English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For  October 03/2025
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
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Bible Quotations For today
A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
Matthew12/38-45: Then some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law said to him, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from you.” He answered, “A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now something greater than Jonah is here. The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon’s wisdom, and now something greater than Solomon is here. “When an impure spirit comes out of a person, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order.Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that person is worse than the first. That is how it will be with this wicked generation.”

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on October 02-03/2025
Elias Bejjani/Text and Video/Arabic and English: The Conspiracy of Gebran Bassil, Hezbollah, and Amal Against the Electoral Rights of the Lebanese Diaspora
Elias Bejjani/Bkirki and the Maronite Bishops Are Called Upon to Expel Bassil from the Church and Punish Him with Excommunication 02 October/2025
The Targeting of Sheikh Abbas Yazbek by the Politicized Judiciary Subjugated to the Terrorist Hezbollah Militia Is Rejected and Condemned/Elias Bejjani/September 30/2025
Positive Indicators in Dialogue with Syrian Authorities... A "Hezbollah" Maneuver Before the Monthly Report Session
The Lebanese Army: Between Past Mistakes and Present Crisis/Chebl Zoghbi/October 02/2025
Lebanon: Aoun, Salam Differences Unlikely to Escalate into Crisis/Caroline Akoum/Asharq-Alawsat/October 02/2025
Israeli strike kills 2 engineers tied to Hezbollah-linked firm
Larijani says Hezbollah still strong but doesn't want to violate ceasefire
Aoun, Raad agree to 'address differences with keenness on national interest'
Salam vows accord with Aoun, stresses need to monopolize arms
Hezbollah’s refusal to disarm fuels fear of renewed war in Lebanon as Israeli attacks intensify
Two questioned over Raouche Rock illumination, three summoned
Cowell meets Sayed, affirms UK's commitment to supporting social protection
UN verifies 103 civilians killed in Lebanon since ceasefire
From the Trigger Mechanism to the Gaza Plan... to Lebanon's Destruction/Dr. Josselin Al-Boustany/Nidaa Al-Watan/October 3, 2025
From Rafik Hariri to Lokman Slim: "Confirming the Confirmed"/Jean Al-Faghali/Nidaa Al-Watan/October 3, 2025
The Deep State Practices Political Cleansing Against Expatriates/Asaad Bishara/Nidaa Al-Watan/October 3, 2025
A Presidential Intervention to Save the Parliamentary Election?/Alan Sarkis/Nidaa Al-Watan/October 3, 2025
"Hezbollah" Mines the Baabda-Serail Road: Will the Mine Explode on It?/Tony Atiyeh/Nidaa Al-Watan/October 3, 2025

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on October 02-03/2025
Israeli strikes kill dozens in Gaza as Hamas considers its response to Trump’s peace proposal
Hamas military leader rejects US peace deal: BBC
Trump will determine how long to give Hamas to accept Gaza plan, White House says
WHO: Nearly 42,000 People in Gaza Have 'Life-changing Injuries'
Blinken claims Biden laid groundwork for Trump’s Gaza plan
Israel to deport Gaza flotilla activists, says no vessel breached blockade
Several Kuwaiti, Bahraini citizens participating in Gaza Sumud Flotilla detained by Israel
Saudi FM participates in discussion on peace between Palestine and Israel at Munich Leaders Meeting in AlUla
Israel Intercepts 39 Aid Boats Heading for Gaza, Sparking Int'l Criticism
Egypt working to convince Hamas to accept Trump plan, says foreign minister
Russia is ready to support Trump’s Gaza plan if it leads to two-state solution, Putin says
3 Alleged Hamas Members in Pre-trial Detention in Germany
Two dead in UK synagogue attack on Yom Kippur, suspect ‘with bomb’ shot by police
Manchester synagogue attacker is a UK citizen of Syrian origin: police
UK Police Say 2 Arrests Made Over 'Terrorist' Synagogue Attack
France FM says door for diplomacy with Iran remains open despite sanctions
How Syria’s first elections since autocrat Assad’s ouster is expected to unfold

Titles For The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources on October 02-03/2025
So that opportunities are not lost/Zaid AlKami/Al Arabiya English/AFP/October 02/2025
Sudan’s Floods Rekindle the Grand Renaissance Dam Debate/Osman Mirghani/Asharq Al Awsat/October 02/2025
Is this Really the End of the War in Gaza?/Abdulrahman Al-Rashed/Asharq Al Awsat/October 02/2025
Qatar Must Apologize for Supporting Islamist Terrorist Groups/Khaled Abu Toameh/ Gatestone Institute./October 02/2025
UN must do all it can to increase climate ambitions/Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Arab News/October 02, 2025
Selected X tweets For on October 01/2025

The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on October 02-03/2025
Elias Bejjani/Text and Video/Arabic and English: The Conspiracy of Gebran Bassil, Hezbollah, and Amal Against the Electoral Rights of the Lebanese Diaspora
Elias Bejjani/Bkirki and the Maronite Bishops Are Called Upon to Expel Bassil from the Church and Punish Him with Excommunication 02 October/2025

https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/10/144900/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDe3NuvZ7Vw&t=19s
In Lebanon’s modern history, few examples illustrate the fusion of legal manipulation and political malice as clearly as Article 122 of the 2017 electoral law. This article denies non-resident Lebanese citizens their natural and constitutional right to vote in their original districts inside Lebanon—just like their fellow resident citizens. Instead, it isolates expatriates into a separate voting category and allocates them six parliamentary seats—one per continent—divided equally between Muslims and Christians, based on an unworkable and deeply flawed legal premise.
This was no coincidence. Article 122 is part of a long-term, premeditated scheme that began with the Taif Agreement—a turning point that significantly weakened Christian political influence, particularly the powers of the Maronite presidency. It abolished true Muslim-Christian parity in most state institutions, reducing it to a mere formality in top-level positions. Article 122 is a direct continuation of this exclusionary agenda, further marginalizing the Lebanese diaspora—most of whom are Christians—and stripping them of their rightful role in shaping national policy.
This malicious project is not new. It dates back to the era of Syrian-appointed President Emile Lahoud. At the time, the Foreign Ministry’s expatriats Affairs, under Shiite political operative Haitham Jomaa—a loyalist of Nabih Berri—attempted to promote this plan among expatriates. Maronite MP Naamatallah Abi Nasr led a failed campaign to market it, facing overwhelming expatriots’ rejection. Many diaspora activists, including the author of this piece, stood at the forefront of the resistance and exposed its hidden agenda. The plan was ultimately shelved—only to be revived in 2017.
Shockingly, it was revived through the very Christian parties that were supposed to defend expatriate rights. In a moment of short-sightedness—or perhaps calculated betrayal—both the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) and the Lebanese Forces (LF) supported Article 122. In exchange for a handful of additional seats, they legitimized a monstrous law designed to weaken the voice of the Christian diaspora. Whether through ignorance or political cowardice, they gave cover to a measure whose long-term damage far outweighs any short-term gains.
Today, it is no surprise that Nabih Berri and Hezbollah oppose empowering Christian expatriates. Berri’s sectarianism is well known, and Hezbollah—an Iranian-backed, jihadist terrorist proxy—has always aimed to silence any opposing or sovereign Lebanese voice. Yet the real disaster—the Iscariot betrayal—comes from Gebran Bassil himself. As head of the FPM and a Maronite, Bassil still defends Article 122, betraying the very Christians he claims to represent. Already sanctioned under the U.S. Magnitsky Act for corruption, Bassil walks in the footsteps of his Father-in-law, Michel Aoun, who traded national sovereignty for power and submitted to Hezbollah’s humiliating domination. This toxic and treacherous Micheal Aoun has left Lebanon in ruins—economically, institutionally, and morally.
What fully exposes Bassil is the bold and patriotic statement recently issued by Maronite bishops in the diaspora. In clear and courageous language, they rejected Article 122 and demanded its cancellation, affirming that Lebanese expatriates must be allowed to vote in their original districts as full citizens—not be reduced to second-class voters or “continental MPs” with no land, no community, and no real political identity. (Click here to read the diaspora Bishops’ statement in Arabic)
Text of Article 122 of Election Law No. 44/2017
“Six seats shall be allocated to Lebanese expatriates, to be added to the number of members of Parliament, making the total number 134 deputies, in the electoral cycle following the first cycle held in accordance with the provisions of this law. The six deputies shall be distributed among the six continents as follows:
One deputy for the continent of Africa
One deputy for the continent of North America
One deputy for the continent of South America
One deputy for the continent of Europe
One deputy for the continent of Australia
One deputy for the continent of Asia
In the distribution of these seats, parity between Christians and Muslims shall be observed, so that:
One seat is allocated for Maronites
One seat for Greek Orthodox
One seat for Catholics
One seat for Sunnis
One seat for Shiites
One seat for Druze
The mechanism for nomination, voting, and special electoral districts for expatriates shall be determined by a decree issued by the Council of Ministers based on the proposal of the Ministers of Interior and Foreign Affairs. Six seats shall be deducted from the 128 Parliament seats in the subsequent cycle, from the seats belonging to the same sects that were allocated to non-residents.”
But in reality, Article 122 has no democratic value. It is a veiled tool of exclusion and disenfranchisement. It neither provides fair representation for local voters nor protects the political rights of Lebanese abroad. It is not reform—it is deception.
In conclusion, upholding Article 122 amounts to a blatant betrayal of the constitution, the National Pact, and the Lebanese diaspora—especially its Christian community. Every honorable political force and every free Lebanese—at home and abroad—must raise their voices and demand the abolition of this shameful, disgraceful article.
Let Article 122 be repealed.
Let the dignity of the diaspora be restored.
Let every Lebanese expatriate vote fully—as a citizen, not a mere financial provider.

The Targeting of Sheikh Abbas Yazbek by the Politicized Judiciary Subjugated to the Terrorist Hezbollah Militia Is Rejected and Condemned
Elias Bejjani/September 30/2025
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/09/147777/
The arbitrary and degrading detention of Sheikh Abbas Yazbek — a Shiite cleric opposed to the terrorist Hezbollah — is categorically rejected and condemned in the strongest terms.
On September 26, 2025, at Beirut International Airport, Sheikh Yazbek was banned from travel, and his passport, identification papers, and phone were confiscated — a blatant violation of the law and of the most basic human rights.
This incident is yet another chapter in the systematic campaign of intimidation targeting anyone within the Shiite community who dares to raise their voice against Hezbollah. It once again proves that the Lebanese judiciary, particularly the Military Court, remains nothing more than a tool in Hezbollah’s hands, deployed to silence opponents and fabricate charges against them, while the militia continues to control vital state institutions.
What happened to Sheikh Abbas Yazbek is not merely a personal assault but a deliberate warning to every free Shiite: opposing Hezbollah comes at the cost of humiliation, assassination, or judicial persecution. Although his personal documents were returned to him today after a superficial investigation, the political and moral damage was already inflicted. That was the real objective — to tarnish the image of dissenters and break their resolve.
There must be no illusions or appeals to the so-called Lebanese state to restore Sheikh Yazbek’s rights, for there is no state in Lebanon today. What exists is nothing more than a system entirely occupied and subjugated to the will of the Hezbollah terrorist militia.
Patriotic Lebanese — at home under occupation and in the Diaspora — have a national duty to rally around Shiite opponents of Hezbollah, supporting them by every available means. They must not be left as easy prey for Hezbollah’s security and judicial machinery of intimidation. Equally, Lebanese patriots must call upon international human rights organizations and all defenders of freedom to expose these practices and denounce the weaponization of the judiciary and security agencies for political oppression.
Today, the Shiite community in occupied Lebanon is fully hijacked by Hezbollah. Its people live as hostages in a suffocating environment where dissent is met with humiliation, fabricated charges, or outright assassination. Yet it is abundantly clear: these repressive policies will never silence the free voices, nor will they break the will of honorable men and women who resist Hezbollah’s tyranny.
Freedom for Sheikh Abbas Yazbek and for every free Lebanese voice.
Shame and disgrace to those who turned the Lebanese judiciary into Hezbollah’s weapon.

Positive Indicators in Dialogue with Syrian Authorities... A "Hezbollah" Maneuver Before the Monthly Report Session
Nidaa Al-Watan/October 3, 2025
Local and international attention is focused on the anticipated Council of Ministers (Cabinet) session early next week, for which a date (Monday or Tuesday) has not yet been set. During this session, the Lebanese Army will present its first report on the practical measures it is taking on the ground to confine weapons (monopoly of arms), implementing the plan it drafted and which the Cabinet adopted. This plan is supposed to be time-bound to cut off the path of "Hezbollah," which, after the Rouche Rock events, has once again flexed its military and political muscles in the face of the Lebanese state.
This genuine test of the state's capacity to seize its sovereign decision regarding the confinement of arms is placing it anew under the international spotlight, which is closely monitoring the seriousness of its implementation of its decisions amid strategic shifts and anticipation of "Hamas's" response. The latter is viewed as a "rehearsal" for what will happen with "Hezbollah" in the subsequent stage. In this context, sources indicate that after the "Hamas" file is completed, whether it accepts or rejects US President Donald Trump's plan, the US administration will focus on the Lebanese file. "Hezbollah" will then be presented with the choice of either voluntarily surrendering its weapons or leaving Israel the right to act. Thus, the significance of the Army's report is not only its technical and practical nature but also that it touches the very core of the ongoing political battle.
Raad at Baabda
Parallel to this challenge, "Hezbollah" continues its attempts to circumvent any decision regarding the exclusive possession of arms. The visit of the Head of the "Loyalty to the Resistance" bloc, MP Mohammad Raad, to the President of the Republic, Joseph Aoun, and subsequently to the Army Commander, Rudolf Hekal, while ostensibly signaling the resumption of communication channels with Baabda after they were cut off following the government's decisions on August 5 and 7, was in reality nothing more than an attempt to preempt any decision in the upcoming Cabinet session that would not serve its interests.
Nidaa Al-Watan learned that Raad's visit came after a period of hiatus to open new horizons and signal a different approach from "Hezbollah," as this meeting would not have taken place had it adhered to its previous positions. There is a decision to reopen communication channels, especially with Aoun, and the subject of the Rouche incident was addressed during the meeting.
Sources are banking on this meeting opening a window to re-launch dialogue and persuade "Hezbollah" to surrender its weapons without engaging in an internal confrontation or continuing to escalate and challenge the government's recent decisions.
Salam: One State, One Law, One Army
Preceding this was the visit of Deputy Prime Minister Tarek Mitri to Baabda, where they discussed the results of the Syrian delegation's visit to Lebanon and the anticipated Cabinet session. During this session, the Council is expected to hear from the Army command regarding the monthly report on the monopoly of arms. They also discussed the atmosphere of trust existing between the government and the President of the Republic.
Concurrently, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam told his visitors that "The banner of security and safety is the confinement of arms. Early next week will mark one month since the September 5 decision, and we will discuss the Army's first report on the plan concerning the confinement of arms. There are parties that will object, but we have no other option if we want a country for ourselves and our children. I have not and will not take any path other than this: One State, One Law, One Army. The biggest loser from what happened at Rouche is the credibility of the organizing party and those behind it, as they violated their commitments. It is certain that this has repercussions, and the Rouche issue is not over yet. The restoration of the state's prestige is achieved through applying the law and holding those who violated their commitments accountable. The Prosecutor General has begun summoning people for investigation and has issued search and investigation warrants against those who did not appear."
Rouche Investigations Continue...
Judicially, in the latest developments concerning the "Rouche Rock" file, two individuals were interrogated under the supervision of the Discriminatory Public Prosecutor, Judge Jamal Al-Hajjar, who ordered their release—the first on a residence bond and the second pending investigation. The latter is the owner of the laser device used to illuminate the rock with the two images. Three other individuals were summoned for interrogation today.
Violation of Article 38
In addition to the sovereignty file, another equally sensitive debate is surfacing: opening the registration period for non-resident Lebanese citizens to vote in the 2026 elections from October 2 to November 20, 2025, without them knowing under which law they will vote. Between those who demand their right to elect the entire Parliament (128 MPs) and those who insist on limiting them to only six MPs, the depth of the conflict over the identity of political representation is revealed. "Hezbollah" and its allies seek to reduce the weight of the expatriates, fearing that the expatriates' vote might boost sovereign forces.
Commenting on yesterday's session of the Parliamentary Subcommittee tasked with studying and discussing electoral law proposals, chaired by Deputy Speaker of Parliament Elias Bou Saab—who confirmed the discussion of proposals related to establishing a Senate outside sectarian registration—sources stated: "There is an existing law and an amendment proposal signed by more than half the number of Parliament members. Therefore, this proposal should be tabled as an 'accelerated and repeated' item on the agenda of the first legislative session held by Parliament to consider and vote on the urgency status, after which the substance of the proposal will be put to a vote."
The sources added, "The talk that there is no scope or possibility other than implementing the current text is correct only if it is not amended. The decision rests with the General Assembly."
The sources concluded by pointing out that "Article 38 of the Parliament's Internal Regulations compels committees to conclude their work on studying any proposal submitted to them within a maximum period of one month. With the expiration of the one-month period, the committee is obligated to refer these proposals to the General Assembly. The proposals have been in the drawers of the Subcommittee since last May, and more than five months have passed since this committee was formed without it taking the initiative to agree on a draft law or any amendment to the current law. Bou Saab must prepare a report and refer all these proposals to the General Assembly in accordance with the text of Article 38 of the Parliament's Internal Regulations, which he is violating, in addition to his and Speaker Berri's violation of Articles 109, 112, and 113."
Signs of Good Will
In the latest meetings to develop bilateral relations between Lebanon and Syria, Defense Minister Michel Mensah met Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Al-Shaibani in AlUla, Saudi Arabia. They discussed following up on the agreement reached in Jeddah aimed at demarcating the border between the two countries, forming specialized legal committees for this purpose, and activating coordination mechanisms to confront security and military challenges.
In this context, Nidaa Al-Watan learned that progress has been made in the dialogue with the Syrian authorities, and there are signs of good will that will appear soon. Lebanon will address the issue of detainees who were opponents of Assad, and their status will be settled, followed by the release of a number of detainees on ordinary charges on the condition that they leave Lebanon and do not return. In return, the Syrian authorities will offer other things and help uncover the facts, then complete the outstanding issues amid an existing intention from Aoun and Al-Sharaa to resolve all pending matters within the framework of preserving the sovereignty of both countries.

The Lebanese Army: Between Past Mistakes and Present Crisis
Chebl Zoghbi/October 02/2025
(Free translation from Arabic by: Elias Bejjani)
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/10/147849/

Since the signing of the 1969 Cairo Accord by then-Army Commander General Emile Boutani, the ensuing events have consistently exposed the fragility of the Lebanese state’s decision-making and the military institution’s profound weakness against the Palestinian armed presence at the time. The army leaderships that submitted to the Cairo Accord failed to decisively end their confrontation with the Palestinian terrorist factions in 1973. This failure ultimately paved the way for the devastating Two-Year War (1975-1976), which shattered Lebanon’s national framework and plunged the country into a chronic cycle of internal and external conflicts.
The Imported Doctrine and Lost Sovereignty
From that era onward, a non-Lebanese, distorted doctrine was cemented within the military institution. This dogma, initially imposed by the Syrian occupation and later reinforced by President Emile Lahoud, dictates that the “Zionist Enemy” is the one and only adversary. Simultaneously, the Syrian Army was portrayed as a fraternal ally, and Hezbollah was elevated to the status of a sacred resistance that must remain untouched. This systematic brainwashing of officers and officials stripped the Lebanese Army of its independent national decision-making, turning it into an institution subservient to foreign tutelage and captive to internal sectarian and partisan balances.
The Presidential Catastrophe
One of the most profound institutional errors of the political system is the tradition of elevating army commanders to the presidency post merely because they are Maronite, not because they possess the qualifications to lead the state. This has been a great catastrophe. Historically, Syria consistently selected the weakest and most compliant officers to head the army, thus intentionally weakening and marginalizing the command position and ensuring the highest office became an extension of dependency rather than a pillar of independence.
The Crisis of General Joseph Aoun
Today, this scenario is tragically recurring with General Joseph Aoun. He has proven incapable of protecting his own presidential aspirations or imposing even the minimum level of the army’s prestige against Hezbollah and its weapons. His lack of competence and his pervasive hesitation have steered the country into the unknown. By completely submitting to the political equation imposed by the terrorist Hezbollah militia on the state, he has not dared to take even symbolic stances or make decisions that could save the army’s reputation.
The office of the Presidency, which should be the symbol of sovereignty and national decision, has been transformed into a national burden due to its leaders’ subservience to the power of the “Resistance.” Therefore, our explicit advice to President Joseph Aoun is clear: Resignation is more honorable than continuing to humiliate this office. He has degraded the presidency, diminished the army’s vital role, and affirmed that the repeated experiment of promoting the army commander to Baabda Palace is nothing more than a chronic recipe for collapse.
The Path to Recovery
The way out of this debilitating tunnel must begin with three fundamental changes:
Radical Reconsideration of the Army’s Doctrine: Severing it completely from the delusions of “resistance and defiance” (al-Mumanaa)
Ending the Hereditary Custom: Immediately stopping the tradition of promoting the army commander to the presidency.
Restoring State Authority: Rebuilding the authority of the state on the unshakable foundation that no weapon shall ever rise above the legal weapon of the Lebanese Army.
A heartfelt salute to the soldiers and personnel of the Lebanese Army.

Lebanon: Aoun, Salam Differences Unlikely to Escalate into Crisis
Caroline Akoum/Asharq-Alawsat/October 02/2025
The relationship between Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam has been marked by a series of ups and downs, with differences on several key issues since they took office. Their most recent disagreement centered on the Raouche rock event, which led to an ‘indirect clash’ between the two officials.Earlier, the appointment of a central bank governor had also sparked a dispute, which was resolved in March in favor of President Aoun’s nominee Karim Souaid. While tensions over the handling of Hezbollah’s “Raouche celebration” continue to cast a shadow over their ties and have kept the cabinet from meeting this week, efforts are underway on several tracks to repair what ministerial sources close to the presidency describe as “a relationship of cooperation, partnership and responsibility.”Those efforts were reflected in a meeting on Thursday between Aoun and Deputy Prime Minister Tarek Metri. After the meeting Metri said: “We discussed the next cabinet session, at which we expect to hear from army command on the monthly report regarding the monopoly of arms. We also discussed the atmosphere of trust between the government and the presidency.”Speaker Nabih Berri did not deny friction between the president and prime minister when asked after his meeting with Aoun on Monday, replying, “God willing, things will get better.”Sources concede differences of view between the two men but say “matters are being resolved in a way that will not negatively affect the cooperation between them or the functioning of institutions.”They told Asharq al-Awsat the dispute had been settled and that a cabinet meeting would be convened next Thursday at the presidential palace, to be chaired by Aoun. “The president set out his position to the prime minister when he visited him on Tuesday, rejecting any use of the army against participants in the Raouche celebration, where the rock was lit up with images of the former and current Hezbollah secretaries-general, Hassan Nasrallah and Hashem Safieddine,” the sources added. Investigations into the “rock celebration” are continuing. Sources said probes were focusing on the association that obtained the permit for the event. The National News Agency reported on Thursday that two people had been questioned under the supervision of the public prosecutor for specialized matters, Judge Jamal al-Hajjar; one was released on a pledge to stay, the other was remanded for questioning. The latter is the owner of the laser device used to project the two images onto the rock. The agency added that three more people had been summoned for questioning on Friday. The episode also saw Aoun award the army commander, Major-General Rudolf Hikal, the National Order of the Cedar, grade of the grand sash, on Monday, in recognition of his service and leadership roles. The move raised eyebrows amid the “clash” with the prime minister after Salam said he had “called the ministers of interior, justice and defence and asked them to take appropriate steps, including detaining those responsible and referring them to investigation so they face the penalties prescribed by law.” Defense Minister Michel Menassa, an ally of Aoun, later issued a statement saying “the dignity of the Lebanese army regrets placing the burden of street events on the guardians of legitimacy” and stressing that “the army’s mission is to avert sedition,” responding to criticism directed at the military at the time. Sources noted the medal Aoun conferred on Hikal had been signed by both the president and the prime minister on Sept. 19 before Aoun travelled to New York and was presented to Hikal on his return.
Support grows for Salam
Voices in support of Prime Minister Salam have grown louder. On Thursday, Salam received visitors who voiced solidarity with his stance and his insistence on upholding the law and protecting state institutions. After meeting Salam, MP Ashraf Rifi said the Raouche event had been a “failed show of force aimed at confronting legitimacy and displaying a fake excess of power. We witnessed how a small state (Hezbollah) tried to impose a fait accompli on Beirut,” he said, adding that the militia had miscalculated and could no longer “retreat inward” after failing in its external ventures.
“I am confident Prime Minister Salam, a son of Beirut, emerged stronger by standing by the law. He will not back down from protecting institutions. All free Lebanese stand with him,” Rifi said. Addressing the “defeated small state,” he added: “The time when a finger could be raised against the Lebanese is over. That finger has been broken for good, and our will as free Lebanese is firmer and stronger than any project of chaos or tutelage.”Rifi urged state leaders and all security and military forces “to be of one hand, with no place for hesitation or compromise. You are the hope of the Lebanese in defending the state and restoring Lebanon to the realm of law and institutions.” He warned: “Your responsibility is great and history will not forgive any slackness or hesitation,” and said “solidarity among the presidencies and institutions is needed now more than ever, and it stems from the duty to remove illegal arms and implement the constitution and international resolutions.”

Israeli strike kills 2 engineers tied to Hezbollah-linked firm
Agence France Presse/October 02/2025
Lebanese official media said Thursday that two engineers working for a company sanctioned by the United States over alleged Hezbollah ties were killed in an Israeli strike on the country's south. Israel has been carrying out near-daily strikes on Lebanon, usually saying it is targeting Hezbollah operatives or sites, despite a November truce aimed at ending over a year of hostilities, including two months of open war with the Iran-backed group. "The Israeli enemy strike that targeted a vehicle on the Jarmak-Khardali road led to a preliminary toll of two dead and another wounded," Lebanon's health ministry said. The area is around 10 kilometers (six miles) from the Israeli border. An AFP correspondent saw the skeletal charred wreckage of the car as emergency and security personnel attended the site. Lebanon's state-run National News Agency said the two men killed were on their way to inspect damage from previous Israeli strikes for a company it identified as Meamar. In September 2020, the U.S. Treasury sanctioned Meamar Construction "for being owned, controlled, or directed by" Hezbollah. It accused the group of using the company's "privately owned appearance" to conceal money transfers for Hezbollah and evade U.S. sanctions.
Reconstruction stalled -
Authorities in cash-strapped Lebanon have yet to begin reconstruction efforts in parts of the country that were damaged in the recent conflict, and have been hoping for international support, particularly from Gulf countries. Persistent Israeli strikes have hampered the efforts, with raids reported on temporary prefabricated buildings as well as on heavy machinery. On Monday, Lebanon's health ministry reported that one person killed in an Israeli strike on an excavator in the eastern Bekaa Valley. The United Nations said Wednesday that it had verified the deaths of 103 civilians in Lebanon since the ceasefire. Israel has also kept troops in five areas of southern Lebanon it deems strategic. Under intense U.S. pressure and fears of expanded Israeli military action, the Lebanese government is seeking to disarm Hezbollah, and the Lebanese Army has drawn up a plan to do so beginning in the country's south. Hezbollah is the only major armed group that kept its weapons following Lebanon's 1975-1990 civil war, doing so in the name of resistance against Israel. The group insists that Israel must withdraw and stop its attacks, release Lebanese prisoners it captured during the recent hostilities and allow reconstruction to begin before it can discuss the fate of its weapons. In March, the World Bank put the war's total economic cost on Lebanon at $14 billion, including $6.8 billion in damage to physical structures.

Larijani says Hezbollah still strong but doesn't want to violate ceasefire

Naharnet/October 02/2025
Iran's Supreme National Security Council chief Ali Larijani said that Tehran’s ally Hezbollah remains "militarily strong and capable of tipping the scales," but noted that the group is currently idle in the face of Israel’s ceasefire violations. "If Hezbollah is not taking action now, it is because it does not want to violate its commitment with Israel in the Lebanese ceasefire. Otherwise, it has the ability to change the course of events," Larijani added, according to the state-run Mehr News Agency. He also noted that recent assassinations -- including those of Hezbollah leaders and Iranian nuclear scientists -- have not destroyed Hezbollah or Iran's scientific and technological capabilities. He added that during his visit to Lebanon, he witnessed Hezbollah rebuilding itself "quickly and continuing the resistance."

Aoun, Raad agree to 'address differences with keenness on national interest'
Naharnet/October 02/2025
President Joseph Aoun met Thursday in Baabda with MP Mohammad Raad, the head of Hezbollah’s Loyalty to Resistance parliamentary bloc.A terse statement issued by the Presidency said the two men discussed “a number of national issues and junctures.”They also “agreed to address differences with keenness on achieving the higher national interest,” the Presidency added.

Salam vows accord with Aoun, stresses need to monopolize arms

Naharnet/October 02/2025
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam has stressed that “the relation between President Joseph Aoun and the government is governed by consensus for the sake of succeeding in reform and extending sovereignty.”In an interview with An-Nahar newspaper, Salam also emphasized “the need to monopolize arms in the country,” noting that “this is what was stipulated in the presidential inauguration speech and the Ministerial Statement.”As for the controversy over Hezbollah’s Raouche Rock activity, Salam said he issued a memo banning the use of public properties and national landmarks in order to “fend off sedition and protect civil peace amid polarization that is engulfing the country.”Salam reminded that “the country went through an ordeal that was more difficult than the Raouche Rock issue, especially the closure of the airport road, when security agencies intervened and reopened it more than once, and also the armed appearance during Ashoura’s commemorations, when security forces also intervened and arrested the gunmen.”He added that “the era of armed appearances is over.”

Hezbollah’s refusal to disarm fuels fear of renewed war in Lebanon as Israeli attacks intensify
NAJIA HOUSSARI/Arab News/October 02, 2025
BEIRUT: Two engineers were killed on Thursday when an Israeli drone strike hit their car on the Khardali road, a key route linking the Nabatieh and Marjayoun districts across the Litani River in southern Lebanon. The Lebanese Ministry of Health said the latest escalation of cross-border attacks killed two people and wounded another. Hezbollah-affiliated outlets identified the dead as engineers Ahmed Saad and Mustafa Rizk, who were working with the group’s Jihad Al-Bina foundation. The Lebanese Order of Engineers said in a statement that the two killed “were carrying out their professional and national duty” as they were heading to the Khiam area to assess the damage left by last year’s war with Israel. The Israeli escalation comes as anxiety grows in Lebanon over the prospect of renewed war, with Hezbollah’s hardline refusal, backed by Iranian officials, to hand over its weapons to the state.
Less than 24 hours earlier, an Israeli drone killed a Hezbollah member, Ali Qaraouni, while he was driving his car in his hometown of Kafra, and wounded five others. Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council Ali Larijani said in a televised interview on Thursday published by the Fars News Agency: “If Hezbollah is not taking any action at the moment, it is because it does not want to breach the ceasefire agreement between Lebanon and the Zionist regime. Otherwise, it has the capability to tip the balance on the ground.” Larijani said that during his visit to Lebanon last week, he noted that Hezbollah was “rebuilding itself quickly.”
An official Lebanese source confirmed to Arab News that the concern about a new war was legitimate but “exaggerated and for internal reasons.”He said that amplifying the prospect of war and fueling such tension may be Israel’s way of pressuring Hezbollah to abide by the ceasefire agreement and the government’s decision to keep weapons under state control. The Lebanese Army Command is expected to submit its first monthly report to the cabinet in its upcoming session within the next few days, detailing the progress it has made in its mission to monopolize weapons in the hands of the state.The official source said the report will present what the army has done in terms of surveying and confiscating weapons in the area south of the Litani River, while noting the obstruction posed by the continued Israeli occupation of five key positions in Lebanese territory to fully accomplish the mission.
After meeting Prime Minister Nawaf Salam on Thursday, former Justice Minister Ashraf Rifi praised his “steadfast commitment” to upholding the state and its institutions. Rifi also criticized Hezbollah, saying: “To those who live under the illusion of absolute power, we say: the prestige of the state will not be compromised.”He added: “Beirut will not be violated and its free people will not be provoked. The so-called statelet must realize that the era of arrogance has come to an end, and that retreating inward after failed external adventures is futile.”
Rifi said the dangers threatening Lebanon are immense during the pressing regional developments. He urged officials to fully implement the government’s plan to restrict weapons to the state, calling it “the most effective path to protect Lebanon and restore the sovereignty of the state and its institutions.”
He warned that the country can only be shielded through legitimacy, reinforced by Arab and international support, and by the unity of its people and communities.Academic and writer Mona Fayad said Hezbollah’s intransigence stems from Iran’s stance. “Just as Tehran exploited Lebanon in 2006, dragging it into a war with Israel to leverage negotiations with the US, it may resort to the same approach today.”Fayad added that despite internal divisions between supporters and opponents of integration with the state, Hezbollah ultimately cannot defy Iran’s demands.“Lebanon is in no position to withstand another war, not even within Hezbollah’s own circles,” she said, noting that foreign powers, particularly the US, have no desire for a renewed Israeli war on Lebanon. Washington has repeatedly warned that Lebanon must implement the arms embargo to avoid being dragged into conflict.Investigations are ongoing into Hezbollah’s alleged breach of Salam’s directive after images of the party’s slain leaders, Hassan Nasrallah and Hashem Safieddine, were projected onto Raouche Rock last week to commemorate their assassination by Israel. Last Thursday, two people were questioned under judicial supervision, including the owner of the laser device used for the projection, while three others were summoned for questioning on Friday.

Two questioned over Raouche Rock illumination, three summoned

Naharnet/October 02/2025
Investigations in the file of violating PM Nawaf Salam’s order and illuminating the Raouche Rock with images of slain Hezbollah leaders Hassan Nasrallah and Hashem Safieddine continued on Thursday with the interrogation of two people under the supervision of State Prosecutor Jamal al-Hajjar, the National News Agency said. Hajjar ordered the release of one of them while the second was freed but faces possible further interrogation, NNA added, identifying the second individual as the owner of the laser projector through which the rock was illuminated. Three more people have meanwhile been summoned for interrogation in the case on Friday, the agency said. Hajjar had on Wednesday issued search and investigations warrants for two people involved in the unauthorized activity after they refused to appear before interrogators, NNA said. The illumination of the iconic rock stirred controversy and division in recent weeks, as Salam urged local authorities to prevent any unauthorized usage of landmarks. A Lebanese official told AFP on condition of anonymity that Hezbollah had "obtained the authorization" of the local authorities for the gathering on the Raouche seaside corniche "but without illuminating the rock."In a statement Thursday, Salam said the organizers had "clearly violated the accord" with the local authorities, adding that he had requested the perpetrators' arrest. A Hezbollah representative confirmed to AFP that the organizers had only requested permission for the gathering. He said it was unclear which agency had authority to give permission for the light show on the rock and that they considered it was covered by "freedom of expression" under Lebanon's constitution. The event was a show of force by the Shiite militant group and political party, which suffered serious blows in last year's war with Israel and has been under domestic and international pressure to give up its remaining arsenal since then. Interior Minister Ahmad al-Hajjar has said that it was not possible to halt the rock illumination activity due to the huge number of Hezbollah supporters who attended the event.

Two Lebanese aboard Gaza flotilla stormed by Israeli troops
Naharnet/October 02/2025
Two activists of Lebanese origins were aboard the Gaza aid flotilla that was intercepted overnight by the Israeli navy and their fate remains unknown but were likely arrested by Israeli forces, media reports said on Thursday.
The reports identified the two Lebanese as Lina al-Tabbal and Mohammad al-Qaderi. Tabbal is a French-Lebanese international law expert who hails from the northern city of Tripoli while Qaderi, a Lebanese-Brazilian, is the head of the Brazil-based Latin Palestinian Forum. Most of those who were aboard the flotilla had thrown their cellphones into the sea, but Tabbal had said: “We are 100 miles away from Gaza and we’re expected to arrive at 5:00 am. We expect the Israeli forces to arrest us tonight and we’re preparing for the worst scenarios.”
“They might hurl stun grenades at us and there are drones that continuously fly over our vessels. Any storming of the vessels by the Israeli forces would be considered piracy and a clear violation of the international law,” Tabbal added.
“For Gaza, for Syria, for Lebanon … for Humanity. Because pain knows no borders .. and neither should dignity,” she had also written in an English-language post on X. Israel said on Thursday it will deport the activists who were on the aid flotilla intercepted at sea as they headed towards Gaza, adding that none of the vessels had successfully breached its maritime blockade. The Global Sumud Flotilla of around 45 vessels began its voyage last month, with politicians and activists including Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg heading to Gaza, where the United Nations says famine has set in. The Israeli navy has intercepted vessel after vessel at sea since Wednesday, after warning the activists against entering waters it says fall under its blockade, with Thunberg's boat among those stopped from going further.
"None of the Hamas-Sumud provocation yachts has succeeded in its attempt to enter an active combat zone or breach the lawful naval blockade," Israel's foreign ministry said in a statement. "One last vessel of this provocation remains at a distance. If it approaches, its attempt to enter an active combat zone and breach the blockade will also be prevented."According to Greek Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis, 39 of the around 45 ships have been intercepted and were headed to the Israeli port city of Ashdod, according to state broadcaster ERT.
"All passengers are in good health. No violence has been exercised," Gerapetritis said. Israel said the activists would be deported to Europe, without specifying which countries they would be sent to.
"Hamas-Sumud passengers on their yachts are making their way safely and peacefully to Israel, where their deportation procedures to Europe will begin," the foreign ministry said on X, posting photos of Thunberg and other activists aboard a boat.
In a statement, the flotilla organizers branded the interceptions as "illegal".
"Beyond the confirmed interceptions, livestreams and communications with several other vessels have been lost," they added. With the war in Gaza dragging on, solidarity with the Palestinians has grown globally, with activists and increasingly governments condemning Israel for its conduct. Spain and Italy, which both sent naval escorts to protect their citizens on board the flotilla, had urged the activists to halt before entering Israel's declared exclusion zone off Gaza, saying they would not be allowed to pass that mark. The boats, with dozens of activists from around the world on board, initially set sail from several European ports. After a 10-day stop in Tunisia, where organizers reported two drone attacks, the flotilla resumed its journey on September 15. One of the main ships, the Alma, was "aggressively circled by an Israeli warship," the organizers said, before another vessel, the Sirius, was subjected to "similar harassing maneuvers."
'Intimidation' -
The organizers vowed to press on with their bid to break the siege and deliver aid to Gaza despite what they called "intimidation" tactics by the Israeli military. In Italy, which has already seen a general strike in support of the flotilla, hundreds of protesters turned out on Wednesday in Rome. In Naples, demonstrators blocked trains at the main station for around an hour before being cleared by police. Unions have called for another strike on Friday to urge stronger action from the government against Israel's actions in Gaza. Colombian President Gustavo Petro said he will expel all remaining Israeli diplomats in the country over the interception.Turkey called the interception "an act of terrorism," and on Thursday said it had opened an investigation after Israeli forces arrested Turkish citizens on board the flotilla.The activists also include Mandela Mandela, the grandson of anti-apartheid hero Nelson Mandela.

Cowell meets Sayed, affirms UK's commitment to supporting social protection

Naharnet/October 02/2025
British Ambassador to Lebanon, Hamish Cowell, met with the Minister of Social Affairs (MoSA), Haneen Sayed, to reaffirm the UK’s ongoing commitment to strengthening Lebanese national social protection systems. This includes MoSA’s rights and access program for people with disabilities and support to vulnerable Lebanese communities through the UK’s £5 million contribution to the AMAN program. They discussed ongoing UK support to MoSA programs on social protection through international and local partners including the World Food Program (WFP) and the International Labor Organization (ILO). Ambassador Cowell congratulated Minister Sayed on the restructuring of the Ministry and her vision and priorities. They also addressed support for conflict-affected populations, internally displaced persons, and the evolving refugee file. Following the meeting Ambassador Cowell said: "I am proud of our partnership with the Ministry of Social Affairs to strengthen vital national social protection systems and reach the most vulnerable Lebanese families. Through recent £5M UK funding, over two hundred thousand vulnerable Lebanese individuals have accessed basic assistance through the AMAN program. The UK remains committed to working with the Government of Lebanon and partners to support those in need."

UN verifies 103 civilians killed in Lebanon since ceasefire

Agence France Presse/October 02/2025
The United Nations says it has verified the deaths of 103 civilians in Lebanon since the November 2024 ceasefire with Israel, demanding a halt to the ongoing suffering. The U.N. Human Rights Office called for renewed efforts for a durable truce, more than 10 months on from the agreed ceasefire. "We are still seeing devastating impacts of jet and drone strikes in residential areas, as well as near U.N. peacekeepers in the south," U.N. rights chief Volker Turk said in a statement. Israel has kept up near daily strikes on Lebanon, usually saying it is targeting Hezbollah operatives or sites, despite the truce that sought to end more than a year of hostilities including two months of open war with the Iran-backed group. "Families are simply unable to make a start on rebuilding their homes and their lives, and instead are faced by the real and present danger of more strikes," Turk said. "Hundreds of damaged schools, health facilities, places of worship, among other civilian sites, are still no-go zones, or at best, only partly useable."The Human Rights Office said that until the end of September, it had verified 103 civilians killed in Lebanon since the ceasefire. There have been no reports of killings from projectiles fired from Lebanon toward Israel since the truce, it said. Turk's office said five people, including three children, were killed when an Israeli drone struck a vehicle and a motorcycle in the border area of Bint Jbeil on September 21. Turk demanded an independent and impartial investigation into the incident, along with others he said raised concerns about compliance with international humanitarian law. Lebanon's health ministry said one person was killed and five others wounded in an Israeli strike on Wednesday on the country's south, without specifying whether the casualties were civilians. More than 80,000 people remain displaced in Lebanon as a result of ongoing violence, with around 30,000 people from northern Israel reportedly still displaced. "At all times during the conduct of hostilities, civilians and civilian infrastructure must be protected and international humanitarian law fully respected, irrespective of claims of breaches of a ceasefire," said Turk.
"Good faith implementation of the ceasefire is the only path towards a durable peace, and its terms need to be respected."

From the Trigger Mechanism to the Gaza Plan... to Lebanon's Destruction
Dr. Josselin Al-Boustany/Nidaa Al-Watan/October 3, 2025 (Translated from Arabic)
When Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi affirmed before the United Nations Security Council that "Iran has fully implemented the agreement," referring to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), this reminded us of "Hezbollah" leaders' statements regarding the full implementation of the commitments of the ceasefire agreement concluded in November 2024.
On the one hand, the historical record and recent International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reports directly contradict Araghchi's claim. On the other hand, "Hezbollah's" non-compliance with the ceasefire agreement is evident in the continuous Israeli strikes targeting its associated weapons depots in the South and Bekaa. These strikes indicate that the military infrastructure remains intact, in addition to its leaders' continued public refusal to disarm.
Accordingly, in the environment following the activation of the Trigger Mechanism, or the automatic re-imposition of sanctions on Iran under UN Security Council Resolution 2231, the positions of Iran and "Hezbollah" cannot be assessed solely on the basis of declared intentions. Their historical record demonstrates a consistent pattern of using deception as a weapon for offense and a shield for defense, viewing it as an acceptable, even virtuous, practice when confronting enemies they consider illegitimate or hostile. This means that official Iranian assurances cannot be taken seriously.
From this perspective, "Hezbollah's" hypocrisy towards the Lebanese state should not be viewed in isolation, but as part of a strategic culture it shares with its patron, with the Rouche incident being the latest example. Both Iran and "Hezbollah" belong to the same school of thought, which considers deception a structural feature of political action rather than an emergency option, deriving this from the revolutionary strategic culture shaped by Khomeini's doctrine, whose main goal is control through ambiguity.
The underlying idea is to show the dynamic that recently emerged following the re-activation of the Trigger Mechanism. Iran categorically rejected the re-imposition of sanctions, describing them as illegitimate under the JCPOA and UNSC Resolution 2231. Despite the strength of its rhetoric, it stopped short of issuing direct threats of retaliation. Consequently, an official challenge emerges, accompanied by a denial of aggressive intentions, while simultaneously preparing proxy forces, whose role remains important according to the latest open sources, despite the significant damage inflicted upon them by Israel. Thus, what the speeches of Iranian leaders indicate is that Tehran will avoid high-risk direct confrontation while reactivating its regional network of proxies.
This was manifested in the Houthis' announcement in Yemen last Tuesday of their intention to target major American oil companies, including ExxonMobil and Chevron, despite the truce previously agreed upon with President Trump's administration not to attack American ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. The Houthis also claimed responsibility for a missile attack on a Dutch-flagged cargo ship in the Gulf of Aden.
Furthermore, the statement by the Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, Ali Larijani, after his recent visit to Lebanon, regarding "Hezbollah" rapidly rebuilding itself and continuing the resistance, indicated that if it is not acting now, it is because it does not want to violate the ceasefire in Lebanon with Israel, otherwise it possesses the ability to tip the scales, according to him. This dual stance, of course, embodies the post-Trigger Mechanism dynamic, which is characterized by ambiguity and uncertainty.
If President Trump's peace plan for Gaza is added to this equation, it adds another level of strategic complexity. However, the plan's impact on the brewing Iranian crisis depends on the response of "Hamas," the endorsement of Arab states, and its reliable implementation. The Gaza plan proposed by Trump could, if successful, significantly weaken Iran's influence. If it fails, Tehran is expected to exploit its proxies and propaganda to undermine the initiative while preserving its regional role.
The paradox, however, lies in the fact that the Gaza agreement removes one of the justifications for "Hezbollah's" possession of weapons, while simultaneously increasing Iran's incentive to maintain "Hezbollah's" strength as Tehran's last effective card against Israel. Consequently, the risk of a proxy war breaking out in the weeks following the return of sanctions is not merely a circumstantial possibility; it is a question better framed from a conditional probability perspective. If Israel or the United States launches further strikes on Iranian interests, the likelihood of such a war significantly increases, as Tehran will feel compelled to respond, and "Hezbollah" is considered its most potent remaining tool.
Unfortunately, amid the escalation of these regional tensions and "Hezbollah's" hardline stance, the official Lebanese authorities remain largely incapacitated, unable to curb the military militia's presence or influence its strategic decisions. Just as the Japanese Empire chose destruction over compromise in 1945, after defeat became inevitable, Lebanon today faces a graver danger due to "Hezbollah's" insistence on clinging to its weapons and serving Iran's interests, at a time when recent geopolitical moves have contributed to the magnification of regional tensions and increased internal instability. The lesson is stark: when the leadership of "Hezbollah" places its political allegiance above the survival of the people, the inevitable result is the destruction of Lebanon.

From Rafik Hariri to Lokman Slim: "Confirming the Confirmed"
Jean Al-Faghali/Nidaa Al-Watan/October 3, 2025 (Translated from Arabic)
The former Secretary-General of "Hezbollah," Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, dedicated a press conference to "technically" explain how Israel was the one that assassinated the martyred President Rafik Hariri. The former Syrian Vice President under the Assad regime, Abdul Halim Khaddam, said that Israel was the one that assassinated the martyred President Sheikh Bachir Gemayel. When former Minister and MP Elie Hobeika was assassinated, the investigating judge said at the explosion site, "Israel assassinated him, they 'mopped up' the ground."
Assassinations by the former Syrian regime were part of an integrated plan, from decision to execution, all the way to assigning blame. In the assassination of Bachir Gemayel, they said it was Israel. If it truly was Israel, why did they release the main defendant, Habib Shartouni, from Roumieh prison when they entered Lebanon on October 13, 1990? In the assassination of Rafik Hariri, if it was Israel, why did they not cooperate with the investigation?
The reason for refreshing the memory with these two facts is that Lebanon has requested from the current Syrian regime the files of the assassinations carried out by the former Syrian regime, starting from the assassination of Kamal Jumblatt, up to the assassination of Lokman Slim. This demand, despite its extreme positivity, is akin to "confirming the confirmed." In the assassination of Kamal Jumblatt, for instance, the investigator handed the file, including names, to Walid Jumblatt. In the assassination of Rafik Hariri, all evidence proved that the former Syrian regime was behind the assassination. In the assassination of Bachir Gemayel, the smuggling of Habib Shartouni to Syria proves that it was behind the assassination.
The files that the current Syrian regime will hand over to Lebanon are merely for the Lebanese to confirm the information they already know, which is documented in the Intelligence Directorate of the Lebanese Army and in international intelligence circles.
The Syrian regime was even "active" in kidnappings and liquidations inside Lebanon before the outbreak of the war in 1975. The famous case of the prominent journalist at An-Nahar newspaper in the autumn of 1974 is but one example. Since that date, the string of kidnappings, assassinations, bombings, and liquidations at the hands of the Syrians has continued, the list is long, from Mufti Hassan Khaled to Sheikh Sobhi Al-Saleh to presidential advisor Mohammad Choucair to journalist Salim El-Lozzy, to French Ambassador Louis Delamare, all the way to the Martyrs of the Cedar Revolution. It is no small detail that Lebanon requested the details of the assassinations from the current Syrian regime through the security delegation that visited Lebanon this week.
This request is not a spur-of-the-moment decision; rather, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam made this request when he visited Syria and met President Ahmad Al-Sharaa. This is a file that is wide open and will not be closed until it is completed, as the assassinations orchestrated by the Syrian regime in Lebanon are known and documented, lacking only the "certificates of decision signing" which are still held in the archives of the former Syrian regime's intelligence and which remain preserved.
The Deep State and the Political Confrontation

The Deep State Practices Political Cleansing Against Expatriates
Asaad Bishara/Nidaa Al-Watan/October 3, 2025 (Translated from Arabic)
Speaker Nabih Berri is not merely a representative of the Deep State in Lebanon; he is its leader who holds the keys to the system by shutting down Parliament whenever his political interests demand it. This role is being repeated today to prevent expatriates from exercising their right to vote, under the pretext of maintaining internal balances. Berri summarizes his rejection by saying: "Over my dead body will the expatriate vote pass."
Berri's plan rests on one of two options: either extending the term of the current Parliament for four new years, or holding elections based on an electoral law that maintains the old status quo. More dangerously, what he is doing constitutes a form of "political ethnic cleansing" against the expatriates, as he excludes them from determining the fate of their homeland simply because they form a significant bloc capable of overturning equations. Berri openly announces the closure of the Council's doors and considers himself the guardian of the decision, flagrantly violating the Constitution and the principle of equality among citizens. This confrontation, however, is revealing the true colors of the political forces, as it has exposed a Christian faction that chose to collude with those who prevent the expatriate votes, fearing that those votes might overturn its traditional influence.

A Presidential Intervention to Save the Parliamentary Election?

Alan Sarkis/Nidaa Al-Watan/October 3, 2025 (Translated from Arabic)
The electoral law file has taken center stage, and the fate of the elections is now seriously in question. The "Shiite Duo" (Hezbollah and Amal Movement) chose to break the will of the expatriates by opposing their right to vote in their districts. The country is still experiencing the repercussions of the Rouche incident, but has entered the orbit of preparations for the parliamentary elections. The sovereign, moderate, and change forces favor the expatriate vote, while "Hezbollah," the Amal Movement, and the Free Patriotic Movement oppose it.
Upon his return from New York, the President of the Republic, Joseph Aoun, focused on the necessity of holding the parliamentary elections on time, as the Presidency views postponing the elections as an unparalleled moral and constitutional blow. Aoun has contacted Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and the Ministers of Interior and Foreign Affairs to confirm the commitment to the constitutional deadline and begin expatriate registration. He conveyed the same firm position to the "Shiite Duo" through Speaker Nabih Berri. The Presidency will not spare any effort to resolve the knots to avoid the "bitter cup" of a parliamentary self-extension, which, under the Taif Agreement, the President can only respond to by suspending the Parliament's work for one month. The President is striving to find solutions to avoid the international community viewing Lebanon as a failed state for not respecting constitutional deadlines.

Hezbollah Mines the Baabda-Serail Road: Will the Mine Explode on It?

Tony Atiyeh/Nidaa Al-Watan/October 3, 2025 (Translated from Arabic)
"Hezbollah" is living in a state of political confusion after suffering a military defeat and facing a presidency and authority that do not pledge allegiance to it. Its attempts are intensifying today to disrupt the relationship between President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, hoping to regain its lost influence by splitting the official ranks. The "Party" is staggering, having shifted from dictating its terms to chasing the authority to keep pace with major transformations that have heavily favored the state. "Hezbollah" is trying to sow doubt by portraying Salam as a tool of the West and Aoun as submissive to American dictates. The roots of "Hezbollah's" problem with Joseph Aoun date back to his time leading the military, during which it launched media campaigns against him, accusing him of collaboration. The "Resistance Axis" also went mad following President Aoun's statement at the Qatar Summit: "We are ready for peace based on the Arab Initiative."The "Party" is resorting to its smaller policy of shifting its focus from the President to the Prime Minister, grudgingly appeasing the former and relentlessly demonizing the latter, in a desperate attempt to sow discord and exploit tactical differences. Through its visits to Baabda Palace, it seeks to suggest that Nawaf Salam has been left alone in the confrontation. However, those familiar with the atmosphere of Baabda and the Serail confirm that Presidents Aoun and Salam are in complete agreement that the implementation of international resolutions, foremost among them the withdrawal of illegal weapons, is the essential gateway to restoring state sovereignty and rebuilding international confidence.

The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on October 02-03/2025
Israeli strikes kill dozens in Gaza as Hamas considers its response to Trump’s peace proposal
AP/October 03, 2025
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip: Israeli strikes and gunfire killed at least 57 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, health officials said Thursday, as Hamas was still considering its response to US President Donald Trump’s proposal for ending the nearly two-year war. The plan requires Hamas to return all 48 hostages — about 20 of them thought by Israel to be alive — give up power and disarm in return for the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and an end to fighting. However, the proposal, which has been accepted by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, sets no path to Palestinian statehood. Palestinians long for the war to end but many believe the plan favors Israel, and a Hamas official told The Associated Press that some elements were unacceptable, without elaborating. Qatar and Egypt, two key mediators, said it requires more negotiations on certain elements.
Israel intercepts activist aid flotilla
At least 29 people were killed by Israeli fire in southern Gaza, according to Nasser Hospital, which received the bodies. Officials there said 14 of them were killed in an Israeli military corridor where there have been frequent shootings around the distribution of humanitarian aid. Officials at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in the central city of Deir Al-Balah said they had received 16 dead from Israeli strikes. Doctors Without Borders said one of its occupational therapists was killed while waiting for a bus in Deir Al-Balah, in a strike that seriously wounded four other people. The international charity described Omar Hayek, 42, as a “quiet man of profound kindness and professionalism.” Hayek, who had recently fled south from Gaza City, is the 14th staffer from the organization to have been killed in Gaza since the start of the war, it said. In Gaza City, health officials at Shifa Hospital said they received five bodies and several wounded people, adding that its staff are having difficulties reaching the hospital as Israel wages a major offensive aimed at occupying the city. Other hospitals reported an additional seven deaths from Israeli fire. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military, which says it only strikes militants and accuses Hamas of putting civilians in danger by operating in populated areas. Israel has meanwhile intercepted most of the more than 40 vessels in a widely watched flotilla carrying a symbolic amount of humanitarian aid for Palestinians and aiming to break Israel’s 18-year blockade of Gaza, according to organizers.Israel’s Foreign Ministry said on social media that activists on board – including Greta Thunberg and several European lawmakers – were safe and were being taken to Israel to begin “procedures” for their deportation. In the occupied West Bank, a Palestinian militant was killed and another arrested on Thursday after they carried out a car-ramming and shooting attack on an Israeli army checkpoint, the military said, adding that no soldiers were wounded.
Awaiting word from Hamas
A senior Hamas official told The Associated Press on Wednesday that some points in the proposal agreed upon by Trump and Netanyahu are unacceptable and must be amended, without elaborating. He said the official response will only come after consultations with other Palestinian factions. Speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media about the ongoing talks, the official said Hamas had conveyed its concerns to Qatar and Egypt. The Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023 that triggered the war killed some 1,200 people while 251 others were abducted. Most of the hostages have been freed under previous ceasefire deals. The Trump plan would guarantee the flow of humanitarian aid and promises reconstruction in Gaza, placing its more than 2 million Palestinians under international governance.
Mounting toll in Gaza
Israel’s campaign in Gaza has killed more than 66,200 Palestinians and wounded nearly 170,000 others, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. The ministry does not differentiate between civilians and militants in its toll, but has said women and children make up around half the dead.
The ministry is part of the Hamas-run government. UN agencies and many independent experts view its figures as the most reliable estimate of wartime casualties. Around 400,000 Palestinians have fled famine-stricken Gaza City since Israel launched a major offensive there last month. On Thursday morning, smoke could be seen in northern Gaza and people were fleeing the area headed south. Israel’s defense minister on Wednesday ordered all remaining Palestinians to leave Gaza City, saying it was their “last opportunity” and that anyone who stayed would be considered a militant supporter. While Hamas’ military capabilities have been vastly depleted, it still carries out sporadic attacks. On Wednesday, at least seven projectiles were launched into Israel from Gaza, but all were either intercepted or fell in open areas, with no reports of casualties, the Israeli military said.

Hamas military leader rejects US peace deal: BBC
Arab News/October 02, 2025
LONDON: The leader of the military wing of Hamas in Gaza has rejected a US peace proposal, the BBC reported on Thursday. Izz Al-Din Al-Haddad has reportedly indicated that the group will continue to fight as he believes the proposal, backed by Israel, is designed to destroy Hamas. Reports earlier this week suggested that senior Hamas members in Qatar were open to negotiating aspects of the 20-point plan, which includes the group’s disarmament and surrender of any future role in governing Gaza. However, its military wing holds greater sway over proceedings given that it holds the 48 hostages remaining in Gaza, only 20 of whom are thought to be alive. One major stumbling block is the requirement for all hostages to be released within 72 hours of the ceasefire, which would rob Hamas of further leverage. Senior Hamas figures in Gaza also do not believe that Israel will abide by the deal, regardless of US guarantees, after its efforts to assassinate members of its political leadership in Doha last month. After the proposal was announced on Monday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated on X that the deal would allow the Israeli military continued access to parts of Gaza, and that his government would “forcibly resist” the creation of a sovereign Palestinian state, defying the US proposal to create a “credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood.”Hamas has maintained that it will refuse any efforts to disarm until a Palestinian state has been established. Israel has killed at least 66,225 Palestinians in Gaza since October 2023, according to local health authorities.

Trump will determine how long to give Hamas to accept Gaza plan, White House says

Reuters/October 02/2025
US President Donald Trump will draw a red line on how long to give Hamas to accept an Israel-backed proposal to halt fighting in Gaza, the White House said on Thursday, without explicitly saying whether he would enforce a previously set deadline. Trump on Tuesday said he would give Hamas three to four days to accept the 20-point document, which calls on the militant group to disarm -- a demand it has previously rejected. Hamas is reviewing the proposal, a source close to the group said on Wednesday. Asked on the Fox News program “America’s Newsroom” to identify a point at which Hamas would be considered to have “walked away” from the proposal, White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said: “Well, it’s a very good question, and it’s a red line that the president of the United States is going to have to draw. And I’m confident that he will. But the president and his team worked very hard on this 20-point, comprehensive, detailed plan that has been applauded all over the world.”“This is an acceptable plan, and we hope and we expect Hamas should accept this plan so we can move forward,” Leavitt added. The plan specifies an immediate ceasefire, an exchange of all hostages held by Hamas for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, a staged Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, the disarmament of Hamas and the introduction of a transitional government led by an international body. Many elements of the 20 points have been included in numerous ceasefire deals proposed over the last two years, including those accepted and then subsequently rejected at various stages by both Israel and Hamas.

WHO: Nearly 42,000 People in Gaza Have 'Life-changing Injuries'
Asharq-Alawsat/October 02/2025
Nearly 42,000 people, a quarter of them children, have suffered "life-changing injuries" including amputations, and head and spinal cord injuries in Israel's war in Gaza, the World Health Organization said Thursday. A fresh analysis from the United Nations' health agency found that a quarter of those hurt over the two-year conflict have injuries that will seriously impact the rest of their lives. "Life-long rehabilitation will be required," Richard Peeperkorn, the WHO's representative in the Palestinian territories, told a press conference. Since the war began with Hamas's deadly attack inside Israel on October 7, 2023, Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed more than 66,000 Palestinians, according to health ministry figures in Hamas-run Gaza that the UN considers reliable. Nearly 170,000 more have meanwhile been injured, according to the same source. Drawing on data from 22 WHO-supported Emergency Medical Teams, the Gaza health ministry and other health partners, Thursday's report estimated that 41,844 had suffered life-changing injuries. More than 5,000 had faced amputations, it said, cautioning that that number could be "undercounted" since it excluded so-called traumatic amputations which occur at the time of injury, outside of the health facility. "Children appear to be disproportionately vulnerable to amputations," Pete Skelton, the report's main author, told journalists, according to AFP. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said "the most common injuries requiring rehabilitation are blast injuries to legs and arms". Other life-altering injuries including spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury and major burn injuries, he said, adding that "severe facial and eye injuries are also common, resulting in significant impairment and disfigurement". The WHO stressed the dire need for rehabilitation services.
But Tedros warned that "just when they are needed most, attacks, insecurity and displacement have put them out of reach". "The explosions that cause these injuries also destroy the health facilities and services needed to deal with them," he said. The WHO chief cautioned that as new injuries mount and health needs rise in famine-hit Gaza, "the health system teeters on the brink of collapse". He pointed out that only 14 of Gaza's 36 hospitals remained even partially functional. And while Gaza once counted around 1,300 physiotherapists and 400 occupational therapists, the WHO pointed out that many had been displaced, and dozens had been killed. Despite the huge number of amputations, Gaza currently has only eight prosthetics to manufacture and fit artificial limbs.

Blinken claims Biden laid groundwork for Trump’s Gaza plan
AFP/October 02/2025
Former US Secretary of State Antony Blinken voiced support Thursday for a Gaza plan laid out by President Donald Trump, saying it was in line with a deal he pursued under Joe Biden. “I do think it’s cause for some hope. I certainly hope that the plan gets fully accepted, fully adopted and fully implemented,” Blinken said. “This is essentially the plan that developed over many months and more or less (was) left in a drawer for the incoming administration, and I’m very, very glad they picked it up,” he told the podcast of former federal prosecutor Preet Bharara. But he also acknowledged risks in the framework, including allowing Israel to determine when the situation allows it to withdraw fully from Gaza. “There’s some loopholes that they could drive a truck through if they wanted to,” Blinken said of Israel. Blinken traveled a dozen times to the Middle East after the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel by Hamas, eventually seeking to press both sides to accept a ceasefire as Israel waged a relentless retaliatory offensive.Israel and Hamas finally agreed to a ceasefire on January 19, Biden’s last day in office, with Trump’s incoming envoy backing the diplomacy. But in March, Israel resumed major military operations in Gaza and shut down all entrance of food, leading to dire humanitarian conditions in which the United Nations has declared famine in parts of the ravaged Gaza Strip. Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu both backed the plan in a White House appearance on Monday and warned Hamas of harsh consequences if it says no. World powers including Arab and Muslim nations also welcomed the proposal, but some people interviewed by AFP in Gaza said it was unrealistic given its requirement that Hamas disarm itself.

Israel to deport Gaza flotilla activists, says no vessel breached blockade
AFP/October 02/2025
Israel said on Thursday it will deport pro-Palestinian activists on an aid flotilla intercepted at sea as they headed towards Gaza, adding that none of the vessels had successfully breached its maritime blockade. The Global Sumud Flotilla of around 45 vessels began its voyage last month, with politicians and activists including Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg heading to Gaza, where the United Nations says famine has set in. The Israeli navy has intercepted vessel after vessel at sea since Wednesday, after warning the activists against entering waters it says fall under its blockade, with Thunberg’s boat among those stopped from going further. “None of the Hamas-Sumud provocation yachts has succeeded in its attempt to enter an active combat zone or breach the lawful naval blockade,” Israel’s foreign ministry said in a statement. “One last vessel of this provocation remains at a distance. If it approaches, its attempt to enter an active combat zone and breach the blockade will also be prevented.” According to Greek Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis, 39 of the around 45 ships have been intercepted and were headed to the Israeli port city of Ashdod, according to state broadcaster ERT. “All passengers are in good health. No violence has been exercised,” Gerapetritis said.Israel said the activists would be deported to Europe, without specifying which countries they would be sent to. “Hamas-Sumud passengers on their yachts are making their way safely and peacefully to Israel, where their deportation procedures to Europe will begin,” the foreign ministry said on X, posting photos of Thunberg and other activists aboard a boat. In a statement, the flotilla organizers branded the interceptions as “illegal.”“Beyond the confirmed interceptions, livestreams and communications with several other vessels have been lost,” they added.
‘Piracy’
Hamas, whose October 7, 2023 attack on Israel sparked the war in Gaza, condemned the interception of the flotilla as a “crime of piracy and maritime terrorism.”With the war in Gaza dragging on, solidarity with the Palestinians has grown globally, with activists and increasingly governments condemning Israel for its conduct. Spain and Italy, which both sent naval escorts to protect its citizens on board the flotilla, had urged the activists to halt before entering Israel’s declared exclusion zone off Gaza, saying they would not be allowed to pass that mark. The boats, with dozens of activists from around the world on board, initially set sail from several European ports. After a 10-day stop in Tunisia, where organizers reported two drone attacks, the flotilla resumed its journey on September 15. One of the main ships, the Alma, was “aggressively circled by an Israeli warship,” the organizers said, before another vessel, the Sirius, was subjected to “similar harassing maneuvers.”
‘Intimidation’
The organizers vowed to press on with their bid to break the siege and deliver aid to Gaza despite what they called “intimidation” tactics by the Israeli military. They said on X they remained “vigilant as we enter the area where the previous flotillas were intercepted and/or attacked.”In Italy, which has already seen a general strike in support of the flotilla, hundreds of protesters turned out on Wednesday in Rome. In Naples, demonstrators blocked trains at the main station for around an hour before being cleared by police. Unions have called for another strike on Friday to urge stronger action from the government against Israel’s actions in Gaza. Colombian President Gustavo Petro said he will expel all remaining Israeli diplomats in the country over the interception. Turkey called the interception “an act of terrorism,” and on Thursday said it had opened an investigation after Israeli forces arrested Turkish citizens on board the flotilla. Israel blocked similar flotilla campaigns in June and July.
Mandela’s grandson
Spain’s digital transformation minister, Oscar Lopez, had urged the flotilla not to cross into Israel’s declared exclusion zone, extending 150 nautical miles off Gaza. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, of the center left, said the activists posed no threat and urged Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu not to consider them one either. On Thursday, Spain summoned Israel’s top representative in Madrid, the foreign minister said, saying that 65 Spaniards were travelling with the flotilla. But Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who is right-wing, criticized the attempt to reach Gaza. “I continue to believe that all this brings no benefit to the Palestinian people,” Meloni told reporters. She earlier said the voyage could jeopardize US President Donald Trump’s latest proposed Gaza peace plan, currently still under negotiation. South Africa urged Israel to immediately release the activists, who include Mandla Mandela, the grandson of anti-apartheid hero Nelson Mandela.

Several Kuwaiti, Bahraini citizens participating in Gaza Sumud Flotilla detained by Israel

Al Arabiya English/October 02/2025
Kuwait and Bahrain said on Thursday that several of their citizens taking part in the Gaza Sumud Flotilla have been detained by Israeli authorities, adding that the Gulf nations are closely monitoring the situation. In a statement to Kuwaiti news agency KUNA, Foreign Minister Abdullah Ali al-Yahya said that the ministry is exerting all possible efforts to “ensure the safety of the detained citizens and to secure their release as soon as possible.”Al-Yahya stressed that the wellbeing of the Kuwaiti nationals remains a top priority. The Bahraini foreign ministry also said that it is closely following up on the status of its citizens detained by Israeli forces “along with others from the Gulf Cooperation Council,” with the aim to release them at the soonest. “The kingdom’s embassy in Tel Aviv is in coordination with the relevant sides in order to ensure their safe return home,” the ministry said, according to the Bahrain News Agency (BNA). The Global Sumud Flotilla of around 45 vessels began its voyage to Gaza last month, with politicians and activists including Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg aiming to break Israel’s siege of the Palestinian territory, where the United Nations says famine has set in. Both reports didn’t specify the number of detained Kuwaiti or Bahraini citizens.

Saudi FM participates in discussion on peace between Palestine and Israel at Munich Leaders Meeting in AlUla
Arab News/October 02, 2025
RIYADH: Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan participated in a panel discussion on peace pathways between Palestine and Israel during the Munich Leaders Meeting in AlUla on Thursday. The session was attended by Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa via video call and French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noel Barrot, the Saudi Press Agency reported. The panel discussion addressed the latest developments regarding the war in Gaza, efforts to achieve a ceasefire, and related international initiatives, SPA added. It also highlighted the declarations made by numerous countries recognizing the State of Palestine, as part of advancing the implementation of the two-state solution and enhancing stability in the region. The session also discussed the importance of implementing all international resolutions, ending human suffering, and supporting efforts to facilitate the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza. It also referred to the High-level International Conference for the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution, co-chaired by Saudi Arabia and France, which resulted in an international consensus on the importance of implementing the conference’s declaration aimed at peace, prosperity, and ending the protracted Palestinian–Israeli conflict.

Israel Intercepts 39 Aid Boats Heading for Gaza, Sparking Int'l Criticism
Asharq Al Awsat/October 02/2025
Israeli forces have intercepted 39 boats carrying aid and foreign activists, including Swedish campaigner Greta Thunberg, to Gaza, leaving only one vessel still sailing towards the Palestinian enclave, the flotilla organizers said on Thursday. Cameras broadcasting live feeds from the boats, verified by Reuters, showed Israeli soldiers sporting helmets and night vision goggles boarding the ships, while passengers huddled together in life vests with their hands up. A video from the Israeli foreign ministry showed Thunberg, the most prominent of the flotilla's passengers, sitting on a deck surrounded by soldiers.
PASSENGERS DIVERTED TO AN ISRAELI PORT
According to a tracker on the organiser, Global Sumud Flotilla's website, one boat was still sailing. "Several vessels of the Hamas-Sumud flotilla have been safely stopped and their passengers are being transferred to an Israeli port," the Israeli foreign ministry said on X. "Greta and her friends are safe and healthy." The flotilla, which set sail in late August, is transporting medicine and food to Gaza and consists of more than 40 civilian vessels with about 500 parliamentarians, lawyers and activists. It's the highest-profile symbol of opposition to Israel's blockade of Gaza. The flotilla's progress across the Mediterranean Sea garnered international attention as nations including Türkiye, Spain and Italy sent boats or drones in case their nationals required assistance, even as it triggered repeated warnings from Israel to turn back. Türkiye’s foreign ministry called Israel’s “attack” on the flotilla “an act of terror” that endangered the lives of innocent civilians. The Istanbul chief prosecutor's office said it had launched an investigation into the detention of 24 Turkish citizens on the vessels on charges including deprivation of liberty, seizure of transport vehicles and damage to property, Türkiye’s state-owned Anadolu news agency reported. Colombian President Gustavo Petro ordered the expulsion of Israel’s entire diplomatic delegation on Wednesday following the detention of two Colombians in the flotilla and terminated Colombia’s free trade agreement with Israel. Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim condemned Israel’s actions and said Israeli forces had detained 23 Malaysians.
INTERCEPTION TRIGGERS GLOBAL PROTESTS
Israel's interception of the flotilla sparked protests in Italy and Colombia, while protests were also called in Greece, Ireland and Türkiye. Italian unions called a general strike for Friday. Israel's navy had previously warned the flotilla it was approaching an active combat zone and violating a lawful blockade, and asked organizers to change course. It had offered to transfer any aid peacefully through safe channels to Gaza. The flotilla is the latest seaborne attempt to break Israel's blockade of Gaza, much of which has been turned into a wasteland by almost two years of war.
In a statement, Hamas expressed support for the activists and called Israel's interception of the flotilla a "criminal act", calling for public protests to condemn Israel. The boats were about 70 nautical miles off Gaza when they were intercepted, inside a zone that Israel is policing to stop any boats approaching. The organisers said their communications, including the use of a live camera feed from some of the boats, had been scrambled. Greece said it has been informed that 39 boats from the flotilla are sailing to the Israeli port of Ashdod and that everyone onboard is safe, no violence was exerted, the Greek public broadcaster reported. South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa said that Israel's interception of the flotilla was a "grave offence" against "global solidarity and sentiment that is aimed at relieving suffering in Gaza". In a statement, Ramaphosa called on Israel to immediately release South Africans and others who were on the flotilla, including liberation hero Nelson Mandela's grandson, Nkosi Zwelivelile Mandel. The flotilla had hoped to arrive in Gaza on Thursday morning if it was not intercepted. Israeli officials have repeatedly denounced the mission as a stunt. "This systematic refusal (to hand over the aid) demonstrates that the objective is not humanitarian, but provocative," Jonathan Peled, the Israeli ambassador to Italy, said in a post on X.
PRIOR ATTEMPTS AID BY SEA
Israel has imposed a naval blockade on Gaza since Hamas took control of the coastal enclave in 2007 and there have been several previous attempts by activists to deliver aid by sea. In 2010, nine activists were killed after Israeli soldiers boarded a flotilla of six ships manned by 700 pro-Palestinian activists from 50 countries. In June this year, Israeli naval forces detained Thunberg and 11 crew members from a small ship organized by a pro-Palestinian group called the Freedom Flotilla Coalition as they approached Gaza. Israel began its Gaza offensive after the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on Israel in which some 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken as hostages back to Gaza, according to Israeli tallies. The offensive has killed over 65,000 people in Gaza, Palestinian health authorities say.

Egypt working to convince Hamas to accept Trump plan, says foreign minister

Reuters/October 02/2025
Egypt’s foreign minister said on Thursday that Cairo was working with Qatar and Turkey to convince Hamas to accept US President Donald Trump’s plan to end a nearly two-year-old war in Gaza, and warned the conflict would escalate if the militant group refused. Speaking at the French Institute of International Relations in Paris, Badr Abdelatty said it was clear that Hamas had to disarm and that Israel should not be given an excuse to carry on with its offensive in Gaza. “Let’s not give any excuse for one party to use Hamas as a pretext for this mad daily killings of civilians. What’s happening is far beyond the seventh of October,” he said, referring to the Islamist group’s 2023 attack on Israel, in which 1,200 people were killed and more than 200 people taken hostage, according to Israeli tallies. Israel’s offensive has killed over 66,000 people in Gaza, Palestinian health authorities say. “It is beyond revenge. This is ethnic cleansing and genocide in motion. So enough is enough,” Abdelatty said. The White House unveiled earlier this week a 20-point document that called for an immediate ceasefire, an exchange of hostages held by Hamas for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, a staged Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, Hamas disarmament and a transitional government led by an international body. On Tuesday, Trump gave Hamas three to four days to agree to the plan. Egypt is a key mediator in efforts to end the Gaza war and Abdelatty said Cairo was coordinating with Qatar and Turkey to convince Hamas to respond positively to the plan, but he remained very cautious. “If Hamas refuse, you know, then it would be very difficult. And of course, we will have more escalation. So that’s why we are exerting our intensive efforts in order to make this plan applicable and to get the approval of Hamas,” he said. Abdelatty said while he was broadly supportive of Trump’s proposal for Gaza, more talks were needed on it. “There are a lot of holes that need to be filled, we need more discussions on how to implement it, especially on two important issues - governance and security arrangements,” he said. “We are supportive of the Trump plan and the vision to end war and need to move forward.”When asked whether he feared the Trump plan could lead to forced displacement of Palestinians, he said Egypt would not accept that. “Displacement will not happen, it will not happen because displacement means the end of the Palestinian cause,” he said. “We will not allow this to happen under any circumstances.”

Russia is ready to support Trump’s Gaza plan if it leads to two-state solution, Putin says
Reuters/October 02/2025
Russia is ready to support US President Donald Trump’s plan to end the war in Gaza, but only if it leads to the creation of a Palestinian state alongside Israel, President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday. Trump’s plan involves putting Gaza under an international administration. Putin said it was important to understand how long that would be in place.

3 Alleged Hamas Members in Pre-trial Detention in Germany

Asharq Al Awsat/October 02/2025
German authorities on Thursday remanded into custody three alleged members of the Palestinian militant group Hamas on suspicion of plotting attacks on Israeli or Jewish institutions in Germany. The suspects appeared before an investigating judge in the western city of Karlsruhe, where formal arrest warrants were issued, said Ines Peterson, a spokesperson for the federal prosecutor’s office. They were set to be transferred to a prison for detention ahead of a trial, which is likely to take months as an investigation continues. Germany’s federal prosecutor announced Wednesday that the suspects were arrested on suspicion of being involved in procuring firearms since earlier this summer. Various weapons, including an AK-47 rifle, and ammunition were found during a raid. Two of the suspects are German citizens. The federal prosecutor’s office described the third as being born in Lebanon. They were only named as Abed Al G., Wael F. M., and Ahmad I., in line with German privacy rules. Hamas said in a statement Wednesday that it has no connection to the suspects, calling the allegations of a link to the group baseless and aimed at “undermining the German people’s sympathy with our Palestinian people and their legitimate struggle against the Zionist occupation.”Hamas also said it has always confined its armed struggle to Israel and the Palestinian territories and would continue to do so. It has carried out hundreds of attacks against Israeli civilians, but has rarely operated outside Israel and the Palestinian territories.

Two dead in UK synagogue attack on Yom Kippur, suspect ‘with bomb’ shot by police

Reuters/October 02/2025
British police have declared that an attack on a synagogue near Manchester was a terrorism incident and believe they know the identity of the attacker, the country’s most senior counter-terrorism offer said on Thursday. Laurence Taylor told reporters that officers had made two arrests, and had stepped up patrols across the country. At least two people were killed after an assailant drove a car into pedestrians and stabbed a security guard near a synagogue in England on Yom Kippur, the holiest day on the Jewish calendar, British police said. Greater Manchester Police said the suspect, who was believed to be carrying a bomb, was shot after they rushed to the scene at the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in the Crumpsall district of the city in northern England. Police responded after a witness said a car had rammed members of the public and that one man had been stabbed. The suspect was believed to be dead but officers could not confirm this “due to safety issues surrounding suspicious items on his person,” with a bomb disposal unit called to the scene.
‘He has a bomb!’
A video shared on social media and verified by Reuters showed police shooting a man inside the synagogue’s perimeter, while another man lay on the floor in a pool of blood, appearing to wear a traditional Jewish head covering. “He has a bomb, go away!” an armed police officer shouted to onlookers as he tried to wave away members of the public. As well as the two people who were confirmed dead, three others were in a serious condition. After the attack, police were seen ushering a large group of mostly Jewish elderly men - some in tears, many looking shocked - away from the synagogue. Some were wearing white robes, others were in suits and wearing a skullcap. “I’m appalled by the attack at a synagogue in Crumpsall,” Prime Minister Keir Starmer said as he rushed away early from a European political gathering in Copenhagen to return to Britain to chair an emergency meeting. “The fact that this has taken place on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, makes it all the more horrific,” Starmer said. Police said a large number of people had been worshipping inside the synagogue at the time and the building had since been evacuated. “We are grateful to the member of the public whose quick response to what they witnessed allowed our swift action, and as a result the offender was prevented from entering the synagogue,” a police spokesperson said. Britain’s King Charles said he was “deeply shocked and saddened” to learn of the attack, “especially on such a significant day for the Jewish community.”Suspect was ‘stabbing anyone near him’A neighbor, Chava Lewin, said she had been told that the car had been driving erratically before crashing into the gates of the synagogue.“The second he got out of the car he started stabbing anyone near him. He went for the security guard and tried to break into the synagogue,” she told British media. “Someone barricaded the door. Everyone is in utter shock.”Starmer said that additional police were being deployed to synagogues across the country, adding “we will do everything to keep our Jewish community safe.”Yom Kippur is the most sacred day on the Jewish calendar when even many non-regular synagogue-goers take time to pray and all road traffic stops in Israel.Britain reported its second worst year in modern times for antisemitism in 2024 with more than 3,500 incidents being recorded, reflecting sustained levels of hatred towards Jews, the Community Security Trust, which provides security to Jewish organizations across Britain, said earlier this year. Levels of antisemitism rose to record levels in the wake of the October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas on Israel and Israel’s subsequent war in Gaza that has devastated the Palestinian enclave. Since the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States, Britain has suffered a number of extremist militant attacks, with the worst being the July 2005 suicide bombings in the London transport network which killed 52 people.More recently, a 2017 suicide bomb attack at the end of an Ariana Grande pop concert in Manchester killed 22 people and injured hundreds. British police have in recent years also warned about the threat from organized far-right terrorism.

Manchester synagogue attacker is a UK citizen of Syrian origin: police
AFP/October 02, 2025
LONDON: British police said Thursday the man who attacked people outside a Manchester synagogue before being shot dead by officers was a UK citizen of Syrian origin, with three other suspects detained. “We can confirm that three suspects are currently in custody and have been arrested on suspicion of commission, preparation and instigation of acts of terrorism. They are two men in their 30s and a woman in her 60s,” Greater Manchester police said. Two people were killed on Thursday and four wounded when a man ploughed a car into a crowd outside a packed Manchester synagogue on a sombre Jewish holiday and then embarked on a stabbing spree, UK police said. Police said they shot dead the suspect and arrested two other people within hours of the attack, which occurred as Jewish communities around the world marked Yom Kippur, the holiest holiday in the Jewish calendar.

UK Police Say 2 Arrests Made Over 'Terrorist' Synagogue Attack

London: Asharq Al Awsat/October 02/2025
Two people have been arrested over a "terrorist" attack outside a synagogue in the English city of Manchester on Thursday in which police shot dead the suspect, a senior officer said. The assailant drove a car into people outside the synagogue and then began stabbing them, killing two and seriously wounding four on the holiest day of the Jewish year. The attack had been declared a "terrorist incident,” added Laurence Taylor, assistant commissioner in counterterrorism policing at London's Metropolitan Police force. Greater Manchester Police said the suspect, who was wearing a vest that appeared to be an explosive device, was shot dead after officers rushed to the scene at the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in the Crumpsall district of Manchester in northern England. Prime Minister Keir Starmer rushed away early from a European political gathering in Copenhagen to return to Britain to chair an emergency meeting. He said additional police were being deployed to synagogues across the country, adding: "We will do everything to keep our Jewish community safe.""The fact that this has taken place on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, makes it all the more horrific."King Charles said he was "deeply shocked and saddened" while the Israeli embassy in London said on X the attack was "abhorrent and deeply distressing," and that it was in close contact with the Manchester Jewish community. Attacks on Jews and Jewish targets have risen worldwide since the Gaza conflict erupted, including in France and Germany where incidents have surged. French President Emmanuel Macron said on X that France stood beside Britain's Jewish community.

France FM says door for diplomacy with Iran remains open despite sanctions

Al Arabiya English/AFP/October 02/2025
The top French diplomat told Al Arabiya on Thursday that the snapback in UN sanctions did not mean the end of diplomacy with Iran. Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot was speaking from Saudi Arabia, where he is attending a meeting on global security matters. Barrot also defended France’s resumption of dialogue with Tehran over its nuclear program. “France will make its best efforts towards a negotiated solution,” he told AFP. As for Gaza, he said Hamas had lost its fight in Gaza and must accept “surrender” under a plan put forward by US President Donald Trump. The Palestinian militant group is currently weighing its response to the Trump plan, which has been publicly endorsed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “Hamas bears a very heavy responsibility for the catastrophe experienced by the Palestinians,” said. “It has lost. It must accept its own surrender,” he added, pointing to a recent UN resolution calling for Hamas to be excluded from the leadership of a future Palestinian state. Barrot reiterated France’s support for the Trump plan on Thursday, saying it was ready to “work on its implementation to bring an end to the war, to the famine and to the suffering in Gaza.”He declined to speculate on what might happen if Hamas refused the deal. Trump’s plan calls for a ceasefire, the release of hostages within 72 hours, Hamas’s disarmament and a gradual Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. Hamas has yet to make a final decision on the proposal, according to a Palestinian source close to the group’s leaders.

How Syria’s first elections since autocrat Assad’s ouster is expected to unfold

AP/October 02, 2025
BEIRUT: Syria is set to hold parliamentary elections on Sunday for the first time since the fall of the country’s longtime autocratic leader, Bashar Assad, who was unseated in a rebel offensive in December. Under the 50-year rule of the Assad dynasty, Syria held regular elections in which all Syrian citizens could vote. But in practice, the Assad-led Baath Party always dominated the parliament, and the votes were widely regarded as sham elections. Outside election analysts said the only truly competitive part of the process came before election day – with the internal primary system in the Baath Party, when party members jockeyed for positions on the list. The elections to be held on Sunday, however, will not be a fully democratic process either. Rather, most of the People’s Assembly seats will be voted on by electoral colleges in each district, while one third of the seats will be directly appointed by interim President Ahmad Al-Sharaa.Despite not being a popular vote, the election results will likely be taken as a barometer of how serious the interim authorities are about inclusivity, particularly of women and minorities. Here’s a breakdown of how the elections will work and what to watch.
How the system works
The People’s Assembly has 210 seats, of which two-thirds will be elected on Sunday and one-third appointed. The elected seats are voted upon by electoral colleges in districts throughout the country, with the number of seats for each district distributed by population. In theory, a total of 7,000 electoral college members in 60 districts – chosen from a pool of applicants in each district by committees appointed for the purpose – should vote for 140 seats. However, the elections in Sweida province and in areas of the northeast controlled by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces have been indefinitely postponed due to tensions between the local authorities in those areas and the central government in Damascus, meaning that those seats will remain empty. In practice, therefore, around 6,000 electoral college members will vote in 50 districts for about 120 seats.The largest district is the one containing the city of Aleppo, where 700 electoral college members will vote to fill 14 seats, followed by the city of Damascus, with 500 members voting for 10 seats. All candidates come from the membership of the electoral colleges. Following Assad’s ouster, the interim authorities dissolved all existing political parties, most of which were closely affiliated with the Assad government, and have not yet set up a system for new parties to register, so all candidates are running as individuals.
Why no popular vote
The interim authorities have said that it would be impossible to create an accurate voter registry and conduct a popular vote at this stage, given that millions of Syrians were internally or externally displaced by the country’s nearly 14-year civil war and many have lost personal documents.
This parliament will have a 30-month term, during which the government is supposed to prepare the ground for a popular vote in the next elections. The lack of a popular vote has drawn criticism of being undemocratic, but some analysts say the government’s reasons are legitimate.
“We don’t even know how many Syrians are in Syria today,” because of the large number of displaced people, said Benjamin Feve, a senior research analyst at the Syria-focused Karam Shaar Advisory consulting firm. “It would be really difficult to draw electoral lists today in Syria,” or to arrange the logistics for Syrians in the diaspora to vote in their countries of residence, he said. Haid Haid, a senior research fellow at the Arab Reform Initiative and the Chatham House think tank said that the more concerning issue was the lack of clear criteria under which electors were selected.
“Especially when it comes to choosing the subcommittees and the electoral colleges, there is no oversight, and the whole process is sort of potentially vulnerable to manipulation,” he said. There have been widespread objections after electoral authorities “removed names from the initial lists that were published, and they did not provide detailed information as to why those names were removed,” he said.
Questions about inclusivity
There is no set quota for representation of women and religious or ethnic minorities in the parliament.
Women were required to make up 20 percent of electoral college members, but that did not guarantee that they would make up a comparable percentage of candidates or of those elected. State-run news agency SANA, citing the head of the national elections committee, Mohammed Taha Al-Ahmad, reported that women made up 14 percent of the 1,578 candidates who made it to the final lists. In some districts, women make up 30 or 40 percent of all candidates, while in others, there are no female candidates. Meanwhile, the exclusion of the Druze-majority Sweida province and Kurdish-controlled areas in the northeast as well as the lack of set quotas for minorities has raised questions about representation of communities that are not part of the Sunni Arab national majority. The issue is particularly sensitive after outbreaks of sectarian violence in recent months in which hundreds of civilians from the Alawite and Druze minorities were killed, many of them by government-affiliated fighters. Feve noted that electoral districts had been drawn in such a way as to create minority-majority districts. “What the government could have done if it wanted to limit the number of minorities, it could have merged these districts or these localities with majority Sunni Muslim districts,” he said. “They could have basically drowned the minorities which is what they didn’t do.”Officials have also pointed to the one-third of parliament directly appointed by Al-Sharaa as a mechanism to “ensure improvement in the inclusivity of the legislative body,” Haid said. The idea is that if few women or minorities are elected by the electoral colleges, the president would include a higher percentage in his picks. The lack of representation of Sweida and the northeast remains problematic, Haid said – even if Al-Sharaa appoints legislators from those areas.
“The bottom line is that regardless of how many people will be appointed from those areas, the dispute between the de facto authorities and Damascus over their participation in the political process will remain a major issue,” he said.

The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources on October 02-03/2025
So that opportunities are not lost
Zaid AlKami/Al Arabiya English/AFP/October 02/2025
Since the moment the State of Israel was declared in 1948, the question of missed opportunities to establish a Palestinian state has haunted the political history of the region. The beginning was with the UN resolution of 1947, which called for the partition of Palestine into two states: one Jewish and one Arab. It was the first serious opportunity to achieve the minimum rights of the Palestinian people. True, the decision was unfair, as it gave the Jews more than 56 percent of the land even though their population at the time did not exceed 30 percent. But it constituted international recognition of a Palestinian entity alongside the Jewish state. Yet the absence of a unified Palestinian leadership, and the refusal of some Arab states to accept the resolution on the grounds of its injustice, caused that historic moment to slip away. Meanwhile, the Israelis exploited the vacuum to consolidate their state. Over time, what was once considered an injustice turned into a distant dream. Between that moment and what followed, opportunities continued to be lost. After the 1948 war and the Nakba that ensued, Palestinians remained displaced without true representation. Then came Egypt’s attempt, led by Gamal Abdel Nasser in 1970, to unify the factions under the umbrella of the Palestine Liberation Organization. The goal was for the PLO to be the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people. But soon divisions once again eroded Palestinian unity. Multiple factions emerged, reaching 18 groups acting in the name of the cause, but in reality more divided than united on a national program. This gave Israel a golden opportunity to advance its project.
After the defeat of 1967, Israel offered to withdraw from the occupied territories in exchange for peace, with the exception of Jerusalem – but the offer was rejected. After the 1973 October War, which opened a window of hope for peace, Egyptian President Anwar Sadat seized the international moment and went to Jerusalem in a historic 1977 visit. The Americans then sponsored the Camp David Accords. Those agreements mentioned Palestinian autonomy in the West Bank and Gaza, but Palestinians were not direct parties to them. Pressures from some Arab countries also pushed them to withdraw from participation, squandering yet another opportunity that could have paved the way for statehood. Even King Fahd bin Abdulaziz’s 1981 initiative, which offered a comprehensive vision for a settlement, did not receive sufficient Palestinian engagement.
In the early 1990s, the Madrid Conference of 1991 opened the way to the Oslo Accords of 1993, which were a turning point: the PLO recognized Israel, and Israel recognized the PLO as the representative of the Palestinian people. The agreement stipulated gradual Israeli withdrawal and the establishment of Palestinian self-rule. But it soon faltered due to Palestinian division, rejection by Hamas and other factions, and then the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin. All of this led to the collapse of the process and the outbreak of the Second Intifada in 2000, following the failure of the Camp David Summit in which US President Bill Clinton tried to reach a final settlement.
Further initiatives followed: Taba in 2001, the late King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz’s initiative that became the Arab Peace Initiative in Beirut in 2002, then the Roadmap for Peace in 2003, and the Annapolis Conference in 2007. All were lost between Israeli intransigence, Palestinian division, and international paralysis. Even in 2008, when Ehud Olmert presented a map for a Palestinian state on more than 94 percent of the West Bank with land swaps, it failed due to his weak political standing and Palestinian divisions. Today, with Gaza largely destroyed after nearly two years of war sparked by Sinwar’s “Aqsa Flood” operation, US President Donald Trump has presented a new plan. It includes an immediate halt to the war, gradual Israeli withdrawal, prisoner releases, comprehensive reconstruction funded internationally, and a transitional administration under international supervision – with a path for economic development and Arab and international guarantees to prevent renewed violence. The plan may not meet all the aspirations of the Palestinian people, but it represents a first step in a long road toward statehood, stability, and rebuilding.
History teaches us that every missed opportunity has turned into a major loss, and that every hesitation or division has cost Palestinians blood and land. Today there is a real chance to stop the attempt to close the file of Palestinian statehood once and for all under the pressure of Israeli settlement and extremism. If Palestinians seize it wisely, perhaps Gaza – which has paid the heaviest price – can become the starting point toward a different future. But if it is squandered, it will only add another loss to a long record of failures.


Sudan’s Floods Rekindle the Grand Renaissance Dam Debate
Osman Mirghani/Asharq Al Awsat/October 02/2025
The floods that have swept across large swaths of Sudan over the past few days have prompted the irrigation authorities to raise red alerts in six Sudanese states. Such events are not typical at this late point in the autumn season, and although the rising waters have begun to recede, the floods swiftly brought the debate over Ethiopia’s Grand Renaissance Dam back to the forefront. The floods severely damaged agricultural and residential areas that had barely begun to recover from the destruction and displacement left by war. Alarmingly, 750 million cubic meters of water were discharged per day- an extremely high figure that raises questions about the dam’s impact, undermining claims that it would reduce the risk of flooding and ensure the steady flow of water year-round. Kifle Ahoro, the director of the Renaissance Dam project, has blamed what he claimed to be exceptionally heavy rain, forcing the officials overseeing the dam to take precautionary measures. He acknowledged that massive amounts of water had been recorded across the White Nile basin as well as the Blue Nile. Moreover, the White Nile is fed by tributaries from Ethiopia that run through the Sobat River in South Sudan, which has also been hit by floods.
For years, the dam had been broadly and extensively debated, with reports that it had structural leaks and that the installation of the turbines intended for power generation had been delayed. While 13 turbines had originally been planned, several reports claimed that only six had been installed and that not all of them had been functioning. This has left vast amounts of water stored in the reservoir untapped for electricity production as planned. As a result, the excess rainfall could not be absorbed by a reservoir because it had already filled to capacity, leaving the water to flow downstream in massive volumes, which caused the flooding in Sudan.
Nevertheless, the Ethiopian government continues to maintain that the dam has helped reduce flooding in Sudan, insisting that without it, the outcome would have been worse. Ethiopia’s Minister of Water and Energy even declared, the day before yesterday, that this “experience” proves that the dam plays a role in mitigating natural disasters by regulating water flow and preventing sudden surges into the Nile. The tragedy, however, is that there were floods, and Sudan suffered the brunt of the consequences, not Ethiopia, which controls the water flow through the dam.
I find it astonishing that some refuse to acknowledge any of the risks posed by the dam, arguing that Sudan has more to gain from its construction than Ethiopia. What must be understood is that Ethiopia did not build the dam to help Sudan or further its interests but to reinforce its own developmental and political agenda. If Sudan benefits at all, its gains pale in comparison to the existential catastrophe that this “water bomb” only 15 kilometers from its border could unleash. Sudan’s problem is that endless debate has led to little planning or action. The Renaissance Dam exists now. Years ago, however, it should have compelled urgent measures and contingency planning once it became clear that negotiations were faltering. Sudan is the most vulnerable country concerned. It will be affected by the dam both in times of flood and drought, the quality of its soil will also diminish because up to 80 percent of the silt could be lost. Egypt, for its part, will be directly impacted by drought, but it has relatively little to worry about with regard to floods, as the High Dam and the projects and canals it has long planned allow it to absorb excess water.
For Ethiopia, the dam is a vast national project that brings developmental benefits. However, it also gives the country regional leverage, as the dam can be used to shape other parties’ behavior, particularly during drought years, turning this developmental project to generate electricity into a frightening geopolitical tool.Sudan’s latest floods underscore the urgent need for a binding legal agreement that defines the rules for operating the dam, instills safety guarantees, and safeguards the shared interests of Sudan, Egypt, and Ethiopia. Addis Ababa’s obstinacy, however, has derailed all international mediation efforts. It has dragged its feet on undermining the 2015 Declaration of Principles signed in Khartoum, which was supposed to lay the foundations for cooperation, information-sharing, and harm prevention. As climate change accelerates, drought cycles intensify, and rainfall patterns shift, the challenges of water flow management will only grow more complicated, making cooperation among Nile Basin countries an existential need. Indeed, the Grand Renaissance Dam is not just a hydroelectric project; it will shape the lives of millions along the Nile. The question today is this: Will the dam be a chance for cooperation? Or will it turn into a source of chronic conflict that could lead to water wars and unleash existential disasters, particularly for Sudan?

Is this Really the End of the War in Gaza?
Abdulrahman Al-Rashed/Asharq Al Awsat/October 02/2025
More than two million Palestinians are waiting for the sun to rise and for this long, dark night to end – the most brutal war in the history of Palestine’s conflicts. At this important moment, announced in Washington on Monday, the hope that feels both near and far still faces many challenges. The most prominent of these challenges is whether both Hamas and Israel will accept the plan to end the war – or whether they will impose conditions that prolong the implementation talks and undermine the opportunity. It is clear that Hamas is not satisfied, nor is Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Hamas no longer has allies to shield it – even Qatar and Turkey have agreed to and are supporting the plan, and are participating alongside Egypt in the negotiations. Iran is no longer in a position to assist Hamas after it lost much of its supportive military capability. As for Netanyahu, he does not dare challenge President Trump, who has the power to bring him down through his ties with Netanyahu’s own political bloc – and Netanyahu could even end up in prison. It is likely that Hamas will eventually lay down its weapons and that its field commanders will depart for Algeria or Turkey, as is being suggested. But not so quickly. Ceasefire understandings are rarely reached easily, as each side clings to its interpretations and adds new conditions and guarantees. Those who drafted the ceasefire and Gaza administration plan say they drew on previous experiences in Bosnia and Timor. Hamas’ expected objections will include: First, the entry of Israeli forces into areas it used to control, as Hamas will not settle for only retrieving its hostages and the remains of its fighters. Second, it will object to being excluded from civilian governance in Gaza, made worse by the plan’s stipulation that the Palestinian Authority take over municipal, health, education, judicial, and civil security services. Third, the nature of the guarantees offered to the movement remains unclear – including whether Israel will refrain from pursuing or assassinating Hamas members in the coming years, something Israel has done for decades.
Netanyahu, too, has his objections. The agreement deprives him of the promise he made to control Gaza and prevents the displacement of its residents. Even those permitted to leave voluntarily are guaranteed the right to return, according to a clause in Tony Blair’s plan, and their properties cannot be confiscated. Moreover, Israel - which believes it had tightened the noose around Hamas and approached its hideouts and tunnels after launching the assault on Gaza City- must now stop and release about 2,000 Palestinians in exchange for the remaining hostages, both living and dead. This is hardly the victory Netanyahu had planned for, and it may backfire on him politically. Yet there remains strong hope that we are witnessing the end of the war – even with staunch opposition from both Hamas and Netanyahu.


Qatar Must Apologize for Supporting Islamist Terrorist Groups
Khaled Abu Toameh/ Gatestone Institute./October 02/2025
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/10/147859/
If anyone needs to apologize, it is Qatar, which has long been financing, hosting, and advocating for Hamas and other Islamist terror groups such as the Islamic State (ISIS) and Al-Qaeda.
Qatar, in fact, needs to apologize not only to Israel, but to several Arab countries affected by the Gulf state's support for Islamist terror groups.
"Qatar is now known as the world's safe haven for terrorist groups and militia leaders.... Evidence suggests that Qatar has directly armed or financed multiple Islamist groups in the region, undermining U.S. objectives in pivotal countries such as Libya, Egypt, and Syria by pushing those places toward violent extremism." — US Representative Doug Lamborn, 2015.
Qatar is not – and never was – an impartial mediator in the Hamas-Israel war. As a longtime sponsor of the Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamist terrorist groups, Qatar's main goal is to ensure that Hamas, possibly under a different guise, continues to play a key role in the Palestinian arena.
People who contend that Qatar might "change," thanks to the potential incentives of the Abraham Accords, appear afflicted with the same illusions as those who fantasize that the Palestinian Authority will reform. Sadly, the self-interested statements by French President Emmanuel Macron, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese have encouraged the terrorists and their sponsors to have renewed hope that they finally might be able to get rid of Israel, after all.
In its perennial role as both the "arsonist and the firefighter," as with the Taliban in Afghanistan, there is every reason to assume -- unless someone emphatically stops them -- that Qatar will set about surreptitiously creating a "Hamas, the Sequel" the minute the weather improves.
If anyone needs to apologize, it is Qatar, which has long been financing, hosting, and advocating for Hamas and other Islamist terror groups such as the Islamic State (ISIS) and Al-Qaeda. Pictured: Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal meets with Qatar's then Crown Prince (today's Emir) Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani at the Royal Palace in Amman, Jordan on January 29, 2012.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reportedly "apologized" to his Qatari counterpart for violating the Gulf state's sovereignty in Israel's September 9 strike against Hamas leaders in Doha. The alleged apology took place in a September 29 phone call arranged by US President Donald J. Trump.
If anyone needs to apologize, it is Qatar, which has long been financing, hosting, and advocating for Hamas and other Islamist terror groups such as the Islamic State (ISIS) and Al-Qaeda.
Qatar, in fact, needs to apologize not only to Israel, but to several Arab countries affected by the Gulf state's support for Islamist terror groups.
US Representative Doug Lamborn wrote in 2015:
"The past few years have seen Qatar grow into a major hub for terrorist operatives and terrorism finance.... Qatar is now known as the world's safe haven for terrorist groups and militia leaders.... Evidence suggests that Qatar has directly armed or financed multiple Islamist groups in the region, undermining U.S. objectives in pivotal countries such as Libya, Egypt, and Syria by pushing those places toward violent extremism."
Two years later, several Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, Egypt, and Yemen, severed their bilateral relations with Qatar and subsequently banned Qatari-registered aircraft and ships from utilizing their sovereign territory by air, land and sea. They accused Qatar of allowing terror financiers to operate within its borders. They also called on Qatar to sever ties with the Muslim Brotherhood, ISIS, al Qaeda, Hezbollah and Jabhat Fateh al Sham.
Turkey's Anadolu Agency reported in June 2017:
In a Foreign Ministry statement, Saudi Arabia accused Doha of sheltering and backing terrorist groups, promoting terrorist groups in the media, and supporting Houthi militia in Yemen.
The Saudi authorities on Monday closed the local office of Doha-based satellite news network Al Jazeera amid a severe diplomatic row between Qatar and several other Arab states.
"The Ministry of Culture and Information has closed the Al Jazeera channel's office in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and withdrew its [broadcasting] license," the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.
The SPA said the decision had been taken after the network allegedly "promoted plots of terrorist groups, supported the Houthi militias in Yemen and tried to break Saudi internal ranks by inciting them to leave the country and harm the sovereignty of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia".
Cairo also blamed the Qatari government for "hostile attitudes," sheltering the Muslim Brotherhood on its soil, and backing terror groups threatening the country's national security.
Bahrain's Foreign Ministry accused the Qatari government of destabilizing the country's security and stability and interfering in its affairs.
Qatar has "spread chaos in Bahrain in flagrant violation of all agreements and covenants and principles of international law without regard to values, the law, or morals or consideration of the principles of good neighborliness or commitment to the constants of Gulf relations, and in denial of all previous commitments," it said.
The UAE said the decision to cut ties with Qatar came "as a result of the failure of the Qatari authorities" to stop funding "terrorist organizations... especially the Muslim Brotherhood." The UAE also accused Qatar of "harboring extremists."
UAE Foreign Minister Anwar Gargash said that a Western monitoring mechanism will be needed to force Qatar to abide by any agreement to end its support for terrorism. "We do not trust them (Qatar)," Gargash said. "There is zero trust, but we need a monitoring system, and we need our western friends to play a role in this." He added that the monitoring would aim to ensure Qatar was no longer funding extremism, harboring extremists in Doha, or providing support to the Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas and Al-Qaeda.
In an interview with Reuters, the UAE minister said that financial support for jihadists across the Middle East lies at the heart of Arab powers' row with Qatar:
"This litany of subversive support, infringement, actions is huge, but I would say the most serious is the extremists and terrorist angle. I think this is the most serious of all the other catalogues of other infringements.... We want a black-and-white approach to terrorist financing. We know the ABCs of dealing with terrorism. One of these ABCs is: you never feed the crocodiles."
Gargash said the UAE wanted to see action taken against individuals living openly in Qatar despite being classified as supporters of terrorism by the US and United Nations. He identified three men who were suspected of providing funds and other support to al Qaeda in Iraq, Syria and Pakistan, and who the US Treasury Department says have financed terrorism. Gargash said the scope of Qatar's sheltering of extremists has widened since 2014, when concern was largely focused on the late Sheikh Youssef al-Qaradawi, the spiritual leader of the Muslim Brotherhood.
Also in 2017, the UAE announced that Qatar sympathizers could face a prison term of up to 15 years and be slapped with a fine of not less than half a million dirhams ($136,000).
In a statement, UAE Attorney General Dr. Hamad Saif Al Shamsi said that the UAE has taken a firm stance against Qatar's hostile and irresponsible policies:
"Strict and firm action will be taken against anyone who shows sympathy or any form of bias towards Qatar, or against anyone who objects to the position of the United Arab Emirates, whether it be through the means of social media, or any type of written, visual or verbal form."
Although the Arab countries three years later signed an agreement brokered by the US and Kuwait to restore full diplomatic ties with Qatar, the emirate has continued to provide shelter to Hamas leaders and its Al-Jazeera network as a mouthpiece for the Palestinian terror group and other Islamist terrorist organizations.
The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) reported last month:
"Since Hamas's deadly attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, and throughout the war that broke out in its aftermath, the state of Qatar, its media, and institutions affiliated with it have consistently expressed unreserved support for Hamas and for terror and armed violence against Israel. This support finds expression on all levels: in statements by officials and religious clerics, in the medias and in the education system, Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, the mother of the Qatari emir and the chair of the Qatar Foundation, implied that Israel had fabricated reports about Hamas's atrocities, and accused Israel of spreading false historical narratives that 'have taken over the collective mind f the world.' After the death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, the architect of the October 7 massacre, Sheikha Moza eulogized him, saying that 'he will live on' while Israel will perish.' Qatari Shura Council member Essa Al-Nassr said that October 7 was the beginning of the end of the Zionist state, presenting this as a divine promise mentioned in the Quran. He added that there can be no peace with the Jews because their faith condones 'deception, the violation of agreements and lies' and they are 'slayers of the prophets.'"
Qatar is not – and never was – an impartial mediator in the Hamas-Israel war. As a longtime sponsor of the Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamist terrorist groups, Qatar's main goal is to ensure that Hamas, possibly under a different guise, continues to play a key role in the Palestinian arena.
People who contend that Qatar might "change," thanks to the potential incentives of the Abraham Accords, appear afflicted with the same illusions as those who fantasize that the Palestinian Authority will reform. Sadly, the self-interested statements by French President Emmanuel Macron, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese have encouraged the terrorists and their sponsors to have renewed hope that they finally might be able to get rid of Israel, after all.
If Qatar really wanted to end the Gaza war, it could have done so long ago. Qatar could have issued an ultimatum to the Hamas leaders in Doha to release all the Israeli hostages kidnapped on October 7, disarm, and then cede political and military control of the Gaza Strip. There is no way that Hamas leaders based in Doha could have said no to their Qatari patrons and protectors. A threat by Qatar to deport the Hamas leaders or freeze their bank accounts would have forced them to release the hostages and end the war. Instead, Qatar has chosen to continue harboring and protecting the terrorist leaders who have brought death and destruction on the Palestinians of the Gaza Strip.
In its perennial role as both the "arsonist and the firefighter," as with the Taliban in Afghanistan, there is every reason to assume -- unless someone emphatically stops them -- that Qatar will set about surreptitiously creating a "Hamas, the Sequel" the minute the weather improves.
Khaled Abu Toameh is an award-winning journalist based in Jerusalem.
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/21948/qatar-supporting-terrorist-groups
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UN must do all it can to increase climate ambitions
Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Arab News/October 02, 2025
At the 80th UN General Assembly last week, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged nations to adopt emissions reduction targets for 2035 that far surpass the pledges enshrined in the Paris Agreement. His call came at a key moment, as the International Court of Justice’s latest advisory opinion stipulated that states have legal obligations under international law to prevent, mitigate and cooperate when it comes to addressing the harms of climate change. Although the International Court of Justice’s opinion, which was issued in July, is only advisory, it is still a significant clarification when it comes to international climate obligations. Building on this momentum, Vanuatu and a coalition of climate-vulnerable nations are mobilizing to transform the court’s opinion into binding political action. This can be done through a UN resolution. This raises the question of whether such a resolution is feasible, as well as what the legal and political obstacles might be and the potential benefits it might bring.
The court’s opinion asserted that states’ climate-related duties are not limited to treaty obligations, but also involve the principles derived from international law and human rights. This could provide new leverage for litigants and advocates.
Guterres’ call underscored the urgency of this issue, as global emissions remain at record highs, with energy-related carbon dioxide emissions surpassing 37 gigatonnes and overall greenhouse gas emissions exceeding 53 gigatonnes carbon dioxide-equivalent in 2023. These statistics demonstrate the significant gap between existing pledges and the reductions necessary to keep warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels. A coalition of climate-vulnerable nations is mobilizing to transform the court’s opinion into binding political action
For small island states like Vanuatu, which are existentially threatened by rising seas and intensifying storms, the advisory opinion is not simply a legal milestone but a potential lifeline.
But can the UN system move from opinion to actual enforcement when it comes to climate-related issues? Unfortunately, UN General Assembly resolutions do not carry the same binding force as Security Council measures. They are considered more like expressions of political will or guidance. Nevertheless, such resolutions are not fruitless. They can mandate UN organs to align their operations with the International Court of Justice opinion, initiate treaty negotiations and create reporting and review mechanisms. Such resolutions can significantly change governments’ behavior, even without formal legal compulsion, when they are paired with strong diplomatic coalitions and financial commitments.
Unfortunately, the international order appears to be divided on climate ambition. While the EU and a number of vulnerable states support stronger commitments, many large emitters remain cautious or resistant. For example, the US has, under its current administration, signaled its reluctance toward binding global measures. In addition, fossil fuel-dependent economies fear the economic disruption of rapid decarbonization. This divide makes the adoption of a resolution with genuinely binding legal force improbable. Even without being universally binding, an UNGA resolution endorsing the world court’s opinion would still have important practical effects. From a legal perspective, it could strengthen domestic litigation, empowering courts to cite both the advisory opinion and the UN resolution as authoritative interpretations of state obligations. It could also direct UN agencies and banks to condition funding on climate-aligned policies. And it could lead to coalitions of willing states agreeing to implement binding standards and rules among themselves. Furthermore, it could open new avenues for finance and adaptation support.
But can the UN system move from opinion to actual enforcement when it comes to climate-related issues?
It is evident that the obstacles are not easy to overcome. This is because the UNGA cannot single-handedly impose binding legal obligations, while UNSC enforcement is highly unlikely because of the veto power of its members. The capacity to implement also remains uneven. And without significant financial commitments from wealthy nations — in the region of hundreds of billions of dollars every year — developing countries would likely be reluctant to support such a resolution. Despite these challenges, the effort to operationalize the International Court of Justice opinion through an UNGA resolution represents a good move from the strategic, political and legal perspectives. Even if it did not create binding legal obligations for UN members, it could reshape the normative, political and institutional landscape considering climate issues and governance. Such a resolution would also provide new tools when it comes to accountability. And it could direct international institutions toward more ambitious actions, while facilitating and accelerating the development of legal frameworks. In a nutshell, when it comes to addressing climate change, transforming the International Court of Justice’s advisory opinion into political action via a UN resolution appears to be feasible, effective and desirable. Although such a resolution may not deliver the binding commitments that the most vulnerable states urgently seek, it would significantly advance the global climate agenda as it would consolidate legal norms, mobilize political will and direct financial and institutional resources in the right direction. And considering the scale of the climate crisis the world is facing, such an initiative is critical.
**Dr. Majid Rafizadeh is a Harvard-educated Iranian American political scientist. X: @Dr_Rafizadeh

Selected X tweets For on October 01/2025
CJFreemind
Hezbollah TERRORISTS & their Lebanese thugs in the parliament.
A Lebanese-American hero Prof. Hicham Bou Nassif
@CMC exposes their stranglehold on Lebanon—& now faces threats for speaking TRUTH against Iranian-backed jihad! #StateDept #SecRubio: PROTECT HIM NOW! #CIA #Trump