English LCCC Newsbulletin For
Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For November 28/2025
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news
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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 27-28/2025
Who is His Holiness Pope Leo XIV?/Elias Bejjani/November 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
Video Link – Interview on “Spot Shot” with Dr. Charles Chartouni/Tehran
Surrenders Before Al-Sistani
Israel strikes south Lebanon on ceasefire anniversary
Report: Egypt seeking Gaza-like agreement for Lebanon
Aoun says hasn't received any response to his call for negotiations
Salam says Hezbollah arms have failed to protect Lebanon
US general turned deaf ear to Salam's complaints about hills occupation, PM says
UN Special Coordinator calls for 'talks', says 'uncertainty remains' despite
ceasefire
Report: Abdelatty carried a 'clear and direct threat' to Lebanon
Al-Rahi fears 'civil war' if Hezbollah disarmed by force
Geagea tells Khamenei not to interfere in Lebanon affairs
Jumblat says Iran using Lebanon as 'mail box' to send messages to US
A year on, Lebanon ceasefire looks 'shakier than ever'
Asher KaufmanAssociated Press/November 27/2025
Lebanese president rejects Israel’s criticism of army disarmament efforts/Najia
Houssari/Arab News/November 27, 2025
The Sistani Message: A Final Cry to Save the 'Lebanese Shiites' from the
Clutches of Iranian Exploitation
A Year Later, Lebanon Still Won’t Stand Up to Hezbollah/David Schenker/Asharq
Al-Awsat/November 27/2025
Hezbollah without a story: The collapse of a regional myth/Makram RabahAl
Arabiya English/27 November/2025
The stories of Lebanese immigration to the US/James J. Zogby/The Arab
News/November 27/2025
Lebanon: From Black Friday to Foundational Reform/Pierre A. Maroun/Face
Book/November 27/2025
Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous
Reports And News published
on
November 27-28/2025
'Magnificent person.' National Guard member
remembered after DC attack
Negotiations underway on Hamas fighters trapped in Gaza tunnels: Sources
Germany, Italy, France, UK urge Israel to end West Bank ‘settler violence’
Amman tells Moscow to stop recruiting Jordanians after two killed fighting for
Russia
Israeli settler charged with terrorism after injuring Palestinian
In Gaza, some choose their wrecked and damaged houses rather than displacement
Khamenei denies outreach to US, says Iran shouldn’t seek ties with Washington
Man arrested over UK synagogue attack: Police
Syria’s al-Sharaa warns against federalism, stresses national unity
Zelenskyy: Ukrainian, US delegations to meet this week to discuss formula for
peace
Putin says Russia will stop fighting when Ukraine withdraws
Hong Kong’s deadliest blaze in decades kills at least 83, scores missing
UN urges US not to stigmatize Afghans after shooting
Titles For The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous
sources on
November 27-28/2025
End of Impunity: Antifa, Public Enemy No. 1/Drieu
Godefridi/Gatestone Institute/November 27/2025
Europe must increase its military deterrence/Khaled Abou Zahr/Arab News/November
27, 2025
International community must not give up on Sudan/Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Arab
News/November 27, 2025
“Saudi Arabia First”: The Balance of Power and Formulating Kingdom’s Place in a
Fluid World/Yousef Al-Dayni//Asharq Al-Awsat/November 27/2025
Selected Face Book & X tweets for November 27-26/2025
The Latest
English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on
November 27-28/2025
Who is His Holiness Pope Leo XIV?
Elias Bejjani/November 27/2025
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/11/149615/
The Birth and Roots
His Holiness Pope Leo XIV, born Robert Francis Prevost, was born on September
14, 1955, in Chicago, Illinois, United States of America, into a believing
Catholic family dedicated to prayer and Church life. He grew up in a home
accustomed to Mass attendance and parish service. His devout mother had a
significant influence on his spiritual formation, instilling in him a love for
the Church and an attachment to the Word of God from an early age. His Holiness
holds both American and Peruvian citizenship (since 2015).
Childhood and the Path of Faith
His childhood was marked by a close attachment to the Church and simple pastoral
service. He served as an altar boy in his local parish and participated in
activities assisting the poor and marginalized. Signs of a priestly vocation
appeared at a young age, and he became attached to the spiritual life and the
liturgy, spending long hours in meditation and prayer, which led his parish
priest to encourage him to pursue the call to the clergy.
Culture and Academic Credentials
He pursued his higher education at prestigious American Catholic universities,
where he obtained a Bachelor of Science degree from Villanova University and a
Master of Divinity from the Catholic Theological Union. He studied philosophy
and theology, earning advanced degrees in Canon Law (JCL and JCD) from the
Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas (Angelicum) in Rome.
He showed particular interest in the Eastern heritage and the Eastern Churches
and became familiar with Oriental spirituality, particularly Maronite
spirituality. He is proficient in English as his mother tongue, in addition to
Italian and Latin, and has extensive knowledge of biblical Greek and Aramaic.
Deaconate and Religious Order
He was ordained a deacon in the early 1980s, and then chose to join The Order of
Saint Augustine (O.S.A.), a religious order with a contemplative and prayerful
nature, where he spent years of religious formation and took his vows. Within
the Order, he distinguished himself with his calm and open spirit, and his
intellectual and administrative abilities, which led him to assume early
teaching, pastoral, and administrative roles. He later served as the Prior
General of the Order of Saint Augustine from 2001 to 2013.
Positions He Held
Following his religious vows and priestly ordination, he held teaching positions
in theological institutes, then progressed to assume:
Prior General of the Augustinian Order (2001–2013).
Monastic responsibilities within his Order and managing pastoral and educational
institutions.
Service in South America: He served as a missionary in Peru, where he was the
Bishop of the Diocese of Chiclayo (from 2015 to 2023) and the Apostolic
Administrator of the Diocese of Callao (until 2023).
Subsequently, he joined Church work closely connected to the Vatican Curia,
serving as Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops and President of the Pontifical
Commission for Latin America (from 2023 until his election as Pope). He
participated in initiatives to support suffering Churches and dossiers on
inter-church and Christian-Islamic dialogue.
Priestly and Administrative Advancements
Priest: June 19, 1982.
Bishop: December 2014.
Archbishop: After years of episcopal service.
Cardinal: He was chosen for this rank on September 30, 2023, due to his
theological experience and deep interest in the Middle East, serving as a
Cardinal on essential files concerning Eastern affairs, Eastern Churches, and
interreligious dialogue.
His Qualities in Pastoral Service
Pope Leo XIV is known for being close to the people, simple in his dealings, and
averse to pretense and ostentation. He tends to listen before passing judgment
and believes that the Church is a house of healing for the wounded, not an
institution of superiority. He also pays great attention to youth and the social
and humanitarian role of the Church, blending liturgical conservatism with
openness to cultural and spiritual dialogue.
Personal Characteristics
Humility and a clear spirit of prayer
Theological wisdom and ability for profound dialogue
A calm yet firm reformatory vision
Love for peace and building bridges between peoples
A special attachment to Oriental spiritualities and contemplative silence
His Achievements
Establishing initiatives to support the suffering Churches in the Middle East
Promoting Ecumenical and Christian–Islamic Dialogue
Supporting studies of Eastern heritage and Oriental spiritualities
Launching educational programs for youth in several countries
His Election as Pope of the Catholic Church
The American Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost was elected Successor of Saint
Peter on May 8, 2025, taking the name Leo XIV, in a move that reflected the
desire of the Holy See to promote dialogue and peace, support the Churches in
the Middle East, and stimulate the process of spiritual and pastoral reform
within the universal Church.
The Anticipated Visit to Lebanon and His Spiritual Connection to Saint Charbel
His Holiness Pope Leo XIV is preparing for a historic visit to Lebanon, a visit
awaited by the Lebanese due to its spiritual and national importance amid the
country's circumstances.
1. Lebanon as a Message During his anticipated visit, the Pope will affirm that
Lebanon is not merely a country, but a message founded on freedom, coexistence,
and respect for humanity. His speeches are expected to carry messages of support
for spiritual, religious, and civil institutions in Lebanon.
2. Supporting Christians in Lebanon His Holiness places great importance on the
steadfastness of Christians in Lebanon and their role in protecting the unique
Lebanese model. His visit will be an occasion to renew the solidarity of the
universal Church with them and to call for the protection of their presence and
mission.
3. Annaya and Saint Charbel — A Key Stop in the Visit Program Pope Leo XIV holds
a special spiritual relationship with Saint Charbel Makhlouf, whom he considers
a “symbol of hope, silence, and prayer in a troubled world.” According to the
official program, His Holiness will visit the Monastery of Saint Maron - Annaya
to spend time in prayer and contemplation at the tomb of Saint Charbel, seeking
his intercession for Lebanon and the world. This stop, although not yet
materialized, is considered one of the most prominent points of the anticipated
visit because it reflects the depth of the link between the Holy See and
Lebanese spirituality.
A Prayer for Christians and Peace in Lebanon
O Lord of peace and mercy, We bow before your greatness and raise Lebanon and
its people to you, especially the Christians who carry the roots of faith and
the message of witness. Illuminate their hearts with strength from you, Protect
them from fear and division, And grant them the courage of steadfastness and the
hope of the Resurrection. Bless Lebanon with its mountains, plains, and seas,
Spread the spirit of peace throughout its regions, And fill its homes with
tranquility and love. By the intercession of Saint Charbel and all the saints,
We ask you to heal our blessed country, And that it may transform into a land of
light, glory, and coexistence.
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.
Video Link – Interview on “Spot Shot” with Dr. Charles
Chartouni/Tehran Surrenders Before Al-Sistani
President Aoun Is Involved in the Beirut Port File and Complicit
with Hezbollah / Domestic and Regional Civil Peace Is Now at Risk Due to Iranian
Policies/Naim Qassem Is a Clown and No One Respects Him/Aoun’s Invitation to the
White House Is Conditional/
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/11/149644/
November 27/2025
“Tehran Surrenders Before Al-Sistani – Charles Chartouni Drops Explosive
Information About President Aoun’s Involvement in the Beirut Port Blast – The
Game Is Over”
Political writer and university professor Dr. Charles Chartouni launched a
series of positions in which he addressed Hezbollah’s relationship with the
Lebanese state, Iran’s role in the region, and several key domestic files,
foremost among them the Beirut Port explosion. In his remarks, Chartouni stated
that the Israelis “do not even notice” Sheikh Naim Qassem, as he put it, adding
that “President Aoun is complicit with Hezbollah.” He criticized what he
described as the “theatrics” performed by the Lebanese state by reopening
certain files — starting with Nouh Zaiter and reaching the telecom ministers’
cases — describing them as nothing more than petty police maneuvers that will
not satisfy the United States. Chartouni also addressed regional developments,
stressing that “domestic and regional civil peace is now at risk because of
Iranian policies.” He emphasized that the Saudi role remains essential in any
phase of political settlements, and questioned whether “the Iranian regime is
willing to listen to the proposals of Grand Ayatollah Al-Sistani.”He then
escalated his criticism of Hezbollah’s Deputy Secretary-General, describing him
as “a clown whom no one respects,” asserting that “the so-called unity of fronts
is over, and Israel has shattered the image of Hezbollah, not that of the
Lebanese state.” On the war in Gaza, Chartouni noted that “Israel is waiting for
the United States to decide on ending Hamas.”Turning back to internal Lebanese
affairs, he pointed out that “President Aoun’s invitation to the White House is
conditional.” He also revealed the existence of “exchanged messages between Aoun
and Russian President Vladimir Putin.”Chartouni concluded with a decisive
stance, holding “Army Commander General Joseph Aoun directly responsible for the
Beirut Port explosion,” and promised that “these files will soon be reopened.”
Israel strikes south Lebanon on ceasefire anniversary
Naharnet/November 27/2025
The Israeli army carried out Thursday a series of airstrikes on the heights of
the Iqlim al-Tuffah region in south Lebanon. The strikes targeted al-Jarmaq and
al-Mahmoudiyyeh, heights that Israel frequently targets despite a ceasefire
reached last year.
The Israeli military said it "struck and dismantled Hezbollah terror
infrastructure in several areas in southern Lebanon", adding that it hit
"several launch sites where Hezbollah weapons were stored" and "military posts"
used by the group. The strikes are the first since Israel assassinated Hezbollah
military chief Haitham Tabatabaei in Haret Hreik in Beirut's southern suburbs.
Thursday ironically marks the anniversary of the ceasefire reached on November
27 last year between Israel and Lebanon. Despite the ceasefire, Israel has kept
up its strikes almost on a daily basis, and is still occupying five "strategic"
hills in south Lebanon.
Report: Egypt seeking Gaza-like agreement for Lebanon
Naharnet/November 27/2025
Through his series of meetings, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty is
seeking a Gaza-like agreement for Lebanon that is theoretically supposed to halt
Israel’s violations of Lebanon’s airspace and prevent the renewal of war,
Cairo-based informed Egyptian sources said. “Cairo and other mediators would
give guarantees that Tel Aviv or any other Israeli city will not be targeted by
Hezbollah, which will be supposed to hand over its weapons to the state
according to a timetable whose implementation would coincide with supplying the
Lebanese Army with the weapons that enable it to do its job,” the sources told
al-Akhbar newspaper. “Cairo has a clear vision that it is formulating, which
aims to spare Lebanon a renewal of the Israeli war and to prevent any clash
between the political parties in the country, on the condition that the Lebanese
sides realize the need for commitment by everyone to what gets agreed on,” the
sources said. The sources added that Cairo’s efforts include “preliminary
agreements with Washington and Paris to reach an agreement that would have
guarantees, especially in terms of halting the Israeli operations in a full
manner, seeing as they are threatening the domestic situation and impeding any
economic activity that can pull the country out of its severe crisis.”Moreover,
the sources said that Egypt is not worried over a possible confrontation between
Hezbollah and the Lebanese Army, “contrary to what Israel is seeking,” noting
that “dialogue and consensual formats” that are backed by Gulf and Western
nations can “preserve stability.”A diplomat meanwhile described the situation as
“complicated” but one that can be gradually resolved through certain stages and
steps.
Aoun says hasn't received any response to his call for
negotiations
Naharnet/November 27/2025
President Joseph Aoun rejected Thursday Israel's claims that the army is not
doing enough to disarm Hezbollah in south Lebanon. "These claims are baseless,"
Aoun said, adding that the ceasefire monitoring committee is "documenting what
the army has done and is doing daily." The President also said in a post
published on the X platform that Lebanon welcomes any assistance from the United
Nations and friendly countries to secure stability in south Lebanon and stop the
continuous Israeli aggressions. Aoun had called many times for negotiations with
Israel to find a solution to the daily aggressions on Lebanon. "I have not
received any response to my initiative, despite the responsiveness of the
international community," he said.
Salam says Hezbollah arms have failed to protect Lebanon
Naharnet/November 27/2025
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said Thursday that Hezbollah failed to deter Israeli
attacks on Lebanon or stop the Israeli war on Gaza. "Their weapons did not
protect their leaders nor the Lebanese people and their properties, and the
proof of that is the dozens of levelled villages," Salam said. "Are these
weapons currently capable of repelling the ongoing Israeli aggressions?" he
sarcastically asked, adding that Lebanon's decision to disarm Hezbollah was
"late". Salam said that Lebanon is in a one-sided war of attrition and that the
situation is escalating. The government in August took the decision to disarm
Hezbollah under U.S. pressure. The army was tasked with implementing the plan.
"By the end of the year, we must finish the first phase of the plan and disarm
Hezbollah south of the Litani river. Meanwhile, north of the Litani, weapons
should not be be used or moved. In the upcoming phases, the disarmament would
extend to all of Lebanon," Salam said.
US general turned deaf ear to Salam's complaints about
hills occupation, PM says
Naharnet/November 27/2025
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said Hezbollah would not disarm amid Israeli
occupation and Israel would not withdraw unless Hezbollah disarms, although the
ceasefire stipulates that Israel withdraw. Salam told The New York Times, in
remarks published Wednesday, that he had unsuccessfully urged Chairman of the
ceasefire committee Major General Jasper Jeffers to pressure Israel to withdraw.
Salam said he raised the issue with Jeffers for several months and reached no
result. He said he told him that in 2025 you do not need to be on top of a
700-meter-high hill with binoculars or a Galileo telescope to monitor what is
happening around you, as Israel has satellite images, drones, and balloons
equipped with the most sophisticated cameras on earth.
UN Special Coordinator calls for 'talks', says 'uncertainty remains' despite
ceasefire
Naharnet/November 27/2025
United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert said
Thursday that uncertainty remains despite a ceasefire reached a year ago between
Lebanon and Israel. The ceasefire de-escalated two months of devastating
hostilities and human suffering on both sides of the Blue Line, offered a ray of
hope and raised expectations of more durable solutions, but uncertainty remains,
Plasschaert said."In fact, for too many Lebanese, the conflict is ongoing -
albeit at a lower intensity. And, one does not need a crystal ball to understand
that, as long as the current status quo continues, the specter of future
hostilities will continue to loom large. "What is clear is that the time to
embrace both the urgency and opportunity of the current moment is now. That goes
for actors on both sides of the Blue Line. Dialogue and negotiations alone will
not solve everything, but they will help to establish a baseline of outstanding
commitments and, importantly, will clear the way for the security and stability
both parties say they seek," the special coordinator said. "The time for talks
is now. No challenge is unsurmountable. A bright future for all can be
realized."
Report: Abdelatty carried a 'clear and direct threat' to Lebanon
Naharnet/November 27/2025
In the vein of U.S. President Donald Trump’s warning to Hamas prior to the
signing of the Gaza agreement, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty carried
a “clear and direct threatening message” to Beirut during his visit to the
country, al-Akhbar newspaper reported on Thursday. According to senior sources,
officials in Lebanon had received days ago information about an Egyptian
initiative based on “freezing the function of weapons and pledging not to carry
out any hostile acts against Israel, in return for the start of withdrawal from
some points occupied by the enemy and freeing a number of captives, in order to
pave the way for the negotiations course.”“This is what (Egyptian intelligence
chief) Maj. Gen. Hassan Rashad had told Lebanese officials,” the sources added.
But Lebanese officials were “surprised that what Abdelatty carried was different
and leaning toward supporting the Israeli demands, with the Egyptian minister
shifting from the principle of ‘freezing weapons’ to ‘removing weapons’ across
Lebanon, with an immediate start from the area extending from South Litani to
the al-Awali River,” the sources said. Describing his visit as “unsuccessful,”
the sources said Abdelatty spoke unambiguously with those he met with, saying
that disarmament should begin north of the Litani and that the Lebanese should
find a practical exit with Hezbollah, which would at least begin with a clear
declaration of intent from Hezbollah on its willingness to hand over weapons.”
Abdelatty also “addressed an invitation to direct negotiations with the Israelis
in Cairo,” warning of “an Israeli escalation that has become certain before the
year’s end.” Al-Akhbar also said that a number of MPs who attended a dinner
banquet with Abdelatty were surprised by him telling them that he had been
informed by Israeli officials that a new war on Lebanon would be broad and
destructive. “I have discussed the matter with Israeli officials and they
informed me that they have taken a decision to carry out a strike on Lebanon
that will not be limited to an aerial assault, but will also involve a ground
operation and the striking of hundreds of targets,” the Egyptian minister said
loudly during the dinner, according to al-Akhbar. “Abdelatty carried the same
message to Speaker Nabih Berri and PM Nawaf Salam, stressing that the escalation
Israel might resort to would be limitless,” the daily said. It added that the
Egyptian minister focused on three main points: full disarmament south of the
Litani, the start of disarmament north of the Litani while pledging not to carry
out any hostile act against Israel, and engaging in direct negotiations with
Israel in Cairo under Saudi-U.S. sponsorship.
Al-Rahi fears 'civil war' if Hezbollah disarmed by force
Naharnet/November 27/2025
Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi has said that “Bkirki believes that the
solution for the file of Hezbollah’s arms should be through diplomacy and not
armed confrontation.”“This is what President Joseph Aoun has adopted and it is
the right thing to do,” al-Rahi added, in an interview with An-Nahar newspaper.
Moreover, al-Rahi voiced concern that the use of force to disarm Hezbollah might
lead to “civil war” and a confrontation with the army, while adding that
Hezbollah’s handover of its weapons should not hinge over Israel’s withdrawal
from the South. “Hezbollah must hand over its weapons and this is a final
decision. What is the value of these weapons at the moment? To resist whom?” the
patriarch added.
Geagea tells Khamenei not to interfere in Lebanon affairs
Naharnet/November 27/2025
Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea told Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali
Khamenei and his advisor that they do not have the right to interfere in
Lebanese affairs, after Khamenei's adviser Ali Akbar Velayati said Wednesday
that "Hezbollah’s presence has become more necessary to Lebanon than water and
bread.""Lebanon is an independent state with its own constitution, governed by a
Lebanese authority that was democratically elected, and you have no right to
interfere in its affairs," Geagea said. LF minister of foreign affairs Youssef
Rajji also condemned Velayati's statement. "What is more important to us than
water and bread is our sovereignty, our freedom, and our independent decisions,"
Rajji said, adding that regional interferences have only destroyed the country.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had said that Iran does not interfere in
Lebanon's domestic affairs. "We welcome any talks aimed at strengthening ties
between Iran and Lebanon," he said, as he invited Rajji to visit Tehran. "I
would also love to visit Beirut if I receive an official invitation."
Jumblat says Iran using Lebanon as 'mail box' to send messages to US
Naharnet/November 27/2025
Former Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat condemned Thursday a
statement by the advisor of Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, after
other Lebanese politicians including LF leader Samir Geagea and Foreign Minister
Youssef Rajji condemned what they described as an interference in Lebanese
affairs.
Khamenei's adviser Ali Akbar Velayati had said Wednesday that "Hezbollah’s
presence has become more necessary to Lebanon than water and bread," to which
Geagea responded that Lebanon is a sovereign country and that Iran has no right
to interfere in its affairs. Jumblat said Velayati was using Lebanon as a mail
box to deliver a message to the U.S., condemning the statement. In a post on the
X platform, the Druze leader went on to laud Sayyed Ali al-Sistani "for his
keenness on Lebanon" after the latter reportedly sent a letter to Iranian
officials, urging them to prioritize the safety of the Lebanese people.
According to sources, al-Sistani recently sent a message to Iran, urging Iranian
officials to protect the Shiite community that is going through very critical
conditions and fearing a further military escalation.
A year on, Lebanon ceasefire looks 'shakier than ever'
Asher Kaufman, Professor of History and Peace Studies, University of Notre
Dame/Associated Press/November 27/2025
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.
Lebanese president rejects Israel’s criticism of army
disarmament efforts
Najia Houssari/Arab News/November 27, 2025
BEIRUT: Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Thursday dismissed Israeli claims
questioning the government’s disarmament efforts, calling them “baseless” and
“unsupported by any tangible evidence,” as Israeli airstrikes intensified across
southern Lebanon. The remarks came just hours after the Israeli military
launched a wave of strikes deep inside Lebanese territory, targeting mountainous
areas and valleys in the Jezzine district and Iqlim Al-Tuffah, north of the
Litani River, in a significant escalation. According to the Israeli Broadcasting
Authority, the attacks struck the vicinity of Al-Jarmaq, Al-Mahmoudieh, and
Nabaa et Tasse, and were described as the most extensive assault since the
assassination of Haytham Ali Tabatabai, a senior Hezbollah military commander.
During the 12 months since the US-brokered ceasefire agreement between Lebanon
and Israel came into effect, Israel has continued to carry out near-daily
violations, including airstrikes, drone surveillance, and targeted
assassinations of Hezbollah operatives across southern Lebanon, the Bekaa
Valley, and extending to Beirut’s southern suburbs. In a meeting with Khaled
Khiari, the UN assistant secretary-general for the Middle East, Asia, and the
Pacific, Aoun said that Lebanon welcomes international support aimed at
stabilizing the south and halting Israel’s ongoing attacks on civilians and
southern villages and towns. During the meeting at the Presidential Palace, Aoun
reiterated that the Lebanese army has “fully carried out its duties” in its area
of deployment south of the Litani River since the ceasefire agreement was
announced last year. He rejected what he called “Israeli attempts to undermine
the army’s role and cast doubt on its field work,” saying that such claims are
contradicted by the work of the Mechanism Committee, which has officially
documented the army’s past and present efforts to curb armed activity, seize
weapons and ammunition, and uncover tunnels in the region. The Israeli strikes
came a day after Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty held talks in Beirut
with Lebanese officials, during which he affirmed Cairo’s “intensive efforts to
shield Lebanon from any threats to its security and stability.”
Abdelatty voiced Egypt’s full support for the Lebanese government’s commitment
to ensuring that only legitimate state institutions hold weapons. “The arrogance
of force will not bring security or stability to Israel or anyone else,” he
said, adding: “We advocate for diplomatic solutions.” Meanwhile, Prime Minister
Nawaf Salam said on Thursday that Lebanon is in a “one-sided war of attrition
that is escalating.” He reiterated that the government established deadlines for
monopoly over weapons, noting that the first phase is to be completed by the end
of this year and includes the area south of the Litani River where weapons and
military infrastructure will be removed.
“As for area north of the Litani River, the principle of containing weapons must
be applied at this stage, that is preventing their transfer and use, with
subsequent phases of monopoly over weapons in various areas to follow,” he
added. Salam criticized Hezbollah’s stance on retaining its weapons, questioning
the effectiveness of its deterrence claims. “The party says its weapons prevent
attacks, yet Israel continues to strike. These weapons have failed to deter
aggression or protect either Hezbollah’s leaders or the Lebanese people, and the
dozens of destroyed villages are proof of that,” he said. He further asked: “Are
Hezbollah’s weapons currently capable of repelling Israel’s ongoing attacks?
These weapons neither deterred, nor protected, nor brought victory to Gaza. We
did not implement Resolution 1701 in 2006, and as a reminder, the preamble to
the ceasefire agreement clearly states that only six official entities, namely
the Lebanese military and security agencies, are entitled to bear arms.” Israel
has continued to exert pressure on Lebanon by threatening to launch a new
military confrontation soon if Hezbollah does not hand over its weapons to the
state. This comes amid multiple reports claiming that Hezbollah is rebuilding
its military capabilities, while the Lebanese government has yet to take any
concrete steps to address the issue. Iran’s escalating stance, which supports
Hezbollah in refusing to hand over its weapons, has met with widespread
condemnation in Lebanon. Former Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid
Jumblatt condemned a statement made by the Iranian adviser to the Leader of the
Islamic Revolution, Ali Akbar Velayati. Velayati had said on Wednesday that
“Hezbollah’s presence in Lebanon has become more vital than daily bread.”
In a post, Jumblatt described the Iranian stance as a violation of Lebanon and
“an attempt to turn it into a mailbox in the American dialogue.”
Jumblatt also condemned the presence of a large number of former Syrian regime
officers in Lebanon “under the protection of partisan and official groups,”
adding that “they pose a threat to internal stability.” He commended Iraq’s
leading Shiite cleric, Sayyid Ali Al-Sistani, for the message he delivered last
week to the Iranian leadership on the danger of leaving the Lebanese Shiite
community under the threat of a new war. In a statement to Iran’s Tasnim News
Agency, Velayati said that Tehran will not give up its support for Hezbollah. He
added: “The Israeli enemy’s aggression showed everyone the disastrous
consequences of disarming Hezbollah in Lebanon.” Lebanese Foreign Minister
Youssef Raggi responded to Velayati’s statement, accusing him of “interfering in
Lebanon’s internal affairs.” In a post on X addressing his Iranian counterpart
Seyed Abbas Araghchi, Raggi said: “I wanted to believe what you said that Iran
does not interfere in Lebanon’s internal affairs, until your Supreme Leader’s
adviser (Velayati) came out today to guide us on what is truly important in
Lebanon and warned us of the consequences of disarming Hezbollah.” He added:
“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 transborder regional agendas that have devastated our
country and continue to drag us further into ruin.” Former Justice Minister Gen.
Ashraf Rifi called on Velayati to “take care of the Iranian people crushed under
the authoritarian grip, instead of lecturing the Lebanese.” He added: “Your
blatant interference in Lebanon’s affairs is the root of all the tragedies we
are living through, and it’s shameful that you consider yourselves the guardians
of a free country. The game is over, and Lebanon will reclaim its national
decision no matter how hard you try to impose your influence.” Lebanese
Independent MP Michel Moawad described Velayati’s statement as “provocative and
rude.” He said: “Lebanon is not a stage for the ambitions of the Iranian
project, but a country guarded by an independent state.”
The Sistani Message: A Final Cry to Save the 'Lebanese
Shiites' from the Clutches of Iranian Exploitation
Janoubia/November 27/2025 (Free translaion from Arabic by: Elias Bejjani)
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/11/149641/
Lebanon is facing a multi-faceted existential crisis, and the issue of “Iranian
exploitation” of the Shiite environment stands out as one of the most complex
obstacles to the state's recovery of its sovereignty and national unity. While
Iranian relations with Lebanon are presented as "support for the Resistance,"
this relationship has taken the form of Iranian influence and control over the
Shiites in Lebanon, a form of political, economic, and military containment of
an ancient Lebanese community, shifting its loyalty from the Lebanese state to a
regional project that serves only Iranian agendas.
The recent statements by Ali Velayati, advisor to the Iranian Supreme Leader,
confirm Tehran’s continued political exploitation of the Shiites in Lebanon
under the guise of “supporting the Resistance” and Hezbollah. Velayati stated in
his latest remarks that Hezbollah’s presence in Lebanon "is indispensable" for
confronting Israeli aggressions. He added: "The presence of the party for
Lebanon today is 'more necessary than water and bread,' considering the party to
have been 'a savior for the Lebanese people' at crucial junctures."
These statements, along with previous incitement of Hezbollah to respond to the
assassination of Haitham Al-Tabtabai, affirm Tehran's persistence in its
dangerous path of involving the Shiites in Lebanon in more destructive choices,
at a time when the Shiite community is still paying the hefty price for the
"support war" and "unity of the arenas." Meanwhile, Iran stood by as a spectator
to the Shiite blood throughout a year of war that did not end merely with the
assassination of the former Secretary-General of Hezbollah, Sayyed Hassan
Nasrallah, but has continued and persists to this day.
The Roots of Dependence and the Entrenchment of the “Mini-State”
Since the founding of Hezbollah with Iranian support in the 1980s, Tehran has
succeeded in building a local "tool" through which it manages its influence in
Lebanon. This influence has gone beyond financial and logistical support to
become a near-complete control over the political, security, and economic
decisions of the Shiite community, and over the sovereignty of the Lebanese
state as a whole.
Comprehensive Control
The party, with Iranian funding, has worked to build institutions parallel to
the state, including social, health, and educational networks, and a strong
military structure that surpasses the capability of the Lebanese Army.
This parallel system has made a wide segment of the Shiite community dependent
on this influence for securing the necessities of life, thereby reinforcing
loyalty to the funding source (Iran and Hezbollah) at the expense of the
Lebanese state.
Silencing the Opposing Voice
There is a prevailing belief that the political and media discourse within this
environment has become guided in a way that allows little room for serious
criticism or opposition to the Iranian decision. Any national Shiite voice
calling for Lebanese neutrality and sovereignty is demonized.
Exhausting Generations
For decades, the Shiite environment has been consistently utilized in regional
conflicts (such as the war in Syria), transforming its sons into "fuel" for
Iranian objectives. This has never served the community's interests but has
instead made the Shiite community in Lebanon a component detached from the
Lebanese state and Lebanon's national interests.
Liberation from This Exploitation?
Achieving freedom from this influence is not an easy task, with Iranian
insistence on the one hand, and Hezbollah’s insistence on dependence on Iran on
the other. Undoubtedly, emerging from the Iranian quagmire requires a
multi-faceted path that combines external pressure, internal will, and the
activation of the "national" Shiite voice that believes in full Lebanese
sovereignty and neutrality, rejects Iranian dependency, and adheres only to the
Lebanese state.
Furthermore, the community cannot be liberated except by the return of a strong
state with exclusive sovereignty. This requires the full implementation of the
Taif Agreement, fundamental reforms to end corruption, and the establishment of
a Lebanese Army that is the only authority authorized to carry arms and defend
the borders.
The Message of Grand Ayatollah Sistani
The message from Grand Ayatollah Sayyed Ali al-Sistani to the Iranian leadership
expressed the seriousness of the exploitation suffered by the Shiites in Lebanon
in the bazaar of Iranian policies. Sistani perhaps sensed the impending danger,
warning of the sensitive phase the Shiite community in Lebanon is undergoing and
cautioning that the current conditions are “very critical” and require urgent
protection.
In his message, Sistani considered it impermissible to leave the Lebanese Shiite
community exposed to a new war, due to the potential consequences of any
confrontation, such as additional waves of displacement, deterioration of
security in villages and towns, and the increasing fragility of the social
environment that has been exhausted by the war over the past months.
Extracting the Shiites of Lebanon from the circle of Iranian exploitation does
not mean isolating them; it means liberating their national decision and fully
integrating them within the legitimate institutions of the Lebanese state, as an
essential and active part of the Lebanese fabric. This liberation begins with
the internal will to reject turning Lebanon into an arena of conflict, and by
providing a national alternative that restores genuine sovereignty to the people
of Lebanon in all its components. The fate of Lebanon as an independent entity
depends on its ability to free itself from the logic of regional proxy status
and return to full national partnership.
Given what Sayyed Ali al-Sistani’s Marja'iyya (religious authority) represents,
his message today is fit to be built upon in rejecting any Iranian stance that
seeks to drag the Shiites in Lebanon into new, devastating choices.
Would you like me to find more information about the context of Sayyed Ali al-Sistani's
message to the Iranian leadership? That is a significant and detailed article.
The search results confirm the existence and the core message of Grand Ayatollah
Sayyed Ali al-Sistani's recent communication to the Iranian leadership regarding
the situation of the Shiite community in Lebanon.
Key Confirmed Points on Sistani's Message
Critical Situation: Sistani warned the Iranian leadership that the current
circumstances of the Shiite community in Lebanon have become "very critical" and
require urgent protection.
Preventing New War: His message stressed that the Lebanese Shiite community
should not be left exposed to a new war due to the potential for additional
waves of displacement, security deterioration in villages, and increased
fragility of a social environment already exhausted by war.
Context of Regional Conflict: The message is understood within the context of
the ongoing regional conflict and the costly "support war" and "unity of the
arenas" that the Lebanese Shiites are paying for, while Iran maintains its own
strategic interests.
Call for Protection/Urgency: The core of the message is a call for Iran to halt
its policies that risk plunging the Lebanese Shiite community into further
devastation.
Alignment with Lebanese Concerns: The search results indicate that Sistani's
concerns align with those voiced by Lebanese figures, such as Ali Hassan Khalil
(Nabih Berri's political assistant) during his visit to Iran, who emphasized the
need to emerge from the "dark tunnel" of pressures and destruction.
The above article interprets this a "final cry" against the "Iranian
exploitation" and a stand for Lebanese Shiite national sovereignty and
decision-making over regional subservience.
A Year Later, Lebanon Still Won’t Stand Up to Hezbollah
David Schenker/Asharq Al-Awsat/November 27/2025
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/11/149653/
Just days before the one-year anniversary of the Israel-Hezbollah
ceasefire, the government of Lebanon announced that it would provide official
disability cards and full benefits to thousands of Hezbollah members injured in
Israel’s now-famous September 2024 covert operation detonating pagers belonging
to the Lebanese militia group. The Trump administration criticized Beirut’s
decision to extend a social safety net for some Hezbollah members, and the
initiative was hurriedly rolled back. But that aborted decision highlights a
troubling dynamic in Lebanon more than a year after Israel smashed Hezbollah and
decapitated its leadership. The Lebanese government’s continued extreme
deference to Hezbollah suggests a Beirut-based variant of the Stockholm
Syndrome. On November 27, one year after the ceasefire, few will celebrate the
faltering truce. On Sunday, Israel said it had killed Hezbollah’s chief of staff
in an airstrike outside Beirut. That strike was yet another reminder that
Lebanon has fallen well short of its own promises to disarm Hezbollah and
enforce the rule of law—and isn’t likely to do much better.
Lebanon felt far more hopeful in January 2025, when its newly elected president,
Joseph Aoun, pledged in his inaugural speech to take away Hezbollah’s guns and
ensure that his government’s writ extended to the whole country. Scant progress
has been made on either front. Efforts by the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) to
disarm the battered but still-dangerous militia have stalled. Hezbollah has
threatened to reignite Lebanon’s civil war should the army persist in collecting
its weapons. The intimidated LAF now studiously avoids searching so-called
“private property” where Hezbollah stashes most of its arsenal. Meanwhile, both
the Lebanese government and military protest Israel’s repeated strikes targeting
these Hezbollah arms caches.
Ten months into its mandate, Aoun’s government has also proved reticent to
pursue justice and accountability for militias and common criminals alike. Most
prominently, no discernable progress has been made on the investigation and
prosecution of those responsible for the 2020 Beirut port explosion, which
killed more than 200 people, injured more than 6000, and displaced some 300,000.
Ultimately, a host of former government officials should be held responsible for
improperly storing nearly 3,000 metric tons of ammonium nitrate in the capital.
But Beirut isn’t pursuing the case, in part because Hezbollah has been credibly
implicated in the blast. Not only did the militia control the harbor, but the
organization was widely suspected of diverting some of the ammonium nitrate to
Bashar al-Assad’s Iran-backed regime in Syria to fuel the barrel bombs that he
deployed against his own citizens during Syria’s bloody civil war.
Hezbollah’s alleged involvement in the port tragedy was first surfaced by
Lebanon’s most prominent shiite critic of the militia, the activist and writer
Lokman Slim. In January 2021, he gave a television interview implicating
Hezbollah in the explosion. Twenty days later, he was assassinated in south
Lebanon, Hezbollah’s stronghold. The police never adequately investigated the
murder, and Lebanon’s highly politicized judiciary was disinclined to proceed.
The case has recently been reopened due to pressure from his German national
widow, but isn’t moving forward.
Indeed, since the 2005 murder of former Lebanese prime minister Rafiq Hariri,
Hezbollah is widely believed to have assassinated more than a dozen Lebanese
politicians, journalists, and law enforcement officials investigating these
crimes. Not a single alleged perpetrator has been held to account in Lebanon.
That wasn’t surprising during previous Hezbollah-adjacent administrations, but
it is more jarring during the nearly year-long tenure of the current government,
which calls itself reformist even as it continues the long tradition of state
impunity.
Lebanon isn’t administering justice to Hezbollah murderers, but Israel is. In
November 2024, Israel killed a Hezbollah operative named Yahya Ayyash in an
airstrike in Syria. Ayyash, a member of Hezbollah’s Unit 121 assassination
squad, was the sole assailant convicted in 2020 by the independent Special
Tribunal for Lebanon for his role in the Hariri bombing. Earlier this month,
Israel released information on the social-media platform X (formerly Twitter)
detailing Hezbollah’s alleged August 2023 killing of the anti-Hezbollah
politician Elias Hasrouni, who was abducted and poisoned by Unit 121.
To be sure, disarming Hezbollah is dangerous business—but that’s what Lebanon
committed to in its ceasefire agreement with Israel. Beirut’s primary objective
increasingly seems to be avoiding a confrontation with the militia. Threats from
the Trump administration to withhold US military assistance or impede postwar
construction are unlikely to compel—largely due to the more proximate fear of
violence—the Aoun government or the LAF to act. So Israel is doing the
job—following through on Aoun’s inaugural pledges and the state’s ceasefire
commitments. Despite official Lebanese complaints about Israeli airstrikes,
Lebanon’s national security apparatus actually prefers this division of labor.
Following Israel’s ferocious fall 2024 assault on Hezbollah, Washington had high
hopes for Lebanon. It would be best to lower them. The Trump administration
should continue to press the Lebanese government to seize Hezbollah’s weapons
and empower Lebanon’s timorous judiciary to investigate and prosecute the
backlog of assassinations allegedly perpetrated by the militia. But if past is
prologue, Lebanon—still cowed by Hezbollah—will continue to disappoint.
*David Schenker, who served as assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern
affairs from 2019-21, is a senior fellow at the Washington Institute and the
director of its program on Arab politics.
Hezbollah without a story: The collapse of a regional
myth
Makram RabahAl Arabiya English/27 November/2025
For decades, Hezbollah built its legitimacy on a singular promise: That its
weapons exist to deter Israel and protect Lebanon. This narrative – polished
with slogans, martyrdom imagery, and a mythology of “divine victory” – has long
been the political currency that allowed the group to impose itself on the
Lebanese state. Yet today, as Israel wages a sustained and methodical campaign
against Hezbollah’s leadership and infrastructure, the central premise of this
narrative has collapsed. The deterrence that Hezbollah claimed to embody was
never real to begin with. It was an illusion – one shattered not only by recent
Israeli strikes, but by the strategic paralysis inside the so-called “Axis of
Resistance.”The popular question asked after the assassination of senior
Hezbollah commander Haytham Tabtabai has been whether Hezbollah will respond.
But this question misses a more fundamental point: Hezbollah no longer holds the
freedom to respond. There is no “Beirut decision” versus “Tehran decision.”
There is only Tehran and the Revolutionary Guards that command it. The group
that once vowed to make Tel Aviv tremble could not even mount a meaningful
retaliation for the assassination of its secretary-general, Hassan Nasrallah, an
unprecedented event for an organization built around the cult of the leader. Nor
could Iran respond to the killing of Qassem Soleimani with anything more than
symbolic missile launches. The “Axis of Resistance”, stripped of its mythology,
is exposed as a fragile and centralized apparatus whose decisions are dictated
by Iran’s calculations – ones that today are constrained, cautious, and deeply
pragmatic.
This reality dismantles Hezbollah’s core claim: That it represents an autonomous
Lebanese resistance project. The organization’s founding slogan – “The Islamic
Revolution in Lebanon” – is not a metaphor. It is a literal mission statement.
For years, Hezbollah used the veneer of Lebanese nationalism to mask its
structural subordination to Tehran. But the events since October 7 have removed
the mask entirely. Hezbollah opened the northern front not to protect Lebanon
but to support Hamas, in a decision coordinated directly with Iran. The result
was not deterrence but the very opposite: The most expansive Israeli campaign
against Lebanese territory since 2006, one that continues at will, unchallenged.
The Lebanese state, meanwhile, has surrendered fully to Hezbollah’s narrative.
Officials repeat, almost reflexively, that disarmament is impossible “under
occupation,” ignoring the fact that it was Hezbollah’s own actions on October 8
that re-invited occupation dynamics to the border. The government’s stance is
not neutrality; it is complicity. Lebanese sovereignty today is suspended
between two powers: Israel, which acts militarily with little restraint, and
Hezbollah, which acts politically with complete impunity.
Israel’s strategy is equally clear. It is not seeking a ground invasion that
would offer Hezbollah the terrain it relies on for asymmetric warfare. Instead,
Israel is waging a campaign defined by precision, intelligence dominance, and an
unrelenting tempo. It is annihilating Hezbollah’s frontline commanders,
targeting its infrastructure, and striking within Palestinian refugee camps when
necessary – all while denying the group any arena in which it can claim symbolic
victory. The message is unmistakable: Israel has adapted; Hezbollah has not.
Much has been made of Hezbollah’s “stockpile of rockets” and its supposed
preparedness for a large-scale confrontation. But this arsenal is strategically
useless without the ability to deploy it within an operational plan that Iran is
willing to endorse. The premise of Hezbollah’s deterrence was that Israel feared
political fallout more than battlefield losses. That premise collapsed the
moment Israel redefined its political calculus after October 7. When Hezbollah
expected Israeli domestic pressure to restrain Netanyahu, it misread the
situation entirely. Instead, the long war strengthened Israel’s political
consensus and ensured continued escalation. Inside Lebanon, Hezbollah’s last
remaining argument is that it needs a ground invasion to prove its strength – an
invasion Israel has every incentive to avoid. Without such an invasion,
Hezbollah cannot deploy its anti-armor systems or engage in close-range combat,
both of which form the backbone of its self-advertised capabilities. Israel has
no intention of granting Hezbollah that opportunity. The battlefield is being
shaped by Israeli air superiority, intelligence infiltration, and technological
advantage – domains in which Hezbollah and the IRGC remain severely outmatched.
The Lebanese state, for its part, is not merely absent but structurally
paralyzed. It has adopted the Axis narrative wholesale, turning the October 8
miscalculation into a national doctrine. The claim that Lebanon must simply
“wait out” Israel’s campaign rests on the fantasy that Hezbollah’s survival is
inherently tied to Lebanon’s survival. In reality, the opposite is true:
Hezbollah’s choices are dragging Lebanon into a disaster it cannot afford, and
the group’s military attrition has already reached a point that undermines its
future internal dominance. The loss of cadre-level commanders, particularly from
the early-generation fighters, is irreplaceable. No ideological mobilization can
compensate for that depletion.
The truth is stark: Hezbollah was never created to liberate Palestine or defend
Lebanon. It was created as an extension of Iran’s revolutionary project – an
armed armature to be deployed at moments that serve Tehran’s interests. October
7 was one such moment. But the regional shock that followed has cornered the
Axis rather than strengthened it. Hezbollah now finds itself fighting a war it
did not design, at a pace it cannot control, and under rules dictated by an
adversary that no longer fears its mythology. Lebanon stands today at the fault
line of this strategic collapse. What emerges from this confrontation will not
simply shape Hezbollah’s future but the entire political landscape of the
country. The illusion of deterrence has evaporated. What remains is a militia
stripped of its myth, a state stripped of its agency, and a region moving
decisively toward the dismantling of Iran’s most prized proxy – not through
resistance, but through its own strategic overreach.
The stories of Lebanese immigration to the US
James J. Zogby/The Arab News/November 27/2025
The Syrian-Lebanese immigrants took advantage of the opportunities provided by
their new home and prospered, growing their families and businesses. From the
late 19th century through the first few decades of the 20th, a flood of
immigrants arrived in the US from Greater Syria.
Last week I was in my home town of Utica, New York to keynote a City Hall event
commemorating Lebanon’s Independence Day. It was a day to recognise and
celebrate Lebanese-Americans’ contributions to the United States, and to remind
us how a welcoming America had done so much for waves of diverse immigrants and
how they, in turn, had built this country. From the late 19th century through
the first few decades of the 20th, a flood of immigrants arrived in the US from
Greater Syria. Available data indicates that almost one-quarter of a million
Syrian-Lebanese arrived over four decades.
Their reasons for emigration varied. In the early period they came seeking
economic opportunities. The World War One famine imposed on the Mount of Lebanon
by both the Ottoman Empire and the Allies accelerated the flight. During the war
years, about half of the Mount’s population died from hunger or disease. After
the war, many of those able to leave did so, with the US as their preferred
destination, to join family or friends who had migrated earlier. In the 1920s, a
xenophobic backlash against some immigrants led Congress to either limit or
eliminate visas for certain groups, among them, the Syrian-Lebanese. For about
30 years, no new US visas were issued.
The Syrian-Lebanese immigrants took advantage of the opportunities provided by
their new home and prospered, growing their families and businesses. My family’s
story was part of this unfolding narrative. My father’s older brother, Habib,
left Lebanon in 1910 at the age of 14. His goal was to prepare the ground for
others to follow. The war and famine intervened. Escaping famine and ruin they
fled to the Bekaa Valley until the war’s end when they returned to their
village. It took them years to be in a position to join Habib. In 1921, with the
exception of my father, they did so. Encountering the anti-Syrian visa
restrictions, my father eager to join his family, secured a job and passage to
Canada. After arriving, he illegally crossed the border into the US and found
his way to Utica, NY where he was reunited with his mother and siblings in 1923.
Like so many other Lebanese and Arab World immigrants who followed, my father,
his brothers and sisters set themselves on a path to succeed in their new
homeland. By the time they died, they had founded seven businesses, and their
children and grandchildren launched many more or became professionals. The
overall Syrian-Lebanese community in Utica grew to become more than six percent
of the city’s population, playing a significant role in all aspects of the
community. When I was growing up, every street corner seemed to have a small
store owned by members of my ethnicity. They also built three churches, were
elected to public office and excelled in education, law, politics and medicine.
It is delightful to see this pattern of Arabic-speaking immigrants seeking
opportunity and building success in America continue with Utica’s newer
immigrants from Arab countries: Palestinians, Yemenis, Iraqis and more. This
American story, despite setbacks and bumps in the road, continues to inspire.
My father, who came undocumented in the 1920s, got amnesty in the ‘30s and
became a naturalised US citizen in 1943. His naturalisation document hangs on my
office wall underneath the Presidential parchment from President Obama
announcing my appointment to serve as his representative to the Commission on
International Religious Freedom. I call it “My American Story Wall.”A century
ago, Kahlil Gibran penned a “Letter to Young Americans of Syrian Origin.” He
reminds his readers of the values they brought with them from their lands of
origin and the possibilities available in their new homeland. Toward the
letter’s end, Gibran urges his readers “to stand before the towers of New York
and Washington, Chicago and San Francisco saying in your hearts ‘I am the
descendant of a people that built Damascus and Byblos and Tyre, Sidon and
Antioch and I am here to build with you.’”
This is exactly what we did.It is the immigrant story, repeated every day, by
diverse waves of immigrants in cities across the country. It is what makes
America great.
*Dr James J Zogby is the President of the Washington-based Arab American
Institute.
Lebanon: From Black Friday to Foundational Reform
Pierre A. Maroun/Face Book/November 27/2025
Edmond Rabbath’s invocation of “Lebanese Black Friday: everything must
disappear, even the country”, is both searing and elegant. With a single
metaphor, he distills Lebanon’s tragic descent into liquidation — sovereignty,
savings, dignity, and the national future slashed to the lowest offer of a
sectarian broker, foreign patron, or smuggling cartel. For millions of Lebanese,
his stark warning that “everything has already been sold” is not rhetoric but
lived reality, a daily reminder of a republic stripped bare.
It captures a country not simply in crisis, but in full liquidation: a political
order devolved into endless transactional bargaining where the survival of each
faction eclipses the survival of the state itself. The result is a regime that
auctions off the republic piece by piece.
The remedy cannot be another short‑term “deal.” Lebanon does not lack resources
or global interest; it lacks integrity, accountability, and a shared national
purpose. Any new compromise layered onto the current rotten structure will only
reset the liquidation cycle. What Lebanon requires is a foundational rebuild
anchored in three non‑negotiable pillars: Monetary Justice, Institutional
Sovereignty, and Security Unification.
1. Monetary Justice and Judicial Independence
Impunity is the oxygen of Lebanon’s collapse. So long as grand corruption is
profitable and the corrupt remain untouchable, no reform will endure.
Key Measures
• Establish an Independent Special Tribunal for Financial Crimes, staffed by
vetted Lebanese and international judges, with authority over corruption,
illicit enrichment, capital flight, and the engineered banking crisis.
• Lift banking secrecy and revoke all political, parliamentary, and diplomatic
immunities in cases linked to the financial meltdown.
• Conduct an internationally supervised forensic audit of the Central Bank and
commercial banks, with findings published in full.
• Recover and repatriate stolen assets from global offshore havens, while
implementing a phased repayment plan that prioritizes small and medium
depositors.
Lebanon will only begin to recover when criminals are prosecuted, assets
returned, and public trust restored.
2. Institutional Sovereignty and Governance
Lebanon must cease functioning as a confederation of sectarian mafias disguised
as political parties. The state must be a functional entity, not a patchwork of
fiefdoms.
Core Reforms
• Replace the sectarian quota system with transparent, merit‑based, and publicly
vetted appointments across senior civil‑service, judicial, and security
institutions.
• Implement genuine administrative and fiscal decentralization, empowering
municipalities to deliver essential services under strict central auditing and
anti‑corruption oversight.
• Adopt a modern electoral law based on proportional representation in large
multi‑member districts, removing confessional labels from voter rolls to force
competition on policy, not sectarian fear.
Until these foundations are laid, no parliament or cabinet can claim legitimacy
beyond caretaker status.
3. Security Unification and State Control
The existence of a state within the state is Lebanon’s original sin, one that
blocks every other reform and ensures permanent instability.
Required Steps
• Fully empower and resource the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) to assume exclusive
control of all borders — land, sea, and air — shutting down smuggling economies
that sustain parallel armed networks.
• Launch time‑bound, internationally guaranteed negotiations to implement UN
Security Council Resolution 1701 in full: Hezbollah’s military capabilities must
be either integrated into the national army or dismantled, without exceptions or
semantic evasions.
• Secure a single, unconditional, non‑transactional reconstruction and
investment package from the international community, focused on infrastructure,
energy, education, and debt relief, tied solely to the state’s exclusive
authority over armed force.
A sovereign state cannot exist if weapons and intelligence services obey more
than one command.
Conclusion: Cancelling the Fire Sale
This is not a plea for reshuffling portfolios. It is a return to first
principles: a state can survive only if it guarantees justice that punishes
theft, institutions that serve citizens, not sect leaders, and a unified
monopoly over arms.
Lebanon is indeed in a clearance sale. But fire sales can be stopped, if
ownership is reclaimed, the doors locked, the management replaced, and the
inventory placed under honest accounting.
The Lebanese people have endured humiliation long enough. They deserve not
liquidation, but renewal. They deserve a state again, not a never‑ending Black
Friday.
By Pierre A. Maroun
President of Shields of United Lebanon (SOUL)
Strategic Analyst
SOUL for Lebanon
The Latest English
LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published
on
November 27-28/2025
'Magnificent person.' National Guard member remembered after DC attack
Taylor Ardrey and Thao Nguyen, USA TODAY/November 27/2025
US Attorney Jeanine Pirro snaps back, defends troops in DC after shooting.
President Donald Trump said on Nov. 27 that National Guard member Sarah
Beckstrom died after being shot in an ambush by an Afghan national near the
White House, a shooting that drew claims from his administration of Biden-era
immigration vetting failures and prompted a sweeping review of asylum cases.
Beckstrom, 20, died of her wounds, and Andrew Wolfe, 24, was "fighting for his
life," Trump announced on Nov. 27, as investigators conducted what officials
said was a terrorism investigation after the shooting. Beckstrom and Wolf were
members of the West Virginia National Guard. "Sarah Beckstrom of West Virginia,
one of the guardsmen that we’re talking about, highly respected, young,
magnificent person, started service in June of 2023, outstanding in every way.
She’s just passed away," Trump said in a Thanksgiving call to service members
from Palm Beach, Florida. "She's no longer with us." Members of the U.S. Secret
Service and other law enforcement agencies respond to a shooting near the White
House on Nov. 26, 2025 in Washington, D.C. At least two uniformed military
personnel, appearing to be National Guardsmen, have been shot blocks from the
White House. National Guard soldiers huddle around law enforcement officers
while receiving information after a shooting in downtown Washington, D.C., on
Nov. 26, 2025. Two National Guard soldiers were shot a few blocks from the White
House, according to law enforcement. Beckstrom, an Army Specialist from
Summersville, West Virginia, was assigned to the 863rd Military Police Company,
111th Engineer Brigade, and entered service in June 2023, according to a news
release from the West Virginia National Guard. U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Wolfe,
of Martinsburg, West Virginia, was assigned to the Force Support Squadron, 167
Airlift Wing. He entered service in February 2019, according to the news
release. Both were among the National Guard members deployed to the district in
August as part of Trump's response to crime. The suspect, who officials
described as a "lone gunman," is in custody and faces charges in connection with
the attack, deemed to be a possible act of terrorism.
National Guard shooting: Victims identified in DC attack
Sarah Beckstrom 'always demonstrated the strength, character'
Following Trump's announcement on Nov. 27, officials called for prayers and
shared their condolences. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi wrote on X that she
was "devastated" and also called for prayers for Wolfe.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth called Beckstrom an "American hero,” adding in
a post on X, "May our nation kneel in prayer for her family." Jeanine Pirro, the
U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, wrote on X that Beckstrom had
volunteered to serve in D.C. on Thanksgiving for "people she never met and gave
the ultimate sacrifice." Beckstrom’s high school also released a statement on
social media and shared a graduation photo of her. Webster County High School,
located in Upperglade, West Virginia, said the school was "shocked and saddened"
to hear of the shooting in D.C. "Sarah, a member of the Class of 2023, has
always demonstrated the strength, character, and commitment that make our school
and community proud," the school said. "Her decision to serve her country
reflects the very best of what we hope to instill in our Highlander students."
'Nothing but good things to say about him'
According to WUSA9, Wolfe's high school alma mater in West Virginia acknowledged
him in a now-deleted social media tribute. " Our Applemen community is deeply
saddened to learn that Musselman High School alumnus, Andrew Wolfe, was one of
the National Guardmen injured in the shooting in Washington, DC," the statement
said. "Please keep Andrew, his family, and all those affected in your
thoughts."DC News Now reported that Wolfe graduated from the school in 2019.
Speaking to the outlet, Musselman High School counselor Christine Redstreake
described him as "a really nice guy." "There are nothing but good things to say
about him. He had an impact on the Musselman community just serving others and
giving," Redstreake said. Pictures of the National Guard members who were shot
in Washington, D.C., on Nov 26 are displayed at a news conference. Pictures of
the National Guard members who were shot in Washington, D.C., on Nov 26 are
displayed at a news conference.
'Brazen and targeted attack'
Officials said the two National Guard members were shot near the Farragut West
Metro station on Nov. 26. The troops were part of a "high-visibility patrol" at
around 2:15 p.m. ET near the corner of 17th and I St. NW, about two blocks from
the White House, when the shooting occurred, officials said. The suspect,
identified as 29-year-old Afghan national Rahmanullah Lakanwal from Washington
state, was also shot and subdued by other guard members in the area. Pirro
called the incident a “brazen and targeted attack” carried out by a “lone
gunman” who ambushed the National Guard members without provocation. During an
interview on Fox and Friends, Bondi said Beckstrom volunteered to work over the
holiday so that others could spend Thanksgiving with their families. “Yet now,
their families are in hospital rooms with them, while they are fighting for
their lives,” Bondi said. The incident prompted Trump to deploy 500 more troops
to the nation's capital. The motive behind the shooting is unclear.
Negotiations underway on Hamas fighters trapped in Gaza tunnels: Sources
AFP/27 November/2025
Negotiations are underway to ensure safe passage for dozens of Hamas fighters
holed up in tunnels in southern Gaza, multiple sources close to the talks told
AFP on Thursday. Israeli media has reported that for weeks that between 100 and
200 Hamas militants have remained trapped in a network of tunnels under the city
of Rafah in an area of the Gaza Strip under Israeli military control. A
prominent Hamas member in Gaza told AFP that the group estimated their number to
be between 60 and 80, and said they were “under siege” but would not surrender.
Under the terms of a US-brokered ceasefire that entered into force on October
10, the Israeli army withdrew from coastal parts of the Palestinian territory to
an area behind the so-called Yellow Line boundary, marked with yellow concrete
blocks. The Hamas militants are in tunnels located behind the Yellow Line.
“Discussions and communications with the mediators (Egypt, Turkey and Qatar) and
the Americans are ongoing in an effort to resolve the crisis,” a Hamas leader
told AFP on condition of anonymity, due to the sensitivity of the subject. A
source from one of the mediating countries confirmed to AFP on Thursday that the
United States, Qatar, Egypt and Turkey have been discussing “with the aim of
reaching a compromise that would allow Hamas fighters to leave the tunnels
behind the Yellow Line near Rafah.”“The current proposal would grant them safe
passage to areas not under Israeli control, helping to ensure this does not
become a friction point that leads to further violations or the collapse of the
ceasefire,” the source added. “This issue has been discussed... with Egyptian
officials, including Intelligence Minister Hassan Rashad, this week,” a
Palestinian source familiar with the talks said. On Wednesday, Hamas called on
mediating countries to pressure Israel to allow safe passage for its fighters -
the first time the group had publicly acknowledged the situation. “We call upon
our mediators to take immediate action to pressure (Israel) to allow our sons to
return home,” Hamas said in a statement. However, Israel does not publicly
appear to be open to compromise on their safe release from the tunnels. An
Israeli government spokesperson told AFP earlier this month that Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu “is not allowing safe passage for 200 Hamas terrorists” and
that he “remains firm in his position to dismantle Hamas's military capabilities
and demilitarize the Gaza Strip.”In its statement on Wednesday, Hamas accused
Israel of violating the ceasefire agreement through the “pursuit, liquidation
and arrest of resistance fighters besieged in the tunnels of Rafah.”
Germany, Italy, France, UK urge Israel to end West Bank
‘settler violence’
AFP/27 November/2025
Four European nations Thursday urged Israel to stop what they called increasing
“settler violence against Palestinian civilians” in the occupied West Bank. “We
- France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom - strongly condemn the massive
increase of settler violence against Palestinian civilians and call for
stability in the West Bank,” they said. “These attacks must stop,” they added,
saying they risked undermining plans to end the Gaza war and prospects for
long-term peace. Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967. Violence in the
West Bank has soared since Palestinian militant group Hamas’s October 2023
attack on Israel triggered the Gaza war. It has not ceased despite the fragile
truce between Israel and Hamas coming into effect last month. Israeli troops or
settlers have killed more than 1,000 Palestinians in the West Bank - many of
them militants, but also scores of civilians - 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. Israel’s military on Wednesday launched a new operation against
Palestinian armed groups in the occupied West Bank. A local governor told AFP
that Israeli forces had raided several towns.
Amman tells Moscow to stop recruiting Jordanians after two
killed fighting for Russia
AFP/28 November/2025
Jordan on Thursday asked Russia to stop recruiting its citizens for its armed
forces after two of them were killed fighting for Moscow. In a statement, the
foreign ministry called the recruitment “a violation of Jordanian law and
international law” that “exposes citizens to serious danger.”Spokesman for the
ministry Fuad al-Majali called on Jordanians “to report any attempts to recruit
them into the Russian army” and warned of both legal risks and the danger of
death. The ministry, he said, “has requested the Russian authorities to stop
recruiting Jordanians and to terminate the service of any Jordanian citizens
already enlisted.” The ministry was also aware of online recruitment efforts, he
said. It is illegal for Jordanians to join the armed forces of a foreign
country. It’s unknown how many Jordanians may have been recruited, but hundreds
live in Russia and more than 20,000 have studied in the countries of the former
Soviet Union, according to unofficial data. Early in Russia’s full-scale
invasion of Ukraine, when Moscow was propping up former president Bashar
al-Assad’s rule in Syria, Russian President Vladimir Putin said he wanted to
recruit 16,000 fighters from the Middle East – with around 2,000 regular Syrian
troops later reportedly sent to Russia.
Israeli settler charged with terrorism after injuring Palestinian
AFP/27 November/2025
An Israeli settler accused of beating a Palestinian woman in the occupied West
Bank with a stick and seriously injuring her was charged on Thursday with
terrorism, Israel’s justice ministry said. Such charges are rarely pressed
against settlers though Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered unusual
criticism in recent weeks of the surging violence by Israelis against
Palestinians in the territory. The charge also came shortly before Britain,
France, Germany and Italy issued a joint call for Israel to bring a halt to
settler violence. The assault, which took place in October in Turmus Ayya, near
Ramallah, was filmed by a foreign volunteer, with the footage widely circulated
on social media within hours. Foreigners often accompany Palestinians during the
traditional olive harvest in an attempt to deter attacks by Israeli settlers.
According to a justice ministry statement quoting the indictment, Ariel Dahari,
24, from the Oz Yair outpost, “assaulted a Palestinian woman and other olive
pickers in an olive grove.”“He struck the woman, a resident of the village who
had come for the harvest, in the head and body with a wooden stick, and
continued to hit her even when she fell to the ground, causing her significant
injuries requiring medical attention,” the indictment added. The man was charged
with “terrorist acts deliberately causing aggravated injuries,” “terrorist acts
as part of an organized group causing aggravated injuries,” and “deliberate
damage to a vehicle as part of an organized group, motivated by a racist
motive.”The prosecution has requested an extension of the defendant’s custody.
Rise in attacks
More than 500,000 Israelis currently live in settlements in the West Bank,
occupied since 1967, as do around three million Palestinians. Settlements are
illegal under international law, while outposts are also illegal under Israeli
law. Violence in the West Bank has soared since the Hamas attack on Israel
triggered the Gaza war in October 2023. The United Nations said that last month
had been the worst month for settler violence since it began recording incidents
in 2006, with 264 attacks that caused casualties or property damage. The rise in
attacks this year has coincided with the expansion of Israeli settlements in the
West Bank, a policy promoted by the government. Several members of Netanyahu’s
coalition advocate for the annexation of the territory, which they regard as
part of Israel’s God-given land. On November 18, Netanyahu condemned the actions
of a “handful of extremists” among settlers in the occupied West Bank and vowed
to deal with the issue personally. Yair Golan, leader of the Democrats, an
opposition party on the political left, lamented in response that “Jewish
terrorism... is out of control.”The European quartet, meanwhile, said in a joint
statement that they “strongly condemn the massive increase of settler violence
against Palestinian civilians and call for stability in the West Bank.”They said
criticism of the violence from Netanyahu and other Israeli leaders “must be
translated into action” and said “these attacks must stop.”They also called for
Israel to reverse its plans to further expand settlements.
In Gaza, some choose their wrecked and damaged houses
rather than displacement
JERUSALEM (AP)/27 November/2025
Israeli forces on Thursday killed a pair of Palestinian men in the occupied West
Bank after they appeared to surrender to troops, drawing Palestinian accusations
that the men were executed “in cold blood.” The Israeli military said it was
investigating. The killings, captured in videos shown on two Arab TV stations,
came as Israel pressed ahead with its latest offensive in the West Bank, where
the army has stepped up its activities over the past two years. Israel says it
is cracking down on militants, but Palestinians and rights groups accuse Israel
of using excessive force and say dozens of unarmed civilians have been killed.
Israel has been fighting on a number of fronts as a shaky ceasefire in Gaza
moves forward. On Thursday, Israel carried out another round of airstrikes on
suspected Hezbollah sites in southern Lebanon. Ongoing conflicts in the region
have fueled concerns that unrest could spill over and undermine the fragile
truce in Gaza. A Palestinian-American teenager held in Israeli detention for
nine months was also released on Thursday night. The 16-year-old emerged visibly
thin and was embraced by his crying family. Israeli forces accused of executing
Palestinian men in West Bank The Israeli military and national police announced
they were opening an investigation into the deaths Thursday of the two men, who
were shot by members of the border police, a special unit that often operates
alongside the Israeli military. In a video shown on Palestine TV, which has no
sound, the two men come out of a garage holding their hands up and lifting their
shirts to show they are not carrying explosives. They are ordered to the ground
and kicked by one of the policemen. They are then ordered back to the garage. In
a video shown by Egyptian TV station Al-Ghad, the men are ordered back to the
entrance of the garage. As they are on the ground and surrounded by troops,
gunshots are heard and the men slump down, apparently lifeless. At least one
soldier is seen firing his weapon. In a statement, the Israeli military said the
two men were wanted militants in the northern town of Jenin who had thrown
explosives and opened fire at troops. It said that after the men surrendered and
exited a building, “fire was directed toward the suspects.” It said was the
incident was “under review” and would be referred “to the relevant professional
bodies.”Palestinians and human rights groups say such investigations yield few
results, and Israeli troops are rarely prosecuted. Israel's far-right national
security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who oversees the national police, praised the
Israeli forces, saying they had acted “exactly as they are expected to —
terrorists must die!” In Ramallah, the Palestinian prime minister’s office
accused Israel of executing the men “in cold blood.” It called the shooting “an
outright extrajudicial killing in blatant violation of international
humanitarian law.”
Khamenei denies outreach to US, says Iran shouldn’t seek
ties with Washington
Al Arabiya English/27 November/2025
Iran has denied claims that it reached out to the United States for talks
through a third country, with Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei calling the reports “a
complete lie” in televised remarks aired on Thursday. “They are creating rumors
that Iran sent a message to America through some country – that is a complete
lie,” Khamenei said, adding that Tehran should not pursue relations or
cooperation with what he described as a “warmongering” US government. Khamenei
also accused Washington of starting the Russia-Ukraine war and criticized US
President Donald Trump for failing to fulfill his pledge to end the conflict.
“This current American president used to say that he would resolve the (Ukraine
war) in three days. Nearly a year has passed, and now he is imposing a 28-point
plan on the very country he brought into the war,” Khamenei said. “Wherever
America intervenes, the result is war-mongering, genocide, destruction, and
displacement,” he added. Khamenei went on to claim that the United States and
Israel failed to achieve their objectives during the 12-day war with Iran
earlier this year. “Yes, we suffered losses, we lost dear lives… this is the
nature of war. But the one who started the attack suffered more losses than we
did,” he said. In June, Israel launched an unprecedented bombing campaign
against Iran, triggering a war that the US briefly joined with strikes on key
Iranian nuclear facilities. Israel’s attack prompted an Iranian response of
missile and drone strikes and derailed nuclear talks between Tehran and
Washington that had begun in April. A ceasefire between Iran and Israel has been
in place since June 24. Since the war, Trump has repeatedly said the US strikes
obliterated Iran’s nuclear program, but the full extent of the damage remains
unknown. The Pentagon has said the strikes delayed Iran’s nuclear program by
between one and two years. “In the 12-day war, America suffered heavy losses. It
used the latest and most advanced offensive and defensive weapons… but it could
not achieve what it wanted,” Khamenei said.The Iranian leader has previously
rebuffed Trump’s claims that Iran’s nuclear program had been destroyed, telling
him to “keep dreaming.”
Man arrested over UK synagogue attack: Police
AFP/27 November/2025
A 31-year-old man was arrested at an airport in northwest England on Thursday in
connection with last month's Manchester synagogue attack in which two people
died. The man was detained on suspicion of commission, preparation and
instigation of acts of terrorism, Greater Manchester Police said. He was
arrested at Manchester Airport after arriving on an inbound flight and remains
in custody for questioning, the force added. A total of seven people have now
been arrested in connection with the attack at the Heaton Park Hebrew
Congregation Synagogue on October 2. A 30-year-old man arrested on October 9 on
suspicion of failing to disclose information under the Terrorism Act remains on
bail, according to police. Five of those arrested have been released without
charge. Syrian-born UK citizen Jihad al-Shamie started his attack by driving his
Kia Picanto at security staff and the external gates of the synagogue.
Worshippers had gathered there for Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish
calendar. Wearing a fake suicide belt, he then stabbed father-of-three Melvin
Cravitz, 66, multiple times and tried to storm the synagogue before being shot
dead by police. Cravitz died from multiple knife wounds inflicted by Shamie, an
inquest heard. Adrian Daulby, 53, died from a single gunshot wound to the chest
that had been fired by a police officer responding to the situation.
Syria’s al-Sharaa warns against federalism, stresses national unity
Al Arabiya English/28 November/2025
Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa said on Thursday that many of the public’s
demands are “legitimate,” stressing the importance of national unity at this
“historic moment,” nearly a year after the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad. In a
phone call made during a meeting between the governor of Latakia and local
dignitaries and neighborhood committees, al-Sharaa said: “Over the past two
days, we’ve seen many legitimate popular demands, though some of them were
politically driven, to call things by their name.”He stressed that the state is
“fully prepared to listen to all demands and discuss them seriously.”He
continued: “We will keep facing many objections, because no authority enjoys
complete consensus. I understand that many of the demands raised in the past two
days are justified, while some are politically motivated.”He added that “even in
federal states, there is strong central authority over sovereign
institutions.”According to comments carried by the Syrian state news agency
SANA, the Syrian president emphasized that “national unity is an essential
pillar that cannot be abandoned,” saying it was “time to end the state of
division that has been instilled in Syrians for more than sixty years.”He also
said that “the Syrian coast is one of the top national priorities in the current
phase, because it overlooks major global trade routes and will form a very
strong economic link between us and all countries in the region.” He added:
“Syria’s geography is interconnected and integrated, and separating any part of
it from the rest is extremely difficult. The coast cannot have an isolated
authority of its own, cut off from other regions. Its resources are directly
tied to the eastern region, and vice versa. Syria without a coastline loses a
key part of its strategic and economic strength.”Al-Sharaa added: “Many of the
ideas promoted by people with narrow interests in separation or federalism
reflect political ignorance on this issue.”He argued that “we must all think
with a strategic mindset and long-term goals. Narrow visions do not build a
country, and states that embraced power-sharing 30 years ago are now worse off
than they were before.”The Syrian president acknowledged that “the challenges
Syria faces are complex and require a high level of awareness and responsibility
to achieve the most important goal: a unified and stable Syria.”He continued:
“We now have two central tasks in the coming phase: protecting the country from
internal and external threats, and pursuing economic development.”
Zelenskyy: Ukrainian, US delegations to meet this week to discuss formula for
peace
Reuters/27 November/2025
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Thursday that Ukrainian and US
delegations are to meet this week to work out a formula discussed at talks in
Geneva to bring peace and provide security guarantees for Kyiv. “Our team,
together with American representatives, will meet at the end of this week to
continue to bring closer the points we have as a result of (talks in) Geneva in
a form that will lead us on the path to peace and security guarantees,”
Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address. “There will be a meeting of
delegations. The Ukrainian delegation will be well prepared and focused on
meaningful work.”Zelenskyy said there would be further talks next week involving
both delegations and himself, though he provided no details. “Next week there
will be important talks not with our delegation, but also including me,” he
said. “And we are preparing firm ground for such talks. Ukraine will stand
firmly its feet. It will always be standing.”
Putin says Russia will stop fighting when Ukraine withdraws
AFP/27 November/2025
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that he would end his Ukraine
offensive if Kyiv withdrew from territory Moscow claims at its own - otherwise
his army would take it by force. The Russian army has been slowly but steadily
grinding through eastern Ukraine in costly battles against outnumbered and
outgunned Ukrainian forces. Washington has meanwhile renewed its push to end the
nearly four-year war, putting forward a surprise plan that it hopes to finalize
through upcoming talks with Moscow and Kyiv. “If Ukrainian forces leave the
territories they hold, then we will stop combat operations,” Putin said during a
visit to Kyrgyzstan. “If they don’t, then we will achieve it by military
means.”Russia controls around one-fifth of Ukraine’s territory. The issue of
occupied land, which Kyiv has said it will never cede, is among the biggest
stumbling blocks in the peace process. Another important issue in the talks are
Western security guarantees for Ukraine, which Kyiv says are needed to prevent
Moscow from invading again in the future. Washington’s original plan - drafted
without input from Ukraine’s European allies - would have seen Kyiv withdraw
from its eastern Donetsk region and the United States de facto recognise the
Donetsk, Crimea and Luhansk regions as Russian. The US pared back the original
plan over the weekend following criticism from Kyiv and Europe, but has not yet
released the new version. Putin, who has seen the new plan, said it could be a
negotiation starter. “Overall, we agree that it could form the basis for future
agreements,” he said of the latest draft, which the US is thought to have
shortened to about 20 points. US negotiator Steve Witkoff was expected in Moscow
next week to discuss the revised document, Putin said. US Army Secretary Dan
Driscoll is meanwhile due to visit Kyiv later this week, Ukraine’s top
presidential aide Andriy Yermak said.
‘Little can be done’
In his remarks Thursday, Putin repeated the claim that Russia had encircled the
Ukrainian army in Pokrovsk and Myrnograd in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region -
the most fiercely embattled area and a key target for Moscow’s forces.
“Krasnoarmeysk and Dimitrov are completely surrounded,” he said, using the
Russian names for the cities. Moscow was also advancing in Vovchansk and Siversk,
as well as approaching the important logistic hub of Guliaipole, he added. The
Russian offensive “is practically impossible to hold back, so there is little
that can be done about it,” Putin said. Ukraine has denied Pokrovsk and
Myrnograd are encircled, insisting its forces continue to hold the enemy along
the frontline. Putin also questioned Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s
legitimacy and said signing any agreement with him would be legally “almost
impossible” at the moment, a suggestion that has drawn groans from Kyiv and its
allies. According to data analysed by AFP from the American Institute for the
Study of War (ISW), Russian forces have conquered an average of 467 square
kilometers (180 square miles) each month in 2025 - a step up from 2024. Moscow
launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, triggering the
worst armed conflict in Europe since World War II. The war has killed hundreds
of thousands of people and forced millions to flee their homes.
Hong Kong’s deadliest blaze in decades kills at least 83,
scores missing
AFP/27 November/2025
Hong Kong authorities said on Friday the death toll from the city’s worst fire
in decades had risen to at least 83, with the blaze almost entirely extinguished
and rescuers scouring torched high-rise buildings for scores of people still
listed as missing. Early Friday, authorities said the fire had been contained to
four of the sprawling apartment complex’s almost 2,000 units, well over 24 hours
after the blaze broke out in the eight-building complex. At least 76 people were
injured in the blaze, including 11 firefighters, a government spokesperson said.
Scores remain missing, although the exact number has not been updated since
early Thursday. Authorities have begun investigating what sparked the blaze –
the financial hub’s worst in almost 80 years – including the presence of bamboo
scaffolding and plastic mesh wrapped around the structures as part of a major
renovation. Hong Kong’s anti-corruption body said it had launched a probe into
renovation work at the complex, hours after police said they had arrested three
men on suspicion of negligently leaving foam packaging at the fire site.
Residents of Wang Fuk Court, located in Hong Kong’s northern district of Tai Po,
told AFP that they did not hear any fire alarms and had to go door-to-door to
alert neighbors to the danger. “The fire spread so quickly. I saw one hose
trying to save several buildings, and I felt it was far too slow,” said a man
surnamed Suen. “Ringing doorbells, knocking on doors, alerting the neighbors,
telling them to leave – that’s what the situation was like,” he said.
‘Cannot describe it’
Of the 83 people confirmed dead as of 12:00 am local time (1600 GMT Thursday),
one was a 37-year-old firefighter and two were Indonesians working as migrant
domestic workers. It is Hong Kong’s deadliest fire since 1948, when an explosion
followed by a fire killed 135 people. But the toll could yet rise, with city
leader John Lee saying in the early hours of Thursday that 279 people were
unaccounted for. Firefighters said later that they had made contact with some of
those people and authorities have not updated the figure since. Police at a
nearby community center hoping to identify victims showed photos of bodies
pulled from the fire to people seeking missing loved ones. “If the faces are
unrecognizable, there are personal items for people to identify,” said a woman
surnamed Cheung who was looking for her relatives. “I cannot describe my
feelings. There were children,” she said. Deadly fires were once a regular
scourge in densely populated Hong Kong, especially in poorer neighborhoods, but
improved safety measures have made them far less common. Hong Kong authorities
will immediately inspect all housing estates undergoing major work following the
disaster, city leader Lee said. The city’s number-two official Eric Chan told a
news conference it was “imperative to expedite the full transition to metal
scaffolding.”The government of Hong Kong, a semi-autonomous territory of China,
said Beijing would provide assistance such as drones and medicine. City
authorities said they had opened nine shelters and were organizing temporary
accommodation and emergency funds for those who had lost their homes. Activities
around Hong Kong’s legislative elections, set to take place on December 7, have
been suspended.
Hellish scenes
Sections of charred scaffolding fell from the burning apartment blocks in
hellish scenes late on Wednesday, as flames inside apartments sometimes belched
out through windows into a night sky that glowed orange. Fire services said the
wind and drifting debris likely spread the fire from one building to another.
Some of the residents in adjacent blocks who had been evacuated as a precaution
were allowed back into their homes on Thursday afternoon. Crowds moved by the
tragedy gathered near the complex to organize aid for displaced residents and
firefighters, part of a spontaneous effort in a city that has some of the
world’s most densely packed and tallest residential blocks. Volunteers
distributed clothes and lunch boxes at the open-air podium of a nearby mall,
while a few people gave out flyers with information about missing people. “It’s
truly touching,” said Stone Ngai, 38, one of the organizers of an impromptu aid
station. “The spirit of Hong Kong people is that when one is in trouble,
everyone lends support... It shows that Hong Kong people are full of love.”
UN urges US not to stigmatize Afghans after shooting
AFP/27 November/2025
The shooting of two National Guard soldiers near the White House should not be a
reason for US President Donald Trump’s administration to review its immigration
policy towards Afghans, a UN official told AFP on Thursday. The man suspected of
the shooting on Wednesday was an Afghan national who worked alongside US forces
in Afghanistan before arriving in America four years ago, US media reported.
Trump condemned the shooting and immediately called on his administration to
“reexamine” all individuals who had come to the United States from Afghanistan
during Joe Biden’s administration. “It’s a heinous crime what this person is
being accused of, and if it is true, which seems to be the case, then certainly
we condemn it,” said Arafat Jamal, head of the UN’s refugee agency (UNHCR) in
Kabul. He added he hoped the incident “doesn’t impact other Afghans and asylum
seekers and refugees” in the United States. “I’m a little bit worried when I do
see the news reports that constantly emphasise his Afghan heritage,” he said
during a visit to Brussels for meetings with EU officials. He added he hoped it
did not “colour many of the Afghans in the US and other countries who stood
loyally by the Americans during their time in Afghanistan.” US Homeland Security
Secretary Kristi Noem said the suspect took advantage of a programme put in
place by Biden’s administration to help Afghans who worked with the Americans
after the Taliban came to power in 2021.
The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous
sources on
November 27-28/2025
End of Impunity: Antifa, Public Enemy
No. 1
Drieu Godefridi/Gatestone Institute/November 27/2025
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/22076/antifa-public-enemy
The terrorist designation by the US federal government, which is not a slogan,
derives from Section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. §
1189) and from Executive Order 13224 (2001, Bush). Any foreign organization that
threatens the security of US nationals or US national security must be placed on
the FTO list and have its assets seized.
The criteria are explicit: systematic use of violence, transnational scope,
political intent. Antifa meets all three. It is a transnational terrorist
organization whose existence much of the mainstream media stubbornly refuse to
acknowledge.
The State Department leaves no room for ambiguity: "Left-wing terrorism does not
enjoy ideological immunity." Why is there not the same moral clarity in Western
Europe?
The American decision -- neither an ideological crusade nor a publicity stunt --
is a proportionate response to proven crimes. The four designated groups are not
"radical activists": they are terrorists who kill, maim and destroy in the name
of an outdated totalitarian utopia -- or even a not-outdated one -- that aligns
itself with Islamic jihadists declaring that they would like to take over the
planet. Liberal democracies have a duty to defend themselves — without
complacency, without naïveté, and with the full rigor of the law. Can we in
Europe expect Antifa members to be intercepted in the same manner as
drug-trafficking vessels in the Caribbean?
The criteria for designation as a terrorist organization are explicit:
systematic use of violence, transnational scope and political intent. Antifa
meets all three. It is a transnational terrorist organization whose existence
much of the mainstream media stubbornly refuse to acknowledge. (Image source:
Google Gemini)
On November 13, 2025, the US State Department added four European terrorist
organizations to its list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs): Antifa Ost
(Germany), the International Revolutionary Front (Italy), Armed Proletarian
Justice (Greece) and Revolutionary Class Self-Defense (Greece).
This decision by the US administration was based on overwhelming evidence: knife
and hammer attacks, shootings, bombings and the use of improvised explosive
devices that targeted civilians, public infrastructure and private businesses.
The move forms part of a wider transatlantic dynamic launched by Hungary. In
September 2025, the Hungarian government -- after a series of attacks in
Budapest in which Antifa Ost torched police vehicles, destroyed shops, and
carried out targeted assaults on right-wing activists -- designated the group as
a terrorist organization. Earlier in September, the US classified Antifa as a
domestic terrorist organization.
The attacks in Hungary occurred in February 2023, during the commemoration of
"Honor Day," marking the end of the Second World War. Five coordinated assaults
targeted nine individuals perceived as "right-wing activists." The attackers —
fifteen militants, including Germans and Italians — used hammers, telescopic
batons, tear gas and brass knuckles. Four of the victims sustained serious
injuries: multiple fractures, head trauma and irreversible damage. These
actions, which led to arrests in Hungary, Germany and Italy, sparked a
diplomatic scandal. The election of Italian citizen Ilaria Salis — allegedly one
of the perpetrators of the violent attacks — to the European Parliament in 2024
granted her parliamentary immunity. As a co-author of these despicable acts, she
is now funded by the European taxpayer. Salis spent several months in detention
in Hungary over her alleged role in the assaults, but after she was elected as
an MEP, the parliamentary immunity she gained resulted in her release.
Washington has begun applying the same method it uses against Islamist
organizations and drug cartels: shutting these networks out of the American and
international financial system, freezing their assets and prosecuting all those
who provide logistical or ideological support. The consequences are immediate:
any person or entity residing in the United States who materially assists these
groups faces penalties of up to 20 years in prison.
Documented Violence, Not Rhetoric
Antifa Ost, based in Leipzig and Berlin, has claimed responsibility for dozens
of assaults. These include a hammer attack on a conservative gathering in Saxony
and arson at a Bavarian police training center. The International Revolutionary
Front, active in Milan and Turin, has circulated manuals on making homemade
explosives and has staged ambushes against marches of trade-unions it deems
"reformist." In Greece, two of the organizations designated as FTOs by the State
Department operate in tandem: Armed Proletarian Justice claimed responsibility
for planting a bomb near the riot police headquarters in Goudi, Greece on
December 18, 2023; Revolutionary Class Self-Defense claimed responsibility for
two IED attacks targeting the Greece Ministry of Labor (February 3, 2024) and
the Hellenic Train offices (April 11, 2025).
These acts were not spontaneous riots but the expression of an explicit
doctrine: "strike the class enemy wherever he is found," a mantra repeated in
communiqués posted on encrypted platforms, sometimes relayed by a press that
romanticizes violence — provided it is "left-wing." The phrase "strike the class
enemy wherever he is found" appears to echo Marxist-Leninist rhetoric, often
used in revolutionary contexts to justify direct action against perceived
capitalist or fascist oppressors. While direct, verbatim uses by self-identified
Antifa groups are rare in public records (due to their decentralized and
sometimes encrypted nature), it has been documented in analyses of their
internal doctrines. Below are key examples in the US:
"The border is everywhere. We can attack it anywhere." (2019). This quote comes
from Willem van Spronsen, a self-described Antifa activist who firebombed an ICE
detention center in Tacoma, Washington, on July 13, 2019, in an attack that
wounded four officers. The full document, titled "I Am Antifa," calls for armed
resistance against "fascist" institutions such as ICE, and frames borders as a
capitalist tool of oppression. It was widely circulated in Portland Antifa
circles as inspirational propaganda and aligns with calls to strike "enemies"
(such as the capital or the state) at any area of vulnerability.
Video from a 2018 Antifa rally, shared on X, where Antifa militants chanted
"Anytime, Anyplace, Punch a NAZI In The Face"while carrying signs such as "It
Takes Bullet to Bash Fash." This promotes on-sight violence against perceived
class/racial enemies, disavowed by some Democrats but unchallenged broadly.
"On Sight" Retaliation Calls (2020 Portland Homicide Response). After the
killing of Patriot Prayer member Aaron Danielson, Antifa Telegram channels,
evidently assuming the victim was an ally of the enemy, called for immediate
murderous payback against "fash" (fascists). This recommendation, in practice,
reflects "strike wherever found".
"Do Crime" and Economic Disruption Mottos. Antifa's self-admitted slogan "Do
crime" (see Andy Ngo's 2021 book, Unmasked: Inside Antifa's Radical Plan to
Destroy Democracy) aims to foster chaos for revolution, including strikes at the
"heart" of our cities by general disruptions.
The iconography is always the same: black hoods, hammers, Molotov cocktails,
anarcho-communist symbols. The image attached to the State Department communiqué
— a masked individual holding an iron bar beating a passer-by lying on the
ground — is not staged. It corresponds to footage authenticated by Europol and
Germany's Bundeskriminalamt.
A Legal Response, Not an Ideological One
The terrorist designation by the US federal government, which is not a slogan,
derives from Section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. §
1189) and from Executive Order 13224 (2001, Bush). Any foreign organization that
threatens the security of US nationals or US national security must be placed on
the FTO list and have its assets seized.
The criteria are explicit: systematic use of violence, transnational scope and
political intent. Antifa meets all three. It is a transnational terrorist
organization whose existence much of the mainstream media stubbornly refuse to
acknowledge.
Some argue that these groups are "anti-fascist," as though that alone
constituted a legal justification for an onslaught. If you want to beat your
dog, you might claim it has rabies. Ironically, these groups behave just like
the fascists. Historical anti-fascism — the armed resistance to Nazism — bears
no resemblance to today's left, which in 2025 targets moderate democratic
politicians, liberal journalists and business owners accused of "capitalist
complicity," while extending sympathy to Islamist terrorism in the name of
"convergence of struggle" (see Douglas Murray, The Strange Death of Europe,
2017.) The State Department leaves no room for ambiguity: "Left-wing terrorism
does not enjoy ideological immunity." Why is there not the same moral clarity in
Western Europe?
Transatlantic Implications
The shockwave extends far beyond the United States. Antifa is now a legitimate
target for every instrument of the rule of law.
The European Union, under pressure from Hungary and Poland, is considering
harmonizing its own terrorist list. Financial flows. such as donations via
cryptocurrencies, are being tracked by the US Treasury and Germany's Federal
Intelligence Service. German universities where certain Antifa Ost factions
openly recruited students have received federal orders to cooperate.
Freedom to Kill, Provided You Are on the Left?
Criticism of capitalism, peaceful protest and the revival of communist fantasies
of equal inequality are not what is at issue here. In the United States, the
First Amendment stops where material incitement to violence begins — the 1969
Brandenburg v. Ohio precedent. What the State Department's decision underscores
is that murder and hammer attacks are not acceptable free speech, even when
committed by "left-wing" militants.
End of Impunity: Antifa, Public Enemy No. 1
The American decision -- neither an ideological crusade nor a publicity stunt --
is a proportionate response to proven crimes. The four designated groups are not
"radical activists": they are terrorists who kill, maim and destroy in the name
of an outdated totalitarian utopia -- or even a not-outdated one -- that aligns
itself with Islamic jihadists declaring that they would like to take over the
planet (such as here and here). Liberal democracies have a duty to defend
themselves — without complacency, without naïveté, and with the full rigor of
the law.
Can we in Europe expect Antifa members to be intercepted in the same manner as
drug-trafficking vessels in the Caribbean?
**Drieu Godefridi is a jurist (University Saint-Louis, University of Louvain),
philosopher (University Saint-Louis, University of Louvain) and PhD in legal
theory (Paris IV-Sorbonne). He is an entrepreneur, CEO of a European private
education group and director of PAN Medias Group. He is the author of The Green
Reich (2020).
© 2025 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do
not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No
part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied
or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.
Europe must increase its military deterrence
Khaled Abou Zahr/Arab News/November 27, 2025
France’s army chief, Gen. Fabien Mandon, last week pushed the country of 246
cheeses, as Charles de Gaulle once described it, into an explosive situation.
Mandon told the nation’s mayors: “If our country wavers because it is not ready
to lose its children … or to suffer economically because the priority has to be
military production, then we are indeed at risk.” He used these declarations to
highlight the potential for a military confrontation with Russia. The backlash
was immediate and criticism from political figures across the aisle qualified it
as reckless warmongering.
Mandon explained that he intended to prepare the country, noting that the
military is made up of young adults who knowingly accept risks. He also pointed
out that many European neighbors are bringing back national service, suggesting
France might follow suit. The government tried to defuse the situation by
stating that French children will not be sent to die in Ukraine. And President
Emmanuel Macron came to the defense of the army’s chief of staff by stating that
his comments were taken out of context. He also emphasized the need to recognize
geopolitical risks.
The fragility of the situation has led to unbelievable rumors in a country like
France. Some posts claimed that nine generals met in Fontainebleau on Nov. 20.
They are said to have sharply criticized Mandon. Messages relayed by several
media outlets describe the situation as the most “serious political-military
crisis since the Algerian War” and that an internal war is underway against the
army chief. The West has lived through 80 years of stability and peace and has
forgotten how they were achieved
Let’s pause for a moment and consider what was said and how people have reacted.
Are the remarks warmongering? Was Mandon wrong? The blunt answer to both these
questions is “no.” Not because of current geopolitical threats, but because this
is the essence of a nation and its protection. The West has lived through 80
years of stability and peace and has forgotten how they were achieved: through
the sacrifice of the children of these nations. Time is taking away the final
Second World War veterans and, with them, the memory of terrible disasters and
more than 70 million deaths. We have also forgotten the horrors of the
concentration camps and the sheer brutality of war.
So, Mandon’s declaration was the truth and a nation’s readiness and deterrence
are key to protecting it. Europe’s stability was not built easily and, following
the Second World War, it took great men such as De Gaulle to build France’s
deterrence through military innovation and its own nuclear shield. In a great
sense, France punched above its weight and was able to benefit from a great
power asymmetry during the Cold War.
Moreover, European reconstruction brought a new zone of collaboration and
stability. Suffice to say that France and Germany, historical enemies, became
friends and partners. This would never have happened if it were not for the
support of the US.
European politicians are pushing back against the US plan to end the Ukraine war
and I do not understand why. Is Europe ready to defend itself today? The blunt
answer is no: both in terms of troop numbers and military-industrial capacity.
Despite NATO members recently agreeing to increase their defense spending, it
will take time to fill the gap. And Europe’s fragmented industrial supply chain
might push for national initiatives rather than mutualized ones that would be
more efficient. It is also about sovereignty.
Moreover, as the reaction to Mandon’s test balloon showed, public opinion is not
ready to support troops going to war. And this misalignment is probably what
worries the European military leadership the most.
But we also need to ask: Is Russia a real military threat to Europe today? Could
a new balance of power and mutual deterrence help stabilize the situation
without any escalation? Here, it is no longer the role of the military to decide
— it is in the hands of the politicians. I could add that, unfortunately, since
the beginning of the war in Ukraine, some politicians have called for the defeat
of Russia, beyond saving Kyiv, and this has not fallen on deaf ears in
Moscow.The hard truth is that Europe is far from being ready — and this gap
might be worrying.
But is a full-blown war with Russia inevitable? Could Europe find a balance?
Today, European politicians are pushing back against the US plan to end the
Ukraine war and I do not understand why. It should be backed by France and the
rest of Europe. Donald Trump is offering a real way out. We should also remember
that Moscow contributed heavily to the defeat of Nazism, suffering more than 20
million deaths.
Of course, the agreement proposed by Trump reflects the balance of power on the
ground and geopolitically. The indignation from politicians about potential
territory loss is the military form of virtue signaling. Losses and victories
have built nations but never defined the resilient. So, the US peace plan, if
implemented — and I hope it is — does not necessarily mean an open door for
future wars.
What is important is what Europe does afterward. If it stays idle and looks to
the sky, then of course it might invite more aggression. But if it builds its
readiness and shows its resilience, then a new page could be opened with Moscow,
as long as there is full compliance with the agreement on Ukraine’s neutrality.
Hence, with the US plan, a new era of collaboration might even be found. We need
to recognize that the opposition to Moscow does not start at Europe’s Eastern
border, but at the West’s political borders. It is first and foremost a divide
between the left and the right. And this is also the risk, as the military sees:
the potential for a divided nation in the face of a military confrontation is
the textbook method for ensuring defeat. And this is why pragmatism and hard
work need to be the priority. Europe needs to build up its military deterrence
and remember the sacrifices of its elders so that the people and their armies
stand as one. Mandon was right to remind everyone of this. It is not the way to
war but the way to maintain peace. It should be followed by concrete actions
that allow Europe to develop a strong containment policy, if needed. But I
believe that, before the population, it is the politicians who should be
reminded of the horrors of war — and that it is much more than a photo
opportunity on a midnight train.
**Khaled Abou Zahr is the founder of SpaceQuest Ventures, a space-focused
investment platform. He is CEO of EurabiaMedia and editor of Al-Watan Al-Arabi.
International community must not give up on Sudan
Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Arab News/November 27, 2025
The war in Sudan has entered one of its most important and dangerous phases.
Although the most recent ceasefire proposal has not yet resulted in a pause in
fighting, this development should not cause the international community to
disengage or retreat. Instead, it underscores the depth of the crisis and the
urgent need for not only continued and intensified, but also coordinated,
diplomatic pressure. The two dominant actors in the conflict — the Sudanese
Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces — have previously declined to adopt or
implement meaningful ceasefire arrangements. Nevertheless, as the human cost of
the conflict continues to escalate, the international community cannot afford to
give up on Sudan. This is because the stakes, both within the country and across
the wider region, remain too high. Sudan’s trajectory not only affects its
domestic political order but also the security and stability of the Horn of
Africa and beyond. As a result, the international community should call for
sustained engagement, while recognizing the fact that abandoning Sudan would be
both a profound humanitarian catastrophe and a strategic mistake. The scale of
violence and suffering inflicted upon the Sudanese population demonstrates why
the international community must engage more. The conflict has devastated
cities, emptied entire communities and dismantled essential state institutions.
Millions have also been displaced internally and externally, creating one of the
largest displacement crises in the world. Many people have been forced to flee
repeatedly as front lines shift, while many others remain trapped in areas where
access to food, medicine and clean water has become increasingly restricted.
Sudan’s trajectory not only affects its domestic political order but also the
security and stability of the region
The conflict’s two-and-a-half-year duration has not diminished its intensity;
rather, it has generated cumulative layers of humanitarian tragedy and economic
destruction. In addition, the health system has largely collapsed under the
weight of the sustained violence, leaving many cities without functioning
hospitals or clinics. Diseases have also been spreading rapidly in camps and
besieged regions. Furthermore, schools remain closed or destroyed, depriving
millions of children of education.
These multifaceted layers of devastation and humanitarian catastrophe should
reinforce the need that the international community must not turn away. That
would lead to an even greater disaster. What should be done? It is imperative
that the international community remains committed to pressuring both parties to
return to negotiations and eventually to enter into a viable ceasefire. The
process appears to be exceptionally difficult, but without any sustained
diplomatic engagement there would be no path toward relief. Secondly, continued
pressure can be multifaceted, encompassing political, economic and moral
instruments.
In this context, the ceasefire plan advanced in September by the Quad —
comprising the US, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the UAE — remains an essential
framework. The structure that the plan outlines, particularly when it comes to
the phased approach beginning with a humanitarian truce, remains the best entry
point for renewed negotiations. The Rapid Support Forces on Monday announced a
unilateral three-month humanitarian ceasefire, before reportedly breaking it
within hours.
The Quad’s plan is valuable because it is a collaborative regional and
international initiative, rather than a unilateral action. The plan should be
reinforced, refined if needed and used as a foundation upon which additional
diplomatic engagement can be built.
Furthermore, there is an urgent need to emphasize the immediate creation of
humanitarian corridors to deliver aid to besieged populations. The involvement
of the African Union is also critical because it can be argued that Sudan’s
civil war has expanded beyond a purely domestic conflict. The humanitarian,
economic and security implications have spilled across borders, affecting
neighboring states and the continent at large.
The Quad’s plan is valuable because it is a collaborative initiative, rather
than a unilateral action. The African Union possesses both the institutional
mandate and the legitimacy to engage deeply in the Sudanese war. It can use its
weight in the diplomatic process. Furthermore, the organization has the capacity
to mobilize political pressure from within the continent and coordinate with the
Intergovernmental Authority on Development and other subregional bodies.
Its involvement is important not only for achieving a viable ceasefire but also
for charting a path toward a long-term political settlement. We should remember
that Sudan’s crisis is no longer Sudan’s alone; it is an African crisis that
requires the African Union’s deep involvement, supported by the broader
international community. Finally, the international community must continue its
efforts to prevent Sudan from sliding further into irreversible collapse.
Continued engagement is a strategic necessity, since the fragmentation of
Sudan’s state structures will most likely lead to the expansion of armed groups
and widespread economic devastation, threatening and destabilizing the Horn of
Africa and beyond. If Sudan’s collapse continues unchecked, neighboring
countries will face increased refugee inflows, heightened economic strain and
greater vulnerability to cross-border conflict and organized criminal networks.
In a nutshell, when it comes to the Sudan civil war, the international community
must pursue a multifaceted approach: sustained diplomatic pressure, robust
humanitarian assistance and reinforced mediation efforts. Preventing Sudan’s
complete collapse is not only vital for humanitarian reasons but also for
maintaining stability and security across the region. This is why we must not
give up on Sudan and why the international community must continue with a
sustained and coordinated response to the Sudan war.
**Dr. Majid Rafizadeh is a Harvard-educated Iranian American political
scientist. X: @Dr_Rafizadeh
“Saudi Arabia First”: The Balance of Power and
Formulating Kingdom’s Place in a Fluid World
Yousef Al-Dayni//Asharq Al-Awsat/November 27/2025
As 2025 draws to a close, new dimensions to the rise of Saudi Arabia are
emerging. Riyadh’s approach to its relations with the great powers is now a
matter of repositioning, rendering projections of full alignment behind any
single actor untenable. A new mindset has crystallized since the Kingdom began
pursuing Vision 2030 and the geopolitical shifts that have swept through the
Middle East.
A proactive and independent Saudi approach has been developed with dynamism that
has allowed Riyadh to carve out a new place for itself on the global political
map.
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s recent visit to Washington, with the security
understandings, pivotal arms deals, and technological cooperation agreements
that came out of it, and yesterday’s leaks about tensions with Trump regarding
normalization with Israel, are all part of a single mosaic. These developments
can be read through the evolution of the Kingdom’s approach to a world in limbo
amid upheaval and uncertainty: Saudi Arabia First. This guiding principle does
not entail isolation or disengagement.
Rather, it signals the Kingdom’s determination to leverage status, economic
weight, and political capital in managing its relations with major powers to
further its national interests instead of going along with the wishes of these
powers.
For decades, the Saudi–American relationship has been founded on a simple quid
pro quo “oil for security.” Today, this foundation is changing: the United
States has offered an upgraded defensive umbrella and colossal arms deals that
include F-35 stealth jets, as well as support for a peaceful Saudi nuclear
program; for its part, Saudi Arabia is making massive investments in American
infrastructure and technology. At the same time, the Kingdom maintains a broad
cooperation with China.
Their bilateral relationship is no longer limited to energy flows, with its
relationship with China becoming part and parcel of its effort to transform the
economy within the framework of Vision 2030. Through hundreds of infrastructure
projects, factories, railways, and clean energy, China has become an essential
component of Saudi Arabia’s path toward a diversified industrial economy. As
Washington reconsolidates cooperation on security, China is consolidating its
economic presence, broadening Riyadh’s margin of maneuver and allowing it to
operate as an effective middle power that is not part of any actor’s orbit.
In light of Saudi Arabia’s ascent (which had long been examined by think tanks
and research centers) the zero-sum logic of “either Washington or Beijing” has
become obsolete. The Kingdom’s approach can be called “flexible non-alignment.”
Its adoption of this framework was made patently obvious by its approach to
relations with Israel and the United States. Following the November 18 meeting,
American newspapers reported yesterday that Trump had forcefully pushed Saudi
Arabia to join the Abraham Accords. Nonetheless, the Crown Prince stood firm and
maintained his unequivocal terms: there will be no normalization before there is
a credible, irreversible path toward establishing a Palestinian state.
The Crown Prince’s stance reflects the clarity of Saudi policy. It was neither a
tactical maneuver nor a diplomatic gesture. It was an embodiment of the
principle “Saudi Arabia First,” in the full and broad sense: Saudi interests are
the priority, and serving these interests requires accounting for the Kingdom’s
standing in the Arab and Islamic worlds. In other words, Saudi Arabia will not
take any step that does not align with its interests, which are determined by
national and regional conditions, nor is it willing to take any action that
could undermine the strategic balance that Riyadh is building. No actions will
be taken to satisfy the American administration’s desire for a quick political
breakthrough or for raw, half-baked solutions that diverge from Saudi Arabia’s
sober view.
The fate of the Palestinians is an essential element of Saudi Arabia’s policy on
normalization. The Kingdom is not posturing or sloganeering; strategic
considerations have compelled it to center the Palestinians. The Kingdom
understands that regional stability is a requisite for its mega-projects in NEOM,
the Red Sea, and Riyadh. Vision 2030 cannot be founded on a shaky settlement
that ignores the central question of the conflict. Riyadh also understands that
normalization without a political process would position Saudi Arabia as a party
to a perpetual conflict, which would not serve its interests, especially given
the global (not merely Islamic or Arab) opposition to any agreement that
disregards Palestinian rights. For this reason, the Crown Prince’s response was
decisive: normalization is possible, but only if there is a major shift in the
Israeli position, and it will never be achieved through American pressure or on
political calculations in Washington. For its part, the White House understands
that the Kingdom is no longer a country that can be approached with an “ask, and
you shall receive” mindset. Saudi Arabia has become a global economic,
investment, and financial power. It is the largest buyer of American weapons,
the largest energy supplier to China, and one of the biggest investors in
Western economies. The meeting between Trump and Mohammed bin Salman is a vivid
reflection of this shift: the American president sought a quick political win,
and the Saudi Crown Prince negotiated from a position of strength, carefully
balancing security and economics, Washington and Beijing, and between a critical
political moment on the ground in Gaza and Saudi Arabia’s long-term geopolitical
interests. The Crown Prince’s firm position is the inevitable outcome of Saudi
Arabia’s ascent as a central regional power and its success in expanding the
elements of its hard power (armament and deterrence), soft power (investment and
diplomacy), and structural power (energy, markets, and finance).
“Saudi Arabia First” is not a slogan but an operational doctrine that has taken
nearly a decade to crystallize alongside the rise of Vision 2030. It has
reshaped Saudi foreign policy, which now looks to the future rather than the
past. It is essential to keep this in mind. In a world being reshaped under the
pressure of great-power competition, the decline of American hegemony, and the
rise of Asia, Riyadh is emerging as a player capable of leveraging this
competition to enhance its position, define the terms of regional peace, and
pursue its vision for the Middle East’s future.
If there ever is a normalization of relations with Israel, it will be agreed on
Saudi Arabia’s terms: a Palestinian state with a clear trajectory, long-term
regional stability, and an agreement that serves Arab interests before serving
other agendas. With this maxim, the Kingdom is entering a new phase in its
political history and transforming from a state that is consulted to a state
whose consideration must be accounted for by every major decision maker.
Selected Face Book & X tweets
for
November 27-26/2025
Hussain Abdul-Hussain
In Naqd al-Fikr al-Dini, Sadiq Jalal Al-Azm, a Syrian philosopher
and professor at the University of Damascus, observed: “The Arab liberation
movement has exhibited a deeply conservative stance toward cultural heritage,
customs, values, and political thought, thereby obstructing the processes of
intellectual and social transformation.” Al-Azm, best known for his incisive
critique of Edward Said’s Orientalism, further argued that “under the guise of
safeguarding popular customs, values, artistic traditions, religion, and moral
standards, the cultural efforts of the Arab liberation movement began to
reinforce and perpetuate religious ideology. This resulted in the entrenchment
of medieval cultural frameworks and modes of thought that are often detached
from empirical reality and verifiable facts.”These observations, published in a
book released in 1970—well before the rise of political Islam—proved strikingly
prescient.
The work provoked intense backlash: it was banned, and Al-Azm faced legal
prosecution. However, an independent judiciary in Lebanon, then widely regarded
as a bastion of free expression in the Arab world, ultimately vindicated
him.Despite the cogency of Al-Azm’s critique, his arguments failed to gain
significant traction across the Arab world. Instead, the intellectual discourse
came to be dominated by Edward Said, whose theories—particularly those
articulated in Orientalism—contributed decisively to the deepening ruralization
and Islamization of Arab political thought. By framing all Western engagement
with the Islamic world as an exercise in imperialist domination, Said’s work
provided ideological cover for the rejection of critical self-examination and
the elevation of traditionalist and religious paradigms. The result has been the
pervasive intellectual and political stagnation that characterizes the
contemporary Arab world.Azm blamed Arab “liberation thought” for pinning all
Arab ills on imperialism, arguing that such thought took imperialism out of
context and ignored domestic factors, such as history and social affairs. “There
has been a discrepancy between how Arab liberation movement viewed itself and
its society and how it viewed its enemies and the outside world,” he wrote. Arab
liberation thought separated the two in a way “that made ‘colonialism’ (and
sometimes global Zionism) look as if it were the only force in control, directly
or indirectly, of events that affect the Arabs.” Azm criticized the Arab
“delusion” that attributed everything good such as “religion, values, customs,
and tradition to indigenous Arab character, which has presumably remained fixed
across generations.” The Arab liberation movement, he concluded, “did not
understand that its society today was the result of the ever-changing economic
situation and the rise of some social forces and the decline of others.”
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