “implementation.”One of the first programs the new government is planning to launch is “temporary schools” for the children of refugees and internally displaced people returning to their home areas.
Kabawat said that it will take time for the easing of sanctions to show effects on the ground, particularly since unwinding some of the financial restrictions will involve complicated bureaucracy. “We are going step by step,” she said.
“We are not saying that anything is easy — we have many challenges — but we can’t be pessimistic. We need to be optimistic.”The new government’s vision is “that we don’t want either food baskets or tents after five years,” Kabawat said, referring to the country’s dependence on humanitarian aid and many displacement camps. That may be an ambitious target, given that 90 percent of the country’s population currently lives below the poverty line, according to the UN. The civil war that began in 2011 also displaced half the country’s pre-war population of 23 million people. The UN’s refugee agency, UNHCR, estimates that about half a million have returned to Syria since Assad was ousted. But the dire economic situation and battered infrastructure have also dissuaded many refugees from coming back. The widespread poverty also fed into a culture of public corruption that developed in the Assad era, including solicitation of bribes by public employees and shakedowns by security forces at checkpoints. Syria’s new leaders have pledged to end corruption, but they face an uphill battle. Public employees make salaries far below the cost of living, and the new government has so far been unable to make good on a promise to hike public sector wages by 400 percent. “How can I fight corruption if the monthly salary is $40 and that is not enough to buy food for 10 days?” Kabawat asked. Syria’s new rulers, led by President Ahmad Al-Sharaa, have been under scrutiny by Western countries over the treatment of Syrian women and religious minorities. In March, clashes between government security forces and pro-Assad armed groups spiraled into sectarian revenge attacks on members of the Alawite sect to which Assad belongs. Hundreds of civilians were killed.
The government formed a committee to investigate the attacks, which has not yet reported its findings. Many also criticized the transitional government as giving only token representation to women and minorities. Apart from Kabawat, the Cabinet includes only one member each from the Druze and Alawite sects and one Kurd. “Everywhere I travel … the first and last question is, ‘What is the situation of the minorities?’” Kabawat said. “I can understand the worries of the West about the minorities, but they should also be worried about Syrian men and women as a whole.”
She said the international community’s priority should be to help Syria build its economy and avoid the country falling into “chaos.”Despite being the only woman in the Cabinet, Kabawat said “now there is a greater opportunity for women” than under Assad and that “today there is no committee being formed that does not have women in it.”“Syrian women have suffered a lot in these 14 years and worked in all areas,” she said. “All Syrian men and women need to have a role in rebuilding our institutions.”She called for those wary of President Al-Sharaa to give him a chance.
The West has warmed to the new president — particularly after his recent high-profile meeting with US President Donald Trump.

Diplomats: West Plans to Push IAEA Board to Find Iran in Breach of Duties
Asharq Al Awsat/May 30/2025
Western powers are preparing to push the UN nuclear watchdog's board at its next quarterly meeting to declare Iran in breach of its non-proliferation obligations for the first time in almost 20 years, a move bound to enrage Tehran, diplomats said. The step is likely to further complicate talks between the United States and Iran aimed at imposing fresh restrictions on Iran's rapidly advancing nuclear program.Washington and its European allies Britain, France and Germany, known as the E3, proposed past resolutions adopted by the International Atomic Energy Agency's 35-nation Board of Governors calling on Iran to quickly take steps such as explain uranium traces the IAEA found at undeclared sites. The IAEA is preparing to send member states its quarterly reports on Iran before the next board meeting, which begins on June 9. One of those will be a longer, "comprehensive" account of issues including Iran's cooperation, as demanded by a board resolution in November, and diplomats expect it to be damning. "We expect the comprehensive report to be tough, but there were already no doubts over Iran not keeping its non-proliferation commitments," one European official told Reuters. Once that report is issued, the United States will draft a proposed resolution text declaring Iran in breach of its so-called safeguards obligations, three diplomats said. A fourth said the Western powers were preparing a draft resolution without going into specifics. The text will be discussed with countries on the board in coming days before being formally submitted to the board by the four Western powers during the quarterly meeting as has happened with previous resolutions, diplomats said.
SECURITY COUNCIL
The last time the board took the step of formally declaring Iran in breach of its safeguards obligations was in September 2005 as part of a diplomatic standoff that stemmed from the discovery of clandestine nuclear activities in Iran. The United States and IAEA now believe Iran had a secret, coordinated nuclear weapons program that it halted in 2003. Iran denies ever having had a weapons program and says it is only using nuclear technology for peaceful purposes. A separate IAEA board resolution passed in February 2006 referred Iran's non-compliance to the UN Security Council, which later imposed sanctions on Iran. The diplomats said it had not yet been determined at what point the Western powers would seek to have the matter referred to the Security Council, and it is unclear what action if any the Security Council would then take against Iran. The most immediate effect of a resolution is likely to be on Tehran's talks with the United States and any further nuclear steps Iran decides to take on the ground. The board has passed all recent resolutions proposed by the Western powers on Iran, and there is little doubt that this one would go through as well. The only question is how large the majority would be. Russia and China have been the only countries to consistently oppose such resolutions. Iran bristles at resolutions and other criticism of it at the IAEA board, taking steps such as accelerating and expanding its uranium enrichment program or barring top IAEA inspectors. It is already enriching uranium to up to 60% purity, which can easily be further enriched to the roughly 90% of weapons grade. It has enough material at that level, if enriched further, for six nuclear weapons, according to an IAEA yardstick.

Israel says Hamas must accept US-backed hostage deal 'or be annihilated'
AFP/May 30/2025
Israel's defense minister warned Hamas on Friday to accept a ceasefire proposal submitted by U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff "or be annihilated" after the group said the deal failed to satisfy its demands.In a statement, Defense Minister Israel Katz said the military was acting in Gaza "with full force," adding: "The Hamas murderers will now be forced to choose: accept the terms of the 'Witkoff Deal' for the release of the hostages -- or be annihilated."

Hamas says it is still reviewing a US proposal for a Gaza ceasefire
Abdel Kareem Hana And Bassem Mroue/The Associated Press/May 30, 2025
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Hamas said Friday it was still reviewing a U.S. proposal for a temporary ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, where 27 people were killed in new Israeli airstrikes, according to hospital officials. The ceasefire plan, which has been approved by Israeli officials, won a cool initial reaction Thursday from the militant group. But President Donald Trump said Friday negotiators were nearing a deal. “They’re very close to an agreement on Gaza, and we’ll let you know about it during the day or maybe tomorrow,” Trump told reporters in Washington. U.S. negotiators have not publicized the terms of the proposal. But a Hamas official and an Egyptian official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive talks, said Thursday that it called for a 60-day pause in fighting, guarantees of serious negotiations leading to a long-term truce and assurances that Israel will not resume hostilities after the release of hostages, as it did in March. In a terse statement issued a few hours before Trump spoke, Hamas said it is holding consultations with Palestinian factions over the proposal it had received from U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff. A United Nations spokesperson, Stephane Dujarric, urged the parties to “find the political courage” to secure an agreement. While changes may have been made to the proposal, the version confirmed earlier called for Israeli forces to pull back to the positions they held before it ended the last ceasefire. Hamas would release 10 living hostages and a number of bodies during the 60-day pause in exchange for more than 1,100 Palestinians imprisoned by Israel, including 100 serving long sentences after being convicted of deadly attacks. Each day, hundreds of trucks carrying food and humanitarian aid would be allowed to enter Gaza, where experts say a nearly three-month Israeli blockade — slightly eased in recent days — has pushed the population to the brink of famine. “Negotiations are ongoing on the current proposal,” Qatar’s ambassador to the United Nations, Alya Ahmed Saif Al-Thani said Friday, referring to talks between her country, the United States and Egypt. “We are very determined to find an ending to this horrific situation in Gaza.”On Thursday, a top Hamas official, Bassem Naim, said the U.S. proposal “does not respond to any of our people’s demands, foremost among which is stopping the war and famine.”The uncertainty over the new proposal came as hospital officials said that 27 people had been killed Friday in separate airstrikes. A strike that hit a tent in the southern city of Khan Younis killed 13, including eight children, hospital officials said. The Israeli military did not immediately comment.
Meanwhile, the bodies of 12 people, including three women, were brought to Shifa Hospital on Friday from the nearby Jabaliya refugee camp. The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said the bodies of two others were brought to a hospital in Gaza City. Hospital officials also said Friday that at least 72 had been killed in Gaza during the previous day. That figure does not include some hospitals in the north, which are largely cut off due to the fighting. Since the war began, more than 54,000 Gaza residents, mostly women and children, have been killed according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its tally. The war began when Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and taking 250 hostages. Of those taken captive, 58 remain in Gaza, but Israel believes 35 are dead and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said there are “doubts” about the fate of several others. Some Gaza residents said their hope for a ceasefire is tempered by repeated disappointment over negotiations that failed to deliver a lasting deal. "This is the war of starvation, death, siege and long lines for food and toilets,” Mohammed Abed told The Associated Press in the central Gaza city of Deir al-Balah. “This war is the 2025 nightmare, 2024 nightmare and 2023 nightmare.”Abed said he and his family struggle to find food, waiting three hours to get a small amount of rice and eating only one meal daily. “It’s heartbreaking that people are being starved because of politics. Food and water should not be used for political purposes,” he said. Another Gaza resident, Mohammed Mreil, said about the possibility of a truce that: “We want to live and we want them (Israelis) to live. God did not create us to die.”Mroue reported from Beirut. Aamer Madhani in Washington, and Farnoush Amiri and Edith Lederer at the United Nations, contributed to this report.

German minister says future arms deliveries to Israel depend on Gaza situation
Reuters/May 30, 2025
BERLIN -Germany will decide whether or not to approve new weapons shipments to Israel based on an assessment of the humanitarian situation in Gaza, Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said in an interview published on Friday. Wadephul questioned whether Israel's actions in its war with Palestinian militant group Hamas in Gaza were in line with international law. "We are examining this and, if necessary, we will authorise further arms deliveries based on this examination," he said in an interview with Sueddeutsche Zeitung. The comments build on a shifting tone from Berlin and mounting international criticism of Israel in recent days as the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza after an Israeli aid blockade and mounting civilian deaths test German support. Wadephul said it was important that Israel can defend itself given the threats it faces, including from Houthi militants, Hezbollah and Iran. "For me, there is no question that we have a special responsibility to stand by Israel's side," he said, reiterating the principle of "Staatsraeson" which underpins German support for Israel in atonement for the Holocaust of World War Two. "On the other hand, of course, this does not mean that a government can do whatever it wants," he said. Three months into the war, South Africa filed a case to the International Court of Justice accusing Israel of committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has dismissed the accusations as outrageous. Israel's aid blockade of Gaza, which began after the breakdown of a ceasefire in early March, has also been contested at the World Court. Half a million people in the Gaza Strip face starvation, a global hunger monitor said in mid-May. Netanyahu has dismissed charges that Israel was deliberately causing starvation in Gaza by imposing the 11-week blockade that was relaxed last week after mounting pressure from close allies. On Tuesday, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said airstrikes on Gaza were no longer justified by the need to fight Hamas, whose October 7, 2023 assault on Israel killed some 1,200 people, according to Israeli tallies, and triggered the war.
More than 54,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel's air and ground campaign, according to Gaza health authorities.

Saudi foreign minister to make rare visit to West Bank, Palestinians say, as anger over Gaza grows
Kareem Khadder, Oren Liebermann, Mostafa Salem and Abbas Al Lawati, CNN/May 30, 2025
Saudi Arabia will send its top diplomat to the West Bank this weekend, Palestinian officials said, in what would be the highest-level Saudi visit to the area since it was occupied by Israel in 1967. Hussein Al-Sheikh, vice president of the Palestinian Authority (PA), told CNN that an Arab ministerial delegation led by Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal Bin Farhan will arrive in the West Bank city of Ramallah on Sunday to meet PA President Mahmoud Abbas. The visit would come as Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman pushes for international recognition of Palestinian statehood as the war in Gaza drags on and as prospects of Saudi-Israeli normalization grow more distant. Palestinian ambassador to Saudi Arabia Mazen Ghoneim told Saudi state-run Al Ekhbariya that the Saudi foreign minister would be joined by the top diplomats from Egypt, Jordan and “other countries.”
“The ministerial visit… is considered a clear message. The Palestinian cause is a central issue to Arabs and Muslims,” Ghoneim said. An Israeli source familiar with the matter told CNN that Israeli authorities were notified of the visit. CNN has reached out to the governments of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, UAE and Qatar for comment. Shaul Arieli, the head of T-Politography, a think tank which studies the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, said it would be the first such high-level delegation to visit the occupied West Bank since Israel seized the territory in 1967. He told CNN the visit would be “unprecedented” and underscores a rise in Saudi support for the Palestinian Authority that emerged after the start of the war in Gaza. “It’s a dramatic change,” Arieli said. The Saudis have made clear since the conflict began that “they support the two-state solution according to ’67 borders, they support the establishment of the capital of a Palestinian state in East Jerusalem, and they are ready tosupport the budget of the Palestinian Authority.”CNN understands that Saudi Arabia is frustrated at Israel’s refusal to end the war in Gaza and is exerting intense diplomatic efforts to convince Western states to recognize Palestinian statehood, including the United States. The kingdom is confident that France will be among the states that will do so in June. Riyadh is also working to prop up the Palestinian Authority as it sees no viable alternative to its role as the political representative of the Palestinian people. In his initial term, US President Donald Trump brokered landmark normalization deals between Israel and multiple Arab states. Yet, his primary ambition remains securing an agreement between Saudi Arabia, a key Muslim power, and Israel. Normalization talks between the kingdom and Israel were progressing before Hamas’ October 7 attack. Saudi Arabia was to establish diplomatic relations with Israel and in exchange receive a lucrative defense treaty with Washington, including the possibility of a nuclear program in the kingdom. But as the death toll in Gaza rose and anger spread across the Arab and Muslim world, Saudi Arabia told US officials that it would not normalize relations unless Israel agreed to a pathway for a Palestinian state and “calm in Gaza.”Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman doubled down in his criticism of Israel, accusing it of committing genocide in Gaza — a claim Israel has denied. His top diplomat told CNN last year that recognition of Israel would not happen without a Palestinian state. In June, Saudi Arabia is expected to co-chair with France a high-level conference in New York for a two-state solution, which envisions the creation of a Palestinian state beside Israel. Speaking in Singapore on Friday, Macron said the eventual recognition of a Palestinian state, was “not only a moral duty, but a political necessity.”“What we are building over the coming weeks is obviously a political response to the crisis (in Gaza). And yes, it’s a necessity. Because today, over and above the current humanitarian tragedy, it is the very possibility of a Palestinian state that is being questioned.” he said. He warned that Israel has “hours or days” to improve humanitarian situation in Gaza or face “tougher” European stance. Riyadh appointed a non-resident ambassador to the Palestinian territories in 2023, weeks before Hamas launched a deadly attack on Israel that left 1,200 people dead and triggered the ongoing war in Gaza. The ambassador, Nayef Al Sudairi visited the West Bank in September 2023 to present his credentials to Abbas in what was the highest-level official Saudi visit in decades at the time. Historically, two Saudi kings have visited Jerusalem, including King Saud in 1954, and King Faisal in 1966. CNN’s Tamar Michaelis, Eyad Kourdi, Angus Watson and Martin Goillandeau contributed to this report.

IDF deploys all standing army infantry and armored brigade to Gaza, local media report
Evelyn Ann-Marie Dom/Euronews/May 30, 2025
IDF deploys all standing army infantry and armored brigade to Gaza, local media reportScroll back up to restore default view. The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) has deployed all of its standing army infantry and armoured brigades to Gaza, local media reported on Saturday. It comes as Israel intensifies its major offensive in the strip. Earlier, the military said it struck more than 100 targets in a timespan of 24 hours, claiming they were targeting infrastructure used by Hamas. Gaza's Health Ministry said the bodies of 79 people killed in Israeli strikes were brought to hospitals. This toll that does not include hospitals in the battered north, which remain inaccessible as they are encircled by Israeli troops preventing anyone from leaving or entering the facilities. Nine out of a doctor's 10 children were among those killed on Friday, the Health Ministry confirmed. Alaa Najjar, who is a pediatrician at Nasser Hospital, was on duty when an Israeli airstrike hit her home. She had ran home to find her family's house on fire. Najjar's husband was severely wounded and their only surviving child, an 11-year-old son, was in critical condition. The nine children killed in the strike ranged in age from 7 months to 12 years old. Two of the children remained under the rubble. Local health authorities said 3,747 people have been killed in Gaza since Israel intensified its offensive on 18 March in an effort to pressure Hamas to disarm and release all of the 58 remaining Israeli hostages. Hamas said it will only return the remaining hostages in exchange for more Palestinian prisoners, a lasting ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal from the territory. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected those terms and has vowed to maintain control over Gaza and facilitate what he refers to as the voluntary emigration of much of its Palestinian population. Protest demanding the end of the war and the release of hostages, and against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government in Tel Aviv, Israel, Saturday, May 24, 2025. Israel's pressure on Hamas has included a blockade of Gaza and its more than 2 million residents since early March, raising widespread concerns about the critical risk of famine. This week, the first aid trucks entered the territory. Since easing the aid blockade on Monday, Israel has said that 388 aid trucks have entered Gaza. However, Palestinian aid groups dispute this, stating that only 119 trucks have made it through the Karem Shalom crossing.
Gaza's Health Ministry reported that the total death toll, which does not distinguish between fighters and civilians, now stands at 53,901 since 7 October 2023, when Hamas militants attacked southern Israel killing 1,200 people.

Israel says it intercepted a missile from Yemen
Associated Press/May 30/2025
Yemen's Houthi rebels took responsibility for firing the long-range missile Thursday evening, which Israel's military says was intercepted as air-raid sirens sounded in parts of the country. There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage. Israel halted a national soccer championship match in Tel Aviv due to the Houthi missile attack, which came as the tempo of negotiations on a ceasefire in Gaza has increased. The Houthis have targeted Israel throughout the war in Gaza in solidarity with Palestinians. The Houthi missiles have mostly been intercepted, although some have penetrated Israel's missile defense systems, causing casualties and damage.Palestinian militants were once firing volleys of rockets each day out of Gaza, but that dwindled to nearly zero over the course of the 19-month war.

Israel accuses France's Macron of 'crusade against the Jewish state'
Agence France Presse/May 30, 2025
Israel accused French President Emmanuel Macron of undertaking a "crusade against the Jewish state" on Friday after he called for European countries to harden their stance on Israel if the humanitarian situation in Gaza did not improve. "There is no humanitarian blockade. That is a blatant lie," Israel's foreign ministry said in a statement, defending its efforts to allow in aid. "But instead of applying pressure on the jihadist terrorists, Macron wants to reward them with a Palestinian state. No doubt its national day will be October 7."

France may toughen stance on Israel if it continues blocking Gaza aid, Macron says
Reuters/May 30, 2025
SINGAPORE -France could harden its position on Israel if it continues to block humanitarian aid to Gaza, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Friday, reiterating that Paris was committed to a two-state solution to resolve the Israel-Palestinian conflict. "The humanitarian blockade is creating a situation that is untenable on the ground," Macron said at a joint press conference in Singapore with Prime Minister Lawrence Wong. "And so, if there is no response that meets the humanitarian situation in the coming hours and days, obviously, we will have to toughen our collective position," Macron said, adding that France may consider applying sanctions against Israeli settlers."But I still hope that the government of Israel will change its stance and that we will finally have a humanitarian response".Under growing international pressure, Israel partially ended an 11-week long aid blockade on Gaza last week, allowing a limited amount of relief to be delivered under a system that has been heavily criticised. Israel's foreign ministry said the assertion that there was a humanitarian blockade of Gaza was "a blatant lie". It said nearly 900 aid trucks had entered the Gaza Strip since the blockade was eased and the new U.S.-backed system had distributed 2 million meals and thousands of aid packages. "But instead of applying pressure on the jihadist terrorists, Macron wants to reward them with a Palestinian state," the ministry said in a statement. Macron said Paris is committed to working towards a political solution and reiterated his support for a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict. The existence of a Palestinian state "is not just simply a moral duty but also a political necessity," Macron told reporters in Singapore, in comments broadcast on French TV. Macron is leaning towards recognising a Palestinian state, diplomats and experts say, a move that could infuriate Israel and deepen Western splits. French officials are weighing up the move ahead of a United Nations conference, which France and Saudi Arabia are co-hosting in June, to lay out the parameters for a roadmap to a Palestinian state, while ensuring Israel's security. Israel launched its campaign in Gaza in response to a Hamas attack in its south on October 7, 2023, that killed some 1,200 people and saw 251 hostages taken into Gaza, according to Israeli tallies. The war since then has killed more than 54,000 Palestinians, Gaza health authorities say.

The ruinous consequences for Israel and Gaza of Netanyahu’s endless war
Dov S. Zakheim, opinion contributor/The Hill/May 30, 2025
Earlier this week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that he hoped to make an announcement regarding the hostages “in a day or so.”Not surprisingly, given that only 20 of the remaining 59 hostages remain alive, the statement raised the hopes of the hostages’ families, including those who simply wished to have their family members receive a proper burial. Yet shortly after what seemed to be a promise by the prime minister, his office issued a statement in the name of a so-called senior official that Netanyahu’s statement was not meant literally. Instead, the statement averred, “the prime minister meant that we will not give up on freeing the hostages, and if we don’t achieve that, hopefully in the coming days, we will achieve it later on.” Not surprisingly, the families of the hostages were furious. It is far from clear how late “later on” is. Israel has now been at war with Hamas for more than 19 months. Dozens of hostages have died. And, as Netanyahu’s backtracking implicitly acknowledged, there is no immediate prospect for the remaining living hostages to be freed. Indeed, it is not at all evident that Netanyahu prioritizes freeing the hostages. On the contrary, he recently stated that bringing the hostages home is “a very important goal,” but “the war has a supreme goal, and the supreme goal is victory over our enemies, and this we will achieve.”Previously, winning the war and freeing the hostages had both been primary goals. Evidently that is no longer the case.
It is also noteworthy that Maj. Gen. David Zini — Netanyahu’s choice to replace Ronen Bar, whom he fired as chief of Israel’s internal security service — reportedly told his military colleagues, “I am against hostage deals. This is an eternal war.” The ousted Bar, like many in Israel’s military leadership, had been a strong proponent of a ceasefire in order to obtain the release of at least some of the remaining living hostages. Zini’s purported description of the war with Hamas as “eternal” evokes echoes of America’s “forever wars” in Afghanistan and Iraq. Relative to the duration of Israel’s previous armed conflicts, the Gaza operation is indeed a forever war. If that were not the case, Hamas should have been defeated months ago. It appears that the only way Israel can truly defeat Hamas is if it succeeds in driving the entire population out of Gaza. Indeed, Netanyahu’s security cabinet, echoing President Trump’s suggestion, approved a plan to organize a “voluntary transfer” for Gaza residents to move to third countries. And Jerusalem’s policy of restricting humanitarian aid to the enclave appears intended to encourage “volunteers” to leave. The vast majority of Gazans show no interest in leaving their homes, however. And Israel’s bombing attacks continue, resulting in the deaths of thousands of Gazans, including women and children. Whether Hamas is accurately reporting the numbers of dead is less important than the reality of the destruction that Israel continues to wreak upon the Gaza Strip and its inhabitants. There is no clear end in sight, nor is there any indication that either the living and dead hostages will be released any time soon, unless Netanyahu does an about face and accepts an American-negotiated ceasefire. Israel appears to have rejected the latest Hamas offer for a limited ceasefire in exchange for five living and 10 dead hostages. Washington is now proposing the release of 10 living and 18 dead hostages in exchange for a 60-day truce and the resumption of U.N. humanitarian aid. However, Jerusalem has consistently blamed Hamas for undermining any deal by refusing to give up its weapons, accept that its leadership go into exile and demanding that Israel not resume fighting once a ceasefire took place. For its part, Hamas has demanded that Israel withdraw all its forces from Gaza. Both sides have refused to budge. In the meantime, more hostages suffer at the hands of their captors, while Gazans, and indeed Israeli soldiers, continue to die.
Israel is not about to withdraw from Gaza to satisfy Hamas’s demands. In any event, even if the Netanyahu government were to agree not to recommence hostilities with Hamas after a ceasefire, it would still have every opportunity to do so, since it could claim it was responding to renewed rocket attacks emanating from Islamic Jihad with Hamas’s tacit approval
Yet Israel’s own ceasefire conditions also seem unrealistic. Even were Hamas to agree to disarm, it is not clear how Israel could ensure that it do so. Rebel movements have a way of hiding their weapons even in the face of the most intense harassment. Similarly, if Hamas agreed to exile its leaders — and since the death of Mohammed Sinwar, it is uncertain who those leaders even are — exile would not prevent them from managing terrorism from afar. In the meantime, more of Israel’s allies and friends, notably German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and even President Trump, are becoming increasingly critical of its relentless attacks. In addition, Britain has called off negotiations to expand free trade with Israel, while the EU appears on the verge of reviewing its economic ties with the Jewish State. Netanyahu has admitted that international pressure forced him to allow humanitarian aid to enter Gaza — though even in that case, many are questioning the means and process by which Israel actually is distributing that aid. Perhaps the prime minister will soon also find himself under an unprecedented level of economic pressure to agree to a ceasefire. Should Netanyahu continue to resist that pressure, he may cause his country such serious economic damage that it will take decades to have a hope of anything like a complete recovery. **Dov S. Zakheim is a senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and vice chairman of the board for the Foreign Policy Research Institute. He was undersecretary of Defense (comptroller) and chief financial officer for the Department of Defense from 2001 to 2004 and a deputy undersecretary of Defense from 1985 to 1987.

Trump's threat to destroy Iran nuclear sites a clear red line - Fars News
Reuters/May 30, 2025
DUBAI -U.S. President Donald Trump's threat to destroy Iran's nuclear facilities is a clear red line and will have severe consequences, the semi-official Fars News Agency reported on Friday. "If U.S. seeks a diplomatic solution, it must abandon the language of threats and sanctions," an unnamed Iranian official said, adding that such threats "are open hostility against Iran's national interests." Trump told reporters on Wednesday at the White House: “I want it (nuclear agreement) very strong where we can go in with inspectors, we can take whatever we want, we can blow up whatever we want, but nobody getting killed. We can blow up a lab, but nobody is gonna be in a lab, as opposed to everybody being in the lab and blowing it up.”Trump has repeatedly threatened to bomb Iran's nuclear facilities if diplomacy fails to resolve a decades-long dispute over Tehran's nuclear programme. Trump said on Friday that an Iran deal was possible in the "not-too-distant future."

Canada calls on Israel to abandon plans for new West Bank settlements
Dylan Robertson/The Canadian Press/May 30, 2025
OTTAWA — Canada is calling on Israel to abandon plans unveiled Thursday to authorize 22 Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank which it says would be illegal. Israel captured the West Bank, along with Gaza and east Jerusalem, in the 1967 Arab–Israeli war and the Palestinians want all three territories for a future state. Global Affairs Canada says the proposed new settlements "violate international law and undermine prospects for lasting peace and security via the two-state solution." The Thursday decision would cover new settlements and legalize outposts already built without government authorization. Defense Minister Israel Katz said Thursday that the decision "constitutes a crushing response to Palestinian terrorism," while a spokesperson for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called the decision a "dangerous escalation" that could trigger more violence. Canada joined the U.K. and France this month in threatening to impose targeted sanctions against Israeli officials if they continue to expand settlements in the West Bank. Ottawa has repeatedly condemned mounting violence in the West Bank since a deadly October 2023 attack by Hamas on Israel prompted months of bombardment of the Gaza Strip.

Sikh groups say Ottawa should not invite India's Modi to G7 summit
Dylan Robertson/The Canadian Press/May 30, 2025
OTTAWA — Sikh organizations are calling on Ottawa to break with a five-year tradition by not inviting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the G7 summit. Canada is hosting the G7 leaders' summit next month in Kananaskis, Alta. While the leaders of those G7 nations — France, the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States — are expected to attend, along with the president of the European Commission, Ottawa hasn't said which leaders it has invited from outside that core group of like-minded liberal democracies. The Canadian Press learned Friday that Canada has invited Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to attend the summit. Brazil's foreign ministry did not immediately say whether he has accepted the invitation. The South African high commission has told The Canadian Press that Ottawa also invited President Cyril Ramaphosa to attend the summit. Ramaphosa, who is hosting the G20 summit this November in Johannesburg, has not said if he will attend. Canada has invited both Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to the summit; both have said they will attend.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said this week that Canada had invited her nearly two weeks prior but she had not yet decided whether she'll attend. Modi has been invited to every G7 leaders' summit since 2019 and Canada and India have signalled recently a possible thaw in relations after months of tensions. But the Toronto-based Sikh Federation said this week that Canada should withhold any invitation "until India substantially co-operates with criminal investigations in Canada." They point to Canada's allegation that New Delhi played a role in the assassination of a Sikh activist near Vancouver in 2023, and in numerous other violent crimes. The Sikh Federation and the World Sikh Organization have expressed concerns about the federal Liberals seeking deeper ties with India. Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand said recently she had a "productive discussion" with her Indian counterpart on May 25 about "deepening our economic co-operation and advancing shared priorities." The Sikh groups argue this suggests the federal government is putting economic concerns ahead of human rights. The Liberals originally made India the focus of their Indo-Pacific strategy in late 2022, describing the country as a democratic nation with strong trade potential. That all changed after the June 2023 assassination of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia. Months later, the government accused India of involvement in his death. The RCMP says it has evidence that New Delhi is behind numerous crimes targeting Sikh-Canadians. India claims Canada is enabling a separatist movement that calls for a Sikh homeland — Khalistan — to be carved out of India, and calls that a violation of its sovereignty. Ottawa has long held that it allows free speech that doesn't call for violence. Prime Minister Mark Carney said during the recent election campaign he wants to pursue trade with India. He said India could play a key role in ending the trade wars if it shows "mutual respect" in light of "strains on that relationship that we didn't cause."India's high commission referred an interview request on the bilateral relationship to the country's foreign ministry in New Delhi. Global Affairs Canada hasn't released the names of every leader Ottawa has invited to the summit. Department spokeswoman Camie Lamarche said the names will be "made available in due time."Since the April 28 federal election, Carney’s office has published readouts of discussions with his counterparts from the G7 countries, along with Australia, Ukraine, Mexico, New Zealand, Denmark, Spain, the Netherlands, Poland, Norway and Jordan.G7 hosts in recent years have invited four or more guests. Canada invited a dozen when it last hosted the summit in 2018, including Haiti, the Seychelles, Norway and Argentina.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 30, 2025.

The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources on May 30-31/2025
The Druze chessboard between Syria and Israel
Ahmad Sharawi/FDD's Long War Journal/May 30/2025
On May 29, an Israeli security official told the Saudi-owned Arabic news channel Al Arabiya that Israel “will not fight in support of any group in Syria.” The official added that while Israel currently maintains a presence in parts of Syria due to ongoing instability, it may withdraw if the situation improves and stabilizes. Since at least March, Israel has repeatedly emphasized its commitment to protecting the Druze community in Syria—a population of about 700,000 primarily concentrated in southern Syria.
The Druze population includes a minority in villages in Quneitra, adjacent to the Golan Heights, and a majority presence in Suwayda, which borders the Sunni-majority Daraa province approximately 50 miles east of the Israel-Syria border. A smaller Druze community also exists in Idlib, previously under the control of Hayat Tahrir al Sham, a US-designated terrorist organization that Syrian interim President Ahmad al Sharaa led. Sharaa remains a specially designated global terrorist by both the US and the United Nations.
Israel’s motivation to protect Syrian Druze stems from its own Druze population, which is deeply integrated into Israeli society. Unlike other minority groups in Israel, the Druze are known for their loyalty to the state, including military service. Most reside in northern Israel, with a significant community in the Golan Heights. Concerned for their kin in Syria—especially after the Assad regime’s fall and the rise of HTS in Damascus—many Israeli Druze pressured the government to intervene if their Syrian counterparts came under threat.
This concern materialized in April when Israel conducted a drone strike on a group allegedly preparing to attack Druze militias in Sahnaya, Syria. Israel described the strike as a “warning operation” intended to deter further violence. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Israel Katz stated that the action was meant to send a clear message to Syrian leadership to protect the Druze. Muwaffaq Tarif, the spiritual leader of Israel’s Druze community, publicly urged intervention to prevent what he called a “massacre in the making” in Jaramana, declaring, “Israel cannot remain a bystander to what is happening right now in Syria.”Despite public pressure in Israel to protect Syrian Druze, one issue with the concept is the assumption that Syrian and Israeli Druze share identical loyalties and values. In reality, Syria’s Druze are divided and do not have the same affinity for Israel. In Suwayda, for instance, an Israeli flag hoisted in a public square was quickly taken down and burned. Moreover, Israeli support may have emboldened some Druze factions to take up arms against the new Syrian government. In Jaramana in March, Druze fighters killed a member of the General Security Service and engaged in clashes with members of the security service. Crucially, many of the Druze factions in Jaramana are former members of Assad’s National Defense Forces—a militia created in 2012 that institutionalized regime thugs and was responsible for major human rights abuses. These factions, despite the regime change, retained their weapons and refused to disarm or integrate into the new Syrian state. Sectarian tensions in Syria remain high, and interim President Sharaa is still struggling to bring all factions under his control. The absence of a functioning transitional justice system makes retribution and instability likely. However, Israel’s recent shift in tone toward the Druze may indicate a turning point. Hardline Druze factions—those that have refused to join the new Syrian state—may now realize that a military solution will not achieve their goals. This could open the door to negotiations with Damascus to pursue a political resolution.
**Ahmad Sharawi is a research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies focused on Iranian intervention in Arab affairs and the levant.

U.S. Support for Iran’s Labor Strikes Is Long Overdue
Janatan Sayeh/FDD-Brief Policy/May 30/2025
Iran’s workers are uniting in defiance. What began as a call to strike by the Truckers and Drivers Union on May 21 has now grown into a week-long protest spanning more than 40 cities across the country. Led by truckers, the strike protests low wages, high insurance premiums, and increased fuel subsidies.
For more than a decade, labor strikes in Iran have served as a reliable indicator of political unrest — at times, sparking mass protests and, at others, drawing momentum from them. What sets the current strike apart is not only its rapid spread and national scale but the indication that the Islamic Republic is losing its grip on Iran’s working class.
The 2017-18 Strikes Helped Ignite a Nationwide Anti-Regime Movement
The 2017-18 nationwide protests marked a pivotal civic moment in Iran when demonstrators called for the end of the Islamic Republic. This period coincided with major labor strikes.
For example, at the Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Company in Khuzestan Province, workers launched repeated and prolonged strikes over unpaid wages, corrupt privatization schemes, and mismanagement. In nearby Ahvaz, approximately 4,000 steelworkers from the National Steel Industrial Group protested months of unpaid salaries. These strikes became central to sustaining the broader protest movement, whose participants chanted slogans that included “Leave Syria, instead think of us” and “No to Gaza, no to Lebanon, my life for Iran” — a rebuke of the regime’s foreign policy and its neglect of domestic welfare.
Strikes in 2020-21 Shook the Foundations of Iran’s Energy Sector
The labor unrest escalated in the summers of 2020 and 2021, with strikes erupting across Iran’s critical oil, gas, and petrochemical sectors — industries that form the backbone of the country’s economy. In August 2020, strikes spread across southern and southwestern oil refineries and fields, demanding safer working conditions, fair wages, and the abolition of exploitative contracts. By June 2021, the unrest had widened to include not only the oil sector but also natural gas facilities, electric power plants, and even automobile manufacturing.
The scope and disruption of these strikes showed that even the most sensitive sectors were vulnerable to labor defiance. These actions helped, in part, set the stage for the 2022 uprising, which, in turn, inspired further strikes by teachers, healthcare workers, and legal professionals. Labor was no longer a siloed issue; it was part of a shared struggle against the regime.
Regime Crackdowns Have Failed to Quell Labor Defiance
Authorities have routinely cracked down on strikes with force throughout the years, arresting participants from Haft Tappeh, Ahvaz Steel, the oil sector, and teacher unions. Many labor activists have received harsh judicial sentences. The current truckers’ strike is already facing preemptive suppression, with many participants arrested and the judiciary preparing broader punitive measures. Yet past experience demonstrates that such crackdowns produce only temporary effects, as labor unrest has persisted throughout 2023, 2024, and now 2025.
Maximum Support for Iranian Workers Is the West’s Strongest Leverage
The persistence of Iran’s labor movement, despite Tehran’s repression, underscores the vitality of the country’s civil society. At a moment when even segments once aligned with the regime are turning away, it is a strategic imperative for Washington to support the workers. Backing these strikes challenges the Islamic Republic’s claim to represent Iranian national interests and exposes it as a regime widely seen by its own people as prioritizing ideological foreign wars over domestic welfare.
One constructive step would be for the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations and allied international unions to publicly endorse Iran’s labor strikes. In conjunction with the Trump administration’s maximum pressure strategy on Tehran since February, a U.S. “maximum support” approach and the establishment of a strike fund would advance American interests and values by applying internal pressure where the regime is most vulnerable.
**Janatan Sayeh is a research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD). For more analysis from the author and FDD, please subscribe HERE. Follow Janatan on X @JanatanSayeh. Follow FDD on X @FDD and @FDD_Iran. FDD is a Washington, DC-based, nonpartisan research institute focusing on national security and foreign policy.

Syria and Israel Are Finally Talking
Ahmad Sharawi/FDD-Brief Policy/May 30/2025
Syria and Israel are talking — and this time, it is face to face. The two longtime adversaries, who have had little official contact over the decades, are reportedly engaged in dialogue to calm tensions and prevent conflict.
Syria, under interim leader Ahmad al-Sharaa, appears eager to project stability and reassure Israel it poses no immediate threat. In December, Sharaa stated that his government, built on the back of an al-Qaeda-linked insurgency, would “seek no conflict, whether with Israel or anyone else, and we will not allow Syria to be used as a base for such hostilities.”For Israel, the desired outcome is clear: a quiet northern border and a Syrian government that does not harbor or enable hostile actors. These talks may not signal broader normalization, but they do suggest a shift in how both sides are willing to coordinate over security matters.Three issues almost certainly dominated Israel’s agenda: the status of Palestinian factions operating inside Syria, Israeli fears over expanding Turkish influence — particularly Ankara’s backing of Hamas — and the fate of the Druze minority in southern Syria.
Syria Expelled Pro-Assad Palestinian Terrorists, but Other Palestinian Factions Still Roam Free
Syria has served as a hub for Palestinian militant factions. Following its expulsion from Jordan in 1999, Hamas established its external headquarters in Damascus until fleeing in 2012 amid tensions over the civil war. Since then, several Palestinian groups — most notably Palestinian Islamic Jihad — have aligned with the Assad regime and retained a presence in Syria, coordinating attacks on Israel via Lebanon and occasionally from Syrian soil.
Israel views this as an unresolved threat. While Syria has expelled Palestinian faction leaders — mainly those tied to the Assad-era security apparatus, such as the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command — it has done little to dismantle other militant structures; instead they formed a committee “to monitor the activities of Palestinian factions.”Israeli Concerns About Turkey’s Deeper Military Role
Another central point of friction is the growing footprint of Turkey in Syria and its long-term alignment with Hamas, which has only become more explicit since the October 7 massacre.
On May 24, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met with Sharaa and pledged that “bilateral relations and cooperation … will continue to develop in all fields, particularly in energy, defense, and transportation.” Israeli officials are especially concerned about Turkish interest in deploying forces in bases near the border with Israel. Turkey has also floated the idea of a permanent base in Syria under the guise of counter-ISIS efforts.
Fate of Syria’s Druze Hangs in Balance
Israel has publicly pledged to “not allow harm to the Druze community in Syria, out of a deep commitment to our Druze brothers in Israel.” However, in Syria, that message is received with suspicion. Many in Syria see the pledge as an Israeli attempt to fracture the country along sectarian lines. Public protests among the Druze have included the burning of Israeli flags — showing that not all members of this religious minority welcome Israeli backing. Complicating matters further, some of the Druze factions that Israel has considered aiding are Assad loyalists, most notably in the Damascus suburb of Jaramana, where Israel had previously promised to intervene in defense of the Druze. Israeli officials are beginning to temper expectations. One recently noted that Syria’s Druze “must reach an understanding with the Sharaa administration.”
Washington Should Support the Talks
The United States should welcome and quietly support these talks. However, it must do so with a readiness to apply sanctions pressure on Damascus if it proves recalcitrant. In a gesture of trust, Donald Trump called for an end to U.S. sanctions on Syria despite ongoing ties to terror groups. The White House should snap sanctions back into place if Damascus encourages Ankara to establish military bases, Palestinian terror factions to operate in Syria, or ethnic extremists to assault the Druze.
*Ahmad Sharawi is a research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), where he focuses on Middle East affairs, specifically the Levant, Iraq, and Iranian intervention in Arab affairs, as well as U.S. foreign policy toward the region. For more analysis from Ahmad and FDD, please subscribe HERE. Follow Ahmad on X @AhmadA_Sharawi. Follow FDD on X @FDD. FDD is a Washington, DC-based, nonpartisan research institute focusing on national security and foreign policy.

Egypt-Israel Military Ties: Washington Must Pay More Attention
Haisam Hassanein/The Jerusalem Strategic Tribune/May 30/2025
https://jstribune.com/hassanein-egypt-israel-military-ties/
The Hamas attacks of October 7, 2023 marked a critical test of Israel’s quiet military partnership with Egypt. For more than a decade, Egypt and Israel maintained robust security coordination focused on ISIS cells in the Sinai peninsula. That cooperation, mostly kept out of the media, now faces its most serious challenge. Since the conflict in Gaza began over 18 months ago, reports state that weapons used by Hamas were smuggled through Egyptian territory, indicating neglect or worse by the Egyptian security services. Simultaneously, Egypt has deployed tanks and military aircraft to Sinai, triggering a requirement for Israeli approval under the 1979 Israel-Egypt peace treaty. Further straining the relationship, Cairo refuses to permit Gazan civilians to cross into Egyptian territory, instead insisting that Israel bear full responsibility for managing the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip.
All this underscores a persistent problem in Egypt-Israel relations: despite years of operational collaboration, much of Egypt’s military leadership continues to view Israel with deep suspicion. The security coordination of the past decade has been led by a small group of senior officers with a pragmatic outlook. Yet this cooperation has not translated into broad institutional acceptance of Israel as a strategic partner. When the Gaza crisis unfolded, these officials hesitated to take steps that might have helped Israel respond more effectively.
For US policymakers, this should be a wake-up call. The success of trilateral coordination between Washington, Cairo, and Jerusalem cannot rest on personal relationships alone. It requires systemic trust and a durable strategic vision, especially as Egypt deepens its military ties with China, which is far less interested in Egypt-Israel relations than the US.
Three schools of thought have emerged in Egypt’s military establishment over the 45 years since the peace treaty with Israel.
The first sees Israel as a permanent adversary. Officers aligned with this camp, often steeped in Nasserist ideology, believe Egypt must remain in a latent state of hostility toward Israel, limiting cooperation to treaty-mandated security coordination in Sinai and rejecting normalization of any kind.
The second school adopts a more guarded stance. It views Israel not as an enemy but as a persistent strategic competitor. Israel’s superior military capabilities, technological dominance, and close alignment with the United States feed a sense of unease. Many in this group see Israel’s success not only as a regional imbalance but also as a reminder of Egypt’s own stagnation in defense modernization.
Finally, a smaller third camp advocates for a pragmatic and transactional approach. These officers support cooperation when it aligns with Egyptian national interests, particularly in combating terrorism and countering political Islam. This camp views Israel less ideologically and more operationally. It was from this camp that President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi emerged. A former head of military intelligence (in which role he cooperated closely with Israeli counterparts), Sisi has prioritized the fight against political Islam – including the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas – over preparing for confrontation with Israel.
These three schools share several limiting assumptions, despite their differences. Historically, Egypt’s multiple wars with Israel continue to shape the institutional psyche of the armed forces. Anti-Israel narratives, often laced with antisemitic rhetoric, remain embedded in military discourse and education. There is also a common misperception that Israeli society consists largely of European transplants lacking Middle Eastern roots. This mistaken view reinforces the idea that Israel is an alien imposition rather than a legitimate regional actor.
Compounding these issues is the discomfort with minority self-determination that Israel symbolizes. In a region where ethnic and religious minorities, including the Copts in Egypt, are often denied autonomy, Israel’s very existence challenges entrenched assumptions about statehood and identity. For many in Egypt’s military hierarchy, the idea of a thriving, sovereign minority population remains unsettling.
Yet security challenges in the Gaza Strip and Sinai peninsula are not going away. Continued instability there demands deepened military and intelligence cooperation with Israel. But keeping these efforts in the shadows is short-sighted. Publicizing areas of successful collaboration could help normalize Israeli engagement within Egypt’s military establishment, slowly shifting perceptions and undermining outdated hostilities.
That is where Washington must act. Egypt is not only a longtime recipient of US military aid, it’s also a strategic partner in regional diplomacy. However, its drift toward alternative patrons like China and Russia should be met with careful recalibration, not indifference. The Trump administration should reaffirm that robust military ties with Israel are not only compatible with Egypt’s national interests – they are essential to them.
At the same time, the United States should work to expand trilateral initiatives that bring together Egypt, Israel, and American defense stakeholders. From counterterrorism and border security to climate resilience and disaster response, shared threats demand shared solutions. Incentivizing Egypt to view Israel as a partner in stability – not just a neighbor to be managed – will serve American interests in sustaining a cooperative and resilient Middle East.
The crisis sparked by October 7 revealed the limits of tactical cooperation. If Washington wants regional partnerships to survive future stress tests, it must invest now in helping its allies move from informal coordination to genuine strategic alignment. The durability of Egypt-Israel military relations, and the broader security architecture they underpin, may depend on it.
**Haisam Hassanein is an adjunct fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies specializing in Arab politics and Arab-Israeli relations.

Setting Expectations with Syria on Countering the Islamic State
Devorah Margolin/The Washington Institute/May 30, 2025
https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/setting-expectations-syria-countering-islamic-state
After an encouraging Trump-Sharaa meeting, Washington and its partners must now facilitate the complex work of creating timelines and implementing new security arrangements to constrain the jihadist group.
May has been a roller-coaster month for U.S. policy in Syria, with promising highs and tragic lows in the past two weeks alone. Just days after President Trump and President Ahmed al-Sharaa celebrated a new chapter in bilateral relations, Islamic State operatives set off a car bomb on May 18 that killed Syrian security personnel in Mayadin, marking their first successful strike against the new government. The incident was a stark reminder that even as officials turn their attention to the political process, they cannot lose sight of the counter-IS mission, which has been a central part of U.S. policy in Syria since 2014.
The White House has already urged President Sharaa to help prevent an IS resurgence and assume responsibility for detention centers holding thousands of IS members and affiliated individuals in the northeast. The challenge now is to clarify how Damascus should respond to these expectations on the ground, set a clear timeline for implementation, and coordinate with U.S. partners in the region and beyond.
The Evolving U.S. Approach Since 2014
Since IS burst onto the scene in 2014, the United States has been at the forefront of countering the group, becoming the largest donor to the Global Coalition and leading allied military forces through Operation Inherent Resolve in partnership with local actors in Syria and Iraq. In Syria, Washington’s partner of choice has historically been the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). After the U.S.-led coalition ousted IS from its last territorial enclave in March 2019, the U.S. military transitioned to a lighter footprint focused on training and advising local partners to carry out the counter-IS mission and reduce U.S. troop capacity.
The Islamic State’s military defeat spawned one of Syria’s most serious challenges, which remains unresolved today: the SDF’s detention of tens of thousands of IS-affiliated men, women, and children from more than sixty countries. Thus, according to U.S. Central Command, the IS problem can now be divided into three parts, the latter two of them interconnected:
“IS at large”—leaders and operatives fighting the United States and its partners Iraq and Syria
“IS in detention”—thousands of IS-affiliated men and boys (and sometimes women and girls) held in Iraqi and Syrian detention facilities and youth “rehabilitation” centers
The “potential next generation of IS”—tens of thousands of primarily women and minors held in the al-Hol and Roj detention camps in northeast Syria
Both Trump administrations have teased a withdrawal from Syria. In the interim, in March 2023, CENTCOM head Gen. Michael Kurilla said, “If we were to leave Syria and if the SDF could not fight ISIS by themselves, you could see a break out of the prisons. You could see the radicalization in al-Hol. And it is our estimate that ISIS would return in 1 to 2 years.” But with the Assad regime gone, Syria today is a dramatically different place, tinged with hope that the new government in Damascus can unify and stabilize the country, even as steep challenges remain. All this comes as Washington has begun to draw down the Global Coalition’s mission in Iraq, a move that by extension limits its ability to operate in Syria. An overhaul of U.S. foreign assistance, including cutting or freezing funds used for the detention camps and repatriation process, adds another layer of risk.
Faced with a severe humanitarian crisis, Damascus is not ready to take on the three-pronged counter-IS mission alone. A new U.S.-Syria relationship therefore requires that Washington lay out a clear plan for fighting IS and ensuring the security, and eventual depopulation, of detention facilities and camps in northeast Syria.
Different Actors, Agendas for Countering IS
While Washington has long shouldered much of the military and financial burden of countering the Islamic State in Syria, early messaging during the second Trump administration prompted other international actors to put forth their own agendas:
Damascus. The new Syrian government has already taken steps to fight the IS insurgency, including by using actionable U.S. intelligence to target the group’s militants. Such moves are important because they could alleviate U.S fears about Sharaa’s former association with al-Qaeda as well as IS. Yet the monumental task of state-building leaves open the question of whether Damascus can realistically take over the entirety of the counter-IS mission—and whether it even wants to do so—including the SDF detention centers housing IS affiliates and their families.
SDF. Washington’s main partner on the ground, the Syrian Democratic Forces, has been a vital part of the counter-IS mission, helping to defeat the group militarily and secure detention facilities and camps amid slow efforts by international actors to repatriate their citizens. But the SDF is not a state, and it has faced challenges associated with local governance and from Turkey, which considers the group an extension of the widely designated—although recently disbanded—Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). The situation in the camps has worsened since Assad’s fall, leaving them vulnerable. Without U.S. support, the SDF risks falling into direct confrontation with Turkey, which would render it incapable of continuing the counter-IS mission.
Turkey and Iraq. These two neighbors of Syria have also pushed their own agendas. Seizing on ambiguous messaging from Washington after Assad’s ouster, Turkey proposed a regional platform wherein it would take the reins of the Global Coalition along with Iraq, Jordan, and Syria. This move was aimed simultaneously at sidelining the SDF and minimizing European influence. But Turkey’s potential partners were dissuaded from participating after initial meetings made clear that Ankara sought to exceed the counter-IS mandate by also going after remnants of the PKK. Further challenges for these two countries include Ankara’s inability to carry out such a mission alone, Baghdad’s wariness—as the American-led mission winds down in Iraq—of the Sharaa government’s ability to fight IS, and the more than 15,000 Iraqis who remain in SDF-run detention facilities and camps.
Europe. The U.S.-led military mission in Syria has been supported by France and the United Kingdom. When Washington was slow to clarify its Syria policy after Assad’s overthrow, European actors pushed for sanctions relief and proposed their own alternatives, including the continuation of Operation Inherent Resolve in coordination with the new Syrian government. Syrian coordination with the coalition is now looking more likely, judging from the readout of the May 14 Washington-Damascus meeting, which indicated that the Syrian government should “help” the United States prevent an IS resurgence. This said, neither the European Union as a whole nor any of its countries is capable of taking on the counter-IS mission.
Recommendations
As Washington turns to Damascus to help fight the Islamic State and assume control of Syria’s detention facilities and camps, U.S. officials and others must be mindful of several priorities:
Damascus needs to demonstrate an ability and willingness to take over the counter-IS mission. To this end, the United States should convene a bilateral working group meant to address the three parts of the mission: (1) IS insurgency, (2) IS fighters in detention facilities, and (3) IS-affiliated families in detention camps. Syrian officials must make clear their intent not only to assume the entire mission, but also to ensure security and humane treatment for detainees.
Washington and its allies must communicate the necessity of a healthy Damascus-SDF relationship. As the United States looks to lighten its footprint in the Middle East, Washington has articulated the need for Damascus to work with the SDF. But little actual progress has followed an initial Damascus-SDF integration agreement signed in March. This is partly because the SDF has viewed its role in the counter-IS mission—specifically, in the detention facilities and camps—as both a burden and a negotiating tool to be used against Damascus and international actors. Meanwhile, Damascus does not feel pressured to concede to the SDF, and has not acknowledged the Kurdish-led group’s military training and experience in the counter-IS mission. Yet as it stands now, neither Damascus nor the SDF could carry out the counter-IS mission alone, and they must make their relationship work to allow for a successful U.S. handover.
The United States should demand that Turkey cease actions that risk an IS resurgence. From using military aggression against the SDF to prioritizing its anti-PKK agenda and sidelining U.S. and European allies by proposing new coalitions, Turkey has sometimes undermined the broader fight against IS—and Washington must make clear to Ankara that this is unacceptable. On this count, the May 20 U.S.-Turkey working group on Syria offered Washington a key opportunity to clarify aspects of Turkey’s activities that have endangered the shared goal of preventing an IS resurgence.
America should not sideline partners in Europe. While President Trump has praised the roles played by Saudi Arabia and Turkey in Syria’s transformation, Washington should not lose sight of Europe’s substantial counter-IS efforts. Washington must therefore keep working with European capitals to ensure policy alignment with respect to Damascus, while also asking them to carry more of the financial burden. For their part, European countries must prioritize the repatriation of their citizens in order to lessen the onus on Syria.
Washington needs to be realistic regarding a timeline. The counter-IS mission requires training, equipment, intelligence support—and time. As such, both the U.S. Defense Department and State Department must be enlisted to set up a realistic timeline for a process that slowly assigns more control to the Syrian government.
**Devorah Margolin is the Blumenstein-Rosenbloom Senior Fellow at The Washington Institute. She recently appeared on the “Hope for al-Hol?” episode of the Institute’s Syria Breakdown video series.

‘Accelerated Cooperation’ Between U.S. Adversaries: New Report Warns
Lydia LaFavor/Ryan Brobst/Bradley Bowman/FDD-Brief Policy/May 30/2025
America’s authoritarian adversaries are growing bolder as they expedite and increase their security cooperation. The Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) released the 2025 Worldwide Threat Assessment (WWTA) earlier this month, and it shows that Beijing, Moscow, Pyongyang, and Tehran have “accelerated cooperation” since 2022, seeking “to expand the breadth and depth of their collaboration” this year.
The unclassified annual report summarizes major threats for policymakers and the public. In a change from previous years, this assessment highlights cooperation between authoritarian states as a prominent feature of the geostrategic landscape, ahead of the threat trends and country assessments.
Technological Innovation Increases Threat to U.S. Interests
The report notes that accelerating technological innovation is increasing the means through which adversaries can threaten the U.S. homeland and American interests abroad. This includes China’s and Russia’s pursuit of new missile capabilities, North Korea’s intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) that can reach the United States, and Iran’s space launch vehicle program that could facilitate the development of an ICBM. The report also issues warnings regarding the active and diffuse threat of terrorism, the increase of unmanned systems, border security challenges, and drug trafficking.
A Snapshot of Authoritarian Cooperation
Beijing, Moscow, Pyongyang, and Tehran favor cooperation in bilateral relationships over multilateral institutions, according to DIA, because bilateral cooperation facilitates speed and discretion. Much like the 2024 report, the 2025 report acknowledges sources of friction in some of these relationships but assesses that states “will seek to compartmentalize these differences as they advance military, security, and intelligence cooperation.”
Events in just the past month provide a snapshot of activities that illustrate DIA’s assessment of growing depth and breadth in security cooperation amongst autocracies:
At the end of April, North Korea launched a missile destroyer that appears to feature several Russian design influences, including the Pantsir-M: a naval air defense system. Kim Jong-Un visited the Russian embassy in Pyongyang, an uncommon occurrence, on May 9 to mark Russia’s commemorative events for the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. North Korean troops also conducted a series of military exercises this month, aiming to institutionalize lessons learned and drone warfare experience from their combat deployments alongside Russian troops. South Korean officials suggested Russian technical assistance contributed to a new air-to-air missile tested by a North Korean MiG-29 fighter aircraft.
Lawmakers in the Iranian Parliament voted to ratify the 20-year strategic partnership with Russia on May 21. Though the partnership lacks a mutual defense clause, it calls for military-technical cooperation. Also on May 21, Belarus opened the 12th International Exhibition of Weapons and Military Equipment: MILEX-2025. China, Russia, and Iran all participated. Iran and Belarus signed a defense industry cooperation agreement on March 12 shortly after Belarus announced a new domestic drone production initiative with Russian backing. The Iranian pavilion of weapons displays at MILEX was notably located adjacent to the BelTechExport pavilion where Iranian defense officials engaged with Belarussian officials on defense industry cooperation. BelTechExport is an authorized state special exporter for the Belarussian defense industry.
Authoritarians Have a Need for Speed
The WWTA finds that Beijing, Moscow, Pyongyang, and Tehran prioritize “the transactional nature” of bilateral relationships over cooperation via multilateral structures. One should not assume “transactional” means less consequential compared to traditional alliances. The DIA report rightly points out that “transactional” relationships between these autocracies remain problematic for U.S. security interests because they may result in quicker initiation and delivery of security cooperation that can bolster military capabilities and strengthen bilateral relationships.
Still, established multilateral organizations, such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization or BRICS, should not be considered sideshows. Such venues provide recurring events through which sidebar bilateral engagements also often take place.
Increased and expedited adversary cooperation creates genuine dilemmas for Washington and requires continual and urgent reassessment of the U.S. defense budget, war plan assumptions, as well as force structure, capability, and posture requirements. A congressional failure to provide timely authorizations and sufficient appropriations to the defense department compounds the difficulties our nation confronts in addressing these rapidly changing threats.
***Lydia LaFavor is a research fellow at FDD’s Center on Military and Political Power (CMPP), where Ryan Brobst is a senior research analyst and Bradley Bowman is the senior director. For more analysis from the authors and CMPP, please subscribe HERE. Follow Ryan on X @RyanBrobst_ and Brad on X @Brad_L_Bowman. Follow FDD on X @FDD and @FDD_CMPP. FDD is a Washington, DC-based, nonpartisan research institute focusing on national security and foreign policy

Why Is the Trump Administration Selling Weapons to the World's Leading State Sponsor of Terrorism?
Robert Williams/Gatestone Institute/May 30, 2025
While it is understandable that President Donald Trump is eager to bring business deals to America, since when has Qatar been "a friendly country that continues to be an important force for political stability and economic progress in the Middle East"? The answer is: Never.
"Qatar is the leading sponsor of terrorism in the world, more than Iran." — Dr. Udi Levy, a former senior official of Israel's Mossad spy agency who dealt with economic warfare against terrorist organizations, Ynet News, April 18, 2024.
There is hardly an Islamic terrorist group, in fact, that Qatar does not support. Meanwhile, it acts as both the arsonist and the firefighter.
"Qatar has been playing a deadly double game with the U.S. for many years. It supports all Islamist terrorist organizations (ISIS, Al-Qaeda, Taliban, Hamas, and Hezbollah). Worst of all, in 1996, it hid future 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed (KSM) in Doha, and when the FBI came to arrest him, informing only the Qatari Emir, KSM disappeared within hours." — Yigal Carmon, MEMRI, November 15, 2023.
The Muslim Brotherhood's "Explanatory Memorandum" explicitly states: "The Ikhwan [Muslim Brotherhood] must understand that their work in America is a kind of grand jihad in eliminating and destroying the Western civilization from within and 'sabotaging' its miserable house by their hands and the hands of the believers so that it is eliminated and God's religion is made victorious over all other religions."
Qatar's media empire, Al Jazeera, is the mouthpiece for the Muslim Brotherhood. It is this Arabic-language television network that has spread the ideology of the Muslim Brotherhood throughout much of the world. Even Israel and the Palestinian Authority, which agree on virtually nothing, both banned Al Jazeera – as have Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan and Bahrain.
When the US sells advanced weapons to Qatar, it is literally arming an organization that openly funds terrorism, spreads radical Islamic ideology and straightforwardly seeks to undermine America, Israel and the West.
The Trump administration, in seeking to make America great again, was supposed to move away from the policies of the Obama and Biden administrations, which appeased terrorist and rogue states such as Iran and Russia. But regarding Qatar, the Trump administration appears to be pursuing effectively the same extremely dangerous policies that endanger not only US allies in the Middle East such as Israel, but the United States itself.
"[US] colleges and universities have accepted $6.25 billion from Qatar since 2001. However, Qatar's total spending likely exceeds that figure... Qatar is a major exporter of Islamist ideology, which it amplifies on the Qatar-owned Al Jazeera network. By pumping money into the American higher education system and across the United States, Qatar avoids scrutiny as it advances hostile ideologies." — Natalie Ecanow, of the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, in testimony to the Texas Legislature House Committee on Homeland Security, Public Safety & Veterans' Affairs, April 2, 2025.
A good place to start would be not to sell weapons to Qatar and not to pretend they are a friendly ally. Instead, the US should start looking for an alternate place, such as the United Arab Emirates, to relocate American forces from Qatar's Al-Udeid Air Base.
It is high time for the United States to free itself of the subversive forces working to destroy it from within, especially if America is to remain a beacon of freedom in the world, let alone "making it great again." A good place to start would be not to sell weapons to Qatar and not to pretend they are a friendly ally. The Trump administration will apparently sell Qatar a large weapons package, including eight long-range maritime surveillance drones and hundreds of missiles and bombs worth around $2 billion. A document from the Defense Security Cooperation Agency, notifying Congress of the initially approved sale, stated:
"This proposed sale will support the foreign policy and national security objectives of the United States by helping to improve the security of a friendly country that continues to be an important force for political stability and economic progress in the Middle East.
"The proposed sale will improve Qatar's capability to meet current and future threats by providing timely intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, target acquisition, counter-land, and counter-surface sea capabilities for its security and defense. This capability is a deterrent to regional threats and will primarily be used to strengthen its homeland defense."
According to Natalie Ecanow, of the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies (FDD):
"If the sale is completed, Qatar will be the first country in the region to purchase these advanced drones, which possess an advanced suite of sensors and can employ a variety of munitions."
While it is understandable that President Donald Trump is eager to bring business deals to America, since when has Qatar been "a friendly country that continues to be an important force for political stability and economic progress in the Middle East"? The answer is: Never.
A quick look at what exactly Qatar does, and still is, reveals that for decades, Qatar has cultivated a close relationship with the Muslim Brotherhood, whose motto is:
"Allah is our objective; the Prophet is our leader; the Quran is our law; Jihad is our way; dying in the way of Allah is our highest hope."
Qatar has been the main financier of Hamas, an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood, to the tune of up to $360 million a year.
"Qatar is the leading sponsor of terrorism in the world, more than Iran," said Dr. Udi Levy, a former senior official of Israel's Mossad spy agency who dealt with economic warfare against terrorist organizations.
In the US, a key internal Muslim Brotherhood document, "An Explanatory Memorandum," was revealed during the 2008 Holy Land Foundation Trial. This memorandum, discovered by the FBI in 2004 among the archives of Ismail Elbarasse (a Brotherhood archivist), outlines the Brotherhood's strategy for the United States. The document explicitly states:
"The Ikhwan [Muslim Brotherhood] must understand that their work in America is a kind of grand jihad in eliminating and destroying the Western civilization from within and 'sabotaging' its miserable house by their hands and the hands of the believers so that it is eliminated and God's religion is made victorious over all other religions."
The phrase "by their hands" refers to the Brotherhood's stated intention to use America's own institutions, freedoms, and legal systems to undermine it from within, rather than by overt violence. The strategy is to infiltrate and manipulate existing structures—media, government, academia, and civil society—so that the transformation is achieved using the mechanisms of the host society itself.
Qatar's media empire, Al Jazeera, is the mouthpiece for the Muslim Brotherhood. It is this Arabic-language television network that has spread the ideology of the Muslim Brotherhood throughout much of the world. Even Israel and the Palestinian Authority, which agree on virtually nothing, both banned Al Jazeera – as have Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan and Bahrain.
In 2017, Israel's then Communications Minister Ayoob Kara said:
"Lately, almost all countries in our region determined that Al Jazeera supports terrorism, supports religious radicalization. And when we see that all these countries have determined as fact that Al Jazeera is a tool of the Islamic State [group], Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran, and we are the only one who have not determined that, then something ludicrous is happening here."
Kara also said, "Freedom of expression is not freedom to incite."
John Mirisch, chief policy officer of the Israeli-American Civic Action Network, wrote in March 2025:
"For way too long, Qatar and Al-Jazeera have been peddling propaganda as 'journalism,' with much of the propaganda aimed at the Arab world in an effort to destabilize the region, whip up Main Street sentiment against Israel, and to derail the Abraham Accords. Any criticism of Hamas or the Muslim Brotherhood on Al-Jazeera is strictly forbidden...."
There is hardly an Islamic terrorist group, in fact, that Qatar does not support. Meanwhile, it acts as both the arsonist and the firefighter.
Yigal Carmon, president of the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), wrote on November 6, 2023:
"Qatar has been playing a deadly double game with the U.S. for many years. It supports all Islamist terrorist organizations (ISIS, Al-Qaeda, Taliban, Hamas, and Hezbollah). Worst of all, in 1996, it hid future 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed (KSM) in Doha, and when the FBI came to arrest him, informing only the Qatari Emir, KSM disappeared within hours. Richard Clarke, adviser to two U.S. Presidents, attested to this in his book and in the media."
When the US sells advanced weapons to Qatar, it is literally arming an organization that openly funds terrorism, spreads radical Islamic ideology and straightforwardly seeks to undermine America, Israel and the West.
The Qataris made a request to the US to buy the drones back in 2020, but not even President Joe Biden wanted to sell that weapons package to them; only now – after the Biden administration held off approving such a sale for four years – the Trump administration has apparently decided instead to reward those who support terrorists in the Middle East and the US, and their anti-Western ideologies.
Qatar has also been a leading funder of both the Taliban in Afghanistan – and offering to be the negotiator between them and the US -- and of the terrorist group Hamas, which, on October 7, 2023, launched an invasion of Israel, murdering 1,200 Israelis.
During the Hamas-Israel war in 2014, Qatar's current Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defense Affairs Saoud bin Abdulrahman Al Thani tweeted, "We Are All Hamas" and "O Jerusalem, awake, awake. We will never succumb to the darkness. O Jerusalem, rise up, rise up. Revive the memory of al-Qassam. O Jerusalem, shoot flames of fire." Al Thani has referred to former Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh as "brother prime minister" and in 2021 he offered: "Israel's control of the U.S. is clear. We must plan how to influence the decision-makers in the U.S."
Qatar has more than succeeded in influencing decision makers in the US, as shown by America's offer last year to have Qatar manage shipments through a US-built floating pier on the coast of the Gaza Strip, which would have delivered weapons to Hamas along with humanitarian aid and would have preserved the terrorist organization. The pier quickly collapsed due to stormy sea conditions. Now the US is offering Qatar a new weapons deal.
What this gift to Qatar shows is that Trump seems to be selecting some people who are offering terms that publicly make the president look ridiculous -- whether for Iran to be allowed to enrich uranium for "peaceful purposes," or accepting that the International Atomic Energy Agency alone might inspect Iran's nuclear and missile facilities in a possible future deal.
While negotiating with Hamas for the release of Israeli hostages, Trump's special envoy Steven Witkoff -- who was bailed out by Qatar in a $623 million hotel deal -- praised Qatar by saying that the terrorist-supporting Gulf state was "doing God's work."
The Trump administration, in seeking to make America great again, was supposed to move away from the policies of the Obama and Biden administrations, which appeased terrorist and rogue states such as Iran and Russia. But regarding Qatar, the Trump administration appears to be pursuing effectively the same extremely dangerous policies that endanger not only US allies in the Middle East such as Israel, but the United States itself.
The Trump administration has thankfully made it clear that it will refuse visas to foreign students who are Hamas supporters, but at the same time, the administration is arming Hamas's financial backer.
US Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) said in January 2024:
"The Qatari government spends uncountable billions of dollars promoting and even funding the Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas and other terrorist groups. They have either bought or intimidated huge parts of Washington, D.C., into silence. It's not at all surprising they would consider the few remaining outspoken opponents of the Muslim Brotherhood in Congress to be Qatar's enemies. It is long past time for the U.S. to reevaluate the U.S.-Qatari relationship."
Whatever happened to that badly needed reevaluation?
Other Senators unfortunately are shilling for Qatar. US Senator Roger Marshall (R-KS) recently said that "Qatar has been a great ally to America," while feigning ignorance of Qatar's insidious influence on US university campuses through its donation of billions of dollars. Marshall insinuated that Qatar's massive funding of American academia is benign instead of appearing to have led to the wave of antisemitic protests and riots on US campuses since the October 7, 2023 massacre of Israeli civilians.
According to testimony given on April 2, 2025 by the FDD's Natalie Ecanow to the Texas Legislature House Committee on Homeland Security, Public Safety & Veterans' Affairs:
"[US] colleges and universities have accepted $6.25 billion from Qatar since 2001. However, Qatar's total spending likely exceeds that figure... Qatar is a major exporter of Islamist ideology, which it amplifies on the Qatar-owned Al Jazeera network. By pumping money into the American higher education system and across the United States, Qatar avoids scrutiny as it advances hostile ideologies."
"Qatar is currently the largest foreign donor to US universities," according to a recent report by the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy (ISGAP).
"Despite its close ties to the United States and other Western countries, Qatar has also built an extensive network of Islamist partners dedicated to expanding its influence. It hosts, supports, and represents the Muslim Brotherhood; maintains ties with Iran; hosts the Taliban; has supported and maintained an office for Hamas and its exiled leadership; and has backed militias in Syria and Libya."
The influence that Qatar has bought extends far beyond colleges and universities and into K-12 schools, according to ISGAP.
"This report examines the Choices Program, a national education initiative for K-12 social studies curriculum housed at Brown University that combines licensed curriculum units, free online content, and professional education workshops to provide a range of resources for secondary school classrooms. The program, used by 8,000 schools in all fifty states, reaches over one million students...
Analysis of program materials, particularly those concerning the Middle East, reveals concerning patterns:
• Progressive delegitimization of Israel through content changes across editions;
• elimination of key historical context and balanced perspectives;
• downplaying of significant diplomatic achievements like the Abraham Accords;
• introduction of increasingly partisan theoretical frameworks;
• systematic changes in terminology and map presentations...
Our investigation identified significant discrepancies between Brown University's public statements and documented evidence regarding external influence over the Choices Program, including:
• the understated relationship with QFI;
• the misrepresentation of the nature and extent of QFI's involvement in workshop content, teacher engagement, and curriculum distribution;
• the lack of transparency concerning donor influence on content development."
Qatar is hard at work, subverting the United States. Right up there with it is China, also infiltrating American K-12 education.
Trump recently issued an executive order requiring transparency in the foreign influence on US campuses, emphasizing that it would address Chinese and Qatari activity in American academic institutions, but it will take much more than that to reverse the decades of foreign Qatari and Chinese propaganda that have permeated US campuses, especially the Ivy League.
It seems oddly schizophrenic to have one branch of the US government going after Qatari influence in academia, while another US government branch is selling the Qataris lethal drones with which it could theoretically supply to Hamas, ISIS and other terrorist groups to wreak havoc in the Middle East and beyond.
Now it seems that Trump's commitment that, "As long as I am President of the United States, Iran will never be allowed to have a nuclear weapon," is in danger of turning into pabulum as well.
It is high time for the United States to free itself of the subversive forces working to destroy it from within, especially if America is to remain a beacon of freedom in the world, let alone "making it great again."
A good place to start would be not to sell weapons to Qatar and not to pretend they are a friendly ally. Instead, the US should start looking for an alternate place, such as the United Arab Emirates, to relocate American forces from Qatar's Al-Udeid Air Base.
**Robert Williams is based in the United States.
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https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/21657/selling-weapons-to-qatar

Question: “What is the sin nature?”
GotQuestions.org/May 30/2025
Answer: The sin nature is that aspect in humanity that makes us rebellious against God. When we speak of the sin nature, we refer to the fact that we have a natural inclination to sin; given the choice to do God’s will or our own, we will naturally choose to do our own thing.
Proof of the sin nature abounds. No one has to teach a child to lie or be selfish; rather, we go to great lengths to teach children to tell the truth and put others first. Sinful behavior comes naturally. The news is filled with tragic examples of mankind acting badly. Wherever people are, there is trouble. Charles Spurgeon said, “As the salt flavors every drop in the Atlantic, so does sin affect every atom of our nature. It is so sadly there, so abundantly there, that if you cannot detect it, you are deceived.”
The Bible explains the reason for the trouble. Humanity is sinful, not just in theory or in practice but by nature. Sin is part of the very fiber of our being. The Bible speaks of “sinful flesh” in Romans 8:3. It’s our “earthly nature” that produces the list of sins in Colossians 3:5. And Romans 6:6 speaks of “the body ruled by sin.” The flesh-and-blood existence we lead on this earth is shaped by our sinful, corrupt nature.
The sin nature is universal in humanity. All of us have a sinful nature, and it affects every part of us. This is the doctrine of total depravity, and it is biblical. All of us have gone astray (Isaiah 53:6). Paul admits that “the trouble is with me, for I am all too human, a slave to sin” (Romans 7:14). Paul was in his “sinful nature a slave to the law of sin” (Romans 7:25). Solomon concurs: “Indeed, there is no one on earth who is righteous, / no one who does what is right and never sins” (Ecclesiastes 7:20). The apostle John perhaps puts it most bluntly: “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8).
Even children have a sin nature. David rues the fact that he was born with sin already at work within him: “Surely I was sinful at birth, / sinful from the time my mother conceived me” (Psalm 51:5). Elsewhere, David states, “Even from birth the wicked go astray; / from the womb they are wayward, spreading lies” (Psalm 58:3).
Where did the sin nature come from? Scripture says that God created humans good and without a sinful nature: “God created man in His own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them” (Genesis 1:27). However, Genesis 3 records the disobedience of Adam and Eve. By that one action, sin entered into their nature. They were immediately stricken with a sense of shame and unfitness, and they hid from God’s presence (Genesis 3:8). When they had children, Adam’s image and likeness was passed along to his offspring (Genesis 5:3). The sin nature manifested itself early in the genealogy: the very first child born to Adam and Eve, Cain, became the very first murderer (Genesis 4:8).
From generation to generation, the sin nature was passed down to all of humanity: “Sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned” (Romans 5:12). This verse also presents the unsettling truth that the sin nature leads inexorably to death (see also Romans 6:23 and Ephesians 2:1).
Other consequences of the sin nature are hostility toward God and ignorance of His truth. Paul says, “The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God” (Romans 8:7–8). Also, “the person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit” (1 Corinthians 2:14).
There is only one Person in the history of the world who did not have a sin nature: Jesus Christ. His virgin birth allowed Him to enter our world while bypassing the curse passed down from Adam. Jesus then lived a sinless life of absolute perfection. He was “the Holy and Righteous One” (Acts 3:14) who “had no sin” (2 Corinthians 5:21). This allowed Jesus to be sacrificed on the cross as our perfect substitute, “a lamb without blemish or defect” (1 Peter 1:19). John Calvin puts it in perspective: “For certainly, Christ is much more powerful to save than Adam was to ruin.”
It is through Christ that we are born again. “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit” (John 3:6). When we are born of Adam, we inherit his sin nature; but when we are born again in Christ, we inherit a new nature: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Corinthians 5:17).
We don’t lose our sin nature once we receive Christ. The Bible says that sin remains in us and that a struggle with that old nature will continue as long as we are in this world. Paul bemoaned his own personal struggle in Romans 7:15–25. But we have help in the battle—divine help. The Spirit of God takes up residence in each believer and supplies the power we need to overcome the pull of the sin nature within us. “No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God” (1 John 3:9). God’s ultimate plan for us is total sanctification when we see Christ (1 Thessalonians 3:13; 1 John 3:2).
Through His finished work on the cross, Jesus satisfied God’s wrath against sin and provided believers with victory over their sin nature: “‘He himself bore our sins’ in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness” (1 Peter 2:24). In His resurrection, Jesus offers life to everyone bound by corrupt flesh. Those who are born again now have this command: “Count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus” (Romans 6:11).

Is The 1948 War Over? Yes and No
Hazem Saghieh/Asharq Al Awsat/May 30/2025
The State of Israel emerged in 1948, and its emergence was accompanied by a war and the expulsion of the Palestinian population. Its birth thus became the foundational act that precipitated many subsequent wars and, eventually, the “Arab-Israeli conflict.” However, its emergence was also foundational to the rise of military regimes and radical ideologies in the Levant. In the shadow of this foundational event, many engrossed themselves in interpreting what Constantine Zureiq called “the meaning of the Nakba.” Generations came and went, regimes collapsed, ideas emerged and wars were waged in the promise of undoing the outcome of that war and nullifying the victory.
Nonetheless, this victory remained incomplete. An event, any event, needs recognition to be complete. The Arab states- be they the new state’s neighbours or far away, and whether they fought it or didn’t- refused to recognize the “alleged entity.”
After the Arab defeat of 1967 two decades later, the Israelis were under the impression that their victory would finally secure the recognition they had previously been denied. However, what happened was that new Arab causes- Egyptian, Syrian, and Jordanian- piled up over the Palestinian cause, further complicating what had already been a complex situation. Later, after 1978 and more so after 1982, Lebanon joined the club. All these “neighbouring states” had lost land to occupation, while the surge of militias was the result of the trajectory set in motion by the 1967 defeat, and after the 1979 Iranian Revolution, Islamism became dominant within these militias.
One of the great ironies of the 1948 and 1967 wars is that the party that had achieved a resounding victory continued to seek recognition from its enemy, while the party that had been routed insisted on refusing to recognize its enemy. The Arabs’ refusal to recognize Israel probably stemmed, in part, from the assumption that they would manage, albeit in an unknown future, to retaliate and “take revenge” for what happened in the two wars.
At this point, it would be no exaggeration to assert that many questions have been conclusively settled, both militarily and politically, and that the "Arab-Israeli conflict," which has narrowed to become a "Palestinian-Israeli conflict," is now behind us. At a time when a country like Syria, the “beating heart of Arabism,” adopts a policy of pacification that is still being defined, when militias across the Levant fall after its armies have been defeated, and when the various revolutionary ideologies come to resemble abandoned houses, a military response to what was established in 1948 seems like a mirage or a hallucination. As for the political, social, and technological developments of the past couple of years, they offer no indication that the future will lead us in the opposite direction.
It seems that one thing has been turned on its head despite the Israelis maintaining the upper hand in both cases. Whereas Israel’s victories in 1948 and 1967 were met with Arab refusal to recognize the Jewish state, Israel’s overwhelming dominance today has been coupled with a refusal to recognize not only the Palestinians but the other Arabs of Levant as well. This is evident not only in Gaza and throughout Palestine, but also in Israel’s continued occupation of Syrian and Lebanese land, not deterred by the political changes in those two countries.
The Arabs’ refusal to recognize Israel has undoubtedly caused damage on every level since 1948. However, Israel’s current refusal to recognize the Arabs’ rights- to say nothing about Palestinians’ right to a state- could create just as much harm that would not leave even Israel itself unscathed. While its victory in 1967 turned the country into a star and an inspiration to many around the world, its current posture has turned it into a polity that is reviled by a larger group of people than those who had admired it following its initial victory. Even though a military Arab response to what began in 1948 has now become unthinkable, the downward trajectory of the region, including in Israel, inspires no optimism about the imminence or plausibility of a take-off anywhere in the Levant.
Only wars ending, materially but also through recognition, can open the door to a new phase that reflects on all levels. Only with conclusive conclusions of wars can there be a radical response to the radical struggle born in 1948.
Today, some are pinning their hopes on the post–Benjamin Netanyahu era being a gateway to less gridlock. Others are betting on extracting Israel’s recognition through Saudi and Gulf pressure on the United States, coupled with European (and Canadian) pressure on Tel Aviv- the former recently began abandoning their reluctance and reticence, as shown by the decision to reassess bilateral agreements. That is why, even as Israel’s brutal war rages on, some believe that the establishment of a Palestinian state- or at least a process that leads to a state- has become more likely. What we can be certain of, however, is that immediately ending the genocidal war on Gaza and ensuring the delivery of humanitarian aid are the real test- this is our most urgent task and the benchmark. We should also note that Hamas could accelerate the positive trajectory by laying down its arms, releasing the remaining hostages, and abandoning its selfish ambition to retain control of the Gaza Strip.
It is time to turn the page on the non-recognition that began in 1948, after the struggle of 48 and the struggles it spawned had ended as belligerent events.