English LCCC Newsbulletin For
Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For October 11/2025
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news
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Bible Quotations For today
I tell you, anyone who hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal
life, and does not come under judgement, but has passed from death to life.
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint
John 05/24-30/:"Very truly, I tell you, anyone who hears my word and believes
him who sent me has eternal life, and does not come under judgement, but has
passed from death to life. ‘Very truly, I tell you, the hour is coming, and is
now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who
hear will live. For just as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted
the Son also to have life in himself; and he has given him authority to execute
judgement, because he is the Son of Man. Do not be astonished at this; for the
hour is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and will
come out those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who
have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation. ‘I can do nothing on my
own. As I hear, I judge; and my judgement is just, because I seek to do not my
own will but the will of him who sent me."
Titles For The Latest English
LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on October
10-11/2025
He Who Rolls a Stone Will Have It Roll Back
on Him/Elias Bejjani/October 10/2025
After 34 Years… Suspension of the Lebanese-Syrian Higher Council
Saudi Arabia Oversaw the Visit of Al-Shibani
Syrian FM vows to correct past mistakes in first high-profile visit to Lebanon
since fall of Assad
Lebanon Reopens Probes in Decades-old Political Assassinations, Hopes for
Syria’s Cooperation
Damascus Opens New Track in Ties with Beirut on Economy, Security
Lebanon busts Israel-linked cell that was plotting bombings, assassinations
UN rapporteur says 2023 Israeli attack on journalists in Lebanon was war crime
President Aoun renews invitation to Syrian President al-Sharaa to visit Lebanon
Syrian FM from Baabda: We seek to move beyond the past
Syria's foreign minister visits Lebanon as both nations seek to rebuild ties
after Assad's ouster
Beirut Souks reopen after five years of crisis — a boost for the capital’s
economy
Hezbollah MP criticizes Lebanese state and foreign and justice ministers
Berri, Salam trade barbs over 'neglect' of southern residents
After years of silence, Lebanon reopens high-profile assassination files: What’s
behind the move?
Aoun and First Lady visit mother who lost family in Israeli strike
General Security uncovers Israeli spy network plotting terror attacks in Lebanon
Lebanon mulls options to prosecute Israel over killing of journalists
WLCU: OPEN LETTER TO THE CABINET REPRESENTED BY PRIME MINISTER DR. NAWAF SALAM
Titles For The Latest English LCCC
Miscellaneous Reports And News published
on October 10-11/2025
Video Link from ” The Mossad Files” Youtube
Platform to an English in depth & very informative report under the title:
“Hassan Nasrallah: How Mossad Neutralized Hezbollah Secretary General”
Thousands of Palestinians returning home as Gaza ceasefire takes effect
UNICEF warns of massive spike in Gaza child deaths
Israeli Cabinet approves ‘outline’ of deal to release hostages held by Hamas
Trump gets long sought Gaza hostage deal with a whole lot of help from Arab and
Muslim allies
UN says 53 civilians killed during 3 days of attacks in and near el-Fasher camp
in western Sudan
Blast at a Tennessee explosives plant leaves 19 people missing and feared dead,
sheriff says
Maria Corina Machado of Venezuela wins the Nobel Peace Prize
Damascus-Amman train link could be completed by 2026 as historic Hijaz railway
restoration plan gains steam
Jordan’s King Abdullah in call with UN chief urges strengthened humanitarian
response in Gaza following ceasefire
Germany wants to organize Gaza reconstruction conference
The West Bank’s dwindling Palestinian Christian communities continue to struggle
amid violence
Tony Blair is revered in Kosovo for helping end its war. Many ask if he can
succeed again in Gaza
Titles For The Latest English LCCC
analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources
on October 10-11/2025
Towards a Left-Wing Reich in Germany?/Drieu
Godefridi/Gatestone Institute/October 10/2025
So that what happened in Gaza never happens again/Faisal J. Abbas/Arab
News/October 10, 2025
If you want peace, try it/Hassan bin Youssef Yassin/Arab News/October 10, 2025
New EU defensive initiatives vital in era of hybrid warfare/Luke Coffey/Arab
News/October 10, 2025
Turkiye pushes for closer Syria-Turkic states ties/Dr. Sinem Cengiz/Arab
News/October 10, 2025
France: Life Without a Government/Amir Taheri/Asharq Al-Awsat/October 10/2025
On Gaza, Palestine, and October 7/Hazem Saghieh/Asharq Al-Awsat/October 10/2025
Selected English Tweets from X Platform For 10 October/2025
The Latest English LCCC Lebanese &
Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on October
10-11/2025
He Who Rolls a Stone Will Have It Roll Back on Him
Elias Bejjani/October 10/2025
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/10/148087/
To my friends and my enemies alike, to those near and far, I say this with love:
Life offers only two paths — good and evil — each carrying profound spiritual,
human, and practical meanings. Every one of us must choose one of these two
roads and bear full responsibility for that choice, remembering with complete
awareness that no one, no matter how hard they try, can escape the consequences
of their deeds, whether good or evil. For the justice of God never fails.
If you are a righteous and wise person, who fears God in word and deed, and
believes in the Day of Judgment, then understand that evil brings nothing but
destruction to its doer. True wisdom lies in self-control and in avoiding harm,
cruelty, and injustice. For every word you speak and every act you commit will,
sooner or later, return upon you.
But if your heart has grown hard, your vision dimmed, your sense of shame
extinguished, your ears closed, and your conscience silenced — then remember
this: the pain and harm you sow in the lives of others will one day take root in
your own. Divine justice may seem delayed, but it never disappears.
The Holy Bible affirms this timeless truth in the Book of Proverbs (26:27):
“Whoever digs a pit will fall into it; and he who rolls a stone, it will roll
back on him.”
And our Lebanese folk wisdom echoes it beautifully:
“Surely, you will drink from the same cup you made others drink from.”
How many arrogant, foolish, short-sighted, and vindictive people ignore this
obvious truth! They conspire, plan evil, and rejoice in the suffering of others,
imagining that cruelty grants them power or prestige — yet, in the end, they
reap only ruin, emptiness, and the decay of their souls.
We all encounter such people in our daily lives — those who make harm their goal
and hatred their tool, who wound those closest to them, whether family or
friends. They have lost the grace of conscience and replaced compassion with
resentment, and love with envy.
Let us pray that God may grant those who walk the paths of malice, slander,
hatred, and blind envy the grace of repentance, humility, and awareness before
it is too late. May they realize that whoever digs a pit for others will fall
into it, whoever rolls a stone to harm another will have it roll back upon
himself, and whoever serves others from a bitter cup will one day be forced to
drink from it too.
As for those who do not fear God in their words, actions, and thoughts, let them
know that their end will be in the flames of Hell that never die, amid the worms
that never rest, and the torment that never ends.
Remember always: life is a divine scale of justice that never tilts.
What you sow today, you will reap tomorrow.
What you use to hurt others will return upon you many times over.
And the stone you roll against another will, one day, roll back upon you.
After 34 Years… Suspension of the Lebanese-Syrian Higher
Council
Saudi Arabia Oversaw the Visit of Al-Shibani
Nidaa Al-Watan/October 11, 2025 (Translated From Arabic)
For half a century, Lebanon had lived under the formula of “One People in Two
Countries,” which forced the Lebanese to endure the tyranny of the Assad regime
as if they were subjects of that dictatorship within Lebanon itself.
But that equation came to an end yesterday during the historic visit of Asaad
Al-Shibani, the Foreign Minister of the new Syria, who arrived in Lebanon at the
head of a large official delegation, inaugurating a new era defined by the
principle: “Two independent states and two free peoples.”
Suspension of the Lebanese-Syrian Higher Council
This historic event moved beyond rhetoric to concrete action.
Before the Syrian Foreign Minister began his visit to Beirut, the Lebanese
Ministry of Foreign Affairs was officially notified—via the Syrian Embassy in
Lebanon—of Syria’s decision to suspend the work of the Lebanese-Syrian Higher
Council, and to restrict all communication between the two countries to formal
diplomatic channels.
President Michel Aoun informed the visiting Syrian delegation that Syria’s
decision to suspend the council’s work required activating diplomatic relations
between the two countries. He added: “We now await the appointment of a new
Syrian ambassador to Lebanon, so that all matters can be followed up through the
respective embassies in Damascus and Beirut.”
Salam: Cooperation Between Two Independent States
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam summarized the overall state of relations between
Lebanon and Syria, stating:
“Lebanon is committed to building sound and balanced relations with Syria, based
on cooperation between two independent states linked by geography and history.”
For his part, Foreign Minister Youssef Raji, speaking warmly after meeting his
Syrian counterpart, declared:
“We bring good news to the Lebanese people: the Syrian government has decided to
suspend the Lebanese-Syrian Higher Council. In the near future, we will work to
remove it entirely from the law, so that relations between the two countries are
conducted through direct diplomatic channels—just like any normal relationship
between two sovereign states.”Former Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid
Jumblatt also described the council’s abolishment as “a major step forward on
the road to establishing normal relations between Lebanon and Syria.”
The Syrian Foreign Minister was accompanied by a high-ranking ministerial and
security delegation, including Justice Minister Mazhar Al-Wees, Intelligence
Chief Hussein Salameh, Deputy Interior Minister for Security Affairs Abdul Qader
Al-Tahan, and Foreign Ministry’s Arab Affairs Director Mohammed Al-Ahmad.
Notably, Al-Shibani did not meet with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, a move
observers interpreted as a diplomatic precedent that restores the balance of
power to the executive branch. They commented that in normal states, visiting
officials concerned with executive matters meet their executive
counterparts—something Lebanon has often deviated from.
It’s worth mentioning that Al-Shibani is the first Syrian Foreign Minister to
visit Lebanon since Walid Al-Muallem in 2008. At that time, Lebanon’s foreign
minister was Fawzi Salloukh of the Amal Movement under Prime Minister Fouad
Siniora, whereas today’s foreign minister, Youssef Raji, represents the Lebanese
Forces in Prime Minister Nawaf Salam’s government.
The Resistance Camp’s Grip Tightens
Political sources closely following the visit told Nidaa Al-Watan:
“The new Syria was in Lebanon today through its Foreign Minister, who affirmed
that both the Lebanese and Syrian peoples had paid the price for the conduct and
practices of the former regime. He came to emphasize the strength of relations
between two sovereign states and the mutual political and economic benefits of
cooperation and partnership.”
The sources added:
“We are witnessing a new reality—one that signals the continued decline of the
so-called ‘Resistance Axis.’ The clamp has now closed around its neck following
Hamas’ withdrawal from both the political and military arenas, the fall of the
Assad regime, and the emergence of a new Lebanese government determined to
assert state authority and implement the August 5 decision to restrict arms to
legitimate forces only.”
Saudi Support and Qatari Funding
Syrian media sources reported that Al-Shibani’s visit reflected explicit Saudi
support, intended to encourage a gradual normalization of Lebanese-Syrian
relations, as both countries need to craft new arrangements that dispel old
fears and open the door to pragmatic cooperation. In this context, Nidaa
Al-Watan learned that Qatar has agreed to fund the return of 400,000 Syrian
refugees to their homeland at a cost of $30 million USD, in coordination with
the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
The project includes rebuilding homes, rehabilitating infrastructure in the
return areas, and granting each returning family $400 in financial aid.
According to the same sources, Qatar’s financial commitment to refugee
repatriation played a crucial role in facilitating Al-Shibani’s visit to
Beirut—after Lebanon had already taken key steps through meetings between
President Aoun and President Shar’, and the visits of both Prime Minister Salam
and Minister Raji to Damascus.
Damascus Demands the Handing Over of Assad’s Officers
According to Syria TV, Syrian Intelligence Director Hussein Salameh held a
meeting with his Lebanese counterpart Brigadier Tony Qahwaji, discussing
information exchange, counterterrorism, and anti-smuggling operations.
Syria reportedly made a clear request for the extradition of several former
Syrian officers currently residing in Lebanon and wanted by the Syrian
judiciary.
Lebanon After the Gaza Agreement
Official sources told Nidaa Al-Watan that while Lebanon welcomed the Gaza
Agreement, it remains cautious about its potential repercussions. The deal could
consolidate peace efforts, but it might also grant Israel greater freedom of
action once the Gaza front is settled. Therefore, Lebanon has launched
diplomatic contacts—especially with Washington—to contain any potential Israeli
operations, given Israel’s ongoing refusal to withdraw from occupied southern
points and its obstruction of Lebanese Army deployment south of the Litani
River.
Berri’s Position
Regarding reconstruction funding, the Lebanese Forces asked:
“Where will the government find the money? And even if it did—using the pockets
of ordinary Lebanese, which is impossible—by what right would those funds be
spent from the majority’s taxes when that majority opposed the war of support
and its consequences?”
The party also commented on Speaker Nabih Berri’s statement that the 2026 budget
would not pass unless it includes a clear clause on reconstruction:
“It’s astonishing to hear such remarks from a man of Speaker Berri’s age and
experience. Parliament is an independent constitutional institution—no one has
the right to monopolize or control it. Whether the budget passes or not is up to
the parliamentary majority, not any single individual.”
General Security and the Spy Network
On the security front, Lebanon’s General Security Directorate announced it had
dismantled an espionage network working for Israel, which had been preparing
terrorist operations, including bombings and assassinations inside Lebanon.
During interrogations, one of the detainees confessed that the network was
responsible for earlier assassinations targeting officials in the Islamic Group
(Al-Jamaa Al-Islamiyya). Would you like me to make this translation sound more
formal and press-release-like (as if published officially by Nidaa Al-Watan in
English)?
Syrian FM vows to correct past mistakes in first
high-profile visit to Lebanon since fall of Assad
NAJIA HOUSSARI/Arab News/October 10, 2025
BEIRUT: Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Friday told Syrian Foreign Minister
Asaad Hassan Al-Shaibani that Lebanon was awaiting the appointment of a new
Syrian ambassador to Beirut to facilitate bilateral relations through official
diplomatic channels.
This follows Syria’s decision to suspend the Lebanese-Syrian Higher Council,
shifting all communications to embassies and formal state contacts. Al-Shaibani
emphasized to Aoun the need to deepen and correct the historical relationship
between the two countries, particularly on issues that have tarnished Syria’s
image. President Aoun told Al-Shaibani that deepening and developing bilateral
relations required the formation of joint committees to address all issues,
including a comprehensive review of existing agreements.
“Lebanon is looking forward to strengthening relations between the two brotherly
countries on the basis of mutual respect and non-interference in internal
affairs, and activating cooperation to achieve stability in both Lebanon and
Syria,” the president said.
Al-Shaibani’s visit, the first by a senior Syrian official to Lebanon since the
fall of the Assad regime, marks a turning point as both sides seek a new
framework for relations after decades of tension and shifting regional dynamics.
The two nations have begun addressing pressing concerns through committee
meetings, including border demarcation, the return of Syrian refugees and the
status of detainees. In 1991, Lebanon and Syria signed the Treaty of
Brotherhood, Cooperation and Coordination, establishing the highest official
framework for bilateral relations after the Lebanese Civil War. The treaty
formalized Syria’s military presence in Lebanon and set up the Lebanese-Syrian
Higher Council, signed by Lebanese President Elias Hrawi and Syrian President
Hafez Assad. Throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, the council served as the
primary channel for sensitive coordination between Beirut and Damascus,
overseeing security, economic affairs and the implementation of bilateral
agreements. Its decisions, binding on both states, were enforced within the
framework of the constitutional systems of Lebanon and Syria.
“There is much work to be done, but when intentions are sincere, the
interests of our two brotherly countries will take precedence over all else,”
President Aoun told Al-Shaibani, according to the presidential palace media
office. “We have no choice but to reach an agreement
that respects these interests,” he said.
Acknowledging improvements along the Lebanese-Syrian border, President Aoun
underscored the urgency of resolving key outstanding issues previously discussed
with Syrian President Ahmad Al-Sharaa at summits in Cairo and Doha.
These include land and maritime border demarcation, agreements on the gas
pipeline and the fate of detainees — all to be addressed with a shared focus on
mutual interests. The Syrian foreign minister headed a
large delegation, which included Justice Minister Mazhar Al-Wais, Head of the
Intelligence Service Hussein Al-Salama, and Assistant Minister of Interior for
Security Affairs Major General Abdul Qader Tahan.
Al-Shaibani called for expanded cooperation in economic and trade sectors,
highlighting new opportunities for Lebanon after the lifting of some sanctions
on Syria. “We look forward to turning the page on the
past because we want to build the future. Syria is ready to discuss any pending
issues, whether economic or security-related. Our people have suffered from wars
and tragedies, so let us strive for peace,” he said.
He also delivered an official invitation from President Ahmad Al-Sharaa for Aoun
to visit Syria. The Syrian delegation held a series of meetings in Beirut,
including with Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, as well as direct sessions
between Maj. Gen. Hassan Choukeir, head of Lebanese General Security, and Maj.
Gen. Abdel Qader Tahan, Syria’s assistant minister of interior for security
affairs. Army intelligence chiefs Brig. Gen. Tony Kahwaji of Lebanon and Hussein
Al-Salama of Syria also met to discuss coordination.
The prime minister’s media office noted that Salam’s talks with Al-Shaibani
reflected a “mutual affirmation of the desire to open a new chapter based on
mutual respect, good neighborliness and the preservation of the sovereignty and
national independence of both countries.”The topics addressed included border
management, anti-smuggling efforts, safe and dignified repatriation of Syrian
refugees — with UN and international coordination — as well as the cases of
Syrian detainees in Lebanon and Lebanese missing persons in Syria. Both sides
agreed to review bilateral agreements in light of recent developments.
“Lebanon is committed to establishing sound and balanced relations with
Syrian, grounded in cooperation between two independent states united by
geography and history,” Salam said. “Openness and sincere dialogue constitute
the only path to achieving stability in both counties and the region.”Deputy
Prime Minister Tarek Mitri, present at the meeting, emphasized that the process
would tackle every issue “in a spirit of goodwill and urgency,” eschewing “red
lines” and bartering. Al-Shaibani reported progress on expediting the case of
Syrian detainees in Roumieh prison and highlighted new gains in joint security
and intelligence coordination.Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji, speaking
at a joint press conference with Al-Shaibani, welcomed Syria’s new approach.
“What distinguishes this stage is the new Syrian administration’s respect for
Lebanon’s sovereignty and independence and its non-interference in its internal
affairs,” Rajji said, which he called “a very important and positive
development.”
Al-Shaibani expressed gratitude for Lebanon hosting Syrian refugees, saying he
expected this issue “to be resolved gradually.”“There are plans currently under
discussions, with international support, to ensure a dignified and sustainable
return and to address the postwar situation in Syria through infrastructure
development, reconstruction and other measures.”He added: “We in Syria have the
utmost respect and appreciation for Lebanon and seek to overcome the mistakes of
the past, from which we, too, were also victims as a result of the mismanagement
of relations between the two countries.”
One of the most pressing unresolved issues between Lebanon and Syria is
Damascus’ demand for the extradition of Syrian detainees held in Lebanon. These
detainees fall into three groups — those convicted of crimes, including
security-related offenses committed on Lebanese soil or combat against the
Lebanese army; those convicted of misdemeanors; and those detained without
trial. Another contentious point is the extradition of former regime officers
who fled to Lebanon following the Assad regime’s collapse. In return, Lebanon
insists that Syria address the fate of Lebanese missing persons in Syria and
provide files or information related to individuals accused of crimes in
Lebanon, including assassinations of political figures.
Lebanon Reopens Probes in Decades-old Political
Assassinations, Hopes for Syria’s Cooperation
Beirut: Youssef Diab/Asharq Al-Awsat/October 10/2025
Lebanon’s Justice Minister Adel Nasser has appointed a number of judicial
investigators to probe political assassinations that have taken place in the
country over the decades. Justice in the cases had not
taken its course due to political and security obstacles, as well as the former
Syrian regime’s hegemony over Lebanon. With the ouster of the regime in December
and the ensuing changes that have taken place in Lebanon, the judiciary has been
“liberated” from political meddling that had impeded efforts to uncover the
perpetrators, who had taken the decision to carry out these crimes, who planned
them, carried them out and concealed evidence. Ultimately, there are hopes that
uncovering the truth in these crimes would end the state of impunity that has
prevailed in Lebanon for decades. Nassar ordered the appointment of judicial
investigators in the assassinations of Sheikh Ahmed Assaf in 1982, former
minister Elie Hobeika in 2002, MP Antoine Ghanem in 2007, journalist Samir
Kassir in 2005, MP and journalist Gebran Tueni in 2005 and the murder of Sheikh
Saleh al-Aridi in Baysour in 2008. He also appointed
judicial investigators in the attempted assassination of former President
Camille Chamoun, the attempted assassination of former MP Mustafa Maarouf Saad,
the attack on the town of Ehden in 1978 that led to the murder MP Tony Franjieh
and his family and the clashes in the area of Bourday in Baalbek.
A judicial source told Asharq Al-Awsat that the appointment of the investigators
took place after consultations between Nassar and the Higher Judicial Council.
More investigators will be appointed in other assassination cases, including
that of Grand Mufti Sheikh Hassan Khaled in 1989, President Rene Moawad in 1989,
MP Walid Eido in 2007 and Mohammed Chatah in 2013. The source stressed the
importance of the investigations resulting in judicial decisions no matter how
long the investigations take because justice needs to prevail. A source
following up on the issue revealed that the appointments also took place after
Nassar met with a Syrian judicial committee that had recently visited Beirut.
The minister had requested that Syria provide Lebanese authorities with
information about the political assassinations. The source told Asharq Al-Awsat
that the Syrian officials were receptive of the request, pledging to provide any
information, evidence and documents they may find in the presidential palaces
and security headquarters that were used by the ousted regime. The Lebanese
officials at the talks had provided the Syrian committee with documented
information about the involvement of Syrians in the assassinations and bombings
that had taken place in Lebanon, notably the bombings of the al-Salam and Taqwa
mosques in the northern city of Tripoli in 2013. The bombings were planned by
Syrian intelligence officers in cooperation with members of the Arab Democratic
Party, led by Rifaar Eid, who had fled to Syria after the attack.
The officials also brought up the case of the failed bombings in Lebanon
that were planned by Ali Mamlouk, former head of Syria's National Security
Bureau and close associate of ousted President Bashar al-Assad. He had plotted
the attack with Lebanese former minister Michel Samaha, who had smuggled 25
explosives from Damascus to Lebanon in 2012. They planned to detonate them
during iftar dinners and to target MPs and religious figures in Tripoli and the
northern Akkar region. Moreover, the Lebanese officials had requested from Syria
help in the arrest of Lebanese Habib al-Shartouni who assassinated President
Bachir Gemayel in 1982 and who is in Syria.
Damascus Opens New Track in Ties with Beirut on Economy, Security
Beirut: Nazeer Rida/Asharq Al-Awsat/October 10/2025
Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani’s visit to Lebanon marked a new phase
in bilateral relations, during which he reaffirmed Syria’s stance that “a new
page is being opened with Lebanon” following the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s
regime.
Al-Shaibani discussed security, judicial, economic, and diplomatic issues and,
at the request of Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, called for the appointment of
a new Syrian ambassador to Lebanon to coordinate matters between the Lebanese
and Syrian embassies in Beirut and Damascus, after the suspension of the
Lebanese-Syrian Higher Council. The visit is the first by a senior Syrian
official to neighboring Lebanon since Assad’s ouster in December 2024. Lebanese
Foreign Ministry officials said the current Syrian authorities “respect
Lebanon’s sovereignty” and the principle of “non-interference in its internal
affairs.” Al-Shaibani told reporters, “We want to move past the obstacles of the
past with Lebanon.”
High-Level Meetings, Notably Without Speaker Berri
On Thursday's visit, al-Shaibani was accompanied by Syrian Justice Minister
Mazhar al-Louais, the head of Syrian intelligence, Hussein al-Salama, and the
assistant interior minister, Maj. Gen. Abdel Qader Tahan.
He met with President Aoun, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, and Lebanese
Foreign Minister Joseph Raji. Notably, he did not meet with Parliament Speaker
Nabih Berri, marking a break from the protocol followed by most foreign
visitors. Sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that the Syrian
delegation did not request a meeting with Berri, with the Syrians viewing the
visit as “technical and administrative, not requiring a parliamentary
meeting.”Though the visit appeared primarily “security-judicial” in nature,
following three judicial delegations to Lebanon over the past two months,
economic issues featured prominently. Ministry sources said al-Shaibani
emphasized the importance of economic and trade cooperation, as well as
investment opportunities in Syria after the lifting of international sanctions.
He also stressed the continuation of joint committees and meetings addressing
pending security and judicial matters.
Aoun Calls for Enhanced Cooperation
The Lebanese presidency said President Aoun told al-Shaibani that “Lebanon seeks
to strengthen ties with its brotherly neighbor on the basis of mutual respect
and non-interference, and to activate cooperation in political, economic, and
security fields to achieve stability in both Lebanon and Syria.”Aoun stressed
that “deepening and developing bilateral relations requires the formation of
joint committees to review all pending files, particularly agreements between
the two countries that need reassessment and evaluation.”Regarding the
suspension of the Lebanese-Syrian Higher Council, Aoun said it “necessitates the
activation of diplomatic relations,” adding, “We await the appointment of a new
Syrian ambassador to Lebanon to follow up on all matters through the Lebanese
and Syrian embassies in Beirut and Damascus.”He also noted that “the situation
along the Lebanese-Syrian border is better than before, and the key issues
requiring attention, as agreed with Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa, include
land and maritime borders, the gas line, and the issue of detainees. We will
work on these matters based on our shared interests.” Aoun added: “The region
has endured enough wars and wasted resources that should instead be invested to
allow our peoples to live with dignity, after enduring so much suffering and
instability.” He renewed an invitation for Al-Sharaa to visit Lebanon.
Economic and Trade Cooperation on the Agenda
At the start of the meetings, al-Shaibani highlighted “the historical ties
between Lebanon and Syria, which should be deepened and past grievances
corrected, particularly those that harmed Syria’s image.” He called for
“enhanced cooperation in all fields, especially economic and trade, given the
new openness to Syria following the lifting of sanctions, from which Lebanon can
benefit.”Al-Shaibani reaffirmed Syria’s respect for Lebanese sovereignty and
commitment to strong, cooperative relations. “We look forward to closing the
page on the past because we want to build the future,” he said. “We are ready to
discuss any pending files, whether economic or security-related. Our peoples
have suffered wars and tragedies—let us try peace.” He also renewed the
invitation for President Aoun to visit Syria.
Executive-Level Talks at Government Palace
At the Government Palace, al-Shaibani and his delegation met with Prime Minister
Nawaf Salam in meetings focused on practical coordination. The Lebanese
government said the discussions were “positive and constructive,” covering all
aspects of bilateral relations, affirming the mutual desire to open a new
chapter based on respect, good neighborliness, and protection of each country’s
sovereignty and national decision-making. The talks
addressed shared issues including border and checkpoint management, smuggling
prevention, and facilitating the safe and dignified return of Syrian refugees in
coordination with the United Nations and friendly countries. They also covered
Syrian detainees in Lebanon and missing Lebanese in Syria, as well as reviewing
bilateral agreements to better align with changing circumstances. Opportunities
to enhance economic cooperation and contribute to reconstruction in Syria,
leveraging Lebanese expertise, were also discussed.
Salam emphasized Lebanon’s commitment to “building balanced and sound relations
with Syria, based on cooperation between two independent states bound by
geography and history,” stressing that openness and sincere dialogue are the
only path to stability in both countries and the region.Deputy Prime Minister
Tarek Metri said after the meetings that “we discussed Lebanese-Syrian relations
and agreed to address all matters swiftly and in good faith. The political will
of both our Syrian brothers and Lebanon is to resolve all issues without taboos
or bargaining.”
Al-Shaibani Highlights Opportunities and Progress
Al-Shaibani highlighted several significant opportunities in the region, in both
Syria and Lebanon, "across all economic and investment areas.” He noted that the
issues discussed “require in-depth discussion and technical committees to
advance calm and stable relations and open the door to strategic partnerships,”
noting progress on speeding up the release of Syrian detainees in Roumieh prison
and plans for the dignified return of refugees to their homes. He also stressed
the need to secure borders to enhance security and stability.
He added that joint security and intelligence coordination will be
strengthened, and technical and economic committees will be established to boost
cooperation in both private and public sectors. “This is a historic and highly
important visit for both parties,” al-Shaibani said. “The relationship between
Syria and Lebanon today is moving from the previous era under the former regime
to a relationship based on respect between brothers and neighbors.”
Lebanon busts Israel-linked cell that was plotting
bombings, assassinations
Naharnet/October 10, 2025
General Security announced Friday that it has busted an Israel-linked spy cell
that was plotting “bombings and assassinations” in Lebanon. “One of the
detainees confessed that this network was responsible for previous
assassinations that targeted Jamaa Islamiya officials,” General Security added
in its statement.General Security agents later carried out raids in various
regions and arrested a number of culprits, most notably the Lebanese-Brazilian
M. S., the Palestinian I. A., the Lebanese A. Sh. And the Lebanese A. Gh., the
statement said, adding that a number of devices that were used in the cell’s
activities were also seized.
UN rapporteur says 2023 Israeli attack on journalists in Lebanon was war crime
Agence France Presse/October 10, 2025
A United Nations rapporteur on Friday said an Israeli attack on south Lebanon on
October 13, 2023, that killed a Reuters journalist and wounded others including
two from AFP was a war crime. Morris Tidball-Binz, U.N. special rapporteur on
extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, told a press conference in
Beirut that it was "a premeditated, targeted and double-tapped attack from the
Israeli forces, a clear violation, in my opinion, of IHL (international
humanitarian law), a war crime."The attack killed Reuters journalist Issam
Abdallah and wounded six others including AFP's Dylan Collins and Christina
Assi, who had to have her right leg amputated. The Israeli military has denied
it targets reporters.
President Aoun renews invitation to Syrian President
al-Sharaa to visit Lebanon
LBCI/October 10, 2025
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun met Friday at Baabda Palace with Syrian Foreign
Minister Asaad al-Shaibani, Justice Minister Mazhar al-Wais, and their
accompanying delegation, expressing Lebanon’s desire to enhance bilateral
relations on the principles of mutual respect, non-interference, and cooperation
in political, economic, and security fields to ensure stability for both
countries. During the meeting, President Aoun highlighted that deepening and
developing bilateral relations requires the formation of joint committees to
address outstanding issues, particularly existing agreements between the two
countries that need review and evaluation. He also noted that Syria’s decision
to suspend work in the Lebanese-Syrian Higher Council necessitates the
activation of diplomatic relations. “We are awaiting the appointment of a new
Syrian ambassador in Lebanon to follow up on all matters through the embassies
in Damascus and Beirut,” he said. President Aoun
stressed, “We have a long road ahead, but when intentions are clear, the
interests of our two brotherly countries take precedence over all other
considerations. Our only choice is to agree on measures that guarantee these
interests.”He added that the situation along the Lebanese-Syrian border has
improved and that key issues requiring attention, as previously discussed with
Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa in meetings in Cairo and Doha, include land and
maritime borders, the gas pipeline, and the matter of detainees. “We will work
on addressing all these issues based on our shared interests,” he said.
President Aoun underlined that “the region has suffered enough from wars and the
waste of resources that should have been used to ensure our peoples can live
with dignity after enduring so much hardship and instability.” He also conveyed
his greetings to President al-Sharaa and renewed the invitation for him to visit
Lebanon.
Syrian FM from Baabda: We seek to move beyond the past
LBCI/October 10, 2025
Speaking from Baabda Palace after meeting with President Joseph Aoun, Syrian
Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani said that discussions with Lebanese officials
covered a wide range of issues of mutual interest. “Some topics may concern
Syria more, and others may concern Lebanon more, but we placed all matters on
the table for discussion. We want to move beyond the past,” he stated. In
response to a question, al-Shaibani confirmed that Damascus is indeed
anticipating a visit by the Lebanese president to Syria, as well as a reciprocal
visit by Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa to Lebanon. Addressing the issue of
Syrian displacement, al-Shaibani said, “We expect that once the causes of
displacement are removed, the issue will be resolved gradually. We are
discussing plans with international support to ensure a dignified and
sustainable return.”
Syria's foreign minister visits Lebanon as both nations
seek to rebuild ties after Assad's ouster
Associated PressAgence France Presse/October 10, 2025
Syria's foreign minister arrived in Beirut on Friday in what observers say could
mark a breakthrough in relations between the two neighbors, which have been
tense for decades. Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani
held talks with his Lebanese counterpart Youssef Rajji and and later with
President Joseph Aoun. He is also scheduled to meet with Prime Minister Nawaf
Salam. It is the first high-profile Syrian visit to Lebanon since insurgent
groups overthrew President Bashar Assad's government in early December 2024.
After meeting Aoun, Shaibani said the refugee issue would be resolved
gradually. "There are plans that we are discussing now, with international
support, for the dignified and stable return" of refugees, he said. Lebanon and
Syria have been working to rebuild strained ties, focusing on the status of
roughly 2,000 Syrian nationals detained in Lebanese prisons, border security,
locating Lebanese nationals missing in Syria for years and facilitating the
return of Syrian refugees. The current Syrian leadership resents Lebanon's
Iran-backed Hezbollah for taking part in Syria's civil war, fighting alongside
Assad's forces, while many Lebanese still grudge Syria's 29-year domination of
its smaller neighbor, where it had a military presence for three decades until
2005. Following their meeting, al-Shibani and Rajji announced at a news
conference that the Lebanese-Syrian Higher Council has been suspended and all
dealings will be restricted to official diplomatic channels.
Created in 1991, the council symbolized Syria's influence over Lebanon.
Its role declined after Syria's 2005 withdrawal, the assassination of Lebanese
Prime Minister Rafik Hariri and the 2008 opening of the Syrian Embassy in
Beirut, which marked Syria's first official recognition of Lebanon as an
autonomous state since it gained independence from France in 1943. In recent
years, the council was largely inactive, with only limited contact between
officials. “In this context, we look forward to the appointment of a new Syrian
ambassador to Lebanon to follow up on all matters through both embassies in
Damascus and Beirut,” Aoun said in a statement following his meeting with
al-Shibani. In early September, a Syrian delegation,
which included two former Cabinet ministers and the head of Syria's National
Commission for Missing Persons, visited Beirut. Lebanon and Syria also agreed at
the time to establish two committees to address outstanding key issues. These
efforts are part of a broader regional shift following Assad's ouster and
Hezbollah's significant losses during its recent war with Israel.
Al-Shibani reiterated Syria's "respect for Lebanon's sovereignty," saying
Damascus seeks to "move past previous obstacles and strengthen bilateral
ties.""My visit to Beirut is meant to reaffirm the depth of Syrian-Lebanese
relations," he said. Many of the Syrians held in Lebanon remain in jail without
trial — about 800 are detained for security-related reasons, including
involvement in attacks and shootings.Al-Shibani's delegation included the Syrian
justice minister, Mazhar al-Louais al-Wais; the head of Syrian intelligence,
Hussein al-Salama; and the assistant interior minister, Maj. Gen. Abdel Qader
Tahan, according to the Lebanese state-run National News Agency. Meanwhile,
Lebanon hosts an estimated 1.5 million Syrian refugees who fled the
uprising-turned-civil war that erupted more than 14 years ago. Since Assad's
fall in December, around 850,000 refugees have returned to Syria from
neighboring countries as of September, with the number expected to rise,
according to UNHCR Deputy High Commissioner Kelly T. Clements. Lebanese
authorities granted an exemption to Syrians staying illegally if they left by
the end of August.
Syria's conflict, which began in March 2011, has killed nearly 500,000 people
and displaced half the country's prewar population of 23 million. More than 5
million Syrians fled the country as refugees, most of them to neighboring
countries, including Lebanon, which has the highest number of refugees per
capita in the world.
Although many Syrians initially hoped for stability after Assad was ousted,
sectarian killings against members of Assad's Alawite minority sect in Syria's
coastal region in March and against the Druze minority in the southern province
of Sweida in July claimed hundreds of lives and revived security concerns.
Meanwhile, the Lebanon-Syria border has long been a flashpoint for clashes, with
periodic exchanges of fire and infiltration attempts, particularly in the
northeastern Bekaa Valley. In March 2025, the two countries signed an agreement
to demarcate the border and enhance security coordination, aiming to prevent
disputes and curb smuggling and other illicit activities. Hezbollah has been
heavily involved in cross-border smuggling, primarily to move weapons and
military supplies, leading to tensions and violent confrontations along the
border. Syrian security forces have repeatedly intercepted Hezbollah-linked
trucks carrying weapons into Lebanon. Aoun said Friday the border situation “has
improved compared to the past.”Since the fall of Assad, two Lebanese prime
ministers have visited Syria. Aoun and Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa also
held talks on the sidelines of an Arab summit in Egypt in March. On Friday, Aoun
said he and Shibani emphasized the need to follow up on understandings reached
in earlier meetings to address key issues — including border demarcation, a gas
pipeline and detainees. In 2022, Lebanon, Syria and Egypt agreed to ship 650
million cubic meters (23 billion cubic feet) of natural gas per year from Egypt
through Syria to Lebanon’s Deir Ammar power plant.
Beirut Souks reopen after five years of crisis — a boost for the capital’s
economy
LBCI/October 10, 2025
Beirut Souks have reopened their doors after nearly five years of consecutive
crises, silence, and darkness. Around 150 shops and businesses, including cafes,
restaurants, and both international and local brands, have returned to downtown
Beirut. In recent months, signs of revival have appeared gradually, with major
global brands choosing once again to invest in Lebanon despite all the country
has endured. This area is more than just a commercial project. Every time
Beirut’s downtown flourishes — architecturally, culturally, and economically —
so does Lebanon. The reopening of several stores in this vital district has
given a major boost to the capital’s economy, creating new jobs and encouraging
investment. The scene is reminiscent of Beirut before the collapse — a city once
alive with cafes, music, visitors, expatriates, and the vibrant noise that
matched its heartbeat.
Hezbollah MP criticizes Lebanese state and foreign and justice ministers
Naharnet/October 10, 2025
Hezbollah MP Ali Fayyad has lamented that the performance of the Lebanese state
over the past year “has not led to any result” in the face of Israel, which is
still carrying out deadly strikes and occupying Lebanese territory, calling for
a “reevaluation.”“The Lebanese state is not mobilizing its diplomatic tools and
political capabilities and it is not managing its negotiation stance in a way
that seriously confronts the hostile Israeli actions,” Fayyad decried. “How can
authorities explain to us this total absence of the Foreign Ministry, seeing as
the Lebanese missions abroad are not doing any work. There are no complaints,
contacts, statements or pressures that rely on Lebanon’s friendships and
international relations. The foreign minister himself is moving in another
direction and through his stances and moves he is justifying what the Lebanese
are being subjected to,” the lawmaker charged. “As for the justice minister, his
efforts are focused on partisan control of judicial agencies and meeting the
foreign campaigns through domestic campaigns aimed at stripping Lebanese
citizens of their civil rights, violating the constitutions, laws, norms and
rules that protect and regulate these rights,” Fayyad added.
Berri, Salam trade barbs over 'neglect' of southern residents
Naharnet/October 10, 2025
Ain el-Tineh sources hit back overnight at remarks by Prime Minister Nawaf Salam
about the government’s performance in war-hit south Lebanon, saying that the
situation there is obvious and that the public opinion can easily judge it.
Salam had voiced surprise over statements by Berri, who said that “the
government does not care about our people in the South.”“The first thing I did
with a number of colleague ministers, 48 hours before our government won
confidence, was making a visit to Tyre, Khiam and Nabatieh to check on our
people in the South and listen to them,” Salam said. The premier added that the
Social Affairs Ministry has been paying monthly financial aid to 67,000 families
affected by the war and rent assistance to 10,000 displaced families. “The
ministries of telecom, public works and energy have started the necessary
maintenance works to restore services in the affected areas. Moreover, we have
asked the Council for the South and the High Relief Council to speed up their
efforts and we have transferred the necessary funds to them,” Salam said.
“What’s more important is that our government worked on obtaining a $250 million
loan from the World Bank to rebuild the infrastructure damaged by the war. But
benefiting from this loan is still awaiting the approval of the law related to
it in parliament,” the premier added. “We urge the dear parliament to quickly
resume its legislative work in order to approve this law so that our people in
the South and and the various regions affected by war can benefit from it. And
as I have repeatedly announced, reconstruction is not a promise from me but
rather a pledge,” Salam went on to say.
After years of silence, Lebanon reopens high-profile
assassination files: What’s behind the move?
LBCI/October 10, 2025
In the drawers of Lebanon’s Justice Palaces lie dozens of assassination and
attempted assassination files, long covered in dust from years of neglect. These
cases were referred to the Judicial Council over the decades through government
decrees issued immediately after each crime, and special investigative judges
were appointed. Yet no verdicts were ever reached — due to political
interference, negligence, or a lack of sufficient evidence.
The surprise came with the appointment of 11 new investigative judges to
handle 11 such cases, including some of Lebanon’s most high-profile
assassinations — among them the 1978 killing of Tony Frangieh and his family,
the attempted assassination of former President Camille Chamoun in the early
1980s, and the assassinations of Gebran Tueni in 2005 and Pierre Gemayel in
2006. The question now is what lies behind these appointments, which are made by
the justice minister upon the recommendation of the Higher Judicial Council.
Many of these posts have been vacant for years due to retirements,
deaths, or resignations. With the appointments at the Judicial Council now
complete, the Higher Judicial Council proposed filling these vacancies to revive
dormant cases under its jurisdiction — and the justice minister approved.
According to information obtained, Chief Justice Suhail Abboud will meet next
Monday with the appointed judges to discuss why progress had stalled, explore
ways to reactivate the cases, and outline the necessary steps to resume work.
Judicial sources say the situation can no longer remain frozen: either an
investigative judge revives a case if new leads exist, or concludes that the
trail has gone cold and the file should be closed for lack of evidence. In that
case, a standing order is issued to security agencies to report any future
developments.
It’s worth noting that under former Justice Minister Henri Khoury, there had
been earlier attempts to fill these vacancies, but the turmoil surrounding the
Beirut Port explosion case, judges’ strikes, and the country’s overall political
climate prevented progress.
Today, circumstances in Lebanon — and in Syria, which some political factions
accuse of involvement in several assassinations — have changed. The judiciary,
therefore, is expected to fulfill its responsibilities. Reorganizing these files
could first allow the use of evidence from the Special Tribunal for Lebanon for
cross-referencing with other assassinations, and second, benefit from any
information that may emerge from Syria amid the ongoing cooperation between the
two countries. Justice Minister Adel Nassar had also previously asked his Syrian
counterpart to hand over Bachir Gemayel’s assassin, Habib Shartouni, along with
other fugitives wanted in Lebanon.
Aoun and First Lady visit mother who lost family in Israeli
strike
Naharnet/October 10, 2025
President Joseph Aoun and First Lady Nehmat Aoun on Friday visited Amani Bazzi
Sharara, the mother who lost three of her children and her husband in an Israeli
drone strike in Bint Jbeil on September 21. The mother has been receiving
treatment at the American University of Beirut Medical Center in Hamra.“I must
remain strong for the sake of my (wounded) daughter. What happened was very big
and unacceptable. I have no one left except for my father and my siblings,” the
mother told Aoun and the first lady in a distributed video. “Entire Lebanon is
with you, sympathizes with you and feels your pain,” the first lady responded.
“You will not be alone … You can depend on us in whatever you want,” the
president added. The woman’s husband and children were killed while heading from
Bint Jbeil to the southern seaside city of Tyre in their car. Sam Bazzi, the
children's maternal grandfather, said the family thought they were safe because
they had no affiliation with Hezbollah. "We're regular
citizens and we don't belong to any group," Bazzi said. "And so we thought we
had nothing to do with it and we were just living normally, coming and going."
The family was only a few hundred meters from Bazzi's house when a
motorcycle passed by, and at the same moment, the Israeli drone struck. It
killed the man, his twin 18-month-old son and daughter Hadi and Silan,
8-year-old daughter Celine, and the motorcyclist, a local man named Mohammed
Majed Mroue. The children's mother and her oldest daughter, Asil, survived but
were seriously wounded. Bazzi, her face bruised and swollen, was carried on a
stretcher through the crowd at the funeral of her husband and children on
September 23. After the strike, the Israeli military said it was targeting a
Hezbollah militant, whom it did not name, and that he "operated from within a
civilian population." It acknowledged that civilians were killed and said that
it "regrets" the incident and was reviewing it. Since the 2024 ceasefire took
effect, Israel has continued to launch near-daily airstrikes in southern
Lebanon. Israeli officials frequently say it is targeting Hezbollah militants or
infrastructure. Hezbollah has only claimed firing across the border once since
the ceasefire, but Israel says the militant group is trying to rebuild its
capabilities. Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri said
after the strike that Shadi Sharara and his children were U.S. citizens, while
family members told the AP that Sharara did not have U.S. citizenship but that
his siblings and father live in the United States and are citizens. They said
Sharara had applied to join them and recently received approval but was still
waiting for visas. A U.S. State Department official declined to comment on
"personal details."The European Union has condemned the strike and called for
"full respect and implementation of the ceasefire agreement between Lebanon and
Israel."
General Security uncovers Israeli spy network plotting terror attacks in Lebanon
LBCI/October 10, 2025
Lebanon's General Security Directorate announced the dismantling of a spy
network operating for Israel that was allegedly preparing terrorist attacks,
including bombings and assassinations, inside Lebanese territory. Several
members of the network have been arrested. According to the investigation, one
of the detainees confessed that the network was behind previous assassinations
targeting party officials from the Islamic Group.
Following the confessions, General Security conducted a series of precise
operational, security, and technical tracking missions, which led to raids
across multiple Lebanese areas.
The operations, carried out with support from the Lebanese Army and its
Intelligence Directorate, resulted in the seizure of vehicles and equipment used
by the network and the arrest of several key suspects, including
Lebanese-Brazilian national M.S., Palestinian national I.A., and Lebanese
nationals A.Sh. and A.G. Authorities said further details of the case will be
announced once the ongoing investigation, conducted under the supervision of the
competent judicial authorities, is completed.
Lebanon mulls options to prosecute Israel over killing of journalists
Naharnet/October 10, 2025
During its session held yesterday at the Grand Serail, the Lebanese cabinet
tasked the Ministry of Justice with studying the legal options available to
prosecute Israel for attacks committed against journalists while performing
their professional duties, particularly the killing of Lebanese journalist Issam
Abdallah and his companions. This decision was based on a cabinet decision dated
April 26, 2024 regarding the report of the Netherlands Organization for Applied
Scientific Research (NTO) on the circumstances surrounding the martyrdom of
Abdallah, and another cabinet decision dated May 28, 2024, which requested the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants to include the report in the complaint
submitted by Lebanon to the United Nations in this regard. The National News
Agency said the proposal was initiated by Information Minister Paul Morcos on
the anniversary of Abdallah’s killing and was not initially on cabinet’s agenda.
The proposal was made after communication with President Joseph Aoun, who
encouraged the decision, and with the support of Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, who
endorsed the proposal and received the approval of the ministers present.
WLCU: OPEN LETTER TO THE CABINET
REPRESENTED BY PRIME MINISTER DR. NAWAF SALAM
Honorable Prime Minister,
Respected Ministers,
Greetings,
We, the undersigned representatives of groups within the Lebanese diaspora
around the world, address this letter to you in exercise of our inalienable
constitutional right to full participation in the electoral process, as
enshrined in Article 7 of the Constitution and in paragraphs (c) and (d) of its
preamble. This right is further affirmed by Decision No. 4/96 of the
Constitutional Council, which stipulates that no electoral law can be considered
democratically sound unless it upholds the principle of equality among citizens.
Accordingly, we appeal for your explicit support of the right of non-resident
Lebanese citizens to fair and inclusive participation in elections. We ask that
the government employ all available constitutional mechanisms to amend the
current electoral law to ensure full equality among Lebanese citizens, both
residents and non-residents.
Since May 2025, we have consistently called for the amendment of the law
governing parliamentary elections as it pertains to the diaspora vote.
Specifically, we call for the complete abolition of the six-seat rule, a hybrid
arrangement that restricts equal representation for non-residents and
effectively isolates them in a separate electoral district. Several members of
Parliament have already submitted a proposal for an expedited law to this
effect, developed in coordination with diaspora groups that contributed to its
drafting.
In light of the government’s recent recommendations regarding electoral reform,
and given the ongoing disputes among parliamentary blocs and the lack of
tangible progress within Parliament, we urge the government to prepare and adopt
a clear and explicit draft law that:
Affirms the right of non-resident Lebanese to vote according to their place of
registration, not by continent.
Abolishes the six-seat rule once and for all.
Submits this draft to Parliament through the proper constitutional process to
break the current deadlock and advance essential reforms.
This request is especially urgent given the opening of the diaspora voter
registration period. The lack of clarity regarding the adopted mechanism and the
short registration timeframe risk discouraging participation and diminishing the
impact of the Lebanese diaspora’s voice.
We view this reform as a fundamental step toward reaffirming the government’s
commitment to equality among all citizens—residents and non-residents alike—and
to ensuring their right to participate in national decision-making without
discrimination, in full accordance with the Constitution and the rulings of the
Constitutional Council.
With the highest respect and appreciation,
The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published
on October 10-11/2025
Video Link from ” The Mossad Files” Youtube
Platform to an English in depth & very informative report under the title:
“Hassan Nasrallah: How Mossad Neutralized Hezbollah Secretary General”
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/10/148102/
October 10/2025
Hassan Nasrallah: How Mossad Neutralized Hezbollah Secretary General
On September 27, 2024, a pinpoint strike in Dahiyeh, Beirut ended Hassan
Nasrallah’s three-decade rule. This film reconstructs Israel’s alleged
clandestine campaign: crippling Hezbollah’s communications (pagers and radios),
dismantling command-and-control, and delivering the final precision hit. Through
archives, testimony and operational analysis, we reveal how SIGINT + HUMINT +
electronic warfare reshaped the battlespace — and why Nasrallah’s death rattled
Lebanon, strained Iran’s regional playbook, and raised the risk of a wider war
after October 7. An invisible war. A singular target. Consequences far beyond
Beirut.
Editorial note: historical and journalistic content. Not advocacy or an
operational guide.
Mossad, Israel, Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, Dahiyeh, Beirut, comms sabotage,
SIGINT, HUMINT, electronic warfare, pagers, radios, command-and-control,
surgical strike, drones, precision munitions, Axis of Resistance, Iran, IRGC,
Lebanon, October 7, Gaza, deterrence, regional escalation, Hezbollah succession,
international law, strategic impact.
Thousands of Palestinians returning home as Gaza
ceasefire takes effect
AP/October 10, 2025
WADI GAZA, Gaza Strip: Tens of thousands of Palestinians headed back to the
heavily destroyed northern Gaza Strip on Friday as a US-brokered ceasefire came
into effect. The deal has raised hopes for ending the
Israel-Hamas war, with all the remaining hostages taken set to be released
within days. Questions remain over who will govern Gaza as Israeli troops
gradually pull back and whether Hamas will disarm, as called for in US President
Donald Trump’s ceasefire plan. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who
unilaterally ended a ceasefire in March, hinted that Israel might renew its
offensive if Hamas does not give up its weapons. The latest truce nevertheless
marks a key step toward ending a ruinous two-year war that was triggered by
Hamas’ 2023 attack on Israel. The fighting has killed
tens of thousands of Palestinians and displaced around 90 percent of the Gaza
population of some 2 million, often multiple times. Many of them will find
fields of rubble where their homes once stood. The military confirmed the start
of the ceasefire Friday, and the remaining 48 hostages, around 20 of them
believed to be alive, are to be released by Monday. Palestinians said heavy
shelling in parts of Gaza earlier on Friday had mostly stopped after the
military’s announcement. Netanyahu said in a televised
statement Friday that the next stages would see Hamas disarm and Gaza
demilitarized. “If this is achieved the easy way — so be it. If not — it will be
achieved the hard way,” Netanyahu said. He added that Hamas agreed to the deal
“only when it felt that the sword was on its neck — and it is still on its
neck.”The Israeli military has said it will continue to operate defensively from
the roughly 50 percent of Gaza it still controls after pulling back to
agreed-upon lines.
Meanwhile, the United Nations was given the green light by Israel to begin
delivering aid into Gaza starting Sunday, a UN official said. The official spoke
on the condition of anonymity to discuss details not yet made public. The aid
will include 170,000 metric tons that have already been positioned in
neighboring countries such as Jordan and Egypt as humanitarian officials awaited
permission from Israeli forces to restart their work.
In the last several months, the UN and its humanitarian partners have only been
able to deliver 20 percent of the aid needed in the Gaza Strip, according to UN
humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher.
People on the move
A steady stream of people, the vast majority on foot, crammed onto a coastal
road in the central Gaza Strip, heading north to see what might remain of their
homes. It was a repeat of emotional scenes from an earlier ceasefire in January.
Others headed to other parts of the Palestinian territory in the south.
The destruction they find this time will be even greater, after Israel waged a
new offensive in Gaza City, in the north, in recent weeks. The military bombed
high-rises and blew up homes in what it said was an attempt to destroy Hamas’
remaining military infrastructure.
Palestinians have expressed relief that the war may end, tempered with concern
about the future and lingering pain from the staggering death and destruction.
“There wasn’t much joy, but the ceasefire somewhat eased the pain of
death and bloodshed, and the pain of our loved ones and brothers who suffered in
this war,” said Jamal Mesbah, who was displaced from the north and plans to
return. In Gaza’s southern city of Khan Younis,
hundreds of Palestinians returning to their homes found wrecked buildings,
rubble and destruction after Israeli troops withdrew.
“There was nothing left. Just a few clothes, pieces of wood and pots,” said
Fatma Radwan, who was displaced from Khan Younis. People were still trying to
retrieve bodies from under the rubble, she added. Many buildings were flattened,
and none was undamaged, as people went back to search for their belongings. “We
came to a place that is unidentifiable. An unidentifiable town. Destruction is
everywhere,” said Hani Omran, who was also displaced from Khan Younis. The war
began when Hamas-led militants stormed into Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some
1,200 people and taking 251 hostage. In Israel’s
ensuing offensive, more than 67,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza and
nearly 170,000 wounded, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which doesn’t
differentiate between civilians and combatants but says around half the deaths
were women and children. The ministry is part of the Hamas-run government, and
the United Nations and many independent experts consider its figures to be the
most reliable estimate of wartime casualties. The war has also triggered other
conflicts in the region, sparked worldwide protests and led to allegations of
genocide that Israel denies.
How the agreement is expected to unfold
Israel is set to release around 2,000 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the
remaining hostages. A list Israel published Friday did not include high-profile
prisoner Marwan Barghouti, the most popular Palestinian leader and a potentially
unifying figure. Israel views him and other high-profile prisoners as terrorists
and has refused to release them in past exchanges. Khalil Al-Hayya, a senior
Hamas official and lead negotiator, said Thursday evening that all women and
children held in Israeli jails will be freed. The
hostage and prisoner releases are expected to begin Monday, two Egyptian
officials briefed on the talks and a Hamas official said, though another
official said they could occur as early as Sunday night. The officials spoke on
condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to be publicly named
speaking about the negotiations. A relative of one of
the Israeli hostages believed to have died in captivity says the family is
hoping that his body will be returned for burial. “It’s a measured sense of hope
in all hostage families,’’ said Stephen Brisley, whose sister, Lianne Sharabi,
and her two teenage daughters were killed in the Oct. 7 attack. Lianne’s
husband, Eli Sharabi, was eventually released, but his brother, Yossi, is
believed to have died in an airstrike in January 2024. The family hopes to give
him a dignified burial. “We hold our hope lightly because we’ve had our hopes
dashed before,” Brisley told The Associated Press from his home in South Wales.
“It still feels like a long way between the announcement of the deal and
actually getting Yossi’s body back to bury him.’’As part of the deal, five
border crossings are expected to reopen, including the Rafah crossing between
Gaza and Egypt, Egyptian and Hamas officials said. That will allow aid to flow
into the territory, parts of which are experiencing famine. The Trump plan calls
for Israel to maintain an open-ended military presence inside Gaza, along its
border with Israel. An international force, comprised largely of troops from
Arab and Muslim countries, would be responsible for security inside Gaza.
To help support and monitor the ceasefire deal, US officials said they would
send about 200 troops to Israel as part of a broader, international team. The
officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss details not authorized for
release. The US would also lead a massive internationally funded reconstruction
effort. The plan envisions an eventual role for the Palestinian Authority —
something Netanyahu has long opposed. But it requires the authority, which
administers parts of the West Bank, to undergo a sweeping reform program that
could take years. The Trump plan is even more vague about a future Palestinian
state, which Netanyahu firmly rejects.
UNICEF warns of massive spike in Gaza child deaths
Reuters/October 10, 2025
GENEVA: The UN children’s charity UNICEF called on Friday for all crossings for
food aid into war-shattered Gaza to be opened, saying children in the territory
were especially vulnerable because they have gone without proper food for long
periods. “The situation is critical. We risk seeing a massive spike in child
death, not only neonatal, but also infants, given their immune systems are more
compromised than ever before,” said UNICEF spokesperson Ricardo Pires.
Children’s immunity is low because “they haven’t been eating properly and
recently at all for way too long,” he said. Israeli troops began pulling back
from some parts of the Palestinian territory on Friday under a ceasefire deal
with Hamas, in the first phase of an initiative by US President Donald Trump to
end the two-year-old war. The UN plans to ramp up
humanitarian aid deliveries to Gaza, where some areas are experiencing famine,
in the first 60 days of a ceasefire in the enclave, a top UN official said on
Thursday. An Israeli security source and the UN World Food Programme said they
expect about 600 aid trucks to enter Gaza daily. “Under the ceasefire
arrangement, we will have more than 145 community distribution points, in
addition to up to 30 bakeries and all of our nutrition sites,” Ross Smith, WFP
director of emergencies, said on Friday.The WFP expects to begin scaling up
deliveries early next week, but that would depend on the withdrawal of Israeli
forces so that humanitarian safe zones can be expanded.
Access to northern Gaza is critical, the WFP said, with up to 400,000
people who have not received assistance for several weeks.
The agency has urged improved scanning and approval of aid convoys to
speed truck entry. UNICEF said 50,000 children were at risk of acute
malnutrition and in need of immediate treatment. UNICEF also aims to provide 1
million blankets for every child in Gaza and hopes to deliver wheelchairs and
crutches, which it said had previously been blocked. The UN children’s agency
said it had evacuated two of 18 newborns from a North Gaza hospital to be
reunited with their parents further south. Its attempt to move two of the babies
was suspended on Thursday amid an ongoing Israeli military assault on the city,
but the children have since been reunited with their parents.
“We had 18 babies in incubators at the beginning of week. Two got moved
yesterday,” spokesperson Pires told the Geneva press briefing, saying the others
are waiting in incubators for Israeli security clearance.
“I hope this is just an example of what will come after the ceasefire is
fully implemented,” he said.Also on Friday, CARE International said it still had
not received clearance for its supplies to enter, as it faces ongoing
registration barriers, like other agencies, including the Norwegian Refugee
Council. “We still need clarity on how we’ll be able to get supplies into Gaza
that have been stuck outside for months,” said Jolien Veldwijk, CARE Palestine
country director.Both UNICEF and the UN Palestinian refugee relief agency UNRWA
said they have yet to receive details on their roles during the ceasefire.
UNRWA, which is banned from operating in Israel, has urged the Israeli
authorities to allow it to take 6,000 trucks’ worth of aid into Gaza, including
enough food to feed the population for three months, from Jordan and Egypt.
“We’ve not had any progress to move those supplies into Gaza ... and this is
absolutely critical in controlling the spread of famine,” Juliette Touma, the
spokesperson for UNRWA, said
Israeli Cabinet approves ‘outline’ of deal to release
hostages held by Hamas
AP/October 10, 2025
CAIRO: Israel’s Cabinet early Friday approved President Donald Trump’s plan for
a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the release of all the remaining hostages held
by Hamas, a key step toward ending a ruinous two-year war that has destabilized
the Middle East.
A brief statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said the
Cabinet approved the “outline” of a deal to release the hostages, without
mentioning other aspects of the plan that are more controversial. The broader
ceasefire plan included many unanswered questions, such as whether and how Hamas
will disarm and who will govern Gaza. But the sides appeared closer than they
have been in months to ending a war that has killed tens of thousands of
Palestinians, reduced much of Gaza to rubble, brought famine to parts of the
territory and left dozens of hostages, living and dead, in Gaza.
The war, which began with Hamas’ deadly attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, has
also triggered other conflicts in the region, sparked worldwide protests and led
to allegations of genocide that Israel denies.Some 1,200 people were killed in
the Hamas-led assault, and 251 were taken hostage. In Israel’s ensuing
offensive, more than 67,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza and nearly
170,000 wounded. In the hours leading up to the Israeli Cabinet’s vote, Israeli
strikes continued. Explosions were seen Thursday in northern Gaza, and a strike
on a building in Gaza City killed at least two people and left more than 40
trapped under rubble, according to the Palestinian Civil Defense. At least 11
dead Palestinians and another 49 who were wounded arrived at hospitals over the
past 24 hours, Gaza’s Health Ministry said. An Israeli military official who
spoke on the condition of anonymity in line with military guidelines said Israel
was hitting targets that posed a threat to its troops as they reposition. Hamas
blasted Israel over the strike, saying Netanyahu was trying to “shuffle the
cards and confuse” efforts by mediators to end the war in Gaza.
A senior Hamas official and lead negotiator made a speech Thursday laying out
what he says are the core elements of the ceasefire deal: Israel releasing
around 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, opening the border crossing with Egypt,
allowing aid to flow and withdrawing from Gaza. Khalil Al-Hayya said all women
and children held in Israeli jails will also be freed. He did not offer details
on the extent of the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.
Al-Hayya said the Trump administration and mediators had given assurances that
the war is over, and that Hamas and other Palestinian factions will now focus on
achieving self-determination and establishing a Palestinian state. “We declare
today that we have reached an agreement to end the war and the aggression
against our people,” Al-Hayya said in a televised speech Thursday evening. In
other developments, US officials announced that they would send about 200 troops
to Israel to help support and monitor the ceasefire deal as part of a broader,
international team. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss
details not authorized for release.
Cautious celebrations
In the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis, reactions to the announcement of a
ceasefire were relatively muted and often colored by grief. “I am happy and
unhappy. We have lost a lot of people and lost loved ones, friends and family.
We lost our homes,” said Mohammad Al-Farra. “Despite our happiness, we cannot
help but think of what is to come. ... The areas we are going back to, or
intending to return to, are uninhabitable.”In Tel Aviv, families of the
remaining hostages popped champagne and cried tears of joy after Trump announced
the deal. In Jerusalem on Thursday, Sharon Canot celebrated with some others.
“We are so excited this morning. We cried all morning,” she said. “It’s been two
years that we are in horror.”Under the terms, Hamas intends to release all
living hostages in a matter of days, while the Israeli military will begin a
withdrawal from the majority of Gaza, people familiar with the matter told The
Associated Press. They spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss details of an
agreement that has not fully been made public. Some 20 of the 48 hostages still
in captivity are believed to be alive. In a short video posted by US Commerce
Secretary Howard Lutnick, Trump was seen speaking by phone to a group of elated
hostage families. “They are all coming back on Monday,” said Trump, who is
expected to visit the region in the coming days. Tom Fletcher, the UN
humanitarian chief, told reporters Thursday that officials have 170,000 metric
tons of medicine, aid and other supplies at ready for transport into Gaza when
they are given a green light.
How the deal will unfold
The deal, which was expected to be signed in Egypt, will include a list of
prisoners to be released and maps for the first phase of an Israeli withdrawal
to new positions in Gaza, according to two Egyptian officials briefed on the
talks, a Hamas official and another official. Israel will publish the list of
the prisoners, and victims of their attacks will have 24 hours to lodge
objections. The withdrawal could start as soon as Thursday evening, said the
officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized
to be publicly named speaking about the negotiations. The hostage and prisoner
releases are expected to begin Monday, the officials from Egypt and Hamas said,
though the other official said they could occur as early as Sunday night. Five
border crossings would reopen, including the Rafah crossing between Gaza and
Egypt, the Egyptian and Hamas officials said. The Trump plan calls for Israel to
maintain an open-ended military presence inside Gaza, along its border with
Israel. An international force, comprised largely of troops from Arab and Muslim
countries, would be responsible for security inside Gaza. The US would lead a
massive internationally funded reconstruction effort. The plan also envisions an
eventual role for the Palestinian Authority — something Netanyahu has long
opposed. But it requires the authority, which administers parts of the West
Bank, to undergo a sweeping reform program that could take years.The Trump plan
is even more vague about a future Palestinian state, which Netanyahu firmly
rejects.
What comes next for Netanyahu
The days ahead could be politically tricky for Netanyahu, who has been shadowed
by an ongoing corruption trial as he navigated the Gaza war. His grip on power
has been largely contingent on the support of hard-line, far-right coalition
partners who have urged him to continue operations against Hamas until the group
is eliminated. But Trump on Thursday suggested Netanyahu’s political standing
has been bolstered by the ceasefire and hostage deal. “He’s much more popular
today than he was five days ago,” Trump said. “I can tell you right now, people
shouldn’t run against him. Five days ago, might not have been a bad idea.”
Trump gets long sought Gaza hostage deal with a whole lot
of help from Arab and Muslim allies
AP/October 10, 2025
WASHINGTON: After months of gridlock, President Donald Trump finally landed a
long-sought Israel-Hamas ceasefire and hostage deal in Gaza — an agreement that
only came together after a weekslong diplomacy blitz and a whole lot of help
from some Arab and Muslim allies. The breakthrough is designed to bring about a
pause in the fighting unleashed by Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel. The
group is expected to release 48 hostages — about 20 of them believed to be alive
— in the coming days. The brutal war finally reached a turning point because a
badly battered Hamas recognized the hostages had become more of a liability than
an asset, according to two senior US officials who spoke to reporters on
condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss
internal deliberations. One of the officials said negotiators, led by special
envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, believed they finally
had an opening when they sensed that “Hamas had enough.”Still, the way to an
agreement had remained complicated, leaving the US administration in the
difficult position of negotiating through a thicket of distrust between Israel
and its Middle East neighbors that was in danger of further metastasizing. Major
questions remain, including over governance and reconstruction of a territory
that largely has been destroyed as well as whether Hamas will disarm — a key
Israeli demand that the militants have not yet publicly accepted.
But for now Trump appears to be headed toward a delicate truce and making good
on his campaign promise to bring home all remaining hostages.
An Israeli strike on a US ally
In early September, long-running ceasefire talks mediated by the US, Egypt and
Qatar were at a standstill. Witkoff had walked away weeks earlier, blaming
Hamas. The militant group then accepted a proposal that mediators said was
almost identical to one approved by Israel, but there was no public response
from Israel or the US
Hamas stuck to its position that it would only release the remaining hostages in
return for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, a lasting ceasefire and a full
Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected
those terms, saying the war would only end with Hamas’ surrender and the return
of all the captives, with Israel maintaining open-ended security control over
Gaza. On Sept. 9, explosions rocked Doha. Israel had carried out an airstrike on
Hamas leaders and negotiators as they had gathered to consider the latest
ceasefire proposal in Qatar, a close US ally and mediator. The strike killed
five lower-ranking Hamas members and a Qatari security forces member.
It infuriated Gulf Arab leaders and angered the White House. Trump quickly went
into damage control, seeking to reassure Qatar. The strike alarmed US allies
across the region, including countries like Turkiye and Egypt that have hosted
Hamas political leaders. The war that Trump had pledged to end was at risk of
spiraling across the Middle East once again. But the Qataris remained engaged
with Witkoff and Kushner, helping Trump’s chief negotiators tailor what would
become the president’s 20-point peace plan before he would ultimately present it
to other Arab and Muslim countries for support, the US officials said.
Two weeks after the Doha strike, Trump met with the leaders of eight Arab and
Muslim nations on the sidelines of an annual gathering of world leaders at the
United Nations that highlighted Israel’s growing isolation. The president said
it was his “most important meeting.”The president returned to Washington while
Witkoff checked into the luxury Regency New York, staying near Kushner’s New
York apartment so the two could continue coordinating as they fine-tuned the
document. All the while, along with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, they
continued to meet and hold calls with Arab and Muslim country leaders to try to
build support.
A ceasefire plan and an ultimatum
Less than a week later, Witkoff and Kushner were back in Washington with the
finalized plan, as the president was set to meet with Netanyahu for the Israeli
leader’s fourth visit to the White House this year. Witkoff and Kushner had come
up with the idea of nudging Netanyahu to make a visible gesture toward
reconciliation with the Qataris for the strike. Trump
dialed up Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and spoke to
him before handing the phone to Netanyahu. The prime minister read from a
written apology, expressing his regret for Israel violating Qatari sovereignty
with the strike.
The White House later published photos of a grim-faced Trump with the phone
awkwardly perched in his lap as Netanyahu delivered the apology.
In a press conference in Washington after the Sept. 29 meeting, Netanyahu
said he had accepted Trump’s plan.Rubio said Trump’s negotiators then stepped up
their efforts through intermediaries in Qatar and Egypt to get Hamas on board,
while Trump held phone calls and meetings with world leaders. The US plan calls
for Hamas to release all the remaining hostages within 72 hours of the ceasefire
in return for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, to give up power in Gaza and to
disarm.
A crucial move by Trump
Hamas during negotiations made clear its willingness to release all hostages in
exchange for Palestinian prisoners and to give up power to other Palestinians.
But it said other elements of Trump’s plan required more negotiation and offered
nothing about disarming, a key Israeli demand.
The response was clearly a “yes, but.”The US and Israel could have taken it as a
“no” and blamed Hamas for the failure to reach a ceasefire on Israel’s terms, as
they had in the past. Israel could have vowed to press ahead with its invasion
of Gaza City or even expand it. But when the Hamas response landed late Friday,
Israel was largely shut down for the Sabbath, and Trump was first to respond,
concluding he believed Hamas was ready for peace. In a brief statement later
that night, Netanyahu said Israel was preparing for the implementation of the
“first stage” of Trump’s plan — the release of hostages — and was still
committed to ending the war according to its own principles. It made no mention
of the fact that Hamas had not accepted some key demands. Israeli Foreign
Minister Gideon Saar said on Fox News on Thursday that he and many other Israeli
officials were skeptical about Hamas’ heavily qualified acceptance. But he said
Trump’s decision to frame it as a sign of momentum created opportunity. In an
interview with Fox News host and ally Sean Hannity after announcing the
agreement, the president said he hoped it would help repair Israel’s
international standing. “I spoke to Bibi Netanyahu just a little while ago,”
Trump told Hannity, using the Israeli prime minister’s nickname. “I said,
‘Israel cannot fight the world, Bibi.’ They can’t fight the world. And he
understands that very well.”
UN says 53 civilians killed during 3 days of attacks in
and near el-Fasher camp in western Sudan
AP/October 10, 2025
BEIRUT: Fighting in and around a displaced persons camp in western Sudan killed
at least 53 civilians and wounded more than 60 others over a three-day period
this week, the UN human rights chief said, and the death toll is rising.
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said
Thursday that drone and artillery strikes by the paramilitary Rapid Support
Forces in the Abu Shouk and Daraja Oula neighborhoods of el-Fasher and the
el-Fasher displaced persons camp killed 46 people. Among the 46 killed, over a
dozen died in shelling at one of the last functioning hospitals in el-Fasher.
The shelling also struck a nearby mosque where people were taking refuge, said
the UN Human Rights office. The statement also said at least seven other people
were summarily executed after ground raids by the RSF in ethnically motivated
killings. Both the RSF and the Sudanese military have been accused of alleged
war crimes and crimes against humanity and are under investigation by the
International Criminal Court. “Despite repeated calls,
including my own, for specific care to be taken to protect civilians, they
continue instead to kill, injure, and displace civilians, and to attack civilian
objects, including IDP shelters, hospitals and mosques, with total disregard for
international law, ” said Turk. “This must end.” Türk called for UN Member
States with direct influence to take urgent measures to “protect civilians and
to prevent further atrocities” in el-Fasher and across the Darfur region. Sudan
has been in the throes of conflict since 2023, when tensions between the RSF and
the Sudanese military erupted. Darfur has been at the epicenter of the fighting.
The war in Sudan has killed more than 40,000 people, forced more than 14 million
to flee their homes and famine has been declared in parts of the country,
including Darfur. El-Fasher, the provincial capital of North Darfur province,
has been under siege for over a year. The UN and other aid groups warn that
260,000 civilians remain trapped in the city. Hundreds of thousands have fled to
Tawila, just outside el-Fasher. “I consider Tawila as one of the epicenters of,
frankly, what is clearly a humanitarian catastrophe here,” said Denise Brown,
the UN humanitarian coordinator in Sudan last week from Tawila, the closest they
could get to the besieged city of el-Fasher. “There
are about 600,000 internally displaced here, mostly fleeing from el-Fasher,” she
said. They are part of the 10 million people displaced in the country and Brown
said the UN humanitarian plan is only 25 percent funded.She said she met a woman
who had just arrived from el-Fasher on a donkey after traveling for seven days
through remote villages to stay off back roads with her children, including a
severely malnourished baby. “Local actors on the
ground in el-Fasher are doing what they can to provide some very limited basic
assistance,” Brown said. “It’s totally insufficient.”She said the UN is working
to negotiate access to el-Fasher.
Blast at a Tennessee explosives plant leaves 19 people missing and feared dead,
sheriff says
AP/October 10, 2025
TENNESSEE: A blast that leveled an explosives plant Friday in rural Tennessee
left 19 people missing and feared dead, authorities said. Humphreys County
Sheriff Chris Davis said the blast at Accurate Energetic Systems, which supplies
the military, was one of the worst scenes he’s ever seen. He said multiple
people were killed but declined to say how many, referring to the 19 missing as
“souls” because officials were still speaking to family.
“There’s nothing to describe. It’s gone,” Davis said of the plant. The
blast occurred about 7:45 a.m., Davis said, with aerial footage by WTVF-TV
showing the smoldering hilltop facility and the burnt-out shells of vehicles.
People reported hearing and feeling the explosion from miles away. The company’s
website says it makes and tests explosives at an eight-building facility that
sprawls across wooded hills in the Bucksnort area, about 60 miles (97
kilometers) southwest of Nashville. Davis said investigators are trying to
determine what happened and couldn’t say what caused the explosion.
There’s no further danger of explosions, and the scene was under control
Friday afternoon, according to Grey Collier, a spokesperson for the Humphreys
County Emergency Management Agency. Emergency crews were initially unable to
enter the plant because of continuing detonations, Hickman County Advanced EMT
David Stewart said by phone. He didn’t have any details on casualties. Accurate
Energetic Systems, based in nearby McEwen, did not immediately respond to a
phone message seeking comment Friday morning. “This is a tragedy for our
community,” McEwen Mayor Brad Rachford said in an email. He referred further
comment to a county official. Residents in Lobelville, a 20-minute drive from
the scene, said they felt their homes shake and some people captured the loud
boom of the explosion on their home cameras. The blast rattled Gentry Stover
from his sleep. “I thought the house had collapsed with me inside of it,” he
said by phone. “I live very close to Accurate and I realized about 30 seconds
after I woke up that it had to have been that.” State Rep. Jody Barrett, a
Republican from the neighboring town of Dickson, was worried about the possible
economic impact because the plant is a key employer in the area. “We live
probably 15 miles as the crow flies and we absolutely heard it at the house,”
Barrett said. “It sounded like something going through the roof of our house.”
Maria Corina Machado of Venezuela wins the Nobel Peace
Prize
Agencies/October 10, 2025
OSLO: Opposition activist Maria Corina Machado of Venezuela has won the Nobel
Peace Prize.The former opposition presidential candidate in Venezuela was lauded
for being a “key, unifying figure in a political opposition that was once deeply
divided – an opposition that found common ground in the demand for free
elections and representative government,” said Jørgen Watne Frydnes, chair of
the Norwegian Nobel committee. Experts say the
committee typically focuses on the durability of peace, the promotion of
international fraternity and the quiet work of institutions that strengthen
those goals.
There has been persistent speculation ahead of the announcement about the
possibility of the prize going to US President Donald Trump, fueled in part by
the president himself, amplified by this week’s approval of his plan for a
ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. But longtime Nobel watchers say his chances remain
remote despite various notable foreign policy interventions for which he has
taken personal credit. Groups cited as possible winners by the Peace Research
Institute Oslo include Sudan’s Emergency Response Rooms, a community-led network
that has become the backbone of the country’s humanitarian response to its civil
war; the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court;
and the Committee to Protect Journalists, a US-based group that promotes press
freedom and compiles a list of journalists killed on duty. Last year’s award
went to Nihon Hidankyo, a grassroots movement of Japanese atomic bombing
survivors who have worked for decades to maintain a taboo around the use of
nuclear weapons. The peace prize is the only one of
the annual Nobel prizes to be awarded in Oslo, Norway.
Four of the other prizes have already been awarded in the Swedish capital,
Stockholm this week — in medicine on Monday, physics on Tuesday, chemistry on
Wednesday and literature on Thursday. The winner of the prize in economics will
be announced on Monday. The White House on Friday
criticized the Nobel Prize committee’s decision to award the peace prize to a
Venezuelan opposition leader instead of US President Donald Trump.
“President Trump will continue making peace deals, ending wars, and
saving lives. He has the heart of a humanitarian, and there will never be anyone
like him who can move mountains with the sheer force of his will,” White House
spokesman Steven Cheung said in a post on X. “The Nobel Committee proved they
place politics over peace.”
Damascus-Amman train link could be completed by 2026 as historic Hijaz railway
restoration plan gains steam
Khaled Al Khawaldeh/Arab News/October 10, 2025
DUBAI: Passengers traveling between Amman and Damascus could be taking the train
as early as the end of 2026, with both countries determined to restore a
historic rail link that once connected the Levant with the holy cities of
Madinah and Makkah. A high-level meeting in Amman last
month saw Jordan, Syria, and Turkiye agree to work together on reviving the
historic railway. Under the agreement, Turkiye will support Syria with
reconstruction efforts, while Jordan will provide locomotive maintenance.
Although details regarding timelines remain limited, Zahi Khalil,
director-general and deputy chairman of the Jordan Hijaz Railway at the
Jordanian Ministry of Transport, said plans are well underway and could allow
passenger services between the two capitals as soon as next year. “Turkiye
agreed in September to support the repair of the railway section between
Damascus and the Jordanian border. They will completely restore it,” Khalil told
Arab News on the sidelines of the Global Rail Conference in Abu Dhabi last week.
“Regarding the connection process — the link between Damascus and Amman — it
could be ready by the end of next year, 2026. So possibly in the last quarter of
next year, we’ll have the first passenger trip between Amman and
Damascus.”Khalil said the initial phase of the project will focus on passenger
transport, but there are also plans to upgrade the route for freight trains
within the next three to five years. This, however, will require significant
infrastructure upgrades to handle heavier loads.
Historically, the Hijaz Railway was part of the Ottoman rail network and served
as a major link between Damascus and Makkah, reducing a journey that once took
40 days to just five. Seen by the sultan at the time as a symbol of Islamic
unity and progress, the railway holds deep historical and cultural significance
across the region. Khalil explained that much of the
historic track would be rehabilitated, upgraded for modern trains, and reused,
with large sections of the original route still intact. He believes the revived
line will function not only as a vital transport connection but also as a
heritage attraction in its own right. “Trains are one of the greatest and
easiest means of connection between countries; they carry large numbers of
people and encourage tourism both within Jordan and between Jordan and
neighboring countries,” he said. “For example, on the old Hijaz Railway, we
already have daily tourist trips in the historic Wadi Rum area, but only there.
When the line connects to other regions, it will bring tourists from neighboring
countries and other Jordanian cities.”The original Hijaz Railway was intended to
extend all the way to Istanbul, connecting the Ottoman capital with Makkah.
However, the project was never completed due to the First World War and the
subsequent fall of the Ottoman Empire. With Turkiye now deeply involved in
Syria’s reconstruction, Khalil believes there is renewed potential to realize
the railway’s original scale. He noted that work is already underway to
rehabilitate lines between Damascus and Aleppo, with plans to extend the tracks
to the Turkish-Syrian border. “Once Syria is linked to the Turkish rail lines,
Amman will be connected all the way to Istanbul,” he said. Looking ahead, Khalil
added that there are also plans to link Amman with future railway projects in
Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Cooperation Council, ultimately realizing the full
vision of the historic Hijaz Railway.
Jordan’s King Abdullah in call with UN chief urges
strengthened humanitarian response in Gaza following ceasefire
Arab News/October 10, 2025
AMMAN: King Abdullah II of Jordan on Friday urged intensified international
efforts to support humanitarian operations in Gaza, following the recent
ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas. During a phone call with UN
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, the king underscored the importance of fully
implementing all stages of the agreement, which was brokered through the efforts
of the US, Qatar, Egypt and Turkiye. He said the current deal should serve as a
foundation for achieving comprehensive and lasting calm in the region, the
Jordan News Agency reported. King Abdullah also warned against unilateral
actions targeting Palestinians in the West Bank, as well as ongoing violations
against Muslim and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem. He commended the recent
adoption by UNESCO’s Executive Board of a resolution underscoring the need to
preserve the historic and legal status quo in Jerusalem and its surrounding
walls. The phone call came as tens of thousands of Palestinians began returning
to the devastated northern Gaza Strip on Friday, after the US-brokered truce
came into effect. The agreement has raised hopes of ending the conflict, with
the release of all remaining hostages expected within da
Germany wants to organize Gaza reconstruction conference
AFP/October 10, 2025
BERLIN: Germany wants to organize an international conference with Egypt for the
reconstruction of the Gaza Strip, Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Friday, as
Israel and Hamas edged closer to ending hostilities. The main goal of this
conference “should be to address the most urgent needs, such as rebuilding water
and energy supplies and medical care,” Merz said in a statement. A spokeswoman
for the German Development Ministry said on Friday that Berlin could quickly
provide 850 temporary accommodation units for Gaza. “Fifty of them are in
Ramallah and can quickly be brought to Gaza so that people can be provided with
urgently needed shelter,” she said, adding that 90 to 92 percent of Gaza’s
buildings have been badly damaged or destroyed. The main goal of the conference
should be to address the most urgent needs, such as rebuilding water and energy
supplies and medical care.
Chancellor, Friedrich Merz
On Friday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said the
government had “approved the framework” of a hostage release deal with Hamas.
Merz said the deal must be “implemented swiftly” and that “the hostages,
including German nationals, must finally return to their families.”“Humanitarian
aid must quickly reach the people in Gaza,” he added. Merz said Germany would
provide an additional €29 million ($33.6 million) in humanitarian aid and would
also help in “supporting the medical and psychological care of the released
hostages.”Netanyahu said on Friday that 48 hostages were still in Gaza, 20 of
them still alive and 28 dead. One of the dead is understood to be an Israeli
soldier killed in 2014 whose remains are being held by Hamas. Four of those
still alive are reported to be German nationals. Gaza’s civil defense agency
said on Friday that Israeli forces had begun pulling back from parts of the
territory, particularly in Gaza City and Khan Younis. “Israeli forces have
withdrawn from several areas in Gaza City,” said Mohammed Al-Mughayyir, a senior
official with the agency. He added that Israeli military vehicles had also
pulled out from sections of the southern city of Khan Younis. Palestinians have
expressed relief that the war may end, tempered with concern about the future
and lingering pain from the staggering death and destruction.
The West Bank’s dwindling Palestinian Christian
communities continue to struggle amid violence
AP/October 10, 2025
TAYBEH: Early on Sundays, bells call the faithful to worship at the three
churches in this hilltop village that the Gospel narrates Jesus visited. It is
now the last entirely Christian one in the occupied West Bank. Proudly
Palestinian, Taybeh’s Christians — Catholics of the Roman and Greek Melkite
rites, and Greek Orthodox — long most for independence and peace for this part
of the Holy Land. But that hope feels increasingly remote as they struggle with
the threats of violence from Jewish settlers and the intensifying restrictions
on movement imposed by Israel. Many also say they fear Islamist radicalization
will grow in the area as conflicts escalate across the region. And even
Thursday’s announcement of an agreement to pause fighting in Gaza didn’t assuage
those urgent concerns. “The situation in the West
Bank, in my opinion, needs another agreement — to move away and expel the
settlers from our lands,” the Rev. Bashar Fawadleh, parish priest of Christ the
Redeemer Catholic Church, told The Associated Press. “We are so tired of this
life.”On a recent Sunday, families flocked to Mass at the church, where a
Vatican and a Palestinian flag flank the altar, and a tall mosaic illustrates
Jesus’ arrival in the village, then called Ephraim. More families gathered at
St. George Greek Orthodox Church. Filled with icons written in Arabic and Greek,
it’s just down the street, overlooking hillside villas among olive trees.“We’re
struggling too much. We don’t see the light,” said its priest, the Rev. David
Khoury. “We feel like we are in a big prison.”
A decades-old conflict spirals
The West Bank is the area between Israel and Jordan that Israel occupied in the
1967 war and that Palestinians want for a future state, together with east
Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip. Israel seized them from Jordan and Egypt in that
war. The Israel-Hamas war that has devastated Gaza since Hamas-led militants
attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, has affected the strip’s tiny Christian
community. The Catholic church was hit by an Israeli shell in July, though it’s
functioning again. Violence has also surged in the West Bank. Israeli military
operations have grown to respond to what the army calls an increasing militant
threat, most visible in frequent attacks at checkpoints. Palestinians say
uninvolved civilians have been caught up in the raids and blame the army for not
defending them from near-daily violence by settlers. After leading the music
ministry at a recent Sunday’s Catholic Mass, as he’s done for six decades,
Suheil Nazzal walked to the village’s edge to survey his terraces of olive
trees. Settlers no longer allow him and other villagers to harvest them, he
said. He also blames the settlers on an opposite hilltop for setting a fire this
summer that burned dangerously close to the cemetery where his parents are
buried and to the ruins of Taybeh’s oldest church, the 5th-century St. George.
Christian families leaving the Holy Land
Nazzal plans to stay in Taybeh, but his family lives in the US Clergy said at
least a dozen families have left Taybeh, population 1,200, and more are
considering leaving because of the violence, dwindling economy opportunities,
and the way checkpoints restrict daily life. Victor
Barakat, a Catholic, and his wife Nadeen Khoury, who is Greek Orthodox, moved
with their three children from Massachusetts to Taybeh, where Khoury grew up.
“We love Palestine,” she said after attending a service at St. George.
“We wanted to raise the children here, to learn the culture, the language,
family traditions.”Yet while hoping they can stay in Taybeh, they say the
security situation feels even more precarious than during the intifada, or
Palestinian uprising, of the early 2000s, when hundreds of Israelis were killed,
including in suicide bombings, and thousands of Palestinians were killed in
Israeli military operations. “Everyone is unsafe. You never know who’s going to
stop you,” Barakat said, adding they no longer take the children to after-school
activities because of the lack of protections on the roads. And while he
rejoiced for the agreement to pause fighting in Gaza, he doubted it would have
an impact on settler attacks nearer home. “The agenda for the West Bank is still
more complicated,” Barakat said.Taybeh’s Christian churches run schools, ranging
from kindergarten to high school, as well as sports and music programs. The
impact on young people of the current spiral of mistrust and violence is
worrisome for educators. “We don’t feel safe when we go from here to Ramallah or
to any (village) in Palestine. Always there is a fear for us to be killed, to be
… something terrible,” said Marina Marouf, vice principal at the Catholic
school. She said students have had to shelter at the
school for hours waiting for the opening of “flying checkpoints” — road gates
that Israeli authorities close, usually in response to attacks in the area.
Trying to keep the presence — and the faith
From villages like Taybeh to once popular, now struggling tourist destinations
like Bethlehem, Christians account for between 1 percent-2 percent of the West
Bank’s roughly 3 million residents, the vast majority Muslim. Across the wider
Middle East, the Christian population has steadily declined as people have fled
conflict and attacks. But for many, maintaining a
presence in the birthplace of Christianity is essential to identity and faith.
“I love my country because I love my Christ,” Fawadleh said. “My Christ is Ibn
Al-Balad,” he added, using an Arabic term meaning “son of the land.”Israel,
whose founding declaration includes safeguarding freedom of religion and all
holy places, sees itself as an island of religious tolerance in a volatile
region. But some church authorities and monitoring groups have lamented a recent
increase in anti-Christian sentiment and harassment, particularly in Jerusalem’s
old city. While those targeting Christians are a tiny minority of Jewish
extremists, attacks such as spitting toward clergy are enough to create a sense
of impunity and thus overall fear, said Hana Bendcowsky. She leads the Jerusalem
Center for Jewish-Christian Relations of the Rossing Center for Education and
Dialogue.
The Catholic Church’s Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista
Pizzaballa, has also highlighted growing problems in the West Bank, from
settlers’ attacks to lack of jobs and of permits to move freely, adding that
more Christians might decide to leave. For the
Franciscan priest who’s the new custodian of the Holy Land and oversees more
than 300 friars in the region ministering to various holy sites, “the first big
duty we have here is to stay.”“We can’t stop the hemorrhage, but we will
continue to be here and be alongside everyone,” said the Rev. Francesco Ielpo,
whom Pope Leo XIV confirmed three months ago to the Holy Land mission
established by St. Francis more than 800 years ago.
Struggling to provide hope among despair
Ielpo said the biggest challenge for Christians is to offer a different approach
to social fractures deepened by the war in Gaza. “Even where before there were
relationships, opportunities for an encounter or even just for coexistence, now
suspicions arise. ‘Can I trust the other? Am I really safe?’” he said. Michael
Hajjal worships at Taybeh’s Greek Orthodox church, and is torn between his love
for the village, the constant fear he feels, and the concern for his son’s
future. “What kind of future can I create for my son while we’re under
occupation and in this economic situation?” he said. “Even young people of 16 or
17 years old are saying, ‘I wish I were dead.’”Hope — in addition to practical
help ranging from youth programs to employment workshops — is what the clergy of
Taybeh’s churches are working together to provide in the face of such despair.
“Still we are awaiting the third day as a Palestinian,” Fawadleh said. “The
third day that means the new life, the freedom, the independence and the new
salvation for our people.”
Tony Blair is revered in Kosovo for helping end its war.
Many ask if he can succeed again in Gaza
AP/October 10, 2025
PRISTINA: A US peace plan has propelled former British Prime Minister Tony Blair
to the forefront of efforts to end the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. While his
legacy in the Middle East is controversial, especially given his role in taking
the UK to war as part of the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq, there is one place he
is revered as a hero: Kosovo. As prime minister, Blair
— along with then US President Bill Clinton — played a pivotal role in putting
together an international coalition that conducted airstrikes in 1999 to end
Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic’s crackdown on independence-seeking ethnic
Albanians in Kosovo. Blair’s popularity in Kosovo soared in the aftermath of the
war, even leading to the emergence of a new name for boys: Tonibler, the
phonetic spelling of Tony Blair’s name in Albanian.Tonibler Gashi, a 24-year-old
medical student in Pristina, said he is proud of his name. “My parents wanted to
symbolize the state of gratitude and respect toward the great man who, without
him … we wouldn’t be here talking Albanian in Kosovo,” he said. But whether
Blair’s success in Kosovo can be replicated in Gaza’s vastly more complex and
volatile environment remains deeply contested.
The Gaza ceasefire plan
US President Donald Trump’s plan for Gaza would see Blair potentially leading a
transitional international authority, the “Board of Peace,” that would be
chaired by Trump himself and would govern the Palestinian territory. The
proposed body would combine international expertise, technocrats, UN officials
and Palestinian representatives, and would function under a UN mandate. It aims
to oversee reconstruction, security, humanitarian relief, and the groundwork for
more permanent governance structures. Criticism from
Palestinians, Arab states, and international legal scholars focus on Blair’s
controversial past, especially his backing of the Iraq War. They have also
voiced concerns over sovereignty, citing fears that the transitional authority
could sideline Palestinian agency.In a breakthrough on Thursday, Israel and
Hamas agreed to a pause in their devastating two-year war and the release of the
remaining hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. Blair is no stranger
to the Middle East. He spent eight years serving as the Mideast Quartet’s envoy,
working to promote peace between Israel and the Palestinians, before stepping
down in 2015. His resignation was seen as a reflection of the dire state of
peace efforts that further deteriorated under Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu’s government.
A defining moment for Kosovo in 1998-99
In Kosovo, Blair and Clinton spearheaded a 78-day NATO airstrikes campaign that
forced Milosevic to pull his troops out and cede control of what was then a
province of Serbia to the United Nations and NATO. More than 13,000 people,
mostly ethnic Albanians, died during the 1998-99 war. “The fight for Kosovo was
not only for Kosovo but for all of us, including my own country, who believe
that freedom and justice are worth standing up for and if necessary, fighting
for,” Blair said in June 2024, on the 25th anniversary of the war’s end. Many
Kosovars associate Blair with military intervention that stopped mass atrocities
and see him as one the strongest Western leaders advocating for political
efforts for Kosovo’s plight. He is also admired for his support of Kosovo’s
postwar reconstruction and institution-building. A United Nations Mission in
Kosovo, or UNMIK, first led by French diplomat Bernard Kouchner, governed Kosovo
until 2008 when it declared independence. The United States and most of the West
recognize Kosovo’s independence, but not Serbia or its allies Russia and China.
Some in Kosovo express admiration for Blair’s work in the Balkan country and
cautious optimism that his experience might serve Gaza well. “I would ask him to
be as straightforward and as much respectful for the humanitarian cause of Gaza
as he was to us,” said Gashi, the medical student named after the former British
prime minister. Bashkim Fazliu, of the We Remember
Tony Blair Foundation, said that without Blair’s leadership, “we would simply
disappear, vanish from Kosovo.” The foundation was created in 2023 when Blair’s
statue was raised in the southern town of Ferizaj, 40 kilometers (25 miles)
south of the capital Pristina.
A square in Ferizaj was also named Tony Blair.
Many streets, squares or busts have been named or raised for Clinton and
then-Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, too. “So probably this is the last
piece that he wants to solve in the world. And, I believe that he can, if he
will have this opportunity,” said Fazliu. Parallels,
differences, and key challenges In both Kosovo and the proposed Gaza plan, there
is strong emphasis on international involvement in stopping atrocities,
protecting civilians, rebuilding infrastructure, and laying foundations for
lasting governance. Blair is, nevertheless, a
polarizing figure in the Arab world. Skepticism is high about whether external
leadership under him might be seen as paternalistic or as undermining
Palestinian self-determination. Vlora Citaku, a former diplomat representing
Kosovo at the UN, considered Blair “the best suited person” to help lead the
postwar transition in Gaza. “Mr. Blair has something
that leadership in the world today lacks and needs: courage and empathy,” she
said. Veton Surroi, a Kosovar politician who was part of the 1999 peace talks
that ended the war, said Blair’s role in Gaza should resemble that of Kouchner’s
in Kosovo, “as someone who continuously develops relationships within the
society that will move that society toward more responsibility.” “I wish that
Tony Blair had the same depth and the same commitment in Gaza as he has had in
Kosovo,” he said.
The Latest English LCCC analysis &
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on October 10-11/2025
Towards a Left-Wing Reich in Germany?
Drieu Godefridi/Gatestone Institute/October 10/2025
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/21967/germany-left-wing-reich
[T]he file justifying [classifying Alternative für Deutschland Party] as a
"right-wing extremist" organization] has never been released. There is therefore
a complete absence of adversarial proceedings. The AfD was never consulted, and
even after the fact, it has no right to know why, on what grounds, on the basis
of what evidence and documents, it was excommunicated from the German
"democratic" sphere. How can the AfD effectively
contest a classification when the documents remain secret so that it cannot even
know what it is contesting? How can it challenge the term "far right" when it is
not defined anywhere?
The issue has never been law, but power: the determination of the ruling caste
to cling to authority at any cost, even if it means criminalizing a quarter of
the German population.
In April 2025, for instance, a Bavarian court sentenced David Bendels,
editor-in-chief of Deutschland-Kurier, to seven months' suspended imprisonment.
His "crime"? Publishing a satirical image showing Interior Minister Nancy Faeser
holding a placard reading "I hate freedom of opinion." The court convicted him
of "abuse, defamation or slander against persons in political life."The Network
Enforcement Act reinforces this censorship by forcing internet platforms to
delete content under penalty of fines, thereby further eroding the freedom of
expression "guaranteed" by Article 5 of the German Constitution.
The quarantining of the AfD ensures that the left will remain in power
indefinitely, regardless of election outcomes. This amounts to rule by a single
"party" and a single ideology — that of the ruling caste. Democratic change
through the ballot box in Germany is no longer possible.
As if this were not enough, government circles are now openly considering
banning the AfD altogether, under the fake pretext of "protecting the
constitution." One cannot but recall Germany's
Reichstag fire on February 27, 1933, set by a Dutch communist, which the Nazi
Party instantly used as a pretext to suspend civil liberties and consolidate its
domination of the German state. Germany today offers
the world a disturbing spectacle: a state in its death throes which, under the
guise of democratic virtue, is sinking into authoritarianism. In today's
Germany, the leading opposition party is not treated as a legitimate actor in
the democratic process, but, without any due process, as an enemy within.
Germany today offers the world a disturbing spectacle: a state in its death
throes which, under the guise of democratic virtue, is sinking into
authoritarianism. The erosion of civil liberties is not occurring through a coup
d'état, but by the slow accumulation of administrative, legal and police
measures that shape the contours of a dictatorship as implacable as it is
convinced of its own virtue.
1. The Classification of the AfD by an Administrative Agency
In the spring of 2025, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution
(BfV, Germany's domestic intelligence service) classified the political party
Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) as a "right-wing extremist" organization. This
classification granted the authorities the power to place its members and
supporters under police surveillance without prior judicial authorization,
including measures such as intercepting private communications or the BfV
recruiting informants within the party.
This "judgment" was not delivered by an independent court. It was created by an
administrative agency directly under the authority of the Interior Minister. The
BfV is not even an administrative court; it is a bureaucratic body, issuing
reports and recruiting informants without allowing the parties concerned to
present their case. When an individual or party is labeled "fascist" and
consequently excluded from Germany, is it not desirable that they at least be
granted the right to defend themselves? Well, according to German law in 2025,
the answer is nein.
Worse still, the file justifying this classification has never been released.
There is therefore a complete absence of adversarial proceedings. The AfD was
never consulted, and even after the fact, it has no right to know why, on what
grounds, on the basis of what evidence and documents, it was excommunicated from
the German "democratic" sphere. The AfD is therefore
reduced to appealing to the courts to challenge this label. How can the AfD
effectively contest a classification when the documents remain secret so that it
cannot even know what it is contesting? How can it challenge the term "far
right" when it is not defined anywhere? Since the early Middle Ages, the
tradition of the state based on rule of law — Rechtsstaat in German — has
required that convictions be based on precise and strictly defined charges.
Nullum crimen, nulla poena sine lege. No crime, no punishment without prior
definition. Is the fact that the AfD defends positions more "right-wing" than
other parties sufficient to justify a label? Given that the AfD's program is, on
several points such as the right to bear arms, more "left-wing" than the U.S.
Republican Party, should one conclude that the current U.S. administration is
"super-Nazi"?
This is arbitrariness pure and simple. The issue has never been law, but power:
the determination of the ruling caste to cling to authority at any cost, even if
it means criminalizing a quarter of the German population. Let us not forget:
the former German Democratic Republic (East Germany) also claimed to be
"democratic."Since May 2025, tens of thousands of activists, local elected
officials and ordinary supporters of the AfD, the leading opposition party, have
been subjected to police surveillance without a court order.
In today's Germany, the leading opposition party is not treated as a legitimate
actor in the democratic process, but, without any due process, as an enemy
within.
2. Repression of Free Speech: The Criminalization of Dissent
This repression not only affects AfD leaders, members and activists. It extends
to ordinary citizens. Pensioners, shopkeepers and students are now being
prosecuted for criticizing government policy on immigration, climate or
healthcare. They are treated as criminals, even as terrorists or arsonists, on
charges of "inciting hatred."In April 2025, for instance, a Bavarian court
sentenced David Bendels, editor-in-chief of Deutschland-Kurier, to seven months'
suspended imprisonment. His "crime"? Publishing a satirical image showing
Interior Minister Nancy Faeser holding a placard reading "I hate freedom of
opinion." The court convicted him of "abuse, defamation or slander against
persons in political life."In 2024, a 20-year-old woman appeared before a court
for insulting a convicted rapist in a private WhatsApp exchange. She received a
harsher sentence than the rapist, who was handed only a suspended sentence.
These repressive measures do not target extremists, but ordinary citizens who
dare to contest the ideology favored by the party in power. The Network
Enforcement Act (NetzDG) reinforces this censorship by forcing internet
platforms to delete content under penalty of fines, thereby further eroding the
freedom of expression "guaranteed" by Article 5 of the German Constitution.
This climate of fear — the dread of a police raid at dawn over a comment
on Facebook, a "like," a retweet — is ruthless in its cruelty and devastating in
its effects on public opinion. It is turning Germany into a Potemkin democracy,
where only the official monologue is tolerated.
3. The Quarantined Area: Institutionalized Directed Democracy
Since 2015, an unwritten but inflexible rule has governed the federal parliament
(Bundestag and Bundesrat) and regional parliaments: no coalition may be formed
with the AfD, and no AfD vote will ever be recognized as legitimate. This
Brandmauer (firewall) to relegate the AfD into a quarantine, has the direct
effect of suspending political competition by freezing the political landscape.
Henceforth, Germany lives under the illusion of alternation between Social
Democrats (SPD) and Greens on one side and the Christian Democrats (CDU/CSU) on
the other, all united in their refusal to open up the democratic game to its
actual winner. With 20% of the vote in the last federal election — soon to be
26%, according to polls, and approaching 50% in former East Germany — the AfD is
forcing other parties into unnatural coalitions. Merkel's doctrine reigns
supreme: better for the "right" to govern with the far left than with the AfD.
Even as the German establishment insists this situation is "normal," even noble,
international observers are mercifully beginning to express concern. U.S. Vice
President J.D. Vance recently declared:
"Europe's renunciation of its fundamental values, which are also those of the
United States, is worrying. In a democracy, it is the voice of the people that
matters, and there is no place for cordons sanitaires."
The quarantining of the AfD ensures that the left will remain in power
indefinitely, regardless of election outcomes. This amounts to rule by a single
"party" and a single ideology — that of the ruling caste. Democratic change
through the ballot box in Germany is no longer possible.
4. Towards an Outright Ban on the Opposition
As if this were not enough, government circles are now openly considering
banning the AfD altogether, under the fake pretext of "protecting the
constitution." Annalena Baerbock, former foreign minister from the far-left
Greens party, declared in early 2024: "We must not rule out banning the AfD if
evidence of extremism continues to mount."Saskia Esken, co-chair of the SPD,
added: "The AfD is no longer a democratic party. It is the duty of our
constitutional state to prevent it from acting."Even the once-conservative CDU
has joined the chorus, with Chancellor Friedrich Merz affirming that "all
constitutional instruments must be considered" against the AfD."Criminalizing
25% of the electorate is like placing dynamite beneath a shared house. To
condemn a quarter of the German population to democratic death — denying them
any access to power while repressing even the polite expression of their
opinions on social media — is to invite desperate and violent reactions. These
reactions will inevitably be seized upon by the ruling caste to justify an even
tighter grip on power.
The Shadow of the Reichstag Fire
One cannot but recall Germany's Reichstag fire on February 27, 1933, set by a
Dutch communist, which the Nazi Party instantly used as a pretext to suspend
civil liberties and consolidate its domination of the German state. The very
next day, President Paul von Hindenburg, responding to Hitler's urgent request,
signed the "Decree of the Reich President for the Protection of the People and
the State," invoking Article 48 of the Weimar Republic's constitution. The
decree suspended fundamental civil liberties — freedom of expression, freedom of
the press, freedom of assembly and association, privacy of correspondence and
communications, protection against arbitrary searches and arrests. On this
basis, mass arrests of political opponents were immediately launched. The decree
marked a decisive step in the Nazi Party's seizure of totalitarian power, paving
the way for the elimination of opposition and the establishment of a
dictatorship.Germany today faces a fatal spiral. Either it accepts true
pluralism and freedom of expression — without which democracy cannot exist — or
it succumbs to the temptation of eliminating dissent by judicial and police
means, silencing the only genuine opposition. If that happens, it will not be
the AfD that is destroyed, but German democracy itself.
Any democracy that outlaws its opposition to the ruling party ceases to exist.
A new "Decree for the Protection of the People and the State" — banning the AfD
— would signal nothing less than the death of German democracy.
**Drieu Godefridi is a jurist (University Saint-Louis, University of Louvain),
philosopher (University Saint-Louis, University of Louvain) and PhD in legal
theory (Paris IV-Sorbonne). He is an entrepreneur, CEO of a European private
education group and director of PAN Medias Group. He is the author of The Green
Reich (2020).
© 2025 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do
not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No
part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied
or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.
So that what happened in Gaza never happens again
Faisal J. Abbas/Arab News/October 10, 2025
By any measure, the recent developments in Gaza mark a pivotal moment in the
region’s long and painful history. And while cynics may scoff and skeptics may
roll their eyes, it is time to acknowledge what must be said plainly: US
President Donald Trump deserves credit for his bold and determined efforts to
broker peace in Gaza. Two years after countless failed initiatives, the current
US-led push — chaired personally by the president as head of the newly formed
Board of Peace — seems to be not just another diplomatic gesture with a fancy
name. It has all the attributes of a serious, high-stakes undertaking that, if
supported and sustained, could finally begin to reverse the devastation that has
plagued the Gaza Strip and the Palestinian people. Is the plan perfect? Far from
it. Could it fail? There is definitely a high risk, given the many spoilers.
With an extremist, trigger-happy Israeli government still in power, and a
not-so-encouraging track record of Hamas, the road ahead is treacherous. But
perfection is not the measure of progress. And repeating the same failed UN
mechanisms while expecting different results is, as the famous quote says, the
definition of insanity. I say this while fully and wholeheartedly wishing that
the reality was otherwise. The reality is, unfortunately, that this is more a
case of the Arabic proverb which says “and so cure it with what caused the
illness to start with.”
In other words, this is a matter of resorting to America precisely because
President Trump is the dealmaker that he is, Washington has the leverage and the
trust of Israel, and that everything else has failed so far. My point is having
a plan, with all its faults, is far better than allowing the killing to continue
as a result of having no plan. Besides, pleasing everyone is an illusion and a
recipe for failure in itself. Even within the same political camps, reactions
are and will continue to be divided. In Israel, some see the initiative as a
lifeline for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — a way to climb down from a tree
he has been perched on for far too long. Others argue it unjustly rewards Hamas,
whose refusal to surrender has come at the expense of thousands of innocent
lives and the near-total destruction of Gaza. On the Palestinian side, the
sentiment is understandably bitter. For many, this effort feels like “too
little, too late.” After tens of thousands of deaths, widespread famine and what
a UN agency has now labeled genocide, the scars are deep and trust is thin. Yet
among Hamas ranks, the narrative is spun as a victory — proof that they have not
capitulated. This, of course, ignores the staggering human toll of their
obstinance.The horrors of Oct. 7 and the Israeli genocide committed since must
serve as a wake-up call. The region cannot afford another cycle of vengeance and
victimhood.
But these debates, while important, must not distract from the larger truth:
Trump is not just paying lip service, but is now fully invested as the
chairperson of this peace initiative. That matters. It matters because it places
real pressure on all parties, including Israel, to honor commitments. And it
matters because it limits Netanyahu’s ability to maneuver or escape
accountability under the guise of security concerns.
Arab and Muslim nations have, to their credit, rallied behind the initiative.
Their support is both morally necessary and strategically wise. But let us not
be lulled into premature celebration. The war is not over. The suffering is not
over. And the peace is far from being won. Labeling this effort as anything less
than sincere and serious would be a disservice to the cause of peace. Yes, it is
fresh. Yes, it is fragile. But that fragility demands our full support — not
just in words, but in action. Humanitarian aid must flow freely. Food, shelter,
and medical supplies must reach those in need before winter deepens the crisis.
This is not the time for political posturing or ideological purity tests. It is
the time for pragmatism, compassion, and rapid resolve. If we are truly
committed to ensuring that what happened in Gaza never happens again, then talk
of a two-state solution must follow immediately. Not eventually. Not “when the
time is right.” But now — as that is the only logical and just way to safeguard
against another future atrocity. The horrors of Oct. 7
and the Israeli genocide committed since must serve as a wake-up call. The
region cannot afford another cycle of vengeance and victimhood. The
international community must push for a viable, just, and enforceable resolution
that guarantees security for Israelis and protection, statehood, and dignity for
Palestinians. President Trump’s initiative may not be
perfect, but it is a start. And in a region where starts are rare and hope is
often fleeting, that alone is worth applauding. The question now is whether
Israel and Hamas will rise to meet this moment — or squander it, as they have so
many times before. Let us hope, for the sake of Gaza and for the future of the
region, that they choose wisely.
*Faisal J. Abbas is the Editor-in-Chief of Arab News. X: @FaisalJAbbas
If you want peace, try it
Hassan bin Youssef Yassin/Arab News/October 10, 2025
The world is mad. That is what we have all been saying to ourselves and to
others for a few years now, to the point that we perhaps do not understand
anymore quite what it is that we mean. What madness means by one definition is
“doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results,” as
civil rights campaigner Rita Mae Brown (not Albert Einstein, as commonly
claimed) wrote. The most tragic and damning example is the seemingly endless
cycle of war and reconstruction that Israelis have imposed on Gaza. It has never
made sense to me to seek peace through war. If the objective is to enter into
peace negotiations, then would it not make eminent sense to launch such
negotiations before resorting to war and destruction?
More than 65,000 innocent Gazan civilians have been killed over the last two
years of Israel’s war, with most of Gaza’s infrastructure, homes, hospitals and
schools destroyed. An entire people and their livelihoods have been crushed, yet
those Gazans who did not perish under the bombs will eventually rebuild their
homes and rebuild their lives insofar as they can. This brings us back to the
painful interrogation as to why today’s shuttle diplomacy could not have taken
place two years ago. Some of us seem set on repeating an endless cycle of
violence instead of trying to reason, to talk and to honor peace.
Jane Goodall, who passed away last week, devoted her life to
understanding our closest cousins, the chimpanzees, and subsequently worked
tirelessly to protect them from the destructive dominion of humankind. She
single-handedly showed us not only that other species and the ecosystems they
live in deserve our attention, but that it is well within our means to protect
them and to coexist peacefully with other species, even with nature as a whole.
If one woman can achieve this, how have we other humans still not been able to
end the foolish cycles of war, destruction and reconstruction in favor of
respect, understanding, compromise and peace?
Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries have become an important collective force
for peace, progress and understanding
There are other figures, such as Nelson Mandela and Mahatma Gandhi, who also
devoted their lives to showing us that peace and the common good lie in
tolerance, understanding and mutual respect. In Saudi Arabia, too, centuries of
tribal disputes came to an end when one man, King Abdulaziz, chose quite
unusually to apply kindness and magnanimity to his adversaries, thereby
establishing a new country, which has not ceased to rise to ever greater heights
since.
Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries have become an important collective force
for peace, progress and understanding in the Middle East. Our economies and
societies are evolving through judicious choices and the wisdom of our
leadership, who are also taking bold steps to bridge divides and work toward a
more harmonious and peaceful Middle East. While Gulf countries have been
constructing in every sense of the word, Israel remains hell-bent on destroying.
We want the heartbreaking destruction wreaked upon Gaza these past two years to
be the very last of its sort.
When Israeli leaders get angry, they choose to kill and to destroy, making it
almost impossible for Gazans to exist on a daily basis. They humiliated the
latest Gaza flotilla in a disturbingly similar approach to their mistreatment of
activists whose only cause was peace and the dignity of others. What is the
purpose of constantly destroying, only to rebuild, and repeating this without
end? Peaceful coexistence clearly means not resorting to war. That means, if you
want peace, don’t go to war. Period. It is time for
humanity to finally absorb this very simple lesson. If it means that we avoid
years of war, destruction and needless deaths, why can some people not bring
themselves to recognize the common humanity and dignity in other people and
recognize that they also deserve respect, thereby allowing for compromises that
resolve conflicts peacefully?
There are no people on Earth who would not rather live in peace, understanding
and acceptance instead of being constantly at war.
Israel used to have a significant peace camp. We may not hear much from them
anymore, but there is no doubt that there are still Israelis who would like to
make peace. There are no people on Earth who would not rather live in peace,
understanding and acceptance instead of being constantly at war. By addressing
Israelis, by inviting Israeli activists, academics and analysts, but also
ordinary Israelis, to enter into a relationship and open conversations, we can
revive that spirit in the Israeli public, I am sure. Just by recognizing that
peace and mutual respect are possible, we can break this tragic cycle of
violence. Every tiny step toward a little more understanding is a step toward
peace.
There is an opening today for us to take further steps toward peace. President
Donald Trump holds the key to restraining today’s Israeli leaders and putting
meaningful pressure on them, in the hope that they finally become honest
participants in peace.
There is simply no way round mutual respect and a two-state solution if we are
to avoid endlessly repeating this deadly cycle of violence and destruction. Let
us put all our energies into building peace, by emphasizing the concepts of
compromise and open talks rather than lashing out in violence.
The Middle East has evolved a great deal in recent years, becoming a stronger
participant in the world economy, in technological progress and in the necessary
environmental revolution. Let us also show the way in the Middle East by proving
that it is possible to achieve peace through compromise and understanding.
Regular cultural, social and economic relationships between all peoples who call
the Middle East their home are essential to build the connections and
understanding that we call peaceful coexistence. Let us try peace. And let us
make it permanent.
*Hassan bin Youssef Yassin worked closely with Saudi petroleum ministers
Abdullah Tariki and Ahmed Zaki Yamani from 1959 to 1967. He headed the Saudi
Information Office in Washington from 1972 to 1981 and served with the Arab
League observer delegation to the UN from 1981 to 1983.
New EU defensive initiatives vital in era of hybrid warfare
Luke Coffey/Arab News/October 10, 2025
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday gave a forceful
speech in the European Parliament about the security threats and geopolitical
challenges Europe faces from Russia. Her comments were striking for their
clarity, given how cautious EU officials had previously been in describing
Russia’s behavior. Von der Leyen did not mince her words, stating that Moscow’s
actions amounted to “a coherent and escalating campaign to unsettle our
citizens, test our resolve, divide our union and weaken our support for Ukraine.
And it is time to call it by its name. This is hybrid warfare.”
For European countries, the question of what role the EU should play in defense
has been debated since the early days of integration, even during the time of
the European Coal and Steel Community in the 1950s.
After decades of enlargement, integration and successive treaties that often
centralized power in Brussels at the expense of member states’ sovereignty,
defense has remained the one area in which individual nations have been
reluctant to cede authority. The reason is simple: the decision to go to war —
or not — is still widely seen as a sovereign prerogative that belongs to the
nation state, not a supranational body based in Brussels.
However, since Russia’s large-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the EU
has largely abandoned its grand notions of a unified European army or full
defense consolidation. Instead, it has pursued more helpful and practical steps
to strengthen Europe’s security.
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the EU has pursued more practical steps to
strengthen Europe’s security. In many ways, Russia’s
invasion of Ukraine served as a wake-up call that the idealistic and lofty goals
of a single integrated defense policy were misplaced. Instead, the EU chose to
pursue more effective measures. Among these was the European Commission’s
decision to finance and fund weapons purchases for Ukraine, a country that is
not even an EU member. A decade or two ago, such a move would have been
unthinkable.
The war in Ukraine has also allowed Brussels to move beyond the anxieties caused
by Brexit, recognizing that, regardless of whether the UK is part of the EU, the
continent’s security fate remains deeply intertwined with that of London. This
realization has led to more open-minded thinking in Brussels about military and
defense cooperation with non-EU countries that are still European, like the UK
and Turkiye. The two most recent concrete measures to
enhance Europe’s defense capabilities stand out. The first is the “ReArmEU”
initiative, also known as Readiness 2030. Championed by Von der Leyen, it has
the ambitious goal of securing €800 billion ($930 billion) in public and private
investment for the defense sector across EU member states.
Beyond the financial component, the initiative introduces bureaucratic reforms
designed to streamline defense procurement across the EU and give member states
greater fiscal flexibility — allowing them to bypass certain budget deficit
restrictions if it means increasing investment in their armed forces.
However, some countries, including Spain and Italy, considered the term
“ReArmEU” too provocative, which is why the initiative is often referred to as
Readiness 2030 instead.
For American policymakers, especially President Donald Trump, these EU
initiatives are music to their ears. The second major initiative is Security
Action for Europe, or SAFE, which serves as a key component of Readiness 2030.
It provides €150 billion in loans and special financing to strengthen Europe’s
armaments industry. One of the main lessons from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
has been just how munitions-intensive modern warfare is and how depleted
stockpiles across Europe and even in the US have become due to years of
underinvestment.
For American policymakers, especially President Donald Trump, these EU
initiatives are music to their ears. Trump has long focused his engagement with
European counterparts on better burden-sharing within NATO. A majority of EU
member states are also NATO members so, when EU leaders commit to greater
defense spending, it is welcome news in the Oval Office.
However, many American policymakers have also been skeptical of EU defense
initiatives, fearing that, over time, they could undermine NATO’s cohesion by
attempting to supplant the alliance’s role in European defense. But the
pragmatic nature of the EU’s recent actions — moving away from abstract ideas
such as an EU army or new military committees in Brussels and toward concrete
measures like funding for munitions and greater investment in defense
capabilities — has also been welcomed in Washington.
For NATO, these EU efforts complement the commitments made at the alliance’s
June summit, where, under mounting pressure from the Trump administration,
members agreed to spend 5 percent of gross domestic product on defense by 2034.
This represents a significant increase from the current 2 percent target.
But one of the most important points in Von der Leyen’s speech should not
go unnoticed: her explicit reference to hybrid warfare. Bigger defense budgets
can help European countries deter military aggression — and NATO will continue
to lead that effort. But many of Russia’s actions in Europe, from disinformation
campaigns to sabotage incidents and energy coercion, are hybrid threats that
erode Europe’s cohesion without crossing the line into open warfare. These are
challenges NATO is not structured to address, but the EU and its member states
are.
With newfound momentum behind European defense initiatives, the next few years
will be crucial. Will Europe meet its own spending targets and cut the
bureaucratic red tape that slows procurement or will political interest fade
once it becomes clear that reform is easier said than done? The stakes are high.
It is time for Brussels to turn rhetoric into action.
*Luke Coffey is a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute. X: @LukeDCoffey
Turkiye pushes for closer Syria-Turkic states ties
Dr. Sinem Cengiz/Arab News/October 10, 2025
The leaders of the Organization of Turkic States — Turkiye, Azerbaijan,
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan — on Tuesday held a summit in Azerbaijan,
where Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called on his counterparts to
deepen their engagement with the new administration in Damascus.
There were three key takeaways from Erdogan’s speech. First, he called for a
unified Organization of Turkic States response to shared security challenges.
Second, he stressed the need for members to support the stabilization efforts in
Syria by engaging in dialogue with Damascus. Third, he spoke of the importance
of closer coordination between the organization and other international
alliances. The call to deepen ties with the Syrian government stood out as
particularly significant.
During the Syrian war, the Central Asian states of the former Soviet Union drew
significant attention when Kazakhstan’s capital, Astana, emerged as the primary
venue for the peace talks involving Turkiye, Iran and Russia. Just a month
before the fall of Bashar Assad’s regime, it hosted the 22nd round of
negotiations under the Astana peace process.
Many speculated that the fall of Assad could prompt a change in the Central
Asian states’ approach to Syria
Kazakhstan was seen as a trusted intermediary due to its long-standing
relationship with the Syrian regime and its close ties with Russia, Assad’s most
steadfast ally. Following the collapse of the Assad regime, many speculated that
this power shift could prompt a change in the Central Asian states’ approach to
Syria, given their past relations. However, Organization of Turkic States
members reaffirmed their support for Syria’s unity, stability, territorial
integrity and postwar reconstruction under the new administration.
But the Central Asian Turkic states still face significant constraints in terms
of establishing a closer relationship with the new Syrian leadership. Aside from
Turkiye, which maintains the closest ties with Damascus, Azerbaijan has taken
notable steps toward building relations with President Ahmad Al-Sharaa.
In July, Baku hosted Al-Sharaa in a short but symbolically important visit.
During the visit, the two sides discussed economic development and energy
cooperation and signed a memorandum of understanding on the energy sector.
Reports indicate that Azerbaijan plans to supply natural gas to Syria via
Turkiye. There were also discussions on the potential use of facilities operated
by the Turkish state energy company BOTAS, with plans to utilize the newly
constructed Kilis-Aleppo pipeline. Azerbaijan has also expressed an interest in
participating in Syria’s onshore and offshore oil and gas exploration and
production.
Ankara is attempting to draw the Turkic states closer to its allies and position
itself as a bridge between the Levant and Central Asia
The Syrian government has also reached out to Uzbekistan, sending its foreign
minister to meet with his Uzbek counterpart. Their talks focused on supporting
the reconstruction of Syria’s socioeconomic infrastructure, signaling a broader
effort to engage between Syria and Central Asian states.
Turkiye is seeking support from the Turkic nations for the maintenance of
Syria’s stability, which is vital not only for the Levant and Middle East but
also the Caucasus and Central Asia. During the Syrian war, several nationals
from Central Asian states joined the ranks of Daesh. According to reports, some
40 percent of the overall number of militants joining the extremist group were
from the former Soviet states. This situation raised serious concerns among
Central Asian states about the potential threat posed by extremist movements to
their domestic security and political stability.
In response, several countries, including Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan,
have launched state-sponsored repatriation and reintegration programs to address
this issue, while Turkmenistan has resisted such measures. Given these security
challenges, Syria’s stability should not only be a strategic priority for
Turkiye and neighboring states, but also for the Central Asian Turkic states.
Russia is another factor in the future of the Turkic states’ relations with
Damascus. Although the organization is not a military alliance — it instead
functions as a political and economic platform — Moscow views it as a competitor
to its own regional integration efforts, such as the Eurasian Economic Union and
the Collective Security Treaty Organization.
Over the past decade, Turkiye has strengthened its ties with the Central Asian
Turkic states in a bid to reduce Russia’s influence over them. Through the sale
of military drones, economic connectivity projects and diplomatic engagement,
Ankara has sought to bypass Moscow’s traditional dominance, which is also what
these states desire.
Moreover, Russia’s war in Ukraine has further increased the importance of
Central Asia as a key transport and trade route. It is part of the Middle
Corridor connecting Asia and Europe, acting as an alternative to the Northern
Corridor via Russia. The Organization of Turkic States now represents most of
the states along the Middle Corridor.
In addition to the Ukraine war, the fall of the Assad regime has also led to a
gradual decline in Russia’s influence in the Middle East and in regions like
Central Asia, creating a power vacuum that Turkiye is increasingly seeking to
fill. Ankara is attempting to capitalize on this new geopolitical conjuncture by
drawing the Turkic states closer to its allies in the region, such as Syria, and
positioning itself as a bridge between the Levant and Central Asia.
However, this strategy is not without challenges. While Turkiye may use its
leverage to encourage greater support for the Al-Sharaa government, it is likely
to take time for the Turkic states to fully embrace the new Syrian
administration. Progress on this strategy depends on several factors, such as
unity among the Organization of Turkic States members, the organization’s
relations with Turkiye, Russian influence over the members, and future
developments within Syria itself.
Still, Turkiye’s goal of stronger ties between the Turkic states and Syria is
significant and could impact several dynamics in the years to come.
**Dr. Sinem Cengiz is a Turkish political analyst who specializes in Turkiye’s
relations with the Middle East. X: @SinemCngz
France: Life Without a Government
Amir Taheri/Asharq Al-Awsat/October 10/2025
The following could have appeared in the small-ads section of one of the free
newspapers distributed in the Paris Metro:
“Desperately seeking a Prime Minister, contact Marianne.”
Marianne is the fictive damsel who serves as a symbol of the French Republic in
the form of statuettes at town halls and on postage stamps. Marianne’s urgent
demand is prompted by the resignation of Sebastien Lecornu, the fifth prime
minster named by President Emmanuel Macron in just two years. Lecornu’s
government set an historic global record of shortlivedness by lasting just 820
minutes. The pattern established in the past two years shows that finding a
prime minister is more and more difficult as no one wants to be PM while
everyone dreams of becoming president. And even if a new stopgap PM is found
before this column appears, it is not certain he or she would do any better than
his or her five immediate predecessors. The root cause of the problem is that
the Fifth French Republic was designed as a monarchy disguised as a republic and
thus vulnerable to challenges of both systems.
In it if the president holds a majority in the National Assembly, he could
become the envy of any of the Louis in bygone days. Without controlling the
parliament, however, he is reduced to a costly décor and even become
embarrassing. The French media has covered the current situation with a mixture
of hysteria and resignation. Words such as crisis and phrases such as
existential threat are bandied about by eggheads on small screen, pundits in
newspapers and politologues from provincial academies. We spent almost two days
trying to gauge the public response by talking at random to the so-called
“man-in-the street” in various Parisian arrondissements. What we did was not an
opinion poll but nevertheless came as a surprise. Almost everyone we talked to
appeared to be relaxed about what one shopkeeper described as “the childish
quarrels of politicians.”A senior civil servant at the Agriculture Ministry went
further by asserting that “the sky hasn’t fallen yet, has it?”
A partner in a consulting firm called it “comedia del arte French style.”At the
end of our unscientific investigation, we were haunted by this question: What if
a period without a formal government does as much good to a bloated political
system as a spell of dieting to an obese man? Without falling for anarchist
fantasies, one might ask what governments at least in Western democracies do?
The main thing they do is to take your money and spend it on your behalf the way
they wish, including social bribes to their segments of the electorate. The
Robin Hood method, now a general pattern, was not always so massively
applied.During the Victorian Era, when England and Western Europe, thanks to the
Industrial Revolution, enjoyed the fastest economic growth in history, the state
controlled around six percent of the gross domestic product (GDP) compared to an
average of 55 percent today.
Even during the Napoleonic Wars that figure didn’t exceed 12 percent. In those
days the balance of power between state and society was mostly in favor of the
latter. Most of the 3,000 or so inventions that shaped the modern world came
from private individuals and groups with no state subsidies. Back to France
today: The country hasn’t had an effective government for two years. Yet it has
continued to enjoy decent economic growth, an unemployment rate comparable to
the rest of the industrialized world, and inflation lower than in Britain not to
mention Türkiye or Iran. After two years of no real government France is no
worse than it was before the current “existential crisis” began.
Hundreds of new patents have been registered and foreign direct investment is
unexpectedly high. Number of tourists has hit a record making France one of top
three most visited countries. On a broader level, hospitals, schools,
universities, research centers, libraries and museums, not to mention factories
and shops, continued to function as before while the 20 million citizens who
enjoy pensions and/or subsidies of various forms received their checks because
there is no administrative shut-down as in the US. Needless to say, the widest
choice of restaurants in the world continues to offer delicious food. This
autumn the French literary scene will celebrate the largest ever number of new
novels in bookshops. Having virtually no government hasn’t stopped the French
tradition of anti-government riots either. We have had three in the last two
months and will have another next week even if a sixth prime minister is found.
Who cares if there is no government; we must assert our Frenchness by rioting
against the government. Government-less France has scored several historic
victories in sport including in various football tournaments.
The cherry on top came Tuesday when France won the Nobel Prize for
Physics.Parisian pundits mention the failure to pass a national budget for 2026
as catastrophe to frighten the bourgeois with their jeremiad. But what if having
no new budget is beneficial?
If there is no budget the 2025 budget will be extended for 2026.
Then what happens?
To start with there would be no new taxes, a relief to a society crushed by tax.
There would also be no new rules and regulations in the name of environmental,
social and solidarity concerns not to mention alternative life-styles or
compensation for real or imaginary victims. A useless but costly referendum in
New Caledonia will also be scrapped. No new budget
also prevents the state from hiring new people for a bloated bureaucracy or
spending money on sweetheart deals and prestige projects. Even better, you won’t
have to raise pensions and subsidies in line with inflation which means
preventing an increase in government expenditure while continuing to collect
taxes set in 2025. That causes a drop in budget deficit which could mean less
borrowing thus reducing national debt and curbing interest rates. The experience
might make people rethink the balance of power between state and society in a
modern democracy.
On Gaza, Palestine, and October 7!
Hazem Saghieh/Asharq Al-Awsat/October 10/2025
Only a few dispersed and reluctant voices were raised in opposition to the
“Trump Plan” for ending the Gaza war. It is not that the voices believe in the
plan, nor that its flawlessness exonerates it from rebuke. If the plan is indeed
susceptible to being challenged, and it is, then far less problematic proposals
would, in the past, be ridiculed and derided as reminders of the suffering that
“white man” had caused us over a long and dark era.
Naturally, it is difficult to slander a plan that presents itself as a path for
ending the carnage when we know that the horror of Israel’s relentless genocide
has not prevented its perpetuation. It is also difficult to slander that which a
clear majority of Palestinians humbly values and clings to. Nonetheless, those
who would typically overlook the loss of life in the name of “the cause” in the
past, or rather light the fire of “the cause” with the desired corpses, paying
no consideration to the wishes of the Palestinians, have been behaving
noticeably differently this time around.
We can rule out the assumption that preventing more deaths compelled these
people to remain silent, or to even announce their approval, based on what we
know about most of them, their sentiments, and the way they think. The more
likely explanation is that “the cause” as such has, given the balance of power
that has taken shape, become so frail that its recovery seems all but
impossible. One ramification is that defending Hamas’s presence in Gaza has
become an impossible task, as even some of its friends have concluded, since the
world and the region essentially unanimously agree that there is a need to get
rid of this presence. The Rejectionists, who are now ones to promise or shy away
from demagoguery, have acquired the virtue of muteness as a result of losing
their capacity to speak, let alone pursue any kind of plan or strategy.
Reaching rock open was aptly made possible, almost exactly two years ago, by the
"flood" of the seventh of October 2023, whose many admirers already glorified;
breathing life into “the cause" was not the least of their characterizations,
and "liberating Palestine from the river to the sea" was not the greatest.
We now find humanitarian themes at the forefront as political themes atrophy and
recede. In fact, we might now be before a Palestinian population without a
Palestinian cause- that is, a devastated and tortured population who deserve to
lead lives fit for human beings and for the sword of Israeli murder to be lifted
off of their heads. Arab and international political efforts to establish a
Palestinian state will certainly continue, but achieving this goal has, since
and because of October 7, become immeasurably more difficult than it had been
before. It seems that this "glorious day" was more like the hideous culmination
of the darkest trajectory of “the cause:” the dimension of the cause that
associated it with civil wars and armed resistance, while associating this
resistance with Arab nationalist or Islamist, but always tyrannical, regimes.
Meanwhile, the political trajectory of “the cause,” which culminated in the
Madrid and Oslo conferences, was constantly vilified and demonized.
Accordingly, just as the 1967 defeat replaced the slogan "erasing the traces of
aggression" with the slogan "liberating Palestine," the erosion has resumed,
with the "humanitarian" replacing the "political" and Gaza replacing Palestine.
As for “the cause" that remains, it is “the cause" of the Iranian regime, which
must now confront the world without the belt of the "Palestinian cause.” Iran
has, alongside its Lebanese and Yemeni subordinates, itself become its only and
last line of defense. This state of affairs is enough to demonstrate that the
plan developed by the Iranian revolution and its regime has shattered, and that
the billions and the immense effort put into this pursuit have come to nothing.
The shift from the previous phase of quasi-internationalist and
revolution-exporting glut, a phase that first emerged with the Iran-Iraq War, to
the current state of affairs wherein the "revolution" is practically confined to
one country, will probably have major repercussions that Iranian domestic
politics cannot escape.
In turn, Israel might be made, should the American plan succeed, to pay a price
that, though it would not eclipse Israel’s military victory, does not overlook
its political and public opinion defeat. In this event, with or without
elections, Benjamin Netanyahu, along with the extremist religious parties and
settler mobs, looms as the potential price to be paid.
In any case, we stand before a future that remains far more obscure than it is
discernible. What is certain, however, is that October 7 and its repercussions
urge us to make radical reassessments that have yet to begin, and to adopt
policies and slogans imbued with some modesty and consideration for the balance
of power. More than that, the entire Levant seems to be in the grips of an
existential and civilizational crisis pounding it from top to bottom. Israel’s
violence and the ramifications of this violence are one dimension of this
crisis, but another prominent dimension is "the cause" that had molded the
resistance operation against Israel on October 7.
Selected English Tweets from X Platform For 10
October/2025
Pope Leo XIV
Those who suffer know how great even a small gesture of affection can be, and
how much relief it can bring. No sign of affection, even the smallest, will ever
be forgotten by the Lord, especially if it is shown to those who are suffering,
lonely, or in need. #DilexiTe
Pope Leo XIV
Every man and woman of our time has a deep need for hope and peace dwelling in
their heart. Consecrated men and women can be messengers of harmony through your
words and example, as people who bear within yourselves, by the grace of God,
the mark of reconciliation and unity.
Pope Leo XIV
Every human being carries within his or her heart a profound longing for truth,
for meaning, and for communion with others and with God. This yearning rises
from the depths of our being. For this reason, the right to religious freedom is
not optional but essential. https://vatican.va/content/leo-xi
Orthodox LF
Lebanon and Syria are cooperating to end "councils" established by Assad in 1991
to occupy Lebanon even further.Sharaa's government is also preventing Hezbollah
from smuggling weapons and captagon. But they want you to think that they are
our enemy because "muh sunnis"
Ray nd of the Cedars
Cowards! You hit the nail on the head!
Unfortunately Lebanon is doomed to collapse thanks to these leaders. As to the
christian ones no room to mention their dhimmitude and their subservience to
foreign axes, still talking about the armistice agreement with Israel, not about
peace
Habeeb Habeeb
I am going to shame my Lebanese people. Lebanese politicians are afraid of the
law that bans dialoguing with Israel, yet they allow Hezbollah to openly partner
with an outside country and conspire against Lebanon. They sold Lebanon to Iran
and Syria! What more do you need?
All of you are cowards and not worth anything. Otherwise, you would demand
accountability from Hezb-Iran and start peace negotiations with Israel! The
entire region around you has been turned upside down while you sit and wait, and
while the Lebanese people suffer!
Zéna Mansour
non has been sold out through the alliance of:
➖1. The right-wing
➖2. The left-wing groups
➖3. The Shia & Sunni political Islam
All 3 are employed by regional axes with declared agendas and no longer
represent the best interests of Lebanon.
Dr. Maalouf
BREAKING: Pro-Palestinian Islamists take over the streets of Montreal, Canada.
Despite the war being over, they say their work is not done and the protests
will continue.
It was never about Palestine, it’s about destroying the West.
Charles Elias Chartouni
The right choice at the right time. It’s about time to acknowledge and support
the struggle of the Venezualian people against the fascist leftist dictatorship
headed by the bloody moron Nicolas Maduro and his handlers the mafioso generals
and the drug cartels.
Natalia ܢܐܬܐܠܝ
Prime Minister Netanyahu, in his 2025 UN General Assembly speech, has called on
the Lebanese government to enter direct negotiations with Israel for peace;
under one clear condition: the disarmament of Hezbollah “the terrorist militia”.
But why has his call found no echo in Beirut?
Why does the Lebanese leadership keep blocking peace, time after time?
And why are we (the Lebanese who believe in peace with our neighbors) always
silenced, oppressed, and treated as traitors for simply wanting a better future
for our country?
Barack Obama
After two years of unimaginable loss and suffering for Israeli families and the
people of Gaza, we should all be encouraged and relieved that an end to the
conflict is within sight; that those hostages still being held will be reunited
with their families; and that vital aid can start reaching those inside Gaza
whose lives have been shattered. More than that, though, it now falls on
Israelis and Palestinians, with the support of the U.S. and the entire world
community, to begin the hard task of rebuilding Gaza – and to commit to a
process that, by recognizing the common humanity and basic rights of both
peoples, can achieve a lasting peace.
Orthodox LF
The Lebanese-Syrian higher council has been suspended. It was founded originally
by Elias Hrawi and Hafez el Assad to allow Syria to extend its control over
Lebanon.In a recent visit from the Syrian FM to the Lebanese FM in Beirut, it
was suspended.
Youssef Raggi
I met with a delegation from the Economic and Social Council, led by its
President, Mr. Charles Arbid, and was briefed on the ongoing preparations for
the “Beirut One” Investment Conference, which will be organized by the Ministry
of Economy and Trade in partnership with the Council, under the patronage of the
President of the Republic, General Joseph Aoun, on 18–19 November 2025. The
delegation highlighted the important role of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in
ensuring the success of the conference, particularly by encouraging the active
participation of the Lebanese diaspora whose potential and expertise are seen as
vital to revitalizing the national economy and contributing to Lebanon’s broader
economic recovery.
Youssef Raggi
The bilateral meeting with the Syrian Foreign Minister followed by expanded
discussions, was both fruitful and constructive. It laid the groundwork for a
new phase in our relations, founded on mutual respect for the sovereignty of
both nations. We addressed the outstanding issues and agreed to establish joint
committees to follow up on them. I welcomed the Syrian government’s decision to
suspend the work of the Lebanese-Syrian Higher Council, in the hope that it will
soon be dissolved altogether. Minister Shaibani affirmed that the current Syrian
leadership seeks to shift relations with Lebanon away from the security-driven
approach of the past toward a more advanced political and economic partnership
that serves the interests of both peoples.