English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For  November 15/2025
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news

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Bible Quotations For today
Brothers and sisters, pray for us, so that the word of the Lord may spread rapidly and be glorified everywhere
Second Letter to the Thessalonians 02/13-17//.03,01-05: "We must always give thanks to God for you, brothers and sisters beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the first fruits for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and through belief in the truth. For this purpose he called you through our proclamation of the good news, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold fast to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by word of mouth or by our letter. Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and through grace gave us eternal comfort and good hope, comfort your hearts and strengthen them in every good work and word. Finally, brothers and sisters, pray for us, so that the word of the Lord may spread rapidly and be glorified everywhere, just as it is among you, and that we may be rescued from wicked and evil people; for not all have faith. But the Lord is faithful; he will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one. And we have confidence in the Lord concerning you, that you are doing and will go on doing the things that we command. May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ.

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on November 14-15/2025
Hell, its Fire, and Worms Await All Who Have Killed Their Conscience and Lost Their Shame/Elias Bejjani/November 14/2025
Remembrance Day in Canada: Honoring the Heroes Who Defended Freedom/Elias Bejjani/November 11/2025
Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) Reveals Hezbollah Assassination Unit 121That Killed Christian Politician Elias Hasrouni/Avichay Adraee/Facebook/November 14, 2025
Video Link of an interview from the "Lebanon On" Youtube Platform with Engineer Alfred Madi
UN Forces Say Israel Built Walls Inside Lebanon, Israel Denies Accusation
Under US Pressure, Lebanon Tightens Screws on Money Transfers
UN forces say Israel built walls inside Lebanon, Israel denies accusation
Israel planning new operation on Bekaa and Beirut, Israeli media report says
Aoun: Army is in charge and will change situations in the South
French envoy meets Hezbollah official in Lebanon visit
Lebanon welcomes Saudi plan to bolster commercial ties
Lebanon, Syria officials to meet in December over border demarcation, report says
Saudi ambassador says Lebanon to see great prosperity
Geagea urges Berri to discuss expats drat law in parliament without delay
France reaffirms commitment to army support conference
Jumblat slams Gemayel's call for 'neutrality' amid Israeli occupation
Israel and US see 'window of hope' despite Hezbollah tensions
Morgan to Ambassador Michel Issa: "Congratulations, My Friend"
Israel’s Wall Opposite Yaroun: Security Boost or Prelude to New Annexation?
France Tries the Tried and Tested Again
Aoun Seeks Arab Embrace from the Saudi Gate
What is Behind Adraee's Tweet? ... Is the Information on Hasrouni's Assassination Linked to Prisoners in Israel?/Ziad Al-Bitar / Nidaa Al-Watan/November 15/2025
Washington’s Message to Beirut: Financial Sovereignty Is the Core of National Sovereignty/Makram Rabah/Now Lebanon/November 14/2025
The Lebanese When They Self-Reflect and When They Don’t/Hazem Saghieh/Asharq Al-Awsat/November 14/2025

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on November 14-15/2025
Druze groups and Syrian forces exchange ceasefire violation claims as clashes in Sweida resume
Rocket attack in Syria’s capital wounds 1 person and causes damage
Iran President Hails Iraqi PM Election Win
Iran seizes tanker in Strait of Hormuz, US official says, as tensions remain high in region
Indonesia Says Its Gaza Peacekeepers Would Focus on Health, Infrastructure Task
US, Several Arab States Urge 'Swift Adoption' of UN Gaza Resolution
US proposal at UN for Gaza force faces concerns from Russia, China and Arabs
Israel Returns 15 Palestinian Bodies to Gaza, Where Displaced Families Endure Winter Rains
Drenched and displaced: Gazans living in tents face winter downpours
Palestinians Return for Prayers in West Bank Mosque after Settler Attack
Cyprus Urges Türkiye to Drop Two-state Demand to Advance EU Bid
UN human rights body holds special session on Sudan after hundreds killed in Darfur’s El-Fasher
UN Rights Council Adopts Fact-finding Mission in Emergency Session on Sudan
New US Strike on Alleged Drug Boat Kills Four in Caribbean
Paris police shoot and wound man with knife at Montparnasse station

Titles For The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources on November 14-15/2025
Iran… The Race Between ‘Perestroika’ and Bouazizi/Mustafa Fahs/Asharq Al-Awsat/November 14/2025
Question: “Why are there so many religions?”/GotQuestions.org/November 14/2025
US troop reduction in Europe a wake-up call for allies/Luke Coffey/Arab News/November 14, 2025
Opportunity in Gaza exists, but it will not last long/Dr. Abdellatif El-Menawy/Arab News/November 14, 2025
Turkiye, Egypt forging new axis in post-Gaza deal order/Dr. Sinem Cengiz/Arab News/November 14, 2025
A European blueprint for growing GCC’s startups/Khaled Abou Zahr/Arab News/November 14/2025

The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on November 14-15/2025
Hell, its Fire, and Worms Await All Who Have Killed Their Conscience and Lost Their Shame
Elias Bejjani/November 14/2025
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/11/11623/
Many people do not fear God; they forget that there is a Day of Judgment in the afterlife, and that there is a hell. They forget that on the Day of Judgment, there will be a line to the left and a line to the right. The line to the left is a stampede straight to hell, and the line to the right leads to God’s heavenly abodes. They forget that hell has a fire that never extinguishes, worms that never rest, and torment that never ceases.
Is it possible that a person, for the sake of money, palaces, power, and authority would numb their conscience, act foolishly, deny God, and walk willingly into the stampede for hell? Yes, of course. When people fall into the temptations of Satan and descend into his pit, all they see is the dust of the earth, its wealth, powers, authority, palaces, hatred, resentment, and revenge. They become slaves to their animalistic instincts.
They kill their conscience, which is the voice of God within them, and they lose all shame. Their tongues—which are also a gift from God—ceases to bear witness to the truth and is transformed into diabolical tongues.
The certainty—the absolute certainty—is that none of us, no matter how great our status, can escape the accounting of the Lord. Those who manage to escape the judiciary of the earth, will never be able to escape the court and Judgment of Heaven.
On the Last Day of Judgment, the torment of those who were given much, the keepers of vows, the straying scribes and Pharisees, and the Iscariots will be the harshest and most severe.
Let us pray that the merciful, loving Lord, would save all those who are caught in temptation, straying, arrogant, shameless, tyrannical, and who killed their conscience. Let us pray that the Almighty will help all those who are preys of Satan’s temptations see his light, repent, perform penance, and return remorsefully, seeking forgiveness, and humbleness.

Remembrance Day in Canada: Honoring the Heroes Who Defended Freedom
Elias Bejjani/November 11/2025
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/11/149053/
Each year on November 11, Canadians pause in solemn reflection to honor the brave men and women who served—and continue to serve—the nation in times of war, conflict, and peacekeeping. Remembrance Day is far more than a date on the calendar; it is a profound and living tribute to courage, selfless sacrifice, and the unyielding pursuit of peace. It reminds us that the freedoms we enjoy today were secured at a heavy price—the lives, dreams, and futures of countless Canadians who answered the call of duty.
The red poppy, inspired by Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae’s poem “In Flanders Fields,” remains the nation’s enduring symbol of remembrance, resilience, and gratitude.
Historical Significance and Adoption
Remembrance Day was first observed in 1919, one year after the end of the First World War. It was originally known as Armistice Day, commemorating the precise moment when hostilities ceased on the Western Front: the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month in 1918.
In 1931, the Canadian Parliament officially renamed Armistice Day to Remembrance Day and fixed its observance on November 11 each year. This change acknowledged the sacrifices made in all subsequent conflicts, not just the First World War. Since then, it has become a sacred occasion integral to Canada’s national identity, reflecting the country’s profound role in defending human rights, justice, and international peace.
Impact of Sacrifice
Over 1.5 million Canadians have served the nation in uniform throughout its history. Tragically, more than 118,000 have made the ultimate sacrifice in service to Canada.
Canada’s Foundation
Canada was declared an independent country on July 1, 1867, through the British North America Act (now the Constitution Act, 1867). This historic moment marked the unification of three British colonies—Ontario, Quebec, and New Brunswick—into the Dominion of Canada.
Today, Canada is a diverse federation composed of ten provinces and three territories, united under a federal system that balances national unity with regional diversity. This foundation allowed Canada to emerge as a significant global contributor to freedom and democracy.
How Canadians Observe Remembrance Day
Across Canada, Remembrance Day is observed with solemn ceremonies held in cities, towns, schools, and military bases. The most notable event takes place at the National War Memorial in Ottawa, where the Governor General, the Prime Minister, and military leaders lay wreaths in honor of the fallen.
At 11:00 a.m. local time, the entire nation observes two minutes of silence—a collective moment of profound gratitude and reflection. The haunting sound of the bugle’s Last Post fills the air, followed by prayers, readings, and the powerful recitation of McCrae’s immortal words.
Many Canadians wear the red poppy over their hearts, attend local parades, visit veterans’ memorials, and participate in educational activities to ensure that younger generations never forget the true cost and meaning of sacrifice.
A Prayer for Canada
Almighty God, We thank You for this blessed land of freedom, justice, and peace. We pause today to remember before You the brave souls who gave their lives So that Canada might continue to live in dignity and safety. Bless our veterans, our soldiers, and all who serve our nation with unwavering courage and honor. Guide our leaders with wisdom, and unite our people in compassion and gratitude. Protect our beloved Canada— From coast to coast to coast— And keep her a beacon of hope, faith, and enduring peace for all generations. Amen.
Final Reflection: A Call to Action
Remembrance Day is not only a day to look back and honor the past but also a call to look forward. It challenges every Canadian to actively carry the torch of peace, to defend liberty wherever it is threatened, and to live in a way that truly honors the memory of those who sacrificed everything.
As the poppies bloom anew each November, Canada remembers—and solemnly promises never to forget.

Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) Reveals Hezbollah Assassination Unit 121That Killed Christian Politician Elias Hasrouni
Avichay Adraee/Facebook/November 14, 2025
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/11/149159/
The IDF confirms reports regarding the assassination of Elias Hasrouni, the Secretary-General of the Lebanese Forces party in Bint Jbeil, by the Hezbollah terrorist organization's Unit 121, contrary to rumors spread by Hezbollah claiming he died in a car accident. Hasrouni, who was 70 years old at the time of his assassination, was known for his fiercely anti-Hezbollah stance.
On the night of August 01/2023, Unit 121 operatives ambushed Hasrouni on a road near his home in Ain Ebel, Southern Lebanon, where they kidnapped and murdered him by poisoning and breaking his ribs. Afterward, to create the impression that he had veered off the road and died in a car accident, they returned his body to his vehicle, which they then crashed into a tree and left in a ditch on the side of the road.
Unit 121, also known as Hezbollah's Surveillance and Special Operations Unit, carries out assassinations targeting journalists, officers, politicians, and other figures in Lebanon who oppose Hezbollah and its activities. This unit is considered the internal security arm of the party, which it uses to track and eliminate its opponents.
Among the unit's many victims, the most prominent is former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafic Hariri. In 2020, the unit's commander, Salim Ayyash, was convicted by the UN-backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon for leading the team that executed Hariri's assassination.
Despite the severe blow Hezbollah has suffered during the war, it is still attempting to sow chaos in Lebanon and rebuild its strength by employing Unit 121 and other tools. The Lebanese people, who long for stability and prosperity, fully recognize the need to be rid of this disintegrating Iranian arm that has dragged the country into futile wars, spies on the populace, and assassinates its opponents.

Video Link of an interview from the "Lebanon On" Youtube Platform with Engineer Alfred Madi
November 14, 2025
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/11/149165/
An in-depth reading of the past and present, and the crises and occupations witnessed by Lebanon. An exposure of the non-Lebanese, Iranian, Jihadist, sectarian, and terrorist nature of Hezbollah, which does not recognize Lebanon and seeks, through force and sectarian imposition, to turn it into an Islamic state loyal to Wilayat al-Faqih (Guardianship of the Islamic Jurist), along with a warning against the displacement of Shiites and the emptying of the South. Shedding light on the Christian existential threat since independence and the disastrous nature of certain Lebanese communal and sectarian segments that always deal with foreigners against Lebanon. In Madi's opinion, based on the backgrounds of the past, present, and the Lebanese components, there is no solution for Lebanon other than Chapter VII (of the UN Charter). And to those who threaten Christians with demographics,  Madi, said the answer will be in geographical solutions 

UN Forces Say Israel Built Walls Inside Lebanon, Israel Denies Accusation
Asharq Al-Awsat/November 14/2025
United Nations peacekeepers said Friday that Israel's army has built walls in south Lebanon near the UN-demarcated Blue Line, the de facto border, while Israel denied the accusation. The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, which has been working with the Lebanese army to consolidate a truce between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah reached last November, called the moves a violation of Lebanese sovereignty, AFP reported. UNIFIL said in a statement that in October, it surveyed "a concrete T-wall erected by the Israel army southwest of Yaroun. The survey confirmed that the wall crossed the Blue Line, rendering more than 4,000 square metres of Lebanese territory inaccessible to the Lebanese people"."In November, peacekeepers observed additional T-wall construction in the area. A survey confirmed that a section of wall southeast of Yaroun also crossed the Blue Line," it added. When asked by AFP about the accusation, the Israeli military said: "The wall is part of a broader (Israeli military) plan whose construction began in 2022. Since the start of the war, and as part of lessons learnt from it, the (Israeli military) has been advancing a series of measures, including reinforcing the physical barrier along the northern border." "It should be emphasised that the wall does not cross the Blue Line," it added. Under the ceasefire, Israel was to withdraw its forces from south Lebanon, but it has kept them at five areas it deems strategic and has kept up regular strikes on Lebanon, mainly saying it is targeting Hezbollah sites and operatives. UNIFIL said that "Israeli presence and construction in Lebanese territory are violations of Security Council resolution 1701 and of Lebanon's sovereignty and territorial integrity", referring to a UN resolution that ended a 2006 conflict between Israel and Hezbollah. The resolution also formed the basis of last November's truce, which sought to end more than a year of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah including two months of all-out war. UNIFIL said it had informed the Israeli army of the October findings and requested it move the walls, adding that the force would formally advise the Israeli army of the results of the November survey. "We again call on the army to respect the Blue Line in its full length and withdraw from all areas north of it," the UNIFIL statement said.

Under US Pressure, Lebanon Tightens Screws on Money Transfers
Asharq Al-Awsat/November 14/2025
Lebanon announced on Friday that money changers and transfer companies must comply with stricter rules as the country faces heavy US pressure to regulate its cash economy and cut off Hezbollah funding. The move comes days after a visiting US official said his country was determined to cut off Tehran's funding to the group, and after the US Treasury said Iran's Revolutionary Guards had transferred over $1 billion to Hezbollah this year, mainly via money exchange companies. Lebanese authorities are seeking to disarm Hezbollah, which was badly weakened in a recent war with Israel, and face heavy US pressure to do so more quickly as well as fears of expanded Israeli military action. As part of efforts "to remove Lebanon from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) grey list... the central bank of Lebanon today has taken the first step in a series of precautionary measures aiming to strengthen the compliance environment within the financial sector", a central bank statement said. The FATF in October last year added Lebanon to its "grey list" of nations that are subject to increased monitoring of financial transactions. The central bank said it was imposing measures "on all non-bank financial institutions licenced by the central bank of Lebanon, including money transfer companies, exchange bureaus" and other firms handling foreign currency transactions and transfers to and from the country. According to a central bank circular, from December 1, all non-bank financial institutions must "collect information and data linked to their customers and operations" for transactions of $1,000 or more and report them to the central bank. Institutions must confirm they have collected the required information before carrying out any transaction, the circular added. The measures are consistent "with international standards on fighting money laundering and terrorist financing, and preventing the misuse of the authorized financial system for suspicious transactions." Hezbollah has pushed back against moves to stifle the group. On Thursday, its parliamentary bloc condemned "US efforts to tighten the financial siege on Lebanon" and rejected what it said was Washington's aim of imposing "financial guardianship" on the country. Lebanon was once known as the "Switzerland of the Middle East" for its thriving banking sector before a crippling financial crisis in 2019. Confidence in lenders tanked and the cash economy has since boomed, despite international institutions repeatedly warning of the risk of money laundering and terrorism financing.

UN forces say Israel built walls inside Lebanon, Israel denies accusation
AFP/November 14, 2025
UNIFIL called the moves a violation of Lebanese sovereignty
“Israeli presence and construction in Lebanese territory are violations of Security Council resolution 1701”
BEIRUT: United Nations peacekeepers said Friday that Israel’s army has built walls in south Lebanon near the UN-demarcated Blue Line, the de facto border, while Israel denied the accusation. The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, which has been working with the Lebanese army to consolidate a truce between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah reached last November, called the moves a violation of Lebanese sovereignty. UNIFIL said in a statement that in October, it surveyed “a concrete T-wall erected by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) southwest of Yaroun. The survey confirmed that the wall crossed the Blue Line, rendering more than 4,000 square meters of Lebanese territory inaccessible to the Lebanese people.”“In November, peacekeepers observed additional T-wall construction in the area. A survey confirmed that a section of wall southeast of Yaroun also crossed the Blue Line,” it added.
When asked by AFP about the accusation, the Israeli military said: “The wall is part of a broader (Israeli military) plan whose construction began in 2022. Since the start of the war, and as part of lessons learnt from it, the (Israeli military) has been advancing a series of measures, including reinforcing the physical barrier along the northern border.”
“It should be emphasized that the wall does not cross the Blue Line,” it added. Under the ceasefire, Israel was to withdraw its forces from south Lebanon, but it has kept them at five areas it deems strategic and has kept up regular strikes on Lebanon, mainly saying it is targeting Hezbollah sites and operatives.
UNIFIL said that “Israeli presence and construction in Lebanese territory are violations of Security Council resolution 1701 and of Lebanon’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” referring to a UN resolution that ended a 2006 conflict between Israel and Hezbollah. The resolution also formed the basis of last November’s truce, which sought to end more than a year of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah including two months of all-out war. UNIFIL said it had informed the Israeli army of the October findings and requested it move the walls, adding that the force would formally advise the Israeli army of the results of the November survey. “We again call on the IDF to respect the Blue Line in its full length and withdraw from all areas north of it,” the UNIFIL statement said.

Israel planning new operation on Bekaa and Beirut, Israeli media report says
Naharnet/November 14, 2025
Israel is readying a limited operation on Lebanon's Bekaa and Beirut, Israeli media reports said, adding that Hezbollah is re-arming and rebuilding itself and that the Lebanese army is incapable of implementing the government's decision to disarm the group. The Israeli army would strike underground weapon-production sites in Beirut and the Bekaa, the report said, claiming that some of the sites are hidden among residential buildings. According to the report, published Friday in ynetnews, these facilities are converting unguided rockets into precision missiles and producing new weapons.
Even in south Lebanon, Hezbollah has re-established itself south of the Litani river, including in Nabatiyeh, the report claimed. "For every rocket launcher the Lebanese army seizes from Hezbollah, another launcher is converted into a missile system in the Bekaa," ynetnews quoted Israeli army officials as saying.

Aoun: Army is in charge and will change situations in the South
Naharnet/November 14, 2025
The situations in the South “will change with the presence of the army,” whose strength “stems from its legitimacy and people’s embracement and firm confidence,” President Joseph Aoun said on Friday. “The order for the army to confront any Israeli land incursion was aimed at sending a message to everyone that the army has become in charge of decisions in the South and is tasked with protecting it,” the president added. “As a responsible head of state who has duties towards his country, I bear responsibility for my decisions, whose goal is the interest of my country, people, the South and the sons of the South,” Aoun said. “Building a strong state is essential, seeing as the ultimate loyalty should be to the country,” the president went on to say.

French envoy meets Hezbollah official in Lebanon visit
Naharnet/November 14, 2025
French President's advisor Anne-Claire Legendre met Friday with Hezbollah's head of Arab and International Relations Ammar al-Moussawi, al-Manar TV said. Legendre and al-Moussawi discussed Israel's violations of a ceasefire agreement reached in November last year, with al-Moussawi urging France to pressure Israel to halt its attacks. France is part of a five-nation ceasefire monitoring committee chaired by the U.S. and including Lebanon, Israel, and UNIFIL. Al-Moussawi also told Legendre that Hezbollah is committed to holding the parliamentary elections on time, amid a debate between Hezbollah and its opponents over the electoral law.Legendre had met in Lebanon with President Joseph Aoun, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, Speaker Nabih Berri, LF leader Samir Geagea and Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji.

Lebanon welcomes Saudi plan to bolster commercial ties
Naharnet/November 14, 2025
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam has welcomed a plan by Saudi Arabia to bolster commercial ties with Lebanon, saying that he is "very thankful for the Kingdom's kind initiative"."We highly value Saudi Arabia's appreciation for the efforts of President Joseph Aoun and the Lebanese government in preventing drug smuggling to our Arab neighbors," Salam said, after a senior Saudi official announced that his country plans to imminently bolster commercial ties with Lebanon after Lebanese authorities demonstrated efficacy curbing drug smuggling to the kingdom over the past months.
"Lebanon remains the loyal and faithful brother to its Arab neighbors who have never hesitated to give it all the love and support," Salam posted on the X platform. The Saudi official said a delegation will soon visit Lebanon to discuss the plan after Aoun and Salam asked the kingdom to review its ban on imports from Lebanon. In 2021, Saudi Arabia announced the suspension of imports from Lebanon, saying shipments were being used for drug smuggling and accusing Beirut of inaction.President Joseph Aoun also welcomed the move. "The time has come and we are waiting for Saudi Arabia," Aoun said.

Lebanon, Syria officials to meet in December over border demarcation, report says
Naharnet/November 14, 2025
French President's advisor Anne-Claire Legendre has reiterated during a visit to Lebanon her country's readiness to provide all the necessary maps and documents to facilitate the border demarcation between Lebanon and Syria, Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji said. Meanwhile al-Jadeed TV reported that a Lebanese-Syrian meeting on the demarcation between the two countries will be held in December, under the auspices of the United Nations.

Saudi ambassador says Lebanon to see great prosperity
Naharnet/November 14, 2025
Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon Walid Bukhari on Friday said that “Lebanon is a message” and that “it is not a minor thing that Pope Leo’s first foreign visit will be to it.”“Lebanon will witness great prosperity and I don’t see pessimism,” Bukhari added, during a visit to the headquarters of the Press Editors Syndicate. “The kingdom stands by Lebanon and all Lebanese and it is open to all of its components and cares about its stability and prosperity. It will support it and the coming days, God willing, will witness the outcome of this support,” the ambassador said.

Geagea urges Berri to discuss expats drat law in parliament without delay
Naharnet/November 14, 2025
As Lebanon prepares for its 2026 Parliamentary elections, a debate over the voting law drags on with many MPs forming a parliamentary majority pushing for amending the law to allow a large Lebanese diaspora to vote for the 128 seats. Earlier this month, cabinet approved to send an urgent draft law demanding the amendment to Parliament, after Speaker Nabih Berri refused to discuss it in a legislative session, prompting the LF and Kataeb MPs to boycott it. LF leader Samir Geagea said Friday that Berri's jurisdiction is restricted by the Constitution and that he should not obstruct the parliamentary system and democracy in the country, after he had heard that Berri is planning to refer the urgent bill to the parliamentary committees instead of discussing it in a plenary session. "Any attempt to buy time constitutes a clear and deliberate act of obstructing the elections," Geagea said. The current electoral law only allows expats to vote for six newly-introduced seats in parliament. Sixty-five MPs, including those of the LF and allies, demanded to amend the law in order to allow expats to vote for all 128 seats. Berri refused to discuss the draft law in parliament. LF's Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji later submitted the draft law to cabinet. Cabinet passed it and sent it to Parliament. "Berri must refer the government's bill to parliament before November 20," Geagea said. Hezbollah and Amal argue that they do not enjoy the same campaigning freedom that other parties enjoy abroad and are objecting against the possible amendment.

France reaffirms commitment to army support conference
Naharnet/November 14, 2025
MENA adviser to French President Emmanuel Macron, Anne-Claire Legendre, has reaffirmed during her visit to Lebanon France's commitment to hold a conference in support of the Lebanese army in Riyadh. Legendre said France and Saudi Arabia are discussing Lebanon's progress in implementing the government's plan to disarm Hezbollah. Paris has promised to organize two conferences for supporting Lebanon. One of the conferences is to drum up financial aid for the reconstruction of war-hit regions in Lebanon. The second will be to support the Lebanese Army which was tasked with implementing the plan to disarm Hezbollah, but lacks funds and equipment. The army has also suffered from the repercussions of the country's economic meltdown six years ago.

Jumblat slams Gemayel's call for 'neutrality' amid Israeli occupation
Naharnet/November 14, 2025
Former PSP leader Walid Jumblat criticized a proposition by Kataeb leader Sami Gemayel to introduce Lebanon's neutrality into the Lebanese constitution. "Before we amend the constitution, hold on, will Israel withdraw from the occupied (Lebanese) territories?" Jumblat asked Thursday on the X platform. He added that it is not for Lebanon's benefit to exit the Arab sphere and abandon the principle of "land for peace" -- which proposes Israel's fully withdrawal from occupied territories in exchange for peace and recognition from Arab states. "As for amending the constitution, it would lead to a divisive internal debate that we can do without," he added. Gemayel had said earlier this week that neutrality does not mean not taking positions on issues of justice in the world but it means that Lebanon would not militarily participate in any regional conflicts, hinting at Hezbollah's war with Israel in support of Hamas and the Palestinians. He said that Hezbollah's weapons were incapable of protecting Lebanon and that the group has disastrously failed, leading to destruction and suffering.

Israel and US see 'window of hope' despite Hezbollah tensions
Naharnet/November 14, 2025
Despite rising tensions on the Israeli-Lebanese border, Israel and the U.S. detect a shift in Shiite sentiment against Hezbollah, Israel’s Ynet news portal has reported. “The rising tensions along the Israel-Lebanon border and between Jerusalem and Beirut do not, according to sources in Washington and Jerusalem, reflect the full picture. Information obtained by Ynet indicates that the current assessments in both Israel and the United States regarding the situation in Lebanon are far more optimistic than what recent media reports suggest,” Ynet said.
According to “authorized intelligence sources,” the region is now at a historic crossroads, with a “potentially positive turning point from both the Israeli and American perspectives,” Ynet added. “This view is shaped by several developments, but especially by the public reaction in Lebanon—including among Shiites—to an ‘open letter’ issued by Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem,” Ynet said. In the letter, Hezbollah says it has honored the ceasefire declared nearly a year ago and warns that any move to disarm the group or to begin negotiations with Israel would weaken Lebanon. It further asserts its refusal to surrender its “right to resist” and its independence from government authority in matters of war and peace. The letter followed a series of Israeli strikes allegedly targeting Hezbollah’s growing military infrastructure in Lebanon and a statement by President Joseph Aoun that Lebanon has no choice but to consider negotiations with Israel. What caught Israeli and American analysts off guard, however, was the “reaction within Lebanon’s Shiite community.”
“Well-known and respected figures sharply condemned Hezbollah’s aggressive stance, believed to be driven by Iranian pressure. These individuals, part of a growing anti-Hezbollah movement within the Shiite sector, released videos calling on their fellow Shiites, now a majority in Lebanon, to pressure Hezbollah to change course and support a new political framework that would include disarmament,” Ynet said. Their call has been echoed by prominent voices and opinion leaders from other religious communities in Lebanon, signaling a broader potential shift in the country’s internal discourse. According to senior analysts, Lebanon’s current administration --led by President Aoun, a former army chief -- now holds more political and military strength than any Lebanese administration in recent decades. This shift is attributed to several key factors. First, Hezbollah has suffered significant military setbacks in its clashes with the Israeli army. The group has lost key personnel and weapons systems, while Iran—its main backer—is no longer able to provide the same level of financial and logistical support it once did. Second, the Lebanese public—particularly the Shiite community—is war-weary and deeply wounded. Many now see the new government as a chance to lift the country out of economic collapse. While Hezbollah reportedly continues to receive substantial Iranian funding—some $1 billion over the past year, according to international media—it is not enough to meet its mounting obligations. “The group must pay monthly stipends to the families of its so-called martyrs, and the war added tens of thousands of new casualties to that list. One of Hezbollah’s largest expenses now is paying rent for Shiite families displaced from southern Lebanon—villages that the group effectively turned into forward operating bases. These refugees, along with the families of dead or wounded fighters, regularly crowd Hezbollah’s financial arm, al-Qard al-Hassan, which has struggled to meet demands after some of its branches and vaults were targeted by Israeli strikes,” Ynet said. Meanwhile, Israel’s ongoing operations to disrupt Hezbollah’s rearmament efforts are deepening Lebanon’s crisis—militarily, socially and economically—and fueling public unrest. “A third key factor is financial: international donors who could help rebuild Lebanon—most notably Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates—are waiting for a green light from U.S. President Donald Trump. That approval, sources say, is contingent on Hezbollah’s disarmament,” Ynet added.
Amid Lebanon’s deepening crisis, national elections are set for May 2026, and Hezbollah fears that in addition to losing much of its military capability, it may also suffer a significant political blow. “However, a more pressing deadline looms for the group: Trump’s demand for disarmament by the end of December 2025—just six weeks away. Should Hezbollah continue to reject disarmament, Lebanon’s economic collapse and political instability are expected to worsen, intensifying the hardship faced by the majority of its population still reeling from war,” Ynet said. Officials in both Washington and Jerusalem believe that Hezbollah, still the dominant military and financial force in Lebanon, must ultimately choose a path: either agree to a negotiated settlement and disarmament via the U.S.-French framework, or face a new confrontation -- one in which “Israel, backed by the United States, would carry out through military escalation what the Lebanese army and President Aoun cannot accomplish alone,” Ynet added. Israeli officials, however, remain cautiously optimistic that such a confrontation can be avoided, Ynet said, adding that “Hezbollah’s current military buildup does not appear to be aimed at confronting Israel directly.”“Rather, the organization seems focused on amassing enough power to threaten Lebanon’s government and other sectarian communities with the possibility of civil war,” Ynet suggested. It also said that “no immediate military escalation is expected, mainly due to the Trump administration’s insistence on exhausting diplomatic channels first” and that “a shift in Israel’s approach could come as early as the start of next year.”

Morgan to Ambassador Michel Issa: "Congratulations, My Friend"
Nidaa Al-Watan/November 15/2025 (Translated from Arabic)
Morgan Ortagus, former Deputy US Special Envoy to the region, congratulated the new US Ambassador to Lebanon, Michel Issa, shortly after his arrival in Beirut to officially assume his duties. She wrote on her 'X' (formerly Twitter) platform account: "Congratulations, my friend," commenting on the US Embassy in Beirut's statement announcing Issa's arrival in Lebanon today, Friday, November 14.

Israel’s Wall Opposite Yaroun: Security Boost or Prelude to New Annexation?
Nidaa Al-Watan/November 15/2025 (Translated from Arabic)
The construction of a new concrete wall by Israel behind the Blue Line, opposite the towns of Maroun al-Ras and Aitaroun, and extending along the area facing the Yaroun plain up to the Hadab site inside Israeli territory, has raised concerns among the residents of the area. They fear that Israel is violating Lebanese sovereignty and occupying new lands, following a series of military escalations, raids, and Israeli targeting that have reached all Lebanese areas. In this context, UNIFIL announced yesterday in a statement that: "In October, peacekeepers carried out a geographic survey of a concrete T-wall, which was found to have crossed the Blue Line, making over 4,000 square meters of Lebanese territory inaccessible to the Lebanese people." UNIFIL indicated that it "informed the Israeli army of the survey results, demanding the removal of the said wall." In contrast, the Israeli army denied building a wall inside Lebanese territory in response to UNIFIL’s accusation.
This new-old wall being built by Israel—and according to confirmation from more than one local source—saw Israeli army vehicles cross the Blue Line for some time during the construction process, carrying out extensive bulldozing work in the vicinity of "Jabal al-Bat" near Aitaroun. These military fortifications come as a continuation of a project that Israel began more than ten years ago, by creating a concrete wall, reaching a height of up to 18 meters at certain points, separating all its settlements from the adjacent South Lebanese towns on the border. This is "with the aim of protecting and enhancing the security of the settlements and their residents from any infiltration attempts from the Lebanese side," according to Israeli sources. Israel began constructing a concrete wall in the northern border areas adjacent to Lebanese villages in 2012, which involved erecting pre-fabricated concrete blocks in the town of Kfarkela adjacent to the Metulla settlement, and expanding until it reached the town of Adaysseh and the Misgav Am settlement. In 2023, the Israeli army continued the construction of the concrete wall on the border with Lebanon, starting a new wall from Ras Naqoura and the settlements of Shlomi, Hanita, and Zar'it, in addition to other border points in the central sector, with no reported breaches of the Blue Line. Work stopped due to the "support war" declared by Hezbollah on October 8, 2023. In 2025, the Israeli army resumed building the concrete wall in the "Jall al-Deir" area on the border of the Avivim settlement, extending to Al-Malikiya, in addition to the area opposite the town of Yaroun.
Retired Brigadier General and Military and Strategic Expert Said al-Qazih told Nidaa Al-Watan that: "The Israeli concrete wall is being built on the Lebanese-Israeli border, in the area located behind the Blue Line, which is the withdrawal line set by the United Nations. This is according to what UNIFIL announced." He pointed out that the wall "aims to achieve fundamental Israeli security and military objectives along the border with Lebanon, most notably enhancing security for settlement residents. The main declared goal is: to provide direct physical protection for Israeli settlements and sites near the border (such as Metulla and Avivim), and to give a sense of security to residents exposed to threats, especially since the Maroun al-Ras hill dominates the Avivim settlement geographically as it is higher than it, and there is a distance of nearly one kilometer between them, characterized by plain land, which is easy to navigate if there are no obstacles." He added that "the wall, with its great height (reaching 8 or 9 meters), provides physical cover for settlers and soldiers against sniper fire and anti-tank missiles coming from the Lebanese side, reducing casualties in exposed areas. It also forms a difficult-to-breach physical barrier, slowing down or preventing attempts by individuals to infiltrate. Its engineering design (such as reinforced concrete) makes the process of penetrating it take a long time and require heavy equipment, giving the Israeli army time to react and contain any infiltration or sudden attack." According to Al-Qazih, "the wall is considered a surveillance platform, as it is usually integrated with advanced monitoring technologies, including: high observation towers, high-resolution cameras, and sensitive sensors to detect any movement or attempts at sabotage or tunnel digging near it. The wall also obstructs direct visual visibility from the Lebanese side, which limits the ability of monitoring and reconnaissance elements to track Israeli army locations, movements, and plans."

France Tries the Tried and Tested Again
Aoun Seeks Arab Embrace from the Saudi Gate
Nidaa Al-Watan/November 15/2025 (Translated from Arabic)
The announcement by the US Embassy in Beirut last night regarding the arrival of the appointed Ambassador, Michel Issa, to Lebanon has injected significant vitality into the diplomatic scene, which is already active on the French and Saudi fronts. However, this activity, according to prominent political circles that spoke to Nidaa Al-Watan, coincides with "Lebanon falling under the influence of the state's regression in the face of the renewed confrontation between Hezbollah and Israel, after the state had reached a position of initiating and issuing decisions in the past few months." These circles noted that "in light of this renewed confrontation, the state is now concerned with reclaiming the initiative: either by entering into direct negotiations, given that the 'mechanism' does not constitute a breakthrough, or by the state moving to revive the implementation of its decisions to disarm, or by awaiting war. Otherwise, the state will remain the weakest element in this scene."
Returning to the arrival of the Lebanese-born American Ambassador, the US Embassy stated in its announcement that "Ambassador Issa has distinguished professional experience in the banking sector, where he spent two decades excelling in currency trading, managing trading floors, and leading credit and compliance initiatives before moving to a successful career in the automotive sector."
Coinciding with Ambassador Issa’s arrival, the Central Bank yesterday imposed restrictions on financial operations via non-banking institutions as part of its efforts to combat money laundering and prevent its illegal transfer, amid pressure from Washington to dry up Hezbollah's funding sources and strip it of its weapons. The announcement of precautionary measures came days after a visit by an American delegation to Beirut, which included US Treasury officials, who called on the authorities to cut off Hezbollah's funding sources from its supporter Iran, while estimating the transfer of over $1 billion since the beginning of the year, mostly through money exchange companies.
The Central Bank announced the imposition of "preventive measures" targeting the work of "all non-banking financial institutions licensed by the Central Bank of Lebanon, including money transfer companies, exchange bureaus, and other entities that carry out cash currency transactions in foreign currencies and transfer them to and from Lebanon." Starting early next month, these institutions must, according to a Central Bank circular, "collect information and data related to their customers and operations" when "carrying out any cash transaction equal to or exceeding the value of $1,000 USD, or its equivalent, per single operation," and send them to the Central Bank within a period not exceeding two days from the date of the operation.
Anticipation for the Saudi Delegation’s Arrival
In parallel with the return of US diplomacy, the President of the Republic, General Joseph Aoun, welcomed yesterday the position conveyed by Reuters from a senior Saudi official, who indicated that "the Kingdom plans to soon boost commercial ties with Lebanon, and that a delegation from it will visit Lebanon soon to hold discussions to remove obstacles hindering Lebanese exports to Saudi Arabia." President Aoun said in this context: "The time has come, and we are awaiting the Kingdom, especially since I have repeatedly stressed that Lebanon's protection comes from our Arab surroundings."
In the context of strengthening bilateral relations between Lebanon and Saudi Arabia, Nidaa Al-Watan learned that work is underway to revive agreements in preparation for their entry into force. These are agreements signed in 2019 that include broad Saudi cooperation with various sectors to support economic, social, and security development in Lebanon. This development in Saudi-Lebanese relations was accompanied by the disclosure of a Lebanese security operation involving the frustration of smuggling approximately 8 million Captagon pills, the arrest of key suspects, and the seizure of a huge warehouse. A communiqué issued by the General Directorate of Internal Security Forces – Public Relations Division stated that "on 6-9-2025, and as a result of intensive intelligence and investigative efforts, and the exchange of information between the Saudi Ministry of Interior and the Central Anti-Narcotics Bureau in the Judicial Police Unit, the latter was informed of the seizure of the equivalent of 6,875,000 Captagon pills inside four containers at Jeddah port coming from Tripoli port - Lebanon, packaged inside paint cans, and were in transit to the State of Kuwait. The person responsible for the process of shipping, receiving, and packaging the narcotics inside the paint cans and inside the containers at Tripoli port was identified and the two suspects were arrested: B. Sh. (born 1985, Lebanese) and A. S. (born 1973 - Lebanese)."
Geagea to Macron’s Advisor: The Battle in Lebanon is Existential
In a related context, French President's Advisor Anne-Claire Legendre concluded her meetings in Lebanon yesterday, heading to Damascus to meet President Ahmad al-Shara and discuss the issue of border demarcation between Lebanon and Syria.
The head of the Lebanese Forces party, Samir Geagea, received Legendre and the accompanying delegation yesterday in Maarab, in the presence of the French Ambassador to Lebanon, Hervé Magro, and a number of Lebanese Forces officials. At the start of the meeting, Legendre told Geagea: "We always hold Lebanon in our hearts and will continue our French mission for the benefit of Lebanon." In turn, Geagea told the French envoy: "The battle in Lebanon is not only political, but deeper and existential for Lebanon." In response to a question from Nidaa Al-Watan, Geagea said: "There is a new French project whose basis is supporting the Lebanese army through an international conference." He announced that "there is a deadline set, which is the end of the current year, for handing over all weapons outside the control of the Lebanese state."
For his part, Army Commander General Rudolph Hekal received the French President's Advisor in his office in Yarzeh. Legendre also visited Hezbollah's International Relations official, Ammar al-Moussawi. During the meeting, Al-Moussawi demanded that "the French play their role in halting the aggression, as they are among the sponsors of the agreement." He pointed out that "Hezbollah is committed to holding the parliamentary elections on time, as agreed upon by the Lebanese presidents." In this context, sources indicated that France has not learned from the saying: "He who tries the tried, has his mind ruined." It insists on the same approach by opening new channels of communication with the "Party" despite previous experiences that never led to any real breakthrough in the stalled files. The sources added that France refuses to consider its calculations in Beirut wrong and its approach to the Lebanese file inconsistent with the facts and changes, and that it suffers from a structural failure. Finally, Legendre met with the head of the "Karama Movement" MP Faisal Karami and MP Fouad Makhzoumi at the French Embassy headquarters.
Adraee's Tweet and Hezbollah's Veil
In the meantime, the lengthy tweet by the Israeli army spokesperson yesterday brought the assassination of the former Lebanese Forces coordinator for the Bint Jbeil district, Elias Hasrouni (Al-Hantoush), back into the spotlight after Avichay Adraee announced that "Hezbollah is behind the assassination." Although suspicions about the "Party's" involvement were strong from the first moments of the assassination, Adraee's new information is the naming of "Unit 121." Also, if the information is correct, it demonstrates once again the extent of the Israeli penetration that affects all of the "Party's" movements—military, security, and criminal.
The Israeli Wall and UNIFIL
Field-wise, UNIFIL announced in a statement that "UNIFIL peacekeepers conducted a geographic survey of a concrete T-wall erected by the Israeli army southwest of the town of Yaroun." The survey confirmed that the wall crossed the Blue Line, rendering more than 4,000 square meters of Lebanese territory inaccessible to the Lebanese people. UNIFIL informed the Israeli army of the survey results, demanding the removal of the said wall.

What is Behind Adraee's Tweet? ... Is the Information on Hasrouni's Assassination Linked to Prisoners in Israel?
Ziad Al-Bitar / Nidaa Al-Watan/November 15/2025 (Translated from Arabic)
The lengthy tweet by the Israeli army spokesperson brought the assassination of the former Lebanese Forces coordinator for the Bint Jbeil district, Elias Hasrouni (Al-Hantoush), back into the spotlight after Avichay Adraee announced that "Hezbollah is behind the assassination." Although suspicions about the "Party's" involvement were strong from the first moments of the assassination, Adraee's new information is the naming of "Unit 121." Also, if the information is correct, it demonstrates once again the extent of the Israeli penetration that affects all of the "Party's" movements—military, security, and criminal.
The timing of the Israeli news raised several hypotheses, including the possibility that Hezbollah prisoners captured by Israel in the last war may have provided this information, in addition to speculations by some residents of Ain Ebel that some people involved in the file might have been killed during the last war. According to Adraee, the ambush against Hasrouni was set up on the night of August 1, 2023, in Ain Ebel (the assassination actually occurred on August 2), where he was kidnapped and killed by poisoning and beating, which led to broken ribs, then his body was returned to his car, which was crashed into a tree, to make it appear as a traffic accident. Adraee's tweet continued to speak about "Unit 121" as the "Party's" internal security arm, responsible for targeting political opponents and journalists. It also pointed out that one of the most prominent members of the unit, Salim Ayyash, was convicted in 2020 by the Special Tribunal for Lebanon for the assassination of the martyr President Rafik Hariri.
Does Israel Have Information About Other Assassinations?
This information opened the door to hypotheses regarding Israel's possession of information about other assassination files, such as the killing of the journalist and political writer Lokman Slim, a fierce opponent of Hezbollah, who was found inside his car in the South. Slim had predicted his assassination in 2019, declaring through a message that: "I hold the de facto security forces, represented by Hassan Nasrallah and Nabih Berri, fully responsible for what happened and what might happen." Does Israel have information about the details of his assassination operation? In addition to linking "Unit 121" to Hariri's assassination, an additional question was raised: Does Israel have photos and information about the Beirut port explosion? Especially since some parties pointed fingers at it for this explosion.
Does the Hasrouni Information Pave the Way for Negotiation?
Today, after the "support war" waged by Hezbollah, the killing of a large number of its leaders, and its agreement to a ceasefire, a new hypothesis emerges: If Lebanon enters into direct or indirect negotiations with Israel, will the Lebanese state request information about the assassinations and explosions that rocked Lebanon, starting from the assassination of Rafik Hariri and the subsequent assassinations? The more serious question is, did Adraee intend to send a message about the possibility of the "Party" reactivating the assassination unit? And is this a misleading message, or is it genuinely based on information held by the Mossad and the Shin Bet?
Some say that after the cessation of hostilities agreement, Israel released five prisoners last March, and the office of the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said at the time that "the release of 5 Lebanese prisoners was in coordination with Washington and a gesture of goodwill to the new President of Lebanon," pointing to "the agreement to form working groups with America, France, and Lebanon to resolve the border issue." So, is the Hasrouni information an Israeli step that it considers positive and a prelude to the principle of the long-awaited negotiation?
Amid questions about the possibility of Lebanon requesting information from Israel, through a third party such as the United Nations, related to prominent assassination and explosion files, most notably the Beirut port explosion, Lawyer and Legal Expert Antonio Farhat stressed that any information exchange between the two countries is not legally binding. Farhat explained that Lebanon and Israel lack any formal cooperation agreement that allows this type of coordination, affirming that the two states are in a state of hostility, while the Lebanese state itself does not officially recognize the existence of Israel.
However, in the past, when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu presented aerial photographs before the UN General Assembly, claiming they were of precision missile depots owned by Hezbollah near Beirut airport, the then-Foreign Minister in the caretaker government, Gebran Bassil, accompanied by a diplomatic delegation including Arab and foreign ambassadors accredited to Lebanon, conducted a field tour near the Beirut International Airport to examine the situation on the ground and deny Netanyahu's narrative. This means that official Lebanon has, at various points, taken Israeli information into account and acted in its light, especially with citizens responding to Adraee's continuous "warnings." Therefore, what prevents Lebanon from requesting information about specific crimes through the United Nations, which would subsequently be subjected to judicial scrutiny if it were misleading or contained aspects that prove to have occurred? The unfortunate reality is that the Hasrouni judicial file is suppressed under the shadow of Hezbollah's weapon, making the continuation of investigations nearly impossible.
Facts of Hasrouni's Assassination
In the details of Elias Hasrouni's assassination, the killing occurred around 9:00 PM on the evening of August 2, 2023, while the news of the crime reached the residents around 10:15 PM, after a person happened to pass near the victim's car and immediately contacted the "Islamic Health Authority" to transport the body to the "Salah Ghandour" hospital in Bint Jbeil. Some residents reported that they noticed four-wheel-drive vehicles, carrying bearded young men wearing hats, circulating in the town that sees tourist and active movement in the summer, as it is located on the main road linking the eastern and western sectors, from Naqoura to Marjayoun and Hasbaya. However, no one expected a crime of this magnitude to occur. According to information, a woman spotted a gray CRV with two bearded men wearing "hats" inside before the incident, and their behavior aroused her suspicions. Later, she saw a dark-colored Hyundai Jeep parked on the side of the road, and she recorded its number and informed a close relative, but investigations later showed that the numbers were forged.
The information noted that the forensic doctor attended to examine the body the day after the incident, and not on the night it occurred, while members of the security forces arrived at the scene to try to remove the victim's car before the start of investigations. However, young men from the area managed to convince them of the necessity of keeping the car in place until the field investigations were complete. The execution of a complex and well-planned operation of this level, which includes planning, monitoring, setting an ambush, kidnapping, and killing inside an area considered under the "Party's" influence, increases suspicions about the knowledge of the controlling authorities on the ground about what happened, or at least their ability to expose it if they were not a party to it. Especially since the perpetrators were able to move freely for approximately an hour, from the moment of the ambush to the killing and then the transfer of the body, without the security services recording any suspicious movement. These facts combined led political parties and the residents of the area to affirm that "all indicators point to Hezbollah's involvement in the crime, and this is the least one can suspect until the contrary is proven." From the first moment of Hasrouni's disappearance, the residents of Ain Ebel, Debel, Rmeish, and its surroundings did not suspect any other party. The handling of the crime by the security services as a traffic accident, starting from the hospital report, passing through the forensic doctor, and reaching the security services, was considered by the residents to be part of "procrastination" and "diluting the investigations." As the days progressed, their conviction was reinforced that the assassination was premeditated and prepared in advance, in the context of tightening the noose on Hezbollah's opponents in the South, particularly the Lebanese Forces party and its allies, in a clear message of intimidation that any opposition within the "Party's" areas of influence would be costly.

Washington’s Message to Beirut: Financial Sovereignty Is the Core of National Sovereignty
Makram Rabah/Now Lebanon/November 14/2025
This handout picture released by the Lebanese Presidency's press office shows Lebanese President Joseph Aoun (C) meeting with a delegation from the US Treasury at the presidential palace of Baabda, east of Beirut on November 9, 2025. Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun on November 9 told visiting US officials that his country was scrupulously applying regulations against money laundering and the financing of terrorism, days after Washington imposed sanctions on three Hezbollah members.
The visit of the U.S. Treasury delegation to Beirut this week was no diplomatic courtesy call—it was a political warning. Washington’s message was clear: Lebanon stands at the threshold of a new phase. The United States did not come to repeat familiar lines about army support or financial reform. It came to assert that peace and reform are the twin pillars of sovereignty—and that a state unable to control its finances or its weapons can never truly control its destiny.
The meeting between President Joseph Aoun and the delegation, led by Dr. Sebastian Gorka, Deputy Assistant to the U.S. President for Terrorist Financing, underscored this shift. President Aoun outlined Lebanon’s measures to combat money laundering and smuggling, amendments to the banking secrecy law, and steps to restructure the financial sector. But the gap between declarations and implementation remains vast. Lebanon has mastered the art of issuing statements, not of executing policies.
What Washington wanted from Beirut was not a list of legal texts, but a vision: How does the Lebanese state intend to reclaim its economic sovereignty? How will it prevent its financial system from serving as a tool for foreign influence—specifically Iran and its allies? The U.S. administration now views financial corruption and political subservience as two fronts of the same battle. Lebanon’s economy, in this view, has itself become a weapon in Tehran’s hands—funding networks of patronage, smuggling, and militias.
Hence the firmness of the American message this time: it is no longer enough for Lebanon to declare its commitment to combating money laundering. It must prove it—with visible action: confiscations, prosecutions, and accountability. The international community no longer measures intent but results. Every delay in enforcement effectively sustains the infrastructure that enables Hezbollah to operate outside the formal banking system, turning the state into a legal façade for a shadow economy.
For Washington, financial reform and political stability are inseparable—two faces of the same sovereignty. Lebanon must move beyond “crisis management” to a phase of trust-building, where transparency becomes the foundation of governance and accountability the rule, not the exception. Reform is no longer an American demand or an IMF precondition—it is a national necessity. An unregulated economy will cease to be a national one; it becomes an instrument of external power.
The Lebanese government must therefore free itself from the pressures of the forces that have long obstructed reform—from Hezbollah to the financial and political lobbies shielding their interests in the name of “stability.” These groups fear transparency more than they fear sanctions. Every genuine reform weakens the networks of smuggling and evasion that sustain Iran’s regional axis. Every retreat strengthens Lebanon’s dependency and entrenches the logic of the parallel state.
A government that allows a militia to control its borders cannot credibly claim to combat terrorism financing. Every smuggled shipment, every illicit transfer, is not just a legal violation but an assault on sovereignty. Lebanon cannot negotiate its future while its economy is held hostage, nor can it build peace while its budget is fed by smuggling and tax evasion. Financial reform, at its core, is an act of political emancipation—from black money and from the weapons that exist outside state authority.
President Aoun, for his part, referred to a draft law addressing the “financial gap” and to ongoing IMF negotiations. But the IMF no longer awaits new statements—it awaits political will. All the numbers are known, all the conditions published; what is missing is a decision to end impunity and start accountability. Real reform begins not in ledgers, but in breaking the bond between power and corruption.
The American delegation, while reaffirming support for the army and its role in extending state authority, made it clear that military aid cannot substitute for political resolve. Peace in the south will not come without completing the plan for exclusive state control of arms and deploying the army to every inch of Lebanon’s borders. Just as President Aoun called on the international community to pressure Israel to implement UN Resolution 1701, so too the world expects Lebanon to honor its own obligations: one sovereignty, one army, one state.
Washington’s evolving tone reflects a deeper conviction that Lebanon can no longer afford stagnation. The country must now enter a new era defined by peace, reform, and accountability. Stability will not be granted for free; aid will not flow without reforms; and international support will not endure if the state continues to shield corruption and illegality.
The greatest danger for Lebanon today is once again falling into the trap of compromise—appeasing Hezbollah by freezing reforms, or placating financial lobbies by preserving opacity. A state afraid to confront its own vested interests will lose both its credibility and its allies. Those who believe silence preserves “balance” forget that this balance is already broken, and that the collapse of trust is far more dangerous than any sanction.
For the United States and its Western partners, Lebanon’s sovereignty and its economic integrity are now inseparable. What they seek is not tutelage but partnership, built on transparency and shared interest. Stability, they argue, begins with reform; peace begins with decision. Continued hesitation will only leave Lebanon as a country without a state, borders without guardians, and an economy without identity.
Lebanon does not lack expertise or laws—it lacks will. Only that will can restore its standing. A state that cannot defend its financial system cannot defend its borders; a leadership unwilling to prosecute thieves will never disarm militias. The first step toward peace is not negotiating with the outside but confronting the inside. There, and only there, can sovereignty be rebuilt and a new beginning written.
This article originally appeared in Elaf
*Makram Rabah is the managing editor at Now Lebanon and an Assistant Professor at the American University of Beirut, Department of History. His book Conflict on Mount Lebanon: The Druze, the Maronites and Collective Memory (Edinburgh University Press) covers collective identities and the Lebanese Civil War. He tweets at @makramrabah

The Lebanese When They Self-Reflect and When They Don’t
Hazem Saghieh/Asharq Al-Awsat/November 14/2025
Every now and then, a public figure gets up to reconsider his previous positions on the Lebanese Civil War that erupted in 1975 and did not end until 1989. In saying that his generation had burdened Lebanon with more than it could bear, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam became the newest member of this club a few days ago. His self-reflection attests to the commendable political culture he belongs to, as well as his personal integrity; "admitting to one’s mistakes is a virtue," as our forefathers had put it, and to his credit, Salam acknowledged one or two other mistakes in his conversation with our colleague Ricardo Karam.
However, self-critical reassessments lose some of their value and impact when they are paired with a disclaimer that "our" mistakes should be balanced against those of "others." Indeed, making comparisons, which is intimately associated with polemicism, takes something away from the action of critically reexamining one’s past actions, which is an effort to put one’s cards on the table and speak one’s conscience. Nonetheless, it is more important to focus on how the intermittent reassessments of the 1975 war continue to emerge at a time when the Lebanese are undergoing a harrowing chapter of a conflict that has been coupled with a total lack of any reassessment whatsoever. One could argue that it is too early for Hezbollah and those in its orbit to critically examine the "support war" and its repercussions. The magnitude of the suffering that has resulted from this war, however, heightens the appeal of skipping over certain stages or sprinting through them; meanwhile, Hezbollah’s denial and obstinacy suggest that there will be no reexamination of any sort, not now nor ever.
This allows for raising questions about how reflections regarding what happened in 1975 relate to the repudiation of any attempt to critically reflect on a more bitter and vicious war that was fought just a few months ago. It seems that there is a frailty inherent to the reassessments of the conflict that had erupted half a century ago, and that this frailty is among the incentives for wars’ recurrence in a manner that combines increasing depravity, peril, and costs with the total absence of any criticism of ourselves or our actions.A reassessment of a war, if the intention behind it is to build a form of consciousness that prevents future conflicts, must address the themes of the war in question and draw conclusions with which to raise public awareness, especially among schoolchildren. Death and destruction give us enough reason to despise war, but they are not enough to establish the alternative consciousness that is needed, especially since when we speak of wars in Lebanon, we are speaking of a state of war that has become something of a way of life, not a particular war with a fixed start and end date.
Here, it is essential to revisit the values and meanings that are often the first victims of conflict, and whose reaffirmation is the glue that keeps society’s aversion to war together and infuses into popular culture. In the case of Lebanon, a shared definition of patriotism remains the gateway to both perpetuating conflict and ending it. That is because failing to define the boundaries of Lebanese patriotism leaves it vulnerable to misrepresentation and blurs the line between love of country and solidarity with causes that, while they may be righteous, fall outside the confines of the nation and the policy consensus that should be imposed on its members.
When these lines are blurred, patriotism becomes a source of strife that rips the nation apart, rendering it into several rival sectarian communities constantly vying for the upper hand instead of doing the work needed to reinforce unity. And we know, from many past episodes, that blurring the lines in this way is conjoined with the even more dangerous blurring of countries and interests. Freedom is another virtue that the war swiftly did away with, and nothing can push back against war better than emphasizing it. The pluralism - political, partisan, media, and union - of the pre-1975 years was replaced by a state ideology, guarded by security apparatuses, that placed at the forefront "Lebanon’s Arabism," the glorification of resistance, and the rest of the tiresome chorus. The war also destroyed another virtue that combatants deeply despise for countering against violence: before 1975, the country had been a window to the more advanced world. That was made possible by - besides the freedoms the country offered - Lebanon’s modern education, which allowed the population to acquire foreign languages and skills sought by the market, and a publishing industry that translated global ideas and innovations. The war was not without a role in eroding the notion of prosperity and the prospect of Lebanon’s sectarian communities coming together. Despite the many disparities and upheavals of Lebanon's peacetime economy, it prospered and allowed for the emergence of a broad and growing middle class, placing it in the same category as the economies of Southern Europe. However, nothing matters more, in reassessments of the war and its culture and in building society’s immunity against it, than developing a culture of peace and an aversion to violence of any kind. This is precisely what has been and continues to be ruled out by the longstanding dominance of a culture that glorifies resistance and fighting and celebrates death and bloodshed. It is these values and notions that critical self-reflection is supposed to present as the antithesis of war and belligerent approaches to life. The intermittent reassessments have not done so, and this deficiency has, in solidarity with many other political and regional factors, paved our path to the current war. If a radical reassessment of yesterday’s wars is averted, the specter of new wars - if not from beyond the borders then from within - will remain very much on the horizon of tomorrow. As for the elites that should be setting this radical reassessment in motion, they remain defiant in the face of what has happened and astonished by what could happen.

The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on November 14-15/2025
Druze groups and Syrian forces exchange ceasefire violation claims as clashes in Sweida resume
AP/November 14, 2025
The government in Damascus accused the Sweida factions of violating the ceasefire first
DAMASCUS: A new round of clashes between Druze armed groups and government forces in the province of Sweida in southern Syrian had subsided Friday but left fears of another escalation. Clashes on Thursday led to both sides blaming each other for violating a ceasefire that ended several days of violent fighting in July. There were reports of people wounded on both sides, but no deaths reported. The National Guard, the de facto military in Sweida, accused government forces of launching an attack on the town of Al-Majdal Thursday, “employing heavy and medium weapons and attack drones, in an aggressive attempt to breach our defense lines and target vital locations.”“Our forces bravely and with high combat efficiency repelled this attack, inflicting heavy losses on the attacking forces in terms of equipment and personnel,” it said in a statement. The government in Damascus accused the Sweida factions of violating the ceasefire first. Mustafa Al-Bakour, the Damascus-appointed governor of Sweida province, said “some factions and the so-called National Guard” launched “attacks on de-escalation points.” The attacks, he added, “constitute a clear violation of international agreements and obstruct efforts to rebuild and prepare for the return of residents to their villages.”Saber Abou Ras, a political analyst who lives in Sweida city, said Thursday’s clashes “were very intense and violent” and included attacks with drones, anti-aircraft machine guns and mortar shells. He said Israeli warplanes could be heard over the city of Sweida, but it was not clear if they launched any strikes. Abou Ras said he believes the government forces had launched “a retaliatory attack” after the police chief of the local governmental body in Sweida, along with a “large group of officers” took over a checkpoint formerly controlled by Syrian government security forces in the northern countryside of the province. On Thursday, Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Al-Shibani, speaking at an event held by the Chatham House international affairs think tank during a visit to London said there had been “mistakes made by all sides” in Sweida.
“There are many problems, but we are not dealing with them as if we are the other party,” he said. “We are dealing with this as a Syrian wound, and that there is an internal problem within the same house.”Sweida was the site of violent clashes in July that began as fighting between Druze groups and local Bedouin tribes after a series of tit-for-tat kidnappings. The violence escalated after government security forces intervened, ostensibly to break up the fighting but ended up siding with the Bedouins. Hundreds of civilians, mostly Druze, were killed, many by government fighters. Israel intervened on the side of the Druze, who also represent a significant minority in Israel, launching strikes on government forces and on the defense ministry building in central Damascus. A US-brokered ceasefire led to government forces withdrawing from Sweida. Since then, Druze groups have set up a de facto military and governmental body in Sweida, similar to the Kurdish-led authorities in the country’s northeast, and have largely refused to deal with the government in Damascus. Tens of thousands of people remain displaced after the July fighting, including Druze internally displaced within Sweida province and Bedouins who were evacuated from the province to other areas.

Rocket attack in Syria’s capital wounds 1 person and causes damage
AP/November 14, 2025
DAMASCUS: Rockets were fired at a home in Syria’s capital on Friday night, wounding one person and causing damage, state media reported. It wasn’t immediately clear who was behind the rocket attack in Damascus’ western neighborhood of Mazzeh 86. An Associated Press journalist at the scene said that security forces cordoned off the area and prevented anyone from getting close to the building that was struck. State television reported that one woman was wounded in the blast, which was caused by an attack by “unknown assailants,” adding that security forces were investigating. State news agency SANA also said that one woman was wounded in the Friday night explosion, and that the blast was caused by rockets that were fired from a mobile launcher. Explosions aren’t uncommon in the Syrian capital, but have decreased in recent months. Since the fall of President Bashar Assad’s government in December last year by insurgents who took over his seat of power in the capital, there have been several explosions in Damascus. Israel has also carried out hundreds of airstrikes around the country since the end of the 54-year Assad dynasty, mainly targeting assets of the Syrian army.

Iran President Hails Iraqi PM Election Win
Asharq Al-Awsat/November 14/2025
Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian called Iraq's Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani on Friday to congratulate him on his "glorious success" in this week's parliamentary election. Sudani is the leader of an alliance of Shiite factions, some with close ties to Iran, and is currently negotiating the formation of a new coalition to remain in office. "I hope that during the new term, our relations and cooperation in all areas will develop and deepen further," Pezeshkian said, according to a statement from his office. Sudani came first in Iraq's parliamentary election, the Independent High Electoral Commission said on Wednesday. His coalition received 1.317 million votes in Tuesday's election, the commission said. Sudani was seeking a second term in Tuesday's election, but many disillusioned young voters saw the vote simply as a vehicle for established parties to divide Iraq's oil wealth. However, Sudani tried to cast himself as the leader who could make Iraq a success after years of instability, arguing he had moved against established parties that brought him to power. No party can form a government on its own in Iraq’s 329-member legislature, so parties build alliances with other groups to become an administration, a fraught process that often takes many months.

Iran seizes tanker in Strait of Hormuz, US official says, as tensions remain high in region
AP/November 14, 2025
DUBAI: Iran seized a Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker as it traveled through the narrow Strait of Hormuz on Friday, a US official said, turning the ship into Iranian territorial waters in the first-such interdiction in months in the strategic waterway. Iran did not immediately acknowledge the seizure, though it comes as Tehran has been increasingly warning it can strike back after facing a 12-day war in June with Israel that saw the US strike Iranian nuclear sites. The ship, the Talara, had been traveling from Ajman, United Arab Emirates, onward to Singapore when Iranian forces intercepted it, said the US defense official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence matters. A US Navy MQ-4C Triton drone had been circling above the area where the Talara was for hours on Friday observing the seizure, flight-tracking data analyzed by The Associated Press showed. A private security firm, Ambrey, described the assault as involving three small boats approaching the Talara. The British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center separately acknowledged the incident, saying a possible “state activity” forced the Talara to turn into Iranian territorial waters. Cyprus-based Columbia Shipmanagement later said in a statement that it had “lost contact” with the tanker, which was carrying high sulfur gasoil. The company has “notified the relevant authorities and is working closely with all relevant parties — including maritime security agencies and the vessel owner — to restore contact with the vessel,” the firm said. “The safety of the crew remains our foremost priority.”The Navy has blamed Iran for a series of limpet mine attacks on vessels that damaged tankers in 2019, as well as for a fatal drone attack on an Israeli-linked oil tanker that killed two European crew members in 2021. Those attacks began after US President Donald Trump in his first term in office unilaterally withdrew from Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers. The last major seizure came when Iran took two Greek tankers in May 2022 and held them until November of that year. Those attacks found themselves subsumed by the Iranian-backed Houthis assaults targeting ships during the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip, which drastically reduced shipping in the crucial Red Sea corridor. The years of tensions between Iran and the West, coupled with the situation in the Gaza Strip, exploded into a full-scale 12-day war in June. Iran long has threatened to close off the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Arabian Gulf through which 20 percent of all oil traded passes. The US Navy has long patrolled the Mideast through its Bahrain-based 5th Fleet to keep the waterways open

Indonesia Says Its Gaza Peacekeepers Would Focus on Health, Infrastructure Task
Asharq Al-Awsat/November 14/2025
Indonesia has trained up to 20,000 troops to take on health and construction-related tasks during a planned peacekeeping operation in the war-torn enclave of Gaza, the defense minister said on Friday. The world's most populous Muslim nation, Indonesia is among the countries with which the United States has discussed plans for a multinational stabilization force in Gaza, which include Azerbaijan, Egypt and Qatar. Last week, Reuters reported a draft readied by Washington for such a force that would authorize it to "use all necessary measures" to demilitarize Gaza, secure its borders, protect civilians and aid delivery, and support a newly trained Palestinian police force. Indonesia says there is no decision yet on when troops will be deployed and what mandate they will have, underscoring the uncertainty over establishing an international presence in Gaza. "We've prepared a maximum of 20,000 troops, but the specifications will revolve around health and construction," Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin told reporters. "We are waiting for further decisions on Gaza peace action."President Prabowo Subianto and Jordan's King Abdullah, who is making a state visit to Indonesia from Friday, would discuss the initiative of US President Donald Trump, he added. "We're waiting for the possibilities of a role Indonesia can take for peace efforts."He did not say when troops would be deployed or how many, but said the decision would be made by Prabowo. If there was a United Nations resolution, Prabowo told the UN General Assembly in September, Indonesia was prepared to deploy 20,000 or more troops in Gaza to help secure peace. Indonesia would require a UN Security Council mandate to participate, Foreign Minister Sugiono said this month. Long an advocate of a two-state solution, Indonesia has often condemned Israel's violence in Gaza and sent humanitarian aid. Indonesia has no diplomatic relations with Israel. But analysts say Prabowo's foreign policy stance has shifted slightly, pointing to last month's UN speech that repeated his call for an independent Palestinian state while stressing the need to guarantee Israel's safety and security.

US, Several Arab States Urge 'Swift Adoption' of UN Gaza Resolution
Asharq Al-Awsat/November 14/2025
The United States and several Arab and Muslim-majority nations including Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye called Friday for the UN Security Council to quickly adopt a US resolution endorsing US President Donald Trump's peace plan for Gaza. "The United States, Qatar, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Pakistan, Jordan, and Türkiye express our joint support for the Security Council Resolution currently under consideration," the countries said in a joint statement, adding they were seeking the measure's "swift adoption." Last week the Americans officially launched negotiations within the 15-member Security Council on a text that would follow up on a ceasefire in the two-year war between Israel and Hamas and endorse Trump's plan. "We emphasize that this is a sincere effort, and the Plan provides viable path towards peace and stability, not only between the Israelis and the Palestinians, but for the entire region. A draft of the resolution seen Thursday by AFP "welcomes the establishment of the Board of Peace," a transitional governing body for Gaza -- that Trump would theoretically chair -- with a mandate running until the end of 2027. It would authorize member states to form a "temporary International Stabilization Force (ISF)" that would work with Israel and Egypt and newly trained Palestinian police to help secure border areas and demilitarize the Gaza Strip. Unlike previous drafts, the latest mentions a possible future Palestinian state. Friday's joint statement comes as Russia circulated a competing draft resolution to Council members that does not authorize the creation of a board of peace or the immediate deployment of an international force in Gaza, according to the text seen Friday by AFP. The Russian version welcomes "the initiative that led to the ceasefire" but does not name Trump. It calls on the UN secretary general to "identify options for implementing the provisions" of the peace plan and to promptly submit a report that also addresses the possibilities of deploying an international stabilization force in war-ravaged Gaza. The United States has called the ceasefire "fragile," and warned Thursday of the risks of not adopting its draft. "Attempts to sow discord now -- when agreement on this resolution is under active negotiation -- has grave, tangible, and entirely avoidable consequences for Palestinians in Gaza," a spokesperson for the US mission at the United Nations said in a statement.
While it seemed until now that Council members supported principles of the peace plan, diplomatic sources noted there were multiple questions about the US text, particularly regarding the absence of a monitoring mechanism by the Council, the role of the Palestinian Authority, and details of the ISF's mandate.

US proposal at UN for Gaza force faces concerns from Russia, China and Arabs
Associated Press/November 14, 2025
A U.S. proposal to provide a United Nations mandate for an international stabilization force in Gaza is facing opposition from Russia, China and some Arab countries, which have expressed unease about a yet-to-be established board that would temporarily govern the territory and the lack of any transitional role for the Palestinian Authority. The Chinese and the Russians — two veto-wielding members of the U.N. Security Council — have called for the "Board of Peace" under President Donald Trump's ceasefire plan to be removed from the resolution entirely, according to four U.N. diplomats briefed on the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss ongoing negotiations. In the latest draft released late Wednesday and obtained by The Associated Press, the U.S. maintains the language around the board while providing further commitment to Palestinian self-determination. although the language remains weak.
While some of the responses to the U.S. proposal reflect typical negotiations between countries — with detailed back-and-forth and revisions in language — the objection to the transitional board indicates that wide gaps have emerged between some members of the U.N.'s most powerful body and the U.S. following more than two years of war.
At the same time, other members said quick action would avoid upending the progress toward peace, one diplomat said. That was the message Thursday from the U.S. mission to the U.N., which said in a statement that the "attempts to sow discord" have "grave, tangible and entirely avoidable consequences for Palestinians in Gaza." It urged the council to unite and pass the resolution. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio also has called on the council to pass the resolution without delay.
"I think we're making good progress on the language of the resolution, and hopefully we'll have action on it very soon," he told reporters Wednesday before departing a G7 foreign ministers meeting in Canada. "We don't want to lose momentum on this." UN Security Council members sought changes to the US proposal. The U.S. first circulated a draft resolution last week to the 15 members of the Security Council that would give a broad international mandate to the stabilization force to provide security in Gaza through the end of 2027, working with the yet-to-be-established Board of Peace. Arab and other countries that have expressed interest in participating in the force have indicated that such a mandate is necessary for them to contribute troops.
Russia, China and Algeria voiced their opposition to that draft, and all but two of the other Security Council members submitted amendments, one of the diplomats said.
The sticking points surrounded the pathway to an independent Palestinian state and timeline for the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip, according to two of the diplomats. The new draft this week responds to objections that the resolution didn't envision a future independent Palestinian state — but without absolutes. It says after reforms to the Palestinian Authority are "faithfully carried out and Gaza redevelopment has advanced, the conditions may be in place for a credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood.""The United States will establish a dialogue between Israel and the Palestinians to agree on a political horizon for peaceful and prosperous coexistence," it adds.
US makes changes but keeps transitional authority
The new draft adds that as the stabilization force "establishes control and stability," the Israeli military will withdraw from the Gaza Strip. It reiterates that the step would be based on "standards, milestones and timeframes linked to demilitarization and agreed" by Israel, the stabilization force, the U.S. and others. The United Arab Emirates, a major U.S. ally in the peace negotiations, said publicly this week that it does not yet see a clear framework for the proposed stabilization force in Gaza and, under the current circumstances, will not take part in it. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu opposes Palestinian statehood and a Gaza governed by the Palestinian Authority, which runs pockets of the West Bank. But the language in Trump's plan seems to encourage a role for a Palestinian state. Other countries on the Security Council have asked for further clarification on the Board of Peace, including who will be on it and how it will operate. The new draft did not make big changes regarding the board.
Some countries push quick action to preserve momentum
Some council members say swift adoption of any proposal with the U.N. stamp of approval would be wise to keep up with the positive momentum on the ground, one diplomat said. That diplomat and others said the Americans could get frustrated with the negotiations and decide to go forward unilaterally with a force from willing countries that would not have U.N. backing. The U.S. likely has three options going forward, another diplomat said:
— Accept some meaningful amendments.
— Put its draft to a vote, needing nine votes to pass and no veto by any of the Security Council's permanent members: Russia, China, France, Britain and the U.S.
— Bring together nations in a "coalition of the willing" outside the U.N. to take on and fund the stabilization of Gaza.
Whether Russia or China would veto a new draft if the U.S. puts it to a vote without significant changes is uncertain. The same diplomat said Moscow and Beijing had sought more than half the draft gutted and only want the stabilization force and for it to report to the Security Council.
Some details of the US draft resolution
The current draft calls for the force to ensure "the process of demilitarizing the Gaza Strip" and "the permanent decommissioning of weapons from non-state armed groups." A big question in Trump's 20-step plan for a ceasefire and reconstruction in the territory is how to disarm Hamas, which has not fully accepted that step. The text says the stabilization troops would help secure border areas, along with a Palestinian police force that they have trained and vetted, as well as coordinate with other countries to secure the flow of humanitarian assistance. It calls for the force to closely consult and cooperate with neighboring Egypt and Israel. It emphasizes the "full resumption" of aid to Gaza by the United Nations, Red Cross and Red Crescent and ensuring that those needed supplies are not diverted.

Israel Returns 15 Palestinian Bodies to Gaza, Where Displaced Families Endure Winter Rains
Asharq Al-Awsat/November 14/2025
Israel returned the bodies of 15 Palestinians to Gaza on Friday, officials at Nasser hospital in Khan Younis said, in the latest step to fulfilling the terms of the fragile US-brokered ceasefire agreement. The bodies were returned after fighters late Thursday handed over the body of one of the last four remaining Israeli hostages taken during the Oct. 7, 2023, attack that launched the war in Gaza. Israel identified the returned body as that of Meny Godard, who was abducted from Kibbutz Be’eri in southern Israel. His wife, Ayelet, was killed during the attack. The armed wings of Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad said Godard’s body was recovered in southern Gaza. The remains of 25 hostages have been returned to Israel since the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas began on Oct. 10. There are still three more in Gaza that need to be recovered and handed over. Hamas returned 20 living hostages to Israel on Oct. 13.
For each hostage returned, Israel has released the remains of 15 Palestinians, an exchange central to the ceasefire’s first phase. Overall, the number of bodies of Palestinians received so far is 330, of which only 95 have been formally identified, according to Gaza Health Ministry officials. Health officials in Gaza have said identifying the remains handed over by Israel is complicated by a lack of DNA testing kits. The bodies of 27 unidentified Palestinians were interred in Gaza on Friday.
Displaced families endure wet, wintry conditions
As winter settles over Gaza and the first rains begin, displaced families are struggling to keep their makeshift shelters from collapsing under the weather. As cloudy skies Friday threatened another downpour in Gaza City, Abdel Rahim Halawa, a father of seven children, worked to fasten a tarp over his tent made of wood, blankets and sheets of plastic. “All of the mattresses and blankets got drenched this evening. If more rain comes on us, we don’t know how we can live anymore,” he said. Some families have taken shelter in what remains of destroyed buildings. One family lives inside a section of concrete held up by a single crooked column, its open side covered with a piece of tarp. “Yes, it might collapse. Some committees came and told us it’s forbidden to live inside of it, but we have no alternative, especially in the winter with the severe cold,” said Saed Salhi, who is living in the structure with four members of his family, all displaced from their home in Jabaliya in northern Gaza.
UN human rights chief says settler violence must end
The UN's human rights chief, Volker Türk, on Friday joined a chorus of condemnation over a recent string of attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank, urging an end to the violence and for Israel to hold the perpetrators accountable. UN Human Rights Commissioner spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan said more than 260 attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinians and their property in the West Bank were recorded in October, more than in any month since 2006. “We reiterate that the Israeli government’s assertion of sovereignty over the occupied West Bank and its annexation of parts of it are in breach of international law, as the International Court of Justice has confirmed,” said Al-Kheetan.  Israeli settlers on Thursday torched and defaced a mosque in a Palestinian village in the central West Bank. That followed violence two days earlier during which dozens of masked Israeli settlers set fire to vehicles and other property in the Palestinian villages of Beit Lid and Deir Sharaf. The attacks on the two Palestinian villages prompted Israeli President Isaac Herzog to denounce them as “shocking and serious.” The Israeli army’s chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, said the military “will not tolerate the phenomena of a minority of criminals who tarnish a law-abiding public.” US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Wednesday that there's concern that the events in the West Bank “could undermine what we’re doing in Gaza.” Israeli officials have sought to cast settler violence as the work of a few extremists. But Palestinians and rights groups say that the violence is widespread and carried out by settlers across the territory, with impunity from Israel’s far-right government. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hasn’t commented on the surge in violence. The Palestinian Health Ministry in the West Bank said six teenagers — aged 15 to 17 — were shot and killed by Israeli fire in four separate incidents over the last two weeks. In the most recent incident Thursday, two 15-year-old boys were killed near the village of Beit Ummar. The Israeli military said that in three of the incidents its soldiers were responding to “terrorists” hurling either Molotov cocktails or explosives or carrying out a “terror attack.” In the other, the military said troops acted according to “standard operating procedures” and opened fire against Palestinians throwing rocks to “remove the threat.”
What's next for Gaza
The next parts of the 20-point ceasefire plan call for creating an international stabilization force, forming a technocratic Palestinian government and disarming Hamas. The fragile agreement aims to wind down the war that was triggered by the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel that killed about 1,200 people and saw 251 taken hostage. Israel responded with a sweeping military offensive that has killed more than 69,100 Palestinians in Gaza, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. The ministry, part of the Hamas-run government and staffed by medical professionals, maintains detailed records viewed as generally reliable by independent experts.

Drenched and displaced: Gazans living in tents face winter downpours
AFP/November 15, 2025
GAZA CITY, Palestinian Territories: A barefoot Niven Abu Zreina swept an incessant stream of water away from her tent, as the season’s first big rain hit her makeshift displacement camp in Gaza City. “I’ve been trying since morning to sweep away the rainwater that flooded our tent,” the Palestinian told AFP, her wet hijab sticking to her face. “The scene speaks for itself. Rainwater soaked our clothes and mattress,” she said, while next to her a relative kept sweeping away the rain, also barefoot. Mahmud Bassal, spokesman for Gaza’s civil defense agency, warned on Friday that the water had overwhelmed thousands of tents erected to cope with the mass displacement caused by the war. “Since dawn today, we have received hundreds of appeals from displaced citizens whose homes and tents have been flooded by the rain,” Bassal said, adding that there were not enough tents to begin with.
‘What am I supposed to do?’ -
Located between the Sinai and the Negev desert on one side, and the Mediterranean Sea on the other, the tiny Gaza Strip receives almost all of its precipitation via strong rain in the late autumn and winter. But with strict Israeli restrictions on the entry of goods and humanitarian aid, displaced Gazans have erected tents and makeshift shelters that are inadequate for downpours. Last month’s truce between Hamas and Israel has eased part of the restrictions, but with about 92 percent of residential buildings damaged or destroyed during the war according to the UN, needs vastly supersede what little can enter on trucks. A humanitarian source told AFP that restrictions on many materials required for building shelters, such as certain types of tent poles, were still not being allowed into Gaza. Elsewhere in the camp bordering the Mediterranean Sea, a man used a broom handle to dislodge water accumulating in the center of a tarp he had set up as an awning for his tent. In the camps’ low-lying areas, water pooled and accumulated before it could stream away toward the sea, leaving some children wading ankle deep in water.
Enaam Al-Batrikhi, an activist at the displacement camp, said she felt powerless when women came to her for help. “How could I possibly help them?” she asked, adding that her own tent was flooded. Nura Abu el-Kass, another displaced woman from the camp, said she found her mattress, blankets and clothes all soaked. “My son sent me this tent, but it doesn’t protect us (from rainwater). What am I supposed to do?“
‘Not safe to live’ -
In the south Gaza city of Khan Yunis, Mohammed Shabat and his wife and five children were also struggling because of the weather, as cold drafts have been seeping through their tent’s openings. “We live in a cemetery, and I have a baby. This tent does not protect us from the cold or the rain,” said Shabat, sitting on the sand between graves. “Soon winter will come, and it will be very difficult,” he added. Sitting by a stove built out of stacked concrete blocks, Shabat’s wife Alaa was preoccupied with the coming cold. “A tent is not a safe place to live with young children. The cold wind penetrates the tent in the evening and the temperature is very low.”The temperature in Gaza falls to between 15 and 20 degrees Celsius (59 and 68 degrees Fahrenheit) at night, but any dip in temperature brings added suffering to Gazans already struggling with inadequate shelters and lack of proper nutrition.

Palestinians Return for Prayers in West Bank Mosque after Settler Attack
Asharq Al-Awsat/November 14/2025
Palestinians in a village in the Israeli-occupied West Bank held weekly communal prayers on Friday after clearing insulting graffiti, broken glass and burn marks from a mosque they say was targeted by Jewish settlers amid a spike in attacks. Villagers in Deir Istiya who cleaned up the mosque told Reuters that settlers had smashed windows, sprayed slogans insulting Islam's Prophet Mohammed and tried to torch the building in an assault on Wednesday night. Reuters video of the mosque on Thursday showed the graffiti as well as shattered glass, charred internal walls and furniture, and a burnt Quran.
Israel's military said security forces had arrived at the mosque after hearing reports of the attack but had not identified or arrested any suspects. It said in a statement to Reuters that it "condemns any force of violence and will continue to operate to safeguard the security and order in the area".
UN RECORDS SPIKE IN ATTACKS
Settler attacks have proliferated in the West Bank according to the United Nations, which recorded at least 264 attacks against Palestinians in October, the highest monthly total since it began tracking such incidents in 2006. "It’s an attempt by them (the settlers) to take control of lands in the West Bank. But we remain steadfast and rooted in our land," said Raed Salman, a leader of the main Palestinian political party Fatah. Home to 2.7 million Palestinians, the West Bank has long been at the heart of their aspirations to a future independent state, but successive Israeli governments have expanded settlements there, fragmenting the territory. The United Nations, Palestinians and most countries regard settlements as illegal under international law. Israel disputes this, saying it has biblical and historical ties to the West Bank. Over half a million Israelis live in settlements. Palestinians say Israeli forces do not protect them from settler violence. The Israeli military says soldiers are often dispatched to deal with any trouble. "We are here for Friday prayer because it's an Islamic holy site. We want to show Netanyahu and his allies that this mosque was fixed in 24 hours and we will put back the carpets soon," said worshipper Wadee' Salman, referring to the Israeli prime minister.

Cyprus Urges Türkiye to Drop Two-state Demand to Advance EU Bid
Asharq Al-Awsat/November 14/2025
Cyprus said on Friday Türkiye must drop its insistence on a two-state solution for the divided island if it hopes to make progress on its long-stalled bid to join the European Union. Speaking in Berlin after talks with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides said Türkiye's position on Cyprus was an obstacle to its EU ambitions. He also argued that Ankara should not gain access to the bloc's defense fund, known as SAFE, saying that Türkiye - though a NATO member - has no defense or security agreement with the EU. Merz said Christodoulides had sought Germany's support in efforts to break the deadlock over Cyprus, emphasising Berlin’s strong relationship with Ankara, Reuters reported. "We discussed various options for how this could be achieved," Merz told a joint press conference. "We discussed a very concrete proposal, which I received with interest, and that we could take a step in this direction during the Cypriot presidency. I expressed the German government's readiness to actively participate in this process."Cyprus assumes the EU's rotating presidency in January. Cyprus and Türkiye, which has been an EU candidate for decades, have no diplomatic relations. Cyprus was split in a Turkish invasion in 1974 after a brief Greece-inspired coup. It remains divided into an internationally recognized Greek Cypriot south and a breakaway Turkish Cypriot north that only Ankara recognizes. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Thursday a two-state settlement was the most realistic option to settle the Cyprus problem, a position rejected by Greek Cypriots. "If Mr Erdogan insists on two states in Cyprus, certainly Türkiye cannot get close to the EU," Christodoulides said. "What is important is that the EU and the international community, whatever Mr Erdogan says, (define) a solution based on UN Security Council resolutions," Christodoulides said.

UN human rights body holds special session on Sudan after hundreds killed in Darfur’s El-Fasher
AP/November 14, 2025
GENEVA: The UN’s top human rights body was holding a one-day special session Friday to highlight hundreds of killings at a hospital in Sudan’s Darfur region and other atrocities committed last month by paramilitary forces fighting the army. The Human Rights Council was also debating a draft resolution calling on an existing team of independent experts to carry out an urgent inquiry into the killings and other rights violations in the city of el-Fasher by the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary. “The atrocities that are unfolding in el-Fasher were foreseen and preventable, but they were not prevented. They constitute the gravest of crimes,” said Volker Türk, the UN human rights chief. Last month the RSF seized el-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, and rampaged through the Saudi Hospital in the city, killing more than 450 people, according to the World Health Organization. RSF fighters went house to house, killing civilians and committing sexual assaults. Türk said “none of us should be surprised” by reports, since the RSF took control of the city, of “mass killings of civilians, ethnically targeted executions, sexual violence including gang rape, abductions for ransom, widespread arbitrary detentions, attacks on health facilities, medical staff and humanitarian workers, and other appalling atrocities.”The military and the RSF, who were former allies, went to war in 2023. WHO says the fighting has killed at least 40,000 people, and the United Nations says another 12 million have been displaced. Aid groups say the true death toll could be many times higher.The draft resolution, led by several European countries, offered little in the way of strong new language though it requested a fact-finding team that the council has already created to try to identify those responsible for the crimes in el-Fasher and help bring them to account.
“Much of el-Fasher now is a crime scene,” Mona Rishmawi, a member of the team, told the session. She added that since the city fell into the hands of the RSF, her mission has collected “evidence of unspeakable atrocities, deliberate killings, torture, rape, abduction of for ransom, arbitrary detention and enforced disappearances, all at the mass scale.”“A comprehensive investigation is required to establish the full picture, but what we already know is devastating,” she added. The council, which is made up of 47 UN member countries, does not have the power to force countries or others to comply, but can shine a spotlight on rights violations and help document them for possible use in places like the International Criminal Court.

UN Rights Council Adopts Fact-finding Mission in Emergency Session on Sudan
Asharq Al-Awsat/November 14/2025
Members of the UN Human Rights Council on Friday adopted a resolution for an independent fact-finding mission to investigate reported mass killings in al-Fashir, Sudan. At a special session of the Council in Geneva on the situation in the city in Darfur which fell to Rapid Support Forces in October, the text passed without a vote - a strong sign of international support. The fact-finding mission will also seek to identify the perpetrators of violations allegedly committed by the RSF and their allies in al-Fashir. The ambassador of the permanent mission of the United Kingdom in Geneva said the fact-finding mission would document and preserve evidence of violations, which would lay the ground for future justice and accountability. In an opening address to delegates, the UN human rights chief urged the international community to act. "There has been too much pretence and performance, and too little action. It must stand up against these atrocities – a display of naked cruelty used to subjugate and control an entire population," UN High Commissioner for human rights Volker Turk said.The RSF has denied targeting civilians or blocking aid, saying such activities are due to rogue actors.
UN RIGHTS CHIEF WARNS OF SURGING VIOLENCE IN KORDOFAN
Turk also called for action against individuals and companies "fuelling and profiting" from the war in Sudan, and gave a stark warning about surging violence in the central Sudanese region of Kordofan, with bombardments, blockades and people forced from their homes. Kordofan is a region comprised of three states that serves as a buffer between the RSF's western Darfur strongholds and the army-held states in the east. The fall of al-Fashir to the RSF on October 26 cemented its control of the Darfur region in the more than 2-1/2-year civil war with the Sudanese army. The draft text up for consideration by the council, seen by Reuters, strongly condemns the reported ethnically motivated killing and use of rape as a weapon of war by the RSF and allied forces in al-Fashir. Mona Rishmawi, a member of the UN's Independent International Fact-Finding Mission for Sudan described examples of rape, killing and torture and said a comprehensive investigation is required to establish the full picture. She said RSF forces had "turned Al Fasher University into a killing ground" where thousands of civilians had been sheltering. Witnesses also recounted seeing bodies piling in the streets and trenches dug in and around the city, Rishmawi said. The proposed resolution stops short of mandating an investigation into the role of external actors who may be supporting the RSF, which the ambassador to the permanent mission of Sudan in Geneva criticized, saying that his country faced an "existential war" following the international community's failure to act.

New US Strike on Alleged Drug Boat Kills Four in Caribbean
Asharq Al-Awsat/November 14/2025
US forces have struck another alleged drug trafficking boat in the Caribbean, upping the death toll in the contentious anti-narcotics campaign to 80, US media reports said Thursday. Washington began carrying out such strikes -- which experts say amount to extrajudicial killings even if they target known traffickers -- in early September, taking aim at vessels in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific. This week's reported strike took the toll to 80 deaths in 20 strikes in international waters, said AFP. The timing of the strike was not clear, with broadcaster CBS reporting the boat was destroyed on Monday and the New York Times reporting the strike took place on Wednesday, both citing an unnamed Pentagon official. The Pentagon did not immediately reply to a request for comment. The UN Human Rights Chief, Volker Turk, this month urged Washington to investigate the strikes' legality, saying there was "strong evidence" they constitute "extrajudicial" killings. The US Justice Department said the strikes are consistent with the law of armed conflict and the government has signaled it will continue operations. A US aircraft carrier arrived off the coast of Latin America on Tuesday, marking a significant increase in Washington's military presence in the region and escalating tensions with Venezuela, which announced a "massive" retaliatory deployment. Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth announced on Thursday a new phase of the mission to "remove narco-terrorists", which he called "Operation Southern Spear." The post gave no details of what the operation would entail or how it might differ from military actions already being undertaken.

Paris police shoot and wound man with knife at Montparnasse station
Reuters/November 14, 2025
PARIS: French police shot and wounded a knife-wielding man in Montparnasse train station in central Paris on Friday, the city prosecutor’s office said. A police officer shot in the leg the 34-year-old man who then stabbed himself in the throat, the prosecutor’s office said in a statement, adding: “He was quickly taken care of by emergency services.”A passer-by was hit in the foot by one of the shots fired by police, the prosecutor’s statement said. The man had waved a knife at officers who were waiting for him at Montparnasse as part of an investigation of domestic violence carried out by police in a southern suburb of Paris.He received an 18-months suspended sentence in September on account of several alleged domestic violence offenses, the prosecutor’s office said. A Reuters photographer who was at the station when the incident occurred said the incident had caused panic among commuters and weekend travelers, just a day after France marked the 10th anniversary of attacks by a jihadist group in Paris in which 130 people were killed. “The memory of the attacks on November 13 (2015) is still there,” said one witness, Elvire Vaisse. “I thought to myself, ‘Here we go again.’ Suddenly I felt really stressed.”

The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources on November 14-15/2025
Iran… The Race Between ‘Perestroika’ and Bouazizi
Mustafa Fahs/Asharq Al-Awsat/November 14/2025
The Iranian citizen Ahmad al-Baldi and Tunisia’s Mohamed Bouazizi share many commonalities that neither the vast distance, nor the complex differences of the two countries’ political dynamics, nor borders, nor their ideological, ethnic, or linguistic differences can erase. The two young men, despite having never met, are brought together by oppression. This oppression weighed on their daily lives and stifled their freedom, and it drove both to commit an act of violence that harmed no one but themselves- an act of deliberate self-punishment to protest a seemingly individual problem of universal substance. In both cases, the men conveyed two sentiments: helplessness and protest. Their action was an explicit admission of helplessness. However, this helplessness is not merely the result of a personal defect or particular circumstances. A broad downward trajectory in the country’s conditions as a whole led to it- decline the state bears responsibility for. It was also a desperate form of protest against the state or its direct representatives. The two cases are evidently identical: in form, substance, and the dangerous message they sent, and it is neither incidental nor exceptional. The matchstick with which Bouazizi self-immolated sparked wildfires that went beyond Tunisia’s borders. The protest sparked by Ahmad al-Baldi in Ahvaz, in southwestern Iran, could similarly spread across Iran if the state does not address the problem and ensure Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian does not find himself echoing the famous statement of former Tunisian president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali: “Now I understand you.”Pezeshkian understands the scale of the domestic threats his country is facing: drought in the capital Tehran and other regions, high unemployment and inflation, corruption, futile regional projects, severe international sanctions, the blows of the recent war, and the specter of renewed direct military confrontation with Tel Aviv.All these risks weigh heavily on the Iranian people; their patience is running very thin. In Pezeshkian’s view, the hardships Iranians face are not the fault of his government alone. He explicitly made this argument to Iran’s parliament: “I bear responsibility for my sins, but not all sins are mine alone... other institutions and bodies must also acknowledge their mistakes.”
In a speech he delivered before parliament last Tuesday, Pezeshkian spoke to his audience directly: “We cannot govern as the people go hungry,” sounding the alarm about living conditions. This candid warning is underpinned by figures and polling that reflect the magnitude of the multipronged crisis Iran is facing. An ISPA (Iranian Student Polling Agency) poll commissioned by his administration found that roughly 92 percent of the public is discontent.
For Pezeshkian, his team, and the reformist and moderate political elite that supports him, public trust in the state has declined, and improving living conditions will prove difficult without serious reform. It is clear that the real domestic solution for Iran begins with genuine reform that addresses both form and substance. It needs something like an Iranian “Perestroika,” not necessarily in the Soviet mold, but the early symptoms of aging afflicting the 1979 regime do not differ much from the domestic crises that the Soviets had been confronting when Mikhail Gorbachev came to power. For the elites of the Islamic Republic, this kind of reform process presents a huge risk: once they begin, the reforms could lead to more fundamental shifts and reshape the structure and nature of the regime. Amid the struggle between the two models, an Iranian “Perestroika” that loosens some social restrictions without feeding the citizens and the self-immolation of Ahmad al-Baldi that could spark nationwide wildfires, just as Bouazizi had done... Can a third option emerge, or are these the only two paths available to Iran?

Question: “Why are there so many religions?”
GotQuestions.org/November 14/2025
Answer: The existence of so many religions and the claim that all religions lead to God without question confuses many who are earnestly seeking the truth about God, with the end result sometimes being that some despair of ever reaching the absolute truth on the subject. Or they end up embracing the universalist claim that all religions lead to God. Of course, skeptics also point to the existence of so many religions as proof that either you cannot know God or that God simply does not exist.
Romans 1:19-21 contains the biblical explanation for why there are so many religions. The truth of God is seen and known by every human being because God has made it so. Instead of accepting the truth about God and submitting to it, most human beings reject it and seek their own way to understand God. This leads not to enlightenment regarding God but to futility of thinking. Here is where we find the basis of the “many religions.”
Many people do not want to believe in a God who demands righteousness and morality, so they invent a God who makes no such requirements. Many people do not want to believe in a God who declares it impossible for people to earn their own way to heaven. So they invent a God who accepts people into heaven if they have completed certain steps, followed certain rules, and/or obeyed certain laws, at least to the best of their ability. Many people do not want a relationship with a God who is sovereign and omnipotent. So they imagine God as being more of a mystical force than a personal and sovereign ruler.
The existence of so many religions is not an argument against God’s existence or an argument that truth about God is not clear. Rather, the existence of so many religions is demonstration of humanity’s rejection of the one true God. Mankind has replaced Him with gods that are more to their liking. This is a dangerous enterprise. The desire to recreate God in our own image comes from the sin nature within us—a nature that will eventually “reap destruction” (Galatians 6:7-8).
Do all religions lead to God? No. All people—religious or otherwise—will stand before God some day (Hebrews 9:27), but religious affiliation is not what determines your eternal destiny. Only faith in Jesus Christ will save. “Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life” (1 John 5:12). It’s as simple as that. Only Christianity—faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ—leads to God’s forgiveness and eternal life. No one comes to the Father except through the Son (John 14:6). It does make a difference what you believe. The decision to embrace the truth about Jesus Christ is important. Eternity is an awfully long time to be wrong.

US troop reduction in Europe a wake-up call for allies
Luke Coffey/Arab News/November 14, 2025
It was last month announced by the Pentagon that up to 1,000 US troops currently stationed in Romania will be brought home without any replacements being sent. This decision ruffled feathers within the foreign policy community in Washington, including among members of President Donald Trump’s own party.
There have been three main criticisms. The chairs of the House and Senate Armed Services Committees, Rep. Mike Rogers and Sen. Roger Wicker, respectively — both Republicans — quickly released public statements condemning the move. They argued that at a time when pressure is being put on Russia to come to the negotiating table over Ukraine, it is not the moment to reduce the US military presence in Europe. In addition, there was no formal coordination with Congress on this decision, even though current defense legislation restricts reductions in America’s military presence in Europe unless certain certifications are provided to Congress.
Second, the announcement came in what felt like a policy vacuum. For months, the administration has been promising a new Global Posture Review “by the end of the summer.” This is intended to determine where US military forces are needed around the world and where troop numbers should change. Yet, even though we are now into November, there is still no review in sight. This has led many to wonder how a decision to remove US forces from Europe could be made in isolation from the broader strategic review that is supposed to be underway.
Finally, according to media reports, Romania was given only two days’ notice before the decision to reduce the number of troops in the country was made public. For many policymakers in Washington who focus on the transatlantic community, this lack of consultation with such an important ally had uncomfortable echoes of President Barack Obama’s 2009 decision to cancel the installation of key components of America’s missile defense system in Poland and the Czech Republic — both of which learned of the decision only hours before the White House made the announcement. That episode damaged US-European relations and the recent decision regarding Romania risks doing the same. From an analytical point of view, removing US forces from Europe undermines Trump’s ability to broker peace in Ukraine
Frankly speaking, Trump has had a problem with his Pentagon, with politically appointed officials sometimes getting ahead of the president when it comes to policymaking. Since returning to the Oval Office in January, there have been at least two cases involving Ukraine — related to US military support and intelligence sharing — that caught the White House, and the president himself, off guard. In the case of the US troops being withdrawn from Romania, it is unclear what Trump’s personal involvement or knowledge was. But what is clear is that, from an analytical point of view, removing US forces from Europe undermines the president’s ability to broker peace in Ukraine.
Any reduction of the US force posture in Europe — particularly in Eastern European countries that received additional American troops after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine — could be seen by Moscow as a concession before meaningful negotiations have even begun. The debate about America’s global force posture is part of a larger discussion inside the administration about what the country’s role in the world should be. In simple terms, there are three groups competing for influence. The first is the traditional Republican school of thought, which values alliances and US leadership on the global stage. The second is the isolationist camp, which would prefer to see America withdraw from overseas commitments and focus on domestic challenges, perhaps taking a more active role only within the Western Hemisphere. The third group, currently dominant in the Pentagon, consists of the “prioritizers,” who believe that every tool of US national power should be directed toward deterring China and securing the Indo-Pacific — even at the expense of long-standing partners in Europe and the Gulf. What the prioritizers fail to appreciate is that US forces in Europe contribute to deterrence and flexibility far beyond the continent itself. Up to 90 percent of America’s ground forces are already based in the US and about 60 percent of the navy is oriented toward the Pacific. Removing a relatively small number of troops from Europe would have little strategic effect but significant geopolitical cost.
While US troops stationed in Europe do strengthen European security, that is not their sole purpose
The notion that these forces could simply be redeployed to Asia is unrealistic. It would require new agreements with regional allies and the construction of new bases, a process that would take years and enormous resources. While US troops stationed in Europe do strengthen European security, that is not their sole purpose. Their forward presence also provides American policymakers with greater flexibility to respond to crises elsewhere in the world. For decades, tens of thousands of US troops based in Europe have deployed to the Middle East to work alongside partners, particularly in the Gulf, for example. It is faster and cheaper to deploy forces from Europe to the Middle East than from the continental US. The same logic could apply to East Asia. US forces based in Germany, for example, are geographically closer to the South China Sea than those stationed in the contiguous US.
Ad-hoc announcements about moving troops out of Europe without considering the broader geopolitical implications undermine America’s credibility and leadership. Such moves have ripple effects that go well beyond Europe. The world today is more interdependent than at any other point in history. A US decision in one region inevitably affects others. America’s choice to withdraw some forces from Europe should therefore serve as a wake-up call to its allies around the world — from the Middle East to the Indo-Pacific. Leaders in these regions should encourage Trump to make such decisions within the framework of a broader strategic vision. The geopolitical stakes are simply too high for America to act otherwise.
**Luke Coffey is a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute. X: @LukeDCoffey

Opportunity in Gaza exists, but it will not last long
Dr. Abdellatif El-Menawy/Arab News/November 14, 2025
After the first steps of the ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel were announced last month, the second phase emerged as a more complicated turning point. It offers real opportunities but carries significant risks. The 20-point peace plan linked to US President Donald Trump outlines several steps for improving conditions in Gaza, with particular importance placed on this second phase.
If the parties uphold their commitments, this phase could introduce a basic level of security stability in Gaza. It includes the withdrawal of Israeli forces from key areas of the Strip, the introduction of international or Arab security arrangements and the removal of Gaza from the cycle of ongoing military operations.
It also opens the path toward long-delayed reconstruction: clearing rubble, restoring essential infrastructure and beginning wider rebuilding according to standards that could make the Strip capable of development, rather than permanent crisis management.
While the first phase centered on prisoner exchanges and humanitarian access, the second phase offers the chance to reconsider governance, reaffirm Palestinian political legitimacy and link security arrangements with broader political and civil processes.
International and regional involvement is one of the strongest assets of this stage. Engagement from Egypt, Qatar, Turkiye, the US and several European countries provides a broad base of support that could give the agreement real momentum and prevent early stagnation. It also signals that Gaza’s future has become a matter of wider international concern rather than a limited bilateral issue.
International engagement provides a broad base of support that could give the agreement real momentum
Despite these opportunities, the obstacles are substantial. The most immediate challenge is the deep lack of trust between the parties. Israel insists that Hamas must disarm, or at least freeze its military capabilities, before it fully withdraws. Hamas insists that any withdrawal must be reciprocal and simultaneous, otherwise it would be seen as surrendering political standing without guarantees.
There is also a clear institutional vacuum surrounding the question of who will govern Gaza after Israel’s withdrawal: the Palestinian Authority, a technocratic body or an international committee. None of these options has been agreed upon and the matter remains highly contentious. Operational oversight is another weak point. Mechanisms to deal with Hamas’ tunnels and weapons stockpiles have not been activated and Israel has not clarified the boundaries or details of its intended withdrawal zones. This lack of definition leaves the agreement exposed to rapid collapse.
At the same time, Gaza faces a severe humanitarian crisis that has not been addressed adequately. If left unresolved, it could trigger renewed escalation or undermine any early signs of stability. Another major risk comes from within Israel itself, where far-right parties such as Religious Zionism strongly oppose full withdrawal or arrangements that might be seen as concessions. This places the Israeli leaders under conflicting internal and external pressures.
Gaza now stands at a critical crossroads. It has entered a period of temporary calm that could become a test of whether a lasting agreement is possible. The first phase, focused on humanitarian access and prisoner exchanges, is ending. The second phase has not yet begun in an organized way, creating a dangerous vacuum that could alter the entire landscape. The involvement of multiple mediators — Egypt, Qatar, the US and Turkiye — adds weight but also raises essential questions: who will hold authority in Gaza, who will manage daily governance and who will enforce security and accountability during the postwar transition? Gaza has entered a period of temporary calm that could become a test of whether a lasting agreement is possible
In this context, the second phase becomes not only a test of whether the agreement can be managed but whether the parties can shape a new reality. The core question is no longer simply about stopping active fighting, but whether a workable model for “the day after” can be built. Success depends not only on written commitments but on the political will to turn them into practical steps without returning to confrontation.
Egypt’s role remains central. Cairo is the regional actor most capable of balancing security needs with humanitarian realities and it recognizes that stability in Gaza is directly tied to stability in Sinai and the wider region. However, meaningful progress depends on Palestinian political unity and on Hamas’ readiness to accept real structural change rather than limited adjustments. Without unity, the process risks collapsing back to its starting point. Several conditions are essential for success. A political process for governing Gaza must be launched, based on genuine partnership with the PA or another representative national body, with a clear timetable for transition. An international monitoring mechanism — potentially a multinational presence — must be activated to oversee implementation, ensure compliance and prevent backtracking. Governance should be linked directly to reconstruction and development so that Gazans see tangible improvements: restored electricity, better infrastructure, rapid rebuilding and visible steps toward normal life. On the Israeli side, internal political obstacles require clear guarantees that allow for a safe and gradual withdrawal while reducing pressure from opposing political factions.
The second phase should not preserve the existing reality or reproduce it in another form. It should establish a new balance of interests: security for Israel, governance and stability for Palestinians, and an effective role for regional mediators. It will determine whether Gaza becomes a space for stability and development or slips back into another cycle of destruction and retaliation. The opportunity remains within reach, but it will not last indefinitely. The agreement’s success will be measured not by signatures but by implementation and by the ability of all parties to build trust and make reciprocal concessions. The second phase is not merely another ceasefire; it is a defining moment between constructing a sustainable peace and returning to a situation of chaos that could engulf all sides.
**Dr. Abdellatif El-Menawy has covered conflicts worldwide. X: @ALMenawy

Turkiye, Egypt forging new axis in post-Gaza deal order
Dr. Sinem Cengiz/Arab News/November 14, 2025
Since the signing of the US-brokered Gaza ceasefire deal last month, regional countries have been working to keep Washington as engaged as possible in managing the next phase. At the same time, a new dynamic is emerging: these countries do not want to rely solely on the US for the implementation of the deal. Instead, they are building their own regional consensus. A key example of this trend can be seen in the growing coordination between Egypt and Turkiye. These two countries, along with the US and Qatar, serve as the key guarantors of the Gaza deal, which has provided them not only with enhanced diplomatic credibility but also with significant responsibility for its implementation. Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty made an official visit to Ankara on Wednesday for the inaugural meeting of the Turkiye-Egypt Joint Planning Group, which focused on preparations for a high-level strategic cooperation council meeting scheduled for 2026. From Gaza to Syria, from Sudan to the Mediterranean and across military and economic domains, every aspect of their relationship was examined in depth to develop a comprehensive framework for Turkish-Egyptian coordination. However, the possible next phases of the Gaza deal, which envision the reconstruction of the Strip and the establishment of an international stabilization force to maintain stability there, were the main focus. Turkiye played a pivotal role in bringing Hamas to the negotiating table and facilitating the signing of the Gaza deal. Despite Israeli efforts to exclude it from the process,
Ministers from seven Muslim countries met in Istanbul this month to discuss the situation in Gaza, though Egypt notably did not attend. Israeli media quickly framed Cairo’s absence as a sign of opposition to Turkiye’s potential role in an international stabilization force. I find this claim unconvincing, given that Egypt-Turkiye cooperation largely disturbs Israel. These reports appear more in line with the narrative Tel Aviv seeks to promote. Egypt is likely to view the inclusion of Turkish troops in the stabilization force as a positive and constructive element. The visit of Abdelatty to Ankara and his alignment with his Turkish counterpart, Hakan Fidan, is proof that Egypt does not want to walk the path on Gaza alone. The two foreign ministers are now preparing for the international conference on early recovery, reconstruction and development in Gaza, which is set to be held in Cairo later this month.
The recent rapprochement between Turkiye and Egypt is being cemented through reciprocal visits and the regional consensus they are building for shared relevance. Following presidential visits by both leaders last year, bilateral relations gained fresh momentum, leading to tangible results today. Ankara and Cairo have intensified their coordination beyond the leadership level, mostly through bureaucracy. Fidan has visited Egypt three times over the past year, while Abdelatty has visited Turkiye twice. The two top diplomats are coordinating their states’ respective positions with a strong reliance on institutional mechanisms.
The renewed relations between Egypt and Turkiye mark a significant diplomatic alignment after a decade of politically motivated hostility. Egypt remains a major Arab power in the Middle East, though it faces certain limitations. Turkiye, as a prominent non-Arab power, likewise has its own strengths and constraints. Yet, in many ways, the two countries are complementing each other’s limitations, creating a dynamic that fosters productive cooperation. Ankara and Cairo have intensified their coordination beyond the leadership level, mostly through bureaucracy.
What is clear is that Turkiye and Egypt share common concerns and recognize opportunities to collaborate. This is not only to ease regional tensions but to strengthen their regional standing. Both nations possess robust state institutions, capable human capital, an influential intelligentsia and considerable military capacity. Turkiye and Egypt also want to boost their defense and military cooperation. Cairo is interested in joining Turkiye’s strategic project to develop the TAI Kaan stealth fighter jet. A memorandum has also been signed to pave the way for drone production in Egypt. Ankara could be the most credible non-Western partner for Cairo. It has the second-largest army within NATO and a growing defense industry thanks to its Bayraktar TB2 drones. Turkiye currently ranks first among Middle Eastern militaries and ninth globally, while Egypt has a formidable naval force. In this context, Ankara and Cairo are seeking to reinforce their positions in the Mediterranean, which is a contested area for energy competition and broader geopolitical rivalries. They recently launched their first joint naval exercise in 13 years, which, as well as being a tactical move, could be part of a long-term strategic alignment in the Mediterranean, where Turkiye seeks friends allied with its interests. In the past, it was often said: “Without Egypt, no war; without Syria, no peace.” Today, this sentiment could be revised: with Egypt, Turkiye and other key regional actors such as Saudi Arabia, peace and stability in the region can be built. The closing of ranks among these powers is significant to avoid the intervention of third parties and could even serve as a locomotive for others to join their cooperation.
Moreover, their common stance could build the force of “stabilizers” in the region against “destabilizers” such as Israel. Thus, the ability of Egypt and Turkiye to continue this constructive coordination will not only shape their bilateral relations but will also have significant implications for the broader region. We are likely to see more developments on the Turkish-Egyptian front in the coming days; thus, it is important to keep an eye on this.
*Dr. Sinem Cengiz is a Turkish political analyst who specializes in Turkiye’s relations with the Middle East. X: @SinemCngz

A European blueprint for growing GCC’s startups
Khaled Abou Zahr/Arab News/November 14/2025
European entrepreneurs and investors have long complained about the EU’s fragmented regulatory landscape. While a real entrepreneur will always find ways to clear hurdles, this way of doing business adds unnecessary red tape and makes growth for companies and investments more complicated and costly. This has prompted a group of European founders, investors and legal experts to launch EU-INC, an initiative that aims to simplify everything and allow startups to grow.
EU-INC is a pan-European solution designed to unify and simplify how startups operate across the continent. It envisions a single new legal entity that is recognized across all EU member states, supported by a central EU-level registry. With standardized investment documents, EU-wide stock options and locally adapted taxes and employment rules, EU-INC can empower every founder to build and scale across Europe without unnecessary regulatory barriers. EU-INC’s goal is to make this a reality and it has gained momentum and support from a large base of startup founders, funds and legal firms. Following this push, the proposal is now being discussed in Brussels.
There is no doubt this would be a great achievement and a game-changer. It would unleash Europe’s talent and ambition to create world-leading companies instead of being slowed and sometimes stopped by the fragmentation between nations. Its creators often remind European policymakers that even European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen noted in October 2024: “A startup from California can expand and raise money all across the United States. But a startup in Europe has to deal with 27 different national barriers. We need to make it easier to grow in Europe.”
The EU-INC initiative addresses this by creating a unified framework for startups. And while this only concerns startups, it would ultimately make it easier to raise funds and invest across borders and expand startups’ presence across Europe.
EU-INC has gained momentum and support from a large base of startup founders, funds and legal firms.
The team behind this proposal announced that it has been submitted to Justice Commissioner Michael McGrath, Startup Commissioner Ekaterina Zaharieva and a dedicated working group within the European Commission. The European Council and European Parliament have expressed interest in what Brussels calls the “28th regime.” The community is now shaping the legislative proposal, expected in the first quarter of next year, with implementation projected for 2027. While the outcome for Europe is still uncertain, it is a plan the Gulf Cooperation Council can use to support the development of its regional startup environment and strongly diversify its member states’ economies.
In the Gulf, there is an ease of doing business that is quite exceptional, with impeccable infrastructure. You can set up a company and get a residency permit in Saudi Arabia or Bahrain faster than anywhere else in the world. But the creation of a platform that would allow a company to operate directly or fundraise within a single framework and without additional regulatory measures across the Gulf should be considered. This would allow for the creation of regional giants ready to conquer the rest of the world.
This would become a platform for global expansion. It is supported by the fact the Gulf has built a brand name. It is attracting talent, tourists and capital from all over the world, something we could not have imagined only a decade ago. A company succeeding in the competitive environment of the GCC has the capacity to become a global giant. Hence, this is an added value for the entire region and a virtuous circle.
Many of my friends in Europe have been either moving to or pursuing opportunities in the Gulf. Their unshakable point of view is that leaders in the Gulf are much more aware, lend their ears to what businesses need to grow and are pragmatic about how to bring support. There is a real will to streamline processes, support companies and develop a dynamic and engaging environment. In the Gulf, there is a real will to streamline processes, support companies and develop a dynamic environment
Perhaps the missing piece of the puzzle is a unique regional framework to empower the birth of more regional giants. This would allow for a blend of regional capital and support for new enterprises. It would solve the bottlenecks currently faced by companies and funds alike. While it is true that the environment in the Gulf is dynamic, startups currently face issues that are similar to those faced by their European counterparts. As a quick explanation, investors invest in funds that, in turn, invest in startups. For the cycle to work properly, these funds (whether private equity or venture capital) need to exit these investments after seven to 10 years. This means they need to be able to sell these participations, whether to another company or through an initial public offering on the stock exchange.
This process allows the business to return money — and hopefully gains — to the original investor, who in turn can reinvest and repeat the cycle. In the current market conditions, funds are facing an issue of exits, meaning they are unable to sell their stakes. This means the original investor is not receiving their money back, which makes it difficult to justify additional investments. The US is where the cycle works perfectly and where the different local markets are easily accessible. In short, this ease of access contributes to the creation of bigger markets, expanded companies and investment transactions. This is why a unique regional standard would facilitate cross-border exits, making it easier for investors to sell their stakes and recycle capital, thus restoring confidence and encouraging further investment. A regional stock exchange should also be included.
Now is the time for the Gulf to take this bold step. Having a common standard for businesses and how they operate would help companies grow and operate without friction across markets. It is time we saw a Gulf-based startup become a global giant. I believe this would be the key steppingstone.
*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.

Selected Face Book & X tweets for November 14/2025

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