English LCCC Newsbulletin For
Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For November 07/2025
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news
The Bulletin's Link on the
lccc Site
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/aaaanewsfor2025/english.november07.25.htm
News Bulletin Achieves
Since 2006
Click Here to enter the LCCC Arabic/English news bulletins Achieves since 2006
Click On
The Below Link To Join Elias Bejjaninews whatsapp group
https://chat.whatsapp.com/FPF0N7lE5S484LNaSm0MjW
اضغط
على الرابط في
أعلى للإنضمام
لكروب
Eliasbejjaninews whatsapp group
Elias Bejjani/Click
on the below link to subscribe to my youtube channel
الياس
بجاني/اضغط
على الرابط في
أسفل للإشتراك في
موقعي ع اليوتيوب
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAOOSioLh1GE3C1hp63Camw
Bible Quotations For today
Father, I desire that those also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I
am, to see my glory
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John
17/24-26/:"Father, I desire that those also, whom you have given me, may be with
me where I am, to see my glory, which you have given me because you loved me
before the foundation of the world. ‘Righteous Father, the world does not know
you, but I know you; and these know that you have sent me. I made your name
known to them, and I will make it known, so that the love with which you have
loved me may be in them, and I in them.’
Titles For The
Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on
November 06-07/2025
Anniversary of the Signing of the Catastrophic Cairo Agreement That
Legitimated Occupations and Traded Sovereignty for Undelivered Security/Elias
Bejjani/November 03/2025
The "Identity and Sovereignty Gathering" Announces Full Support for the Lebanese
State's Decision to Negotiate with Israel
La « Réunion sur l'identité et la souveraineté » a annoncé son soutien total à
la décision de l'État libanais d'entamer des négociations avec Israël.
A video link to an English panel discussion from The Washington Institute
Youtube Platform titled: “Is There a Path to Peace Between Lebanon and Israel?/
Part 1: A contribution by MP Fouad Makhzoumi/ Part 2: Contributions by
researcher Hanin Ghaddar and Colonel Erin Larman / Moderated by Robert Satloff
1 killed, 3 hurt in violent Israeli airstrike in Tyre region
Cabinet Approves Electoral Law Amendment and Praises Army Plan
Israel steps up attacks on southern Lebanon, drops evacuation warnings
Israeli jets strike southern Lebanon towns, escalating near-daily attacks
UNIFIL calls on Israel to halt airstrikes and ‘all violations’ in south Lebanon
Army chief briefs govt on Hezbollah disarmament plan as Israel strikes south
Israeli military says it is striking Hezbollah targets across southern Lebanon
US targets Hezbollah 'money movers' with sanctions as Israel strikes
Hezbollah says it has 'legitimate right' to defend itself against Israel
Hezbollah says Lebanon is bound by ceasefire but group rejects negotiations with
Israel
Lebanon lifts travel ban on Gadhafi's son and reduces bail to $900,000 paving
way for his release
Tony Blair to visit Lebanon soon amid fears of Israeli escalation
Bukhari meets Army chief ahead of Saudi envoy visit
Aoun, Salam to discuss possible response to Hezbollah statement
Berri says 'no war' looming, agrees to 'experts' in negotiations if needed
Report: Israel mulls military move to force Lebanon to sign 'stable agreement'
Israeli officials say Thursday airstrikes not beginning of an 'escalation'
Hezbollah’s open letters: From 1985 to 2025, the same claim to rule Lebanon/Makram
Rabah/Al Arabiya English/07 November /2025
Peace with Israel would open new path for Lebanon/Khaled Abou Zahr/Arab
News/November 06, 2025
The Reason why the majority of the Lebanese diaspora vote Republican/Guila
Fakhoury/November 06/2025
The IMF and Lebanon: Debts? Which Debts?
Writing Off Banks’ Capital Wipes Out Deposits
Closed Again: Jeita Grotto, a Victim of a Failing State/Natasha Metni Torbey/This
is Beirut/November 06/2025
Lebanon Faces ‘Environmental Disaster’ From Syrian Refugee Camps/Hala Abdallah/This
is Beirut/November 06/2025
Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous
Reports And News published
on
November 06-07/2025
UN Security Council votes to lift sanctions
on Syrian president
Pope Leo receives Palestinian president Abbas at Vatican
US pushes UN draft resolution backing Trump Gaza plan, calls for International
Stabilization Force
US prepares to establish military presence at airbase in Damascus: Sources
Mediators propose deal to get Hamas fighters out of Gaza’s Israeli zone, sources
say
Israel declares Egypt border area closed military zone due to weapon-smuggling
drones
New country to join Abraham Accords, US envoy teases ahead of announcement
Israeli forces demolish homes in Jerusalem, kill 15-year-old Palestinian
Mediators propose deal to get Hamas fighters out of Gaza’s Israeli zone, sources
say
Weapons cache linked to Hamas found in Vienna by Austria’s intelligence service
UK sees surge in referrals of right-wing extremism to counterterrorism program
Iran’s ‘hostage diplomacy’ continues to undermine trust with the West,
perpetuate tensions
Iraqi PM Sudani seen as election frontrunner but power politics limits ability
to bring in change
Sudan’s RSF agrees to US proposal for humanitarian ceasefire
US urges Sudan’s warring parties to facilitate humanitarian truce: State
Department
Belgium opens first trial linked to Yazidi genocide
Senate Democrats to consider Republican offer as record US shutdown drags on
Titles For The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous
sources
on
November 06-07/2025
Christian Girl Harassed for Refusing Hijab — “They Looked at Me as if I
Were Naked”/
Coptic Solidarity/Raymond Ibrahim/November 06/2025
The demise of JCPOA and the road ahead for Iran’s nuclear program/Dr. Majid
Rafizadeh/Al Arabiya English/06 November/2025
Disinformation is a national security threat, especially in South Asia/Rizwan
Akhtar/Al Arabiya English/07 November /2025
Trump’s Gaza ceasefire plan: What’s next?/Ghassan Khatib/Arab News/November 06,
2025
How Israel’s expansion into Syria uprooted families and undermined regional
stability/ANAN TELLO/Arab News/November 06, 2025
Selected X Tweets For November 06/2025
The Latest
English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on
November 06-07/2025
Anniversary of the Signing of the Catastrophic Cairo Agreement That Legitimated
Occupations and Traded Sovereignty for Undelivered Security
Elias Bejjani/November 03/2025
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/11/148840/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWDqlptsr-U
Today, we remember with anger and sorrow the Cairo Agreement, the crime and
national catastrophe that was signed between Lebanon the State and the terrorist
Palestinian organizations. This agreement destroyed Lebanon, eliminated its
unity, undermined its independence, and handed over its decision-making to
foreign terrorists, Arab nationalists, leftists, and jihadists who occupied
Lebanon and continue to do so, starting with the Palestinian organizations, then
the Syrian occupation, and currently the Iranian occupation through the
terrorist and jihadist Hezbollah. What were the backgrounds of this voided
agreement? What are its catastrophic consequences that continue to this day? And
who was responsible for the signing and the surrender of Lebanon, and why?
Undoubtedly, the Cairo Agreement, signed on November 3, 1969, was not merely a
military accord, but a catastrophic turning point in modern Lebanese history. It
undermined its sovereignty, legitimized an armed presence outside state
authority, and paved the way for the wars that Lebanon was subjected to and
which are still raging, serving Palestinian, Syrian, Nasserist Arab nationalist,
jihadist, and Iranian agendas.
Date of Signing, Signatories, and Background of the Cairo Agreement
Date and Place of Signing: The agreement was signed in Cairo, the capital of the
United Arab Republic (Egypt at the time), on November 3, 1969.
Signatories and Parties:
On the Lebanese side: General Emile Boustani, Commander of the Army, during the
presidency of Charles Helou.
On the Palestinian Organizations side: Mr. Yasser Arafat, Chairman of the
Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).
Egyptian Presence and Influence: The signing was attended by Mr. Mahmoud Riad
(Egyptian Foreign Minister) and General Mohamed Fawzi (Egyptian Minister of
War). The late Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser played a pivotal role in
summoning Arafat and the Lebanese authorities and pressuring for the swift
conclusion of the agreement. It is reported that he warned General Boustani upon
signing the agreement, saying: "The agreement is not in your interest."
The Bloody Background: The agreement came in the wake of bloody and fierce
clashes that lasted for months between the Lebanese Army and the local Christian
popular forces rejecting the Palestinian occupation, and the Palestinian
resistance factions whose power was escalating through their alliance with
Lebanese leftist and nationalist political forces (later known as the Lebanese
National Movement). The core of the conflict was the rejection by the majority
of Lebanese Christian parties and organizations of using Lebanon as a platform
for military operations against Israel or an arena for ideological Arab wars, at
the expense of Lebanese state sovereignty and stability.
Text Of The Cairo Agreement 1969
IN 1969, under the authority of the then president Charles Helou, the
following document was signed by the Head of the Lebanese Delegation General
Emile Bustani, and the Head of the Palestinian Delegation Yasser Arafat.
Text
On Monday, 3rd November 1969, the Lebanese delegation headed by Army Commander
General Emile al-Bustani, and the Palestine Liberation Organization delegation,
headed by Mr. Yasir 'Arafat, chairman of the organization, met in Cairo in the
presence of the United Arab Republic Minister of Foreign Affairs Mahmud Riyad,
and the War Minister, General Muhammad Fawzi.
In consonance with the bonds of brotherhood and common destiny, relations
between Lebanon and the Palestinian revolution must always be conducted on the
bases of confidence, frankness, and positive cooperation for the benefit of
Lebanon and the Palestinian revolution and within the framework of Lebanon's
sovereignty and security. The two delegations agreed on the following principles
and measures:
The Palestinian Presence
It was agreed to reorganize the Palestinian presence in Lebanon on the following
bases:
1. The right to work, residence, and movement for Palestinians currently
residing in Lebanon;
2. The formation of local committees composed of Palestinians in the camps to
care for the interests of Palestinians residing in these camps in cooperation
with the local Lebanese authorities within the framework of Lebanese
sovereignty;
3. The establishment of posts of the Palestinian Armed Struggle [PASC] inside
the camps for the purpose of cooperation with the local committees to ensure
good relations with the Lebanese authorities. These posts shall undertake the
task of regulating and determining the presence of arms in the camps within the
framework of Lebanese security and the interests of the Palestinian revolution;
4. Palestinians resident in Lebanon are to be permitted to participate in the
Palestinian revolution through the Armed Struggle and in accordance with the
principles of the sovereignty and security of Lebanon.
Commando Activity
It was agreed to facilitate commando activity by means of:
1. Facilitating the passage of commandos and specifying points of passage and
reconnaissance in the border areas;
2. Safeguarding the road to the 'Arqub region;
3. The Armed Struggle shall undertake to control the conduct of all the members
of its organizations and [to ensure] their non-interference in Lebanese affairs;
4. Establishing a joint command control of the Armed Struggle and the Lebanese
Army;
5. Ending the propaganda campaigns by both sides;
6. Conducting a census of Armed Struggle personnel in Lebanon by their command.
7. Appointing Armed Struggle representatives at Lebanese Army headquarters to
participate in the resolution of all emergency matters;
8. Studying the distribution of all suitable points of concentration in border
areas which will be agreed with the Lebanese Army command;
9. Regulating the entry, exit, and circulation of Armed Struggle personnel;
10. Removal of the Jiyrun base.
11. The Lebanese Army shall facilitate the operation of medical, evacuation, and
supply centers for commando activity;
12. Releasing detained personnel and confiscated arms;
13. It is understood that the Lebanese authorities, both civil and military,
shall continue to exercise all their prerogatives and responsibilities in all
areas of Lebanon in all circumstances;
14. The two delegations affirm that the Palestinian armed struggle is in the
interest of Lebanon as well as in that of the Palestinian revolution and all
Arabs;
15. This agreement shall remain Top Secret and for the eyes of the commands
only.
Head of Lebanese delegation
Emile Bustani
Head of Palestinian delegation
Yasir Arafat
Resolution adopted by the Lebanese Chamber of Deputies, 21 May 1987
1. Abrogation of the law issued by the Chamber of Deputies on 14 June 1983,
authorizing the Government to ratify the agreement signed by the Government of
the Lebanese Republic and the Government of the State of Israel on 17 May 1983.
2. The agreement signed on 3 November 1969 between the head of the Lebanese
delegation General Emile Bustani and the Chairman of the PLO and which is known
as the "Cairo Agreement" is hereby null and void as if it had never existed.
Further, all annexes and measures related to the Cairo Agreement are hereby null
and void as if they had never existed.
**The Catastrophic and Ongoing Consequences of the Agreement
Despite the apparent attempt to mitigate tension, the Cairo Agreement
constituted an explicit authorization for an armed foreign group to possess
weapons on Lebanese soil, leading to:
Erosion of Sovereignty and National Decision: The agreement established a "state
within a state," where areas controlled by armed Palestinians, especially the
camps and Southern Lebanon, became entirely outside the authority of the
Lebanese state.
Abandonment of the South: Allowing the "securing of the road to the Arqoub area"
and facilitating operations from the South transformed this region into an arena
for direct conflict with Israel. This initiated the cycle of destruction and
displacement in Southern Lebanon, with the Lebanese state bearing the
consequences of a war it did not decide.
Turning Lebanon into a War Zone: Lebanon became an "open arena" for Feda'een
actions and counter-military operations, leading to the destruction of
infrastructure, destabilization of security, and the eruption of the Lebanese
Civil War (1975-1990) as a direct result of clashes between Lebanese militias
rejecting the situation and Palestinian militias allied with Lebanese leftist
forces.
Transforming Camps into Security Enclaves: Palestinian camps remain outside
state authority to this day, becoming safe havens for "merchants of the
resistance lie," drug dealers, fugitives from justice, and fertile ground for
extremist organizations and chaos.
Fourth: Loss of Sovereignty and the Continuation of Disasters
Since the signing of the Cairo Agreement, it can be said that Lebanon lost a
significant part of its sovereignty and independent decision. This was not
limited to armed Palestinian influence but extended to open the door wide to
other regional powers:
Syrian Influence: The Assad regime exploited the agreement and then the Civil
War to intervene militarily and politically, transforming Lebanon into a
bargaining chip in its hand.
Iranian Hezbollah Occupation: The "crime of the Cairo Agreement" was repeated
with the emergence and growth of Hezbollah (which holds Iranian identity and
goals). It possesses weapons outside state authority, wages wars, and dominates
Lebanon's sovereign decision, representing a continuation of the "illegitimate
weapons" approach established by the Cairo Agreement.
Fifth: The Nullification of the Agreement and the Crime of Repetition
The Death of the Agreement (The Lebanese Barter):
The Cairo Agreement died and was officially annulled on May 20, 1987, shortly
after the expiration of the effect of the "May 17 Agreement" (1983) signed by
Lebanon and Israel.
"The Cairo Agreement died, as it was born, in the blink of an eye that lasted
about 18 years... thus, the barter was nullification for nullification."
The armed Palestinian revolution departed from Beirut in 1982 following the
Israeli invasion, thereby ending the effective and open armed presence of the
PLO legitimized by the agreement, before it was officially annulled afterward.
The Repetition of the Cairo Agreement Crime:
The current situation in Lebanon, under the control of Hezbollah's weapon, is a
repetition of the Cairo Agreement crime but with different local and regional
tools.
The Lost Wars: Lebanon continues to pay the price for the "lost wars" waged by
Hezbollah against Israel, which devastate the South and place the country on the
brink of a comprehensive war. It remains unwilling to implement the recent
ceasefire agreement and all international resolutions: 1559, 1701, 1680, in
addition to its refusal to respect the Lebanese Constitution after its amendment
through the Taif Agreement, which demands the dissolution of all Lebanese and
non-Lebanese militias and the imposition of state authority through its own
forces over all Lebanese territories.
Appeasement and Empowerment: The actions of the current Lebanese government and
the Army leadership at present, in terms of appeasing Hezbollah and not
compelling it to surrender its weapons to the state, are a repetition of the
same historical mistake committed by the Lebanese leadership in 1969: the
surrender of the state's sovereign decision in exchange for temporary calm or
under regional pressure, thus ensuring the continuation of the national
catastrophe.
Conclusion: Every time sovereignty was abandoned in exchange for purported
security, the country was the loser and the Lebanese were the victims, because
sovereignty belongs to the state alone and not to any armed groups, whether
Lebanese or non-Lebanese
The "Identity and Sovereignty Gathering" Announces Full
Support for the Lebanese State's Decision to Negotiate with Israel
National News Agency/November 06/2025
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/11/148913/
The "Identity and Sovereignty Gathering" held its periodic meeting, chaired by
former Minister Youssef Salameh, in the presence of the Gathering's associates,
Bishop Guy Paul Najem and Sheikh Sami Abdel Khaleq, and other members. Following
the meeting, the Gathering issued a statement noting that the attendees
discussed "the Lebanese state's decision to negotiate with Israel to end the
state of war and mitigate the repercussions of the occupation," declaring their
full support for "this decision, in order to preserve the nation's existence and
safeguard its identity." The attendees pointed out that "in the face of the
escalating objections that have been eroding the state's authority for decades,"
they asked: "Is it time for the state to regain its ability to defend all its
citizens without exception? Or will it continue to choose hesitation and
indecisiveness, unwittingly contributing to the destruction of what remains of
this nation's foundations?" The attendees concluded by appealing to "the pillars
of power to stand firm on a bold position that the Lebanese people have long
awaited, in order to regain confidence in their state."
La « Réunion sur l'identité et la souveraineté » a annoncé
son soutien total à la décision de l'État libanais d'entamer des négociations
avec Israël.
Agence nationale de l’information/6 novembre 2025
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/11/148913/
Le « Rassemblement pour l’identité et la souveraineté » a tenu sa réunion
périodique, présidée par l’ancien ministre Youssef Salameh, en présence de ses
associés, l’évêque Guy Paul Najem et le cheikh Sami Abdel Khaleq, ainsi que
d’autres membres. À l’issue de la réunion, le Rassemblement a publié un
communiqué indiquant que les participants ont discuté de « la décision de l’État
libanais de négocier avec Israël pour mettre fin à l’état de guerre et atténuer
les répercussions de l’occupation », et déclarant leur soutien total à « cette
décision, afin de préserver l’existence de la nation et de sauvegarder son
identité ». Les participants ont souligné que, « face à la montée des
contestations qui érodent l'autorité de l'État depuis des décennies », ils ont
demandé : « Est-il temps pour l'État de recouvrer sa capacité à défendre tous
ses citoyens sans exception ? Ou va-t-il persister dans l'hésitation et
l'indécision, contribuant ainsi, sans le vouloir, à la destruction des
fondements de cette nation ? » Ils ont conclu en appelant « les piliers du
pouvoir à adopter une position ferme et courageuse, celle que le peuple libanais
attend depuis si longtemps, afin de restaurer la confiance en son État. »
A video link to an English panel discussion from The
Washington Institute Youtube Platform titled: “Is There a Path to Peace Between
Lebanon and Israel?/ Part 1: A contribution by MP Fouad Makhzoumi/ Part 2:
Contributions by researcher Hanin Ghaddar and Colonel Erin Larman / Moderated by
Robert Satloff
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/11/148936/
About the Panelists
Fouad Makhzoumi
Fouad Makhzoumi has been a member of the Lebanese Parliament since 2018,
representing Beirut’s second district. He is the CEO and Chairman of Future Pipe
Industries, a large conglomerate operating on four continents.
Brief Analysis
A keynote address by Lebanese MP Fouad Makhzoumi, followed by a panel discussion
with Hanin Ghaddar and Erin Larman.
For the first time in decades, newspapers, talk shows, and cafes across Lebanon
are buzzing with talk of the possibility of peace with Israel. But the obstacles
are formidable, including the still-unfinished task of disarming Hezbollah,
Iran’s most prominent regional proxy.
Part 1 of the episode: Main discussion with Lebanese MP Fouad Makhzoumi
Part 2: Panel discussion with Hanin Ghaddar and Eran Lerman, moderated by Segal
CEO Robert Satloff.
Keynote Speaker
Speakers
Hanin Ghaddar is a senior fellow in the Friedman Program at The Washington
Institute, co-author of "A Roadmap for Peace Between Israel and Lebanon" (with
Dr. Satloff and Ehud Yaari), and former managing editor of NOW Lebanon, the
country's leading English-language news platform.
Colonel Eran Lerman (IDF, retired) is vice president of the Jerusalem Institute
for Strategy and Security and former deputy director for foreign policy and
international affairs at the National Security Council in the Israeli Prime
Minister's Office. He holds a PhD from the London School of Economics.
1 killed, 3 hurt in violent Israeli airstrike in Tyre
region
Naharnet/November 06, 2025
Israeli warplanes on Thursday bombed an open area between the Tyre district
towns of Toura and al-Abbasiyeh, killing one person and wounding three others,
the National News Agency said. The strike also sparked panic among students in
the schools of Maarakeh, al-Abbasiyeh, Toura and Tyre, prompting several schools
to suspend classes and creating major traffic congestion on Tyre’s entrances.
The Israeli army claimed the strike targeted militants operating inside
Hezbollah “infrastructure” belonging to Hezbollah’s “construction unit.”
“The infrastructure was being used to manufacture tools for the reconstruction
of terrorist infrastructure that was targeted and destroyed during the war,” the
Israeli army added.
Cabinet Approves Electoral Law Amendment and Praises
Army Plan
This is Beirut/November 06/2025
The Council of Ministers decided to transmit to Parliament a bill bearing the
status of double urgency, aimed at suspending, for one time only, the
implementation of Article 112, in accordance with the formula adopted in 2022.
This measure will allow Lebanese expatriates to vote for all 128 members of
Parliament in the 2026 elections, without permanently repealing the article.
During the Cabinet session held Thursday afternoon at the Baabda Palace, chaired
by President Joseph Aoun, the government commended the army’s plan to curb the
proliferation of weapons despite existing challenges. The Commander-in-Chief of
the Army, General Rodolphe Haykal, joined the meeting to present the military
institution’s monthly report. According to the Minister of Information, Paul
Morcos, President Aoun reiterated that the option of negotiations with Israel is
based on the will to restore stability in the South, stressing the choice of war
would lead to no result. The Cabinet also confirmed the continuation of
diplomatic and political efforts to end Israel’s violations of the ceasefire. In
addition, the Council appointed an interim commission to oversee the management
and operation of the Port of Beirut. The session also addressed the recent
incident at the Jeita Grotto, where a party was held inside the main cavern.
Tourism Minister Laura Lahoud presented a report on the damage observed, pending
decisions by the Ministry of Interior.
Israel steps up attacks on southern Lebanon, drops
evacuation warnings
NAJIA HOUSSARI/Arab News/November 06, 2025
BEIRUT: One person was killed and eight others were wounded on Thursday in an
Israeli attack on southern Lebanon that included evacuation warnings ahead of
strikes on what Israel described as Hezbollah military infrastructure in Tayr
Debba, At-Taybah and Ayta Al-Jabal, south of the Litani River. The escalation
appears to mark a return to open conflict. The warnings, followed by airstrikes,
caused panic in populated villages, with people fleeing areas near the targeted
locations. Israeli army spokesman Avichai Adraee said the man killed and those
wounded in an attack in the area between the towns of Abbasiya and Toura in the
Tyre district, were “workers employed within Hezbollah infrastructure used to
produce equipment for the reconstruction of facilities targeted and destroyed
during the war.” The strike marks the latest in a series of violations by Israel
of the ceasefire agreement that has been in effect since Nov. 27. Since then,
Israeli forces have carried out dozens of air and ground attacks deep inside
Lebanon. Israeli military reports, including the latest on Thursday, said that
“Hezbollah has crossed Israel’s red line by possessing 20,000 missiles, the
majority of which are short-range, contrary to previous estimates of 10,000.”In
a report issued on Wednesday, the Israeli army estimated that it had
“assassinated about 20 Hezbollah members in the past month.”
These violations coincide with almost daily Israeli media reports about
“preparations for a military intervention in Lebanon.”Israeli Channel 12
reported on Thursday that the Israeli army is preparing for a new offensive in
Lebanon aimed “at weakening Hezbollah, and that the goal of the intervention is
to push the Lebanese government to sign a stable agreement with Israel.”On
Thursday, Hezbollah issued a letter addressed to the president, speaker of
parliament, prime minister, and the Lebanese people, warning that negotiating
with “the Israeli enemy … would lead to dangerous consequences,” and said it was
prepared to resist. “The legitimate right to defense does not fall under the
category of a peace agreement or a war agreement. Rather, we are exercising our
right to defend ourselves against an enemy that imposes war on our country, does
not cease its aggression, and seeks to subjugate our state,” the statement
added.
A day earlier President Joseph Aoun reiterated “Lebanon’s readiness to negotiate
with Israel, approaching this path as a comprehensive national option, not a
sectarian one.”Hezbollah, which has refused to hand over its arms, said: “The
issue of exclusive control of weapons is not to be discussed in response to a
foreign demand or Israeli pressure, but within a national framework that
establishes a comprehensive strategy for security, defense, and the protection
of national sovereignty.”Lebanese political parties have condemned Hezbollah’s
statement. An official Lebanese source told Arab News that “the Lebanese
president’s insistence on conducting negotiations with Israel indicates that
Lebanon does not want war, but rather prefers to pursue diplomacy. “The US has
not conveyed the Israeli response to the negotiation proposal, knowing that
Lebanon will not engage in talks over the return of Lebanese prisoners held by
Israel, since it is not holding any Israeli captives,” the source added.
“Lebanon will not negotiate over territory, as Israel continues to occupy
positions along the border area. What is needed is an end to Israeli strikes.”
The source said that Israel’s threats could not be justified, adding that “no
shots have been fired from Lebanon and there has been no violation of the
ceasefire agreement. In fact, it is Israel that has breached the agreement,
while Lebanon has refrained from responding to these violations.”On Thursday
afternoon, the Cabinet reviewed the Lebanese Army Command’s second report on its
operations south of the Litani River. The report is part of the army’s plan to
place all weapons under the control of the Lebanese state.Media reports said
that the army has increased its presence in the area to 118 positions, while
some other locations “cannot be disclosed either due to the Israeli occupation
of those areas or ongoing attacks.” The army report said that a number of
weapons depots have been dismantled and tunnels that were discovered have been
brought under control.
It highlighted four “massive facilities,” including one in Wadi Jilo in Tyre
district that contained a large quantity of weapons and vehicles. The report
also presented an overview of “the risks faced by the army as a result of
Israeli attacks targeting both its personnel and members of UNIFIL.”UNIFIL
spokesperson Candace Ardell said on Thursday that the interim force is working
closely with the Lebanese Armed Forces, adding that its operations are essential
to maintaining stability in the region. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz on
Sunday warned that the Lebanese capital Beirut would be targeted if Hezbollah
launched any attack on northern Israel. “Israel will respond to any threat, and
US envoys have conveyed this message to the Lebanese government,” he said.
However, Katz said that “the US is exerting pressure on Lebanon to disarm
Hezbollah, and Israel will give this effort a chance.”
Israeli jets strike southern Lebanon towns, escalating
near-daily attacks
BEIRUT (AP)//November 06/2025
Israeli jets struck several towns in southern Lebanon on Thursday after urging
residents to leave, marking an escalation in their near-daily strikes on the
country. The airstrikes came hours after militant group Hezbollah urged the
Lebanese government not to enter negotiations with Israel.
Israeli Arabic spokesperson Avichay Adraee warned residents in Tayba near the
border, Teir Debba located just east of the coastal city of Tyre, and Aita al-Jabal
in southern Lebanon, to flee 500 meters (about 1,600 feet) away from residential
buildings they are targeting, which they say have been used by Hezbollah. It
later issued more warnings for the towns of Zawtar al-Sharqiyah and Kfar Dounin.
The Israeli military said it targeted military infrastructure for Hezbollah in
those areas, including “weapons storage facilities... constructed in the center
of civilian-populated areas.”It accused the group of rebuilding its capabilities
almost a year after a U.S.-brokered ceasefire went into effect that ended a
monthslong war. While most residents evacuated the threatened areas ahead of the
strikes, Lebanon's health ministry reported one person wounded. “We will not
allow Hezbollah to rearm themselves, to recover, build back up its strength to
threaten the state of Israel,” Israeli government spokesperson Shosh Bedrosian
said at a briefing Thursday. The strikes came as Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf
Salam and his government met in Beirut to follow up on a plan drafted by the
Lebanese military to disarm Hezbollah and other non-state armed groups in the
country. Information Minister Paul Morcos said, following the meeting, that the
cabinet “commended the progress (the army) has made... despite continued
obstacles, foremost among which is the continuation of Israeli hostilities.”
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has been critical of Israel’s strikes and ongoing
occupation of five hilltop points on Lebanese territory but has said he is open
to negotiations with Israel to end the tensions.
Aoun said in a statement after Thursday's strikes that “every time Lebanon
expresses its openness to peaceful negotiations... Israel intensifies its
aggression.”“Nearly a year has passed since the ceasefire came into effect, and
during that time, Israel has spared no effort to demonstrate its rejection of
any negotiated settlement between the two countries," he said. "Your message has
been received.”Israel says its near-daily strikes have targeted Hezbollah
officials and military infrastructure, while the Lebanese government that has
backed disarming Hezbollah say the strikes have targeted civilians and
infrastructure unrelated to the Iran-backed group. The powerful group’s military
capabilities were severely damaged in Israel’s intense air campaign over the
tiny country in 2024, but Hezbollah have yet to disarm and its leader Sheikh
Naim Kassem has said that the group will be ready to fight no matter how limited
their capabilities might be. Both sides have accused each other of violating the
ceasefire, which nominally ended the latest Israel-Hezbollah war last November.
The conflict started after the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on Israel that
triggered the war in Gaza.Hezbollah began firing rockets into northern Israel in
support of Hamas and the Palestinians, prompting Israeli airstrikes and
artillery shelling in return. The low-level exchanges escalated into full-scale
war in September 2024. Lebanon’s health ministry has reported more than 270
people killed and around 850 wounded by Israeli military actions since the
ceasefire took effect. As of Oct. 9, the U.N. human rights office had verified
that 107 of those killed were civilians or noncombatants, said spokesperson
Thameen Al-Kheetan. No Israelis have been killed by fire from Lebanon since the
ceasefire. Hezbollah has claimed one attack since the agreement took effect.
Also Thursday, the U.S. Treasury announced a new set of sanctions that it said
target “financial operatives who oversee the movement of funds from Iran” to
Hezbollah, including through licensed and unlicensed money exchanges shops that
it said “fail to conduct adequate screening on their customers” and allow
Hezbollah “to take advantage of Lebanon’s largely cash-based economy to launder
illicit money.”
UNIFIL calls on Israel to halt airstrikes and ‘all
violations’ in south Lebanon
Ephrem Kossaify/Arab NewsNovember 06, 2025
NEW YORK: The UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon on Thursday urged Israel to
immediately halt airstrikes in southern Lebanon and called on all sides to show
restraint to prevent a wider escalation.eeeed. The peacekeeping mission said its
troops observed multiple Israeli airstrikes in the southern towns of Tayr Dibbah,
Taibe and Ayta Al-Jabal — areas within UNIFIL’s zone of operations. One person
was killed and eight others were wounded in the heavy strikes. Israel said the
airstrikes targeted Hezbollah sites and capabilities, marking an escalation in
near-daily attacks despite a standing ceasefire agreement. “These airstrikes
constitute clear violations of Security Council resolution 1701,” UNIFIL said,
referring to the 2006 resolution that ended the war between Israel and
Hezbollah. The interim force called on Israel to “immediately cease these
attacks and all violations” of UN Security Council resolution 1701, while urging
Lebanese actors “to refrain from any response that could inflame the situation
further.” It said both countries must adhere to their obligations under the
resolution and to a recent understanding reached in November “to avoid putting
the current hard-won progress at risk.”In November 2024, Israel and Lebanon
agreed a US and French-brokered ceasefire that ended over a year of conflict.
The agreement, which took effect on Nov. 27, 2024, was a 60-day truce intended
to be the foundation for a permanent cessation of hostilities based on the full
implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 170. UNIFIL said the overnight
strikes came as the Lebanese Armed Forces carried out operations to control
unauthorized weapons and infrastructure south of the Litani River. “Any military
action, especially on such a destructive scale, threatens the safety of
civilians and undermines progress toward a political and diplomatic solution,”
it said. UNIFIL added that its peacekeepers remain deployed alongside Lebanese
soldiers “working to restore stability in south Lebanon,” and continue to
support both Lebanon and Israel in implementing the resolution.
Army chief briefs govt on Hezbollah disarmament plan as
Israel strikes south
Naharnet/November 06/2025
Cabinet met Thursday in Beirut to follow up on a plan to disarm Hezbollah and
other non-state armed groups in the country drafted by the Lebanese military.
Army chief Gen. Rudolph Haikal briefed the government for the second time on its
plan to disarm Hezbollah, while Israel carried out airstrikes in south Lebanon.
The Cabinet had decided to keep the plan and all discussions about it "secret."
The Lebanese government first aimed to disarm Hezbollah by the end of the year,
but officials later said resources are too limited to meet the deadline. The
current aim is to fully clear a stretch along the Lebanon-Israel border, defined
as south of the Litani river, by the end of November before moving into further
phases. Hezbollah has rejected the plan, saying it won’t discuss disarmament as
long as Israel continues to occupy several hills along the border and carries
out almost daily strikes. The session Thursday would also discuss the right of
the expats to vote in the upcoming parliamentary elections, amid tensions over
the current electoral law which only allows expats to vote for six
newly-introduced seats in parliament, with Sixty-five MPs -- forming a
parliamentary majority -- demanding to amend the law in order to allow expats to
vote for all 128 seats.
Israeli military says it is striking Hezbollah targets
across southern Lebanon
Dana Karni/Tal Shalev/Nadeen Ebrahim/CNN/November 06/2025
The Israeli military said Thursday that it launched strikes on Hezbollah targets
across southern Lebanon in response to what it described as the group’s attempts
to rebuild operations in the region.The Israel Defense Forces’ Arabic language
spokesperson Avichay Adraee issued warnings to residents of several villages in
the region ahead of the strikes. “You are located in a building used by
Hezbollah. For your safety, you are requested to evacuate immediately to a
distance of at least 500 meters from the building. Remaining in the vicinity of
these structures endangers your lives,” Adraee said.
A US-brokered ceasefire agreement between Lebanon and Israel went into effect in
November 2024, ending over a year of cross-border conflict between Israel and
Hezbollah. The fighting began when the Lebanese militant group launched attacks
on Israeli positions a day after the October 7, 2023 Hamas assault, in what
Hezbollah said was an act of solidarity. Under the agreement, Israel was to halt
offensive operations and gradually withdraw from positions inside southern
Lebanon, while Hezbollah was to pull back heavy weaponry north of the Litani
River. However, Israel has continued to strike targets in Lebanon, citing
Hezbollah violations of the truce, claims the group has denied. The Israeli
security cabinet is set to convene Thursday evening, according to two Israeli
officials. One of the officials told CNN that Lebanon will be among the topics
discussed.
The officials said Israel has been warning in recent weeks against what they
described as “Hezbollah attempts to rearm and reestablish its offensive
capabilities.” Last week Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened
security consultations with some cabinet ministers to discuss Israeli reactions.
According to an Israeli source with knowledge of the discussion, the military
recommended launching a wide scale operation against Hezbollah’s alleged
rearming attempts. Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar also said last week that Israel
“cannot bury its head in the sand” as Hezbollah “continues to intensify its
efforts to rebuild and rearm.”Lebanese President Joseph Aoun made headlines in
recent days after suggesting that his country had “no choice” but to negotiate
with Israel directly. “Lebanon has no choice but negotiation, because in
politics there are three fields of action: diplomacy, economy and war. When war
leads to no result, what else can be done?,” he was cited as saying by local
media, widely believed to be referring to Israel. In a statement on Thursday,
Hezbollah accused Israel of repeatedly violating the ceasefire reached in
November 2024, and of “blackmailing” the Lebanese government into recognizing
Israel.
“(Lebanon) is absolutely not interested in succumbing to aggressive blackmail or
being drawn into political negotiations with the Zionist enemy. Such
negotiations serve no national interest and pose existential risks to the
Lebanese entity and its sovereignty,” it said, affirming the group’s “legitimate
right to resist occupation and aggression.”Israel’s military action comes days
after US Special Envoy Tom Barack said Lebanon was a “failed state” run by
“dinosaurs.” Barrack voiced doubts about whether authorities will be able to
disarm Hezbollah, which he said had more vastly more weapons than Lebanon’s
armed forces. “In our opinion, it’s not reasonable to tell Lebanon, ‘Forcibly
disarm one of your political parties.’ Everybody’s scared to death to go into
civil war. The idea is: What can you do to have Hezbollah not utilize those
rockets and missiles,” he said.
US targets Hezbollah 'money movers' with sanctions as Israel strikes
Agence France Presse/November 06/2025
The United States on Thursday imposed sanctions on three Hezbollah members
accused of involvement in financial transactions for Hezbollah, as Israel
launched new strikes. The sanctions were announced ahead of a visit to Lebanon
by John Hurley, the Treasury Department official in charge of sanctions against
extremist groups. The Treasury Department said it was imposing sanctions on
three Hezbollah members, blocking any assets they have in the United States and
making transactions with them subject to prosecution. The three allegedly were
involved in transfers of tens of millions of dollars from Iran, Hezbollah's main
sponsor, in part by using money exchange companies that operate in cash.
"Lebanon has an opportunity to be free, prosperous and secure -- but that can
only happen if Hezbollah is fully disarmed and cut off from Iran's funding and
control," Hurley said in a statement. Israel last year carried out major strikes
against Hezbollah, hitting the group hard in the wake of the October 7, 2023
attack carried out by Hamas, also backed by Tehran. Lebanon's fragile central
government has agreed to a plan to disarm Hezbollah. Despite a ceasefire in
effect for a year, Israel on Thursday carried out new strikes in Lebanon, vowing
to stop Hezbollah from rearming.
Hezbollah says it has 'legitimate right' to defend
itself against Israel
Agence France Presse/November 06/2025
Hezbollah lashed out on Thursday against the prospect of any "political"
negotiations between Lebanon and Israel, and insisted that it has a right to
defend itself. A source close to Hezbollah's political leadership told AFP the
declaration followed recent UزSز and Egyptian pressure on Lebanon's leaders to
open direct negotiations. Lebanon and Israel are still technically in a state of
war, but all the recent armed conflicts with Israel were fought by Hezbollah,
not the Lebanese military. The only diplomatic contact between Israel and
Lebanon is through a ceasefire monitoring mechanism, which includes the United
States, France and the United Nations. This body meets regularly at the
headquarters of the U.N. force in southern Lebanon but the Lebanese and Israeli
parties do not directly communicate with each other.
Disarmament drive -
Hezbollah was the only movement in Lebanon that refused to disarm after the
1975-1990 civil war, first claiming it had a duty to liberate territory occupied
by Israel, and then to continue defending the country. In an open letter to
President Joseph Aoun, Speaker Nabih Berri, PM Nawaf Salam and the Lebanese
people, Hezbollah said it rejected "any political negotiations" between Lebanon
and Israel and that such talks would "not serve the national interest."Hezbollah
is backed by Iran, which also fought its own war against Israel earlier this
year. "We reaffirm our legitimate right... to defend ourselves against an enemy
that imposes war on our country and does not cease its attacks," Hezbollah
added. The group nevertheless said it remained committed to a ceasefire reached
with Israel last year, after months of hostilities that escalated into a deadly
all-out war. Israel warned last week that it could intensify operations in
Lebanon against Hezbollah, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused the
group of trying to rearm. Last week, U.S. envoy Tom Barrack said that dialogue
with Israel could be the key to easing tensions. The Lebanese government is due
to meet later Thursday to examine the progress of its efforts to disarm the
militant group. Despite the November 2024 ceasefire agreement that ended the
latest war, Israel maintains troops in five areas in southern Lebanon and has
kept up strikes. Since the ceasefire, the United States has increased pressure
on Lebanese authorities to disarm the group, a move opposed by Hezbollah and its
allies.
'Hasty decision' -
Israel has stepped up its strikes on Lebanon in recent weeks, usually saying it
is targeting Hezbollah positions. President Aoun has criticized Israel for
intensifying its strikes after he said he was open to negotiating with Israel.
The Lebanese government has ordered the army to devise a plan to disarm
Hezbollah, but last week Israel's Defense Minister Israel Katz accused Aoun of
"dragging his feet.""The Lebanese government's commitment to disarm Hezbollah
and remove it from southern Lebanon must be implemented. Maximum enforcement
will continue and even intensify -- we will not allow any threat to the
residents of the north," he said. Netanyahu meanwhile accused Hezbollah of
attempting to rearm, after it suffered staggering losses in its last war with
Israel. In September 2024, Israel killed the group's longtime chief, Sayyed
Hassan Nasrallah and over the course of the war took out many other senior
leaders. Under the terms of the ceasefire, the army is tasked with ensuring
Hezbollah is disarmed in the south near the Israeli border by the end of the
year, before proceeding to its disarmament in the rest of Lebanon. Hezbollah on
Thursday criticized the government's "hasty decision" to disarm it, claiming
that Israel has taken advantage of the push.
Hezbollah says Lebanon is bound by ceasefire but group
rejects negotiations with Israel
AFP/06 November/2025
Hezbollah lashed out on Thursday against the prospect of any political
negotiations between Lebanon and Israel, and insisted that it has a right to
defend itself. A source close to Hezbollah’s political leadership told AFP the
declaration followed recent US and Egyptian pressure on Lebanon’s leaders to
open direct negotiations.Lebanon and Israel are still technically in a state of
war, but all the recent armed conflicts with Israel were fought by Hezbollah,
not the Lebanese military. On Thursday, an Israeli strike killed one person,
according to the Lebanese health ministry. The Israeli military said it had
targeted a Hezbollah construction team. The only diplomatic contact between
Israel and Lebanon is through a ceasefire monitoring mechanism, which includes
the United States, France and the United Nations. This body meets regularly at
the headquarters of the UN force in southern Lebanon but the Lebanese and
Israeli parties do not directly communicate with each other.
Disarmament drive
Hezbollah was the only movement in Lebanon that refused to disarm after the
1975-1990 civil war, first claiming it had a duty to liberate territory occupied
by Israel, and then to continue defending the country. In an open letter to the
Lebanese people and their leaders, Hezbollah said it rejected “any political
negotiations” between Lebanon and Israel and that such talks would “not serve
the national interest.” Hezbollah is backed by Iran, which also fought its own
war against Israel earlier this year. “We reaffirm our legitimate right... to
defend ourselves against an enemy that imposes war on our country and does not
cease its attacks,” Hezbollah added. The group nevertheless said it remained
committed to a ceasefire reached with Israel last year, after months of
hostilities that escalated into an all-out war. Israel warned last week that it
could intensify operations in Lebanon against Hezbollah, and Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu accused the group of trying to rearm. Last week, US envoy Tom
Barrack said that dialogue with Israel could be the key to easing tensions. The
Lebanese government is due to meet later Thursday to examine the progress of its
efforts to disarm the militant group. Despite the November 2024 ceasefire
agreement that ended the latest war, Israel maintains troops in five areas in
southern Lebanon and has kept up strikes. Since the ceasefire, the United States
has increased pressure on Lebanese authorities to disarm the group, a move
opposed by Hezbollah and its allies.
‘Hasty decision’
Israel has stepped up its strikes on Lebanon in recent weeks, usually saying it
is targeting Hezbollah positions. President Joseph Aoun has criticized Israel
for intensifying its strikes after he said he was open to negotiating with
Israel. A Lebanese official told AFP on Thursday that Israel has not responded
“positively nor negatively” to the offer. The Lebanese government has ordered
the army to devise a plan to disarm Hezbollah, but last week Israel’s Defense
Minister Israel Katz accused Aoun of “dragging his feet.”“The Lebanese
government’s commitment to disarm Hezbollah and remove it from southern Lebanon
must be implemented. Maximum enforcement will continue and even intensify -- we
will not allow any threat to the residents of the north,” he said. Netanyahu
meanwhile accused Hezbollah of attempting to rearm, after it suffered staggering
losses in its last war with Israel. In September 2024, Israel killed the group’s
longtime chief, Hassan Nasrallah and over the course of the war took out many
other senior leaders.Under the terms of the ceasefire, the army is tasked with
ensuring Hezbollah is disarmed in the south near the Israeli border by the end
of the year, before proceeding to its disarmament in the rest of Lebanon.
Hezbollah has criticized the government’s “hasty decision” to disarm it,
claiming that Israel has taken advantage of the push.
Lebanon lifts travel ban on Gadhafi's son and reduces bail to $900,000 paving
way for his release
BEIRUT (AP)/November 06/2025
Lebanese authorities lifted a travel ban and reduced bail for the son of late
Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi paving the way for his release, judicial officials
and one of his lawyers said Thursday. The decision by the country’s judicial
authorities came days after a Libyan delegation visited Lebanon and made
progress in talks for the release of Hannibal Gadhafi. In mid-October, a
Lebanese judge ordered Gadhafi’s release on $11 million bail, but banned him
from traveling outside Lebanon. His lawyers said at the time that he didn’t have
enough to pay that amount, and sought permission for him to leave the country.
On Thursday, his bail was reduced to 80 billion Lebanese pounds (about $900,000)
and the travel ban was lifted allowing him to leave the country once he pays the
bail, three judicial officials and one security official said.
Tony Blair to visit Lebanon soon amid fears of Israeli
escalation
Naharnet/November 06/2025
Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair will visit Lebanon next week to discuss
the latest developments with President Joseph Aoun, Parliament Speaker Nabih
Berri, and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, pro-Hezbollah al-Akhbar newspaper said.
The daily claimed that the visit comes amid Israeli pressure on the U.S. to stop
supporting the Lebanese government that, according to Israel, is not serious in
implementing Hezbollah's disarmament plan. Amid fears of a wider war, that Berri
ruled out but Israel and Hezbollah amplified in recent statements, al-Akhbar
reported that Israel has decided to escalate its operations in Lebanon. Israel
had warned last week that it could intensify operations in Lebanon against
Hezbollah and repeatedly accused the group of trying to rearm. Hezbollah
responded that it has a right to defend itself and lashed out against the
prospect of any political negotiations between Lebanon and Israel. Kataeb leader
Sami Gemayel meanwhile accused Hezbollah of dragging Lebanon into a new war and
called on the authorities to be stricter in disarming the group and starting
negotiations with Israel. "It is unacceptable for a subordinate minority to
decide the fate of a free majority," he said in a statement Thursday. President
Aoun has repeatedly called for negotiations with Israel to end the occupation
and halt the attacks. He chose President of the Middle East Institute in
Washington, Paul Salem, among Lebanese representatives that might participate in
any upcoming negotiations, al-Akhbar said.
Bukhari meets Army chief ahead of Saudi envoy visit
Naharnet/November 06/2025
Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon Walid Bukhari met Thursday with Lebanese Army
Commander General Rodolphe Haykal and discussed with him the army's deployment
in south Lebanon following a decision by the Lebanese government to disarm
Hezbollah, starting in south Lebanon. The meeting comes ahead of a visit by
Saudi envoy Prince Yazid Bin Farhan with a Saudi delegation. Al-Jadeed said Bin
Farhan will arrive next week in Beirut with a high-level official, while LBCI
reported that the visit would start on Monday. Hezbollah on Thursday lashed out
against the prospect of any political negotiations between Lebanon and Israel,
and insisted that it has a right to defend itself, following recent U.S. and
Egyptian pressure on Lebanon's leaders to open direct negotiations with Israel.
The Lebanese government met later Thursday to examine the progress of its
efforts to disarm Hezbollah. Despite the November 2024 ceasefire agreement that
ended the latest war, Israel maintains troops in five areas in southern Lebanon
and has kept up strikes. Since the ceasefire, the United States has increased
pressure on Lebanese authorities to disarm the group.
Aoun, Salam to discuss possible response to Hezbollah
statement
Naharnet/November 06/2025
President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam will meet prior to
Thursday’s cabinet session to discuss the statement issued in the morning by
Hezbollah and whether to respond to it or not, MTV said. In Its statement,
Hezbollah lashed out against the prospect of any "political" negotiations
between Lebanon and Israel, and insisted that it has a right to defend itself.
In remarks to Al-Arabiya television, Lebanese sources stressed that “the state
is in charge and cannot be bypassed by any side.” “The Lebanese majority takes
the decision in any file and the president is practicing his powers according to
the constitution,” the sources said. “Hezbollah did not only respond to the
president’s initiative regarding negotiations, but also to Berri,” the sources
added.
Berri says 'no war' looming, agrees to 'experts' in
negotiations if needed
Naharnet/November 06/2025
Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri has said that there will be no war on Lebanon,
sarcastically adding that the war has not stopped in the first place to restart.
"Has Israel stopped its war on Lebanon?" He asked al-Joumhouria newspaper, in
remarks published Thursday. Berri said the fears of escalation in Lebanon were
only caused by recent statements by U.S. envoy Tom Barrak, in which he warned of
a "major confrontation" between Israel and Hezbollah if Beirut does not take
serious steps to disarm the group. As President Joseph Aoun repeatedly called
for negotiations with Israel to end the occupation and stop attacks on Lebanon,
Hezbollah rejected Thursday any "political negotiations."The U.S. had reportedly
proposed to involve Lebanese and Israeli civilians in indirect negotiations
between Lebanon and Israel through the ceasefire monitoring committee. The
civilians would be high-level officials such as ministers or diplomatic
representatives of Lebanon and Israel. Berri said it would only be acceptable to
include "experts" when there is need for them and that negotiations would be
indirect through the ceasefire monitoring committee.
Report: Israel mulls military move to force Lebanon to
sign 'stable agreement'
Naharnet/November 06/2025
The Israeli army is preparing for a military move with the aim of weakening
Hezbollah and bringing it and the Lebanese government to sign a “stable
agreement” with Israel, Israel’s Channel 12 reported on Thursday. The Israeli
army is preparing for “the possibility that they will be required to enter
combat in the near future,” the channel added, quoting senior Israeli officials
as saying that "there are already existing plans." “The Americans conveyed a
message to Lebanon with the aim of preventing the crisis through diplomatic
means, but are backing Israeli plans,” the channel said. “The new (military)
move was built in dialogue and coordination with the U.S. and the Americans
conveyed a clear message to the Lebanese: reach an agreement and disarm
Hezbollah. This shows their attempts to prevent the crisis through diplomatic
means, but without such a solution, the U.S. will support an Israeli military
move,” Channel 12 added.
It explained that the goal of the fighting, if necessary, is to “harm
Hezbollah's attempts to rebuild and to emphasize to it and the Lebanese
government that Israel is serious in its intentions and demands regarding the
issue of disarmament.”"Hezbollah will not be allowed to grow stronger. They will
not return to October 6 (2023). We will increase the attacks and re-enter the
fighting if necessary," senior Israeli official told Channel 12. The channel
noted that the peak of tensions is expected in about a month, when “the
operation announced by the Lebanese Army to destroy Hezbollah's infrastructure
south of the Litani River will end.” “If the Lebanese declare that the army has
cleared the area designated for it, Israel will probably not accept these
claims, and at this point tensions are expected to increase,” Channel 12 said.
Israel has recently increased its attacks in Lebanon, both against Hezbollah
operatives and against alleged Hezbollah infrastructure. According to the latest
intelligence in Israel, Hezbollah continues to “accumulate missiles, rockets,
artillery means, and additional combat equipment. The weapons arrive via
smuggling routes from Syria, which remain partially active, and by sea, but at
the same time, some of them are manufactured in Lebanon,” Channel 12 said.
Following the ceasefire agreement, the Lebanese government tasked the army with
formulating a plan to centralize weapons in the hands of the state, namely the
disarmament of Hezbollah south of the Litani River by the end of 2025. “The
Lebanese Army is trying to fulfill the task assigned to it, but not effectively.
This is especially evident in the central region of the country and in the
south, where Hezbollah members are not arrested by the Lebanese Army, and in
fact there is difficulty in locating the thousands of rockets that the …
organization still possesses, according to estimates,” Channel 12 added.
Israeli officials say Thursday airstrikes not beginning
of an 'escalation'
Naharnet/November 06/2025
Israel does not want escalation in Lebanon and there are no new instructions for
the residents of northern Israel, an Israeli security official told the Israeli
Public Broadcasting Corporation on Thursday, after Israel issued evacuation
orders for four buildings in four southern Lebanese towns prior to airstrikes.
“We’re continuing our firm and strict approach in Lebanon and there is no change
in the adopted policy in Lebanon,” Israeli army officers told Israel’s Channel
7. “We’re continuing to prevent Hezbollah from rebuilding its capabilities and
there is no decision to escalate the situation in south Lebanon,” the officers
said. An Israeli official later told Al-Arabiya television that Israel does not
intend to "expand" or "escalate" the airstrikes in Lebanon. The Israeli
government’s spokeswoman meanwhile said that the Israeli army is “continuing the
full enforcement and implementation of the ceasefire agreement and will not
allow Hezbollah to re-arm and rebuild itself.”"We will not allow Hezbollah to
rearm themselves, to recover, build back up its strength, to threaten the state
of Israel," the spokeswoman, Shosh Bedrosian, told reporters, accusing the group
of "continuous terrorist activities."Thursday’s airstrikes marked an escalation
in Israel’s daily strikes on Lebanon. The airstrikes came hours after Hezbollah
urged the Lebanese government not to enter “political” negotiations with Israel.
The Israeli military claimed that it targeted military infrastructure for
Hezbollah in the bombed areas. It accused the group of rebuilding its
capabilities almost a year after a U.S.-brokered ceasefire went into effect that
ended a monthslong war. President Joseph Aoun has been critical of Israel’s
strikes and military presence on five hill-top points on Lebanese territory but
has said he is open to negotiations with Israel to end the tensions. Both sides
have accused each other of violating the ceasefire, which nominally ended the
latest Israel-Hezbollah war last November.
Hezbollah’s open letters: From 1985 to 2025, the same
claim to rule Lebanon
Makram Rabah/Al Arabiya English/07 November /2025
In Lebanon, history rarely repeats itself – it simply refuses to end.
Hezbollah’s “open letter” of November 6, 2025, is a direct descendant of its
first one, issued in February 1985, at the height of the Lebanese Civil War.
Then, the young organization proclaimed its allegiance to Iran’s supreme leader,
called for the establishment of an Islamic state in Lebanon, and rejected the
legitimacy of the Lebanese political system altogether. Forty years later, the
language has changed, but the ambition has not: to substitute the party for the
state, and to place its will above the constitution.
The 2025 letter, addressed to President Joseph Aoun, Speaker Nabih Berri, and
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, rejects any new negotiations with Israel and insists
that Lebanon’s leaders limit themselves to enforcing the November 27, 2024
ceasefire under UN Resolution 1701. It warns against “hasty decisions” on the
question of arms and claims that the issue of Hezbollah’s arsenal can only be
addressed in a “national defense strategy” – a euphemism that for decades has
meant endless postponement. The subtext is unmistakable: Hezbollah alone will
decide when Lebanon negotiates, when it fights, and when it remains silent. The
1985 document was explicit. Hezbollah identified itself as part of the “Islamic
Ummah led by the guardianship of the jurisprudent” and denounced Lebanon’s
sectarian order as illegitimate. It pledged loyalty to Iran’s then-supreme
leader, Ruhollah Khomeini, and envisioned an “Islamic order” established through
armed struggle. The 2025 version avoids theological language, but the structure
of authority it implies is identical. The “resistance” remains the ultimate
arbiter of Lebanon’s destiny – a divine mandate recast as a military necessity.
This continuity is crucial to understanding Hezbollah’s self-image. The party
has never evolved from a revolutionary movement into a political actor bound by
the state it inhabits. Instead, it has colonized that state while pretending to
defend it. Its open letter reads less like a policy position and more like an
edict from a parallel government, one that views itself as Lebanon’s guardian
and its institutions as decorative facades.
By invoking Resolution 1701, Hezbollah claims to be the custodian of
international law. Yet it embraces only the clauses that restrain Israel, not
those that require the Lebanese state to establish exclusive authority south of
the Litani. In Hezbollah’s telling, 1701 is a shield for its continued
militarization, not a framework for demilitarization. The same distortion
applies to the November 2024 ceasefire: the party portrays itself as its
enforcer while rejecting any mechanism – domestic or international – that might
verify compliance or curb its autonomy.
This is sovereignty turned inside out. The state’s right to control its
territory becomes a privilege it must earn; the militia’s right to bear arms
becomes a sacred duty beyond question. What Hezbollah calls “defense of Lebanon”
is, in reality, the permanent suspension of the Lebanese Republic.
There is another myth that Hezbollah’s 2025 letter tries to revive – the idea
that the “resistance” protects Lebanon from destruction. The facts tell a
different story. Since 2006, every war Hezbollah has waged has ended not in
victory but in devastation and isolation. The 2006 conflict left over a thousand
Lebanese dead and much of the country in ruins. The party’s intervention in
Syria, tethered Lebanon to Bashar al-Assad’s crimes and drew sanctions,
financial collapse, and political paralysis in its wake. Even its latest
confrontation, culminating in the 2024 ceasefire, ended with no territorial
gains, no political concessions, and yet another shattered economy.
A movement that has repeatedly dragged Lebanon into wars it cannot win, that has
lost the trust of most of the Arab world, and that has turned a once-neutral
country into an outpost of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), has
no moral or political standing to issue manifestos in the name of the nation.
The irony is sharper still: Hezbollah is part of the government it now pretends
to lecture. A party represented in cabinet, with ministers and MPs drawing state
salaries, cannot claim to be an armed opposition defending the homeland. It is
the state’s jailer, not its protector.
Hezbollah’s open letter is not a call for stability but a declaration of veto.
By rejecting any “new rounds of negotiation,” the party blocks Lebanon’s
leadership from even exploring diplomatic options that might ease tensions along
the Blue Line or strengthen UNIFIL’s mandate. It warns the state against
asserting a monopoly of force, equating constitutional principle with treason.
This is not national unity – it is coercion cloaked in patriotic language. The
message is also aimed inward, at the government itself. By addressing the three
presidencies directly, Hezbollah is reminding them of the hierarchy it
recognizes: the party speaks, the state obeys. The subtext to President Aoun and
Prime Minister Salam is unmistakable – any move that hints at reclaiming
sovereignty will be read as provocation.
Lebanon today stands isolated, economically strangled, and politically paralyzed
– not because it lacks resistance, but because it lacks a state. The
international community has grown weary of a country that speaks with two
voices, one diplomatic and one militant. Gulf capitals no longer invest; Europe
sees Lebanon as a humanitarian liability; Washington has downgraded it from
partner to problem. All of this is the direct outcome of Hezbollah’s dual power,
its insistence that Lebanon’s future must pass through the prism of its weapons.
If Hezbollah truly cared about sovereignty, it would begin by surrendering the
veto it seized four decades ago. It would allow the Lebanese Army to govern the
borders, the government to negotiate peace, and the people to reclaim their
future. Instead, it continues to weaponize the language of dignity while holding
the nation hostage to its own insecurities.
The true act of resistance today lies not in defying Israel but in defying the
internal occupation of Hezbollah’s logic – the belief that Lebanon exists only
to justify its arms. The 1985 open letter promised an Islamic state; the 2025
letter defends a militarized one. Between those two documents lies the tragedy
of a country that never recovered its voice. Hezbollah’s new “open letter”
should not be mistaken for a statement of national defense. It is a confession
of failure – the failure to build, to govern, to coexist. A party that has lost
wars, ruined alliances, and bankrupted its own society has forfeited the right
to speak in Lebanon’s name. The time has come for the state to reclaim that
voice, and for the Lebanese people to remember that sovereignty cannot be
delegated, least of all to those who destroyed it.
Peace with Israel would open new path for Lebanon
Khaled Abou Zahr/Arab News/November 06, 2025
In 2000, after 22 years of occupation, Israel withdrew from southern Lebanon.
Following this swift withdrawal, Israel’s proxy, the South Lebanese Army,
collapsed and let the Iran-backed group, Hezbollah, take control of its
territories. It was hence Hezbollah, not the Lebanese state, that took over.
Israel’s unilateral withdrawal, ordered by Prime Minister Ehud Barak, ended a
very costly presence with no significant gains. During its occupation, Israel
lost about 1,000 men and the financial cost was in the billions of dollars.
Barak wanted to do the same in Gaza and, in October of the same year, the Second
Intifada started. It was Ariel Sharon who in 2005 disengaged Israel from Gaza,
with Hamas taking over. In both theaters, Israel’s unilateral withdrawal reduced
the intensity of conflict but left Hezbollah and Hamas in real control. In
Lebanon, despite a few skirmishes, Hezbollah and Israel respected certain rules
of engagement, such as the UN-demarcated Blue Line, as well as ensuring any
retaliation was proportional and localized. This lasted until 2006, when
Hezbollah followed Hamas and decided to join the war, and then again in 2023.
Without going back through all the events, the Israeli withdrawal empowered
Hezbollah from the start.
Indeed, Hezbollah was the instrument that pushed the Israelis out, giving the
group a savior and hero status, which subsequently put it above the Lebanese
state and every other sovereign institution. Meanwhile, the Shebaa Farms, from
which Israel did not withdraw and which also involves Syria, gave Hezbollah the
technicality it needed to stay armed and claim there were still occupied
Lebanese lands and that it was the only deterrent against Israel. In a way,
Israel has chosen its enemies. In 1982, it chose Hezbollah over the Palestinian
and Arab resistance, and it also chose again in Gaza when it cornered Yasser
Arafat in 2004. Yet, just as in 2006, it has been capable, when its enemies
cross the red line, of inflicting a heavy toll.
In 2024, the offensive was different, more reminiscent of 1982, when it expelled
the Palestine Liberation Organization. It was no longer about punishment for
crossing a red line, but the much more strategic decision of destroying
Hezbollah. Following the heavy losses Hezbollah endured and its weakened state,
this allowed a new leadership in Lebanon to potentially fill this vacuum and put
forward a plan for Hezbollah’s disarmament, something many Lebanese look forward
to. It is time to end the role of a proxy that should never have been above the
state and should never have had the power to make decisions of war and peace.
This is exactly why President Michel Aoun’s statement this week that there is no
choice but to negotiate with Israel using diplomatic language is important.
There is indeed no way of regaining Lebanese sovereignty without the state
holding the files of any remaining occupied territory. Hezbollah had a clear
agenda not to solve any pending border issues, as it validated its status as a
resistance force. It abused this position to control the entire country. Hence,
if Aoun is capable of taking over this file and negotiating a solution for all
pending territorial disputes, whether in the Mediterranean or the Shebaa Farms,
this removes all the cards that Hezbollah gained in 2000 and puts the state back
in the decision-making seat. The same should be done with Syria.
If this process is successful, then instead of selecting its enemy, Israel will
be able to have relations with Lebanon similar to those it has with Jordan or
Egypt. Moreover, as Syria’s new leadership has openly stated its willingness to
negotiate with Israel, and with the fact that Damascus’ control over Lebanon no
longer exists, this opens another huge opportunity for Lebanon to bring things
to a settlement and achieve peace. This is achievable peace, not a temporary
truce. Both Israel and Lebanon should be keen to seize this opportunity.
Aoun also stated his commitment to the Mechanism Committee, established in 2024.
This Lebanese military body currently coordinates with Israel on border security
and territorial issues and it operates under UN mediation. Morgan Ortagus, the
deputy US special envoy to the Middle East, mentioned the possibility of
including civilians in the Mechanism Committee. The important thing is to
initiate these negotiations and not have any Hezbollah-linked military or
civilian personnel involved. The Lebanese state has a historic opportunity to
seize the decision of peace or war. It is time the state took full
responsibility for these files and that the army became the only defender of the
country’s borders.
It is time to end the role of a proxy that should never have had the power to
make decisions of war and peace. We do not know how long these negotiations
might take and the Lebanese state needs to regain its decision-making on many
other files. Therefore, it is also extremely important that the disarmament of
Hezbollah is not linked to these negotiations. Indeed, we can expect very tough
negotiations from the Israeli side and Tel Aviv will certainly not make easy
concessions to Lebanon. As a starter, it will probably remind everyone that the
decapitation of Hezbollah allowed the Lebanese president to push forward with
the reconquering of sovereignty. As a result, Hezbollah no longer presents a
deterrent or offers any advantage. It is finally being seen for what it is: an
agent of destruction representing foreign interests on Lebanese soil. Hence, its
disarmament needs to take place regardless of any border dispute with Israel.
Aoun will need regional and international support to conclude these negotiations
successfully and to encourage both sides to finalize an agreement as quickly as
possible. This potential peace agreement would be a huge achievement and a
steppingstone toward Lebanon fully regaining its sovereignty. Aoun’s declaration
showed courage. Let us hope it will be achieved. This would mean a new path for
Lebanon, one that — for the first time in a very long while — would allow the
country to regain agency. It is filled with opportunity and prosperity.
**Khaled Abou Zahr is the founder of SpaceQuest Ventures, a space-focused
investment platform. He is CEO of EurabiaMedia and editor of Al-Watan Al-Arabi
The Reason why the majority of the Lebanese diaspora
vote Republican
Guila Fakhoury/November 06/2025
In a recent interview, the former U.S. envoy to Lebanon, Amos Hochstein, urged
the international community to “step up for Lebanon” and fund reconstruction.
There are many problems with that approach, but one core issue stands out. The
assumption that external cash will weaken Hezbollah. History shows the opposite,
and it all started when Obama allowed money to Iran, which ended up influencing
the entire Middle East region, including Lebanon, through Hezbollah. Since then,
Lebanon’s money has often ended up under Hezbollah’s control because Hezbollah
has effectively become the government for decades.
In 2006, Hezbollah’s war against Israel destroyed Lebanon, and all the
reconstruction funds were funneled to Hezbollah’s networks, which, in turn, made
Hezbollah stronger. External assistance from Saudi Arabia and other Arab states
has not rebuilt the state; it has strengthened a non-state actor that already
dominates governance. Although I agree that there
needs to be a solution to the current problems Lebanon is facing, but
unfortunately until Hezbollah is disarmed and removed from power, nothing can
bring lasting stability to Lebanon. This calls for a strong stand just like the
one we are seeing from this current administration. The reconstruction effort
right now will continue to empower a group that has destabilized Lebanon and
undermined the Lebanese state. Therefore, the path forward is clear, prioritize
disarming Hezbollah and restoring genuine state sovereignty before expecting
external money to fix a country that Hezbollah currently controls. This is
something the left often seems to misunderstand when it comes to Lebanese
policy.
The IMF and Lebanon: Debts? Which Debts?
This is Beirut/November 06/2025
When it comes to the IMF, one thing stands out above all: a consistent pattern
of bad advice. Governments change, wars erupt, and yet this venerable
institution remains glued to its Excel spreadsheets, always heeded by Lebanese
ministers, especially the finance minister. The International Monetary Fund, the
self-proclaimed savior of struggling economies, appears to have chosen an
experimental treatment for Lebanon: attempts to cure the patient by bleeding it
dry. It is a new kind of austerity, an accounting amnesia that wipes out the
state’s debts while simultaneously draining citizens’ deposits. A bloodletting
worthy of quack doctors from the Middle Ages, masters at killing anyone
unfortunate enough to be sick. The IMF marches on, unfazed, alongside the
Lebanese government. Its obsession is to make the Lebanese state look “healthy,”
even if that means declaring clinically dead anyone who loses their savings
along with the banking system. Its goal is clear: erase the state’s debts while
making banks and depositors foot the bill. Instead of tackling the root of the
problem—state corruption and decades of public waste—it is far easier to put a
fresh coat of paint on the façade: a supposedly debt-free state with fake
credibility, while depositors are turned into mere adjustment variables. The
most striking part is that this logic contradicts the IMF’s own dogma.
Elsewhere, it begins by reining in the excesses of the often sprawling public
sector. Lebanon is no exception. The number of civil service employees is huge,
many in their positions solely because of sectarian or political ties. Yet
instead of reining in the bloated bureaucracy, the IMF relentlessly targets the
private sector, the very sector still barely keeping the country and its economy
afloat. Its scalpel strikes where it hurts most: depositors and banks. The IMF
seems determined to show that it is just as stubborn as the Lebanese state in
never learning from its mistakes. One might have expected it to demand
transparency, push for reform, and clean up the system. Instead, it chooses to
endorse the country’s moral collapse, slapping a new label on it: the “gap
law.”Lebanon, once known as a country of banks and trust, has become a
laboratory for economic amnesia. In this lab, the IMF and its allies play mad
scientists, concocting miracle solutions that work only on paper, while society
continues to unravel, with certain members of the Lebanese government actively
complicit. As the satirist Chamfort once put it, “If you do not want to be
cured, every remedy will fail.”
Writing Off Banks’ Capital Wipes Out Deposits
This is Beirut/November 06/2025
The Governor of the Central Bank of Lebanon, Karim Souhaid, clarified the
situation by declaring that Lebanon’s crisis is not purely a financial one but
rather a systemic crisis in which the banking sector has become a victim. This
is what Souhaid stated clearly during the parliamentary session dedicated to
discussing the 2025 budget draft, affirming: “The crisis is a systemic crisis,
not a banking sector crisis in itself.” In line with Souhaid’s remarks, Finance
Minister Yassin Jaber also explained, during the Union of Arab Banks Conference
held on Thursday, September 18, 2025, that:
“The recent crisis differs from previous ones in that it encompasses the entire
banking system, including the central bank as one of its components. It has thus
become a financial system crisis, especially after the Lebanese government
decided in April 2020 to stop servicing its foreign-currency Eurobond debt.”
The statements by Souhaid and Jaber clearly define the nature of Lebanon’s
crisis. These remarks come at a time when some political circles are pushing for
full compliance with the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) conditions,
portraying them as the only way to rescue Lebanon from its crisis. In opposition
to this submission to the IMF, Governor Karim Souhaid has adopted a different
reformist approach aimed at protecting depositors’ funds and preserving what
remains of confidence in the banking system.
However, this reform plan—based on a fair and gradual solution to the
depositors’ crisis and a comprehensive plan to restructure the banking
sector—has provoked financial and political circles close to the IMF, prompting
them to launch a fierce campaign against the governor. The Code of Money and
Credit is clear: handling deposits is the government’s responsibility! In this
context, the Code of Money and Credit reaffirms the limits of the Central Bank’s
role in the crisis:
The Bank is independent under Article 13. Its mission under Articles 70 and 72
is limited to maintaining monetary and banking stability, not bearing the
state’s losses. Articles 81–92 state that financing the state is only a
temporary exception. While Article 113 obliges the government to recapitalize
the Central Bank if its capital becomes negative. Despite these clear
provisions, international pressure—driven by the IMF—seeks to shift the state’s
responsibility for the losses, proposing a plan that involves writing off banks’
capital and imposing most of the burden on depositors, compensating each
depositor with no more than 75 million Lebanese pounds. In practice, this would
mean liquidating existing banks and creating new ones with no obligations toward
old deposits. A major dispute also persists over $16.5 billion that the Central
Bank claims from the government—funds the Ministry of Finance had used to meet
debt obligations and Eurobond payments, recorded as temporary debt before later
denying responsibility after the exchange rate collapse. Meanwhile, talk
continues about a retroactive audit going back to 2017, conducted without clear
standards—potentially paving the way for further justification to erase
deposits, all while banks and depositors remain excluded from negotiations to
close the financial gap. In this context, crucial questions arise: Who will
repay deposits if existing banks are dissolved and replaced with new ones? Will
the new banks bear this cost? How will relationships with international
correspondent banks be preserved? And who will finance the economy during the
recovery phase? In short, the crisis today is not just a financial gap—it’s a
battle over who bears the cost: the state, as required by law… or the
depositors, who have been paying the price since 2019?
Closed Again: Jeita Grotto, a Victim of a Failing State
Natasha Metni Torbey/This is Beirut/November 06/2025
Jeita Grotto is temporarily closed. This was confirmed Thursday morning by
Tourism Minister Laura Lahoud. Lebanon’s iconic karstic wonder is shutting its
doors for the second time in less than a year. The first closure came after the
death of Mapas-Lebanon CEO Nabil Haddad in November 2024, leaving the site
without an official manager for eight months until it reopened in July 2025.
This latest closure comes less than four months later, following the release of
a video showing a party held inside the main cavern. The incident has
highlighted, beyond the event itself, serious failures in coordination between
the ministries involved and the municipality responsible for managing the site.
An iconic site taken lightly
“What’s happening at Jeita today is simply catastrophic,” says Khaled Abdel
Malak, an experienced speleologist and member of the Lebanese Speleo Club, who
has known the site for decades. “When you visit the grotto now, you notice its
overall condition: inadequate cleaning, overuse of artificial lighting, algae
and bacteria spreading. All of this damages the formations and disrupts the
natural balance of the cave,” he told This is Beirut. For him, the site’s
deterioration is not new. It goes back to the management handed to Mapas-Lebanon
in 1993, founded and led by Nabil Haddad until his death in 2024. “Haddad acted
like a ruthless businessman. He treated Jeita as just another tourist site to
profit from, with no respect for its scientific, ecological, or cultural value,”
Abdel Malak said. He points out that Jeita was originally a space for research
and exploration recognized internationally. “Lebanon’s speleology pioneers, like
Sami Karkabi and Georges Farra, who discovered the upper galleries in 1958,
worked to preserve this natural jewel, not turn it into an amusement park,” he
emphasized. For more than thirty years, commercial interests have taken priority
over scientific concerns. “Mapas ran an opaque operation with long-term
contracts and questionable agreements. Nabil Haddad held the concession for 18,
then 28 years, and managed the site as if it were his own property. Today, we
are paying the price. The grotto is deteriorating, and the Lebanese state seems
powerless to act,” Abdel Malak said. The recent closure, the second in less than
a year, underscores a deeper problem. “It is a symbol of failing management and
of national heritage entrusted to incompetent hands. It is not just a cave being
damaged, it is a part of Lebanon’s natural history that is being sacrificed,” he
added.
The state shirks responsibility as accountability becomes unclear
On Thursday morning, Minister Laura Lahoud confirmed that, in addition to
temporarily closing the site, a commission of experts would be set up to assess
any potential damage. The commission will include a representative from the
Lebanese Speleological Club to check whether the cave’s geological formations
have been affected. The ministry also pledged to dedicate all its resources to
support the investigation, following Prime Minister Nawaf Salam’s reminder on
Wednesday that “any harm to natural resources is unacceptable.
At the same time, the Ministry of Tourism sought to distance itself from the
issue, noting that the grotto is currently managed by the Jeita municipality
under a temporary arrangement while a long-term management contract is being
prepared. “The Jeita municipality authorized the event without a written
request, without prior consultation with the ministry, and without coordinating
with the required experts,” the ministry said in a statement. The municipality
went ahead with the event outside official procedures. The ministry announced
that it would send a warning letter and reminded the public of Circular No.
36/2025 from the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, which prohibits the use
of public, archaeological, or tourist sites without prior authorization. The
Ministry of Environment also weighed in, stating it would take the strictest
legal and administrative measures against those responsible to protect the
grotto. The ministry also highlighted accelerated efforts to finalize
regulations for the management of local tourist and archaeological sites. The
ministry emphasized that “Jeita Grotto falls under the administrative and
regulatory authority of the Ministry of Tourism, which coordinates directly with
the Jeita municipality and the relevant authorities for the management and
operation of the site.” The wording allows the ministries to avoid direct
responsibility while expressing “great concern” and promising to participate in
evaluating environmental impacts. The slow and fragmented response highlights,
once again, the lack of coordination between the administrations tasked with
protecting Lebanon’s natural heritage.
Jeita, a victim of fragmented management
The controversy began after local media shared a video showing a musical party
inside the grotto. The incident quickly sparked debate on social media. Some
criticized what they saw as an unacceptable trivialization of a protected site,
while others defended it as a “cultural and promotional” initiative.
Walid Baroud, the head of the municipality, was quick to downplay the event,
describing it as a “30-minute pre-wedding reception” with no food or drink, and
saying that “all technical precautions had been taken.” He even compared it to
similar events held “in caves around the world,” suggesting that promoting the
site justified such activities. These arguments reveal a fragile approach to
heritage preservation. Tourism promotion is legitimate, but it should never come
at the expense of a protected natural monument, which is subject to strict
conservation rules.
Behind the official statements, the problem persists. Jeita Grotto is a clear
example of a system where responsibilities overlap, accountability is unclear,
and decisions are made on the fly. With the Ministry of Tourism focused on
boosting economic activity and the Ministry of Environment lacking real
authority, protecting the site appears to be a low priority. The municipality
defended its actions, claiming that any revenue generated would go toward
restoring the long-neglected site. Yet the lack of clear guidelines, scientific
oversight, and coordination between institutions points to a management style
driven by short-term gains, where events take precedence over ecological care.
Between rushed local action and slow government response, Jeita Grotto, once a
candidate for the “Seven Natural Wonders of the World,” has again become a
victim of short-sighted exploitation. A symbol of Lebanon’s beauty but also of
its improvisation, the grotto is a reminder that real care for a site comes not
from bashes or excuses, but from serious governance and a deep respect for its
heritage.
Lebanon Faces ‘Environmental Disaster’ From Syrian Refugee
Camps
Hala Abdallah/This is Beirut/November 06/2025
Lebanon launched the eighth wave of voluntary returns of displaced Syrians on
Thursday morning, with 448 refugees departing from the Rachid Karami
International Fair in Tripoli toward the Al-Abbudieh border crossing in Akkar.
The returnees were transported in five groups aboard 14 buses and 14 trucks, as
part of an organized repatriation program coordinated by Lebanese General
Security, the UNHCR, and the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
Lebanese General Security officers supervised the entire operation, processing
administrative procedures and facilitating the return journey. According to
Lebanese authorities, the process aims to ensure safety, dignity, and proper
documentation for all participants. As organized returns continue, Lebanese
officials are increasingly confronting the severe environmental damage left
behind by years of large-scale displacement, particularly in areas like Arsal
and along the Litani River.
Environmental Disaster
During a recent inspection in Arsal, Environment Minister Tamara El Zein said
that “the damage is very significant, and the pollution is severe.” She
announced that the issue would be raised in the Cabinet and pledged to ensure
that entities responsible for the refugee file address the resulting
environmental impact. “We are now facing a sanitation crisis, a waste crisis,
and dumps mixed with abandoned debris,” she said. “A plan is needed to address
the situation, but Arsal’s challenge is particularly serious because neither the
municipality nor the government has the capacity to resolve it alone.”
The minister highlighted the overwhelming demographic pressure on the town:
Arsal’s population stands at around 50,000, while the number of displaced
Syrians who once lived there reached 150,000 at its peak. “Those who pollute
must repair the damage,” she noted. “Some 140,000 displaced people have now
left, and the organizations that once supported these camps must take
responsibility for rehabilitating the environment.” Today, all that remains of
the 180 former camps in Arsal are empty alleyways, scattered foundations,
rubble, and uncollected waste, evidence of a years-long crisis that outpaced
local infrastructure and environmental safeguards.
Litani River: A Long-Running Battle Against Pollution
Further south, the National Authority for the Litani River continues its
campaign to dismantle informal Syrian refugee camps built along the riverbanks.
Supported by security forces, the Authority has been clearing encroachments for
years, most recently in the Sarafand area.
In an interview with This is Beirut, member of the Environmental Committee MP
Ghayath Yazbek said that “there has been a major gap since the government’s
decision a few years ago to allocate $800 million to clean the Litani River.
Then the war happened, the money disappeared, and we no longer know what became
of the cleanup plan.”Yazbek stressed that this issue falls under the
responsibility of the executive authority, noting that “any legislation required
from our side, we are ready to support.” He also added that the political
situation in Lebanon and the ongoing escalations in the south have prevented the
committee from convening in the Cabinet.
Dr. Sami Alawieh, Director General of the Litani Authority, said the efforts are
essential due to the severe risks these camps pose to river ecosystems. Since
2018, the Authority has conducted field surveys revealing multiple sources of
pollution, including unregulated camp settlements on public land.
According to Alawieh, “these camps caused direct pollution of the water and soil
due to the absence of proper infrastructure, the use of non-compliant septic
pits, and the discharge of wastewater and household and agricultural waste into
the river.”
The scale of pollution affecting Lebanon’s largest freshwater basin is
staggering:
50 million cubic meters of domestic wastewater flow into Lake Qaraoun every
year.
2 million cubic meters of industrial wastewater are added to this burden.
Waste from nearby refugee camps further aggravates contamination levels.
Only 20% of Lebanon’s available water resources are properly utilized, while the
rest is lost, often due to pollution and mismanagement. Despite some
improvements following World Bank intervention and the establishment of the
National Water Regulatory Authority, experts warn that without major reforms,
future generations will pay the price.
Regulatory Vacuum: No Official Syrian Camps in Lebanon
Despite the proliferation of camps over the past decade, Lebanon has no official
Syrian refugee camps, according to UNHCR spokesperson Lisa Abou Khaled. Instead,
informal settlements were established through private agreements between
refugees and landowners, with refugees typically paying rent for the land on
which tents were erected.
Because no ministry has released a comprehensive inventory, the exact number of
camps remains unknown.
The Litani Authority alone has dismantled 34 sites, initiating legal action
against landlords and beneficiaries who illegally exploited public river
property. In the Bekaa, several informal settlements have also been cleared
after becoming hubs for illegal activity.
Despite the complexities, the latest group of returnees expressed satisfaction
with the organization and cooperation between Lebanese authorities and
international agencies.
So far, more than 320,000 Syrians have returned after being removed from UNHCR
registries, while over 110,000 others have formally expressed their intention to
go back, bringing the expected total to nearly half a million returnees by the
end of the year.
Authorities say the program, which has been in place since July 1, complements
the growing rate of spontaneous returns and is accompanied by labor-market
regulation measures for Syrians remaining in Lebanon. Support for returnees
includes logistical and legal assistance, exemptions from fines and fees, and
financial incentives of $100 per person in Lebanon and $400 per family upon
arrival in Syria, in coordination with Syrian authorities.
As Lebanon navigates the intertwined challenges of displacement, environmental
damage, and resource management, officials insist that coordinated returns,
legal accountability, and environmental rehabilitation must move forward in
parallel, before the consequences become irreversible.
The Latest English
LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published
on
November 06-07/2025
UN Security Council votes to lift sanctions
on Syrian president
Al Arabiya English/07 November /2025
The United Nations Security Council voted in favor of a US resolution on
Thursday to lift sanctions on Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, ahead of his
White House visit next week. “(The Council) decides that Ahmed al-Sharaa... and
(Interior Minister) Anas Hasan Khattab are delisted from the (ISIS and al-Qaeda)
Sanctions List,” said the resolution, approved by 14 council members. China
abstained. The formal lifting of sanctions on al-Sharaa is largely symbolic as
they were waived every time he needed to travel outside of Syria in his role as
the country’s leader. An assets freeze and arms embargo will also be lifted. US
President Donald Trump will host al-Sharaa for talks on November 10, having said
the Syrian leader has made “good progress” toward establishing peace in his
war-torn country. Though it will be al-Sharaa’s first visit to Washington, it
will be his second to the United States after a landmark UN trip in September,
where he became the first Syrian president in decades to address the UN General
Assembly in New York. In May, al-Sharaa, whose forces ousted longtime ruler
Bashar al-Assad late last year, met Trump for the first time in Riyadh during
the US president’s regional tour. Formerly affiliated with al-Qaeda, al-Sharaa’s
group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), was delisted as a terrorist group by
Washington as recently as July. Syria’s president will discuss issues including
lifting remaining sanctions, reconstruction and counter-terrorism when he visits
Washington later this month, Damascus said Sunday. Syria and Israel remain
technically at war, but they opened direct negotiations after al-Assad was
toppled. Trump has expressed hope that Syria will join other Arab countries that
have normalized ties with Israel under the so-called Abraham Accords. A Syrian
official had told AFP earlier this year that Syria expects to finalize security
and military agreements with Israel in 2025, in what would be a breakthrough
less than a year after al-Assad’s ouster. Since December, Israel has deployed
troops in a UN-patrolled buffer zone that separates the countries’ forces and
has launched hundreds of strikes in Syria. Damascus has not retaliated. With AFP
Pope Leo receives Palestinian president Abbas at Vatican
AFP/November 06, 2025
VATICAN CITY: Pope Leo XIV held his first meeting with Palestinian president
Mahmud Abbas on Thursday, where the Vatican said they discussed the “urgent
need” to help the civilian population in Gaza. The visit comes almost a month
into a fragile ceasefire between Hamas and Israel, following two years of war
triggered by the Palestinian group’s October 7, 2023, attack. Abbas is the
longtime head of the Palestinian Authority, which exerts limited control over
parts of the West Bank. His Fatah movement is the rival to Hamas, which took
control of Gaza in 2007. Abbas and Leo spoke by telephone in July but Thursday
was their first in-person meeting since the American took over as head of the
world’s 1.4 billion Catholics in May. “During the cordial talks, it was
recognized that there is an urgent need to provide assistance to the civilian
population in Gaza and to end the conflict by pursuing a two-state solution,”
the Vatican said in a statement afterwards. It noted that the meeting came 10
years after the Holy See formally recognized the state of Palestine through an
agreement signed in 2015. Abbas met several times with Leo’s predecessor, Pope
Francis, who died in April. In the final months of his pontificate, Francis
hardened his rhetoric against Israel’s assault on Gaza, but his successor has so
far adopted a more measured tone. Leo has expressed his solidarity with Gaza and
denounced the forced displacement of Palestinians, but said the Holy See could
not describe what was happening as a “genocide.”
On Wednesday afternoon, Abbas laid flowers at Francis’s tomb at the Rome
basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore.“I cannot forget what he did for Palestine and
the Palestinian people,” Abbas told reporters. In 2014, then-Israeli president
Shimon Peres and Abbas joined a prayer for peace with Pope Francis at the
Vatican, planting an olive tree together. Abbas will on Friday meet with Italian
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
US pushes UN draft resolution backing Trump Gaza plan,
calls for International Stabilization Force
Ephrem Kossaify/Arab News/November 06, 2025
NEW YORK: The US on Wednesday night circulated a draft resolution at the UN
Security Council that would authorize the creation of an International
Stabilization Force in Gaza to oversee the demilitarization of Hamas. The draft,
obtained by Arab News, endorses US President Donald Trump’s “Comprehensive Plan
to End the Gaza Conflict,” and calls on all parties to implement it in its
entirety, “in good faith and without delay.” Trump’s plan proposes an immediate
ceasefire, the release of all hostages, prisoner exchanges, the demilitarization
of Gaza, the deployment of an International Stabilization Force, and temporary
governance by Palestinian technocrats under international supervision. It also
outlines large-scale reconstruction and a conditional path toward Palestinian
self-determination and potential statehood. The initiative has won broad
international support, including from major Western and Arab nations. On Oct. 8,
Trump announced that Israel and Hamas had agreed to begin the first phase of the
deal — releasing hostages in exchange for 2,000 Palestinian prisoners within 72
hours of an Israeli withdrawal to agreed lines. A ceasefire took effect on Oct.
10, though multiple violations have since been reported. The UNSC draft
resolution would welcome the “constructive role” played by the US, Qatar, Egypt
and Turkiye in having facilitated the Gaza ceasefire. The text would authorize
member states working with a new transitional body — the Board of Peace — to
“establish a temporary International Stabilization Force in Gaza to deploy under
unified command acceptable to the BoP.”The ISF, according to the draft, would
operate “in close consultation and cooperation” with Egypt and Israel, and would
be empowered “to use all necessary measures to carry out its mandate consistent
with international law, including international humanitarian law.”The force
would help secure Gaza’s borders, stabilize the security environment and oversee
the demilitarization of Hamas.
Its tasks would include “the destruction and prevention of rebuilding of the
military, terror, and offensive infrastructure, as well as the permanent
decommissioning of weapons from non-state armed groups.”The ISF would also
“protect civilians, including humanitarian operations,” train and support vetted
Palestinian police forces, coordinate humanitarian corridors and assist the BoP
in monitoring the ceasefire. It would be funded through voluntary contributions
from governments and donors, and operate under BoP strategic guidance until at
least Dec. 31, 2027. Beyond the security arrangements, the US text proposes a
sweeping international role in Gaza’s governance and reconstruction. The BoP
would serve as a transitional administration overseeing aid delivery,
redevelopment and reform “until such time as the Palestinian Authority has
satisfactorily completed its reform program.”Under the plan, operational
entities established by the BoP would manage Gaza’s day-to-day civil service,
reconstruction projects and humanitarian programs. The resolution calls on the
World Bank and other financial institutions to establish a dedicated trust fund
to support redevelopment.
The draft “underscores the importance of the full resumption of humanitarian
aid,” warning that any organization misusing assistance “shall be deemed
ineligible to provide continued or future aid.”The US draft concludes by calling
on UN members to contribute “personnel, equipment, and financial resources” to
the BoP and ISF, and declares that the council will remain seized of the matter.
Diplomats said Washington is expected to begin consultations with other UNSC
members later this week, though it was not immediately clear when or if the
resolution would be put to a vote.
US prepares to establish military presence at airbase in Damascus: Sources
Reuters/06 November/2025
The United States is preparing to establish a military presence at an airbase in
Damascus to help enable a security pact that Washington is brokering between
Syria and Israel, six sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.
The US plans for the presence in the Syrian capital, which have not previously
been reported, would be a sign of Syria’s strategic realignment with the US
following the fall last year of longtime leader Bashar al-Assad, an ally of
Iran.
The base sits at the gateway to parts of southern Syria that are expected to
make up a demilitarized zone as part of a non-aggression pact between Israel and
Syria. That deal is being mediated by US President Donald Trump’s
administration. Trump set to meet Syrian president on Monday
Trump will meet Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa at the White House on Monday,
the first such visit by a Syrian head of state. Reuters spoke to six sources
familiar with preparations at the base, including two Western officials and a
Syrian defense official, who confirmed the US was planning to use the base to
help monitor a potential Israel-Syria agreement. The Pentagon and Syrian foreign
ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the plan. The
Syrian presidency and defense ministry did not immediately respond to questions
about the plan sent via the Syrian information ministry. A US administration
official said the US was “constantly evaluating our necessary posture in Syria
to effectively combat ISIS and (we) do not comment on locations or possible
locations of (where) forces operate.”The official requested that the name and
location of the base be removed for operational security reasons. Reuters has
agreed to not reveal the exact location. A Western military official said the
Pentagon had accelerated its plans over the last two months with several
reconnaissance missions to the base. Those missions concluded the base’s long
runway was ready for immediate use. Two Syrian military sources said the
technical talks have been focused on the use of the base for logistics,
surveillance, refueling and humanitarian operations, while Syria would retain
full sovereignty over the facility. A Syrian defense official said the US had
flown to the base in military C-130 transport aircraft to make sure the runway
was usable. A security guard at one of the base’s entrances told Reuters that
American aircraft were landing there as part of “tests.”It was not immediately
clear when US military personnel would be dispatched to the base.
Joint Syrian-American presence
The new US plans appear to mirror two other new US military presences in the
region monitoring cessation of hostilities agreements: one in Lebanon, which
closely watches last year’s ceasefire between Lebanese armed group Hezbollah and
Israel, and one in Israel that monitors the Trump-era truce between Palestinian
military group Hamas and Israel. The US already has troops stationed in
northeastern Syria, as part of a decade-long effort to help a Kurdish-led force
there combat ISIS. In April, the Pentagon said it would halve the number of
troops there to 1,000. Al-Sharaa has said any US troop presence should be agreed
with the new Syrian state. Syria is set to imminently join the US-led global
anti-ISIS coalition, US and Syrian officials say. A person familiar with the
talks over the base said the move was discussed during a trip by Admiral Brad
Cooper, Commander of the US Central Command (CENTCOM), to Damascus on September
12. A CENTCOM statement at the time said Cooper and US envoy to Syria Thomas
Barrack had met al-Sharaa and thanked him for contributing to the fight against
ISIS in Syria, which it said could help accomplish Trump’s “vision of a
prosperous Middle East and a stable Syria at peace with itself and its
neighbors.”
The statement did not mention Israel.
The US has been working for months to reach a security pact between Israel and
Syria, two longtime foes. It had hoped to announce a deal at the United Nations
General Assembly in September but talks hit a last-minute snag. A Syrian source
familiar with the talks told Reuters that Washington was exerting pressure on
Syria to reach a deal before the end of the year, and possibly before al-Sharaa’s
trip to Washington.
Mediators propose deal to get Hamas fighters out of
Gaza’s Israeli zone, sources say
Reuters/November 06, 2025
CAIRO: Hamas fighters holed up in the Israeli-held Rafah area of Gaza would
surrender their arms in exchange for passage to other areas of the enclave under
a proposal to resolve an issue seen as a risk to the month-old truce, according
to two sources familiar with the talks.US special envoy Steve Witkoff said the
proposed deal for some 200 fighters would be a test for a broader process to
disarm Hamas forces across Gaza. Since the US-brokered ceasefire took effect in
Gaza on October 10, the Rafah area has been the scene of at least two attacks on
Israeli forces which Israel has blamed on Hamas; the militant group has denied
responsibility. Egyptian mediators have proposed that, in exchange for safe
passage, fighters still in Rafah surrender their arms to Egypt and give details
of tunnels there so they can be destroyed, one of the sources, an Egyptian
security official, said. Israel and Hamas have yet to publicly accept mediators’
proposals, the two sources said. A third confirmed that talks on the issue were
underway. The Israeli Prime Minister’s office did not immediately respond to a
request for comment on the accounts; Hazem Qassem, a Hamas spokesperson in Gaza,
declined to comment. The attacks in Rafah spiralled into some of the worst
violence since the ceasefire took hold, with three Israeli soldiers killed,
prompting Israeli retaliation that killed dozens of Palestinians. Two of the
sources said the Hamas fighters in Rafah, which the group’s armed wing has said
have been out of contact since March, might be unaware a ceasefire was in place.
One of them added that getting the fighters out served the interest of
safeguarding the truce. The sources did not say how many Hamas fighters might be
holed up in the Rafah area. The ceasefire is the first part of US President
Donald Trump’s plan to end the Gaza war. The militant group has released the
last 20 living hostages seized in the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attacks on
Israel in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners; Israeli troops have
withdrawn from western areas of Gaza, where Hamas remains in control. Details of
the next phase of Trump’s plan, which requires Hamas to disarm and surrender
control of Gaza, have yet to be agreed. The plan foresees Gaza being governed by
a technocratic Palestinian committee with international supervision, and the
deployment of an international force. Witkoff, one of the US negotiators on the
plan, said work to stand up an international security force would be finished in
the next three weeks and that would be the moment for Hamas to decommission its
fighters and demilitarize the strip. “We may see the model of what we’re trying
to do (across Gaza)... with these 200 fighters who are trapped in Rafah, and
whether they’re going to be able to raise their hands, walk out, turn over their
weapons,” Witkoff said at a business conference in Florida. “And so this will be
one of the tests.”Since the ceasefire, Hamas has also handed over the bodies of
22 of 28 deceased hostages. Hamas has said the devastation in Gaza has made
locating the bodies difficult. Israel accuses Hamas of stalling. Israel has
released to Gaza the bodies of 285 Palestinians, according to the territory’s
health ministry. Hamas-led militants seized 251 hostages in the October 7
attacks, and killed another 1,200 people, according to Israeli tallies. Israel’s
retaliatory offensive has killed nearly 69,000 Palestinians, health officials in
the enclave say — 241 of them killed since the ceasefire took hold.
Israel declares Egypt border area closed military zone due
to weapon-smuggling drones
Al Arabiya English/06 November/2025
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz on Thursday said he instructed the army to
turn the area at the border with Egypt into a closed military zone claiming that
it was to combat weapons smuggling via drones. “I instructed the IDF (military)
to turn the area adjacent to the Israel–Egypt border into a closed military zone
and to amend the rules of engagement accordingly in order to combat the drone
threat that endangers the country’s security,” Katz said in a statement. “Weapon
smuggling via drones is part of the war in Gaza and is intended to arm our
enemies, and all possible measures must be taken to stop it,” he added. Israel
and Egypt share a border that spans approximately 200 kilometers (124 miles). On
Sunday, the Israeli military said it identified a drone that “crossed from the
west into Israeli territory in an attempt to smuggle weapons.”It said troops
intercepted the drone, which was carrying eight guns. On Tuesday, it said it
thwarted another smuggling attempt after intercepting a drone carrying 10
pistols which had “crossed from the eastern border” into Israeli territory.
Israel is bordered by Jordan to the east. “Today we declare war on those
involved in the smuggling -- and anyone who breaches the forbidden area will be
targeted,” Katz said Thursday. In a post on X, Israel’s far-right National
Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir praised Katz for taking the decision and for
“recognizing that the trafficking that takes place there serves terrorist
objectives.”With AFP
New country to join Abraham Accords, US envoy teases ahead of announcement
Al Arabiya English/06 November/2025
US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff said Thursday that another country would join the
Abraham Accords, with an announcement expected later in the day. Speaking at the
America Business Forum in Miami, Witkoff said he would be flying back to
Washington for the announcement. Sources familiar with the matter told Al
Arabiya English that the country is one of the five Central Asian members —
Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, or Uzbekistan —
currently in Washington to mark 10 years since the C5+1 diplomatic platform was
formed. Fox News later reported that the country set to join the accords is
Kazakhstan.
Israeli forces demolish homes in Jerusalem, kill
15-year-old Palestinian
Arab News/November 06, 2025
LONDON: Israeli forces killed a 15-year-old Palestinian boy in the occupied West
Bank on Thursday and demolished two homes of the Houshieh family, displacing
about 50 people. The Ramallah-based Ministry of Health said that during an
Israeli military raid in Ya’bad, west of Jenin early on Thursday, Murad Fawzi
Abu Seifen was struck by four rounds. Israeli forces prevented ambulance crews
from reaching him. He bled to death before Israeli forces retrieved his body,
the ministry added. His death brings the number of Palestinians killed in Jenin
since the Israeli offensive began in January to 56, with more than 200 wounded.
On Thursday, Israeli forces demolished the homes of brothers Iyad and Ziad
Houshieh in Qatana, a town in occupied East Jerusalem, citing construction
without a permit. Each home, about 150 sq. meters large, housed at least 20
people. Israeli authorities had notified the Houshiehs of the impending
demolition of their homes 10 years ago, according to Wafa news agency. Qatana
has faced an intensive Israeli operation since September, with authorities
ordering the demolition of all homes built without permits in Qatana and Qubeiba,
the hometowns of two Palestinian gunmen who killed six Israelis in Jerusalem
that month. In October, authorities conducted 25 demolition operations in Qatana,
affecting 28 sites, including 15 inhabited homes, two empty homes and 11
agricultural facilities, according to Wafa. In Jenin and its refugee camp,
Israeli forces since January have destroyed more than 600 homes — 33 percent of
the camp — and displaced 22,000 residents.
Mediators propose deal to get Hamas fighters out of
Gaza’s Israeli zone, sources say
Reuters/06 November/2025
Hamas fighters holed up in the Israeli-held Rafah area of Gaza would surrender
their arms in exchange for passage to other areas of the enclave under a
proposal to resolve an issue seen as a risk to the month-old truce, according to
two sources familiar with the talks.Since the US-brokered ceasefire took effect
in Gaza on October 10, the Rafah area has been the scene of at least two attacks
on Israeli forces which Israel has blamed on Hamas; the militant group has
denied responsibility. Egyptian mediators have proposed that, in exchange for
safe passage, fighters still in Rafah surrender their arms to Egypt and give
details of tunnels there so they can be destroyed, one of the sources, an
Egyptian security official, said. Israel and Hamas have yet to accept mediators’
proposals, the two sources said. A third confirmed that talks on the issue were
underway. The Israeli Prime Minister’s office did not immediately respond to a
request for comment on the accounts; Hazem Qassem, a Hamas spokesperson in Gaza,
declined to comment. The attacks in Rafah spiraled into some of the worst
violence since the ceasefire took hold, with three Israeli soldiers killed,
prompting Israeli retaliation that killed dozens of Palestinians. Two of the
sources said the Hamas fighters in Rafah, which the group’s armed wing has said
have been out of contact since March, might be unaware a ceasefire was in place.
One of them added that getting the fighters out served the interest of
safeguarding the truce. The sources did not say how many Hamas fighters might be
holed up in the Rafah area. The ceasefire is the first part of President Donald
Trump’s plan to end the Gaza war. The militant group has released the last 20
living hostages seized in the Hamas-led October 7, 2023 attacks on Israel in
exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners; Israeli troops have withdrawn
from western areas of Gaza, where Hamas remains in control. Details of the next
phase of Trump’s plan, which requires Hamas to disarm and surrender control of
Gaza, have yet to be agreed. The plan foresees Gaza being governed by a
technocratic Palestinian committee with international supervision, and the
deployment of an international force. Since the ceasefire, Hamas has also handed
over the bodies of 22 of 28 deceased hostages. Hamas has said the devastation in
Gaza has made locating the bodies difficult. Israel accuses Hamas of stalling.
Israel has released to Gaza the bodies of 285 Palestinians, according to the
territory’s health ministry. Hamas-led militants seized 251 hostages in the
October 7 attacks, and killed another 1,200 people, according to Israeli
tallies. Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed nearly 69,000 Palestinians,
health officials in the enclave say - 241 of them killed since the ceasefire
took hold.
Weapons cache linked to Hamas found in Vienna by
Austria’s intelligence service
AP/November 06, 2025
VIENNA: Austria’s domestic intelligence service has uncovered a weapons cache in
Vienna that is believed to be linked to the Palestinian militant group Hamas for
use in “possible terrorist attacks in Europe,” the government said Thursday. A
39-year-old unidentified British citizen allegedly “having close ties to the
weapons cache” was arrested in London on Monday, the interior ministry statement
said. “According to the current state of the investigation, Israeli or Jewish
institutions in Europe were likely to be the targets of these attacks,” it
added. The weapons cache and the suspect were part of an internationally
coordinated investigation by the country’s Directorate for State Security and
Intelligence service, or DSN, “into a global terrorist organization with ties to
Hamas.”In the course of the investigations, the ministry said its intelligence
service found “suspicion that a group has brought weapons into Austria to use in
possible terrorist attacks in Europe.”The weapons cache, which is thought
belongs to unspecified foreign operations linked to Hamas, was discovered in a
suitcase in a rented storage room in Vienna and contained five handguns and 10
accompanying magazines. “The current case shows once again that the Directorate
for State Security and Intelligence has an excellent international network and
takes consistent action against all forms of extremism,” Austrian Interior
Minister Gerhard Karner said. “The mission is clear: zero tolerance for
terrorists.”Britain’s National Crime Agency confirmed on Thursday that the
39-year-old was arrested in central London on Monday by specialist officers from
the NCA’s National Extradition Unit. He is being held in custody until his next
appearance at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Monday.
UK sees surge in referrals of right-wing extremism to
counterterrorism program
Arab News/November 06, 2025
LONDON: The number of people referred to Britain’s counterterrorism program over
concerns about right-wing extremism surged by nearly 40 per cent in the space of
a year. Of a total of 8,778 people flagged to the Prevent scheme in the year to
March 2025, nearly 1,800 related to violent, far-right ideology, Home Office
figures show. That compares with 1,314 in the previous 12 months. The number of
referrals for far-right extremism was more than double the number for cases of
Islamist extremism, which fell by 13 percent to 870 in the same period. The
shift comes amid an overall sharp increase in the number of cases referred to
Prevent, and a big jump in the number of referrals labeled as “no identified
ideology.” The 27 percent rise in referrals to the program has been linked to
the July 2024 attack on a children’s dance class in northern England in which
three girls were killed, and the subsequent trial.Prevent faced criticism in a
review for prematurely closing its case on the attacker, 17-year-old Axel
Rudakubana, who had been referred to the scheme three times between 2019 and
2021. The review said too much emphasis was placed on the observation that he
did not have a distinct ideology.
The latest figures reveal that more than half of the referrals to Prevent
involved individuals judged to have no identified ideology, 21 percent were due
to concerns about extreme right-wing views, 10 percent related to Islamist
ideology, and 5 percent were the result of concerns about “fascination with
extreme violence or mass casualty attacks” where no other ideology had been
identified. Of the individuals referred to the scheme, 89 percent were male, 65
percent white, 19 percent Asian, and 8 percent black. The program has faced
extensive criticism from human-rights groups for disproportionately targeting
the Muslim community. Amnesty International said the latest figures showed
Prevent was failing to tackle rising extremism. “It is an ineffective,
discriminatory program which is not compliant with international human rights
law,” said Alba Kapoor, Amnesty’s racial justice lead. Prevent was established
in 2003 and expanded after the July 7, 2005, terrorist attacks on London’s
transport system. Schools, police, local authorities and members of the public
can refer to the scheme people they fear might be susceptible to radicalization.
After an initial assessment, cases can be passed a “Channel” panel that
determines the severity of the risk and what action should be taken. The latest
figures show 1,727 individuals were discussed by one of these panels in the year
to March and 1,472 were adopted for further support.
Iran’s ‘hostage diplomacy’ continues to undermine trust
with the West, perpetuate tensions
The Arab Weekly/November 06/2025
Iran since the Islamic revolution has employed the tactic of arresting
Westerners in a bid to extract concessions from its foes, in a strategy of
“hostage diplomacy” that has long presented Europe and the United States with a
dilemma, observers say. Iranian authorities this week released two French
nationals, Cecile Kohler and Jacques Paris, from jail in Tehran after more than
three years. They had been convicted on charges of espionage but their families
said they were innocent tourists unwittingly caught up in a wider game being
played out between Tehran and the West. France described the pair, as well as
several other French nationals detained in Iran who were recently released, as
“state hostages”. Over the last years, dozens of Europeans and Americans have
been detained in similar circumstances. The strategy has long antecedents, going
back to the seizure of the US embassy in Tehran in November 1979 by Islamist
radicals in the wake of the revolution, which saw dozens of Americans held for
444 days into early 1981. “Iran has pursued hostage diplomacy since the founding
of the Islamic Republic in 1979,” said Jason Brodsky, policy director of
US-based think tank United Against Nuclear Iran.
“It uses hostages as pawns to extract concessions that it could not otherwise
achieve from the United States and its allies,” he added. The Islamic republic
denies it has any strategy of hostage-taking and all foreigners jailed are
convicted after due legal process. But its policy of blackmail through
hostage-taking undermines any possibility of trust in dealing with the West. It
also perpetuates tensions with the same countries it wants to negotiate a deal
over its nuclear programme, say analysts. Concessions include unfreezing assets
or the release of Iranian nationals convicted in the United States, Europe and
elsewhere on charges such as sanctions violations, assassination plots or
terrorism, he said. “What the Iranian regime is practising is state-sponsored
hostage-taking, also known as hostage diplomacy,” added Daren Nair, a security
consultant who has for years campaigned for detainees’ releases worldwide. “And
the Iranian regime are not the only ones to do that. The Venezuelans do it, the
Russians do it, the Chinese do it,” he added.
For Clement Therme, an academic at France’s Université de Montpellier
Paul-Valery, who closely follows the issue, the policy is “a pillar of Iranian
foreign policy”. “Over time, there are arrests and releases, during periods of
rapprochement and tension. But it’s the intensity that varies, and the practice
continues.”The release of Kohler and Paris, who have yet to be allowed to return
to France, came after France freed on bail Iranian woman Mahdieh Esfandiari,
detained in Paris on charges of spreading terror propaganda. Tehran had
explicitly linked the two cases, although the French foreign ministry has
declined to comment on any deal. The release of Western nationals detained in
similar circumstances over the last years was often timed with Tehran receiving
something in return after painstaking and ultra-secret diplomacy. The cases of
several British citizens, including dual national Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe,
were linked to a payment owed by the UK to Iran for tanks ordered by the ousted
shah that were never delivered. That debt was eventually settled and
Zaghari-Ratcliffe and two other Britons were released in 2022. In 2023, five
Americans held in Iran, including the US-Iranian businessman Siamak Namazi who
had been imprisoned for eight years, were released in a scheme that saw $6
billion of Iranian assets unfrozen in South Korea. The release of
British-Australian academic Kylie Moore-Gilbert by Iran in 2020 came after
Thailand freed three Iranian men jailed over a 2012 bomb plot. But despite the
recent releases, others remain held by Tehran, including Swedish-Iranian
academic Ahmadreza Djalali, sentenced to death in 2017 on espionage charges his
family vehemently rejects. British couple Lindsay and Craig Foreman have been
held in Iran since January on espionage charges after Iranian authorities seized
the pair while they were on a round-the-world motorbike trip. Brodsky said
Europe and the United States should consider imposing a wholesale ban on travel
to Iran by their nationals. But he acknowledged too that Washington and its
allies had treated “this problem in a piecemeal manner” for too long. “The US
government should be working collectively with its allies to impose a range of
multinational penalties on the Islamic Republic the moment any hostage from
these countries is taken by the Iranian regime, this includes sanctions and
diplomatic isolation,” he said.
Iraqi PM Sudani seen as election frontrunner but power politics limits ability
to bring in change
The Arab Weekly//November 06/2025
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shiaa al-Sudani has cast himself as the leader who
can finally make the country a success after years of instability, and as he
seeks a second term, has moved against established parties that brought him to
power.
Buoyed by signs of rising public support ahead of a November 11 parliamentary
election, an increasingly confident Sudani is running against key members of a
grouping of parties and armed groups that originally tapped him for the job. But
some analysts are sceptical of his ability to introduce real change in the
country as he remains beholden to these very same forces.Sudani would need to
break free from many of the pro-Iran Shia parties that brought him to power in
order to bring about deep change, with the upcoming elections the main avenue to
doing so. “I think he is gaining more support from the people. He is seen as a
good kind of visionary leader, but is limited by his political surroundings,”
said Hayder al-Shakeri of Chatham House. Campaigning on improving basic services
and presenting himself as the man who can successfully balance ties with both
Washington and Tehran, he says he expects to get the single-largest share of
seats. Many analysts agree that Sudani, in power since 2022 and leader of the
Construction and Development Coalition, is the frontrunner. However, no party is
able to form a government on its own in Iraq’s 329-member legislature, and so
parties have to build alliances with other groups to become an administration, a
fraught process that often takes many months. Sudani, 55, has done many key jobs
in Iraq’s volatile political system and is the only post-2003 premier who never
left the country, unlike others who went into exile and returned, often with new
citizenships, after the US-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein in 2003. He
has the tricky task of balancing Iraq’s unusual role as an ally of both
Washington and Tehran, while trying to satisfy Iraqis desperate for jobs and
services and protect himself in a world of cut-throat politics. In 2024,
allegations that staff in the premier’s office had spied on senior officials
caused uproar. A political adviser to Sudani denied the claims. Born on March 4,
1970 in Baghdad to a family originally from rural southern Maysan province,
Sudani worked as an agricultural supervisor under Saddam’s government, even
though his father and other relatives were killed for political activism.Since
the 2003 US-led invasion he has been a mayor, a member of a provincial council,
a regional governor, twice a cabinet minister and then prime minister. “When we
speak of someone who stayed in Iraq all these decades, it means they understand
Iraqis as people and the Iraqi system,” Sudani told Reuters in an interview in
2023. But his resume is overshadowed by heavily-armed Iran-backed Shia armed
groups, including those that have fought US forces, who have steadily expanded
their reach in the state, politics and the economy. For months in late 2023 and
2024, hardline Iranian-backed militias ignored Sudani’s pleas to stop attacking
US forces in Iraq in protest at Israel’s onslaught on Gaza, underscoring the
limits of his political influence.
The attacks disrupted a period of relative stability since Sudani took power
under a deal that ended a year-long political deadlock. The attacks only stopped
when Iran stepped in to rein the groups in.Treacherous course
Iraq is navigating a politically-treacherous course to disarm the country’s
Iran-backed militias amid pressure from the US, while at the same time
negotiating with Washington to implement an agreement on a phased withdrawal of
US troops. But Sudani told Reuters ahead of next week’s vote that any effort to
bring all weapons under state control would not work as long as there is a
US-led coalition in the country that some Iraqi factions view as an occupying
force. Critics described his position as a ploy to reassure pro-Iran factions
ahead of the elections that he does not intend to disarm their troops any time
soon.
After the US ousted Saddam, a Sunni Muslim, Shia who had been oppressed under
his rule and had sought refuge in Iran became the dominant political force in
the oil-producing country via a new sectarian power-sharing system. The minority
Sunnis were sidelined.
Sudani was nominated as prime minister by the Coordination Framework, the
largest parliamentary coalition that is comprised of Shia factions, some
moderate, some hardline, all with good relationships with Iran. In 2022, he
replaced Mustafa al-Kadhimi, an ally of the West who came to power after
anti-government protesters took to the streets in their thousands in 2019,
demanding jobs and the departure of Iraq’s ruling elite.Protesters accuse the
post-invasion political class of corruption and misrule that provoked
insurgencies and sectarian civil wars and drove Iraq into dysfunction and
economic trouble. Baghdad-based diplomats describe Sudani as having reformist
intentions but say he must work hard to show he is not another politician
seeking a share of Iraq’s oil wealth. He promised to reform neglected sectors
like the financial system by revamping graft-prone state banks and promoting
digital payments, and to raise electricity production to end perennial power
cuts. But he has also sought to buy social stability with oil revenues by hiring
hundreds of thousands of workers for the bloated public sector while passing
Iraq’s largest ever budget. These moves, including building roads, bridges and
housing in a country that has seen little development for decades, have made him
popular with average Iraqis, but they are seen as unsustainable by financial
watchdogs. Meanwhile, critics say his government has empowered some of the most
hardline pro-Iran factions by hiring tens of thousands of people and creating a
state company run by some of those factions with powers to obtain state
contracts in many sectors. Sudani’s government has also been accused by rights
groups of acting to limit freedom of expression while doing little to promote
accountability for corruption. Sudani’s government denies limiting free
expression and says he has returned large sums of stolen funds.
Sudan’s RSF agrees to US proposal for humanitarian
ceasefire
Reuters/06 November/2025
Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces agreed to a proposal from the United
States and Arab powers for a humanitarian ceasefire and is open to talks on a
cessation of hostilities, it said on Thursday in a statement. Both the RSF and
the Sudanese army have agreed to various ceasefire proposals during their
two-and-a-half-year-old war, though none have succeeded. US President Donald
Trump’s administration has said it was working toward ending fighting in Sudan.
The announcement, which the Sudanese army did not immediately respond to, comes
less than two weeks after the RSF took over the famine-stricken city of al-Fashir,
consolidating its control over the vast, western region of Darfur. “The Rapid
Support Forces also looks forward to implementing the agreement and immediately
commencing discussions on the arrangements for a cessation of hostilities and
the fundamental principles guiding the political process in Sudan,” an RSF
statement said. Earlier this week, the army-led Security and Defense Council met
but did not give a definitive answer to the proposal, though influential leaders
and allies within the army have expressed their disapproval. A US State
Department spokesperson on Thursday said the United States continued to engage
directly with the parties to facilitate a humanitarian truce. “We urge both
sides to move forward in response to the US-led effort to conclude a
humanitarian truce, given the immediate urgency of de-escalating the violence
and ending the suffering of the Sudanese people,” the spokesperson said. The
United States, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt called in
September for a three-month humanitarian truce in Sudan to be followed by a
permanent ceasefire. Witnesses say the RSF killed and abducted civilians during
and after its capture of al-Fashir, including in summary executions, leading to
international concern. Its leader called on fighters to protect civilians and
said violations would be prosecuted. The war between the Sudanese army and the
RSF erupted in April 2023 when the two forces, then partners in power, clashed
over plans to integrate their forces. The conflict has devastated Sudan, killing
tens of thousands of people, causing hunger to spread across the country and
displacing millions of people.
US urges Sudan’s warring parties to facilitate
humanitarian truce: State Department
Al Arabiya English/06 November/2025
The US is continuing to engage directly with Sudan’s Armed Forces (SAF) and the
paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) to facilitate a humanitarian truce, a
State Department spokesperson said on Thursday. “We urge both sides to move
forward in response to the US-led effort to conclude a humanitarian truce, given
the immediate urgency of de-escalating the violence and ending the suffering of
the Sudanese people,” the spokesperson said in a statement. The official added
that Washington was committed to working with its partners, including the Quad,
to resolve the crisis in Sudan. The Quad on Sudan includes the United States,
Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Egypt. Earlier Thursday, the RSF said that it had
accepted a proposal from the US and Arab states for a humanitarian ceasefire.
Belgium opens first trial linked to Yazidi genocide
AFP/November 06, 2025
BRUSSELS: A Belgian jihadist accused of acts of genocide against the Yazidi
religious minority in Iraq and Syria — and presumed killed in conflict — went on
trial in absentia Thursday in Brussels. Sammy Djedou, a former fighter with the
Daesh group, or Islamic State, was reported by the Pentagon to have been killed
in a 2016 airstrike in Raqqa, Syria. Belgian authorities never received formal
confirmation of his death, and opted to prosecute him in absentia, in the
country’s first trial related to mass crimes against the Yazidis. Previously
convicted in absentia on Belgian terrorism charges, Djedou faces charges of
“genocide” for his alleged role from 2014 onwards in a Daesh campaign to
exterminate the minority group. He also stands accused of “crimes against
humanity” for the suspected rape and sexual enslavement of Yazidi women. Three
Yazidi victims have been identified, two of whom were minors at the time of the
crimes allegedly committed between November 2014 and December 2016. Two are
plaintiffs in the case and all three are expected to testify about their ordeal
before the Brussels criminal court, with the trial expected to last a week. The
Belgian counter-terrorism investigation relies heavily on evidence gathered by
journalists and NGOs operating in war zones following the fall of Daesh's last
stronghold in Baghouz, Syria, in 2019.
Mass persecution
Born in Brussels in August 1989 to a Belgian mother and Ivorian father, Djedou
converted to Islam at age 15 and left for Syria in October 2012 to join Daesh,
according to the investigation. He is later believed to have become a senior
figure in the group’s external operations unit, tasked with planning attacks in
Europe. In 2021, he was sentenced in Belgium to 13 years in prison for leading a
terrorist group. He was also targeted in a 2022 trial into support networks
behind the November 13, 2015 attacks in Paris that claimed 130 lives. He was
convicted in that case but received no prison sentence. The Yazidis, a
Kurdish-speaking minority practicing a pre-Islamic faith, were primarily settled
in northern Iraq before suffering mass persecution by IS beginning in August
2014. Thousands fled as the jihadists launched brutal attacks in a campaign that
UN investigators have qualified as genocide. According to the United Nations,
thousands of Yazidi women and girls were subjected to rape, abduction, and
inhumane treatment including slavery. Prosecutors in the Djedou case argue that
IS “institutionalized the sexual enslavement of Yazidi women,” turning it into a
form of trade that became a significant part of the group’s economy.
Senate Democrats to consider Republican offer as record
US shutdown drags on
Reuters/06 November/2025
Senate Democrats moved to center stage in the US government shutdown drama on
Thursday, as they met behind closed doors to consider what the chamber’s top
Republican said was an offer to reopen shuttered federal agencies as early as
this weekend. On the 37th day of the longest shutdown in US history, lawmakers
said they hoped that informal talks between Democrats and Republicans would lead
to a short-term agreement to reopen the government that would also give Congress
time to enact full-year appropriations bills and potentially address expiring
tax credits to help lower-income Americans pay for private health insurance
under the Affordable Care Act. A short-term bill to fund federal agencies
through November 21 has failed 14 times in the Senate, with Democrats demanding
that Republicans first agree to negotiate an extension of federal healthcare
subsidies and Republicans saying the government must reopen first. In the
meantime, thousands of federal employees have been furloughed or required to
work without pay, food assistance subsidies for 42 million Americans have dried
up along with Head Start subsidies for children, and 40 major US airports are
bracing for a 10 percent cut in flights. “We’ve got to get the Dems’ response to
the offer they have in front of them,” said Senate Majority Leader John Thune,
who told reporters he hoped there could be a breakthrough in coming days. He
declined to elaborate on the offer, saying only that it involved “back-and-forth
conversations” between Republicans and Democrats. “They have a big meeting
today,” Thune, of South Dakota, said of the Democrats. “Hopefully, they’ll come
out of there with 10 or more that are willing to vote to open the government.”
Democrats huddle behind closed doors
Senate Democrats met for hours behind closed doors on Thursday but emerged
without a unified position on how to reopen the government and achieve an
extension of Affordable Care Act subsidies. “We just, we have to make sure we
have a deal that we can get broad support for,” said Democratic Senator Gary
Peters of Michigan, who has been involved in bipartisan talks. “There are a lot
of things that have been kicked around as part of the deal. Nothing’s really
crystallized.”Republicans hold a 53-47 majority but need 60 votes to reopen the
government. With one Republican opposed to short-term funding, Thune would need
at least eight Democrats to break with an independent who caucuses with them
have been willing to do so. Republicans said they hope that more moderate
Democrats will want to end the shutdown enough to break ranks with their
colleagues.
House moves uncertain
The Republican-controlled House of Representatives also presented a potential
stumbling block. Democrats have expressed concerns that any Senate legislation
to extend ACA tax credits may not see a floor vote in the House. On Thursday,
House Speaker Mike Johnson appeared to confirm those worries by saying he would
not promise such a vote. “I’m not part of the negotiation,” Johnson told
reporters. “I’m not promising anybody anything.”Asked about the remark, Peters
replied: “That’s a significant problem.”If Senate Democrats and Republicans
managed to reach a deal to reopen the government this week, agencies would still
likely remain shuttered for days. Such a measure would require approval from the
House before President Donald Trump could sign it into law. House Republican
leaders, who have kept the chamber out of session since before the shutdown
began, have pledged to give members 48 hours notice before calling them back to
Washington and 72 hours to review legislation before holding any new floor
votes.
The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous
Reports And News published
on
November 06-07/2025
Christian Girl Harassed for Refusing Hijab — “They Looked at Me as if I
Were Naked”
Coptic Solidarity/Raymond Ibrahim/November 06/2025
On her first day at a public high school in the Egyptian province of Minya,
Maryam walked in like every girl in the West does—with her hair uncovered.
Unlike in the West, she was immediately confronted by the school principal, who
scolded her before the other students: “You can’t come with your hair like
that,” the principal barked. “It’s shameful! You must come tomorrow wearing a
head scarf.”
Maryam was taken aback. “I told her that I’m Christian and not required to wear
the hijab,” she later recalled, “but she insisted that this was the rule, and
that I was causing fitna [sedition] by refusing.”When Maryam returned to school
the next morning still bare-headed, the atmosphere was hostile. “Everyone was
shocked and looked at me as if I were naked,” said the determined teen. “Some
girls giggled; others whispered insults like kafira [infidel]. One of the
teachers told me, ‘You Christians always want to show off your bodies.’”
The harassment did not end there. Other teachers began to single her out in
class, calling her “arrogant” and “rebellious.” Several Muslim classmates
refused to sit beside her. “It was as if I had committed a crime,” Maryam said.
“They treated me like I was dirty — just because I didn’t cover my hair.”Even
outside school, the pressure intensified. Some of Maryam’s relatives —
themselves weary of constant discrimination — urged her to comply “for your own
safety.” But she refused to bend. “I feel like I’m getting into a fight
defending my freedom,” she said. “I want to be myself. I’m not Muslim. Why
should I wear the hijab?”Maryam dreams of attending university “with my hair
spread over my shoulders, without anyone looking at me as if I’ve done something
wrong.” But in Egypt today, this “dream” requires courage bordering on defiance.
Though the hijab is not legally mandated in Egypt, Islamic norms dominate public
life, especially in provincial towns. Officially, Egypt’s constitution promises
“freedom of religion,” yet the state’s education system —overseen by a powerful
Islamic stronghold in the Ministry of Education— enforces a de facto Islamic
culture in public schools. Coptic girls are often told to cover their hair;
Christian boys are mocked for not memorizing Koran verses as part of Arabic
language courses; and Christian teachers risk dismissal if they complain. Such
incidents have multiplied in recent years, part of the ongoing Islamization
program of the nation. Under the presidency of Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Egypt
officially presents itself as a bulwark against “extremism”; meanwhile, the
everyday experience of Christians tells another story: mosques proliferate while
church construction faces severe bureaucratic obstruction; sermons and textbooks
glorify Islam while ignoring or vilifying Christianity; and even clothing has
become a political statement of submission or defiance.
Now it’s hair. Maryam’s experience thus reveals not an isolated
misunderstanding, but a symptom of a much broader reality: in today’s Egypt, to
be visibly Christian is to invite persecution. What begins as “advice” to wear
the veil can quickly escalate to ostracism, threats, and even violence — all
justified under the guise of “conformity” and “social harmony.”Incidentally, it
is no coincidence that Minya, Maryam’s home province, is also one of Egypt’s
most intolerant regions. Churches there are routinely attacked or closed;
Christian girls are abducted and forcibly converted; and the police, when not
complicit, are indifferent. In this climate, a 16-year-old girl insisting on the
right to leave her hair uncovered becomes an act of “rebellion” — a stand
against the coercive weight of an entire Islamized culture. “I just want to
study and live like anyone else,” Maryam said; “but I don’t want to be forced to
pretend to be something I’m not.”Her simple plea — for dignity, conscience, and
freedom — speaks volumes about the fate of Egypt’s Christians today. Once again,
the “land of the Nile” shows that its most ancient and indigenous people, the
Copts, remain strangers in their own homeland.
https://www.raymondibrahim.com/11/6/2025/articles-of-the-day
The demise of JCPOA and the road ahead for Iran’s
nuclear program
Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Al Arabiya English/06 November/2025
Although the European Union and its E3 partners -the United Kingdom, France, and
Germany -have signaled that they remain open to dialogue with Iran, the reality
on the ground indicates that any meaningful revival of the Joint Comprehensive
Plan of Action (JCPOA) is extremely unlikely.
Despite the EU’s overtures and public statements expressing willingness to
engage, the deal now appears effectively dead. The optimism expressed in
diplomatic statements masks the deeper structural and strategic obstacles that
make negotiations improbable.
The EU’s position, while framed as openness to dialogue, is conditional and
highly constrained by its close coordination with the United States. Europe can
express a desire to restart talks, but without a major shift in the fundamental
dynamics between Iran and Washington, these discussions are unlikely to produce
tangible results. As it stands, both sides remain entrenched in positions that
leave little room for compromise.
A primary obstacle to restarting negotiations lies in the insistence of the
United States on direct engagement with Iran, contrasted sharply with Tehran’s
categorical refusal. The US has consistently made clear that any credible new
nuclear framework would require direct talks between the two sides, asserting
that negotiations without American involvement would lack credibility and
enforceability.
On the other hand, Iran has rejected direct discussions under current
circumstances. Tehran’s insistence on engaging only from a position of power
reflects its historical experience in negotiations, particularly in 2015 when
the original JCPOA was concluded. Without US participation, any deal risks being
symbolic at best and ineffective at worst, leaving a critical gap in both
verification and enforcement. This fundamental disconnect between Washington’s
demands and Tehran’s conditions has become one of the most intractable barriers
to any substantive diplomatic progress, creating a situation in which
negotiations are highly unlikely to move beyond preliminary diplomatic gestures.
Another significant challenge is Iran’s diminished leverage, which makes the
prospect of negotiation less attractive from its perspective. After the June
strikes on Iranian nuclear and military sites, Tehran’s willingness to engage
constructively has declined. These strikes not only caused physical damage to
Iran’s nuclear infrastructure but also exposed vulnerabilities in its military,
particularly its air force and defensive capabilities. Historically, Iran
approached the 2015 negotiations from a position of relative strength,
possessing leverage that enabled it to extract significant concessions.
Today, however, the strategic balance has shifted. Iran faces weakened leverage,
heightened economic pressures from renewed sanctions, and diminished regional
influence. It has lost some of its allies and its ability to project power
effectively has been challenged. In this context, Iran sees little incentive to
return to the negotiating table without guarantees that it can achieve
meaningful concessions. The combination of damaged nuclear capability, exposed
military weaknesses, and economic strain has created a strategic environment in
which Iran is less motivated to compromise, further complicating the prospects
for reviving the JCPOA. The European overture, while publicly noted, is largely
conditional and cannot overcome the fundamental obstacles in the US-Iran
relationship. These include demands for Iran to return to compliance with
previous nuclear limitations, halt enrichment escalations, and submit to
rigorous verification measures. In addition, Europe’s approach remains tightly
aligned with US policy, which means that any negotiation initiative must be
acceptable to Washington. With the prospects for a negotiated deal fading, the
US has been increasingly relying on the “maximum pressure” strategy to manage
the Iran issue. This approach involves a combination of economic, diplomatic,
and strategic measures designed to constrain Iran’s ability to advance its
nuclear program and exert regional influence. Sanctions under this policy are
not static; they are continually expanded to target key sectors of Iran’s
economy, including oil exports, financial networks, and industries that support
its nuclear and military ambitions.
Beyond unilateral measures, the US seeks to coordinate internationally to
prevent Iran from evading these sanctions, engaging with allies and third-party
countries to limit Iran’s access to global markets. This includes diplomatic
outreach, economic incentives, and, if necessary, the threat of secondary
sanctions against nations or companies that continue to trade with Tehran. The
goal of maximum pressure is not only to constrain Iran’s capabilities but also
to increase the cost of noncompliance, effectively applying strategic leverage
to influence Tehran’s calculations.
A central challenge for the US in implementing maximum pressure is Iran’s
relationship with China. Iran derives a significant portion of its revenue from
oil exports to Beijing, making China a critical actor in determining the
effectiveness of US sanctions. Convincing China to halt or reduce its purchases
of Iranian oil is extraordinarily difficult because Iran offers favorable
economic terms, strategic access to the Arabian Gulf, and potential long-term
partnerships. Washington faces the complex task of either offering China
alternatives that match or exceed the benefits it receives from Iranian oil or
imposing sufficient diplomatic and economic pressure to compel compliance.
Without Chinese cooperation, sanctions risk being only partially effective,
allowing Iran to continue funding key programs and maintaining strategic
options. Regionally, the implications of a dead JCPOA are significant. Iran’s
influence across the Middle East is likely to decline as its economic pressures
mount and its military vulnerabilities become more apparent. Its ability to
project power through proxy groups or conventional military channels is
constrained, while the confidence of regional adversaries, including Israel
increases.
In conclusion, the JCPOA, as originally negotiated, is effectively dead. While
European leaders continue to express openness to dialogue, structural and
strategic impediments make meaningful negotiations unlikely. Iran’s refusal to
engage directly with the US, combined with diminished leverage, economic strain,
and exposed military vulnerabilities, creates an environment in which compromise
is improbable. The US, recognizing the limited prospects for a renewed
agreement, is likely to intensify its maximum pressure strategy, combining
sanctions, multilateral coordination, and diplomatic engagement to constrain
Iran’s economic and strategic options.
Disinformation is a national security threat, especially
in South Asia
Rizwan Akhtar/Al Arabiya English/07 November /2025
In an era when the global news cycle resets by the hour, collective memory has
grown dangerously short. The world has already moved on from the conflict
between India and Pakistan in May 2025, a confrontation that brought two
nuclear-armed neighbors perilously close to escalation.
Fortunately, cooler heads prevailed. US President Donald Trump’s direct
intervention helped secure a ceasefire, averting catastrophe. Pakistan’s actions
throughout the crisis were disciplined, defensive and consistent with
international protocols governing the use of force. We acted with restraint, not
hesitation, guided by the imperative to prevent a local incident from spiraling
into a regional disaster.
But in the aftermath, the battlefield shifted from military operations to
information warfare. In Washington and other capitals, Pakistan’s posture was
deliberate: to articulate verifiable facts and avoid inflammatory rhetoric that
could escalate a fragile security environment. Nuclear brinkmanship is not a
spectator sport, nor an episode in a geopolitical drama. It is the realm of
sober calculation, or narrative restraint, where language itself can serve as a
weapon or a safeguard.
By contrast, India’s information campaign following the conflict, particularly
the hyperbolic narrative around “Operation Sindoor,” reflected the growing
weaponization of disinformation as an instrument of statecraft. Prime Minister
Narendra Modi’s spin doctors not only conjured up a non-existent threat
supposedly issued by Field Marshal Asim Munir to deploy nuclear weapons, but
also leaned on self-proclaimed battlefield success with unverifiable details.
For example, the bogus claim that the IAF downed five Pakistani fighter jets,
destroyed a large surveillance aircraft from 300 km, and damaged a fleet of
F-16s can be validated by commercial satellites, so such assertions without
independent evidence ultimately erode credibility. Inflated battlefield claims
may resonate at home, but they undermine trust where it matters most: on the
global stage.
“As geopolitical conflicts are increasingly shaped by misleading and deceptive
information, the ability to parse online noise from genuine threat indicators
has become a national security imperative,” argued Joe Stradinger, CEO and
cofounder of a narrative intelligence technology company, in 2024. “Narrative
intelligence – derived from Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) – is now critical
to understanding how foreign actors weaponize stories to erode trust, fracture
societies, and influence the policy decisions of adversaries.”
This insight is particularly relevant for US defense and intelligence planners.
The Indo-Pak theatre is not only a geographic flashpoint but an information
battlespace. Washington must invest in independent narrative verification
capabilities, combining satellite forensics, OSINT validation units and enhanced
psychological operations (PSYOPs) training, to distinguish credible messaging
from orchestrated misinformation.
Neutrality in South Asia does not require silence. Recognizing responsible
behavior, including narrative restraint, is not favoritism; it is strategic
prudence. The real risk lies not in taking sides but in allowing unchecked
rhetorical escalation to shape perceptions and decisions in crisis. As Mike
Studeman, former Commander of the Office of Naval Intelligence, warned in 2024,
“Over the past 30 years, America’s information instrument has been neglected. If
Washington is truly committed to competing against China and Russia, then we
must marshal greater information powers to compete effectively in the battle of
strategic narratives.That principle applies equally to the Indo-Pacific. India’s
growing economic cloud and its partnerships in the region often insulate it from
critique, but turning a blind eye to narrative aggression carries strategic
costs. Washington can and should maintain robust engagement with India while
privately signaling concern over destabilizing rhetoric, even as it strengthens
strategic dialogue with Pakistan on counter-disinformation and narrative
discipline. Narrative warfare is an inescapable dimension of modern conflict,
yet its impact depends entirely on how it is wielded, either to stabilize or to
inflame. India’s recent rhetoric, marked by exaggeration and theatricality,
risks eroding its credibility where it matters most: among allies, adversaries
and regional security institutions. Pakistan’s conduct during and after the May
2025 crisis highlights a critical lesson: in nuclear deterrence, it’s the most
credible voice, not the loudest, that carries weight. In South Asia, where the
margin for error is razor-thin and the consequences of miscalculation are
catastrophic, words can either be instruments of restraint or catalysts of
destruction. For US policymakers and defense leaders, the recommendation is
clear: elevate narrative verification to the level of strategic intelligence,
support partners who practice communication discipline, and treat disinformation
as a direct national security threat.
Trump’s Gaza ceasefire plan: What’s next?
Ghassan Khatib/Arab News/November 06, 2025
The second phase of US President Donald Trump’s plan to end Israel’s war in Gaza
is not moving forward, and most probably will not. The recent wave of high-level
American visitors to Israel, including Vice President J.D. Vance, Secretary of
State Marco Rubio and special envoy and the president’s son-in-law Jared
Kushner, failed to achieve any progress. This is contrary to the first phase of
the ceasefire, which — despite being implemented after two years of excruciating
inaction — has gone relatively smoothly. The reason is that phase one met at
least one of the main objectives of each side — releasing the hostages and
stopping the genocide — dosed with a lot of US pressure to make it palatable.
Despite their deep differences, all the Palestinian factions — and indeed many
of the convened Arab governments, especially Egypt — agree that they have three
problems with the second phase of Trump’s plan. The first is that the plan
isolates the two geographical regions of the Occupied Territories, the West Bank
and Gaza, from each other: in progress, policies and leadership. This is a
consolidation of the separation enforced by Israel in its effort to fragment the
Palestinian body politic. Palestinians expect the two territories to fall under
the same administration, or at least to be linked. The second problem is that
the plan puts Gaza under foreign custodianship. This runs directly counter to
the Palestinian aspiration of independence and self-determination. It stymies
the Palestinian struggle to end the Israeli occupation, exchanging it for
another foreign-led military or militaries with no clear end point. In addition,
Egypt seems wary of having a foreign military presence on its doorstep and is
therefore seeking a UN resolution before implementation.
The third problem is that the second phase of the plan — made clear by Trump’s
scandalous speech to the Israeli Knesset — ignores the political nature of the
crisis of Gaza and treats it as only a humanitarian and economic crisis. It
would have been more serious for the plan to approach the crisis as part of the
political conflict whose resolution hinges on ending Israel’s post-1967
occupation of the territory, thus giving Palestinians freedom,
self-determination and independence.
Israel is trying to duplicate in Gaza the model it developed in the West Bank,
with the added condition that the Palestinian Authority should have no role or
responsibilities. This model seeks to enforce a division of labor between the
Israeli occupation forces and the PA. In the West Bank, Israel allows only
itself — unilaterally and by force — to maintain security control and
responsibility over land use and borders. We see that, in the post-phase one
Gaza Strip, Israeli military forces remain on more than half of the land,
creating a new “yellow line” to mark this area. Simultaneously, in the West
Bank, Israel allows the PA to hold de facto responsibility for education,
health, law and order, municipal services and so on. The only difference is that
Israel is refusing to allow the PA to have any role in Gaza, leaving
administrative tasks to an unknown combination of international and local
bodies.The American administration’s approach of trying to solve the crisis by
avoiding any reference to the West Bank, Palestinian political rights, the
two-state solution and even the Palestinian political leadership gives the
impression that its main objective is to counter recent international momentum
toward recognizing Palestinian political rights and an independent state. This
momentum culminated in the wave of European states’ recognition of the state of
Palestine at the UN in September and unprecedented international solidarity. As
some states move to prevent arms from reaching Israel, the country faces a
flagging tech sector and foreign divestment. Israel’s unacknowledged dilemma is
that, without the PA and the Palestine Liberation Organization (both of them
recognized by the Arab League and UN as the legitimate bodies representing the
Palestinian people), it will not find any serious third party to handle
nonsecurity responsibilities in Gaza. That party will not be legitimate and will
only serve to complement Israel’s illegal military presence and occupation. The
lessons from these horrific two years in Gaza is that ignoring Palestinian
political rights will not make them disappear. Proceeding with “normal”
political regional order regardless of the daily suffering of the Palestinians
and stripping them of their land and holy sites cannot be normalized. Continuing
to treat Israel as a country exempt from or above international law threatens
the stability of the region, and the world. Weakening the PA and the PLO, rather
than empowering them, as Israel has been doing, can only increase radicalization
and empower alternatives that are not in anyone’s interest. Leaving Israel to
its whims is also leading to radical changes within Israeli society that remove
any glimpse of the two-state solution, replacing it with a rapidly unfolding
one-state apartheid reality and ongoing brutality and violence.
**Ghassan Khatib is a lecturer in international studies at Birzeit University
and has held several positions in the Palestinian Authority. He also founded and
directed the Jerusalem Media and Communications Centre.
How Israel’s expansion into Syria uprooted families and
undermined regional stability
ANAN TELLO/Arab News/November 06, 2025
LONDON: Almost immediately after the collapse of Bashar Assad’s regime on Dec. 8
last year, Israeli troops entered southern Syria’s Quneitra province and began
raiding properties. Residents recall their homes shaking as armored vehicles
rolled through their normally quiet villages and troops took control of areas
close to the disputed border with Israel. “It was clear from their behavior that
they intended to stay,” one woman from Al-Hamidiyah village said, recalling the
day Israeli soldiers raided her home. She told researchers from the New
York-based Human Rights Watch that soldiers pointed their guns at her and her
two daughters. They also forced her husband and son into another room at
gunpoint. “My daughters and I were held like that from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. My
husband and son weren’t released until 11 p.m.,” she said. “The soldiers sat in
our living room, laughing and speaking a language we didn’t understand, as if it
were their house.”Following Assad’s ouster in a rapid rebel offensive, Israel
moved quickly to exploit the power vacuum. Its forces advanced deep into the
UN-monitored demilitarized zone separating the occupied Golan Heights from the
rest of Syria.
Soon, Israeli troops established nine military posts stretching from Mount
Hermon through Quneitra city to parts of western Daraa. The HRW documented
widespread abuses against civilians in a report published on Sept. 17. In Al-Hamidiyah,
a village in the countryside of Quneitra, Israeli troops reportedly demolished
at least 12 buildings on June 16, displacing eight families, to establish a
military installation. But residents said expulsions began the same day Assad’s
government fell. “Our house was closest to the military post, so it was first to
be demolished,” one villager told the HRW. “The land surrounding it, which we
had planted with trees, was completely bulldozed along with the house.”“Nothing
was left,” he added. “We’ve been living under extremely difficult conditions
ever since we lost our home and land.”
As the months passed, tensions continued to escalate.
On Oct. 18, Israeli forces set up a checkpoint on the road linking Ofania and
Jubata Al-Khashab, where they allegedly intimidated and assaulted civilians,
according to the Syrian state-run Alikhbaria TV. Nearly three days later,
Israeli forces raided Al-Hamidiyah again to conduct excavation work, Syria’s
state news agency SANA reported on Oct. 22. They were accompanied by heavy
machinery, including drilling rigs and bulldozers. Nearby, in the town of Jubata
Al-Khashab, Israeli forces reportedly cleared further tracts of land — including
a century-old forest reserve — to build another military installation.
The HRW also documented severe restrictions that cut residents off from their
farmland and grazing areas. Locals said troops bulldozed or fenced off
agricultural plots, groves, and pastures. “We own agricultural land with a total
area of 50 dunams (5 hectares),” one woman said. “Part of it was cultivated with
wheat or barley, while the other part was used for grazing sheep.”She told the
HRW that Israeli forces built a high earthen berm that blocked access to the
entire property and placed it under military control. The HRW report detailed
arbitrary arrests and the transfer of detainees into Israel, including a
17-year-old from Jubata Al-Khashab arrested in April and held without charge.
Shortly after midnight on June 12, Israeli forces, backed by armored vehicles,
heavy equipment, and police dogs, raided the village of Beit Jinn in the
Damascus countryside, 3 kilometers east of the disengagement line. Residents
told the HRW that soldiers arrested seven men and killed another who had
cognitive disabilities. The Israeli military told Reuters the detainees belonged
to Hamas and were planning “multiple terror plots” against Israeli civilians and
troops in Syria. It said the men were transferred into Israel for further
interrogation. Syria’s Interior Ministry rejected the claim, saying those
arrested were local civilians, not Hamas members. The ministry condemned the
raid, which lasted around 45 minutes, as a “blatant violation” of Syria’s
sovereignty. The HRW said Israel’s forced displacements, home demolitions and
land seizures constitute war crimes under international law. “Israel’s
documented actions in southern Syria violated the laws of war,” the monitor
added. The Israeli military, however, maintains that its operations comply with
international law. It described the demolitions as “necessary operational
measures,” claiming no civilians lived in the affected buildings.
INNUMBERS
• 8 Syrians arrested by the IDF and transferred to Israel since December.
• 9 New Israeli military posts established from Mount Hermon through Quneitra to
western Daraa. The HRW said these actions were part of a broader strategy to
entrench Israel’s military presence in southern Syria — a view seemingly
confirmed by Israeli officials.
In August, Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz said Israeli troops “will
remain on the summit of (Mount) Hermon and in the security zone that is vital to
defending communities in the Golan and Galilee from threats emanating from the
Syrian side.”
Israeli troops captured the Syrian peak of Mount Hermon — the highest point on
the eastern Mediterranean coast — almost immediately after Assad’s fall. In a
post on X, Katz said maintaining control there was a “central lesson from the
events of Oct. 7,” referring to the 2023 Hamas-led attack on southern Israel
that killed 1,200 and saw 251 taken hostage. Israel’s retaliatory offensive in
Gaza has killed at least 68,280 people, according to the local health authority,
displaced more than 90 percent of the population, and reduced much of the
Palestinian enclave to rubble.
Katz made similar remarks in April, saying that Israeli troops would remain in
Gaza, Lebanon, and Syria indefinitely, The Associated Press reported. “Unlike in
the past, the (Israeli military) is not evacuating areas that have been cleared
and seized,” Katz said in a statement on April 17. He added that the military
“will remain in the security zones as a buffer between the enemy and (Israeli)
communities in any temporary or permanent situation in Gaza — as in Lebanon and
Syria.” Israel’s posture marks a shift from its earlier low-intensity campaign
against Hezbollah and Palestinian factions in Syria, which began around 2017.
During Assad’s rule, Israel frequently launched airstrikes, particularly
targeting Iranian-backed forces and Hezbollah assets near Damascus and across
southern Syria. By 2018, Israeli officials said they had carried out more than
200 airstrikes on Iranian targets in Syria in about 18 months.
However, Hiba Zayadin, senior Syria researcher at the HRW, said that Israel’s
recent actions in southern Syria “are not legitimate acts of military necessity,
but pages out of the playbook used in the occupied Palestinian territory and
other parts of the region, stripping residents of basic rights and freedoms.”
Analysts say these moves reflect a calculated effort by Israel to reshape the
post-Assad landscape to its advantage. “(The late American political scientist
Henry) Kissinger famously warned that ‘the desire of one power for absolute
security means absolute insecurity for all the others,’” Joshua Landis, director
of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma, told Arab
News. “This dictum expresses a core principle of realist international relations
theory, which emphasizes the balance of power. “A nation’s attempt to achieve
complete and undeniable security will necessarily require it to amass so much
power that it threatens all other nations, leading to a breakdown of stability
and a heightened risk of war. “Today, Israel has amassed so much power that it
can threaten its neighbors with little or no risk to itself, and it is doing so.
“By seizing more Syrian territory, demolishing homes, and depriving farmers of
their livelihoods, Israel is setting itself and the region up for another round
of wars and regional conflict.”He warned that “the international community has
accepted this imbalance and fails to do anything about it despite the heavy
future price that is obvious to all.”
Since Oct. 7, 2023, Israel has carried out strikes in Iran, Lebanon, Syria,
Yemen, and even Qatar, while continuing its war in Gaza and intensifying its
occupation of the West Bank. In Syria alone, Israel’s air force and navy carried
out more than 350 strikes within the first two days of Assad’s fall, destroying
roughly 80 percent of the country’s strategic military arsenal. The attacks
continued for months afterward. “Israel’s occupation of southern Syria is a
deliberate strategy to prevent the consolidation of a unified Syrian state,”
Nanar Hawach, a senior Syria analyst at the International Crisis Group, told
Arab News.
“This policy of managed instability aims to create a permanent buffer zone and a
controlled ‘border society,’ which secures Israel’s northern frontier on its own
terms. “Beyond the southern borders, Israeli actions create an unstable
environment that effectively discourages regional investment needed for economic
recovery, prolonging Syria’s fragility. “This approach, while providing a
security advantage for Israel, comes at the cost of Syrian sovereignty and
regional stability, trapping the country in a cycle of poverty, political
fragility, and instability.”In February, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar
openly advocated a federal Syria composed of autonomous regions — a move
analysts warn could deepen internal fragmentation and undermine efforts at
national stabilization. Syrian economists warn that without security and
stability, the country risks losing crucial regional and international
investment. Landis said Israel and Syria have a rare opportunity to pursue
peace. “Unfortunately, this opportunity is being squandered because of the
dramatic imbalance of power and because Israel seeks absolute security through
the force of arms rather than diplomacy,” he said. Israel has voiced growing
distrust of Syria’s interim government, especially after attacks on Druze
populations in the south in July. To counter that, it has cultivated ties with
local Druze communities, supporting their autonomy and influence as a buffer
against Damascus’ central authority. In February, Israel’s Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu said Israeli forces would remain on Mount Hermon “for an
unlimited period of time.” He demanded “the full demilitarization of southern
Syria from troops of the new Syrian regime.” He also said Israel would not
tolerate any threats to Druze communities in the region. Syria’s interim
president, Ahmed Al-Sharaa, has repeatedly stated that his government does not
seek conflict with Israel and poses no threat to its neighbors.“We are not the
ones creating problems for Israel. We are scared of Israel, not the other way
around,” Al-Sharaa said on Sept. 24, during an event hosted by the Middle East
Institute in New York. He warned that Israel’s continued airspace violations and
territorial incursions risk derailing US-brokered peace talks, which remain
stalled over issues of sovereignty, withdrawal schedules, and minority
protections. Landis said Israel’s policies reflect a long-standing pattern.
“Since the 1967 (Arab-Israeli war), Israel has discovered that it can win
lopsided victories,” he said. “Despite international insistence that it trade
land for peace, Israel has chosen land over peace. “By expanding its borders in
the name of absolute security, Israel has squandered efforts to find a
negotiated peace. The result is that it has locked the region into perpetual
war. “Israel also forces its allies in the US and Europe to choose between
Israel and its Arab neighbors. The West has always chosen Israel, and thus, the
imbalance continues and so does war.”
Selected X Tweets For November 06/2025
Charles Elias Chartouni
There is only one question this aggregate projected on the
political scene has never answered, do they want peace or a postponed war with
Israel. they will never answer the question, some for ideological
considerations, others for lack of political and intellectual stature, or
complicity with multiple motives....
Hussain Abdul-Hussain
Lebanon Armed Forces (LAF) Commander Haykal proposed to the cabinet a freeze on
“restricting [Hezbollah] arms south of Litani” until Israel stops aggression.
Please someone tell this political novice that he has no leverage to impose
conditions. The faster he disarms Hezbollah, the sooner Israel will stop
policing. His deadline is the end of the year.
Hussain Abdul-Hussain
Lebanon Armed Forces (LAF) Commander Haykal proposed to the cabinet a freeze on
“restricting [Hezbollah] arms south of Litani” until Israel stops aggression.
Please someone tell this political novice that he has no leverage to impose
conditions. The faster he disarms Hezbollah, the sooner Israel will stop
policing. His deadline is the end of the year.
Faouzi Abou Reslan
Soon we are having the parliament election despite of all the political
disputes,and with due respect to all, the old and the young players, we need to
elect the deserved persons which will never happen till we a