English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For  September 04/2025
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
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Bible Quotations For today
When you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you, for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 14/12-15/:”He said also to the one who had invited him, ‘When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbours, in case they may invite you in return, and you would be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you, for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.’One of the dinner guests, on hearing this, said to him, ‘Blessed is anyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!’”.

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on September 03-04/2025
Reflections on the 105th Anniversary of the Proclamation of Greater Lebanon/Elias Bejjani/September 02/2025
Who is Saint Simeon the Stylite, whose annual feast we commemorate today September 01?/Elias Bejjani/September 01/2025
Israel army says 'no intentional fire' towards UN's Lebanon peacekeepers
Paris says UNIFIL security must be 'ensured' after Israeli drone attack
Salam reportedly seeking unanimous approval of army plan
Report: Army's plan for disarming Hezbollah to begin from Beirut
Amal, Hezbollah 'inclined to' attend Friday's arms session, minister says
Hezbollah-Amal bloc expected as Cabinet examines weapons consolidation plan
At least two killed, 4 hurt in Israeli attacks on south Lebanon
Top Mossad official: Agents worked under fire in Beirut during Nasrallah assassination
Lost evidence and conflicting accounts deepen Imam Musa al-Sadr mystery—the details
Deputy PM briefs President Aoun on recent talks with Syrian delegation
Israeli drones drop grenades near UN peacekeepers in Lebanon, UNIFIL says
UNIFIL slams Israeli drone attack on peacekeepers
Israel criticized after drones drop grenades near UN peacekeepers in Lebanon
Hezbollah versus the Lebanese PM: Who will blink first?/Dr. Dania Koleilat Khatib/Arab News/September 03/2025

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published  on September 03-04/2025
Israeli military intercepts missile launched from Yemen
Israel launches Ofek 19 spy satellite to enhance its intelligence capabilities
Israeli military pushes further into Gaza City, forcing more displacement
Hamas affirms readiness for ‘comprehensive deal’ to end Gaza war
At least 21,000 children disabled in Gaza war: UN committee
Israel's Shin Bet says it thwarted attack on right-wing minister Ben Gvir
Belgium to Recognize Palestinian State at Upcoming UN General Assembly
Israel’s Smotrich sparks outcry with West Bank annexation maps
Six activists charged in Britain over support for Palestine Action
Israeli forces seize seven people from Syria: state media
Syria detains defense, interior ministry members suspected of Sweida violence
UN watchdog finds uranium traces at suspected Syrian former nuclear site
Syria Kurds say they thwarted escape bid from camp for Daesh families
US renews push to avert all-out conflict between Syria's Kurds and Damascus
Kurdish politician to travel to Damascus with proposals after meeting US officials in Amman, sources tell The National
Yemen’s Houthi-run Foreign Ministry says UN should not shield espionage activities
Russia claims capturing ‘about half’ of Ukrainian city Kupiansk; Kyiv says it’s untrue
Trump says China should have mentioned US during ‘beautiful ceremony’
China displays military strength in a parade on 80th anniversary of WWII end
President Sheikh Mohamed and Saudi Crown Prince issue Gaza peace call at Riyadh talks
UAE leader and high-level Emirati delegation pay fraternal visit to kingdom
Rubio on US strike on alleged drug boat: 'It'll happen again'

Titles For The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources  on September 03-04/2025
The West must back Reza Pahlavi’s Iran transition plan/Aidin Panahi/Saeed Ghasseminejad/Dr. Aidin Panahi/The Jerusalem Post/September 03/2025
Using Human Rights as a Weapon Against Iran/Tzvi Kahn/ Providence/September 02/2025
What if Israel Was Right and the Arabs Were Wrong?/Hussain Abdul-Hussain/This Is Beirut/September 02/2025
Muslim Brotherhood: A Global Jihadist Threat to the US, Europe, Middle East/Uzay Bulut/Gatestone Institute/September 03/2025
Slected X tweets For September 03/2025

The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published  on September 03-04/2025
Reflections on the 105th Anniversary of the Proclamation of Greater Lebanon
Elias Bejjani/September 02/2025
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/09/146914/
105 years ago, the declaration of the State of Greater Lebanon took place. The only historical era in which Lebanon truly enjoyed peace, prosperity, and stability lasted until the early 1970s. After that came disintegration, along with divisions, wars, and chaos triggered by the armed Palestinian invasion, the rise of local nationalist, Arabist, leftist, and jihadist movements, the Nasserist tide, and militant leftist activities.
The process of disintegration and collapse deepened with the Taif Agreement, which was imposed due to an imbalance of local and regional power. Today, Lebanon has reached the peak of its decline and loss of sovereignty under the Iranian occupation, enforced through its jihadist and terrorist military proxy that blasphemously and heretically carries the name “Hezbollah” (“God’s Party”).
From the Mutasarrifate to the State: Contexts of Greater Lebanon’s Birth
The proclamation of Greater Lebanon was a pivotal event in the modern history of the Levant, occurring against the backdrop of the Ottoman Empire’s collapse and the rise of competing national and regional projects. While some local and regional forces sought to realize the “Greater Syria” project under Emir Faisal I, supported by the Arab Revolt, an alternative vision backed by France emerged: the establishment of a distinct political entity in the coastal and mountainous regions of Bilad al-Sham. This paper offers a deep analytical reading of the 105th anniversary of Greater Lebanon’s proclamation, moving beyond traditional historical narratives to deconstruct the root causes, outcomes, and enduring implications of this event on Lebanon’s state structure and identity up to the present day.
The Proclamation of Greater Lebanon: Between Local Aspirations and Colonial Reality
The proclamation of Greater Lebanon was not a unilateral decision imposed by the French Mandate authority; it was the culmination of intersecting local, regional, and international interests. The entity was formally declared through an administrative decree issued by General Henri Gouraud, the French High Commissioner in Syria and Cilicia, on August 31, 1920, which took effect the following day, September 1, 1920.
The Local Role: Patriarch Elias al-Huwayek
Maronite Patriarch Elias Boutros al-Huwayek played a decisive role in the birth of Greater Lebanon, and is considered one of the four most important figures in this context. His vision went beyond creating a mere sectarian refuge for the Maronites; he was firmly convinced of the need for a viable economic entity.
After the famine that devastated Mount Lebanon during World War I, Patriarch al-Huwayek realized that the Mutasarrifate, with its narrow borders, was unable to feed its inhabitants and was plagued by poverty and mass emigration. In response, he led a delegation to the Paris Peace Conference in 1919, where he presented a detailed memorandum on October 24, 1919, demanding expanded borders for Lebanon.
His demands were based on historical and geographical arguments, claiming they coincided with the ancient borders of Phoenicia, as well as those of the Ma‘nid and Shihabid principalities, and with maps from an old French military mission. These claims extended Lebanon’s boundaries from Lake Homs in the north to Lake Huleh in the south, incorporating vital agricultural plains absent from the Mutasarrifate. Thus, Patriarch al-Huwayek was not advocating for a closed sectarian enclave, but for a pluralistic homeland capable of sustaining its people economically.
The French Role: Strategic Support
France had long viewed Lebanon as its foothold in the Middle East, casting itself as the “protector” of Eastern Christians since the 17th century. Supporting al-Huwayek’s demands was therefore not mere benevolence, but part of a strategic plan to cement French influence in the Levant against rising Arab nationalism. The proclamation of Greater Lebanon crowned this French role, with France presenting itself as the protector of minorities in constant tension with their Muslim surroundings. In his speech, General Gouraud praised Patriarch al-Huwayek as “the great Patriarch of Lebanon who descended from his mountain to attend this glorious day.” Thus, the proclamation resulted from the convergence of two wills: a local will for a viable entity and a colonial will for dominance. The economic crisis and famine of Mount Lebanon pressured the Maronite Patriarchate to demand territorial expansion, while France saw in those demands the perfect justification for its military and political presence under the guise of “protecting minorities.” The outcome was the creation of a new entity that satisfied part of the Lebanese population but clashed with the vision of another part.
A New Map and a Divided Identity: Voices of Opposition and Faisal’s Project
Despite local support, the proclamation was met with fierce rejection from most inhabitants of the newly annexed regions. This opposition reflected deep divisions in national visions — divisions that remain alive today.
Annexed Areas and Local Positions
Decree No. 318 defined the new entity’s borders to include the Mutasarrifate of Mount Lebanon plus the districts of Baalbek, the Beqaa, Rachaya, and Hasbaya, as well as the sanjaks of Beirut and Sidon. These regions, which had previously belonged to Ottoman provinces like Damascus and Beirut, suddenly found themselves part of a political entity with different orientations. The general stance of Muslims (both Sunni and Shia) was rejection, though expressed differently across regions:
Tripoli and Beirut: resistance took the form of strikes, civil disobedience, and political opposition led by Sunni notables.
Jabal ‘Amil (South Lebanon) and the Beqaa: resistance was armed, with guerrilla warfare waged against French forces. At the Wadi al-Hujayr Conference, Shia leaders openly pledged allegiance to King Faisal in Damascus.
The roots of this opposition lay in their shift from being part of a ruling majority under the Ottomans to becoming a minority within a Christian-led entity. Many preferred integration into a larger Arab state — “Greater Syria” (Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, and Jordan) — under Emir Faisal’s leadership.
The Faisal Era and the Collapse of the Arab National Project
Prince Faisal ibn al-Husayn was the preferred monarch for opponents of Greater Lebanon. On March 8, 1920, the Syrian General Congress declared Syria’s independence within its “natural borders” and crowned Faisal as king. This Arab nationalist project was the favored alternative for Muslims who rejected the French Mandate and Lebanon’s separation. Yet, the dream was short-lived. In July 1920, France issued Faisal an ultimatum to accept the Mandate; though he reluctantly agreed, French forces advanced on Damascus and defeated the Syrians at the Battle of Maysalun on July 24, 1920. Faisal’s withdrawal from Damascus removed the Arab nationalist alternative that opponents had hoped for. This collapse was not incidental but an essential precondition for the success of the Greater Lebanon project. With Faisal gone, opponents were left with no choice but reluctant acceptance of the new reality.
Ottoman Provinces and Their Reactions to Greater Lebanon
Region (annexed) Previous Ottoman Affiliation Reaction
Baalbek, Beqaa, Rachaya, Hasbaya Province of Damascus Armed resistance (guerrilla war)
Beirut & Sidon Sanjaks Province of Beirut / Province of Haifa Political resistance (strikes, civil disobedience)
Tripoli Province of Tripoli Strong political resistance (strikes, civil disobedience)
This early divergence between armed resistance in the South and Beqaa, and political resistance in coastal cities, reveals deeper fractures within Lebanese society — fractures that predated the state’s creation and continued to resurface thereafter.
The “Golden Age”: Superficial Prosperity, Deep Inequality
After full independence in 1943 and the establishment of the Lebanese Republic under its sectarian system, Lebanon experienced an unprecedented economic and social boom during the 1950s and 1960s. Beirut earned nicknames like “the Paris of the Middle East” and “the California of the Eastern Mediterranean.”
Signs of Prosperity and Modernization
This boom was built on services, particularly banking and tourism. Beirut became a regional financial and tourist hub, attracting visitors from across the world. Cultural and artistic life flourished, with thriving nightclubs, cafés, and theaters. Landmarks like the Phoenicia Hotel and Casino du Liban, which hosted international figures, symbolized the era. Infrastructure also improved, including trams and railways.
Roots of Economic and Social Crisis
But the boom was superficial, masking deep contradictions. The Lebanese economic model was unbalanced — a “dependent capitalism” relying heavily on foreign capital and remittances, centered on services at the expense of agriculture and industry. This produced severe income inequality: families in Beirut and Mount Lebanon disproportionately benefited from opportunities. By 1954, average annual income in Beirut was five times that of rural agricultural families. Just 4% of Lebanese controlled 33% of national income, while most suffered from poverty. These regional and class disparities — with sectarian dimensions — formed a ticking time bomb awaiting ignition.
From Fragile Balance to Civil War: Palestinian Presence and the National Movement
Lebanon’s “golden age” rested on a fragile internal balance, which soon collapsed under regional pressures.
The Rise of Armed Palestinian Presence
Initially, Palestinians in Lebanon lived quietly. But after the 1967 defeat, fedayeen activity escalated, leading to clashes with the Lebanese army in 1968–1969. The situation worsened after the PLO leadership relocated from Jordan to Lebanon in 1970 following Black September.
The Cairo Agreement: A State within a State
Signed on November 3, 1969, between the Lebanese army and the PLO under Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser’s mediation, the Cairo Agreement effectively granted the PLO semi-autonomous authority in the camps and the right to launch armed operations from Lebanon. This created a “state within a state,” undermining sovereignty and dividing Lebanese society between supporters and opponents.
The Lebanese National Movement
The Palestinians were not the sole cause of civil war; they were the spark that ignited pre-existing contradictions. Armed Palestinian presence found strong support from the Lebanese National Movement, a coalition of leftist, Arab nationalist, and Syrian parties led by Druze leader Kamal Jumblatt. The Movement’s goals went beyond supporting Palestinians: it called for abolishing political sectarianism, implementing social and economic reforms, and affirming Lebanon’s Arab identity. It included members from various sects — Muslims, Druze, and even some Christians — showing it was not merely sectarian, but a transformative force challenging Lebanon’s system. Thus, Lebanon’s war was not Lebanese vs. Palestinians, but an internal struggle over Lebanon’s identity and future. The Palestinian cause became a tool in domestic battles, leading to civil war on April 13, 1975.
Key Clauses of the 1969 Cairo Agreement and Consequences for Lebanese Sovereignty
Right to armed struggle from Lebanese territory → undermined sovereignty.
Increased Israeli retaliatory raids → weakened the army.
Creation of autonomous committees in camps → state within a state.
Camps turned into security zones beyond state control.
Facilitated fedayeen movement across borders → weakened border control.
Heightened tensions between army and Palestinian factions.
Failure of the Experience or National Necessity?
One hundred and five years after the proclamation of Greater Lebanon, a critical re-examination is necessary, away from founding myths.
Foundational Myths: Critical Deconstruction
Lebanon’s identity was built on narratives such as being a “refuge for minorities” or a “Mediterranean Phoenician entity.” Its identity remained contested between “Mediterranean” and “Arab”.
Conclusion: Can It Continue?
The Greater Lebanon experiment has not been a total failure, but as proclaimed, it has proven unsustainable. The liberal economic model was fragile, dependent on external wealth, and incapable of ensuring social justice. It deepened inequalities between rich and poor, center and periphery.
The sectarian system, designed as a political solution for power-sharing, was never applied in its spirit; sectarian elites exploited it for influence, obstructing state-building on the basis of citizenship and equality. The problem was not the idea of Lebanon itself, but the flawed foundations on which it was built, and the fact that parts of the Muslim community never truly embraced it, preferring an Arab-Islamic entity.
Centralized sectarianism was never a permanent solution — at best, a temporary fix. Once it became the problem itself, it opened the door to Palestinian, Syrian, and later Iranian penetration, leading to the state’s collapse. Lebanon now requires a “new national formula”, one that establishes a just civil entity based on federalism. But before moving to federalism, a precondition is the complete disarmament of all Lebanese, Iranian and Palestinian militias, and the dismantling of their educational, military, intelligence, and financial structures, so that all communities and regions stand equal. A federal system would guarantee each sectarian and ethnic community its rights, preserve its identity, history, and culture, and enable coexistence within a fair and viable state.

Who is Saint Simeon the Stylite, whose annual feast we commemorate today September 01?
Elias Bejjani/September 01/2025
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/09/146902/
The hallowed monk, Saint Simeon the Stylite, is considered one of the most prominent hermits to practice a singular form of asceticism in the history of both the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches, which commemorate his annual feast on different dates.
The Orthodox Church, including the Eastern Catholic Churches such as the Maronite Church, celebrates his feast on the first of September each year. In contrast, the Roman Catholic Church celebrates his feast on the fifth of January each year.
Birthplace, Date of Birth, and Passing
Simeon the Stylite was born around the year 388 AD in the village of Sisan (or Sis), a dependency of the city of Antioch in northern Syria, a region now part of modern-day Turkey near the Syrian border. He was born into a humble family of shepherds. He departed from this world on the second day of September in the year 459 AD, after a lifetime of rigorous asceticism and devout worship.
The Dawn of His Monastic Journey
Simeon’s spiritual journey began at a tender age. At thirteen, he entered a monastery near his home. He was zealous in his spiritual disciplines, a fervor that troubled his fellow monks, as he would fast excessively and engage in prolonged prayers. Among the tales recounted from that period is one of him binding a rough rope of palm fiber around his body, which caused deep wounds. When the abbot discovered this, he asked Simeon to leave the monastery, believing his extreme practices were not suitable for the communal monastic life. Following his departure, Simeon turned to the solitary life of a hermit in the desert, spending a period in complete isolation. He then moved to a mountainous region where he bound himself with iron chains but abandoned this practice after a time at the request of a bishop.
Life Atop the Column
In the year 423 AD, Simeon made the decision for which he became profoundly famed: he resolved to live atop a column. He began with a short column and gradually had it built higher and higher. The final column he lived upon reached a height of approximately 15 meters. Life atop the column was an unfathomable physical and psychological trial. He was exposed to biting cold, scorching heat, wind, and rain, and he slept only for very brief periods. He rarely descended from the column, and when he did, he would return to it swiftly. Simeon remained on the column for nearly 37 years until his passing.
The Message of His Life Atop the Column
Simeon the Stylite’s life on the column was not merely an eccentric or irrational act. It was a message deeply rooted in the Christian faith. Through it, he sought to convey several profound truths:
Purification from Sin: He believed that living in such a state of harsh asceticism would help him cleanse himself of the sins of the flesh and attain a high level of spiritual purity.
Complete Devotion to Worship: Life on the column prevented any worldly distractions, allowing him to dedicate himself entirely to prayer and contemplation of his relationship with God. He saw himself as an "angel on earth."
A Living Testimony to the World: In an age when faith faced challenges, Simeon’s life was a living testament to the power of unwavering faith and devotion. People came from every corner to witness him and listen to him, and they were profoundly moved by his self-sacrifice.
His Most Significant Sayings and Deeds
Simeon was not known for leaving behind extensive writings, yet his sayings and deeds were echoed by his disciples and visitors. Among the most notable attributed to him are:
Perpetual Prayer: He emphasized the importance of prayer without ceasing, considering it the only way to commune with God.
Preaching and Teaching: Despite living atop the column, he would preach to visitors and teach them the principles of the Christian faith. People sought him for spiritual counsel, and he answered them with patience and wisdom.
Reconciling Disputes: His fame reached distant lands, and princes and kings would ask him to resolve disputes between them, which shows that his influence was not limited to spiritual matters alone. He was regarded as a just spiritual arbiter.
*Miraculous Works: Numerous works of wonder are attributed to Simeon the Stylite, such as healing the sick, prophesying future events, and casting out evil spirits.
Is Saint Simeon the Stylite Canonized by the Catholic Church?
Yes, Saint Simeon the Stylite is venerated as a saint by the Catholic Church. He is considered a common saint among the Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Eastern Catholic Churches.
Canonization Status: Saint Simeon the Stylite is revered as a saint by the Catholic Church, and his sainthood is referred to as "pre-congregation." This means his holiness was recognized in the very early history of the Church, long before the establishment of the modern formal canonization process.
Influence: Historical records and artifacts in Europe, particularly in Rome, show that Saint Simeon was widely honored in the West as well, underscoring his status as a great figure of faith who transcended the later schisms between the Churches.
His Legacy and Commemoration
The life of Saint Simeon the Stylite was a beacon of inspiration for many. After his passing, a massive church was built around the column on which he lived, known as "the Church of Saint Simeon the Stylite," which is considered one of the most important Christian archaeological sites in the world.
Few followed his specific path of asceticism, yet his life remains a symbol of absolute dedication and sacrifice for the sake of the Faith. Saint Simeon the Stylite is a living example that faith can compel a person to transcend physical and psychological limits to achieve a higher spiritual goal. He is a saint unlike any other, and for this reason, the Church continues to commemorate him and honor him to this very day.

Israel army says 'no intentional fire' towards UN's Lebanon peacekeepers
AFP/September 03, 2025
The Israeli army said on Wednesday that its forces had not intentionally fired at peacekeepers in Lebanon, after the U.N. force said Israeli drones dropped four grenades near its personnel a day earlier. A military statement said Israeli forces in southern Lebanon had "identified suspicious activity" and "deployed several (stun) grenades in the vicinity to disrupt and remove the potential threat", stressing that "no intentional fire was directed at UNIFIL personnel."

Paris says UNIFIL security must be 'ensured' after Israeli drone attack
Agence France Presse/September 03, 2025
France on Wednesday condemned an Israeli drone attack near U.N. Interim Force members in Lebanon, and called for the security of peacekeepers to be respected.
"The protection of the peacekeepers, as well as the security of United Nations personnel, equipment and premises must be ensured," the foreign ministry said in a statement, adding that the U.N. force had "an essential role for the stability of Lebanon and the region."

Salam reportedly seeking unanimous approval of army plan
Naharnet/September 03, 2025
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam is working on securing a “smooth” cabinet session on Friday, in coordination with Baabda and Ain el-Tineh, and he prefers that the army’s plan on arms monopoly be “unanimously approved, without resorting to a vote,” media reports said. “The ministers of the Shiite Duo will attend the session but will not take part in discussing the plan’s details, but will rather voice their stances clearly,” the reports said. The Duo has meanwhile requested that additional clauses be put on cabinet’s agenda so that the session does not exclusively tackle the army’s plan and President Joseph Aoun and PM Salam have accepted this proposal, the reports added. Sources close to Salam meanwhile said that the premier is determined to press on with the disarmament decision that was taken by the government, noting that his latest meeting with Army Commander General Rodolphe Haykal was positive. “The stances were identical on the need to abide by the decision and implement it,” the sources said. Informed sources meanwhile warned that the government’s insistence on its decision might reflect negatively on the level of cooperation with Hezbollah, “even in the area south of the Litani River.”

Report: Army's plan for disarming Hezbollah to begin from Beirut
Naharnet/September 03, 2025
One of the proposals for implementing the Lebanese Army’s plan for disarming Hezbollah and the other armed groups suggests starting from Beirut, where the army would place monitors for Hezbollah’s arms depots and declare that they have become in the Lebanese state’s custody, ad-Diyar newspaper reported on Wednesday. “Based on this step, Lebanon would ask Israel to implement a step in return,” the daily added. The army would also be entrusted with storing the weapons that it confiscates from the Palestinian refugee camps, the newspaper said.

Amal, Hezbollah 'inclined to' attend Friday's arms session, minister says
Naharnet/September 03, 2025
Hezbollah and Amal's ministers are inclined to attend a government's session that will discuss the army's plan for Hezbollah's disarmament this Friday, Hezbollah Minister Mohammad Haydar said. "Amal and Hezbollah are however awaiting responses to some concerns related to the topics that will be discussed, and whether they attend or not greatly depends on the developments, Haydar said in an interview, confirming that high-level talks are ongoing before the thorny session. "The next steps will depend on what will be discussed in the session," he added, as he called for dialogue and warned against imposing deadlines.

Hezbollah-Amal bloc expected as Cabinet examines weapons consolidation plan
LBCI/September 03, 2025
The Friday cabinet session in Baabda will proceed as planned, with ministers from the Hezbollah-Amal parliamentary bloc expected to attend. An arrangement that had been worked out appears to have secured the session for now.
The agenda, which initially focused solely on the army’s plan to consolidate weapons, has been expanded to include several routine items to accommodate the demands of the bloc, according to sources. Deputy Speaker Elias Bou Saab conveyed these adjustments to both President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam to ensure the session is not exclusively devoted to the army plan. The plan itself will be presented in full, detailing the geographic phases and the army’s financial, military, logistical, and technical needs. No decisions will be made regarding the timing of the disarmament process.
Cabinet votes: Hezbollah disarmament in sight as Lebanon adopts US-brokered plan. Cabinet ministers will take note of the plan without making any binding decisions at this stage. It was also agreed that the cabinet will issue a statement reaffirming that the monopoly of weapons remains exclusively with the state. The session will simultaneously stress the need for Israel to withdraw from Lebanese territory and to cease its attacks, assassinations, and violations. Lebanon’s position links the goals of the U.S. initiative with Lebanon’s objectives: Israeli withdrawal and the cessation of hostilities, following Lebanon’s compliance with the requirements of the November 27, 2024, ceasefire agreement. Attendance is expected to be full. Sources said the Lebanese Forces, who insist on disarmament, consider the presentation of the plan more important than any immediate approval. The plan’s implementation remains a military matter, and the cabinet and army are best placed to oversee its execution.

At least two killed, 4 hurt in Israeli attacks on south Lebanon
Naharnet/September 03, 2025
At least two people were killed and four others wounded in Israeli attacks on separate areas of south Lebanon Wednesday .An Israeli drone strike targeted a car in the southern town of Yater, killing one person, the Health Ministry said. Later in the day, the Israeli army shelled a house in the outsksirts of Shebaa and struck the outskirts of the southern town of al-Kharayeb, with the Israeli army saying it targeted “a site for producing means that aid in the rehabilitation of Hezbollah and the promotion of militant plots.”A man was killed two children were wounded in Shebaa and at least one person was wounded in al-Kharayeb. Also in southern border town of Houla, an Israeli drone dropped a sound bomb near a number of citizens who were moving furniture from their homes, causing no injuries. Israel has kept up its strikes on Lebanon despite a November ceasefire that sought to end over a year of hostilities with Hezbollah, including two months of all-out war. Its troops are still occupying five hills in south Lebanon they deem "strategic" and have infiltrated on several occasions into Lebanese territories. On Tuesday night, Israeli troops infiltrated into the outskirts of the southern border town of Aitaroun and detonated a house in the area. The army's Mountain Brigade forces also destroyed what they said were "several posts that were used by Hezbollah in the past", in "a precise operation" in the Shebaa Farms region. Hezbollah argues that it has implemented its part of the November agreement by withdrawing its fighters from the South Litani area, demanding that Israel halt its strikes and withdraw from five strategic hills it is still occupying in south Lebanon.

Top Mossad official: Agents worked under fire in Beirut during Nasrallah assassination
Naharnet/September 03, 2025
Israeli President Isaac Herzog has awarded the Israel Defense Prize to Israel’s foreign intelligence agency Mossad for its role in the operation that killed former Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut’s southern suburbs last year.
At the ceremony at Herzog’s residence in Jerusalem, a Mossad recruitment and operations officer, identified only as “G”, spoke on behalf of the agency and disclosed new details of the operation. “This operation was born when an ambitious technological idea, almost a fantasy, met the best technical minds,” G said. “Thanks to collaboration between the IDF (Israeli army), Mossad, the Defense R&D Directorate, defense industries, and academia, this fantasy became a far-reaching reality. Yet groundbreaking technology alone is not enough. Precise intelligence and daring operational capability -- sometimes risking lives in the heart of an enemy state -- are required to turn the impossible into possible,” G added. G revealed that Mossad agents acted “with courage and determination under fire in central Beirut to deliver precise intelligence for the operation.”Nasrallah was killed in Beirut’s southern suburbs, Hezbollah’s stronghold in the capital, on September 27 last year. The operation involved dropping more than 80 one-ton bombs on the bunker where he was located. According to the Israeli army, fighter jets, guided by precise intelligence from the Military Intelligence Directorate and the national security system, struck Hezbollah’s central command beneath a residential building in Dahieh while its leadership was coordinating anti-Israel activities.

Lost evidence and conflicting accounts deepen Imam Musa al-Sadr mystery—the details
LBCI/September 03, 2025
Inside a secret morgue in Libya’s capital, Tripoli, Lebanese journalist Kassem Hamadé captured a photograph of a poorly preserved body following the fall of Muammar Gaddafi’s regime in 2011. It was not just any photograph; it represented a potential clue in a mystery that has lasted nearly half a century. Investigative findings by the BBC, which stemmed from this image, suggest the body could possibly be that of Imam Musa al-Sadr. The BBC sent the photograph to a laboratory in London that uses artificial intelligence to match facial features between images. The body’s features matched images of al-Sadr with a probability exceeding 60 percent, followed by lower probabilities for his family members, and lower still for unrelated individuals. When these results and the photograph were shown to al-Sadr’s family, they categorically denied that the body was the missing imam, arguing that al-Sadr had white hair at the time of his disappearance, while the photograph shows black hair. As Israel and Syria talk peace, Mount Hermon becomes a line in the sand—the details. More importantly, Hamadé had brought strands of hair from the body to Lebanon in 2017 and handed them to the relevant authorities in Ain al-Tineh as part of a complete file. According to LBCI sources, the file was lost due to logistical issues, with no further details provided. Hassan Shami, head of the committee monitoring the disappearance of al-Sadr and his companions, told LBCI that he had requested additional hair samples from Hamadé.Shami said Hamadé had agreed but later claimed he did not have any additional strands. Hamadé has strongly denied this account. What began as a blurry photograph in a neglected morgue has ended with a lost file, conflicting narratives, and more questions than answers.
Fifty years after Imam Musa al-Sadr’s disappearance, three remain unaccounted for, and the truth is still elusive amid missing hair samples, artificial intelligence analysis, and a collective memory seeking certainty.

Deputy PM briefs President Aoun on recent talks with Syrian delegation
LBCI/September 03, 2025
Deputy Prime Minister Tarek Mitri briefed President Joseph Aoun on the outcomes of his recent talks with a Syrian delegation that visited Lebanon two days ago. The discussions focused on frameworks for cooperation between the two countries across multiple sectors, according to official sources.

Israeli drones drop grenades near UN peacekeepers in Lebanon, UNIFIL says
Reuters/September 03, 2025
REUTERS: The UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said that Israeli drones dropped four grenades close to the peacekeepers working to clear roadblocks hindering access to a UN position on Tuesday morning. “This is one of the most serious attacks on UNIFIL personnel and assets since the cessation of hostilities agreement of last November,” the UNIFIL said in a statement on Wednesday.

UNIFIL slams Israeli drone attack on peacekeepers
Agence France Presse
The UN Interim Force in Lebanon said Wednesday that Israeli drones dropped four grenades near peacekeepers in "one of the most serious attacks" on its personnel since a November ceasefire. The truce ended more than a year of hostilities and two months of open war between Israel and Hezbollah, but the United Nations has reported several attacks on its positions in south Lebanon since. "Yesterday morning, Israel Defense Forces drones dropped four grenades close to UNIFIL peacekeepers working to clear roadblocks hindering access to a U.N. position," the force said, referring to the Israeli military.
"One grenade impacted within 20 meters and three within approximately 100 meters of U.N. personnel and vehicles," it added. The Israeli army said on Wednesday that its forces had not intentionally fired at peacekeepers in Lebanon. A military statement said Israeli forces in southern Lebanon had "identified suspicious activity" and "deployed several (stun) grenades in the vicinity to disrupt and remove the potential threat", stressing that "no intentional fire was directed at UNIFIL personnel".The U.N. force said the strike was "one of the most serious attacks on UNIFIL personnel and assets since the cessation of hostilities agreement of last November". Under the term of the agreement, UNIFIL has been assisting the Lebanese army to dismantle Hezbollah military infrastructure in the south as its deploys across the region. UNIFIL said the Israeli military had been informed in advance of its plans to carry out road clearance work near the de facto border southeast of the village of Marwahin. It said endangering the lives of peacekeepers constituted a violation of the 2006 U.N. Security Council resolution that formed the basis of last year's ceasefire."Any actions endangering U.N. peacekeepers and assets, and interference with their mandated tasks are unacceptable and a serious violation of Resolution 1701 and international law," it said. The U.N. Security Council voted last week for U.N. peacekeepers to leave Lebanon in 2027, allowing only one final extension of its mandate after pressure from Israel and its U.S. ally to wind up the nearly 50-year-old force. Israel hailed the upcoming termination of UNIFIL and urged the Lebanese government to exercise its authority throughout its territory after the Israeli military severely weakened Hezbollah.With the U.S. administration dangling a veto threat, the Security Council voted unanimously for a resolution that will extend UNIFIL's mandate "a final time". Last year's ceasefire stipulates that only the Lebanese army and U.N. peacekeepers can deploy in south Lebanon. However Israel has maintained troops in five locations it deems "strategic" and still regularly strikes targets in a campaign it says will continue until Hezbollah has been disarmed.

Israel criticized after drones drop grenades near UN peacekeepers in Lebanon
AP/September 03, 2025
BEIRUT: Israeli drones dropped four grenades close to UN peacekeepers in southern Lebanon near the border with Israel as they were working to clear roadblocks, the force said Wednesday. No one was hurt in the attack. The peacekeeping force known as UNIFIL described the Tuesday morning incident as “one of the most serious attacks on UNIFIL personnel and assets” since the cessation of hostilities in November that ended the 14-month Israel-Hezbollah war. The Israeli military said later Wednesday that it did not intentionally target the peacekeepers but dropped several sonic bombs near a suspect in a border area. It added that contact was made with the peacekeeping force and explained the details of what happened. UNIFIL said one grenade hit within 20 meters (65 feet) and three others within approximately 100 meters (330 feet) of UN personnel and vehicles, adding the drones were observed returning toward Israel.UNIFIL said the Israeli military had been informed in advance of the peacekeeping force’s road clearance work in the area, southeast of the village of Marwahin and less than a kilometer (mile) from the border line.
“Out of concern for the safety of peacekeepers following the incident, yesterday’s work was suspended,” UNIFIL said. France, which has a large force within UNIFIL, condemned the attack, saying that the “respect of its members applies to all parties without exception.” Qatar called it a “grave violation of international humanitarian law” and the UN Security Council resolution that ended the Israel-Hezbollah war. The attack came after the UN Security Council voted unanimously last week to terminate the UN peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon at the end of next year after nearly five decades, bowing to demands from the United States and Israel. The multinational peacekeeping force has played a significant role in monitoring the security situation in southern Lebanon for decades, including during the Israel-Hezbollah conflict. It has also drawn criticism from both sides and from officials in US President Donald Trump’s administration, which has moved to slash US funding for the operation as Trump remakes America’s approach to foreign policy. The Israel-Hezbollah war killed over 4,000 people in Lebanon, including hundreds of civilians, and caused destruction worth $11 billion, according to the World Bank. In Israel, 127 people died, including 80 soldiers. UNIFIL said any actions that endanger peacekeepers and assets or interfere with their tasks are unacceptable and a serious violation of international law and the resolution that ended the war. It added it is the Israeli military’s responsibility to ensure the safety and security of the peacekeepers performing Security Council-mandated tasks. The Israeli military said its troops carried out an operation inside Lebanon on the edge of the disputed Chebaa Farms, where they detonated artillery pieces that were used by Hezbollah members during the war. Chebaa Farms was captured by Israel from Syria during the 1967 Mideast war, but Lebanon considers it and the nearby Kfar Chouba hills as Lebanese territories.

Hezbollah versus the Lebanese PM: Who will blink first?
Dr. Dania Koleilat Khatib/Arab News/September 03/2025
On Friday, the Lebanese government is due to discuss and vote on a plan for Hezbollah’s disarmament. Hezbollah is in a tough spot. The group has been told it must disarm before the US has any “discussion” with the Israelis about withdrawal.
Basically, Washington is asking Hezbollah to give up its last card without giving the Lebanese government any guarantees it can use when negotiating with the group. The government is also in a tough spot. A paper presented by US envoy Tom Barrack does not offer any commitment that Israel will withdraw or cease hostilities. It states: “The US and France press for Israel’s commitment to the full implementation of this memorandum.” Barrack said that he cannot offer any guarantees. Israel made a statement with a catch. It said it “could” withdraw if Hezbollah disarms but offered no guarantees.
The Alma Research and Education Center, a think tank close to decision-making circles in Tel Aviv, published a report in early August saying that Israel should not withdraw from Lebanon or Syria and that only continuous airstrikes and occasional ground raids would ensure that Hezbollah does not rebuild its capabilities.Hezbollah is facing growing internal pressure to disarm. Its opponents say that disarming the group is a sovereignty issue regardless of Israel, as the army is in charge of defending the country. Disarmament was clearly stated in President Joseph Aoun’s inaugural speech and in the ministerial declaration. Hezbollah’s opponents also point to the fact that the group agreed to disarm when it signed the ceasefire agreement with Israel last year. Salam has raised the stakes and it will be difficult for him to back down. He is banking on the army disarming Hezbollah
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam had asked the army to present a plan for disarming the group by the end of August. The plan should be executed by the end of the year. Hence, the group is faced with a tight deadline. Last week, Hezbollah called for its supporters to take to the streets, but it reversed the decision shortly after to allow more time for discussions before Friday’s meeting with the government. Salam has raised the stakes and it will be difficult for him to back down. He is banking on the army to implement the plan.
However, Hezbollah has ruled out any clash with the army and has said it will resort to protest and, if necessary, civil disobedience. Lebanon’s new army commander, Gen. Rodolph Haykal, has reportedly said he will resign if he is asked to confront the group.
Everyone remembers the civil war and how violence between internal groups led to the fracturing of the army. The leadership of the Lebanese Armed Forces was asked to suppress the Palestinian leftist alliance. But Muslim and Druze members of the army who sympathized with the leftist alliance left the army and joined the Lebanese national movement Al-Jabha Al-Watania. Hezbollah sources say the group is ready to escalate if the government insists on enforcing its decision to disarm the group. One source added that the group has taken a final decision not to disarm in the current conditions, no matter the consequences. He also said that any government decision to pit the army against the group would be a strategic mistake that would break up the state.
Obviously, Hezbollah is being pushed into a corner. It will not disarm unless it gets guarantees for its own survival. The problem is that the US is pressuring the Lebanese government but not Israel. It is true that the disarmament of Hezbollah is an issue of sovereignty for the country, but for the group it is a matter of survival. Those betting on a disagreement between parliamentary speaker Nabih Berri and Hezbollah on the issue of arms are wrong. Some rationalize that, while Hezbollah is an extension of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Berri’s Amal Movement is not. However, the issue goes beyond being a tool for the projection of Iranian power. This is viewed as a deciding factor for the power of the Shiite community within the Lebanese power configuration. Berri made a speech last week to mark the 47th anniversary of the disappearance of cleric Musa Al-Sadr. In it, he categorically rejected the disarmament of the group and called on all parties to sit at the table to discuss a defense strategy.Hezbollah will stop at nothing to prevent the government’s decision from being implemented. On the other hand, if Salam does not go ahead, he will be doomed politically. Hence, the upcoming battle is between Hezbollah and the prime minister. Of course, Salam is supported by the US and regional countries, but the internal Lebanese dynamics are equally important, if not more so. Additionally, except for Israel, none of the countries that have a stake in Lebanon want to see an armed internal clash.
How the standoff will play out is crucial for Lebanon. The question is, who will blink first? Hezbollah or the prime minister? The chances are that it will be the prime minister.
**Dr. Dania Koleilat Khatib is a specialist in US-Arab relations with a focus on lobbying. She is co-founder of the Research Center for Cooperation and Peace Building, a Lebanese nongovernmental organization focused on Track II.

The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published  on September 03-04/2025
Israeli military intercepts missile launched from Yemen
Reuters/September 03, 2025
The Israeli military said on Wednesday it intercepted a missile launched from Yemen, as sirens were activated in Tel Aviv and several other areas across the country.Yemen’s Houthis later claimed responsibility, saying they fired two ballistic missiles at Tel Aviv in what they said was an initial response to Israeli attacks on Yemen. The Iran-backed Houthis have been launching missiles and drones thousands of kilometers north toward Israel, in what the group says are acts of solidarity with the Palestinians. Israel has retaliated by bombing Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen, including the vital Hodeidah port. Its latest blow killed senior Houthi officials, including the head of the government. The Houthis, who control the most populous parts of Yemen, have also been attacking vessels in the Red Sea since the start of the war in Gaza in October 2023.

Israel launches Ofek 19 spy satellite to enhance its intelligence capabilities
Source: Agencies/September 03, 2025
Israel announced on Wednesday the launch of its new Ofek 19 spy satellite, a move it described as a message to its adversaries that they are under constant surveillance, following its recent war with Iran. Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz said on the X platform: "The launch of the Ofek 19 satellite is an achievement of the highest international standard, and few countries possess such capabilities." “It is also a message to all our enemies: We are watching you at all times and in all situations,” he said. The Defense Ministry explained that the satellite was launched Tuesday evening at 10:30 Israel time (19:30 GMT) by a Shavit rocket from central Israel, as part of the Israeli security space program. The satellite began transmitting data and underwent initial tests, with its operation later transferred to the army’s visual and geospatial intelligence unit. According to the Israeli Broadcasting Authority, “Ofek 19” is equipped with advanced radar technology that allows for 24-hour surveillance in all weather conditions, and is intended to expand surveillance in the Middle East, including Iran and Yemen. Israel plans to deploy about 20 small satellites to provide comprehensive coverage of the region, including monitoring nuclear and missile activities and providing early warnings of ballistic missile launches. The satellite’s launch comes two months after Israel’s 12-day war against Iran, which targeted nuclear and military sites and residential neighborhoods. During this war, Tel Aviv announced that it had collected more than 12,000 satellite images of Iranian territory to guide strikes. The CEO said Israel Aerospace Industries CEO Boaz Levy said the operation confirmed that "possessing advanced space surveillance capabilities is crucial for achieving air and ground superiority in the region." Israel joined the "space powers club" in 1988 with the launch of its first satellite, the Ofek, which means "horizon" in Hebrew. Since then, the Ofek series has formed the backbone of its military reconnaissance capabilities. This development coincided with the ongoing Israeli war of extermination on the Gaza Strip, with American support. Since October 7, 2023, this war has left more than 63,000 Palestinians dead and 160,000 wounded, most of them children and women, in addition to thousands of missing persons and hundreds of thousands displaced. Furthermore, a famine has claimed the lives of 367 people, including 131 children.

Israeli military pushes further into Gaza City, forcing more displacement
Reuters/September 03, 2025
REUTERS: The Israeli military moved deeper into Gaza City on Wednesday, with soldiers and tanks pushing into Sheikh Radwan, one of the urban center’s largest and most crowded neighborhoods. In recent weeks, Israeli forces have advanced through Gaza City’s outer suburbs and are now just a few kilometers from the city center despite international calls to halt the offensive. Gaza City residents said the military had destroyed homes and tent encampments that had housed Palestinians displaced by nearly two years of war. At least 24 Palestinians, some of them children, were killed by the military across Gaza on Wednesday, most of them in Gaza City, according to local health officials. “Sheikh Radwan is being burnt upside-down. The occupation destroyed houses, burnt tents, and drones played audio messages ordering people to leave the area,” said Zakeya Sami, 60, a mother of five, referring to the Israeli military.
“If the takeover of Gaza City isn’t stopped, we might die, and we are not going to forgive anyone who stands and watches without doing anything to prevent our death,” she told Reuters. The military dropped grenades on three schools in the Sheikh Radwan area that had been used to shelter displaced Palestinians, setting tents ablaze, according to residents, who said the Palestinians fled before the bombing. The military also detonated armored vehicles laden with explosives to destroy homes in Sheikh Radwan’s east and bombed a medical clinic, destroying two ambulances, according to witnesses.
The Israeli military said in a statement on Wednesday it would continue to operate against “terrorists organizations” in Gaza and to “remove any threat” posed to the State of Israel. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered the military to take the city, which he describes as the last stronghold of Hamas, whose October 2023 attack on Israel ignited the war. Netanyahu insists that Hamas, which has ruled Gaza for nearly two decades but now only controls parts of the territory, must be defeated if it will not lay down its arms and surrender. Israel’s military has urged the country’s political leadership to instead reach a ceasefire agreement, warning that the assault would endanger hostages held in Gaza and soldiers carrying out the offensive, Israeli officials previously said. In Israel, public sentiment is largely in favor of ending the war in a deal that would see the release of the remaining hostages. In Jerusalem on Wednesday, protesters climbed the roof of Israel’s national library, displaying a banner that read ‘You have abandoned and also killed’.
MASS DISPLACEMENT
“We need our soldiers back home. We need our hostages back home now. It’s been too long for them to stay there. Stop the war now,” said Ravid Vexelbaum, 50, from Tel Aviv. Tens of thousands of reservists reported for duty on Tuesday to support the offensive, forces that a military official told reporters last month were mostly expected to take on non-combat roles, such as in intelligence, or take over from combat soldiers in places like the West Bank who could then be deployed to Gaza. The attack on Gaza City threatens to displace one million Palestinians, almost half the population of Gaza. The Israeli military in recent weeks has ordered the civilian population to leave their homes, although there are reports that many families who have already been displaced are refusing. Over 63,000 Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli military since the war started in October 2023, according to local health officials. The war has caused a humanitarian crisis across the territory, with health officials in Gaza reporting that 367 people, including 131 children, have so far died of malnutrition and starvation caused by acute food shortages. Israeli officials acknowledge there is hunger in parts of Gaza but reject assertions of famine or starvation.
Hamas has offered to release some hostages, living and deceased, in exchange for a temporary ceasefire that Israel has yet to formally respond to. Hamas has also offered to release all hostages in exchange for an immediate end to the war and withdrawal by Israeli officials but has refused to lay down its arms.

Hamas affirms readiness for ‘comprehensive deal’ to end Gaza war
Reuters/September 03, 2025
Hamas said in a statement Wednesday that it is ready to reach a “comprehensive deal” under which hostages would be released in exchange for an agreed number of Palestinian detainees, as part of an agreement to end the war in Gaza. Hamas added, “The movement reaffirms its approval to form an independent national administration of technocrats to manage all affairs of the Gaza Strip and assume full responsibility in all sectors.”The statement came shortly after U.S. President Donald Trump called on Hamas to release the remaining 20 hostages.

At least 21,000 children disabled in Gaza war: UN committee
AFP/September 03, 2025
GENEVA: At least 21,000 children in Gaza have been disabled since the war between Israel and Hamas began on October 7, 2023, a United Nations committee said Wednesday. Around 40,500 children have suffered “new war-related injuries” in the nearly two years since the war erupted, with more than half of them left disabled, said the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Reviewing the situation in the Palestinian territories, it said Israeli evacuation orders during the army’s offensive in Gaza were “often inaccessible” to people with hearing or visual impairments, “rendering evacuation impossible.”
“Reports also described people with disabilities being forced to flee in unsafe and undignified conditions, such as crawling through sand or mud without mobility assistance,” it said. Meanwhile the committee said the restrictions on humanitarian aid being brought into the Gaza Strip were disproportionately impacting the disabled. “People with disabilities faced severe disruptions in assistance, leaving many without food, clean water, or sanitation and dependent on others for survival,” it said. While the private US- and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation has four distribution points across the territory, the UN system it has largely replaced had about 400. Physical obstacles, such as war debris and the loss of mobility aids under the rubble, have further prevented people from reaching the relocated aid points. The committee said 83 percent of disabled people had lost their assistive devices, with most unable to afford alternatives such as donkey carts. It voiced concern that devices like wheelchairs, walkers, canes, splints and prosthetics were considered “dual-use items” by the Israeli authorities and were therefore not included in aid shipments. The committee called for the delivery of “massive humanitarian aid to persons with disabilities” affected by the war, while insisting that all sides needed to adopt protection measures for the disabled to prevent “further violence, harm, deaths and deprivation of rights.”The committee said it had been informed of at least 157,114 people sustaining injuries, with over 25 percent at risk of life-long impairments, between October 7, 2023 and August 21 this year. It said there were “at least 21,000 children with disabilities in Gaza as a result of impairments, acquired since October 7, 2023.”It said Israel should adopt specific measures for protecting children with disabilities from attacks, and implement evacuation protocols that take into account persons with disabilities. Israel should ensure disabled people are “allowed to return safely to their homes and are assisted in doing so,” it added.

Israel's Shin Bet says it thwarted attack on right-wing minister Ben Gvir
Reuters/September 3, 2025
JERUSALEM (Reuters) -Israel's Shin Bet domestic intelligence service said on Wednesday it had thwarted a plan to assassinate National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, and that members of a Hamas cell had been arrested. The planned Hamas attack against the far-right cabinet minister would have involved use of explosive drones, the Shin Bet said. The Shin Bet said members of a Hamas cell from the Hebron area in the Israeli-occupied West Bank had been arrested and that drones had been seized. It said it believed the cell had operated a Hamas headquarters in Turkey "with the intent of carrying out an assassination attack on Ben Gvir."An investigation was under way, it said. The Palestinian militant group Hamas, with which Israel has been at war in the Gaza Strip for nearly two years, was not immediately available for comment. Turkey did not immediately comment. Ben Gvir said in a statement he would not be deterred or afraid. "Hamas has already tried five times to assassinate me, and each time they failed," he said, thanking God and Israel's security forces. The war in Gaza began in October 2023, when gunmen led by Hamas attacked southern Israeli communities, killing about 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, including children, into Gaza. Forty-eight hostages remain in Gaza. Since then, Israel's military action has killed 63,000 people, damaged or destroyed most buildings in Gaza and forced nearly all its residents to flee their homes at least once.

Belgium to Recognize Palestinian State at Upcoming UN General Assembly
Latest Developments/FDD/September 03/2025
Belgium Joins Nations Recognizing Palestinian State: Belgium will recognize a Palestinian state at the upcoming United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on September 9, joining a French-led international push for Palestinian statehood that has gathered steam in recent weeks. “In light of the humanitarian tragedy unfolding in Palestine, particularly in Gaza, and in response to the violence perpetrated by Israel in violation of international law, given its international obligations, including the duty to prevent any risk of genocide, Belgium had to take strong decisions to increase pressure on the Israeli government,” Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot said on September 1. He noted, however, that formalization of the motion would only “take place once the last hostage has been released and Hamas no longer has any role in managing Palestine.”
Brussels to Propose Sanctions Against Israel: In addition to recognizing a Palestinian state, Prevot stated that steps would be taken to levy sanctions against Israel, including banning imported products from Israeli communities in the West Bank, reviewing public procurement policies with Israeli firms, limiting consular assistance to Belgian citizens living in Israeli communities in the West Bank, potential judicial prosecutions, banning military overflights and transit from Israel, and designating Israeli lawmakers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich as “persona non grata” in Belgium. Prevot also announced that Belgium would support the suspension of the EU’s Association Agreement with Israel in the areas of research programs and technical cooperation.
Western Efforts to Recognize Palestinian State: Belgium is the latest Western nation to declare that it would recognize Palestinian statehood, following similar statements from France, the United Kingdom, Canada, Malta, and Australia, among others. Like Belgium’s, most of the pledges are conditional on PA reform and the removal of Hamas from power in Gaza. Israel, for its part, has asserted that neither the PA nor Hamas will play any role in post-war Gaza, asserting that recognition of a Palestinian state would amount to rewarding Hamas for its brutal October 7, 2023, atrocities.
FDD Expert Response
“The options for recognizing a Palestinian state range from bad to worse. The UK announcement that it would recognize a Palestinian state unless a ceasefire was reached encouraged Hamas to continue the war. Though other recognition announcements placed conditions on Hamas, the Palestinian street will still glorify the Iran-backed terrorist group for launching the war that resulted in global recognition of Palestinian statehood. And this fallback option is still shifting the goalposts toward a fundamentally flawed policy. Statehood recognition would bolster the Palestinian Authority’s already intransigent stance on negotiations with Israel and cement the gap between Palestinian expectations and reality on the ground, making a peace deal less likely.” — David May, Research Manager and Senior Research Analyst
“The Belgian government is bowing to its influential domestic Muslim lobby and will now, along with France, Ireland, Spain, Slovenia and Malta, try to persuade other EU member states to unilaterally recognize a Palestinian state. The sanctions it threatens should be seen similarly, as a concerted attempt to undermine and eventually eliminate the EU’s Association Agreement with Israel.” — Ben Cohen, Senior Analyst and Rapid Response Director

Israel’s Smotrich sparks outcry with West Bank annexation maps
Reuters/September 03, 2025
JERUSALEM: Israel’s far-right finance minister said on Wednesday that maps were being drawn up for annexing territory in the occupied West Bank, land the Palestinians seek for a state, although it was unclear if he had Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s support. At a press conference in Jerusalem, Bezalel Smotrich stood before a map that suggested the possible annexation of most of the West Bank with the exception of six large Palestinian cities, including Ramallah and Nablus. Smotrich said he wanted “maximum territory and minimum (Palestinian) population” to be brought under Israeli sovereignty, urging Netanyahu to accept his plan that is being drawn up by a department under Smotrich’s supervision in the Defense Ministry. “The time has come to apply Israeli sovereignty to Judea and Samaria, to remove once and for all from the agenda the idea of dividing our tiny land and establishing a terror state in its center,” he said, using biblical names widely used in Israel and the administrative name used by the state to describe the area. “Who can defend a state with such small strategic depth? And this is why the goal of the sovereignty is to remove, once and for all, a Palestinian state from the agenda. And this is done when applying (sovereignty) to all of the territory, other than Arab population centers. I have no interest in letting them enjoy what the state of Israel has to offer,” he said. Smotrich, a settler leader, has long called for annexation of the West Bank, which Israel captured in the 1967 Middle East war and which is among territories the Palestinians seek for a future independent state.Netanyahu’s office did not immediately respond on Wednesday to a request for comment on the prime minister’s position on the matter. However, the prospect of any concrete steps by the Netanyahu government, which would likely entail a lengthy legislative process, is unclear. Any step toward annexation would likely draw widespread condemnation from Arab and Western countries. It is unclear where US President Donald Trump stands on the matter.Speaking after Smotrich made his remarks, an official from the United Arab Emirates said Israeli annexation of the West Bank would be a “red line” for the UAE, which established formal ties with Israel in 2020 under US-brokered accords. A spokesperson for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said on Monday that “any annexation or settlement activity by Israel is illegitimate, condemned, and unacceptable.”Abdel Hakim Hanini, an official of the Palestinian militant group Hamas which is a rival of Abbas’ Fatah, said annexing the West Bank would not bring Israel the security it seeks and instead “lead to further resistance and confrontation.” Israel, which is facing mounting international criticism over the war in Gaza, has been angered by pledges by France, Britain, Australia and Canada to formally recognize a Palestinian state during the UN General Assembly in September.Reuters reported on Sunday that Israel was considering annexing the West Bank as a possible response to those pledges. The United Nations’ highest court said in 2024 that Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories, including the West Bank, and its settlements there were illegal and should end as soon as possible. Israel says the territories are not occupied in legal terms because they are disputed.

Six activists charged in Britain over support for Palestine Action
AFP/September 04, 2025
LONDON: British authorities have charged six people for participating in meetings to plan a demonstration in support of the banned group Palestine Action, prosecutors said Wednesday. The six, aged from 26 to 62, were charged “with various offenses of encouraging support for a proscribed terrorist organization,” the Crown Prosecution Service said in a statement. They were placed in detention and are due to appear in court on Thursday. They risk up to 14 years in prison.Palestine Action was designated a terrorist organization and banned in July after vandalism at a Royal Air Force base.
The charges result from 13 online meetings they attended to prepare for several protests over the summer. During an online press conference Wednesday, representatives of the group Defend Our Juries, to which the arrested individuals belonged, confirmed that demonstrations would go ahead on Saturday in London, Derry in Northern Ireland, and Edinburgh in Scotland. British police have made arrests at recent protests in support of Palestine Action. British film director Ken Loach, who attended the event, called the ban on Palestine Action “absurd” and accused the government of being complicit in Israel’s “incredible crimes” in Gaza.

Israeli forces seize seven people from Syria: state media
AFP/September 03, 2025
DAMASCUS: Israeli forces seized seven people during an incursion into Syria on Wednesday, Syrian state media reported, with the Israeli military saying it “apprehended” individuals “suspected of terrorist activity.” Since the fall of longtime Syrian ruler Bashar Assad in December, Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes on Syria and occupied much of a UN-patrolled demilitarised zone on the formerly Syria-controlled side of the armistice line between the two states, technically at war since 1948.It has also opened talks with the interim authorities in Damascus. The official Syrian news agency SANA said the Israeli troops “entered the town of Jabata Al-Khashab” in the southern province of Quneitra at dawn, raiding homes and “detaining seven people.”The force — about 30 soldiers in five vehicles — crossed from a nearby base at 3:00 am (0000 GMT) and withdrew two hours later after the raids. SANA also reported Israeli shelling in Quneitra. Responding to a request for comment from AFP’s Jerusalem bureau, the Israeli army said its troops “apprehended several individuals suspected of terrorist activity against the troops in the area of Jubata in southern Syria.”The detainees were taken to Israel for further questioning, the military added. Israel has carried out repeated cross-border operations since Assad’s overthrow in December, including strikes and ground raids in Syrian territory. Last month, SANA reported an Israeli airborne raid on a site near Damascus after multiple airstrikes.Israel did not confirm the operation, but Defense Minister Israel Katz said its forces act “in all combat zones” to safeguard security.

Syria detains defense, interior ministry members suspected of Sweida violence
Reuters/September 03, 2025
REUTERS: Syria has interrogated and detained members of its defense and interior ministries suspected of committing abuses against civilians in the predominantly Druze province of Sweida in July, the committee investigating the violence has said. Hundreds of people were killed in Sweida in violence that began between tribes and Druze factions but which worsened after Syrian troops were dispatched to the area. Bereaved relatives accused government forces of committing execution-style killings on camera. Syria appointed a committee to investigate the violence on July 31. Its spokesperson Ammar Izzedin told Syrian and regional media outlets on Tuesday night that members of both the interior and defense ministries had been questioned and referred to the judiciary over their suspected involvement in abuses. Izzedin declined to say how many personnel were detained, but said they were Syrian nationals who carried out the atrocities in an individual capacity. He told regional broadcaster Al-Hadath the committee had confronted the suspects with “the video footage in which they were seen” committing abuses without specifying what they were. Izzedin said the footage was “enough” as evidence since the fighters had filmed themselves, but that several had also confessed to committing the abuses after being shown the videos.“They were detained by the interior and defense ministries to be transferred to the judiciary when the investigations are concluded to be publicly tried for the crimes they committed against Syrians,” Izzedin said. He told local outlet Syria TV that the committee was keen to act swiftly to arrest the suspects even as it continued its investigative work. He did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for additional comment. Amnesty International urged Syrian authorities on Tuesday to hold members of government forces accountable for extrajudicial executions of Druze men and women on July 15 and 16 in Sweida.In March, Syria’s military was accused of mass killings of members of the Alawite minority, to which much of ousted Syrian President Bashar Assad’s ruling elite belonged. A Syrian government fact-finding committee said in July that 1,426 people had died in March in attacks on security forces and subsequent mass killings of Alawites, but concluded that commanders had not given orders for the revenge attacks. It said 298 suspects were linked to violations against Alawites and 265 involved in the initial attack on security forces, and said they had been referred to the judiciary.

UN watchdog finds uranium traces at suspected Syrian former nuclear site
AP/September 03, 2025
VIENNA: The United Nations’ nuclear watchdog said Tuesday that its inspectors found traces of uranium at a site in Syria believed to be part of a clandestine nuclear program by the former government. Syria under former President Bashar Assad was believed to have operated an extensive undeclared nuclear program, which included an undeclared nuclear reactor built by North Korea in eastern Deir Ezzor province. The International Atomic Energy Agency’s director-general, Rafael Mariano Grossi, previously told The Associated Press that some of Syria’s activities “were, in the judgment of the agency, probably related to nuclear weapons.”Last year, IAEA inspectors visited and took environmental samples at “three locations that were allegedly functionally related” to the Deir Ezzor site, and “analysis revealed a significant number of anthropogenic natural uranium particles in samples taken at one of the three locations,” IAEA spokesman Fredrik Dahl said in a statement.“Some of these uranium particles are consistent with the conversion of uranium ore concentrate to uranium oxide,” he said. This would be typical of a nuclear power reactor.
Grossi reported these findings to the agency’s board of directors Monday in a report on developments in Syria. The Deir Ezzor site only became public knowledge after Israel — which is believed to be the Middle East’s only state with nuclear weapons, although it has not declared its own program — launched airstrikes in 2007 destroying the facility. Syria later leveled the site and never responded fully to the IAEA’s questions.An IAEA team in visited some sites of interest last year while Assad was still in power. After Assad’s fall, the new government led by interim President Ahmad Al-Sharaa agreed to cooperate with the agency and again provided inspectors access to the site where the uranium particles had been found. They took more samples there and “will evaluate the results of all of the environmental samples taken at this location and the information acquired from the planned visit to the (Deir Ezzor) site, and may conduct follow-up activities, as necessary,” Dahl said. In an interview with the AP in June during a visit to Damascus, Grossi said Al-Sharaa had expressed an interest in pursuing nuclear energy for Syria in the future. A number of other countries in the region are pursuing nuclear energy in some form. Grossi said Syria would most likely be looking into small modular reactors, which are cheaper and easier to deploy than traditional large ones. He also said that IAEA is prepared to help Syria rebuild the radiotherapy, nuclear medicine and oncology infrastructure in a health system severely weakened by nearly 14 years of civil war.

Syria Kurds say they thwarted escape bid from camp for Daesh families
AFP/September 03, 2025
QAMISHLI, Syria: Syrian Kurdish forces said Wednesday they thwarted an escape attempt by more than 50 inmates of Al-Hol camp, which holds people suspected of ties to the Daesh group.Kurdish authorities in northeastern Syria have run camps hosting thousands of suspected militants and their families since the militant group lost its last territory in Syria six years ago.Kurdish security forces said they thwarted a “mass escape attempt” from the Al-Hol camp by several Daesh families on Tuesday “numbering 56 individuals.”They added that the detainees attempted to escape “using a large vehicle.”Kurdish security forces detected “suspicious activity yesterday (Tuesday) afternoon, when a group of people were seen boarding a vehicle in an abnormal manner,” they said in a statement.The troops “stopped the vehicle as it attempted to pass through the main gate, arresting all those inside.”Al-Hol houses approximately 27,000 people, including some 15,000 Syrians and about 6,300 foreign women and children from 42 nationalities, in addition to some 5,000 Iraqis, camp director Jihan Hanan told AFP in August. Since Daesh’s defeat, the Kurdish-run administration has repeatedly called on foreign governments to repatriate their nationals. Despite repeated warnings from international organizations of the dire conditions in the camps, many Western governments have refused to repatriate their citizens.Neighbouring Iraq, however, has repatriated around 17,000 people, mostly women and children. In February, Kurdish official Sheikhmous Ahmed said the administration aimed to empty the camps of Iraqis and displaced Syrians by the end of the year.

US renews push to avert all-out conflict between Syria's Kurds and Damascus
Kurdish politician to travel to Damascus with proposals after meeting US officials in Amman, sources tell The National
Khaled Yacoub Oweis/The National/September 03, 2025
The US has renewed a diplomatic push to resolve critical differences between Syria's new central authorities and the mostly Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces that threaten to spark an all-out conflict, sources said, as violence between the two sides escalates. In the past 72 hours, Syrian authorities said security forces seized rocket launchers and other weapons allegedly being smuggled to SDF-held areas in the east. Damascus also said its forces foiled an SDF attempt to infiltrate one of the front lines between the two sides in Deir Ezzor governorate, a claim the SDF has denied. On Monday, Turkish jets bombed SDF positions on another front line along the Euphrates. Turkey is the main backer of the current government in Damascus. The new US approach consists of less pressure on the Kurds, especially after the American officials opposed Kurdish demands for a decentralised system of government in Syria. Washington has also put forth proposals to bridge the gap over the government's insistence that the SDF disbands – the main sticking point between the two sides, the sources said. "The State Department had basically shuttered its doors to the Kurds. Now they are open again," one of the sources in Washington said. The government's attempt to take control of the mostly Druze province of Sweida was said to have contributed to the US change in stance towards the Kurds and other minorities. Hundreds of civilians, mainly Druze, were killed in the Sweida campaign, which was largely suspended after Israel intervened militarily to defend the Druze. "They are listening to them more than before," the source said.
US firm on SDF concessions
However, US officials have been warning the Kurds not to expect the same kind of protection that Israel has extended to the Druze, although there has been more contact lately between the SDF and Israel, the source said.
"Washington is still adamant that the Kurds make substantive concessions," the source said. "Israel cannot defend two minorities at the same time and will always choose the Druze first." The source said the US expects the SDF ultimately to relinquish Arab areas under its control in the east and give up its monopoly on oil production in the area. On Sunday, senior Kurdish politician Ilham Ahmad, a key negotiator on behalf of the SDF, met two members of the foreign relations committees in the US Senate and House, in Amman, a diplomat in the Jordanian capital told The National.
“The State Department was not far away from the discussions," said the diplomat, who was briefed on the meeting. Scott Bolz, a senior American diplomat handling the Kurdish file, also met Ms Ahmad in Jordan, he said. There was no immediate comment from the US embassy in the kingdom.
Syrian President Ahmad Al Shara meets US Representative Joe Wilson, left, US Senator Jeanne Shaheen, second left, and US Ambassador to Turkey and Special Envoy to Syria Tom Barrack, right, in Damascus on August 25, 2025. SANA via AP
Last week, the two US legislators, Senator Jeanne Shaheen and Representative Joe Wilson, met President Ahmad Al Shara to discuss the fate of the numerous minority communities in Syria under Hayat Tahrir Al Sham (HTS), a group formerly affiliated with Al Qaeda that led the rebel overthrow of the Assad regime in December. The SDF controls large parts of eastern Syria that produce most of Syria's power output, oil and gas, as well as wheat and other commodities. Regaining these regions is key for Mr Al Shara to bolster his position, especially among his core Sunni constituency. A deal in March to integrate the SDF into the post-Assad state has stalled, mainly over Damascus's demand that the SDF disband. However, the US has proposed that the SDF partially join the new Syrian army, which means that Mr Al Shara would advance his goal while SDF leader "Mazloum Abdi keeps a good chunk of the SDF and an open channel to Al Shara”, the diplomat said. The Kurds represented around 10 per cent of Syria's 22 million population before the civil war began in 2011. Mistrust, however, remains at an all-time high, the sources said, with the SDF more insistent, after the Sweida bloodshed, that it will not dissolve.
"They cannot trust that government forces would not go to the east and repeat a Sweida scenario," said another diplomat. Ms Ahmad is considered to be among Kurdish hardliners who see their position as having been bolstered by the events in Sweida, they added.
Hardline position
The Kurdish issue has emerged as the thorniest in US-backed efforts to stabilise Syria after the civil war. Washington created the SDF in 2014 as its infantry ally in the war against ISIS in Syria. But Turkey is seen as having enormous sway on how the Syrian government is dealing with the issue. Turkey regards the SDF as a major security threat and opposes any devolution of central powers that could give Kurds and other minorities substantive powers in the post-Assad order. "Even when Al Shara shows flexibility, he cannot act on the Syrian file without reverting to Turkey," said a western diplomat who had met Mr Al Shara.The sources said that Ms Ahmad will travel to Damascus in the coming days for a new round of talks on the fate of the SDF. She answers directly to Mr Abdi. Mr Al Shara’s forces have upped their military preparations against the SDF. In a meeting with Arab journalists last month, Mr Al Shara maintained a hardline position that there could be no alternative to a unitary state and brushed off the possibility of a decentralised system. "Unless the government accepts decentralisation, the Kurds will be going through the motions of talks to please the Americans, but they will not cede any real control," the western diplomat said. "The problem is that even if Al Shara accepts devolution, Turkey will not, and he cannot go against Ankara."

Yemen’s Houthi-run Foreign Ministry says UN should not shield espionage activities
Reuters/September 04, 2025
Yemen’s Houthi-run Foreign Ministry said United Nations officials’ legal immunities should not shield espionage activities, days after at least 11 UN personnel were arrested in the capital Sanaa. The UN said on Sunday that Houthi rebels raided its premises in Sanaa and arrested UN staff following an Israeli strike that killed the prime minister of the Houthi-run government and several other ministers.The ministry also accused the UN of bias, saying it condemned “legal measures taken by the government against spy cells involved in crimes,” but failed to denounce the Israeli attack, the Houthi-run news agency Saba reported on Wednesday.Yemen has been split between a Houthi administration in Sanaa and a Saudi-backed government in Aden since the Iran-aligned Houthis seized Sanaa in late 2014, triggering a decade-long conflict. The ministry added that Yemen respected “the 1946 Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations ... while emphasizing that these immunities do not protect espionage activities or those who engage in them, nor provide them with legal cover,” it added. On Sunday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the Houthis forcibly entered World Food Programme premises, seized UN property, and attempted to enter other UN offices in the capital.

Russia claims capturing ‘about half’ of Ukrainian city Kupiansk; Kyiv says it’s untrue
Reuters/September 04, 2025
MOSCOW: Russia’s defense ministry said on Wednesday that its troops had captured “about half” of the city of Kupiansk in Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv region, but Ukraine’s military denied any such advance. Reuters could not independently confirm the battlefield reports from either side. Kupiansk has been the focus of months of increased Russian military activity and heavy fighting. Russian troops captured the city in the early weeks of their February 2022 invasion and Ukrainian forces took it back later that same year. Much of the city has been destroyed as Moscow tries to seize it back as part of a slow advance westward along parts of the 1,000-km (620-mile) long frontline. The Russian Defense Ministry released a drone video showing a soldier holding a Russian flag while standing on a road in the town. Ukraine’s 10th army corps, in a post on the Telegram messaging app, described the Russian report as staged propaganda.“All such attempts are pointless,” it said alongside a video of its own, which it said showed a Russian unit being destroyed. “All such attempts by the Russian occupiers to use localities as a decoration for propaganda videos are doomed to fail.” Ukraine’s official Center Against Disinformation said any notion that Russian forces had advanced into Kupiansk was untrue and a propaganda exercise. Ukraine’s popular Deepstate war blog, which uses open source maps of the conflict, said the incident with the flag occurred on the city’s southern outskirts where control is disputed. In a late evening report, the General Staff of Ukraine’s military said one armed clash was raging in the Kupiansk sector. The report listed nearly 50 attempts by Russian forces to break through Ukrainian defenses near Pokrovsk, one of the focal points of Moscow’s drive through Donetsk region.

Trump says China should have mentioned US during ‘beautiful ceremony’
Reuters/September 04, 2025
WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that China’s “beautiful ceremony” marking the end of World War Two should have highlighted the role that the US played in Japan’s defeat. “I thought it was a beautiful ceremony. I thought it was very, very impressive,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, hours after he suggested on social media that foreign leaders meeting in Beijing might be conspiring against the US. “I watched the speech last night. President Xi is a friend of mine, but I thought that the United States should have been mentioned last night during that speech, because we helped China very, very much.” The Chinese embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Chinese President Xi Jinping has made the 80th anniversary of the war’s end a major showcase for his government and its close ties with countries at odds with Washington. Flanked by Russia’s Vladimir Putin and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un, Xi spoke before a crowd of more than 50,000 spectators at Tiananmen Square. He surveyed a parade of goose-stepping troops and cutting-edge military equipment aimed at deterring would-be adversaries including the United States.
Japan’s invasion of China in 1937 was a major escalation in fighting that would lead to World War Two, and Japan’s surrender in 1945 marked the end of the conflict. The US joined the war in 1941, aiding Chinese forces fighting the Japanese military and playing a decisive role in Japan’s defeat.
Deploying history to wage present-day political battles, Xi has cast World War Two as a major turning point in the “great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation” now ruled by his Chinese Communist Party, and its allies. On Wednesday, Xi thanked “the foreign governments and international friends who supported and assisted the Chinese people,” according to an official. But he did not dwell on the role of the United States in the war.US-China relations are at a tense moment. The two sides are at odds on a range of security issues, from Ukraine to the South China Sea, and are wrangling over a broad trade deal to stave off tariffs on each other’s goods. But Trump has repeatedly touted a positive personal relationship with Xi that his aides say can steer the world’s two largest economies in a constructive direction. He has also said he might soon meet with Xi.In a post directed at Xi on Truth Social as the parade kicked off, Trump said, “Please give my warmest regards to Vladimir Putin, and Kim Jong Un, as you conspire against the United States of America.”The Kremlin said they were not conspiring and suggested the remarks were ironic.

China displays military strength in a parade on 80th anniversary of WWII end
Associated Press/September 03, 2025
Chinese leader Xi Jinping said humanity must choose between peace and war and dialogue and confrontation in a speech Wednesday before a major military parade marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. Xi started a brief address by remembering the Chinese veterans of the war and called for the eradication of the roots of war to prevent history from repeating itself. But his main message was forward looking: Today, China is strong, fears no one and is ready to take a leading role in the world. "The Chinese people are a people that are not afraid of violence and are self-reliant and strong," he said. "We will adhere to the path of peaceful development and work hand in hand with people of all countries to build a community with a shared future for mankind."
A limousine ride and modern military hardware
The parade, which lasted about 90 minutes, showcased missiles, fighter jets and other military hardware, some of it displayed publicly for the first time. The event began with troops marching in rhythmic lockstep, their boots echoing off the pavement, to be reviewed by Xi, who heads China's military as chairman of the Central Military Commission. Xi rode by the entire length of their formations along Beijing's central Chang'an Avenue in a classic black limousine. He stood up through the vehicle's sunroof with four microphones lined in front of him and greeted flanks of personnel as he passed them and rows of armaments and military vehicles.They shouted back mottos in unison such as "We serve the people."
Drone submarines and hypersonic missiles
Highlights of the weaponry in the parade included: Hypersonic missiles designed to take out ships at sea. They are of particular concern to the U.S. Navy, which patrols the western Pacific from its 7th Fleet headquarters in Japan. Underwater drones including the AJX002, a long, black, tube-shaped craft that looks like a narrow submarine with a rear propeller.A new intercontinental ballistic missile, the DF-61, which could carry nuclear warheads to distant targets. Fighter jets and bombers flew across the sky, some painting rows of different-colored exhaust in unison. Helicopters flew in formation, one group of 26 spelling out the number "80" for the war's anniversary year. Before Xi spoke, the ceremony began with an 80-gun artillery salute, followed by the national anthem, the "March of the Volunteers," a song composed in 1935 during the early years of resistance against invading Japanese forces.
Putin and Kim were among Xi's prominent guests
About two dozen foreign leaders watched the parade from an elevated point on the historic Tiananmen Gate, including Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Putin and Kim flanked Xi as they made their way to the platform overlooking Tiananmen Square. They paused to shake hands with five WWII veterans, some older than 100. As the parade got underway, U.S. President Donald Trump said on social media that the big question is whether Xi will recognize the contributions of Americans who fought in the war. "Please give my warmest regards to Vladimir Putin, and Kim Jong Un, as you conspire against The United States of America," he added. The U.S. eyed the gathering of the three leaders warily, as well as a 10-nation summit meeting in China on Monday that brought together Xi, Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Xi's remarks did not mention the U.S. by name but expressed his gratitude to foreign countries that helped China resist the Japanese invasion.
A display of military strength for its own people
Domestically, the commemoration of the anniversary is a way to show the progress made by China, which was a major front in the war where millions died as a result of Japan's invasion. The military parade was also a show of strength to boost support for the Communist Party and its leader, Xi, domestically and a way to portray itself as a global alternative to the American-dominated postwar era. "The Chinese people's rejuvenation cannot be blocked, and the noble goal of the peaceful development of human civilization must triumph," Xi said at the end of his speech. The marching formations from the People's Liberation Army ranged from traditional army and navy units to new ones such as a cyberspace unit that oversees information security. The PLA was a heroic military "the people and the Party can trust and rely on completely," Xi said, adding that the army's task was to safeguard the country's sovereignty and unification, a reference to China's claim over the self-ruled island of Taiwan.

President Sheikh Mohamed and Saudi Crown Prince issue Gaza peace call at Riyadh talks
UAE leader and high-level Emirati delegation pay fraternal visit to kingdom
The National/September 03, 2025
UAE President Sheikh Mohamed and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman emphasised the need to forge a path to peace in Gaza during high-level talks in Riyadh on Wednesday.The two leaders reiterated that a two-state solution is crucial to efforts to bolster security and stability after nearly two years of war in the besieged enclave. Discussions held in the Saudi capital also addressed ways to bolster deep-rooted ties between the two nations. A high-level Emirati delegation accompanied Sheikh Mohamed on what UAE news agency Wam described as a fraternal visit. Sheikh Mohamed was welcomed by Prince Mohammed on arrival at King Khalid International Airport and later seen off by the Prince at the airport at the conclusion of his visit. Sheikh Mohamed and Prince Mohammed regularly hold talks in support of long-standing relations between the Gulf neighbours.Sheikh Mohamed had previously met Prince Mohammed in December at Al Rawda Palace in Al Ain as part of his visit to the UAE. In August, the two leaders discussed efforts to bolster peace and stability in the region during a phone call. Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed, Deputy Ruler of Abu Dhabi and National Security Adviser, and Prince Mohammed met in Jeddah in July to explore regional issues. Sheikh Tahnoon stressed the need for “joint Arab action” to address challenges in the region and to promote development. They also reviewed ways to strengthen partnerships in a number of key sectors, during the meeting at Al Salam Palace.

Rubio on US strike on alleged drug boat: 'It'll happen again'
AFP/September 03, 2025
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday vowed to keep up strikes targeting drug cartels after Washington said it destroyed a boat in the Caribbean allegedly belonging to a Venezuelan gang. President Donald Trump "blew it up and it'll happen again. Maybe it's happening right now," Rubio told reporters in Mexico City.

The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources on September 03-04/2025
The West must back Reza Pahlavi’s Iran transition plan
Aidin Panahi/Saeed Ghasseminejad/Dr. Aidin Panahi/The Jerusalem Post/September 03/2025
For more than four decades, the Islamic Republic has survived by spreading fear and terror. The lie was simple: if the regime falls, Iran falls into chaos, as the regime’s opponents have no plan or capacity to restore order. That myth has been its last line of defense, repeated in the West by apologists and diplomats who would rather live with the devil they knew than risk change.
That argument no longer withstands scrutiny. This July, Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi unveiled the Iran Prosperity Project’s Emergency Booklet at the National Cooperation Conference in Munich, where Iranians of different backgrounds gathered by his invitation. Iranians welcomed the plan with unrivaled enthusiasm. Since its publication, it has become a key topic of discussion among Iranians. It has generated millions of comments on social media and thousands of hours of discussion on television. For the first time since 1979, Iranians have a credible, secular, executable plan for transition. And the regime knows it. That is why the attacks came instantly. The MEK, a Marxist-Islamist cult with Iranian and American blood on its hands, led the charge. Its trolls howled online. Tehran’s cyber units amplified the noise. Pahlavi and his Emergency Booklet expose them all. It proves that Iran has a real path forward. Their business models depend on obstruction. This plan makes them irrelevant.
The Emergency Booklet provides a road map to rebuild Iran’s political and economic institutions, create order out of chaos, and bring prosperity and security. It forecasts the immediate crises that could emerge after the fall of the regime and offers solutions on how to mitigate or resolve them. It argues how to prepare the foundation of a free, prosperous Iran. It covers a variety of issues: from political transition, new legal framework, foreign policy, and military and security reform to energy and water management, maintaining essential services, and economic and financial stability. It abolishes the constitution of the Islamic Republic. It voids every law that contradicts democracy and human rights. It enshrines the three principles Pahlavi has made the foundation of his politics: Iran’s territorial integrity, the protection of individual freedoms and equality for all citizens, and the separation of religion from the state, together with recognition of the Iranian people’s right to freely choose the future shape of their democracy. It creates a transitional framework to govern until the Iranians themselves decide the future. Neither monarchy nor republic is imposed. People will choose the form of their future government in a referendum. A secular bridge from tyranny to choice. Referendum, constituent assembly, then a constitution written by the nation’s elected representatives and ratified by the people in a second referendum.
Stability: The weakness to Iran’s shield of chaos
This is why Tehran is panicking. The regime has always counted on chaos as its shield. It wanted the world to believe that without the mullahs, Iran burns. Pahlavi’s emergency blueprint strips that away. It offers a realistic path to keep borders secure and guarantee continuity of services. It denies militias and radicals the chance to hijack the state. It shows that Iran can move from dictatorship to democracy without imploding. It takes away the fear card the regime has played for four decades.
Critics whine that the plan is imposed. That is false. The document was published in July with a window to receive public comments. Nearly five thousand Iranians have already responded through the website, offering their well-argued, well-written proposals to improve the document. Adjustments will come, but the foundations will not move. Secularism is non-negotiable. Democracy is non-negotiable. The abolition of the Islamist constitutions of 1979 is non-negotiable. For the first time, Iranians are being asked to shape their own transition plan, openly and transparently.
THIS MATTERS beyond Iran’s borders. Israel faces rockets from Hamas and Hezbollah, bullets from Houthis, all paid for by Tehran. The United States faces a regime that has murdered its soldiers from Lebanon to Iraq. For decades, Western strategists feared the day after.
Iraq collapsed into sectarian war. Libya plunged into civil war. Syria has been in a seemingly permanent civil war. Iran’s larger size, critical location, and regional influence mean that unmanaged collapse would pose even greater risks than Iraq, Libya, or Syria. The regime has lived off that fear. Pahlavi and his team end it with their plan. It does not promise paradise. It promises order and prosperity.
Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi has been explicit. He is campaigning to restore choice and is uniquely positioned to do so because his name carries recognition across generations, while his platform deliberately rejects partisanship. He has been the only figure to consistently call for coalition and inclusivity, not factional rule. He has said clearly that whether Iran’s future is a constitutional monarchy or a republic is not his decision. It is for the people, in a free referendum.
He seeks to be the coalition builder for all Iranians. That is why the Emergency Booklet is dangerous to the regime. It does not belong to one faction. It belongs to every citizen who wants an Iran free of clerics and tyranny.
For the West, this is the time to act. The regime is at its weakest point. Reza Pahlavi has the trust of the people, name recognition at home and abroad, support of various Iranian political groups from monarchist to republican, from Left to Right, from liberal to conservative, and a plan and a team to execute it.
Millions of Iranians want change, but fear of the regime’s brutality and concerns about the chaos after the fall of the regime have kept them silent. Pahlavi and his team have put out a plan to alleviate the second concern. It is time for the West to alleviate the first concern and show the Iranian people that when they go to the streets, they will not be left alone. The Islamic Republic is on the verge of collapse, but it needs a push to fall into the ash heap of history. Economic collapse, international isolation, and public disillusionment make its survival untenable.
The only question is whether its fall brings renewal or ruin. Pahlavi and his team guarantee renewal. The West must recognize and support it, as the first Iranian-designed road map with broad public support and input.
Dr. Aidin Panahi is an energy and industrial policy expert and a political and human rights advocate.
Dr. Saeed Ghasseminejad is a senior adviser on Iran and finances and economics at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.

Using Human Rights as a Weapon Against Iran
Tzvi Kahn/ Providence/September 02/2025
The uprising began because of an Iranian woman’s hair. In September 2022, Iran’s morality police arrested and then killed 22-year-old Mahsa Amini for allegedly wearing her hijab improperly. Her murder sparked intense protests across Iran in the fall of that year that the clerical regime brutally suppressed, killing hundreds of Iranians. As Tehran continues to oppress its own people, particularly following its loss in the recent 12-day war, the Trump administration should remember the sacrifices Iranians, and particularly Iranian women, have made to stand up to their government — and should seek to support them however it can. Over the past three years, the Foundation for Defense of Democracies has documented more than 9,600 demonstrations in Iran against the country’s regime. While Amini’s death lit the uprising’s fuse, the 2022 protests soon came to decry not only the government’s treatment of women, but also its corruption, foreign aggression, and economic mismanagement. President Trump should take these developments personally: Tehran, after all, has plotted to kill him just as it has planned to kill many of its own citizens. According to the US Department of Justice, the regime’s ambition stems from Trump’s 2020 authorization of the drone strike that killed Qassem Soleimani, the Iranian general largely responsible for Iran’s sprawling global network of terror.
The primary motive for the planned assassination was retaliation for the death of Soleimani, yet the bigger picture is that the Islamist regime sees itself and the West as locked inextricably in a religious war for the soul of the Middle East. The same violent ideology that drives Iran to be permanently at war with its own people also necessitates perpetual conflict with America, Israel and the West.
For Tehran, America’s values pose a threat comparable to its overwhelming military might. As the late Princeton scholar Bernard Lewis has noted, Iran’s leaders routinely describe the United States as the “Great Satan” not as a generic insult but as a creedal warning. “Satan is not an imperialist; he is a tempter,” Lewis writes. US soft power, resting upon the genuinely held beliefs of millions of Americans that democracy and human rights are the rightful inheritance of all mankind, is so irrepressible that Tehran cannot help but fear its appeal.
Secularism, freedom, democracy, equality — all of them contradict the founding principles of the Islamic Republic. The regime fears women’s rights most of all. Through its ideological lens, the regime sees the rigid control of women’s bodies as the only defense against uninhibited sexuality, which would entice the Iranian people away from Islamic edicts. Even the exposure of women’s hair triggers such trepidation in this paranoid regime.
Thus, the ongoing protests in Iran demonstrate that it is the Iranian people who have aligned themselves with the values of the West — particularly the rights to freedom of religion, speech, and assembly as enumerated in the First Amendment of the American Constitution. Consequently, the 2022 uprising and all those since challenge not merely the regime’s hard military and economic power, but also the moral and spiritual foundation of its own existence. The mullahs know this and are terrified of it. The Trump administration should exploit this fear. Its continued maximum pressure campaign against Iran represents a crucial step forward, but stops short of meaningfully challenging the regime’s systematic human rights abuses. In his February directive announcing his pressure campaign, Trump devoted just one paragraph to condemning Tehran’s domestic repression, with a single sentence declaring that America “stands with the women of Iran who face daily abuse by the regime.”This is insufficient. The Trump administration should recognize that fighting for human rights in Iran advances US interests and puts America first. By weakening the regime from within, Washington can sap Tehran’s resolve to retaliate against US forces and allies throughout the Middle East after the 12-day war. Moreover, if Tehran believes its grip on power is in jeopardy, it would likely think twice before plotting to kill the president. America must therefore continue and intensify its moral and material support for the Iranian people, especially women, to complement its existing maximum pressure campaign. Washington should publicly express solidarity with Iranian protesters. It should sanction human rights abusers throughout the regime. It should demand the release of political prisoners from Iran’s jails. It should provide Iranians with access to uncensored internet through satellite-based services such as Starlink, bypassing the regime’s censorship and surveillance. Michael Waltz, Trump’s designee for US ambassador to the United Nations, should persistently denounce the regime’s abuses at the world body. He should identify victims by name and explain their plight. And he should draw attention to Tehran’s draconian hijab laws, meeting publicly with women who defy them.When Iranians launched the Green Movement in 2009 to protest the regime’s fraudulent presidential election, demonstrators called for US solidarity, chanting, “Obama, Obama, either with them [the regime] or with us!” Today, Iranians look to President Trump for support. As Tehran seeks to project strength at home to compensate for its failures to deter its adversaries abroad, Washington should heed their cries.
**Tzvi Kahn is a research fellow and senior editor at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. Follow him on X @TzviKahn. FDD is a Washington, DC-based, nonprofit, and nonpartisan research institute focusing on national security and foreign policy.

What if Israel Was Right and the Arabs Were Wrong?
Hussain Abdul-Hussain/This Is Beirut/September 02/2025
For over five decades, many Arab leaders have blamed Israel’s alleged intransigence, belligerence, and unfulfilled promises for the persistent failure to achieve Arab-Israeli peace. Yet, Lebanon’s handling of the November 2024 Cessation of Hostilities agreement with Israel tells a different story—one where Lebanese leaders, particularly Speaker Nabih Berri and Hezbollah, have reneged on commitments and deflected blame onto Israel for their own failures. This pattern of shifting terms and evading accountability, also evident in historical Palestinian dealings, suggests that Israel’s insistence on clear, sequenced agreements may be justified. The current crisis between Lebanon and Israel began on October 8, 2023, when Hezbollah launched its “War to Support Gaza” against the Jewish state, one day after Hamas’s unprecedented attack—the deadliest in Israel’s history, killing over 1,200 civilians and soldiers and taking hundreds hostage. Hezbollah’s aggression from Lebanon’s southern border opened a second front, stretching Israel’s military resources. Under US pressure to prevent a full-scale war with Hezbollah, whose arsenal rivaled that of a medium-sized European army, Israel proposed an unconditional ceasefire.
Hezbollah’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, perceiving weakness, rejected the offer, demanding that any cessation be tied to ending the Gaza conflict. Israel, unwilling to cede control of its sovereign decisions to a Lebanese militia, refused and launched a devastating campaign that dismantled Hezbollah’s military infrastructure, killed Nasrallah, and eliminated dozens of his top commanders by September 2024.
Nasrallah’s death loosened Hezbollah’s grip on Lebanon, creating a diplomatic opening. Berri, a long-time Hezbollah ally, sought international intervention to halt Israel’s operations, pledging to implement UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which mandates disarming all armed groups, including Hezbollah, and establishing a demilitarized zone south of the Litani River. In November 2024, the US brokered a Cessation of Hostilities agreement with a clear quid pro quo: Lebanon would disarm Hezbollah, and Israel would cease military operations and withdraw from captured border territories used to neutralize the militia’s threat. Berri endorsed the deal, and even Hezbollah ministers in Prime Minister Najib Mikati’s cabinet voted in favor. Yet, as of September 2025, Hezbollah remains armed, in direct violation of UNSCR 1701 and the agreement. Berri and Hezbollah have shifted the terms, falsely accusing Israel of reneging, claiming that it must first stop policing Hezbollah and withdraw from five strategic hilltops. This reversal undermines the deal’s core objective: disarmament in exchange for peace. Lebanon’s new leadership—President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam—has pressed Berri and Hezbollah to honor their commitments. In response, they face accusations of treason and of capitulating to US ‘diktats’—the very conditions Berri and Hezbollah themselves endorsed in November 2024.
The situation was worsened by US Ambassador Tom Barrack, an inexperienced envoy to Turkey, Syria, and self-appointed mediator in Lebanon. Without consulting Israel, Barrack agreed on an outline prioritizing Israel’s cessation of operations early in the process. Lebanon’s cabinet formalized this as a decree, but Israel, unaware of the arrangement, continued targeting Hezbollah’s operatives and arms depots to prevent rearmament.
Barrack’s misstep enabled Berri and Hezbollah to accuse Israel of violating a deal it never agreed to. Barrack even criticized Israel’s “unchecked brutality” and alleged it seeks to divide Arab states, providing Hezbollah with a narrative to shift blame despite Lebanon’s clear failure to disarm the militia.
This pattern of reneging and blame-shifting echoes the Palestine Liberation Organization’s (PLO) tactics during the 1990s Oslo Accords. The two-state solution rested on a simple premise: Arafat would ensure Israel’s security by curbing Palestinian militants, and Israel would cede territory for a Palestinian state. Phased withdrawals were designed to build trust, but each redeployment was met with Hamas’s suicide bombings targeting Israeli buses, cafes, and nightclubs. Israeli leaders, facing domestic backlash for withdrawing amid violence, urged Arafat to act. Instead, he justified the attacks as responses to Israel’s “occupation,” undermining the agreement’s terms and eroding trust. In both Lebanon and Palestine, demagoguery overshadowed leadership. Berri and Arafat prioritized populist rhetoric over delivering on promises, fearing domestic criticism. They deflected failure by blaming Israel, often citing fringe Israeli statements as evidence of “hidden intentions.” Hezbollah’s accusations against Aoun and Salam mirror Arafat’s excuses for Hamas’s violence.
Israel’s insistence on sequenced agreements—disarmament or security before concessions—stems from these experiences. Critics may call this inflexibility, but it reflects pragmatism born of decades of broken promises. Until Arab leaders uphold their commitments rather than manipulate narratives for political gain, peace agreements will yield more war than resolution, and Israel’s skepticism will remain justified.
**Hussain Abdul-Hussain is a research fellow at The Foundation for the Defense of Democracies (FDD).

Muslim Brotherhood: A Global Jihadist Threat to the US, Europe, Middle East
Uzay Bulut/Gatestone Institute/September 03/2025
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/09/146989/
According to the Department of Justice, in the early 1990s, the Muslim Brotherhood, planned to establish a network of organizations in the US to spread a militant Islamist message and raise money for Hamas. The Texas-based Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development (HLF) became the chief fundraising arm for the Palestine Committee in the US, created by the MB to support Hamas. In 2008, HLF leaders were convicted of crimes, including providing material support for Hamas.
"Jihad means the fighting of the unbelievers and involves all possible efforts that are necessary to dismantle the power of the enemies of Islam, including beating them, plundering their wealth, destroying their places of worship, and smashing their idols." — Muslim Brotherhood founder Hasssan al Banna, The Way of Jihad.
Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated groups and networks are also exceedingly active in Europe and are richly funded by EU institutions.
The question is not whether the US government should list the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization. The answer to that is clear: yes, it should. A more pressing question is why these pro-jihad, Islamic supremacist organizations affiliated with the MB have been allowed to operate on the US soil for all those years.
On July 16, US Senator Ted Cruz introduced the Muslim Brotherhood Terrorist Designation Act of 2025, which would implement a new, modernized strategy for designating the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) as a terrorist group. The question is not whether the US should list the MB as a terrorist organization. The answer to that is clear: yes. A more pressing question is why these pro-jihad, Islamic supremacist organizations affiliated with the MB have been allowed to operate on the US soil for all those years.
US Senator Ted Cruz, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health Policy, on July 16 introduced the Muslim Brotherhood Terrorist Designation Act of 2025. This bill implements a new, modernized strategy for designating the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) as a terrorist group.
Cruz said:
"The Muslim Brotherhood is a terrorist organization, and it provides support to Muslim Brotherhood branches that are terrorist organizations. One of those branches is Hamas, which on October 7 committed the worst single-day massacre of Jews since the Holocaust, which included the murder and kidnapping of at least 53 Americans. They are committed to the overthrow and destruction of America and other non-Islamist governments across the world, and pose an acute threat to American national security interests. American allies in the Middle East and Europe have already labeled the Brotherhood a terrorist organization, and the United States should do the same, and do so expeditiously."
The Muslim Brotherhood is a transnational Islamist organization that has networks and affiliates in the United States. While the US government has designated the Muslim Brotherhood's Palestinian branch, Hamas, and some of the MB's other affiliates as terrorist organizations, it has not designated the Muslim Brotherhood itself as a terrorist organization. The MB poses a significant threat not only to stability and security in the Middle East and North Africa but also in the US and Europe.
Muslim Brotherhood founder Hassan al-Banna openly announced that his aim was to bring back the Islamic caliphate. The Muslim Brotherhood's official English-language website quotes Banna:
"Islam does not recognize geographical boundaries, nor does it acknowledge racial and blood differences, considering all Muslims as one Umma [global community of Muslims]. The Muslim Brethren... believe that the caliphate is a symbol of Islamic Union and an indication of the bonds between the nations of Islam. They see the caliphate and its re-establishment as a top priority..."
According to a report by the Counter Extremism Project (CEP):
"Banna was concerned with what he considered the greatest threat to Islam: the rise of secularism and Western culture in Muslim societies. To counter this danger, Banna began dawa (proselytization) in schools, mosques, and coffee houses, spreading his pan-Islamist ideology and emphasizing the need to return to sharia.
"In the 1950s and 1960s, the Brotherhood's most notable theorist, Sayyid Qutb, promoted jihad as an offensive force to be used against secular Arab governments... Indeed, Qutb helped to re-popularize the Islamic concept of takfir, by which Muslims serving a secular ruler are rendered apostates and thus legitimate targets for execution."
Muslim Brotherhood networks raise money in the US to support Hamas's terrorist activities in the Middle East. According to the Department of Justice, in the early 1990s, the Muslim Brotherhood, planned to establish a network of organizations in the US to spread a militant Islamist message and raise money for Hamas. The Texas-based Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development (HLF) became the chief fundraising arm for the Palestine Committee in the US, created by the MB to support Hamas. In 2008, HLF leaders were convicted of crimes, including providing material support for Hamas.
In 2018, the State Department designated two offshoots of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood, the Arms of Egypt Movement (HASM) and the Army of the Revolution, as terrorist organizations, under Executive Order 13224. The State Department noted that these groups were responsible for bombings and the assassinations of senior Egyptian officials.
On July 20, 2025, the Egyptian government announced:
"The Ministry of Interior has successfully thwarted a terror plot planned by the 'Hasm' terrorist organization.
"The national security sector, in coordination with other security bodies, managed to identify the key operatives behind the plot.
"The security bodies had received a tip-off regarding the involvement of leaders of 'Hasm', the armed wing of the Muslim Brotherhood movement., that is currently residing in Turkey, in an attempt to reactivate the group's operations."
Countries including Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates have designated the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization.
The Program on Extremism at George Washington University issued a report in 2023 entitled "The Hamas Networks in America: A Short History," which says in part:
"Hamas supporters have long operated in the United States. Internal Hamas documents and FBI wiretaps introduced as evidence in various federal criminal cases clearly show the existence of a nationwide Hamas network engaged in fundraising, lobbying, education, and propaganda dissemination dating back to the 1980s.
"The network formalized its existence in 1988, when it created the Palestine Committee in the US. The Committee's goals included 'increasing the financial and the moral support for Hamas,' 'fighting surrendering solutions,' and publicizing "the savagery of the Jews.'
'The Palestine Committee spawned several public-facing organizations, most of which are based out of Chicago, Dallas, and Washington DC. They included the all-purpose Islamic Association for Palestine (IAP), the financial arm represented by the Occupied Land Fund (which later became the Holy Land Foundation, HLF), and the think tank United Association for Studies and Research (UASR)...
"Over the years, US authorities have conducted several activities to clamp down on the network, including deporting and prosecuting Hamas operatives and shutting down multiple front organizations. The 2001 designation of HLF and subsequent prosecution of part of its leadership for funneling approximately $12.4 million to Hamas constitutes to date the largest successful terrorism financing prosecution in US history.
"Yet, US-based Hamas networks and individuals have displayed a remarkable resilience and many of the core activists of the Palestine Committee are still engaged in various forms of support (albeit at times purely political and not material) for Hamas."
During a 2018 hearing in the US House of Representatives regarding national security entitled "The Muslim Brotherhood's Global Threat," then US Rep. Ron DeSantis said:
"The Muslim Brotherhood is a militant Islamist organization with affiliates in over 70 countries, including groups designated as terrorist organizations by the U.S. Whether the Muslim Brotherhood writ large should be designated as a foreign terrorist organization has been the topic of debate here in Congress in recent years and has been under consideration by the Trump administration.
"Thankfully, the Trump administration has discarded the Obama era policy of treating the Brotherhood as a potential ally. Now the questions are focused on how expansive to make the terror designation and whether it should be done through the State Department or Treasury Department.
"The Muslim Brotherhood has been militant from its very beginning. Its founder, Hassan al-Banna, who started the group in 1928, said that, quote: 'Jihad is an obligation from Allah and every Muslim and cannot be ignored nor evaded.'
"And in a book titled 'The Way of Jihad' he wrote: 'Jihad means the fighting of the unbelievers and involves all possible efforts that are necessary to dismantle the power of the enemies of Islam, including beating them, plundering their wealth, destroying their places of worship, and smashing their idols,' end quote....
"This jihadist ideology continues to fuel the Muslim Brotherhood today. The Brotherhood mourned the death of Osama bin Laden and its leaders developed teachings justifying revolutionary violence under sharia law. The Brotherhood has preached hatred towards Jews, denied the Holocaust, and called for Israel's destruction....
"Yusuf al-Qaradawi, perhaps the Brotherhood's preeminent cleric, issued a fatwa legitimizing terrorist attacks against American troops in Iraq. And he's also deemed the Holocaust to be a, quote, 'punishment for Jews,' and expressed hope that another Holocaust would someday be carried out by his fellow Islamists.
"The Muslim Brotherhood's Supreme Guide, Mohammed Badie, has said that the organization's goal is to establish a new Islamist caliphate, including the imposition of sharia law, which is the totalitarian Islamic legal code. We saw what happens when the Brotherhood takes control of a country in Egypt from 2012 to 2013, and the results were chilling, that then-President Mohamed Morsi defied the rule of law and granted himself near absolute power. As Egyptian leader Mohamed El Baradi put it, Morsi usurped all state powers and appointed himself Egypt's new pharaoh.
"The Brotherhood's legislators enshrined the principles of sharia as the main source of law in Egypt's Constitution, while the Morsi government used state institutions to promote Islamic radicalism, roll back freedom of the press, and launched a wave of blasphemy prosecutions.
"... [T]he Brotherhood and its affiliates continue to advance their agenda across the Middle East and throughout the world.
"There's no question that the Muslim Brotherhood affiliates are involved in terrorism. Former FBI Director Robert Mueller confirmed as much in testimony before Congress when he said that elements of the Brotherhood, both here and overseas, have supported terrorism.
"A number of these Brotherhood affiliates have been designated as terrorist organizations by the United States Government. The Muslim Brotherhood's Palestinian branch Hamas has been a designated foreign terrorist organization since 1997. Hamas has taken control of the Gaza Strip, launched thousands of rockets against Israeli civilians, and committed suicide bombings and other terrorist attacks that have murdered numerous Israeli and American civilians....
"Between the radicalism of its hateful ideology, the danger of its theocratic rule, as seen in Egypt, its networks, including Hamas and HASM, and its powerful state sponsors, it is clear that the Brotherhood constitutes a real threat for the national security interests of the United States. We can debate the best way to counter this threat, but simply ignoring the threat is not an acceptable answer."
Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated groups and networks are also exceedingly active in Europe and are richly funded by EU institutions. In 2021, the European Conservatives and Reformists Group in the European Parliament issued a comprehensive report, "Network of Networks: The Muslim Brotherhood in Europe," documenting the funds that the EU institutions have been granting to the Islamist groups. The report notes:
"The MB in Europe is not a single, centralized organization, but rather a starfish of different branches formally independent from one another, but linked by ideological patterns, common umbrella organisations and individual ties.
"Security agencies and parliamentary inquiries from multiple EU Member States have made a similar assessment of the damage MB-related organizations have been causing to security and social cohesion. Yet, this has not prevented state institutions from interfacing with the MB as privileged interlocutors and representatives of the local Muslim communities – a trend that ought to stop.
"The European Commission has fallen into the same trap, disbursing large amounts of money to finance MB organizations or empowering them and their members in different ways.
"Muslim Brotherhood-related groups in Europe possess access to significant financial resources. That is not surprising if we consider that, in 2012, Youssef Nada talked of the Ikhwan [Muslim Brotherhood] having over 100 million members worldwide. In 1996, the Federation of Islamic Organizations in Europe (FIOE) established the Europe Trust, to generate funds for its activities. The Europe Trust has since established an impressive property portfolio."
According to the report, the main Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated organizations in Europe include the Council of European Muslims (formerly Federation of Islamic Organizations in Europe), the European Council for Fatwa and Research, the European Institute for Human Sciences, the Forum of European Muslim Youth and Student Organizations and the European Forum of Muslim Women.
Other MB-related organizations that receive EU funding include Islamic Relief, the Islamic University of Gaza, the Lokahi Foundation, and the Muslim Association of Ireland Friendly Society (MAI).
The report also notes:
"No one sums up the Muslim Brotherhood's eerie vision for Europe better than the figurehead of non-violent Islamism, Yusuf al-Qaradawi. As he stated on Qatar TV in July 2007: 'The peaceful conquest has foundations in this religion, and therefore, I expect that Islam will conquer Europe without resorting to the sword or fighting. It will do so by means of da'wa and ideology.'"
Meanwhile, in the Middle East, the Muslim Brotherhood is making a comeback – with the help of Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, one of the movement's hardcore supporters, following the takeover of Syria by the al Qaeda-affiliated Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) in December 2024.
Turkish columnist Musa Ozugurlu notes in his article, "The Return of the Brotherhood: Erdoğan Revives the Muslim Brotherhood in West Asia":
"With the fall of Damascus, Erdoğan has a new opportunity to reassert the Muslim Brotherhood's influence across the Arab world, from Syria and Lebanon to Jordan and Yemen.
"Erdoğan envisioned reviving his neo-Ottoman ambitions through an ideological rapprochement with the Muslim Brotherhood during the Arab Spring. However, these plans were shelved as Brotherhood-affiliated movements faltered, particularly after the 2013 coup in Egypt.
"With the fall of Damascus and the shift in regional dynamics after 14 years, Erdoğan seized an opportunity to revive the Muslim Brotherhood's influence.
"This influence now extends far beyond Syria and Egypt, with Brotherhood-linked movements resurging in regions such as Lebanon, Jordan, and Yemen...
"As friction between Ankara and Arab capitals cools, Erdoğan is playing a long-term game. The Muslim Brotherhood remains his ideological twin and political instrument in both Türkiye and the Muslim world.
"While Erdoğan has softened his tone in public, he appears to continue to reassure the Muslim Brotherhood behind the scenes... The Muslim Brotherhood has found its most secure base not in Doha or Cairo, but in Erdoğan's Turkey.
"Whether it's negotiating maritime borders with Egypt in the Mediterranean, competing with Saudi Arabia for influence in West Asia, or reaching out to the broader Islamic world, Erdoğan will continue to seek partners to strengthen his position, and no other political movement is as close to the Muslim Brotherhood, ideologically or politically."
The motto of the Muslim Brotherhood is:
"Allah is our objective, the Prophet is our leader, the Koran is our constitution, jihad is our way, dying in the way of Allah is our highest hope."
The ultimate goal of the Muslim Brotherhood is to build a global Islamic caliphate based on Sharia law, meaning a complete end to the freedoms, sovereignty and democracy in the West and other parts of the world. The MB's ideology is Islamic supremacist, violent and totalitarian, undermining the security and liberties of various nations across the world.
The question is not whether the US government should list the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization. The answer to that is clear: yes, it should. A more pressing question is why these pro-jihad, Islamic supremacist organizations affiliated with the MB have been allowed to operate on the US soil for all those years.
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/21866/muslim-brotherhood-global-threat
*Uzay Bulut, a Turkish journalist, is a Distinguished Senior Fellow at Gatestone Institute.
© 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.

Slected X tweets For September 03/2025
Roberta Metsola
The future of Syria must be one of peace, safety & inclusivity for all its people.
With the Spiritual Leader of the Druze Community Sheikh Mowafaq Tarif, I listened to first-hand accounts of what the Druze community in Sweida are facing.
I underlined the importance of swift humanitarian aid access, return of displaced & protection of all Syrians regardless of ethnicity or religion, and reaffirmed
@Europarl_EN’s full commitment to supporting a just & inclusive future for Syria.

Hussain Abdul-Hussain
Turkey-based, Muslim Brotherhood organization called the League of Islamic Scholars, bashes normalization with the Zionists, says the only way forward is to revive the Islamic Umma (with Erdogan as its caliph, I assume), and beat the Zionists.
Our NATO ally...