English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For  November 23/2025
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news

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Bible Quotations For today
The angel Gabriel Delivers the Godly Message To Virgin Mary
Saint Luke 01/26-38/:”In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, ‘Greetings, favoured one! The Lord is with you.’ But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. The angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob for ever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.’Mary said to the angel, ‘How can this be, since I am a virgin?’The angel said to her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God. And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.’Then Mary said, ‘Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.’ Then the angel departed from her.

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on November 22-23/2025
Independence Day: A Mere Memory for Occupied Lebanon/Elias Bejjani/November 22, 2025
Letter to His Holiness Pope Leo XIV from the People and Parish of the Town of Ain Ebel and the Committee of the Shrine of the Mother of Light Inviting Him to Visit the Town and Bless the Shrine.
Israel says killed Hezbollah member in strike on south Lebanon
Israeli military announces new strikes against Hezbollah in Lebanon
Lebanon says fresh Israeli strike on south kills one
Lebanese president says state monopoly on weapons inevitable
Rubio says US to 'continue to stand in partnership with Lebanon'
Trump says 'working with Lebanon' and will invite Aoun to White House
Independence Day speech From Tyre highlights President Aoun’s push for state authority and border stability—the details
Houla Municipality Mourns Council Member Hussein Yassin Following Targeting of His Car
Israel Prepares for More Intense Airstrikes... Heikal: Committed to the Army's Plan
Young Man Martyred in Zawtar Al Sharqieh Raid
Ministery of Health: One Martyr in Wadi Al-Salouqi
US State Department Congratulates Lebanon on Independence Day: Government Took Courageous Steps
Lebanese Army Chief: Army’s plan south of Litani River is progressing according to its set timeline

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on November 22-23/2025
Israel launches strikes in Gaza ceasefire’s latest test as hospitals say 20 killed
At least 2 kids killed per day in Gaza since ceasefire: UNICEF
23 children die of malnutrition within a month in Sudan’s Kordofan region
Arab Parliament hails UN General Assembly’s ‘overwhelming’ support for Palestinian rights
Recognize Palestinian state and end the bloodshed, former Saudi envoy urges US
G20 summit in South Africa adopts declaration despite US boycott, opposition
European leaders say US peace plan for Ukraine needs work
European leaders scramble to respond to a US peace plan for Ukraine seen as favoring Russia
Hundreds protest in Tunisia over president’s escalating crackdown on freedoms
Turkish MPs to visit jailed PKK leader Ocalan to further disarmament process
Iran seeks help with fire threatening UNESCO-listed forests
Families of Yemeni aid workers detained by Houthi rebels despair for their fate

Titles For The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources on November 22-23/2025
Iran Is Building a Missile Empire, the World Looks Away/Majid Rafizadeh/Gatestone Institute./November 22, 2025
How Gaza trauma could linger in Palestinian DNA long after the bombing stops/Khaled Al Khawaldeh/Arab News/November 22, 2025
Sabotaging ties with America/Mamdouh AlMuhaini/English Al Arabiya/November 22/2025
As Riyadh and Washington renew their vows, a ‘happily ever after’ Middle East might be on the horizon/Faisal J. Abbas/Arab News/November 22, 2025
Libya’s unseen war: a brutal battle for cash, contracts, influence/Hafed Al-Ghwell/Arab News/November 22, 2025

The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on November 22-23/2025
Independence Day: A Mere Memory for Occupied Lebanon
Elias Bejjani/November 22, 2025
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/11/149430/
November 22, Lebanon’s Independence Day, was once a celebration of freedom and sovereignty. However, today, the reality we live stands in stark contrast to the values of independence. Independence has been reduced to a mere memory, stripped of its core elements such as free decision-making, liberty, law, equality, democracy, services, peace, security, stability, and protected borders—the list goes on, and all are absent.
Today, Lebanon has completely lost its independence and against the will of its majority, it finds itself under sectarian, jihadist, and terrorist Iranian occupation.
This occupation is enforced through a local armed militia comprised of Lebanese mercenaries working under the command of Iran’s mullahs, operating under the blasphemously named "Hezbollah." This armed Iranian proxy, through its actions of force, terror, assassinations, wars, and displacement, stands against everything Lebanon represents—justice, rights, love, peace, stability, identity, and openness to the world.
As a result of this occupation, Lebanon is now witnessing a destructive war between Iran's Hezbollah and the State of Israel. This is an Iranian-Israeli war in which Lebanon and its vast majority have no stake. It is not Lebanon's war while Hezbollah initiated it under direct orders from Iran, serving Tehran's terrorist, expansionist, and colonial agendas.
There is no independence to celebrate today. Lebanon has effectively become a Hezbollah state. This failed and rogue state continuously violates the constitution and paralyzes governance. Hezbollah prevents the election of a president, shuts down parliament, and dismantles state institutions.
The current parliament, subservient and failing in its constitutional duties, was formed under an electoral law crafted by Hezbollah to ensure its dominance. This law predetermined the election results before they even took place.
How can we celebrate Independence Day when state institutions are infiltrated, the judiciary is controlled, citizens' savings have been stolen from banks, borders are wide open for smuggling, and chaos reigns? Killings, theft, poverty, displacement, and humiliation define the daily lives of Lebanese citizens.
The independence we should be celebrating today has become an empty memory. True independence will not return to Lebanon until it is liberated from Hezbollah's occupation and Iran's domination. Achieving this liberation requires implementing all international resolutions pertaining to Lebanon, including the Armistice Agreement and Resolutions 1559, 1701, and 1680. It also demands conducting free parliamentary elections under a modern electoral law, eradicating corruption, and holding the corrupt political class accountable.
It may be necessary to declare Lebanon a failed state according to all the UN criteria for failure and place it under international trusteeship.
Until then, Lebanon remains an occupied state, and Independence Day is but a painful reminder of a freedom that is no more.

Letter to His Holiness Pope Leo XIV from the People and Parish of the Town of Ain Ebel and the Committee of the Shrine of the Mother of Light Inviting Him to Visit the Town and Bless the Shrine.
رابط فيديو ونص رسالة إلى قداسة البابا لاون الرابع عشر من أهالي ورعية بلدة عين إبل ولجنة مزار أم النور تدعوه لزيارة البلدة ومباركة المزار
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/11/149475/
His Holiness Pope Leo XIV
Ain Ebel/November 21/2025
Your Holiness,
It is with deep joy and hope that we have learned of Your Holiness’s forthcoming apostolic visit to Lebanon at the beginning of December – an event eagerly awaited by all the Lebanese people as a source of blessing, comfort and renewal of faith in this weary yet steadfast land.
We, The Maronite Parish Priest of Our Lady of Ain Ebel and the Committee of the Shrine of Our Lady of the Light, on behalf of the community of believers, are honored to extend to Your Holiness our heartfelt invitation to visit The Shrine of Our Lady of the Light in the village of Ain Ebel, South Lebanon. The shrine is now in its final stages of completion after many years of faith, dedication and perseverance.
This shrine stands at the entrance to the Christian villages that suffered greatly during the wars on Lebanon since 1969, yet whose people remained rooted in their homes and villages – a living testimony to Christian endurance and hope in the very land once trodden by Our Lord Jesus Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary.
The statue of Our Lady of The Light, rising to a height of 74 meters, makes this the highest Marian shrine in the world. From its majestic site, it overlooks vast areas of the Holy Land and the Lebanese countryside, standing as a beacon of faith and protection for all who gaze upon it.
We believe that a visit and blessing from Your Holiness would be an immense source of strength, faith and reassurance for the people of this region – a sign of love and hope that will breathe new life into this blessed land.
With filial devotion and profound respect, we humbly beseech Your Holiness to accept this invitation, assuring you of our continuous prayers for your apostolic mission and your tireless work in spreading Peace and Love among all peoples.
With our deepest respect and devotion,
Parish Priest of Our Lady of Ain Ebel
Father Hanna Sleiman
Committee of the Shrine
Imad Lallous

Israel says killed Hezbollah member in strike on south Lebanon
AFP/November 22, 2025
JERUSALEM: The Israeli army said Saturday it killed a Hezbollah member in a strike the day before on southern Lebanon, where Israel has carried out repeated attacks despite an ongoing ceasefire with the Iran-backed group. “In a targeted strike the (Israeli army) eliminated a Hezbollah terrorist in the Froun area in southern Lebanon” on Friday, the military said in a statement. It added the Hezbollah member had “advanced terror attacks against the State of Israel” and its forces. Lebanon has accused Israel of violating the ceasefire agreement reached in November 2024 — which sought to halt more than a year of hostilities with Hezbollah — by continuing its strikes and maintaining forces inside its territory. Israel has said Hezbollah is working to rebuild its military capabilities, accusing the Iran-backed group of breaking the ceasefire terms. An Israeli strike Tuesday night on the Ain Al-Hilweh camp for Palestinian refugees in southern Lebanon killed 13 people. On Friday, Israel said it had targeted “terrorists” from the Palestinian militant group Hamas, allied with Hezbollah, in the strike on the camp, located on the outskirts of the coastal city of Sidon. Israel’s military “is operating against Hamas’s establishment in Lebanon, and will continue to operate against Hamas terrorists wherever they operate,” it said in Friday’s statement. The United States has sought to exert pressure on the Lebanese government to make Hezbollah hand over its weapons, which the group has so far refused to do.

Israeli military announces new strikes against Hezbollah in Lebanon
LBCI/AFP/November 22, 2025
Israel's military said it had hit Hezbollah launchers and weapons storage facilities in Lebanon on Saturday. "The Israeli army struck launchers and military sites belonging to Hezbollah in the Bekaa area and in southern Lebanon," Israel's military said in a statement. "The presence of the launchers and the military activity at these sites constitutes a violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon."

Lebanon says fresh Israeli strike on south kills one
AFP/November 22, 2025
BEIRUT: An Israeli strike on southern Lebanon killed one person on Saturday, the Lebanese health ministry said, in the latest attack on the area despite a nearly year-long ceasefire between Israel and militant group Hezbollah. In a statement, the ministry said that “an Israeli enemy strike” on a vehicle in Zawtar Al-Sharqiyah, south Lebanon, killed one person. The ministry also said that a grenade launched by an Israeli drone in the southern town of Shaqra wounded five people. The Israeli military did not immediately comment on the incidents. Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency identified the killed man as Kamel Reda Qarnabash, saying he was driving his vehicle in Zawtar Al-Sharqiyah when the strike hit. The Israeli army said earlier on Saturday that it killed a Hezbollah member in a strike the day before on Froun, southern Lebanon. “In a targeted strike the (Israeli army) eliminated a Hezbollah terrorist in the Froun area in southern Lebanon” on Friday, the military said in a statement. It alleged the Hezbollah member had “advanced terror attacks against the State of Israel” and its forces. The Lebanese health ministry said on Friday that an “Israeli enemy strike” on a vehicle in Froun killed one person. Lebanon has accused Israel of violating the ceasefire agreement reached in November 2024 — which sought to halt more than a year of hostilities with Hezbollah — by continuing its strikes and maintaining forces inside its territory. Israel has said Hezbollah is working to rebuild its military capabilities, accusing the Iran-backed group of breaking the ceasefire terms. According to the health ministry, more than 330 people have been killed in Lebanon and 945 wounded since the ceasefire. An Israeli strike Tuesday night on the Ain Al-Hilweh camp for Palestinian refugees in southern Lebanon killed 13 people. On Friday, Israel said it had targeted “terrorists” from the Palestinian militant group Hamas, allied with Hezbollah, in the strike on the camp, located on the outskirts of the coastal city of Sidon. Israel’s military “is operating against Hamas’s establishment in Lebanon, and will continue to operate against Hamas terrorists wherever they operate,” it said in Friday’s statement. A secondary school in the camp said in a statement on its Facebook page on Thursday that two of its students were killed, publishing an image of two adolescent boys.
The United States has sought to exert pressure on the Lebanese government to make Hezbollah hand over its weapons, which the group has so far refused to do.

Lebanese president says state monopoly on weapons inevitable
AFP/22 November/2025
Lebanon’s president said on Friday a state monopoly on weapons was inevitable and urged a committee supervising a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah to ensure the army was the only armed presence in the country’s south. Under heavy US pressure and fearing expanded Israeli strikes, Lebanon has committed to disarming the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah, which emerged badly weakened from more than a year of hostilities with Israel that largely ended with a ceasefire last November. Despite the truce, Israel has kept up frequent strikes on Lebanon, mainly saying it has been targeting Hezbollah, which it accuses of rearming. Under a government-approved plan, Lebanon’s army is to dismantle Hezbollah military infrastructure south of the Litani river – some 30 kilometers (20 miles) from the border – by the end of the year, before tackling the rest of the country. Ensuring state control over weapons and decisions of war and peace is “important and inevitable” President Joseph Aoun said in a speech on the eve of the country’s independence day. He said Lebanon was ready to entrust the truce supervisory committee, comprising the United States, France, Lebanon, Israel and United Nations peacekeepers, with “making sure that in the south Litani region, only the Lebanese army is exerting its sovereignty by its own means.”He also said Lebanon was ready to negotiate under US or international sponsorship “any agreement which will put a permanent end to the transborder aggressions.”Aoun made the speech from southern Lebanon, where Israel still maintains troops in five areas that it deems strategic. He urged “Lebanon’s friends and brotherly countries, to provide oversight throughout this process by establishing clear and guaranteed timelines, implementing an international mechanism of support to the Lebanese army, as well as assisting in the reconstruction efforts.”Doing so will help ensure “that all weapons are in the hands of the state, on the entirety of the Lebanese soil,” he added. As Israeli strikes continue, Lebanon’s official National News Agency said one person was killed on Friday in a raid strike on south Lebanon.
According to the health ministry, more than 330 people have been killed in Lebanon and 945 wounded since the ceasefire. UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, Morris Tidball-Binz, pointed to “a broader pattern of unlawful killings and violations of the ceasefire agreement by Israel.” Tidball-Binz is an independent expert mandated by the UN Human Rights Council but who does not speak on behalf of the United Nations.

Rubio says US to 'continue to stand in partnership with Lebanon'
Naharnet/November 22, 2025
On behalf of the United States, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Saturday offered his "best wishes and heartfelt congratulations" to the people of Lebanon as they commemorate the 82nd anniversary of the country's independence. "This year, the Government of Lebanon has taken courageous steps to promote a brighter future for the Lebanese people," Rubio said in a statement, apparently referring to the government's arms monopolization decisions. "The United States will continue to stand in partnership with Lebanon as we work together to promote stability and economic prosperity in Lebanon and across the region," Rubio added.

Trump says 'working with Lebanon' and will invite Aoun to White House
Naharnet/November 22, 2025
U.S. President Donald Trump said overnight that he would invite President Joseph Aoun to the White House. "I think that Hezbollah has been a problem in Lebanon -- big problem. We're working with Lebanon, we're working with everybody in the Middle East ... We wanna see peace in the Middle East ... and I think you're gonna see some very positive things happening," said Trump in response to a Lebanese reporter's question."Sure. I would do that, absolutely," he answered on the possibility of inviting Aoun to the White House.

Independence Day speech From Tyre highlights President Aoun’s push for state authority and border stability—the details
LBCI/November 22, 2025
President Joseph Aoun marked Independence Day with a symbolic shift in venue, choosing to deliver his address from the Benoît Barakat Barracks in Tyre rather than from the presidential palace in Baabda. The barracks, home to the command of the South Litani sector, carry significant meaning as the area’s officers oversee key operational missions in South Lebanon. Their presence underscored the broader symbolism of the President’s message. Aoun’s choice of location conveyed a clear political signal: No concession over Lebanese territory, and no abandonment of the people of the South. During his speech, the President unveiled a comprehensive five-point initiative aimed at safeguarding Lebanon’s sovereignty and restoring stability in the border regions. The plan calls for an Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territory, the deployment of the Lebanese Army as the sole legitimate authority, the revival of civilian life in the southern border areas, exclusive control of weapons by the state, and a commitment to peace based on justice and rights. Aoun assigned responsibility for implementing the initiative to two fronts: Lebanese political forces, who he said must act collectively, and the international community, which he urged to pressure Israel to withdraw from occupied Lebanese lands. Aoun placed all parties before their responsibilities in saving Lebanon, urging Lebanese citizens—before anyone else—to support the state-building project. He stated that the country could no longer survive in the absence of a functioning state. One of the most significant elements of his address was his emphasis on loyalty to the nation and the revival of a state culture as a daily way of life. Addressing all political actors, Aoun declared that Lebanon’s choice is the choice of building a state, not a “mini-state,” and restoring a culture of statehood rather than reproducing distortions and personal gains.  The goal, he said, is to ensure security, economic prosperity, the return of state authority across all institutions, and Lebanon’s ability to keep pace with regional developments and emerging settlement initiatives. Hezbollah sources, in their first reaction, said that describing the party as being in a state of denial was unfair. They argued that Hezbollah understands and adapts to regional changes, citing its commitment to the ceasefire agreement and its evolving rhetoric that calls on the army to defend Lebanese citizens and stands alongside it, while leaving the debate over weapons north of the Litani River to a broader national security strategy. Beyond the cycle Lebanon has been trapped in since the ceasefire agreement, the president’s proposals align with the interests of the Lebanese people, away from political slogans launched from various sides. In both his speech and his conduct, Aoun demonstrated a careful internal balance without favoring any one party over another. The question now is whether the relevant stakeholders will respond to Aoun’s initiative, or whether denial will remain the dominant trait—keeping Lebanon in a perpetual state of danger.

Houla Municipality Mourns Council Member Hussein Yassin Following Targeting of His Car
Nidaa Al-Watan/November 23, 2025 (Translated from Arabic)
The Municipality of Houla announced in a statement the death of its council member and current treasurer, Hussein Yassin Hussein, after his car was targeted on the Wadi Nahla road. The statement read: "Martyrdom suits you, Haj Hussein, and congratulations on this honorable rank. Our deepest condolences to the martyr's family and relatives. We ask God to grant us and them patience and solace. Denunciation in the presence of your loss is the least that can be said." Likewise, the Municipality of Rabb Thalathin also offered its "warmest condolences to our people in the town of Houla, for the martyrdom of its council member due to the cowardly assassination that targeted him." It stated, "We strongly condemn this criminal act, which will only increase our people's steadfastness and resilience. May God have mercy on the martyr, and grant his family patience and solace."

Israel Prepares for More Intense Airstrikes... Heikal: Committed to the Army's Plan
Nidaa Al-Watan/November 23, 2025 (Translated from Arabic)
Just days before the first anniversary of the signing of the ceasefire agreement, and amidst continuous Israeli strikes in the south and Bekaa, Lebanon's 82nd Independence Day arrived. The occasion was devoid of the traditional military parade and the acceptance of congratulations at Baabda Palace, limited instead to the laying of wreaths at the tombs and monuments of the independence figures. Meanwhile, the President of the Republic, Joseph Aoun, received a flood of congratulatory cables, notably from Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who wished Lebanon's government and people continued progress and prosperity. For his part, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio seized the opportunity to convey a political message in his independence day congratulatory statement, where he said that the Lebanese government had taken "courageous steps this year to promote a brighter future for the Lebanese people. The United States will continue to stand by Lebanon and work with it to promote stability and economic prosperity."
In a related context, Army Commander General Rodolphe Heikal affirmed, in a speech delivered during an extraordinary military meeting in Yarzeh, that "the army's plan in the area south of the Litani is proceeding according to its set schedule, and the steps achieved during the past phase are considered a great accomplishment." He considered that Lebanon is committed to the cessation of hostilities agreement and Resolution 1701, in cooperation with UNIFIL. Field reports show that, in what has become an almost daily occurrence, Israeli aircraft launched a series of violent raids throughout the day on Saturday targeting several areas in the south and Bekaa. The Israeli army said the strikes targeted sites belonging to "Hezbollah," including missile launchers, military centers, and weapons depots, noting that a raid in the southern area of Mayfadoun targeted the "Hezbollah" operative Kamel Reda Qaranbash, while another strike resulted in the death of Houla municipal council member Hussein Yassin Hussein, who also worked as a local representative for "Hezbollah."
Amidst the security escalation, American and Israeli sources converged on information confirming that a violent round of fighting in Lebanon is looming. Israeli Channel 13 reported that "the Israeli security establishment sees that there will be no escape from additional days of fighting in Lebanon to prevent Hezbollah from restoring its capabilities." Meanwhile, American journalist Mario Noufal quoted "multiple and reliable sources within the US State Department" as saying that Israel is rapidly gaining international consensus to support a limited but intense bombing campaign against what remains of "Hezbollah's" military capabilities. This is amid expectations that the intensity of the airstrikes will increase by at least tenfold in the weeks following Pope Leon XIV's visit to Lebanon.

Young Man Martyred in Zawtar Al Sharqieh Raid
NNA/November 22, 2025 (Translated from Arabic)
The young man Kamel Reda Qaranbash from the town of Zawtar Al Sharqieh was martyred this morning as a result of an Israeli drone targeting his "Rapid" car with an airstrike while he was driving on the Ain Al-Samahia road in his town, Zawtar Al Sharqieh.

Ministery of Health: One Martyr in Wadi Al-Salouqi
NNA/November 22, 2025 (Translated from Arabic)
A statement was issued by the Public Health Emergency Operations Center of the Ministry of Public Health announcing that the Israeli enemy's raid this afternoon on a car in the Wadi Al-Salouqi area, Bint Jbeil district, resulted in the martyrdom of one citizen.

US State Department Congratulates Lebanon on Independence Day: Government Took Courageous Steps
NNA/November 22, 2025 (Translated from Arabic)
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio congratulated Lebanon on its Independence Day. In a statement posted on the US State Department's website, he said: "On behalf of the United States of America, I extend my best wishes and warmest congratulations to the Lebanese people on the occasion of the 82nd anniversary of Lebanon's independence." He concluded: "This year, the Lebanese government has taken courageous steps to promote a brighter future for the Lebanese people. The United States will continue to stand by Lebanon and work with it to promote stability and economic prosperity in Lebanon and across the region."

Lebanese Army Chief: Army’s plan south of Litani River is progressing according to its set timeline
LBCI/November 22, 2025
Lebanese Army Commander General Rodolph Haykal held an exceptional meeting in Yarzeh with senior leadership, unit commanders, operational battalion chiefs, and several officers to review the latest developments affecting Lebanon and the military during the ongoing critical phase marked by continued Israeli violations and attacks. The meeting began with a moment of silence in honor of fallen soldiers, including the two servicemen killed during a raid on November 17, 2025, in the Sharawneh area of Baalbek. Haykal congratulated officers on Independence Day, expressing hope that the commemoration will one day be complete with the liberation of all occupied Lebanese territory. He underscored the importance of internal unity to help Lebanon withstand the challenges arising from the recent regional events and their domestic repercussions.  Haykal emphasized that the army remains cohesive and resilient thanks to the unwavering commitment of its personnel to their mission and their determination to safeguard stability and civil peace, despite ongoing rumors and campaigns aimed at undermining the military institution. Lebanese army to extend authority nationwide under phased weapons withdrawal plan. Addressing attendees, he stressed that national solidarity is crucial at this stage, particularly regarding support for the army’s role, the need to strengthen its capabilities, enforce state authority across all Lebanese territory, halt attacks, and end the Israeli occupation of Lebanese land. Haykal noted that the army’s plan south of the Litani River is progressing according to its set timeline. He described the achievements so far as significant, highlighting the sacrifices of soldiers who have been killed or wounded in the line of duty. He also praised the people of the South for standing with the army and supporting its national mission.
He reaffirmed Lebanon’s commitment to the cessation of hostilities and to U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701, in coordination with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). Haykal added that military units are carrying out their duties across the country with the highest level of professionalism. Separately, the army chief revealed that the institution is committed to maintaining strong relations with friendly nations and foreign militaries, and continues to seek cooperation in support of the army and the national interest.

The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on November 22-23/2025
Israel launches strikes in Gaza ceasefire’s latest test as hospitals say 20 killed
AP/November 22, 2025
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip: Israel’s military on Saturday launched airstrikes against Hamas militants in Gaza in the latest test of the ceasefire that began on Oct. 10. Health officials in Gaza reported at least 24 people killed and another 54 wounded, including children. The Israeli strikes came as international momentum was building on Gaza, with the UN Security Council on Monday approving the US blueprint to secure and govern the territory. It authorizes an international stabilization force to provide security, approves a transitional authority to be overseen by President Donald Trump and envisions a possible future path to an independent Palestinian state. Israel has previously carried out similar waves of strikes after reported attacks on its forces. At least 33 Palestinians were killed over a 12-hour period Wednesday and Thursday, mostly women and children, health officials said.
One of Saturday’s strikes targeted a vehicle, killing 11 and wounding over 20 Palestinians in Gaza City’s Rimal neighborhood, said Rami Mhanna, managing director of Shifa Hospital, where the casualties were taken. The majority of the wounded were children, director Mohamed Abu Selmiya said. Associated Press video showed children and others inspecting the blackened vehicle, whose top was blown off. Another strike targeting a house near Al-Awda Hospital in central Gaza killed at least three people and wounded 11 others, according to the hospital. It said a strike on a house in Nuseirat camp in central Gaza killed at least seven people including a child and wounded 16 others. And a strike targeting a house in Deir Al-Balah in central Gaza killed three people, including a woman, according to Al-Aqsa Hospital. “Suddenly, I heard a powerful explosion. I looked outside and saw smoke covering the entire area. I couldn’t see a thing. I covered my ears and started shouting to the others in the tent to run,” said Khalil Abu Hatab in Deir Al-Balah. “When I looked again, I realized the upper floor of my neighbor’s house was gone.”
He added: “It’s a fragile ceasefire. This is not a life we can live. There’s no safe place.”Israel’s military in a statement said it launched attacks against Hamas after an “armed terrorist” crossed into an Israeli-held area and shot at troops in southern Gaza. It said no soldiers were hurt. The military said the person had used a road on which humanitarian aid enters the territory, and called it an “extreme violation” of the ceasefire. In separate statements, the military said soldiers killed five “terrorists” in the Rafah area, and two others after firing at four people who crossed into Israeli-held areas in northern Gaza and advanced toward soldiers in two separate incidents. The war began with the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, that killed some 1,200 people and took over 250 hostage. Almost all of the hostages or their remains have been returned in ceasefires or other deals.
Gaza’s Health Ministry says 69,733 Palestinians have been killed and 170,863 injured in Israel’s retaliatory offensive. The toll has gone up during the ceasefire both from new Israeli strikes and from the recovery and identification of bodies of people killed earlier in the war. The ministry does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its figures but has said women and children make up a majority of those killed. The ministry, part of the Hamas-run government and staffed by medical professionals, maintains detailed records viewed as generally reliable by independent experts.

At least 2 kids killed per day in Gaza since ceasefire: UNICEF
Reuters/November 22, 2025
GENEVA: At least 67 children have been killed in conflict-related incidents since the ceasefire began in Gaza, the United Nations children’s agency said. “Dozens more have been injured. That is an average of almost two children killed every day since the ceasefire took effect,” UNICEF spokesperson Ricardo Pires said in Geneva. UNICEF said on Thursday that a baby girl was killed in an airstrike in eastern Khan Younis in southern Gaza, alongside her parents.  On Wednesday, seven children were killed in airstrikes in Gaza City and the south, UNICEF said.
FASTFACT
A nine-year-old girl was treated on Wednesday at a Gaza City hospital for an injury to her face caused by gunfire from an Israeli drone, MSF said, citing a nurse in Gaza. Meanwhile, Medecins Sans Frontieres said that its medical teams in Gaza had treated Palestinian women and children this week for injuries from Israeli airstrikes and gunfire, almost six weeks into a fragile Israel-Hamas ceasefire. Since Wednesday, medical staff in northern and southern Gaza have treated women and children with open fractures and gunshot wounds to their limbs and heads, according to Medecins Sans Frontieres, a charity also known as Doctors Without Borders.MSF said that medical care had been provided in hospitals and clinics in Gaza City in the north and Rafah in the south. A nine-year-old girl was treated on Wednesday at a Gaza City hospital for an injury to her face caused by gunfire from an Israeli drone, MSF said, citing a nurse in Gaza. Under the ceasefire deal, Israel’s military pulled back to a so-called “yellow line,” leaving it in control of 53 percent of the Gaza Strip. Gaza City, the enclave’s largest urban area, is under Hamas control. Rafah is under Israeli control. Both Israel and Hamas have accused each other of repeatedly violating the ceasefire, although it is still formally holding. Israel’s military has said that since Oct. 10 it has killed individuals it described as “terrorists” crossing the yellow line, and carried out strikes it has said were in retaliation for attacks on its soldiers. According to the Gaza Health Ministry, 312 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza by the Israeli military since Oct. 11.

23 children die of malnutrition within a month in Sudan’s Kordofan region
AP/November 22, 2025
CAIRO: Almost two dozen children died of malnutrition-related causes within a month in central Sudan where fierce fighting between the country’s military and a paramilitary group has centered, a medical group said. The deaths of 23 children in the Kordofan region underscores the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the northeastern African country where famine is spreading after more than 30 months of devastating war. Sudan plunged into chaos in April 2023 when a power struggle between the military and the powerful paramilitary Rapid Support Forces exploded into open fighting in the capital, Khartoum, and elsewhere in the country. The devastating war has killed more than 40,000 people, according to UN figures, but aid groups say that is an undercount and the true number could be many times higher. It created the world’s largest humanitarian crisis, with over 14 million people forced to flee their homes, fueled disease outbreaks and pushed parts of the country into famine. About 370,000 people had been pushed into famine in Kordofan and the western region of Darfur as of September, with another 3.6 million people one step from famine in the two regions, according to international hunger experts.
Children’s deaths blamed on severe malnutrition and supplies shortages
The children’s deaths were reported between Oct. 20 and Nov. 20 in the besieged city of Kadugli and the town of Dilling, said the Sudan Doctors Network, a body of professionals that tracks the conflict. The group said late Friday that the deaths were a “result of severe acute malnutrition and shortages of essential supplies” in the two areas, where a blockade “prevents the entry of food and medicine and puts the lives of thousands of civilians at risk.”Kadugli, the capital of South Kordofan province, is where famine was declared earlier this month by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification. The RSF has besieged Kadugli town for months, with tens of thousands of people trapped as the group tries to seize more territory from the Sudanese military. Dilling, also in South Kordofan, has reportedly experienced the same hunger conditions as Kadugli, but the IPC didn’t announce famine there because of a lack of data, it said. Fighting for the control of Kordofan intensified earlier this year after the military forced the RSF out of Khartoum. The paramilitary group has since then focused its resources on Kordofan and the city of el-Fasher, which was the military’s last stronghold in the sprawling Darfur region. The RSF drove the military out of el-Fasher earlier this month, and forced tens of thousands to flee to overcrowded camps to escape reported atrocities by the paramilitary force, according to aid groups and UN officials. RSF fighters rampaged through the Saudi Hospital in the city, killing more than 450 people, according to the World Health Organization. The fighters also went house to house, killing civilians and committing sexual assaults, aid workers and displaced residents say.
Continued disposal of bodies in el-Fasher
New satellite images appear to show continued efforts by RSF to dispose of corpses at locations in el-Fasher, the Yale School of Public Health’s Humanitarian Research Lab said Friday. The apparent disposal of bodies on the Saudi Hospital facility grounds and around a compound in Daraja Oula neighborhood are in locations where RSF reportedly carried out mass killings when they took over the city late last month, the HRS said. “The combination of likely body disposal via immolation, lack of traditional burial activities and lack of market activity raises significant concerns about the presence of civilians and the sustainment of life for those who remain in el-Fasher,” the HRL said. The lab said it’s highly likely that most civilians who were in the city before the RSF attack on Oct. 26 “have been killed, have died, are detained, are in hiding, have fled, or are otherwise unable to move freely.”

Arab Parliament hails UN General Assembly’s ‘overwhelming’ support for Palestinian rights
Arab News/November 22, 2025
CAIRO: Arab Parliament Speaker Mohammed bin Ahmed Al-Yamahi on Friday welcomed the UN General Assembly’s recent adoption of a series of major resolutions supporting Palestinian rights, describing the overwhelming backing as a clear reflection of the international community’s commitment to justice and international law. The resolutions included a reaffirmation of the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination and the establishment of an independent state with Jerusalem as its capital, the Jordan News Agency reported. Member states also voted to renew the mandate of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, ensuring the continuation of vital humanitarian services for millions of refugees across the region. In a statement, Al-Yamahi said the broad support demonstrated global rejection of “illegal measures” imposed by the Israeli occupation, which he said included annexation, settlement expansion, forced displacement and what he described as ethnic cleansing. He expressed gratitude to the countries that backed the resolutions and stood in support of the Palestinian people’s legitimate rights. Al-Yamahi said the votes represented an important step toward strengthening international efforts to halt the assault on Gaza and protect civilians. He added that the outcome laid the foundation for more effective global action aimed at ending the occupation and achieving a just, lasting peace in line with UN resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative. The speaker highlighted the Arab Parliament’s continued parliamentary and diplomatic efforts, regionally and internationally, to mobilize further support for the Palestinian cause and defend the rights of the Palestinian people “in all global forums” until they attain full sovereignty and independence with Jerusalem as their capital.

Recognize Palestinian state and end the bloodshed, former Saudi envoy urges US
Arab News/November 22, 2025
RIYADH: Peace and stability in the Middle East rest on a just solution to the Palestinian issue, Prince Turki Al-Faisal, former Saudi ambassador to the UK and US, has told a leading Washington foreign policy forum. Addressing the annual Arab-US Policymakers Conference organized by the National Council on US-Arab Relations, the former intelligence chief said that recurring troubles have left the region in “a state of strategic confusion.” In the Middle East, wars are becoming “almost normal in this conflict-thirsty region,” he said. Highlighting Israel's “relentless and destructive response” to the Hamas Oct. 7 attacks, Prince Turki said that the resulting war “represents a political failure stemming from arrogance and unfounded convictions that led to ignoring the suffering endured by the besieged people of Gaza.”These “delusions” also led Israel to misconstrue Arab overtures for peace, he added. “However, it is not only the Middle East that is troubled and in a state of uncertainty,” the former diplomat said. “Wherever we look today on the map of the globe, we find that there is a crisis in every corner, and without a clear horizon to find appropriate solutions that solve the problems.”
This state of strategic confusion is contributing immensely to the continuation and escalation of violence, he said. “It also creates new conflicts that complicate the situation in a region where every crisis begets another crisis, and where every issue is linked to another issue. Fatigue, confusion in the Middle East means a state of sharp polarization, multiplicity of issues of conflict, and multiplicity of competing actors dealing with the situation on an ad hoc basis.” Prince Turki highlighted the lack of a clear-cut direction or strategy aimed at bringing conflicts to a peaceful end, and creating the necessary conditions for peace, stability, and security. He praised steps by countries such as France and Norway to recognize the Palestinian state, and to “convince those who are not convinced that peace in the Middle East rests on solving this outstanding issue justly.”Calling on the US to build on its efforts to end the Gaza war, Prince Turki said that Washington should “take the most important step in leading and heeding the voices of its friends and allies in the region” by supporting the principles of the Arab Peace Initiative and pushing for an end to the conflict. “Leaders who walk the extra steps for peace are seen as great leaders,” he told the conference, adding: “President Trump, it is your turn to be that leader. Lead your 20-point ceasefire proposal to the inevitable 21st point.” Prince Turki urged the US leader to take Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s official visit as the opportunity to recognize the Palestinian state and “end the bloodshed of Palestinians and Israelis forever.”He called for a resolution of the Gaza conflict to “leave behind the death and destruction meted out to the Palestinian people, and pursue peace and prosperity for all of us — American, Palestinian, Israeli and the Saudi people.”

G20 summit in South Africa adopts declaration despite US boycott, opposition
Reuters/22 November/2025
A Group of 20 leaders’ summit in South Africa adopted a declaration addressing the climate crisis and other global challenges on Saturday after it was drafted without US input in a move a White House official called “shameful.”The declaration, using language to which Washington has been opposed, “can’t be renegotiated,” South African President Cyril Ramaphosa’s spokesperson told reporters, reflecting strains between Pretoria and the Trump administration over the event. “We had the entire year of working toward this adoption and the past week has been quite intense,” spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said. Ramaphosa, host of this weekend’s gathering of Group of 20 leaders in Johannesburg, had earlier said there was “overwhelming consensus” for a summit declaration. But at the last minute Argentina, whose far-right President Javier Milei is a close ally of US President Donald Trump, quit the negotiations right before the envoys were about to adopt the draft text, South African officials said. “Argentina, although it cannot endorse the declaration ... remains fully committed to the spirit of cooperation that has defined the G20 since its conception,” its foreign minister Pablo Quirno said at the summit. Ramaphosa noted this, but went ahead with it anyway. In explanation, Quirno said Argentina was concerned about how the document referred to geopolitical issues. “Specifically it addresses the longstanding Middle East conflict in a manner that fails to capture its full complexity,” he said. The document mentions the conflict once, saying members agree to work for a just, comprehensive, and lasting peace in ... the Occupied Palestinian Territory.”
Declaration mentions climate change
Envoys from the G20 - which brings together the world’s major economies - drew up a draft leaders’ declaration on Friday without US involvement, four sources familiar with the matter said. “It is a longstanding G20 tradition to issue only consensus deliverables, and it is shameful that the South African government is now trying to depart from this standard practice,” a senior Trump administration official said on Friday. The declaration used the kind of language long disliked by the US administration: stressing the seriousness of climate change and the need to better adapt to it, praising ambitious targets to boost renewable energy and noting the punishing levels of debt service suffered by poor countries. The mention of climate change was a snub to Trump, who doubts the scientific consensus that global warming is caused by human activities. US officials had indicated they would oppose any reference to it in the declaration.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In opening remarks to the summit, Ramaphosa said: “We should not allow anything to diminish the value, the stature and the impact of the first African G20 presidency.”His bold tone was a striking contrast to his subdued decorum during his visit to the White House in May, in which he endured Trump repeating a false claim that there was a genocide of white farmers in South Africa, brushing aside Ramaphosa’s efforts to correct his facts. Trump said US officials would not attend the summit because of allegations, widely discredited, that the host country’s Black majority government persecutes its white minority.
Trump rejects South Africa’s G20 agenda
The summit came at a time of heightened tensions between world powers over Russia’s war in Ukraine and fraught climate negotiations at the COP30 in Brazil. “While the G20 diversity sometimes presents challenges, it also underscores the importance of finding common ground,” Japan Cabinet Public Affairs Secretary Maki Kobayashi told Reuters. Commenting on Argentina’s absence from the final envoy meeting to agree on the text, Magwenya said: “Argentina (had) been participating quite meaningfully ... in all the deliberations,” then never showed up to endorse the declaration on Friday.
He added: “We have what we call sufficient consensus.”The US president had also rejected the host nation’s agenda of promoting solidarity and helping developing nations adapt to weather disasters, transition to clean energy and cut their excessive debt costs. “This G20 is not about the US”, South African Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola told public broadcaster SABC. “We are all equal members of the G20. What it means is that we need to take a decision. Those of us who are here have decided this is where the world must go.” But in a sign of the many geopolitical fissures underlying the agreed text, EU Commissioner Ursula von der Leyen warned in a speech about the “the weaponization of dependencies” which she said “only creates losers.”This was an apparent veiled reference to China’s export curbs on rare earths vital for the world’s energy transition, as well as defense and digital technology. The United States will host the G20 in 2026 and Ramaphosa said he would have to hand over the rotating presidency to an “empty chair.” The South African presidency on Saturday reiterated its rejection of a US offer to send the US charge d’affaires for the G20 handover. “The president will not hand over to a junior embassy official the presidency of the G20. It’s a breach of protocol that is not going to be accommodated,” Magwenya said. Lamola later said that South Africa would assign a diplomat of the same rank as a charge d’affaires to hand over the G20 presidency at the foreign affairs department.

European leaders say US peace plan for Ukraine needs work
Reuters/22 November/2025
European leaders said in a joint statement on Saturday that a 28-point US plan for peace in Ukraine, which has been seeking to repel Russian forces since 2022, was a basis that “requires additional work.” Group of Seven nations and European leaders had met on the sidelines of a G20 Summit in Johannesburg to discuss a US peace plan for the war in Ukraine. US President Donald Trump’s administration boycotted the summit. “The initial draft of the 28-point plan includes important elements that will be essential for a just and lasting peace. We believe therefore that the draft is a basis which will require additional work,” the leaders said. “We are clear on the principle that borders must not be changed by force. We are also concerned by the proposed limitations on Ukraine’s armed forces, which would leave Ukraine vulnerable to future attack. The leaders added that any elements relating to the European Union and NATO would need their agreement.

European leaders scramble to respond to a US peace plan for Ukraine seen as favoring Russia
AP/November 22, 2025
KYIV: European leaders were set to meet in South Africa on Saturday to hash out alternatives to a US plan to halt Russia’s war in Ukraine seen as favoring Moscow, nearly four years after it invaded its neighbor. The 28-point blueprint to end the Kremlin’s aggression sparked alarm in Kyiv and European capitals, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky saying Friday that his country could face a stark choice between standing up for its sovereign rights and preserving the American support it needs. The US plan foresees Ukraine handing over territory to Russia, something Kyiv has repeatedly ruled out, while reducing the size of its army and blocking its coveted path to NATO membership. It contains many of Moscow’s long-standing demands, while offering limited security guarantees to Kyiv. European countries see their own future at stake in Ukraine’s fight to beat back Russia, and have insisted on being consulted in peace efforts. On Saturday, they prepared to meet on the sidelines of a Group of 20 summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, in a show of support to Kyiv.
Europeans warn against rushing a peace deal
“Time and again, Russia pretends to be serious about peace, but their actions never live up to their words,” UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer told reporters ahead of the G20 summit, days after a Russian strike on western Ukraine killed over two dozen civilians. European leaders have long accused Russia of stalling diplomatic efforts in the hope of overwhelming Ukraine’s much smaller forces on the battlefield. Kyiv has repeatedly accepted US ceasefire proposals this year, while Moscow has held out for more favorable terms. Starmer added that the Europeans want to work closely with Washington and Kyiv to secure “a just and lasting peace.”Top European Union officials, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and EU Council President António Costa, first announced the planned talks after their call with Zelensky on Friday. Earlier that day, von der Leyen said a key principle for Kyiv’s European allies was “nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine.”German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul also warned against rushing a peace agreement. Speaking on Friday night on German television, Wadephul said lasting peace can only be achieved if Kyiv preserves its sovereignty, and if new security guarantees are in place “for Ukraine and all of us.” Zelensky defiant as Ukraine remembers Soviet-era famine
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky struck a defiant note on Saturday as the country commemorated the “great famine” that Soviet leader Josef Stalin imposed on Ukraine in the early 1930s, which led to millions of deaths. “We all know how and why millions of our people died, starved to death, and millions were never born. And we are once again defending ourselves against Russia, which has not changed and is once again bringing death,” Zelensky said in a post on Telegram marking Holodomor Memorial Day. “We defended, defend, and will always defend Ukraine. Because only here is our home. And in our home, Russia will definitely not be the master,” Zelensky added.
Drones hit Russian refinery
A nighttime Ukrainian drone strike hit a fuel refinery in southern Russia, killing two people and injuring two more, a local official said. The attack on the Samara region in the latest of Kyiv’s long-range strikes against Russian oil infrastructure, which it says fuels the Kremlin’s war in Ukraine. Regional Gov. Vyacheslav Fedorishchev did not immediately name the site that was targeted or detail any damage. There was no immediate comment from Ukraine.Russian air defenses overnight shot down 69 Ukrainian drones over Russia and occupied Crimea, including 15 flying over the province of Samara, according to the Defense Ministry in Moscow. The nighttime strikes forced at least five Russian airports to temporarily halt or restrict operations, and cut off power to some 3,000 households in the southern city of Rylsk, according to Russian officials.

Hundreds protest in Tunisia over president’s escalating crackdown on freedoms
AP/November 22, 2025
TUNIS: Tunisians took to the streets of downtown Tunis on Saturday over what they described as President Kais Saied ‘s increasingly authoritarian rule and demanding the release of all jailed political prisoners. The rally, held under the banner “Against Injustice,” brought together families of political detainees and activists from different ideological backgrounds. The demonstration drew more than 1,000 protesters, some dressed in black and chanting anti-regime slogans, including “The people want to overthrow the regime,” “What a great country! Oppression and tyranny!” and “No fear no terror, the street belongs to the people.” The protest came as part of a broader surge in protests nationwide over political and economic turmoil under Saied’s rule. On Thursday, Tunisian journalists protested against the widening crackdown on the freedom of the press and the temporary suspension of several prominent civil society organizations. Protesters also called out Saied’s interference in the judiciary and accused him of using the police to target political opponents. Ayoub Amara, one of the organizers, told reporters on Saturday that the protest aimed to highlight the plight of those held in Tunisian prisons for their political opinions. He said it also touched on other broader grievances, including environmental protests convulsing the phosphate-producing city of Gabes and arbitrary arrests under anti-terrorism laws. “All the progress of the past 14 years has been overturned,” Amara said. ” Tunisia is big enough for all Tunisians, and no single person can rule it according to his whims.” Monia Brahim, the wife of jailed opposition figure Abdelhamid Jlassi, said she joined the march because she believes “many Tunisians are facing deep injustice.” “I came to defend my rights as a citizen,” she told The Associated Press. “Political prisoners know for a fact that they are in prison to pay the price for their principles, their constitutional right for civil and political activism, and are being held hostage by the regime established today in Tunisia.” Among those detained, some are currently on hunger strike including constitutional law professor Jawher Ben Mbarek who has been striking for over 20 days. Several rights groups have raised increasing alarm over the growing scale of repression in Tunisia. Human Rights Watch has said that over 50 people, including politicians, lawyers, journalists and activists, have been subjected to arbitrary arrest or prosecution since late 2022, for exercising their rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly or political activity. The rights group also warned that broad anti-terrorism and cybercrime laws were being utilized to criminalize dissent and tame all forms of free speech. Saied, who suspended parliament and consolidated all branches of power in July 2021, said his actions were necessary to root out corruption, eliminate “traitors” and restore state institutions.

Turkish MPs to visit jailed PKK leader Ocalan to further disarmament process
Reuters/November 22, 2025
ANKARA: Turkish lawmakers overseeing the disarmament of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) militant group decided on Friday to pay their first visit to its jailed leader Abdullah Ocalan, a parliamentary statement said. The move, whose timing is not yet known, comes after a surprise call for such a visit from President Tayyip Erdogan’s ultra-nationalist ally Devlet Bahceli. For his part, Erdogan has indicated he may be open to having Ocalan address lawmakers. In a major breakthrough last May, the PKK — designated a terrorist organization by the United States, European Union and Turkiye — announced it would disarm and disband after a call to end its armed struggle from Ocalan. In July, the PKK symbolically burned weapons and last month announced it was withdrawing fighters from Turkiye as part of the disarmament process. It called on Ankara to take steps to let its members participate in “democratic politics.”In a statement after a session on Friday, parliament said the lawmakers’ commission overseeing the disarmament process had voted with a three-fifths majority to carry out the visit to Ocalan in his island prison. It did not say when the visit would happen but that parties taking part should submit names of participants by Saturday. The pro-Kurdish DEM Party, which has played a key role in facilitating PKK disarmament, said the visit would be a “historic step” in support of lasting peace. “There is a leader (Ocalan) who, with a single call, has made his organization lay down arms. It is not possible for this process to progress and deepen without listening to Ocalan,” DEM lawmaker Gulistan Kocyigit said during commission debates. The nationalist MHP party, one of Erdogan’s allies, said Ocalan has been the primary interlocutor in the phased process so the parliamentary commission needed direct contact with him. Reuters has reported that Turkiye is preparing a law to let thousands of PKK fighters and civilians return home from hideouts in northern Iraq under the negotiations, but the terms of reconciliation have been sensitive. Ankara has been wary of offering a wide amnesty for what it considers the past crimes of a terrorist organization. Ocalan has been held in near-total isolation on Imrali island since his arrest in 1999, with only rare communication with the outside world. But DEM lawmakers have visited him there regularly as part of the disarmament process. The PKK’s four-decade-long insurgency – originally aimed at creating an independent state in Turkiye’s mainly Kurdish southeast – has killed more than 40,000 people, imposed a heavy economic burden and caused deep social and political divisions.

Iran seeks help with fire threatening UNESCO-listed forests
AFP/November 22, 2025
TEHRAN: Iran has requested foreign assistance in extinguishing a large fire that has ravaged UNESCO World Heritage-listed forests in the north of the country for several days, local media reported on Saturday. The Hyrcanian forests stretch for about 1,000 kilometers along the Iranian coast of the Caspian Sea and into neighboring Azerbaijan. UNESCO recognized the forests as a World Heritage Site in 2019, deeming them unique for both their age — between 25 and 50 million years old — and their varied biodiversity, as home to more than 3,200 species of plants. A fire that broke out in the area in early November and was initially quelled reignited on November 15, Iran’s official IRNA news agency reported. Mohammad Jafar Ghaempanah, deputy to Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian, wrote Friday on X that “faced with the impossibility of containing the fire,” Iran had “requested urgent assistance from friendly countries.” “Two specialized water bomber planes, a helicopter, and eight people will be dispatched from Turkiye,” Shina Ansari, head of the Iranian Environmental Protection Organization, said on Saturday. “If necessary, we will also seek assistance from Russia,” she added on state television. According to the Tasnim news agency, the fire was allegedly started by hunters in the rocky area of Elit in the province of Mazandaran, in northern Iran. The country is currently facing one of its most severe droughts since records began six decades ago. The director general of crisis management for Mazandaran province, Hossein Ali Mohammadi, described the operation to extinguish the fire as “one of the most complex in recent years.” UNESCO says on its website the Hyrcanian forests contain “a large number of rare and endemic tree species” and are home to “many relic and endangered plant species.” “Iranians are losing a natural heritage that is older than Persian civilization,” Kaveh Madani, a UN scientist and former Iranian environmental official, wrote on X.

Families of Yemeni aid workers detained by Houthi rebels despair for their fate
AP/November 22, 2025
CAIRO: Ahmed Al-Yamani’s family went from joy of celebrating his daughter’s wedding to terror the next day, when masked troops stormed into their home in Sanaa, Yemen’s capital held by the country’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels, and arrested him. The family didn’t hear from him for months. His only crime, they suspect, was having worked for local humanitarian groups. Al-Yamani is among dozens of Yemeni workers with aid groups, United Nations agencies and nongovernmental organizations who have been detained since last year by the Houthis in the rebel-held northern part of the country. The crackdown has seen homes and offices raided, families terrorized and smartphones, laptops and documents confiscated. Though some UN staffers have been released, most aid workers have been held for months without official charges or trials. The rebels say they are spies for the West and Israel, claims their families deny.
Family’s home raided
The Houthis burst into Al-Yamani’s home on June 6, 2024, as his family was sleeping and grabbed the 52-year-old. They pointed their guns at his family members, including his younger son Abdelrahman. They thrashed the home and confiscated all their documents, as well as the deed to the house, Al-Yamani’s elder son said. During the search, Al-Yamani’s wife and mother were guarded by five female Houthi personnel in a separate room. “They left the house with my father in an armored vehicle and took his car,” Khaled Al-Yemeni, 28, the elder son, told The Associated Press over the phone from France, where he now lives. Al-Yemeni spells the name differently from the rest of his family. The raids, which started at the end of May 2024, saw dozens of aid workers arrested, according to a report by Human Rights Watch. For months, their families were not informed of their whereabouts and they had no contact with them, amounting to enforced disappearances, the report says.
Arrests take a toll
Dr. Ali Mudhwahi, 56 and a public health consultant with UNICEF, was also arrested in June 2024. The Houthis raided his office, interrogated him and his colleagues for hours, then blindfolded and took him away. Eight months later, he called his family for the first time, his wife Safiah Mohammed said. To this day, she and the couple’s 12-year-old daughter do not know where he is held. Since that first call, Mohammed — who was not in Yemen when her husband was arrested — said there have been phone calls once every month or two, lasting only a few minutes. “In the last three calls, his voice sounded exhausted,” Mohammed said over the phone. “I can sense he’s not okay.”A doctor from Sanaa told the AP that his brother, who worked with UNESCO, was arrested last year and a cousin, also a staffer for another UN agency, was arrested in September. The Houthis had summoned the cousin for questioning several times before. One day, he did not come back, said the doctor, who also lives abroad and who spoke on condition of anonymity, fearing for his relatives’ safety. As for his brother, the doctor said the family is now allowed to call him every few months but not for more than 10 minutes. Families have become ‘ghosts of people’ Since Al-Yamani’s arrest, the family has seen him once, on Aug. 16. They received instructions from the Houthis to show up at a meeting spot and were driven by bus with blacked-out windows to an unknown location. Once the bus stopped, Al-Yamani was brought in and his wife, mother and son Abdelrahman were able to talk to him for a short while. According to the family, he appeared gaunt and had lost a lot of weight, said Khaled Al-Yemeni, adding that he has spoken with his father three times since his arrest. The pain of the families over their loved ones’ detentions has left many of them feeling numb.“We’re ghosts of people,” the Sanaa doctor said. Mohammed said she tells her daughter her father is away on “work missions,” something the child remembers from earlier days. “They took the head of my family. They took our sole provider,” she said. “I’m trying to hide my pain from my daughter but ... I’m worried.”
Military campaign causes more concern
The families became even more terrified when the United States and Israel launched an air and naval campaign against the Houthis in response to the rebels’ missile and drone attacks on Israel and on ships in the Red Sea. The Houthis said their actions were in solidarity with the Palestinians over the war in Gaza.
As Israeli strikes hit residential areas, Houthi military sites and prison facilities in Sanaa and the port of Hodeida, they worried whether their loved ones were held in any of those places. According to Hazam Assad of the Houthis’ political bureau, those detained, including workers with international groups and nonprofits, are involved in espionage and providing coordinates and information to Israel about possible targets. They “were in possession of advanced spying devices and eavesdropping equipment for intercepting calls and identifying locations,” Assad told the AP, adding that the cases would be referred to judicial authorities in time.UN deputy spokesman Farhan Haq denounced the arrests and said accusations against UN staffers are “baseless and extremely distressing.” “Our staff are impartial humanitarian and development professionals,” Haq said. In October, the Houthis released a dozen UN international staffers after detaining them in Sanaa the previous weekend, according to the world body, which said the 12 then left Yemen. However, 59 Yemenis working for the UN are still detained, as well as many other NGO and civil society personnel from various diplomatic missions.
Disappointed with the United Nations
Al-Yamani’s last job was in March 2022, with the nonprofit Direct Aid Society that has offices both in the Houthi-held north and in southern Yemen, where the internationally recognized government is based. Khaled Al-Yemeni says he has reached out to all his father’s past employers, as well as UN offices in Yemen, but was told they have to prioritize the release of their own, current employees. Yemen has been torn by a civil war since 2014, when the Houthis captured Sanaa and most of the country’s north, forcing out the government. The war, which has stalled over the past years, has killed more than 150,000 people, both fighters and civilians, and created one of the world’s worst humanitarian disasters. The UN is actively engaging with the Houthis to secure the “immediate and unconditional release and safe return of all detained,” Haq said. “We fully share the families’ goal,” Haq said. “We stand with them in their frustration and anxiety.”Al-Yemeni and Mohammed say they regularly post about the detained to draw attention to their cases. But in his posts calling for action, Al-Yemeni says he is careful to appeal for sympathy from the Houthis, rather than say something that could provoke them.

The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources on November 22-23/2025
Iran Is Building a Missile Empire, the World Looks Away
Majid Rafizadeh/Gatestone Institute./November 22, 2025
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/11/149454/
While global focus has shifted to other crises, Iran has rapidly and aggressively been accelerating its ballistic missile production at the speed of light.
If the West is serious about stopping Iran's missile expansion, dismantling these missile networks must be part of the strategy. Every intercepted shipment delays Tehran's ambitions and weakens its ability to radiate threats.
The US should have let Israel keep on going when it wanted to, after the Trump administration took out three of Iran's nuclear plants: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu knows what he is doing.
Iran must not be allowed to grow stronger, more dangerous, and more emboldened. The stakes are global, affecting every nation that depends on a secure free world.
While global focus has shifted to other crises, Iran has rapidly and aggressively been accelerating its ballistic missile production at the speed of light.
Little attention is being paid to Iran in the aftermath of the 12‑Day War, but the threat it now poses is growing significantly. While global focus has shifted to other crises, Iran has rapidly and aggressively been accelerating its ballistic missile production at the speed of light. The Iranian regime is proudly announcing its manufacture of vast quantities of missiles, expanding assembly lines, and is openly boasting about its growing arsenal. Iran is not concealing these developments; it is bragging about them. The regime, despite a crippling drought, appears to feel emboldened, empowered, and determined.
"Iran's missile power today far surpasses that of the 12‑Day War," Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi recently declared. His remarks were reinforced by Defense Minister Brig. Gen. Aziz Nasirzadeh, who claimed that the defense industry has not only recovered from wartime strain but has grown dramatically. "Iran's defense production has improved both in quantity and quality compared to before the 12‑day Israeli-imposed war in June," he stated, insisting that new missiles are now rolling off production lines faster than ever. The government seems to believe it has momentum—and appears eager to show it.Some politicians and analysts may dismiss these proclamations as Iran just wishing to intimidate adversaries, prevent attacks and maintain regional influence. The reality, however, is that Iran's missile production is most likely meant to wage war again, either directly or through its proxies. The regime has a documented record of firing its missiles at U.S. military bases, at targets in Iraq, at striking Israel, and launching missiles into Qatar. Iran has also provided ballistic missiles to militant groups such as the Houthis in Yemen and has also been supplying missile and drone technology to Russia for use against Ukraine. Iran's proxies have launched missiles at civilian airports, commercial vessels, cities, and infrastructure across the region. Anyone who interprets this build‑up as "defensive" is ignoring decades of evidence to the contrary.
Iran is additionally boasting that its missiles can hit U.S. cities, European capitals, and targets throughout the Middle East. Iranian officials continue to emphasize their desire to wipe out Israel. Iran seems to view missile development as the backbone of its strategy to compensate for conventional military weaknesses. What if Iran should load just one of these missiles with a nuclear warhead? The window to constrain Iran's capabilities may be rapidly closing. The US should have let Israel keep on going when it wanted to, after the Trump administration took out three of Iran's nuclear plants: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu knows what he is doing.
The West would be wise to put a credible military option back on the table: let Iran know that continued missile expansion, threats, and proliferation will again provoke a direct and forceful response. This would entail strategically identifying and facilities involved in the development, assembly, testing, and distribution of ballistic missiles.
The second step should involve comprehensive, relentless sanctions. Any individual, corporation, foreign bank, or government entity involved in facilitating Iran's ballistic missile program might be sanctioned without delay. Also included should be suppliers of raw materials, transportation networks, front companies, and financial institutions that help Iran circumvent restrictions. The sanctions need to be enforced with penalties severe enough to deter others from assisting Iran and include freezing overseas assets, banning access to global banking systems, and imposing full trade restrictions on any company or country that aids Iran's missile program.
Perhaps the most important economic pressure point is cutting off or severely restricting Iran's oil sales to cripple its ability to sustain rapid missile production. This means applying intense diplomatic pressure on Iran's major purchasers to halt imports. Every barrel of Iranian oil sold directly funds missile components, weapons shipments to proxies, drone fleets, and destabilizing operations across the region. Iran's missiles do not remain confined within the country's borders. They are distributed to militant organizations that operate far from Iran's territory, extending Tehran's reach. If the West is serious about stopping Iran's missile expansion, dismantling these missile networks must be part of the strategy. Every intercepted shipment delays Tehran's ambitions and weakens its ability to radiate threats.
Iran's missile arsenal was already large before the 12‑Day War, but it is now significantly bigger, more sophisticated, and growing at an unprecedented speed. The regime's confidence and aggression are rising in parallel with its production capacity. It is important to act before Iran's missiles reshape the geopolitical landscape in ways that could be difficult to reverse. Stopping this expansion requires combining a credible military option with severe sanctions, cutting off the regime's oil revenue, and targeting every node of its proliferation network. Iran must not be allowed to grow stronger, more dangerous, and more emboldened. The stakes are global, affecting every nation that depends on a secure free world.
*Dr. Majid Rafizadeh, is a political scientist, Harvard-educated analyst, and board member of Harvard International Review. He has authored several books on the US foreign policy. He can be reached at dr.rafizadeh@post.harvard.edu
*Follow Majid Rafizadeh on X (formerly Twitter)
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/22066/iran-missile-empire
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How Gaza trauma could linger in Palestinian DNA long after the bombing stops
Khaled Al Khawaldeh/Arab News/November 22, 2025
DUBAI: Surveying the landscape of Gaza after two years of Israeli bombardment, it is clear the damage inflicted on the Palestinian enclave will take decades to repair. The wounds sustained by civilians, both mental and physical, will likewise last a lifetime.
However, new research suggests the scars of the conflict may be felt by generations who have not even been born yet, with the effects of trauma shaping the very DNA of Gazans themselves, leaving a genetic footprint on the Palestinian people. According to a paper by an international team of researchers titled “Epigenetic signatures of intergenerational exposure to violence in three generations of Syrian refugees,” trauma can edit our genome, altering how our bodies adapt to our environment. “We know usually that epigenetic signatures are erased every generation,” Rana Dajani, professor of genetics and molecular biology at the Hashemite University of Jordan, who participated in the research, told Arab News. “But what we found is that 14 sites of the genome were altered as a result of a grandmother’s exposure to violence had been passed through to her grandchildren, who themselves were not exposed to violence at all.”
Caption
Epigenetics works like a light switch for genes, with DNA working like a big instruction manual. If we imagine each gene as a light bulb, epigenetics does not change the light bulbs but instead controls which ones are turned on or off.
Even if a child has not been exposed to conflict, Dajani says signatures of the violence can continue to linger in their genetic code from past generations, impacting the way their bodies react to their environment — or which genes are switched on and off based on various stimuli. This means that the grandchildren of someone who has experienced conflict may be at risk of developing the same vulnerabilities as someone who has directly suffered trauma in their lifetime. “We have not been able to tie those to any particular health outcomes, but we already know from other research that anybody exposed to trauma in the past can demonstrate some outcomes, whether it’s mental health or cardiovascular or diabetes or even cancer. “These kinds of results help us to really understand what the impact of the genocide in Gaza could be.”The war in Gaza was triggered by the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on southern Israel, which killed 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and saw 251 taken hostage. The resulting Israeli assault on Gaza has killed at least 67,000 people, according to local health officials. Israel’s embargo on humanitarian assistance entering Gaza led to famine conditions in several areas of the enclave. The alleged use of starvation was a weapon of war prompted multiple accusations of genocide — claims that Israel vehemently denies. A fragile ceasefire came into effect on Oct. 10, allowing humanitarian aid to flood into the territory. However, violence has continued to flare, infrastructure lies in ruins, and at least 90 percent of the population remains displaced. Connie Mulligan, a professor in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Florida who worked with Dajani on the research, said both physical and psychological trauma could result in epigenetic signatures. Mulligan says the impact may differ depending on the type of trauma, but these differences have yet to be explicitly mapped. Although her research focuses primarily on psychological stress, she believes physical stressors are also likely to have an impact. She said the “startling” discovery that epigenetic changes were able to carry generationally was important to reshaping conversations around recovery and rehabilitation. She hopes this would mark the start of a new understanding of trauma. “Psychosocial stress sometimes gets dismissed — it’s just stress, just get over it. But what we are increasingly finding with all this research is that you can’t just get over it,” she said. “Now we’ve got individuals who didn’t even experience it but still have a molecular signature of the event, and the question is how can they get over it? Because it’s something in there. It’s something in their epigenome.
“If we could better understand that, maybe we could better help people.”
The epigenetic clock is a way of estimating a person’s biological age by looking at specific chemical changes in their DNA, rather than just counting the years since birth. It works like a biological stopwatch that ticks based on how the body is aging at the cellular level — influenced by someone’s environment, lifestyle, including their general health, as well as stress levels. The research also found that trauma caused a significant increase in “epigenetic ageing” in fetuses, which had “profound” health impacts on children. “The women who were pregnant themselves who were directly exposed to the trauma did not have accelerated aging. Neither did their grandchildren. However, the child born to that mother did,” said Dajani. “To us, this speaks to the sensitivity of the fetus in the uterus, the prenatal stage, when the fetus is actively dividing, and they are very sensitive to what the mother is exposed to. “Now, think of the impact of that on future generations? Because if you consider the thousands of women pregnant in Gaza during the last two years, what does that mean for that generation born of mothers who experienced it all?”
Caption
A separate study identified another notable impact that trauma in conflict appears to be having on child development.Syrian children displaced to Lebanon who had lived experience of trauma appeared to be suffering stunted or slowed rates of biological aging. “What we found is that the biological age of the children that experienced war was a little bit delayed compared to their chronological age,” Michael Pluess, a professor of developmental psychology at the UK’s University of Surrey, told Arab News.
“This is not where we expected to find. You would expect to find that the aging would have been accelerated, which is what we usually find in adults. If they experience stress, they age more quickly than their chronological age, which basically means it’s a decline in cognitive ability. “But for children who are still developing, it seems to stunt that development and delay it.”Pluess says more research is needed to fully establish the correlation, but said it appears that changes in genomes are more sensitive during developmental stages. Given that Gaza has such a young population, the impact of the war could be profound.
With researchers continuing to learn more about the human genome, Mulligan says she remains optimistic that epigenetic changes brought on by trauma in conflict can be undone. “If they can change because of a bad exposure, it makes sense that they could change because of a good or corrective exposure,” she said. “We just need to figure out what those corrective interventions might be.”For Dajani, the solution to such a complex issue lies in human traditions rather than the laboratory. “We have survived as a species for three reasons, not just because we’re smart — it’s because we have agency,” she said. “We can adapt and resist. It’s because we are social and can depend on each other. And it’s because we have faith.”She rejected many of the well-intentioned scientific solutions posited by Western aid agencies to help solve issues that she instead believes require communal and spiritual answers. “The sterilization of the international community and science has denied us this trait which allowed us to survive as a species,” she said. Solutions developed for Gaza going forward should be based on responses that are organic to the people of Gaza, that do not treat them as victims, but instead allow them to begin to heal in a way that is natural and sovereign to them.

Sabotaging ties with America
Mamdouh AlMuhaini/English Al Arabiya/November 22/2025
The historic visit of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to Washington marked a new chapter in the relationship between the Kingdom and the US. Those seeking to sabotage this long-standing relationship and strategic alliance are not pleased.
It would be a mistake to feel targeted or imagine there is a conspiracy, but it is necessary to think with a cool and steady mind. The actors trying to damage the relationship are well known, and they have stated goals. None of this is a secret – the real mistake is that some people get swept up by the propaganda and narratives these groups push.
Terrorist groups have long worked hard to sabotage this relationship. Osama bin Laden, for example, tried to rupture that relationship by orchestrating a horrific attack involving Saudi participants. But he was not alone; the attacks that struck Europe were also designed to spark religious hatred and poison this relationship. It was a clear strategy that ultimately failed in its malicious goal.
Extremist groups also try to undermine the relationship through constant propaganda. After the events of September 11, 2001, certain extremist groups in the West presented themselves as the “proper” alternative – the true face of “democratic Islam” in contrast to “rigid Islam.” Of course, this is false. These activist-based groups are the very source of violent movements, yet in the West they pretend to be liberal. They put on fake smiles, wear neat ties, and control centers and associations with glittering facades. Their goal is not religious – it is political.
And when Saudi Arabia carried out major reforms in religious discourse in recent years, strengthening moderation and centrism, how did these groups respond? Did they support these steps? Of course not – instead they did the opposite. Most extremists migrated from the East to the West after Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states prevented them from spreading hate speech.
Sectarian parties, like Hezbollah, also work to sabotage relations between Riyadh and Washington. They are the ones spreading propaganda about “subservience,” “submission,” and “dependency.” These are repeated lies. Saudi Arabia has been a strategic ally of the United States for 90 years – just like America’s allies in Europe and Asia. Their interests and objectives align within an international system that is politically stable and economically open. But Saudi Arabia did not align with the Soviet Union at the time because it opposed communism politically, culturally, and economically. International alliances are normal in the global system, yet these groups twist them into accusations of “obedience and surrender” to tarnish the relationship and undermine its legitimacy.
Left-wing parties also try to sabotage the relationship. They still live in a Cold War mindset filled with the language of imperialism and colonialism. They have not woken up from that old coma. Colonialism ended more than half a century ago. China, once fully communist, has become the world’s largest capitalist pole after the United States. The conflict between them is not ideological – it revolves around semiconductors and artificial intelligence. These groups – in all their forms – flood the public sphere with such narratives. Fortunately for Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states, they focused on the economy and development instead of brainwashing their populations with these misleading messages. And of course, some voices internally continue to spread this narrative and work to provoke unrest. They amplify this discourse by using the Palestinian cause, which is a just humanitarian issue, but has been turned into a machine for accusation and political blackmail. The question now is: what is the purpose of sabotaging this relationship? Why the constant effort to drag Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states into confrontation with America and the West? We recall that after Qatar was struck by an Israeli attack, propaganda machines worked overtime to push Doha into cutting ties with Washington – but the opposite happened, and it proved to be a smart strategic move. Today, as President Trump announced, Saudi Arabia is the largest major non-NATO ally.
The answer is clear: There is no conspiracy or secret plotting. The goal of sabotaging the relationship is to weaken these states by weakening their alliances with the world’s most powerful country. These forces want to expand their dominance in the Middle East and turn it into a sphere of their influence – politically, a region where states are weak and militias are strong; economically, a region isolated from capitalism and free trade; and culturally, a region saturated with sectarian and hateful rhetoric, where black and yellow flags rise instead of investment and innovation forums.
And none of this can be achieved except by damaging strategic relations with America and other industrially and technologically advanced nations. After that, these same groups express outrage whenever these relationships deepen and grow stronger.

As Riyadh and Washington renew their vows, a ‘happily ever after’ Middle East might be on the horizon
Faisal J. Abbas/Arab News/November 22, 2025
As predicted in this column previously, the recently concluded visit of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to Washington not only reset the tone of the Saudi-US relationship, but also redefined it. Exactly 80 years after the historic meeting between President Franklin D. Roosevelt and King Abdulaziz aboard the USS Quincy, the two nations have once again charted a bold new course for the future.
What unfolded in the US capital was more than just a diplomatic spectacle, though the F-35 flyover greeting the crown prince certainly made for a powerful image. It was the formal launch of a new era, one built on mutual respect, shared interests, and a clear-eyed understanding of the region’s evolving dynamics.
At the heart of this transformation lies a realization — one that came early to President Donald Trump and somewhat belatedly to his predecessor Joe Biden — that with Saudi Arabia’s help, the Middle East may no longer be a region defined solely by conflict but, instead, one of opportunity, innovation, and ambition. And the engine driving this change is none other than the man Trump described repeatedly as “a great friend” and “the future king of Saudi Arabia.”
So, what changed? Much like the adage that “when America sneezes, the world catches a cold,” Washington has come to understand that “when Saudi Arabia leads, the Arab and Muslim worlds follow.” Vision 2030, by design, is an outward-facing program. It depends on global partnerships, particularly with the US, to deliver the goods, services, and knowledge transfer needed to secure borders, extract critical minerals, and build the cities of the future.
That is why scant attention was given to the cynics who claim that $1 trillion of investment pledged during the Washington visit was effectively Saudi Arabia buying its way into US decision-making. Of course, that amount — whether it materializes fully, partially, or even if transactions exceed it — is in no way a gift to the Trump administration. Instead it is intended to buy F-35s, tanks, the latest technology in artificial intelligence, and US expertise in nuclear energy, mining and other industries — provided, of course, that the US approves the sales, and delivers on its part.
On the American side, we have a president with nothing to lose and everything to gain. Trump, the entrepreneur and dealmaker, recognizes this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity in Saudi Arabia, and does not want American companies and industry to miss the chance, as it has done in the past. He realizes that if the US does not move, Riyadh will have to procure its needs from other suppliers. What unfolded in the US capital was more than just a diplomatic spectacle. It was the formal launch of a new era.
But Vision 2030 is not only about Saudi Arabia, and its implications are more than just economical. For foreign direct investment, as well as tourists, to head to the Kingdom for Expo 2030 or the 2034 World Cup, the region must be safe, stable, and prosperous. That prosperity will inevitably spill over to neighbors, creating a ripple effect of development and peace. For his part, Trump is clearly seeking a legacy as a peacemaker. Having built trust and mutual respect with the Saudi leadership during his first term, he now recognizes that Riyadh’s intentions are sincere — and that the Kingdom can deliver win-win outcomes.This was evident in Saudi Arabia’s mediation efforts between Russia and Ukraine, its lobbying for the lifting of sanctions on Syria following the collapse of the Assad regime, and its push to end the suffering in Sudan. These initiatives are not just in Riyadh's interest, but in Washington’s as well. And the Kingdom stands ready to support any effort that brings the region closer to peace and prosperity.
In that context, it was striking to hear Trump, sitting beside the crown prince in the White House, express his willingness to engage with Iran. He also revealed plans to meet Syrian President Ahmad Al-Sharaa and extended an invitation to Lebanese President Joseph Aoun shortly after the visit. These are not just diplomatic gestures; they are signals of a broader strategy to stabilize the region through dialogue and inclusion.
And what of Israel? Once again, the crown prince made it clear: Saudi Arabia has no objection to joining the Abraham Accords — provided Israel does its part by recognizing a Palestinian state and correcting a historic injustice. This is not a new position, but it is one gaining renewed urgency in light of recent events and the hard-line stance of the current Israeli government. Is this all theoretical? Perhaps. But there is only one way to find out. Let us hypothetically assume that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu were to commit to an irreversible five-year roadmap toward a viable Palestinian state, with President Trump as guarantor. What would be the global reaction to that? I cannot see anything but a resounding welcome for the initiative. But would he take that risk, given the extremist coalition he leads? I doubt it. Yet he must understand that continued provocation of Palestinians and his Arab neighbors can only hinder the region’s chance at a “happily ever after.”Is this a utopia? Maybe. But Netanyahu now faces a choice: Does he want Israeli citizens and future generations to live in peace and be fully integrated into the region — or remain trapped in a cycle of perpetual conflict? The choice, ultimately, is his.
--Faisal J. Abbas is the Editor-in-Chief of Arab News. X: @FaisalJAbbas

Libya’s unseen war: a brutal battle for cash, contracts, influence
Hafed Al-Ghwell/Arab News/November 22, 2025
In Libya, the language of state-building is often just a dialect of theft. While political leaders publicly champion sovereignty and institutional reform, their private battles are waged over control of money flows, government contracts, and the influence these bring. This unseen war has hollowed out the state, creating a system where public institutions function as private treasuries for armed factions and their political sponsors. The recent power struggles in western Libya are the logical outcome of an operating model where corruption is not a side effect but the central purpose of governance.
Under the Government of National Unity in western Libya, this model was perfected. The real governance occurred not in ministerial meetings but through shadowy networks where security figures placed loyalists across ministries and state-owned companies. For years, Abdulghani Al-Kikli, known as Ghneiwa, was a titan of this system. As head of the Security Support Apparatus, he installed allies in key offices to manipulate payrolls, secure kickbacks, and launder money. His power was built on turning public agencies into instruments of personal enrichment.
But in a system with finite spoils, every alliance has an expiration date. Ghneiwa’s growing dominance alarmed his partners. In May 2025, a coalition led by the 444th Brigade lured Ghneiwa to his death and dismantled his militia. The operation was framed as a move to strengthen state control. In reality, it was a hostile takeover, a violent reshuffling of the deck that changed the players but not the game. Into the power vacuum stepped Deputy Defense Minister Abdulsalam Al-Zoubi, a former ally of Ghneiwa. Al-Zoubi’s rise exemplifies the fluid loyalties of Libyan politics, where partnership is fleeting and power is permanent. He quickly absorbed much of Ghneiwa’s network, establishing himself as the new face of western Libyan security. His primary source of influence was control over the Administrative Control Authority and, crucially, the Contracts Review Office. This office is the nexus of the system; it approves every major government contract, allowing its controller to demand bribes for approval, block rivals, and push through lucrative deals for allies. Al-Zoubi and Ghneiwa had previously exploited this office with impunity. One brazen example involved the General Electricity Company of Libya. They approved a contract to import electricity meters at a grossly inflated price, pocketing the difference. In another scheme, they authorized the illegal export of scrap metal to Turkiye through a company owned by Al-Zoubi’s brother. This was not governance; it was a heist administered by a government office.
The linchpin of accountability, however, proved to be Audit Bureau chief Khalid Shakshak. He successfully challenged the law that handed the Contracts Review Office to Al-Zoubi’s authority, with Libya’s Supreme Court eventually ruling the move unconstitutional. This judicial decision was a direct blow to Al-Zoubi’s revenue stream, cutting him off from the lifeblood of his power.
The current stalemate is, therefore, highly volatile.
Libya is a nation where the fight to build a state is lost to the endless, unseen war over who gets to loot it. Al-Zoubi is unlikely to accept this loss passively. Any attempt by him to forcibly retake control of the Contracts Review Office from Shakshak could easily trigger another round of street fighting in Tripoli. Furthermore, in this environment, today’s allies are tomorrow’s rivals. Just as Al-Zoubi betrayed Ghneiwa, his own partners may soon see him as the next obstacle to their ambitions. This self-cannibalizing cycle in the west is mirrored by a more consolidated kleptocracy in the east. Khalifa Haftar and his sons have transformed their territorial control into an economic empire with no oversight. Their dominance is built on similar pillars: commandeering public budgets and orchestrating illicit revenue streams. A primary example is the massive fuel-smuggling scheme orchestrated by Saddam Haftar. By exploiting Libya’s bloated fuel subsidy program, his network siphons off billions of dollars annually, selling subsidized diesel on the black market and depriving the state of crucial hard currency. This starves the national economy and fuels inflation, hurting ordinary Libyans. To date, the Haftars have industrialized corruption, using their armed dominance to coordinate smuggling routes by land and sea, with the proceeds strengthening their grip on power and even fueling conflicts in neighboring countries such as Sudan.
The international community often misreads this chaos.
Figures like Al-Zoubi are frequently treated as stabilizers and reliable partners. World powers, including the US, France, and Turkey, engage with them as bridges between east and west or as bulwarks against terrorism. This engagement is a fatal miscalculation. It mistakes a temporary strongman for a foundation of stability. By granting these figures legitimacy and diplomatic cover, the international community removes any incentive for reform. It rewards the very behavior that perpetuates the crisis. The recent illegal detention of Mohammed Mensli, head of Libya’s Asset Recovery and Management Office, is a case in point. Just as Mensli was on the verge of recovering billions in stolen state assets, he was arrested and held without trial. His imprisonment is widely seen as an effort by corrupt networks to seize control of those assets or silence a threat. The muted response from many international capitals in the face of such acts speaks volumes.
Libya is thus trapped in a feedback loop of predation.
The western system constantly collapses in on itself as rivals battle for a larger share of a shrinking pie. The eastern system feigns as a disciplined criminal enterprise, extracting wealth with brutal efficiency. Both models are sustained by foreign powers that prioritize short-term security cooperation or commercial contracts over genuine stability. The pattern is not new, but its consequences are becoming harder to ignore. Libya keeps recycling the same elites, each claiming to secure the state while fighting over the same revenue streams. The system collapses not from lack of capacity but from the way capacity is intentionally repurposed. Every office becomes a prize. Every alliance has an expiry date. Every attempt at reform becomes a redistribution of rents dressed as governance. Until this calculus changes, Libya will remain a country consumed by its leaders, a nation where the fight to build a state is lost to the endless, unseen war over who gets to loot it. Libya’s instability is, therefore, not driven by ideology, foreign actors, or structural weakness alone. It is driven by a competition for money, contracts, and influence that has replaced the state itself — leaving the country to continue feeding on its own institutions, as the ruling elites mistake the pursuit of personal gain for political strategy.
**Hafed Al-Ghwell is a senior fellow and executive director of the North Africa Initiative at the Foreign Policy Institute of the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies in Washington, DC. X: @HafedAlGhwell

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