English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For  September 10/2025
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news

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Bible Quotations For today
His master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly; for the children of this age are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than are the children of light.”
Luke 16/01-08: “The Lord Jesus said to the disciples: ‘There was a rich man who had a manager, and charges were brought to him that this man was squandering his property. So he summoned him and said to him, “What is this that I hear about you? Give me an account of your management, because you cannot be my manager any longer.” Then the manager said to himself, “What will I do, now that my master is taking the position away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg. I have decided what to do so that, when I am dismissed as manager, people may welcome me into their homes.”So, summoning his master’s debtors one by one, he asked the first, “How much do you owe my master?” He answered, “A hundred jugs of olive oil.” He said to him, “Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it fifty.”Then he asked another, “And how much do you owe?” He replied, “A hundred containers of wheat.” He said to him, “Take your bill and make it eighty.”And his master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly; for the children of this age are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than are the children of light.”

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on September 09-10/2025
Get it through your heads: Hezbollah is an Iranian, jihadi, terrorist organization/Elias Bejjani/September 08/2025
The Cabinet’s Failure to Adopt a Timeline for Disarming Hezbollah…A Big Difference Between “Welcomed” and “Approved”/Elias Bejjani/September 05/2025
Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
The Land: Identity and Existence/Edmond Chidiac.September 09/2025
Israeli Strike Near Beirut Targets Hezbollah Member
Lebanon to disarm Hezbollah near Israel border within 3 months: minister
Salam from Ain el-Tineh: No backing down from government decisions
Salam meets Berri in 'reconciliation' visit
Israeli strike between Jiye and Barja wounds Hezbollah member
Aoun says Israeli attack in Doha shows insistence on destroying all stability efforts
Rajji says army to disarm Hezbollah south of Litani within 3 months
Lebanon moves forward with long-delayed highway expansion, set to ease traffic after years — the details
Hezbollah condemns Israeli strike on Hamas delegation in Doha
Speaker Berri condemns Israeli strike on Qatar, urges Arab unity
When Immorality Becomes a Profession
Lebanon Reviews Progress of Education Reform
Lebanon Moves Toward Gradual Disarmament of Hezbollah
Cabinet to Reconvene Thursday in Baabda
Where Is Hezbollah’s Arsenal Still Hidden?/Mario Chartouni/September 09/2025
Will Lebanon Disarm Hezbollah, or Not?/Hussain Abdul-Hussain/This Is Beirut/September 9, 2025
Israeli operations in Lebanon against Hezbollah: August 25–31, 2025/David Daoud/FDD's Long War Journal/September 09/2025

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on September 09-10/2025
Netanyahu says ordered strike on Hamas in Doha after Jerusalem shootingEmergency Security Council meeting to discuss Israeli raids on Doha
Israel attempted to assassinate Hamas political leaders in an airstrike on Qatar on Tuesday
Israel strikes Hamas officials in Qatar
Hamas issues statement condemning Israeli strike on delegation in Qatar
Hamas Sees Gaza Truce Ideas as ‘Traps’ but Group is ‘Open’ to Talks
White House: Israeli strike in Qatar ‘does not advance US or Israeli goals’
Who was targeted in Israeli strikes on Qatar’s Doha?
Who is Khalil Al-Hayya, top Hamas figure targeted by Israel?
Palestinian commission condemns Israel’s renaming of Al-Buraq Wall in Jerusalem
Israeli military evacuation order triggers panic in Gaza City
Crown prince leads Saudi, Arab condemnation of Israel’s ‘criminal’ Doha attack
UK PM meets Palestinian leader ahead of statehood recognition
Streeting demands answers from Herzog as British Green Party leader calls for Israeli president’s arrest during UK visit
Jordanian Army chief, Islamic Coalition general discuss counterterrorism strategy
Iran, UN nuclear watchdog agree new cooperation framework
Iran and the IAEA are expected to resume cooperation under agreement backed by Egypt
Rights advocates demand UN press China on abuses in Xinjiang
Russian attack kills 24 in Ukraine during pension distribution
Israeli Strike Hits Near Syrian City of Homs
Russia Sends High-Level Team to Syria to Discuss Aid, Energy
Princeton researcher Tsurkov released from militia captivity in Iraq, Trump says
Macron names defense minister Sebastien Lecornu new PM: Presidency
Iran, IAEA Agree on New Terms for Cooperation
Grossi: Agreement on Resuming Inspections in Iran a "Step in the Right Direction"

Titles For The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources on September 09-10/2025
Pakistan: The Latest Victim of Communist China's BRI Debt Trap?/Lawrence A. Franklin/Gatestone Institute/September 09/2025
Turkey is escalating tensions in the Mediterranean (again)/Sinan Ciddi/Kathimerini/September 09/2025
Why Israel’s strikes inside Syria are fueling fears of unrest and partition/ANAN TELLO/Arab News/September 09, 2025
How America could lead the next era of digital innovation/Gene Burrus/Arab News/September 09, 2025
Washington: Adding Enemies Is a Costly and Dangerous Policy/Eyad Abu Shakra/Asharq Al Awsat/September 09/2025
Will Trump’s Imperial Presidency Last?/Ross Douthat/Op-Ed columnist for The New York Times/September 09/2025
Slected X tweets For September 09/2025

The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on September 09-10/2025
Get it through your heads: Hezbollah is an Iranian, jihadi, terrorist organization.
Elias Bejjani/September 08/2025
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/09/147090/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=725r-EUa6Gg
The majority of the Lebanese politicians and officials are like whitewashed tombs: outwardly they appear splendid, but within they are filled with dead men’s bones and every impurity.
The only difference among the owners of our local and proxy political parties, without a single exception, is in their outward appearance. Yet inwardly they are all the same: stench, hypocrisy, treachery, deceit, corruption, and crime.
Any politician, media figure, activist, citizen, or cleric who dares to claim that Hezbollah is Lebanese, that it represents the Shiites in parliament, that it liberated the South, that it won the 2006 war against Israel, that its fighters killed in military or terrorist operations—whether in Lebanon or abroad—are martyrs, that it protects Lebanon alongside a segment of Lebanese society, or that it is a resistance or defiance movement, is nothing but a hypocrite, a Judas, a traitor, an agent, a lackey, and a Trojan horse. Such people are useless, must be exposed, and should be cast out.
No one should forget that Hezbollah’s Persian war in support of Hamas in 2023 was waged solely by the will and decision of Iran. It was a war Hezbollah lost and was defeated in, exposing all its lies. Therefore, its leaders must be arrested and prosecuted, its assets confiscated, and it must be officially declared and treated as a terrorist organization.
All these claims—this deceit, hypocrisy, and bootlicking—are illusions, hallucinations, and self-deception.
On the operating table of truth, the reality of this gang is clear:
Hezbollah is an Iranian jihadi party, an enemy of Lebanon and the Lebanese people. There is nothing Lebanese about it. These are not allegations but confirmed facts, proudly declared by the party’s leaders, intellectuals, and media outlets.
Hezbollah does not represent Lebanon’s Shiite community—neither closely nor remotely. Rather, it holds the Shiites hostage, subjugates them by force and terror, and sends their youth to die in the futile wars of the Persian mullahs—in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Gaza, and elsewhere around the world. It forcibly imposed its 27 representatives on the Shiite community through intimidation, violence, and assassinations, preventing any Shiite from running against its terrorist and puppet candidates.
Hezbollah’s dead, whether in the South or in the battlefields of the mullahs’ foreign wars, are victims. Legally, the party’s leaders who recruited and dispatched them—without any Lebanese or international legal legitimacy—must be prosecuted.
Hezbollah did not liberate the South in 2000. It did not win the 2006 war. Its 2023 war was not a Lebanese war. Instead, Hezbollah occupies the South and, since the withdrawal of Israeli and Syrian forces, it occupies all of Lebanon. The 2006 and 2023 wars were both catastrophes for Lebanon and its people.
Israel did not attack Lebanon; Hezbollah dragged Lebanon into those wars.
Therefore, anyone who markets—directly or indirectly—the heresy of “paying a price” to Hezbollah by altering Lebanon’s political system, legalizing its Iranian weapons, integrating its militias into the Lebanese Army, or speaking of a so-called defensive or national strategy, must be arrested and prosecuted. What is required—according to every standard of sovereignty and independence—is to arrest and prosecute Hezbollah’s leaders, and to implement all international resolutions and the Taif Agreement, which demand the disarmament of all Lebanese and non-Lebanese militias, and the imposition of state authority across all Lebanese territory through legitimate state institutions.
Lebanon’s problem is not with its system, but with a Persian occupation and a corrupt crew of politicians, clerics, party owners, and treacherous rulers.

The Cabinet’s Failure to Adopt a Timeline for Disarming Hezbollah…A Big Difference Between “Welcomed” and “Approved”
Elias Bejjani/September 05/2025
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/09/147031/
Clearly, the Lebanese Cabinet has failed in dealing with the Lebanese Army’s plan, which—constitutionally, and in accordance with international resolutions and the ceasefire agreement—was supposed to set a timeline for the withdrawal, dismantling, or surrender of Hezbollah’s weapons and all other illegal arms to the state before the end of the current year.
In a deceitful linguistic maneuver, the government used the term “welcomed” the army’s plan, instead of saying “approved” it, while the plan itself was kept secret, with no dates set for implementation. All that was agreed upon was that the army would present a monthly report to the Cabinet about its progress on the plan’s provisions. This is very similar to the way  to the chronic Lebanese judicial and parliament's heresy in referring certain case to committees for endless study.
Simply put, what happened today is nothing but a scandal, a dilution, a cover-up, and outright submission to the thuggery of Nabih Berri and the bullying of Hezbollah, leaving the militia-state in control of the state. The most absurd part of the Cabinet’s decisions was linking the implementation of the Barrak-Lebanese plan to the approval of both Israel and Syria.
The fact remains: if the government, backed by the president, is truly serious about reclaiming the state from the militia-mini state and liberating the Shiite community from its Iranian captor and its local Trojan agents, then the immediate requirement is the dismissal of Iran’s five Shiite ministers from the government and the appointment of free Lebanese Shiite ministers instead.
As for the so-called “king” Shiite minister, Fadi Maki, he must be dismissed immediately, as he is a coward, submissive, and spineless. He failed to take a courageous national stance to liberate his community from Iranian domination, hiding behind excuses that only confirm his cowardice and fear.
In conclusion, Lebanon must put an end to Nabih Berri’s theatrics and Hezbollah’s immorality and arrogance. The five pro-Iranian Shiite ministers must be immediately dismissed and replaced with free, truly Lebanese Shiite ministers—of whom the community has no shortage.

Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Saint Of The Day site
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/09/122075/
The Church has celebrated Mary’s birth since at least the sixth century. A September birth was chosen because the Eastern Church begins its Church year with September. The September 8 date helped determine the date for the feast of the Immaculate Conception on December 8. Scripture does not give an account of Mary’s birth. However, the apocryphal Protoevangelium of James fills in the gap. This work has no historical value, but it does reflect the development of Christian piety. According to this account, Anna and Joachim are infertile but pray for a child. They receive the promise of a child who will advance God’s plan of salvation for the world. Such a story, like many biblical counterparts, stresses the special presence of God in Mary’s life from the beginning.
Saint Augustine connects Mary’s birth with Jesus’ saving work. He tells the earth to rejoice and shine forth in the light of her birth. “She is the flower of the field from whom bloomed the precious lily of the valley. Through her birth the nature inherited from our first parents is changed.” The opening prayer at Mass speaks of the birth of Mary’s Son as the dawn of our salvation, and asks for an increase of peace.

The Land: Identity and Existence
Edmond Chidiac.September 09/2025
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/09/147107/
(Free Translation from Arabic by: elias bejjani)
When the very foundation of Christian identity in Lebanon is threatened, the land becomes more than just words or slogans. It becomes the lifeline that binds us to our existence and our history. Every inch conceded is a step toward losing our homeland and reducing it to a sorrowful memory. Will we accept waking up one day to find nothing left on this land but the graves of our ancestors? Silence has become betrayal, and our duty is to act.
A Call to Action
O sons and daughters of this Christian land, the land isn't a commodity for sale—it's our identity, our existence, and our future. To sell it today is to sell the homeland and betray the blood of our martyrs. We will no longer allow a single inch of this sacred soil, built by our ancestors' sweat and dreams, to be sold off. Time is running out, and the threat is real. Yet from this darkness, a ray of hope emerges through our collective action and unyielding determination. Let it be declared: there's no room for hesitation, no time for delay!
Urgent Solutions to Save the Land
*We must pursue several urgent solutions to combat this threat.
*Enact strict laws prohibiting random land sales and imposing severe penalties on violators.
*Grant municipalities the authority to issue "clearance certificates" to ensure land remains in the hands of its rightful heirs.
*Establish support funds to assist landowners facing financial pressures, protecting them from forced sales.
*Reinforce the Maronite Church’s role as the faithful guardian of endowments and sacred lands to resist plunder and illegal construction.
*Pursue brokers and lawyers who exploit legal loopholes for shady deals.
Your Responsibility: Popular and Political Action Together
These steps will remain incomplete without your serious engagement. Your role as citizens is the first line of defense. Be a resounding voice in your towns and report any suspicious sales. Don't stop there—it's also your duty to pressure your representatives in Parliament and your political parties. Demand that they place this issue at the top of their priorities and end their dangerous negligence toward Lebanon's future and our identity.
The threat doesn't target one group alone—it endangers our very being and our shared future. Yet in the midst of this struggle, there are those who resist. We salute with reverence and gratitude Mr. Talal El-Doueihy and the Earth Movement, who are fighting with sincerity for every inch of our ancestral and sacred land. Their work is living proof that hope still exists and that there are still guardians of the covenant. Let us all be their partners in this struggle and stand united with them.
The land isn't just soil—it's the pulse of our life and the spirit of our homeland. It's the covenant we carry on our shoulders and the legacy we entrust to our children.
We have no choice but to stand firm, resist, and act. Let us rise together, as one body, to protect our land before it is lost and preserve the Lebanon we love.

Israeli Strike Near Beirut Targets Hezbollah Member
Asharq Al Awsat/September 09/2025
A security source told AFP that an Israeli strike Tuesday south of Beirut targeted and wounded a Hezbollah member, after Lebanese state media reported a raid on a vehicle. Israel has continued to carry out regular air strikes in Lebanon despite a November truce that sought to end more than a year of hostilities including two months of open war with the Iran-backed Hezbollah group. "An enemy drone targeted a little while ago a car... between the towns of Jiyeh and Barja," the National News Agency reported, referring to an area some 30 kilometers (18 miles) south of the capital. The security source, requesting anonymity as they were not authorized to speak to the media, said the strike targeted "a Hezbollah member, who was wounded but not killed". An AFP photographer saw a burnt-out car near a mosque, while soldiers deployed to the scene. The strike comes a day after the Israeli military said it had hit several Hezbollah targets in the eastern Bekaa Valley, including what it described as training compounds used by the group's elite Radwan force. Lebanon's health ministry said those strikes killed five people. In August, the Lebanese government ordered the military to draw up plans to disarm the once-dominant Hezbollah by the end of the year, under heavy US pressure and fears of expanded Israeli strikes. Under the November truce, Hezbollah was to withdraw its fighters north of the Litani River, around 30 kilometers (20 miles) from the Israeli border. Israel was to withdraw its troops from Lebanon but has kept them in five areas it deems strategic.

Lebanon to disarm Hezbollah near Israel border within 3 months: minister
AFP/September 09, 2025
BEIRUT: Lebanon’s army is set to fully disarm Hezbollah near the border with Israel within three months, Foreign Minister Youssef Raggi told AFP on Tuesday. In August, the Lebanese government ordered the military to draw up plans to disarm the once-dominant militant group by the end of the year, having come under pressure from the United States and Israeli strikes. The cabinet said last week that the army would begin implementing the plan, without disclosing details. Raggi said army chief Rodolphe Haykal had presented the government with a five-stage plan last week to ensure all weapons are held by the Lebanese state. The first stage should take “three months... during which the removal of weapons will be completed south of the Litani River,” around 30 kilometers (20 miles) from Israel, by the end of November.“There will be no warehouses, no weapons, no weapons transfers, no fighters, and no display of arms” in the area, Raggi said, describing the army’s plan. In parallel with the first phase, the army’s plan stipulates that “security measures” will be implemented across the country. The army will “tighten and increase the number of checkpoints, prevent the movement and carrying of weapons... but without conducting raids, arresting individuals, or confiscating weapons from warehouses,” Raggi added. “At the very least, the movement of weapons from one area to another will be prohibited.”Raggi said the next four phases of the plan will see disarmament in other regions, including Beirut and the eastern Bekaa, “but without timelines.”Hezbollah has been severely weakened by a year-long conflict with Israel, including two months of open war, that destroyed part of its arsenal and decimated its leadership. Beirut has characterised the disarmament push, which Hezbollah opposes, as part of the implementation of the ceasefire deal that ended the war in November last year.The agreement also called for the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Lebanon and an end to strikes on the country, but Israel has repeatedly bombed its neighbor since then and kept soldiers deployed in five border points it deemed strategic.
Report: Ortagus to visit Israel to press for Lebanon pullout
Naharnet/September 09/2025
The Lebanese Army’s plan “involves its deployment in several towns and points in the South which it had not previously entered, in return for the Israelis’ pullback from these points to the border,” diplomatic sources told Al-Jadeed TV. Al-Binaa newspaper meanwhile quoted informed sources as saying that “the Americans this month will take practical measures that contribute to lowering tension on the southern border through pressing Israel to withdraw from the occupied points and decrease the number of airstrikes on Lebanon.”
The U.S. will also re-activate the ceasefire monitoring committee according to the November 27 agreement in addition to changing its presiding officer and boosting the Lebanese Army’s capabilities, the sources added. “The Americans have looked into the army’s plan and voiced their opinion on it and they will present it to the Israeli side, which in turn will present its vision for the implementation of the ceasefire agreement and the full disarmament of Hezbollah in the South Litani region and from the area north of the Litani, especially from the Bekaa to the Syrian-Lebanese border,” the sources said.
Al-Binaa added that U.S. envoy Morgan Ortagus will likely visit Israel in a bid to clench the Israeli government’s agreement to the U.S. paper and to a gradual withdrawal from the South.

Salam from Ain el-Tineh: No backing down from government decisions
Naharnet/September 09/2025
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam noted Tuesday that “Hezbollah granted the government its confidence twice based on its ministerial statement which we are implementing.”
Noting that his relation with Speaker Nabih Berri “has never been severed,” Salam stressed from Ain el-Tineh that “there will be no backing down from the government’s decisions” on weapons monopolization. Responding to a reporter’s question, the premier said “there is nothing called defense strategy, but rather a national security strategy,” adding that “the government is committed to preparing it within its institutions.”He added that the army needs bigger support from the United States in terms of equipment, personnel and funding in order to extend its authority across Lebanon. “The government agreed to the objectives of (U.S. envoy Tom) Barrack’s paper, which in addition to what was mentioned in the ceasefire agreement includes extra clauses such as support for the army and reconstruction,” Salam went on to say.

Salam meets Berri in 'reconciliation' visit
Naharnet/September 09/2025
Berri had met Monday in Baabda with President Joseph Aoun and was later visited by Army Commander General Rodolphe Haykal in Ain el-Tineh. The meetings follow the government’s approval of the Lebanese Army’s plan for monopolizing arms in the country. Media reports said the statement that was issued by the government was the result of an agreement between Aoun and Berri. “With the blessings of the Virgin Mary, everything is good,” Berri told reporters Monday as he left the Baabda Palace. Al-Jadeed TV reported Monday that the Speaker’s meetings are aimed at “reopening the channels of communication with the president and the premier, especially that Berri is very relieved by the decisions of Friday’s session.”In remarks to An-Nahar newspaper, Berri had said that he was “relieved by the outcome of the government’s statement” on the army’s plan, noting that “the country was spared a major sedition.”“Our domestic unity remains the basis,” Berri added.

Israeli strike between Jiye and Barja wounds Hezbollah member
Agence France Presse/September 09/2025
A security source told AFP that an Israeli strike Tuesday between the Iqlim al-Kharroub towns of Jiye and Barja targeted and wounded a Hezbollah member, after Lebanese state media reported a raid on a vehicle. Israel has continued to carry out regular air strikes in Lebanon despite a November truce that sought to end more than a year of hostilities including two months of open war with the Iran-backed Hezbollah group. "An enemy drone targeted a little while ago a car... between the towns of Jiyeh and Barja," the National News Agency reported, referring to an area some 30 kilometers south of Beirut. The security source, requesting anonymity as they were not authorized to speak to the media, said the strike targeted "a Hezbollah member, who was wounded but not killed."An AFP photographer saw a burnt-out car near a mosque, while soldiers deployed to the scene. The strike comes a day after the Israeli military said it had hit several Hezbollah targets in the eastern Bekaa Valley, including what it described as training compounds used by the group's elite Radwan force. Lebanon's health ministry said those strikes killed five people.In August, the Lebanese government ordered the military to draw up plans to disarm the once-dominant Hezbollah by the end of the year, under heavy U.S. pressure and fears of expanded Israeli strikes. Under the November truce, Hezbollah was to withdraw its fighters north of the Litani River, around 30 kilometers (20 miles) from the Israeli border.
Israel was to withdraw its troops from Lebanon but has kept them in five areas it deems strategic.

Aoun says Israeli attack in Doha shows insistence on destroying all stability efforts
Naharnet/September 09/2025
President Joseph Aoun condemned Tuesday the Israeli attack that targeted the residences of several members of Hamas’ political bureau, noting that they were “involved in negotiations to end the Israeli aggression against the Gaza Strip and put an end to the massacres committed by Israel against the Palestinian people.”"This brutal attack, which violated the sovereignty of a sisterly Arab nation, is part of a series of attacks perpetrated by Israel demonstrating its determination to undermine all efforts to achieve stability and security in the region and to ensure the safety of its peoples. It also underscores once again its disregard for the lives of innocent civilians, whether in Qatar or throughout the region," Aoun said in a statement. Aoun also affirmed Lebanon's solidarity with Qatar’s emir, government and people, calling on the international community to “put an end to these Israeli practices, which continue to violate all international laws and agreements and obstruct all commendable efforts made by Qatar to achieve peace in the region and put an end to the suffering of the Palestinian people.”

Rajji says army to disarm Hezbollah south of Litani within 3 months
Agence France Presse/September 09/2025
Lebanon's army is set to fully disarm Hezbollah near the border with Israel within three months, Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji told AFP on Tuesday. In August, the Lebanese government ordered the military to draw up plans to disarm the once-dominant militant group by the end of the year, having come under pressure from the United States and Israeli strikes. The cabinet said last week that the army would begin implementing the plan, without disclosing details. Rajji said Army chief General Rodolphe Haykal had presented the government with a five-stage plan last week to ensure all weapons are held by the Lebanese state. The first stage should take "three months... during which the removal of weapons will be completed south of the Litani River," around 30 kilometers from Israel's border, by the end of November. "There will be no warehouses, no weapons, no weapons transfers, no fighters, and no display of arms" in the area, Rajji said, describing the army's plan.In parallel with the first phase, the army's plan stipulates that "security measures" will be implemented across the country. The army will "tighten and increase the number of checkpoints, prevent the movement and carrying of weapons... but without conducting raids, arresting individuals, or confiscating weapons from warehouses," Rajji added. "At the very least, the movement of weapons from one area to another will be prohibited."Rajji said the next four phases of the plan will see disarmament in other regions, including Beirut and the eastern Bekaa, "but without timelines."Hezbollah has been severely weakened by a year-long conflict with Israel, including two months of open war, that destroyed part of its arsenal and decimated its leadership. Lebanon has characterized the disarmament push, which Hezbollah opposes, as part of the implementation of the ceasefire deal that ended the war in November last year. The agreement also called for the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Lebanon and an end to strikes on the country, but Israel has repeatedly bombed Lebanon since then and kept soldiers deployed in five border points it deemed strategic.

Lebanon moves forward with long-delayed highway expansion, set to ease traffic after years — the details
LBCI/September 09/2025
Lebanon’s Minister of Public Works and Transport, Fayez Rasamny, has advanced the project to expand the Nahr al-Kalb–Tabarja highway, which had been halted in 2019 due to the financial collapse. The 11-kilometer highway will be widened from its current two lanes for cars to three lanes, with an additional fourth service lane. Commercial shops will be separated from the three main lanes to prevent traffic congestion. The project had previously been delayed by encroachments along the eastern and western lanes, which were protected by political support. The committee formed by the minister includes the mayors of Zouk Mikael, Zouk Mosbeh, Jounieh, and Ghazir, along with representatives from the Council for Development and Reconstruction and the Ministry of Public Works. Its work will focus on preparing a detailed report within two weeks on expropriations not yet executed and on violations that need to be removed for the highway expansion—around 35 property violations, with 30 in Jounieh and five in Zouk Mikael. According to LBCI sources, expropriation payments will be made at pre-crisis estimated values, totaling LBP 50 billion. Property owners are expected to reject this, given potential losses from the increased dollar exchange rate. Sources following the case say the Ministry of Public Works will leave the matter to the judiciary to resolve. The project’s cost is estimated between $60 million and $65 million, to be paid gradually over three and a half years, with the ministry allocating around $20 million annually from its budget. In a few weeks, the fate of the project will become clear: whether it will finally move forward after years of delay or face new obstacles due to political interference and influence.

Hezbollah condemns Israeli strike on Hamas delegation in Doha
LBCI/September 09/2025
Hezbollah on Tuesday strongly condemned what it described as a “treacherous Israeli attack” that targeted a senior Hamas negotiating delegation during a meeting in Doha, accusing Israel of violating Qatari sovereignty and international law.In a statement, the group said the strike “proves once again the malice and depravity of the Zionist entity,” which it accused of disregarding international conventions and acting with “unlimited U.S. support.” Hezbollah argued that the attack, which hit while Hamas leaders were discussing a U.S. ceasefire proposal, shows Israel “has no interest in negotiations or solutions,” but is instead pursuing “bloody projects of killing, destruction, and displacement.”The group called on Arab and Islamic countries, as well as the international community, to move beyond “mere words of condemnation” and take immediate measures, including severing ties with Israel and pressuring Washington to end its support for the Israeli government. Hezbollah warned that Israel’s actions amount to a clear signal of further massacres and mass displacement across Gaza, the West Bank, and potentially other countries in the region. “This aggression will only increase the Palestinian people’s determination to resist, defend their land, and achieve victory, no matter the sacrifices,” the statement concluded.

Speaker Berri condemns Israeli strike on Qatar, urges Arab unity
LBCI/September 09/2025
Lebanon’s Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri on Tuesday strongly condemned the Israeli attack on Qatar, calling it a blatant violation of the Gulf nation’s sovereignty and a threat to the security of the entire Arab region. “The Israeli aggression against the State of Qatar is condemned by all standards. It is a flagrant violation not only of Qatar’s sovereignty, but also of the sovereignty and security of the Arab region from the ocean to the Gulf,” Berri said in a statement.He expressed full solidarity with Qatar’s leadership and people, stressing that the attack underscored the urgent need for a united Arab response. “We renew our urgent call for a serious Arab stand at the level of leaders, peoples, governments, and parliaments to recognize the dangers of Israeli aggression and to take practical steps to curb its expansion and cross-border terrorism,” Berri said. He added that Israel’s actions threaten not only Palestinians but also regional stability, international law, and the dignity of nations. Berri concluded his statement by offering condolences to the families of the victims, prayers for the wounded, and “mercy for the martyrs of the aggression.”

When Immorality Becomes a Profession
This is Beirut/September 09/2025
There is no precise or scientific description of the moral collapse Lebanon has been experiencing for years. Yet in recent weeks, this decline has taken on unprecedented forms, with public discourse sinking to new lows.
The Lebanese Shias are enduring hardships at every level. What is even more troubling is that some deliberately seek to aggravate this suffering by stirring public resentment against them and making them feel inferior. This very dynamic once drove them to hold firmly to their weapons, often declaring that others wanted them to remain nothing more than “dockside porters.”In this context, and despite the rhetoric of openness from political opponents who speak of embracing Shias, affirming their worth beyond the present reality, and stressing that the state rather than weapons is the true guarantee for all, reckless voices have emerged. They have resorted to crude, vulgar and degrading language, such as the shameful claim that Shias wish to die “with their stench rising,” to quote directly. Such language has no precedent in Lebanon’s political or social life. It is profoundly disheartening to see political discourse descend to such a level of moral and intellectual decay. On the other hand, the situation has been far from smooth. For years we have grown accustomed to the vile mockery on social media targeting journalist and former minister May Chidiac over the injuries she sustained in the 2005 bombing of her vehicle. Yet when a reporter from al-Manar mocked her by calling her “plastic,” the matter crossed into a far more dangerous and grotesque realm of moral collapse. Calling her “plastic” is not merely an insult; it is a cruel attempt to demean a noble testimony – one that Chidiac embodied simply because she dared to speak her mind honestly. In both cases, and beyond the words themselves, the issue points to a deeply troubling reality: the total and sweeping erosion of morality in Lebanese political life. Never before have we witnessed such degeneration. What is most alarming is that the mindset of intolerant minorities is now regrettably being amplified on television screens and social media platforms in a repulsive fashion, encouraging others to adopt this degrading language – a language that can only accelerate the decline of both political discourse and collective thought. Confronting this collapse of ethics is as urgent as confronting the spread of lethal weapons in the streets. Lebanon is sliding toward the abyss without its people even realizing it, and this moral freefall is fast becoming a crisis of unprecedented proportions.

Lebanon Reviews Progress of Education Reform
This is Beirut/September 09/2025
Lebanon is betting on a comprehensive reform of its education system. On Tuesday morning, the Grand Serail hosted the strategic administrative meeting of the Transition Resilience Education Fund (TREF), during which Prime Minister Nawaf Salam outlined the government’s key priorities for the education sector. In a country where successive crises have threatened the fundamental right to education, the government aims to place public schools at the center of its agenda. Beyond keeping schools open and continuing the support already provided by TREF, the Lebanese government is committed to strengthening funding for public education, from primary schools to higher education at the Lebanese University. This commitment is paired with a clear goal: to restore teachers’ status and central role in knowledge transmission by ensuring dignified working conditions and robust institutional support, as highlighted by the Prime Minister in his address at the meeting. A major focus is the modernization of the Ministry of Education. Administrative and institutional reforms are underway to equip the ministry with more transparent and efficient management tools. The aim is to create an administration capable of meeting the needs of students and teachers across all regions of the country. The government also seeks to go beyond administrative reforms by overhauling curricula and teaching methods. Observing that current textbooks do not fully prepare students for today’s realities, the plan emphasizes the integration of modern technologies, including artificial intelligence, as well as the development of transversal skills such as critical thinking, creativity, and practical competencies. The curriculum overhaul aims to align Lebanese education with international standards and equip the younger generation to thrive in a rapidly changing environment, according to Prime Minister Salam.Finally, international cooperation remains crucial. While the Lebanese state bears primary responsibility for education, the government stresses that the success of this program also depends on collaboration with the international community and TREF partners.
Launched in 2022 by the Ministry of Education and Higher Education in partnership with UNICEF and contributing partners including the European Union and Germany through the German Development Bank (KfW), the TREF provides an innovative framework to support education governance, transparency, and quality learning outcomes, particularly for children who are out of school or at risk of falling behind.

Lebanon Moves Toward Gradual Disarmament of Hezbollah
This is Beirut/September 09/2025
Anyone who believes Hezbollah will announce the handover of its weapons to the Lebanese Army is mistaken. The party is unlikely to do so for two main reasons. First, its arsenal remains closely tied to the strategic agenda of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Second, Hezbollah uses the issue to rally Lebanese Shia, portraying itself as a protector against existential threats should the weapons be surrendered. This strategy not only solidifies its support among Shia but also reinforces its image as the sole legitimate representative of the community as such – a crucial advantage ahead of the upcoming parliamentary elections.Despite Hezbollah’s stance, the effort to bring all weapons under state control continues and shows no sign of stopping, according to official Lebanese sources. They describe the process as a gradual reduction of the party’s arsenal, one that will ultimately achieve its intended outcome.According to sources, the Lebanese Army plans to intensify its efforts to bring weapons under state control in the area south of the Litani River, aiming to complete the operation as quickly as possible before moving on to areas north of the river. Since the ceasefire agreement on November 27, the army has also implemented measures to prevent the transfer of weapons and ammunition between regions, while monitoring multiple sites suspected of storing arms to stop any movement. The army has received information on several of these sites from the Ceasefire Monitoring Committee. Moreover, the use of transit permits and other facilitation documents previously used by Hezbollah members has been suspended, and access to several state security and military offices has been revoked. In this context, official Lebanese sources confirmed that the army’s efforts to gradually dismantle Hezbollah’s arsenal and bring it under state control benefit from international support, particularly from the United States. This backing was reflected last week when Congress approved new assistance for the army totaling $190 million.Alongside this gradual dismantling of Hezbollah’s arsenal, Israel continues to strike the group, aiming to disrupt military movements, target its operatives, and hit ammunition depots and other infrastructure. The most recent strikes on Monday targeted Hezbollah positions in northern Beqaa, including training centers, killing five members. According to available information, the army had been asked to move toward these sites, but concerns over potential clashes delayed its operation, allowing Israel to carry out airstrikes. Western diplomatic sources said the Israeli attacks will continue with full US backing, as they serve the broader American objective of ensuring that weapons remain under the control of the Lebanese state.

Cabinet to Reconvene Thursday in Baabda
This is Beirut/September 09/2025
The Council of Ministers is set to hold a meeting on Thursday at Baabda Palace to discuss a ten-point agenda, with particular focus on international proposals aimed at securing internet access in Lebanon. The issue, brought forward by Minister of Telecommunications Charles Hage, was previously reviewed during a cabinet session held at the Grand Serail under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Nawaf Salam. However, no decision was reached at the time. Following Tuesday’s session, Minister of Information Paul Morcos said Salam reported “receiving positive regional and international signals in response to the September 5 session,” during which the government endorsed army proposals to place all weapons under the sole authority of state forces. He added that these reactions “call for intensified preparations for an international conference on reconstruction and investment in Lebanon, scheduled for the end of the year.”Minister of Energy Joe Saddi also presented a report on the state of the electricity sector and outlined the measures that have led to improved power distribution, notably the removal of illegal connections to the grid. In the same meeting, the Cabinet approved a draft law to establish a Ministry of Technology and Artificial Intelligence, marking a step toward institutionalizing Lebanon’s digital transformation. The Council of Ministers had also approved a new formula for calculating the price per square meter along the coastline, which will serve as the basis for determining the annual fee for the temporary occupation of public maritime property. Morcos also indicated that the government is expected to begin work shortly on the draft 2026 budget. According to him, Prime Minister Salam reaffirmed his commitment to completing the review of the draft and submitting it to Parliament within the constitutionally mandated timeframe.

Where Is Hezbollah’s Arsenal Still Hidden?
Mario Chartouni/September 09/2025
Since the November 2024 ceasefire and Hezbollah’s crushing military defeat by Israel, the question of the pro-Iranian group’s arsenal has once again moved to the forefront in Lebanon. Caught between international pressure, internal fragility and a government determined to reassert control over weapons, Hezbollah appears weakened. Yet its capabilities have not disappeared. The central question remains: where is its arsenal?
A Severely Reduced Stockpile
Lebanese media report that the war with Israel cost Hezbollah nearly 65% of its heavy strike force, particularly its long-range missiles. The Israeli research center Alma, which monitors security developments in northern Israel, estimated that before September 2024, the group possessed more than 225,000 explosive projectiles, ranging from short- to long-range.Today, estimates range between 40,000 and 65,000 units, mostly short-range rockets, according to Lebanese media. Israeli strikes destroyed hundreds of storage facilities and forced Hezbollah to dismantle more than 500 military positions south of the Litani River.Alma offers an even harsher assessment, putting the number of short-range rockets at fewer than 10,000, medium-range missiles at about 1,000 and precision missiles at only a few dozen. The group’s logistical infrastructure has also been severely damaged. Having long relied on the Syrian corridor, Hezbollah is now weakened by the collapse of the Assad regime and tighter controls along the Lebanese borders.
Areas of Deployment
Despite its reduced strength, Hezbollah’s arsenal remains spread across several strategic axes identified by the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) in its disarmament plan. The first is South Lebanon, south of the Litani River, which served for years as the main base for short-range rockets, tunnels and underground depots. Joint operations by the army and the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) have already led to the redeployment of more than 120 regular military positions, according to a UNIFIL statement on September 8. Yet some caches remain, and infiltration attempts continue to be reported.
Beirut’s southern suburbs are considered the nerve center of Hezbollah’s command and control. Last June, the area was struck in the largest Israeli raid since the ceasefire, an attack on a drone manufacturing and storage facility. The strike highlighted both the centrality of the southern suburbs to the organization and their vulnerability to air attacks. The Beqaa Valley, particularly around Hermel, Baalbeck and Nabi Sheet, continues to serve as Hezbollah’s logistical heartland. According to media reports, it houses workshops for the production and storage of medium- and long-range missiles as well as drones.
Border crossings with Syria remain vital for resupply. In early September, the Lebanese Internal Security Forces (ISF) arrested a smuggler in Tell Abbas al-Gharbi and seized 12 RPG launchers and 12 projectiles. On August 19, Syrian security forces intercepted a truck carrying Grad rockets destined for Lebanon. These incidents confirm the persistence of smuggling routes and illustrate Hezbollah’s efforts to rebuild its core stockpile.Today, Hezbollah’s arsenal is fragmented, divided between residual depots in the South, logistical centers in the Beqaa and underground caches in Beirut. Its volume has sharply fallen, from hundreds of thousands of projectiles to only a few tens of thousands. Exact numbers remain uncertain, as estimates vary depending on sources. However, what’s clear is the significant weakening of the pro-Iranian group.

Will Lebanon Disarm Hezbollah, or Not?
Hussain Abdul-Hussain/This Is Beirut/September 9, 2025
The Lebanese cabinet heard, on Friday, a presentation from Army Chief Rodolphe Haykal on a confidential plan to monopolize arms, as tasked by the government on August 5. The cabinet then issued a statement, and Information Minister Paul Morcos held a press conference. The vague responses left observers divided, with each side interpreting the outcome differently. Some saw progress toward disarming Hezbollah, while others accused the government of stalling in collusion with the pro-Iran militia. Supporters of Hezbollah and its ally, Amal, were left uncertain about whether to support or oppose the decision. This ambiguity has fueled confusion: Will Lebanon disarm Hezbollah, or not?
To understand how we got here, we must recount the buildup.
On November 27, 2024, Lebanon and Israel signed a Cessation of Hostilities agreement, ending Hezbollah’s war with Israel and establishing a “mechanism” and timetable for disarming the militia. Within 90 days, Hezbollah was to surrender its arms, the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) would assume control, and Israel would withdraw from five occupied Lebanese hilltops. Yet, Hezbollah never disarmed, and Israel remained in place. Enter Barrack.
Enter U.S. Ambassador to Turkey and Envoy to Syria Tom Barrack, who committed a diplomatic blunder that has complicated Lebanon’s efforts to disarm Hezbollah.
Operating independently of the State Department and without expertise on Lebanon or Israel, Barrack drafted, in July, the “Barrack Paper,” a sequence of confidence-building measures requiring reciprocal steps from Lebanon and Israel.
Hezbollah’s ally, Speaker Nabih Berri, is far more experienced than Barrack and seized the opportunity. The resulting joint U.S.-Lebanese draft required Israel to cease policing Hezbollah early—as soon as the Lebanese cabinet voted on disarmament. Barrack also set deadlines: August 2025 for the LAF to present its plans and year-end for disarmament completion.
Barrack’s amateurism peaked when he committed Israel to halting policing and withdrawing without consulting Jerusalem, while also making inflammatory remarks, including accusing Israel of dividing Arab nations to dominate them and claiming Netanyahu whimsically brutalized non-Israelis.
Israel continued policing Hezbollah. Lebanon’s cabinet, citing Israeli strikes on Hezbollah arms depots and operatives, declared these actions violated the Barrack Paper.
When Barrack urged Israel to endorse his plan, Jerusalem found it odd to adopt a weaker mechanism when Lebanon hadn’t honored the November 2024 agreement. Still, in deference to Israel’s best ally, Netanyahu issued a statement promising positive reciprocity and support for Lebanon’s disarmament efforts, without committing to Barrack’s sequence.
But Barrack’s blunder had consequences. Berri and Hezbollah argued that since Israel didn’t commit to the Barrack Paper, Lebanon was unbound by any disarmament obligations, effectively abandoning the November mechanism and UNSCR 1701 altogether.
Thankfully, Barrack was not the only player in this game. Regional powers—wealthy Gulf states indispensable for post war reconstruction and non-Shia Lebanese blocs—oppose Iran and Hezbollah and see a rare opportunity to disarm the militia while global attention remains on Lebanon.
On August 5 and 7, 2025, the Lebanese cabinet voted to disarm Hezbollah, despite Berri and Hezbollah’s protests and walkout. The Shia bloc later conditioned its return to cabinet meetings on reversing those votes. The cabinet defied Berri and Hezbollah again and invited Haykal to attend. When Haykal showed up, the Shia ministers left.
To counter Berri and Hezbollah’s insistence that Israel’s “violation” of Barrack’s Paper freed Lebanon of its disarmament commitments, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam argued that the cabinet had endorsed the paper’s “goal”—disarming Hezbollah—not its sequence.
Meanwhile, scant state resources further complicate the disarmament process. The LAF informed the cabinet it lacks the capacity to disarm Hezbollah by year-end. As such, the army divided Lebanon into five sectors—South of Litani, Between Litani and Awwali, the Southern Suburb, the Northern Bekaa Valley, and Beirut—estimating three months per sector, tackling one at a time. This means that disarmament will take 15 months from today, that is, December 2026.
Delayed disarmament means Lebanon will hold its parliamentary election, scheduled for May 2026, with Hezbollah retaining its weapons and thus its firm control over the Shia bloc and, by extension, parliament and the rest of the state.
Fifteen months also give Hezbollah ample time to regroup if regional dynamics shift. For this reason, most advocates for dismantling the Hezbollah militia emphasize the urgency of completing the process by March at the latest, allowing the Lebanese state to rebuild, post-Hezbollah, starting in May.
To expedite the disarmament timeline, Washington has taken action. After supporting the Lebanese Armed Forces’ (LAF) control of most of the area south of the River Litani, the U.S. has pledged to provide more intelligence and resources to accelerate efforts as the LAF recruits to strengthen its ranks and continues to disarm the pro-Iran militia.
Critics argue the LAF’s plan lacks a clear timetable—what if Hezbollah resists militarily? Who can predict the timetable then? –and note the cabinet only “welcomed” the plan without a formal vote, which by no means invalidates the plan or the cabinet’s endorsement.
Despite all the risks and uncertainties, past, present, and future, Lebanon has been enjoying a rare “March 14” moment, with Christian President Aoun and leader Samir Geagea, Sunni Prime Minister Salam, and Druze chief Walid Jumblatt united behind disarmament. This coalition provides the state much-needed stability when countering Berri and Hezbollah.
Disarming Hezbollah won’t follow a straight path or meet a fixed deadline. Progress will ebb and flow, but the consensus—both in Lebanon and globally—to disarm Hezbollah persists, like a dim light at the end of the tunnel.
**Hussain Abdul-Hussain is a research fellow at The Foundation for the Defense of Democracies (FDD).

Israeli operations in Lebanon against Hezbollah: August 25–31, 2025
David Daoud/FDD's Long War Journal/September 09/2025
https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2025/09/israeli-operations-in-lebanon-against-hezbollah-august-25-31-2025.php
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) conducted numerous operations throughout Lebanon against Hezbollah between August 25 and August 31, 2025. IDF activities remained relatively low that week, completing a noticeable pattern throughout August. Operations targeted Hezbollah assets and personnel both north and south of the Litani River and included targeted killings and destruction of the group’s assets.
The IDF conducted operations in 18 Lebanese locales, some of them more than once. It conducted 19 airstrikes or other aerial activities, dropped leaflets in three areas, executed three ground activities, and completed one excavation and one detonation.
Map instructions: Click the top-left icon or an icon on the map to open the Map Key and adjust the map’s zoom as desired. Click the top-right icon to open a larger version of the map.
Nabatieh Governorate
Bint Jbeil District: Aitaroun, Ayta Ash Shaab, Ramieh, Srebbine, and Yaroun
Marjayoun District: Adaisseh, Adaisseh-Markaba, Deir Mimas-Kfar Kela, Kfar Kela, Khiam, and Meiss al Jabal
Nabatieh District: Kfar Tebnit, Maifadoun, Nabatieh al Fawqa, and Seer al Gharbiyeh
South Lebanon Governorate
Jezzine District: Mahmoudiyeh and Rihan
Tyre District: Naqoura
Casualties
Between August 25 and August 31, 2025, Israeli operations in Lebanon killed five people, including two Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) servicemen and three Hezbollah operatives, and wounded three others, including two LAF soldiers.
August 25, 2025: One Hezbollah operative was killed.
August 26, 2025: No casualties were reported.
August 27, 2025: No casualties were reported.
August 28, 2025: One LAF officer and one LAF soldier were killed, two LAF soldiers were wounded, and one unidentified individual was wounded.
August 29, 2025: One Hezbollah commander was killed.
August 30, 2025: No operations were reported.
August 31, 2025: One Hezbollah operative was killed.
Chronology of Israeli operations against Hezbollah, August 25–31, 2025
August 25
At 8:17 am, NNA Lebanon reported that an Israeli ground force thoroughly searched the “Harb” factory on the Markaba-Adaisseh road in the Nabatieh Governorate’s Marjayoun District. Israeli forces then placed flyers on the factory saying, “Some of the individuals with whom you work are suspected of connections to Hezbollah.”
At 11:29 am, NNA Lebanon reported that an Israeli drone targeted but failed to strike a vehicle on the road to Srebbine in the Nabatieh Governorate’s Bint Jbeil District.
At 11:44 am, NNA Lebanon reported that an Israeli drone targeted a vehicle on the Ain Mizrab road in Tebnine in the Nabatieh Governorate’s Bint Jbeil District. Some reports indicated this was the same vehicle that the prior drone strike had failed to hit. The strike killed one person and lightly damaged a nearby kindergarten. At 4:01 pm, the IDF claimed it had targeted and killed a Hezbollah operative near Tebnine who was “involved in efforts to restore military infrastructure belonging to the terrorist organization Hezbollah near Beit Lif.” Hezbollah-affiliated social media later announced the death of Hussain Ahmad Baddah, whose nom de guerre was Ammar, from Beit Lif. Baddah’s brother, Mohammad, was a Hezbollah commander who fought against Israel during the 2006 war and was killed in Syria on May 8, 2013. His other brother, Youssef, was killed in clashes with Israel in southern Lebanon on November 24, 1997.
Death announcement for Hussain Ahmad Baddah.
At 3:37 pm, NNA Lebanon reported that an Israeli quadcopter dropped a stun explosive near an excavator in Meiss Al Jabal in the Nabatieh Governorate’s Marjayoun District.
At 3:51 pm, NNA Lebanon reported that an Israeli quadcopter dropped an explosive near an unidentified Lebanese national in Kfar Kela in the Nabatieh Governorate’s Marjayoun District.
August 26
NNA Lebanon reported that Israeli forces conducted a dawn incursion near the outskirts of Ayta Ash Shaab in the Nabatieh Governorate’s Bint Jbeil District, remaining there for an hour before withdrawing.
At 10:34 am, NNA Lebanon reported that an Israeli quadcopter dropped a stun explosive on a farm located east of Meiss al Jabal in the Nabatieh Governorate’s Marjayoun District.
At 3:43 pm, NNA Lebanon reported that Israeli forces were conducting construction and excavations to expand new posts near Tel al Aoueidah–Tel Jal al Dayr on the outskirts of Aitaroun in the Nabatieh Governorate’s Bint Jbeil District.
August 27
At 7:38 am, NNA Lebanon reported that Israeli forces conducted detonations inside Kfar Kela in the Nabatieh Governorate’s Marjayoun District.
At 10:06 am, NNA Lebanon reported that an Israeli quadcopter dropped leaflets over several villages in south Lebanon, including Adaisseh and Kfar Kela, in the Nabatieh Governorate’s Marjayoun District, warning against local officials connected to Hezbollah.
August 28
At 1:53 pm, NNA Lebanon reported that an Israeli quadcopter dropped three stun explosives on Kfar Kela in the Nabatieh Governorate’s Marjayoun District. The stun explosives landed near an individual reportedly repairing his house, lightly wounding him.
At 2:28 pm, NNA Lebanon reported that a series of Israeli airstrikes targeted the area of Al Zeghrine in the South Lebanon Governorate’s Jezzine District. Israeli airstrikes also targeted the course of the Khardali River near Mahmoudiyeh. At 2:42 pm, the IDF announced that it had targeted and destroyed several Hezbollah positions and a launcher in southern Lebanon.
At 6:24 pm, NNA Lebanon reported that an Israeli quadcopter dropped two stun explosives on an excavator in Yaroun in the Nabatieh Governorate’s Bint Jbeil District.
At 7:42 pm, NNA Lebanon reported that an Israeli quadcopter crashed while dropping an explosive on an excavator in Naqoura in the South Lebanon Governorate’s Tyre District. The incident killed two people, later revealed to be a LAF officer and soldier—First Adjutant Rifaat Al Taaimi and First Lieutenant Mohammad Ismail—who were inspecting the fallen quadcopter and wounded two others. The IDF claimed that the drone fell and exploded due to a technical error.
August 29
At 10:47 am, NNA Lebanon reported that an Israeli quadcopter dropped a stun explosive between Deir Mimas and Kfar Kela in the Nabatieh Governorate’s Marjayoun District.
At 1:51 pm, NNA Lebanon reported that an Israeli drone targeted a vehicle near Al Salam Station on the eastern outskirts of Seer Al Gharbiyah in the Nabatieh Governorate’s Nabatieh District. The strike killed one person. At 7:03 pm, the IDF released a statement saying it had targeted and killed Hezbollah operative Ahmad Naim Maatouq, a member of the group’s Radwan Force commando unit, near Seer Al Gharbiyeh. The IDF claimed Maatouq was a staff official in the Radwan Force and oversaw several attacks against Israel during the recent war. The statement concluded by noting that Maatouq’s current activities “constituted a violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon,” without elaborating on the nature of those activities. Hezbollah has not yet confirmed Maatouq’s death or held a funeral for him. Lebanese outlets claimed Maatouq had been previously wounded in Israel’s September 17 pager detonation operation.
At 2:49 pm, NNA Lebanon reported that an Israeli quadcopter dropped three explosives on Kfar Kela in the Nabatieh Governorate’s Marjayoun District.
August 30
No operations were reported.
August 31
At 12:01 am, NNA Lebanon reported that an Israeli drone targeted a house in Ayta Ash Shaab in the Nabatieh Governorate’s Bint Jbeil District.
At 7:30 am, NNA Lebanon reported that Israeli jets began a series of 10 airstrikes that lasted until 9:30 am, targeting the forested areas of Ali Al Taher and the outskirts of Nabatieh Al Fawqa and Kfar Tebnit in the Nabatieh Governorate’s Nabatieh District. The IDF later said it had targeted Hezbollah military infrastructure, including underground structures, where “military activity had been identified,” in “violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon.”
At 8:52 am, NNA Lebanon reported that a missile fell but didn’t explode in Maifadoun in the Nabatieh Governorate’s Nabatieh District.
At 8:54 am, NNA Lebanon reported that Israeli forces dropped “inciteful leaflets” in Ayta Ash Shaab. The leaflets carried the death announcement of Hezbollah operative Mohammad Hussain Qassem, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike on Ayta Ash Shaab on August 22. They also stated, “Warning! [Israel] will continue operating against all those who are seeking to rebuild terror infrastructure for Hezbollah in the border villages. Those who have warned are now excused. Hezbollah continues to gamble with your security and expose you to danger.”
At 10:17 am, NNA Lebanon reported that Israeli forces positioned in the Tel Hamames Post directed gunfire toward the outskirts of Khiam in the Nabatieh Governorate’s Marjayoun District.
At 11:17 am, NNA Lebanon reported that an Israeli quadcopter dropped a stun explosive near the cemetery of Ramieh in the Nabatieh Governorate’s Bint Jbeil District.
At 4:17 pm, NNA Lebanon reported that an Israeli quadcopter dropped a stun explosive near fishermen in Naqoura in the South Lebanon Governorate’s Tyre District.
At 5:12 pm, NNA Lebanon reported that an Israeli drone conducted a strike on the Nabatieh Al Fawqa-Maifadoun road in the Nabatieh Governorate’s Nabatieh District. The strike killed one person. Hezbollah-affiliated social media later announced the death of Ibrahim Ali Toubi, whose nom de guerre was Sajed, from Maifadoun.
At 5:22 pm, NNA Lebanon reported that an Israeli drone targeted the Ali Taher forest on the outskirts of Nabatieh al Fawqa in the Nabatieh Governorate’s Nabatieh District.
David Daoud is Senior Fellow at at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies where he focuses on Israel, Hezbollah, and Lebanon affairs.

The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on September 09-10/2025
Netanyahu says ordered strike on Hamas in Doha after Jerusalem shooting
Agence France Presse/September 09, 2025
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he ordered the strikes targeting Hamas leaders in Doha on Tuesday, following a deadly shooting in Jerusalem a day earlier claimed by the Palestinian militant group. "Yesterday, following the deadly attacks in Jerusalem and Gaza, Prime Minister Netanyahu instructed all security agencies to prepare for the possibility of targeting Hamas leaders," said a joint statement from Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz. "Today at noon, in light of an operational opportunity... the prime minister and the defense minister decided to implement the directive given last night."

Emergency Security Council meeting to discuss Israeli raids on Doha
Israel attempted to assassinate Hamas political leaders in an airstrike on Qatar on Tuesday
Al Arabiya.net and agencies/September 09, 2025
The UN Security Council will hold an emergency session on Wednesday to discuss the Israeli attack on a Hamas headquarters in Doha, according to diplomatic sources. The sources explained that the meeting, scheduled for 7 p.m. GMT, was requested by Algeria and Pakistan. Israel attempted to assassinate Hamas political leaders in an airstrike on Qatar on Tuesday, expanding its military operations in the Middle East in an attack the White House described as unilateral and unserving of American and Israeli interests. Israel defended the attack, calling it "completely justified," but Qatar said it was "100 percent a treacherous act" and constituted "state terrorism." Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said the raid threatened to undermine peace efforts in which Doha is mediating between Hamas and Israel. US President Donald Trump said that striking Hamas was a worthy goal but that he regretted that the attack occurred in the Gulf Arab state, a key ally of Washington. The attack was condemned by Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the UAE, and the European Union, and threatens to undermine talks aimed at a ceasefire in Gaza and Trump's efforts to reach a negotiated end to the nearly two-year conflict between Israel and Hamas.

Israel strikes Hamas officials in Qatar
AFP/September 09, 2025
DOHA: Israel’s military said it conducted air strikes targeting senior Hamas leaders in the Qatari capital on Tuesday, as Qatar condemned an attack on buildings housing members of the Palestinian militant movement. Qatar, which has been a key mediator in efforts to broker a truce in Gaza, said Israeli strikes targeted the homes of several members of Hamas’s political bureau residing in the Gulf country, where the militant group’s senior leadership is based. A Hamas official in Gaza told AFP the group’s negotiators had been “targeted” in Doha, though it was not immediately clear whether the attack had caused any casualties. A video journalist working with AFP in Doha saw a plume of smoke rising from behind a low-rise building. “For years, these members of the Hamas leadership have led the terrorist organization’s operations, are directly responsible for the brutal October 7 (2023) massacre, and have been orchestrating and managing the war against the State of Israel,” the Israeli military said in a statement. “The name of the operation in Doha is Summit of Fire. These were air strikes,” an Israeli military official told AFP. Qatar condemned the attack, saying it had targeted residential buildings housing Hamas political bureau members.“The State of Qatar strongly condemns the cowardly Israeli attack that targeted residential buildings housing several members of the political bureau of Hamas in the Qatari capital, Doha,” foreign ministry spokesman Majed Al-Ansari said in a post on X. Tuesday’s strikes — Israel’s first attack on the Western-backed Gulf state — come less than two weeks after Israel’s armed forces chief vowed to target the group’s leaders based abroad.
“Most of Hamas’s leadership is abroad, and we will reach them as well,” Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said on August 31.
“Flagrant violation”
Along with the United States and Egypt, Qatar has led multiple attempts to end the Israel-Hamas war, which was sparked by the Palestinian militants’ unprecedented October 7, 2023 attack. Despite sealing two temporary truces, the successive rounds of talks have failed to bring a lasting end to the war. “May all your enemies perish, Israel,” Israeli Culture Minister Miki Zohar wrote on X. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said Israel’s targeting of Hamas leaders was a “wholly independent” operation. “Today’s action against the top terrorist chieftains of Hamas was a wholly independent Israeli operation,” a statement from Netanyahu’s office said, adding that: “Israel initiated it, Israel conducted it and Israel takes full responsibility.”Washington urged nationals in Doha to shelter in place. “US citizens are advised to shelter-in-place and monitor @USEmbassyDoha social media for updates,” the US embassy posted. Saudi Arabia condemned the attack, affirming its full solidarity with and support for Qatar. The Kingdom called on the international community to condemn this “heinous aggression and put an end to Israeli violations that undermine the security and stability of the region.” UN chief Antonio Guterres condemned Israel’s “flagrant violation” of Qatari sovereignty Jordan and the United Arab Emirates also condemned the attack, with the Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi calling it “an extension of the brutal Israeli aggression that threatens the security and stability of the region.”UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed wrote on X his country stood “in full solidarity with dear Qatar.” Iran, a key backer of Hamas, condemned the attack as a “gross violation of all international rules and regulations, a violation of Qatar’s national sovereignty and territorial integrity, and an attack on Palestinian negotiators.”Islamic Jihad, which has fought alongside Hamas in Gaza, also condemned the attack. The attack came as Israel stepped up a deadly assault on Gaza City, the Palestinian territory’s largest urban center. On Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a video statement addressing residents of the city: “I say to the residents: you have been warned, leave now! “All of this is just a prelude, just the opening, to the main intensified operation — the ground maneuver of our forces, who are now organizing and assembling to enter Gaza City,” he said.

Hamas issues statement condemning Israeli strike on delegation in Qatar
LBCI/September 09/2025
Hamas strongly condemned Israel's attack targeting its negotiating delegation in Qatar, describing the operation as a failed assassination attempt while confirming that five members were killed, including the son of senior leader Khalil al-Hayya, Humam al-Hayya, head of the movement's political bureau in Gaza, and Jihad Labad, director of Khalil al-Hayya's office. In an official statement, Hamas held the United States jointly responsible with Israel for the strike, calling it a “cowardly assassination attempt” that will not alter its positions or demands. Hamas reiterated its key demands: an immediate halt to Israeli aggression against Palestinians, full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, a genuine prisoner exchange, humanitarian aid for the people of Gaza, and reconstruction of the besieged territory.

Hamas Sees Gaza Truce Ideas as ‘Traps’ but Group is ‘Open’ to Talks
Gaza: Asharq Al Awsat/September 09/2025
Hamas sources said on Monday that proposals now on the table to end the Gaza war were riddled with “traps and pitfalls” but signaled the Palestinian group was willing to engage in talks, stressing the need for a deal that secures a permanent halt to hostilities.
The comments came a day after Axios reported that US envoy Steve Witkoff had exchanged messages with Hamas through intermediaries on a new ceasefire initiative, backed by a guarantee from US president Donald Trump. According to the report, Trump warned Hamas of “unbearable consequences” if the proposal failed. “What is being floated are ideas still under discussion and modification with several parties, chiefly Egypt and Qatar,” one Hamas source told Asharq Al-Awsat. “The aim is to craft a comprehensive proposal that meets everyone’s demands, above all an end to the war.”Hamas, the sources said, was not setting rigid preconditions but warned that some clauses would be difficult to implement. One proposal envisages all hostages being freed on the first day of a truce, something the group described as “impractical” without firm guarantees of an Israeli withdrawal to lines agreed under a January framework. The group said any deal must include a phased pullout of Israeli forces across the Gaza Strip, overseen personally by Trump.
Hostages and bodies
Hamas told mediators it could not release all captives – dead and alive – immediately, pointing out that some bodies remain buried under rubble in areas bombarded by Israel or inside zones now held by Israeli troops. Israel says Hamas still holds 48 captives from the 256 people seized during the Oct. 7, 2023, assault, 19 of whom are confirmed alive. The sources said the movement was ready to free some living hostages on the first day, and later release a larger group of both living captives and bodies once conditions on the ground allowed recovery operations. They rejected suggestions that Hamas was stalling, arguing that safe access was needed to retrieve remains from combat zones.
Withdrawal and crossings
The sources also voiced concern that current ideas do not address an Israeli withdrawal from strategic corridors such as the Salah al-Din (Philadelphi) route along Gaza’s southern border, nor the reopening of Rafah crossing for two-way civilian traffic. They said guarantees were needed from Israel, under US and international supervision, to end the war and prevent backtracking on any agreement. While Cairo and Doha remain the main brokers, Hamas said other intermediaries have entered the picture, including figures linked to past negotiations. Media reports have pointed to Gershon Baskin, an Israeli-American journalist involved in the 2011 prisoner exchange that freed Gilad Shalit, as playing a role. Baskin declined comment when contacted by Asharq Al-Awsat. In a statement late on Sunday, Hamas confirmed it had received “ideas” from the American side via mediators, welcomed moves to halt the fighting and said it was “ready to immediately sit at the negotiating table” to discuss a full prisoner exchange in return for a declared end to the war, Israel’s complete withdrawal, and the formation of an independent Palestinian committee to administer Gaza. The group said any deal must be guaranteed publicly to avoid a repeat of past breakdowns, citing an Aug. 18 proposal – backed by US mediators and accepted by Hamas in Cairo – which it said Israel had ignored while continuing its offensive.

White House: Israeli strike in Qatar ‘does not advance US or Israeli goals’
Al Arabiya English/Septembe 09/2025
The White House said Tuesday that Israel’s attack on Hamas officials in Qatar would not advance American or Israeli interests, stressing that Washington was not involved in the operation. “US forces did not participate in the strikes, and we refer you to the [Israeli army] for any additional information,” a US official said. White House Spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt told reporters that the US military notified the Trump administration ahead of the strike.
“Unilaterally bombing inside Qatar, a sovereign nation and close ally of the United States that is working very hard and bravely taking risks with us to broker peace, does not advance Israel or America’s goals,” she told reporters during a press briefing.
Leavitt called eliminating Hamas a “worthy goal” but said President Donald Trump had immediately ordered his Middle East envoy to inform Qatari officials of the impending operation.Qatar said reports about being informed ahead of time were false. “The communication received from one of the American officials came during the sound of explosions resulting from the Israeli attack in Doha,” Qatar’s spokesman for the Foreign Ministry said.Trump later spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Qatari emir, assuring Doha “such a thing will not happen again on their soil,” she added. “The president views Qatar as a strong ally and friend of the United States, and feels very badly about the location of this attack,” Leavitt said, adding that Trump wants all of the hostages in Gaza. “President Trump believes this unfortunate incident could serve as an opportunity for peace,” Leavitt said. Netanyahu said the strike was a “wholly independent Israeli operation,” adding: “Israel initiated it, Israel conducted it, and Israel takes full responsibility.”The Israeli Air Force said it used “precision weaponry and additional intelligence information,” but did not specify what aircraft or weapons were deployed. Israel has at times conducted unilateral operations without notice, including last year’s two-pronged attack on Hezbollah’s telecommunications network in Lebanon. Israel then assassinated Hezbollah’s longtime leader Hassan Nasrallah before also killing his successor, Hashem Saffiedine. Washington was told an attack was imminent in both instances but not given details, according to US officials. Tuesday’s attack also raised sensitivities given the presence of the US military’s largest regional base, Al Udeid Air Base, just outside Doha. The base hosts US Central Command’s forward headquarters and its Combined Air Operations Center, the hub for all US air missions in the Middle East.

Who was targeted in Israeli strikes on Qatar’s Doha?
Al Arabiya English/September 09/2025
Israel on Tuesday carried out strikes on Qatar’s capital Doha targeting senior Hamas officials. Several blasts were heard in the capital, which the Israeli military said were the result of an assassination attempt against members of the Hamas leadership and senior officials of the Palestinian group. It is the first such attack by Israel on Qatar, a key mediator in ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas. Qatari media said the attack happened as a negotiating team was discussing a Gaza ceasefire proposal put forward by the United States.
Who was targeted by Israel in Qatar?
Intially there were mixed reports on the survival of officials, however, an Hamas official confirmed to Al Arabiya that the team survived the Israeli assassination attempt. Those on Israel's target list included Hamas’ Chief Negotiator Khalil al-Hayya along with Zaher Jabarin, Khaled Mashal, and Nizar Awadallah. The Israeli military confirmed later that it targeted senior Hamas leaders but didn’t indicate the location. “The IDF (Israeli military) and ISA (security agency) conducted a precise strike targeting the senior leadership of the Hamas terrorist organization,” the military said, without specifying where the strike took place. A Hamas source told Al Arabiya that the negotiating delegation was targeted during its meeting in Qatar, where the Palestinian group’s political bureau is based.
Qatar’s reaction
In a statement, Majed al-Ansari, spokesperson for Qatar’s Foreign Ministry, said the country “condemns in the strongest terms” the attack, which he said was carried out on residential buildings housing several members of the Hamas political bureau. “This criminal attack constitutes a flagrant violation of all international laws and norms and a serious threat to the security and safety of Qataris and residents of Qatar,” the statement reads. “While strongly condemning this attack, the State of Qatar affirms that it will not tolerate this reckless Israeli behavior and its continued tampering with regional security, as well as any action targeting its security and sovereignty. Investigations are underway at the highest level, and further details will be announced as soon as they become available.”

Who is Khalil Al-Hayya, top Hamas figure targeted by Israel?
Reuters/September 09, 2025
CAIRO: Khalil Al-Hayya, a senior Hamas official targeted by Israel in Qatar on Tuesday, has become an increasingly central figure in the leadership of the Palestinian group since both Ismail Haniyeh and Yahya Sinwar were killed last year.
Israeli officials said the attack was aimed at top Hamas leaders, including Al-Hayya, its exiled Gaza chief and top negotiator. Al-Hayya has been widely seen as the group’s most influential figure abroad since Haniyeh was killed by Israel in Iran in July 2024.
He is part of a five-man leadership council that has led Hamas since Sinwar was killed by Israel last October in Gaza.
HIGHLIGHTS
• Al-Hayya a veteran negotiator in truce talks with Israel.
• Has lost several close relatives to Israeli strikes.
• Was Hamas point person for ties with Arab, Islamic worlds.
• Has been part of Hamas since its 1987 founding.
Hailing from the Gaza Strip, Al-Hayya has lost several close relatives — including his eldest son — to Israeli strikes in the Gaza Strip, and is a veteran member of the group.
Regarded as having good ties with Iran, he has been closely involved in the group’s efforts to broker several truces with Israel, playing a key role in ending a 2014 conflict and again in attempts to secure an end to the current Gaza war.
Born in the Gaza Strip in 1960, Al-Hayya has been part of Hamas since it was set up in 1987. In the early 1980s, he joined the Muslim Brotherhood along with Haniyeh and Sinwar, Hamas sources say. In Gaza, he was detained several times by Israel.
In 2007, an Israeli airstrike hit his family home in Gaza City’s Sejaiyeh quarter, killing several of his relatives, and during the 2014 war between Hamas and Israel, the house of Al-Hayya’s eldest son, Osama, was bombed, killing him, his wife and three of their children.
Al-Hayya was not there during the attacks. He left Gaza several years ago, serving as a Hamas point person for ties with the Arab and Islamic worlds and basing himself in Qatar.
Al-Hayya accompanied Haniyeh to Tehran for the visit in July during which he was assassinated. Al-Hayya has been cited as saying the Oct. 7 attacks that ignited the Gaza war had been meant as a limited operation by Hamas to capture “a number of soldiers” to swap for jailed Palestinians. “But the Zionist army unit completely collapsed,” he said in comments published by the Palestinian Information Center. Al-Hayya has said the attack succeeded in bringing the Palestinian issue back into international focus. Al-Hayya has led Hamas delegations in mediated talks with Israel to try to secure a Gaza ceasefire deal that would have included an exchange of Israelis abducted by Hamas for Palestinians in Israeli jails.
He has performed other high-profile political work for Hamas. In 2022, he led a Hamas delegation to Damascus to mend ties with former Syrian President Bashar Assad.

Palestinian commission condemns Israel’s renaming of Al-Buraq Wall in Jerusalem
Arab News/September 09, 2025
LONDON: The Islamic-Christian Commission for the Support of Jerusalem and Holy Sites condemned on Tuesday the Israeli municipality’s decision this week to rename the Buraq Wall as the Wailing Wall. The Palestinian government commission established in 2008 said that the Israeli action was an attempt to erase the religious and historical identity of this significant Islamic site in the Old City of Jerusalem. “Changing the name of the Buraq Wall on buses is a distortion of the facts, a blatant assault on religious and cultural heritage, and a flagrant violation of UNESCO resolutions, which clearly recognized the Islamic identity of the Buraq Wall as an integral part of Al-Aqsa Mosque,” it said in a statement. The commission said it rejects the “fabricated Israeli terminology” and warned against the imposition of new realities in the occupied East Jerusalem, repeated attacks on Islamic and Christian holy sites, and policies aimed at altering the religious and historical identity of the city. It added that the renaming of the Buraq Wall “does not establish any religious or historical right for Jews … nor will it undermine the Islamic identity of this ancient historical site,” according to Wafa news agency.

Israeli military evacuation order triggers panic in Gaza City
Reuters/September 09, 2025
CAIRO, GAZA, MADRID: Palestinians living in the ruins of Gaza City were bombarded with Israeli leaflets on Tuesday ordering them out, after Israel said it was about to obliterate the area in an assault to wipe out Hamas, causing panic and confusion. Residents of the city, the enclave’s biggest urban center that was home to a million Palestinians before the war, have been expecting an onslaught for weeks, since the Israeli government devised a plan designed to deal Hamas a fatal blow in what it says are the militant group’s last strongholds.
“I say to the residents of Gaza, take this opportunity and listen to me carefully: You have been warned — get out of there!” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said. The Israeli military airdropped leaflets with evacuation orders onto residents standing amid the rubble of Gaza City, where it has bombed residential towers to the ground in the past few days. Displaced Palestinians carry their belongings along the coastal road toward southern Gaza on Tuesday, after the Israeli army issued evacuation orders from Gaza City. (AP) The evacuation orders rattled the city’s residents, who say there is no safe place to go to escape bombardment and a humanitarian crisis. Some said they would have no choice but to leave for the south, but many said they would stay, and there were no immediate signs of a mass exodus. Anxiety was spreading through a tent area in Gaza City housing displaced cancer patients. “There’s no place left, not in the south, nor the north, nothing. We’ve become completely trapped,” said one of the patients, Bajess Al-Khaldi, as people looked at the rubble of several buildings destroyed in an Israeli attack.
The health authorities in Gaza announced they would not evacuate Gaza City’s two main operational hospitals, Al-Shifa and Al-Ahli, adding that doctors would not leave patients unattended. Most Gazans have already been displaced several times since the war started, much of the territory lies in ruins and a hunger crisis has grown far worse in recent months. The Israeli military has instructed residents in Gaza City to move to a designated “humanitarian zone” in the already overcrowded Al-Mawasi area along the coast in the south, where thousands of Palestinians have already been sheltering in tents. Israel has also regularly bombed the south. Um Samed, a 59-year-old mother of five, said the choice now was whether “to stay and die at home in Gaza City, or follow Israel’s orders and leave Gaza and die in the south.”The Gaza City assault plan has provoked concern inside Israel, where public support for the war has wavered. Israel’s military leadership has warned Netanyahu against expanding the war, according to Israeli officials. Families of Israeli hostages and their supporters fear the attack could endanger the captives.
Meanwhile, Spain and Israel’s relations plunged to new depths as Madrid barred two far-right Israeli government ministers, a day after announcing measures aimed at stopping what it called “the genocide in Gaza.”Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich would be sanctioned and “not be able to enter Spanish territory,” Madrid’s top diplomat Jose Manuel Albares said. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Monday had unveiled nine measures in response to the devastating war in Gaza. The measures included an entry ban on “all those people participating directly in the genocide, the violation of human rights and war crimes in the Gaza Strip.”Ben Gvir and Smotrich are already the target of sanctions by Western countries including Britain, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Norway and Slovenia. Spain had already placed 13 Israeli settlers on its sanctions list.

Crown prince leads Saudi, Arab condemnation of Israel’s ‘criminal’ Doha attack
Arab News/September 09, 2025
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia on Tuesday strongly condemned what it described as a “brutal Israeli aggression” against Qatar following an attack on the capital Doha, which Israel said was a strike targeting Hamas officials in the city. In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs denounced the strike as “a flagrant violation of international law and the UN Charter” and warned it would further destabilize the region, the Saudi Press Agency reported. The Kingdom warned of the dire consequences resulting from Israel’s persistence in its criminal violations and its blatant violation of the principles of international law and all international norms. Saudi Arabia called on the international community to condemn this heinous aggression and put an end to Israeli violations that undermine the security and stability of the region. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman spoke on the phone with Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, reaffirming the Kingdom’s “full solidarity” with Qatar after the “blatant Israeli attack on the State of Qatar, which constitutes a criminal act and a flagrant violation of international laws and norms,” SPA reported. He pledged to place “all capabilities” at Qatar’s disposal to support any measures taken to protect its security and sovereignty. Prince Mohammed later received a phone call from Jordan’s King Abdullah. During the call, they discussed the brutal Israeli attack on Doha and the flagrant violation of the sovereignty of Qatar. The two leaders affirmed their countries’ support for Qatar and the measures it takes to protect its security and preserve its sovereignty. The UAE also denounced the attack, with Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan calling it a “blatant and cowardly” violation of Qatar’s sovereignty and international law. He reaffirmed the UAE’s full solidarity with Doha, urged an immediate halt to military escalation, and warned that unchecked Israeli actions risk dragging the region into dangerous instability with grave consequences for global security, the Emirates News Agency reported.The Qatari Foreign Ministry said it would not “tolerate this reckless Israeli behaviour, the ongoing tampering with regional security and any action targeting Qatar's security and sovereignty.”Jordan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates also strongly condemned the Israeli bombing of Doha, calling it a “flagrant violation of international law and the UN Charter, and a blatant attack on Qatar’s sovereignty and security.”Ministry spokesperson Fuad Majali said the attack risked pushing the region toward “further violence and conflict” while threatening both regional and international stability, the Jordan News Agency reported. Majali reaffirmed Jordan’s “full support and solidarity with brotherly Qatar” and urged the international community to compel Israel to halt its escalation and adhere to international law and humanitarian norms. King Abdullah, in a call with Emir Al-Thani, condemned the attack and said “Qatar's security is Jordan's security.”Egypt said the attack set a “dangerous precedent and rejected development,” adding that escalation “undermines global efforts for de-escalation in the region.”The Gulf Cooperation Council and Muslim World League also condemned the attack.

UK PM meets Palestinian leader ahead of statehood recognition
AFP/September 09, 2025
LONDON: Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer met with Palestinian Authority president Mahmud Abbas Monday in London, as the UK government edges toward recognizing a Palestinian state.The leaders discussed “the need for an urgent solution to end the horrific suffering and famine” in Gaza and the release of hostages held by Hamas, a spokesperson for Starmer’s Downing Street office said in a statement. Abbas welcomed the UK’s “pledge to recognizing a Palestinian state ahead of the UN General Assembly meeting later this month, unless Israel changes its course,” the spokesperson added. Several countries including Britain and France have announced they intend to recognize a Palestinian state at the United Nations later this month. Starmer’s government said it will take the step if Israel fails to agree to a ceasefire in the devastating Gaza war, triggered by Palestinian militant group Hamas’s October 2023 attack. The British leader has indicated he will do that in the coming weeks unless the Israeli government takes “substantive” steps to end the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and commit to a long-term, sustainable peace. His meeting with Abbas “is part of the prime minister’s ongoing efforts to reach a political solution to the ongoing conflict in Gaza,” Downing Street said ahead of the bilateral. During their talks, both leaders “agreed there will be absolutely no role for Hamas in the future governance of Palestine” and reiterated the need for a “long-term solution” to the conflict.
Israeli president visiting
Abbas, 89, arrived in London on Sunday night for a three-day visit.He was barred from attending the general assembly in New York by the US State Department last month. During their meeting, Starmer “welcomed” Abbas’s “commitment to reform of the Palestinian Authority as a vital part of this work,” his office said. The Palestinian Authority is a civilian body that governs in areas of the West Bank, where about three million Palestinians live — as well as around half a million Israelis occupying settlements considered illegal under international law.
Meanwhile, Israeli President Isaac Herzog will arrive in the UK on Tuesday for an official visit, his office announced Monday. It is not clear whether Herzog will meet Starmer during his visit, which aims to “show solidarity with the Jewish community, which is under severe attack and facing a wave of antisemitism.”The Israeli president is due to meet Jewish community organizations as well as “members of parliament, public representatives (and) influencers,” according to his office. Ties between Britain and Israel are increasingly strained over the conflict in Gaza, with London suspending trade talks and some arms exports, as well as deciding not to invite Israeli officials to the UK’s biggest arms showcase which also opens on Tuesday.

Streeting demands answers from Herzog as British Green Party leader calls for Israeli president’s arrest during UK visit
Arab News/September 09, 2025
LONDON: Senior UK government ministers and MPs have clashed over whether Israel’s actions in Gaza amount to genocide ahead of Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s visit to London this week. Health Secretary Wes Streeting told Times Radio that Herzog “needs to answer the allegations of war crimes, of ethnic cleansing and of genocide that are being leveled at the government of Israel.”Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer will hold talks with Herzog in Downing Street on Wednesday. Streeting added: “I think he (Herzog) needs to explain how, when we have seen so much evidence of the atrocities being perpetrated by the Israeli Army, how he can possibly claim that the IDF is the most moral army in the world. I think he should explain that, if it is not the intent of the government of Israel to perpetrate genocide or ethnic cleansing, how on Earth does he think his Israeli government is going to achieve its stated aim of clearing Palestinians out of Gaza without the war crimes, without ethnic cleansing, or even without genocide?”Streeting said he had spoken last week to British doctors who had worked in Gaza, receiving “the most harrowing eyewitness testimony, one saying for weeks no food was allowed into Gaza, not even for babies.”He added that the Hamas attacks on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, were “barbaric,” “immoral” and “inhumane” and that “not a single one of those atrocities and injustices committed on Oct. 7 can possibly be answered with a level of civilian, innocent loss and suffering that we’re seeing in Gaza, or indeed Israeli settler terrorism being perpetrated in the West Bank.”The comments appear to contradict a letter from Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy, published on Tuesday, which stated that Israel had not committed genocide in Gaza. The letter, sent last week before Lammy was replaced as foreign secretary, explained that the Genocide Convention defines genocide as acts committed with the specific “intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic racial or religious group” and added: “The government has not concluded that Israel is acting with that intent.”Lammy also criticized the “catastrophic humanitarian situation” in Gaza, writing: “The high civilian casualties, including women and children, and the extensive destruction in Gaza, are utterly appalling. Israel must do much more to prevent and alleviate the suffering that this conflict is causing.”A Downing Street spokesman said the letter “reflects the UK’s position that we’ve not come to any conclusion as to whether genocide has or has not been committed in Gaza” and stressed that it is for the International Court of Justice to make such determinations. Meanwhile, the new Green Party leader Zack Polanski joined calls for Herzog’s arrest during his UK visit, accusing him of being part of the “Israeli government engaged in an ongoing genocide.”Polanski, who is Jewish, said: “Welcoming a potential war criminal to the UK is another demonstration of how this Labour government is implicated in the ongoing genocide in Gaza. It also serves as a brutal insult to those mourning the thousands of innocent lives lost and to hundreds of thousands of Palestinians facing ongoing violence and hunger.”He added that refusing to detain Herzog “can be seen as a contravention of the Geneva Convention.”More than 60 MPs wrote to Starmer and new Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper asking whether Herzog’s visa is compatible with UK obligations under the Genocide Convention, noting the ICJ had determined Israel faces a “plausible risk of genocide” in Gaza. Israel has denied that its actions amount to genocide. The country struck and destroyed a high-rise building in Gaza City on Monday, claiming it was targeting Hamas observation posts, and maintains a naval blockade on the enclave.It also confirmed it targeted Hamas leaders in the Qatari capital Doha on Tuesday, an attack widely condemned. Meanwhile, Spain has banned ships and aircraft carrying weapons to Israel from its ports, describing the measures as antisemitic, though asserting that anyone participating directly in “genocide” in Gaza would be denied entry. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas visited Downing Street on Monday to discuss Gaza and the pledge by Starmer to recognize a Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly later this month if Israel does not change course. A Downing Street spokesperson said both leaders agreed there would be “absolutely no role” for Hamas in future Palestinian governance. They also discussed “the intolerable situation in Gaza” and the urgent need for a ceasefire, hostage releases, and humanitarian aid, with Starmer outlining “ongoing work with partners on a long-term solution … the only way to bring about enduring peace and stability for both Palestinians and Israelis.”

Jordanian Army chief, Islamic Coalition general discuss counterterrorism strategy
Arab News/September 09, 2025
LONDON: Maj. Gen. Yousef Huneiti, the Jordanian chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, discussed military and security cooperation on Tuesday with Maj. Gen. Pilot Mohammed bin Saeed Moghedi, secretary-general of the Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition in Amman. The meeting, attended by senior officers of the Jordanian Armed Forces, focused on training, coordination, and knowledge exchange to enhance capabilities in addressing security and terrorist threats, the Petra news agency reported. Huneiti emphasized Jordan’s strong stance against terrorism and extremism, highlighting the forces’ crucial role in protecting national security and regional stability. He asserted that the Jordanian Armed Forces decisively confront terrorism on military, security, intellectual, and media fronts. Moghedi commended Jordanian efforts against terrorism, highlighting the country’s strategic role as a key partner in the coalition and the importance of cooperation in tackling transnational threats, Petra added. In 2015, Saudi Arabia established the coalition, which comprises 41 countries from the Muslim world, aimed at combating terrorist groups and violent extremism.

Iran, UN nuclear watchdog agree new cooperation framework
AFP/September 09/2025
Iran agreed a new cooperation framework with the UN nuclear watchdog on Tuesday, after it suspended cooperation following the war with Israel in June. The agreement was signed in Cairo by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi, who hailed it as “an important step in the right direction.”It was the Iranian government’s first high-level meeting with the IAEA since Iran suspended cooperation with the agency following the 12-day war with Israel, which saw Israeli and US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities. Iran, which criticized the IAEA for failing to condemn those strikes, has said future cooperation with the agency would take “a new form.”“Iran and the IAEA have reached an understanding on how to engage under the new circumstances following the illegal attacks by the US and the Zionist regime against our country’s peaceful nuclear facilities,” Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei told state television. Iran’s suspension of cooperation with the IAEA had meant nuclear inspectors would require authorization from the country’s top security body in order to conduct their work. While Iran insists its nuclear program is for civilian purposes, Western countries accuse the government of seeking an atomic weapon – a claim Tehran has systematically denied. In the Egyptian capital, Araghchi and Grossi signed an agreement titled the “Technical Modalities for Implementation of Inspections between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the IAEA.”“We hope that the agreement will be a real starting point for a new relationship between the two sides that is characterized by greater transparency in dealing with security issues,” said Egypt’s Foreign Minister Bard Abdelatty during a joint press conference with Araghchi and Grossi. Whilst in Cairo, the Iranian minister and the IAEA chief met with Egyptian president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi who lauded the agreement as “a positive step toward de-escalation.”
Return to negotiations?
Al-Sisi added that it could pave the way “for a return to the negotiating table and the achievement of a peaceful settlement to the Iranian nuclear program,” according to a statement by the Egyptian presidency. Tehran’s suspension of cooperation with the IAEA saw the agency’s inspectors leave Iran, before a team briefly returned last month to oversee the replacement of fuel at the Bushehr nuclear power plant. They departed shortly afterwards. Access to nuclear sites now requires the approval of the Supreme National Security Council, and the most recent inspection was not granted access to other key sites, including Fordow and Natanz, which were hit in the June strikes. In August, Britain, France and Germany initiated steps to reimpose UN sanctions after weeks of warnings, citing Iran’s continued non-compliance with its commitments under a 2015 nuclear agreement. Iran has condemned the move as “illegal” and warned that it could lead to the exclusion of the European powers from any future negotiations. Egypt’s Abdelatty said he hopes the deal could first “enable an understanding” with the European powers. Donald Trump, during his first term as president, unilaterally withdrew the United States from the 2015 nuclear deal and slapped crippling sanctions on Iran. A new round of nuclear talks with the United States, which had begun in April, ended when Israel launched strikes on Iran in June. Iran has since demanded guarantees against military action before resuming any negotiations. Last week, Iran’s security chief Ali Larijani said that his government was open to nuclear talks with the United States but ruled out any restrictions on its missile program.

Iran and the IAEA are expected to resume cooperation under agreement backed by Egypt
AP/September 09, 2025
CAIRO: Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency signed an agreement Tuesday in Cairo to pave the way for resuming cooperation, including on ways of relaunching inspections of Iran’s nuclear facilities. The announcement followed a meeting among Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi and International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Grossi. The meeting came at a sensitive time as France, Germany and the United Kingdom on Aug. 28 began the process of reimposing sanctions on Iran over what they have deemed non-compliance with a 2015 agreement aimed at preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons. On July 2, Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian signed a law adopted by his country’s parliament suspending all cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog. That followed Israel’s 12-day war with Iran in June, during which Israel and the US struck Iranian nuclear sites. The only site inspected by the IAEA since the war has been the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant, which operates with Russian technical assistance. Inspectors watched a fuel replacement procedure at the plant over two days starting Aug. 27.IAEA inspectors have been unable to verify Iran’s near bomb-grade stockpile since the start of the war on June 13, which the UN nuclear watchdog described as “a matter of serious concern.”Egypt has been helping bolster cooperation between Iran and the IAEA. The Iranian foreign ministry said last month that talks between his country and the agency would be “technical” and “complicated.”Relations between the two had soured after a 12-day air war was waged by Israel and the USin June, which saw key Iranian nuclear facilities bombed. The IAEA board said on June 12 that Iran had breached its non-proliferation obligations, a day before Israel’s airstrikes over Iran that sparked the war.

Rights advocates demand UN press China on abuses in Xinjiang
AFP/September 09, 2025
GENEVA: Uyghurs and rights advocates on Tuesday decried lame global action over a damning 2022 UN report detailing torture and sweeping abuses in China’s Xinjiang region. Members of China’s Uyghur minority joined NGOs on the sidelines of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva to urge UN rights chief Volker Turk to step up pressure on Beijing. “The UN rights chief should strengthen his efforts to press the Chinese government to implement UN recommendations,” Yalkun Uluyol, the China researcher at Human Rights Watch, told diplomats gathered for the event. Turk’s predecessor Michelle Bachelet published a report in August 2022, citing possible “crimes against humanity” in Xinjiang. The report — harshly criticized by Beijing — outlined violations against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in Xinjiang, including “credible” allegations of widespread torture and arbitrary detention. It urged China to promptly “release all individuals arbitrarily deprived of their liberty” and clarify the whereabouts of the missing. “The recommendations have not been implemented,” said Uyghur Rizwangul Nurmuhammad, who has been campaigning for the release of her brother, who was arrested in 2017. “He was a family breadwinner, a father, a husband, a son, a brother, an ordinary and decent citizen,” she said tearfully, holding a picture of her brother. “Yet he was arrested and sentenced to nine years in prison... with no justification other than his identity as Uyghur,” she said. “This pattern of arbitrary detention carried out systematically by the Chinese authorities, continues today.”Uluyol, also a Uyghur, said he had no contact with his father who was serving 16 years in prison. An uncle was serving a life sentence, and another uncle and cousin were both serving 15-year jail terms. “All of them were convicted without due process,” he said.A Chinese diplomat in the room took the floor to insist that “claims of arbitrary detention and enforced disappearances are outright lies.”Sophie Richardson, co-head of the Chinese Human Rights Defenders (CHRD) NGO, said “it is fairly clear that these abuses are widespread, systematic,” urging Turk to urgently brief the council on the situation. “We are not short of recommendations on how to address these problems,” she said. “What we are short on is leadership by the High Commissioner and by member states to be courageous ... activists for all of the victims and survivors of Chinese government human rights violations.”Turk’s office highlighted to AFP that he had repeatedly raised the issue with Beijing and before the council. Turk told the council on Monday that “the progress we have sought for the protection of the rights of Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in Xinjiang... have yet to materialize.”“To be perfectly clear: we stand firmly behind the findings, analysis, conclusions and recommendations of our report,” spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani said in an email. “It is absolutely crucial that the victims of these serious human rights violations receive effective remedies, and justice.”

Russian attack kills 24 in Ukraine during pension distribution
AFP/September 09, 2025
KYIV: A Russian strike on Tuesday killed 24 people waiting for pension payments in a front-line town of eastern Ukraine where Russian forces are massing forces for a large-scale offensive, officials said. President Volodymyr Zelensky posted video showing several corpses strewn on the ground alongside a burned-out minivan and playground — images AFP could not independently verify.“A brutally savage Russian airstrike with an aerial bomb on the rural settlement of Yarova in the Donetsk region. Directly on people. Ordinary civilians. At the very moment when pensions were being disbursed,” Zelensky wrote online. Moscow has claimed the industrial region as part of Russia despite not having full control over it. Kyiv says the Kremlin has massed 100,000 troops at a key part of the front line for a fresh offensive. The interior ministry said 24 people were killed, while the army said Moscow had dropped a glide bomb — weapons fixed with wings to help them fly over dozens of kilometers. They are part of an arsenal developed by Russia to hit deeper into Ukrainian territory and stretch the front line. Yarova is about eight kilometers (five miles) from the front line and had a pre-war population of around 1,900 people. AFP journalists in eastern Ukraine saw mourners weeping outside a morgue where staff had laid out at least 13 corpses in black body bags.Zelensky urged Ukraine’s allies to issue a response to the attack. “A response is needed from the United States. A response is needed from Europe. A response is needed from the G20,” he said.
- ‘Strong actions’ -
“Strong actions are needed to make Russia stop bringing death,” Zelensky added, while the prosecutor general said it had opened a war crime investigation. There was no immediate comment from Moscow or the Kremlin on the strike. German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius meanwhile announced that Berlin would provide Ukraine with “several thousand long-range drones” to help it repel Russia’s invasion. Germany was “expanding Ukraine’s capabilities to weaken Russia’s war machinery in the hinterland, providing an effective defense” by boosting support for the procurement of long-range drones, he added. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent also said Tuesday that the United States is willing to take “strong measures against Russia” over Ukraine, but added that “our European partners must fully join us in this to be successful.”
US President Donald Trump has said he has tried to find a way to end the war in recent weeks, including threatening on Sunday to impose more sanctions on Russia, but has little to show for his efforts. Following an EU-US meeting hosted by Bessent on Tuesday, Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko urged allies to further tighten sanctions that have cost the Russian economy billions of dollars. “Only decisive measures can reduce Russia’s capacity to wage war and bring its daily atrocities and terror to an end,” she said on X.
In Ukraine, a spokesman for the postal network, Ukrposhta, confirmed that one of its vehicles was damaged in the attack and that its department head, identified as Yulia, had been hospitalized. Ukrposhta, which delivers public services in front-line regions, said it would change how it distributes pensions and basic services there.Russia has been steadily advancing in the eastern Donetsk region for months, concentrating its firepower on the territory and deploying troops from other parts of the front line, Kyiv has said. Authorities in Donetsk have been appealing to civilians to flee the fighting since the early days of Russia’s invasion in February 2022. Ukrainian commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrsky said this week that Russian forces outnumbered Ukrainian troops threefold in some areas of the front, and by six times in regions where Moscow has concentrated its forces. The strike comes just days after a Russian missile crashed into the Ukrainian government headquarters in central Kyiv, the first time the complex had been hit in the three-and-a-half-year war. Tens of thousands of people have been killed and millions forced from their homes in Europe’s bloodiest conflict since World War II.

Israeli Strike Hits Near Syrian City of Homs
Asharq Al Awsat/September 09/2025
Israeli air strikes hit areas of the central and western Syrian cities of Homs and Latakia late Monday, state news agency SANA reported. Britain-based war monitor the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported that "the Israeli strike near Homs targeted a military unit south of the city."Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes in Syria since the overthrow of President Bashar al-Assad in December, despite initiating an unprecedented dialogue with the new authorities. In late August, the Israeli army launched an aerial operation south of Damascus, according to a Syrian state media outlet. Israel has not confirmed the attack but Defense Minister Israel Katz stated that forces operate "day and night" wherever necessary for the country's security. SANA reported earlier this month that Israeli soldiers detained seven people in the southern province of Quneitra, whom the Israeli army told AFP at the time were "suspected of terrorist activity".After Assad's fall, the Israeli army entered the demilitarized buffer zone of the Golan Heights, bordering the part of the Syrian plateau occupied by Israel, and its forces regularly conduct incursions into southern Syria. Its troops hold positions in southern Syria. Syria and Israel have been officially at war since 1948 but are engaged in negotiations under US mediation to reduce tensions.

Russia Sends High-Level Team to Syria to Discuss Aid, Energy
Asharq Al Awsat/September 09/2025
Russia on Tuesday sent a big delegation to Syria, headed by its top energy official, in its most visible effort yet to build relations with the government that toppled former President Bashar al-Assad, a key ally of Moscow, late last year. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said in televised comments that Russia and Qatar are discussing humanitarian aid to Syria and the restoration of its energy sector. He did not spell out what form of support they might provide. Syria's energy sector was crippled by the country's 13-year civil war, which made it highly reliant on imports, especially from Iran. Novak, who is President Vladimir Putin's point man for energy issues, is heading a large Russian delegation with representatives of various ministries including defense. In comments broadcast by Russian television, he said Moscow could use its network of contacts in the Middle East to help the Syrian government. "I would like to emphasize the unique negotiating capabilities of Russia, which maintains contacts with Israel and all ethnic groups in Syria. We propose using this factor to stabilize the situation in Syria," Novak said. Syria's state news agency quoted Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani as alluding indirectly to Russia's history of support for Assad, to whom it provided extensive military backing. "Our relationship with Russia is deep and has witnessed periods of friendship and cooperation, but there has never been a balance. Any foreign presence on our soil must be aimed at helping the Syrian people build their future," Shaibani said. Novak said Russia shared the Syrian government's concerns about the "destructive" actions of Israel, including air strikes on Syria. The Russian official said his trip was a good opportunity to discuss the "entire range" of cooperation between Russia and Syria, and Moscow attached great importance to the upcoming visit of President Ahmed al-Sharaa to Moscow for a Russia-Arab summit. Among Russia's key priorities is to maintain the use of a naval base and an airfield, which, during Assad's rule, gave it an important military foothold in the region. Novak did not refer to the military facilities in his remarks.

Princeton researcher Tsurkov released from militia captivity in Iraq, Trump says
Reuters/September 10/2025
US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that Israeli-Russian researcher Elizabeth Tsurkov, who was kidnapped in Iraq over two years ago, had been released from captivity by Shia militia Kataib Hezbollah. Tsurkov “is now safely in the American Embassy in Iraq after being tortured for many months,” Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform. Tsurkov’s release was also announced by Iraq’s prime minister. Tsurkov, a Princeton University researcher, went missing in Iraq during a research trip in March 2023. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked Trump for his help in gaining Tsurkov’s release, a senior US official said. The release came days after Trump signed an executive order paving the way for the US to designate countries around the world as state sponsors of wrongful detention and impose punitive measures on those it deems are wrongfully holding Americans. Global Reach, a nonprofit that works for the release of Americans held in captivity abroad, said in a statement that Tsurkov had received a medical assessment at the embassy. Emma Tsurkov, one of Elizabeth’s sisters, said in the statement her family was thankful to the Trump administration for helping secure her release. “We cannot wait to see Elizabeth and give her all the love we have been waiting to share for 903 days,” Emma Tsurkov said. In a statement on social media confirming Tsurkov’s release, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani said: “We reaffirm once again that we will not be lenient in enforcing the law and upholding the authority of the state, and we will not allow anyone to tarnish the reputation of Iraq and Iraqis.” Under the administration of former President Joe Biden, Tsurkov’s family struggled to get Washington to throw its weight behind efforts to secure her release. US officials then said there was little they could do because she is not an American citizen. A Trump administration hostage negotiator traveled to Iraq in February to push for Tsurkov’s release, according to sources.

Macron names defense minister Sebastien Lecornu new PM: Presidency
AFP/September 09/2025
French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday named Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu as the new prime minister to replace Francois Bayrou, who survived just nine months in office, the presidency said. Macron has told Lecornu "to consult the political forces represented in parliament with a view to adopting a budget for the nation and making the agreements essential for the decisions of the coming months," the Elysee said in a statement.

Iran, IAEA Agree on New Terms for Cooperation
Grossi: Agreement on Resuming Inspections in Iran a "Step in the Right Direction"
Riyadh: Al Arabiya.net and Agencies//September 9, 2025
Iran said on Tuesday that it had agreed to a new cooperation framework with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) after suspending cooperation following the June attacks by Israel and the United States. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei told state television following a meeting in Cairo between Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi and IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi: "Iran and the IAEA have reached an understanding on how to deal with the new circumstances." Grossi, for his part, said today that the agreement reached with Araqchi on how to fully resume inspections in Iran is "an important step in the right direction." The IAEA Director General wrote on Twitter: "In Cairo today, we agreed with the Iranian Foreign Minister on the practical mechanisms for resuming inspection activities in Iran... This is an important step in the right direction." For its part, Egypt expressed hope that the agreement signed between Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Cairo on Tuesday would pave the way for a new path in negotiations over Iran's nuclear program. "We hope that the agreement will open the door to convergence of views with the three European countries, allowing for an understanding that will lead to a return to the negotiating table between Iran and the United States, in preparation for reaching a comprehensive and satisfactory agreement," Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdel Aty said at a joint press conference with Araghchi and Grossi in Cairo. The IAEA held talks with Iran to determine ways to resume full inspections of its key nuclear sites following the Israeli and US bombing in June. Tehran suspended cooperation with the agency after it failed to condemn the unprecedented war launched by Israel on June 13. Israel bombed nuclear and military facilities and residential areas, killing more than a thousand people. The United States, an ally of Israel, intervened in the war, bombing three nuclear facilities at Fordow, Isfahan, and Natanz. The Israeli attack on Iran came as the latter was negotiating with the United States regarding a new agreement on its nuclear program. Tehran withdrew from the talks after the attack. Following the war, Tehran confirmed that cooperation with the IAEA would take a "new form." In late August, a team of UN agency inspectors briefly returned to Iran to oversee fuel replacement at Bushehr, Iran's main nuclear power plant. However, Araghchi noted that their return did not mean a resumption of full cooperation with the agency. While Washington and Tehran did not resume negotiations, Tehran held talks on its file with the three European countries party to the 2015 agreement (France, Britain, and Germany). However, in late August, these parties activated the "snapback mechanism" included in the agreement, which allows for the reimposition of UN sanctions on Tehran. The three countries gave Iran 30 days to reach a settlement before the sanctions would be reimposed. Western countries suspect Iran of seeking to acquire nuclear weapons, but Iran denies this and defends its right to develop a nuclear program for civilian purposes.

The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources on September 09-10/2025
Pakistan: The Latest Victim of Communist China's BRI Debt Trap?
Lawrence A. Franklin/Gatestone Institute/September 09/2025
Pakistan, which possesses nuclear weapons, is nevertheless almost totally dependent on the People's Republic of China for military weapons systems, infrastructure improvement and energy projects.
Pakistan is also in debt to China, its largest creditor, to the tune of $29 billion. Without continued Chinese financial assistance, Pakistan would fail to meet scheduled repayments of its international debt, which now amounts to $130 billion.
China's financial rescue of its South Asian ally probably saved Pakistan from having the International Monetary Fund (IMF) declare it global credit risk. Such a declaration by the IMF could have resulted in the severe curtailment of foreign investment, as well as to decreased access to additional international loans. Consequently, if this had materialized, even China, might not have been able to stabilize the government of Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, which already is struggling to survive amidst soaring inflation, a weakening currency, high unemployment and dwindling foreign reserves.
China might initially have hoped that Pakistan would serve as a model to attract interest from other states to embrace its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). China has sponsored 122 BRI projects in Pakistan, and might also have hoped, as with other BRI investments, to create a debt trap for Pakistan, as it has for other nations.... As of 2021, according to The Guardian, "Researchers have identified debts of at least $385bn (£286bn) owed by 165 countries to China for 'Belt and road initiative' (BRI) projects..."
Two interconnected flagship projects of China's BRI program in Pakistan significantly threaten to reduce Pakistan's national sovereignty: the "China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), and the Gwadar Port Facility in Southwestern Pakistan along the coastline of the Arabian Sea.... Both projects appear to serve China's interests more than they do Pakistan's.
Pakistan's latest sovereignty-concession is its caving to China's insistence that it improve relations with Afghanistan's Taliban regime.... The TTP's primary objective is to overthrow the government of Pakistan, replacing it with a strict Islamist state. Despite this bloody feud between the Kabul and Islamabad, Beijing has agreed to extend the CPEC BRI project to include Afghanistan.
Gwadar is likely eventually to serve as a Chinese naval base, which will help challenge India's prominence in the Indian Ocean. Gwadar also would provide China with increased power projection in the Indo-Pacific Region. China's aggressive intrusion into its permissive ally Pakistan, certainly, violates Beijing's stated "Principle of Non-Interference" that supposedly governs its diplomatic relations.
This latest projection of power in the Indian Ocean region is similar to what China has already achieved off the Horn of Africa, with its naval base at Djibouti, and -- take notice, United States and its Latin American allies -- what Communist China could be planning for Peru's new mega-port on the eastern Pacific.
Pakistan, which possesses nuclear weapons, is nevertheless almost totally dependent on the People's Republic of China for military weapons systems, infrastructure improvement and energy projects. Pakistan is also in debt to China, its largest creditor, to the tune of $29 billion. Without continued Chinese financial assistance, Pakistan would fail to meet scheduled repayments of its international debt, which now amounts to $130 billion.
Pakistan, which possesses nuclear weapons, is nevertheless almost totally dependent on the People's Republic of China for military weapons systems, infrastructure improvement and energy projects.
Pakistan is also in debt to China, its largest creditor, to the tune of $29 billion. Without continued Chinese financial assistance, Pakistan would fail to meet scheduled repayments of its international debt, which now amounts to $130 billion.
Pakistan's foreign policy decision-making is also reportedly hostage to Chinese influence. Islamabad has even established joint border security programs with Chinese paramilitary teams, an arrangement that additionally threatens Pakistani sovereignty.
China supplies more than 80% of Pakistan's weapons systems, from spare parts to jet fighter aircraft. China also provides Pakistan's navy with guided missile frigates. A recently released US Defense Intelligence Agency report stipulates that Pakistan has urged China to provide it with the J-35A stealth fighter to improve its performance in any future conflict with India. Chinese weapons already in Pakistan's inventory, such as JF-17 fighter jets and PL-5 missiles, failed to repel India's May 7 strike on Pakistani airbases.
It seems certain that Pakistan could not fight a large-scale conventional war against its archrival India without massive and continuous Chinese military resupply. Sweden's Stockholm International Peace and Research Institute (SIPRI) asserts that four out of five weapon systems in Pakistan's inventory are Chinese. Only with a wartime decision by China to open a second front against India, would Pakistan have a chance.
A few years ago, China and Pakistan celebrated 70 years of their so-called "Iron Brotherhood" and "All Weather Alliance." The alliance evolved from Pakistan's refusal to condemn China's participation in the Korean War in the early 1950s. Today, Beijing is crucial in preventing Islamabad's government from economic collapse.
Upon Islamabad's request, Beijing has, once again, been willing to roll over Pakistan's scheduled debt repayments and to issue new loans. China's financial rescue of its South Asian ally probably saved Pakistan from having the International Monetary Fund (IMF) declare it global credit risk. Such a declaration by the IMF could have resulted in the severe curtailment of foreign investment, as well as to decreased access to additional international loans. Consequently, if this had materialized, even China, might not have been able to stabilize the government of Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, which already is struggling to survive amidst soaring inflation, a weakening currency, high unemployment and dwindling foreign reserves.
China might initially have hoped that Pakistan would serve as a model to attract interest from other states to embrace its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). China has sponsored 122 BRI projects in Pakistan, and might also have hoped, as with other BRI investments, to create a debt trap for Pakistan, as it has for other nations. When a country is unable to repay its debt to China, China simply helps itself to that country's assets – ports, minerals, whatever -- as collateral on the loan. As of 2021, according to The Guardian, "Researchers have identified debts of at least $385bn (£286bn) owed by 165 countries to China for 'Belt and road initiative' (BRI) projects..."
Phase II of the China/Pakistan BRI Plan has been accelerated to be fully implemented by 2028 in order to address Pakistan's pressing needs, such as job creation and developing alternate means of energy production.
Two interconnected flagship projects of China's BRI program in Pakistan significantly threaten to reduce Pakistan's national sovereignty: the "China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), and the Gwadar Port Facility in Southwestern Pakistan along the coastline of the Arabian Sea.
CPEC is a transportation project running the length of the country, connecting Pakistan's Arabian Sea ports of Karachi and Gwadar with China's Xinjiang Province, where the Chinese Communist Party has virtually enslaved the region's ethnic Uighur people. Both projects appear to serve China's interests more than they do Pakistan's. CPEC employs Chinese engineers, railroad workers, and paramilitary security personnel. Pakistan agreed, nearly a decade ago, in a de facto abridgment of Pakistan's sovereignty, to establish joint security patrols on both sides of its 600-mile border with Xinjiang to satisfy Chinese security concern that Uighur guerrillas could be using Pakistani territory as a safe haven. Islamabad, late last year, even acquiesced to Beijing's insistence that Pakistani border police be trained in a Chinese paramilitary academy in Xinjiang.
Pakistan's latest sovereignty-concession is its caving to China's insistence that it improve relations with Afghanistan's Taliban regime. Pakistan's anger at the Afghan Taliban stems from a belief that the regime in Kabul has granted territorial sanctuary and financial support to its "cousins" in Pakistan, the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). The TTP has staged terrorist attacks in Pakistan over the last few years, resulting in the killing of thousands of soldiers and policemen. The TTP's primary objective is to overthrow the government of Pakistan, replacing it with a strict Islamist state. Despite this bloody feud between the Kabul and Islamabad, Beijing has agreed to extend the CPEC BRI project to include Afghanistan.
The planned expansion of Pakistan's Gwadar Port complex will facilitate and accelerate the delivery to China of vitally needed oil from the Arab Middle East. Gwadar is likely eventually to serve as a Chinese naval base, which will help challenge India's prominence in the Indian Ocean. Gwadar also would provide China with increased power projection in the Indo-Pacific Region. China's aggressive intrusion into its permissive ally Pakistan, certainly, violates Beijing's stated "Principle of Non-Interference" that supposedly governs its diplomatic relations.
This latest projection of power in the Indian Ocean region is similar to what China has already achieved off the Horn of Africa, with its naval base at Djibouti, and -- take notice, United States and its Latin American allies -- what Communist China could be planning for Peru's new mega-port on the eastern Pacific.
**Dr. Lawrence A. Franklin was the Iran Desk Officer for Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld. He also served on active duty with the U.S. Army and as a Colonel in the Air Force Reserve.
© 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.

Turkey is escalating tensions in the Mediterranean (again)
Sinan Ciddi/Kathimerini/September 09/2025
Turkey is once again stoking tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean – this time by undermining the sovereignty of Greece and Cyprus while wagering that Washington and Brussels will look the other way. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government is maneuvering through Libya, where it hopes to secure support from both Tripoli and Benghazi to enforce a 2019 maritime pact that expands Turkish claims deep into disputed Mediterranean waters.
That pact, signed with the Tripoli-based government of Fayez al-Sarraj at the height of Libya’s civil war, was no ordinary maritime deal. Turkey provided weapons, advisers, and even deployed troops to shore up al-Sarraj’s fragile regime. In exchange, Ankara walked away with an agreement granting itself exploration rights far beyond its internationally recognized maritime boundaries. The deal enraged Greece, Cyprus and Egypt, who rightly saw it as a direct assault on their sovereignty.
Now Erdogan is doubling down – courting his former adversary, Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, and his Libyan National Army in the east. Ankara hosted Haftar in July, and Turkish intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin paid him a surprise visit in Benghazi on August 25, even meeting Haftar’s son Saddam. Reports indicate Turkey is considering dispatching military trainers and advisers to his forces. Last month, a Turkish warship docked in both Tripoli and Benghazi, hosting senior officials from both governments. And Turkish Airlines has resumed commercial flights to Benghazi – another signal that Ankara intends to normalize relations across Libya.
Erdogan will argue these overtures serve stability, providing channels between two rival Libyan authorities that the United Nations has failed to unify. Turkey also sees profit: Turkish firms are positioning themselves for postwar reconstruction contracts in Libyan cities. But make no mistake – these moves are designed to entrench Ankara’s illegal maritime pact and secure recognition of its claims from both sides of a fractured Libya.
If successful, Turkey will have carved out legal cover for gas and oil exploration across swaths of the Mediterranean that overlap with Greece’s and Cyprus’s exclusive economic zones (EEZ). This raises the risk of direct confrontation not just between Turkey and its neighbors but between NATO allies in contested waters. The EU condemned the 2019 deal, but its response stopped short of real consequences. Washington, distracted by Ukraine and China, has also largely ignored Ankara’s maneuvers.
This is not uncharted territory. From 2019 to 2022, Erdogan repeatedly threatened military action against Greece and Cyprus. Turkish drillships, escorted by navy vessels, roamed inside Cypriot and Greek waters. Erdogan boasted that Turkish forces could “come in the middle of the night” to seize Greek islands – territory Turkey formally relinquished in 1923. By late 2022, however, Ankara pulled back. Its economy was floundering, and its belligerence had spurred neighbors to form the East Mediterranean Gas Forum, cementing recognition of existing boundaries, and to back the India-Middle East-Europe Corridor, an ambitious trade initiative countering Chinese influence.
Today, Erdogan calculates the balance has shifted in his favor. Since the collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Damascus last December, Turkey sees itself as better positioned to assert power. Ankara has cultivated close ties with Syria’s new leadership under Ahmed al-Sharaa and envisions tapping Syria’s offshore gas reserves. Together with partners such as Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan, Erdogan hopes to advance a pipeline project carrying regional gas to Europe – one that would turn Turkey into the indispensable energy hub for the West.
Greece and Cyprus would contend that Turkey’s ambitions to dominate the Mediterranean reach back well into the past. Both EU members point to Ankara’s “Blue Homeland” naval doctrine, which aims to revise maritime boundaries in the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean in ways that would drastically curtail their territorial waters. For years, Turkey has promoted a maritime vision that refuses to recognize the territorial waters and EEZ’s granted to Greece and Cyprus under international law. Within the framework of “Blue Homeland,” Ankara advances a map that seeks to overturn established and internationally recognized maritime borders, awarding itself a vastly expanded maritime domain previously unacknowledged. Originally conceived by former senior Turkish naval officers and political allies, this nationalist vision has since been elevated to an official policy under the Erdogan government. Its prominence is underscored by the fact that the 2025 theme of “Teknofest” – Turkey’s annual defense industry showcase – is explicitly dedicated to “Blue Homeland.”
Turkey’s maneuverings in Libya should not be viewed in isolation – they are part of a broader ambition to dominate the Middle East and North Africa. In July 2025, Erdogan announced deepened ties with Somalia, where Turkey has poured resources into infrastructure, education and healthcare. Far more consequential, however, is the military footprint: Ankara operates its largest overseas base in Mogadishu, training Somali forces while securing a strategic platform on the Horn of Africa.
For Israel, this is alarming. Turkish forces could use Somali territory as a launchpad for operations against the Jewish state, deploying medium-range ballistic missiles and other precision weapons capable of striking Israel’s major population centers. Ankara’s hostility toward Israel, sharpened by the war in Gaza, is matched by its broader ambition to step into the vacuum left by Iran’s decline and Assad’s fall in Syria. Israeli officials now see Turkey positioning itself as the new regional hegemon – Syria’s patron and Israel’s direct challenger.
Cyprus, too, finds itself caught in Ankara’s crosshairs. Turkey has occupied the northern third of the island since 1974, but what was once a Cypriot problem has become a wider security dilemma. Since 2021, Turkey has stationed armed drones such as the Bayraktar and Akinci in northern Cyprus, systems able to target Israeli gas rigs, naval assets, and critical infrastructure. Adding to the threat, Ankara has deployed ATMACA anti-ship missiles, their 200-kilometer range covering Israel’s offshore energy fields.
The pace of Turkish weapons development intensifies these concerns. At the 2025 International Defense Industry Fair, Ankara unveiled the Tayfun 4 missile – marketed as capable of reaching Israel – and the Gazap, its most powerful aerial bomb, designed to pierce hardened bunkers and deployable by Turkish F-16s. Each unveiling underscores Ankara’s determination to back rhetoric with muscle.
In this context, Turkey’s push to enlist Libya’s support for redrawing maritime boundaries in the Mediterranean looks less like a diplomatic maneuver and more like a prelude to enforcement. With bases in Somalia, drones and missiles in Cyprus, and expanding ballistic capabilities at home, Ankara is steadily building the force posture to impose its revisionist claims. For Israel, Greece and Cyprus, Turkey’s message is unmistakable: Ankara intends to dictate the new balance of power across the Mediterranean and beyond.
The danger is that Erdogan’s ambitions rest not on cooperation but coercion. By rewriting maritime borders unilaterally and courting both sides of a divided Libya, Turkey signals that it does not accept international law when it stands in the way of its geopolitical designs. With Europe preoccupied and Washington spread thin, Ankara is exploiting distraction to normalize behavior that only heightens the risk of armed conflict in the Mediterranean. Erdogan’s brinkmanship is not merely about energy resources. It is a bid for regional dominance at the expense of NATO allies, international law, and stability in the Mediterranean. Ignoring these provocations – as Brussels and Washington seem inclined to do – will only invite further escalation.

Why Israel’s strikes inside Syria are fueling fears of unrest and partition
ANAN TELLO/Arab News/September 09, 2025
LONDON: Israel’s sporadic strikes on southern Syria and its push to demilitarize the region are prompting concern about an alleged plan to carve up the country. At the center of speculation is a land bridge — a so-called David’s Corridor — from the occupied Golan Heights in the south to Kurdish-controlled territory in the northeast.These concerns intensified in July, when Israel carried out several airstrikes on government buildings in Damascus and against Syrian forces near Suweida, saying it sought to protect the Druze minority amid deadly sectarian clashes.
On Aug. 28, Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel was “focusing on three things: protecting the Druze community in the Suweida governorate, but not only there; creating a demilitarized zone stretching from the Golan Heights (passing) south of Damascus down to and including Suweida; and establishing a humanitarian corridor to allow the delivery of aid.”In a video shared by his office, the Israeli prime minister claimed that discussions with the Syrian government on these measures were underway. Syrian officials struck a different note. Four days earlier, interim President Ahmad Al-Sharaa said his priority was “a return to the 1974 disengagement agreement or a similar arrangement — establishing security in southern Syria under international supervision,” Al-Majalla reported. That accord, signed after the 1973 Yom Kippur War, created a UN-monitored buffer zone on the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.
Al-Sharaa also noted in public remarks on Aug. 17 that his interim government has “another battle ahead of us to unify Syria, and it should not be with blood and military force … it should be through some kind of understanding because Syria is tired of war.”
Netanyahu’s video statement followed a reported meeting in Paris between Asaad Al-Shaibani, Syria’s foreign minister, and Ron Dermer, Israel’s strategic affairs minister. Talks centered on de-escalation and the volatile situation in Suweida, according to Syrian state media. The violence in Syria’s southernmost governorate erupted in mid-July, when clashes between Druze militias and Bedouin tribes killed more than 200 people in days. Government forces entered Suweida city on July 15, imposed a curfew, and said they were there to “restore stability.”That deployment drew Israel into the fight. Its forces struck Syrian military convoys, tanks and installations in Suweida and Damascus, describing the attacks as warnings to the Al-Sharaa government. Since a coalition of opposition factions toppled Bashar Assad’s regime on Dec. 8, Israel has launched hundreds of strikes across Syria. One of the latest came in late August, when an Israeli drone hit a Syrian army facility in Kiswah, west of Damascus, a defense ministry official told AFP. Rights groups say Druze civilians have indeed borne the brunt of the violence. Amnesty International said on Sept. 2 it had documented “compelling new evidence” that government and allied forces carried out “extrajudicial executions of Druze people on 15 and 16 July in Suweida.”
Syrian authorities denied involvement.
Meanwhile, the humanitarian crisis in the Druze heartland has deepened. Ongoing clashes, looting, and displacement have left more than 187,000 people — Druze, Christian and Bedouin — in need of shelter, food, water and medical care, according to a UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs report. The Aug. 29 report also highlighted that insecurity, blocked routes, and explosive hazards continue to complicate aid delivery. However, some analysts say Israel’s intervention in Syria goes beyond humanitarian claims. They see the Netanyahu government reshaping southern Syria’s security landscape while presenting its actions as minority protection. “Today, clearly, Israel sees a potential ally in the Druze, and that’s one of the motivations behind their intervention in Syria,” Ibrahim Al-Assil, the Syria Project lead for the Atlantic Council’s Middle East programs, told BBC in July.
He added in the televised interview that after Assad’s fall, Israel decided “to take things into their own hands” and not trust any upcoming Syrian government for its security, and instead launched a sweeping air campaign.
Hussam Hammoud, a Syrian journalist, echoes that assessment, saying Israel is motivated partly by security concerns and partly by a desire to project power. According to him, Israel’s military operations in Syria are “driven largely, as declared, by Israel’s concerns over uncontrolled attacks that could spill into the territory Israel controls.”
“At the same time, Israel is keen to demonstrate its dominance to the entire region, particularly to the emerging governments in Syria and Lebanon, especially in the aftermath of the crippling or severe weakening of Iran’s proxy forces along its borders,” he told Arab News. Indeed, Iran’s proxies in the Levant have suffered heavy blows. Hezbollah has lost strength in southern Lebanon since the September 2024 escalation, during which Israel killed the group’s leader Hassan Nasrallah. Hamas, too, has been severely weakened by Israel’s ongoing offensive in Gaza.
Nevertheless, Hammoud cautioned that “new proxy actors are beginning to take shape in the region.”Other analysts point to the Druze dimension in Israel. “If you’re Druze in the southern province of Suweida in Syria, you’re thankful that Israel carried out these attacks,” said Firas Maksad, managing director for the Middle East and North Africa at the Eurasia Group. He explained in a July interview with CNN that Israel’s attacks “held back what are ostensibly government forces, but in reality, really, jihadi fighters.” He added that some of those fighters were foreign and, therefore, “more willing to commit these atrocities.”UN experts voiced concerns last month over armed attacks on Druze communities in and around Suweida, with reports of massacres, destruction of property, and sexual violence against women and girls, coupled with online incitement “portraying them (the Druze) as Israeli allies.”
Israel’s strikes and warnings to the Al-Sharaa government have certainly played a role in pushing toward a US-brokered ceasefire. The truce ended Druze-Bedouin clashes and forced government troops to withdraw, but it remains fragile.
FASTFACTS
• In December, Israel invaded southern Syria, occupying about 400 sq. km and declaring the 1974 disengagement deal void after Assad’s fall.
• It also says its presence prevents arms transfers to Iran-backed groups in Lebanon, secures its northern border, protects Syria’s Druze and Kurds.
• In mid-July, Israel carried out strikes on Suweida and Damascus, saying they were needed to protect Syria’s Druze community.
Nevertheless, Maksad stressed that Israel’s humanitarian motives must not be exaggerated. “We have to remember also that there had been more than a decade-old civil war in Syria. Over half a million Syrians have lost their lives,” he said. “Israel did not intervene then to help anybody.”
“So clearly here, Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu ought to defend what is Israeli interest, Israeli influence in southern Syria,” he added. “He’s much buoyed by the recent war against Iran, where he emerged victorious, also against Hezbollah in Lebanon.”
Domestic politics may also be a factor. Israel’s 150,000-strong Druze community, concentrated in Galilee, Carmel and the Golan Heights, lobbied heavily for intervention, Maksad noted. Indeed, about 80 percent of Druze men serve in the IDF, according to the UK-based Religion Media Center.
Moreover, on Sept. 2, Sheikh Muwafaq Tarif, the Druze spiritual leader in Israel, told Euronews during a visit to Brussels that “if there had been no Israeli intervention, the Druze community in Suweida would have been wiped out.”In Suweida, residents say an unofficial siege has persisted since July’s violence. Some have reportedly called for a safe route linking them to the Kurdish-led administration in northeast Syria. Mazloum Abdi, chief of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), was quoted as saying on July 16 that the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) had received appeals from the Druze in Suweida to “secure safe passages for civilians and to stop the attacks targeting them.” “The cause of our Druze people is a national issue, and its solution must be constitutional and through resorting to dialogue,” he said.
That plea raises a larger question: Could Israel’s demand for a demilitarized zone and an aid route signal ambitions for a “David’s Corridor”?
The Toronto-based Geopolitical Monitor says that the corridor, though never officially announced, “emerges as a discernible pattern of operations, alliances, and infrastructural ambitions that together suggest a coherent design.”
But Al-Sharaa does not see Syria at risk of division. “Some people desire a process of dividing Syria and trying to establish cantons ... this matter is impossible,” he said in a televised address on Aug. 17. For its part, Israel justifies its bombing campaign in Syria as an attack on what it calls a government of “terrorists.”
Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham, which led the December assault that ousted Assad, is an Al-Qaeda affiliate. But the US administration, as it softens its approach to post-war Syria, said in early July it was revoking HTS’s designation as a foreign terrorist organization.
However, even as Washington works to balance Israel’s security demands with Syria’s territorial integrity, Israeli forces recently advanced into the southern province of Quneitra.
“Despite the declared hostility, widely interpreted as Israeli hostility toward the Syrian transitional government, both sides remain at the negotiating table, maintaining an open and uncontested political channel,” Hammoud, the Syrian journalist, said.
Israel’s assaults have drawn international condemnation. Saudi Arabia called them a “flagrant violation” of Syria’s sovereignty and international law. Qatar urged decisive action to halt what it called “repeated attacks on Syrian territory.”On the ground, Israel has entrenched itself. Satellite images analyzed by BBC Verify show new Israeli bases built in and around the UN-patrolled demilitarized zone. At the same time, ties with Kurdish forces in the northeast are believed to have grown. Israel has long supported autonomy for Syrian Kurds, backing their independence referendum in 2017 and later endorsing calls for semi-autonomy in post-Assad Syria. But also, AANES leaders have sought accommodation with Al-Sharaa’s government. A March agreement between Abdi and Al-Sharaa aimed to integrate Kurdish forces into the transitional government, a deal Washington welcomed as a step toward reconstruction. However, a recent eruption of clashes between the SDF and government forces in parts of Deir Ezzor and Aleppo underscored the deal’s fragility.
Some see opportunity in the “David Corridor” speculation. Ashtyako Poorkarim, head of the Kurdistan Independence Movement in Iran, wrote in The Times of Israel that a David’s Corridor could serve as “a new bridge between Israel, Kurdistan and the West.”
Israeli Druze greet Syrian Druze who cross the border from Syria. (Reuters)
But Hammoud dismissed the idea as little more than rumor. “Frankly, I don’t believe the project exists beyond rumors and political analysis that aspires to turn speculation into reality,” he said, stressing that “there is no concrete field or operational evidence for such a corridor.”“The complex geographic and demographic changes make the project unfeasible,” he told Arab News. “The overlap of international and regional powers (the international actors who will lose their access in Syria with such a project) creates almost insurmountable obstacles to its implementation.”Hammoud believes “the idea is used more as a tool of pressure and mobilization than as a realistic plan,” adding that “local and military actors (including Druze) have denied all claims about the existence of or support for such a route.”
“David’s Corridor” may very well remain a rumor, but Israel’s strikes, incursions and bases undeniably have created new facts on the ground. Under the circumstance, the greater question is whether unity can prevail in a Syria struggling with unrest long after its civil war has ended.

How America could lead the next era of digital innovation
Gene Burrus/Arab News/September 09, 2025
Two operating systems, Apple iOS and Google Android, dominate the mobile app ecosystem and, over the last decade, a worldwide consensus has emerged on two issues. First, these platforms have amassed significant, persistent market power with which to extract monopoly rents from consumers and business users, and they frequently act anticompetitively and abusively to protect it. Second, traditional enforcement under existing abuse-of-dominance and monopolization statutes has been too slow and too uncertain to deter these megafirms, which command resources and power exceeding those of many countries and governments. While traditional enforcement of existing competition laws has produced some significant cases in the US, Europe, Brazil and elsewhere, there have also been new legislative efforts. Laws have been passed, or are being considered, in various jurisdictions around the world, each with the goal of reining in the power and abuses of Big Tech.Even in the US, there was bipartisan support for the Open App Markets Act in 2022. That year, the bill made significant progress in Congress, passing the Senate Judiciary Committee with a 20-2 favorable vote. But, owing to the Senate leadership’s priorities, it was never given a floor vote and now the need for such legislation is even more apparent. American consumers and businesses continue to suffer from the exploitative conduct of the digital gatekeepers, which extract excessive rents and fees, crush competing businesses and business models and wield undue influence (sometimes through outright denial of access) over new apps and technologies.Ensuring open competition is crucial if existing and aspiring independent developers and innovators are to build their businesses, create jobs and benefit consumers. The countries that get this right — and that do so quickly — will become the next big destinations for investments in digital innovation.Consumers and businesses continue to suffer from the exploitative conduct of the digital gatekeepers. The opportunities available to those who restore meaningful competition will be immense. This is not just speculation. Decades ago, it was Silicon Valley that championed antitrust enforcement against Microsoft, which effectively controlled access to the internet at the time. The US Department of Justice took the lead and, thanks to its effective enforcement, the tech companies that we now know as household names were able to flourish. Would companies like Apple and Google have thrived, or even survived, if Microsoft had been allowed to extract 30 percent of their revenues or unfairly compete with their products on PCs? Or would they have gone the way of Netscape?
We face a similar situation today, only now it is Apple and Google that control the platforms — mobile devices — where consumers increasingly (and, in many cases, exclusively) access internet services and information. Whether we can unleash a new wave of independent innovation, investment and business growth to rival that of the last 20 years will depend on whether we can address the problem of market power.
The opportunity for American developers, businesses and consumers cannot be understated. Just as Silicon Valley saw massive growth in the early 2000s thanks to US antitrust leadership against Microsoft, the countries that lead in this decade will be where innovative businesses are drawn to invest and grow. The alternative is indefinite control of our digital lives by two of the largest and most powerful companies in human history, not for the sake of innovation and entrepreneurship, but simply to protect their financial interests.
The countries that lead in this decade will be where innovative businesses are drawn to invest and grow. As the rest of the world acts, it is important that the US take a leadership role, rather than deferring to others and awaiting the uncertain vagaries of piecemeal litigation that might take a decade to work itself out. That means passing new legislation to ensure that all businesses can compete and succeed or fail on the merits of their offerings, rather than because they happen to be aligned with the current gatekeepers’ financial interests. Although litigation ultimately worked 25 years ago (with Apple and Google being the biggest beneficiaries), it came too late for many companies that tried to compete in the 1990s. The Open App Markets Act would ensure that American consumers can benefit from lower prices and innovations from all corners of the digital economy. It would prevent mobile gatekeepers from unfairly leveraging their power over mobile devices to pick winners and losers, and to demand extractive fees from everyone doing business on the mobile internet. It would ensure that these mobile ecosystems are platforms for all innovators and entrepreneurs, not just those aligned with the current behemoths’ financial interests. And it would do so in a time frame that would benefit today’s companies and consumers, rather than those that might be around a decade from now.
Many may not even realize what they are missing, given how dominant the two mobile gatekeepers have become. But America (and the world) has a choice: unleash the next wave of business growth or become a vassal of digital gatekeepers whose highest priority is safeguarding their rents.
**Gene Burrus is a competition law attorney.
**Copyright: Project Syndicate

Washington: Adding Enemies Is a Costly and Dangerous Policy
Eyad Abu Shakra/Asharq Al Awsat/September 09/2025
The sanctions announced by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on organizations documenting Israeli war crimes and human rights violations in the Gaza Strip were striking. This announcement came just days after the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit, which had brought China, Russia, and India together, and during which the three great powers concluded agreements that could potentially cost the United States.
In “Donald Trump’s Washington,” documenting crimes, not committing them, is the real crime, even when the crimes range from the mass extermination of civilians to blatant ethnic cleansing. Over the past seven decades, we have seen, time and again, that the “special relationship” between Washington and every Israeli government always prevails. It would be naive to think, even for a moment, that the American establishment could treat Israel like any other polity in the Middle East.
It is worth nonetheless recalling historical instances when US administrations took a “firm, cautious, and good faith” stance to curb the excesses of fanatic Israeli leaders. Indeed, these administrations recognized that Israeli hardliners were putting the future of their own state at risk, and they intervened to rein them in. Ostensibly, they did so for Israel’s own good, to safeguard its security in a region they have long claimed is a hostile “sea of Arabs and Muslims”.
During the 1956 Suez Crisis, President Dwight Eisenhower’s administration sided with the Soviet Union against the Israeli-British-French on Egypt, the “Tripartite Aggression.” In 1991, US Secretary of State James Baker clashed with then-Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir when the latter refused to discuss the implementation of UN Resolutions 242 and 338. When he realized that Shamir had been trying to deceive Washington, Baker’s rage was visible: “If the Israelis want to cooperate with peace efforts and implement UN Resolutions, here’s the White House phone number. Call us!”
Both were Republican administrations. How does their approach compare to that of Trump?
Under the leadership of Eisenhower (1953–1961) and George H. W. Bush (1989–1993), the Republican Party was a “broad national tent” that included conservative and moderate liberals, as well as right-wing and centrist figures.
It also respected the peaceful transfer of power, valued democratic institutions, upheld the principle of separation of powers, and embraced national consensus. American politics had yet to drown in the “extremist hysteria” that MAGA now embodies. Blind personal loyalty was not the criteria for administrative and judicial appointments; it was competence, experience, and respectability. Internationally, the United States had clear political and strategic interests that it pursued through Atlantic partnerships and East Asian alliances, defining friends and foes on largely rational, consistent, and decisive grounds. Economically, its advocacy of the “free market” was rooted in its genuine pursuit of competitiveness, financial efficiency, and open markets, shunning the kinds of petty tariffs and “trade wars” that the Trump administration has imposed on a highly globalized, technologically advanced, and deeply interconnected global economy.
Many American and foreign analysts believe that the future of the US is precarious. No longer confined to fiscal and monetary strategies, its political disputes have become acrimonious and public. One example is the spat between President Trump and his “rival,” Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell. When it comes to defining political and strategic “friends” and “enemies,” the current administration has adopted a harmful, chaotic approach that has alienated allies and neighbors without making progress against competitors, neutralizing rivals, or articulating a coherent vision for dealing with the growing threats to its “unipolar” world.
The recent Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit in Tianjin, whose attendees represent nearly half of the world’s population, showed that the two Asian giants, China and India, are reconciling their differences. Despite longstanding border tensions and competing strategic projects (between China’s Belt and Road Initiative and India’s “India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor” (IMEC), US tariffs have pushed New Delhi and Beijing closer together. For his part, Russian President Vladimir Putin has effectively undermined the US-led effort to undermine his country internationally and weaken its economy following the Ukraine war. The rapprochement between China and India is a symbolic “victory” for Moscow, and it could deepen mistrust between Washington and its European NATO allies. Trump has demanded that the latter, particularly Germany, increase their NATO spending, has made overtures to Putin, and tried to purchase Greenland, undermining transatlantic relations and the trust of his allies. Trump seems indifferent to the costs of creating new adversaries and alienating allies.
Competitors who threaten its global hegemony have put their rivalries aside to move closer together and build a “new world order” that redraws spheres of influence.
Hindering this trajectory will become increasingly difficult if Washington continues to undermine its own educational and research institutions, undercut scientific and academic initiatives, and subordinate global international interests to the narrowest, most insular political whims. Progress does not mean clinging to the past. The world of tomorrow will inevitably be very different from the world of today.

Will Trump’s Imperial Presidency Last?
Ross Douthat/Op-Ed columnist for The New York Times/September 09/2025
A limp caudillo. That was a phrase I once applied to Donald Trump’s pretense to be a strongman, in a first term that was actually characterized by the imperial presidency’s retreat. Barack Obama and George W. Bush were far more successful at consolidating presidential power, and Trump 1.0 mostly demonstrated that an inexperienced, incompetent president could still be pinned down like Gulliver.But there is nothing limp or constrained about Trump 2.0: It’s an imperial presidency, full stop. We can debate how it compares with prior peaks of presidential Caesarism — Franklin Roosevelt still sets the standard — but the second term of Trumpism has exceeded its recent predecessors in powers claimed and exercised with minimal or ineffective opposition. The only question now is whether the change is permanent, whether Trump’s successors (of either party) will consolidate these powers or whether this version of the imperial presidency requires a man of destiny and will dissolve in the hands of a mere politician. Categorizing the powers is helpful. First are those that Trump has claimed within the executive branch — powers over the administrative state, over agencies and appointees and grant making. These have the clearest constitutional warrant, they’ve been partially ratified by the Supreme Court, their exercise has inspired spasms of protest but little significant political backlash, and a future Democratic president will be eager to use them to undo things that Trump has done. These are all reasons to expect that some version of the Trump-era unitary executive is here to stay. Second are the powers that Trump has claimed in areas where Congress has already abdicated or handed over some of its responsibilities but where no prior president tried to turn the ratchet quite so hard.
This week’s military attack on a boat allegedly carrying Venezuelan drug smugglers is a good example. The presidency has long assumed substantial powers to wage small wars and target terrorists without direct congressional authorization. But waging an undeclared war on narcocriminals is a further power grab, conspicuously lacking in legal justifications.
Likewise with Trump’s tariffs: Congress has ceded some form of the tariff power to the White House, and past presidents have happily put that prerogative to use. But the Trumpian trade war is more extraordinary, its legal justifications more strained and its implications for the economy obviously more substantial.
Will these ratchets last? In the first case, it seems very doubtful that Congress will ever seriously constrain presidential war powers. The shift from “only Congress declares war” to “the president can attack just about whomever he likes outside the country’s borders” might seem less naked under a less-bloody-minded chief executive, but I wouldn’t expect Trump’s precedent-setting drug war to yield a reversal or rebuke.
With tariffs, given their unpopularity, you might well expect a future Congress to impose stricter limits on presidential trade wars. Except that this would most likely require the cooperation of a future president, for whom the promise of a unilaterally available revenue stream may seem permanently attractive. Which suggests that the future of this power grab will depend primarily on whether the Supreme Court decides to reject or circumscribe it.
Finally, you have the powers that Trump has employed in a provisional and dubiously legal manner, on the theory that by the time his moves are reversed or his legal arguments rejected, the process will have already done its political work.
This category encompasses everything from his attacks on law firms and universities and his tacit shakedown of certain corporate leaders to various visa revocations and deportations that have not held up well in court to potentially his use of federal troops in cities like Los Angeles. In these cases Trump is proving that the executive can just do a lot of things before constitutional restraints catch up with him. And the reaction, from the willingness of some institutions to go along and settle to the clear shifts in immigrant behavior, shows that there is a real form of power here.
As such, it will be very tempting for future presidents to imitate him. But it’s also the place where Trump’s personal qualities are most decisive: his personal shamelessness and contempt for institutional norms, his ability to neuter intraparty rivals, push yes-men through the confirmation process and bend the principles of people in his orbit. I’m not sure a different Republican, however populist or combative, would have the same success, and likewise a normal Democrat. Some of Trump’s power is simply his own.
But that doesn’t mean he won’t leave a profoundly imperial legacy. For that legacy to somehow disappear, he would need to be not just restrained but comprehensively defeated, through some combination of wild overreach (a confrontation with the Supreme Court?) and policy disaster (a deep recession?).
Otherwise, even if he leaves office unpopular and even if the next president is a Democrat, this model of executive power will probably outlive the Caesar who created it.

Slected X tweets For September 09/2025
Benjamin Netanyahu - בנימין נתניהו
Prime Minister's Office: Today's action against the top terrorist chieftains of Hamas was a wholly independent Israeli operation. Israel initiated it, Israel conducted it, and Israel takes full responsibility.

i24NEWS English
@i24NEWS_EN
https://x.com/i/status/1965457957996429611
Israeli PM Netanyahu speaks at the U.S. embassy after the Qatar strike: "If President Trump’s proposal is accepted, the war can end immediately, and we can expand peace in the region"

Benjamin Netanyahu:
https://x.com/i/status/1965467741755683013
"I promised to reach them, and today, Israel and I have kept that promise. Much of the world has forgotten October 7, but I don't forget, and Israel will never forget. The days where Jews can be murdered with impunity are over."

Mossad Commentary
Statement of Condemnation: Qatar’s Complicity in Terror
The Jewish people and all people of conscience, utterly reject Qatar’s attempt to posture as a victim while it has for decades harbored, funded, and enabled the very terror organization responsible for endless rivers of blood: Hamas.
Qatar, you gave Hamas safe haven in Doha.
You financed its jihadi war machine.
You exported the ideology of the Muslim Brotherhood, poisoning societies far beyond the Middle East.
You turned Al Jazeera into a propaganda weapon to destabilize Western civilization and fuel hatred against Jews, Israel, and the free world.
Now you dare to condemn Israel for defending itself while your capital city has served as the headquarters of those who plot massacres of innocents.
The truth is clear: Qatar is not a neutral mediator, but a state sponsor of terror. Your hands are stained with Jewish, Arab, European, African, and American blood spilled by Hamas.
Your free ride of the last 20–30 years is over.
Your duplicity is exposed.
Your days of funding terror with impunity are done.
The world will not forget. And history will not forgive.
Your days are done.

Israel Defense Forces
The IDF and ISA conducted a precise strike targeting the senior leadership of the Hamas terrorist organization. For years, these members of the Hamas leadership have led the terrorist organization's operations, are directly responsible for the brutal October 7 massacre, and have been orchestrating and managing the war against the State of Israel. Prior to the strike, measures were taken in order to mitigate harm to civilians, including the use of precise munitions and additional intelligence. The IDF and ISA will continue to operate with determination in order to defeat the Hamas terrorist organization responsible for the October 7 massacre.

Lindsey Graham
To those who planned and cheered on the October 7 attack against Israel, the United States’ greatest ally in the region: This is your fate. To the Palestinian people: Your future depends on the political and military demise of Hamas. If Hamas lays down their weapons tomorrow, one of the most promising chapters in the history of the Palestinian people can begin. To those who want this war to end: Insist that Hamas surrender now. To my Israeli friends: I understand your determination to ensure there are no more “October 7” attacks and that those who want to destroy the Jewish state are denied that capability. I will always be your partner in this endeavor.To Lebanon: Hezbollah is on my mind. To Syria: Choose wisely.

Hussain Abdul-Hussain
https://x.com/i/status/1965437464127898073
@i24NEWS_EN
that #Israel strike in Doha changes some rules of the game: Those who plan attacks on Israel cannot be safe anywhere. It also tells Hamas leaders that Israel is out to get them, and given Israel's history of punishing those with Israeli blood on their hands, it'll stay on it until it gets them. Will this change Hamas's calculus and make them give up armed conflict against Israel, or will they take Palestinians to suicide? On whether Qatar knew about the strike beforehand, no one knows, Qatar has been playing the double game for decades, telling US and Israel behind closed doors that Doha loves them, while shouting on Aljazeera that the West should be destroyed and replaced by an Islamist rule.

Tommy Robinson
Hello Tommy,
I am a Lebanese Christian living in Beirut, old enough to remember the beautiful Lebanon before the Islamic/Palestinian/Arab invasion. I have fought against them for years and understand exactly how they operate. When they cannot defeat you militarily, they turn to demography, infiltrating every institution and every place they wish to occupy. Their strength lies in their numbers and in the certainty that, sooner or later, you will grow weary of their presence and abandon your homeland. Please do not allow what has happened to Lebanon to be repeated in the United Kingdom.
I worry for you

wassim Godfrey
Lebanon beirut has fallen even Christian leaders transformed to dhimmis calling for two-state solution and Palestinians cause sadly LONDON and Paris have fallen too

Mira
@MiraMedusa
https://x.com/i/status/1965126742005481658
More stories of violations and crimes by Syria’s Islamist jihadi regime against Druze civilians in #Sweida

Cedars and Saints
https://x.com/i/status/1965087492786544757
St. Maron was not just as a founder of the Maronite Church, but a man of Syriac-Aramaic descent, and a spiritual giant whose life in the wilderness ignited a flame of faith that still burns today. Through the ancient Syriac rite, his legacy continues to shape the Maronite identity.

To my Druze brothers and sisters in Suwayda
Rania Hamzeh 🇸🇨
To my Druze brothers and sisters in Suwayda, whose families, friends, and loved ones have been slaughtered, shot, kidnapped, and brutally murdered, stand strong. Our cause for a Druze state must not be wasted by those who sow division. The Druze of Israel have supported us unwaveringly, and we must honor their efforts. I reject sneaky, manipulative messages—like those spreading rumors about someone being a psychopath or jealous, only to turn on others when challenged. Such deceitful tactics, whether from fake accounts or hidden agendas, are not the support we need. They only create discord, and I have no trust in those who hide their true identities to undermine our unity. I’m blocking those two accounts ‘Narreddine “and ‘Sobalaan ‘ as they’re spreading hate messages and rumors about the Druze of Israel.
I stand openly with my true identity, fearing only my Creator, who alone decides when a soul is taken. I despise hypocrisy. How can we trust those who pretend to defend our cause while hiding behind false personas, ignoring the achievements of the Druze of Israel as if they’re not our brothers? They are not tools for anyone’s agenda. During the massacres, where was the support from those like Walid Jumblatt, who justified our bloodshed and shook hands with our killers? Choose your battles wisely and don’t waste effort on the wrong people. We don’t want to return to square one. We vowed to support each other, so let’s stay united.
Enough with fake accounts spreading trivialities or carefully woven conspiracies to divide us. You raised the blue flag, oh mountain of the Druze—wake up! There’s no turning back unless you want more bloodshed. Stop supporting villains whose identities are unknown. Stand with those who’ve backed us from the start, like Sheikh Mowaffak Tarif and the entire Druze of Israel community, without exception. Don’t be ungrateful. My heart aches when I see the tremendous efforts of the Druze of Israel for our people met with ingratitude. They, alongside Israel, stopped the genocide against us—not the Druze of Lebanon, not Jordan, nor any Arab country, but Israel and its Druze alone. I won’t tolerate anyone diminishing their value.
I want no low-level arguments or divisive nonsense on my page. You’re free to think as you wish, but don’t spread discord here. Let’s support each other as we should, honoring the truth that prevails in the end.🇸🇨🇮🇱
@mahersharafeddi
@WalidAbuHaya1
@samurai_611
@RajaaHaya
@SamDavdov

Hussain Abdul-Hussain
Whether Hamas leaders survive today's Israeli strike in Doha or not, my takeaway is this:
Hamas leaders know an Israeli death warrant targets them with no escape. History shows Israel never lets those with Israeli blood on their hands get away. Will this change Hamas's calculus and lead them to follow the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) by abandoning armed conflict against Israel? I doubt it. Hamas leaders are suicidal and want all Palestinians to die with them.

Mike Pompeo
Reminder: Hamas is a terrorist organization responsible for the worst atrocities committed against the Jewish people since the Holocaust. The IDF has the duty to pursue the responsible parties to the ends of the Earth if necessary.