English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For  October 17/2025
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news

The Bulletin's Link on the lccc Site
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/aaaanewsfor2025/english.october17.25.htm

News Bulletin Achieves Since 2006
Click Here to enter the LCCC Arabic/English news bulletins Achieves since 2006 

Click On The Below Link To Join Elias Bejjaninews whatsapp group
https://chat.whatsapp.com/FPF0N7lE5S484LNaSm0MjW
اضغط على الرابط في أعلى للإنضمام لكروب Eliasbejjaninews whatsapp group

Elias Bejjani/Click on the below link to subscribe to my youtube channel
الياس بجاني/اضغط على الرابط في أسفل للإشتراك في موقعي ع اليوتيوب
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAOOSioLh1GE3C1hp63Camw

Bible Quotations For today
I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who need no repentance
Saint Luke 15/03-07/:”Jesus told them this parable: ‘Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it? When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders and rejoices. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbours, saying to them, “Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.”Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who need no repentance.”’

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on October 16-17/2025
Exposing Hezbollah’s Lies and Mythical Victories: Neither Did It Liberate the South in 2000, Nor Did It Win the 2006 War/Elias Bejjani/October 16/2025
Honoring the Martyrs of October 13, 1990: Michel Aoun’s Betrayal of Their Sacrifice and Lebanon, as He Succumbs to the Illusions of Power and Wealth/Elias Bejjani/October 13/2025
Link to a Video interview on MTV with Clovis Choueifaty and retired Brigadier General Tony Abou Samra
The Raids Ignite the South and "The Mechanism" hails the Army
US military praises Lebanese army, reaffirms commitment to helping Beirut disarm
Israeli army: Hezbollah cement quarry and 'Green Without Borders' site struck in South Lebanon
Fierce Israeli airstrikes target south Lebanon
Lebanon says Israeli strikes kill one and wound seven
Israeli strikes target south and east Lebanon
Troop cuts will not disrupt work with Lebanese army, says commander of UN peacekeepers
Aoun says ready to do anything to prevent war, secure liberation, reconstruction
Salam says keen on recontruction but 'capabilities limited' in Saida visit
USCENTOM: Military leaders meet on disarmament efforts in South Lebanon
Hezbollah MP says US obstructing reconstruction, resistance 'committed' to its people
Foreign Minister urges Lebanese expatriates to register for parliamentary elections before deadline
Sources to LBCI: 12,000 Lebanese expatriates registered to vote since October 2
Berri: Expats who wish to participate in elections 'can come and vote in Lebanon'
Minister says 9 Tannourine water samples have tested free of bacteria
Naharnet/October 16, 2025
UK Vice Admiral Ahlgren meets Lebanese leaders, visits eastern border post
'Digital criminal' exposed in Lebanon? Social media account behind company-targeting blackmail trend
Why Have the Aounists Swallowed Their Tongues?/Jean El-Faghali/Nidaa Al-Watan/October 17/2025
Rigi's Draft Law Shakes Ain El-Tineh/Assad Bishara/Nidaa Al-Watan/October 17/2025
Between "Arabization" and "Iranization"... The Loss of the Christian Role in the Arab East/
Dr. Dureid Bashrawi/Nidaa Al-Watan/October 17/2025
Beirut and Damascus reconnect: Between pragmatism and regional realignment/Makram Rabah/English Alarabiya/16 October/2025

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on October 16-17/2025
US denies claims Hamas violating ceasefire over hostage returns
France and Britain refine plans at UN for Gaza force resolution
Israel hands 30 Palestinian bodies to Red Cross in Gaza
Israel, Hamas trade blame over truce violations, Rafah border reopening eyed but no date set
Israel’s Netanyahu says determined to secure return of all hostages
Turkish experts to help find hostage bodies in Gaza: ministry sources
Israel hostage forum urges govt to delay next stages of truce if Hamas fails to return bodies
Jordan’s crown prince commends UK prime minister for official recognition of Palestinian statehood
Israeli kibbutz hopes to heal after hostages’ return
Palestinian PM pitches $65 billion five-year plan to rebuild Gaza
France and Britain refine plans at UN for Gaza force resolution
Hackers use some Canada and US airport PA systems to praise Hamas, criticize Trump
Houthis confirm death of chief of staff in Israeli airstrike
UN rejects Houthi espionage allegations as ‘disturbing’ and dangerous, urges release of detained staff
Russia rejecting Trump peace efforts by striking Ukraine: Kyiv envoy
Syria bus blast kills five defense ministry personnel: official
Syrian authorities arrest drug kingpin from Assad clan near Lattakia
Ex-national security adviser Bolton latest charged in Trump crackdown on critics
Trump says to meet Putin in Budapest after ‘great’ call
Iran’s Larijani held talks with Russia’s Putin in Moscow: Reports
How Iraq is reclaiming its ancient heritage to become a cultural tourism destination
Greece and Egypt Reach Agreement on the Future of St. Catherine's Monastery in Sinai

Titles For The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources on October 16-17/2025
Gaza: The dilemma of reconstruction and rebuilding/Zaid AlKamiAl Arabiya English/16 October/2025
Let us help those in need on World Food Day/Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Arab News/October 16, 2025
Sustainability a dividing line between political parties, until now/Khaled Abou Zahr/Arab News/October 16, 2025
Why Russia’s Putin and Syria’s Shara’a agreed to meet/SETH J. FRANTZMAN/The Jerusalem Post/October 16, 2025
Qatar and Turkey Want to Rebuild Hamas, Not Reconstruct Gaza/Khaled Abu Toameh/Gatestone Institute/October 16, 2025
Selected English Tweets from X Platform For 16 October/2025

The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on October 16-17/2025
Exposing Hezbollah’s Lies and Mythical Victories: Neither Did It Liberate the South in 2000, Nor Did It Win the 2006 War
Elias Bejjani/October 16/2025
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/10/148263/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ueIlXYmCeFA
The terrorist Iranian armed proxy, Hezbollah’s leaders, members, officials, and religious figures falsely claim to be the most honorable, intelligent, pure, and devout people. Yet, they have never been ashamed of their absolute, public, and brazen subservience to Iran’s rulers and the doctrine of the Supreme Leader (Iranian Guardianship of the Jurist/Velayat-e faqih). In this doctrine, there is no allegiance to Lebanon as a state, its constitution, or its borders—just as is the case with the followers of this religious ideology in Syria, Iraq, and Yemen. Their only and absolute loyalty is to Iran.
In reality, they live in a delusional state, feeding on fantasies, hallucinations, and daydreams, completely detached from the reality of military and scientific capabilities—whether their own or those possessed by Israel, the United States, and the Western nations they label as “the Great Satan” (America), “the Little Satan” (Israel), and “infidels” (any country not under their control).
This hostile culture of betrayal, division, and slander has never ceased since Iran and Hafez al-Assad’s regime established Hezbollah in 1982. During Syria’s occupation of Lebanon, Hezbollah was handed control over Shiite-populated areas through force and terror. One of the bloodiest milestones was the battle of Iqlim al-Tuffah in March 1988, where Hezbollah eradicated the Amal Movement’s military presence, killing more than 1,200 fighters, and leaving thousands wounded and maimed, thus ending Amal’s military existence and subjugating it entirely to Hezbollah’s Iranian agenda.
Hassan Nasrallah, Hashem Safieddine, Naim Qassem, Nabil Qaouq, Mohammad Raad, Hussein Mousawi, and the rest of the leaders of this misguided faction—both the living and the dead—deluded themselves into believing that their Persian empire project was within reach. Yet, this illusion is collapsing under relentless blows, their leaders are being eliminated, their strongholds are being destroyed, and their so-called “supportive environment”—which is in fact a hostage population—is turning against them.
Hezbollah, its members—whether civilian, military, or clerical—do not belong to Lebanon, to Arab identity, or to any nation. They are entirely detached from reality and from all that is humane. They have built castles of illusions, locked themselves inside, hearing only their own voices and seeing only their own reflections. To them, anyone different is nonexistent, and in their extremist ideology, the blood of Lebanese, Syrians, and Arabs is permissible.
With every crime, explosion, assassination, and defeat, their arrogance and impudence only increase. They are indifferent to the suffering of others, taking sadistic pleasure in it, celebrating tragedies by distributing sweets. They have taken their own sect hostage, turning its youth into cannon fodder for Iran’s reckless wars in Syria, Yemen, and beyond.
They believe they can humiliate and subjugate the Lebanese people, forgetting that Lebanon, a civilization over 7,000 years old, has crushed, expelled, and humiliated all invaders and outlaws like them. The last of these was Assad’s army, which was disgracefully expelled in 2005.
Hezbollah is practically finished at the hands of Israel, backed by Arab and Western powers. It will not rise again. The unprecedented human and economic losses it has inflicted on Lebanon’s Shiite community guarantee that, once the Lebanese state regains its sovereignty, the people will turn against Hezbollah and reject it. For this reason, all those involved in public affairs—especially in the Lebanese Diaspora—must understand that any Lebanese, whether expatriate or resident, who supports or collaborates with Hezbollah under any pretext is an enemy of Lebanon, its sovereignty, identity, and independence.
 The Myth of “Liberating” the South and “Victory” in the 2006 War
The terrorist-Jihadist Hezbollah that claims to be a resistance and liberation movement has never been either of the two, but merely a military Iranian proxy. The narrative of the “liberation of the south” in 2000 is nothing but a colossal lie, as Israel withdrew from Lebanon by an internal decision, after its presence became costly and futile, and Hezbollah did not play a decisive role in that. As for the 2006 war, the results were catastrophic for Lebanon, where more than 1,200 Lebanese were killed, infrastructure was destroyed, and the Shiite environment was completely devastated. Hezbollah did not achieve any victory, but all of Lebanon emerged defeated and destroyed… and the, the catastrophic, the disastrous, and the complete defeat of its foolish  recent war against Israel in support of Hamas in Gaza, has led to its end and to the entire world standing behind the necessity of implementing international resolutions related to Lebanon 1559, 1680, and 1701, which stipulate its disarmament, the dismantling of its military institutions, and the extension of Lebanese state authority by its own forces over all Lebanese territories, and confining the decision of war and peace to the Lebanese state alone.
Based on well-documented Lebanese, Arab, Israeli, and international facts, Hezbollah neither liberated the South nor won the 2006 war. It is certainly not a resistance movement nor an opposition force. It is, in fact, Lebanon’s foremost enemy, as well as that of all Arabs. It must be dealt with accordingly, along with all its allies—politicians, parties, officials, and clerics. Any other approach is sheer foolishness and self-deception.
In conclusion, Hezbollah has destroyed Lebanon, impoverished its people, displaced them, and turned the country into an arms depot and a launch pad for Iran’s futile wars.
Lebanon can only be saved by dismantling Hezbollah, disarming it, arresting its leaders, and holding them accountable for the devastation they have inflicted on the nation.

Honoring the Martyrs of October 13, 1990: Michel Aoun’s Betrayal of Their Sacrifice and Lebanon, as He Succumbs to the Illusions of Power and Wealth
Elias Bejjani/October 13/2025
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/10/112651/
For our fallen heroes who sacrificed themselves at the altar of Lebanon on October 13, 1990, we offer our prayers and renew our pledge to live with our heads held high, so that Lebanon remains a homeland of dignity and pride, a beacon of truth, the cradle of civility, and a melting pot of culture and civilizations.
From our deeply rooted history, we know without a shred of doubt that patriotic and faithful Lebanese, with God on their side, wielding truth as their weapon and faith as their fortress, shall never be defeated.
On October 13, 1990, the barbaric Syrian Army, along with treacherous local mercenaries, launched a savage attack, occupying the Lebanese presidential palace and invading the last remaining free regions of Lebanon. Hundreds of Lebanese soldiers and innocent civilians were brutally murdered, their bodies mutilated. Tens of soldiers, officers, clergymen, politicians, and citizens were kidnapped, while a puppet regime, fully controlled by Syria’s intelligence headquarters in Damascus, was installed.
Though the Syrian Army was forced to withdraw in 2005 following UNSC Resolution 1559, Lebanon has since been occupied by the Iranian proxy, Hezbollah. This terrorist militia has crippled Lebanon, turning it into an Iranian battleground and impeding the Lebanese people from reclaiming their independence, freedom, and sovereignty. Hezbollah’s crimes, wars, and terror have dismantled Lebanon’s institutions, public and private alike, while entrenching the country in poverty and chaos.
We must never forget that on October 13, 1990, the Lebanese presidential palace in Baabda and the free regions were desecrated by Syrian Baathist gangs, mafias, militias, and mercenaries. Our valiant army soldiers were tortured and butchered in Bsous, Aley, Kahale, and other bastions of resistance. Lebanon’s most precious possession, its freedom, was raped in broad daylight while the world, including the Arab nations, watched in silence.

Link to a Video interview on MTV with Clovis Choueifaty and retired Brigadier General Tony Abou Samra
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/10/148254/
A sincere, faithful, emotional, and patriotic deep dive into the events, truths, and tragedies of October 13, 1990. A day when shortsightedness, foolishness, narcissism, lust for power, and evil dominated the leadership, while heroism, loyalty, and martyrdom shone among the soldiers and citizens.
Revelations disclosed for the first time about October 13 and the fall of Michel Aoun.
Clovis Choueifaty: “May we draw lessons and learn from the experiences of the past so that such tragedies never happen again.”
Special thanks to MTV and to my friend and colleague Danny Haddad.

The Raids Ignite the South and "The Mechanism" hails the Army
Neda Al Wata/October 17/2025 (Translated from English)
While the region moves into a new chapter of settlements, and Lebanon stands at a critical juncture: either joining the track of ongoing changes to preserve its sovereign, free, and independent state, or remaining on the margins and returning to isolation, it appears that Israel has begun to preempt both options by sending a complete message whose title is peace through force.
Southern Lebanon experienced a night of terror yesterday evening, framed by Israeli raids described as the most violent since the signing of the agreement to cease hostilities, bringing the specter of war back to the scene.
In detail, Israeli aircraft carried out a fire belt between the towns of Zrarieh and Ansar, followed by a series of intense raids targeting the area between Ansar and Sinai, where the echoes of these raids were heard in the city of Sidon and its suburbs, resulting in 7 wounded in an initial count.
Israeli army spokesperson Avichay Adraee announced that warplanes struck infrastructure belonging to "Hezbollah" in the Mazra'at Sinai area in southern Lebanon, which was being used in attempts to rebuild. A quarry used by the "Party" to produce cement for the purpose of rebuilding and reconstructing terrorist installations and infrastructure that were targeted and destroyed during the "Iron Swords War" was targeted. A target belonging to the "Green Without Borders" association, which "Hezbollah" used to conceal terrorist activities aimed at rebuilding its infrastructure under an alleged civilian cover, was also targeted. Adraee addressed the Lebanese, saying: "The 'Party's' mouthpieces will claim that we bombed civilian facilities."
Israeli drones had raided the area between the towns of Rumin and Humin, Khirbet Doueir, Wadi Kafroua Zifta, between Al-Numairiya and Kawthariyat Al-Siyad, the "Ali Al-Taher" area on the northern outskirts of the town of Nabatieh Al-Fawqa, and the Abu Manadil area on the outskirts of the town of Blida. An Israeli plane also dropped a sound bomb in the vicinity of Ras Naqoura. In the Beqaa, Israeli aircraft raided the town of Shemstar west of Baalbek, where the body of Ali Reda Al-Hajj was found under the rubble in the raid, as he happened to be passing on the road at the location of the raid.
In terms of condemnatory stances, the President of the Republic, General Joseph Aoun, denounced the aggressions and said: "The repeated Israeli aggression comes within a systematic policy aimed at destroying productive infrastructure, obstructing economic recovery, and targeting national stability under false security pretexts." He added: "This escalatory behavior constitutes a grave violation of Resolution 1701 and the agreement to cease hostilities, and confirms that Israel continues to violate its international commitments and use force outside any legitimate framework or international mandate, which necessitates an international stance that puts an end to these condemned violations."
Informed sources commented on the intense raids, saying they should not be read in the context of a field military confrontation, but in light of the broader regional scene, where the language of fire is being used to accelerate negotiation and impose a new balance. The message is clear: "The phase of peace through force has begun, and Lebanon must define its position on it, and accelerate the disarmament and openness to the ongoing settlements."While attention turns to the pivotal role of the Lebanese Army in implementing its precise plan within a defined timeframe, the meeting of the "Mechanism" committee came out reinforcing the military establishment. The committee, which convened on Wednesday, announced that the Army succeeded over the past year in removing about 10,000 rocket projectiles, nearly 400 rockets, and more than 205,000 unexploded ordnance. Admiral Brad Cooper, Commander of US Central Command, said: "Our Lebanese partners continue to lead efforts to ensure the success of 'Hezbollah's' disarmament. We are committed to supporting the efforts of the Lebanese Army, which works tirelessly to enhance regional security."
10,000 Soldiers in the South
In the framework of coordination and cooperation between the Lebanese Army and UNIFIL forces, and concurrently with the gradual reduction of its personnel from southern Lebanon, President Aoun informed the Commander of the international forces operating in the south, General Diodato Abagnara, that the Army's personnel located south of the Litani River would gradually increase until it reaches about 10,000 soldiers by the end of this year to achieve security and stability. The Army will work with UNIFIL to implement Resolution 1701 with all its provisions. In this context, President Nabih Berri reiterated to Abagnara Lebanon's support for and adherence to Resolution 1701, calling on the international community to shoulder its responsibilities to compel Israel to implement the ceasefire resolution, stop its daily aggressions, an withdraw from the territories it still occupies in the south.
Lebanese Preparations
The unity of the official position and its awareness of the importance and seriousness of the ongoing changes, especially after the intense raids in the south, and the necessity of seizing the available historic opportunities, especially after the signing of the Gaza agreement, will be the subject of discussion between Presidents Aoun and Salam in Baabda today.
In this context, "Nidaa Al-Watan" learned that all key files will be present at the meeting, particularly the results of the discreet talks held by Salam with French, international, and Arab officials during his private visit to Paris. The file of Lebanese preparations for the post-Gaza agreement phase and the Sharm El Sheikh Peace Summit will also be present, as well as how Lebanon can benefit from the new international atmosphere after the President of the Republic's stance of readiness to negotiate according to the formula of maritime demarcation negotiation. The file of the parliamentary elections, based on resolving the direction of affairs, will also be present, and consultations will be held on the agenda of the Cabinet session to be held next week. The meeting will be limited to Aoun and Salam, and Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri will not join them, as he is being contacted individually, given that channels of communication are open between Baabda - Ain El-Tineh - and the Serail as of now. Information indicates that communication between Baabda and "Hezbollah" was limited to the recent visit by the head of the "Loyalty to the Resistance" bloc, MP Mohamad Raad, to Baabda, and since then no communication has occurred to complete the dialogue on the disarmament file and confining it, amidst the "Party's" rigidity in its positions and its refusal to make concessions.
In this context, sources point out that the "Party" has become embarrassed after the signing of the peace agreement concerning Gaza, which placed it before two choices, with no third: either negotiated compromises for disarmament or keeping Lebanon hostage to an absurd discourse that deprives it of international investment. In other words, no reform or reconstruction before full sovereignty is achieved and the confinement of weapons to the State becomes a tangible reality.
Salam: Commitment to Reform
In line with the positions of President of the Republic Joseph Aoun that Lebanon cannot remain outside the path of settlements and that matters are heading towards negotiation to establish peace and stability, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam emphasized during his first official visit to the city of Sidon the need to learn lessons from the results of the current phase. He indicated that only countries that are good at reading the transformations witnessed in our region are capable of protecting their interests and preserving their security. He considered that extending the State's authority over all its territories solely through its own forces, as stipulated by the "Taif Agreement," is not only a political demand but a condition for its existence as a state.
The Prime Minister stressed that return and reconstruction are inseparable twins and a national commitment, saying: "This is a fixed commitment from me and the government. However, honesty requires admitting that the aid we were expecting for reconstruction has been delayed for reasons that are no longer hidden from anyone... but this will not deter us from continuing the diligent pursuit."
Reassuring Expatriates
Regarding the elections, and after discussions on the expatriate voting file reached a dead end, and pending whether the Cabinet will include on the agenda of the next session the draft law to cancel the two articles related to expatriate voting that Foreign Minister Youssef Rigi referred to the government, Rigi assured a media delegation that his step came from his legal and constitutional duty, denying that he had coordinated in advance with the Presidents of the Republic and the Government. He reassured expatriates that they would be able to exercise their right to vote inside Lebanon if their voting under the formulas of the six special seats and not proceeding with the option of 128 deputies is canceled.

US military praises Lebanese army, reaffirms commitment to helping Beirut disarm
Al Arabiya English/16 October/2025
The US military praised the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) on Thursday for their efforts to enhance security across Lebanon, highlighting the removal of nearly 10,000 rockets, about 400 missiles, and more than 205,000 unexploded ordnance fragments over the past year. Senior military officials from the United States, France, the United Nations peacekeeping force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), and Lebanon met this week to discuss the ceasefire with Israel and efforts to disarm the Iran-backed Hezbollah. “Our Lebanese partners continue to lead the way in ensuring the disarmament of Lebanese Hezbollah is successful,” US Central Command (CENTCOM) chief Adm. Brad Cooper said in a statement. He added that the US remains committed to supporting the LAF “as they work tirelessly to strengthen regional security.” The US also recently appointed a new senior military representative in Lebanon. Lt. Gen. Joseph Clearfield will now chair the ceasefire mechanism, which was established in November 2024 to monitor, verify, and assist in enforcing the commitments made by Israel and Lebanon, including the disarmament of Hezbollah. For his part, Clearfield said all parties were working together to ensure the success of the ceasefire agreement that ended fighting between Hezbollah and Israel. “We have a shared interest in preserving peace and stability in Lebanon,” he said. The Trump administration this month approved close to $250 million in funds for Lebanese security forces, Al Arabiya English previously reported. It was one of the few allocations made by the White House ahead of the September 30 fiscal year deadline. The package follows last month’s presidential drawdown of $14.2 million for the LAF, which the Pentagon said would help empower “the LAF in degrading Hezbollah in alignment with the Administration’s priority to counter Iranian-backed terrorist groups in the region.”The new US ambassador to Lebanon, a close friend of US President Donald Trump, was sworn in this week. Another close ally, Tom Barrack, serves as Trump’s special envoy to Beirut, underscoring Lebanon’s importance; however, patience is running thin over the pace of Hezbollah’s disarmament, US officials have said.

Israeli army: Hezbollah cement quarry and 'Green Without Borders' site struck in South Lebanon
LBCI/October 16, 2025
Israeli army spokesperson Avichay Adraee announced that Israeli warplanes struck 'Hezbollah infrastructure' and a site belonging to the "Green Without Borders" association in South Lebanon. According to Adraee, the airstrikes targeted facilities in the Mazraat Sinai area, including a quarry allegedly used by Hezbollah to produce cement for rebuilding and restoring infrastructure destroyed during the “Iron Swords War,” particularly in “Operation Northern Arrows.”He claimed the infrastructure enabled Hezbollah’s reconstruction efforts under a civilian guise and confirmed that a “Green Without Borders” site was also hit, alleging that the organization had been used by Hezbollah to conceal reconstruction activities in southern Lebanon. Adraee added that “Green Without Borders” had already been exposed in 2018 as a civilian cover for Hezbollah’s presence along the border area with Israel.

Fierce Israeli airstrikes target south Lebanon
Associated Press/Agence France Presse/Naharnet/October 16, 2025
A series of violent Israeli airstrikes targeted south Lebanon on Thursday afternoon and evening, killing one person and wounding seven others, with media reports describing them as among the fiercest since the November ceasefire. Israel claimed the evening strikes targeted a cement plant and quarry and a site belonging to an environmental group it accused of being affiliated with Hezbollah. The Israeli army said in a statement that Hezbollah was using the quarry "with the aim of rebuilding terrorist facilities and infrastructure." A few days earlier, Israel had struck several lots storing bulldozers and excavators, also claiming that the equipment was intended for use by Hezbollah. The Israeli military said the environmental group it targeted, Green Without Borders, "was used by Hezbollah to conceal terrorist activities aimed at rebuilding the organization's infrastructure."Lebanon's health ministry said one person was killed and seven people were injured in strikes just outside the towns of Bnaafoul and Ansar. The strikes sparked massive explosions that could be seen and heard in areas far from the targeted site, "causing tremors that sparked panic and tension among citizens," the state-run National News Agency reported. President Joseph Aoun insisted Israel's strikes targeted "civilian facilities," condemning what he said was a breach of a ceasefire negotiated last year. "The repeated Israeli aggression comes as part of a systematic policy aimed at destroying productive infrastructure, hindering economic recovery, and undermining national stability under false security pretexts," Aoun said. Israel has repeatedly bombed Lebanon despite a November ceasefire, which followed more than a year of hostilities with Iran-backed Hezbollah that culminated in two months of open war.

Lebanon says Israeli strikes kill one and wound seven
AFP/October 17, 2025
BEIRUT, Lebanon: Lebanon’s health ministry said Thursday that Israeli strikes in the south had killed one person and wounded seven, while the Israeli military said it had targeted Hezbollah and its allies. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, however, insisted Israel’s strikes targeted “civilian facilities,” condemning what he said was a breach of a ceasefire negotiated last year. “The repeated Israeli aggression comes as part of a systematic policy aimed at destroying productive infrastructure, hindering economic recovery, and undermining national stability under false security pretexts,” Aoun said.
Israel has repeatedly bombed Lebanon despite a November ceasefire, which followed more than a year of hostilities with the Iran-backed militant group that culminated in two months of open war. The Lebanese health ministry, which earlier said six people had been wounded, said one person was killed in a strike in the eastern town of Shmistar. One person was wounded in Bnaafoul, in the Saida district and six in Ansar, in Nabatieh district, it added. An Israeli army statement said it had “struck Hezbollah terrorist infrastructure... in the Mazraat Sinai area in southern Lebanon.”It also said it had struck facilities used by Green Without Borders, an NGO under US sanctions that Israel considers to have “operated under a civilian cover to conceal the presence of Hezbollah in the border area with Israel.”

Israeli strikes target south and east Lebanon
Naharnet/October 16, 2025
Israeli airstrikes targeted Thursday the outskirts of the Sidon district town of Bnaafoul and the Ali al-Taher hill near Nabatieh in south Lebanon and and the Bekaa town of Shmestar in the east. Al-Manar said the Israeli strike on Shmestar hit a building that had been previously targeted. Earlier in the day, an Israeli drone dropped a sound bomb off the coast of Ras Naqoura in Southern Lebanon. Despite a ceasefire reached with Hezbollah in November last year, Israel has kept up its strikes, usually saying it is targeting Hezbollah sites and operatives. It is also still occupying five hills in south Lebanon that it deems "strategic."On Wednesday an Israeli drone targeted a vehicle on the Siddiqin-Kafra road in the South, killing one person. Later on Wednesday, Israeli artillery shelled the southern border town of Yaroun.

Troop cuts will not disrupt work with Lebanese army, says commander of UN peacekeepers
NAJIA HOUSSARI/Arab News/October 16, 2025
BEIRUT: Gen. Diodato Abagnara, commander of the UN’s peacekeeping mission in Lebanon, has reassured the nation’s president, Joseph Aoun, that planned cuts to peacekeeper forces will not compromise operational coordination or ongoing support for Lebanese troops deployed in the south of the country. The assurance came during talks on Thursday, two days after Kandice Ardiel, a spokesperson for the UN Interim Force in Lebanon, warned that a UN-mandated 25 percent global reduction of peacekeeping operations would create “significant challenges” for the long-running mission in Lebanon. “The next phase will involve difficult decisions,” Ardiel said, noting concerns about the capacity of the mission to fulfill its mandate, despite efforts “to minimize disruption wherever possible” through coordination with Beirut and troop-contributing nations.
UNIFIL forces conduct daily joint patrols with the Lebanese Army to monitor compliance with UN Resolution 1701, and the ceasefire agreement in November last year between Israel and Hezbollah. Resolution 1701 was adopted by the Security Council in 2006 with the aim of resolving the conflict that year between Israel and Hezbollah. It calls for an end to hostilities, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanon, the withdrawal of Hezbollah and other armed forces from the south of the country, and the disarmament of Hezbollah and other armed groups.
“UNIFIL is still assessing the full impact of the global peacekeeping drawdown on our southern Lebanon operations, and we are under no illusions about the tough choices ahead,” Ardiel said. “Our planning is nearly complete, and we understand these cuts will hamper our capacity to execute our full mandate. “Through close collaboration with Lebanese officials and our troop-contributing nations, we will work to minimize operational disruption while maintaining our core mission objectives.”
UNIFIL was established in 1978 in response to an Israeli incursion into southern Lebanon, and has maintained a presence south of the Litani River ever since. In August, the Security Council extended the mandate of the mission “for a final time” through Dec. 31, 2026.
UNIFIL’s mandate evolved following Israel’s invasion of Lebanon in 1982 and the subsequent withdrawal of Israeli forces in 2000. Following the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in 2006, Resolution 1701 dramatically expanded the force to about 15,000 troops from more than 40 nations. The mission now encompasses ceasefire monitoring, support for Lebanese Army deployments in the south of the country, civilian medical and social services, and efforts to secure humanitarian aid corridors. While UNIFIL supports the implementation of Resolution 1701, which calls for a weapons-free zone between the Litani River and the Blue Line, the line set by the UN that separates Lebanon from Israel, Ardiel said that “Israeli troop presence on Lebanese soil constrains the army’s full deployment capabilities.”Since the Nov. 27, 2024, ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah, peacekeepers have identified more than 340 caches of weapons in southern Lebanon and reported them to the Lebanese army for disposal. However, the mission faces persistent interference from Hezbollah sympathizers who object to private property searches without army escorts, despite mandated provisions guaranteeing freedom of movement.
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said his government remains committed to the reconstruction of border areas devastated during the conflict last year between Israel and Hezbollah, and the return of residents who were forced to flee, though he acknowledged that the “expected aid has been delayed for reasons now well known.”He continued: “We will persist in working with partners to convene an international conference to secure reconstruction financing and enable safe, sustainable returns.”Salam emphasized Lebanon’s commitment to “its natural role in Arab and international circles based on national interest, the compass for all policies,” and called for “state logic and rule of law to prevail over sectarianism and division.”He added that “only nations that accurately interpret regional shifts can protect their interests and security,” and reaffirmed his Cabinet’s stance on national reforms, including ongoing efforts to ensure that weapons in the country are brought exclusively under state control. This position has drawn fierce criticism from Hezbollah, particularly after the government moved to disarm it and curtail provocative party activities in the capital. In an apparent escalation, unidentified individuals set fire late on Wednesday to a prominent “We are all with you” banner raised in support of the Lebanese army in the southern suburbs of Beirut on the road leading to the city’s airport. The banner was part of a campaign of support launched last month after the decision to take action to disarm non-state organizations. While no one has claimed responsibility for torching the banner, the incident triggered widespread condemnation on social media and expressions of solidarity with the armed forces.

Aoun says ready to do anything to prevent war, secure liberation, reconstruction
Naharnet/October 16, 2025
President Joseph Aoun announced Thursday that he is “entrusted with this country.”“I am ready to do anything that contributes to its welfare, fends off war and secures the liberation of the South and reconstruction,” Aoun added, in a Baabda meeting with a delegation from the Lebanese Communist Party. Ex-minister Marwan Charbel, who met Aoun on Wednesday, had said that the president "seems reassured that Israel's war will not resume, according to domestic and foreign information."Aoun had on Monday called for negotiations with Israel, after U.S. President Donald Trump brokered a ceasefire in Gaza. "The Lebanese state has previously negotiated with Israel under American and United Nations auspices, resulting in an agreement to demarcate the maritime border... so what prevents the same thing from happening again to find solutions to the outstanding issues," Aoun said. "Today, the general atmosphere is one of compromise, and it is necessary to negotiate. As for the shape of this negotiation, it would be decided when the time comes," the president added. Calling for an end to Israel’s military operations in Lebanon “so that the course of negotiations can begin,” Aoun said Lebanon “cannot be outside the current course in the region.”“It is a course of settling crises and we have to be part of it, seeing as we can no longer bear further war, destruction, killing and displacement,” the president added.

Salam says keen on recontruction but 'capabilities limited' in Saida visit
Naharnet/October 16, 2025
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said Thursday, as he visited the southern port city of Saida, that the government is keen on reconstructing the war-hit areas but its capabilities are limited. "I am confident that we will succeed in holding two international conferences to drum up aid for developmental and reconstruction," Salam said, adding that his project is "to restore the state, and the trust of the (Lebanese) people". French President Emmanuel Macron had vowed to organize two aid conferences for supporting Lebanon and its army, as the war and crisis-hit country plans to disarm Hezbollah and monopolize arms. After he visited a hospital in Saida, Salam said that the city has many needs but that he can't give promises that the government is not capable of achieving. "We will work within our available capabilities to meet the needs of Saida and all other Lebanese regions," he vowed.

USCENTOM: Military leaders meet on disarmament efforts in South Lebanon
LBCI/October 16, 2025
USCENTOM issued a statement on Thursday, saying that senior military leaders met to discuss disarmament efforts in South Lebanon. The statement read, "senior military leaders from the United Nations and three countries gathered October 15 in Naqoura, Lebanon for the 11th Pentalateral meeting where officials aligned priorities for maintaining the cessation of hostilities in southern Lebanon and the disarmament of Lebanese Hezbollah.""Military leaders from the United States, France, United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), and the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) discussed the LAF’s continued disarmament operations. The LAF has successfully removed nearly 10,000 rockets, almost 400 missiles, and over 205,000 unexploded ordnance fragments during the past year," it stated. “Our Lebanese partners continue to lead the way in ensuring the disarmament of Lebanese Hezbollah is successful,” said Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of U.S. Central Command. “We remain committed to supporting the LAF’s efforts as they work tirelessly to strengthen regional security.”

Hezbollah MP says US obstructing reconstruction, resistance 'committed' to its people
Naharnet/October 16, 2025
Hezbollah MP Hassan Fadlallah said Thursday that Israel has not achieved its goals in Lebanon, accusing the U.S. of obstructing the reconstruction of war-hit regions. Fadlallah said that even though the balance of power has shifted in the region and in Lebanon, the resistance is still protecting the South despite Israeli plans of occupying it and transforming it to a buffer zone. He added that some state institutions, including Lebanon's Central Bank, are tightening the restrictions on any side or association trying to offer aid to the people. "This is a reflection of the American financial blockade, which is trying by all means to prevent reconstruction aid from reaching Lebanon."Fadlallah said the U.S. is offering rewards to anyone who provides information to prevent reconstruction funds from reaching Lebanon and is also pressuring countries willing to help. Hezbollah is meanwhile trying to pressure the government to include the reconstruction in its budget, Fadlallah said, vowing that Hezbollah is committed to its people and that announcements will be made at the right time.

Foreign Minister urges Lebanese expatriates to register for parliamentary elections before deadline
LBCI/October 16, 2025
Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji called on all Lebanese expatriates around the world to register to vote in the upcoming parliamentary elections before the deadline expires. Raji appealed in a video posted on X, encouraging the Lebanese diaspora to take part in shaping the country’s political future through active participation in the electoral process.

Sources to LBCI: 12,000 Lebanese expatriates registered to vote since October 2
LBCI/October 16, 2025
According to information obtained by LBCI, the number of registered Lebanese expatriate voters has reached 12,000 since the registration process began on October 2.

Berri: Expats who wish to participate in elections 'can come and vote in Lebanon'
Naharnet/October 16, 2025
Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri has reassured that the parliamentary elections will take place on time but only in Lebanon, in defiance to sixty-five MPs from the parliamentary majority who want to amend the electoral law to include voting from outside Lebanon.
Hezbollah and Amal argue that they do not enjoy the same campaigning freedom that other parties enjoy abroad and are objecting the amendment of the current law, which only allows expats to vote for six newly-introduced seats in parliament. "We already have an electoral law in effect and the voting will be held according to that law," Berri told al-Joumhouria newspaper, in remarks published Thursday. "Those who wish to participate in the elections will have to come to Lebanon and vote in Lebanon."On another note, Berri said he is not worried about an escalation in Lebanon following the Gaza ceasefire.

Minister says 9 Tannourine water samples have tested free of bacteria
Naharnet/October 16, 2025
Nine Tannourine Mineral Water samples sent to the state-run Lebanese Agricultural Research Institute have tested free of bacteria and authorities are awaiting results from the state-run Industrial Research Institute and the American University of Beirut in order to take the appropriate decision, Agriculture Minister Nizar Hani said on Thursday. The Health Ministry had on Monday suspended Tannourine and ordered its products pulled from shelves after samples tested positive for the pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria. A Health Ministry statement said the company would remain suspended pending the identification of the contamination source and the addressing of the problem. “The Tannourine Mineral Water company is well-known and its image is pioneering and perhaps what happened will represent a positive reaction and a step forward and will not affect the reputation of this prestigious company,” Minister Hani said in a radio interview on Thursday. “We will work on reversing the decision that suspended the work of the Tannourine Mineral Water company and there is no conspiracy,” he added.

UK Vice Admiral Ahlgren meets Lebanese leaders, visits eastern border post
Naharnet/October 16, 2025
The UK Defense Senior Advisor to the Middle East and North Africa (DSAME), Vice Admiral Edward Ahlgren, concluded Wednesday a two-day visit to Lebanon. He met with Lebanese leaders, UNIFIL Commander and visited a newly constructed Protected Border Observation Post (PBOP) on Lebanon’s eastern border with Syria. The visit underscores the UK’s ongoing commitment to support the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) in enhancing its ability to secure Lebanon’s borders and respond swiftly to threats, including smuggling and illegal cross-border activity, the British Embassy said. The new Protected Border Observation Post is part of a broader UK Integrated Security Fund program to strengthen Lebanon’s border infrastructure and reinforce the LAF’s operational capability including in border areas. Ahlgren held meetings with President Joseph Aoun, Speaker Nabih Berri, Defense Minister Michel Menassa, Head of the Lebanese Army General Rodolphe Haykal and (UNIFIL) Force Commander General Diodato Abagnara. He was accompanied by British Ambassador to Lebanon Hamish Cowell and Defense Attaché Lt. Colonel Charles Smith. At the end of the visit, British Ambassador Hamish Cowell said: “In our meeting we reiterated the UK’s support to the Lebanese Army in its mission to protect Lebanon’s borders and strengthen national security, including deployment in south Lebanon. The new Protected Border Observation Post on the eastern border are a tangible example of our long-standing partnership and our shared commitment to stability in Lebanon.” Vice Admiral Edward Ahlgren said: “It was a privilege to visit Lebanon again and meet with senior Lebanese leaders. The Protected Border Observation Posts we are building together are a real testament to that and it was fantastic to go and see these for myself.”“The UK remains a steadfast partner in strengthening Lebanon’s security institutions and supporting the LAF’s role as the sole legitimate defender of the country’s borders.”Since 2010, the UK has also helped construct more than 82 border observation posts and forward operating bases as part of efforts to strengthen Lebanese border security. "We are supporting the expanded deployment of the LAF including in southern Lebanon, reinforcing their role as the sole legitimate military force of the Lebanese state, and strengthening their resilience across the country," the embassy said.

'Digital criminal' exposed in Lebanon? Social media account behind company-targeting blackmail trend
LBCI/October 16, 2025
“I’ll send your photos to your family — I’ll expose you.” What once targeted individuals with explicit photos has evolved into blackmail using videos — sometimes about oil, bread, or even chicken. It’s no longer about sexual content; the threats now exploit everyday products in a disturbing new trend. The story involves a person calling themselves Charbelitta on social media, who has 1.6 million followers on Instagram and describes themselves as the first exclusive artistic news platform in the Arab world. But Charbelitta has become an expert in blackmailing bakeries, companies, chicken shops, and factories. The Bakers’ Syndicate filed a complaint with the Ministry of Economy; Wooden Bakery did the same, and the latest plaintiff was Zeit Boulos, who contacted the Minister of Industry. Among all the lawsuits against Charbelitta’s blackmail, reports concerning the Tannourine water company emerged. At that time, Charbelitta also posted stories targeting other water companies and Labneh producers. But who is Charbelitta? There is no answer—even when attempts were made to contact them, there was no response. Sources at the Ministry of Economy and Trade told LBCI that there is coordination between the ministry’s general directorate and the Internal Security Forces. The latter confirmed that they require an official complaint to take action. If there is evidence, it should be handed to the authorities. With oil, bread, and chicken now turned into tools of threat, pressure is mounting for the judiciary to act. The person behind the blackmail is no influencer, but a digital criminal hiding behind a screen and millions of followers.

Why Have the Aounists Swallowed Their Tongues?
Jean El-Faghali/Nidaa Al-Watan/October 17/2025 (Translated from English)
Mr. Fouad Mashlab, an energy activist in the "Free Patriotic Movement" (FPM), specializes in targeting Joe Sidda, even though he previously "kept silent about what should be said." Lawyer Wadih Akel, a very active member of the "Free Patriotic Movement," and a candidate for one of the two parliamentary seats in Jbeil, along with four other candidates, excluding oversight, specializes in Riad Salameh.
The Aounist electronic army specializes in the ministers of the "Lebanese Forces" (LF), especially Energy Minister Joe Sidda and Foreign Minister Youssef Rigi. Not a day passes without Fouad Mashlab targeting Joe Sidda. Not a day passes without Wadih Akel targeting Riad Salameh. And not a day passes without the Aounist electronic army targeting the "Lebanese Forces" ministers.
It is as if this government consists of only four ministers, who are the "Lebanese Forces" ministers. As for the mistakes committed by the other ministers, they are not within the specialization of the Mashlab-Akel duo. Yesterday, two ministers in the government made a mistake that almost destroyed the reputation of Lebanese industry. The Minister of Health, who was abroad, Rakan Nasser El-Dine, "instructed" the Acting Minister of Health, Minister of Agriculture Nizar Hani, to sign a decision to withdraw a product from the markets due to contamination. Later, sample tests showed that the product was free of contamination. The two erroneous, complicit, or negligent ministers—one from "Hezbollah" is Rakan Nasser El-Dine, and the second from the "Progressive Socialist Party" is Nizar Hani—the two erroneous ministers did not stir the zeal of the Aounist "Anti-Corruption Unit," specifically the Mashlab-Akel duo, nor the "Aounist Electronic Army." Why? Because when the reason is known, the astonishment ceases! If the one who made the decision had been an LF minister, and it turned out that the decision was wrong, can you imagine the volume of tweets from Mr. Mashlab, Mr. Akel, and the electronic army? But when the two erring ministers are not "LF" ministers, Mashlab and Akel swallow their tongues, as does the electronic army, because their specialization is only "LF" ministers, with an added specialization for lawyer Wadih Akel: Riad Salameh. If you are a minister who is not from the "Lebanese Forces," and you are wrong, in the eyes of the Aounists, "your sins are forgiven." But if you are a minister from the "Lebanese Forces," even if you are not wrong, the tongues are ready to smash you. Since the formation of this government until today, has anyone read a statement by the "Free Patriotic Movement" criticizing anyone other than the "LF" ministers? It has not seen any fault in the performance of the twenty other ministers!
In psychology, this performance is only called "blind hatred." And this is a methodology of the "Movement." The FPM members "follow the religion of their kings," and their "king" is their president who misses no opportunity to attack the "Forces" and no one else, and they parrot his words.
Congratulations to others who are not "LF." The "Movement's" tongues will not reach you because they are busy with the "Forces." The caravan moves on, and the tongues chew away.

Rigi's Draft Law Shakes Ain El-Tineh
Assad Bishara/Nidaa Al-Watan/October 17/2025 (Translated from English)
"I simply did my duty," is how Foreign Minister Youssef Rigi summarizes the background of the draft law he sent to the General Secretariat of the Council of Ministers to amend the election law to allow expatriates to vote. Rigi's move appears simple in form, but it caused a political tremor in substance, as it reopened the door to controversy over the right of expatriates to vote, between those who consider this right a confirmation of full citizenship and those who see it as a threat to existing balances at home. After the project was registered with the General Secretariat of the government, the ball is now in Prime Minister Nawaf Salam's court. The question now is: will he place the project on the agenda of a ministerial session to be voted on and reveal the white thread from the black thread, or will it remain shelved like many previous projects? What is certain is that Prime Minister Salam does not want an additional problem with Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri, who issued a categorical stance against expatriate voting from Ain El-Tineh. Berri simply believes that whoever wants to vote should come to Lebanon, "as they have no right in the diaspora to have a voice," according to his close circles. The "Shiite Duo," according to informed political sources, will seek by all means to prevent the opening of the door to expatriate voting, because it realizes that this voting bloc could change the parliamentary balances in favor of the sovereign and opposition forces. The "Duo" may not be content with this prohibition, but could move to the next stage by attempting to extend the term of the Parliament, under the pretext of security or administrative circumstances, which practically means keeping the old status quo and closing any horizon for democratic change. Youssef Rigi's step, although seemingly technical and legal on the surface, is essentially a bold political move in a country that is still traversing a delicate stage between tutelage and liberation, and between the will for change and the establishment's insistence on holding the reins of decision-making. In a country where reform is prevented through the electoral gateway, defending the right of Lebanese expatriates to vote becomes a sovereign position par excellence, and an attempt to restore confidence between the state and its citizens scattered across the globe. Hence, Rigi's initiative seems more than just a draft law; it is a test of the government's stance on reform, and of Prime Minister Salam's courage in making a decision that may cost him dearly politically, but which will be a dividing station between those who want a normal state and those who insist on keeping Lebanon hostage to the establishment. In the end, whether the project is put on the agenda or frozen in the drawers, Youssef Rigi has put his finger on the real wound: no reform without free and comprehensive elections, and no democracy without the voice of the expatriate.

Between "Arabization" and "Iranization"... The Loss of the Christian Role in the Arab East
Dr. Dureid Bashrawi/Nidaa Al-Watan/October 17/2025 (Translated from English)
Some are talking about "Arab Christians" and about a conference to be held for them on the occasion of His Holiness the Pope's upcoming visit to Lebanon. But which Arab Christians are they talking about? And where are the Arab Christians today? Yes, the Arab East is the cradle and foundation of Christianity, and Christianity was the main religion in this region from the fourth century until the Islamic conquests. Christians were at the forefront of the Arab Renaissance and culture, and they actively contributed to shaping the intellectual and civilizational identity of the East. They established the first schools and printing presses, founded modern Arabic journalism in Beirut and Cairo, and were among the first to transmit Western sciences, literature, and thought into Arabic. From their midst emerged thinkers, reformers, and creators such as Butrus al-Bustani, Nasif al-Yaziji, Jurji Zaydan, Charles Malik, Mikhail Naimy, Kahlil Gibran, and others, who contributed to the revival of the Arabic language and the dissemination of the values of freedom, rationality, and humanity. The role of Christians was not limited to cultural and intellectual renaissance, but extended to the political arena during the great foundational moments of modern Arab nations. They had a pivotal contribution to drafting the first constitutions and formulating the inclusive national concepts upon which the states were built after independence, and to establishing the idea of citizenship and the civil state that separates religion and politics without separating the human being from their homeland. Christians were at the forefront of those calling for enlightened Arabism, and for building democratic systems that respect public freedoms and human rights, and affirm the state's sovereignty and independence from any tutelage or dependency. They fought for independence in Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, and Iraq, and participated in leading national and nationalist movements, defending dignity, sovereignty, and freedom.
However, this leading political role declined under the weight of wars, oppressive regimes, the rise of fundamentalist currents, and the disintegration of the national state. Christians were displaced from Iraq, Syria, Palestine, and even Lebanon, and their presence diminished in most Eastern countries, while Lebanon—the last space of freedom and pluralism—was left to erode from within by reckless policies that oscillate sometimes between "Arabization" and sometimes "Iranization," and between dependency and surrendering everything, even national dignity. These policies have reached a limit where "dhimmitude" has become one of their essential pillars.
So how can you speak in the name of "Arab Christians," then? And who are you? And who do you truly represent on a popular level?
It would be good if you would demand the return of Christians to Iraq and Syria. It would be good if you would demand the rights of Christians that have been wasted and violated in a number of Arab countries, especially in Egypt, Iraq, and others - the most important of which are: the right to equality, the right to freely practice worship without restrictions, the right to freedom of opinion and expression, in addition to political and civil rights and all other human rights. It would be good if you would work to restore the rights, positions, and authorities of Christians that were usurped in Lebanon under the weight of the Syrian occupation's weapons and the Iranian Wilayat's militia, from the Taif Agreement until today, and to restore balance to state institutions, not from a sectarian perspective, but from the perspective of full national partnership in decision-making and sovereignty. It would be good if you would strive to unify the Christian ranks, stop the bickering, abandon the prioritizing of egoism and narrow interests, and relinquish the outdated feudal mentality that still produces nominal leaders who live on the glories and power of the past. It would be good if you would work to put forward a clear political vision that ensures the survival of Christians in this homeland as original and essential citizens, not as dhimmis or as a minority, and that this vision be part of a comprehensive national project to save the state and rebuild it on the foundations of justice, sovereignty, and equality. Enough of dhimmitude, enough of submission, concessions, and failure. There is no life in this East except with freedom, and no survival without sovereignty and dignity. Let us live free... or let us live free. There is no third option between them, even if we are forced to leave this East, for this is the message, and this is the bitter truth that must be conveyed to His Holiness the Pope.
**Professor and Director of Research in International Law and Criminal Law at the Faculty of Law and Political Science - University of Strasbourg / Advisor to the International Criminal Court (The Hague) / Former Public Prosecutor at the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (The Hague) / Lawyer at the Court of Appeal in the Beirut Bar Association.

Beirut and Damascus reconnect: Between pragmatism and regional realignment
Makram Rabah/English Alarabiya/16 October/2025
Beirut has grown accustomed to hosting delegations of foreign diplomats and emissaries with promises of aid, dialogue, and reform. But last week’s visit of Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani and his high-level delegation was of a different order. It marked not only Damascus’ most significant official return to Lebanon since the fall of the al-Assad regime, but also signaled the cautious reactivation of a relationship long suspended between confrontation and dependency.
The Syrian delegation, which included the justice, intelligence, and interior portfolios, was received under direct Saudi sponsorship and in full coordination with Lebanon’s prime minister Nawaf Salam. This dual patronage – Riyadh’s regional imprimatur and Beirut’s political consent – offered the meeting a legitimacy it could not have secured a decade ago. In a city once synonymous with al-Assad’s occupation, al-Shaibani’s visit symbolized something new: A state-to-state dialogue replacing the informal, securitized channels that had defined bilateral relations for decades.
At the heart of the meetings, lay a desire to “restore institutional dialogue.” Lebanese officials described a Syrian tone “marked by the spirit of the state,” a phrase that in itself signals a rhetorical break from the old order, when Damascus spoke to Lebanon through proxies and militias, not ministers.
Three files dominated the talks: detainees, borders, and refugees. Together, they form the backbone of what both sides now call “a roadmap for normalization.”
On the judicial front, Damascus proposed dividing Syrian detainees into legal categories and offered to release those held without formal charges – on the condition that they be permanently barred from re-entering Lebanon. Beirut, in turn, refused to hand over prisoners facing serious criminal indictments. The arrangement, bureaucratic as it may sound, represents a rare moment of mutual pragmatism in a relationship long defined by emotion and grievance.
The second file – border demarcation – touches the nerve of Lebanese sovereignty. The joint technical committees, long dormant since 2010, are to be revived to address overlapping land boundaries and eventually tackle the maritime frontier. Syrian officials informed their hosts that border fees had been lifted unilaterally, while the Lebanese side reminded them that reciprocal measures require parliamentary approval. The contrast revealed the asymmetry that still governs this relationship: one state acts; the other negotiates its consent.
Yet, the discussions also carried a faint echo of normalization’s first rule – technical cooperation precedes political reconciliation. By resuming talks on such procedural matters, both sides are, in effect, redrawing the geography of engagement.
No bilateral issue looms larger than the fate of the more than one million Syrian refugees in Lebanon. Damascus now says it is ready to receive “as many returnees as possible,” provided that international agencies finance their reintegration. Beirut, exhausted and demographically strained, insists that the UN underwrite the costs of repatriation. Between the two, the refugee file remains both humanitarian and transactional – a space where moral imperatives meet fiscal realities. Yet the most striking moment came from al-Shaibani himself, who repeatedly expressed the Syrian people’s gratitude to their “Lebanese brethren” for offering refuge and support during years of hardship – a tone of humility and humanity rarely, if ever, heard before in the long and fraught history of Lebanese-Syrian relations.
Interior officials from both countries agreed to streamline crossings and launch “joint field campaigns” to encourage voluntary return. The real question, however, is whether any Syrian return can truly be voluntary when returnees face surveillance, conscription, or reprisal back home. In this sense, the policy may normalize relations faster than it normalizes human lives.
Still, beneath this new technocratic tone lingers an unmistakable geopolitical truth: security cooperation has always been the backbone of Syrian influence in Lebanon. What is changing today is not the function, but the form – the same old mechanism dressed in the language of institutional respect.
The Syrian delegation’s final meetings focused on reopening trade routes and reactivating Lebanese participation in reconstruction projects. Damascus, eager to attract Gulf investment, proposed a joint economic council to streamline cross-border trade. Lebanese officials, mindful of Western sanctions, expressed cautious interest but avoided public commitments. Yet the mere fact that Syrian reconstruction is once again a topic of bilateral discussion underscores how far the pendulum has swung from isolation to reintegration.
For Syria, Lebanon remains both a lifeline and a testing ground: a small neighbor where it can rehearse its post-war diplomacy under Arab and international backing. For Lebanon, engagement with Damascus is less about ideology than survival – keeping borders open, refugees contained, and trade routes viable.
The most remarkable aspect of the visit may not lie in its content but in its orchestration. Riyadh’s tacit sponsorship was decisive. By framing the encounter as part of a broader “Arab reconciliation” effort, Saudi diplomacy gave Beirut the political cover to engage, and Damascus the prestige to reappear as a legitimate interlocutor. This regional umbrella suggests that what is unfolding between Lebanon and Syria is not an isolated thaw but a calibrated step in the Arab world’s reintegration of Damascus – under Arab, not Iranian, auspices.
For Beirut, the return of official Syrian diplomacy is both a relief and a reminder. A relief, because institutional dialogue is better than the proxy wars that replaced it. A reminder, because true independence cannot be outsourced to good intentions or foreign sponsorships.
Whether this reset becomes a roadmap or a relapse will depend less on communiqués than on conduct. For now, what Beirut witnessed was the reemergence of a familiar neighbor – cautious, rebranded, and once again indispensable.

The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on October 16-17/2025
US denies claims Hamas violating ceasefire over hostage returns
Arab News/October 16, 2025
LONDON: The US has denied claims that Hamas is violating its ceasefire deal with Israel by failing to return all dead hostages, the BBC reported on Thursday. Hamas has returned nine of the 28 bodies of dead hostages it holds, and said the remaining corpses are buried deep under rubble, requiring specialized equipment to extract. Two senior advisers to US President Donald Trump said plans to demilitarize Gaza and install a transitional government remain underway despite the delay. They told reporters that the US government does not believe Hamas is violating the ceasefire. Israel, responding to the delayed handover of the hostage bodies, limited pledged aid supplies to Gaza. The level of destruction in the Palestinian enclave means that the recovery of all slain hostages could take weeks, one of the US advisers told the media. Under the terms of the first phase of the US-brokered ceasefire, Hamas is required to return the remains of all 28 dead hostages. The group’s armed wing said: “The remaining bodies require significant efforts and specialized equipment to search for and retrieve, and we are making a great effort to close this file.” Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz on Wednesday said the country’s military should be prepared to act if Hamas refuses to implement the deal. Israel has agreed to exchange the bodies of 15 slain Palestinians for every dead Israeli hostage.

France and Britain refine plans at UN for Gaza force resolution
Reuters/October 16, 2025
PARIS/UNITED NATIONS: France and Britain, in coordination with the United States, are working to finalize a UN Security Council resolution in the coming days that would lay the foundation for a future international force in Gaza, France said on Thursday.
With a shaky US-mediated ceasefire between Israel and Hamas holding, planning has begun for an international force to stabilize security in the Palestinian enclave, two senior US advisers said on Wednesday. Speaking to reporters in Paris, French Foreign Ministry spokesperson Pascal Confavreux said such a force needed a UN mandate to provide a strong foundation in international law and ease the process of getting potential contributions from countries. “France is working closely with its partners on the establishment of such an international mission, which must be formalized through the adoption of a UN Security Council resolution,” he said. UN resolution being discussed with Americans
“Discussions, notably with the Americans and British, are ongoing to propose this resolution in the coming days.”Paris hosted talks with other European and Arab powers on October 10 to flesh out ideas for Gaza’s post-war transition, including how an international force could take shape.
Diplomats said the stabilization force would not be a formal United Nations peacekeeping force paid for by the world body. Instead, a Security Council resolution could mirror action taken by the 15-member body to back the deployment of an international force to combat armed gangs in Haiti. That resolution spells out and authorizes the mission and states contributing to the force to “take all necessary measures” – code for the use of force – to carry out the mandate. “The stabilization force will take some time,” British Prime Minister Keir Starmer told parliament on Tuesday. “The terms of reference are still being drawn up. There is a United Nations Security Council resolution on the establishment of the force, or I hope there will be, but the wider terms of reference are not yet agreed.”
Indonesia previously offered 20,000 troops
Among the countries the US is speaking to about contributing to the force are Indonesia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Qatar, and Azerbaijan, the advisers said on condition of anonymity. There are also currently up to two dozen US troops in the region to help set up the operation, serving in a “coordination, oversight” role, they said. Italy has publicly said it was willing to take part. Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto told the United Nations General Assembly on September 23 that if there was a UN resolution, Indonesia was prepared to deploy 20,000 or more troops in Gaza to help secure peace. The 193-member UN General Assembly last month overwhelmingly voted to endorse a declaration that aimed to advance a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians, which supports the deployment of a temporary international stabilization mission mandated by the UN Security Council.

Israel hands 30 Palestinian bodies to Red Cross in Gaza
Arab News/October 16, 2025
LONDON: Palestinian medical authorities in Gaza received the bodies of 30 people who were held by Israel and handed over on Thursday through the International Committee of the Red Cross. Since the US-brokered ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas last week, the bodies of 120 Palestinians have been handed over by Israel, according to Wafa news agency. Hamas returned two more bodies of hostages to Israel overnight, increasing the total to nine out of 28 released. According to the terms of the ceasefire, for every slain hostage held by Hamas, Israel will return the bodies of 15 Palestinians.
Palestinian forensic teams said that some bodies showed signs of abuse, including beatings, handcuffing and blindfolding. Families have confirmed the identities of four victims, while others await the completion of examinations and documentation before handover.
On Thursday, medical sources reported to Wafa that 29 bodies, including 22 recovered from rubble and 10 with injuries, were taken to hospitals in Gaza over the past 24 hours. Despite a ceasefire in Gaza going into effect on Friday, the death toll has continued to rise, totaling 67,967 people. The number is likely incomplete, as many victims remain trapped under rubble and inaccessible to ambulance and rescue crews, Wafa reported.

Israel, Hamas trade blame over truce violations, Rafah border reopening eyed but no date set
Reuters/October 16, 2025
CAIRO/TEL AVIV: Israel said on Thursday it was preparing for the reopening of Gaza’s Rafah crossing with Egypt to let Palestinians in and out, but set no date as it traded blame with Hamas over violations of a US-mediated ceasefire. A dispute over the return of hostages’ bodies held by Hamas threatens to derail the truce and other unresolved elements of the plan, including disarmament of militants and Gaza’s future governance. Israeli government spokesperson Shosh Bedrosian told reporters Israel remained committed to the agreement and continued to uphold its obligations, demanding Hamas return the bodies of the 19 deceased hostages it had not handed over. The Islamist faction has handed over 10 bodies but Israel said one was not that of a hostage. The militant group says it has handed over all bodies it could recover. The armed wing of Hamas said the handover of more bodies in Gaza, reduced to vast tracts of rubble by the war, would require the admission of heavy machinery and excavating equipment into the Israel-blockaded Palestinian enclave. On Thursday, a senior Hamas official accused Israel of flouting the ceasefire by killing at least 24 people in shootings since Friday, and said a list of such violations was handed over to mediators. “The occupying state is working day and night to undermine the agreement through its violations on the ground,” he said. The Israeli military did not immediately respond. It has previously said some Palestinians have ignored warnings not to approach Israeli ceasefire positions and troops “opened fire to remove the threat.”Later on Thursday, local health authorities said an Israeli airstrike in Khan Younis in southern Gaza killed two people. The Israeli military said its forces fired at several individuals who emerged from a tunnel shaft and approached troops, describing them as posing an immediate threat. Israel has said the next phase of the 20-point plan to end the war, a blueprint engineered by US President Donald Trump’s administration, calls for Hamas to relinquish its weapons and cede power, which it has so far refused to do.
Hamas has instead launched a security crackdown in urban areas vacated by Israeli forces, demonstrating its power through public executions and clashes with local armed clans. Twenty remaining living hostages were freed on Monday in exchange for thousands of Palestinians jailed in Israel. The Gaza health ministry said on Thursday Israel had released 30 bodies of Palestinians killed during the conflict, taking the number of bodies it has received since Monday to 120. Longer-term elements of Trump’s plan, including the make-up of an international “stabilization force” for the densely populated territory and moves toward creating a Palestinian state — rejected by Israel — have yet to be hashed out. Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa said on Thursday the Western-backed Palestinian Authority (PA) would work with international institutions and partners to address Gaza’s security, logistical, financial and governance challenges. An upcoming conference in Egypt on Gaza’s reconstruction would need to clarify how donor funds are organized, who would receive them and how they would be disbursed, he told reporters. Hamas ejected the PA from Gaza in a brief civil war in 2007.
MASSIVE INCREASE IN AID NEEDED
In a statement on Thursday, Israel’s military aid agency COGAT said coordination was under way with Egypt to set a date for reopening the Rafah crossing for movement of people after completing the necessary preparations. COGAT said the Rafah crossing would not open for aid as this was not stipulated by the truce deal at any stage, rather all humanitarian goods bound for Gaza would pass through Israeli-controlled Kerem Shalom after undergoing security inspections. Italian news agency ANSA quoted Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar as saying Rafah will probably be reopened on Sunday. With famine conditions present in parts of Gaza, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Tom Fletcher told Reuters in an interview on Wednesday that thousands of aid vehicles would now have to enter Gaza weekly to ease the crisis. Aid trucks rolled into Gaza on Wednesday and Israel said 600 had been approved to go in under the truce pact. Fletcher called that a “good base” but nowhere near enough, with medical care also scarce and most of the 2.2 million population homeless. On Thursday UNICEF said that in recent days it brought in 250 pallets of supplies including family tents, winter clothes, tarpaulins, sanitary pads and hygiene kits. It has also distributed more than 56,000 packs of baby food to help 12,500 children for two weeks, UNICEF spokesperson Tess Ingram said. Ismail Al-Thawabta, head of the Hamas-run Gaza media office, said the aid that had entered since the fighting subsided was a “drop in the ocean.”“The region urgently requires a large, continuous and organized inflow of aid, fuel, cooking gas, and relief and medical supplies,” he told Reuters. Much of the heavily urbanized enclave has been rendered a wasteland by Israeli bombardments and airstrikes that have killed nearly 68,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health authorities. The war was triggered by Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel in which some 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage back to Gaza, according to Israeli tallies.

Israel’s Netanyahu says determined to secure return of all hostages
AFP/October 16, 2025
JERUSALEM: Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday that he was determined to ensure that Hamas hands back the remains of hostages still in Gaza, adding that the fight “is not over yet.” Under a ceasefire agreement spearheaded by US President Donald Trump, Hamas returned the last 20 surviving hostages to Israel, and said it had handed back all the bodies of deceased captives that it could access. The ceasefire also saw the war, sparked by Hamas’s unprecedented October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, grind to a halt after two years of agony for the families of hostages, and bombardment and hunger in Gaza. The remains of 19 hostages are still unaccounted for, with Hamas saying it would need specialist recovery equipment to retrieve the rest from the ruins of Gaza. At a state ceremony to mark the second anniversary of the October 7 attack, Netanyahu said Israel was “determined to secure the return of all hostages.”“The fight is not over yet, but one thing is clear — whoever lays a hand on us knows they will pay a very heavy price,” he said. Earlier, an Israeli group campaigning for the return of the hostages demanded that the government delay implementing the next stages of the truce if Hamas fails to return the remaining captives’ bodies. During the war, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum consistently demanded an end to the fighting to allow the return of those taken hostage during the October 7 attack. “As long as Hamas breaches the agreements and continues to hold 19 hostages, there can be no unilateral progress on Israel’s part,” the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said.
‘Total defeat’
It urged the government to “immediately halt the implementation of any further stages of the agreement as long as Hamas continues to blatantly violate its obligations regarding the return of all hostages and the remains of the victims.”According to Trump’s 20-point plan for Gaza, the next phases of the truce should include the disarming of Hamas, the offer of amnesty to Hamas leaders who decommission their weapons and establishing the governance of post-war Gaza. Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz on Wednesday threatened to resume fighting if Hamas does not honor the terms of the agreement. “If Hamas refuses to comply with the agreement, Israel, in coordination with the United States, will resume fighting and act to achieve a total defeat of Hamas, to change the reality in Gaza and achieve all the objectives of the war,” a statement from his office said. But Trump appeared to call for patience in order to safeguard the deal. “It’s a gruesome process, I almost hate to talk about it, but they’re digging, they’re actually digging,” he said of Hamas’s search for hostages’ remains. “There are areas where they are digging and they’re finding a lot of bodies. Then they have to separate the bodies, you wouldn’t believe this. And some of those bodies have been in there a long time, and some of them are under rubble.”The families of surviving hostages were able, after two long years without their loved ones, to rejoice in their return.
‘My children are home’
“My children are home! Two years ago, one morning, I lost half of my family. Two of my children, two of my daughters-in-law, and two of my granddaughters were lost on the face of the earth. The world collapsed on me and my family in an instant,” said Sylvia Cunio, mother of Ariel and David Cunio who were released from captivity. “For two years, I didn’t breathe. For two years, I felt like I had no air. And today, I stand here, in front of you, and I want to shout out loud, David and Ariel are here!“ Kobi Kalfon, father of released hostage Segev Kalfon, said his son had suffered emotional and physical abuse while in captivity. “We now start a new journey, his journey to rehabilitation. It will not be simple, but we will be with him, hand in hand,” he said. For many in Gaza, while there was relief that the bombing had stopped, the road to recovery felt impossible, given the sheer scale of the devastation.
“There’s no water — no clean water, not even salty water, no water at all. No essentials of life exist — no food, no drink, nothing. And as you can see, all that’s left is rubble,” said Mustafa Mahram, who returned to Gaza City after the ceasefire. “An entire city has been destroyed.”The war killed at least 67,938 people in Gaza, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory, figures the United Nations considers credible.The data does not distinguish between civilians and combatants but indicates that more than half of the dead are women and children. The war was sparked by Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,221 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.

Turkish experts to help find hostage bodies in Gaza: ministry sources
AFP/October 16, 2025
ANKARA: Turkiye has sent 81 disaster relief experts to the Gaza Strip, some of whom will help with finding the remains of 19 hostages still unaccounted for, a defense ministry source said Thursday. “There is already a team of 81 AFAD staff there,” the source said, referring to Turkiye’s disaster relief agency, indicating that “one team will be in charge of seeking and finding the bodies.”Turkiye’s Disaster Management Authority (AFAD) is a government agency that operates under the interior ministry. “The tasks are known: transmitting humanitarian aid, finding corpses and protecting the ceasefire. But there is no clear information on how to handle these tasks,” the ministry source said. Asked whether Turkish military forces could get involved, the source said it would be “more the task of civilian entities like AFAD” but in theory the military could help out if needed. AFAD rescue workers are accustomed to operating in difficult terrain and have responded to numerous earthquakes that have shaken Turkiye, including the one in February 2023 in the southeast of the country, which killed at least 53,000 people. AFAD says it has carried out rescue and humanitarian aid missions in more than 50 countries on five continents in recent years, including Somalia, the Palestinian territories, Ecuador, the Philippines, Nepal, Yemen, Mozambique, and Chad.

Israel hostage forum urges govt to delay next stages of truce if Hamas fails to return bodies
AFP/October 16, 2025
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz threatened late on Wednesday to resume fighting if Hamas did not honor the terms of the US-backed ceasefire that halted the war in Gaza. Jerusalem: An Israeli group campaigning for the return of all hostages held in Gaza on Thursday demanded that the government delay implementing the next stages of the truce if Hamas fails to return the remaining captives’ bodies. In a statement, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum urged the Israeli government to “immediately halt the implementation of any further stages of the agreement as long as Hamas continues to blatantly violate its obligations regarding the return of all hostages and the remains of the victims.”According to the framework, outlined by US President Donald Trump, the next phases of the truce include offering amnesty to Hamas leaders who decommission their weapons and establishing the governance of post-war Gaza. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz threatened late on Wednesday to resume fighting if Hamas did not honor the terms of the US-backed ceasefire that halted the war in Gaza. It came after Hamas said it had returned all the bodies it could access, and that it would need special recovery equipment to reach the rest of the bodies promised under the agreement. “As long as Hamas breaches the agreements and continues to hold 19 hostages, there can be no unilateral progress on Israel’s part,” the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said. “Any political or military action that does not ensure their immediate return abandons the citizens of Israel,” it added. Since Monday, under a ceasefire agreement brokered by US President Donald Trump, the Palestinian Islamist group has handed back 20 surviving hostages to Israel in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian hostages freed from Israeli jails. It has also returned the remains of nine of 28 known deceased hostages — along with another body, which Israel said was not that of a former hostage.

Jordan’s crown prince commends UK prime minister for official recognition of Palestinian statehood
Arab News/October 16, 2025
LONDON: Crown Prince Hussein of Jordan praised UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Thursday for the British government’s recent decision to officially recognize Palestinian statehood. During their meeting at No. 10 Downing Street, the crown prince stressed the need to support the Palestinian people in their efforts to secure their rights and establish an independent state. Regarding the latest developments in Gaza, the crown prince highlighted the need to ensure full implementation of the ceasefire deal between Hamas and Israel, as well as unrestricted deliveries of humanitarian aid to the territory. Starmer and Crown Prince Hussein also discussed the latest developments in the wider Middle East, and the latter called for joint efforts to restore regional stability to be stepped up, the Jordan News Agency reported. The UK government announced its recognition of the State of Palestine in the run-up to the UN General Assembly in September. Several other Western countries took a similar step around that time, including France, Canada and Australia. Jordan’s ambassador to the UK, Manar Dabbas; the director of the Office of the Crown Prince, Zaid Baqain; and the UK’s national security adviser, Jonathan Powell, also attended the meeting.

Israeli kibbutz hopes to heal after hostages’ return
AFP/October 16, 2025
KFAR AZA, Israel: Two years after he survived Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel which killed 64 fellow residents of the Kfar Aza kibbutz, Avidor Schwartzman hopes his community can finally begin to overcome its pain. “We can start the healing process,” Schwartzman told AFP, even if “we know that there are a lot of people who will not come back.”On October 7, 2023, Hamas commandos stormed over the barrier separating Gaza and Israel, around two kilometers (just over a mile) away from Schwartzman’s kibbutz. The militants set about burning down homes, looting and killing, before abducting 18 people from Kfar Aza and taking them hostage into the Gaza Strip. Two of them died in captivity, while the last two to be released, Gali and Ziv Berman, were only returned by Hamas on Monday under a US-brokered deal to end the war in Gaza. It took two days for the Israeli army to regain control of the kibbutz following the October 7 attack, and the violence killed 19 soldiers. On Thursday, survivors of the attack in Kfar Aza gathered in the cemetery for a memorial to honor those killed that day. At a state ceremony in Jerusalem to mark the second anniversary of the attack under the Jewish calendar, a torch was lit in memory of a young couple from the kibbutz, Sivan Elkabetz and Naor Hasidim, both killed by militants.
‘Gives us hope -
Elkabetz’s father, Shimon Elkabetz, told AFP that the return of the surviving hostages on Monday sparked hope. But he was of the view that the Israeli army should not leave Gaza “until the last of the (dead) hostages is back to be buried in Israel.”Israel has accused Hamas of violating the terms of the ceasefire agreement, under which the militants had until noon Monday (0900 GMT) to hand over all the hostages it still held in Gaza. While Hamas handed over all 20 living hostages by the deadline, the group has only handed over nine of the 28 bodies, arguing it would need specialist equipment to retrieve the rest from Gaza’s ruins. Israel’s defense minister on Wednesday threatened to restart the offensive if Hamas did not honor the deal. Elkabetz agreed. “Our soldiers are deep inside the Strip, and that is a good thing,” he said.
‘No home anymore’ -
At the Kfar Aza memorial, people placed flowers on the tombs of victims of the Hamas attack. Others, as per Jewish custom, laid stones. On stage, survivors read out the names of the 64 victims, the noise of helicopters and drones overhead at times drowning out their voices. Batia Holin could not hide her pain for “64 of my friends are gone, murdered.”Reconstruction work has begun, though much of the kibbutz is still damaged and only a handful of residents have come back to live in Kfar Aza. Holin, who has lived in Kfar Aza for 50 years, said she was struggling to imagine what the future might hold.
“I can’t go to my home because I have no home anymore. It will take more two years maybe, and it’s very difficult,” she told AFP. In April, the kibbutz opened a new neighborhood of 16 housing units earmarked for younger people, to replace the old youth quarter destroyed in the attack. Schwartzman, at 40 a father of two, lives in the neighborhood. His wife lost both her parents in the October 7 attack. While the road to recovery will be long, he says he is confident that others will follow and move back, like he has. Several people he knew, Schwartzman said, had been “living here for several generations, three generations, maybe even four... “So I guess this is the only place they can call home and that’s why they want to come back.”

Palestinian PM pitches $65 billion five-year plan to rebuild Gaza
Reuters/October 16, 2025
RAMALLAH: The Palestinian Authority’s prime minister met on Thursday with UN and diplomatic officials to present a plan for Gaza’s reconstruction, despite uncertainties over his government’s role in the war-shattered territory’s future. “I would like to believe that 12 months from now, the Palestinian Authority will be fully operational in Gaza,” Mohammed Mustafa said. Mustafa said the Palestinian Authority had crafted a five-year plan for Gaza that would unfold over three phases and require $65 billion across 18 sectors, including housing, education, governance, and more. The authority has not had a role in Gaza’s governance since Hamas seized control of the territory in 2007, though it still provides some services in the territory. The Gaza peace plan set out by US President Donald Trump does not rule out a Palestinian state. Also, it suggests allowing a role for the Palestinian Authority once it has completed a set of reforms. The plan builds on what was agreed at a summit of Arab countries in Cairo in March 2025, and Mustafa said that “police training programs initiated with Egypt and Jordan are already underway.”“Our vision is clear,” Mustafa told an assembly of Palestinian ministers, UN heads of agency, and diplomatic heads of mission from his office in Ramallah, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. “Gaza shall be rebuilt as an open, connected and thriving part of the state of Palestine,” Mustafa said. He also said that technical discussions were ongoing with the EU over “secure crossing operations, customs systems, and integrated policing units.”The EU is one of the largest donors to the PA. Above all, the post-war reconstruction plan aims to make way for a single Palestinian government. The process will “reinforce the political and territorial unity between Gaza and the West Bank, and contribute to restoring a credible governance framework for the state of Palestine,” said Mustafa. His remarks came as International Monetary Fund Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva urged all parties to continue moving toward sustained peace following a ceasefire in Gaza, saying it would benefit the entire region. Georgieva, speaking during the annual meetings of the IMF and World Bank in Washington, said on Thursday she was relieved when the recent ceasefire was reached for the sake of all the people affected by the two-year war in the Palestinian enclave. She said lowered tensions would be good news for the economies of Egypt and Jordan, where the IMF has programs, and Lebanon and Syria, which have asked for help and support from the global lender. “It is important because everybody concerned encourages this direction of sustaining a lasting peace, and yes, it would benefit the region,” she said.
“There will be a peace dividend for everybody.”

France and Britain refine plans at UN for Gaza force resolution
Reuters/October 16, 2025
PARIS/UNITED NATIONS: France and Britain, in coordination with the United States, are working to finalize a UN Security Council resolution in the coming days that would lay the foundation for a future international force in Gaza, France said on Thursday.
With a shaky US-mediated ceasefire between Israel and Hamas holding, planning has begun for an international force to stabilize security in the Palestinian enclave, two senior US advisers said on Wednesday. Speaking to reporters in Paris, French Foreign Ministry spokesperson Pascal Confavreux said such a force needed a UN mandate to provide a strong foundation in international law and ease the process of getting potential contributions from countries. “France is working closely with its partners on the establishment of such an international mission, which must be formalized through the adoption of a UN Security Council resolution,” he said.
UN resolution being discussed with Americans
“Discussions, notably with the Americans and British, are ongoing to propose this resolution in the coming days.”Paris hosted talks with other European and Arab powers on October 10 to flesh out ideas for Gaza’s post-war transition, including how an international force could take shape. Diplomats said the stabilization force would not be a formal United Nations peacekeeping force paid for by the world body. Instead, a Security Council resolution could mirror action taken by the 15-member body to back the deployment of an international force to combat armed gangs in Haiti. That resolution spells out and authorizes the mission and states contributing to the force to “take all necessary measures” – code for the use of force – to carry out the mandate. “The stabilization force will take some time,” British Prime Minister Keir Starmer told parliament on Tuesday. “The terms of reference are still being drawn up. There is a United Nations Security Council resolution on the establishment of the force, or I hope there will be, but the wider terms of reference are not yet agreed.”
Indonesia previously offered 20,000 troops
Among the countries the US is speaking to about contributing to the force are Indonesia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Qatar, and Azerbaijan, the advisers said on condition of anonymity. There are also currently up to two dozen US troops in the region to help set up the operation, serving in a “coordination, oversight” role, they said. Italy has publicly said it was willing to take part. Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto told the United Nations General Assembly on September 23 that if there was a UN resolution, Indonesia was prepared to deploy 20,000 or more troops in Gaza to help secure peace. The 193-member UN General Assembly last month overwhelmingly voted to endorse a declaration that aimed to advance a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians, which supports the deployment of a temporary international stabilization mission mandated by the UN Security Council.

Hackers use some Canada and US airport PA systems to praise Hamas, criticize Trump
October 17, 2025
SEATTLE: Hackers took over the public address systems on Tuesday at four airports, three in Canada and one in the United States, to broadcast messages praising Hamas and criticizing President Donald Trump, according to officials and news reports.
An “advertisement streaming service” at the Kelowna International Airport in British Columbia “was briefly compromised and unauthorized content was shared,” according to the Kelowna Royal Canadian Mounted Police. The RCMP said it is investigating the hack with other agencies and declined to provide further details. Hackers broadcast messages in a foreign language and music over the PA system at Victoria International Airport in British Columbia, according to an airport spokesperson. The hackers breached third-party software to access the PA system, and the airport switched to an internal system to regain control, the spokesperson said. The Canadian Center for Cyber Security is assisting the airport and the RCMP with the investigation. Hackers similarly took control of the PA system at Harrisburg International Airport in Pennsylvania, US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in a social media post on Wednesday. The US Federal Aviation Administration and airport officials are investigating the breach, he said. The FAA did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Hackers also breached the flight information display screens and public address system Tuesday evening at Windsor International Airport in Ontario, and displayed “unauthorized images and announcements,” according to airport officials. The breach was to a “cloud-based software provider” used by the airport, and “our systems returned to normal shortly thereafter,” according to the airport’s statement. The four locations are smaller, feeder airports. In 2024, the busiest, Kelowna, served just over 2 million passengers, compared to the more than 25 million travelers who passed through Vancouver International Airport — British Columbia’s largest airport.

Houthis confirm death of chief of staff in Israeli airstrike
ARAB NEWS/October 16, 2025
LONDON: The Houthis confirmed on Thursday the death of Major General Mohammed AbdulKareem Al-Ghamari, their chief of staff and one of the group’s most prominent military figures, following an Israeli airstrike. An announcement from the group’s Armed Forces also reported the deaths of several of his companions and his 13-year-old son, Hussein, according to Houthi news agency SABA. Al-Ghamari had been previously reported wounded in the strike, but the group’s official statement on Thursday confirmed his death. Israeli officials said in June that Al-Ghamari was the target of an airstrike.
Since the onset of Israel’s military operations in Gaza in October 2023, which have been widely condemned as acts of genocide, the Houthi movement in Yemen has escalated its retaliatory attacks on Israeli targets. Their actions have been framed as acts of solidarity with Palestinians under siege. In response, Israel has conducted multiple airstrikes on Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen, intensifying the regional conflict.

UN rejects Houthi espionage allegations as ‘disturbing’ and dangerous, urges release of detained staff
Ephrem Kossaify/Arab News/October 17, 2025
NEW YORK: The United Nations has on Thursday rejected accusations by Yemen's Houthi authorities that UN staff were involved in espionage, calling the claims "extremely disturbing" and warning they put lives at risk. “We categorically reject any and all accusations that UN personnel or UN operations in Yemen were involved in any form of espionage or in any activities that were not consistent with our humanitarian mandate,” said Stéphane Dujarric, spokesperson for UN Secretary-General António Guterres. “Accusations, calling UN staff spies or, as we’ve seen in other contexts, calling them terrorists — all that does is it puts the lives of UN staff everywhere at risk, and it's unacceptable.”Dujarric's comments came in response to a wave of detentions by Houthi authorities targeting UN and NGO workers in Yemen. At least 53 UN staff members remain arbitrarily detained, some held incommunicado for years, according to the UN. The Houthi rebels have in recent weeks accused the UN of spying for the United States and Israel, exhibiting political bias, and failing to condemn Israeli military actions. These allegations emerged after an Israeli airstrike in September killed several senior Houthi officials in Sanaa. Following the strike, Houthi officials claimed that some of the detained UN employees were engaged in espionage, and that diplomatic immunity “should not be a cover” for such activities. In a statement from its Houthi-run foreign ministry, the group claimed the UN’s silence on the Israeli attack demonstrated “double standards” and alleged complicity. Dujarric pushed back strongly against those narratives, insisting the UN’s presence in Yemen was solely humanitarian. “The work that we do in Yemen and we do everywhere where we do humanitarian work is guided by our basic principles of humanity, impartiality, neutrality and independence,” he said. “The reason our humanitarian colleagues are in Yemen is to help the Yemeni people.”The UN has repeatedly condemned the detentions and raids on its premises in Houthi-held areas, and Secretary-General Guterres has called for the immediate and unconditional release of all UN personnel, NGO workers, and detained diplomatic staff. Human Rights Watch has also criticized the arrests, stating that no credible evidence has been presented to support the espionage allegations, and warning that such actions are obstructing critical aid operations in the war-torn country. The Houthis’ accusations have drawn wider scrutiny of their treatment of aid workers and engagement with international agencies. In September, they accused UN Special Envoy Hans Grundberg of “political complicity” for condemning the detentions while allegedly ignoring what they termed Israeli “aggression” in Yemen. Despite the criticism, the UN maintains that its operations remain grounded in neutrality. “We will continue to call for the end to the arbitrary detention of our colleagues,” Dujarric said. “They need to be released, alongside the NGO workers and those from diplomatic missions.”Yemen’s conflict, which escalated in 2015 after the Houthis seized the capital Sanaa, has triggered one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises. UN-led efforts to broker peace have repeatedly stalled amid growing regional instability.

Russia rejecting Trump peace efforts by striking Ukraine: Kyiv envoy
AFP/October 16, 2025
WASHINGTON: Russia is showing its true attitude to peace through its “terror” against Ukraine, Kyiv’s envoy to Washington said Thursday after President Donald Trump hailed progress in talks with his counterpart Vladimir Putin. “Russia once again chose missiles over dialogue, turning this attack into a direct blow to ongoing peace efforts led by President Trump,” Ambassador Olga Stefanishyna said in a statement after major overnight strikes by Moscow led to power cuts across Ukraine. “These assaults show that Moscow’s strategy is one of terror and exhaustion,” she said. Trump’s call with Putin — whom he agreed to see again, this time in Hungary — came a day before White House talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky who has been pressing for long-range Tomahawk missiles. “The only effective response is pressure — through tougher sanctions, reinforced air defense and the supply of long-range capabilities,” Stefanishyna said. The unity and determination of Ukraine’s partners will determine how soon the country’s war with Russia will end, she added.

Syria bus blast kills five defense ministry personnel: official
AFP/October 16, 2025
DAMASCUS: A blast targeting a bus in Syria’s eastern province of Deir Ezzor on Thursday killed at least five defense ministry personnel, an official from the ministry told AFP. “An explosive device detonated as a bus carrying oil facility guards affiliated with the defense ministry passed by, killing five of them and wounding 13 others, including civilian bystanders,” the official said, requesting anonymity. State television said a blast hit a bus on the road between the cities of Deir Ezzor and Mayadeen, some 50 kilometers (30 miles) away. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, but a human rights observatory said the perpetrators were “likely affiliated with a Daesh group cell.”Daesh militants, once in control of large swathes of Iraq and Syria, were territorially defeated in Syria in 2019 in a battle spearheaded by the US-backed, Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) with support from an international coalition. The militants still maintain a presence, particularly in Syria’s vast desert, launching attacks mostly on Kurdish-controlled areas in the country’s northeast. During Syria’s civil war, which erupted in 2011, Daesh carried out similar attacks on buses targeting the forces of former ruler Bashar Assad. Since the new Islamist-led authorities took power after Assad’s December ouster, militant attacks on government-controlled areas have been scarce. In May, Daesh claimed its first attack on the new forces, with the Observatory saying one member of Syrian army personnel was killed and three others wounded. The following month, authorities accused Daesh of being behind a deadly suicide attack in a Damascus church that killed 25 people, though the group never claimed responsibility.

Syrian authorities arrest drug kingpin from Assad clan near Lattakia
Arab News/October 16, 2025
LONDON: Syrian authorities arrested a prominent drug dealer on Thursday in the coastal province of Lattakia. Nomair Al-Assad is regarded as one of the country’s most prominent drug dealers and has been involved in several crimes during the era of the Bashar Assad regime, according to the Ministry of Interior. Internal Security Forces captured Al-Assad alongside several members of a criminal gang in the city of Qardaha, famously known as the hometown of the Assad family. Brig. Gen. Abdulaziz Al-Ahmad of the ISF told SANA that Al-Assad used his kinship with the Assad regime to “form and manage organized terrorist networks, which were involved in murders, kidnapping, extortion and armed robbery against civilians in a number of governorates.”Al-Ahmad added that Al-Assad oversaw drug production and smuggling to neighboring countries and participated in an armed attack on Syria’s forces early this year. The ministry emphasized that the arrest reflects the ISF’s commitment to pursuing remnants of the Assad regime, combating crime, and achieving justice. Since the fall of the regime last December, the new government in Damascus has arrested several suspects, including army officers, for crimes committed against Syrians during the country’s civil conflict. Additionally, Syrian authorities continue to fight against drug trafficking, cooperating with neighboring countries such as Jordan, Turkiye, and Iraq to dismantle criminal networks.

Ex-national security adviser Bolton latest charged in Trump crackdown on critics
Reuters/16 October/2025
John Bolton, Donald Trump’s former national security adviser, was indicted on Thursday, a person familiar with the matter said, marking the third time in recent weeks that the Justice Department has secured criminal charges against one of the Republican president’s critics.
It was not immediately clear what charges Bolton faced. His lawyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The indictment comes after court documents made public last month revealed that Bolton was under federal investigation for potential mishandling classified information. The CNN report did not say what Bolton had been charged with. A lawyer for Bolton has previously denied that Bolton engaged in wrongdoing. Trump, who campaigned for the presidency on a vow of retribution after facing a slew of legal woes once his first term in the White House ended in 2021, has dispensed with decades-long norms designed to insulate federal law enforcement from political pressures. In recent months, he has actively pushed Attorney General Pam Bondi’s Justice Department to bring charges against his perceived adversaries, even driving out a prosecutor he deemed to be moving too slowly in doing so.
Other Trump foes charged
Bolton served as US ambassador to the United Nations as well as White House national security adviser during Trump’s first term before emerging as one of the president’s most vocal critics. He described Trump as unfit to be president in a memoir he released last year. The charges against Bolton come shortly after the Justice Department indicted former FBI director James Comey, who investigated Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign, and New York Attorney General Letitia James, who previously brought a civil fraud case against Trump and his family real estate company. Comey, whom Trump fired in 2017, is facing charges of making false statements to Congress and obstruction of Congress. He has pleaded not guilty. James is facing charges of bank fraud and making false statements to a financial institution. She has denied wrongdoing and is slated to appear in federal court later this month. Senior leaders at the US Justice Department had been pushing for swift charges against Bolton, despite initial concern from some line prosecutors in Maryland, as well as attorneys in the National Security Division who felt more investigation was needed and feared the case was being rushed, two people familiar with the matter previously told Reuters. Prosecutors more recently concluded they were comfortable proceeding after taking more time to review the evidence and worked over the weekend to prepare the case, one of those sources added.
FBI searched Bolton’s home
FBI agents conducted a search of Bolton’s home and office in August, seeking evidence of possible violations of the Espionage Act, which makes it a crime to remove, retain or transmit national defense records, according to partially unsealed search warrants filed in federal court. In his Maryland home, agents seized two cell phones, documents in folders labeled “Trump I-IV” and a binder labeled “statements and reflections to Allied Strikes,” according to court documents. They also found records labeled “confidential,” including documents that referenced weapons of mass destruction, the US mission to the United Nations, and other materials related to the US government’s strategic communications inside his office in Washington DC, according to court records. Court records also show that a foreign entity hacked Bolton’s email account, though details of the hack are redacted. Bolton’s lawyer has previously said that the records the FBI seized were ordinary documents for a former government official to possess. Trump himself was previously indicted on Espionage Act violations for allegedly transporting classified records to his Florida home after departing the White House in 2021 and refusing repeated requests by the government to return them. Trump had pleaded not guilty and that case was dropped after he won reelection in November 2024. The case against Bolton is being led by the US Attorney’s office in Maryland. That office is separately investigating Trump’s long-time critic Democratic US Senator Adam Schiff of California for possible mortgage fraud. Schiff has denied wrongdoing, and has not been charged with a crime.

Trump says to meet Putin in Budapest after ‘great’ call
AFP, Washington/16 October/2025
US President Donald Trump said he planned to meet Russia’s Vladimir Putin in Hungary after making “great progress” in a call Thursday, just a day before Ukraine’s leader is due at the White House to push for Tomahawk missiles. Trump did not give a date for the meeting in Budapest, which would be his second with Putin since returning to office. The pair met in Alaska in August without a breakthrough on ending Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The Kremlin said it would start “immediately” preparing the summit following the “extremely frank and trustful” call. But Ukraine’s envoy to Washington said Russia was already rejecting Trump’s peace efforts through “terror” strikes. The planned summit represents yet another wild swing in Trump’s relations with Putin, which warmed up earlier this year, before the US president became increasingly frustrated with the Russian president’s refusal to end the war. “I believe great progress was made with today’s telephone conversation,” Trump said on his Truth Social network. Senior US and Russian officials including US Secretary of State Marco Rubio would hold “initial meetings” next week in an as yet to be decided location, Trump added. “President Putin and I will then meet in an agreed upon location, Budapest, Hungary, to see if we can bring this ‘inglorious’ War, between Russia and Ukraine, to an end,” he said.
‘Peace-loving people’
Budapest had been discussed as a possible venue for the previous Trump-Putin meeting before they settled on Alaska. “The planned meeting between the American and Russian presidents is great news for the peace-loving people of the world. We are ready!” Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who has maintained friendly relations with both, said on X. The Kremlin hailed the “highly substantive” Putin-Trump call, which Putin’s top aide Yuri Ushakov told journalists was at Russia’s initiative. Putin meanwhile told Trump that giving Ukraine long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles would “not change the situation on the battlefield, but will significantly damage relations between our countries,” added Ushakov.
“Not to mention the prospects for peaceful resolution.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who arrived in Washington on Thursday, now finds himself once again navigating a delicate situation following the call on the eve of his own meeting with Trump. Zelenskyy has carefully rebuilt ties with Trump since February, when they sparred during a now infamous televised meeting at the White House during which Trump said “you don’t have the cards.”For Ukraine the “main topic of discussion is Tomahawks,” a senior Ukrainian official told AFP before Trump’s Truth, referring to its request for the missiles that have a range of around 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometers). While Trump on Truth Social said that he would “discuss my conversation with President Putin, and much more” with Zelenskyy, he did not mention Tomahawks in his post.
War crimes warrant
But Trump had said over the weekend that he might warn Putin that he would send the missiles to Ukraine if Russia did not end the war. The US leader believes that he has the momentum to end the Ukraine war following the Gaza truce deal he brokered. Trump said in his post that Putin congratulated him on the deal and that he believed Middle East peace would “help our negotiation” in ending the Gaza war. Hopes have been raised and dashed before over peace in Ukraine, a conflict Trump once promised to end within 24 hours. Trump had hoped the Alaska summit on August 15 would pave the way to a deal but Putin apparently stuck to his guns over his insistence that Ukraine must demilitarize and Russia should keep its gains. The choice of Budapest for the next summit is meanwhile designed to sidestep an International Criminal Court arrest warrant for Putin for alleged war crimes. Hungary has announced its withdrawal from the International Criminal Court, yet is still theoretically a member until June 2026. But Orban gave Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a promise that he would not carry out the warrant when Netanyahu visited Hungary in April.

Iran’s Larijani held talks with Russia’s Putin in Moscow: Reports
Reuters/16 October/2025
Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Secretary Ali Larijani said he had held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Thursday, Russian state news agencies reported. Larijani had handed Putin a message from Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, they said, not disclosing the content of the message. Larijani and Putin had discussed bilateral ties and economic, regional and international cooperation, the news agencies reported.

How Iraq is reclaiming its ancient heritage to become a cultural tourism destination
Jonathan Gornall/Arab News/October 16, 2025
LONDON: Iraq’s recent history of conflict, insurgency, and political upheaval has done little to bolster the country’s image as a must-visit holiday destination. Yet, in just a few short years, the “cradle of civilization” and birthplace of agriculture, writing, and the world’s first great cities, has emerged as a credible choice for heritage tourism. It is a role Iraq has not enjoyed since the early 20th century, when Western archaeologists swarmed the sites of Mesopotamia and well-to-do Europeans rode the Orient Express on their way to Baghdad, Babylon, and the ancient cities of Ur, Nimrud, and Nineveh.
But, like Saudi Arabia, which under the Vision 2030 reform program is building a heritage-based tourism industry to help diversify its economy, Iraq knows it must also develop its cultural assets as an alternative source of income. There are other benefits, as well. “Tourism is more than just an economic sector,” said Abdul Latif Rashid, Iraq’s president, at a ceremony in February to celebrate the naming of Baghdad as Arab Tourism Capital for 2025 by the Arab Tourism Organization. “It fosters understanding and cooperation between peoples and cultures.” Something is definitely happening. Figures released earlier this month by University of Basra economist Nabil Al-Marsoumi showed that Iraq’s tourism revenue jumped 25 percent to $5.7 billion in 2024, up from $4.6 billion in 2023. Although much of this was driven by religious tourism, many visitors were drawn to sites connected to Iraq’s cultural heritage. This comes as no surprise to Benedicte de Montlaur, CEO of the international World Monuments Fund, which has been working with the Iraqi State Board of Antiquities and Heritage on the restoration of several key sites in the country. “Iraq’s cultural heritage is among the richest in the world,” she said. “This is where some of humanity’s earliest cities, writing systems, and laws were born.” Developing the infrastructure to welcome cultural visitors “will take steady progress, but important steps are being made,” said Benedicte de Montlaur. (Supplied) Building a wide-reaching cultural tourism industry will take time, she added, “but the potential is enormous.”Over the past several years, the WMF has been working with local and international partners, “laying the groundwork for responsible, community-based tourism that protects heritage while creating opportunity.”
The inscription of Babylon on UNESCO’s World Heritage List in 2019, she said, “was an important milestone, signaling Iraq’s reemergence as a cultural destination and a renewed global interest in its extraordinary history.”
The internal cultural tourism industry in Iraq is already thriving, said Roger Matthews. As a professor of near eastern archaeology at the University of Reading, he regularly visits the north of Iraq. “It’s definitely not too early to be talking about Iraq as a destination for cultural tourism,” he said. “At the moment, most tourism in Iraq is by Iraqis, in particular Iraqis from the south spending time in the north, in the Kurdistan region, especially in the hot summer months. “They stay in hotels, they go to archaeological heritage sites and sites of natural beauty, and there are some very good Iraqi cultural tour companies.
“But there are increasing numbers of foreigners visiting and of course they want to see the key sites, Babylon and so on, as well as the museums.”Matthews, who has directed major archaeological digs and surveys in the Middle East over the past 40 years, is also president of RASHID International — an acronym for Research, Assessment and Safeguarding the Heritage of Iraq in Danger. Or, rather, he was until very recently. A multinational group of academics, professionals and others with an interest in cultural heritage, the organization was set up over a decade ago to help protect, preserve, and raise awareness of Iraq’s cultural heritage. It is, he said, now closing down — and that is a good thing, as it reflected a huge international swell of interest in preserving Iraq’s heritage and developing its potential. “We actually recently decided to dissolve RASHID because we’ve come to a natural stopping point, because there are now so many multinational archaeological teams and projects working in Iraq,” he said. Developing the infrastructure to welcome cultural visitors “will take steady progress, but important steps are being made,” said de Montlaur. “Iraqi authorities, UNESCO, and many international organizations are working together to improve conservation facilities, training programs, and site management practices.
“As part of our work in Iraq, the World Monuments Fund’s role is to assist local communities and authorities in creating the conditions that make tourism possible. Although much of this was driven by religious tourism, many visitors were drawn to sites connected to Iraq’s cultural heritage. (Supplied)
“That means stabilizing historic structures, supporting local craftspeople, and ensuring that communities have the skills to care for their heritage. Preservation comes first. “Only once a site is safe and well cared for can it truly be shared with the public in a sustainable way.”Years of war and neglect have taken their toll on Iraq’s heritage treasures. In 2003, a US military base was set up in the very heart of Babylon, the capital city of two of history’s most famous ancient kings, Hammurabi and Nebuchadnezzar. As a report by the International Coordination Committee for the Safeguarding of the Cultural Heritage of Iraq later concluded: “The use of Babylon as a military base was a grave encroachment on this internationally known archaeological site. “During their presence in Babylon, the multinational force and contractors employed by them caused major damage to the city by digging, cutting, scraping, and leveling.
“Key structures that were damaged include the Ishtar Gate and the Processional Way.” “Tourism is more than just an economic sector,” said Abdul Latif Rashid, Iraq’s president. (Supplied) Between 2014 and 2017, Daesh wrought major damage in and around Mosul, bulldozing sections of the walls of Nineveh, smashing Assyrian artifacts and statues in the city museum and blowing up the 12th-century Al-Nouri Mosque, which has since been restored.
Nevertheless, many sites in Iraq still have the power to inspire awe. The partially restored Bronze Age Ziggurat of Ur, located near the modern city of Al-Nasiriyyah in Dhi Qar Province, southern Iraq, is one of the most evocative surviving structures from ancient history. “Iraq’s heritage may not resemble the pyramids or Petra, but its sites hold equal importance in the story of human civilization,” said de Montlaur. “Babylon, Hatra, Ur, and the great Assyrian capitals of Nineveh and Nimrud offer insight into the origins of cities, writing, and art. “The Mosul Cultural Museum, which we are helping to restore alongside Iraqi and international partners such as ALIPH, the Smithsonian Institute, and the Louvre, will soon reopen in 2026 as a place of pride and learning for the people of Mosul and for visitors from around the world.”
She added: “As stability continues to return, these sites can form the heart of a cultural tourism network that celebrates both Iraq’s ancient history and its ongoing recovery.”

Greece and Egypt Reach Agreement on the Future of St. Catherine's Monastery in Sinai
Nidaa Al-Watan /October 17/2025 (Translated from English)
Greece said on Thursday that it has agreed with Egypt on the future of St. Catherine's Monastery at the foot of Mount Sinai in Egypt, one of the world's oldest sites of Christian worship, whose status had caused a diplomatic spat between the two countries. Athens had expressed concern over Egypt's plans to develop a tourism project around the site where biblical tradition holds that Moses received the Ten Commandments. The UNESCO World Heritage site is still home to Greek Orthodox monks. Earlier this year, an Egyptian court issued a ruling requiring the monks to vacate several plots of land and worship facilities that the monks have used for centuries, on the grounds that they were previously acquired illegally. But after negotiations, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and diplomats said that Greece and Egypt finalized an out-of-court agreement that the monastery's leadership and the Egyptian authorities will sign. He added in a speech to parliament that the agreement "eternally secures the character of the monastery... prohibits any conversion of the monastery as well as other places of worship." A senior Greek foreign ministry official said the agreement would be signed in the coming weeks. Egyptian officials have not yet responded to a request for comment. St. Catherine's Monastery was founded in the 6th century AD, and UNESCO data indicates that it is the oldest Christian monastery still in use for its original function. Its library is one of the most extensive in the world, containing some of the world's oldest Christian manuscripts.

The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources on October 16-17/2025
Gaza: The dilemma of reconstruction and rebuilding
Zaid AlKamiAl Arabiya English/16 October/2025
The images broadcast by Al Arabiya from Gaza this week, after the war finally ended, summed up the entire scene: a devastated city, most of its buildings and institutions leveled to the ground. Destruction as far as the eye can see. This city – once among the most densely populated in the world – now looks like a ghost town. Those who survived the brutal killings returned to find their homes reduced to rubble and ruin. All you can see are stunned faces filled with disbelief and despair. These are terrifying scenes, images that seem taken straight from a science fiction movie.
In the midst of these tragic images, the question is no longer about the twenty points included in Trump’s plan – but the bigger question now is: who will rebuild Gaza, and where will the thousands of tons of concrete, rubble, and debris be disposed of, when the people of Gaza had already been complaining about the city’s lack of space even before the war? It’s easy to make promises, open donor ledgers, and hold conferences under the slogan of “reconstruction.” But unless the ground is laid on a solid political foundation with absolute commitment, all those billions will be like pouring water onto sand. Rebuilding Gaza requires political stewardship first – one that addresses the roots of the crisis before the financial solution, tackling occupation, division, and the absence of a functioning concept of statehood. After the signing of the Oslo Accords in 1993, many businessmen and companies rushed to Gaza, hoping the situation would be suitable for building projects, hotels, and industrial zones. The dream was for the city to become the nucleus of a promising Palestinian state. But that dream quickly evaporated when the struggle shifted from confronting occupation to competing for power.
The goal of the various factions in Gaza became ruling the territory – that was their sole obsession. They were preoccupied with controlling Gaza rather than uniting the Palestinian ranks. Thus, the project collapsed at birth, and the city remained trapped between occupation and division.
Today, after a war that lasted two years and destroyed everything, talk of reconstruction has returned – as if it were that simple. But what if the cycle repeats and destruction begins all over again? The New York Times highlighted this concern through one of its columnists, Henry Lowenstein, who wrote: “Rebuilding Gaza will cost tens of billions, but who will invest in a city with no guarantee that war won’t break out again?” It’s a valid question, because any reconstruction without political guarantees is a project ready to explode at any moment. The warning signs are already there – including statements by some factions declaring “victory” after the war ended, signaling the start of revenge and street battles in the shattered city.
Rebuilding Gaza is not an engineering task, but a profoundly political one. No Arab or Western country can convince the world of the value of rebuilding a city that could again become a battlefield – unless that effort is accompanied by a clear political solution among the Palestinians themselves. That is, if they truly want the Arab and international initiatives to succeed in pushing toward the creation of the long-promised Palestinian state – a goal endorsed by more than 160 countries – as the only path to genuine peace that guarantees the security of both Palestinians and Israelis, and ends the cycle of destruction and reconstruction that has repeated for decades. Gaza today needs more than donor funds – it needs a vision that rebuilds people before buildings, that restores meaning to politics and a rightful place for the state. Stability is the first condition for reconstruction, and without a fair political solution, Gaza will be rebuilt on paper… only to be destroyed again on the ground.

Let us help those in need on World Food Day
Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Arab News/October 16, 2025
World Food Day is marked each year on Oct. 16, with more than 150 countries now participating, making it one of the most recognized international observances within the UN. On World Food Day, we must heighten public awareness of hunger and malnutrition, promote global cooperation in food production and distribution, and reaffirm the human right to adequate food. We must also ensure that, in a world abundant with knowledge, wealth, technology and resources, no person suffers from hunger.
World Food Day has evolved into a platform where policymakers, scholars, civil society organizations and individuals can get together to discuss food insecurity. But food insecurity is interconnected with other issues such as climate change, sustainability and nutrition. The theme for World Food Day this year is “Hand in Hand for Better Foods and a Better Future.” This theme points to the importance of collective action and solidarity in building resilient agrifood systems that are equitable, nutritious and sustainable.
This can be achieved if various parties, including governments, international institutions, private actors, farmers, researchers and communities, collaborate across disciplines and borders. The term “Better Foods” refers to the need for dietary diversity and access to nutritious, safe and affordable foods. And “Better Future” reminds us that the choices made today will shape the health of both people and the planet for years to come.
Climate change, conflict and economic instability threaten to reverse decades of progress in the fight against hunger. Today, climate change, conflict and economic instability threaten to reverse decades of progress in the fight against hunger. Those in power should move beyond reactive policies toward comprehensive, inclusive strategies that prioritize both immediate relief and long-term sustainability. While World Food Day is often celebrated for solidarity, it should also remind us of one of the greatest paradoxes of the modern world: in spite of the unprecedented scientific and technological advancement, hundreds of millions of people still face hunger and malnutrition every day. According to the 2025 edition of “The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World,” about 673 million people — some 8.2 percent of the global population — experienced chronic hunger in 2024.
About one in every 11 people around the globe still wakes up each day not sure of where his or her next meal will come from, even though the world already produces enough food to feed everyone. In conflict zones and fragile regions, the situation is catastrophic. Therefore, the persistence of hunger in a world of abundance is an economic and logistical problem, as well as a moral and political failure.
One of the central reasons hunger persists is the devastating impact of conflict. In regions torn apart by war or instability, food systems tend to collapse because production is interrupted, trade routes are blocked and humanitarian access is impossible. The World Food Programme has reported that 70 percent of those experiencing acute hunger live in fragile or conflict-affected countries. From Sudan and Yemen to Congo, South Sudan and Gaza, conflict remains one of the strongest predictors of famine. Farms are often abandoned during conflict and supply chains are destroyed, along with essential infrastructure such as roads and storage facilities. Another structural reason behind hunger is the unequal distribution of food and the extraordinary scale of waste in wealthier regions. Global food production is more than enough to meet the needs of the world’s population. But about 40 percent of all food produced is lost or wasted at some point along the supply chain.
A healthier diet not only improves individual well-being but also reduces pressure on healthcare systems
This is happening while, in low-income countries, more than 70 percent of people cannot afford a balanced diet that includes vegetables, fruits, legumes and proteins. Globally, the number is about 2.8 billion people — that is more than a third of the population. Economic inequality, high food prices and inadequate infrastructure deepen this disparity. This imbalance also points to broader global inequities in trade, resource allocation and power relations. Beyond the quantity of food available, the quality of what people eat is also essential. Malnutrition includes hunger as well obesity and diet-related diseases that are normally caused by poor-quality and highly processed foods. Populations with limited access to diverse foods often rely on inexpensive, calorie-dense but nutrient-poor diets; these can contribute to diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and other chronic illnesses.
As a result, raising awareness of healthy eating habits and improving the quality of food production can lead to long-term social and economic benefits. A healthier diet not only improves individual well-being but also reduces pressure on healthcare systems, enhances labor productivity and ultimately leads to a happier and healthier society. Finally, at its current level of scientific, economic and technological development, the world has the means to eradicate hunger once and for all. What is needed is political will, efficient governance and collective action. In addition, conflicts must be resolved through diplomacy, food system waste must be minimized and public policies must emphasize nutrition and health over profit and convenience. While World Food Day points to the progress made toward eradicating hunger, it should also highlight the fact that many millions of people still go to bed hungry each night despite living in an age of abundance. What we need is a sense of urgency, moral responsibility and compassion. This day should not just be a ceremonial event but one that leads to a practical movement that unites governments, nations, communities and individuals so that no person suffers from hunger.
**Dr. Majid Rafizadeh is a Harvard-educated Iranian American political scientist. X: @Dr_Rafizadeh

Sustainability a dividing line between political parties, until now
Khaled Abou Zahr/Arab News/October 16, 2025
For many years, the theme of sustainability has been a dividing line between political parties. The left in Europe and Democrats in the US were at the helm of the agenda globally, while the conservatives in Europe and the Republicans seemed to oppose it. There was, within this policy framework, a big theme of moral superiority and giving lessons to the rest of the world. Then, the dialogue on the implementation of sustainability policies stopped completely and it became a sterile back-and-forth of lesson-giving and moral superiority.
This is now changing. First of all, there has been a backlash against how these policies are implemented and the costs they can add. Moreover, as geopolitical tensions between the US and China rise, the question of Beijing’s dominance in the renewable energy industry has come to light. Besides, many entrepreneurs complain that sustainability rules put their local businesses in difficulty, while helping their competitors in other countries.
As an example, Germany’s leading car industry association, the VDA, in June called for a reversal of the EU’s 2035 ban on new cars with internal combustion engines. This is both for economic reasons and as a means to prevent international competitors from moving in. The responses came fast and reflect the political divide: Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s conservatives are in favor, while their left-wing coalition partner Social Democrats are against the idea.
The biggest pushback against such policies has come from the US under the Trump administration. However, the biggest pushback against such policies has come from the US under the Trump administration. The entire environmental, social and governance agenda, known as ESG, has been shelved due to the White House’s strong opposition to what it sees as “woke” policies. As an example, the administration has announced plans to overturn a rule that “allows pension funds to consider ESG factors when making investment decisions and exercising shareholder voting rights.” When we understand the investment capacity of pension funds, we know that this will decrease pressure on companies that are seeking investment to blindly follow an ESG agenda.
We are now hearing a new message on sustainability. People on the left are stating that conservatives hijacked their narrative and polluted their message by portraying them as lesson-givers. Yet, if we take a quick look at recent decades, we notice that more than a few scientists and economists have been ostracized or canceled just because they questioned the sense of some policies. Accusations of “climate change denier” would fly, just like someone being accused of being a fascist, and they would quickly be canceled.
This included anyone who promoted nuclear energy as a solution for the environment. For years, this point of view was attacked before even being discussed. And the biggest criticism was the disconnect between decisions made to cut out an energy source and the economic reality. This is probably one of the points that has most hurt the sustainability agenda. It positioned it as virtue signaling and its proponents as givers of moral lessons. It would, moreover, remove it from pragmatic debate and push forward pure ideology.
Today, there is a movement within the sustainability community to open a real dialogue and to avoid positioning themselves as lesson-givers and morally superior citizens. It is a more pragmatic approach that stays connected with the economic realities of the world. It is, in my view, also important to understand the geopolitical realities that lie behind the sustainability agenda. We will not deny that solar energy, for example, can add to the world economy a real boost of clean and unlimited energy. Yet, we must also understand who benefits the most from the economics of manufacturing.
There is now a more pragmatic approach that stays connected with the economic realities of the world
I believe it is important for conservatives to engage in this conversation now that an equilibrium of power has been set. There is no doubt that we all want to live in a clean and positive environment. The important point is to remove the ideology from this subject. I have never understood, for example, why there should be a “Green Party.” Every political party should integrate a roadmap to a cleaner world. These views should not be linked to pure politics but should be a goal to strive for while keeping the balance of competitiveness. While my focus is more on the environmental impact, the social impact is also an important consideration. This new direction is highlighted by the goals set for the regenerative economy, which is defined as “a system that focuses on restoring and renewing ecological, social and economic systems to create a net-positive impact, moving beyond extractive and linear models.” So, the goal is not sustainability but repairing the damage done to the planet. This has also opened a new wave of investment opportunities that can appeal to all sides of the political spectrum. The key test for this new direction is the way artificial intelligence is implemented. Perhaps this is where the focus on opportunities and looking at facts over ideology will determine how things move forward. While machine learning is seen as a game-changer — not only in terms of optimizing energy use but also in making systems more efficient and less polluting — the energy required to power AI is increasing exponentially. According to a World Economic Forum report, by 2030, global power demand from data centers, primarily driven by AI, could amount to the equivalent of nearly a quarter of the US’ current power demand. Moreover, access to AI will not be equitable across the world. Some will be left behind.
This is why there is an absolute necessity to keep the sustainability theme within a pragmatic, fact-based framework. Falling back into a totalitarian ideology would hurt the planet and society more than we can imagine.
**Khaled Abou Zahr is the founder of SpaceQuest Ventures, a space-focused investment platform. He is CEO of EurabiaMedia and editor of Al-Watan Al-Arabi

Why Russia’s Putin and Syria’s Shara’a agreed to meet
SETH J. FRANTZMAN/The Jerusalem Post/October 16, 2025
Syria’s President Ahmed al-Shara’a journeyed to Russia on October 15 for important meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin. For many people who have followed the Syrian civil war and its aftermath the meeting seemed extraordinary and unexpected. Russia was a key ally of the Assad regime. Russia views Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the group that Shara’a led in Syria, as terrorists. However, it also appears that Russia has been hedging its bets for years.
Russia intervened in Syria in 2015. It supported the Assad regime against the Syrian rebels. The rebels were mostly Sunni Arabs and they had backing from the West, as well as Turkey, Jordan and other countries. Moscow intervened to shore up the Assad regime and protect its bases in Syria. Syria has been an ally of Moscow for decades, an alliance that dates from the Soviet era. Therefore Syria is an asset.
Russia decided over time to work with Iran and Turkey to manage the conflict in Syria. Iran was backing Assad. In fact, Iran’s late IRGC Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani is credited with convincing Russia to intervene more heavily in Syria. Turkey was ostensibly at odds with Russia. However, over time Putin was able to work with Turkey and even sell it Russia’s S-400 system. As such Turkey agreed to basically weaken the Syrian rebels and co-opt them so they wouldn’t go on the offensive. Turkey used the rebels it co-opted to fight the Kurds, launching attacks on Afrin in 2018 and attacks on the US-backed SDF in eastern Syria in 2019. Russia, Turkey and Iran all agreed they wanted the US out of Syria. They excluded the US from the Astana process that they worked on for Syria, a series of meetings that began in Astana in 2016.
By the time 2024 rolled around it seemed the Assad regime was cemented in power. However, Israel’s war on Hezbollah between September and November 2024 weakened the Iranian-backed group. This removed a key pillar of support for Assad because he had relied on Hezbollah fighters for help. HTS, the Shara’a led group in Idlib, then launched an offensive in late November 2024. By December 8 the Assad regime had fallen and Assad was on his way to exile in Moscow.
It now appears that Moscow was willing to let Assad fall and it wanted to pivot quickly to work with the new rulers in Damascus. It wants to keep its bases in northwest Syria. In return it can supply Syria with oil and also help Syria with ties to countries that are close to Moscow. Syria is working both sides. It wants ties with the West as well.
Shara’a says he is ready to develop strategic ties with Russia. Syrian state media SANA says the meeting in Moscow “addressed bilateral relations between Syria and Russia and ways to strengthen strategic cooperation across various sectors.t the start of the meeting, President Al-Sharaa emphasized the deep historical ties between the two countries, noting that Syria is entering a new phase in which it seeks to rebuild its political and strategic relations with regional and global powers, mainly, the Russian Federation.”
Shara’a said, “Syria and Russia share a long-standing historical relation, along with bilateral ties and mutual interests in several fields, including Syria’s energy sector, which heavily relies on Russian expertise…We, respect all past agreements and are working to redefine the nature of these relations in a way that ensures Syria’s independence and national sovereignty.”
Putin noted that Russia–Syria relations date back to more than 80 years. In fact there are 4,000 Syrians currently studying in Russia. Putin praised Syria’s recent elections. “The elections were a major achievement, helping unify society despite the sensitive conditions Syria is facing.” Putin also mentioned the Russian-Syrian Joint Governmental Committee, which SANA notes “was launched in 1993 and recently resumed its activities under the leadership of Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak.”
Syrian state media further noted that “President Al-Sharaa was accompanied on his visit to Moscow by Foreign and Expatriates Minister Asaad Hassan Al-Shibani, Defense Minister Major General Murhaf Abu Qasra, General Intelligence Chief Hussein Al-Salama and Presidency Secretary-General Maher Al-Sharaa. This marks President Ahmad Al-Sharaa’s first visit to Russia. It follows a visit by Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan Al-Shibani to Moscow last July, during which he met with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov. In September, President Al-Sharaa also received a high-level Russian delegation in Damascus led by Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak to discuss ways to enhance cooperation and develop bilateral relations across various fields in service of both nations’ interests.”
Russia clearly wanted to pivot to work with Shara’a. It likely put out feelers long ago and understood that HTS could be a possible partner. Many people can’t understand this because they see HTS roots in Al Qaeda and they think Russia’s stated aim in Syria was to fight “terrorists.” They can’t understand also how Syrian rebels who were bombed for a decade by Russia, would be willing to go to Moscow. However, history teaches that allies can become enemies and enemies can become allies. History is full of such examples, for instance US President Richard Nixon going to China. For instance, the constantly changing alliances in Europe that saw countries switching sides quickly over the 18th and 19th centuries. For instance, Russian cavalry once rode all the way to the outskirts of Paris to push Napoleon from his throne. One hundred years later Russia and France went to war as allies against Germany. Times change. What Moscow understood is that you can change things very quickly.
*For the Jerusalem Post

Qatar and Turkey Want to Rebuild Hamas, Not Reconstruct Gaza
Khaled Abu Toameh/Gatestone Institute/October 16, 2025
Inviting Qatar and Turkey to play a role in the Gaza Strip means again bringing Iran in through the back door. Both countries have strong relations and shared interests with Iran.
In the time-honored tradition of Arab politeness, these countries may well be telling Trump what he would like to hear -- secure in the knowledge that in three years, he will be off their backs, unable to pressure them anymore. Meanwhile, they will have positioned themselves comfortably in Gaza, learned more about Israeli technology, and be free to do as they like.
"Qatar and certainly Turkey must not have a foothold in Gaza again. The United Arab Emirates (UAE), Egypt and Jordan hate Hamas and are more concerned about the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. Qatar is the one that funded Hamas in the years leading up to October 7..." — Unnamed senior Israel Defense Forces officer, YNET, October 12, 2025.
It is laughable -- and dangerous -- to assume that under their current rulers, Qatar and Turkey, as well as Iran, would ever play a positive and constructive role in ensuring peace and stability in the Middle East. These three regimes have always been on the side of the Muslim Brotherhood organization and several Islamist terror groups, including Islamic State (ISIS), Al-Qaeda, Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and Hezbollah.
Qatar and Turkey are not interested in the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip. Instead, they are interested, with the backing of Iran, in rebuilding Hamas's military and civilian capabilities and ensuring that the terror group, perhaps in some rebranded form, remains in power.
Qatar and Turkey are not interested in the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip. Instead, they are interested, with the backing of Iran, in rebuilding Hamas's military and civilian capabilities and ensuring that the terror group, perhaps in some rebranded form, remains in power. If Qatar and Turkey are permitted to play a major role in the governance and reconstruction of the Gaza Strip after the Israel-Hamas war, it would mean a return to the pre-October 7, 2023 era, which saw the Iran-backed terror group fully controlling the coastal territory. In addition to Iran, Qatar and Turkey have long been sponsoring and funding Hamas and providing the terror group's leaders with shelter.
Inviting Qatar and Turkey to play a role in the Gaza Strip means again bringing Iran in through the back door. Both countries have strong relations and shared interests with Iran, which, according to reports, worked with Hamas to plan its October 7 invasion of Israel. Iran also reportedly gave the green light for the terror group to launch the assault during a meeting in Lebanon on October 2.
Despite the severe blow it was dealt as a result of the Israeli and American airstrikes, there are no signs whatsoever that the Iranian regime is ready to recognize Israel's right to exist, join the Abraham Accords, and abandon its terror proxies in the Gaza Strip, Lebanon, Iraq and Yemen.
"Amid rising tensions between Israel and Iran, Qatar has aligned itself closer to Tehran," the Iran International media outlet reported in December 2024.
"This was evident during Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian's visit to Doha in October 2024. The two countries discussed enhancing cooperation in economy, energy, culture, and education, with a particular focus on resolving the $6 billion in Iranian assets frozen in Qatar...
"Though Qatar and the Islamic Republic of Iran present their partnership as a means to promote regional stability, their alliance is rooted in political and strategic interests.
"The cooperation between Tehran and Doha is often framed in idealistic terms but conceals a deeper agenda focused on power, influence, and suppression."
Last year, Turkey signed 10 agreements with Iran for collaboration in energy, free trade, and transportation during a visit to Ankara by former Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi, according to Iran International.
"While the Islamic Republic [of Iran] emphasizes the economic aspects of the relationship to improve morale at home, the significance of Raisi's visit to Ankara lies in discussions on regional security and stability..."
US President Donald J. Trump, despite excellent intentions, might come to understand that the No. 1 priority for the Iranian and most Arab regimes is to stay in power and protect the interests of their leaders.
In the time-honored tradition of Arab politeness, these countries may well be telling Trump what he would like to hear -- secure in the knowledge that in three years, he will be off their backs, unable to pressure them anymore. Meanwhile, they will have positioned themselves comfortably in Gaza, learned more about Israeli technology, and be free to do as they like.
It is premature to assume that the bombing of Iran's nuclear sites is a game-changer for the region. We have not yet seen the Iranian regime talk about abandoning its plan to acquire nuclear weapons. Moreover, we still have not seen any indication from other Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia, that they are prepared, unconditionally, to join the Abraham Accords.
Earlier this year, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar accused Turkey of cooperating with Iranian attempts to smuggle weapons to the Hezbollah terror group in Lebanon, saying:
"There is an intensified Iranian effort to smuggle money into Lebanon for Hezbollah to restore its power and status. This effort to being carried out, among other channels, via Turkey and with its cooperation."
Turkey, under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, "is one of Hamas's most important strategic allies," according to the Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center.
"Turkey hosts senior Hamas figures, some of whom have received Turkish citizenship, and provides political, diplomatic and propaganda support, as well as economic and humanitarian assistance.
"Hamas has established one of its most important overseas centers in Turkey, primarily operated by prisoners released in the Gilad Shalit exchange deal of 2011. It uses Turkey to plan terrorist attacks and transfer funds to finance terrorist activities inside Israel, in Judea, Samaria and the Gaza Strip, and to raise and launder money in support of its terrorist operations, including the October 7, 2023, attack and massacre."
Alarmed by the talk about the growing role of Qatar and Turkey in the Gaza crisis, a senior Israel Defense Forces (IDF) officer cautioned:
"Qatar and certainly Turkey must not have a foothold in Gaza again. The United Arab Emirates (UAE), Egypt and Jordan hate Hamas and are more concerned about the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. Qatar is the one that funded Hamas in the years leading up to October 7.... There is no guarantee that this money will be returned to the recovery of the [Hamas] military wing, and not just to reconstruction projects in Gaza.... The [Israeli] political echelon will have to convince Trump that there is a difference between the Arab countries: Qatar and Turkey are both Muslim Brotherhood members who support Hamas. The UAE and Egypt hate Hamas."
Qatar has been a key financial supporter of Hamas, transferring more than $1.8 billion to the group over the past two decades. Former Qatari Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani was the first state leader to visit the Hamas government in the Gaza Strip in 2012. In 2021, Qatar pledged $360 million of annual support to the Gaza Strip, in part to subsidize salaries of Hamas employees.
Documents seized by the IDF during the war reveal Qatar's intensive collaboration with Hamas spanning years, including attempts to thwart regional peace efforts by the US, marginalize Egyptian influence in Gaza, and bolster the roles of Turkey and Iran. Qatar's payments were significant enough that in December 2009, then Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh told Qatar's foreign minister that the Gulf state's cash was "Hamas's main artery."
In May 2021, Haniyeh (then head of the terror organizations "political bureau") told Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, the mastermind of the October 7 atrocities, that the emir of Qatar had privately "agreed on discreet financial support" for Hamas. The emir, according to Haniyeh, "agreed in principle to supply [Hamas] discreetly, but he does not want anyone in the world to know. Until now, $11 million has been raised from the emir for the leadership of Hamas."
The documents revealed that Qatari intelligence officials met with a Hamas representative to discuss supervising special training units for Hamas fighters on military bases in Qatar and Turkey, and for the integration of Palestinians who fled Syria (during the civil war there) to Lebanon, into Hamas's terrorist battalions in Lebanon.
According to the documents, Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal told the emir of Qatar in 2019: "We must work together to oppose [Trump's] Deal of the Century [peace plan] and eliminate it." The documents showed that Hamas and Qatar planned to marginalize Egypt's role as a mediator between Israel and the terror group, while promoting Turkey's influence in the Middle East.
In 2022, Sinwar wrote to Haniyeh that Turkey should also take a leading role in efforts against Israel:
"It is on you to begin to prepare the campaign. We must begin immediately with our allies – Iran, Qatar, and Turkey. Qatari and Turkish diplomacy must be in a leading role. Our role is to make it hard for the [Israeli] occupation to breathe and ensure the severing of international actors' diplomatic ties with them."
It is laughable -- and dangerous -- to assume that under their current rulers, Qatar and Turkey, as well as Iran, would ever play a positive and constructive role in ensuring peace and stability in the Middle East. These three regimes have always been on the side of the Muslim Brotherhood organization and several Islamist terror groups, including Islamic State (ISIS), Al-Qaeda, Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and Hezbollah.
Since the beginning of the Gaza war, Qatar, Turkey and Iran have chosen to side with Hamas and denounce Israel for daring to defend itself against the terror group. Qatar and Turkey are not interested in the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip. Instead, they are interested, with the backing of Iran, in rebuilding Hamas's military and civilian capabilities and ensuring that the terror group, perhaps in some rebranded form, remains in power.
**Khaled Abu Toameh is an award-winning journalist based in Jerusalem.
**Follow Khaled Abu Toameh on X (formerly Twitter)
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/21992/qatar-turkey-rebuild-hamas
© 2025 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.

Selected English Tweets from X Platform For 16 October/2025
Pope Leo XIV
In our age, science has extended life expectancy, technology has brought continents closer, and knowledge has opened horizons once thought unimaginable. Therefore, allowing millions of human beings to live—and die—stricken by hunger is a collective failure, an ethical lapse, and an historical culpability. https://vatican.va/content/leo-xiv/en/events/event.dir.html/content/vaticanevents/en/2025/10/16/fao.html

Hussain Abdul-Hussain
The same elements that produced October 7 -- Islamism, Qatar, Aljazeera, Hamas and Turkey -- have been entrusted to govern post-War Gaza. We cannot do the same things and expect different results. Mideast Peace is a ceasefire.

Hussain Abdul-Hussain
I grew up in Lebanon reading Noam Chomsky, Edward Said, and Norman Finkelstein, the only perspectives available to form opinions about Israel, except when late PM Rafic Hariri enabled the import of Arabized copies of Netanyahu's *A Place Under the Sun* in the mid-1990s. Said, Chomsky, and Finkelstein seemed reasonable and convincing to my young mind. Yesterday, in a TV debate with Finkelstein, I so beat him in argument that he resorted to ad hominem attacks, calling me a stooge, slave, and reptile. I never reciprocated, which further angered him—one of the intellectual heroes of the Global Intifada movement. Palestine is an imaginary state that never existed, a geographic name the British used to describe a state that they promised but never set up. Arabs, who started calling themselves Palestinians after 1964, never established a functioning government, except under Salam Fayyad. Palestinians continue to live in their indigenous traditional arrangement -- as tribes, often in conflict, with "kill or be killed" as the organizing principle -- and have now convinced the world that their failure to set up a state is the fault of the Jews, fueling the global antisemitism movement now called the Global Intifada.

Hussain Abdul-Hussain
This headline (the name of the hostage body Israel moved heaven and earth to retrieve) debunks the antisemitic blood libel that Israel is apartheid. Global Intifada is Islamist supremacy, has no room for normal Muslims like late Israeli citizen Muhammad.

Eastern christians
From Maaloula, Syria — where the language of Jesus, Aramaic, is still spoken — locals honor Saints Sergius and Bacchus on October 7. Once Roman generals, they were martyred for refusing to deny Christ. Their courage inspires Christians across the East and beyond.

Hussain Abdul-Hussain
Israel moved heaven and earth to free all its citizens in captivity by Hamas, including four Arabs, two of them -- Qaid Alkadi and Hisham Al-Sayed -- alive, and two of them -- Yousef Zayadna and Muhammad al-Atrash -- dead.Israel rescued Arab Muslims, dead and alive, from the captivity of Islamist Hamas. Let that sink in.