English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For  November 27/2025
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
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Bible Quotations For today
If you abide in my word, you will truly be my disciples and know the truth, and the truth will make you free.
John 08/31038/Then said Jesus to those Jews who believed in Him, If you abide in my word, you will truly be my disciples and know the truth, and the truth will make you free. They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s seed, and were never in bondage to any man. How sayest thou, ‘Ye shall be made free’?” Jesus answered them, “Verily, verily I say unto you, whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.  And the servant abideth not in the house for ever, but the Son abideth ever. If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. I know that ye are Abraham’s seed, but ye seek to kill Me, because My Word hath no place in you. I speak that which I have seen with My Father, and ye do that which ye have seen with your father.”

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on November 26-27/2025
These so-called sovereigns are hypocrites, counterfeit, and drowning in the mud of dhimmitude/Elias Bejjani/November 26, 2025
The Road to Jerusalem That Hezbollah Has Never Known/Elias Bejjani/November 24, 2024
Link to a video and text of an open letter in several languages ​​to His Holiness Pope Leo XIV from Ambassador Antonio Andari regarding the reconsideration of the case of Father Mansour Labaky
Video Link to an Interview with Dr. Charles Chartouni from "Transparency Youtube Platform
Video Link to a very important, patriotic and informative interview with Dr. Charles Charouni from the JNS TV/ Hezbollah’s Chapter Must be closed and a peace treaty signed with Israel
Trump says Lebanon 'at crossroad', lauds govt 'courage'
Israeli defense minister gives year end ultimatum to Hezbollah
Israeli army fortifying positions in south Lebanon
UN Security Council to visit Lebanon, Syria next week
A year on, Lebanon ceasefire looks 'shakier than ever'
Ortagus to visit Lebanon after pope's trip
Iran official says Hezbollah ‘more essential than bread and water,’ angering Lebanon
Khamenei adviser: Hezbollah more necessary than water and bread to Lebanon
Reports: Abdelatty warns of new Israeli war, politician says 'attack' almost certain
Lebanon mum seeks justice after Israel raid kills family in Bint Jbeil
Lebanon, Cyprus ink sea border deal, Nicosia says it sends 'strong message'
Drones overhead and probable strikes nearby: Pope visits Lebanon despite everything
Adwan criticizes Salam, Berri over expat draft law procrastination
Al-Rahi lauds Aoun and Haykal, says Israel occupation hindering disarmament plan
Pope Leo says Dahieh strike 'serious cause for concern'
One year into Israel ceasefire, children in Lebanon remain in grave danger, UNICEF says
Saudi-Lebanese coordination thwarts major drug smuggling attempt
Lebanese Living Abroad Seek Hope as They Return for Pope Visit
Lebanon Mum Seeks Justice After Israel Raid Kills Family

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on November 26-27/2025
Trump administration orders 500 more National Guard troops to DC after shooting of soldiers
Israel returns 15 Palestinian bodies to Gaza as mediators discuss truce in Cairo
Winter rains in Gaza bring new misery for Palestinians
Israeli army launches new operation in West Bank
What to know about the 2 hostages whose remains are still in Gaza
Israel turns to new AI system to monitor social media accounts of army soldiers: Report
UK ban on pro-Palestine group branded ‘authoritarian’ as appeal begins
Blast at arms depot kills five in northwest Syria
Saudi Crown Prince rejects Trump’s push for normalization with Israel: Report
Kremlin says leak of Witkoff call a bid to hinder Ukraine talks, confirms his Moscow visit
US peace plan gain momentum as Witkoff meets Putin next week
Ukraine peace plan needs analysis, was not discussed in Abu Dhabi, Kremlin says
How Nigeria is handling the kidnappings, security crisis

Titles For The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources on November 26-27/2025
Designating Muslim Brother as terrorist organization serves interests of Muslims/Mamdouh AlMuhaini/Al Arabiya English/26 November/2025
The relentless war over public opinion/Zaid AlKami/Al Arabiya English/26 November/2025
Syria back on its feet: A nation taking its first steps toward recovery/Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Al Arabiya English/26 November/2025
The Parties of Falling to the Abyss and the Parties of Rising to … Hell/Hazem Saghieh/Asharq Al Awsat/November 25/2025
From Grandfather to Grandson: An Unwavering Commitment to Arabs and Palestine/Turki al-Faisal/Asharq Al Awsat/November 25/2025
Who Shapes U.S. Policy in the Middle East?/Pierre A. Maroun/Face Book/November 26/2025
Delist Alibaba — And All Other China Companies/Gordon G. Chang/Gatestone Institute/November 26/2025

The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on November 26-27/2025
These so-called sovereigns are hypocrites, counterfeit, and drowning in the mud of dhimmitude.
Elias Bejjani/November 26, 2025
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/11/149579/
A deceitful and counterfeit sovereign and independentist: any Lebanese, in any position or title, who claims with dhimmitude and humiliation that Hezbollah is a resistance movement, that it liberated the South, that it is part of the Lebanese fabric, that it represents its environment in Parliament, that its dead are in the rank of our righteous national martyrs, and that the South Lebanon Army was an agent rather than a symbol of patriotism and dignity.

The Road to Jerusalem That Hezbollah Has Never Known
Elias Bejjani – November 24, 2024
In reality, and despite all the empty bravado of Iran’s terrorist armed proxy in Lebanon, Israel has effectively turned it into a funeral-home company specializing in delusional obituaries about a “road to Jerusalem” it has never known.

Link to a video and text of an open letter in several languages ​​to His Holiness Pope Leo XIV from Ambassador Antonio Andari regarding the reconsideration of the case of Father Mansour Labaky
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/11/149593/
November 26/2025

Video Link to an Interview with Dr. Charles Chartouni from "Transparency Youtube Platform
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/11/149605/
Headline Summary: Hizbullah is Responsible for all Assassinations and Adraee’s Post is a message to the judiciary/A Sharp Message to the Minister of Justice and Criticism of the Kataeb and Lebanese Forces Parties/The Army, its Commander, and Aoun are Complicit with Hizbullah, and Salam is in a Coma/Aoun will not be invited to Washington Before Committing to Direct Negotiations with Israel.
Interview Summary from Transparency Youtube Platform
November 26, 2025
"Chartouni Blasts Joseph Aoun and Nawaf Salam: Yes, the Army is Complicit with Hizbullah!"
Has the Lebanese state truly fallen in "The Days of Disasters" for the benefit of Hizbullah?
From Washington, writer and political activist Dr. Charles Chartouni, who is banned from returning to Lebanon, reveals the most dangerous files of political and security corruption governing the country, considering that the Lebanese Army and its commander (Joseph Aoun) are complicit in the process of dismantling the sovereign state.
In a fiery analytical dialogue, journalist Patricia Samaha sheds light on the most dangerous security and political developments in Lebanon, from the assassination of Hizbullah military commander, Haitham Tabtabai, to the cancellation of the Army Commander's visit to Washington.
Dr. Chartouni reveals why there is no longer neutrality in state institutions and why the Shiites are paying the price for the policies of the "Iranian regime." Was the cancellation of the US visit a message of vindication or a message of condemnation for the conduct of the current administration? Chartouni also raises burning questions for the Minister of Justice regarding the file of political trials and the politicization of the judiciary.
The Internal Danger: Revealing the real accomplice in the Lebanese state who facilitates the infiltration of weapons and money into the heart of the Dahiyeh (Southern Suburb).
Justice and Freedom: Why has the Minister of Justice not opened the file of political trials, exemplified by Chartouni's case, and the file of senior politicians' assassinations?
Washington's Message: Is the American condemnation of the Lebanese military leadership a prelude to "drying up the sources of funding" for Hizbullah?
The Iranian "Unity of Fronts" Scenario: How is Hizbullah threatening civil peace and regional stability from Lebanese territory?
Detailed Interview Timeline
00:00:00 Introduction: Hizbullah's Military Commander and the Southern Suburb: The End of Neutralizing the Capital.
00:00:59 My Security and Judicial File: Why am I banned from returning to my homeland? (Chartouni).
00:01:31 Politicization of the Judiciary: Where is the state on the port explosion file and the assassination of politicians?
00:02:40 Responding to Israeli Condemnation: How does Lebanon view Avichay Adraee's post?
00:03:55 Series of Assassinations: Is Hizbullah openly adopting political murder?
00:05:10 Cancellation of the Army Commander's Visit: The inside story of the US position directed against Aoun.
00:08:10 Army-People-Resistance: Chartouni rejects the Army's adoption of Hizbullah's narrative.
00:10:50 Yes, I will deal with Joseph Aoun as a de facto power! (Decisive statement).
00:13:30 The President's Speech and the "Hypocrite's" Tactic: Chartouni on Mikati and Bishara.
00:16:15 Direct Negotiation with Israel: Was this the only condition for Aoun's visit to Washington?
00:19:10 $1 Billion for the Party: How is Hizbullah arming itself despite the siege? (Conclusive evidence).
00:21:50 Assassination of Tabtabai (Chief of Staff): The beginning of a new destructive phase.
00:27:00 The Syrian and Shiite Response: Is the Iranian regime investing in the blood of the Lebanese?
00:30:15 The End of "Abbasid Aggression": When must the Shiites stop the madness?

Video Link to a very important, patriotic and informative interview with Dr. Charles Charouni from the JNS TV/ Hezbollah’s Chapter Must be closed and a peace treaty signed with Israel
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/11/149609/
November 26/2025
Under Surveillance: Hezbollah Is Trying To TAKE OUT This Lebanese Leader For Supporting Israel
A Lebanese professor risked everything – his job, his safety, even his life, to say what no one else in his country would: Peace with Israel is the only way forward. In this interview, Charles Chartouni unpacks how Hezbollah’s stranglehold, Iran’s infiltration and decades of ideological brainwashing have destroyed Lebanon from within. After surviving an assassination attempt and fleeing by boat to Cyprus, he’s now exposing the real reason Lebanon is trapped in endless war and why the “resistance” narrative is a lie. If you want the unfiltered truth about Lebanon, Hezbollah and the toxic victimhood culture infecting the Middle East and Western academia alike, this is the episode you can’t afford to miss.
CHAPTERS
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/11/149609/
00:00 – Charles Chartouni: From peace advocate to exile
03:40 – Why he fled Lebanon: death threats, Hezbollah, and fear
07:25 – The real reason Lebanon never moves forward
10:50 – Peace with Israel: the only realistic future
15:00 – Can Lebanon’s government break free from Hezbollah?
19:30 – The IDF strike in Beirut changes everything
23:20 – Iranian funding and Hezbollah rebuilding in secret
27:15 – Lebanon’s military is infiltrated from within
31:00 – Iran’s regional strategy: destabilization through militancy
35:45 – Chartouni: “Enough of the victimhood. It’s time for peace.”

Trump says Lebanon 'at crossroad', lauds govt 'courage'
Naharnet/26 November/2025
U.S. President Donald Trump has said that Lebanon is at a crossroad and has now a chance to draw a path to prosperity and stability. In a letter sent to President Joseph Aoun, on the occasion of Lebanon's Independence Day, Trump said he hopes to "deepen the U.S. partnership" with Lebanon. "Lebanon is at a historic crossroad, with an opportunity to draw a path toward greater stability and economic prosperity for Lebanon and its people," Trump said in the letter, as he lauded "the brave decisions" taken by the Lebanese government, probably referring to the government's decision to disarm Hezbollah under U.S. pressure.

Israeli defense minister gives year end ultimatum to Hezbollah
Agence France Presse/26 November/2025
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz on Wednesday warned there would be "no calm" in Lebanon if Israel's security was not guaranteed, as Israeli forces intensify operations despite a year-old ceasefire with Hezbollah. "We will not allow any threats against the inhabitants of the north, and maximum enforcement will continue and even intensify," Katz told the Israeli parliament. "As we proved a few days ago with the elimination -- there will be no calm in Beirut, nor order and stability in Lebanon, until the security of the State of Israel is guaranteed," he added, referring to the killing of a top Hezbollah military chief in an Israeli strike on Beirut's southern suburbs days earlier. "Hezbollah: we will disarm them," he added. Katz also said that Israel does not believe that Hezbollah will voluntarily give up its arms, noting that Washington has given the group a year-end deadline. “If Hezbollah does not give up its weapons by the year’s end, we will work forcefully again in Lebanon,” Katz warned. As for the maritime border agreement with Lebanon, Katz said: “We are studying our stance over the sea border agreement with Lebanon, which includes points of weakness and problems.” Israel has repeatedly bombed Lebanon despite the truce, usually saying it is targeting Hezbollah members and infrastructure to stop the group from rearming. According to the ceasefire agreement, Hezbollah was to pull its forces north of the Litani River, some 30 kilometers (20 miles) north of the border with Israel and have its military infrastructure there dismantled. Under a government-approved plan, the Lebanese Army is to dismantle Hezbollah military infrastructure south of the river by the end of the year, before tackling the rest of the country.The Lebanese military has said it is carrying out its plan to disarm the group, but the U.S. and Israel have accused Lebanese authorities of stalling the process.

Israeli army fortifying positions in south Lebanon
Agence France Presse/26 November/2025
One year after a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, the Israeli army still maintains five positions in south Lebanon, with fortifications and widened access routes, according to satellite images analyzed by AFP. The November 27, 2024 truce, which sought to end more than a year of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, required Israel to fully withdraw troops from Lebanon within 60 days. Hezbollah was to pull its forces north of the Litani River, some 30 kilometers from the Israeli border, and its military infrastructure in the area was to be dismantled. Israel has kept troops in five positions that it deems strategic, saying it wants to ensure Hezbollah does not carry out any military activities in south Lebanon. AFP was able to pinpoint these bases through satellite images from Planet Labs PBC. Located on ridges across the Blue Line -- the de facto border -- these positions allow the Israeli army to control a series of Lebanese border villages, a move it considers key to protecting nearby Israeli communities. The positions offer a direct view of the towns and villages of Kfar Kila, Aita al-Shaab, Maroun al-Ras, Aitaroun, Blida, Markaba and Houla -- among the most destroyed by Israeli strikes and ground operations. Satellite images show that all buildings near the Hatzivoni military outpost, between Houla and Markaba, have been destroyed. Surrounded by fortifications including those made of earthen embankments, the positions of approximately one to two hectares (around 2.5 to five acres) in size are usually made up of a larger section housing temporary buildings and a smaller part generally for military vehicles. The westernmost outpost in Labbouneh appears to have been built around 150 meters (500 feet) from a United Nations peacekeepers base and the Blue Line. The easternmost base, on the Hamames hill, is the deepest position in Lebanese territory, located around 1.5 kilometers (almost one mile) from the border. Satellite images also show that the access roads to these positions have been significantly widened to facilitate vehicle movement. As in the Gaza Strip, the Israeli army has carried out the systematic demolition of buildings and infrastructure in villages closest to the border, an area that was also heavily bombed. According to a comparison of satellite images by American researchers Corey Scher and Jamon Van Den Hoek from the University of Oregon, last updated in late January, the village of Kfar Kila had been 65 percent destroyed, with Aita al-Shaab and Yarin at 57 percent and 55 percent destroyed respectively.

UN Security Council to visit Lebanon, Syria next week
Agence France Presse/26 November/2025
The U.N. Security Council will visit Syria and Lebanon next week, the Slovenian mission said Tuesday, as it looks to chair the council starting in December. The ambassadors for 15 member states are set to visit Damascus on December 4, a few days before the first anniversary of the ouster of Syria's longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad. The diplomats are expected to meet new authorities there, including President Ahmed al-Sharaa, the mission told reporters. As the United Nations works to reestablish itself in Syria, the Security Council recently lifted sanctions against al-Sharaa, a former jihadist, calling on him to effect an inclusive transition. Security Council officials will then travel to Beirut on December 5, heading south the next day to meet peacekeepers with the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), which is set to leave the country by the end of 2027 after serving as a buffer between Lebanon and Israel since 1978. The visit comes as 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.

A year on, Lebanon ceasefire looks 'shakier than ever'
Associated Press/26 November/2025
By Asher Kaufman, Professor of History and Peace Studies, University of Notre Dame
An already troubled ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon is looking shakier than ever. Since the truce was announced on Nov. 27, 2024, there have been more than 10,000 Israeli air and ground violations inside Lebanese territory, according to the latest report from UNIFIL, the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Lebanon. And in the run-up to the ceasefire's first anniversary, a spate of Israeli strikes over its northern border saw the assassination of Hezbollah's top military commander and a deadly attack on a Palestinian refugee camp. Israel argues that all its military attacks in Lebanon target Hezbollah's efforts to rearm and rehabilitate itself. And a flurry of reports from Israel suggest the Israeli military is getting ready to "finish the job" against Hezbollah. From my perspective as a historian focusing on Israeli-Lebanese relations, the ceasefire and Israel's emergence as the regional military hegemon has not translated into stability and constructive change in the Middle East, not even for Israel. In fact, the shaky agreement is a testament that without diplomacy and a long-term stabilizing accord, military power alone will not suffice.
What's in a ceasefire
The ceasefire ostensibly brought an end to the latest war between Israel and Hezbollah. After entering the conflict that followed Hamas' attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, Hezbollah saw its leadership and military capabilities debilitated by Israel, setting off a ripple effect that has helped reshape the Middle East. Just as an empowered Hezbollah managed for decades to influence Middle East politics, its sudden loss of strength had a similar effect in reverse – contributing to regime change in Syria and Israel's war on Iran in June. The November 2024 ceasefire agreement stipulated that, along with the cessation of fighting, Lebanon would remove all nonstate military forces and assets, starting in the south, between the Litani River and the border with Israel. The Lebanese army and other state security branches would remain the sole armed forces in the country. In exchange, Israel was meant to gradually withdraw from the areas it occupied in southern Lebanon within 60 days. The agreement also stipulated that the United States would broker indirect negotiations between Israel and Lebanon to achieve an internationally recognized delineation of their land border. A year later, none of these objectives has been achieved. Israel continues to occupy five border posts inside Lebanon and conducts daily raids into the country. In some of these attacks, which Israel says are focused on Hezbollah and allied groups, UNIFIL forces have been hit or come under fire.
An opening for the Lebanese state?
The formation of a new Lebanese government in February 2025 opened a new political window. It was the first Lebanese government since 2008 in which Hezbollah did not possess veto power over its actions. Many in Lebanon saw this as a once-in-a-generation opportunity for the state to regain its sovereign capacities, including through the disarmament of Hezbollah. By doing so, it was hoped the country could achieve stability and begin the process of an economic recovery badly needed following its October 2019 financial meltdown. Yet disarming Hezbollah has proved to be extremely challenging. Hezbollah was – and arguably still is – the most powerful military force in Lebanon. Its military might had enabled it not only to establish a perceived balance of deterrence with Israel, but to position itself as a critical player in Lebanese politics. Willingly giving up its arms to the Lebanese state would be tantamount to fundamentally transforming its "resistance" identity and relinquishing political power to other Lebanese parties and sectarian forces. Carrying out the disarmament of Hezbollah in line with the ceasefire is theoretically a job for the Lebanese army. But since its foundation in 1945, the army has mainly operated as a symbol of the country's sovereignty rather than as practical defender – even in times of acute crises such as the civil war from 1975 to 1990. The army does not have the military capacity, political clout or will to force Hezbollah to give up its arms. If it tried coercively, it would likely lead to armed resistance that might spiral into a new civil war. Some reporting has even suggested that elements in the army have been helping Hezbollah in its rehabilitation efforts.
The US puts its thumb on the scale
Consistent with the long – and dubious – history of U.S. support for the Lebanese state via security cooperation and the Trump administration's general view of ceasefire as a tool for restricting Hezbollah, American officials have insisted that the Lebanese army should disarm Hezbollah. When the Lebanese army's chief of staff recently criticized Israel for violating Lebanon's sovereignty, he was criticized by Trump administration officials for not addressing Hezbollah's violations of the country's sovereignty and later had his scheduled Nov. 25 trip to the U.S. canceled. Meanwhile, despite Iran's own weakened position, Trump officials say it still managed to funnel US$1 billion to Hezbollah in the past year. This could give Hezbollah a lifeline at a time when the rest of the country is begging, unsuccessfully, for foreign aid.
The risk of renewed war
These dynamics put Israel and Hezbollah on a risky path of continued friction. After its 2006 war against Israel, Hezbollah built a perceived balance of deterrence that, until Oct. 7, 2023, Israel had accepted as a fait accompli. But the massacre on that day transformed Israeli security doctrine to zero tolerance toward security risks. The possibility of renewed conflict in Lebanon is also tied to Israel's domestic politics. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu remains unpopular. He was roundly accused of prolonging the war in Gaza to deflect from his own legal problems and his government's deficiencies. And that remains a distinct possibility when it comes to Lebanon, too.Resolving existing border disputes between the two countries, as stipulated in the ceasefire agreement, would be significant. Since 2000, such disputes have been used by Hezbollah as an excuse to continue its armed struggle against Israel. And in general, the lack of defined Lebanese borders with both Syria and Israel has been a constant source of conflict. But so far, any diplomatic efforts have failed to materialize over ongoing deep mistrust and, despite the ceasefire, active conflict. As of now, there are only dim prospects for that to change, absent unlikely U.S. pressure. On the Israeli side, any border agreement that would entail ceding territory to Lebanon is politically untenable, and the current right-wing government is showing little interest in diplomacy. For Lebanon, the weakness of the central government in the face of Hezbollah's still-significant power, along with Israel's ongoing military actions, makes practical negotiations exceedingly difficult.
The same old sordid tune?
Instead, what appears to be unfolding is a return to the vicious cycle that has characterized Israel-Lebanon relations since the late 1960s: Hezbollah and other nonstate actors in Lebanon respond to Israeli military incursions, only to be met with further Israeli retaliation. That, in turn, further weakens the Lebanese state – yet Lebanese state capacity remains the only way to break the vicious cycle. The key for calm in Lebanon may be again in the hands of the U.S. administration, with the support of an extended regional coalition, perhaps even by including Iran in the deal. So far, most American diplomacy in the Lebanon-Israel context has been to pressure Beirut. Avoiding renewed war on the Israel-Lebanon front may require U.S. coercive diplomacy, where the pressure is more equally distributed on each party. At the end of the day, only a strong and stable Lebanon, where the state is the sole holder of arms and in charge of foreign policy, can move us past the current cycle. Israeli military pressure will not get us far in this direction. It must come mainly through an internal Lebanese political process. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article here: https://theconversation.com/a-year-on-the-israeli-lebanese-ceasefire-looks-increasingly-fragile-could-a-return-to-cyclical-violence-come-next-270423.

Ortagus to visit Lebanon after pope's trip
Naharnet/26 November/2025
Lebanese officials have been informed that U.S. envoy Morgan Ortagus will visit Lebanon on the day that follows Pope Leo’s trip to Lebanon, MTV and al-Akhbar newspaper have reported. Informed officials sources meanwhile told the al-Joumhouria daily that Ortagus might be coming to take part in the Mechanism committee’s next meeting, ruling out any meetings for her with senior political officials. “She has not requested any appointments” with political leaders, “at least until the moment,” the sources added.

Iran official says Hezbollah ‘more essential than bread and water,’ angering Lebanon
Yaghoub Fazeli - Al Arabiya English/26 November/2025
The existence of Iran-backed Hezbollah is “more essential than bread and water for Lebanon,” a senior advisor to Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said in an interview published on Wednesday, prompting sharp criticism from Beirut. Given Israel’s “desire to kill and plunder other lands today, Hezbollah’s existence is more essential than bread and water for Lebanon,” Ali Akbar Velayati told Iran’s state-linked Tasnim news agency. He said Israel’s “repeated violations of the ceasefire and attacks on Lebanon” have demonstrated “what the consequences of Hezbollah’s disarmament would be” for Lebanon. Iran has strongly opposed Lebanon’s government plan to disarm Hezbollah, a stance Beirut previously denounced as a “flagrant and unacceptable interference.” In August, Velayati described the disarmament proposal as capitulation to “the will of the United States and Israel.”In his latest remarks, Velayati claimed Hezbollah has “repeatedly supported and saved the Lebanese people and put Israel in its place,” and said Tehran would continue backing Hezbollah and the wider “resistance front,” a network of Iran-backed armed groups across the Middle East.
Lebanon responds
The comments drew swift condemnation in Lebanon.
Addressing his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi, Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Raggi wrote on X: “I genuinely wanted to believe your assertion that Iran does not interfere in Lebanon’s internal affairs, until your supreme leader’s advisor appeared to enlighten us on what matters in Lebanon and warned us of the consequences of disarming Hezbollah. “Let me clarify the following: what is more important to us than water and bread is our sovereignty, our freedom, and the independence of our internal decision-making, free from ideological slogans and transnational regional agendas that have devastated our country and continue to drag us further into ruin. ”Samir Geagea, the country’s leading Christian politician, said Iran had no right to involve itself in Lebanese affairs. “Mr. Khamenei and his esteemed advisor, if you both cared about the affairs of the Iranians and their sufferings, that would have been better for all of us,” Geagea wrote on X. “Lebanon is an independent state with its own constitution, governed by a Lebanese authority elected popularly and democratically, and you have no right to interfere in its affairs.”Hezbollah has been significantly weakened by its latest confrontation with Israel and by the fall of Bashar al-Assad in Syria, a key ally of Tehran and the group. With its influence eroding, Lebanon’s new government has moved to further constrain the organization. On Sunday, Israel killed Hezbollah’s military chief, Haytham Ali Tabtabai, in a strike on a southern suburb of Beirut. He is the most senior Hezbollah commander to be killed by Israel since the start of the November 2024 ceasefire, which was aimed at ending more than a year of hostilities. Israel has continued to strike inside Lebanon since the truce, saying it is targeting Hezbollah fighters and military sites. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) condemned Tabtabai’s killing on Monday, vowing a “crushing response.”

Khamenei adviser: Hezbollah more necessary than water and bread to Lebanon
Naharnet/26 November/2025
Ali Akbar Velayati, an adviser to Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said Wednesday that “Hezbollah’s presence has become more necessary to Lebanon than water and bread.”“Hezbollah has been a rescuer of the Lebanese people,” the adviser suggested. “Iran has supported and will continue to support Hezbollah and Israel’s attacks show the disastrous results of any Hezbollah disarmament,” Velayati added. “Hezbollah’s presence is an indispensable necessity to Lebanon,” the adviser stressed.

Reports: Abdelatty warns of new Israeli war, politician says 'attack' almost certain
Associated Press/26 November/2025
Visiting Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty warned during an overnight dinner of a new Israeli war on Lebanon, MTV reported on Wednesday. Abdelatty said that such a war will not be limited to aerial strikes, the TV network added. A Lebanese political source meanwhile told Al-Arabiya that Egypt’s foreign minister warned of an aerial and ground Israeli military action. “The possible Israeli attack has become almost certain,” the source said. “The only solution is through Hezbollah’s submission to the government’s decisions, not threats,” the source added. Abdelatty said Wednesday that his country was working to de-escalate heightened tensions between Hezbollah and Israel. "We fear any escalation and we fear for the security and stability of Lebanon," Abdelatty said, after meeting President Joseph Aoun in Baabda. "We are making an intensive effort to spare Lebanon any risks or any aggressive tendencies against its security and safety," he added. Israel has repeatedly bombed Lebanon despite the truce, usually saying it is targeting Hezbollah members and infrastructure to stop the group from rearming. According to the ceasefire agreement, Hezbollah was to pull its forces north of the Litani River, some 30 kilometers (20 miles) north of the border with Israel and have its military infrastructure there dismantled. nder a government-approved plan, the Lebanese Army is to dismantle Hezbollah military infrastructure south of the river by the end of the year, before tackling the rest of the country. The Lebanese military has said it is carrying out its plan to disarm the group, but the U.S. and Israel have accused Lebanese authorities of stalling the process.

Lebanon mum seeks justice after Israel raid kills family in Bint Jbeil
Agence France Presse/26 November/2025
In one afternoon, Amani Bazzi went from being a doting mother-of-four to a widow grieving three young children. An Israeli strike in south Lebanon killed them as the family was returning home after having lunch with her parents. "Our whole life was our kids. We did everything together," said Bazzi from the Beirut hospital where her eldest daughter Aseel, 13, is being treated for devastating head-to-toe wounds. "Why should they have been part of this horrific scene?" asked 33-year-old Bazzi. "Why did this happen to us?"Despite the enormous challenges they face to rebuild their shattered lives, both she and Aseel said they were determined to fight for accountability. "We will carry on until the end... to reach the international community" and global courts "to get justice for Chadi, Hadi, Cylan and Celine", Bazzi said. Aseel, her voice soft but her gaze firm despite her injuries, said: "When I get out (of hospital) and stand on my feet, the first thing I want to do is get justice for them. "They were wronged, they were innocent. This shouldn't have happened to them."A ceasefire that came into effect on November 27, 2024 was supposed to end more than a year of hostilities including two months of all-out war between Israel and Hezbollah. The violence erupted when the militant group launched cross-border fire at Israel over the Gaza war. However, despite the truce, Israel has kept up near daily strikes on Lebanon, usually saying it is targeting Hezbollah sites and operatives.
Stroller, tiny shoes
On September 21, Bazzi and her husband Chadi Charara, 46, who sold cars, were driving from her parents' house in Bint Jbeil, near the border with Israel. With them were Aseel, their daughter Celine, 10, and twin toddlers Hadi and Cylan -- a boy and a girl. They planned to visit her grandfather on their way home to the coastal city of Tyre, she said. "We weren't afraid because we aren't part of a political party," Bazzi said. Besides, they had become used to the sound of Israeli aircraft overhead. When the strike hit, they had stopped in the car to greet a passerby on a motorbike, a relative of her husband who was also killed. Some 340 people have been killed and almost 1,000 wounded in Lebanon since the ceasefire, according to health ministry figures. U.N. rights office spokesman Thameen Al-Kheetan said on Tuesday that the office had verified at least 127 of the dead were civilians. An AFP photographer saw the wreckage of the family vehicle, which Bazzi said contained items like the twins' stroller, tiny shoes they had just bought for Hadi, and food from her mother. The Israeli military said in a statement that the raid killed a Hezbollah operative, without naming him. It acknowledged that "as a result of the strike, several uninvolved civilians were killed", adding that it "regrets any harm to uninvolved individuals". It said the incident was under review.
'Mother in heaven'
At the funeral, crowds of mourners gathered around Bazzi and her family's coffins, two of them tiny. They were all draped in the colors of the Lebanese flag with its cedar tree -- unlike at funerals for Hezbollah members where coffins usually bear the group's yellow standard. Bazzi was herself badly wounded in the strike, and attended the funeral on a stretcher, her hospital armband visible on her wrist. Home videos show the bright-eyed twins, aged one year and seven months, laughing and playing together, or her daughter Celine singing. Celine was like a second mother to the twins, Bazzi said. "Now for sure she's their mother in heaven."U.N. special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, Morris Tidball-Binz, told AFP the attack that killed Bazzi's family "was a targeted killing of unarmed civilians". He said it violated the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and international humanitarian law. Tidball-Binz is an independent expert mandated by the U.N. Human Rights Council, but who does not speak on behalf of the United Nations. He said in a statement that Israel was bound to international human rights law and international humanitarian law obligations, "the violation of which amounts in this case to arbitrary killings... and a war crime". Bazzi said her family home in Tyre was destroyed last year when an Israeli raid on a nearby building sparked a blaze. "First we lost our home... then we lost our whole family," she said, wearing a jumper reading "Wish you were here" and a badge showing her husband and slain children.

Lebanon, Cyprus ink sea border deal, Nicosia says it sends 'strong message'
Associated Press/26 November/2025
Lebanon and Cyprus on Wednesday signed a treaty to demarcate their maritime border, with the Cypriot president calling it a “strategic achievement that sends a strong message.”The treaty ends an almost 20-year impasse that had stalled some oil and gas exploration in the Mediterranean Sea, as Europe seeks alternatives to Russian fuel. President Joseph Aoun and Cypriot counterpart Nikos Christodoulides signed the agreement at the Baabda presidential palace, finalizing an initial deal first inked in 2007. While Cyprus ratified the 2007 agreement, Lebanon didn't because of its maritime border dispute with Israel, as well as its internal political crises. Nicosia in 2012 offered to mediate to end the impasse, but a breakthrough didn't come until 2022, leading to a landmark agreement between Beirut and Tel Aviv, following U.S. mediation. Lebanon hopes offshore exploration could help it generate resources after years of crippling economic crisis. It is yet to reach a maritime border agreement with neighboring Syria, which suffers its own political upheaval after a lightning rebel offensive ousted long-term President Bashar Assad. Cyprus is set to make the best out of the deal as European countries aim to reduce reliance on importing gas from Russia, following its invasion of Ukraine. Christodoulides last week said that some of the estimated 20 trillion cubic feet of gas discovered off Cyprus could reach European markets as soon as 2027. The delay in finalizing the agreement has prevented Cyprus from widening its hydrocarbon search, as it could not explore in areas adjacent to Lebanese waters. “We are extending a clear and explicit invitation to complete this maritime understanding with anyone who wants to cooperate with us and bring welfare to our peoples. We believe this is the only way to abandon the language of violence, war, destruction and policies of domination and greed, which have cost our region and its people enormous prices,” said Aoun at a joint press conference after the signing. In turn, Christodoulides considered the signing of the maritime boundary demarcation agreement a strategic achievement, pointing out that "through it, we send a strong message that Cyprus and Lebanon, based on international law, continue to invest in strengthening trust, regional cooperation and stability.” “The agreement enhances the prospects for cooperation in the energy sector in the Middle East and for our region to be an alternative energy corridor to Europe," he said.
He added: "I welcome the dialogue we have initiated regarding the electricity interconnection between Cyprus and Lebanon, and we will approach the World Bank to prepare a relevant feasibility study. We recognize the challenges Lebanon is facing and welcome President Aoun's determination to lead Lebanon towards a clearly better new era. We look forward to the full implementation by all parties of the Security Council resolutions regarding UNIFIL, and a stable and strong Lebanon is fundamental to a peaceful and secure Middle East."

Drones overhead and probable strikes nearby: Pope visits Lebanon despite everything
Associated Press/26 November/2025
Pope Leo XIV is embarking on his first foreign trip, a pilgrimage to Turkey and Lebanon that would be delicate under any circumstances but is even more fraught given Mideast tensions and the media glare that will document history's first American pope on the road.
Leo is fulfilling a trip Pope Francis planned to make, to mark an important anniversary with the Orthodox church in Turkey. In Lebanon, he'll try to boost a long-suffering Christian community as well as Lebanese of all faiths who are still demanding justice over the 2020 Beirut port blast. Leo, who spent 12 years as superior of his Augustinian religious order and two decades as a missionary in Peru, says he loves to travel. And in recent weeks, he has shown both diplomatic and linguistic dexterity in answering questions on the fly from reporters. The trip is being covered closely by U.S. media, with all major U.S. networks — ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox as well as CNN and the BBC — inside Leo's travelling pool, following his speeches, homilies and prayers at a crucial moment in negotiations to end Russia's war in Ukraine and maintain a cease-fire in Gaza. Vatican correspondents plus Lebanese and Turkish media round out the papal press corps of about 80 journalists, with an ample waitlist of reporters who applied to be on the papal plane but were denied a seat because of limited space. "Anytime the pope travels, it's a big deal," said Natalia Imperatori-Lee, associate professor of theology at Fordham University in New York.
But an American pope on his first foreign trip is an even bigger deal, she said, especially in the saturated American media ecosystem where Leo has emerged as something of a foil to the Trump administration and its crackdown on immigrants. "He is still driving coverage here because of his engagement with one of the most important issues we're facing, which is migration," said Kim Daniels, director of the Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life at Georgetown University. Because of that, "I think this trip will drive attention again to the peripheries and to the vulnerable."Significantly, Leo plans to deliver all his remarks in Turkey in English, and English and French in Lebanon, casting aside the Italian lingua franca of the Vatican in favor of languages that are more widely understood. All eyes will be on Leo's in-flight press conference Dec. 2 returning to Rome. These encounters provided many of Francis' headline-grabbing quips during his 12-year papacy, starting with his first in 2013 when he famously said "Who am I to judge" about a purportedly gay priest. Leo has shown himself to be far more prudent and diplomatic than his predecessor. But "maybe he'll do something crazy like a 'Who am I to judge?'" said Imperatori-Lee.
An important moment in Catholic-Orthodox relations
The main impetus for traveling to Turkey, the first stop in the Nov. 27-Dec. 2 trip, is to mark the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, Christianity's first ecumenical council. Leo will pray with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, spiritual leader of the world's Orthodox Christians, at the site of the 325 AD gathering — today's Iznik — and sign a joint declaration in a visible sign of Christian unity. Eastern and Western churches were united until the Great Schism of 1054, a divide precipitated largely by disagreements over the primacy of the pope. "We all understand that 1,000 years of division has inflicted a deep wound that cannot be healed easily," Bartholomew told the respected Greek daily Kathimerini recently. "We have an obligation, however, to strive to heal that wound, mend the injuries, bridge the distances and restore unity."
A chance to speak about Mideast peace
The visit will also offer Leo several occasions to speak about regional tensions overall, Catholic-Muslim relations and Christians' dwindling presence in the Middle East. Clergy in the region say the Vatican's strong support for Palestinians in Gaza during Israel's war, first under Francis and now Leo, has bolstered the church's credibility among ordinary Muslims. "In a moment when many Western powers hesitated on the question of Gaza, Francis — and then Leo — was very strong. He didn't go to Gaza but everything he could have said it seems he said," said the Rev. Paolo Pugliese, superior of the Capuchin friars in Turkey. The regional conflicts have not abated, however: Israel fired an airstrike on Lebanon's capital on Sunday that killed Hezbollah's chief of staff and four others.
Security expected to be tight
The strike only reinforced security concerns that often accompany pope trips. But organizers insisted Leo would be safe. "It happened, but it doesn't affect the places or where the pope is going," said Bishop George Bacouni, archbishop of the Melkite Greek Catholic Archeparchy of Beirut. The Vatican said no extra security measures had been taken, though spokesman Matteo Bruni declined to say whether Leo's cars and popemobiles were bullet-proofed. Significantly, Leo will not visit Lebanon's south, battered by last year's war and the site of intensified Israeli strikes in recent weeks. Christians groups in southern Lebanon had lobbied for the pope to visit the area and circulated a new petition just this week. At most Leo might be bothered in Beirut by Israeli drones that fly overhead, organizers said.
A prayer at the port blast site
The highlight of the Lebanese visit comes on Leo's last day, Dec. 2, when he spends time in silent prayer at the site of the Aug. 4, 2020, Beirut port blast. The explosion tore through the Lebanese capital, killing at least 218 people, wounding more than 6,000 and devastating large swaths of Beirut. Sparked when hundreds of tons of ammonium nitrate detonated in a warehouse, the blast caused billions of dollars in damage. Lebanese citizens were enraged by the blast, which appeared to be the result of government negligence, coming on top of an economic crisis spurred by decades of corruption and financial crimes. But an investigation has repeatedly stalled, and five years on, no official has been convicted. There are hopes among Lebanese that Leo will demand accountability from Lebanon's political class, and insist that there can be no peace without truth and justice. Such an appeal "could shake up our various political leaders, because we continue to live under the pressure of a social crisis, an economic crisis, in a country where the various leaders hear neither the cry of the poor, nor the cry of the unfortunate, nor the cry of citizens," said Monsignor Cesar Essayan, apostolic vicar of Beirut for Latin rite Catholics. Another important moment will come when Leo meets with young Lebanese. He is expected to give them words of encouragement, amid the decades-long flight of Lebanese abroad, while also acknowledging their disillusionment over the failures of adults. "Many families feel that they are surviving the day by day with really very little visibility on the future," said Marielle Boutros, project coordinator in Lebanon for Aid to the Church in Need, the Catholic charity. "So this visit of His Holiness, it's not simply symbolic. It is a really concrete sign that Lebanon is not forgotten."

Adwan criticizes Salam, Berri over expat draft law procrastination
Naharnet/26 November/2025
Lebanese Forces MP Georges Adwan criticized Tuesday Prime Minister Nawaf Salam for taking ten days to sign an urgent draft law -- that allows a large Lebanese diaspora to vote for the 128 seats in the upcoming parliamentary elections -- and ten other days to send it to parliament. Earlier this month, cabinet approved to send the draft law demanding the amendment to Parliament, after Speaker Nabih Berri refused to discuss it in a legislative session, prompting the LF and Kataeb MPs to boycott it. In an interview published Tuesday in al-Joumhouria, Berri said "the elections will be held according to the current law." The current electoral law only allows expats to vote for six newly-introduced seats in parliament. Sixty-five MPs, including those of the LF and constituting a parliamentary majority, demanded to amend the law in order to allow expats to vote for all 128 seats. Berri refused to discuss the draft law in parliament. Hezbollah and Amal argue that they do not enjoy the same campaigning freedom that other parties enjoy abroad and are objecting against the possible amendment. Berri told al-Joumhouria that the electoral law is a constitution law and cannot be "urgently" amended. It needs a long debate and should be submitted to a parliamentary committee or joint committees, he said. Adwan demanded Berri to discuss the law in a plenary session, and said Berri is now responsible of any delay or obstruction of the elections, due in May 2026.
LF leader Samir Geagea said last week that Berri is scared of democracy and that's why he is refusing to discuss the law in parliament. "I am very scared..," Berri sarcastically responded.

Al-Rahi lauds Aoun and Haykal, says Israel occupation hindering disarmament plan
Naharnet/26 November/2025
Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi has said that Israel's occupation of five hills in south Lebanon is obstructing Hezbollah's disarmament, as he called for unity among Christians and for keeping Lebanon out from regional conflicts. In an interview Tuesday with al-Jadeed, al-Rahi praised President Joseph Aoun and Army chief Rodolphe Haykal. "Aoun is making diplomatic efforts and Haykal is doing a great job," he said, explaining that he is against pressuring the army to disarm Hezbollah by force. Al-Rahi urged the Lebanese to support Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and said Lebanon is not receiving help from the international community to disarm Hezbollah and end the Israeli occupation. "Can't the U.S. convince Israel to withdraw from the south," he rhetorically asked. "Lebanon must be neutral, and Iran shouldn't interfere through Hezbollah in domestic affairs. Hezbollah must hand over its weapons to the Lebanese army and the government alone should have the right to take the war and peace decisions." Al-Rahi also called for administrative decentralization in Lebanon and voiced his support for amending the electoral law that only allows the large Lebanese diaspora to vote for 6 new seats in the parliamentary elections instead of voting for the 128 MPs.

Pope Leo says Dahieh strike 'serious cause for concern'
Naharnet/26 November/2025
Pope Leo XIV told journalists Tuesday at Castel Gandolfo in Italy that he is "very happy to be able to visit Lebanon." Leo XIV said that Israel's strike on Beirut's southern suburb this weekend is a serious cause for concern, urging everyone to find ways to abandon the use of weapons as a means of solving problems. He called on all to respect one another, "to come together to respect one another, to sit down together at the table to dialogue and to work together for solutions for the problems that affect us." He urged Israel and Hezbollah "to look for justice because often times violence occurs as a result of injustices" so that all must "work together to look for greater unity, respect for all people and all religions."

One year into Israel ceasefire, children in Lebanon remain in grave danger, UNICEF says
Al Arabiya English/26 November/2025
Children in Lebanon continue to be exposed to violence and fear despite a ceasefire agreement reached with Israel last year, the UN’s children agency said on Wednesday. “Deadly attacks continue to threaten children in Lebanon. These tragedies add to a devastating toll: More than 13 children have been killed and 146 others injured since the ceasefire was announced one year ago,” UNICEF Lebanon representative Marcoluigi Corsi said in a statement citing figures by the Lebanese health ministry. “Across Lebanon, children continue to be exposed to violence and fear, even during a ceasefire. This is unacceptable. Every child has the right to grow up safe, protected, and free from harm,” Corsi said. The UNICEF statement comes on the eve of the first year of the ceasefire between Israel and Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah. The agreement came into effect on November 27, 2024 and was supposed to end more than a year of hostilities including two months of all-out war between Israel and Hezbollah. Israel, however, has continued to target members of the group with almost daily strikes. It also continues to occupy five points in southern Lebanon. Israel and the US have accused the Lebanese government of not doing enough to disarm Hezbollah. UNICEF urged all parties to respect the ceasefire and to take immediate action to end and prevent violations against children. “We further call on all actors with influence over the parties to use their leverage to enhance the protection of children,” Corsi said. “Children in Lebanon are still far from being safe. They need protection, psychological support, and an environment where their rights are guaranteed, not threatened.”

Saudi-Lebanese coordination thwarts major drug smuggling attempt
Tamara Abueish, Al Arabiya English/26 November/2025
Lebanon on Tuesday announced that its security forces, working in direct coordination with Saudi authorities, have foiled an attempt to smuggle a large quantity of narcotics into Lebanese territory. In a statement published on X, the Lebanese Internal Security Forces (ISF) said the operation reflects Beirut’s “unwavering commitment to confronting all smuggling attempts” and its refusal to allow Lebanese territory to be used as a transit point that could harm the country’s interests or its relations with “brotherly nations.”The interior ministry said the joint effort with Saudi Arabia was carried out under its anti-drug strategy. It praised “the existing security cooperation with the Ministry of Interior in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which led to thwarting an attempt to smuggle a quantity of drugs into Lebanon.”Lebanese Interior Minister Brig. Gen. Ahmed Hajjar told Al Arabiya that coordination between Lebanese security bodies and their Saudi counterparts is “continuous and close,” noting that the Kingdom played a “pivotal role” in facilitating direct cooperation between agencies.

Lebanese Living Abroad Seek Hope as They Return for Pope Visit
Asharq Al Awsat/November 25/2025
Rachelle Mazraani is traveling from Sydney to Beirut for Pope Leo XIV's visit this week, one of many Lebanese at home and abroad who hope the trip will revive their struggling country. After visiting Türkiye, Leo is to arrive in Lebanon on Sunday for a three-day trip that includes an open-air mass at Beirut's waterfront that organizers expect to draw 120,000 people. He will also hold a special meeting with those aged 16 to 35 in Bkirki, north of Beirut, where the patriarchate of Lebanon's Maronite Church is located. "As a young Lebanese woman living abroad, this visit represents a deep reassurance that Lebanon is not forgotten," the Australian-born Mazraani, 23, who works in sales and marketing, told AFP by telephone. She is among some 500 young people from church delegations from several countries who will attend the pope's youth meeting on Monday. Leo's visit "reminds us that Lebanon still has a mission in this region, a spiritual identity that cannot be erased by crisis or conflict", she said, adding that it urges "us not to lose faith in who we are or in what Lebanon can still become". The small Mediterranean country has faced waves of crisis and conflict that have driven people to emigrate, with millions of Lebanese or their descendants now living abroad. The number of Christians has plummeted, though no official figures are available as authorities have not held a recent census. The community plays an important political role in multi-confessional Lebanon, the only Arab country with a Christian head of state. Under the country's power-sharing system, the post of president is reserved for a Maronite Christian. Billboards showing Leo with the slogan "Blessed are the peacemakers" have sprouted across the country. It is a welcome message for a country still the target of regular Israeli strikes despite a November 2024 ceasefire that sought to end more than a year of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah.
But many fear a return to broader conflict.
"Lebanon has been suffering deeply, from ongoing crises to the most recent Israeli strikes, and our hearts are tired," Mazraani said. "While no single visit can solve everything overnight, I pray it inspires all of us... to come together to rebuild and to work for the Lebanon that we all dream of," she said. The pope is expected to emphasize interfaith dialogue and to call for peace during his visit to the Middle East, whose overall Christian community is diminishing. The Lebanon visit "carries enormous significance", said university student Gilbert Bakhos, 19, adding that it brings "unity and peace".
He said he had travelled from Nigeria to be part of the youth meeting, which he called a "historic moment". "I hope to hear a message that motivates our country" to improve things "so my parents and family and our people can return", he said, adding: "Nobody likes to live far from their country." Lebanon has declared a two-day official holiday to allow people to participate in Leo's public events. Some hotels are offering special deals, including discounts on bookings and transport to the mass. Leo is visiting "at a time when even the Lebanese are afraid to come", said Anthony Khadige, 33, a communications manager who was set to travel from Dubai. "We live in a world in which we have lost hope... All we see is killing and bombing and blood," he said, expressing optimism that the visit would "restore hope to people's hearts". The largest foreign delegation attending the youth meeting is from neighboring Syria, which has emerged from a nearly 14-year civil war after the December ouster of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad. Syria's Christian community has shrunk from around one million people before the war to fewer than 300,000 due to waves of displacement and emigration, experts say.
In Damascus, Father Makarios Qalouma from a Greek Catholic parish said he was keen for the visit to bring "hope and peace" to Lebanon and Syria. Syrian Christians' participation is an important message that "despite all the crises and difficulties that Syrian society has been through, and particularly the Christians... we are still here". A deadly suicide attack on a church in Damascus in June has further stoked fears among the country's minority community. Qalouma, who is heading a 300-strong delegation including some 190 young people, said Syrian Christians were "struggling and fighting through all these crises to stay in our country". Malik Jabra, head of a Catholic group, said the delegation sought support for a people "who have suffered greatly -- particularly Christians who are thinking of emigrating".

Lebanon Mum Seeks Justice After Israel Raid Kills Family
Asharq Al Awsat/November 25/2025
In one afternoon, Amani Bazzi went from being a doting mother-of-four to a widow grieving three young children. An Israeli strike in south Lebanon killed them as the family was returning home after having lunch with her parents. "Our whole life was our kids. We did everything together," said Bazzi from the Beirut hospital where her eldest daughter Aseel, 13, is being treated for devastating head-to-toe wounds. "Why should they have been part of this horrific scene?" asked 33-year-old Bazzi. "Why did this happen to us?"Despite the enormous challenges they face to rebuild their shattered lives, both she and Aseel said they were determined to fight for accountability. "We will carry on until the end... to reach the international community" and global courts "to get justice for Chadi, Hadi, Cylan and Celine", Bazzi said, AFP reported. Aseel, her voice soft but her gaze firm despite her injuries, said: "When I get out (of hospital) and stand on my feet, the first thing I want to do is get justice for them. "They were wronged, they were innocent. This shouldn't have happened to them."A ceasefire that came into effect on November 27, 2024 was supposed to end more than a year of hostilities including two months of all-out war between Israel and Hezbollah. The violence erupted when the militant group launched cross-border fire at Israel over the Gaza war. However, despite the truce, Israel has kept up near daily strikes on Lebanon, usually saying it is targeting Hezbollah sites and operatives. On September 21, Bazzi and her husband Chadi Charara, 46, who sold cars, were driving from her parents' house in Bint Jbeil, near the border with Israel. With them were Aseel, their daughter Celine, 10, and twin toddlers Hadi and Cylan -- a boy and a girl. They planned to visit her grandfather on their way home to the coastal city of Tyre, she said. "We weren't afraid because we aren't part of a political party," Bazzi said. Besides, they had become used to the sound of Israeli aircraft overhead. When the strike hit, they had stopped in the car to greet a passerby on a motorbike, a relative of her husband who was also killed. Some 340 people have been killed and almost 1,000 wounded in Lebanon since the ceasefire, according to health ministry figures. UN rights office spokesman Thameen Al-Kheetan said on Tuesday that the office had verified at least 127 of the dead were civilians. An AFP photographer saw the wreckage of the family vehicle, which Bazzi said contained items like the twins' stroller, tiny shoes they had just bought for Hadi, and food from her mother. The Israeli military said in a statement that the raid killed a Hezbollah operative, without naming him. It acknowledged that "as a result of the strike, several uninvolved civilians were killed", adding that it "regrets any harm to uninvolved individuals". It said the incident was under review. At the funeral, crowds of mourners gathered around Bazzi and her family's coffins, two of them tiny. They were all draped in the colors of the Lebanese flag with its cedar tree -- unlike at funerals for Hezbollah members where coffins usually bear the group's yellow standard. Bazzi was herself badly wounded in the strike, and attended the funeral on a stretcher, her hospital armband visible on her wrist.
Home videos show the bright-eyed twins, aged one year and seven months, laughing and playing together, or her daughter Celine singing.
Celine was like a second mother to the twins, Bazzi said. "Now for sure she's their mother in heaven."UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, Morris Tidball-Binz, told AFP the attack that killed Bazzi's family "was a targeted killing of unarmed civilians".He said it violated the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and international humanitarian law. Tidball-Binz is an independent expert mandated by the UN Human Rights Council, but who does not speak on behalf of the United Nations. He said in a statement that Israel was bound to international human rights law and international humanitarian law obligations, "the violation of which amounts in this case to arbitrary killings... and a war crime".Bazzi said her family home in Tyre was destroyed last year when an Israeli raid on a nearby building sparked a blaze."First we lost our home... then we lost our whole family," she said, wearing a jumper reading "Wish you were here" and a badge showing her husband and slain children.

The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on November 26-27/2025
Trump administration orders 500 more National Guard troops to DC after shooting of soldiers
ALANNA DURKIN RICHER and GARY FIELDS/AP/November 26/2025
WASHINGTON (AP) — Two West Virginia National Guard members who deployed to the nation’s capital were shot Wednesday just blocks from the White House in a brazen act of violence. FBI Director Kash Patel and Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser said the Guard members were hospitalized in critical condition. Bowser said they were victims of a ”targeted shooting.” West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey initially said the troops had died, but later walked back the statement to say his office was “receiving conflicting reports" about their condition. The governor’s office did not immediately respond to questions about the attack and the condition of the troops. A suspect who was in custody also was shot and had wounds that were not believed to be life-threatening, according to a law enforcement official who was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. The Trump administration quickly ordered 500 more National Guard members to Washington following the shooting. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said President Donald Trump asked him to send the extra soldiers. There are currently 2,188 troops assigned to the joint task force operating in the city, according to the government’s latest update. Law enforcement was reviewing surveillance video from the scene and believed the suspect approached the soldiers and pulled out a gun, said another law enforcement official who was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke to AP on condition of anonymity. At least one of the soldiers exchanged gunfire with the shooter, the official said. Investigators were trying to determine the gunman's motive, including whether the suspect was targeting the troops for any specific reason, the official said. The shooting happened roughly two blocks northwest of the White House. Social media video shared in the immediate aftermath showed first responders attempting CPR on one of the soldiers and treating the other on a glass-covered sidewalk. Other officers could be seen steps away restraining an individual on the ground. Stacy Walters said she was in a car near the scene when she heard two gunshots and saw people running. Almost instantly, law enforcement swarmed the area. “It’s such a beautiful day. Who would do this? And we’re getting ready for the holidays?”The presence of the National Guard in the nation’s capital has been a flashpoint issue for months, fueling a court fight and a broader public policy debate about the Trump administration’s use of the military to combat what officials cast as an out-of-control crime problem. More than 300 West Virginia National Guard members were deployed to Washington in August. Last week, about 160 of them volunteered to extend their deployment until the end of the year while the others returned to West Virginia just over a week ago. Police tape cordoned off the scene where fire and police vehicle lights flashed and helicopter blades thudded overhead. Agents from the Secret Service and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were on scene, as National Guard troops stood sentry nearby. At least one helicopter landed on the National Mall.
Trump, who was in Florida for Thanksgiving, warned in a statement on social media that the “animal” who shot the guardsmen “will pay a very steep price.” “God bless our Great National Guard, and all of our Military and Law Enforcement. These are truly Great People,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “I, as President of the United States, and everyone associated with the Office of the Presidency, am with you!”In Fort Campbell, Kentucky, Vice President JD Vance urged “everybody who’s a person of faith” to pray for the two Guardsmen. He cautioned that much remained unknown, including the motive of the shooter. “I think it’s a somber reminder that soldiers, whether they’re active duty, reserve or National Guard, our soldiers are the sword and the shield of the United States of America,” Vance said as he delivered a Thanksgiving message to troops. Trump issued an emergency order in August that federalized the local police force and sent in National Guard troops from eight states and the District of Columbia. The order expired a month later, but the troops remained. Last week, a federal judge ordered an end to the deployment but also put her order on hold for 21 days to allow the Trump administration time to either remove the troops or appeal the decision. The soldiers have patrolled neighborhoods, train stations and other locations, participated in highway checkpoints and also have been assigned to trash pickup and to guard sports events.
**Associated Press reporters Konstantin Toropin, Seung Min Kim, Safiyah Riddle, Matt Brown, Mike Balsamo, Eric Tucker and Jesse Bedayn contributed to this report.

Israel returns 15 Palestinian bodies to Gaza as mediators discuss truce in Cairo
Associated Press/26 November/2025
Hospital officials in Gaza said Wednesday that Israel handed over 15 more Palestinian bodies, completing the latest swap of the ceasefire as the first phase of the agreement nears a conclusion and officials convened to discuss moving to the second. It came a day after Palestinian militants returned the remains of Israeli hostage Dror Or, who the Israeli military says was killed by the militants in their Oct. 7, 2023 attack. Israel has agreed to return 15 Palestinian bodies for each hostage returned. With the latest swap, Israel has sent back to Gaza a total of 345 Palestinian bodies since the exchanges started last month, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. Two hostages — one Israeli and one Thai national — remain in Gaza. Hamas said Wednesday it was determined to uphold its side of the agreement and return them both. Turkish, Qatari and Egyptian officials met Wednesday in Cairo to discuss the second phase of the ceasefire, which began in October and has held despite accusations by both sides of violations. The next phases of the agreement include deploying an international stabilization force and developing an international body to govern Gaza and oversee reconstruction. An armed international stabilization force will be tasked with keeping security and ensuring the disarmament of Hamas, a key demand of Israel. Indonesian officials have said they plan to deploy 20,000 peacekeepers to the force. Major questions hang over nearly every part of the plan and the timeframe for implementation. In the meantime, nearly all Palestinians remain displaced and dependent on humanitarian aid, Hamas retains significant control over nearly half of Gaza and the rebuilding of the territory has barely begun.
Palestinian bodies returned and hostage remains identified
Gaza's Health Ministry said only 99 bodies out of the 345 Israel has returned have been identified. They say identifying the remains is complicated by a lack of DNA testing kits in Gaza. Meanwhile, Israel mourned the latest hostage to be returned by the Palestinian militants, Dror Or. Israel's military said Or and his wife, Yonat Or, were killed by militants who overran their community of Kibbutz Beeri on Oct. 7, 2023. Before they were killed by the militants, the couple evacuated two of their children from their burning house through the window, said the Hostages Families Forum. The decision ultimately saved the children's lives — Alma and Noam were abducted by the militants and released in a hostage deal in November 2023. The Forum remembered Or as a devoted father and talented cheesemaker who spent years working at the Be'eri dairy, eventually managing it. The group said Or was also a chef and yoga teacher. n total, Palestinian militants killed some 1,200 people across southern Israel and abducted 251 to Gaza in their Oct. 7, 2023 attack that kickstarted the war in Gaza. With the return of Or's remains, almost all of the hostages or their remains are out of Gaza. Hazem Qassem, the spokesperson for Hamas, said Wednesday that the militant group was committed to handing over the remaining two hostages and wrapping up the exchange. Writing on his Telegram channel, he called for mediators to pressure Israel to stop its "violations" of the ceasefire.
Israeli troops shoot Palestinian man in Gaza, health officials say
A Palestinian man was killed when Israeli troops opened fire Wednesday on a group of people in central Gaza, a hospital said. At least two others were wounded in the attack that took place east of the Maghazi refugee camp, according to the Al-Aqsa Martyrs hospital which received the casualties. They were the latest casualties among Palestinians since a ceasefire deal brought the war to a halt in Gaza last month. Israel's military did not immediately respond to request for comment on the report. lso Wednesday, the military said its troops struck a group of six militants in the southern city of Rafah, killing one. The military statement said that the militants had "most likely emerged from the underground terror infrastructure in the area." Since the ceasefire took effect on Oct. 11, the Gaza Health Ministry said, 345 Palestinians were killed and 889 were wounded in the strip as of Tuesday. It said at least 69,775 Palestinians have been killed and 170,863 injured in Israel's offensive in Gaza. It 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 is staffed by medical professionals and maintains detailed records viewed as generally reliable by independent experts. urkish, Qatari and Egyptian officials meet on ceasefire
Turkey's intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin met in Cairo on Tuesday with Qatar's Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and Egypt's intelligence chief Hasan Reshat to discuss advancing to the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement, a Turkish security official said.
The talks also centered on intensifying joint efforts with the United States to strengthen the truce, according to the official who requested anonymity in line with Turkish regulations. he three also agreed to deepen cooperation with the Civil-Military Coordination Center (CMCC) to remove obstacles and prevent violations, ensuring the ceasefire is upheld without interruption, the official added.
Indonesia prepares troops for Gaza stabilization force
Indonesia, the world's largest Muslim-majority nation with a long experience in U.N. peacekeeping missions, is among the countries the U.S. has discussed the ISF plan with, in addition to Azerbaijan, Egypt and Qatar. We are now in the selection phase for the peacekeeping force," Gen. Agus Subianto, Chief of the Indonesian Armed Forces or TNI, told reporters Tuesday after a hearing with lawmakers in the capital, Jakarta. "Later, it's planned that the mission will be led by a three-star general."He said the contingent will form a composite brigade consisting of ealth, engineering and mechanized support battalions. TNI is also preparing supporting assets for the mission in Gaza, including three hospital warships, the C-130 Hercules military transport aircraft and a helicopter. efense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin added that the final deployment awaits an official order from President Prabowo Subianto but "troops are already undergoing mission-specific training." rabowo has repeatedly declared that his country was ready to deploy 20,000 peacekeepers to Gaza at any time. he U.N. reported that Indonesia had been the fifth-largest uniformed personnel contributor, deploying 2,731 individuals on peacekeeping operations as of September.

Winter rains in Gaza bring new misery for Palestinians
Associated Press/26 November/2025
Children and families in Gaza scooped muddy water from their tents on Tuesday, trying to protect the few belongings that remain after two years of war. Winter's heavy rains have left displaced Palestinians splashing in water that reaches their ankles, and blaming both Israel and Hamas for the misery that remains despite a ceasefire. "All tents were destroyed," said Assmaa Fayad in Deir al-Balah in central Gaza, whose shelter was damaged in Tuesday's latest downpour. "Where is Hamas? Where are the people to see this rain and how our children are drowning?" A Hamas spokesperson, Hazem Qassem, lashed out in a message on Telegram: "All the world's efforts to alleviate the disaster have failed because of the Israeli siege." Aid organizations worry that the rainy winter months will make the stark situation worse, with ongoing shortages of humanitarian supplies. They are scrambling to mitigate the flooding and restore infrastructure devastated by the fighting. Nearly all of Gaza's over 2 million people were forced from their homes during the war. Most have been living in tents or shelters, some of them built over destroyed homes, with no proper sewage facilities. For toilets, they depend on cesspits dug near tents that overflow in heavy rainfall.
Rain-soaked mattresses
Reham al-Hilu was among those assessing the damage in Deir al-Balah, one of the areas hardest hit by the rains. Her wood and metal shelter collapsed overnight, and she said her head was injured. "Rainwater flooded the mattresses," she said. "As you can see, everything is soaked — the clothes, everything — and my children are all soaked."The United Nations humanitarian office last week said the downpours have damaged at least 13,000 tents like al-Hilu's, and "destroyed what little shelter and belongings thousands of Palestinians in Gaza had left." The office said aid organizations had begun preparing for winter in October, when the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas took effect, transporting materials like winterized tents into Gaza. Aid groups were able to distribute over 3,600 tents, 129,000 tarpaulins and 87,000 blankets earlier this month, the U.N. office said. But the office said efforts have been hampered by the slow entry of aid. It said deliveries into the territory continue to be "severely constrained by Israeli authorities' restrictions on the entry of shelter supplies." "Lifesaving humanitarian aid must enter Gaza without obstruction and at scale," U.N. Secretary General António Guterres said on Tuesday. The Israeli defense body responsible for the entry of aid, COGAT, said it worked on "a dedicated response to the winter.""The effort is ongoing - additional winter-related requests by international organizations have already been approved, and entry will take place in the coming days," the agency wrote Tuesday on X.
Roads become rivers
Roadways in Deir al-Balah turned into shallow rivers of murky water. One man waded across carrying a young daughter in each arm. Some families knelt on the ground, trying to soak up the water with pieces of cloth. While daily fighting has stopped in Gaza, Israel continues to strike parts of the territory in response to what it says are violations by Hamas. Both sides have accused each other of violating ceasefire conditions. And many displaced Palestinians remain crowded into the rough half of Gaza's territory that Israeli forces don't control.

Israeli army launches new operation in West Bank
Agence France Presse/26 November/2025
Israel's military on Wednesday launched a new operation against Palestinian armed groups in the occupied West Bank, where a local governor told AFP that Israeli forces had raided several towns. The Israeli military and internal security service said in a brief joint statement that they had begun "a broad counter-terrorism operation" in the north of the Palestinian territory. They said they would "not allow terrorism to take root in the area and are acting proactively to thwart it", saying further details on the operation would follow at a later stage. The Israeli army confirmed to AFP that it was a new operation, and not part of the one launched in January 2025 dubbed "Iron Wall", which primarily targeted Palestinian refugee camps in the northern West Bank.
Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967.
The operation, which began overnight, was taking place in predominantly agricultural Tubas, the northeastern most of the 11 governorates in the West Bank. Ahmed al-Asaad, governor of the Tubas region, told AFP: "This is the first time that the entire governorate is included -- the whole governorate is now under Israeli army operations."Asaad said Israeli forces raided the towns of Tammun and Tayasir, and the Al-Faraa Palestinian refugee camp. "The army has closed the city entrances with earth mounds, so there is no movement at all," he added. He told AFP that "an Apache helicopter" was involved in the operation, and claimed it had fired in the direction of residential areas. "This is a political operation, not a security one," he said.
Injuries reported -
An AFP photographer saw some soldiers walking around inside Tubas city, with a few armored patrol vehicles (APVs) driving through and a surveillance aerial vehicle buzzing overhead. Most shops were closed. The road entrance to nearby Tammun had been closed off by a military vehicle. An ambulance was allowed to go through but citizens were not. APVs were driving around at the scene. The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said its teams in the governorate had treated 10 injured people, four of whom had to be transferred to hospital. It added that some of its teams were "facing obstruction in transporting patients in the city of Tubas and the town of Tammun since dawn", and were still responding to calls for help following the raids. Hamas and Islamic Jihad, two Palestinian militant groups proscribed as terror organizations by many countries, condemned the Israeli operation. Hamas said in a statement that it was part of a policy "aimed at crushing any Palestinian presence in order to achieve complete control over the West Bank". Violence in the West Bank has soared since Hamas's October 2023 attack on Israel triggered the Gaza war, and has not ceased despite the fragile truce between Israel and Hamas came into effect last month. Israeli troops or settlers have killed more than 1,000 Palestinians, many of them militants, but also scores of civilians, in the West Bank since the start of the Gaza war, according to an AFP tally based on Palestinian health ministry figures. At least 44 Israelis, including both soldiers and civilians, have been killed in Palestinian attacks or Israeli military operations, according to official Israeli figures.

What to know about the 2 hostages whose remains are still in Gaza
Associated Press/26 November/2025
Since the U.S.-brokered ceasefire in Gaza began Oct. 10, Palestinian militants have released the remains of 26 hostages. But the return of the last two hostages under the agreement's terms is progressing slowly. Hamas says it has not been able to reach all of the remains because they are buried under rubble left by Israel's two-year offensive in Gaza. Israel has accused the militants of stalling and threatened to resume military operations or withhold humanitarian aid if all remains are not returned. In the most recent release, Palestinian militants returned the remains of Dror Or, who was killed by the militants in Kibbutz Be'eri in southern Israel and abducted to Gaza. His wife, Yonat, was killed during the attack and his two children, Noam and Alma, were abducted and returned to Israel in a November 2023 hostage deal. In return, Israel has released the bodies of 330 Palestinians back to Gaza. Health officials in Gaza have struggled to identify the bodies without access to DNA kits. Only 97 have been identified, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, The ministry, which is part of the Hamas-run government and is staffed by medical professionals, maintains detailed records viewed as generally reliable by independent experts. Israel has not provided details on their identities, and it is unclear if they were people killed in Israel during the Oct. 7 attack, Palestinian detainees who died in Israeli custody or bodies taken from Gaza by Israeli troops during the war. Here's a look at the hostages whose remains have not been returned.
Ran Gvili, 24
Ran Gvili, who served in an elite police unit, was recovering from a broken shoulder he sustained in a motorcycle accident but rushed to assist fellow officers on Oct. 7. After helping people escape from the Nova music festival, he was killed fighting at another location and his body was taken to Gaza. The military confirmed his death four months later. He is survived by his parents and a sister.
Sudthisak Rinthalak
Sudthisak Rinthalak was an agricultural worker from Thailand who had been employed at Kibbutz Be'eri. According to media reports, Sudthisak was divorced and had been working in Israel since 2017. A total of 31 workers from Thailand were abducted on Oct. 7, the largest group of foreigners to be held in captivity. Most of them were released in the first and second ceasefires. The Thai Foreign Ministry has said in addition to the hostages, 46 Thais have been killed during the war.

Israel turns to new AI system to monitor social media accounts of army soldiers: Report
Al Arabiya English/26 November/2025
The Israeli army is set to begin monitoring all conscript soldiers on social media, tracking their posts to ensure that no sensitive information is being revealed online.
Monitoring digital platforms
Israel’s Army Radio reported Wednesday that the military disclosed earlier this week how Hamas, before the October 7 attacks, managed to build an extensive intelligence apparatus based on information gathered for years from Israeli soldiers’ social media accounts. In response, the army has decided to launch a wide-scale initiative to curb this vulnerability through a new artificial intelligence system called “Morfius.”The system will track all soldiers’ accounts on social platforms and review every post they upload, including text, photos, and videos. According to the report, the AI tool analyzes posts to determine whether they reveal sensitive information such as bases, military sites, classified weapons, or any other restricted details. When necessary, it flags cases to information security officers. If a soldier publishes a post that violates security protocols, they will automatically receive a notification informing them of the breach and instructing them to delete the content. In urgent cases, the soldier will receive a direct phone call from an information security officer. The report added that the system is expected to receive all required legal approvals soon, with operations scheduled to begin in early December. It will be subject to two conditions: it will monitor only soldiers’ open and public accounts, not private ones, and it will oversee approximately 170 thousand public accounts belonging to Israeli soldiers.The system reportedly will not monitor reservists, as they are civilians and such surveillance poses legal complications.
Thousands of flagged cases
According to the report, the Israeli army believes the step is necessary to safeguard information security and prevent the leakage of sensitive data, similar to what occurred before October 7. During the past four months, a pilot version of the system has been operated, monitoring 45 thousand soldiers. Military sources said the system flagged thousands of cases, prompting the information security department to contact soldiers and request that they delete their posts.

UK ban on pro-Palestine group branded ‘authoritarian’ as appeal begins
Reuters/26 November/2025
The British government’s ban on pro-Palestinian campaign group Palestine Action as a terrorist organization amounted to an authoritarian restriction on protest, lawyers representing a co-founder seeking to overturn the ban argued on Wednesday. Palestine Action was proscribed in July, putting it on a par with ISIS or al-Qaeda and making it a crime to be a member, which carries a maximum sentence of 14 years in prison. Since then, more than 2,000 people have been arrested for holding signs in support of the group. The group had increasingly targeted Israel-linked defense companies in Britain with “direct action,” often blocking entrances, or spraying red paint, particularly focusing on Israel’s largest defense firm Elbit Systems. Britain’s Home Office (interior ministry) argues the group’s escalating actions, culminating in a June break-in at the RAF Brize Norton air base when activists damaged two planes, amount to terrorism. But lawyers representing Huda Ammori, who co-founded Palestine Action in 2020, say the move flies in the face of Britain’s long history of direct action protests and is “so extreme as to render the UK an international outlier.”It was the first time a “direct action, civil disobedience organization that does not advocate for violence” had been proscribed as terrorist, Ammori’s lawyer Raza Husain told London’s High Court. He compared the response to the group to that of other civil disobedience campaigns, such as Rosa Parks, the late US civil rights figure who refused to give up her seat on a segregated bus in 1955, and the suffragette movement which campaigned for women’s right to vote in the early 20th century. Lawyers representing the Home Office said in court filings that the right to freedom of expression does not protect “speech and activity in support of a proscribed organization that commits serious property damage.”Palestine Action has frequently targeted defense companies. It stepped up its actions during the Gaza war, with six members arrested on suspicion of plotting to disrupt the London Stock Exchange in January 2024. Six people went on trial last week for aggravated burglary, criminal damage and violent disorder over a raid on Elbit, with one charged with causing grievous bodily harm by hitting a police officer with a sledgehammer. They deny the charges. Ammori’s lawyers say the ban has led to pro-Palestinian protesters being questioned by police at demonstrations without expressing support for Palestine Action. The British government argues proscription only prevents support for Palestine Action and has not prevented people from protesting “in favor of the Palestinian people or against Israel’s actions in Gaza.”The case is due to conclude next week, with a ruling at a later date.

Blast at arms depot kills five in northwest Syria
Agence France Presse/26 November/2025
An explosion at a weapons depot in northwest Syria's Idlib province killed five people and wounded nine others on Wednesday, security forces said in a statement. The Idlib region was a bastion of rebel and jihadist groups including foreign fighters before Islamist-led forces overthrew longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad last December in a lightning offensive. Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the former armed faction once led by interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, was the dominant group in the region before Assad's overthrow, and some groups of foreign fighters still have bases there. The explosion in the town of Kafr Takharim was "caused by a warehouse containing missiles and ammunition, and occurred due to work underway" at a site nearby, the Idlib security forces said, adding that five site workers were killed. State television reported the same toll, without saying what caused the blast. Nine other people were injured, the security forces added. Images circulating online showed widespread destruction, fire and damage to farmland, while videos showed shrapnel reaching shops and residential buildings. In August, four people were killed in an explosion at a weapons depot on the outskirts of Idlib, authorities said. A month earlier, at least 12 people were killed and about 120 others wounded in a series of explosions at an arms depot belonging to Uyghur-dominated jihadist group the Turkistan Islamic Party in the town of Maaret Misrin in Idlib, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor.

Saudi Crown Prince rejects Trump’s push for normalization with Israel: Report
Al Arabiya English/26 November/2025
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman rejected a request by US President Donald Trump to move toward normalization with Israel during their recent summit in Washington, Axios reported on Tuesday. According to the outlet, the talks touched on Washington’s desire for Riyadh to join the expanding circle of regional peace agreements. However, the Crown Prince strongly reiterated the Kingdom’s long-standing position that any normalization is contingent on Israel accepting a two-state solution and establishing a Palestinian state on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.
“The Saudi Crown Prince dealt firmly with Trump’s request and held fast to his position,” Axios reported, adding that two US officials described Prince Mohammed bin Salman as a “strong leader.” “During the Nov. 18 meeting, Trump was the one who raised the issue and pressed hard MBS to join the Abraham Accords,” Axios reported, citing US officials. “At that point the conversation got tense, the officials say. As Trump pressed, MBS pushed back,” the report said. The Crown Prince arrived in Washington on an official working visit on October 18 at the direction of King Salman bin Abdulaziz, following an invitation from President Trump. The two held talks at the White House amid what has been widely described as an exceptionally warm reception. During a subsequent press conference, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman reaffirmed Saudi Arabia’s vision for resolving the Middle East conflict. He emphasized that the Kingdom seeks peace with Israel, the Palestinians, and the region at large, but only through a “clear plan” that ensures a genuine path toward a two-state solution. Riyadh has repeatedly underscored the need for a just resolution that begins with the establishment of an independent Palestinian state and ultimately leads to comprehensive and lasting regional peace. The Kingdom has long positioned itself as a champion of dialogue and peaceful solutions across the Middle East.

Kremlin says leak of Witkoff call a bid to hinder Ukraine talks, confirms his Moscow visit
Al Arabiya English/26 November/2025
The Kremlin said on Wednesday that US special envoy Steve Witkoff is expected in Moscow next week for talks on a possible peace plan for Ukraine adding that leaking a phone conversation between Witkoff and a senior Kremlin official was an attempt to hinder talks. President Donald Trump, speaking to reporters on board Air Force One as he flew to Florida for the Thanksgiving holiday, said US negotiators were making progress in discussions with Russia and Ukraine, and Moscow had agreed to some concessions. A US-based framework for ending the war, first reported last week, prompted fresh concerns that the Trump administration might be willing to push Ukraine to sign a peace deal heavily tilted toward Moscow. “As for Witkoff, I can say that a preliminary agreement has been reached that he will come to Moscow next week,” Yuri Ushakov, Putin’s foreign policy aide, told Russian state television’s top Kremlin reporter, Pavel Zarubin. Ushakov said that in addition to Witkoff “a number of other administration representatives who are involved in Ukrainian affairs” would also come to Moscow. Ushakov also said that the leak of a telephone conversation between senior Kremlin and US officials was an attempt to hinder the talks on a possible peace deal for Ukraine. Bloomberg News reported that Witkoff, in an October 14 telephone call with Ushakov, said they should work together on a ceasefire plan for Ukraine and that Putin should raise it with Trump. Bloomberg said it had reviewed a recording of the conversation and published a transcript of the call. When asked why the call was leaked, Ushakov said: “To hinder, probably. It is unlikely this was done to improve relations.”With Reuters

US peace plan gain momentum as Witkoff meets Putin next week
Associated Press/26 November/2025
President Donald Trump has said his plan to end the war in Ukraine has been "fine-tuned" and he's sending envoy Steve Witkoff to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Army Secretary Dan Driscoll to meet with Ukrainian officials. Trump suggested Tuesday he could eventually meet with Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, but not until further progress has been made in negotiations. Speaking to reporters on Tuesday evening aboard Air Force One, Trump said resolving the war was difficult, and described what had been a 28-point plan as a work in progress. "That was not a plan — it was a concept," Trump said. Trump's plan for ending the nearly four-year war emerged last week. It heavily favored Russia, prompting Zelenskyy to quickly engage with American negotiators. European leaders, fearing for their own future facing Russian aggression but apparently sidelined by Trump in drawing up the proposal, scrambled to steer the negotiations toward accommodating their concerns. Trump said he believed Witkoff would be meeting with Putin next week in Moscow, with his son-in-law Jared Kushner potentially joining the meeting. "People are starting to realize it's a good deal for both parties," Trump said. The president played down the element of his plan that would require Ukraine to cede territory to Russia, suggesting that Russian forces were already likely to seize the land they're seeking.
"The way it's going, if you look, it's just moving in one direction," Trump said. "So eventually that's land that over the next couple of months might be gotten by Russia anyway." At the center of Trump's plan is the call on Ukraine to concede the entirety of its eastern Donbas region, even though a vast swath of that land remains in Ukrainian control. Analysts at the independent Institute for the Study of War have estimated it would take several years for the Russian military to completely seize the territory, based on its current rate of advances. Trump downplays transcript of Witkoff talks with Russian counterpart. Trump made his comments after Driscoll held talks late Monday and throughout Tuesday with Russian officials in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, to discuss the emerging proposal. "The talks are going well and we remain optimistic," Lt. Col. Jeff Tolbert, spokesman for the Army secretary, said in a statement. Witkoff, a real estate developer turned diplomat, has been Trump's chief interlocutor with Putin, while Driscoll, who is close to Vance, has stepped up his involvement in the administration's peace push in recent days. As the talks were taking place, Russia launched a wave of overnight attacks on Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, with at least seven people killed in strikes that hit city buildings and energy infrastructure. A Ukrainian attack on southern Russia killed three people and damaged homes, authorities said. Trump spoke to reporters after Bloomberg News published a transcript of an Oct. 14 call between Witkoff and Putin's foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov where Witkoff coached his counterpart on how Putin should handle a call with Trump. Trump downplayed Witkoff's reported approach as "a very standard form of negotiation." But U.S. Rep. Don Bacon, a Nebraska Republican who has been critical of Trump's approach to Ukraine, said the transcript showed Witkoff favors the Russians. "He cannot be trusted to lead these negotiations. Would a Russian paid agent do less than he? He should be fired," Bacon said on social media. Bloomberg said it reviewed a recording of the call, but did not say how it obtained access to the recording. The Associated Press has not independently verified the transcript.
Latest phase of the talks
French President Emmanuel Macron said Tuesday that peace efforts are gathering momentum and "are clearly at a crucial juncture." He spoke after senior U.S. and Ukrainian officials met in Geneva on Sunday and a virtual "coalition of the willing" meeting of Ukraine's European allies took place on Tuesday. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio took part in both gatherings. "Negotiations are getting a new impetus. And we should seize this momentum," he said during the video conference meeting of countries, led by France and the U.K., that could help police any ceasefire with Russia.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said of the talks: "I do think we are moving in a positive direction and indications today that in large part the majority of the text, (Zelenskyy) is indicating, can be accepted."Oleksandr Bevz, one of the Ukrainian delegates at the Geneva talks, however, cautioned that it was "very premature to say that something is agreed upon." In an interview with The Associated Press in Kyiv late Tuesday, he declined to discuss the specifics of any amendments to Trump's plan, but said the U.S. was aware that the strength of security guarantees for Ukraine would "define the sustainability of the deal" and was "the part making this deal real and enforceable." Bevz earlier told the AP that the number of points in the proposed settlement was reduced, but he denied reports that the 28-point U.S. peace plan now consisted of 19 points. "(The document) is going to continue to change. We can confirm that it was reduced to take out points not relating to Ukraine, to exclude duplicates and for editing purposes," Bevz said, adding that some points relating solely to relations between Russia and the U.S. were excluded.
Long road to peace
Zelenskyy said late Monday that "the list of necessary steps to end the war can become workable." He said he planned to discuss "sensitive" outstanding issues with Trump. Rustem Umerov, a senior adviser to Zelenskyy, posted on X on Tuesday that Zelenskyy hoped to finalize a deal with Trump "at the earliest suitable date in November." Russian officials have been reserved in their comments on the peace plan. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Tuesday that Moscow is in touch with U.S. officials about peace efforts. "We expect them to provide us with a version they consider an interim one in terms of completing the phase of coordinating this text with the Europeans and the Ukrainians," Lavrov said.European leaders have cautioned that the road to peace will be long.
'Glass rained down'
Russia fired 22 missiles of various types and more than 460 drones at Ukraine overnight, Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram. The strikes knocked out water, electricity and heat in parts of Kyiv. Images showed a large fire spreading in a nine-story residential building in Kyiv's eastern Dniprovskyi district. Mayor Vitalii Klitschko said 20 people were wounded in Kyiv. The Russian Defense Ministry said it targeted military-industrial facilities and energy assets. The strikes were a response to Ukrainian attacks on civilian objects in Russia, the ministry said. Liubov Petrivna, a 90-year-old resident of a damaged building in the Dniprovskyi district, told the AP that "absolutely everything" in her apartment was shattered by the strike and "glass rained down" on her. Petrivna said that she didn't believe in the peace plan now under discussion. "No one will ever do anything about it," she said. Russian President Vladimir Putin "won't stop until he finishes us off."
Large Ukrainian drone attack
The overnight Ukrainian drone attack on Russia's southern region of Krasnodar was "one of the longest and most massive" and wounded six people, Gov. Veniamin Kondratyev said. ussian air defenses destroyed 249 Ukrainian drones overnight above various Russian regions and the occupied Crimean Peninsula, the Russian Defense Ministry said Tuesday. kraine said that its drones and missiles struck an aviation repair plant and a drone production facility, as well as an oil refinery and an oil terminal.
It was the fourth-largest Ukrainian drone attack on Russia since the start of the war on Feb. 24, 2022, according to an AP tally.

Ukraine peace plan needs analysis, was not discussed in Abu Dhabi, Kremlin says
Reuters/26 November/2025
Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said on Wednesday that the latest US peace plan for Ukraine required “serious analysis” by Moscow and had not been discussed between US and Russian officials at a meeting in Abu Dhabi this week. Ushakov said representatives of Russia’s intelligence services had been in the Gulf city to meet their Ukrainian counterparts and discuss “very sensitive issues,” including prisoner exchanges. While there, they also met US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, a US official told Reuters on Tuesday. Ushakov said the meeting with the US official had been unexpected, and that the latest US-drafted peace plan had not been not discussed. He did not say what they had actually talked about. “No, the peace plan was not discussed in Abu Dhabi. The peace plan has not yet been discussed in detail with anyone,” Ushakov told Russian state TV reporter Pavel Zarubin. “We saw it, it was passed on to us, but there haven’t been any discussions yet.”Ushakov added that the proposals required “truly serious analysis, serious discussion.”“Some aspects can be viewed positively, but many require specialized discussion among experts,” he said.

How Nigeria is handling the kidnappings, security crisis
AFP/ 26 November/2025
The recent wave of kidnappings plaguing Nigeria is just the latest bout of security crises to hit Africa’s most populous country, which the government says it is fully committed to address. In just a week, assailants kidnapped 25 schoolgirls, 38 worshippers, 315 school children and teachers, 13 young women and girls walking near a farm, and another 10 women and children -- across various parts of the country. Nigeria has suffered a string of abductions of schoolchildren since extremist group Boko Haram kidnapped 276 girls in Chibok in the restive northeast in 2014, sparking an international outcry. But the latest spate of successive kidnapping highlight President Bola Tinubu’s administration’s struggle with a long-running security crisis marked by extremist attacks and violence by “bandit” gangs that raid villages, kill people and kidnap for ransom. AFP looks at what the government in the regional powerhouse is doing.
What is government doing to improve security?
Tinubu on Tuesday said: “In response to the recent kidnappings and acts of terrorism, I have ordered a full security cordon over” thick forests where the gangs have bases.
He added the air force will “maintain continuous surveillance over the most remote areas” and work with ground units to “identify, isolate, disrupt, and neutralise all hostile elements” across areas where the recent kidnappings have occurred. He has also ordered a redeployment of police VIP bodyguards to core policing duties, and approved the recruitment of 30,000 additional officers. According to the European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA), more than 100,000 of the estimated 371,000-strong force were previously assigned to protect politicians and VIPs. But police redeployment ordered at the weekend risks being “sabotaged” by the VIPs and the officers who get paid for their service. “The VIPs will feel vulnerable if they don’t have police protection,” said Kabir Adamu of Beacon Security and Intelligence consulting firm.
How are hostages secured?
Except when the air force uses the combative kinetic security approach, details of the circumstances under which hostages are released are rare. Critics accuse the government of negotiating with captors. Ransom payments for hostages is a sensitive topic. Ransom has been outlawed since 2022 and punishable by a minimum of 15 years in jail. Authorities never admit to paying ransom, but it is “very likely” that money is paid to free the victims, said Confidence MacHarry of SBM Intelligence. After 24 schoolgirls were released from Kebbi, state governor Nasir Idris, said the release was secured through “non-kinetic” efforts -- such as diplomacy. Shortly after the release on Tuesday evening, the “bandits” posted a video on social media claiming that government did not release the schoolgirls but was forced to negotiate with the kidnappers. In July, bandits in northwestern Zamfara state slaughtered 33 people they had kidnapped month earlier despite receiving a $33,700 ransom, residents told AFP then.
Why is kidnapping so rampant in Nigeria?
Kidnapping has become an “epidemic for more than a decade, driven by numerous criminal and extremist groups,” said International Crisis Group’s Nnamdi Obasi. A recent report by SBM Intelligence showed that “between July 2024 and June 2025, Nigeria’s kidnap-for-ransom crisis consolidated into a structured, profit-seeking industry.”At least 4,722 people were kidnapped in 997 incidents, and at least 762 were killed with kidnappers demanding some 48 billion naira and but managed to get 2.57 billion naira (around $1.66 million). According to MacHarry, kidnappings in the northwest and central regions are mostly carried out “Fulanis who had lost their cattle... lost their livelihood and decided to go into crime with their abundance of guns in the country.”
Any solution to end the crisis?
Happening just weeks after US President Donald Trump threatened Nigeria with military action over the alleged killing of Christians in large numbers, the latest attacks leave Abuja in an embarrassingly awkward situation. According to the Kebbi governor, there was intelligence about a looming attack before the two dozen schoolgirls were taken. Soldiers were deployed to guard the school but vacated an hour before the attack, he told local media while, calling for an investigation into the withdrawal. “There was sufficient intel,” said MacHarry, pointing to military failures which “regularly happen” but “nobody gets punished.” Co-founder of the #BringBackOurGirls movement which campaigned for the release of the Chibok girls, Aisha Yesufu, pointed to a lack of “political will to fight” the gangs and extremists. “And as long as we don’t fight the terrorism, we’re going to continue to have things like this,” she said.

The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources on November 26-27/2025
Designating Muslim Brother as terrorist organization serves interests of Muslims
Mamdouh AlMuhaini/Al Arabiya English/26 November/2025
Designating the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization serves the interests of Muslims. The Trump administration’s plan to designate the Brotherhood was delayed because the legal process is complicated. Even so, it would be an important step. And despite all the American domestic reasons behind such a designation, the people who would benefit most are Muslims themselves.
First, the designation would weaken the Brotherhood’s influence over Muslim communities in the United States and Europe. It would give Muslims a chance to practice their faith without the heavy political injection the Brotherhood adds to religion. Many Islamic centers and associations in America and the West promote political Islam rather than the true essence of the faith. Their goal is to produce ideological cadres rather than upright believers. They create intellectual barriers between Muslims and the American and European societies they live in, pushing them into isolation that prevents healthy engagement with their surroundings. We have seen extremist individuals emerge from these communities and later join militant groups. How did this happen? Simply because the Muslim Brotherhood and other activist movements shaped an extremist religious imagination. Weakening their hold would open space for ideas of tolerance and religious moderation to grow and spread, encouraging greater integration and cohesion.
Second, designating the Brotherhood is in the interest of Muslims because it would reduce the spread of destructive hatred. We know that violent movements trace their roots to Brotherhood-influenced ideology. Every terrorist begins as a former extremist. You cannot fight extremism while accommodating extremists. This is something Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states understood long ago when they designated the Brotherhood. Their influence harms minds and blocks progress using religious arguments that are, in reality, motivated by a desire for power. What happened is that many of these extremists migrated from the East to the West, carrying their ideas with them. They poisoned their new environments, spread inflammatory propaganda, and fueled hatred in every direction. They used religion and aligned with any group willing to help them incite against the states that opposed them.
Third, I agree with those who say Islam has been hijacked. The hands of Bin Laden, Baghdadi, Soleimani, and Zarqawi are stained with the blood of innocent people, most of them Muslims. We should not forget that the majority of terrorism’s victims are Muslims, both the killers and the killed. Yet these figures cite verses and prophetic sayings to justify the horrors they committed. None of this reflects Islam. Islam is a great religion that, like other major faiths in history, calls for moderation and balance. It does not clash with modern civilization when interpreted rationally and scientifically. The Brotherhood hijacked this Islam and pushed us out of it, creating a distorted version that the world came to believe was the real thing.
Weakening the Muslim Brotherhood would help restore Islam to its true form and free it from those who have distorted and misrepresented it.

The relentless war over public opinion
Zaid AlKami/Al Arabiya English/26 November/2025
At first glance, the scene seemed like nothing more than passing discussions on social media. But what that space was hiding was far greater than a tweet or a casual comment. The daily engagement that should have been a space for communication and expression gradually turned into a battlefield, a fierce war fought without armies or cannons, yet one that strikes societies at their core and targets their unity and stability. It is a war built on misinformation, manipulation of awareness, and reshaping public opinion through anonymous accounts and fabricated identities that appear to be part of the community while in reality serving forces outside it. In recent years, many countries, including Saudi Arabia, have been the target of intensive campaigns by external actors who exploit the nature of digital platforms to amplify division and create a psychological impact before a political one.
One of the most important studies to document this type of operation was an early 2018 report by the American RAND Corporation on coordinated propaganda activities on Twitter (now X).
This study analyzed more than twenty-two million tweets and exposed how influence campaigns are orchestrated from outside the targeted countries, using accounts that adopt local identities to deceive the public and make the attacks appear internal rather than foreign. The study concluded that these operations aim to create an “information fog,” a state of confusion and distortion that leaves the public unable to distinguish between the true narrative and the fabricated one.
In the Saudi context specifically, this digital war became unmistakably clear with the spread of accounts that mastered the local dialect and appeared to be regular members of society. All this was before new X platform technologies revealed the truth by detecting a user’s location. Once this feature was enabled, the hidden became visible, exposing the deceit and manipulation. It turned out that many accounts leading heated discussions and amplifying sensitive issues with deliberate intensity were not operating from any Saudi city as they claimed, but from outside the country entirely. That moment was like pulling back a curtain on a full scene that had been running from the shadows for years. Even more surprising was that some of these accounts managed to convince followers that they represented “public opinion,” using language that mimicked that of ordinary citizens and relying on local expressions, popular sayings, and humor to give themselves an authentic community feel, as if they were speaking in the voice of the street. But a systematic analysis similar to the RAND study shows that this tactic is anything but spontaneous. It is part of the digital impersonation techniques used to weaken internal cohesion within targeted societies by creating the illusion of widespread division, public dissatisfaction, or internal opposition, when in fact much of it is engineered by actors with agendas aimed at undermining citizens’ trust in their society and institutions.
This war does not rely solely on spreading rumors. It creates an environment so clouded that clarity itself becomes rare. At a certain point, the goal is not to convince you of a specific narrative, but to make you stop trusting any narrative at all. It is, without doubt, a psychological war whose impact reaches trust, identity, and belonging, making it far more dangerous than any direct confrontation. Yet despite all this, many societies – including the Saudi public in particular – have demonstrated a remarkable ability to distinguish the real from the fabricated, realizing that much of what circulated in the digital space was nothing but manufactured waves intended to weaken cohesion and disrupt the social fabric. As public awareness grows and verification tools advance, these campaigns now face an environment that is more resilient and capable of exposing and uncovering them. Still, the instigators of this fierce war do not tire of their repeated, desperate attempts and their malicious methods to ignite discord and turn people against one another in the digital space. But the first and strongest line of defense remains the awareness and vigilance of individuals – before any technology, no matter how advanced, comes into play.

Syria back on its feet: A nation taking its first steps toward recovery
Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Al Arabiya English/26 November/2025
Many signs suggest that Syria has finally begun moving toward a meaningful path of recovery. After years of conflict, isolation, and economic collapse, the country is now witnessing political openings, regional reintegration, and early stages of economic rebuilding. These developments, taken together, are giving Syrians and the international community renewed optimism that Syria may be emerging from one of the darkest chapters in its modern history. The most prominent symbol of this shift has been the recent historic visit of Syria’s President Ahmed al-Sharaa with President Donald Trump – an encounter that would have been unthinkable just a few years ago.
The meeting between al-Sharaa and Trump represented far more than a diplomatic gesture; it was a recognition that Syria is no longer locked in the pariah status it once held. The symbolism of the visit was powerful on multiple levels. It marked a turning point in Syria’s engagement with the United States, hinted at the possibility of a new political chapter after years of sanctions, and signaled that Damascus may once again participate in global diplomacy as a legitimate player.
Moreover, the visit showed that Syria is beginning to restore relationships with key international actors and rebuild trust that had been severed during the years of conflict under the previous regime. The optics of the meeting – handshakes, formal discussions, and public statements signaling willingness to cooperate – sent a clear message to regional and global audiences: Syria is seeking to reposition itself and open new doors for investment, reconstruction, and political normalization.
What the visit means for Syria’s future
The significance of the visit extends far beyond its historical symbolism. It represents a shift in the geopolitical landscape surrounding Syria. The meeting suggested that Washington is now willing to acknowledge and work with the new Syrian leadership, potentially opening the door for reduced political pressure and increased economic support. This move could also embolden other Western governments to reconsider their approach to Damascus, especially as Syria attempts to rebuild institutions and stabilize its borders. Diplomatically, the visit showed that the new Syrian government is focused on re-establishing legitimacy, mending ties with former adversaries, and seeking broader international recognition. On a practical level, the meeting signaled a readiness by the United States to support Syria’s economic opening, engage on regional security, and potentially contribute – directly or indirectly – to reconstruction efforts. For Syrians, it provided a rare glimpse of hope that the long era of isolation may finally be coming to an end. A new government approach: Friends in the Gulf and a vision for stability
One of the most important transformations under the new Syrian government is its willingness to engage positively with Gulf states. Unlike the previous Assad regime, which often maintained tense or inconsistent relations with regional powers, the current government has adopted a more pragmatic, cooperative, and forward-looking approach. This shift has allowed Damascus to rebuild trust with countries such as Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar – relationships that are crucial for economic revival and regional stability.
These Gulf states have not only extended political support but have also signaled readiness to assist with reconstruction, humanitarian aid, and economic development. Syria has openly welcomed this support, demonstrating a political maturity and willingness to integrate into a broader regional framework. Moreover, the Syrian government has articulated a clear commitment to promoting security, stability, and economic cooperation in the region – a stance that aligns closely with Gulf priorities.
This alignment creates a mutually beneficial dynamic: Syria gains access to investment and political support, while Gulf countries gain a more stable neighbor and a partner in shaping the future security architecture of the Middle East.
Post-sanctions strategy: Rebuilding an economy from the ground up
With sanctions lifted and Syria re-entering the regional and international conversation, the next major task is rebuilding its economy. The economic devastation of the past decade requires a comprehensive and multi-layered recovery strategy – one that goes beyond emergency relief and focuses on long-term growth and institutional reform.
A major priority for the Syrian government is to attract foreign investors, particularly from the Gulf. Investment in infrastructure, energy, real estate, and manufacturing could inject much-needed capital into the economy. Encouraging foreign companies to return will also bring technology, expertise, and employment opportunities for Syrians, helping to stabilize the workforce and reduce poverty.
Another critical component is large-scale reconstruction. Rebuilding homes, schools, roads, and hospitals not only restores the country’s physical landscape but also creates thousands of jobs and stimulates local industries such as cement, construction materials, and engineering services. Reconstruction also has a psychological and symbolic value: It signals to Syrians that the country is truly rising from the rubble. Tourism is another sector with immense potential. Syria’s history, culture, and archaeological treasures once attracted millions. By restoring tourist sites, enhancing security, and rebuilding travel infrastructure, Syria can create a new economic pillar that generates revenue and reintroduces the country to the world as a destination of heritage and hospitality.
In conclusion, Syria stands today at a historic crossroads. The country possesses vast untapped potential – from its human capital and geographic position to its cultural heritage and natural resources. What makes this moment particularly promising is that Syria is no longer facing its challenges in isolation. Instead, it is supported by strong alliances, especially with Gulf states such as Saudi Arabia, which have taken meaningful steps to help Syria stabilize, rebuild, and reintegrate into the regional economy.
If Syria continues on this trajectory – strengthening diplomatic ties, welcoming investment, rebuilding institutions, and ensuring security – it has the opportunity to not only restore itself but to emerge stronger, more stable, and more prosperous than before. The road ahead will not be easy, but the foundations of recovery are now clearly visible. For the first time in many years, Syria’s future holds real promise.

The Parties of Falling to the Abyss and the Parties of Rising to … Hell
Hazem Saghieh/Asharq Al Awsat/November 25/2025
One cannot fail to notice the perpetual re-emergence of a sharp contrast between two spectacles. On the one hand, we have the scenes from festivities organized by parties that are labeled ideological or secular, in commemoration of an anniversary or in honor of a founder or leader. On the other hand, we have the scenes of the festivities or rallies held by parties that represent a particular religion, sect, or ethnicity, to commemorate occasions that are meaningful to the community or to honor a certain leader or fallen member. In the first scene, we stumble upon a small number of individuals whom a single hall room can accommodate - usually seeming scattered between its empty spaces - most of them over 60 years old. In the second scene, we find huge numbers, with the significance of the occasion determining the size and scale of mobilization required. More importantly, this mass of people is overwhelmingly young, with the elderly occupying no more than one or two rows at the front of a packed hall, stadium, or open space. On top of that, the women seem, despite a few of these parties’ aversion to seeing women in leadership positions, to have a far stronger presence than among the crowds of the first cluster of parties, which advocate “women’s liberation.”These two scenes, as well as what we know and can anticipate or glean from statistics and figures from time to time, suggest that the parties characterized as ideological - nationalist, leftist, secular - are facing an existential challenge. As for the rhetoric they reiterate, it bears no trace of the passage of time nor the events that substantiate it. It is a cold corpus of repetitive, tired cliches that have been echoed a thousand times before in thousands of different circumstances.
One could reply that the rhetoric of parties built around an identity is even more archaic and that they have nonetheless continued to grow and expand. This is a valid counterpoint, but it becomes less compelling when we consider that identitarian parties need not say anything beyond declaring that they are identity parties. Indeed, they are automatic or mechanical formations whose function and power are derived from the community whose interests they represent or claim to.
That is why the declining prevalence of reading, regardless of its content, weakens doctrinal parties; books and newspapers are the principal means through which such parties present themselves and recruit partisans. That is not true for the other side: reading is almost irrelevant to the success of identitarian parties, and most of the material that identitarians do read falls under what they consider their heritage. Here, reading is akin to a prayer that the faithful regularly listen to despite knowing the words by heart. It might even be fair to argue that social media content is these parties’ equivalent of what the doctrinal parties call educational material. Ideological parties are currently withering to the point of near extinction because of the times and the sharpening of identity - ideal conditions for the identitarian parties, which are not geared towards accommodating the changes or shifting concerns of times in the first place. To them, the universe and history are purely sectarian or ethnic, rendering time and change superfluous.
The problem of partisanship, in the modern sense of the word, is not exclusive to our region. Advanced Western societies are also suffering from a decline in party membership as populist movements of all sorts surge. This development could be attributed to the setbacks of modernity and enlightenment ideals, but this flimsy diagnosis cannot be a substitute for identifying the ways in which these parties are responsible for their crisis.
In any case, abstaining from entering into ruling coalitions with these identitarian populists is the only remaining means for containing their rise. However, success here does not seem guaranteed, especially since this boycott was broken in countries like Finland and could be broken elsewhere. It remains that the decline of partisanship in the Levant and its decline in the West are similar in some respects and different in others. If an excess of elitism, detachment from the real concerns of the population, rising migration, and the outsourcing of industry are among the greatest gifts that parliamentary parties in the West have offered populist parties, then alignment with the identitarian movements, especially Islamists, was the gift in our region. Indeed, the notion that the focus must be on “national liberation and the fight against Zionism and imperialism” has rendered nationalist and leftist forces into mere accessories of these identitarian parties. To give one of many examples, the Lebanese communists continue to deny the fact that Hezbollah and its offshoots killed communists, whether intellectuals or non-intellectuals. This subservience has been embedded into these parties’ genetic code since the Egyptian communists dissolved themselves at Gamal Abdel Nasser’s request, with their Syrian and Iraqi counterparts following suit and joining the “National and Progressive Fronts” of the Baathists. As for the cases in which opposition was crushed through outright mass repression, as it had been in Saddam Hussein’s Iraq, they reaffirm that political parties are inherently far more vulnerable to extinction, something of the sort, than sects and ethnic groups. In turn, fawning over Khomeini’s Iran, which savagely brutalized Iranian communists, nationalists and patriots as it was “standing up to imperialism and Zionism,” it brought this approach to its peak. As for another country, Lebanon, where these parties enjoyed freedom of action and were neither suppressed nor asked to dissolve into a front of any kind, they did all they could to fight the “sectarian regime”, whose demise has done nothing but render sectarianism as pervasive as the air we breathe.

From Grandfather to Grandson: An Unwavering Commitment to Arabs and Palestine
Turki al-Faisal/Asharq Al Awsat/November 25/2025
In an informal conversation on the sidelines of the Yalta Conference of February 1945 (which brought together US President Franklin Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and Soviet leader Joseph Stalin, who were negotiating the end of the Second World War, as well as a framework for durable peace and the international order that would underpin this peace) ,Stalin to persuade Roosevelt to extend his visit to Yalta towards the end of the conference. Roosevelt replied that he had had prior engagements with three kings in the Near East, among them the late King Abdulaziz Ibn Saud. Stalin then asked him: “What gift are you intending to offer Ibn Saud?” Roosevelt answered that the privilege he could offer was the six million Jews living in the United States.
The much-anticipated meeting between King Abdulaziz and President Roosevelt took place on the 14th of February 1945. The “gift” was declined, with the King stressing that Palestine and all Arab land belongs to its people and countering that it is those who have wronged the Jews who are the ones responsible for resettling them in their own countries. Roosevelt promised, and then put his commitment in writing through a letter to King Abdulaziz, that he would not pursue any policy against the Arabs on this matter without prior coordination with the King. Roosevelt later told his special adviser, Bernard Baruch: “Of all the men I have dealt with in my life, I have never met anyone like this Arab king; I could not get even the most minor concession out of him. The man has an iron will.”
Alas, Roosevelt died less than two months after this meeting. He was succeeded by President Harry Truman, who reaffirmed the promise Roosevelt had made in his meeting with King Abdulaziz, but he failed to follow through for electoral considerations. Then came the declaration of the establishment of the State of Israel and US recognition of this state. This historic meeting affirmed the significance of their bilateral strategic relationship, which has held firm for eight decades despite all the strain and challenges, none more destabilizing than US administrations’ attempts to force the Kingdom's hand and tie the two nations’ interests to those of other countries, particularly Israel. That meeting laid the principle that shaped their alliance: interests must remain isolated from regional tensions, with both countries entitled to independent positions on contested issues, notably on the just Palestinian cause and the conflict between the Arab states and Israel. The Kingdom has never wavered on this principle.
CIA documents show that President Eisenhower sent a delegation to King Saud tasked with convincing him to change his position regarding Egypt. The latter stood with Egypt as it defended itself against the Tripartite Aggression that followed the nationalization of the Suez Canal in 1956. The delegation’s objective was to persuade King Saud that President Nasser posed a threat. If persuasion failed, they were told to make threats: Western powers would dispense with Arab oil and seek alternatives; they claimed that nuclear energy, whose industrial applications the United States had been expanding, would provide a substitute for petroleum.
King Saud and his crown prince, Prince Faisal, were not convinced. For one thing, they did not want to go against the Arab public, and regarding the claim that the Kingdom's oil was dispensable, King Saud’s written response (which, according to these same documents, had been built on Prince Faisal’s thorough examination of nuclear energy) was that abandoning oil was impossible. One member of the delegation, as they departed, reportedly told his colleagues: “The simple desert folk have uncovered our ruse.”Saudi Arabia continued its support for Egypt and remained opposed to the Tripartite Aggression that followed the nationalization decree. President Kennedy, a few years later, adopted positions that went against those of the Kingdom, but both sides maintained their independent stances, and bilateral relations were not undermined.
Under King Faisal’s leadership, Saudi Arabia used weaponized oil in 1973. Despite all the threats, he leveraged this resource to serve the Arab cause. Even then, the United States never lost sight of the Kingdom’s strategic importance. The Americans understood that both countries needed to find a way to pursue their shared interests and to insulate them from regional conflicts. Relations were put back on track soon after, with President Richard Nixon visiting the Kingdom in 1974. His discussions with King Faisal laid the groundwork for a genuine strategic partnership.
The Saudi American Joint Commission for Economic Cooperation was established, marking a new era for bilateral cooperation across industrial, commercial, agricultural, scientific, and technological fields. The body played a crucial role in the evolution of relations between the two countries. Moreover, it paved the way for future partnerships and mutually beneficial economic cooperation that served a broader strategic alliance between the two nations, particularly on oil and energy security.
This agreement remained in force despite many divergences between the two states over the years, mostly on regional issues, especially the Arab–Israeli conflict and the resolution of the Palestinian question. The Kingdom has put forward two peace initiatives for the region: King Fahd’s initiative (1981) and King Abdullah’s Peace Initiative (2002), known as the Arab Peace Initiative. However, the United States did not approach either of them with the determination they deserved. Its policy on the Palestinian question remained hostage to the whims of the Israelis.
When King Abdullah (may he rest in peace) was crown prince, he remarked that President Bush had no interest in the Palestinian question. Before the events of September 11, he had sent President Bush a message warning that “our friendship has reached a crossroads: either we remain together, or we part ways.” In response, President Bush dispatched his Secretary of State, Colin Powell, to meet with Prince Bandar bin Sultan, the Kingdom’s ambassador to the United States at the time. This was part of the Kingdom's effort to compel the Americans to turn their attention to the Palestinian cause, with the president having been scheduled to give a statement that addresses the matter on 12 September 2001.
Unfortunately, the events of September 11 froze this initiative. Once the dust had settled, however, the President announced his initiative for resolving the Palestinian issue at Annapolis. The Obama administration sought to force the Kingdom’s hand with regard to Iran. It did not succeed. The first Trump administration, and then the Biden administration, both sought to push the Kingdom toward normalization with Israel, tying the restoration of the two countries’ strategic relations to progress on this matter. Again, the Kingdom stood firm, insisting that the Palestinian question must be resolved through a just solution acceptable to the Palestinians first before discussions about the future of relations with Israel could begin.
The recent historic visit by Prince Mohammed bin Salman succeeded (thanks to the iron resolve inherited from his grandfather and intensive diplomacy) in putting bilateral relations back on course and liberating them from the interests of others. As Prince Mohammed stated at the White House, the arrangements (covering all sectors) between the two parties serve the interests of the two countries alone.
They lay the foundation for cooperation on restoring security and stability in the Middle East, which will remain elusive without a just resolution of the Palestinian issue and the implementation of the two-state solution that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is pursuing. He clarified that none of the agreements were concluded to please President Trump. They were not reached because the Americans had asked for them, but primarily to serve the interests of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and its people.
Accordingly, we are seeing the Kingdom remain steadfast in its commitment to its principles. It has remained consistent from the era of the grandfather to the era of the grandson, especially regarding the Palestinian cause. Prince Mohammed made this clear in his response to a journalist’s question at the White House: there will be no normalization with Israel until a clear path is found toward a two-state solution.

Who Shapes U.S. Policy in the Middle East?
Pierre A. Maroun/Face Book/November 26/2025
Lebanon, Gaza Spillover, and Iran’s Expanding Network
Since October 7, 2023, Washington’s approach to the Middle East has shifted dramatically. The United States no longer treats Lebanon, Gaza, Syria, Iraq, and Yemen as separate files. Instead, they are seen as one interconnected battlefield, managed through the lens of Iran’s regional network. In this new reality, Lebanon is no longer viewed as an independent priority but as part of the broader confrontation with Tehran.
The White House and National Security Council
At the top of the hierarchy sits the President and the National Security Council (NSC). They are the ultimate decision‑makers on war and peace. From setting the ceiling of escalation for Israel on the Lebanese front, to authorizing strikes against Iranian proxies, to defining red lines through backchannels, the NSC dominates Lebanon policy. No other institution carries more weight, especially in an election season when foreign crises are judged through the prism of U.S. domestic politics.
The Pentagon and CENTCOM
The Department of Defense translates policy into military posture. CENTCOM’s assessments of Hezbollah’s missile arsenal, its coordination with the Israeli military, and its protection of U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria often determine whether Washington leans toward containment or escalation. In moments of crisis, CENTCOM’s word can be decisive.
Treasury’s Financial Battlefield
The Treasury Department, through its Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), has become the most effective tool against Hezbollah. By targeting financiers, banks, and smuggling networks, OFAC constrains Hezbollah’s ability to fund operations. Sanctions are no longer symbolic—they are part of deterrence. Each new round of financial pressure forces Hezbollah to recalculate its appetite for opening a front.
Intelligence as the Invisible Hand
The Intelligence Community (CIA, NSA, DIA) provides the information that drives NSC decisions. Reports on Iranian arms shipments, Hezbollah’s precision missiles, or Hamas leaders relocating to Beirut can shift U.S. policy overnight. Intelligence is the unseen but critical lever of escalation management.
State Department as Public Face
The State Department plays a visible but secondary role. Envoys like Amos Hochstein manage maritime negotiations and de‑escalation diplomacy, while diplomats pressure Lebanese politicians during presidential deadlock. Yet the strategic engine lies elsewhere—State implements decisions made by the NSC, Pentagon, and Treasury.
Congress as Political Climate Setter
Congress influences policy through sanctions, aid packages, and hearings that shape public opinion. It has approved billions in military assistance to Israel and imposed strict conditions on aid to the Lebanese Armed Forces. But Congress does not execute policy; it frames and pressures the administration.
Secondary Actors
Other agencies play narrower roles. The Commerce Department and USTR regulate dual‑use technologies. DHS and the FBI monitor Hezbollah‑linked financing inside the U.S. USAID supports energy and community projects to reduce Hezbollah’s influence. These are important but peripheral compared to the core institutions.
Israel’s Input, Not Command
Israeli military and intelligence assessments feed into Washington’s calculations, especially regarding southern Lebanon. But they enter as coordination, not command. The Biden administration treats Israeli input as part of the process, not as a driver of U.S. policy.
Energy as a Hidden Dimension
Since the 2022 maritime border agreement, Eastern Mediterranean gas has become a stabilizing factor. Washington views a major war in southern Lebanon as a threat to energy flows needed by Europe as an alternative to Russian gas. This adds a geo‑economic layer to Lebanon’s importance.
Elections as a Constraint
As U.S. elections approach, the margin for open‑ended escalation narrows. Stability on the Lebanese border has become part of domestic political calculus. Preventing a regional war is not only a foreign policy goal but an electoral necessity.
Final Ranking of Influence
1. President + NSC
2. Pentagon / CENTCOM
3. Treasury / OFAC
4. Intelligence Community
5. State Department
6. Congress
7. Commerce / USTR
8. DHS
9. USAID (role before shutdown)
Conclusion
Lebanon is no longer treated as a stand‑alone file in Washington. It is folded into the larger confrontation with Iran and the management of Gaza spillover. For Lebanese actors, NGOs, and diaspora groups, the lesson is clear: to influence U.S. policy, one must speak the language of American national security, deterrence, stability, and regional balance, before speaking of Lebanon’s internal needs.
Media chatter, outside visitors, and political rhetoric carry little operational weight. Decisions in Washington are made on the basis of security, intelligence, and financial leverage, not words.
NB: This ranking reflects the relative influence of U.S. institutions in the current Middle East crisis (Lebanon–Israel front, Gaza spillover, and Iran’s proxy network). Influence is dynamic. In sanctions campaigns, Treasury may rise; in diplomatic breakthroughs, State may gain weight.
Pierre A. Maroun
Former Legislative Assistant, U.S. Congress (Capitol Hill); Lecturer & Strategic Analyst
SOUL for Lebanon
Lebanese Presidency
#USForeignPolicy #NationalSecurity #PolicyAnalysis #Lebanon #SOUL4Lebanon #MiddleEastPolicy #EnergySecurity

Delist Alibaba — And All Other China Companies
Gordon G. Chang/Gatestone Institute/November 26/2025
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/22073/delist-alibaba-gchina-companies
[I]t is time to delist Alibaba from the New York Stock Exchange and remove all other Chinese companies from U.S. stock listings. All of them are integral parts of a hostile regime assaulting America.
The Communist Party of China runs a unitary state and demands absolute obedience from all individuals, businesses, and institutions in the country.... Washington must stop assuming that Chinese society is organized the same way as America's.
[T]he People's Liberation Army has access to everything any Chinese company, state-owned or privately owned, or Chinese institution possesses.
China's relentless gaming of the global trading system has given the worst elements in the Chinese political system the resources to accomplish their predatory ends.
What matters is that Alibaba is part of the Communist Party's system.
The Party has declared the United States to be its enemy and is now waging its brand of "people's war," which the Chinese military defines as "total war." The regime, although it denies employing "Unrestricted Warfare" tactics against America, is in fact doing so every day. It is time to delist Alibaba and all other Chinese companies from American stock exchanges and to prohibit Americans from doing business with any of them.
All of them are America's enemies.
It is time to delist Alibaba and all other Chinese companies from American stock exchanges and to prohibit Americans from doing business with any of them. All of them are America's enemies.
"Alibaba provides tech support for Chinese military 'operations' against targets in the U.S." That is what a White House memo charges, according to a November 14 report in the Financial Times. The White House has declined comment.
The Chinese giant reportedly provided "access to customer data that includes IP addresses, WiFi information and payment records, as well as different AI-related services." Whether the FT report is accurate or not—it sounds accurate—it is time to delist Alibaba from the New York Stock Exchange and remove all other Chinese companies from U.S. stock listings. All of them are integral parts of a hostile regime assaulting America.
As an initial matter, China's embassy in Washington denied the accuracy of the White House memo and charged the U.S. with a "complete distortion of facts." The embassy claims that China protects privacy.
Alibaba was more emphatic. "The assertions and innuendoes in the article are completely false," the company told CNBC. "We question the motivation behind the anonymous leak, which the FT admits that they cannot verify."
For one thing, the denials of the embassy cannot possibly be true. There are no real privacy protections in China's total surveillance society.
The Communist Party of China runs a unitary state and demands absolute obedience from all individuals, businesses, and institutions in the country. Businesses operate as separate entities and report to separate controlling government bodies, but they are not separate. Washington must stop assuming that Chinese society is organized the same way as America's.
All Chinese entities—businesses or institutions of any type—should, therefore, be treated as one single organization, the way the Party views them.
Xi Jinping reinforces this view with his doctrine of "military-civil fusion." In other words, the People's Liberation Army has access to everything any Chinese company, state-owned or privately owned, or Chinese institution possesses.
"The Chinese Communist Party has exceeded the extreme lengths taken by the Soviet Communist Party to integrate and subordinate its 'civilian economy' to serve the larger goals of its 'military economy,'" Richard Fisher of the International Assessment and Strategy Center told Gatestone this month. "All Chinese companies, factories, universities, and local governments either directly or indirectly support the military."
The fundamental problem is that free-market societies do not understand the nature of totalitarian ones and, as a consequence, do not protect themselves as they should.
"Even Wendell Willkie, the 1940 Republican presidential candidate and globalist foreign policy icon, understood it was perilous to integrate market economies with state-directed ones," Alan Tonelson, referring to the work of American economist Benn Steil, told this publication. "This integration, Willkie believed, distorts production and trade flows, finishes off enterprises in free-market economies, fuels imbalances, and ultimately breeds resentment."
"Tragically, for America's economy and national security, Willkie's successors completely neglected his warning in their rush first to reestablish normal trade relations with Communist China and then admit it to the World Trade Organization," Tonelson, who blogs on the intersection of trade and geopolitics at RealityChek, added.
Willkie was prescient. China's predatory and criminal trade practices created imbalances that accelerated the 2008 global downturn and, more importantly, eroded support for free trade. Moreover, China's relentless gaming of the global trading system has given the worst elements in the Chinese political system the resources to accomplish their predatory ends. Did Alibaba in fact support the Chinese military as the White House memo charges? Only those with access to classified information know.
Yet the truth of the White House's charge does not matter. What matters is that Alibaba is part of the Communist Party's system.
The Party has declared the United States to be its enemy and is now waging its brand of "people's war," which the Chinese military defines as "total war." The regime, although it denies employing "Unrestricted Warfare" tactics against America, is in fact doing so every day.
In these circumstances, it is strategically wrong to support any element of a system that is assaulting the free world in general and the United States in particular.
It is also morally wrong to do so.
It is time to delist Alibaba and all other Chinese companies from American stock exchanges and to prohibit Americans from doing business with any of them.
All of them are America's enemies.
*Gordon G. Chang is the author of Plan Red: China's Project to Destroy America, a Gatestone Institute distinguished senior fellow, and a member of its Advisory Board. Follow him on X @GordonGChang.
**Follow Gordon G. Chang on X (formerly Twitter)
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