English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For  October 12/2025
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news

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Bible Quotations For today
Blessed is that slave whom his master will find at work when he arrives
Matthew 24/45-51: "‘Who then is the faithful and wise slave, whom his master has put in charge of his household, to give the other slaves their allowance of food at the proper time? Blessed is that slave whom his master will find at work when he arrives. Truly I tell you, he will put that one in charge of all his possessions. But if that wicked slave says to himself, "My master is delayed", and he begins to beat his fellow-slaves, and eats and drinks with drunkards, the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour that he does not know. He will cut him in pieces and put him with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on October 11-12/2025
Israel is answering your debauchery, bragging and macho posturing/Elias Bejjani/October 11/2025
He Who Rolls a Stone Will Have It Roll Back on Him/Elias Bejjani/October 10/2025
President Aoun condemns Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon
1 dead, 7 hurt and dozens of bulldozers destroyed in heavy Israeli strikes on Msayleh
Hezbollah condemns Israeli strike on South Lebanon, urges Lebanese state to take a firm stance
Lebanon Condemns Pre-Dawn Israeli Strikes that Killed One
Israeli strike targets vehicle in South Lebanon's Qalaouiyeh
Lebanon reviews $16.5 billion dispute as depositors await clarity on their funds
Foreign Ministry condemns Israeli strike on Msayleh as 'blatant violation' of Lebanon's sovereignty
Suspending the past: Lebanon and Syria suspend joint council, signaling a new phase in ties
Al-Musailih Raids... Security and Political Messages
Did Israel Target Berri?/Ahmad Ayyash/Nidaa Al-Watan/October 12, 2025
Bassil: FPM rejects any infringement on powers of both the President and the PM

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on October 11-12/2025
US envoys Witkoff, Kushner visited Gaza Strip: Israeli army
Hamas official says disarmament ‘out of the question’
Gazans Stream Back Home as Ceasefire Holds
Top US military commander visits Gaza, reaffirms no US troops to be deployed there
Egypt, US discuss Sharm El-Sheikh summit on Gaza
Trump’s Arab American supporters hail Gaza deal but worry it won’t hold
‘We finally feel hope’ Israeli crowds yearn for hostage release
Hamas Official Says Palestinian Movement to Miss Gaza Peace Deal Formal Signing
Israel Moves Prisoners Ahead of Gaza Deal Exchange as US Troops Land
Macron to Attend Egypt Summit on Gaza Peace Plan Next Week
US announces deal for Qatar air force facility in Idaho
3 Qatari diplomats killed in car crash while heading to Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh
Foreign press group urges immediate access to Gaza after ceasefire
Türkiye, Iraq Reach Draft Deal on Water-sharing
Former US President Biden Undergoing Radiation Therapy for Cancer
France's Re-appointed Prime Minister Lecornu Calls for Calm amid Political Chaos
Syrian Officials to Hold Talks with Turkish FM in Ankara on Sunday

Titles For The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources on October 11-12/2025
John Ford and John Wayne Talking/Alberto M. Fernandez/American Mind/October 11/2025
Why Iran's Oil Sales Must Be Stopped/Majid Rafiadeh/Gatestone Institute/October 11/2025
So that what happened in Gaza never happens again/Faisal J. Abbas/Arab News/11 October/ 2025
Two years of sheer hell, and it is not finished/Yossi Mekelberg/Arab News/October 11, 2025
Selected English Tweets from X Platform For 11 October/2025

The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on October 11-12/2025
Israel is answering your debauchery, bragging and macho posturing
Elias Bejjani/October 11/2025
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/10/148125/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXKbS6-ruv0
Nabih Berri’s weeping and lamentations; Hezbollah’s and Jumblatt’s hollow condemnations; the demagogic narratives from the brigade of advisers in the presidential Baabda Palace; and the opportunistic, vomitous rhetoric of the merchants and liars who call themselves the “resistance” and “liberation” — the cowards, charlatans and political flock who preach anti-Israel hatred — have done nothing to slow or stop Israel’s self-defense.
Wake up. Stop calling for drowning Israel in the sea, killing Jews, praying in Jerusalem, or erecting a mullah-run republic in Lebanon. Your reckless, preaching rhetoric will not save you — it will bury you. Accept the consequences of your words and deeds, or be consumed by them.
Pack up your tin weapons, hand them over to the state, make peace with the State of Israel, and apologize to the Lebanese people for your crimes, your obscenities and your terrorism.

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.

President Aoun condemns Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon
NAJIA HOUSSARI/Arab News/October 11, 2025
BEIRUT: President Joseph Aoun on Saturday condemned Israeli strikes on civilian sites in southern Lebanon, which reportedly killed at least one person. “The seriousness of the latest attack stems from the fact that it comes after the ceasefire agreement in Gaza,” he added, questioning whether Israel now sought to expand its attacks on Lebanon. The Health Ministry said the raids killed a Syrian national and injured seven people, including two Syrian women, on the outskirts of Msaileh Al-Najjarieh, Saida. The victim, who lived in Ain Qenia in the Hasbaya district, was identified as Hazem Kabul, a truck driver delivering vegetables from the south to other regions. The attack also injured his sister, who was traveling with him in the truck.
In a statement, the Lebanese Foreign Ministry said that the attack “constitutes a blatant violation of UN Resolution 1701 and the ceasefire agreement, which Israel continues to disregard.”The ministry warned that “the ongoing hostilities could hinder the Lebanese army’s national efforts to implement its plan aimed at confining weapons to the hands of the legitimate forces, and preserving security and stability in southern Lebanon.”
Israeli warplanes carried out 10 raids that shook neighboring towns, targeting the outskirts of the Msaileh highway leading to Al-Najjarieh and the adjacent valley, causing significant damage. The town is home to the residence of Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, who negotiates on behalf of Hezbollah with foreign parties. Al-Najjarieh’s mayor, Abbas Hallal, told Arab News that “the location of the raids is only 200 meters from Nabih Berri’s residence,” adding that he “visits the property now and then.” Zafer Nasser, secretary-general of the Progressive Socialist Party, told Arab News that “an attack of such magnitude surely carries several messages to many recipients, one of whom might be Nabih Berri and others.”He added: “The attacks send a clear message that nowhere in Lebanon is safe. By targeting Msaileh, they carry a direct message to Nabih Berri.”
Nasser believes that “the countries backing the ceasefire deal must stop Israel’s ongoing attacks, as it hasn’t abided by the agreement and has shown no commitment to it since the day it came into force.”An official source told Arab News that the Foreign Ministry’s statement was clear in asserting that the attack “aims to undermine the state monopoly on arms that Lebanon is upholding and the Lebanese army is enforcing.”
But the source added at the same time that “the strike may also be a message to Parliament Speaker Berri to pressure Hezbollah into agreeing to hand over its weapons.”The airstrikes destroyed more than 300 vehicles, including bulldozers and excavators. The showrooms that were destroyed and damaged are among the largest and most prominent heavy machinery showrooms in Lebanon. They also caused severe damage to the power grid, shattered the windows of dozens of homes, shops, and commercial establishments hundreds of meters away from the strike site. The targeted area is known for being a mixed region, home to people of different religious sects. Hallal told Arab News: “The cost of the damage is estimated at around $50 million. This area is well known in Lebanon as a center for selling bulldozers and excavators, attracting buyers from all over the country.”
He confirmed that the area had “never been targeted by Israel during the recent war, nor had any warnings been issued to evacuate it.”
An unexploded missile remains at the site. The Engineering Regiment of the Lebanese Army said in a statement that “it will wait for 72 hours as the missile’s batteries are still active, after which it will be transferred to a safe location for controlled detonation.”
Public Works and Transport Minister Fayez Rasamny visited the attack site and assessed the damage on behalf of the president and the prime minister. Interior Minister Ahmed Al-Hajjar and Labor Minister Mohammed Haidar also visited the area and toured nearby homes that sustained damage.
Rasamny described the event as a “massacre and a crime. We will confront it through our unity.”Since the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon came into effect on Nov. 27, 2025, through US-French mediation, Israel has launched near-daily airstrikes on border areas and deep into the south, reaching as far as the Lebanese-Syrian border. These strikes resulted in the killing of more than 200 people, including Hezbollah members and civilians, including children. Speaking about the attack, Berri said: “Be it in its form and substance, its timing and location, or in the objectives it targeted, it will not change our convictions, our principles, or those of our people, who once again, with their lives, their homes, and their livelihoods, are paying the price for their attachment to their land and their legitimate right to a dignified life.”Berri stated that what happened “is not an aggression against Msayleh, its residents, and the owners of its industrial facilities, but rather an aggression against all of Lebanon that targeted both Christians and Muslims.”
The Israeli military, meanwhile, claimed that it “targeted and dismantled a Hezbollah infrastructure in southern Lebanon, where engineering machinery was being used to rebuild the terrorist infrastructure.”It noted that “the presence of this machinery, along with Hezbollah’s activity in the area, constitutes a violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon.” The Israeli military claimed Hezbollah “continues its efforts to rebuild terrorist infrastructure throughout Lebanon, using the Lebanese population as human shields.” It vowed to “continue its operations to remove any threat to Israel.”

1 dead, 7 hurt and dozens of bulldozers destroyed in heavy Israeli strikes on Msayleh
Associated Press/October 11, 2025
Israel carried out intense airstrikes on southern Lebanon early Saturday, killing one person, wounding seven and briefly cutting a highway that links Beirut with parts of south Lebanon, the Health Ministry said. The pre-dawn airstrikes on the village of Msayleh struck a place that sold heavy machinery, destroying a large number of vehicles. A vehicle carrying vegetables that happened to be passing by at the time of the strikes was hit, killing one person and wounding another, according to Hezbollah's Al-Manar TV. The Health Ministry later said that the one slain was a Syrian citizen, while the wounded were a Syrian national and six Lebanese, including two women. The Israeli military claimed it struck a place where machinery was stored to be allegedly used to rebuild infrastructure for Hezbollah. Since the 14-month Israel-Hezbollah war ended in late November with a U.S.-brokered ceasefire, Israel has carried out almost daily airstrikes killing dozens of people. Israel accuses Hezbollah of trying to rebuild its capabilities after the group suffered heavy losses during the war. Earlier this month, the U.N. human rights chief, Volker Türk, called for renewed efforts to bring a permanent end to hostilities in Lebanon following the war. He said that until the end of September, they have verified 103 civilians killed in Lebanon since the ceasefire. The most recent Israel-Hezbollah war killed more than 4,000 people in Lebanon, including hundreds of civilians, and caused an estimated $11 billion worth of destruction, according to the World Bank. In Israel, 127 people died, including 80 soldiers. The war started when Hezbollah began firing rockets across the border on Oct. 8, 2023, a day after a deadly Hamas-led incursion into southern Israel sparked the war in Gaza. Israel responded with shelling and airstrikes in Lebanon, and the two sides became locked in an escalating conflict that became a full-blown war in late September 2024.

Hezbollah condemns Israeli strike on South Lebanon, urges Lebanese state to take a firm stance
LBCI/October 11, 2025
Hezbollah condemned the Israeli strike early Saturday on the Msayleh–Najjarieh road in South Lebanon, which resulted in several civilian deaths and injuries as well as significant damage to property and livelihoods. The group described the attack as part of Israel’s ongoing, deliberate targeting of civilians and economic infrastructure aimed at preventing residents from returning to normal life. In a statement, Hezbollah said the “ongoing Israeli aggression against Lebanon, its people, and its sovereignty reflects continuous Zionist arrogance and brutality carried out under the watch of the countries guaranteeing the ceasefire and its monitoring committee, amid Arab and international silence and full American cover that emboldens Israel to persist in its attacks.”The statement called for nationwide solidarity and urged the Lebanese state to take a firm stance commensurate with the level of existing threats and challenges. Hezbollah also pressed for an intensified diplomatic and political campaign, including the submission of an urgent complaint to the U.N. Security Council to pressure Israel to halt its violations. “The Israeli aggression cannot continue unchecked and must be confronted,” the group said. “The state must assume its national responsibilities toward its people and act as their protector and guardian. We salute our steadfast and honorable people who stand firm in the face of aggression, offering great sacrifices to affirm their right to their land and to live with dignity in their homeland.”

Lebanon Condemns Pre-Dawn Israeli Strikes that Killed One
Asharq Al Awsat/October 11/2025
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun condemned Israel on Saturday for carrying out intense pre-dawn strikes on civilian facilities that the health ministry said killed at least one person. "Once again, southern Lebanon has been the target of a heinous Israeli aggression against civilian installations -- without justification or pretext," Aoun said. "The seriousness of this latest attack lies in the fact that it comes after the ceasefire agreement in Gaza."The Lebanese health ministry said an Israeli strike left one person dead and seven others wounded in al-Msayleh. The ministry later said that the one slain was a Syrian citizen, while the wounded were a Syrian national and six Lebanese, including two women. The strikes hit a place that sold heavy machinery, destroying a large number of vehicles. The Israeli military said it attack an area where machinery was stored to be used to rebuild infrastructure for Hezbollah. Since the 14-month Israel-Hezbollah war ended in late November with a US-brokered ceasefire, Israel has carried out almost daily airstrikes killing dozens of people.

Israeli strike targets vehicle in South Lebanon's Qalaouiyeh
LBCI/October 11, 2025
An Israeli airstrike targeted on Saturday a vehicle in Qalaouiyeh in Bint Jbeil district.

Lebanon reviews $16.5 billion dispute as depositors await clarity on their funds
LBCI/October 11, 2025
Lebanese depositors seeking to know how much of their savings they might recover may find the answer tied to the country’s ongoing $16.5 billion financial dispute, and to who will ultimately bear its cost. According to the Banque du Liban (BDL), the $16.5 billion represents funds it spent on behalf of the state over the years to cover dollar-denominated expenses. BDL now insists the government must repay that amount so it can, in turn, return depositors’ money. However, the Finance Ministry refuses to recognize the debt, arguing that it neither acknowledges the obligation nor has the means to repay it. Meanwhile, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is also reluctant to see Lebanon’s public debt increase, preferring instead to reduce the government’s liabilities before extending any new financial support.

Foreign Ministry condemns Israeli strike on Msayleh as 'blatant violation' of Lebanon's sovereignty
LBCI/October 11, 2025
Lebanon’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants strongly condemned Israel’s continued attacks on Lebanese sovereignty, the latest of which targeted the Msayleh area in the Sidon district, causing extensive damage, killing one person, and injuring seven others. In a statement, the ministry said, “This attack constitutes yet another blatant violation of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701 and the agreement on the cessation of hostilities, which Israel continues to disregard.”The ministry warned that the ongoing assaults undermine national efforts led by the Lebanese Army to implement its plan to confine all weapons to legitimate state forces and preserve security and stability in southern Lebanon.

Suspending the past: Lebanon and Syria suspend joint council, signaling a new phase in ties
LBCI/October 11, 2025
During Syria’s political and military tutelage over Lebanon from 1990 onward, Damascus entrenched its dominance at the expense of Lebanon’s sovereignty. A cornerstone of that control was the “Treaty of Brotherhood, Cooperation and Coordination,” signed on May 23, 1991, by Lebanese President Elias Hrawi and Syrian President Hafez al-Assad. The treaty paved the way for 42 agreements and cooperation protocols between the two countries up to 2010, some of which were ratified by parliament and others left pending, many of which were viewed as unfair to Lebanon. The accords granted Syria wide influence over Lebanon’s security, economy, and resources, including agreements on the distribution of Orontes River waters, free trade in locally produced goods, and agricultural cooperation. These deals sparked public backlash, as young Lebanese protesters opposing Syrian control were suppressed, while farmers and industrialists complained that the terms made fair competition impossible. Syria’s recent decision, endorsed by Lebanon, to suspend the work of the Lebanese-Syrian Higher Council marks a major political shift. The move stops short of full cancellation, which would require a legal act passed by both the Lebanese Parliament and the People's Assembly of Syria, since laws can only be repealed by other laws. Therefore, the suspension is seen as a politically significant step awaiting legal formalization. A key question now arises: what will happen to the existing agreements? According to legal experts, they must be reviewed, with the most inequitable ones either annulled or amended to restore balance, a process that also requires parliamentary approval. Under the Vienna Convention governing international treaties, any agreement signed under threat or coercion, in violation of the United Nations Charter, is deemed invalid. This provision applies to the 1991 Treaty of Brotherhood and Cooperation, which was concluded under Syrian military domination. Although Lebanon and Syria established formal diplomatic relations in 2008, the Higher Council remained in place, as Syrian allies in Lebanon resisted its dissolution. However, its work had effectively frozen since 2012, when the Arab League suspended Syria’s membership following the outbreak of the Syrian uprising. While the recent suspension requires legal measures to terminate its remaining effects, politically it signals the end of a long and contentious chapter in Lebanese-Syrian relations, and the beginning of a new phase that calls for clearer, more balanced, and truly sovereign ties between two neighboring independent states.

Al-Musailih Raids... Security and Political Messages
Nidaa Al-Watan/October 12/ 2025 (Translated from Arabic)
Has Israel shifted its focus to Lebanon after the launch of the first phase of the "Trump Plan" to end the war in Gaza? This question was raised by observers following the unprecedented series of strikes executed by the Israeli warplanes at dawn on Saturday, which targeted six showrooms for bulldozers and excavators on the Al-Musailih - Zahrani road in South Lebanon. The raids led to one death and a number of injuries, and the destruction of over 300 vehicles after they caught fire, with material losses estimated at millions of dollars. The Israeli army, meanwhile, stated that the raids targeted "Hezbollah" infrastructure used to store engineering machinery designated for the reconstruction of military sites.
Following political sources indicated to "Nidaa Al-Watan" that the Al-Musailih strikes constituted a sudden escalation, as they came concurrently with the "Gaza Truce," which was hoped to extend to Lebanon, but it seems they carried more than one message. According to the same sources, Saturday's raids suggest that Lebanon, despite the positive developments in Gaza, remains in the eye of the storm and within the range of Israeli and American pressures, where the security situation might dramatically deteriorate if practical and actual steps are not initiated to implement the plan to confine illegal weapons. The sources continued that the strikes contain a clear warning message to Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, as they targeted sites close to his residence in Al-Musailih. In local positions, President of the Republic Joseph Aoun asked, "As long as Lebanon was implicated in the Gaza war, under the slogan of supporting its launchers, isn't it now the simplest logic and right to support Lebanon with the model of its truce, especially after all parties unanimously supported it?" Speaker Berri said that the targeting "will not change our convictions and constants, nor the constants and convictions of our people," considering it "not an aggression against Al-Musailih, its people, and the owners of the industrial facilities there, but rather against Lebanon and all its people." Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, who is outside Lebanon, followed up on the repercussions of the Israeli attack by communicating with Ministers Fayez Rassamni, Mohammad Haidar, Ahmed Al-Hajjar, and Yassin Jaber, and was informed of the extent of the damage by the President of the Council of the South, Hashem Haidar, and the head of the Higher Relief Commission, Brigadier General Bassam Al-Nabulsi.
As for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants, it denounced the continued Israeli aggression on Lebanon's sovereignty, which constitutes a new flagrant violation of Resolution 1701 and the agreement to cease hostilities, and stressed that these aggressions impede the national efforts exerted by the army in implementing its plan aimed at confining weapons to the legitimate forces, and preserving security and stability in South Lebanon. Furthermore, the Ministers of Interior, Labor, and Public Works, Ahmed Al-Hajjar, Mohammad Haidar, and Fayez Rassamni, inspected the site of the raids in Al-Musailih. Al-Hajjar stated that the government will do everything required of it to ensure the protection of citizens and maintain their security and stability, adding that all Lebanese are behind the army, as it is the guarantor of continued sovereignty and protection of all Lebanese territories. Haidar, meanwhile, emphasized the importance of "unity in the face of this enemy that targets innocent people, as happened with the family in Bint Jbeil and the daily targetings that occur." Rassamni, in turn, considered that "what happened is a massacre and criminality in every sense of the word, and confronting it requires our unity and upheld dignity."
For its part, "Hezbollah," in a statement, denounced the Al-Musailih attack, calling on the state to bear its national responsibilities towards its people and "take a firm stance commensurate with the existing challenges and threats, and submit an urgent complaint to the Security Council."
The Electoral Law Crisis
The field developments in the South did not obscure the ongoing debate regarding the upcoming parliamentary elections and the electoral law. In this context, the head of the "Lebanese Forces" party, Samir Geagea, stressed at a dinner for the Jbeil coordinator on the importance of "convincing people that their fate is in their own hands... for as people vote in the ballot box, so will be their future." He added, "We should not complain for four years about corruption, power outages, and poor road conditions, and then return to vote for those who caused them... Voting for ineffective candidates is a waste of votes." The media office of the "Lebanese Forces" party had stated in a communiqué that Speaker Nabih Berri's rejection of the repeated urgent draft law, signed by 67 MPs, to the General Assembly, to repeal Article 112, constitutes a departure from the internal regulations of the Parliament and a challenge to the will of a parliamentary majority which alone holds the key to the decision. The statement reminded Speaker Berri that the obstruction of the legislative session rests on his shoulders, and his insistence on the electoral law as is, is not out of keenness for it, but in the context of his efforts to prevent non-residents from voting for the 128 MPs.

Did Israel Target Berri?
Ahmad Ayyash/Nidaa Al-Watan/October 12, 2025 (Translated from Arabic)
A considerable number of officials yesterday flocked to Al-Musailih in the South to express their solidarity with Speaker Nabih Berri, who built a palace in the area decades ago. These visitors showed their support for the owner of the palace, which has become a symbol of the influence of the leader of the "Amal" Movement, not just in Al-Musailih but throughout Lebanon. It has become customary, when Al-Musailih is mentioned, to refer to Berri's palace, as if this area, which existed long before Berri's birth, has been canonized in his name. As much as it is a source of pride for everyone who has loved and still loves the movement's leader and Parliament Speaker since 1992 that Al-Musailih is an area closely associated with him, it is also a source of embarrassment for them and for Berri that the Israeli raids, which destroyed six vehicle showrooms there, were caused by Israel personally targeting Berri. In that case, the state of the Second Presidency becomes obligated to contribute, as much as his capabilities allow, to compensating the owners of these showrooms. One of them yesterday estimated his loss in his showroom at about $5 million.
Berri's circles yesterday appeared highly embarrassed by the portrayal of the event as an Israeli targeting of him. Were it not for the embarrassment, the Second Presidency would have issued a statement saying that His Excellency is merely a resident in Al-Musailih. However, his main place of residence today, for 33 years without interruption, is in Ain El-Tineh in Beirut. Had this statement been issued, it would have firmly stated that Berri's hometown, which he is proud of in the South, is Tibnin, a town relatively close to the border with Israel, where the Crusaders built a famous castle centuries ago that still stands tall today. Berri would not have abandoned permanent residence in Tibnin had Israel not established an occupied strip since the 1970s during the time of Palestinian armed presence, with the borders of this strip almost touching Tibnin until the year 2000 in the adjacent area of Beit Yahoun.
The preceding facts lead to the conclusion that it is better, and to prevent embarrassment, not to link the Israeli raids on Al-Musailih, which is very far from both Ain El-Tineh in Beirut and Tibnin in the South, to Berri's palace in the bombarded area. A significant matter remains regarding the true reason for Israel's raids, which it claimed—unconvincingly—targeted "infrastructure belonging to 'Hezbollah'."
One of the media outlets belonging to the Resistance Axis, spearheaded by the "Amal" Movement and "Hezbollah," provided a thread that represents a window of light in this new tunnel. This thread offers a lifeline from questioning Israel's objectives in targeting the Lebanese Parliament Speaker at this very delicate stage Lebanon is passing through. This media outlet utilized the visit of Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Al-Shaibani to Lebanon the day before yesterday, Friday, and said yesterday: "Officials from security agencies expressed strong reproach towards government officials who deliberately ignored the insults directed at Lebanese security institutions and the direct transgressions by the Syrian Foreign Minister's entourage against Lebanese security personnel during the visit to Lebanon. They viewed this disregard as a message of weakness that encourages the opening of appetite in negotiations between the two governments on several files that require government officials to defend Lebanese interests and not repeat what they used to do, or what their predecessors used to do with officials of the former regime." A retired veteran politician commented, saying, "Perhaps some officials discussed the electoral law with the Syrian visitor, following previous customs, where the law must obtain a Syrian signature to become effective. Therefore, they were annoyed by Speaker Nabih Berri's statement about closing the discussion on amending the law, and considered it a response to the visit for which he did not allocate an appointment in his busy schedule."
This intriguing narrative reported by the Resistance Axis media outlet necessitates a clarification regarding the Al-Shaibani security team's "transgressions" which no one knew about until this outlet spoke of them. We bypass this important aspect and arrive at what is more important, concerning the "electoral law" which "caused Syria's annoyance," as the same media outlet stated. Is it an exaggeration to say that the "electoral law" is also what provoked Israel's anger, leading its warplanes yesterday to launch raids on Al-Musailih to personally harm Berri, as many believed? Many may dismiss this attribution of the "electoral law" to the Al-Musailih raids, and they have the right to this disdain. But those who are convinced by this attribution might argue that Tel Aviv, which was appalled that hundreds of thousands of Lebanese expatriates would be denied the right to vote due to Berri's objection, sees that the latter would deprive Lebanon of MPs who would certainly be part of the anti-"Hezbollah" camp, Berri's ally and Israel's sworn enemy. The pretext of the "electoral law," if contemplated, represents a development that has drawn in Syria, as the Resistance Axis claims, and this pretext may have also drawn in Israel. This is what Lebanon did not need after the calamity of "Hezbollah's" weapons, which has brought and continues to bring disasters upon Lebanon. Consequently, shouldn't the "Amal" leader take precautionary measures and move his current residence in Ain El-Tineh to an unknown location, as his late ally Hassan Nasrallah did from 2006 until his passing last September? Mr. Speaker, think about it.

Bassil: FPM rejects any infringement on powers of both the President and the PM
LBCI/October 11, 2025
In a speech marking the anniversary of October 13, Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) leader Gebran Bassil said the date represented “a beginning, not an end,” describing it as the birth of the movement. Bassil outlined the movement’s main principles, emphasizing Lebanon’s neutrality from regional conflicts and the exclusive role of the Lebanese Army in protecting the nation’s people, land, borders, and resources. He reaffirmed opposition to any project that threatens Lebanon’s unity or seeks to divide it. “The struggle to preserve Lebanon’s entity is not over,” he said. “We want a homeland that protects and embraces.”Bassil called for broad administrative decentralization, a trust fund, financial and economic reforms, and the recovery of stolen deposits, stressing the need to fight corruption. On regional ties, he said Lebanon must build “relations of good neighborliness with Syria based on equality, mutual respect, and common interests, without giving up freedom, sovereignty, and independence.”Paying tribute to Lebanon’s fallen figures, Bassil said, “Lebanon’s martyrs are all those who died for the country and the cause they believed in,” listing names from across the political spectrum, including Kamal Jumblatt, Tony Frangieh, Bashir Gemayel, Rashid Karami, René Moawad, Hassan Nasrallah, and Rafic Hariri, among others. He also reaffirmed that the FPM rejects any infringement on the powers of both the president and the prime minister. “The prime minister is our prime minister, not a Zionist. He’s Lebanese, just as our president is Lebanese, even if we disagree with both,” Bassil said. Addressing Lebanese expatriates, Bassil called them “an extension of the homeland to the world,” urging them to maintain political representation through an expatriate parliamentary bloc. He voiced concern that authorities could undermine the voting rights of the diaspora or even cancel the upcoming elections entirely. On the question of disarming groups, Bassil warned against relinquishing weapons “for nothing,” saying, “Bring neutrality, international guarantees, reconstruction, prosperity, and a strategic defense agreement with the United States, at least secure the return of displaced people and refugees.”

The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on October 11-12/2025
US envoys Witkoff, Kushner visited Gaza Strip: Israeli army
AFP/11 October ,2025
The Israeli military said that US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner visited the Gaza Strip on Saturday, as a ceasefire announced by Israel entered its second day. Israel’s army chief Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir conducted a field tour in Gaza with “US envoy to the Middle East, Mr Steven 'Steve' Witkoff, Mr Jared Kushner, and the Commander of the United States Central Command (CENTCOM), Admiral Brad Cooper,” the Israeli military said in a statement. For the latest updates on the Israel-Palestine conflict, visit our dedicated page. Earlier on Saturday, Cooper wrote on X that he just returned from a trip to Gaza to discuss creation of a CENTCOM-led “civil-military coordination center” which will “support conflict stabilization.” An initial deployment of 200 US troops is set to arrive in Israel to help monitor the ceasefire in Gaza between Hamas and Israel under President Donald Trump’s peace plan. The US military will coordinate a multinational taskforce which will deploy in Gaza and is likely to include troops from Egypt, Qatar, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates. “America’s sons and daughters in uniform are answering the call to deliver peace in the Middle East in support of the Commander in Chief’s direction in this historic moment,” Cooper wrote on X. Cooper was appointed in early August to lead CENTCOM, the US military command responsible for the Middle East.

Hamas official says disarmament ‘out of the question’
AFP/11 October/2025
Hamas’s disarmament as part of US President Donald Trump’s peace plan for Gaza is “out of the question,” a Hamas official told AFP on Saturday. “The proposed weapons handover is out of the question and not negotiable,” the official said. The US president has indicated the issue of Hamas surrendering its weapons would be addressed in the second phase of the peace plan. The 20-point plan promises amnesty to Hamas members who decommission their weapons and says they will be allowed to leave Gaza. The Hamas official was speaking as a ceasefire holds in Gaza ahead of Monday’s 72-hour deadline for the release of Israeli hostages held since Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attacks. Hamas’s disarmament and the pullback of Israeli forces are seen as key sticking points for Trump’s plan despite rising hopes for the end of two years of devastating war.

Gazans Stream Back Home as Ceasefire Holds
Asharq Al Awsat/October 11/2025
Thousands of Palestinians streamed north along the coast of Gaza on Saturday, trekking by foot, car and cart back to their abandoned homes as a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas appeared to be holding. Israeli troops pulled back under the first phase of a US-brokered agreement reached this week to end the war. Once the Israeli forces had completed their redeployment on Friday, which keeps them out of major urban areas but still in control of roughly half the enclave, the clock began ticking for Hamas to release its hostages within 72 hours. Twenty-six hostages have been declared dead in absentia and the fate of two more is unknown. According to the agreement, after the hostages are handed over, Israel will free 250 Palestinians serving long sentences in its prisons and 1,700 detainees captured during the war. Hundreds of trucks per day are expected to surge into Gaza carrying food and medical aid, according to the agreement. Further steps in US President Donald Trump's 20-point plan have yet to be agreed. Those include how the demolished Gaza Strip is to be ruled when fighting ends, and the ultimate fate of Hamas, which has rejected Israel's demands it disarm. Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump expressed confidence the ceasefire would hold, saying: "They're all tired of the fighting." He said he believed there was a "consensus" on the next steps but acknowledged some details would still have to be worked out.

Top US military commander visits Gaza, reaffirms no US troops to be deployed there
AFP/October 11, 2025
WASHINGTON: The head of the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said Saturday he visited Gaza to discuss post-conflict stabilization and insisted no US troops will be deployed to the Palestinian territory. Admiral Brad Cooper wrote on X that he just returned from a trip to Gaza to discuss creation of a CENTCOM-led "civil-military coordination center" which will "support conflict stabilization." An initial deployment of 200 US troops has begun arriving in Israel to help monitor the ceasefire in Gaza between Hamas and Israel under President Donald Trump's peace plan.
The US military will coordinate a multinational taskforce which will deploy in Gaza and is likely to include troops from Egypt, Qatar, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates. "America's sons and daughters in uniform are answering the call to deliver peace in the Middle East in support of the Commander in Chief's direction in this historic moment," Cooper wrote on X. Cooper was appointed in early August to lead CENTCOM, the US military command responsible for the Middle East.

Egypt, US discuss Sharm El-Sheikh summit on Gaza
Arab News/October 11, 2025
CAIRO: Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Saturday discussed preparations for the upcoming Sharm El-Sheikh summit on Gaza’s reconstruction, which will be co-chaired by the Egyptian and US presidents.
Egypt’s Foreign Ministry said the talks covered regional developments, progress in the Palestinian issue, and ongoing efforts to end the war in Gaza. The two ministers looked at arrangements for the summit, international participation, and the implementation of the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement.
FASTFACT
President Emmanuel Macron will hold discussions in Sharm El-Sheikh ‘with partners on the next steps of the peace plan’s implementation.’Rubio described the Sharm El-Sheikh gathering as a “unique historical event,” praising Egypt’s leading role in helping secure what he called a “historic agreement.”Abdelatty underlined the importance of monitoring the ceasefire’s implementation throughout its stages, noting that the agreement offered renewed hope for the region, particularly the Palestinian people. He said: “These constructive and positive developments embody the shared values and goals that unite Egypt and the US, based on the need to pursue peaceful rather than military solutions to conflicts.” The Egyptian foreign minister reaffirmed that a comprehensive settlement of the Palestinian issue, through a two-state solution, remained essential for lasting stability, peace, and security in the region.

Trump’s Arab American supporters hail Gaza deal but worry it won’t hold
Reuters/11 October/2025
Lifelong Democrat Samra’a Luqman became a vocal backer of Donald Trump in 2024, helping to rally support for him among the pivotal Arab American community in Dearborn, Michigan, in the hope that he could end the Gaza war. Now, after Trump helped to broker a ceasefire deal, Luqman feels thrilled and a bit vindicated after months of backlash from neighbors angry over Trump’s support for Israel. “It’s almost an ‘I told you so moment,’“ said Luqman, who is Yemeni American. “No other president would have been able to force Bibi to approve the ceasefire,” she said, referring to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Luqman and other Arab American Trump supporters who spoke to Reuters expressed guarded optimism about the recently announced agreement, but said they worried that Israel could violate the ceasefire, as it has done in the past in Gaza and Lebanon. “We’re all holding our breath,” said Mike Hacham, a Lebanese American political consultant and Dearborn resident who campaigned hard for Trump in 2024. “I gotta give credit where credit is due ... but this isn’t a peace deal. It’s just the end of a bloody war and those lives that were lost on the Israeli side and the Palestinian side aren’t going to be brought back.”
Guarded optimism over Gaza but mistrust of Israel
Israeli airstrikes in Qatar and other Arab nations in recent months fueled deep mistrust of Israel among Michigan’s more than 300,000 people of Arab heritage. But the agreement is the biggest step yet to end two years of war that Palestinian health authorities have said killed more than 67,000 people in Gaza.
In addition to a ceasefire, the deal calls for releasing the last 20 of 250 hostages seized by Hamas when it started the war with the October 7, 2023, attacks that killed more than 1,200 people, according to the Israeli government. It comes after months of deepening frustration among Arab Americans over what they see as Trump’s failure to rein in Netanyahu and end the war. Trump’s renewed ban on travel from several majority-Muslim countries and crackdowns on freedom of speech targeting pro-Palestinian protesters have also unnerved many, according to more than a dozen Arab American voters who backed Trump in Michigan last year and spoke to Reuters in recent weeks. Many of those interviewed also felt disappointed that their community’s support —thousands of votes that helped to push Trump to victory in Michigan — did not translate into more senior high-profile posts for Arab Americans and Muslims in his administration. It remains unclear whether the ceasefire deal will sway skeptical voters as Trump’s Republicans face competitive congressional and gubernatorial elections in Michigan next year, as well as the 2028 presidential election. Hacham said Trump would be hailed as a “champion of peace” after brokering the Gaza ceasefire, but added that Arab American voters could turn against him and other Republicans if it fails.“We are willing to abandon the Republicans and move back to the Democrats,” Hacham said. “We’ve shown Donald Trump that we have the power to swing whichever way we want.”
Anger over Gaza fueled switch to Trump
Trump won Michigan by more than 80,000 votes in 2024, reversing his 154,000-count loss to Democrat Joe Biden in 2020. An October 2024 Arab American Institute poll had shown Trump favored by 42 percent of Arab Americans nationwide versus 41 percent for Kamala Harris — down 18 percentage points from Biden’s share in 2020. In addition to anger over the Gaza war, Trump’s 2024 campaign tapped into concerns raised by some conservative community members about Democrats’ defense of transgender rights, Luqman said. She expected those voters probably would stick with Republicans. But a larger group of Arab Americans voted for Trump in 2024 “out of spite” at Democrats, and their continued support for the Republican Party likely depends on what happens with Gaza, Luqman said. “I don’t think they’ve found their political home with the Republicans just yet,” she said, adding that Trump’s pressure on Netanyahu could “solidify support for JD Vance in the next election and for the midterms for any Republicans that run.”Imam Belal Alzuhairi joined Trump on stage in Michigan just days before the 2024 election, alongside 22 other clerics, convinced that he offered the best chance for peace, but he said many Yemeni Americans later grew disenchanted after Trump reimposed a travel ban on many Muslim countries. “Now, a lot of people are very upset. They are fearing for themselves and their families. There’s a mistrust after the travel ban,” he said. After facing personal backlash for his endorsement, the Yemeni American cleric says he is pulling out of “soul-consuming” politics to focus on religion and his family.
Trump administration moves to tamp down frustration
Special envoy Richard Grenell, a Michigan native tapped by Trump to lead his outreach to Arab American and Muslim voters, returned to the Detroit area last month for his first in-person meetings with community leaders since November. His mission? To tamp down the mounting frustration and prevent Arab Americans from swinging to the Democratic Party, as they did after Republican President George W. Bush’s invasion of Iraq in 2003. Alzuhairi, Luqman and a dozen others grilled Grenell at a coffeehouse in Dearborn over the travel ban and US arms sales to Israel. At a separate session, he was asked why the administration is not doing more to help Christians in Iraq. Grenell, former acting director of intelligence during Trump’s first term, told Reuters the dialogue was important. “I continue to believe that the Arab and Muslim communities in Michigan are the key to winning the state,” Grenell said. “I know these leaders well and they want and deserve access to political decision makers.”Although Grenell faced tough questions from Arab American leaders during four events in the Detroit area, he said he would remain closely engaged, and emphasized Trump’s commitment to peace around the world. For all the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app. “You can’t show up right before an election and expect to be a credible voice for any community,” he told Reuters. Ali Aljahmi, a 20-year-old Yemeni American who helped to galvanize young Arab Americans for Trump with a video viewed nearly 1 million times on X, credited him for coming to Dearborn twice during the 2024 campaign. But it’s too soon to predict the next election, said Aljahmi, whose family operates four restaurants in the Detroit area. “Trump promised a lot,” he said. “Okay, you came and showed your face, but I still think it’s a mixture. Three years from now, we’ll see what they’re doing.”

‘We finally feel hope’ Israeli crowds yearn for hostage release
AFP/October 12, 2025
TEL AVIV: Tens of thousands of Israelis gathered beneath a screen in Tel Aviv marking 735 days since Hamas took hostages to Gaza, finally daring to hope a ceasefire will herald an end to their ordeal. “My emotions are immense, there are no words to describe them — for me, for us, for all of Israel, which wants the hostages home and waits to see them all return,” said Einav Zangauker, mother of 25-year-old hostage Matan Zangauker. “We finally feel hope, but we cannot and will not stop now,” added Zairo Shachar Mohr Munder. The body of his uncle, Abraham Munder — abducted on October 7, 2023, during Hamas’s unprecedented assault on Israel by air, sea, and land — was recovered by the Israeli army in Gaza in August. “All hostages must come home — the living and the dead,” he said during the rally, organized by families of the captives. At Tel Aviv’s central “Hostage Square,” many in the crowd wore T-shirts bearing the faces of those still held in Gaza and who could be released Monday.Israel and Hamas reached a ceasefire agreement on Friday, brokered by US President Donald Trump, marking a major step toward ending two years of devastating war in the Palestinian territory. Under the deal, Hamas has until noon on Monday to hand over 47 remaining Israeli hostages — living and dead — from the 251 abducted two years ago. The remains of one more hostage, held in Gaza since 2014, are also expected to be returned. In exchange for their release, Israel is to free hundreds of prisoners.
‘Thank you, Trump’ -
“Donald Trump! You have made history,” declared Efrat Machikawa, niece of Gadi Moses, who was freed after 482 days in captivity, drawing applause from the crowd. “You stood by our side, by our families’ sides, when we needed it most. You showed our nation and the entire world what true commitment looks like. Now it’s time to finish what we started!” she said. A few American flags waved among Israeli ones in the square. Suddenly, a cheer went through the crowd. “Witkoff! It’s Witkoff!” some shouted, as the US President’s peace envoy took to the stage. “To the hostages themselves: you are coming home,” Witkoff said, prompting applause and cheers from the crowd. Addressing the families of the hostages, he added: “Your courage has moved the world.”Earlier on Saturday he also visited the Gaza Strip along with Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner. Both Kushner and his wife, the president’s daughter, Ivanka Trump also addressed the cheering crowd, which chanted: “Thank You, Trump! Thank You, Trump!“ The crowd cheered Trump’s name enthusiastically, but there was anger when Witkoff tried to praise Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whom many of the families feel has placed the hostages at unnecessary risk. Maia Kampeas, holding a large American flag, said she felt a sense of deep emotion and gratitude toward the US leader. “We are very thankful to Donald Trump for his support and strength,” she told AFP. Another member of the crowd, Benjy Maor said he had attended the Saturday night rallies every week for two years “to show solidarity with the hostage families and to make my voice heard calling for an end to the war.”“Finally, we feel a little optimism,” he said. “But despite the joy surrounding the hostages’ release, this is a deeply complex moment. Some families may be preparing funerals for relatives killed two years ago by Hamas, while others celebrate the return of loved ones still alive.”Two earlier truces in November 2023 and early 2025 also led to the release of hostages and bodies of captives in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, before they collapsed in more fighting. Further rounds of negotiations are expected to follow to implement the Trump peace plan, aimed at achieving lasting stability.“In the short term, we’ll see the hostages coming home,” said Maor. “But I remain deeply concerned about the situation in this region.”

Hamas Official Says Palestinian Movement to Miss Gaza Peace Deal Formal Signing
Asharq Al Awsat/October 11/2025
A Hamas official on Saturday that the group would not take part in the formal signing of the Gaza peace deal in Egypt. "The matter of the official signing -- we will not be involved," political bureau member Hossam Badran said in an interview, adding that Hamas "acted principally through... Qatari and Egyptian mediators" during ceasefire talks in Egypt. Hamas is also ready to fight back if US President Donald Trump's peace deal unravels and hostilities with Israel resume in the Gaza Strip, Badran told AFP. "We hope that we will not return to (war), but our Palestinian people and the resistance force will undoubtedly confront and use all their capabilities to repel this aggression if this battle is imposed," he said. The plan, brokered by Trump along with Qatar, Egypt and Türkiye, aims to establish a permanent ceasefire, secure the release of all hostages and restore full humanitarian access to Gaza. The proposal for Hamas members to leave the Gaza Strip under the peace plan is "absurd,” Badran said. "Talk about expelling Palestinians, whether they're Hamas members or not, from their land is absurd and nonsense," he added in the interview.

Israel Moves Prisoners Ahead of Gaza Deal Exchange as US Troops Land
Asharq Al Awsat/October 11/2025
Israel has begun transferring prisoners to two jails ahead of their release as part of the Gaza ceasefire deal, designed to lead to the release of hostages held by Hamas, the prison service said Saturday. Thousands of staff, including prison officers, "operated throughout the night in order to implement the government's decision: 'The framework for the release of all Israeli hostages'," a statement said, AFP reported. Under the truce deal Israel is supposed to release 250 prisoners, including some serving life sentences for deadly attacks. In exchange, Hamas has until Monday to hand over its 48 remaining Israeli hostages -- living and dead. Meanwhile, tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians made their way back to their Gaza neighborhoods on Saturday, weaving through dust-shrouded streets as bulldozers clawed through the wreckage of two years of war and a ceasefire held in its second day. Aid groups urged Israel to reopen more crossings to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza, and about 200 US troops arrived in Israel to help retrieve hostages and monitor the ceasefire with Hamas. According to The AP news, the US troops will set up a center to facilitate the flow of aid as well as logistical and security assistance. The head of the US military’s Central Command said he visited Gaza on Saturday to prepare it. “This great effort will be achieved with no US boots on the ground in Gaza,” Adm. Brad Cooper said in a statement, noting that his command would lead the center. Aid is just one issue for Palestinians returning to their destroyed homes.
“When people get there, they’re going to find rubble. They’ll find that their homes and their neighborhoods have been reduced to dust,” UNICEF spokesperson Tess Ingram told The AP on Friday from central Gaza. “A ceasefire alone is not enough,” Ingram added, and called for a “surge of humanitarian aid that begins to address the tremendous damage that has been done over the past two years.”

Macron to Attend Egypt Summit on Gaza Peace Plan Next Week
Asharq Al Awsat/October 11/2025
French President Emmanuel Macron will travel to Egypt on Monday for talks on implementing a peace plan presented by US President Donald Trump to end the war in Gaza, the Elysee Palace said on Saturday. The plan, brokered by Trump along with Qatar, Egypt and Türkiye, aims to establish a permanent ceasefire, secure the release of all hostages and restore full humanitarian access to Gaza, the presidency said. Macron will meet regional partners to discuss the next steps in carrying out the agreement, it added. Macron will also reaffirm France’s commitment to a two-state solution as the basis for lasting peace, security and reconstruction in the region, the Elysee said.

US announces deal for Qatar air force facility in Idaho
Agence France Presse/October 11/2025
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Friday that Qatar will be allowed to build an air force facility at Mountain Home Air Base in Idaho that will house F-15 fighter jets and pilots. The announcement comes soon after President Donald Trump signed an executive order vowing to defend the Gulf Arab state against attacks, following Israeli air strikes targeting Hamas leaders in the Qatari capital Doha. "We're signing a letter of acceptance to build a Qatari Emiri Air Force facility at the Mountain Home Air Base in Idaho," Hegseth said at the Pentagon, with Qatari Defense Minister Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani at his side. "The location will host a contingent of Qatari F-15s and pilots to enhance our combined training" as well as "increase lethality, interoperability," he said. "It's just another example of our partnership. And I hope you know, your excellency, that you can count on us."The Idaho base currently also hosts a fighter jet squadron from Singapore, according to its website. Hegseth also thanked Qatar for its "substantial role" as a mediator in the talks that led to a truce and hostage-prisoner swap deal between Israel and Hamas, and its assistance in securing the release of a US citizen from Afghanistan.
The Qatari minister hailed the "strong, enduring partnership" and "deep defense relationship" shared by the two countries. The Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar is Washington's largest military facility in the Middle East. Trump's close relationship with the leaders of Qatar has raised eyebrows, especially over its gift to the U.S. president of a Boeing 747 to be used as Air Force One. Though the Idaho facility for Qatar had apparently been in the works since the last administration of Democrat Joe Biden, the deal prompted some hand-wringing on social media, including from far-right activist Laura Loomer, usually a Trump ally. "Never thought I'd see Republicans give terror financing Muslims from Qatar a MILITARY BASE on U.S. soil so they can murder Americans," Loomer wrote on X. Hegseth, who never said it was a base, later wrote on the platform: "Qatar will not have their own base in the United States -- nor anything like a base. We control the existing base, like we do with all partners."

3 Qatari diplomats killed in car crash while heading to Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh
AP/October 12, 2025
CAIRO: Three Qatari diplomats were killed in a car crash Saturday while heading to Egypt’s Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, health officials said. Two other diplomats were injured when their vehicle overturned about 50 kilometers (31 miles) from Sharm el-Sheikh, the officials said. The diplomats, who were from the Qatari protocol team, were traveling to the city ahead of a high-level summit celebrating a ceasefire in the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, the officials said. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief media. Qatar mediated the ceasefire along with Egypt and the US Turkiye also joined the negotiations earlier this month in Sharm el-Sheikh, which was capped by a ceasefire and the release of hostages and hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. Sharm el-Sheikh will host the summit to be co-chaired by President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi of Egypt and US President Donald Trump, according to a statement from the Egyptian presidency. The statement said more than two dozen world leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and United Nations Secretary General António Guterres will attend the summit.

Foreign press group urges immediate access to Gaza after ceasefire
AFP/October 11/ 2025
JERUSALEM: An organization representing international media in Israel and the Palestinian territories on Friday urged Israel to grant journalists immediate, independent access to Gaza following the declaration of a ceasefire. Since the Gaza war broke out in October 2023, Israeli authorities have prevented foreign journalists from entering the devastated territory, taking only a handful of reporters inside along with its troops. The Foreign Press Association, which represents hundreds of foreign journalists, said it “welcomes the agreement between the warring parties on a ceasefire in Gaza.”“With the halt in fighting, we renew our urgent call for Israel to open the borders immediately and allow international media free and independent access to the Gaza Strip,” it added. An AFP journalist sits on the FPA’s board of directors. The FPA has on multiple occasions asked for access to Gaza over the past two years. “These demands have been repeatedly ignored, while our Palestinian colleagues have risked their lives to provide tireless and brave reporting from Gaza,” the association said. On October 23, the country’s top court is due to hear the FPA’s petition demanding access, “but there is no reason to wait that long,” it said. “Enough with the excuses and delay tactics. The restrictions on press freedom must come to an end,” it added. On Friday, Israel declared a ceasefire and started pulling back troops from several areas in Gaza, as part of US President Donald Trump’s 20-point plan to end the war. The withdrawal set the clock running on a 72-hour deadline for Hamas to release all the remaining hostages held in Gaza. In return, Israel will release 250 Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences and 1,700 Gazans it detained since Hamas triggered the latest war with its attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.

Türkiye, Iraq Reach Draft Deal on Water-sharing
Asharq Al Awsat/October 11/2025
Top diplomats from Türkiye and Iraq reached a tentative agreement on sharing water and managing dwindling flows through the Tigris and Euphrates rivers as the region faces worsening drought conditions. Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein told a joint news conference that the draft “framework” agreement on water management between the two neighbors would soon be signed in Iraq. Iraqi officials have long complained that dams built by Türkiye are reducing Iraq’s water supply. The Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, which provide most of Iraq’s fresh water, originate in Türkiye. Experts fear that climate change could exacerbate water shortages in Iraq. “We know and understand the difficulties you are experiencing. We are brothers and sisters in this region,” Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said, insisting that Türkiye was actively engaged in helping Iraq address the water situation, Reuters reported. “The waters of the Euphrates and Tigris (rivers) belong to all of us.”Fidan said he hoped water rehabilitation projects would be swiftly implemented. “This water shortage will continue to be a problem not only today but also for years to come,” he said.

Former US President Biden Undergoing Radiation Therapy for Cancer
Asharq Al Awsat/October 11/2025
Former US President Joe Biden is receiving radiation therapy for his prostate cancer diagnosed in May, a spokesperson for the former president said on Saturday. "As part of a treatment plan for prostate cancer, President Biden is currently undergoing radiation therapy and hormone treatment, the spokesperson said, Reuters reported. Biden, who turns 83 next month, in September underwent a procedure known as Mohs surgery to remove cancerous cells from his skin. The Democratic former president in May revealed that he had been diagnosed with metastatic prostate cancer. His team said the illness was aggressive but hormone-sensitive, meaning it was likely to respond to treatment.

France's Re-appointed Prime Minister Lecornu Calls for Calm amid Political Chaos
Asharq Al Awsat/October 11/2025
France’s newly re-appointed prime minister acknowledged Saturday that there weren’t ″a lot of candidates″ for his job — and that he might not last long in the post given the country’s deep political divides. Sebastien Lecornu, renamed by President Emmanuel Macron late Friday after a week of political chaos, called for calm and for the support of political parties to produce a budget for the European Union’s No. 2 economy before looming deadlines, The AP news reported. His appointment is seen as Macron’s last chance to reinvigorate his second term, which runs until 2027. His centrist camp lacks a majority in the National Assembly and he is facing increasing criticism even within its ranks. But rivals from far right to far left slammed Macron’s decision to rename Lecornu, France’s fourth prime minister in barely a year. France is struggling with mounting economic challenges and ballooning debt, and the political crisis is aggravating its troubles and raising alarm across the European Union. “I don’t think there were a lot of candidates,″ Lecornu told reporters Saturday during a visit to a police station in the Paris suburb of L’Hay-les-Roses. Lecornu, who resigned Monday after just a month on the job, said he agreed to come back because of the urgent need to find financial solutions for France. But he said he would only stay as long as ″conditions are met,″ and seemed to acknowledge the risk that he could be brought down in a no-confidence vote by the fractured parliament. ″Either political forces help me and we accompany each other ... or they won’t,″ he said. He wouldn’t say when he expects to form a new government or who could be in it, but has said it wouldn’t include anyone angling for the 2027 presidential election. He didn’t address opposition demands to scrap a contentious law raising the retirement age. Over the past year, Macron’s successive minority governments have collapsed in quick succession, leaving France mired in political paralysis as it faces a debt crisis that has worried markets and EU partners, and a growing poverty rate.

Syrian Officials to Hold Talks with Turkish FM in Ankara on Sunday
Asharq Al Awsat/October 11/2025
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan will meet Syrian officials, in Ankara on Sunday, Turkish Foreign Ministry said. Defense Minister Yasar Guler, intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin, and their Syrian counterparts will attend the security cooperation meeting, the ministry said in a statement on Saturday, according to Reuters. Security cooperation between Türkiye and Syria will be discussed, it added. Fidan urged Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces on Wednesday to abandon their "separatist agenda", a day after the group's leader and Syria's government announced a ceasefire.

The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources on October 11-12/2025
John Ford and John Wayne Talking
The Kentucky Trilogy captures the fundamental decency of a nation and a people.
Alberto M. Fernandez/American Mind/October 11/2025
https://americanmind.org/salvo/john-fords-america/
Ayoung person wanting to learn something of American history could do worse than to watch the works of director John Ford (1894-1973).
One of the great American filmmakers—in my view, the greatest—Ford delved deeply and repeatedly into American history, and not just that of the American West for which he is most famed. You also have Ford’s films on the Second World War (including the award-winning war documentaries he made while on active duty for the U.S. Navy), Abraham Lincoln, and the Great Depression. There are Ford films that take place during the American Revolutionary War, the American Civil War, and the First World War. Themes addressed in his films include American race relations, immigration, religion, and urban politics.
One of Ford’s crowning achievements is the so-called Cavalry Trilogy, three films starring John Wayne about the U.S. Cavalry in the West, made between 1948 and 1952. They are all about the same subject and in roughly the same setting, but the story and characters are different in each.
I’d like to propose that John Ford had a second trilogy—perhaps more loosely connected than the Cavalry films, certainly less known and less celebrated, but still a triumph of All-American filmmaking and worthy of rediscovery.
I’ll call it “the Kentucky Trilogy”: the 1925 silent film Kentucky Pride, 1934’s Judge Priest, and 1953’s The Sun Shines Bright. The latter two films are very similar but not the same, both based on Kentuckian Irvin S. Cobb’s Judge Priest short stories. All three films are family dramas with strong comedic flourishes which celebrate homespun American virtues and small-town values. They are heartwarming and emotional but not sugar-coated (there can be villainy in small towns, too). All three take place in the late 19th or early 20th century and are steeped in American history, especially Southern history.
Kentucky Pride, released a century ago last month, is one of a handful of John Ford silent films to survive completely intact. It’s a horse racing movie. Ford biographer Joseph McBride called it “a modest gem” among Ford’s work. Written by Dorothy Yost and Elizabeth Pickett (a Kentuckian who grew up on a tobacco farm and was the granddaughter of Confederate General George Pickett), it is a story told mostly from a horse’s perspective. The filly, Virginia’s Future, introduces the equine cast first and then “those creatures called humans.” She tells us that “with us Kentuckians, pride of race is everything!” Among the four-legged cameos in the film is Man O’War, “King of them all, the perfect horse,” the great racehorse who was as famous and celebrated as Babe Ruth in his day.
Virginia’s Future is born on the Blue Grass horse farm of kindly Roger Beaumont, a breeder and a gambler. Both horse and owner encounter various travails—a broken leg while racing, the threat of being shot, abuse by a new owner for the horse; and for the man, near-ruin from gambling at the racetrack, an unfaithful wife, and a lost daughter. But in the end, Virginia Future’s daughter, the filly Confederacy, wins the great race; the usurping adulterers are disgraced; and father is reunited with daughter (as is horse with horse). Roger Beaumont is played by Alabama-born actor Henry B. Walthall, whose father had been a captain in the Confederate Army. Walthall became a star with D.W. Griffith’s well-known (or notorious) 1915 epic The Birth of a Nation.
Walthall plays a key role, but is not the star, in our second film, Judge Priest, starring Will Rogers. A famed humorist and actor, Rogers plays an easygoing small-town judge—William Pittman Priest—who uses his native cunning to advance the cause of justice and true love. A judge for a quarter of a century—except when the Republicans were in power—he loves his mint juleps, playing croquet with his cronies, and his Confederate past. The setting is 1890: “the War between the States was over, but its tragedies and comedies haunted every man’s grown mind.”
The Judge is attended to by his black servants Aunt Dilsey (Hattie McDaniel in a prominent early role) and Jeff Poindexter (Stepin Fetchit), a reformed chicken thief, layabout, and fishing partner of Judge Priest. Rogers, McDaniel, and Fetchit (real name Lincoln Monroe Perry, from Key West, Florida) were all veterans of the early 20th-century vaudeville and carnival circuit.
While Rogers was a star and prominent national figure before his untimely death in 1935, Stepin Fetchit, whose acting schtick was that he was the “laziest man in the world,” was the first black actor to receive a screen credit and earn a million dollars. Much derided for his supposedly demeaning movie roles by activists during the Civil Rights era, the actor has in recent years been somewhat rehabilitated by his African American biographer Mel Watkins, who makes a case in a 2005 book for the “rebellious, folk-inspired subversiveness” of the lazy Fetchit screen persona. It is kind of ironic that one of the earlier indictments by liberal elites of poor Fetchit’s career was issued in a 1968 CBS documentary produced by Andy Rooney and narrated by Bill Cosby, an actual criminal and rapist.
Facing an electoral challenge, Judge Priest describes himself as “an old country jake who’s kind of a baby-kisser,” and notes that “the name of Priest means something in Kentucky,” but one thing that it doesn’t stand for is intolerance. The wily old Confederate turns the tables on intolerance and injustice (with an assist from a top hat and coon coat-wearing Jeff Poindexter playing “Dixie” on the harmonica).
Both Judge Priest and our last film, The Sun Shines Bright, are steeped in nostalgia for the past, especially in the post-war past of Confederate war veterans, something that is (along with the antics of Stepin Fetchit) sure to infuriate today’s progressives. Some may see these productions as dated. But this longing for the past and place was there when these films premiered, and has grown only stronger with age. To many today they may seem as incorrigibly retrograde (although similar themes abound throughout Ford’s work). There is an irony here in that, at the time, both director Ford and Judge Priest creator Irvin S. Cobb were regarded as relative liberals. Cobb—whose stories of Kentucky contain regular uses of “the N-word”—celebrated in both a magazine article and a book the exploits of the Harlem Hellfighters, African American soldiers of the 369th infantry in the First World War.
Ford, for his part, was more liberal than many Hollywood Cold Warriors. But the Irishman from Maine had a clear cinematic sympathy for the Lost Cause of the South, abetted by a wife from North Carolina who was a member of both the Daughters of the American Revolution and the United Daughters of the Confederacy. Ford’s Western films are filled with honorable veterans of both Union and Confederate armies (John Wayne plays both), and this same trend is also in evidence in the last film in the Kentucky Trilogy.
If the first two films in our trilogy are good films, The Sun Shines Bright is a great one, a mature and deft portrayal of small-town hypocrisy redeemed by small-town goodness. Veteran character actor Charles Winniger plays Judge Priest. The romantic lead, actor John Russell, served at Guadalcanal and would later appear as Bloody Bill Anderson in Clint Eastwood’s The Outlaw Josey Wales. It was supposedly Ford’s favorite film, though some critics suggest he was just intentionally mocking film critics by saying so.
Critic Jonathan Rosenbaum, who thought very highly of the film, noted that while Ford may have been considered a liberal in the past, in this film he is “conservative and reactionary—meaning a certain idea of tradition; it also entails a certain view of human nature that is relatively pessimistic.” In the film, Judge Priest’s opponent Maydew is very much the progressive: he declares that “no longer can an empty sleeve [of a Confederate veteran] smother the progress of the 20th century.” A campaign poster against the boozy Judge Priest promises that “Maydew will drive out the moonshiners.” The powerful, beautifully rendered, and nuanced screenplay is by Ford collaborator Lawrence Stallings, another Southerner who fought and was severely wounded as a U.S. Marine in France during the Great War.
In both of the Judge Priest films, true love triumphs, a young woman’s good name is redeemed from the intolerance of local small minds, and unjustly accused men are vindicated. The atmosphere of Kentucky Pride is not too different—families are reunited and justice (on the racetrack) triumphs.
All three films underscore that, while there are always evildoers, criminals and liars among us, the inherent character of Heritage Americans, both black and white, is deeply rooted in family, tradition, and friendship. It is also, and above all, fundamentally decent.
**Alberto M. Fernandez is Vice President of the Middle East Media Research Institute and a former Chief of Mission of the U.S. Embassy in Khartoum.

Why Iran's Oil Sales Must Be Stopped
Majid Rafiadeh/Gatestone Institute/October 11/2025
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/10/148120/
As long as the Iranian regime finds avenues to export oil, it will continue to survive and expand its power.
At the heart of the problem is Iran's largest oil export market: China. Nearly four-fifths of Iran's exported oil ends up in China.... Iranian officials have openly admitted that even if UN sanctions are reactivated, oil exports to China would continue.
The key is not only sanctioning Iran, but also enforcing consequences against those who enable its oil exports. That means sanctioning third-party entities, shipping companies, and refineries that knowingly violate sanctions. China, as the largest buyer of Iran's oil, must face the full weight of international scrutiny and penalties if it continues to bankroll the Iranian regime.
Beijing can import oil from alternative sources such as Saudi Arabia, the US, Iraq and the UAE, among others. Its continued purchase of Iranian oil is a political choice, not an economic necessity.
The United States cannot and should not act alone in this effort. The European Union needs to take a much stronger stance as well.
Finally, the argument comes down to one undeniable fact: as Iran continues to export oil, its regime will continue to survive and expand its power.
If the West is serious about trying to "reform" the Iranian regime, it must focus on cutting off the oil that feeds it. This means coordinated US and EU pressure, real accountability for China, and relentless enforcement of sanctions against buyers and middlemen.
"Reforming" the Iranian regime -- enticing them into the Abraham Accords under Trump's magnificent vision of "peace and prosperity" -- may not be possible. Iran's rulers appear to have an explicit agenda, which, as by now should be clear, does not involve either prosperity or peace for its citizens. If the US is intent on making only Iran's ruling class rich and prosperous, it is consigning the Iranian people to misery in perpetuity. One hopes that the US would not be as cruel as that.
Only if Iran is seriously weakened will the Iranian people have a real chance to taste the freedom that so many in the West cavalierly take for granted, and only then will the world see genuine peace and security in the Middle East.
As long as the Iranian regime finds avenues to export oil, it will continue to survive and expand its power.
The reimposition of UN "snapback" sanctions on Iran is a welcome development, but, alas, insufficient. For years, Tehran has operated with relative impunity, ignoring restrictions and continuing to build its nuclear and ballistic missile programs while funding proxy terrorist groups across the Middle East. The renewal of these sanctions signals a recognition that the Iranian regime remains one of the gravest threats to regional stability and international security.
While the sanctions are symbolically important, however, on their own they are not nearly enough. Just putting sanctions on paper does not set back Iran; what truly weakens it is cutting off its most vital revenue stream: oil. As long as the Iranian regime finds avenues to export oil, it will continue to survive and expand its power.
Oil is the Iranian regime's lifeblood, the artery that sustains its power structure and keeps its oppressive machinery running. Around 80 percent of the regime's revenue comes from oil sales. Iran's then President Hassan Rouhani candidly admitted years ago that the regime could not survive without oil exports. The billions of dollars generated from oil, however, do not flow into the hands of ordinary Iranians, who continue to face economic decline, high inflation, and high unemployment. Instead, oil revenues are funneled into the coffers of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), its elite Quds Force, and the sprawling web of proxy groups such as Hezbollah, the Houthis, Hamas and militias in Iraq. These groups extend Iran's reach and destabilize the region, launching attacks on US allies and threatening global shipping routes. Oil money is not just revenue; it is the fuel for Tehran's repression at home and aggression abroad.
Iran continues to channel its oil revenues into its nuclear weapons program and into expanding its arsenal of ballistic missiles and attack drones. The nuclear program requires a steady flow of capital to acquire technology, procure materials on black markets, and pay scientists and engineers. Ballistic missile development and production are also enormously expensive undertakings. Without oil exports, the regime would be forced to prioritize survival over expansion, significantly slowing or even halting the progress of its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs. Every barrel of oil exported is another dollar available to enrich uranium, build missile silos, or finance terror operations abroad. This is why limiting Iran's oil exports is not just about economics — it is about preventing Iran from becoming an even greater global security threat.
At the heart of the problem is Iran's largest oil export market: China. Nearly four-fifths of Iran's exported oil ends up in China. Beijing has become the lifeline that keeps Tehran afloat despite international sanctions. Iranian officials have openly admitted that even if UN sanctions are reactivated, oil exports to China would continue. Iran's oil minister himself declared that sanctions would not stop Tehran from selling to China. This admission underscores the futility of UN sanctions that fail to target buyers. As long as Beijing continues to purchase Iranian oil, Tehran will find ways to skirt restrictions and funnel money into its destructive activities. In other words, the sanctions regime collapses without firm and coordinated pressure on Beijing.
The solution lies in replicating the strategy that worked once before. During President Donald Trump's first term, his administration significantly reduced Iran's oil exports through a "maximum pressure" campaign. By targeting not only Tehran but also buyers, shippers and insurers, Washington made it extremely difficult and risky to purchase Iranian oil. This campaign forced Iranian oil exports down to historic lows, depriving the regime of billions in revenue.
The key is not only sanctioning Iran, but also enforcing consequences against those who enable its oil exports. That means sanctioning third-party entities, shipping companies, and refineries that knowingly violate sanctions. China, as the largest buyer of Iran's oil, must face the full weight of international scrutiny and penalties if it continues to bankroll the Iranian regime.
The United States cannot and should not act alone in this effort. The European Union needs to take a much stronger stance as well. Europe should halt all trade with Tehran, close Iranian embassies, and expel regime diplomats who often double as intelligence operatives. The EU should also support cases against China at the UN and align itself with Washington in holding Beijing accountable for sanctions violations.
A united front of the United States and the EU would send a powerful message to China: buying Iranian oil is not merely a commercial transaction but a direct violation of international law and a threat to global peace. Beijing can import oil from alternative sources such as Saudi Arabia, the US, Iraq and the UAE, among others. Its continued purchase of Iranian oil is a political choice, not an economic necessity. Raising the costs of that choice would force China to reconsider.
Another critical step is to address Iran's tactics of evading sanctions through the art of disguising its oil shipments by ship-to-ship transfers, re-flagging vessels, falsifying cargo documents, and mixing crude oil with other shipments to obscure its origin. The West needs to respond with more aggressive maritime monitoring, increased cooperation among customs agencies, and enforcement mechanisms that penalize ports, refineries and companies that knowingly accept disguised Iranian oil. By targeting not just the buyers but also the enablers — the insurers, middlemen and financial institutions — sanctions can close the loopholes that Iran exploits to sustain its oil trade.
Finally, the argument comes down to one undeniable fact: as Iran continues to export oil, its regime will continue to survive and expand its power. Cutting off oil revenues does more than weaken Tehran financially; it empowers the Iranian people. By depriving the regime of its resources, it creates opportunities for domestic dissent and protest movements to challenge the ruling elite. The Iranian people have repeatedly risen up against their government, only to be crushed by the IRGC and its vast security apparatus, funded by oil money. Without that revenue, the regime would be far less capable of suppressing its population and exporting instability abroad.
Without oil export revenues, Iran's regime weakens, its proxies wither, and its nuclear weapons and missile programs stall. With oil export revenues, all sanctions and negotiations become empty gestures. If the West is serious about trying to "reform" the Iranian regime, it must focus on cutting off the oil that feeds it. This means coordinated US and EU pressure, real accountability for China, and relentless enforcement of sanctions against buyers and middlemen.
"Reforming" the Iranian regime -- enticing them into the Abraham Accords under Trump's magnificent vision of "peace and prosperity" -- may not be possible. Iran's rulers appear to have an explicit agenda, which, as by now should be clear, does not involve either prosperity or peace for its citizens. If the US is intent on making only Iran's ruling class rich and prosperous, it is consigning the Iranian people to misery in perpetuity. One hopes that the US would not be as cruel as that.
Only if Iran is seriously weakened will the Iranian people have a real chance to taste the freedom that so many in the West cavalierly take for granted, and only then will the world see genuine peace and security in the Middle East.
**Dr. Majid Rafizadeh, is a political scientist, Harvard-educated analyst, and board member of Harvard International Review. He has authored several books on the US foreign policy. He can be reached at dr.rafizadeh@post.harvard.edu
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/21968/iran-oil-sales
© 2025 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute.

So that what happened in Gaza never happens again
Faisal J. Abbas/Arab News/11 October/ 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. 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. 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. 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.
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

Two years of sheer hell, and it is not finished
Yossi Mekelberg/Arab News/October 11, 2025
At last, negotiators in Sharm El-Sheikh have agreed an end to this period of the most horrific bloodshed in the history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict since 1948. Albeit it will only be a long haul toward a return to normality. Yet aside from indulging in some cautious optimism, it is perhaps also time for some initial reflection within both societies. How did they get into such a catastrophic nightmare? Benjamin Netanyahu’s recent triumphalist speeches and statements, often utterly contradictory, are the legacy of his long, much too long, time as Israeli prime minister. It is a legacy that will take years to overcome and rectify, not only for the Palestinians and others in the region, but also for Israel and its own people. Netanyahu’s premiership is not over yet but is nearing its end; it is just a matter of time, and how much more damage he is prepared to inflict on everything and everyone within his orbit, until he exits the political stage for good.
If anything should have hastened the end of his career, it was the utter failure to anticipate and prevent the Hamas-led attack on Oct. 7, 2023, and his reported paralysis for the first few days that followed it as he realized that the greatest security failure in Israel’s history had taken place on his watch. But neither he nor his lieutenants in this worst-ever government in Israeli history have been of a mind even to acknowledge their colossal failure, never mind apologize for it, do the decent thing by resigning, and subject themselves to the judgment of the people by calling a general election and establishing an independent inquiry into Oct. 7.At no previous point in Israel’s history has the nation been so internally divided and so internationally isolated, as it stands accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity. It will take more than a single general election to rectify the damage caused by the increasingly reckless actions of this sixth Netanyahu government. It began its term in office by legitimizing the most abhorrent elements in Israeli politics, the ultranationalist-messianic groupings, resulting in an unabated attack on the very foundations of Israeli democracy. Moreover, to appease the settler elements in his government, the prime minister allowed settlements to expand and settler violence to run rampant with impunity. This government has left Israeli society divided, battling not external enemies but those who are trying to destroy the soul of the country from within. It has also delivered to Israel’s enemies a message of weakness, mixed with no hope for ending the occupation of Palestinian land, which proved to be a lethal combination.
The events of Oct. 7 were horrific and inexcusable but they cannot justify, in any shape or form, Israel’s appalling response. Great leaders bring out the best in their societies and make them better places to live. Populist leaders of Netanyahu’s breed exploit the weaknesses, fears, and prejudice among their own people to create the worst possible version of their societies, thereby allowing them to control the narrative even as, in the case of the Israeli prime minister, the narrative keeps changing to suit personal needs.
Unsurprisingly, the attack by Hamas traumatized Israelis, and some kind of response to it was inevitable and justified. But nothing can justify the nature of a response that has left more than 67,000 people dead, most of them civilians and many of them children, and a territory of scorched earth, razed to the ground. The war in Gaza has raged for two years, not out of any strategic considerations but to ensure Netanyahu’s political survival and prevent his corruption trial from concluding. In pursuit of this goal he has been prepared to prolong the war indefinitely, sacrificing the hostages and his soldiers, and ensuring that the self-proclaimed notion of the Israeli military the “most moral army in the world” rings more hollow than ever.
When the war comes to an end, the question for Israelis will be how they will climb out of the deep, dark abyss.
This has all been said many times before, but when the war comes to an end, the question for Israelis will be how they will climb out of the deep, dark abyss. There is no magic formula for this, but part of the necessary soul searching must be to admit that there are trends within Israeli society that have weakened it as a liberal democracy, and that there has always been a tension, though not one that could not be resolved, between the concepts of being Jewish and being democratic.
The occupation of Palestinian land and depriving its people of their political and human rights has not yet eroded the idea of what Israel aspires to be. But the occupation and the daily oppression of Palestinians has led to the country being held captive by a small group of settlers: messianic, delusional extremists with autocratic tendencies who believe the answer to all security challenges lies in the use of force and force alone. The resultant conditions of constant insecurity have been exploited by a populist-opportunistic leader who has presented himself as a savior.
As an initial part of the healing and reflection process, a state inquiry into the failures of Oct. 7 must be established. It must have the power to investigate all aspects of the events leading up to that disastrous day, and everything that followed, including all ministerial decisions. It must not tolerate any cover ups. Only when this groundwork allows the truth to emerge can Israel also begin to start asking itself how it allowed a government of extremists and incompetents to lead it into a war that was more about revenge and the political survival of a ruling coalition, than ensuring the failures of Oct. 7 can never happen again. Whatever the events that led up to that day, they cannot serve even as a pretext, let alone an excuse, for the massacre that took place that morning. But equally, the events of that day can never serve as an excuse for what the Israeli military subsequently did in Gaza: the killings, the destruction, the multiple displacements, and the deliberately inflicted famine.
As traumatic as Oct. 7 was, the Israeli loss of empathy for the plight of civilians in Gaza necessitates profound soul-searching. Instead of blaming the entire population of the territory for being complicit in the terrible events of that day, Israelis need to ask themselves this: How did their own country, which previously enjoyed heartfelt support from so many governments and ordinary people across the world, come to stretch the patience of its friends and allies to the very limit? Times of deep crisis also present opportunities. In this case, it could be a chance to define, or maybe redefine, what kind of country Israel wants to be. Does it wish to be one that lives eternally by the sword, as Netanyahu and his messianic partners would prefer, and continues to violate the rights of other people on an industrial scale? Or one that is prepared to embark on a genuine, if extremely difficult, path toward peace and reconciliation that will ultimately result in coexistence as equals? Peace with the Palestinians is not a matter of doing them a favor. It is not only a moral imperative, it is also in the best interests of Israel itself. Putting more than 100 years of conflict and bloodshed behind them will enable both societies to define who they are and what their destiny should be. These are questions that for far too long have been mainly defined by conflict and bloodshed.
**Yossi Mekelberg is professor of international relations and an associate fellow of the MENA Program at Chatham House. X: @YMekelberg

Selected English Tweets from X Platform For 11 October/2025
Hussain Abdul-Hussain
Lebanon President Aoun has emerged to be the biggest disappointment of 2025. Perhaps because his top aides are all holdovers from his predecessor? Perhaps the Lebanese have lost their ability to reason and all they can offer is fallacies?
Aoun wants the world to listen to him, make Israel stop policing Hezbollah, and return five hill tops.The world is saying, disarm Hezbollah and we’ll grant you your wishes.
Aoun responds: Disarming Hezbollah causes civil war. World: Come back to us when you’re in charge of Lebanon. AND Lebanon seems unable to process this simple chain of reason, instead throwing tantrums daily.

Maha Aoun
President Donald Trump:A Leader Who Governs in the Open
One of the most distinctive aspects of President Donald Trump’s political approach is his commitment to transparency. Unlike many leaders who operate behind closed doors, Trump frequently makes decisions in full view of the public, facing the cameras and consulting with his advisors openly.
Nothing is secretly orchestrated in the White House to be presented to the public fully formed. Every action, statement, and decision is made in the public eye, with clarity and directness rarely seen in contemporary leadership. This unprecedented level of transparency sets Trump apart as a unique political figure. He communicates not only with American citizens but with the global audience, using a straightforward language of boldness and clarity that is immediately understandable. Alongside this approach, his efforts toward peace initiatives in Gaza demonstrate a practical engagement in international affairs. These actions suggest that, in addition to any discussion of the Nobel Peace Prize, Trump’s political style represents a form of innovation in governance — one that treats leadership as an open dialogue rather than a process concealed behind closed doors.

Druze Free Spirits
https://x.com/i/status/1976941719133602044
A #Druze woman from #Sweida tells the story of her brother’s martyrdom while defending the land, and the brutal mutilation of his body carried out by Al-Julani’s terrorist forces both General Security and Ministry of Defense. #Syria

Hussain Abdul-Hussain
As part of the imaginary Israel ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in Gaza, hundreds of thousands of Gazans go back home as the war stopped.
Will all those who falsely accused Israel walk back their accusation?

Druze Free Spirits
https://x.com/i/status/1976980896340492477
Week after week, Sweida stands tall, calling for and demanding independence, the return of its villages, and the release of its people.
October 11th, 2025

د. حسين المؤيد
@hussenalmoyd
The Iranian expansion that occurred in the region, the changes that took place in Iraq and Yemen, and the situation that prevailed in Lebanon and Syria—all of this was part of a phase in international politics that has now come to an end. Subsequently, the recent developments in Syria, the strikes against Iran’s party in Lebanon, and Hamas in Gaza, signal the conclusion of that phase. It is certain that international policy in a new Middle East requires the continuation of changes to everything associated with the outgoing phase, remnants of which must still be removed, in order for a completely new phase to emerge—one entirely different from the era of “creative chaos.” This implies that a forthcoming transformation in Lebanon, Iran, Iraq, and Yemen is inevitable.

Dr Walid Phares
How is it possible to invite Hamas to “conquer back” parts of Gaza while Israel is withdrawing? Is the proposed solution really to re‑surrender Gaza to the jihadists and revert to the pre‑October‑7 lines? If there will be no Arab‑Western units to replace Israeli forces, who will disarm Hamas? I keep coming back to the same question: which forces are meant to replace the Israelis? Hamas? That makes no strategic sense.